Red Fish, Black Tooth

Agon used all of his energy to haul Dinorah’s body through the main gates. Before him stood a small town that was littered with stone paths. Houses and shops were spread out from left to right, but Agon’s health was so poor that his sight failed him. His stomach growled and thrashed at the rest of his organs. He wasn’t lying when he told Dinorah that he was hungry, but that issue was overshadowed by something much more dire. Agon needed to find someone, anyone, to take care of Dinorah so he could hurry to the nearest message board; only then could he truly take care of himself. As soon as he passed through the main gate’s threshold, he howled:

“HEEEEELP!”

All the ruckus of Ruchs seemed to die at the snap of a finger, being replaced with curious murmurs and gasps from men and women of all ages. Dozens of eyes poured onto Agon, and rightfully so. To be seen in tattered clothing, pulling an unconscious girl by the arm, a local at that, it was the worst first impression he could have possibly made. His bloodied hands dripped and split in streams down her forearm as he tugged her along to the center of town.

“Please…! There’s not much time! Somebody help her! Ghh!” Another minute passed, as told by Olagna’s burning mark upon him. This only added more urgency to his voice. He wanted to move faster, be more vocal, but all of his energy had been tremendously expended from before. For now, this was the best he could do.

“Y-You know this girl, right? She said she lived here. I-I don’t know how else to help her! PLEASE!” He called out to whoever his desperate eyes fell upon. His strength faltered even more, his knees buckling with each shallow step, and yet, he cried out.

“Dinorah…! Please...help-”

“He…he has Dinorah!!!”

A voice shouted from the forming crowd.

“You’re right! That’s Enson’s daughter!”

Another voice shouted furiously. Agon couldn’t keep track of it all. His entire body felt like it was being pulled apart like tender meat. The crowd enclosed them both, raising their fists into the air and hurling every insult they could find at Agon.

“What have you done with Enson’s child?!? You creep!”

"Where is he from? I've never seen him before!"

“That boy MUST be from Caldivere! They’re all nothing but arrogant swine!”

“Look at that scar on his cheek, and his clothing! He’s just some lowly delinquent. Seems like Caldivere wouldn’t even house his kind!”

“Wha…I didn’t…I’m not-”

“She’s bruised! You demon…! We’ll have your head for this!”

“How DARE you let your tarnished blood paint her skin!”

“You don’t understand…she…I-”

Just before the townspeople began to charge at Agon, a gritty voice roared out from within the crowd.

“MY DEAR RUCHIANS! Please, remain calm!” Another roll of silence pushed through, and the people of Ruchs stood like statues. Just then, a girl with short dark orange hair with eyes to match walked out from the gathered townspeople, adorned in neatly pressed clothing; a halved puffy sleeved shirt with another cropped shirt under, tucked into a pair of high-waisted trousers with freshly shined boots. Her steps were as firm and confident as her voice; the stone beneath her couldn’t help but echo her presence. Agon turned around slowly.

“Why do I hear…water…?”

“THALASSIO…!”

A blob of water spawned from the girl's hand as she lifted it to the sky. She clenched it firmly and swiftly threw her hand back down. Her hand opened again to reveal a magnificent sword, with a hilt seemingly crafted out of rock, and a blade that was made of pure water. She clasped the weapon without an ounce of hesitation. Small streams of water brushed over and around the back of her hand and danced their way back up around the tip of the blade. Agon’s ears perked.

“Wait…that name-URK!”

The end of the weapon met with the back of Agon’s head in a quick yet forceful pommel strike. His grip on Dinorah’s forearm loosened, and he dropped to the ground.

“Do not fear. This boy will be apprehended and taken in for questioning. I ask that two people volunteer to carry Dinorah to the inn so that she can be properly taken care of.”

“Right!” Two men called, running from out of the crowd and carefully repositioning Dinorah’s body to carry her away. As they disappeared with her, Agon watched her silhouette fizzle away into the mass gathering. Everything began to go dark.

“What’s going to happen to the boy, Louger?” Another random townsperson spoke up.

Agon‘s eyes grew heavier; the sounds of an ocean’s waves crashing began to fill his ears, but he couldn't get up to check his surroundings.

“L…ouger…?” Agon muttered.

The waves crashed through his eardrums even more. Just before his eyes fully shut, he caught a glimpse of the blade pointed at his left cheek, lightly tracing his scar. A trail of cold water drooled from the blade’s tip into his etched flesh, forming a brook.

“Leave him to me. I will find a punishment fit to wash away every ounce of sin that poisons his body.”

He strained to look up and make sense of the figure before him. But just as he lifted his head from the ground, the mark burned his chest again, and he collapsed. The last thing he could hear before he lost consciousness was the crashing waves.

“Wake up.”

The voice echoed, and the fierce tides that rang through Agon’s ears softened, reduced to a trickle. He awakened to the feeling of apathetically frigid water at his ankles and no solid ground beneath his feet; yet he stayed perfectly afloat. His body shuddered, and his breathing quickened.

“...W-what…”

He tried to move his feet, but it did him no good. Panic soon took over; his knees practically popped out of their sockets from his aggressive struggling. He then tried to use his hands to try to yank his ankles out, but it did nothing except rinse away the crusted blood from earlier. Agon paused to catch his breath.

“It’s pointless to try to escape. The water detains you.”

“Ah-” Agon looked up to see Louger standing in front of him on a platform. She looked like a statue, so still, but her eyes were disturbingly lively. As he stared at her, she appeared to be in her early twenties. Her voice carried a tone that was similar to Dinorah; this must be who she was modeling her speech after. The thought of the unconscious warrior-to-be instantly tied knots in Agon’s stomach. He shook his head in an attempt to dismiss the thought.

“Are you…” Agon muttered.

"Thalassio."

Louger summoned her sword and held it to her side, placing her other hand on her chest. Her words were sharp and fluent, seasoned with dignity and an unwavering confidence, as if she had a script and had been rehearsing the lines since she was born.

“Noble warrior of Ruchs, and proud acolyte of the pure waters, Louger Fontainez. Tell me your full name and where you come from. As part of a warrior’s nobility, respect is paramount, though you hardly deserve such civility.”

“M-my name…is Agon Cora.

“Are you a Caldie? You don’t seem to carry the pretentious nature of Caldivere…”

“N-no, I’m from…Pier…”

“Pier? That location is unfamiliar to me.”

“I-It’s in the countryside.”

“So a country boy with an ugly scar on his face abuses a girl…”

“I didn’t abuse her!”

Louger pointed her weapon in his direction, aiming right at his chest. As she did so, Agon felt the burn of Olagna’s mark. He gripped his shirt collar and looked down to see the numbers changed to "13:00".

“...Only two minutes passed?”

“Agon Cora…” She parroted. She examined his thinning body. “As the greatest warrior of Ruchs, the mayor of this town has given me the right to wash away any sin I lay my eyes upon, and you are no exception. I have placed you in my water den. It is a personal domain where I hold my prisoners, and where you’ll be given just punishment from the purified tides of the sea. It looks as though you haven’t had any proper sustenance in…two nights, I gather?” She spoke with a more inquisitive cadence now.

Agon’s eyes twitched.

“H-How could you-”

“My title is not just for show. A great warrior must have tremendous observation capabilities, amongst unparalleled strength.. What still baffles me, however…is how you managed to wound Dinorah so drastically in this pathetic state.”

“I already told you, I didn’t do that to her! The Elbrus did!”

For a moment, Louger’s eyes showed a hint of tension.

“The…Elbrus…?”

“Yes! I-NGH!” The mark shifted to “12:00”. Agon caught his breath and continued.“We were trying to help it…! Louger’s grip on Thalassio tightened at his rebuttal.

“Choose your next words carefully...” She warned.

“Dinorah said she…wanted to help it out. It didn’t make sense to me at all, but she just kept going on about it. On our way here, we ended up actually seeing it, and it tried to attack us. Dinorah and I both tried to calm the beast down, but…”

Louger furrowed her brows, waiting for the boy’s next words. He inhaled deeply as regret washed over his body like the water at his feet.

“The Elbrus knocked her out, and…I killed it to save her.”

Louger’s demeanor seemed to change; it was a very slight change, but it seemed as though an air of relief blanketed her. She lowered her weapon back to her side and pondered Agon for a moment; every facet of him was studied under her sight. The burn of his mark caused him to wince, but he tried to mask it by attempting to struggle once more under the water’s grasp. Eleven minutes left.

“Agon…I refuse to believe your words. I’ve witnessed countless wretches spout lies in their last moments, wasting their breath before it leaves them forever. Although, for the sake of briefly entertaining your insanity, you should know that the beast you saw…has existed far longer than you and I have been alive. You should also know that you did not kill IT, you killed ONE.”

“...W-what are you saying…?”

“The Elbrus is not one mere beast, but rather a race of divine creatures that were first discovered during Ruchs’ founding, within the Ulrich Woods. Their damage stains the very dirt of this town. They attacked the early Ruchians for trespassing on their ground, though there was no warning issued prior. Since those times, the Elbrus have been wiped out from the Ulrich Woods in a ruthless war; not a single Ruchian has set foot inside since then. Their stench plagues the grove to this day. And yet…despite all this…you claimed to have still happened across one.”

“Listen, I’m sorry-ACK!” Another minute slipped through Agon’s fingers. However, Louger didn’t pay his sudden spasms any mind.“I-I’m…sorry that your people got attacked, but Dinorah and I have nothing to do with that!”

A multitude of shadows faded into view below Agon’s feet, and the surface of the water began to ripple. Each shadow donned a predatory glare through vivid purple eyes.

“Have you heard of the Blacktooth, Agon?” Louger surveyed, while taking a finger to her blade and stroking it softly. “They’re a beautiful class of sea creature; small in size, roughly comparable to a common river fish, but equipped with power that rivals that of a ravenous water serpent. The Blacktooth can devour their prey from the inside out, without ever having to break the skin. When it phases through your body, it deadens your bones, your veins, your organs; every molecule of your being…until they’re reduced to mush, sloppily pouring out from your shell of flesh.” Louger walked slowly to the edge of her platform, holding Thalassio firmly in the air.

“W-wait…! Louger WAIT! I killed the Elbrus! I helped Dinorah! I never laid my hands on her!” A mission box appeared before Agon.

NEW MISSION: ELIMINATE THE SCHOOL OF BLACKTOOTH. REWARD: 25:00 BT.

“A likely story. Should you survive by the miracle of the Greater One, I may just hear it to the end.”

Agon heaved. A memory of Olagna’s voice rang in his head.

“...I concluded that you were just a pompous soul, some bratty spawn meant to make me look bad in front of the Greater One..."

“Did you just say-”

“TENSION…” Louger shouted, Thalassio standing proudly above her head. As soon as Agon’s chest burned another minute away, she yelled out.

“BREAK!” With excellent precision, she threw Thalassio into the water, the blade’s tip stabbing the surface. In an instant, the water began to ripple, and he fell through, sinking like a stone. The Blacktooth hungrily followed him below.

“Roll with the tides, you sinful wretch,” Louger whispered to herself. She retrieved her sword and watched it dissipate in her hands into a puddle of water nestled in her palm. Agon now only had nine minutes to live.