The Issue of Culvert
Kyo looked around her, and realized with a jolt of sickness that she was stood in a ferociously burning village, the air red and intensely hot, and the smell of blood rich and disgusting. She looked over and saw a great tower, black and shadowy, looming above the burning village. She saw quickly that it was the clock tower, and now she stood in Arie.
"What am I doing here?" she screamed, her voice snapping the crackle of fire on the air like a blade. "Arie was destroyed! I can't be here! Hawk! Get me out of here! Where are you?"
This is a dream.
"Yes… it's a dream. It has to be…"
She turned, and found her old home. She reached out tentatively, just to make sure, she assured herself, and placed her hand hesitantly on the warm doorway. It felt solid. It felt real.
There was a crackle of splintering wood above, and her eyes shot upward. She leapt back, a shriek escaping her, and the thatched roof caved in, timbers crashing and breaking into twigs. The flames roared brighter, and sparks whistled menacingly around her. She yelled out again, her face stung and burnt by the flying embers.
"It's… a dream," she spluttered, though she didn't believe the words herself. The paths beneath her shoes, the heat on her face, the breeze of the night… it was real. "Has to be a dream… has to go away…"
She heard someone call her name, from far away, but she couldn't tell where they were.
"Hawk? Where are you? Help me!"
Only the sound of the blaze remained; the voice disappeared. She gasped.
"Wait! Come back! Hawk? Please come back…"
From behind her, she heard a growl, so low and menacing. She turned, knowing what she would find, slower than expected. The clock creature stood there again, it's face distorted into what could only be a glare. No human could ever replicate that face. With a snap that sounded oddly like wood, it raised its jagged arms, revealing clawed, horribly disproportioned fingers.
"You're not real," she whispered fiercely, but her own words didn't penetrate her. It was real. "This has to be a dream… please…"
It began to lurch towards her, a low hiss in its throat rumbling a sadistic purr. She wheeled around and threw herself into a sprint. She remembered the way out, quite disturbingly well, and she hurtled through the shattered streets, a cold ripping through her. She spun around the corner and pounded on. It can't be real… Help…
But she felt jagged hands seize her roughly, claws raking painfully into her skin. She screamed and instinctively kicked behind her. The grip loosened slightly, enough to slip free. She grabbed her arm, which was searing with pain.
But she wasn't bleeding. She stopped, stunned, and looked. She pulled her hand away unwillingly; there was the wound. It was deep. It hurt a lot. It should have been bleeding uncontrollably, but there wasn't even a trace of red over the flesh. It was still pale. No trace of blood at all. None.
"What-…?" Something tore mercilessly through her back, and she shouted in both surprise and agony, wheeling around. It burnt and it stung… but why doesn't it bleed? Madly, the clock creature lunged again, it's gnarled fingers piercing her skin, one hand below her collarbone and the other below her ribs. She shrieked louder than she thought possible; it was unbearable! She stared mortified and transfixed; in a single, snapping movement, it swiped its hands through her torso, leaving gaping, searing gashes.
She tried screaming, but her voice disintegrated into a dying moan; there was nothing else she could do. The sound toppled from her mouth and no one listened or came to help; her body screamed, leaving no room for thought or logic. The world sank into silence, drowning out the angry crackle of flames and the ruthless growl of the clock creature, something unbearable pounding in her ears. There wasn't even a drop of blood. It hurt so much though… Her eyes frantically probed the wounds, and found nothing… There was something wooden beneath her skin… not blood, not human blood…
But… clockwork? Mechanics? This can't be right! Clockwork? Like a machine? Not… human? What's going on? This can't be real…
It was real; it could only be real. It was too painful…
"Kyo!"
She heard her own name; someone was shouting to her. She tried to listen for where they were.
"Kyo! Wake up!"
The shouting became frantic, and her vision began to blur and shake. Her feet buckled beneath her as the world swam into a confusing haze of fire and darkness.
Someone had a strong grip on her shoulders; she thought it was bruising. The pain in her arms and torso ebbed away, throbbing and beating. Her mind began to settle down, but was still far from calm. What's going on?
She felt a mattress beneath her, and opened her eyes, surprised. It was dark still. She couldn't tell which way was up, her head still swimming, and her hands grabbed the nearest thing to support her.
"Kyo?" someone spluttered as she did this. "Are you OK?"
Her eyes focused in the dim light, and she found that she was clinging like a child to Hawk's arms. She sighed softly, intensely relieved, she let her cheek rest on his chest, surprised to find bare skin. She felt the vice-like grip on her shoulders relax, and he slid his arms around her, squeezing her into an embrace.
"It's OK," he whispered. "It was just a dream…"
So it was a dream, she realized, feeling a weight lift from her heart. She was fine. She was in her room, in Comodo School of Music and Dance. It felt so real though… it hurt so much…
Her worries were still about her… she had the urge to cut herself, just to check that she would bleed, that was she was human. Her eyes flitted to her arms, and found no trace of the vicious gaping gashes.
"Is she alright?" asked someone tentatively. She recognised the voice as Tassy's.
"What happened?" asked Kyo, her mind still caught between her dream and her reality.
"Well, you screamed in your sleep," replied Tassy quietly. "So I woke up; you were restless, and you screamed again. Then you started calling for Hawk, so I tried to wake you. But then you started thrashing like mad, and I um… freaked out and went to find Hawk, and we got back here and… well, I thought you'd gone into a fit! You scared me to death."
"What were you dreaming about?" asked Hawk. Gently.
She paused, taken aback slightly. "Being back at Arie," she replied after some thought. She didn't trust herself to explain how she found that she was a… drone or puppet or whatever she was meant to be.
x-x-x
Taiken had managed to pass unnoticed by Kyo, it seemed. He had to admit it was kind of heart warming to see Hawk's change in attitude; Taiken thought he'd never see such tenderness from the aloof hunter.
"Is that all?" asked Taiken, thinking back to the disturbing way she shook and thrashed uncontrollably, her eyes wide and blazing with fear, all in her sleep. Tassy still shuffled nervously next to him; it had made him sick to watch, and Hawk looked nothing short of out of his mind with worry.
She didn't reply. Taiken nodded. "Tassy, back to bed. Have a nice night, Hawk."
Hawk frowned at him, but didn't make any objection. Tassy obediently clambered back to bed, and Hawk set Kyo back lying down. He sat cross-legged at the foot of her bed, and closed his eyes; she curled up contentedly, and was asleep in seconds.
"Cute," he muttered with a smile as soon as he was out of the room.
x-x-x
Kyo woke, bewildered at the sunlight creeping into the room. She sat up, a little restless from the nightmare. She could remember it all too well. She was so sure that it was real…
She looked to the foot of her bed, where Hawk still sat. She marvelled quickly at him; it had to be difficult sleeping sat up. How odd…
"Um… Hawk… sir?" She felt she needed to add the "sir", since she was waking him up. He squinted, opening his dark eyes. "I have to kick you out for a moment while I get changed…"
"Fair enough," he replied, his voice strangely lively for someone who had just woken up. He leapt off the bed, stretching as he left the room. Now stood in the morning light, she saw he was wearing just a pair of trousers. No shirt. Wow. He's… muscly! she thought, staring incredulously at the broad shoulders and well-toned skin. She smiled vaguely after him for a couple of seconds, then shook her head. Just a crush, she assured herself again.
She pulled on her clothes in a slight daze, but found herself incredibly flustered with the daily battle with her hair. It appeared always to have a life of its own, but today especially. It seemed to stick up slightly before falling sleek and flattering around her face. Every time she moved, the silky stuff would swoop exuberantly after her, so she slung it quickly into the usual braid. Still, it swung like a pendulum behind her, but she let it be after hearing an impatient grunt from Tassy.
"Stop looking so irritated," she grumbled, emerging from beneath her duvet.
"My hair won't stay still."
"Well, Kyo, it's hair. It's not supposed to stay still. Secondly, it looks pretty when it's down. Take out that plait."
"It gets in the way if I don't wear it up…" Kyo protested, or at least began to, as Tassy leapt up, yanked the ribbon that secured it out, and shoved Kyo through the door, where she was surprised to see Hawk waiting, fully dressed. He was also somewhat surprised to see Tassy forcing Kyo out of the room.
"You can have this back at the end of the day," said Tassy with a cheeky smile, waving the ribbon in front of the other's face. "Have fun in your lessons."
"Oh… grr!" snapped Kyo, now very flustered, as the door slid shut in front of her.
"Do I want to know what this is about?" said Hawk, a tone of mild amusement in his voice.
"Hair," she sighed, gathering hers self-consciously into her hands.
"I wouldn't know," he replied, scratching his head and frowning. "Women… Hey, you're feeling better?"
Her mind still on her appearance, she hesitated before she answered. "Oh… yes," she said, a little lamely, she thought. Oh my, I'm becoming so vain…
When they reached the archery range, she found her head a little clearer, forcing her to focus on the archery. She slipped back into their light conversations, wondering why she was ever nervous about being around him. But each time he made his way over to adjust her position, her heart stopped, and her skin tingled at his touch.
She was feeling tense now; it felt as though her flesh was roused to alert by every slight breath of air. Her body felt unwilling to move, her fingers felt like they would snap, and breathing was starting to become less than easy.
"I think Ruriko probably goes a little nuts at Samhain," he said casually, as they got onto festivals. And she realized with a sudden feeling of inadequacy that she wanted to ask him to the beginning of Coll… thing. "I think the entire mage caste goes insane about that time of year – good, but check your aim with both eyes before you let go – but Ruriko's already… well…"
"How do you have time to check your aim with both eyes before you fire when you're in the middle of a fight?" she replied incredulously, but doing as recommended when she next notched her arrow. "You know they have a festival at the start of every month here?" The worst thing he can say is no, she thought grimly. And besides, if she didn't ask, Tassy could make her life utter torture if she really wanted to.
"Yeah, Taiken said. He thinks it's great. You're not going with anyone else, are you?"
She was surprised, and so, to mask it, pretended to be very interested in her bowstring and the way she was holding it. Her thoughts and feelings were alert and focused entirely on him though.
"Well…" She took a silent breath; her spine felt so faint she thought she would collapse in on herself. Come on! Just say it and be done! "I was going to ask you, but I know parties aren't really your scene, so if you don't want to go… that's fine," she mumbled in a low voice.
"I'll go… with you," he replied brightly. Her feelings returned in full, light waves of relief, and she found herself grinning like an idiot. She tried to stem the smile slightly, but it returned as soon as she tried focusing on something else.
"What do you normally do at Samhain? I can't imagine you partying all night like mages are supposed to," she said, still feeling tingly, but not wishing to leave an awkward silence behind her question.
"Well, it's a day to remember the dead, and that's what I do. I just find somewhere quiet in the mountains or somewhere and just… think. Oshi does pretty much the same thing; he goes out to the mountains – always has to be mountains – and he spends a few days there by himself. Draco stays with Ruriko, who normally goes out to party in Geffen with the greatest of the mage caste; and don't worry, Draco doesn't party like a mage. She just waits until it's over. Taiken and Chisel will go with, but they won't stay out all night."
"I don't think I've ever seen any mage during Samhain time."
"Consider yourself lucky; they really do go completely nuts."
-X-X-
"… Excuse me?"
"I'm sorry, Miss Ruriko; it's Lord Braxin's orders," replied the slightly grubby captain. He seemed good-natured enough, and he looked truly sorry.
Ruriko made to protest, but Draco cut her off quickly, with a soft, "Very well. We'll need to work something out."
The sage was about to come up with some other objection, but Draco turned quickly and swept away. She turned into the nearest discreet alley she found, and Ruriko trotted after her.
"Who the Hel is this Braxin to order the captains of Alderbaran?" the younger snapped hotly.
"The Baron in charge of it. He has more authority than even the alchemist guild," Draco replied calmly, leaving her sister shaking and hunched over, her hands clenched into fists.
"But why doesn't he want us to get to Comodo?" she all but shrieked.
"I doubt it has anything to do with Comodo," replied the assassin, keeping her tone calm and hoping it would have some impact on Ruriko's anger. "I'm willing to bet we can't leave Alderbaran. I think it's about us not travelling at all."
Ruriko stood still, her eyes widening slightly. She quickly insisted that they try and sail from a different port. However, as Draco predicted, they were halted at the gate.
"Sis, you can sneak us out right?"
"There wouldn't be a lot of point; people will recognise you, and they can stop us from leaving again. I wonder why they don't want us to travel though…"
"If you come with me, miss, I will explain," said a soft voice behind them. Draco wheeled around, and there stood a priestess. She had a narrow, rosy-cheeked face and soft baby-blonde hair. She clasped her hands humbly in front of her, as did most acolytes.
"Who are you?" said Ruriko incredulously, almost snobbishly. It sounded almost like a challenge.
"Pardon me, miss Ruriko," replied the priestess gently. Ruriko frowned as her name was spoken, as though only a chosen, special few were allowed to utter it. "I am Hester, High Priestess of the Pronteran church."
"Ah, and since it would appear that you already know us," said Draco, shaking Hester's hand. "Could you explain what is going on?"
"Prince Tristan sent me; he was angry when he'd heard the orders to not allow the God's Cry to travel," she told them. "Master Orius recommended your guild to help us with the issue of Culvert, as did Master Arne. But the political situation is a little complex; the general idea is that the Barons are afraid of the prince and anything in favour of change."
"Well damn," grumbled Ruriko with a quick pout. By the forsaken gods, she's in a foul mood today…
"Prince Tristan requests an audience with you," continued Hester, her eyes flitting nervously over the sage for less than a second. "And he's already working to let the God's Cry travel freely. Will you come with me?"
"Sure," replied Ruriko with a shrug. Hester nodded and smiled, and took out a small gemstone with a distinctive blue sheen. She muttered a few words, and threw it deftly to the ground with a sweeping motion of her arm. It shattered into glittering azure droplets, which glowed. As the silvery-blue light grew brighter, it blossomed into a perfect circle, which stirred the air above it into a wind. Visible in the circle was what looked Prontera, only upside down, as though it were reflected in water.
Ruriko went first; as she entered the area around the portal, she turned white, and was gone in a blaze of silver light. Draco followed. It was like diving into dark water. She couldn't breathe, and she fell unchecked, but stopped slowly. She tried to look around her, but something had seized her roughly by the legs, and had pulled her forcefully to a standing position. And she was stood in front of the castle in Prontera.
She looked behind to see Hester walking calmly away from the portal, which melted and fell away into the ground.
"This way," said the priestess, beckoning. The sisters followed; Ruriko was pretending to not be interested in the castle and its grounds. Draco calmly let her eyes explore the landscape. It was indeed a grand building. It wasn't the dazzling white of Yuno; it was a calming, soft white. The Prontera flag fluttered gloriously from either side of the (unnecessarily) tall oaken door. The gravel beneath their feet seemed to glitter in the sun, and there was the tranquil flow of a fountain behind them somewhere.
The inside of the castle seemed to be made of marble, with dim amber lights cast over it. All furniture and decoration was nothing short of the finest quality; silken tapestries, ash wood chairs, deep red rugs, oil pictures painted with what could only be the thick, strong dyes from Amatsu…
It wasn't long before they reached the throne room; the prince sat lazily in the throne, of course… but it astonished her to be reminded of just how young he was. Either side of him stood a knight and a wizard. The Barons were gathered dangerously, tall and menacing in their robes, around him. They turned as one to face the new arrivals, their faces wearing barely concealed reactions, some of resent, some of surprise, some of anger.
Ruriko spoke first. "Which one of you is Braxin?" she demanded, her hands on her hips.
"The God's Cry weren't supposed to leave Aldebaran," snapped a bald man, with an oily, black demeanour.
"Oh damn," mocked Draco, with her silky, dry sarcasm.
The baron turned angry eyes first on Hester, then on the prince. Draco saw Prince Tristan suppress a smirk, then fix his gaze, with interest, on her and Ruriko.
"We have the right to travel freely around this land," said the sage forcefully. "Just like the other citizens of Midgard, remember?"
"We have the right to reprimand anyone whom we consider dangerous," replied the only woman amongst the crowd.
"Oh, so now we're a threat?"
"You're war mongering trouble-makers," stated the bald one calmly. His head was shiny, and there was a thin black moustache, carefully preened into a downward curve over his red mouth.
"Wow… Sis, did you know we were that?"
"I see no reason why we cannot go to Comodo," said Draco coldly, narrowing her eyes into dark slits.
"Oh, really now? Unfortunately, that is not for you to decide," said the baron harshly.
"Wrong answer," snapped Ruriko. "Here's how it works: you tell us why we weren't allowed to leave Aldebaran, then we head over to Comodo via warp spell."
"Do you have any idea who you're talking to, girl?"
"Oh, I think my poring doll just fled in terror."
"You don't have any right to order us, nor do you have any right to be here."
"Are you suggesting that we are under arrest?" said Draco with a tone of laughter.
"Unfortunately," interjected the prince forcefully. "The knights will not heed your orders, barons; the most you can do is advise arrest. Now we have some business to discuss about Culvert, which, I believe, has absolutely nothing to do with you."
With one last angry look to everyone in the room lacking the title of "Baron," they swept out like an angry swarm. Draco frowned after them, and she could tell Ruriko was doing the same.
"Politics really bites," she grumbled, pouting. The assassin quietened her with a look, and turned to the prince.
"We cannot go to Culvert at this time," she said blandly. "We must meet with the rest of our guild, then we have some business to take care of. But after, we will immediately make our way here."
"How long will you need?" he asked.
"We need a couple of weeks in Comodo, then it's a week travelling to get back home. Then a day or two with our little crisis."
"The only problem," said the knight, in a surprisingly strong voice. "Is we don't know anything about this swarm, so we don't know how long we can hold it in the sewers, but the sooner we take care of it, the better. And people are starting to disappear down there. With the knights needed to defend the castle and all but one small unit of the crusaders in Geffen, we're becoming shorthanded."
"If the Masters of Geffen were to go down with a few priests, we could at least try and find some sort of source for the swarm," replied the wizard. "I don't know if we could destroy it, but it's the next best option."
"What kind of source would we be looking for though?"
"Well, they can't have just appeared from thin air," said Ruriko, somewhat exasperatedly. "Either they're just been… collecting there for ages, or something's letting them in through a portal of some kind."
"If it's the first suggestion, then there's nothing really to the operation other than walking in and killing everything that scuttles," stated Draco. "I thought there were only four Masters of Geffen now… isn't it a little risky going to Culvert?"
"A priest could teleport us out in no time," said the wizard nonchalantly. "And we are adept enough at looking after ourselves."
"But you're in charge of the entire wizard caste; and by going down there, you're endangering it."
He didn't reply. It seemed he had nothing more to say.
The prince picked up on it quite quickly, and said, "Hester will warp you to Comodo. I trust I will see you in a month."
-X-X-
There were only three nights left until the full moon, and pretty much everyone in Comodo was preoccupied with the festival at this point.
Taiken had been rather surprised when Aravis had approached him and asked if they could use Kyo as part of the entertainment. He blinked, a little astonished, and replied, "She's your student."
"Yes, but I would've felt rude if I just nabbed her without your consent," she replied.
"I would've been more worried about getting her consent."
"That's alright then; she seems to be looking forward to it."
"Aren't you leaving it a bit late? Three days for the students to practice whatever routine you prepared is cutting it a bit fine."
"Three whole days. No breaks. Nothing. Start at the ninth bell. Finish at the night bell."
"I'll be surprised if they're still alive after that kind of schedule," he laughed. He bade the headmistress good afternoon, and decided to find Hawk. Normally, if Taiken didn't find him around the afternoon, Hawk wouldn't eat in the daytime at all. He was normally to be found doing some kind of training.
"Why?" Taiken had spluttered incredulously the first time he had found the hunter practicing.
"Why not?" he grunted back. Taiken had expected that kind of answer.
"You're on holiday. Don't you know how to relax?"
"Well, I'm stood here training; what do you think?"
"Your aim's already perfect, and your falcon is as fast and accurate as it can be. If you want to train, why don't you do something about your not being able to use a sword?"
"And what do you suppose I do about that?"
"You could ask someone to help you; not too difficult, is it?"
Taiken didn't bother waiting for an answer; he knew Hawk had never really been happy with the idea of depending on other people. Some of others – mainly Ruriko, Chisel, and now Kyo, it seemed – didn't mind so much, but they had problems asking for help. It was particularly noticeable with Ruriko; during combat, she would stay back to cast. Her close-quarter combat skills were abysmal so if anything attacked her, she had flee, but she was a fast runner. But if even she were in serious trouble – cornered, injured, under attack… – she wouldn't shout for help.
Today, however, Hawk was sat lazily on top of the mountain, with only his falcon for company, gazing out to sea.
"I thought I'd try that "relaxing" thing," he said without turning around.
"Have you decided what you're going to do for the festival?" Taiken asked.
"Yeah. I'm going with Kyo," replied Hawk quietly.
Taiken blinked, and grinned. Of course, Hawk would deny that it was a date with the "we're just friends" crap. But Taiken couldn't help but a feel a little disappointed; he'd been looking forward to this opportunity to annoy the hunter immensely.
He was about to consider stretching his companion's nerves a bit, but then something completely unexpected happened. Behind them, there was the distinct crackle of magic on the air, and there was gust of wind and a blinding flash of light. As it dimmed a bit, two forms came into view. Their silhouettes shook off the blue blur that came with the spell, and the bard quickly recognised them Draco and Ruriko.
"Why, hello there," he said in a mock-surprised voice. "Travelling by warp portal? You lazy gits."
"We weren't allowed to leave Aldebaran," grumbled Ruriko. The spell had completely vanished now. She looked a lot smaller now that the blue-white light had gone. "And the prince wants us to go to Culvert; we told him OK, but after Kyo's done learning her dances and we've taken care of the… thing."
He nodded sagely, then replied, "You've shrunk, Ruriko."
Draco chuckled softly while Ruriko looked worriedly at how tall she was in comparison to everyone else. Taiken wanted to laugh; Ruriko was only five foot tall, and pretended not to worry about it.
"And we have a festival in this full moon."
Draco looked up, her expression vapid. "Oh yes. Any excuse for a wild party."
x-x-x
Kyo and Tassy sat in the shade of the caves with the usual minimal refreshments, waiting for Kura and Leo to come back with the handouts about the schedule for tomorrow. Kyo wasn't too worried, but Tassy was a little agitated.
"This isn't about me screaming in my sleep, is it? It was just a nightmare," Kyo had asked, almost through gritted teeth. Thankfully, her roommate had been considerate enough to not tell even Kura and Leo.
"That scared me a bit," replied Tassy offhandedly. "It's just we normally have a week to practice for the festivals. I wonder why Mum's leaving it so late?"
"It shouldn't be too bad?"
"I'm telling you, they are going to work us so hard. We won't have any working limbs by the full moon."
"Well, you've got that right," sighed Kura's soft voice from above them. She handed them copies of the schedule and looked at her own, grimacing.
There was a pause as the other two girls looked at theirs. Kyo thought it looked tough, and she turned to Tassy to see her reaction; her eyes widened as her eyes flitted over the paper, and she gave a groan. "That's thirteen hours of work with an hour break! How the hell do they expect to do anything?" she spluttered.
"They're going to make me do part of the dancing," sighed Leo.
"We're dancers; we have to do it everyday."
"I just don't do moving."
"Well, the main d-… Oh…" mumbled Kura.
Tassy jerked around to face her. "Oh? What's oh? Is that oh as in that's very interesting or oh as in we're screwed?"
"Well, just… you know… oh… You two are the centrepiece of the first performance."
"Oh. Gutted," said Leo with a frown. "They're going to work you two so hard."
"I'm going to die," murmured Tassy. "Kyo will be OK, won't you, Miss Workaholic?"
"Your mum wouldn't have chosen you if you couldn't do it."
"No, it's just her way making sure people don't know she likes me best."
-X-X-
"I still think it would be better if Pridith and Jiro came with us," said Arne blandly.
"It's just as the assassin said: you're in charge of an entire caste, essentially," said Hester gently.
They stood in front of the entrance of Culvert. The meadows were bright and basked in sunlight. There was still dew on the grass, which glittered like glass droplets. There was a small brick outpost that held the entrance to the sewers and provided shelter to the Culvert guardians. They entered here now, and stood before them was a pit with a ladder; the bottom wasn't visible.
Now that Hester mentioned the assassin… Arne had honestly been more interested in her sister. She's cute when she's annoyed, he thought, chuckling to himself. He thought wistfully of the little sage. I'll see her in a month, he assured himself, and the thought warmed him slightly.
Tristan had been reluctant to let Arne go, but the prince was eventually persuaded. He had agreed to send Hester with him, but insisted that Kenji, one of the lord knights in charge of the Pronteran chivalry, go with them. Elle had overheard, and told them that she needed something to take her mind off things.
"So we're all ready to go then?" said Kenji, gripping the long sword at his side with casual hands. Hester clutched her bible, Arne picked up his wizard's staff with both hands and checked that the Rodusha cards were in his pocket, and felt Elle do the same, and swish her beads dangerously. They glowed lightly, and she then wrapped over her hand.
Some of the mage and acolyte caste believed they could cast better if they chose a weapon they thought more individual and suited to them, just as a swordsman will fight better with his own sword than with any other's. Arne had heard of some who fought with the strangest items: dolls, cards, lanterns, feather quills, even a strange mage he himself had taught who channelled her spells through a little silver moon hairclip, which fitted over her hand like a gauntlet. Elle had been quite close to her father as a child, before she had been enrolled at Geffen academy and he had been become one of the Champions of Gonryun, and had to remain in the temple. He had given her a string of amber beads for her fifth birthday, and they were her weapon of choice now.
The Culvert guardians – a priest and four knights – took a quick look at the papers which said they were registered members of the Culvert volunteer force, and bade them good luck, and Kenji lowered himself down the ladder into the sewers. Arne went next. There was cold, dank smell rushing into his lungs. He climbed down the ladder as quickly as he could, but when he reached the bottom, Kenji was sat lazily on the floor as though he'd been waiting for ages. Apparently, he'd slid down the ladder. Elle and Hester came down one after another.
There was a dull flow water all around them, and the air was damp and musty. There was a drip coming from somewhere that didn't matter, and the constant flicker of torches was somewhat discomforting.
"Looks like exactly what I expected it to be," said Kenji as he stood up. "Filled with thief bugs and a bunch of kids."
Arne frowned, but the knight was most certainly right. Not a long distance away was the pounding of combat and the screech of the thief bugs. Just about all of the people had barely begun their training for their first class job. It was weird to watch; most of them were just entering adolescence, or were even younger. There was an especially efficient looking archer, who was sniping the bugs rapidly; she had little black pigtails and pale skin, and the looks of a Payonese girl. She couldn't be any older than six. There were swordsmen, acolytes, a few mages, pale archers, richly dressed merchants, even youngsters discernable from the rabble who, judging by their tans, ragged clothes and their wild-looking, easy and evidently self-taught fighting styles, could only be some of the thieves that prowled the streets of Morroc, seeking a chance in volunteer work.
Arne's eyes flittered over the crowds across the wide walkway. The thieves stuck together, the mages and the archers worked alone, the acolytes hung around with anyone, and the merchants stayed with the swordsmen. They all seemed to be fairing fine against the thief bugs, but the creatures just kept coming from somewhere to assist their companions.
"We should go deeper," said Elle, pawing the string of amber beads.
They set off, drawing stares as they went. The acolytes would bow to Hester as she passed, as she no doubt tutored just about all of them when she had the time.
"They're here under orders," she explained to her three companions. "I convinced Canth to send a few of them combat training down here. Some of them were far too happy about it. I'm not surprised. When you first enter the church, it's so difficult."
It was tedious getting to the ladder that led them deeper into the sewers. The ladder itself wasn't so far away, but there was an odd formation of bridges to be navigated, which came to about a quarter of a mile walking.
Arne went first down first when they got there; he wanted to see if Kenji really did slide down ladders. The wizard stepped down, feeling a bite of cold as he stood in lightly running water. He stood in what looked like a tunnel with a murky stream gliding through it. There was a splash behind him and a small yelp of surprise.
Arne turned to see Hester gingerly checking her feet, and she was followed by Elle. Kenji plummeted after them (sliding, of course), ignoring the splash of his boots as he landed.
Elle had walked a little ahead, and yelled out as she something flew at her. She threw hand defensively in front of her face, and shouted the chant for a quick lightning bolt. There was a flash, and the spell sprung into existence, then shot like a javelin to its target. After the static of the lightning ebbed away, they saw the attacker had only been a small bat, no bigger than a man's skull, a dull grey in hue.
"Ooh, watch out, Elle; after perhaps about an hour of scratching you, the big scary familiar might actually do you some harm," said Arne teasingly.
"I was startled," she replied curtly, her eyes flashing dangerously.
"I don't think those bats should be called familiars," sighed Kenji.
"What would you call them then?"
"Annoying."
They pressed on, but Arne lit his staff with a spell of sight, and Elle did the same with her beads. They had a pleasant red glow. They quickly came across more thief bugs, but these ones were about twice the size of the ones on the level above, about six inches long, and they had a distinct greenish hue. They shrieked as soon as they saw the intruders, and attacked, their useless wings fanned out. But they didn't pose any more than their smaller relatives, it seemed; Kenji leapt forward and sliced one in half with evident ease, and the wizards dispatched the others with a simple spirit spell.
The new bugs attacked in groups of three or more, and killing them was easy enough. Hester was able to stride up to one and smash it with her bible. They reached another ladder that took them down.
"I don't think anybody really goes that deep," the priestess said with a frown. "In fact, nobody has probably gone this deep; or else we would have heard something about those… evolved thief bugs."
"Evolved? I guess that's a good way of describing them. But what are they?" mused Elle.
"I don't know. But – well, we could take them out, no problem – but what about the fighters above?"
"Let's just go deeper; we might find the source," said Kenji, quite fiercely. He leapt down the ladder and was gone. The others followed. They were now stood in…
"Well, this doesn't look like a sewer now at all, does it," said Hester, her voice calm, but her eyes surprised and confused.
Arne would've thought she was being sarcastic, the way she said it, but he agreed with her. The water down here was clear and was still like a moat, and there were lanterns above their head. The floor was made of sand – damp sand, but sand all the same.
Elle held her beads in front of her, and took off on a sensing spell. Arne gripped his staff and slipped into the semi-awareness of the same spell. His focus hovered easily over the terrain, feeling the thick dank atmosphere rush past him, damp and cold. There were more thief bugs, but from what he could tell, there was no way to go deeper.
He fell back to his body, and told the others what he'd found, and Elle related the same information.
"We don't need to go deeper," whispered Hester, a little shaken. "I think I've found it."
"What was it?"
"A creature. I tried to not dwell on it too long."
"Lead the way, Hester," said Kenji, gesturing with his hand. The priestess nodded, and, clutching her bible slightly nervously, set off other one of the bridges, which swayed precariously beneath them, evidently not built for humans. They encountered a sparse few creatures. They came to a walkway that was quite narrow, and edged along the wall across it. They crossed another bridge, and then they came across what they were looking for.
Arne frowned and blinked incredulously. It was a… giant golden thief bug? It had to be about half his height, and a gleaming gold in colour. It fidgeted non-stop with its front legs, which had spines running along them, and made a sickening grating noise as they ran along each other. The protective shell over its back looked solid and smooth, as though nothing could penetrate it. It had fanged pincers that dripped with some kind of clear, glutinous liquid, and clicked menacingly.
As soon as it saw them, it shrieked with such a piercing, unbearable scream, and lunged madly at them, spreading its wings. Kenji ran forward to meet, and raised his sword. He brought the blade crashing into its hide, making a small dent. It leapt at him, screaming, but he knocked it back with a powerful bash. The second it landed, it yelled again, and the knight ran at it again. He yelled the incantation for a swordsman's spell. He closed the gap between he and his foe, and struck at it rapidly, making small marks over its back.
But something was wrong; in a hollow, rasping voice, it was…
"It's casting-…!" yelled Elle, but it had been too quick; a pillar of fire leapt up beneath Kenji. He yelled out in pain and leapt back, staring incredulously at the wall of fire between him and the golden bug. He quickly patted out a flame on his glove, and was nursing a burn on his ear. The bug leapt forward again, and fastened its pincers around the knight's middle. He screamed again and its grip tightened. Arne and Elle were casting lightning and ice bolt spells, but they were having little or no effect. Hester had begun to pray.
"De profundo lacu, libera me de ore leonis, ne cadam in obscurum, ne absorbeat me Tartarus. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison."
Hester was now hurriedly muttering endless blessings upon her companions, and she quickly healed Kenji's burns. Arne cast the storm gust spell, the ice and blistering wind ripping through the atmosphere. When the spell crackled out of existence, there was still a splinter of ice lodged into the hide of the creature. It turned immediately and went for him; Elle shouted the chant of a lightning spell, which struck its target with a crackle, and Kenji chased after it.
The golden bug shrieked, and some of the green bugs responded. At least twenty of them rushed to assist the golden one. Kenji kept attacking it, with Hester stemming his injuries, and the wizards quickly set about dispatching the smaller ones. Arne summoned up the spell of the fire bolt into his staff, deftly stabbed one bug with the weapon, then cast the spell over a group of the creatures that were about to attack Hester. The mob hadn't been difficult to handle, but Kenji wasn't making any damage to the golden bug.
Hester was casting too much; Arne was starting to worry about her. "Kenji, if Hester runs out of the energy to cast," he yelled warningly. "Then she won't be able to heal us or cast the warp portal to get us out of her!"
Kenji nodded, and kept attacking. The wizards joined him now, casting destructive spells non-stop. Without warning, the bug suddenly went for Arne. He raised his hand instinctively, but it sank its pincers through his hand. He screamed in absolute agony, seeing the pincers go right through. The staff fell from his grip, and he felt his balance failing. With a dull thud, he fell backwards, and the air left his lungs. The bug was surprisingly heavy, pinning him, its pincers reaching out for his face. He threw out his uninjured hand in an attempt to hold it back. But it was quite a lot stronger than he was; his entire arm shook in its socket from the effect. He heard Elle scream a chant for a spell, and a very large (overdone, possibly) fireball soared through the air. It knocked the golden bug back, but it lodged its pincers into his stomach for ground. He thought his head would explode in pain, and he screamed as loud as he could, but it didn't ease the agony.
Kenji sprinted forward, and kicked viciously at it to get it away from Arne. The wizard looked in horror and the gaping wounds over his torso, blood leaking from them profusely.
"Hester, get us out of here!" shrieked Elle, stricken and panicking. Arne remembered seeing her like that when Geffen was being destroyed. Hester took out a gemstone without hesitation, and Elle ran to Arne, pulling him up to a standing position. He grimaced as his head started swimming, and the feeling in his legs was barely registering. He staggered, and she grabbed him by the arm, steadying him.
When he next looked to Hester, she'd opened the portal.
"You two first," she said. The wizards hurried to the portal; he thought he'd throw up. It was nauseating, and he was starting to notice the feeling that he was losing blood. That explains how people went missing, he thought, trying to ignore the awful churning of his body through the portal.
He emerged in the throne room of Prontera castle, which was empty of everyone except a couple of knights at the door.
"Send for the king and High Priest Canth," said Elle fiercely. It seemed her panic hadn't worn off just by leaving Culvert. One of the knights nodded and dashed out, and other ran to the wizards, and, with Elle, helped Arne into a sitting position. It at least made him feel less dizzy. The knight took out a bottle filled with red potion, and helped tip the stuff down the wizard's throat. Even as he swallowed it, he felt a little strength return to him, the pain ebbed away slightly and his vision sharpened – he hadn't realized it had been slipping out of focus.
Kenji stepped through the portal, and was followed shortly by Hester, and it closed safely behind her.
"Arne, I'm sorry I didn't get to you in time," said the knight, his eyes wide with woe.
"Don't apologise. You don't need to."
Hester knelt down next to him, and began to heal the wounds on his chest. But it was evident that she was exhausted, and the most she could do was stem the bleeding. She looked sorrowfully at the hole in his hand. He held it up, and grimaced, realizing he could see straight through it.
"Even if I had the strength," she said, her voice bare and weak. "I wouldn't be able to heal that properly. It would scar."
At that moment, Tristan came barging anxiously through the doors, followed by a priest who could only be Hester's brother, Canth. He immediately hurried forward and closed Arne's gashes. The wizard had never quite got over the feeling of being healed; watching the skin return normal, the wound melting away, strength returning and the pain disappearing.
Surely enough, when the priest had healed the hole in his hand, there was a sallow patch of skin that looked strained and stretched, with a smooth texture. It looked almost like a star, white against his bronzed skin.
"He'll be OK, right?" said Tristan, staring at Arne with concern written all over his face.
"Master Arne will be fine; he'll need to rest a lot the next few days though. He lost quite a bit of blood," Canth replied. It was true; Arne felt exhausted, and heavy, like his body didn't have the energy to move at all. "Hester, Master Elle, Master Arne, I suggest you go and rest now. I will tend to Kenji."
He made his way over to the lord knight, and the other three did as recommended, setting off in their different directions. Hester could barely lift her feet, and her shoulders sagged as though under tremendous pressure. Tristan escorted Arne to the wizard's quarters in silence. As they reached their destination, Arne began to recount what had happened, but Tristan shushed him.
"Tell me tomorrow," he said firmly. "You're resting now. Good night."
"Night? It's only been a few hours since the midday bell."
The prince just smirked and walked away.
Arne had to say he was intensely relieved to see his bed, and he lay down without a second thought. He knew he should be worried by his near scrape with death, that he should be wondering what that golden bug was, what it was doing, what was going on with Culvert… but unfortunately for all his little worries, sleeping was a much more appealing option.