While Alicia, Miranda, and Sean, fought furiously to destroy Mr. Puffs, on the other end of Eternity, an old woman was making her way into Ulthos, commonly known as the City of Steam. Calarina had kept them in check, but now the city has fallen, and who knows how they will act? As it stands, the old woman slowly made her way into the city gates, still clothed in her priest garb. To Alicia, she was known as Instructor Kane, but to nearly everyone else, she was Lady Kane XXVIII, the latest in an incredibly long line of succession.
“Halt, traveler.” A guard commanded, stopping Kane in her tracks. She looked up at him with an unamused expression. “Do you possess a travel pass?”
“No. I do not,” She responded, pressing her lips together.
“Hmph. Then what is your business in our fine city? We’re not fond of outsiders, you know.” The guard’s hand tightened around his spear, ready to strike at any moment.
“I’m here to see the Twelve Elders,” Kane admitted. The guard was taken aback at this notion, looking at the old woman in shock.
“The elders are incredibly busy, and besides, they have no interest in the musings of the common folk. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get lost.” The guard sneered at her, pushing the tip of his spear on her chest.
“I believe you’re mistaken. My name is Kane. I was not asking you, I was ordering you. I must see the elders.” Kane responded, unfazed by the spear on her chest. The guard’s face went ghostly pale, followed by him stumbling his way across town, guiding Kane as best he could to the decadent palace that housed the Twelve Elders of Ulthos. While Ulthos had a real government, the real legislature was often thought up and passed by these twelve men. Commonly called “The Richest Men in the World”, it is said they could send the great island hurtling down to the sea if they so ordered it. Kane walked through the great doors and to their chamber, opening it swiftly without the need for an appointment. The furious arguing inside stopped immediately once she entered, reducing everything to an eerie silence. She walked to the center of the room, finding herself ringed by their thrones.
“Kane. It’s been a while,” one of them quietly noted.
“Yes, it has. I come with important news, however,” Kane responded, her voice nor her face wavering as she spoke. She was clearly well-rehearsed.
“Then spit it out, dear lady. We haven’t got all day,” responded another elder, clearly still wound up from the previous argument. Kane cleared her throat and began to speak.
“As I’m sure you’ve heard, gentlemen, Calarina has been destroyed. In just a single night, Sihn razed the entire city. He will inevitably come for Ulthos next. From my calculations, it will be in a matter of days, maybe hours. Surely, you all must understand the gravity of the situation,” she took a breath as she finished, looking at the terrified expressions of the Elders. Without skipping a beat, she continued. “Mercifully, the night before the attack, we managed to obtain the final soul bearer we needed to destroy the Great Monster for good. She’s a girl, around sixteen, much like the others were. If you truly fear for the future of your nation, you will welcome her into the city with open arms. You will take her to your temple immediately. You will treat her as best as you are able and then send her to Zephyr. You will do the same to anyone she may be traveling with. Do I make myself clear?”
“My Lady, if what you say is true, we’re facing an unprecedented crisis. One of the three Great Powers of Eternity has been destroyed through no fault of the others. Mistwood is surely vying to fill the void, especially considering Calarina was the center of the church. Why should we not be focusing on this?” Asked one of the elders, the others furiously scribbling on their notepads, trying to absorb as much of the information as they could.
“If you have sense, you’ll focus on the great monster. However, I cannot choose what you decide to do. As a priest of Laius, I can only give you his holy word. You choose to do what you wish with that information.” Kane turned around and began to walk out the door. “Goodbye, gentleman. I will wait for the soul bearer in your city. Find me if you have any questions.” With that final note, she left, much to the dismay of the Elders. As she walked through the elegant halls of the palace, she stopped to look at the great portraits of the Elders, contemplating her options, before leaving without so much as a word to the guards.
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As the world came into focus around her, Alicia’s first thought was to lament her tendency to get violently injured for the sake of other people. She slowly climbed her way out of bed, wincing as the extent of her injuries became apparent. She was in a gown, that much was obvious, and her entire torso was bandaged. She only had vague memories of the entire incident, but she was desperately hoping it ended well, and not with her ending up in an Ulthosian prison cell somewhere. She slowly left her bed and got on her feet, making her way across the room, one careful step at a time. The door to her room opened easily, and she realized that she was in someone’s home, not a prison. As she slowly crept down the stairs, she was greeted with a rather interesting sight in the kitchen. Though it was barely dawn outside, Sean was toiling away with something or other. He didn’t notice her at first, too focused on whatever it was he was doing, before eventually jolting with shock and looking at her.
“Alicia? You’re awake?” He asked, seemingly surprised. He had a good few bandages on, too. Though it was nothing like her. She suspected that his were mainly for burns.
“Halfway,” she joked, sitting at the counter and wincing a little bit.
“You shouldn’t be up, you know. The doctor said you should be in bed for another few hours.” Sean remarked, putting a kettle of water on the stove to boil.
“Are you gonna take me back up there?” Alicia asked.
“Nope.” Sean smiled and ruffled her head from across the counter. “Nice work out there, kid. You really helped us out.” Alicia sighed and shook her head, which caused Sean some confusion.
“I didn’t. If I just could’ve summoned my sword, I could’ve actually helped you all. Instead, I just… charged in, and now I’m here. I didn’t do anything, Sean.” She rested her head on the counter after she spoke, causing Sean to put a hand on her shoulder.
“Hey, without you, we would’ve never gotten that army, according to Sly. If we didn’t, the whole town would’ve probably gotten conquered. That isn’t nothing, you know. Just because you’re not as good at fighting as some of us doesn’t mean you’re useless. Look at Jacques. He can barely hold a sword, but he’s saved my ass numerous times.” Sean leaned up against the back counter as he spoke.
“I just– I don’t know, Sean. Everyone keeps telling me that I’m special, that I have power. I just don’t see it. I feel like this soul and this sword should’ve gone to someone deserving, someone who’s worthy of it. Why do I have a sword if I can barely use it? I just don’t get it.” She quietly buried her head in her hands and let out a deep sigh.
“Alicia, you deserve it more than anyone. You’re not a good fighter, sure, but you’ve got guts like nobody I’ve ever met. You’re willing to jump headfirst into battle just to protect people you care about, you can inspire people with just your words alone. I struggle to think of a more worthy person for that soul than you, Alicia.” He leaned forward a bit and good-naturedly ruffled her hair. “So don’t be so hard on yourself, yeah? We’re all useful somehow, and this is your journey, you know. We’re here for you, you nerd.”
“Thanks, Sean.” Alicia smiled and lifted her head from the counter, watching as Sean rested on the back counter again. “What’re you doing up so early, anyway? And why are you in the kitchen?” Sean rubbed the back of his head and looked to the side.
“Making coffee,” he quickly responded. Alicia was vaguely familiar with coffee, but only through late-night church work. Whenever they’d work late into the night or early in the morning, they’d be presented with a very small cup of dark brown liquid. She’d always found it remarkably bitter, but Miranda seemed to like it.
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“Where’d you get coffee?” Alicia asked, swaying her feet under the chair as she spoke.
“I bought it at the festival when Jacques wasn’t looking. He adores the stuff, so I got it as a surprise. Don’t tell him, alright?” Alicia nodded and watched wisps of steam slowly escape the top of the kettle. Sean had already prepared two cups and placed filters and grounds on top of them. Once the water was nice and hot, he slowly poured it over the grounds in a spiral pattern, and let it seep through them as he turned back around.
“Well, what’re we going to do today?” Alicia asked, letting the smell of freshly brewed coffee fill the room. Admittedly, while she wasn’t crazy about the taste, the smell was remarkably comforting.
“Well, if you've healed… the Mistwood Council said they wanted to have a word with us at noon, if possible. Then, I suppose, it’s on to wherever we’re off to next. We’ve wasted quite enough time already, no?” Alicia nodded in response to Sean’s words, seeming content with the plan for the day. Regardless of what happened, it seemed as though today was their last in Mistwood. She was sad to leave the place, but she realized the necessity of continuing on her pilgrimage.
“Alright, then. I’ll go rest up for a bit, and then we’ll head to the temple.” Alicia lept off the stool and winced a bit. It seemed as though she hadn’t completely healed, though she didn’t have the time to waste with recovering fully. She was able to move, so she was able to keep going forward.
“Sounds like a plan. Rest well, Alicia.” Sean took a sip from his coffee and gave her a cheerful wave. She swiftly retreated to her room and collapsed on her bed once again, trying to get as much sleep as she could before the meeting.
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At eleven, Miranda bounded into her room to wake Alicia up. For the next hour, she ate a light breakfast– doctor’s orders, it seemed– and prepared for the meeting with the Council. She wasn’t entirely even sure what to expect, especially after the events last night. At exactly twelve they departed for the church and made their way inside. Unlike yesterday, in which it was completely empty, today it was bustling with council members and citizens alike. As one of the few structures in town that hadn’t been hit by fire or fighting, it was being treated as a makeshift hospital and shelter for those who’d lost their homes. The five of them walked past the scene and sat on a bench outside the council room that Alicia had walked into yesterday. The church doubled as a seat of government as well as a place of worship, it seemed. Jacques told them that they’d be called in when the council was ready, and to just sit and wait until then. Alicia sat down next to Sly, who seemed to be looking at a mural on the wall.
“What’re you looking at, Sly?” Alicia asked, trying to make conversation.
“What’s that?” He asked, pointing at the mural. It portrayed the legend of Laius and the Great Ones, seemingly a copy of the mural that Kane had shown Alicia in Calarina.
“Oh, that’s the legend of Laius and the Great Ones. It can be hard to make out with the style, so I see why you’d be confused.” Sly paused and looked over at Alicia.
“Who?” He asked, completely deadpan. Alicia was floored at this. Everyone knew who Laius was, right? What backwater village did Sly come from, anyway?
“O-oh… uh… the King of the Gods, the Liberator of man. That guy.” Alicia responded.
“Oh. I see.” Sly responded, causing a bit of awkward tension between the two to form. Neither of them was sure where to go with the conversation. “What’re the things behind him? The giant things?”
“Those are the Great Ones. They’re giant, mindless monsters who got sealed under the ocean ten thousand years ago. They’re all long dead, but they terrorized the world with Sihn while they were alive.” Sly seemed interested in the story, and so Alicia continued. She recounted the rough version of the story that nearly everyone had learned before they were able to walk. Laius sealed Sihn and the Great Ones and raised the island of Eternity into the sky. Throughout all of this, though, Sly seemed completely clueless. Alicia was baffled, there wasn’t a person alive who didn’t know about Laius. As she finished, a cheerful woman poked her head out of the council room.
“Alicia? We’re ready for you, dear.” The five of them almost immediately stood up and began to file into the council room. As she walked in, she looked around at the scenery for a bit. In the back was the entrance to the spring where Alicia had prayed yesterday. Surrounding them on all sides were seats full of council members. A grand chair sat in the middle of the room, and in it was the old man Alicia had seen when she stumbled in. She believed he called himself Paarl.
“Well, much has happened in the past twenty-four hours, hasn’t it?” Paarl said, causing a slight laugh from the other members of the council. “We know that the five of you have many important things to attend to, and we’re sorry for taking up your time with this silly meeting. We just wanted all of you to know that we are tremendously thankful for everything you’ve done for our city.”
“It was nothing, honest,” Alicia responded. “We were just trying to help out where we could.
“Well, your help allowed us to save countless lives and dozens of acres of forests from total devastation. We owe much to you five. If there’s anything that the Mistwood government can do, let us know.” He smiled a bit, and Alicia thought for a second. She was in a position to make demands on the government if she so wished. She thought about requesting money, aid, or transportation. All of those would be incredibly useful on her own journey across Eternity. The more she thought, though, the more her brain began to wander. All she could think about was the child she saw during the raid. Bloody, battered, covered in leaves. He was sent off to die without a choice. Probably forced to work in the fields. What childhood had he been able to have? What life was he allowed to live? Alicia could feel rage slowly building inside of her the more she thought about it. Before she could process what was coming out of her mouth, she found herself speaking.
“Ban child labor in Mistwood.” She said, causing the council to react in shock. Paarl’s eyes widened the second she finished, surprised at her reaction.
“I’m sorry, but we cannot do that. It’s central to our economy.” He pressed his lips together after he spoke, seemingly quite annoyed at the suggestion.
“You said anything, didn’t you?” Miranda said, walking next to Alicia. She was also willing to die on this hill, it seemed. “She won’t ask for payment, she won’t ask for aid. This is all she wants. If you truly value the work we’ve done for your city, you’ll do as she asks.”
“We will consider it,” Paarl said, grimacing somewhat. It was clear that Alicia’s suggestion was unpopular.
“No, you’ll make it happen.” Miranda continued. “I don’t know what she saw, or what made her do this, and I don’t particularly care. I trust her judgment in matters like this. If she says that child labor should be banned, then I wholeheartedly agree. So make it happen.” The council reacted in surprise at Miranda getting aggressive, and Paarl let out a mighty sigh.
“We’re indebted to you, and yet you request something that has a high likelihood of toppling our economy. We are in no position to enact such radical legislation until Mistwood is under control. Yet again, we are indebted to you and want to repay you for helping us.” Paarl finished and looked at the group. “Yesterday, when you came into our temple, you drew the blade of Laius himself. I thought it was strange that such an important item be entrusted to a girl of your age. Looking at you now, though. I see why the gods would grant it to you.”
“Paarl, what are you saying?” Shouted a councilwoman, clearly furious at the man’s quick change of thought.
“Sihn is on the rise, this we know. Ulthos is likely to motion for war. The era of safety that we’ve been a part of is coming to a close. If a girl shows up and conjures the sword of the king, the great Liberator, the head of the gods. Who am I to argue with a choice she makes? Our council is held in the great temple for a reason. We are all people who serve the gods. I believe, quite strongly, that this girl knows what she’s talking about. If she requests child labor to be banned in Mistwood, then we go through the motions to ban child labor in Mistwood. It’s the least we can do.” Paarl finishes his speech and reclines in his chair. The other members of the council immediately begin to talk about the events that transpired. Alicia nods and slowly starts to walk out of the conference room, the others trailing along behind her as she does.
“Do you think that was the right choice, Alicia?” Jacques asks, nervously fidgeting with his hands.
“I do, yes,” Alicia responds. “I hope they listen.” The rest of the journey back to their temporary residence was silent. Upon arriving, they all gathered their things and met back up at the entrance, before walking southwards to the town’s exit.
“So, where to next, then?” Miranda asked, looking over at Sean and Jacques.
“The next temple is in Ulthos. The fastest way to get there from here is to cross the river in the middle of Eternity by ferry. They offer rides near the City of Gold.” Jacques said, looking at a map of the island he’d brought from home.
“So, then it’s off to the City of Gold, then?” Alicia asked.
“It looks like it,” Jacques responded, closing the map and putting it back in his bag. Alicia looked at the town gate before leaving. It was thrown open and mangled a bit from the chase, but the huge letters that read, “Goodbye, Mistwood!” were still clear as day. Alicia smiled as she saw that, before turning around and giving the little town a wave.
“Goodbye, Mistwood,” Alicia said. The others looked at her confused, before smiling and following suit, each of them giving a cheerful wave and a laugh once they were done. Despite the events at the council building, they didn’t let it sour their spirits. With a spring in their step, they walked through the gate, ready to begin the next leg of their journey.