Challenge from a Cat
A rather unpleasant sight met Kite's gaze as he entered Alicia's pub. The blonde barmaid was speaking with a man dressed in imperial garb, looking worried. Blackrose seemed to stiffen next to him, her face paling blotchily. It was only the two of them at the moment. Piros was looking for his friend to 'assure her that the danger was gone' while Mistral was looking for the temple to confirm her promotion in rank.
The inspector – a tall, wiry man with the look of a fox – was making little effort to keep his conversation private. "If you do gain word from Helba or any head of illegal activity, please report it to the guard stationed in the city," spoke the inspector calmly, almost in a monotone, "Your industry appears to be running perfectly fine with no heed of unauthorized activity. Thank you for paying the taxes, Miss. Jinsaran."
Alicia bowed her head in respect as the inspector strode to the door. His beady eyes met Kite's and the inspector's lips seemed to tighten, as if in disgust. The door slammed behind them with a loud snap and the glass panes in the window seemed to rattle. The patrons of the tavern watched the inspector go and seemed greatly relieved now that he was gone.
"What was that about?" asked Blackrose sharply, turning to the still pale Alicia. She was clutching something to her chest, a book by the looks of it, with a heavy metal lock. She looked greatly relieved to see Kite and Blackrose and hurried them over to the bar.
"Did you know that man?" she asked sharply, and Kite noted how her hands were shaking badly.
"Never seen him before, why?" Alicia looked around, but the other patrons were pulling up their conversations about the mundane. Remembering what Alicia said about inspectors normally being easy, he thought it was a little odd everybody was so nervous and jumpy.
Alicia's voice was quick and edgy, as though the longer the words stayed in her mouth the more they burned her tongue. "He was asking a lot of funny questions. You know, he wanted to know every resident at the tavern, interview them and stuff. Good thing you weren't here."
"What's the book?" In response, Alicia took from the cover of the book a folded envelope of cream-colored parchment, sealed shut with the Royal Seal (an eagle with wings spread wide, perched on a crossed sword and lance) and handed it wordlessly to Kite. The name on the front, written in elaborate calligraphy, was his own, though it lacked a surname.
"Looking at your blasted name isn't going to give us any answers!" snapped Blackrose, "Open it up and read it!" Breaking the seal, he saw a very short letter written in more golden lettering.
Dear Sir,
The Imperial Duke of Carmina Gadelica has been so kind as to inform us that your father, Hyrakkidouran Raikoumaru, has perished due to illness. As his son, you would normally be punished due to his crimes against the Imperial Crown, yet we do not wish to force that fate on a child. So long as you abide by the laws in the book we have given to you, you will not be prosecuted.
Count Tokala
Duke of Mac Anu, Ambassador of Delta
That was unusual. Both the dukes of Lambda and Delta would jump at the chance of executing anybody, and yet they decided to spare him? It was far too suspicious to even be considered true. The look on Blackrose's face, as she read the letter over his shoulder, mirrored his doubt.
"Can I see that book?" he asked quickly and Alicia nodded, placing it upon the bar. It looked like any Wavemaster spell book, rather like Mistral's massive tome that she slept with protectively, although this one was in newer shape then Mistral's. There were runes written along the spine, spelling out 'Book of Law' and the large lock was made out of an expensive looking metal, probably a silver-gold alloy. In any case, it presented a very innocent look.
However, all thoughts of the book being completely harmless and all Kite's suspicions were dismissed and confirmed as soon as he touched the lock. There was a sizzling sound and he withdrew his hand quickly, noticing the rather nasty effect. The fingers of his gloves had been burnt completely off, the tips of his fingers similar. Blackrose moved a hand instantly to her Kikuichimonji, eyes narrowing. "That thing is cursed," she declared while Kite nursed his burnt hand.
"You mind healing this for me? It hurts like hell!" he snapped, noticing how the burns quickly blistered. She ignored him completely, focused on the book. Alicia's brow furrowed and she touched the surface of the book, slender fingers moving towards the lock. When she touched it, nothing at all happened.
"That's . . . I've touched this lock at least a thousand times and nothing happened to me." Kite sighed, knowing very well why he was the only recipient of the pain.
'Damn bracelet,' he thought with a scowl. Alicia picked up the book gingerly, holding it as though it were to explode at any second, and tucked it under the bar. When she stood back up, she was holding another envelope in her hands. "I almost forgot; another letter arrived for you. I swear, I'm just some sort of messenger service for you and Orca!"
She placed a rather poor comparison to the fancy imperial letter on the bar, written in very tidy handwriting. The yellowing parchment contained as little information as the other message, though it was more cryptic and annoying then the previous.
Soul Drain is not the only power of your bracelet. Do you want to know more?
You do, don't you? The Citadel of the Corrupt Duke. I'll be waiting at this area, so come alone.
Love,
Mia
"Who's Mia?" asked Blackrose sharply, her eyes narrowed, and Alicia hid a sly smile. Kite scowled at the both of them.
"She's some cat-person who travels with a Deltan Wavemaster." Blackrose's eyebrows rose so high they were in danger of disappearing into her hairline. She studied the letter and the handwriting in new curiosity. "Interesting . . . is she a mainland equivalent to the Werewolves?"
"Werewolves?" Blackrose looked at him strangely and sighed.
"Never mind. Anyway, are you going to go?" There was a note in her voice that demanded him not to. After all, she would not be allowed to go and Twilight Dragon knows what sort of hell that would bring. However, he did want to know how much this Mia character knew about his bracelet and its abnormal abilities . . .
As simple as it would have been to lie, Kite sighed deeply. "I have to. If she knows anything about this bracelet . . ."
"Are you crazy?" asked Alicia sharply, nearly losing her grip on the brandy bottle for a moment, "You don't know anything about this Mia and you're going to go to the citadel? That place is haunted and cursed, don't you know the rumors?"
"'Peasants muttering will never cease to annoy me to death,'" quoted Kite and Alicia flushed darkly, her blue eyes narrowing to slits. "Oh . . . Oh fine! I swear, between you and Orca and Balmung, I'll be an old crone in a few years!" she yelled, throwing her arms up in the air and swigging down the last of the brandy. A man at a near by table chuckled darkly.
"Ya know 'licia, I wuz gonna ask fer sum o' dat," he slurred wearily, looking longingly at the empty bottle.
The market district was the perfect place for a private conversation between two people. There was always too much of a commotion to be heard properly and the topic discussed between Kite and Blackrose was something neither wanted others to hear. While Kite's eyes flickered to the many weapons vendors, looking for a set of daggers to replace his ruined set, Blackrose prattled on about how stupid he was to go to the fortress of the duke and duchess Ravenwing.
He didn't know the whole story involving the ill-fated family, but it was a favorite conversation topic of travelers who passed the ancient family fortress and he'd picked up the gist. About four or five years ago, Madame Ravenwing's young apprentice (she being a Wavemaster fond of the Dark magic and a worshiper of Wryneck, pagan god of darkness) had lost control of his magic and killed every inhabitant of the castle, summoning spirits to suck the souls from the bodies.
Their ghosts were said to haunt the building, stealing the very essence of life from all who dare to enter. The strangest thing was that the apprentice (or his body) was never found, though it was assumed it was completely destroyed from the magical energies. Blackrose, of course, had heard it as well and proclaimed the whole thing rubbish.
"Of course, if there was any truth to the whole thing, then monsters would be attracted to the magical trail left behind. You'll be lucky not to run anything with fangs as big as my sword."
"Listen, I'll be fine," he said for the umpteenth time, though it did nothing but made her eyes narrow further. "Listen, the only reason you hadn't died in these last two missions was because of Mistral and I. Don't delude yourself that a thief can deal with a place like the Ravenwing citadel."
"Oh really?" he said, rather calmly, "Listen, I'm not a toddler. I. Will. Be. Fine!" She snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "How good are you with swords? Those pathetic daggers you use aren't going to be much help." He could have strangled her without a second thought at the moment.
"I'm horrible with a sword. I'd take off my own head before any monster."
"Lances?" she persisted, "Axes, bows? Something?" He sighed desperately again, head in his hand. "I don't need a different weapon. I have a trump card if things get desperate." He tapped his wrist knowingly and Blackrose rolled her eyes. "Like you can actually use that thing. Your magic's barely controllable, you'll have an episode like that Ravenwing kid, and your . . . weapons," she laughed again to exercise the point.
"Alright then, if I'm not back in . . . two weeks, then you can proclaim me dead and arrange my funeral, okay?" he said with black humor that made Blackrose hit him on the back of the head. "Come on; let's get you a better weapon."
"Daggers are fine!" he said in vain as she grabbed his wrist, pulling him towards the stall where she had bought her Kikuichimonji and pointing out the lances. "Even you with your weak body could use those, right?"
"Go away," he said shortly, picking up the twin scabbards of a set of blades. They were of an odd sort of style, with no hilts but a handle fastened from an indent in the blade. Made of steel, they had a very sharp edge. The weapons dealer seemed to recognize Blackrose and chuckled. "'Eh lass, you're back again. Who's your friend?"
"Mercenary I hired," she responded shortly. Kite, holding up the odd daggers, spoke to the weathered weapons dealer. "What are these blades?"
"Theatean import, a rather eccentric blacksmith lives there and forges odd-looking weapons. Their great if yer poor with magic, but they channel fire magic like nuttin' else. Called the Sotetsu set." He laid down the Sotetsu and pulled out his old dagger, fingering the hilt carefully. "Do you think you could replicate this?" The weapons dealer took it hilt first, running a fat finger along the jagged edge of the blade.
"It'd cost ya a fair amount. 'Bout . . . three thousand four hundred. Dese are Lambdanian, ain't they?" Kite nodded and the old man placed the dagger carefully to the side of his shop. "I'll keep dis fer a few weeks, an' are ya gonna buy the Sotetsu set?"
"How much?"
"Fourteen hundred gold, not a piece less." Kite dug out his money bag, wincing slightly as he counted out the money. That depleted his savings almost immediately, but it was worth it. The man gave a toothy smile and dipped his head in respect to the both of them. "Please doin' business with ya!" he yelled after them as Kite attached the scabbards to his belt.
"Why in the Six's name did you replicate that dagger?" Blackrose barked at him, "You've got like, what, six gold pieces left because of that?"
"They were my dad's," Kite responded shortly and harshly to her, "The only thing I have left of his apart from my hat."
"I wondered why you wore the stupid thing." He smiled wryly.
"Besides Blackrose, you still haven't paid me for the three weeks I've been your bodyguard. I think the total should come up to about three thousand gold pieces, shouldn't?" She flushed and narrowed her eyes. "You're the worst bodyguard I ever had. I've had to save your hide more times then you've saved mine," she mumbled.
"Quit complaining. It makes you sound immature." The pink flush in her cheeks deepened to scarlet, matching her eyes. "I left my money bag in Alicia's tavern. I'll pay you later."
'As in never,' he thought with a smile, recognizing the glint in her eyes. It was the sort of glimmer that thieves had when they claimed they were just going to 'borrow' something.
A familiar voice called out, blocking out the rest of the babble from the various shoppers, and Kite turned to see a grinning Mistral bouncing towards him. There was a golden-red tassel hanging off her staff, probably declaring her new rank and she flung her arms around his neck.
"Oh Kite! Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping me! Master Lamington'll be so proud when he gets the message!"
"Message?" asked Blackrose, "You sent your master a message?"
"Well I had to! I'm a Cleric del mezzogiorno now and he'll want to know, won't he? I had to tell him about you guys to!" she squealed, tightening her grip around Kite's neck and making him gag. Blackrose's eyes widened for a moment in fear. "How much did you say about us?" she asked deadly quite and Mistral, letting go of Kite, waved a hand lazily.
"Relax; I just said I'm traveling with a talented swordswoman and a relic hunter, like me! I know not to blab and say that you guys are an islander and a thief." The latter part was spoken in a whisper so the passers-by could not hear.
Mistral's pink eyes flickered to Kite's burnt hand and widened. "What happened to you? Did you try to cast that spell again?"
"Cursed book, it's nothing," he said simply. The burns had scabbed over, healing fairly quickly with little pain, so he hadn't given them much thought. Mistral touched his hand with a few of her fingers, saying clearly, "Reapth." The skin mended instantly and he bowed his head in thanks.
"Where's this book? Who sent it?" Her tone was pretty serious now, a surprising change from her previous bubbly attitude. Blackrose crossed her arms again and her tone was clipped.
"The empire sent it, specially made for Kite." Mistral frowned, pushing back her floppy hat. "Well, not much you can do about it for now. Raise a finger in your defense and you'll be arrested for treason. It doesn't help much that your family being, well . . . Anti-imperial and all." Kite sighed but knew she was right. There wasn't a thing he could do in his defense that wouldn't lead to decapitation, or worse.
"Well then, I'm going to be gone a couple of days, and –" "Where are you going?" asked Mistral at once, "Is that why you bought new daggers?"
"Somebody named Mia wants to meet him in the Ravenwing keep," snorted Blackrose. Mistral's eyes darkened. "I heard about that. It's really sad, isn't it? Her apprentice was only ten when it happened. All that power, it could have turned out a lot better." She sighed deeply but turned to Kite. "Be careful, okay? Bring me back something good!"
Blackrose gawked at Mistral, as if she expected her to go off on a sort of parental rant about how dangerous it was. Kite smiled wryly at the swordswoman who marched off in a fury, headed towards the Dark Flame's general direction.
"Anyway, I'm going to leave tomorrow morning. If I'm not back in two weeks, I'm either dead or injured."
"That's not funny Kite! But I'm sure you'll be fine, after all, with your Soul Drain thingy, nothing could kill you! Besides, it might be a good plan for you to practice your magic. I mean, you managed the OrVak Rom spell without anybody telling you how, right?" she added as an afterthought. He nodded and Mistral continued.
"I've heard about people like that. Certain travelers who spent their entire lives studying and failing to cast magic finally did it when they were out in the open. You're probably like that. Also!" she said with an excited shudder, "Maybe you can only do advanced magic! You know, simple spells won't work with your internal reserves or something like that!" She rambled on and on, making him sound more and more like a riddle she couldn't solve. Kite sighed deeply, wondering how he got these people for traveling companions.
Piros was similar to Mistral in attitude, simply wishing him luck and a good, safe travel. Blackrose had not spoken to him since she'd stormed off and glared at him while she ate dinner, picking at the plate of chicken and potatoes while eating very little. Kite spent most of the time reading over Helba's letter, trying to see what sort of motives she'd had to send him something.
The wording gave little hint to what the cryptic woman wanted and he spent no time worrying about it. After all, if his father could trust Helba, then so could he. She couldn't be all that bad, could she?
He folded the letter and placed it off to the side, finally starting on his cold dinner. Mistral was talking loudly with Piros at the table next to him, while Alicia spoke a clipped conversation with Blackrose at the bar. The islander gave him a very venomous and pointed glare that told him she was not at all pleased with his choice.
Dawn's first rays entered his room, which remained practically untouched since the previous day. He'd spent most of the night trying to activate the bracelet upon command, but nothing worked, no matter how hard he focused. The most he had managed was a sort of light effect, though it could have simply been his tired mind playing tricks. Kite tugged at the collar of the cloak he had pulled over his usual attire, walking from the room and downstairs. Alicia was up, as was Blackrose, both talking casually. The islander still refused to look at him, though Alicia wished him luck.
"Please be careful, okay?" she said soothingly, her face pink from the cold outside. Judging from her windblown hair, she'd been outside quite a bit earlier.
"You all act like I'm a little kid who can't defend himself." Blackrose snorted in humorless laughter. "Why fake the truth? Don't worry; we'll arrange your funeral for you."
"I'll miss you to," he said sarcastically, leaving the tavern.
It was indeed freezing outside, frost on all of the shop windows and an icy bite to the wind. Unusual since it was still early autumn, but never the less he had to keep a hand on his hat to stop it from blowing away. The stables at the edge of town were chilly as well, though heated by a fire that did not burn or exclude smoke, lit in the stone fireplace. Snowfall was asleep, his pen between Woodfall and Piros's black mare, Artemis, though he woke up the instant Kite touched his muzzle.
"C'mon then, the sooner I get back the sooner Blackrose will stop trying to burn my head off," grumbled the thief, leading Snowfall out of the large stone building and climbing on. On Mac Anu's horizon was a small dot which, in reality, was the large castle-like structure that was the Ravenwing Citadel, presenting an ominous picture. They had passed it on their way to the Sea of Sand and the very building, down to the marble devil perched over the mahogany doors, presented an aura of evil. Digging his heels into Snowfall's flanks, they were off.
He rubbed his shadowed eyes and looked out at the frost-flecked fields surrounding Mac Anu. The Aqua Field was among them, though Kite made sure that he stayed well away from the underground dungeon. It looked innocent enough from a distance, the limestone stairwell leading down into the blackness presenting no dark picture of the monster that had dwelt within.
He soon found that Mistral was correct in that conversation passed time much quicker then silence. With the only other speakers being the air and his mount, Kite's thoughts quickly drifted elsewhere. More importantly, on Mia and her Wavemaster companion. What did she know about his new abilities, and how did she know?
He doubted very much that she was an aid of the empire's. King Ito had an intense dislike for things out of the ordinary, wanting to smooth out every inhabitant of his empire into a carbon copy of himself, making Mia about as welcome as dry rot in his perfect world. It was also how the human slave-trade had become so popular, since humans did not fit the king's description as a utopian citizen.
Kite eyed his shadow again. He honestly didn't know humans could stand it; the stupid thing made him feel like a dark figure was always following him. He was extremely lucky that nobody had made a fuss about it yet; he couldn't imagine the annoyingness of all the dark glares. He knew he didn't look like any human on the continent, so the obvious answer would be a half-sprite, which was worse then a human any day. It was considered a sin for any human and sprite to mate, and while the parents were burned in a temple, the child was forced to take its own life. (In the event the child was too young to do it itself, the mother had to kill it and then burn herself.)
He shook his head to clear it of such pessimistic and nauseatingly horrible thoughts, trying to focus on something else. Sadly, the only thing his mind came up with was Balmung's words in the cathedral.
There is for me.
Did that mean that he had personal problems involved with the plague-spreading Wavemasters, or was it just the sense of justice that came with the position of a hero? In any case, Kite had a pretty shrewd suspicion to how the empire knew where to send the book and letter.
Three days later, he arrived at the Ravenwing keep. A massive structure, it had been in Delta since the time of the mainland pagans, thick columns supporting an arch over the front stoop. The main building was enclosed inside four walls made of imported stone, to protect against monster attacks. However, the steel gate leading inward was rusty and weak from age, easy to break through. On either side of the gate lay the bodies of imperial soldiers, both who had their throats slit and armor melted onto their skin by intense heat. Averting his gaze from this cruel spectacle, Kite climbed off Snowfall and pushed the gate effortlessly open.
The outside of the building was full of a gothic beauty, at least seven stories tall with curtains at every window. Much of the walls had been eaten away by magical pulse, decay that should have not been there present. Each and every detail was upon the stone figures visible on the roof, down to the veins in the wings of the devil over the door, though age and weather had dulled them severely. The statue (made of marble both white and black) was that of a man Balmung's opposite in every respect. Bat wings were spread wide, fixed to the shoulder blades, and long strands of hair surrounded the lean body. Kite did not spend much time looking at the devil, since its ruby eyes seemed to watch him at every move.
Tied by the door were two horses, both black stallions with blood red manes. They glared furiously at Kite and his mount as he tied Snowfall's reigns to one of the spokes of the iron gate between the column and the wall. With that done, the thief entered the citadel through the run down and mold-encrusted doors.
The inside showed more of the lost wealth of the Ravenwing family. Furniture, imported from the far reaches of the world, now sat covered in dust, tarnished silver idols adoring the walls and dusty, moth-eaten paintings hung behind velvet curtains. Suits of rusted armor lined the hall, standing proudly even though they had nothing to guard.
There were also the traces of the magical catastrophe that had decimated the place, since soot and ash were upon the wooden floor that was too deep a shade of black to be completely normal.
As soon as he entered the main hall (including two spiraling staircases leading up over a large statue of the same devil-creature) a smooth female voice spoke out, echoing loudly in the hall. There was no speaker to be seen, though he knew at once who it was.
"Hello. I've been waiting for you. Actually I'm also interested in the bracelet. I'm at the attic of the citadel. You can make it here, can't you?"
Looking around in all directions for Mia, Kite gripped one of the Sotetsu daggers tightly and replied (knowing he sounded very foolish, talking to thin air). "How do you know about Soul Drain?" He could almost imagine Mia's cat-like smile, her eyes glittering in semi-light and the silver-haired Wavemaster behind her. He shook his head. Where had the sudden vision come from?
"Well . . . that's hard to say." Again, he saw the image of the feline-sprite smirking at him with cruel amusement in her yellow eyes. She responded to none of his further questioning.
Scowling and feeling like he wanted to kick something, Kite had barely gone a few more steps before one of the suits of armor clanged loudly of its own accord. The sword and shield in its hand (as well as the dagger on its belt) had lifted from their positions and formed a crude sort of warrior. The sword-creature – a Dust Curse – charged at him to be met with the crash of metal from the Sotetsu set. It was a fruitless battle, since whatever move he made the Dust Curse would simply copy.
Remembering the events of the Stone Halls, he tried to move his hands in the position for the fire tornado without getting hacked by the Dust Curse. This proved to be easier said then done, since the demonic blade would not give him a moment's rest. Finally he managed to yell out "Vak Rom!" and produce the same fire spell Blackrose used. The metal of the blades and shield turned red hot and melted into goo upon the floor, creating a hole to the cellars below and bringing the smell of decay up to his nose. He hurried up the stairs, slipping a little on the dust and twice his foot fell through the weakened wood.
Everywhere he went, Kite saw the same portraits of the Ravenwing family. The late Madame and Duke were prominent. Both had been tall, gaunt and dark haired, though good-looking in their own ways. Upon the pale face of Madame Persephone was a black rose just below her right eye, blood red vines adorned with sharp vines creeping across her face and around her neck, while Thantos Ravenwing sported a semi-circle over his left eye in a shade of purple-black. There also seemed to be another figure in front of the couple, a smaller one, though Kite could not make out any distinctions from all the age clouding the paintings.
More after-effects of the magic were there in the hallways, ranging from the skeletal remains of human servants to entire walls that had been reduced to ash. The whole building seemed to watch his every move, or was it merely the monsters that inhabited it?
For it seemed some of the gargoyles had absorbed the magic and come to life, lurking in the rooms. The vast library on the second floor (with books that caught his attention as high sellers) was populated by three stone goblins and another one of the devil statues, all of whom had come to life. The marble bodies clanked against the floor, making dents in the carpeting and wood, the devil pulling back cold lips to reveal a gaping hole and the goblins flexing their stiff fingers. It carried a lance fashioned from a broom and kitchen knife.
"Vak Rom!" he yelled, managing to create an even weaker form of the tornado. It didn't even harm them, neither did physical attacks. The most he managed to do was severely injury his right foot after trying to kick the goblin. Focusing his brain on the movements for Mistral's lightning attacks, Kite raised his hands and cried "Rai Rom!" This had the desired effect, since it seemed all the creatures were brought to life out of dark magic. The goblins exploded in an instant, the devil crippled by the loss of its right arm. Flinging the make-shift spear at Kite, the devil limped forward and raised its crude weapon.
"Saber Dance!" yelled Kite, swinging both the daggers across the stone chest of the devil, which began to crack. One kick ruined the entire thing, its severed head rolling across the floor bloodlessly.
Mia's voice came again in the room, sounding amused to no end. He looked frantically around for her, all the while listening to her. "So, what do you think? Do you think the fortress is really cursed?"
He did not answer and Mia continued, the words having no connection to her previous statement. "The truth is, for something to be born, something must break. The same applies to sprites and humans. Do you understand what I mean?"
"No!" Kite replied, still looking around for her. She didn't answer and he knew it was no good. Instead, he turned to the many shelves of the library and ran a thumb along a dusty spine to see the title. Ravenwing Genealogy, Ways of the Dark One, Madame Persephone's diary . . . The last one he picked up out of interest, just curious to see if it listed the apprentice who had destroyed everything here.
Monday, Night, 26 summers since Birth.
Thantos returned today accompanied by a small child I did not know. The Duke of Mac Anu had met with my husband today and said that I was to mentor a young Wavemaster. The poor child looked like he had just recently discovered his talents and wanted his parents back, and who was I to blame him? I knew not my mother or father, but I could relate to the boy. He has very strong ties with magic I soon found out, darkness being prominent. I thank Wryneck for the chance to raise such a talented mage.
Tuesday, Night, 26 summers since Birth.
My apprentice does not speak, I soon found out. He wills his magic out of him in a very interesting manner. When he gets hurt, a spell will appear to utterly annihilate what hurt him. Some of my husband's precious yet unbalanced statues are now gone, not that I'm complaining. He has a strong affinity towards cats, particularly towards my Jinx. He interests me greatly, though I still do not know his name. He will not tell me what it is. Some of the servant's children were calling him 'Elk' after Thantos's outrageous stuffed moose fell on top of him. I think he likes the name.
It went on like that, Kite idly skimming through some of the further pages. It seemed the Duke Ravenwing did not prefer his surrogate son, being too weak to hold a sword properly, and that caused several rows between the couple. The last entry (dated five years after Elk's arrival) depicted this and how Thantos had nearly tried to poison the child's meals. He winced and put away the book, withdrawing a dagger and leaving the library.
The upper stories brought weaker flooring, the wooden boards sagging under his weight. He was glad that most of the monsters were on the stories below and wondering how Mia and her companion had gotten to the attic without falling through the floor.
Kite's eyes edgily looked into the corners and up the staircases, spotting more signs of the magic that had destroyed the building's population. There were scorch marks on the walls, skeletal remains spread on the floor (he'd had the pleasure to crush the knuckle bones of a maid by accident) and one lucky man who had the pleasure of being semi-fused with the wall, his face frozen in a horrified scream forever.
"You came here to learn the secret of the bracelet," said Mia's voice soothingly, making him jump and his foot fell through a particularly weak part of the floor, "But you don't quite trust me."
"For good reason," he muttered darkly, and was then presented with the image of Mia laughing. How was she breaking into his mind like that? Was it a skill of whatever people she came from, or was her Wavemaster companion doing it?
"The world does not consist of only 1s and 0s," continued Mia, making as little sense as ever, "It allows the existence of areas between Yes and No. Sprites are interesting, aren't they?" Again she fell silent, leaving him to drag his foot out of the wood. Several splinters had dug into his skin, making him wince when he put too much pressure on it. Luckily he was near the top, judging by the scenery outside the windows.
He pushed open a door, which crumpled like dust against his fingers, revealing a drawing room that was clearly where the magical catastrophe had begun. The walls were black, a large portion of them gone and autumn wind blowing fiercely in and out. The bay windows had been shattered, shards of stained and clear glass littering the floor. Two skeletons were on the floor, a man and a woman, which were probably the duke and duchess. Large burn marks scarred the floor, as were a few words that looked recently written in the debris on the floor.
"'Rest in peace, mother'," he read aloud, looking as the duchess. The thin rags that were once her black dress still clung to the bones, jewelry similar. He left the room quickly, though after slipping a golden ring from the duke's finger and a necklace from the duchess into his pockets. If nothing else, he could use them to woo Bell out of the Crimson Deaths. She liked jewelry a lot, and these two pieces could possible persuade her.
The staircase leading to the attic was worse then the others, many of the floor boards missing. He had to lean against the rail to keep his balance, and even then the spiral stairs shook unpleasantly. The wood of the attic was in the best shape out of the other rooms, and it was surprisingly empty, even though Mia had promised she would be in the attic.
That is, he thought it was empty until he caught sight of the Wrym nest. The massive mother, thick red skin covering the insect-like body, was looking over the destroyed eggs of her offspring before turning her ugly head towards him. Her single eye was livid and he knew that Mia had killed the eggs and left him to deal with the furious, fire-breathing Red Wrym.
"Now, show me the power," said Mia's voice, which sounded slightly hysterical, "Of the one who holds the bracelet!" To be honest, he was expecting a maniacal laugh after the words. Swallowing hard, he positioned his hands for his thunder spell.
"Rai Rom!" he shouted, knowing that his fire spell would have little to no effect this time. The lightning bolts bounced harmlessly off the tough skin as she advanced towards him. The long and ivory claws atop her wings were painfully obvious as she swooped towards him, opening her mouth and revealing rows of sharp, pointed teeth. Her thick tail came whipping up to meet him, catching his arm hard. He winced slightly but the Sotetsu were in his hands already and he dug one into the tip of her tail. It didn't go deep and she managed to shake it off easily.
Hurrying over to grab his weapon, he saw her open her mouth with a ball of flames glowing at the back of her throat. She exhaled deeply and the flames licked the end of his cloak and the floor. He wished he knew some sort of water spell, since that would surely help kill the thing. The Wyrm let out a painfully loud screech and swished her tail around, catching him in the stomach and flinging him backwards. It felt like a rib was broken, but the pain vanished somewhat as he said "Reapth."
Focusing his mind as he always did to use magic, he pushed the force from his body and into one of the daggers. Lightning crackled along the metal of the blade and he flung it towards the Wyrm, where it sent at least a hundred volts through the body. Nothing seemed to harm the thing, no blood dripped down the chest though the dagger had gone into the softer flesh of the underbelly.
"Damn it!" he cursed, realizing that she must be infected like the Headhunter in Yarthkin's Tomb. The Wyrm set another blast of flames towards him as he summoned more lightning. "OrRai Rom!" The lightning came in greater numbers this time, but it left him feeling lightheaded. Too much magic, he thought as he shook his head. He couldn't be feeling lightheaded now.
Kite felt the heated breath of the Read Wyrm as she came closer, spinning on her side so her claw came within inches of his face. The dagger in his hand managed to scratch her wing, but it was a light cut and healed instantly from the virus in her body. She turned swiftly up and exhaled more flames, catching his foot this time. Yelling in pain, he gasped out the healing spell as the skin beneath his boot quickly blistered. His wrist tingled slightly, but he ignored it as he retrieved the second Sotetsu dagger.
"Rai Rom!" Nothing.
"Saber Dance!" Nothing.
He cursed loudly again as he avoided her flaming breath. Her tail caught his right ankle, curling like a whip around it and dragged him upward. Slashing as fast as he could at the leathery skin, he could not avoid how she flung his body like a rag doll against the wall. Dazed and blinking back white dots, Kite's wrist tingled again. The bracelet was doing something at least, though it was nothing useful.
His mind whorled as he fought back unconsciousness, the back of his head pounding where he'd hit the wall. The Wrym flung her tail in the opposite direct, letting go of him, and he landed in a crumpled heap on the ground, head feeling like it was about to split open. He stood wearily and took a loose grip on the Sotetsu and missed the still wyrm, who was surveying him interestingly. It was though she were waiting for him to collapse on his own.
Kite could barely focus on the Red Wyrm, despite its massive size. His wrist felt painful as he shook his head to clear it, yelling a little too loud, "Rai Rom!" There was nothing that happened; his magic had stopped working so soon. He vaguely realized his body was moving of its own will, not his own, and heard his own voice yell, "OrRue Rom!" There was a horrid screech from the Wyrm and felt its tail smack the side of his face. It bit deep into his cheek, blood dripping down his neck and onto his chest.
His vision came back sharply and painfully as the bracelet activated itself, appearing brightly. His mind was too numbed to fight back and since he did not, the pain failed to come. The Wyrm was screeching in pain as its soul was drained into his hand, and judging by the feel it was another marble-shaped item – a Soul Core as described by Helba in her letter – and it too was inscribed with an M. The wyrm's now-lifeless carcass hit the floor and with a loud crash fell through it to the lower floor.
"R-reapth," he chocked, some of the blood from the cut on his cheek going into his mouth. Apparently drained of all magical reserves, the spell had no effect, but another voice sounded; male with a Deltan accent, "La Reapth."
The pain dulled in the back of his mind and the cut on his cheek healed, his vision repairing similarly. Turning, Kite found himself looking at Mia and her Wavemaster companion. The feline-sprite was looking very interested, her companion curiously puzzled. "So that is the Soul Drain," mused Mia, "I've never seen it before . . ."
Anger flared inside his chest and Kite's jaw dropped in horror. "What? What do you mean by that?" He had come to the castle to find information and nearly died fighting that Red Wyrm, and here she was saying that she'd never seen (and probably knew nothing) about his bracelet. Mia looked a little shocked, her companion angry and she said, sounding hurt, "Are you angry?"
"Yes! You said you would tell me more about this bracelet and its power!"
Mia shrugged carelessly, arms crossed over her chest and eyes glimmering in the darkness eeriely. "I just wanted to know the extent of your power. If you were too weak, there would be no point in teaching you how to destroy the barriers."
Confusion and curiosity replaced his anger. "Destroy barriers?" he asked, confused. Mia nodded and waved her hand lazily in the air in front of her, her tone strangely lecture-like and bossy. "You just drained a monster's soul core. That talent comes in handy if you know what you're doing. Soul cores are the key to breaking through protective barriers Of course, soul cores are useless to those who don't have the bracelet. I'll show you how to destroy the barriers. Come with us to the twin hills. I enjoyed watching the Soul Drain."
Her companion walked forward and cleared his throat, speaking in the melancholic voice. "I don't believe we've actually introduced ourselves properly. This is Mia, and I am Elk." Kite's eyes widened for a moment, his brain automatically registering Elk as the Ravenwing apprentice, but he didn't want to be rude and possibly bring up bad memories, or insult the boy if it was the wrong person.
"Kite Raikomaru," he replied, "Nice to meet you." Elk looked surprised for a moment, taking a firmer grip on his staff before Mia spoke. "The heir of the Crimson Deaths, very interesting. Not many would give such an important fact away. What if we were the imperial guard?"
"I didn't think anybody would really know about them out here in Delta. Their not very popular outside of Lambda," Kite replied honestly. A small piece of him wondered whither or not Mia and Elk were with the empire, but his question was quickly answered. Elk gave a small smile.
"Don't worry, we're outlaws to. Mia doesn't fit in with the guidelines of his Majesty's perfect race, and I'm wanted for murder." Something flickered in his crimson eyes as he looked up at the slopping ceiling of the attic. "I was the magician that killed everybody here." The words sounded like he had forced them out, as did his smile afterwards. Mia gave him a small look that clearly stated to get off the topic.
"So will you come with us to the twin hills? I swear on my honor that we will not hurt you." Wondering how Blackrose would kill him when he returned to Mac Anu, Kite nodded. It was high time this bracelet unraveled its mystery.
I do not own .hack, Bandai does. I own the gist of this story.
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