The two girls hold onto the saddle. Little by little the trees around them lose their leaves, their roots are further exposed and a layer of mud forms on the ground. The smell of stagnant water fills the air and the sun seems to grow dim.

  “I must admit, Balrog is quite something. Where did you find him?” asks the priestess.

  “He appeared at the castle gates back home. I just had to tame him a little.”

  “How nice.” Aira pets Balrog’s mane. He neighs happily.

  “Seems like we’re arriving to the swamp. The fishing village should be nearby.”

  “I have a bad feeling about this place.”

  “I’ve definitely seen prettier.”

  The horse’s hooves splash against the thin layer of water that starts to cover the ground as they enter the swamp. Small flies flap their wings as they circle the girls, curious of these new visitors. The toads’ croaking and the owls’ hooting create a melody that gives the place an unsettling ambience.

  The water now reaches the horse’s knees; he begins to grow annoyed. Following a trail of signs and carvings on the trees’ bark, they arrive at the village. Houses built on top of trees to avoid the water, linked by floating bridges secured with thick ropes. A wooden platform, which serves as an entrance, is connected to several stairs to rise to the path of interconnected homes. Balrog gets onto the platform to dry off his legs. The girls dismount the steed and Rose rewards him with an apple for having withstood the swamp.

  An old man is sitting on a bench, munching on a mango. The princess walks up to him.

  “Greetings, miss. Welcome to Riika. Can I help you?” The old man’s voice is soft and calm. Aira finds him utterly adorable.

  “A pleasure to meet you. I’m Rose, and this is Aira. We’re adventurers and we’re running out of rations for our journey. We wanted to buy some food here, if that’s alright,” she answers with an amicable smile.

  “I’m sorry, girls, but fishing is proving quite troublesome lately. This month, we’ve been resorting to eating our food supplies for the winter to survive.”

  “Is there anything we may do to help, sir?” Aira, concerned, joins the conversation.

  “I don’t think so. There’s a spirit at the heart of the swamp that won’t let us get close enough to fish. The few who’ve gone there say it can… bring the dead back to life.”

  The two girls are astonished. Rose has only heard of that happening in fantasy stories, while Aira knows for sure that there is no technique capable of resurrection.

  “If we take care of the spirit, then will you sell us some rations?” Rose won’t stand idly by any means. She’s finally arrived on time to prevent more deaths.

  “If you take care of the spirit, we’ll give you enough rations for you to get to your destination free of charge.”

  The old man talks with what seems to be irony, but Rose isn’t planning on wasting this opportunity. She grabs Aira’s hand and with her eyes shining with emotion, she looks straight at her. The priestess nods. She knows what Rose wants; she doesn’t need to be a mind reader in order to understand her.

  “Give us some waterproof boots and we’ll take care of it.” The princess doesn’t want to waste time, but she doesn’t want to soak her only boots, either. She forgot to pack more in her bag.

  The old man, clearly surprised, leads them into one of the houses. There are a couple of men inside. One of them is cutting a fish to dry it out under the sun. The other one is carving a spear using a flint knife.

  “This is my son, Ivon,” the old man says, gesturing towards the man with the spear. He waves at them. “And this is Drann, his partner.”

  The three men look for waterproof boots, but they find only one pair. Luckily, they fit the princess just fine.

  “Shit, I’m sorry, we’un have anothe’ pai’,” says Drann. “But we could take you to the heart of the swamp on ou’ raft.”

  “Yeah, that should work. After all, I’m the only one who’s gonna fight.” Rose smiles at Aira, who returns the gesture. “She can stay on the raft. I promised her she wouldn’t get hurt.”

  “I admire you adventure’s’ bravery,” comments Ivon. “I couldn’t leave my house. Was ‘bout to say ‘the safety of my home’, but considering ou’ situation, it isn’t supe’ fitting.”

  “Do not worry, Ivon. Rose and I guarantee that we will take care of it.”

  “Thanks a lot. Should we get going?” asks Drann.

  Drann and the girls get up and go outside. Waving at them, the old man and his son remain behind. The three walk a bit until they arrive at a small wooden pier. Drann unknots the rope holding onto his raft and grabs two wooden oars. The princess and the priestess sit down on the raft. The countryman starts rowing to the heart of the swamp.

  “Drann, I was meaning to ask: what is your technique?” Aira asks, with a raised eyebrow and a distrustful stare.

  “Well… It’s a bit embarrassing, you see…” He seems nervous at the query, but manages a serious expression. “My technique’s all ‘bout filling the tip of my weapon up with energy to call sea beasts towa’d me.”

  “That’s so cool!” With a smile, Rose claps a little. Aira is contemplative, though. She narrows her eyes as she realizes the truth.

  “In other words, your technique is… summoning fish with your fishing rod?”

  “You caught me.”

  Rose is taken aback by Aira’s ability to read others, and disappointed at Drann’s technique.

  “You gotta understand that techniques a’e bo’n out of people’s desi’es; not all of them a’e ‘bout fighting.”

  “Did you always wanna be a fisherman?” Rose asks innocently.

  “Not really, but it was the technique I got. From what I’ve hea’d, techniques appear when someone wishes something real hard, but… I’unno, this is all speculation. I’m not the divine academy to say such a thing.”

  “You do know plenty for someone who is not interested in adventures,” Aira remarks, suspecting there’s something more to it.

  “Well, I once did like the idea of going on adventu’es, and my folks were adventure’s. But my technique simply isn’t fit fo’ that.” Drann seems a little upset, but the princess pats him on the back.

  “Don’t worry about it; I don’t even know what my technique is yet!”

  The three share some laughs before they reach the swamp’s center. The stench of stagnant water is even stronger there, and the sound of wild animals is no longer present. Logs of dead trees float all over the water and the few plants there remain under the surface. Rose stands up on the raft. She grabs Valor by the hilt and readies it.

  An ancient, curved tree peers down at them in the heart of the swamp, with a hole in its log that is reminiscent of an entrance. Skeletons hang from its branches by the ropes around their necks. A white glow emanates from inside the tree, alongside the clanking of metal. A hand made of chains holds onto the side of the entrance; long, sharp fingers scratch the bark. A heavy stomp carries the monster to the outside; hanging from its sides, chains surround it and form a sort of sinister armor. Its body, made out of energy, glows like a torch. On its chest lies a white crystal, safeguarded behind a rib cage, where all the chains link together.

  “What…”

  “…is that?” Rose and Drann ask in unison.

  Aira’s eyes are open wide like saucers; she’s never pictured it looking quite like this.

  The monster raises a claw and the skeletons hanging from the branches start to move. From beneath the water emerge a dozen skeletons more, armed with spears and old, rusty swords. The abomination points at the raft and lets out an agonizing shriek. At its command, the skeletons start to approach the intruders.

  Wielding Valor, the princess jumps into the water.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Rose! That’s not a spirit!” Aira clarifies, nervous.

  “What is it then?”

  “It’s an elemental!”

  “And what is that?”

  “That’s… the destiny worse than death that I told you about.”

  So that thing… was once human? The princess truly wants to consider how that should make her feel, and yet she doesn’t have time to stand by and draw conclusions. This isn’t the time to discuss morality; it’s time to act.

  The advantage of Mother’s spear… Amidst fighting the skeletons, Rose shifts from her usual posture. She lifts her arms in the air. Legs stuck knee-deep in the water, she moves her spear in swift horizontal motions that cover large areas. …It can be used as a halberd! A strong sweep breaks four skeletons. Sharp pain pounds beneath her skin where her leg is pierced. With a blow from Valor’s hilt, Rose destroys the arm of the skeleton who stabbed her.

  “Rose! I cannot heal you unless I can touch you!”

  “Copy that; I’ll keep moving.”

  Rose dodges as she counterattacks with her spear, trying to ignore the pain in her leg. Even so, an arrow grazes her arm. Two skeletons, still hanging from their ropes, shoot at her using their bows. On top of that, she notices that the skeletons she destroyed gather up their pieces once again and go on fighting.

  Crap, I can’t get close to the elemental, but every time I break a skeleton, it stands back up again. I need to come up with something, and fast. A skeleton tries to approach the raft, but Drann breaks its head with one of the oars.

  “Aira! If humans can have only one technique… Does the same go for elementals?!”

  That surprises Aira. Rose’s right; if its technique was to control skeletons, that means it must have a weakness…

  “Yes! This must be its one and only technique!”

  The princess smiles and, with surprising speed, she lunges at the elemental. Every attack from the skeletons surrounding her, she dodges with great agility. Paying little mind to its pawns, she’s able to get closer to the monster. If that thing is a summoner, then she should be able to beat it in hand-to-hand combat.

  I just have to connect a good blow and… What?! In the elemental’s hand, a bone structure forms out of thin air. A giant scythe, which the monster quickly uses to try to cut off the defiant princess’s head. She blocks the slash with Valor’s hilt and tries to kick the monster’s chest, which is intercepted by a bone shield.

  How many tricks does this bastard have?! She jumps away and goes back to dealing with the skeletons. She gets minor cuts in the process, but she’s able to continue fighting.

  Aira is in a pensive mood; she’s also surprised by the elemental’s abilities, but the pieces slowly start to fit together. Even before she turned thirteen, she studied plenty; she knew bad things would happen if she didn’t. One of her lessons was on techniques, more specifically on the “list” of them that was once created. There are thousands of techniques, but one of their universal rules is that they can’t bring back the dead. Her mind’s spark ignites and she screams at the top of her lungs:

  “ITS TECHNIQUE IS BONE CREATION!”

  Rose’s eyes shine for a moment. With a sweep of her weapon, she sends multiple skeletons flying and adjusts her spear beneath her arm. Well, that’s it for my guilty conscience, then; let’s go take care of the boss.

  “Aira, when I tell you, use [Divine Blessing]! I have an idea!”

  “Alright!”

  Rose takes a deep breath and gets ready. She recalls all her years of practice, the hundreds of ways she’s learned to use a spear, but this is her first time facing a threat on the same level as her. She didn’t know how fun it is to fight with all her strength. Without having to hold back on friendly fight, without being conditioned to win as with the abyss beasts. A fight that’s fair and square.

  Valor’s blade grazes and cuts the water as its owner pushes forward, dodging the skeletons on her way. A minor cut on her cheek won’t stop her. She approaches the elemental, close enough for it to try to slash her. A strong wave hits it and makes it lose sight of her.

  An artificial wave by a fast move of he’ spea’? Where is she getting all these ideas? This girl won’t stop baffling Drann.

  The elemental looks for Rose; before it can find her, it receives a brutal hit to the chest. A hollow log breaks apart after being used as an improvised bat. The abomination is sent flying backwards.

  “Now, Aira!”

  A white aura emerges around the priestess. She points toward the princess. Images from the past few days she’s been spending with her rush through her head, and a voice echoes inside it. So… her? A good choice, for once. A white glow surrounds Rose. Her muscles start to feel loose and light. Her mind works more quickly than ever.

  “[Divine Blessing], protect my allies and purge my enemies!”

  Rose stomps on the swamp’s ground and takes off running after the elemental. The extra speed granted by [Divine Blessing] allows her to carry out her plan. In a single movement, she breaks two skeletons in half. Out of my way, you pests! She jumps over a blow from the scythe and is able to come face to face with the elemental. She slashes the monster’s chest, which stuns him for a moment. Just as she’s about to deliver the final blow, the abomination creates a giant bone shield.

  Are you for real? I need to come up with a new… No, I think… I got it. A certain heat arises in Rose. Her muscles warm up and a familiar energy emerges from inside her body. All that power concentrates in her hand and spills on to her spear. In this moment, her weapon is an extension of her body. It’s the fifth hit, right? The energy gathers and compacts itself in Valor’s tips and it heats up at an incredible speed. That’s how to deliver… A gigantic explosion of pink flames bursts from the point of impact, disintegrating the elemental’s shield and torso. The monster falls to the ground without a chance to shriek a final cry. The chains splash on the water, and its body becomes part of the sediment. The whitish crystal’s glow flickers out before breaking. Rose, surrounded by a red aura, lifts her fist in the air.

  “… An {Infernal Combo}!” yells the winner, as the skeletons all around her turn to dust.

  Aira and Drann celebrate from their spots on the raft; their screams echo all throughout the swamp. Slowly, the sun shines a bit brighter, the sound of birds and toads returns, and the smell drifts away.

  “It seems that the elemental’s presence was affecting the area,” Aira says, fishing for an explanation.

  Rose approaches the raft and looks at the priestess with puppy dog eyes. Aira heals her wounds. The princess sits down for a moment to enjoy her victory. Finally, I won. And I discovered my technique; two birds with one stone.

  “Was that the technique you mentioned before?” Aira seems excited, and happy for her friend.

  “Looks like it; I figured out its condition. I have to hit my enemies five consecutive times without receiving any damage. I’m still not super sure how it works, but that seems to be the basis.”

  “Maybe the reason it did not work yesterday against the trees, even though it had worked against the wall, is because at that moment, you had considered the wall an obstacle to overcome, as with the skeletons just now. It also seems as if hitting more than one objective at once counts as multiple attacks.”

  “This whole techniques thing is a pain in the neck. Couldn’t mine just be hitting harder instead of all this baloney?”

  The three laugh for a while. Before returning to the village, Rose still feels curious about some things.

  Aira’s lamp glows brightly, lighting up the inside of the hollow log. The girls’ steps echo all around them. Termites quickly scatter with the arrival of intruders in their territory. The staircase, carved onto the wood and worm-eaten, tremble under their weight, almost giving way. At the end of the steps, they find several metal tables, two skeletons on top of them. A notebook lies somewhere on the ground. Despite the elemental having been there, it seems abandoned.

  Rose picks up the notebook and blows the dust away. Gertrude’s diary.

  The old man is sitting on the edge of one of the bridges, gazing toward the heart of the swamp. At a slow pace, Drann’s raft approaches the pier. On the raft, the two girls stand up, triumphant… and Drann. Drann’s there, too.

  Ivon embraces his partner, relieved that he’s come back home safe and sound. The old man walks up to the girls and kindly shakes their hands.

  “Thank you very much. You could very well say you saved this village.”

  More and more people congregate in the pier to celebrate their new heroines.

  “No prob, gramps. A pleasure to help.” Rose has already forgotten why they did all this in the first place.

  The villagers lend them some towels to dry themselves of the smelly stagnant water. The elderly man prepares enough food for the two girls and their horse, at least until they arrive at their next destination. The girls bid goodbye to everyone there and get onto their horse once again, which was impatiently waiting on the wooden structure. His legs sink back into the water, and they resume their original path. When they look back over their shoulders, they see the villagers waving at them. Rose’s smile says it all.

  “Is this what you were expecting of your adventures?”

  “Yeah, this is more my style. Thanks for looking after me, Aira.” The princess pets her head, pleased.

  “It was entertaining, and we were able to set that elemental free.”

  “You’re right; I’d rather die than end up as that thing.”

  “What is our next objective?”

  “Now, we’re heading directly… to Provecta, the city of the future.”

  Gertrude’s diary: Page 42, the last page.

  Both of them died. Yesterday they were in my arms; breathing, at least. When I woke up, the disease had ended their lives. My technique can only create bone tissue, but I promise to look for a way to bring them back. I’ll try with all my might, with all of me. I won’t let life take my husband and my son from me so easily. If I try hard enough, I’m sure, with enough power, I’ll succeed.