Chapter 13: Chapter 12: Marastruck [1]

Chapter 12: Marastruck [1]

“Sigh.”

It was an oddity for most people to say that aloud. For Yuri, however, it was commonplace. In her lonesome, speaking her thoughts into the void of her library was the solace she often longed for.

Everything about being a leader was odd to her. She was far too used to the thin, narrow walls of her father’s wooden home; a constant claustrophobic struggle with barely any space to store items, eat, and sleep. Now she stands in an abode so large her own words echo back to her. With her small and frail body, the moderately sized library felt like its own world. To her, the towering bookshelves looked like mountains, the doors were gates to other realms, and the single desk at the center of it all felt like her throne.

Yet, it was a throne she never longed for.

She often found comfort and familiarity in the narrow passageways between the bookshelves, tracing her fingers along the spines of each and every book. Reading them was an escape from her sometimes harsh reality. Although her job had nothing to do with reading books, she’s more than glad to be stationed inside a library.

“They’re taking forever,” she mutters to herself, pacing back and forth in front of the desk with her hands behind her back. She’s a very timely person, and it was of utmost importance to her that meetings like this aren't delayed by even a minute; likely a mindset she adapted from her studies in medicine.

A gentle tapping on the library door breaks her shallow trance. Yuri rushes down the steps and over to the door, gently grabbing the handle and opening it.

“Well, well, if it isn’t my favorite doctor. How ya doing Yuri?” Francis greets her with a warm smile at the door, with Maru and Tianyu standing close behind him.

“Better,” Yuri answered, her voice soft and quiet. She steps aside and gestures for the three of them to come inside. “I’ll try not to keep you all busy for too long. I’m sure you have better things to do right now.”

“Oh my gosh! You look so cool!” Maru immediately rushes over to Yuri, looking at her up and down and admiring her fresh new appearance.

Tianyu and Francis both turn to look at Yuri.

“Oh, you do look a little different.”

Yuri’s long white hair was always tied neatly into a ponytail, extending down to her waist. What caught their attention, however, were the large robes she wore. To compliment her black pants and dark grey shirt, she wore a completely black haori that fit nicely despite her small size. On her shoulders and back, a white insignia of a mountain surrounded by bird feathers – Redville’s flag – was engraved into her haori.

“Was it part of your promotion?” Tianyu asked.

“Yes,” she answered, “though I’m not sure you could call it a promotion. My position is temporary. It only exists because Redville is going through desperate times. Once the bandits are dealt with and we establish trade elsewhere, my position will cease to exist.”

“I do hope you can keep the coat though,” Maru added, “it looks really cool on you.”

“It would be nice. Anyway, let’s not get sidetracked. I need you all to follow me so we can discuss our findings in a more fitting environment.”

Yuri leads the group to the back of the library, ascending up a short flight of stairs as she motions for them to wait patiently at her desk.

Maru’s nosey eyes wander, taking a glance at Yuri’s desk. It was covered with books on traditional and herbal medicine, along with an open journal and a pencil beside it. Though tempted, Maru decides to not look into the journal – it wasn’t her business.

Behind the desk was a wall, guarded by a few bookshelves. Yuri walks over to them, gently massaging her fingers into the small wedges in between them as she takes hold of the bookshelf in the middle.

“Is she about to lift it?” Maru thought to herself. She didn’t want to be doubtful, but Yuri looked far too small to lift that entire thing by herself.

Just as Maru was about to offer a helping hand, Magic Circles appeared on Yuri’s shoulders, one on each side. They were colored a light gray, with the insignia of a lightning bolt in the middle. Yuri’s arms became enshrouded by grey lightning as she would grab the bookshelf tightly with both hands.

Miraculously, she manages to lift the furniture and pull it away from the wall effortlessly. She steps over to the side with it still in her hands, setting it down in front of another bookshelf.

The removal of the bookshelf revealed a plain brown wall with a wooden door and bookshelves at either side.

“Does every library have a secret room?” Maru asked, somewhat jokingly. It was very commonplace for libraries to have secret rooms in all the stories she read, typically hidden behind a bookshelf. Their usage varied, but their presence alone was considered cliché.

“I’m not sure if every library has one,” Yuri answered, “but this one certainly does, and it’s been quite handy.”

“What is it for? Wait, don’t tell me, let me guess.” Maru clasps her hands together and takes a moment to think. “Is it a super secret room where you hide the world’s most prized books, artifacts, and documents from all the evil bad guys that want to take them?”

An unrealistic cliché that was often included in many of the books Maru has read.

Yuri walks over to the door, pushing it open as she steps inside. The others follow her in, expecting some sort of grandiose room filled with historical artifacts, ornaments, and other prized possessions from Redville’s history.

They were instead met with a fairly dim atmosphere, only illuminated by a singular lantern that sat on a table in the middle of the room with some chairs surrounding it. Books and papers were stacked haphazardly on the table, filled with various text and scribbles that they couldn’t read from where they were standing. The rest of the room was mostly empty and it lacked any soul or personality.

“No,” Yuri answered, “at least not yet. This room is still under construction. It was a recent introduction by Reoh, as he wanted the library to be more similar to other libraries across the world. Soon, the most precious relics in Redville’s upcoming museum will be replaced with replicas and the real ones will be moved here.”

“So, what purpose does this room serve then?” Tianyu asked, somewhat suspicious. Although the room was still under construction, it was still being used for something. The outermost parts of the room were shrouded in darkness, but Tianyu could still see that there were various boxes and rugged crates lined along the floor near the walls, some closed and some open.

“Is it mere storage?” he added.

“That’s what Reoh wants it to be, but I use this room for other things too.” Yuri walks over to the table and moves one of the chairs out of the way. Crouching down, she reaches under the table and grabs a large wooden crate, lifting it up and dropping it into a chair with a hefty thud.

“I use it for research. Whenever I find something interesting, I store it here. I’ve been keeping track of those bandits for awhile now, and I have a bunch of notes on them. Anytime a villager finds something that might be related to them, Reoh then brings it to me so I can do research on it.”

“Is that what’s in the box? All the stuff that’s been brought to you?” Maru asked.

“Yes, but I organize the boxes too. Have a seat.” Yuri gestures for the three of them to take a seat at the table. They all walk in unison and take a seat on one side of the table, leaving Yuri on the opposite side as she takes a seat herself. She reaches into the crate in the other chair, pulling out a large translucent crystal.

“There’s been an abundance of these crystals in places where the bandits have been seen. Sometimes they abandon their hideouts or drop their baggage, and this crystal is always seen somewhere. I’ve been collecting them to see what they are used for, and it’s safe to say we’re not dealing with any run of the mill bandits.”

“We know,” Maru stated firmly, “I’ve come face-to-face with them more than once.”

“You’ve ascended mountains before, right Maru?” Tianyu looks over at her. “You spot plenty of rocks on your journeys up. Have you seen this stone before?”

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Maru nods as confirmation, grabbing the crystal and pulling it closer to examine it. “I’m pretty sure this is Arcanium. When I was younger, I used to see them everywhere at the peak of Redville’s mountains. I haven’t been seeing them that much anymore though.”

“Arcanium…” Francis whispered. “I hear about it all the time, but I haven’t a clue what it does. It’s one of those rare metals, yeah?”

“Arcanium is, for the lack of a better term, the single most potent, durable, and powerful material known to us. For most people, it would pass as a piece of quartz, but for those of us who can wield Magic…”

Yuri holds her hand out and Maru hands the Arcanium back to her. Holding it gently with both hands, Yuri begins to pour some of her Magic energy into the stone. The stone suddenly becomes light gray, mimicking the color of her Magic.

“Arcanium is malleable to those who wield Magic. It can be used to store Magic Energy, or energy of any kind for that matter. Once stored, it can be used and harnessed by anyone, even if they can’t use Magic themselves. Beyond that, it’s borderline indestructible. It’s used to fuel the most destructive of weapons. Arcantalia often feed on it for nutrients.”

“I bet something like that sells for a few hundred Lumen or more. Bandits are probably selling it somewhere.”

“I’d agree with you on that, Francis, but if the bandits just want to sell it for Lumens, then they’d need to get it off of this island somewhere. Normal people don’t need Arcanium. Nobody in Redville would buy it because they can’t use it. It’s usually sold to factions like Fantasia or Yrium, as they have Mages that can utilize it.”

“You think they’re waiting for the right moment?” Francis asked. “They could be storing up a bunch of it at one time and preparing to ship it out all at once.”

Maru suddenly interjects before Yuri responds. “Why would they wait? Redville isn’t super strict about outsiders coming and going. Tianyu was just washed ashore one day and he was accepted into the village. The border isn’t patrolled, nothing is stopping them.”

“It’s not just Arcanium,” Yuri added, “they are storing rocks, wood, food, and corpses. Maru makes a very good point. If they really wanted to leave, they could’ve done so already, but they haven’t. They are adamant on holding everything in there, what for?”

The room falls silent, everyone thinking to themselves about how to answer Yuri’s question.

“You three went into the caverns of the mountain, according to the report you gave Reoh when you returned. I want to know what you saw there.”

“Food and building materials,” Francis responded, “just as you described. I don't recall any corpses though.”

“They had a surplus of everything,” Tianyu added, “I have reason to believe they are at fault for the recent disappearances in the village. Although we saw no corpses, we came across some kind of ritual room.”

“There was this guy in the ritual room -- they called him Gon.” Yuri's eyes suddenly widened once Maru mentioned his name, though Yuri didn't say anything. As Maru continued to speak, her voice became a little shaky. “He’s pretty tall, muscular, with long brown hair and a raspy voice. One of his, uh, 'subjects' was named Deva. They addressed Gon incorrectly, and he just... killed them.”

Francis leans back in his chair and crosses his arms, a little uncomfortable with the thought. “And when their dead body plopped to the ground, a couple of those…” He pauses, unsure of what to call them at first, “‘cultists’ just picked up Deva's body and carried it away. Like a bunch of little ants when they find some food ya dropped.”

Since Francis and Maru were too disturbed by their memories, Tianyu continues. “As we tried to flee, Gon got in our way and attempted to kill us, saying ‘fuel for the flame.’ Halfway through the battle, Maru fell down into a deep hole, likely caused by the cave's weak structure. Francis and I continued fighting.”

He stops there, expecting Maru to continue with her part of the story.

“I fell pretty far down... I wasn't even sure how far I was falling. I ended up in this small area, with a statue and an altar. Beside the statue, there was a journal that I picked up and decided to read. It was filled with all sorts of tales of stories that took place hundreds of years ago. Whomever wrote the journal spoke about slaying gods a bunch and conquering Olympus in the name of Arcanian-kind. When I finished reading it, I went to the altar and that's where I found this staff.”

With one hand, she places the staff onto the table, holding it gently so it doesn't roll off.

“It didn't look like this -- it had a thick stone shell and my father cleaned it off for me. When I grabbed it initially, I wasn't able to let go and I pulled it out of the altar by accident. There was an explosion when I pulled it out and my body was surging with Magic Energy. I'm pretty sure this staff awakened my Magic somehow.”

“I knew there was something off about you when you entered, but I never thought it'd be that. Do you know the basics?”

“Yes. I had a hunch on how to use it, and Tianyu and Francis taught me the basics with Magic Circles.”

“What might your Magic be?”

“Lightning. Sora told me that you had lightning too and that you might be able to teach me something.”

“...I'm not the best teacher.” Yuri's eyes shift over towards Tianyu, “I think I'll leave it to them.” She looks back over at Maru, waiting for her to continue her story.

“...Oh, uh. After the explosion, the statue suddenly collapsed, but I'm starting to think it wasn't a statue and that it was just a man sealed in stone. When the dust settled, I saw a man standing in place of the sculpture after it collapsed. He was tall with long black hair in a ponytail -- he called himself Manho.”

“Did you fight him?”

“Yes! He, uh, kicked my ass pretty bad, but while fighting him I learned how to use my Magic a little bit. During the end of our fight, he kicked me so hard I went flying back up to where Francis and Tianyu were fighting Gon. Gon was about to finish us off, but then Manho appeared and stopped him.”

“And then?”

“And then he spared us, and told us to leave -- so we did.”

Yuri sighs deeply, leaning back in her chair while looking up at the ceiling. “So many loose ends,” she mutters, “with no way to connect them. We know they are hiding something in that mountain, and we know that Gon and Manho are probably related to them, but we still don't have a clue as to what it is they're truly after.”

“It's pretty obvious they're sacrificing stuff in there,” Francis said “whether it be random objects or people.”

Maru takes her staff off of the table, leaning it against the side of her chair. “That should be reason enough to want to stop them, right? If they're sacrificing people, they can't be up to anything good.”

“You're right,” Yuri responded, “but I want to know more. Why use Arcanium? Why do it here in Redville? What the hell is that staff doing here and how did it awaken your Magic? Who is Manho? There are so many questions…” She closes her eyes, attempting to calm herself as stress tries to overwhelm her.

“And why the hell is Reoh making deals with the Marastruck?” She thought to herself.

“You know, Yuri, I think you’d be a really great Librarian for the Adventurer’s Guild.” Yuri perks her head up to see Maru looking at her with a warm smile. “That thirst for knowledge is something they look for in Librarians.”

Yuri’s glare remained deadpan, but she was smiling on the inside. The subtle compliment made her feel better, causing the oncoming stress to fade. She lets out a deep sigh as she gets up from her chair.

“...Maybe, I doubt they’d even listen to me though. That’s not my concern right now. I need more information to get to the bottom of whatever it is they’re doing.”

Maru gets up next, holding her staff gently at her side as she takes a few steps towards Yuri. “What would you like us to do then? Do we need to go back?”

Yuri shakes her head.

“No, not right now. Just head home, get some rest, and train with your Magic. Don’t overwork yourself though, I don’t want you to end up like Sora and become my patient every day.”

“You said ‘not right now’,” Francis pointed out, “so we’ll be heading out eventually?”

“Ideally, yes. I think it’d be great for you guys to go on a recon mission back to the mountains with Sora.”

“What would we be looking for, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Anything of interest. Documents, the equipment they use, any conversations they may have. Any information you can get your hands on while you’re there is crucial.”

“Got it. I know a couple guys that can get us some gear fitted for exploration. I’m sure Maru has some climbing and mining gear too, yeah?”

Maru nods. “I might not need it. I’ve become accustomed to climbing without my gear. I know my way around the mountains though – maybe I could find another route to enter, since they might be expecting us on the same path we used to enter last time.”

“It’s nice to see you guys are already thinking ahead.” Yuri couldn’t help but smile. “That’ll be all for now. I wanted to get a better look at your staff, Maru, but I think it’s better you keep it and train with it. It awakened your Magic, so I’m sure it will play a part whenever you use it too.”

Francis and Tianyu both get up from their seats, gently stretching as they make their way over towards the door with Maru.

“We’ll see you later then, Yuri.” Tianyu and Francis walked out the door as Maru stayed behind for a moment to wave at her. “Do you want us to put the bookshelf back?”

Yuri shakes her head. “I’ll put it back.”

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Yuri stands by the table quietly, too occupied with her own thoughts to leave the room.

“This might end up being a lot more concerning than what I initially thought,” she thought to herself. “I hoped we would only be dealing with some experienced bandits with not so admirable ulterior motives, but I didn’t think we would be caught up with the Marastruck.”

Her train of thought is briefly interrupted by the sound of the library doors closing. Yuri finally leaves the room and closes the door behind her, using her Magic to lift up the bookshelf and place it back.

She walks over to her desk, taking a seat and pulling her journal close to her. As she grabs the pen, she glances down at the last thing she wrote.

11th Helios, 576

“Keep an eye on the Aurem, it’s been active recently. Reoh seems to be passively ignoring it for some reason.”

“On second thought, Maru…” Yuri mutters, closing her journal, “...the Adventurer’s Guild might not be a bad idea.”