The Tarnished City

Merrique

"Do not try such acts on me, harlot. Not five minutes ago you were screeching that I was a monster, nor do I follow my cock like the one you have wrapped around your fingers, though I'm sure he desires the reverse and little else."

Merrique's eyebrows shot up when Duke Selzec started whispering in her ear, and when he moved away she burst out in a fit of giggles. She laughed so hard that she had to clutch her sides, because they hurt so badly. It wasn't until Duke Selzec was striding away, that her laughter died down and she wiped a tear away from her eye.

"My stars!" Merrique gasped as she straightened up. "I haven't laughed that hard in ages!" She waved merrily at Duke Selzec's back and called out, "See you around!" It was just like a man to call a woman a "harlot" just for smiling at him, as if he knew anything about Merrique or her deeds. And Merrique also did not intend to tell anyone what Selzec had said to her. She would keep it close to her heart so she wouldn't forget, and when the time was right, the duke would pay.

Turning to the rest of the group, she clapped her hands and nodded toward Jade. "I agree, lets get a move on," the Lady Sorceress chirped. She smiled down at Acai and held out her hand for him to take.

 

Jade felt a twinge of sadness as she looked at Mixine. "No," she said. "There is no 'we' here, only you and I. I live alone, and I have sworn never to return to my homeland. Forgive me, I had companions in the past, but they have all been temporary. That is how I live."

"I agree, lets get a move on,"said Merrique. Jade started walking, signaling to Marcus and his friends to start following her.

 

Marcus saw Jade's small motion, and followed her, Kent and Dart behind him, wary of the people behind them. He rolled up and sealed the map again, noting in his mind where the Duke's eyes had strayed when he was talking about the forgotten countries. He made a mental note to make another map with those countries added in. It would be an interesting project to find where their borders once were.

Marcus considered all that said... it broiled about it in his head like a pot of soup, each thing mixing about until it found its spot. Just another piece of the puzzle that now fit in. Countries conquered by the Scaled Empire; Venic, Rasadome and Nos'Tasna . A man that had prolonged his life with dark magic. Vetiver defending Merrique. Daughter of the Duke married to a tyrant. Mixine's abnormal sayings. Vetiver's timely device and the duke's response. Jade and Mixine's words in a foreign tongue. The Duke's words to Merrique, and her subsequent laughter. Relatus's blade, The Dueling Dancer and its location. The knowledge of the old gods and their relative areas in the city. The Duke's departure. The bottle breaking.

The countries were mere information. Knowledge of powerful, life-sustaining dark magics. Vetiver has an inclination towards protecting Merrique. A familial relationship between an ancient queen and Duke Selzas, which could prove useful later. Mixine could gather some sort of information from touch; why else would she have asked to touch the Duke's face? That might have been useful. Jade and Mixine came from the same place, otherwise how would they know the same tongue. It irritated him that there was a language that he did not understand... he had learned 4 languages to be able to always understand and communicate.

Touch. Henry's graven, icy fingers. Touching. Gliding. Trapping.

East was the Ring, West was Relatus's blade, North was Marius's quarters. They would soon check off the ring off of their list. Duke would be a persistent figure to keep an eye out for. He wondered where he had went, then concluded that since he would be in the city, he would leave signs, and they could track him later.

He walked up to Jade, Dart catching up to them, Kent staying back behind the three, presumably keeping an eye out.

Marcus face set into one of unveiled, morbid curiosity. "What degree of magic do you possess, Jade? I know you can make shadows... but what else?"

 

Jade felt a twinge of sadness as she looked at Mixine. "No," she said. "There is no 'we' here, only you and I. I live alone, and I have sworn never to return to my homeland. Forgive me, I had companions in the past, but they have all been temporary. That is how I live."

"You are forgiven as I hope you forgive me for the lack of a proper explanation. For you see, I am Mixine's only companion and have been here since her father's death." Mixine paused for a moment, as if torn up inside, before her masculine tone continued as seriously as before, "This smiling white mask is my body and much like a broken child with a doll, here I am. The others may think of it as madness, but Mixine is not strong enough to face the world as it is. That is why I protect her... and dry her tears. Now, she wants me to protect you as well. Even if it is temporary."

The masculine personality had full control over her, but was it madness or an act? There was more certainty and a sense of confidence that Mixine could not project convincingly. The reactions of Mixine were that of a child, swift and potent without any real concern for others or what was said. Perhaps it really was madness, but who could define sanity now?

Marcus face set into one of unveiled, morbid curiosity. "What degree of magic do you possess, Jade? I know you can make shadows... but what else?"

Mix followed closely by Jade while staring at Merrique's backside, musing to himself how this perculiar woman managed to open Mixine's heart so quickly. Though he was very much apart of Mixine, he did not fully understand her. He raised his hand to touch his mask that represented his physical body and adjusted it. He knew his power was greatly diminished and he grumbled under his breath as if to Mixine, "Limiters. Remember? Limiters."

 

Acai and Merrique

Acai dropped the steaming hot rocks he had been holding and took Merrique's hand. Together they walked through the gates into Para'Ven, following as Jade led the way. Even though Acai was much younger than Merrique, he felt strangely protective of her. Merrique was probably in her twenties, but Acai felt like she was much more naive and innocent than he was, even though he was only thirteen. Then again, Merrique couldn't have survived all the perilous adventures he had heard of her if she was really as sweet as she acted. Maybe it was just an act, to put off her enemies and make them think she wasn't a threat...right before she stabbed them in the jugular.

"Acai, I want to give you something," Merrique told the peasant boy. She smiled down at him and took off the large garnet ring she wore on her index finger. The band was pure gold and the garnet stone was huge and rectangular, the color of dried blood. "Will you take it?" she asked pleasantly.

"What is it?" Acai asked as he took the ring. It was heavy in his hand and something told him it wasn't just a piece of fancy jewelry. He put it on his index finger and admired how the light reflected off of the dark stone. It was a very masculine piece of jewelry, so he didn't feel weird about wearing it.

"This ring is a relic, taken from the vaults under the Crystal City," Merrique explained. She was smiling, but there was a sad look in her large hazel eyes. "I haven't taken it off in...well, not since I put it on, which was many, many moons ago. It works as a sort of magical battery: you can store magic inside of it, and then draw on it when you're exhausted. I'm pretty sure you've noticed all of Vetiver's fancy rings; he probably uses them for the same reason."

Acai's haunted eyes grew huge in amazement. "You're...you're giving me a relic?" He was over the moon! Overjoyed! Overwhelmed! One of his biggest idols had given him the very thing that he had dreamed of acquiring for years. He looked down at the ring and a big goofy smile split his face in half.

"Yes, I'm giving it to you," the Lady Sorceress laughed. She was glad to see the boy smiling. It had not escaped her notice how cynical and morbid he was, for someone so very young. Merrique hated to think about what had made him that way; usually people didn't get all jaded and mean until they grew up. But Acai's goofy smile made Merrique feel less sad about giving up her precious garnet ring. "The sorcerer he used this ring before me stored a lot of power inside of it," Merrique told Acai. "I used some of it, but I've put quite a bit of my own power inside of it over the last couple years. Use the ring in case of emergency, but remember: it is not inexhaustible. Sooner or later the power will run out, so use it wisely."

Acai nodded reverently, his eyes never leaving the ring.

Merrique giggled and rolled her eyes. Boys will be boys, she thought ruefully.

 

The way to Relatus's quarter was long, while unsigned it was clear that there was a single straight path, well trodden and intended to allow the deity's followers immediate passage, though immediate may not have been accurate either. The path was long, stretching for roughly a mile and a half, and the buildings either side appeared more like walls. Sections were carved out of them, the majority filled in coffins with small silver plaques, giving small details. Names, dates and professions, lives summarised in a dozen words. There were even roofs along the path, though they seemed randomly placed. All were carved of an ivory coloured stone, shaped like arms that were embracing each other.
As the path went further on, there was a coffin on the ground, and in the slot where it was to be placed was a skeleton, the plaque torn from the casket and placed next to. The wood itself was marked. A burn in the shake of an eye with three spikes coming off the top, the same as the hunter's brand, below it was a rough carving that could be more closely inspected, though from any distance apart from up close would be illegible.

 

Merrique

Merrique held Acai's hand tighter as they ventured deeper into Para'Ven. It truly was a haunting place. In all of Merrique's travels, and all of her wild adventures, she had never come across a place as sinister as this city. She wasn't scared for herself, though: she was scared for Acai, so she held him firmly to keep him at her side. When they came across the coffins, Merrique put her hand on her dagger. After seeing Duke Selzec's true self, it wasn't that far of a stretch to think that these rotting skeletons might come to life and attack them.

"There's something there," Merrique murmured, looking at the coffin with the burnt eye symbol on it. The Witch Hunter psycho had been here. Merrique's eyes darkened as she thought about all the things she would do to him if she ever got the chance. Then she remembered what the one-eyed freak had said, that he would be watching. Merrique glanced around them, half expecting to see him crouching on the roofs.

"Stay here," Merrique told Acai. She pulled out her dagger fully and walked up to the coffin to inspect it more closely.

 

Nimras Emikson, father, devoted hunter, by the hand that carved this his efforts shall not be in vain. Despite the low quality of the carving, it clear that someone spent much time trying to ensure it legible, as noted by half a dozen other carvings which have been marked off, as if not satisfactory. Despite the obvious vandalism, there were a few other details, the latch on the side was broken, the sides were heavily scuffed from being dragged, and a finger bone preventing it from closing.

 

"You are forgiven as I hope you forgive me for the lack of a proper explanation. For you see, I am Mixine's only companion and have been here since her father's death." Mixine paused for a moment, as if torn up inside, before her masculine tone continued as seriously as before,"This smiling white mask is my body and much like a broken child with a doll, here I am. The others may think of it as madness, but Mixine is not strong enough to face the world as it is. That is why I protect her... and dry her tears. Now, she wants me to protect you as well. Even if it is temporary." Jade watched the white mask in shock. This Mix, Mixine's alter ego, it was strange. Dispite possesing some degree of magic, Jade knew barely anything about the powers in the world, and had no idea what the being Mix was capable of. It was comforting that whoever he was, Mix was keen on protecting her, and reduced the spookiness of it.

"What degree of magic do you possess, Jade? I know you can make shadows... but what else?" Marcus asked.
She was silent for a while before answering. How much can she trust this man? Jade wanted to join that group of mercenaries for some time, after the adventure was over. Maybe if he knew the extent of her power he would be more kren to use her. On the other hand, she didn't want to trade away all of her secrets, Jade knew she was walking on a fine line there.

"That is what I do," she said. "I play with shadows, mainly to help myself hide, but it really is a matter of creativity. I can also give the shadows a phisycal presence, although that is much harder and affects much less area of shadow." She decided to leave out her connection to her own shadow. Even she did not fully understand how it worked.

 

She hesitated a moment for answering. "That is what I do; I play with shadows, mainly to help myself hide, but it really is a matter of creativity. I can also give the shadows a physical presence, although that is much harder and affects much less area of shadow." Jade answered.

Shadows. A hunter, a spy, with abilities refined to a tip with magic. Manipulating light slightly.

The pulsating, consuming, emotionless magic.

No, that was wrong. There was emotion. Anger, greed, bloodlust... and love.

The love that had consumed him and trapped him like an animal on a leash. Like a hound. It was a not a normal love, but a corrupted, salacious, slivering lust with dying suns trapped behind their eyelashes. They called it academic, unexplored, profitable, world-changing. The type of change the devil, if he exists, would want. The Arcane Arts. Magic. Unrestricted power.

It could twist everything. Turn love into insanity, charity vanity, hope desperation, pride narcissism. Henry's laugh grinded, tickled, poked, stabbed. Women into shadows. Nothingness.

Marcus had stopped walking, and breathed in and out, calming himself. It wouldn't do to appear as if he was struggling to the others. His finger swept along his side, stopping at a place just below his heart, before returning it to his side. "Sorry about that... I was thinking. Are magically adept people common in the Brackenmarsh? Both you and Mixine have a fair amount of ability."

 

"Sorry about that... I was thinking. Are magically adept people common in the Brackenmarsh? Both you and Mixine have a fair amount of ability."
Jade hesitated. She realised she revealed too much already. On the other hand, that question was not so personal.

"No," she said. "And those who are do not usually walk about. There is this... reason for it."

Wanting to finish this conversation, Jade walked up to Merrique, who appeared to be examining a corpse.

 

Merrique

Merrique stepped away from the coffin and flipped her dagger in the air, catching it again and again without even looking at it. When Merrique noticed Jade coming closer, she caught the dagger at the tip with her index finger and her thumb. Then she flipped it around and grabbed it by the handle and held it loosely at her side.

"Hey, Jadey Lady," Merrique said with a playful grin. She pointed to the carving on the coffin and said, "Nimras Emikson, father, devoted hunter, by the hand that carved this his efforts shall not be in vain. That's what it says. There's also a mark...the same mark that that one-eyed guy had, the one who burned me." Merrique's left eye twitched as she thought about that psycho and her grip tightened on her dagger for a moment.

I'll get him, I swear it, she thought to herself, pushing down her simmering rage.

"I think the one-eyed guy did this," Merrique told Jade. "He's trying to continue Nimras Emikson's work, who might even be his father." Merrique looked back down at the coffin and frowned slightly. "Maybe we should check inside," she suggested.

 

Vetiver

A gentle nudge against Vetiver's calf let him know that Xibalba wanted his attention. "Hmm?" Vetiver said as he looked down at the snake.

I'm getting hungry, Xibalba mindspoke. I will need to eat soon.

"I will catch you something," Vetiver assured his pet. With his mind, he said, And keep an eye on Mixine. Any day now she's going to snap, and when she does I give you permission to eat her.

Xibalba's broad head swung to the side to look at Mixine, and then it swung back to stare at Vetiver. How am I supposed to eat a tent? the snake asked dryly.

Vetiver chuckled softly.

"Maybe we should check inside."

Vetiver's head snapped up as Merrique suggested looking inside a coffin. "Step aside," Vetiver said to Merrique and Jade. "I will remove the lid with magic. It might be a trap." Then he took out the Black Wand and held it at the ready. He waved the empty hand and purple light blurred behind it in the air as he willed the coffin lid to come off.

 

"Sorry about that... I was thinking. Are magically adept people common in the Brackenmarsh? Both you and Mixine have a fair amount of ability."

The words were like barbs, both Jade and Mixine had revealed their magical power though there was little point in hiding it in the presence of other mages who could naturally detect the presence of such strength.

"No," she said. "And those who are do not usually walk about. There is this... reason for it."

Mix waited until Jade hurried up to Merrique before falling in line by Marcus, his eyes still trained on Merrique as if in some deep thought. His voice was deeper and more confident then Mixine's mimicry, but the lack of interest in its deliverance was most striking aspect, "What do you seek?"

"I think the one-eyed guy did this," Merrique told Jade. "He's trying to continue Nimras Emikson's work, who might even be his father." Merrique looked back down at the coffin and frowned slightly. "Maybe we should check inside," she suggested.

"Step aside," Vetiver said to Merrique and Jade. "I will remove the lid with magic. It might be a trap.

Mix's eyes lingered on Merrique a moment until Vetiver pulled out his wand. Then his attention locked instead to the mage which had infuriated Mixine so greatly as to test the limits of her willpower. With the distraction caused by Vetiver's act, Mix's eyes drifted to Xibalba before turning casually to Marcus as if more interested in his answer then whatever lay in the coffin. Still, he saw the snake glance at him from out of the corner of his eye and wondered how Mixine could have taken it for a mere meal. Through the front door? Really? You needed more sleep, Mixine.

 

The body was remarkable well preserved, a pair of eyeless sockets meeting their gaze as the lid opened. The body was that of a man, dark skinned yet bloodless. While the outside of the coffin cold easily be interpreted as respectful, the state of the body seemed otherwise. Each limb had been torn from the main body before being placed back, yet not healed. The torso had been severed length ways into three strips, before being further lacerated. The head was still clearly human, bald with a crooked nose and fine, leathery lips. His eyes were not present however, yet there were signs of them, the removal clearly not being clean.

 

Jade clenched her fists at the mention of the nickname "Jadey Lady". She thought of a retort, vut decided against it. Time was pressing, and seeing how the group was anyways about to fall into chaos, well, there were always other days, other times.

The state of the body made her feel slightly nauseous, with its limbs all torn off and replaced, eyes missing. It wasn't as if gore was alien to her, blood and inner parts were the ordinary in her line of work, but that didn't mean she got used to it, only better at keeping everything down.

"Well, the man certainly died rather brutally, and they did the best they could to give him a respectful burial. Anyways, unless you want to search the body, I guess we should get a move on."

 

Vetiver

Vetiver inspected the corpse along with Jade. Then he waved his hand and the lid flew back onto the coffin, neatly covering the horrific remains. "He was obviously punished for something," Vetiver remarked. He was talking out loud, but it sounded like he was talking to himself, trying to unravel this mystery. "A mob probably tore him apart, or something along those lines. If that face-bandaged creep that attacked us is his son, as Merrique so aptly deduced, then he was probably tortured and killed for attacking magic-users. And if that's true, then the "one-eyed" freak's eyes were probably ripped out for the same reason."

Good sleuthing, Xibalba commented as he twined around Vetiver's lanky legs.

"But, this is all just guessing," Vetiver mumured. He rubbed his handsome square chin for a moment, then turned to Jade. "Okay, lets go. Lead the way...Jadey Lady," he said with a wicked grin.

 

Mix stepped forward and approached the corpse in silence as Vetiver wanted to press on. Whereas Mixine would be extremely irate at the transgression, Mix was solemn and emotionless. From within Mixine's front pack he pulled out a carefully dried and preserved white lotus and placed it carefully on the body as a sign of respect and purification. If none were to aid in replacing the coffin lid, then Mix would do so alone. He did not utter a single sound as he stared at the corpse, Mixine's hand reached for the man's ear. As gentle as the softest morning breeze, a thin fold of fabric under Mixine's index finger sought out to caress it. It was a means to gauge the relative time since death and to confirm the state of preservation of by magical, physical or chemical means. The finger bone which prevented the latch from closing was enough to ensure a rapid decay in almost any circumstance, it did not make sense how a body that was not fresh should possibly remain in such a state.

 

Jade gritted her teeth. She hoped the new Jadey Lady wouldn't become a thing, otherwise some people would have to pay woth their lives. She saw Mixine, or maybe it was Mix, touch the corpse, doing some kind of magical assessment. She let a sigh, and waited for the girl to be finished.

 

The body wasn't preserved by any means. It was merely there, as if time seemed unwilling to touch the body, or anything in the city for that matter. Instead, a small, black centipede-like creature crawled out. Stalks on the top of its head seemed to taste the air, before it went along the floor, scuttering down the path they'd come from.

 

Marcus knelt by the side of the grave, ignoring the unpleasant smell. He had smelt worse. Seen worse. Done worse. He saw Mixine touch it with her finger... or almost touch it. He slipped on his gloves quickly, made of hard leather. A small black insect popped into his vision before scuttling away. The thought of it eating at the body for survival was more disgusting to Marcus than anything else. Death was natural. Painful death was common. He had seen, heard, touched, tasted death himself.

Henry's cold smile. "I know she's pretty. She's pretty even now. See how red her lips are? I think they still taste like cherries. Go ahead. Serve yourself."

He shook his head, breathing in and out, the smell permeating his nostrils. He grimaced before grabbing at the man's hand, seeing a hand that had seen struggle. Scrapes and bruises everywhere. A ring was wrapped around his index finger. It matched the one in his memory... the sweeping eagle vision. The one that made no sense at all.

Should he touch it? It could instill a curse, like the mark the man had made on Merrique. He hesitated for a moment, before sliding it gently off the man's hand. He took it in his glove, inspecting it for a few seconds, standing back up, his new accessory in view of everyone else. Kent kept close to Marcus. A mutual understanding formed between them out of silence that if anything strange started to happen, Kent would take the ring.

 

Mix moved swiftly to exterminate the black centipede-like thing as it started to scurry away, raising his left hand and a single leader of ionized energy shot forth and splintered into three fragments aimed at the bug with an intention to strike it. The leaders opened a pathway for the electric charge, there was no doubt that Mix sought to obliterate the centipede-like thing in an instant. A fraction of a second after leaders sent out, a brief snaking trail of light flashed as a wire-thin bolt of lightning left the tip of Mix's index finger to exterminate that bug.

 

The vision from the night before forced its way inside, row upon row of graves, a headstone for Illia Tu'Monte. Then came the voice again, a whisper that sounded like it came from the inside of his skull. Find the ring. Seek the first scholar. Save the petty grave robbing for the others.

 

Jade yawned. partly from weariness, mainly from boredom. Have they really stooped so low, to be zapping away at bugs eating a corpse?!

"Look, it is not that I'm not thrilled to be messing with a dead body. But we have a ring to find, prefferably before sunset. You remember, magic anahilating mists."

 

Mix looked at Jade and spoke only in the Brackenmarsh tongue to her, "Listen to your senses for magic beyond comprehension is at work in the land. An oddly-preserved body bearing the mark of the enemy in a dead city. If this corpse is his father of the witch hunter, then we are all marked for death. As if the dangers of the night or a corrupted march of time were not deadly enough."

He refrained from turning to Marcus for he was aware enough that some actual looting of the body was taking place by Jade's words, "That single bug may or may not have been a familiar, but watch the shadows. The aura of this place is unnatural."

To Marcus and the others, Mix asked plainly, "Are we done or not?"