by Pirateaba
“Frozen!”
The word exploded out of Erin’s mouth. Ceria blinked, wiped a bit of spit off her face, and stared at Yvlon? The other woman looked just as confused.
“You want Ceria to freeze the actors? The audience?”
“No, no!”
The young woman waved excitedly at the other two, mind suddenly ablaze with ideas. She looked at Ceria, and then began waving at the [Actors]. They were already congregating around her, sensing the impending drama.
“Hey you guys, come on over! I just had the greatest idea for the next performance we can do! It has singing!”
“Singing?”
Ceria raised her eyebrows, intrigued. She looked at Erin as the girl beamed at her.
“I like songs. Are there any good ones?”
—-
There was no piano accompaniment. Pianos did exist in this world, but no one was going to lug one over to the Frenzied Hare. Instead, a few [Musicians] with string instruments provided a decent melody. That had been the hardest part.
The singing was not. On stage, Jasi, playing as the [Ice Queen] named Elza sang a song so famous that it needed no introduction. Nor, it seemed, any plot. The play was over, but the song was being sung once more to a crowd who cheered as Jasi raised her hand to raise her castle of ice out of the wooden stage.
From behind the curtains backstage, Ceria cast weak frost spells, making snow and cold winds blow across the cheering audience. Concentrating hard, she made snow appear and fall over the fake little castle that they’d built. The snow melted almost instantly in the sweltering room, but the crowd didn’t care. They cheered wildly as the song reached its thrilling conclusion.
Again. The [Mage] scowled at Yvlon and whispered to her as the song finished.
“This is the third encore performance!”
The other woman was sitting on a stool behind the stage, smiling as she ate tonight’s meal, fish and chips, which was to say, fish and fried pieces of potato that Erin insisted were in some way ‘french’.
“Bear with it. It’s cheering Erin up.”
Indeed, the other girl was clearly enjoying herself. Even though she was in the kitchen, Ceria could see her poking her head out every now and then to beam at the audience.
“Catchy song, though.”
Ceria shrugged.
“It loses its charm fast, especially when you’ve got to do the effects.”
“At least we’re being paid.”
“What’s with ‘we’?”
The half-Elf groused, but she had to smile. They were indeed being paid, and quite handsomely because the entire acting cast took a cut of the profits. And judging by the way the bag Grev carried around had to be emptied now and then, even a small cut would be a lot.
“You have to wonder though…where does Erin get all these stories from?”
Yvlon frowned as Jasi bowed and declined another performance. The audience called out in disappointment, but then rushed forwards to shake hands with the bowing [Actors] and buy them drinks.
Carefully, the half-Elf sat back on her haunches and didn’t quite look at Yvlon.
“They come from her nation, I guess. She’s from far off.”
“Really? What continent?”
“Erin’s never said. I think it’s private. Ryoka’s from the same place, though.”
“Really? That makes sense.”
The two sat behind the curtains, through it at the room full of life and a different kind of magic. After a while, Ceria sighed.
“It really is better than adventuring, isn’t it?”
Yvlon nodded, seeing Wesle surrounded by admiring young women—and older women—and males, come to it, but mostly young women—and the other [Actors], just as adored. It was like how they’d been treated in Ocre, but somehow more intimate and even more reverential at the same time. The citizens had hailed the Horns of Hammerad as people, but these [Actors] had brought another world to life in front of the people here.
“No monsters to fight, good food if you’ve got the right inn…”
“Admiring crowds, if you like sweaty Humans. Lots of coin…”
The two sat in silence. After a while, Yvlon shook her head.
“Not for me.”
Ceria smiled.
“Me neither. I guess we’re doomed fools, aren’t we?”
The woman laughed.
“Maybe not if Pisces gets back with that invincible artifact of his.”
“Oh? You figured it out?”
“It wasn’t hard, and he’s right. It might be useful. Do you think he’ll be back tomorrow?”
“Early, hopefully. They’ll camp out in a safe place, or maybe just stay in Ocre. He says with a wagon driver who has a movement Skill they can be back very soon.”
“Good.”
—-
The next day, Erin woke up feeling better. A lot better. She was still sad though, when she remembered why she should be. But she was better.
And now she knew what to do. She greeted Ceria and Yvlon cheerfully over breakfast—spiced porridge—and didn’t beat about the bush.
“It’s time to go back to Liscor.”
Yvlon only raised her eyebrows and Ceria smiled, but Miss Agnes, who’d joined them for breakfast, choked.
“What? But Miss Erin, surely you should wait. There are Goblins on the road and I don’t know what we’ll do without you. Why, there are all these fine [Actors] depending on you now…”
Sitting at a table next to theirs, Jasi, Wesle, and Grev looked up and gave Miss Agnes a flat look the woman failed to notice. It was their custom to eat together each day, especially since Jasi and Grev were staying at the inn.
“I really don’t know what we’ll do without you, Miss Erin. I’m sure we could tour other cities doing the plays you taught us. But I’d love to learn the rest…”
“I know. I know, and I’m sorry.”
Erin smiled ruefully at Jasi and ruffled Grev’s hair. He looked upset. But Erin’s mind was made up.
“I need to go back. Liscor is my…home. Mrsha’s there and she’s all by herself. And Lyon’s there too—I nearly forgot about her, but Selys say she’s managing the inn. Somehow. But I need to get back before it falls apart or burns down or something.”
The others had objections of course. Sensible ones, selfish ones…Erin ignored them all. She looked at Ceria and Yvlon.
“When Pisces and Ksmvr get back, how long until we can go?”
“Within the hour, if we get transport set up. We’ll have to take a wagon, but we can get good horses and maybe even a driver.”
Ceria nodded to Yvlon, already thinking of their route. The older woman nodded, biting her lip.
“Esthelm being retaken works for us. We can plan to stop there if we can avoid Goblin raiding parties. I’m not sure how safe it is—it’s reportedly still a ruin, but better that than camping by ourselves. And if we run into my brother’s group…”
“You think we can get them to help us escort Erin?”
Yvlon nodded slowly.
“My brother will help anyone in need. The real problem might be afterwards. He’ll try to take me north. But we’ll cross that bridge if we get to it.”
Ceria nodded silently. She didn’t want to pry too much, but perhaps she should ask Yvlon why she didn’t want to go home so badly. Erin thought of what she had to do.
“I should say goodbye to Octavia.”
—-
All things considered, Erin thought Octavia took the news well. There weren’t even any tears. Or hugs. Or even a trace of sadness, really.
The dark-skinned [Alchemist] grinned happily and practically leapt off her stool in delight.
“You’re going? Well, I won’t say I’m not relieved—I’ve never met anyone so insane as you. When I count the times I nearly died—of course, I’m glad you came by before you left. I’d hate to have to charge interest on what you owe me when Ryoka gets back.”
“Hold on. What fees? Ryoka paid you already.”
Erin frowned at Octavia. The stitch-girl’s dreadlocks swung as she shook her head condescendingly.
“That was for a few days. You’ve been here far longer—I’ll admit she paid interest now and then, but if you factor in the number of discoveries you’ve made under my watchful supervision—not to mention hazard pay and having me participate in that play—”
“I’m gonna hit you.”
In the end, Erin didn’t hit Octavia and the girl didn’t get any more money, much to both girls’ disappointment. But to her surprise, Octavia hugged Erin before she left.
“You take care, alright? If you ever need a potion, I’m sure Ryoka can run it down to Liscor for me. Who knows? We might meet again! And if we do, you’re banned from ever mixing potions in my shop again.”
Erin laughed and hugged Octavia back. She’d miss her, she was surprised to realize. She’d miss Octavia’s fast-talking ways. She’d miss the horrible smells in her shop—
She’d miss the entire city, if it came to that. Celum was…it wasn’t as nice as Liscor, in some ways. It wasn’t as exciting, and the people were just people. But it had its own charm, and it had taken Erin in when she was lost.
She’d miss it. But she had to go. So Erin went back to the Frenzied Hare and caught up with Ceria who’d found someone willing to make the relatively dangerous journey to Liscor, provided a Silver-rank team was going with him. Yvlon had brought provisions for the journey and asked about the roads—no Goblin armies had been sighted close to any cities, although raiding groups had torched a few villages.
All they had to do was wait for Pisces and Ksmvr. And as it happened, the two were already close to the city. And they had the artifact in tow.
—-
Earlier that day, Pisces had been willing to fight an entire Goblin army if it meant shutting Ksmvr up.
“What is the artifact? I still do not understand. Please enlighten me, comrade Pisces.”
It was the 38th time the Antinium had asked Pisces the question. Pisces knew that because he’d counted. Each time. They were sitting on a bumping wagon as it drove towards the Ruins of Albez. The mage blinked wearily as the dawn’s light hit his face.
It was far too early for this. But they had to move quickly, if they wanted to be back in Celum before evening. Ksmvr poked Pisces and the [Mage] snarled at him.
“Stop that!”
“I will if you answer my question. What is the artifact?”
“I told you to figure it out yourself!”
Part of Pisces dearly wanted to tell Ksmvr just to get it over with, but the young [Mage] was too stubborn for that.
“All the clues should be obvious. You were there! Just…think!”
“I have thought. I do not know what it could be. I wish for you to tell me.”
“Dead gods. It’s the door, the door. Okay!?”
That didn’t come from Pisces. It came from the wagon driver. She turned around, glaring, her eyes red and bloodshot. She was the same wagon driver who’d taken them from Ocre. She was the only one willing to risk her neck going so close to Albez, and clearly, she was unhappy with her decision.
Both [Mage] and Antinium stared at her. The wagon driver glared at them. After a moment, Pisces spoke.
“How did you come to that conclusion?”
“You explained it to the Ant about a half-dozen times. It was obvious. The door’s the only thing you lot didn’t take, apart from the ashes and the dungeon itself!”
The woman snapped at the two of them. Pisces turned to Ksmvr.
“You see?”
The Antinium only cocked his head sideways.
“Why is the door important? I do not understand. Please explain it to me, comrade Pisces.”
“First, call me comrade one more time and I will blast your mandibles off your face. Second—”
Pisces hesitated. But now that the secret was revealed, he had a deep urge to explain everything.
“The door is important because it cannot be destroyed. And it has a potent teleportation spell worked into its makeup.”
“Oh?”
Pisces nodded. He sat back in the wagon and stared up at the grey sky. It was far too cold, he felt, even with the warming spells that allowed him to wander around in nothing but his dirty robes. He gestured at Ksmvr to relax; the Antinium stayed sitting perfectly upright. Pisces made a face, but began to explain.
“Do consider it, dear Ksmvr. In our haste to acquire our spoils and flee the area, we had neglected to consider the magnitude of enchantment that must have been laid on this door. Not only did it survive a magical fire that damaged every artifact it touched—but it actually destroyed part of the fire construct when we used it as an impromptu weapon.”
“Ah yes. It was quite useful.”
“And yet, we, in our rush to escape, completely neglected to remember it. A vast oversight. Then again, I do not believe we could have carried it away as exhausted as we were. Fortuitously, my adept memory seized upon our neglect and led me to—”
“Yeah, yeah. Shut up and go get it already, would you?”
The wagon jerked to a halt, making Pisces bite his tongue. He glared at the woman driving the wagon, but she just stared back.
“Hurry up. If you want to be back in Celum, get moving. I’m not waiting around in this place forever. Even if it’s winter, monsters could still be about.”
That was true, and so Pisces and Ksmvr cautiously descended into Albez. They were quite willing to retreat at the first sight of any monsters, door or no door, but it seemed the ruins were still quite deserted.
“Let us go then, Ksmvr. Your strength should be invaluable in carrying the door.”
“Yes, Pisces. I shall lead the way in case monsters have retaken the dungeon.”
“Good point. I’ll stay…this far behind you. Lead on!”
There were no monsters, although there was a good deal of ash. Pisces and Ksmvr found the door lying in a pile of it. The [Mage] sneezed when Ksmvr pulled the door out. The Antinium nodded as he lifted it upright with all three of his arms.
“I can carry my end of it quite easily. If you will assist me—”
“Not so fast. We must descend into the pit.”
The Antinium paused and turned to Pisces in surprise.
“Why?”
Pisces nodded at the door.
“The door is only half of the spell. The other half, if you recall, teleports us to a set location. Into the pit in this case. A small object—usually a stone, perhaps some other mundane object—acts as the anchor for the teleportation spell. We must recover it or I’ll be teleported here if I should make a mistake with the door.”
“But is it not extremely dangerous? Captain Ceria covered the [Insanity] spell with mud, but it may have been removed in the time since we are gone.”
Pisces smiled confidently.
“Have no fear, Ksmvr. I am well-prepared for this eventuality.”
As it turned out, his solution was much the same as Ceria’s. After Pisces built a staircase out of bone, he cast a spell which filled the pit with billowing yellow smoke. Coughing and swearing, the mage descended into the pit and shot clinging mud in every direction. After he’d released the spell and Ksmvr had come down, the Antinium saw the pit was covered, with no sign of the [Insanity] symbols on the walls.
“That was quite admirable, Pisces.”
He complimented the wheezing mage. Pisces coughed, and waved a hand.
“Think nothing of it. This is a simple trap to bypass, if the correct precautions are taken.”
Ksmvr nodded at the plain truth of that statement. He looked around.
“And where is this anchoring stone?”
“It shouldn’t be too big. It could even be the size of my hand—smaller. I can find it ah…if I trace the magic link…here!”
Pisces frowned and then pointed to a spot directly in the center of the pit. It turned out what he was looking for was a round stone small enough to fit into his palm, embedded into
the stone bottom of the pit. This proved to be very difficult to extract. Ksmvr still had the enchanted Goblin’s short sword, but even with all his strength he could barely chip at the stone floor of the pit.
“Of course it is designed to be a trap.”
Pisces groused as he began blasting the area around the stone with flames. Both he and Ksmvr knew that stone when heated was far more vulnerable to cracking. After about ten minutes of sustained fire blasting the ground, it was weakened enough for Ksmvr’s blade to crack the stone.
“It is very hot, Pisces.”
So saying, Ksmvr handed the magical stone—which showed no damage despite the heat—to Pisces. The [Mage] swore and dropped it the moment he touched the black rock.
“It’s burning!”
“That is what I said.”
“Then don’t—allow me to choose a far more sensible solution.”
The wagon driver, whose name was Adelynn, although no one had bothered to ask it, was dozing in her driver’s seat when her horses took fright. She looked up and blanched as she saw the six skeletons carrying the enchanted door and anchoring stone over their heads. Pisces and Ksmvr sat on the door like a seat. They waved at the wagon driver. Only when they got close did she throw a bit of snow at them.
“Call your damn undead away, [Necromancer]! You’ll spook my horses! I swear, if they wrench an ankle you’ll all walk home!”
“Calm down, good Mis—”
A bit of snow hit Pisces it the face.
“Get them away, I said!”
A few minutes later, the cart rumbled back towards the road and Celum, bereft of any skeletons. But it did have one new passenger: the door lay between Pisces and Ksmvr as the [Mage] poured over it and Ksmvr stared at the small stone in his hands. To the Antinium the rock appeared totally ordinary, which he supposed was the point.
“Now that we have the door, what do you propose we do with it, Pisces?”
“That my friend…is a very good question. I have no idea.”
Pisces looked up for a moment before he went back to staring at the door. Ksmvr noticed the mage’s eyes unfocused as he stared at what the Antinium could only assume was the magic enchantment making up the door. Pisces seemed to be tracing the spell while simultaneously attempting to avoid triggering the door’s automatic teleportation effect.
