" Ex umbris exsurgunt, vultus sine metu,
Vox eorum tonat in profundo:
Non timemus abyssum, nos sumus abyssus.
Cineres soror, et flamma frater.
Corruptio fluit, sed murus voluntatis manet,
Et cum mundus fatiscit, manemus fulgidi.
Pulvis mortis, ventus malam,
Non franget hos qui ceciderunt et surrexerunt.
Ad tenebras descendo, ut me inveniam.
Mortem, umbram, lucem — omnes ingredior.
O mors, audisti nomen nostrum.
O terror, coniurasti contra spem.
Sed voluntas nostra —
Scriptum est in ossibus aeternis. "
Whispers that seek to delve into the endless deluge of the stars... Words etched into ones mind, unfamiliar yet deeply akin.
A white flower blooms...held in pale hands of a man clad in white. His white hair drifts, in the stellar wind, under an iridescent sky of stars. The sounds of sails and wind fill the surrounding area, as the massive sails of the ship go onward. The clockwork machinery holding the sails uptight, arranged around the hangs of the masts and the sides of the deck, upon which the glistening metal ropes attach from the bruised and dirty sails of the old ship. The hull of the ship being made of sturdy darkened woodwork and scrapped-together metal, scratched, splintered yet still holding up in the face of the cosmos. A short, hooded person mans the ship as it rides the stellar winds, sitting on a stool as he puts one firm grip upon the steering wheel, the other busy lighting up a fresh cigar as the ashes of the previous one momentarily gather upon the scratched wooden and metallic floor, just to be swept away by the wind the next moment.
Petals detach from the white flower, defeated by the strength of the winds, as they float away, one by one, from the hands of the man clad in white, sitting at the corner of the deck. Looking around. He rolls up the sleeve of his white shirt, checking the decrepit metal bracelet with red magical lines running through it, pulsating, tightening that has kept him bound to his fate for this long. A debt, a shackle, something to pay off. Under his white cloak on the left side of his waist are two sabres with white sheathes, old yet sturdy, having seen frequent use.
He stands up, as his cloak flutters in the harsh winds, under which he wears a buttoned white blazer with red motifs, the same white-colored pants. Pale just like his eyes and hair as his hair drapes down the sides of his face and the middle of his forehead as he stands up, looking at the direction of the short hooded figure that mans the ship.
The white-clad man asks with a voice devoid of emotion, "How long till we reach the vessel?"
The man takes a puff of his cigar, as the wind throws his hood off, revealing a middle-aged dwarven man, with a brown beard and a mullet, grizzled face telling the tales of many conflicts, as he says, "Oi, Aureus, lighten up! This haul'll make us kings—chip a fat chunk off yer debt, eh?"
The white-clad man, Aureus, walks up to the front of the deck, looking towards the sea of stars stretching infinitely ahead, the planets nearby, small flashing lights racing nearby, signalling passage of other vessels, as he looks on with a solemn gaze, before speaking in the same tone, "It's been a year...or more...I wonder...when will it be considered paid? Bathalos...never mind. I'll pay it off, in one way or another, then I'll have my freedom as promised, right?"
The short man laughs as he takes another puff of his cigar, as he says, "Ye owe us yer life, mate—plucked ye from that wreck! Be grateful ye ain't cargo below deck."
The wind bellows, sending the cloak of Aureus and Bathalos adrift, along with their hair, as Aureus looks at Bathalos and his boisterous gaze, solemnly as he speaks turning away, looking up ahead once more, "So. Who is the client this time?"
Bathalos hunches over and takes another puff, with a careful gaze on Aureus, "Quite the big client he or they are, they've got much more to give than some commonplace rich merchant lookin' for servants. Way more!"
Aureus looks onward, towards the sea of stars at the front of the ship as he says, "That explains your men's enthusiasm. So, who, or what is it?"
Bathalos speaks with a serious, yet joyous tone, as he spins the steering wheel a bit to the side, as the ship slowly turns, its mechanical fins ejecting pressurized air from the back, as it does so, the ship tilts, slightly towards the right as it begins 'descent', Bathalos speaks with an almost proud tone, "A Professor of the great Academy of Arcadia! And oh how much they've offered for the rare 'goods' we 'ave in our store, it's a frightenin' amount, it certainly is! We'll live and plunder like kings by this system's dawn!"
Aureus sighs, as he once more turns his gaze to Bathalos, "So, what do you want me to do?"
Bathalos grins, "Yer an invaluable asset, our blade, the symbol of our power, make sure the...transaction goes smoothly, won't ya? Make sure they ain't pull anythin...funny."
Aureus, nodding, turns his gaze back to the front, with a faint look of disdain in his eyes, though he dare not speak it, he says, "So. The usual. I want to ask something again, Bathalos."
Bathalos, with a curious look in his eyes, maintaining the same grin, takes a puff of his cigar once more as he says, "Ask away!"
Aureus looks up at the countless stars passing by, each with its own color as he takes a deep breath before asking, "Do you truly not know anything about who I was? Nothing from that shipwreck that you guys had...found me trapped in?"
Bathalos scoffs as he puts out his cigar, "Again that question Aureus, I ain't know, that ship was ruins when we got ye, and again...Yer a blade, Aureus, a weapon does not need a past now does it, heh, ye fight like a beast, that's what gives ye value to us, don't go 'round askin' unneeded questions, will ye?"
Aureus looks down, "I...see."
Suddenly, a loud thud rings out from below the deck, Aureus flinching instinctively due to the abrupt noise, as Bathalos scoffs, saying, "Tch, those idiots are stirrin' trouble below. Aureus, shut 'em up and check the cargo's intact, eh?"
Aureus sighs and nods, as he turns back, moving towards the back of the deck, wherein a hidden trapdoor lies, hidden within the rugged and scraped wooden-metal surface of the ship, as he opens it, kicking up a small cloud of dust, inside a dimly lit ladder leads down into the ship's hold, as he climbs down.
He steps upon the wooden floor, damp and creaking, as the scent of alcohol permeates the area. Dim lights hanging off the scratched wooden beams as they sway, a few lanterns sitting on old barrels strewn about. Torn curtains and cloth of red and velvet hues, now dirtied hanging here and there, obscuring the plethora of metal cages here and there, around the hold as the scarce light shadows the figures within, yet some their features still stand out nonetheless in the scarce luminescence. Horns, exotic ears, telescopic eyes, scales, some even have tendrils exuding from their body that lurk in the shadows, a collection of many species...caged up, bound to their fate.
Aureus walks, the damp floor creaking as he hears the men laughing, drinking, the noise of clanking glass and the scent of alcohol only grow stronger as he walks forward, pushing a curtain to the side, towards the back end of the hold where the men often gather around a table, and storage barrels that often hold their drinks, as he hears one of them drunkenly exclaim, "Ahahah! It grows right back, this one's great!", as another one speaks up, "Screams nicely too, makes me wanna keep this one, geh, for shame.", "burp, I could gut 'er and see what's inside," as the sound of a metallic object being picked up can soon be heard after, the men laughing.
A weary feminine voice yelps out, helpless, crying as she hurls herself backwards crying, "Pleas-Please no, please, I'm begging you, pl-cough cough please."
Aureus grips his sabres, as he bolts forward without much delay, with a rush of winds he arrives at the scene his cloak fluttering, holding the hand of the lanky man who holds the blade, intercepting him and the girl.
The crew sports ragged black vests or bare torsos, shirts knotted around dusty pants, scars crisscrossing their grizzled skin. As the lanky man scoffs at Aureus disgruntled as he steps back drunkenly. A fat man takes a big swing of the mug as he throws it towards Aureus after he's done, wiping the foam off of his face, grinning at Aureus. The lanky man yells out drunkenly, "burp Oi Aureus, whatcha bein' a hero for you fuckin' twat?"
Aureus snatches the mug, tossing it aside, then wrests the cutlass from the man's grip, his cold gaze landing upon the crew mates who scrutinize him, as he speaks, "Bathalos's orders, leave the goods alone," as he turns around dismissing them with a flicker of disdain in his voice, cutlass still remaining in his hands, "I'll take this one back to her cage," Aureus shoots them one glance, a faint look of disdain still lingers in his eyes, as his hand shakes as he grips the cutlass... A flash of something streaks across his mind, vanishing as soon as it came, blood, stains, perhaps flesh, he cannot tell, as he holds his head for a brief moment. He throws the cutlass to the side as it bounces off of the walls and lands somewhere in between the barrels, out of sight, and adjusts his hand, looking down at the girl.
The men scoff again, almost booing at Aureus as the lanky man exclaims, "Captain's being a party killer today, fuckin' cunt," the fat man fills him and the lanky man up another mug of ale as he offers it, "Nothin' to do but drink, ya thick-skull. Calm yerself," a thin man grabs the mug as he drinks it, snatching it from the lanky man, "Cap'n's right, though burp, she'll fetch us a pretty penny ahah," The lanky man scoffs one last time as he fills a mug up for himself.
Aureus looks down at the girl, her eyes full of fear as she instinctively crawls back, flowers growing on her greenish skin, blue eyes with no pupil, as vines roll down from her long green hair which covers much of the rags she's wearing, her face wounded yet delicate, as she crawls back, weariness on her face, a brass collar tightly bound around her throat.
Aureus gives her a hand to stand up but she crawls back further, as he speaks with the same monotone voice, "Do you want me to leave you with them?", the girl profusely shakes her head as she takes his hand shakily, standing up as he escorts her out of the area, from the back as they move through swathes of old musky barrels as they once again arrive back at the middle of the ship's hold, filled with cages.
In the darkness many of the species' eyes glow as they retreat back to the far end of their cages, out of fear or out of defensiveness, as they see Aureus enter the area, the dim light barely illuminating the area as it comes from lanterns haphazardly placed, Aureus checks the number on the girl's brass collar, encrusted with the same Arcanum lines that bind him, as his eyes narrow, taking a deep sigh as he takes her to a cage at the back. The girl reluctantly follows, her eyes darting around, as she shakes, quivering.
They approach a metallic cage at the corner end of the hold, a small space, dented and rusted, tiny bits of moss peeking through the cracks, barely spacious enough for one person as Aureus looks at the girl, taking a sigh, as he opens the lock, unable to disobey orders, as he lets the girl get in, he turns to close the cage as his hand lingers on the lock, thinking if he should or not...but he realizes that does not matter, his hand is forced, as he firmly closes the cage. The girl sinks into a corner, legs huddled up as she looks down, yet the girl leaves behind something, a white flower, perhaps from her body, Aureus picks it up, inspecting it, his eyes narrow, unused to receiving something like this, the cold expression on his face mellows, even if a tiny bit, as he puts the flower in the pocket of his coat. Aureus stands up looking around as he spots a rather...peculiar sight in this place of misery.
In a brass cage in the corner, torn ropes and belts litter the brass cage as Aureus peers inside... Within lies the visage of a small girl, as he sees long thick strands of hair, made of slime, a brighter red in color as they form two blunt bangs on the sides of her shadowed face, translucent and almost flowing like water as they rest on the rusted cage, wearing nothing but rags just like any other held in this place, her skin is translucent in a soft red hue, almost moving like fluid within as she leans on the cage's bars, a book in hand, reading away surrounded by the things that were supposed to bind her. Aureus looks deeper, not catching her attention, not yet, as he sees the brass collar that was supposed to be on her on the floor, as she yawns while reading the raggedy tome in her hands, spotting Aureus.
"Eek!", as she jolts up, throwing the tome in her hands to the side, as she backs up, with a hint of guilt on her face. Aureus looks at her, with narrowed eyes, with his same cold expression. The girl jolts up as she rubs the back of her head, slowly picking up the book, looking at Aureus as she offers him the book, "Uhm...do you want this book?", Aureus takes a look at the raggedy tome and clears his throat before speaking, "No. Aren't you supposed to be...wearing that?" as he points to the brass collar lying on the ground, its Arcanum still active and glowing, no expression on his face can be read but he is clearly puzzled.
The girl looks away, breaking eye contact, "Uhh, Yeah? I can put it back on if you want...", Aureus's eyes narrow even more as he looks at her, "How did you even...get it off?", the girl looks away as she picks it up as her head morphs and flows like water through the small collar, before morphing back to its shape again, the collar on her neck once more, as Aureus stares at the scene, taking a sigh, as he says, "...How did you get that book?", The girl shies away as she offers him the book again, "Do you want it?", Aureus shakes his head and says, "Again, I do not, where did you get it? There's no books around here," The girl looks away and says, "Well....I smuggled it in...", Aureus looks even more puzzled as he looks on, "How?", The girl flinches, her hand slipping through her translucent skin to pull out another book, its scratched cover faintly showing a trident clasped by a blue hand, seemingly a storybook. As she offers him it, "How about this one? It's... special!", Aureus looks somewhat dumbfounded as he shakes his head and speaks, "I'll... pass on your offer."
The girl puts the book back where it came from as she sits back down, looking away, awkwardly. Aureus studies her, questions swirling, and speaks slowly, "How did you...even get caught?", the girl looks on the ground as she traces circles on the rusty floor with her fingers, leaving trails of mucus and slime, as she speaks absentmindedly, "I let them catch me of course," the answer puzzles Aureus even more as he tilts his head, asking the question, "Why?", before the girl can answer he thinks and clears his throat before asking one more question, "And, why are you telling me this?"
The girl's eyes light up, looking up at him as she jolts up to the bars, in front of him, as she holds the bar, "Well, uhm, I want to see an Arcadian professor! They're famed across the universe and hold so much knowledge I can learn! How could I pass up on that? And I'm telling you this cause..." she points to Aureus's wrist, "You're in a similar situation to me, aren't you?", Aureus's eyes widen as he looks down at the girl, he rolls up his sleeve to reveal the decrepit metal bracelet once more as it pulses, before asking, "How did you know?", the girl wears a smug smile as she looks at it, "Well...it's pretty easy to sense! And you don't look like the type of guy that would willingly work with them you know!" She exclaims looking almost proud. Aureus tilts his head as he asks, "Do I?", the girl looks back as she points at his face, "You look like you're lost! And...uhm, maybe like books?", Aureus speaks in a softer, lower voice as he replies, "I don't...hate them, I suppose, though, I have another question,""Go ahead," Aureus speaks, inquisitively asking, "How'd you learn about the Arcadian deal? And your escape plan—what is it, knowing they'll experiment on you?" His voice cracks, betraying unease.
The girl glances away, her voice nervous. "I can slide away—see?" Her neck morphs, flowing through the collar's glowing Arcanum, her fluid skin shimmers, untouched by the collar's mana poison, as if it flows past her essence, "And I overheard them at the last planet's bar...Thalis," Aureus's eyes narrow as he speaks in his cold tone again, "They could paralyze you with that collar's Arcanum—or worse," taking a deep sigh. The girl looks away, as she speaks, "I-I'll figure out a way somehow!", Aureus tilts his head as he speaks, "Did you not...think this through?", the girl shies away, breaking eye contact as she speaks in a low voice, "No....I have a plan, trust me!", Aureus tilts his head as he says, "One you haven't devised yet?", absentmindedly the girl replies with an almost proud tone, "Exactl- wait wait wait, no!", Aureus's eyes soften, a chuckle escaping before he catches himself. "Huh—" His eyes widen, startled by the sound that had escaped his mouth, not fully processing the emotions, as the girl speaks out, "Don't laugh!", lightly banging against the bars to not cause much noise.
Aureus stares, his cold gaze lingering. The girl steps back, clutching her rags, voice tinged with embarrassment, "Why're you staring? Some kind of creep?", Her voice teases, eyes glinting. Aureus shakes his head as he clears his throat, "Ah- Sorry. I was just thinking...that you're amusing,""Eh?", "I haven't... exactly laughed before, or rather I do not recall such experience, yet you did make me laugh, a little. I suppose, I do...", Aureus looks away before finishing his sentence as he shakes his head, "Never mind," the girl jolts up to the bars of the cage again, in front of him as her eyes are almost gleaming, perhaps with pride as she says, "Oh oh! What is it? Have you finally fallen for my great cha-", before she can finish her sentence, Aureus lightly taps her head with one of his sheathed sabres, as he coldly replies, "No," as he puts the sheathed sabre back on his waist, as she yelps out "O-ow," Aureus turns back looking into the dark cages and dimly lit, damp hold as he feels a sting on his bracelet shaking his hand he looks back at the girl as she lightly massages the spot he hit her on, her fluid skin shimmers, rippling under her touch. Aureus speaks with a sigh, "So, what's your name?", "That was rude! But- Uhm, it's Ninigi," Aureus nods as he softly replies, "You can call me Aureus, that's the only name I remember. Anyways, well, they need me for some reason now, don't do anything too reckless,""I won't, I won't! Don't you daaare tell them about me!", Aureus sighs, "Never planned to," as he walks off with a gentle wave, without looking back, pushing a hanging piece of cloth to the side as he disappears.
Back on the helm of the ship, Aureus climbs out of the hatch as he dusts his clothes, looking at Bathalos on the steering wheel above. A sharp thud falls on the floor as Bathalos discards what remains of his cigar, smiling, looking ahead. Aureus tilts his head as he asks, "What was I called for?", Bathalos laughs as he points beyond the ship's bow, "Look! Our bounty's 'ere."
Aureus turns his gaze as he grips his sheathed blades, looking onwards. Through the cacophony of stars and their light stands a massive castle graced by the stars and their starlight, rings of glowing marble and machinery spin around the mountainous castle as its spires glisten in the starlight, constructed of pristine finery colored in white, a floating landmass surrounds its base as rocks and other items also dance around its bottom. A concentric castle as its architecture glistens. Rigid veins of blue and purple run through it, pulsing with magic. Complex contraptions of silver and gears surrounding the walls of the spires, a massive clock floating atop the spire in the midst, as it ticks. Docks spread out from it, intricate bridges of hardened stone and bricks, arches magically floating around them, multiple ships can be seen docked at the hold of all varieties. The grand structure almost casting a shadow upon the ship as it approaches it.
"How...grand," Aureus mutters out as he gazes upon the structure. Bathalos speaks out, almost laughing, "Hah! Don't let it shiver ya in yer boots, Sure is a damn beauty!", Aureus turns back as he says, "Surprised we're agreeing on something,""Now now! It ain't that uncommon eh? Giddy up! Our deal's there heheheh. Ya can handle it right?", Aureus turns back to the visage of the grand structure, thinking for a short while before answering, "I will do what I can," Bathalos laughs as he stands up from his seat, "Well well, if ye got our back we'll be livin' like kings 'n monarchs by daybreak. Ain't that marvelous?", Aureus looks on as he sighs, "If it does anything to pay off my debt," Bathalos walks down the stairs to the deck as he says, "Don't wonder unneeded things, If we eat 'n live like kings, ye'll feel it too hahahah!"
The ship drifts closer and closer to the structure, Aureus looking on, his and Bathalos's cloaks bellowing in the intense winds. Aureus takes a deep breath, as he holds his blades, a slight tinge felt from his bracelet, as he closes his eyes, chanting, preparing for what's to come, words that he does not know the meaning of, but words that always come back to him, to remember, words etched in his mind, unremembered yet familiar, guide his steps,
"Ad tenebras descendo, ut me inveniam. Mortem, umbram, lucem — omnes ingredior."
His eyes linger on the castle's pulsing veins. The words stir a shadow, stone halls, a burning sky—then vanish, his bracelet pulsing with mana. He shakes his head, breaking himself free from the visions as he looks on, the ship approaching closer and closer, as the shadow looms overhead.