The group of them, Xander, Gabrelle, Freyja, and two golems drew gazes when they entered the town. It reminded him of being in Anlet with all the stares they, especially Freyja, had received. Even though he was covered in his armor, he felt a little anxious, like someone might suddenly call out to the surrounding people that he wasn’t human. The road they had been following into the city narrowed as they reach the town limits, transitioning to a cobblestone paved street. Alleyways and side streets offered dozens of potential shortcuts and alternate avenues to reach other parts of the city, but Gabrelle continued to lead Xander down the main street.
Eventually, the main street split in two, one portion curving Northward around the bay and the other Southward. They turned to follow the Southward split, Xander dutifully following Gabrelle, since she seemed to know where she was going, Freyja and the two golems following closely behind the to mercs. Xander noticed himself gawking, just has he had his first time in Anlet. Some of the ships that were moored at the long docks that reached out into the bay were massive. The city must see a huge amount of cargo enter and exit it every day. He did notice an elf here and there, their pointed ears and aloof demeanor giving them away as did their choice of clothing. They seemed to prefer earthy, natural tones and loose, flowing pants and shirts, or robes. Xander imagined that they would easily blend into a forest with such clothes.
The entire town was brightly colored, the houses and businesses painted in varying pastel shades ranging from pinks and reds to vibrant greens. It made the place feel more… alive, that was the best way he could think of it, than the other cities he’d been in. Xander did his best not to lose Gabrelle in the crowded street without bumping into anyone, while also looking around at all the colorful houses and shops. The few people who did bump into Xander, either by his own fault or their own, were surprised at just how unyielding the man they’d just collided with was as they bounced off his armored form.
“Oh, ah, sorry,” Xander said as he nearly shoulder checked an elf because he wasn’t looking where he was going. The elf barely spared him a glance as they continued on.
The two mercenaries and their exotic entourage found themselves in a primarily mercantile district, where people went to do their shopping or conduct business with other [Merchant]s, [Accountant]s, [Broker]s, and the various other classes and professions that kept the flow of goods and services through the city operating smoothly.
“Not far now,” Gabrelle said. “We take this side street here…” She turned onto the street, “and we’ll only be a few streets away now.”
The inn that Gabrelle had led them to was tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the main street. It was on a quiet, narrow street. Most of the buildings seemed to be houses for the people of the city who worked in and around the area, though Xander did notice a few shops here and there catering to the small, everyday things that one might need. Bakeries, shops selling pots and pans, a potter with cups and plates on display.
Inside, the inn was clean, tidy, and not too crowded. Even the atmosphere felt orderly, as a stern looking woman surveyed the few people eating or drinking at this time of day. It was clear that this was her domain, and that she ruled it with a fist of steel.
The woman turned her sharp gaze towards Gabrelle and Xander as they entered, and then to Freyja as the cat followed through the doorway. A look of recognition passed over her face at the sight of Gabrelle and the giant cat, and she made her way from behind the counter over to the mercs.
“Gabrelle, yes? That was your name?” The woman said upon reaching Gabrelle, skipping any greeting.
“I’m surprised you remembered me after so many months, Jempta!” Gabrelle responded.
“Mmm, I don’t exactly have many patrons that bring a giant cat with them. And who’s this? I see you’ve picked up a friend with matching armor. People starting to copy you now?”
Xander inclined his head at the woman, her sharp face, rigid body posture, and well maintained – if greying – hair all seemed to demand respect. “My name is Xander.”
At almost the same time, Gabrelle spoke up, saying, “Oh no, he’s not copying me! He actually made my armor.”
Jempta had no issue parsing both of their statements at once. “Mhmm. A pleasure to meet you, Xander,” she said in a voice that sounded like it was not a pleasure, simply a required formality of an introduction. “Will you be staying at the inn with Gabrelle and the rest of her teammates? And will you be requiring accommodation for an exotic mount? We’ve only space for one, unfortunately, and I believe it has just been filled,” she said with a glance at Freyja.
“Ahh, yes, I will –“ Xander began, before he was interrupted by Gabrelle.
“He’ll be staying in my room,” Gabrelle said quickly.
Jempta raised her eyebrows slightly, but made comment. “And the mount situation?” She reiterated.
“No mount,” Xander told her.
Jempta nodded. “There is a room across the hallway from the three rooms that your teammates have rented,” she explained to the two mercs. “I can’t say I’ve seen them since this morning, but I don’t believe that they have gone out for any significant period of time. They just recently paid for a few more weeks. I assume you’ll be wanting to stay for the same amount of time?”
Gabrelle nodded, and handed the coins over to the older woman, already knowing the price of staying at the inn, given it had been operating as their home base for quite a while at this point. Xander and Gabrelle brought Freyja over to the stables where she would be feed her meal. The panther flopped over onto the pile of wood shavings, eager to take a nap be have time to be lazy after their months of travel. She was asleep before the two mercs even made it out of the stable. Xander decided that he would post his two golems at the door to Freyja’s stable. They would just take up space in what would likely already be a small room. Atlas and Lynx were ordered to stand out of the way in a corner of the stable, taking the appearance of two black statues that had been placed in storage.
Standing outside the stables, Xander asked Gabrelle, “What now?”
“Well, we could either go out and try to find our team, which would be difficult, or we could just… wait for them to come back. They might have just gone out to the guild or to do some shopping. Jempta will let them know we’re back. I don’t think that woman has ever forgotten a thing in her life. Why don’t we just wait in the room? I could use a nap, to be honest, and you can… do, uh… something? Maybe work on your gun like you mentioned that one time?”
“Sure, I guess. It’ll at least keep my mind off of the anticipation. I’m kind of nervous, honestly.”
“I can’t even imagine,” Gabrelle said. “But there’s nothing to worry about, I promise. They are going to be so excited to see you, I just know it.”
Xander nodded in response, still feeling unsure.
The two of them went back into the inn, the stair creaking under Xander, and then up to their room, which was on the third floor of the inn. Gabrelle removed the rest of her armor – she’d taken her helm off before entering the inn – and laid down on the bed.
“Aahh,” she sighed, stretching out on the bed. “That’s it right there. Nothing like the first nap you take after a long, loooong, trip. Wake me up if you think they’re here.”
Xander was left to his own devices, Gabrelle falling asleep nearly as quickly as Freyja had. Unsure what else to do, he took up Gabrelle’s suggestion of working on his gun. His only complaint with the thing at the moment was the fact that his original design held only five of the steel balls. He thought over the best way to increase the rune gun’s capacity. A tube that extended down the length of the rifle would be the simplest solution. The question was whether it would be better to implement a spring to move the ammunition through the tube or to use a runic solution. Xander opted to use runes for one simple reason: not needing a spring would give him space for more ammo.
Removing the original tube that stuck out from the side of the rifle, Xander created a tube that ran the length of the barrel, following along the bottom of it until it curved upward and fed into the side of it in the same spot that the original tube had. Inside of that tube were movement runes that would keep the ammunition pressed into place by moving it down the tube and into position. It would be filled from the end of the tube nearer the barrel, where Xander could flip open the hinged cap of the tube, insert a finger, and use [Creation Mastery] to populate more steel balls into the tube.”
The process only took him an hour or so, and when he was done, he found himself anxiously waiting. Despite what Gabrelle had said to him, he was still afraid of being rejected by them. I mean, he was an undead. What if they took umbrage with that? Speaking of being undead, he had promised Gabrelle that he would make an amulet for each of the other team members. He had just finished the runing the fourth of the platinum disks that would draw his soul to it when he heard footsteps and then the sound of a fist pounding at the door. He stood up, stowing the disks, and then froze upon hearing the voice on the other side of the door. Gabrelle had bolt upright, startled by the knocking.
“Gabrelle!” Graffus’s voice came angrily through the door. “What kind of fuckin’ joke do you think you’re playin’, girl? Having the innkeeper tell us ya brought Xander back with you!”
Gabrelle stared at Xander, wide eyed. This was not how she had expected this to go, though as she thought about it, the reaction was making more sense. Frazay’s voice chimed in after Graffus had finished speaking.
“Gabrelle? There better be a good reason for this!”
Gabrelle answered the angry voices on the other side of her door with, “Uhmm, I’ll be at the door in a second. I promise it’s not a joke, please done be mad!” She quickly rolled out of the bed and anxiously walked towards the door. Xander followed behind her to offer support and also to help back up her claims. She quickly opened up the door to reveal the faces of Graffus, Atrax, and Frazay. Their gazes were focused on Gabrelle for a moment, expecting her to be alone, but, almost as one, their eyes were drawn to the figure in black armor standing behind Gabrelle.
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“Uh, hi guys!” Xander said, adding a small wave to the greeting.
The three mercenaries were silent, staring at Xander for a long moment.
Atrax was the one to break the silence, his brow furrowed in confusion as he said, “What?”
Atrax’s verbalization broke the spell over Graffus and Frazay and they, too, spoke up overlapping each other.
“You’re not dead?!”
“Where have you been?!”
Xander chuckled nervously. “Uhm, aheh… how about we talk about it inside, and I can tell you all about it.”
The three mercenaries quickly piled into Gabrelle’s room, making the small room feel especially cramped. Xander backed up near the far corner of the room as Gabrelle and Frazay sat on the bed, Atrax settled onto the floor, and Graffus leaned against the now closed door. They were all staring at Xander.
“Well?” Frazay asked.
“Uhm…” Xander started. “I guess I should just start off by showing my status sheet.” He pulled up the sheet, flipping it around for his teammates to read as he began speaking again. “First off, so I can prove that I’m really me, and also so I can start explaining how I made it out of Ilbek.”
Xander took a deep breath and continued. “The short answer is… I didn’t.” Eyebrows were raised amongst the group as they shifted in confusion, not having read down his sheet to his [Revenant] title, yet. “I died. That’s why I needed my status sheet to help explain. If… if you look at my titles, you’ll see [Revenant]. That rune array I made, the one that was supposed to keep my soul from getting ripped out of my body? Well… it also kept my soul from moving on –“
“So you’re an undead?” Atrax asked.
“But why’d it take you three years?” Graffus asked at the same time.
“Uhhh, well, I don’t know. I just woke up one day after about three years. Yeah, I think technically I’m an undead… some kind of spirit? I don’t really have a body anymore –“
“Then what’s in front of us?” Frazay asked, confused.
“Right,” Xander said. “So, to keep it simple, I’m… piloting? Piloting is probably a good word. I’m piloting a metal construct through various runic arrays.” He unclasped the buckle on his helm and slid it up and off of the construct’s head, revealing the matte black exterior that matched his armor.
“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Frazay said, after taking a moment to stare at Xander’s carved face. “You died, but your spirit was stuck, so you lucked out – if you want to call it luck – and got a title that let you keep existing. Woke up three years later and made yourself a body at some point, then found us somehow. Right?”
“Yeah. Yeah that about sums it up. I tracked down Freyja through our bond, that’s how I found Gabrelle.”
“Huh. Wow.” Frazay said.
“That’s… it? Ya’ll aren’t weirded out by me not being strictly alive anymore?”
Graffus shrugged. “I’m just happy you’re still around, Xander! Losing you was… rough. I think it was partly because you were the only one who fell. It just didn’t feel fair.”
Atrax chimed in with, “You wouldn’t be the first mercenary who wasn’t ‘strictly alive.’ There have been a few sentient undead over the years. Vampires who managed to get an [Unblooded] title are allowed membership, though I can’t say I’ve ever worked with one or even met one. And Borgras ‘Bonelord’ Hartuck was famous, oh, fifty years ago or so despite having been turned into a skeleton while interrupting a necromantic ritual.”
“If you haven’t been hunted down by the guild by now, or stricken from above by one god or another, I don’t see why we can’t still be friends. You have been inspected by the guild, right?” Frazay asked.
“Yeah. I let them look at me in Anlet before we left. They were able to reinstate my membership… lady there said I was, ah, a ‘grey area.’”
“Mmm, that sounds about right. You’ll probably have a closer eye kept on your status updates from now on,” Atrax said.
“What now?” Xander asked, still in disbelief that he’d been welcomed into the fold so readily.
“Well… we could celebrate.” Frazay said. “You and Gabrelle could catch us up your journey back, and we can tell you all about the contracts we took!”
Despite not being able to drink, Xander was wrangled downstairs, where he found himself at a table surrounded by his long-missed friends. Drinks were ordered, and then he and Gabrelle were plied with questions.
“Did anything happen on your journey?” Frazay asked.
“You’re nearly three weeks overdue from when you said you’d return,” Atrax commented.
Gabrelle and Xander were coaxed into retelling the story of their three-month journey. Their first encounter with the bandits that Xander had scared off, their intervention during the first attack on the caravan they’d discovered. None of it was left off. Xander let Gabrelle do most of the talking, content simply to be around his friends and watch their reactions. He got a dirty look from Frazay when Gabrelle described how he had hoisted her up and thrown her like a sack of potatoes over Freyja’s back.
Once their tale was told, it was the three other mercenaries’ turn to expound on the contracts they’d taken. The first contract they’d taken after Gabrelle had left had been a bodyguard contract. The merchant they’d been contracted to watch over apparently had a bad habit of stiffing business partners with legal loopholes. The man had gotten on the wrong side of the wrong person and decided that he needed protection. It ended up being a waste of his money, but he had apparently been a nightmare to work with. He’d dragged the three mercs into just about every whorehouse in the city, and consistently tried to treat them more like porters than bodyguards. He’d tried to wiggle out of paying the guild, but had failed. Contracts stipulated payment for the services of ‘bodyguarding,’ regardless of whether or not any threats were actually fended off. The second contract had been a kill contract, simple and straightforward. A gryphon had needed to be taken care of in the surrounding countryside. It had begun taking horses from a horse breeder, and after they’d nearly lost their prize stallion, the breeder had put in an urgent contract with the guild. Actually killing the gryphon hadn’t been too hard for the three of them; Atrax and Frazay had grounded it with ranged attacks once they’d found it, and Graffus caved its skull in with his hammer. The hard part had been finding it in the first place. They’d spent three weeks just tracking down the flighty beast, and had failed to sneak up on it on several occasions. All five of them avoided talking of the war any more than necessary.
They celebrated their reunion and spent the evening chatting like it hadn’t been three years and one of them hadn’t just reappeared from the dead. Xander could feel the tension he’d been carrying in his mind that things would be different, that he’d be treated differently by his friends, slowly starting to unease. If he still had muscles, he’d probably be able to feel tension in his shoulders releasing. He probably looked silly, he thought, sitting there in his full armor not partaking in any of the drinks, but he didn’t care. Just being able to talk and laugh again, even if laughing was… different now, it was the best night he’d had since he woke up in Thrask.
As the evening ended, and the drinks stopped flowing, the five mercs began to push their chairs in, Atrax and Gabrelle significantly more wobbly than the other three. Graffus, as always, held a consummate mastery over his liquor, while Frazay had simply been more responsible with her amount of drink. Xander of course wasn’t drunk in the slightest, not that he minded too much. He’d never been a big drinker. No one was surprised that Atrax had had too much ale to drink; the fire throwing man had a tendency to cut loose when it came to celebrating. Gabrelle had shown herself to be a lightweight, starting to get tipsy by the second glass. That, combined with the constant topping up of drinks and the festive air had led to her becoming even drunker than Atrax.
Xander held a steadying hand out to Gabrelle’s back as she leaned precariously after managing to push her chair in. “Come on, let’s get you to bed,” he said to her.
“Awhhhh okayyy,” she whined. “But we were having so much fun!”
“I think everyone else is ready to go to bed though, Gabrelle,” he said gently.
Frazay chuckled as Atrax and Graffus made their way up the stairs, Atrax clutching dramatically at the railing on the wall. “I think that would probably be for the best, she definitely needs to sleep all… that” she gestured broadly at the swaying woman, “off. By the way, which room is yours, so I can let you know when we head out for the day.”
“Uhh…” Xander began, feeling awkward about how he was going to explain the situation to Frazay.
Gabrelle beat him to it, though, happily exclaiming, “He’s gonna stay in my room! Since he doesn’t need to sleep and all.”
“Mmmmhmmmmmm,” Frazay said, with a pointed look at Xander.
“Not like that,” he said, defensively.
“And we’re gonna snuggle!” Gabrelle enthused.
Frazay’s look somehow became even more pointed, her eyebrow arching.
“Platonically.” Xander deadpanned, almost ready to give up and let his body drop to the floor.
“Mhhm!” Gabrelle agreed. “Plat… pluh- ugh. Platonically,” she sputtered out.
“Not even gonna ask about it,” Frazay said, rolling her eyes as she climbed the stairs, following Atrax and Graffus.
“It’s platonic!” he hollered after her, slowly helping Gabrelle to the stairs.
Getting Gabrelle up the stairs to the second story was an entire adventure in and of itself. Each step in the staircase was a dire enemy that had to be carefully overcome with precision and determination. That is to say, Gabrelle was too drunk to actually climb the stairs. Five minutes later, and only halfway up the first flight of stairs, Xander sighed to himself and said, “Gabrelle can I just carry you up the stairs? You’re never going to make it up at this rate.”
Gabrelle huffed, offended, and said, “Nuh-uh! I can do it!” She broke from Xander’s grasp and grabbed the railing with both hands, and moved to take another step up unaided. She didn’t pick her foot up enough, though, and caught it on the ledge of the step, forcing Xander to catch her before she bashed her head on the steps. “Ooof…” She said, slowly. “Maybe, maybe I can’t… are stairs supposed to spin?”
“Come on,” Xander said, gently scooping her up. “Let’s get you in your bed.” He carried her up the rest of the stairs, doing his best not to jostle her too much, and then paused at the top of the stairs. He contemplated the speed of the walk to the door while carrying Gabrelle versus the glacial pace that the drunken woman would take, and decided that he’d just keep carrying her until he reached the door. Setting her down in front of the door, Xander fished out the key for it from his inventory.
“Thanks,” Gabrelle squeaked out as she roughly leaned up against the wall next to the door.
With the door open, Gabrelle was shepherded by Xander to the bed, where she at least managed to undress herself down to her smallclothes, saving him the embarrassment of having to do it for her.
“Alright, down you go,” he said as he helped guide her to sit and then lay on the bed.
“Ooooh, I don’t like that the room is spinning,” she said, a little shakily.
Xander really hoped she didn’t vomit. That would be annoying to clean off the bed. “It’ll be okay,” he said, doing his best to sound soothing as he laid down next to her. “You’re just drunk still.”
“I want to stop being drunk now…” she whined sadly.
“It’s just gonna take a while, Gabrelle. You had a lot to drink. Come here, I’ll hold you and maybe it will make the spinning better for you.”
“Mmph, I hope so…” She wiggled closer to Xander, who wrapped her up in a hug, carefully positioning her onto her side so that if she did vomit, she wouldn’t inhale any, and held her head to his chest.
“You’ll be okay,” He said, stroking her hair.
Gabrelle groaned. “Ughhh, I don’t feel like it.”
“But you will, I promise.”
“If you say so…”
Gabrelle, despite her discomfort, quickly fell asleep, leaving Xander to his thoughts. He was amused with the situation. He’d never seen Gabrelle drink to any serious degree before, and seeing her enthusiasm for life only magnify itself under the lens of drink had been sweet. Xander very much appreciated the lightness she could bring to a conversation. He just hoped that this was something that was not a regular occurrence for her, or he might have to have a sit down with the young woman.
Xander continued holding Gabrelle close, glad she had not vomited on him, as he settled in for the night. He found himself replaying the celebration and conversations they’d all had over again in his head, still enjoying the fact that he was finally back with his friends. Most importantly, they hadn’t treated him any differently than they had before.