Abyss was home to the downtrodden of society, a nameless cast of rejects too many who managed to find a hole in the ground to survive and band together. While the church is quite dismissive of what Abyss was during its time and after it dissolved, I've come to appreciate it and it's denizens. A place full of misfits and people lost to society...no wonder it felt like home to me.
My first night in my new digs wasn't entirely unpleasant, but considering the very low bar I've set for Abyss, it's not hard to beat. The stench isn't as bad once I tossed out the nasty rug and decided to sleep on the dirt-covered sandstone floor.
I feel someone kick my feet, so I roll over as I wake up to the dimly lit tunnel lined with shanty shacks that I remember from the previous night. Standing above me in a strange version of the Garreg Mach uniforms I'd seen before is a caramel-skinned red-haired girl with a neutral expression holding my blood-stained rug.
"Hey, you throwing this out?" She articulates as she shakes the rug to emphasize it's what she is talking about.
"Sure, have at it," I sleepily reply as I begin to brush off the dirt from my robes but the girl raises an eyebrow and asks, "You sure? It's a pretty good rug. You're new here so I'm giving you a chance to reconsider."
I roll my eyes and reply, " I'm certain I don't want the bloody rug, but could you give me some directions?"
"Sure," She happily replies though her tone lacks any palpable enthusiasm to which I respond, "Where can I go salvage for stuff?"
"I can show you, I was going to the area myself. You'll need a new mat by the looks of it."
I stand up and reply, "Thanks, I'm Santos by the way."
"Hapi. Now let's go. I like to get there before the other salvagers."
Hapi leads me quickly through Burrow street past a few wayward guards and citizens of the underground village, leading to only a few strange glances being thrown my way since I'm still wearing the now filthy church robes that I was given by Seteth. Hapi manages to fill me in about some of the ins and outs of Abyss as we stroll down the street and enter a long passageway that seems to go over some underwater canals. Apparently, the canals down here are where the mountain water originates that eventually trickles down the mountain to the main rivers that the farmers use for irrigation.
"Alright, here we are at the scrap heap. Just pick whatever you want," Hapi comments as she leads me into the large storage room. The room itself has high walls and is filled with crates that are haphazardly spread out. I see two older gentlemen scrounging about, but they seem to be the only ones here besides Hapi and me.
"Alright, thanks. Anything I should avoid?" I ask Hapi who looks at me and replies, "Just don't touch anything that's wet. Or alive. Especially if both."
I nod and begin to make my way through the refuse. I find a relatively untouched bin and begin to sift through it looking for some bed padding and anything that I could maybe make medical tools out of. All the tools I used back at the clinic belonged to Garreg Mach, though now I do regret not nabbing a couple for myself. I feel a presence over my shoulder, so I tilt my head to peak away from the litter bin I gruffly ask, "What is it?"
"Do you want some help there?" Hapi replies as she is peering over my shoulder with an apathetic look and adds, "Because this is kinda pathetic, not going to lie."
"Pathetic? I'm working. If you aren't going to contribute, then don't mind me," I lament to the indifferent girl who's arms are relaxed behind her head.
"Mhmm, pretty sad. It would help if you dug that other arm from your robes to help sift."
I fully turn around to face the girl and sarcastically reply, "Oh, why didn't I think of that? Yeah, lemme just-" I quickly pull up my robes on my left side to reveal the stump where my arm should be located and continue, "Huh, would you look at that. Looks like I'm down an arm. Maybe you have one to spare?"
"Ah, I get it. I'm sorry. Didn't realize that." Hapi replies matter of factly, though I do notice that her apology lacks and sense of remorse.
"Just...leave me alone if you aren't going to help me. I'm in a rather sour mood and have a lot on my mind. It wasn't my first choice to come here."
"It hardly ever is anybody's choice to come to Abyss. What does bring you here?"
I resume my work of sifting through the wreckage in another bin and Hapi appears alongside me helping move some of the heavier trash I respond, "Orders from the church. They figured to hide me away until the noise goes away, and then hopefully they'll come and get me."
"I wouldn't count on it. Abyss is usually a one-way trip, and knowing the church I'd say they washed their hands of you."
Hapi's words sting a bit as a part of my mind has been thinking the same thing since I arrived last night. I hadn't even heard of Abyss until yesterday, and yet here is an entire community of the downtrodden living in squalor right under everyone's noses at Garreg Mach. I feel a little bit guilty about not knowing about it considering how much I've perused the archives in the Garreg Mach library and didn't find anything relating to this place.
"Yeah, you might be right. Still, that doesn't mean I will stop doing my work."
"What work is that?"
"I'm a doctor and a mage," I reply as I find a decent looking quilt and I begin to investigate it for imperfections.
"Really? Weird that the church got rid of you with that kind of skillset. Did you kill someone?"
"No, not quite. I'm not sure I should even discuss it with you," I cautiously respond as I don't really know Hapi and she seems a bit too inquisitive.
Hapi shrugs and replies, "Fine by me. Also, nice find. Pretty sure that's Brigid cotton."
I hoist the thickly woven quilt onto my left shoulder replying, "Thanks. Now, if you see any good knives or decently long pieces of metal let me know. Better yet if you find any old medical tools."
"Medical tools? Why, are you going to open up a clinic down here?" Hapi jokes with a bit of laughter until she sees my serious expression and continues, "Wait, you're for real?"
I nod and chuckle back, "I wasn't kidding when I said I was a doctor and would continue my work. I'm not going to sit down here and twiddle my thumbs until the church comes knocking on my door. Plus, looks like the community could use a medical expert with all of the sick lying about."
Hapi stops sifting through the large crate for a brief moment to look at me with the first genuine look of approval and remarks, "Not bad Bleeder. Not bad."
I manage to grab a few short rods from the bin and look to Hapi, "Bleeder?"
"It was that or Stumpy."
"I'll take it then," I quickly confirm as I step away from the bin and look at my loot more closely. With some careful haggling with the local blacksmith down here, I may be able to have some scalpels, clamps, and pliers forged.
"Good. Now, let's keep digging. I think I might have enough stuff to finally make a drum," Hapi shares as she dives headfirst into the large crate. I look back to the two other older gentlemen who are staring at the large clattering happening inside the crate beside me. I sigh and call out to Hapi, "I'll look at another crate. Seems you've got this one handled."
Salvaging went surprisingly well considering the haul I managed to reel in with Hapi's assistance. After some brief negotiation with the blacksmith, I'll have a full set of tools to work with by tomorrow in exchange for me checking out some weird growth on the man's foot. I don't have any money so all I can do is offer my services until I can generate some revenue from my medical work. As for my new clinic location, I managed to find a small blocked off room on the southern end of Chrysalis Row. After using the Warp spell to move the major debris, the previously closed-off room that appeared to be an old public bathing pool is now mine.
After some intensive hours of room clearing and management, I went back to grab my gear for the night to officially move into my new room and location of a business. Keeping track of time is difficult in Abyss thanks to no sunlight down here, but luckily it seems the guards keep a central clock on Burrow Street so we aren't totally lost.
As I'm approaching my new clinic I feel a strange presence coming from inside the room. I haven't had the time or resources to leave any candles or torches inside the clinic, though I can firmly sense two sources of mana residing inside the room waiting for me. Another remnant from my intensive training back in Dagda is that I can sense out strong magical signatures, almost like a sonar of sorts. It's certainly handy on a battlefield, but the secret isn't how much you can sense, but how much you can ignore. All people resonate with a magical signature no matter how minuscule, and having numerous mental pings going off in your head can be nauseating if you don't learn to either only activate your senses for combat or get really good at ignoring magical signatures, and naturally I was forced to learn the latter as it requires more control and is much more practical. It's an incredibly useful skill available to highly skilled mages, though I would be remiss to not concede the fact that me possessing the blood of a dead Agarthan god hasn't a little bit to do with my talent.
I stop outside the door dropping my travel sack and close my eyes to get a feel for where the signatures are located within the room. One near the door and another on the north side of the room. Both seem near the walls and holding their positions as if they are waiting for me. Perhaps these are related to the assassins that are after me? Perhaps if I take them by surprise I can end whatever nonsense I've managed to get myself unintentionally caught up in.
I take a deep breath to still my emotions as I focus on my mana and the spells I have at my disposal. Healing spells won't do me any good in here unless I get injured and I haven't been practicing a lot of the more popular offensive spells either, but I'm still rather quick with Fire, Nosferatu, and Cutting Gale. If it gets drawn out I can lean on Bolganone and Miasma Delta to deal more varied damage, but it'll require more focus. I'd rather not kill them if I have the chance in the hopes of getting information, but if I quickly find myself outmatched I'll have to Warp myself out of the room. The only issue I can foresee is if one of the mages has a Silence, and then I'm left to just running for my life. I have the element of surprise, so time to make the most of it.
I step through the doorless entryway anticipating the individual I can sense on my left to make a move. I squint through the darkness and see a large imposing figure about to grab ahold of me, so I ready my Warp spell and as the figure goes to wrap me up I teleport them on the other side of me.
"What the? That's not right…" A deep voice trails off as I follow up my Warp with a blast of Cutting Gale to send the would-be captor sailing into the stone wall with a loud thud.
"Balthus!" I hear a female shout out from the northern location in the room so I turn my attention towards the direction of the refined sounding voice. As I look over I see a large torrent of lighting careening towards me.
"Mierda," I quip as the lightning envelops me and does its job in electrocuting me. I feel the magical electricity damage me a bit, though my resistance to magic manages to dissipate most of the energy. Everyone has a varying amount of resistance to offensive magical damage, and thankfully mine in part to Sevihn's experiments or just my natural physiology of being from Earth I have exceptionally high resistance to any magical attack. If the mage decides to rush me for a physical fight I'll be in trouble so I'm hoping they continue for a magical duel as I'm betting I'll be able to tank more damage than them.
I conjure up Noseferatu as my rebuttal spell and my spell lands on the would-be ambusher to great effect as I can vaguely see them through the dim torchlight coming from the entrance behind me. The mage scrambles to shoot another large torrent of lightning, but I manage to anticipate the arc path and sidestep the Bolting spell.
As I'm about to launch another Nosferatu spell I hear the enemy from earlier give away his position while shouting, "Time to wrestle with the King of Grappling!"
Or I could not. I can sense the mage across the room preparing another incantation as I look to see the large figure rushing quite quickly at me, and I get a wily idea. As the imposing man draws near to land a punch I focus hard on my mana and preform another Warp spell on the intruder just about he is within range of hitting me, but instead of the wall, I'm placing him in front of his accomplice and then I'm betting on momentum to do the rest of the work.
I cast Warp and the brawler disappears before my eyes and I hear a mix of yelling and yelps followed by a large thud against the floor as the mage seemed to let loose a spell in my direction only to hit her ally while he barred into her. I cast a small Fire spell to help illuminate the room and I see the muscle-bound brawler on top of a curly-haired blonde mage girl in white and grey outfits that seem vaguely familiar. With both of them seemingly indisposed I begin walking towards them, though I only manage to get a few feet until I hear a calm and collected voice behind me remark, "And that'll be enough of that. You've had your fun."
I can feel the tip of a dagger press into the middle of my back as I dryly reply, "Not common I can't feel someone's magical aura."
"Just a trick I picked up. Now, I encourage you to release that spell you have charged up," the voice replies as I begin to build up a Thoron spell.
"You want me to release it? Sure thing," I nonchalantly comment as I cast Thoron on myself, letting the lightning course over my body and causing my muscles to twitch in pain. Unfortunately for my attacker who had their dagger pressed into me; the dagger is made of metal and conducts electricity quite well. Misery loves company as the saying goes, as he gets the feedback from my Thoron spell.
I hear the man hiss in pain as he drops the dagger giving me the opportunity to turn around and face the sharply dressed, purple-haired rogue. He managed to drop his dagger though he has replaced it by holding another one in his off-hand. I square up across from him with lightning arcing between my fingers with another Thoron spell ready to be unleashed.
"I like your style, I'll have to remember that trick," The confident rogue boasts as he brandishes his dagger in front of me. With him in lunging distance and seemingly realizing the temporary stalemate I respond, "Basic geology. Metal conducts electricity. Figured your dagger would be made of metal, and thankfully I was right."
My heart pounds rapidly in my chest as each of us stare at one another waiting for the other to make the first move. The seconds pass by what feels like minutes until both of us hear Hapi's voice from the door comment, "Not bad Yuri-bird, though it looks like Bleeder has got you in a tight spot."
Both of us glance over to Hapi who is leaning against the door frame with a half-eaten loaf of bread in her hand. Both 'Yuri-bird' and I look at each other in brief confusion before he asks, "Hapi, you already named him?"
"Yup. He's okay."
'Yuri-bird' and I quickly glance at Hapi once more and then back to each other, followed by the rogue asking me, "Ceasefire?"
"Yeah, sounds good to me," I reply as I let my spell dwindle down and he lowers the dagger.
"Name's Yuri by the way," Yuri replies as he quickly sheathes his dagger and Hapi walks into the room while munching away on her loaf of bread.
"Santos. Now, can you explain why I got such a warm welcome?" I inquire as I expand my fireball that's floating in the middle of the room to help illuminate the entire place. I can see the two other people by the dented stone wall with the guy sitting up rubbing his head while the girl seems knocked out completely.
"Just how we do things Abyss. Heard some church lackey got sent down here, though I didn't realize it was you of all people," Yuri earnestly replies leading me to ask, "I take it you know who I am?"
"Let's just say I'm well informed," Yuri quips back with a wink only for Hapi to follow up, "Wait, you know who this guy is? I thought he was just some cleric of the church."
"Indeed, right here is the Blood Shaman, Santos of Dagda. Wanted war criminal and renowned mage. Would explain why he shrugged off Constance's Bolting spell like it was a light breeze. And now he's here in Abyss. I'll be honest, I expected to meet you sooner when I heard you were coming to Garreg Mach. The church has a habit of stuffing problem children down here," Yuri elaborates to Hapi who nods and replies, "Yeah, I have no idea what you are talking about. All I know is Bleeder here has got moves."
"Fair enough. Truthfully, I'm surprised I didn't end up here sooner myself. It seems like my kind of place to lay low."
Yuri acknowledges my concession with a nod before looking back to Hapi asking, "Did you find out his business here?"
Hapi takes another chomp from her loaf of bread and with a stuffed mouth explains, "He's a doctor. Talked with the blacksmith about his dealings, and seems he's legit. Making doctor knives and stuff."
"There called scalpels you know," I comment in a deadpan tone only for Hapi to shrug, "That's what I said."
"Well, this is pleasant all things considered. Let's talk later in the Ashen Wolves classroom. As a gesture of good faith could I ask you to heal up your first patients free of charge?" Yuri says as he points a finger towards the bulky brawler and the blonde mage who are still up against the wall looking pretty rough.
"Sure thing, consider my investment in the well-being of Abyss," I reply back as I cast two rounds of the Physic spell on the two downed individuals. Immediately the big guy perks up and shouts across the room, "Thanks, guy!"
Yuri looks on in amusement before commenting, "Anyways, I'll speak with you later. I have other business to attend to. I'll make sure none of the thugs come this way in exchange for a little protection services."
I tilt my head from side to side to consider his option. Basically, he's offering mob protection in exchange for discounted or free services. Pretty crafty, though I'd be dumb to pass it up in a dangerous place like this.
"You've got a deal, Yuri. I'll be seeing you."
Yuri smiles and walks out of the ramshackle room with Hapi in tow, who is completely invested in the rest of her bread loaf but manages to give a half-hearted wave goodbye to me. I watch the two leave just as I hear the big guy from earlier walking over to me. I turn around to see the goliath sized brawler carrying the pristine-looking blonde mage in his arms bridal style.
"Hey, how are you holding up? I'm Santos by the way."
"Ha, I'm fine. After your healing spell, I'm feeling spry as ever. Name's Balthus, and this here is Constance," Balthus explains as he raises Constance's unconscious body to emphasize his point.
"Nice to mee you. I'd offer to allow her to rest here and recover, but I haven't procured any beds yet," I concede in slight disappointment, though Balthus merely laughs, "No worries fella! I'm doing you a favor by dropping her off in her quarters. She'll likely give you and me a nasty tongue lashing when she wakes. Constance doesn't like being bested, especially in magic, so just be prepared."
"Duly noted, and thanks for the warning," I reply to the bulky brawler who replies, "No problem, just give me some warning next time you teleport me? I'm not sure how much the walls can take if I keep smashing into them, hahaha! But really, let me know."
I stifle a chuckle at Balthus' antics, "Sure thing big guy, see you later."
My impromptu first two patients manage to leave my clinic in one piece as I go back to the entryway and pick up my travel sack and begin to make my bedding area. Day two in the Abyss and I'm already getting into scraps with my life on the line, though I hope it's not all a ruse and they can be my allies down here.
About three weeks after the 'battle of the Crystal clinic' as the Ashen Wolves have dubbed our little encounter I managed to get things rolling. Salvaged beds, tools, and herbal remedies now line the place with nearly all my newfound funds being put back into the clinic. The place is called the Crystal clinic due to the large quartz deposits that line the cracked walls that Balthus unearthed when he rammed into them, and the name has stuck with the locals. Yuri thus far has proven to be true to his word as I've had no incursions or break-ins at the clinic, and I haven't had to work too hard to keep his mercenaries upright.
The Ashen Wolves, as I've learned are the unofficial fourth house of Garreg Mach and serve as protectors to those in Abyss, which is why they were so skeptical of me in the first place. Each member is interested in how they complement each other, though their opinions on me differ. I can't get a feel for how Yuri feels about me, though from our interactions thus far I can tell he knows quite a bit about me considering his familiarity with my past exploits. Balthus is friendly yet seems to keep things very surface level, and has figured out quickly he can't borrow money from someone who is as broke as I am. Hapi is odd and quirky, and while I tolerate her fine in short bursts, her pessimism can be a bit grating on my nerves. Constance, on the other hand, is a handful to deal with. After chewing me out about our scuffle, it quickly devolved into unwarranted admiration for my magical abilities and trying to rope me into various magical experiments, all of which I've declined as kindly as possible, though it hasn't done much to slow her academic advances.
While I'm quite isolated from events on the surface, I've found solace in the simplicity of running my own clinic in Abyss. The denizens are all quite grateful for the medical services as the sick and elderly have improved dramatically and the guards are much more welcoming to my presence when I'm around on Burrow Street. I haven't ventured out into other parts of Abyss as I'm the only physician at my new clinic and I'm kept busy almost all the time, which is exactly what I'm wanting. Right now I'm biding my time in hopes to hear an answer soon from Rhea or Aelfric about the assassination plot. Speaking of Aelfric, I haven't seen the apparent caretaker of the Abyss since my arrival which I feel is a bit odd when it's someone's primary responsibility, but then again I don't get out much.
I wake up like most days now ready to check on my patients immediately then figuring out what I'm going to do for breakfast. I have a small sheltered corner of the clinic room as my own sleeping quarters since I treat the clinic as my personal space. I've managed to get my robes altered as well, part of Constance trying to rope me into her experiments she managed to alter my then ratty church robes into something more befitting of the Abyss, replacing a lot of the dark blue linen and golden threading with grey and black color schemes to reflect the Ashen Wolves styling. She's a talented seamstress and I told her I'd do an experiment with her, but one of my own choosing. I haven't thought of one yet, so right now I'm saving it for a metaphorical rainy day when I'm bored.
As I'm dragging my groggy body from my sleeping area to the main clinic area I rub the sleep out of my eyes and mutter, "Fucking hell."
The least likely person I expected to see in my clinic today and who is lazily browsing over my patients is none other than Byleth in her less than combat applicable crop top armor paired with a wicked-looking sword strapped to her hip. I don't feel the innate anger or unease when I look at her now that I felt before, though my mood has certainly dipped seeing the strange women in my space.
"Hey! The patients are trying to rest, step away," I bark at Byleth who looks up at me startled and backs away quickly from the passed out elderly patient who has a bad case of the flu.
"Santos, nice to see you," Byleth states in her usual monotone as she extends her hand awkwardly out for a handshake, even though I'm about 10 meters from her position.
I sigh as I make my way to her and shake her hand quickly and dismissively, "Welcome to Crystal Clinic. Why are you down here in Abyss?"
"Investigating. Some of the students and I have agreed to help the Ashen Wolves with invading bandits."
I rub my chin in thought, "So that's why I've had more guards as patients recently. Well, I'm glad you're helping out for what it's worth. Abyss is the last resort for many, myself included."
Byleth steps a bit closer into my personal space with her big blue eyes wide open as she's trying to look through me asking, "I was curious about what happened to you. The church said you were sent into hiding far away."
"Abyss is far removed from many people's minds, so in a sense that is correct. Who are the other students here?"
"Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude, Ashe, Hilda, Lindhardt, and-" Before Byleth can finish her list, the shout from the door completes her thought as I hear a shrill, "You!"
In the doorway, I see Lysithea with a face full of mixed emotions; somewhere between confusion, anger, and exasperation. Lysithea marches into my clinic as Byleth and I silently watch until she reaches our position to point a finger at me and chastise, "Santos! Where have you been?! You made an agreement to train me, and you think it's okay to disappear! Explain yourself!"
"Uhhh-" I stammer as I try to think of a good excuse, but Lysithea continues her rant, "It's been almost a month! Seminars are boring, uneventful and not to mention pointless! Hanneman's magical skill must be putting people to sleep! Ugh! The audacity you have to leave without telling us where you went to is atrocious!"
Byleth looks between the both of us with a faint smile, "I was just asking the same thing."
Both ladies turn towards me expecting an answer to which I sheepishly concede, "It was Rhea's orders. It was short notice and I'm meant to keep a low profile due to the assassination talks."
Lysithea crosses her arms with a 'hmph' sound while Byleth softly responds, "Makes sense. Glad you are safe."
"I still want the training you owe me, you did agree to take me in as your apprentice and I won't let you go back on your word," Lysithea adds to which I hear another voice at the entrance comment, "Oh my, did my ears deceive me? Santos, you have an apprentice and you have yet to indulge that information to me while you continue to repel my offers for magical research!"
That sounds like Constance on her usual round of trying to bait me into some weird experiment, and she managed to find the worst time possible with Lysithea and Byleth cornering me in my own clinic. Not to mention I haven't even had breakfast, let alone checked on my patients. I can already feel a headache starting to build up, so I think I'll have to get some breakfast sooner rather than later, even if it causes more problems.
"This is great and all, and I wasn't lying when I said I'd train you, Lysithea. I need breakfast, so everyone, just back off a bit," I crossly state as I cast Warp on myself and focus on the Wilting Rose Inn as my location. I can hear the two mages begin their rebuttal, but the sound quickly fades as I'm roughly dropped on a stool at the bar. Looks like my range and accuracy with that spell are getting better. Two weeks ago I only managed to get to the door, and now this seems to be the extent of my range. I'll have to be careful not to send myself accidentally into the shelving behind the counter.
I look for the bartender, Bronson, and I see him at the other end of the bar serving up a bloody mary to someone. I readjust myself on the hard wooden stool and patiently wait for him to arrive, so I take a moment to see who's in the bar. Everyone, including me, look pretty tired and didn't seem to notice me suddenly dropping in. The spell took whatever vigor I had previously right out of me.
Bronson, the burly middle-aged bartender makes his way to me after a few minutes of waiting and asks me, "Greetings, Doctor. What'll it be?"
"The usual with extra spice. It's already been a morning and I don't foresee it becoming any easier."
Bronson nods as he whips me up a cup of black coffee with a dash of vulnerary poured in to give it a little oomph. Vulnerary in addition to coffee is essentially a poor man's Adderall, which I feel I'll be needing today. I take my time to relish the contents of the warm bitter drink as I brainstorm ways to deal with Constance and Lysithea. Thankfully since I severed myself from Sothal I don't feel that immense hatred towards her, which is nice but still leaves questions lingering about how she is connected to all of this. I'll have to ask about that new sword as it looks like a hero's relic if my memory is correct from the books I read at Garreg Mach's library.
I'm almost done with my coffee as I feel someone tap on my shoulder. I brace myself for one of the girls, but instead, I turn around to see Dimitri standing behind me as he says, "Mind if I take a seat next to you?"
I gesture to the open stool, "I won't stop you."
Dimitri quickly moves onto the seat and calls to the bartender to bring over some breakfast before returning his attention to me and inquiring, "How are you holding up? I heard about what had happened."
"Fine. I've got my own clinic down here and no other responsibilities, so it's rather nice. How's the surface?"
"Fine, though things are still uneasy after the Goddess's rite of rebirth. The tomb was nearly plundered, but Professor Eisner managed to stop the foes."
"Well, that's good. What about the new sword?"
Dimitri pauses to thank Bronson for the soup breakfast before answering, "That's the fabled Sword of the Creator. Lady Rhea has entrusted Professor Eisner with it, and she seems compatible with the blade and worthy enough to wield it."
Hero's relics require certain crests to unlock their full potential, and if Rhea was willing to let a relic of such importance be held by Byleth, then it only leaves one logical option. Byleth has a connection with Sothis somehow. It's the only option that makes sense when I combine the information of my previous sensations around Byleth and now this, but I still lack any real empirical evidence. I have an idea on how to get an answer, but soul magic has proven to be very risky as it's nearly killed me both times I've used it. This is probably the perfect opportunity to check out the Shadow Library here, which I've been putting off with my duties.
"You okay, you seem distant," Dimitri states as he's already finished half of his soup as he gives me a gentle shove. I shake my head rapidly to end my daydreaming and reply, "Yeah, just I have a lot on my mind. Say, how's Ingrid doing?"
Dimitri grimaces, " Could be better. She's clashing really hard with Sylvain and Felix. Angry at Sylvain for prioritizing skirt-chasing and fed up with Felix's lone wolf attitude. I can see where she is coming from, but she needs more patience. Most of the other Blue Lions avoid her as much as possible due to her generally intense demeanor. I wish I could do more for her."
I place my hand on Dimitri's shoulder and console him, "I understand. I wish I could turn back time, but I can't. I care deeply for her and want the best for her. Time doesn't heal all wounds, but it can numb the pain after a while."
Dimitri silently nods as he stares off into his soup for a few seconds before whispering, "Yes...I suppose it can."
I chug the last of my lukewarm coffee and stand up from my stool and announce to the young house leader, "Alright, I think I'm good. If anybody comes looking for me, tell them I'm at the Scrap Heap."
"Where will you really be?" Dimitri asks with a playfully raised eyebrow and I shrug, "Somewhere else, but do me a solid?"
Dimitri chuckles a bit and nods, "Sure thing, Doctor. Just watch yourself out there. This Abyss is dangerous."
The Shadow Library isn't far from the Wilting Rose Inn, and I manage to make it there unabated within about five minutes and enter. The place is lined with high shelves filled with books and the place has no source of light, which is probably where it gets its name. I cast a small modified Fire spell to create a small orb of light to follow me around as I enter the large archway and into the library.
I find the large place slightly unnerving as much of the wood looks charred and the walls seem to be lined with Obsidian, making the place seem all the darker than it should be. Thanks to my unnatural language comprehension I'm able to read the old and faded Nabatean words marking the sections on the shelves and begin my search in the 'Magic' area. Thousands of books line the shelves, many of them look weathered beyond repair and in poor condition but I may be able to scrounge out a few gems in the rough.
I spend a couple of hours looking for anything that may be useful, but all I've managed to find in my fruitless search is stuff I already know, stuff that's completely unrelated to magic, or things that did look useful but are either missing important pages or are too weathered to read clearly. On the brink of giving up, I manage to find a book on an upper shelf that looks like it's been recently disturbed so I pluck out the old leather-bound book. The design on the cover is definitely Church of Seiros, and judging by the details it's from the early days though I can't confirm specifics. Probably the first 300 years of the church's existence would be my best guess.
I crack open the tome and begin to scour the contents. As I skim the pages it seems the book details some called the 'Rite of Rising' which denotes the four apostles using their blood along with Saint Seiros with a chalice of sorts to try and resurrect Sothis, but ultimately failing. Apparently, the chalice when used with the right applications is able to perform a resurrection but the details on the 'how' of it are sketchy at best. Obscure and old magic in my experience always seems to have a drawback that is never implied when casting them, and this ritual reeks of it. Just as I'm about to get further into the details of the ritual I sense a strong magical presence enter the library, and as I reaction I snuff out my light source.
I feel the person drawing near with a lantern and to my surprise, it's Aelfric with a book in hand who jumps slightly at seeing me sputtering, "Santos, I didn't notice you there! Why are you hiding in the dark?"
"Thought you were someone else, sorry for spooking you. Just doing some light reading."
"Ah, I see. Well, it is difficult to do so without a light, but to each there own. I'm just returning a book I couldn't get translated. Oh, and I see you have a book I'm after. Mind if we swap? I've been meaning to get that one translated as well."
I glance at the book and internally frown at Aelfric's suggestion. Even though I can read anything, I can't really recognize if it's some dead language or not. It's safe to assume Aelfric left the book here marked, but why would a cardinal be interested in ancient failed church rites? Then again, church officials don't have any reason not to be interested either way.
"Sure, I'll put that one back for you," I offer as Aelfric and I exchange books and he trills, "Thank you Santos, and not just for the book. I'm quite impressed with that clinic you've started up, it's helped many of the sick people here in Abyss."
"Yeah, surprised you didn't think of something like that earlier," I jab at the cardinal who flinches a bit and replies, "Ah yes, well with the lack of experienced personnel and space it never came up. I do what I can for those in need when I visit, but my duties require me to travel quite a lot."
Aelfric strikes me as a passive man that's hiding a secret since it usually takes one to know one. I take a few steps forward inquiring, "Why are you sneaking around in the library then? Shouldn't you be making your rounds with all of the wayward souls here?"
Aelfric huffs back, "I could ask you the very same thing. In the library without a source of light is quite odd. I'm sure Lady Rhea would find it odd as well."
The fact that he's bringing up Lady Rhea at all gives me the feeling he's on the defensive and he isn't comfortable around me since I doubt he knows much besides my exaggerated reputation. Perhaps it's time I lean into that reputation to see if I can't weasel some information from the skittish cardinal.
"I'm not concerned with Rhea at the moment. The only reason anybody would come to the Shadow Library is for obscure knowledge. I'm here to further my magical potential for my patients, but here you are after relics of the church's past, a ritual book no less."
Aelfric's jaw drops as he blathers, "You've translated it? How?"
I shake my head, "Not entirely, but I picked up the gist of it. What's so fascinating about the Rite of Rising to you?"
Aelfric looks down at the book for a moment with eager eyes before looking back to me, "It's a lost account to many of the church scholars. We could gather much from the ancient accounts of the event."
"Then I recommend you go find a textbook or autobiography, not an instruction manual."
Aelfric manages to keep his composure and a straight face but I sense his magic signature flare a bit erratically for a moment. It's harder to keep your very soul composed than your body, and he would have probably fooled any intermediate or lesser mage with that slight change and any good investigator with his soft and feeble poker face, but I've caught him. He is after something. Something dangerous.
"I understand the concern but rest assured my scribes and I are quite capable of separating the heretical information from the rich historical accounts," Aelfric counters as he begins to turn his back to comment, "And I'd avoid making such lewd suggestions against me when your return to the surface rides on my recommendation, Santos. Enjoy your time in the dark."
I don't respond as Aelfric walks carefully out of the library as I keep a firm sense of his magical signature, but I don't detect any more fluctuations. Once he's out of range I recast my 'Light' spell as I've dubbed it and look at the thin book Aelfric handed me. The cover is quite corroded to the point it looks quite older than the Rite of Rising book. I carefully peel open the first few pages and thankfully a decent portion is still legible. I begin to skim through the book and gasp a bit as I realize what the contents of the book are.
"Soul magic…" I whisper to myself as I continue to flip through the pages.
The tome on the inside is called Detraxi which doesn't ring any bells for me but seems to possess at least 3 legible spells in the old soul magic of the world. The first one I already know is Soothe, which is detailed exactly in the way Tomas explained to me earlier as a way to turn memories into dreams that can be later forgotten. The second spell is called Wander and it vaguely explains the use of it as a way to visit others, but not in a conventional sense but more of a metaphysical sense. The last spell I can make out of the dusty tome is called Harvest, and from the faded description, I can tell it's not talking about farming at the very least and seems quite sinister.
I quickly pocket the book as I can feel more powerful energy signatures approaching my location. I hastily make my way towards the door only to see Lysithea and Constance at the entrance. I briefly think about teleporting away again, but dismiss the idea as they would probably just find me again and I'd be even more exhausted.
"We've finally acquired your location, Santos, and now you must answer for your evasive activity!" Constance declares in her dramatic style that I've come to know while Lysithea simply crosses her arms and glares at me.
I put my hand up and concede, "Alright, you've caught me. I ran away to get breakfast and I probably owe you an explanation."
"Oh, you shall do more than just provide an explanation. You are now residing in my research station and I shall have us make the most of this chance encounter. With our magical skills combined, we shall be able to make exquisite progress on my experiments!" Constance beams with a haughty smile, and as I look to Lysithea she adds, "I've agreed to help. I figure with all our talents combined we can learn something together. Besides, you owe me nearly a month's worth of training."
"Alright, but can we-"
"No," Both female mages smugly reply as they advance into the room. Constance begins to light candles on some of the tables I managed to not notice earlier while Lysithea decides to stand next to me and keep an eye on me. I shrug and exhale as it seems I won't be able to wiggle myself out of this scenario. As Constance begins bringing over books and ranting about her current progress on changing colors of liquids I can't help but smile as I take a seat with the two other prodigal mages and begin to workshop spells and discuss magical theory.
A/N: Ashen Wolves have been met, and now the DLC can begin in full swing. As for the main plot, this will be between chapters 4 and 5, and it won't be too long considering Santos has other duties than hunting down the chalice with a fully functional clinic. The DLC will continue to power along and it won't be long until we get back to the thick of things on the surface.
FYI the poll is still up and has been edited a bit, so go check that out on my profile if you are interested. It'll be up the rest of the month, and then I'll spill the results and probably go with the option people chose. Now, onto reviews and my oh my quite the amount of feedback! I can see there are a lot of DLC fans and people starting to get a feel for the conflict point, but remember we aren't even halfway through the White Clouds arc!
Review Response:
Hyperink: Hell yeah. Bleu cheese and goat cheese, in particular, are my go-to.
VGBlackwing: Machinations and plots are in motion, and you aren't wrong that Santos got a raw deal from Edelgard, but he didn't have a lot of options considering the terrible circumstances and his want to not cause more problems. He is coming into his own of where he is in the world and cares for Fodlan and its people. Enemies are lurking everywhere it may seem with Edelgard and Rhea playing a dangerous game, toss in TWSITD and also Sothal is...somewhere for the moment. Byleth is with the Golden Deer btw, not sure if that was a typo or what. Anyways, it's not like Santos to sit around waiting for a vacation, DLC will be short but busy. Thanks for your consistent feedback, I appreciate it a lot and hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Raychii521: This chapter should address the Lysithea question. When I saw your review I looked over at my notes and thought 'He knows lol'. Santos is a workaholic as it keeps him from dwelling on his past so I doubt he will try to relax any time soon. Thanks for the feedback and reading, hope you enjoyed it thus far!
Sakura108645: Ashen wolves and Santos? My, I think they'd be thick as thieves, wouldn't you think? Thanks for the suggestion, I'll have to check out Shadows of Valentia when I have more free time at my disposal. Thanks for the feedback and good luck to you on your story! I'm still plugging along and should have another review coming soon.
Guest #1: Edelgard is a vexing character at times, but is stubborn in her beliefs. She may reconsider things or fall deeper into delusion, but you'll know for sure in the coming chapters. As for the route, it won't be anything you've seen in the game, I can assure you that. Thanks for reading and let's see if your guesses turn out, hmm?
Guest #2: Thanks, more conflict to come! Enjoy :D
SyncroX: A curious promise, don't you think? Thanks for reading and the continued feedback, cheers.
InterestedUser: Sometimes when you solve one problem, two more arise in its place like a hydra. For Sothal to be defeated so easily...yes you may be onto something. As for Santos residing in Abyss, it feels like it was meant to be, doesn't it? Thanks for the feedback and I hope you continue to enjoy the story.
That is all for this week, as next week will be more DLC action which should wrap up fairly quickly by the end of the month (guesstimating time) but I think it will be fun with some of the twists I have planned. Thank you all for reading and hope you continue to enjoy this story as much as I have! See you next week!
Next Chapter: 3/13-3/15
Bye!
