by J D Astra
He shrugged with a smirk. “It was instinct. Eh...” He paused as he looked down. “Any spare clothing about? Mine was removed.”
At his comment I became aware of the dozens of naked butts and genitalia, all right at eye height. I shot out of my squat and kept my gaze high.
Arcona barked a laugh. “I sent for some clothes, food, and Healers.”
Otto helped Renzik to stand and they moved off into the nudity. With my eyes firmly pointed at the tops of everyone’s heads, I caught a glimpse of Naitee with her brother. Her light hair and dark robes were not difficult to spot among the many pink, green, and gray, ash-smudged bodies.
Her arms were wrapped tightly around Eisen’s neck in an embrace, Eisen looking none too pleased. She pulled back, then waggled her finger in his face as if she were scolding him. He rolled his eyes, his retort inaudible to me.
We were all so lucky Naitee had been there, that she’d gotten my message in time and did not follow my instructions for a single teleportation scroll. I supposed the extras would just be going on my increasing favors tab. I was up to two favors now, and I was sure Naitee would use them to their fullest extent.
“Firebrand,” Arcona said, snapping me back to the present. I walked to her side at her beckoning.
“I didn’t get to set off the signal for a successful mission,” I gasped as I remembered all the others who were still out there, fighting to make a mess of the city.
Arcona’s lips turned up in a smirk. “Naitee sent it before we dropped in. I assumed we would be successful, or we would die, and there would be no point in continuing the operation in either case.”
I nodded in relief and looked on over the crowd as rebels rushed in with blankets and pots of steaming food. White lights and swirls of magic went off throughout the group as Healers moved about, repairing injuries and mending wounds.
“Many of these are our people,” she said as she gestured to the rescued slaves. “There are faces here I have not seen for months, even a year. We had become afraid. We had become complacent and inactive through our fear, through Patrick’s mind control. You’ve done well, Abby Hollander, Traveler, Firebrand.” Arcona extended her hand as she listed my titles. I accepted, giving it a strong shake as a quest alert appeared in my vision.
<<<>>>
Quest Complete: Rebels in need are Rebels indeed
You have successfully, albeit unconventionally, returned the Bindings Book and Eisen to the rebels of Alaunhylles. The rebels are safe from infiltration, though their presence is now undeniable. You have earned 2,000 renown, 50,000 XP, 10 gold and a Unique Item.
Renown Increase: Rebels of Alaunhylles
You are now an honored friend with the rebels of Alaunhylles and friendly with the greater Eldgard rebellion. Benefits: Decrease vendor prices with rebellion-aligned cities, room and board with all rebellion sects, and job quests from the rebels of Alaunhylles.
You are now an enemy of the Imperial realms.
<<<>>>
“This,” Arcona said, a hint of impatience in her tone, “was among our finest items in the collective repository.” I closed the notification and looked on the item she held out to me. It was a black hooded cowl that shimmered purple and green as it moved. I was typically all about that loot, but when I looked at the new hotness being offered to me, all I could see were the nude bodies of the slaves, and every single rebel that could be using it instead of me. It could save lives.
“Arcona, I can’t take this. Your people—”
“I promised you a reward.” She pushed the cowl into my hands along with ten gold coins.
I stared at them, the physical objects feeling hollow compared to the good we were able to do. “I want you to give it to the weakest Sorceress,” I said as I passed her the cowl, “so that she may feel strong.”
Arcona quirked an eyebrow, but accepted the garment. “You’re welcome among us at any time.”
She gave me a final pat on the back that made me stumble, and walked into the quieting crowd of rescuees. “Everyone,” she said, projecting her voice over the group. They fell silent. “Welcome home.” I clapped my hands wildly, Otto joined in, and then the entire group erupted in a gleeful cheer.
“Varice!” Arcona raised her hand to him and he approached with a ledger, tally marks scrawled across the page.
“Yes, ma’am?”
She put a hand on his shoulder. “See that our new members are unbound, fed, bathed, and clothed. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss assignments.”
He let his parchment fall to the side as he smiled. “Yes, Jukal.”
“Well...” A smooth woman’s voice in my ear raised the hairs on my neck and I whirled. Sandra had done it to me too many times, and the thought to shoot fire first and ask questions later was almost reactionary. I managed not to blast Naitee, though I doubted it would hurt her anyway.
“Jumpy?” she asked with a smirk.
I shook my head to clear the fight-or-flight fog. “I’ve had an interesting week.”
“Yes,” she said, nodding as she clasped her hands at her navel, “I can see you’ve had quite an impact here. Did you learn what you needed about Faction Seals?”
I gritted my teeth, the momentary joy of a job well done replaced with feelings of failure. “No, we didn’t.”
She placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Don’t punish yourself. Everything is revealed to those deserving.”
What a cop-out response. I wanted to tell her so, but Eisen stepped into the conversation wearing a salmon pink gown that came down to his mid-shin.
“This is what I’ve been dressed with,” he said, exasperated as he gestured to his robe.
Naitee giggled. “You look dashing, brother.”
“I look like a woman who’s just come from the bath!” He stomped a foot.
“Would you like to wear mine, then?” Naitee rubbed her hands over her velvety black dress.
Eisen groaned and crossed his arms before turning back to the cluster of ex-slaves who were slowly starting to look more alive, and healthy.
“Naitee?” I asked, and she hummed an amused reply as she watched her brother. “Why is it you and Eisen work with the rebels? You’re Dawn Elves—”
“And so our race commands our loyalty?” she interjected, not unkindly but with a hint of accusation.
“No, I just mean, what happened?”
Naitee turned to me, her back straight and head held high with dignity. “Dawn Elves have long lives, and even longer memories. Not all of us are of the same cloth, or morals. Eisen, myself, and our youngest sister are not married to the idea that structure, order, and strict rule are the best ways to live life for all.”
I nodded. She didn’t want to give me the real answer, but that was alright. “Thank you. We would’ve died down there without your help. Everyone.”
She looked over the group with an appraising eye. “I think you underestimate the power of cornered desperation.”
“Shackled arms and legs, underfed and unclothed.” I gestured to the former slaves. “They were already desperate, I don’t think any amount more would’ve got them out of that pit.”
“Not their desperation, dear,” she said as she turned to me, “yours.” Her haunting blue eyes pierced into me as her lips pulled up in a smirk. “When you wanted to be a Firebrand, I was worried you weren’t up to the task of holding all the flames at bay. Fire is a powerful, destructive, irreversible force. Its touch will leave marks for a thousand years.
“But fire is also compassion. Fire is warmth in your hearth, and in your heart. Your heart was cold when I first met you. Stone was all I saw.” She touched my shoulder, her hand radiating heat. “I see fire now.”
She turned away and followed after her perturbed brother. The moody Eisen gestured to another man’s black robes, exclaiming loudly, “Why me?” as he grabbed at his own pink garment and the other man shrugged. I couldn’t contain my laugh, and he glared at me with a deep injustice burning in his eyes.
Poor Eis
en.
The timer in the corner of my vision counted down another hour: 3 days 15 hours. But the joy I felt from Naitee’s words, the freed slaves, and Renzik’s survival kept me from the despair of our failure.
With the stunt we just pulled, it was likely time to get the hell out of Dodge. Carrera and Sandra’s goons would be looking for us, just as soon as Sandra respawned. Alaunhylles officials would be scouring the city for signs of rebel activity, and even a whisper of Otto or me would likely set the kingdom ablaze with anger. I popped open my menu, went to my messages tab, and—
Holy crap, there were fifteen messages from Jack. It made me smile to know he was thinking of me so much—it seemed like he took my offer in the clearing to heart. If we’d both survived the transition, I’d wanted to make something work with him, something real.
He’d be relieved to hear from me, I was sure, so I ignored the backlog and started a new PM.
<<<>>>
Personal Message
Hey Jack, it’s me. Hope everything’s okay—I know I’ve been out of reach longer than we’d planned on. Things got messy at the Grand Archive in Alaunhylles. I thought going dark would make me harder to find, but Carrera and his people somehow managed to track me down anyway. Otto and I barely got out of there with our heads intact, and we still didn’t turn up anything on that Faction Seal. Hopefully, things have been better for you. Hopefully, you transitioned okay. Anyway, Carrera’s thugs are still looking for us and we could use a safe place to hole up. Assuming you’re alive and getting this *fingers crossed*, where are you?
—Abby
<<<>>>
I read it over once more, a grin on my face as I thought of how glad he’d be to hear from me, no matter the news. I took a deep breath and hit send.
Jack’s Message
BEFORE I COULD CLOSE the message menu, a ping in my ear and a blinking [1] in my heads-up display showed a reply from Jack. My heart gave a little flutter and I put my hand to my stomach. I didn’t realize my heart could still flutter, since my IRL one was dead, long since stopped beating. I opened the message and eagerly read over the contents.
<<<>>>
Personal Message
Abby,
Wow, it’s good to hear from you... I was really starting to worry. I transitioned a few days ago—very, very, very unpleasant—but I’m alive! I also managed to get an official class, Dark Templar with a kit specialization. I’m currently down in the Storme Marshes, in a Murk city called Yunnam. I’ve got some info on the Faction Seal you’re definitely going to want to hear, but I’d prefer to share it with you in person. Meet me in Yunnam as soon as you can—someone from The Mystica Ordo should be able to port you to the edge of the Ak-Hani-controlled territory. Just watch out for the spiders! See you soon.
—Jack
<<<>>>
So, he’d taken up residence with the Dokkalfar of the Storme Marshes. Not the most ideal place to stage a rebellion for a few reasons, but our chance at gaining control of Harrowick was pretty much shot after the lies of us having murdered the magistrates there.
More important than any of that, he had information about the Faction Seal. The countdown in the corner of my vision ticked away relentlessly, and my palms became clammy.. We’d been through so much to figure this out, and in the end the answer was hidden away in some backwater swamp.
The joy that had filled me up seemed to whoosh away like a balloon with all its air let out.
“What is it?” Otto asked, and I closed my menus.
“I sent a message to Jack and he replied back. He’s got info on the Faction Seal and he’s holed up in the Storme Marshes, Yunnam.”
Otto nodded his head. “This is good news. We should geetee effoh, right?”
I chuckled. “Yes, it is, and we probably should. Alaunhylles will not be hospitable to us, we’ve made ourselves enemies of the Ever Victorious Empire with this stunt, oh yeah, and we’re wanted in Harrowick for the murders of city officials.”
Otto growled under his breath. “Yes, something we will need to rectify. But your friend Jack came through, this is good.”
“Yeah,” I said, feeling the punch to my gut that the shame of failure brought.
“Why aren’t you happy?” Otto asked. I appreciated the bluntness, no beating around the bush, but it was still awkward.
“We failed, Otto,” I said with a bit of resentment.
His head dropped a hair, and then he straightened. “What do you mean?” he asked, tone mirroring mine.
“Well, we came here to find out more information about the Faction Seal. We didn’t do that. And I mean, on the one hand, it’s awesome that Jack found out what’s going on, but on the other, what the hell have we been doing here?” I threw my hands up in the air and sighed. It all felt for naught.
Otto’s face hardened and his voice was stern as he said, “If you think we’ve done nothing, you need to open your eyes.”
I chewed my lip and looked out over the once naked masses who were all clothed, feasting on Quarry Grub, smiling or crying tears of relief and joy. Men, women, and children of all races chattered with a hopeful, uplifted tone, their voices excited at the prospect of what the future might hold. They had a future to dream about now, one that wasn’t filled with slavery and a cruel death.
Otto leaned down and whispered, “We have removed Empire influence from the underground, saved slaves, destroyed walls, and reignited the fire in the rebellion. We will need their help in the coming months to fight Osmark, and now you’ve secured that connection.”
I took a deep breath and let his words sink in. I didn’t want to be a pompous egomaniac, I didn’t want to take satisfaction in accomplishing other goals and failing our primary objective...
But this was a new life, I didn’t have to be the old Abby. I could accept that I had failed in one place and succeeded in another, and move on. Jack was my partner in this, and he’d done what I couldn’t. I should be grateful to him, not resent myself.
“You’re right,” I said as I bobbed my head.
“I never get sick of hearing that from you.” Otto smirked as he stood upright.
I gave his arm a smack and said, “Keep it up and I’ll never say it again. I’m going to see if Naitee can make us a port scroll to the Storme Marshes. Jack suggested using the Mystica Ordo, but I don’t think we should be going outside unless it’s to somewhere very far from here.”
Otto grunted approvingly and said, “I’ll let Arcona know of our departure.”
I gave him a casual wave as I walked off toward my trainer. Naitee’s head turned at my approach, as if she knew I were coming, and she smiled.
Naitee cut her brother short mid-sentence. He mashed his lips together, crossed his arms, and tapped a slippered foot as she asked, “So, you’re ready to leave?”
I furrowed my brow. “Yes, how did yo—”
“You always have a certain look on your face when you’re about to ask me to do something. You need a portal scroll to?” she asked with a grin.
“Yunnam, or as close as possible.”
“Hmm,” she said with a hint of disgust. “Well, that will take me twenty minutes or so. Why don’t you get all your farewells out of the way, and then I’ll have something for you.” She waved me off and turned back to face Eisen.
I searched the crowd and found Renzik with Lenny and Logan, both of whom looked like they’d been through a furnace. Their hair was standing on end, a dark black and crisped. They had blackened smudges on their cheeks, and even parts of their clothes were singed straight through to the skin.
The group parted at my passing, words of thanks spoken as gentle hands touched my shoulders. I wanted nothing more than for all of them to pretend I didn’t exist, but at least I didn’t have to fight my way through the crowd.
“Ah, our lady Wildfire arrives!” Lenny reached out an ashen hand to shake mine and I accepted it gratefully.
“Abby!” Logan cried as he reached out for me. I picked him up, letting his legs wr
ap around my waist as I balanced him on my hip. “I didn’t think I’d see you again,” the child admitted, tears in his eyes.
“Why’s that?” I asked, giving Lenny a sidelong glare in anticipation of the answer. Renzik and Lenny both shriveled under the heat of my gaze, unable to speak.
“It was my fault,” Logan said. “I hid in the bomb cart, it wasn’t Mr. Lenny’s fault.”
“I nearly beat’m to death when I found’m in the stash, but”—Lenny paused to sigh, a fatherly gleam in his eyes—“he did alright.”
Logan beamed, his blackened cheeks bunching up into plump bundles of joy.
“Soon, you’ll be taking over the forge!” I said as I bumped him up a little higher on my hip.
“Oh no, don’t be’givenem those thoughts. He’s a long way to go yet.” Lenny wagged a finger, and Logan rolled his eyes.
“May I have a moment with Abby?” Renzik asked, his hands rubbing over one another nervously.
“’Course! Logan, let’s get ourselves back to the forge. Lots to be done.”
Logan pecked me on the cheek and spoke with a grin. “See you soon!” He jumped from my arms and walked toward the forge with Lenny.
Renzik took a step closer and reached out with both of his hands. I grabbed them in mine and gave them a gentle squeeze. For a moment, we looked at one another, smiles on our cheeks and tears in our eyes. Then, he spoke. “I must stay here.”
The smiled disappeared from my face as my stomach dropped. “But, I thought you wanted to help us?”
He sighed. “I do, and I will, but my wife is still a slave of the Empire. If I remain here, I may be able to save her. That is a chance I cannot abandon, even if it means asking my friends to go on without me, for a time.”
I nodded at his reasoning. If I were in his place, I would probably make the same decision. “I understand,” I said as I squeezed his hands gently. “When you find her, send word. We’ll come to your aid in a heartbeat.”
