II.I Conviction and Malediction

Splinters splashed through the air as a fierce shout filled the forest just outside of Elder. Grunting and grumbling, Elsword kicked against the trunk of a large pine, yanking and tugging at his sword until he finally got it free. Suspended from the branches overhead, a dozen heavy logs and trunks bore the wounds of a heavy blade, the result of Elsword's self-imposed training regimen. After steadying the swinging logs and centering himself, he took a slow, deep breath and closed his eyes. Drawing his hands up swiftly, he pulled his blade around and hit three trunks in one swing, allowing his momentum to carry him into the next strike and slicing across two trunks at his back. As the first set of targets swung back, he stepped between them, allowing their bulk to slide off the flat of his blade before delivering a final thrust. Two swinging trunks spun and drifted off to either side of Elsword as sweat flew from the edges of his face. Then, a third trunk slammed right into his shoulder, and another into his back a moment later. He stumbled to his knees and panted, slamming his fist into the ground as he returned to his feet. Scowling, he drew back and punched the nearest log in frustration and promptly recoiled form the pain, shaking his hand out as he gathered up his sword and headed back into town.

"Ow! Stupid..."

It had been three days since Wally fled with the El, crossing into the desert and burning the only bridge for miles behind him. Though anxious to follow after him, Elsword, Aisha, and Rena had little choice but to remain in Elder while the bridge was repaired and their wounds healed. Following Wally's escape, the people of Elder banded together and approached the castle, hoping to claim the titles to their land and appeal to the kingdom of Velder for recognition as an independent city-state rather than a fiefdom ruled by an absent Lord. Surprisingly, those knights who remained at the castle opposed their efforts and put up a staunch resistance that held until the garrison's knight captain declared his surrender, asking the townsfolk for help in burying the dead and repairing the extensive damage caused by Wally's nasod. Faced with the defense of a broken, abandoned castle through the harshest days of winter, the lot of Wally's former soldiers quickly followed suit and soon Elder was bustling with activity as workers hurried between the castle, the market, and the charred remains of the bridge leading into the desert.

For those in pursuit of the El, however, the excitement and enthusiasm that filled the streets was a bitter comfort. The instant he was well enough to walk, Elsword had stormed off into the woods and started to train himself, ending each day with more cuts and scrapes than had healed the previous evening. Despite having destroyed Wally's nasod, he and his companions realized that none of them were strong enough to take the El back from Wally even if they were able to catch up to him. Aisha became more determined, Rena was more focused, but Elsword only grew more frustrated as he struggled just to get the better of a dozen swinging logs. Wincing, he strode off to the nearest tavern where he stopped just long enough to gather up a pile of meat and bread before heading back into the forest.

Across town, a quick rhythm echoed through Hoffman's shop as a bandaged hand rapt its knuckles across his door.

"Yes, we're open! Come right in!" Hoffman shouted from the recesses of his storeroom and hurried to the front counter as the door creaked open and Aisha stepped inside.

"You're Hoffman, right?" She closed the door behind her and slowly approached the counter. Hoffman smiled wearily, his eyes heavy and red from a near total lack of sleep since Wally's departure.

"Yes, I am indeed. What can I do for you?"

Aisha walked straight up to the counter and stared at Hoffman, her eyes stern and resolved. "I need all the grimoires you have, and a history of the nasod."

"I- well..." Hoffman stumbled through his words, unsure of how to respond to her request. "I'll show you what I have. Come with me." Motioning toward the storeroom, he slid his hand across the counter as he led Aisha toward a large case of dust covered books.

"Now, let's see... This..." A thick, leather bound tome tugged against its neighbors as Hoffman withdrew it into his hands, "is probably the best reference on the nasod I've ever seen. Granted, it's the only one I've ever seen, so I don't know how useful it could be to you. As for grimoires... we have a few, three I think, but... I'm not sure how useful they'd be to you."

Aisha took the leather bound book and nestled it under her arm. "I don't care, I need to see all of them."

Hoffman sighed. "Alright... well, here are two of them... they're both very basic though, one of them is even written for children, not that I see the point of that." He quickly picked out two thin, weather worn grimoires and handed them over to Aisha. Just as he said, they were extremely basic and with just a glance inside the cover, Aisha could tell that there were scarcely anything within that she didn't already know. Disappointed, she frowned and looked back to Hoffman.

"You said you had three though, right? Where's the other one?"

"That's..." Running his hand over his balding head, he averted his eyes and laid his gaze on a small, ornate lockbox covered in a thick layer of dust and dirt. "I don't think you'd want anything to do with that one. It's the grimoire we confiscated from a dark magician who terrorized the city some decades ago. Nothing inside it could possibly be good if it got out into the world."

Aisha glared at him, unconsciously scowling as she pouted. "That's the one I need then!"

"No! Young lady, this is dark, destructive magic and it's locked away for a reason! We'd burn it if we could, but the book survived every fire we threw it in. I cannot give you such an evil thing."

A calm contempt filled Aisha's eyes. "Magic isn't evil, it's only people that are. It doesn't matter if it's dangerous magic, that just means its powerful, and I need it so that we can stop Wally without getting ourselves killed."

Faced with her determined, albeit stubborn gaze and sound logic, Hoffman breathed deeply and held his breath as he unlocked the case of the dark grimoire.

"If I give this to you, you must swear to me that you will never use this magic anywhere near civilization or where there are people or animals around. It's far too dangerous to use on a whim, and far too powerful to use indiscriminately."

Aisha nodded. "Alright, I promise." She reached down and picked up the dense grimoire, shaking the dust from its pages and inspecting this supposed object of great evil. In her judgment, it was a book just like any other, perhaps with a few protective enchantments to keep it safe from rain and fire, but a book nonetheless. In her excitement, she began to flip through its pages and drink in everything that she saw. Within the first tenth of the book there were already a dozen formulas she'd never encountered before, instructions on how to use the energies of nature and life and darkness in ways she'd never even considered. Her jubilation was interrupted by a dull clap as Hoffman reached forward and shut the grimoire, anxiety pouring across his face.

"Please... don't read that here."

Confused and then annoyed, Aisha sighed and placed the grimoire beneath her arm along with the rest of the books, nodding and returning to the front of the shop. Hoffman followed, stopping to retrieve a small trinket from a drawer, placing it atop Aisha's stack of books. She stood up on the tips of her toes and examined what looked to be an ornate broach crafted in the shape of a tiny skull. Intrigued, Aisha took it in her hands and turned it over.

"What's this?"

"This was the head of a fairy, trapped in our world and killed for its skull. Supposedly, it's a powerful talisman that wards off curses, but... the very making of such a thing is so repulsive that most people can't bear to even look at it."

As she hefted the broach and traced its lines, it became clear to her that it was made of ceramic and not bone, in the shape of a owl's skull rather than a fairy's.

"I-is that right?" She smiled awkwardly, not wanting to challenge Hoffman's assertion given the stern, grave look in his eyes. Silently, he nodded back to her and placed his hands on the counter.

"Please, take this as well and wear it. It may seem inconvenient, but if you really want to study that grimoire, I think the people you pass by deserve to know that you're capable of using extremely hazardous magic. It is only right that we should warn them ahead of time."

Aisha's amusement at his misplaced gravity faded and she took the talisman into her pocket.

"Fine. But, if you're so afraid of it, why do you even have stuff like that in your shop? The grimoire too, why did you keep it all these years?"

Hoffman wrung his hands out. "It's not a matter of choice, I assure you. Since I'm the head of the merchant's association, my shop doubles as a storehouse for some of the merchants who don't have any place to keep their goods. Because of that, I often get saddled with things that nobody wants and, well... it wouldn't be right to give these things away to just anyone. Oh, don't worry about payment." He shook his hand as Aisha reached for her coin purse. "We admire you all for standing up to Wally and stopping his nasod from doing more damage than it did, so this much is the least we can do for you."

"Oh, Thank you." Aisha spoke as politely as she could, trying to ignore the odd mixture of gratitude and aversion Hoffman was displaying toward her.

"You won't reconsider, will you?" He looked at her with a deep, uneasy concern. "A young lady such as yourself can surely find other, less... severe ways to better herself."

Aisha put on the happiest, though least sincere smile she could manage and gathered up her books. "Don't worry, I'll be fine! Thanks again!" She bounced out of Hoffman's shop as he waved and smiled faintly at her, still staring at her with a faint anxiety in his eyes. Once Aisha was out in the street, her fake smile faded into a genuine grimace.

"What was his problem? It's not like I'm bathing in the blood of small children or losing my innocence just because I'm learning how to make clouds of acid..." She huffed and puffed as she stomped back to the inn, shrugging off the winter wind and blowing her ruffled hair out of her eyes. Tugging at the end of her bangs, she noticed that almost every strand was singed and twisted, scorched in her desperate attempts to stop Wally's No. 7. Forgetting the anxiety and discomfort that had filled Hoffman's shop, she stepped brightly and smiled. As she balanced her pile of books between her bandaged hands, she looked up at the clearing skies and pondered the pair of scissors she'd purchased a few days earlier.

"I wonder if I could get Rena to cut my hair for me?"