Chickadee put his letter back in his pocket. The wingmail was meant for Sybil but Alton was the one who responded. He promised to put together a team together to look for Vincent and Zaniyah, but what was the plan after that? If Moss found out, there wasn’t telling what could happen. They might even get expelled for abandoning their mission.
“Everything alright, dear?” Iofea had come to visit the Cully shop so she could talk to Chickadee. She had wanted to warn him that she had seen Zaniyah and Vincent run off together.
“Yes,” he muttered. It was far from alright, but there was no reason to make Iofea worry. “Need to look over supplies for mother. Sorry.”
He was never one to mind a crowded place, that was normal in the core, but his family’s current residence was beginning to push his limits. His parents, three sisters, Sir Trewarne, along with Zyris and his mother were staying in a three-bedroom home nestled above their store and Caitlin’s forge.
His mother had become worn thin by the constant flow of tainted beast goods. She had been offered a temporary forge in the north but declined out of concern for her safety. Despite that, she was stuck with a seemingly endless flow of wares that she had to process into tools of war.
It was fortunate that Caitlin had offered to take Talwyn’s place at the duke’s party tonight. Who knows what would’ve happened if their mother had lost her patience with the nobles. Hopefully, there would be enough people there that Sybil didn’t notice Caitlin together with Zyris. That was a fight that Chickadee should have warned her about. Zaniyah said it was better not to mention it so that Sybil wouldn’t stress about but now he wasn’t so sure.
There was simply too much to do. Chickadee had been helping when he could, but Pegasus had insisted that he work with Horsetalon. He wanted to bury himself in blacksmithing… Though it was important to fight tainted beasts, he didn’t think that both he and Trenchall needed to be there.
He entered the storage room and began to wander about the crowded shelves. There were jars of blood iron, cleaned bones, and a small supply of leather. Most of it was still being processed at the tanner. The majority of this would be shipped off to Fogbloom in spring. There were blacksmiths there who would turn this into weapons and armor. Tools that would no doubt end up in the hands of nobles who weren’t in the war rather than the soldiers who needed it.
Turning a corner, Chickadee was surprised to see Talwyn kneeling down by a shelf. She was absentmindedly staring at a jar. “... Mother.”
She was a small woman around his height, with golden hair that had a streak of gray in it. Unlike her dark-colored children, her skin was pale and traces of a fire accident could be seen along her arms and neck. It took a moment for her to notice her son standing there. Talwyn looked up at blinked a few times before she recognized his face.
“Entomb.” She held out her hand and opened and closed it in a grabby fashion.
He shifted the box down from his back and pulled his weapon out of it. “Still needs improvement. Suffered one critical failure in autumn.”
Talwyn frowned. She twisted the cane about it in her hands as she studied the adjustments Chickadee had made. “Main body shouldn’t be wood. Too weak to accept your magical output. Stick with gloves until better material is found. Perhaps tainted beast bone... Something with flex.”
“Range is better than close combat,” he argued. His father had insisted on hand to hand combat as well, in order to help with his outbursts, but Chickadee preferred to fight from a distance. “Tainted beast bone channels magic poorly.” It felt restricting to cast with it.
Talwyn returned his cane so she could open a nearby jar. She shook out the raw blood iron out into her open palm and closed her hand around it in a fist. When she opened it again, the iron had been processed into the shape of a coin that had a small bird on it. Years of experience have led her to be able to forge the materials in a near-instant. A skill that Chickadee was jealous of.
Chickadee took the coin and examined it. Another charm to help with sudden discharge of magic. He had plenty of these types of coins on his cane already, but the blood iron was of much higher quality. Most likely from one of the tainted beasts, whose parts were government property.
“Shouldn’t skim from the supplies. These are for the king,” he muttered.
“We take what we need,” she replied. He frowned at her. “Storage taxes.”
He twisted the coin about in his fingers and then placed it against his cane. The wood let out a hiss as the coin embedded itself in. “Zani ran away.” Chickadee was worried.
“Not the first time,” said Talwyn with a shrug.
That was true. It wasn’t unusual for Zaniyah to stay with the Cullys for a week or so at a time before Zynn dragged her back home. She never was one who enjoyed being stuck in the core.
Chickadee began to put his cane away. “Likely gone for good this time.”
“Go help her. Always have before.” Talwyn scrunched up her eyebrows at him.
“No longer my duty.”
That was Vincent’s. He had taken over the duty of helping Zaniyah when she needed it most. Chickadee was still unsure about how to feel about that. On one hand, they did have a history, and Vincent was dedicated to her. On the other hand, Chickadee didn’t trust paladins. Their moral code was unforgiving and merciless.
Talwyn placed a hand on his shoulder. “It is always the job of friends to take care of their own. A lifelong commitment to watch out for one another no matter what happens in the future.”
Hearing that made him feel horrible. Not only had Zaniyah been having a tough time, but Sybil had it so much worse. Those two were closer to him than his own sisters, yet he had done nothing but mope about his own problems.
“Need to find her.” He didn’t know where to begin. “Outside of letter range.”
“Never goes far. Zani is where she feels comfortable. Animal instincts. Went to find safe nest.” Talwyn started to walk along the shelves with her son following behind her.
Vincent wasn’t stupid. He helped plan their route to Carapace when they came here, and he would know that traveling along together would be a suicide mission. Unless they were planning on heading east? There were plenty of villages where they could disappear completely. Freedom would be only a day’s travel away. People with their skills were more than capable of making a living out there.
“Maybe Outcore?” Chickadee thought out loud. It was outside of the city far enough that Vincent wouldn’t worry about a personal conflict with his family. They wouldn’t have trouble finding a place either. Not with Flaytongue Squad being posted there along with several of their core friends.
Talwyn handed him a small wooden case. To help you see in the dark. Best to leave now? Catch them at night.”
“Thank you, mother.” He gave her a brief hug before he opened the case. Inside was a set of glasses.
They appeared to be carved of bone and had a yellow stained glass inserted in them. Placing them on, he winced as the room became brighter. He shouldn’t have problems reaching Outcore like this. His magic would keep him warm, and he could travel much faster than a horse.
Talwyn patted his shoulder. “Travel quick. Will send father after you if no news arrives by tomorrow evening.”
Chickadee gave her a nod and headed towards the edge of the city. As he traveled, he strapped on his gloves and put on the new bracelet that he had forged for himself. Hunting monsters in the snow had been an inconvenience and he had made this to better focus his water magic.
Watching Alton craft swords of ice with his music had given him an idea on how he could better channel his elemental magic. The words Alton sang were merely archaic writing in verbal form. Thus it seemed both practical and possible to attempt to apply it to weapons. Plus he had found some extra blood iron of Alton’s in the family collection from when his mother crafted him his collar. Might as well use it.
Storage taxes. That’s what it was.
Chickadee adjusted his cloak and then held out his hand. His bracelets were strands of leather woven together with blood iron beads and glass charms serving as decoration. There were each differently shaped. Spiders, fish, musical notes, and random bits and bobbles that appealed to him.
They tinkled like wind chimes as he focused. The snow around his feet split and formed into a boat. He stepped inside and continued to work. A pillar of ice raised up in the back and he placed his cane within it.
With a bit of concentration, he now had a method to steer his contraption. Chickadee snapped the fingers of his free hand and the boat took off, gliding freely upon the snow. The outskirts of Carapace broke away and he entered the fog that surrounded the base of the mountain. Keeping his eyes peeled, he eventually found a rough patch. Possibly created by a set of horses attempting to forge a path.
With that being his best clue, Chickadee steered his boat behind the tracks. They appeared to be going towards Outcore, which was a good sign. However, the more he traveled along the path, the more his opinion of Vincent dropped.
With the dangers of tainted beasts and snowfall, the majority of communication with Outcore had been done by pigeon. Vincent may have counted on a supply wagon having made a safe path recently, but Chickadee knew that they had stopped sending those to Outcore weeks ago. If Zaniyah paid attention during their briefings, she would’ve known that as well. Now Chickadee was becoming worried. He didn’t think that there would be this much snow, and it was possible that they hadn’t made it to Outcore at all.
Mild worry turned to panic when he noticed signs of a scuffle. He slowed down at the sight of scattered snow, and even more so when he noticed the splashes of blood against it. That’s when his boat hit a lump. Leaning over the front, he was shocked to find a dead horse.
Rux. Vincent’s horse. Chickadee recognized it by the barding around his and head. It was something he had maintained with Ira Knut last summer. Not even the armor the horse wore was enough to save its life, which didn’t bode well for how either Vincent or Zaniyah were faring.
Something had partially severed Rux’s head, and there was a bloody trail leading away from the body. Horse tracks and smaller human footsteps. Not the large boots that Vincent wore, so perhaps it was Zaniyah. There was also the scent of ash in the air, and Chickadee heard faint heated whispers. He looked around and noticed a smoldering tree. It looked as though lightning had struck it.
He couldn’t find any signs of what had attacked the pair. Vincent was likely the injured, as he would never let Zaniyah go on foot. Not even if she could move as fast as a horse could in this weather. With a shake of his head, Chickadee steered his boat around Rux’s body and took off again.
Chickadee slowed down when he found Gypsum. Relief washed over his features at the sight. Zaniyah was next to the horse, patting his neck softly in an attempt to calm the horse down. She had taken cover under a tree with Vincent.
“Zani!” Chickadee’s boat slid to a stop and he jumped out. He continued to run until he could wrap his arms about Zaniyah’s waist and cling onto her tightly.
“I’m glad to see you too, but,” Zaniyah gave a firm tug on Gypsum’s reins and pulled him further under the tree. “I’d be happier if you weren’t about to die with us...”
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Vincent was slumped against the tree trunk and was grasping onto his shoulder. Part of his armor had been clawed open, and blood had stained much of his clothing. He was breathing heavily. The strain of his injury and the cold was making it hard for him to concentrate, slowing his ability to heal himself.
Chickadee’s arms slid away from Zaniyah and he looked around. It didn’t seem like anything was lurking in the dark. Even as he adjusted his goggles, he couldn’t see what beast or mage had attacked them.
“Danger?”
“Some sort of flying tainted beast,” muttered Zaniyah. “It swooped at us a few times and it ended up killing Rux when it tried to carry Vincent off... We’re hoping that it might go away if we hide long enough.”
Vincent gave out a strained whisper. “O-owl.”
“Nocturnal,” replied Chickadee. At least that explained how they could have missed something so large during their hunts. “... Sparks.” He could almost taste the traces of magic that the beast could cast.
They were closer to Outcore, but he didn’t want to bring trouble their way. The defense golems wouldn’t be able to fight against any energy attacks. Heading back to the city was safer. Any beast would most likely be scared off by the buildings and lights.
He could transport Vincent and Zaniyah on his boat, but not Gypsum. Zaniyah would refuse to leave him behind, and Chickadee wouldn’t be able to guard her and himself at the same time. There was also the issue of if they would be able to find this creature again, or if it would try to make a meal out of someone else if they didn’t take care of it now.
“This is our kill.” Chickadee held out his hand towards his boat. “Entomb.” His cane flew to his hand and the boat’s icy frame began to crack apart.
Zaniyah didn’t like that idea. She retreated even further underneath the tree. “Are you crazy? We are ground people, Chi. Way under the ground people... I’d be all for this plan if we were up in the air people, but for right now, we are very much dead people.”
He took a second to process her advice. “Vincent.” Chickadee looked to the paladin, hoping for a second, more optimistic opinion.
“We will continue to move to Outcore. Cully, take Zaniyah and retreat. Alert their guard of the incoming threat. I will ride after you and keep the beast with me.” Vincent rose up to a stand, shuddered, then went back to leaning heavily against the tree.
“Denied,” replied the other two in unison.
“... So how are we going to beat this thing?” Zaniyah relented to Chickadee’s plan and unhitched her axe from her back. “Lure it down and thwack it something good?”
Chickadee flicked his scarf off to the side and spoke in a cool tone. “I don’t do plans.”
“Yeah, you and me both.” Zaniyah began to do her warmup stretches. “We just gotta do the thing without discussing what the thing is. Then we win, right?”
“Fire where Rux died. Hot whispers. Confirmed elemental beast?” He didn’t want to send Zaniyah charging out there as a lure without knowing exactly what it could do.
“I forgot about that in the rush of everything! There were flashes of light right before it dived down on us. I couldn’t tell what was happening until Rux fell over!” Zaniyah rubbed at the back of her head. “So now what?”
Owls. He knew that they were around at night and that they were a bird, but nothing else aside from that. Chickadee didn’t pay enough attention to Sir Oceans’ class. He had gotten as far as tracking but spent most of his time doodling in his notebook instead. Zaniyah wasn’t any different. Veximarl had explained to her before that an owl was similar to a flying cat, but she couldn’t quite figure out what that looked like in her head.
Vincent fell to one knee. Standing was too much for him at the moment. “If it sees motion under the snow, it may a-attempt to-” He slumped over to the side as he fainted.
“Vincent!” Zaniyah knelt down by him and started to pat him down. “I think he managed to stop the bleeding, but we need to get him to a healer!” Chickadee blankly stared at her. “... What?”
He doubted that the creature would actually leave them alone. Something that size would be desperate for food and Horsetalon’s daily hunts had scared away much of its possible prey. “Will handle brunt of combat. Am able to deflect elemental damage. Need your magic.” Zaniyah was confused. “Either as decoy or as launching point.”
“Yeah, no. I don’t think a wind blade is going to get you there in one piece.”
Chickadee knelt down by Vincent and started to pull off his bracer. “Not proper time to play dumb.” He rotated the bracer in his hands as he quickly examined the details in how it was constructed. Though he had never looked it over before, he was familiar with how Caitlin worked. “Will make adjustments. You will use this.”
Realizing what he meant, Zaniyah shook her head. “Look, we’ve been over this. I’ve never been trained in how to do that… We’ve tried it before, when Hayden got hurt, and… I don’t know. I don’t even want-”
“You used it fine,” he interrupted. “Anais saw it.”
Zaniyah had tried magic against that tainted wolf beast that she had fought with Emery and Ivy. Not only did it not work well… Well, it just didn’t work. “I only tried it ‘cause it was an emergency, but I ended up failing big time. I’m not the magic girl, Chi, just the hacky slashy girl. We’re gonna have to try something else!”
“Can build dome, can keep safe. Come daylight, it may leave, but cannot guarantee Vincent will survive injuries. Cannot guarantee the safety of those who may still come. Sybil. Alton. Vex.” Chickadee spoke harshly, then he thrust out his hand. “Fling.” Zaniyah handed him her handaxe and he began to pry the blood iron coins off of it. “Stop denying magic. Do this or friends will die.”
“I know I showed it to you before, but remember? It took forever and it was a complete fluke that I even got it to work in the first place.”
“Blood iron will amplify power.” Chickadee looked over his gloves and pulled a set of coins off of those as well. He then fused these to the bracer. “Will not take much concentration. Bracer will make it easy. Golem acts as an extension of one’s self. Like Whisper, it is part of you. Will work.”
Zaniyah held out her arm and he began to strap it on for her. “... I can’t promise you that I’ll be able to do much.”
“No need to have it fight. Decoy, so you stay safe. When target appears, we finish it.” He looked up at her, then shook her hands with his own. “Can do this.”
“... Alright.” She looked down at her wrist. Vincent’s arm was so much thicker than her own. The bracer flopped around as she twisted her arm this way and that. “I can do this... Absolutely. Run decoy, kill the monster, get to Outcore, find a healer... That’s all we need to do.”
Zaniyah picked up Whisper in one hand and stretched out the other. She had to do this for Vincent. All she needed to do was concentrate on happy thoughts. The way Vincent smiled at her, or the way he’d smirk when he thought no one was watching him... Precious moments that she wouldn’t dare risk losing now.
Light shot out from around her wrist and the golem slowly began to take shape. It was similar to Vincent’s, a figure hidden completely by armor, except it held a distinctly feminine shape. Gold and pink light twisted and gnarled into bark-like patterns and leaf shape scales, and small flowers were sprinkled between the gaps of armor. Zaniyah had seen Vincent puppeteer his golem dozens of times. All she had to do was wiggle her fingers and-
… The whole golem caught on fire.
“Oh no! Oh, by the core, no! Chi, it’s on fire! What do I do, Chi?!” She tossed several panicked looks between it and Chickadee.
“Expected result. Magic varies from Vincent’s. Bloodline has fire affinity, where his is healing focused.” His words did nothing but turn Zaniyah’s panic into pure bewilderment. “Move golem before spell cracks! Bracer not attuned for your use! Will not last long even under ideal conditions!”
“Right! Okay!” She flailed her hand forward and the golem slowly, very, very slowly, started to walk in that direction.
A flash of light blinded both of them as lightning bolts rained down around the golem. The owl swooped down with a shriek, only to let out a cry of pain as its talons sunk into the fiery spectre.
Zaniyah charged forward with her axe held high. Her golem dissipated in sparks as she swung at the beast. However, she wasn’t quick enough to hit it before the owl began to move skyward again.
Chickadee was faster. He dropped his cane and had thrown his knife out. The mana string had succeeded in looping around the owl’s leg. A flick of his fingers, and the string quickly wrapped around his arm. As the owl went upwards, so did he. A bit of wind magic to fling himself even further upwards, and he twisted around and landed between the beast’s wings.
He felt fortunate to have Naiov in his life. Despite the rough and angry tone of the mage, he was a better teacher of magic than Pegasus was. Naiov took the time to understand what they needed to work on as individuals, and gave better advice than “smash rocks together until you think you’re good at it.”
“Lightning is another form of energy,” Naiov had explained. “It’s similar to fire, but instead of maintaining energy, you seek to transfer it. Electricity is quick and should never be underestimated. That speed is both its strength and its weakness. If you can learn to channel it, it will pass through you without causing harm.”
Naiov then proceeded to spend an hour shooting lightning bolts at Chickadee while Anais and Chester watched. Even if he was technically more attentive than Pegasus was, that didn’t make him nicer. Still, those were lessons that Chickadee needed.
Especially as he felt the static build up in the owl’s feathers below him. The owl tumbled through the air in order to knock Chickadee off. Electricity sparked across the beast’s back as a secondary measure of defense. Chickadee dug his fingers in more tightly and attempted to discharge the mana around him.
It stung. Actually, it did more than stung. The pain was excruciating to the point where his muscles were locking up. Sparks flew off of him in the form of bursts of mana, like fireworks were exploding out of him as he attempted to keep himself from being harmed. Struggling, the hand that had the water focus bracelet around it was extended outward, and his fingertips grazed the snow that had piled up on a passing tree.
Ice began to form in the palm of his hands. Clenching in his knees for grip, he raised both of his hands up as the ice formed into a spike. This was plunged into the tainted beast’s neck, partially paralyzing it. Now the owl was falling in an uncontrollable spiral while Chickadee was holding on for dear life.
They hit a tree and began to smack against one branch after another as they tumbled to the ground. The owl fell on top of him and Chickadee was pinned down as a result. He started to squirm and kick at its body in an effort to get himself free but was unable to manage it on his own.
“Chi!”
Zaniyah had followed them on foot. “... Chi?!” She scrambled to where the beast lie, easily tossing the animal aside. Zaniyah then scooped Chickadee before she started to violently shake him about.
“A-am f-fine! P-please st-st-stop!”
Zaniyah’s eyes burst into tears as she settled on squeezing him tightly. “I was so scared when you vanished into the sky! Please don’t do that again without warning me first! I would have told you that bird on bird violence isn’t the answer!”
“Must get Vincent to Outcore,” muttered Chickadee as he gave a pat to her back.
“Yeah, yeah! Let’s go!”
“Moment.”
Chickadee ensured the monster was dead before encapsulating it in ice. He would come back tomorrow to fetch the blood iron and body. This was a higher quality creature than the others that they had been killing lately and seeing it in action had given him plenty of ideas.
They reached Outcore and contacted Flaytongue Squad. A room was then assigned to them and a cleric stopped by to treat Vincent. The paladin woke up the next morning with a heavy sensation against his side. When he tried to sit up, he found he couldn’t budge.
His head wearily turned to the side and he saw Zaniyah resting there. Her sleeping face was exquisite. He couldn’t help but to roll on top of her and wake her with a series of passionate kisses. Normally, this would be out of character for him, but the taste of freedom was filling him with a sense of elation.
“Mmm, Vincent?” Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him. A brief smile appeared on her lips. As the realization set in, her face shifted to worry.
“We made it.” He couldn’t hide his smile. “We made it, Zaniyah. I will get to work on finding a new horse, and then we will bide our time before we can return to Braytons.”
Zaniyah’s eyebrows scrunched together. “... I don’t know, Vincent. I’ve been having second thoughts, you know? After we got here last night, I spent a long time talking with Chi and Lady Flay and… Running away like this doesn’t seem like the right answer anymore. It’s hasty, and foolish, and-”
He chose to silence her with another kiss, which was also unlike him. “Zaniyah.” His hand caressed her cheek and he stared deeply into her eyes. “There’s been something that you have wanted for some time, but I have been nervously putting off.” Her face flushed completely red in an instant. “I believe we should make an attempt of it before you dare say another word.”
The kisses came one after another as he clumsily felt her up. Her hands rested against his back and her head turned to the side with a moan as he began to nip at her neck. Eyes widening, Zaniyah stared blankly at Chickadee, who was staring from the next bed over.
Chickadee’s hair was messed up from sleep and static shock. He was sitting with his legs crossed, arms lazily supporting himself as he blinked. Even as Zaniyah mouthed, “Go away,” at him, he refused to move. Instead, he lifted up his hand and a ball of crackling lightning appeared above it.
The sound made Vincent lift up his head, and his cheeks bloomed scarlet. “... Morning,” was all he could think to say.
“... You know what? I’m hungry.” Zaniyah bobbled her head up and down. “Let’s go get us some breakfast, eh?”
“You’re running away.” Vincent shifted off of her and looked off to the side.
“... No.”
“... You have doubts about our relationship.” His eyes darted back to hers, narrowing in the process. “I forbid it. I forbid you from leaving here until we have looked over every aspect of our lives together and find the most logical solution to our problem.”
Zaniyah blinked. “... Uh.”
“Agreed.” Chickadee hopped off the bed and started to gather up his clothing. “Will send bird to Carapace. Tell them arrived safely. Will distract Lady Flay. Take your time.”
“Thanks, Chi.” Zaniyah gave him a weak smile. “But you can totally stay and talk too if you want.” Chickadee shook his head. “... Please?”
“Your assistance and professionalism is appreciated.” Vincent dipped his head towards the mage in an appreciative bow, but Chickadee only rolled his eyes.
Chickadee left the room, leaving the two alone. An awkward silence hung between them. There wasn’t any room for discussion. The moment any of them said anything, they knew what the end result would be and neither wanted to be the one to say the first word.