Following the fight with the Aquila, Nadia collected the bird’s battered corpse, adding it to Felix’s expanding collection of materials, with its Essence Core increasing her magic capacity.

Form Acquired: Aquila Flight Suit
Attachment Acquired: Empyrean Wings

Empyrean Wings
+2 Magic
Gale Impulse - Direct concentrated jets of air and manipulate air currents around wing surfaces.

The new armour was sleek and streamlined, coloured in a dark grey with intricate lines that resembled a feather pattern covering her body. The helmet resembled the Aquila’s proud face, as if it was carved from metal plates, while two large wings rested on her back, feeling as natural as her arms or legs.

The wings themselves seemed to blur the line between the organic and the mechanical, each metallic feather fluttering subtly in the wind bearing dozens of intricate magical runes of unerring precision. Nadia stretched her new limbs, admiring their length and elegance, as they spanned nearly four metres at full length.

She also noted a secondary set of smaller wings set lower on her back, which she quickly realised would serve as stabilisers, but questioned whether a 4m wingspan would be sufficient for her to fly in the first place.

I’m sure magic must be doing most of the heavy lifting there. She thought idly. Well… I’ll give it a shot.

Nadia tensed her muscles, readying herself to take to the air with a powerful leap. As her body rose, she beat her wings powerfully, harnessing the air currents to lift her higher, and… fell back to the ground in a heap.

I’m glad nobody saw that. She thought to herself as she scrambled back to her feet. Still… should work for gliding, or I’ll need to be moving fast if I want to get off the ground.

Swapping back to her Bone Stalker Armour, Nadia continued making her way up through the ravine, arriving at a narrow plateau that overlooked the lower slopes of the mountain. Leading further upwards, there was a steep and rocky slope that was lined with young trees and loose soil, as well as a number of deep crevices leading into the face of the mountain, which could be scaled with a bit of effort.

As she readied herself to begin climbing the slope, her Tracker’s Instincts signalled a warning to her. Crap! Moving quickly, she ducked for cover in a crevice, making use of Active Camouflage to hide herself as she watched three harpies descend to investigate the area.

The harpies resembled humans with small and slender statures, with bird-like legs and arms that ended in taloned feet and hands. Most of their extremities were covered in feathers, and they wore simple clothing made from pelts, contradicting the descriptions she’d read from the looted books, that described them as ‘monsters of exceptional cunning that lacked true intelligence’. Most noticeably, much like the Aquila Flight Suit, they had broad spanning wings that stretched from their backs, with multiple joints folding them to not obstruct their movements.

Thinking back to the incident with the Mern at the temple, Nadia felt as though she was beginning to get a clearer picture of interspecies relationships in this new world of Ariad.

I guess its not that surprising that the books would have been written by human supremacists. She thought to herself. Things could be troublesome going forward if that’s the norm here, though. I mean, if this is how they view other people from their own world, I’d hate to see how they’d react to people who are basically aliens.

The harpies scanned the area briefly before making their way into one of the crevices on foot, unaware that Nadia was observing them invisibly. Might as well follow, they probably know a few ways up the mountain, and if I can find out where they’re living, we can avoid it more easily.

Nadia followed the harpies at a distance as they travelled along the branching and winding paths, finally emerging within a valley hidden within a large bowl near the mountain’s summit. She advanced carefully under Active Camouflage, observing what looked to be a village built into the steep valley walls, while she could see fields and livestock pens occupying parts of the valley floor below them.

As she moved out from the crevice, a mind-numbing whistle carried on the air, causing all of her muscles to seize up, leaving her paralysed as a particularly unique looking harpy descended upon her from the nearby village.

Unlike the rest of the harpies she had seen, this one lacked a distinct feature: Her face was eyeless. She stood slightly taller than the other harpies, with more delicate features. With long, black hair held in a loose braid, and dark grey feathers, her form radiated magic as she approached.

“Your deception doesn’t work on the eyeless, trespasser.” The Banshee stated, her voice resonating as though it were a choir. “Reveal yourself.”

The words shook Nadia to her very core, and without realising it, her Active Camouflage was undone. Immediately, a group of harpies had surrounded her.

“Tell me truthfully, are there others following?” Nadia’s mind went blank once more as the Banshee questioned her, and she answered without even realising she was speaking. “No. They’re lower on the mountain, taking shelter in a cave.”

The Banshee raised her head, unleashing a cry that caused the very air to vibrate. In response, dozens of armed harpies took to the air, flying out past the lip of the valley as they descended the mountain.

“You and I will have a discussion, and then I will decide what is to become of you.” The Banshee said, turning away. A harpy approached Nadia from behind, binding her arms behind her back with rope before guiding her to follow the Banshee into the village.

~

Jake POV

Shortly after Nat had left, they’d located a cave in which to take shelter.

A mountain full of fucking man-eaters… Just what I needed. Fuck! He cursed internally as he thought of the prospect of facing harpies. Even worse was the idea that they might have Rooks and a Banshee. If that was the case, there was little chance that his crew would leave the mountain alive.

From what Jake knew of them, harpies were an all-female race of humanoid monsters, famed for ravaging frontier villages, kidnapping and eating children and occasionally taking young men captive for breeding before eating them, too.

Rooks, meanwhile, were somewhat different. They resembled a cross between a raven and a werewolf, running on all fours like a beast into combat, tearing every living thing nearby into shreds. Worse though, was that they could breed with harpies, allowing their numbers to grow unchecked. Fortunately, as far as anyone knew, Rooks were even more savage than harpies, and needed a Banshee in order to manage them.

Finally, there were Banshees. Cursed creatures, warped by magic. The Eyeless Queens ruled over their Courts with their voices, while their powerful magic could command entire settlements to suicide or drive them to madness with a song. Part of Jake doubted they even existed. After all, who could have lived to tell the tale if they met one?

Not even an Adept could survive against a Banshee. He thought bitterly as he tried to rest as much as possible.

With the help of Frederick’s guards, they’d cut some trees to construct a barricade within the cave. Fighting a host of flying enemies from an exposed position was not a good survival strategy, after all. Now, he was doing his best to rest up, afraid that he’d be fighting for his life before long.

As the wind howled outside the cave entrance, Jake swore he could hear sharp cries carried along with it.

Guess it’s time. He thought to himself, rising from where he sat. He hefted his shield and spear, rolling and stretching his limbs as he readied himself for what was likely going to be the fight of his life.

~

“I fear that we will never know peace. Where we go, they always follow.” The Banshee said, her eyeless gaze turned towards the sky. “You are bound to an Artificium, are you not?” The quality of her voice shifted in an instant. In one moment, it was soft and reflective, and the next it returned to that of an ethereal choir, causing the very air to resonate with it.

“Yes.” Nadia gasped out the word. Ugh. This is… not great. Her mind struggled against the grip of the Banshee’s magic, but she was completely unable to move or resist.

“It chose you willingly?” Nadia was surprised at that question. Was it possible to force something like that?

“Yes. Felix saved my life.” Nadia answered honestly. “Felix?” Perhaps due to surprise, the Banshee’s voice was no longer laden with magic following Nadia’s response.

“I…” Nadia hesitated to speak, unsure of what she should and shouldn’t say without the compulsion of the Banshee’s magic. “Speak honestly.” The words settled onto her mind as both a weight and relief as Nadia could only do as she was directed.

“I’m not from this world… I was part of a mission to explore a wormhole… A portal in space. When we passed through, our ship was damaged, and it crashed here on this world.” Nadia told the Banshee the details of her experiences and her search for the commander while the eyeless woman listened patiently and attentively.

“I see.” The Banshee replied slowly. “It is a heavy burden you chose to uphold… to be so far from home, never to return.” A saddened longing crept into the Banshee’s voice.

“The ones you spoke of; the robed hunters. They are a cancer.” The Banshee practically spat the word. “For centuries their kind have swept out from human held lands, taking that which was not theirs. They seek to claim all magic as their own, and slaughter any others who wield it as if they were beasts.”

Thinking back to the Oman village, Nadia didn’t doubt the Banshee’s words. They treated living, thinking beings as disposable. If they would do it to one people, why not more?

“More importantly,” The Banshee continued. “You said you came here in the company of an alchemist.” Her voice transitioned from an even tone to one of unbridled fury as she mentioned Frederick’s profession.

“You… think they’re connected?” Nadia asked, uncertain.

The Banshee nodded, speaking softly. “Those that you call alchemists… they are flesh shapers. They twist and pervert life to suit their desires. Did you imagine that this world could naturally contain such monsters? Did not you see the evidence yourself?” She asked, her tone once again taking on the tones of magic.

Images flashed through Nadia’s mind, of a night in the jungle, where she and the rest of Jake’s crew hid in trees from the fog… Alec’s death, and then she was in the tower, within the alchemy lab, holding a jar of the very same fog that took his life so easily. Fuck.

“The alchemist would use you… to find us, without alerting us to the hunters’ presence.” The Banshee said solemnly.

Maybe she’s right, maybe she’s wrong… Nadia thought, although her doubt was a small one. “I have a tool with me that I can use to see if the hunters are nearby.” Nadia spoke hesitantly. “I know you don’t have much reason to give me a chance, but… Would you let me see for myself?” She asked.

The Banshee regarded Nadia carefully for a moment before answering. “Do I need to compel you not to alert the hunters or your comrades, or can I trust that you only wish to see for yourself?” She asked.

Nadia laughed wryly at the question before answering. “Whether you compel me or not, I’m at your mercy here. I give you my word I won’t try to contact or alert anyone.”

“Very well.” The Banshee replied with a sigh, and Nadia could feel the power restraining her ease considerably, though it didn’t go away. Now, she could move and act, but had little doubt the Banshee could paralyse her once more at a moment’s notice.

Nadia, you’re going to figure this all out… somehow.

Niraada

Hey guys! Finished this earlier than expected, so here you go. I hope you're enjoying the story, there's some bigger developments coming up! Don't forget to rate and comment if you liked it.