Chapter 012

Creeping Shadows

Whether adrift in the abyss or casting a spell, there remained a constant: If you lacked control, only despair awaited you.

This was one of the very first lessons taught to her by her master. A lesson Ebony kept with her until this day. For a mage who couldn’t properly manipulate their magic was no different than a child running through a wooden house with a lit match. A ticking time bomb on the cusp of detonation. For her to live on in this society as a combat mage, no, for her to survive in an age of magic, she needed but to control her powers as much as humanly possible.

Whether she was surrounded by those who were unable to use Ryas’ gift or, like right now, facing an obstacle many times her size, her fate was sealed the moment she lost control. She was a mage and she ruled her magic, not the other way around. That is how it always should be. How it always should’ve been.

With her arms stretched out in front of her, she briefly analyzed the restrained golem of which her shadows confined. It grumbled and huffed, trying its best to break free. Little did the poor creature know that once it allowed itself to get captured it had already forfeited any chance of emerging from this nonsensical farce victoriously. A single spell was all it would take for her to put it out of its misery. However, there were other complications she first needed to address.

“Rune! During my missions, I always strive to keep the number of casualties to a minimum!” She looked upwards at the trio of panicking masked men mounted on the creature’s massive hide and frowned. “I don’t want anyone else to die today! No matter who they are! Do you understand?” she asked, glancing back at him.

“Yeah, I get ya,” he smiled. “Leave this to me!”

Spraying on her backside manifested a sudden wave of heat, its warmth incubating her exposed skin. In a burst of accompanying bright, orange light, what sounded to her like an exploding car erupted in her eardrums. What next she knew Rune had soared over her head several feet in the air alongside his flickering tome. His trajectory: the golem. Or perhaps to be more specific, the criminals responsible for this mess' conception. Having trained with him during their academy days, Ebony was aware of Rune’s skills long before he started making a name for himself. He was a deceptively quick thinker, even if he had a track record of not thinking things through when the situation called for it. But, what had always impressed her about him was the expert fashion in which he made use of his fire spells. Truly remarkable.

Conjuring a spark of fire in the cup of his hand, Rune hurtled a fireball at the vypers. Like a comet, the blistering projectile skidded across the blue and exploded onto the giant, knocking each of the men off its hide. The masked men, now falling several feet from the sky, shouted and flailed their limbs as tears flooded out their eyes. But before they could plummet to their deaths, Rune quickly flew to their aid. With his right hand, he caught one of them by their arm. With his left, he caught another by the collar of his shirt. Finally, the last screaming criminal was saved courtesy of the flying, fire mage who masterfully flew underneath the man's stomach and flung him over his backside. Panicked though he might have been, the vyper cooperated, not hesitating to follow Rune's lead by tightly gripping onto the boy's shoulders, eager to avoid his fate as a human-shaped pancake. It was only after he'd procured their safety did Rune reduce his speed and slowly descend to the street.

You sniveling idiots better be grateful I'm so nice, a frowning Rune thought to himself. Safely landing on the ground, he shifted his vision to Ebony, giving the girls a smirk as well as a thumbs up. “Everything’s taken care of! Give that thing hell!”

Ebony nodded at him. “Noted.”

She side-glance her levitating, black-colored tome cloaked in purple flames. Dipping her chin, the girl muttered, “Umbra Ubfula”, and in a rush of excitement, she felt her essence circuit her body. Her left eye illuminated red as her midnight hair raised off her shoulder and gently floated in the air. Beside her, the tome rapidly flipped to a new page and activated her spell, the purple text engraved onto the paper radiating to life. Slowly molding out of the swirling cloud of darkness spawned from the soles of her feet, five rubbery tentacles made of shadows fabricated. The upper portions of these lengthy, abyssal appendages bent into a curved shape, crystallizing into sharp scythes of obsidian. When their castor directed her hand at the golem, the deadly shadows lashed at their target, hastily starting their job of dismantling the rock monster piece by piece. They cut, shred, sliced, cleaved, and severed the earthen titan without remorse or delay. They slung so quickly that not even the mage who’d summoned them could completely identify what her eyes concentrated on. The blades of black became but rapid blurs barely visible to the naked eye and what completely absorbed their attention was none other than the captive golem. Shards of golden rock spewed. Chunks of what once used to be a sentient creature collapsed to the ground. Its helpless cries filled the town, ushering a conflicted Ebony to end its suffering as quickly as possible

When finally her spell completed its directive there only remained a large pile of mangled stones resting in the middle of a broken street. Ebony reached out and grabbed her tome. Once she shut its covers each of the weaponized shadows faded out of existence as if they were never there. She would then silently walk to the ensemble of earth, rummaging through the golem’s remains until she located a tiny green stone with a crack running across its surface. The faint light it emitted pounded like a beating heartbeat in her palms, growing dimmer and dimmer until turning to black permanently. Along with the golem, the crystal perished.

Ebony closed her eyes and clutched the hearthstone close to her chest. “May Ryas welcome you to the Eternal Plane,” she whispered. “Farewell, cursed being. May you find happiness on the other side.”

Rune released an exhausted yawn. Trapped at the center of a loud ring of curious bystanders, he tapped his foot impatiently.

After the golem had been dealt with, soldiers and townsfolk alike flooded onto the scene. The three members of Pygmy Vyper were taken into custody, not before they finished swearing their revenge, of course. As far as collateral damage was concerned, well, due to the golem’s rampage, it would be a long while for the repairs of the town to be finished. However, it all proved to be trivial compared to the number of lives lost amidst the fighting.

“Star Bell’s seen its fair share of criminals, especially those who use magic. Most citizens are accustomed to evacuating when anything major happens. Sadly, not everyone could escape when that golem went haywire,” a soldier reported to him and Ebony. “We estimate over thirty people were crushed by debris. Though, it would’ve been more if it weren't for the two of you.”

“Guess we were just lucky to be in the area, huh?”

“Perhaps nobody would’ve had to die if there were more combat mages posted here,” Ebony muttered. “It would seem the military is still as stubborn as ever.”

The soldier sighed. “There isn’t a mage bracket in this town. Criminals take advantage of that fact and treat this place as their own private playground. We’ve filed many complaints to High Command but they’ve yet to inform us of any updates. Until the day Ryas does bless us with a mage bracket of our own, we’ll just have to make do. And of course, continue counting on talented mages like yourself.”

“I’ll say!” exclaimed a nearby soldier. “I’ve never seen magic like yours before! Controlling shadows, what a gift!”

“If every mage was as strong as you, us regulars would be put out of a job!” another loudly complimented.

“She’s a natural, no question about it. Guess it pays to have the Major General Ashborn as your master!”

Pretty soon, Ebony had somehow become the center of attention. The girl’s face turned red as she found herself surrounded by a parade of adoring and happy soldiers, each bombarding her with a plethora of compliments. Rune smirked. Despite her strength, she wasn’t really someone who adored the spotlight. Waving her arms in front of her, the flustered mage uttered with a malleable smile, “I...It was nothing, I assure you. I’m just doing my job...”. And yet, against her best efforts, it wasn’t until the leading officer scolded the group of soldiers that she was freed from her overly rambunctious prison.

Working as a combat mage, no, being a member of the military, in general, meant one needed to refine their social skills. Whether it be exchanging messages between soldiers or organizing a scared and bewildered crowd of civilians, communication was a crucial part of this occupation. Rune was already made aware of this long before enlisting so it wasn’t something he ever recalled fretting over. Since he never had a problem with talking to people, regardless if they were a close friend, a total stranger, or a blood-thirsty enemy. Ebony’s was a different case. Even during training, he noticed how she wasn’t overly friendly with any student or instructor. In fact, sometimes the girl could hardly hold a proper conversation for more than a minute. It often made him question why she’d subject herself to such torture. What was her reason for enduring it all?

With a smile on his face, he approached his fellow mage who’d just expunged a bloated sigh of anxiety. “You know, they’re right. You were amazing back there. I mean, taking out a golem with only two spells isn’t something just anyone could pull off.”

Ebony nibbled at the tip of her thumb. “I’m grateful for their appreciation of me, however, my only request is that they respect the concept of personal boundaries.”

“Ha, I guess you’re right!” Rune chuckled. “By the way, Ebony, I’ve been wondering, why did you join the military in the first place?”

She replied with a glance. It was obvious the question had caught her off guard though she did well to conceal it underneath her pale, apathetic stare. Unfortunately, before she could provide him with a response, someone’s loud roars exploded into both their eardrums. Frantic and infuriated growling overpowered the horde of onlookers, the soldiers, and even the low-pitched grumblings of the military’s patrol cars stationed nearby. “Get the hell out of my way! I demand to know who did it!” he shouted, effortlessly shoving past any unlucky soldier who dared to block his path. With every step he took, it felt like the earth shook. The aggressive scowl he concretely brandished was enough to invoke fear into a wild and famished beast. And to Rune’s surprise and terror, this mountain of a man was marching straight in his direction.

He was petrified. As he how faced the giant, Rune's quivering expression shatteringly met with an opposing, iron-cast frown. “It would appear my intuition has yet to fail me. When I heard of reports involving a fire mage being the first to arrive at the scene of a golem attack, somehow, I automatically knew it'd be you. What other mage would act so recklessly, well, besides me, of course,” he started in his low-pitched mutter. “Been a while, hasn’t it, Runt?”

Rune managed a sheepish grin. “That it has, sir.”

Without delay, Ebony swiftly brought her hand to her forehead in salute. “Brigadier General Leones, sir!”

“At ease, combat mage. I was never one for formalities anyhow. Ransford here can attest to that.”

Confused, she exchanged glances between the trembling fire mage to the boisterous general. “You two have already met?”

“Yeah...” Rune quietly admitted. “He was a close friend of my old man.”

And that was putting it lightly. During their younger days, the two were practically inseparable, partners in crime. Rikter Leones was a man who took great pride and joy in what he did. Whenever he’d visit, he’d not only gift Rune with a smack atop his cranium but a vast array of stories about the wild adventures he and his father went on together. Looking back on it now, the general was one of the major reasons why he was inspired to become a combat mage, to begin with. Though, as a child, while Rikter did his best to try not to intimidate or frighten him, Rune’s partial reluctance toward him never disintegrated. If not for his ginormous size and booming voice, then for the shining yet intense aura he’d constantly veil himself in. He liked to think he’d buried this fear over the years, however, standing face to face with him was somehow more nerve-wracking than when he’d had to fight a literal golem.

Reaching just over seven feet, the mage’s head towered above everybody else present. His black uniform struggled to contain the bulging muscles and frame the man had acquired after years and years of relentless training. A set of dark hair sat above his scalp as a well-kempt, handle-bar mustache covered his top lip. For a while, it seemed like his previously angry demeanor had vanished, although he was quick to adopt it once again as he continued, “While I’d love it if we’d the luxury of catching up with each other, I’m certain you both are curious as to why I’m here.”

“Indeed, your bracket is on the other side of the country, sir. Is it a personal matter?” Ebony calmly inquired.

He didn’t answer her straight away. The mage said not a word as his eyes surveyed the area. To Rune, it looked as if he was distinguishing the positions of every soldier present, his glance momentarily solidifying on each man present as they obliviously went about their duties. When he finally returned his focus to them, he muttered, “You can drop the act now.”. Rune respired in disappointment. He already knew where this conversation was headed. “Just how long did you think you could pull off this little “mission” of yours without anyone finding out? Perhaps you think of us higher-ups as dottling old fools ignorant of the circumstances involving our very ranks. We may have our faults but we aren’t blind.”

Rune asked, “How’d you figure us out?”

“When I arrived in this town and discovered you were already here I merely put two and two together. You thought you’d be able to find that lot of Gyrakians, didn’t you?”

“I knew this wouldn’t work...” he sighed.

“But what brought you here, sir?” Ebony inquired.

“Unimportant,” he answered abruptly. With his piercing, turquoise eyes, the general studied their very souls. “In any case, I know neither of you would ever think of conceiving such a plan nor would you have enough clout to coerce others into joining your cause. I’m certain it’s because of how you're both rookies with above-average skills Griffin sought you out at all. Speaking of which, where is that trouble maker anyhow?”

It wasn’t like Rune didn’t see this as a possibility. He wasn’t an idiot. From the very start, he knew this plant was a faulty one. The chances of them actually succeeding were about as high as Ryas returning to the Earth herself. Even still, it was he who decided to involve himself in this doomed endeavor. Now, he'd have to face the consequences of betting on such poor odds. Ebony must have come to the realization herself if her sapphire glower was anything to go by.

“If it’s any consolation, our mission hasn't progressed very far."

“And you think that is enough to alleviate you of your crimes? The actions you pulled today are tantamount to treason. Betraying the military’s trust and engaging in affairs you play no role in. Honestly, what were you thinking, Runt?”

“We were just trying to do the right thing,” Ebony spoke up. “Some of us were too impatient, too hasty to put our enemies behind bars. I realize what we’ve done is wrong but at the very least, if we are to be expelled from the military anyhow, could you not allow us to complete the mission we’ve started? I cannot speak for everybody involved though I for one only agreed to help Major Griffin out of admiration of his intentions, in addition, to sate my desire to help my country in any way I can.”

“Save yourself the trouble, the military rarely forgives traitors."

“Raise your head, Ransford.” Rune did just that, acknowledging his superior with anxiety clouding his vision. “Take me to see Major Griffin. Before anything else is decided, I’d like to speak with the mastermind directly.”

No one dared to unveil the layer of perturbing silence.

Standing with his fellow combat mages in a line at the rear of the office, he quietly and patiently observed as the brigadier general confronted the leader of their outfit. All the while, Rune couldn’t say James seemed particularly nervous about the entire situation. When Rikter barged into his room, the giant of a man managed to catch everybody else off guard with little ease. Everybody except for the incautious, ever-composed major who only responded with a subdued smirk. Maybe he’d a contingency for this sort of outcome? Or maybe he’d long since accepted the fact that their impossible mission was never going to succeed in the first place. For now, Rune could only wait.

“Is it true? Did you really take down a Gigas Golem?” He glimpsed to his right at Philips, the mage calcifying a stiffened demeanor as his stare was eternally glued forward.

“Sort of...” Rune whispered.

“Incredible. I already knew your skills were second to none but to fight a golem and win? Talk about incredible.”

“To be fair, Ebony was the one who dealt the finishing blow.”

“Merely surviving a golem attack is a miracle in and of itself, don’t you think? You and Ashborn have proven to be exceptional combat mages. Say, why not consider transferring to my bracket? We could surely use the help.”

“Are you seriously trying to steal Master Rune right in front of his apprentice? Sorry to disappoint but my master won’t be so easily coerced!”

Rune looked to his left at the pouting Daze and sighed, “Can’t we discuss this later?”

“At least someone gets it,” muttered Hazel, standing on the other side of Philips. “We might very well be out of a job after today.”

“None of us are going anywhere.”

Hazel frowned. “Pretty confident, aren’t ya?”

“I would’ve never agreed to Major Griffin’s terms if I didn’t believe he’d what it takes to efficiently lead a covert mission like this one. Why, I’m sure he has something up his sleeve to get us out of this mess.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Well, then I’ll just have to...”

Philips’ insipid stammering was cut short when Rikter slammed his massive hands onto the desk, a thunderous clap igniting the office with sound. “And that’s all you have to say for yourself?! You’re telling me you so simply bet the careers and futures of these men and women all for a plan that might not even work?! I always knew you were a reckless fool! But the difference between you and me, however, is that I never get others involved! I’m not as selfish or arrogant!” As Rikter shot his intense glance back at them, Rune felt his body involuntarily shudder. The general muttered something to himself before turning to face James a second time and muttering, “If I were to report you I’d never see your sorry mugs in this military again. You’ll be sacked without question, and you can count yourselves lucky if that’s the only thing that happens.”

James smirked. “So, I was right. You haven’t reported us yet, have you?”

“Sir, this isn’t...”

“Zenobio, my dear, haven’t you been wondering what our good old friend Leones is doing all the way in Star Bell? It’s hardly close to his bracket and, to my knowledge at least, none of the personnel here were even aware of your arrival. How odd, don’t you think?”

Robbed of words to say, Rikter retreated from the desk. In frustration, he gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into fists. His fury seeped off of him like steam from a kettle. “So you’ve gotten everything figured out, have you? Then I suppose there’s no need to inform you that, over two weeks ago, four mages stationed at my bracket have gone missing too. They disappeared without a trace. Sure the general said he’ll handle it and to just return to my normal duties but these are my men we’re talking about. Henceforth, they’re my responsibility. I can’t just carry on as if nothing is happening while they could be in danger. What kind of leader, no, what kind of man would that make me? They put their trust in me. If I were to abandon them in their time of need, I’d be betraying my own ideals.”

“My thoughts exactly.” The major sat forward in his seat and continued, “The higher-ups aren’t like us. They don’t view us, soldiers, as men and women but as numbers on a chart. Mindless drones they can dispose of whenever they deem it necessary. As unorthodox as it may seem, for now, we must take matters into our own hands if we want to see our brothers and sisters returned to their families safely.”

“Yes, our goals may align, Griffin, though this doesn’t mean I’m willing to cooperate with you. I’m quite capable of getting things done myself. For all I know, you and your sorry lot could only serve to slow me down.”

“That’s quite possible, yes.”

“Before anything else is said or done, I want you to look me straight in my face and tell me this plan you're so proud of will actually work.”

James' grin vanished. Rising to his feet, he met the man’s solid scowl with that of his empty gaze. Nobody said anything as the two men confronted each other although Rune knew they all were anticipating what the oh so confident major had to say. “I’m no oracle, if that’s what you’re wondering,” he calmly began. “I’ll be frank with you, Leones, I’ve no idea how everything will turn out. Conversely, I don’t recall ever claiming I did. Considering how risky our current operative is it’d be next to impossible to approximate the number of inconveniences that might rear their ugly heads. Regardless, should everything go according to my calculations, you have my word this mission will succeed.”

“Will it now? And since when has you giving your word ever amounted to anything good?”

“Hey, I’m not forcing you to comply, pal. Feel free to report to us whenever you’d like. But if you truly long to get to the bottom of this nightmare, you’d join us.”

Rikter snorted as he repeatedly caressed his mustache. “Very well, Griffin. Just this once, I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. And if it just so happens you really can help me recover my men along with the long list of missing soldiers, I’ll forever be in your debt.” Rikter extended his hand and said in a concrete tone, “Let us put these malefactors behind bars together.”

“Or die trying,” James grinned, clasping hands with him.

“Does this mean we’re in the clear?” Daze hesitantly questioned.

“For now. But we won’t be able to stay under the radar forever. Hell if someone as dense as me managed to notice you then we can bet on others doing so as well. The quicker we complete this mission the better. So, Griffin, Ransford told me you haven't progressed very far on this case. Any truth to that?”

“Well, at the moment, we’re kind of dead in the water...” James admitted, cracking a nervous smile.

As fast as a bullet, Rikter lunged his arms forth and grabbed an unsuspecting Griffin. He pulled the major partially over the desk in between them so that he may shout directly into his face, “You had the gall to spout all that nonsense earlier and your plan isn’t even working?!”

“Hey, these sort of things happen. We originally came to Star Bell in the hopes of rooting out any forms of suspicious activity, same as you. Unfortunately, we haven’t secured anything thus far...”

“You’re way too nonchalant for my liking! I’m already regretting teaming up with a weasel like you!!” Rikter roared, vigorously shaking the major back and forth.

“Actually, sir, I’d like to propose a different strategy.” Rune, along with everyone else, shifted their attention to the black-haired girl raising her hand. For the first time since they'd returned, Ebony made her presence known. “Unless you yourself already have something in mind.”

“At this point, any suggestion is welcome. Please proceed, Ashborn,” uttered James, still restrained in the grasp of the hulking mage.

“Well then, I was thinking that maybe we’re tackling this mission entirely wrong. What little we know of these terrorists so far is that they’ve displayed a particular interest in combat mages possessing remarkable talents. Like you told us before, each of them were high-ranking soldiers in their own right,” the girl divulged. “For this reason, I concluded it would be a good idea to publicly display our abilities. Luckily, I got the chance to do so when I fought the golem earlier. Truthfully, I could’ve used a much weaker spell to vanquish it.”

“But you didn’t,” Rune inferred. “You were trying to draw them out, weren’t you? Hypothetically speaking, if our capers are, in fact, in Star Bell then they would’ve taken note of your powers.”

“I was a good distance away from you two yet even I was able to detect her essence signature,” Rikter added, finally releasing his shaking captive. “I see now. You purposefully painted a bull’s eye on your back.”

“Still think I’m the only reckless one here?” James laughed. “It would seem Ms. Ashborn has given us quite a lot to work with. Including you in this operation wasn’t a mistake after all.”

“Bear in mind, it was a hastily put-together strategy, sir. If there are any alternatives you’d rather...”

“On the contrary, I dare say you’ve struck gold.” James split open a devilish grin, his dark eyes shining with opportunity. “Instead of going through the trouble of hunting them down, we’ll lure those morons right to us.”