Lost

"Mommy? Mommy, where are you?"

Tom stirred in his sleep after a long day of training with Bron. He rolled over, tangling himself in the sheets as he tried to get comfortable again. His legs and arms ached with a soreness that only came from fighting. Maybe he had overdone it? That had to be it.

"Daddy? Are you there? Where did you all go?"

Tom's eyes shot wide open this time.

"Okay, I'm not imagining things. There was definitely a voice." Tom thought to himself as he scanned the room.

His eyes landed on Jerky, who had apparently snuck into the room and was lying next to him in the bed.

"Was it him?" Tom thought.

"I'm scared. I don't like being alone. Mommy? Daddy?" The voice sounded like a young boy on the verge of tears calling out.

As Tom stood out of bed, he crouched slightly, ready for an attack as he looked around.

"Is someone there?" Tom asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

A mist began to form in the corner of the room. It shone faintly with a white light as it began to take shape. Arms, legs, a torso, and then finally, a head formed from the ethereal mist. He couldn't have been more than eight to ten years old.

"Is someone there? Please don't hurt me," the boy said, looking around the room. "Where am I?"

"What the hell," Tom sighed resignedly. "What's wrong little fella?"

"Who are you? Why am I here? What's going on?" The boy became more panicked as he continued to try to process what was going on.

"What's your name?" Tom asked.

"Jason," the boy replied, still appearing to be scared of Tom.

"Hi, Jason. I'm Tom. I'm the guild leader of Vanguard. Can you tell me what happened?" Tom asked after trying to introduce himself to let the boy know he didn't mean him any harm.

"I can't remember. Everything's fuzzy. I was with my parents...then...something...and now I'm here. What's happening to me?" Jason asked. "I think I'm lost."

"That's okay, I can try to help. Can you tell me who your parents are?" Tom asked Jason.

The boy appeared to become confused again. He looked down slightly as he tried to process his thoughts.

"I-I can't remember. I just know I have parents." Jason said.

"That's alright. Let's focus on what you do remember. First, though, we need to make sure you are calm. Take some deep breaths and try to relax. That always makes thinking easier." Tom advised the boy.

Pausing for a moment, Jason appeared to do just that as he closed his eyes. Then they shot open, and he stared right at Tom.

"I don't think I can breathe! What's happening?!" Jason began to panic again.

"I don't want to alarm you any more than you already are, Jason, but I think you may have died." Tom tried to say gently.

Realization appeared to set in for Jason. He thought for a moment, then raised his head as his eyes grew wide. Suddenly, Jason turned and ran through the wall, crying.

"Wait! Jason!" Tom said as he fumbled to get out of bed.

He rushed to the door and flung it open, rushing out into the hallway in nothing but his boxers. Giving chase, Tom followed Jason down the hall in nothing but his boxers as he turned around corners. Soon, though, he disappeared into another wall, and Tom couldn't follow him.

"Jason?" Tom called as he banged on the wall.

"Keep it down out there! Some people are trying to...OH MY GOD, IS THAT A GHOST!" a voice came from behind the wall.

Jason flew out of the wall again and right through Tom. A chill ran down his spine, and everything felt wrong when Jason passed through him with his intangible body.

"Man, that feels weird," Tom squirmed as he tried to make the sensation go away.

Turning, he ran after Jason again. The poor boy was crying hysterically as he moved down the hallway.

"Jason! Stop! I want to try to help you!" Tom called after him as he continued the chase.

Suddenly, Jerky was at the end of the hall, arms outstretched, as he tried to intercept Jason. Seeing the creature in front of him, also just in underwear, he stopped and tried to turn around. Jerky reached out a hand, and it glowed a yellowish-white color as he grabbed Jason's arm.

"We will not harm you, but you must stop running," Jerky said to him in a kind voice.

Jason began to kick and scream in Jerky's grasp, but he couldn't break free.

"How are you holding him?" Tom asked as he stopped in front of the pair. "He passed right through me.

"Magic," Jerky winked at him.

"Okay, that gives me the age-old 'I don't have an answer, and I want you to think I'm mysterious vibe' that I thought was dumb when my uncle pulled quarters out of my ear," Tom complained as he stared at Jerky. "But I guess never mind that for now. Jason, it's alright; we are just here to help."

The boy struggled for a moment longer, then seemed to give up on getting free. He slumped his shoulders and head as he floated between them.

"I don't like this. Am I really dead?" Jason asked.

"It would seem so. I'm so sorry. But we can help you. We just need to figure out what's going on." Tom knelt down to be at his level as he spoke.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Kiera said, bleary-eyed as she stepped out of her room.

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Jason looked up suddenly and seemed to pop out of existence, leaving Jerky holding nothing but air.

"What? Jason? Jason!" Tom called as he stood and looked around.

"What is wrong with you, put some clothes on, Tom," Kiera said, standing in her doorway wearing an oversized T-shirt that hid if she had anything else on. "And who the hell is Jason?"

"He's a ghost boy. He was scared, and we were trying to help figure out what was going on with him." Tom explained.

Kiera stared at Tom as though he had suddenly sprouted a second head, "Have you been drinking? Did James put you up to this?"

"He's telling the truth. I saw him as well," Jerky added, defending Tom.

"Hey, the clothes thing goes for anyone with genitalia, bub. You go put something on too. Your flap is open." Kiera said, turning her head away slightly.

Jerky looked down and immediately covered himself with both hands, turning a bright shade of red. He turned and rushed back to the room.

"Fine. Say I believe you; why didn't you banish it or try to destroy it if it was a ghost?" Kiera asked.

"Because I'm not big into killing kids. I mean, banishing them or whatever. Besides, he was crying and calling for his parents." Tom explained.

"That's a little morbid," Kiera replied, scrunching her face up in disgust.

"Right, so I couldn't just attack it. It wasn't harming anyone, and he seemed lost. Like he was trying to remember something and couldn't," Tom said.

"Oh great, and you saw another stray that needed your help," Kiera rolled her eyes.

"What would you have done? Let a child crying in your room just go on bawling his eyes out? Ignore it so you can get your beauty rest?" Tom asked.

"Okay, okay, I get your point. So, what now?" Tom asked.

"I have no idea. We need to know more about what's going on. I'm going to talk to some of the Mastadonians in the morning. Hopefully, we can find him again later. Not much I can do right now, though." Tom yawned as he said this.

"Finally, the first sensible thing you've said tonight. Go get some sleep. We can look into it tomorrow," Kiera said before turning around and closing her door.

Tom moved back to his room and entered to find Jerky asleep in bed already, one leg in a pair of pants. Chuckling slightly at his familiar's almost child-like personification, Tom helped Jerky get back into the bed and covered him with the blankets. Returning to his own side of the bed, Tom lay down and stared at the ceiling as he contemplated who this boy Jason was and why he had appeared.

All the ghosts or phantasms that he had interacted with were conjurations of hatred from someone else. Did that mean Jason was as well? No, that didn't seem to add up to the way the boy had acted. Finally, the weight of his eyelids won out, and Tom fell peacefully into sleep again.

The next morning, Tom awoke early and showered before heading downstairs. Jerky still snored lightly in bed; one leg kicked out from under the blankets. He went to search out Bron first, and was told he was already training in the gym with some other fighters.

Graham leaped over a horizontal swing from Bron and brought his shield down toward his head. Leaning just enough to the right that the shield passed by him, Brin then leaned hard left and shoulder-checked Graham out of the air and across the gym.

"Try to stay grounded when you can. You're far too vulnerable in the air, as you can't change your trajectory," Bron instructed as he blocked a fighter's sword attack from behind him.

Two more fighters moved in while DeeDee used her magic to root Bron in place with her vines. Crouching slightly into a heavy stance, Bron whirled his axe around faster than Tom could follow, striking both fighters and slicing through the vines in a single fluid motion.

"And always expect the unexpected from your opponents," Bron smiled as all fighters were left unable to continue.

Clapping from the doorway where he had been watching, Tom walked toward Bron and the others.

"Impressive as always," Tom said, smiling at the Mastadonian.

"Tom, what brings you here?"

"I need to ask you some questions. There are some things we don't understand, and I hope you can help me with them."

"I'll do my best. Let's go get something refreshing from the...what do you call it again?" Bron asked.

"The cafeteria," Tom replied.

"That's it. Let's get a drink. I'm parched."

After leaving the gym, Bron and Tom entered the cafeteria. Charlene waved them over, and they entered the food line.

"Well, hey! Nice to see you both. It was Bron, wasn't it?" Charlene asked them.

"Yes, m'lady. You honor me with your memory of my name," Bron replied, bowing slightly to her.

"So, what can I do ya for?" Charlene asked.

"We just need something to quench our thirst," Bron replied.

"I think I've got just the thing. Go take a seat, and I'll have it brought out to you."

Tom led the way over to a table, where he and Bron took a seat.

"I see you aren't going easy on the fighters," Tom commented.

"Why should I? They need to be ready for anything that could happen out in the field. And if they are overprepared, then I've done my job."

"True. I just hope they are learning well."

"They are advancing nicely. Graham is especially skilled. You were wise to choose him for training the others."

"I'm glad you approve. Your opinion means a lot to me, and that's why I wanted you here with us."

Charlene approached as they chatted with what appeared to be two large tankards.

"Here ya go! Two revitalization beverages."

"I'm so sorry; I should have mentioned I don't drink alcohol," Bron apologized as he looked at the foamy drink.

"Not to worry. This is not alcohol. It's just a carbonated beverage with some restorative properties that I found a recipe for. And I imbued it with some mana to make the revitalization stronger," Charlene explained.

Tom looked closer at the drink and realized there were some subtle green sparkles that popped and fizzed with the carbonation. Putting the tankard tentatively to his mouth, Tom sipped at the beverage. It had a sweet lime flavor like the green popsicles his mother used to buy for him during the summer months when she would send him outside to play.

"This is pretty tasty," Tom said, then froze when he received a pop-up.

Potion of Revitalization

Consuming this beverage will remove any dehydration or hunger debuffs. Continued consumption will strengthen certain aspects of your Constitution, making you less likely to need sustenance for long periods of time.

"Whoa! This drink is amazing, Charlene! We need to get this into production for everyone to start drinking every day." Tom said, rereading the prompt.

"Aww, you flatter me, Tom. I'll get the others working on making more of it and permanently putting it on the menu." Charlene replied as she turned to return to her duties.

"So, now that we are alone again, what was it you wanted to speak with me about?" Bron asked.

"I've got a bit of a ghost problem,"