“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so, so, so sorry.”
After successfully tying up a Kobold like they were a Christmas tree, Lucas told them everything. How Raazin had burrowed their way into the storage building via an underground tunnel and how he had traded the health of Teavenburg’s harvest for what everyone's lives. It was now clear as day that he had been tricked, and he had paid dearly for it with the life of his son. Sofie knew for a fact that he didn’t wish for any of this, that he was trying to do all he could to protect his home.
Yet she wasn’t sure if it was that numbness she had felt that morning, or not knowing the couple, but she didn’t feel any hate or pain of what had happened. It made her feel off, not knowing if something was wrong with her due to feeling nothing. She knew she had emotions still, clearly able to recall the hate that flowed through her as she remembered the militia men calling her “malnourished”. That, and she was currently feeling awful at what Elenise had told her, but that feeling something was off about herself never dissipated.
The Ukrainian looked at the ethereal chain that bound Elenise’s hand. The two of them were now next to Harper’s wagon, the Elf’s husband sitting in the back of it. Sofie couldn’t help but feel terrible, apologizing profusely to the couple for wrapping them up in everything. When she was done with apologies, she closed her eyes and waited for them to hit or yell at her. After all, that was what her own father had done to her before his disappearance.
“There is no need to apologize, this isn’t your fault,” Elenise said. Sofie opened her eyes and looked to the Elf in surprise. “Lord of Terror or not, you are not the cause of this. In truth, I believed in the Lord’s cause from the start. A rarity for my people.”
“Rare would be an understatement,” Harper said with a sigh and shake of his head. He took a sip from the water flask in his hand before continuing. “The elves are a traditional folk, very stuck in their ways. Obviously something that would seek to change or destroy said traditions would be perceived as a threat to them.”
It made some sense to Sofie, wondering if tradition was part of the reason why it had taken Russia so long to change as well. The explanation still didn’t quell the feeling that she was partly responsible for Elenise suddenly being bound in destiny to her; there was no reason for them to be wrapped up in this.
“Whether or not you say it's my fault, my mere existence in this world caused this, and for that I am deeply sorry,” Sofie said, looking to the ground. “You two have no reason to travel with me, and I understand if you choose to go elsewhere.”
Harper looked to his wife, and she looked right back at him. Both knew what the other wanted to say without a word spoken. There was only one path forward, sparing Elenise torment, and it was not the one he wanted. With a sigh, Harper turned back to Sofie with a frown.
“Considering that I’ve heard there is a sort of pain motivator in the Sign of Fog, it's probably best to stay together,” Harper said, noticing that Sofie got more tense at his words. “Though, even without it, my wife decided to involve ourselves in this at her own risk. We knew what she was getting into.”
“That’s right,” Elenise said, nodding as her eyes turned to the tied up kobold on the ground. “I’m sure you would like some help with a certain someone anyways,”
“I… won’t deny that fact,” Sofie replied, letting out a sigh of defeat. Her gaze then turned to the kobold as well. “I knew something was off the moment we got here, but I didn’t expect to find what I did. I can’t help but wonder what Falketh has against Humans.”
“It isn’t just Humans that he has a problem with,” Elenise explain. Sofie looked back, noticing the sudden downtrodden look on the Elves' face. “Falketh hates all the recognized races. We stick to our traditions, our culture, and we don’t grow or develop, and he sees it as a mark that we are the inferior ones,” She brought a hand to her chest, grasping at her shirt. “The Kobolds call him the “Great Uniter” and he is considered the strongest of all dragons. All Kobolds supposedly serve under him, and they wish for nothing but the end of us all.”
On a fundamental level, Sofie understood the hatred Falketh bore. It was her belief too that people who refuse to change when needed were doomed to die. There were so many events in the past forty years of Ukraine and Russia that felt like they should have been just that. The Great War, the famine, the end of the rule of the czar, and the civil war. All were caused by a country refusing to develop, and all had brought massive loss of human life. This dragon, Falketh, was right in that regard.
Yet to see them shed blood because of this was wrong. No matter what he claimed to be the reason, Sofie knew that in the end he just hated the recognized races. In her head, he was no better than the nazi’s that had invaded her homeland and killed her people. Even here, in a world of fantasy, there were people like that. It was upsetting, but Sofie knew she should have expected it.
“I’m guessing this isn’t the first time you’ve dealt with him?” Sofie asked Elenise.
“Yes, but I would prefer not to talk about it too much,” Elenise replied. Sofie nodded to show she understood, and the Elf smiled. “Just know that this Kobold was nicer to these people than most. It isn’t saying much in the end, but they are lucky that their town wasn’t burnt to the ground.”
“Speaking of dragons and whatnot, where is that wyrmret that was with you earlier?” Harper asked the Ukrainian.
“I was with Lucas, bringing him home and telling him to fess up to his wife.”
All turned to face the wyrmret, the dull brown irises marking Maria as the one still in control. Her brother had barely spoken since getting picked up by Elenise, the genuine discomfort having left her to talk with others more than she would like. Still, there was nothing she could do if she couldn’t pass the body over to him. She teased him, sure, but she knew better than to force him into a situation he didn’t want.
“She was understandably angry at him for not telling her anything,” Maria said, shivering as she thought back on what she saw. “I haven’t seen Felice blow up like that before. Not sure if the two will stay together after all this happened.”
“Whether he meant it or not, he is part of the reason their son is now dead,” Elenise said. “It’s unfortunate, but him hiding this all from her is gonna bite him back bigger than it already has.”
All eyes were on Maria, feeling rather uncomfortable with all the attention on her but unable to switch back to Cameron like usual. As she looked into their eyes, she found herself unable to avoid the questions that she knew lingered in the minds of her companions-to-be. A sigh left her snout as she sat down.
“You want to know the deal with me and my brother,” She said. Her words were not a question but a statement.
“Honestly, I’m just trying to figure out how you are supposedly the same wyrmret from before,” Harper said, scratching the side of his head. “I’m pretty sure the voice I heard back then was more masculine.”
“I don’t blame you for getting confused about it all, the situation behind my brother and I is… a bit messy,” Maria replied, looking away in discomfort. “Let's start with the basics: my name is Maria Hoover, and my brother Cameron and I share the same body. We are from the same world Sofie is from but eighty years into the future,” She turned to Sofie as she continued to speak. “Where we come from magic does not exist and elves and fae are considered myth and fantasy. I’m sure some of this though you already know, since it seems you two have known the Soviet longer than I have.”
“Yes, we were already told a decent amount of that stuff,” Harper replied, nodding. “Though, eighty years into the future? The same world? Sorry to say but that is hard to believe,” He narrowed his eyes at the Wyrmret for a moment before turning to the Ukrainian. “Are they telling the truth?”
“Well, considering her brother accidentally called me Russian, yes,” Sofie told the merchant, looking at the wyrmret in disappointment. Maria looked away in embarrassment at her brother’s mistake. “Also, while Ukraine is part of the USSR, please do not call me a Soviet. Ukrainian or Slavic is preferable.”
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“Oh, sorry. I’ll keep that in mind,” Maria apologized before turning her attention to Harper. “Though, you do bring up a decent point. If everything I’ve heard is correct, Sofie didn’t appear here in Evra till a week ago. I arrived a month ago, which leaves the question as to how something like that could happen. I guess whatever pulled her here must not care about time displacement that much.”
Maria shook her head, knowing that trying to decipher the divine was not a good idea. The Christians and their bloodied hands were proof enough that if a god did exist, which given her and Sofie’s reincarnation was likely, they had no idea what it truly wanted. To Maria it was possible that, even though the Lord of Terror was suppose to be a force of change, that was not the true reason they existed. She shook her head again at that thought, realizing that she had started to do the exact thing she had just told herself not to do.
“Anyways, about my brother and I,” She said, getting herself back on track before her mind got distracted again. “We are from a country known as the United States of America, or USA for short. Specifically we come from Vermont, one of the USA’s fifty states. We were both attending college in Burlington when…”
Her voice got caught in her throat as she thought back on the events, head drooping.
“We… were out shopping and got hit by a truck,” She continued. Sofie’s jaw dropped at the statement. “My brother tried to save me, but he only succeeded in throwing me under one of the truck's wheels.”
While Elenise and Harper looked at each other, having no idea what a truck was, Sofie listened intently to what had just been told. She placed a hand on her chest, hoping for any kind of ache or pain to come from the story. Though she felt terrible for what had happened to the siblings, her emotions were still. She felt no pain, no sadness, just empty. That only sealed in her mind that something was wrong with her.
“You… didn’t have to bring that last part up,” Cameron told Maria, the first words he had said since Elenise had picked him up in the cave.
Elenise winced as she heard the pain in his voice. “Sorry Cam.”
“So… you two can swap who is in control at any time then?” Elenise asked. Truthfully, she wanted to ask more about what a truck was, but figured it wouldn’t make any sense to her.
“Yeah, no consent needed before swapping,” Maria told them. “Though obviously we try to keep swapping without the other’s permission to a minimum. Up till recently I’ve let Cameron mainly run things. Even if I feel more comfortable in this body than him, talking with people can be draining.”
“Really? You seem to be doing a good job right now,” Sofie replied.
“I didn’t say I’m incapable at it. I just don’t like it,” Maria said, her words having a harsh edd to them. She looked off to the side, nodded her head, and the body’s eyes switched from brown to blue.
“Sis was pushing her social limit for my sake,” Cameron told them, walking over to the kobold currently tied up on the ground. “Maria is introverted. If she doesn’t want to talk, don't force her.”
Sofie nodded, and all attention turned to the kobold. Cameron wanted to rip at their throat, but he knew now that was not a good idea. These weren’t the same exact kobolds that he knew from table top games, there were differences. One of those, as he now knew, was a sort of mental link with the dragon they worshiped. If Raazin died, then Teavenburg would be in greater danger than it already had been.
“Oscar was ten. He wasn’t brave or anything, but the kid had a smile that could melt your heart,” He told his to-be-companions. “His own parents will never see that again because of this kobold and the Falketh that he calls his master. From the sounds of it, Taevenburg isn’t the only town to be affected by them,” He looked to Elenise as he spoke, the elf nodding to confirm his statement. “Then my path is clear. Get medical research back up and running, and take down Falketh.”
“Anyone that walks the line of being a Nazi is an enemy of mine as well,” Sofie told the American, doing her best to match the determination on his face. “You got my steel, comrade. Just don’t expect to be the one making the plans after today”
Cameron laughed nervously, knowing that said statement was deserved.
“You have ours as well,” Harper said, a smug expression dawning his face. “Just, don’t expect much out of me in terms of combat prowess. As a merchant though I’m sure I’ll be useful in other areas.”
Sofie nodded, her mind going back to what Elenise had said when she had first joined them in the cave. The world would not be changed by brute strength alone, they needed other things. Those with knowledge of trade, politics, medicine, and all manner of disciplines or interests. Yet one thing that remained most clear to her was that she couldn’t force change upon anybody. In the end, it was those of Evra who had to change it themselves.
This thought was broken as she watched Elenise pick up Raazin and throw him unceremoniously into the back of the wagon. It was effortless, the kobold not hitting any of the merchandise that was stored in the back. They heard a groan, his head hitting the wagon enough to stir the kobold from unconsciousness.
“Master? Is that you?” Raazin asked, eyes barely open, He squirmed in the ropes. “Why are you holding me so tight? You know I don’t like it wh–”
The moment his eyes opened enough to clearly see what was in front of him, Raazin stopped. Slowly, he realized what had happened, and that what was holding him was most definitely not Falketh. Eyes snapping wide awake, Raazin looked down at his tied up body and then back to the humans and elf. He started squirming, doing his best to escape only to find that his hands had been tied especially firm so he couldn’t use his claws or magic.
“Welcome back to the waking world princess,” Cameron said as he tried to hop onto the wagon, having to pull himself up a bit due to misjudging the jump. Acting like he hadn’t failed what would have been an easy jump for his sister, he strutted up to the kobold and hid his dour demeanor under a smug one. “Though, you don’t exactly look like the princess type, now that I look at you.”
“Untie me this instant, rat!” Raazin shouted as he continued to try uselessly to wiggle free. “You would dare take prisoner a servant of Falketh! I will have each of your heads displayed to the townsfolk for this treatment.”
Cameron sat down, the smugness on his face only growing further as he did “Go ahead and try buddy.”
They all watched as Raazin tried his damndest to bite Cameron’s foreleg. He failed miserably, Cameron sitting more than far enough away from the kobold where he knew he was in no danger. Sofie, Elenise, and Harper watched the odd scene play out, Cameron’s swaying tail revealing that he was enjoying this a lot more than he would ever say. None stopped him however, wordlessly deciding that he deserved this after what Raazin had done.
“Feisty lizards, kobolds are,” Harper said. “Insanely loyal too. From what I know their appearance changes based on the dragon they are linked to, but as all of them are under Falketh no one can back that up.”
“Got a problem with that human?” Raazin shouted, catching Harper off guard at bit. “At least we are united and growing as a people. You all are still here with bows and arrows while we have our deadly black dust that can wipe out a village before you know it.”
Sofie and Cameron felt their heart skip a beat, Maria letting out a gasp that only her brother could hear. Black dust capable of such destructive force, all three of them knew well the implications that was being put before them. Elenise’s eyes widened as it dawned on her what it was she was hearing, Harper looking between the group confused as to the shock. He was ready to ask what the problem was, but Cameron beat him to it.
“You’ve invented gunpowder?!” Cameron shouted at the kobold.
“I’m surprised you know of it and still stand with the humans, rat,” Raazin said, allowing himself to bear the same smug expression that the American had moments earlier. “Of course, we are still working on the best way to weaponize it, but it is just one of the many reasons we under Falketh are superior to the humans,” His tone turned less villainous, taking on a voice that Cameron closely associated with a car salesman. “Under Falketh’s reign we have schooling for all dragons, kobolds, and others considered among the “lower species”. We also have the power to heat and cool homes at will, indoor plumbing, and have found a way to turn lightning into a power source.”
Everyone went quiet as they heard this. For Elenise and Harper the silence was from shock at what they had just been told while Sofie, Cameron, and Maria grew deathly afraid. Kobolds, of all races, were apparently more advanced than humans, elves, orcs, and all the other so-called recognized races. Cameron never thought he would hear such a thing, all he knew about the small lizards shattered in a few sentences.
“That is how you managed to make the poison, isn’t it?” He exclaimed. “This Falketh taught you how to make it!”
“Impressed?” Raazin asked back, clearly taking pride in showing his kind’s superiority to his captors. “That is the power of Falketh’s education, of the love and care he has for those you call “lower races”. Through his superior education and knowledge, humans and their allies will bleed and die till they are extinct.”
“It seems the kobolds are even more of a threat then we at first thought if they are that advanced,” Sofie said, biting her lower lip as she thought about the power Falketh had in his claws.
“You know of this black dust the lizard speaks of then?” Elenise asked the Ukrainian. Sofie took a deep breath, calming herself a bit.
“I’m not big on the specifics of how it works, but yes” Sofie said, teeth clenched together. “You know the guns I mentioned my world used to fight its wars? Gunpowder is used in the ammunition. It is, I believe, also why castles are no longer seen as strong fortifications in my time.”
“It’s more complex than that, but Sofie is correct,” Cameron replied, his eyes mixed with both fire and fear. “We need to get this information to those in charge. If we aren’t somewhat prepared for what is to come…”
He couldn’t finish it, but Sofie more than knew what he was getting to.
“We are heading to Nentara, now!”