Umbra Pradicatio - 4

I awoke several hours later to the sound of rustling within the confines of my room. I didn’t bother to sit up, let alone open my eyes, as my first thought was that my pet Vivit stirring. But then the realization struck me; Vivit was at the Pet Pavilion. In Wizard City. So I was then visited by yet another thought; who the fuck was in my room?! I sprung up, and created a shadowy blob in my hand the size of a baseball and held it to the intruder’s face while gripping their neck.

“Ah! Good morning to you too, Mr. Assassin,” came the familiar voice of Variska. She was sitting at my desk, flipping through my documents.

“Variska?! Why the hell are you in my room?!” I scorned. I allowed the shadow to dissipate, and relaxed a little; releasing the feline’s warm neck.

“How did you get in? How did you find me?!” I continued.

“Your friend Zamir gave me a key, and he told me where your room is. He’s kinda hot. And I was bored, because I assume you’re about to ask why I decided to invite myself in,” she smirked. To do list for tomorrow: Change the lock on my door, and murder Zamir. Hmm. Stereotypes aren’t that far off.

“You think Zamir is hot?” I asked in disbelief.

“And that one Druid I saw in the courtyard, and that horse who tends to the stables, and--”

“I swear to God!” I groaned. The panther giggled at my comment, which was then followed by a wink.

“How long have you been here?” I asked, now concerned.

“Only like, an hour and a half,” she stated casually, now back on topic. I sighed.

“Well were you waiting for something?”

“You to stop sleeping. It’s overrated; you can sleep when you’re dead.”

“Well I’m awake. What do you want?”

“What, like in a metaphysical sense? Nothing.”

“You know what I meant.”

“Oh. Some rope, duct tape, and you back in that bed.” She performed her infamous giggle once again.

“Variska…”

“Someone to take me into town. I’ve never been to Lokumari.” I looked at her quizzically.

“You’re serious?” I asked. She nodded. I stifled a yawn.

“Why do you want to go into town here? There’s really nothing significant or important there and stop looking at my chest,” I ordered. Her wandering eyes worked their way back up to my face, and the accompanying lips curled into a mischievous smile.

“Seriously.”

“Well I rarely get to leave that apartment, let alone see the town in Marleybone; what with Drakon and his…FUCK! We left him in Marleybone!” she cried in frustration. I couldn’t help but snicker at her sudden outburst.

“It’s alright. I’m sure he’s not missing you.” She glared at me, then giggled.

“Hmm. I like you. You’ve got that sarcastic arrogance that I find extremely sexy,” she whispered slowly as she approached me.

“Really now. Because first you try to kill me, then you make out with me. Then you tie me up, and then jump out a window with me. As far as first dates go, I was getting mixed signals,” I explained. She winked at me, and threw my shirt at me, which I wasn’t aware she was holding.

“Get dressed; we’re leaving in fifteen.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you stop being so perverted. I swear, I can’t carry on one conversation with you that doesn’t contain some inappropriate comment or gesture. I haven’t known you for a day, and I’m ready to slit my wrists.” Variska sighed, either with embarrassment, or annoyance. I don’t fucking know anymore.

“Fine. But hurry up.”

“Yes ma’am.” She glowered at me for a moment, and then left the room. I pulled my shirt over my head and slipped my boots on, and then collapsed backwards onto my bed. I stared up at my ceiling, more contemplating that admiring the handiwork of several slightly overweight bears that evidently possess the ability to define ‘drywall’. This girl’s…unique. And not in the lovey way. In the, God-forbid-there-be-other-people-like-her kind of way. I’d have to watch her closely; after all: keep your friends close, and your potential murderers closer. I laid there for several more minutes, until I nearly fell asleep again, when Variska got impatient.

“Hey, wanna take a few more years?” she nagged.

“Calm down, I’m coming,” I groaned as propped myself up onto one arm. I decided to finally stand, and made my way to the doorway. I stuffed my wallet into my tunic pocket as I passed my maple dresser, and opened the door. She was leaning against the wall to the immediate right of my doorway, forcing yawns to emphasize her boredom.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be, I guess.” I turned and inserted my key into the lock, while Variska (unbeknownst to me) had taken my knife still hidden in my boot.

“Nice dagger you’ve got here. Obsidian double-blade, chrome handle, and I’m pretty sure those are silver enchantment stones. I know some people who’d kill for this,” she explained as she played with it in her hands. I swiped it from her and returned it to its sheath.

“I know. How do you think I got it? Now don’t touch my knife again.” She stuck her tongue out at me. I rolled my eyes and began walking down the hallway. Variska trotted behind until she caught up, at which point she slowed to a walking pace equal with mine.

The trek from the palace to the edge of the town was relatively eventless. I discovered the King had ordered a moat be built around the property to keep out goblins; they like to steal crops. The structure was just about completed, given its current appearance. Moats have water. Zamir doesn’t like water. I know what my revenge will entice.

We shortly thereafter arrived at the threshold to the city, which was bustling with excitement. The sun was still high in the sky, as it was only four in the afternoon. The town itself had two main roads, that met at a perpendicular intersection in the center of town (in the middle of the intersection was a monstrous, fifty foot high gaudy golden statue of the King, but it’s too glorified and pretentious for my liking). Lining the edges of the two streets were small shops or carts managed by penny-pinching vendors. From where we were standing, I could see a bear woman haggling the price of some food with the card owner, who happened to be an orange Mander. In the street itself is where the majority of activity occurred; I could see two young cows playing with a ball, and soon after located their mothers having a discussion nearby, laughing when one of the children tripped (after he got back up and laughed himself; of course). Behind them (from my line of sight) were several goat farmers carrying baskets of crops and the like, and near them were soldiers of the King, taking a break. The self-appointed leader of his group of three; a bulky shark, seemed to be telling a story while smoking a cigarette; while his two companions (a wolf and a crab) were listening intently; roaring with laughter when the shark said something amusing. This is what I love most about Lokumari: the diversity. This world was created a few years back to be the location of the King’s palace; and rapidly grew into the colossal city I’m standing in front of. I turned to Variska, whose mouth was slightly agape.

“Well? What do you think?” I asked with the smallest smirk. Her attention snapped back to my face.

“It’s amazing! I’ve never seen so many species in one place at the same time like this before!” she exclaimed. I couldn’t help but snicker. Noob. Before I could comment, she grasped my hand and dragged me (quite literally) to a nearby vendor cart. In it, were a wide display of exotic fruits and vegetables from Zafaria. A kind zebra woman smiled sweetly as we approached.

“Welcome, children! Care to try one of my rare Paiperica fruits? Only twelve-hundred gold each!” she sang, and gestured towards a blue, hourglass-shaped looking fruit. Eh. Why not; I like fruit. I nodded, and handed the woman twenty four hundred gold (one fruit for Variska and I, respectively) and we each selected the one we liked the best. I bit down into mine first, and savored the sweet flavor overcoming my mouth. It tasted like some wonderful combination of peaches and strawberries; minus the excessive juices. I smiled a little at its tantalizing flavor, and finished it within seconds. Variska obviously enjoyed the taste was well, but took her time consuming the fruit.

“Take care now!” the woman called as we began to walk away.

“You too,” I responded over my shoulder. Variska was nearly finished with her snack as we passed a florist vaunting her wares to nearby business competitors.

“You like it?” I asked. Variska looked up as she swallowed the last bite of her fruit.

“Mmmhmm!” she hummed; incapable to talk because she was licking the juices from her fingers.

It’s pretty relaxing, being here. It’s not overcrowded, so you at least have some elbow room. And the wide array of inhabitants certainly prevents discrimination towards ‘outsiders’. And the mezzo forte uproar the city itself emits isn’t too overbearing. It’s nice here, to say the least. It was in this daze of relaxation that another issue arose.

“Move it!” a harsh, deep voice ordered as I was shoved to the ground. I quickly regained composure and stood back up; scanning the area for the poor dumbass foolish enough to lay a hand on me. I quickly spotted the assailant, and immediately wish I hadn’t. He was still facing me, an expression of satisfactions plastered on his face. The Shark Knight towered over me, physically. Physical appearances are one thing. Skill sets are another.

“Hello, Graal,” I sighed. The knight scoffed.

“I didn’t give you permission to speak.”

“I didn’t give you permission to step outside this morning.” Variska snickered a little at this, which earned a stern glare from the Celestian.

“I don’t have time for you. I’m late for training,” he groaned.

“Don’t break a nail,” I taunted. Both Variska and some nearby civilians laughed at this.

“Why you little worthless, disgusting, unintelligent, spineless piece of shit!” he roared.

“Really, spineless? If anyone here is spineless it’s you. Literally. I mean you anatomically have no spine.” Variska stepped in between the knight and I, obviously finished watching the fight.

“Okay, boys. Knock it off,” she ordered.

“And who are you to tell me what to do?” Graal replied. Variska raised an eyebrow.

“That’s none of your concern.” The Shark huffed, and whipped his body around in a show of defiance.

“Wouldn’t want to hurt a pretty lady like you, anyway,” he stated childishly.

“Aww, you think I’m pretty?”  Variska cooed. The shark growled as he trotted away. We glared holes into his back until he was out of sight.

“Who was that? He’s cute,” the panther questioned. I looked at her awkwardly.

“He’s the Knight Captain. And seriously? Anything. That. Moves,” I stated flatly. Variska stared at me in disbelief.

“Really now.”

“Yup, although he never really does Knight-y stuff. He’s more like a public spokesperson; you know for the media.”

“What’s his appeal?”

“He looks strong and capable. The people love it; they feel protected.”

“Psh. I could take him down in five seconds flat.” I cocked my head at the cat.

“Well don’t you sound sure of yourself,” I mocked.

“Why wouldn’t I? I mean, I floored you and had you knocked out in minutes.” She giggled.

“I hardly think that was fair. You fucking dive-bombed me, and you’re an…Umbra…whatever that was.”

“Why isn’t it fair? You weren’t wary enough of your environment, and I was simply utilizing my resources.”

“Well if you’re so sure of yourself, care for a rematch?” I challenged. She looked confident in herself.

“Anytime, Mr. Assassin. However, I hardly think us kicking each other’s asses in the middle of town is appropriate. It’s not the time,” she observed. I chuckled.

“I believe now is the perfect time,” I said as I gestured towards a flier pinned to a building. The two of us walked over to it, and I ripped it from its wall. I read it aloud.

“The Genus Campane has returned once again to the world of Noctis, and is bigger than ever before! Some of the best fighters from all over the Spiral have come to compete in the famous Race of the Bells, and it’s no surprise. The grand prize this year is a doozey; the late King Torak’s legendary Blade of the Screaming Shadows. Collectors and warriors from all parts have come to claim this prize, and who wouldn’t, given its immense power and mysterious origins? Registrations begin Monday, and will end Friday at midnight. Fighting begins Saturday morning, and the winner will be announced that evening.”

“What is the ‘Race of the Bells’?” Variska asked. Noob.

“It’s a competition that’s been around since Noctis was created. Basically, it’s a magic duel, combined with a race. It’s both mentally and physically taxing,” I explained. The expression on the panther’s face stated I had cleared next to nothing up for her.

“The goal is to knock all of your opponents out of the arena, and then ring the golden bell at the end of the court. The arena itself is basically a giant, sentient, universal elemental obstacle course on an elevated platform, surrounded by water. It’s basically alive, and until all but one contestant is left, it’ll spring up random traps and blockages to hinder contestants. You can win by either ringing the bell, or knocking all your opponents off of the platform.” She looked excited.

“Sounds like fun!”

“You up for it?”

“Only if you’re ready to get your ass handed to you on a silver platter,” she smirked. I wasn’t intimidated.

“Sounds fine by me,” I sniggered. She growled quietly.

“I hope you know you just bought yourself a one-way ticket to a world of pain,” she stated.

“Did I get a good deal on it?” I asked. The cat punched me in the arm, and I chuckled while rubbing the spot she nailed; girl packs a punch.

“Where do we register?” she asked. I scanned the flier for an address or location, and discovered there’s a registration booth set up at the base of the Rokaria statue in the center of town.

“At the statue, evidently,” I stated. We made our way down the street towards the obelisk, passing several brutes, who I assumed had recently registered. We soon found the end of the short line leading to the booth, and stepped into it.

“I guess we found out just in time; competition’s tomorrow,” Variska pointed out.

“Kinda killed the moment, though. We need to wait until tomorrow for a fight we want today,” I argued.

“Doesn’t matter if it’s today, tomorrow, for a century from now, I’ll kick your ass any day.” We sat in heated silence until we reached the front of the line, to find a sweet cow lady in a traditional red Mooshu kimono sitting at the booth with a thick pile of paper in front of her.

“Welcome to registration for the Race of the Bells!” she sang. I stepped in front of Variska.

“Name please,” she said.

“Wolf Deathbringer,” I responded. She wrote it down in the next blank area on the sheet.

“Species?”

“Elven.” The woman looked up, surprised.

“It’s not often you find one of you around these parts; I thought you were extinct,” she whispered.

“Nearly,” I replied with a wink. The cow giggled, and redirected her attention to her papers.

“World of origin?”

“Avalon.”

“Thank you, that’s all sweetie. Competition starts tomorrow morning; best not be tardy.” I nodded, and stepped to the side to allow Variska to register.

“Welcome to registration for the Race of the Bells!” she repeated. Must be scripted. Poor woman.

“Name please.”

“Variska Luskari.”

“Species?”

“Panther.”

“World of origin?”

“Marleybone.”

“Thanks sweetie! Competition begins tomorrow morning, don’t be late.” Variska bowed, and stepped out of line next to me. We started back to the palace.

“You’re elven?” she asked curiously.

“Yup.”

“But you’re taller than me…”

“Don’t associate me with those doddering imps. Those are hybrids between gnomes and goblins. Only reason those are the more commonly accepted depiction of an elf is because they’re far more plentiful (overbearingly so) and have similar ears. They tarnished the name of elves, and make us look like jittery twits.”

“Well they aren’t far off,” the feline sniggered. I glared at her and shoved her.

“So do you like…have pointy ears?” she asked cautiously. I nodded, and combed my thick ebony hair behind my ears, revealing their point. We continued walking in the relative quietness of the town.

“How come you don’t use magic?” she suddenly asked.

“Excuse me?”

“Well I noticed that when you came to find me, you didn’t have a wand. Or a deck. Or anything, for that matter.” We stopped walking, and sat down on a large grey rock at the edge of town.

“It’s Bartleby,” I stated. She glanced at me quizzically. “He’s dying. The source of all magic is dying, so it’s all falling apart.”

“Then how do the children in Wizard City keep using their magic?”

“Ambrose has enough reserve energy set aside for the relatively weak magic the students use. But if you were to use a real spell, all hell would break loose. It’d be all chaotic.”

“Chaotic, hmm?” she asked mischievously.

“So if were to do something like this,” she taunted as she pulled out a small rod from her boot. It was golden with brown leather straps mummifying the shaft. The top of which held a golden object resembling a crescent moon, the center of the outer curvature attached to the rod. In the center of which was a ruby, which occupied the space between either end of the small moon. The whole object glowed gold, save the ruby, which pulsated with a red light. My eyes widened as I recognized it as a Scepter of Lunar Wrath from ancient Celestia. Where the hell did she get that?!

“Variska, don’t,” I commanded and stood up.

“And then pull out one of these,” she continued and swiped a Treasure Card from her pocket. From where I was, I could see it was an Efreet. Shit.

“I said stop.” I backed away warily.

“And then do something like this,” she teased further as she began drawing the symbol for the Fire school in the air directly in front of her with a trail of yellow mana following the swift motions of her wand. However, I didn’t grant her enough time to finish, as I snatched my ebony dagger from my boot, and chucked it at the spell card. The blade swiped the card from the feline’s hand, and embedded it in a nearby tree. The fiery emblem dissipated from the air, the cat glared at me in annoyance.

“Do you know how much that thing cost?” Variska raised her voice.

“It costs so much because you can only get them on the Black Market,” I retorted. She stayed quiet. She neared the tree to retrieve her card, when I physically grabbed her by her shoulders and pulled her backwards. I stared into her confused amber eyes, and held her back.

“Do not touch my knife.” The girl groaned and sat back down, while I obtained the items.

“Look, nowadays, without Bartleby’s magic to keep order in balance, spells literally go out of control. Meaning you summon creatures, and they do what they want,” I explained.

“That’s stupid.”

“I don’t disagree.”

“Then how do the children in Wizard City continue their spellcasting?”

“Ambrose is powerful enough to sustain the minor magical flow of that world, as they young Wizards aren’t very powerful.”

“Now where did you get that wand?” I nodded towards the rod in her hand.

“I borrowed it.”

“From?”

“Some dead guy in a hole.”

“You’re going to hell.”

“Well then I’ll see you there, sweetie,” the panther winked at me, and stood up.

“Let’s go back to the palace,” she said.

“Fine by me. I’ve got a cat to put in his place,” I replied.

“Don’t hurt him! He’s so cute!” the girl cried, half seriously, out of fear for Zamir’s well-being, and half out of sarcasm.

“I’ll do more than hurt him.”