Something is chasing Esther. She attempts to run, but the virulent green fire that is all around her won’t let her go.
She is trapped.
She can’t move.
She—
Esther cried out as she woke up, sitting up and gasping for air. She wasn’t trapped in the Qlippothic Realm. She wasn’t trapped in that pillar of burning, green light…but that same light was still glowing all around her. She realized she was in some kind of…
“Magic circle?” she whispered, seeing the interconnecting lines and circles, the geometric patterns. It all throbbed with a lurid, green light.
The same light. The same energy Kano had trapped her in.
Esther drew a long, ragged breath as panic tore through her. She remembered the troll attack in the woods. She remembered her brother carrying her out—or fragments of it, anyway. She remembered voices murmuring over her. But where was she now? Had she been captured once again by Kano and his foul, cruel master? What did they want with her? When were they going to be through…
“Esther Callahan, shush! You are fine!” a voice hissed from a dark corner of the room.
In truth, Esther wasn’t sure if the sight of the six-foot-tall snake-man with gleaming eyes made her predicament better or worse.
“Sesuuk?!” Esther stammered, her scream aborted, but her heart still thumped. “Where am I? What is going on? Where’s Finn?!” She moved into a crouch as she looked at the glowing lines. Something instinctively told her not to cross them.
“Child, everything is fine. You are fine. You are being healed, with your brother’s blessing,” Sesuuk said, stepping closer to the light. His eyes looked over her hungrily, as if inspecting her.
“Finn agreed to this?” Esther’s voice was small. She couldn’t quite see her brother agreeing to put her back in a similar situation to one that she had only just managed to get out of. She had been kidnapped by Kano and held in a burning pillar of green light for months, perhaps even longer, and all she remembered were hazy visions of terror and pain.
Maybe he doesn’t trust me now. Panic spiked through her. He had seen what she’d done to Kano, and what she had done to that troll. Esther remembered his look of shock at the power that spilled out of her…
“Yes, he did. But you are no prisoner, child,” Sesuuk said, waving a hand for his blackened claws to scatter green energy from them. The circle slowly started to fade until it disappeared with small puffs of steam.
Esther remained exactly where she was for a long moment before she picked up the courage to speak. “You say this was healing me?” she asked doubtfully.
“Yes, yes. All agreed by the best minds in Blackwood.” Sesuuk had already turned to the heavy wooden benches at one side, where he was pouring bubbling contents from one vial into another before adding a few drops of something else. “You contain, as you know, qlippothic energy—a form of dangerous magic, if you will—and we have devised a method to keep you safe, to heal you of this energy.” Sesuuk beamed at her as he offered the bubbling draught to the human woman.
It was quite disconcerting when a human-sized snake smiled at you, Esther thought. She hopped gingerly out of the circle, feeling a little stiff but otherwise fine. Taking the vial, she hesitated and looked at it dubiously.
“This is going to help? It looks like Alka-Seltzer on steroids.”
Sesuuk smiled and nodded. “I have no idea what potion from your old world that was, but I am sure that it was powerful! Now, yes, drink up. This will make you feel stronger.”
After another moment, Esther took a sip.
>
>
> Health restored.
>
> Stamina restored.
>
> Mana restored.
>
>
Instantly, Esther felt a surge of energy run through her body. She swore that her vision even became sharper, and she could feel an electric strength humming through her brain.
“Okay. Way more powerful than Alka-Seltzer.” She whistled appreciatively.
“You will need more. Keep drinking!” Sesuuk encouraged her, turning back to start tidying away his things. He prepared small sachets of what looked to be green crystals and sorted them into wooden boxes on the shelves.
Esther did take another sip, and once again felt a surge of power run through her, and with it, the feeling that almost anything might be possible.
“My brother… Where is he? Do you know what is happening to me?” Esther asked.
“He has traveled to our sister city of Malvas. You have never been to Malvas, have you?” Sesuuk asked.
“No, but I want to. Maybe I should follow him… Tell him that I’m fine now, see if I can help. He is always telling me that I need more experience in this weird world…” Esther frowned and blinked. She brought up her inner Celestial Inventory and focused on her personal stats, like Finn had taught her.
> Esther Callahan
>
> Level: UNKNOWN
>
> Profession: UNKNOWN
>
> Renown: High (non-local)
It still didn’t make any sense to her.
“How can I say I have high Renown when I don’t even have a level or a profession?!” she asked Sesuuk, taking another sip of the healing draught and groaning appreciatively.
Sesuuk shot her a quick glance over his shoulder. “Sometimes, the Celestial Engines are like that. They take time to update, to assess your skills and abilities. Perhaps it was being taken into the Qlippothic Realm so quickly when your old world was assimilated… It might have… confused the engines,” Sesuuk said, his forked tongue licking at the air before turning back with a satisfied smile on his scaled lips. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Your stats and abilities will become apparent the healthier and stronger you feel. However, I strongly advise you not follow your brother to Malvas. This is still early days for your treatment, and it would very unwise to travel out into the wilds on your own.”
Esther winced. She didn’t like the idea of being so far removed from Finn again. They had only just found each other. What would make him take off to Malvas and leave her here after she had collapsed? “But why did he go? Was it something important?”
Sesuuk’s forked tongue flickered out again. “Very. He was very…upset over the qlippothic energies inside your body, and he decided to go to Malvas to speak to others who might have more experience of them.”
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Esther felt a shard of ice creep into her heart. She suddenly saw her brother’s aghast face again, looking at her in horror as green fire spilled from her hands.
“He… He is worried about me? About what I contain?”
He thinks I am dangerous a threat to everything he has built here.
Sesuuk’s tone was gentler when he spoke, but it was still as cold-blooded as he was, “Yes. He is worried, Esther. But you must understand that he is a Realm Founder now. He has many great responsibilities to his people here.”
His people, not ‘our’ people? Esther felt a chasm open in her chest. Did Sesuuk think that she was a danger too? Was everyone in Blackwood scared of her?
“Rosa. Did she go too?” Esther asked, looking up to see that the prophet’s eyes were on her, sharp and glittering.
“Yes, she did. As did the Verdainian and Sister Alharrow. That group in particular have been through much. They are a strong unit,” the snake-man said.
You mean they all think I am a menace to society? Esther’s earlier confidence was shattered. She just wanted to go home, back to the wooden chalet that the Blackwood mayor had donated to her.
Laurie Marr, Esther thought as an idea struck her. The Tierran woman was stern, but she had always appeared fair to Esther, even kind. It was clear that she and Finn had a deep respect for each other. Maybe more? Esther didn’t know, but she did know that Laurie would tell her completely straight how people felt about her in this large town, and she wouldn’t be cruel about it.
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Sesuuk, but there was something about the Lamakai that made her feel a little uneasy. It felt like he was always planning several steps ahead but not telling anyone what those plans were. She hoped she wasn’t just being bigoted about the fact he had scaly skin and cold blood.
“I should go home, but thank you, Sesuuk. Thank you for helping me,” Esther said.
Sesuuk nodded and gestured to the door. “Of course you are free to go. You should be much stronger now, but if you can come back in the morning, I will have another healing brew for you, as well as a few more little enchantments and restorative magics that will help you recover completely,” he said.
Esther nodded and promised she would be back. She would do anything to rid herself of whatever evil Kano had put into her veins.
Her thoughts heavy and heart troubled, she found her way out of the shrine. She passed two Lamakai guards in the entrance foyer, who slid their eerie eyes toward her and tasted the air with their tongues.
“Er…hi?” she said, but neither snake-person said anything or challenged her as she hurried outside. She found that evening had already come and gone, and there was a full night of stars hanging overhead.
How long was I down there for? Esther had no idea. She couldn’t gauge how tired she was, because the healing draught had completely wiped out any fatigue. If she hadn’t been worried that Sesuuk was right—that she might need more potion or that Finn didn’t want her coming after him to Malvas—then she felt like she might even have enough energy to take to the roads herself.
No, Laurie first, she promised herself. She let her feet wind their way through the generally quiet Lamakai quarter—with its weird stone sculptures and creepy little chapels—as she headed for the town center.
There was a glow coming from ahead of her, and she figured there would still be people in the town hall, and probably Laurie herself. The woman was a hard worker, a very hard worker, and that was something that Esther could admire.
Just like Finn, in a way, she thought. Esther had always been the first to lose her temper out of the two, while Finn brooded and bided his time. The upshot was generally that Esther’s tantrums were usually loud, volatile, and vanished quickly, while Finn’s were deeper and had far more impact.
How many homes did we have to leave because Finn finally lost it with the host foster caregivers? Esther allowed herself to smile a little as she remembered her brave older brother, even when they were young…
Her steps had taken her out of the Lamakai Quarter, and she was making her way back around the edge of the River District when she heard something. Probably a rat scurrying in the alleyways created by the tall stone-and-wood buildings.
After a moment, she heard the noise again. This time, it came as a group of noises, such as a whole gang of rats or some feral cats or…
Esther felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. Suddenly, she felt like she wasn’t alone out here in the dark, and it scared her.
I don’t know if Blackwood has muggers, but they’ll have another thing coming if they try ME! She grimaced as she spun around, her hand moving to her belt.
Drat. She didn’t have her knife on her. Finn must have removed it when she had fallen ill. She clearly didn’t have her quarterstaff, either.
It didn’t matter. It wouldn’t be the first time she had shown some useless guy the business end of her boots, would it? She glared at the dark alleyways around her, daring any would-be thief to try their luck.
There was no one behind her. No one was lurking in the shadows back there, and she held her chin up as she turned back to her path.
“Oh!”
There was suddenly a figure standing before her, standing motionless like a statue. It was too dark for Esther to make out their features.
“Hello? What do you want?!” she asked imperiously. Despite that she’d been told that Blackwood didn’t have a criminal problem, and everyone there knew each other and worked for the good of all, Esther thought that every large town would end up having its fair share of people who preyed on others. Or who tried to.
And Esther, having spent as much of her life on the streets as in foster homes, knew how to deal with them. She knew that you couldn’t show any fear. You had to show a front of total strength.
“Who are you!” she demanded, striding forward and ignoring the anxiety that threatened to weaken her knees.
The figure before her wore a dark cloak, looking like a pillar of shadow, but as they raised their head, Esther caught the gleam of their eyes within the hood.
“Esther? Esther Founders-Sister?”
The voice sounded male and a little strange to her ears. She wasn’t sure if she’d heard that accent ever before.
“Who are you?!” she repeated. Esther didn’t answer their question. They already knew who she was, which meant that they had sought her out. Maybe even followed her. She wondered how far it was to run to the lighted part of the city. Not far. She could do it.
“You are she,” the figure said, then they were moving, standing up a little straighter so they reached a full but narrow 6’5”. Their hood fell back to reveal pale, pastel-blue skin.
I’ve never seen this race in Blackwood before, Esther thought. What did that mean? Did these people come from Malvas? Did they come from that Termulain place everyone here was so worried about?
“It’s rude to not introduce yourself!” Esther narrowed her eyes. “If you don’t get out of my way, I’ll go through you,” she said severely, forcing herself to take another step.
There was a metallic hiss and a glint of steel as the man drew a curved, wicked-looking dagger. “Esther Founders-Sister. You pose a terrible danger to this realm, and all realms. I have been sent to put a stop to that,” the man said.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, threatening me?!” Esther snarled, freezing where she stood and starting to edge one of her feet back. She might be able to run back to the Lamakai Quarter, to Sesuuk. He was a powerful prophet, wasn’t he? Level twenty-something, maybe thirty, right? “You stay back! I’m not any kind of danger to anyone!”
The blue-skinned man took a slow step forward. “Oh, but you are, Esther. I know what you are. I am sure there are some here who are starting to guess exactly what you are. A threat. A curse. A sickness that must be cut out!”
The man lunged forward faster than Esther could have thought possible. As he moved, his entire arm and the dagger itself appeared to shimmer.
Powers. The man has powers.
Esther desperately tried to duck, but she was too slow. She was sure that she was about to feel the cold, hard steel plunge into her body, but instead, she felt the sudden thump of a strong arm as her blue-skinned attacker reached out to grab her and drag her toward him.
“You will die, Esther Founders-Sister, and then we will all be free!” the man hissed into her ear, raising the knife as Esther felt anger and terror mingling in her gut.
“Hoi! What’s going on there!”
There was a shout from down one of the alleys, followed by a sudden glow and running, booted feet. Esther saw two members of the Blackwood Guard racing toward her, their lanterns held high in one hand as the other struggled to pull their clubs.
“Let her go now!”
“Drop your weapon!”
The man holding Esther hissed and half-turned. Esther grabbed his wrist and bit down hard. This was another skill that she had acquired back on Old Earth. The man yelped as she leaped away, all of her fear now blooming into anger.
>
>
> You have struck your attacker for 26 points of damage.
>
>
“You must kill her!” the blue-skinned man shrieked as blood ran down his wrist.
“Drop your knife!” a guard shouted.
Esther turned on her heel.
How dare he?! How dare he touch me? Attack me?!
Fury controlled her as Esther reacted, howling in rage as she stomped forward and thrust her hands out in an instinctive gesture. Green-and-crimson fire, toxic and burning, raced down her arms and burst out of her palms, engulfing the street all around her…
…as well as the two guards as they looked up in alarm and horror.
For a split-second, Esther enjoyed seeing the two bodies turn black and writhe, but in the very next moment, she was horrified. The fire suddenly left her and she staggered back, panting and exhausted.
>
>
> You have defeated a Level 10 Blackwood Guard. Experience awarded.
>
> You have defeated a Level 10 Blackwood Guard. Experience awarded.
>
>
“I don’t want the damn experience!” Esther hissed.
There is a skitter from the rooftops, and she looked up to see the flap of a dark cloak. Her assassin was somehow fleeing the scene over the roofs. Esther had no anger or energy left to go after him. Before her were two dead bodies of Blackwood’s finest. Esther looked at them and then at her hands.
What have I done?
WHAT HAVE I DONE?!
She stared in dim panic for a moment. She knew no one would believe her. No one would forgive her. She was a danger. She was a threat.
Esther Callahan, Founders-Sister, turned and ran.