Chapter Text
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Euchronia Royal Palace
Night
“I trust this will suffice?”
“God smiles upon the generous.”
“Urgh, away with you! Back to your cesspit, beggar!”
From within the luxurious confines of the royal castle, V’exhness watched the citizens of the royal capital skulk around the streets in the dead of night. She wondered what could be going on in those grimy alleys right now; were faithful churchgoers pouring their hearts out to their god? Were paripus beggars crawling around, avoiding the contemptous glances of the high-and-mighty? Were the wealthy upper class enjoying luxury meals that a majority of the city could never afford?
No matter: it was all the same to her.
“A land grotesque as its people.”
She turned to face the living corpse on the bed, his unkempt visage making a mockery of his great authority. If this was what had become of the very ruler of this land, it was no wonder they were headed to ruin.
“You dreamt of utopia. You saw the tribes united as one.” V’exhness could not keep the venom from seeping into her voice as she approached the man, blade in hand. To think that she had looked up to him all those years ago… what a laughable notion. If only she had realized sooner that his words were empty promises, maybe she would not have wasted so much time with his foolish ideals.
“That dream died long ago. You should have done the same.”
There was no fear nor anger in those sunken eyes; the old fool simply remained motionless on what was soon to be his deathbed, putting up no resistance whatsoever. V’exhness felt no triumph, even as she plunged her weapon right into flesh; at this point, she was practically doing the miserable fool a favour.
“Your kingdom will perish alongside you.” She made sure to look right into the king’s eyes as he coughed blood and began to struggle, when it was already far too late for him to fight back. He would leave this mortal coil knowing that the little girl that had once been enraptured by his empty promises had had enough of his charade.
If V’exhness had to personally purge the unworthy from this kingdom, then so be it. Anyone would be better than this puppet that should have been thrown out long ago.
“… By my hand.”
06/02
Watersday
Tradia Desert
Morning
The harsh sun bore down on the carriages hurtling down the cliffside road. The ride had remained mostly silent with the travellers all too worn down by the heat to initiate conversation; there was an unspoken understanding between them that no matter what they were heading towards the big city for, that was their own business and not worth the others poking their noses into. And, to the girl clad in white, however awkward the silence may be, it was preferable to being the centre of gossip amongst the other travellers in the carriage, so she welcomed it without much fuss.
As she opened her bag to take out her book, a familiar white-haired figure poked his head out of his hiding place. “Looks like we’re in the clear. The capital’s just through this desert.”
She shot a quick nod at her companion before quickly pulling the clasp together to hide his presence from the two travellers who had begun to converse.
“Is it true, then? The king is dead?”
“Aye, and the guard’s more concerned with the funeral than keeping the roads safe, so monsters are now roaming in broad daylight, with no soldiers to stop them.”
“Monsters, huh? I’ve certainly been hearing the stories.”
The girl in white wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but the carriage seemed to be shaking more right now. Perhaps the road was getting bumpy?
No, something was striking the ground with enough force to cause trembling, and it was not just her who felt it; the bespectacled lady that had been sitting across her glanced out at the carriage, presumably trying to pinpoint the source of the noise.
“To say nothing of the vacant throne. The kingdom’s headed for chaos, mark my words. That much is certain.”
Before the travellers could continue their gossip, a loud crash and a massive tremble of the ground made everyone lose their balance in the wagon – everyone except for the bespectacled woman, of course. She simply peered out of the carriage at the three thugs aboard the gauntlet runner that had asserted itself right in front of their ride.
“They’re bandits!” Their wagon driver cried out in alarm.
“Come on, let’s see some respect for the militia!” The tallest one among them roared. “Us folk, we’re commoners! No crown or church is going to save us!”
“But Overlord V’exhness will save us one and all! She will bring hope to the kingdom!” The blue-haired one cheered before glaring at the wary travellers. “All we ask is a little tribute.”
From his cloak, he pulled out a large metallic wand, its top adorned by bluish crystals. “You’re either with us or against us, and if you’re against us…”
Before anyone in the wagon could attempt to shield themselves, the wand charged up with magic before a blast of flames was fired towards the cliffside, sending smouldering chunks of rock flying away. It was merely a warning shot, but it was more than enough to get the message across to the terrified travellers.
“An igniter?!” The girl could hear her companion whisper from his hiding place. “These are not your average robbers. I don’t think we have a choice here, Nozomi…”
He was right; even with the sword she had on her person, she was not trained to use it in combat, and trying to resist these bandits in her position would be a futile effort. The other travellers seemed to come to the same conclusion and quietly filed out of their ride. One by one, they gave out whatever monetary possessions they had on themselves, hoping it would be enough to appease their assailants.
“Next one! Make it quick, and we’ll let you live.”
The girl quietly gave out her own coins to the thug, making sure to keep her head low. However, while the man was busy gazing greedily at their plunder, the tallest of the bandits started staring hard at her.
“Huh? Look at you… What have we got here? She’s an elda!”
Damn it; she was hoping they wouldn’t pay attention to her…!
“So she is; no horns, no knife-ears…” As the thug leered at her with her coins still in his hand, their leader started marching up to her with a contemptuous glare.
Just grin and bear it, she reminded herself. This is what it’s like. Just grin and bear it.
“Filthy gremlin like you…” Despite her best efforts to remain silent, a yelp escaped her when the man yanked her upwards by the collar of her coat. “Whatcha got in the capital?!”
As the other travellers started whimpering in fear at the bandit’s harsh voice, she noticed his gaze now shifting to what she held in her hand. “Oh-ho, what’s this? Looks like you’ve been holding out on us, lassie!”
I can’t let them have this. I have to protect it!
She wasn’t sure where the strong determination came from, but as the man reached and grabbed her book, her own grip on it tightened and she tried to yank it back. He was stronger than her and could easily kill her right now for her show of resistance, but even still, she knew in her heart she had to protect this precious book from falling into the wrong hands.
“Gah, what’s your problem? Don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re a girl!”
“I can’t… let you have this!”
Occupied by the sudden tug-of-war, both of them failed to notice the shifty boy amongst them making a run for it. Unfortunately, the act did not escape the notice of the other two thugs, as the one that had been collecting everyone’s riches dove after him and unsheathed his blade.
“Hold it!”
It happened too quickly; the poor guy did not even have the strength to scream as the cutlass slashed across his back, a stream of crimson splashing out from the wound. Blood started staining the ground where his body had fallen, and more drops of it joined the growing pool as the thug flicked his weapon to clean it of his victim’s blood. “Should have listened to us, chum.”
The girl had been vaguely aware of the tragedy that had occurred, and the ear-piercing shriek from the shaken travellers was impossible to miss, but she was still locked in her struggle with the bandits’ leader. She was going to protect this book, or her name wasn’t Nozomi Kirifuji!
“Now fall in line! ‘Less you wanna get stuck like a-”
The sound of flesh being pierced finally loosened the bandit leader’s grip on her book, allowing her to look at what had just happened; the bespectacled lady, who had quietly been in line with her and the others all this time, was now driving a greatsword right through the thug who had just cut down their fellow traveller. The other two bandits gasped in shock, clearly caught off-guard by the bravery of the lady as she primed her own weapon at them.
“You drew steel. I take it you are prepared to die by it?”
The bandits recovered quickly from their shock, and the one behind quickly fumbled for his igniter while the leader let go of her book and pushed her away. “Stand aside!”
One moment, she was still stumbling on the ground, trying to recover her balance after having exerted all her strength in their tug-of-war.
The next, a strong foot connected with her abdomen and sent her hurtling off the road’s edge.
At least, I was able to secure my book. That’s a win, right?
She almost felt herself smiling at that fleeting relief before the literal and metaphorical gravity of her predicament caught up to her.
Well, this mission was already off to a great start.
“AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!”
CRASH!
The warm sensation of healing magic pulled Nozomi out of her painful daze. Falling face-first into hot sand from a high cliff may not have been as bad as some of the other misfortunes she had experienced on her journey to the royal capital, but her body still ached all the same. That she did not feel any bones having been broken was a miracle.
“Shion… I’m sorry for screwing up. I should not have challenged them…” Her words were slurred from pain, although the healing magic from her companion was making it subside bit by bit.
“Nozomi, you’re the one who took the brunt of the damage. You ought to worry over yourself first.” She could feel the diminutive fairy hovering around her as he continued to cast his magic. That was Shion; constantly fussing over her even when it was unnecessary. “I am unharmed, if that is what you want to ask me. Still, I did not expect those robbers to knock you off the road. Are you alright?”
With shaky arms, the girl in question lifted herself off the ground and brushed off the sand all over her body and face. Shion’s healing had fixed the worst of the injuries she would have to worry, leaving her slightly disoriented and quite dirty but no worse for wear. “I’m… I’m okay. That fall wasn’t as bad as I had expected. Thanks, Shion.”
The fairy heaved a sigh of relief at her vigour brightening up. “It’s no problem. We’re fortunate those robbers hadn’t questioned you further; if anyone finds out our true purpose, the mission will be jeopardized.”
“I know. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.” Nozomi quickly reassured him before she set her sights on the silhouette of the capital in the distance. Although being separated from her ride was not ideal, the good news was that they were already close to their destination, as Shion had mentioned earlier before their trip had been intercepted. If they found some high ground from where they can see the entire desert, they may be able to find a paved road leading to the town…
As she started walking towards the city, however, a low rumble in the ground cautioned her to take pause. Of course, she would be foolish to think the wilderness wasn’t infested with monsters. As she watched the wild sandworm rise out of the surface, a familiar otherworldly sheen washed over her vision and a white aura enveloped the beast.
“I don’t think it’s noticed us, but we need to stay on guard. The beasts here are incredibly dangerous.” Shion whispered cautiously from behind her. His Fae Sight conferred Nozomi some scant information on the monster, but none of it mattered when she knew she stood no chance of harming it at all, so she elected to sneak past the sandworm and continue making her way towards her destination. The sandstorm and the harsh sun were cracking down on her, but she continued to march until she saw a small hill amidst the endless sea of sand.
“Look!”
Climbing to the peak of the hill, they could easily see a view of the vast desert, and sure enough, there was a worn road leading to the royal capital gates. The sight of it was able to quell her ambient worry that they may end up wandering endlessly in the desert.
“Once we enter the royal capital, we’ll have to start the next phase of our mission right away.” Shion’s expression had steeled into a serious grimace. “Remember, we must infiltrate the army if we want to initiate the rest of the plan.”
If Nozomi had not been familiar with Shion himself, she would not have guessed that he was once one of the carefree, lackadaisical fairies. His dedication to their mission was admirable, and was why she was entrusted with him as a guide for their mission.
“Don’t worry. You can count on me.”
“That’s good to hear. Let’s keep going; we don’t want to be stuck in the wilderness when it’s dark. Here, let me cast my spell for you.”
A small twinkle of magic surrounded Nozomi, and soon, she could hear a familiar hymn composed by the fairies of old.
“It is said that music was the first magic the world knew, after all.” Shion danced a little in tune with the ballad as he returned to her shoulder. “While it cannot protect you from the wild beasts, I hope it can at least provide you with some small comforts.”
“Thank you, Shion. You’re already doing enough for me.” The music was enough to lift Nozomi’s weary spirit and reinvigorate her to continue the rest of her journey. The sandworms, bloodhounds, and lions were still prowling about the desert, but she was no longer afraid. She sped through the desert and deftly avoided the herds of monsters, and before long, she touched down on the worn road in the sand. Finally, they were back on track-
RUMBLE… RUMBLE…
Of course, she just had to open her big mouth! She had just enough time to turn around and come face to face with three huge sandworms peering down on her and Shion.
“Not good! Run for it!”
The last coherent thought Nozomi could remember before she broke into an all-out sprint down the desert path was cursing herself for jinxing them again. She could not die here; she still had a mission to accomplish! She had promised to save her, and she was going to keep her word!
This land of eight tribes and three nations, all blessed by the power of magic… the United Kingdom of Euchronia.
The year is 785; Euchronia is shaken to the core by the sudden death of its king.
Anxiety breeds dissent among the tribes. Disparities tear them apart. And no mortal mind remembers the heroic tales upon which their land was built.
By this story of fantasy, may this faded world be repainted anew…