Chapter LC: Dangers Both Real and Perceived

After hearing the Khimaira's howl, Jinxie and her companions moved through the swamp with great trepidation. It became increasingly clear that even without the threat of another of the Empire's great dangers roaming free, Caedarva Mire still had more than enough peril to offer.

They had scarcely passed over the first knoll before trouble found them. The swamp was rife with Imps, twisted little flying beasts with bulbous heads and tiny, child-like bodies. While not particularly dangerous by themselves, the fiends were clever and malicious, and often traveled in groups. Not only that, but being frail as they were, they often allied themselves with more powerful monsters of the mire. Thus when they first came upon the foul things, Vaala did not hesitate in her attack.

As the Ninja sighted the first Imp upon cresting a hill, she threw a shuriken so quickly Jinxie did not realize it had even happened for a moment. An instant later, she spotted the flying fiend, by this time already spiraling to the ground with Vaala's metal blade lodged between its wings. As it fell it let out a high-pitched scream, which was cut off almost as soon as it began when the Mithra's hand clapped over it's small mouth. The Imp struggled only briefly before there was a flash of silver, and it went silent forever. Vaala stood from its limp form, sheathing the katana Jinxie had never seen her draw.

"Whoa," Speed murmured, "you're pretty fast."

"Don't let them use their horns," Vaala said without turning around, yanking her throwing star free from the creature's back. "The sound alerts others, and they'll come at us in numbers." She turned to face the others. "You see one, you kill it right away." Without hesitation, she took the small curved instrument, a simple blowing horn made of bone that the Imp was carrying, and snapped it in two.

Jinxie was taken aback by the Ninja's ruthless efficiency. Taking only a moment to wipe the purplish blood off her weapon with her sash, she left the dead fiend where it lay, beckoning them to continue on. Another concern was quickly growing in the back of her mind. If they were to encounter more, it would only be a matter of time before she was expected to use a spell. Quickly, she tried to formulate some sort of excuse as to why that would not be possible.

"Also," they all suddenly stopped as Vaala turned back, facing the rest of the group. "Do not use magic unless you absolutely must."

"What?" Isset tilted her head. "Why is that?"

"Soulflayers."

Jinxie shared a sharp and surprised look with the Puppetmaster. Before Vaala could explain further, Sefadin chimed in.

"Flayers can detect magic and follow it back to its source. It's a hard truth a lot of mercs don't learn until it's too late." The Paladin shrugged his shoulders, adjusting the shield on his left arm. "I hadn't heard that there were any out this way, Vaala," he said to the woman. "You spend a lot of time in the swamp?"

She directed a flat stare at him in response. Rather than answer, she simply turned on her heel. "We must continue on. Come."

"What was that about?" Jinxie asked Sefadin, even as she struggled to contain the relief she felt at knowing she wouldn't be asked to use magic. He smirked, casting a sidelong glance at the Ninja as she forged ahead.

"There's a lot of stuff the Empire is into that it doesn't want getting out. If other kingdoms knew that we were in the business of making monsters, we'd probably catch some mad flak." Jinxie wasn't quite sure what that meant, but could glean his meaning from context. "Anyway, the rumor is that when they want to get rid of something and keep it quiet, it gets dumped out here in the swamps."

He turned directly to Jinxie for a moment, the usual grin on his face. "And if it doesn't want to stay quiet even after that, then it's the job of people like Vaala to make it disappear."

"Where do you get your information from, Captain?" Isset asked as Shoki tapped a finger against its chin thoughtfully. "I've never heard anything like that from the other Sentinels."

"You hear some crazy stuff about the Empire hanging around the places I do," he replied.

"How do you work for people that can do things like that?" Jinxie's disapproval was obvious, but Sefadin only shrugged.

"Keeps life interesting, ma'am. Things get boring, you gotta take a ride on the wild side."

"Oh man, this place is a drag," Speed suddenly interjected. "You can't smoke any of this," he dejectedly dropped a sludgy piece of moss, sighing as it slopped on the ground.

Isset rolled her eyes. "Come on," she grumbled, "Vaala's getting ahead of us."

Twice more after their initial encounter, they happened upon Imps too close by to sneak past. The first time, Isset manipulated Shoki from behind a tree, and the puppet's hand unlocked at the wrist to shoot a deadly crossbow bolt directly into the creature's forehead. Its eyes rolled back as blood gushed from its ears, and it fell to the ground. They moved on silently, leaving it twitching on the swamp floor. Their next encounter did not go so smoothly.

Rounding a sharp bend in a narrow section of the mire passages, Vaala came to an abrupt halt, throwing her hands back in warning. Jinxie almost tumbled into Isset as the two bumped into one another. Regaining herself, she was about to ask what had happened when she saw Sefadin motioning for silence. Rather than say anything, he maintained a finger over his lips, gesturing with his other hand just past where Vaala was struggling to flatten herself against the rock. Through the moss-lined rock passage, in an open area just past where they stood, three Soulflayers wandered freely.

Jinxie could see right away that they were nowhere near the level Kkel had been as one of the creatures. He had been tall and strong, in a robe woven from darkness with skin white as chalk. These Soulflayers looked no taller than Sefadin or Speed, and were covered in light blue robes over skin no pinker than her own. Indeed, their flesh was little more than an oily membrane covering gaunt, elongated frames. Like Kkel, they had bulbous eyes on either side of their large, bald heads, and their faces ended in a row of tentacles, giving them the look of a squid. Whereas his eyes had been sharply blue, theirs were dull and red. If she could take anything from simple appearance, then it was clear that these fiends were far lower on the hierarchy than the General had been as one of them.

However, there had only been one Kkel Solaar, and it had never been necessary to fight him. There were three of these Soulflayers, and it was clear from the way Vaala and Sefadin anxiously eyed them that there would be no negotiating with them.

Slowly, Sefadin slid his sword out from its sheath, and then turned towards Speed and inclined his head. The dull-eyed Warrior blinked a few times before finally taking his meaning, but finally loosened the great axe at his back, gripping it loosely as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. Jinxie heard Isset draw out the bladed knuckles she wore over her fists while Shoki made punching motions in the air. Vaala remained unmoving, not taking her eyes off of the Soulflayers. The powerless Hume felt completely out of place, fingering the hilt of the sword buckled to her waist, wondernig if she could make any difference in the imminent battle.

"Wait," Krista whispered, "look."

The Bard pointed just past the trio of fiends, to a hill nearby them. Flitting through the air near the Soulflayers, an Imp was casting a dispassionate eye over the area. A horn of bone much like the others used was resting at its tiny waist. From where it was positioned, there was no way to get out to the open marsh without attracting its attention.

"We go out there, that thing will call its friends," Sefadin warned, "and then it'll be a dead man's party."

"We cannot waste time," Vaala reminded them.

"Take out the Imp first," Isset suggested. "Vaala, you can make it there quietly, right? Just slit it's throat."

She nodded. "The Soulflayers will not go down so easily."

Sefadin took a step forward, a serious expression overtaking his visage. "We can handle them. Privates, Sergeant, you're with me," he pointed to Speed, Krista, and Isset. "I'm not going to lie; this will be tough. Vaala, once we have their attention, you get Jinxie out of here, and we'll catch up to you."

"That is unlikely," the Ninja responded. "Three Soulflayers will not be so easily - "

"Just make sure Jinxie gets through," he cut her off. "That's the job, let's get it done."

The mercenary and the assassin shared a long stare, the Mithra weighing Sefadin's words carefully. After a tense moment, she finally nodded. "Very well," she acquiesced. "I will await Jinxie where the Imp is."


"Okay," he turned back to the others. "If we're all ready, let's - "

"Wait," Jinxie stepped forward, looking out at the Soulflayers and watching the Imp circle the grounds nearby. She turned quickly towards Vaala. "You can get to the Imp without being seen?" Vaala nodded once, then with a flash two slim-bladed katana appeared in her hands. Jinxie felt a rush of exhiliration. A plan was forming in her mind.

"Do it," she commanded, "and bring me back its horn, intact."

Vaala looked at her for a moment, and then bowed briefly before bounding over the rock face and disappearing into the brush.

"What's this about?" Isset asked, but Jinxie motioned her to silence.

"Just wait," she urged. They all peered anxiously down the narrow pass, waiting for whatever happened next.

It all happened quickly. One moment, the Imp was softly beating its wings against the thick Caedarva air, lazily eyeing its surroundings. The next, they just barely saw a flash of silver before it went stiff, falling to the ground. From where they stood, they could see Vaala catch it out of the air, pulling it back out of sight in the blink of an eye. Below the hill, the Soulflayers continued their silent congregation, oblivious to the events only a few yards away. Only a few heartbeats later, the Ninja reappeared, sliding down the rock to rejoin them. She held out her black-gloved hands, revealing with them the small, bone-carved horn of the Imp.

"Thank you," she took it from Vaala's hands, turning it over in her grasp. It was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand, and for a moment she worried about how feasible her idea was. She was tired of feeling helpless, however, and if she couldn't fight with her friends then she would support them however else she could. "Krista," she extended the instrument to the Bard. "Can I trust you with this?"

"Yes ma'am," she answered quickly, taking the delicate bone carving from her.

"Good," she clapped a hand on the Mithran girl's shoulder. "Then I need you to go somewhere remote and play us a tune."

"Clever," Isset smiled, Shoki throwing his hands up in delight.

"Will that work?" Sefadin asked. "I don't think I've ever heard of someone using an Imp's horn. Besides, you know, Imps."

"I'll do it," Krista said in a determined voice. "How far away should I go?"

"Vaala," Jinxie rounded on the Ninja, "are there any good hiding places near this spot?"

"Four," she confirmed.

"Pick one, and take Krista close to it. Let her play until she starts attracting attention. Then drop the horn and come back to us."

She mulled it over, cocking an eyebrow slightly. "We've never tried that," she admitted. "I don't know if it will work."

"We won't know until we try. Like you said, we don't have time to spare, and I'm not losing good soldiers to Soulflayers if I don't have to." Her voice brooked no opposition. "That's the gameplan, now let's do it."

"Ma'am, yes ma'am," Krista barked, then fell to silence as Sefadin hushed her, eyeing the Soulflayers meaningfully.


Vaala and the Bard vanished into the brush, leaving the remaining four to wait for their signal.

"Are you feeling okay, Jinxie?" The question startled her, and she looked towards Isset with surprise. "Sorry, I didn't mean anything from it, you just seem a little off." The Puppetmaster's face fell almost the moment the words escaped her lips. "That probably sounded a lot more insensitive than I meant it."

"It's okay, Isset," the Hume forced a smile. "I'm doing alright. I'll be better tomorrow, after we win this."

Her words earned her a fierce smirk. "Right," Isset replied, and Shoki pumped its arms, psyching up. "Let's get through this."


"You guys hear that?" Speed asked aloud, ignoring Sefadin's call for silence. "Something sounds funny, man."

"Speed, would you - " Isset halted in the middle of her reprimand. "Wait," her tone turned serious.

She did hear it, and a moment later, Jinxie did as well.

It was a single note, in a high register, making its way from some distant location to their ears.

"Is that . . . ?" Isset started to ask. Then another note sounded, vibrating slowly through the bog, lingering just a moment before passing on.

They waited another moment, and then a third shrill bleat from the Imp's horn broke the mire's stillness. After its last echo faded, Isset looked around them, an expression of uncertainty plain on her face.

"So . . . what happens now?" she wondered aloud.

"I think - " before Sefadin could even reply, all four of them began scrambling for cover.

A Soulflayer burst from the narrow passage in front of them, the sound of its robes brushing over dead leaves on the ground the only forewarning they had of its arrival. Sefadin grabbed Speed and forced him down as Jinxie and Isset pressed themselves against a narrow outcropping, just barely deep enough to hide the both of them. The fiend stopped right in front of them, snorting revoltingly as it listened, tilting its head in the direction Krista had gone. It shuffled past a moment later, and not long after a second of the creatures followed behind it. In the air beside the Soulflayer, two Imps circled, following the sound of the horn. A third Imp trailed the first group, and following closely behind came the third Soulflayer, and another group of the flying terrors along with it.

They remained still as the grave while the horrifying procession made its way swiftly past, grunting and snarling as they rushed towards the horn. A palpable aura of malevolence accompanied them, stifling the air with a sickening pall. Jinxie struggled to keep from gagging as the Soulflayers made their way past, a cold, sick feeling trailing in their wake. She did not move again until they were completely out of sight, having made their way up the hill and far away from their small hiding place. She almost cried with relief when she tasted air again, not realizing until that moment she had been holding her breath.

"Alright," Isset said, her voice not betraying a tremble, "I'm not too proud to admit that was terrifying."

"Come on," Sefadin stood up, brushing twigs out of his auburn hair, "we've got to get moving."

A sudden snort sent Isset leaping several feet in the air, and Sefadin's sword came out of its scabbard in a flash. A moment later, a whining rush of breath accompanied it, and they looked down, startled, to find Speed still lying on the ground where he had been shoved. The Warrior was fast asleep, drooling and snoring into the muck.

"For Walahra's sake," the Puppetmaster slapped a hand against her face, even as Sefadin struggled to contain a laugh. "Get up, you ridiculous stereotype," she ordered, and with a swift motion of her wrist, Shoki stepped over to the slumbering mercenary and began shaking him violently.

"It's always something new with this guy," Sefadin chuckled, "right, Jinxie?"

Jinxie did not respond to the Paladin's question. Nor did she share in his laughter. She only looked straight ahead, her eyes registering the growing terror welling inside her.

The Dark Rider looked back, his horse stamping the ground impatiently as the white-armored giant lowered his massive curved spear.

"No," she whispered as she saw him tighten his grip on the beast's reins, two red-burning spheres of light behind his visor falling on her. This was not like their confusing first encounter at all. The frightening power radiating from the rider had a focus now, a purpose.

He was there to kill her.

"NO!" this time she screamed, and before she realized she was doing it, Jinxie was running as fast as she could through the swamps of Caedarva Mire.

She was distantly aware of voices calling after her, but did not let them stop her flight. Leaves and broken twigs were kicked up at her heels as she ran, feeling the terror of the Dark Rider's presence behind her. Where this monstrous being had come from, and why he was there, she did not know, but for some reason his intentions were clear as day. He meant to kill her, to cut her quest short here in this forsaken bog, to leave her child at the mercy of the Lamiae, an orphan with no one to come looking for him. She had to run. She could not face him, but she could not stand by and let herself be killed either. The sound of his mount snorting and whinnying struck her, and she pumped her legs even faster.

The ground squelched beneath her feet as she pressed into the mud and muck. Her lungs burned and her legs strained to keep her moving. She stumbled over a log half-hidden by the swamp and almost fell, fear blossoming anew at the prospect as she desperately righted herself. Everything around her looked the same, and she had no concept of how far she had run. She stopped for just a moment to take stock of her surroundings. Dead trees and thick bog water enclosed her, and the thick vines and bush on the ground obscured any paths in or out of where she was. Isset and the others were nowhere in sight. She was panting, trying to catch her breath and regain her senses when she felt it.

Stirring at the base of her spine, the foreboding presence crept over her like a swarm of insects. It was as if bugs were crawling under her skin, and snakes wrapping around her body. A wave of revulsion made her stomach clench, and she involuntarily stumbled backwards several steps, fighting the urge to throw up. Gagging slightly, Jinxie looked up, searching for the source of the revolting presence.

She did not have to look far to see the Soulflayer in front of her.

Gasping, she instinctively reached for her power only to find the void inside of her being. The Soulflayer garbled something from its disgusting-looking mouth, the tentacles on its face writhing as pale, dull eyes settled hungrily upon her. She backed up as it slowly glided forward, gnarled, pale-skinned hands wrapping around an inky black staff. Slim fingers tapped against its ebon shaft with something resembling anxiousness. Her eyes darted back and forth, but she could see no way out except back the way she came. Between her and that sole exit stood the eldritch fiend. Behind her was only a sheer cliff, too high to climb. She was trapped.

Desperately, she tore her rapier from its scabbard, holding it warningly in front of her. Hubby's lessons instinctively came back to her, and she thrust towards the creature. It hissed, eyeing the weapon warily as it moved away. A moment later its arm lanced forward, and Jinxie let out a cry as its staff struck her wrist. It felt like a venomous sting had just pierced her flesh, and her rapier dropped from her grasp. Something escaped the Soulflayer that sounded like a laugh, twisted with decay. Jinxie bared her teeth at it. This thing was no great phantom, riding her down from some dark realm. This was just another monster. And she had learned long ago not to be afraid of monsters.

"You - " she snatched her sword from the muck at her feet, slicing it upwards. The creature dismissed the strike, and a streak of black lightning burst from the tip of its staff, striking Jinxie in the chest. She dropped to her knees with a gasp, pain screaming through her entire body. A shadow fell upon her as the Soulflayer drew near. A sound of hunger escaped it as it began to envelop her.

The roar which shook Caedarva Mire was like a typhoon striking. Trees broke underneath it, splinters and branches propelling through the swamp. Leaves blew up from the mud and struck at Jinxie as the ground quaked, and she covered her face, surprised and confused. The Soulflayer was staggering away from her, its eyes shooting left and right, searching or the source of the powerful cry. A second roar bombarded the area, and Jinxie covered her ears to try and protect herself from its force. She too looked for where it was coming from, seeing nothing which could account for such a howl.

Then the murky skies above went completely dark, and she saw what was causing the tumultuous noise.

Jinxie was literally thrown into the air when the Khimaira landed, its full weight crashing down upon the ground's surface causing a shockwave effect. It gave another roar as it settled following its leap from the cliff behind her, and she gaped at the monster she saw before her. She had seen the Behemoths which roamed Qufim Island long ago, and this beast was reminiscent of their hulking forms. A mass of purple-colored fur, muscle and sinew bulging beneath. Unlike the Behemoths, this Khimaira was more compact, its four powerful limbs even bulkier than that of the other monster. It stood nearly as high as three of her combined, and she felt she could fall inside of its fang-filled mouth without the beast even noticing, so large was its jaw. The Soulflayer let loose a cry of terror as it felt those jaws close in around it.

With a single motion, the Khimaira tore the fiend's head from it shoulders, crunching its skull between molars the size of a man's fist. A fountain of black blood burst from its neck as the body toppled to the ground. Violently, the giant beast tore into its corpse, bones snapping and organs popping like balloons as it devoured the creature, massive paws pressing down on its body as its teeth tore it apart. She watched in a mixture of shock and awe as the beast feasted upon the Soulflayer, rending apart its oozing black innards and lapping up the juices. It was sickening and fascinating at the same time. Blood spotted the thick golden mane of fine hair which framed the monster's massive head, the same hair found at the tip of its long, prehensile tail. That same tail clubbed at the air as it ate, and a pair of bat-like wings stretched up from its back, curling and uncurling at random. Claws like battle axes dug into the ground as it sat back on its haunches, tossing the dessicated remains of its meal away.

Smacking its blood-encrusted lips, the Khimaira snorted once, sniffing at the air. A low growl began to resonate from its throat, and slowly it turned its head. A pair of large, blank white eyes settled on Jinxie.

Sitting now in the mud, completely taken aback by the turn of events, Jinxie had not even the emotional strength left to feel panic as it opened its jaws again, a blast of hot, fetid breath escaping its maw.

She had felt the unbridled malevolence radiating from the Dark Rider, and knew that he meant to kill her. So too had she known just from the Soulflayer's presence that it wanted to use her for some dark, unspeakable purpose. Just as those two had made plain simply through their aura what their intentions were, the Khimaira's motivations were also clearly understood as it stood again, leveling its gaze on her.

It was still hungry.