"HAH!" Liada lets out triumphantly as Vadei waddles away from her barrier. Her nose is clutched tightly as she slowly regains her bearings.
"Not fair..." she complains soon after before she drops down and stares at her fingers.
"Quit complaining." I tell her as I move to pick her up. Ignoring her aggressive reaction and staring her down as she glares at me.
"Not so rough!" she demands as one of her glowing nails is shoved into my face. And, I couldn't help but let out a sigh as I stared at her magic. It was so weak... What purpose was there in me trying to help it improve?
She was weak and always has been, and I could not help Lari with weak people. Not even Liada, with that divine trinket of hers was a particularly skilled fighter. I was watching the pair go at it because of that! Liada needs a careful eye on her, as otherwise...
"Alright, you go wait over there." I tell Vadei before I nearly throw her that way. Yet, despite how she reacted, I only gave her a guiding claw. It was not an attempt to actually throw her... Then, when my attention returned to Liada, I cocked a fist back.
"Eh? WAIT!" Liada screamed as she clearly wasn't expecting me to take over. And, that just made my point stronger. If this was enough to catch her off guard, me merely taking up a position... Then I could hold nothing but dread for how useless she would be...
When it came to saving Lari, I needed the best. People who could be at their very peak with or without help. The news did come quick. I had been given a glimpse into how that 'help' failed.
"Keep it up." I end up telling Liada once I realised she brought her barrier down. Not only was that just a stupid move. I could not allow such behaviour to be encouraged. My experience has taught me much, and a shield needed to be kept up!
"I'm tired..." she lied.
"KEEP IT UP!" I roar furiously before forcing her to do so. Enveloping myself in an arcane fireball which my aggressive breathing blew away afterwards.
"NIN!" Vadei snaps from behind me.
I turn towards her, watching as she flinches slightly, "Get back to it." I tell her. Walking past her before sitting down by a target we made prior. Then, with a sudden wave of tiredness, I leaned against it. Cracking it slightly as I forced my body against it.
"Nin... I don't think this is going to work out..." Liada points out as she moves closer to me. Yet, rather than looking her in the eye like I usually did. I stared at those large, curved, big toe-claws of hers. They tapped when she was nervous.
But, what did she have to be nervous about...?
"What's not going to work out!?" I ask her with snort. And she backs away with a harsh scrape.
"I'm not learning anything... You're just having me put up walls and..."
"And what? Your power is to make walls is it not? Making walls is clearly what this power of yours is for!" I tell her as I start to get up.
"No, do not talk to us like that!" Vadei growls as she asserts herself with a finger.
"I WILL WHEN IT IS CLEAR YOU TWO THINK BEING ABLE TO PROTECT YOURSELF IS SOME HALF-HEARTED AFFAIR!" I roar at her whilst also suddenly approaching her. And, it was amusing, in a cruel way to watch her flinch back. For that assertiveness to go away. And, then, I just walked off and left the room and then the building.
I collapsed onto a bench and impatiently tapped one of my feet. Staring longingly at the hospital before I started to become miserable. How could that man have failed!? I have heard the rumours!
How powerful these people were meant to be. How they conquered the world and ruined countries on their own! These were meant to be the elite of the elite! Beyond that of even the Valkinvar who I once saw as the strongest!
So how could he have failed...? Why did this now fall upon me to protect Lari...? It made no sense in the slightest... First Seigunfrei shows me that scar of his, and now that!
Tiyanat may have been trying to hide it for some reason. But I knew all about it. The school even made a point of saying how some classes had to be suspended due to shortages... That man was so powerful he made the school blackout...
A school dedicated to magic, the very best of these kinds of schools! And this Smiling Jhurack, the one who wanted me... He beat that man... He wanted to clearly fight me, and I was nothing in comparison to his previous opponent...
"Are you alright?" Vadei asked me as she sat down next to me. She was clearly on edge, but, her intentions were clearly pure. Why else would she bring around her tail for me? Even if I did not receive the offering of my own volition...
"I'm sorry, it's just..."
"You don't need to explain that. I do not need to be smart to figure it out."
"It's not even just that, we've been through so much and somehow, we all still don't know really how to fight..." I explain to her. And, to some extent, I was lying, it really was just about Lari. I would not have been so pushy about it otherwise. It was also true, I still did not know how to fight.
At least, not like everyone else could. Vapooliar was swift and brutal with her fists and could be around you for kicks. Even Seigunfrei knew how to manipulate his momentum to bring you down. I only ever beat him through the savagery I put up in that magic-suppressing room...
I guess, to some extent, it was a know-how in the art of fighting. But, not to the degree that counted. To think about prior thoughts about the 'help.' He must've been a master of such skill he would need lifetimes to teach the nuance of it all...
"Well, why do we need to know how to fight?"
I then slam my fist, "What happened to Lari? What happened to your home? To Tobaballe!?" I ask her with wide-eyes. How could she ask such a stupid question!?
"Nin, I just meant we should be avoiding these sorts of things, is all!" she tries to clarify.
"But we can't! We could not travel without being attacked! I could learn without being under threat of death! Everywhere is a reason we need to know how to fight!" I remind her. I'm sure I could bring up more reasons, but I chose to stick to things she could easily get.
"I'm sorry..." she says quietly before she gets up and leaves. And just like that, an attempt to smooth things out went nowhere. Yet, I was thankful for that in a rather peculiar manner. If she felt the need to go, it meant I was right about this path.
I just needed to find people who were able to stand up for themselves! Vadei wanted to avoid fighting because she knew she was weak! I was stronger than her, so the burden of protecting fell upon me! And, clearly, I could get stronger.
After all, how it all was before I even set foot in that hauler... I was just some man who struggled to lift a statue! Now, look at me! I climbed this mountain and shattered stone!
If Smiling Jhurack wanted to create a warning in regards to his strength... Then I would just find the means to gain such strength! And I knew several people who could help with that! Some I knew well, others I had only briefly fought with!
Unfortunately, however, Vapooliar was completely off-the-table... What happened in the Inter-House made it clear how she felt about me. I just wished it wasn't over something so inconsistent. Yet, there was someone greater than her that I could speak to!
The people who also came from Lari's home had been swarming the hospital! All to see the legendary warrior as he licked his wounds! Our dorm had become popular too, just so they could see that thing... I could only assume it was the status symbol aspect of it all that made it popular.
It was just a mouth otherwise...
So, with that in mind, I started to move toward the hospital. Only to walk into a barrier that could've only been made by Liada. Yet, when I turned to face her, to demand an answer. She just glared and walked back inside.
"Better..." I condescendingly remark under my breath as that solved one of her issues. She could project the barrier further beyond than before. Yet, thinking about what I said to her, I looked back at where she was. Could I take it from her...?
However, the moment I thought that my bracelet suddenly burned me. So, taking the hint, I brushed away the idea and went back to my route. It was a shame too, walls made could make a cage. A cage from which I could then rend that helpless killer apart!
Unfortunately, it was just going to be a fantasy for me. The only choice I had was to head towards the hospitalised warrior. To get him to teach me anything, something! To lend some of his power if it was possible!
He was the one who was told about the situation! It was from him that Tiyanat first learned about Jhurack's interest in me. He had it all! Technique, knowledge, all that I would need!
I could only pray that I could get any of this, though. That man came to her to protect her, unlike Lari. It meant he was subservient to the mist-intentioned girl. He would follow requests to keep me in the dark...
And I just could not have that! I needed everything I could get, everyone! If he was not able to fight anymore, then I would take what I can! He would fight on in spirit!
Right...? His pride surely would not allow for it to end the way it did? To lose to some killer that prowled dark alleys... Surely I could goad something!?
So, before I walked into the hospital, I tried to calm myself. I would not convince anyone of this kind of stuff with openly displayed rashness. Thankfully, I had my mask and everything on! It would be hidden as well as suppressed!
"Why are you here?" the blue-eyed man asked me. At first, I looked at the way his sand-coloured hair turned bright blue towards the end. But, I was quick to remember my reason for being here. And he wanted to know it too.
"To speak to you about Smiling Jhurack." I answer, growling ever so slightly upon saying that vile thing.
"You are Nin, then?" he asks, to which I nod.
"Yes, I am, and I believe you were told something that concerned me a great deal..." I say as I slowly applied pressure to a nearby ornament. I barely made a dent in it, however. This room was strange in that it all felt heavy.
Being near this wound-covered man was scary...
"Technically, I was not. Lady Tiyanat Sl'Ayiysab was the one who made that conclusion. However, given how you have come before me with a clear, need-for-blood driven intent. I can see why." he says in a rather plain tone. Not one I was really expecting from someone with his reputation.
"Then we can skip most of the point-making..." I say as I move closer to him. The adrenaline that his aura made pump allowed me to work up the courage for now. However, if that calm tone of his changed, I would be like how Vadei was so little time ago...
"Lady Tiyanat Sl'Ayiysab made it clear to me that I was not to tell you about this. On her honour, I cannot aid you. Even if what she has asked of me is pointless now. Her intent remains the same regardless." he tells me, and that made me furious.
"You were brought here to save Lari, no!? THEN HELP ME!" I growl at first before I roar at him. Yet, as was always the case, he had no reason to be scared. But, I quickly became so when he suddenly got out of the bed. Despite how severe his wounds still were, he made a point of approaching me.
I was cowering before him yet held my ground, "If the Lord Sl'Ayiysab so asks it, I shall." he tells me before he returns to bed. Either because he was done making his point or the doctors were rushing on by.
"Right..." I meekly muttered before I left, a cold sweat soaking my flesh and carapace. Just in time before Suhurlodst's security forces came on by to remove me. Likely regardless of if I caused any issues or not. And even after I had left, as was the usual custom, I was continuously surveyed.
Then, once there was some distance between me and the hospital. I sat down and thought on what I had been told. I could get help from him if the circumstances were different...? If Lari's and Tiyanat's father agreed to it...
If that was the case, then I needed to find Tiyanat and speak to her. I needed to put forward a case! Perhaps there was something I could exploit!? Something she would bend over backwards to help accomplish!?
But where was she? I haven't been paying much attention to anyone recently... I've tried to put down that nagging feeling at the back of my mind, but nothing worked. The only solution was to embrace it to the fullest extent.
I suppose I could start with the dorm, if not, Omb was always an option. The two were close, no? I know Omb tutored Tiyanat on something likely magic related. Regardless, though, he would make a good lead if I could not find her.
So, I quickly got up and sped off back to our dorm in the hopes I could catch her. I wasn't sure if I should be patient or hectic, though. Lari seems to be safe in a strange way, but, I have no idea what will happen to her. This Smiling Jhurack was very much so a madman...
That made it clear I should be patient then, no? Just, lounge about and wait for Tiyanat to appear? I could give it a try... It would at the very least throw off the idea I was going against my prior word.
However, hindsight made me callous towards those words. How could they have been the good decision, the right decision? Our friend was in danger and she needed our help! Surely they could understand that, right?
Even if it might mean my death...
But, how could they even argue such a point? Einervaene surged across the mountains to save me from Salahma... Even if it could mean her death too, Vadei has fought by my side before! Even Liada made a point that her magic would be used to help me as much as it could...
So clearly, there was nothing truly wrong with what I was going to do! The only thing that had changed was that it was Lari's life at stake and mine! But what good was my life if the one I loved was like that? It was already meaningless without her, so why would it not go back to that...?
"Dammit... Gods damn everything..." I curse quietly, but still with a voice full of frustration. Then, once I finally got to the dorm again. I found myself staring at a mirror. And, taking note of my aggressive posture, I tried to relax it.
Even as I felt hidden tears roll down my cheeks...
"Nin, would you mind helping me with something?" Einervaene asked as she came in holding a few small things.
"O-Okay." I say as I quickly remember how I had to keep away suspicions.
"Thank you!" she says, beaming a bright smile at me before she brought me along with her. And, what I saw was interesting because it was such a grand assortment. It might've been related to how she liked to sew, but, there were so many things here. I could not figure it out at all.
"You want me to wear it...?" I ask as I linger my gaze by some clothes.
"No, just need someone to carry it."
"I see- Wait?" I question too late as it was soon all dumped into my arms. And, she looked up at me with a smug grin.
"Follow." she teasingly told me as she gestured for me with a wiggling finger.
"Can I know where we are going?"
"To one of the workshops in Mechanical House." she answers.
"And they could not have helped because?"
"They are helping me with something, it's the least I can do so I can give them time to work on it."
"And 'it' is?"
"Outfit changes, gear, that sort of stuff." she answers with a smile that had some mania mixed in. Was she learning a new spell? Or was Rose influencing her that much to the point of changing her thought process? I hoped it was the first thing that came to mind...
A new spell could help, it meant Einervaene was growing. She would be able to hold her own and help me. She was probably stronger than me anyway. So that sold her well even without this recent development.
"Can I ask you a question, Einervaene?" I then ask as I started to slow down. My thoughts then return to the greater topic at hand. One that has sown itself into such a vast field in my head.
"You've done that already." she jokes with a soft giggle as she gives me her full attention.
"Back when we were travelling to Tobaballe, why did you come to save me when Lari did not?" I ask her, and, the sentence stung in such a strange way. For me to acknowledge that the one I loved so much did not come for me that one time... She made it clear she regretted that choice, but still...
Was I trying so hard for a woman that did not love me back...? That couldn't have possibly been the case. Because only a few weeks later or however long it was between events. Lari then chased after me even as I tried to distance myself from her...
It confused me, but, I was willing to believe it was just a mistake. As Lari said after we got back thanks to Einervaene. It was just a mistake. Even she could get scared after all.
"I'm your friend, aren't I? Friends help each other." she answers after a long pause of thought. And she put up an excellent point, friends did help each other...
"So is Lari, yet, she stayed on the airship. And, I am inclined to believe Vadei would've to under different circumstances."
"But she came, that is all that matters!" Einervaene tells me with a suddenly harsher tone.
"I suppose... But, why did you do it? My other friend did nothing, but you did..."
"Because I... I..." she starts to say before something starts to drag her down. She started speaking and then I got nothing at all from her.
"Because there was something more to it." I comment idly as I bring up my bracelet. We were both already aware of its effects on the mind. How it seemed to amplify positive thoughts about another to extreme degrees.
"Yes..." Einervaene admits uncomfortably before she seems to turn.
"I'm not taking your stuff if you just walk off like that." I say, thinking it might stop her.
"That's fine, I can just take it myself..." she admits with sudden tears.
"So what is this something more?" I ask her as I take ahold of her and move her closer. Not into a hug, just by the shoulder to stop her walking away.
"You already know..." she tells me, choking on her words as she did so. And, I knew what she was on about without her having to say a thing. That moment in that town before we even got to the Anvil-Peak. She admitted her feelings much in the same way I did with Lari.
Or rather, she admitted the feelings this bracelet encouraged and amplified...
"So if you did that because you loved me, why do you get in the way of me wanting to help Lari?" I couldn't help but ask her despite knowing how this ruined my plan.
"Why do I need to explain why I don't want you to die!?" she nearly screams in frustration.
"You were willing to risk your life for the one you loved, why can't I do the same?" I ask her, and that set her off.
"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU GET HURT! BECAUSE IT IS A CRIME!? BECAUSE TIYANAT HAS ALREADY ADMITTED HELP IS ON THE WAY!?" she screamed at me as her magic lashed out around her. And I slowly backed away so I did not get caught in the lightning as much as I would have otherwise. However, despite all the reasons she continued to list of, I couldn't help but notice a trend...
"Because you hate the fact I will never feel the same way about you..." I spat out at her as I figured it out. She was so into the idea of me not helping Lari because she hated her! She envied what she got and never could! Despite knowing full well that these feelings of her were never real!
Whatever the case, my mask was suddenly scorched, and she was furious, "Why can't you love me...?" she asks before she runs off crying. And, I watched her with a glare, not even responding to the electric slap I got.
"Back to my plan, then." I dismissively snorted as I turned back towards the dorm. I abandoned her stuff as in her own words, she could do it herself. And, I started to walk around in order to find the other two. However, I could hear neither as I walked about.
Their rooms were empty and the kitchen smelled of nothing freshly made. So that could've only meant that neither of them were here. An annoying setback, but one I was easily able to overcome. So I sat down and waited for either of them to walk through the door.
Hopefully, it would be Tiyanat...
.
.
.
"I didn't know you liked fishing." Tiyanat commented as she watched me look around a shop for it.
"No, you just saw me enjoy the fish." I joke as I tested the string on a rod. It didn't really matter as I could always infuse magic into it. But, it was still a nice ritual to partake in before buying one. I haven't fished for a long time, though.
I used to do it a lot when I first left for this land. When my mind was full of uncertainty and worry. It helped me focus that negativity elsewhere. And, maybe I could help Nin do the same.
Shopping for a rod that would work for him, however, was tricky. His hands were not like mine in the slightest. Where dexterity existed for me, only cumbersome did for him. So maybe a spear was better...?
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Or, maybe, we could try fishing at a river using gloves! Grabbing the fish as they hopped out the water! It would be entertaining as well as relaxing! It also came with a high chance of jokes in general.
Obviously, none of these gripping gloves would fit him, so we'd have to break them. Or, I could buy a pair for myself and have Einervaene use her talents to make some? At least, that was the plan at first. Because by sheer coincidence did I see her in the distance crying on her own.
"Can you speak to her? I'll go speak to Nin." I ask Tiyanat before I most likely correctly assumed Nin's part in this. Einervaene was never the kind to bawl like that because of someone else. She took what he had to say very seriously. So, it must've been him.
I could be blunt about it... But, maybe I just needed to take him fishing to ease the tension first? I think that would be best. It would also help me too, because I missed my friend so very much.
She was after all the one who made me quit fishing as a way to relieve my worries... Because she was there to keep them all away after we became friends. Her smile and laughter, I missed them both. And, so, deprived of that, I turned to fishing once more...
"I suppose I'll have to make a case to someone..." I then comment with uncertainty.
.
.
.
"Again, I would like to speak to you about something..." Nin said impatiently as we walked towards a nearby stream. Frankly, I was amazed I was even able to get them to budge. But, I could sense people were following. Malicious as they were, they seemed to be willing to stick to their word.
"And you can speak to me all about it as we fish." I tell him firmly, yet, hopefully, not too provocatively. I overheard Einervaene's confused crying, what Nin did was cruel. But, when he had that much anger in him, it came as no surprise. And it should come to him with no surprise that I was unwilling to forgive such actions.
However, now was not the time. It was inconceivably better to wait until either Larishazza came back. Or, enough time had passed for this all to die down a little. Until then, however, we fish.
"Why're you taking me fishing anyway...?" he soon asks before I stop him from throwing away his gloves. It was a fresh pair, but, I tore them slightly to better fit his hands.
"Get your mind focused on something else." I tell him plainly and that was all there was to it. We had tried to easy way buy having that sit down with him. But it was clear that he needed regular guidance. A trait that was as admirable as it was frustrating to deal with.
I could honestly say, I loved how passionate he was about protecting Larishazza. However, I hated how enthralled he let himself become with his rage. He was not the only one who was angry. Yet, he was so unabashedly dismissive of everyone else's feelings.
Tiyanat was trying her hardest to get help that would not see us harmed. She was trying so very hard and it hurt my heart to see her this upset. Normally, like the ice I helped her use, she was cool-headed. So long as her upbeat sister was not involved.
Yet, now, she was melting down to such an extent that her old self had simply evaporated. I was desperate to see it all go back to normal. But, this was not a situation we could simply charge at. This wasn't the Inter-House nor some skirmish back home, beneath the continents.
We were dealing with a criminal within a city. A very powerful city at that. Our attempts would make us more enemies than they would get rid of. We had to try and put our faith in others for now...
"This is stupid, it's a waste of energy." Nin scornfully comments as his arm suddenly flattens a fish.
I shake my head and try to alleviate the mood, "No, like this." I joke. Catching a legged fish of decent size as it tried to hop over me. However, I quickly threw it away once those legs of its started to flail wildly.
I laughed it off, but, Nin was not amused. I made sure he left the mask and that at the dormitory. It was the best way to keep an eye on his gaze after all. The gateways into his soul were crucial to my efforts...
If he could see mine and I his, we could speak more frankly. He would have nowhere to hide. And, if it came to it, I would stand before him as he let it out. Unlike the others, I knew I could hold my own.
I stared down a great warrior recently, Nin was not that great warrior. He may have been a friend, a good friend to our mutual good friend... But, he still had a lot to learn. And this anger showed it off quite a bit...
"So, try and catch a big one, like that." I tell him as I try to keep the topic off of Larishazza. Maybe I could frustrate him into going along with it? I've seen Tiyanat do the same to Larishazza, after all. Then again, Nin was not her...
"I'm not going to waste my time doing this!" he nearly shouts as his sharp finger swings at where he left his gloves.
"Then what are you going to do? You need something to put that anger into. People are already hurting because of it." I tell him, making sure he knew full well that my tone was severe.
"AND LARISHAZZA IS ACTUALLY HURTING!" he roared as he got right up into my face. And, I looked away and then down. Not because I was actually nervous, but because I knew he should back away if I did. Thankfully, my prediction came true.
"And making it harder on your frien-"
"Friends!? Please, that shit Einervaene has made it abundantly clear that she wanted this to happen to her!"
"That's not true." I correct with a glare. That was a very dangerous claim for him to make. He was actively making enemies of his friends...? It was inconceivably horrifying.
"Then why does she refuse to help!? Why is she so insistent that I do not risk my life for Larishazza when she did the same for me!? She's a hypocrite!"
"She's not a hypocrite, she just cares about you deeply."
"Not a hypocrite...? ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING, OMB!? OR HAS ALL THAT FAT GONE INTO YOUR EARS INSTEAD!?" he shouts as his anger comes back to the forefront. And, were it not for me repositioning my legs, he might've shoved me to the ground. For his sake, I could not make it look like he had the upper hand.
"Einervaene saved your life under far different conditions. There was no government to make you public enemy number one! There was only that beast!" I remind him as I started to push back against him. However, I was regretting my actions as I was playing into his anger. So I backed down and sat down.
"Why're you all so insistent on leaving Larishazza alone like this...? She needs our help!" he said to me with desperate pleading. And, I hid my faced and sighed.
"I know she does."
"Then why, as her friend, do you do nothing!" he spits. Then, in the heat of the moment, I punched him away with a flaming fist.
"IT IS BECAUSE I AM HER FRIEND THAT I AM TRYING TO KEEP YOU AROUND FOR HER!" I roar down to him as he clutched his burning flesh.
"Bastard..." he lowly growls before he surges to his feet. Yet, I brought him down again and cooled his wound in the water. I let him flail and struggle in my grip. But, I did not let him leave my side and I kept him wrapped up in my right arm.
"Nin, you need to stop this." I tell him with a shaky, uncertain calmness. I had already failed to keep my cool. That blow I delivered might've just sealed his choice. I would have to live with that mistake should the worst come to pass...
"Stop what? Worrying for my friend? Caring for her? Wanting to pay her back for all she has done for me!?" he nearly screams, but, instead, he drove himself to tears.
"It is because you care for her that you should stop this. She wants to see you when she comes back, don't disappoint her." I tell him with a gentle nudge.
"And what if she doesn't...?" he asks quite rightly as his hands dug into the earth. Even with our magic being sapped away, he was still able to crush the brittle pieces of rock.
"She will, Larishazza is a strong girl. A tough one, she might be always smiling and dancing, but she can keep on rising." nudging him a little more until I saw the faintest sign of a smile.
"Yeah... She probably did better than me in the Inter-House..." he reminisces.
"You didn't do bad yourself, beat one of Exceptional House's best fighters."
"With a handicap..."
"Doesn't matter, you still won."
"I mean, me winning that doesn't mean much when we look at how Vapooliar ruined us all..."
"Yeah, we all fought as one, and we fell as one." I tell him with a smile. I liked that even if it was painful indeed. We were all there, all giving it our best even if it meant our loss.
"Obviously, you lot all got wiped out one after the other." he jokes rather tiredly.
"We still lost together." I point out one more time before I got up to my feet. We had fishing to get back to after all.
"So... What kind of fish are around here...?"
"I dunno." I say with a shrug.
"You bring me out here to fish and you have no idea what we are going to find?"
"That makes it more entertaining, no?" I ask just in time for something to slap me in the face as it jumped by.
"He-" he began to laugh quietly before something larger tripped him up. With the help of his large body, though, I was able to kick a few fish out the water. Some, however, just hopped back in with those legs of theirs. Some even revealed wings as they glided off into the distance.
"Have you ever tried to fly?" I then ask him, seeing these fish having put the topic in my head.
"I... Did something with Lari at the party..." he answers quietly.
"So that is what you two were doing in the distance!" I exclaim as I had finally figured out what they were doing. After the couple's dance, they disappeared into the distance. I could sense Larishazza's magic. But I could not figure out what was happening.
"Yeah... Lari was distracted by something so she suddenly wanted to show me this new spell of hers." he explains before he slams a fist into the water. But, he quickly rises and does something with the falling droplets.
"I don't...?"
"She was basically jumping over and over."
I smile, "That sounds like her alright."
We then both sit down for a moment, "What about you, then? Any new spells?" I decided to ask him. I personally have not seen a new spell come about for a while. That might've been due to how I was building up magic, though.
Building up all that power but not really using it.
He shakes his head, however, "Haven't been able to focus on it." he comments before he shows me what he last developed. It was very tame compared to normal, but it was still interesting to see. Fire that did not burn at all. Fire that was made of pure magic...
"In the future, you know, when you and Larishazza are happy together. You might want to consider making sure you have plenty of spells to protect her with."
"Happy together...?" he questions with a sudden switch in his behaviour. The way those mandibles of his moved, they were suddenly excited.
"Oh, would you look at that?" I point out with a snicker. The idea of such a relationship was there. But this very much confirmed that it was an actual thing.
"Are you disappointed I have my eyes on her, then?" he asks as he tries to brush my jabs off with humour.
"Hm, no. Very much a no. I got a sweetheart elsewhere."
"Tiyanat?"
"Hah, no." I tell him, much to his surprise. Frankly, everyone would probably be surprised if they found out. Me and Tiyanat did get on quite well, after all. And, with my actual body revealed, it was understandable how she might...
"So how do I use this...?" Nin eventually asks as he tries to use a fishing rod I got.
"That is a good question to ask..." I say as I try to figure out how his hands could work with this. They were not really the tool using type...
"Well, these gloves are already broken, so why not break the string off and put it on a branch?" he points out before I snatch the rod into my hands.
"No, I paid good money for this, I am not breaking it." I sternly tell him before I get to fishing. He seemed content to watch, however.
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"LARISHAZZA!" we heard Nin roar from his room, a loud bang followed soon after. I sighed and then another did. I couldn't handle this anymore... His obsession with my sister was making it hard to focus on other stuff.
Every night since the incident, there was that same anguished roar. Each time it was the same nightmare from what I have heard. We've tried talking to him about it. Omb even came forth and said he managed to get him to calm down.
But I was having trouble believing that as Nin was always on edge. It was as if this nightmare kept resetting his worries and paranoia. None of us could help him and it was clear everyone was breaking down. Vadei, Einervaene and Liadanann were all hesitant to speak to him...
I couldn't even just ask Omb for help. He was secluding himself more with that hobby of his. I may have not been alone, but it felt like it. To say nothing about my attempts to speak to Dad.
Mom tried her hardest to intercede, but, he was determined to find a saviour. Thankfully, in a strange way, work started to slow him down. He may have held a lot of sway, but that only removed the burden for so long. So I just had to make the most of it.
I tried speaking to the Worm Rider some more, but even he brought it back to Nin. He tried to present a case for me to even go to Dad to get him to help him... Smiling Jhurack was clearly interested in him so that was our way to beating him. Or so he argued.
And, I argued back that Nin was too weak to beat him. I argued the same points as everyone else, that Larishazza would miss him dearly. I know I could count on the Worm Rider to honour my word. But, I could not muster the strength to tell him not to make that same case again and again...
I was desperate to see my sister safe and sound. I wanted to see her again in something that wasn't a hospital. I wanted to hear her laugh and smile again... I wanted my sister back!
So, perhaps it was now, as I started to cry on this dark night that I found myself convinced. Even if it upset her, what was her life compared to his? Nin was someone who would not be missed. She could always make new friends...
Our lives would be easier for it too. That rash decision of hers from last year could finally be swept aside. Yet, I could not compel myself to act so harshly. She would never forgive me if I let her friend die...
She would not forgive me for letting our friend die...
Yet, all this worrying and frustration made me tired. So I got up and went upstairs to my room. At least, until I went past Nin's door. I just stared at it confused.
Was it me that was crying in frustration or him? So, seeking an answer to that, I opened the door. I looked down at his sobbing form then looked at a mirror. Both of us were...
"Gods damn you all..." Nin cursed under his breath as he tried to wipe the tears away. He hated us for not trying to help Larishazza. I was offended by the idea of it. Yet, could it be true?
He was the only one to do anything when this all started. He tried to look before his mistakes cost him the supposed right to. I told Dad about it, sure. But even now, I stayed away from doing anything.
'Let others handle it' was how I was going about this. But it was clear that others could not handle this. A mighty, formerly indomitable Rider of Worms lost to this man. And Nin here might be able to...
He just might...
"What do you want?" Nin asked me aggressively after he had managed to stop the tears.
"Do you really care for my sister that much...?" I asked him. Nervously, I clutched my hands behind my back as he snapped his gaze.
"What kind of question is that?" he asks back as he moves closer and towers over me.
"I... I'm sorry..." I say before leaving the room. Closing the door behind me before I went off to my room. I sighed and pondered what I had just done. What was even the point of that...?
I went nowhere with it and did nothing but stare and think...
However, once I got into my room, I found myself staring at the worm. Its long, wide body could easily swallow many things whole. Especially men which it made a point of doing when they were untamed... But, when trained, they were renowned for the depth and complexity of what they could do.
"Worm, open wide." I tell it softly after opening my window. And, the animal did so. It even reacted to the sadness I displayed with some buffoonery. I did smile at it, but it quickly vanished.
Then, after some time, it closed its mouth and looked at me carefully. It was an odd kind of pressure that its gaze drove into me. Almost as if I was watching its rider walk by. His great power was shared to some extent...
"Worm... My... Larishazza's friend is in a room a few windows down... Can you go there, please?"
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"No... No... I won't let them stop me anymore... If he wants me, I will come for him... I will!" I growl in frustration as I started to get dressed. If no one would help me then so be it. I would save the woman I loved with or without them. After that, I had no idea what I would do with them...
The way they have behaved, it was unacceptable. Our dear friend, their friend! She was being held hostage by a madman who could harm her without interruption! And they all just wanted to let someone else handle it...
They hypocritically put my safety ahead of hers... It was her life at risk, not mine! And even if it was, it was clearly a fair deal! IT WAS ONLY EVER HER THAT ACCEPTED ME ANYWAY!
Rose feared what I became and still does... Einervaene ran away at the first opportunity because she did not want to associate with me... Vadei has always hated me for such petty, dishonest reasons... They all were willing to turn their back on me...
But I would not be like them, my friend needed help! So the consequences of it should be damned to despair for all I care! If this Smiling Jhurack wanted me, he could have me! I will tear him apart!
"Nin?" Tiyanat called after knocking on my door. However, I did not answer, I could not have her trying to stop me... None of them would... I will save her...
Lari will smile again, laugh again... I could hold her again and she could dance about once more. It would all go back to normal. It would all come back...
If it cost me an eye, that was fine. If I had to lose a limb again then that was perfectly acceptable! If my last moments were to be saving her... That was fine...
Even if I did not want to die again... I just wanted to see her be safe. She was all that mattered. If my reason to live was to not live with me, then I would join her...
"Nin, please open the door." Tiyanat asked me just before I charged out the window. At first, that creature's presence confused me. But I did not let it stop me. And I ran and ran with all I could.
The drain on my magic would not stop me. The blurred voices behind me would not either. Not even the wall of this city would. That creature wouldn't either!
"NO, YOU WON'T!" I roar at it as it suddenly flew at me. To my surprise, however, it moved under me and threw me over the wall. And, with a thunderous thud and sharp pain in my legs, I landed. I panted heavily, but I quickly got moving again.
Was there a way I could get Smiling Jhurack's attention? Could I do anything to find him? Was he near Lari? Or was he elsewhere?
However, these thoughts all came to an end when I heard that laughter. I could never forget that laughter. So I started running again. Charging past and sending what I could tumbling and falling until I reached an open space.
And, atop a fountain, there he was. Without a moment's hesitation did I charge. Reaching out for his leg before it suddenly kicked me away. I snapped my jaws at him and got back up.
"Oh? How inhuman." he commented as he swirled around my every attempt to grab him. He was toying with me... He tugged away at my bandages and tore my cloak. My hat would be taken off and put back on.
"STOP IT!" I roar in frustration before just barely missing his neck. My anger would briefly exert itself in a punch against a wall. That did not stop me, however, so I charged again. Finally grabbing him after catching him between a bench and me.
"Now, I wonder why this is the case?" he asked after somehow escaping my clutches. And, with strength I could not resist, he twisted my arm and brought me down. Then, he played with my caught claw as I roared in pain. His cane even smacked at my knee joints.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" I declare before his cane strikes my eye. I back away roaring in pain once again and he raises a brow.
"Yet your eyes are like mine? Well, that is odd indeed." he mocked while tapping his cane in thought. On my next attempt to charge him down, however, he brought me to the floor. I was pinned and unable to move and he eventually took my hat off. Then, my mask.
"GET OFF!" I demand while trying to rip him apart.
"So that is why it did not work... You are not a species I could have ever predicted entering this city." he exclaims before he suddenly vanishes.
"WHERE'D YOU GO!? GET BACK HERE!" I scream furiously after my clothes were suddenly put back on. Then, all I could do was scream in pain as dozens of deep slashes suddenly appeared about me. Pieces of broken carapace were falling off and a pool of yellow appeared around me. The pain was so bad I even stopped trying to reach out for him.
It was too much, so many new wounds in so short a time. Each one was as painful as the last. It did not take long for my voice to break and I was spasming in pain. Yet, eventually, I was able to somehow stand.
It may have hurt, but it did not even compare to the pain I felt when Lari was not around. I missed her so much and that fueled my last desperate bid to grab him. He was always one step too far, though. And soon, I fell down, unable to keep myself up.
"Tell you what, be my new dance partner?" he offered as I flailed away at his feet. My own blood lubricated my advance from now on until he stabbed me. It was just one more wound, however. So I just stared up at his as his wedged that sword into my arm.
"I... Will... Kill... You..." I tell him as I came to terms with the fact he had defeated me. Lari was going to die and I could do nothing.
"Sure thing, Dance Partner, see you soon!" he told me before he vanished. I, however, struggled to figure out where I had reappeared at.
"What...?" I soon let out as well as the injuries all suddenly vanished too. However, my mind still read it all. So they were most certainly there. My clothes were even soaked in the proof...
However, despite that drive to kill him still being inside me. A different drive started to fill me. And I slowly trudged away from the city. A looming sensation of fear in each stumble I made.
Why was I running away like this? Lari needed me... She needed me to save her... So why was...?
"Somebody help me..." I weakly begged as I started to be seen by the few still up at night. And, I had a feeling I knew why some of them were running off the way they did. I could even hear joy in their voices as I came back covered in blood. The only people who even seemed to care were even all waiting for me at the dorm entrance.
"N-Nin... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Einervaene screamed as she took ahold of me and violently shook me. Tears were in their eyes as well as anger. But, Tiyanat, however, she was disappointed in me. And how could she not be...?
I came back without her sister... I only came back with a broken spirit and damnation for myself. It didn't take long for them to all try and heal me, but, they caught on quickly. My injuries just weren't there right now...
They only existed in my memories and in the yellow-stained bandages.
"How could you...? After everything we did to try and..." Vadei started to say before she broke down crying. Eventually, many of them just backed away. They were upset and furious.
"I need to rest..." I muttered before I failed to even push one of them aside. They just pushed back in disbelief at my actions.
"Nin... Run... Just run!" Einervaene begged me as lights began to light up behind us. The eagerness many had for my demise made it all the more believable they'd be this ready for it.
"Osibindah, leave Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding!" someone proudly declared to a cheering crowd as armed men approached. Within moments I was being beaten away and forced away. Any pretence of civility disappeared and I started to run as fast as I could. It was Tryhpeltzweig all over again...
They were shooting at me with all they had to kill that monster. Even the students around me were trying to slaughter me in their spells. Yet, I kept on going. I escaped each call to Undwote until I found myself at the edge of the mountain.
"Wait for me, Lari..." I weakly said towards Thrurstradtur before I leapt down the mountainside. Sliding down it despite each cut and scrape I endured. Then, once I got close enough to it, I flung myself around. I slowly backed away into a cold, dark cave as snow screamed around me.
I kept my breathing under control and I made sure to hold my magic in. Their eyes might miss me, but that wasn't the only thing they had. However, I did not cry, I just tended to my wounds however I could. Growling into the openness of my mouth while keeping one arm ready to fire upon them.
If I had to hide like this to save her... I would... Lari would smile again... I would make sure of it.
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"Grand-Guard Inerish? We're getting a sudden influx of..." my secretary said over a speaker to the backdrops of excited crowds. And, with a tired sigh, I got up and walked towards my office door.
"What is this all about...?" I spat out in question to the cheering crowd of guardsman.
"Word just came in-" one began to say before another interrupted.
"That osibindah! He's lost all the protections he had! They just openly declared it! We can finally kill it!" this one finished before everyone started to cheer. Even my secretary who was usually professional clapped gently with joyous intent.
"So?" I asked them, putting an instant stop to it all.
"So...?" one repeated before nervous chuckles filled the room.
"Smiling Jhurack is still out there, with reports saying he was active this night against a vigilante, and you want to tell me that you care more for some bug that has caused us no issue?"
"No issue...!? It's an osibindah!"
"Watch your mouth, officer." I dismissively commented as I started to get angry. I made sure to step out before them and made my intent clear. My hand rested on my sword pommel and my magic creeped out. I glared each of them in the eye...
"With all due resp-"
"With all due respect, you will do as you are ordered. You will focus on finding that madman, you will bring him in, and you will get your priorities in order!" I snap at all of them. Snorting as I shoved my head one way to get them to disperse.
"Grand-Guard Inerish, I know we have our priorities, but-"
"BUT NOTHING!" I yell at my secretary. From then on out, not one word came from her. And I walked off back into my office. I bridged my brow and then sighed.
I understood very well how morale was in the toilet. How the men I was leading had lost all faith in the idea of capturing this man... Many came here to avenge family and lovers. Others were attaché to the prior lot.
All, however, regardless of how long they had served within my guard, were invested in it. Every day of every hour we heard the cries for help and the orders. That madman had come back again and again for thirty years...
Every year, more women died. And we have never been able to figure out why they were killed. Links we thought were present faltered time and time again. It was never where they attended or what they did...
Our only link was that it was what they were... Which meant nothing. This man tormented us as much as he did the city as a whole. So it made sense, it really did...
I knew that they all just wanted something they could feel good about. If they weren't making sure our country was safe, they were failing again and again. Scandals were becoming so common that the government bloated itself justifying it. No one had faith in us...
The job I was brought in to handle had left me despised. Every attempt had failed. So I could see why they wanted to go after one meagre bug... They could at least patch their degraded pride.
However, I saw fit to ignore it in its entirety. If the bug caused issues of a particular note, I would deal with it. For now, though? I had to focus on the black star of our show...
Smiling Jhurack...
"Okay, let's see who got themselves turned into an amplifier for this man's reign of terror." I dismissively commented as I stored a cup of tea. Slowly, I drank it as I brought up all this fresh surveillance footage. A more thorough eye you would find nowhere else. Nothing could be done within these walls without me knowing.
However, what I did not expect to see was how the confrontation ended. And, I paused it right as the madman took off the vigilante's silly mask. It was the bug... Smiling Jhurack made a point of confronting that bug...
"Why'd you do it...?" I asked the footage as I started to rewind it. Soon, I was leaning back in thought. No matter how you looked at it, he came out for that bug. This was unprecedented in the thirty years Smiling Jhurack had been active.
Vigilantes always came across him during another attack. They'd get in the way of my men and witches and pay for it. We'd question them the following morning and collapse in our seats... Tired at yet another failure.
But, no, this time, Smiling Jhurack appeared just as the bug came looking for him. But why? Did these two have a history? But how did a bug have a history with...?
"Of course..." I uttered as I recalled Suhurlodst's prior statements that got everyone riled up. A Student Nin was on his last legs and their tolerance for him had grown thin... This must've been Student Nin... And, if I remember correctly, he was there as well during the operation on that Sl'Ayiysab girl...
It wasn't much, but, it had my interest as a potential plan of action. Besides, it has been thirty years of failure, what was wrong with a few more testing something? If Smiling Jhurack wanted to make a habit of this, we would be ready!
"Attention all members of the Thrurstradtur City-Guard! Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding has made an official declaration regarding one of their students. It is no longer enrolled, prior agreements are null and void. However, you will not, under any circumstances fire upon, hunt or any other such things if you are to come into contact with the former Student Nin."
I could practically hear the roars of protest that had suddenly erupted. And now that I had made my intentions clear, I should call in a favour I was owed. Like with how Suhurlodst handled our withdrawal earlier this year. We too would need the complete obedience of those Union soldiers.
"Grand-Guard Inerish?" questioned Galanmarck as he suddenly jolted awake. A smirk appeared on my face as I watched his tired expression suddenly appear.
"That favour you owe me, you know the one, I'm calling it in." I say as I leaned onto the peak of my connected hands. Locking my jaw between upright, gloved fingers as it all played out in my head. We would draw Smiling Jhurack out with the bug, and, I'd catch him just like that! My reputation would be saved and it would all be over!
"Right, and what do you need?" he asked as he suddenly lost every bit of tiredness. He adjusted the way he sat and took on a stern expression.
"Every soldier you can spare. I want them all!" I tell him with a growing grin.
"Have the Clockwork Council signed off on this...? It was a struggle just to get them to be willing to let a custodian regiment to guard His Royal Highness."
"They will be more concerned with other factors to care. Besides, they have no power to interrupt me."
"A coup...?" he questioned with some amusement.
"No, that same problem that has been such a problem for so long..."
"I see, then, I'll see what I can do. I am more than enough to guard His Royal Highness, but I will have to transfer command authorities to you."
"Do what you have to, I need their unyielding, ceaseless determination to follow orders." I tell him. Briefly recalling the training exercises I oversaw against those same soldiers. We used Suhurlodst's facilities but I was very impressed regardless of where it was. The Council made a point of sending our best men, and they lost spectacularly.
Smiling Jhurack's reputation meant nothing to them. Gossip and the mood of the troops would not deter them. They'd be as absolute as I wanted my word to be. The perfect men for a control freak...
"You better watch out, Jhurack, I'll be bringing you down..." I promise with a stern glare as I looked out at the city. Then, beyond to the airship that loomed over Suhurlodst.