A Port of New Promises

A slam at our bunk door awoke me and Lucia. As the man quickly shouted afterward: "Apprentice Icarus and Lucia. We'll be arriving soon at Manchester's Port. Get all your things ready."

The wooden boards around us provided glimpses of sunlight that helped us see in the room. I turned towards Lucia as she was still sleeping. I got up and began reequipping my weapons and readying my pack. I walked towards Lucia and gave her a delicate nudge with my hands to help her wake up. Her eyes began to groggily open as she gave a dopey smile towards me.

"Are we already at the Isles, Icarus?"

"Yeah. A man just knocked on our door to get ready."

She gave a silent nod before preparing all of her things. Eventually, we left the room and began walking to the top deck. A bunch of fellow novice inquisitors discussed within the underbelly of the ship as we minded our own business. After a few sets of stairs, we reached the top deck.

We saw Manchester on the horizon. Ash and smoke flooded the skies as the entire atmosphere was a depressing gray. Buildings were several stories tall with big vents that were the supply for the smog-filled land. Lucia walked towards me as I looked back to view her. A saddening gaze showed in her expression.

"This is what has become of the fabled homeland of mana?" She tried to express while hiding her cracking upset voice.

"I suppose so, but we have no time to sulk for what has become of the land. The Isles paid the price for their Industrial Revolution."

We began to slowly dock as I saw a closer-up of the streets. Trash and feces riddled the streets while everyone walked in a clustered hivemind to their workplaces. Shiphands assisted in anchoring the boat. Lucia followed me as I got off the boat walking towards a tavern we were to rendezvous at.

"Hey, Icarus? Have you ever hunted a monster before? Like independently without the Order's request?" Lucia inquired sheepishly.

"If I'm going to be honest Lucia. Yeah, I have. Before I went to study as an inquisitor, I had already hunted monsters. However, they were always lesser ones. I'm still unskilled with handling a lot of the creatures on the Isles, but this is the perfect time to learn."

She gave a light hum as we walked on the sidewalk. The quiet, yet busy streets of Manchester gave a catharsis to me. The organization of the city had a calming effect. It was as if everyone was moving in unison, no one going out of line. Although, some part of me believed there was a wrong in that. There was little room for entropy, it had seemed in this city, and to be sent to investigate issues of arcane creatures in the Isles was a bit concerning.

We arrived at the tavern, Lucia rushed ahead of me and entered seconds before I reached the door. A man behind the bar yelled and waved at me.

"Ay! Apprentice Icarus, it seems you finally found apprentice Lucia, eh?" The man said boisterously.

"Found? I don't know what you mean. Lucia and I have been together since the start of our voyage."

The man began to scratch his scruffy beard as he squinted at me before saying: "But you were here fifteen minutes ago, apprentice. I gave you the orders to investigate the crypts just west of the city."

I began to tilt my head. The man himself was unfamiliar to me. I looked at Lucia as she seemed confused as well.

"We just arrived in Manchester about ten minutes ago. We went here as soon as possible."

"That's odd, I talked to a man who looked just like you, apprentice Icarus. He had the same eyes as you."

I looked at him and then Lucia as a gut feeling of adrenaline started to kick in. I quickly leaned over the counter.

"Where's the nearest stable that I can borrow a horse?"

The man gave an inquisitive look at my hyper action as he pointed at the back door.

"We had two horses set up for both you and Lucia, but it seems one was taken already."

I quickly grabbed Lucia's arm and ran through the backdoor. She yelped at being dragged before quickly following my stride. Slamming the back door open, I saw a horse roped to a nearby pole as I quickly mounted the saddle and scooted to the front. I motioned for Lucia to get on right behind me as she became flushed for a moment.

"Ride on horseback with you, Icarus? But we've barely known each other. I feel this is a bit sudden." She said in a shy tone, blushing obviously.

I groaned as I unsheathed my sword and cut the rope that was holding the horse.

"This is not a romance novel, you fool. We are allies, now hop on for the lord's sake."

She quickly snapped out of her suggestive mind as she mounted the horse as well. She wrapped her arms around my waist as I whipped the horse with the leash for it to take off. Going through the alleys and streets of Manchester proved difficult as crowds of people and carriages proved to be obstacles. I looked at the sky quickly to confirm we were going westward. The sun was rising behind us as it confirmed we faced the West.

"Why are we in such a rush to the crypts, Icarus?" Lucia asked in a panicked expression while she held onto my waist.

"It's obviously a damn shapeshifter that took my appearance. No other way to explain why someone would look identical to me. We need to make it there before the shapeshifter does."

After a couple of minutes, we reached the outskirts of Manchester. In front lied woodlands as I made sure we continued to head westward. I quickly glanced at Lucia as I patted her leg.

"Get your pistol ready, we will be reaching woodlands. Also, hand me your silver saber."

She quickly complied as she quickly handed her sword to my left hand. I shouted the word: "Mors". As Lucia's saber began to be enchanted with a dark necrotic aura. Meanwhile, Lucia loaded her pistol with fiery rounds as she held to my waist with her right arm.

"I'll try to ride as straight as possible. If any woodland cursed beasts arise, just try to land a shot on them."

"Trust me Icarus, I studied as well. Fire-enchanted rounds will do just the trick." She said confidently.

Before long, my prediction was right. Behind us, I heard howling and a stampede of footsteps behind us began to arise. Gunshots fired from behind as Lucia began shooting her pistol. The sounds of fire blazing and loud whimpers pictured the scene perfectly as I kept my head straightforward. However, a few wolves ended up at the side of the horse. The creature had the shape of a wolf but its flesh was of wood. The eyes were pure blue crystals composed of mana that glared right at anyone's soul.

An accursed wolf on the horse's left side tried to pounce at my chest as I timed my slash to land on the wolf's neck. The wood there splintered as a decaying effect began to deteriorate the creature's body. I glanced to my right as one wolf remained. Lucia holstered her pistol as she swapped her arms around my waist and held out her right hand towards the wolf. She shouted: "Glacies!". As the ice shards landed on the side of the wolf, making it go prone and stop in its tracks. We continued to rush to the crypts as if every second mattered.