The moon… whatever it was called, shone its dim, yet perpetual light down onto the resting city of Etris.
To be frank, there were many mysteries about Lumen and its luminants. In fact, most people didn't know why the livable region of the world was called Lumen in the first place. It's sort of like a game of telephone, except spanning thousands of years. Lumen was split into five luminants… well, more like four… Each one dominated by a separate faction.
To the west reigned the Authority, clad in their medieval-like armor. They held vast control over the central luminant, though their power seeps into the eastern luminant and its sub-regions.
Farther west rules the Hundred Legions. As described by their name, the Hundred Legions are infamous for their 100 divisions of infantry. In the western luminant, every piece of land light touches is theirs.
All but the Eastern luminant, which no faction truly held a strong foothold in. Sure, the Authority might have some presence in the western areas, but they're contested by multiple lesser factions.
Past the great iron gates that separate the regions of the Eastern luminant, to the east, lies the Etrean luminant. Calm tranquil waves rolled onto the shore, a contrast to the swells of the eastern luminant. Thin forests hummed with the sound of wildlife, though its paper-thin canopy was not as dense as the jungles to the west.
Two major settlements were present on the land. The isles of Vigil to the south, and Etris to the north.
High above craggy cliffs and jagged splits through the land, Etris stands above the tides of the depths. A humble, yet bustling town, one of the only towns of that nature throughout the Eastern luminant. Rustic, yet simple like houses wore red shingles on their roofs. Copper and iron pipes ran through the houses and lands like snakes.
Even higher above, taller than the pyres of stone; half a thousand steps clasped onto the land. Tall gates welcomed visitors… most likely to their deaths. Tall walls embraced the land, protecting those outside rather than those within. At the center stood a grand palace. Its pagoda-like architecture blends in with the surrounding cliffs. Lanterns adorned the corners of the grand roofs. It was the palace of Etris.
The palace of the false king.
***
Quies held the soft leather covered book in his right hand. He hugged it against the cuirass of his leather light armor.
Valerie walked beside him. She held up a vial in front of her face with a clear liquid inside.
"What's that?"
"Amnesiac. The thing that will make our subject forget all about this. Wanna hold it?"
"Um… sure?"
Valerie held out the small vial to Quies, holding it near the cork at the top. Quies grabbed it with his free hand, making sure not to accidentally drop or spill it.
A drop of sweat formed on his palm.
He grabbed it from her, and held it up in front of him. Curious, he lightly shook it.
"No, no!"
Valerie jumped to snatch the vial from Quies. He didn't know why she reacted the way she did.
'All I did was shake it…'
Valerie held the vial close to her eyes. Quies, looking from the side, saw some sort of solid precipitate forming. It turned the bottom of the liquid partly cloudy, but only a small portion of it.
"Good, this is still usable…"
Valerie mumbled to herself.
"Don't shake it! You almost wasted a perfectly fine vial of amnesiac! Do you know how much I spent on this? That potion inflation I talked about was real, you know!"
Quies looked at her like a deer to a pair of blinding headlights… whatever a deer was. Also, why would that creature stare at a dinghy's headlights… searchlights?
'What am I thinking…'
"Why would a potion become unusable if it was shaken? That's just… stupid."
Valerie gave Quies the usual suffocating gaze, forcing him to look away.
"...Sometimes I have to stop myself from punching you in the face. Or maybe I should punch your solar plexus and leave you breathless."
"People would be breathless just by looking at you."
"H-huh?"
Valerie's face turned from an annoyed look to a look of pure bamboozlement. She sighed, her ears falling slightly flat. Quies' face froze in an awkward sort of smile.
"Oh my gosh, what the depths are you even saying?"
She looked down in disappointment and rubbed her forehead. She looked like she was trying to rub the stress off of her mind.
"...are you still gonna slam me into a wall?"
"If you keep talking maybe I will!"
"O-okay…"
Quies studied Valerie's expression. It was… hard to read.
Not hard to read as in she had a stoic and expressionless face. It was hard to read, as in her facial expressions changed around 48 times every second. Quies had already been thrown into a wall one time today, he didn't need to be thrown into a wall again.
'Maybe I can read the bloodrend manual if I'm careful.'
Quies and Valerie continued walking down the dimly lit streets of Etris. They were re-entering the commerce and entertainment districts and leaving the residential districts. Their target location required them to pass through again.
After walking around and getting the chance to visit his parent's house, Quies had gotten used to the weight of the large Zweihander on his back. It had practically become a part of his body. It was yet to become an extension of his arm, but that would come from practice.
Quies grabbed his arms, feeling the muscle strain. Valerie had worked him hard, but not hard enough to where he wouldn't be able to move his arms. Maybe when he woke up the next day, his arms would be frozen rock solid, but for now, they were still articulated.
He closed his eyes and tried to tune out the world for a moment. Just for the fun of it, he tried to listen for Valerie's song. Since she walked right beside him, he could hear it rather clearly.
He shifted his focus to his arms, and blood enhancement followed. He could feel his muscles ache a little less.
To tell the truth, Quies wasn't confident. He wasn't really confident in himself to be able to keep up with Valerie in this upcoming... thing. It had only been almost half a dozen days since all of this crap happened.
Was it really worth it to keep refining his song?
It would only land him in more situations like this. But then again, did he have a choice?
Does he really have freedom?