Fear.
Raw, primal fear was what she had felt in that moment, and it had shattered her will in an instant.
As with any sapien, her qi had quickly gathered itself after bearing such a ferocious attack. With it, she felt like she could move again, but felt so small, so powerless, regardless. All of her planning, her diligence, her precautions were meaningless. There was a hurricane coming, and it wanted their blood.
With a push from Ertia, Ravi felt her body responding before she could think — run. She didn’t remember the route they had taken. She didn’t think to look behind her and make sure Tao and Ertia were following. She didn’t try to watch her step so she wouldn’t slip, or get stuck, or get hurt. She didn’t steady her breathing. She didn’t keep an eye overhead. She didn’t peek around corners. She didn’t have her weapon ready.
She just ran.
The fear came back. Worse than before.
It swallowed her whole world.
All around her were walls and darkness.
And, behind her, there was death.
Nothing could escape death.
And yet, she ran.
Something came over her. More than a feeling, it was like this was a true part of her that she had never known existed. A small, pitiable part of her that hid itself — not just from the world but her, too.
Like a baby torn from the womb, all of her fragility was pulled out of her, and then beaten relentlessly by that spirit of death. Life was nothing more than a temporary suspension of that cold, dark release.
She remembered crying out for help. A plea more desperate and pointless than anything she had ever voiced. Even when she knew that she was going to be drowned in silence, she still screamed against the void.
Something happened.
Ravi died.
There was a vision. A short dream of the girls surviving.
Tao had been hurt, but was being treated by Ertia. Tao was even whispering something sweet in Ravi’s ears. A warm touch pulled her close. She could hear the soft drum of life dancing in rhythm. Cool wetness touched her lips, and she reflexively swallowed. The world turned on its side, and soft comforts pressed against her.
After the dream, there was darkness. But it wasn’t like the cold, deathly darkness from before.
Something was piecing itself together. Like stray fragments of light before dawn.
It was the glow of the luji that had been the surefire sign things weren’t what they seemed.
The sudden appearance and rapid growth of the luji meant that the chimera were certainly slaughtered recently, but that relentless glow was them shedding qi and light in continuous abundance. Something in the cave was brimming with qi, and feeding the luji more than they could eat. Of course, these things only clicked into place now.
That pressure Ravi felt when they entered the cave wasn’t claustrophobia. The endless tunnels twisting and turning through the darkness weren’t what had put her on edge. It wasn’t strange to encounter just luji and critters while spelunking in a cave. Tao and Ertia even got along and filled the empty halls with polite conversation. The cold stone actually felt refreshing compared to the hot jungle outside. It had been far from the first time Ravi went in a cave, and certainly wouldn’t be the last. The qi was strange enough that the girls should have noticed it. Now, at least, they would.
She’d remembered to mark each fork in the path, but wasn’t able to remember the direction while panicking. They needed a way to more clearly mark the paths they took.
Chimera weren’t the only thing that roamed the wilderness. One of Iroh’s lessons went over the other notable creatures that sapiens had fought — ORCs and ELFs and faeries and Quartz Soldiers and, worst of all, Saratan. Even if the girls had been confident about what lay ahead of them, they should have prepared contingencies for retreat.
Tao’s ability to recall was useful in a bind, but it was put to far better use by giving them key tools that they could leverage for each encounter. Some chimera could turn invisible — Ertia might be able to detect it, but what about herself and Tao? Some chimera could hypnotize their prey with song — what defenses did they have against that? They should have been planning out strategies for each encounter, and falling back in the event of an emergency.
An orange glow swam around Ravi’s vision before she opened her eyes. She felt a slight coolness interspersed with the unmistakable feel of another’s flesh. It must have been Tao, with the biofoam and bandages on her chest. Ravi slowly pulled herself away, trying her best to untangle her legs and not disturb Tao. Finally out of the blanket, she folded it back over the sleeping girl, and took a breath of the cool night air.
Ertia had the spear across her knees, and was leaning back against her arms, her gaze wandering the stars overhead. All around them were the tall shadows of pine trees, and the orange glow of the flame reflecting off the metal platform into the night. It was quiet, and cool. Serene.
“You kept watch?” Ravi’s hushed voice was still a little hoarse.
“Couldn’t sleep,” Ertia whispered.
Ravi saw her clothes hanging on a makeshift rack, and went over to begin getting dressed. Everything hung rather loosely on her body, which was much more comfortable for Ravi, and ensured she’d always have spare material in case she needed to patch any holes or tears. She considered putting on some of the utility packs, but thought it might better serve the group if those were divvied out. Remembering that Tao was now completely naked, she considered the material she had on hand. Using recall just for undergarments seemed… a little wasteful.
Packing clothes wasn’t typically done for a hunt. If Ravi had known they’d be on an expedition, then she would’ve packed for it. As it was, she was glad that her sister gave her so much extech to use for what was supposed to be a simple hunt. The biofoam alone, at least, was a gift of providence.
“You hungry?” Ravi asked.
Ertia shrugged, but her eyes never left the stars. Pulling open one of the utility packs, Ravi grabbed some jerky for herself and the warrior. When she offered some, Ertia raised a finger to the sky, “They’re different.”
Unable to help herself, Ravi looked up. There was a beautiful band of pink, purple, and blue hues dotted with bright, white stars across the night sky. It all sparkled so radiantly that Ravi was surprised the night was even dark at all. However, like Ertia said, it looked different. It wasn’t the night sky she knew.
“We must be pretty far,” Ravi muttered.
“Did Iroh tell you about Samsara?” Ertia asked.
Returning the warrior’s gaze, Ravi answered, “Some.”
“Where is it?” Ertia’s eyes were wet with unshed tears. It was only while looking her in the eyes that Ravi realized just how scared and alone Ertia must be feeling right now.
Ravi sat right beside Ertia, “He said it was so far that we could walk forever and never reach it.”
“He told me how to reach it, once.”
Ravi bit into the dried meat, and immediately felt a painful thirst. Ertia seemed to read her mind as she handed her a canteen.
“Well, not how we could reach it,” Ertia explained, “but the Quartz Soldiers. They would appear on platforms like this one. Every new moon, or so it was said.”
Ravi looked up at the night sky to see the moon was waxing. That was a small relief.
“I think we’re on Samsara, Ravi,” Ertia finished. That trepidation wasn’t from the monster they encountered in the cave. Ertia didn’t know how they were going to get home again.
Strangely, Ravi didn’t feel any fear at this prospect. Instead, she was wondering what kind of chimera they would encounter. She wondered if the Samsarans were really as tyrannical as in the stories. She wondered what new extech could be discovered. The world was suddenly full of interesting questions, and Ravi wanted to hunt down the answers to every one.
“Iroh also mentioned,” Ravi found herself saying, “that the night sky looked different depending on where you were in the world. Besides that, it’s said that Samsara is a gateway to other worlds. It’s not impossible for us to find our way home, Ertia.”
The warrior ran her fingers along the bone spear on her lap, quietly contemplating. The occasional crackle and pop from the fire breaking the silence that otherwise hung around them. Ravi remembered something Tao did to calm Ertia before. She wordlessly tugged the shoulder of Ertia’s dress — well, Ekki’s dress.
Once Ravi had her attention again, she pointed to the sleeping form of Tao, “She needs you to keep her warm for now. I’ll take watch.”
Resolve began to crystalize in her eyes, and Ertia nodded, “Yeah.”
Placing her spear beside the cocooned Tao, Ertia slowly unwrapped the blanket and slid in. Like a magnet drawn to metal, Tao immediately pressed up against the new source of warmth. Ravi pulled the blanket over them both, and gave Ertia and the sleeping Tao a kiss on the forehead.
“You’re my sisters,” Ravi said, smiling.
“Well,” Ertia scrunched her brow, “you’re certainly not my mother.”
“Get some sleep while you can. It’s almost sunrise.”
“Yeah.”
Ravi found her bow near the campfire, and looked it over. It held up remarkably well considering they were basically flooded before. Her khukri was also in good condition. Securing the khukri to the belt on her hip, she pulled her quiver over her head, and began to walk to the edge of the metal platform. Her vision wasn’t quite accustomed to the dark yet, but she could make out nearby silhouettes.
More and more trees circled the platform, looming so high that she could only see the night sky that lay directly above them. She couldn’t see any tracks or signs of anything approaching the platform. It was as though nothing lived in these woods or, more likely, nothing ever approached the platform. That did not bode well.
Ravi nervously retreated back to the campfire, and looked back to her companions. Ertia seemed to have fallen asleep, and the two girls were curled into each other. Considering they hadn’t faced anything just yet, and they were still recovering from their previous encounter, Ravi decided to let them continue sleeping. She took the time to strap a few utility belts to her body, mostly the ones filled with handhelds, in case they found themselves fighting again.
The single spike hanging overhead was a terribly ominous sight. It was like the point of a blade ready to strike down at them. She could see the rest of the curled pillar mostly thanks to the fire’s dancing reflection along its surface. Seeing it in totality made it seem more like a single fang from an incomplete metal jaw. Who would have designed such a thing? Couldn’t they make it less creepy?
As stars retreated from the rising sun, the foreboding scenery slowly resolved into the image of a nameless pine forest. The fresh air was actually rather pleasant, Ravi realized, now noticing there was no stench of chimera or corpses. Though it was much to ask, Ravi hoped that this area would be as peaceful as the night.
The telltale signs of her companions waking up filled Ravi with a sense of safety and, suddenly, exasperation. She wondered if they would get along more now that they’d understood each other a little better.
“Ew, what is this?” Tao asked. “Ertia, you drool in your sleep?”
“That’s probably pus from your wounds.”
“Then why is it clear? Ew, Ertia! That’s gross! Get away from me!”
Ravi sighed. Was there anyone out there who wasn’t cursed with siblings?
----------------------------------------
“We need to get you chewing some resin,” Tao said, “because your breath stinks, too. You can’t just eat meat all the time.”
“That’s the only rations we have,” Ertia countered. “Do you expect me to starve?”
“At least brush your hair. It’s just going to get more dreaded and tangled.”
“With what brush? I’ll just work out the knots the next time we bathe.”
“Ravi has a brush. She carries more than just jerky in her packs, you know.”
“That’s a waste of time. We should be finding more meat.”
“Proper hygiene helps keep you free of disease. Do you want your teeth to fall out?”
“That’ll never happen. My teeth are stronger than my spear.”
“Quit lying, you know that’s not true.”
“No, really, I can show you. See these marks?”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Whaaat? You mean that’s from you? What’s wrong with you??”
“Guys,” Ravi cut in. “Can we figure out a plan here?”
“We start by traveling west,” Tao pointed.
“Whatever gets us away from this platform,” Ravi threw in.
“What’s wrong with it?”
“Whatever it is,” Ravi shrugged, “the chimera don’t like it. Nothing was close enough to even make a sound here. When was the last time you remember the jungle being silent?”
“But we’re not in the jungle.”
“Tao…”
Sighing, Tao took a second to reconsider, “Some places might just have less wildlife because the conditions are too harsh, or maybe they have specific breeding seasons, or there’s too many predators that rely on hearing — nothing is guaranteed in the wilderness.”
A sequence of hollow thumps echoed from Ertia’s spear butting the platform, “This is where Quartz Soldiers come from.”
Instead of immediately answering, Tao tried to remember where Quartz Soldiers actually came from. She knew that they had powerful extech that made them nigh impossible to kill. She knew they were practically invulnerable to anything except direct strikes upon their body. She knew they had no real place of origin.
“Nobody knows where they come from, Ertia,” Tao said.
“This is where they come to Samsara,” she butted her spear against the metal platform one last time.
Tao scoffed, but Ertia’s expression didn’t change one bit. She just stared into Tao’s eyes. Ravi’s expression was similarly grim — no, she was nervous. They both were. What had them so convinced this was Samsara?
“Can we discuss this on the way?” Ravi asked.
They really believed it, then. Tao shook her head. Here she was, naked and without any of the things she brought with her, and somehow she was the only one who didn’t think they were completely lost. She fixed the image of her favorite sundress in mind, with its floral patterns and earthy colors, and snapped her fingers. The fabric rustled in the wind, and she whipped it twice to unfurl it completely.
“Let me know if either of you get homesick,” Tao said as she dressed. “I can still recall anything we might need.”
Jarringly stark against the dull browns and greens of the forest were a series of candy colored, neon lights bobbing and weaving toward them. The confusion must have been plain on Tao’s face, for both of the girls turned to look at whatever new creature was coming to cause trouble for them. Immediately unlimbering her bow, Ravi readied herself to shoot while Ertia brought her spear to the fore.
“Humans seek refuge in Wilderness?” a tiny voice filled the space as if it was coming from every direction at once.
“They have rare artifact,” another chimed.
“Trade with humans?” one asked.
“Trade with humans,” more voices chorused.
The lights excitedly bobbed up and down, whirling around one another into a blur of baby blue, pink, white, and orange. Iroh had spoken of faeries from their signature glow to their strange demands for trade. They wouldn't speak a direct lie, and favored coins and extech above all else. They were fickle and impulsive, so it was best to stay in their good graces and say whatever you must to not earn their ire. It was said that faeries could teleport at will — not just themselves, but others.
“Hello, my friends,” Tao greeted them warmly. “We do not mean to intrude upon your home, but we are lost.”
“Home?” one pink light hovered in place. “We are not home.”
“Lost, they say,” a blue light chimed.
“Seeking home,” a white one hovered between the two. “This favors trade. We have solution. Send humans home.”
“Yes, we would like to just go home,* Tao carefully enunciated each word. She didn't want to risk any more confusion as they seemed to reach all sorts of conclusions just from her earlier statement.
“Give artifact and we send you home, agreed?” the white one offered.
“Tao…” Ravi nervously called out, and the faeries fluttered around again.
“Another human seeks deal,” a voice sang.
“Only speak with one human,” another called.
“No violence if only one human speaks,” a third proclaimed.
“No violence if only one human speaks,” they chorused.
Ertia held her spear in a white-knuckled grip, her teeth clenched with a grimace; Ravi replaced her bow, and instead had her hand on her khukri. Was that a threat, or a statement?
Suddenly there was an explosion of movement, “This one uses qi! This one uses qi!” And the faeries fluttered all around Ravi. Too stunned to move, Ravi’s eyes jumped from faery to faery, trying to single out at least one of them as a target.
“Wait, we mean no harm!” Tao shouted. She needed to protect them from any attack that would disrupt their qi.
The faeries buzzed around Tao, as well, “This one also uses qi!”
“This one also uses qi!” a few faeries orbiting Ertia repeated.
“Not humans,” a voice chimed.
“Able to use qi.”
“Speak in human tongue.”
“Aware of artifacts.”
“New to Samsara,” a white one finished.
Tao’s blood ran cold. That had to be a fluke. Samsara was called a death world in the stories. This was just a simple forest. But the faeries weren't supposed to speak lies.
“We are new to Samsara?” Tao asked.
The faeries no longer flitted about and instead alighted on different branches on nearby trees. Only the two white faeries hovered in front of Tao, out of arm's reach, “You are not native to Samsara. We have never encountered your kind before. You do not have deal with us, and yet you speak as if you do. Help us understand why that is.”
“We have heard,” Tao tried to swallow a growing lump in her throat, “about your deal with humans. We wish to have a similar relationship.”
“Very well,” the other white faery intoned. “We will treat you as we do humans for now, but must finish our first deal.”
“That's okay,” Tao instinctively replied. “You said this artifact was rare. Can you use it to get us home?”
The faeries were quiet. It was only then that Tao noticed the occasional fluttering within their aura of light. They weren't just floating in the air — they must have wings. Tao couldn't make out any detail past their bright glow, but was glad to see they had some degree of physical form. She felt more confident knowing Ravi and Ertia had something to actually hit.
“We do not wish to repair artifact unless it is ours,” a white faery finally chimed.
Ravi raised her hand.
“Oh, my friend wishes to speak,” Tao said.
“You do not have deal with us like humans,” the second voice rang. “Until we conclude our first deal, you are unbound.”
“Tao, we can just give them the artifact, then,” Ravi explained. “If they can get us home, then who cares about the artifact.”
“If the artifact can take us to Samsara and back,” Ertia cut in, “and these faeries have it, then what's to stop them from just dropping into Ur whenever they please? Or sell the artifact to other humans? To the Samsarans?”
Tao grinned, “That is very true, but you forget that I can get sundresses and spikefruit, remember? This deal wouldn't be as bad as you think.”
“Tao…” Ravi warned.
“We will give you the artifact,” Tao called out, “if you repair it and use it to send us home. Do we have a deal?”
Its aura shined more brightly, “It is impossible. Artifact must be calibrated with sophisticated calculations to target specific node. If we tried different nodes randomly, there is no telling where you would end up, and our deal would be broken.”
“What if we were willing to try that? Could we have a deal, then?” Tao prodded.
The two white faeries were quiet once more. Tao took the opportunity to try and scour her memories once more for an explanation. What about that artifact had her convinced it would save them while in the cave? It clearly functioned like a teleport, but she had no idea how to work it. How did she get it working the first time?
“If you died in this exchange, would that be acceptable risk?” a white faery asked.
Tao was taken aback. What kind of question was that? “No. We are willing to take some risks, however. Is there a chance you can get us home without a chance of us being killed outright?”
Quiet once more took hold of the conversation, with only the branches swaying in the wind offering any kind of commentary. Tao felt like most deals with faeries did not go like this. She could feel the pinprick itch of sweat across her skin being tugged by the wind. She hated the uncomfortable feeling, and swallowed past the lump in her throat.
“Only Queen can make this deal,” the white faeries chimed in unison.
“Oh,” Tao didn’t know there was a Faery Queen, “May I speak with her?”
There was a few seconds of hesitation before a white faery answered, “Queen is not on Samsara. We need artifacts like one you possess to bring her here. That is the reason we seek to make deal.”
They were trying to bring the Queen here? It sounded like they had a similar problem. Worse yet, it seemed like they really were on Samsara. That meant there was no point to travel west — no, no, no. Tao shouldn’t give up that easily. At the very least, they should figure out the lay of the land and see if they could find someplace safe to stay. They had to take things one at a time. Getting lost in the difficulty of the task wouldn’t do them any good.
“Tell us how to get to the nearest human settlement, then,” Tao ordered.
“Is our first deal concluded?” a white faery asked. “We have no deal, then?”
“Sadly, we have no deal on the artifact,” Tao answered. “We can make a new deal.”
“New deal,” the other white faery chimed. “Are qi using non-humans all making same deal?’
Tao looked to the other girls. Ravi shrugged, and Ertia said, “We’ll just follow you.”
“Just show me how to get to the settlement, please,” Tao asked.
“You do not harm faeries under any circumstances,” a white faery said, “and give us all future artifacts that can teleport.”
“What? That’s not a good deal,” Tao immediately replied.
“You do not harm faeries under any circumstances,” the faery shot back, “and promise to make deals about future artifacts that can teleport.”
Was the faery negotiating? What a ridiculous position to start in!
Tao scoffed, “Only if the faeries promise to bring us to the Faery Queen as soon as she is able to be called, and take us home with no future deals or promises.”
There was a few seconds of silence, and then the faeries made another counteroffer. This back and forth continued for a bit, with less ridiculous demands being made each time. The whole thing felt rather silly to Tao, but the faeries would not relent. Finally, they reached an agreement.
“We will always greet one another amicably, and allow for the possibility of a deal, but are under no obligation to do so; we can parley if there is a misunderstanding that leads to violence, and hold no ill will toward one another should such a case arise; if sleeping, we will try to protect and awaken the other party if there is a present danger; we will always hold open the possibility for future deals that can include the exchange of information, goods, and services; the first to breach the terms of this deal must pay a debt of service for the duration of a moon, which is no less than thirty six days.”
What a mouthful, “Do we have a deal?”
“Agreed under the sky and stars, this is our deal with qi using non-humans,” the white faeries sang.
“Agreed,” Tao sighed.
Ertia was picking at her fingernails, while Ravi still stood at attention with her khukri hanging on her side.
“New deal to go to closest human settlement?” the faeries asked.
“Yes, please,” Tao answered.
“Share your names and we will tell you directions to human settlement.”
“Oh, I guess I never introduced myself,” she gave a small curtsy, “My name is Tao.”
“Why do you want our names?” Ertia demanded.
“Is this explanation part of deal?” the faery chimed.
“I’m not telling you shit unless you tell me why you want our names.”
The faeries hesitated before answering, “It expedites process of sharing information.”
“Yeah, with who?”
Quiet once more, the faeries just hovered in midair. Tao shot Ertia a questioning look, but Ertia looked as stern and stubborn as ever. Ravi wasn’t immediately chastising her, so she must have approved of this, but Tao thought it was a little rude. The faeries had been fair and straightforward with them so far, and it was best not to rile them up.
“We share information with others, but respect privacy of all parties involved, including qi using non-humans,” the faeries answered.
Ertia rolled her eyes, “So, who the fuck do you normally share information with? If you don’t want to tell me, then have fun referring to me by whatever nickname you come up with cause I’m not telling you shit.”
“We make deals with humans, ELFs, and ORCs,” one of the white faeries immediately replied. Its companion bobbed in place for a second. Was there a disagreement there?
“Don’t tell anyone else we exist unless they ask,” Ertia ordered.
“You will do the same,” the same faery replied.
“Only if you tell me your name,” Ertia countered.
“She Who Wishes To Spread Her Wings And Be Free,” she sang.
That was her name? That was more like a line in a poem. Should Tao have given an elaborate name like that?
“I am Ertia,” she stepped forward, standing tall and proud, “the white spear of Ur.”
“And who are you, qi using non-human?” the faery asked Ravi.
Looking unsure of herself, Ravi stepped forward, “I am Hunter Ravi, daughter of Batari of Ur.”
“The human settlement is toward the setting sun, over the river and through the wood,” the faery concluded. “Our deal is met.”
“Until we meet again,” the white faeries were joined by the baby blue, pink, and orange ones.
“Until we meet again,” the rest of the faeries chorused, and the entire group flew deeper into the forest.
“Any reason for the theatrics at the end?” Tao wondered.
“It’s something they won’t forget,” Ertia waved away Tao’s question. “Has Iroh ever encountered faeries?”
“No,” Tao stretched. That whole thing was rather stressful, anyway. She was just glad it was finally over with. “I just know about them from the stories.”
“When’s the last time someone dealt with faeries?” Ertia prodded.
Tao tried and failed to recall any names, “Maybe one of our ancestors?”
“So,” Ertia gave Tao an exasperated look, “we’re the first people to encounter faeries in forever, basically?”
“Or ever, apparently,” Ravi added. “Those faeries didn’t know people could use qi. Did they only ever encounter broken people before?”
“It’s because of the Samsarans,” Ertia draped her spear across her shoulders, “they can’t use qi. We’re really on Samsara.”
“Samsarans merged with machines, though,” Tao rebutted. “They shouldn’t look human like us.”
Ertia just shrugged, “Whatever the case, we’re on our own now. Nobody is coming to save us.”
“Once our families realize that we’re gone, they’ll think of a way to bring us back,” Ravi said. “That powerful chimera can’t be missed by the whole village. They’ll bring it down and bring us back. We’ll just have to be patient.”
There was nothing that Tao could think of that would bring people back to Ur like that. As far as Tao remembered, there was just the one artifact that could teleport — and the faeries didn’t want it unless they could keep it. That meant it could be repaired somehow, and that it could still be useful. Maybe they could offer a better deal with the faeries if they had other extech to trade with them. There had to be a way to calibrate it to Ur without risking death.
“Get used to hunting, Ravi,” Ertia sighed. “We’re stranded.”
“We can use the artifact to get back once it’s repaired,” Tao countered. “We’ll need extech more valuable than it in order to convince the faeries to do it for us.”
“And risk dying with their every fuckup? Face it, we’re stranded on Samsara,” Ertia flipped the spear back to her right hand. “We just survive now.”
“Our people will save us,” Ravi narrowed her eyes. She sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as them.
“And if they don’t,” Tao tried to redirect their attention to the one actual solution they had, “then we’ll be collecting extech in the meantime. It’ll help us survive, and we can use it to trade with faeries for favors.”
Ertia shrugged. Ravi nodded once, emphatically. Good, at least they weren’t panicking or feeling hopeless. Tao had the feeling that she would be doing most of the talking for the group, and probably was the one most familiar with Samsara. That meant she was the leader, didn’t it? She had to be strong for the others. Set an example.
“Grab your shit, Tao,” Ertia suddenly called out.
“We need to find a better place for shelter,” Ravi looked overhead. “We’ve wasted enough time already. Strap on those packs so we can start foraging for food and water. Did you need help with anything?”
Didn’t leaders get treated with respect? Was Tao missing something here? She had just calmed all of them down from their run-in with that cave chimera, and had even negotiated a deal with the faeries. She doubted either of them could have done that.
“Hurry up, already,” Ertia insisted.
“A little gratitude never killed anyone,” Tao muttered.
“Let’s start heading west,” Ravi called.
“I’ll take point,” Ertia followed up.
“Wait, who’s carrying the artifact?” Tao asked.
Ravi, with bow in hand, looked at Ertia, with the bone spear in hers, and then both of them looked at Tao.
This was going to be a lovely little adventure, wasn’t it.