by Billy Wong
What they read was not encouraging. The ruins had once been a sort of magical factory, involved in the mass creation of something called, according to the closest translation, Clarity. The book did not explain the term, but with so many soul-pots present there, putting two and two together wasn't hard.
Apparently, the product called Clarity was either something that altered souls, or souls that had been altered. Rose grew anxious to return to the Archmages' Studio and prevent anyone from getting their hands on whatever it was. But Derrick insisted they should find out what exactly they were dealing with first, and they continued to look.
"This is it," Derrick said at long last. Their eyes were dreadfully tired from having read, especially the fine script in some of the books, all day for several days. But finally, he had found a thin text which discussed the creation of Clarity and its purpose. "It says here the Clarities were made by the greatest of archmages, in order to make themselves even greater and exceed human limitations."
"Doesn't sound good," Finn said, "and you just started."
"Yes, and it gets worse. Using the most powerful of mortal magics, the archmages created imperfect copies of their own souls, which lacked the memories and wisdom of the originals but retained their potential. Sort of like the soul of a child but closer, I think, to the shadow of one.
"They planned to allow these vestigial souls, I like to call them, to reside in their bodies along with but separate from their own, enabling to them to act as if they had twice the mental capacity, or two minds. They would be able to learn, think, and react at far greater speeds; process and remember much more information simultaneously; and of particular importance to them, channel that much more magical energy. Those who didn't know beforehand of the Clarity's presence, such as the ones we've encountered, could hardly tell what is going on, only that their minds had become stronger."
Rose sighed. "Let me guess: all that power came at a price, right? Going insane from soul indigestion, maybe?"
Derrick smiled at her choice of words, but shook his head. "Not exactly. Like I said, the Clarities were undeveloped and childlike in nature, free of social teachings like moral constraints and rational judgment. The archmages thought their own disciplined minds could retain control, but did not account for the strength of the primal wills of the Clarities. The more powerful the influence of the Clarity became, the more the host would give in to his emotional urges, good or bad. Basically, the deepest desires of a person were given free reign, whether to protect others or seek power for oneself, to express one's love or smite another in anger.
"In other words, without restraint, a person controlled by Clarity will do whatever it takes to get what they want. Often, even good intentions will go awry with poor judgment. In addition, the Clarities were created with an inherent arrogance, which their creators intended to mitigate their own self-doubting. Of course, this only makes them even more reckless; and we all know the consequences of that, don't we?"
Finn grunted. "Stupid mages, nobody wants anyone to mess with their minds, so why would they do it to themselves?! So what happened in the end?"
The text hadn't answered that, and Derrick said as much. "It seems they were still trying to perfect the Clarities, so they wouldn't have such wills of their own, when this was written. From the ones we've seen, though, it doesn't seem as if they succeeded."
Rose put her hands on her hips. "Now for the important part. How do we get rid of them?"
"Um, well, there's a bunch of things here, about how they have to be kept. Here, I'll list them and you can see what's useful. A Clarity must be stored in a lead-lined container if it has not taken a host, and if the vessel is opened or destroyed, the Clarity will dissipate if no host is in range—a few feet away at most." At this, Rose grinned. They knew now how to safely destroy the dormant Clarities.
Derrick continued. "A Clarity can only have one host during its lifetime; if its host is slain, it will dissipate, though they do not know this and will try futilely to jump to another body." Rose nodded, having seen this herself. "Also, no person can hold more than one Clarity at once. Clarities with hosts are naturally drawn to one another and disinclined to fight among themselves. Finally, if a Clarity is given a choice of hosts, it will choose the strongest—mentally rather than physically speaking."
Finn's eyes had grown quite agitated, and his voice very tense. "Good things to know. But does it say anything about removing a Clarity from a host?"
"No," Derrick said, words soft with disappointment. "Presumably, the archmages must have had magics capable of ejecting them from their hosts. But now, the only known way so far is to kill the host..."
"Maybe if I give them a nonfatal wound with my lead-cored sword," Rose suggested, "it'll drive the Clarity out."
"It might be possible. But I doubt it, for lead was said to affect unbodied souls. Also, that thing rarely delivers a nonfatal wound, does it Rose?"
"It can when I want it to, though it's often a close thing!"
Having finished what they came here for, they filled their sacks with what they thought the most important books. Derrick made a mental note to come back for the rest. Then the trio left for Bifford, anticipating the security the destruction of the Clarities would bring to their minds.
#
They stopped briefly in Whitehill to say goodbye to the people they knew, but left the same day as they continued south. Finn was unusually quiet. Only a few hours from the town, they had begun to cross a stone arch bridge over an icy river when he dismounted. The others probably thought at first he meant to relieve himself, but instead of going out of sight, he walked to the side and looked over.
"What are you doing?" Derrick asked as he too dismounted.
Finn didn't answer, preparing to climb onto the short wall around the bridge. He had realized at the library that he hosted a Clarity, which accounted for his wild emotions of recent days. Unfortunately, the only solution he knew was to kill himself. He figured he could not bring himself to destroy the Clarities within the Archmages' Studio, and would likely turn on his friends if it came to that.
He could ask them to bind him until a cure was found, but didn't think he could suppress the Clarity's desire for continued existence until they secured him. Still, he loved life, and hesitated on the verge of ending it all.
Suddenly he felt Derrick grab his arm, and grew enraged at the disruption of his thoughts. He threw a hard elbow, dropping the scholar like a stone, and realized he was already out of control and hurting his friends. Resolving to spare them the lost cause that he was, he stepped onto the wall—and was pulled right back down by an immensely strong hand.
#
Rose wondered what the hell Finn was doing as she saw him knock out Derrick and climb onto the wall. Then it hit her. He was possessed, and trying to protect his friends by sacrificing himself. Noble, she supposed, but she certainly wasn't going to let her best friend die over some stupid mistakes the ancients should have never made. She grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him roughly back onto the bridge.
The hard fall to the stone stunned him, and Rose tried to talk some sense into him while taking the rope from her pack. "Please, Finn, there's no need for this. I'll find a way to save you, I promise! You just need to let me bind you, and I'll make sure you don't hurt anyone."
It seemed briefly he would listen, as he stood with back turned. But when she walked forward to tie him, he surprised her with a punch that could have killed a bull, knocking her flat on her back. With shocking speed he grabbed her by the shirt and pants, pulled her off the ground, and threw her headfirst into the stone wall. He turned and walked towards death again.
Even in trying to defeat the Clarity, he was still influenced by it, Rose realized as she lay hurt on the cold stone. If he were himself, Finn would never resort to suicide so easily. Ignoring her throbbing head, she rose and tackled him from behind, driving him ribs-first into the wall. Keeping her grip around his waist, she lifted him off his feet, spun with
him to face the center of the bridge, and slammed him down.
"I won't let you die no matter how many of your bones I have to break!" she yelled, and aimed a kick at his face.
He caught her foot from his awkward position and tripped her as he stood. Rose quickly tried to get up, but found herself buried under an avalanche of sledgehammer-like punches. She fell to one knee, and felt his knee slam hard repeatedly into her face. Forcing herself up against the barrage of blows, she blasted her fists into his ribs.
"Stop it!" she screamed. "You're going to kill me trying to save me!"
Hope surged in her as he backed away, until she saw he was simply getting into a better position to use his reach. Rose knew she wouldn't be able to dodge many of Finn's lightning-fast punches and still hit back, so she steeled herself and followed, the two trading heavy blows as she drove him back towards the wall. Each of their strikes could have broken a man's neck, yet they exchanged dozens. Rose's persistence paid off, as one of her punches stunned the giant enough for her to slip behind him and wrap an arm around his throat, attempting to choke him unconscious.
Finn was no stranger to such tactics and threw his weight backwards, smashing Rose once, twice, three times into the stone wall with all his considerable armored bulk. She groaned as she relinquished her grip on his neck. He turned, frowning at her seated form as if in regret at the damage he'd done. Then he charged, and tried to kick at her bloody face as she struggled to rise. She lunged forward and grabbed his leg before it was fully extended. With a great heave, she threw him over her shoulder.
Rose realized her mistake immediately. She turned and looked down to see a huge hole in the ice. Taking off her cloak, she dove into the frigid water without hesitation. The cold chilled her to the bone. She saw dimly his body sinking towards the bottom of the deep lake, and swam down after him. It seemed to take longer than she thought possible, but at last she grabbed him and towed him to the surface.
As she pulled him onto the ice, it began to crack under his weight, and she hurriedly dragged him to shore. Then, she realized he wasn't breathing. With shaking hands she opened his mouth, pinched his nose closed, and attempted to breathe life back into him. After a terrifying eternity, he coughed, and she stopped. Then she remembered the danger wasn't over, and held him down with a hand on his throat while pulling rope from his pack. To her surprise, he didn't try to fight her, and even smiled when he got his breath back.
"What a stupid thing I just did. Guess I couldn't really fight it after all."
Rose studied his face. "You did better than anyone else I've seen. Did you just say what you did was stupid?"
"Of course. Would you ever have thought me so selfless, to kill myself for you?"
"No," she said hopefully, "but you sound more yourself now. Do you think you're still possessed?"
He was slow to answer, and began, "The Clarity wouldn't lea-" but Rose's hand covered his mouth, stopping him. Then she took it away, let go of his neck, and burst into relieved laughter. "What?" Finn asked in a confused tone.
She patted his chest and said, "If you still had the Clarity in you, you would have reacted reflexively to me covering your mouth, and slapped my hand away. Somehow, it's gone. I think maybe it thought you were dead when you stopped breathing, and left you."
Only now, the excitement over, did she really begin to feel the pain and cold assailing her weary body. Looking down at Finn, she realized he was just as beaten up as her, if not worse. "Let's get out of these soaked clothes and warm up." She smiled. "My face looks like hash, doesn't it?"
He stared at her battered, shivering form, and said quietly, "Rose, even with the power granted by the Clarity, I still couldn't beat you. Back when we wrestled in that tavern... did you let me win?"
She recoiled in mock outrage. "Of course not. You knocked my head pretty hard against the floor when you flipped me over there. Stunned me for a second, which was all that was needed."
His wide face sagged with guilt. "Sorry about banging your head. I'll never try that move again."
She laughed as they helped each other up. "Don't worry, I'm used to getting hit. It wouldn't be as fun competing with you if you didn't do your best, you know!"
#
Derrick winced as Rose gently applied ice to his head, a little embarrassed at having been so useless. He gazed admiringly at the big woman, who in spite of her own plentiful cuts and bruises seemed most concerned for her companions. A question formed in his mind as he lay there, and she caught him looking at her as if he yearned to speak.
"What?" she asked.
"Rose, what do you think you'd be, if you weren't a warrior?" She stopped moving her hand. As she sat staring into space, Derrick figured she hadn't considered that question for a good while.
Finally, she looked back at him. "I think if I wasn't a warrior, I'd be the wife of some merchant's young son, that's what. Though, if I ever retired from battling villains and monsters"—this last part she said dramatically—"I might take up bartending in a nice big city. Great way to meet new friends without traveling.
"But I'd like to have a strong husband to throw out those patrons who get too rowdy. After all, it's hard for a female barkeep to enforce her will among a group of tough men." They shared a good chuckle over that before she continued. "Really, though, I don't know. I suppose there are many things I'd like to try, but I'm nowhere near ready to give up this life. Maybe someday..."
Finn joined them. "I suppose we'll have to track down each of the men who worked with us and test them for Clarities, huh?" Derrick blanched at the thought.
"Well," Rose said, "it's already been nearly three weeks. If any of the others were affected, they probably would've begun acting up already, and might have landed themselves in jail or worse. If any of them are imprisoned, we'll explain the situation to the proper authorities. As for the others, yeah, we'll have to check on them."
"We should send letters to all their hometowns once we get back to Bifford," Finn added. "I'm just glad we finally know what we're dealing with here, and how to beat it. I'm sure Lord Heron will let us go back to the Archmages' Studio now that we're ready. And if not we'll have to go anyway, because all those Clarities are far too dangerous to leave alone. Right, Rose?" She nodded in agreement, and that night they slept better.
#
Adam woke, bristling with fear at the footsteps outside the shed. Someone had found their hiding place, and he prayed it wasn't his uncle's soldiers. He shook Elaine awake and drew his sword, snuck over next to the door and waited. The intruder tried the door, found it locked, and kicked it open, confirming his fears. He sprang up from his crouch and pointed his sword at the intruder's face. Sir Jacob's face.
"Adam! You would raise arms against me?"
He did not back down, but shielded Elaine behind him and met Jacob's eyes. "You're not taking Elaine. She is innocent!"
Jacob raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "I didn't come to take her. I came to tell you, your uncle is dead."
Adam paled with grief and fear. "What happened? The doctors couldn't save him?"
"His wound was too deep. He kept bleeding inside despite all the doctors' efforts, and passed away early this morning. You must give her up. She murdered your uncle!"
Adam shook his head vehemently. "She did not do this! She would never commit such a horrible act!"
Jacob fixed his eyes upon Elaine's face, but seemed unable to read it. He looked back at Adam. "Are you sure of her innocence?"
He answered immediately, no doubt in his mind. "Yes. Absolutely."
To his surprise and relief, the knight nodded. "Then I'll help you defend her. The man I was sworn to obey is dead, and my loyalty has passed to you. Once we clear her name, your attack on the guard will be easily forgiven, and you will inherit rule of Bifford. Now, where do we start?"
"Well, the two of us certainly can't go back to town now. You'll have to do all the work of finding out the assassin's identity. Sorry, Jacob. I don't know what we can do
to help. Elaine, I know I asked before, but did you see anything suspicious before Robert was attacked?"
A conflict seemed to play in her eyes as she opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was, "No." The men looked at each other, and Jacob raised his eyebrows. Adam shook his head, and with a sigh the knight walked out. "What was that about?" Elaine asked.
He held her hand and squeezed softly. "Nothing you should worry about." But he knew that he would certainly worry.
#
Rose and friends walked back into town to see Jacob headed for the gate with a downcast, perhaps disappointed face. She wondered what was wrong. Calling out to him, she invited him to the tavern to chat and offer what aid she could. Meanwhile, Finn and Derrick went to speak to Lord Heron.
The knight listened intently as Rose told him what they had learned about the Clarities. He soon began to argue how much good they could do for the world, if only their hosts meant well and could control them properly. "To destroy beings with such potential would be an utter waste," he concluded.
Rose recoiled. "Are you even listening? They made Finn try to kill himself, and beat the tar out of me! He would never consider such things normally. And you saw what they did to Jack. Under their influence, you might as well be a different, worse person!"
Jacob's tone turned abruptly condescending. "Maybe it is impossible for the likes of you to control the impulses strengthened by the Clarities, but I am sure more learned people would be better able to deal with these urges. There is no reason to destroy things which you do not understand, when they can be preserved and studied to learn how to use them properly."
Shocked, Rose locked eyes with him and heard her voice rise. "The likes of you? I didn't know you were such a stuck-up peacock. What makes you think you're so superior?"
