This chapter is...interesting to me. This arc will be styled a little differently than the others, mostly because of the content. I'm a big fan of the show Burn Notice, and anyone familiar with the show will immediately see a few references in this chapter; the general style of this arc that I'm shooting for is similar to that of the show.
Begin!
Book II, Part I: Outbreak - Vector's Gambit
Chapter II—Hourglass
"Sam, we've got a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"Remember that job in Galbadia, two years ago? Kitaen?"
"Galbadia...wait a minute, you mean that job?"
"Yeah. There's a problem. I think he might be back on the trail. Can you meet me at the usual?"
"I'll be there, Fi. How long?"
"Give me thirty, and I'll be out."
[July 10, 2152 | Esthar, Jarevin's Dining Hall | 12:02 PM]
A cold breeze whipped through the air and made Fiona Carmichael pull her jacket closer around herself as she watched cars go by on the Estharian streets, waiting for her companion to arrive. The blond woman had been a model member of the Estharian army, going through basic training and then moving on to take specialist training through the military's sniper training academy in order to hone her skills with a rifle and her above-average instincts. Unfortunately, the missions she were sent on were mostly cut and dry, as things went, and she found that she wanted something more when it came to the desire to test her skills. She felt more and more like a slowly-rusting tool, gradually losing her keen edge despite the time she put in during operations. It had eaten away at her over time, and she found that the moment her contracted time in the army expired, she had signed her discharge papers and booked a ticket to Galbadia, one sole purpose on her mind - to join the mercenary organization known as SeeD.
Once a member of SeeD, Fiona found that her thirst for adrenaline had finally, more or less, been sated - dangerous missions requiring a keen eye and a steady hand were the norm, and she fed greedily off the exultation and threats like a parched man at an eternal well. But in time, things changed, and it wasn't until a fateful mission in the streets of Dollet that Fiona found herself with a decision to make that she'd already faced once before. Much as she had in the army, she handed in her resignation from SeeD, making her way to Dollet for more...unsavory dealings. SeeD generally tried to stay to the moral high road, at least in the eyes of the public, but Fiona found that much like it had been for her in the Estharian military, taking the road of morality was a far cry from decisions she herself wanted to make on occasion...especially for those who deserved it in her eyes.
Estharian military training and SeeD training in the academy known primarily for firearm usage were a deadly combination in the hands of a budding gun-for-hire, and it didn't take long for Fiona Carmichael's name to be known all over the criminal underworld as an elite marksman that would take any job and make it happen, so long as the price was right. She'd even managed to fight off SeeD teams that had been picked to take her down once or twice; knowing the strategies that her foes were likely to use and general knowledge of how they operated helped quite a bit in that regard.
One day, though, that had all changed...and the events of one fateful day in Deling City two years ago were the reason why she was sitting in a chair outside of a coffee shop in Esthar, waiting on an acquaintance of hers.
"Fi?"
Fiona turned, facing the sound of the sudden voice that roused her from her thoughts, and came face-to-face with a dark-skinned man in the process of reaching for another chair to sit down in across from her. His hair was shaven completely, leaving him bald and clean-cut except for a short, well-groomed mustache, and his long-sleeved shirt and jeans were a great deal more casual than Fiona's own business attire.
"Sam...you made it."
"Of course I did. Last time I saw you this spooked was...well, never."
"I'm not spooked," she remarked, a defensive edge creeping into her voice. Sam chuckled, waving a waiter over to place a drink order.
"Okay, skittish - better? Point is, you're on edge, no matter how much you're tryin' to hide it right now."
"Wouldn't you be? I'm only human, after all, and you know what I was calling about."
Sam nodded, absently turning to the waiter that had come to their table and placing a quick order before turning back to Fiona. "True enough. So, you really think he's back on your trail again, huh? I thought you and Kitaen threw him off pretty good the last time?"
"We did, and that's the problem. I made sure of it - you made sure of it. There's no way that he could've found out anything new unless he has the luck of Hyne herself..."
"...Or someone fed him something recently that we didn't see coming," Sam said, finishing the woman's thought. An instant later, his eyes lit up in surprise as pieces started fitting together in his thoughts. "You don't think...?"
"You guessed it. The Senior."
"Oh...hell."
"Sam, you know as well as I do that if his son comes after me now, after everything I've done to make this stick, this op could go south incredibly quickly."
"I know, I know," the older man replied, shaking off his momentary surprise and focusing on the task at hand. Outwitting someone like the Senior was tough, but not impossible, and the pair both knew firsthand that his youngest son was just as clever - in some ways, more so - than his father. "You're the one with the knowledge of what happened - if you were the kid, where would you pick up?"
Fiona's eyes fell to the table as she contemplated the question, listening to the sound of a glass being set upon the table as the waiter returned with Sam's drink. "He has a number of avenues, but I don't think he'll simply jump back in where he left off two years ago."
"Why's that?" Sam asked, taking a sip of the beer he had ordered as he watched Fiona.
"There's a few reasons. First, this is a second chance for him - if I know anything about him, he'll do everything he can to make sure this doesn't get away from him again. That means he won't be rushing in and doing reckless things like last time. That'll buy us some time, as well; he'll be moving at a more cautious pace, which gives us enough leeway to try and come up with something. Secondly, you have to remember that he's SeeD. The absolute first thing he's going to do is scout the situation and see just how much has changed since the last time he was involved. He's going to recheck information, double back on leads, reaffirm connections...everything he can to make sure the game hasn't changed the rules since he played last."
Sam nodded; the thoughts made sense to him as well. He just hoped that Fiona wasn't jumping to conclusions about the boy's personality and motives this time around. "That's all well and good, Fi, but it still doesn't tell us where he's likely to check first."
"Lassiter."
"Hm?"
"Quintin Lassiter - you remember him, don't you?"
"That's...your old dealer, right?" Sam asked after a moment of careful thought. Fiona nodded in affirmation.
"Right. You can't have a job without supplies, and he's going to make sure that Lassiter told him about the right supplies last time, so he's not on a wild chocobo chase."
"Can I safely guess that you're not telling me all this just to have a friendly ear?"
"Sam..."
"Fi, really? You're going to try this again?" Sam asked, mild disbelief appearing on his face. He knew that his friend was stubborn, and when it came to a job...she never left one unfinished, no matter what. Military and SeeD training had taken the natural perfectionist in her and given it an almost fanatical slant at times.
"Sam. I am not letting this come down around me, not now. But I can't do it alone. I need your help." Her tone, while insistent, held more than a hint of pleading, and there was a moment of silence from Sam as he watched his companion, unused to seeing her quite like this. Finally, he sighed and raised his glass, downing the rest of his drink in one go before setting it back on the table.
"I'm gonna need another drink for this."
[July 10, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Dormitories | 12:47 PM]
"You're...you're serious."
Silvia Conrad let a rare moment of surprise lapse across her features at the words Darius had just spoken to her. She couldn't believe her ears...after all this time, all the torment he'd been put through, he may finally have another chance? It sounded like honeyed words from a fleeting dream, but she knew him all too well. There was absolutely no way that he would ever bring up this topic unless he was positive there was somethingleft to do.
"I'm serious," Darius confirmed, pouring himself a cup of tea from the fresh pot between them. "I'm putting the team together now, and I want you to be on it."
Silvia had known Darius for years, and was quite possibly one of the only people who Darius would ever lay his most coveted title of "friend" upon. She had a knack for business principles that he had long since admired ever since meeting her during a visit to Conrad Synthetics, and could best him - and just about anyone he knew - in a classroom setting with how quickly she absorbed knowledge and topics. Not only that, she was his equal in wit, an area which he found he had few people around who he could engage in that could give as good as they got.
Truth be told, she wasn't a half-bad shot with a gun, either. SeeD training had only improved every aspect of her studies, after all.
"Who else knows?"
"Right now? Andréa and the rest of your team, minus one," Darius stated. "And Revolver."
There was a long moment of silence as Silvia sat beside her friend, simply watching him - over the years, she'd learned to read the marksman despite the uncaring expression he tended to hold more often than not.
"Darius," she began, her face turning solemn, "do you really even have to ask? Lindsey was a friend of mine, too. You know as well as I do that if you truly want to delve into this again, I'll be right there beside you to help."
"I always knew I could count on you in a pinch," Darius replies, a small smile gracing his face for a moment before being replaced by a frown. "I just hope everyone else is as amenable."
"What made you decide?" Silvia asked, looking at the solemn face of her friend. "New information, or has it just...finally gotten to you again?"
Darius sighed deeply, meeting her eyes. "Honestly? Both. This...this was always my biggest failing, the one thing that I was never good enough to close the book on. To finally have the chance to know the truth and put it all behind me...I'd do anything."
"Why Revolver?" she continued, her interest now firmly piqued. Darius and his brothers were distant at best, most of the time, and Silvia knew just how much pride he had to swallow to consider asking one or both of them for help.
"Revolver...I guess you could say he deserves it, after all this time. We used to be a lot closer, but after Lindsey died, dad drew me into all the 'family' business, and...well, you know the rest."
"You couldn't keep your relationship with Revolver intact?"
Darius had rarely ever talked about his brothers and how he felt about them, even to her, and Silvia found herself drawn in more and more at his words.
"Do you know how Revolver feels about the 'family?' He loathes it, completely and utterly. I always thought it was part of the reason he chose to become a blacksmith, to create things instead of destroying them as we always did. He still has some resentment towards dad over how he drew me in the way he did."
"But the Senior doesn't care, does he?"
"Not really. Revolver made his choice, he thinks, and that's where he leaves it. Besides, Revolver just might try to kill him if dad ever has another proposition on the table for him."
Silvia nodded in understanding - she couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Darius, given everything he seemed to have lost besides Lindsey herself due to the events. The way he talked, he almost made it seem as if his brothers had given up on him as well.
"What about Katanas?"
"Katanas...now there's a strange one," Darius said with a chuckle. "He acts like he doesn't care and has nothing to do with it...but I know better. He's got his own skeletons hiding in the closet, after all. Guess who taught me everything I know about business?"
The inflection in Darius' voice on the last word left little doubt in Silvia's mind as to what he was referring to, and this time her eyes widened in surprise.
"You don't mean..."
"Oh yeah," Darius replied, smirking. "When it gets right down to it, he can beat me at my own game - but don't tell him I told you."
Silvia smiled, taking a sip of her tea. "It's...nice, to see you being open like this, I mean. You usually don't tell anyone anything, even me."
Darius nodded again. "I know. It's part of the reason I wanted to come ask you personally, instead of just sending a message over the GLD. Silvia, you know how I feel about this. I feel like I've been living with this for two decades, not two years. I just...wanted to get all this off my chest beforehand, I think. I can't stand to think about what will happen if I fail again."
"Did you forget SeeD's motto already?" his companion asked. "We always get the job done, no matter what. You're better now than you were then, and you're not alone this time, either. There's no way you'll be stopped again, not by anything."
"I...thanks," Darius said, closing his eyes. "Sometimes, I feel like you're the only person who could ever understand how I feel about all this.
"Of course. If I didn't look out for you, who would?"
[Ethereal Plane, Upper Court, Fifth Division Barracks]
I can certainly say that I've rarely seen a place with such grandiose architecture as the Ethereal Plane. Everything in the plane has its place, but at the same time is elegant and capable of drawing the eye almost magnetically with the aesthetics of it all. It's quite strange, then, to see a place as...subdued, for lack of a better word, as the barracks formerly belonging to the Order of Grim Angels. Where most of the architecture in the Upper Court is pearl-white and pristinely kept, made of shimmering metal and crystal-clear glass, the division barracks are built from simple wood and the occasional piece of dark metal, unassuming and silent compared to the expanse of the Palace of Creation that looms before it. Styled with gently curving roofs and simple rectangular frames, the buildings - each no more than three or four stories - are all deserted, now just remnants of a terrible conflict centuries ago that I've only recently come to understand.
"Was this your division?" I ask, looking over at Lady Inihara, who is leading me out into the open field in front of one of the large barracks. Silently, she nods, looking up at the front portion of the building's overhanging roof, upon which a single symbol is adorned that I can't decipher.
"This was the barracks of the Fifth Division," she says, motioning up towards the building. "I was once the Captain of this division, some three centuries ago. Now, I am the only one left, the only one who chose to stay following the Harrowing."
"The only member of your division?"
"Of my race."
My eyes widen at the statement - does that mean...?
"You mean...everyone else was killed?"
She nods silently. "I am a Malakh, not an Erudite like the rest of this plane's inhabitants. We were once a numerous race, but...the war took its toll most heavily on my kind. Only a scant few of us remain, and of those, I am the only one who decided to remain here with Lady Freya following those events. Those few others who were fortunate enough to survive decided to travel to Soul Society, where they still remain as part of the new Order of Grim Angels serving under the Lord Sovereign."
All at once, I stop, overwhelmed by the mere thought of what she's just described. I've lost family and friends, but this...this goes so far beyond that loss that I can't even begin to imagine what kind of pain it must have caused her in the past. I hadn't realized that she was not an Erudite until her statement just now, and to hear something like this...I would have never suspected it, given her demeanor, had she not just told me herself.
"...How do you cope?" I finally ask, watching as she stops at the words. "Knowing that you're almost the only one left out of everyone...how do you even keep going?"
"I will not say that it is easy," she says after a moment, "but it has been many years since that time. Those wounds can never heal, but they have become easier to bear over time. My love for this plane, my desire to protect it and everyone within...that is the reason why I initially joined the Order, and it is what keeps me driving forward despite my past."
"Such sweet words," Manes suddenly comments, jarring my focus for the briefest instant. "I believe I feel tears about to fall."
A surge of irritation washes over me at the words, despite my feelings just moments ago, and my response is angry and sharp. 'Tears? I don't think you demons are even capable of feeling anything, let alone crying. Love, devotion - they're all just words to you, things you can't even comprehend, let alone experience!'
I can feel myself tense, ready for another sarcastic quip from the demon locked in my mind...but strangely, the expected snide words do not come. I can feel his presence fade back into the depths of my mind a moment later, and I find myself immediately wondering if I finally struck a nerve with the Daiesthai.
I still think it's impossible, of course, but it would be nice to know that I have a way to shut him up if I need it.
"The Daiesthai again?" I hear Lady Inihara ask, and I nod as I bring my attention back to her and resume walking towards the barracks. "We will be addressing that, as well. We are...familiar with your situation, in a manner of speaking, and I have some ideas on how to help you keep the Daiesthai's personality and influence in check."
A curt nod is the only response I give for a moment before another part of her statement registers. "Wait, 'we?' I thought you were training me alone?"
She looks back at me, continuing to lead the way, and I finally see a small smile appear on her face as she speaks again. "Initially, that was the plan. However, I made some arrangements, with Lady Freya's blessing, which I believe will make things easier in the long run. You may also be receiving some basic instruction from Lady Freya's other Planeswalkers, though I have not been able to confirm whether that will be the case at the moment."
Not for the first time, I'm starting to feel like I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to those in the Ethereal Plane and their history.
"There are others I don't know?"
"At the present time, you are but one of four Planeswalkers under Lady Freya's guidance, another of whom - Liam Bayloh - you are already acquainted with. Maria Hiraki is a young Planeswalker who was chosen just before you yourself were, and is in fact from your own realm as well. Mai Kuroki is Freya's longest serving Planeswalker, and holds the distinction of being the only Erudite ever chosen for the position."
"Another Planeswalker from Earth?" I ask, excitedly. "Will I get to meet them?"
"She is away on a mission currently," the Malakh replies, "and I am not sure when she will be returning. Mai, however, may be assisting with your training at a later time."
"Got it," I say, calming myself once again.
"Now, however, I would like to introduce you to my aforementioned associate," Kari continues, causing me to glance around the area confusedly - there's no one else here, sans ourselves.
"...Are they late? I don't see anyone else," I remark, looking around the area and also reaching out with my senses to try and pick up on anyone's spiritual energy. Even though I've just started to really learn to use it, it feels...comfortable, in a way, to try. Kari just smiles, stepping forward a bit and turning to face me.
"They are exactly on time, actually," she says, reaching a hand out beside her and motioning down, as if to pull something. As she does, her hand glows with light, and what looks to be a cloak of magical energy peels itself away from thin air, revealing a male with short, spiky brown hair and a long white overcoat, worn over an entirely black outfit and sandals.
"You ruined my entrance, you know," the previously-cloaked man announces, reaching into the folds of his coat and pulling out...an apple?
"I am aware of that," she says calmly, smiling over at the man. "Sir Powell, allow me to introduce Etchel Beoulve, the current Captain of the Order of Grim Angels' Second Division within Soul Society."
Seeing the figure seemingly appear out of thin air startles me for a brief instant, but I quickly find myself turning more in the direction of curiosity as to how he managed to cloak himself so - random personal appearances are more or less a daily occurrence for a Planeswalker, after all.
"Can I safely assume he's a close friend of yours?" I ask, looking between the two of them, to which she nods.
"We have known each other since the Order existed within this plane," she confirms. "He is the one who helped me step into the role of Captain of my own division during the Harrowing."
I nod quickly, understanding how close the two of them must be if they've known each other for that long...before a different part of her statement piques my interest. "Wait a minute. You said his last name is 'Beoulve,' right? As in, Ein and Andréa Beoulve?"
"Oh, so you know my kids," Etchel says, taking a bite of his apple. "Nice to know."
"They're your kids? But, aren't you an Ethereal being?"
"Sure am."
"Does that mean - "
"That they are, too? Sure does," he says, smiling. "Well. Half-Malakh, anyway."
"...Well, that's new," I mutter, not really sure what else to say. Unusual happenings and traits in my own circle of acquaintances are quickly becoming a common and normal occurrence, it seems. Kari shares another quick look at Etchel before turning her attention back to me, seemingly ready to put the pleasantries on hold and get down to the reason for being here.
"As Lady Freya has desired for us to instruct you," the young woman says, "I believe it would be best to obtain a relative idea of your capabilities before we do anything else."
"And that means…?" I ask, unsure of exactly what she plans on doing. This is the first time I've ever been taught anything by an Ethereal entity, and I don't know what methods they tend to use for doing things.
"Lady Freya wishes not just for Beoulve-taichou and I to teach you to control the demon you now have locked within your mind, but to learn just what it means to exceed the limits that most Hume are capable of reaching, as Sir Bayloh has already accomplished." She turns and starts to walk as she finishes speaking, looking over at the other figure present outside with us as she does and earning a brief nod from him for her efforts. "First, I would like to see what kind of skill you possess as Freya's newest chosen. This will give us an accurate idea of how we may structure your training."
Slowly, I nod, even though I'm finding myself immediately curious as to what she means by 'exceeding the limits of Hume.'
"This training will be more difficult than any you have undergone so far. Remember that you were chosen to serve Lady Freya for a reason – never allow yourself to forget that. Your inner strength and well-being matters just as much as your physical health, perhaps even more so…and it is that strength which will allow you to succeed in your training with us."
Slowly, she unsheathes the slender blade at her side, letting it rest in her hand as she holds it beside her and prepares to begin.
"Don't hold back, either. We need to know the limits of what you can do now, so that we know how you may best improve. Whenever you are ready, you can begin."
"Giving you the first move…how noble," Manes says sarcastically in my mind, causing me to try and block out the distraction and draw both of my blades from my side. I may as well do as she says; limiting myself won't get me anywhere.
'Pipe down and let me get on with this.'
My body easily shifts into a prepared stance as I take a deep breath, and magic starts to flow around my body as I cast two spells on myself at once – Haste and Regenspells, in order to enhance my body. In my next move, I race towards the former Grim Angel in order to see how good she is at melee combat.
Which, to be perfectly honest with myself, is probably far better than I could hope to be right now.
My opening move is a slice with my right-hand blade fast enough to get the drop on practically any average fighter, but the woman in front of me simply deflects the blade as if she saw it coming a mile away, then snaps her blade back into line to parry the thrust of my left weapon with the same ease. The next few seconds are a flurry of steel meeting steel as my twin weapons, despite moving with magically-enhanced speed and striking from a variety of angles, are completely unable to throw off the dark-haired woman's guard by even an inch. My eyes widen as she suddenly sweeps her blade out in a quick horizontal counter, and I flip back and away to avoid getting cut, energy already gathering around my blade as I prepare for a different attack.
The Crescent Strike attack screams from my blade from barely a few meters away, covering the distance between me and my opponent in seemingly-unavoidable time…but it just keeps moving, no contact made with the woman who is suddenly not in my field of vision at all.
"Good reaction time," she comments from above me, causing me to look up and see her quite literally standing on air as if it were solid ground. The sight makes me stop completely, fascinated as to how she could be doing something like that – Float magic of some kind, maybe?
"How…?" I ask perplexedly, deciding to take the forward approach. She merely smiles down at me, vanishing again – along with what I hear this time as a sudden noise like wind shifting – and appearing back in front of me.
"You'll learn, in time. Once we teach you how to keep a bit more control over your reishi, that is," she replies.
"Reishi? What's that?"
"Another term for spiritual energy. Mana, reishi, spiritual energy…those are simply different names for the same power."
I nod quickly, deciding to take a moment and ask another question. "What's with the disappearing thing you just did? Are you a Planeswalker, too?"
"No," she says with a shake of her head, "I am not a Planeswalker. What I used is called Shunpo, more commonly referred to as 'flash steps.' That, as well, is something that you may have the potential to learn under our guidance."
The look that comes across my face probably looks similar to that of a kid at Christmas – another method of instantaneous movement that doesn't draw on my Planeswalker abilities would fit nicely into the style of fighting I've been settling into.
"Then I guess I need to prove I'm worthy to learn it," I remark, retaking my stance for a moment before I leap forward and vanish, drawing on my Planeswalker abilities to blink forward in a brief burst of intraplanar travel. I reappear right beside Lady Inihara, slicing out with both of my blades at her unprotected flank, only to have her bat the first slice away and lock blades with the second, releasing one hand from the blade and pointing it at me as her palm starts to glow with red light.
"Destructive Art number thirty-one: Shot of Red Fire!"
I'm moving back even as she reaches the midpoint of her incantation, which gives me a bit of distance before she releases the attack towards me, a fast-moving ball of red energy that flies forward and crashes into my quickly-crossed swords. The energy engulfs me, burning enough to be noticeable but not enough to really hurt me, and I tear through the haze of energy only to find the Malakh directly in front of me with sword raised, having used the energy as cover to close in again. Our swords collide again with an echoing crash, and I counter with my left blade only to have her leap back and out of range again before casting what seems to be an Aero spell at me, blowing me back and off my feet to roll across the ground.
"You're a disgrace!" Manes suddenly yells from within my mind, startling me even as I get back to my feet. "If you're going to fight, fight like you mean it! Fight like you want to kill the one in front of you!"
My mouth opens for a retort, as much verbal as mental…and then shuts again, because despite how condescending and vile the Daiesthai is, he has somewhat of a point. There's no way that I could possibly hurt an Ethereal being as I am…so why aren't I giving it everything I have?
'Fine…'
"You look as if you are ready to be serious about this," Lady Inihara comments, watching as I retake my stance.
"Yeah. I am."
Haste magic flows over me again, and I dash once again into melee range, opening up with a fierce barrage of strikes that send ripples of energy bursting from our blades with every block and parry. My left-hand sword is suddenly turned aside as Lady Inihara's sword slices out at me, but a swirling cloak of frost materializes around me as I draw on my Alchemy,deflecting the strike and causing a thin layer of ice to sweep over the metal. The Malakh looks surprised for a brief moment, and my sword slices out horizontally as I keep focusing on Alchemy, sending a thin wave of ice out from the blade by compressing and crystallizing the moisture in the air. It explodes a moment later, meeting another of the red fireballs, and the female swoops in again for another attack, her blade cutting out and striking mine with surprising force in a fluid series of slices. I'm pushed back for a moment before I regain my footing, and it takes the release of another burst of ice from my blade to finally gain a moment of distance from her, a plan forming in my mind.
My left-hand blade returns to its sheath as I start focusing on my Alchemy again, the circle on the back of my left hand shimmering as I draw moisture from the air along with my own mana in order to release a series of sharpened icicles at the woman before me. Just like the wave of ice from before, the group of icicles is shattered into pieces by a burst of energy, falling to the ground around the area like a rain of broken glass. There's a mild look of curiosity on her face as the haze of energy clears, as if she is wondering why I would stick to a tactic that's so easily deflected and rendered ineffectual instead of going back to melee combat. She starts to move again, but I instantly meet her halfway by blinking forward again and stabbing out, forcing her to twist aside lest she be impaled by her own momentum. My sword flies upward, but my left hand gestures to the right side of me and releases a Water spell, catching her off-guard momentarily and also putting her off-balance as the magical liquid forces her back.
That, to me, isn't the important thing, however.
"She's still toying with you, you know," Manes comments absently, causing me to smile.
'Oh, I know. In fact, I'm counting on it.'
Another quick flurry of strikes is exchanged, blades ringing against each other with loud metallic sounds before I break away again, deferring to her superior skill in melee combat in order to get some distance. Water magic gathers again in my right hand, and I release it at the Malakh from a distance before casting a second spell right afterwards – Firaga magic – which is aimed not at the one in front of me, but at my previous spell. Lady Inihara looks surprised for a brief instant as the watery magic explodes into a large cloud of steam, superheated by the ball of flame, and a nasty smirk spreads across my face as I instantly drop to a kneeling position, pressing my left hand to the ground as the transmutation circle emblazoned on it flares with Alchemic energy.
The crackle of energy in the air becomes pronounced as the icicles on the ground begin to crack and fragment, while the steam and moisture in the air chills, turning into more sharpened spikes of ice…all of which are surrounding the woman in front of me, both on the ground and in the air. All at once, the storm of shards explodes around her, sending hundreds of tiny pieces of ice flying around the area like an icy fragmentation grenade.
'I could really grow to like this Alchemy thing…'I think to myself, admiring my handiwork…before realizing that the explosion of the ice around her wasn't entirely caused by my Alchemy. A sudden gust of wind blows the last of the steam and fragments away, revealing Lady Inihara standing in the midst of it all holding a different weapon than she held moments ago – some sort of curved blade on the end of a chain, with a long spike attached to the other end of the chain.
"Inventive," she states, nodding approvingly. "You've grown quite a bit since your encounter with the Pillar of Fate, it seems."
'Well...crap. I was hoping to at least scratch her.'
"Thanks," I say, letting my sword rest at my side as she does the same with her unusual weapon. "I...kinda felt bad a while back when Lady Freya called me to help fight Fayt. I couldn't really do much there, and after Destine showed up and had Manes take me out, it opened my eyes a bit on how much I needed to improve."
"Everything takes time," she replies, nodding. "Do not worry. We will teach you all that we are able to." The weapon in her hands shimmers again, flowing back into the form of a sword, and she quickly replaces it in her sheath as I do the same with my own blade.
"So, where do you want to start?" Etchel asks her, tossing the remains of his apple up and down with one hand.
"Give me a few minutes to contemplate what I have just seen, and I will let you know," she comments, glancing over to Etchel as she speaks. "For now, Sir Powell, you may go inside the barracks and rest for the moment. We will join you shortly."
Lots of things going on in this chapter, for sure. As I've said before, a great deal of this arc will likely be dedicated to exploring the relationships between several characters, most of whom have relationships with Darius in some way, shape, or form. I went to a lot of trouble detailing Fiona's past while introducing her, and there will be a good reason for that, as several pieces of her background will play a part in this upcoming arc.
Silvia is a character I've wanted to focus on some for a while now, as she is one of the few people who Darius still allows to be close to him. She and Lindsey got along amicably while Darius was dating her, and Silvia considered her a sort of surrogate sister in a sense given their relationship with one another. Lindsey's death struck her as well, though not nearly as hard as Darius, obviously, and she is more than willing to give Darius any assistance she can to help him finally find some closure. Darius' relationships with his two brothers and father are quite different now than they used to be, which will be brought up again later on.
Also, here's the reason why Ben won't be along for the ride - he's dealing with other concerns at the moment. His Garden duties have been put on hiatus at present while he tries to sort out his new 'situation' of sorts.
Hopefully, I'll be able to style this arc the way that I imagine it playing out in my head; I've high hopes for it, and can only hope that I can see them carried out. Until next time...