If something can’t go wrong, it will go wrong.
What I am trying to say is you’re all fucked.
The only way to survive as a lancer is to become a teacher.
Anyway, welcome to class.
—Virgil Clay, Lecture
The dining car had surprisingly good food, considering there was no actual cook aboard the train. There was no real staff at all, actually. It was only a three-car train, aside from the engine. One car with seating and a space for briefings, one for dining, and one with a few bunks for everyone on board. That meant the students, Stephanie, and one of the two conductors could all rest at once.
This left little room for a staff. It would have been needlessly dangerous—and expensive—to employ one, in any case. So the dining car was really just a few booths and a line of free vending machines, only operable between 0800 to 1900. Something about ensuring rations weren’t wasted. In any case, the food wasn’t bad, and Violet was enjoying her surprisingly-fresh tuna salad sandwich. It sure as hell beat the omelet MRE she’d been given on her last trip into the mist.
It was also possible she was just in a good mood. The train had left without delay, almost two hours before. Caitlyn would be found eventually, but that was fine. Violet had been most worried about Alex learning what had happened to his mother before they left. The biggest risk was that someone had seen or heard something—and any claims of that paired with whatever Alex’s emotional state was… at the very least, she would have had no control over anything that happened next.
She’d spent all morning kicking herself over the impulsive decision. Enough to completely smother any guilt the act had inspired. But the morning had passed, and the train had left. That could only mean she hadn’t been heard. And if she hadn’t been heard, then the bumbling police in Roseville would have little reason to suspect Caitlyn hadn’t tied that rope herself. They had neither the tools nor the interest in investigating further than that.
Violet had gotten lucky. She knew that. She was angry at herself for needing it, but she would remember that anger, and she would be more careful. She would control herself. And at the end of the day, she had won. Caitlyn had tried to have her killed, and Violet had won. And as the worry over her mistake faded, she felt good, and her food tasted better than it was.
Alex was sleeping through his emotional exhaustion, Chase was in the main car, and Violet had no idea where that nasty Aubrey girl was. No one irritating was there to bother her, and she had a chance to consider what to do with Stephanie. She did think the lancer would likely manage any hedron who attacked the train at the next station. As valid as Aubrey’s concerns may have been, Violet had seen the woman fight. That lightning tore through red and orange hedron with very little trouble.
Violet briefly considered trying to attract a swarm herself. She’d seen one kind of crystal draw them in when she was meant to be sacrificed, and it could work again. But she dismissed the idea quickly. She wouldn’t be able to control the situation well enough. She hadn’t experimented with the strange way hedron interacted with her much, and she wasn’t ready to risk her life based on a guess. Aside from that, she really liked Kiera. Guy was kind of fun, too, and she didn’t want to get them hurt.
Fortunately, they had decided all volunteers would wait in the station while refueling. If there was a swarm, they needed to be outside and ready to fight before the train was damaged. Stephanie didn’t have omnidirectional vision either, and Violet’s perception would shore up her blind spots. Violet decided her best bet was to watch and wait for an opportunity when the train was nearly full on clarity, but before they reboarded the train. It was hardly a detailed scheme, but it didn’t need to be.
The truth was, Violet was excited to kill the lancer. She was mildly ashamed of the fact, but she looked forward to the adrenaline. The rush, the excitement, and the power. It was intoxicating. Stephanie had dragged Violet into the mist, practically on a leash, and left her to be brutally killed. She deserved it, and Violet wanted to do it. But she simply didn’t have enough control over the situation to guarantee success. She wouldn’t be able to carefully plan anything until she was on a more regular schedule, and she didn’t know where Stephanie would be by then.
She wasn’t going to repeat her mistake with Caitlyn. She wouldn’t spoil the power of the kill with the helplessness of worry. She wouldn’t act if it wasn’t definitely safe. But she absolutely was going to act if she got the chance. That meant she may not kill Stephanie that day. In the worst-case scenario, she knew she might have to wait years to kill the lancer. But the planning… even for a simple idea.
It was delicious.
It was like gambling… the moment before the cards were revealed, and the possibility of wealth was uncertain, but tangible. Just the idea that she might kill Stephanie went down her throat like absinthe and felt warm in her gut. She chuckled to herself.
How the fuck did I end up here? she wondered. She’d never thought of herself as a violent person. But then again, she’d never thought of a lot of possibilities that were suddenly in reach for her. She was just discovering it was true, what they said about drugs. A single taste could be enough for a permanent craving. Bloodlust indeed.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Hey, Violet. You ready?” Kiera asked. Violet took the last bite of her sandwich, rushing to chew and almost choking as she turned to answer her new friend. She started coughing on it, then blushing furiously.
Her eyes met Kiera’s, and both girls paused. Kiera’s tail twitched awkwardly behind her. Both girls began laughing together.
“S–Sorry,” Violet choked. “It was really good tuna; I didn’t want to waste it,” she explained. Kiera smirked.
“And how did that work out for you?” she asked. Violet shrugged.
“As well as anything in my life does, I suppose,” she answered evenly. “What were you asking about? I missed the question. You know, because I was doing something important.” Kiera laughed.
“We are almost at the first crystal station. Stephanie is asking the volunteers to meet up in the main car. You ready?” she asked again.
“Oh, sure, one sec,” Violet agreed quickly. She brushed a few crumbs off her shirt and slid out of her booth. As soon as she was done, she nodded toward Kiera, indicating she was ready to move forward. The two girls walked together to the exit at the front end of the car before pausing. “So, Kitsune, huh? Does that mean you’re going to get a bunch of tails as you move up through the categories?” Violet asked, while she still had the chance. She had finally learned the girl’s calling when they’d met to plan for the station. It would be hard to work together without knowing what everyone was capable of, after all.
Stephanie was a Lightning Mage, an unsurprising title considering what Violet had seen before. Violet had displayed herself as a red six Storm Scout, as she had the first time. Which left Kiera Mulberry, the red five Kitsune, with talents for illusion and fire. Guy Turner was a red six Tank. His talents included thick skin and taunt. And, finally, Aubrey Clark. She was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a red five Banshee. Violet actually found her calling the most interesting, if only because she couldn’t imagine what type of soul would be best embodied by the wailing dead. Of course, if anyone had the personality of a banshee, it was that girl.
Kiera flicked the one tail she had again and shrugged. “I don’t really know,” she replied. “There are only seven categories, so I can hardly make it to nine, if that’s how it works.
“Probably for the best. That sounds a bit irritating to deal with, truth be told,” Violet joked. Kiera sighed.
“No joke. One is a bit irritating. You would not believe how expensive altering my clothing is. Not to mention the ears. You know both sets work? It makes shit sound super weird. I have to keep them plugged constantly, or I’ll go crazy,” Kiera agreed.
Violet paused, glancing at the taller girl’s curled hair. “I don’t know why, but I kind of assumed you didn’t have the standard pair. Is that why you wear your hair like that?” she asked. Kiera winced.
“It… is, yeah.”
“Can I see them?”
“My ears?”
“Yeah.”
“They’re literally just ears, Violet.”
“Yeah, but they never show both in anime. I want to see what it looks like.”
“I’m not an anime girl.”
“You look kind of like an anime girl.”
“You have purple hair and a sidetail.”
“Yeah, and it makes it easy to see my ears! It’s only fair.”
“That’s not…” Kiera sighed even as she smiled. She liked Violet, and Violet liked her. The two had clicked faster than Violet had ever connected with anyone. Even so, she refused to move her hair. As far as anyone else would ever see, there was nothing under it. She put her hands on her hips. “They are waiting for us, you know.” Violet pouted.
“Fiiiine,” Violet relented. "Let’s go piss Aubrey off with our presence, shall we?” Kiera laughed.
“She’s not usually so quick to anger, actually. You really rubbed her the wrong way. The hell did you say to your boyfriend, anyway?” she asked. Violet shrugged as she finally opened the door to the next car. The wind roared outside, a basic walkway being the only thing between the two cars.
“Nothing weird. Maybe she just thinks he’s hot,” she shouted, loudly enough to be heard over the wind and perhaps in the next car. Kiera chuckled and shook her head.
The two girls finally made their way to the main car. Aubrey and Guy stared at them with entirely different expressions. Stephanie, watching the mist through one window, looked up as the door closed and the sound of the wind died down.
“Ah, there you are, and just in time. We’ll be coming to a stop in just a few moments, it looks like. Is everyone ready?” All eyes turned to her, again with a variety of expressions.
“Sure thing! Just say the word, and we’ll be ready to go,” Violet agreed on behalf of the group. Stephanie nodded, then sighed. She was clearly nervous about bringing the students into the mist. It was apparently an easier risk to take when she had a team lead to blame for it.
Everyone could feel the the gradual change in momentum as the train slowed to a complete stop. Even if they hadn’t, they could hear the creaking of metal and the release of steam. Violet could feel the anxiety in the air thicken, but felt none of it herself. She had, the first time she’d entered the mist. But this time, it was a choice. This time, she was in control.
“Alright. Time to go. We won’t be attacked until I hook the train up to the crystal pylon. The transfer of clarity will attract anything near us. There is unlikely to be a swarm unless a new nest has formed nearby since the train last passed through. This almost never happens quickly enough to be dangerous, so your jobs are simply to keep an eye out while I handle defense,” she reiterated.
“Famous last words,” Guy murmured.
“This isn’t some kind of story, Guy,” Violet responded.
“It’s not like we are going to run into a swarm just because it’s technically possible,” Kiera replied. Stephanie winced.
“Right. Well, we need to get going. The less time we spend stationary, the better,” Stephanie said.
As such, the group lined up at the exit. Stephanie was first, followed by Guy, Violet, Aubrey, and Kiera in order. This way, the front was covered in case a hedron attacked as soon as they left the train. They had protection, detection, a backup attacker, and finally, a wild card in the back. Kiera was able to disguise the group while they were in the open. She could also provide her own attack magic as a last resort.
Violet was fairly comfortable as the door opened, and once again, she descended into the mauve mist.
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Starting at 3,000 followers, I will write a bonus chapter between 6k - 15k in length every 2k followers. This may be a side character, this may be an AU, or anything else. Who decides? You do! When a milestone is reached, I will ask for suggestions and put up a poll of the most popular ones!
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