Still in the warcamp Park Square, Third Ring

Tharia carefully put the white sprite down on the ground. Little puffs of glowing fog rose up from it. She had prematurely agreed to help but how would they even go about it? She sunk back on her heels and stretched her arms. Something warm sat down on her shoulder and when she looked, it was a tiny fire sprite.

“I had feared something like this”, Sisi said with its squeaky voice. Ravid suddenly opened his eyes wide. He stumbled back and fell on his bum.

“You’ve got another one of those?” he stuttered.

“It’s a long story. We became best friends after we tried to kill each other”, Tharia explained with a smirk. Ravid looked at her as if she were a ghost. Annabelle remained quiet in the background. She was fiddling with that strange ring again. Sisi cleared its throat and then raised an arm.

“Aye! We haven’t yet decided on the killing part”, Sisi added and crossed its legs. It then pointed to the faint white sprite.

“Poisoned. Like tea that withers if you put in salt instead of sugar, this one has been pumped full on arcane energy”, Sisi dangled its legs over Tharia’s shoulder. Seeing the confused look of Ravid, she decided to fill in a bit.

“Welcome to the world Ravid. Turns out, there are two major sources of magic energy, one is the divine and the other is arcane. They used to be the same once but something...” Tharia’s speech was interrupted by Sisi.

“Someone. Those the gods were born from did it”, Sisi exclaimed loudly.

“Okay, right. But the point is, both these energies can do magic but have different effects on people. Something about the heart and the mind. Did I forget something?”

“Too much of one energy turns you into a monster, too much of the wrong kills you. Both at the same time kills you faster unless you find the mythical second ascension and become an old one”, Sisi continued.

“I don’t understand a thing”, Ravid said with a defeated look on his face, “what kind of world have you been living in?”

Upon hearing those words, Tharia suddenly felt like a stranger. Out of all the people, she should have been able to empathize with a fellow human. Yet the only one that really got her was her personal goddess, hands off pretty please, and a grumpy mischievous sprite. Tharia suddenly leaned forward, causing Sisi to nearly topple off her shoulders. It held on and shot her angry glances.

“We’ve really come a long way, haven’t we?” Tharia said and brushed along her arms. Like before, the living plant tattoo had found a way to shift and chance when no one looked. Was she even human anymore? An old one had marked her, she had seen things no human should see and survived odds with borrowed power that would have killed many others. Her mind had stared into insane horrors and survived the intense pain. Somehow, somewhere along the way, she had changed. She realized Ravid was staring at her and decided to put up a smile.

“I’m sorry. I’ve become a bit rusty interacting with people. Let’s get things in motion. It’s what we do. There are three problems”, Tharia leaned forward. She had no idea what those three things were but all things came in patterns of three so she let intuition take over.

“First, how can we help the sprite and if we can’t, how can we ease the suffering. Second, we should get out of here, alive and fast. Third, uh... the third one is... I’m hungry?”

Wonderful intuition. Tharia smacked her head and chuckled. This brought her another angry shout from Sisi and a tiny but powerful punch against her chin. The sprite was in a particularly sour mood.

“Your two options are at opposite ends. We need binding chains. In theory, my sister could free herself but is choked up on arcane energy. That reminds me”, Sisi said and stretched its legs, “You do realize that something is actively poisoning her with the arcane? We’re potentially looking at a genuine mage here.”

Tharia narrowed her eyebrows. A mage. There hadn’t been one in many centuries. They were only ever talked about in myths and legends and even those had fallen out of favor. Yet, in a world dominated by the divine, filled with monsters – and while knowing arcane energy existed – she couldn’t outright deny their existence. Tharia felt something soft touch her right shoulder and reached up to caress Annabelle’s head. The goddess spoke a single name.

“Shal-rin?”

Sisi narrowed its eyebrows, “With that size and the scars, he could be old Turesai. They never went through with the divine decree to kill all children with arcane tendencies. It’s a good chance, yes. Especially now that the floodgates have been opened and there’s more energy to go around.”

Tharia wrinkled her nose. There was still one aspect she didn’t fully understand. From what she remembered of her time as a child, children infused with the arcane would turn to creatures that were irrecoverably insane. How could anyone survive that?

“Why don’t these mages turn into monsters?” she asked out loud. Sisi turned around on the spot and fluttered the fiery wings once.

“Because like you, they found a substitute”, Sisi then pointed towards the sprite, “If it really is Shal-rin, he keeps pumping arcane energy into my sibling. If it is him, it would also explain his curious size. Seriously though, we can’t go up against an entire camp. Just no way.”

Tharia heard a sudden sound near the entrance and looked up to see the back of Ravid disappear. She let out a sigh.

“Please tell me that idiot isn’t rushing to get the chains this second? Gods be cursed!”, Tharia bit her lip and gentle pushed Annabelle off her shoulder, then looked at the fire elemental, “Sisi, supplement your sister, brother, I don’t even know what applies. Hide her inside your place until we figure this out”

She then turned around to look at Annabelle. The goddess had already stood up and brushed over her clothes. It looked like words weren’t necessary between them. She offered Annie a smile and a hand and was quickly pulled up onto her feet. In the meantime, Sisi had dragged the white sprite into the staff. A moment later, a subtle glow pulsed through the weapon, indicating that the elemental was ready for action. Mage or no mage, this would be difficult.

The moment Tharia exited the tent, a cloud of sensations came crashing in on her. She smelled the scent of cooked food. Her mouth watered instantly and a rumbling in her stomach reminded her that she hadn’t eaten since this morning. By now it was already afternoon. Not that it was easy to tell with the swirling chaos-clouds above. The false star hung above them like the angry eye of a forgotten god.

She felt the cold air crawl under her armor. A lot of people were up on their feet and getting through them proved difficult. In their short time, they had made a few acquaintances and there were always some folks that felt lucky and asked for a dance or invited them to dinner. This slowed them down, especially as the boy had a headstart on them. In a passing impulse, Tharia suddenly stopped walking.

This didn’t have to be their problem. If only they would walk away now, they’d get out without any trouble. Yet as much as she wanted to, when she looked at her Annabelle, she realized she could never become that person. Running away would mean to betray Sisi and Ravid. She didn’t much care for anyone but Annie in this world yet Sisi was a friend and Ravid felt like a pet she had to protect.

The young woman quickly accelerated her pace to close up with Annabelle. She came just in time to rescue the beauty from a flock of dance offers. A demonstrative kiss on those beautiful lips was all it took to scatter the crowd and give them some space.

“Now let’s find the boy before he does something really stupid. That’s usually our domain”, Tharia said with a smirk.

She was baffled by the number of people out and about. There was barely a corner without some sort of music playing. Strange scents reached her nose, some of them were familiar, others were exotic and intriguing. Their sheer quantity of sensations drove tears to her eyes.

The music took on another note when an artist started playing on an instrument Tharia had never seen before. With a large vase-like protrusion at the bottom and a long stick reaching up, it really looked like a potted plant to her. Something like a curtain of metal strings hung from the top and when the artist brushed his hands through the chains, he draped them across the stick in the middle. Strangely haunting sounds came out of the vase end. Tharia felt melancholy in her heart. Maybe she could convince Annabelle to travel the world with her when they were done. If she was still there, Tharia added in her mind and shot a mournful glance at the living plant tattoo. Her fate was sealed.

The girl’s self-pity was cut short when she felt a soft nudge on her shoulder. Annabelle pointed forward. There he was, Ravid was running through the camp at full throttle. Thanks to the armor, it wasn’t all that fast. They quickly gave chase but didn’t reach him until he entered the main tent. There was no choice but to follow him inside.

Tharia stepped into the tent, expecting it to be as full as it was the day before. Yet all she saw was a long table filled with a wide selection of food. Shal-rin sat at the edge of a table and stared at a long sword pointed directly towards him. Strangely, not a single other person was inside the tent.

“Ah the guests of honor have arrived”, Shal-rin said and calmly cleaned his mouth with a handkerchief, “You’re such lovely beauties, both of you, that you’ve really befuddled this young boy right there. Ravid, friend. Come and sit.”

Ravid was shuddering with fear. He aimed the sword towards Shal-rin but the large man didn’t seem to be too impressed by it. Shal-rin carefully adjusted his shirt and vest instead and raised his voice ever so slightly.

“Sit”

It was a single word but it crashed into Tharia with the power of a storm. Before she realized it, Ravid had sat down on a chair and even she felt inclined to take a seat. Shal-rin smiled.

“Oi wai, that’s much better, isn’t it? Now place that sword aside and let us talk. All of us.”

Tharia felt the compulsion in his words. This was different from the Muse, easier to resist and less subversive. Yet the only reason she even recognized it was because the Muse had done it before. She quietly placed her staff by the entrance and tapped her finger twice against the cage. Then, locking arms with Annabelle, they moved closer towards the giant of a man. Tharia felt his eyes rest on her. He nodded when he saw her put away the weapon.

“I can see you’re still a smart girl. You’ve got something of your mother in you. She was pragmatic too. You Verholden women do understand necessity so very well.”

She took place and when she heard the rumble of her stomach, she just shrugged her shoulders. Under the scrutiny of everyone present and regardless of the tense situation, Tharia piled salad leaves and mashed potatoes on her plate. Even when Ravid was still pointing the sword at Shal-rin, Tharia calmly salted her food, added a bit of dressing and then started eating.

“Prrgmffft what? This is obviously going to”, she began and quickly wolfed down some food, “take some time.”

Shal-rin let out roaring laughter.

“See Ravid, they really are pragmatic”, he said while rubbing his belly, “Everyone, eat. This was prepared for my trusted soldiers but I’d rather share it with you fine folks instead. Well, most of my soldiers are drop dead drunk or busy creating the next generation. Hopeful bunch oi?”

Yet except for Tharia and Shal-rin, no one was in the mood to eat. Ravid suddenly burst out.

“How can you monster eat after what you did?”

The large man leaned back when the edge of the sword nicked the skin on his neck. He then reached up, grabbed the sword with his hands and then softly pushed it aside.

“You lack table manners”, he said and once more ignoring the sword in Ravids shivering hands, he picked up a still frying cheeseball with his bare fingers. The oil still sizzled on his fingers, yet he didn’t show any pain when he first took a bite out of it and then let the glowing hot cheese drip into his open mouth. Tharia could feel the painful burn from this far away, yet Shal-rin seemed unfazed. She looked towards the staff near the entrance of the tent and saw it vibrate ever so slightly. Annabelle had finally started eating as well. No matter what was coming, they would need sustenance.

“You’ve killed your own people”, exclaimed Ravid. The young boy was shaking in anger and fear. An unhealthy combination at the best of times.

“So what?” was all that Shal-rin said. The large man seemingly felt no need to explain himself. He simply smiled while eating. Tharia observed him carefully. Something about him was more off than earlier this day. He seemed even larger than before and the clothes were taut on his large body. The scary thing to her was that she could guess his arguments. Fewer people, in general, meant fewer people to feed. The supplies would last longer as a result. It had also, like they surmised before, significantly improved morale.

Yet there was something else. She wrinkled her nose. Tharia had known prideful men like him all her life. They wielded an act of outward kindness like an icon of dominance. It was time to put on one of her social masks, play up his pride, lure, tempt, smile and act. She just hoped the others wouldn’t hate her for it.

“Aye, aye, can I interrupt your play for a bit? How are we going to do this tomorrow?” she said. The young boy turned around to stare at her in disbelief. Tharia winced for but a moment. For this, she would need to be ugly. It would require the right amount of bottled up emotions. When she finally opened her mouth, she realized with a glimpse that the plants on her skin had started moving even when someone was watching. It gave her an odd sense of strength.

“What? Wake up Ravid. He’s right. Necessity demands. Let’s say you kill him. Tomorrow, the army will be without a leader. Many more will die, just so you could play hero. It won’t bring back the dead either”, she said and smiled towards Annabelle. The look on her lover’s face told her that even the goddess hadn’t seen through the mask yet. Just that simple fact hurt her immensely but also added fuel to her fire.

“You promised us a diversion tomorrow. How are you going to distract my brother? Just with this many people? Doubtful”, she added. This was all bluffing on her part. She hadn’t the faintest idea just how many people her brother had in his employ.

“Oh you Verholden girls, I might have a fetish for your type”, Shal-rin said and laughed again, “Quick on your feet. You’re right, we can’t do it with just this. But that’s not why you’re asking, is it?”

“No, it’s not. You can control the fog and the creature within. Well this dumb boy stole the mechanism and I’m willing to give it back to you, as a token of my appreciation for saving me back then”, Tharia said. She steeled her resolve for what was to come. Annabelle had suddenly sprung up from the table. Tharia had never seen the goddess this furious. Was Annabelle acting along? It wasn't her way to react with that much visible emotion, yet she was doing something quite outrageous. Ravid had spun around.

“You can’t be serious”, he said.

“Fairy, what are you saying?”

“Things that make sense. What will it be, Shal-rin? I figure you need the sprite and you need it for more than just the fog, is it? You’re looking a bit puffy and chubby today”, she said with a grin on her face. Gods, that look from Annabelle hurt but she could not stop now.

“That’s what people that can think are capable of doing”, Shal-rin said and pointed towards Tharia. The look on his face was proud. For some very weird reason, she got the feeling he had fatherly feelings for her in that very moment, that and something else. Yep, he truly was the one nutjob more insane than her.

“Yes, Tharia. I need her for more than that. Are you aware of caster sickness?” Shal-rin said. By now, the young girl had connected the dots.

“Under the term of Ascension, yes. It’s what happens when the body is swelled with either divine or arcane energy. The result is gestation and madness. Depending on energy it’s temporary or permanent. Unless you use a... substitute. Like, let’s say an elemental, right?”

Shal-rin beamed a wonderful smile. The large man rubbed his hands together. The pride could barely be concealed.

“Would you like to be adopted?” he said in a jovial manner. Tharia laughed while Ravid turned his sword on her instead.

“Not a smart idea. I’ve got a tendency to kill my family, remember? But I’m right, ain’t I? You use the sprite as a substitute. What I don’t understand is why you released it on your own camp. I lack a piece of the puzzle. Help me become smarter”, the tone in her voice had taken on a demure note. Tharia had moved over towards the staff and ran a hand along the staff while waving for Shal-rin to come over.

The large man lumbered towards her. He easily passed Annabelle that was by now fletching her teeth. Hopefully, she was playing along with Tharia and wasn’t really that angry. Ravid, on the other hand, followed the large man with his sword pointing at him.

“She was a gift from a strange man”, Shal-rin suddenly said, “I was suffering from caster-sickness when he came to me. He gave me a block of ice with the sprite inside. She would suffer for me and in turn, I would feed her people. A dozen dead people a month was enough. Most we could grab off the streets and homes and sometimes, the Fogeater came.”

Tharia pursed her lips and placed her hands against her waist. She then held up a finger.

“Good enough. Your life is more valuable anyway. You’re what keeps these people together”, the human girl said with the most uncaring of smiles.

“I hate you”, Ravid uttered. His sword swayed back and forth between Shal-rin and herself. Tharia recognized that look. He was about to lose it. It’s the same look her brother had shortly before he tortured her. A shudder ran down her spine. Her game was dangerous in more ways than one. Yet a strange calm came from within. Her nose suddenly picked up the scent of fresh earth and she felt far away winds brush along leaves as if she were part of it. She shook her head to dismiss the thought and then gestured towards the staff.

“I wasn’t sure whether you were a valuable asset. But I deem it better to have you on my side. Shal-rin, if you want, it's inside of the staff”, Tharia said and with that, she stepped aside, revealing the faintly glowing weapon. The large man suddenly stepped forward and reached for the staff, yet before he touched it, he suddenly stopped, doubt visible on his face. Tharia bit her lip in response. She had one gamble left. Her hands gently brushed along his arms.

“You’ve got such a strong scent”, she said with a purring voice that made Annabelle growl behind her. Please, Annie, be patient, Tharia begged inside. It was a gamble and it was one that revolted her from the very core. This gamble was based on a simple fact: She looked like her mother and this man had once lusted for her mother. When the man shivered, she realized it was the correct assumption. He stepped forward and then touched the staff. At the same time, Tharia suddenly lunged forward. Ravid raised his sword to strike her. She watched it in panic but couldn’t stop her momentum anymore.

While tumbling, she screamed a single name, “Sisi!”

A moment later, golden light sprang up around her as the corner was covered in thick and glowing dust. A squeaky voice rang out from within the staff.

“My sibling says fuck you and Sisariliszimna sends her regards”, it said. With a click of its tongue, the fire elemental brought the thunder. The resulting explosion lifted Tharia off her feet. She sailed directly at the sword and stared at the young boy whose expression changed from hatred to confusion. In the very last moment, he pulled the weapon aside but served as the cushion for her impact. They both skittered along the floor as a several hundred meter high pyre of flame and destruction licked the clouds above.

Tharia felt a strong hand clasp her arm and stop their tumbling. She looked up to Annabelle who was once more smiling.

“You’re far too good at playing evil”, Annabelle said while she watched the flame pillar where Shal-rin had once stood. The human girl didn’t feel like answering out of fear, that part of the truth might leak out. She really was that despicable a creature.

“You did a good angry impression too”, Tharia said and finally got off the befuddled young man in his armor.

“Oh, that wasn’t played. Seeing you like that made me stark raving mad.”

A pained growl drew her attention. She looked towards the inferno and saw a large figure stumble out of it. Shal-rin stretched his arms and legs, casually brushing off the flames on his clothes. With a glint of light, he suddenly wore a large black coat over his body. His right hand held her staff and the left was in constant motions. Little symbols floated above his palm. They were in constant flux, circles, rectangles, pyramids, strange shapes in an unerring neverending struggle to never once be like they were before.

“What a fiery temperament”, the last of the mages said and cleared his throat, “I like it. Intelligent, beautiful, pragmatic, fiery, not afraid to play coy and backstab. You’re more like your mother than you know. Let me introduce you.”

End: Scary Monsters | Coming up: Meet the Verholdens