Now, her body wasn’t able to fully support her weight anymore. She tried her best to remain standing, but as she took a third step, within punching distance of the man, her knees buckled. She fell to her hands and knees as the man stared at a pocket watch, which he had pulled out while she was struggling. He eyed the watch, then the girl. Watch. Girl. Watch.
“I see it took hold, and in record time!” He snapped the watch shut, shoving it back into his coat as he pulled a small vial from it in the watch’s place. “What you’re experiencing are the effects of the Sherman weaver, a spider native to Shadowmane. Nasty critters, but their venom is enough to kill smaller animals. A human only experiences the failure of their bodily movements. Not to worry, you won’t be harmed from it.”
The man sighed before sticking the vial away as he took a single step towards Alice. She wanted to say something, call him a coward, slug him in the nose, she wanted to do all of the above, but even her own jaw wouldn’t follow her command.
“It’s best not to struggle. The more you do the longer it’ll stay in your body. At least, that’s what the old wives’ tale of it says.” He knelt down onto one knee as he leaned down to her level.
“I suppose I’ll take you quietly. Perhaps it was fate that led to this moment, considering my soul spell is perfect for something like this.” he chuckled to himself as he began to extend a hand. Despite her fighting her own body, Alice could do nothing as she fell to the floor. His hand reached out, the blue glow as menacing as his demeanor. As he was about to grab her, a voice forced his hand to retract.
“Alice?” Daniel had asked, wandering around as he searched. He thought he had heard someone talking behind the cart he was looking through. As he turned a corner, his eyes widened as he gazed upon Alice on her side. The man was nowhere to be seen.
“Alice!” He yelled, his voice now alerting the closest in his vicinity, Hellebore. The concern in his voice caused him to jump clear over the cart onto the ground on the other side. Daniel was slightly startled, but his concern of his fallen nobility was stronger as he rushed over. Hellebore was quick to draw his weapon, assuming another enemy had caused this. “My lady, are you alright!?” He called out as he joined Daniel.
Daniel flipped her onto her back, his hands recoiling onto his head as there was little he could do. “Her eyes are moving, thank the Gods.” Daniel said under his breath, as Hellebore knelt down. “Indeed, but something’s wrong. They’re the only things moving…” he said.
Daniel looked around, yelling in order to get the other’s attention. As he did this, Hellebore got closer.
“Move your eyes up and down if you can hear me.” His voice grew quieter. Alice paused for a second, before a flick up and down confirmed an answer. He followed with another question. “Were you attacked?” He was answered again with an up and down motion.
As Daniel glanced around her body, searching for a clue on what had happened, his investigative intuition brought him to the small cut on her hand. He knelt down closer, picking her hand up in his as footsteps trudged behind them. Assuming them to be a friendly face, Daniel echoed his findings to Hellebore and whoever was behind him. “This is the only mark on her body, so either this is the cause, or there’s something happening that we can’t see. The only thing with her clothes is what she got from the skirmish, so I’d recommend not going through ‘em if you know what’s good for ya.” Daniel’s last remark was more towards Hellebore as the footsteps got closer.
While the two were distracted with their fallen comrade, the man from before trudged behind them. If they turned around, he’d just disappear again. He slowly drew another object from his coat, as he flicked it around in his hand a knife appeared from it. The flicked-open straight razor was silenced by a howling wind that had picked up as he walked towards the two.
His face was what scared her. It wasn’t malice, nor was it a wicked smile for the kill. His face was unmoved. A poker face for what was about to be two people slain by his hands.
Alice’s eyes started going frantic as she saw the man approaching them. Daniel, who hadn’t taken notice, was still infatuated by the cut on her hand as he leaned in closer. As Hellebore glanced back to her eyes, their gazes met as Hellebore asked the question that he’d hopefully not regret. Rather than react, he asked a question for the hopes his intuition was wrong. If not, he’d take the man by surprise.
“Is he behind us?'' he asked quietly to the point that not even Daniel heard the question. As the man behind them raised the knife, her eyes slowly bobbed up and down. “What?” Daniel asked, as he looked to Hellebore. His eyes wandered to Hellebore’s hand, clutched to the point the knuckles were white onto the handle of his weapon. As he was about to ask why, the blade on the weapon’s reflection showed a figure behind them. A figure and a knife aimed at them.
Hellebore’s reaction was faster than the man as he whipped around and threw a swing at him. The momentum of the swing made him stumble a bit as the blade hit nothing. Daniel flew up as he frantically looked around. “I saw him! He was… he was right here!”
“Quickly. Get the others, I shall take care of this pest.” Hellebore said as he took his blade into both hands. “What if he comes after me instead!?” Daniel asked, rightly concerned.
“He won’t. ‘Tis the girl he’s after, and judging by his mannerisms, she’ll disappear as well if he manages to touch her. The fact she hasn’t yet means he has to be visible to do it.” His head flicked around as Daniel grabbed onto his hair with his left hand.
“The Bogan and the lizard are at the next carriage over. Go!”
Daniel glanced between Hellebore and the carriage before shaking his head and beginning a full sprint towards it. As he passed the carriage they sat at, the wind had picked up some speed as he raced for the second one, the thing that had prevented his yelling from being heard. He had no reason to trust the Noctin, considering he was in solitary confinement and that they had just met, but given the situation and his lack of self-defense weapons, Hellebore was Daniel’s best bet at assuring that his new Spencerson charge would remain unharmed.
Hellebore circled around Alice as she lay in shock and fear. “I know you’re still here, I sense your presence.” He took a large, overexaggerated whiff of the air, and faked a look of disgust. Noctin could smell the odors of those around them much stronger than other humans, much like a shark could smell blood in the farthest depths of the ocean.
“I didn’t anticipate a soul-sucker to be running around here…” a voice came from seemingly nowhere, using another derogatory term, much more frowned upon then Blackblood. “What, are you gonna suck her dry after you take me out?”
“I only feast on those who get on my nerves, which puts you in a fairly unpleasant position. However, if you surrender now and undo the means of which you’ve affected this girl here, I shall let you live.”
A laugh came out of the forest as the man stepped out from behind one of the trees. “Once I nab that girl, I’ll be out of here without a word. I don’t want anything to do with whatever you or your merry bunch of assholes are doing. Although, I will say I also don’t like being threatened much, stranger.” He put his hands up and over his back, as if surrendering.
Hellebore stopped his circling as he stood facing the man. His eyes showed he wouldn’t let the man take her. More than simply trying his luck with her, Ignacio Hellebore was not one to allow such injustices to occur to the innocent. “No bounty is worth more than an innocent life.”
“Bold words, from a Blackblood. I never said I was going to harm her, that’s for whoever posted this here bounty to surmise. But, if you’re true to your word, I guess I’ll have to test the bite to your bark!” The man quickly outreached both his arms, flinging black knives towards Hellebore. The Noctin laughed as he deflected both of them , returning his eyes to the man. “You truly believe simple blades are enough to…” he stopped, as he was talking to thin air.
“A clever ruse, but you still shall not claim this girl. No soul spell shall-”
Hellebore was interrupted by a flurry of blades heading towards him from his right. He quickly dodged them, only to have another three come from straight ahead. He deflected two, and dodged the last one as another 5 came from behind him.
“Your blades will run out eventually, Shadowmane!” He cried, the clothing and features of the man having given away the kingdom he had originated from. As Hellebore continued deflecting and dodging, he noticed an interesting sight. The blades littering the ground were seemingly evaporating in a glowing blue light. Mystified, Hellebore was caught off guard when the man seemingly appeared before him, surrounded by the same blue energy.
The man threw a swing at Hellebore, but it didn’t connect. Hellebore used the handle of his weapon to maneuver the man’s punch to his right before landing a knee into the man’s gut as he hobbled forward, off balance. The howling wind now engulfing them picked up in speed as the man backed up from the gut shot, clutching his stomach. As Hellebore wound up a strike with his weapon, the man put up a flamboyant middle finger before glowing blue before dissipating in a flash, the swing cutting through nothing but air.
“Your soul spell perplexes me, Shadowmane. It’s as if you’re able to bring yourself or your blades out of existence. No… if that were the case I wouldn’t be able to sense it. It’s not invisibility either, or you would’ve been hit.” He was mostly talking to himself now as he felt the presence move towards Alice.
As she lay on the ground, only glimpses of the fight which passed over her were visible. She didn’t know most of what was happening, but could hear Hellebore when he jumped over her. “I don’t think so!” He said, pouncing just as the man had phased into existence and went to grab at her. He fell backwards before scrambling to his feet. The man cracked his neck, now agitated as his scowl showed his dampened spirit of this day being an easy paycheck.
As this battle waged, Daniel had finally made it to the others. As he was about to open his mouth, Knox stopped him as Cymia and Lockheed filed behind him, seemingly up to date already. “Guys, I-”
“I already know.” Knox flashed his own hologram device as he ran by, showing Alice’s face on it. Seems Knox was also linked to the Black Market, and so had also gotten the message. He didn’t check it before as he was in the heat of battle. “Bounty or not, the girl’s in danger. Chances are whoever soy-boy is taking on is more dangerous than he realizes, especially if he’s one of Cyber’s!”
“Cyber, the Prophet? What, he’s got more than the Liberation forces here!?”
“Shut up and tag along!” The lizard ordered as the wind almost drowned him out. His trail was always windy this time of year, but as strong as it was today it felt unnatural.
As Hellebore took another swing, the man tipped his hat before vanishing. Hellebore was getting pissed off. “Face me in battle, coward!” He yelled, his insult earning him a few more blades thrown from his left side. “Fighting fair is a hero’s schtick, not mine.” The man’s voice resonated from around Hellebore, as if circling him. “Playing nice doesn’t suit me none.”
The man reappeared again, stomping out Hellebore’s leg from behind him. As he collapsed onto his knee, the man prepared for a punch into his neck, only to be interrupted by a loud voice coming up behind him. “Leave the porcelain man alone!” Knox yelled, ready to throw down as he wound up a punch. “Doesn’t matter how much money she’s worth, Cyber ain’t getting his grubby robot mitts on her!”
The man’s head perked up, seemingly confused before he turned to face Knox. “Cyber… wha-” he was interrupted with a wound up reptilian punch into his jaw. The man fell back before rolling onto his stomach and shooting upwards again while putting his hands out, now dizzy.
“Woah woah, I’d never do business with the likes of Cyber or his crew. I may be a criminal, but I’m 100% Maxim Alliance!” He yelled out as Hellebore quickly tried to dash forward, his eye twitching. “When I’m done with you, there’ll be only a husk, you-” A scaly hand stopped him in his tracks.
Knox’s head cocked, as he found this hard to believe. “Eh, did you even read the bounty, or did you just see the number and have your eyes pop outta your socket from disbelief?”
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The man seemed insulted. “Of course I read it, I had plenty of time while you lot were fighting the ringmaster and his circus!” he pointed a thumb towards the fallen bodies of the Alpha and his hounds. “It said to bring the gal to the easternmost harbor in the kingdom of Mirastein. The signature reads… uh.” he flicked open his hologram, checking the information. “Malcolm… Benedict? What is he, a breakfast mascot or something?”
“Moiradiy!” Knox shouted profanity in his native language. “Mirastein, the ‘Mirror Coast’ as the tourism department calls ‘em, is occupied by Liberation forces! They set up a puppet government within it!” He shook a fist in the man’s direction. The man shrugged. “So what, I can always sneak in. Who am I to deny a bounty because of borders, it’s individuals I care about.”
Knox’s eye began twitching in unison with Hellebore as the wind continued to howl around them, almost deafening. “Alright, smart ass, Benedict is an Icara last name, and the Icara, even though they’re neutral, already have a lot of Liberation supporters. Not to mention that I’ve heard that Malcolm guy’s name before on the line of the Scalsan front, something about Bogan science. My guess is he supported ‘em enough to come running from across the world to join in on the fun.
The man began to put two and two together before slowly turning his gaze towards Alice, who was currently putting together a plan on how to kick his ass the second she got control of her own body again. The man slowly pulled both hands out of his coat pocket, staring down at them. “By the Gods, what am I doing?” he asked himself, before looking up to where Knox and Hellebore stood. He smacked the side of his head, flabbergasted at his own mistake.
Daniel lightly tread forward to the front of the group, careful about his tone. “Cyber’s reach goes a lot deeper than Bogans, it’s not your fault about not knowing, who knows how many people are under his influence.”
“I’m…” his hand shook slightly as he stared at Alice’s face on his hologram. It seemed he wasn’t much a fan of Cyber, judging by his reaction. “You can fix her, right?” Daniel asked, trying to break the awkward silence that now fell upon the group. The man’s eyes darted towards his hand as he sighed. “Of course I can.” he put his hand behind his back, pulling it out a second later with a powdered substance inside a small tube. “The antivenom should take effect immediately. I, uh, hope you know I wasn’t going to hurt her.” his voice was quiet as he took a few paces towards Alice. Hellebore attempted to intervene. “He could be playing a ruse to get close enough to grab her!”
“...no.” Lockheed shook his head, the others glancing at him, as based on the few times he spoke, it was important. “If he is, he wouldn’t get far.” Daniel nodded in approval, opting that things should only get violent if necessary. Hellebore stood before clenching his fists to control himself. “Plus, if he does… I can track him.” He said, moreso to himself as cause to not act.
They were taken off guard by the sudden change in the stranger’s demeanor. The man knelt down to her before opening the tube, making sure to eye Hellebore as he purposefully kept his hands away from her as he sprinkled a few particles of the powder onto her nose.
As she took a deep breath, Alice found her hand reaching outwards as she surprised even herself by how fast she sprung up. As she quickly jumped up the man also stood, taking off his hat as he formed a soft smile on his face.
“I do apologize, miss… Alice, was it? I didn’t mean any ha-” A wound up kick found its way between the man’s legs as his apology was forgiven, for a price.
Daniel and Knox, who had been standing next to each other, both winced as the man fell to the ground. “Yup… I th… think I deserved…” he couldn’t even finish his thought as he rolled around slightly, Alice adjusting her gauntlets staring into the man’s eyes with a large glare. “Whatever your name is, I suggest you learn some manners!”
“The name’s…” he slowly stood back up, dusting himself off as the strained look still marked his face. “The name’s… Gregor. Gregor Petrenko. I suppose I should repay you for having such… mercy on me, after what I’d done.”
Gregor’s coat was leather and had been tattered from constant use, and underneath it lay a deep blue plaid vest-like covering that was thrown over a brownish tunic. His beige pants held many pockets, although they seemed obsolete, as the knives he had been throwing everywhere were nowhere to be seen, probably due to whatever his soul shard’s magic allowed him. His hair was cut short, never leaving past the top of his forehead as it lay strewn about his head like he never combed or brushed it. The hat in his hand seemed like a top hat, but it was made of brown leather and the front was adorned with lace tied similar to the eyelets of a shoe, all except the front of it disappearing inside the hat as the front part layered.
Gregor replaced the hat on his head as he glanced at each member of Alice’s new party, his face only scowling slightly after locking eyes with Hellebore. As he stood, a gust of wind almost blew Alice over, Gregor’s face contorting as if it had been him that did it by accident.
“Aw, damn, sorry about that.” Gregor quickly turned around, putting his arms into a ‘Time Out’ position. With that, the strange wind halted, leaving only the constant breeze that people who lived in this area knew well.
“Did you just… stop the wind? Is that another part of your spell?” Daniel asked, putting his thumb on his chin in intrigue, as he always sought the answer for everything.
“No, mine’s what Bitch McGee saw earlier, the knives I was using, and the, uh, poison…” he said the last word silently. “They’ve all gone away into a special place only I can access. Call it a different dimension, but it’s the size of a goddamn apartment, and not the luxury kind. I can open up portals to it wherever I want, as long as I can touch the surface, that’s why I couldn’t take her without getting close.”
“I knew it!” Hellebore exclaimed. He had been traveling through his ‘dimension’ when he wasn’t visible, which was why he couldn’t be hit. Gregor shrugged it off. “Sure you did. Anyways, the wind thing is from a friend of mine. She can control it, and by some means can see through it, like echolocation or something, never really did fully understand it. Usually if she senses I’m in a pickle she’ll amp up the breeze to hide any sounds that’d either give away my position or my escape tactic. Or in your case, knock you off balance so I could get a swing in.” he pointed towards Alice while keeping his gaze locked onto the others.
“After you got me in the jewels, she probably thought I was still under attack…”
A few more minutes of talking, and things got sorted out. Gregor was trained in the art of the apothecary, which explains how he’d know the venom’s effects. He apparently had a whole lab going on in his ‘Private Isle’ as he called his soul spell, with growing herbs and recipe books and everything. Medicine wasn’t his only schtick, as he also had a variety of potions with varying effects on him, including poisons. He turned to a life of thieving due to circumstances he didn’t reveal, but implied that it involved Cyber or his Liberation forces. He huddled away quietly after clearing his name, embarrassed that he’d been mistaken for the very people he despised and for the most part stole from.
As everyone prepared to leave towards the closest town, they talked amongst themselves and about their situation.
“If some random guy was coming after her, who knows what else is heading our way.” Daniel said, voicing his concern. Hellebore eyed Gregor, who was currently drawing shapes with his finger in the air next to a tree, seemingly either using a form of sign language or just waving his arms like an idiot. Either way, it was as if he was communicating with someone, perhaps the ‘friend’ he had mentioned…
“Maybe traveling together isn’t the best idea.” Alice flicked a strand of her hair out of her face. “I mean, I don’t want you guys getting in danger because of me. Plus, I can hold out on my own, I’ll clobber anyone that gets in my way!” Her last words were energetic.
“Nonsense, the more people you got, the harder it would be for anyone to take you!” Daniel exclaimed. Cymia nodded in agreement before adding her two cents. “Not only that, I’m curious as to why Cyber set his sights on you.”
“She’s a Spencerson, that’s why.” Knox called out, his back turned to them as he fiddled with a bag. “You know the old stories about the Spencerson bloodline. Even those distantly related are forced onto golden pedestals because of their family tree!”
Alice sighed, her confidence in her fighting ability was in her eyes alright, but if a simple thief had gotten the best of her, she thought, maybe having some extra eyes and extra weapons wouldn’t be the worst in the world.
As she gazed into the fragmented glass on her father’s mirror, Daniel stepped forward. “Well, guess we’re all set then!” He said, looking around. “We got a good head start towards the closest town.”
“Yes we do!” Gregor chimed in, now with a bag of his own as he had an excited look on his face. The others quickly shot him down. “Oh no you don’t, you head back where you came from!” Hellebore growled, pointed into the forest. “Hate to say it, but porcelain is right. How in the Gods can we trust someone who tried to kidnap her and try to shank these two less than ten minutes ago?” Knox pointed to the three that had been involved in the encounter.
Cymia and Lockheed eyed each other before Cymia spoke up. “Plus, there’s no telling what trouble you’d end up dragging us into, a man of your… background.”
Gregor deflated slightly before his eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t going to kill you with the knife, you blockheads, how do you think I got the venom into her system so fast!?” He again pointed to Alice before retracting his arm, realizing he wasn’t making the situation better as she eyed him, still irritated at their earlier scuffle.
He sought a new strategy. “Well, my Private Isle is also chock full of some of my ‘background’, lots of Bogan, Briarteal and North Sindelvan, uh,’treasures’. I’m assuming none of you have any money for inns and future supplies?” He said with a smug look on his face.
The realization hit them as they all eyed each other. Daniel winced slightly as Lockheed pulled out his pockets. Knox slowly eyed Alice. “Princess…?” he asked, with slight hope. “I got mugged before I ended up here.” she shrugged with a ‘don’t look at me’ tone in her voice.
A faint blue glow came from him as a single coin was flicked into the air. On it was a man in ancient tribal garb, a Briarteal coin. Briarteal had a strange obsession with the old conglomerate of tribes the nation was once made of. As Gregor tossed it with a sly expression, Alice backed up, catching it instinctively with one hand. The crowd’s faces seemed in slight disbelief. Gregor shrugged with a smile, knowing he’d won the argument. He dusted his hands while clearing his throat, rubbing some salt in the wound.
“Great, so you’d best show me respect if you’re wanting any extra snacks or such.” he pointed a finger towards the sky. “Besides, based on what I’ve gathered, an extra witness would definitely help with a case against the Bogans, of which I have a slight grudge against now. Plus, my friend is already in Anweon as we speak, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen her...”
“What did you get thrown in the prison line for?” Daniel asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, for stealing shit. But it wouldn’t be about me, it’d be about Alice. About how Liberation forces put a bounty on her capture, a political figure from neutral territory.” Political figure? Alice never thought of her birthright like that, but I guess he was technically right.
Knox grumbled a bit before Alice took a step forward, tucking the mirror away into a satchel on her side. “Welcome aboard.” She said, a mix of snark and genuine acceptance, as she was still slightly pissed at her earlier endeavor. “The more the merrier.” as she walked by him, she whispered in his ear. “Try anything again, and you’ll have to scrape your babymaker out of the stone path.” She passed him, her cheery self returned as Gregor’s face seemed a little distant at the threat. “Yup… you got it!” He said, giving a nervous thumbs up.
“Are you sure about this, my lady?” Hellebore asked, distrust of the newcomer apparent.
“Well, I also offer an extra layer of protection, as if anything happens to me you’ll have the elements on your side.” he signed a word, a slight gust of wind blowing through Alice’s hair.
“Hmmph.” Hellebore started walking into the forest, intending to lead the pack. “Hey, porcelain, where are ya going exactly?” Knox asked as he stopped, heading in the wrong direction. It seemed that Porcelain was the new nickname Knox enjoyed calling him.
“Wait… which direction is Merla?” Cymia asked. “Which direction is north?”
As the other struggled to find an answer, bouncing off ideas, Daniel took a couple of paces to his left before pointing. “That way.” he said calmly. The others turned, confusion sounding amidst them. “How do you know?” Lockheed asked, in his usual fast paced tone.
“That’s easy.” the detective said, tapping the side of his head with his pointer finger. “I have a soul spell that helps me figure out where to go, the Royal Detective Agency needs eyes like mine. Warrant!” Daniel’s eyes began to light up in a shade of dark green as he looked towards the trail yet again, having uttered the name of his soul spell.
And so they set off. Daniel walked ahead as Hellebore and Gregor bickered, Cymia to their left keeping a wide distance between her and them. Behind them Knox grumbled to himself as Alice clutched her satchel close. Lockheed kept a few steps behind the rest of the group, hellbent on defending their flank.
-Daniel McKnight
-Jambiya Cymia
-Lockheed Irons
-Ignacio Hellebore
-Gregor Petrenko
-Alice Spencerson
These unlikely heroes would soon learn that Gregor was indeed not the only one after them. They had merely completed the first steps in the road that would take them through thick and thin, and would eventually lead them to glory and tragedy, sadness and-
“Quit spoiling the goddamn series and get back to the story!” Knox called out to no one.
Soul Spell: Private Isle
Spell Type: Void
Spellcaster: Gregor Petrenko
Shard Color: Blue
Shard Stats:
-Offense [5/10]
-Defense [5/10]
-Range [4/10]
-Spread [3/10]
-Utility [8/10]