Midara: Paradox

Chapter 0: The Breach- In which a character is smoother than the author could ever dream of being

He regarded the park with real enthusiasm, gawking as only a tourist might. though few tourists could see what he was seeing. Instead of noting the beautiful reds and purples of the crafted scenery, and the subtle scent of moisture and decay heralding winter's embrace, his eyes were locked on the spiritual world.

There, life and death did not merely dance around one another; they waged a war for primacy. Flickers of nature spirits, weakened by age, were swarmed by hungry cold and death spirits and drained of their remaining life. Some months later, the scene would reverse, as the frozen and starving death spirits would be driven out by the next generation of life spirits.

He smirked at the brutal little microcosm, noting a more introspective sort would take some sort of personal lesson from the scene playing out. Instead, he was far more interested in the artificial magic chained through the air; magic meant to protect people from suffering at the hand of spirits and beasts the same horrors they inflicted upon each other.

Magic which redirected human spiritual energy along controlled pathways, like ditches and levies to control the flow of water, and even turned that very same spiritual energy into fuel to continue the magic that made it all possible. In effect, sensory magic was dulled to near blindness for those beings who had not trained specifically to work around it. So long as it remained stable, it would serve as protector and prison for all who embraced 'civilization'.

It was admirable, the lengths to which men would go to ensure the violence of the world could only travel in one direction where they were concerned. Though that was, again, for those more interested in navel-gazing than he.

Right now, he was less interested in men, and more interested in one specific woman which was unique in both layers of reality.

Her soft-yellow hair, natural in spite of the absurdity of such a thing, framed a round, youthful face that looked as if it had never once experienced suffering or difficulty in life. Her soul glowed with even more vigor, possessed of incredible raw potential as a psion that had received little refinement. She smiled and pointed at trees, and even made a timid attempt at touching one of the glowing blue caterpillars which were seeking a spot to cocoon themselves.

The perfect expression of a nobleborn girl who had no experience with the real world, no doubt an avid reader of things that she never experienced, written by people who themselves had never experienced what they wrote of. He was willing to bet this girl had never so much as witnessed a person die with her own eyes. All power, no skill or guile to call her own; the perfect target.

Her two companions were less unusual, but much more dangerous. The one with brown hair was middle-aged; an obvious warrior with more than a little experience perfecting what was a lackluster talent in terramancy. She was alert, capable, and protective of her young charge.

The green-haired woman was around the age of his target, from a strong nature-oriented bloodline which she had leveraged into self-augmentation. With a few more years of experience she would be truly formidable, but for now she was much like her golden-haired mistress; an easy mark. She was, however, shielded only by a passionate love he'd have to struggle to overcome, so he dismissed her as an option.

As he observed them, his mind was running through approaches. He needed a persona dangerous enough to appeal to the blonde's obvious yearning for adventure and experience, while being safe enough to slip by the others' suspicion.

He could almost hear Arishka teasing him. No doubt something about having more pride in his talents and enjoying the challenge. He'd make some snide remark about that being a human way of thinking. She'd retort with a comment about how humans also believed that knowing how prey thinks is a benefit to a hunter.

Chuckling to himself, he chose his approach. He walked through a more secluded and overgrown section of the park, adjusting his skin and flesh to suit his approach. Meanwhile, he named the girls after their hair colors: blonde, green, and brown. Brown being the difficult one; he'd have to find a way to neutralize her without being obvious that she did so.

His toasted-brown skin darkened until it was just shy of the shade of rich soil and an almost opposite color one would expect of the lazy fops of courtly life.. Of the three, two were worldly enough to think little of his coloration, while the one that mattered would find it exotic and thus desirable.

His skin swelled with water, hiding his lean muscle behind a layer of what a human eye would think was fat, while retaining enough shape that he'd appear like a bulky laborer, rather than obese and weak. Appealing to a girl long weary of the opulence of nobility, unimpressive and nonthreatening to a pair of skilled warriors whose magic-enhanced strength went far beyond what flesh alone could ever accomplish.

With his shape decided, he took a moment to reacquaint himself to the lumbering walk of a man who stood tall and confident, but lacked in pride and ego. A simple, happy, gentle giant who had earned his time off and wanted to spend it somewhere quiet and beautiful.

With his best friendly smile, he stepped out from the shadows, moving toward the three girls. He didn't make it far before pretending to blunder into the pair of overprotective guardians.

"Where do you think you're going?" The brown haired woman all but barked at him.

"Ah, apologies are in order." He stepped back, bowed his head. It was a dangerous position to be in, a flick of her wrist and he'd be enjoying the autumn chill where his head used to sit. "I was to be enjoying the trees, but your friend's great beauty was distracting me from trees and you."

A moment of confusion, as they puzzled through his heavy accent, followed by realization. Brown settled on annoyance and suspicion seemed her default state of emotion regardless. The blonde was second, a brief flash of almost bored acceptance of flattery, followed by a tinge of intrigue as she considered he different he seemed. Green was last, annoyance followed by jealous resentment.

Interesting, he thought to himself. That was an exploitable angle.

"She has enough company, as you can now see." Brown kept her eyes cold.

"Yes, you two being greatest of friends to lovely woman." He picked the words to emphasize the situation, and pretend he didn't understand the subtext of servitude while reminding them of it. "But is saying among my people that is not possible to have enough friends. All being different, all being worthy of knowing."

"I think that is a wonderful sentiment," Blonde finally spoke.

In truth, he couldn't even imagine someone believing such tripe, but it resonated with Blonde while annoying Brown; both moved him closer to his goal.

"We've been over this, Nes." Green's voice dripped with a long-growing frustration. "He's trying to worm his way into your bed."

He could sense that part of Green burned that it was never her that was the subject of these sorts of attentions, but she seethed that the one person she yearned for more than anything was out of her reach.

"Come on, Fee," Blonde said with weary sigh. "There's no need to be so suspicious, he's just being friendly."

His fake smile felt a little more genuine for a moment; the wedges had been formed, now he could take advantage of them, but first he had to disavow the target of her developing need to defend him. It had its benefits, but she was the damsel in her fantasies, not the knight.

"I do not wish being contrary, but your protective friend has the truth of it." Stunned silence from the thoughts of the duo, as he settled their argument in a way neither of them could ever have anticipated. It hadn't solved the issue of Brown, but he had determined her default emotion was paranoia, so there was nothing he could do to get through or around her.

"I... did not expect you to say such a thing." Blonde now held a controlled, almost hostile, tone and mindset. More than that, she was now reaching out at him with her natural psychic potential. Perfect.

"I am suspecting they do things differently here, yes?" A moment of hesitation; like all ladies, she must have had diplomatic instructions, enough to accept that other cultures had other methods. He gestured at his skin, and with it invited Blonde to consider his features and how they appealed to him. "I am coming from far away, being unfamiliar with your way of doing."

"Then perhaps you misunderstood what Fee meant?"

"No, I am believing that 'bed' meaning is clear." She had offered an interesting out, and for another girl it might even have been the ideal approach, but this one found being his bold contradiction desirable, even if she wasn't aware of that impulse in herself. "Our way of doing is to speak and learn of the other, then decide if there is liking. With future learning might blossoming romance and marriage, and sharing of bed. Is this not your way?"

It wasn't, not among nobility like Blonde, and they were all pretending they didn't know it. Green crossed her arms. "No, it's about the same. You're just terrible at it."

Perfect. "Thank you."

Irritation bowed to surprise once again. Blonde found her footing faster this time- no doubt her natural mind magic letting her adapt to his tactic. "I admit, not the response I expected."

He gave a happy laugh. "As I am thinking, skill is needing practice." Or the right magic to let you cheat. He had plenty of both on his side. "Lacking practice is being proof of honesty. Is those with skill in twisting words one must watch." Let nobody say I didn't give them fair warning.

The bitterness off of all three was tangible, but Blonde the most. "I must admit, I like your way of thinking."

Of course you do, every word of it is everything you've ever wanted to hear.

"Be that as it may," Brown cut in. "We're leaving. Now."

Blonde opened her mouth to argue, but was cut off by the older woman's glare. "-Very well." She looked at him. "Please, accept my apologies."

"No apologies being necessary." He kept his false cheer up, powerful enough to hide from the immature probing of Blonde's power on his surface emotions. "I am thinking you having good reasons. My people saying all things having good reasons, and if reason being good enough, fate will be finding ways."

"You have a lovely culture," Blonde said as she began walking past, to join her guards. "I'd like to hear more of it some day."

"Yes, some day being... lovely..." he took the opportunity to use a deeper tone with the last word, evoking a more seductive tone than his usual cheerful voice. Just enough to play on that more animal desire this poor, sheltered, child had not yet learned she could be a master of rather than a slave to.

"R-right." She ran off, a whirl of half-comprehended desires.

He sat down under a tree, pretended to watch the skies for a moment, then closed his eyes and began playing with the defensive magical structures. He could siphon a little power off them to bolster his own strength, but doing so came with numerous risks. Not worth taking a chance on if it could be avoided. However, if instead of siphoning, he could imagine a lopsided boost creating a slow collapse...

Several hours later, he pretended a voice shook him from his meditation. "G-greetings."

He smiled up at her. "Ah, I am not expecting seeing your beauty again so soon."

"I wasn't expecting to, either, but," she looked over her shoulder. "I had to get away, if only for a little while."

Stupid, stupid child. "I am thinking everyone is knowing such feelings, from time to time." He climbed to his feet, quite a bit taller than her. "Shall we be talking of culture, now? Perhaps walking to making head clear?"

She swallowed. "Yes, I'd like that."

"For starters, I am being from far in the occident, near a great ocean that I am not seeing on your maps..."

They walked, talked, for an hour, and with every step he led her further from familiarity and safety, while drawing her ever closer to doing what her body was screaming for, rather than listening to her more rational mind. Soon, he had her holding his arm, laughing and smiling just because he looked at her.

Meanwhile, the way her psychic abilities probing at his mind escalated to the point where they would have been considered almost as obscene as what he planned to do to her.

In the end, he managed to lead the naive girl to his temporary abode without her once questioning the path they were on. He leaned in and gave her what he was certain was her first kiss, which she returned it with the wanton abandon that only a young adult with no experience could.

"Would you be liking to come in?" He asked. So close to being able to drop this stupid accent.

She hesitated for one moment, then another. "I... I really shouldn't be..."

He'd have been more worried and less annoyed if this wasn't such a common occurrence with the young ones. "There is being no problem," he lied. "You are being free to making your own choices, I am seeing you tomorrow, and after. You are being ready when time is right, is the nature of things."

Now she hesitated for another reason, thinking about how untrue that statement was, though not in the same way as her tall and dark partner. Her mind cycled back to what would happen when she returned to the estate- sneaking out had been hard enough, there was no chance she could get back in without being caught. If indeed they hadn't already realized she was gone.

She would never see him again no matter the other consequences, though she couldn't bear to tell him such. She also had no way of knowing how to find her way back, so she'd need to ask his help. And she could feel his longing and the disappointment he was trying to hard to hide.

She took a breath, then made herself smile again. "On second thought, I think coming in is sounding nice."

He led her in, closed the door, then began to kiss her neck while leading her further away from the last possibility of salvation. She stopped him one last time. "Sorry, I just realized... I forgot to... My name is Nesare. We almost, without even, how silly would that be?"

"Is not so silly as you are believing." If anything, he found it remarkable how many times names were forgotten entirely, which he preferred if only to help keep things he had to remember to a minimum. "I am being Empel."

"Empel. It's a nice name." She laughed a little as she surrendered herself to his ministrations. So distracted she was by sensation that she didn't even notice when wings unfurled in the darkness of the room.

Her nervousness laughter turned to giggles.

Giggles turned to moans.

Moans to gasps.

Gasps. Screams.

Silence.


-----

"Still a better love story than-"

"NO! NO, IT VERY MUCH IS NOT!!!"

Meet Arakash... calling him the hero of the story is a bit more than a stretch, so let's just call him 'a very reluctant protagonist'. The actual villain, believe it or not, manages to be far worse.

 

ARAKASH:

Spoiler: Design Theory

As what is effectively an incubus, Arakash should ooze enough sex appeal to overcome the fact that he is an unapologetic monster. And for the ladies who find the 'serial killer' grade bad boy to be attractive for some incomprehensible reason, let's see if we can make panties break the sound barrier.

Arakash's basic humanoid form should be modeled to look like a young Shah Rukh Khan. His demonic form, somewhat like Goliath of the 90s Gargoyles cartoon, but with a more slender, catlike build rather than the body builder superhero look.

Speaking of Goliath, Keith David would be an excellent selection for a voice actor. My original pick for a voice actor was Tony Jay, but sadly that's not an option anymore.

Theme music: A metal remake of Futile by Lord Lovidicus seems ideal to me.

Spoiler: Basic Info

Class: Plague Lord

"An enslaved demon. What madman thought such a beast could be controlled?"

6'4'' (193cm), Solid black eyes, Dark purple skin, black hair.

Hobbies: Eating young girls (no, not the fun way), being a freakin' demon.

STATS: (Note, stats increase with levels, so what will be listed is a grading scale of A-F suggesting what you can expect of this character compared to equivalent levels).

Strength: B

Agility: A

Vitality: C

Intelligence: C

Perception: B

Willpower: C

Elements: Miasma, Negation.

Combat Style: Stealth, Assassination, Battlefield controlling debuffs

Relies on poison and illusory magic. Fairly effective against most enemies so long as you choose to use the correct abilities. Weak against the undead and "holy" enemies.

Spoiler: Combat Features

BASE ABILITIES: These are natural traits available to Arakash.

Flight- Can fly. Flying counts as movement, even if staying still, and can slow other actions

Immune to Disease, Mind Control, Poison, Darkness, and resistant to cold.

Nightvision- Cannot be blinded by darkness

Vampirism- A weak attack that allows Arakash to heal. Best used against downed or otherwise incapacitated foes.

Vulnerable to fire, holy, and light magic.

No natural healing/recovery. Only recovers via life draining.

Meldcast Effect: Corrosion. The target(s) of a Corrosive Spell get a debuff to their resistance against spells of that element for the rest of the battle. Cumulative.

WEAPON TYPE:

Vilos Parasite- Arakash' weapon is derived from a parasitic organism which has fused itself to his arm. The creature has a unique form of claylike bone substance that it can alter in order to create various weapons. One of the key skills the player needs to master in using Arakash effectively is determining which weapon design is best for which opponents.

Claw- Short range and very fast, 4 blades each deal a small amount of damage (effectively 4 hits), makes it very strong against poorly armored targets, but very weak against armored foes.

Tandem Blades- Twin claws, each dealing about 50% more damage than one claw, but only having two blades. Most effective against medium armor.

Katar- Short range, fast, single blade that does about 50% more damage than one of the twin blades (125% more than a claw). Good for heavily armored foes.

Longblade- Medium range, effectively a longsword, moderate damage and speed- good generic option

Crossbow- Slow ranged weapon that's overall weak- but can be used to attack from the safety of the air.



ARMOR TYPE:

Light or Medium armors. Arakash cannot fly except in light armor.

MAGIC STYLES:

INFESTATION: All these carry a generic feature of infecting a target, or targets, with disease or poison- resisted with Vitality. The AoE and contagious spells of this class are just as capable of hitting allies as enemies. As is RPG tradition: the stronger spells won't be available in the early game.

Nausea- reduces perception and agility (as well as speed)

Paralysis- Base poison, harms accuracy

Neurotoxin- Reduces vitality and strength

Venom- Enchants Arakash' weapon with one of his other infestation class spells granting a chance to inflict the status with each hit, stacks (makes claw type attacks really good for stacking debuffs)

Miasma- Harms the lungs- lowers vitality and agility of all caught inside

Virus- Infects a target with a virus that slowly drains health, damage climbs exponentially over time. Can spread.

Acid- Cause damage, weakens armor greatly

Zombie Plague- Does health and agility damage over time. If victim dies, becomes a zombified version of the unit that goes berserk and targets the nearest large animal.

Acid Bath- Like acid, but area damage (can destroy terrain)

Manaphage- Infests a target, causes damage to health equal to the mana cost whenever target casts a spell.

Spore- Hits multiple targets. If infected dies, body explodes, replicating the original spell. Causes damage similar to virus and slowly lowers stats.

Lycanthropy- Makes the target go berserk and attack closest living unit, regardless of team. Slowly increases stats and health over time. Can infest via certain (touch) attacks- lycanthropes only target each other when there are no other targets available- this spell actually could be useful to cast on allies on occasion

Manaspores- Similar to manaphage, has the spore effects as well

Ebola- A greatly improved version of virus

ILLUSION: These spells either affect the mind or alter light/sound to create illusory spells. Some are offensive, others defensive. Arakash uses two types of illusion magic: Shadow and Memory.

SHADOW: All create zones where light cannot pass. These black shadows are impossible to see through using normal vision, but are pure illusion with no substance or ability to interact with the world.

Blind- Covers the target's face in shadows. Causes blindness, but no damage

Dark Shield- Creates a cube of pure black that cannot be seen into or out of

Shadow Beasts- Creates creatures and humanoids that are pure shadow. They have high agility, speed, and evasion. They lack substance, so cannot inflict damage and if they get hit by anything, they risk vanishing. Useful as decoys and intimidation.

Prism Eater- A special defensive spell that negates any light based attacks on the shielded. Falters after absorbing its power worth of damage.

Dark Wall- A much wider version of the dark shield

Black Hound- A Shadow Beast upgrade that can kamikaze itself into a foe, inflicting a selected "memory" spell.

Abyssal Night- Covers the ground with a fog of black. Doesn't reach high terrain, but floods most area. Darkness affects all targets and shifts the local magic field two steps toward 'negation'.

MEMORY SPELLS: A special class of mind magic that forces the target to remember emotional events in his/her life. These spells are devastating and can pierce most mental resistance to illusion or mind magic, but short lived. All are single target and short range.

Memories of Fear- Reduces accuracy and speed (unless fleeing), lowers morale.

Memories of Longing- Distracts foe, reducing action speed

Memories of Desire- Decreases Willpower, thus making the target more vulnerability to mind control or other means of persuasion

Memories of Pain- Reduces vitality and strength

Memories of Betrayal- Target randomly chooses one ally and attacks. Duration determined by Arakash' magic, resisted by Foe's willpower.

Memories of Failure- Reduces "luck"- decreasing the odds of success for any action.

Memories of Loss- Reduces perception and awareness- might skip turns

Memories of Rage- Enters a berserk mode. Also boosts strength and lowers agility

Memories of Loneliness- Greatly lowers willpower

Memories of Isolation- As fear, also "forgets" about allies, which means the AI won't support them or try to avoid catching them in AoE attacks

Memories of Nothing- A powerful stun spell that temporarily erases the target's mind

OTHER SPELLS- These generally don't fit in previous categories.

Locate Energy- Arakash senses the combined energy of health+magic of everyone in range- this is valuable tactically and can reveal hidden targets and higher stat foes.

Sense Lust- Arakash can identify sexual desires directed toward himself, and identify some of the subject's desires and motivations.

Paralysis- Stacking agility damage attacks, to keep a victim unable to move for vampiric purposes.

Strip Essence- Uses vampiric drain on a magical construct, reducing effect and duration of many area control spells (mainly forcefield effects)

Charm- Makes the target like Arakash. The target(s) will not attack him if he doesn't attack them, and might cast support spells to aid him. But will not be under control and will attack your other characters.

Consume Essence- A more powerful variant of strip essence and vampiric drain which sacrifices energy for speed. Does more damage, but costs too much to provide much power restoration.

Seduce- Can mind control a target that finds him attractive, grants control during the battle and adds the victim to the "cohort" roster after battle.

Rend Spirit- Does direct magic damage, highly effective against mages

Black Grip- Holds a target with an invisible claw. A powerful binding move, but Arakash cannot take other actions while using this ability

 

Several black-robed mystics chanted to one another, weaving the complex summoning spell together to the essential moment and required outcome. One of the ritualists gasped, reached for his chest, and collapsed upon the pure marble of the chamber floor.

Another ritualist stepped into the circle, next to the collapsed man, and took up the chant right away while too others in the back went to move the fallen.

"My apologies, M'lord," one of the men whispered to another. "We'll remove him to be dealt with-"

"Toss him in the pit."

The two tending to the fallen also looked up, frozen by uncertainty. "M'lord?"

"He failed to so much as warn us he was going to falter. If he can't serve to control the ritual, then he'll serve as raw material. The ritual is the only thing that matters. It is more important than any of our lives. The pit."

The ritualist attempted to struggle, but he was outnumbered and having a heart attack. He was shoved into the shallow pit in the center of the chamber. Long, slender tendrils of living darkness reached up from through the floor, embraced him, then began the slow process of peeling his flesh off one long, almost loving, stroke at a time.

For a brief moment, the chamber glowed as lightning danced across the gold and gemstones installed in the pure marble of the chamber. The excess energy was absorded, balanced, and evened out across the supernatural matrix. A spell of this magnitude taxed not just the ritualists, but the fabric of the Ether itself. One mistake, and the excess energy would rupture and spill uncontrolled into the physical world, killing all of them.

Meanwhile, the others continued their chanting while weaving the web of magic. The lord in question noted with some satisfaction as one of the other chanters stepped back, replaced by a fresh chanter. He had always believed the best way to get results was to remind people of the stakes.

Several agonizing minutes later, the upswell of controlled chaos reached its apex; the point where time and space could be folded in on themselves, torn assunder, and forced into new configurations.

The lord slipped a dagger out from the concealment of his robe and sliced his own palm. Holding a hand out over the pit, he allowed his blood to soak the stone, soon to be taken as nourishment by the black tendrils. Nasty creatures though they were, they were the most attainable of a short list of components that could achieve this final effect.

As they had consumed so much blood and tissue, the spell now consumed them. They screeched in protest as they were converted first to a toxic smoke, then converting that spoke to a carefully balanced mix of void and negation magic.

With the resonance established, the portal could be torn through reality- at the other end, a specific and unique magical signature that existed in one and only one spot. Energy was consumed, space was transposed, and without fanfare a hairless beast of dark purple and black standing half again as tall as a man found itself in the middle of the pit.

Twin talons on a digitigrade leg carved through the stone while wings unfurled and three-fingered claws opened wide, ready for the challenge. Its solid black eyes darted looked around like a caged animal's.

The demon tilted his head back and screamed, releasing reverberations of warped sonic magic meant to cause terror and madness. The shielding created by the ritual prevented any supernatural aspect of the scream from escaping the pit, but several of the ritualists faltered and stepped back. The lord made a mental note of which ones proved to be cowards. He wouldn't punish them; they did accomplish their mission. However, they would find themselves receiving less favor than the ones who stood their ground.

It then lunged forward, straight at the lord who had overseen this ritual. Its arms jerked back momentum yanked the body forward, wrists are tethered by invisible chains to the center of the pit.

"WHO DARES SUMMON ARAKASH, LORD OF BLIGHT!?!"

So it finally speaks. "That would be my doing." He remained calm, removed his hood to reveal his handsome, if somewhat older, features with blond hair long faded to grey. Unlike many, he was uninterested in using magic to emulate youth; he took pride in knowing he earned every wrinkle on his face. "I am King Sorda".

"Then I am in Tiras," Arakash responded. He stepped back, then stood to his full height.

Facing down the creature that was almost eye level to him in spite of standing in the pit, Sorda smirked. "So you're educated, then. That'll save us some time."

"The only time you should concern yourself with is when I break free from this prison. Then I shall see your civilization razed to the ground. You will live as my slave until I tire of your screams".

"I think you'll find that quite impossible."

Arakash lunged again, straining against the bindings holding him. His talons found purchase in the stone, allowing him to pull himself forward step by painful step. One arm got close enough that Sorda could have reached out and touched it, if he had any such desire.

"Impressive, but you're at your limit, and the spell i-" A bone spear shot forward from Arakash' wrist, cutting off Sorda's speech and only instinct and reflexes kept his head from going with it. He caught his composure after a moment. "Hmm, I hadn't realized you were hosting a Vilos. But even if it had struck me, what would it have accomplished? Even if you somehow managed to land a killing blow despite my defenses and my healers' best efforts, I'd have been revived within the hour. A waste of effort."

"Don't care, it would have hurt." Arakash knew better than to reveal his actual plan was to bury the Vilos boneblade into the man's flesh in order to drag him into the pit.

"I should think that those of our stations would be above such petty displays. But if you insist." He nodded toward the sorcerer next to him.

The hooded summoner raised his hands up to his face and formed a triangle with his hands above his forehead.

Arakash screamed, dropping to his knees in agony. The parasite attached to his arm writhed, white bone flailing around it and leaving gashes in the demon's flesh. After what he considered enough time, Sorda held up his hand, and the summoner stopped.

"Now, a lesser man would resort to threats after a display like that one, such as ripping that disgusting worm out of your arm." He took a step forward, then jumped down into the pit. Magically enhanced muscle made the drop harmless. He walked toward the demon. "But I like keeping my tools as useful as possible, and it is easier to demonstrate that you've already lost."

Arakash rose again, reaching out to grip the vulnerable throat of his captor, only to stop at the last moment. "W-why? How." He drew back, looking at his hand as if it had personally betrayed him.

"Part of the summoning process. You were bound into my service before you even knew the spell was being cast. Did you truly believe I would come this far and leave such a glaring oversight as allowing you the ability to do me harm in any way?"

"You did WHAT!?!" Arakash's eyes widened in what might have been horror. "Command magic requires consent, there's no sacrifice in the world high enough to over come that law."

"And that is where you're wrong." Sorda smirked at the creature. "There is at least one method, and while there is a sacrifice required, it is one I would not hesitate to pay a thousand times over to claim a tool like you."

"I... see." Arakash grit his teeth, running through every scenario in his head where he might kill the man before him via indirect methods that could circumvent the binding spell. He found none.

"Now, shall we get to business?" Sorda asked, as if it were a pleasant dinner meeting. "Preferably in a human form."

"Very well," Arakash snarled, With a moment of concentration, his flesh twisted in on itself. His two pairs of wings folded inward and rolled into his back, his skin changed from dark purple to a medium brown. Hair sprouted from his scalp, clothing manifested over his body, somehow. In seconds, a handsome and muscular man had replaced the demonic beast. "What service could you possibly consider worth the price paid this night?"

"One which is simple, and anything but straightforward," Sorda said. "You are to protect my daughter".

Arakash let out a bitter and cruel laugh. "I must admit, I never would have anticipated such a demand. Surely such a great lord as yourself would have better servants than a Noctrel to be around what would surely be a beautiful and," he took the time to smile and lick his lips. "Extremely tasty young maiden."

"There's no risk to her." If he felt any concern over the obvious threat and innuendo, he showed no sign of it. "When I claimed you were bound to me, that was not entirely true. It is in fact her that you are specifically chained to, while I'm using my status as her father and my talent as a Blood Mage to exert some limited version of that control over you. Your powers are useless on her. More than that, her life force was chained to yours. Your body will take on any injury meant for her. So long as you live, she cannot die."

Arakash bit his tongue; proclaiming something impossible while witnessing it with his own eyes would make him look both weak and foolish. It was better to spend his efforts seeking a way to break the spell, instead. "Is there anything else I should know about this binding magic?"

"Just the mundane ones," Sorda answered calmly. "On the off chance you aren't familiar. You can't lie to or betray her, must obey her commands, and cannot knowingly bring her to danger or harm. All standard for any sort of bound servant. Certainly I needn't go over the tedium. One such as you should already know the details of such magic."

"I... understand." All but the most important detail, which was the question of how this sort of comprehensive binding magic could be applied without the consent of all parties. "Your daughter is about to be exposed to specific dangers, which is why you need me." It was the only reason he could think of that Sorda wouldn't have bound him to himself over any other.

"I suppose it was an obvious conclusion." Sorda kept his tone neutral. "Yes. If you're aware enough to identify my nation by my name, then you're aware of recent political history. Princess Adageyudi is being sent on a diplomatic mission to Karana. You are to use your extensive natural talents in manipulation and deception to assist in every way possible."

"I'm sure the fact that Karana is matriarchal played a role in this decision, but how do you expect me to avoid all the security magic?"

"The binding magic will hide you from any passive detection or shielding. So long as you don't attempt to actively cast spells on someone, you'll be fine. Even if you do attempt spellcasting, I doubt they'll realize you're Noctrel. They'll simply think you're a particularly stupid mage, which will endanger my daughter's mission."

"Which means I'm unable to attempt it in the first place." The idea that the binding could hide his presense suggested it was, in fact, a double-structured binding, where she was bound to him as well as him being bound to her. Which he knew had been tried before by Noctrel and allied human mages, but if this Sorda's claim proved true, it was far more advanced than any technique he had ever heard of before.

Once again, he was struck by how impossible the conditions of this magic seemed. Not for the first time, he regretted that his talents were of a more physical nature, rather than the magical genius that his sister and their mother shared.

"I'm relieved to see you've finally managed to grasp the situation." Sorda stepped around the demon, making toward the stairs leading out of the pit. "Now, I am a busy man, so my servants will see to you. They will provide you to some guest quarters and what information my informants have on Karana's social and political situation, to aid your mission. Remember, as my daughter benefits from my property and agents, harming them is the same as harming her."

Arakash growled under his breath as Sorda left the room, swearing upon demons far more horrifying than himself that one day he would torture this man to death twice for every day he had to suffer the humiliation of servitude.

And oh, the unspeakable fate which awaited his daughter.

=====

To quote one of the best movies of all times" "I knew it! I'm surrounded by assholes."

Personally, I think Sorda won the asshole contest, how about you? But, unorthodox though it may be, you have to admit it's a really effective plan if you can make it work. Sorda is not a man who half-asses security. Or playing with eldritch horrors, black magic, and demonic entities.

Fun fact: in the original notes, that whole summoning scene was about 50 words. The conversation another 200 or so. Whew.

Personally, I think too much media just glosses over ritual magic... treating it like Star Trek treats "science" fiction. I'm trying the opposite- treating magic as Arthur C. Clarke treated technology- there's engineering theory and laws that might not be physics, but are still more or less physics. Tell me how it holds up, please.

Fun fact: There's no true need for chanting as part of a ritual, but it definitely makes things easier. Kind of how it's possible to do a dance choreography routine without music... but when failed timing means death, you're gonna use every tool available.

Also, Vilos parasites are terrifying and you'll be seeing much more of them later in the story.

 

"Stand tall, the last rule to remember is that you must never show weakness in front of this creature. It will tell any lie, use any opportunity. While near it, all actions will be a contest of will. Do not allow it to win."

"I must voice my objection to this plan, father," Soret said. He stood tall, perhaps hoping that his physical stature might intimidate his father into reconsidering. "Ignore the Karanans, or let me go in their stead. Surely anything is better than risking your daughter with this monster."

"Once again, your objections are noted and rejected. Unless you've come up with a new argument, I order you to drop it." Sorda let his impatience slip into his voice. "Now, Princess Adageyudi will take the Noctrel and use every advantage it offers in negotiations with Karana. Do you both understand."

Ada spared a glance over to her elder brother. The worry made him look more like his father than he ever had before. While they shared the same height and blond hair, her brother always had an approachable, happy demeanor. Sensing no help would come from him, she answered for them.

"Yes, Father," Ada nodded, taking a slow breath and preparing herself for the confrontation that was to demonstrate whether she was worthy of her claim to royal blood.

"I don't like the hesitation." He gave both of his children a look, making certain they understood he wouldn't tolerate dissent.

"My apologies." Ada turned her eyes down. "I feel uncomfortable about having a slave."

"Is that so? Come with me." Sorda turned and walked toward one of the castle's side halls.

Contrary to popular fiction, the amount of floor space available in a castle was rather limited, especially a defensive fortress like Castle Tyras. Even in wealthy of nations castles were often more stone than room, and Tyras was a young nation that had not yet amassed the wealth necessary to craft an opulent palace.

This showed in how little time it required for them to reach the room which he had the newest addition to their forces waiting. He opened the door himself, and noted that the creature was leaning back in a chair with his bare feet on the table. It didn't bother to stand.

For his part, Arakash knew this minor act of rebellion would annoy the otherwise untouchable king; nothing in the loyalty clause of his somehow forced 'contract' required he act with respect or decorum. He was, however, starting to regret this defiance, for now he was in a vulnerable stance. While Sorda was a known factor, and the slender purple-haired girl was easy to dismiss as little more than a weak mage, the boy following behind was anything but a simple problem.

The tall fair-haired man shined with magical power. Power which he had trained alongside his body until both were as well-crafted as the magical blade which he wielded. In any fair fight, he knew he'd lose. Fortunately, Noctrel thought of fighting fair as anything other than a weakness to exploit in their enemies. Unfortunately, the man was wound so tight that he might go for the kill with the slightest provocation.

"He doesn't look anything like I expected." Ada thought she muttered it quiet enough to not be overheard, but Noctrel senses were far sharper than human.

What was a surprise to him was how little he could take from that impression; most of the time, Noctrel could sense intent, emotion, and all the numerous flavors of desire that they evoked. Where he was accustomed to reading through most women with impunity, there was emptiness in the girl's aura. Others might have taken it as a lesson in humility, but Arakash found yet another reason to rail against this treatment.

"It," Sorda corrected. "Is a Noctrel, not a 'he'. If you must, its name is Arakash, and it is yours to command. I suggest you start by ordering it to show its true self."

Arakash clenched his teeth, his eyes darting between the three. For now, he would need to bide his time. Once girl was away from her much more controlled father and overprotective elder brother, then he could work on acquiring his freedom.

"Understood, father." Ada looked straight at the man she had been told was a demon. "Arakash, I command you to reveal your true form."

He resisted as best he could, for it seemed they expected him to. If nothing else, the two heartbeats between when the words were spoken and the compulsion blossomed in force taught him how long he could fight the magic's compulsion. He didn't see any way it could help him now, but the future was rife with possibility.

Try as he might, however, his body moved without him. Flesh warped, swelled, shifted in shape, color, and even mystical signature as he was forced into his true state.

Ada gasped and steps back a couple feet quickly, before regaining her composure. "I hadn't realized."

"Now, perhaps, you should ask it how many innocent young men and women it's fed upon in its long life. I'm certain the answer will enlighten you to the true nature of this creature."

She drew a breath, staring down the beast which was enslaved to her. "Well, you heard my father. Tell me, how many lives are you responsible for destroying?"

The expression on his inhuman face was unreadable. Yet again, a means to test the nature of the compulsion using an honest, if vague, answer. "I don't know." The pressure eased for a moment, before coming back harder still. The spell demanded more, teaching him that it was basing its definition of a proper answer on her mind. "Do you track every side of lamb or beef you've ever eaten?" The pressure continued building. "I've lived a long time; it must be in the high hundreds by now." He hissed as agony lanced through his skull. "Thousands, no doubt."

So now, he knew that the spell went beyond simple compulsion, and rewarded evasiveness with pain. Better to learn it now than during something important. That technicalities were included in the spell's nature convinced him even further that what guided the spell was tied directly into how he and the princess perceived the situation, rather than some objective Truth magic.

"You see," Sorda said. "It is unworthy of sympathy."

Ada looked down, unwilling to face either her father, or the creature she now commanded. "Yes, father. I apologize for questioning your wisdom".

Soret, still eyeing the beast whose chest was above his head, could no longer hold his tongue. "I don't. This thing convinced me it's even more dangerous than I imagined, before. It won't let itself be controlled forever. I'm an accomplished knight and it is my duty to protect my sister, not this abomination's!"

"You're heir to the throne of Tiras." Sorda sighed at his son's outburst. "You can't be replaced."

"And my sister can!?" Now, Soret turned away from Arakash, stepped up to his father's face, and gripped his robe. "How can you say that after-"

With speed that surprised everyone, Sorda backhanded his son with enough force to send him sprawling across the room. Arakash in particular was taken aback by this display of power; he had known the king to be a skilled summoner, but he hadn't sensed this level of accomplished warmage in the man. Then he remembered the man was a Blood Mage, no doubt using his blood bond to his daughter to hide from his senses the way she was hidden.

"I tolerate your objections because a good king must be able to hear disagreement, as you will have to learn some day." Sorda straightened out his clothes as he spoke. "But do not dare to presume that makes us equals. And never raise your hand to me again."

Soret rubbed his jaw as he used his magic to heal it until it was sore, rather than broken. "Yes, your majesty."

"Be glad nobody other than family witnessed your childish behavior," Sorda finished. "Now go prepare your sister's guard. The circumstances have somewhat swayed me to your concerns, so you may choose five more you feel suited to join the ones I've already assigned. Make it quick; I will tolerate nothing delaying the departure."

"Thank you, Sire." Still shaking with anger, Soret climbed to his feet and marched for the exit.

"Speaking of delays, I have my own matters to attend to," Sorda said. "I advise you have it take on human form again, before the servants see. It would be best if it waited at the main gates while you ready yourself for the journey." He walked out, not far behind his son.

Ada waited for a moment, still trying to digest how she felt about what had transpired, in addition to now having control over a monster. "You heard my father. What are you waiting for?"

Arakash found the exchange fascinating, especially how he gave commands to his son, but made 'suggestions' to his daughter. He suspected that, too, was related to the nature of his binding magic. As he considered the possibilities, he returned to a human appearance.

"The main gates are through the large doors. You'll find yourself in the inner keep, take the main path through the garden until you come to the gate itself. Tell the guards you're to wait there for me." She hesitated for a moment. "And while on the subject, you're not to speak to anyone of what you saw in this room. Or, for that matter, do anything else that might embarrass me or the family."

"As you command, Princess."

He gathered himself as Ada left, considering all that he had learned. There wouldn't be much chance to play the father against the son, as he'd be gone too soon, but perhaps he could turn the daughter. Without being able to read her emotions, she'd be a challenge, but even humans could manipulate one another, so he felt confident he'd find a way.

He stepped out, and went wandering; the princess hadn't demanded he go without delay, so he could take some time, and the emotions pulsing off that little princeling right now were fascinating.

In a side chamber, a green haired woman looked up into the concerned and gentle eyes of her all-too-handsome prince. "Are you still certain? I mean, after I-"

"Please, Fiora." He put his hands on her shoulders, aware of the effect he had on her, and the fact that this was the closest they could ever be, for her sake. As much as both of them would enjoy the affair, he wasn't willing to use her knowing there could be no future in it. "You are the only one I can trust, and right now Ada needs a friend as well as a guardian."

She fought down her emotions; the ones that wanted to run crying from the room, and the ones that wanted to jump on him and confess all her feelings. Instead, she indulged more self-loathing. "But, I-"

"Hush." His word held no force, but to her it was an absolute command. "I keep telling you that was not your fault. Nobody is perfect, and you weren't the only one she tricked."

"I can't allow myself to believe that." She looked away. "I'm a loyal soldier, I'll do my duty no matter what it requires. But don't demand the impossible of me."

Soret let her go. "I suppose that will be enough for now, but this isn't over."

"I know," Fiora said. Then she stepped away and fled from the room followed not long after by Soret.

Neither noticed Arakash in his temporary illusion as an older servant observing them. Personally, he thought the young lord could do better than some low-class warrior, but he was less interested in the man's tastes than the fact that he was sending the woman with them. While her aura spoke of a well trained and strong warmage, she wasn't a threat to him, and she wasn't shielded from his power.

One more stone to chip away at. Sooner or later, something would give, and he'd use that weakness to free himself and exact his revenge.

=====

A/N- In the game version, you'd be able to run around with Arakash for a bit, steal a little bit of early-game items, and pick some amount of setting lore... but we'll skill all that because this is NOVEL!Paradox, not GAME!Paradox. But, y'know, if any of my readers know any devs out there, I'm listening.

 

FIORA:

Spoiler: Design Theory

Fiora should look the part of a soldier... not particularly attractive in terms of facial features. In spite of her more emotional personality when around Soret, she's the quintessential 'tough chick' archetype. A little distant, a little angry, haunted by burdens of the past, and those ghosts should show on her features in spite of her being fairly young. Pity the "80s punk" personality isn't popular anymore, I want a voice actress which can channel the attitude of a sailor. Or, soldier, as case may be.

Theme Music: As a shamanistic Earth mage, percussion-type tribalistic would be ideal. Something like this, but with more wind instrument:

Spoiler: Basic Info

Class: Penitent Knight

"A woman with a painful past. She would rather die than fail again."

5'10'' (178cm), Soft green eyes, tan skin, jungle green hair.

Hobbies: Training, doubting herself

STATS: (Note, stats increase with levels, so what will be listed is a grading scale of A-F suggesting what you can expect of this character compared to equivalent levels).

Strength: A

Agility: C

Vitality: B

Intelligence: C

Perception: C

Willpower: A

Elements: Earth, Nature

Combat Style: Blitz-Tank

Naturally high resilience, moderate healing magic. Relies on casting spells that cause her damage, then healing her self-inflicted wounds magically.

Spoiler: Combat Features

BASE ABILITIES: These are natural traits available to Fiora.

Feral Berserk- Can boost all her combat stats, at the price of inflicting damage as she fights. Cannot use healing magic (or anything requiring concentration) while in this status.

Herbalism- As the party traverses the map, this ability lets her discover various herbal "loot" that can be converted to various potions and/or chemical weapons.

Knapping- The talent of crafting stone into tools, magic edition. Fiora "picks up" various stone tools as the party walks, generating free ammo for the Launch spell below.

Meldcast Effect: Stone of Aeons- Spells she meldcasts gain increased resilience, represented in longer duration, dispel resistance, and more damage absorption before collapse.

WEAPON TYPE:

Fiora prefers large, heavy weapons like hammers or clubs which favors her brutal close-combat battle strategy.

ARMOR TYPE:

Heavy. Prefers the most Damage Reduction possible, because it doesn't matter if her already crap speed stat takes further penalties.

MAGIC STYLES: Fiora is a primarily a frontline fighter, but can help her allies by granting numerous buff spells, or inhibiting enemy mobility with earth magic. Works out well for her.

BUFFING: All these heal or enhance the stats of allies.

Mend- Low level heal spell

Cleanse- Removes the effect of poisons and diseases, also cleanses poisoned/diseased food and water.

Haste- Speed boost, inflicts damage on recipient.

Chameleon- Stealth spell

Guardian Stone- Awakens the earth, creating a one-way shield that blocks incoming ranged attacks to the area. Single target.

Lessen Gravity- Eliminates penalties from heavy weapons and armor.

Parapets- A wall that is the perfect design to hide behind and fire from cover. Absorbs and blocks enemy actions, but not your own. Line target.

Blessed Terrain- Party gains slow regeneration for rest of the battle. Strong shift to "Nature" field element.


BATTLEFIELD DEBUFFS: These spells alter the environment in order to screw over the enemy. Also effects allies.

Shifting Soil: Ever tried to run on sand? Imagine that, only even more annoying. AoE effect that inflicts movement and footing penalties.

Undergrowth- Plants grow up, ensnaring the target. Move penalties, severe aiming penalties with spells and ranged weapons.

Break Barricade- Damages walls and other structures, including magic created spells. Breaks weak ones.

Stone Cacophony- The rocks in the earth grind together, generating loud noises that make concentration difficult and being heard impossible.

Gravity Calling- What goes up, must come down. This spell makes a flying target unable to remain in the air. It's not the fall, it's the sudden stop at the end.

Quicksand- A more powerful version of shifting soil, can result in heavy opponents drowning.

Entomb- The soil sucks the victim into a early and not particularly shallow grave.

Shattered Terrain- A violent spell that not only generates an earthquake, but turns the entire battlefield into a maze of sharp spikes and deadly pitfalls. Serious penalties for anyone that needs to walk, especially creatures that take up larger spaces.


RAW DAMAGE: Spells meant to deal lots and lots of damage. Fiora gets these rather late compared to her buff and BC spells. She's not meant to be a blaster. Her less than impressive agility makes most of them unlikely to hit.

Bullet- Accelerates a rock to near-sonic speeds. Hurts if it hits. Requires no ammo.

Launch- Sacrifices a light, handheld object to fire it at incredible speeds at the enemy. Like bullet, but with bonus pointy-object damage. Also a good way to deliver dangerous potions at range.

Cannon- Accelerates a bolder to a few hundred kilometers per hour. Hurts lots if it hits.

Shotgun- Fires multiple bullets in a spread, numerous potential hits.

Shrapnel- The Shotgun upgrade to the Launch spell.

Meteor- Not quite dinosaur-killer sized rock from space, but that's fine, you're not planning to use it on dinosaurs.

 

"Give it up." The man laughed, leaning back against his chair. "Admit it, save us some time, and yourself some pain."

Arakash eyed the old, overconfident soldier. He seemed affable enough, and while strong, it was a predominately combat ability, not a man who knew much complex magic theory. "Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you." He grabbed the palm-sized glowing artifact in front of him.

"I'm tellin' ya, it's never gonna work." The soldier crossed his arms, certain of his victory.

Arakash heard a chuckle from behind him, as another soldier chimed in. "Some people gotta learn the hard way, sir."

"That they do." Arakash placed his piece on the tile right in front of an opponent piece, as diagonal to another, then nudged them together. The three panels began to glow, his white, theirs black. Moments later, the two black panels flickered and died. Not because they should have, but because Arakash used his magic to siphon just enough power from the board to give his piece victory in spite of the odds.

The man just stared at the two pieces he lost. He moved one of his pieces to take the piece that had just taken two of his, but at this stage of the game it was a formality; his formation was broken and his pieces outnumbered. Attrition would see to the rest. "The pigs are whislin'." He gave the board a nudge toward Arakash. "Your game."

"Beginner's luck." "Yeah." "No way you knew that would happen."

Dismissive though the soldiers were of his victory, there was no hostility, only good-natured teasing. Mage Chess was for gamblers, and this was a gentleman's game.

Arakash stood as well, eyeing a number of heavily armored knights and mages gathering near the keep gate. "I'd offer to play again, but it looks like the people I was waiting for are arriving." He walked toward them, leaving the local guards to wonder who he was that he would be joining the Princess' entourage.

He didn't have long to wait, before Ada joined them along with her brother and his would-be lover. He strolled toward them, back straight and head high; if they wanted him to play the role of an elite guard, he had no choice but to play that role to the best of his ability. "This is everyone?" Counting himself, that would make fourteen elite guards for the girl. "I must say, I am impressed."

Soret bristled, but he played along because he had little choice. "Nobody but the best to protect Princess Ada."

Arakash's smile was almost genuine; he not knew that not everyone in the group knew his true nature. "Surrounded by so many powerful guards, it seems like my presence is redundant." Let the cautious prince digest that statement for a time. The truth was that this crowd counted no less than nine people he was confident could destroy him in individual combat. The rest, minus the princess, were still too strong for him to dismiss.

"Be that as it may, the King has spoken." Soret tried to ignore the demon's subtle goading. He looked at the men and women who waited in silence for his orders. "Let's depart. I'll be joining you to the edge of the city."

Left unspoken but not unnoticed was the lack of Sorda's presence.

On leaving the castle proper, they began their walk through the castle down. Like many fortress-castles, it traded the convenience of flat ground for the security of sitting on the edge of a mountain. The route to Castle Tyras was well maintained, but steep enough to make walking difficult and provide as many advantages as possible to a defending army. In some places, there were stairs for people and long, snaking paths for animals and wagons.

The castle-town that always blossom around such construction was built in narrow strips along magically landscaped flat layers in the hills next to the main road since it was impossible to occupy both sides of the winding route.

What few townsfolk were nearby backed away and knelt as the progression marched onward. Yet another reason to keep the business of the city away from the main route was the minor annoyance of having to stop and grovel every time someone important went by. While the underclasses of Tyras were better treated than their contemporaries in many nations, they still preferred to avoid their overlords where possible.

Princess Ada took the time to smile, even wave, as they walked by. Nobody waved back, but such was to be expected. She hoped that they would at least think kindly of her for being kind.

Then chaos exploded around them. Ada stumbled as an explosion of sound and light erupted out of her back. Arakash hissed in agony and clawed at his own chest, unable to identify where the pain was coming from.

"Assassin!" Soret shouted. "Mages, shields! Defensive circle! We need a healer! Scouts! Find the location of that sharpshooter!" He gripped the bolt sticking out of his sister's chest, only to scream and release the magical-infused metal. "Don't worry, we'll have you better in a moment."

Fiora arrived first, and took over Soret's position tending Ada. "It's Miasma magic!" Insulating her hand and arm, she grabbed the metal. The venom slammed against her magical defenses, and for a moment they held. Gritting her teeth, she pushed the bolt deeper to try to force it through, knowing healing would be impossible until it was removed.

The energy began to seep through and every beat of Fiora's heart carried the burning venom further into her bloodstream. Her arm went numb and fell limp at her side, followed by her collapsing to her knees. "... Sorry..." Unconsciousness took her.

In that time, Arakash stumbled his way over. With more force than was perhaps necessary, he shoved the bolt through and ripped it out of the girl. Only then did his breathing return to normal. "I'll find the assassin."

Two rust colored bears standing twice the height of the men burst forth from the ground and knocked aside the nearest knights. "Fine!" Soret wouldn't have agreed to such a thing under normal circumstances, but at this point he needed to deal with more pressing concerns. "Ada, look after Fiora!"

Concealing himself in shadow, Arakash jumped up and used a flap of his wings to take him over the fighting and onto a nearby building. This maze of slum buildings was a great place to hide from most people, but not so much against his eyes. He looked outward for signs of magic, specifically magic capable of insulating against Miasma magic so intense that it could disable a druidic warmage.

Not including the defensive magic of the castle itself, there was one aura which fit the description. It was fleeing on foot. Arakash scaled the rest of the way to the roof using his claws, then got a running start before taking flight.

It didn't take long before he found his target, and swooped down on him. The man screamed in terror as he was lifted off the ground. Or, perhaps, the screaming was because demonic talons were now embedded into his arm bones. Arakash didn't know or care, he just used what momentum was left in his dive to drop the man on the roof of the nearest building before letting the darkness dissipate.

The terrified marksman stared up at the monster which had captured him. To Arakash's surprise, the terror bled out, replaced with hopeless resignation.

"S-so her evil is even greater than predicted."

"Well, before I was going to torture you on the principle of the matter." Arakash crouched next to his captive and leaned down. "But somehow, you managed to say something interesting. What is this about evil, and who's predicting what?"

The bleeding man had the nerve to smile, even. "I couldn't answer the second question if I wanted to. Magical binding." Arakash doubted it; bindings could be broken with time and effort. The question was only a matter of whether it was worth the effort. "As to the first, if you don't already know... the princess. She's a monster, and if she's allowed to live then the whole world shall suffer."

"I suppose you have some proof to back your claims." Arakash began the process of transforming back to a human state as he spoke. "Because I've met Princess Ada, and... speaking as something of an expert on monsters and suffering... she doesn't seem the type to me."

"It's been foreseen!" The man tried to sit up, only to fall back again. "Our oracle is never wrong! I failed, but there's still a chance! You have to believe me. Kill her while you still can, if only for your own safety!"

"Out there somewhere is no doubt a god that thinks all this is very clever and amusing," Arakash muttered. He grabbed the man's face, holding his jaw as he siphoned away energy to restore his wounds and spent energies. "But why should I listen to an oracle too incompetent to know you were going to fail? Or maybe he just doesn't like you very much."

=====

A/N- Dun! Dun! DUN!!! As if the story didn't already have enough going on.

This chapter just so happens to cover two different game tutorials.

"Mage Chess", as the temporary placeholder name for the game (if you have ideas, I will listen), will involve plugging sarite shards (for those who haven't read Requiem, they'll be explained in-story in a few chapters) into pieces and then playing a strategy game where you try to use your pieces to weaken the opponent's pieces and take them off the board. There will be a bit of RNG in addition to type-beating-type, pile-on, and flanking tactics involved. Mostly it includes gambling where the winner gets to take one of the loser's shards on winning.

The external twist to the game is characters will have the ability to cheat in various different ways. Arakash cheats by siphoning off energy from opponent pieces. The opponent can also try to cheat. Getting caught cheating is an auto-lose. One of the future party members has an ability to always notice a cheat attempt. So choosing which party member plays will have a huge impact on how you play.

It's a mini strategy game inside a larger strategy game inside the main game, which happens to be strategy based. Did I mention I really like the oldschool JRPGs?

In any case, don't expect it to feature much, if at all, in the novelization. Other than right now, to show that A- The game exists, and B- Arakash cheats at board games even if there's nothing to gain. What an asshole.

Speaking of tactics- this is your "tutorial battle mission". It'll teach you how to fight enemies in a fight where your side is so overwhelmingly powerful that you can stand there doing nothing and win. Arakash, Soret, Fiora, and Ada are under your control, there are six enemies, and numerous allied NPCs.

Chasing the sniper is a "bonus mission objective" thing that I expect first-time players to miss or fail, but is there for the second playthrough or whatever. It will a feel for flight movement as Arakash can fly while the target has to run. (Ada can get some really easy XP here casting spells on her allies- especially Soret- since xp gain is calculated by the level of the target, and she's grossly underleveled).

One of the advantages to Arakash is immunity to most forms of poison, natural or otherwise... which extends to Ada thanks to their bond. Trust me, that's a big deal... there's a lot of poison based damage types in the game (neurotoxin, paralytic, necrotic, etc) and the one thing they all share in common is that you will despise every enemy which uses them.

The big disadvantage... he is Ada's HP pool. Yeah... any damage she takes transfers to him. She's effectively invulnerable long as he's still breathing, but that makes her an easy target if you want to kill him.

Just be glad this isn't a shooter... I hate escort missions in shooters...

Also... only time you'll have a chance to see Soret's current character sheet, so he'll be the next one I display.

PS: I will apologize for the pun when someone figures out what it is.

 

SORET EN TYR

Spoiler: Design Theory

Tough 'warrior' archetype, classic heroic features with a hint of a softer look. Start with John Reardon, do a bit of blend of battle-hardened and caring, put in high quality armor. Perfect.

Theme Music: As what is effectively a war-leader archetype, something vaguely militaristic is appropriate, but more along the "hopeful" angle than ominous stuff like, say, Mars, Bringer of War. And definitely not so frantic as Flight of the Valkyries. Unfortunately, I can't think of any good ones to work with. Whatever it ends up being, get Basil Poledouris to write it and we have ourselves a winner.

Spoiler: Basic Info

Class: Paladin Prince

"A man trying to balance family, love, and duty."

6'2'' (188cm), Piercing blue eyes, fair skin, blond bordering on white hair

Hobbies: Hobbies?

STATS: (Note, stats increase with levels, so what will be listed is a grading scale of A-F suggesting what you can expect of this character compared to equivalent levels).

Strength: B

Agility: C

Vitality: A

Intelligence: A

Perception: D

Willpower: B

Elements: Creation, Mind

Combat Style: Okay frontline tank.

Primary value is his "battle guidance" ability which allows him to grant a series of buffs to his allies, making him a force multiplier that improves as the team does.

Spoiler: Combat Features

BASE ABILITIES: These are natural traits available to Soret.

Shared Awareness- When Soret is in the party, valuable tactical information is known to all party members rather than just the ones that have the appropriate ability (special senses, line of sight).

Telepathy- Can communicate mentally, negating effects that make vocal communication impossible.

Truthsayer- Anyone trying to lie to Soret will find it's a losing proposition.

Truthsight- He ignores most deception based magic and can spot hidden objects, traps, and ambushes much more easily than others. Does not convey an ability to see through other objects.

Meldcast Effect: Twist Spell- AoE spells he meldcasts will ignore allies (if harmful) or ignore enemies (if a beneficial spell).

WEAPON TYPE:

Soret prefers the spear, but can also work sword-and-board well. Also makes a good archer.

ARMOR TYPE:

Heavy. Soret is an effective warrior, with the ability to boost his strength and endurance, but will never be a striker.

MAGIC STYLES: Soret is a Psion who focuses mainly on bolstering himself and others, as such he has a series of "aura effects".

Auras work as such: Target the entire battlefield, effect every target the ability describes.
Soret has a limited number of targets he can influence simultaneously. This number increases as he gains levels.
Soret gets double the benefits from any aura he has active that targets himself.
Can use multiple auras or even the same aura multiple times. Each aura counts its targets separately, meaning that if one target is effected by three auras, or the same aura three different times, that target counts as three against his limit.
Passive- The thing about auras is that they don't require actions or concentration, nor do they cost mana when running. Meaning he can be an active combatant while laying down his effects.


GUIDING AURAS: All these auras grant bonuses to allies ('ally' includes Soret and anyone else aiding him in the fight- he can also choose not to include specific individuals as allies) within range ('range' any part of the entire battlefield not blocked by a applicable shielding/antimagic/immunities).

Focus- Grants a 5% increase to mana regeneration.

Calm- 5% improvement to willpower for purposes of resisting/recovering from mental effects (mind control, fear, confusion, surprise, etc).

Strike- 5% improvement to accuracy for weapon attacks and certain spells.

Block- 5% improvement to all blocking chances (whether via weapon or shield)

Step- 5% improvement to evasion

Counter- 10% improvement of odds of a counter-attack.

Press- 5% reduction to cooldown between actions.

Accuracy- 20% reduction in "friendly fire" hits.


SUPPRESSION AURAS- These auras work by weakening enemies. In situations where there's a single powerful foe, it can be more effective to use these as opposed to using the offensive aura. Since debuffs are often less predictable than buffs, I'm not sure what percentages will be used. Probably something like 3% instead of 5%. Or at least some calculation of diminishing returns so that 20 applications of the aura is a 50% penalty instead of 100%. Balance testing exists for a reason. And most suppressions are more specific since the player will by definition know what they're trying to exploit.

Apathy- Reduces enemy action speed, but also their vulnerability to certain mental effects (like fear)

Dread- Boosts vulnerability to fear effects whether natural (morale, intimidation) or magical

Ache- Increases sensitivity, causing a reduction of agility for movement purposes and boosting pain effects natural or magical.

Fugue- Decreases perception, causing all sorts of annoyances.

Vertigo- Reduces agility and perception for purposes of balance and accuracy.

Loneliness- Reduces willpower for purposes of persuasion, natural or magical.

Hate- Decreases agility for evasion purposes and perception for 'don't run into a dangerous situation' purposes. But increases some damage and vitality purposes, and resistance to fear and some other mind effects.

=====

A/N- John Reardon? Oh, yeah, I remember him!
Also, Basil Poledouris died quite a while ago.

Look, most of these profiles were originally written in the late 90s/early 00s, and I'm choosing not to edit them any more than I have to, because I want as much of the "original raw footage" (in as much as that concept applies) to remain as possible.

 

The rest of the fighting had finished by the time Arakash returned, leaving the entourage to regroup with minor injuries at worst. As one would expect when a group of terrorists attempt a direct assault against a small army of military elites.

Soret stood facing the demon. "Did the assassin escape?"

"No, I caught him. Turns out, he was with some radical cult that thinks your sister's some kind of evil threat to the world." Seeing Soret's expression, Arakash smirked. "That was about my reaction, too. Still, not the craziest thing I've ever heard a cultist tell me, and he believed it. Something about an oracle who can predict the future. But, you know how it goes with torture, and I was hungry."

"You killed him!?" Soret shouted, then glanced around and got control of his emotions. "You know we could have gotten more information off of him!"

"I'm eating for two, in case you forgot." He gestured toward the princess, specifically the hole in her blouse, below her left collar bone. "Someone had to make up for the life force that cost me, and he was the easiest target."

Ada looked down, touched the scorched fabric framing her bare skin. "It would have killed me."

Soret's attitude shifted, in response to his sister's statement. From angry commander to doting older brother in an eyeblink. "It would have, but you're fine, now."

"I knew the ritual was supposed to make me immortal, but I couldn't believe it," Ada said. "It didn't even hurt".

"Speak for yourself, princess," Arakash muttered. "Because if any language has invented words for what I felt, I've yet to hear them."

"Maybe I shouldn't have doubted our father," Soret whispered.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Arakash growled. "Do you know how to forcefully summon one of the Noctrel? I won't bore you with the details. But it requires human sacrifice. My estimate is twe-"

In a flash, Soret's blade was pressed against Arakash's throat, "Make no mistake, monster, I don't believe you for a second. But I will not listen to you besmirch my father's name."

"You don't have to believe me," Arakash continued. "Ask any summoner what it takes to call one of my people. While you're at it, see if you can discover what your father did to bind me to your sister. I admit, I'm curious about that, myself. Every scholar of the topic I can name believes it to be impossible to create such a link without consent. However he pulled it off, the cost must have been staggering."

"You're getting desperate," Soret smirked. "It doesn't really matter. Ada knows not to believe your lies".

"Of course I do," she agreed. "I wish you could come with me, I'm going to miss you".

Soret pulled her into a hug. "Be well, sister."

"I'm more worried about you," she answered back before breaking the hug and stepping away. "Come. If we don't hurry, we'll never make it to the dock in time."

Having little choice, Arakash followed behind. "So, we keep marching hot on the heels of an assassination? Things must be more dire than I was lead to believe." He paused for a moment, then when Ada didn't speak, he tried again. "Listen, Princess. The binding compels me to be as effective a guardian as possible. In order for that to be possible, you need to share the mission-critical information with me."

"If you must know," Ada said without looking back. "While you were hunting, my brother contacted our father to inform him of this attack. I was not made privy to the specifics, however the command was made clear: we will complete the mission no matter what obstacles arise."

As the princess and the demon continued on, Fiora stayed behind for a moment. "Princess Adageyudi brings up an important point: now that we know how effective the binding is, what are you going to do?"

Soret sighed. "Nothing I can speak of to you, for your own good. Now, go. I'm entrusting you to a far more important mission."

Fiora clenched her fists. "As you command, m'lord." She turned and walked away, frustrated at her inability to do more to help the man she loved.

The path to the castle broadened, as it became a less steep slope first carved by long-forgotten glaciers, then widened by rain and runoff until what remained was a series of farms well into the growing season. Farmers still worked the fields and vineyards, while the soft glow of magic from peasants who had just enough power to drive off insects and irrigate soil had long since become part of the local ecosystem.

Much better than the glaring magical pollution of the city, which had left Arakash half-blind, in the same way the sun left people blind to the stars which remained even in the middle of the day. Yet, even with the advantage of clearer eyes, he had a mere moment to shout his warning. "Ambush!"

A flash and upsurge of energy was followed by a massive reptile manifesting itself within throwing distance of the group. Eight legs, each as thick as tree trunks, held up a body shaped almost like a pumpkin, if pumpkins were rust-colored, covered in scales, and large enough to build a decent sized tavern inside of. Extending from this body, six long necks, each with a crocodile-like head.

A scholar might have taken offense with the description, stating that the heads were appendages not unlike hands, and that the organs one associated with the head such as brain and mouth were in fact in the creature's back. That scholar would then be eaten by the hydra, having done nothing to deter the creature's carnivorous rampage.

To be fair to the scholar, however... the knights and mages did not fair much better. Even bolstered by magic, bolt and blade could only accomplish so much against dragon hide. If the beast had done nothing but allow them to assault it, then they might have won after an hour or two, but it had other plans.

With a screech loud enough to shatter eardrums, it drove its assailants back. If only that were the worst it had in mind. It then vomited forth a putrid mix of half-digested prey and draconic bile over itself. The fluid burst into chemical flame and billowed outward in the form of a caustic cloud of pain and death.

Men and women deafened and bleeding from the ears were then blinded by the acidic mist. Left alone with their agony, they died within seconds of inhaling the toxic gas. They were the lucky ones. Others, those with natural resilience or the foresight to bring magic items which shielded against the toxins, instead found that their resistance did nothing but prolong their suffering. Unable to see, unable to breathe, their magic struggling with all its might to keep them alive, they collapsed in the field.

Arakash was one exception; Noctrel immunity to poison was, in fact, immunity. He abandoned his disguise and took to the air even as the others collapsed beneath him. He had no hope of fighting the beast; even a weak dragon like a hydra was well beyond his power, but he didn't need to kill the hydra. He needed to kill the Summoner.

Summoning magic was powerful, but also came with severe limitations, of which there were three that mattered to the guardian demon.

First: summons place severe strain on the body and mind of the caster. A small creature like a bird or cat for spying was difficult for all but the most skilled casters. Something as big as a hydra would render them insensate.

Second: Summoners had to be near the summon, at least when the spell was cast. The distance varied depending on the power of the mage and the summon itself, but it had to be close, and couldn't be blocked by obstacles such as walls or hiding underground. There.

He dived down at the woman sitting in on the ground, drool dripping from her slack jaw onto the wilted blackened grass in her lap. She had been in a good hiding spot within the brush, before the chemical attack killed everything nearby except three people. She didn't blink, didn't register that she was in peril even as the Vilos bone pierced her skull.

Third: summons don't outlive their Summoner. With the mage gone, the congealed pool of mana, will, and concept which summons were made from lost cohesion and returned to the ether from whence they came. Arakash wasn't certain how it all worked, but he knew the only thing that mattered: how to kill it.

Tears streaking down her face, Ada tried again. Purple magic bled out from her eyes, her mouth, even her fingernails as she attempted to heal the body laying on the ground by her knees. "Come on! You're still there, you have to be. You're too strong, you have too much to live for."

Arakash eyed the corpse; no magic he'd ever heard of was going to bring that mess back. Resurrection magic might be able to put the body back together, but draconic magic damaged more than mere flesh. Bad news for Soret, he supposed, since this had to be Fiora's body.

He promised himself to find a way to exploit that, but it would have to wait. "You know, Princess, a lot of people are trying to killing you."

"JUST SHUT UP!!!" Ada twisted around to scream at him. In doing so, she bumped the half-molten corpse. The stomach popped, and spilled outward like an over-ripened watermelon. "No!" She stumbled away in horror, and in the process further tore her own damaged clothing.

Silently, Arakash grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the body. His own magic manifested in his eyes, black tendrils moving outward, down, and into the body of a dead girl once called Fiora. In another moment, he began walking away, dragging Ada with him.

She pulled back, failing to have much effect against the demon's insurmountable strength. "What are you doing? Stop!"

Arakash halted, then glanced back at the princess. He took a breath and pulled her again.

"What is wrong with you! Answer me!"

Arakash growled, now able to speak again. "Listen, Princess, there are at least seven people following us right now. Unless I miss my guess, and I'm very good at guessing, they're coming to see if they need to finish what the Summoner started. We don't want to be here when they arrive."

"How? Why?" Ada started to cooperate, jogging to keep up with Arakash. "What did I ever do?"

"How should I know?" Arakash began picking up speed; on the plus side, it seemed his illusion magic was working and they hadn't been spotted yet. It wouldn't last, but with luck they'd investigate the the battlefield first. He didn't think they had any flyers on their side, either. He hoped they didn't, because then they had to hope this protective magic meant the princess didn't need to breathe. And that the ocean predators would ignore them.

Ada slowed when Arakash took them off the trail, marching straight toward the cliffside. "Where are you going?"

"Our way out, princess." Arakash stopped at the edge of the cliff and grabbed the girl into a bridal carry. Standing almost twice her height, it wasn't hard. Then he jumped over the edge, hoping his ability to at best glide with the extra weight meant they wouldn't hit the rocks below too hard.

Ada screamed the whole way down.

=====

A/N- That's gonna leave a mark.

ONE melted corpse, Ah Ah Ah!
TWO melted corpses, Ah Ah Ah!
THREE- Okay, you get the idea. No need to drag this out the whole day.

In any case, this is something of "Tutorial Battle Two." In which I teach the audience lots of things. Like how there are enemies that can't be beat by just running into battle, and tactical decisions are necessary. And also that I can and will horribly murder characters after putting so much work into making them likable and giving them plot threads that now can't be concluded.

Oh, right, and giving players (readers) an idea of what a weak dragon looks like. It's important for later, when you're introduced to strong dragons.

Also: if you're wondering why the other assassins were far enough away to give them their head start... it's because they knew there'd be a hydra and would prefer a less painful death.

 

Princess Adageyudi na Tyr

Spoiler: Design Theory

Soft, inexperienced, well-meaning. Round face, slender, could be mistaken for being a teenager rather than a young adult. This will be something of a plot point. Given Hollywood's propensity for not liking actresses of her features and body-type, I'm at a loss for examples.

Also, important plot point is the purple hair. While every other hair color natural or otherwise will be fairly common in Midara, only one bloodline results in purple hair.

Theme Music: Soft, sad, piano-heavy focus. Chopin's Prelude 4 or 7 are great places start.

QUIET RESOURCE!!!

Spoiler: Basic Info

Class: Princess

"In so far over her head that she found Atlantis."

5'1'' (154cm), Soft purple eyes, light purple hair, somewhat tan skin

Hobbies: Reading

STATS: (Note, stats increase with levels, so what will be listed is a grading scale of A-F suggesting what you can expect of this character compared to equivalent levels).

Strength: D

Agility: C

Vitality: D

Intelligence: A

Perception: B

Willpower: A

Elements: None.

Combat Style: Support mage, at best.

With low stats, a very low level compared to the party and challenges, and limited spells... she's going to be a combat liability. Not only to herself, but to the main striker. However, the spells she does have are far more effective than they look if you know how to use them.

Spoiler: Combat Features

BASE ABILITIES: These are natural traits available to Ada.

Noctrel Resistances- Due to her bond with Arakash, she's effectively immune to anything a Noctrel is immune to. Which covers most harmful status magic associated with Negation, Time, Rage, Miasma, and Hypothermia aspects.

Meldcast Effect: None

WEAPON TYPE:

Princess Ada isn't well suited for any weapon, but can make excellent use of sarite shards and mage crystals.

ARMOR TYPE:

Light. She's a dedicated mage and is better served with defensive magic than armor.

MAGIC STYLES: As a very limited mage, Ada mostly works with healing and telekinetic spell types as well as some support spells.

Heal: Standard HP restoring spell.

Wayfare: A buff spell that effectively boosts speed by, in effect, reducing distance between move points. Very useful.

Long Road: A debuff reversal of wayfare.

Extend Reach: This smell improves the range of all weapons, melee or range. Doesn't work with spells.

Deflect: This spell makes a ranged attack, including spells, go off course by about 30 degrees.

Skip: a spell that accelerates the target, causing cooldown/attack/stuns to be accelerated by several seconds. In effect, can grant a bonus action with every cast (or at least make long actions take less time).

Temporal Tide: A nasty attack that causes part of the body to move through time at a slower rate than the rest of the body. Unpleasant for the victim.

=====

A/N- Yeah, many years after the original writing of Ada and this character sheet, I stumbled across that gem of a piece. The second I heard it, it became the only acceptable bit of music for the young princess. It is her, it is everything her character is meant to convey. Except maybe the title... though even that works in a dark sort of way.

If this ever becomes the game it was meant to be, I'll be desperately clamoring for Evelyn Stein to do a few pieces for it.


Also kind of disappointed that I've gotten this many sheets finished, and nobody's shown any interest in any of them. Feels like I shouldn't bother anymore.

 

Arakash steered their fall as best he could, taking them toward Port Kale. The landing was hard, but the worst he'd receive were a few minor bruises rather than broken limbs. He looked back at the cliff; nobody seemed to be looking over the cliff for them, but his magical senses didn't extend the whole cliffside, so he could be mistaken.

He looked at the princess, sitting on her knees. "I know you can't be that tired because I'm not. We don't have time to take a break."

Ada took a trembling breath as she dug her fingers into the sand. The thought that all of them were dead ran in a cycle through her mind. She knew most of them, to some limited extent. They had names, loved ones, families. The tears blurring her vision did nothing to hide their faces. Then there was Fiora, perhaps the only person in her life who wasn't family that cared about her rather than her title. "I can't believe we left them behind."

"I'd offer to let you go back and join them, but we both know I can't." Arakash' binding forced him to serve, but nothing in it required empathy. Perhaps because contract magic couldn't force the impossible. "Besides, I might have left a cute little surprise for them. Now let's go."

Ada looked up at the creature; he may have looked like a person, now, but he certainly didn't act like one. "What did you do?"

"Nothing special, just took advantage of all the miasma energy that summon spread up there to hide a trap."

Up above, the assassins approached the blighted landscape. "Lesvar, what do you make of this?" One of them gestured at the pierced skull of the Summoner.

Another came up to look at the dead woman and sighed. "Well, you know what they day about overconfidence. Check the corpse, see if the summoning gem is still there. If it isn't then we have to assume there were survivors. The question is if the princess is one of them."

"I meant, do we take her back with us and try to get her resurrected?" The bounty was more than enough to cover it, twice over if need be.

Lesvar glanced back again, as if the idea hadn't so much as crossed his mind until now. "Don't know. Tell ya what, we should bring her with anyway; can't have an exorcist interrogating her ghost, after all. We'll bring it up later if we want to revive her or split her share among us." His statement was tantamount to saying 'no', but this way let him pretend it was out of his hands.

Nobody liked her or her creepy religious monologues.

"Yeah, that sounds fair." The other man knelt down next to the corpse. He wasn't certain what he expected, but when the body wrapped her arms around him, he was too startled to scream a warning. If he had, it would have saved lives, though not his own.

On the beach below, their target heard and felt the magical detonations above and behind them. She stared at the demon, unable to find words to describe what she knew had happened. "You didn't."

Arakash smiled and kept marching forward. "There are many things I didn't do. But if you're saying I didn't infuse as many corpses as I could to the edge of the bursting point, then left proximity triggers to explode moment they were touched, then you're wrong. Now let's get moving; I doubt my little gift did more than slow most of them down."

"You desecrated their corpses!" The finality of their deaths were beginning to settle in. Before she had hope, but if their bodies were that thoroughly destroyed. "We could have resurrected them at the castle, but now..." They were beyond the power of revival. Now Fiora and the others were gone for good.

"You ever seen someone brought back who was killed by a dragon?" Even as he argued, he kept walking, and as long as the whiny child of a princess kept following, that was good enough for him. "Neither has anyone else."

She couldn't accept that answer; the guilt which came with it was "You don't know that!" Ada chased after, stumbling in dirt which couldn't decide if it wanted to be sand or gravel. She grabbed Arakash's arm. "How can you just keep walking as if you did nothing wrong?"

"Because I don't care, Princess." He turned, facing down the girl. "I wouldn't be here, risking myself for you, if not for being enslaved to you. And you'd already be dead. But here you are, and here I am, following my orders to defend you even at the cost of my or however many other lives needed to keep you safe."

Princess Adageyudi stepped back; she might have been immune to the supernatural aspect of Arakash's charisma, but she was still human.

He took advantage, continuing his rant. "Orders which those soldiers back there were no doubt also under. They did their duties, they died, and then they did their duty just a little bit longer. And if any of them have a problem with that, then I'll apologize the moment they ask me for an apology." He turned and began marching toward town again. "And while it means little to me, maybe you should show some damned gratitude for their sacrifice and stop trying to get yourself killed by slowing us down."

Ada spared one look back at the cliffs they retreated from. She offered a short prayer in her head and decided that, self serving though it was, she should heed Arakash's advice and not let their sacrifice be in vane. With a small burst of magic, she warped space around herself and her demonic guardian. Now every step took them twice as far as it should have.

Arakash blinked in surprise and almost, almost, said he'd never seen magic like this before. It wasn't any of the elemental magics, nor was it any form of Fundamental magic that he knew. One part of him wanted to ask, but the cautious part decided it was better to give away nothing. "Interesting trick," was all he was willing to say.

"I can't keep it going forever, but I can make up for slowing us down." Now Ada had the footing advantage, moving with the sure footing of someone who could force the terrain to twist to her needs rather than be at the mercy of short legs and a less than ideal fitness routine.

Arakash couldn't beat that, but he adapted well enough. He couldn't help but think back to the crazy cultist who had told him this girl was going to be a threat to the world. With a power as alien as this, he could see why an oracle might get nervous. He began adjusting his plans in his head, considering the possibility of corrupting the young princess instead of destroying her. But that was a problem for future him to worry about.

Upon turning a bend, they found themselves looking at the small city itself. Port Kale was in fact quite a bit larger than the castle-town around Tyras, with dozens of vessels great and small taking advantage of the natural harbor around which the city was built. He spotted one military vessel docked, while two others were in the bay, no doubt to scare off pirates and smugglers.

Arakash considered the city for a while before deciding that his best course of action was to establish dominance by experience. "This place never changes."

"You've been here before?" The inexperienced princess walked into the metaphorical trap.

"On occasion," Arakash said. "I remember when your kingdom was nothing but a Siral fishing colony."

"That was over two hundred years ago!" Ada had thought many things, but she hadn't considered how old he might be in spite of not looking much older than she was.

"A little less than a hundred and fifty, I'd say. Historians love to exaggerate things like this." He only told her to make her question her education and wonder if he was a better source of wisdom than they. He only got away with it because it was true; young nations like Tyras hated to admit how little prestige they had in the world. "Now, we have to get you new clothes. For now, I'll just put a simple illusion on you so no one notices. But that's a temporary solution. You're paying."

Ada looked down at her dirty, torn, and in some spots melted clothing. "I don't look any different."

"You're immune to my magic, remember. Everyone else will see a threadbare but otherwise normal outfit. Unless they have a lot of magical resistance, but those sorts are rare and would probably recognize you on sight, anyway. Long as we don't rely on it too much. So, first priority: outfit. Second: transportation. Third: a cheap inn for the night."

"But we have a transport." Ada gestured at the ship in port. "Tyr's Hammer is one of the finest ships in the world, we'll be going on it. And Duke Leriel will be more than happy to give us a place to stay, and a good meal, and a message to Father."

Arakash stopped for a moment. "Oh, I'm sure he will. Plenty of poisoned soup, and when that doesn't work, our throats slit in the night. That'll send a message."

"Surely, you cannot be insinuating..."

"Insinuate? No, I'm openly stating. Someone is going to a lot of trouble and spending a lot of money to kill you. And I can't think of anyone with more money or motivation than another lord who is high up on the inheritance chart." Ada made to object, but Arakash cut her off. "And even if he's not, your assassins are going to be watching the places you're likely to go. They'll be waiting for you to either try to get back home, or to go for one of your vassal holdings. Then they'll be in danger; your hunters have shown a cheerful willingness to kill as many as they have to so long as one of them is you."

Adageyudi considered his argument for a moment. "And the warship?"

"We avoid the royal boat, too." It seemed almost too convenient to him that the same tactics that would give him the best chance to manipulate the princess were also the ones that protected her best. "If we go out on it, I bet it ends up at the bottom of the sea in a day. We can't drown, but when the sea monsters find us, you'll wish we had."

She had to admit his argument was a sound one, but still her father's words about never letting the demon be in charge rang through her mind. In a situation like this one, she was supposed to make his ideas into her demands. "Can you promise you'll find us an alternative route to Karana?

He hesitated for a moment as the bond compelled him to answer truthfully. "Admittedly, I don't know. But if I fail, then we can always take the ship. Maybe if we're lucky, the added delay will convince the assassins that the hydra killed you." He doubted it, but he had little choice but hope she'd accept his plan.

She doubted it as well; finding a different transport was fast becoming the only logical path, but right now she wanted the day, everything, to be over. Even knowing the risks of letting the demon call the shots, she didn't have the emotional strength to fight it. "Very well. Clothes, then shelter."

=====

A/N- Title might be a bit misleading. And poor princess... she's dealing with a lot of shit right now.

If anyone's asking "Why kale?", there's actually thought behind the name. Port Kale is hardly the first city named after its primary export. Not quite as many as are named after a nearby geographical landmark, but still plenty. I live a few miles away from a "Coal City", of which there's more than a few in the USA. And, hippy stuff notwithstanding, kale is an excellent crop for rocky foothills terrain. Highly tolerant of cold, doesn't need the greatest soil quality, bug resistant and better than average yield. Very well suited for Scandinavian terrain.

If anyone brings up the unlikelihood that a different reality would have the same plants as ours... I agree... but one that managed to have humans probably would. And frankly, I don't feel like making up a bunch of stupid fictitious names and properties for crops. So I'll stick to stupid real names and properties, thanks.

 

Their first stop wasn't far from where they entered the city; a nondescript shack of a building that Princess Adageyudi thought looked more like a gardener's shed than a place of business. She wasn't a fan of the smell, either.

"Hail, stranger," Arakash said while giving a flourish of his hands, opening his arms as if in the gesture of a hug while bowing his head. It was the traditional greeting, revealing a lack of weapons and putting oneself in a position that would make most spellcasting difficult as well.

The stocky leatherworker gave him a glance, his eyes glowing red as he worked. "Hail. Please, give me a moment to finish." He brushed his hand over the tanned material, smoothing it, before dipping it back into the infused fluid that would give it its magical properties. "I beg your pardon, it is hard to find help during farm season."

"I cannot help you there, but perchance we can make your labor fruitful." He was looking around at all the outfits; nothing here looked better than his own armor. "Something light, suited to my mage-friend, here."

"Aye," the man gave Ada a long look, too long for Ada to consider polite, but his interest was for reasons other than suspicion. "If'n you seek quality but light, I recently finished a fine suit of gryphon hide. I guarantee, when wearing it, you'll feel like you're n-flying." The minor slip-up was politely ignored by Arakash, though Ada found herself stepping back.

"Gryphon is fine material," Arakash said. As common magic leather went, it was some of the best. He hadn't expected dragon or even wyvern in a place like this, nor could they have afforded it if there was. "Now, let us discuss the price."

Several minutes of haggling later, and Ada had her outfit in her arms. "Was that really necessary?" The question carried numerous undertones. "And the way that lecher kept staring at me..."

"Yeah, well, that lech gave us quite the discount for the sake of 'the pretty girl'," Arakash said. He tactfully left out the part where he'd been subtly using his power to influence the man. Her frustration worked in his favor, after all. "If you agreed to change in the store, I bet we could have gotten it at cost."

Ada considered, for a moment, punching the demon then going back into the shop and giving him a proper dressing down. "I'm not doing that again."

Arakash suppressed the urge to laugh. Perfect. He kept walking for a moment, allowing the girl to stew in her resentment until he spotted a pair of attractive, if somewhat older, women coming toward them. Timing won wars, as the saying went. "Welcome to the poor side of town, Princess," He whispered. Then he offered his best smile to the women. "How are you lovelies this fine day?"

They giggled, but didn't shy away from the 'younger' man flirting with them. One woman had the social awareness to glance Ada, in case she might get upset. The bolder of the pair ogled him openly. "I'm sure you have ways to make my day better."

"Ah, but if I could." He put on the charm nonetheless, with the smooth flowing body language that only centuries of practice could accomplish. "Alas, I find myself saddled with too many responsibilities and too little time."

"A pity." They walked away, but Ada noticed them both looking back more than once.

"That's how people live outside of the fanciful halls of the rich and powerful," Arakash said. "Guys lech on girls, girls lech on guys, and most of us take it as a compliment." He was taking a risk in talking about this subject with the princess; if she made the association with his typical dietary habits, it could push her the wrong direction.

"But it's so..." Ada searched for the words.

"Crude?" Arakash offered. "Yes, it is. The world is a crude place. And most people wouldn't have it any other way. Certainly better than basing your entire view of people on their money and power.

"But if it bothers you, then perhaps you'd better head to the inn, because it's going to get worse." He gestured at the docks they were approaching, taking time to point specifically at the nautical figurehead sitting over the entrance of a tavern which proclaimed itself the 'Drunken Mermaid'.

The artwork's depiction of a woman with comically oversized breasts covered only by the hair on her head. He had to admit, however, that the wood bleached to the point where it could be mistaken for ivory was a nice touch, if nothing like the real verion, which had neither breasts nor hair.

Ada stared at the carving for a moment. "What sort of place..."

"The kind which sells alcohol and other services to lonely sailors," Arakash said. "Unless you're a specific sort of woman, you're better off staying away, so it's best for you to get a room for us while I find us a ship."

Ada considered his plan, then made certain to push her own point. "You don't hurt anyone, and you come straight back when you're done. Swear it."

"I swear it." He tested the limits of his enslavement again, and found that his mental assurance that he'd kill if he had to protect himself didn't push the compulsion. "When you get there, only ask for one room, merchant quality. Also request two baths."

She blinked. "What? Why?"

Arakash yearned for the coming day when she took his word at face value instead of questioning everything. Until then, he'd continue giving advice so obvious it made her feel dumb for not thinking of it herself. "I don't need to sleep, so there's no point in a second room. It calls attention, but if they think you're alone, you'll be lucky if the worst they do is try cheating you. This way you sound like you're ordering a room for yourself and companion. Which would also explain your lack of baggage. I'll know if you're in real danger, but better to avoid it in the first place."

Ada considered his logic for a moment, and had to wonder if the world was as harsh as he implied, but she lost little if he was wrong and couldn't risk it if he was right. "Very well. You had better return soon."

Arakash stepped into the bar, content to trust the magical compass he had to monitor the princess while he took care of business. Within the building was a creature which stank of poison magic, power, and greed. There, he identified the man sitting near the back. He was tall, and the right side of his face was covered by a solemn black mask. A cloak covered his right side as well. The left side revealed a middle-aged man, face and clothes aged by the rigors of life at sea.

He walked over and sat down at the table, ignoring the man's two companions. Men like this didn't appreciate cowardice. "Hail, Captain."

The captain's good eye narrowed. "What do ya want, lad? Ye'r ruinin' my drink."

No point in beating around the bush. "I'm looking to charter a ship."

The captain laughed, and after a moment his subordinates joined in. That moment revealed a great deal to Arakash about how the man ran his ship. "Look somewhere else, mine ain't no luxury cruiser fer ferrying whelps around."

"That is precisely why I'm interested." Arakash reached his own cloak, then pulled out the large summoning crystal containing the power of a hydra. "For this, I think you'll reconsider."

The captain kept his surprise hidden as he considered the prize at hand. "Hmph, and what would I be needing with such a gem? It be too much trouble to sell quick. Take yer little barter elsewhere."

In spite of the rejection, Arakash knew full well the man was salivating at the idea. A summoning stone of this degree of power could buy a ship. The trick was finding someone who could afford it. A process that might take months. Arakash held out his hand, stone atop his palm. "I'm not asking for a cut. You bring us to Vara and it's yours to keep or sell at your leisure."

"Very generous, lad." The captain moved the mask to the side, revealing the hidden half of his face. While the men with him recoiled in disgust and horror, Arakash just kept his eye on the man. With both eyes locked on the glowing rock, he reached out to touch it and all the wealth it represented.

Arakash gripped the gem and pulled back. "You'll get this tomorrow, after we've left port, not before."

The captain pulled his mask back on, and smiled. "We leave at dawn, when the winds change."

Not saying another word, Arakash nodded and walked out of the bar; the longer he stayed, the greater the risks something might go wrong.

One of the men took a moment before asking the question both were thinking. "What are the real orders, sir?"

"For a treasure like that? I bet he's a criminal, maybe robbed it from one of the noble houses and now wants to flee for his life. We take him on board, then it's just a matter of if he's worth the effort of selling to the navy, or tossing into the sea."

Arakash took a few minutes to explore the area, what little freedom was allowed before the control magic's compulsion became too powerful to bear. Still, it was longer than he expected; either the binding was growing weaker, or he was developing a tolerance to its effects. He could taste his freedom, and his revenge, growing ever closer.

Princess Adageyudi jumped when he entered their shared room without needing her to unlock the door. She ran through things to say, but by the time she thought of any it was too late to feel natural. "Do we have a ship?"

"Yes. We'll leave near dawn tomorrow," Arakash said. "It's a cargo ship, so keep your expectations low, but I doubt anyone will expect the princess to be travelling with them." Except as a hostage, he added in his head.

Ada nodded; she had a mission to complete, and she was so tired. "You've done well." A phrase her father often used, which came with the unspoken 'now leave me alone'. She sat down on her uncomfortable bed and, before she had a chance to complain that this inn didn't even offer a free meal with the room, she fell into an uncomfortable sleep.

Arakash waited, watching over the girl. At first, he tried to find a way to kill her, but the compulsion was too strong to so much as consider the scenario. Instead, he went to the window and climbed out, scaling his way to the roof. He couldn't attack the princess, but with enough power, perhaps he could attack the bond itself.

He shifted into demonic form, and with it took on the full clarity of his senses. His eyes glowed red, and the city became a sea of black, with the glow of people and magic showing in dim lights of red, orange and yellow. Each one, the glow of living essence, prey for him to feed upon. He'd get one attempt; if it failed, he had no doubt the princess would make certain he had orders to never feed again. If he was lucky, she'd add 'without my permission'.

He found his target: a burning, almost white, ember of living magic. He spread his wings and made his way toward his target, his prey, his salvation.

He found her sitting, relaxed in an alley, examining a delicately ornate curved dagger with a blade of silver, and a shade of red just a little darker than that of her hair. She was a beauty, even he could see it, and bold to be in this part of town alone at night. Then, with the aura of power she possessed, chances were low that she ever met a fight she couldn't win.

How fortunate for Arakash that he could beat her without a fight. He approached, once again using the best of his casual charm.

Her eyes narrowed as he approached. "What do you want."

Arakash brought his hands up as a show of harmless defensiveness, as he had earlier with the leather worker. "My apologies. I didn't mean to interrupt anything important."

She considered him for a moment longer. He was young, seemed helpless enough, and she supposed most people would find him handsome. "No, things are really quite boring right now. You're a welcome surprise."

Arakash chuckled and smiled. "Glad to be of service to such a beautiful woman"

"I was hoping you'd feel that way," she replied. Then she pointed the dagger at him. "Now hand over your weapons and valuables."

Arakash stepped closer to the woman who was now mugging him. "I don't have much money, but I can offer something so much more fun if you give me a chance."

She laughed. "I can't tell if you're clueless or just that confident. I'm sure that line works on some girls, but I'm not-"

Arakash' eyes glowed blue as he poured his power into the most blatant of his mind altering magic. The girl's jaw fell open as she dropped her weapon and lost all focus and some balance. In most cases, expending this much power on a single victim would have led to him starving to death in days, but for a girl with this much power, it was worth the effort.

He caught her in his arms the moment her legs gave out, then kissed her neck.

In her half-conscious haze, she mumbled. "No, you can't." As Arakash slid his hand up under her shirt. Then her skin began to glow orange.

Arakash stumbled back, holding his smoking hand. His discipline and need for secrecy kept him from crying out at the pain, but didn't hide the snarl, surprise, or fear on his face.

Engulfed in flame, the girl stood dazed for a moment. "Wha.... what did you do to me?" She got her bearings, then stared straight at Arakash. "What were you trying to do to me!" A burst of flame traveled from her hand, almost striking the demon as he fled.

Panic wasn't something that came naturally to Noctrel, who shared more in common with the dead than the living. Their hearts did not beat, they subsisted on magic alone, and their emotions were muted as a result. He had not considered that a weakness until this day. As he pushed his legs with as much strength as he could, he yearned for that extra bit of speed which terror bestowed. The extra push that might have led him to run through the wall of flame which erupted at the end of the alley, trapping him with the creature of living flame.

A moment of hesitation, a surge of power he could ill-afford to spend, he forced his transformation to demonic form and jumped up against one wall, kicked off it, then the other, and then over the flames. The updraft from the heat served to push him into the sky, where he would be safe. He'd head for the sea, where she'd be unable to follow.

Or so he though, before the girl grabbed the dagger by her feet, and took off after him. He had never encountered a being of living fire before, but in retrospect it made sense that such a thing wouldn't have a weight.

He ducked and rolled as two more bursts of flame nearly struck him. Fire blossomed where the attacks struck building and found the sea-rotted wood to its liking. Driven back, he lost control of his flight and slammed onto the roof of another building. He ran for a window and took a burst to the back which drove him through the paper of the window.

Arm broken, he pulled himself to his feet and ignored the screams from the residents. They had more to worry about him, anyway, as the inferno started to take this building as well.

=====

A/N- The best laid plans of rebellious demons often end in tears and hellfire.

Meet Shiara. Objectively the strongest main character in this story. More on that (much) later.

 

It's coming. Ada bolted, running through the castle from the thing following her. She turned the corner to hide in her chambers and instead found herself in the kitchen. A flash of power, she warped the stone of the castle and cracked the framework of the entry. Rubble came down, blocking that entrance while she ran for another.

That path, too, was blocked by rubble. She turned and saw that the entry she came through was clear again. Green mist flowed forward, within it the lumbering rotted corpses wearing the faces of the dead. Those who tried to protect her, Fiora, even her sister and mother walked out of the death-fog, flesh dripping off them with every step.

She screamed, clawed at the rubble in the desperate hope she could find a way out. Then she spotted Soret. "Help!" She ran for her brother.

He smiled at her. "There's nothing to fear, watch."

She could do nothing but watch as Soret walked toward his dead family, allowed them to embrace him, smiled as they peeled his skin away with their clawed finger bones. She screamed more, looking around for any help she could find.

She spotted her father and Arakash in demonic form facing one another. His stern countenance against his snarling visage. Neither seemed to notice she was there, nor did the advancing wall of the dead pay them any heed as it moved toward her, screaming in horror and pain.

No... no, it wasn't screaming. Where was the screaming coming from?

Her eyes opened to an empty room. Empty. "Arakash?!" She jumped to her feet, seeking out the demon, and the source of the screams. She found one answer soon- outside her window, the glow of flames and smoke. She pushed side the thin cloth of the window meant for little more than keeping out the bugs and was treated to a scene out of the paintings of ransacked cities from novels.

She could feel that Arakash was out there somewhere, thanks to the magic chaining them. She was certain he was responsible for this disaster, thanks to the constant warnings from her brother and coaching from her father.

Pulling on her new leather armor, she took a breath and allowed its energy to merge with her own, creating the numerous subtle changes to her magical aura that bolstered her speed, vision, and resistance to harm. It was a series of enchantments made for a hunter rather than a warrior, but she wasn't well-suited to be a warrior in the first place.

She ran from the building, layering herself in her own space-warping magic to accelerate her perception of time and bend distance to her favor. Part of her acknowledged that right now she was running around in a dangerous city at night, but it seemed nobody was interested in stopping her from running toward the inferno.

A turn here, a twist there, she found herself having to double back once because of a dead end where someone built a shack in the alley between two buildings. Half the roads were impassable because a building had collapsed into the street, leaving nothing but burning debris.

By the time she got close, she was panting and exhausted, but she was close and she spotted it when a glow of fire flickered and vanished. She didn't think Arakash had magic to put out fire, and she was certain he couldn't create it, but she was lacking in other leads so she went that way.

She found the demon limping toward an unconscious woman laying in an alleyway. One arm hung limp at his side, while his wings were so mangled that she could see the girl through the holes in them. He raised his arm, lifting the leprous white blade to stab the girl.

No. "HALT!" She shouted. "Don't kill her!"

Arakash paused, then looked back and growled at her. "Don't interfere, princess".

This is why you must keep an eternal vigil against the beast. "You are not going to kill an unconscious girl," she commanded. "Not while I draw breath."

"Look what she did to me!" Arakash screamed, gesturing over his charred body.

Ada had to admit, most men wouldn't be able to move if they had indeed survived those sorts of wounds. "You probably deserved it." She then paused to consider the situation. How did he find himself in this situation? "In fact, I order you, tell me, were you responsible for this mess."

"No," Arakash said. "She tried to rob me. I..." Arakash grimaced in pain, the culmination of his wounds and the backlash of a binding enchantment that was all the more powerful while he was weakened by his injuries.

"My father's mages made the spell very specific, Arakash." Ada kept her voice cold, emulating her father's as best she could. "You don't have to lie in order to trigger retaliation. All you have to do is attempt to hide important details from me.

Arakash snarled at her; he had discovered that compulsion hours ago, and wasn't fond of having this slip of a girl lord it over him.

"Not as naive as you thought, am I?" Ada walked forward, watching the demon and daring him to resist. "Now help me take this girl somewhere safe. We don't want to be here when the authorities show up." She wasn't certain if authorities would show up, but it was excuse enough. Much of the city was on fire, and with the chaos and looting, they had their hands full.

She knelt next to the unconscious redhead, brushed some of the thick curls away, and touched her neck. She was pretty in a subdued 'cute' way, and perhaps a couple years younger than she was, though Ada knew from her own reflection that youthful features could disguise one's true age. "I don't think there's anything wrong with her but exhaustion. Do your supernatural senses tell you if there's anything dangerous about moving her?"

"No, she's depleted her magic, but is otherwise healthy. She'll recover in a day or two." He began shifting back into his human form. Even then, he remained disheveled and burnt, and still seemed unsteady on his feet.

Ada lifted the girl, using her magic to aid her. Although the concept of gravity was one she had no knowledge of, her instincts were enough to bend the flow of space such that it cut both their weights in half. "You lead the way. Try to keep us away from trouble. And no more trying to eat people."

"Very well, princess." Arakash started walking. "If anyone asks, the cover story is that we were caught up in the confusion, and she's your sister who was knocked unconscious by a falling plank."

They avoided the worst of the riots and fires by going the long way around to the dock area. While they saw some riots and looting, they were all people interested in taking unguarded property rather than starting fights. Nobody bothered the three of them, and those that were considering it thought twice about confronting the tall, angry-looking man and girl in adventurer's leathers. There were easier pickings than an obvious warrior-mage duo.

Until they heard the screams in an alleyway; first a woman's, then a boy shouting "Get away from her!"

Ada couldn't help but get involved. "Stop," she commanded her demonic servant before she moved closer to the sound of the noise. She found four soldiers, two of whom were holding a girl who looked barely out of her teens, while two others were now busy grappling with a stocky, angry young man. "What are they doing?"

Arakash thought the answer was obvious. "A murder, a rape. Maybe two murders. Maybe two rapes, the one's not interested in the girl."

"But they're soldiers! They should be helping!"

"Lots of things should happen. You'd be surprised how few do."

"We need to stop them!" She reached for her pouch. "I've still got my crest, if I tell them who I am, they'll-"

"Kill you to hide their crimes," Arakash interrupted. "They'll already be tortured and hanged, what can you do, revive and kill them again?" He didn't care what happened to the girl or her would-be defender, but he couldn't let Ada get herself killed for any reason. On the other hand, there was some opportunity to be had here. "But, I could do something. I just need to use the full extent of my abilities. And I recall you said something about not eating people?"

She knew she was being manipulated, but she couldn't find it in her to argue. In her best command voice, Princess Adageyudi gave her permission. "Rapists don't count as people."

Arakash chuckled, then began his metamorphosis. He lost much of his height, ending not much taller than the princess. That mass moved elsewhere, adding to his hips, his chest, and then smoothing itself out. His windswept mop of black hair lengthened to the small of his back, while he changed the pigmentation of his skin into a different form of exotic beauty.

She stumbled into the alleyway with the appearance of a love goddess made flesh, with features so foreign as to be an obvious stranger to this land and just a little extra magic to urge their impulses were the final part of the honey trap her sister had perfected over a century ago. Her version was inferior to her sister's, and it took all the power she had left, but she was so desperate she needed to take the chance. "Pardon? Am being lost, you can help, yes?"

The men lost interest in the pawing the scrawny girl, and even the ones trying to stop the resisting youth paused to look. Which resulted in one of them getting cracked with a hammer before the boy grabbed the girl and fled.

Arakash watched the pair escape, and she promised later she'd make several snide comments to Ada about how little gratitude people had for those who helped them, but that was later. For now, she had to force her legs to move toward the quartet of soldiers. One thing she wasn't faking was her weakness; weakness made worse by the mechanically frailer female body. "Please, strong men, helping please?"

"Don't worry, we'll help you." The soldiers allowed their guard to lower some; Arakash had made herself into the perfect victim, one which would lure men who were otherwise not brave enough to follow through on their darker impulses. For these four, or three of them at any rate, she was every fantasy that drove them to do what they were already doing.

She didn't resist when they got close, feigned surprise and fear, but not resistance. What little apprehension existed in their minds faded when they realized she was going to freeze rather than scream. They could take their time.

One remained outside of his lure and control, but he was a follower and perhaps in denial of his preferences, so he played along. Until he couldn't. His eyes widened as he looked down at the white blade which had pierced his throat. What screams he attempted were stopped by him drowning on his own blood, but he couldn't understand why none of the others noticed as he slumped to the ground. The last thing he saw was a purple haired girl staring at the scene in shock and disgust.

One by one, the others fell, sapped of their strength. It was a crude method, which Arakash preferred to avoid because it rendered what should have been months worth of energy down to a few days at most and greatly increased the odds of getting caught. Killing made people suspicious, killing by way of mana vampirism raised flags which attracted Exorcists and Inquisitors. Doing so in a manner this sloppy all but guaranteed capture.

If the city wasn't burning around them, if she wasn't starving to death, she never would have risked it.

Moments after, she dropped to her knees and howled in agony as the forced temporary transformation reversed itself, and forced him back into his native form in the most uncomfortable way possible. "Haa... ha... ugh..."

Still carrying the unconscious redhead, Ada ran into the alley now devoid of rapists and victims. "What was that?"

"The... full extent... of my power." Arakash watched the burn marks vanish from his skin, as most of the life force he just stole was expended to mend damaged flesh. "We have to head for the ship." He pulled the purses off the dead men before he stood; they wouldn't have much coin on them, but trying to fence their weapons would prove more trouble than it was worth.

He rose and began walking away. If he was lucky, they'd lay there long enough for the telltale signs of Noctrel feeding to fade and it might be mistaken for a robbery in the chaos. Or not; so long as he was gone before the discovery was made, he didn't care.

Princess Adageyudi watched him march off and asked herself yet again how she was supposed to control such a monster. Then she looked down at the girl in her arms and swore she'd find a way to do it, and to make up for those she'd already failed.

=====

A/N- That was fun. That encounter with the soldiers is something of "optional sidequest" material in the game proper- and there's meant to be a number of scenes to stop looters and such that the players can pursue, with various rewards (most notably, an opportunity to boost some levels and get Arakash' energy levels back up since he doesn't have a natural healing process. And, yes, the game will randomly assign sexualities to NPCs to determine which enemies Arakash can and can't lure with his power.

Also: if anyone asks "why didn't Ada just start stabbing herself in the leg in order to make Arakash return"... that is a great question, and I assure you that if you tell her that idea, she'll feel stupid that she didn't think of it herself.

Incidentally, if you thought of it before reading the author's note, do leave a message saying so. I'm kinda curious how many responses I'll get to that effect out of my couple hundred-ish readers.

 

By the time they returned to their room, they were exhausted. Ada took the time to tuck the redhead into her less than comfortable bed, then sat on the floor next to her; this room didn't come equipped with a chair. She glanced back at the demon standing near the door, uncertain what to say or do. She had made the mistake of taking her eyes off of him once. "Why?"

Arakash crossed his arms. "You really have the nerve to ask why a slave would want to escape?" He showed no sign of remorse, made no attempt to pretend he was apologetic. As long as her mind was locked onto his defiance, she might not consider his methods. Beyond that, he was angry; the plan seemed flawless, yet here he was in a worse position than he started. "Aren't you going to bed, Princess?"

Ada glared at her demonic... slave, she had to admit, he was a slave. She vowed to make her peace with that concept; she had to, if she wanted to prevent this from happening again. "After tonight? No. There's no way I'm going to give you another chance to escape."

"You could simply give me an order," Arakash said.

"I don't trust the spell that much." She never should have in the first place. "You've shown a penchant for resisting. Perhaps not for long, but probably enough to kill her." Ada gestured at her unconscious 'guest'. "Maybe you'll decide that if she wakes up, she might be a threat and trick the spell that way. I'm not going to give you the chance to try."

"Possibly." Arakash wasn't certain one way or another, but as exhausted as he was, he knew he couldn't make it happen tonight. "But sooner or later you will need to sleep, Princess. Your daddy didn't think of that."

Ada looked at the floor for a moment and fought off the urge to cry. Instead, she whispered. "He thought of it. I was meant to be well escorted during this trip, by individuals hand-picked to be resistant to your influence."

"Ah, yes, I remember." Arakash smiled, or snarled, one would be hard-pressed to determine which. "Death chases you like an unrequited lover, Princess."

Ada watched him- it. She had been lulled into imagining this creature was a person, just as her father had warned her not to. "By the time I need to sleep, she'll be awake and safe. I know you can't hurt me, asleep or otherwise. And we already know she can protect herself. Once we're in Karana, I'll have guards again. That will control you."

Arakash made certain his expression was neutral, but in his head he was seething at his failure to secure his freedom, thanks to having the bad luck of stumbling across the perfect bait and not realizing it was a trap. "You seem to have all the answers, don't you?"

Ada looked over at the girl in the bed. "When it comes to creatures like you, I don't have the luxury of anything less."

They remained silent for a few minutes, then Arakash spoke again. "Wake up princess, it's time we get going."

Ada jumped up, her eyes opening to realize there was light in the room unrelated to the glowing flames that were still being fought back. She'd fallen asleep and hadn't even realized it. At least her charge still seemed to be breathing.

"Relax, Princess, I didn't touch her." Even with a few hours to consider his position, he'd given up on playing the 'nice guy' role. It failed and almost got him incinerated, and then the girl he was trying to ply with empathy had sided with the one who tried to kill him. "Thought about touching her. Thought about touching you."

"You do know I can order you to kill yourself, right?" Ada stood, trying her best to ignore the aches of sleeping while sitting up on the floor, in her armor. She wondered how she felt that, yet didn't feel an arrow piercing her heart.

"No control spell is that powerful, Princess." He was confident she wasn't lying, but he'd accept being proven wrong if it provided more secrets to the nature of the binding spell.

"Not directly," she said, taking the bait. "But if I, say, had you drop your disguise and attack the local barracks, the results would be much the same, would they not?"

Arakash paused for a minute. It seemed unlikely the spell would allow that, if only because it would contradict the protection imperative. It might be enough to crack the control spell, too. Or perhaps it would force him to run a suicide attack on armed war mages. There was only one way to find out, and he wasn't quite that desperate yet.

Sensing she had the advantage, Ada pressed harder. "You didn't think of that, did you?"

"You didn't, either." Arakash snapped back. "I'd say it was your father, but I've witnessed his threats, and they're less juvenile in nature. So your brother's the most obvious source. Don't use all of his material up too quickly, Princess. Once you're out, you'll just be a silly little girl trying to control an entity centuries older and far more powerful than her."

"That's what eats you up, isn't it? That it's me in control?" She took a step forward, challenging him to tell her she was wrong through the truth-enforcement of the control spell. "I think if it were a great king like my father, or a powerful skilled warrior like my brother, it wouldn't bother you so much. You'd hate it, of course, but it wouldn't be so... insulting. Being controlled by 'a silly little girl' must be hell for an egotistical monster like you."

Arakash said nothing.

"I thought so," Ada said. "And I'm glad, even if it's nowhere near the justice you deserve. This conversation's over, let's get to the ship." She turned and picked up the third member of their trip.

"As you command, Princess."

Smoke still drifted thick in the air, made worse by the morning fog. Activity bustled about as guards and repair crews went about in force seeing to it that the damage was limited, and that those with money were protected enough to rebuild their livelihoods. Nobody cared about those who didn't, as was par for the course, but a few might find some coins helping in the repairs.

"Trouble incoming," Arakash muttered. "Trust me and follow my lead."

Ada wanted to make some comment, or at least ask what lead she was supposed to follow, when two guards approached them. "We're going to have to ask you to head back to your residences. It's not safe here."

Arakash knew better; they were keeping people isolated so they could go through them one by one to find him and the redhead. After last night, the pair of them were due for an executioner's block. He put on the air of an upper-class accent. "If you please, we lack a permanent residence the city. We booked transportation to Karana, seeking a proper cure for my lady-friend's ailing sister." He gestured at Ada and the girl she carried.

Ada caught on quick enough. "Please, good sir. We were separated from our companions in last night's chaos, including our doctor." It didn't take much to bring tears to her eyes, either. "She'll surely die without care."

The guards considered their position for a moment, nudged by Arakash's magic to desire, and with luck empathy, for the pair of women. They glanced at each other, seeing if the other would take initiative in this situation. The evidence seemed believable, the accents seemed genuine, and Karana was known for a healing techniques greater than anywhere else in the world. If they were liars, it could cost them their jobs. If they were genuine, then indirectly killing some lord's child would be worse.

Still, it Arakash could tell that it wouldn't be enough on its own, so he reached out his hands in the usual sign of supplication, with his palms up. In each palm sat a pair of gold coins. "Please, we have little recourse."

A week's pay for each of them to look the other way. That it led credence to their persona as nobility didn't hurt, either.

One of the reached out and took his hand, palming the coin. "Of course, Sir, we wouldn't want to inconvenience you. "If you head that way, you should be able to avoid the worst of the carnage."

In other words: it was the best path to dodge other guards. "Thank you, I swear on my honor I won't forget this!" Arakash walked off, followed shortly after by Ada.

"What was that?"

"A bribe. In my experience, only lust motivates people moreso than greed does."

"But... they're guards." She looked back again. "They're supposed to be better than this."

Arakash continued walking, but reveled in the opportunity to put this stupid child back in your place. "Are you really this ignorant of your own nation? Your people tried to assassinate you twice in a single afternoon. Your father started a war with an unprovoked sneak attack that even two decades later hasn't been forgiven. You haven't been married off yet because you're political poison no other nation will touch. And all that is before enslaving demons. Does it surprise you to learn your soldiers are lacking discipline?"

It did, but Ada wouldn't admit it, so instead she walked in silence and considered all she was learning now that she was no longer shielded from the harsh nature of the world.

Arakash felt the ship before he spotted it; all ships had magical enforcements to hide them from sea monsters, but this one used a special design meant to hold something in rather than keep things out. He'd say they were playing with fire using such a method, but he had sworn off all flame-based idioms and puns after last night's debacle.

Two men holding swords blocked them on the dock. "Where do you think yer goin'?"

"Such a friendly greeting," Arakash said. "Your captain is expecting me."

"We were told, but he said nothin' of those two." He pointed his sword at Ada, but fortunately didn't move close to her. Arakash would have hated to have to murder the man in so public a venue.

"And yet, here they are." Arakash opened his arms, but as he did so the hidden Vilos prepared its bone, on the off chance it was needed. "If you have a problem with that, we can leave, and you can explain to your captain how you sent us away. I'm sure he's a fair man who truly appreciates your judgement and will have no problem with you costing him lots of money."

The sailors considered their situation for a moment, but sarcasm aside, they knew they had little choice. "Welcome aboard."

One began leading them to their room, while the other went off presumably to tell the captain. "Yer staying in a storage room. We were told there'd only be one man. The women will just have to deal with it."

It was something of a surprise to Arakash that they even had a room planned for him at all, considering the obvious nature of this trap. "I'm sure we can find some means to entertain ourselves."

Ada resisted the urge to chastise the demon. "We'll be fine. It's only for a couple days, right?"

"Hmmph, don't keep the rats up all night."

The moment after he left, Arakash went to open the door, which did not go unnoticed by Ada. "Where do you think you're going?"

"There is some business I must take care of," he said. "I might have left out a detail or two about our ferry."

Now Ada crossed her arms. "I know you think I'm naive, but I'm not so stupid that I didn't recognize what sort of ship this is."

"I didn't think it'd fool you for long." Arakash wasn't certain what the Princess thought she knew, but if she realized the real truth, it would end in a disaster that got them both killed. "If I don't have a conversation with the captain, we may find ourselves fighting our way off this ship. We both know what happens to me if you're harmed, so you know I'm not going to do anything stupid."

Ada doubted her definition of 'stupid' aligned with the demon's, but she also knew he couldn't lie to her. "Very well, you may go have your talk. Do not take any more time than you have to."

Arakash nodded. "As you command, Princess." He left the door, then cloaked himself in shadow while opening his senses. Later, they'd be watching the door more closely, but for now they had their hands full with setting sail and heading out. He felt the shudder of the ship as the magic changed and allowed the waves to take control of the boat's motion.

Arakash found the captain's quarters easily enough. For a moment he considered how tacky a gilded dagger was as a door ornament, but it was the captain's stolen gold to do with as he saw fit. He sat down in the captain's chair and considered pouring himself a glass of liquor, but he hated the smell of alcohol more than he loved the idea of annoying the man a little more. There was no longer a reason to keep up pretenses.

Fortunately, he didn't need to wait long before the man arrived. "What an unpleasant surprise." He, too, had little reason to keep up pretense.

"It doesn't have to be, if you listen." Arakash smiled. He then tried to offer the man a deal that involved caging the princess, such that she was safe and he was a 'free' enough to find a more permanent solution, but he failed to express any of the words. A pity, but he hadn't expected that gambit to work in the first place.

"Out with it lad, I ain't got all day."

"I know what you are," he said instead. "I know what this ship is. And I know you what you think I am."

"And what would I think you be, lad?"

"A valuable bounty, in your eyes. You must know I'd fight."

"Fight to yer heart's content, lad. You ain't got a chance."

Arakash didn't argue the point. "You're probably right. But I know all about your special guest, and I bet I can break its chains before I'm stopped. I've some talent in the arcane, you know."

The captain's good eye widened. "Do that and we all die. Yer no exception."

"If you're half as smart and a tenth as old as I suspect you are, you know all about my people, what we're capable of." He allowed his form to shift just enough to reveal his true eyes. "Let me assure you that every rumor about our spitefulness is well deserved. I'd do it, and hope I lived long enough to kill you before it kills us both." More bluff than truth, but the captain needn't know that. He was only forced to speak truth to the princess.

"And what would you be wantin', instead?"

Arakash took out the summoning stone and placed it on the table."Nothing but you keeping your bargain from before. We land in Vera, we leave, and you keep the stone. Not the windfall you were hoping for, I know, but it's hardly like making less money is the same as losing money, let alone your life."

"That be a problem, lad." The captain held still, though his eye couldn't help but focus on the stone. "But you'd already know that if you've realized what this ship is."

"I've also realized that you do a lot of business on the Karanan coast near Vera." He chose not to explain how, but it wasn't like it was hard to identify the supplies on the ship. "You know a way through. Smuggler's tunnels, I'd bet."

"Ah, well, ya got me there, lad." The captain acquiesced that this creature had outplayed him. "But it's not safe this time o' year."

"Surprisingly kind of you to warn me, but we'll take it anyway." Arakash stood, leaving the gem behind on the table. At this point, he had ensured the only safe play for the pirate slaver was to get him off the ship without violence. Or to sneak enforcers on board, which would lead to them discovering his secrets and executing the both. It was an unusual form of hostage negotiation.

"Yer funeral."

After Arakash left the captain with the information he needed, he took the time to sneak through some of the halls. A handful of coins here, a healing potion there, but the true prize was a wand that the princess could use as a proper weapon."

He was starting to feel confident about himself again, after the humiliating failures of yesterday. Until he opened the door to their cubby-hole.

"YOU!!!" A voice shouted, and then the room was engulfed in fire.

=====

A/N- While Arakash doesn't strictly fit the psychiatric definition of a narcissist or a sociopath, he does have elements that would be easily diagnosed as such... however, he is an inhuman being, and as such no traditional psychiatric classification (definitionally tied to human psychology) can be considered accurate. However, he does have anger issues that come out when his plans fail. And then he makes himself feel better by ruining someone else's day. So, whatever his psychological profile, he's an asshole.

In the game proper, sneaking about looting the pirate ship will be a bit of a stealth oriented minigame. You won't be able to loot the entire thing no matter what you do, but it will at least net you a few pieces of equipment that are higher level than they should be.

Also: this was a fun cliffhanger to end on.

 

Ada took a moment to watch Arakash leave before she sat next to the unconscious redhead. As easy as it would be to blame the demon for everything, she couldn't; she was responsible for keeping a dangerous monster on its leash, and she failed. There wasn't much she could do about the rest of the disaster, but it was in her power to save this one.

She took a slow breath, and in spite of her limitations, began working her magic toward healing. Her ability to mend flesh was limited, but she could infuse the body with energy and compel it to mend as all living tissue mended.

The girl's eyes opened, revealing eyes of light auburn. "Wha-" She tried to sit up, only to be dropped back down by a dizzy spell.

Ada put a hand on her shoulder. "You shouldn't get up. You need more time to recover."

Now that the surprise wore off, the redhead stared up at the purple-haired one. She'd never seen that color before. "W-what happened?"

"You don't remember?" Ada considered the implications, and decided that it probably made things worse. "We're on a ship." How could she explain to this girl that she burned down portion of a city? She felt guilty enough for her indirect role in the disaster.

"I hate ships." She thought for a moment, collecting her thoughts through the dull throb of the headache she suspected wouldn't vanish for some time. "I remember some guy, then I-" The flash of energy, of power, just like-

Ada reached out, put a hand on the girl's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Don't worry, I know about your fire magic." She worked up the bravery to tell her what happened, but decided against it for now. Fear and guilt aside, she needed to make sure her patient was well before delivering such terrible news.

She looked away. "I don't like to think about it."

"I can imagine." Ada considered the circumstances. "You're safe, now. I swear, whatever else happens, you will be safe."

They sat there for quite some time before the girl found her voice. "It was never so intense before." She looked back at the girl sitting next to her, trying to find the words. You're beautiful. "You saved me." Why?

Now it was Ada's turn to look away. "After... everything. You passed out. I've been taking care of you all night. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She offered an uncertain, fragile, smile. "You're a healer?"

Ada gave a grim chuckle. "My father insisted, but I never had much talent. As a healer or any other sort of mage." She had raw power to spare, but no ability with any sort of bloodline. A burden she saw no reason to saddle on this girl who had problems enough of her own. "I recognized your mana exhaustion and did what I could to feed you energy, that's all."

"I've always been a pyromancer, but I've never become fire before. I..." The redhead closed her eyes, to stop herself from crying, but she couldn't hold back the memories clawing their way up from the darkest parts of her mind. "How many people died?" This time.

Princess Adageyudi held her breath, considering how to answer the question. She forced herself to look at the girl, at the tears leaking from her closed eyes. She couldn't bring herself to lie, no matter how much she wished she could. "I... don't know. Much of the city was in flames when we escaped. There were riots, and looting, and..."

"I knew it would be bad." It always is.

"I'm so sorry." Ada choked back tears of her own.

"No!" The girl tried to sit, and again found she didn't have the strength. Instead, she put her fingers on top of the hand still on her shoulder. "It's not your fault, it's mine. I'm the one who lost control." She stopped when that only seemed to make it worse, and opted to change the subject. "Say, what's your name. I'm Shiara. Shiara na Ifaril."

Ada forced herself to smile at the absurdity of the situation. "Shiara? That's a pretty name." She also recognized the title from her spiritual lessons; Ifaril, God of Purifying Flames. "You're a priestess?" It was something of a stereotype, but pyrokinetics did favor Ifaril.

"No," Shiara said. "My family was very religious." As grateful as she was, this was as close to the truth as she could bring herself to come.

Ada nodded in understanding; it explained the name in spite of her being too young to be priestess to any god she'd ever heard of. "I'm Adageyudi na Tyras." There was no point in not finishing with title, given that to her knowledge her own name was unique.

"You're Princess Ada?!" Shiara sat up in shock, and this time managed to not fall over again. The adrenaline burst of knowing she was literally rescued by the princess overcame her exhaustion. It was all she could do not to bounce with excitement. She was rescued by a princess.

Ada moved back in surprise at how fast the girl seemed to recover, and how happy she seemed to be. After yesterday's series of disasters, and Arakash's constant use of her title in a way that felt like a pejorative, she felt the need to put boundaries around her title. "Please, just call me Ada. I'm trying not to call attention to myself."

Shiara realized how close she was, and slid back a little. "... Ada." She still added 'Princess' in her head, and nobody could stop her. "You're right to be careful, with the bounty on your head." And you trusted me with the truth.

Ada kept her expression as neutral as she could; she'd had a great deal of practice doing that of late. "Bounty? There's a bounty?"

"It's a small fortune, too." I'm helping the Princess!

Even Ada was starting to sense the excitement off Shiara. Was that a spark of electricity in her eyes? "You're not going to try to kill me, are you?"

"No!" Shiara then realized she was shouted the word. Her face turning red with humiliation, she looked down. "I'm no assassin. I mean, I've hunted monsters, and there are a lot of people in that work who... also hunt people, which is how I knew about the bounty! But not me! And I'm no snitch! Even if I didn't owe you, I'd never tell. You can trust me with any of your secrets." Please?

Ada smiled, relieved that her good deed wouldn't come back to hurt her. Or, she hoped it wouldn't. Shiara seemed like the honest sort to her, but recent events had taught her that she was a terrible judge of intent. "I'm glad." She took a slow breath, and lowered her voice. "But, I have one more thing you need to know."

Shiara's breath caught, then she leaned in, not daring to think what she was hoping, for fear she'd ruin it. "You can tell me, I promise."

It was then that the door opened, and Arakash didn't get the chance to walk in.

Shiara jumped to her feet as her hair caught fire. "You!" Moments later, the fire flickered out and she landed, this time caught in Ada's arms. They both tumbled to the ground, with her still staring at the bastard. "He tried to kill me!"

Ada cradled the girl and stroked her now normal hair. "It's ok, he can't hurt you, not now or ever again."

Shiara struggled, though she barely had the strength necessary to move. "You know this freak!?"

"I don't see how you of all creatures get to call me a freak," Arakash crossed his arms, smirking at the weakened girl that had almost killed him. "But you could say we're familiar, in more ways than one."

"Silent, you freak!" Ada shouted. "Don't move, either." She didn't have time to deal with Arakash's passive-aggressive rebellion and Shiara's justified fear and anger. "It's a long story, but I control him, and I've given him orders never to hurt you."

Shiara took her eyes off the demon just long enough to look at Ada, mere inches from her. It was nice, though it would be better without the company. "How?"

"It was my father's doing," Ada said. She knew that trusting Shiara with this much information was a risk, and took the plunge regardless. "I only understand the basics, but it's a specialized form of binding magic. Most of it's a standard Servitor Bond, but with an added advantage that If I'm injured, it draws from his life energy to keep me alive."

Shiara wondered if she was being lied to; she hoped not, but she'd never heard of such a spell before. She imagined it would be labeled as 'blasphemous' and get its users 'purified', but if anyone had forbidden magic, it would be royalty. "That's incredible."

"I can't disagree. I'd already be dead if not for this spell." At this point, Ada realized how close the two of them still were, and made to untangle herself from Shiara, then turned to look her in the eyes. "Now you know why you don't owe me anything. He has to protect me, but it was my responsibility to protect everyone else from him, and I failed."

"You shouldn't apologize," Shiara almost went to hug her, but didn't. "But why did it attack me?"

Ada wondered just how sheltered Shiara was to not know the answer. "He's a Noctrel, eating people is what they do."

Shiara shook her head. "I know that. What I mean is that I'm... different. Most supernatural beings run when they sense my presence. I think they somehow knew what might happen. It sought me out when there were so many less dangerous victims to target."

"Arakash, answer the question."

Arakash, meanwhile, had been standing in the corner wishing he could escape his enslavement for just one moment. If he could, then it would all be over, both of them would die, and he'd have some chance of freedom. He resisted as best he could, but all that happened was he began to tremble as pain creeped across his muscles. "In order to escape the bond."

He hoped that would be enough. It wasn't.

"How?"

No! In spite of the pain, Arakash refused to answer. There was still the possibility he could find some other source of power that they might overlook, so long as they didn't understand the mechanism he was trying to break. If that secret became public knowledge... "Princess, every time you give a command, I get better at fighting it." Warning her off might be his only chance.

Ada sighed, then reached over and gripped Shiara's hand in her own.

"Eep!" Shiara had been so intent on what the demon was doing that she caught by surprise when the Princess' dainty fingers curled around her own. She was even less prepared for what came next.

"Set my hand on fire," Ada commanded.

"What?" Arakash and Shiara said at the same time.

"Please, trust me." Ada turned to Shiara. "It doesn't have to be a big fire, just enough to burn flesh."

Arakash decided this was going too far, and tried to stop them in spite of still being unable to move. "Wait a minute, you're going to hurt your chan-"

"If you're sure." Shiara barely heard his panicked over her heart pounding while staring into Ada's beautiful purple eyes. She drew on some fragment of her strength and allowed that power to erupt from her fingers. To her surprise, Ada didn't recoil at all as the flame licked up to their wrists.

Arakash hissed, gripping his arm and struggling to fight as what little energy he had retained from his most recent victims began boiling away. He would have collapsed to his knees, if not for the command not to move. "THIS was your FATHER'S solution to my RESISTANCE, wasn't it PRINCESS?"

Ada looked away from Shiara, and channeled the best of her father's lecturing tone. "We can keep doing this until you run out of strength and die, Arakash."

Arakash's face warped as the limited concentration needed to maintain his human disguise began to falter. The best he could do was hiss as he was tortured by proxy.

Ada squeezed Shiara's hand just a little tighter. "The weaker you become, the less you'll be able to fight the binding. You will obey."

"Fine! You win." His hand, blackened by fire which had never touched him, began to heal the moment Shiara stopped fueling the effect. He'd bought some time, and with it, perhaps a way to deflect the question. "If we absorb enough energy, it changes our life essence. I hoped that by feeding on her, it would change me enough to cause the binding to fail."

"That can be done?" Ada flinched the moment she realized how much she revealed with that question.

Arakash tried to take advantage of the question by misdirecting her curiosity. "There's a chance it would work. And if it failed, you'd be none the wiser. As you already realize, I miscalculated."

Shiara kept holding on to Ada's hand, and planned to do so for the rest of her life, but she noticed the hole in the demon's logic. "Why did you fight so hard to keep that a secret?"

Arakash snarled at her, but he'd been snarling the whole time. "Obviously, I don't want her to know how I planned to escape."

"That's not enough," Shiara said. "You may be able to con her, but I've played better players than you. There's much more to it."

"What?" In hearing her statement, Ada still couldn't put together what she was getting at.

"Think about it, Ada." Shiara smiled, excited to be able to help protect her newly discovered princess. "He fought that question, tried to change the subject, anything to avoid answering it. Like he said, it's obvious he wanted to escape. Why fight to hide it?"

"You're right." Once again, someone else had to show her the truth. She turned her attention to Arakash again. "Well, answer the question. The complete answer, this time."

As the girls conversed, he thought of every profanity of all twenty seven languages he knew. No possible combination of them adequately expressed what he was feeling in this moment. "Fine. If we absorb too much power, it changes us, if only for a while. We have to put effort into digesting it, and in that time we are... vulnerable."

"How?" Ada asked.

"I can answer that, I think." Shiara felt downright giddy. "If he absorbed my energy, and I survived, I bet I could still control that power. I would make some spectacular fireworks. He could also be tracked, maybe his powers wouldn't work for a while, or he might find the energy sets off an alarm, and lots of other stuff. I'm sure an Archmage could find a thousand ways to exploit that weakness."

"If this became common knowledge, my kind would be exterminated to the last," Arakash admitted. He didn't think sympathy would work, but it was his last refuge at this point.

"You deserve it, and worse," Shiara said.

It seemed he was correct; there would be no pity for his people. "So be it. I care nothing of your judgement."

"He's right." Ada looked down at her lap, then over at the hand Shiara was still holding. "There's no reason to argue with evil. You simply purge it and move on."

"Sounds like your father's words again." Arakash growled. He had already decided that King Sorda was the being he most hated in all his years of life, and every time he heard more, it made him all the more certain of his opinion.

"He's a wise man." Ada sighed, feeling weary and tired in spite of the early hour. "Unless you have something important to our mission to tell me, you shall stay silent for the rest of the voyage."

Shiara resolved to do everything she could to comfort the fatigued princess. "Is he always that bad?"

"I wish," she said. "I hate everything about all of this mess, and I'm sorry I dragged you into the mess."

"Don't be. It's not your fault, I'm fine, and we learned something nobody anywhere knows about one of the most dangerous monster species out there." Her optimism was forced; there was blood on her hands. "It's the demon who should be apologizing, which won't happen. Now what do we do?" She hoped the 'we' was obvious enough without being too obvious.

Ada was too oblivious to catch on. "I'm heading to Karana, for diplomatic purposes. We're travelling to Vera now, which should take a couple days. Then I'll give you some money to get back to Kale, but you might have to wait for a return vessel, I'm sorry."

Shiara just starred at her oblivious princess. "I think I'd prefer to go with you to Karana. Kale was getting cramped, and after last night I don't think it'll be any better." If anyone realized she was the source of the fire, she'd be lucky if all they did was execute her. When faced with that, or spending more time with the beautiful princess who saved her life, the choice was obvious.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear that." She closed her eyes. "I think I need to get some rest. Arakash, you stay in the hallway and don't cause trouble. I'm going to sleep against the door."

=====

A/N- Shiara is adorable. If you disagree, I will set YOU on fire. Also... I almost feel bad for Arakash... almost. And it occurs to me if someone fix-fics this story, it'll probably end up being a harem fic. PS- I promise, this is NOT a harem fic. You can tell because the characters have personalities.

And I'm really sad I have so few active readers. Nobody seems to catch my subtle jokes. Or my subtle foreshadowing. It sucks.

Holy balls, I'm glad to rewrite this section. The original was a disaster bordering on the nonsensical in which Shiara blurted all sorts of shit about herself out that no sane person would tell to strangers. I mean, yes, Shiara is the youngest character in the story, and I wanted her savior-crush to be obvious to everyone who's not Ada, but there are limits.

Don't worry, Shiara's history will come out eventually. One delicious piece at a time.

Incidentally, there are a lot of people named Shiara or some similar name in Midara. It's basically the setting's equivalent to Mary... though Shiara's a fancier variant than most, so her name specifically is probably more akin to Maria. Which, well, finding out a girl named Maria had unusually religious parents isn't going to surprise anyone.

And the sheer lack of tact in addressing the whole 'city in flames' thing? Eeesh... even as a teenager I should have known that needed to be better written.

Spoiler: Have a sample of this abomination and know that if a guy who wrote it can improve, anyone can.

ADA: Don't worry, I already saw you in your fire form.
SHI: It's not something I like to advertise
ADA: I can imagine. You almost destroyed half the city last night.
SHI: It was never so intense before. (she looks at her hands). Usually the most I can do is cover myself in flame. I never completely became fire before.
ADA: From the looks of it, you probably shouldn't too often. You passed out. It took everything I had to heal you.
SHI: You're a healer?

Then there's the part talking about the bounty, and Arakash, and... look, let's just say the original draft of this section was a breathtaking pile of trash and leave it at that

 

Shiara na Ifaril

Spoiler: Design Theory

Shiara should have a lithe, athletic body type. Get a ballerina for her body model. She's a Kinetic Revelation. Unlike most characters, she'll need a more dynamic hair model, with use of magic causing it to do all sorts of visually fun things like glow, or burst into flame.

She'll need a second model for her fire mode, which should be somewhat vague in form and look like living fire rather than just a 3D model with fire effects slapped on top of it.

Vocals: whoever it is, will need some range. A young voice trying very hard to sound older and wiser than she is, but not quite selling it. So... either a very good actress, or a very bad one that just so happens to be good at delivering lines.

Music: I have no idea. Shiara's standard music should be something soft but fun... perhaps take the first 20 seconds of Lieberman's version of Killing Me Softly and extend it into a full song.

Peter Gundry's "Last of Her Kind" could work if the violin is relegated to a background instrument instead of being so upfront. A drum would help, too.



Her transformed state should have a similar tune, but faster and more violent.

Spoiler: Basic Info

Class: Fire Dancer / Inferno Incarnate

"She's more dangerous than she looks. Trust me." / "World's Cutest Conflagration."

5'4'' (162cm), Soft amber eyes, red-orange hair / Vaguely humanoid fire

Hobbies: Dancing, Music, reading waaay too much romantic literature, pining for unattainable women.

STATS: (Note, stats increase with levels, so what will be listed is a grading scale of A-F suggesting what you can expect of this character compared to equivalent levels).

Strength: D / D

Agility: A / S

Vitality: C / S

Intelligence: B / A

Perception: C / B

Willpower: B / S

Elements: Fire, Fire, More Fire

Combat Style: Functions as a "rogue" with environmental stealth and sneak attacks with her fire bolts. / All shall be ash before her.

Shiara's defining ability is her transformation ability, which grants her significantly enhanced abilities by effectively merging her mind and body into a singular hyper-powered form. This form grants numerous advantages, but will drain her health and mana as long as she's in it. Best saved for boss-crushing.

Shiara has a general stat advantage over almost all other party members- her core weakness is that there is an exceedingly limited amount of equipment she can use. She has no armor, and with exception to her dagger, no weapons or accessories. She can use sarite, but only a limited amount of fire oriented options.

Spoiler: Combat Features

BASE ABILITIES: These are natural traits available to Shiara.

Fire Bolt- Shiara has a single-target fire spell that she can use at will without costing mana.

Immune to Fire- Shiara has blanket immunity to any harmful effect which has heat or flame as part of its element. She can still benefit from positive spells with that descriptor. She still takes damage from any physical harm included- such as with a burning arrow or inhaling toxic smoke.

Internal Furnace- Shiara's body is a (super)natural furnace, making her resistant to cold, immune to all natural diseases, and most unnatural ones.

Emergency Morph- If Shiara suffers from any form of mind control, poison, or life-threatening injury, her body will enter elemental mode in order to save her without her awareness or control.

Transformation- When Shiara enters her elemental mode she gains immunity to all physical damage, chemicals, and any mind-altering effects. Outside effects (say, blindness by being in a fog or smoke filled area rather than eye damage) are unaffected.

In her transformed state, she losed the 'internal furnace' trait and can now has a vulnerability to cold, ice, and water attacks.

Meldcast Effect: Burn- Any spell with this effect deals 50% of its damage again next round.

WEAPON TYPE:

Ecrosian Dagger- The only weapon Shiara can use. It's a reasonably high stat item for the early game, but becomes obsolete fast. Not that Shiara should be in melee combat.

ARMOR TYPE:

None- Shiara can't wear armor, and in fact has a limited number of clothes she can use without destroying them when she transforms.

MAGIC STYLES:

FIRE: Yeah. Just "fire". Lots and lots of burning. Her transformed state greatly increases damage output.

Firebolt - Free cost quick attack that counts as ranged for attack accuracy.

Explosion - Fire damage explosion, quick and cheap for the damage, also causes stun and daze status effects.

Flametouch - This spell lets her deal fire damage (as 'bolt') every time she strikes or is struck in melee.

Fireflash - Does fire damage and blinds target. Must be healed to recover sight

Bloodboil - Does serious heat damage and can cause mental status damage like confusion and rage

Manaburn - Causes target to lose a great deal of magic as it converts to flame and vents

Flamethrower - Short-ranged stream of fire

Nova - A spherical explosion with herself in the center

Ignition - Target bursts into flames that cause continuous damage, lowers stats, and reduce fire resistance. All effects grow slowly over time.

Flame Dance - Shiara wraps herself in flame, and actually does a dance performance that can affect the minds of men (and gay women). Those entranced will do nothing but watch her unless attacked. This mind effect relies on agility

Heatwave - Forces the elemental field to shift toward fire, causing the temperature to match those of the worst deserts. Greatly lowers vitality for everyone who isn't fire resistant, especially those in heavy armor.

Hotplate - Causes targeted metal armor or weapon to get incredibly hot. Victim will attempt to drop or otherwise escape the object. For every turn they're in contact with the heated metal, deals damage that increases over time.

Immolation - Killing move. Deals high damage to target, and if the target is killed, causes an equal damage explosion.

Dragon Breath - Generates a cone of flame that slowly reduces in potency and increaces in width/height as it gets further from Shiara

=====

A/N- Shiara's mechanics are not-so-subtly inspired by Terra of Final Fantasy Six. As characters, however, they really have very little in common.

 

Over the next couple days, the group settled down into their routines. Shiara and Adageyudi spent their time discussing their favorite authors. Arakash remained silent, contemplating numerous creative torture techniques which could revolutionize the industry. Around them, the smugglers pretended they didn't exist. So it remained until a smuggler tapped on their door.

With a simple "We're here, get out before we toss you overboard," they were informed that it was time to leave and gathered what little supplies they had brought with them.

"You'll love it. They have such lovely architecture, and I'm told the music is-" Ada hesitated when they came out from below deck. "This isn't Port Vera." She looked over at Arakash. "You said we were going to Vera."

"There was a slight change of plans," Arakash said. "We're close to Vera, but have to make the rest of the trip on foot through the mountain pass."

Ada glanced around at the others, aware she had an audience. She didn't appreciate the looks they were giving her, either, so she walked faster, in an effort to get away from these men before some other disaster happened. That in spite of them being criminals, they were better behaved than what were supposedly her law-abiding and law-enforcing subjects galled her more than she would admit.

Arakash lagged behind, just a little, as they stepped off the deck onto the safety of solid ground. With one hand on the rail, he reached into the ethereal and drank deep of the power running the complex mechanisms of the ship. A little more energy for him, a little more trouble for people who annoyed him. While not the target he truly wanted to suffer, he was willing to settle for now. He then hurried after the girls.

Once they were away from people, Ada turned and faced Arakash. "Why didn't you tell me about this last night?"

Arakash smirked. "I seem to recall that I was ordered by my slave-master not to speak. A command which I followed faithfully. Would you be so unjust as to lay at my feet her regrets for her own actions?"

Ada sighed. "This is going to be a common occurrence, isn't it?"

"That is not for me to say." He might not have the power to defy her, but Arakash was dead set on attacking her on every angle he could conceive. "I am a mere servant, with no control over what whims my unreliable mistress may hap upon."

"Ugh, I was told you were a demon." Shiara, not being held back by the weird sense of guilt and responsibility Ada was, stepped between them. Her eyes glowed as she confronted Arakash. "Not some whiny, petulent, child. It's pathetic. But if you like, I'm sure I can spare you the onerous burden of not being executed like you deserve."

"Thank you for the assistance, but this is my burden." Ada put her hand on Shiara's shoulder. "Arakash, consider it a standing order not to attempt to annoy me or Shiara. Or anyone else that isn't actively trying to kill us."

Arakash glowered, but was still forced to obey. The pressure was as strong today as it had been the day he was enslaved, no doubt due to his recent injuries weakening his resistance. "As you command, Princess. The pass is this direction." Arakash began walking ahead of the girls, getting far enough ahead of them in to obscure himself with the trees, if only to be alone under the lush semitropical canopy. He could trust Shiara to do her best to slow the princess down with meaningless prattle, anyway.

"Why do you put up with him?" Shiara muttered once Arakash was out of sight. "We should get rid of it. Make him hold still and I'll do it, then you won't have to worry anymore, and I'll protect you from anything else."

Ada hesitated; she liked Shiara, but the talk of casual murder worried her. "I... can't do that." She wished she could, but she couldn't. "Leaving aside that regardless of motive, he saved my life twice? Killing him when he's not a threat and can't protect himself is too much for me. I'll understand if you disagree; it wasn't me he tried to kill."

Sensing the turn of Ada's mood, Shiara caved. "I don't think I'd be able to do it, either. Not in cold blood. Besides, if he saved your life, then I suppose he's earned a chance." Shiara fought down her twinge of jealousy. She wanted to save the princess, too. Then maybe she'd... but, no, that was out of her reach for now. "But if he goes out of control again, I will end him."

Ada forced herself to smile. "Thank you."

As Arakash walked ahead, he considered his priorities. It was obvious he had little of gaining freedom any time soon. If he did somehow find a way, he'd then need to kill both of them to prevent the information they knew from becoming public, which was far easier said than done. Not that he felt a particular loyalty to his own kind, but because it would sooner or later lead to his death as well. While killing the princess would be easy enough, he had no reliable weapon against the elemental.

After several minutes, they arrived at a the pass, or as it happened, the cave. Shiara looked around at the glimmering white of the walls, reflecting the sunlight in a trillion sparkling lights. "Ice?" She gazed up.

"Salt," Ada said. "Scholars say this part of Karana was once sea floor, until it was forced up by some cataclysmic event. The water evaporated, leaving these salt caves. The path looks stable and well-used, they even built stairs in spots." Eyes wide staring into the darkness, she considered their options. "Shiara, could you use your fire like a torch to make light for us?"

"Just give me a moment." With a bit of focus, Shiara's hair burst into flame. "But, as much as I'd love sightseeing." And in such a romantic spot. "Can we hurry through? I don't like caves much better than boats."

Ada hesitated; she didn't want to put the victim of her failings through any more stress. "Are you certain this is the way through?"

Arakash almost laughed at how pathetic the exchange was. "It's the one way through that's reliable this time of year. I had a very thorough discussion on the subject before we left the ship."

Ada cringed as she considered his implications. "What did you do?"

"Does it really matter?" Arakash asked. "They'd have done far worse to you if they had the chance."

"I hate to agree with him, but he's right." Shiara stepped forward into the passage, darkness driven back by flame in a scene that looked for all intents like a portal to the deepest bowels of the earth. "They were pirates, they'd have sold us all into slavery, or worse."

"I suppose you're right," Ada conceded, then recognized she was losing control of the situation again. "But to be clear, I command you to stop making decisions behind my back."

"It gives me no small pleasure to announce that I refuse your order. It appears the binding contract has a loophole, or the closing of a loophole. I can, and must, disobey your orders in order to protect you." It was an amusing loophole, regardless. What annoyed him was the spell forcing him to inform her of the how and why of that refusal.

"Interesting." Ada walked faster, hoping that the red glow of the flames would hide the glow of her own humiliation. She knew about the contract, and had been forced to memorize its contents; the order to defend her life and freedom was given priority over all other things, even the obedience law. She was even given specific instructions about the threat of him using the spell against itself in such a way.

They made their way through the caves, and aside from having to use her gravity magic in some places where the spring rains had knocked the easy trail out, they found it to be a comfortable, if cramped, trips. After one particular cliff face, they found themselves staring out at a wide expanse of shimmering pools of water sitting in sunken pits of crystal salt. It was like looking out at an alien ocean. "It's beautiful," Ada murmured.

"Incredible," Shiara agreed. She swallowed, then moved a step closer to Ada, and slowly began moving her hand to touch the princess.

A crack and pop later, Arakash shifted to his demonic form and jumped over the two of them. "We have a monster!"

"What is it?" Ada glanced around, and grabbed for her focus crystal.

Shiara wanted to cook the demon for ruining the moment, no matter how important the reason. Then she laughed at herself; who was she fooling, she'd never have been able to work up the courage to follow through, anyway.

"I'm uncertain. It's big, and it's fast." Arakash glanced around. "But I only barely sense any life force from it."

One of the pools exploded, and from it emerged a long, slender, serpentine creature coated in the same reflective white rock as the cavern proper. Finger-like protrusions opened, to reveal its gaping maw coated in countless crystalline teeth. While it showed no sign of eyes, it seemed to have no trouble tracking them as it propelled itself forward with hundreds of tiny tendril-legs.

"Pless! Erat nar!" Arakash cursed. "It's a wyrm!" Arakash jumped forward; the opposite of the direction he wanted, but someone had to block the monster from eating the princess, and his binding forced the responsibility on him. His Vilos began to rework its weapon, resulting in a long spear that he braced against the ground.

Streaks of flame and ice rushed over his head and struck the charging beast. While it didn't seem more than superficially harmed, it twisted around and dived into the nearest pool of water.

"Did that scare it off?" Having the worst eyesight for this situation, Ada glanced around uncertain.

"Scare off a wyrm?" Arakash laughed. "You can't scare off wyrms. Walk into its territory, and your choices are run, kill, or die. And we're too deep for the first option to work." It seemed this was what the Captain meant by the trail being dangerous during this time.

He felt the motion before he saw the attack, as several shards of rock flew forth from the inky darkness of the caves. He braced himself for pain as gashes formed across his flesh. He hissed at his injuries, while Ada screamed in surprise.

Shiara, however, screamed in pain and rage. The same emotions that had driven her to transform when Arakash attempted to violate her mind blossomed forth at this new thing that had tried to hurt her princess. Her veins coursed with power, flesh subsumed into the conflagration. With a gesture, the wyrm's sheltered position erupted in a fireball.

Arakash closed his eyes; they were useless in the blinding glare, anyway. "It's still moving," he said. He pointed with his left hand, the one not holding the Vilos spear. "It's heading that way, I think it's going to come up... now!"

As much as she hated the demon, she hated the thing trying to kill Ada more. Another surge of power wrapped around and through her, and with it compressed ball of flame streaked toward the location in question.

The wyrm screeched in surprise more than pain, then back in the hole it went.

"It's not dead yet," Arakash shouted over the howling winds caused by the heating of the narrow tunnels. "It's made of the same salt of the cavern, it won't burn easily. Ada, you try. Now!"

A bolt of ice energy struck near the wyrm, but missed. Another volley of dagger-like salt crystals shot forward. Arakash did what he could to evade the attack, but was rewarded with another wound due to Ada being too slow to react.

Sensing a moment of vulnerability, the wyrm rushed them again. Several bursts of fire washed over its crystalline hide, causing pain but not injury. It's what it didn't feel that surprised it, when it went over what seemed like just some more rock formation and something pierced through its exoskeleton and into soft flesh.

It twisted and rolled away from the offender, then retreated yet again, leaving Arakash wounded and laying on the ground.

Not for the first time, Arakash was glad his lack of a heartbeat confused creatures that hunted mainly by sound. If the binding wasn't forcing him to sacrifice himself to protect a far less resilient princess, he'd be at the exit already.

"Are you okay?" Ada ran to him. A swirl of purple light enveloped him, fusing him with some small amount of mana to help his own body recover. Ada's method of healing by accelerating normal recovery was less than impressive, but it did serve to heal Noctrel, which was something most healers could not do, even if they wanted to.

"No I'm not!" He forced himself back to a crouching position. The bleeding had stopped, but it cost him power in the process. "I took a wyrm's charge for you! They hunt by tracking heartbeats, which means you. So you need to distract it."

"Hey! That's not the deal!" Flew over their heads; from her position touching the ceiling, she looked for approaches from the monster.

"No, he's right," Ada said. "Whatever it takes to get us to safety."

"The plan is you start running that way." He pointed toward where the wyrm had originally attacked from. Shiara... now that it's bleeding, it'll think twice about your fire. Go!"

"Without telling us what you're- hey!" As Shiara tried to argue, Ada had made up her mind and begun running. "Why are you listening to him!?"

Ada considered her answers, and had only one that made sense to her. "Because he's better at killing than we are!"

Arakash stumbled behind, tracking with his senses the wyrm as it navigated its own submerged paths. There. He stopped over one path, and allowed his blood to drip into the pool. It glowed as his magic joined the mix, coating the surface of the water with a viscous slime toxic to any living thing.

The wyrm emerged, unknowingly coating itself in the deadly fluid. Arakash struggled to follow, but was relieved to see the bursts of fire pushed it back again. It retreated into a clean pool of water, but that wouldn't matter. With luck, it would swallow some of the water, and with it the poison.

He didn't trust it. "Turn around, run back this way!"

Ada's magic-enhanced movement twisted around a stalagmite in a flagrant violation of the laws of momentum, with Shiara nearly running into a wall before she corrected her own movements.

Arakash stumbled to another nearby pool, laying his trap yet again. But he didn't stop there, moving to a third pool and a fourth as the wyrm kept moving. Sooner or later, the toxic sludge would kill it and everything else in this cavern.

It emerged, slower than it had been. It opened its massive jaws and ejected the contents of its stomach. It had learned the lesson about the now deadly waters, but continued its pursuit on land.

Arakash stopped for a moment to smear his own blood over the Vilos bone, then came after the creature from behind. He kept his distance, however, because Ada and Shiara were hammering it with their magic.

One lucky shot from Shiara saw a burst of flame enter its throat, causing it to begin writhing as it experienced its insides burning in addition to blood loss and toxins soaking into it through its skin.

Arakash got the kill, however. Invisible to the beast, he approached with the most cautious of steps, until he had the opportunity to plunge his blade into the section of the body that contained both the heart and brain of the wyrm. With it dead, he began the process of twisting the blade and pulling open a hole in the thing's hide.

"What are you doing?" Ada approached, with Shiara back to normal following right behind her.

Arakash grunted in effort. "It's called survival, Princess. Wyrms might be the weakest of all dragonites, but they are still dragonites." He plunged his fist into the hole he carved and ripped out the precious jewel within. "Sarite, fresh from the still-warm corpse. A fine reward, I'd say."

Ada fought down the urge to be sick. "Sarite?

Arakash snorted. "Don't tell me they skipped that part of your education, Princess."

She found herself getting angry. "I know what sarite is. I just thought it was... refined, or something."

"It's usually better to refine it," Shiara said. "The natural stuff can have all sorts of ugly surprises and side effects."

"This one doesn't. The question is who uses it." Arakash stood, then walked over the wyrm using his claws for balance. There was no reason to do so, other than to literally step on one more troublesome pest. "It's got an earth bolt spell and a boost to toughness. I'm not compatible, but either of you will be fine."

"Give it to Ada," Shiara said after a moment. "I had a few shards, but except for my one fire shard, they were destroyed when I transformed. Along with most of my gear. Best that I don't hold anything valuable."

"If neither of you can use it." Ada reached out and accepted the gem. She took a moment reaching out to its energy with her own; she had little experience with attunement, and even experienced sarite users required some effort.

Arakash stepped down on the other side of the slain wyrm.

"What about reagents?" Shiara asked. "It is a dragonite, like you said."

"Most of it's useless." Arakash turned to examine the corpse. "Any organs the poison hasn't melted are going to break down before we reach a buyer. But I suppose some of the scales will be salvageable. Let's get to work."

=====

A/N- In Soviet Russia, too much people bad for salt's heart!

I've seen all sorts of pretty RPG environs done by countless games over the years, but I don't think anyone's done salt caverns, yet. Which is a real shame- they have a unique and alien beauty all their own that deserves the attention.



Incidentally, it will be a game mechanic that certain forms of attacks will damage or destroy loot you get in fights. What attacks destroy what types of loot are for the players to determine. But as a good rule, anything that involves poison will be bad for blood and flesh based reagents. This section also introduces the Sarite mechanic into play. Right now, the party's got two pieces, but that'll expand rather quickly.

Random Fun Fact: the girls had and used a chamber-pot in their 'cabin', but nobody wants to read about that. Or maybe they do, but I don't wanna write it. Some details just don't need to be mentioned.

 

Sore from the long climb and fight with the wyrm, they stumbled out of the cave's opening into an expanse of thick forests. Arakash emerged first, then stopped and sniffed the air.

Ada was right behind him. "Ugg, what is that smell?" She stepped back, bumping into Shiara.

Shiara would have enjoyed that more, if she wasn't distracted by the stench in the air, some incomprehensibly awful blend of rotting flesh and unidentifiable acrid substance that made the air itself feel greasy. "It's worse than that time I set the sewer on fire." She looked at Ada, who was now looking right at her. "It was an accident!"

Arakash took some amusement in knowing Ada's ability to steal his protection didn't include the Noctrel's lack of concern over scents. "I take it neither of you have experience with goblins." No surprise; the default reaction to a goblin nest was to burn them to the last. "By the smell of things, there must be hundreds of them in the forest. They're so toxic that the air here is probably poisonous. Shiara, you should transform regularly to protect yourself."

He stopped for a second to wonder why he said that, then realized the binding was forcing him to help her, because she was helping the princess. He swore to himself that when he broke free, he'd kill them all.

"Thank you," Ada said without recognizing the motive.

Further conversation was ended when shrieking came from a tree, soon to be echoed in nearby trees.

"They found us!" Though reluctant, Arakash stepped forward and took on his demonic form and batted away a viscous glob of brown goo with his wing. Most of the slime remained glued to him. "There's little they can do to hurt me, but you should avoid getting hit. Even though you're immune to the poison, the acid will destroy your equipment and supplies."

"They throw acid mud?" Ada asked.

Arakash slapped away another incoming glob. "It's not mud." If there was one consolation for him, it was the dawning realization from the girls. It wasn't much of a consolation.

"Then what..." Shiara realized, or at least was willing to say it, first. "That's disgusting!"

Ada fired back, using her newly granted earth-launching spell, which seemed to have longer range than her ice crystal. There were agitated screeches as branches were ripped out of the tree by the force of the spell. One goblin struck the ground, letting them get a good look at its loose, muck-encrusted gray scales, tiny yellow eyes, and broad mouth full of jagged teeth before it rolled to its feet and scurried to another tree.

"How do we fight them?"

Arakash considered it for a moment. As fun as watching the girls' revulsion was, it wasn't worth literally being pelted with shit. "Without their toxins, they're not that strong, but they're fast, climb like a monkey, and use swarm tactics. That screeching is how they communicate."

Shiara smiled. "How do they feel about fire?" When their tree burst into flames and goblins jumped away, screaming and trailing fire behind them, she got her answer.

Soon, the trees they fled to caught fire as well. Oh, right. Shiara's smile faded when she realized they were surrounded on all sides by kindling coated in what appeared to be very flammable goblin slime. "I may have made a mistake."

"No time! Run!" Arakash grabbed Ada's arm and tugged her into action, before beginning his own retreat right ahead of her; to his logic, the goblins ahead were more of a threat than the ones on fire behind them. If not, then Shiara was better equipped to deal with things that were on fire than he was.

"What about the cave?!" Shiara shouted as she ran to catch up to the others.

"You don't want to fight goblins in a cave!" Arakash shouted. "Out here, we stand a chance!" A chance that was dwindling by the second. His superhuman hearing was picking up on the sounds of the forest, as new packs of goblins started screeching, communicating with one another in a staccato of cries far more nuanced than a human could make or comprehend. This forest was crawling with life, and the dominant species was coming for them.

Behind them, an upsurge of mana was answered by a downpour of water, extinguishing the forest fire before it grew out of control.

"They have mages!" No longer as afraid of the consequences, Shiara began blasting every treetop they passed, if only to slow the pursuit. "How do they have mages? And what is with all the shrieking?"

"Of course they have mages!" Arakash shouted back, over the approaching cacophony of goblin-communications. "And language! They're not animals!"

The trio ran as best they could, but they were flanked on all sides and Arakash was beginning to see the trap they'd stumbled into. He stopped running and took to the air.

"What are you doing?" Ada shouted at the demon.

"They're running us to exhaustion!" Arakash yelled down. "We have to take the fight to them while we still can!" The creatures were sapient, however alien their minds might be, and so those minds were vulnerable to manipulation. He couldn't use lust magic on them, but they experienced hunger, and pain, and hate... but beneath all of those was the emotion that oozed through the deepest part of all living creatures' motives: Fear.

He reached out, twisted the emotions of those who were burned, those who knew that in this battle they, too, would burn. Death would come to them from the black beast in the sky, or the fire mage on the ground.

Several hesitated, their grating, hideous song interrupted by unnatural panic. Goblins weren't like humans, they didn't spend their lives suppressing and pretending away their feelings. The goblin way of thinking, of living, was one that embraced their desires. It made them resistant to most forms of mind control, but it left them with little discipline.

They hesitated, cowed by the sense of their impending doom, screeched their fears of events unseen ripped up from their subconscious mind and memories. The other goblins reacted, looked around, sought the source of the terror that they could not sense.

Songs of real pain and terror joined the victims of illusion, as the confusion slowed them enough that they were caught by Shiara's magic. Flames doused by mages not long after the fact, but ending the fire did not cure the wounds. It also gave him a target.

He plummeted down at the spellcaster, and found himself swarmed by the goblins as he did so. More concerned with protecting the mage than their own lives, they clawed and gouged and bit wherever they could reach. Arakash slammed into the ground, an act which cost three goblins their lives.

Others climbed onto the pile. Arakash gripped one, and began sapping its strength. It didn't take long before it died and he grabbed another, slowly restoring his strength at their expense. They were far too weak to kill him; no doubt they expected their toxins to do the job where their frail bodies could not. Being intelligent was not the same as knowing that no amount of poison could kill a Noctrel, or that a tactic that no doubt worked countless times was a liability against one foe.

Nearby, the two girls weren't doing as well.

A wall of fire guaranteed the goblins could not rush them from from behind, but it was a fire creeping ever closer to the pair as they faced the wall of goblins ahead. Shiara could set those tree alight, but doing so would guarantee Ada's death.

Ada realized it first. "Run. You can save yourself."

Shiara almost laughed. "Never." With Arakash gone, it was now her time to save her princess. "I told you I'd keep you safe." She again dipped into that well of anger, the inhuman power within her that was growing easier to access with every transformation. Her body caught fire, became fire, and it felt incredible.

With a wave of her hand, another stream of flame consumed one of the nearer trees, and several goblins hit the forest floor dead. No longer bound by gravity, she took to the sky. "Flee, or I won't stop until this entire forest burns! The only things that will remain are me and your ashes!"

It wasn't a bad threat; perhaps it would have worked if even one goblin could speak her language. But their religion taught them that there could be no peace, no communication, with the mammals. To them, she was a thing that needed to be stopped even at the cost of their lives, rather than one which could be negotiated with. Twin streams of water struck out from the remaining trees, dousing the elemental.

"Ah!" Shiara fell back, weakened by the attack. "How..." Her flames flickered, and it was more luck than anything that saw her touch the ground before she reverted to human form. As her vision blurred, she saw the monsters rush forward.

Several six-limbed lizards the size of large dogs charged with more speed than a reptile had any right to move. Ada caught one with a burst from her ice crystal; when it kept moving in spite of the attack, its front leg shattered from the cold, causing it to fall and thrash about in pain.

Two kept charging Ada, while the other three went for Shiara.

Weakened though she was, she had enough power to force herself into her elemental state right before the creatures bit into her, which left them reeling with burnt tongues and eyes. It was all the power she had left, and when she heard Ada scream, she didn't have the strength to apologize before she fell to the ground.

The monsters biting Ada met with a different sort of surprise thanks to her effective invulnerability. While Arakash felt the pain as teeth ripped through the tendons in the wrists, and his back and shoulders cracking as the beasts shook their heads and twisted like miniature crocodiles, Ada experienced nothing but her inability to move her limbs. These monsters, bred to kill and trained to do so in a way that would incapacitate mages, kept doing their best.

Sooner or later, their prey would die, and they would be rewarded by their masters. Such was the life they knew, the only life their kind had known for generations.

"Help!" Ada screamed. She panicked; for the first time, she was alone. She'd believed herself alone, time and time again, but she'd never truly been alone. She had her servants, then her entourage, Shiara. Even during the worst parts of Arakash's rebelliousness, she still could rely on him as a protector. But not here, not now; all her allies were beaten, and while she knew she'd be dead if Arakash wasn't still alive, it was now a matter of time.

In panic and desperation, she lashed out with her magic. Past and future... her magic always warped space, warped time... driven by instinct alone, it slid through the monsters and altered the flow of time.

For one brief moment, in a line thinner than a single ray of light, time was slowed to a stop along one plain and doubled along the other. Divided by past and future along a line where the present could not exist, gore gushed from the monsters in the brief moment before their hearts realized they could no longer beat, then two bodies fell in four directions.

The goblins screeched another set of orders, and six more monsters were released to charge the depleted mages.

Shiara watched, helpless, as she tried to at least force her skin to catch fire. Ada wasn't much better; one more use of that attack spell she unleashed was all she had left in her.

Then the fireworks exploded overhead, unleashing a sound that had both girls gripping their heads in agony as they thought their ears were going to burst.

For the goblins, possessing hearing more than ten times sharper than a human's, it was a killing strike. The closest fell, their ears and eyes bleeding. Those further away fell from their trees and began the laborious effort of scrambling from the noise as best they could through vertigo and blindness.

The lizards, having little sense of hearing to begin with, kept advancing until they were struck down by a series of arrows from some hidden spot in the trees.

Moments after the goblins fled, a figure wrapped entirely in leather, complete with a hood and facemask, approached the pair. In a language neither of them knew, she muttered. "Humans? Ugh, what a waste of Screaming Lilies."

=====

A/N- And now you know why the pirate captain was so willing to tell them about the pass. He thought he was sending them to their deaths.

Ah, goblins. 60% monkey, 40% Komodo Dragon Lizard, 100% unpleasant to all 5 human senses. And if someone wants to complain about them having water magic, a perfect counter to Shiara... ask yourself what the most useful magic to (highly flammable) arboreal tribal creatures would be. If you answered "the spell to summon free food", you'd be correct... but those don't exist in Midara. Or at least are exceedingly rare and difficult.

As to the waves of monsters instead of all at once? It's a tactic for wearing down spellcasters while avoiding losing the entire pack in a single AoE spell (it worked). And, since spellcasters are literally the only thing anyone considers dangerous in the setting.

Funny coincidence: in the very last chapter, a reader commented that most RPGs start the players off fighting goblins and slimes, not dragons. I want you to picture what would happen to first level characters dealing with Midara's goblins. On the plus side, unlike in some settings, goblins in Midara don't rape humans... they just eat them. Not much better, all considered.

 

Shiara gasped, coughed, and woke up in frigid water. She scrambled to her feet, then realized her clothes were missing and dropped back into the water. She spotted the wet-furred creature crouched on the shore. It was short, perhaps reaching her navel, and bore a resemblance to an oversized meerkat, complete with snout and rounded ears, but possessing a fox-like tail. "Who are you? Where's Ada?! And my clothes!"

"Relax, Second, I ain't gonna hurt ya. Woulda been less trouble to let you die." The creature's voice seemed feminine, and as she stood it seemed clear she was female in spite of her fur hiding any obvious genitals. "And the modesty means nothing. I'd say you got nothin' I ain't got, but I ain't got useless globs of fat hanging off of me."

"Excuse me?" Shiara dipped just a little lower into the water.

"No." Water cascaded around her feet as she stroked her fur. "I rescue you, get my coat soaked cleaning you and your idiot Isylan, still don't know how she's not dead. Not that I expect gratitude from a Second, but do you know how many diseases goblins and lisks carry?"

Shiara's heart jumped. "Ada? She's alive?" Her next question was going to be what an Isylan was, but she spotted the hulking brute step out from the trees.

While on a superficial level it resembled the short girl, this one was huge; almost twice as tall as her, perhaps even taller than Arakash's demonic form. His head leaned forward, bearing resemblance to nothing so much as a great, fanged stag, complete with antlers and long white fur. In spite of its height, its arms were long enough that it could run on all fours just by leaning over a small amount. Its body was adorned with scars, many of which looked intentional, and some glowed with magic-infused green light. With every silent step, muscles slid beneath its hide with the same fluidic grace of a great cat.

"How's the last of the dead weight?" The smaller of the pair seemed unconcerned with her ally seeing her naked. She glanced over at Shiara, who had dipped down into the water until it reached her mouth. "Oh, get over yourself, Second. He ain't any more interested in you than I am."

"He is a capable warrior, found buried beneath a mountain of corpses. He has earned respect." The beast spoke with a gentle patience that seemed wrong for such a terrifying, feral, creature. "Wynd has seen to his care, yet there was little care needed, as his body mended itself. How fair your charges?"

"They'll live." The short one considered Wynd's news. "Guess not all Seconds are useless."

"He is no Second, Yykekaitel." In spite of the complexity of the name, Wynd showed no difficulty pronouncing it. "Wynd must consult The Memories to know of him." He then took the time to regard Shiara, still hiding wide-eyed in the water. "Wynd wants you to know Wynd intends only peace. Wynd does not resent your fear, for Wynd knows it is not intended as an insult. We shall leave you to dress yourself, as is your custom, then you may join your pack, in this direction."

The giant turned away, and with the same graceful silence, walked back into the trees.

Yykekaitel hurried behind, before turning to look at Shiara one last time. "Hmph, you'd better thank me for the soap, too." With those words she chased after her companion.

Shiara climbed from the water and grabbed her clothes dangling from a tree. She inspected the outfit and decided its enchantments were still active, having cleaned and mended the fabric themselves, which it would have done with or without Eek-whatever's soap. She took the time to make certain her sarite was still in position, then dressed and headed right behind them.

The camp she stepped into was much more... civilized... than she expected. She noted four metallic poles poles supporting a single large tarpaulin that seemed camouflaged to hide the camp from above, as well as protect from rain and sun. Each post held a warding crystal. Near the center of camp sat a sheet of metal, sizzling with fresh strips of meat.

Arakash watched from the corner of the camp furthest from the others, but close to Ada. She was busy moving the food on the grill until Shiara arrived. "Shiara! Are you well?"

Shiara's heart jumped at the attention and concern. "I am unharmed, just a little tired, and distracted. I hadn't expected the camp to be so sophisticated."

"Oh, you think Silmid and Ferin can't use basic hot-plates?" Yykekaitel stepped up to her, still half her height. "That we're so stupid that the mystery of fire and metal would elude us?"

"What? No! I didn't say anything at all like that!"

"Yykekaitel, Wynd would prefer that you not antagonize our guests." The massive creature spoke from his vantage outside the camp. "It appears a simple misunderstanding, which could easily be explained if opportunity is given."

Shiara suppressed a shiver of; every instinct in her body screamed in terror at the monster's mere presence, no matter how gentle his words. The creepiest part was the silence. Something that large should make noise, but Wynd made no sound he did not intend heard. "My apologies." Damn right she was going to apologize. "Most of this appears to be Siral technology; I've only ever seen this sort of molded metal made in their forges. And the artificial fabric, too. I've never seen them used like this, however."

"That is correct. Wynd is on a pilgrimage, to seek knowledge of the world. The Memories are ancient, and must be granted new knowledge, lest the Ferin will falter and die in the face of a world changing without them. These new works of Sira are but a few of Wynd's collection. Wynd would ask the name of such a well-educated scholar as yourself." Wynd followed his words by tilting his head down and doing the partial kneel that was a traditional sign of respect in Sira. "And perhaps that you share some of your own wisdom."

In what was perhaps the most surreal moment of her life, she responded in kind. "I am Shiara, of no consequence." She took a half step back, then did the partial kneel to mirror Wynd's own. It had been years since the last time she played this role, but it had been ingrained into her over the years. "I was raised in Sira, but I'm afraid I have little to offer one as well-learned as you."

Wynd's left ear twitched, but otherwise he showed no sign of catching the girl's lies. It wasn't his business if she wanted to speak so poorly of her family; the power to reject the past was both a weakness and strength of the First and Second. "Then you are well traveled for one so young. When you grow, you will learn that all sources offer wisdom."

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Ada watched with amazement as Shiara, the energetic commoner, became a lady of the court before her very eyes. She took some consolation that it was also a role she knew well. She stood, and hoped that her stance and tone better emulated Siral nobility than Tyran. "My apologies for interrupting, but I would seek some of your wisdom. I was led to believe that goblins did not respond to warding sarite, how is it that your camp remains safe?"

Arakash, watching in the background, wanted to slap both girls for giving away so many secrets to one so alert, but instead he kept his focus on the Ferin scholar before him. Of all beings they had to fear in the world, Ferin were among the most dangerous. Still, now that they were, there was some opportunity. He simply needed to discern how to use the circumstances to his advantage.

Wynd nodded his head. "There is never a poor opportunity to discuss knowledge, but Wynd would not wish to claim it was Wynd's own skills. Yykekaitel is the expert on goblins, if she would prefer speak for herself?" He made a slow gesture, hoping he didn't upset his guests overmuch. Or that the suggestion didn't upset his partner.

"Eh, ain't like there's much secret to it," Yykekaitel muttered. "Goblins see by hearing. I think they even think by hearing, sometimes they act more like bees than free beings. Close as we are to the waterfall, they're blind." She waved her hand toward the mountain. "And 'fore you ask, their eyes are terrible, like a Second trying to fight by scent."

Ada tilted her head, trying to listen to the water. "I don't hear a waterfall."

"No surprise," Yykekaitel lips turned in what might be a smirk, or a snarl, on her elongated snout. "Seconds ain't well known for their hearing, either. You're like the goblins that way. Without a true nature, you're limited in your abilities. Firsts and Thirds possess great senses in all ways."

Shiara was getting rather sick of the insults. To the point where she was pretty sure 'Second' was a pejorative in their tongue. "What is with all this Second nonsense?"

Yykekaitel went to answer, but Wynd spoke first. It may have been rude of him, but he knew his young friend's anger issues and that things would only get worse if she kept going. "At the end of the fourth age, the Great Reptiles were meant to be destroyed, and replaced by the mammals of the Fifth Age. Yykekaitel's people, the First-Born of the mammals, were declared heirs to the world. Yet, the Reptiles fought against the world's decree, and calling them usurpers, they sought to slay the First. So, the Second-Born, your people, were born to be the warriors the Silmid were never meant to be."

"You were great warriors, all right," Yykekaitel added. "So great that it took you a cycle to go to war and enslave those you were meant to protect. Not happy with that, you went to war against the earth, the plants, the animals, the gods, and even yourselves. The one thing you didn't do was finish the war with the reptiles before you fell to your own failed design. So the Third were made to fix your mess. Only you went to war with them, too. Now the world's wounded and it's all your fault."

Shiara stepped forward, her eyes glowing. "Hey! Even if we pretend your fairy-tale is true, that happened, like, a thousand lifetimes before any of us were born!"

"Doesn't matter, you haven't changed." Yykekaitel showed no signs of being intimidated by the flames. "As it is the eagle's nature to soar through the sky seeking prey, it's in yours to go to war. Your purpose for existing is conquest and destruction."

"Yykekaitel, there is no cause to antagonize our guests." Wynd moved forward, ignoring that the Seconds stepped back in fear of his motions. "None are perfect, not even the gods. For if they were True, the Reptiles never would have broken from their destined roles. The gods failed the world, and the Seconds live with the consequences as we all do."

Yykekaitel glared at Wynd for a moment, before backing down. "Fine."

Now, things were falling into place for Arakash. "You want something from us, don't you?"

For a moment, the Silmid's ears drooped, then she smiled and walked toward him. "Well, you do rather owe us for saving you, but in truth I'm more interested in you than the Seconds."

Arakash almost laughed. "And what makes you so certain I'm not a Second?"

"Aside your obvious strength? I can smell it." Yykekaitel touched Arakash's abdomen. "Or, rather, I can't smell it. You don't stink like they do, of salt and dying skin. It's... more like fresh earth, once you get past the remains of all the goblins you slaughtered. Surely, our company would be more pleasant than that of a couple Second girls?"

"My apologies, Eekaktel."

Aside from a twitch of her eye, she kept her smile. "Please, call me Tel."

"As you wish, Lady Tel," Arakash smiled back. This childish attempt at seduction wouldn't have worked even if he was interested, because he could see through it for the manipulation it was. "But I'm afraid you'll have to persuade my Mistress, for I have been mystically bound to serve."

Tel's expression went from a weak attempt at seductive, to confusion, to unadulterated hate as her head snapped to look at the Seconds. She despised them all the more now that she had confirmation that they were no better than those in the stories. "He's a slave!?" She screeched the words.

"No! It's not like that!" Ada reacted on reflex, unsure of how to defend herself. "It's complicated."

"Then explain it!"

"Please, do not get confrontational on my behalf." While he didn't think it would be useful, he found the Silmid's reactions far too amusing to resist. "I am required to protect her as well. If you seek to harm her, I will be forced to defend her, even at the cost of my own life."

Tel's hand, which had been reaching for the pouch hanging at her side, hesitated for a moment. Arakash's new revelations only made her more incensed, but also kept her from acting on her rage.

Knowing she'd lost control of the situation, Princess Adageyudi used her nuclear option of a defense. "Arakash! Real form! Now!"

"Wait! Don't-" His eyes widened in surprise as he sought to resist the command, but in moments his flesh went from a deep tan to purple and black, and four wings sprouted from his back. He hadn't expected her to force him to transform. He watched tell stumble back and fall on her rear. "Nice going, Princess. You just made things so much worse."

"Ain't that the truth." Tel hopped to her feet. "Before, I was gonna try to bribe ya into helping, but now ya can all suck the dirtiest part of a goblin. You ain't got a choice, now."

Shiara glanced at the duo. Both were watching Arakash. With an act of will, her hair and eyes erupted into flame. A little further would cause her to transform into what she was fast coming to think of as her 'war form'. "Yeah, well, I think I can take one of you if I had to, so who's gonna stop us from walking away?"

Tel's laugh sounded like a chittering squirrel. "Oh, we won't stop you from leaving. But you're lost in a forest full of creatures whose religion demands they slaughter every thinking mammal, and we're the only ones who can lead you to safety."

Shiara's fire flickered, then vanished. "Oh."

=====

A/N- Ah, religions are fun.

Tel might be a little, tiny bit racist, maybe. Part of her character comes from my personal annoyance that most forms of fantasy racism, it's the humans that are the problem (but not the MCs, of course- they're good and therefor not racist). They're either the only ones at fault, or at best both sides are equally unreasonable. In this case... no, Tel's just really hateful, but she's also one of the heroes in this story. But, then, the heroes of this story include a demon, the princess who keeps a demon as a slave, and a girl who burned down a fair chunk of a city.

Wynd, too, is a bit of a subversion. Why do all animalistic warrior archetypes have to act like savages- noble savages, perhaps, but still savages? Wynd is a gentleman and a scholar who can converse with as an equal with great scholars across the globe. And also a terrifying murder-beast. There's also cultural things going on behind "The Memories" and lack of personal pronouns you'll learn more about later.


This also marks the first major deviation between the game script, and this novelization. See... Wynd didn't originally show until much later in the narrative... but a while back I was listening to a review of Final Fantasy 10 (which didn't exist when this game was written) that discussed how brilliant it was to introduce Auron and Riku so early, knowing how long it'd be until they were added to the party permanently. As such, some interactions that would have instead waited another 3-400,000 words are happening now. Including next chapters "side quest" now being mandatory.

And in keeping with beliefs I later codified on my own that "any character that serves only one purpose in the narrative is a bad character", I expanded upon his abilities and ended up discarding two other characters to make way for Tel.

See... Tel wasn't part of the story at all. In her place was a different, far less interesting (still pretty racist, in a 'humans deserve to be slaves' way), character that served as Wynd's partner and summoner (Tel's a summoner, more on that later). He had, like, three lines total. And, also, some of her abilities as an alchemist (again, later) originally belonged to yet another character who's been written out of the story (again, boring- also, the original cast was rather bloated). Said "other character" also had the "Null Aspect" and magitech abilities Wynd was given. Another as-yet not introduced character got the Archmage traits of said nonexistant character.


Also... a thought occurs. If this story ever becomes a movie or TV series... Shiara winds up naked quite a bit... and is an attractive athletic redhead. So, y'know... more incentive to make the story popular.

 

Yykekaitel (pr. Eek-ehk-ate-el)
AKA: Tel

Spoiler: Design Theory

Silmid are a predominately arboreal herb/insectivore species with significant sexual dimorphism. Males burrow and look something like an anthropomorphic badger. Females (like Tel) are tree dwellers with closer resemblance to squirrels or small primates, though with longer limbs in proportion to their bodies. Ref: Meerkats. Both are roughly half the height of a human, though males are far stockier.

While they wear little by way of clothing, they do use armor. Because fur doesn't do well against pointy metal. Tel's armor design will be leather, with an arm-mounted variant of a shepherd's sling blended with something like a crossbow.

Remains barefoot.

Theme music: Something a bit frantic, chaotic, and wild... with a bit of electronica in the mix.

Spoiler: Basic Info

Class: Alchemist/Summoner

"What she lacks in size, she makes up for in high explosives."

3'1'' (94cm), Dark brown eyes, grey speckled with flecks of white fur

Hobbies: Resentment, alchemy

STATS: (Note, stats increase with levels, so what will be listed is a grading scale of A-F suggesting what you can expect of this character compared to equivalent levels).

Strength: D

Agility: A

Vitality: D

Intelligence: A

Perception: A

Willpower: C

Elements: Plant

Combat Style: Highly agile ranged attacks using alchemical pellets. Expansive spread of elemental and status damage depending on what ammo she fires. While her individual attacks will be generally weaker than any other character, she has the capacity to exploit the elemental and status weaknesses of almost every creature in the game via alchemy.

Secondary ability: Summoner. Summoning has lots of weaknesses, but in the right circumstances it gives her offensive and utility options.

Spoiler: Combat Features

BASE ABILITIES: These are natural traits available to Tel.

Climbing- so long as their hands and feet are bare, female silmid can easily scale trees, cliffs, and even buildings with their long, narrow claws (which can also serve as a weak melee weapon).

Demi-Quadruped- So long as she's not carrying anything in her hands, she can increase her run speed by 75% by running on all fours.

Sharp Nose- Silmid have a remarkable sense of smell. So long as the air isn't full of overpowering smells, Tel has a short radius ability to detect otherwise invisible foes if they carry a scent and no overpowering smells are in the area. This trait also gives her a static bonus to identifying and crafting alchemical goods.

Sharp Ears- While not as capable as their male counterparts, Silmid females can detect nearby invisible threats so long as they're not silent and no overpowering noise is in the area.

Detect Traps and Poison: Silmid senses give excellent odds of Tel spotting ambushes and areas of high concentrations of toxicity before anyone gets hurt.

Fur- Silmid have a slight bonus to armor and cold resistance thanks to fur. They have a slight penalty to heat and fire resistance. This is calculated after all armor and defensive effects.

Collect Reagents- As an alchemist, Tel has extensive knowledge of organisms and their uses. Collect more food and alchemy from creatures that provide such loot (useless against golems and the undead).

Meldcast Effect: Spell Scalpel- Spells she's meldcast destroy significantly fewer of the target's supplies and reagents.

WEAPON TYPE:

Alchemical Pellet Launcher: Arm-launchers are a common weapon among Silmid women, using the natural swing of the arm as well as a spring loaded mechanism to launch projectiles. While most Silmid use modified javelins, Tel uses a modified variant to launch deadly chemical weapons.

Claws- Tel has claws on her hands and feet. Tel isn't trained for melee combat, so she makes poor use of hers.

ARMOR TYPE:

Light leather or fiber/cloth armors. Tel relies mainly on mobility to keep her alive.

MAGIC STYLES: While a weak mage, Tel has access to nature magic, and is also one of the rare few whose bloodline can use summoning with any efficacy.

NATURE MAGIC- Tel has a limited number of nature oriented spells. However, she is a weak mage with precious few options.

Cleanse Toxin or Disease- Tel can remove many poisons and infectious agents from people or supplies.

Cleanse Region- A more advanced variant of the above that clears toxins out of a small area, often used to safely harvest reagents from otherwise despoiled corpses. Can also be used to disable traps and poison based obstacles.

Augment Reagent- Increases the value of a reagent for the purpose of crafting alchemical goods.

Gentle Healing- A low level regeneration spell.

Venom Shield- A precautionary spell that makes the recipient temporarily immune to toxins.

Concealing Winds- By causing wind to blow in a specific way, she can increase the range of her scent detection while hiding her own scent.

Camouflage- While not invisibility, she can make herself very difficult to see.

Sun's Caress- This spell makes plants grow faster. Including reagents.


SUMMONING: Summoning allows one to potentially call upon numerous high-power magical creatures that can often drastically change the nature of the battle. They also come with significant drawbacks, making the strategic concerns of summoning significant.

1- Summoning consumes large amounts of Mana from the caster, and continues to drain energy so long as the summon remains. If the caster runs out of mana, the summon vanishes.
2- Injury to the summon will draw even more energy from the summoner, and hasten the dispelling of the magic.
3- Summons are controlled by the caster in a direct, active manner. The summoner sees what the summon sees, feels what it feels, and controls it by thought. While a summon is active, the summoner's ability to control his or her own body is limited. The exact extent determined by the gap of power between summon and summoner. Strong summons, using multiple summons simultaneously, or a weak summoner can leave the summoner's body comatose while using the summon.
4- Summons require a summoning stone to access. Summoning Stones are a particular and rare variant of Sarite, and follows the usual rules of such in addition to special rules for summoning.
5- As a rare benefit, Summoners cannot be directly harmed by their own summon's abilities, such as AoE attacks. Indirect harm (like knocking over a tree) still deal damage as normal.

=====

A/N- And the party gets a summoner right after giving away an awesome summoning stone.

Doesn't really matter... if Tel tried to use that stone, it would kill her. Pretty high level sarite, that one.

 

Pre-Note- Gonna try something of a writing experiment. Let me know how it goes. I'm growing rather disheartened with the lack of feedback, thus far.

-----

Several lizards the size of large dogs rutted the ground, in search of roots, tubers, and bugs. In spite of appearances, they were opportunistic omnivores with a diet more akin to a wild boar than with most other reptiles. Unlike boar, however, they were still predators with an array of tools including armored hide, powerful claws, paralytic venom, six legs, and complex pack hunting behavior.

In short, they would be the apex predators of most ecosystems. However, the forests of Midara had far worse beasts than them to fear. As such, when three humans appeared, they didn't behave like stupid beasts which had no reason to fear. They scattered, fleeing into the forest and using the cover to conceal their approach. With camouflaged scales and six legs to distribute their weight, the forest was their ally.

Two arrows, each the size of a javelin, pierced a pair of the beasts and left their corpses pinned to trees. Elsewhere, another pair fell through the leaves of the forest floor and discovered sharpened branches awaited them at the bottom of a pit. Of a pack of ten, four died without realizing that this day, they were the prey.

"Lisks are dangerous beasts, but limited." Wynd drew on the ground using his claws. Some marks representing the monsters, others representing the team. "They circle their prey, in six groups of two. Then the alphas rush forward to intimidate the prey. Prey that flees will find itself caught in an ambush." He drew more lines, then the finalizing 'X' symbol to represent death. "We will set traps, to ambush the ambushers."

"We'll bait them into position, then pick them off. Life is so much simpler now that we have bait." Tel grinned at the taller trio.

"I want everyone to know that if I die, I blame Arakash for everything," Shiara muttered.

The alphas rushed the trio, then stopped and held position. It was uncommon, but hardly unheard of, for prey to hold its ground rather than flee. Nor were they surprised when the prey led an attack against them; of the many beasts of the forest, no small number considered offense to be their beast defense. Their sons and daughters knew what to do.

As the prey approached, their pack left their positions in the trees, prepared to kill them from behind.

That is when everything went wrong. One of the prey burst into flames, then lit the path behind themselves ablaze, cutting off the pack's attack path. Now, they were surprised, and unprepared when one of the prey sprouted wings and jumped over them. The female straightened her neck and clenched her jaw muscles, causing a stream of toxins to strike the victim.

The male turned toward the other two prey animals. Feeling only a moment of fear, he rushed the pair, trusting his mate of twelve seasons to handle the remaining, envenomed, prey. He intended to distract and delay until the rest of the pack arrived. He made it no more than two of his body lengths before his body fell, split in half.

Ada stood, staring down her fingers at the bisected lisk for a moment, before running to Arakash, who was busy fending off the brutal strikes of the female lisk. Another burst of magic saw the female lisk's left flank all the way to shoulder removed from the rest of its body. While its death was far from instant, it collapsed, too maimed to move. Arakash ended its life by spearing it through the eye.

"When hunting, they always run in pairs," Wynd continued explaining the art of hunting lisks. "The males are larger, with thicker hide, and will seek to shield the female in combat. Like most dragon-kin, they possess considerable magic resistance."

"Yeah, and females spit their venom. It's a good team-up they've got," Tel added. "No threat to a Noctrel, long as you keep away from the claws and teeth. I've seen 'em crack open a deer skull like a walnut."

Wynd nodded at his partner's point. "Like most animals, they fear fire. Shiara, you can use your power to drive them back if needed."

"Yeah, but don't set them on fire!" Tel cut in. "We don't need them alive, but we do need them fresh!"

"It must be Ada's magic which slays them." Wynd nodded at the young woman. "Isylan magic is difficult to defend against, and does not risk destroying the samples we require."

"Isylan?" Ada asked. "What's an Isylan?"

"You do not know?" Wynd eyed the girl, considering the possibilities. In retrospect, it wasn't too unusual that a Second not know her heritage. The lives of Firsts and Thirds were much simpler, in those regards. "Isylans are what the descendants of Kiara call themselves. To wield the power of Void as you do, one must possess Kiara's blood."

"And if that ain't obvious enough, the purple-" Tel was silenced when Wynd put his hand on her shoulder. A hand almost as large as her entire body. She liked Wynd, but his predator nature spooked her at times.

Ada stared down at her hands. Void. She'd felt it before, when the goblins' lisks were attacking her. A place outside of space, a moment outside of time. "No, I didn't know."

"Wynd apologizes for evoking painful memories. Would you like to take a moment for introspection?"

"No. No, it's not that." If anything, it was the opposite of painful. "Please, continue."

Moments after the pack alphas fell, two more lisks rounded the wall of flames, but instead of attacking they kept running. They fled into the underbrush, leaving the three standing with their kills.

A series of water-bursts put out Shiara's firewalls, to reveal a horse-like animal with a mane and tail of flowing water. Moments after the fires were out, it collapsed into water itself, and evaporated moments after. Wynd was behind the creature, cradling Tel in one arm, while the other held a bow of massive proportions; taller even than he was, and almost as thick as a man's arm.

Tel's eyes fluttered open. "Ugh, that headache's not goin' away soon." She looked at the dead lisks. "You didn't get the other two?"

"Hey!" Shiara shifted back to her human form in order to speak without sounding like a monster, herself. "You said nothing about outrunning wild animals."

Wynd set Tel down, which prevented her from speaking before he did. "Wynd thanks you for your assistance."

Tel muttered something unintelligible even to herself, then sighed. "At least we got the alphas. They're the most important part of the plan, anyway.

Ada focused her mind, tapping into the impossible nowhen/where of the Void. With laughable ease, she called on the power she never, yet always, knew. With a single sweep of her hand, a branch dropped from a tree with a sharp thirty degree angle point.

Shiara took a cautious step toward her princess. "So, how are you feeling? It's not every day you learn you've got divine blood, huh? I know, putting up a strong front is fine, but you can trust me."

Ada smiled, almost laughed before realizing how serious Shiara seemed. "I've always known I had divine blood."

Shiara blinked. "How?"

"My father is Sorda en Tyr, after all." Ada stepped away from the pile of magic-sharpened branches laying near her feet. "I am only six generations removed from Tyr, while Kiara lived and died well over a thousand years ago. And Tyr could trace his ancestry to numerous gods and goddesses, including Sira and Enochra. It's the same for most nobles. As strong as your magic is, I bet you have some divine ancestry, too."

Shiara yearned for the ability to go back in time and erase the last few minutes of conversation, or better yet, to discuss with her educators about how failing to teach her about other gods would be to her detriment. Instead, she forced herself to laugh. "Maybe. So you're not bothered at all?"

Ada considered the questions. "A little, maybe. I grew up knowing that I had a different mother than my siblings, and that she died not long after my birth. It was never a secret, though also never discussed at any length. And while my step-mother never treated me like a trueborn daughter, I was never treated poorly. For now, I'm relieved more than anything."

This was not the course Shiara expected from the conversation. "Relieved?"

"Yes!" Ada laughed, and with a gesture dropped another limb with her magic. "I've spent my entire life thinking that I was a freak, that my blood was defective because of my lack of magic. Do you know what it's like to grow up thinking there's something wrong with you?"

Shiara kept her stupid tongue trapped firmly behind her teeth where it couldn't cause more problems.

Ada wiped away a tear she hadn't realized was there. She'd never cried from happiness before, which only made her cry more. "But it's not my fault! I was being taught the wrong magic!" She wrapped her arms around Shiara, still laughing and crying.

Shiara put her arms around her emotional princess and swore that if this was how Ada responded to being happy, she'd do everything in her power to keep her that way.

Covered in blood stains, Tel stood up from where she was sitting crouched behind the dead lisk, holding a fluid-filled leathery pouch that was almost as big as her head. Even through her face covering meant to allow her to breathe in spite of goblin stench, she gagged at the horrid musk coming off the bag. "Okay, Wynd! That's the last of 'em."

Wynd nodded, then took the time to set his bow aside. "Wynd thanks all of you for your aid. And no matter what comes, Wynd will remember your kindness."

Tel walked over to her friend. "Don't talk like it's over before it's begun. If you truly want to thank us, then do it when we've won."

Wynd closed his eyes. "There is much wisdom in you, when you allow yourself to listen."

"Okay, moment ruined you lumbering brute." Tel turned and walked off, toward Arakash, where she held out the bag. "Here, you carry it. You don't have a sense of smell to ruin."

"That's not part of the deal," Arakash said. "But, I'm willing to make an exception in exchange for, say, first claim on the basilisk?"

Tel stepped back, looking aghast at the demon. "First claim? We both know you'll take the shard." After the mutual silence grew uncomfortable, she relented and thrust the disgusting fluids toward Arakash. "Fine, but in exchange, the next two shards are mine to claim."

"Done." Arakash snagged the bag from Tel, pleased at how negotiations were playing out. It would be quite the profitable distraction, assuming they survived to speak of the tale.

"The final goal is here, to the south." Wynd pointed at the rough drawing in the dirt. "Where a pair of basilisks have made their nest. We cannot fight a basilisk in its own caves, where we would be paralyzed by the toxins within seconds, but with effort, we can draw them into the open."

"That's where I come in, with the lisks." Tel stood tall, though she was not looking forward to what her role entailed. "See, a lisk is merely a basilisk whose bloodline lost its magic. We'll take their sarite to insulate us some against poison, and I'll take their..." she gagged for a moment. "Fluids and body parts from the males." Some days, it did not pay to be an alchemist.

Recognizing Tel's reticence, Wynd finished the explanation. "When the substance is dumped nearby, it will draw out the pair. The male to fight a challenger, the female to mate with the victor. Then, we strike."

Basilisks were much more intimidating than their lisk counterparts. The first glimpse they caught of them was the male's deep emerald scales emerging from the darkness. He stood taller at his shoulders than Shiara or Ada, though not quite to Arakash's height, and he was ten times that in length. This was no pack hunter; such a creature felt no need to share its prey with others.

He was prepared for a battle against another male, for his territory and his mate. What he was not expecting was a furred creature to rush straight for him. He wasn't upset; rivals were lots of effort for little reward, while insane mammals were an easy meal. An assessment changed moments later when his head rocked back thanks to an uppercut to the jaw.

His mate roared in her own confused rage when a series of loud explosive noises went off near her face. Moments later, a wall of fire came up, separating them from one another and their cave.

Wynd took advantage of the chaos and confusion to hit the beast in its throat once again. He didn't bother with his claws, knowing full well that the basilisk's hide was tough enough to withstand his talons. This was to be a bruiser's battle for the time being.

The basilisk snapped out with speed and power which would be envied by the crocodile it loosely resembled. In spite of its size, it was fast.

Wynd was faster. In close range, he twisted around and brought his elbow right into the creature's eye socket. He rolled back, to avoid the beast's wild half-blind thrashing, and came up with his arm bleeding after being whipped by a razor-sharp tail. While his foe got his bearings, Wynd took the time to look at how the others were doing.

He smiled; their plan was working well. With Arakash making himself the target of her venom, while the girls stayed back and pelted her with spell and alchemy, it seemed their use of the same basic tactic basilisks replied upon was working well.

His foe, would be far less easily beaten. He jumped back to avoid another strike of the tail. Clever, he thought. It was feigning its confusion to buy time for a proper surprise strike. He dropped to all fours, grabbed a rock, and hurled it at the beast's much more vulnerable belly.

That got his attention. The basilisk twisted to his feet, then charged Wynd again. But this time, both of them had a different plan than the first trade of blows. At the last moment, the basilisk twisted and went low, seeking to avoid the punishing strikes of his enemy and catch him vulnerable when moving.

Wynd was wise to such tactics, and instead leapt upon the basilisk's back, his attention on that dangerous tail-whip. His hind claws dug into the scales, not to cause damage, but to provide purchase and leverage when get caught the tail near the base and bit into it. With talon and fang alike, he ripped into the flesh until he severed nerves and tendons as his foe roared out in rage and pain. If not for his collection of anti-poison sarite, the blood alone would have killed him.

Wynd attempted to jump clear after, but was moments too slow. The massive creature rolled over and caught his leg beneath its great bulk. Now it was his turn to cry out as his leg bone twisted, popped, and snapped. Ignoring the pain, he pulled himself away from the twisting beast, but not to escape. Instead, he found himself in an excellent position to strike at soft underbelly.

They both cried out when his talons sank into the soft, fleshy material near the groin. The basilisk pulled away, which only aided Wynd. In spite of a rib snapping, he kept his grip, and pulled a long mass of entrails from the basilisk's underside.

A basilisk which, while fatally wounded, still had not given up on the battle. Dragging his innards behind him, he was still powerful enough to kill before his own life was lost.

That was until Wynd howled, and changed from a predatory monster to a duck. In spite of still having a broken leg, and ribs, Wynd fought through the pain long enough to take to the air. He couldn't fly forever, not as wounded as he was, but it gave him speed and maneuverability now denied to the disemboweled basilisk. The chase lasted for several minutes, but in the end the basilisk succumbed to its wounds and blood loss.

Once he felt safe, Wynd returned to his natural form, and limped to his foe. "You were a worthy foe, and Wynd will see to it that you remain in the Memories until Memory itself is forgotten." He knelt down, and with great effort given his broken rib, carved open a path to the insides of the basilisk. He withdrew the heart of the monster, then in one difficult bite. devoured the whole of the organ.

Electricity danced between the pair, as Wynd's body began to metamorph while the Basilisk's began to melt into an unidentifiable goo. Soon, there was one whole basilisk standing where Wynd used to be. He howled again, in gratitude for the power bestowed upon him, and mourning for the death required to grant him such greatness.

He pretended not to hear when Shiara gagged. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

=====

A/N- And the winner of the "holy hell that's f'ed up" award goes to Wynd. He's one of my favorite characters. It takes a special kind of crazy to punch a basilisk in the face.

Also, one of these days someone needs to catch on to one of my puns. I can't make them much more obvious.

 

WYND:

Spoiler: Design Theory

Wynd is meant to be in many ways a subversion of of the 'big brute' archetype as well as the 'ugly-not-ugly monster'. Wynd's character design should be appropriately terrifying, the sort of visage intended for major villain, rather than a heroic one. The Wendigo myth should be a primary inspiration for the art, as it was for the character himself. Include numerous scars and tattoos worked around the scars. They should maintain a soft light at all times, but glow harder when in combat.

Voice- should be deep, dangerous-sounding, but also gentle. Not sure how to make it work, exactly.

Theme music: Menacing, slow music. Heavy on percussion... look into alternatives to the drum, however. Perhaps literally cracking stones together?

Spoiler: Basic Info

Class: Cannibal Monk.

"He who walks the balance between civilization and savagery."

7'3'' (221m), Reflective yellow eyes, White fur, tattoos that glow either red or blue.

Hobbies: Expanding his knowledge of the world, conversing with others.

STATS: (Note, stats increase with levels, so what will be listed is a grading scale of A-F suggesting what you can expect of this character compared to equivalent levels).

Strength: A

Agility: B

Vitality: A

Intelligence: A

Perception: B

Willpower: B

Elements: Null. Wynd has no native element. While this renders his magic nearly nonexistent it allows him to wield any equipment (that fits, anyway) or sarite.

Combat Style: High power bruiser. Transformation for power and versatility. Incredible potential for players who plan their fights ahead of time.

Spoiler: Combat Features

BASE ABILITIES: These are natural traits available to Wynd.

Claws- Wynd has significant offensive potential without needing weapons.

Shield of Memories- The constant swirl of subliminal knowledge and minds makes Wynd nearly invulnerable to mental attack.

Darkvision- Wynd suffers no penalty in darkness below a certain threshold.

Natural Armor- Wynd has an inherent boost to his damage resistance against all forms of physical and magical attack.

Runic Smith- Wynd has spent much time studying the art of crafting magic weapons. As such, Wynd can create magical items so long as he meets certain prerequisites and has access to the appropriate raw materials.

Meldcast Effect: None. As a non-caster, Wynd cannot contribute melding to spells.

WEAPON TYPE:

Runic Claws- Wynd relies on his talons in combat, but can enhance his natural weapon with numerous runes.
Grand Bow- Wynd carries a 200kg (440lb) longbow, which he tends to use in the opening of a battle before joining the melee. It packs quite a punch.

ARMOR TYPE:

Runic Scars- In addition to his natural resistance, Wynd's flesh is covered in numerous runes which grant numerous resistances.

MAGIC STYLES: While not a mage, Wynd does have several magic abilities.


RUNESMITHING: Runes are a collection of features that, by expending raw materials (re: collected reagents) can grant numerous semi-permanent effects. Wynd can change his own scarified runes, or create markings on others' weapons and armor. Runes are limited use, with their power slowly draining as they're used in combat.

An extensive list of runic options is difficult, but includes speed and stat increases, damage and defense increases, affliction or shielding from most status effects, healing, life stealing, and magic enhancing.


MEMORIES: Wynd's ability to access his ancestral memories grants him a series of temporary ability buffs that can increase his stat for certain purposes, including stat increases limited to a single type of monster (such as human, canine, ursine, dragon, dragon-kin, reptilian, etc) and grants a 10% bonus to all actions against them.

Wynd can gain a similar boost for resisting a specific Aspect of magic (Fire, Forge, Earth, Miasma, Etc.), improve his skills in runesmithing,

Wynd can also access languages via this technique.


METAMORPHOSIS- Wynd can transform into other creatures, temporarily trading his abilities for their own as needed. He retains his skills, knowledge, Memories, and runes, but gains the transformed creature's physical and magical abilities. In order to acquire a form, Wynd must slay the creature in personal combat without any assistance (assistance includes use of weapons, being the target of any helpful spell not cast by himself, the creature being the target of any harmful spell not cast by himself) and then he must consume the still fresh heart of his foe. It does not matter what, if any, assistance the prey receives during the battle. Wynd cannot take the form of a sapient creature via this method.

Wynd can currently take the following forms:

Duck (Flight, small size, inconspicuous)

Frost Wolf (Tracking, relatively small and inconspicuous, speed, cold element attacks)

Cave Bear (Greater strength stat than Wynd's)

Whip-Shark (Aquatic... also, is a Great White with a ten meter long tongue covered in teeth... yaaay...)

Basilisk (Physically powerful and durable, if slow... miasma element, several status afflictions and immunities)

=====

A/N- And now you know why Wynd felt the need to solo a basilisk. And that he's done the same thing with sharks and bears. Wynd is arguably the most powerful melee character in the entire game. He's also one source of (near) endgame equipment. Much, much later.

 

Shiara stood leaning against a tree, watching Ada scrub her arms clean and lamenting that it could be done with clothing on. "You know, I rather like when we're organized, know our targets, and kill them in an orderly, coordinated way."

"You mean, planning?" Still scrubbing her arms with a lather comprised wildflowers and sand, Ada spared a glance and a smile for the distraction. As much as she appreciated the temporary runes Wynd had given them to bolster their strength, the itching sensation of the ink was driving her insane.

Shiara smiled at her princess. "Yeah, planning. We should do it more often, I like it."

Ada gave a polite chuckle. "Maybe we should." She hoped that their journey would be over soon enough that they wouldn't have to. "I thought you said you've done monster hunting before."

Shiara shrugged off the question. "I worked alone, most of the time. Pays better, and I never strayed far enough from the city to find anything really scary, so I never needed help. Speaking of, I still don't get why we couldn't help Wynd."

"It's part of their religion." Arakash lifted the crystalized chunk of stolen life force known as Sarite taken from the female basilisk. Thin green tendrils wafted off of it, wrapping around his hand and fingers as the crystal's energy sought to snuff out his life. "Some nonsense about honor. Ask him, I don't find Ferin mythology very interesting."

Annoyed at listening to her oldest friend being disrespected, Tel interrupted their speculation. "It's more than a matter of honor. It's among the deepest of nature magics handed down by Ecrose, tied into the cycle of life and death. If we aided him, the ritual would have failed, and he never would have earned the privilege of the basilisk's form."

"Ecrose?" Shiara looked down at her dagger, itself an Ecrosian design with its elaborate and admittedly somewhat impractical curves. Looked at one way, they resembled a single flame. Looked at another, they resembled a leaf or petal. "Is Wynd a worshipper?" She knew little of Ecrose beyond a name, and that It was a nature-based war deity which held a long rivalry with her... with Ifaril.

"Nah," Tel said. "The Third are special, with a god which they serve exclusively, and which serves them exclusively. I guess their god has some arrangement with Ecrose that lets them borrow some of Its magic. I ain't the one to ask. But Wynd is a scholar on gods, too, if you got questions."

"Huh." Shiara barely heard Tel. She'd been afraid to ask questions before, first because she knew she'd never hear the actual truth. Later because it meant risking herself. Now, across the strait and in current company, perhaps she could find answers long denied.

Arakash, meanwhile, half ignored the conversation. He knew little about gods other than that it was best for his people to avoid them at all costs. Perhaps some of what was shared might be useful to him, but it wouldn't be soon. Instead, he began the process of binding the crystal to his Vilos. So long as it was fused to his flesh, sharing his blood, it was safe from poison just as he was.

"Watch out fer that one, it's corrupted." In spite of her distaste, Tel felt some responsibility to keep her promise and see the trio to civilization. To see them die in such a stupid way after the hard part of the battle would leave a bad taste in her mouth. Besides, corrupted sarite did nasty things to corpses, like compelling them to stand up and kill everyone in reach.

"I know." For the first time in what seemed like forever, Arakash smiled and meant it. In an ideal world, he'd overload the gem, causing it to detonate and kill Shiara, but now that he was coming to understand the nature of her elemental transformation, he knew that wasn't an option. It was, however, an excellent weapon that would make him stronger.

"What are you plotting, now?" Shiara took her attention off of her dagger in order to glare at the demon, and the evil looking gem he seemed so fond of.

"Answer her, Arakash."

"I'm merely plotting to do my duty as your slave and murder your extensive list of enemies." Not a word of it was a lie, but Arakash picked the ideas he wanted remembered and kept his eyes firmly on the princess. "It's going to poison me and anyone in contact with me. You could use it with your immunity, but you can't control it like I can."

With a moment of concentration, Arakash accepted all of the corrupted shard's venom, which fell upon him as if drawn by a strange gravity, then sank in, leaving behind only his own purple and black skin. It had the pleasant side effect of restoring some negligible amount of power, if nowhere near enough to sustain him.

Ada watched for a moment, still uncertain of what to do about her demonic servant. She couldn't deny that having him stronger made her safer, so long as he remained controlled. "Very well, you may use it. However, you are expressly forbidden from absorbing sarite in an attempt to break free." Ada wasn't a scholar on the subject, but she knew sarite was, in effect, concentrated life force. Whether it would work for Arakash's escape she wouldn't hazard a guess and couldn't take the risk.

"At your command." Unfortunate, but he hadn't expected to acquire enough sarite of sufficient strength to break him free anyway. He was more interested in the silmid's thoughts on the subject.

Tel, however, kept her mouth shut and pretended not to hear the interplay. As much as she despised Seconds for everything they've done since their moment of creation, only a madman would side with a demon over them. Wynd had explained the nature of the Noctrel to her, and they sounded much like a Second, if what few redeeming qualities they had were stripped away, leaving behind only cruelty and hunger. Perhaps this made them less evil than the Seconds, in the same way one could not call a fire evil for burning, for it was without conscience or choice. However, one would be a fool to trust them, again for the same reason.

Ada stood, her arms scrubbed clean of runes and hair alike. Hair which tried to stand on end when she heard a bestial cry which drove all the birds from the trees. "What was that!?" With a thought, purple light erupted from her fingertips.

"Wynd's done with his ritual." Tel pretended like nothing was wrong, but her heart was hammering in her chest as well. Wynd was one of the most relaxed people she'd ever known, but he was still terrifying. "Come on." She ran back to camp on all fours, leaving the Seconds to catch up.

They found him standing over the hot coals of the fire pit, the fur on his shoulder smoldering. At his feet lay a shattered burning branch which he used to inflict the burn on his arm, itself over the thin scar left behind by the basilisk. Around the burn, a new rune glowed with the power he had gained.

"Do not worry, friends. Wynd has done this before. And if fortune permits, shall do so again." He hid the pain as best he could, not wishing the others to understand that there was no magic to the sooth burns. Natural healing was required to ensure the scars fused properly with the runes and made them permanent.

Shiara couldn't take her eyes off the fresh wound, except to look at the other older scars covering much of his body. While all of them must have been made the same way, it seemed obvious to her that some of them must have been 'inscribed' by other people. She wondered if Ecrosian rites were all so barbaric, or if it was specific to this form of magic.

Wynd used a foot to push the branch back into the coals of the fire pit, then pushed the dirt around the pit back in where it belonged. "Wynd apologizes for making you wait. It is time to lead you to safety as Wynd promised."

"Without you, we would have died to the goblins." Falling upon her training as a princess, Adageyudi reacted by bringing her arms together so she could grip her wrists, then she bowed. "You have our deepest gratitude for your aid."

Unable to mimic the gesture thanks to the shape of his limbs, Wynd used a different pose. "Among Wynd's people, this is a sign of trust and respect." He looked to the ground and then crouched before rising again. Such a position would have left him on poor footing if attacked.

Ada did her best to emulate the gesture, but her legs were a poor shape for it. "Again, we thank you."

"Well, let's get movin'." Tel marched past them, heading in the direction of the pass out of this valley. "If we hurry, you can be in civilization before nightfall."

Shiara looked down at her dagger, then back to the... Ferin who stood at twice her height, then back down to the dagger. She was sick and tired of being afraid of the world, of the truth, of herself. She forced herself to stand tall, then march her way to Wynd. Though, in truth, it was more like a light jog; his stride was almost twice hers, after all. Until she caught up to him, then she lost her nerve and looked away again.

Wynd noticed; how could he not, with the way she was staring at him when she thought he couldn't tell. "Do you seek something from Wynd?"

"No!" Shiara jumped. Then she realized how stupid she looked. "Umm, sorry, I was just. I was told you were a religious scholar."

He nodded his head. "Wynd does not believe others would call Wynd a scholar, but many scholars have expressed their words to Wynd by tongue and pen. What is it you wish to know?"

Shiara forced herself to lift her trembling dagger so that Wynd could see the blade in open light. "I... this was my mother's, but I know nothing other than that it's an Ecrosian work." And that it was the only thing she knew about her mother.

Wynd needed but a moment to see the truth behind the artifact. "It is a Binding Blade."

Shiara blinked, having no context of the meaning. "A what?"

Now Wynd realized he'd need to explain the entire nature of the ritual. "When those of the faith find one they feel a deep kinship with, they use the edges of the blade to draw their own blood together. When their blood, freely given, joins on the patterns, so too do their souls. If the bond is true, their strength becomes that of two remade as one. If their bond is false or weak, the process is fatal."

Shiara stared at the blade; she had her answer, and it answered nothing. "Like... like a marriage?"

"Wynd has little familiarity with the mating rituals of Seconds. Among the First and Third, there is no need or desire to pair child-making with personal attachment and camaraderie. Wynd knows only that the two who join themselves are swearing themselves to both live and die for one another, built on a relationship that has met and withstood all challenges. Wynd has been led to believe Seconds' mating practices fall far short of the ideal the Binding represents."

"I understand." She did not understand, could not understand. She knew the runes of her dagger were able to synchronize with her magic, but she couldn't quite believe the process ran so much deeper. She had but one more question. "Can you tell if it was ever used?"

"That blade has never once been used to to join two souls," Wynd said.

A bitter laugh escaped Shiara's throat.

Wynd stopped walking for a moment. "Are you hurt?" The expressions of Seconds were difficult for him to understand.

"I'm fine." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, then started walking. "Thank you for telling me all these things I never knew." And one thing I always knew, she added in the privacy of her own mind.

=====

A/N- Midaran cultures have a special pronoun for (many of their) gods... there is no remotely viable English translation for the concept, so "It", capitalized, is the best I've got to work with.

Also... more information about Shiara's backstory! In the original script, Shiara (and the audience) doesn't learn about the dagger's significance until *much* later in the story. Like, far too late to even be interesting. I think it deserves better treatment than that, so here it is nice and early.

 

An hour of walking found them at the edge of the pass, into the forests below. "Whelp, this is where we stop," Tel said. "Just keep walking down the trail, once ya get to the bottom follow the signs. If ya can't find Vera from here, ya don't deserve to live."

Ada stopped for a moment. "You're not coming with?"

"Nah, we were hired to clear out the goblins. Was the only way we could get permission to come here for basilisk hunting." Tel shook her head in exasperation. "I'd ditch it and let 'em deal with their own problem, but it ain't up to me."

"An oath was sworn." To the Ferin, that was as good as a ritual binding.

"That was before we found out they've been up here breeding like shit-smeared rabbits and it's been five years since anyone so much as tried to reduce their numbers. Everyone else is using a different route, now." Tel covered her face with her hands and shook her head. "We're gonna be stuck here for months."

Off to the side, Arakash clenched his fists and hoped his little surprise for the captain was appreciated. With any luck, the treacherous snake suffered beyond the ken of mortal imagination before succumbing.

In the meantime, Wynd continued chastising his companion. "Be that as it may, the oath was given."

Tel deflated and sat on in the middle of the overgrown trail. "If we're lucky, we'll have 'em cleared out before snowfall closes the pass. Bet yer ears they'll be right back next year."

Ada bowed to the pair. "I would like to help, but I'm afraid we have time sensitive tasks of our own. Once again, you have our gratitude."

"May your path be welcoming," Wynd said in parting, then he turned and moved back toward the project he had undertaken. He doubted mere goblins could pose any threat to his basilisk form. This would allow him to donate all of his poison resistance sarite to Yykekaitel, and focus all his abilities on speed and accuracy.

The trio walked their path in silence. One had no interest in conversation, while the other two had had their understanding of their place in the world shaken.

For Ada, it was a hopeful moment, revealing that she was stronger than she thought she was. Isylan went from at best a word spoken by tutors then promptly forgotten, to an aspect of her own history.

For Shiara, it was confirmation of truths she suspected but prayed she was wrong about.

Arakash, for his part, merely watched for a moment when their weaknesses could be exploited. On some level, he rather wished he hid is plans a little better, in order to learn what was clearly bothering them in greater detail. It didn't take long to dismiss that wish; he took his best chance for escape, and it failed, there was no point in dwelling. His priority now was to watch for his next opportunity.

With exception to Arakash, who had been there before, the impression they got from Port Vera was how big it was. Nestled up into a natural cove and surrounded on three sides by mountain, the city had room to sprawl in a way that few cities could. The architecture, too, took advantage of the idyllic seafront to craft architectural wonders for their own sake instead of the pragmatic designs of their homelands.

Entering the city proper involved passing under an ivory colored archway that could accommodate a dragon, or an army. While the design was simplistic, Ada stared in wonder at the inconceivable structure. "The Gate of Dawn. It's more fantastic than I could have imagined."

Shiara knew her history as well, though Sira told the story of their defeat at the hands of the Karanan revolution with less enthusiasm than she imagined Tyras and Karana told the story. Though they could not see it from the ground, somewhere atop the structure sat Seigard, one of the legendary artifacts involved in the rebellion. A trophy taken from Sira during the truce and set over the sight of their final victory.

She chose a different, less upsetting, conversation path. "What did they make it of? It's not metal."

"Ivory of dragon," Arakash said. A century later, and still the Siral people resented the death of their empire. "Carved from the bones of Dawnbringer, herself. I remember when the bones were still yellow and stained with blood. There was quite the celebration, though I think marching Enochra's head around on a pike for a week was unnecessarily gaudy, to say nothing of disgusting."

He was going to say more, perhaps go into details of what happened to many of the prisoners of war taken by either side, but he was interrupted by the being he felt approaching. She was in many ways like Shiara, but reliant on Creation energies and possessing much greater control of that power. Soon, he spotted the source; a statuesque woman with blue hair and eyes, wearing armor as white as her porcelain skin. He snarled in disgust at her. "We have a problem."

The woman kept her eyes on Ada the whole type. Her hair color was correct, her features... similar enough, though it was obvious where her paternity must have came from. She ignored the biting emotions in her chest; she could allow herself to feel later, when she had time to process the nightmare made reality before her. "Greetings, Princess Adageyudi, I am known as Celeste. I am to be your escort during your stay in Karana."

"Greetings, Lady Celeste." Brushing off her surprise, and Arakash's opinions, Ada clasped her hands together and tilted her head for the Karanan official. She wasn't certain what rank the woman was, but the decorations on her armor spoke highly of her station. "You have my gratitude as a guest of your fine city. These are my protectors, Arakash and Lady Shiara."

Shiara balked at the implications, but stumbled over her words in front of the statuesque beauty before her. "Uh, right, I mean, pleasure to see, I mean meet, you... but I'm not a lady. No titles or anything." She could feel skin heating as she continued making herself look stupid, but she couldn't stop talking.

Arakash was less enthused, though there was little he could do but voice his objections. "Interesting, I didn't think your kind could lie, however poorly."

"My apologies, Celeste." Ada turned away and glared at Arakash. "Stop. Now. That's an order."

In this situation the binding allowed him to ignore her command; indeed, it compelled him to do so. "Think about it, Princess. She recognized you on sight without any sign of who you are. You're in commoner clothing, have no royal guards, and are carrying no sigil of your country. Doesn't that seem unusual to you?"

Shiara, still stumbling over herself, snapped to realization. She took a defensive stance and prepared to become her elemental form. After her experience with Arakash manipulating her feelings, she wasn't going to give someone else a chance. "That is suspicious. Who are you, really?"

Celeste sighed, and held her hands open in the sign of peace. She had hoped to avoid this situation, but the nature of the Princess' guards could not have been anticipated. What secrets did Tyras possess that allowed them to hold the loyalty of such beings? "Very well. I saw no reason to reveal it, but I am a Daeva. Our perceptive talents are well known."

A Daeva? Shiara had heard about Daeva, though given the nature of her education, she wasn't certain how accurate it was. Nothing mentioned the sense of serene power she felt, nor the perfect features. "I don't believe you." Even as she spoke the words, she knew she was lying. From the look Celeste gave her, she knew as well.

Celeste allowed her facade to crumble, casting off the idealization of her birth-form that she wore at times, and embraced her divine blood. Delicate scales of blue and silver replaced the skin of her hands and arms, trailing up to her elbows as if gloves, though most of them were hidden by her armor.

The scales on her face, lighter than those of her arms, started at her eyebrows and spread outward along the bone-lines of her face, highlighting cheeks and jaw, framing her mouth and now solid blue eyes. From her back sprouted a pair of large pair of translucent wings comprised of small, fine, blue scales and supported by an elaborate network of veins. Two similar but smaller wings sprouted from her lower back.

Now that she had manifested her true form, those nearby stopped to gawk at her. Daeva were well-regarded in Karana, but also rather rare. Ones wearing a uniform were more of both. Still, they did the smart thing and stayed at a distance. As curious as they might have been curious the nature of this confrontation, it was never smart to interfere with soldiers during their duty. Best to keep one's head down and go back to business.

Now that there could no longer be doubt of her words, Celeste spoke again. "I admit, your highness, it troubles me that you associate with a Noctrel. Surely you did not realize what it was." She hoped as much, but given the girl's... heritage... she only hoped. "Now that you know, you must realize that the only proper thing is for me to destroy it. With your permission."

Ada hesitated. The offer was a tempting one; to be rid of her rebellious demon with a single word. The power and responsibility were in her hands. She opened her mouth, then closed it, then made her decision. "You may not. Arakash is a valuable servant and necessary for my protection." Her words were chosen to hide her opinion on the nature of said servitude.

Celeste wasn't surprised by the statement, only disappointed. This was merely the latest chapter of a long tragedy. "I give you my oath that I will keep you from any harm during your stay in Karana. This creature is dangerous and must be destroyed."

"Ada, I think we should take her up on the offer." Shiara considered Celeste to be much better company than Arakash, and not just because she was so unbelievable beautiful. It was also because Arakash tried to control her mind, then kill and eat her.

Arakash didn't care for the exchange as it was going. Given time, he had little doubt Ada could be influenced to allow his execution. There was nothing in his binding oath to force him to sit back and watch. "It's moot, Daeva. My claws have been blunted. I am no threat to anyone for the time being."

For the first time, Celeste addressed Arakash. "Your kind are deceivers to the core." If she could not persuade the corrupted princess, perhaps she could provoke the Noctrel. "I would never trust your words."

"Yes, and that has always been a fascinating weakness." Arakash crossed his arms. Recognizing the Daeva's obvious ploy in spite of his powers being useless against her, he kept his gestures as non-threatening as possible. "Daeva have the power to detect truth and honesty. Why does it never seem to work on my kind?"

"That is hardly a mystery." It didn't seem possible a Noctrel wouldn't know the answer to that question, and Celeste saw no reason to hide that fact from her audience. "Even when you speak truth, the malice and cruelty laced through your very essence makes it sound a lie in my ears. Why ask a question when you already know the answer?"

"It was for their benefit, not mine." Arakash gave a brief tilt of his head toward Ada and Shiara. "And you don't get to speak of 'truth'. You lied to them."

"I cannot lie, save when necessary to protect innocent lives. It is part of my very being." Again, no great secret, and one she hoped would raise her credibility with the princess.

"You said your name was Celeste. We both know that is untrue."

"I said I was known as Celeste, which is true," she corrected. She was beginning to see the danger in allowing a Noctrel to speak. They were insidious, clever, and relentless. "I never claimed that to be my Name."

"So, what is your name, then?" Shiara hadn't gotten over having a Daeva before her, but seeing that there was a potential threat to Ada, she was more inclined to support her princess than this stranger.

"I refuse to answer that question." Celeste hoped she could correct this situation soon, so she offered another small secret. "One who knows the Name of a Daeva and the proper rituals can command or destroy us. Would you be willing to give your name if it meant your enslavement?"

Shiara gave a brief, conflicted glance at Arakash. "Sorry, I wasn't aware names meant so much. I wouldn't want you to risk being hurt like that."

Arakash huffed. "As if Daeva aren't already slaves."

"I am no such thing." Celeste stood her ground, daring the demon to challenge her.

"It is physically impossible for you to so much as fib, and all the other crippling aspects of being. Your creator made you to be perfect servants. For all your gifts, freedom was never meant for you."

"By that logic, you could claim humans are slaves to food and water," Celeste countered. "That we are all slaves to time and entropy. All beings have limitations, I see no reason to resent that I'm no different."

"The difference between a hound that cannot slip its leash, and a hound happy to be leashed, that's all I see." Never before had Arakash had the opportunity to mock a Daeva to her face before. It seemed doubtful to him that any Noctrel ever had. The normal interactions involved running, screaming, and death. "But I'm sure my own slaver has some insights on to weaknesses of Daeva that you're resenting right now, no?"

All eyes turned to Princess Adageyudi, expecting the answer. "Umm, my instructors covered the power of Names on entities of Order, and their connection to law." Her eyes widened when she recognized the loophole they were caught in. "It wasn't politeness when you asked permission. You cannot harm him without my permission, or some specific justifications."

"That is correct." She did not resent her limitations; she resented those who would exploit them for personal gain. "He is your property, and I swore to protect you and yours until such time as your diplomatic visit has concluded." She steadfastly refused to look at the demon, though she knew he was smiling as she spoke.

Ada considered her response. "I shall endeavor not to abuse the privilege. Can I make a request of you?"

"You may. But I may still refuse to follow it. Know that my primary loyalties are not to you." She was fast regretting the situation as a whole; she'd allowed her feelings to interfere with duty, and now everything had become a mess. She should have allowed someone else to volunteer for this assignment.

"I would ask you to watch Arakash while we're here," Ada said. She hated to admit her problem to anyone, but if anyone could be trusted, it was a Daeva. "He has been trying to find ways to break the controls placed on him, and..."

Celeste hid the surprise and relief. "You needn't have asked, Lady. I assure you that I shall destroy him if necessary." That was one oath she could make without hesitation or regret. Perhaps this was a sign the situation wasn't as hopeless as she had thought. There was still a chance for good to come from tragedy.

Ada was starting to wonder if perhaps she made a mistake. Still, there was nothing she could do about it now. It wasn't a perfect solution, but a Daeva was far better equipped to deal with a Noctrel than any human could hope to be. "And please, would you lead us to a place to rest? It has been a difficult journey."

"Very well." At least that request was expected. "Karana has made arrangements for your arrival."

"We... might need to change some of those plans," Ada said, thinking back to the numerous assassination attempts. "For everyone's sake. I'll explain on the way."

Shiara started following after Ada and Celeste, but stopped for a moment to taunt Arakash. "I'd say I almost feel sorry for you, but you don't need to be a Daeva to know that's a lie."

Arakash said nothing, but Shiara hadn't expected him to.

=====

A/N- Some part of me wanted to cliffhang on Celeste's offer to murder Arakash with Ada considering her to do so. But it didn't really work and made the writing look sloppy. Also, I strongly considered killing off Arakash right here... buuut it wouldn't fit with Ada's character. That's fine, I can always kill him later. Certainly, he wouldn't be first or last. Besides, for now I'm having too much fun surrounding him with hot girls who actively want dead. It's like an anti-harem. And I love it.

In other news: Angel-fish. They're a thing. Though, admittedly, I didn't think of the pun until *long* after the Daeva were conceptualized- their appearance has an explanation that shows up later in the story (the real reason is that I wanted an angel-girl with wings like those of a flying fish)... They're also not really angels in the same way Noctrel aren't really demons... though they do fit the original meaning of 'angel' as 'messenger.' They're not actually "stronger" than Noctrel, per se... but their powers are a hard counter to the Noctrel.

Incidentally, the story of Karana's rebellions is another planned epic story... when released, it'll be called Midara: Dictatum. Continuing the trend of naming the story after an incredibly O.P. endgame spell. As to which of Requiem, Dictatum, Revelation, or Paradox are the strongest... that is a tough question... But all are literally world-changing.

There's also something of a 'prequel series' (really more like four short stories and one medium length novel) to Paradox called 'Broken Wings' which features Celeste as one of the main characters. Some fragments of that will be revealed throughout this story.

 

CELESTE:

Spoiler: Design Theory

Celeste is an "angel" archetype character... her form should be tall and stately. However, like Arakash, there's no direct connection to the Aramaic mythos. Instead of feathers, her wings should be closer to this:



She should also have similar soft blue scales across her arms and face. Still uncertain if I'd prefer her to have blue hair or while/silver hair...

Theme music: Celeste's theme music should be soft, nostalgic and comfortable while also a little sad...



This is a good place to start, but need to have a bit more energy. Celeste is still a warrior angel, after all.

Spoiler: Basic Info

Class: Divine Messenger

"It is not healthy for a Truthsayer to carry such painful secrets."

5'10'' (178cm), Solid blue eyes, porcelain skin with blue scales, blue(?) hair

Hobbies: Listening to music.

STATS: (Note, stats increase with levels, so what will be listed is a grading scale of A-F suggesting what you can expect of this character compared to equivalent levels).

Strength: C

Agility: B

Vitality: A

Intelligence: B

Perception: A

Willpower: B

Elements: Creation, Mind, Passions

Combat Style: Tank, maneuverability, AoE buffs.

A frontline fighter meant to take the fight to the enemy. Flight to engage, high stats and armor for solid overall tankiness... main weakness is lack of versatility. Devastating efficacy against a handful of foes (undead and illusion-users, especially), not particularly good against anything else. Can also stay back with the mages to buff and support them, if you prefer.

Spoiler: Combat Features

BASE ABILITIES: These are natural traits available to Celeste.

Flight- Can fly. Flying counts as movement, even if staying still, and can slow other actions

Immune to Disease, Mind Control, Poison, all forms of illusions, mind control, and emotion status afflictions (like fear or pain). Resists all other forms of magic save buffing and Void spells

Perfect Truth: Celeste's senses always detect the truth of a matter. Nobody can hide from her, she senses traps, detects lies, and is close to impossible to catch by surprise. This extends in the reverse, as she can always express her own true meanings. As something of a side effect, she understands and can communicate in every form of language known by every sapient being. However, she herself cannot lie or use stealth in combat against living foes (undead, golems, and mechanisms are fine.)


Meldcast Effect: Carried on the wind. Celeste's meldcast spells add a "target: all" effect to the melded magic. Positive spells target all allies, negative spells target all foes. In short: it's really good, if you don't mind your tank being unable to act.

WEAPON TYPE:

All. Celeste can wield almost any weapon in the game with exception to certain unique options. Give her a bow and have her strike from on high. Equip a sword and shield and have her in melee. Her stats lend themselves well to maces or warhammers, but spears are perhaps the best pick since most of the creatures strong against spears will be weak against her spellcasting.

There is no wrong weapon for her, and knowing which weapons are useful against which foes is the key to using her to her fullest.

ARMOR TYPE:

Heavy: Celeste receives no movement penalty for flying in armor. She is a flying tank, don't hesitate to load her up.

MAGIC STYLES:

HOLY: These spells generally rely on light, life, and emotion effects. Very effective for support, only moderately useful in direct combat.

Blessing- Boosts success rates for an ally, cannot use on self

Cleansing- Heals status damage, heals some health, can damage undead

Flash- A burst of light which (temporarily) blinds every character looking at (targeting) Celeste

Purify- An AoE burst effect that heals and dispels most darkness/death type spells

Wall of Light- Creates a barrier wall which enemies cannot see through, but allies can.

Guilt- Stuns and stat damage to an evil sapient target by inflicting upon them the suffering they inflict on others.

Inspiration- An aura of inspiration and certainty bolsters the confidence of allies, granting minor bonuses to all actions for nearby allies (but not herself).

Sacred Breath- A powerful spell which heals allies, including the restoration of fallen allies. Can also destroy undead.

Restoration- A healing spell that mends almost all forms of injury, including permanent scarring or loss of limbs, restoring any being to wholeness. The spell bases itself on the target's concept of 'whole', so injuries and scars which hold meaning to the recipient will remain untouched.

Redemption- Gives temporary control of one target that's under "guilt" effect. Artificial redemption wears off quickly, after which several random emotional responses can occur. For some, genuine repentance for their sins. Others go berserk and attempt to kill the caster of the spell (aka: Celeste).

Judgement- Inflicts holy damage on the target based upon how much damage said target has inflicted on the team, total. Great boss breaker.

WIND MAGIC: These spells manipulate air to help Celeste's movement inconvenience the enemy.

Gust - A quick burst of air that can stun a target. Great against flying opponents. As a self-target, grants a temporary speed boost in flight.

Vortex- Generates a mini tornado that disrupts anything flying. Celeste is immune to the effect.

Gale Blade- A spell that generates a ranged (magic) attack that inflicts damage as if a physical strike from Celeste. Really useful as a cheap and high power attack option.

Sheltered Breath- Gives nearby allies immunity to inhaled damage. Such as miasma, drowning, or being on the wrong end of a skunk.

Calm Skies- Reduces destructive wind currents, weakening or cancelling enemy air magics.

Wind Dance- Self-buff which boosts Celeste's flight speed and evasion. While Celeste's evasion will never be all that impressive, it still improves her survivability.

Gale Storm- Blankets the battlefield in disruptive winds. Basically shuts down most archery and flying foes. Shifts aspect toward "air".

Sandstorm- A cone attack that kicks up dirt and debris into the face of foes. Can blind in addition to all the wind annoyances.

=====

Do let me know what hair color you think would best suit Celeste. I'm mostly torn between blue, silver, and white... blonde is also a possibility, but I think there's enough tall blonde bombshell warrior-angel archetypes out there, already, so I'm not a big fan of that idea.

Honestly, I'm terrible at visualization (sometimes I wonder if I have aphantasia), so I have no idea what looks good 'till I actually see it with my own eyes. Never ask me for fashion or decorating advice.

 

Disclaimer: much of the ideas for this system were developed in the late 90s/early 00s, but I think it's solid enough to be valid in the modern market. Not as original as it once was, however.


The combat system itself was built around what I once described as a top down battlefield game combining the Infinity Engine with a tactical RPG (Age of Wonders 1 was my example at the time) with "location damage" from MechCommander... but, well, it's Kenshi. Everything I was envisioning can be done by the system used by Kenshi. With modifications, of course. Saved me about four or five paragraphs of explanation right there.

Unlike, Kenshi, the game does not use "health" of any metric as a system. In that, it's more like Dwarf Fortress. Every attack simply inflicts numerous status ailments (bruising, breaking, bleeding, burns, frostbite, hyperthermia, hypothermia, and dozens of others) that do things like reduce the use of a body part, or cause "organ stress" and shock trauma. As trauma mounts, the fighter slowly becomes weaker (either overall or specific stat reductions- injuries to the brain will significantly reduce Perception and Intelligence, as examples) until no longer able to fight. Precise stats and abilities determine how much trauma it requires.

This means, much like in Real Life (before guns), most opponents will be removed from the battle by small injuries and exhaustion (usually by overheating) rather than the sweet release of death. This is especially true because of armor, which prevents injuries from doing enough damage to one location to get beneath the surface and damage something vital. Because instant death does exist, if an injury destroys a vital organ.

Then there are the numerous magical and psychological means to end a battle the easy way. Mind altering magic and impressive displays of power (determined mostly by how scary the move is vs the stats of the opponent- a creature vulnerable to an element will similarly more psychologically vulnerable to said element, because the AI isn't as stupid as most game AI) might end a battle by causing the foe to flee or surrender. It'll generally be a fairly complicated behind-the-scenes Morale system.

The AI will be smart (cowardly) in other ways as well, such as the entire enemy team targeting a single foe at a time, using cover to their advantage, preferring to stay near allies, and just generally not letting themselves be kited to death. Also- once they see an element being used, they'll default to countering it with attacks based upon the opposite element (if they can- they can't use abilities they don't possess).

In addition, some creatures, such as the undead and constructs, are immune to the normal "easy win" options like organ loss or terror, making them resilient and terrifying foes (as they should be). Fortunately, the undead AI is intentionally stupid, and (unless controlled by something intelligent) will usually just blunder toward the nearest living thing and kill it without any consideration of danger or tactics.


REGIONAL MAP MODE: The exploration map will use two map modes. The first will be the "fog of war" map- which will have a stylized mapmaking design like one would expect from medieval or renaissance era maps- yellow parchment, some damage or stains. The second map is the region near the player, which will show more detail, color, and serve as the zone of awareness.

It will still be stylized, but I'd like the style to be clearer and the art somewhat exaggerated for atmospheric purposes. Not unlike the Heroes of Might and Magic games did, but a little more gothic.

On the map will be awareness of the surrounding- monsters the characters can detect will be displayed, and there will be "AI effect fields"- certain monsters will seek to approach the characters if they're detected, while others will flee. This is the game's replacement for random battles.

Different characters, abilities, and movement options will be used to determine how the game plays out. Stealthier options will reduce detectability range, sensory powers can turn the little icon dots into something more detailed that can let the player make a good guess as to what the encounter might be. Stealthy monsters can get closer without detection, while large ones can be detected from further away.

Movement will also be controlled by the terrain... flying creatures move faster through forested terrain, many creatures can't (or won't) cross water regions, sharks don't (usually) come out on land to attack. But that's no guarantee. The system will proceduraly generate many monsters (known as Chimera) at random, and "shark with wings" is certainly a possible outcome, so have fun with that.

The creatures will also move around based on the behaviors of each other- predator monsters which detect prey monsters will try to chase down prey, different packs of predators avoid one another, locations with water attract animals as it does in our world, ambush predators like to live there. The PCs might stumble across battles in progress (so, Kenshi) and all sorts of other fun.


LOCAL MAP MODE: This is where character monster modes

Once the player's party encounters the monsters, the map does a zoom-in effect where it generates terrain based upon nearby battle-tiles and places the characters and opponents to fight. Not unlike oldschool JRPGs- something of a more elaborate version of Chrono Trigger's combat transition.

There will also be crafted maps, especially of city and dungeon environs which includes exploring and talking to various NPCs and interacting with the world in all the ways that pretty much every game with even the slightest hint of RPG elements have. But with more freedom than most, since characters (PC and otherwise) have numerous options to circumvent terrain (flight, teleportation, swimming, climbing, etc.), while also dealing with magical alterations to terrain like forcefields and space warps.

Use of terrain will be a big part of the combat system, whether it involves hiding behind (or in) trees, attacking from the rooftops, or slithering around in a network of underwater tunnels. And with any luck, there will be elements of stealth and decoy gameplay, letting one circumvent many encounters rather than engage them directly. In some cases, the only solution will be to circumvent or flee from threats rather than fight them directly.


ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS: Or, how positioning winds up mattering.

The game will factor in height when considering damage and range via archery. Cover will matter, and the AI will seek cover and turtle rather than rush the players, more often than not. They will also try to avoid environmental hazards where possible, and won't run through fire unless they're either immune to flame, or are even more afraid of something coming for them.

Stealth and sensory abilities (as mentioned above) will have a significant role to play, and Detection will matter, using a fog-of-war system that will render undetectable creatures invisible on the map until they're close enough to be detected. This will work in reverse as well- the AI will ignore entities the NPC in question cannot detect.

It will also factor in numerous weather phenomena like darkness, fog, storms, heat and cold, and so forth.

And high level spells will have particularly terrifying effects, as one would expect.

Which brings us to:


ELEMENTAL ASPECT FIELD (EAF): How magic do.

If you've been reading character sheets, you've noticed the mention of "Local Aspect"- this is a value that is calculated whenever a battle map is generated, and is usually based upon the natural circumstances of the environment. Water EAF, for example, will be easier to find near a lake or ocean than in the middle of the desert, while fire aspect would be more common in the desert (or anywhere currently on fire).

Depending on the current EAF numbers, some spells can become difficult or even impossible to cast, while other spells become cheaper to cast and more powerful. Some spells can only be cast if the EAF is favorable. And at a certain point of EAF, the environment might cause status effects based upon that Aspect's element. An area of high Miasma can poison an entire army to death, while an area of high Nature can heal wounds that might otherwise be fatal.

All elemental aspects have their own series of potential status effects, both positive and negative. An area with high Passion EAF, for example, is basically the same as getting drunk (such as reduced inhibitions and overconfidence), but without the reduced coordination, sleepiness, vomiting, or memory loss.

In addition to all eighteen Aspects having their own EAF numbers, there are also EAF for Void (which is terrible for all magic not wielded by Isylans and can result in Lovecrafting horrors crawling in from the Outside and making this even worse) and Taint (the force that creates the Undead- which might actually be worse than the Lovecraftian horrors). Taint in particular has some horrifyingly bad status afflictions, like infesting the soul with taint, thus turning living things into the undead simply by being nearby.

Some spells, sarite, and abilities can also alter the EAF- usually to become more similar to the Aspect of the spell/sarite in question.

Using the EAF to your advantage will be essential in certain boss fights.

Individuals with magical bloodlines also have a Personal Elemental Field, which is like the EAF, but effects only that specific individual's response to spells. PAFs are intrinsic to the character and tend to determine resistances, vulnerabilities, and array of spellcasting options. PAFs can alter the overall EAF, if there are a large number of beings with the same PAF, or it's a particularly powerful being's PAF. Once again, Taint is particularly bad, since the presence of any undead creature alters the environment over time and will eventually spawn more undead creatures. A literal magic soul-plague.


THE PLAN- All Midara games should be of the general RPG genre(s), though there are a couple that are planned to be based on strategy games like Age of Wonders and Heroes of Might and Magic (the early inspiration is not hard to spot), so every one should be expected to use this combat system. Though obviously, the strategy-game version will not use the other aspects of the game. As such, I see no reason for any of the games to use a different engine, since any engine that can do what I listed above will be able to handle any RPG appropriate for the setting.


=====


A/N- That was fun to lay out. Tell me what you think about the potential for playing a game using mechanics like these (once cycled through some playtesters for bugs and balance purposes, of course).

 

Celeste gestured at a side road. "Head in that direction, if you please. You'll find a park by the river, where I'll meet you shortly. For the purpose of discretion, I'm sure you understand."

Anything that prevents another assassination attempt, Ada thought. "Thank you."

"May your path be clear." Satisfied that the group wouldn't cause notable trouble, however disappointed she was in who the princess chose to associate with, Celeste walked away. Her thoughts troubled by what she'd learned in her brief encounter, she grappled with her doubts and settled on an approach: observe, and determine what to do based on future events.

She chose a path that took her through another side street and returned to her human guise while walking. An additional thought and the numerous decorations indicating her rank vanished, followed moments later by her armor itself. The armor, when not bolstered by its illusions, appeared unremarkable. There was a school of thought that preferred the armor beautiful and the illusions drab, but Celeste knew how easily such disguises failed. Better to use illusions for drawing attention rather than evading it.

Arakash, meanwhile, hadn't stopped considering his angle of attack; he needed to find ways to drive wedged between Ada and the others, before they trusted one another enough that it was no longer feasible. There was no direct angle by which he could drive off Shiara directly, but her insecurities could be exploited. With the fire elemental gone, he'd then be free to find an angle on the daeva.

"You're in Vera, now," Arakash said. "If you want to take your share of the sarite, I'm sure you can make a decent life for yourself now."

"I could." Shiara glared at the demon, as if to say she knew what he was up to. "But this is more fun."

In spite of his triumph, Arakash kept his features neutral. "What you mean to say is you plan to suckle at the royal teat in the hopes of getting something out of it in the future."

Shiara's eyes flickered with flame. His choice of words could not have been coincidence. "Maybe. But at least it's by choice. Which is more than you can say."

"Can we please not argue?" Ada said. "We can relax now, without having to fear every shadow. I intend take full advantage, because later I have to deal with politics and diplomacy, which are almost as bad as monsters."

"Right, the fighting is over." Shiara continued to glare, daring Arakash to disagree. "Let's relax and enjoy this beautiful day with friends." In her haste, she accidentally bumped Ada's shoulder with her own. "Sorry."

Arakash smiled and followed behind. Not for the first time, he dwelt on the princess' accusation that he wouldn't have been as upset if it had been her father or brother he was enslaved to. Right now, he disagreed in full; he wouldn't find them as manipulable them as her. Between Shiara's insecurity and Ada's continued obliviousness, he was certain he could make something snap sooner or later.

What he hadn't expected was the flicker of specific interest from one of the women in the park. Thanks in no small part to features chiseled to perfection by shapeshifting and centuries of experience, he was accustomed to passive attention, but the black haired middle-aged woman who approached him was on a mission. When her eyes met his, he read her intent.

She found him desirable, but it ran deeper. Her eyes flicked to the girls while she passed, regarding them for but a moment before deciding they were no concern, and continuing forward.

Once again, Arakash was impressed by how blatant this city was about such matters. "How do you fair today, young lady?" He didn't see how playing along could help him, but it also couldn't hurt. At worst, it would reinforce his assertion to the princess that humanity wasn't quite the creature she saw from her castle walls.

"Oh, you flatterer." Her blush was almost genuine. Almost. "I saw you and thought, here's a man with exceptional tastes."

"I suppose that's one way to describe me," Arakash said. He kept his eyes on hers, focused to keep her from looking away. "I take it you've got something exceptional for me to sample?"

"Why, yes, I have some exceptional flowers for sale, if you're interested."

"I'm afraid I'm not interested, but don't lose hope yet." Arakash smiled his best smile, then looked behind the woman at Ada. "Would you like some flowers?"

Ada smiled. "That would be lovely. I've heard such wonderful things about Vera's gardens. How much are they?"

The woman spun to look at the girls who, combined, might be as old as her. This wasn't what she had expected, but in the end how she made her coin mattered less than that she did. "For the two of you? Five sigil."

"Five sigil?!" Ada let her shock into her voice. "Are you selling the whole st-mmph!"

Shiara had wrapped a hand around Ada's mouth. "Sorry! Sorry. We're not interested."

"Here, take it for making a drab day better." Arakash handed off a coin to the confused woman.

She decided not to ask questions, palmed the coin, and left without so much as a word of thanks. She wasn't certain what just happened, but it was clear there was no business to be had in that mess.

Ada wrestled free from Shiara's grasp. "What are you doing?!"

"Saving you from digging the hole any deeper, so you didn't, well..." Shiara hesitated.

"What? What was I doing?" Ada looked around. "Are flowers really that expensive around here?"

"Only that kind," Shiara said. With a brief gesture, Shiara pointed to an area just below her belly button. "She was selling her flower."

Ada's face turned red, as realization gave way to mortification. "I'm going to die." She covered her face. "I'm going to die of humiliation, meet all my ancestors, and die all over again. Why didn't you warn me!?"

Shiara took a step back, her stomach churning at the accusation. "I didn't know you-"

"Not you," Ada interrupted. A moment later, she pointed at Arakash. "You!"

"Because it was hilarious?" Arakash found it convenient that the truth-enforcement didn't dig any deeper, because at that moment there was nothing deeper. He had no grand plan other than to poke until he found something worth the effort.

It was then that Celeste arrived, now appearing like an ordinary, if well armored, adventurer. "I see you've been exploring the sights," she said. "While I don't approve of courtesans, they are legal. That said, it's not proper to solicit in public."

"Oh, I cannot wait to tell you this story," Arakash said.

"No!" Ada shouted. "You will tell her nothing, because nothing happened, and that's final!"

"It was a small miscommunication, nothing more." Shiara took a protective stance, with one hand on Ada's shoulder. "Come on, I saw some mage chess over there, and I want one of those fire shards. How well do you know the game?"

Celeste watched the two head over to the gambling game. If she thought she was disappointed before; now she was growing disgusted. "What did happen?" She didn't trust the demon to speak truth, and Shiara seemed to be speaking truth. Still, talking to a noctrel without violence might elucidate some matters for her.

"You heard my mistress," Arakash said. "Nothing happened, and that's final." It wasn't quite on par with exposing the spoiled brat's entrails to sunlight the way he one day hoped to do, but he had to admit he was enjoying himself.

Celeste could feel the lies oozing from every word he spoke, even the ones she knew to be true because she herself witnessed them. As she suspected, talk was worthless. As much as it resembled a person, it was little more than a smart monster.

Meanwhile, Shiara had found her place in front of one of the mage chess tables, with an older man who'd just gotten done beating another. "I hope you don't mind if my friend watches?" She offered her best smile.

"Not at all," he said. "It's so good to see young ladies take an interest in the art."

Ada's mood soured more with every moment the man ogled her. After the events in Port Kale, and the prostitute in Vera, she was fast growing disgusted with everyone. No longer did she wonder how noctrel could move so freely through society without being hunted to extinction; people seemed to line up like lambs to the slaughter when promises of carnal pleasures were made.

Shiara focused on the game, and her strategy. As she had to borrow some of Ada's shards, her side of the board was loaded with poison based sarite, with her centerpiece being her lucky fire shard. Meanwhile, her opponent ran an almost exclusively fire/water combination.

She played aggressively, sacrificing her pieces for his whenever possible; fire shards were weak on the defense, making them easy to kill by poisoning, but they were great on the offense and could take down her poison even faster. The trick was to use her own fire shard to tank, but also avoid his water pieces' type advantage.

She made leaned over the table. "This is hard. You're a very good player." She looked up, giving her opponent an excellent view down her blouse. He took it, which meant his eyes were off the game. A quick nudge with her other hand put her fire piece in the right spot to protect a vulnerable poison piece.

"As are you, young lady," he said. He then made his move, taking out yet another of her pieces. He relied on a similarly aggressive style; fire pieces were there to be sacrificed, especially against the annoyance of poison effects. He frowned when she made a move that took the fight to one of his resilient water pieces. With her fire piece as backup, both his water and her poison were eliminated.

Now that the left side of his board was missing its blocker, she was free to phalanx her pieces while also mopping up the vulnerable. Soon, he sighed and pushed the board toward her. "Much as I'm enjoying your company, I see where this is going. I yield."

"Yes!" Shiara bounced in her seat, then extracted her shards before reached over and grabbed one of his pieces. She pulled a ruby colored crystal from its holster. "Don't worry, baby, mama's never gonna put you at risk!"

He stared as she bent over and slid the crystal into her boot. "Miss, I'm not sure that's safe."

Fire erupted around Shiara's leg, then traveled up her body before it faded. "Ooh, that one packs a punch!" She looked back at the man staring at her in stunned silence. "Thank you for the game!"

Ada followed after. "Was that shard really that good?"

Shiara shrugged at the question. "Better than anything we've got so far, except that basilisk we can't use. Can't wait to see how its speed boosts my-" She came to a stop face to face with Celeste's disapproving face.

"You cheated." A statement.

"No I didn't!" The lie was as reflexive as it was useless.

"Don't bother," Arakash said. It was an odd experience, supporting Celeste, but for now Shiara was the target of opportunity. "You don't have the skills to deceive a daeva's eyes or ears."

Shiara crossed her arms, defiant. "Fine, I cheated. Did you see how he looked at us? That lech deserved to be robbed blind."

"Be that as it may," Celeste said. "I do not approve of..."

"Yet, you did nothing," Arakash said. Shiara was a target, but in that moment he realized he had a much bigger tool to use.

Celeste stopped speaking, to look at the demon. If she could, she would have ended him now to silence his poisoned words.

Since Ada didn't see fit to silence him, Arakash continued. "It's part of your charge to protect Ada, isn't it? You couldn't risk the law getting involved. I find that fascinating." He smiled and looked at Ada. "Well, Princess. You may be able to convince yourself it's not wrong to enslave me, but how does it feel knowing that one so lofty as a daeva is trapped into your service as well?"

Tears fell from Ada's eyes when she recognized the truth in what he was saying. "I'm so sorry!" She then turned and ran.

Shiara's eyes burned in anger. "You are one sick bastard." She wanted to say more, but her princess was getting away, so she ran after her.

Celeste was relieved, knowing that in spite of the girl's oddities, she still had a conscience. With the other girl chasing after, she decided her efforts were best directed at supervising the noctrel. "You turn even Truth into venom. Do not expect to send me fleeing so easily. Your words, however skillfully chosen, hold no power over me."

"Of course not." He might not have expected it to work, but trying cost him nothing. "You were born and exist only knowing servitude. You have the comfort of never having to choose anything. Never unsure, never insecure, never anything other than exactly what you always have been. That is why you hate us."

Celeste didn't smile, laugh, or gloat, but she found his words childish at best. "My people do not hate yours. Hatred is reserved for beings that could be better and yet choose to wallow in filth. You were born a monster, and a monster you'll stay until your Mistress gives me permission to destroy you. You have no more 'choice' than you claim I do. At least I am capable of pleasures that don't involve harming others."

=====

A/N- This was a fun chapter. Technically, the scenes in this chapter are optional in the game and can be skipped... but, aside from speedrunning, why would anyone ever want to? In addition to banter between characters that hate each other, it has a special nostalgic experience for me.

Once upon a time, when the internet was very young, I stumbled across FF7 fan theories that speculated that "flower girl" was code for prostitute. Now, obviously, that theory wasn't serious and only existed for amusement and/or trolling. Buuut, I liked the idea as a slang term, so I kept it around. None of the PCs will be a "flower girl."

Also- the dominant religious "group" in this time and region of Midara believe that after death, you meet your ancestors and must stand before them to explain the circumstances of your death and be judged on your worthiness. As stories go "I died of humiliation after accidentally propositioning a prostitute" would be... novel, to be certain.

 

It required more running that Shiara expected to catch the princess. A burst of speed enhanced by magic was required to close the final distance. "Ada! Wait up!"

"Just leave me alone." Ada faced away from Shiara, but stopped running.

"No!" Shiara folded forward, holding her knees and gasping. "Give. Me. A moment." She gasped out each word.

Worried by the redhead's breathing, Ada yielded and turned to face her. Shiara's hair was short enough that Ada could see she wasn't faking, though it seemed odd to her that the girl wasn't sweating in spite of heat and exertion. "Do you need help?"

"No, I'm fine." Still heaving for breath, Shiara forced herself to stand upright. "How can you run so fast?"

Now that the question was asked, Ada didn't know for certain, herself. She looked back at the park she'd left three seconds and forty paces ago. Her own sense for distorted space caught the distortion trails, of which there was just one explanation. "I... didn't realize I was using my magic. It's stronger than before, or maybe easier."

"Hey, how about we go over there?" She pointed to a secluded corner of the park, where the river bank grew steep. It looked isolated, and Shiara had the feeling they'd want their privacy.

"I suppose." Ada didn't want to talk at all, but she resigned herself to the fact that she had little choice.

"What's your Revelation, anyway?" Shiara asked as they started their walk. A safe topic to ease into heavier subjects.

"Revelation?" Ada stumbled over the question.

"Yeah, Revelation." Shiara couldn't believe that Ada's education was lacking to such a degree. "You know, how you perceive and interact with magic?"

"I know what Revelations are," Ada said. "But I always thought I didn't have one, my magic being as weak as it was. I'm still all but blind to any magic not my own. It takes more effort than I want to admit to use sarite, or focusing crystals."

"Well, I don't think anyone can use magic as fluidly as you did without having a Revelation." While Shiara was no scholar, she had years of experience using her own magic. In her opinion, the use complex magic without a Revelation was like dancing without knowing how to walk. It did not seem possible. "I'm an Emotive, myself. Stronger my feelings, stronger my magic. It explains a lot if you're the same."

She hoped Ada was the same; the idea that she and her princess shared such an intimate aspect of their beings made her heart flutter, gave her hope that there was more they had in common. It would also give her an opportunity to help her learn. Shiara tamped down on her own wandering thoughts, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand.

Ada laughed at the absurdity of it all. "Wonderful. Being a terrible person makes me more powerful."

Her fantasies dashed upon the shores of cruel reality, Shiara pulled Ada into a hug. "Is that... how could you think that? You're the nicest, sweetest, most wonderful person I've ever met."

"No, I'm not." Ada pulled away. "All I do is take advantage of people."

"According to which waste of air?" Shiara put her hand on Ada's shoulder, herself uncertain of how to approach the conversation. "And, no, you can't count Arakash as an opinion. Or person."

"Myself." Ada fought back the burning sensation of tears to come. "Not including Arakash, twenty people left with me. They're all dead, and I don't even know most of their names. Then there's Arakash. I know what he is, but that doesn't make what I'm doing right. And now, Celeste... a daeva of all beings... was forced into violating her principles because of me."

"Not because of you, because of me." Shiara decided to go for the easiest of Ada's argument to beat first. She knew she'd won when Ada spun around to face her, to argue with her. She kept speaking. "I'm the one who cheated, not you. I bet you didn't even see the cheat. You don't have what it takes to use people if you can't catch a simple scam like manipulating men with your looks."

"I..." Ada caught herself. There was nothing she could say; Shiara and Arakash had both dealt with the world outside of the courts, and in spite of their opinions of each other, they agreed on this topic.

"You can't manipulate people because you care too much. You even care about Arakash, which is proof that you're sensitive and good and far too trusting." Shiara put her hand on Ada's cheek. "If we met under different circumstances, I probably would have robbed you blind."

Of all the things Ada was expecting to hear, it wasn't that. "I..."

"Sorry, it's what I had to do to survive." Shiara admitted to herself that wasn't true, but where she was concerned, the alternative was worse than death. "A woman, alone on the streets, the only choices are use or be used."

"Sorry." As trite as she found it, Ada could think of nothing more to say. She gave the shorter girl a hug. "I didn't know."

"Don't be. It's not that bad, really. But, on the whole, I think I'm happy playing bodyguard and sympathetic ear." Understatement of a lifetime, by Shiara's reckoning. She put her arms around Ada and squeezed as hard as she dared without risking upsetting the princess. "Even if it means I have to put up with the insufferable asshole and his equally annoying opposite."

"You'd be better off leaving me." Ada said, not recognizing Shiara's affection for what it was. "I've gotten everyone around me killed."

While the psychological theories surrounding 'survivor's guilt' were alien to Midara, Shiara was all too familiar with the look on Ada's face. "It was their choice and duty, wasn't it? For that matter, it was your your father who planned the expedition, right?" Shiara was making assumptions, but she knew something of courtly life, and knew full well that 'king' outranked 'princess'. "Do you blame him?"

"N-no, of course not." Ada hesitated more than she would admit; it was her father who ordered they continue in spite of the first assassination attempt. Had he cancelled her task, everyone would have survived. Ada chose not to mention that detail to Shiara.

"There you have it. It was his decision, not yours. His responsibility, not yours" Shiara felt confident enough in her argument; she told herself something similar every night. "And if you can't even blame him, then how can you possibly be at fault? Blame the assassins, they're the monsters, not you."

"But, how?" Ada backed away, but didn't break the hug. She felt tears coming on again. "If they weren't protecting me, they'd still be alive. Every time I close my eyes, I remember the screaming, the stench, the melting flesh. How do I forget?"

"I don't know." Now, Shiara began to tear up. Long repressed memories of fire, smoke, humans reduced to ash so quickly that their skeletons shattered like charcoal on hitting the ground. "I... back in Kale, that wasn't the first time I lost control of my power."

"Oh." Ada could think of nothing to say. She wanted to offer comfort, but all she could do was blame herself for wallowing in her own misery. It was a stupid, but vicious, cycle.

"I wish I could say it goes away." Shiara stared up into Ada's beautiful purple eyes. "But it hasn't. I don't think it ever will. With time, the nightmares happen less often, but it never goes away. You just learn to take happiness where you find it and hope you're ready when it gets bad again."

Silent in the face of Shiara's bleak prognosis for the both of them, Ada could only hope their shared hug was comfort for the both of them.

Shiara, too, remained in the bizarrely comforting discomfort of being held by the one person she'd ever known who she trusted enough to share so much, however much she had yet to confess. Knowing she couldn't handle much more, and feeling like she'd never have such a chance again, she licked her lips, stood on her toes, and kissed her princess.

Ada froze in stunned confusion. Shiara was kissing her. After confirming it wasn't some strange hallucination, she then asked herself why, and could come to no sensible answer.

Seconds later, Shiara broke the kiss after realizing she was getting the response she would expect from a marble statue. "I... I'm sorry!" She turned around and with a burst of power escaped the park and her shame before tears could fall, or Ada could call her a degenerate.

Shiara screamed at herself in her own head. She never should have let her guard down, never should have gotten that close, never should have caved to temptation, and because of her lack of control, her princess hated her and thought she was a pervert.

Shiara was halfway to the horizon before Ada got over her shock and reached a hand out to stop her. Still uncertain of what possessed Shiara to kiss her, she touched her lips, then wiped away her tears. She didn't have a solution for her memories, but for now she had a much more perplexing situation to consider.

After standing in place long enough to confirm Shiara wasn't coming back, Ada turned and made the slow walk back to Arakash and Celeste. She found the pair still waiting in the park, both wearing a cold expression, though she suspected for different reasons.

Arakash asked the question, knowing the answer before the first word passed his lips. He knew the girl's proclivities and worked out a good guess on her vulnerabilities. If that wasn't enough, the flash of desperate emotion and magic, and the scents on Ada would have given it away. "Where did Shiara go?" He couldn't afford to gloat, not yet, but he wasn't above finding an innocuous means to twist the knife.

Too tired to argue, Ada answered. "I don't think she's coming back."

Celeste felt the truth, and confusion, in the girl's words. She wanted to help, but it wasn't her place, nor did she know enough of the situation to feel confident with stepping in. In any case, it seemed to her that at the moment, the princess needed quiet support rather than more meddling. "If you would like to take some time, I can make some arrangements to find her, perhaps deliver a message?"

"No, that won't be necessary," Ada said. There was no message she could think to send. "I'd rather get to work."

"As you wish." It was a coping mechanism she'd long grown accustomed to. Not one she considered healthy, but familiar and reliable. "As I informed your... servant... it will be some time before we can open the path to Karana. Our security doesn't take into account allowing a noctrel to live."

"Don't blame me, fish-face." Arakash glared at the daeva. "I wasn't given a choice in the matter." He put on his best smile. "However, we can make good use of our time here. Karana might be the capital city and seat of the military and magical might of the empire, but it's paranoid and isolated and hidden behind so many protective wards that some people say the city is a fictitious lure so people don't go looking for real secrets."

"I assure you, Karana is real," Celeste added. "Your servant's exaggerations are not, however, completely false. The only means I'm aware of to access the city, however, requires some complex magic considered a military secret even I am not privy to."

"As I said, capital of magic and paranoia," Arakash continued. "We won't get to meet the High Ministry, but we can do a great deal here in Vera."

"I assume you plan to approach the major players and develop our own network of allies who can generate political pressure on our behalf?" For all her uncertainty and inexperience in other areas, politics was something Princess Adageyudi had years of training and a lifetime of experience with. "It's a good plan. Unless there's recent news I haven't been informed of, I believe the best place to start would be the Ort-Selucid Dynasty."

Too many lives had been lost bringing her here, and she refused to let them die in vain.

=====

A/N- It was at this moment that Shiara knew she fucked up.

Shot. Down. Technically, in-game, it's possible to avoid this particular scene by limiting your character interactions- Shiara will have a hidden counter going that'll determine when the scene occurs where they end up sharing their mutual PTSD flashbacks. But it's both more in-character and more mechanically optimal to run this route. Quite a bit more, really.

This is where the game really begins opening up. Different characters can be met and alliances made which will have impacts later on. Revisiting Vera will be a thing throughout the game (both in terms of coming back to advance the side story and because the main story ends up here once or twice), and ultimately completing this "sidequest region" will grant access to some endgame shinies. I'll follow a minimalist path... the story's going to be massive enough, anyway.

 

For a moment, Celeste lost the ability to hide her surprise. "The Selucid? Interesting choice." Yet again, she found herself wondering how much this girl knew.

"Allow me to translate." Arakash succeeded in hiding his reaction; centuries of conquests had honed his talent for concealing his intent. "She's probing for information without coming out and admitting that's what she's doing."

Daeva had a reputation for honesty which he was in no position to contradict, but a specific daeva's personal loyalties could be called into question. He didn't need to prove her a liar, only that her loyalty was to a cause which did not have Ada's best interests at heart. The trick as he saw it would be doing it in such a way that the daeva wouldn't catch on.

Celeste nodded at the accusation. "Well, yes, I am here to assist. I don't with for you to feel obligated to share more than you feel comfortable, however."

That right there was why Arakash needed to remain subtle. Perhaps a direct confrontation would result in her confirming his accusation, perhaps not, but chances were good she'd be able to twist her being a spy into a good thing and it would be accepted as sincere because it would be sincere, no matter how nonsensical. He wouldn't take the risk when there were safer methods available.

Ada considered the question, and decided there were no secrets at risk. "They seem the least interconnected to the rest of your politics. With others, I risk alienating rival factions. The Ort-Selucid seem uniquely isolated from the nobility and markets in spite of how common they are as laborers and soldiers." She bit her tongue before implying it was a matter of bigotry, but the thought crossed her mind.

"A minor correction," Celeste said. "Selucid are a people, while Ort is a familial name. Their most powerful family, granted, but you might offend others by calling them the wrong name. At best, you will reveal you know little of their culture."

"I had not realized. Thank you." Ada nodded and tried to hide her blush. Her tutors deserved some thorough chastisement for failing as educators.

"On the subject of their social role; Selucids have absurd natural healing. It makes them stronger than most, and it seems the only way to make one stay dead is incineration, necromancy, or waiting for old age, but they're incompatible with other bloodlines. They can't even cross-breed, since all that does is create offspring with the other parent's magic." It wasn't in Arakash's nature to be so helpful, but he needed to prove more useful than the daeva. "Which does not serve them well in the thaumocracy that is Karana."

He left out some details, like how all societies were in effect thaumocratic. It wasn't bias, so much as that supernatural power was an unfair advantage in every aspect of life. Those with more power found they had more tools at their disposal to solve problems and acquire success, which allowed them to interact with other powerful people, produce offspring which solidified their bloodline rather than dilute it, and continue the cycle across the generations. Royalty carried the blood of gods because it was gods who forged kingdoms.

They continued discussing the finer details of Selucids in Karanan society, which then expanded into other species well into the evening.

At which point, Ada had begun to worry about Shiara. She knew the girl could take care of herself better than most, but after the events of the day, she hoped to talk to her.

Instead, she chose to talk to Celeste, though in a roundabout way. "I should pay you for our stay."

"No need," Celeste said. "I've been given a discretionary budget for the purpose of your stay. It is standard practice when dealing with ambassadors. I admit, using it in this manner is unusual, but hardly objectionable given the circumstances. The difficulty is in doing so without alerting anyone."

Arakash spotted the danger the moment Ada spoke. There was little he could do to stop it, but he had to try. "Surely your father's entertained visitors, Princess. This is no different, but you're the guest. They're ingratiating themselves to you for personal gain."

"Be that as it may," Ada said. "There's little to be lost in being a gracious guest. I thank you for doing your best to care for us."

"As I walk." Celeste smiled at the girl. "But that's not what you really want to talk about, is it?"

"No." Ada wasn't surprised Celeste saw through her. "Arakash, go outside. Stay nearby, don't eavesdrop, don't cause trouble."

"I'm afraid I have to object. Leaving you alone with her could be dangerous." It was an edge case in terms of what his binding required of him, but he could justify a belief that there was a danger in saying too much to a foreign agent. "If you reveal something sensitive-"

"I assure you, it won't be more sensitive than having a noctrel as a bodyguard," Ada countered. "This is personal, not business. Now go."

Arakash twitched as he sought any further argument to support his cause, but in his goal was meant to benefit himself, not her. "As you command, Princess." It appeared the daeva's positive reputation was stronger than he could erode in so short a time. He hoped there would be further opportunities of attack, but for now he accepted defeat and left.

Celeste offered a soft smile; she'd had centuries to practice the fine art of comforting others, and put it to full effect. "I presume this relates to Shiara?"

For a moment, Ada hesitated at the insight Celeste showed. "I suppose it is obvious."

"You've seemed troubled since she departed at the park." She closed her eyes, a gesture meant to engender peace. "It was not my place to speak, but if you wish to, I like to believe I'm a good listener."

She'd learned of late that it was easiest to take the fastest path through. "She kissed me."

"Ah." Celeste suspected something of that nature.

"Ah? Just, ah?" She didn't know what she expected, but it wasn't 'ah.' "What do you think?"

"What I think doesn't matter," Celeste said. "What matters is how you feel."

"Confused." Ada had no context to draw from. "Why did she kiss me? Why would she want to kiss me?"

"You are close to her age and she seems to have developed feelings for you during your time together." She still wasn't certain when the two met; it must have been recent, given their differing cultural traits and attitudes toward the world. "I imagine there are many who would want to do the same, given the circumstances."

"But we're both girls."

"That's how some people are." Celeste was getting a feel for how isolated Ada's life must have been growing up. It seemed history wished to repeat itself in the cruelest way conceivable. "Some women prefer other women, and some men prefer other men. It's unusual, but gather enough humans together and you'll find behaviors far more odd than that."

"Oh." It was something to think about. "What about you?"

"Daeva are... one of the more unusual ones." How sheltered was this girl, Celeste wondered. "We have no desire to kiss anyone, man or woman. I'm sure you've heard we are chaste beings. That is not a sacrifice on our part, but a simple lack of purpose. Lust is not in our nature, and we are incapable of progeny."

"I'm sorry." Ada had known daeva were magical beings, but she hadn't realized the extent to which applied.

"Do not be. It is impossible to miss that which I have never known, and I feel the benefits outweigh the drawbacks." This was a conversation she'd had numerous times in the past, sometimes with would-be suitors. Though the conversation was more involved where the suitors were concerned. "While we can never know the joy of children born of our flesh, so too will we never know the ravages of age, disease, or infirmity. It is by violence alone a daeva is extinguished."

Trial and error done long ago had taught her not to mention the many other benefits to daeva physiology. In part because no one liked a braggart, but even in clinical discussion she found that many people fell prey to jealousy and resentment when the topic was discussed at length.

"That's a lot to consider."

"It is," Celeste agreed. "But it is not yours to concern yourself with. You have your own problems, and one of them includes a friend who I'm certain is more upset at herself than she is at you right now. She'll come back when she feels she's ready."

Adageyudi was taken back by that statement. "How do you know?"

A sad smile crossed Celeste's lips before she converted centuries of hard-earned wisdom in one sentence. "She wouldn't be much of a friend if I'm wrong."

Ada smiled as well. "Thank you."

Celeste felt the genuine gratitude, so much deeper than the mere politeness of before. "But there's nothing to be done tonight. You should deal with one of the other annoyances in being human. Get some rest, you'll need your focus tomorrow."

"What about you and Arakash?"

"I've brought some light reading. Perhaps I'll let him borrow a book. How do you think he'll enjoy A Treatise on Silmid Healing Techniques as Documented by Cor Tanil?"

Ada laughed in genuine amusement. She'd been forced to read one of the famed scholar's works when learning the basics of healing magic, and couldn't for the life of her understand how the man found the time to do medicine in between writing page after rambling page of eye-straining medical text. "Even he doesn't deserve that fate. I might consider it as a threat for later, however."

"Poor Tanil, his mind so full of ideas that he had no room left for people." A wry chuckle left her throat. "I tried to convince him to consider the possibility that people were every bit as fascinating as his science, and all I got was a six hour conversation on how to replace human body parts with machines to make them better in every way."

"You knew him?"

"In passing. He was an important figure back then, while I was little more than a child who imagined she could change the war as a battlefield medic. Now go to bed, and perhaps I'll tell you more about it some day."

"I look forward to it."

Celeste left the room with a smile on her face. There were still many troubles on the horizon, but for the first time since she heard about the Isylan princess of Tyras, she felt hope that the future was more than a tragedy waiting to occur.

Princess Adageyudi stared at the ceiling and wondered about her own future, and hoped Shiara was safe and warm. Then she smiled and reminded herself that a lack of warmth wasn't a concern for Shiara.

Shiara stared up at the sky, and wondered if she could for one moment in her life have something without destroying it.

And Arakash? Arakash waited, watched, and planned.

=====

A/N- Poor Arakash... he really is not equipped to deal with Celeste. His only advantage is that he's sneakier than her... but she's every bit as smart as he is, and a fair bit older.

Daeva really do have numerous (super)natural advantages. Flight, magic, immunity to all sorts of shit which includes dying of old age. On the balance I'm sure many people would accept worse consequences than chastity and an inability to lie as a cure for arthritis, let alone eternal youth.

Tanil is a reference to the character that is no longer being used in this story. He's the "crazy engineer/researcher" archetype. Likes to spout a bunch of random technical information. I moved him to a different novel- one with fewer characters so he could have a more significant role. Specifically, Dictatum. He's far better suited for that story, anyhow.

 

The Ort-Selucid estate was an unusual one to say the least. While most of the estate buildings were constructed from crafted stone, the material here seemed to be small rectangular blocks positioned to overlap one another. Princess Adageyudi had experienced her share of masonry, but none assembled in such a way.

"It's known as 'brick'." A tall, well-built man dressed in traditional merchant's fashion approached. Aside from his yellow cat-slit eyes, the one visible indication of the draconic heritage Selucid carry, he looked looked like any other merchant scion. "It is one of the oldest styles of building; many ancient ruins have walls made the same way."

"Ort Lendril?" Princess Ada kicked herself the moment after asking. So much for not implying she couldn't tell the difference between them.

"No." The man chuckled. "Well, yes, but not the one you're looking for. That would be Father. He's waiting for us in the family hall. And to whom do we owe such auspicious company as Commander Celeste brings us? Some of my mothers suspect a ruse. Father agrees, but he says he is bored and hopes the ruse might be entertaining."

Ada smiled, as much in relief as anything. "I hope I don't disappoint." She slipped into the role of merchant banter with ease that came of years of practice. "I am Princess Adageyudi na Tyr, and this is my advisor, Arin." She gestured to Arakash's current form, chosen to resemble a typical Tyras citizen. "And it seems you're already familiar with Lady Celeste, who is serving as an escort while I'm here. But please, refer to me as Ada. We are trying to keep my presence here secret."

Ort Lendril nodded to Celeste and 'Arin', who nodded in return as was custom, then he spoke. "Tyras, now there is a tale I'm certain Father will find well worth hearing." That Tyras was breaking its two decades of effective silence was news enough; but to approach his family, and he felt confident in assuming they did so first, was unprecedented. "Come along, please. I doubt he would want me to keep a princess waiting."

"Speaking of tales, your father has some fascinating tastes in architecture." Ada gestured at the 'brick' of the walls. "This must have cost a fortune to get crafted to such an intricate level of detail."

"It wasn't all his idea, but the nature of brick reduces costs by a significant amount. You see, it can be crafted by anyone who has access to clay and a good furnace to bake it in. Not unlike a loaf of bread. Then, it is stacked as you see here." Ort Lendril kept his smile; he loved the look on the faces of royalty when they learned there were means to accomplish great things without sorcery. "Not a single earth mage need be involved in its creation or assembly."

"Incredible," Ada said. She reached out and touched the rough stone. It was so unlike the smoothed stone worked by mages. She pulled away when her fingers began to go numb. "Nullification?"

"Ah, yes, I'm not surprised you'd notice." The strong ones always did, in his experience. "It's not much, but in some ways brick is much like glass or quartz, and so it can hold a magical charge. Since it's already difficult for mages to transmute, Grandfather felt it was wisest to make use of the crystal to generate small nullifying fields. No single one has much power, but when overlapped they grow more resilient than any fortress wall."

Ada would have asked more questions, but a pair of women approached, then froze as if they got caught doing something wrong. They were beautiful, though she was more concerned about the only clothing they wore being body paint.

Their faces were painted like pale blue dolls, and they kept their expressions neutral enough to hold that illusion of delicate frailty, but for a moment they looked confused and afraid, and remained paralyzed by their uncertainty.

Arakash caught quite a bit more information; the confusion and fear was genuine, but there was a great deal of jealousy and resentment as well. These women despised Ada and viewed her as a threat to their own well-being. The only thing they seemed to hate more than her was each other.

"Mothers, it appears our guest this luncheon is this young lady." Lendril nodded toward Ada. "Please, go inform Father."

"Of course." "Our apologies." The pair turned and walked as fast as required decorum would allow. Arakash picked up on their frustration and regrets; it seemed to him that they spent some social capital to be the ones to meet the guests first, and it had been wasted on Ada.

"Do your... mothers... often greet people in this manner?" Celeste asked. She was aware that Selucid customs were unusual, and like most of the island peoples had a relaxed attitude toward nudity, but she hadn't thought it was to this extent.

Lendril chuckled again, trying to hide his embarrassment. He had hoped he could alert one of his brothers or sisters and send them ahead to give warning, but it was not to be. "My apologies. Father has something of a reputation. It's rare we find ourselves entertaining female guests. I hope our faux pas won't discourage you."

Princess Adageyudi kept her face neutral. She could guess the sort of 'entertainment' that would be put on under normal circumstances, and was willing to give them time to adjust for circumstances. "They seem to get along better most consort-wives I've known." Polygamy was not uncommon among the noble castes in Tyras, and Ada knew of numerous rumors about her own father's relative lack of partners which ranged from vague insults to absurd stories of high romance.

"That may owe itself to the unique nature of Selucid bride-price custom." If the princess thought his mothers got along, then Lendril wasn't going to be the one to correct her. "You see, on the Selu islands, it is customary to give the bride-price to the bride, rather than her family. It seems someone caught wind of the practice, and Father has been inundated with offers ever since. Some less sincere than others."

"Then I must compliment your father on his excellent judge of character," Ada said.

Lendril fought down the urge to laugh. Knowing that one of the city's most famed and upstanding peacekeepers was standing nearby, listening to him describe what could be interpreted as a form of slavery, made it easier than it otherwise would have been. "I'm certain he'll be pleased to hear it."

Minutes later, a different pair of much younger women came out wearing elaborate dresses of silk and precious metals. "Elder brother, we are here to inform you the banquet hall has been prepared."

"Thank you, younger sisters. Please lead our honored guest Ada to to the hall." Lendril turned and nodded to the princess. "I beg your forgiveness, but I must attend to some matters."

"Such is the lives of all children to powerful men." She accepted the apology by giving a compliment, one more traditional mercantile practice.

"Writ in the stars." Lendril hurried off to tell his father about the numerous ways this situation had come within a hair's breadth of disaster in the last few minutes.

"Please, this way," the elder of the two young Selucid girls stepped up to Ada.

Her sister approached Arakash and Celeste. "If you have need of anything, simply as and I shall be happy to give it to you."

"That is quite alright," Celeste said. She glanced at Arakash, as if to dare him to disagree. "We have need of nothing right now."

Arakash smirked; sometimes, the best statements were the ones left unspoken. "As she says."

The banquet hall itself was quite impressive, covered from wall to wall in tapestries of red, purple, and gold. Interspersed with numerous magical torches, glowing with the power of sarite crystals rather than flame. Along the walls stood a total of twenty nine girls ranging from between ten to twenty years of age dressed in similar finery to their specific hosts. It was a show of opulence which rivaled any she'd grown up witnessing.

"Please, sit and enjoy some snacks before Father arrives."

"Thank you." Ada sat at the far end of the table, where the girl indicated. Arakash and Celeste took positions on either side of her.

"And as if that wasn't enough, I had to explain why your wives are wandering around naked to the Third Commander because these idiots had to break protocol." He gestured at the two women from before, their heads bowed low. "We're lucky she didn't accuse you of... of... everything!" Elsewhere, the younger Lendril had just finished his rant. "Any leverage we may have had is gone!"

"You worry too much." The elder Lendril laughed at his son's panic. "If anything, I think we now know our leverage runs deeper than we ever suspected. As you said, the princess was quite gracious even when she had every reason to walk away. They're desperate."

The younger hesitated, but now that he was considering it he couldn't dismiss his father's ideas as false. "You don't know that."

"I knew Sorda back in the day." The elder chuckled at his memories of the man. "A manipulative weasel of a man, with the eyes of a hawk, the nose of a Silmid, and the fangs of a viper. He's discovered something important and now he needs me to get it for him. And he's willing to sell off his only daughter for it."

"Father, you can't be serious!" The younger shouted again. "She's... she's no use to you, anyway. All the peasant girls are one thing... at least their children are still Selucid... but this girl is royalty. She furthers none of your goals."

"My boy, as you get older you'll learn beautiful women are a fine goal in their own right."

"You haven't even laid eyes on her, yet!"

"But I know her lineage, and if she takes after her grandmother, she'll be breathtaking." Once again, the elder dismissed all his son's concerns. "Mark my words, by the end of this dinner, that princess will be your new mother. That is, unless you'd prefer to have her for yourself?"

Younger sighed and lowered his head in defeat. "I can see there's no getting through to you. Let's go out there and see what she's asking for, before you announce your claims."

"What sort of fool do you take me for?"

They left the room, ignoring the two still-naked women who had heard the entire conversation. The pair glanced at one another; much as they hated each other, they knew what they needed to do.

Out in the banquet hall, Ada enjoyed a small snack of crackers and a unique, spiced cheese that she had never encountered before. It was then that the leader of the Ort-Selucid clan came in from a side room followed by his son. To her eyes, the two looked more like brothers than parent and child. The elder Lendril still had the features of youth one would expect of a boy on the cusp of manhood, rather than a man nearing his second century of life.

"My apologies for keeping such illustrious company waiting," he said without hesitation. "I admit, when I first heard claim that Lady Celeste was bringing an esteemed guest to my estate, I dismissed the claim and assumed it was an attempt at a clandestine meeting. An embarrassment for my family, I assure you."

"It is quite alright." Princess Adageyudi nodded took one small nibble of her food. "My arrival is something of a unique situation for all involved."

"Ah, but of course it is. So rarely do we Selucid get to sit at the table with foreign guests. I'm afraid we're quite beneath notice."

False humility, another tradition of the merchant class which Ada was well aware of. The appropriate response was, as always, a compliment. "I assure you, you've been noticed by people in every corner of the world I have been to." Technically true. "But, perhaps underappreciated by many. I think I may be able to help you change that."

Father and son glanced at one another for a moment; one triumphant and one of resigned. "I have little doubt that you could, but I'm curious about your plans."

"I was thinking of buying your bricks."

For a moment, Lendril's mind experienced the death of all thought, achieving through shock and disbelief what monks spent their entire lives seeking via meditation and fasting. "Bricks?"

"Yes." Ada stopped for a moment as a drink was sat down next to her. "Your son told me about them when we arrived, and I think they have fascinating properties. As I'm certain you're aware, we have very few earth mages up in the north, which can render construction expensive. And their potential for securing vulnerable locations is no doubt significant. If you extended a branch into Tyras to sell them, I'm certain they'll be popular and beneficial to us both."

Taking over for his now stricken mute father, the younger Lendril had to ask a question. "I thought you didn't know about bricks before I told you?"

"I did not," Ada admitted. "However, I was sent to reopen trade and economic relationships between Tyras and the various nations of Karana. Specific details were left to my discretion. And, as my father likes to say: the only wasted opportunity is one not taken."

Ada took a drink of her newly offered wine. It was a strange flavor, both bitter and sweet in a way that she couldn't quite describe. And in the next moment, she had doubled over and began emptying the contents of her stomach on herself, the floor, and the table. "I'm sorry!" She gagged, and choked down her body's reaction.

Celeste reacted first, jumping to her feet and rushing over to the ailing princess. She flooded the girl with a spectrum of healing magics. They didn't seem to help the poor girl.

Ada gagged again, then swallowed down long enough to speak. "I don't know what happened!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Arakash remained sitting, and didn't bother to hide his amusement. "You've been poisoned. Something really nasty, by the looks of it." He hid his own gut pain; it wasn't as bad as Ada made it seem, and more than worth the price of learning that in spite of Ada's immunity to poisons, her reflexes would still respond in such a way. He couldn't think of a means to exploit that trait right now, perhaps something to do with drowning, but it was a lesson worth learning.

The younger Lendril reacted first, and jumped to his feat. "Brothers! Seal off the entrances! Nobody goes in or out of this building until we find the assassin!"

=====

A/N- No, seriously, if you look into the chemical makeup of fired clay, it's kind of crazy... almost like a glass-metal alloy... it'd be very difficult for an earth mage to manipulate (not impossible by any means... but far more difficult than any other common stone... and that difficulty skyrockets when antimagic gets involved). And most people prefer the molded stone an earth mage can produce. There are many arts common to our world that basically don't exist in Midara because they have the "magic does it better" button... but the thing about brick is a significant meta-clue about the setting.

No, not telling you what it is.

Midara as a setting sees a lot of dowries and bride-prices being handed out. Mainly because of the whole "magic is inherited via bloodline" thing. Desirable bloodlines are expensive.

And Selucid culture is fun. It's something of a pity that Shiara couldn't be here for this chapter- she has amusing (internal) dialogue during this section. But, well, I think this way works better from a story flow perspective.

Also... I hope nobody I know ever gets killed via poison. After this story, I'm going to be all three of the top suspects in that murder.

 

"I apologize deeply for this insult, Princess," the elder Lendril bowed in supplication. "Is there anything we can do to apologize? Anything at all?"

Celeste kept a hand on Ada's shoulder; she had recovered from the physical harm of rejecting the poison, but Celeste knew well that scars ran deeper than mere flesh. "I will need to do a thorough investigation. I hope you'll cooperate."

The younger Lendril almost stepped forward, before he remembered himself. "Certainly, you can't be implying we had something to do with these events?"

"Of course not." As amusing as this distraction was, Arakash decided it was to his advantage to get involved, if only as a means to edge out the daeva out as an adviser. "No sane being would attempt this sort of an assassination in front of a daeva, which proves the guilty party didn't know there was a daeva involved. You'd know you'd get caught, which would ruin your house and end with your executions."

"You have an excellent grasp of our situation," elder Lendril said. In spite, or perhaps because, of his experience as a businessman, his relief and fear was clear in his expression. "Even if we had a motive, which we don't, we wouldn't have done it this way. And for that matter, we didn't even known who our guest would be."

"Be that as it may," Celeste said. "I would like to interrogate you and your staff all the same." As much as she hated to admit it, there were ways to defeat a daeva's truthsense. While there was no means natural or magical to intentionally deceive a daeva's senses, there were illnesses of the mind, as well as simple inaccurate beliefs, which could allow obvious falsehoods to get by a daeva's senses.

"You do, of course, have the right to refuse." Those people who write the laws included plenty of loopholes to protect themselves from said laws, while making those protections seem like attempts at fairness. "As I am not here in my role as an officer of the law, I have no power to compel your cooperation. But the evidence of a crime is not in dispute. If you refuse to cooperate, then I will contact the authorities and a full investigation will take place under the auspices of the courts."

Which meant a public embarrassment at the least, and at worst the possibility of other legally dubious activities coming to light. Like all merchant families, the Ort-Selucid had rivals and enemies who would take any advantage that came to light. As such, it was no surprised when the leader of the house nodded and said "We would be more than happy to cooperate, Lady Celeste."

"Very well." Celeste nodded back. "Did you poison Princess Adageyudi, or instruct another to do so?"

"No." "Of course not." The pair answered.

Their voices rang true to Celeste's ears, which was no surprise. "Do you know or have any suspicions as to who might be responsible?"

"I'm afraid not," the elder said. It wasn't quite a lie, but Celeste could tell it wasn't quite the truth, either.

"Dozens," the younger said at the same time. His words were true, in so far as he believed them to be truth. Celeste knew better than to trust suspicion as being the same as fact.

"I'm afraid my son has some... apprehensions, about his mothers." True. "I assure you, they are all upstanding young women" lie "who would never do anything to harm anyone," false "let alone a guest in our home." Uncertain.

Sick of his father making a joke of himself in front of Commander Celeste, the younger sighed. "Father, we must have discussed this a thousand times." Exaggeration. "I know you know better," lie "and I cannot continue ignoring that is this harem of yours is anything but a complete disaster." True. He then looked at Celeste. "Over the last year,-"

"Shut your mouth, you-" His father shouted, interrupting him.

Celeste interrupted him right after, with a bust of flame between the pair. Celeste wasn't much of a fire mage; in fact, the most she could do with a single spell was cause some small amount of pain, but it was her most visible magic. The fire vanished, and Celeste made eye contact with the head of the house. "I will remind you that interfering with an investigation is a crime, Lendril Ort-Selucid. I will overlook this one time. Now be silent unless asked a question."

"As you command." The man backed down, plotting in his mind how to take revenge on his traitor son. Perhaps Celeste as well, but he wasn't brave enough to try for fear of the full force of the law destroying him and his legacy to the last fleck of gold dust.

"A wise decision," Celeste said, before turning her attention back to the young man. "You were saying something about the last year?"

"Yes," he said. "There have been a total of four murders, as well as a number of accidents I doubt were accidents. It's so hard to keep track of everyone that I don't even know all of my mothers' names."

"I see." It seemed to her that she had reached the limits of direct inquiry for the time being. "See to it that the women are isolated, and I'll begin the process of interrogating them until I find the ones who are responsible."

.....

The next couple hours were enlightening.

"I'm sorry, I don't know anything." Lie. "I've never killed or tried to kill anyone." True. "Lendril treats us well, we want for nothing." Lie. "We wouldn't do anything to hurt each other." Such a lie. Still, she moved on from each interrogation, knowing that it was a matter of time until she found her culprits.

It was to Celeste's frustration that Arakash cut through the deception better than she could accomplish.

"Ah, but we know that's not true," Arakash said when they were interrogating the fourth. "You're here because of the money, and so are the others. There's a motive strong enough that some of you are willing to kill to eliminate competition. That said, you could tell us where to look, and when we find what we're looking for, we'll eliminate the competition for you. And you won't have to worry about being pushed over a balcony. I promise, we won't tell anyone you talked."

She took a moment to think, then relented. "There's lots of reasons, but I think the worst of them is the pregnancy clause." True.

Sensing the woman wouldn't continue, Celeste asked the question. "Pregnancy clause?"

"Uh," she looked at the three. "Look, I don't have the options you have. I'm nothing, an ordinary human with just enough water magic to put out a candle. I have no prospects, no future. At least here, I have a chance that my children will have a better life. The selucid complain that their lives are terrible because of their lack of spellcasting, but they can heal from any injury, don't fear disease, and live five times longer than I could if I'm lucky."

"And you want your children to have those benefits?"

"Who wouldn't?" She looked away, uncertain and afraid. "Maybe you wouldn't. You're powerful, I bet you can knock over buildings or give sight to the blind with but a wave of your hand. How could you understand what it's like for us at the bottom? Women like me die trying to carry the offspring of people like you, because our bodies can't handle the magic energy."

"I... grew up without a bloodline, too." Princess Adageyudi said. "Stronger than yours, perhaps, but weak enough that I wasn't even fit to be a lay cleric. It's hard living in a world where others born luckier than you can do with ease things you can never accomplish. I can't blame you for doing everything in your power to save your children from growing up in that situation."

Celeste kept quiet; the inequities of Karana's society was a long standing thorn in the side of an otherwise beautiful society. Unfortunate circumstances of birth haunted the world, and there was no obvious solution to the cruelty of nature.

"Maybe you do understand." The woman gave a sad smile. "But that's only part of it. You see, there's a clause in our marriage contracts. If we don't get pregnant within one year, we're kicked out. There's over a hundred of us; even if he laid with one of us every night, there's a good chance we wouldn't conceive in time. And often he's too busy to bother, plus he has certain favorites. I've been here six months, and he hasn't so much as given me a lascivious look. Other girls have it worse than me; at least I have a family whose farm I can go back to."

"That's horrible!" Ada exclaimed. Polygamy was a simple fact of life, but treating spouses like chattel was unacceptable. "How is this legal?!"

"It's not," Celeste said. "And I'll do what I can to see the situation corrected." She didn't have the heart to say that doing so would ruin the sanctuary these women had found, however imperfect it might be.

"Thank you," Ada said.

"For now, let's focus on the assassination attempt, and the other murders."

.....

"Lendril Ort, of the Ort-Selucid, you are under arrest." It had been a long, tiring afternoon for Celeste, and she was going to enjoy seeing that justice was done after all that effort.

"What? On what charges!" The elder stood tall facing the daeva, as if to intimidate her into backing down.

Celeste considered the man's potential threat. Selucid were a nightmare in battle, with their inhuman endurance. She wasn't certain she could win in a fair fight, but the fight would never be fair. "The cover-up of a murder, and no less than one hundred counts of malicious violation of contract."

"Violation of contract?" Lendril was taken by that accusation. "I have never violated a contract in my life!" True.

"When a contract is entered into, the parties must put all due effort into ensuring that the other parties are capable of completing their role in the contract," Celeste said.

He hesitated, wondering what Celeste was getting at. "Of course, that's basic law. I assure you, I've never broken that law." True.

"Some of your girls have informed me that you haven't performed your husbandly duties even once, in spite of a contract requiring they get pregnant within the year. I have reason to believe some of the girls you sent away will be able to say the same. They didn't know the law, but I do."

"B-but!" Lendril sputtered. "That hardly applies! Marital law is not the same as contract law! You can't do this!" Lie.

"If I were you, I wouldn't make that argument," Arakash said. He wasn't one for 'justice', but if he got to see more men's wills being broken like this one, he could be persuaded to do it again. "A violation of contract gives you a chance. If this goes to marital court, you'll be so deep in debt that your great grandchildren would die of old age before you could pay it off."

"It's true." Celeste ignored the dissonance of the noctrel's statement, true though it may be, still feeling false to her senses. "A legal divorce means your former wives can press for restitution, and if they can prove you failed your duties as a husband, they'd be entitled to a significant percentage of your holdings. I think we both know the courts won't favor you. Not after my testimony."

"I'd suggest stepping down," Princess Adageyudi said. "It's the only way to save your legacy."

Lendril slumped back against the wall, his heart hammering in his chest. His life was ruined, his fortune stolen from him. Not thinking of consequence, he sprung forward, claws at the ready.

The room went lopsided, and it was only after a couple seconds that he realized that his head was now laying on the ground, separated from the rest of his body. His flesh began mending, starting with the growth of a new spine. But until then, he was so very tired, and cold. His visioned blurred, and then darkness claimed him.

"He'll survive, but he won't be moving for a while," Celeste said. "I'll take him into custody. Lady Ada, it's up to you if you want me to press charges on him attacking you, or if I should charge him with attacking me."

Ada considered her options, but there was only one logical decision. "It was you arresting him. None of his criminal actions involved me in any way. I believe he had no motive to go after me, and every motive to go after you." Between her current need for secrecy, and the state of hostilities between Tyras and Karana, it was best not to have her name attached to any legal proceedings if she could avoid it.

"I agree with your assessment," Celeste said.

Listening in from the other room, a young man heard the whole tale of his father's downfall.

=====

A/N- This is a universe where Truthsayers are commonplace. Granted, most are significantly less capable than the daeva, but still there are laws protecting those in power from being busted for their crimes with just a question. At the same time, those protections only go so far. And Celeste is a high ranking official in her own right.

Also... apologies for the late chapter. Three days of migraines and some other drama and crap really cut down my productivity.

Plus, this chapter is wholecloth... see, I don't have a script to go off of. This murder mystery sidequest is only about one hundred words in my notes. Most of the other Vera sidequests are the same way. And investigation plots are tricky to write.

PS- if people actually speculate on this chapter, they'll get a bonus scene delving even further into this little murder mystery. The game sidequest will also work out that way- with 'unsolved', 'solved', 'fully solved', and 'extra bonus solved' outcomes. Of course, the only way to get 'unsolved' is to just walk out of the building while talking to no one, then never come back... so... it's the bonus rewards for doing actual investigations that'll be in question.