Stranger Things

Just when Serilda didn’t think her life could become more complicated, she had been proven wrong. As if the events in Kingdom Darkness hadn’t been enough, let alone the attack on Era that had landed her the position of Field Marshal for the Rune Knights. She had been settling into her new role quite well over the last few months, all things considered, but now there was yet more on her plate. She had Mythal had recently been lured to Vintermyr into a trap laid for him by his sister. Not only had the two of them been attacked by an entire dark guild actively trying to kill them, but in the middle of all the chaos both of them had learned quite rudely that they shared souls with a couple Nephilim that referred to themselves as Seals.

The one whom Serilda was connected to -- Victoria, the Seal of Conquest -- had even gone so far as to temporarily usurp Serilda’s body and use it to start killing many of the dark guild mages, as well as to fight Mythal. Not only had the fight nearly killed everyone in the area, including themselves, the city itself had been completely and utterly demolished. By the time Serilda had regained control over her body and put Victoria in her place, there was nothing left of the wintry town but a steaming rubble of ice. Thankfully Mythal had managed to get the survivors of the city some place safe before they could be wiped out, but it had still taken professional ice mages weeks to reconstruct the town and return it to the way it once was.

So great was the battle and the destruction that word had quickly spread among the Magic Council. It didn’t take long for Serilda and Mythal both to be named Wizard Saints. It was a bittersweet title for the noblewoman. She was proud of it to be sure, and knew that she was worthy of the title, particularly since most of the magic that Victoria had found with had been Serilda’s. She just wished it hadn’t been born from a horrible experience such as that. Even though Mythal had managed to save a vast majority of people, many had still perished because she’d been unable to keep herself from being controlled by an, admittedly powerful, deistic entity.

And with new titles came new responsibilities as well as even more paperwork than she was already having to deal with. Thankfully, she would be getting out of the office today. A client had reached out to the Rune Knights as well as some of the legal guilds to request help with a sensitive matter regarding her home in the mountains. They didn’t have full details yet. The client stated in her request that it would be easier to explain things in person, stating only that something both concerning and upsetting was happening and she needed help finding answers. She was asking for two mages. Serilda had volunteered, and so had another mage from her old guild Sabertooth.

To make things easier, Serilda had opted to meet her ally at Ace of Spades. The Voidwalker knew the place well since it was her home for nearly a year, and since she could now travel instantaneously it would save her partner from having to do too much unnecessary traveling. So, when it was time for her to go she put away all the files in her office, making sure to lock all the cabinets and the door to her office. “Let’s go, Xiuh,” Serilda said, beckoning to the beautiful hound that was her hunting companion. The large wolf jumped up eagerly from her pillow, happy to receive attention.

Reaching out to the Void, Serilda felt through the empty space that connected her current location to her destination. Taking a step forward, she disappeared from her office and travelled instantly through the Void to reappear in Ace of Spades. The desert heat was much warmer than her nice cool office, but that didn’t bother her. If anything, it was a bit nostalgic. She could feel through their bond how excited Xiuhcoatl was to return to the city as well. The hound shivered happily, her fluffy tail wagging heavily back and forth.

It would have been a nice moment, if it weren’t for the mental baggage. You used to live in this hell hole? Victoria commented in Serilda’s mind. She could hear the disdain in the Seal’s tone loud and clear. Out of all the climates one could choose to live in, I don’t see why anyone would ever choose a desert. Particular a mage that specializes in ice magic.

It’s a lovely town, Serilda informed her, her own tone short. Plus, Sabertooth is a very well respected guild that boasts a number of powerful mages. There are lots of people, myself included, that happily choose to stay here just to work with them. Though there was a certain amount of begrudging respect between the two of them, they were far from friends or even allies. Serilda did not trust Victoria at all, and did not approve of the haughty way that she seemed to look down her nose at everyone. The Seal deigned not to give any kind of verbal retort, only letting a soft hmph of disagreement sound in the Voidwalker’s mind.

Serilda made a quick stop by the house she used to live in. She still owned the place and was renting it out to a small family. It had been a while since she’d checked in on them, so she decided to swing by to make sure there wasn’t anything with the house that needed to be worked on. They informed her cheerily that everything was well, and then she was off in the direction of the Red Dragon Inn.

As she got closer toward the inn, more and more people began to recognize her. She had been quite the presence in Ace of Spades when she lived here, helping out a number of the locals. But so too as she got closer to the guild did she also start running into many of her former guildmates. She smiled and waved when they greeted her, even stopping to have a quick chat with a couple people that she had worked with more closely during her time there. She made sure to keep herself on time, however, not wanting to keep her partner waiting.

When she got to Red Dragon, there were even more people there that recognized her. The bartender got her a drink and informed her that at the moment there weren’t any Sabertooth members waiting for her, which meant Serilda had arrived first. Accepting the glass with thanks, she made her way to a vacant table and waited, Xiuh sitting contendly at her feet.

As was habit, Serilda would glance up each time the door opened to see who would enter. Many times it was someone she recognized, but Sabertooth had taken on a number of new wizards since she’d left so not everyone was familiar to her. One face that was quite easy to place was Gaia’s. While the two of them had never worked together during Serilda’s time with the guild, she had always made it a point to learn who the higher ups were. As one of Sabertooth’s aces, the sapphire haired woman was hard to mistake.

Her sensitive ears picked up a little of the other woman’s conversation with the barkeep, but given that Serilda wasn’t much for eavesdropping she quickly tuned the conversation out -- a feat that was much more difficult to do with the hearing abilities of a slayer, but she did her best. It helped that the inn was usually pretty busy and there was plenty of other conversation going on to help drown out the noise. She went back to scrolling through her iLac, idly sipping on her juice as she did.

It wasn’t long before the ace approached her, however. The field marshal looked up and returned Gaia’s gaze with her own crystal blue eyes, smiling in turn. She accepted the offered handshake graciously. “Ms. Sabin, a pleasure to finally meet you.” Serilda vaguely recalled that Gaia was married, but since she wasn’t sure she chose to address her with a more neutral, but still respectful, honorific. When the ace asked if she was waiting for someone, the Wizard Saint nodded. “Yes, I was assigned to the job in Mountain Village. Are you the partner I came here to meet?” While Serilda was generally on the subtle side with her expressions, it was difficult to miss that her eyes lit up a bit at the idea. She had always wanted to go on a job with the ace and simply never gotten the chance to before her time with Sabertooth concluded.

When Gaia’s attention turned to the hound, the creature’s bushy tail wagged eagerly at the attention. The wolf looked up at the woman with big, dark eyes that were bright with interest, but she stayed obediently at her master’s feet. “This is Xiuhcoatl. She’s a hunting companion, but she’s very friendly. Xiuh: Allieret. Til lethed.” The wolf wuffed quietly and sat up on her haunches, still looking at Gaia with excitement. Serilda smirked. “She’ll let you pet her now, if you wish.”

As this happened, a small white creature vaulted its way onto the ace’s shoulder, staring down at the hound. For her part, Xiuh only continued to express an innocent curiosity. The wolf didn’t seem to have any natural instinct to eye the smaller animal like prey, but rather tilted her head and looked at Noya with ears perked in gentle interest. Serilda also looked upon the little rodent with some delight. “Is that a ferret? I’ve never seen one with a white coat like that before. How beautiful!”

Victoria groaned with derision inside Serilda’s head. What is it with mortals and stupidly fawning over animals? she asked impatiently. You are wasting time over pitiful nonsense.

I’m sorry, were you in a hurry to be somewhere? Because last I checked, your time is mine. Besides, you of all people should know how important it is to understand your allies.

Yes, but must that include fawning over the subspecies?

No one is fawning over you at the moment, so I’m not sure who you’re referring to as a subspecies.

Serilda could feel Victoria’s ire raise at the insult. The Seal was so angry she was practically sputtering in the Voidwalker’s head, but Serilda ignored it and moved back to the more important things. There was little to suggest that anything had just taken place outside of a brief twitch of her eyebrows when Victoria had first started talking. If Gaia was any expert at reading people’s expressions she may have noticed and recognized the minor flash of annoyance, but the rest of Serilda’s mannerisms would suggest that whatever had bugged her had nothing to do with Gaia, Noya, Xiuh, or the interaction that was happening. Serilda would likely have to reveal Victoria soon enough anyway, but this was not the place to do so.

Instead, she continued the conversation as normal for now. “So how would you prefer to do this? I can use my magic to get us most of the way to our destination, but if you’re uncomfortable with that we could take a train or lacrimobile. I’m not entirely sure what to expect from this job. The client really didn’t give us very many details, which has left me both curious and concerned as to the nature of the problem.” Vague requests weren’t typically the most reliable, leaving a lot of room for interpretation -- and trouble.

Serilda chuckled a bit when Gaia pouted about the fact that she had left Sabertooth before the two of them had gotten the chance to officially meet. “If it makes you feel any better, it was not an easy decision. I loved Sabertooth. I still do, in fact. I want to continue working with them closely as allies, which is part of why I volunteered for this job. But after what happened in Era…” The Voidwalker let her voice trail off. At this point it was fairly public knowledge that the entire city had been attacked, and that the vast majority of the Rune Knight forces had been slain in their efforts to protect the citizens. “Sabertooth will always have a place of gratitude and respect in my heart, but they don’t need me. The Rune Knights do.”

Gaia expressed an interest in the origins of the wolf’s name. It seemed the woman was a bit of a linguist, or at least aspired to be. The noble woman couldn’t help but smile around her, the enthusiasm infectious. “Actually, it is Draconic. Or at least a simplified dialect of it. It roughly translates to ‘Comet’, which I felt was fitting given her breed. As a Star Wolf, she has a penchant for starlight, fire, and speed. So, the moniker felt right.”

She was introduced to the beautiful ferret Noya, who apparently was a creature from another world. Even a few months ago such a concept might have left her more than a little dumbstruck, but given that Serilda had already spent close to half a year in space and exploring -- and nearly dying -- on another planet, the idea was one she was mentally prepared to grasp. “How fortunate that you were able to save her! She is quite lovely.” Making sure not to encroach too quickly on the animal’s space, the noblewoman would respectfully hold out her fingers for Noya to inspect as a gesture of introduction. If the animal seemed open to allowing Serilda to pet her she would do so, otherwise she would leave her be.

Apparently, Serilda had not quite covered her facial reactions to her internal conversation well enough. Or rather, Gaia was much more familiar with the tiny nuances than anyone else in her life. She was so caught off guard by the comment that she could only blink at Gaia in shock and surprise at first. Serilda might have been offended by such a personal question, but honestly the woman was so sweet thus far that even before Gaia started apologizing she knew the comment hadn’t come from a place of judgement or condemnation. Truthfully, she was going to have to tell her about Victoria anyway just to keep there from being any surprises. “No apology require. Just one,” she admitted, her voice quiet so it wouldn’t carry. “A nephilim, actually; half demon, half angel. I will tell you more when we have a bit more privacy.”

Someday it would be common knowledge that Serilda shared a soul with such a creature, but given that she was still trying to come to terms with the change herself she wasn’t quite ready for it to go viral, so to speak. Gaia excused herself to get some treats for Noya to take on the road with them, while Serilda finished her drink and stood to her feet. Xiuh joined her, excited as ever to be going to work. When Gaia was ready, Serilda opened a translucent portal that they could step through. It appeared as little more than a distortion or ripple of the air, but when passed through they were instantly transported to a location not far outside the village they were to investigate.

Almost immediately, Noya dropped from Gaia’s shoulder and began to lead the way. Serilda and Xiuhcoatl walked alongside the Sabertooth wizard as they travelled up the mountain. It seemed as good a time as any to give a better answer to Gaia’s earlier question. She paused for a brief second to focus and a second body appeared to step out from within Serilda’s where it could exist of its own right. It was another woman with hair as white as the Voidwalker’s, but much older. Her skin was weathered and wrinkled from age, though she still looked incredible for her age all things considered. The Seal stood with confident poise as she stretched her neck, enjoying the freedom to move of her own volition for a bit.

“Gaia, this is Victoria. She calls herself the Seal of Conquest, and to speak frankly she’s a real pain in my backside but unfortunately I’m stuck with her.”

Victoria let out a short, dignified laugh that came across as more of a huff than anything else. “You should be more grateful to have my powers at your disposal, child.” Her wisened voice was wrought with arrogant confidence. Xiuhcoatl growled lightly at the Seal, but otherwise paid her no mind.

Serilda rolled her eyes, despite her best efforts not to, and turned back to Gaia. “She’s honestly a horrible person, but she could be useful to us if she gets over herself long enough to apply her mind to the job. Don’t let her give you any lip.” Most of the time Serilda was content to let Victoria simmer in her head instead of loosing her into the world, but it was nice to take a break from the constant yammering in her mind. Plus, if she wound up requiring Victoria’s help during this mission she would rather already have the nephilim out rather than summon her in front of a town full of people. “And as for you--”

The seal sighed. “Yes, yes. Behave myself or else. Trust me, I’m not eager to be stuck back inside your dull excuse for a psyche.”

Not long after that they found themselves at the village in question. On the surface it appeared to be fine. Nothing really stood out to her or even felt off. For all intents and purposes, it seemed to be a normal town that she wouldn’t have thought twice about if she had passed through it unprompted. Gaia stepped aside to speak with an old couple sitting on a bench while Serilda felt out with her Void senses to see if she could find anything out of the ordinary.

Victoria frowned and cast her golden eyed gaze around the area. “Do you sense that,” the Seal said quietly enough that only Serilda would hear it.

Serilda shook her head. “No, I don’t sense anything out of the ordinary. Everything seems fine as far as I can tell.”

“You’re using your Void magic?” The noblewoman nodded. “Use mine. You’ll have to focus. It’s old, but it’s there.”[/color]

Unsure, the Voidwalker reached into her god slaying and blood magics and honed in on them as hard as she could. As Gaia returned to them with her report, she finally started to notice what Victoria was talking about. “I think I feel it,” Serilda said, her brows deeply knit together in concern. Her voice was still kept low, but once Gaia was with them again the Sabertooth wizard would be able to hear the conversation. “Is it blood?”

The Seal nodded. “A lot of it, deep in the ground. There was a massacre here once. This entire town must have been slaughtered at some point. Most of it is concentrated to one spot.”

Serilda continued to frown in thought. “That’s certainly concerning, but doesn’t tell us much about what’s currently going on. That old couple said that nothing has happened here?” Presuming Gaia reconfirmed this, the wizard saint would cross her arms over her chest as she contemplated it. “It’s possible they just don’t know of anything. Just because there was a battle here doesn’t mean that those who currently live here were a part of it. If it happened a long time ago and left the town abandoned, others could have moved in later. “

“There is a way to get more information, but you’re not going to like it.”

“Go on,” the Voidwalker said, her tone ripe with distrust.

“Blood plays a very intimate role in a person’s existence. It has a metaphysical link to the soul, of sorts. If either one of us were to taste someone’s blood, we would get insight into their strongest memories and recent thoughts.”

As pale as her skin already was, Serilda went even more pale with disgust. “You want me to consume someone’s blood? Not just that, but the blood of people that have been dead for potentially decades?!”

“I said you wouldn’t like it,” Victoria told her with a shrug. “I can raise the blood from the ground, but obviously that might upset the locals. It would be better to do it after dark when there’s no one around.”

A groan escaped the noblewoman’s lips and she rubbed her temples like she was getting a migraine. “Please tell me you have a better idea than this,” she practically begged.

“I do have one, yes,” Serilda said, retrieving her own iLac from one of her pockets. The two of them quickly exchanged identification codes, with the field marshal glad to have the reassurance that Sabertooth would likely be open to helping out if they ever needed assistance with anything.

After they’d started making their way toward their destination, Serilda introduced Gaia to Victoria. The Seal eyed the Sabertooth wizard with an unreadable golden gaze. The bow was a nice touch, and certainly the type of behavior that Victoria expected of mortals, but cordiality wasn’t exactly in her social repertoire. “We shall see, girl,” was all she said when Gaia expressed her hope that Victoria would be of use to them. Victoria wasn’t pleased as the two women conversed about her like she wasn’t present, but elected to keep her comments to herself for now, knowing they would get her nowhere at this point.

The initial step of gathering information hadn’t given them enough to work off of in order to figure out what was truly going on here. Gaia’s expression betrayed that she wasn’t thrilled by what Victoria had to provide, and Serilda couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t good news at all. “No, don’t worry. She definitely means either her or myself,” she assured the Tarot mage. “Victoria’s speciality is blood magic, and since we share souls I’m, unfortunately, capable of utilizing it myself.”

Her tone made it obvious that she utterly detested the entire concept of blood magic, which was often highly regarded as an evil dark art. Truthfully, Serilda didn’t even like admitting that she could use it but she got the feeling that Gaia would understand her situation and not hold it against her. She just hoped the other mage would have a better plan of action to offer.

At this point, it seemed all they could really do is continue to ask around. Gaia had expressed that the couple was old and that perhaps their memories weren’t the sharpest. Perhaps they would have better luck with other villagers. The Sabertooth ace also recalled that their client had asked them to check in on her family as well. “Yes, that would be a good starting place, I think,” Serilda said, nodding in agreement. “Let’s see what they have to say, and if worse comes to we can entertain Victoria’s idea later as a last resort.”

Victoria rolled her eyes, but said nothing. Even the Seal would concede that broad daylight wasn’t the best time to make such a display of her power, as it would only cause the mortals of the village to either panic or slip into a state of obsessive awe and reverence. It was almost always one or the other, in her experience, and both were equally as bothersome.

With the information provided on the job pamphlet that Gaia had brought along, they were able to locate their client’s family. Serilda knocked on the door with polite authority and took a step back so whoever answered wouldn’t feel as though she were invading their space. It took a moment, but a man soon answered. He was on the older side of middle age, with hair that was heavily graying but still had flecks of the natural dark from his youth. When he noticed Serilda’s Rune Knight uniform, he opened the door a little wider to greet them more appropriately. “Good morning, officer.”

Serilda offered the man a small but friendly smile. “Good morning. I’m looking for the Spero household?”

“You’ve found the right place. What can I do for you?”

“We’re conducting an investigation in the area, and was just hoping you could answer a couple questions for us.”

The man frowned a little, either out of concern or suspicion, Serilda couldn’t really tell. But he did nod. “Sure, go ahead, miss.”

“Thank you. Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary happen around here recently? Anything that’s stuck out to you as odd or peculiar?”

He thought for a moment before shaking his head. “No, nothing in particular. We’re a real small village, not much of anything happens around these parts.”

“What about people? Anyone in the area as of late that you didn’t recognize or that seemed out of place?”

That caught his attention and his frown deepened, though not at being asked the question. It was the look of someone who had recalled something that fit as an answer to Serilda’s inquiry. “There was a young woman that came by a few weeks back claiming to be my daughter. She was a bit frantic and emotional, kept saying how we were supposed to be dead and a bunch of other nonsense about the village being destroyed. Load of crap, obviously. I’ve never seen her before in my life. My wife and the kids were more than a little distressed by her, so we kicked her out and told her to stay away. I’m thinking she wasn’t all right in the head, if you know what I mean.”

As if to emphasize, he reached up and tapped his temple. Serilda cast Gaia and Victoria a glance. Was he talking about their client? He had to be. There certainly was something strange going on here, but at this point she wasn’t sure if it was the village or the woman who had hired them to do this job. So far everything seemed just fine here, but at the same time she couldn’t ignore what Victoria had told her earlier. There had been a massacre here once, that much was undeniable. But the people here seemed normal so far.

Serilda stopped to think for a moment, giving Gaia the opportunity to ask some questions if she wished.