Approaching the monastery, Lanek could see that Sanguineus’ howls had definitely caught someone’s attention as he could see figures scrambling along the upper walls. He paused about a block from the structure, preferring not to put himself or his companions in a position where they could be hit by an arrow from a jumpy guard. Despite the figures moving about on the walls, no one opened the doors or left the building, making Lanek worry that the howl had made the members of the Talon hunker down for fear of an attack.
He paused for a minute, wondering if he should leave and return in the morning or if he should start shouting to get their attention. However, before he could make his decision, all three of his companions jerked their heads to the side in unison and bristled. It was then that Lanek heard the sound of thundering feet as something charged toward his position. Without hesitation, Maximilian charged to meet the foes while Lanek readied his spear and the huge wolf ran alongside them. Kazuma dissipated into mist and flowed ahead, obscuring their enemy’s vision.
Suddenly, a huge figure lumbered into sight and roared so loudly that Lanek could feel the vibrations from where he sat and Maximilian shrieked in response. Meanwhile, Lanek was almost blindsided as another figure leapt out of the mist, its silhouette the only thing he could make out before Sanguineus slammed into its midsection and pushed it into the ground, his jaws already on their way toward the creature’s throat. Abruptly, they heard a loud yowl from Kazuma as the mist began to dissipate.
“Stand down!” A familiar voice called from the rapidly disappearing mist. Once the mist had cleared, Lanek shook his head at the close call, especially when he saw Sanguineus’ jaws had already closed around Reaver’s neck, although he had not pierced the scales. Behind the raptor, Ograch was on his back staring up at Kazuma’s face in shock, the cat having ambushed and disarmed the archer.
Lanek dismounted Maximilian, patting the demigryph’s shoulder to calm him down, and called out to the bear. “Holy shit, Yuri! You got big since I’ve been away!”
Kazuma nudged Ograch’s nose briefly before stepping away and letting the hobgoblin stand. Sanguineus had since released Reaver, taking a moment to lick the raptor in apology, which she seemed to accept, although not altogether happy about it from what Lanek could sense from her.
As Yuri came closer to sniff at him, he could see that he was saddled, but Liv was nowhere in sight. He sighed as he scratched the bear’s ears before calling out. “You know, if you ambush me again Liv, I’m going to be extremely pissed off. I don’t think Kazuma will let you off so easily this time.”
“Lanek? How the fuck is this possible? We saw your body.” Liv said as she moved out of a nearby alley, her spear still at the ready as Yuri stepped away from Lanek and joined her. “And why do you look human again?”
“Eldros. Honestly, I thought I was dead and the Void had come to collect, but Eldros gave me a new body. If you want to know the how of it, I have no idea. You’ll have to bring it up with the Primordial. Fair warning, he’s a bit busy at the moment.”
“Okay… who’s that, then?” Ograch said as he gestured at Maximilian after moving over to stand next to Liv.
“That’s Maximilian, Idril’s child. He wanted to join me and his mom judged that he was strong enough to take care of himself at this point. So, no one told you I was back.” The two shook their heads, still gripping their weapons tightly. “Maybe go get Nerek and Shel. They can likely ask the Hordefather to verify that I’m who I say I am.”
The two looked at each other before Liv responded. “Surrender your weapons and let us bind your hands. Then we can talk and decide where to go from there. We’re not putting anyone else in danger.”
Lanek sighed. “Look, you’re my friends, so know that I’m saying this with love. Fuck off.” The two recoiled, raising their weapons as their respective mounts adopted aggressive stances. “I’ve been through a lot in the last few weeks, not the least of which was sacrificing myself to save your skins and the lives of everyone else in that damn building. I’ve fought a cult, was trapped in the Void, and fucking died. You are out of your damn minds if you think for one fucking second that I’m going to put myself in anyone’s power right now. Especially since the two of you attacked me first.”
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He realized that he was escalating things, but he was angry. Maybe it was unreasonable to expect to be welcomed back with open arms considering everyone thought that he had died, but he had given everything for these people and this reception hurt. He had been looking forward so much to seeing his friends again, so getting this response from the two people he had spent the most amount of time with since coming here was especially painful. Shaking his head in anger and exasperation, he turned and walked away, ignoring their shouts to halt. He mounted Maximilian as Kazuma and Sanguineus cut Ograch and Liv off, knowing that Lanek needed some space.
“I’m going to find somewhere else to spend the night, I need some time to think things over. Talk to Nerek. Or don’t. I would think Kazuma and Sanguineus would have been enough to prove my identity.” With that, Lanek rode away, Kazuma giving Liv a warning hiss when she made to mount Yuri and follow.
Lanek rode well into the night, leaving Caelis behind as he attempted to calm himself down. He knew that he was being unreasonable, but a part of him wondered if leaving the monastery behind would be for the best. It would allow him to focus entirely on helping Eldros and he had never had any real leadership experience, so the monastery was undoubtedly doing better under Talwarg’s leadership.
As for his friends, he knew that he was showing a lack of trust just as they were by not relinquishing his weapons. Although, he didn’t know if he could have done it anyway, his entire being had rebelled at the thought of being bound. Is this because of the stronger ties to Eldros? The Primordials value freedom after all, so maybe the strengthened bond from being the Herald and Chosen of Eldros is making me react that way to losing my freedom.
Then again, maybe I just don’t want to go back to actually having responsibilities. Am I using this as an excuse to run away and only have to worry about myself and the furballs? I’m not going to lie, being in charge was a ton of stress, so going back to being on my own is extremely appealing. Then again, my anger is justified, right? They did attack first and I had proven that I was no enemy when we let them up after we realized who they were.
While he was lost in thought, his companions had guided him back to a familiar hill in the woods, although it was now pockmarked with small craters and had seen better days. He smiled as he found himself looking at the intact door to his old cave. Lanek opened the door and entered the cave, heading toward his bed as soon as all of his companions were inside with him and the door was closed and barred.
As he pondered his next steps, he felt a familiar tug on his consciousness. It took him a moment to realize that it was something trying to pull him away, like when he had been summoned to speak to the Great Bear and the Hordefather. Maybe it was due to his increased stats or his newfound titles and class, but he found it quite simple shut the summons down. He didn’t know who it was, but he wasn’t in any mood for it and Eldros didn’t need to use that method to speak to him. For now, he would get some sleep before looking for a new place in the morning to plan his future.
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Talwarg, Nerek, Ivan, and Lira listened in shock as Liv and Ograch reported their encounter with Lanek. They described the battle and how Lanek had appeared to be human once more. They also mentioned his new companion and how badly the potential impostor had reacted to their demand that he be bound.
“How can you be so sure that he was an impostor?” Lira demanded, her voice soft and nearly breaking. “What if it was really him and you chased him away?”
“Oh? Doesn’t it seem a bit convenient to you that he magically rose from the grave? An impostor seems far more likely to me.” Liv snapped back angrily.
“I have to agree with Liv. If it was Lanek, why didn’t he come back sooner? The whole situation seems a bit suspicious.” Ivan said. “I really hope it was him, but I highly doubt that it was. Dying from mana overuse doesn’t just mean that you die physically. It annihilates you completely, soul and all. There shouldn’t have been anything left behind to resurrect.”
“Nerek, can you verify that it was him through the Hordefather?” Talwarg said. “Lanek was one of his Khans after all.”
Nerek shook his head. “It isn’t easy to get in touch with a god, but I’ve been trying since Liv and Ograch made their report. So far, the Hordefather hasn’t responded. I will retire to my chambers and commune with him. Hopefully, I will have an answer soon.”
It was with a somber mood that everyone took their leave and left for their chambers. As Liv approached Lira to apologize for their heated exchange, the former guardian spirit of Caelis disappeared, not wanting to speak to anyone at the moment. While she sat in Lanek’s chambers, she seethed at her inability to do anything about the situation. If it was Lanek, she wanted to find and bring him back. If it was an impostor, she wanted nothing more than to put the creature down.
All the while, she was being watched by a pair of amber eyes while remaining blissfully unaware.