Starchild Crusaders

by J. J. Pavlov

  Acting as if nothing is out of the ordinary, she moves to the bed she shared with Mahkotoh almost every night and sits down on it before peering over to the doll girl who remains unmoving. Looking around to make sure nobody else is in the room, she uses her crab arm to poke Senka, causing her to fall over limply.

  Then the doll girl's eyeballs move in their sockets to stare at the dark elf, and darkness starts to spread from her pupils, turning her eyes entirely black before spilling to the skin surrounding them. The inky color takes on a vaguely butterfly-shaped pattern. Watching in both fear and amazement, Kamii forgets to breathe.

  "I'm speaking into your mind directly." Senka's voice suddenly echoes in her head. Just before the dark elf can jump up in shock, she continues. "Don't move, don't look around, don't say anything. Answer by thinking about what you want to say."

  "What... is this?" Kamii does as she's told, her body shivering as her eyes stay fixated on the black eyes of the doll.

  "I put a spell on you. We can now talk without anyone else hearing us." Her voice replies after a brief pause. "As long as we maintain eye contact, we can talk like this. If you want to be able to talk to me over longer distances and without eye contact, give me some of your blood."

  Without hesitation, the little dark elf runs her left palm across the sharpest spike of her cursed arm. Then she lets some blood pool on her cupped hand before bringing it to Senka's mouth.

  "Instantly, huh?" Even though the doll girl's face isn't moving at all, her voice sounds like she's impressed.

  "I need your help." Taking a napkin from her table, Kamii presses it on the bleeding wound. She's used to injury, so that little cut matters little to her. "Mahkotoh has been sent away through the transportation circle."

  "Yes, I knew this would happen. I can't reach her, so she must have disappeared to somewhere pretty far away."

  "The professors think she will come back."

  "Thought as much. I assume you want my help to stay alive until she does. Alright, pick me up and take me into the bathroom with you."

  It was the first place Kamii would have gone if Senka hadn't miraculously returned and been sitting on her bed.

  "So she's still there." The little dark elf uses her crab arm to pick the doll girl up, as her other hand is still bleeding. Making sure not to drag her along the floor, she walks to the bathroom at a natural pace, to not give away anything to those waiting outside.

  "Yes, and she's still out of commission. We have to make sure she doesn't wake up and make a scene." Senka replies in a tone that implies it will be quite tricky to do so.

  Opening the door and then slamming it shut behind her loudly enough for the two professors outside to hear and think that she's angry, Kamii enters the bathroom. Turning on the faucet of the sink to the maximum to make it sound like she's letting in a bath, she then walks over to the tub. It's filled with a pale bluish liquid that looks too viscous to be water but wouldn't be noticed until one gets very close.

  "Are you awake, Vitalis?" Whispering near the surface of the tub's contents, the little dark elf tries talking to her first.

  "Yes." Bubbles rise to the surface and pop to form the semblance of this one word.

  "Don't talk too loudly. Right now-" Kamii continues, but a movement through the slime girl interrupts her.

  "I heard what happened out there." Vitalis' face forms in the middle of the otherwise still formless liquid and speaks in a more intelligible pronunciation.

  "But you don't know all of it." Placing Senka on the basket next to the tub, Kamii proceeds to relate the circumstances to her. Unexpectedly, the slime girl listens wordlessly and remains calm throughout; unlike her usual air-headed self, she appears to grasp the situation quickly.

  "So Chloe's gone, and you don't know what they will do to you." Looking the dark elf straight in the eyes, she repeats the gist of it.

  "But there's more. Please remain calm." Kamii points at Senka, and the latter turns her head.

  "Oh my." Even though the doll just started moving, Vitalis doesn't appear especially surprised. That's may just be her carefree nature showing again.

  "You don't seem to be about to scream, so it makes things easier." The stitched girl says and slips down from the chair. "Considering it worked with her body, it should work with yours too. Give me a piece of you."

  "I don't taste too good." Extending a goopy tendril from the tub, Vitalis does as she's told anyway. "I was in the library to find a recipe to make myself into sweet jelly."

  "It's fine. I ate a piece of Chloe, so taste will never bother me again." Joking to alleviate the tension - or maybe being absolutely serious, as she isn't laughing - Senka sucks up the tip of the tendril and drinks it down. "You can hear me in your mind now."

  "Woah." Splashing back in the tub, Vitalis calls out in bafflement. So this is the part where she's surprised, even after all the other shocking revelations.

  "Calm down. You can answer me in your thoughts now. And I'll pull Kamii into the conference call." The living doll's voice resounds in the other two's minds. The term 'conference call' confuses them, but under the current circumstances, they don't think it's important. "First things first, you two need to practice speaking to me in your minds while talking to others on the outside."

  "This is strange." The slime girl replies with her thoughts.

  "So this is what we'll do..." Now that everybody is on the same page, Senka commences the war planning.

  Chapter 48 - Escape Plan

  "Runa was selected as a Champion?" Rolan mutters while reading the urgent letter he received with the morning mail. "And she's going to be taken to Lord Creator Alkupera's sanctum today. She says that we can't go with her! What?!"

  The leader slams down the letter and jumps up as if motioning to leave for the academy right away. Gram and Leif try to hold him back, but Sigurd sees the page behind the first one that Rolan just skimmed and quickly picks it up.

  "Do not be so hasty. There is more." He knows that the leader won't mind him reading a letter from his sweetheart, so he runs his eyes over the second page. "I believe this here is the greater - and far graver - revelation."

  "What do you mean?" Hreidunn leans over to look at what the bard found, but the latter instead begins to read it out loud.

  "Last night, I could not sleep for I was so troubled by having to part with you so suddenly. Thus, I sought advice from Miss Marcott, who had been chosen as well but refused her nomination." Sigurd doesn't use his usual flowery narrative tone and simply goes through it word by word to inform the listeners.

  "Miss Marcott refused a call from the gods?!" Vigdis, who's typically reserved, jumps up and asks with round eyes.

  "When I visited her room late at night, I received no answer and thought she may have already fallen asleep. But on my way back, I came upon Kamii being escorted by Professor Hagen and Professor Laiota." The bard pauses for a moment, and the others can see that even he seems to have difficulties with the part that follows. "Kamii looked scared and told me that Miss Marcott fought with a group of professors in the basement of the academy and was then sent away through a transportation circle. I then learned that Miss Marcott killed five professors in that battle."

  "The missy?" Gram brings a hand to his mustache and mutters in disbelief. Rolan sits back down and stares at Sigurd with a concerned expression, remaining silent as he mulls over this shocking revelation.

  After all the things they went through together, he now has to believe that she would do something like that? Were her clumsy straightforwardness and self-assured behavior that sometimes bordered on haughtiness all just a façade? Were her compassion and love for Kamii and Daica just a lie? Were her actions that saved them more than once just means to deceive them? He wouldn't believe it.

  "Miss Hestia has been banished through the transportation circle alongside Miss Marcott, but Kamii is now in their custody for her involvement in that battle." Sigurd continues reading. "I fear that she may get executed for treason."
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  "What? Not Kamii!" Gram suddenly bangs his fist on the long dining table, and everybody sitting along it flinches as their plates clatter. The gentle giant who never raises his voice for anything but cheerful banter sounds angry. "The missy wouldn't just murder people in cold blood. And Kamii wouldn't help her if that were true."

  "I think the same." Covering his eyes with a hand, Rolan shakes his head before looking up with a thoughtful expression. "There must be a reason for the fight."

  "Runa writes that she is waiting for us at the citadel gate, hoping that this letter arrives before she has to leave with the Curiosity Collectors working under Lord Creator Alkupera. It would be best to go and see if we can help." Folding up the letter and handing it over to Rolan, Sigurd speaks in a serious tone. "I, too, wish to believe that Miss Marcott is not an evil demon. But remember not to let your emotions cloud your judgment."

  Despite his wording, it's clear that the bard doesn't want to believe that Chloe would kill the professors that have been teaching her for the past moons because of a simple argument. There must have been important reasons that lead to things turning into a battle to the death which Runa was unable to find out.

  "Sorry, but we have to cancel our delve for today." The leader finally turns to Hreidunn and speaks with a sigh, and she nods in understanding.

  "Do you want us to come with you, or would it be better to leave you guys to it?" The ranger looks between the three men and then glances at her niece and nephew. Leif and Vigdis remain quiet since they only met Chloe once and don't know her enough to judge her character. It was shocking to hear that someone they drank ale with less than a fortnight ago turned out to be a demon, but now they learn that she killed several powerful members of the Royal Academy almost single-handedly.

  "Please do come with us. I believe it would be best if we appear in force to plead for Kamii's freedom." Sigurd is the one who responds in the leader's stead. Rolan appears overwhelmed by this whole situation and nods half-heartedly to the bard's suggestion.

  Thus, the group of six departs the guild hall and begins to walk at a brisk pace while maintaining a somber silence. Each member is thinking about how to come to terms with the fact that Chloe has killed five master mages. Even if it was in self-defense, it appears too excessive to justify.

  The leader replays his memories forward and backward, but simply can't find any indication that the Chloe he knows was ever a schemer and cold-blooded murderer. Corrupting Hestia would be considered evil by many, but Runa told him that she seemed really happy afterward. They spent more time together, and she even moved into Chloe and Kamii's dorm room.

  The little dark elf is the key to understanding what really happened in the academy's basement. While her opinion will undoubtedly be biased to an extent, she's just a child that will tell the plain truth without hiding anything. He believes that she wouldn't lie about something this important.

  As the other members do the same, they soon reach the entrance of the citadel. Runa is waiting on the other side of the gate and waves at them, but glances at the soldiers with a troubled expression. Guests of students are typically allowed entry without a permit as long as the latter is there to guide them inside, but the academy appears to have tightened their security over last night's incident.

  "I don't care!" Gram stomps his foot, and the guards shy back before putting their hands on the hilts of their swords. His powerful physique is unusual even among the tallest men of the kingdom, and his rare anger is quite intimidating even for trained soldiers.

  "Excuse my friend, he is impatient right now, for there is a pressing matter waiting for us inside." The bard steps forward to defuse the situation. He knows that they can't just force their way into the citadel and that a touch of eloquence is needed here. "Would it be possible to enter with an escort? You could watch over us and make sure we do not step out of line."

  With a wink and a glance at the empty hands and belts of his companions, he signals that they don't have any weapons on them. The guards have also seen them many times and have heard the rumors of their exploits in challenging the depths of the Lost Tombs. At this point, the group has become local heroes, so there's no reason to suspect that they would throw it all away to cause trouble in the Royal Academy.

  The guard captain scratches his stubble and thinks for a moment, before waving over two soldiers. One of them is Frodi, who guided them the day Chloe and Runa were enrolled. He looks a little more weathered now and doesn't salute in an as snappy motion as he did before when he first started out.

  "Hey guys, how have you been? You better behave." He greets them with a quip and grins. His professional attitude and straight back have slackened a little after learning that the job doesn't usually come with a lot of action. And since the royal family rarely leaves the palace, he doesn't need to keep up appearances too much either. Such a quick adaptation is a testament to the fact that this nation is at peace.

  "Frodi, it is great to see you well." Sigurd greets him back by name. Even though they usually don't get to talk much whenever they meet at the gates, the bard never forgets a face and the name associated with it. This social ability allows him to befriend just about anybody. "We shall be in your care."

  Finally, they are allowed entry, and Rolan quickly bridges the few steps that separated them from Runa. But instead of embracing her, he puts his hands on her shoulders and looks anxious.

  "We got your letter this morning. What happened to Kamii?" Asking with a worried expression, he gets straight to the point.

  "She is being held in her dorm room. They have not moved her yet." Runa is too agitated to mind that she isn't receiving the usual loving hug from her boyfriend. They begin to move toward the academy as she explains what she saw last night in more detail.

  "Kamii called out to you for help, huh? But if she's in her room, we still have time." Hearing that the little dark elf is alright for the time being, Rolan breathes a sigh of relief before moving to the other pressing topic of the day. "And what about you being selected as a champion? Do you really have to leave today?"

  "They told me that-" Runa begins, but she's interrupted by a female voice.

  "Hello, Runa and her boyfriend. Over here." Waiting ahead of them is a girl with unnaturally white makeup and long brown hair, wearing the academy's uniform. She glances at the soldiers flanking the group with her purple eyes but then returns her gaze to the couple at the front.

  "You are Vitalis, right?" The half-elf recognizes the student that could usually be seen sitting with Chloe during meals.

  "Yes. I have some things to talk to you about." She replies with an expressionless face, then mutters so quietly that only Sigurd can hear her. "It's about Kamii, but we can't let the soldiers know."

  The bard understands instantly that this girl knows about his exceptional hearing ability and chose to send him this hidden message so that he can do something to distract the guards. He shoots Gram a meaningful look, and the latter takes the hint.

  "So, how's work been lately?" The big man turns around to Frodi and asks in a carefree manner. At the same time, Sigurd involves the soldier at his side in a similarly meaningless conversation so that Vitalis can talk to Rolan and Runa without being overheard.

  Hreidunn soon understands what they're doing and signals for Vigdis to come with her while gesturing for Leif to remain with the others. She points at the right path leading around the academy building and puts on the expression of a tourist on a sightseeing tour while waving at her niece.

  "I'd like to see the library. I hear it's an impressive sight from both within and without." Expertly faking excitement in her voice - a testament to a long career of dealing with people she would rather avoid - the ranger quickly jogs away with Vigdis in tow.

  "Ah, hey." The guard wrapped up by Sigurd notices that a part of the group is splitting off to head in another direction. "Stay with them, Frodi. I'll go with these."

  "Leave with the ladies, will you." Calling after him with feigned gr
umpiness, the younger soldier shakes his head and turns around to Gram with a grin and a shrug. Then he notices that Rolan and Runa are missing. "Huh, where did they go?"

  "That's the full story." Vitalis finishes her retelling of Kamii's account of the occurrences last night while maintaining an expressionless façade, as they quickly make their way toward the dorms after losing their guards.

  From the little dark elf's perspective, the professors arrived with the clear intention to kill Chloe. Her warning not to hurt her loved ones was ignored and instead openly ridiculed, which was the spark for the ensuing battle to the death. The confrontation ultimately led to several wounded and dead.

  "Umm, can you explain again who you are?" Rolan asks with a skeptical expression. "And why do you know all this?"

  "I think she is a demon." Runa eyes the girl's white face carefully, and the latter's expression crumbles as she twitches in shock; it actually crumbles physically, and she quickly takes out a powder box to fix it. But they already glimpsed her real skin color underneath the makeup and know she can't be human.

  "It's alright. We don't care that you're a demon." The leader says impatiently, and Vitalis perks up. "So, what happens to Kamii now?"

  "She's under house arrest, but they'll most likely decide her fate when the envoys of the gods arrive to take away the selected champions this afternoon." The disguised demon replies in a matter of fact tone.

  "Wait. The envoys of the gods chose Chloe to become a champion yesterday, and she refused, right?" Rolan scratches his chin and wears a thoughtful expression on his face. "That same night, she has a battle to the death with the professors?"

  "There must be a connection." Runa never thought of that possibility before, but the explanation may lie in there.