Vol. 3, Ch. 128: Off the Record
Could I kill someone if the evidence was present and absolute? Can I even find his killer with any degree of certainty?
Am I sliding down a slippery slope, trading favors for targeted killings? What will the others think of this?
All these questions went through and entered Neska's mind as Kasfew awaited her response. "You're really considering it, aren't you?"
"I'm considering what it would take to fulfil your request. Now I understand why you didn't want to bring this up in front of the others."
Nori closed the distance to Kasfew, having noticed they were no longer following her, and caressed one wing with her claw. "It's been bothering him, and he's not the only Stoltz at risk if his theory is correct."
"Meaning, you don't know for certain you were murdered."
"I know there are many who are jealous of my family's success. I know the Varadur stand to gain from a fragmented elite, accusing one another of backstabbing and plotting against each other. Surely you've seen enough of their intelligence to realize the Varadur have studied us. They know how to hurt us when sheer numbers aren't available to devour our defenders."
"There's a lot we need to stop assuming about the Varadur," Neska said in a light deflection. "Kasfew, this is a dangerous path you're flying. What if it's someone you trust? Someone close?"
"Then they burn."
"And if it was just an accident?"
He shrugged. "Then it'll put my mind to rest. But I doubt that benign scenario is what really happened, Neska. Not with everything going on in the world."
She needed to commit. “I'll help you find whoever killed you, but I don't think I’ll participate in killing them, if that’s what you’re implying. There are better ways than that.”
Kasfew gave her a scornful look. “You executed that dungeon core like it was personal, and had no problems with giving it a brutal death.”
Now Neska hissed at him. “It was personal! The Radiant King is responsible for all of this! The Varadur, the destruction of Arivol, you, me, Risha’s death, and thousands more. Putting an end to him will hopefully end the nightmare that walks across Galwein. If anyone has earned a well-deserved death, it’s him. I would happily do it again, because maybe you’re forgetting, but everyone was suffering under a corruption attack. We could have all died, or become something worse.”
“So you’re not opposed to it.”
“I’m opposed to it if there is any better alternative." Neska let out a soft sigh. "I will help in what capacity I can to help find your killer and bring him to justice. Can we compromise on this just a little? I won't be an executioner, but I can be an investigator."
Kasfew laughed. And he didn’t stop laughing for several seconds while his wings flapped, fluttering papers and irritating Nori, who cast a flurry of ice to cool him off. Even so, he wiped a tear away from his eye. Then his expression turned serious again.
“Truly, you do jokes, too? Neska, take a look around us. Where’s the justice for all of us? We are caged animals, let out of our pen to go hunt monsters like a pack of hounds, and then shoved back in when we’re done.”
"Kas, that's not--"
Kasfew ignored Nori's soft-spoken words. "It is the way it is."
"Then if you want to be considered more than just a leashed monster? We need to show them we can act better than one. I'll start by helping you find your killer," Neska vowed. "And maybe, just maybe, I can convince you to take a different path."
He clicked his beak, but his dismissal had waned. "You'll have some time to accomplish that impossible feat. I'll wait until we deal with the traitor within the Academy's walls. That takes priority. My killer has had a year to hide. At any rate, farewell, Neska. We'll begin your hunt tomorrow. Then, mine."
Nori stayed only for a second longer as Kasfew headed back down the hall. It wasn't hard to see the worry in her eyes. "He's a little...compulsive about it. Don't judge him for it."
"I don't. I can relate." Risha's death still wrapped itself around Neska's mind, the dagger plunging into her chest, over, and over again. "We all want justice against those who hurt us. How we get that justice...that's the hard part."
Sleep remained elusive, even after a few days back at the Academy. Neska thought it would come eventually to her, but she knew that every moment she wasted was a moment closer to the Varadur storming the walls of Rivilat.
She’d heard the conviction and the malice in the Radiant King’s words. He would find a way to break this fortress, and though she hadn't been here five years earlier, she had a sense that it had been a battle for survival.
She needed to clear her head of these nagging thoughts. She rose from the sprawl of too many people in the room, with Brent and Syra staying the night. Juni mumbled in her sleep about being held tighter.
Neska had no idea what that meant as she uncoiled her tail away from the mouse and donned her gear from the small locker next to the doorway.
The locker was another new installment. It was quicker than getting standard items from the barracks. She closed the door quietly with her tail, then slithered down the hall, the moonlight still filtering in. The chirp of birds hiding in the pines and spruces adjacent to the building announced the coming dawn, just a shade of indigo on the horizon.
She took a lungful of the slightly chilly air, knowing the season would be turning soon. Fall was when most snakes would burrow or find a place to stay warm for the winter. A few species would gather in colonies to wait out the winter together, sometimes under homes or in basements.
She was different, however; she must be maintaining a core body temperature, rendering her apart from other snakes. She thought body fat would normally be required for the process or a change at the cellular level.
Maybe her scales were better insulators? Magical core radiant energy? There were a few possibilities. She’d ponder that later. She headed to the practice range and heard the distant crack of arrows flying through the air and hitting a straw target.
Hadley was out early. The blonde archer kept her long hair draped over her ears instead of tied back as she’d seen from the other female warriors. “Can’t sleep?” Neska called out softly.
She shook her head. “No. Not after the hive. You?”
“No. I thought I’d seen the worst? I was dead wrong. Kalloway almost sounds prophetic now.” She wondered what the professor would say once they resumed their private lessons. With her secret now all but out, maybe it would be more prudent to put her in regular classes with other witches.
Right now, she had energy to burn. “Hadley, mind if I join you?”
“Shooting arrows? You don’t even need to ask,” Hadley said with a smirk on her face.
“Glad you’ll have me. I needed to burn off some energy.” Neska lit a [Mana bolt] in her hand, tossing it up and down gently. She might be capped at her skill rank of 20 until she evolved, but that didn’t mean she had gotten to her maximum potential with this Ability.
They got underway, both starting from firing at stationary positions. Even in the dim light, Neska had no problem picking out the target with her newly enhanced ability. [Spectral Vision] allowed her to see the mana in the air, and though it was extremely low density, she could still see the outline of the target. It was likely enchanted to be self-repairing whenever it was struck excessively.
Soon, Neska was sliding at full tilt across the field, pinning targets in the chest. She missed a few shots, but kept going, her aim slowly improving. There would be time to practice perfection eventually. She slid under an elevated barrier, then used her [Spring Scales] to leap over another, firing her arrow mid-air, pinning a target just on the other side, piercing all the way into the ground.
Hadley kept pace with her on her own training field adjacent to Neska’s, firing her arrows with only brief pauses. She couldn’t quite run and shoot like Neska could, a small but distinct advantage. However, Hadley’s arrow grouping was uncanny accurate, piercing the targets with her [Mana arrow] ability, going through two targets at once.
Neska wondered if her Vitality score was higher, or if it was years of practice to hit at just the right angle. The Interface didn't instantly offer knowledge. Practice still mattered. She continued her maneuvers, sliding between stationary poles and slithering in a zigzag pattern.
She stowed her bow around her shoulder as more targets popped up at close range. For those, she switched to her [Mana Bolts], firing the burning projectiles one after another, alternating her [Twin Bolt] for the two hit-marked targets to get a full point.
By the time she hit the small metal bell to finish the run, she was panting and out of breath. So was Hadley, though only slightly less so. “Damn, girl. What’s got you all worked up to murder the targets and work this hard this early?”
“Like I said, burning some nervous energy.” She gripped her fingers tightly, slightly numb from using mana in her Abilities. “I need to be at more than my peak. The hive showed even with my powers and training, there’s room for improvement. Let’s go again. I want to try my new passive out.”
“What’s that?” Hadley asked, leaning on her bow and wearing an amused smile. “Gonna heal the Varadur with your love bites and make them kiss and hug humanity?”
“Hardly. Though Juni has reported a mild euphoric sensation when exposed to a larger dose of [Love Bites] that I can’t quite explain.”
Hadley laughed. “You’re saying she likes being bitten? Oh, Neska, you naive child. It sounds like our darling mouse is ‘into things,’ as they say.”
“Huh? Uh, no, biting is not required, only a regular application of [Love Bites].” Neska narrowed her eyes at the scout, lips curling into a grin. “What are you trying to say?”
“Ah, nothing.” Neska had a feeling it was more than nothing, and more of something that she was missing data on. Hadley motioned her over, handing a fresh stack of arrows. “Here, let’s get this underway. I’ll lag behind a bit so I can watch you do your witchery.”
This was the first time she'd tested the new ability. [Witchery] combined archery and hexes, allowing her to imbue a single hex onto a projectile. Because the ability could modify the hex in an unknown way, she had to make educated guesses on the expected effect.
True to her prediction, the [Ember Hex] imbued arrow set the target on fire on impact. It wasn’t a direct replacement for her alchemical imbued incendiary arrows, but it was good in a pinch when she didn’t have time to prepare alchemical munitions.
Next were her [Mana Bolts], which she realized were classed as a hex. This small nuance made her realize hexes typically fell under utility or offense roles. She channeled mana to her hand as she drew the arrow back, wondering how to transfer it.
The answer was simple: the arrow called to it. She could feel an empty spot in the arrow, not physically, but in that interstitial space between where mana did its work. All I have to do is direct my mana through my pathways into this arrow like it's a receptacle, or a potion.
Her first try didn't work. Instead, her [Mana bolt] splintered the arrow from the charged shot, and she winced, clenching her fist tightly. That had stung a bit.
"Uh, your arrow blew up," Hadley said in an amused tone.
"Trial and error." She decided to try again, doing the same thing. She'd pay more attention to the procedure this time. She held the arrow in hand, holding off on setting it on the drawstring. She tried channeling power to the arrow again.
The same result. The arrow glowed, then in a brief flash of light like a miniature thunderclap, splintered. "Damn. Why's the [Ember Hex] work, but not this?" she muttered. "Too much mana? No. There is a mystery to solve. Hadley, how do you channel energy to your arrows when using your Abilities?"
"Usually, very carefully. Depends on what arrows I have."
"You mean the composition of the arrow matters?"
"Yep." Hadley showed her a pack of arrows in her quiver, made of smooth, polished dark wooden shafts with gleaming metal tips. "Not every material reacts to mana the same. Sometimes you need to infuse mana more slowly, nursing it to full power. Though this can be time-intensive. Try again, but slower. Alternate materials might be too much information right now, for an ability you literally self-developed."
Neska glanced at her skeptically, then switched back to her [Spectrum Vision] to watch this, and noted with interest how mana circulated through her body.
Her hex, the standard [Mana Bolt] pulled from a bluish strain of mana within her body, and the mana circulating from her hand to the arrow slowly wrapped around her fingers, but not into the shaft of the arrow. Alright. Okay. Just a little nudge. Slower.
She felt the trickle of energy leaving her fingers, diffusing along the shaft surface, like a breath of fog blowing across a grassy field. This was slower, less intense than what she'd been doing before. Then, the mana seeped into the wood, as if it had turned porous and guzzled the substance greedily.
She let her vision slip back to normal, noting, to her delight, the projectile was now coated in a turquoise aura, shimmering in the dark.
"Fast study," Hadley murmured.
"But it's slow," Neska conceded. "Still, let's see how it performs."
She pulled the drawstring tight, aligning the bow with her body and aiming down the arrow. The world went out of focus--all that mattered was the arrow, and the path it took to its target. She let out the slightest breath of air as she released.
The hex-infused arrow streaked through the air, wisps of blazing blue trailing behind as it screamed toward the target. It impacted the target circle with such force that the entire stand rocked backward from the collision, hitting the one behind it.
Ability Proficiency Increase
Witchery 1 > 2
Additional ranks in the Witchery passive increase the effect of the hex imbued into the projectile.
Finally, success.