02 — A Tragedy Foretold

02 — A Tragedy Foretold

Our resumed mission proceeded smoothly and without any untimely interruptions. Only the creak of splitting bark and the boom of trunks against earth resounded this time. No ear-splitting shrieks.

“No monsters. It must’ve been the mandrake’s scream that drew them all.”

“It’s likely,” Lycian replied.

“Do you still have that feeling? Is it a voice?”

“Something like that. But it’s faint. I can’t pin it down.”

I looked at Milphene and Creia. They shook their heads.

“No problem. Just stay focused and update us on which trees we can knock down.”

“Understood.”

Eventually, we made it back to the scene of our previous battle. But there was a small problem.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Okay, these weren’t here last time, right?”

“The sprites could be toying with us,” Lionel said.

“Stop theorizing and let’s get out of here, maybe?” Ketty insisted.

Planted in the ground were a dozen or more mandrakes that had appeared out of nowhere. I was a little nonplussed, to say the least. Their placement almost seemed purposeful. Ketty was especially adamant about leaving, no doubt because her enhanced hearing made those shrieks excruciating. Thankfully, I had a way to deal with them now.

“Don’t worry, Ketty. Mandrakes are only plants, so I should be able to stuff them in my magic bag.”

“Huh?” She tilted her head. “I thought you couldn’t put living things in there.”

“I’m assuming it should be fine, because they’re technically medicinal herbs. If not, I can use Sanctuary Circle as a last resort.”

“Uh, good luck with that, I guess.”

I told everyone to stay back and to grab me and run if things went south, then stepped forward.

“Here goes nothing.”

I touched the plant and willed it into the bag, and in it went.

“Well, that was anticlimactic.”

Things went smoothly from there. Shortly after, the mandrakes were disposed of, and I turned back around.

“It’s safe, everyone!”

Ketty and the other beastpeople looked relieved, but the elves were far from it. They silently stared past me into the forest, mouths wide.

“Is something there?” I followed their gaze but saw nothing.

“It’s...” Lycian stammered. “It’s a sprite. And a noble one at that.”

“A leshy—guides of the forest,” Milphene finally explained. “But why? I’ve only known them to appear in the Lost Woods.”

“I’ve never seen a sprite before. He’s awfully big,” Creia commented.

“It wants us to follow,” Lycian said.

“It says, ‘Although your wit is wily, your strength is true. We are grateful to you, one who brings those who see.’”

I almost couldn’t believe them. I looked at Lionel and Ketty, but they were just as stumped. Spirits and magic were very real, so fairies and sprites were hardly implausible, but the sprites I knew were the ones in fairy tales who liked to cause mischief and make your day terrible. Regardless, one was, apparently, speaking to us, and only Milphene and Lycian could see it.

We were about to get dragged into some nonsense again, weren’t we?

“Maybe it’ll lead us to what’s been calling us,” I murmured. “Okay, I’m not sold on this, but I get the feeling we’re not getting out of the forest unless we listen. Everyone, stay on your guard.”

“Understood.”

The elves took the lead and guided us, supposedly being escorted themselves by this leshy thing. The trees and plants began to morph around us into a hidden pathway that led somewhere beyond our reach. We found no monsters on the way. Gradually, the chirping of birds and buzzing of insects faded, leaving only the rustle of leaves in the wind. My heart leapt. It was utterly fantastical.

“We’re here,” Lycian announced.

“We’ve been told to wait. The leshy’s gone.”

“It’s beautiful,” Creia breathed.

A tranquil spring glistened in the few rays of light that made it past the canopy, its waters calm and clear like glass. The air was crisp, refreshing, almost rejuvenating. No amount of film with any camera would have been enough to capture the beauty of the scene. In fact, assuming this place was free of monsters, it wouldn’t have made a bad home. Mental note for the future.

“Something tells me we should stay put,” Ketty said apprehensively.

“I agree,” Lionel replied. “Forest pixies are known to confuse and mislead travelers.”

I nodded. Unlike me, some of us were actually paying attention. I stopped staring at the water and took in my surroundings.

Several minutes later, the elves suddenly bowed before the spring.

“Whoa, hey, what’s going on?”

The women didn’t answer. Their lips moved, but no sound came out, like it was being absorbed into the water.

“Should we have brought Dhoran and Pola?” I asked Lionel. They could hear spirits too, after all.

“They wouldn’t fare much better than us. Voices are all they can perceive of spirits.”

“And it didn’t seem like they played nice with the ones the elves worship,” Ketty added.

At least my decision hadn’t been the wrong one. I was watching the ladies who remained bowed over the spring when a voice echoed inside my head.

“Human, blessed one of the dragons, you arrive too soon.”

The speaker remained invisible, and I seemed to be the only one receiving its message. I guessed, based on the elves’ behavior, that I was speaking with a spirit.

“What do you mean ‘too soon’? I didn’t arrive anywhere. We were brought here. And who are you? A spirit?”

Everyone (aside from the elves, that is) looked at me like I was crazy. I must have sounded the part. But I felt compelled. I couldn’t be distracted, not for a moment.

“You will understand in time. I am known as the Spirit of Tides.”

“Okay, Spirit of Tides, it sounds like you’re saying I’ll be back here again at some point.”

“So long as you never surrender.”

“What? What might make me give up? What does that mean?”

I couldn’t make heads or tails of any of this. The spirit spoke in riddles, like it was dodging my questions. Would answering them change my future? Or make it even worse?

“Should the time come that you return to this land, we will meet again.”

What in the world was it prophesying? Was something going to happen to me? Why couldn’t it just tell me what it saw?

“‘Should the time come’?”

“And it shall, if your will to defy fate weathers the storm.”

Something was going to happen to me. I didn’t know what. I didn’t know when. But there was no getting away from it, apparently.

“I don’t understand what any of this means. What am I supposed to do? Can’t you just answer me?”

But no answer came. The elves had stood up and were peering at me.

“Are you okay?” Creia asked.

I stayed silent for a time, then finally said, “I’m not sure. But one thing is: I’m not going to get to live a peaceful life anytime soon.”

Ketty grinned. “So, business as usual!”

I felt the weight lighten and broke into a smile. She wasn’t wrong there. “You’ve got a point.”

“It’s why we follow you,” Lionel boomed.

“You guys are gonna have your work cut out for you.”

Ignoring the innate problem with this being the norm, I had to remind myself that worrying about every little thing that could go wrong would only wear me down. Lionel and Ketty had become a strong foundation for me, and their constant presence and reliability were comforting.

“Mister Luciel,” Milphene interjected, “deep in the forest is the country of elves, we’re told.”

“But it’s too soon for you to be there,” Lycian followed.

The country of elves. And there was that foreboding “too soon” again.

“Hey, why is Creia crying?”

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “The spirit told me that my life wasn’t a mistake,” she sniffed. “It said that a human and an elf can only have a child through true love.”

And then she smiled. Her life as a halfling, much like Kefin’s, must have been a hard one, filled with suffering. But the Spirit of Tides had washed away her pain.

“I’m happy for you. And rest assured, none of us will ever belittle you for your heritage. But if that’s not enough, I’ll help change things however I can. Even if it means showing the world that you’re not halflings, but twinbloods.”

“Thank... Thank you, sir.”

With renewed passion in all our hearts, I decided we ought to head back for the day. It had been a mentally draining few hours.

“So, which way is the way out of here?”

“That path leads where we came,” Lycian explained. “But this direction leads to the colony of the vespians, it seems. The great spirit asked us to go there first.”

Vespi-what?

“They’re a people who subsist on nectar from flowers and trees,” Milphene clarified, noticing my confusion. “The great spirit tells us your relationship could be mutually beneficial.”

All right, “great spirit,” I’ll play your game. I put aside the matter of my future and realized that this was my chance to make good on one of the promises I’d made to one of Yenice’s races. As long as these vespians were as bee-like as I expected, that is. But why hadn’t the spirit told me itself?

“The sun’s about to go down, so I say we handle that tomorrow,” I said. “But if this is our last chance to come here, we’ll need to split up and send half back to Kefin. Can we get back to this spring without a guide?”

If the elves deemed splitting up safe, then it couldn’t be that dangerous. I would’ve liked for all of us to go, but an armed platoon didn’t seem like the wisest welcoming party when meeting new people.

Milphene stepped forward. “Unfortunately, that’s impossible.”

Creia stared at her, taken aback for some reason. Whatever miscommunication was happening here, I needed to get to the bottom of it later.

At any rate, I had to consider who to send back. At least one elf to guide them, of course. But who to trust with bodyguard duty? I didn’t want to divide our strength too severely, but there wasn’t much choice afforded to me in this case.

“Ketty, Lycian, Creia, you head back. Team Yulbo, you too.” I handed a magic bag to Ketty. “This has camping supplies in it, just in case. You’re in charge.”

“Aww, I’m gonna be a lonely kitty!”

“Save it. You and Lionel are the best we have, so this is the safest option for both groups.”

“Oh, all right. Done!”

“If we’re not back by tomorrow afternoon, head to town and move forward with the plan without us. Everyone got that?”

“Understood!” they cried.

Ketty and her group departed, leaving only me, Lionel, and Milphene to push on.

“So what’s this about the vespians? Why do we need to go there so urgently?” I asked.

Lionel pointed his sword at Milphene. “What did the spirit say to you?”

She was under a slave binding, but that didn’t forbid her from lying. I’d only ordered her not to bring harm to me or the Church, and after Creia’s look of surprise upon hearing Milphene’s claims, it was clear that she was hiding something. It was practically all over her face. The blade seemed rather convincing.

“It’s okay, Lionel. Tell me what the Spirit of Tides said, Milphene.”

She stayed quiet for a while, frozen in shock. “There’s no hiding it anymore, I suppose. I’m sorry. The truth is, the vespians are in danger. Miasma’s overrun their colony, and they’ll be destroyed in only a few days at this rate. The great spirit thought—no, knew—that you would be able to save them.”

“And I bet it also knew that I’d refuse if it asked me directly, is that it?”

“Yes. I was sworn to secrecy, but, well...”

“That explains things, I guess.” I sighed. “I’ll have to get Ketty and Nalia to whip something up for the three of you for lying. Am I really that unreliable? You couldn’t have been upfront with me? Excuse me, Lionel, what’s your deal?”

His eyes shone with excitement. “Miasma means strong opponents.”

“Stop foreshadowing things. We’ll clear the place out, make some deals with the natives, then we’re out of there. Milphene, lead the way.”

The prospect of fearsome foes had flipped Lionel’s switch from imposing guard to giddy meathead. For my part, I was concerned about the kinds of monsters that could potentially destroy an entire people in “only a few days.” Still, all it would take was some cleansing magic to clear the miasma that had spawned them in the first place, so it couldn’t be too bad.

“You’re too kind, Mister Luciel.” The elf bowed, then took the lead.

Lionel and I carefully followed, and in about ten minutes, we had arrived. It was a little hard to miss, what with several enormous beehives hanging from the trees. But where were the vespians? All that occupied the colony was a thick, unpleasant mist. Miasma.

“Doesn’t look good,” I commented.

“No,” Lionel agreed. “Something is—”

Milphene stepped towards us, scowling. “Sirs, can you kindly save the commentary for later?”

Couldn’t argue there. “Er, right. I’ll start purifying. Lionel, watch my back.”

“With my life.”

The haze immediately began to thin, but not entirely. It didn’t matter how much I cast. It would clear up for a moment, then return just as quickly, as if the village itself were exhaling it.

“It seems we need to find the source or you’ll only exhaust yourself,” Lionel said, sharing my suspicions. But unless we knew where this source was, we were looking for a needle in a haystack.

“Milphene, can you ask the spirits or sprites where the miasma’s coming from?”

She shook her head. “They’d never stray close to miasma this dense.”

The stuff weakened spirit magic too, as a matter of fact. Come to think of it, the elf was looking dangerously pale. This intense fog was bad news all around, apparently. I pulled out my old Church robe from the magic bag.

“Sorry, I should’ve remembered this earlier. Put it on. It should help.”

She did so. “Thank you.”

“Lionel, stay with me,” I ordered.

“As always,” my bodyguard grinned.

“Milphene, find somewhere less dense, and locate any vespians you can. Once you do, shout for us.”

Milphene lowered her head. “Understood. I’ll find you as soon as I have any information.”

Keeping the miasma, and by extension the monsters, back was pretty much all I could do in the way of protecting her. We had to get rid of whatever was pumping the stuff out in the first place.

I checked the ground first to see if the toxic air was rising up like steam, but found nothing, which left me two theories: the trees or the clouds. So we set off, following the fog to its most concentrated area as I continued to cast Purification.

We didn’t need to walk for long. Lionel grunted and swung his flaming greatsword in a wide arc.

“What... What is this thing? A monster?”

“It’s a sign the fun has finally begun.”

The soldier fortified his shield and gripped his sword. Translation: danger was coming.

The thing he’d just cut down was a giant, almost dog-sized, green fly, undead with half its body melted.

“You’re the only one who finds this— Get back!”

I cast Area Barrier, then Purification in quick succession at the monsters leaping at us. Behind the fallen creatures was their progenitor: an enormous slime.

“That’s what slimes look like? Where’s the smiley face? It’s like a final boss or something. Lionel, don’t let me die, okay? Okay?”

“Never fret; I’ll strike them all down. I don’t fear the undead, but they will come to fear me. Come! Let us do... I mean, I will be your shield, Luciel!”

What was that? “Let us do battle”? Seriously? Thank goodness he’d remembered we were alone and didn’t charge in as usual.

“They’re probably going to go for me now that I’ve used magic. Keep them away.”

“Yes, sir!”

More and more monsters emerged, writhing, from the mass, but their undead forms were no match for Purification. Eventually, their spawn rate started to drop. My spells were having an effect and the slime was...not shrinking?!

“Come on, that’s not how this is supposed to work! Slimes are supposed to get smaller!”

The slime expelled a mist of miasma, then immediately reabsorbed it like a form of auto-photosynthesis. It was growing, slowly but steadily. The speed at which it was birthing monsters had definitely slowed, but that was no thanks to my efforts because the few it did spit out were getting stronger.

Lionel seemed to be having fun, at least. My MP and I, on the other hand, couldn’t withstand an endless battle. I decided it was all or nothing.

“Hold them back for just a little bit!” I shouted. Without waiting for a reply, I focused my magic into the Illusion Staff and chanted, “Oh holy hand of healing. Oh birthing breath of the land. Take my energy and shield me in ramparts of angelic light. Engulf impurity in a bastion of radiance. Sanctuary Circle!”

A magic ring formed around the slime, and the monsters took notice. They all charged me at once, but for some reason, I didn’t care. No, I had faith in Lionel; that was why. Plus, what was a flesh wound here or there? I could heal anything.

I set the spell loose and the pillar of light exploded, but this time the pale blue light wasn’t alone. A crimson vortex swirled within the radiance, enveloping the gelatinous beast. Lionel hadn’t allowed a single monster to scratch me, at great cost to himself.

“How reckless can you be? Recover! Dispel! Extra Heal!”

He chuckled. “My thanks. I couldn’t contain myself.”

One of his eyes had been ruptured and patches of petrification and poison littered his skin in a mosaic of gray and purple. Thank God for my magic.

I cast Purification on the remaining monsters. “I appreciate you not letting me die like I asked, but that doesn’t mean I want you dying instead.”

“Kind words for a thrall like me.”

“You’re not helping.”

Lionel laughed again, glancing at where the slime had been.

“That’s a lot of monster corpses,” I continued. “Hey, look at the mist.”

“The miasma is thinning.”

It seemed we’d found our source.

“Also, the slime is looking a little...anthropomorphic now.”

“What a coincidence. I was thinking the same thing.”

Since the mountain of bodies needed tending to first, I stashed them all in my bag, cleansed the remaining miasma, and returned my attention to the new issue.

“Purification! Dispel! Recover! High Heal!”

A woman(?) lay where the slime had been moments before. A very bee-like woman of only half a meter in height.

“Your Highness!”

I turned around to see a crowd of bees flying our way. One of the older(?) ones with a beard (that was a beard, right?) approached me.

“Sir Sage! Oh, is she all right? Is our queen well?”

“Um, you mean her? She’ll be fine. Wait, what did you call me?”

“Our queen lives, everyone! Carry her to the hive!” he called out. “If you’ll excuse us, Sir Sage.”

“O-Oh. Sorry. Go ahead.”

“You have our gratitude.”

Several small bees, about twenty centimeters in length, carefully grabbed the so-called queen, then flew her off towards the largest nest. But could we pause for a moment on that “Sir Sage” thing?

“Mister Luciel, Lionel, you’re safe.” Milphene found us, then promptly dropped to her knees and lowered her head. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help.”

Elves prostrated themselves too? It wasn’t just the Yenitians?

“What’s this about? Why are you on the ground?” I asked.

“Because I’ve done wrong by you. My slave’s crest is gone.”

Gone? How could she have done that by herself?

“The great spirit removed it and instructed me to save these people,” she continued. “But I never imagined something so ferocious could have been waiting for you. I’m truly sorry.”

Who knew spirits had that power? Well, I had that power, so I suppose it stood to reason that divine beings did too. I didn’t particularly mind whether she had the crest or not, as long as she didn’t blab the guild’s secrets to the world, and the spirit had forced her hand in the name of saving others. But if we didn’t make it out of this with something to show for it, I was going to have a few words with that water spirit. What was with the great entities of this world and their tendency to be incredibly inconsiderate? First the dragons, and now this. I’d had it up to here. At least we were all alive.

“So, what were you hoping to get out of it? Freedom?”

That couldn’t have been right. They’d had that option from the beginning and never chosen it. But what was it, then? She had to have been offered something. Lionel or Ketty would have noticed if she’d had bad intentions. This didn’t add up.

Milphene pulled out a slip of paper. “The Spirit of Tides asked me to give you this talisman once the vespians were safe.”

Let me guess, she’d gotten nothing out of this and had been moved purely by her fervent devotion to the great spirits. Once ordered, she simply couldn’t refuse. Classic development.

She offered me the talisman, her head about as low as could get.

I sighed. “So, what’s it going to be? Do you want to leave or be a slave again? Think carefully, because you’ll have to be punished if you choose slavery. You listening? I know you’re there, water spirit.”

“Show mercy on the girl.” Ah-ha, there it was. “My power to unbind extends only to those with extraordinary faith.”

I looked up at the sky. “And I suppose asking me yourself wasn’t an option?”

“Had I done so, you would have marched on the colony with all of your companions. You would have become deranged and slaughtered each other.”

I started to talk back but bit my tongue. True, if Lionel alone had taken that much of a beating, more people would have meant more casualties. That said, I would’ve liked...I don’t know...a bare minimum of information. Like what we’d be up against.

“Okay, sure, but what’s this talisman?”

Ping.

Obtained Protection of the Spirit of Tides

Really? Seriously? They were just handing these things out, huh?

“And what is this, might I ask?”

“I can not appoint those without my blessing. You have earned it, though indirectly, by accomplishing this task. Its effects will become clear to you once the Water Dragon’s powers are yours.”

The spirit almost sounded amused. Unfortunately, I was not. They always ignored me and left out the most important details. Always. There was probably more to this than I was being told.

“And the talisman?”

“It will make it so you never lose your way in these woods. Do not lose it.”

“You said I was here too soon. Am I coming back? When?”

“I cannot say, but the time will come when you know despair. If your spirit survives and you find the strength to stand once more, you will return.”

Despair? The strength to stand? Its cryptic warnings echoed in my head without end.

“What does that mean? What do you mean ‘despair’? Hey! We’re not done yet!”

I continued to shout, but the spirit never replied. It had shown up, spouted ominous warnings, and then just...left. I figured I should be prepared for the worst.

“Sir, we ought to make a decision before the sun sets,” Lionel said. “Do we enter the vespian colony or return to the others?”

“Right. Milphene, have you made up your mind?”

“I want to be your servant again, if you’ll allow me,” she replied.

“I figured. You probably have your reasons. Just be prepared for the consequences of all this.”

The matter of trust aside, I still had a mountain of things I wanted her and the other elves’ help with.

“Of course.”

Lionel grinned. “Servitude under Luciel doesn’t quite feel like servitude, does it? It makes slavehood rather convenient at times.”

“Just, please no more hiding any mandates from heaven, okay?” I groaned. Beauty did not absolve one from a round of Substance X. Don’t test me.

“Yes, sir.”

The newly reinstated slave smiled in relief, and I sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that day. Then we set off for the largest-looking hive in the colony while I mulled over the coming negotiations.