Spirit Chronicles - Chapter 002~reunion and separation~

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Spirit Chronicles
Chapter 002~reunion and separation~

The two had traveled quite a ways before Hix realized that his calculations were wrong. He really should have made a trip to the store and bought more food. After all, there were two people now, not one. The food ran out twice as fast.

It also wasn’t long before April had gotten fed up with Hix. Not only was he an Ark, he was going to get them starved to death. My, her attitude took a 180 degree turn over the course of a few days... But Spirits were just hated like that. There was no helping it. And so, humans who had Spirits in their bodies, whether they liked it or not, were hated too. As soon as there was a fork in the path, barely noticeable among the long golden reeds waving in the wind, she determinedly took the path he didn’t take. Nothing he said to her convinced her otherwise. He hoped that, at the very least, they ended up in the same city. The maps pointed that both routes led to the same destination anyways.

There were various advantages and disadvantages to being an Ark. The most obvious was the ability to control Elements by manipulating the Fragments that made up the world. Everything was made of Fragments, from the air people breathed to the bodies they inhabited, to the Elements that were the weapons of so many Spirits and Arks. Elements were the Spirit equivalent of Magic, which humans practiced, but came much more naturally to them and were much more powerful. Magic wasn’t natural at all; it was forced controlling of the Fragments through use of machines and symbols.

Connected to the power of controlling Fragments were the Ark’s ability to heal and summon their weapon. Since everything was made of Fragments, the Ark hides his weapon’s Fragments in his body, calling upon it when it is needed, and healing comes naturally if he imagines the way his body healing. It was as simple as that.

However, despite all the advantages of this power over the Fragments, there were disadvantages too, Hix realized, as was all too evident in April’s disgust for Spirits. Humans and Spirits had apparently been at war for many years now, many years before his birth. He didn’t know the whole story though, nor did he really go out of his way to find out.

And like this, Hix continued on his way, pondering over the way the world works, when he suddenly realized he was absolutely starving. He must have walked several miles, and there was still no town in sight. Perhaps he was the one who had taken a wrong route?

Just on time, a cart could be heard clanking over the small dirt chunks on the road. Clopping of hooves, and the swishing of reins. Was he saved? Hix ran eagerly towards his to-be-savior, empty-handedly. His bag had been taken by April earlier.

“Hello?” Hix stopped at the side of the road, waving his hand wildly in the excitement.

The person on the cart looked up. He was wearing a straw hat, with rims so big and so low that it was a miracle he could see anything before him. He wore a white shirt with extremely loose sleeves that waved back and forth with every step the horses took and a light blue cape, forked in the back, that hung loosely, attached in the front by a vicious-looking dragon brooch. His pants were a tight black and tucked inside a rather large pair of brown combat boots. An odd outfit for anyone driving a horse pulling a cartful of hay. His long, dark braid flopped to and fro as he moved nearer.

Long, dark braid? “Kit, is that you?”

The person looked up, lifting the rim up so that he could have a good look at the speaker. And then, recognition. “Hix!!” The person promptly shed the hat and leapt off the cart onto Hix, who just barely managed to catch him.

“You idiot, you’re lucky that those horses are well-behaved!” Hix was flustered.

“Haha, of course they have to be, if I’m the one that’s driving them,” the boy responded with a smile.

Yes, the person was a boy. He was rather short, only coming up to Hix’s chin at best, but he was energetic enough to make up for it. His bangs laid over his face, with two tufts of hair poking out and down over the ears on each side, one pair making him look like he had dog ears. His yellow eyes were a shade paler than Hix’s eyes, and much larger. He was probably called feminine by a few people because of that. And, moreover, Hix knew that Kit was an Ark as well.

“What are you doing here?” Kit asked in his ever-so-polite manner after detaching himself from Hix. “This is a ways from where you live.”

Hix frowned. “You know as well as I do I don’t ‘live’ anywhere specific, so I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t be here more than I shouldn’t be somewhere else. But enough of that.” He directed his gaze to the cart.

Kit noticed this and smiled. “Do you want a ride? I can give you one. With a fee, of course.”

“You bastard, you know I’m not paying anything for a damn ride.”

“Haha, yeah, I know. Just get on.” With that, the two boys swung themselves onto the cart and rode along down the road. “So what brings you to this neck of the woods?”

“‘The plains’ is more I like it. Actually ...” Hix paused for a second, “I was kind of supposed to escort a girl to the next city over, but let’s just say I lost track of her.”

“You had a fight, didn’t you.”

“Of course not! ...Okay, maybe we did fight.”

Kit laughed. “You were like that last time too. You argued with the innkeeper so badly my mom thought you were going to bring the whole place down.”

Hix groaned. “Please don’t remind me. Anyways, I wanted to bring her and find her a place to live, but I don’t even know if she’s going to end up there at all or not.”

“This area is pretty safe. There’s hardly any Spirits here, and fewer bandits. She should make it before us.”

“Before? We’re on a cart, she’s-”

Kit shook his head. “You took the long way, didn’t you realize?” he said in a teasing manner. “Two sides of a triangle. She took only one. I just happened to be coming from another town, and you just happened to be at the junction.”

“Save your bookish metaphors to yourself. How long will it be before we arrive?”

“Not long. In fact, I think I see it in the horizon.”

Sure enough, in the distance rose a thin black line that grew steadily thicker and thicker as the wheels rolled on.

“Great. I could’ve saved myself the indignity of hitching a ride by walking for another half-hour.”

“Nah, if you’d done that, I wouldn’t have met you. Besides, I think my parents missed you or something. I heard your name mentioned quite a few times in their conversations.”

“Me?” Hix wondered at that. It wasn’t like Kit and he were close or anything, much less with his parents. Kit just happened to be his client last year, with a few errands to run (one of which had pertained to the aforementioned innkeeper), and that business had gone off without a hitch (minus the business with the innkeeper), and with quite a few rewards too.

The city approached, and as the two neared, Hix saw that it really hadn’t changed after all this time. A giant iron gate, engraved at the top with the words “Weinsberg,” rolled into view, and around it were two-story houses, each with a tidy, brown roof and trimming and white walls. It was worlds apart from Kaysa.

The people inside all wore strange clothes, similar to Kit’s, minus the cape. As Hix and Kit rode the cart past the crowds, Hix saw quite a few looks of disgust, as though the smell of the hay would contaminate their expensive clothes. The women wore large feathered bonnets and elegant dresses, with intricate cuffs and laces and folds that made Hix’s eyes hurt just to look at them. The men wore suits of various stiffness and hats of various types.

So the two passed until they reached a stable somewhere in the west corner of town. The two jumped off and, as Kit handled the horses, Hix went in to the inn. Luckily, the innkeeper was male. “Hello.”

“Hey there! Looking for a room for the night?” The innkeeper miraculously managed to call out as he tended to about five other customers.

“No, sorry. I was wondering if you’ve seen a girl, about fourteen, around here.”

“Fourteen? Sure! There are lots of them wandering around the streets. Go and hook yourself up with one. I’m sure you’ll succeed with your looks,” the innkeeper guffawed.

“That’s not what I meant!” Hix felt a slight blush creeping up, “She’s wearing a kimono of some sort and has blue eyes and long brown hair.”

“Oh, specific now, aren’t we?” (Hix resisted the urge to kick the guy in a bad place. Then again, maybe it was only because he couldn’t reach that place through the counter.) “Nope, haven’t seen her. Why don’t you try the other inns around town? Maybe you’ll find the type of girl you’re looking for there.”

Irritated, Hix still managed to pull off a thanks before huffing out of the inn. He saw Kit waiting for him outside, snickering silently. “Oh shut up and help me find her.”

“Can do, sir,” Kit choked out between breaths.

The two split up to search through various inns. Hix didn’t get any productive results. Not even the gatekeeper had seen such a girl, but then again, there were lots of people flowing in and out of the town to the nearby Kratzenfurt, which was a nearby trading town, the closest the Land of Cerebraille had to a “port town,” as the place was landlocked. That was the gate on the northern side, the other side of town though. No one willingly walked through the plains in large groups to visit a couple of low-down villages.

Hix decided to check up on how Kit was doing. Looking around, he found the brunette quite easily, mostly due to the unusual long braid hanging off the back of his head. Hix sighed at the sight. Kit was peeking around corners, without asking a soul, and sneaking silently to and fro. “You still haven’t gotten rid of that bad habit, have you?”

Kit jumped. Turning around, he was relieved to find Hix. “Ahaha, yeah,” he laughed meekly. “I haven’t found her though. Maybe we can check tomorrow and find her there. It’s getting dark soon anyways.”

“Hmm.” Hix didn’t like the idea of leaving a girl alone in a city like this, especially for the night, but at this rate, they didn’t really seem to have a choice. “Perhaps a few more before we call it quits.”

Kit sighed but nodded in agreement. “Let’s look in the one to the north of the town.” They hadn’t searched there yet.

Hix could hear the rowdy catcalling of the drunken men from a mile away. They were clustered in the inn. The northern end of the town was apparently usually reserved for travelers, as there were fewer and fewer inhabitants as the two continued towards the inn. Soon, they had gotten quite close to the inn; now the only problem was getting in far enough to see if April was actually in there.

“Hix … can we leave? I’m sure she’s not here, and my nose is killing me,” Kit whined, pinching his sensitive nose tight.

“Y-Yeah...” Hix said, moving to walk away. Then he suddenly stopped.

“-that bandit Schvariz? He’s definitely gone north…” A drunken slur and a belch.

Hix swerved around quickly. Who had said that? With all the noise, he couldn’t tell one voice from the next, but he had definitely heard that name. Hix clenched his fist in anger. So he was still alive and he’s gone north now, has he? He shoved his way through the crowd, trying to pinpoint the voice.

“I heard he works for the capital, what’d you think?

Hix turned left. That was where the voice came from. He ignored Kit, who was calling frantically behind him.

“Capital? Pff … prolly, and then they pay him gra-” The man was cut off when Hix grabbed his shoulder and swung him around.

“Do you know where I can find this Schvariz?” Hix said calmly, though his eyes flashed menacingly.

“Hah? Who’re you?” The man tried to brush Hix’s hand off, but his grip was strong. He clenched tighter. “Damn you, leggo!” He stood, knocking Hix back, as he was much taller than the boy was. “You think you can just come in an’ order us what ter do?” He charged Hix, only to meet air and receive a kick in the stomach that sent him flying over the tables.

“I’m asking you to tell me where that damn bastard is!”

The other man rose from the table, his chair clattering on the ground. He charged … only to find that he couldn’t. “What the...?!” He jerked his feet, but they wouldn’t move. A thin layer of light blue had formed over the ground.

Meanwhile Kit had somehow made his way to Hix and grabbed his elbow, tugging him. Hix looked down at the frantic boy, nearly in tears, and gave in. With one final look at the two men, he followed Kit out into the streets and away from the inn, where a huge crowd, larger than before, was gathering.

“Um ... Are you okay?” Kit asked when they were finally a good distance from the place.

“Yeah. Everything’s fine. Let’s go.” Hix looked calmer now, taking deep breaths as though trying to cool himself down. After he had gained his composure, the two continued.

“Was that you back there?” asked Hix.

“Huh? What?”

“The ice.”

“Y-yeah. I didn’t want-”

“Guess April’s not there.” Hix cut him off.

“Yeah, guess not,” Kit said with a sigh.

The two continued south towards Kit’s home. Hix barely remembered it, even though he had only visited and stayed overnight there last year. All he could recall was that the place was gigantic, a mansion only the luxurious could afford. As soon as the two turned the corner, Hix knew that his memories were correct.

There stood the grand place, a three-story building with ornate roofs, decorated at the tips with small sculptures. Surrounding the place was a tall stone wall, the only opening being a huge iron gate. However, Hix suddenly noticed, it was the person in front of the gate that captured his attention.

“April!”

The girl looked up when her name was called. Her bow was a little loose, clothes a little dirty, and hair a little ruffled, but otherwise she looked nice and healthy. She looked at Hix, then looked away, slightly miffed.

The two ran up to her. Hix couldn’t really think of anything to say, so Kit, seeing his awkwardness, chipped in. “Hi, do you have any business at this house?”

April turned to Kit in surprise, as though just noticing him for the first time. “N-no, not really. I was just wondering if I could ... stay for the night.”

“You know, you usually ask inns for that,” Hix said, breaking out of his hesitancy.

April glared. Then she held out Hix’s bag, which he gladly took back.

Kit looked from one to the other with a questioning look on his face. Giving up, he walked past them to the gate and pushed. The iron hinges creaked as the surprisingly light doors swung open bit by bit. “That’s okay. The two of you can come inside. I’m sure my parents would love to have you.”

“Thank you.” April smiled before throwing a nasty look at Hix.

A nerve twitched at Hix’s temple. “Thanks.”

Kit let the door close behind them and fell back in pace with Hix, letting April lead the way. “Actually,” he said in a low whisper, “my parents had been asking me to look for you. Apparently you left a good impression for them last year, and they’ve been looking for you since. You’d already left though, and I don’t know if they still need your help.”

“Hmm.” Another job so soon? Hix didn’t know whether to consider this a good or bad thing.

The two entered the front doors, with Kit bowing to a butler before hurrying in. Hix just ignored him. The inside of the place was magnificent. Indeed, the mansion was too large to really be called a house, but too small for a real mansion. It was a sign of luxury, at any rate, with glistening glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, lighting the whole main hall in a warm glow. The carpets were a clean red, which, Hix noticed unhappily, their shoes were soiling quite well. April waited right by the door.

“The host usually goes first.”

“W-what? Oh, right,” Kit stuttered as he hurried forward.

A voice suddenly sounded from a nearby room. “Kit, is that you, honey?”

“Yes, mother.”

A woman rushed into the room, skidding to a halt in front of Kit and almost literally pouncing onto him. “Oh, my dear, how’ve you been! You were gone so long we were so worried! Your father was about to go out and find you-”

“With a revolver.”

“Well ... yes, with a revolver. But it was for your good!” At this, Kit’s mother straightened. “Oh, and who’s this?” She walked over to April. “Are you a friend of Kit’s?”

“N-”

“Yes,” Hix cut her off. “We’re friends with Kit. It’s been a while, Mrs. Berhelein.”

“Oh, Hix!” She caught him in a warm embrace, which Hix almost awkwardly returned before she detached herself from him. “It’s certainly has. Why didn’t you visit us once in awhile!”

Because you were my client, not my mother? “I had other jobs.”

“And is this your-”

“No, she is not.”

“My name’s April.” April introduced herself with a small bow.

“Oh, how polite!” The mother returned the bow. “My name’s Caitlin Berhelein. Nice to meet you.” Caitlin turned towards the stairs, and shouted, “Hey, Georg! I’ve found a great wife for Kit!”

“Mother!!” Kit’s face was beet-red. He was so flustered he didn’t notice his father until he was behind him.

“You know, you should scare either of them like that,” Georg said with a disapproving look at his wife. He nodded to Hix, who returned the gesture, before turning to April. “Nice to meet you. My name is Georg. I’m assuming, if you’re here this late at night, then you need a place to stay.”

“Actually, now that you mention it...” Hix looked at his shoes.

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Caitlin said, “You can stay for as long as you want. We’ll even prepare dinner and a bath for you.” She hurried out of the room again. “Wait right there, I’ll be right back!”

Georg looked at Hix. “I’m sure you’ve heard from Kit.”

“Yeah.”

“Come with me for a bit,” he said as he started up the stairs. Hix followed him. He guiltily noticed that the man wasn’t wearing shoes.

In a room somewhere to the left at the top of the stairs, Hix settled down across from Georg as he waited for this new request. Usually it took him at least a couple weeks to find a new job, so this immediate one was a nice welcome. It did mean he had little time to rest though. “What is the new job?”

Georg sat with his head hidden behind his hands, contemplating. Hix could see the man’s bushy mustache twitch as he contemplated what words to use. “We have a delivery that we’d like you to take.”

“A delivery? To where?”

“A resident of the Eagle Clan of Notoboreas.”

Hix raised an eyebrow. That clan was right at the base of the Rift and stood almost directly over the Labyrinth. Needless to say, it wasn’t a good place to travel to. “May I ask why…?”

“It’s not usually in your habit to question your customers, is it?”

“No, you’re right.” Hix thought for a bit. This trip shouldn’t be too much of a hassle. “What’s the reward?”

“You’ll find out when you get there.”

Now that wasn’t a very satisfactory answer, was it? “I trust you that this isn’t a hoax, but how would I know that this journey is actually worth it?”

Georg paused. “How about this. I’ll give you a deposit now of 2000 lyras. If you get the job done, you’ll get the rest of the payment.”

2000 lyras? That should pull him by for at least half a year. Even if something happened to the rest of it, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. “All right. I accept. When do you want me to get this to them by?”

“Just as soon as possible. I was originally going to ask you to deliver it last year, but you disappeared before I had a chance to ask.”

“Haha, sorry. An urgent request came up and I had to leave.” Hix grinned. Though the man seemed serious at first glance, he wasn’t all too bad.

“Now, if you’d excuse me, I believe I smell my wife’s dinner being served.” Georg stood and picked up the package lying at the edge of the desk. It was a small thing, one that could easily fit inside his bag. “Here’s your package. Don’t open it, and don’t lose it.”

“I wouldn’t even if you didn’t say so.”

Smiling for the first time since Hix had arrived, Georg placed a hand on his shoulder. “Good. I trust you.” He paused for a second before adding, “It all depends on you.”

Hix raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, Georg had opened the door and was waiting for him to leave. Hix took the cue. “So, what do you think about April?” asked Georg, in an attempt at conversation. “Do you think she’d make a good wife for Ki-”

“No.”

The subject wasn’t raised again.