Winter's Hope – Tales of the Frostborne
by Koibito
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Vindictus. They are the property of DevCat and Nexon. This story was written for the Nexon America 2015 'Tales of the Frostborne' writing contest. I placed 6th, which is not bad.
Unbetaed.
A little fire wisp flitted to and fro, flickering within the fingers of a young enchantress. She deliberated a moment, gazing around at the empty room, unsure if she wanted to see the remnants of what was once the White Whale Inn. A heartbeat passed, two, three, and she snapped her fingers. The little wisp raced to the nearby oil lantern and a soft glow lit up the room. The light seemed to keep the gloom at bay but even that could not shake the shadows of the terrible battle she had just fought. With a soft thud, she dropped her bag of supplies on the table where Allysse once sat, happily smiling, always welcoming—
Evie tore her eyes away from the table, unaware that they were slightly damp. She half-turned when a knock sounded from the threshold – for that was all that remained; the door blasted clean off its hinges in the battle with the Inquisitor.
"Kean," a short nod in greeting was all she could muster. The man's eyes were unreadable; he had still yet to change from his Elite Knight uniform, a symbol of pride and honour now battered, bloody, and bruised. "I was..." she cleared her throat awkwardly, "I just wanted to say goodbye..."
"In my experience, dwelling on the past brought only terrible things," he replied softly. "I will give you a moment, and then we must take our leave. Malina is no longer a safe haven, neither is Rocheste. There is nowhere to turn before the Pontiff's Court will be at our doors. We must make haste."
Evie nodded shakily, unaware of her grip tightening on her scythe; her staff had been broken beyond repair and all that remained were a few bone white shards of barrel fragments. With great effort, she snatched her satchel from the table and strode out of the Inn with purpose. Kean stepped aside to let her through. At the threshold, she paused and with a snap of her fingers, the little lantern extinguished.
"So where are we headed?" she asked nonchalantly, fighting to keep her voice steady, knowing the answer in her heart but fearing it would be said regardless.
"I'm sure you are familiar with the place. It is a little backwater town not far from Rocheste, but still so unassuming that the Pontiff's Court would take no interest in it," Kean said roughly as the pair made their way to the Docks. Most of the ships and dinghies had been destroyed when the Inquisitor had passed into Malina, leaving only a few small vessels.
Colhen.
Evie's grip had tightened on her scythe, so much so that her knuckles were turning as white as her old staff. Unwittingly, the faces of a time forgotten began to resurface, bringing with them the demons she thought she had left behind. Friendships and trust – forged in life and death situations had brought them all closer, but that had all been destroyed in one fell swoop. Tieve had been a light of hope to them all, but her... disappearance had snuffed that hope and somehow, all their memories as well.
And it happened again, she thought darkly as the Ferryman's gaunt, unsmiling face greeted them without recognition. "The waters have finally calmed again," was all he said as he lead them to his boat, miraculously untouched. "They haven't been this calm since..." he trailed off then, unsure of himself, but Evie knew. Her arrival in Malina had been the catalyst to many strange events, but in the end, she had remained, untouched in the aftermath of Malina's destruction.
"My lady," Kean held a hand out to her, helping her onboard. "You'd best stay in the Cabin tonight. You need your rest. I will handle any sea monsters we come across." Evie knew it was pointless to argue, despite wanting to point out that since she had defeated the Devil in the water, no sirens sang in the seas. She bid Kean and the Ferryman goodnight before retiring to her quarters.
That night, the memories of what she had left behind – now what she was returning to – plagued her until she fell into fitful sleep. Malina had been a safe haven, a place to go when you were on the run and no one questioned who you were or where you came from. Now, even that sanctity had been razed to the ground, and with it, the friendships she had made with the Coffer Chasers were gone faster than she could Blink. It hadn't been the first time, however, as if that hadn't been cruel enough.
Fate had been a vindictive mistress, turning friend after friend into blissful tabula rasa – the blank slate – leaving her with the painful burden of being the only person who still remembered. The Gnolls, the Fomors, the Dragons, and the demons they had fought, always together and never alone. The people who had been killed in the line of duty – Gwynn and Ellis, Ingkells, Tieve and Keaghan – and Evie was the only soul who would remember them.
Come morning, on very little sleep, they had disembarked at the shores of a sleepy little town that looked the same as the day Evie had first arrived to Colhen. At some point during the night, Kean had changed into his usual attire and now fit in with the rest of the inhabitants. People in Colhen were usually so pale, but spending a year in sun and beaches of Malina had given Evie a tan, and she knew straight away that she wouldn't fit in – rather ironic, all things considered.
Regardless, it was heavily snowing now, so she made sure to dress appropriately, shrugging on her travelling robes over the pirate garments forged from the Kraken's defeat. By her knowledge, at least a year had transpired since Tieve's disappearance and although it left many people uneasy, the people of Colhen were still as friendly as Evie could recall. People greeted the pair as they passed into the town centre, where an impressive decorated tree stood in the middle, but their smiles did not reach their eyes.
Outsiders.
The people of Colhen always knew that 'outsiders' were synonymous with trouble. Kean returned the greetings with a smile of his own, making their way to the Colhen Inn, with hopes of food and a well deserved bath. Evie knew this place like the back of her hand but she squashed the feelings of familiarity – it would not do to startle the people of Colhen with open greetings and smiles like she once did a year ago, for they had no recollection of a troubled young Enchantress who could control the elements and gravity itself. It would be best to keep her powers to herself, for now, anyway.
"Hello!" a dark-haired woman dressed in simple Oracle robes greeted them from a nearby table. She stood and crossed the room to shake their hands. "My name is Seanna. You must be new to Colhen."
Evie stole a glance at Kean's face and was inwardly jealous of his ability to remain completely impassive. But his eyes were wavering at the sight of the woman he fought to protect and almost gave his life for. Seeing Seanna safe here in Colhen was a relief, and perhaps her lack of memories was for the best. A few moments passed and the smile slowly slid from Seanna's lips, reluctantly, awkwardly, when no reply was forthcoming. The mage nudged her companion and he snapped out of his reverie, giving the Oracle a tight smile.
"We are. We have travelled from afar. Have you any vacancies?" he asked politely, as he did when talking to most strangers. Seanna's eyes lit up with delight as she nodded eagerly.
"We do! I'm new here as well, so I know how it feels to be," her voice dropped to a hush, "an outsider." Evie's heart twinged at the word, and it felt almost unfair for the words to be coming from Seanna's mouth. A part of her wanted to say that 'this was Tieve's place', but she held her tongue – rightfully so, Evie was the outsider here. "Will you two need separate rooms?"
"Yes," they both answered at once, and Seanna simply giggled as she pulled out a ledger from a nearby drawer. "How long do you plan to stay?" she asked with a tilt of her head as she dipped a simple quill into a pot of ink. Evie glanced at Kean, but answered for herself.
"Indefinitely."
Once the payments had been arranged, the two bid each other farewell and retired to their respective rooms, Kean's somewhat closer to Seanna's and Evie's right down the hall. It had been her room long ago, long before the arrival of the other Mercenaries. Once the Mercs had become too great a number for the Inn to handle, leaving no choice but to turn away travellers, the Mercenary Outpost had renovated to make room for them.
Evie locked the door behind her and leaned against it, breathing in the clean smell of pine and cold, crisp air. The only window in her room overlooked the main area of Colhen's town square, where she could see people bustling around despite the weather. By the tree, decked out with many gaudy trinkets and hand-whittled decorations, children played in the snow, cherubic cheeks flushed under warm hoods. She tore herself away from the window when a giant of a man came careening out of the Mercenary Outpost, followed by a slimmer, younger man with wooden swords cradled in his arms, calling to attention all the children who played near the tree. Karok gave a hearty laugh as Lann handed them a wooden sword each, and they all gave chase; Evie thought he looked much happier without the massive pillar strapped to his back.
After a perfectly perfunctory bath, she sorted out the pitiful number of belongings she owned, hiding the money and valuables beneath a floorboard she knew still went unnoticed, for it contained an old trinket she hadn't the heart to throw out but had certainly forgotten about. It was a lucky egg necklace from a time when Tieve still owned the Colhen Inn. Useless now. That went into the trash, alongside other rubbish that had somehow wound up in her bag, insect wings and turtle scales pressed into the pages of her diary. Upending her empty satchel, she watched wordlessly as sand from an ancient desert tumbled into the little bin, now containing more fragments of her memories than what remained in her head.
Dressed in pants and trousers made from the finest spider silk, boots and gloves from sturdy gnoll leather and her cloak, Evie made her way outside into the snow to address her rumbling stomach. She was sure that Seanna could cook well but seeing the dark-haired Oracle bustling in the kitchen Tieve once inhabited left a bitter feeling in her heart. A nearby stall beneath the awnings of the General Store was selling hot, vegetable broth and freshly baked bread, and the line was bearable, so she joined the queue. Once it came to be her turn to pay, she realised with a start that she had left her money in the Inn.
Cursing her short-term memory, she made to leave, only to be stopped by a large, gloved hand. The man behind her was as tall and burly as she remembered, and looked completely out of place amidst the other people in line. "I've got this," he said gruffly as he handed over gold enough for two people. Evie wasn't sure whether to smile, laugh or cry, but accepted the food with thanks as she watched Hurk stride away to the Forge with an offhand wave. He was as intimidating as ever but Evie knew he had a soft side – she was just surprised that he was revealing this side to a supposed stranger.
Against her better judgement, Evie sat in the shelter near the Mercenary Outpost, feeling most at ease the closer she was to her old home. She ate her food in silence, watching the people that made their livelihood here, in the quiet little town that nobody in the outside world seemed to care about. Despite everything that happened, life still went on, with or without her. The significance of this dawned on her. Without realising it, there were hot tears streaming down her cheeks and she hastily wiped them away with the sleeve of her cloak.
Not many people knew about her past; the daughter of a Noble, instructed in magic and sorcery, and the granddaughter of a famous Alchemist and Labyrinth maker. She grew up at the centre of attention, with hand-servants and ladies-in-waiting, engaged to a Noble from another Kingdom, but it was a dreadful life she would prefer to forget. So she ran away from that life to Colhen, wishing she could just fade to nothing and just be free. Instead she found her true calling – to become a Mercenary and fight the Fomors alongside other Mercenaries. Now that she had achieved that wish to become nothing, forgotten by all her friends, Evie wished the thought had never crossed her mind to begin with.
The door to the Outpost opened with the clang of a bell and four women stepped out, speaking in hushed tones as they made their way to the General Store. Evie went completely unnoticed by them, but they were known to her. She could still recognise them by weapon – Fiona and her longsword, Vella and her twin swords, and Lynn with her trusty glaive strapped to her back as she skipped ahead of them. The fourth woman, however, was taller than Vella and looked as strong as Fiona. To her surprise, Evie recognised the mana that thrummed from her sword and castlet. A magic user?
Three of the four women continued walking, but the fourth woman – the mage – made a half-turn and her eyes met with Evie's. There was recognition in them, but Evie knew it was not from identifying Evie, but knowing the Mana contained within her. The other three stopped when they saw that their companion had been left behind. They glanced from their friend to Evie and back again, but the significance of the exchange was lost on them.
"C'mon Ari, I'm hungry," Lynn complained as she bemoaned her rumbling tummy. Fiona clicked her tongue as she put an arm around the younger girl and led her towards the food stall. Vella waited until Ari finally turned, and the two walked away together. Evie remained seated, her heart pounding in her chest. She had been replaced. For so long, she had been the only magic-user – a huge asset to the Mercenary line-up and now she meant nothing.
Don't be ridiculous, Evie, they have survived this long without you. What makes you think that you are so special?
The thought hurt but she had to accept it. There was a new Mercenary she hadn't even been aware of. She wondered absently if she – Ari – was as fierce a fighter as she looked. Indeed, a competitive she hadn't felt before welled up inside her and Evie knew that if she wanted to return to the life she had in Colhen before, she would have to fight her way back in to earn her place amidst the Mercs. She would simply have to introduce herself to her fellow mage later, but for now, there was something she had to do. She wiped the inside of her empty bowl with a handkerchief and tucked it into her bag, before taking a steady breath and entering the Mercenary Outpost with as impassive a face as she could muster.
The room was empty and she felt all her courage suddenly leave her body. Her knees were shaking when she realised she could barely stand. What was she expecting? A warm welcome from Aodhan and Ceara? Complaints about more rookies from Gallagher and Marrec? She swallowed the disappointment down and made to leave, but someone was on the other side of the door. The dark eyes and tall figure were still as scary and intimidating as ever, and from the looks of the sweaty hair plastered to his forehead, the archer had just returned from his usual early morning training.
"Ka—Hello," she caught herself then, and finished with a lame greeting. The blunder did not go unnoticed by the other man, but he chose to ignore it, instead.
"Morning." He passed her on the way inside and set his bow on the table. Shrugging off his coat and hood, he hung those over a nearby chair and inclined his head towards the fire place. "Would you like the fire on?"
She flushed and nodded, making her way towards the place where they kept the firewood. "Yes, I can handle that, you sit down and rest. Training in the morning I see," The man gave her a frown and Evie realised her second mistake – being too familiar in the Mercenary Outpost, a place she supposedly was visiting for the first time, and Kai's routine. She swallowed and instead opted for a distraction.
"I see you have a magic user in your team," she babbled as she shoved some firewood into the hearth. "I wanted to speak to your Captain. I've been looking for some merc jobs to do." She ignored the doubtful look on Kai's face, knowing that she didn't look like she would fit in with the Mercenaries at all, with her petite stature. "I may not look like much, but..." she trailed off, but instead clicked her fingers, and the fire roared to life. The only indication Kai gave that he had been startled was the marginal widening of his eyes. Other than that, he looked unimpressed.
"Aodhan and his subordinates are on a mission. I've been left in charge until their return," his dark eyes went from Evie to the fireplace. "A mage," he said flatly. Evie nodded shakily as she dusted her cloak off. The fireplace had been a little dusty from lack of use, despite the cold weather. "You wish to join us?"
"Yes," Evie gave him a small, hopefully convincing smile. "My name is Evie."
He inclined his head without expression, a mere acknowledgement. "Kai. But you already knew that." The statement had some questions behind it, but he asked none and Evie gave no answers. Every merc knew it was better that way.
"I've heard news of the Crimson Blade Mercenaries from where I hail," she supplied instead, and it was a half-truth, at least, for that was what she had said the first time she met the Crimson Blade Mercs.
"And where would that be?" Kai finally asked a question that indicated some personal interest as he studied her intently.
Colhen.
"Malina. It's a couple hours by boat." Kai had always been a good judge of character. He never really spoke much, but from what he had confided in Evie a long time ago, he had lost someone dear to him, and therefore had trouble trusting others. He had quickly learned to read people like a book and Evie was very easy to read. However, if Kai noticed the obvious lie, he decided not to comment on it.
"By noon, the rest of the mercenaries will be returning. You may introduce yourself then. Aodhan and the rest will return by evening. I'm assuming that you can handle yourself in the meantime," Kai never really spoke much, but when he did, he was able to be simultaneously helpful and dismissive. Evie really missed him, despite his barb-like personality. She missed them all.
"I'm sure I can find something to occupy myself with. Until then," she gave him a nod that he didn't see and left the Outpost. Kai watched her go from the window, a curious feeling of familiarity that he couldn't place settled over his heart. He watched as the town's dogs flocked straight to her as if greeting an old friend; watched as she petted Theo, the Inn's dog that vanished one day but returned with Seanna; watched as she gazed back at the Mercenary Outpost with longing, as if she were looking at a home she could never have. Kai ignored this feeling and waited for his Mercenaries to return.
Evie thought it would be nice to stop by the Magic Laboratory to pester Brynn, but ultimately decided against it. She wasn't in the mood to be belittled today, not when she was feeling so fragile. Kirstie wasn't the greatest of conversationalists, and the people at the General Store looked rather busy. She wandered around the docks for a while, stopping by the campfire to chat with a few people. Sighing, she remembered that she should probably take her broken staff to Ferghus and see if he would repair it. Quickly returning to her room at the Inn, she gathered what was left of her precious staff and took it to see the Forge master. An attractive woman who looked barely a day over thirty sat by the front of the Forge where it was cooler, barely acknowledging Evie as she entered.
"Hello," Evie greeted as she cradled the broken pieces of her staff. "Is Ferghus in?"
The woman, Shayla, didn't even glance up from where she was filing her nails and made a gesture in the general direction of the back of the Forge. Evie knew this place quite well, although every time she left, there had always inevitably been some damage to her weapons. It was her first time taking a staff to Ferghus, though. She supposed that Brynn would know more about Staves than Ferghus would, but she really didn't want to face the stoic Magician at any rate. "Ferghus?"
"Care," came a gruff voice as Hurk walked past with a handful of blunt swords, one barely missing Evie's nose by a hair's width. She huffed and waited for the man who was busy hammering at a long spear. "Hey, old man, you have a visitor."
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Ferghus continued hammering in a world of his own. Hurk rolled his eyes and knocked the back of Ferghus' head with a 'gentle' tap. Evie winced when Ferghus' nose almost touched hot metal. "What the—Oh. Hello, there. Did you need something upgraded? A weapon, perhaps?"
Evie wordlessly handed over the pieces of her broken Skeleton staff, watching as he picked up the pieces with reverence. "I'm afraid there is nothing I can do for this, Miss..."
"Evie."
"Miss Evie. Your staff is beyond repair, at least from my abilities. You had best head over to the Magic Lab. There's a young fellow by the name of Brynn, he might be able to help you."
Wincing to herself, she wrapped up the pieces in their soft cloth and placed them back in her bag. "Some other time, then." Ferghus waved his arm and went back to his work. Hurk watched her go, curiosity in his eyes. He may not have dealt much with magic users, but the materials used to craft that particular staff were from an animated monster of a machine he had faced once before, with the other Crimson Blade Mercs. Stranger still that she should be in possession of a weapon that had been crafted from the same adversary they had defeated some time ago. At any rate, he didn't recognise the woman herself, but he would have to ask the rest of the Mercs when he saw them.
Evie was making her way out of the Forge when she bumped into someone passing the General Store. "Oh, so... ryy..." A cold hand wrapped around her elbow to hold her steady. It was the same magic user from earlier that day. Her eyes were ice blue and Evie felt strangely chilled staring back at her. She could feel beautiful magic, mana, coursing from the other woman and smiled when she felt her magic react in kind.
"Arisha."
Evie blinked when she realised the other woman spoke. Her voice was melodic and soothing. "Huh?"
"My name is Arisha," the woman introduced herself as she released Evie's arm. The place where they had been connected felt warm. "I noticed that you have a strong magical presence. You and I are the same. My apologies if I am too forward, but I noticed you staring earlier."
"N-nothing to worry about, sorry about that. My name is Evie. Yes, I am a magic-user. I wanted to join the Mercenaries here," Evie replied, feeling herself flush in mortification when Arisha pointed out her staring earlier in the day. "I will be back at the Outpost later on, to introduce myself to the others. But I am unsure if they will like me, much less accept me to the team..."
Arisha stared at her a moment longer than Evie felt comfortable with, as if she was searching for answers. Unbeknownst to Evie, the other mage was finally putting together the pieces of a puzzle that had been set before her when she had arrived in Colhen whilst the events in Malina had been unfolding. There had been something missing from the Mercenary team when she joined them, as if someone who should have been there was missing. The others had automatically forced Arisha into that place and she settled in without qualms, but the room at the Outpost she was staying in had belongings labelled 'Evie' carefully stitched into them with Fiona's well-known sewing ability. Staves and scythes had been carefully placed in the cupboard in Arisha's room. Spellbooks, alchemy kits, and strange little jars filled with what looked like mercury lined the shelves. A strange sort of book that Summoned Golems but didn't react to Arisha's magic when she tried. There had definitely been a Mage before her, and Arisha knew in that moment, she had found what was missing from the Crimson Blades. So why then, couldn't anyone else remember?
"Magic works in strange ways," she began, looking at the nearby decorated tree with unseeing eyes. "I can control time and space, I can manipulate the flow of mana, but there are still things beyond my grasp. Things that I am certain you are capable of, Evie. Things I cannot explain. Whether or not the other Mercs will accept you or not, it is not my place to say. I am not sure of what has transpired in your life, what you have seen, what you have experienced. But I am certain of one thing – your place is here."
"Arisha..." Evie was horrified when her eyes felt hot and her sight became blurry with tears. She had always been an easy crier, but hoped that her time spent in Malina would have toughened her up. Not by much, it seemed. The other Enchantress smiled, a proper smile this time, and led Evie back towards the Mercenary Outpost.
"It's time you claimed your rightful place. I hope we can make a great team in the future, Evie."
Despite the cold, Evie felt her heart warm with hope. Although coming from a stranger, it was these words that reminded Evie that there was hope still – that she would be able to find her place with the people she considered family so long ago, that she would not be forgotten again. Although their memories of her had been wiped clean, she was determined to join them once again. Stepping back into the warmth of the Mercenary Outpost, she was greeted by the rest of the Mercs, all busy with their own things, but somehow all looking like they belonged there.
"Hello, everyone, a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Evie, I can control the elements, reverse gravity and..."
End.
Currently trying to work on some other Vindictus stories. To any of my old readers from my other account, my newer content will be posted here from now on. Older stories (if ever updated) will be on Rice-Ball247. Thanks for reading, hope you liked it.