Well, “Evil” is Kind of a Relative Term, Isn’t It?

As Camellia practiced her close-range swings against a wooden dummy, listening to the directions Phoebe barked, she turned the image of the dagger over in her head. She had waved it off in the moment yesterday so as not to worry Damos, but the feathered design utterly baffled her. How had something like that gotten underwater, let alone so far out from civilization?

Bright and early the next morning before training, Camellia had gone to the temple where she met Tethys. Surely the wings here are what that riddle was actually about? But upon placing the dagger into the brazier and saying a prayer, nothing happened. No response. She would have to take the quest literally.

What was the dagger actually for, then? Camellia wondered how she could even make use of it when it was so old and worn-down.

Phoebe didn’t make thinking any easier. “Left! Quicker! Again!”

Camellia jabbed left with the dagger she had borrowed from Damos’ shop.

Just means I’ve got to get above water and figure it out myself.

I’ll show you, Tethys.

A quick learner, Camellia proved herself capable in combat. Over the next week, she fell into a routine with her friends, joining them every single day for training.

Though it began with simple strikes against dummies, Lynn and Phoebe approved of her skill enough to begin sparring, albeit with wooden practice weapons. Each day, she would get a few matches in against each of her friends, learning when to get in close and when to jump back and wait. Here and there, she would even take a few matches against other trainees nearby. She wanted to soak up as much information as possible.

At night, after a dinner with friends — with plenty of protein, thanks to all the fish — she would drift off to sleep while pondering the mysteries before her. Why the wings on my dagger? And how am I supposed to get above the surface, anyway?

Occasionally, a thought of her old life would pop into her mind, but she swiftly pushed it aside. She had no intention of indulging in the anguish of her mother’s death or the sad state of rejection she had been in at the end. I’m in a new place now, she told herself. That’s all that matters.

That can’t be healthy, can it, Obbie? It’s her choice to make, though, I suppose.

One morning, after Camellia had gotten nice and settled into her new routine, Phoebe put forth a suggestion as they walked to the training grounds together.

“Hey, Cammy’s pretty good now, right? I mean, she improved way faster than any of us expected,” Phoebe thought aloud.

Damos excitedly agreed. “Way better than I thought she would be! Um, no offense.”

“Are you going to suggest what I think you are, Phoebe?” Lynn’s voice carried suspicion.

Phoebe raised an eyebrow. “Is what you’re thinking going out beyond the wall? ‘Cause if so, yeah.”

Confused, Camellia interrupted. “What’s beyond the wall?”

Phoebe grinned. “Oh, you’ll see.”

“It’s dangerous, Phoebe. I’m not sure if it’s the best idea,” Lynn cautioned as she pursed her lips. Is she worried about me?

With a shrug, Damos joined Phoebe,” I mean, that’s how I learned most of what I know. Just going out there and doing it. Plus, Cammy’s fast! She could just run if things get bad.”

“What a genius idea, Dammy.” Phoebe stopped in her tracks. “Wait, oh my Goddess.”

“What? What is it, Phoebe?” Lynn leaned forward, eyebrows furled.

“Dammy and Cammy? Ain’t that just perfect?” she cackled. “Dammy and Cammy, swimmin’ in the sea, K-I-S-S—”

Damos shoved her. “Shut up, Pheebs!”

Rolling her eyes, Camellia ignored the joke, instead asking Lynn, “What’s out there that’s so dangerous?”

“So, you remember all the minor deities we told you about? And how they bless us with aspects?” Lynn pointed ahead. “Well, beyond the city limits, there are minor deities that, ah, aren’t so fond of humans.”

“Wait, like, evil gods?” Camellia felt stunned.

Lynn tilted her head to the side, scrunching her face. “That’s a bit of an oversimplification, but—”

“Yeah, they’re evil,” Phoebe interrupted. “And they bless sea life with power of their own. To invade the city and kill us. Evilly.”

“So we go out there and take ‘em down!” Damos pumped his fist in the air, as if to prove his capability. “Makes for really good training, too, since you learn to deal with magic aimed right at you.”

“Hence the danger,” Lynn rejoined.

Stepping, lost in thought, through the blackstone streets, Camellia considered her options. It would be dangerous, yes, fighting against minor deities with full intent to kill — but something deep within her told Camellia that it might lead her down the right path. Plus, like Damos said, it likely made for really good practice. She stopped. “I think I’d like to try it, actually.” Everything for a reason.

Damos cheered, “Hell yeah! Let’s go out there today, then.”

Lynn rested her hand gently on Camellia’s shoulder, sending a shiver down her spine. “If ever you need to get out, just let me know, okay?”

“I will.”

~~~~~~

The first thing Camellia noticed was the quiet. Out in the sandy plains beyond the wall, the bustle of citizens going about their lives was entirely absent. Instead, the sounds of the ocean filled Camellia’s ears, unwinding her tension: the flow of water, the bellow of a whale here or there, the clicks and snaps of sea life communicating. She should have felt at home, but the incongruence in her heart remained, that odd feeling that just being underwater like this was wrong.

As they journeyed further from the city, the team ended up entirely alone. In the distance behind them, not too far, was the colossal wall that— Wait, couldn’t stuff just… swim over that? How does that even do anything?

She voiced the question in her head to Lynn.

“Theoretically, things could just swim over, but the city guard keeps a contingency on guard at the top to stop that,” Lynn replied, stretching.

Camellia paused. “And what about the people? Can they not also just… swim?”

Damos cracked his knuckles, gearing up to fight as he explained, “For people, the same blessing from Tethys that lets you breathe and move around as if you weren’t underwater and stuff keeps you on the ground." He shrugged. "It’s kind of a trade off, apparently. In exchange for being able to walk around, we can’t swim so long as we’re under Tethys' blanket of magic.”

This response caused Camellia to wonder if there was a place where Tethys’ blessing didn’t apply, but before she could ask, Lynn cut the conversation short.

“Get ready, Camellia. They’ll be here soon, now that they’ve heard us,” Lynn warned, pulling out her bag from behind her. She reached in and whipped out a pair of beautiful scaled gauntlets, studded with small pieces of metal on the knuckles and dyed a deep burgundy that matched her hair. Slipping them over her arms, she buckled the straps and moved her arms about, getting a feeling for the fit.

Whoa, she’s hot. Badass.

“Oh, they’re done, nice,” Damos congratulated Lynn as he summoned a weapon of his own, the shimmering sword that now felt familiar to Camellia.

“I’ll stick with Cammy, make sure she doesn’t get chomped in half or anything,” Phoebe said, though she simply stood next to Camellia, not preparing her magic.

With a sideways stretch, Damos looked over curiously. “Not gonna use anything today?”

Phoebe shook her head. “Figured I’d show her how to deal with these bastards with nothin’ but steel and style.” She unsheathed her broadsword and readied her buckler, pointing the sword out to the horizon before them. “Speaking of, bastards incoming.”

Rapidly approaching, wreathed in a deep blue glow, was a small group of dots. Camellia squinted, trying to get a better look, then gasped. “Barracudas!”

Lynn turned her head. “Wait, you know them?”

Readying her own blade, Camellia nodded. “Yeah. It’s weird that they’d approach like that, though. And for just us.”

“Wait, what do you mean, Cammy?” Phoebe asked.

“Well, they’re scavengers, right? And if they attack, it’s quick. Since they’re so quick relative to their prey, they tend to try to sneak up on targets with no warning.” Camellia pointed to the encroaching group. “They don’t approach so visibly, and not in a clear pattern like that.”

Damos stood slack-jawed. “You’re so smart, Camellia! I don’t think we’ve ever even seen guys like these before.”

Less impressed, Lynn narrowed her eyes at Camellia, though she kept her fists at the ready for the approaching enemies. “A trove of knowledge indeed…”

“Enough jabbering, we’ve got company!” Phoebe leapt forward, ready to face the school of predators which was now less than a block away, perhaps sixteen fish in all.

As she raised her dagger in front of her, Camellia realized her arms were trembling.