Tale of Eldramir

Scarlet and Riker were seated inside the previous office of the leader of the Hull Breaker’s hideout. While she had been putting on a tough front for the Island Hoppers before, she had actually been heavily injured during her fight. Out of all the Scholars she had brought with her as support, three Tier threes had perished in the battle. Several more Apprentices had also been lost in the chaos of the fight.

She hid most of the injuries under her heavy robes. The patch ups the Life mages had done were good, but there were limits. Thus, she was currently lying across a couch while Riker gave his report.

“Unfortunate but given the rarity of Death Mages at such Tiers it makes sense how things went to shit so easy.” Scarlet said. “We’re lucky that he didn’t have a familiar. The fight might’ve been different if there were.”

“My crew still would’ve won.” Riker stated.

“I know that. But what would the losses have been? As it is, nearly a third of yer Hunters are out of commission. Over a dozen are dead, and we’re still looking for missing members.” Scarlet said in a neutral tone. “This fight was far more difficult than it should’ve been. If your extra ships weren’t here, our losses would’ve been far worse off.”

“Well, perhaps the Ancient Void is looking out for us.” Riker said. His voice was only partially sarcastic, but there was a hint of reverence and inquiry.

Scarlet noticed but didn’t reply. She had mixed feelings about such implications. Ezekiel’s presence was certainly a blessing, but there was a balance in all things. The battle had been far worse than expected, because of the Cult of Light. Who were certainly hunting Ezekiel. Similarly, they had additional support, because of Ezekiel. Thus, the results, while still worse than desired, were still a net win for the Church of Ten and the Island Hoppers.

“Regardless of whether or not the Ancients are looking out for us, we need to wrap things up here. The Death Mages have stated that they’ll be done with Ezekiel before the day is over. Hopefully that means he’ll be awake sometime tomorrow. Until that happens, we need to wrap things up here so that we can level this place and return to Sanafalls as soon as possible.” Scarlet said.

“Understood, Grand Scholar. Are there any particular tasks you need from me?” Riker asked.

Scarlet paused to think for a minute. Placing her arm over her eyes as she did so. Her exasperated, yet relaxed demeanor was something that very few people got to see. If she didn’t know Riker from her time with the Island Hoppers, she would not be behaving so.

“For the moment, the clearing out of the hideout is going well. As are the interrogations of the prisoners. The executions will be completed in the morning, if all things go well. And yes, you lot will get a portion of the bounties.” Scarlet said. She really didn’t know what else the extra Guild members needed to do in this instance. “Why don’t you take a crew or two to explore the island? Usually we don’t bother, since hideouts like this are made more out of convenience, than strategic planning. But who knows? Maybe you’ll find something interesting. Let me know if you do. Even if it’s just a survey of the Spirits on this island.”

Riker nodded his head. He knew this was more a matter of getting extra hands out of the way, but there could very well be something of value out there. If there was, then he and his Guild would be given first rights as claimants to whatever it was. Hopefully they found something good, because the amount of compensation he was going to need to provide was much greater than he’d expected when he’d set out on this mission.

‘Should’ve charged double for this, if we’d known the danger level beforehand.’ Riker thought as he stood up to head out. He gave Scarlet a slight bow before heading out, to which she waved him off. Still too sore to see him off directly.

Lying on the couch, Scarlet winced as her head flared in pain from the noise made by the door closing. She let out a tired sigh before gingerly pushing herself up to sit. As much as she wanted to just lie down and sleep, she knew that the best course of action for her right now was to recover her mana as soon as possible. Then, she needed to begin overseeing the dismantling of this hideout.

A part of her was concerned at the possibility of Riker and his crew actually finding something. But she doubted it would come to that. Even if it did, it probably wouldn’t be a bad thing. Anything that they could keep out of their enemies’ hands was something that they could benefit from. Hopefully any such discoveries will be dealt with quickly.

As she fell into a meditative trance, her soul envisioning the pushing and pulling of the tides as she began encouraging it to enter a state of improved recovery, she couldn’t help but worry for the future.

‘Why’d I expect the shit show’s just begun?’ She thought to herself. Her mind slowly drifted away as her mana began to swell like waves in the open, endless sea.

‘Heavy.’ That was the first thought Ezekiel had as consciousness slowly returned to him. From the side, he could barely make out a bright light streaming through a window to the side.

His mind was foggy. He could barely feel his limbs. His eyes were caked and crusty. He felt like he had been asleep for a month, and the quiet grumbling of his stomach seemed to support that theory. Opening his eyes, he winced as both the like and crusty mucus took a moment to blind him. He winced in pain and let out a quiet grunt at the feeling.

“Shit! Hold on! Here!” The rapid words of whoever was looking after him entered his ears in a rush. Suddenly, Ezekiel felt a wet cloth gently placed on his face. After a moment it was used to wipe him down. He managed to more easily open his eyes. Though his vision was still blurry.

As he waited for his vision to clear, he took stock of his body as best he could. Barely remembering what had happened to him, all he could tell was that he was incredibly tired. There was a bone deep exhaustion spread all throughout his body. Yet he knew he was still in better condition than before he’d fallen unconscious.

He attempted to push himself up, barely getting his elbows underneath him before collapsing on his back once again. A faint chuckling came from the side. Turning to take a look at the source, Ezekiel saw a middle-aged man with green eyes and green hair with gray streaks. An Adept Life Mage. One who seemed to be getting on in years.

“I know better than to insist that you Hunters stay in bed. You’re all too active for an old man like me to hold back. But I’d suggest you stay lying down for at least a few more hours. Life magic is great for healing, but fatigue is something that only rest can get rid of.” The healer said as he held a glowing hand over Ezekiel. He let the light seep into his body as the Life mage hummed in thought. “The name’s Jacob. I’ll be your healer for the day.” He said with a smirk as he addressed Ezekiel.

“Am I going to live?” Ezekiel rasped out. The Life Mage chuckled again. Clearly, he had experience with such snark from his patients.

“Yes, you are. If your sarcasm is any indication.” Jacob said. “Though you’ll be in rough shape for a couple of days. If our Death Mages weren’t as skilled as they are, you’d still be unconscious until we got to Sanafalls. As it is, you’ll be on your feet by tomorrow. Though you won’t be training until we get back.”

Ezekiel just sighed in exasperation. He was tired of these delays. All he wanted was to make more progress with his magic. Why did things just have to keep getting more complicated?

Just as he had that thought, Ezekiel realized what Jacob had said to him. Turning over in a panic, he nearly fell out of the bed. He would’ve, if not for the Life mage catching him in time.

“Whoa! Careful now.” Jacob said.

“Why did you -cough- call me a Hunter?” Ezekiel asked. He was panicking. Shine’s existence wasn’t something that people were supposed to know about. He wasn’t strong enough to keep them safe if the existence of a Void Spirit were to be made public knowledge.

Seeing Ezekiel’s face covered in a frown and wide-eyed fear, the Life Mage reached out to try and calm him down.

“Hey, look here.” Jacob said. He was pointing at the badge and symbols on his robes. They indicated that he was one of the senior Scholars of the Church of Ten. Jacob was the head doctor and primary Life Mage on Scarlet’s crew. Ezekiel hadn’t met him before, as he tended to lock himself up in his quarters, only coming out when someone was hurt. Which Ezekiel had never been when on Scarlet’s ship.

“When you were brought in for healing, Scarlet let me know about your situation. To make sure there weren’t any issues with your partner. No one else knows about this but the four of us. You, me, Scarlet, and Shine.” Jacob said.

Ezekiel’s heart was still racing as his thoughts turned to Shine. He wasn’t sure what his Spirit’s condition was but knew that they had both suffered immensely under the effects of the Death Mage’s spell. Knowing that Scarlet was the one who had informed Jacob of his condition helped him somewhat, but he was still worried for his Spirit.

“Where are they?” Ezekiel asked. One of the reason’s he was panicking was because he couldn’t sense Shine’s whereabouts. Given that they had grown to be able to sense each other's location when nearly a kilometer apart, this meant that Shine was very far away. It was only because the connection to Shine hadn’t been broken that Ezekiel wasn’t freaking out even more. But even then, there were frays that he didn’t think were possible when he reached out to his Spirit.

“About that... a couple of the Island Hoppers thought they’d take their own reward for ‘taking care’ of you. They said a kid like you would only hurt yourself with such a nice sword. So, Scarlet decided to hold onto Shine for now. To keep them safe.” Jacob said. “Unfortunately, one of the crews found something interesting further inland. Scarlet decided to check it out herself. She’ll be back later today, but for now, your best choice of action is to rest.”

Ezekiel wanted to complain. He wanted to get up and go looking for Shine. This was the first time they’d been separated for so long, and by such distance, since they’d bonded nearly a year ago. Before he could try, and fail, at getting out of bed, however, his doctor gently tapped him on the forehead with a glowing green hand. His eyes rolled backward as he immediately fell asleep.

Ezekiel woke up once again. This time, he was not quite as groggy, and the room was far dimmer than before. No light shone through the window. He would’ve thought it was nighttime, or evening by this point. But as his head cleared up more than before, he could hear a commotion of some sort from outside. As well, he could make out a solid, natural light that was distinct from the usual fire light.

The feeling of heaviness from before had lessened, but he found that it was still difficult for him to move his limbs. But more so because he was stiff from lying down for so long. As opposed to being exhausted from yet another near death experience. Overall, he felt much more comfortable than before. Although that didn’t mean that he was feeling well.

“Ezekiel?” Shine’s voice quietly drifted through his mind. “Are you awake?”

A flash of worry jolted through Ezekiel. Shine’s voice was far quieter than usual. There was also a subdued worry and tiredness that Shine had never displayed before. Usually, the young Void Spirit was curious and had a spark of enjoyment and excitement in them that lifted Ezekiel’s spirits. Not even when they were training did Shine sound so down. Nor when they suffered from their forced Step increase.

“Yeah. It’s me. Are you alright?” Ezekiel asked. His feelings of worry and concern escaped him as he spoke. Shine was easily able to notice these feelings.

“... Kind of...” Shine replied. “That Death Mage did more to you than me, but he still got me good.”

“How so?” Ezekiel wanted to panic, but he was still so tired that he couldn’t. “How would a Death Mage even make a steel sword decay? The time frame is very different for metals compared to organic substances.”

“Death Magic affects the Soul, remember?” Shine said.

This time Ezekiel really did panic. The whole reason they’d come on this mission was to help Shine’s Soul grow stronger, not to injure it.

“I’m okay, now. But my vessel is damaged. It’s rusty, and it feels like I’m covered in sand, I think?” Shine said. “That Life Mage, Jacob, said it looks like I’m doing fine. But I was told to check with one of the Death Mages back at the Cathedral to make sure. The one’s here are Island Hoppers, and fairly weak.”

“If that’s the case, we will not be training until we get back. Maybe even not for a few weeks after we get back.” Ezekiel stated.

“Okay.” Shine said. Usually, they would have an issue with not training. But they had gotten so close to death that they really just wanted to rest.

Ezekiel could sense his Spirit’s weariness. He felt incredibly guilty about putting Shine through all this. Even though he knew that there was no faster way to help Shine grow, that didn’t mean that he liked putting them both through near death experiences.

The two fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Simply basking in each other’s presence again. It was good to be able to feel each other’s souls. Eventually, Ezekiel couldn’t hold back his curiosity. He started asking Shine about what had happened while he was unconscious. Apparently, Ezekiel had missed quite a bit during the day or so that he’d been unconscious.

Yesterday evening, a few hours after Riker and his crew had set out to investigate the island, they returned with surprising news. One of the Cavern Mages had discovered a few cave systems further inland. Some further inspection from the Cavern Mage made him realize that they were lava tubes. Which meant that this was a volcanic island. Though it appeared the volcano was now dormant.

After returning with this information, Scarlet and a couple of Flame Mages set out to do a deeper inspection. They wanted to see if there were any remnants of Flame mana from the volcano. If there were, then it was possible that pure mana crystals had formed somewhere on the island. This was an endeavor that took all night. Luckily, during their inspection, they found a hidden tunnel system a fair distance away from the hideout. This one was man made.

After inspecting the new tunnel system, Scarlet and her team discovered a basic mine that was still being built. It seemed that the Hull Breakers, or some other pirate group, had discovered what they had previously, and was taking steps to make a fortune. Unfortunately, for the pirates, it seems like they didn’t have the resources to set up properly. Numerous crystal shards and collapsed tunnels proved this.

According to Scarlet, it was impossible to determine how long they’d been trying to mine this place. It didn’t really matter, however, since this island wasn’t under the control of any particular faction in the Archipelago.

Thus, Sanafalls could move in at any point and take over, if they wished. However, even though this island isn’t under anyone’s control, it was still closer to a different primary island. There would likely be a debate regarding selling the information on the island to that other primary island. It would be better than starting a conflict, at least.

The party that went out to do the inspection had returned a few hours ago. They were in the middle of debating their next steps. Most of the Island Hoppers, Riker included, wanted to return home before they attempted to set up a base. The current crews didn’t have supplies to set up a proper facility on the island. Some of the Scholars wanted to remain. They figured they could send some messengers to come with another fleet while the majority of the current fleet stayed here. Maybe they could even set up proper mines. The pirates lacked the versatility of the Guild’s Hunters and Church’s Scholars after all.

Scarlet hadn’t made any decisions yet. She knew that she couldn’t keep the Guild here for much longer though. They hadn’t been paid for the new possibilities that had been presented to them. But at the same time, if the Island Hoppers left, then the Church could claim that they waived any possible compensation from whatever was eventually mined since they ignored the opportunity.

This was one of the matters that all of the Scholars were trying to discuss right now. Including Jacob. Which explained why he wasn’t looking over any patients right now. Otherwise, Ezekiel expected that the Tier three Life Mage would still be fretting over him, just like he was before.

Ezekiel just laid back down on his bed. There was nothing he could do. So, it wasn’t worth worrying about. One thing he did wonder about was what the results of Scarlet’s fight were. Obviously, they had won. But Ezekiel wondered what such a win had cost. Especially seeing as several Adepts had participated in the battle between Legends.

When Ezekiel asked about the fight, Shine fell quiet again. It was only after Ezekiel’s additional prompting that Shine spoke up.

“Tommy died. Same with a couple of other Scholars.” Shine said. “Apparently, the Legendary Spirit was a ‘Lord Spirit’ with several Adept Spirits that served it. This complicated things during the fight. There weren’t enough to make them lose. Just enough to make things harder. Even with the number advantage the Scholars had.”

Ezekiel let out a sigh. Covering his face with his arms as he remembered all the times that Tommy had helped them during this mission. As well as the times he’d pulled Ezekiel out of a bad mood when he’d first been exiled. Outside of his research team, Scarlet, and Carrian, Tommy was probably the Scholar he was closest to in Sanafalls.

His eyes prickled with tears. This was the first time he’d really lost someone before. Sure, he couldn’t see his family back in Harkem, but that didn’t mean he’d never see them again. He’d also had time to deal with that. This was sudden, and he didn’t like what he was feeling right now. Not one bit. However, he knew that there was someone else that was worse off than him right now.

“... How are you holding up?” Ezekiel asked after a moment to compose himself. Even if they hadn’t really interacted with each other, Shine had known Tommy for as long as Ezekiel had. This was also the first time they had lost someone they were friends with. Everyone else who they’d seen die was an enemy that was trying to kill them.

“I don’t like it.” Shine said. Their voice grew frantic and rushed as their emotions began to pour out. “Why did Tommy have to die? Is it because we were here? Everybody says that this mission was more complicated than they expected. But it seems like the only thing that was really different was the fact that we’re here? Are we cursed? Is someone else we know going to die? What-”

“SHINE!” Ezekiel called out, mentally throwing Shine off balance. He winced as he felt fear and hurt coming from Shine. He immediately projected sorrow and regret from having yelled at Shine.

“Sorry... But I wasn’t going to let you spiral downward like that. As much as it hurts, we can’t let it consume us. We can mourn him, for certain, but sooner or later, we need to move on.” Ezekiel said. “Ultimately, the difficulties on this mission were not our fault. There was no way of knowing that the pirates would be this bad. If anything, our presence here ensured that they had brought an additional crew. Meaning they had more hands to help out in the battle.”

Shine calmed down after hearing Ezekiel’s words. They still didn’t like what had happened. But instead of moping about it, Shine grew more determined. They didn’t want to have something like this happen again. Yet, they knew the only way to do that was to get stronger. They had people that they cared about, Ezekiel in particular. If losing a friend hurt this much, how much would losing Ezekiel feel like. Shine didn’t even want to imagine such a thing.

“When we get back to Sanafalls, and they say we’re healthy again, can we start training properly?” Shine asked.

“Of course.” Ezekiel said. Shine wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to lose anyone else. Unfortunately, Ezekiel was experienced enough to understand that, sometimes it didn’t matter how strong you were. Sometimes, there was simply nothing you could do.

He didn’t voice these thoughts, however, as he didn’t wish to discourage Shine. Instead, he and Shine just talked about random things. Shine started to regain their enthusiasm when Ezekiel asked about the stuff that Shine had seen when they were with Scarlet. And slowly, as the light grew even dimmer, Ezekiel and Shine drifted off once again. Thoughts of the mission were still fresh in their minds. But they were less prevalent than before. For now, the two of them just wished to return home.

The third time Ezekiel woke up, it was not in an unfamiliar room within the pirate’s hideout. This time, he woke up to the now familiar feeling of water rocking a ship from side to side as they sailed across the open ocean. Looking around, he realized that he was back in a cabin on the Scarlet Glacier. He didn’t know why he wasn’t on Riker’s ship, but he figured that he might actually be able to find some answers this time.

Gingerly moving around, Ezekiel saw Shine leaning against a wall next to the bed he was lying in. Shifting himself into a sitting position, Ezekiel grabbed a hold of Shine and slowly pulled them from their sheath. He was surprised that Shine made no indication that they were aware of what was happening. He nearly called out to them in concern. But Ezekiel quickly realized that it was only because Shine was still asleep.

He gave the blade Shine used as a vessel a close inspection. He wanted to see the damages for himself. He didn’t even have to look that closely before he grimaced at the sight before him.

Half of Shine’s blade was covered in a coarse and rusted surface. Apparently, that Death Mage’s decaying spell was more dangerous than Ezekiel had thought it was. Had he been stuck in its range for much longer, he’d probably be dead before he could’ve gotten help. He also hadn’t thought it would be so effective against Shine. Rust wasn’t something someone thought of when considering problems for a Spirit. Or even for enchanted items like Artifacts or Relics.

“Rest well, Shine. We’ll get you fixed up in no time.” Ezekiel quietly said to his Spirit.

A gentle knock on the door grabbed his attention. He gently sheathed Shine again before inviting the person inside. It was Jacob, but this time he was accompanied by Scarlet. The both of them looked relieved that he was okay. Scarlet especially, as she couldn’t help but feel like Ezekiel’s condition was partially her fault.

Jacob ran some additional scans, to see if there was anything still wrong with Ezekiel. But it seemed like all the Death aspect mana had been properly flushed from his system. His soul hadn’t been injured either, so it was just the physical issues that needed to be fixed, and they were.

Jacob also gave a more in depth explanation of what had happened to Shine. Ezekiel was frustrated to learn that there wasn’t much they could do, as Shine’s body wasn’t the same as other Spirits, who could piggy back off the healing properties of Life Mana. Shine didn’t have even the imitation of flesh and blood that Spirits did. The only way to help the Void Spirit was to find a new vessel, or figure out how to repair this one.

It was also explained that, from what they could tell, finding a new vessel would be better. Shine’s soul had been damaged partially as a reflection of what had happened to their vessel. They didn’t want to imagine what would happen if Shine was smelted down to be reforged. Something that Ezekiel agreed with. For the moment, however, it seemed that Shine’s soul was recovering, and that was all that mattered.

When Ezekiel asked questions about the mission, however, that’s when Scarlet seemed a bit worried. She told him not to concern himself with it for now. That he’d get more answers at a later date. He felt that this was a bit weird but figured that it had to do with something going on between the Church and the Guild. Something that Scarlet confirmed. At that, Ezekiel decided that he didn’t need to know right now, so he left it at that.

For now, Ezekiel and Shine were headed to their current home. Their mission was over. They both were alive, and they both had made it out with a great deal of experience. They would have to wait for Carrian to check them to be sure how much, but it was certain that both Ezekiel and Shine had grown from this. It was now just a matter of continuing to grow as time moved on.