Ch. 7: Arrows of the Past
I looked around; there was no one in sight… The pale moon gleamed with all her grandeur. The lush grassland had the very appearance of a verdant sea…with the calm zephyrs forming waves. The stars…I had never before seen them as clearly as now…
"You should know… Kutolahn tradition say that Father Sky and Mother Earth are the source of all life… The soul comes from the heavens, and the body comes from the soil. When we die, our body once again becomes a part of the earth, and our souls are reunited with our father, the divine entity," Sue pointed to the sky, "My father is up there, watching me…likely lamenting the fact that he cannot be part of the Kutolah renaissance…and cannot help us any further…but also showing pride in how far we've come…"
The Rath? Lamenting?! Showing sadness would be the last emotion I would expect Rath to show…along with happiness, fear, curiosity, surprise, disgust…must I continue the list…?
"This is the battlefield in which the battle of the Kutolahs against the Djute and Bern took place," replied Sue, "with your abilities, you can temporarily resurrect my father, can you not?"
"You are aware that it is highly unlikely that this will be successful, correct?" I reminded her.
"But even unlikely is a possibility," remarked Sue, "once this séance is completed and successful, I will not inform anyone of this and I will also grant you the 'item' I promised you earlier..."
Sigh, I can't believe I was cajoled by this nomad… But, the allure of that "item" is too much for me…
"Remind me…how did you figure out my true identity again?" I asked.
Sue pointed to my satchel…and said, "Gespenst… Canas, you are the only mage who possesses the sole copy of this book."
Ah…so that's how…wait…I concealed that book between…she went through my possessions?!
"As to why I went through your belongings, I wanted to borrow a…vulnerary…," explained Sue.
"Vulnerary…right…," I muttered…she was dubious, but there was no point in pursuing the matter…"First, allow me to do some reconnaissance…," I removed my monocle.
"Reconnaissance?" Sue asked.
"It would be unpleasant if there are any eavesdroppers or observers around…" I opened one of my books that was titled Elder Clairvoyance.
"Elder Clairvoyance?" asked Sue "Clairvoyance…as in…fortunetelling?"
"You may find it a little…different than your Sacaen mumbo jumbo…," I began to chant, "Seleyna Nahtreh Trafese Mateldna Seyenym Dinuora Etingi Wodahs Foelcri Kacalba, Scry!"
Suddenly black flames ignited and flickered around my right eye.
"Canas, your eye!" exclaimed Sue with a gasp.
"Do not worry. I assure you it's not the least bit painful…," I reassured her as I looked around, "This otherworldly flame exists in a dimension parallel to ours…it can be considered as a…sight-enhancing enchantment. Hmm…there doesn't seem to be anyone around… There seems to be houses around fourteen to sixteen kilometers away from here… But they seem uninhabited… This is the perfect setting… However, it would be rather unkind of me to not warn you again that…this summoning trick of mine is no different than pulling an apple out of a barrel full of pears. It isn't absolute that your father will be the one brought forth from the underworld. As this area was formerly a battlefield in the war against Bern, it significantly decreases the probability of summoning a certain person."
"Still, I am not willing to give up…please proceed with the seance."
"Very well, then…," I extracted the scroll from my satchel and began to chant, "Delliflu Febilli Wisrede Enylha Traeruo Yceno Tihfira Eppasi Dilliwu Oyhague Hetlae Dilliflufe Benacrono Hafodee Niruoyta Hatos Nevae Hegnipa Casesuh Tecalpyl Drawshtota Kacabe Mocelt Tabefoel Dedime Hetinella Fesahoh Wecitsu Jeforoirraw, Summon!"
A rune formed on the earth, and the pillar of light shot up into the sky…then it dissipated, only leaving behind…a nomad.
"No, that isn't him," said Sue, "Canas, if you summon the wrong person, how do you…dispose…of it…"
"Well, Miss Sue," I explained, "These phantoms are composed of ectoplasm, which you can consider to be a mass of life energy…the substance that forms the spirit… This spell summons this ectoplasm bonds and them together with enough cohesion and sentience to form a ghastly image of the soul being summoned… However, the spiritual bonds are not that sturdy, thus…," I quickly jabbed at the phantom with my index finger…the ghost burst into swirls of energy and dissipated, "A mere touch is enough for the bonds to become loose, leading them to fall apart…"
"I see, please summon the next soul, and pray that it is my father's…," said Sue.
"Very well," I answered, "Delliflu Febilli…"
I summoned another specter…The next spirit was…a woman, who was obviously not Rath (well, at least I hope so…not that it matters to me), and this time, it was Sue who dispersed her.
The third spirit wasn't Rath either…despite the fact that the spectral light obscured his features, he appeared to be but a youth not a day over seventeen…
"Lunfe?! Is that you?!" exclaimed Sue.
The spirit turned and spoke in an inhuman-sounding voice [Sue… It seems that you have survived…[ said the phantom [You're quite lucky aren't you… Most of us…weren't so fortunate were we?[
"Lunfe…I…," before she could finish…
A stone burst forth from his chest and a small hole formed… The fissure in the spirit particles gradually began increasing in size… Sue, with a look of horror on her face, stretched out her hand but "Lunfe" had evanesced and completely faded away into nothingness… Sue turned around to see a reading me.
"You!" Sue exclaimed, "W-Why did you do that?"
"What do you mean?" I asked without looking up.
"You threw that stone at Lunfe from behind, didn't you?" Sue accused me, "There is no way a rock would suddenly come out of a spirit for no reason! Unlike the previous two, I actually recognized him…he was a friend of mine…"
"Sorry to break up your little reunion, but… He wasn't Rath, and isn't our purpose to find your father?" I replied while putting my book away, "Besides, the number of summons I can cast a day is…how should I put this…limited…"
"Are you only capable of three summons a day?" asked Sue, "And why did you not inform me about this earlier…?"
"Not quite… Let me put it this way," I answered, "In actuality, there are no boundaries to the number of times it is cast…but it does have…a…great…toll…on my body… Ah…it…seems to…be taking…effect…"
I was forced to lean on my Heal staff for support; Ninian's dances would be quite helpful right now…I could use a little invigoration…
"I understand your condition…but please continue…," said Sue.
The longing to see her father has grown into an obsession… Sigh…
"Frankly, this whole séance seems pointless in my opinion," I responded, "Rath may be ali…"
"You want to know about Rath, huh? I could tell you, but I wonder if you're worthy of that info," said a voice from behind us…
I leapt back in surprise…two figures had approached us… They both wore long cloaks with hoods that veiled their faces. The one that spoke d a long blade with a curved edge strapped to his waist; the other carried a sword as well (though shorter in length), and a bow and quiver of arrows could be seen on his back.
Impossible! With my scrying eye, I could have easily detected two human auras...unless they concealed them…but how…?
"If you're wondering how we snuck up on you… We…never mind," he shook his head, "…what good would it do you to know…"
I swore I heard that somewhat high-pitched, cocky voice before…
"You know about my father, don't you? Where is he?!" demanded Sue.
"Like I said, I know his whereabouts…," said the first of our mysterious guests, "But I find no point in telling you…"
Sue strung her bow, "Then I must force it out of you!"
"Are you sure you want to trust them?" I warned her, "I am rather skeptic toward them… Those cloaked men seem rather dubious if you ask me…"
The hooded man brandished his sword, "Well then, come! Show me your strength! But I'll give you a head start. I'll make no attempt to dodge your first attack."
Sue fired an arrow…she must have inherited marksman skills from her father as well…
Before it reached its target, the arrow snapped in half and fell in front of the hooded man's feet harmlessly…
"Heh…is that all you got?" asked the enigmatic man.
"How can this be?!" exclaimed Sue, "He didn't even move!"
"Oh yes, he did…," I explained to her…, "That man cut the arrow before it could reach him… It's just that he moved so quickly that movement wasn't perceptible… Sue, your opponent may be more formidable that you believe him to be…"
"Heh, you could see that?" asked the swordsman.
"You may have hidden your aura before, but…," I pointed to my dark-flaming eye, "Once you have been marked by this spell, detection is inescapable…"
"Yeah? Then detect this!" the swordsman charged at me and swung his blade in a wide arc, but I managed to block the blow just in time with my staff.
"Wait…oops I forgot…my bad…that summoning spell sapped your strength…," he sheathed his blade, "I've no interest in fighting those in a weakened state."
Sue had taken this opportunity to fire another arrow…this time at point blank range.
"So that's how it is… You play dirty don't you?" said the swordsman, but he smiled as the arrow stopped in mid-flight and fell to the floor in two pieces.
The other hooded man, the one who hadn't spoken yet, had shot another arrow which was able to knock Sue's projectile off its course…
What skill…he was able to split a fired arrow…such frightening precision…Who are these people?
"Heh! You're not bad!" yelled the swordsman, "Yet, you're still not good enough to challenge the Saint of Swords the First!"
"You're Karel?!" asked Sue, "The legendary…"
"No, did you not hear me?" said the stranger with a tone of irritation in his voice "I said Saint of Swords the First, it is a former title….it was abdicated when I lost to that Karel…"
The stranger removed his hood…
"Y-You!" I exclaimed…it couldn't be! But I though that he had died!
"Canas, it's been a while….," said the stranger.
"Canas, is he one of your acquaintances?" asked Sue
"Yes…that Guy just happens to be someone I know…" I answered.