Well, shit.

Jasper’s frame seemed built for intimidation. He probably had at least a foot of height over me, and his glare was shooting daggers through me, including the actual dagger at my throat. He had a large frame too, bulked up by his work as a sailor. The stench of alcohol permeated the air around him, but he still looked mostly sober.

“Scream and I’ll cut your throat,” he warned. I nodded. The best plan I could come up with was to play along for now.

Jasper’s mouth formed into a smirk. “Obedient little rat, aren’t we? Now, we’re gonna go quietly down this hall to the balcony, and you’re gonna answer a few questions before I throw you off, ya hear?” Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed me by the arm and began pulling me down the hall.

Fear dominated my thoughts. How the heck do I get out of this situation!? Jasper’s knife wasn’t against my throat at the moment, but there was no way I could escape his grip even if I called for help. I was completely helpless as Jasper pulled me through the balcony door. He shoved me outside, keeping his knife pointed at me while he blocked the doorway.

“Little birdie told me you and yer human friend are viruses in our little world. What’s your goal?”

“I’m not a virus! I’m just trying to get home!” My voice was quiet, yet fiercely defiant.

“Ha, as if I’d believe that! I bet that’s why ya took the form of a little girl. Ya needed to look pitiful enough to convince that rat and the pointy-eared girl of yer sob story.”

“This is who I am, not some ‘form’ I’m borrowing!” I shouted back. Despite my confidence, his words snaked their way into my thoughts. This wasn’t what I looked like in the real world, only a projection of how I wished I looked. In a way, Jasper was right.

“Ha! Yer face says it all. Yer lyin’ through yer teeth!” He scoffed. “Listen, rat. You’ll never be a girl, even if you take the form of one and dress all pretty-like. I could tell from a mile away. Ya certainly don’t act like a girl, much less speak like one.” 

Those words hit a lot closer to home than I was expecting, and dark thoughts began to fill my headspace. Am I really that bad at being a girl? Is that something you can even be bad at? Maybe my desire to be a girl was just a fetish. Does that mean I’m not taking myself seriously enough? Do my friends actually see me as a girl, or are they just humoring me? 

Ugh, now was not the time for this! No matter what I did, I couldn’t get those awful thoughts out of my head. I was fighting to keep the tears out of my eyes. 

Having found a weak point, Jasper continued his attack. “Aww, is pretending to be a girl that important to you? I bet you’re one of them sissies, aren’t ya?” He taunted. “You’ll hate when yer dead, then. They’ll find a boy’s corpse on the ground, and you'll be exposed as the fake you are.”

“S-shut up! You’re wrong!” I yelled, but my voice faltered. Painful thoughts continued to echo through my head. Maybe he was right after all. Tears began streaking down my face. I tried to use my arms to wipe them away, but they just kept coming.

Jasper’s eyes narrowed, and he took a step towards me. The sailor made a quick, vicious slash with his knife, and pain erupted down my forearm. I yelped and went down, curling my body around my arm to protect it. It looked and felt like I was losing a lot of blood, and I was completely terrified.

“That was a warning, brat. Next time, it’ll be your head. Next question. Why does a virus need to go to Kin no Kaigan?”

I glared at my captor in silent defiance. I had basically told him the answer anyways. My dress was stained in blood, and my heart was beating fast. The throbbing in my arm wouldn’t go away, and it seemed to match a new throbbing at my thigh. I inspected the new source of pain with my bloody hand, but all I found there was my dress pocket. Oh! I still have the elemental stones!

Jasper glared at me. “I asked you a question, boy! Don’t make me cut you again!”

The sailor’s threat flipped a switch in my mind. My body began to move on its own, and I grabbed a handful of light elemental stones and threw them at the sailor. I yanked all the magic from them at once, and I covered my eyes as the stones exploded with a small bang, filling the darkness of night with a brief flash of pure light. I wasn’t quite fast enough though, and I blocked several slashes aimed at my throat with the arm he hadn’t cut earlier. I grimaced, but the adrenaline had kicked in and dulled the pain.

I opened my eyes again to see Jasper wildly waving the knife in my direction. His eyes were closed shut, likely still dazed from my improvised flashbang. I used the opportunity to try to slip out of the way, but he landed a lucky strike on my shoulder. It hurt, but it didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore, except one thing. 

I had to get away from this man. A single thought filled my head, and I followed it with what felt like primal instinct.

Vanish.

Fire and water stones filled my pockets next, and I used them to create dense mist, much denser than the one I made in the guildhall. The balcony was covered in an instant, and I tried to hold still as the mist hid my location. I saw Jasper blink and open his eyes, having reclaimed his sight. He resecured his position in front of the door, sealing off my only exit. There was a vicious grin on his face as he took up a defensive stance.

“Come on, rat! Kill me if you dare!”

Restrain.

 Water and darkness stones filled the hand in my pocket. I didn’t think much of it as I lobbed the stones towards him, setting them off almost immediately. Dark red ice snaked around the sailor’s boots. His eyes widened as he saw them solidify around his feet, and he began struggling to free himself from my magic.

“Yer dead, brat!” Jasper yelled, but I barely heard him over the deafening thoughts guiding my actions.

Escape.

The balcony had been built to overlook the ocean on the side of the inn. I found wind stones in my pockets, so I threw them off the balcony. There was a loud rush of sound as a gale flowed upwards, and I jumped into it without a second thought. The winds carried me to the floor, and I was able to land upright.

Safety.

The safest place right now would be the pub, as the crowd would either defend me or give me cover by hiding among everyone. I made a break for the front of the inn and burst through the grand oak door with the last of my stamina. All eyes turned towards me as my adrenaline began to fade.

“Help…” I whispered. My legs gave out from under me, and I collapsed. Someone caught me before I hit the floor, and I flinched, fearing my captor had gotten to me again. I was relieved to see Robin instead, who helped me to a chair. Their tail was flitting back and forth in annoyance, and they were scanning the front of the inn for a new threat.

“Kid, tell me who did this to you, now.” Yikes. They sounded really, really mad. 

“Jasper… Balcony…” I managed to say with heavy breaths. I felt terrible. Every inch of my body ached, and I had a pounding headache. I closed my eyes, feeling my consciousness beginning to slip away.

I heard Robin’s voice, but it sounded distant. “Hey, Sylvia! Hang in there! I need a healer! Someone find her party! Stay with me, kid! Kid…”

Ninichu

Bit of a heavier chapter this time, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway! The next few chapters should be a bit lighter, so I hope you'll stick around! Constructive criticism is appreciated as always!