Iyo and Xalia were accompanying the theater troupe director, Nathan, toward the engine room of the Subatlantic Express. After the message they received from Evelyn, they were sure something was amiss there. As they were hurrying along, an ominous haze issued from Nathan’s pocket. Shocked, the director came to a halt.
“That’s miasma. Take out whatever’s inside your pocket now.” Iyo urged and Nathan readily obeyed and threw out the slim card he had been unaware of until then. Not a second later, it exploded with an outpour of ebon ink. It covered the car they were in before gathering into a familiar and monstrous visage. The pale blue monster’s serpentine tail expanded along the row of seats while the humanoid half appeared at the other end. It was hunched over at first before raising straight up and letting out a blood-curdling shriek. Thick fish scales akin to battle armor coated its tail while thinner leather-like scales took the place of skin for the part of the monster that roughly looked like a man from the waist up.
“Heh, looks like this headache is back for round two. I wonder what kind of art I can make out of it this time.” Xalia bemused after uncovering her hands from her ears. She then got her stylus ready. Blood still caked under her nails from the Wraith’s power that made their veins rupture at the use of magic.
“Hold on, remember what it can do. We won't come out unscathed if we don’t act carefully.” Iyo warned. In the middle of their exchange, Fossegrim lashed its serpentine tail out at them from within the cramped confines of the four-sided box they were stuck in. The two dodged as best they could in that tight space.
“There’s not much we can do without a little magic if we want to put this beast down for good.” Xalia rationally assessed. “I’d rather avoid the pain, but I do have a very high tolerance. I’d say we blast it with our strongest attacks to get this over and done with as quickly as possible.”
“We can’t be sure that’ll work with just the two of us.” Iyo reaffirmed his cautiousness but Xalia would not listen. She began to prepare a mystic skill with one of her ring-like Sigils.
“Hey, before you waste any more blood. I need you to patch up Sour-face here.” Nera appeared from behind the pair from the car door they had just left. She was carrying an unconscious Connor across her shoulders. Nathan’s face filled with worry.
Xalia stopped her Skill with a huff and kneeled down next to Connor after Nera laid him gently to the floor. Meanwhile, Iyo kept the monster preoccupied by himself.
“What happened?” Nathan asked urgently.
“Tierney did. She’s the one behind this whole incident.” Nera explained while Xalia pulled out a golden-colored potion and poured it where she saw the blood spread from on Connor’s shirt. A faint glow shined as the elixir worked to help his healing. Nathan’s mouth hung open silently at the revelation, but Xalia calmly assessed the news.
“The half-elf, huh? That explains this frustratingly precise wound.” Xalia could tell it was caused by an elven bow’s arrow from the clean hole left behind. The assailant even took care to avoid any vital organs or major arteries.
“Are you absolutely sure Tierney was the one behind this? She’s been with us for years.” Nathan asked in disbelief after running over the possibility in his head.
Nera met his eyes with a resolute look. “Think for yourself. There’s no doubt in your mind that Tierney is the reason that monster appeared now?”
“Well…” Nathan thought back to when the monster vanished before and Tierney helped him to his feet. “I had a Craft Card placed in my pocket that Fossegrim appeared from...and she’s the only person who had the opportunity to place it there.”
“That settles it then.” Nera figuratively wiped her hands with the question of Tierney’s innocence.”We’ll take care of this demented mermaid and your ex-troupe member, and then you’ll pay us in exchange.”
Nera got up along with Xalia to aid Iyo in the fight. “Hold on. Xalia. Let me take a shot at it first. I think I got it figured out.”
“Oh really, do you mind informing me?” Xalia asked wryly.
“It’s human half is its weak point. Less scales means less defense, so it’ll go down with a strong kick if I target that spot.” Nera smugly explained her strategem with a pointed finger.
“Truly genius.” Xalia replied with an eye roll.
“Hmph, just shut up and watch.” Nera got in a starting position before bounding away with a blur of swiftness. By this point, she was already accustomed to the simplistic patterns the Wraith lashed out in.
“Get out of the way!” Nera commanded as her and Iyo crossed paths in the cramped space.
“Wait, I have its attention-”
“Stellar!” Nera cut him off mid-speech and used his shoulder as a launch pad to close in to Fossegrim while Iyo took a direct hit from a swipe of its tail. Being thrown off his balance left him defenseless and he was sent hurtling back to the far end of the car.
“Sorry, but I had to get the heat off me somehow.” Nera halfheartedly apologized mid-air. She was sure she would make up for it by landing the finishing blow. It had to be her. She was the only one who did not use magic after all. “Magical Kick Breaker!”
Although, her attack name muddied the water, she pulled her leg back for a purely physical strike devoid of magic aimed at Fossegrim’s head. The Wraith responded in kind by using a clawed hand to strum the strings of the lyre attached to its arm. A discordant noise rang out and to her surprise, a sharp pain ran across Nera’s entire body. Her body felt like it was set on fire and this shock allowed Fossegrim to catch her by the face. It began barreling toward the end of the car to slam her defenseless body into the wall. The pointed nails of its hand pricked her face.
***
Four years ago, inside the Verre Chateau-
Tierney walked down the hallway listening to a jumble of noise coming from behind a door. The crude string strumming did nothing to help her mood as she stopped in front of room and made her way in. She was greeted by the sight of a girl around the age of sixteen with a violin on her lap and her hands hastily jammed in the pockets of a sapphire wool jacket. The interior was a standard dressing room with a large mirror and drawer on one side of the room and a few comfortable leather chairs.
“Are you the amateur that Nathan told me to give a hand? Katelyn, was it?” Tierney asked dismissively. Katelyn intentionally avoided her gaze, choosing instead to look at a random spot on the floor next to Tierney.
“Yeah, I’m that amateur. Are you really going to teach me how to play this violin?” Katelyn asked hesitantly.
“That’s what was asked of me, but I just heard a noise like nails scratching a chalkboard. I wasn’t sure about having a Craftless in the troupe but that sealed the deal.” Tierney scrutinized harshly. “Maybe I’d try my hand if it even seemed like you were putting in some effort.”
Irritated, Katelyn raised her head and fired back.”You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.” Katelyn revealed her hands from her pockets that were riddled with bandaids. Of course they were, the strings of the Mermaid’s Teardrop were razor sharp. It could not be played with any protection and she had no aura to shield her hands. “I’ve been doing the best to adjust to the daily practice, learning about magic, everything… Someone’s who’s been apart of this from the beginning couldn’t understand!”
Tierney’s eye twitched slightly at the sight of Katelyn’s fingers and she took a seat in one of the leather chairs in front of her. “I”m not exactly like everyone else either.” She pushed some hair aside to show her pointed ears. Her potential protegee beamed in awe.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“So, I can understand what you’re coming from. However, are you really sure you want to be apart of this world? Why not keep going with your peaceful, ordinary life? You’re just being used as a side show to attract more sponsors to our shows.” Tierney stated bluntly. They were indeed getting more popularity with the oddity of having a Craftless able to use a mythical instrument that had not been played in over a century. The past few weeks had the amount of influential Crafters in the audience increase by orders of magnitude.
“I never had that kind of life. Here I get to eat at least three meals a day, a nice room all to my own, and people actually give a damn about me. I don’t want to go back to how my life was before.” Katelyn said while massaging her sore fingers. Tierney looked to the side where a giant mirror reflected both of them.
“It sounds as if you like being pampered like a princess,” Tierney replied. In truth, she knew that what she listed were basic necessities anyone would want.
“Maybe so, but that’s not all. I want to pay back everyone.” Katelyn took the bow in one hand and the violin in the other. “If you won’t help me, I’ll go back to learning on my own.”
She tuned the instrument briefly and resumed her practice. The area glowed with a cool, sapphire light and the only sound that could be heard was a clear melody originating from the instrument. It was still clunky but better than just a few moments before.
This caught Tierney off guard. Mermaid’s Teardrop was partially a physical item so someone with no magic could theoretically play it but it was made of ether as well so the ability to sense ether was needed to efficiently tune the strings of the instrument. There was only one other way to do so.
“You’ve got this far with just trial and error…” Tierney uttered hoarsely and then sighed with a grin. “Fine, you are puting in the effort, but are you absolutely sure you want to be apart this world where you will face unknowable danger and unreasonable expectations?”
Katelyn nodded without hesitation. “I am. I don’t want to give up. I don’t want anyone to give up on me.”
Tierney nodded in return. “Then, let’s began. First, I’ll show you the real way you’re supposed to hold that instrument.”
***
In the present, Katelyn watched as her mentor faced off against Allen, a brash teenager she had only met earlier that day. Her hands were cuffed to an armrest on one of the car seats, unable to move from that position, she was forced to watch on helplessly. Despite how the situation may have seemed, he was the one she was rooting for in this fight regardless of her conflicted feelings.
“Eject Slot 1!” Allen declared and with a glow of light from the deck case at his hip, a card popped out and he retrieved it with his right hand. He proceeded to place a silver specter stone from his pouch and placed it next to the card. Like a magnet, the card absorbed the stone and its front pulsed with a myriad of swirling colors. “Now, Draw Slot 1!"
As if pulling from a scabbard, Allen’s hand separated from the card with a mass of ether that quickly formed into a silver handaxe with a long, curved blade. Across the length of the blade were the letters of the cardinal directions akin to a compass or weather vane.
“Wow, it really worked just like he said it would.” Allen recounted while admiring the armament.
“How is that possible when you aren’t even a Crafter?” Tierney asked in disbelief. Normally, Crafters would link their Codex with their Craft Cards and manifest cards that corresponded to a Skill in their ethereal tome. This was the other method of harnessing Specter Stones in the place of Mystic Skills but it was still far-fetched to think a Craftless could pull such a feat off.
“I had some pretty good directions. I’m not sure how the others will feel about using up the stones, but I figure they’ll be worth more as Craft Cards anyway.” Allen responded offhandedly. He had been told briefly about this method of utilizing Craft Cards and how to activate the deck case, but from here on out was uncharted waters.
“I see Nathan’s still up to his old ways of giving Craftless powers that are too much for them. Whatever, I’ll just shoot you down now before the sun has a chance to melt your wings.” Tierney proclaimed as she pulled the string back of her mystical longbow. Allen vaulted toward her and she let loose a single arrow that flew swiftly in his direction. The projectile left behind a trail of ethereal light blue shine.
Allen thought he could dodge it easily enough when it expanded to the size of a great spear and a ghostly blue giant akin to a viking warrior appeared wielding it. Eyes wide in shock, Allen watched as the giant gripped the arrow-turned-spear and thrust the weapon at him even as the young man tried to get out of its way. Allen readied his blade and diverted the spear from plunging into his chest. A second later, the apparition evaporated and the outer shell of the spear disintegrated back into the original arrow, falling innocuously on the floor.
“What was that?!” Allen yelled out while running back down the narrow walkway toward his opponent. He was slowed down by several more giant-wielded arrows but managed to deal with each one by angling the arrow-spears away from his body with his handaxe.
“A Spirit of course, a lesser one at least. Unlike a Greater Spirit like Fossegrim, the lesser ones can’t gather more Extract than needed for its basic form but they’re still useful when you have a variety of them. For example…” Tierney was sure Allen would not be caught off guard by another arrow using the power of the landvættir, Bergrisi. The increase of size and ability to change its direction mid-flight were impressive but those aspects decreased its speed at the same time. If that was the case, she just needed to change ammunition.
“Initialize: North Run: Fugl Command: Transform.” Tierney conveyed another mysterious chant and the lines of her bow were now filled with a light amber glow instead of the dark blue it had before. “Learn what your place is as you're overwhelmed, Outsider.”
She fired another arrow that glowed amber and split into an innumerable volley of identical projectiles that took the form of ethereal birds with razor sharp beaks. The sheer amount was enough to completely obscure the half-elf from view. A single raindrop had become a raging storm with no shelter in sight. There was no way Allen could knock down each and every arrow before it could reach him. He was not some superhuman martial artist with lightning-fast reflexes and prodigious dexterity.
Allen grinned. “Guess it’s time to try out this trick. Here goes everything!”
He stirred the Extract from within the silver handaxe to awaken and a whirlwind of fierce intensity blew around him. The scenery around Allen flickered to a dark, silver chamber that was much more spacious than the train car. He could still faintly see his original surroundings.
‘Huh?’ Allen was confused but had no time to dwell on the matter before Tierney’s projectiles reached him.
The countless spirit arrows that came his way were deflected harmlessly to the side as he continued his mad rush toward the elven archer.
‘Metal. I figured that a card made from Grimhildr’s stone would have some semblance of her whirlwind ability! But..what’s this illusion I’m seeing? Is this a side-effect that Nathan didn’t get the chance to tell me about?’ Even with these discrepancies running through his mind, he still charged forward relentlessly.
Tierney gritted her teeth in surprise and contempt. “Command: Aug-”
Allen cut off her words with a wild swing of his silver handaxe. She nimbly evaded the highly telegraphed swipe and fired off another round of innumerable phantasmal birds. At this distance, Allen’s vortex was not strong enough to deflect all of them and a few broke past the wall of wind. One shredded Allen’s shoulder and another grazed the side of his stomach.
He clenched his teeth in pain and jumped on top of the car seats to avoid the rest of the volley before leaping off them with an overhead axe swing aimed at Tierney’s bow. The two weapons collided with a loud clack as metal struck wood. Allen followed up with several more strikes at the same spot on Tierney’s bow.
A vein pulsated on Tierney’s forehead. “Don’t get too carried away thinking I’m some frail elf who’s no good at close range!” She gripped one end of bow with both hands and sent Allen tumbling down the walkway again with a swing of her own. “With your measly amount of magical energy, I can overpower you anytime I want by boosting my own strength. Surely, you should’ve known that at least.”
Allen groggily got back to his feet. His head spun with a loosened grip on the handaxe, now with a glaring crack along the blade. The whirlwind that surrounded him before was gone and his vision returned to normal as well. The young man figured it must have some sort of time limit.
He wiped some blood from his mouth before responding to Tierney’s remark. “Yeah, I did, but I must’ve forgotten after all the scheming you did to kill a woman who’s as ‘powerless’ as me.”
“Hmph, I haven’t been trying to kill Katelyn. I’ve been protecting her.” The half-elf replied frankly.
“Sure doesn’t seem like it to me. What about the arrow hole we found at the site of the second Wraith attack?”
“Don’t listen to a word she says.” Katelyn suddenly spoke from her confined spot next to the seat she was cuffed to. She stood as high as she could in that state with fire in her eyes. “She’s never been honest about anything from the very beginning, why would she start now?”
Tierney sighed with a pained expression and surmised that there was no harm in revealing her hand to them at this point. “That wasn’t me trying to kill you, Kate-Katelyn, but defending you against someone who was. This whole time you have never been my target, that fool Nathan has.”
“As if that’s the case.” Katelyn bitterly replied but Allen gave the statement some heedance. After all, she had plenty of time to finish Katelyn off before Allen arrived.
“Huh…do you mean…” Allen started but Tierney voiced the answer to his unfinished question.
“Yes, the Fossegrim is meant for him. I’ve gone against the Concealers to save Katelyn by forfeiting his life instead of hers. If I do not eliminate the Uncrowned King then Katelyn will be killed.”