“The Grim Reaper, the one who dominated Atelier City’s underworld for decades had four disciples whom she provided protection. Those four acted as shadow rulers of Atelier City in her stead.” Nathan talked like he was reading from a teleprompter with the devastation from the last battle with Fossegrim still palpable. The train car was a total wreck with debris and water everywhere.
“Is that true?” Nera asked him with an upturned eyebrow.
“That’s what most think and, in practice, that’s how it worked. The truth is I’ve only ever exchanged thirteen sentences with the Grim Reaper over the ten or so years since I met them.” The blue-eyed man recounted with striking precision.
“Ten years ago…does that have anything to do with the Nightmare Disaster?” Iyo questioned abruptly.
“Yes, you’re probably quite familiar as a refugee from overseas.” Nathan surmised Iyo’s background with an indifferent look in return.
“What’s the Nightmare Disaster and what does that have to do with these Uncrowned Monarchs?” Allen realized that there was still a great deal he did not know about Atelier City’s history. He wondered how much one city could hide from the outside world. Surely, some kind of wide-scale disaster would have made nationwide news.
“The Nightmare Disaster was a series of incidents around the world where three of the Seven Perils of the Grim Reaper appeared and caused immense destruction. Those places were Kyoto, London, and here in Atelier City.” Nathan looked haunted while speaking. “When the Disaster took place, every capable fighter here took up the cause to protect our home, even those of the criminal underworld.”
“Criminal, ay? Despite the risk of exposing yourselves, you went out in the open.” Xalia followed.
“We had to.” Nathan quickly responded.” it wasn’t like the army of Specters wouldn’t destroy our houses and decimate our people just because we were on the wrong side of the law. However, after the monsters were dealt with, my associates and I found ourselves surrounded by the Paladins we had just fought side by side with moments before. That’s when she appeared, our Angel of Death…”
“She bailed you out? I thought the Grim Reaper was completely neutral.” Nera voiced her doubts about that idea. “She was an insane freak of nature who randomly caused destruction.”
“Was?” Nathan replied with confusion, catching Nera off guard.
“..Well, I just mean she hasn't stirred any trouble recently, right? It’s been ten years since the Nightmare Disaster.”
“Hmph, she may not be doing anything as grandiose as that, but the threat of her Nine Perils still remains unchecked.” Tierney countered.
“Those Perils you keep bringing up. Are those Specters?” Allen prodded.
Tierney’s eyes widened.”You. You’re not a part of this world at all, are you? Are you like Katelyn, or are you like Nera, a-”
“Ugh, that doesn’t matter. Just answer his question so we can move on.” Nera urged, earning a look of ire from Tierney.
Tierney palmed her face in her hands. “Once again, I’m wondering if it was a mistake to place so much trust in people with no connections in magical society. They don’t even know the bare minimum.”
While Allen felt like he was being put under a spotlight, Nathan began answering for Tierney.”The Nine Perils are monsters created by the Grim Reaper and Specters of the highest caliber. Above both Shades and Wraith, they are Absolute Terrors. Absolute Terrors are not entities that embody a single myth, but conceptual misfortunes such as plagues and disasters.”
‘Absolute Terror..doesn’t sound like anything I would want to run into no matter how much money a stone from one of those would bring in..”
“Wise decision.” Nathan complimented wryly. “Back to the matter of hand, the Grim Reaper has those monsters at her command and unleashes them for the sake of a vague idea of world balance even I can’t understand. When she appeared and obliterated all threatening us, the four ‘Uncrowned Monarchs’ were formed. We went from being Grendel kingpins who skirted under the League and Paladins’ radars to untouchable villains.”
“Basically, the notion since has been that direct confrontation with the Uncrowned Monarchs would mean an all-out fight with the Grim Reaper herself so no one has been keen on risking that. Of course, the Uncrowned Monarchs also don’t want to risk the Grim Reaper showing up.” Connor elaborated.
‘She’s like a living nuclear warhead. Revealing her death would send Atelier City into utter chaos.’ Allen was glad that he and the rest of Virtuoso had decided to hold on to that information.
“I relied too much on that notion. When a large number of merfolk were imprisoned for simply entering Atelier City without notice for shelter, I gathered my forces to try to free them.” Nathan walked over to the window and pressed his fingers against the glass in regret. “That particular warden was both feckless and unfathomably powerful. Not caring about whether the Grim Reaper would arrive, she decimated my entire group and gave me two options: voluntarily have my powers sealed and step down as a Monarch or be imprisoned while the rest of my people were hunted.”
Nathan then opened up his navy blue jacket and raised his white undershirt. Strewn across the left side of his ribs was a massive sapphire Sigil that pulsed with magic. The skin around it was marred and a much darker shade than the rest of his torso. Whoever had placed that mark went out of their way to make it as painful as possible.”As you can see, I went with the first option.”
Allen’s mouth hung agape wordlessly.
“That mark forcibly restricts mana to the inside of your body.” Xalia inferred with a morbidly curious gaze.
“Yes, I can’t even emit an aura for defense or detect magical energy,” Nathan explained as he covered up the grievous sight. “This scar is the sign of my hubris for thinking I understood the harbinger of death herself.”
“So, that explains why the Concealers would have a hit on you. They think you’ll use Katelyn’s ability to try to cause trouble again. It looks like her being selected to join the festival was the last excuse they needed to take action.” Allen hypothesized after regaining his composure.
“The Concealers perform the dirty work for the Paladins and framing someone like Nathan sounds like something they’d do from what Dreadnought’s told me. They won’t go after pesky small fry, but someone noteworthy enough to be acknowledged by the Festival’s organizer doesn’t fall under that umbrella.” Nera added and Allen remembered that the Knight Arms gym instructor was also a Paladin herself.
“Cool story, but knowing all that doesn’t help us out much.” Xalia lazily lamented after only giving the information a few seconds of thought. She simply twirled her stylus in her fingers.
“Heh, I guess my confessions have not done much but raised some weight off my shoulders.” Nathan bitterly remarked.
Allen paced around for a bit and picked up a piece of metal railing that had fell on the ground then looked up at a security camera. “...I wouldn’t say that quite yet. You talked about Extract detectors before. Are they located inside the security cameras?”
After receiving several nods in confirmation, Allen stood up on one of the seats, raised the hand holding the metal pole, and smashed one of the cameras into pieces. True enough, a magical shard fell out from the device.
“You lunkhead! Why’d you go and break it for?!” Nera chastised.
“I had to be sure it could be easily broken,” Allen said matter-of-factly. “...If we’re going to be checking them like this.”
“Why would you look inside the security cameras?” Nera asked
“Well, I wouldn’t have until I heard what the Concealers were. It was bugging me how someone can plant a Specter inside this train without getting noticed but if they’re an official, that wouldn’t need to hide at all.”
“That may be true, but regular train operators wouldn’t just let the Subatlantic Express be infested with a Wratih,” Katelyn stated.
“That’s what I hope too, but it doesn’t matter as long as that official can leave something behind that they can’t detect. The Concealers’ whole job is about tracking down magic, so they should know how these scanners work inside and out. Plus, I know that Specters can be sealed inside pictures temporarily.”
Thinking back to the day they first met, Nera’s eyes brightened in realization. “That’s stellar, Lackey! They’ve been hiding it in the last place we would check.”
“I’m still lost. Mind catching me up to speed.” Xalia huffed a long strand of blue hair out of her face.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
Iyo spoke up. “I think I get it. The detectors are meant to scan for any magical energy outside of them except for the Extract inside of the detectors of course. If someone were to place a picture with a sealed Specter inside one, it could go unnoticed.”
“...And the Concealers would have the know-how and equipment to take apart one and put it back together without anyone knowing.” Xalia parsed correctly.
“Yeah, if we go back to where the Specter first appeared. We’ll be sure to find something within one of the cameras.” Allen declared with a grin.
“Excellent deduction. The chance is slim, but if we can get to the sealed Specter before the perpetrator has a chance to release it again, we can put a stop to this whole fiasco.” Nathan lauded.
“Wait, we still have to check on the train operators.” Katelyn suddenly thought back to their prior goal and Nathan’s brow furrowed.
“That is true. I’ll go ahead and see what’s going on myself.” Nathan concluded.
“But sir, shouldn’t one of us go with you at least?” Connor argued.
“The target is Katelyn, not me, and if Allen’s hunch is correct then the Specter disappeared by being resealed. The perpetrator would likely have placed the seal next to where we would be sitting, so there’s little risk of me being attacked.” Nathan explained rationally. Allen was taken aback and half-opened his mouth uneasily.
“To ensure your safety, how about Xalia and I tag along?” Iyo offered abruptly and Xalia shrugged. Nathan reluctantly agreed while Allen let out a sigh of relief.
Allen appreciated Iyo greatly for lightening some of the pressure of having so much faith placed on him. This was the biggest case that had been undertaken so far, and no matter how much he tried to hide it, he was still just an inexperienced teenager, not some expert detective. With that settled, he and others began the walk back to where they started. When Allen turned to leave, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Nathan’s. He held out a small object in his other hand.
“I heard you’ve been collecting specter stones, so this should be useful. Think of it as a small bit of advance payment.” Nathan said.
‘Is this what I think it is?!’
Allen’s eyes beamed.
“So metal.”
***
After a few smashed cameras later, they finally find a picture of the Fossegrim placed in one of them. Allen handed it off to Tierney and this continued until everyone got a look at it.
“I’m no good at detecting magical energy, so what do you two think?” Allen said while facing Connor and Tierney.
“Connor, you’re the one who’s the most hands-on when dealing with magical materials through your cosmetic supplies. What do you think?” Tierney said with a side-eye.
“Hmph, you don’t give yourself enough praise. As our instrument director, you’re the one who has to fine-tune Katelyn’s violin precisely enough that she doesn’t blow up the theater by accident.” Conner scoffed and Katelyn’s face reddened bashfully. “But, if I were to give my expert opinion, then I’d say there’s no way a Specter is still inside of this flimsy picture. There’s way too little miasma present. It’s been unsealed for at least twenty minutes.”
‘Twenty minutes…that’s about how long it’s been since Fossegrim first attacked. Where is it disappearing to then?’ Allen pondered. However, without much else to go off on, he was at a dead-end.
“I’m exhausted.” Allen heaved and slumped into one of the seats, ignoring the slight dampness left over from being flooded. “Do you guys have to deal with this kind of trouble all the time?”
“No, this is the first time this has happened,” Connor remarked.
“Then what did you mean when you said you were saved before?” Allen asked innocuously.
“…Well, that was a long time ago. It's not something I think about often.” Connor’s words tumbled out of his mouth.
Tierney elbowed him. “C’mon, embarrassed to admit you got beaten to a pulp?”
“Hey, don’t tease him, Tier. You know he’s sensitive about losing fights.” Katelyn came to her friend's defense but only made it worse. “Being left in such a pathetic state must be a sore spot for-“
“Alright!” Connor grunted. “It happened two years ago. I got into a fight with some punks who were grafitting the theater late at night.”
“Connor may not be the fighting type, but he’s quick to get into a scuffle if the theater’s involved and he’s excellent at hiding when things go south. When I found him after trying to get some early morning practice, he was completely blended in with the wall.” Katelyn added, trying to sound as cheery as she could with her dreary voice. That early morning practice of hers was the very reason she appeared so tired normally.
Connor rubbed the back of his head meekly. “I was beaten within an inch of my life and wouldn’t have made it in time for the ambulance Kate called if she hadn’t played a song on the violin and let me use the energy it gathered to keep myself stable until they could arrive. Because of that, I owe Kate my life.”
“Hey, it wasn’t that special. I just did what anyone would do in that situation.” The violinist dismissed with a fluttery wave of her hand.
“What about you?” Nera asked Tierney.
“Me? Well, it was nothing as dire as that. I was just low on cash.” The half-elf began. “I went to the same shop as Nathan to pawn off my bow, Gusisnautar, and he gave me a job offer instead.” She once again revealed the wooden bracelet around her wrist to a shocked Allen.
“You were going to give away something as cool as that for some pocket change?!” He exclaimed.
“Simmer down, this is a valuable magical treasure directly from Alfheim, the realm of the elves. It would’ve amounted to more than some pocket change.” Tierney replied nonchalantly.
Before Allen could spazz out anymore, Nera interrupted him. “I don’t think that’s the point for him. You seem to be attached to that thing, literally. Why would you give it up?”
Tierney tilted her head and with a request from Katelyn began to open up. “Fine, if you must know. I was born on the outskirts of Alfheim between a Crafter and an Elf. My mother was a curious scout who patrolled the realm’s perimeter while my father was a bold adventurer looking to find out more about the mysterious forest of the elves.”
‘That must mean she has both Grendel powers and Crafter Skills.’
Tierney continued her story. “Unfortunately, according to the rules of Aflheim, no outsiders are allowed to enter, so my mother chose not to return so she could be with her lover and child. Then, my old man passed away from an illness. …My mother had lived for centuries without a trace of the fear of death, so she just lost it when he died. It must’ve been in the blink of an eye for her”
A grim shadow was cast over the conversation and it took Allen a colossal effort to muster the courage to speak up.
“I’ve heard stories of immortal, secluded elves before. Alfheim, it sounds like something that shouldn’t exist but even that kind of place is real, huh? Did you ever get to see it? You’re still a half-elf after all.” He voiced.
“Nah, that’s not enough to cut it. Within Alfheim, elves are born with a special tree marked just for them. As long as the tree never withers away, they’ll live on, and trees never wither in Alfheim.” Tierney explained sardonically. “To avoid overpopulation, they don’t let anyone in and hone their arts arduously, kicking out anyone who can’t live up to their standards, much less mixed bloods.”
“So, you and your mother are stuck never being able to enter your homeland,” Nera stated with a compassionate look. “Did she ever learn to adapt to the outside?”
Nera’s honest question was met with downcast looks from both Connor and Katelyn while Tierney seemed kind of amused.
“Just the opposite, she left me to go back. Said ‘We’ll get to see each other again when I’m ready.’”The half-elf’s response rattled Nera and Tierney started to rub Gusisnautar. “That was twenty-five years ago and this crummy wristband is all I have left to remember my crummy mother by. Now you know why I wouldn’t mind pawning it off if the price is right.”
The room was filled with heavy silence which was only disturbed by water dripping from the ceilings and onto the floor. Tierney covered up her wrist again while Katelyn fidgeted with her hands due to the awkward tension.
“..Thirty-thirty years ago, but you don’t look a day over twenty! That’s incredible!” Allen blurted out with Nera forcibly shoving his head down in an impromptu bow with a look of second-hand embarrassment. She turned to Tierney with a strained grin.
“Sorry for my lackey’s idiocy, His head is filled with comic books and lore guides instead of common sense and tact.” She exposited.
Tierney chuckled then waved it off. “It’s nothing. I’m glad something was able to lighten the mood after that sob story. FYI, elves aren’t immortal outside Aflheim, but we permanently stay in the prime of our lives once we reach it. I’ve been a youthful 26 since the 90’s.”
“Wait, you’re in your forties?!” Allen exclaimed with his head still pressed down.
Tierney chuckled again. “On second thought, let’s drown him.”
After convincing her not to do that, they sat around waiting for Nathan and the rest to return when everyone suddenly heard the same disembodied voice. It came from Evelyn.
“Listen all! I just used my vocal Mystic Trait to contact Nathan from the other side of the train. He’s found a conductor and they’ve managed to wake him up.” The siren announced.
With their attention caught, Allen and the rest were eager to hear more.
“The conductor said he was heading to the engine room when the Specter suddenly attacked and that it probably sabotaged the engine as well. However, they almost reached the underwater theater and if they can just make it the rest of the way there, everyone should be able to go home.”
Allen was confused by this and asked out loud,” How does that work? I thought the Subatlantic Express was the only way to get to the theater and back to the mainland.”
“I thought so too, but there’s a special Gateway located at the theater made specifically for crew members, emergencies, and select V.I.P.s.”
‘Hold on, if there’s a way to get back to the Verre Chateau from the underwater theater through the underworld, that means…’ Allen thought deeply to himself.
“You hear that?!” Connor yelled. “If we can just figure out whatever’s wrong with the engine, we’ll be able to get out of this damn box. Let’s head over there now and give as much help as we can.”
Allen raised a hand to stop him.
“What are you on about?” Connor asked.
“Allen, did you figure out something?” Katelyn questioned softly.
The amateur detective nodded with a steely gaze. “Yeah, I think I know who the culprit is now.”