• Chapter Three
    A Simple Start

    “You four are causing a lot of havoc you know.” The elder scolded the quartet. “It doesn’t even rain up here so why is there a hurricane going on outside?” he turned to Katsu.
    “Sorry.” Katsu apologized, moving the three corpses off to one side. “But some mercenaries may know we’re here and the storm prevents movement of many up the mountain.”
    The old man shook his head. “It’s nationally illegal to arrest up here.”
    “To arrest yes, but kill is another story.” Karraidin countered.
    “Never mind.” the man sat. “Tell me why you are here.” He leveled his gaze at the four of them.
    “From what I gather,” Niko began, “ we all came here because we were pursued or framed for some kind of crime we didn’t do.”
    “Sounds about right, although I did blow half of Central sky high.” Belace grinned.
    “And you two?” the old man turned to Niko and Katsu.
    Katsu didn’t answer, black smog creeping from his mouth towards the dead bodies. Niko answered for the both of them. “Our house was burned down and the nearby market blasted to the ground.”
    “I see. You all claim innocence.” The elder sighed and stood. “Well we won’t judge any of you here. My grandchildren run the hotel at the end of town. If you ever need a place to stay you are always welcome there.” With that, the elder took his leave.
    Belace looked around and then noticed the skeletons in the corner, picked clean and spotless. “What the-?!?” he jumped back. “Where did all the flesh go?”
    Katsu was standing at the door. “I’m sorry, did you want some?” he waited for a reply, but none came so he shrugged and kept talking. “Let’s go to the hotel shall we?”
    Once settled at the hotel, which took longer than the four had hoped, they sat down to a small meal. The first to speak was Karraidin. “I have a feeling we’re going to be working together a lot.” He said, looking over a cup. “If that is the case, then I suggest we get to know each other, juts a little bit. How about you brothers go first?”
    “We aren’t brothers.” Katsu and Niko replied in unison. Niko was the one who kept talking. “What do you want to know?”
    “Home town, specializations, a little of your past, nothing much.” Karraidin shrugged.
    “Well,” Niko started, “we’re from Storm City, both of us. I specialize in using the Arts of the Blessed while Katsu specializes in the Arts of the Damned.”
    “However our pasts are almost opposites.” Katsu spoke up, sipping from the tea. “Niko for instance, was orphaned. I however simply left home. As it is, a child could easily get lost in Storm City.”
    “Our paths crossed a few years later at a library.” Niko started up again. “Both of us research the Arts as much as we can and on one such trip for research I was mugged.”
    “I was there for the same reason and saw some guy being chased by a kid a little older looking than myself.” Katsu picked up with such ease that it seemed rehearsed. “When the guy turned to fight I killed him then and there.”
    “That was a random incident. A month after that I was in trouble again. This time it was dark but a clear sky.”
    “Wait a minute, a clear sky?” Belace interrupted. “That seems fishy to me.”
    “You haven’t been to Storm City have you Belace?” Karraidin continued the break. “Up until several years ago Storm City had predictable rains and spent a quarter of a year in rainy days.” He paused to breath. “Then all of a sudden there were ‘demons’ in Storm City and the rains became random, long lasting, and even acidic. That’s when the story of the Brothers of the Crying Sky came about.”
    “That’s right.” Niko nodded. “It got dark and cloudy and rain started to fall heavily. The guys started to freak out and run. Two were killed right in front of me. Katsu had saved me again and this time left one guy alive to spread the word of our new ‘team’. That one man invented what many consider, to some extent, just myths.”
    “I’ll go next!” Belace volunteered. “I was born in Central Post, back when all it did was military work.” He changed his voice to something humorous, and Niko and Karraidin were having a hard time taking him seriously. “When I was eight both my parents were killed; my dad on duty my mum died from a mental breakdown induced stroke or something like that. She just went crazy.”
    “And your specialties and what not?” Katsu asked calmly.
    “Well the Arts of the Known. If you want something blown to pieces just come and find me” Belace shrugged
    “What about you mister guardsman, what’s your story?” Niko asked, his mood having improved from Belace’s idiocy.
    “I’m the head captain of the New Vatican city guard.” Karraidin spoke very solemnly. “My job was to find and kill heretics located in and around the city.”
    “Define heretics.” Belace requested.
    “Anyone outside the ecclesiarch using the Arts and any Artist at all, whether they be part of the ecclesiarch or not is considered a heretic.” Karraidin answered. The room got very quiet considering there were three obvious Artists in the room. “I am one of those heretics on a personal mission. As such I hide my mark which gives me specialty over the Arts of the Blessed.”
    “Hometown?” Katsu prodded.
    “Well not the New Vatican.” Karraidin said evasively. “To be honest, I was born on a trip to the New Vatican. The entire thing was turned around when they saw my mark.”
    Some girls brought in trays with more food. This meal was considerably larger than the first. After a few words of apology for the lateness of the meal, the inn maidens left.
    “Anyone else notice the girls are doing all the service work?” Belace asked his mouth full of cheese and baked bread.
    “Yes. I think it seems a bit odd, but I’ve never been here before.” Karraidin shrugged. “I guess it’s just a tradition thing. Stratos behind in times for the most part so old ideals still stand.”
    “Well now that this is all done,” Katsu stood, not even touching his meal, “I am going to enjoy the hot springs before the rain catches back up.” He turned and left the room, his umbrella leaning in one corner.
    “Yeah, well nice to meet you guys,” NIko stood up, “But I’m going to go find something to do in this town.” With that he walked out the door before anyone could say anything.
    “What, you aren’t going anywhere Mr. Serious Guardsman?” Belace joked.
    “No.” Karraidin shrugged. “The only place I might go is to bed.” He paused to yawn. “Well it’s a simple start, but at least we got started.” Karraidin stood up and walked to one of the four bunks.