Shattered Moonstone

Amethyst's hands shook as she stood between the two increasingly hostile groups, before her the human crew yelled obscenities at the elven guards behind her. Apparently the tensions finally broke when the crew spotted a group of the guards making their way onto the ship to search it, needless to say the group of pirates were… unhappy, when they saw someone unloading barrels. 

Wolf intervened, but being accosted on two fronts, he made little headway trying to calm both groups as they inched closer to one another.

What… What should I do? She looked around frantically, sizing up both groups. Amethyst was sure she could stop them… probably. After all that elven mage, the one Hecatolite said was as strong as dad, wasn’t here. She knew she could fight the crew, but the crew and the elven guards? If she used her magic, sure… But should she? 

Amethyst didn’t want to fight, especially not in a pointless battle over a misunderstanding; but no one would listen to her. They were all so caught up in the moment that no matter how much she yelled at the humans they refused to back down, and the elves couldn’t understand her, though it didn’t seem to be helping Wolf at the moment. Neither side wanted to back down until the other conceded. 

And if it came down to a fight, then what should she do? If she sided with the crew, she would put herself at odds with the elves, and if she sided with the elves, she would have to fight her own crew. No matter what it would dash any hopes of diplomacy with the elven nation she had, and even if they won? Then what? they didn’t want to sail home, but they would have too then wouldn’t they?

If I could just get them to calm down and listen. Amethyst swallowed hard as her hand drifted towards the hilt of her sword. “Please, everyone just calm…” Her words were cut short as something slammed into the dirt at her feet. A stone, missing her by nearly a foot but still… I’m going to have to fight them, aren’t I? I wish Hecatolite was here… She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves as she glanced back at Wolf who stood behind her desperately trying to calm the handful of elven guards who had already drawn their weapons.

Just as she was about to pull her sword the sound of shattering glass filled the air as the world shook. “What the hell was that?” Wolf nearly screamed as he was thrown to the ground along with a good number of both sides.

“An… earthquake?” Amethyst replied knowing she was wrong. What kind of earthquake shakes the ground once? She tentatively looked around to see both sides frantically looking around with wide eyes as they picked up the fallen. “Or maybe a spell?”

Then it washed over the field, the oppressive feeling slamming into everyone like a hammer forcing many of them back down as they all felt it… annoyance, anger, hunger?

Amethyst couldn’t help but relax as she watched a few men on both sides scream at one another, clearly blaming the others for the strange occurrence. A handful on both sides started to flee when they realized that the feeling, the dread… “It…s he is getting closer.” Wolf's voice shook as he got back to his feet, his jaw set as he stood.

Amethyst nodded to him, even though she could see the fear painted on his face as he stood… “Hecatolite was right about you,” she smiled.

“Oh yeah?” 

“A brave coward.” Wolf managed a weak laugh as he looked up into the blue sky.

“Is it bravery if we know what’s coming?” 

As if in reply to Amethyst’s shrug, Hecatolite fell from the sky, crashing into the ground between them and the gathered crew with a loud thud.

Everyone stood silently as Hecatolite slowly stood, her thrashing tail kicking up dirt as she growled, “What,” her voice was a low rumble that reverberated in the air as she glared between the two groups, the humans stepping back as her eyes fell on them. “Is going on?”

The air grew thick as she spoke, the overflowing pressure causing even the elven guards to stagger as she waited for an answer. After a moment she hissed, “Plague?” Not turning around as she addressed him.

Wolf cleared his throat before answering. “Well…. You see…” he stopped as Amethyst bowled into her sister. 

“Where have you been!” All the tension in the air vanished as Hecatolite let out a surprised yell, Amethyst knocking her off her feet as she nearly cried. “I was so worried you got lost, then I wanted to go looking for you but they stopped me, and they brought back your shoes and everyone thought you died!” 

“Died? Who, me?” Hecatolite finally managed to get a word in as Amethyst tried her best to smother the smaller girl. “I just went out to hunt a little. I mean I wasn’t gone that long… was I?”

“It's been a whole da…” Amethyst stopped as she sat up, looking down at her sister she nearly screamed, “What happened to your face!”

“Hey!” Hecatolite pouted as playfully slapped the other girl with her tail. “Is that any way to treat your long lost sister?”

“There’s a hole in your forehead! And look at all this blood!” Amethyst frantically jumped to her feet, “Himari!” She started to call out as Hecatolite sat up, confused. “Stay here, I’ll go get help!” Amethyst cried as she vanished, her mage bane bands clattering to the floor as she disappeared.

“Huh, so that’s what would happen.” Hecatolite casually picked the emptied bands up and rolled them around in her hands. She thought about changing them out now, the ones she wore were close to being filled, but it would probably be best to do it later. “So, Plague, what did I miss?” Hecatolite asked, looking up at the man whose face went pale as she did.

Amethyst had been right, in the center of Hecatolite’s forehead was a jagged bloody hole, the smooth bone of her skull visible through it as she smiled up at him. Wolf fought back the urge to vomit as he looked away and, in a single breath, tried to tell her what was happening.

“So, the crew thinks the elves are robbing them and no one wants to listen?” She said casually, her tail flicking to pointing around at the stunned crowd. Thankfully apparently having a half naked blood covered woman fall from the sky puts a damper on the whole racial battle… for now at least. Wolf nodded, “Well of course they won’t listen to you.” She sighed, shaking her head.

Wolf, biting back the rising bile as he looked at her bloody face, “Why's that?”

“Well duh,” she rolled her eyes, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, the loose skin on her forehead moved with the motion. “You’re not wearing your captain's hat. Don’t you know like half of being in charge is looking the part.” 

Yet again Wolf found himself… surprisingly calm, all things considered, while talking to Hecatolite. Well, her ability to just ignore life threatening injuries, and her strange knack for completely stopping everything around her while she said whatever was on her mind helped. It could be that he simply couldn’t think of anything to say, sure he could point out Eryl never wore the captain’s hat, but the smug grin on Hecatolite’s face told him that would probably be a bad idea. 

“Oh, before I forget.” Hecatolite glanced back at the crowd of humans, her eyes narrowing slightly as she scanned them. “You.” she hissed in a low growl, the playful grin on her face fading as she held her hand out and pointing at a large man in the back of the crowd. 

Wolf barely had time to look up before a loud bang rang out, the man slumping to the ground as Hecatolite shook her head. “Wow, did you see that, that guy charged me while I was waiting here minding my own business. You really should control your crew better Plague.”  

Hecatolite tossed IRIS aside with a flick of her wrist, leaving him speechless as he looked back to the man laying in the dirt several dozen yards away. It wasn't so much the distance, but the fact she had shot him through a densely packed crowd, the bullet having passed through several peoples clothing before hitting him square in the chest. 

“I… what?” Wolf stammered as she waved a hand lazy.

“I don’t like when people threaten my family, Wolf. Even if they don’t say it out loud, it only takes one rat to ruin an entire crop.” Hecatolite whispered solemnly, barely loud enough for him to hear yet it struck a chord inside of him. 

Wolf slowly nodded, “Good thing you got him before he got here then.” And just like that she smiled again. 

Ignoring the world around her, Hecatolite pulled her bag from her hip, and with the same toothy grin she always had, pulled it open. “I got a bunch of hon… wait… when did I get this?” She asked pulling a corpse of a rabbit out of her bag, the fur matted with sticky golden honey and flowers. “Weird, I don’t remember hunting a bunny…” Hecatolite carefully placed the rabbit down and stared at it, almost as if waiting for it to move, as she shoved her arm in her bag again. This time when she pulled it back, she screamed, “OK who has been putting stuff in my bag!” 

Wolf could hear the elves behind him gasp as she held up a strange skull, the honey and flowers stuck to the side adding to its eerie look as the two small crystal spikes glimmered in the sun. 

“Wait a second…” She held the skull in front of her, inspecting it as she muttered under her breath. “I recognize this… did… Did bush man put it in here? I mean I didn’t really catch the deer, but Eryl got in the way didn’t she…” after a moment she shrugged, “Well it would be a waste to throw it away.” 

With fluid movements she plopped the skull on her head and nodded, “This will be my hunting hat!” as if to punctuate the point she scooped the rabbit corpse up and…

Wolf threw up as the sickening crunch of bone filled the air, “OHH the honey and flowers really work for this!” Hecatolite exclaimed as she dabbed at the bloody honey that now coated her mouth. “Could use more blue flowers…”

Moments later Amethyst reappeared, an exhausted looking Himari and Saris in tow. Hecatolite didn’t even blink as she took another bite of the rabbit. “Hi Saris,” she nodded at the woman who nodded back, “Plague junior.” She gently patted Saris’s stomach with her tail. 

Himari waited a moment before clearing her throat. “Fake doctor.” Himari took a deep breath before, with a strained smile, she inclined her head.  

“What… happen?” Amethyst looked around at the shocked crowd around them. It had taken her a few minutes to find where Himari and Saris were hiding until the fighting stopped but… had Hecatolite really stopped everything in that short of a time? looking at the stunned elves and humans who all stood around muttering to their respective groups as they pointed at Hecatolte who sat exactly where Amethyst had left her… I guess that’s just Hecatolite for you. Falls from the sky and the world itself stops for her.

Hecatolite grinned at her. “Got bored, wanted a snack.” She held the rabbit out to Amethyst, “Try some. It's seasoned, try and get a lot of the flowers and honey. But not the yellow ones, they're bitter.”

“The yellow ones?” Amethyst cocked an eyebrow as she looked down at the dead rabbit… she was used to her sisters eating habits… and the horned rabbits back home weren’t bad, even raw… she did like honey… 

This time Himari gagged as Amethyst took a small bite of the offered food. Thankfully, unlike Hecatolite, Amethyst avoided the bones as she nodded. “You’re right, it really isn’t bad. It… could be cooked a little. How about I cook it up while Himari patches your… where did you get a skull?”

Hecatolite shrugged, “A big guy made of vines gave it to me. Think he put the rabbit in the bag too.” 

Everyone exchanged glances as Hecatolite patted the skull on her head. “Amethyst said you were hurt?” Himari tentatively broke the silence as she looked around. 

Hecatolite shook her head, “I think she’s overreacting; I mean I can’t feel anything.” Himari recoiled as Hecatolite lifted the skull revealing the hole in her forehead. 

“Hecatolite, you have pain nullification!” Amethyst huffed as Himari immediately started cleaning the gaping wound.

“I do… I do, I forgot about that.” Hecatolite’s eyes went wide as Himari carefully picked tiny black stones out of her head. 

Himari didn’t say anything as she worked, letting the others chat around her as she pulled tiny shards of obsidian from Hecatolites skull. The fact they vanished once she let them go making it obvious what they were. 

Babylon, Himari thought as she released another shard into the air, it quickly dissipating much the same way IRIS did once it lost contact with Hecatolite. 

Yes, Mother Himari?

Is Overseer back online?

There was a pause before Himari felt something… shift inside of her. Then in its usual robotic voice Overseer replied. I am. Sorry for the…

I figured, I even had a guess as to where you were. Himari squinted as she tried to be sure she had removed all the shards, a difficult task given Hecatolite’s black blood. As she thought that she saw a few glimmers of red flashing in the wound, the shards blinking slightly. Thank you. She sighed.

You're welcome.

Would you care to tell me why Hecatolite looks like she has been head butting terminals? She didn’t think Overseer would share that information with her, but as she pulled a particularly long shard out she couldn’t help but ask. 

I do believe you have gotten all the shards out. You should be able to close the wound without worry now. Overseer replied as she carefully lined the skin back up on Hecatolite’s head. 

She could have just cut the skin off and regrow it, however it would be faster and take less mana if she healed as much as she could instead of making new flesh. And this way it would have less of that “new skin” color, not that Himari thought Hecatolite would care, but it was on her face after all. A few days and you wouldn’t even be able to tell she was injured.