-Four Days Later-
“It would appear that another candidate has been chosen…” Mused a mature, female voice, its owner smiling softly as she sat upon an icy, ornate throne.
The chill of the room at the top of a great tower, peering above the clouds, did not bother her as she idly spun a small wand in her thin, graceful hand. Her scaly tail– tipped with spines– tapped against the floor. Although her wings were spread, they weren’t very active, lying relaxed against the sides of her throne.
“Ashe certainly works fast. I’ll have to give her some praise when she returns. You wouldn't believe how cute she is when she gets flustered!” She joked to the only other person in the room, a young girl who stood armed with a wide, cold blue greatsword on her back. A cloth hood around her shoulders, and a gambeson padded with fuzzy fur pelts. On her hip was a sheathed longsword. She was bundled up far more than the woman on the throne before her, who wore a regal dress– white and accented by a deep, night blue– that shimmered like diamond dust.
“I can't imagine she's the type to take being teased well. At least with what you've told me.” The young girl replied, amused with a light giggle at the idea.
“Oh, you’ll come to see it soon once I get you two acquainted, trust me.” She pointed her wand casually to her guest. “She’s a tough nut to crack, but you really haven’t seen anything ‘till you’ve gotten her to blush.” The woman remarked with a jovial chuckle.
The young girl, bemused by the woman's ramblings, spoke in a soft tone. "I'm sure I will." She shifted her stance. "That aside, is there anything I should be doing?" She asked, a bit antsy.
"Of course! I'd like for you to go to Camelot, rendezvous with this new candidate, if you would. I'm sure Ashe is taking them there as we speak. She just awakened their 'root,' after all."
"Would you like for me to work with them?"
"Mhm! Or at least get in their good graces. We're all in this together, after all. Chances are they're a reasonable person, given that they allowed Ashe to awaken their 'root.'" She explained. "Oh, right. Will you be fine on your own? It's a pretty long way from here to Camelot. I could have Lianna join you. I’m sure Kauri or Caiman are free, too."
"I'll be fine." The girl reassured the woman, rubbing her neck sheepishly. "I like to think I work better alone. Besides! You made sure I was prepared already with all the training this past month." She looked over her shoulder at the large sword on her back, the icy blue blade intricately decorated with engravings of constellations in the night sky. An auroric aura seemed to seep from it at all times. "I think I'll handle myself just fine. I can assure you I'll get this done."
"I really ought to come up with a suitable compensation for you!" The woman remarked delightedly. "You’re so dutiful. It's good to know I can rely on you, Hana!"
The young girl, gingerly brushing her peach colored hair aside, looked away out of embarrassment. "I-It's nothing, Your Highness. It's the least I can do to repay you for all you've done for me. Especially with how strange my circumstances are."
"Honestly, you gotta learn to ask for more, Hana dear. At least let me pay you for your work going forward."
"Well…" She breathed in, before relenting. She knew she wasn't getting past this insistence on rewarding her, even if the notion made Hana uncomfortable. She relented. "Okay… I… I guess that's fine. B-But really, I'm happy with any amount!"
"Please, stop being so modest. I'll sort your pay out while you're gone. How does that sound?"
"That would be just fine, Your Highness." Hana affirmed with a bow. “Well then, I’ll go make some preparations. I’ll leave in the morning.”
“Mhm, mhm, that’s just fine. Take all the time you need!” The woman cheerily affirmed, allowing Hana to take her leave.
The frosty tower took a while to get to the bottom of, even with its surprisingly advanced elevator– powered by magic and pulleys– it took a few minutes straight of waiting to get from the top to the bottom.
Emerging from the platform, Hana’s eye was caught by another girl, a fae carrying a stack of books as she hovered through the air with her large, wasplike wings. The girl– with hair like honey tipped with pink– acknowledged Hana’s presence with a smile, hovering over to her as Hana met her halfway.
“Hey Lianna.” Hana greeted cheerfully.
“You done talking with Her Highness? That was fast.”
Hana shrugged. “There wasn’t too much for her to tell me, really.”
“Mmh. So, you headed to pick up the next candidate? Her Highness mentioned another one being found.”
“Yeah, I’ll be leaving in the morning. Headed to Camelot.”
“Nice! You know, since they're another candidate, I wonder if they got summoned from the same country as you.”
“That’d be… nice, I guess.” Hana rubbed the back of her neck as the fae rattled off the possibility.
“You’re going alone?” A rough voice asked from the other end of the hall, both of the girls looking over to the source– a large, draconic man, tail lifted from the ground and scaly wings folded behind him, his reptilian face looking Hana down.
“Oh, Caiman…” Hana acknowledged. “Uh, yeah! I thought it’d be best if I got going as soon as I could. I wanna be on top of meeting up with this new candidate.”
“So you decide to travel across the continent by yourself.” He mused, clearly unimpressed by the prospect. “Don’t get yourself killed while you’re out there. Her Highness still has use for you.” He scoffed bluntly, quickly leaving the scene as fast as he had come upon it, shoving past Hana as he did so.
Lianna scoffed, her brow furrowed. “Tch. I have no idea what’s gotten into him. He’s never usually this much of a prick.” She muttered. Hana just sighed, a bit downtrodden. “Don’t let him get to you.” The fae reassured.
“No, it’s not that. I just… I know it’s only been a month since I came here, is all. I’m nothing compared to any of you guys when it comes to being a voyager. It must be really confusing for him to see Her Highness putting so much stock into me, knowing that.”
Lianna contemplated Hana’s words for a moment. “Well, Her Highness has always been a little eccentric. Besides, she’s been training you all this time, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“I don’t doubt that I can at least handle going to Camelot… I just don’t know when or where I’ll mess up.” Hana explained. “I know it’ll happen eventually, nobody’s perfect. Especially not me.” She rattled off before catching herself. “Sorry, just a bit anxious is all.”
“No, you’re totally fine, I get it. Honestly, just take it as it comes, Hana. Her Highness has a lot of faith in you. Stick to her training and you’ll be fine!” Lianna encouraged.
“Yeah… I’ll do that.” Hana mused. Waving to Lianna, she left, heading to the exit of the great castle.
Looking out at the frosty, snow-filled city of Frosreth– sitting at the highest peak in the mountain country of Garland– before her, Hana breathed out, her breath whirling in a misty cloud as she did so. It was much colder here than it was back in Japan, even during its winters. Still, she found some comfort in that cold. It felt safe to her as she bundled up in her fluffy clothes.
Tentatively, she headed back to the housing she had been given a room in.
“I’ll get this done for sure.” She thought to herself. “I’ll be Her Highness’ sword, just as I promised.”
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-North Trachezam-
“Naw, nothin’ like a monster attack here. Just been clear skies. Bit of rain and snow, though. Y’can thank Morgania for that.”
The humble farmer chuckled as he finished his words. After a fairly lengthy caravan ride, Minoru and Ashe got off at their stop– a fairly lush village resting near the northern border of Trachezam. It was, evidently, a farming village with how many of the houses had large plots of farmland.
Curiously, and fascinating enough to get Minoru’s attention, was that all of the produce sitting upon that farmland was of shockingly immense size. He had seen overgrown pumpkins before when a class of his visited some farms in the Japanese countryside, but even then these were freakishly huge. The pumpkins looked about as big as the houses that grew them, carrots towering two stories tall– their leaves shading a large area below them– and corn that stuck out of the ground like spears skewered into the earth.
“Y’never been here, have you kiddo?” The man asked, an amused look on his face at Minoru’s curious glances.
“Oh… No, this is the first I’ve seen of this place.”
“No wonder y’got that look on your face then! Don’t pay our crops much mind, it’s just a gift from the unseelie up north.”
“The unseelie did this?” Ashe asked.
“That’s right, girlie. Actually, it was a gift from their queen. Apparently someone here did a favor for her years ago, so she saw fit to bless us in a… unique way. Heck, we can even grow these babies in the winter if we want to.”
“I had never heard of this…” She mused.
“Guess she’s not so bad after all. I would’ve thought she’d end up cursing anyone near her kingdom with what you told me.” Minoru ribbed to Ashe, who simply returned his joking with a somewhat annoyed half-glare.
“I’d watch your tongue, son, even if you are praisin’ her.” The farmer cautioned. “You don’t seem too familiar with the unseelie, so you might get a few passes, but she doesn’t much enjoy getting her attention pulled to anyone too much.”
“Right… of course.”
“That aside, what're are you lookin' for here, anyways? I don’t think there’s much you could gain by hoppin’ off your caravan to come here.”
Ashe cleared her throat. “We heard there was good game here. We simply wished to see what we could hunt in this area.”
Rubbing his neck, the farmer looked a bit sheepish. “Well, I won’t discourage you from tryin’ but you should know the unseelie have a habit of pickin’ off the best game before we even see hide or hair of it. It’d be a bigger problem if we didn’t have their blessing on our crops. Bit of a pain, really, but far be it from me to complain.”
“I see. Thank you for the advice, sir.”
“Hey, don't mention it. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from livin’ so close to Morgania, it’s how to be hospitable. ‘Specially when we don’t get many visitors in the first place. If you two want, I could stock you up with some of our produce."
"We appreciate it greatly, sir, but we are well-stocked as it is. We might not have much room otherwise if we take anymore. Apologies."
"Ahh, don't you sweat it, girlie. You two have a safe trip now!" He saw them off cheerily.
As the two walked away, bidding the man farewell, Minoru spoke as he let go of a trembling breath. “I can tell why this place is so remote. Can’t imagine anyone would want to pass through when it’s so cold. Hell, it looks like it’s about to snow.” He mused, looking up at the clouds above.
“It cannot be helped. If what he said was true, then this town might as well be an extension of Morgania territory.”
“Ah, yeah, true. ‘An eternal winter, a rebellion against the sun,’ or something like that, right?” He asked, recounting something Ashe had mentioned during the carriage ride. “What’s that even mean, anyways? I mean, I can sorta understand it right now, but…”
“The queen is loathe to be under the influence of Solaris, to put it simply. Thus, Morgania's land is cast under an eternal cold. She effectively has the whole country's climate under her thumb.”
“The whole country? Seems a little extreme. What’s up with her and Solaris?”
“It is not so much them specifically, it is the whole of the unseelie. Their dealings with Solaris are… tenuous, to put it mildly. Titania, the Summer Queen, lives across the sea on the west of Villesia. While her connection to Titania is not… properly understood, Morgania’s queen is not fond of her. Titania is also a servant to Solaris, who created the seelies. Thus, allowing Solaris to have any amount of control over her kingdom is… less than favorable for the Witch of Winter.”
“I can’t say I’ve ever heard of someone having such bad blood with the sun. Or, well, a god.”
“These thoughts are quite unusual with regards to Solaris, admittedly. The Empress of Light is loved by many across Villesia, so much so that she is the main god of our worship." She spoke, the two of them beginning to walk to the northeast, towards the forest they intended to cross through.
"I don't really have the best understanding of, like… the capacity in which your gods are worshiped, admittedly. What's Solaris got going for her?"
"Solaris is, of course, the sun. But she is also our god of war, the representation of a shining, glorious victory after a battle has ended. Her worship is so wide spread as to be a little difficult to pin down, to be honest. But she is our patron of light, justice, and the one who gave us fire. She is respected and worshiped as the head of our religion because of the power she wields.”
“And because she scared people into submission when she attacked Dubrila, right?”
“That is part of the reason, yes.” Ashe admitted. “Admittedly, while I realize Solaris’ power, I cannot in good faith practice worshiping her.”
“You sure saying that’s not gonna get you a smiting?”
“Solaris has been dormant for the past millennium. Based on our best accounts, she was much more active before then, but she has not done a thing since the Champions’ war against Ouroboros.”
“Did Ouroboros do something?” Minoru asked, to which Ashe could only offer a shrug.
“I was not alive at the time. The war is a mystery in and of itself. The details of what happened to Solaris are largely lost to time…” She trailed off, a contemplative look on her face for a moment. “Actually, there was something that might be of interest to you. A strange detail that exists in only one account of Solaris’ attack on Gaia.” She opened and reached for the book at her hip– the scripture she used to fuel her miracles, as she explained– and handed it to him. “I would like for you to brush up on some of the writings in here, if you will. It will explain things about our world– and especially our gods– much better than I can.”
Minoru turned the book over in his hands. It was very hefty, even more so than his own spellbook. “I’ll give it a read when I have the time, then.” He affirmed, stowing the book away in his own bag.
The two were out of the village by now. In the distance, they saw a great line of trees and underbrush, stretching as far as they could see in either direction. The canopy behind the treeline rose up higher as the land behind it grew higher. In the sky, shadowing the forest before them, was a massive conglomeration of gray clouds. Immense clouds of snow fell from the clouds, blanketing the canopy and the surrounding area of the forest in white.
“Let’s follow the snowline east. We’ll be able to find where Morgania and Swatesia meet that way.” Ashe instructed.
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As they headed eastward, the forest grew outward from the reach of the snow, extending further into the territory of Trachezam. It was a bit past midday now, as the two walked through the underbrush.
The forest was curiously quiet– though not silent– so much so that it was almost surprising when one of them accidentally crushed a twig under their foot, the sound loud enough in the relative quiet to echo.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, Ashe. Kinda been kicking myself over forgetting, actually.” Minoru began, filling in the silence with his voice. “Wouldn’t it have been easier to head back through Draetan and try to make our way north from there?”
“Ouroboros has their eyes on you, Minoru.” She began. “You said that the monster you fought spared you. Saying something about how you were safe because you were not a Villesian, right?” She asked, Minoru confirming with a small sound of acknowledgement. “You might have been spared, but there is little chance that we’re safe from them. They will no doubt be keeping an eye on you somehow, to make sure you do not become too big of a problem for them to handle. They are likely watching the roads of Draetan, assuming you’d return the way you came to be able to track your movements.”
Looking towards him, he caught her gaze. Her eyes looked serious and steady, yet… there was a sense of protectiveness in them as well.
“You are an important asset as a candidate, especially with your ‘root’ awakened now. I wish to keep you safe, Minoru, and I deemed this the safest route we could take. Once we are out of the forest, we will likely have lost anyone following us.”
Minoru was unsure of how to respond, especially with the look she was giving him, only giving a small exhale in response. “I’m inclined to agree. Ouroboros has a strange view on me as it is. And now that I’m on this whole mission, they’ll probably be after my head from now on.” He mused. “I guess I’ll need to rely on you to keep me safe, huh?” He asked in a teasing tone.
“I will protect you to the best of my ability, yes. But do not get complacent. I will see to it that you get even stronger once we’re in Camelot.”
“I hear you loud and clear, miss Ashe.” He teased.
“I am not your superior.” She reminded.
He gave an amused huff. “As you say, Ashe.”
She looked at him for a moment more, before seeming to sense something, perking up and looking around as if her head was on a swivel. She stuck an arm out in front of Minoru as she stopped.
Listening out for a moment, Minoru heard what likely gave Ashe pause. It was faint at first, but the sound carried through the woods nevertheless. It was gentle and harmonic, and yet its presence was ominous enough to make a cold sweat trickle down Minoru’s forehead.
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“Glo-o-o-ria… in excelsis Deo…”
It was singing.
As they got closer, they could make out the voice a bit clearer. The shaky, quivering intonation of the voice as it sang.
Minoru and Ashe had drawn their weapons, Minoru’s sword brandished while Ashe held a curved, golden dagger. She had it in a reverse grip in her right hand, her arm crossed over her left. Upon her other wrist was quite a complicated mechanism: a wrist-mounted crossbow, a smaller bolt loaded in.
The two stepped cautiously forwards, slowly coming upon a clearing ahead of them. Crouching down among the underbrush, they could clearly make out the singing now.
In the clearing, a small pond shimmered in the sun. Atop a small cliff, formed from the raised land opposite to the end that Minoru and Ashe were hiding at, was a small girl. Her legs lightly kicked back and forth as she sat at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the water. She was dressed in a dark gray coat that went down to her knees, small brown boots with fluffy trims, and a large, fluffy black hat. Her extraordinarily long, blonde hair cascaded down, resting on the ground around her. She looked much too young to be out in the wilderness on her own, appearing to be the age of a fifth or sixth grader to Minoru.
Minoru and Ashe looked to each other tentatively, before sheathing their weapons, stepping out into the clearing, the rustling of the underbrush as they emerged, seeming to alert the girl to their presence, as she stopped singing and looked down towards them with wide, curious green eyes.
“Don’t worry! We’re not here to cause trouble. Are you here by yourself?” Minoru called out to her.
Tentatively, the girl stood up, putting her fists on her hips as she looked down at them. From behind her, the two could see as a pink, ethereal tail moved into view. “Who are you two?” She called down.
“We’re voyagers. We’re simply trying to get into Swatesia through this forest.” Minoru explained. “Are you okay? Do you have a guardian nearby?”
She studied them for a moment, before turning to the side of the cliff and jumping down, hopping from one outcropping to another, deftly hopping from platform to platform before landing on the ground at the same level as Minoru and Ashe. The small girl marched over to them, her posture like that of a serious general.
She pointed to herself with a thumb to her chest. “I’m fine on my own! But what’s with you guys?” She pointed directly to Minoru, eyes glancing between her and Ashe. “I know this area, so I’m okay, but don’t you two know it’s dangerous here?”
Minoru crouched down so that his eyes were level with her’s. “We’re well aware of that. However, we needed a place to hide while we went to Swatesia. This forest looked safer than going out in the open.”
“Hm…?” She seemed confused, a small hand cupping her chin in contemplation. “Are you two being followed by bad guys?”
“Yeah, really bad guys. We’re not in danger right, but these guys following us are the really nasty type. We’re trying to hide from them.”
“So… you guys are running from them?”
“We’re trying to make sure they can’t follow us anymore. And once we do that? We’re gonna hit ‘em back for all the bad stuff they’ve done!” He spoke, a bit more energy in his voice as he motioned as if he was swinging a left hook at an opponent before him.
“Ooh–! So you two are heroes, right!?” The girl spoke enthusiastically.
“Something like that. We just wanna get back at the bad guys.” He explained, gesturing up to Ashe at his side. “She’s Ashe, and I’m Minoru. What’s your name?”
“I’m Yeva!” She introduced proudly.
“Well, Yeva, you said you’re familiar with this area, right? Might you be able to tell us where we should go to get to Swatesia?”
“Sure thing! I know this forest like the back of my hand!” She declared proudly. “Wait… How do I know to trust you two? I mean, you could be bad guys yourselves!”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Minoru let out a small sigh. “Well, you have a point.”
Ashe gestured with her hand as she interjected. “How about we do a favor for you, Yeva? It could be a deal, and you tell us where to go once we do it for you.”
“Oh, I couldn’t possibly ask you for something like that!” Yeva insisted. “Hmm… Although, I am pretty hungry… I think I could be a little more lenient if I had something to eat…” She suggested, looking away from the two as she spoke in a sly tone.
“Is that it?” Minoru asked. “And here I thought you were gonna be unreasonable.” He looked to the sky, the sun had moved a bit closer to the horizon in the intervening time. “Just a second, is that okay?” He asked, to which Yeva nodded. He motioned for Ashe to follow.
“What is it?” She inquired.
“I don’t feel great about the idea of leaving a kid like here alone in the forest. We’re already past noon. Could we set up camp here? I want to keep an eye on her, at least until whoever her guardian is comes looking for her.”
Ashe contemplated his words for a moment before nodding. “Very well. It would weigh on my conscience if we left her alone as well.”
“Thank you Ashe, really.” Minoru said, before turning back towards Yeva. “Yeva, how about this?” He began, earning a curious “Mm?” from the girl. “Ashe and I are going to set up camp here. I was going to cook something for us tonight. If you want, you could join us and give us directions after?”
“Really!? Okay! I’ll do that!” She declared excitedly.
“It’s a deal, then.” Minoru affirmed. “Ashe and I will set up our camp now, you just sit tight. It’ll be a while, though.”
“I can be patient!” She affirmed, crossing her arms with a big, confident smile.
“Good. We’ll be ready to start cooking soon, then.” Minoru assured.
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Setting up a small campsite wasn’t the hardest procedure, as Minoru could easily light a campfire. A small mote of purple lightning crackled and sparked the firewood that Ashe had managed to gather in a matter of minutes. While they were without a proper setup to cook with, Minoru had the foresight to have purchased a bundle of skewers. It was a bit of a slapdash affair, but making kebabs with salted meat and pickled vegetables they had on them was a simple procedure. They had enough of an excess of ingredients to make two kebabs for all three of them.
Yeva’s eyes lit up as she bit into her portion, a smile evident on her face even as she continued to quickly chew through the rest of the pieces on her skewer, her cheeks filling out a little as she stuffed as much food as she could into her mouth.
“Okay–!” She announced, her mouth muffled and full with food before she quickly swallowed it all. “You make such good food, Minoru! I think I can trust you two!” She declared proudly.
“Is that really all it took for you to be convinced?” Ashe asked, idly nibbling at her own kebab.
“Bad guys can’t make good food! Their evilness makes it taste all gross!” She declared as if it were fact.
“Really now? What does evilness taste like, then?” Minoru inquired.
“Like spinach! And brussel sprouts!”
“But I like spinach and brussel sprouts. Does that make me evil?”
“Uhm…! You get an exception!”
With an amused huff from Minoru and a smile from Ashe, the three continued eating.
Looking up to the sky, the sky was already beginning to adopt some shades of orange as the sun got closer to the horizon.
“Hey, Yeva, it’s starting to get a little late. Do you know how to get back to your home?” Minoru asked.
“Mhm!” She affirmed, swallowing her food quickly after. “I come out here all the time! I know my way back!”
“Does your guardian know you’re out here?”
“Yeah! She knows whenever I leave, and she said it’s okay!”
“Well, it’s getting late… not to mention how cold it is at night now. Would you mind if we walked you back home?”
“Eh? But you two said you needed to head to Swatesia, right?”
“Well, yes, but you live there, right? We can just go from there.”
“Mmh? When did I say I live there?”
“...Huh?” Minoru asked flatly, Ashe looking at the small girl curiously as well. “Then… Do you live in Trachezam? Or Draetan?”
“Nope!” She declared, giggling softly. “You’re kinda bad at guessing, Minoru!”
“Then… if you don’t live in any of those places…”
“Minoru…” Ashe said with urgency, drawing his attention to their surroundings. It was quite bright not even a few seconds ago, but suddenly the clearing was bathed in darkness. Whipping their heads around, Minoru and Ashe quickly stood to attention, reaching for their weapons and taking positions on either side of Yeva.
Breathing hard, Minoru’s eyes opened wide as he scanned the perimeter. However, save for the light of the campfire extending further, the darkness surrounding them revealed naught but inky blackness surrounding them, much darker than it should have been.
Suddenly, from the side, a rapid storm of giggles sounded out from the darkness, Minoru immediately moving to put himself between the source of it and Yeva.
“Who’s there!?” He called out frantically.
Another cluster of giggling voices from behind him, moving around the perimeter, prompting Ashe to jump to a position where she could follow the source as she stood ready to guard Yeva.
Suddenly more giggling from another end of the perimeter, and another, and another. Just as suddenly as the giggling turned into a cacophony of noises all around the two, hundreds of points of light filled the inky void, staring down the two.
Out of nowhere, a massive hand of darkness shot out from the void, slamming down onto the fire, snuffing it out and plunging the three into an even deeper darkness.
Minoru tried taking a swing at it, but it quickly retreated into the darkness before his sword could even think about striking it.
Moments later, a booming voice crackled through the air all around them.
“RETURN HER.” The voice spoke amongst the incessant giggling.
“Who are you!?” Minoru demanded.
There was no response. In an instant, the giggling silenced as Minoru’s head whipped to the side at the slightest disturbance he could hear, swinging his sword just as another hand reached out for him, his blade striking it heavily. It recoiled, the appendage’s ‘arm’ scrunching up like a zig-zag as it did so.
“YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE. RETURN HER AND LEAVE.”
“And leave her with some shadow!?” Minoru spat back. “Yeah, right. Get your hands off of her!”
“YOU KNOW NOTHING, CURSED HUMAN.”
“All I know is that I’m not going to let you take her if I have a say in it!”
“THEN YOUR LIFE IS FORFEIT.”
“Honestly–!” Yeva suddenly shouted. “Bonnie, stop it! I’m okay!”
“YOU ARE NOT SAFE WITH THESE HEATHENS.”
“They haven’t hurt me at all! I order you to stop it, Bonnie!”
“MISS YEVA, I–”
“Stop it. Now.” She demanded.
A moment’s silence gave way to rushing wind as the darkness disappeared, the campfire reigniting seemingly all on its own. From the ground, like tar, the voidlike darkness re emerged from the ground, forming into a tall, roughly cylindrical shape, before contorting into a somewhat hunched over shape, although it towered over Minoru and Ashe.
The darkness suddenly took the form of an oily, feathery cloak that extended to the ground, obscuring the body of the figure. From the area of its form that suggested shoulders, a white, bony visage slowly emerged from the muck of its inky form, revealing a face like that of a skeletal ibex, its tall horns twisting like a corkscrew as its thin face glowered at the two of them. From its cloak, multiple other skulls hung out, occasionally clattering their teeth. Cow, eagle, viper, all sorts of animals had their skeletal visages adorn this figure’s body.
Yeva stood with her hands on her hips, she looked up at the enormous figure that utterly dwarfed her. “Now, these two are my friends, Minoru and Ashe! I want you to introduce yourself and apologize to them, Bonnie!” She demanded, showing how much sway she held over the beastly figure.
Looking in their direction, the ibex skull adorning its head spoke, its jaw creaking open, as did the jaws of its many other animal skulls, producing a masculine voice that was layered upon itself numerous times.
“My apologies. I am Bergobon.” It began. “Miss Yeva’s caretaker. I had assumed you two were looking to abscond with her.”
“Bonnie’s always overprotective of me. Don’t mind him.” Yeva assured the two.
“Miss Yeva, you must know how important you are to Her Majesty. I cannot act any less protective of you.”
“You don’t have to attack people just ‘cuz I’m with them!” Yeva protested, frustration clear in her voice.
He bowed his head in apology to her for a moment, before looking back towards the two others. “That aside. Minoru. Ashe.” He spoke, the mere mention of their names sending a strange chill down their spines. “What business do you two have straying so close to Her Majesty’s domain?”
“We are trying to get to Swatesia.” Ashe explained.
“They got bad guys chasing them!” Yeva interjected.
“‘Bad guys?’” Bergobon repeated. His face didn’t move, but the two could feel his eyes narrowing at Yeva’s words.
“Ouroboros. Do you know them?” Minoru explained.
“Oar-row-boar-rows?” Yeva muttered to herself.
“Ouroboros, you say?” He chuckled. “And what could you two have done to bring such misfortune on your heads?”
“So you do know them.”
“I know of them, yes. And that means I know they aren’t a group you trifle with lightly. So, I ask again– what did you do to bring them upon you?”
“I confronted one of them in Ludmilia. I found out they were holed up there. But… the city was destroyed.”
“What astonishing foolishness! Going to one of their nests and confronting them yourself? You’re not going to convince anyone with such a ridiculous tale.”
“I don’t care whether you believe me or not.”
“Oh, trust me, I believe you. The proof is written all over you.” He leaned down, his skeletal face level with Minoru’s. “I can smell their infection on you. You truly are an accursed being.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You are an anomaly, plainly speaking. You carry their essence, yet you are assuredly human.” His unmoving visage betrayed the clear signs of a grin as it spoke. “That remaining humanity… it is the perfect kindling…”
Minoru felt a cold sweat go down his neck. Yeva quickly intervened. “Bonnie, stop, you’re scaring Minoru!”
“No–” Minoru stated, moving his arm in front of Yeva. “I want answers. Tell me what you mean, now. Speak plainly.” He ordered the inky being, his tone grave.
“I speak only off of what I know of them and their blight, boy.” Bergobon began. “Their infection craves humanity like a fungus craves cadavers. I know not where it comes from, but the blight’s stench is stuck to you. And yet, you are not being eaten by it.”
“How can you be so sure that’s not happening now?”
“Believe me, boy. If it was, then you’d be nothing more than a half-eaten carcass where you stand.”
Minoru contemplated his words. “I’m not… at risk of spreading this, am I?”
“It is a curious thing, really. I sense it on you. It is so great that I can smell it, and yet it is nowhere to be seen on your body.” He circled around Minoru, looking at him from every angle he could. The distinct lack of footsteps as his form appeared to glide effortlessly across the ground was unmistakable. “This might call for a more in depth examination, but from the looks of things, there is not one sign of the blight on you.” He mused. “Perhaps you truly aren’t infected at all.” He suggested.
“And how do you figure that?”
“The blight is powerful and ravenous, and as such is quite terrible at hiding itself. I have never sensed the blight on someone only to not see it on their person.”
“Just explain it plainly already, I’m not here to listen to you ramble on all day!”
“I cannot give an exact answer at this moment. However, if my suspicion is correct, I do not believe this can be spread. The blight seems perfectly content sticking to you and only you.” He chuckled. “What unique misfortune.”
“Well… so long as it doesn’t spread, that’s fine by me.”
“Hm?”
“It’s not gonna spread, right? Not to mention you just said it’s not like it’s eating me like it usually does. That means not much is different, right?”
“Minoru, you are taking this far too lightly.” Ashe interjected. “If what he says is true, then even if it is not eating away at you now, you are still carrying Ouroboros’ infection. If it can eat through Gaia’s body, there’s no telling what it can do to a human.”
“Ashe, it’s fine…” He reassured her. “It could just as likely be nothing. I’d rather worry about what we’re doing now than worry much about something like this.”
“Minoru…”
“Do not be so hasty to make conclusions about Ouroboros, boy. Least of all their blight.” Bergobon stated plainly. “Regardless, if you wish, I can give you a more detailed examination. I am something of a doctor who’s familiar with more… unconventional afflictions. Including this one.”
“Right now?” Minoru inquired.
“Of course not right now. I mean after we meet with Her Majesty.” Minoru and Ashe looked at him quizzically, prompting him to continue. “Oh? Are you two unwilling to meet with our queen? What a shame. After all, if you are opposing Ouroboros, she might have some information that would be of great interest to you.” He explained. “Of course, if you do not wish to do so, I will simply take Miss Yeva with me and be on my way.”
Minoru and Ashe looked at each other, their gazes studying each other for a moment.
“C’mon, guys!” Yeva interjected. “Come visit Morgania! I wanna show you around!” She declared excitedly as she looked up at Minoru and Ashe.
A bemused smile on the part of Ashe, and an amused huff from Minoru, the two simply nodded to each other.
“Very well.” Ashe spoke. “If you believe this could be fruitful for us, then we will graciously accept your invitation.”
“Yaaay–!” Yeva cheered, throwing her arms up in joy before stepping quickly towards the two of them, looking up with a big smile.
“Very good.” Bergobon spoke calmly. “Miss Yeva is fond of you two, it would be a shame to have her part with her new friends so early.”
“Right…” Minoru muttered. “Well then, we’ll follow your lead.”
“Please. I would never have honored guests and friends of Miss Yeva hike all the way to our land.” Bergobon’s visage appeared as though it was smiling– despite the impossibility of such an action– before his cloak was blown open– revealing two long, skeletal arms– before it covered a huge area of Minoru and Ashe’s vision. It curled around in the air, before surrounding and covering all four of them in its shadow. “Please, hold onto something, this ride might be a bit bumpy.” He warned.
In a flash, the grass and trees surrounding the clearing blew fiercely in the wind, dust blowing into large clouds, before the dome of darkness that had formed began tightening its width. It turned into a roughly oblong cone, before rising into the air and disappearing, a cloud of black feathers left in its wake as it disappeared completely, leaving only the empty campsite behind.
----------------------------------------
-Frosreth, Garland-
Hana was sitting on the floor of her room, contemplating the scattering of personal belongings before her. Mostly clothes, but also food that would last on a decently long journey, as well as implements used in voyaging. A torch, rope, bottles, oil– various tools that were important in many situations voyagers found themselves in.
All of it was important, and yet Hana had no idea how to fit it all into her bags.
A knock on her door alerted Hana, who brought her head up quickly. “Coming–” She called, before getting up and moving over to open it.
On the other side was a young man, cloaked in a grassy cape which was covered in small mushrooms of various shapes, a cloud of barely luminescent spores surrounding him. The large, pointy, almost leathery ears on either side of his head indicated him as a peculiar race known as the shabti.
“Oh, Kauri, hi.”
The young man bowed curtly. “Hana, I have heard that you are leaving for Camelot tomorrow, yes?” He asked, to which Hana confirmed. “Here, this is for you.” He held out his hand, offering her a small gemstone. A sky blue, it was inlaid into the shape of a dragon.
“What’s this?”
“Astrenite.” He explained plainly. “Her Highness wanted me to give it to you.”
“What for?”
Kauri simply shrugged. “She said it would help slake Okami, that it was extremely important for you to have it before you left.”
"Ah, right… thank you." She gave a thankful nod as she took the gem from his hand.
"Hana, if I may ask, are you sure you're alright doing this alone? I could come with you, Her Highness hasn't assigned me anything."
She smiled sheepishly. "N-No, I'll be fine. Thank you, though, I appreciate the concern." She looked her ally in the eye. "I know what I'm doing. Plus, it only makes sense for a candidate like myself to go find another one."
“I see.” Kauri mused. “I hope you stay cautious during this journey, though. You are a candidate, after all. If Ouroboros finds out about you, you could be in danger.”
“Don't worry. They're bound to find out about me eventually, given that I'm heading to Camelot to help with the purification. By then I'll already have met up with the newest candidate." She reassured him.
Kauri simply huffed with a smile. "Your optimism shining through as always."
“Optimism…?” She muttered out curiously. “I don’t really think it’s all that optimistic… Honestly, I’m still worrying a bit about all the ways it could go wrong.” She admitted. “But… it could cause problems for others if I was always worrying about that stuff, right? I’d rather have a more positive outlook on things if I can help it.”
“That… sounds fine, I suppose. However, I would hope that you are being optimistic for your own sake, rather than for others.”
Hana didn’t have an answer, just sheepishly rubbing her neck before she spoke. “T-Thank you for handing over the gem to me, Kauri. I should get back to packing for tomorrow.”
“...Of course. Have a safe journey, Hana.” He replied curtly, giving a small wave before walking off as Hana closed the door.
Looking down at the gem in her hand, Hana sighed. Something about it felt too precious and valuable for her hands. Regardless, she stowed it away in her pocket. It was doubtlessly important, otherwise Her Highness wouldn’t have been so insistent on sticking her with it.
She sat on the floor once more, staring forlornly at the assortment of items before her, yet her mind was no longer focused on the task of packing everything together. Instead, she couldn’t help but wonder what exactly this coming journey would have in store for her.
She hadn’t strayed far from Garland ever since she was discovered in a town just east of the mountain range upon which it sat. It was understandable, with this context, why the others were so concerned about how she’d fare.
It didn’t, however, bring her much comfort. In fact, all it did was make her want to take this mission solo even more than before.
The large form of her greatsword– its dark blue blade adorned with the engravings of constellations– rested against the wall opposite to her. Her eyes were lost in its starry patterns, and she couldn’t help but remember what Her Highness had said about it.
“You are Okami’s chosen wielder, Hana. However, although it has chosen you, you do not control it.”
It refused to be away from her for very long. It always found its way back to her even if she tried to part with it.
Looking deeply into the constellations, wholly different from the ones she knew back home, she hugged her knees, resting her head against her arms.
“I don't know if I'm quite ready for this... But I need to do it." She breathed out. "Will you help guide me, Okami?” She asked quietly, to which her eyes watched the stars patterned across the blade dance and shine.
She smiled gently. “Thank you…” She breathed out as she closed her eyes.