Chains of Corruption Pt. 02

C.C. readies her magic again and Kira joins her in the air, but the man bursts through the smoke fully intact and charges towards them. The girls cast their magic but the man suddenly moves much faster than before, and he zig zags around the sky before his fist crashes into C.C.'s stomach. The powerful blow takes her breath away and C.C. is sent flying into Kira. She impacts the small fairy and they both fall to the ground. You look to Mara and notice she looks very frightened.

"Mara! I have to help them, please protect Gwen." You yell.

Mara takes her eyes off the man and nods as she takes Gwen's hand and you rush to join the fight. You help Priscilla up and the two of you join Astrid as the man laughs.

"Yes that's it, all at once now. Let's make this interesting before I kill you all." He says.

You rush in with Priscilla and Astrid by your side and your sword sinks into the man's chest. Priscilla stabs both of her knives into his head before Astrid digs her claws into his flesh and hurls him away from the city. He hits the ground with a heavy thud and immediately rises to his feet. You raise your hands and electricity crackles around them before shooting into the man's chest.

He falls to his knees but raises his head and you feel his piercing gaze even under his mask as you carefully release more energy. Incredibly, even under the barrage of lightning the man gets to his feet and when his body bursts into flames, he begins laughing maniacally. You can see this isn't working so you cut the flow of energy but just before it dissipates, the magic swirls in your palms before exploding.

You are thrown back into Priscilla and she says, "Are you alright?"

Your hands hurt like hell but you nod, knowing the fight isn't over yet. You hear C.C. call your name and turn around to see Mara is healing her and Kira.

C.C. winces in pain and says, "Get him away from the city."

You nod and say, "I know, we're trying."

C.C. shakes her head and points up while saying, "Look, we can use that."

You follow her gaze and see an airship with two large cannons slowly approaching from high above.

You think for a moment before saying, "Alright, can you get up there and tell them to shoot?"

C.C. nods and says, "Yeah, I think so."

She gets up and glides into the air towards the ship as the man gets to his feet and the black smoke around him dissipates.

Priscilla takes a step back and says, "Those look fairly powerful, we might get caught up in the blast if we're not careful."

You look to her and ask, "You have anything in mind?"

Priscilla nods and says, "I might, but I need a few minutes."

You nod as Priscilla turns and runs back towards Mara while you and Astrid try to push the man further back. Astrid is breathing heavily and you know she must be nearing her limits as you look to your own charred hands and realize you can't even hold your sword anymore. The man charges in and a pitch black hand tipped with claws shoots out from under his cloak and grabs Astrid by the neck. He lifts her into the air as she struggles and you race to help her.

You charge energy into both your hands and as they make contact with his torso, it explodes and he releases Astrid as everyone is thrown from the center of the blast. Astrid slowly gets up and makes her way to you as black smoke pours from the man's wounds. Your hands are bleeding badly and the burns have extended to your forearms and you grunt as Astrid helps you up.

From behind you, you hear Priscilla's voice yelling, "Get back!"

You look up and see the airship's cannons are charged and begin running towards Priscilla as her eyes glow and she raises her arms. She creates a small dome of energy around everyone and then looks to Mara.

"Alright Mara, do it now!" Priscilla yells.

Mara nods and places her hands on Priscilla's back and her barrier turns from a pale green color to a bright white. Suddenly the cannons fire and a thin beam of energy shoots into the black smoke. The ground around the man explodes and a massive tremor shakes the land, but inside the barrier it remains calm.

Hellish fire erupts from the blast area and Astrid says, "Who the hell is that, Farah?"

Priscilla lowers her barrier and drops to her knees as she tries to catch her breath. You and Astrid carefully approach the blast site and see that it has tunneled into the ground.

There is too much smoke to see if he's alive down there and Astrid says, "What do you think?"

You stare into the smoldering hole in the ground and say, "Maybe we should rest in town."

Astrid shakes her head and says, "What? He might still be alive, why would we run?"

You look back and say, "We can't keep going like this, I know you don't have much energy left either. Everyone else is exhausted too, but if he comes after us again, at least we can get Gwen and Kira somewhere safe."

Astrid scoffs and says, "Fine, but I'm going to stay by the gates. If he comes back, I won't let him into the city."

You nod and say, "We'll be back as soon as we can."

You reach the gates and leave Astrid behind as you head into the city. The streets are lit but no one is outside and after getting no response from a few homes, you come to a stop in the center of the marketplace.

Priscilla thinks for a moment before saying, "They've most likely fled deeper into the city, I think we should..."

She is interrupted by a familiar voice saying, "Hey! Over here, hurry!"

You look over and see Alexandria, the owner of the brothel in Cyldell, and a thin, green skinned girl with short light purple hair standing in an alley.

As you quickly make your way to the alley, you hear C.C. saying, "Mika, did we get him?"

You look back and see C.C. descending into the city and say, "I don't know, but we need to get Gwen and Kira somewhere safe."

Alex extends her hand and says, "Leave them with me, we were looking for anyone who hasn't evacuated yet. There's a shelter they can stay in with the rest of the people."

You nod and motion for Gwen to follow her, but Alex sees your arms and says, "Gods, did that man do this? Rahn, hurry up and heal her."

The other girl nods and walks over to you before placing her hands on your arm. Up close, you can see she is a plant girl and her soft yellow eyes glow as a green light appears around the two of you.

The pain fades away after a few minutes and Alex says, "I brought Rahn with me because she has a unique gift for healing magic. We've saved a few people already but thankfully, these are the worst injuries we've seen inside the city."

"That's a relief, but Astrid is still out by the gates, she needs to be healed too." You say.

"Alright, but she can only do one at a time so stay still." Alex replies.

"Hey Alex, how've you been?" C.C. says casually.

Alex looks to her and says, "Oh my, I'm sorry, I didn't see you with everything else going on. I'm great, despite the situation, and you?"

C.C. smiles and says, "That plantgirl is really something, huh?"

Alex looks back to Rahn and says, "She really is, so cute and her powers are just perfect for our business."

About ten minutes later, the glow around you fades and Rahn says, "Alright, I'm done. Should we go now then?"

You look to Alex and she says, "Don't worry, I'll keep them safe. Come find us after you kill that bastard, the shelter is under the tower."

She points out a tower along the city wall and you nod and say, "Alright, thank you."

You leave Gwen and the injured Kira with Alex and rush back to Astrid. Priscilla and C.C. follow you back to the gates with Mara and Rahn close behind. As you approach, Astrid puts her finger to her lip and motions for you to quietly advance. You sneak closer and peek around the gates to see the man looking into the hole in the ground.

He stands motionless above the smoke filled tunnel as you whisper, "What's he doing?"

Astrid slowly shakes her head and says, "That's someone else, he showed up a few minutes ago and just started staring into the smoke."

You look closely and as his black cloak blows in the wind, his hood falls back and reveals another golden mask, but this one has a lifeless, apathetic expression unlike the other man. Without his hood, you also notice he has small horns on his head as dark as his flesh. The man suddenly drops down into the hole and a few moments later, the festering remains of your foe are thrown into the open. The man emerges from the hole in the ground and grabs the gory mess and your eyes widen as you watch his mask distort and his jaws open wide. He shoves the pitch black flesh into his gaping mouth and swallows it whole.

"What the fuck?" Astrid says under her breath.

The man stands and his mask reverts back to normal as he raises his hand and a portal opens in front of him.

"We have to stop him, we don't know anything about what's happening and it's obviously not over." Priscilla says quietly.

You leave Rahn by the gates and rush out to confront the new threat.

"Where do you think you're going?" Astrid says and the man stops and looks back at you.

In a cold, distant voice the man replies, "He is already among us, enjoy your last moments."

You don't understand what he's talking about and you say, "What are you doing here? Who are you?"

The man calmly walks through the portal while saying, "I am Second."

The portal quickly closes behind him and you are left in confusion as you try to make sense of what just happened.

"Mika, he's gone. Wherever he went, I can't feel his energy anymore." Mara says.

"I can't feel it either." You reply. You think for a moment before saying, "Alright, let's get back to town and ask around. Maybe someone knows something, there has to be a reason he was attacking Cyldell."

Your group agrees and heads back through the city until you arrive at the tower. There is a small door at the base of the wall and Priscilla leads you inside.

Priscilla looks around and says, "If I remember correctly, it should be... here."

Her hand pushes in a stone along the wall and she gives it a small amount of energy. The tiles on the floor begin glowing as they move aside to reveal a hidden passageway filled with people.

"Wow that's amazing." You say as you spot Gwen and Alex in the crowd below.

Priscilla smiles and says, "Yes, I had nearly forgotten about these tunnels until Alex mentioned them. I'm just glad I remembered where the trigger was."

Alex makes her way out of the tunnel and says, "Is it over now?"

You nod and say, "Yeah, for now at least. So does anyone know why he attacked Cyldell?"

Alex shakes her head and says, "No, he never came into the city. He killed a guard near the gates first and then, he just killed whoever came out to stop him."

You help the citizens out of the shelter as you try to think of what would draw that man here in the first place.

The rest of the people exit the tunnel and after the crowd disperses, C.C. says, "So... how did you like your surprise?"

She gives you a wide grin and you reply, "What are you... you mean the airship?"

C.C. nods and says, "Yeah, pretty cool huh?"

You are confused and say, "I don't understand, why would you buy me an airship?"

"Well you travel all over the place, this will be way more convenient don't you think?" C.C. replies and you wonder how much she spent on you this time.

You sigh and say, "I appreciate it C.C., but after we figure out what's going on with these guys, I want you to have it. Please, you already paid for my house and I don't want another huge gift."

C.C. smiles and says, "You're really too polite, but if that's what you want then ok. Let's go check it out!"

You thank Alex and Rahn before following C.C. to the docks and taking the elevator to the top.

C.C. taps you on the shoulder and says, "So how do you know Alex?"

"She was the one that helped me contact you after we got separated in Ardent City. Do you know her too?"

You reply and C.C. laughs and says, "Well yeah, I own the brothel here and in Valen too. She manages this one for me and I have someone else in Valen, I can't be everywhere at once."

It's only surprising because you didn't figure it out sooner and you laugh as the lift reaches the top and C.C. leads you to the ship docked at the far end. The airship is smaller than any of Farah's ships, but the cannons that run the length of the hull certainly remind you of them. The ramp extends and a few crewmen stand at attention as you board.

One of the men says, "Mistress C.C. please let me show you to the bridge."

C.C. allows the man to kiss her hand before she follows him to the bridge.

You enter and a lizard man gets out of the captain's chair and says, "Welcome aboard, my name is Sid Desvic. I'm the captain of The Valkyria."

Sid is slightly shorter than you, but his biology makes it hard for you to tell his age as he extends a scaly hand.

You shake his hand and say, "I'm Mika and..."

Sid laughs and says, "Yes, yes, we know all about you and your friends. We didn't get the chance to fight with you before, but we've followed your exploits since we first heard there was someone opposing Iliya." Sid holds a button on the arm of his chair and says, "Lieutenant, report to the bridge immediately."

He smiles and a few moments later, a tall blonde puppygirl rushes through the doors and stands at attention. Her light blue uniform matches the captain's and her dark brown eyes compliment her pale skin.

"Captain! I... Oh gods is that the champion!?" The girl grabs your hand and begins shaking it while saying, "I don't even know what to say, it's such an honor to meet you. Hey do..."

Sid pulls her away by her ear and says, "That's enough, don't act like that. It makes us all look bad."

The girl's face turns red and she looks down and says, "Of course, sir. I'm sorry I got carried away."

Sid look to you and says, "This is my Lieutenent, Ulyena Oberan. She's a handful, but she's also a great engineer."

Ulyena salutes you and says, "Please forgive me, I didn't mean to fawn over you like that ma'am."

You smile and say, "It's ok, and you can just call me Mika. It's nice to meet you... Ulyana?"

The puppygirl laughs and says, "Ul-ye-na, but if it's too hard you can just call me Yen."

You laugh and say, "Sorry, it sounds pretty though, I like it."

Ulyena blushes and meekly thanks you before Sid says, "Alright, we can talk while we fly, but I need to know where you're going. The Valkyria is yours now, so where are we headed?"

You don't have a clue where the mysterious man in black went and as you think Priscilla says, "Perhaps we should visit Hakon, he might know something about these men."

"Yeah that's a good idea. Sid, can you take us to High Rock mountain?" You ask.

"Yeah, but there better be a decent landing site up there. Otherwise we'll have to drop you off and stay airborne." Sid replies.

You think for a moment and say, "I hope Hakon doesn't get upset by the noise of our ship."

Priscilla laughs and says, "Sounds like him alright. I'm sure Mara will remember something as well, they used to be acquainted after all."

You nod and say, "Yeah that's right. Maybe he can help me too, I'd really like to stop blowing myself up."

After a good laugh, Ulyena shows you around the ship. If Gwen and Mara stay with you there are enough rooms for everyone and although the lounge is small, your friends can gather there without being crowded. Around ten crewmen staff the ship and their quarters are on the bottom deck, which is a converted cargo hold. The ship sacrificed cargo space for these rooms but based on the speed at which they arrived in Cyldell, they must be equipped with magicore engines.

You thank Ulyena for showing you around and she says, "No problem, if you need anything else please just ask one of us. We're all so proud to be working for you ma'am, uh, I mean Mika."

You smile and say, "Thank you, I appreciate it. Can you let me know when we're close?"

Ulyena nods and says, "Of course, I have to get back now but I hope we can talk later."

She happily jogs down the corridor and you head back to the lounge where you see that C.C. is hard at work preparing a meal.

Chapter 9 - Remnants

After eating, you rest for a while in your new room until C.C. enters and says, "Hey, we're almost to High Rock. Wanna come up to the bridge with us?"

You agree and follow her up to the bridge where Sid is talking to Priscilla.

Sid looks over his shoulder and says, "Oh hey Mika. So Priscilla, is Hakon really a god? I remember he fought with you guys, but he wasn't seen much before or after Iliya was killed."

You smile and say, "Yeah, that's just how he is. He told me he was a demi god, so I don't think he's the same as Mara."

You remember too late about keeping Mara's identity a secret and Sid asks, "Wait, you don't mean her do you?"

You sigh and say, "Sort of, it's a long story. It might take a while to track these guys down, so I guess I should just tell you." You usher Mara in front of you and say, "This is the goddess Mara. She lost her powers, but we're helping her regain them. Hopefully she'll be back to normal soon."

Sid and Ulyena stand speechless as they try to process your words.

"I'm not used to taking people's word, but I'll make an exception in this case." Sid says after a long moment of silence.

Ulyena kneels down and looks at Mara while saying, "Oh wow, I uh, I'm so glad I could meet you."

Mara shakes the puppygirl's hand and says, "The pleasure is mine, you are all very nice people and I thank you for helping me."

Sid laughs and says, "Please, don't make us sound so noble, we were all paid a year's salary upfront. We'll dive straight into hell if that's what you order us to do, haha! Well, looks like we're here. Let me find a good spot to set her down."

Sid expertly pilots the ship and lands on the mountain top, but as you disembark you are confused by what you see. Hakon's home has been completely destroyed and broken pieces of it lie half buried in the snow. Near where his house once stood, there is a large formation of ice. From the shape of it, it looks like it was the result of very powerful ice magic, the same kind Hakon was known for. As you approach the remains of the house, you notice bloodstains on the exposed stone and wood.

"What the hell happened here?" You ask.

Priscilla seems concerned as she says, "Wait, what is that?"

You follow her gaze and see something against a splintered column nearby. Suddenly it moves and as the snow falls away you see it's Ariadne, one of the dragongirls that worshiped Hakon. She coughs up blood and you rush over and brush off the snow covering her and see she is badly injured.

"Mara, can you heal her?" You ask and Mara runs over and holds her hands out toward Ariadne.

"Leave it to me." Mara says and after a few moments, Ariadne opens her eyes.

"What... where am I?" Ariadne says.

You give her a minute to collect herself and after she is healed you ask, "What happened here? Where is Hakon?"

Ariadne looks hopeless as she says, "That man... killed him, and we were powerless to stop him."

You've never seen the proud and fierce Ariadne act like this, and you realize her bond with Hakon might have been deeper than you knew.

Kira looks sad and says, "What about the other dragongirls?"

"He destroyed our nests around the mountain and then killed Hakon. I tried to stop him but he got me too, I thought I was dead."

You are in disbelief and say, "No, Hakon couldn't have been killed. Who did this?"

Ariadne shakes her head and says, "The man with the golden face. He didn't say who he was, he just showed up and started killing everyone."

You clench your fist and say, "Damn it, what the hell are they doing? It doesn't make sense, they attack Cyldell and then travel all the way here and kill Hakon?"