Chương 60: Life and Death

Vittoria was not difficult to find. Her abode was an oasis in the middle of the scorching desert, where no other human dared to live. Apart from the sun that burned so hot that the sand underneath his feet sizzled–and he needed to manually cool them with each step–there were also dangerous beasts hiding in the sand, and her home sat right in an HRA (high rift area) in the path of the occasional desert pirate crew. No one who wanted peace of mind would live here. In fact, only a crazed contrarian would consider it.

Despite all that, Elric didn't encounter any trouble on his way in. He did not encounter any mirages either, perhaps because Vittoria was asleep and not expecting guests. Or she was awake and knew it was him. Within the oasis was a structure that appeared to be made of sand, wood, and bamboo that had somehow grown in a non-native habitat, fused with native plants like acacia and palms.

They twisted together to form a fortress that would respond to any changes in its immediate environment and would warn of visitors from miles away, greeting them with thorny traps or rose bushes in welcome. That didn't happen for Elric. He reached the door of the fortress, the door belonging to the crazed contrarian herself. Before he could knock, it pulled open, and at the entry stood a woman who towered over him by at least a foot.

Thanks to her slender frame and her long, blonde hair, she looked even taller, her slanted eyes and pointed ear tips hinting at her elven heritage, which she sometimes liked to show off, and other times attempted to hide.

"Elric," she grinned widely.

"It is you, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes?" Now that she'd asked him again, he was less sure.

"Hmm." He was perceptive enough to know that she was sensing him with her magic, and then she gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh, good, it's you. You wouldn't believe how many Elrics I've met this week alone. Come in." With those cryptic words, she backed away and spread her arms. Elric entered her abode, which was… cleaner than normal. The last time he'd been here, several years ago, it had been a mess, cluttered with books, plants, and whatever strangeness had caught her fancy that week. There had been remains of a ghoul stamped on the wall, an ogre stabbed through the chest, and skewered for her study after it had tried to attack her.

There had also been a large basilisk strewn across her living room. They were all dead, of course. She'd never experiment on anything living, but if it attacked her first, and she killed it, it was fair game.

"It's been a while," Elric said.

"It has. I haven't seen you since…" She trailed off. Since she'd had a very loud and public argument with her mother at the council meeting, which had made her recuse herself from any meetings following that. She winced at the memory.

"Yeah, that was not becoming of me," she said.

"To be fair, I was slightly tipsy for that meeting."

"No judgment from me. I understand complicated family dynamics and overbearing parents more than most."

"Of course, I remember." It was one of the first things they'd bonded over, when he'd briefly joined the legion that she'd led. He'd only been there for his third year field work and had been witness to her very dramatic retirement, after which she spent her days seemingly doing everything and nothing.

"You look tired," she told Elric.

"I am," he said. He'd spent time with the geomancers scouring the town and tracing the ley lines to find the source of the issue. The trigger point had been right in the middle of the market, but what had been the trigger? They were yet to discover that. Elric had also been personally interviewing the townspeople for two reasons–to see if any of them had caught the culprit in action, and also to see if any of them had seen the Raven's Girl's face.

To his relief, so far none of them have, though there was talk about possibly commissioning a statue for her. They called her the daughter of the Dark Knight. Hopefully, that was all she would be. Legend. In the meantime, Elric had gone to great lengths to hide Arielle's gems and deliver some of the gold coins to her family. Her brother said he had opened a family account to hold the gold and that was where they had put it, with Ari's permission.

Brom also wanted to know where the coin was from, but Elric simply said, "Arielle did someone a favor, and they rewarded her." That was the explanation they agreed on. He'd left it to Brom to break it to the rest of the family. Between doing all that and his regular work, he hadn't gotten much sleep.

"But it's nothing I can't handle," he said. Vittoria didn't look like she believed him.

"You should follow in my footsteps," she said.

"Make a public spectacle and quit this pointless exercise that has been forced on us, simply because we have power. Learn to live life on your own terms."

"You know I can't do that."

"I know. Because you enjoy the prison of your own making."

"It's hard to see it as a prison when you're one of the most powerful people in the world."

"Hmph." Vittoria was, as of now, the third strongest Archmage in the entire world. She was once the second, and she likely would have given Gio a real challenge for the number one, if she had any interest in the actual ranking system or pursuing power. However, as the oldest living Archmage, she'd seen her fair share of rises and falls, fights over dominance, and the burden of being number one.

That was one of the things that prompted her retirement years ago, and she'd dared anyone in the council to come for her after it was done. No one had. Partially because her mother, one of three legendary mages left, had too much sway on the council, and that had given her daughter temporary leeway. It was also in part because Vittoria had chosen to reside in the Anax deserts, one of the most dangerous places in the world to live, and she often dealt with a lot of rifts that happened in her immediate area.

So, in a way, she was still serving the council even though she would vehemently deny it. Then there was the fact that no one truly wanted to take Vittoria in to have her cores suppressed. Most people looked up to her and had grown up hearing stories of her heroism. She'd fought off thousands of invaders singlehandedly during the Times of Turbulence before the Peace Accord. As her comrades and fellow Archmages had died, she'd remained standing and singlehandedly turned the tide of the war with instability.

She was also powerful enough to become a Legendary mage herself, except that she'd never sought that. Nevertheless, she was admired and beloved and could be quite ruthless despite her easy-going nature. No one wanted to take her on. She pinned Elric with a look and said, "As much as I like to see you, real Elric, I know that you're not here for pleasantries. Let me know what you want."

"Recently, there was a dimensional rift in Khor."

"The island by Erynwall."

"Yes."

"So you want my help investigating?" she wondered.

"I would help, but I don't want to do anything that benefits the council." Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

"This isn't about the council. This is about human life. Mundane life." She shook her head.

"You know that hero's guilt does not work on me anymore. I've done some inner work and exorcized that part of myself a long time ago. I will only assist you with this investigation if I find it interesting enough."

"I think you'll find it suitably interesting," he said, and he told her everything they had so far. Centuries ago, Vittoria had been on the frontlines of the worst rift disaster they'd ever had. She would be the best one to know the signs to look out for. She rubbed her chin and said, "That is very interesting."

"Yes. And there's one more thing."

"What is it? Elric debated internally once more, whether or not to reveal this next part. On the one hand, no one suspected Arielle yet. No one had seen her face. Half the mundanes thought she was simply a spirit. On the other hand, if he didn't close the investigation soon and present a culprit to the council, then the situation would get elevated in importance, and every aspect of it would be combed through. Everyone would want to know who the Raven girl was, and they might have ways to find out.

Vittoria could help him with that. More than anyone, she would understand why Arielle kept her powers a secret. But he didn't know if he could trust her with the whole truth. Would she buy a partial truth?

"What is it, Elric?" Vittoria asked.

"Your face shows me that you're contemplating something very deeply."

"There's someone I want to protect." If anyone could understand, it would be her. He had to trust her with at least some of this. There was no other choice.

"And I need your help to do it." Her eyes glittered, and she smiled.

"I'm intrigued. Tell me more."

The words kept printing on Arielle's page, and it was clear that it was some kind of written report. It was in Telip's handwriting, too. So he had known about what she was talking about, and he had turned the paper in to Woden. Did that mean that Woden knew about it? So Arielle couldn't use that information to pass her assignment, because it was not new information. But perhaps there was more to it that she could find out. Once it was done printing, she finally read the report in its entirety.

The Church of The Wayward. Anchors of the Living. Souls of the Dead. Those were the words I translated from the tablet I found. It appears to be a badge that they all hold, one that gives them their belief and their mission unto death. Following our last discussion about the secret cult known as the Church of the Wayward, I have attempted to hunt down their members. It appears that they have all disappeared, are dead, or are near death. Below, I have attached a list of all their members and their status.

There are also a few whose status I do not know of yet, but all of these were chosen with the same message: They are chosen to be Anchors of the Living and Souls of the Dead. This is what keeps everything in balance. Here are the names: Cornelius Draco - Disappeared. Sheldon Samsu - Disappeared. Jane Alexandros - Deceased. Lionel Reeves - Deceased. Mirabelle Soto - Deceased..... Arielle recognized that last name. It was the woman who was burned alive for summoning demons.

So she had been a part of this church and had been accused of consorting with a demon. Was that true, or something the demonic sect made up? Were the Unmaker and his disciples seen as demons? Arielle really wanted to talk to Mirabelle Soto's daughter. If the woman had been the Drift, then her daughter might know. But of course, she didn't want to traumatize the woman any more than she already was. Why was Telip keeping this from her? Why did he not want her to know? Was she at risk of death?

Then, without prompting, more words began printing on her page. This time, there was no active spell, no gathering of orbs, no fanfare. It was scrawled clearly in the same handwriting that had been on her wall: Find me. She swallowed. She wasn't scared, but she was apprehensive. She was also unbearably curious. Of course, she was supposed to ignore it. Elric likely would not approve of her responding or interacting with the primordial at all.

However, the curiosity itched at her until she'd written down underneath it: Where are you? Perhaps for the better, there was no response. The words stayed on the page, and she wondered if she should show Lyra, but Lyra likely would not believe her again. She should most likely tell Elric, though. He would want to know. She headed back to her room and opened her messaging scroll to tell Elric everything she had found. However, she saw that there was a message on the next page for her. Brom: Ari, this is Brom.

Did you sell any organ, and if so, tell me which one so I can carve open the Archmage's stomach and get it back. Arielle snorted. Though her brother was certainly a skilled fighter, the thought of him even getting close enough to cut Elric open and extract an organ was amusing. Now Celie, on the other hand… Ari: I did not sell an organ. I merely assisted someone with something, and they rewarded me.

That was the story that Elric had told her to tell, and it worked because it was close enough to the truth without presenting incriminating details. Brom: And what kind of 'help' nets you this much gold? Ari: Very good help. I have a question, Brom. Brom: Don't think I don't know you're attempting to change the subject. Ari: No, it's a genuine question. Brom: Fine, what is it? Ari: When you killed your first bogworm, how did you feel? Brom had told the story several times.

The bogworm had attacked out of nowhere, in the middle of the night, while he'd snuck out to hunt in the forest. He usually went at dawn, but that day he had a plan to hunt more bogworms than usual, and he didn't want their mother to stop him. Brom had been the only one around when the creature shot out of the swamp, and he'd sustained a pretty nasty bite mark in his abdomen. But he'd managed to fight valiantly and slay the beast with its own tooth. It was his first kill. Brom: What kind of question is that?

Ari: I'm just curious. Brom: Did you kill someone? Ari: No. Did trolls count as 'someone'? Brom: Do you plan on killing someone? Ari: No. Brom: You have to tell me, Ari, so I know when and where to hide the bodies. Ari: There are no immediate plans, but when I'm a graduated mage, I will likely face dangerous beasts, and I might have to kill them. I wonder if you ever felt guilty doing it. Brom: Not guilty per se. At first, I was just relieved I was alive.

The damn thing nearly ate me, and I was glad that it was gone. But then, after some time, I don't know. I would randomly remember the incident, and somewhere under the fear and anger, there was some regret. Though I don't know if that's the right word. It was more of a wrongness... an emptiness. Like we had both lost something. It was mild, and I was able to get over it easily, but it's there when I think about it. Because the bogworm could have just been hungry.

The same way I was going out to hunt glowfrogs, it was coming out to hunt me. But ultimately, I had to kill it, or it would have killed me. That came close to explaining how Arielle had felt with the troll. She was relieved that she had saved people, and she didn't necessarily regret killing the troll, but there had been that brief moment of wrongness and emptiness, like she had wasted something valuable. Brom sent her a follow-up message.

Brom: Mother said she felt the same way and had learned to suppress it over the years. But after raids, sometimes she would get violently ill. That's why she stopped doing them, and it fell on Father to take on her quota. Mine is not so bad, but I rarely do raids. Celie is like Father. Neither of them has the affliction, Mother and I have. You should ask her how she does it. She's out right now, but will be back tomorrow. Ari: Alright. I will. Thank you, Brom. Brom: Thank you, Ari. For everything.

I still haven't told our parents, but your gold might mean that neither of them ever has to fight again. Also, we're going to surprise Celie with the best gift ever. Ari: I hope so. After the conversation, Arielle leaned back and thought about it again. The trolls, as well as what Selena had said about her lacking a sense of danger. What did she mean by that? Had Selena been trying to hurt her? Had she been in real danger? Or had it been simply a test? Hmm. Arielle thought she could sense danger.

She just didn't necessarily fear it. She did not fear dying. Truthfully. Ever since her near-death experience, she knew that she did not like the pain associated with dying, but the act of moving on to another world did not frighten her, though she would miss her family and her friends. Did that mean she was unsuited for combat? How? That, combined with her mother's affliction... it might certainly present a problem if Arielle got worse. Hopefully, it didn't.

It would not make sense for her to be a pacifist fighter. But her symptoms didn't sound as bad as her mother's or her brother's. She wasn't currently haunted by the troll's death, just vaguely unsettled by the thought that there might have been another option. When she had hurt the phasewalker by snapping his spell, she hadn't felt much remorse. Then again, she hadn't killed him. She'd never been bothered by her father's conquests, too, as well as the various people Celie had undoubtedly killed.

So maybe she wasn't a pacifist. What was she? She sighed. This was all so complicated. Before she met with Telip, Arielle did some manaling healing exercises, thinking perhaps that might help her clear her mind and make her feel more grounded. Also, she had a thought that maybe she could use [Sensate] while she did it, to look for some of the foreign mana from her oath spell. She knew what the Earth essences sounded like and felt like.

However, she wasn't sure about the foreign essences, but she could sense their movement in relation to other orbs. Since she knew what the other orbs sounded like, the odd one out was the one she was looking for. She closed her eyes and activated [Sensate] now, spreading her awareness far and wide, focusing. She sensed waves of Calor, Massa, Vitae, Luxa, and a little Vacu, all excited to greet her. And then she met an orb that she didn't recognize, which was unsure about her, too. Her heart raced. She'd found it!

Now to call it to her. Would [Creature Control] work? Like with Selena, she combined [Creature Control] with the [Sensate] spell to draw the orb to her. It didn't work. The spirit orbs were more intelligent than ants and not as inclined to be controlled in that manner. That was a shame. She was hoping that maybe she could teach Lyra that spell to help control her essences. But the good news was that she knew where the orb was. All she had to do was go to it. And then she would learn what it was once and for all.