BLADE
A beige stained envelope crinkled as it landed onto the table in the center of the basement, spilling blurry black-and-white photos. Through the blur, maybe one could make out a few figures, silhouettes moving back and forth along the walls of a castle.
"Still no luck, Cruz?" A muscular man with a full hazel-colored beard and blue-tinted soldier's uniform walked in, taking the assault rifle strapped to his back and hanging it on a lonesome hook in the wall.
"Sorry, Rey," A woman standing over the table said. She was dressed in a cyan-colored blazer, with one sleeve hanging limply. "Even with the camera filters, all I could pick up were these blurry photos. Would have taken some without the filters, but Charlie smelled something coming and I had to bail; though, I don't think anything's changed. Can't tell anything about these that we didn't know before."
An old golden retriever came up to Cruz's feet at the sound of his name, sitting at her side and waiting for a possible treat. Cruz put down the photo in her hand and reached into her pocket for one.
Rey joined Cruz at the table to look at the photographs a little more carefully. Rey picked up a photo of the castle gate, turning the photo over a couple of times to check the back. His eyes scanned it over...
"Besides the blur we've been seeing, I don't see anything unusual. It's the guardsman, Waterson, and we've already got an extensive file on him." He put the photo down. "If anything, the lack of anything else unusual here confirms what I was thinking."
"If we took these photos with the mana-filtering device a few years ago, this blur effect wouldn't be here, right? And if I removed the filter, I'd get a clean picture, but there'd be a lot of crucial details missing. Waterson's figure, for example." She scratched her head, trying to connect the dots. "Are we sure this isn't just some sort of anti-intelligence barrier put around the castle? It would make sense, given the nation's history of war and all."
Rey shook his head and reached for a handbook lying on a shelf. "The organization started to see this effect a few years after the Third War, some years back, remember," he clarified, flipping the pages to a mountain of written notes. "If this were just a magic barrier to hide the activities of the castle from enemies, it would have been erected sometime during the War itself, not after. The workings behind a ward like that are fairly simple." He put the book back. "But I figure that the two events are still linked, somehow."
Cruz sighed. "Sheesh, at this rate, how on earth are we going to be able to overthrow the throne if we don't even know what we're going to be walking into? I don't think the org wanted to give us an impossible job, but..." She reached for a swivel chair and sat herself down, thinking. Something then occurred to her: "Hey, I know I'm grasping at straws here, but do you think she's somehow related to it?"
"I wouldn't dismiss the idea," Rey responded, crossing his arms. "If what that girl was saying is the truth, then it might explain at least the mechanism behind why we can't get any proper intel on the castle. Though, it's still a hard story to believe."
"We should at least have some idea of what to do if we still can't figure it out before the deadline's up. Same schedule as before, right? Start Project Crusade in a week, instigate a rebellion, let said rebellion pave the way for us first? Though, I was thinking we might be able to bring Tasogare along?"
"Did you call for me?" a soft voice chimed in from the door to the basement. A cloud of dust raised, then parted to reveal a girl with long raven-black hair and form-fitting carbon-gray survival gear, with a ominous sword glowing with golden and dark-violet accents in her hand.
"Well, speak of the devil," Rey remarked. He didn't turn away from the notes strewn on the table, though. On the other hand, Cruz gave an enthusiastic wave, before whispering to Charlie. The dog stood up and retreated to the back of the room afterward.
"Devil...?" Tasogare tilted her head, a little puzzled at the figure of speech.
"It's a just a saying," Cruz clarified. "In any case, you just came back from the castle, right? Did you see anything?"
She nodded slowly. "This definitely isn't what I remember. From what I remember, the spear-wielding guard standing in front of the castle was stouter. There was also scientist talking to him that I didn't recognize at all."
"She must be talking about Dr. Kristine Burr," Rey noted. "A prominent entomologist and a minor leader of the Guard. She has a reputation for the time she spends walking around the castle walls and the short-fused temper she carries with her."
"But if Tasogare honestly didn't recognize her, then it's likely she's not actually from these parts," Cruz continued. "But she claims that this country is her homeland, so..."
"I'm telling you the truth." Tasogare remained where she was, staring firmly at the two mercenaries in front of her. "This is my home, and I had fought against the Castle Low in a rebellion before. But these circumstances don't match any of what I remember, and I don't see any sign of the rebellion I fought in anywhere. It's as if..." Her eyes suddenly took on a tense shade of violet. "I jumped back in time."
The three remained silent for a while. Rey then took a seat himself and leaned back, groaning. "Time travel isn't possible from the current views of both science and magic. So unless you're from the far far future - and I don't think Castle Low would remain in power for that long - that's not likely."
"Even then, shouldn't we at least consider it, Rey?" Cruz interjected. "If there's a possibility that it's related to whatever's happening around that castle..." She pulled out a camera from behind a shelf, attaching a filter to the lens before taking a snapshot of Tasogare.
The camera immediately spit out an image: a fairly normal image of the stranded fighter, given the poor lighting in the room. But Cruz's eyes widened when she saw a faint blur around the sword she was holding; around it, a cerulean aura only visible in the photograph, which was itself obscured by a slight blur.
The two mercenaries nodded to one another. "Tasogare," Cruz started, "could we ask you that when we do infiltrate the castle, you come directly with us? We, ah... we think there's something important about you that we need to confirm."
Tasogare nodded, holding her sword in front of her in a sort of salute. "If it's the least I can do for you, I'll do it. Even if I don't know what's truly happening, I want to be of use while I'm here. I just hope that you can help me back home, after all this."
If Cruz took one more photo, they'd see the blue aura around the sword flare even brighter. But despite not being able to see the power from that blade, they could still feel it. Somehow, they both understood: there truly was a mystery in that castle, and in that blade, that they would have to face in the near future.
"Still no luck, Cruz?" A muscular man with a full hazel-colored beard and blue-tinted soldier's uniform walked in, taking the assault rifle strapped to his back and hanging it on a lonesome hook in the wall.
"Sorry, Rey," A woman standing over the table said. She was dressed in a cyan-colored blazer, with one sleeve hanging limply. "Even with the camera filters, all I could pick up were these blurry photos. Would have taken some without the filters, but Charlie smelled something coming and I had to bail; though, I don't think anything's changed. Can't tell anything about these that we didn't know before."
An old golden retriever came up to Cruz's feet at the sound of his name, sitting at her side and waiting for a possible treat. Cruz put down the photo in her hand and reached into her pocket for one.
Rey joined Cruz at the table to look at the photographs a little more carefully. Rey picked up a photo of the castle gate, turning the photo over a couple of times to check the back. His eyes scanned it over...
"Besides the blur we've been seeing, I don't see anything unusual. It's the guardsman, Waterson, and we've already got an extensive file on him." He put the photo down. "If anything, the lack of anything else unusual here confirms what I was thinking."
"If we took these photos with the mana-filtering device a few years ago, this blur effect wouldn't be here, right? And if I removed the filter, I'd get a clean picture, but there'd be a lot of crucial details missing. Waterson's figure, for example." She scratched her head, trying to connect the dots. "Are we sure this isn't just some sort of anti-intelligence barrier put around the castle? It would make sense, given the nation's history of war and all."
Rey shook his head and reached for a handbook lying on a shelf. "The organization started to see this effect a few years after the Third War, some years back, remember," he clarified, flipping the pages to a mountain of written notes. "If this were just a magic barrier to hide the activities of the castle from enemies, it would have been erected sometime during the War itself, not after. The workings behind a ward like that are fairly simple." He put the book back. "But I figure that the two events are still linked, somehow."
Cruz sighed. "Sheesh, at this rate, how on earth are we going to be able to overthrow the throne if we don't even know what we're going to be walking into? I don't think the org wanted to give us an impossible job, but..." She reached for a swivel chair and sat herself down, thinking. Something then occurred to her: "Hey, I know I'm grasping at straws here, but do you think she's somehow related to it?"
"I wouldn't dismiss the idea," Rey responded, crossing his arms. "If what that girl was saying is the truth, then it might explain at least the mechanism behind why we can't get any proper intel on the castle. Though, it's still a hard story to believe."
"We should at least have some idea of what to do if we still can't figure it out before the deadline's up. Same schedule as before, right? Start Project Crusade in a week, instigate a rebellion, let said rebellion pave the way for us first? Though, I was thinking we might be able to bring Tasogare along?"
"Did you call for me?" a soft voice chimed in from the door to the basement. A cloud of dust raised, then parted to reveal a girl with long raven-black hair and form-fitting carbon-gray survival gear, with a ominous sword glowing with golden and dark-violet accents in her hand.
"Well, speak of the devil," Rey remarked. He didn't turn away from the notes strewn on the table, though. On the other hand, Cruz gave an enthusiastic wave, before whispering to Charlie. The dog stood up and retreated to the back of the room afterward.
"Devil...?" Tasogare tilted her head, a little puzzled at the figure of speech.
"It's a just a saying," Cruz clarified. "In any case, you just came back from the castle, right? Did you see anything?"
She nodded slowly. "This definitely isn't what I remember. From what I remember, the spear-wielding guard standing in front of the castle was stouter. There was also scientist talking to him that I didn't recognize at all."
"She must be talking about Dr. Kristine Burr," Rey noted. "A prominent entomologist and a minor leader of the Guard. She has a reputation for the time she spends walking around the castle walls and the short-fused temper she carries with her."
"But if Tasogare honestly didn't recognize her, then it's likely she's not actually from these parts," Cruz continued. "But she claims that this country is her homeland, so..."
"I'm telling you the truth." Tasogare remained where she was, staring firmly at the two mercenaries in front of her. "This is my home, and I had fought against the Castle Low in a rebellion before. But these circumstances don't match any of what I remember, and I don't see any sign of the rebellion I fought in anywhere. It's as if..." Her eyes suddenly took on a tense shade of violet. "I jumped back in time."
The three remained silent for a while. Rey then took a seat himself and leaned back, groaning. "Time travel isn't possible from the current views of both science and magic. So unless you're from the far far future - and I don't think Castle Low would remain in power for that long - that's not likely."
"Even then, shouldn't we at least consider it, Rey?" Cruz interjected. "If there's a possibility that it's related to whatever's happening around that castle..." She pulled out a camera from behind a shelf, attaching a filter to the lens before taking a snapshot of Tasogare.
The camera immediately spit out an image: a fairly normal image of the stranded fighter, given the poor lighting in the room. But Cruz's eyes widened when she saw a faint blur around the sword she was holding; around it, a cerulean aura only visible in the photograph, which was itself obscured by a slight blur.
The two mercenaries nodded to one another. "Tasogare," Cruz started, "could we ask you that when we do infiltrate the castle, you come directly with us? We, ah... we think there's something important about you that we need to confirm."
Tasogare nodded, holding her sword in front of her in a sort of salute. "If it's the least I can do for you, I'll do it. Even if I don't know what's truly happening, I want to be of use while I'm here. I just hope that you can help me back home, after all this."
If Cruz took one more photo, they'd see the blue aura around the sword flare even brighter. But despite not being able to see the power from that blade, they could still feel it. Somehow, they both understood: there truly was a mystery in that castle, and in that blade, that they would have to face in the near future.
Return to the fateful castle
December 21st, 2017
Only available on Skype
December 21st, 2017
Only available on Skype