Chapter 25 – Them.

“Of all the #$%#! things to have happen.” The voice sounded more than a little annoyed.

Rachael landed on the opposite bank with a thud, the ground breaking and condensing underneath her. She had cleared the edge by a good dozen meters or more. Straightening up, she briefly took on her surroundings. There was almost nothing to see, the swirling mists thick, but the grass here had become short just like it was on the other side, the change having happened while hidden away.

A low growl reverberated through the mists, Rachael unsuccessfully trying to determine it’s direction.

“You have got to be @#$% kidding me...” That was definitely the sound of an angry voice.

‘That way,’ Kitsune stated, her ears twitching.

Rachael nodded, moving in the indicated direction. A few steps later and they hit a grassy embankment, its slope sharp and going up by about a meter. She was pleased that she hadn’t landed in it. Quickly scaling it, she was surprised to find a railway track on top. And in good condition too, the steel rails shiny, reflecting their recent usage.

Another growl reverberated around them, a form taking shape out of the mists. A large wolf, it’s short hairs a mixture of dark grey and white, it’s body muscular and tensed. It snarled at her, fangs bared, before it then lunged straight at her.

For all it’s size, it was still only as fast as a normal wolf. Reinforcing her fist, magic still flowing through her body, she stepped back half a step, slamming her fist into its skull with a sickening crunch as it reached her, the limp body tumbling tumbling past her and down the embankment. That... had been easier than usual.

Reinforcing her other fist as well and letting the magic build up, she broke into a run, heading along the tracks. It didn’t take her long to find the source of the voices. About twenty meters down the track sat a vehicle of some description, stationary and on the rails, black smoke coming out it’s front. A dozen more or so of the wolves circled around it, closing in on the tall woman with long braided blonde hair who stood beside it, longsword in hand. She fit the description of amazon quite well, her leather armour fitting tightly on her muscular frame. Beside her, standing a little oddly, was a wiry dark bronze skinned man with raven black hair and a goatee. He only had a pair of daggers in his hand, and didn’t appear to be wearing much in the way of armour. The bodies of two dead wolves lay nearby, partially over the edge of the embankment. The scene looked like a strange cross between her age and a fantasy world. She couldn’t help grin in amusement. Especially since the lady was two heads taller than the man.

One of the wolves took a step out of the group and towards the two figures. The lady responded instantly, stepping forward and swinging her longsword up through the wolf. It tried to correct itself, avoiding a fatal blow, the blade still digging deep into its side. It yelped in pain, the wolves around it snarling, muscles tensing as they prepared at attack.

Rachael didn’t slow down, leaping into the middle of the group of wolves, landing on the head of one and slamming it into the ground before kicking the one beside it, sending it tumbling down the embankment with a series of painful yelps. She then followed up with a low sweep, her target attempting to jump at her but instead finding that she had shifted to the side, an uppercut slamming into its jaw with a crunch, the explosive force throwing it over the other side of the vehicle with a spray of blood.

Taking advantage of the provided opening, the lady dashed up to the next wolf, her sword beheading it before it had a chance to react, her follow up swing biting deep into the one beside it. The man then appeared beside her, his daggers finishing it off. He was limping, which explained his odd stance.

Three more dead wolves, the creatures trying to stay out of Rachael’s range but failing, her kicks now infused with the same power as her hands, the results quite impressive as the last wolf to attack her slammed into four of its companions, its body broken and smoking, and they finally decided they’d had enough. A howl rang out, and all of the remaining living wolves retreated back into the mists, disappearing from sight, a hush falling over the area. Rachael waited for a few minutes while the pair returned to the side of their vehicle but none reappeared. She was a little disappointed. She’d been enjoying that, perhaps a little too much. Not to mention that everything felt more... natural as well. Sure she had had her fair share of combat training as part of being a priestess, but this was beyond that. She also realised that she needed to refine how she was infusing the magic into her fists and feet, the current method felt wasteful and unrefined, it’s effectiveness limited. There was so much untapped potential there.

She did wonder if the new presence was responsible for that realization though. She’d always used that method, albeit it was mostly self taught, a repercussion of having more power than your teachers.

“Thank you stranger. It would have been embarrassing to die to wolves after what we’ve been through.” The woman had sheathed her weapon behind her bank and was looking her over. Rachael quickly let her magic fade.

“You’re welcome. I just happened to be nearby,” Rachael said, knowing how suspect that actually sounded.

“Isn’t that what they always say?” the woman said with a smile. “Alison,” she then continued, “and that is Dudley.”

“Rachael,” Rachael said, also introducing herself.

“It’s highly unusual to find someone by themselves in the middle of nowhere. Are you with a group?” Alison asked.

“No, I am by myself at the moment. We may have gotten separated, but we have a destination in mind for meeting up.”

“Somewhere in the Goren Plains?”

Rachael shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. Our transport may have had a malfunction, so I’m not sure where they ended up. Could be half a country away for all I know.”

Alison gave her a confused look. “That is a strange method of transport then.”

“Yup.” Rachael didn’t think it would be wise to elaborate on it though. “Yeah, something definitely went wrong and it is really lonely out here.”

Dudley had now moved over to the front and underside of the vehicle, which to Rachael looked like a buggy from her age, though it also seemed to run on rails. Simple in construction, but functional. Three seats, but only two passengers apparent.

‘It would certainly make travelling faster, and they apparently know the area,’ Kitsune said, echoing her own thoughts.

“Perhaps we might be able to help you then, in return for your assistance. Where are you headed?” Alison asked.

“To the nearest town or city.”

“That would be Brightswater. We can drop you off there, assuming that we can fix this thing. You’re not a channeller are you?”

“No...?” Rachael wasn’t familiar with the term, but it didn’t seem to fit her anyway.

“It just seems to have overheated for some strange reason, and one of the oil hoses is disconnected. Other than that it looks fine. That’s really weird,” Dudley commented, as he came back round the vehicle, looking confused.

“I’d appreciate the lift,” Rachael stated, not wanting to lose the offer.

“All good,” Alison confirmed.

“Thanks. How far is Brightswater?”

“We’ll reach it before nightfall, assuming nothing else happens.”

Rachael nodded. She would have been a number of days away if she was still running then.

“How common are these?” Rachael then asked, pointing to the buggy. “The rail versions I mean.”

“Most train guard units have them. That would be about all,” Dudley stated as he gave Alison an empty bottle.

The existence of trains made sense, given the railway tracks. But where was the train itself though.

“Just a minute,” Alison said, as she then disappeared down the embankment, probably to get water from the river, while Dudley stood and waited.

“Did you injure yourself in the battle?” Rachael asked, certain that his limp wasn’t normal for him.

“Yeah, an earlier one. Kind of at an inconvenient time too.” He looked her over. “You’re a curious one, but you fight well. Merc?”

That was actually an interesting question, and one that she didn’t have an answer for.

“In the loosest sense that probably fits,” she finally answered, as Alison made her way back up, handing the filled bottle to Dudley. Dudley took the bottle, and made his way back around the front of the buggy. It was Alison’s turn to give her a good looking over, not hiding that she was doing so.

“You are not from these lands are you. Your magic is too powerful to be one of the touched,” she then commented, “and you’re knowledge of the area seems lacking.”

“Am I that obvious?” Rachael replied. Not that she quite knew what they meant by touched. At least they weren’t reacting as if she were some kind of monster. That she was grateful for, as she didn’t actually know how people would perceive her. She wondered how her magic would be compared to those of the Innerlands though. She also didn’t think that she had actually showed that much magic, but she wasn’t going to try and bluff or argue the point.

“Quite. I know a few touched, and yours isn’t comparable.” It was a very blunt answer, but there was no malice in her voice. “But it matters not.”

“However,” Alison continued, “I have been around Clocky long enough to pick up on a few things, and if we’re going to be travelling together, if only for a short while, I would appreciate a few direct answers.”

“Fair enough,” Rachael smiled, but she also felt nervous. There was something lurking in her words that she couldn’t quite pick up on. However, she had been directed by the presence to these people, so there was definitely a reason behind it all.

“First, what is your actual destination?”

“Odinsphere,” Rachael replied, to which Alison nodded. She had expected a different response to her answer to be honest, from what Kitsune had told her of the place.

“Where did you previously live?”

That was an odd question. Alison was digging for something. She had no reason to lie however. “Agers Reach,” Rachael answered.

“You’re Crys’ friend aren’t you?”

Rachael’s eyes went wide, and her heart skipped a beat. This was too good to be true, and surely a little too inconvenient. “You know where he is? Take me to him!”

Alison’s face took on a serious expression. “Confirm that we are talking about the same person. How was he dressed last you saw him?”

“Skirt, tight top, tights, white and gold armoured heels. Should have had a similar buckler and short sword.” There wouldn’t be anyone else dressed like that, but Rachael was quickly getting impatient. “He also probably has an Arkchild with him, like this one,” she added, pointing to Kitsune.

“That’s him, and he does. Pray, why does he dress like that?”

“Cause she’s actually a girl on the inside,” Rachael said flatly. That should have been obvious. Though she still had been thinking of Chris with the male pronoun. She should probably stop doing that. That also confirmed that Chris was the other maiden. “Where is she?”

Alison laughed. “Such a serious expression girl. Don’t blame me for being cautious. Your appearance is a little too convenient, and we do share some responsibility for his safety, given that we’ve been travelling together.”

Rachael glared at her. “Where is she now then? She’s not here.”

“No, that he is not. She, sorry,” Alison amended at Rachael’s look. “Our group had to split up. Crys is with Clocky and the others. We can take you to her, but after we’ve been to Brightswater.”

“Why not now?” Rachael really didn’t want to have to wait longer than she needed to.

“Look, I get it, lovers lost over time, but we have to go to Brightswater first and report what happened. That is not negotiable. Then we’re heading back. There ain’t no way I’m leaving Clocky by himself on this one, though they will be a few days ahead of us. I don’t know if we’ll catch up, but I’m sure they’ll wait for us if they need our help. You could try going there by yourself, but we’ll still get back quicker than you would on foot, probably by a week or more. And you’d have no idea where to look while we do.”

Rachael blushed at Alison’s comment, but she also had a point. Even if she didn’t know how fast Rachael would travel, a week’s estimate was a fair distance, and a vehicle would cover it faster. She sighed. There wasn’t really much choice.

“Fine. I can live with that. So, what exactly happened?”

“We were attacked by a Nightbeast and the train got derailed. It’s currently one big mess in the Narrows, and Clocky and the team are hunting for the culprit who escaped off the train at some point before the crash. It’s been a really strange week, with many unusual events, starting with us running into your friend. This meeting with you is just one of many.”

“How common are crashes and attacks?”

“Attacks aren’t that common, at max once or twice per trip, but often none at all. That’s why there are guards, like us. The frequency has been getting worse over the years. A train being derailed hasn’t happened in the last three years as far as I know.”

Rachael hoped that the crash wasn’t going to end up delaying their return, especially as going with them to the city would put even more distance between them initially.

“Where did you meet Chris?” Rachael then asked.

“It’s fixed. We’re good to go,” Dudley interrupted as he limped back around.

Alison nodded. “We’ll talk more on the way. You get used to the noise of the engine.”

Dudley clambered into the drivers seat of the buddy, its engine roaring to life. It was indeed the sound that she had heard earlier, and it wasn’t any louder than the cars that she had driven. A familiar sound really, though one that she still felt was out of place. Alison motioned for her to sit in the back seat, and she took the other front one.

The buggy travelled at quite a decent speed, the wind whipping past them as they made their way through the mists, though still much slower than the speeds that the steam train could travel at apparently. Dudley informed her that it had to do with its light weight and the size of the wheels, and if they tried to go at the speed that the buggy was capable of doing on a well maintained road then they’d just end up flying off the rails. But it meant that they return trip would be a lot quicker, as the track was relatively straight and they’d be riding another locomotive, and if they left first thing in the morning they’d be back by late afternoon, putting them just two days behind Clocky’s team.

While Alison had asked the questions, she did say that she had been certain of the connection between the two as soon as she had spotted Kitsune. Apparently the cat-fox’s were quiet good at staying out of sight, even when they were obviously placed, and it had taken her a while to notice Crys’ one as well. They were also highly unusual, and they were the first ones that everyone in the group had ever seen, baring Clocky, but he was a special case for a number of reasons.

While the clouds persisted, the mists started to dissipate as they travelled, the day warming up a little as a result, though with the winds from their speed Rachael didn’t notice it much. She was grateful that she was sitting behind the other two, who acted as a partial windbreak for her, and they also offered her a blanket that they had stored under one of the seats that she happily accepted, wrapping herself up.

Alison told her of how they had met with Crys, a lot of the knowledge second hand or incomplete as most of Crys’ interactions had been with Clocky or Fairweather. She also gave her a rundown of the members of the team, including some of Clocky’s history. Nothing that Crys didn’t already know, and it meant that the two of them would be on the same page when they got back together. Alison may have also listened in on Crys’ conversation with Clocky about Crys’ history and the nature of magic in the world in general etc, curiosity getting the better of her, most of what was said completely new to her. She tried to recall as much of it as possible, though her delivery was a lot more fragmented, Kitsune collaborating on some of the details. It certainly gave Rachael a lot more context on the time that she was now in, and to be honest she was liking the sound of it. Sure, she missed her friends and family a little (some more than others), but the Core had been right. This was certainly her time now. Though she was certain that the Innerlands would definitely be more to her taste.

She also learnt that Chris was now Crystal, or Crys for short. She liked the change, and understood her choice. If it hadn’t been for a passing comment by Alison she wouldn’t have picked up on it, and no one would have noticed if Rachael had kept using the former. They may not even be aware that there was a difference, and in their minds they could well be using the male version, as they sounded exactly the same and it had yet to be written down. But it was definitely now Crys, and Rachael realised that she had already known. When she had dreamed of Pyre, or was it Crys, she had used the name Crystal then. It just hadn’t clicked.

The fight against the Nightbeast and subsequent events was interesting to say the least. Crys had definitely used magic, Rachael was sure of that, but she was not surprised at all. Happy actually, though it appeared that it was mostly by accident. Something in her revulsed at the mention of the darkness that Sean had been transporting. A taint. She had a sneaking suspicion that it was connected to the reason why they’d been woken up given her reaction to it, but she also had no idea what she could do about that. Once she had found Crys, the next order of business would be to go to Odinsphere and talk to Angel. There was a lot of questions that needed to be answered.

Once the talking was done she just sat and watched the landscape zip past, lost in thought. More grasslands, the Goren plains must be massive, but then she no longer had a relative scale to compare it with. Ditto with how populated the area was. How many people had died in that war? Would things have been different had she not run away from her position as priestess? That she did not want to think about, but she was certain that it was all much larger than her. It would be foolish and far too presumptuous to think that she might had had an impact, she was just one piece amongst many in the Core’s priesthood, even if she had been one of the most powerful. Saving the world is a job for heroes, and the military.

Something, or things, were manipulating events in the background, even now. Angel had woken them up, and now there was this other presence. It was most definitely not a coincidence that their buggy had broken down when it had. She was well beyond believing in things like luck and coincidences.

The presence was still there, in the back of her mind, just like the Core had been. Always present, but mostly silent. Something that most people would not notice, as most of the priestesses that she had asked about it had no clue what she had been talking about. But she knew what she was looking for, and so she had always been aware of it. Trying to ignore it when she had run away had been hard, but eventually the Core had dampened it enough that when she had stopped thinking about it, it had faded out of her awareness. Still there of course, but unregistered. Until the Core had spoken to her again on that fateful day. This one was the same, and it even had a similar feel to it. Something old, something ancient. Something powerful. She didn’t like being toyed with, but if events still went her way she could let that slide. Not that she was sure she’d be able to do something about one as powerful as the Core, given what had happened last time.

She also had no clue what it had done to Crys, and by extension, to her.

Who are you?

She didn’t actually expect an answer.

something old,

ancient,

that has always been.

one of many.

but I do not need to tell you the answer.

you already know.

Rachael sank further into her seat, listening to the rhythmic sounds of the rails passing by and the growl of the engine. They were always so smug and self important. Rightly so too, unfortunately. She did indeed know who it was. More accurately, what it was. Thinking about it had brought the realization into her awareness. Whatever it had done to them, to Crys and herself, it had passed along some knowledge about itself as well. A side effect of the process probably.

It didn’t have a name. It didn’t need one. Just a title; a concept.

Warrior.

mogust

Not much to say on this one, it's been a while since I wrote it. Rachael is certainly a different character to write though than Crys, being a lot more confident and knowledgeable.

Thanks for reading and feel free to comment.