Steam Train

Once upon a time, an apocalypse...

Once upon a time, a flame engulfed the Earth. An asteroid belt had encircled the planet and hurled through its orbit, causing an inferno to rain down upon the creatures that resided there. Within a few days, the meteors had destroyed what little the humans had left of their planet, as well as broken the barrier between humans and beings believed to be fiction. Once the rain had ceased, war, famine, and plague was released into the world. It was a race for survival, for medicine, for resources. The denizens tore themselves to pieces until the leaders of the races stepped in. Unanimously, they decided to form a treaty where each race shall be separated into their own districts. Only Halavia, the town in the center of the districts, was allowed the mixture of races and acted as a sojourn for travelers and merchants.

            Once upon a time, a little blue-haired girl was caught in this tragedy. Under protection of her elder brother, they fought their way to survive by killing and robbing of what others hoarded. Despite numerous punishments, they continued with their deeds until the little girl ended up alone. The lonely girl grew older, finding a fairy as a partner and eventually ending up in Halavia. She hoped the train, the Steam Train, would guide her to what she was looking for. After all, it was said that the Steam Train takes all to where they are meant to be.

            Once upon a time…

*BANG*

...someone was shot during this intro….

 

            A drunken man clutched his bleeding leg, shielding himself from the turquoise-haired woman towering over him. She narrowed her eyes, smoke emitting from an old-fashioned, long barrel revolver in her hands. A large, bald man came up behind her, “You know you shouldn’t be in here, missy.”

            “Hmph.” Was her response. She lowered the gun, “I just wanted directions. It’s not my fault he treated me like a hands-on exhibit.” She shot the variety of alcoholic men surrounding her a cold glare with an eye that matched her hair. Her right, to be specific. Her left was concealed by a veil, cascading from a small brown top hat fixed with a pair of goggles and a faux peacock feather.

            The men began to close in around her. A couple of elves, a few vampires in the back, a handful of trolls, but mostly, disgusting humans. The two-inch heel of her leather Oxfords clacked as she backed away towards the door. “We don’t want no trouble, girly. You better get on outta here.” A troll growled.

            A slight buzz of chatter among the men arose, and the woman turned and stomped out with a huff, “Fine. I don’t want the help of a bunch of meatheads anyways.”

            After taking a few paces away from the establishment, she plopped down onto a sidewalk, smoothing her skirt and adjusting her corset. A sigh escaped her lips, and a small fairy, dressed in a brown corset, blouse, and a bunched-up skirt, fluttered from behind the woman’s hair, “I told you that was a bad idea, Ferona.”

            “Oh, hush.” Ferona snapped, not in the mood for another of the fairy’s I-told-you-so’s, “Where are we going to get information then, Wren?”

            “Hm…” Her neon pink pigtails bounced as she flew around, “We could see if there’s a town directory. It’s Halavia after all, there should be some kind of map around here.”

            Ferona stood and dusted off her blue leggings with screws printed on them, “Alright, you lead the way then.”

            “Okay!” Wren nodded and took off in some direction. Ferona chased after her, cane in hand, until they were in front of a worn-down map of the area. It wasn’t very detailed, but it didn’t need to be. All of the land was sectioned off anyways. “Hm...it isn’t on here. Sorry, Ferona.”

            “...I need a cigarette.” She groaned, ripping a small box from the pouch on her hip.

            Wren watched in silence, knowing she wouldn’t be able to stop her partner, “...I thought you were going to quit?”

            Ferona lit the f*g with frustration, taking a deep inhale of it, “...Last one.”

            “You always say that.”

            “Shush.”

            “How much do you really like that remaining lung of yours?”

            Ferona’s eyebrow twitched, “...I can get a new one. I’m sure you can survive with two mechanical lungs.”

            Wren shook her head, “Athena isn’t going to make the next lung collapse cheap, y’know.”

            Ferona scoffed, “...Shut up.” Wren giggled at this response, celebrating the victory of yet another of their arguments. Ferona just groaned in response. She tended to lose any squabble they had over her health, and Athena always chose Wren’s side as well. This normally tempted her to another cigarette, but, well, there was already one in her hand.

            She sighed out a puff of smoke and observed the town. It was run-down and created with whatever scrap metal everyone could find after the world ended. Most of the doors were fixed with some sort of simple, mechanized device. Among the numerous little shops in the city, there was a tavern, of course, and a sort of inn; a group of crumpled, hollow balls of iron that passersby could sleep in for the night. They were about the size of a toolshed and had a single door and a little, circular window. Ferona stayed in these frequently and has even labeled her favorite; the one in the back far right with the smoothest floor. She had also been asked to share a room by a variety of men, but that normally ended with a bloody nose and cold night alone for them.

            “F-...Ferona?” Wren put her little hands on her partner as Ferona leaned over with ragged breathing. “Are you oka-” Suddenly, Ferona started into a coughing fit. Shielding her mouth with the inside of her left arm, she held out her cigarette with the other, as if asking Wren to take it away from her. Wren did just that, quickly snuffing it out on the ground and batting her wings over her partner to waft the smoke away. After several minutes, Ferona finally calmed down and began to breathe normally once more.

            “Thanks, Wren. If you weren’t here...I don’t know if I would’ve thrown that out on my own.”

            Wren frowned at the addict, “...Ferona?”

            “...Yes, Wren?”

            “You’re kinda dumb.”

            Ferona frowned, standing up and leaving Wren behind, “Let’s go.”

            Wren followed with a slight pout., “So...where are we going?”

            “The train station. I’m going to see if anyone has information there.” Ferona winced a little as she came up to the station, the line longer than usual. Because, of course that would happen when she has something important to do. She claimed her spot in line and peered up at a rotted wood sign that read “Steam Train”.

            “Ooh, good idea! You know what they say, the Steam Train takes all to where they are meant to be!” Wren fluttered around with excitement.

            “...You know I don’t believe in that bull.” Ferona whispered.

            “Really? Then why have you boarded it so many times?” Ferona said nothing, “And how many times have you gotten lost and the Steam Train got us to our destination?” Wren said loudly and proudly.

            Ferona sighed, “...I-”

            “‘It’s just a coincidence’, right?” Wren laughed at the glare she received, “You’re the same as ever.” She lay out on Ferona’s shoulder as Ferona questioned internally why she had kept the little smartass creature around. After noticing the confused expressions around her, she decided that maybe it was better that Wren was around, for both of their sakes.

            Slowly, the line dwindled down until Ferona was face-to-face with a grinning fool in a red and brown suit, “Hello! Can I help you?” He beamed.

            Ferona groaned quietly, “I need directions for the bounty.”

            “The bounty?” His eyes widened, “...You want directions?”

            “Just…” She sighed, praying internally that the myth of the train will be in her favor “Give me a train ticket.”

            The man smiled, pulling a ticket off a roll, “Alright, one ticket! Have a nice day ma’am!” He tipped his hat to her awkwardly while wondering why this strange woman smelling of smoke wanted to try for the bounty. Wren flew off Ferona’s shoulder, waving to the man, but he just looked past her, “Hello! Can I help you?” Wren cocked her head to the side, then flew back to Ferona and rested on her shoulder once more.

            A ten minute wait, then the Steam Train pulled up. Like the name implies, it runs on steam, and it and its railroad were some of the only things that survived the fires, though it still needed constant repair to keep running. It was encased in worn metal plates, but the engine always overheated, so the first train car was always uncovered in fear of explosion. The other cars had gears and cogs protruding from them in order to keep the mechanism that ran along inside it to work. “All aboard!” The conductor called as the train came to a slow and steady halt.

            “Yay, how exciting!” Wren whispered in Ferona’s ear, clapping lightly.

            Passengers on the train unboarded, then the conductor let in the new ones, “Ticket please.” The one-eyed woman heard faintly. She placed her cane into a notch on her belt.

            Finally, it was her turn, “Ticket please.” The man asked, in a similar brown and red suit as the man before, with a swallowtail coat and a poorly repaired pocket watch on his hip. This man, however, had pointed ears rather than round ones.

            Ferona handed him the ticket, “Ticket for one…” He said to himself, examining it closely. He stared into her eyes, then flicked his own to her shoulder, “...Just one?”

            “Yes, sir.” She answered.

            He smiled, “Very well then.” He stepped aside to let her on, “I suppose...it is better that way, isn’t it?” Ferona turned back to him for a moment, but simply left him to do his job, his voice fading away as she boarded, “Ticket please?”

            “Did you see that, Ferona? He saw me! He saw me!” Wren cheered.

            “Yes...indeed he did.” She said distantly, taking her seat. Wren danced around her shoulder until the train began to move once more. The engine sputtered and the cars rattled, but settled down as the train reached a sustainable pace. Wren peered out the window with amazement, watching as the town flew by and peering at the devastation that was once civilization. As if she hadn’t ever seen it all before, but it still amazed her all the same.

            The conductor began to walk down the aisle to check the passengers, and Ferona threw a hand before him to stop him, “Excuse me.”

            “What can I do for you, ma’am?” He leaned down to her.

            “Do you know where this train is headed?” She asked quietly.

            The conductor smiled, his pointed ears twitching around slightly, “Where do you want this train to head?”

            Ferona frowned, “I need to get to the witch’s house. For the bounty.”

            “Oh, the bounty, eh?” He peered down at his watch, then back into her eyes, “...Is that what your heart wants?”

            “My heart…” She spoke, “...I could care less about the bounty. But...I need it.”

            He leaned in closer to her, now speaking in a low whisper, “If that’s what your heart needs, I guarantee the train will stop there.”

            He tried to pull away, but Ferona grabbed his collar and pulled him back, “...Is it true this train is…‘magic’?”

            “That depends,” he chuckled, “on what you want to believe. This train has no set route, after all. It just follows the track.” He stood back up and continued towards the back of the train. Ferona relaxed back into her seat. What my heart wants? she thought. She shook her head and zoned out, staring through the window.

 

            “Attention passengers, we are about to make another stop!” the conductor shouted in each train car. Ferona ignored his call, already having heard it six times in the past hour. However, she wasn’t expecting him to suddenly lean over and tap her on the shoulder, “Excuse me young lady, but I believe this is your stop.” He grinned. He took her hand and led her out of the train.

            “What? What are you-...” She left the train and turned to see a mansion towering above them. “...talking about…”

            “Thank you for riding, ma’am.” The conductor tipped his hat to her, then to Wren, “You as well, little friend.” He hopped back in the train and signaled the train to move forward once more. It did so, and once it and its steam was out of sight, Ferona lit another cigarette.

            “...You really shouldn’t have had that first one.” Wren sighed. Ferona said nothing, just put her lighter into her bag silently and marched into the mansion.

 

            Once inside, the pair was greeted by a sea of darkness, and a low sound of growling. Wren whimpered slightly, but Ferona pulled the fairy into her jacket, “I’ve heard the first one is kind of a b***h.” She took another puff, “But as long as I don’t have to deal with any trolls, we’ll be on good terms.”

            Pairs of red eyes became visible, “F-...Ferona?” Wren trembled.

            “...Hexed vampires. I can deal with that.”

A dim light brightened the black veil a small hair, but it was just enough for Ferona to see. The growling suddenly rose to a thunderous volume, and Ferona took one last, short intake of the thickening smoke, then tossed her cigarette into the air. For her, the world seemed to slow down as she moved, ripping her pistols from their holsters, spinning them around her trigger finger, and aiming the right to follow her line of sight and the left just barely visible in her peripherals. The boom of the gun and ricocheting bullets echoed around in the room, a deafening buzz covering the growls. Slowly but surely, the enemies’ noises ceased.

But they were followed by more, “A second wave?” Ferona tossed her gun into the air lightly, catching her cigarette and twirling it in her fingers, then trading the two off again. Unfortunately, once the trigger on her right pistol was pulled, no bullet came out. Confused, Ferona brought it closer to her, “Hm? That’s strange. Jammed.” She fired a round in front of her with the left, stillness following a shriek of pain, “All well, at least I have one more.” She spun around the room and skillfully silenced her enemies. She used her heel to cease her spinning, holstered her gun, then reached her right hand into the air. Her cigarette fell right in place between her fingers. “Well, Wren, it looks like I won the bet.” She bragged as bright lights flicked on to show the carnage she left behind.

“It only took you five years.” Wren sighed, pouting, “Fine, you win. I’ll give your guns some sort of enchantment once you get ‘em fixed.” She slumped onto her partner’s shoulder.

“Thanks.” Ferona snickered victoriously, “I told you I could end a battle before my cigarette hit the ground.”

“Yeah yeah, just keep going.” Wren stuck her tongue out.

The two strolled down an endless hallway with a red carpet and beige walls, until they reached a fork in it. One path was lit, while the other was not. In between the two was a piece of white paper with a question written on it in calligraphy.

What is it your heart wants?

Above hall number one, was the answer The Bounty. Above hall number two, was the answer Liberation. She blinked at the answers, unamused, then wordlessly stepped through the darkened Liberation hall. She came to yet another fork.

Are you aware who you are working under?

            She now headed down the illuminated hallway, with the answer The Forge Family. She repeated this process of answering for ten more questions, then finally came upon a throne in a large, dimly lit room. “Ah, and here I thought I could fool you.” A blonde woman with a crooked black hat and elegant black dress stood. She smoothed an overskirt of spiderweb out, and revealed her eyes, shining like the light of the moon, to her visitor. “But I suppose you’ve been working for your goal far longer than the others, hm?” She sighed.

            Ferona hesitated, “...How do you know so much about me?”

            “Oh, dear,” She smirked, “I know a lot of things. I knew you’d be here today as well, I tried to test you as much as I could though.”

            “If you knew I’d make it here anyways, then why would you try to push me?”

            “For my entertainment.” She cackled at the unsatisfied glare she received, “I needed to make sure you earned your way here, after all.”

            “So, where do I go from here?” Ferona cut to the chase.

            “You’re no fun…” The witch pouted, “Fine. I can’t get you directions, but I can bring the train back around and have it take you to the next location.”

            “Next?” Ferona spat viciously, “How many are there?”

            “Calm down, dear.” The witch placed a hand on her cheek, “There’s only three. The final witch is the real challenge, but the next is like a pit-stop. But trust me, it’s vital for you to see the next.” She tapped her fingernails on the wall as she approached Ferona.

            “...Is that it, then?” Ferona asked, patting Wren.

            “...Not quite.” She smirked, and seven serpents made of chains slithered out from behind her. “You didn’t think I’d just hand you my magic and let you waltz away now, did you?” She emitted a low, sinister laugh, “Let’s just see if you truly are a sharpshooter. Can you defeat my darlings before the Steam Train returns?” She held out her hands as if to sic the serpents towards the female gunner.

            “Hmph.” Ferona dodged them with ease, taking a deep breath of the cigarette smoke that had now turned a near solid white. She breathed it out steadily, carefully, and the smoke formed together to make a garden of enlarged snowdrop flowers. She watched for a moment as the chain snakes slithered about in the smoke, confused and trying to detect their opponent. Finally, Ferona removed her unjammed pistol and took out three of the seven, but that only revealed her position. At a speed faster than Ferona’s eye could process, one of the serpents shot out of the clouds and its fangs ripped through the back of Ferona’s hand, also causing the gun to slip away from her to the throne across the room.

            The witch’s heels clacked as she strutted to the weapon and plucked it off her red carpet, “Hm...I have no use for petty toys like these.” She flipped it around in her hand.

            Ferona shot her a glare, then removed the cane she placed on her belt. Wren uncovered the concealing magic she had on it, and the cane thickened, a magazine and a trigger appearing onto it. Ferona flicked it into her hand and rested her finger on the trigger. She took a split moment to aim, the freed serpent circling around the room back to her, then fired into its mouth. The bullet ran through its body until it disintegrated within the magic that animated the snake, then the chains fell apart and clattered to the ground.

            The cigarette had now become a small nub, so Ferona dropped it onto the ground, slowly smothering it with her foot as to create a hole in the thick carpet, which she succeeded in doing. The snowdrops thinned out, and the three serpents now focused their attention on the woman armed with a deadly cane.

            In a flash, the four battled in an elaborate dance. The serpents managed to snake around Ferona without tangling themselves, and the gunwoman managed to leap and twirl around them, only missing her shots narrowly. They eventually clustered and attacked her all at once, and Ferona flipped her arm around her shoulder, placing the cane firmly behind her and pushing herself onto it in an assisted backflip. She landed, spinning on her heels and rotating the cane’s head around her wrist, then rolling it back into her hand as she abruptly faced her opposition. She fired three bullets and ended the battle, then sprinted towards the witch.

            Before the witch knew it, or maybe she allowed it to happen, Ferona thrust her hand onto the back of her neck and knocked her out cold before she could cast any more spells. Ding dong, the witch was, well, not dead, but at least down.

            Ferona swiped her pistol back and shoved it into her holster. “You’ve...never had problems like this before. Are you okay? Normally you can strategize better.” Wren asked, genuinely concerned.

            “Perhaps,” Ferona smiled coyly, “it’s the lack of fresh oxygen reaching my brain.”

 

            The chugging of the Steam Train snuck into earshot. Ferona, resting on her cane, estimated that it would be another thirty minutes before it would arrive. Not wanting to stand through the entire wait, she plopped down into the sand, Wren imitating her actions beside her knee. When the train had come to be only a mile away, the two got back on their feet, Wren taking her place on the woman’s shoulder.

Ferona noticed the conductor waving at her, clutching to a rusty metal bar connected to the side of the train. He nearly fell off when the train rocked itself still. It seemed to shrink a few inches as the stress and pressure was released, accompanied by the screech of warping metal. The entire structure seemed to groan, old and and long overdue for its retirement. The conductor fumbled as he jumped off, but was able to catch himself before Ferona. Ferona waited for the conductor to gather himself before boarding the train. “Phew...all aboard!”

 

A few miles down the track, the conductor approached Ferona, “Congratulations. You were successful.” He smiled.

Ferona glanced at the lantern in his hand then up to his eyes, “...Yes, thank you.”

“We’ll be reaching your next destination by sunset.” He peered around Wren out her window at the sun, now much lower than when Ferona first entered the witch’s house, “...Was Rosaline difficult to defeat?”

Ferona shrugged, “Mildly, or maybe I was just too cocky.” She scratched at the dried blood on her hand, “Either way, there’s one more witch than I planned there to be.” She sighed.

The conductor walked away for a moment, then returned with shoddy medical supplies. He poured a quarter-empty bottle of alcohol onto a cloth and began rubbing the blood away, despite Ferona’s protests, “Yeah, the main witches everyone talks about is only Rosaline and Eloisa. Not a lot know there is a third, though that’s good for her sake.” He took off the remainder of Ferona’s glove and wrapped a bandage around it.

“Who’s the other witch, then?” Ferona shook her hand slightly.

He gathered up his supplies, “...You’ll see.” and disappeared for the remainder of the trip.

 

Sunset came, and the train stopped once more. The conductor led Ferona off the train, “And here is your stop!” He grinned, “Take care, alright?” Wren flew up to him and he pointed his index finger for her to touch, “Be safe, little friend.”

“We will, don’t worry!” She waved to him as he took his leave.

Ferona took off suddenly, “Ferona?” Wren called to her, “Wait…” She said, now aware of what caught her partner off guard.

The woman stepped into a small workshop filled with tools, weapons, gadgets, and the smell of molten iron, “A...Athena?” She called.

A small girl with low, red pigtails and reddish-pink eyes popped up from behind some sort of gizmo she was working on, “Hello? Oh.” She tightened a screw on it and went closer to her visitor, “Hey, Ferona.” She wiped sawdust on her fingerless gloves off onto her overalls.

“You’re one of the witches?” Ferona questioned, baffled.

Athena shook her head, “Am I? I had no clue that’s what others were saying about me.” A metal plate crashed to the ground, a piece of her gizmo that had fallen off. Athena huffed and went back to fix it, “But that’s not good for business, no, not good at all.” She muttered, “I wonder why they’re saying that about me?” She tried several times to reattach the piece, but it just wouldn’t go on. Finally, she shrugged her shoulders in defeat, “...No, no, one more time.” She looked over to Ferona, impatiently waiting for her to finish, then her expression grew horrified, “What is that?” She yelled, pointing past her client.

“What? Where?” Ferona, hand on her pistol, whipped her head around. The only thing behind her was moonlight illuminating the darkness. “What are you talking about? There’s nothing-”

She turned back to see that the piece was now in place and Athena was clearing her workshop desk, “Alright, now that I’ve fixed that, let’s get started.”

Ferona narrowed her eyes impassively, “...You really should be more careful about that.”

“About what?” Athena asked innocently. Ferona rolled her eyes and her and Wren strolled deeper into the workshop.

Ferona laid her pistols on the table, one, of course, jammed, and the other with a scratch on it. Athena turned to her, slightly heartbroken, “...These are my best customs.”

“I know, I know.” Ferona sighed, “Can you please just fix them?”

“As long as you don’t break them before I get the chance.” She ran around the shop to grab the tools and supplies she needed and hopped up into a stool to begin working. “So,” She spun the scratched gun around in her hand, making sure that was the only problem with it, “How’s the hunt coming?”

Ferona, now leaning against the wall, shook her head, “Well, I’m stuck here waiting for my weapons to be fixed while the bounty could be being claimed.” She huffed.

Athena glanced at her, then went back to work, “...I’m sorry. I know Zen means a lot to you.”

Ferona sighed again, “It’s fine, I guess I shouldn’t be so cranky about it. I just…” Wren flew up to her and hugged her cheek, “If I miss this opportunity, I’ll never get to see Zen again.”

“You’re lucky someone kidnapped the esteemed son of the Forge family.” Athena chuckled. Upon seeing Ferona’s expression remain, she sighed, “Sorry. If I could...procure the money you need for Zen, then I would, but even I have my restraints and limits.”

Ferona stared into Athena’s eyes as she worked. Even after they’ve known each other so long, she had never gotten over her widening her eyes. Ever since they met, Athena always had her eyes held almost impossibly wide open. It reminded Ferona of an owl, or at least, of what she remembered of one. “...It’s fine.” She finally said, shifting her eyes back to her feet, “I just wish none of this had ever happened. Zen doesn’t deserve it.”

Athena shrugged, “It’s not my fault the two of you decided to become delinquents.”

“Yeah...we were foolish kids.” Ferona laughed.

“So foolish, you used what little magic you had to enchant your cigarettes.” Athena said quietly, but made sure it was loud enough to be heard.

“...Yeah, that was pretty stupid.” Ferona smacked her hand to her forehead gently. Wren yawned, then snuggled up in Ferona’s hair. “But hey, it’s helped me out in the long run.” Suddenly, she let out a few ragged coughs.

“ I suppose it has been for some things, but you’re still missing a lung.” Athena finished patching up the one pistol and picked up the other for inspection, “I’m not making it cheap if you lose the other.” She tossed the gun into the air and spun it around a bit, “Boy, you did a number on this thing...” She mumbled to herself.

“I know, I know. I’ve been trying to quit.” She scoffed, holding her chest, “Wren’s been a big help with that. I’m not smoking nearly as much as I used to with her around, but I’m still smoking more than I should be.”

“She knows she can’t stop you.” Athena said, “But she tries her best to coax you away from it if you’ve gone over your daily limit. That’s why I added a “no smoking” rule to my workshop to help the both of you out with that. By the way, don’t do this.” She turned the open end of the barrel towards her eye and poked a sort of thick needle into it, “I’m a professional.”

Ferona laughed, “I would protest, but I suppose I don’t want my eyes to be in the same situation that my lungs are heading to.”

Athena froze, then placed the pistol onto the desk, “Speaking of which, why don’t we get the maintenance for that one over with now?”

Ferona scowled, “Ugh...right now?”

Athena had her sit down onto a bench on the other side of the workshop, “Yes, now.” She grabbed a few, very thin, tools as Ferona removed her hat. Athena waited for her to get settled, then pulled back her turquoise bangs, revealing a robotic eye inside of a metal implant around the front of Ferona’s face. “Now, follow this light.” Athena held a flashlight up to it. The eye spun with a slight whirring to focus itself, then moved to examine the light. Once Athena made her verdict, she flicked off the light and tossed it onto a table beside her.

“Ow…” Ferona covered her eye with her palm as it spun around rapidly to refocus itself. “I always hate maintenance on this thing. It feels uncomfortable.”

Athena moved Ferona’s head slightly to see into the eye better, then stuck a thin tool into its socket, “That’s because I had to connect a few of the nerve tissues to it. I understand it’s not pleasant, but it should feel more real that way.” Ferona squirmed around slightly, but eventually settled down. “So, Rosaline had you battling in the dark? How’d the eye take that?” She asked, then mumbled shortly after, “Look to the left.”

Ferona’s eye moved left, “It was fine. It has better night vision than I expected. Was that my upgrade from last time?”

“Yes, it was. Look right.” Athena prodded and probed at the eye, “Considering you like to take the worst of risks in the dark, I thought it’d be good for you to have that.”

“But the jobs I do to earn money happen mostly at night.” Ferona protested.

Athena chuckled, but her face fell serious shortly after, “How’s the implant? Does it hurt? Itch? Has it shrank or expanded any?” She knocked on it a couple of times, causing Ferona to jerk away from her, “Oh, right. There’s nerves in that too.”

Ferona growled under her breath, then sat straight again, “It’s fine. I haven’t noticed any changes.”

Athena hesitated, “...It’s been so long, since the world ended.” She shook her head, “Those asteroids were awful. I’m sorry you got caught in the explosion of one.”

“No, it’s alright.” Ferona shook her head, “I should be more thankful to you for helping me. You could have just let me die, after all.”

“How could I do that,” Athena’s eyes lowered into a weird, widened-eye lowering, “when Zen was so insistent to save you?” She reminisced the past of when she and Ferona first met, “Once things had mildly calmed down, I remember seeing this young boy screaming at the top of his lungs to help the dying girl in his arms. Half of your face was gone, and the damage had reached the edge of your skull. I’m no doctor, but nobody, not even your own kind was willing to aid you both. There’s no way I could have turned my back on that.”

“Even after I was fixed, my race still never helped us. Our parents died fighting in the territory war and the others didn’t care to even throw bread crumbs at us. But…” Her eyes looked to the floor as Athena backed off, “I guess I kind of understand, I mean, we were still at war then. Nobody had the time or resources to do that.”

“No.” Athena shook her head, then finished her checkup, “You guys were children. Your race especially has no excuse to not help the orphans that were abandoned during that time.” She shook her head in disgust, “For them to do that...I never realized how selfish your race was.”

“But we ruled before everything happened, which would explain their arrogance.” Ferona defended. Athena looked at her curiously, but flipped her hair back over her eye and turned away. “Oh...that’s it?”

“Yep.” Athena smiled, “You’ve kept it in surprisingly good shape. You’re ready to go.” Before Ferona could celebrate and take her leave, she added, “Well...you are. Your weapon...not so much.” She pulled out a pillow and blanket and set it on the bench, “I’m going to have to take it apart and piece it back together in order to fix it, and that’ll take until morning. You can sleep here until then.”

“What?” Ferona pouted, “Ugh…I don’t need to sleep, I can stay awake and wait until sunrise.”

“Alright, if you insist.”

 

An hour later, Ferona had collapsed onto the pillow, emotionally exhausted. She had woken Wren up by doing this, so she caught up on the news with Athena. When their conversation finished, they checked on her partner and found her mumbling in her sleep, crying. Numerous times she had called for Zen, and the two awake couldn’t help but feel bad that Ferona had been masking so much pain. The two of them pulled the blanket over her and Wren whispered into her ear until she calmed down, then went back to Athena while she finished her work. They chatted quietly until morning.

 

Sunrise had come, and Ferona began to stir from her sleep. She rubbed her right eye sleepily, then opened it see Wren in front of her, “Wake up, wake up! It’s time to get going!” She flew around in excited circles.

“Oh...Athena, you finished?” Ferona picked up her hat and covered her left eye again.

“Yep.” She replied proudly, “And I actually finished sooner than I expected, so I made you more ammunition.”

“And I enchanted it for you!” Wren cheered.

Ferona folded up the blanket and set the pillow on top of it, then Athena pulled her over and handed her the pistols back, “Oh wow, these look brand new!” She aimed at the sand outside and spun them around in her hands, then thrust them in the holsters with a confident grin. “They feel great, thank you so much.” She dug into her wallet and pulled out a handful of money, but her expression dropped as she counted it out, “...I don’t have enough.”

Athena swiped half of it and pushed Ferona’s hand back to her, “I need the money to eat, but, so do you. Don’t worry about it.”

“But-”

“It’s nice having a visitor come stay anyways. Most people just drop off my work and leave. It was good to have you over again.” She smiled.

Ferona reluctantly put the money back into her pocket, “...You always do that.”

Athena pushed her towards the door, “Wasn’t there a Zen you needed to save, or was that my imagination?”

Ferona tipped her hat, “...Yeah, there is. Thanks.” They waved to each other and Ferona trekked down to the railroad tracks.

 

“Ummm…Ferona?” Wren asked as Ferona impatiently tapped her foot, “You okay?”

“Where is that stupid train?” She growled, “Doesn’t it know I need to be somewhere?”

“No, it doesn’t know anything.” Wren said, “...It’s a train.”

“Oh hush, I know that.” Ferona, tired of the three hour wait, scoffed and started following down the side of the tracks, “Fine, then. I’ll find Eloisa myself.”

Wren sped up to her shoulder and plunked down onto it, “...You’re going to get lost again.”

“I am not.” Ferona huffed, “We’ll find our way there, I’m sure of it.”

 

After a two hour walk in the middle of nowhere, with nothing in sight for miles, Wren finally sighed, “You’re totally lost.”

Ferona’s shoulders tensed and she prepared to argue, but she relaxed once more, “...Yeah, I have no idea where we are.” She admitted, leaning on her cane.

“Hoo.” She heard above her. It was reminiscent of Athena’s voice, and Ferona peered up to see some sort of winged creature above her. “Hoo.” She took her weight off her cane and held it up for the creature to land. It was a dark brown owl, with a face of rage and eyes of fire. Its eyes were opened more than Ferona remembered a normal owl’s being, “Hoo, hoo, are you lost, hoo?”

Ferona blinked, “Uh...yeah…”

The owl turned its head upside down, “I can show you the way, hoo.”

Wren and Ferona both turned their heads to try and match the owl, but it flipped its head back into place, “Follow me, hoo!” It started to fly off in a direction, and Ferona tried to keep up with it the best she could.

Not even twenty minutes of a healthy, but tiring, jog later, Ferona arrived at the gates of a wicked mansion with several crooked spires on it. The entire thing was coated in a dull, deep aqua paint, and the structure was surrounded in a dark aura. There were a couple of bodies impaled and dangling from the spires. The sight of it all may be enough to scare off a novice hunter or shooter, but not Ferona. Goal in the forefront of her mind, she courageously ripped the gate open and entered the mansion to face the final witch.

Laced through each hall were bodies, blood, and entrails. Bullet holes and sword slashes had endlessly cut through the wallpaper through the years, and the screams of the fallen could still be heard faintly. Ferona ignored this, a glare fixated to the black door before her. Wren hid in Ferona’s jacket trembling and crying, and Ferona curled her into a ball and cupped her hand to her chest with Wren in it, trying to muffle out the noise for her. Finally, Ferona reached the door, and pushed it open to see her opponent.

“Ah, another visitor?” A woman with black hair, curled onto each sides of her shoulder, turned to face Ferona. She wore a witch’s hat similar to Rosaline’s, and regal dress coated in blood. Her eyes were blue of the night sky, and even had glimmers of white in them that were reminiscent of stars, “I’ve been getting so many, lately. I should kidnap nobles more often.” She giggled sinisterly. She lifted a body she had in her long blue fingernails and threw it to the other side of the endless room. Ferona merely glared at the woman, putting her cane into her belt. “Aw, what’s with that face? That’s not entertaining.”

“Give the Forge to me, Eloisa.”

The witch was taken aback, “My, how rude! If you want something, you have to work for it, yes?” They stared into each other’s eyes in silence, “Hmph. If you really want him back, then you’ll have to defeat me first!” A blue streak of flame hurled itself towards Ferona, but she dodged to the side before it could touch her. “Let me see you face twist in despair!” White tigers surrounded in blue flames materialized above Eloisa’s hands and came roaring after Ferona.

“Hmph.” Ferona removed her pistols and spun them in her hands expertly, then aimed at the familiars. She took the three out easily, but more were sent after her. With Wren’s help, she lit another cigarette and surrounded herself in a wall of Snowdrops. Ferona could see a hint of the blue flames in the white mass, but the tigers were too quick for her to make a clear shot. Thankfully, Wren had enchanted her bullets, and they now homed in on their target and attacked them with little guidance from Ferona. Each bullet fired spun and whizzed around to find more of the tigers, but Ferona only had so many. By the time her protection had faded away, so had her pistols been emptied of ammunition.

“You...little brat.” Eloisa spat, wiping her blood from the scrapes a few stray bullets had caused. Ferona now pulled out her gun cane, taking down wave after wave of the witch’s familiars. But, even Ferona and her gun mastery can hit her limit. Her movements became slower as the battle pressed on, her body drenched in sweat. She gasped for air every moment she could, but was wheezing slightly from the cigarette she had just smoked. The tigers began to avoid her bullets now, taking hits on her and tearing through her flesh. By the ninety-ninth wave, Ferona was about to collapse.

 

Wren, in the meanwhile, had been searching for the Forge they had arrived for. She called and called but no one had been answering. She searched up and down the room, but she had not noticed the cage cloaked in shadows behind her, “Psst. Excuse me, little fairy.”

She turned to face the voice, “Huh?” Then she saw the cage, with a dashing human male trapped within it. He wore a brown striped, double-breasted swallow-tailed coat and matching pants. There were various buttons and other small adornments sewn into his outfit in solid gold, including the pins over his breast and on his cuffs. He had on his head a brown tophat with an elaborate set of gold, satin, and feathers.

“Are you here to help me?” Wren noticed his eyes searching the area she was in rather than looking directly at her, “Don’t be alarmed, little fairy. I cannot see you, but my body can sense your presence.” He smiled, “Will you please set me free? Your friend will need my help if she wants to defeat the witch.” Though the man couldn’t see it, Wren nodded and approached the lock on the door. She used a dash of her magic to create a key to fit the lock and opened it. The man walked out, “Thank you kindly.” He walked past her, took a moment, then turned back around to her general direction, “Now, take this to your friend. She will need it.”

 

The last wave, wave one hundred. Not only was Ferona near-death, but her opponent had wasted her magic so quickly that the battle was starting to take a toll on her as well. The familiars, however, had not slowed down, and continued to batter Ferona until she could barely stand. But, circling around to take the final blow on the gunwoman, they faltered. Ferona raised her cane, having the perfect shot to end the battle. But suddenly, she felt something clog her chest. She started into a few soft coughs, but she soon was on her knees hacking violently, unable to breath. The tigers got back into position again and, baring viciously sharp teeth, swung one last time at their opponent.

Right before they struck, they vanished. Eloisa whipped around to see her prisoner standing valiantly behind her, his right arm in terrible shape. Something metal dropped to the ground before Ferona, and Wren flew around from behind it with some sort of round object in her hands, “Ferona, are you okay?!” She fluttered down to her friend attempting to pick herself up.

“....I’m fine, Wren.”

“Here, take this!” She forced the ball into Ferona’s hand, “It can defeat the witch once and for all!”

“You filthy, rotten fools! I’ll-” Eloisa’s vile words were ceased when she felt a pair of arms restrict her.

The man smirked up at her, “My stay was lovely, but I believe it is time for me to return home.” Eloisa struggled in his arms.

“Take the shot!” Wren screamed. Ferona loaded the bullet into the cane and took her aim.

*BANG*

Eloisa’s body jolted as the ball crushed her skull and burst out the back of her head, then she began to burn and disintegrate away. Ding dong, after so long, the witch was finally dead.

Ferona fell to her knees again, gasping for air, “Ferona!” Wren cried, hugging her arm.

The man retrieved what he had thrown at the familiars and the ball he gave to Ferona, then walked over to the two of them, “Thank you very much for saving me, kind woman.” He offered her his hand, and she took it without objection.

“...You’re...the man I need to save, right?” She panted, “There’s not another castle with the real Forge in it?”

He chuckled, “No ma’am. I am the one and only Elliot Forge.”

She watched as he brought the black ball to his face, “What is that?”

“My eye.” He said cheerfully, popping it back into its socket. It rolled around until it came into place, then he blinked a couple times to secure it. He then took the metal piece and placed it to his arm, “Well, time for self-repairs.” The arm opened and small mechanical arms reached out and grabbed the piece, moving parts around until everything was in place, then it shut. The skin around it healed itself in seconds, and Elliot patted his arm once it was done.

“...So you really are a cyborg.” Ferona stated.

“I am indeed. I lost my body in the apocalypse, so my family, being rich as they are, had a new one created for me.” He grinned, “They implanted my brain from the broken body into this mechanical one, enchanting it so that I do not rust and that my skin will recover from injuries. That’s why Eloisa kidnapped me; I’m the only person with the enchantment power to destroy a witch.”

“Ah, so in fear, she trapped you here before the Forges waged war.”

“Precisely.”

She laughed weakly, “Well, you’re safe now. Let’s take you home.” Elliot moved to Ferona’s side quickly and brought an arm of hers around her shoulder. “Thanks.” She said.

He smirked and looked towards Wren, then back to Ferona, “By the way...you’re of elven descent, are you not?”

Ferona froze, “...How did you know that?”

“Because,” he laughed, “only the elven people can see fairies.” Elliot’s black irises examined Ferona’s hair. He brushed it to the side and, sure enough, a long, pointed ear hid beneath the strands. “I’m assuming you hide it because of the discrimination? Now that the order of the magical world has fallen, the elven people are no longer dominant in power.”

Ferona looked up at him, “...You know a lot about our history.”

“I do.” Elliot chuckled, “My family taught me the rise of humans to power and how they thrived. I learned myself the history of the dwindling minorities whose lives we share.”

As the two exited the mansion, the conductor of the Steam Train ran to help Ferona board. Between the two men, they were able to get her on and began to tend to her wounds. Once they finished, the conductor smiled at Elliot, “It’s an honour to meet you, Mr. Forge.”

Elliot shook his head, “For you, it is merely Elliot.” They shook hands, “It is a pleasure to meet you as well.” He sat beside Ferona and watched as she drifted off into sleep, leaning against the window. Wren was resting on her shoulder, worried almost sick for her friend. “It is alright, little fairy. Ferona will recover soon. She is not going to die.”

Wren wiped a couple of tears, “You’re right.” Her voice cracked, “She’s too stubborn.”

Elliot began to laugh a bit, covering his mouth to silence himself as he could sense the fairy’s shift in mood, “Mm...she’s a very strong young woman, isn’t she?” He noticed her ear poking out and moved her hair to cover it up again. The three rode the Steam Train in silence.

 

“All aboard!” The conductor’s voice jolted Ferona awake.

“Ferona, we have arrived, it is time to leave.” Elliot whispered, tugging her arm gently. Wren flew past them and waved to the conductor.

“Hm? Wh...where are we?” She asked while following behind him, now able to stand on her own. Her eyes widened when she observed the familiar, highly advanced city, at least compared to Halavia.

“We are in Novavonia, the district of humans.”

They thanked the conductor and he waved his hat at them as he left. Ferona’s expression twisted into disgust as they passed through the town, “I know why we’re here, but I still hate this place.” She growled quietly.

Elliot laughed, “...If it makes you feel any better, I am not too fond of it myself.”

 

They finally came to the center of the town. An enormous white building was erected there, and the gold plates on the five pillars read “FORGE”. Elliot and Ferona exchanged a glance, then they proudly marched up the steps to the pearly doors. A mechanism that carries messages crackled to life, “Who goes there?” said a bored man in a raspy voice.

“Hello father, it is Elliot.”

A crash was heard from inside and the door swung open. Standing in the doorway was a tall, bald, overweight man in a dressy purple suit, “Elliot, my boy! You’re okay!” They hugged and a woman came up behind them. She had fake red hair done up into a high bun and a purple dress that matched her husband’s suit.

“Oh, Elliot, my dear son! Oh, you’re alright!” She cried in a shrill voice, wrapping her son in a tight hug.

“I have returned home, mother. You can thank this valiant young lady for that.” Elliot gestured to Ferona.

His parents’ faces dropped into disgust, partly from her appearance and partly from the fact they they have to see her again, “So...we meet again, Ferona Rivers.” His father said. He sighed, “Do you want the reward money in coin or check.” He turned to leave.

“Neither.” She responded immediately, causing him to halt suddenly. “I want you to release Zen Rivers, my brother, from prison.”

“Zen Rivers? That little troublemaker? Oh, I do remember you now!” Elliot’s mother scoffed, “If we weren’t in debt to you for saving our son, I would have the guards take you away!” She waved her hands at Ferona as is the elf before her was a disgrace.

“...My brother.” Ferona demanded coldly.

Elliot’s father groaned, “Fine, fine. We’ll release him, but I don’t want to see you two hooligans on my property ever again, do I make myself clear?”

“Loud and clear.” She answered.

“Ugh, alright, come on now. Let’s go to the prison.” He led them all to the human’s prison for the mythical, and called for Zen Rivers to be taken out of confinement. To Ferona’s dismay, they pulled him out in a horrendous state. His body shown that he was deprived of food and he had been whipped numerous times throughout the years he had stayed there.

They threw him on the ground before Ferona’s feet and he cried out in pain, “Zen!” Ferona fell to her knees and lifted him up, then hugged him as tight as she could without hurting him, “Thank goodness...you’re alive…” Tears spilled from her eye.

“F...Ferona?” He looked at her with surprise, then began crying as well, “Sis...you’re alive too? Have you been trying to free me this entire time?” She nodded and snuggled into his chest. Then, Wren peeked out of her hair, “Oh...who is this?”

“I’m Wren!” She said, fluttering about cheerfully, “I used to be a woodland fairy!”

“Ah...woodland fairies have strong magic.” He smiled at her, “Thank you for helping my little sister.” Wren returned the gesture.

“Now now, this is a touching family reunion, now get out.” Elliot’s father forcibly kicked them out of Novavonia, leaving them on their own, just like they used to be. Except, this time, they had little fairy named Wren with them.

They walked back to Halavia only to receive a letter from Elliot, promising to help them in any way he could. Ferona got proper medical attention, and Zen got a job at the bar, with Wren as his assistant. Ferona finally dwindled off of her smoking habit and became a bounty hunter, being a sharpshooter at heart. For every job she had, she boarded the Steam Train to take her to where she was meant to be. And, though they still went through many trials and struggles, the three of them managed to create their own happily ever after.

Author's Note

Written for "The 2015 Annual FairyTale Contest" ^_^

I'm sorry this is so long >_< I wanted to write an adult's steampunk fairytale, so it ended up stretching out a lot because of all the details I added in.

I hope you enjoy it ^_^

-EDIT- I'm sorry for all the weird spelling/grammar mistakes in here. It was 2 a.m. when I finished this and I was about to tear my hair out, so there's a lot of mistakes here and there.

Also, just for fun, I submitted this to the "Fairy Tales" contest hosted by Shaolu :)

-EDIT 8/8/18- Did some spelling and grammar fixes!

Reviews

[David Jae]

Very gripping. I like Ferona's character and the little touches like her smoking habit. It possibly could have been a little tighter in places, but the richness of the world is excellent. Good job...

[Nyssa Nyx]

Thank you very much ^_^

[David Jae]

You're welcome