Cloudspire

⭑ · · ᯓ 𐃈 ᯓ · · ⭑

“You’d think with those big, pointy ears you’ve got, you’d be able to hear a little better!” Kite barked. “I said who died and made you leader of the party? We should all chip in on our trip plans, as equals. I don’t care who you used to be, lady.”

“I was simply trying to maximize efficiency in completing our mission here, and that involves distributing our efforts around the island settlements.” Elora retorted. “…And at least I have ears. Where are yours, I wonder?”

“I have ears, dummy!” Kite’s cheeks flushed red in anger. “They’re under my hair beside my winglets. You might know that if you knew shit about anything!”

Back at it again…

Felix sighed as they disembarked amongst the other passengers, few as they were, with the rumors coming out of the place as of late and the festival drawing people into the Citadel.

Interestingly, none of them matched the visual profile of the person who had been listening in on their conversation either, not a grey feather in sight. Noticeably absent, too, was the Storyteller.

I wonder if he overslept after drinking so much…?

Felix briefly considered going to wake him up, but a crew member would find and wake him during room checks, if necessary.

Despite it being so early in the morning, the two women in his party argued passionately as though it were the heat of the day. At first glance, few would have guessed they had arrived as Cloudspire’s supposed saviors. Felix couldn’t blame those people.

“I’m certain I know more than you, at least, thief." Elora lugged a heavy suitcase down the wooden steps to the island below as the airship hovered close to the ground. “I just hope your magic is as potent as your mouth.”

“And who told you I used to be a thief, huh?” Kite glanced at Felix, who was busy trying not to intervene. “Was it this idiot?”

“You did, just now.”

“Why, you little…”

As their bickering continued, Felix took in the sights.

Cloudspire was the name of both the volcanic isle and the largest village resting at the base of its cone. Important to the Windian economy for its extraction of a mineral called mythril, used in weapons and armor, the party’s arrival was heavily anticipated.

The volcano itself was threatening in a way: a giant rock floating above the crater at the summit, and a mouth naturally carved into its face—glowing orange with exposed magma. Though there hadn’t been an eruption in some time, according to a member of the Halfwing’s crew, locals had begun whispering that its long sleep might soon end.

However, that was the least pressing of the isle’s problems at the moment.

“Welcome, adventurers, to Cloudspire.” A human man, a rare sight in Windia, greeted them as the three touched solid ground. “Your presence is most appreciated. I am the interim chief of the village, Bruno. Things have been rather hectic lately, but we do hope you find your stay comfortable in the lodging we’ve prepared.”

The man was burly and broad-shouldered like a laborer, though his manner was measured and formal.

“Thank you for having us,” Felix spoke respectfully in the place of Kite and Elora, who had only just finished their squabble. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s the situation look like for the afflicted? The request mentioned a sleeping spell of some kind…?”

“We thought so at first, but…” The interim chief with long, brown hair and thick brows rubbed his chin. “It would be better if you saw them before deciding. Come with me.”

. . .

They stepped into the small foyer of a villager’s home, having been invited in by an older harpy man, maybe in his mid-to-late fifties. Worry painted his weathered face, his eyes darting to the bed just beyond the threshold and back to Bruno.

“She’s… over here. My wife.”

He still seemed unnerved by the armed strangers crowding his home, but he allowed them in further. In the soft glow of a hearth, they approached the bedside where a woman rested. Like her husband, she was a harpy with grey hair and black feathers. She lay motionless, her breathing steady.

“That’s odd…”

However, her hazy, unfocused eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling. It was an unusual sight for someone who was supposed to be asleep, Elora pointing out as much. Kite silently agreed.

“How long has it been since she opened her eyes, Cliff?” Bruno asked the man.

“Since last night... Is that helpful to know?”

“These adventurers have kindly agreed to investigate, so any information might prove valuable.” The interim chief explained before turning to the trio of adventurers. “We had the village priest attempt to dispel the curse, but the ritual failed. He, too, fell victim not long after.”

“I see...” Felix pondered this. “Has she said anything to you?”

“Like what?” The villager asked.

“Like anything, really,” Felix replied, kneeling at her bedside. “I don’t have that much experience with dispelling curses, but… I’ve healed sick people who spoke in their sleep. Might even give us a clue.”

“Since you mentioned it, she did mutter one word earlier…” The villager tried to remember. “Something about our boy. He passed away some years back, you see. My wife, especially, was heartbroken...”

“Our condolences,” Elora said plainly. “A residual memory, perhaps? Of those days together."

“Or a lucid dream,” Kite added. “Though, it doesn’t say much about what makes this different from regular sleep.”

Felix, meanwhile, held out a hand over the woman’s forehead, turning back to her husband to make sure it was alright.

“May I?”

The man nodded, and Felix began to heal her using his holy magic. It was an experiment to see how she might react, but also to provide a bit of comfort to the woman in the state she was in. Miraculously, her expressionless face warmed into a subtle smile.

“…Clive…” Through cracked lips, the woman spoke in a quiet voice. “…Take me with you… Please...”

Something caught Felix’s attention immediately.

“Clive?” Kite heard it, turning to the villager.

“Our boy’s name.” The man muttered. “What did you do, adventurer? That’s the clearest she’s spoken yet.”

“Just an Intermediate Class holy spell, nothing more,” Felix explained, rising to his feet. “The affliction is still active, but I saw something weird just then.”

“When you were healing her, you mean?” Kite tilted her head. “You land on some sort of clue, pal?”

“Nothing concrete, but...” Felix admitted. “Just to be clear, you guys can’t see the… haze hanging over this woman, can you?”

He hadn’t heard anybody else mention it yet. At first it was subtle, but it seemed to grow more intense after Felix had used his magic. Everybody exchanged glances, but nobody spoke up until Elora broke the stalemate.

“Interesting… I cannot.” Elora crossed her arms, her eyes sharpening at the sight of the woman. “You were never all that observant of magical properties and dark curses. That was Prim’s specialty, but I seem to recall your sensitivity to the magical influence of one particular being.”

“And that is?”

Elora turned to meet Felix’s gaze.

“The Mad God.”

The tone shifted in the small common room, a soft gasp coming from the interim village chief and the villager, in particular. Felix and Kite listened intently as Elora explained.

“It may be residual madness… an aura left behind by the Mad God’s psychological influence.” From Felix’s lone discovery, Elora was able to piece together a solid theory in no time.

“And you’re absolutely sure?” The villager, Cliff, shook uncontrollably. “But the Mad God… didn’t the Hero defeat him?”

Elora hesitated for a moment, eyeing Felix, but decided to be upfront.

“Indeed, he did, but minions that do his bidding still exist in this world.” Elora finally said. “And monsters warped by the depths of his twisted imagination as well. You two fought one recently on an expedition, did you not?”

“We sure did,” Kite recalled with a strained chuckle. “And it might’ve turned out worse if not for our feathery friend. Isn’t that right, buddy?”

Felix didn’t respond, his eyes unfocused. He couldn’t get Elora’s earlier conversation out of his mind.

“The Mad God’s generals are still out there, wreaking havoc. Many innocents may be at risk…”

They had already seen evidence of that, twice now. Kite had also asked him why he felt guilty. Felix couldn’t manage a response before, but Elora’s other choice words gave a voice to his worries.

“Do you realize how many people have died while you’ve been gone?”

That sentiment lingered, whether she meant for it to or not. It got him thinking: despite who ultimately made the decision to have him locked away, was it possible…

…that it really is all my fault?

“Ferris.” Elora snapped him out of his trance, honoring Felix’s request to use his alias in the presence of others. “Miss Harpy and I are going to investigate the village’s perimeter for anything suspicious. Would you care to offer a healing visit to Chief Andres and the other villagers in our stead?”

“Oh… Yeah.” Felix nodded. “Sure thing.”

Kite and Elora shared a rare moment of synergy when their worried looks for Felix came in unison. As the door to the house shut behind them, Felix turned his gaze to Bruno, casting aside his doubts momentarily.

Felix followed the interim chief around Cloudspire village, visiting several houses and even the main infirmary along the way. Every worried mother, father, and child he met echoed the same concerns and experiences as the villager from before.

However, the contents of what their loved ones spoke of once Felix comforted them varied. There was an old man who spoke of men he once fought with, lightly recalling their march into battle. Another young woman called out for a love that was not the husband standing beside her.

Most vividly, a lone hermit begged not to be roused from his slumber, tears streaming down his bearded and dirt-caked face. Every victim had the same aura hovering over their heads, and a smile on their face, as though they were drunk on the past.

“Nostalgia…” Felix muttered, recognizing the common thread. “But how did this happen?”

Finally, they entered the large house of Cloudspire Village’s chief, Andres, slightly up the mountain trail. The guild clerk had highlighted his significance as a wise member of the tribal council, and the leader of an important settlement besides.

Unlike the other afflicted, the residual madness was much stronger when they entered, strong enough to emit a foul smell. Felix had to shield his nose and mouth as they approached.

“Chief, we’ve come to see you,” Bruno called out to no reply. “I’ve brought others who can help.”

The look on Chief Andres’ face was pained, like the aura was attacking him in a way that it didn’t to the others. Felix’s healing magic eased it somewhat, but that’s when he was offered another clue.

“…Just wanted…” The birdman chief's voice rumbled in a deep tone. “…to bring the village back… to its former…”

“Chief?!” Bruno exclaimed, hearing his leader’s words. “What about the village? Are you in there?!”

“…A man… the volcano…” The Chief’s voice began to trail away. “…don’t listen, don’t… remember…”

Don’t remember?

“That’s strange…” Bruno wore a serious look.

“What is?” Felix asked.

“I didn’t mention it before, but Chief Andres was actually the first to fall victim to the sleeping affliction, after traveling to Cloudspire’s summit to check on the miners and smiths stationed there,” Bruno explained. “He was found asleep outside the old forge at the midpoint of the trail, but… he never woke up.”

Strange…

“And the miners?”

“They were the ones who called us to check on him, but they weren’t spared from the situation either,” Bruno said. “Many are asleep already in their homes, but some haven’t reported today from the mine. I fear they might be missing, or at the mercy of the beasts who call the mountain home. I’d send a search party, but we’re undermanned as it is…”

Something wasn’t right. Chief Andres mentioned a man and the volcano, and that also happened to be where he was before he fell under the residual madness, or whatever else might have been ailing him.

So if the chief had been the first afflicted, then whatever started this might still be near that forge too...

“No need.” Felix steeled himself. “We’ll go. That’s what you called us here to do, after all.”

Relief flashed across Bruno’s face.

“Very well, we would be eternally grateful if you got to the bottom of this, but…” He closed his eyes, folding his hands. “By the six divines, please watch yourselves.”

Felix nodded with a smile, mentally praying to the Most High for strength as well. He was prepared to leave, but the door suddenly swung open to reveal an uncharacteristically frantic Kite.

“Oh, finally, there you are...” She caught her breath. “We’ve got a big problem.”

“Kite? What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Felix asked in rapid succession, confused by his party member’s sudden appearance. “And weren’t you two supposed to be together at the village’s perimeter? Don’t tell me you and Elora were fighting again…”

“That’s the problem.” Kite closed the distance between them. “We weren’t fighting, but the elf, Elora, she’s…”

Felix’s eyes widened.

. . .

“She’s collapsed.”