“I think I’ve died and done ascended,” Krazzik moaned, devouring the roasted elk like he had never tasted anything so wondrous his entire life.
“Yum!” Dabbin agreed, munching on an elk rib, his face and fingers covered in grease.
“Ye don’t know what yer missing,” Croon crossed his arms in a huff, glaring at the meal everyone was devouring like it had personally insulted him.
“Stop pouting,” Riya said around a mouthful of food. “It’s not our fault the spider queen was toxic.”
“Bah! I could have prepared the remains so it would have been fine,” Croon grumbled dramatically. Instead of eating, the Verser leaned against the wall and started playing his accordion.
“Not while we’re eatin!” Bragden choked out, followed by several others voicing the same opinion. “How in the name o’ the adjudicators did ye even get that horrible torture device back?”
“What do you mean Croon got it back?” Kedryn asked, looking between the two with idle curiosity. “He didn’t get the instrument from the adjudicators?”
“Gettin anything from the adjudicators after a rebirth is only heard of in tavern tales and songs older than me gran’s knickers,” Bragden scowled, giving Glade a side long look.
“Aye, Bragden be right,” Croon said. “Though the new clothes be a right good change. Was told by the Adjudicator o’ Passion herself that Glade done asked if we could have a change o’ good clothes for the climate. Shocked me so much I was almost speechless when I got back.”
“Means we almost lucked out,” one of the dwarves called out from the back of the hall. Everyone chuckled, including Croon who was absently playing a song on his accordion. At least, Glade thought the sound coming from the instrument was a song.
“To answer yer question, Windjammer here be a family heirloom,” Croon said, holding up the octagonal accordion as he played. “It was bound to me family’s bloodline a few centuries back so we could never lose it permanently. Even if I were to ascend, it would go to me younger brother after his first rebirth, no matter where it ends up.”
“Sounds more like a cursed item to me,” Gent mumbled, just loud enough for Glade to hear.
“Bah, we’re gettin off track again,” Bragden growled, turning away from Croon who was still playing Windjammer. “I still say we need to clear out the catacombs first. That be the only sure route out o’ here to civilization. The Mother only knows how many spiders still be loose down there!”
“Yer cracked in the head if’n ye think that be the priority,” Krazzik countered. “Our focus needs to be on restorin the link to the settlement core! Thanks to Gent and his team we have a good idea where the mana well be.”
“I didn’t know that yer intelligence stat was high enough for you to be thinkin,” Bragden retorted.
Glade sighed as the conversation devolved into yelling matches and side bar conversations, just as it had a few minutes ago. Everyone spouted their own opinions on what they believed the next step should be.
Both Bragden and Krazzik were making their points clear with name calling, which was honestly better than entering stage 2 of typical dwarvish politics. Patch pushed for a complete accounting of their assets so they could plan how they were going to survive through spring and into the next winter. Gird expressed the importance of finding ore and making tools, something he could do without a proper forge, but it was extremely mana intensive and time consuming. Gent highlighted that exploration of the mountain valley should take precedence so they could identify potential threats and resources alike. Riya expressed the need to learn the spells Storms’ Rest had to offer and wanted to study the lesser mana core and other interesting objects they had retrieved from the spider queen’s corpse. Even Croon had shared his thoughts, pointing out that there were enough resources on hand to help most everyone with an attunement advance their abilities.
The only person who hadn’t shared his thoughts was Kedryn. The Corporal simply nodded along with the others as he ate his food. That alone was highly suspect. When had the Kid ever knowingly remained quiet?
The problem Glade faced was everyone had valid points. Now that the basics of food, shelter, and water had been dealt with they could go in almost any direction. It wasn’t so much a question of who was right. It was more a question of where they could get the most value with their limited capabilities.
During the heated debate between Krazzik and Bragden, Kedryn leaned over and spoke to Glade.
“You’re not saying much, sir,” Kedryn said bluntly.
“Says the royal elf who hasn’t strung more than two sentences together since we defeated the freakishly large spider,” Glade replied with a snort. When Kedryn didn’t respond, Glade turned to look at his Corporal. Really look.
What he saw gave him pause. The normally excitable Kedryn was so subdued he wouldn’t even look him in the eye.
“Are you ok?” Glade asked in all seriousness.
Kedryn hesitated a hair too long before answering. But to Glade, that moment of hesitation spoke volumes.
“Yeah, of course I’m ok. I mean, who wouldn’t be in our situation, right?” the Kid laughed. It was a hollow laugh. One he himself had laughed many times before.
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Glade fixed the boy with the same look Mother had given him whenever the weight of the world rested upon his shoulders. What he wouldn't give to have his sergeant at arms present. There was no telling where his friend might be and how he was faring in this strange new world. But that was something to worry about later. Instead, Glade gave Kedryn his full attention.
It took 10 seconds before the Kid began to squirm.
“I…” Kedryn began but faltered. It took another few seconds, but the Corporal finally worked up the courage to speak. “Do you have a moment to talk? You know, in private?”
“For you? Always,” Glade said, internally grumbling. He wasn't upset that Kedryn wanted to talk. That was a good thing. He was upset because the Kid had lasted a full 5 seconds longer than he had when Mother confronted him the first time.
Standing up, Glade motioned Kedryn to follow. As they walked out of the hall, Glade checked his cooldown for mana manipulation. Seeing that the time had elapsed, he cast the spell. Moments later, a metal slave collar snapped open on a dwarf that Glade recognized but didn’t know.
“Give that to Bragden or Patch for me, would you?” Glade asked the unknown dwarf before he continued out the front door.
“Th… Thank you!” the bearded dwarf stammered, rubbing at where the collar had been with a look of wide-eyed disbelief. Glade had been removing the damnable collars ever since the fight had ended. There were still more than twenty left, but he refused to rest until every one of the cursed things were off.
Kedryn followed, looking back to their group with concern.
“Won’t they wonder where we’re going?”
“I doubt they even know we left,” Glade replied, looking back at the group. They were leaving just in time. Both Krazzik and Bragden were on their feet bumping chests as they argued. Even Croon had shifted his music to a fast-paced tune that seemed to rile the group up even more.
When they got outside, Glade breathed in the crisp night air. It stung his face and lungs, but in a good way. Like the cold was scrubbing him clean both inside and out.
Both men stepped away from the door, walking toward a clearing not too far away. The moons hadn’t risen yet, but that hardly mattered. The night's sky was ablaze with foreign constellations that were, quite frankly, breathtaking.
Glade stood there, gazing at the stars while waiting to see if Kedryn would talk first. He didn’t. Then again, neither had Glade when Mother had tried to get him to talk about his troubles oh so long ago.
“You know, it was a setting much like this one when Mother recognized I needed someone to talk with,” Glade said, still looking at the foreign stars.
Kedryn glanced at him in surprise. “Really?”
Glade gave a single nod. “It was after our second mission together as a team. We had just raided a warehouse in South America that was being used as a transfer point for human trafficking. The raid was… bloody. The kind of operation that haunts a man no matter how much the traffickers deserved what they got. I can tell you straight, that while some things never truly go away, talking about it with those you trust helps.”
Glade left the invitation open. Mother had shared a similar story with him when they had talked. That had been the moment Glade and Mother had taken their first steps to becoming brothers.
After a time, Kedryn spoke.
“I love being here,” he said, staring up at the night’s sky like he knew the answers to life’s greatest questions were laid out right in front of him. “It’s everything I ever wanted in life; you know? I have magic. Real magic. I’m fighting monsters and gaining levels. Hell, I’m even a royal elf that is somehow the rightful heir to a throne I’ve never seen while traveling with a party of misfit adventurers that have uncovered an ancient ruin full of powerful magic. This is the stuff I dreamed of ever since I played my first video game.”
Kedryn paused, continuing to search the skies for answers.
Glade let the moment stretch out in comfortable silence, waiting for his soldier to process what he was really trying to say.
No, that wasn’t right. Kedryn was more than his soldier. Sure, they had gotten off on the wrong foot. But since then, they had both been through hell and back and the Kid had proven himself several times over. For better or worse, they were brothers in arms. The Kid had truly earned Glade’s respect.
“I froze up,” Kedryn began, lowering his gaze in shame. “After the spider queen’s mental attack, when you broke through her defense by screaming whatever rage and pain you keep inside you, I froze. I couldn’t…” the Kid paused. “I couldn’t keep fighting. All I wanted was to…” his voice dropped to barely a whisper that was filled with emotion. “Was to go home.”
Glade put a hand on the Kid’s shoulder and squeezed, passing what reassurance he could.
“I later found out I was under some sort of anxiety debuff, but I don’t think that was really the case. All I wanted at that moment was to be anywhere else but there. I’m…” Kedryn’s voice caught. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t get up and fight like the rest of you. I’m sorry I just sat there… Useless.”
Glared waited to see if there was anything more. When the Kid didn’t continue, Glade spoke.
“Thanks for trusting me enough to talk about this,” Glade said with as much sincerity as he could project. “And thanks for reassuring me that you are indeed still human, despite, you know, being changed into an elf and all.”
Kedryn snorted.
“Hey, that’s important to recognize,” Glade said, shoving Kedryn just enough to let the Kid know it was a friendly push. “I would find it strange if you faced that monster of a spider and didn’t get scared. I know I was. Truth be told, I’ve been afraid that we might have two Musketeers on the team now instead of just the one. Veil couldn’t handle two of you.”
Kedryn chuckled, but let it die out too soon. It was clear he had more to say.
“What if it happens again? The debuff, I mean.”
“Kid, the crazy system we have implanted in our heads calls it a debuff. I call it being normal. We get scared. We freeze up. Hell, we even panic from time to time. It happens to everybody. The real question you need to ask yourself is what did you learn from the experience?”
Kedryn once again looked at the stars as if searching.
“That I don’t like feeling scared… or weak.”
“Being scared isn’t a weakness,” Glade said. “It’s when you lie to yourself and pretend that everything’s ok, that’s a weakness. That’s when you get yourself and others hurt.”
“But what if I freeze up again?”
“You won’t.”
Kedryn turned, giving him a searching look. “How do you know?”
“Experience,” Glade said with a shrug. “I’d be worried if you were making excuses as to why you froze. People who make excuses don’t last long in our business. Instead, you accepted the fact that something scared you and are talking to me about it. That shows character and a willingness to grow."
"Another point in your favor is you are a member of my team. A lethal force of Earth’s best and brightest stranded on an alien world filled with magic and mayhem. We don’t fear others. Its everyone else who should fear us.”
Glade let that sink in before adding what he considered to be the most important detail.
“Lastly, you’ve earned my trust. Come hell or high water, we’re on the same team. In case you didn’t know, that makes you family.”
Glade turned to look at the stars once again, silently promising that he wouldn’t let this family, to include Kedryn, down. Not like he had with the last one.
“Thank you,” Kedryn murmured.
Both men wrestled with their thoughts and fears as they looked into eternity, the burdens on their souls lightening just enough to appreciate they weren't alone.