The rest of Jerod’s day at the office went well, for the most part Jerod’s job was rather easy for him and had very little stress involved, just the way he liked it. The only issue that day was the ongoing drama for a presentation for a customer Jerod somehow got roped into helping with. Providing figures for the salesman was all well and good, but Jerod hardly thought it should be his responsibility to actually create the program for the salesman to present. But the man was busy and Jerod was not, so Jerod felt it improper to complain.

In that back of Jerod’s mind though, he could hear his mother telling him that he was getting taken advantage of there, but he brushed those thoughts aside. Successfully running a small company like Joldeen Industries required a team effort, not individualized glory.

Still, Jerod could not help but complain in his head while assembling the display that he was an accountant, not a graphic designer. And he was mildly colorblind to boot, so if they didn’t like the colors when he was done, that was on them.

The extra work made him grumpy and exhausted and he left the plant at closing with a sigh of relief, waving good night to George and the other employees as he climbed atop his TAIcycle.

His commute left Jerod ruminating on his discussion with George earlier that day and as soon as he got back home Jerod made his way down to the armory. According to George, none of the sets of ancient armor down there would be usable anymore, their powerful enchantments long empty from the decades without charge. And sure enough, after a little investigation, Jerod found the charge siegels on each set and Jerod’s suspicions were realized. None of the sets of armor down there had any charge on any of their enchantments. Even the spears that Jerod had casually perused over yesterday were hardly better than sticks with pointy ends anymore.

Feeling somewhat disappointed for no discernable reason, Jerod realized that had he actually used the spear that night before, it probably would have snapped. Jerod eyed the spear still sitting in the far corner where he had left it. It was probably for the best that none of this stuff worked anymore, there were relics of a bygone era.

Next Jerod checked out the stupid dispersal shot that had refused to work last night. Jerod knew it was unlikely that the family would have stocked a weapon there without checking its capabilities, the regular caretakers of the manor were thorough in pretty much everything they did. Jerod did not recall ever having to change a TAIlight or fix an enchantment. And now that he thought about it, the bathroom fan worked just fine this morning, somebody must have fixed the blasted thing while he was at work yesterday.

The dispersal shot was still right where he left it, although, worryingly, the dirty boots he had left there were gone and probably cleaned. He’d have to check on that sometime. The weapon itself still had the small dent on the back of the butt, the caretakers either not seeing it or not seeing a need to replace the device with so little damage.

Lifting the weapon up, Jerod inspected it, looking at the charge gauge, and a few other routine check ups that had been taught to all the children in public schools. It was part of the mandatory curriculum that each person knew how to maintain and use a dispersal shot in case of an emergency. From what Jerod could see though, the weapon seemed just fine, all that was left was to actually fire the stupid thing.

Exiting out the door to the plains outside the city once again, Jerod beheld the setting sun wash its colors over the land. Angry orange and red light lit the scraggly brush, grass, and bushes that filled out the uninhabited lands with an intense color, painting the scene with an energetic foreboding feeling.

Jerod ignored all that and stayed within a few steps of the small concealed door. He hefted the dispersal shot onto his shoulder and fired at a point in the near distance. The weapon gave no kickback as it shot, and the discharge itself left no visible trace beyond a slight rippling in the air. A spot on the ground nearish to where Jerod was aiming got disturbed as if a strong gust of wind had just hit it, dust and dirt kicking up for a second before settling down slowly.

The weapon itself was hardly fatal when shot at a human or any non-mana entity. It was definitely disorienting when one got shot though, the internal minute amount of mana that existed in the human body getting forcibly dissolved was an unpleasant experience that left people feeling weak, nauseous, and dizzy. Dispersal shots could kill a person if used persistently though, as humans did need some mana in their system to survive, but going hours and even a few days without was always completely recoverable.

That was why the dispersal shot was favored so much by the law enforcement, for those who weren’t used to having their mana disrupted, it was an incredibly debilitating experience. It allowed for police to stun and capture their targets without risk of permanent harm.

The weapon in Jerod’s hands, though, appeared to work exactly as it should though, and Jerod could only scowl in bafflement as to why it had refused to work correctly last night.

Shooting the weapon a few more times to similar results, Jerod gave up and shook his head. He must have been doing something wrong in panic that night before, because the blasted thing was working perfectly now. He slipped back inside the manor and rehung the device with a scowl. It was time for dinner anyway and he was getting hungry.

The fridge and pantry of the manor were always well stocked by the caretakers, the caretakers themselves being people whom Jerod had met only a handful of times in all the years he had been living there. They always came during the day hours of the work week when Jerod wasn’t around and did everything. They communicated with Jerod regularly via TAImail about the upkeep, but mainly to plan out his meals for him throughout the week with Jerod giving a little input into what particular foods he liked or disliked.

When he first started living there they had offered to have a cook stay for the evenings and prepare his dinners for him, but that felt like overkill to Jerod, being the only person living there. He would have felt incredibly awkward having a professional chef cook just for him, he could hardly stand having all his grocery work done for him, but got used to that rather quickly. He did insist on paying for the actual groceries themselves though, something the caretakers grudgingly accepted. Jerod suspected they had been charging the family for the groceries with a significant upcharge before.

Dinner tonight was a breaded chicken oven baked with carrots, and some sort of buttery grain food on the side, the picture of the meal on the recipe card provided looking absolutely delicious. If nothing else, the diversity of Jerod’s meals had increased dramatically since he began living here. He was a little worried about gaining weight once he hit thirty because he never really exercised, but that was still years away.

Before Jerod could secure all the utensils needed for the meal though, Jerod heard somebody entering the manor from the front entrance, and little chimes sounding around that house at the intrusion, courtesy of a small TAIbell Jerod had installed when he first moved in. Washing and wiping off his hands quickly, Jerod made his way to the front lobby to meet his unexpected guest. He was only a little bit nervous that it might be his grandfather here to evict him.

When Jerod saw who had entered though, his face broke out into a wide smile and rushed forward. “Rylie ! I didn't know you were stopping by.”

Rylie turned and gave Jerod a weak smile in return, opening her arms up for a large hug. Jerod took it and gave her a tight squeeze.

Being Jerod’s older sister, Rylie was always a strong powerful woman in Jerod’s eyes, a woman who could do anything she put her mind to. She followed through on all her commitments for good or ill, and never backed down from what she thought was right. She was a person filled with boundless fiery energy, and Jerod admired her for her drive.

Tonight, though, she looked tired and worn, her knee length green and beige dress that gave off the impression of spring was a tad wrinkly and she wore no makeup. Not that Rylie wore much makeup to begin with, as far as Jerod noticed, but tonight she looked…. Exhausted.

“Jerod,” Rylie replied, pulling back from the tight hug, but keeping Jerod in her arms, “it's good to see you, it's been too long.”

“You keep declining my invites to come over,” Jerod shot back with a smile.

“I know,” Rylie said with one more squeeze before letting him go and stepping back. “We’ve just been so busy lately, we haven’t been able to find the time to come out here in a while.”

“Well, you're here now, come in, come in, is Carl here too?” Jerod asked, looking over his sister’s shoulder as if her husband would appear there any second.

“Yes, he’s out there, putting our TAIcycle away.”

“Well, do you two want to stay for dinner? I was just about to start making it, you know. It’s breaded chicken and carrots and some other foods, it looks amazing, and I've become quite a decent cook, if I do say so myself.”

“I… I’m not sure if we have time, we were just coming over for a quick visit to get some stuff done…” Jerod shot her a pleading look and she eventually relented with a smile. “I guess we can eat and still have plenty of time.”

“I’ll make it quick, let’s head back to the kitchen and we can talk while I start cooking.”

The two made their way back, Jerod practically skipping. Rylie observed the manor, its dark and long halls bereft of life.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

“I still can’t believe you choose to live here,” Rylie commented as they entered the kitchen. “I would get so lonely if I was here alone. I used to think this place was haunted as a kid, that the different armor sets came to life at night and started patrols like ancient sentinels. This whole place just reeks of loss and emptiness, I think i wouldn’t last a week.”

“Eh, it's not so bad,” Jerod replied, starting to cut up the carrots. “I mean look at this kitchen! This oven alone must have cost several thousand gold, much less everything else in here. Even though I'm the only one who ever uses it, the family invests so much into this place and I get to reap the benefits.”

Rylie huffed in annoyance. “Such a waste of money, just so the family can pretend and maintain their image of this place. Those egomaniac pricks.”

Jerod carefully didn’t respond to those last comments, choosing to measure out the sourcream needed instead.

“It was a little lonely at first, but it got me away from all the family drama, which was nice. I’m sure you can attest to that.” Rylie just snorted in response and Jerod continued, “I heard you got in an argument with mom last weekend.” Jerod refrained from saying the word ‘again’. “Do you want to talk about it at all?”

“What’s there to talk about,” Rylie replied, getting fired up all of a sudden. “She just wants to control my life and I said no.”

“I’m sure that’s not her actual goal.” Jerod replied diplomatically.

“No, her goals are to have a well behaved daughter who does whatever she asked to do, works a boring job for Uncle Jeff, and helps propagate the myth that our family is some noble household like some of those in the capital, when the truth is that they are all just a bunch of selfish, self-serving idiots who care more about reputation than about the welfare of the city!”

“I don’t think mom is like that,” Jerod said with a frown.

“No, she is worse!” Rylie exploded, surprising Jerod with the ferocity. All her previous signs of exhaustion were gone as she continued, “all she cares about is maintaining her position within “the family”, using you and I to secure her a spot. Ever since Dad died, all she can worry about is how she married into the family and how she will be kicked out if she can’t provide enough usefulness to the family’s agenda. She doesn’t care about the policies, or the drama, or the ethics of anything the family does, she just wants a piece of the pie!”

Jerod gave a big sigh, not sure how to respond. It wasn’t in him to bad mouth people, much less their mother. And while he agreed with Rylie’s sentiment, he still thought she was overreacting. And besides all that, what was the point of raging against a system you had no control over changing in the first place?

“Mom’s a widow and a worrywart,” Jerod replied, trying to keep his voice even while he dipped the chicken in the batter to place on the cooking sheet. “It's just who she is to worry about that kind of stuff. I’ve told her over and over that i’ll take care of her if it ever comes down to it, and I know it won’t come down to it. She gets along with everybody, nobody’s going to want to ‘kick her out’. It's just never going to happen.”

Rylie blew out of her nose angrily, crossing her arms and leaning against a column. Eventually she said, “You’re just like mom, in some ways, Jerod. You refuse to take a stand on important issues, just hiding out here in the family manor and pretending none of it has anything to do with you.”

Jerod felt his cheek flush in anger at the comment, but he replied coolly. “Important issues? What important issues? And what could I possibly accomplish in them? Important issues like whether or not a statue of great Grandfather should be placed in a park, or in city hall? Or if we should reject that building proposal or not because the developer’s competitors brided us not to? Or issues like whether the family should support that mayoral candidate or the other? Guess what? They both are corrupt so it doesn't matter! The city will go on and keep running either way, so why should I bother to get involved?”

“There is right and wrong, Jerod, people like you and me who actually can recognize and value that need to be able to stand up and try to set things right! As citizens, and much more as members of the family that is supposed to protect the city, it’s our duty to protect the people here from those who would screw them over, our family being the biggest culprits!”

Jerod angrily shoved the chicken into the oven, and stood back up, trying to come up with a response. His anger, as it usually did, made it hard for him to think logically so it was much harder for him to try to formulate his thoughts.

Eventually he turned around and said, “The city has been around for thousands of years, and it has always been the same, corruption, power grabs, and conspiracies by the ruling class. And those fools backstab and kill each other all the time, but none of it actually affects the running of the city, the actual people of the city. I don't want to be a part of that! So I say, let those idiot elites play their games and kill each other off, it doesn't matter to the rest of us!”

“It's not the same anymore,” Rylie said tersely, “Technology has advanced and the people are playing with dangerous things, things they shouldn’t be messing with!”

Bewildered, Jerod started to say, “What on earth are you talkin-” when it suddenly hit him like a bolt of lightning. “Are you talking about TAI privatization!?” Rylie’s answer was a stoney face and Jerod threw his hands in the air, “Oh my word, are you serious?! You are still floundering around with that nonsense?!”

“It's not nonsense, this is a serious matter that threatens the safety of the entirety of the city! And they are slowly getting away with it!”

“Oh, please,” Jerod replied, genuinely upset, “Uncle Jeff is one of the few members of the family i actually like, and you think he’s some evil villain trying to destroy the city like some children’s novel, when all he really wants to do is free control of TAI research and production from the borderline cult group of people who would bottle it all up and offer it piecemeal to the populace if they could. Have you actually ever listened to him and ignored the lies about him for one second to see what he has to say? What Uncle Jeff is doing is a huge step in the direction of progress, I think, and if half the family wouldn’t start attacking me if I did, I would have joined Uncle Jeff at his company years ago!”

Throughout Jerod’s rant, Rylie’s face transformed from fury into disappointment, and looking at it now, it hurt more than Jerod would care to admit. Angrily, Jerod turned away and tossed a pot on the stove and activated the TAIwarmer to bring the water to a boil.

After a minute of silence, Rylie spoke up again. “I guess that really shows the real you Jerod, even when you found something you believe in, you aren’t willing to commit to it in any real way.

Jerod’s voice cracked slightly as he responded, “I’m just me, just a little accountant. We are not like the hero’s of old who could wash away dangers of the world with a wave of their hand. There’s nothing I could do about it either way, anyway.” Jerod stared down at the clear water on the pot, the liquid still minutes away from boiling.

“Well, I believe I can do something, and I will do something.” Rylie replied, her voice strangely calm and even. “Uncle Jeff is delving into dangerous territory with what he is doing, and he needs to be stopped. The whole privatization effort needs to be ended, for the safety of everybody.”

Jerod turned around and faced his sister, wondering where she was going with it. She looked back at him with clear brown eyes. “Carl and I have joined the TAImancers, the so-called cult, as you called them. We are leaving tonight, heading over a few cities to one of their schools. The trip will take a few months, but I'll call you when we reach the cities along the way, to let you know we are okay. I trust you won’t let anybody know until we are gone?”

Jerod’s mouth felt dry and all his words seemed to escape him. He stared out back at his sister, his eyes begging her to tell him it was a joke. But her steely eyes held no remorse.

“You’re … leaving?” Jerod finally got out.

Before Rylie could respond, Carl appeared in the kitchen next to his wife. He gave Jerod a pleasant smile before turning to Rylie, “We’re all set babe, I've got everything we need for the trip. Are you done here?”

“Just about,” Rylie replied curtly, not taking her eyes off of her brother. “Jerod, promise me you won’t tell anybody we are leaving for a few days.”

“Why do you need to go?” Jerod asked instead of answering her demand. “Why can’t you… why can’t you just stay here? There’s no need for such… drastic measures, why do you need to take everything so seriously? Why can’t you just stay here and just learn how to get along with people?” Unasked was Jerod’s plea not to be left alone.

It was Carl who answered, flashing Jerod another brightsmile, “Sorry kiddo, it's a bit too late for that. We burned quite a few bridges at this point. We had to, uh, take a few things from the manor to help fund our journey too, but don’t worry about it, it's nothing anybody will miss. We’ll also be borrowing your TAIcycle to haul our wagon out to the gate tonight, our TAIcycle doesn't have near enough oxenpower to handle that. We’ll leave it at the gate for you though, don’t worry about it.”

Jerod looked over at his sister wordlessly, and she looked back, her lips thin and pressed. After a moment she spoke, “I hope someday you’ll be able to find something you believe in enough to fight for, Jerod. I know you’ve got a good heart and character inside you, you’ve just got to find the courage and avenue to let it all out. I think if you wanted, you could change the world, just like the heroes of old.” She turned to her husband, and took his arm. “Let's go, honey.”

Jerod followed them out, feeling like he was being pulled by invisible strings, forced to watch his sister’s departure. Without another word between the two parties, Jerod watched as Carl and Rylie mounted his TAIcycle and took off, their large tailor trailing ponderously behind. Carl gave a final wave back to Jerod which he didn’t reciprocate, and then the two were gone into the night. The sun had already fallen down behind the tall walls of the city, leaving the streets in gloom.

Jerod stood at the gate of the manor for a long time, trying to come to terms with what had just happened. He felt like he had been run over by a runaway cart, completely blindsided and given no chance to try to fix what had gone wrong. Or even time to figure out what and where it had all gone so wrong in the first place.

He couldn’t recall ever feeling so helpless and alone before.

Eventually, when Jerod started feeling a bit of a chill, he headed back inside, watching the marble floor pass by with every step. He smelled the food in his oven, and the aroma alarmed him to the condition he left the kitchen in.

He rushed inside to find the pot of water boiling over and the chicken in the oven charred beyond his capacity to consume. He switched off the oven and stove and took out the chicken, leaving the black meat on the counter. He found a stool and sat in it, watching the steam and smoke lift lazily off the ruined meal.

After a minute or two, Jerod was losing track of time, the sound of the fire alarm broke him from his musings, the smoke too much for the sensors to tolerate. With a much aggrieved snarl, Jerod snatched the offending enchantment off the wall and smashed it down onto the solid floor, silencing the alarm forever.

Jerod clenched and unclenched his fists. Eventually his thoughts returned to a perfectly usable piece of armor that would let him release his pent up frustrations against the tangible evils of this world in a net positive manner. At least there, he could feel like he was accomplishing something good.

With one last look at his ruined meal, Jerod dismissed it and headed out to the lobby to once again equip the Boedring Dragon Armor. There were monsters to kill tonight.