Raiya- Early Game

by Russell Wilbinski

  “Octavia? Are you okay?” he asked, reaching a hand toward her. Her head snapped up and her normally calm eyes were fierce and feral, nearly glowing with an inner fire. Even her necklace seemed to glow with magical energy. He immediately snatched his hand away, watching the snarling creature that had taken Octavia’s place. Quick as lightning she shot forward, tackling him to the ground, still in his chair. He tried to resist her, to throw her off but his strength seemed to drain rapidly, and his desire to resist her touch was fading. All he wanted to do was pull her closer.

  “You lie.” She hissed through clenched teeth that seemed to be sharper than before. “No one can fight Abrenacht and survive.”

  Skree smiled wickedly as unbidden heat rolled through his body. His desire to crush her in his arms, to take her and ravage her nearly overwhelmed his thoughts. “But…” he said, gritting his teeth, “I did.” Her burning eyes bore into his and he felt a strange fog enter his mind, and it made him want to tell her every secret he had ever known. The longer he stared, the further and further his self control slipped from his grasp.

  “How?” she growled.

  The words spilled from his lips spontaneously. “I think it is because I am one of the Archon’s chosen. I got lucky, very lucky, and ripped the corrupted relic from its chest. It vanished in a cloud of smoke.” He lifted his head from the ground and tried to kiss her, but she slammed his head back down against the floorboards. He struggled weakly, grinning like an idiot as he continued to reach for her lips with his.

  “Explain.” She snapped.

  “When I was in the Kobold warrens, King Sawbones showed me a strange statue that showed me my destiny. It nearly killed me, but when I recovered, it told me the Archons had chosen me.”

  “The Archons are dead.”

  Skree was fully under her compulsion, grinning so hard that his face was hurting. He thrust his hips upward in a very inappropriate manner but she ignored it. “I think I found one and set him free.”

  “You just found an Archon?” she asked incredulously.

  He tried to answer but his words were slurring as exhaustion took him. She knew immediately that she had drained too much of his energy and released her hold over him. Skree slumped, arms flopping weakly to the floor. He blearily looked around the room. “Did I fall?” he asked, the words coming out slowly.

  Octavia helped him up and back into the chair. She sang a crystal clear melody and as the calming notes escaped her mouth, swirling bands of golden light drifted lightly upon the currents of swirling air escaping her lungs. Skree watched in absolute fascination as the light transformed into a pod of splashing dolphins that shot toward him, charging through his chest and filling him with cool, radiant energy that restored his life force instantly.

  The fog in his mind vanished, and it felt as if he had just drank fifty cups of coffee. He felt the blood rushing through his veins, and his heart was thudding like he was running from the mana-warped lizard all over again. When she finished her short song, and the light faded, it filled him with a boundless energy. A status window appeared.

  You have been affected by the Siren Song - Rushing Waters of Renewal. This song restores not only your body but the soul. +5 to all primary attributes for the next 12 hours. Health points fully restored.

  Octavia leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs and staring at the man across from her. “You’re serious aren’t you? You honestly believe you found an Archon, and they blessed you with some kind of power. A power that allowed you to resist Abrenacht.”

  Now that his life essence was no longer draining away, he remembered what she had done to him. Remembered how easily she had overpowered him with her magic and drained away most of his life energy. He crossed his arms defensively and scowled at her. “I can’t believe you can sit there so calmly after you attacked me. Why did you do it?”

  The corner of her mouth twitched in disgust, but only for an instant. “Do you know what Abrenacht is? What he has done?” She gripped the arm of the chair angrily, knuckles turning white from the effort.

  “I know it is a monster, I know it is evil and I am glad I destroyed it.” He spat the words, never breaking eye contact with the Siren. “That doesn’t explain why you attacked me.”

  She tilted her head to the sky as if she was praying for strength. When she relaxed and reopened her eyes, they were the same deep blue pools of calm and serenity they had been before. “Abrenacht is an old name, old even to the Sirens. He is the forgotten Archon. Nearly a thousand years ago, a servant of Abrenacht came bearing false words and claims, offering to raise my people to new heights of power by joining our magical power with his. A powerful emperor from a faraway land with a mighty army.”

  “Emperor Tamarand?” Skree asked, suddenly bristling with elation at the prospect of learning more about the man who had destroyed the Kobolds a thousand years ago.

  Anger flared in her eyes again, but she controlled her temper this time. She gave a terse nod. “For a man with amnesia you sure know a lot of old names.”

  “When I fought Abrenacht, or thatsplinter of it, I saw a vision of this emperor making a similar bargain with an ancient clan of Kobolds. Then he summoned a terrible beast that killed them all and stole their power.” He shook his head. “No, somehow he stole their entire destiny. Changed them somehow. The Kobolds on the island were basically feral animals when I met them.”

  Octavia repositioned herself in the chair, nodding for him to continue. “Once I had reclaimed the corrupted relic, I cleansed it of Abrenacht’s foul magic and it restored them. Every single Kobold on that island grew in intellect and power. I returned the relic to its rightful owners, the Kobolds of the Blue Stone Island. They made me a noble and champion for their people. A few days later, a small army just… appeared on the island and killed everybody. My analyze skill told me they were Servants of Abrenacht. I escaped with just over two dozen younglings and a few adults, but other than that…” He clenched his jaw and growled, “Other than those few, they killed them all. It was a slaughter of hundreds or thousands of innocents.”

  She nodded her understanding. “It was the same with my people. Together, the Sirens and the Red Heart empire would join their ancient relics of destiny and change the world. Instead, it opened a portal to the realm of chaos and released a Shardbeast that slaughtered nearly all of our kind. I was just a child then and I still remember like it happened only moments ago. I was one of the few survivors.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “Those malevolent red eyes stared down at me and laughed. It told me to run and to always keep running or it would find me and finish what it started. It let me go and I have carried the weight of that tragedy alone for centuries.”

  Skree rocked in his chair, stunned by the revelation. This poor woman was a survivor of the slaughter of her people, much like Priestess. When she raised her eyes again, the calm blue waters had changed to a cloudy sea of pain and anguish.

  “You can imagine how shocked and afraid I was at the mention of Abrenacht’s name. I stopped running years ago and out of the blue, you walk into my shop and speak the name of the greatest evil ever visited upon my kind. I am afraid I let my emotions get the better of me and for that I must beg your forgiveness.” She said, once again lowering her gaze, though this time in shame.

  Shaking his head slowly he said, “I accept your apology. I imagine my friend Priestess might react much the same way though I doubt she would show nearly as much self control. Her anger still burns hot and is much more recent than yours.” He gently rested a hand on her knee and stared into her eyes. “Octavia, listen, I understand and I forgive you.”

  She cried, sparkling tears streaked her flawless pale skin as they tumbled from her face, landing with a soft patter against her seashell necklace. “No Skree, what I’ve just done to you is a crime most vile.” She placed her stunningly soft hand on his cheek. “My people were once like your Kobolds, just feral creatures who fed on life. We lured sailors onto rocks with our singing and drained them
of their life essence, absorbing their experience and memories.” She withdrew her hand, hesitantly crossing them in her lap. “I haven’t touched life essence in hundreds of years and swore I never would again. After the destruction of my home, my sisters and I wandered the seas and fed ravenously, not for sustenance, only using the rush of pleasure and foreign memories to hide from our own pain.”

  Her eyes were distant as if she was staring through the ages at memories long buried. “Eventually our pain faded, and we remembered our pride, but we had killed. The thousands of deaths… murders, we committed had stained our souls.” She wiped the wetness from her pale skin. “We could not bear to look at each other, so disgusted were we by our sins.”

  Skree listened with an open mind, but understood her feelings well. He had felt shame and disgust at killing, even when it was in defense of others. His dreams were often memories of blood on his hands, the hot coppery taste on his lips. Killing took its toll, and he knew, there would be so much more in his future. He shuddered in revulsion at his own actions. Octavia saw this and assumed it was because of her. She inhaled sharply, looking away, covering her face with her hands.

  “You are right to feeldisgusted by what I have done, both in my past and my actions today.” She said with a quavering voice. “I know I do.”

  “No Octavia. My own memories sicken me. Since the moment I awoke on that island, each day has been a struggle. Each day has required killing and conflict. I saw the slaughter of my only friends, the Kobolds, and I killed dozens of men and women in their defence.” He ran a hand through his hair slowly and deliberately as if trying to brush the memories from his mind. “I am haunted every day by those deaths, even though I would do it again. I must do it again in the battle against Abrenacht.”

  She sniffled, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket and wiping her eyes dry once again. “You shouldn’t feel bad, something warranted your actions while my sisters and I fed on others for pleasure. We spent decades hunting any who sailed the seas. Killing, feeding, and swimming joyfully amongst their desiccated corpses as they sank through dark depths of the oceans. We had become monsters, no better than Abrenacht or Tamarand, killing only for our own selfish desire.”

  She stood suddenly, moving to a nearby trunk. She dug through its contents until she found what she was searching for. She carried a small box, about the size of a cigar box made of a rich, dark wood. She sat, hands resting reverently on the dark wood. Skree saw detailed carvings embossed in the grain, though carvings of what, he couldn’t tell. She patted the box, smiling softly.

  “This is my repentance, my apology to you.” She said, undoing the leather cords that kept the lid sealed. Skree held up a hand quickly.

  “Octavia, honestly, I need nothing else as an apology. I have already forgiven you.”

  She stopped untying the straps, her hands visibly shaking. She looked up from the box, eyes filled with determination. “I have carried this box with me since my last day in the Deep Reaches, since my flight from home. It has been an anchor around my neck, a weight in my heart.” She moved with a surety, undoing the leather straps. She smiled again, this time as if saying goodbye to an old friend

  “This has brought me nothing but sadness over the years and I have always wanted to rid myself of it. I never had the strength or resolve to throw it away. But giving it to you feels… right.” She explained, opening the lid. Skree watched with bated breath and when nothing happened, he felt disappointed. No shining light, or musical chimes. Nothing at all. Still, he watched her, noticing her eyes widening in surprise as she studied the contents of the box for the first time in a long time. She rotated the box and displayed the contents. Inside was a large pearl, although it was no ordinary pearl.

  The size of a baseball, it was the largest pearl he had ever seen. Slowly spiraling blue filaments of light danced just beneath the pearlescent exterior. Hundreds of tiny luminescent threads of power, each spiraling and sparkling like tiny fish schooling beneath a brilliant sun. It was beautiful and wholly unnatural. He focused on the wondrous object.

  You have found Crystallized Siren Soul Vessel of Tyfane, Rarity: Unique, Quality: Legendary, Durability: 1200/1200. Description: This vessel contains the purified life essence of an ancient Siren. When a Siren dies, it condenses all of her immense life essence into a single pearl. This vessel can be used to create a sentient weapon that will inherit the traits and personality of the Siren whose soul created this vessel.

  “There is no way I can accept this gift.” Skree said, stunned at the majesty on display. A legendary crafting component to make a sentient weapon would be incredible, but no way was this gift appropriate for an apology. He couldn’t think of any circumstance that would warrant such a treasure.

  A sad smile crossed her face. “I figured you might say that. You said you defeated a Shardbeast, a sliver of Abrenacht’s soul, yes?” He nodded, thinking back to his battle with the being made of shadows. “And you intend to defeat Abrenacht?” Again, he nodded. It was the only goal he had in this world, other than taking care of the surviving Kobolds.

  She ran a delicate finger across the box. “When I fled my home, I swore an oath of vengeance though I never thought I would have the power to do so. Now it seems I was right.” She rested her hands atop the box.

  “This was my grandmother, a powerful siren, one of the strongest of our kind. That day, when Tamarand betrayed our people and Abrenacht slaughtered them all, my grandmother tried to save my life. She sacrificed herself so that my sisters and I could escape. She powered a containment spell using the last of her power as her blood drained away. When the last sparks of life fled her body, her essence coalesced into this Soul Vessel.” Tears flowed from her eye as she relived the painful memory. Skree could feel his eyes filling with tears at the sad tale of slaughter and sacrifice that so mirrored his escape from the warrens, and those of the Kobolds a thousand years ago.

  “In the centuries since, I have searched countless tomes, scoured archives all over the central kingdom and have found nothing that would help me defeat such a being. But then you walk in here and tell me the Archons chose you. I believe they chose you to defeat Abrenacht.”

  He didn’t know if she was right. Hell, he still didn’t get what an Archon was, let alone what Abrenacht was, or how he might defeat him. Skree rubbed his face, feeling the scratchy stubble on his chin. He would need every advantage if he wanted to defeat this immortal being and if the Soul Vessel would help, it would be foolish to turn it down. Still, it was a gift so immense he could not accept it.

  “Octavia, I don’t even know what an Archon is, or why they chose me. I don’t even know if I can defeat Abrenacht. I can’t take this from you. I will fight Abrenacht one day, that I know for certain, but I do not deserve such an invaluable gift.” He explained passionately. He wanted to say more, but she held up a hand.

  “You are a true paragon of dignity for refusing a gift freely given. But, will you trust me?” she asked seriously.

  “Trust you?” he asked in confusion. “Trust you how?”

  “I want you to speak to my grandmother.”

  He looked at the box, then back at Octavia. Then he looked back at the box. “Talk? To your grandmother? Isn't she dead and her life essence trapped in that Vessel?”

  She nodded. “I want you to speak to her yourself, through me. Siren’s can communicate with the spirits in a soul vessel, but the process will leave you vulnerable while your mind is in her realm.”

  His brow furrowed. “But I am not a siren.”

  “I know. That is where the trust comes in. I can cast a spell that will move your mind into the soul vessel with her. Once there, you will meet her, and speak with her. I think she will convince you she belongs at your side, out there in the world, not stuck in this box for another century.” She explained. “So, will you trust me?”

  You have been offered a quest! Ghosts From The Past.

  Octavia wishes to introduce you to her grandmother's spirit through
the power of Siren magic. She has offered you an incredible gift and now asks for your trust in return. Will you allow Octavia to use her magic to send you to the realm of Tyfane’s soul so you may learn more about this powerful gift?

  Reward: Crystalline Soul Vessel of Tyfane

  Do you accept: Yes or No.

  He couldn’t explain why, but he trusted her. There was just something about her that was so sincere. Also, he had to admit; he wanted that vessel. With it, he could create a powerful weapon or item that would aid him in his quest to destroy Abrenacht. He selected yes, and the prompt disappeared.

  “I will trust you. And I would love to meet your Grandmother.” He said with a genuinely warm smile. “So how do we do this?” he asked.

  She clapped her hands in a slow rhythm and whistled a strange melody. Whispers of power surrounded him, an invisible vortex of vibrations. The tone of the whistle changed subtly, soothing his body of aches and pain, his eyelids growing heavy with sleep. He tried to sit up, to move his head or limbs, but before he could even lift a finger, darkness flooded his mind.

  Chapter 26

  His eyes snapped open and gasped for air as he came awake. Or at least, it felt as if he had awoken. As he took in the otherworldly environment, he wondered if that was the truth. All around him were brilliant blue crystals, shooting into the ceiling and digging deep into the earth. All around him was pure darkness, and only inside the lattice of these crystalline structures was there any light. A shadowy shape darted between the crystals, and in the endless depths of silence he could hear the soft patter of feet against the stone.

  “Hello?” he called.