It had been 2,619 days since Vandarak had arrived and made the dead city of Stratos his home. The city had always fascinated him with its incredible lost culture and, more importantly, its unique take on jazz music with a peculiar new instrument called a “Snapdrum.” The Snapdrum was a percussion instrument that combined the snap of a snare drum with a much more subtle melodic drum sound. Vandarak had already broken the instrument down to its barest elements to know how to recreate it on himself during his first week in the city’s ruins. Since then, his sole purpose has been finding unique ways to integrate it into the musical pieces he created.
It was lonely, sure, but Vandarak had become accustomed to the feeling of his exile and the danger he constantly faced with the bounty on his head. Body augmentation was forbidden in the culture he came from. When he began to change himself to further his pursuit in the study of music to a complete end, the people he had once called family and friends tried to kill him to consume his flame. He had to survive. He could not die before he had listened to every song and melody that existed in this world. So he fought for his life.
That single decision had led him to where he was now. Alone, creating a new song he had dubbed “Finality 11,502.” It, as the name implied, was the 11,502 piece in his Finality series, which he hoped to present to as many people as he could once he finished his work. It would only be another 4 or 5 years until he finished the series, and with the views of the city of Stratos around him, he could persevere through even the worst slump in his creativity. A few new additions to his choir would not hurt, however, and with a ship growing closer on the horizon, Vandarak had hope that this day would be one of his best performances yet.
Oblivion's Horn
The Symphony of Souls
Kashto had always claimed that he never once felt fear throughout his pursuit of The Call.
Dozens of stories could be summoned from the subconscious at a moment’s notice, all flaunting the same indifference to the misery and horrors the seas of Thalasso presented to him across his grand journey. These stories shaped his image in the eyes of countless crews he had weaseled into, forming the pseudo-legend he claimed to embody proudly - yet not one was true. He could still remember the sheer terror he felt looking upon the corpse of a Nixie he had bludgeoned to death in self-defense. The racing thoughts and panic while watching his former crew sail towards the horizon, leaving him for dead on some remote island in the middle of some uncharted sea within Impetus. He had felt dead ever since, still perpetuating his lies. Even in his current situation, he could forge a quick narrative about how he was bravely sailing into the ruins of Stratos, the once-grand sky city now half buried under the waves. He did not feel brave, however. Staring directly into the face of a broken statue depicting a creature absent from any of the books his current crew had studied, all he could feel was confusion and a slight hint of fear.
The city itself was quite an astounding view. Grand buildings collided and intertwined with one another, their fragile aquamarine windows long since having been torn away by the endless sea below. Propellers the size of islands spun with the breeze, offering a glimpse into what they may have looked like in full operation. Great stone monuments reached from the depths like hands pulling on the sky—depicting beings and events in a history long gone silent. Had his crew not been fast asleep below deck, Kashto would have found himself yelling for them to come take a look. Instead, he could only stand in awe of the sights in front of him silently, leaning on the metal railing that kept him from plummeting down to the sea’s abyss.
“You’re up early, cap.”
A quiet voice came from behind him. Kashto knew who it was immediately, not caring to turn around to face the source of the sudden noise, which would have pulled his attention away from the horizon ahead.
“Ah, Sedeo. My favorite navigator.”
“I damn well better be after all the shit it took to get here! Three days in that godforsaken ice storm, and you know who pulled us through? Moi.”
That was true. Without Sedeo’s unnatural grasp of the compass and how it pertained to pushing through the endless onslaught of snow and the complete lack of visibility that had tormented them throughout their journey, they would all likely be long since gone. That was the reality in a place like Limelight. If you don’t have the skills to persevere and navigate, you will not survive in the long stretches of darkness or abysmal weather.
“I mean, look at this place! They had a moon pearl directly attached to their infrastructure! If Crandle was alive, that old crab bastard, he would flip out at the engineering feats this place has.” Sedeo said, pacing around the deck.
“We’ve seen cooler, Sedeo. Think about those reverse gravity anomalies. Those were badass, right?” Kashto responded.
Sedeo’s face lit up upon the very mention of the anomalies. They had been an absolute obsession of hers, and the crew had spent months orbiting around them in their ship so that she could take as many notes as possible for their log. Sure, they could sell the charting information for profit as well, but it was mostly to indulge her and keep everyone happy. That was how the crew of the Starseeker operated. When one person was happy, they all were.
However, their journey to Stratos had not been for anybody’s specific enjoyment. They were after a coveted bounty that would have them set to explore for years to come. Hell, they could maybe even make the trip down to Exodus to begin securing their rightful place in the history books as a legendary crew. They had some notoriety, sure, but if they could bring the head of Oblivion’s Horn directly to the bounty hunters, their fame would skyrocket. Their pockets would be plush and drowning in coin.
The legend of Oblivion’s Horn had been a sailor’s tale for generations upon generations. Legend goes, a husk became enthralled with music to the point that he embarked down the maddening path of augmentation to become one with the symphony. He whittled his bones into winds, made strings out of his hair, and replaced whatever he couldn’t make into an instrument. If you heard his horn while sailing in the dark, you had best pray or turn around as quickly as possible, lest your ship suddenly vanish out of reality itself. While there was no real evidence to support the disappearance of ships, it did seem clear that Oblivion’s Horn was a very real person and one who had caused mass chaos, destruction, and death across many different settlements and cities across Thalasso, thus earning him a copious bounty on his head. Kashto didn’t believe he had nearly enough power to be able to stop his crew, however. He had some of the best minds and mercenaries under his command, and if they could catch Oblivion’s Horn off guard, perhaps there wouldn’t even be a fight at all.
“Sedeo, can you wake the rest of the crew up? I think we’re getting close to Oblivion’s little hiding spot.” Kashto asked.
“You got it, capp-o. Want us to all get geared up too?” Sedeo responded.
“Of course. We’re taking on a myth. Need to be prepped for anything.”
Kashto crossed to the helm, gripping the wheel and preparing to set the ship down. This would be easy. This would be like all the many bounties before. There was no need to feel the fear that he was feeling somewhere deep within. The ship crashed against a large building, and all at once, the crew rushed from below deck—an unmistakably chilling melody making itself known with their arrival. It echoed and soared across the empty air, with its source seeming to be a decrepit concert hall that would be an easy bit of climbing to get to. The music was somber, almost as if each instrument that played harmoniously was longing to be freed from some sort of invisible shackle.
“Got the crew all gathered and prepped. Seems we know where our target is as well. You ready?” Sedeo asked with a grin as the crew members shambled and made small talk, waiting for their captain’s orders. Kashto winked at Sedeo as he cleared his throat.
“Each one of us is a Starseeker. We fight together, and we die together. Today is the day we become legends!” Kashto yelled, gaining various whoops and yells from the crew in response.
The ascent upwards turned out to be much easier than anyone could have ever imagined. Using rope and the natural infrastructure that the city had held, it was a breeze to ascend to the third layer of Stratos, where the Concert Hall was sitting, clear as day. As they got closer, it was clear how unstable the building was, practically sitting on the edge of the third layer, about to fall into the sea. This concerned Kashto, but it would be no worry if the fighting kept to a minimum. He had fought sea beasts and sent them screaming back into the waves. Men three times his size had bowed at the edge of his sword. He had to keep reminding himself of his accomplishments to further suppress the sickening feeling he always felt when entering any kind of confrontation. They were walking straight into the unknown here.
As the Starseeker crew arrived at the hall's great doors, they turned to Kashto, awaiting his first step and the sign to begin the attack.
“Sedeo. Aiphan. Cyra. Is this truly what we want to do?” Kashto asked one last time, looking into the eyes of his crewmates.
“Just open the goddamn doors, Kashto. We already feel enough dread just being here.” Cyra responded, glaring at the structure ahead of them.
With a resigned sigh, Kashto pushed open the doors and led his crew deep into the dark of the Concert Hall. Within, a massive stage sat illuminated in front of them, artificial spotlights shining down upon a disfigured husk plastered in musical instruments grafted to its armored flesh. A bright purple flame burnt deep inside the being, peeking out in small parts and scorching the wooden stage around the being. This was Oblivion’s Horn. Perhaps if it was in some sort of dormant state, Kashto could easily-
A piano sprang to life with building notes, disrupting Kashto’s thoughts of the easy kill. Oblivion’s Horn rose from the ground, slowly adding more to its melody with the various instruments attached to its body. One of the guitars played a hypnotic riff as a saxophone began to belt out deep, melancholic blues. While this caught Kashto off guard, he readied his blade and began to walk down the aisle toward the stage.
“What do you seek from me? To disturb creation? To disturb my solitude as I craft my greatest work yet? Explain your intentions.” A low, baritone voice rose from Oblivion’s Horn.
“Today, you die. Today, I become a legend.” Kashto replied, gesturing to his crew to begin a full assault on the grotesque being that stood in front of them.
“So many eager souls wishing to join the choir, I see… I shall oblige to your request just as I have with all those before you. Just as I will with all those after you.” Oblivion’s Horn spoke, its voice shaking the very foundations of the structure.
With a grand strum and the roar of a blaring trumpet, Oblivion’s Horn rose high into the air. Before Kashto could even react, he felt a gust of wind as the creature roared past him, slamming itself directly into Aiphan. All he could do was look on in horror as it latched itself onto the boy’s body, playing its music directly into his ear. Aiphan soon collapsed, and the rest of the crew began to scramble desperately for the exit, not caring for their dear captain’s existence in the slightest. He watched Sedeo take Cyra by the shoulder out the doors, her last glance looking in total horror at him as if he was the monster for even bringing them there. He had been left behind again, just like all those times in the past. Left to fight. Left to die. Alone.
As Oblivion’s Horn turned its attention to Kashto, he readied his sword once more.
“It seems just you remain. I applaud your bravery in the face of my symphony. It has been years since such a wonderful show has been put on for my eyes to perceive! If I could cry, I would be sobbing! How magnificent this short encounter has been! I truly cannot commend you enough! Now, I believe it is time for your voice to be heard! A grand addition to the choir. You may just be the piece I was missing to complete Finality 11,503!” Oblivion’s Horn spoke, its voice now a crazed, high-pitched cacophony of squealing.
If it had been any day before this day, Kashto would have perhaps begged for his life or desperately sought an exit. That was his nature as a person who feared so much about the world around him. Yet in this moment, Kashto was removed from all that, feeling only courage and adrenaline pumping through his veins. Today was the day he would become the person he had pretended to be in so many of the stories he told. Today was the day he let go of the fear that always twisted somewhere within him.
Today was the day Kashto Zyphor finally lived again, surrounded by the melody of battle.