Leaf reached inwards to his Core, feeling for the Ether that brimmed within it. For a brief moment, he could feel the beat of his heart pulse through him, the Core mimicking its rhythm as it released its Ether in waves. Left alone, it would suffuse throughout his body, making him slightly faster and stronger than normal. Helbram had told him that once the Core grew stronger the effects would be more pronounced, but it was only slightly larger than a marble, placing him as a first Layer Journeyman.
Still, even with the meager amount of Ether that he possessed, he was still able to connect to it with his mind with a small effort of meditation. With it under his direct control he pushed the Ether to his eyes. To him, the process felt like a minute, but in reality only a brief moment had passed.
As the energy flowed into his eyes specks of red spread throughout his irises. As it settled, his vision became sharper, displaying the sign of The Wandering Fowl in a much clearer state. Scratches and worn spots became much more obvious, marring the fading painting of a drunken rooster even more. More than that, he could now see the energy that bled from the Tavern.
Wisps of gold that flowed from the tavern’s door.
Helbram took point, pushing the door of the building open as he walked inside, Leaf followed after him with Jahora and Elly trailing behind. The building was empty as they stepped through the door, save Erik and the two men that were speaking to them. Upon their entrance, the men turned to face them.
The man to Leaf’s right drew his attention first, because he was the source of the energy that bled from the building. His skin was pale, making his black hair stand out all the more in contrast, which had grown to such a length that it reached down to his neck at all sides. It was parted enough to reveal his human face, distinguished by his sharp jaw covered in stubble, downturned lips and narrowed eyes, giving him a near permanent dour look. His irises sheened with a golden color, but Leaf could see flecks of black dispersed throughout it with his enhanced eyesight. His attire was the inverse with his breastplate holding a black, almost burnt color with gold accents throughout. A black furred cloak hung from his broad shoulders, obscuring most of his clothes, but Leaf could see the man’s gauntlet as his hand rested on the hilt of his sword which, according to its sheath, appeared to hold only a single edge. Beyond all of that was the Core that Leaf could see at his center, a golden orb the size of his fist that bled wisps of black. He did not feel any chill when looking at the Core, but the size of it gave him pause.
This man was strong, very strong.
The other man was also unusual. His skin the color of wet ash, with eyes to match, it would be easy to mistake the man for a dusk elf, especially given the youthful, sharp features to his face, but his rounded ears broke that illusion quickly. His styled hair was cut short at the sides, with the tops holding enough length to reach down to his forehead. It was black, with streaks of gray and a singular streak of gold towards the front. Were it not for the man’s robes, colored in a similar style to his companions, it would be easy to assume that the man was a noble of some sort, but through the slight smile on the man’s face Leaf could tell that there was something else to him, a tension that was wound beneath the man’s searching eyes as he looked at them. A staff rested against his shoulder, made of a black metal and possessing a clear pointed crystal at its tip, cut in a symmetrical fashion.
“This is a surprise, I didn’t know that adventurers were in town,” the robed man said. He walked up to Helbram and held a hand out, “Ren, it is a pleasure to meet you,” there was a lightness to his tone, one that would have been disarming were it not for the aura his companion exuded.
Helbam’s expression did not change as he shook Ren’s hand, “Helbram, and likewise” he looked back at the rest of the party.
Leaf kept his eyes locked on the other man, who looked at them but did not approach, “Leaf.”
Jahora did the same, “Jahora.”
Elly gave a slight bow, “Elly,” she looked up, eyes narrowing as she examined the mens’ clothes, “Though the surprise is all mine. I did not know that Black Cloaks wandered out this far.”
The man behind Ren turned to the Weaver, his raised eyebrow the only crack to his stoic front.
Ren’s eyes widened, “It is not often that we meet one knowledgeable of our order.”
Elly fished a talisman from her robes. It was made of brass, with nine interlocking rings orbiting around a ruby on its face, “Orellian scholars tend to run into all kinds,” she gave the robed man a once over, “Given your organization I must assume that you are a Cleric of Velendel, correct?”
Ren rubbed his chin, then fished a necklace from his robes. A medallion hung from its chain, no larger than a Mark, with the symbol of an eye overlapping a moon on its face, “The Watcher does grace me with a sliver of his talent, yes.”
Leaf looked to the scholar with a confused look, a gesture that Jahora mimicked. Elly gave them a quick glance, the look in her eyes telling them that it was something that she would have to explain later. The two nodded, but Leaf noted that Helbram was looking elsewhere.
Meeting eyes with the armored man behind Ren.
“May I ask your name, good sir?” Helbram said as he walked up to him, hand outstretched. As the two men drew close, Leaf noted that black cloaked man was half a head shorter than Helbram.
The man examined Helbram for a moment, then took the warrior’s hand, giving it a firm shake, “Leon,” he said, his voice deep, but subdued. He did not let go of Helbram’s hand, and Leaf could see the man’s Core swell before releasing a pulse of gold energy across Helbram’s body. Leaf tensed and moved to them, but Helbram held a hand up to stop him.
Leon released the warrior’s hand and gave him a knowing look, “Your profession is a dangerous one for a man of your affliction.”
Leaf clenched his jaw, “Oi-”
“Dangerous for anyone, afflictions or otherwise,” Helbram said with a shrug, “I make do,” he looked back to Leaf with a smile, and the archer forced himself to relax. What Leon had said wasn’t wrong, but Leaf could not fully banish the scowl on his face.
Leon regarded them for a moment, then nodded.
“If you both are here, however, I imagine that you must have gotten reports about a Shade,” Helbram said.
Both Leon and Ren’s expressions darkened. Leaf once again wore a confused expression, but held his tongue.
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Ren grimaced, “In a way, yes.”
Leon stepped forward, “We’ve been in pursuit of a particular Shade that has been making their way through the Freemarks,” Ren frowned at his companion but the man continued, “When we last picked up the trail it led us here, to Redhaven,” he crossed his arms, “I’m afraid it ran cold, but rumors around town tells us that there may be another matter to look into.”
It did not take long for Leaf to realize what the Black Cloak was talking about.
The girl.
Jahora stepped up, the air around her cold as she held an expressionless face, “What do you intend to do?”
Ren regarded the smaller woman, “We just intend to investigate. Given that a Chosen seems to have handled things already there is little action required on our part.”
Helbram walked up and stood next to Jahora, “And if there is a problem? What will you do then?”
Leon locked eyes with him, “What we must.”
Silence followed, lingering enough to let the air grow thick in its presence. Before it could wind too tight, Ren raised his hands.
“Let us not make any hasty decisions, shall we?” the Cleric said, “You are welcome to join us on our investigation if you wish.”
Helbram rubbed his chin, “Perhaps that will be for the best, when do you plan to begin?”
Leon walked to the door, “Now.”
___
“So, would anyone mind telling me what a Shade is?” Leaf asked as they walked.
The party trailed behind the Black Cloaks as they walked through the town. While Redhaven was small, their destination lay towards the outskirts of the village, which was a fair bit of distance away.
Helbram scratched his head, “Consider them an… anomaly within the Cycle.”
“How so?” Jahora asked, her gaze still fixed to the two men ahead of them.
“Normally, when one passes on from this life their soul returns to the Cycle,” Elly explained, “After a certain amount of time their soul re-emerges, cleansed of the memories, experiences and abilities that they had in their previous life. A Shade is one who possesses some semblance of their former self.”
“Generally abilities,” Helbram added, “powerful ones.”
Leaf rubbed his chin, “That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“At face value, it isn’t,” Elly said, “but the threat of a Shade lies within the nature of the soul itself.”
Leaf tilted his head.
“Shades are not the result of power alone,” Helbram explained, “but also a lingering attachment to their previous life.”
“Negative attachments,” Elly elaborated, “grudges, resentment, regret. An immense dissatisfaction with their previous lives somehow lets the soul retain part of its previous life as the Cycle births them anew,” she sighed, “but as Helbram said, power is a factor; it takes a large amount of strength to resist the Cycle.”
Helbram nodded, “Though they never resist it entirely, leaving only remnants as they are birthed anew. These remnants will clash with the new self that starts to form, creating an unsavory amalgam of the old and new.”
“Imagine bearing a grudge so deep it carries into your new life, except the Cycle has now wiped the reason for your grudge from your mind,” Elly explained, “The feeling remains, its intensity unchanged, but now it is aimless, a spite that is directed to anyone and anything that comes across your path. In addition, you now possess powers far beyond the average person, capable of acting upon urges that you cannot control.”
Leaf winced, “I can see how that could be a problem.”
Helbram nodded, “Indeed, which is where the Black Cloaks come in,” he tilted his head towards the two ahead of them as they turned the corner, “An order tasked with locating and dealing with Shades.”
“Do they belong to any Kingdom?” Leaf asked.
Elly shook her head, “Their origins are unknown, and truthfully common folk are most likely to not even know they exist. My master and I had a few dealings with them in the past, but it was more passing acquaintances than anything, so I’m afraid I do not know much beyond a basic understanding.”
“You said ‘dealt with’,” Jahora asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“It depends on how much of a danger that the Shade is determined to be,” Elly explained, “Those that hold only a mild echo of their former selves are informed of their true nature and how to best subdue their previous personality. In more moderate cases the Shade will be taken to a Black Cloak facility for longer term rehabilitation. In such cases it is not uncommon for the Shade to be recruited by the Black Cloaks themselves.”
“And those that are too severe a threat?” Jahora asked.
Helbram clenched his jaw, “Elimination.”
“I see… and how often does it come to that?”
Elly sighed, “It is more likely to occur than not.”
Jahora said nothing.
“Then these Black Cloaks must be quite fearsome,” Leaf said.
“Very much so,” Helbram said, “It is said that they are equal to the Mage Knights of Helios, even if their numbers are fewer,” he adjusted his sword, “That strength is necessary when combating such powerful foes,” he looked to Leaf, “How large was his Core?”
“The size of my fist,” Leaf said as he held his hand up, “Gold, but I saw black radiating off of it instead.”
Helbram nodded, “A Fifth Layer Journeyman then…”
“How strong is that?”
“Immensely,” Helbram said, “He may not be an Expert, but even if we were to fight him all at once our victory would not be guaranteed.”
“We cannot discount his companion either,” Elly added, “It is subtle… but the Aether he controls would place him at least as a Fourth Circle Mage, though with Clerics it is hard to tell.”
Leaf tilted his head, “And why is that?”
“Because their magics are linked to their God,” Elly said, “While they manipulate Aether like all other spellcasters, their spells tend to take on different properties depending on the God they worship, and given that the Gods are literal fonts of Aether themselves, some spells have more potency than those cast through traditional arcane means.”
“Indeed,” Helbram agreed, “some of the most powerful Healers are Clerics, but on the opposite end some Clerics can be destructive forces of nature, especially those that worship Thalamar.”
“With such power does come its drawbacks, however, “ Elly explained, “Potency comes at the cost of precision and variety.”
“And it is far rarer to encounter a Cleric rather than a Mage, “ Helbram said, “The God’s are a picky lot, but let it be said that they tend to not choose unwisely.”
Jahora huffed, “Let us hope that their judgment goes beyond just power.”
The conversation ended as they reached their destination, a house that sat towards the outskirts of the town. It was of a simple wooden make, like the rest of Redhaven, and was large enough for the small family that most likely dwelled within. A wooden fence branched from the house, encompassing a swath of land behind it. Most of it looked to be farmland, though it was barren at this time of the year and there was no stable for any livestock within the fences borders. Leaf’s eyes fell upon the shack that lay towards the corner of the fencing, its state much more worn than the house itself. He noticed Jahora staring at the shack, her hands trembling as she clenched her jaw.
The party joined with the Black Cloaks as they approached the door, with Ren rapping his hand against it. After a brief moment, Leaf could hear footsteps approaching, and the door cracked open soon after, revealing the face of a man with brown hair and matching eyes. He was clean shaven, but possessed worn, sun tanned skin, no doubt the result of years in his field. He held a cautious look to his eyes as he looked at the group, though Leaf could not blame the man for it. It was not everyday that six armed people showed up at your doorstep.
“Jorge is it?” Ren asked, “Mind if we ask a few questions?”