“You look like you didn’t sleep a wink. You alright?”
“I’m horrible with words.”
“Heh. Pretty ironic for a preacher.”
Noelle flinched, the words escaping her lips before her non-existent mental filter could intercept them. She winced at the cereal that had spilled out of her spoon, before clearing her throat.
“I-it must be Cypha rubbing off on me. What’s on your mind?”
Evantra let out a sigh as she dug into her own bowl of cereal.
“I tried to speak to Lucas about… the Veilsurge.”
“Oh.”
“Yep… and outed myself as a hypocrite… I just hope Carmen does a better job at dissuading him from picking up a gun and running around town at night—”
Noelle snorted.
“Frankly, I think the two of you could use a bit of therapy.”
Silence reigned at the breakfast table, only interrupted by the plop of Noelle’s cereal on the table, when she seemed to realise what she had said.
“A-ahem. What I meant to say, is that perhaps… that message is best delivered by someone that doesn’t contradict it themselves.”
Evantra continued to stare at her, and Noelle cheeks slowly heated, her second attempt at a tactful response almost as fruitless as her first.
“S-sorry. Evantra?”
“Hmm?”
“He looked well-rested, you know? This morning, when I saw Carmen and Lucas before they left.”
“Huh?” Evantra frowned in confusion.
“Carmen told me that he finally fell asleep last night. Apparently, he’s been having trouble sleeping. So don’t feel so bad about your… hypocrisy.”
Evantra started laughing, and Noelle gaped at the girl’s reaction, staring at her in surprise.
“So young, and he’s already so much braver than I am. Seven years of age and he stares his demons down, while I hide behind a gun. He’s even smart enough to know it.”
Evantra let out a long sigh, and Noelle stared at her with such an expression of shock that anyone watching might have assumed that she had delivered a divine, prophetic statement. After a moment of sitting in silence, Noelle eventually broke it, overcoming her stupor at Evantra’s rare moment of sincerity. Shaking herself out of it, Noelle stood.
“Well… we’ve got plenty on our to-do list. If we fix up the Nezha drone, we’ll have a way to scout out our hunts. It’s better if we fix it ourselves. I’ll try to get in touch with someone versed in tech to help instruct me.”
“Hmm? You’re a techie that can’t do… tech?”
Noelle scowled as she dug aggressively into her cereal bowl.
“My speciality is… information. And strategy. Anyway, I’m willing to learn, get off my ass.”
“Can’t we hand it into a repair shop? Maybe Cypha could help with it?”
Noelle shook her head.
“That’s exactly how you end up with bugged tech. I’ve done a preliminary clean sweep and taken some precautions – we’re clean. No one is touching our stuff. No one might want to now, but eventually? When we make it big, and I’m determined to do so, we can’t create any vulnerabilities. Best to start with good habits, rather than having to break bad ones down the line.”
Evantra nodded her agreement as Noelle continued.
“I’ll hop on the forums to see if I can find a tech expert. We’ll ask Cypha if our options fall through. We’ll want to start building up our network…” Noelle’s voice fell into a mumble as the girl started to talk to herself, more than she was to Evantra.
“By the time we make it to Elsecaller, we’ll be well equipped to join the Guild. OH!”
Evantra raised her eyebrows as the girl exclaimed.
“Second World! I’m going to see if we can wrangle a few second-hand VR headsets. They’re all about private servers, so we can remain anonymous while vetting potential contacts. And you can practice your Ghostslaying skills, even though the monsters in the game are a little… basic. Though we’ll need a full dive set for that... It’s how a lot of Ghostslayers start out, though it’s no replacement for real experience… which you don’t shy away from.”
“Hmm, nice thinking.”
A considerable degree of smugness entered her expression before the smile on her face flickered. She cast a hesitant glance towards Evantra.
“Nice job yesterday… colleague.”
Evantra gave her a brief smile in return before she rose from where she was seated.
“Well, I’ll see you at home after your work – we can try the VR chatroom stuff you suggested then. I’m heading to the library to call the prospective buyer for Carmen’s place that you lined up. I’ve also got to call Trevor to tell him about the caverns… the Veilcreatures must be sneaking into the sewers somehow.”
And to look into magical girls, and finally test out what exactly these Ionian Mimic skills are capable of.
“Next week, I’m going to the station for the usual toilet cleaning gig. Looks like Doug’s finally reached out again,” Evantra let out a sigh.
“Toilet cleaning is a gig?”
Evantra stared at her, and as the seconds drew on the girl began to fidget.
“Yes, Noelle, it is. You have anything to say?”
“Nope! Nothing! Enjoy! I mean—”
Noelle relented, running down the stairs to flee her ire.
“Entitled little sh— urgh.”
Evantra sighed.
---
Evantra had two objectives in Wisptown’s library.
The first, was to contact the buyers that Noelle had lined up for her to speak to.
The second, while she was here, was to look into magical girls.
One of the few leads that I have, is the remains of the magical girl’s attire that I glimpsed back in the lab. Maybe if I can find out her identity, I’ll be able to cast some light on just what that lab was doing.
Evantra closed the door behind her, entering one the private rooms in Wisptown’s library. She stood her tablet upright, flicking the stand into place. The screen was scratched and marred from use and cracked in the corners.
Its surface blinked to life, and she tapped it to accept the call.
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“Oh, hello there! You muzt be Evantra, how lovely to meet you!”
The couple looked to be in their seventies, dressed in flowing velvet robes with full heads of white hair. The woman’s curly hair was styled in a quaint bob reminded her of the real vintage stuff that she came across. What looked to be a white feathered plume was sewn into the woman’s neckline, framing a gigantic ruby that hung beneath her throat.
The man had a perfectly coiffed moustache, which curled upwards at the corners of his lips, and looked like a distinguished gentleman straight out of a classic.
When Noelle told me that there were people with fetishes for Veiltouched houses… I didn’t know what to expect.
It certainly wasn’t this.
“Hi there, Mister and Misses Vandermeer?”
“Yes darling, oh what beautiful eyes you have, Wraithmarked, I assume?”
The question took her aback, and she blinked in silence, before briefly shaking her head to jolt herself from her shock. Most people that took notice of her eyes in the manner that they did hurled insults at her, not compliments.
“Y-yes. I’m Wraithmarked. About the house—”
“Oh darling, it’s as good as sold! We’ll offer you a premium for it, 400,000 ectocredits, I assume that would be suitable? We’ve always wanted to get our hands on a rural home, somewhere exciting to holiday to, isn’t that right dear?”
“Of course, honey.”
Mister Vandemeer spoke in a gruff voice, but Evantra sensed something contradictory that hovered just behind his eyes, and she choked down a laugh.
A “rural” home is certainly one way to put it.
You poor man, but I won’t be dissuading your lovely wife out of this purchase.
“Well I… I’m certainly pleased by your enthusiasm. Let me iron things out with the proprietor, and I’ll get back to you? I’m sure she’ll be pleased with your off—”
Evantra was interrupted as a black cat, strode across the screen.
It was no ordinary cat, like the strays that you came across in Wisptown.
The Vandemeer’s cat was bionetically enhanced. The ends of its black fur glowed a startling blue, which washed over it like a wave. The cat’s eyes were a sapphire blue to match the ends of its fur.
Bionetic transplants? Replacing fur with bioluminescent equivalents?
That cat probably sheds twice my net worth in bioluminescent fur a day.
“Flufflez, you flirt. She must like you, Mizz Evantra. Hardly ever makes appearances, do you like cats, Miss Evantra?”
“A-ahem, I certainly do.”
“Why, we must have you over one day! It gets so cold here in Romania, and none of our relatives or friends bother to fly out, what with all the strigoi we get… Still, you must consider coming to Europe! We would love to show you around. I’m sending you our contact detailz so we no longer have to bother with this silly app.”
Evantra watched open mouthed as she the woman sent across her details, her fingers blurring as they shot across the surface of her phone, faster than any organic could type.
“Our daughter Anastasia is in Elsecaller city, looking to join the Ghostslayer guild. She’ll give the place a once over, and the deal will be as good as done! Let us know when you’re free for the inspection.”
“O-of course, Miss Vandemeer. Have a lovely day.”
“You are such a pretty girl too, Miss Evantra. There are some fine young men in Elsecaller—”
The screen blinked black as she watched Mister Vandemeer pale at his wife’s words, saving her from any further torment.
Somehow… they both managed to fall short of my expectations AND exceed them at the same time.
Now all I have to do is convince Carmen to sell her home and uproot her life for… twice the going market rate for her house.
That won’t be difficult… right?
---
Wisptown’s library wasn’t particularly well funded, but it had a respectable selection of books in its repertoire. The advent of the Veilsurges only heightened humanity’s proclivity towards digitalisation, seeing how territory could be lost in an instant to the Veilcreatures.
Then the megacorporations reminded everyone of the importance of hardcopy – altering information en masse in service of their various agendas. It was for that reason, that so much information about Veilcreatures found online couldn’t be trusted.
Despite the strong public interest incentive to have the information freely accessible, the corporations united to obfuscate information around Veilcreatures, which only served the interests of Ghostslayers, as it heightened the demand for their… “specialist” knowledge and expertise.
The last bastion of untainted information was found in physical copies like the books surrounding her, which escaped the clutches of the megacorporations.
Evantra’s hand halted over the spine of the book secluded in the corner of the library, one she hadn’t encountered in her visits thus far.
Magical girls and guardians: everything you need to know about soul gems, companions and the power of moe
“Someone had fun with that title.”
Evantra read through the passages.
Magical girls were granted a single class, that evolved as they levelled. The strongest magical girl on record, Homura Tomoe from the Kanto prefecture had the class [leviathan slayer], reaching the highest recorded level of 86. Her powers were oriented towards slaying gargantuan creatures, and she was pivotal in ensuring that major city centres were protected against the most destructive Veilcreatures. Among the most destructive of creatures that she felled, were krakens, bone giants, and ancient strigoi. Homura Tomoe died in her home, killed by a spirit, which took possession of her mother.
Evantra felt anger well in her chest as she read the final line of the entry, with so much left unsaid between the lines. One of humanity’s greatest defenders, dying at the hands of one of the people that she had loved the most.
Possessed by a ghost.
Evantra forced herself to move on to the subsequent passage.
The most significant role of a magical girl’s companion was to provide them with information about their abilities, second only to the role they played in providing them with emotional support and companionship in an otherwise mentally taxing occupation.
“Hmm… ‘mentally taxing’? That’s one way to put it.”
The sacrifice that incited a magical girl’s transformation necessitated the surrender of their soul, which coalesced into a soulgem. The destruction of the soulgem marked an end to their life, although they were no less vulnerable to conventional wounds. The soulgem is said to have powered the “magical girl system” – which many of their number have reported to bear the moniker “forces against darkness”.
The origins of the magical girl system remain a mystery.
Flicking to the back of the book, Evantra’s heart began to hammer in her chest. The final section of the book was dedicated to portraits of known magical girls and guys. Many of them were formal, but others were pictures that captured them in their casual day-to-day.
Row upon row of faces that ranged from youthful to elderly, all lost to history, having fallen victim to the Veil, or the paranormal.
Maybe one day, I’ll be another portrait in this sea of noble faces.
---
Upon returning home, the first thing that Evantra did was shut herself in her room and lock the door.
Finally, time to try out these skills.
Evantra brought up her interface.
Ghostslayer Rank: Ghoul (Level 7)
Active catalyst: Darkstalker (level 1)
- [Razor claws]
- [Darkvision]
- [Clot acceleration]
Reserve catalyst: Ionian Mimic (level 5)
- [Conceal]
- [Object mimicry]
- [Stonerooted]
Rituals:
- [Ritual of consumption]
- [Ritual of Veilsight]
- [Ritual of concealment]
Veilsouls: 35
Evantra decided to begin with the skill she was most excited about.
[Object mimicry]
Evantra invoked the skill and felt energy coursing through her skin. She didn’t know whether it was the adrenaline from her excitement or the effect of the skill. If this operated the way she assumed, it would allow her to take on the appearance of objects, similarly to mimics. If that was the case, she would functionally become a shapeshifter.
Evantra tried to envision a grandfather clock in mind. She turned to regard herself, and nothing about her had changed.
“Hmm… let me grab a mirror.”
She nipped over to Noelle’s room, slowly pushing open the door to grab the standing mirror. As she walked in, her eyes fixed on book with a velvet purple cover splayed open on her bed.
“I really shouldn’t snoop… what was it Carmen said? Learning to trust?”
About twenty minutes later, she returned to her room with the mirror in hand. Evantra looked off into the distance before she shook her head.
“Alright, let’s try this again.”
Placing the mirror in front of her, Evantra took a step back and invoked the skill again. Her eyes widened, as her visage flickered, for a single moment, turning into the grandfather clock she had envisioned.
“I don’t physically shift into the object… which is a shame. It creates an illusion.”
Then the image flickered, and it reverted to her own image.
Her thoughts fell on one of the other skills included in the set. There probably was some logic between the skills which had been bundled together.
[Stonerooted]
Evantra froze, as if she had been petrified.
She could feel herself breathing, yet her body was entirely petrified, betraying not a single movement. The moment that the skill took effect, the illusion of the grandfather clock snapped back into place.
She invoked her second skill in conjunction.
[Object mimicry]
I’m not actually shapeshifting so much as creating an illusion. I assume this limits the range of objects I’ll be able to “mimic”.
Sure enough, when she tried to envision a toaster and activate her skills, nothing happened.
Darn. Could be worse.
With [conceal] masking my heartbeat and heat signature, this will be extremely useful for eavesdropping and spying.
Evantra couldn’t help but break into a grin.
There’s a little more testing I can do, with a certain Abuela’s help. Before that though…
Finally, she considered the rituals she had gained. The [ritual of Veilsight] and [ritual of concealment].
“I’ve got a few more Veilsouls to play with, so this should help.”
Evantra activated the [ritual of Veilsight] and watched as the Veilsouls she had gained dwindled by ten.
The ritual activated.
Veilsouls remaining: 25
Evantra blinked, staring around at her surroundings as they seemed to grow devoid of colour, becoming grayscale. She stared around her with a frown but was unable to make out any noticeable differences.
Veilsight… Logic dictates that I should try it in the presence of Veilcreatures.
“Whoever developed this stupid system should have added tooltips.”
She was reluctant to waste more Veilsouls on trying out the [ritual of concealment], at least, at the moment. It was, however, something she was intent on trying with a certain abuela’s help.
“Now… to get a bit of practice in,” Evantra’s chuckling gradually grew into cackles, which only ceased when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
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15 chaps ahead if you'd like to binge! It closes out the first arc of book 1.