Chapter 14: The one before makes me curious
Lumine and and Trevon approached right behind him and looked over Solan and she only chuckled.
"...Isn't that a bit overexaggerated?" She spoke with a slight huff the same calm presence to her. Her voice not raised at all, Solan would think she would become angry.
"...I'm sorry, I didn't mean it...": Solan spoke with displayed sincerity.
"Its alright... That spear is known to carry quite the abnormal weight....". He too spoke nonchalantly despite the current a crack in the floor.
"...That right there young Solan is the spear of 'Tragic Wade'. Its a old story dating from 130 years ago about an Vessel Hunter who went rampage on the marines. Its actually a legend from the ground we currently stand on".
A hunter going rampage? Solan knew where it came from, the past vision of the previous curse bearer who had lost his daughter and blamed the marines.
"...What is it about?" Solan asked, wanting to know the full story.
"Captain Wade was rumored to be the captain of a Anax ship that went by the name 'The red blade', a clique name I'd say myself. He wielded an old vessel rumored to control the air around him... In other words he was strong and powerful... He had lost his family under a fierce battle with a rivaling ship within the marines... He became crazier and crazier to the point of no return... insanity consuming his whole existence..".
There even existed a story about the previous curse bearer. He would have thought that his vessel was ancient but 130 years wasn't that far off.
"...One day, he was said to control his own ship by himself.. which is of course impossible. He shot any ship along the way, injured people and leaving trails of dead people behind him... Arriving at the coast right the sea he attacked this place first... Leaving this place in utter ruins but dying in the hand of the 56th master of Soldat, On his death the spear was the only thing left after he headed towards the abyss".
Lumine smiled at the amusing and detailed story.
"...That's correct, but even the former master and his master before have all said that it just a legend. I myself love how ridiculous the story is...". She said with her hands held together.
"But... There's a saying in general on the sea right? If there exists a legend, there exist clues...". She spoke.
Trevon raised his glasses a bit before speaking up.
"...Is that what you want?" He asked curious.
"...Yes....". Solan said with a strict tone.
Trevon and Lumine looked at each other for a bit before turning back to him. Trevon lowered his glasses before telling Solan.
"Your too young to wield such weapon... Maybe when you get older you can have it, but you'll have to train a lot.. Not even former admiral Joseph can lift it...". Trevon chuckled in his elegant way.
Some soldiers arrived into the vault, struggling to lift up the spear with at least 4 well trained men. Solan kept looking around, the rest of the weapons or armory didn't impress him. Trevon behind him kept yapping about the origin of each weapon he inspected, Though Solan didn't listen and kept looking.
"What's that?" Solan asked approaching a long shelves of pistols. Flintlocks and unique decorated infantry rifles.
Trevon approached and told him
"Those weapons are quite old, they belonged to a legendary criminal around 350 years ago". He told.
"...Legendary raider Gun Hydra, a pirate sought-after by the marines... He wasn't an hunter but he was a terrifying force to be reckoned with. His intelligence was said to be on pair with a war tactician and brought fear to even the grandest of fleets of that time, destroying marine supplies and ships..."
"after our pre-successors finally caught him. he was executed on marine-fort Sandra and his weapons were delivered down here to the south".
Solan reached for one of the pistols. It was heavy catching him almost off guard. Getting a better feel of its form. It was laced with jade crystals 'top of its dark marble base" giving familiar. And inspecting it even closer the flintlock in itself didn't even have any reload hole. Its barrel covered by tiny holes for fire rate and there were no hole where the bullets should've come from. Raising his brows Solan was surprised.
"...How is this even a pistol?" He thought to himself, questioning if it even was a gun.
Trevon smiled a bit amusingly looking at the weirdly shaped gun.
"Maybe I forgot to mention that the fugitive 'Hydra' was a genius vessel user of the element plasma". He said proudly.
Solan thought think of what kind of man that was. He was a Pirate captain, War-strategist and a vessel user? What an absolute nightmare too go against.
"knowing the mechanism of the how the pistol reloads and fire he imbued it with his vessel to operate it like a normal pistol... A smart guy that I'd love to work with, He was a researcher too that studied the art of Leviathans...".
So he imbued his vessel into the pistol... I have tried it with my heirloom and it went wrong, but with these bracelets, I should give it another try. Was Solan's thought before telling Trevon and Lumine that he wanted the pistols.
"You want them? Sure take them... I promised you after all". Trevon said.
Solan took the other one, making it duals now. He imagined how useful these could be in long range battles.
Lumine stood there smiling softly, but in her expression she was more curious then suspicious on why this boy referred jades. She had seen his Jade dagger before... He liked the jade spear and now... a jaded coated pistol?
"...Could Solan be... No, I must be overthinking...". She brushed the thought off and continued on with their day.
***
After the vault visit Solan sat in a meditation form on his bed . Already taking his goodbyes with Lumine who returned to the palace. He could finally start his training again despite the late weather out there with the sun settling down.
He held his jade dagger tightly, not letting it slip out no matter what. He had his eyes closed and breathed slowly. Today was the day he was thinking his vomit could stop... If he wanted to slay Leviathans he would have to become strong fast.
Relaxing his mind he released his vessel. An eerie dark sea-green aura, all of it succumbing into the jade dagger itself. It was simple, Imagine a darkness... and now imagine your body in a bright light. And then feel the only foreign object the dagger in your hand. send down your brightness into it, fulfilling the deed.
"...And just like this... I'm done....": Opening his eyes, he saw his glowing jade dagger. It was similar to how Sarah looked when she used her own sword. It looked beautiful, almost mesmerizing to the eyes with the jade's aura outlining the blade.
"...I think I've reached the first step-". Before he could finish his own sentence his neck twisted in a bit. He couldn't even react before everything around him turned dark.
Just a slight moment later he panted out from sleep, this time surrounded by complete darkness. "..W-What the? D-Did my neck just twist...". He showed his hand onto his neck to see if it still was intact and it was.
"...Your back...".
The voice of a dark eerie distortion echoed through his head. Looking Infront of him a silhouette of darkness appeared. Solan stared in silence, recognizing the voice.
"...Your the vessel before me...". Solan said knowing.
"...Yes..." he answered, it sounded more normal then the visions he had seen from before.
"My name is Wade Lystra... And I am the 5th curse bearer...". A tall man, with a built form wearing that of a black winter garments of a captain. His skin light, long white hair reaching down his eyes blues, The similar appearance to those from the mainland.
"...What.. What is our vessel... Why am I seeing your memories, why can I control dead people!"
"Tell me everything...". Solan asked determined for an answer. His face taking no crap in the face.
The Man stood there silently for a moment before twitching his mouth.
"...The Cursed vessel isn't exactly what you think it is... Its not only able to manipulate energy, Its a vessel that holds other previous vessels..". He revealed.
"...Vessels inside a Vessel?"
"...I remember barely, my memory are hazy... I can only remember things that I'm supposed to tell you". Wade said, palming his temple in tiredness.
"...After all of the former curse bearers received the power of necromancy we could develop our own vessels... I myself could control the undead, but using it was too dangerous for my own body so I developed my own vessel... You've used it before... Telekinesis... The ability to move things from one place to another with your just mind..".
Solan stood there in utter shock. He was saying that he could create an vessel? So the necromancy and telekinesis wasn't just the one he could unlock... but more and even make one himself?
"...And this is my warning..". Wade spoke seriously.
"...The more you use this power... The more sanity you will lose, until the point you've lost all of it... you will turn into a Leviathan... Just like all of the previous curse bearers...". Wade said.
Solan was stunned, shocked to what he had learnt. Turning into a Leviathan? just what tragic curse is this."...If you want to survive the curse, find the first curse-bearer's grave... One of the previous should have had their ship wrecked deep on the abyss's floor with everything you need to use to finish the mission...". He said before taking a pause, staring into Solan's dark eyes.
"Solan... Don't become into monsters like us, find the grave no matter what...".
The Voice faded away and before Solan knew it he woke up on his bed, in the middle of night his body sweating.
"...I-It was a dream?"
He touched his neck, still feeling that it was apart of him. The Moonshine was leaving ray of moonlight into the room. The bed soft almost like you could sleep for an eternity.
"Pierre's grave... Turning into Leviathan...".
Solan stared at his dagger resting beside him. Getting a grip of it he tried the same from before... imbuing it fully and not feeling any backlash. Solan had a lot on his mind now, he had things waiting in the future for him. But as determined as he was, he would find a way to turn things upside down no matter what.