Episode 1 – The Cracks Begin to Show
There was something in the woods. Valeria couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, even if others would rather not think of such things. It had been a week since any supplies had arrived in Verdant. There had been no word from Caespen Ru in over nine days. Even though most people had never visited another settlement, it was unusual for there to be such a lack of travelers. People gossiped in hushed tones. Valeria couldn’t be certain, but she thought she heard the sound of harsh growls emanating from the forest. She found herself staying up at night, straining to listen for any strange noises.
Valeria sat in the Herald’s Spoon Inn, surrounded by the usual lively crowd of chatting patrons. However, there was a noticeable absence of travelers from other villages. The atmosphere felt heavy, as though a flame had been snuffed out. She sat with a steaming mug of tea before her. She used spirit-vapor to waft some of the steam, and the floral aroma, toward her nose. The blue gemstones on her right arm desaturated just a little, though they were still a bright blue. And she couldn’t shake her unease.
Abraxas sat across from her, drinking from a cup of water, held in hands that were pockmarked and lined with faint scaring. Dirt still clung to his hands as it so often did. Tawny skin, an already light brown was made deeper by long hours spent working in the sun. A half-eaten roll lay on the plate before him. Black hair, matted in some places, sticking up in others, framed his unfocused brown eyes.
“I’m sure everything’s going to end up fine.” He paused as though considering his next words. “Something’s going on. But we don’t want to fixate on things that probably haven’t happened. There could be myriad reasons why there’s been no communication with the other settlements.”
Valeria shook her head in annoyance. She’d spent enough time with Abraxas to know that he was as worried as she was. He was playing with the string of his satchel. “It doesn’t matter what happened,” she said, “Something’s clearly gone very wrong. Do you imagine that anything short of disaster could keep Caespen Ru away?”
Abraxas chuckled. “Dimmian’s girlfriend too. He went how long without another letter from her before he started worrying?”
“Five days.” Valeria returned a smile.
“Yeah, that tracks.”
“In any case, have you noticed anything while out foraging?”
He rubbed at the gemstones embedded on his left forearm. They were a faint gray, with only a little spirit-smoke contained within.
“I haven’t headed out very far as of late. I’ve been spending most of my time looking after the garden; it’s planting season.”
He continued talking. Perhaps he was avoiding the topic, perhaps he was just excited to talk about his flowers. Valeria couldn’t quite tell. She took a sip of tea while she listened to him. “This year, I’m experimenting with rosemallows. I haven’t grown them before and only just recently got a hold of some. They’re found in the wetlands just south of Aersede.”
Valeria lowered her voice and spoke with a touch of urgency. “Abraxas, we haven’t received any shipments from Aersede in the last week. It’s late. We have to start stocking up on food, in case. Hill Mackrin traveled to Aersede and he’s never late.”
Slowly, Abraxas nodded. “Yeah, I know.”
She continued. “Hill Mackrin was one of my teachers. I don’t want to think about whatever’s keeping him. In all the time I’ve known him, he’s been punctual: a day there, a day for business, a day for leisure, a day back. It’s been eight days.”
Abraxas sighed. Valeria had been able to convince him to join in her projects before, and she could see he was starting to give in.
“We’re going to go look for him, aren’t we?”
“We will.” There was a moment’s silence when the noises of the inn could be plainly heard. It made Valeria feel small.
“We’ll leave tomorrow morning, pack for three days.”
Valeria stood outside her house’s door. She took a breath before striding in. It was important that every time she went on an excursion, she told her parents. It never really got easier even though Valeria was out more and more often.
The stench of tallow permeated the house. Her dad was likely in his cramped, unevenly-lit workshop making candles, while her mom would be out doing important business for the Magistrate. Of the two, it would be less tiring to tell her father she would be leaving. Her mother would try to convince her to stay and Valeria didn’t have the energy for that.
She waited for her dad to notice her. It didn’t take long.
“Hello, Dad. I’ll be gone for the next few days.”
“You’ll be back soon?” He sounded so weary that Valeria almost abandoned her undertaking.
“Soon,” she promised. This would be a short trip compared to others she went on. That was some consolation. “You’ll barely know I’m gone. It’ll be less than a week.”
“Just remember to come home,”
“I always will,” Valeria assured him.
There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. “I can tell your mother for you.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that.” Valeria shuffled her feet.
“She misses you when you’re gone. We both do.”
“I know, I want to stay home. It’s just, there’s always so much for me to do. But I’ll be back soon. I promise.”
Already she turned to leave.
She caught his response of ‘I love you too.’ on her way out. She smiled softly.
Valeria stood at the tree line, gazing into the dense forest. Abraxas stood off to the side, also looking into the woods with a sense of unease. Verdant was nestled in a forest on the northwestern edge of the great peninsula, with tall trees that stood sentinel around it. With the sun ahead of them on the bright spring morning and trees shrouding the ground in shadow, neither she nor Abraxas wanted to enter the forest.
She felt the familiar chill of a sword at her hip, and that assuaged her worries somewhat. She’d learned swordsmanship at the Magistrate’s behest as he had said the nobles in Caespen Ru would expect it of her, that it was critical for anyone wishing to perform on a greater stage to know the art. Having her sword at her hip made her feel safer, even though her skill wasn’t yet to her own standards for herself. The Magistrate had said she would suffice for the time being.
Valeria tensed as she heard low growls emanating from the depths of the woods. The path was narrow and covered with stocks and debris. It never had a high volume of travelers and had fallen into neglect in recent weeks. Despite her unease, she pressed forward, determined to find Hill Mackrin. She heard Abraxas’s familiar uneasy gait behind her.
And soon, Verdant disappeared behind her, obscured by the trees.
The forest closed around her, and the misty air seemed to whisper things she couldn’t understand. They hadn’t gone far into the forest, but even traveling this short distance made Valeria feel uneasy. Even Abraxas, who had more familiarity with the woods than anyone else, looked wary. His eyes were not cast toward the ground and foliage but about them as if scanning for dangers. At the same time he wound his satchel string tight around his finger until it would leave a mark. Attached to his hip was a matchlock, a strange device that used gunpowder to fire lead bulets. Valeria could count on two hands the number of times he had fired it before and on two fingers the number of times he’d hit anything. Such weapons were rare and impractical, with Abraxas mainly using it and the resulting sound to frighten things away. Still, Valeria was glad he had it.
The only sound was the crunching of their footsteps on the ground. Valeria kept her gaze resolutely ahead, focusing on their destination: Aersede, only a day’s journey to the south. She hoped that if she focused on the task at hand she could blot out her worries. She had experience doing that. Abraxas kept glancing over his shoulder as if he expected something to appear behind them. He batted away the fog.
“Stop worrying,” she said, partially to assuage her own doubts, “You were the one telling me that everything would end up fine.”
“That was while we were in the Herald’s Spoon, instead of here in these woods.” Abraxas again glanced all about them.
If Valeria was honest with herself, a circumstance she tried to avoid, she would rather be elsewhere. But Hill Mackrin helped pay for her education and training. She’d been able to visit all seven of the disparate settlements and had been taught an eclectic list of skills by a variety of people. Valeria knew she didn’t have any right to hold a quiet, self-centered life. She had a duty to proceed.
Time passed. The trees raised gnarled branches like extended arms while the muted sounds of wildlife pressed closer. They grew accustomed to the woods, and it no longer seemed quite as threatening. Even the mist had lessened, if only slightly. Abraxas had started focusing once again on the plants. Valeria had already been subject to his descriptions of and delight over three separate types of moss. The familiar chatter comforted her.
The path began to turn towards the east. It would arc around the more mountainous terrain before curving back westward towards Aersede. Carts, horses, and wagons all traveled along the mostly flat path. It was safe and well-traveled. But it added an extra half-day to the journey. Valeria directed Abraxas to turn from the path, onto a narrow side trail that she had taken a few times with Mackrin. It would be faster; it was necessary.
—-
As they made their way through the uneven terrain, they encountered a steep slope leading down a rocky outcropping. It wasn’t that difficult of a climb, but both of them had to be careful as they descended. Abraxas stumbled a few times, but Valeria, who was in the lead, caught him. She never understood how he had been able to make it down the canyon to rescue Emily Beck years before.
“Watch your footing,” she called up to him.
Abraxas laughed and kicked off one of his boots at her. It missed and hit the ground with an unsatisfying plop.
“I’m not carrying you back up this hill. If you break your leg, that’s your problem.” Valeria warned.
“Sure,” replied Abraxas, as his foot slipped again. “We both know you’d be lost without my… er… unique competence. Besides, where else are you going to find a hapless sidekick?”
They eventually reached the bottom of the slope, which ended in a partially dried-up stream. Abraxas picked up his fallen boot. As Valeria paused to catch her breath, she was surprised to find that her worries had disappeared. She allowed a moment of silence to rest.
As she paused she was surprised to realize that there were growls and snorts and the sound of snapping twigs coming from the forest all about them. She thought she could see rustling in the underbrush.
From the mud at their feet, there came a whisper, “Stay quiet.”
Valeria jumped. Abraxas gave a stifled yelp. Valeria composed herself and scanned the stream’s bank. She saw a figure rise from the ground, covered with vines and mud and detritus from the forest floor. Underneath the detritus could be seen remnants of tattered finery. A blue flower rested atop the figure’s head, at an angle—a Tivour. Curly blonde hair was tangled with sticks and fallen petals. Most notably, her leg was splayed at an odd angle.
“Both of you need to leave,” said the Tivour. Her leg wobbled and then crumpled under her.
Tivour didn’t really get injured. The only parts of their host’s body a Tivour strictly needed were the brain and the flower atop their head. Injuries to everything else would hamper mobility but could be mended. This didn’t forestall Valeria’s horror as she watched the Tivour collapse in a sprawled heap. There were gashes in her side, and her right leg hung limp.
“What’s going on?” asked Valeria, “What’s out there?” Valeria gestured at the surrounding forest.
“I’m not sure.” There was a pause. “I was making my way to Verdant when something attacked me. I didn’t get a good look at it. Before I was able to react, my leg snapped and I fell to the floor. I think I rolled down half a mountain. Once I was sure the whatever-it-was had gone. I crawled here.” There was a moment’s pause. “I think I can hear them all around us.”
Abraxas was already at the Tivour’s side, helping her up and supporting her weight. Valeria peered into the surrounding forest. Shapes seemed to be shifting, barely out of sight, obscured by the underbrush.
“Abraxas, can you escort her back to Verdant?” Valeria said, donning command like a well-worn cloak.
“The name’s Crescent,” The Tivour said helpfully.
“You’re not heading on without me,” said Abraxas.
“Crescent deserves to be escorted somewhere safe. Mackrin is still out there and so is whatever attacked Crescent. I’m going after him.”
“Mackrin could be anywhere in these woods, on some other path. Or he could have been wounded and then taken back to Aersede. There’s no guarantee that you’ll find him. And what then? Can you escort a wounded man over a day’s travel?” Abraxas said, still whispering. The satchel’s string wound tight across his hand. “The Magistrate wouldn’t want this.”
Valeria glared at him and his expression faltered.
The noises from the forest grew louder. There were growls and strange calls. The underbrush rustled. And from the forest emerged a deer. At least, it had the general shape and form of a deer.
Some of the deer’s skull was visible, glinting pearly white. Its eyes smoldered purple. Streaks like starlight ran along its back. There was a faint glowing aura to it. The thing stopped, and its head slowly turned so that it made eye contact with Valeria. She froze. The deer started towards them.
“Is that what attacked you?” asked Abraxas.
“Yes,” said Crescent, her voice lowered to a whisper. Its violet eyes met her blue ones.
Valeria raised her sword. Abraxas drew his gun. Crescent hobbled a few steps backward. A match was lit to prime the mechanism and Abraxas fired. There was a great bang as a bullet shot toward the deer. But it didn’t flinch as the bullet passed over its head. Abraxas had missed by more than a yard.
Valeria heard Crescent swear under her breath. The deer’s pace quickened, and then it charged toward them, quickly closing the distance.
Valeria positioned herself in front of Abraxas and Crescent. She raised her left hand and drew the cloying mists towards her, the gemstones on her wrist pulsing with spirit. A thick tendril of mist swirled in front of her, thickening as she drew more mist to it. Valeria tightened her hand into a fist, causing the air to sizzle as the mist heated into boiling steam. With a sweeping motion of her arm, she flung the scalding steam at the deer, and its skin blistered red. Gleaming eyes smoldered. There was a gurgling cry as the deer stopped in its tracks, scarce three feet from where they were standing.
Valeria approached the deer, sword raised like the executioner’s ax. She tried to project more courage than she felt. Behind her, the rest of the group watched warily, readying to defend themselves. It reared on its hind legs. Abraxas pushed Crescent out of the way, crashing to the ground.
The deer came crashing towards her. Valeria jabbed her sword at the deer’s exposed underbelly. The deer fell upon her, the weight of it knocking her to the ground. And, for a moment, Valeria couldn’t tell whether she or the deer were alive. Everything was sword, or hoof, or death. Shaking, she emerged from under the dead body of the deer. Valeria stood and stared. For a moment, she couldn’t think, couldn’t register what had happened. In a daze, she tugged on the sword and heaved it from the creature’s belly. It was covered to the hilt with violet blood.
Valeria helped Abraxas and Crescent both up off of the ground. They were all unnerved, and turned towards Verdant, away from the clearing. Valeria didn’t put up any fight about not being able to continue onwards alone. Valeria couldn’t shake the image of the deer’s gleaming violet eyes. Instead, there was an unspoken agreement to get back to Verdant as quickly as they were able. Valeria knew she wouldn’t be able to fight another.
After they clambered up the rocky slope, Valeria turned and looked at where she had killed the deer. There were now three more deer at the bottom, far below her. Each of their heads slowly lifted toward her. There was a moment when nothing moved, where they stared up at her unblinkingly. But Abraxas called to her, and it was as if a spell was broken. As Valeria turned away, she saw the deer bounding back into the woods behind her.
As they stumbled into the town of Verdant, they were met with a commotion of people. Purple blood still stained Valeria’s hands and arms. She and Abraxas had been supporting Crescent, one of Crescent’s legs dangling uselessly. Though the Tivour’s pink skin looked warm with yellow undertones like the sunrise, it was cold to the touch, like dark seas, like the grave. Despite supporting Crescent, Valeria was barely able to stand on her own due to exhaustion. Abraxas was the only one standing steady, and even he was shaken and on edge.
People around them talked in whispers. Valeria knew that her returning so soon, and in that state, would cause a stir. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Nova Iren, a local blacksmith, beckoning some of the people back. Valeria was somewhat thankful. She didn’t have the energy to smile at the people just then.
“We need to find a place for Crescent to rest,” Valeria said, panting with exertion, ignoring the growing crowd. “She’s injured and we can’t go back out into the woods.”
“The Herald’s Spoon Inn just up ahead,” Abraxas replied, pointing towards a nearby building. “I can afford a room for a night or two.” He turned towards Crescent. “Do we need to get you any medical attention?”
“Nope,” Crescent said brightly. “The room is very much appreciated. Vines will wrap and rejuvenate this leg, and it’ll be like it was fresh from the grave.” She rapped on the leg with her knuckle; it bent the wrong way.
“That’s wonderful,” Abraxas said while Valeria blanched.
After having set Crescent up with a room and paying for five nights, it was time to report to the Magistrate. Valeria felt some trepidation at the prospect. Any description of the deer she could think of seemed inadequate, not coming close to expressing the fear the event had conjured for her. What would be worst was if she was met with disbelief. She didn’t know if she could face that.
“I can talk to the Magistrate if you’d like.” Said Abraxas.
Valeria shook her head as she composed herself. Some strength returned to her as she was met with something to do. And she knew that if Abraxas brought his concerns alone they would be dismissed. The apprentice herbalist was appreciated, but not wholly respected. Valeria, in contrast, carried authority. Even if the Magistrate had reservations, he would make a show of listening to her. He had invested a lot in her tutelage. Each step she took in the direction of the Magistrate’s house contributed to a growing surety.
And so the two of them made their way to the large building in the center of Verdant. It rose a story higher than any of the others. Still, it wasn’t completely ostentatious. The size and magnificence of the buildings inhabited by the ruling lords in Caespen Ru still stood stark in Valeria’s memory. It was nothing short of a miracle that the ruling lord who had deigned to oversee Vedant wasn’t completely full of himself. Having reached the house, Valeria grabbed the bronze knocker and rapped at the ornate oaken door three times.
Within the span of three moments, the door was opened, and both Abraxas and Valeria were ushered inside. An attendant brought them up a flight of stairs until they reached the Magistrate’s office. They were asked to wait. Valeria felt restless, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She turned to Abraxas, who stood so still such that she almost wondered if he had stopped breathing.
Then the door to the Magistrate’s office opened and Galba emerged from it. Valeria exchanged a stiffly polite nod with the Magistrate’s human advisor. He wore a brown cloak with scarlet trim and shining buttons. Well-combed brown hair and a well-trimmed beard adorned his parchment-hued face. His gaze drifted towards her hands, the violet blood now dried. Galba said nothing and delivered the two of them into the Magistrate’s office.
As soon as they entered, Valeria gave a short bow. It was more awkward than the ones she usually presented, but she decided it was passable given the circumstances. The Magistrate nodded once, inclining his head. His empty face met her eyes, searching. Valeria looked away.
The Sculos’s every piece of clothing was a shade of green or brown. It was perhaps the most striking thing about the Magistrate. He wore an emerald cloak with wood buttons. A forest green hat adorned his head. Light bouncing from his clothes sometimes even gave his skin a greenish tint. Valeria’s best guess was the Magistrate’s attire was meant to show his allegiance to Verdant. But the entire ensemble was unsettling.
“Welcome. I assume that you were unsuccessful in your efforts to bring back Mr. Mackrin?” The way he said it made her wonder if he noticed the tears welling up in her eyes.
Valeria nodded, then realized that she better speak. “Yes, I’m sorry to say that I was unsuccessful in this.”
The Magistrate watched her, his hands folded.
Valeria stumbled on. “But that isn’t the reason I came here. We’ve lost contact with other villages. It’s been a week since we last received supplies from Aersede, right? And it’s been nine days since we’ve heard from Caespen Ru.”
“It’s been over two weeks since we last heard a word from Dordel,” said Abraxas, almost mumbling it.
“Exactly! Something’s been going on. And in the woods, on my way to find Mackrin, I saw…”
Valeria took a second to collect herself.
“We were attacked by a deer. It was a solitary doe but it was more than that… it was unnatural.” She gave her best description of the deer, faltering as she saw the Magistrate shake his head slightly. But she plowed on, trying to describe the disconcerting way the deer moved and the seeming malevolence it carried.
“Please,” she finished saying. “You need to take me seriously.”
She showed him her hands, crusted in violet blood. Valeria desperately wanted to wash it off. The Magistrate stared at her hands for a second. His clear skin darkened slightly into the faint grey of unease.
“Well,” the Magistrate said, clasping his hands together. “I’ll look into this, and I appreciate your bringing this to my attention. It’s… been worrying, and I don’t like this development. I’ll send some people out into the forest to see if they can learn any more. You may go now.”
As Valeria stumbled out of the office, the Magistrate said in a softer tone: “Please, make sure you’re all patched up. Look after yourself.”
The words were empty and cold, but she supposed he meant well.
They then made their way back to the Herald’s Spoon. Abraxas had to half carry her. It seemed that as soon as she finished telling the Magistrate her story all of her strength departed. Valeria fell into a chair in the back corner of the inn. Meanwhile, Abraxas left, to get her some tea, evidently hoping that it would help calm her.
But Valeria thought that she could feel her nerves fraying. Perhaps puzzling over what may have caused the deer would help calm her. It made the issue more abstract. Instead of fixating on its piercing violet eyes, its scream as she burned it, the feeling as its hoofs fell towards her, and the glint of its skull which should not have been visible, she could transform her terrifying experiences into clinical observations.
The deer had differed from the standard iteration in a few ways, most notable being its markings, the tint and character of its blood, and the fact that some of the skin on its head had been peeled back to reveal its skull. In addition, there was the separate but almost certainly related fact of its strange behavior. Deer weren’t generally aggressive.
Whatever the deer were, whatever they had become, there were answers and explanations. She had been taught well enough by Mackrin and the Magistrate to know that. The great universities in Caespen Ru (and some of the less prestigious universities of Vro Techroma) had set about solving and explaining many of the mysteries of the world, cataloging the shape of reality.
Perhaps the deer were just one more phenomenon to be explained.
She tried to think about any possible causes, about any possible tests that could be done. Valeria imagined bottling some of that strange, glowing, violet blood. And then her thoughts returned to her encounter with the deer, the aberration. Her memories were too raw to be subsumed by thoughts and theories. Perhaps later, but for now…
Her fingers trembled.
Abraxas returned with the tea.
“You look exhausted,” he said.
“Aren’t you?”
Abraxas shrugged and set the tea down on the table. “Thanks for saving the day back there.” He paused. “I’m sorry we haven’t found Mackrin.”
Valeria nodded and whispered thanks as she picked up the mug and raised it to her lips.
“Should we talk about it or just sit?” Abraxas asked as he stared out the window. “We can sit if you want. You’ve already done a lot. Or I’m happy to listen to you.”
She took another sip of her tea. “What were you planting in the garden again? I don’t want to talk anymore about… it.”
“Rosemallow petals come in some of the most beautiful shades of pink and white I’ve seen…”
