Hunter's Choice

by C E Keene

I want to be worthy, he told it with his mind.

  You are not worthy yet. But you will be. There is still something you must do. It was your promise.

  A picture of large, pulsing blue crystal clusters filled his mind, the Fulcorn communicating to him with more vivid images than his memory would ever recall on its own. It was like the image had been layered over another, then another, and another--thousands of images super-imposed atop each other, creating an ethereal glow around the edges. It was almost too much to take in and Arheis was grateful when the image faded, replaced by a clarity that spread through his consciousness.

  "Everyone," he called out to the beach, "take a few minutes to get your bearings. Collect what you can from the body. In ten minutes, we go back into the caves to finish this for good."

  By the time ten minutes was up, Arheis had managed to carve off a variety of useful pieces, sticking them into his pack for safekeeping.

  > Materials Gathered:

  Crystallized Blood x3

  Petravor Plate x5

  Petravor Tooth x1

  Broken Petravor Shovel-claw x2

  Coarse Hair x6

  Sturdy Bone x3

  The carcass was far from picked clean, even with seven people taking what they could from it. But sea birds circled, their greedy cries piercing the stillness of the waves gently lapping at the shore. He suspected the Petravor would be reduced to little more than bones and dented armor plating soon, but there wasn't anything they could do about that. Getting it through the caves or over the cliffs was impossible, and they had bigger things to worry about.

  Torch in hand, Arheis led the expedition into the cave with a resolute confidence. His morale was as high as his spirits, and he wasn't going to stop until he saw this through.

  "The chamber should be just up ahead," Galen told him, pointing to a passage on the left.

  The Naturalist seemed to have a near photographic memory, and he suggested this particular chamber would be the place to start. It was where they'd seen huge clusters growing before, and the place where they'd make the biggest impact.

  As he approached the chamber, Arheis could already see the glow of blue light that bathed the ground. His pace picked up, an eagerness filling him that he wasn't sure was fully his own.

  "You guys know what to do," he called to his companions.

  Then he equipped his shield, gripping the strap tight before he thrust it forward. The impact sent a fissure shooting up the formation, the gap eventually growing before the whole thing shattered from the inside out.

  That sound--the sound of crystals being rendered absolutely powerless--filled him with bone-deep relief and a strange sense of euphoria. But in the midst of a chamber full of such pleasant sounds, he heard something that was far less pleasant: The clinking of heavy armor as several figures hurried through the nearby corridors.

  "We've got company," he called, alerting the others before he reached for his spear.

  At the mouth of a tunnel, five figures appeared, all of them wearing immaculately polished royal guard armor.

  "By order of His Royal Highness Prince Eadric, you are hereby under arrest for crimes against the Crown."

  "Oh, fuck your Crown," Mira snarled. "We're doing what you won't. If you'd stop behaving like mindless dogs for half a second--"

  "Come with us now, and we promise you will receive a fair trial. His Highness is ever merciful, even to those who have betrayed him," the leader said, pinning Arheis with a baleful stare.

  "Yeah, I bet he is," Higrem muttered.

  Good to know that even Higrem--who'd played devil's advocate when this conversation first came up--was now on their side.

  Arheis sized up the five guards. It might not take too much to incapacitate them, but everyone in his party was still recovering from doing battle with the Petravor. Something the royal guard and the Iskaral Guild Hall had been suspiciously absent for.

  They weren't in any condition to fight, and so Arheis went for plan B:

  "These crystals have done real, irreversible damage. I guarantee if you don't let us destroy them, Iskaral will fall. It's only a matter of time."

  A couple of the guards shifted and exchanged glances, but the leader held firm, his hand resting on the pommel of his blade with a calm sense of confidence.

  "You don't even have to be here," he told them. "Just turn around and tell your liege you were too late. We'll--"

  The leader turned his head, looking over his shoulder past the other guards. "Bring them in."

  Snarls and snaps echoed in the cavern and the hairs on the back of Arheis' neck stood on end as he waited for what seemed like an eternity.

  Two large, reptilian beasts burst forth, their claws digging into the rock and dirt, powerful muscles pulling against heavy leather straps arranged into harnesses. Harnesses that were held by people who wore tabards bearing the rose and thorns emblem from the Guild Hall of Iskaral.

  As Arheis took in the scene, he could see the faint trace of blue pulsing beneath the beasts’ skin. His gaze snapped immediately to the leader, who wore the smile of someone who knew he'd won.

  "Last. Chance," he repeated.

  Arheis' gaze sought out Mira, then Galen and Higrem. All three of them stood tense, weapons at the ready, prepared to fight if need be. But none of them were in any condition to win. Every one of his companions could easily be killed by those frenzied beasts, let alone the guards who accompanied them.

  There was only one choice, and Arheis voiced it with a shout:

  "Run!"

  A tidal wave of activity burst through the chamber as Galen brought rocks crashing down from the ceiling, blocking off the direct path of the guards. Everyone made for the opposite tunnel, including Arheis.

  But even as he heard the frantic clawing of the beasts, their slavering mouths curled in frenzied snarls as they tried to get past the barricade, he heard something else even louder.

  A familiar voice in his mind, urging him on.

  Veering off from the group, Arheis made one last detour. He dropped into a charge, shield held out before him, and slammed into the largest cluster of crystals in the chamber, springing backward before it exploded in a shower of shimmering blue.

  Then he turned, oriented himself, and ran like hell.

  > You have lost significant reputation with Iskaral.

  > Current reputation: Wanted for crimes against the Crown. Guards and Hunters will now attack you on sight.

  35

  Thanks to a few secret tunnels the Elder led them toward, they were able to make it to De'shal with no sign of the royal guard or the Iskaral Hunters.

  It wouldn't last. They all knew it. As soon as they were safe inside the gates, the Elder called for his engineers to erect temporary defenses, putting several Pruvari on the anti-siege weapons just in case. De'shal was quite likely the most fortified place they could be right now, and still Arheis knew they would have to leave. They couldn't stay in this region, not with the Crown hunting them. He wasn't even sure they could stay on this continent.

  It was a sentiment he voiced as soon as they had the chance to catch their breath. "I don't want to bring the Crown down on De'shal," he told the Elder. "As soon as we find a viable escape route, we'll go."

  "We may be able to help with that," Bren said.

  She barked a few orders to one of the sailors who'd stayed behind and the man came to them with parchment in hand. Arheis could see blocky handwriting and a signature at the bottom.

  "There's a shipwright in Port Tibus," he said, passing over the letter. "The ship he wants to sell us is a lot smaller than the Lady Katherine and it'll cost a pretty penny, but…"

  "But it's a start," Treyous finished. "Good work, son."

  "We can provide you with transportation," the Elder said, nodding toward the row of Striders that were currently charging.

  "I don't want to take all of your Striders from you," Arheis said, frowning.

  "Caleal can accompany you," he said, beckoning the tawny-fur
red Pruvari forward. "She will return the Striders to us once you are safely in Port Tibus."

  "Aren't we going to run into the same problems there?" Higrem asked. "As far as the Crown's concerned, we're fugitives."

  "Fugitives of Iskaral and the surrounding areas," Galen pointed out. "Port Tibus is not a part of that sovereignty. In fact, if we explain ourselves, we might gain a powerful ally."

  More politics. Arheis didn't like the idea of relying on anyone who had ulterior motives at this point, and a royal certainly would. But considering Iskaral's weaponized use of those crystals, they at least deserved to know what their potential enemy had up their sleeve.

  "I don't like it, but it's the best plan we have right now," Mira admitted.

  "Agreed."

  They spent some time hammering out the details of the journey ahead. Galen was somewhat familiar with the terrain they would have to cross, and Mira had evidently spent a good amount of time in Port Tibus. The journey would be long and arduous, with plenty of obstacles standing between them and salvation, but Arheis was hopeful.

  "Stay here for the night," the Elder encouraged them, just as Arheis was considering how long he could really go without rest. "You are all exhausted. You can leave in the morning with clear heads and full bellies."

  "We can't risk the royal guard finding us here," Arheis said.

  "They will not find the tunnels we used, and I have already sent someone to block off the main passage. If they wish to pursue you to De'shal, they will have to do it over the mountains."

  That would take them at least a day if they rushed it. Maybe less with the aid of strong horses, but even then they would have lost time doubling back.

  Arheis released a breath, relief washing over him. For the first time since they'd run, he finally felt like he could breathe.

  "We'll leave tomorrow, then. Thank you." Extending his hand, he gave the Pruvari Elder's a firm shake before turning back to his companions. "Get some rest. Tend to any lingering wounds. I'm not sure how long it'll be before we reach civilization after we leave here."

  Arheis saw that same sense of relief wash across the features of all his companions. The path to this moment had been a difficult one and none of them were taking a night's rest for granted.

  The Elder summoned one of his Council members, who showed them to the inn. Food was cooked, healers were summoned, and nearly all of their needs were seen to.

  But Arheis still had a few things to take care of that no one else could handle for him. Difficult conversations needed to happen, and they needed to happen tonight.

  He started with Galen, finding the elf at a long table in the inn’s common room, a half-finished bowl of stew to one side of him, a sheet of parchment taking up most of his attention.

  "Writing a letter?" he asked, sitting beside the Naturalist.

  "To Archimedes, yes." Galen's brow creased, his pen stilling as he looked at Arheis. "I'm worried about his involvement in all of this. I thought I would send him a message written in arcane cipher--something only he will understand."

  "Smart," Arheis said. But there was a niggling doubt in the back of his mind and at this point, he felt no qualms in voicing it. "Are you sure we can trust him? He was involved in this whole scheme…"

  "Archie has made terrible decisions in the name of academic progress, yes. He can be obsessive, as you're likely well aware by this point. But I trust him. I trust that he severed ties with the Crown for a reason. I understand if you do not, however, and I can exclude mention of our future plans."

  Arheis shook his head, the answer coming to him immediately. "If you say he's trustworthy, that's good enough for me. At this point we could use as many allies as we can get, and it's not a bad idea to have a pair of eyes in Iskaral."

  > Your relationship with Galen has improved!

  The elf's relief was palpable and Arheis let him return to his letter, taking a look around the common room. Treyous was at the bar, his back to the counter, a faraway look on his face. Giving Galen an encouraging pat on the shoulder, Arheis made his way to the Ambassador.

  Green eyes focused on him, Treyous' features eased into the familiar happy-go-lucky grin.

  "Quite the journey ahead of us. I'm eager to set sail again."

  "You know, you don't have to keep up the captain act for my benefit," Arheis said.

  There was no bitterness in his words, but he was still figuring out how he should approach the man who'd recruited him to this world.

  "It's not an act, Arheis." The name he used was deliberate this time, all traces of Simon now gone, apparently. God, it was going to take time to process that. "I've been a captain all my life. I've only been an Ambassador for the past few months."

  "Oh," he said dumbly. "I just assumed…"

  "That because you made your choice, my job would be over? That's quite presumptuous of you, don't you think?" Treyous let out a crack of laughter and gave Arheis a hearty smack on the back. "No, no. I'm pulling your leg. That stage of my role is done, yes, but you're still growing accustomed to this world and to the… possibilities it holds."

  Bushy brows rose in an obvious prompt. It took Arheis a moment to catch on, the memory of that bright white light filling him. "Yeah, what was that?"

  "Let's just say your sacrifice is not without its perks," Treyous said, taking a page out of Higrem's book when it came to being obnoxiously mysterious. "You'll learn them in time. My advice? Let it happen naturally."

  The meta-gamer inside of Arheis wanted to laugh at that, but… that was a part of who Simon was. A part of who he was as a gamer. This wasn't a game anymore, and treating it like one wasn't going to get him far. He'd seen proof of that when they were fighting the Petravor.

  "Old habits," Arheis admitted, "but I'll do my best."

  "That's all I can ask."

  Now that he had a few spare moments to catch his breath, the gravity of his choice was truly settling in. It'd felt right in the moment. It felt right now. But it was impossible not to question his decision. Especially when it came with suchheavy strings.

  “When I made the choice, I got a system message telling me I… couldn’t resurrect anymore,” Arheis said, his tone sobering dramatically.

  “You are as much a part of this world now as everyone else,” Treyous told him. “Did Higrem not tell you that…?”

  He just shook his head. Dread clawed at the pit of his stomach, but it felt hollow in the face of everything else. If he’d known the terms of agreement, he still would have chosen to stay. It was a risk, but a risk he’d been willing to take for his friends. A risk he’d take again, when the time came.

  Probably sooner than anyone wanted, now that they were being hunted.

  That wasn’t what stuck out in his mind, though. There was one aspect to all of this that tugged at his consciousness. One person who deserved an explanation--or as much of one as he could give.

  "Have you seen Mira?" he asked the captain.

  Treyous jerked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the door. "Last I saw, she was heading outside the walls."

  A spark of panic flooded Arheis before he realized where she'd likely gone. Thanking Treyous--and certain this was far from his last conversation with the man--he headed for the gates.

  Higrem was talking to one of the Pruvari guards, and a bit of guilt tugged at Arheis as he considered just bypassing the man. Out of everyone among them, Higrem had the least invested. He could walk away from this still and return to Lacerda, living out his life beyond the scope of the Crown.

  Part of Arheis envied that choice, but that was no reason to avoid the man. In fact, he wanted to be sure Higrem knew he had an out.

  "Guard schedule's set through the night," he said as Arheis approached.

  The stocky Pruvari he'd been speaking to gave him a salute. Apparently Higrem's charisma bridged cultural boundaries, too.

  "Good to know," Arheis said, taking a look at the high walls that surrounded them and spotting several armed Pruvari. "I was
about to head out to find Mira, but I wanted to talk to you first."

  Higrem gave him his attention, looking far more focused and mindful than Arheis had ever seen him before.

  "What's up?"

  "I just want you to know that… you don't have to be a part of this. You can go home to Lacerda, to your son. We'll throw them off the trail."

  Arheis expected the man to challenge him, but a sad smile etched its way into his features.

  "You remember what I said when I asked to come with you?"

  It felt like an eternity ago, but Arheis did remember. "You said you wanted to make something of yourself."

  "Ever since Aurelia died, I've been… stuck. I went through the motions in Lacerda, but it stopped being home to me after she was gone. Even having my kid there…" His brow pinched and a look of guilt flared in his eyes. "I wasn't the father I should have been. He grew up and became a good man in spite of me, not because of me. Lacerda is better off in his hands."

  "What about the Guild?" Arheis asked, recalling Higrem's desire to rank up in Iskaral.

  "The Guild that's apparently involved in some massive fuck-off conspiracy, you mean?" Higrem snorted. "Yeah. I'll pass on that."

  It was still crazy to think about, but no longer was Arheis trying to explain it via game mechanics. Whatever was happening in Estalia, it was going to have real consequences.

  "Destroying those crystals… I get how important it is now," Higrem said, his voice softening. "I didn't before, not really. But I get it now. The whole world will suffer if we don't take those things out. And eventually it'll make its way to Lacerda again. So the best thing I can do is to fight."

  Arheis nodded, and this time when he looked at Higrem, he saw something different. Not an arrogant Hunter or an obnoxious PC, but a man who was just trying to do the best he could. For his son, and for the woman he'd loved.

  “We’re lucky to have you, Higrem.”

  The words came naturally, but the surprise on the other man’s face was obvious. He covered for it quickly, taking on the smug appearance that Arheis had first associated with him.