It’s… over?

I can’t believe it. It can’t be that easy, can it?

Echo, Void Check.

[Void: 100%] Echo says.

I bristle. Is it still here? Is it still summoned?

But I don’t feel anything else in my mind. Its presence is gone. And the lingering effects of my Bond Trace spell are still in effect. I can see a thin black thread tied to my soul, vanishing into nothing as it leads away.

Inventory Check.

[Inventory Space: DIV/0. Contents: Void.]

So it really is in there. And if my Void stat is already at 100%, then that means it can’t get out, right? Or it already would be. Looks like putting it in there broke my inventory, but that’s a small price to pay for keeping the predator trapped.

Trapped—not killed.

I’ll take it. I might have to deal with the consequences of this one day, but for now, it’s enough.

“Noli!” Rezira sprints over, falling to her knees to envelop her wife in a bone-crushing hug.

“Careful.” Noli pulls back with a laugh, gesturing to me. “We can’t squish our hero.”

Hero. That’s all I’d ever wanted to be on stage, but being called one here, in earnest, makes me feel strange. Uncomfortable, and yet… a little proud.

“What’s going on?” Saru demands, spinning about the clearing as if she expects the predator to leap out at any moment. “Where did the beast go?”

“It’s gone,” Noli signs, and then Rezira repeats the message aloud. I’m only now realizing Noli is deaf. I guess that explains why she knew how to sign in the first place. Noli looks down at me, questioningly. “It is gone, isn’t it?”

All of my legs destroyed, and signing glass out of reach, I can only roll against her palm, tapping it once for, “Yes.” I hope so, anyway.

“Well that’s a relief.” Zyneth sits down nearby with a wince. The dagger of black in his shoulder is gone, the wound only partially healed from Rezira’s magic. “I suspect I will be needing some medical attention.”

Noli gasps. It’s still so strange to see these gestures coming from a person instead of a toy. “Rezira, can you—”

“In a minute,” she grunts, looking around the yard. Her gaze falling on Attiru, slumped against the house.

A fresh wave of panic swells through me, and I give them a Health Check.

[HP: 37/100]

Bleeding, but alive, eyes squeezed shut in pain. Rezira pushes herself to her feet. “I don’t have much mana left, so I’m going to tend to them next. The rest of you will have to wait to get patched up later.”

“Of course,” Zyneth says as Rezira leaves to help Attiru. With his good hand, he reaches out for me. “Here. Found something of yours.”

I can feel what it is even before he opens his hand—my signing glass. Not all of it, but enough to talk.

“Thank you,” I sign.

With Rezira gone and no one left to translate, Noli gives him a thumbs up on my account. He smiles, which comes off as more of a grimace. “Of course. But perhaps we can save general chit chat for later. There is much to discuss after we’ve had a moment to recover. For now—” He turns to Saru. “Can you calm your friend? The threat is gone.”

Saru eyes Zyneth warily. Then Tetara roars, still swinging her ax blindly, spinning in wild circles as she looks for the predator, and Saru’s shoulders slump. She sheaths her blade. “Yes, I can calm her. But after, I expect answers.”

“We will answer any questions you may have.” Zyneth looks at me, raising an eyebrow. “Right?”

“Yes.” Even if I don’t really like it. I’m not sure Tetara and Saru will be as understanding as the others. But I suppose if they try anything, I have allies who will protect me.

No. I look up at Noli. Not allies—friends.

----------------------------------------

It takes several hours to get settled. The yard is left in shambles—I have doubts that Noli and Rezira’s garden is salvageable—and everyone is left bruised and bloodied. Noli wearily sits in one of their chairs, content to rest and cheer her wife on as Rezira takes care of the worst of the wounds. After everyone is taken care of, Attiru and Rezira rest while Zyneth—and, after some hesitation, Saru—begin to reassemble the dilapidated cottage, dragging the kitchen table back inside for everyone to crowd around.

Tetara has calmed, but still eyes us all with grave suspicion. She and Saru retreat to the far end of the cottage, as much as the tiny space allows, while Rezira puts some water on the stove and prepares some tea. And then Noli begins to explain everything. Her wife translates, with Noli occasionally deferring to me for explanations, but she seems to have a good handle of things. I’m perfectly content to rest and let her do the talking. By the time she’s finished, night has set in, darkness crowding the windows, but inside, everything is bright and warm.

Saru shakes her head. “I still don’t understand how the monster—this predator—was defeated.

All eyes turn toward me.

“Not… defeated,” I sign, Noli helping me through the word. “It’s gone. Stuck.” Hopefully forever, but I don’t have Noli-levels of optimism there. I Check my Void stat again: still 100%. Like a ticking bomb whose timer got paused at 00:01. “Place like Between. Can’t get out without my magic.” I hope, anyway. But it hasn’t reared its head yet.

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Tetara, who’s been glaring at me this whole time, finally stirs. “Then now is our opportunity to ensure it stays gone for good. You’re its tether to this world, right?”

A week ago, I would have agreed with her. And it still might be our only guarantee at banishing the predator permanently. But the thing is… now that I’ve fought for all this, for Noli, for myself, now that I have people who care about me… I don’t think I’m ready to give up just yet. And I can do more good for Tetara and Saru alive than dead.

Noli smiles sadly. “Killing him won’t bring your friends back. That wouldn’t be justice. More death is not the answer here.”

“I want to help,” I add. “Help make things… easier.”

“How?” Tetara demands. “What can you do?”

I don’t have an answer for that. Maybe there’s nothing I can do. Maybe this is something all three of us will just have to live with, a weight to be carried for the rest of our lives. “I don’t know. But I want to… To give my help. If you need some day. I owe you…”

I gesture for Noli, at a loss for words.

“A debt?” she suggests. “A favor?”

“Yes,” I sign, repeating the words. “Whatever you ask. I will offer help.”

Tetara snorts. “Thanks. If we ever need something that can be solved by a sentient bottle of ink, we’ll be sure to come knocking.”

I’m flooded with embarrassment—I can’t really blame her for the skepticism. There’s not a lot I can do right now anyway. “I’m sorry. Wish I could do more.”

Saru, at least, seems to have a modicum of pity in her eyes. She puts a hand on Tetara’s arm, and the orc bristles for a moment, looking down at the human, before deflating. “Regardless of what you can offer, your compassion is appreciated.” Saru sighs, running a hand through her locks. “This isn’t the conclusion I wanted.”

“I doubt it was the conclusion anyone desired,” Zyneth says. He’s been mostly silent throughout the conversation, watching and listening to everything carefully. It’s difficult to tell what goes on in that head of his. “Life is rarely so clear cut.”

“Although it would have gone a lot smoother without your interference,” Rezira says, folding her arms as she glares at Saru and Tetara. “How did you find us anyway?”

“Your group wasn’t exactly being subtle,” Saru says. “We saw you go through the telepad and followed, asking if anyone saw which way you went along the way. It wasn’t hard, especially given the signs leading right to your front door.”

“Your neighbors seemed especially eager to help us when they found out we had a bone to pick with you,” Tetara adds. “That dwarf couple.”

Rezira growls. “Fucking Brookbanks.”

Noli chuckles, patting her wife’s hand. “I’m sure they just thought they were helping.”

Somehow, I doubt it.

Rezira deflates at her wife’s touch. “Well, it’s over now, anyway. Noli is safe. The wizard that did this to her is dead. I’m ready to move on from this chapter of our lives.”

“I suppose I’m given some resolution, too,” Attiru says. “It’s a relief to know that no one else has to go through what happened in Peakshadow. And now, with Noli home, I think it’s time I returned to mine as well.” They grimace. “I have some rebuilding to do before I’m ready to open shop again.”

“Oh!” Noli presses her hands to her cheeks in a gesture that’s uncannily similar to the expressions she’d make as a toy. “Your poor shop! Rezira and I can help you fix that up.”

Rezira raises an eyebrow. “We can, huh?”

“Of course!” Noli signs. “It’s the least we can do.”

“Let’s make sure you’re rested, first,” Rezira says. “Then we can worry about taking on any new construction projects.”

Tetara lets out a heavy sigh. “We should be leaving as well.” She looks at Saru, who nods. “We need to think about all this.”

“And visit Chatil and Lark’s families,” Saru agrees.

Chatil and Lark. The names of the dracid and felis. My soul feels tight as I etch them into my memory. I owe their families a visit too, someday.

“No!” Noli cries. “Stay the night. It’s already late. You can rest here.”

Saru looks around the crowded cottage with extreme skepticism. Tetara locks eyes with Rezira.

“No, I think we should be going,” Tetara says.

Rezira folds her arms. “Yeah, they should definitely head out.”

Noli frowns as Saru and Tetara gather their things, making a hasty retreat with an awkward farewell. I do feel bad for them—what they faced. How they never found the justice they sought. But I’m pretty sure Noli is the only one sad to see them go.

The atmosphere seems to relax after the door clicks shut behind them.

“You two will stay at least?” Noli asks Attiru and Zyneth.

“Oh, I’m in no shape to be leaving right now,” Attiru says with a pained chuckle. They rub at their arm, just beneath a newly forming scar where the predator had stabbed them. Rezira said she’d be able to continue healing it in the morning, after she’d rested and recovered some of her mana, but the scars would never completely heal. I guess even magic can only go so far. “I would have asked to stay if you hadn’t offered.”

“Just for the night, perhaps,” Zyneth also agrees. “But after this detour, I have my own mission I need to return to. I will leave in the next day or two, once everything has settled.”

For some reason, I’m disappointed. The words we were able to exchange were limited at best, but his company is growing on me. Besides, it’s not fair that I have to spill all my guts while he gets to keep secrets.

“Where you go?” I ask.

A smile flickers across his mouth. “Here and there. Wherever my trail leads. Why, do you want to come with?”

The suggestion isn’t unappealing. Though without a personal translator, communication might be somewhat hampered.

“No,” I reluctantly sign. “I stay here. With Noli.” I pause, turning to Noli and Rezira. “If that okay?”

“Of course!” Noli exclaims. “We’d love to have you. For as long as you need.”

“Well, maybe not forever,” Rezira adds. “I didn’t sign up for a roommate. But as long as you need to… well. Whatever you need to do next.”

What does come next? I’d been so focused on Noli that I hadn’t really been planning anything ahead beyond that.

“Your body,” Zyneth ventures. “Like Noli’s, did it get left behind somewhere, too?”

“Yes,” I sign without thinking. Well. I guess that’s technically true. It got left in another world. With a broken neck. “But… might be hard to find. Need to think, first.”

Honestly, I hadn’t had time to give it much thought before now. There’s so much I still need to parse. The predator to learn about. If there’s any way I can get rid of it for good, or make sure its entrapment is permanent.

And in the near-term, there’s this glass body to deal with. Can I do magic now, without threatening to summon the predator? I’ll have to hope so if I want to renew the spell that keeps me from getting sucked back Between and then booted on to the afterlife. I guess that’s something I’ll need to figure out in the next two days. But in the long term…

Is there any way to get my real body back?

Now there’s a thought.

“My, isn’t she cute?” Noli picks up the clockwork toy, smiling fondly as she taps one of its brass tentacles.

Rezira raises her brows. “Not the word I would use to describe it. We are getting rid of that thing, aren’t we?”

“Never!” Noli clutches it to her chest. “It’s a keepsake! We can’t just throw it away.”

“That toy was a prison to your mind for nearly a month,” Rezira says.

“You make it sound so terrible,” Noli signs.

“It was terrible.”

“I think I’ll put it on the bookshelf.”

“Noli, please.”

In response, Noli stands up, swaying. She leans against the table for a moment as she regains her balance, then takes the brass toy over to the bookshelf—one of the few remaining pieces of furniture that seems to have survived the room’s deconstruction. She pushes some bookends around to make room, then slots the little slumped octopus in place. She turns around with a smile.

“There. Now every time I look at it, I’ll always be reminded of our journey together.”

Rezira sighs and shakes her head, beginning to collect all the empty cups around the table. I’m not particularly keen on being reminded of our journey together, either. Given everything I went through—all of the pain and horror and fear—well, I’m not going to say it was worth it. But of everywhere I could be right now, of everyone I could be with, I think I’m okay with where I ended up.