The early morning light breaks through my closed eyelids and brings me to consciousness atop the Nightmare, an unnaturally large horse covered in evernight hair. Nearby buildings and towns-like background noise of idle chatter have been replaced by the sands, hills, and howls of the Bonedunes. The difference between just a few hours of riding on this fast horse is stark.
Earl and Virgil seem to have been awake the whole time, as when I come to, the both of them are talking to each other. Discussing odd things here and there along with what we should be looking for to find our objective, the Mandaamin.
"You said you were an Alchemist in training, right? Where would you bet a Mandaamin to be?"
"Yeah, I am. Or I was. Applied to a fancy school far away in the cities and got accepted. But now, I would rather not go. Rather not feed the machine. That doesn't really matter, though, to you; what does is what I know. I've never seen a Mandaamin in person, but the book I had said they looked similar in stature to maize, grew in the bottom of large hilly dunes, and enjoyed the shade."
"Adds up with what I found. I got a quick look at a book I had about rare herbs before I left and memorized the passage on Mandaamin. They are also more common inside nooks and crannies, growing like weeds, so be sure to look out for that."
"Oh, hey, Wyatt. Didn't see that you woke up. Don't know how you slept on a horse. This thing is way too bumpy for me to rest."
I laugh at Earl's inexperience with horses and try to encourage him.
"It's not that hard once you ride them long enough. I grew up riding my family horse almost daily. It's second nature to me, but I'm sure you can get comfortable with them over time."
"Yeah, hopefully."
As we ride, Virgil taps the Ghosteye in his hands that control the Nightmare before flipping around to face us. He pulls out two items from his backpack that he shows to us.
"Nabbed some stuff from the Hunters I killed. Just second nature to take something at this point. I didn't want to give them out until after we left in case Johnny were to demand them back. Not much I could do to refuse the man, so I figured it was better to wait.
I got three total items. The first I immediately put on after I killed him."
Virgil brandishes his forearm, which has some sort of contraption placed upon it. Only when he points at it do either of us even notice it. The oddity is weird, but I can't determine why. Earl and I also have no idea what we're looking at, apparently, as our faces show confusion. Once he notices our ignorance, Virgil explains it.
"It's a type of hidden blade. Used for assassinations of high officials and whatnot. This one, though, is quite a particular type of Claymore. It has two Swimmer and Mentalist Sigils duos, making it a 4th Flamme. I've tested it out quite a bit when I was alone. It lets me hold my breath for incredibly long periods, along with making the entire blade psychologically invisible to whoever sees it. Most will just glance past it without knowing what it does. Great combination for me, and I hope to put it to great use.
But these two are for either of you guys. One comes from the Hunter, Milton, who could use lightning, that guy needed very little to complement his rare combination of Sigils, and the other comes from the man who knocked you out, Wyatt. That guy was quite a bastard."
The Darkstalker holds up both items to our eyes, a pair of brass knuckles and some type of cylinder with an open side. I recognize the brass knuckles as items from the guy who kicked me in the head while I was down. I think he was called Oliver. The forearm-sized cylinder is quite a mystery, though.
I reach out and grab the brass knuckles as they seem most fitting for me. When they are in my hands, I search for their Sigil. Within, I sense Prizefighter. It is a three-sided Sigil with two of them feeling like Soldiers and the last feeling like the opposite of the third that was in Law's Light. Instead of the Sigil that appears to have a balance that is constantly shifting but ending in the center for a movement here or there, this one is a balance that slowly moves but never once stops in the center.
As usual, I get lost in the mesmerizing Sigils for a few moments before I come to. My gut tells me this is the Conman Sigil. I just don't know what the damned thing is meant to do. I remember the man almost laying me out with one hit, but I don't see how these knuckles helped.
I look up from my investigation and see Earl looking at the cylinder. He appears just as confused as me. Virgil flips back around to face forward as he addresses both of us.
"I'm unsure what either of those artifacts really do, only vague ideas from what I've heard or seen. Wyatt, when the man knocked you out, he seemed to get covered in a small film of gold over his skin. Seemed to make it a bit harder for my knife to penetrate his neck. It might have something to do with it.
And Earl, that cylinder is called the Adapter. All I saw from it was that Frederick tossed Milton a spear, which was put into it. Then it was pulled out with lighting coming from the tip of it. Play around with it for a bit. Hopefully, you figure out how to use it."
This whole time the Nightmare has been continuously moving westward. Even when Virgil turned around, it kept moving. A thought comes to mind as I watch the sand pass by us. There was one weapon that Virgil definitely had the opportunity to nab but didn't.
"Hey, Virgil. If you got the one guy's brass knuckles, why didn't you get his sawed-off shotgun? That thing was destructive."
He answers without looking back with a simple shrug to compliment his words.
"Figured it would be noticed if it was gone. Was quite a bit larger and more conspicuous than the rest. I wasn't sure how things would go with Johnny."
I nod at his reasoning. Makes sense. A loud and powerful weapon like that would surely be noticed if it was gone. The hidden blade is the opposite and makes sense to take along with the brass knuckles. The Adapter is a little odd, though, but I guess you could argue that maybe Frederick took it when he left.
Earl whispers into my ear while I look at the knuckles.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"See? He stole these things."
I whisper back in defense of Virgil.
"No, he only took from people he rightfully killed. That's how it works."
"Then why couldn't he just ask Johnny for them?"
"Just… Just leave it, Earl. He's a good man. You're overthinking things again."
"Okay… Okay. You're probably right."
The conversation ends there as Earl focuses on the cylinder he was given, the Adapter. I then turn my attention to something I've been pushing off for a while. The Bloody Palm.
I look down at the artifact that has bonded itself to me, the ashy-gray flesh and squirming veins beneath my skin. Thankfully, the blockade I placed at my elbow still stands strong. The squirming and insidious veins seem to have calmed down as well and are no longer constantly attacking the blockade.
I won't release it, however, as I've learned the Bloody Palm is an expert at taking advantage of me when I'm weak. The second my mind falters, it will be back. But I do need to know something about it. The new name of its Sigil. The knowledge of which Sigil it now has two of will be incredibly important.
Whether it has two Abbots, Occultists, Freaks, or Comanches. These will determine how I treat it in the future. Another Abbot or Comanche won't be too bad, for their traits are not inherently negative. But another Occultist or Freak may be another story. Giving the Bloody Palm greater control over blood, flesh, or my hunger could be harmful.
So, with a flush of my enhanced will, which I've now decided to call Ironheart in hopes that it will both keep my heart beating and mine, I force my way into the Bloody Palm. This time, I hope to see the designs upon its Sigils more clearly as before I was quickly repelled by the artifact.
It's been a long time since that happened, and although we've both changed, I think I've improved more.
Significant resistance meets my mind as I travel through my body with my mind's eye and reach the blockade. Then, I open the blockade for a short moment and rush my Ironheart through. As I hustle to the core of the Bloody Palm from my forearm, I hear whispers and feel crimson darkness eat away at the sides of my consciousness.
But my mind is no longer the malleable and digestible spirit it once was. It is now made of iron, tough and hard to bend. That doesn't mean it's impossible, though, so I quickly push my way through and ignore all the murmurs that touch me.
I reach the center of the Bloody Palm as it continues to resist me, but it doesn't truly seem to care all that much about my intrusion. It appears to think there is nothing I could possibly do to hurt it from within. And honestly, the artifact is probably right. I have no idea if you even can attack an artifact Artificed to you with your mind.
I'm not here to fight, though. I'm here for reconnaissance. I eventually reach the core of the Bloody Palm, where its Sigils reside.
And it's here that I find the overall three-sided Sigil within it. One side has gone through a Metamorphosis that I know of because of its size, feel, and look compared to the other two sides; all of it is more substantial. My mind's eye is clouded with crimson fog, but with enough focus, I can push through to see what the Sigils appear to look like.
The large Metaphorphosized side made of three others is a mismatched construction of what appears to be the abstract image of a man with freakish muscles that has blood dripping from his eyes sitting cross-legged. It confuses me as the Bloody Palm is just that, a hand. I mean, now, it has control over a hand and my forearm, but still, it is no man. Maybe that Sigil resembles who it was before it became an artifact.
But the appearance of the Metamorphosized Sigil still throws me for a loop as I glance at the other two with dread. The other two have nothing to do with the man. One is a falling leaf that has wind rushing over it, the Comanche, and the 5th and final Sigil is a drop of crimson blood that appears to undulate.
Not only does the Sigil made of three have a different look than the singles, but it also has a different feel. It feels like a man of peace who was made to fight in a war. A gardener that was drafted is the best feeling I can get. But 4th one isn't too different either, seemingly more corrupted by the Bloody Palm, but not entirely. It feels like the leaf calls for the death of something. Odd, but not necessarily evil.
The newest Sigil, however, is thoroughly corrupted by the Bloody Palm. That drop of blood that is the artifact's 5th Sigil and 2nd Occultist feels like the embodiment of hungry survival. Like that drop of blood will become whatever it needs to satiate the hunger. After a few moments of looking at it, I feel the urge within the Sigil turn toward me, growling with quiet malfeasance.
At this point, I quickly retreat from the Bloody Palm, pushing my way back to my elbow and into the rest of my body. Before I do so, though, I get the name of its whole Sigil. Bloodshifter. Once I return, an image of that drop of blood and its new name comes to mind.
The vision entails only the tendrils that emerged from the artifact that reattached it to me when severed from my arm.
Can the Bloody Palm change its shape now? If it can turn into whip-like tendrils, then what else can it turn into? A shield? A knife? A gun? I could see the first two happening, the flesh sculpting itself into the shapes of familiar weapons, but that last one, probably not. The Blood Palm has never been injured before, so I figure it would make a good weapon or shield.
It only got hurt when it was removed from me by the cut on my arm. I hope I can learn some way to control this shift or, at the very least, edge it in a particular direction. I'd prefer the artifact make weapons I know how to use, like daggers, rapiers, or simple things like brass knuckles, than anything I'm inexperienced with.
My internal attention toward the Bloody Palm is pulled from me abruptly as a hand touches my shoulder. Instantly, I whip my head up and forward, assuming that I'm being told to pay attention in front of us, and I am right.
The sand shifts irregularly beneath the earth about a thousand feet in front of us. Mounds move here or there in odd motions as if something lurks underneath.
Virgil looks back and puts a finger over his mouth. He's telling us to be quiet. I instantly follow by moving the Ether within me to create Stealth which mutes my movements. Then I see Virgil reach down with his hand covered in darkness, however, not the dangerous purple night of his Necrosis. So while it is Braided Ether, it is not a deadly kind, and I see flecks of dark particles within the Ether on his hand.
I think those are the signs of Steel Ether, the 4th Sigil technique for manipulation. It's supposed to further increase the power while also saving saturation by improving the quality of Ether, doing so by adding essence from the Sigil and altering the effects. This hand, cloaked in the new technique to my eyes, touches the horse's side, and I see the bundle of Ether on Virgil's hand spread out into a thin film over the whole Nightmare. Once he does, the horse's movement becomes completely silent; even its breathing fades from my ears.
He must be using a type of Stealth on the Nightmare. Probably his own flavor using his unique kind of Ether that teeters into darkness. I genuinely wish to learn how to do that kind of thing on my own. Make my own skills and applications of this incredible substance. I'll try it out at the next opportunity when I have some spare time.
After a short pause, Virgil also reaches back and taps Earl, who is also covered with the same kind of Ether as the Nightmare. The man quickly glances at me before nodding, my Stealth doing a good enough job to replace his skill.
Once Virgil has completed his preparation, we ride toward the undulating and shifting sand, but instead of going straight for them, we end up going around. I look at Virgil, curious, but he just shakes his head as we continue the horse's gallop past whatever lurks beneath the yellow sand.
When we get about a thousand or so feet away from whatever creature was under the sand, I feel safe enough to question Virgil.
"Why didn't we engage them?"
Virgil scoffs at my question but still answers me.
"Did you not learn the last time we ventured west? There are times to fight, and there are times to just get your job done. This is the latter. We had some spare time previously, but now there is ZERO."
His words finally break through to me and make sense. I need to stop thinking every monster must be fought. Sometimes leaving them alone is better. The Bakwa might also be an example of that, but I had to. I had to fight it. However, I am still curious about what those monsters were, so I ask him, assuming Virgil knows.
"Okay, that makes sense. I'll try to be more passive this time. What were those things anyway."
Virgil turns, looks at both Earl and me, and says something that makes the man behind me shiver.
"No idea. Never seen anything like that before in all my life. It must be an undiscovered monster or a powerful variant of some kind that lives around here. Don't know any that would hunt like that, though. However, I did catch a glimpse of what looked like a tentacle beneath the sands. So, yeah. No idea. It is not completely uncommon for a break to field some new monsters. Demons love playing with their toys, after all."
Damn, that's a first. Virgil has known just about everything we've come across so far. I look back to see where they are; the sand just shifts and moves in irregular mounds. The view is unsettling, so I turn around.
As I do so, though, I notice the Ether placed upon Earl and the Nightmare fade; even Steel Ether doesn't last that long when removed from the user. That was, at most, five minutes.
After that event, we continue riding forward for several more hours beneath the sun. Often we have to pull the stealthy Ether out and sneak past monsters. Every time we do so, I'm amazed at how quiet and unseeable Virgil can make a giant horse.
We never get caught, though, throughout the horse's trek across the dunes, and when the sun goes down, we come across a reasonably large ravine in the sands with overhangs of sandstone and grey rock.
This might just be where the Mandaamin is. Maybe this mission, indeed, will be a quick in and out.