Shadowbane

"Like I already told you, we don't know who you're talking about. You need to be more specific than 'A knight who knows about history'." The Fortress guard said.

"And I told you that his sister works in the dining hall. The one that is just past this door on the right. She's a maid. She's a rather attractive girl with short brown hair and freckles, surely you've seen her around?"

"Never seen her before." The guard curtly replied.

This son of a... I know he's lying. And I know one other thing, I'm strong enough to crush this annoying guard and turn him into a skeleton. If I order it to run until it runs out of mana, all the evidence will be gone... And I'll get that portion of my soul back soon after it dies.

Behind me, I can hear Shana mumbling something about murder and guts.

... Should we? I'm really tempted to. And there is one other way past this. While I was healing I had a lot of free time to test the remaining knight's abilities. That metal ball is going to be very useful. I'd rather not waste it on this idiot, but I will if I have to.

The fortress door opens up, revealing an exhausted Tyrell. His eyes widen a little upon seeing me.

Tyrell looks at the gate guard, "Is there a problem?"

The guard freezes up. "Um, no sir! She's just looking for a knight, but her description is too vague so I don't know who it is."

"Is this true, white one?" Tyrell asked.

"Half true. I'm looking for a knight I saw previously in the dining hall behind you. He has a sister who works in there too. Short brown hair, freckles, pretty girl. However, this guard is pretending he doesn't know who I'm talking about."

Tyrell put his head down and rubbed his eyes, "I'm too tired for this shit. I know exactly who that is, follow me white one." Tyrell glared at the guard, "I'll decide how to deal with you later." The guard blanches upon hearing that.

Shana and I followed Tyrell as he walked back into the fortress, leading us straight into the dining hall. The inside looked completely different from the last time I was here. There were knights at every single table now. Most of them were eating or chatting, but a few were completely passed out with their faces planted against the table.

Tyrell motions towards the tables, "We're on double shifts. The other knight commander was taken by that god forsaken Demon, along with nine other knights so far. Then there are all the civilian disappearances on top of yet another village vanishing... I know you found the cause for us, but that information regarding 'faceless ones' hasn't helped us at all. We've abandoned all other villages near the mountains, but the strain it's putting on the other villages is too much... We need to deal with the root cause, and fast, but between that and the fucking Demon, my men's morale is hitting rock bottom."

I look at Shana, "The Xerath took another village? I doubt it, but did you figure out why they left after taking everyone? And just how do they take everyone without anyone noticing? My first thought is that it's related to that dark brown cloud. It must be obscuring vision and sound from the other villages."

Shana shook her head, "They learned nothing. The people were there, and then they weren't. As for your cloud idea... Maybe? We only saw them de-materialize into smoke and then re-materialize somewhere else."

I never did get the chance to investigate those empty villages. The very same knight who is escorting me right now interrupted me the first time around. I might have to do that after taking care of the Demon. Assuming it can be taken care of. I'm not quite sure how to catch something that can warp away that fast. We'll have to kill it while Ishar has it locked down. Speaking of which...

"One more question came to mind. Why aren't they baiting the Demon? Ishar should be able to lock it down long enough for you guys to kill it."

"Tried that. We can't break through its barrier in the time it's frozen, and that's with Cera blasting it with a fully charged shot." Shana replied.

... Well shit. Now I really don't know how we're supposed to stop it from fleeing. Like I said before though, with an ability that powerful there have to be rules to it. But we don't have the time to figure out what they are...

"Oh shit, hang on. Um... If an ability works on humans in your soul realm, it does that because you're human and it knows how they work inside and out naturally, right?"

Tyrell nods, "Of course, everyone knows that. You're asking for confirmation for a reason I assume, so what is it?"

"What about Demons? I have an ability that can lock a human down, but testing it on Demons in my soul realm would be useless, correct?"

"Yes, it would be meaningless unless you've used a spell or ability that acts just like the one you're testing on that exact type of Demon. Have you ever fought a 'Grinning Demon' before this one?"

I shook my head.

"Then you'll just have to test it and see if it works. I hope whatever it is will be enough. I truly do... Even I am at my wit's end. The only silver lining from this whole mess is that I learned the King doesn't like the deal with the Eldritch either, he's only doing it out of necessity. I don't deal with logistics or farming, so I hope someone like Seifer can come up with a good plan to get us out of this mess. As a result, we'll have to fight the Merman, but the Goblins have already agreed to be our new allies."

Oh? That was shockingly fast... I don't know enough about the goblins to know whether they're holding grudges or not, but at the very least they see the bigger picture and are making sensible choices.

Shana taps my shoulder, "New plan?"

"... Maybe. We'll talk about it after we're out of here." I'd rather not describe one of my stolen abilities in detail. Tyrell may know the ability of every single knight, so if he hears a hyper-specific explanation of an ability from a missing knight, his friendly attitude might disappear in a flash.

Tyrell points to one of the knights sleeping at the tables, "That's him. Levy is his name. I'm going to assume you learned of him during your infiltration, but you made a good choice going to Levy if information is what you're looking for. He's not going to be a knight for much longer, I've already put in for him to be made a scholar. He's much more suited to that role."

After thanking Tyrell, he waves to us and heads back the way we came. With him gone I walk up to Levy and punch his shoulder.

Levy's head shoots up and he glares at me, "What now?!... Ah." Levy's face whitens when he realizes who he's yelling at. "Uh, hello miss white one..."

"It's Rei, 'Levy'. I need your help."

"My help miss...? Whatever for? I'm barely an apprentice and already getting canned."

I sit down next to him with my back to the table, "That's not what Tyrell said? You're more of a bookworm so he's shifting you to be a scholar, that's all."

"... That's what's known as a demotion in this kingdom."

His sister(who was approaching to see why the creepy 'white one' was talking to her brother), overheard Levy and slapped him in the back of the head. "Fool! I've told you time and time again not to worry about the loss of honor or dock to your pay. We'll be fine, okay?" She looked at me, "Um, may I ask why you're talking to my little brother?"

"I hear he's quite the nerd, so I came to him for help. I need to know if my allies missed any temples or churches in their search for the Demon's lair."

"What does that word mean? 'Nerd'?" Levy asked.

"... It means you're super knowledgeable and the ladies love you." It's nice that the people of Urza use the same language we do, but sometimes I use words they've never heard of and it's really jarring. I just got hit with a wave of nostalgia over a simple word like 'nerd'... I really need to go home.

Levy straightens his back and smiles, "What a perfect word to describe me then! I'm going to remember that."

"........"

"As for your request, I have every map of Kellog ever created. Maps are wonderful... Nothing holds the history of your realm better than a simple map does." Levy said.

"But do they show the locations of every temple? I've seen plenty of maps over the years and none of them went into extreme detail like that."

Levy nods, "Of course they do. You must have only seen nationwide or Urza maps. Kellog has those as well, but ever since the printing press was brought here the King decided to have new detailed Kellog maps made every two years. They are for each cluster of villages, and it points to where the blacksmith is, the inns, bathhouses, and of course, places of prayer. But uh, the ones I'm going to show you were hand drawn in the same style. They're much older so please don't damage them..."

"And that includes abandoned ones? Also please exclude any maps that everyone in the kingdom has access to. My allies would have the very same maps."

Levy shakes his head, "By 'allies' you mean the princess and Seifer? The princess will not have a few of the maps I have, but there's a chance Seifer might... Do you still want to see them? They're old maps from long before the printing press came to our region."

Then why did he bring up detailed maps made from the printing press if he's going to be showing me older maps that have nothing to do with it...?

"Shana, you're doing most of the legwork so I assume you've seen the maps. Will you notice any differences between them and the ones he's about to show us?"

Shana gives me another peace sign.

"Perfect..." I look at Levy, "Please show me these maps of yours."

"Happily. They'll be here any minute now." Levy said, then put his head back down on the table and promptly fell asleep.

... Uh? Is he messing with me right now?

"Rei," Shana said. Looking at her I see her pointing towards Levy's sister who is currently returning through the double doors with a small stack of rolled-up scrolls in her hands.

Damn, that girl works fast. I only mentioned the maps a minute or two ago.

Levy's sister places them on the table next to me. Shana sits down and begins unraveling the first scroll.

"These are really old and he treasures them, so please don't ruin them..." The maid said.

"Don't worry, Shana won't damage them. And while she's doing that I actually have a couple of questions for you. First off, what is your name?"

"... Yuki."

A Kitsune name? But she's obviously a Human...

"Then for the second question; How would you feel about working for the princess directly? The both of you?"

"EH?!" Yuki nearly shrieked, causing a few nearby knights to look at her.

Shana taps my arm without looking away from the map in front of her, "Can you hire people for her like that?"

"Nope, but I'm going to. She just lost all of her staff and even Mia. I have a good feeling about this Yuki girl and her brother, so I'm going to bring them back." I continued, "On that note, tell her and Seifer what I'm doing."

Shana put her current map to the side and unfurled another, "Already did. They're both confused but not saying no."

Good enough for me.

"Um... Do we have a say in this?" Yuki asked.

"You do, but I have a hard time believing you'd say no. Are you going to?"

Yuki shook her head, "... No. It's just so sudden... We know the princess is loved but everything else about her is kind of a mystery. I'm not even sure why she is loved."

I went to reply to her but Shana cut in, "Found one."

"That didn't take you long. I actually wasn't sure if we'd find one at all."

Shana rolled the maps up and handed them to the maid. After Yuki grabbed them Shana lifted her up into a carrying pose.

"W-Why?! Miss um, Kitsune? Why are you carrying me?"

Shana quirked an eyebrow, "We need these maps, and you're starting work for the princess right now. This way you can get used to the princess and keep an eye on the maps at the same time. Perfect, right?"

"But all my... I mean, what about work? My brother?!"

Shana ignored her and ran out of the dining hall. I stood up and followed after her.

Once we were outside the fortress Shana yelled back at me, "Remember the first disappeared village you went to? That's where the temple is. I'm sending another clone from a nearby village to meet you there."

Immediately I pivot to the left and activate my aura, sprinting in the direction that particular village is in.

"She vanished! How'd she do that?!" I heard Yuki yell behind me.

All the lights are still on and there isn't a soul around. I love this creepy atmosphere... A town all for me! I wish anyway. Maybe one day I'll make my own town somewhere? Would it be just for me though? I don't know if I could rule over others... It sounds like a major pain in the ass.

Upon reaching the tower I scaled last time, I circle to the right and remove my aura. "You in there Shana?" I say to the cart full of hay.

Shana climbs out of the cart and pats the hay off herself, "It sure would be nice if I could turn invisible..."

"I know right? It's amazing."

Shana smirks and punches my shoulder.

"Now where is this temple?"

"According to the map, it should be around the area you exited town when you were following Tyra," Shana said.

I pivot to the left and retrace my steps from a few days earlier. Our footprints have long since been covered in snow, but I almost always remember my past movements.

Upon reaching the edge of the village, I turn to Shana, "Okay, I hope it was way more precise than that?"

Shana shook her head, "Nope."

....................

"Alright well, I guess we'll have to go door to door? I see nothing that looks like a temple though? Maybe it's underground then... Which is rather strange if so."

Shana shrugs and walks towards the homes on the east side. I activate my aura and turn towards the west, walking up the steps of the nearest home. Kicking the door in, I walk inside and immediately I feel like I'm on edge. As if something is terribly wrong here but I'm not quite sure what.

The hell is this? It's a bit dusty and kind of creepy, but that shouldn't be anywhere near enough to scare me. There's something else here... An aura? Is this what happens when people fear my aura?

Keeping low I sneak around the home, checking every corner, every room, trying to find something out of place, but in the end I find nothing. Upon exiting the home the sickly aura encompassing me disappears immediately. To my left, I can see Shana running in this direction.

I remove my aura, "Did you feel the same oppressive atmosphere in the home you were searching?"

Shana stops next to me and nods, "It made my skin crawl. I always work solo, but maybe this time, uh..."

"It's fine, I was going to suggest the same thing. When we're inside the homes stick to me and I can cloak us both. There's no light in these homes after all besides the tiny ambient lighting from outside."

Shana smiles, "Thank you! I was hoping you'd say that... And we don't need to worry about creating any light. I have an ability that lets me see in the pitch dark. As a spell it's garbage because of the high mana cost, but after upgrading it to an ability it's been a godsend."

Walking to the next home I prepare to kick it in again but Shana puts her hand on my leg to stop me. Then she walks up to the door and pushes her pointer finger against the lock. Soon after I hear a clicking noise as she smirks at me.

Convenient...

I grab her hand as we both walk inside. After closing the door I activate my aura. I drop low to sneak and Shana does the same with a confused look on her face.

"It doesn't block sound?" Shana whispered.

I shook my head, "No, only vision of me."

"Even then, why keep low? You make no sound with your footsteps. I rarely hear you walking."

"And when are those times you heard my footsteps? When I'm standing up, right? My feet absorb sound but being careless can have disastrous effects. I still need to be careful around things like old wooden boards."

"Yeah... You're right. Sorry, I never knew your abilities in detail so I made a few wrong assumptions about them." Shana whispered.

"No need to apologize. You've been nothing but helpful for me miss 'Ninja'."

Shana smiles and gives me another peace sign.

About an hour later we were scouring yet another home when I noticed something out of place.

"Shana, you see that? The scuff marks on the carpet over there."

We sneak over to the wooden cabinet and Shana rubs the carpet with her left hand.

"It's hard to see, but it's definitely there. Shall we?"

I nod. We both stand up and try pushing the cabinet from both ends but it won't budge at all.

"We could drop the aura and enhance ourselves. Smashing through this would be easy, except..."

Shana nods, "Yeah... If the Demon or something else is below, it'll know someone is here."

Deactivating my aura, we both split up and began searching through the room for anything that might resemble a switch.

Under the couch? Nothing.

Side tables? Nothing.

Kitchen table? Nothing as well.

Eventually, I began sliding my feet across the carpet while pushing down hard to see if there were any push devices under the carpet, but that came up empty as well. I reached for one of the side tables again when the cabinet suddenly began sliding out, revealing a dark set of stairs going down. Looking back at Shana I see her right hand raised high pushing a small panel into the wall.

So there was a push device but it was on the wall...

Shana turns around and smiles at me. I give her a thumbs-up as she sneaks back over to me. Grabbing her hand and reactivating my aura again, we creep over to the stairs and look down them.

"I hate winding staircases..." Shana whispered.

They're convenient if I want to jump down quickly with an enhanced body, but I can understand why some people wouldn't like them.

We begin walking down the stone staircase. Moss keeps crunching underneath Shana's feet so I scoop her up into the same carrying pose she had Yuki in earlier. She doesn't fight it and wraps one arm around me while keeping her eyes ahead.

I'm also making some noise stepping on all this wet moss but it's much less than she was making.

Looking at the walls I can see little dribbles of water coming through the cracks.

That explains all the moss...

In less than a few minutes we reached the bottom which extended outward into a long hallway, just like back at the inn when we were coming for the broodling.

Is this the same type of complex? I wonder how many others just like this one exist in Kellog.

The whole flooring was covered in moss. I crept towards the door at the far end, attempting to make as little noise as possible. Upon reaching the door Shana reaches out towards the tiny crystal embedded in the center and pulses her mana through it. Shortly afterwards she looks at me and shakes her head. I let her down and we both pushed the door open quickly. The sound of stone grinding over stone echoed out.

No point in taking this part slow. There's no way to keep a door like this from making a ton of sound. Unless either of us had an ability that could block sound on an object, but sadly, we don't.

After the door opens I quickly scan the room but I don't spot any Demons. However, what I do see is both surprising and disgusting.

"Rei... I don't think the Xerath are the ones disappearing people." Shana said, covering her nose.

Me neither. That much is obvious after seeing this scene.

Inside the chamber there are countless body parts ripped, torn, and cut up strewn about the mossy interior. There are flowers everywhere covered in dried blood.

The smell is unbearable... I'm shocked Shana isn't throwing up.

"I told the others. They're on their way here now." Shana said.

So it was the Demon all along... I wonder why it's now resorting to grabbing people one by one? Which also makes me wonder how it managed to get every single villager down here without anyone noticing... There's no way it can warp that much.