The cows crashed into the walls of the ship. It seemed like they were unable to stop—each time one hit an obstruction, it simply turned slightly and kept running. The sound of crunching bones as the two bodies were trampled could be heard even over the storm.
After the shock passed, Shannon managed to get a better look at the huge cows. Bloody foam gushed out the sides of their mouths, and their eyes were so bloodshot they seemed entirely red. It was bizarre—even the stormy conditions couldn’t explain this level of panic.
“Dammit!” Unable to look any longer, Shannon shut the door.
“What the hell is going on?” Berkens asked him.
“Somebody must’ve drugged the cows.” Shannon locked the door. He didn’t expect the cows would actually climb up the stairs, but in their current state, he could imagine them jumping out onto the deck.
“Why would anybody do something like that?”
“It was probably some kind of stimulant or hallucinogen. Maybe…” Shannon trailed off as he remembered seeing the medicine girl that morning. He had to guess that she was the one responsible—but why? Shannon and Berkens had met her for the first time just one day before, and if anything, she had reason to be grateful to them. Perhaps she had something against the captain or his assistant.
Whatever the reason, it wasn’t the time for speculation. The commotion from downstairs grew louder as the cows smashed wildly around the hold, and a foreboding creaking sound grew louder and louder. It was inevitable that the cows would soon crash through the walls.
“We’d better do something fast, or they’ll break a hole in the boat,” Raquel commented, somehow remaining calm despite their impending deaths.
The inner wall of the Inox was a simple wooden frame coated with waterproof resin. It had a very limited resistance to shock; it was a matter of time before the ship would flood.
“Does anyone have any ideas?” Shannon asked.
“Well, we could pray,” Berkens replied.
“I meant ideas that might help,” Shannon, an atheist, snapped back.
The loudest crack rang out from below, followed by the sound of water rushing in.
“There’s one thing that might work,” Raquel said, “but it would mean breaking the law.” She turned to Berkens. “Would you be willing to pretend you didn’t see, if I could get us out of this mess?”
“What do you have in mind?” Berkens raised an eyebrow.
“Magic. The military defense spell Midgard.”
Linevan law forbade civilians from using military magic, but since most people didn’t know enough about magic to tell the difference between military magic and the other legal types, few sorcerers were ever prosecuted. However, doing military magic in the presence of a public official (or someone whose status was practically equivalent, like Berkens), could get Raquel in serious trouble.
“If it’ll save us from all this, I’m willing to look the other way. But how are you planning to do it?”
“I’ll increase the shielding density to make it airtight. It’ll be full of air, so we should be able to float… at least, in theory.”
Sorcerers could adjust the shielding density of Midgard, usually to protect troops from poison gasses or airborne chemicals. However, in order to raise the shielding density, the spell would be a much larger burden on the caster’s mind. Even with Shannon there to add his mental capacity to hers, the spell would be difficult to maintain.
“That’s great. Get right on it.”
Shannon looked at the priest. “There’s a problem. Once we have the spell in place, we won’t have any way to move ourselves. We’ll be at the mercy of the current, so if we don’t get lucky and hit something soon, either Raquel or I will pass out and the spell will fail.”
“Also,” Raquel added, “if we run out of air in the bubble, we’ll die.”
Berkens frowned. “This plan just gets better and better.”
“If you have a better idea, I’d love to hear it.” Shannon wasn’t being sarcastic; he actually would have loved for anyone to suggest a better plan. They’d never used Midgard in that way, and Shannon wasn’t at all convinced that it would work.
Berkens shook his head.
“Raquel! Cast the Emulator spell on me.”
Without hesitation, Raquel started chanting. “In the name of our pledge, thou who art lacking, presiding power, worthy of holding the reigns. Though only temporarily, I hereby grant it to you to display your hidden powers…”
As the spell was cast, Shannon was aware of something foreign entering his consciousness—another sorcerer self, separate from him but inside his mind.
The Emulator. As usual, it gave him a dull headache and the vague, uncomfortable feeling of being watched.
If not for their dire situation, he would have avoided using it.
“I’ll cast Midgard with a shielding density of seven. If I faint, you take over.”
“If you think you’re going to faint, don’t forget to release the Emulator beforehand,” Shannon reminded her. Using the Emulator for too long could have dangerous effects on Shannon’s mind—at worst, his own personality could be lost.
“Thou art one to block evil and cast away the wicked, wall who protects us from external harm, obey the commands of the lords. Stand tall here and now!”
In an instant, a sphere made up of sparkling polygons formed around the Inox. Despite the water sloshing in the bottom, the sphere seemed to be floating well.
“We should be all right, at least for a little while,” Shannon muttered.
The mesh pattern of the spell distorted and blurred the scenery, and the rain running down the sides of the sphere obscured their view even more. Barely any sunlight reached through the clouds to illuminate the churning water. If anything that might save them was nearby, it was impossible to tell.
“I don’t know how much longer we can keep this up…” Shannon said, glaring at the dark river.
The rain showed no sign of stopping.
“This is bad.”
In the pouring rain, a young girl talked to herself.
She stood not far from the floating bubble, although not on the land that the Casull siblings were so desperately seeking. She actually stood on the river itself. She had long blue hair tied in a purple ribbon… but despite the downpour, her hair wasn’t wet, and despite the whipping winds, it didn’t move at all. Clearly, she was no ordinary girl.
“My time here is still limited,” she said, her speech much more adult than her prepubescent appearance would imply. “This will be a problem.”
The girl’s name was Arfi, but according to her, that was just an abbreviation of her real name.
“The Peacemakers have been keeping to themselves, but she just can’t avoid getting into her own mess. You certainly are an unlucky one, Scrapped Princess.”
Arfi pointed one small finger at the Midgard bubble, which was drifting aimlessly at the mercy of the current.
“I can help you out right now, but I’ll have to stay away for a while.”
As she spoke, she lightly flicked her fingers at the sphere. The Midgard bubble started to move differently— instead of floating randomly, it seemed to head toward some unseen destination.
“Good luck, Scrapped Princess.”
Arfi nodded to herself in satisfaction, then faded away.
The bubble drifted on toward the closest land.