“You know you’re going to die, right?” Joan asked, unable to keep herself from grinning.
“I-I can handle it,” Qakog said, though his normally bright red face had managed to turn astoundingly pale. She wasn’t even aware he could do that.
“If I wasn’t already sick, I’d certainly be now,” Bauteut said, staring with a horrified look on her face. Still, she hadn’t looked away since he’d made it halfway through, so it seemed she was just as fascinated by the grim display as the rest of them were.
“Just because Chase can do it doesn’t mean you should try,” Joan said. “Even he struggled to do it. Thalgren too. None of the rest of us even came close.”
“I-I will manage,” Qakog said before pulling off another chunk of the fish and slowly stuffing it into his mouth, chewing with a grim determination.
“Nobody has actually died from this, have they?” Francis asked.
“Not as far as I know,” Joan said. “But most only make it through the first third or so before they give up. Even when I was the Hero I barely made it halfway and Qakog has already put me to shame there.”
“It’s… oddly mesmerizing,” Ifrit said, her voice filled with awe.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned there was a title for this,” Joan said before picking off a piece from her own fish.
The Great Pearlback fish, a delicacy in Seasrest. They were incredibly tough fish, coated in a tough outer shell, that from a distance made them appear as if they were covered in pearl. The shell allowed them to crash into ships and rarely take much, if any, damage. But it also made them taste incredible when they were slow cooked and they were big enough to feed the whole group. Of course, considering how large they were every so often someone decided they were going to show how incredible they were by eating one all by themselves. She’d only ever seen Thalgren and Chase succeed, neither of who ever tried a second time. Their table now held two of the massive fishes, one which Qakog had managed to devour nearly two thirds of and the second which the rest of them had only eaten half of before they’d just stopped to watch the demon devour with looks of awe and horror. It didn’t help that Bauteut had barely had any, instead sticking primarily to soup and just taking a small piece now and again from the table’s fish.
Qakog let out a soft, gentle whimper before ripping off another chunk and stuffing it in his mouth. Joan shuddered and watched him chew before finally managing to look away. “Qakog, you’ve already won. Do you really need to get yourself killed over this?”
“I… said I would… devour it… and I… shall…” Qakog said before giving a light burp.
Joan sighed and leaned against Bauteut. “So, you’ve been stuck with him the last few months, how bad has he been?”
“Until today he had been fairly well behaved,” Bauteut said, her eyes still locked on him. “He-- didn’t-- cause-- any troubles aside from occasionally taking on more than he should have.”
“What?” Joan asked. “What was that?”
“What was what?” Bauteut asked.
“Are you okay?” Joan asked. “You just kind of sputtered your words there.”
“What? No I didn’t,” Bauteut said.
“Yeah, you did,” Joan said before glancing towards Ifrit and Francis on the other side of the table. “You two heard it, didn’t you?”
“No,” Ifrit said. “She didn’t sputter at all.”
Joan just blinked a few times before shrugging. “Weird. Maybe I’m just--”
“Bucket!” Bauteut yelled before quickly moving away from the chair. Joan quickly followed and, a moment later, she heard why.
Well, she supposed throwing up was better than death. Poor Qakog.
------
“It will allow you to predict terrible danger, to warn you before you meet an untimely end,” the goblin said, grinning up at Qakog with teeth that were far, far, far too white. Then again, Joan had never seen a goblin with skin that perfectly grassy green. She suspected the shopkeeper wasn’t a goblin at all, likely a fey who had never actually met a goblin. Then again, it wasn’t like she’d met that many herself. But she’d never seen ANYTHING with teeth that white.
“What could possibly be a threat to me?” Qakog asked in a firm, confident voice, his arms crossed, head held high.
Joan couldn’t help but snort. “You mean other than me? Here, let me try.” She took the small bronze ring from his hand and slid it onto her finger. A chill went down her spine when the world seemed to shift slightly. Small, red markings seemed to form all over the world, connecting to different things. A tree by the road suddenly had a few of its branches almost glowing, ones that could fall down at any time. A nearby dog was pawing at an old wagon’s wheel, which if knocked over could send some of the barrels flying down towards her. Overhead, a few birds were perched on the branches and--
Then everything was dangerous. It was as if the world had entirely frozen and there was something there. Something she couldn’t see, but she knew was there. The world stopped and then started again three times, everyone stopping, before it all returned to normal.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Joan yanked the ring off her finger, shivering. “Okay, you know what? This is the ring of massive anxiety. Trust me, Qakog. Get something else.”
“I don’t know, it might have told him that fish was a bad idea,” Bauteut said.
Qakog shuddered before shaking his head. “I’ll take the gauntlets.”
“A fine choice,” the goblin said.
------
Joan suppressed the urge to scream. She wanted it. She needed it. Ever since she’d had to sell one when she was the Hero she’d dreamed of having one of her own. She’d have given almost anything for it.
As much as she hated it, she had to pull away from the glass case and ignore the guard who was glaring at her. They probably wouldn’t have even been allowed in the shop if the Dusklam family seal hadn’t been recognized by one of the guards. Not just anyone could recognize a family seal belonging to one of the Chosen, but those who could often weren’t really the type of people one could ignore.
“You’ve seen changeling weave before?” a voice asked, making her jump. She glanced back at the shopkeeper who was giving her a smile she recognized far, far too well. That was the smile of someone who was trying to find the best way to use her. Someone who didn’t see her, or hadn’t seen the Hero. Instead, they just saw something that could benefit them in some way. She loathed that smile. No matter how amazing a deal she thought she was getting for something that seemed minor, it always came back to have not been worth it. She glanced back towards the dress. Changeling weave. A dress that could change its form to suit any need of its owner.
But, in the end, she supposed there was something to be said for having clothes that were made for you. That fit you and only you. If she got something like that, then she’d have no more need for the dresses that her grandmother had gotten her. When she was the Hero she’d wanted it because it would have been a dress she hadn’t been permitted to wear.
But now that she was Joan, she supposed she didn’t need it. And whatever ill intent lay behind that smile, whatever desire was masked with pretend generosity and kindness…
She didn’t need that, either. “I’ve seen it. But I don’t need it anymore,” Joan said before she turned and walked away. “We really should go, though.”
“GAH!” the man yelled, turning around to face her. “How, how did you do that?”
“What?” Joan asked. She realized everyone was staring at her, now. The guard had a hand on his sword and her friends were staring at her with bewilderment.
“That, that thing you just did!” he yelled, pointing an accusing finger at her. “Did you steal something?”
“What in the world are you talking about? I didn’t do anything,” Joan said, but she could already see this going poorly. The guard had taken a step towards her and was starting to draw his weapon. But then he stopped.
Everything stopped.
TIME had stopped.
Joan’s eyes went wide and she looked around. Everything around her had stopped, as far as she could tell she was the only one able to move. Why? What--
A door. There had to be a Door to the Realm of the Gods here. Someone had opened it. PENTHE! Was Penthe here? Was there a door here? How close did the time stop work? Was she--
Her thoughts were broken when she heard voices.
She turned towards the door of the shop and saw that it was halfway open, the guard stationed outside holding it open for a woman in a rather fancy looking dress. Both were now frozen in time. Joan quickly ran behind a podium which was holding a priceless looking vase and peered around it. After a few moments a cloaked figure walked into the shop. They stopped in front of Ifrit. “She’s right here!”
Joan could hear heavy robes being dragged along the ground and then a person in very large, thick robes walked in through the open doorway. In their left hand a massive staff could be seen, topped with a purple gem shaped like a star. The two of them stopped directly in front of Ifrit, but didn’t touch her.
“Ready as many as you can,” the second figure said. “I can’t do this for long.”
“Why can’t we just grab her and go?” the first asked.
“Time is stopped for us,” the second figure said. “It would be like trying to move a mountain. Now hurry. I can’t--”
Joan wasn’t going to wait for them to finish whatever they planned to do. She got to her feet and ran towards the pair. On her third step she summoned her sword to her hand and slashed with all of her might.
To her surprise, her fourth step made a much heavier sound when the armor she had torn off and abandoned back in the underwater temple appeared on her again. As if it had never been broken. She didn’t let it slow her, however, and the pair were only partway to turning around to face her when her sword struck the staff.
It wasn’t cut, instead her sword struck it and the man barely moved.
“Who…?” the first figure asked.
Joan pulled her sword back, having only left a tiny nick in the staff. She cut a second time, but the man disappeared, appearing by the entrance of the building.
“Teleportation and time stopping?” Joan asked. “Now you’re not playing fair!”
The first figure turned and tried to run, but she ducked down and swept his legs out from under him, making him crash to the ground.
“How are you moving?” the second figure asked.
“Don’t really have time to answer!” Joan yelled before activating her boots once more. She was on the man in a second, slashing out at his staff.
Only he was gone again. Except his robe was there. She yelped, running into it and then the door. She instantly regretted this, as the normally easily moved door might as well have been a stone wall. She bounced off it and tumbled to the ground, her sword falling from her grasp and making the world spin slightly.
“Summon them!” the second figure yelled.
“I’m trying! I thought nobody would be able to move?” the first yelled.
Joan untangled herself from the robe and looked up. She took only a moment to see the figure running.
Worse, she could see his destination. Just a little away beneath the overhang of one of the buildings, a black gateway stood. Almost exactly like the one that Andreas and Korgron had made so long ago. He was almost to it. Joan held out her hand and made her sword come to her hand before she took off towards it, activating her boots again and dashing through the frozen crowds. She couldn’t allow him to escape. She reached out with her left hand, trying to snag him from behind.
He was almost to the gate before she got to him.
She realized a moment too late that he could teleport. So why hadn’t he?
She let out a startled yelp when he disappeared and something hit her feet, knocking them from under her.
Sending Joan toppling into the portal, through a gateway of shadows.