Chapter V: Inglis, Age 12 (Part 2)
Once night had fallen and she had finished her preparations, Inglis marched forth from the castle. Rahl was staying at the ducal villa on a nearby hill, and she made her way there alone through the deserted nighttime streets, clad not in a dress but in the standard-issue squire’s brigandine she wore while on patrol with the knights.
The outfit wasn’t her own, though; it was a loaner set from the castle armory. She didn’t want her mother to worry. Rahl may have been attempting to cut off her avenues of escape by insisting she see him tonight, but the timing fit her own plans quite well. She’d be able to finish things before her mother ever found out.
Rafinha had pleaded quite loudly with Inglis not to go alone, but the duke’s own teary-eyed intervention to keep his daughter from putting herself in danger had given Inglis the opportunity to slip away.
“Well, it’s do-or-die, I guess,” she muttered to herself.
Inglis was, of course, not planning on giving Rahl what he wanted, and she was reasonably sure he wasn’t expecting it either. Even if he was cocky enough to think he’d cowed her into submission—thanks to his power as a Highlander—he would surely have a backup plan. She might also have to deal with the man in the iron mask and the flame magic that Rahl had used to kill Lord Shiony—or something very much like magic. Even alone, he would likely be stronger than he’d been when they had previously clashed. Hopefully strong enough to be satisfying, this time.
“Hmm?”
Duke Bilford’s villa, where Rahl presumably lay in wait, came into sight. At its gates stood the masked man. Inglis approached him and bowed politely.
“Good evening,” she said. “Inglis Eucus. I believe I have an invitation.”
Silently, the man pushed open the gates, which swung open with a metallic creak, before turning back around and nodding to Inglis that she should follow.
She meekly followed. The villa courtyard wasn’t particularly large, but it did include a promenade lined with carefully-pruned trees leading up to the portico. They walked in the darkness with the sound of their footsteps as their only companions. When they reached the halfway mark of the promenade, the man suddenly stopped.
Inglis stared quizzically.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered haltingly.
As terrifying as his appearance is, he seems to be a more decent man than his master, Inglis thought. How painful it must be for him to have to silently watch Rahl’s behavior.
Inglis smiled. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
He said nothing more and walked on.
As they reached the end of the promenade, a silver flash from the trees pierced the darkness in an arc with unnatural speed and force toward the masked man.
He flinched. Twin beams of cold light pierced his neck, and he crumpled to the floor, struck down in the blink of an eye.
“So fast!” Inglis gasped.
It was an impressive attack, and as unfortunate as it was for the masked man, she was more interested in the blade that had delivered the blow than she was concerned for him. The sword was undeniably lethal, yet beautiful in its own way. It was enough to make her shiver in excitement—not in fear. Its wielder was a blonde, sapphire-eyed young woman who approached Inglis with haste but no malice.
“Eris?” Inglis was sure this was the hieral menace Leon had attempted to introduce her to. Why was she here?
“Yes. You don’t need to be here. Get out while you can,” Eris warned.
“Did you come to save me?”
“Kind of. I heard what happened from Leon. And you’re Rafael’s cousin, right? I couldn’t let anything happen to you.”
Eris’s new, friendlier disposition was quite the surprise to Inglis, but she remained steadfast. “Thanks. I can’t turn back now, though. There’s no telling what Rahl would do if I don’t show.”
She expected full responsibility for the inspector’s assassination would fall upon the Citadel of Ymir—specifically Duke Bilford—at the very least. Rahl needed to be stopped now.
“Are you planning on just throwing yourself at him? Have more self-respect than that!” Eris demanded. “I’ll handle him myself.”
“Handle him how? Do you plan to assassinate Rahl? That’s too dangerous. Think of what will happen to Ymir.”
After a pause, Eris stubbornly refuted, “It’s none of your concern. Just go home!”
“I refuse.”
“You’re an arrogant little brat, aren’t you? One more step forward, and I’ll attack. If you don’t want to end up like him,” she said, gesturing to the masked man on the floor, “then get out of here!”
Despite the harshness in her voice and her brandished sword, Eris’s thoughts were focused on the apology she couldn’t say aloud. Sorry. I don’t have a choice.
It was a shameful thing for a hieral menace to intimidate a girl, but it was for Inglis’s own sake. Eris didn’t want to scare her, but Inglis was obviously determined, and Eris didn’t have any time to explain.
“Ha ha ha ha.” Inglis didn’t turn and flee—just the opposite. She laughed with a mix of glee and self-confidence, her eyes gleaming with an unfathomable fighting spirit entirely different from the nervous young girl she’d appeared to be. “So we’ll get to fight if I keep going? I’d love to.”
Inglis stepped confidently toward Eris, her face beaming in innocent enthusiasm.
“Well then, at the ready,” the battle-hungry girl said.
Inglis wanted to see just what a hieral menace was made of anyway. They were pretty impressive, if that earlier swordplay was any indication. Plus, this was a perfect chance to test her own skills.
Rahl could be dealt with afterward. She was sure he was itching to get his hands on her, so why not let him stew? She couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. If she asked Eris to fight her in any other situation, she’d probably refuse or hold back. This was Inglis’s chance to see how the hieral menace fought for real.
Eris sputtered, “You idiot! What are you thinking?!”
While her blade was at the ready, she had always intended to simply scare off Inglis. Yet here the girl was, practically overjoyed at the idea of a fight. She had no Rune. What was she thinking?
“Wasn’t this your idea to begin with?” Inglis retorted.
“Yeah, but... Ugh!” Eris shook her head.
Eris reminded herself all she needed to do was get Inglis home. The girl must have lost her mind. Why else would she have offered herself up to scum like that? Eris would scare her away.
The hieral menace slammed one foot against the ground to startle Inglis before springing forward more quickly than she thought Inglis could react. She planned to feint, giving Inglis a near-miss blow just short of striking her face. Surely it would send the girl fleeing. However, as Eris’s right hand descended to deliver the slash, it suddenly stopped in place.
Eris’s jaw dropped. Inglis had not only caught her arm—she had completely overextended it.
Grasping Eris’s arm, Inglis flipped her opponent onto her own back before throwing her toward the wall of the villa. “Haaah!”
But Eris was quick to react. She found her balance again, planting a foot on the wall to rebound toward Inglis.
“Not bad!” Inglis dodged a follow-up slash by a hair’s breadth while Eris landed in a cloud of dust and leaped to the attack again.
Eris’s speed and her ability to roll with a blow—she was far greater than the knights of Ymir. But Inglis still felt her opponent was holding back. She would draw out a real fight, then!
“Why do you look so happy?!” Eris yelled, spinning her swords in a dance of death as she advanced on Inglis in a flash.
“I love a good fight!” Inglis unsheathed her own sword, blocking and parrying Eris’s attacks.
“You’re a real handful, you know that?!”
The clashing of their swords filled the night air with sparks and echoing clangs, and the panic of battle began to cast its pallor over Eris.
Inglis wasn’t moving her legs at all. She was able to fend off anything Eris threw at her without repositioning. Eris had two swords. Inglis had only one. It shouldn’t have been difficult! Especially not for a hieral menace; Eris was a match for any holy knight, and she was dual-wielding swords, her specialty.
Eris thought Inglis was one of the best swordfighters alive. She was parrying effortlessly. Her skill, her reactions, her predictions—something wasn’t right.
Eris didn’t understand. No matter how skilled of a fencer Inglis was, Eris should have had the upper hand physically. She was far stronger than a normal human. A knight with a Rune and an Artifact would be able to keep up, sure, but she was a hieral menace—an Artifact with a soul! This should have been impossible, yet Inglis was doing it.
Something was wrong, and Eris didn’t know what. It wasn’t magic like a Highlander would use.
“Show me what you’ve really got!” Inglis barked.
“I am!” Eris shot back. She assumed Inglis was referring to her ability with a blade.
But then, Eris found her chance.
Claaang!
Inglis’s sword shattered into uselessness. It was purely a matter of weapon quality—Eris was armed with weapons specially made for a hieral menace, while Inglis had only the blade a rural knight would use for minor threats. The difference between the weapons was obvious.
Inglis gasped.
“Haaaah!” Seizing on the chance so intently that she forgot to hold back, Eris carved at Inglis one more time. Even a prodigy couldn’t dodge that strike. The edge of the blade sliced down Inglis’s arm.
Inglis, flinching, had thought she’d be able to twist away, but Eris had judged the range perfectly.
Now that’s how a hieral menace should fight, Inglis thought. I messed up and paid the price.
That’s what she’d wanted—a good, challenging fight. It was a minor wound, nothing to worry about. Plus, being without a sword meant things would start to be interesting.
“Oh...” Eris, though, suddenly pulled back, concern in her eyes. “A-Are you okay?”
Her attack had been a reflexive strike with all her might. She was glad she hadn’t hit Inglis harder...but it still wasn’t enough to scare her off.
An opening like that should have left her dead, but... She may be young, but she’s incredible, Eris thought.
This concern elicited only disappointment from Inglis. “Don’t ask me that, Eris. It makes it sound like you think I’m not a worthy opponent.”
“It’s not that, just—”
“Eris, tell me: can a hieral menace sense mana?”
“H-How do you know about that?!”
People from the surface weren’t supposed to even understand mana as a concept. Inglis didn’t even have a Rune!
So how could she...?
“Don’t worry about that. Just answer me.”
“Yes, we can. Somewhat, at least.”
“Oh, good.”
Eris couldn’t understand where Inglis’s carefree grin was coming from.
“If that’s the case...” Inglis took a deep breath and focused. This was her chance to show off what she had been practicing.
She would convert aether to mana. Mana was the source of magic, and the source of power for Artifacts, but it was extremely inefficient. For example, only about a fifth of the mana focused into a flame spell would actually spring forth as fire. The remainder dispersed into nothingness. Aether lacked that flaw. A strike with aether would deliver the full force behind it, if not amplify that force. So strictly speaking, converting aether to mana was a waste. In this situation, though, against a foe like Eris, who could sense mana but not aether, that conversion had its own advantages.
“Ah! Wh-What?!” Eris gasped involuntarily as she sensed a massive amount of mana swirl around Inglis. “What the hell are you?!”
Eris had never detected anything from her before! Inglis had been just a normal girl without so much as a hint of special powers. That’s why she’d wanted to stop her from going inside.
The girl in front of her now was completely different.
She has enough mana to swallow me whole!
Inglis grinned as she spoke. “Understand now? You don’t have to hold back.”
Eris had to know she was a worthy opponent. The hieral menace would fight her on the same level after having sensed Inglis’s converted mana.
Aether was the source of all things. Everything was made up of different concentrations of aether, which was why Inglis could use it to generate mana. Although it was inefficient, the process had its use here. Eris had been pulling her punches because she thought Inglis didn’t have any power. Inglis had to make her understand.
And even though practicing the precise command of aether so Inglis could make her parents happy by being able to have a Rune hadn’t panned out—since she lacked the mana for a Rune to appear—that training had taught her control.
“W-Well, then. I guess you don’t need my help.” Eris sheathed her swords. “I won’t stop you. Go ahead.”
“Huh? Wait! Wait, no! Please, no!”
“Wh-What? I thought you were just a little girl, but you’ve obviously got the mana to handle things. So there’s no need to stop you.”
“Gaaah! Anything but that! Ugh, what have I done...?” Inglis slumped in regret. She had finally found a foe of merit but had to prove her own worthiness. Yet all that had done was prompt her opponent to withdraw from the fight.
I messed up. How frustrating. And right when it was getting fun!
“N-No! I’m just a weak little girl! Come on, stop me! Please!”
“I’ve seen enough to know you can handle yourself. Better not to keep the Highlander waiting, right?” Eris spun on her heel and made her way back toward the gate, her business done.
“Ugh...” Inglis knit her fingers together in regret as she watched Eris leave. “I never should have done that! I’ll never forgive myself!”
Then something suddenly pummeled Eris.
◆◇◆
A clap of thunder sounded and surges of electricity swirled as a beast, formed of crackling lightning, smashed into Eris from the side.
“Ngh?!”
It was like a thunderbolt had slammed into her. The beast’s momentum carried her into the wall of the villa before it darted away.
“Ahhhh!” Eris’s shriek could be heard over the rolling thunder as the beast’s lightning smashed the wall around her.
“Eris?!” Inglis yelled.
The attack had caught Eris completely by surprise. “Ugh...” she grunted as she struggled to her feet.
“Are you okay?!”
“Yeah, somehow.”
She wasn’t critically wounded, but that blow wasn’t a mere scratch either. Inglis rushed to her side, only to be blocked by the beast. It arched its back, threatening to stop her.
“What is this?!” Inglis gasped, staring at several of the creatures. Summoned monsters, formed of magic or something like it, she surmised.
Eris grit her teeth in anger. She seemed to recognize the beasts. “Why?! What are you thinking?! Show yourself, Leon!”
“Wait, Leon did that?!”
“Hey. Looks like you figured me out.” Leon stepped out of the villa’s shadows, a smile on his face. He was wearing the same uniform from earlier at the banquet but with the addition of a pair of gauntlets with indigo spikes.
Is that his Artifact?
“Thanks, Inglis! Your distraction gave me just the chance I needed. If I took on Eris straight-up, one of us would have to be hauled off in a cart.”
“I thought you were better than this. Are you turning traitor?! You, a holy knight?!”
“Sure looks like it, doesn’t it?”
“Leon! Weren’t you just saying we had to lick Highlander boots if necessary?! Was that some kind of joke?!” Inglis yelled. He just tried to stop me from causing any more trouble with Highland. Was that his way of getting closer to Rahl himself?
“Of course it was! That’s too much to ask, even for a holy knight. I’m willing to lay down my life to defend this country and its people.”
“So why? Isn’t Eris your comrade-in-arms?!”
Leon paused, thinking over his words. “Was. I think I’ve burned that bridge. You see what’s going on, don’t you? If I sat by, I’d be serving you up to the Highlander on a platter. That’s no way to honor my oath as a holy knight, but there’s nothing I can do to stop their ravages. And it tears me up inside! That paradox makes me sick!”
“So you’re fighting for justice. How unexpectedly straightforward.”
Leon gawked at Inglis. “Not words I expected to hear from a little girl. Just what have you seen in your short life?”
“Without Highland, we can’t survive down here!” Eris insisted. “Without Artifacts, we’ll die to the magicite beasts! It’s just something we have to endure to survive!” The anger on her face had turned to resentment and regret.
“So you just want to give up? I don’t. I don’t want to give in to the magicite beasts or the Highlanders.”
“Then what other choice is there?” Inglis asked. Eris’s argument makes sense, but...
“Inglis, have you heard of the Steelblood Front?” Leon asked.
“No?”
Ymir was far-removed from other cities, and Inglis had paid more attention to her own training than politics. She supposed there was still a lot she didn’t know about the world.
Eris was the first to reply. “They’re an anti-Highland guerrilla army. They’ve been getting stronger recently, interfering with operations against the magicite beasts, and I’ve even heard Highland has destroyed some other cities for assassinating Highlanders. We’d be better off without them! They’re just making problems worse!”
“Yeah, that’s what the Highlanders have to say about it. But as for us... For us, we’re gonna drag Highland down to earth, even if we need to forge our own blood into the steel to make the chains. You understand what that means, right, Inglis?”
“You want to take down Highland first, capture their technology, and spread it across the surface? That way each country would be able to create its own Artifacts and defend itself.”
“Clever girl! That’s exactly it. No more need to bow and scrape for those damned Highlanders. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? Steelblood has always wanted more good comrades, and this whole mess has convinced me I’m one.”
Eris was aghast. “You’re underestimating Highland! That would start a war, and there’s no way you’d win! Do you realize how much suffering you’d cause?!”
“That’s why we need to build up our forces! That’s why I want to take you to them. Getting our hands on a hieral menace, the ultimate Artifact, may just be what we need to start cranking out our own!”
“No way! I’m not going along with a plan that will get that many people killed!” Eris leveled her swords, as much to reassure herself as to intimidate Leon.
“How about you, Inglis? Will you be a thug for the Highlanders, or will you be your own woman?”
“No thanks.” Inglis declined after a moment’s pause.
“Why not? Do you only care about the status quo like Eris?”
“That’s not it. If we work together with Eris, we can—”
“C’mon! You’re strong. Imagine what you could do with your talent!” Leon insisted, his rabble-rousing getting all the more passionate.
“Just what are—?!” Eris exclaimed, stunned.
“I understand what you mean. But I’m done with throwing my strength into ideology,” Inglis declared.
Inglis had already lived that life once before. If she fought for a cause, it would take over her life, which could keep her off the front lines. That wasn’t how Inglis Eucus wanted to live!
She fixed a stare Leon’s way. “So if you want Eris, you’re going to have to go through me.”
“I caught only a little bit of your fight earlier, but I know you’re strong,” Leon admitted. “Way stronger than you look, so I’m not gonna hold back! Haaah!”
He clanged his Artifact gauntlets together. A hieral menace was only for protecting one’s country against the strongest magicite beasts. For other fights, Leon preferred this Artifact. The higher-class Artifact weapons weren’t just for slashing, thrusting, and bashing; they were capable of special powers thought of as gifts from heaven. Just what form these ‘gifts’ took varied by weapon, but for Leon’s, it allowed him to summon lightning beasts.
How many there were, and how powerful they were, depended on the wielder. These were in the hands of a holy knight with a special-class rune, though—Leon would be formidable.
Sparks flew toward the ground from the gauntlets as they crashed together, turning to howling lightning beasts as they landed. There had to be at least twenty—no, more than thirty of them surrounding Inglis. It was an impressive, almost blinding, sight.
“One, two, heel! The others—sic!” Leon rushed toward Eris, two lightning beasts at his side.
Eris readied her blades for a counterattack. She and Leon may have been evenly matched alone, but now, she was outnumbered. On top of that, she was already injured.
Inglis didn’t think Leon wanted to kill Eris—she wasn’t even sure that a hieral menace could die like a human. However, he clearly intended to neutralize her and take her away.
And if that’s what he’s after, I’ll stop him! Inglis turned to face the remaining lightning beasts.
Grrrrr!
Hisssss!
Awooooo!
But first, she would need to get through them.
Sounds fun! I wanted to see a holy knight’s gift up close anyway!
“Haaah!” She swung her fist at the nearest beast, aiming for it perfectly.
But before her strike could connect, a sword swung out of nowhere, slicing through the beast. It belonged to Eris.
The beast cried in pain before exploding in a flash of light just like the one that had struck Eris before. Inglis had scant warning to get back, so she managed to escape only lightly scorched. A direct hit would’ve hurt far worse.
“Be careful! If we hit them with a strong attack, they’ll explode! Keep your distance. Don’t dive in!” Eris called to Inglis, who no doubt was less familiar with them.
“Got it!”
But how did Eris slash at it from that far away? Perhaps hieral menaces had gifts too.
She didn’t try that on me. That hurts.
Inglis asked, “Can you try that on me later?”
“No way! I’m not as bloodthirsty as you!”
Shot down.
At any rate, Eris had told her what she needed to know. If she took the beasts down with a melee attack, she’d be caught up in their explosion. Meaning, she needed to fight from a safe distance.
“Anyway, thanks for the info, Eris. I’ll keep it in mind!”
“Ha ha. Don’t expect that from me often, but it’s fun to show you one of the tricks up my sleeve. Guess I run a bit hot and cold.”
“Would you two just shut up?!” Leon interjected, to no one’s notice.
“Oh, I see. Hang on, I’m coming for you!” Inglis clenched her fists and focused. “Haaaaaaaaah!”
Her body was covered with a sheen of light and a chilly sensation; she was weaving raw aether. Neither Eris nor Leon knew what that meant. To them, unable to sense aether, it was just a glow. Neither showed any surprise, but they would soon.
Wrapped in light, Inglis made straight for the nearest lightning beast far faster than she had before, turning her momentum into a roundhouse kick.
The beast yelped in shock, proof that the kick had struck home.
“You idiot! I just told you—” The explosion cut off Eris.
The ball of energy swallowed Inglis, just for her to emerge completely unharmed. Unshaken. Not even stirred. She stood there as if nothing had happened.
Eris gasped, forgetting the fight for a moment. “What the—?!”
“How the hell?!” Leon’s hands hung at his sides in shock, too.
“Next!” Inglis took lightning beast after lightning beast down with her bare hands. Even as their explosions wrapped around her, destroying the neatly manicured line of trees, she was unharmed. More and more of the beasts fell, unable to stop her advance.
“Thanks, Eris! You gave me an idea! If I can’t avoid their counterattack since I’m fighting them at close range, I just have to strengthen myself until it doesn’t hurt me!”
“That’s not what I meant! I wanted you to use ranged attacks!”
As they spoke, Inglis had already taken down half of the beasts. Her movements were too fast, too precise, for either the hieral menace or the holy knight to follow. Eris hadn’t shown her full power when she and Inglis had fought, but apparently neither had her opponent, whose abilities were far greater. It sent a shiver down Eris’s spine. This adorable little girl—did she somehow have power that could shake the foundations of the world?
“I’m faster!” Inglis shouted as waves of aether twisted around her.
This move was Aether Shell, if she had to give it a name. The waves formed a defensive barrier, one that could completely nullify the lightning beasts’ explosions. This technique was more than purely defensive; it enhanced her body, making her stronger.
Divine knights were half-human, half-god, and this applied to them physically, not just theologically. They possessed power far greater than an average human. As they grew to maturity, this became even more obvious. The waves of aether around Inglis amped that further. The results were inevitable.
“Haaaah!” Inglis’s fist smashed into the last lightning beast, and though it twisted to deliver a return blow, the barrier blocked that attack completely. Inglis smoothly strode onward to Eris and stood by her side. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Who taught you your manners? Asking me not to hold back when you were holding back yourself!”
“That’s not true.”
If Aether Shell had a flaw, it was that it couldn’t be maintained for long. As it faded, so would her strength. It was a last-ditch effort. Perhaps, as she grew, she’d be able to hold the aether in place longer, keep its effects through an extended fight—but that all came down to training.
Leon shrugged in resignation. “You really are a handful. Not even that many were enough to hold you back?”
If Inglis was stronger than even a holy knight or a hieral menace...
“Even me and Eris together would probably have a hard time taking you on. I bet you’d be able to handle a Prismer yourself,” he acknowledged.
“Yes. I’ve been training to do exactly that.”
“What?! Are you serious?!”
“But of course.”
“Ha ha ha! Amazing! You dream big, kid. But whatever you’ve got planned for the future, I bet you’ve got a weakness now. Like, maybe...you can’t keep up that power for long?”
Smart one, isn’t he? Inglis mused. He may play the fool, but he’s got a sharp mind and strong convictions. If I’d met him in my past life, I may have taken him on as a close adviser.
“So what if I can’t?” she shot back.
“It means I can wear you down! I’ve got plenty left where that came from!” Leon again moved his gauntlets to summon the lightning beasts. The clash of steel on steel rang through the air.
Yet no beasts came.
“Wha...?!”
“I won’t let you do that,” Inglis interjected.
She’d delivered a swift kick before his fists could meet. The noise wasn’t the clash of gauntlets against each other but the gauntlets clashing with Inglis’s greave.
Inglis had confirmed he could use his gift only when the gauntlets struck together. She had guessed as much from seeing him before, but now she was certain.
“S-Seriously?” Leon hadn’t even seen it happening. By the time he focused, his vision was full of a dented greave and a well-formed thigh.
“Oh, and it’s rude to stare at a lady’s legs.”
“C’mon! You shoved your leg right in my face!” Leon leaped backward, hoping to keep his distance.
“I told you, no.” Inglis followed his movements exactly, catching him by the wrists and holding him still.
“Ngh...!”
“Hi-yah!” Inglis slammed her foot into Leon’s gut, the force of the impact leaving him hanging in the air for a moment.
“Gah?!” Leon slumped onto the ground.
Inglis moved to make sure he was unconscious, but suddenly another fighter entered the ring. The walls of the villa crumbled, accompanied by a thundering roar.
“Eeek!” A girl leaped away from the collapsing wall—Rafinha.
“Rani?!” Inglis’s eyes reflexively snapped to her as she called her name. Rafinha wasn’t the only thing that came flying from the rubble, though.
“Grrraaahhh!”
Along with her, there was a gigantic humanoid thing. Almost definitely what had collapsed the wall. Its upper body was swollen and bloated with muscle, its thick hide studded on its brow, neck, and back with gems. Aqua, ultramarine, gold, black...
“Is that a magicite beast?!” Inglis shouted in surprise.
But there hadn’t been any signs of Prism Flow! This one was humanoid too. Inglis had never seen one like it before.
She snapped back to the immediate danger. “No, wait! Rani!”
There would be time to think later. Right now, Inglis needed to protect Rafinha. That was the one oath for others’ sakes that Inglis Eucus had sworn.
“Graaahhh!”
The humanoid magicite beast slammed its fist down toward Rani, who shrieked in terror.
“Eek!”
“I won’t let you hurt her! Haaah!”
Inglis quickly moved into the path of the swing, winding up her own punch. By weight or force alone, the beast easily had the upper hand, but that didn’t guarantee it victory. The force of Inglis’s attack sent it stumbling back until it struck the walls of the villa.
“Rani! Are you okay?!”
“Th-Thanks, Chris.”
“What are you doing here?” Inglis figured Rafinha must have been so insistent that not even Duke Bilford could stop her.
“I don’t care that they didn’t want me to come. I can’t let you go into this alone! So I thought I’d take care of Rahl myself, but...something’s not right!”
“What do you mean?”
“I was hiding, waiting to see what would happen. Then he suddenly hunched over in pain and transformed into that!” Rafinha gestured at the magicite beast.
“What?! You’re saying that’s Rahl?!”
“It is! I watched him turn into that!”
“Inglisssssss!” The beast that had been Rahl hissed her name as it drew close.
“It knows my name?!” Inglis gasped. “It must be Rahl, but how?! I’ve never heard of the Prism Flow affecting humans!”
The Prism Flow just didn’t affect humans. That was well-known, not in the least by people who’d been caught in it and lived to tell the tale. Inglis didn’t expect there to be any exceptions.
“I swear it’s him! Is this my fault, Chris? Did I do something?”
“Don’t worry,” Leon said, climbing to his feet. He had resummoned his lightning beasts, which formed a menacing wall around him. “It’s not your fault, Rafinha. Just before you got here, I gave him a dose of Prism Powder. It’s a concentrated version of the Prism Flow. The Steelbloods were more than happy to hook me up with some. It doesn’t affect humans much, but Highlanders—well, you see what happened. We may be used to the flow down here, but still. It’s not something you wanna mess with. At this point, he’s gone. He’s nothing more than a beast.” Leon’s words were full of loathing as he hunched his shoulders in disgust.
Eris asked, “Isn’t there some kind of way to turn him back? There has to be!”
“You want to help this guy, Eris? The only way to help him is to put him out of his misery.”
“But we can’t just kill a Highlander!” Eris protested.
“Climb down from your damn ivory tower for once. You know there’s no way to turn him back. If there was, we’d just use it on the magicite beasts to begin with and solve our problems that way!”
Eris grit her teeth. “Ugh...”
“Blame it all on me!” Leon continued. “A Steelblood spy in your midst—there’s your excuse! Just let me make my escape. I’m not sure my ego could take it if I got nabbed right away after all this plotting!”
“Ah! Wait!”
“Explode!” he commanded.
The lightning beasts exploded in a blinding flash of light.
“Gah!”
“Shoot, he got away!”
By the time Inglis and Eris could see again, Leon was long gone. The best case would have been to drag him in chains before the king to confess his crimes. Still, they couldn’t ignore Rahl, now a beast in front of them. Pursuing Leon would have to be left for later. Worst case, Eris could explain what had happened here. The word of a hieral menace would surely carry some weight, even if it wasn’t as good as presenting the culprit.
“Ingliiisssss!”
The beast’s roar almost sounded like a plea to ease his suffering. It would be hard to argue that Rahl wasn’t a profoundly twisted individual who’d gotten what he deserved. All the same, though, he was pitiful.
Inglis stood before the beast. “We go back a long way. I’m going to make sure you can rest in peace. Now, the question is how...”
He was gigantic and probably just as tough as his size implied. A quick blast would put him out of his misery, but Inglis feared unleashing that would seriously damage everything nearby. The villa was already a wreck, so she wasn’t worried about that in particular, but she was concerned about the wreckage spreading further.
She had to get him out of town and beat him there, but that would leave a trail of rubble in his wake. She didn’t want to put the people of Ymir in danger.
After some more thinking, she exclaimed, “All right!”
I’ve got it!
“Inglisssss!”
The beast swung a massive fist toward Inglis, who leaped away.
She could have tanked it or tried to counter, but dodging let her gain some distance. Inglis stretched forward as she landed. She would use her momentum at that range to keep moving! Just then, she heard a deep voice call out.
Duke Bilford bellowed, “Rafinha! Inglis! I can’t just leave this all to you two! What are you doing, you accursed Highlander?!”
Voices called out over the sound of armored boots approaching. “Rafinha! Inglis! We’re here to help!”
“Father! Ada! You came? But why?!” Rafinha cried, but her tone suggested she was not as displeased about the backup as she was trying to sound.
“Rafinha! Inglis! Are you okay? Wait, why is there a magicite beast?!” Ada barked orders to her knights. “Don’t let it out of the villa! Spread out and attack!”
“Wait! It’s a tough one! Don’t let it get close to you!” Inglis warned. “I’ll be fine, Eris is here to help!”
“Huh? Me? I mean, I am, but against something like that—”
As Eris sputtered in confusion, Inglis pulled her away. “We’re going in!”
“O-Okay!”
The two charged toward Rahl at full speed. Inglis may have been a bit rough with her, but Eris was, after all, a hieral menace. She could keep up. Rahl swung a fist to sweep them away, but they were too fast for it to connect.
“On my mark, kick!” Inglis instructed.
“Got it!”
“Haaaaaah!”
Inglis and Eris both yelled, putting their all into kicks aimed at Rahl’s abdomen. The power behind their blows was made clear by the sickening thwack! as he soared into the air, sailing like an arrow over the walls of Ymir before landing in the outskirts. This was the best, fastest way to get him out of the city while preventing any damage.
“A-Amazing!” Duke Bilford and his knights gasped in awe.
“Wow! You’re amazing, Eris!” Inglis clapped.
“What are you talking about? There’s no way I could have—”
Inglis quietly hushed her. “Shhh! Play along!”
Inglis had managed to conceal her true power from everyone but Rafinha, but her swordfighting had already gained her quite the reputation. She didn’t want to invite further questions or, even worse, the responsibility of protecting Ymir herself. How would she set off to find stronger foes with that on her back? If she was going to master the blade, she needed fewer things holding her down. That included great expectations of her. That was how she’d ended up a hero-king to begin with.
“O-Okay.” Eris nodded.
“Time to finish him off, then! Let’s go, Rani!” Inglis called.
“Sure, Chris!”
Inglis took Eris’s and Rafinha’s hands, and they were gone in a flash, running through the streets of Ymir to the outer walls. It was late at night, and the gates were closed, so they jumped over the walls. It was an easy feat for Eris, but it was one that required a quick piggyback ride for Rafinha.
Rahl was a bit scratched up, but he could still rise to his feet and attempt to tear a hole through the walls.
“Looks like he’s still got some fight left in him!” Rafinha said. “What a tough guy! I can’t believe that after that kick from you and Eris—”
“That was pretty much all Inglis. She’s ridiculous.”
“Wow! You’re amazing, Chris! Even a hieral menace has good things to say about you!”
“Aha ha ha. Let’s worry about that later. Remember, normal attacks don’t work against magicite beasts.”
“I can’t really call a kick like that normal. You saw how he went flying,” Eris said.
“Sure, but it’s a question of what kind of power’s behind it, not how much strength you put into it,” Inglis replied.
Normal attacks, or even a crash landing like that, didn’t really hurt magicite beasts. The power of an Artifact was necessary to put them down.
Inglis had used Aether Shell for its protective barrier and boosted physical capabilities, but she hadn’t used aether to power the attack specifically. While that may have been enough to handle a weaker magicite beast, Rahl was something else. Inglis had to break him, not merely bruise him. She needed one decisive, fatal blow.
“Eris, does Rahl measure up to a Prismer?”
After a pause, Eris replied, “No. As tough as he is, he’s not that tough. It’s like comparing an adult to a child.”
“I see. So if this doesn’t work on him, it definitely won’t work on a Prismer. Let me give it a try anyway. Watch this, Rani.”
Inglis faced down Rahl as he advanced, her right palm thrust forth. Beams swirled around her hand as the aether condensed, kicking up a whirlwind that sent her hair to and fro. Glimmering cold light formed into a sphere of pure aether, one large enough to swallow even Rahl whole. This was Aether Strike, which she’d been able to use even as a baby. Now it had twelve more years of training behind it, and it was far more powerful.
Here’s my chance to see just how far I’ve come!
Spotting Inglis again, Rahl lurched to his feet and stumbled toward her. “Innngliiisssss!”
“Goodbye, Rahl...”
Inglis unleashed her Aether Strike.
Blammmmmm!
A ball of light larger than ever before shot toward him, carving through the terrain as it homed in before swallowing the beast and reducing him to a cloud of pale-white ash.
In the end, Rahl was defanged and left scattered to the winds.
“W-Wow...” Eris muttered.
Rafinha jumped for joy. “Great job, Chris! I knew you could do it!”
“Phew...” Inglis exhaled. “That wore me out.”
She had used too much aether, and a wave of exhaustion dragged her down to the ground. She still needed more training. Her growing body lacked endurance.
Rafinha and Eris rushed to her side.
“Chris!”
“Are you okay?”
“You were right, Rani.” Inglis smiled weakly at Rafinha.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“When we made our wishes on Highland. Today I had some really satisfying fights.”
“You’re still thinking about that? I told you it’d be a real mess if that wish came true...”
“Ha ha. You’re not wrong about that, but in the end we both got what we wished for.”
“It’s a good thing you were here,” Eris said. “Imagine if I’d been taken by the Steelbloods, and left unable to stop that beast as it rampaged through the city? This could have been far worse.”
“That’s kind of you to say.”
“When I return to the capital, I’ll report that this was all part of Leon’s plan to turn traitor. Rafael will back me up. I’ll try to make sure you don’t take any of the blame. Can’t make any guarantees, though.”
“Thanks! One other thing. Can you play down my involvement and make it seem like you fought Rahl instead?”
“If you’d rather it that way, that’s fine by me. But you will owe me one.” Eris smiled as she reached her hand out to Inglis.
“Got it.” Taking Eris’s hand, Inglis pulled herself to her feet. As she did, she could see Duke Bilford and his knights approaching swiftly.
◆◇◆
Early the next morning, leaving the manhunt for Leon to Ymir’s knights, Eris set off for the capital. Inglis followed to see her off, and when they were alone together, she had one more question.
“Can I ask you one thing, Eris?”
“What?”
“Why did you get angry when Leon introduced us to you at the banquet?”
It was obvious to Inglis, after fighting alongside Eris, that how she’d acted then was out of the ordinary. Eris normally had more of a level head.
Eris hesitated. “I’m sorry. You might realize why someday, but I don’t want to tell you.” She took in a breath. “And I hope you don’t ever find out.”
“I see. Sorry for asking something so personal.”
“Don’t worry about it. I should get going— Wait, you said you wanted to take on a Prismer by yourself, right? Do your best. I’ll be cheering you on.”
“Thank you.”
“Until we meet again.”
“Someday.”
Sent off with a smile, Eris departed from Ymir.
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