Chapter 1: Story 1: Of Death and Metal, part 1

Paper fluttering quietly, muffled traffic on the street beyond the windows and double doors, and hushed conversations between the shelves; these were the only sounds that met Nico Ironheim’s ears as she read. 

She followed the lines of letters with her hand, her stone-gray fingertip below the dark ink that told the story of a beautiful prince and his daring adventures to rescue his princess from the evil clutches of a wicked sorceress. She tended to go back and read the chapters with the sorceress more than the ones with the prince, and once she almost asked her parents why he was trying so hard to rescue the princess. 

Nico turned the page but before she was halfway to the next, the sound of a tiny bell rang at the door- startling her as she looked up to see what set off the spell. 

“But father,” the young half-orc protested quietly, the sharper sound of her native language contrasting with the softer volume. “I haven’t finished it yet! Nobody else requested it, why must we take it back now?” Her tall, regal father sighed and tapped the back of her head with the heel of his palm. “You knew how long you had to read it, did you not?” he said. “And speak properly! You still have that dreadful accent.” 

She started to protest but took a breath and said “Fine,” in the common tongue before storming off to sulk. She sought out her comfort book, navigating towards the shelf with the one about the sorceress and the princess and the prince. 

“Pardon me.” Nico feigned surprise as she closed her book and looked up. “Have you seen the library’s copy of Raven’s Delight? It’s usually there,” she motioned towards the spot Nico found it. “But I can’t seem to find it.” The young stoneborn’s solid color eyes blinked with genuine surprise. “You can have it once I’m done,” she said with a dismissive gesture, returning her attention to the book. 

“My name is Verith,” she said, sitting still across from Nico for only a few seconds before starting to fidget. “’m Nico.” Verith smiled warmly. “Nice to meet you, Nico!” “Mm. You too.” Nico didn’t look up, just turned the page and kept trying to focus on the book. 

The little half-orc tried to stay quiet for as long as she could, but- “I don’t see why the sorceress doesn’t just use her magic to trap the prince or banish him, she’s clearly strong enough to! And the princess would be so much better off with her, the prince just wants her for the alliance to-” 

Nico closed the book with a sudden thump that startled the young half-orc. “He isn’t close enough to her for that. She has to be able to see him but she won’t risk getting near.” Verith opened her mouth to respond but found she couldn’t think of anything. Well, not immediately at least.

“Well- Well maybe she could teleport to him or set up a trap!” “None of the other traps have worked so far.” “But he’s gotten stuck for at least a bit! She hasn’t tried to teleport to him while he was stuck in one!” “He’d see the teleportation circle and know something was up.” 

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The two went back and forth on the details of how the sorceress could’ve won and how easily, but their pleasant bickering was interrupted after about ten minutes when a strong, heavily built man with stony skin set a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “Little geode,” he rumbled in their native language. “What have I heard?” 

Nico grimaced and answered in the same earthen tongue. “A daughter and her friend talking of a book. What does my father need?” He shook his head. “My daughter is not friends with this one. She is of House Brymoria.”  Verith jumped as she recognized her family name, looking down with shame as she rubbed her thumb over the back of her hand and spun her ring around her finger. 

Nico’s eyes widened, revealing just a hint of sapphire around the edges, but she recovered and said “And why must she not be friends because of that?” 

“It is improper. My daughter would be a disgrace to her friend’s family if they were seen together.” Verith continued to fidget anxiously until Nico stood suddenly, causing her friend to freeze like a deer in headlights. 

“If I am a disgrace to her, then who else might I be a disgrace to?” She stomped off, leaving her friend to twist her ring faster than before. “I . . . I’m sorry, sir,” Verith muttered, Nico’s father answering in the common tongue. “You apologize for nothing. I am sorry that my daughter disturbed you so.” 

The young stoneborn muttered profanity as she went off down the shelves, alternating between common and earthen. She wasn’t looking at the titles or labels on the shelves, she just went away from her father. After shelf after shelf after shelf went by, she noticed a handful of the titles. 

“Huh,” Nico said to herself. “They’ve got a magic section . . .” She slowed and started to scan the spines of the books, then came to a stop when one grabbed her attention and held it. She pulled the dark leather-bound book from the shelf and sat on the floor, leafing through it with greater and greater interest. 

Images of skeletons danced across the page, telling of how they can be made to dance with song and how to channel the magic and power needed into such a melody. Nico hummed to herself, focusing her will into each note exactly as the book said. 

She hummed, the tune reaching a peak . . . and nothing happened. Nico chastised herself, of course it didn’t do anything, you don’t have anything to do it to. She continued to flip through, finding a particular section on how to talk to the dead to be interesting.

Verith wandered back to the front desk, careful to hide her glum expression from her father as she stood quietly by him. “There you are. What delayed you?” he snapped. “Nothing, father. I couldn’t find what I was looking for.” “Hm. When we have returned home, I expect you will be completely packed to leave for Brahma.” She started to protest. “But-” “But nothing. My word is final.” He turned and strode out the double doors, his daughter lagging behind.

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