Egil's notes: Sea Gazer actually had a pretty large gap in her journal at this point. My guess would be the 'oh shit' moment of having the demons start closing in. ...and the betrayals from the human side too.
Historical summary:
Sea Gazer first attempted to get ships to operate independently. Twelve ships went out with summoners. Six returned. Only five actually secured leviathans.
One of those went rogue, attempting to wipe out Bastillian with the abomination class leviathan's insanity glow.
This nearly crippled the city, devastating its population. The crew actually killed that summoner, which in turn killed the leviathan because the imprints during that period basically destroyed the minds of the affected demons.
Another note I'd like to add: Im not actually that surprised by this betrayal. Its sort of one of those "You can't make this shit up" moments, that took me a while to figure out. The truth is, the vast majority of people seeking information, especially around summoning, have this big fantasy in their head about how summoning is likely to play out.
Once they realize a lot of it involves negotiations, brawling, and the occasional trip into a cesspit pit for summon effigies, they tend to lose their enthusiasm rather quickly. Once this happens, one of two things typically follow: 1. They give up, which generally means teaching them was a waste of time. 2. They turn on you thinking they 'had everything figured out and that last piece of the puzzle is suddenly their ticket to greatness.' ...it never is.
The number of choices available to someone are nigh infinite at any given moment... but... there's only a few paths with outcomes you'd actually want.
...
Egil was suddenly interrupted from his thoughts by the door slamming open to his cabin.
Egil's hand snaked its way to his sword he slipped between the mattress and the bed frame. He opened his third eye. The world was bad,to its muted colors. The aura was female. The ambient energy streams reflected a puffy dress. This rules out Aziza, Motoko... really, all the chicks on his team.
Leoni slammed another pitcher of that damned tree of knowledge drink on his night stand. "Drink!" She commanded.
Egil's fingers slipped away from his sword handle. Undoubtedly the demonologist saw him reach for it. He sat up. "What time is it?"
"Time for you to drink. ...and get breakfast." Leoni was out the door as soon as she came in.
Egil slid his boots on. The shin guards... nah. Should I bring the blades? Eh, if she wanted a fight it would have happened by now. Guns... still empty.
That weird hooked knife from the fae. I'll take that. Not to defend myself, but to study it.
Fuck! Waking up was a chore! Egil wanted to go back to sleep. He snatched up the pitcher, ignoring the cup, and took sips from it. Right now, it tasted like some strange mix between cognac and unsweetened coffee.
A demon showed up in the doorway. A succubus...? Not Aziza. "We should wash the clothes you had on last night."
Shit... more effort.
When Egil finally did make his way out in his new clothes, the succubus... the was more light in the hallway. She had blonde hair, and green eyes.
She's gonna be rummaging through your shit. A voice in his head cautioned him. Yeah, but I either need to wear all that stuff all day... or... he paused. At least keep the mask on you. ...fuck...
He went back in, snatching up the mask, hooking on his new pants.
Then there's the fae's swo- Just head to breakfast. If I get robbed, this will be a heated discussion for later.
He walked out with the mask. The succubus kept her head bowed. Fucking aristocrats. ...but then, watch it be my own demons who betray me.
He took another sip from the pitcher. The hallways was illuminated by blue candle light. Through his third eyes, he saw they sucked in the ambient energy around them. These candles never went out.
Up the stairs... the crashing desire to return to bed washed over him. He took a gulp from the pitcher. There's no way I got a full night's rest.
Into the mess hall. This time he was greeted by a black incubus, also looking at the ground. "Is there something I can help you with, sir?" ...fucking aristocrats.
Hold your head up! Salvage what's left of your dignity! "Breakfast? Where is it?" Its still morning. He can be loquaciously belligerent after waking up.
"Breakfast can be found on deck."
"Thanks." Egil took another gulp from the pitcher. ...more stairs.
Top side, the sun was blinding. Egil closed his eyes. His vision still glowed red. He lacked the concentration to look through his third eye while also dealing with the sun's brightness. ...another gulp from the pitcher.
The sounds of fabric fluttering in the wind filled his ears. He squinted. No fires. The sky was clear. The deck was even larger in daylight. ...gulp.
Standing at the edge, a skull hovered in the air, dangling from it, a cloak of runes, along with an indeterminant number of spinal columns(?) barely visible below. ...Logan.
Up on the mast dangled an upside-down bat... the gargoyle.
Sitting at the table... oh fuck me... Lena, with her eyes bandaged. That was a sobering sight. ...FUCK!...
Egil paused. He pressed the back of his neck out, causing his whole spine to crunch as it realigned itself. He dropped his shoulders. He set his jaw.
Her injury was HIS gross miscalculation. She might scream at him. She might cry. He had to bear it all. On either side of her were Ramini and Aziza. Leaned against a table was a pole, with no purpose other than the obvious: to serve as a walking stick for the blind.
The sun didn't seem so bright anymore. Across from them sat Motoko, with Doa and Katsuko on either side. Katsuo had his sword propped against the table. Maybe he has the right ide-
"Egil." The blindfolded stood before him, pointing her stick.
Egil stood there silently for a moment. She was pointing her stick right at him. Say something asshole! "...Im sorry." He responded.
"Im right?" She asked, dropping the tip of her stick.
"I... uh... right about what?"
"I can still see through Hashir's view of the world." She responded. "I can't make out details, but I could tell it was you."
"I'm sorry." He repeated. What in the hell was he supposed to say? Hashir isn't going to be around forever. Buuut... he'll at least be around long enough for Lena to get her eyes replaced. But then, what will the world look like after that? Regardless how I try to swing it, she's now permanently changed. The only organizations who might be able to restore her original vision is the church... or maybe some pagans.
"I had a dream." She said, turned back to the table.
Egil followed.
"When I first had it, I thought was a nightmare. I had left my friend behind to fend for herself."
He stayed silent.
"Her surroundings became darker. Mine became brighter. ...I remember in the dream, I had a choice. ...the angel destroyed my home, didn't it?"
"Yes." Egil confirmed.
Lena pulled out a chair for Egil to sit in. She's gonna shank you. But... you probably deserve it.
Lena walked away from the chair returning to her seat. "I'll tell you the rest later."
Egil took his seat.
"...and you..." Lena continued. "...need to tell me what happened between you and the fae."
'You're *going* to have sex with *someone* today. It can be me or one of my (male) guards. It doesn't matter.' The fae's words echoed in his mind. Egil bristled. You owe her. A voice in his head chided him. He took a deep breath. "Yes."
"I'll admit, Im scared witless about the future. But Im told we're heading to Bastillian."
"Yeah, we're on our way." The thought of having to recall the fae's abuse left a cold bitter taste in his mouth. He took another sip from the pitcher. Looking down, he saw the freshly scrambled eggs. The cut sausage. He pushed the plate away.
"What did happen between you and the fae?" Egil looked up. That question was over the demon link. Aziza rested her head on her palm, with her elbow propped up on the table.
Egil took another sip from his pitcher, ignoring the question. Its too early in the morning for this shit.
"And I can get my eyes replaced by the mechanist guild?"
He still needs to focus on the conversation. "As I understand it, yes." He didn't know much about how certain it is. Its not a question of whether or not all the logistical elements are present. Leoni says she can pay for it. Everyone was heading to the city. I just hope there aren't any issues with the procedure. ...or some red tape bullshit.
He took another sip from the pitcher. The effect wasn't nearly as noticeable as it was last night.
What else should I say?
"Egil! So nice that you're up!" Leoni's voice snuck up behind him. "We need to train you."
"Train me?" He raised an eyebrow.
She came up beside him. Her top, still a corset, this time of rose bud cherry. The ribbing was locked in a bitter struggle to hold back her perfectly engineered bust. He looked down. She wore pants, stitched as the sides to obviously 'hint at more.' No question, magic did away with everything. No doubt Leoni enjoyed the hell out of the female form.
...obviously inspired by succubi... speaking of... Aziza's chair creaked as she tipped it back, the actual succubus folding her arms under her own breasts, and under a glare cold as ice.
Egil had seen that glare before. Two women in competition. Jesus... just dont kill each other before we reach port.
'You know you're the 'guy' in this match.' A voice said in his head. 'Just don't fucking remind me.' Egil silently responded.
'No pursuit?' The voice asked. This wasn't over the demon link. This was in his own mind. There was no doubt Leoni took the conversion all the way. Egil felt the biological pull. He also felt it with Aziza... as is the nature of all succubi. It was extremely common for summoners to maintain succubi harems. ...and then they fall because they aren't paying attention to the shit happening around them. They grow lazy, lose their edge, and get killed. Its not the succubi's fault either. They're just damn good at what they do.
'What's the phrase of those who avoid being buried in their own drama? ...the only winning move is not to play? If I was the type to grow complacent in bed, I wouldn't have gotten this far. This means, I wouldn't have two girls staging a quiet war over...' He shook his head. 'Focus damnit!'
"Ok, how am I supposed to train?" Egil said, forcing through his own thoughts. He looked up. She had an eye patch on, and a septum piercing. Did she always have that?
Egil had experimented with ear piercings to hold actual artifacts. There's potential utility there... until Dayu had hooked an earring with her fingers. This was before he figured out phase shifting. My gods! The pain! "You have made yourself vulnerable for vanity!" She yelled before slapping him across the face. That hurt less. ...still... he got the message, and the earrings are resting in the waters near the town.
"What's with the eye patch?" Egil asked.
"Dont worry about it. I can see through it." Leoni wasn't looking at him, but instead across the table.
"Its suddenly cold." Lena commented.
"I'll find you a robe." Ramin said, getting up from the table. His eyes tracked Egil as a smirk formed across his lips.
Doa made a comment, which illicited a death glare from Motoko and some dismissive muttering from Katsuo. I thought Hashir's influence was supposed to help with the language barrier.
He looked up again, noticing the gargoyle was dangling alone. "Where's Hashir?"
"Below deck." Leoni responded. "My French is rusty, but it sounded like they had a fight last night."
Too much drama already. "Ok, training." Egil reminded Leoni.
The demonologist led them down below deck to fairly large room with a design that seemed familiar, yet oddly not. Lining the walls, near the floor were what appeared to be padded benches. Immediately below them, was what appeared to be stained glass with lamp light coming from behind it? Above them, a variety of sticks, ribbons, and what appeared to be belts. Above them still was yet more of the same stained glass, backlit by lamp light.
"How is this supposed to work?" Egil asked, stepping onto the mat.
"Boots off!" Leoni commanded.
Ok, makes sense. Egil sat on a bench, removing his foot wear. He saw Aziza do the same. I guess she's training too.
Leoni walked up to Egil, holding his pitcher. She appeared to be swishing it around at the bottom. Then she forced it into his lap. "Finish it!"
Egil stared into the container. Still plenty left. He shotgunned the rest, and was suddenly thankful he didn't actually touch his food. This would have almost certainly left him sluggish.
Finishing the rest, he wiped the liquid from his beard. "Ok, now what?"
Leoni tossed him one of the belts, and then another to Aziza. "These will keep magic from killing you." She circled her index finger around the room. "This room is warded out the ass, so most casting should be pretty safe."
"Most?" Aziza asked, putting her belt around her slender frame.
"Its unlikely any of you know how to bypass them."
"And if we happened to know any by accident?" Aziza pressed further.
"The belts have an elaborate pattern which will automatically reset broken bones and prevent scarring."
Egil paused. Prevent scarring? "Wait, are you saying we can still be injured?" He looked closely at his belt. It looked like it was threaded with some kind of black leather and blue glowing weave. He reached out with his third eye. It felt like a gunpowder discharge went off right in front of him. He ended the attempt, and blinked as if it had happened to his actual eyes.
"It takes some getting used to in here." Leoni advised him. "This is probably one of the most energy intensive rooms on a ship."
Like... at all? That's an oddly confident statement.
Egil felt something hit his chest and fall to the ground. He looked down. Two bracelets laid on the ground. "Ok, what are these?" He asked, bending down to pick them up.
"These create the illusion of the weapon you want to hold. It can't mimic any magic that might be on a custom weapon, but can generally get weight and feel of what you want."
Interesting. Egil clasped them on each arm. He channeled energy through his arms into the bracelets. His butterfly words extended from his palms, with the characteristic flipping and trapping hooks behind each blade. Interestingly, the blades were semi-transparent.
"Throw one at the floor." Leoni suggested.
Egil raised his arm and swiped down, letting the handle leave his grip. The blade flew into the floor, piercing it, and remained erect. He snatched the handle back up. No damage to the floor.
"The weapons are fake, but you are real." Leoni continued, while handing him and Aziza four ribbons. "Put these around your hands and ankles. These will limit even your hardest strikes to prevent 'most' injuries to the other person."
"Most?" Egil asked. The ribbons were red, with noticeably black runes stitched into them.
"These slow your attacks." Leoni responded. "They don't stop them. Neither of you will suffer injuries requiring recuperation, but the impacts will still hurt."
Egil remembered his earlier fight with Aziza. She certainly didn't lack in that area. Was this going to be round 2? He finished tying the ribbons around his ankles, and then did some sort of facsimile of wrist wraps. Aziza did the same.
Leoni went to go sit on one of the benches. Logan's skeletal form floated next to her, doing something that appeared to be the equivalent of sitting down. ...at least... as much as he could manage it.
Lena and Ramin appeared at the entrance. She'd be able to 'see' the training through Hashir's perception. Egil's imp floated onto Logan's shoulder.
Motoko and her trio came rushing in, snatching up equipment from the wall.
"Shoes!" Leoni stood up yelling, and pointing at their feet. All three kicked their feet, causing their foot ware to go flying against the wall. All three lined up, and bowed "On-i-gae-shi-mas!" they said in unison. Doa whipped around studying Aziza.
Egil hadn't noticed it earlier, but she maintained a pony tail.
"His feet! No!" Leoni yelled, pointing at Katsuo's clawed feet, which flattened across the mat, but the claws obviously poked into the flooring. Can he actually walk comfortably like that?
"Hey, Aziza." The succubus looked in Egil's direction. "Tell him to put bracelets on his ankles and project the sandals he normally walks with."
Aziza immediately went to work pointing at the wall. She rambled off some sentences, while miming downward grasping motions with her hands.
The Tengu nodded, doing an awkward walk over to another set of bracelets. Upon clasping them on, he was able to project two semi-transparent sandals, 'squawking'(?) with apparent pleasure.
"Tanya's prized confidant and the summoner who ran circles around Jack strikes again." It was Leoni's voice, but it was over a link.
Katsuo resumed walking normally, going to the side of the mat, and laying down his sword with both 'hands.' How he can move his feathers like that, I'll never understand.
Doa and Motoko rather unceremoniously dumped their real weapons and channeled through the bracelets.
Meanwhile, Katsuo pointed at Egil with a feathered 'hand,' and then at himself. Egil knew what he meant. He only vaguely saw this guy fight. How would I respond to that?
Egil thought back during the fight with the church soldiers. There's the sword draw. There's the overhead swing. He might have more moves available.
Egil thought back to some of his apprentices. The few that gained a mild understanding of the craft tended to abort the rest of their lessons in favor of trying to grab power early and souring the relationship. Was Katsuo testing himself or was this an actual challenge?
Unfortunately, even if Egil and the Tengu spoke the same language, he still wouldn't be certain. The last thing he needs is a one trick pony trying to establish dominance. Egil readied his right blade and assumed a a European fencing stance, with his left arm behind his back.
"Even a dragon finds it difficult to control a snake in its old haunt." - Feng, in regards to subverting Daoyu's instruction... which is ironic, considering how rigid his own instruction was.
Katsuo shifted his foot forward, deepening his stance. The audience's eyes were on them.
Would Leoni's magic let me?
A quiet fell over the group like a blanket. At least for this one, I need to win this. Egil held his blade parallel with the ground. He tilted his head, letting his neck crack. Wait for the bird to commit.
The lips that led into Katso's beak curled back with a smile.
Egil softened his gaze, not really looking at anything. From here on out, its going to be pure reaction.
...
"Everyone has a plan until they're hit in the face." One student at the school said in response to planning. This is a good rule of thumb for sport fighting. When blades are involved, plans still have their role.
At one point, the Feng's heaviest fighter challenged Egil. The guy no doubt intimidated him. He fought solid guys before. They're no joke. One doesn't stand in the path of a train and expect to stop it. Egil was taller, but had the lighter build. "How would I fight this guy?"
He moved in, and Egil moved to the side, placing his left hand in front of the guy's face, and his right hand behind the guy's head.
The guy continued facing forward, looking directly into Egil's palm. "You didn't do anything."
He was the best tournament fighter in the school... and that's all he knew how to do.
I have a list of options. I could rake your eyes. I could hook your cheek. I could grab your lower jaw in a vice-like grip, and then use my right elbow to go over your head, and force you back, while pulling your jaw down. I could grab your head, twist, and while you're distract with that, snake around into a sleeper hold.
Egil withdrew his hands. Plans had their place.
...
Katsuo's blade ejected from its scabbard. Egil stepped back, making no contact with the blade. Simultaneously, his left arm dropped from behind his back, thumbing the hammer back. Leoni's setup manifested weapons on demand. Katsuo started this fight with a guy holding two butterfly swords...
Katsuo immediately transitioned into an overhead strike. Egil in turn raised his left-sided transparent revolver, briefly sighted down the barrel and fired into the swordsman's chest. His ears range from the pressure in the room suddenly changing.
Its possible Katsuo might still try to 'win' this. Egil lunged forward, moving the barrel under the Tengu's head, while also driving his right blade into his opponent's waist. The hammer flew back and forward, firing a round up through the head.
...now the fight was over...
Katsuo dropped to the ground, grabbing his chest and palming the top of his head. No injuries, but it was clear he felt something.
...
It wasn't all that surprising when the tournament fighters took their prowess to the bars, their injuries quickly mounted...
Antagonize one guy, and the bouncer gets involved. Get thrown out, and his friend comes up behind you. Egil watched one guy best two others right outside a pub. He won, and the city watch arrested all three for disturbing the peace.
...then there were the organizations...
The gangs will shank you. The summoners will 'disappear' you. The mages will 'make it look like an accident.' The mystics will taint your aura, and make it look like a 'mysterious disease' took you. The church would blacklist you from any member of the faithful doing business.
Not all problems can, or should be solved with a fist.
...
Egil looked down at Katsuo, as he started to recover from the experience. Doa said something in mocking tone. Katsuo flash stepped. Where was he?
Egil knew this move. He immediately moved one foot back... no... not that move, it'll risk killing him. The weapons are fake. Egil's hand isn't. He instead threw more force into hit backward launch. Got 'em. His body displaced the Tengu before he could draw his sword.
...
Dayu focused on position. Fang... had something else entirely in mind.
Punch with the elbow. ...not much power.
Punch with the legs and elbow at the same time. ...better.
Punch with the legs, elbow, and hips...
Punch with the legs, elbow, hips, waist...
Punch with the legs, elbow, hips, waist, while also transitioning forward an inch with the feet...
Punch with the legs, elbow, hips, waist, while also transitioning forward an inch with the feet, while rotating the arm...
Punch with the legs, elbow, hips, waist, while also transitioning forward an inch with the feet, while rotating the arm, immediately after jerking your opponent forward... deadly.
It was just force, added on top of force, on top of more force.
Egil had his doubts until he accidentally tore his opponent's arm open in Dayu's class. There was so much blood...
Fang wasn't affected by this at all, and continued refining the approach. Where Dayu's approach depended on position, Fang's approach focused on blowing straight through all obstacles by incorporating every element of the body into every move.
While Egil's approach was far from anything remotely close to 'perfection' he was quite aware some of his motions were too dangerous. Of course, even these suffered from 'under ideal conditions' issues.
The bitch of it all still? Finding ways to practice it so it became 2nd nature. Dayu didn't teach this. Fang didnt teach reactions. There was a gap, within the same school.
Even still, there were elements Egil picked up, that the instructors refused to actknowledge, like how to break another's weapon using the exact same mechanics Fang taught. It was Fang's refusal to even acknowledge this was the case, which caused Egil to realized he got about as far as he could.
...
Egil spun to his right. The Tengu would draw, but Egil was still too close. His body blocked the demon's arm. The demon would move back to compensate... aaaannnnnd... Egil caught the bird at his shoulder, running both hands quickly down the shaft to where the action was.
The extra long handle of the curved blade provided more than enough leverage for Egil to pull down briefly, the bird resisted. ...that was the point. Egil followed the bird's tug, forcing Katsuo's blade to face him.
Play too fast and loose with your weapons, and they'll be used against you.
This move would have brought the blade up into the bird's neck. It triggered a really awkward situation for the defender: if they didn't do anything, they'd eat the blade. They could let go, but then the opponent will have sole control. They could awkwardly try to follow the turn, to avoid the blade...
Or they could do a move Egil hadn't encountered before, which was to double grip the handle and thrust up towards the ceiling. FUCK!
The Tengu stepped between Egil's legs, going down into a crouch... he's gonna try and flip me over his back. Egil's height admittedly, made him very weak to disruptions below the waste, and shorter people exploited the hell out of it.
Egil's balance was already compromised the moment the Tengu went between his legs. He let go of the blade and grabbed the bird in a bear hug. If the opponent tried to flip him, Egil's grip would at least get the opponent to stumble.
Egil had been thrown to the ground so many freakin' times, the impacts meant nothing to him anymore. Also, he practiced weighted kicks constantly. The muscles around his hips helped soften the impact.
The bird was paused. He saw the trap. Fuck it! Egil threw himself over the bird, and landed with the thud. The bird was off balance.
Egil drew his faux gun, sighting down the barrel: Checkmate. He fired. The bird moved his shoulders back in response to the feeling of having his vertebrae shattered by the round. The bird's fighting career would have been over at the very least.
This was why Egil didnt pick random fights. This is why 'checkmates' were enough.
Egil hopped back to his feet, holstering the gun.
The bird vanished. If he's smart... Egil took the same step back as before with the last flash step. This time the bird would try to get away with trying to flank him.
His hands gripped the hooks on his two swords, ripping them from the scabbards at the base of his back and yanking them up, with the blades parallel to his forearms.
The 'tink' from a weak blow rang out, while Egil's right arm shook from the impact. ...attempted decapitation... and now I know where you are. Next move will most likely be an overhead strike.
Egil turned into the force of the impact as soon as he felt it, veering off to his right. He flipped the blade along its hook to make the edge face upwards like how a sword would normally be held. The next step was to plant the edge into the bird's neck, while deflecting the demon's downward slash.
...and Egil wound up turning right into Katsuo's thrust. Egil's abdomen contracted in response to the fiery intrusion sensation invading his body. The magic pattern still did a pretty good job making the feeling uncomfortable.
Still gotta stop the incoming swing, bird.
Katsuo withdrew his blade, raising the hilt above his head, while stepping into Egil's strike... which in turn, allowed the blade to both cover and slice into Egil's hand.
Its a cover, that's also an attack. I wonder if I can adopt this for the butterfly swords.
A fiery sensation erupted from Egil's wrists as the magic of this training area communicated to him that he just lost use of his left hand.
The Tengu wasn't done either. He did a slight turn, back into Egil, dropping his blade. The fight was over. The faux blade made its way through Egil's spine, carving a path down halfway through his ribcage.
Egil dropped to his knees immediately. His lungs spasmed from the magic's effects as he felt Katsuo's sandal press roughly against his shoulder, to instinctually rip his blade from his opponent.
Egil stoically waited for the magic to finish conveying its message. He detached his emotions from the pain, as he was trained to do.
The bird briefly squawked in glory until a comment from Doa shut him down.
The pain subsided, Egil got to his feet. Katsuo resumed his ready position, this time with the sword already drawn. Egil waved his left hand, communicating he was done. Two out of three wins, the message was communicated. Any further and it would pretty much be 'playing in the mud.'
Rivalries are time consuming, accomplish nothing, and muck up the path to better things. He and the bird could be at this all day if he allowed it. Egil preferred his conflicts short and decisive.
Crap... my left blade is on the floor. Egil started towards it... and froze. The sounds the in room suddenly became noticeably muffled.
Once again, he felt the press of Leoni's breasts against him. He'd say something about personal space, but truth be told, he was learning to be terrified of her pretty quickly. ...especially since he couldn't move at all right now.
What... the... fuck...
Keep emotionally detached.
Egil felt a hand on each shoulder. The one on his left traced along his arm.
"Pay attention to the flows of energy around you." Her voice came with a unearthly tone, accompanied by various inaudible whispers.
...of course she couldn't just tell him what to do.
Egil opened his third eye, seeing the colored streams arcing and coiling throughout the room. He would see the echoes of a golden Katsuo slashing downwards... wait... was this a recording pattern? Or was this... natural?
"Channel your aura through your hand, and connect with the blade."
Aura? We can extend our aura? He took the energy of his own self, extending it towards the blade. He assumed it was like extending himself... he was right.
Wait... was this something he had already picked up on in his trainings?
"Concentrate!" Leoni reminded him.
His aura had already snapped back to his hand. He extended again. The glow reaching out to the blade. The blade itself was a free-standing pattern. I... hadn't even realized that was possible.
"Where is your head going?" Leoni asked.
Fuck! The aura snapped back. So many questions. They'll need to wait. Egil tapped into his cold side. Focus. He extended his aura once again. It made it to the pattern.
The warmth came back. The natural curiosity that flooded his mind. Could I... build weapons out of patt-? Ok concentrate! The aura didn't retract this time.
His aura met with the handle.
"It is a part that's missing from you. Fix the damage." Leoni said.
He pulled the blade back as if it was part of his aura. It flew up. He grabbed the blade in the air. The pattern made his fingers sting from the report of the faux edge slicing into his fingers. I'll need to be more accurate about how I pull sharps back.
Leoni released him. "A little rough, but you know it works now."
Egil flipped the blade in his hand so he gripped the handle.
"Quick word of warning: Don't go sticking your aura in places it doesn't belong..." She wasn't looking at Egil when she said this, but...
Egil traced her gaze. She was staring at Aziza.
"...you could wind up contaminating yourself."
Aziza gave a half-lidded glare back.
Just don't escalate. Egil thought.
Egil had seen posturing like this between women before. But Leoni wasn't borne a woman. She sure as shit acted like one.
He had heard of a few cases where people re-shaped the genders. His 'post-mortem' philosophy didn't really view it in terms of 'right and wrong' but the few times he thought about the topic, he wondered about the motivations...
...power? - This was usually his 'go to' explanation for most topics. If someone perceives another group as having more power, and the option presents itself to reap those benefits, then it makes sense for someone to want to do so.
...fixing an issue of circumstance? - This was another explanation that crossed Egil's mind. Someone born perceiving themselves as a gender they're not. This might actually be Leoni's case. Though Egil didn't know her before the transformation. Was this a self-fulfilling prophesy? Or a correction?
...did it matter? Right now, what Egil saw was an elitist who had also seen her own flavor of hardship. The ship was crawling with her demons, and lord knows what kind of traps. On top of all of that, there was the abomination actually responsible for steering the ship.
He and his team needed to be careful.
Leoni started putting on the ribbons from the wall. "If you get good at controlling your aura..." She started, while summoning what looked like four basket handle rapiers, letting them all fall to the ground.
"...you can fight without having to raise a hand."
Egil's third eye hadn't really closed. He could see her aura extend what appeared to be four glowing tentacles, each one grasping a weapon.
To someone without the training, it would look like four independently floating weapons.
She would still have to coordinate all those weapons. Egil had never heard of a fighting style attempting to do that. But then... what non-magic centric group would train that way?
Egil tried to close his third eye again. He scratched his forehead. Obviously, there was no eye there, but the sensation wasn't going away.
He rubbed his forehead again.
"Everything ok?" Aziza asked over the demon link.
"I can't... can't close my third eye." Egil responded, also over the link. He walked over to the bench and sat down.
"Is there a problem?" Leoni asked.
You know damn well there's a problem! He winced, looking up. It was like his normal vision and being able to see the flows of energy were becoming one.
"I can't close my third eye." He said aloud.
"...why would you want to?" Leoni asked.
Why would I want to!? He felt his stomach physically drop. She... she sees the flows of energy ALL THE TIME!?
But his ability to see the sun rise... which he had already seen hundreds of times. His ability to look up at a blue sky... which was tainted by the memory of quietly feeling his life seep away from him on that bitterly cold day; bleeding out atop the leaves and snow.
"...you can't close your third eye!?" He looked up startled. "For how long?"
"Since I was a child." Leoni responded.
The drink. That fucking drink. "Its the tree juice, isn't it?" The tree of knowledge. Knowledge cannot be unlearned.
"Im giving you the same amounts I was given." She responded. "Do you want to stop?"
Egil hesitated. He just pulled a weapon from the ground without touching it. Those blasts he had do before? Could he do those faster and more reliably? Her magic... Those capabilities.
"...no." He answered with the crushing realization he's can't bring himself to turn away. "I want to keep going."
His world was going to change drastically.
Glowing eyes, and now the inability to not see the flows of energy around him. I'm in over my head...
...and deep down, something stirred within him. Something that embraced all of it...
A short while passed. Egil continued sitting on the bench, contemplating what his choices were doing to him. Aziza sat next to him, resting her hand on his shoulder.
Katsuo challenged Leoni. She kept her distance from his blade while he spent most of the fight just trying to get past her rapiers, with very little success. Doa joined in, revealing two short swords of her own. They were similar to Katsuo's single sword, just smaller, prioritizing speed over power.
"How do demons see the world?" Egil asked Aziza.
She tried to give a comforting smile. "It can be different from demon to demon, but generally we can see the flows of this world, while also seeing the flows of Hell."
"How do you make sense of it all?"
"I havent really seen the world any other way. So... I guess its just something you acclimate to."
As he looked down, he could see their respective auras intermingling. They seemed to blend together. ...he had never noticed auras actually do this before.
What else about energy had he overlooked?
Was this really going to be how he sees the world from here on out?
How many doses from the 'Tree of Knowledge' would carry him past the 'point of no return?'
"Describe to me what the world looks like to you." He requested.
"Its a complicated place filled with complicated people. Some are a little more complicated than others." She gently shook him with the hand on his shoulder.
"I'm complicated?"
"Hashir reached out to me claiming he found a summoner who won't bore me. I showed up in the middle of a spat between the summoner and his guild. He was apparently already accused of murdering who appears to have been a highly esteemed mage of nobility. Some people Ive met would love to claim credit for that.
The day before yesterday, we hatched a plan to steal from the mage guild. Yesterday morning, after you self-resurrect after a suicide, we hatched a plan to steal from the same building... again. Only to run into your ex, become indirectly responsible for destroying an entire city, and now we're on a boat to the trade capitol of Europe to hoping it will be more resilient than our last toy.
Oh! And, apparently your guild was trying to start an entropic cascade."
Egil looked at her obviously confused. "You mentioned that before. What is it?"
"A prince in Morocco tried to do something similar. You know how battle grounds tend to become cursed and haunted by ghosts?"
Egil had only vaguely heard about that, though there hasn't been a major battle... at least in Europe... since the war.
Aziza continued. "Its largely because energy concentrates in those places and become progressively easier for more magical anomalies to persist. The 'cascade' occurs when the entropy becomes concentrated enough, that its starts causing more anomalies on its own."
"Was the prince successful?"
"I-"
Egil noticed Leoni's boots appear in his field of view. "Ok, time for you to deliver on your end."
...
Everyone was shoo'd out of the room. Egil sat with his legs folded under him. Leoni on her side.
"What is it like to die?" She asked.
"It sucks." He responded rather curtly.
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? I never would have guessed that much."
He sighed. "You get an injury. It hurts like hell. The injury is either enough to kill you, or it isn't. The first time, I sort of treated it like the ultimate experiment. I had already bound myself to this world... in theory... the only thing left to do was bleed out. ... ... or freeze to death. Im not really sure which one actually did me in."
"How'd it happen?"
Egil gave a grim smile. "Witchcraft."
"Really?"
"I was accused of it. Then I learned it."
"Who accused you?"
"Some guy who didn't want to take the heat for a grimoire he kept."
"...and your executioner?"
"You're not the only one with complicated family issues."
"Dad?"
"Who else?"
"Can you... perceive time while dead?"
"Nah."
"Do you come back naked?"
"No."
"Wait, it replicates your clothes?"
"And some equipment. Its not really clear where the limits are. The mask didn't copy over, so there's that."
"How does that work?"
"I think its fundamentally probability magic. You're tethering yourself to Hell."
"Wait... so your ability to have a 2nd coming is directly tied to being connected with Hell?"
Egil's jaw dropped. That... had never crossed his mind up until now. Woooow! Wouldn't that be a fuckin' revelation!? Holyyyyy shiiiit!
He rocked back, tilting to the side to unfold his legs. It was almost like he was reeling from a blow to the face. He crossed his legs in front of him.
How?
What connection would he have?
Who would have taught him? ...or did he always know how to do it?
Is there other type of magic that would support that?
Dont tell me he made a deal with the De-
"Egil!" Leoni snapped him out of his thoughts.
"I meant it as a joke."
"... ...is it though? I mean... I personally know of only one way to do this."
"We're not going to figure it out here. And even if we did, who would believe two demon fuckers who practice magic too heretical by even their own standards?"
"Wait... could God and the-"
"Egil!" Leoni snapped, and sat up. "Focus!"
"...there's no way they could be the same. I mean, this would make it the ultimate trickster god of them all."
"EGIL!"
"Ok, ok." He held his hands up. Then he put them back down. "...a wrathful and a benevolent aspect."
Leoni's eyes went aggressively wide.
Egil sighed. "Can you tap into the Hell layer?"
"No."
An awkward silence passed between the two. "...but the tree thing you did with the fae."
"What? The Tree of Retribution? That's a family spell. Its on our coat of arms."
"THAT'S A FAMILY SPELL!?"
"Its outside of our agreement. Im not going to teach it to you."
"I thought that was some sort of symbolic punishment spell!"
"Its a symbol of our ability to grow past any adversity, and serves as a warning to our enemies."
Egil laid on his back. Her family... is horrifying. He lifted his head to look at her. "Did you learn it as a kid? Did you test it on puppies?"
"No, puppies grow into hunting dogs..." She mumbled and her voice trailed off.
Egil dropped his head back. Fuck nobles! Oh my god!