Rising Kite - A story from the world of HWFWM

“How are you, little puddle?”

Brook started, not having heard her mother approach as she had been lost in thoughts where she had sat on the edge of the veranda of her family’s house. Accepting a cup of steaming tea, she moved over slightly to allow Willow to sit down next to her, a shawl draped over her shoulder to ward off the evening chill.

“He truly gave you a wonderful gift.” Willow continued as Brook sipped her tea in silence, nodding toward the small creature of swirling dust in the shape of a tortoise which was busy zooming around the veranda faster than any belonging to that species had any right to. “The house has never been so clean, and they can even help out with other tasks too. Oh, the wonders of having a magical daughter.” she finished with a smile, but stopping at the look on Brook’s face.

“Your heart still hasn't found its bearings, love?”

Brook looked up at her mother, then sighed. “Unfortunately not. Although I am surprised that you would ask that, rather than trying the persuasive approach.”

“Well now, young lady,” Willow ‘tssked’, “I’ll have you know that being married to your father all these years has been a constant lesson in learning when to stop pushing. And you are very alike in some ways, although I could not stop myself from at least trying. Kite remains a fine young man.”

“He does…” Brook sighed. “And that’s the problem. He is wonderful, kind, caring and genuinely interested in what I like and my thoughts. My heart should have settled long ago. It’s all there. And part of me definitely wants to.”

“Oh, that I can understand. That magic has made him quite a looker.” Willow agreed sagely.

“Mother!”

“What? I have eyes, daughter.”

Brook was silent for a while, before grumbling: “Well, you’re not wrong…”

“I rarely am.” Willow agreed, only to gently ruffle her daughter’s hair at the disbelieving snort which escaped Brook at her statement. “But in all seriousness, daughter. Being with an adventurer will assure that you never go hungry. The money they earn from those contracts change lives. Just the stone alone that you got-”

“I know.” Brook snapped, then quickly reeled her emotions back again. “I- I know, mother. Sorry.”

“It’s alright, love. It is the role of a parent.” Willow said, laying a hand on her back.

“But that is also part of the problem. The contracts. What he does…”

“Saves lives? Helps people?”

“Yes. But he kills people as well. And even worse, risks being killed himself.”

At this, Willow remained silent, only nodding along with Brook’s words until she had finished. “Ah. That is the part that is troubling you? The worry? The fear?”

“In part, at least.”

“Now that, young lady, is something your mother does know. Your father out in the woods along the others, monsters manifesting left and right. And now Leaf has joined as well. Those two might yet be the death of me, or at least the source of my gray hairs.”

“And the danger is only part of it. What I’ve seen, mother… It is Kite, yet it is not. As if the kindness and gentleness is retracted, leaving only resolve and momentum. It makes my heart flutter, and I know not if it is of want… Or in fear.”

To her credit, Willow continued to mostly listen, sipping her own tea as Brook told her again of her outing along Kite. But this time, she told all of it. Of the fear and violence. Of Kite’s skill and dedication to keeping her safe. And of the blood, and the corpse left behind.

In response, Willow’s hand on her back reached out and draped itself around her shoulders instead, holding her daughter close as she told her tale.

“It sounds like his life is more than just distant from yours, love. It is almost as if-”

“-we live in distant worlds, only partially intersecting.” Brook finished.

“Then I think that your decision remains, love, but I think that you will also soon know the answer. You might already. Such a partner can bring love and excitement, wealth and opportunity. But also fear, violence and danger. Should you want to share such a life, you could be his haven; the place of calm in the madness of the world. Where he returns to, when the blood is washed away and the contract finished. But love, I would never want you to choose such a life if it would mean that you would constantly live in more fear than your heart can bear. Because in the end, your life is your own, no matter if you share it with another.

Maybe you can think about what you would like to be for him, which role you would want to have in his life. A role where you can be at peace. And then see if your heart agrees?”

Brook nodded along, remaining silent until a few minutes had passed after her mother had stopped talking. “Thank you, mother. When did you suddenly become so wise?” she finished, a slight teasing smile directed at the older woman.

“Oh you little-” Willow grumbled. “I’ll have you know that I have always been quite wise, thank you. It was just your teenage mind that was unable to see it.”

“Then maybe I too have become wiser, at least enough to see it. Maybe even another step closer to taking up the sage’s mantle.” Brook said, leaning into her mother. “But thank you. I believe that things are clearing up a bit. Hopefully. I will have to talk with Kite when he gets back.”

“Any time, little puddle. Any time.” Willow said, squeezing her daughter a bit tighter.. “How long will he be gone?”

“A few more days.” Brook said, looking out into the evening gloom. “Hopefully, he’s staying safe, and not up to any madness too dangerous to handle.”

“I must admit that this particular outing proceeded a bit differently than expected.” Kite noted where he sat leaning against a stalagmite thick enough to easily be mistaken for a part of the cavern wall.

The group had pushed deeper along the tunnel beneath the lake, only to discover that it was only one corridor of a surprisingly extensive complex, with both cavernous spaces and other tunnels spreading out through what they assumed was the interior of the greater cluster of cliffs seen above, as well as beneath it. While the air was stale, it was manageable for the four bronze-rankers, and while there was a definite need for scouting out the caves, rest and recovery had been their first priority after their day of constant alertness and their fair share of fighting.

“I believe that we can all agree to that sentiment.” Phiona said where she was currently setting up the heating lamp. A warm glow spread from the device a little while later, and she took her place in the uneven circle who were seated in the surprisingly large cave they had found themselves in with several other tunnels leading away into the gloom below. Small trickles of water ran through parts of it, but they had found a slightly raised plateau which would easily house the group and their tents should they decide to camp there.

“But at least it became more of an adventure rather than just following Vista around all day. No offense.” Rachel added, looking toward the young master.

“This endeavor did indeed take quite the turn.” Vista agreed. “To think that someone would make such an attack against us. And to what end?” he said, Kite and the two Gellers exchanging meaningful glances. “You know something?” he asked as he picked up on it, the question laced with accusation.

“No. But we did have a suspicion, one that is further given credibility with today’s developments.” Phiona answered. “While we have no evidence at the moment, we believe that the incident with the Devourer Collective might not have been an accident.”

“The silver-ranked monster?” Vista asked, Whimmy whimpering softly at the mention.

“The path was not cleared and it was quite far from the nearest settlement. How would villagers or other locals have noticed it, especially with enough detail to lead us to believe that it was a different kind of fungal monster?” Phiona said.

“Mistakes in contract information-”

“-happens all the time, yeah.” Rachel completed, interrupting Vista. “That’s why we only reported our suspicions. You were still recovering from the ordeal after having used your berserking power, and we thought it best to not say anything and risk giving our suspicions away. In hindsight, it was stupid. Sorry, Vista.”

The young master had fallen silent at her words, and remained so for a little while longer as well, gaze unfocused as he thought. “The infiltrators in the family. The tensions. The ‘accident’ with the Devourer Collective. And now this? You think someone might be targeting me.” The last part was a statement, not a question.

“That would be my suspicion, yes.” Phiona nodded. “And something as overt as this all but proves it. While anyone might happen upon bandits or other rogue elements, they were prepared. The attack at the beginning and their swift response afterwards all but prove it.”

“I have not known you long, Vista, but I have known of you. Few new arrivals won’t hear of the Whirlwind Warrior, the hope of Bastion. I would imagine that your family has a lot of enemies and rivals.” Kite said, contributing to the conversation while idly throwing snacks to Glint.

“Yes, plenty. But this… this flies in the face of convention. There are schemes and plots, feuds and squabbles.” Vista said. “Had they succeeded just now, had I just disappeared… Even if it couldn’t be connected to a specific group or rival, my family would not rest. They would turn the city upside down to restore their honor and have retribution. It would be chaos.”

“There are many who don't care much if the world around them falls into chaos, as long as they stand to benefit. Some even thrive the most under such circumstances.” Kite said dourly, thinking back to the war against the fallen sect.

“As for the reason, there are too many variables to consider, and none of them can be verified from here.” Phiona said, looking around the cavern. “But in sending these people after us, they did provide us with one excellent opportunity to find out.”

“The people!” Kite exclaimed, catching on.

“Indeed, student. While they pose a great risk, capturing one or two of them might bring us the answers we seek. At least if we can survive, escape and bring them to the adventure society.” Phiona said.

“And fortunately for us, we got one of the best guys in the region for taking down other essence users while keeping them alive.” Rachel cheered, winking at Kite.

“While I am always happy to hear of your confidence in my abilities, I believe that we are still a far cry from just grabbing one or two of them and escaping.” Kite noted. “After all, there is the small detail of us being outnumbered and hunted.”

“As for that, student of mine, the answer is all around us.” Phiona said, smiling. “If these caves are as extensive as they appear to be and, more importantly, unknown to our enemies, it gives us quite the opportunity. We can strike at them before vanishing, hidden by the strange nature of this astral space.”

“Nona, do you mean-”

“-that yes, we can fight them. If we are precise and careful. If Kite can continue to disable the alarms, and with a healer like you present, we could even start hunting them. A prospect that I believe our young master here can get behind.”

“Now that-” Vista said, leaning forward accompanied by a disgruntled ‘whoof’ as the act meant he stopped scratching Whimmy’s side. “- is indeed something I can get behind. Oh stop it you.” The last comment was directed at the familiar where two heads were looking pleadingly at their master while the third seemed distracted, busily sniffing the air.

“After resting, we’ll start mapping out the tunnels and caves here. Then we can-” Phiona began, falling into a discussion of plans and contingencies, Vista eagerly nodding along. Kite couldn’t help smiling at Rachel’s knowing wink sent his way, as he settled in to listen. The risk was great and the number of opponents even more so. But they had a chance. And even though Fortune’s gaze could not reach him in this place, Kite was still willing to take that chance.

Resting and keeping guard down in the cave for a few hours had been a tense affair, as the enclosed space both gave the solid feeling of shelter and the gnawing uncertainty of the unknown. Kite had awoken to see Vista standing nearby, hand against the wall coming away slightly shimmering as he retracted it when Kite had walked over to join the young noble. While they had glow stones, extinguishing them had revealed there to be an ever so faint purple light emanated from the walls. For a normal ranker, it would probably have been so weak as to basically be darkness, but Kite’s bronze-rank perception had allowed him to distinguish silhouettes and motion to some degree.

“It’s hard to believe that this was down here. I was always told that the astral space was just the barren, odd land up above. I didn’t even question it. Or check.” Vista said, looking at Kite who had also reached out his hand to see the glittering residue cling to it.

“In a way, it is quite fortunate that you did not. Then, this place wasn’t known to the public, and neither to our foes. Hopefully.” Kite answered.

“How far do you think they go?” Vista asked, looking towards one of the tunnels.

“As soon as the Gellers are ready, we should find out. Splitting up should let us at least get a feeling for the layout rather quickly.” Kite said, observing Phiona and Rachel make their final preparation through his expanded vision while Whimmy’s three heads stoically kept watch.

The cousins walked up to join them as well just a few minutes later. “So, are you ready to explore some caves? Feels like proper adventurer work.” Rachel said cheerfully.

“While I would prefer wading through hordes of enemies, I have to admit a certain feeling of excitement.” Vista said. “And since Whimmy will be kind enough to keep watch at the camp, we should be able to spread out. I am most eager to get on to the hunting part of the plan.”

“Then you should give extra care to map things out.” Phiona said pointedly. “You remember the plan and method? Take extra care to report any cracks or other openings connecting to the outside, and mark your path, should the rest of us need to come find you.”

“It’s good that you came prepared, Nona.” Rachel said, playing with the piece of fluorescent chalk. “You truly are a credit to our family name.”

“Teacher, before we go. I… I think I feel something. From below.” Kite said. “I was not sure at first, but coming closer… It is definitely something with which Sage could interact, but something is off. It is as if the source of gathered ambient mana is so vast that my own contributions feel like a drop in the river.”

“From where?” Phiona asked.

“Somewhere beneath us. That way.” Kite said, pointing.

“Understood. If anyone finds anything odd, mark it. But move on. We can investigate more thoroughly later. Any questions?” Phiona asked, each present giving a shake of their head in a way of reply. “Then you know what to do. Let’s go.”

Bloodstalker was quite happy with today’s development. Even though the initial wait had been rather tedious, his form clinging to the roof beyond the cave in which the adventurers had decided to make their camp.

“If only that three-headed mutt and its heaven-cursed noses hadn’t kept me from getting close.” he grumbled inwardly, but at least he had heard enough. It would be a pleasure to hunt them down as they were foolish enough to split up, thinking themselves safe. “And I will begin with that delicious little healer.”

Bloodstalker idly remembers his time at iron rank, where having his aura retracted and staying still for hours had been a pain and a chore. Now, having chosen his new name, he had transcended such base frustrations. He and his path were the same, the Bloodstalker. He was the unseen hunter, and when he struck, no one but his prey would know that he was even there.

Creeping around the outside of the purple cave and staying as far as possible from the watchful familiar, Bloodstalker’s pride in his powers of stealth only grew. No scents or sounds escaped him, as the slithering mass of tendrils moved along the cavern roof, hidden by the darkness. Where an initiate may have rushed, he took his time even as he saw the red-haired young woman move off into one of the tunnels. There would be ample time to catch up, and when she had been dealt with, it would only be a matter of time before he could take down the rest. And should they just huddle up in fear next to one another, Bloodstalker could just go back and report it in. The thought of being the one to bring about triumph in this endeavor was quite pleasing.

Finally reaching the tunnel where the healer had gone off, he was just about to slither in along the roof when one of the familiar’s canine heads started sniffing the air again. Bloodstalker froze, keeping perfectly still and focusing on the retraction of his aura. A moment later, another head looked his way as well for a few long seconds. The hidden scout was just about to bolt for it when the second head nipped the ears of the first one in annoyance, a slight squabble breaking out among them. While his form did not need to breathe, Bloodstalker still felt like exhaling as he took the opportunity to slither inside.

Even below ground, the astral space was messing with his senses, but he still caught glimpses of his prey’s passing through his life sense. And a few minutes of careful creeping later, the red-haired woman finally came into view. She had stopped in a corridor in the natural cave, looking interestedly at a patch of more intensely glowing pigments on the wall while scribbling down a rough map on a piece or parchment.

“They are wise to at least provide their healer with some armor.” Bloodstalker thought. “But it will not be enough to save her. A shame that I couldn’t witness her path properly on the outside, but it cannot be helped. It is time to properly introduce myself.”

Creeping closer to the woman along the ceiling like a crimson web of veins growing along the stone surface, Bloodstalker cast a spell.

“Actions unheard, deeds unseen.”

Dark red smoke, suffocating both sound, light and aura, sprung into being at both ends of the corridor, billowing into existence on either side of the woman who stiffened and started looking around with wide eyes.

“W-what! Who’s there! Show yourself!” she called while holding her glow stone higher, the very image of the frightened healer caught alone.

“Oh, little weakling. I am afraid that you have strayed too far this time. Your healing means nothing when your life’s blood is flowing from your veins, as if wanting to escape. A path such as yours makes for such a delectable target.” Bloodstalker almost purred, his voice whispering from all around the tunnel.

“No. No!” the woman said, looking around as if to flee, but her hunter came prepared.

“Thorns of the crimson roses.”

Vicious thickets of scraggly, thorn-covered branches burst from the ground in front of the concealing clouds, the red-tipped thorns almost glowing in the darkness against the black plants.

“Escape is not an option, pretty one. But do not fear; I promise that I will savor every bite of your flesh. It looks most supple and delectable.”

“Wha- you- you’re going to eat me?” she whimpered. “The Red Table.” The last words came out as a whisper of realization.

As she stared off into space, Bloodstalker had let part of his tendrils start snaking down behind her, readying themselves to strike and burrow into her flesh.

“Indeed, little healer. Your company brought the ire of our allies, and now you suffer for it. But fear not, I will- agh!”

His reaching veins had just been about to reach the pale flesh of her delicate neck when she suddenly whirled around, her hands transforming into the heads of snakes with vibrant, glowing scales as they both clamped down around Bloodstalkers form. He immediately started draining her life through the contact, but she seemed to care little as she spoke, all semblance of the fear from before gone and replaced by an almost eager curiosity.

“You know, cannibals are almost as low as one can get on the scale of nasty things to become.” she said, the green glow emanating from her eyes clearly visible in the purple and red gloom. “But there is one thing I have been wondering about your kind, flesh-gorger.”

Bloodstalker did not respond, frantically whipping his tendrils around to find purchase and escape. He had misjudged her, but this did not need to be the end. If he could just-

“Does your flesh melt like everyone else's?”

As she spoke, five green serpentine heads grew from her back. Then they opened as one.

Kite had just been exiting what he thought was his nineteenth dead end, and was just adding the last one to his simple map when he heard a call echo through the cave.

“To the exit! He’s getting away!”

The voice was clearly Rachel’s, frustration clear in her tone.

Shoving thoughts such as ‘what’ and ‘who’ aside, Kite turned and ran back toward the cave where they had made their camp as it was, so far, the only one they knew of which led to an exit. Even though Kite had probably made the least progress in his mapping due to the many dead ends and was there in but a dozen seconds, Phiona was still faster.

He emerged to see her spring off Whimmy’s back and swipe her staff through what looked like a roiling mass of thin, red tendrils which were flailing wildly as it crept along the roof of the cave at great speed. Great swathes of it was still covered in remnants of Rachel’s green acid, and as Phiona hit it with her staff the being, whatever it was, seemed to just release part of the crimson mass which sloughed off as the rest continued it’s mad, wiggling dash towards the exit tunnel.

It did not take a leap of imagination to link it to the general theme of monsters and the attack which had threatened them at the entry tunnel, and Kite redoubled his efforts to close the distance as it disappeared into the only way out towards freedom.

His fan unfolding with a snap, Kite sent a huge amount of mana into it as he felt the stale air pick up around him. A split second later, his body felt light and strong, carried by in pursuit by the vortex of magical wind which was the war fan’s most potent enchantment. Leaping past Phiona and Whimmy, Kite sprinted down the tunnel as his great speed and gliding allowed him to almost ignore turns and other breaks in the tunnel by small leaps or even running along the curving walls.

He quickly reached the escaping mass of tendrils, some kind of blob of roiling blood launched his way as soon as he appeared, only to scatter before a swing of his staff. The next moment, he reached it and in but another one he had overtaken it.

“There!” he thought, seeing that there were no other offshoots of the tunnel where they currently were, the chase having taken them almost to where the tunnel started curving downwards and into the water. But it would not go on any further.

“Wall!”

Walls of force blocked the exit, sealing tight against the walls, ceiling and floor of the stone tunnel, the same holding true for the other wall appearing from where they had come.

Up close, Kite could finally get a proper read of the bronze-rank aura of an essence user, wildly fluctuating although it was unclear if it was due to fear or pain.

“I do not believe it to be polite to leave without a proper introduction.” Kite said, curved blade appearing in his hand as his twin mana-draining vortices were greedily drinking in the foe’s magical reserves.

His only response was the tendrils launching themselves at him as a hail of crimson spikes shot from its mass. Unfortunately for it, Kite had already swung his blade through the air in front of him, a barrier appearing to absorb the launched thorns as the projected slash tore through its form along with the spatial tears emanating from the ripple in reality carrying Kite’s intent.

From the extensive corrosive damage, Kite could only assume that Rachel had given the person quite the rough treatment, and the rending damage of the enchanted sword added to the carnage in a spectacular way as the detonating force sent pieces of the wiggling mass splattering over the walls and over Kite’s barriers.

“Your blood is not yours to keep, but mine on which to feast!”

The spell chant came from all of the mass at once, sounding a bit ragged as Kite felt his life force being drained as red light was forcibly drawn from his body. While these kinds of effects usually ended up providing the caster with said life force, most of the red energy was swallowed by the remnant flickers of void left behind by Kite’s special attack. Kite did not wait around for it to cast more spells, his staff appearing in his hands to swing at the person, this time with his dispelling attack. More of the fleshy mass was crushed as a restorative boon winked out along with an effect which would assist in stealth.

He was just about to ready his third swing when something seemed to snap in the magical structure of the thing, the transformative effect coming to a close. The corpse of an elf clad in finely tailored clothes thudded into the cave floor with a thick, wet splosh, bottom half of his body missing.

Looking down at the intruder and what he assumed to be part of the ambushing force, Kite sighed. “Drowning someone in acid makes it rather hard for me to actually take someone alive, Rachel.” he murmured, letting his barriers disperse and Phiona to enter.

She had appeared in the tunnel a few seconds ago and witnessed the struggle, or rather the last desperate attempts, of the intruder’s attempt to escape. His teacher gave him a grim nod as she prodded the corpse with her staff. “Well done. Can you set up a few alarm formations here? They might at least give us a chance at a warning, should this one be but a forerunner. And while they can’t hear us, say a few prayers to the gods as well that more of them are not on the way.”

“Of course, teacher. I don’t have any more than the basic ones from camp, but we better prepare what we can.” Kite agreed, letting Phiona drag the body off as he went to work.

Bearer of Sanguine Promise had to admit that it was a monumental task to keep a level head when the only news he would receive was nothing. None of the patrols returning had found more than traces of their quarry’s passing in that they witnessed some plumes of rainbow smoke. This had initially led them to the central thicket of rock formations, but so far none of the sweeps had provided anything else than heaven-cursed dust.

“Do not fret, master, your might and genius will see us through.” Crimson tried to assure him, the iron-ranked apprentice sensing his foul mood.

“Student. What did I tell you about such words? They only bring misfortune to us!” The last part was half shouted, the younger woman flinching back slightly. Feeling a bit frustrated, Promise once more looked toward the sealed aperture.

“If only we had brought more resources for summoning.” he muttered, once more considering sending a runner to the city for provisions. But as with the summons, they would not have the materials needed to close it again once opened. He would have to trust that the goodly amount of summoned monsters already roaming the astral space would be enough, together with their forces. And Bloodstalker was out there too. Had been for rather long now. They should have enough. They should.

When thinking, his eyes once more fell upon Crimson, who remained close even after his outburst.

“It’s a shame that she’s just an iron-ranker.” he thought. “Had she been bronze, she could have at least been out there with the rest. Now, she’s barely enough to be called an assistant, and would probably be of more use as a-”

Promise’s mind and body froze at the thought, remaining still for a little while before turning to his student with a pleasant smile. “Tell me, student. Are you devoted enough to the Red Table to want to truly make a difference?”

“This way, I think.” Kite said to Phiona as they walked through the dark tunnels lit by their held glow stones. He was pointing to another tunnel, winding downward. There was evidence of water once having flowed here, but it seems to have been quite a long time ago as only flowing lines of erosion were left as a testament to what once had been.

“And it is your familiar, Sage, which can sense it?” she asked. “Then it is a manifestation?”

“Yes. But it still feels… off. Different.”

“Then we will have to at least seek out the location.” Phiona said, nodding.

After the incident with the now dead intruder, the group had spent the better part of a day vigilant and watching. As the hours had crept by and no more scouts or other signs that the enemy force had found their location, they had decided to continue their search. But this time in pairs.

At the bottom of the downward tunnel, Kite had to use his staff and shredding spatial tears to widen a passage enough for them to slip through. The tight confines and alien environment made the experience even more unsettling, but Kite steeled his resolve as the feeling he got from Sage was growing steadily as the two adventurers shuffled sideways through the narrow confines.

Finally, they found a reprieve from the claustrophobic experience. The crack they had been passing through widened suddenly, their glow stones barely able to reach the far end of the large, irregular cave that opened up. A small stream of water was gently running down one wall, pooling in a small pond before trickling off further down into the darkness. In most ways, it was like any other part of the cave, save for two things:

First, the ambient magic was notably more rich in this chamber. Kite and Phiona had noticed the gradual increase during the final stretch in their descent, but entering the cave had been like stepping into another world, the air feeling somehow stale and rich with potential at the same time.

And the second part, maybe even related to the first, was what stood close to the center of the cave.

“What- what is that?” Kite said, words echoing out into the empty space.