The night before…
I shouldn't have expected anything less. Here we go again.
Jules cracked his neck, then wandered to the edge of the black lake. Each footstep on the water's surface rippled out across, seemingly to infinity—there was no end in sight to this lake or surrounding forest. Fear didn't grip him like it had in the past, when the Shrine rose in Coralhaven, when he met Envy. No, not Envy. What was her name again…?
The golden throne doors towered above him. Blinding light radiated from them, and Jules shielded his eyes. Once his vision adjusted, the prison door of his nightmares had taken their place and stood before him once more, as if taunting him. Fire erupted on all sides, just as they had last time, but Jules neither winced nor felt pain. He pinched his nose and took one step backward, then fell through the water into the abyss.
SPLASH!
No boiling water filled his lungs, but ice cold water wrenched him awake—at least from his dream within a dream. The culprit held a cheap iron bucket. Envy. She'd aged since he last saw her here, from a tomboyish girl to a young woman, though she still seemed equally grumpy as last time.
"Let me guess—"
"What are you doing sleeping!? We need to unload all this crap." Jules chuckled to himself, then got up and unloaded cargo with her. They joked with each other and played pranks while they worked, and more ships, larger in size each time, arrived one by one, until seven in total docked.
"We need to get a bigger boat." Jules admired the last to arrive.
"We need better jobs," Envy said. "But we don't. Keep unloading. He'll wake up any second."
"Can't get a better job." The words escaped Jules, out of his control, spoken by someone else. "Not how we were born. If only we came from a higher station, if our parents had been merchants, or something important. Nobles have it all, and don't even realize it." He stared off at the castle in the distance, which always captured his gaze.
"Hey …, we're all done." That name again. Why don't I recognize it, and why can't I remember hers? "Let's go check out the parade."
Jules finally broke his gaze with the castle. "Let's get paid first."
After they collected their coin, Jules and Envy strolled through the war-torn city. Most of the bodies had been removed, but blood stained the cobblestone streets and building fronts down in the lower quarters.
"Survived another siege," Envy said.
"We fought well. Together, as a unit."
"I can't believe the royal family survived."
"What other royalty do you know that fights on the front lines?" Jules had witnessed the king himself fight down near the docks just two nights ago, in the final bout of the war.
"You idolize them too much. They're still nobles, they don't give a rat's ass about you. And victory was eminent, everyone knew that."
"Apparently not the other side—Wait, here they come!"
The king rode on horseback in front of the procession. Guards lined him on every side but the front, and a palanquin followed behind. Jules admired the princess who sat on high, lifted up by the royal guard. Beauty. "They're not for us," Envy said.
His gaze rested on her crown, on a station that could never be taken from her. Rank. "She's not not for us."
The princess' sword held a place of honor, held up even higher than the woman herself, on a stand at the peak of the palanquin. Rumors spread throughout the city, nights before, that she had killed the invaders' leader in single combat, just two nights prior. Power. "It's not for us."
Everyone in the bloodied streets cheered them, and when they'd pass, the subjects all bowed. Respect. "Get out of the way!"
The princess crossed Jules' path, and the castle lined up behind her. He stared are it once more. A guard pushed him aside—Jules nudged him away and stepped forward as the princess rode past.
"Invader!" the guard yelled at him and to everyone around. "Sent to assassinate the princess!"
"What!?" Jules looked around—he was the only person who'd stepped out of line, who had broken through the human walls of the crowd. Envy was gone.
"Foreigner!" Another shouted. They drew crossbows and blades, and in but a moment, Jules fell to the ground.
When he got up, he found himself back in the prison cell of his nightmares. What just happened—Was that Lust?
The door's service hatch screeched open. Jules looked around the cell. A wooden stick rested on his dingy cot. Jules left it and peered through the open slat. On the other side, a massive golden tree grew from rich soil. Its light blinded him, and Jules' eyes rolled into the back of his head.
Jules sat up too quickly and smacked his forehead against the bottom of the top bunk bed. Cyrus followed suit, but smacked his head against the low ceiling. Both boys groaned and rubbed their heads.
"The hell's wrong with you, Jules?" Cyrus asked from the top bunk.
"I had another nightmare. I think about Lust, this time."
? Summon ?
Kaizen floated next to Jules', his eyes focused and piercing.
"Good to finally see you awake," Jules said. Bastard's been asleep every time I Summon him, except for this morning, of all times.
"I can say the same for you," Kaizen said. Cyrus clambered down the bunk bed and almost fell to the ground.
"Uh huh," Jules said. "Rukia, get over here."
"OK, OK, gotta get my sleepies out, first." Rukia stretched out, yawned, and shook off her slumber. "Extra sleepies today."
"What do these nightmares mean?" Jules asked point blank. "We're short on time thanks to genius over here—"
"Hey, not a Genius yet." Cyrus started to prep himself for the morning's challenge.
"Kaizen, you weren't with me when I met Envy—Kat. But am I going to get one of these each time I meet a Sin or Virtue?"
"What do you think they mean?" Kaizen asked. "And no, not quite. Try the second question again." Asshole.
"If it's dealing with the Sins, then it's gotta be about Wrath." Oh. I get it. Didn't have a nightmare when I met Maddie."So I get these nightmares each time I meet a Sin? I was, uh, pretty drunk when I met Maddie, but I'm sure I would have remembered a dream."
"These dreams will reveal a lot more to you in time," Kaizen said. "You will unlock a new stage each time you meet a Sin." Jules thought back to the first dream he ever remembered upon waking, when the Shrine to Coralhaven opened up.
"I think I have a general idea of where it goes."
Kaizen clicked his tongue. "You have no idea, kiddo."
"I'm sure your master gave you more than that," Jules said.
"Man, Lust sure looked hot last night!" Rukia said.
"You keep saying that," Whiskers said.
"Good to know that you can see my dreams," Jules said.
Rukia!" Kaizen snapped.
"Ah, man…" Rukia splooted deep into the dirt floor.
"Do you see them?" Jules asked Kaizen.
"Don't need to. I've lived them myself—many times over."
"This one of those questions you'll only answer when I fully assemble the Sound of Fury?"
"I'm afraid that's not my story to tell." Kaizen's idiotic grin lit up the room.
"Whatever. Guess I'll have to meet all the Sins and figure it out on my own. Whiskers, any improvement with Kat?"
"None whatsoever. She is also having visions in her sleep." Damn.
"I'm full of Ryoku again, so take some more. Thanks for giving me yours yesterday when we fought those Etherealists." Jules looked at Cyrus. "I better not need any today."
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"Yeah yeah yeah. Get off my back. I'll beat this High Priest to a pulp, spare his life, get some crucial info, then we can go find Lust."
"Wow, just like that, huh? I'll make some healing Inked Arts for you and Kat—"
"No," Whiskers said. "I am strong enough. She is too. Your Ryoku is enough, and much appreciated, though."
"You a Healer now?" Jules asked.
"We shall see, though we might need two after this foolish duel."
Jules stared at Katarina. The skin around her wounds rotted, despite her Regenerative acid that constantly dripped out.
"Seems like my little experiment worked." Cy painted himself with Inked Arts. "You can imbue the Ink itself with extra Ryoku, and not have to put as much in the Script."
"Great, you ready? Sun's rising."
"Almost." Cyrus rolled his eyes.
"How can I help you?"
Cyrus stopped painting himself. "Just ask it."
"Thanks for breaking the ice," Jules said. "If things go south…"
"You have my unequivocal permission to intervene and spare my life."
"Thank Salvos!"
"This information is not worth my life."
"But maybe a few new scars, eh?"
"Not funny, Jules." Cyrus finalized his preparation. Damn, I think I just put him in a worse mood. "I don't see Healers here as a viable outcome in any scenario, so we leave for The Painter immediately after this shit show is over."
"You mean after you win?" Jules said with a smile. Cyrus didn't look at him as he walked out the door.
Crap. I probably screwed up saying that, might've hurt his confidence. Think—How can I turn this around?
[Bounty Increased by ?5,000,000 for crimes committed in Marina Veridia. Total Bounty is now ?12,477,790.]
[Rukia's Bounty Increased by ?750,000 for crimes committed in Marina Veridia. Total Bounty is now ?1,750,000.]
[Katarina's Bounty Increased by ?2,500,000 for crimes committed in Marina Veridia. Total Bounty is now ?5,750,000.]
[Whiskers' Bounty Increased by ?750,000 for crimes committed in Marina Veridia. Total Bounty is now ?1,500,000.]
[Cyrus' Bounty Increased by ?500,000 for crimes committed in Marina Veridia. Total Bounty is now ?662,800.]
[Seraphina's Bounty Increased by ?3,000,000 for crimes committed in Marina Veridia. Total Bounty is now ?3,000,000.]
[Raven's' Bounty Increased by ?1,000,000 for crimes committed in Marina Veridia. Total Bounty is now ?1,000,000.]
Not now, dammit!
…Wait a minute.
CYRUS
"If I win, will you tell me my name?" Cy asked the High Priest.
"If you win, you will have no one to ask. There is no mercy in a duel to the death."
"Begin," Anya commanded.
? Blur ?
A figure appeared in Cy's peripheral and whispered to him. Cy turned to face them, but they disappeared.
"You've felt its effects before, yes?" High Priest Edmund's voice became more muffled, distorted somehow, through the short question. He's trying to screw with my mind. Better tread with caution.
? Gravel ?
Tiny rock shards on the ground blasted Edmund like shrapnel, and he took it full force. "Tsk, tsk, boy. No holding back if you want to live."
? ? Rock Blast ? ?
A stone half Cy's size smashed into his chest and flung him aside.
? ? Ryoku Shield ? ?
Damn, should have done that before coming here. Should learn some good Earth magic today, seems to be his focus.
? Stalagmite ?
Rocky spears erupted from the ground beneath the High Priest at all angles. He leapt to the side, and only one nicked his shin. "Hm, trying to cripple me? You need to aim a little higher, Cyrus of No Surname."
? Boulder ?
Two stones, each much larger than Cy, sped toward him from opposite sides. Cy dove forward and rolled to his opponent, then raised an open palm to his stomach.
? Fire ?
The High Priest controlled the fire and bent it around him in two streams. Cy pumped more Ryoku into his assault to overpower Edmund, but the fire stream warped back around and sped just past Cy's face.
"Look out, Cy!" Jules shouted. Cy spun around and saw the two boulders behind him—neither had smashed the other; they just floated and spun behind him, inside the inferno of his own Script.
? Meteor ?
? ? Quick Sand ? ?
Cy fell into the ground before the attack flattened him.
? Quake ?
Deep inside the ground, which shifted to sand as Cy sunk down and away from Edmund, he shook side-to-side. Combined with the effects of the Blur Rune, Cy wasn't sure which way was up anymore. Fuck, I need to breathe. He clawed out a space in the dirt around his mouth to speak, but sand still got into his mouth and lungs.
? Ascend ?
Cy's head hung low, and his shoulder blades acted as a plow as he pushed dirt aside until he popped out to the surface. He hacked up sand and dirt—
? Aftershock ?
A scraggly line ripped apart the dirt and struck Cy full force with the power of a minor earthquake that sent him flying into the tree tops. He grabbed onto a branch to slow his fall, but it snapped and crashed into the canopy, flipping and rolling around through each level of the trees. He collapsed to the ground, and High Priest Edmund strolled over to him, without a care in the world. Cy drew his curved sword and sprinted to him.
? ? May the Earth Cloak Me ? ?
Rocks, clumps of dirt, broken tree branches, and other loose material swarmed in an orb around Edmund. Cy slashed and at the Priest, enraged, but no strike or combo could pierce the revolving shield, and Edmund made no attempts to dodge or block anything. Fine. I'll have to try a little harder. Cy stomped the ground and invoked a series of Runes.
? Dispel ? ? Magnet ? ? Speed ?
The orb shattered, and Cy attracted the metal between his drawn sword and High Priest Edmund's sheathed weapon to accelerate. Cy pierced the man's shoulder, but he ripped out his dagger and cut Cy in the stomach.
Cy fell to the ground behind him, and Edmund fell to a knee.
? Activate ?
[Inked Arts Consumed: Fire, Heal]
Edmund spun and faced Cy with eyes wide open, mouth slightly ajar. Cy's stomach wound cauterized shut, then healed from the inside out, a little more slowly than he'd hoped.
? Activate ?
[Inked Art Consumed: Darkness Flame]
From Cy's right shoulder down to the tip of his blade, black flames engulfed him. They licked wildly at both the air and the rest of his body, damaging even himself. Strike his body quickly, then get rid of these—
? Banish ?
Just as quickly as they'd ignited, the flames extinguished from his arm. Cy turned to Anya. "This isn't between you and me, you—"
? Shackles ?
"Where did you learn that?" Anya spoke each word slowly.
"Someone taught me a while back. I just don't like using it."
"A dishonorable way to fight."
"A lot of people combine Fire and Dark magic—"
"You fool. She's referring to—" Edmund cut himself off. "The manner in which you invoked it." Both Etherealists glared at him.
"It's a tactic I spent a long time perfecting. Nothing dishonorable about that."
"A cheap trick—"
"Enough, Anya. It appears Cyrus and I are at a stalemate." The High Priest approached Cy, still bleeding. He unbuckled his armor and let it fall to the dirt and wore only pants now. "How about we settle this in one more strike? Leave nothing behind."
"Nothing and everything," Cy said. Better use all of my Ryoku, but do I avoid killing him? I really want answers.
"I'll use one spell. You can use whatever you wish, except that Magic."
Cy looked at his arm, which had still been burned pretty badly in those few seconds of flames. Wish I could that real quick; gonna have to use a sword. He unclipped his own armor and tossed it to the ground. Cy studied his curved sword, then his Vessel, Tensa, still attached to the back of his armor. Cy looked to Jules, then shook his head. Don't interfere.
"Will a Vessel work?"
"Did you earn it?" Yes. Yes I did.
Cy placed his curved sword on his armor, then drew Tensa and crouched into position. "Come find out."
? ? Claw of the Beast ? ?
? Speed ?
Edmund's hand ripped apart, and a feral animal's claw replaced emerged from it. They sped toward each other. Edmund lunged to rip off Cy's face, and Tensa continued straight through to the man's chest. In an instant, they were a few paces away, backs to each other. Blood sprayed from Cy's chest, shoulder, and face, and he collapsed to the ground.
High Priest Edmund stood tall on the other side, then fell flat on his back. Cy coughed up blood and rolled over to face the rising sun.
"It appears your friend has won," Anya said to Jules. "Out Healers will tend to your friend, but I'd like to speak to you further."
Jules must have activated his own Inked Art, because Cy's wounds began to seal up. Just in case. I like it Jules, I like it.
"Go on ahead," Cy called out. "I'll be good."
"Your friends won't seek vengeance?" Jules asked Anya.
"Why would they? He left the High Priest alive."
"Cy…"
"I struck his heart, Jules. The Binding Vow. Worked on—" Selene. "Well, it worked in Marina Veridia. Figured it'd work here, too."
"Are you serious!?" Jules demanded. "That was foolish—you could have died yourself!"
"But I didn't. And now I need to figure out why." Cy approached Edmund. "So, about that name."
"You fool." A lone tear fell from Edmund's eye. "You know not what you've just set in motion."
"Why don't you fill me in?"
"I no longer can. You removed two Binding Vows. With one came our Binding Vow to this duel; with the other, came my membership to the Etherealists." So am I free of my Binding Vow with you?
"I am…sorry, Edmund. But why can't you—"
"You have ripped out my heart with that strike, boy. I am no longer bound to silence, but I'll curse you until the end of my life. But you—You are free of this duel's Vow." Edmund laughed into the sky. "What cruel fate."
Fuck! I feel bad for you, I really do, but…
"So all of that was for nothing?"
Edmund laughed in Cy's face. I'll take that as a yes. A group of Etherealists gathered around Edmund. Some attended to him, and others prayed. But they all continued to call him by one name.
"High Priest Edmund…"
"I no longer possess that title. I am simply…Edmund now."
"You will always be our High Priest! No matter what, you have stayed by our sides, and we will stay by yours."
Why don't these people hate me? Why don't they curse me, too? Cy rose to his feet and turned to walk away. There's nothing here for me anymore.
"Wait—child." Cy stopped but didn't face him. "I am a weaker man than I thought, and I will not answer your question outright, out of…spite. But go to The Library in Solstice Keep. There you will find a Tome stolen from our people, by The Librarian himself. The first Tome ever recorded."
"And you mean to tell me my name will be in that Script?"
High Priest Edmund laughed again. "No, boy. Retrieve it, and return it to the Ethereal Rift. Someone there will help you unravel your mystery further."
[New Quest Available: Bookworm]
[New Reward Available for Bookworm: Knowledge you seek.]
[Bookworm — Quest Objective ADDED: Retrieve The First Tome from The Librarian.]
[SSoaSS — Quest Objective COMPLETED: Investigate the Etherealists.]
[SSoaSS — Quest Objective ADDED: Return the First Tome to the Ethereal Rift.]
Cy straightened up, then bowed slightly to the man in gratitude. "You know, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about…"