"Let's stay home and make potions today," Abuela said, stopping the magic healers at the front gate. The respected elder glanced up at the gloomy sky as her fingers rotated the bead chain around her neck.
"Why? We've gathered everything we need to catch the Dragon Fireflies. Lady Acma said it was the last ingredient for our fire catapults," Shanis asked, nudging Acma's elbow. "Right, Lady Acma? We're so close."
"Um..." Acma hesitated. "Abuela, it would be great if we could get the catapults loaded for testing soon. With Hercus's crew gone for two days already, if they succeed to reunite the Four-Soul jewel, I'm worried Lord Simurgh will attack us first."
Abuela sighed. "The Lord may have already awakened..."
"What?" The girls were surprised.
"Look!" Abuela pointed to the dark horizon. "The sun hasn't risen yet. It's already late for three 'ticks.' Those over there can't just be clouds. Though my eyesight is no longer keen, I'm certain the yaoqi are up there, drawn by the Moon. If we go out now without sunlight, I won't be able to detect monsters quickly enough to summon Tri-Point."
"What should we do? Should we be worried?" Shanis asked.
"I don't want to cause any turmoil here, but as Lady Acma said, the youguai awakened by the Four-Soul Jewel will seize their first chance to pay us a visit," Abuela replied, turning around. "We'd better stay and prepare with whatever we have."
The girls exchanged frantic looks.
"When will they come? Today?" one of them asked.
"Hopefully not that soon," Abuela replied, shaking her head. "I lost track of the Four-Soul Jewel since the night before. And Lady Acma, I assume you know your friend is doing well?"
Acma nodded and pulled out Raddie's Triple Triad card. "Yes, his card is still glowing. This is our way of knowing if a SeeD has fallen."
Abuela examined the glowing card with amazement. "This must be the work of Hyne's artisans, using magic dust from the Mighty's relics. Warrior souls and relics become connected."
"Does that mean our men have not faced the awakened youguai yet? Then we should be safe for now, right?" Mahlin asked.
"Yes. I don't think the youguais are here yet. But it could be as soon as tomorrow morning. Wakiyus, go tell your father that we need to prepare for a fight soon." After Wakiyus ran off, Abuela signaled for the group to follow her. "Come, let's gather whatever we need."
They followed Abuela to her tent, where the air was thick with fragrant scents of herbs and spices, mingling with the sharp odors of newly synthesized chemical compounds created by Acma in her efforts to mass-produce combustion fuels. Shelves lined with jars of colorful powders and shimmering liquids created a kaleidoscope of colors, each carefully labeled in Abuela's neat handwriting in the Inooit language.
"We'll make more healing potions while Mahlin draws Fire magic from the well," Abuela instructed, addressing Mahlin, who had a natural affinity for Fire.
"Just Fire? Would that be enough to make a bomb?" Mahlin asked.
Abuela hesitated, knowing the answer but finding it hardly reassuring.
"It's unlikely," Acma quickly interjected. "But I have an idea we can test right away. We can mix Fire magic with Lotus oil, right, Abuela?" She pointed to a large bottle on one of the shelves.
"Right," Abuela replied, and pointed to the lower cabinets with more massive containers. "I do have a couple of other oils we can try."
"Great!" Acma smiled. "We'll test them with different ratios in parallel. I'm sure we'll find something as effective as the Dragon Fireflies' essence. Mahlin, take these magic pods with you to stock the Fire magic without holding it in your body. Do you still remember how to use them?"
"Of course! I'll be quick!"
Mahlin dashed out of the tent in an instant.
"Slow down!" Abuela sighed. "Your knees don't have enough scars yet, do they?"
Acma smiled and helped Abuela sit down at her grant table full of lab apparatus and potions. The group resumed making healing potions and preparing oil and fuel powder mixtures.
Some time later, Casi burst into the tent, announcing that Gibaus had invited Acma to his tent. Sensing Acma's unease about being summoned to in the Chieftain's tent alone, Abuela asked, "What's this about?"
"I don't know, Abuela. Sissy Wakiyus told me to get Lady Acma there as fast as I could," Casi replied.
"I see," Acma said, her slightly furrowed brow softening.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Abuela asked, gently placing a hand on Acma's arm. The young SeeD softly pulled away.
"Thank you, but I'll be fine. It seems Lady Wakiyus will be there," Acma smiled. "And you'll come with me, too, right?"
"Of course!" Casi said eagerly. "Follow me!"
"Slow down! Why do you all run like there's a fire?" Abuela shouted, sighing as she watched Casi pull Acma out of the tent at high speed.
"You care a lot about Lady Acma; I'm a bit jealous!" Shanis grinned, hugging her mother from behind.
Abuela playfully rapped her daughter on the head. "If you were as gracious and smart and kind as Lady Acma, I'd be quite fortunate."
Shanis laughed louder. "I guess you're stuck with this clumsy girl as your only daughter, Lady Shamaness."
They continued to make potions and test out various fire explosions. In one corner, Shanis demonstrated her knife-throwing skills to other girls, which she had learned from Raddie during his time in the village.
"What's taking Mahlin so long?" Abuela said, growing impatient.
"She must be chasing the foxes again," Shanis blurted out.
Just moments later, Mahlin rushed into the tent, her hair damp with sweat.
"Abuela! The well is dry!"
"What do you mean?" Abuela frowned.
Mahlin held up her empty magic pods. "I waited and waited. I thought I had followed Lady Acma's instructions wrong, the pods couldn't draw any magic. But then I switched to using my hands to draw Fire, and I couldn't. The magic well... it's been exhausted recently."
"This is not good…" Abuela said, her brow furrowing in concern.
BOOM!
Everyone jumped at the loud explosion from the center of the village.
"Lady Acma…" Abuela gasped, grabbing her scepter. "Quick, bring the healing potions and weapons with you!"
As Acma followed Casi to Gibaus's tent, she passed by a crowd surrounding two giant Chocobos, who spread their wings and walked slowly in a circle. One of the birds had a blue bandana around its fluffy neck, while the other wore a red one.
"Bet! Bet! Blue or red! Bet! Bet!" the men inside the circle shouted.
"Excuse me!" A man she recognized as the smith pushed his way through the crowd. "Blue! 300 'Xu' for Blue!" he called out, his burly frame separating the crowd.
"What are they doing?" Acma asked Casi, confused.
"That's Chocobo fighting! It's the first match of the season. We start with 16 Chocobos and have two matches a day, then—" Casi began to explain, but Acma signaled for her to stop.
"Did your cousin tell the Chieftain about… um, what Abuela thinks might happen soon?"
"What's going to happen soon?" the eight-year-old girl asked back.
"Ah, nothing. Maybe they just want to discuss something with me before the announcement. Let's go." Acma brushed it off.
Gibaus often denied the cruelty of their monster Lord, but deep down, he must know the fact that Simurgh couldn't careless about the Chieftain when it came to raiding their village. It was too late to hide the danger. Perhaps he didn't want to create turmoil that would send the villagers fleeing before they could prepare their defenses.
As they approached his tent, two of Gibaus's closest subordinates passed by. One of them with crooked teeth smirked at Acma, provoking a reaction she couldn't quite place. His gaze felt more patronizing than she liked, as if he were saying she was worthless. Did she know him? Her foggy brain, likely the product of her long-term GF junctioning, made her feel like an old woman with Alzheimer, as if her monster gene hadn't aged her body fast enough.
As the crooked-toothed man walked past her, Acma felt sweat involuntarily formed on her brow, and her heart raced at inexplicable rate. After a few more heavy steps, she told Casi to stop. Leaning against the wall of a small alley, she took a moment to collect herself.
"Are you okay, Lady Acma?" Casi asked. "Is this time to eat your candies?"
"I'm fine. I'm just..." Acma took out her tranquilizer bottle and examined it closely. After Raddie had left with Hercus the day before, she noticed the bottle had been shifted when she opened the drawer. Raddie might have realized she was on medication. The boy who always looked up to her as a prodigy knew her secret.
Drugs.
Drugs helped her stay calm during grueling SeeD training and under the pressure of missions. Drugs helped her forget the past that prevented her from living the present moment. Drugs help her ease the pain wherever she thought of the day Zyma let himself get killed by her.
What had Raddie thought when he discovered this? Disappointment? Pity?
He had every right to look down on her. Born a normal boy without any magical abilities, he earned the SeeD title through hard work and perseverance. He must have felt pity for her, someone born a killer who had to cheat just to function through the day.
"Do you want me to fetch you some water?" Casi asked innocently.
"Ah, no," Acma replied, slipping the bottle back into her pocket. "Today's a skip day. I'm sorry; let's get back to your uncle."
At Gibaus's tent, although his two closest subordinates weren't guarding the entrance as expected, she was surprised that no guards had replaced them. The paranoid chieftain always enjoyed company. Nevertheless, she felt relieved and less intimidated with fewer of Gibaus's men around.
Inside, the atmosphere felt unusually quiet, a stark contrast to Gibaus's usual extravagant parties filled with drinking men and dancing women.
For the first time, Acma carefully observed the four carved pillars, realizing they were adorned with patterns representing Inooit's four symbolic animals: the bear, snake, eagle, and fox. The air carried the scent of cedar and the smoky aroma of burning Agarwood incense from a small brazier in the corner.
At the far end of the tent, Gibaus sat with his back to the entrance. Despite limited sunlight, Acma recognized his distinctive dark red Tomahawk hairstyle immediately.
"Chieftain Gibaus, I'm here," Acma said.
After a few seconds, there was no response from the Chieftain. Acma glanced at Casi, seeking confirmation if Gibaus indeed expected her.
Casi looked equally confused. "Uncle Gee, we're here. Sissy Wakiyus said you were calling for us?"
Acma's suspicion grew as she looked at Gibaus's still form at a different angle.
"Casi, step back," Acma said, slowly approaching the silent Gibaus, hoping he had only dozed off.
Being a greedy head of this village that thrived on human trafficking gave Gibaus unlimited access to alcohol. But to think he'd invited Acma and then passed out without any guards didn't align with his usual paranoia about Hercus dethroning him.
As Acma drew closer, just a few feet away where she would surely catch the scent of alcohol, she noticed something far more pungent in the air that the incense couldn't mask.
Death.
Her heart pounded. Her mind raced with countless possibilities. Nervously, her hand flickered to call upon her innate ability.
THUD!
"Ahh!"
Both Acma and Casi screamed as Gibaus's body fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. His face was twisted in horror, his eyes wide with blood vessels at the edge of bursting.
"Shh…," Acma signaled for Casi to be quiet, even as her own heart raced. "Stop screaming, Casi. This isn't good for us if someone comes in and sees this." Thankfully, the brave young girl listened, covering her mouth with her small hands. "Don't look. Let me see if I can save him."
Acma swallowed hard and knelt beside Gibaus, examining his lifeless body from head to toe. His stomach had been stabbed repeatedly, leaving a long, gaping wound. No weapon lay nearby.
If the murderer wanted to frame her for this death, the weapon must be close by, and there should be witnesses. Many had seen her enter the tent with Casi. And where was Wakiyus, anyway?
"Casi… can you—"
Just as Acma glanced at Casi and then back at Gibaus's corpse, she suddenly noticed his stomach glowing bright orange.
"Bomb! Lay down!"
BOOM!
The tent exploded with a loud bang, hurling pieces of wood and straw into the air.