----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
JULES
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
The bell-tower clanged away nonstop and muffled the frantic footsteps all around them. Jules and Cyrus sprinted through Coralhaven alongside all its other citizens. Each scrambled off in different directions to buy food and find their loved ones. Bootstrapper had dismissed them both minutes ago, claiming he had to go join the other Hydromages and Island Elder to create and send out a Search Party for the new Shrine. Most people would lock themselves indoors for the next few days, until the military quarantined—or better yet, captured—the Shrine and deemed the town safe.
They sprinted to the inland part of Coralhaven, where the buildings were less colorful and more dull, where the painted wood chipped and flayed away, where the homes were much smaller, and where the people wore simpler clothing. Even the red-light district, small as it was in this town, was shutting down. They passed drunks laid out on the ground, oblivious to the surrounding chaos.
Finally, they came upon the egregiously massive stone building that housed the Coralhaven Orphanage. Some Aquilantis philanthropist many decades past commissioned the building and built it to last. The orphanage should have stood in stark contrast to the part of town it inhabited, but years of disrepair made it blend right in. Dead and dried vines spread across its walls, and weeds and uneven clumps of dirt overran the massive courtyard. No longer a proper place for the children to play, young orphans ran around the courtyard with wooden swords, slaying fake monsters of the Shrine. Jules and Cyrus played with them a bit before rushing inside to Cyrus’ shared room. Kids kept running in and out of the room.
“Man. Bookstacker really pissed me off,” Jules said. "I think we should change his name to Bootlicker."
“Eh,” Cyrus shrugged, “it’s hard for me to be mad right now. I just need those docs finalized and I’ll never see him again.” He dumped his belongings onto his bed. Yeah, you’ve got an easy in. Though there is one shortcut… "But seriously,” Cyrus continued, "why don’t you have any Runes yet? You do a private seance with your family instead? That why you want to be a Shaman?”
“No, but we tried. Runes, not the seance. I just can’t get it down, yet, and I don’t want to go on stage at this age, so it has to be a private ceremony.”
“OK. Then we stop everything and train until you have it done. Got it?”
“What about your record? Think that’ll be an issue?” Deflect, deflect.
“Who cares? I can’t do anything about it. Stop deflecting.” Cyrus ate another kiwi. Two children tried to swipe one from him, but Cyrus blocked them. “Here, you two guard that door. Don’t let anyone in.” He gave them the remaining kiwis as payment, and they scurried off to slam the door behind them.
“So a Shrine,” Jules said.
“Sorry, Jules. Looks like you were right about that Warg.”
“Yeah. Coralhaven is about to change.”
“Siren’s Cove became an adventurer’s haven—Hey, think they'll change the town's name? I could coin that!" Jules laughed and looked away. "Think that’ll happen here, strangers coming in?"
“Nope.” Jules smiled. He took off his pack and Isolda's satchel and leaned back with his hands behind his head.
“And why’s that?” Cyrus' eyes narrowed.
Jules propped his legs up on a desk and crossed them. “Because we’re gonna capture it.”
“Ha! Then Stacks’d have to let you in.”
> [Join the Scholars Guild — Quest Objective UPDATED: Demonstrate your Rune knowledge OR Capture the Coralhaven Shrine.]
Exactly. And I won’t have to worry about Runes. “We can check it out tonight. We need to act fast while we have an advantage. The Hydromages have probably already started hunting for it, and the Navy will be here by morning, 'Straps said so. They’ll be out there all night until they find it or get replaced with fresh recruits—over and over again.”
“OK, say we go find it tonight.” Cyrus savored the last bit of his kiwi. “Then what?”
“Then we make a plan. Get some weapons. Go in and capture it—”
“Are you crazy? You don’t even know any Runes.”
“But I’m better with a blade than you. And my Stealth Skill is way higher. And I’m better with bows. What I'm trying to say is, I'm just better than you." Cyrus threw a ravaged fruit husk at him. "We can work together and capture it before anyone finds out.”
“Or die trying.” Well…
“Trust me,” Jules said. “We can do it. If we get close and find some monsters we can’t handle, I'll abandon the plan. Think of this as your first step to becoming an Alter.”
“Listen. Nothing is more important to me than becoming an Alter. Not even dear 'Ole Patty. But if I die young… I know said I’d die trying, but that’s if I’ve got no other option, and right now, I have plenty.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
That’s fine. I just need your help to find it. Actually, it’s safer that you stay back, anyway. I’d never get you killed. “Fine. We just find it tonight. Then we go home. If we run into trouble before that, we go home.”
“Sweet. I’m in. Now let’s equip our Trophies.”
> [Pang! Persuasion increased to Level 4.]
Children burst through the door. Cover’s blown. Just in time. “Hey, kids,” Cyrus said. “You wanna see something cool?” He pulled up his Trophy for them to gawk at. He’s like a brother to them. Or maybe more like a father. “Come on, Jules."
Jules' heart sank. He broke out into a cold sweat. Will a Trophy stick to my skin? Plus, I’d have to take off my shirt. The emblem on Jules' chest burned. “No, I’ve got to get back home with this food. Plus, with the Rumbling, Dad will be worried.”
“Parents, am I right?” Cyrus rubbed one of the kid’s heads.
“Hmph. Damn Rumbling will be the end of this town." A wave of tension filled the room, and Jules could have sworn it became suddenly darker. Patricia, the orphanage house mother, leaned against the doorway. "We’ll be overrun by tourists and fools with death wishes.”What a…
Guess that’s why the kids abandoned their posts. Cy must have picked up on it.
“Hey, Patty,” Cyrus said, “you’re just in time to see this wolf I killed.” He stood up, took off his shirt, and equipped the Trophy to his back. Everyone watched the wolf’s eyes bulge as it hanged and swayed through the sky. The children all ran off screaming and laughing.
Patricia glared at the two of them. “Sick. Both of you. Put that damn thing away. Dinner’s ready.” She left, and Jules shivered in her silent wake.
“She cooks now?”
“Hell no, mate,” Cyrus said. “That means it’s prepped, and I have to cook it."
"So no dinner at my place tonight, then?" For the better. I can think of a way to get around the Trophy situation. Jules felt sorry for Cyrus and the other children. He especially felt guilty regarding the children, as he and his family were about to rip Cyrus away from them.
“Afraid not. And they’ll be fine,” Cyrus said, as if he could read Jules’ mind.
“Let’s meet up tonight and track our steps back to where I spotted the Warg. We’ll go from there.” They clasped hands, and Jules headed out.
Jules walked home along a path outside of town, on the inland side, to be alone.
No one will be out this far, this close to the forest right now. Should be safe to practice. If only they could see what Runes I know, but that’s the problem. They can’t see them.
Jules looked at his palms. Six years ago, when he was ten and expected to go through the Fall Ceremony as a First Year, he tried carving Runes into his palms, the backs of his hands, on his forearms. Nothing ever took. The wounds always healed and the Runes always disappeared. Well, not disappear entirely…
Jules messed around with some Runes he'd learned so far. Water, Air, Speed, Freeze. Each time he invoked a Script, the emblem on his chest would glow bright red. Even the Water Rune, which should have glowed blue, remained crimson for him. Jules knew he was an Arcanic, one of the Fourteen—it was clear from his Stat Screen—but his parents had never told him which one. Obviously not a Virtue, which would only leave…
Hell, especially with the way Mom—I mean Evelyn—treats me. But which one am I? Do they even know?
> « Air » « Speed » [₹9,300 // ₹10,000]
A quick gust of wind whirled around Jules for a second, like a little tornado.
> « Water » « Freeze » [₹8,300 // ₹10,000]
Jules created a small dagger out of ice, similar to Cyrus’ spear in its crudeness. He turned his other hand over and carved a jagged Water Rune into it. Not a proper Inker, but it'll suffice. Jules watched the glyph fade away as his skin steamed and Regenerated itself. Hm. Maybe this will work…
Jules equipped his Trophy to his back. He’d have to check it out later at home to see if it would fade away, too. As he drew closer to home, he suppressed his disappointment and worries about joining the Scholars. That’s a problem for another day.
No—It won't matter soon, so don’t even think about it.
When Jules’ father got home much later, they had an excited discussion about Shrines. Jules thanked him for not doubting him about the Warg earlier, and Liam told Jules some Shrine lore, and about all the various heroes across Salvatica who had captured Vessels from the Shrines.
They ate dinner, and Jules avoided Evelyn all night. Both of his parents went off to their bedroom and Jules went off to his, just like any other normal night. A few hours later, Jules crept out of his window to go meet Cyrus.
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
Jules leaned against a tree at the very edge of the forest when he saw Cyrus creep up their usual path. One of the moons, in its crescent form for the season, hovered above Cyrus’ head, though it didn’t illuminate them or their surroundings very well. Owls hooted and bats fluttered inside the lush green forest. “What took you so long?” Jules asked.
“The military, man.” Cyrus looked back toward Coralhaven, down one side of the hill. “Fresh Hydromages arrived in the last few hours. They’re buzzing all over my part of town, enforcing curfew on us ne'er-do-well folk. Said the Navy’d be here soon.”
Jules looked towards the port, though another hill blocked it, and surveyed the sea beyond it for masts and sails. As he scanned the water, his eyes locked onto the city of Aquilantis off in the distant east. Seems to shine even brighter at night. Light glistened off of the ever-changing bridges of the city, which disconnected and reconnected various spires to each other.
“We better get moving. It’s only gonna get harder to see. Shouldn’t slow us down too much, but it will.” Jules marched off toward the morning’s hunting grounds. From dusk ‘til dawn.
“Well, you know,” Cyrus began. Oh no, I know that tone. “I’ve been working on a new Rune.”
> « Light »
A sizzling flare illuminated them in the darkness and sparked embers around them like a firecracker. “Oh, shit." Cyrus stamped out the light as quickly as he'd ignited it.
Jules laughed despite his irritation. “Better stick to Dark, champ. Come on, let’s double-time away from here.”
“Unless you have a better Rune up your sleeve,” Cyrus said before Jules could move away. What’s that supposed to mean—
Oh shit. Jules had looked away from Cyrus to divert the question, but spotted a torch off in the distance.
******* ****** ***** **** *** ** * ** *** **** ***** ****** *******
10
BONUS CONTENT BELOW
******* ****** ***** **** *** ** * ** *** **** ***** ****** *******