I watched in stupefied silence as more magic circles than I cared to count covered the exterior of the barrier I’d just erected, creating sparks and surges of power the likes of which made my little scrap with Goldorath look like a squabble between your friendly neighborhood magicians.
Dang… To think she’d get here so quick! A second later and I might’ve been screwed! I waited until the lightshow came to a complete and total stop, before I unfastened my metaphorical seatbelt and got off tonight’s long and crazy ride. Which is all the more reason to get out of here asap. Because, if I was her, I’d back off after this, leave some sort of trace, then bide my time until it goes off. Which means if I leave quickly she shouldn’t be expecting it, since, ya’know, it kinda looks like I’m gonna hole up here for a bit, since I just went through all this effort to defend the place.
With that decided, I glanced down at the unconscious Captain Bunnyman and Larissa, and frowned, before I called out to Bretta. “Hey! Can I get a hand with these two?”
I mean, this is getting ridiculous. I’ve been awake for a little under a week, and this is like the third time I’ve had to lug ko'd people around!
“At once!” To no one’s surprise she hopped up from where she was hunched with all the enthusiasm of a little girl who’d just met a mall Santa she’d mistaken for the real deal, and rushed over to my side. Then she bowed. “I’m terribly sorry, I can handle the Captain, though moving the naga all the way back is beyond even my strength.”
“That’s fine. Thank you.”
I only wanted you to move one anyway. Time to see if my strength score of ‘able’ really lives up to its claim.
I sighed as I coiled Larissa’s tail around my waist like a thick and scaly belt, then grunted as I hefted the rest of her up over my shoulder before collecting my discarded staff and shield from where they lay in the clearing. I can’t imagine she’s in the most comfortable position. But she’s heckin’ heavy, covered in rough scales, frankly clunky and cumbersome armor, and generally too long to be manageable so the ol’ princess carry is off the table, dang it!
After that, I just sorta followed Bretta in auto pilot, too tired to care about literally anything else as we trudged our way back towards the village. At some point along the way, the hunters and soldiers joined our silent, and now slightly awkward, procession, through the dark tangles of the forest, where we eventually made it back to Kormath.
A loud cheer from the returned villagers spooked me from my stupor and I looked around at them in the light of several torches as they came running out to greet us.
At first, some of Bunnyman’s brigade reached for their weapons, clearly mistaking the sudden celebration for an attack, but the hunters were able to calm them before anything unfortunate happened, and before I knew it Letta came bursting from the excited crowd and tackled-hugged my knees.
Tired, surprised, and generally unaware thanks to just how freakin’ large Larissa is, I couldn’t maintain my footing and toppled backwards onto my duff, spilling snake lady every which way as a giggling fish-girl squirmed and snuggled her way closer to my face.
“Letta!”
I grabbed her, hefted her up, pulled her tight again, then froze. Letta… Letta… Shoot.
I combed my fingers through her hair, and let her simply be for as long as she wanted while I whispered. “You’re safe now. It’s all over. Everyone’s safe.”
“You did it! You did it! You’re amazingly amazing! I–I was so, so, so scared, but Alder-Craig said you were ready, and, and, and, then he did some magic on one of your spears and fwoosh! The whole cave lit up, and then and then everything lit up cause I was watching with mana sense, and then we were allowed to come out, and now you’re here! You’re here and we’re safe!”
She wriggled around as she recounted her side of things, and I gently patted her head, both to soothe her, but also to keep her from bonking her head onto my chin. “Wow, and it sounds like you were so brave too!”
So brave, yet your rambling, and fidgeting tell me just how afraid you really are… And I won’t be here to comfort you much longer.
I glanced over at Alder-Craig. He was a ways off, still in the village proper, slumped into a chair, breathing slow and steady. He met my gaze, managed a single nod and a grimly determined smile, before I stood up with Letta and headed toward our temporary home.
“Wait! What about Larissa! What’d you do to her? And the captain?”
A man with fox ears caught my tattered sleeve, and I glanced back at the shadow of his face. If I remembered correctly he was the one who conjured that stone wall that broke most of my bones during our first encounter. And his walls would’ve been no less annoying this time around, but thankfully the foliage and all the vines I wove into the ground got in the way of him creating any barricades.
“Uhh… Pretty sure they’ll be fine after they rest. I mean, we’re all pretty tired, and Larissa was possessed by a demon, but now that it’s gone she should be good to go.”
He recoiled, and several of his more alert fellows did too. “A–A demon? How did you drive it off? Where did it go? Is it still in the barrier with us? And what was that massive series of spells that struck at the barrier? What’s going on?”
I sighed. “Slow down. Deep breaths. In. And out. Good, just like that.” I shifted Letta to a more comfortable position on my poor sore arms, and once fox boy was more relaxed I continued. “First, the barrier is something the villagers and I set up in order to keep anything hostile out of the valley. It’s a simple, but effective, spell, and as you saw, isn’t so easy to break. Second, that little lightshow was your… What's she called? Ascendant?”
Fox boy’s eyes bulged and he nodded several quick times in answer to my question.
“Right. Well, the Ascendant tried to break in here, because she wanted to capture me, and kill all of you for failing again. That said, I saw this coming, and prepped the barrier to stop her, so you’ll all be safe if you stay here.”
That elicited several groans of contemplation, fear, and perhaps relief from the now much more alert soldiers, as it appeared the current topic had quickly stolen their attention from their exhaustion and pain.
“Third, the demon. From what it said and did, it was clearly working for the Ascendant, and it would’ve used Larissa and the rest of you up if your captain hadn’t made the right choice to go and save you.”
They started glancing around, afraid of the shadows that loomed long in the dark of the forest. Every rustle of the leaves from either the wind or some small critter caused one soldier or another to gasp, flinch, or yelp, but my exasperated sigh gathered them back in and tipped them off that there was more to hear.
However, before I could say anything, Bretta, dear fanatical Bretta, raised her voice and proclaimed. “But the demon is dead! Your captain and I witnessed Anon crush it in their bare hands! Glory to the demon slayer! Glory to our Savior! And glory to the creator who delivered them to us!”
Oh crap… This is annoying, but I’m way too sore to sort this out, so whatever.
Cheers erupted from the villagers, shocked murmurs from the soldiers and a silent but potent stare bored into me from Letta’s little eyes. I did my best to grin and bear their excessive excitement, but their wild questions and assumptions started to hurt in spite of my indifference.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“How did you do it?”
“Did the creator bless you?”
“Are you a messenger from heaven?”
“No! They’re a prophet! Remember? They foresaw the danger and saved us!”
“Prophet? Demon slayer? I thought they were supposed to be an Apostle?”
“An Apostle? As in one born of the garden of creation?! Anon! Why didn’t you tell us? Now it all makes sense!”
I slowly slogged through the gushing group of pestering people, brushing them off with a tired but friendly smile, and made my way towards Alder-Craig’s house so I could get some rest. For some reason they all kept touching my clothes, but since none held on or tried to stop me, I just let them be.
I get that they’re excited, and want to be closer to God, but since I’ve no idea how to help them do that I’m sure they’ll be more satisfied with whatever they come up with… Plus, it’s way past Letta’s bedtime and I’m hoping a nap will make everything stop hurting. But maybe that’s what I get for tanking an attack that could apparently kill me while pushing myself so hard… Oh well. I hope I’ll feel better in the morning.
The noise continued outside even after I announced I was just glad they were all safe and that I was going to go to bed, but thankfully it stopped when Alder-Craig scolded everyone into helping the soldiers get situated before urging them to turn in for the night too.
I quietly sat in the makeshift bed we’d been using, exhaled my stress, and that’s when Letta asked. “Anon? Are you going to leave soon?”
“I–I wha–? W–where’d you hear that?”
“I heard Alder-Craig talking to some of the others about my living situation going forward… I got worried then, but if… if you’re someone so special then… then I guess you’ll have to go, right? There are more demons to slay, and people like me, who need you to save them, right?”
I grimaced. Way to tear my heart out, kid! And holy crap! Talk about noble intentions! I was just going to leave so these nice people wouldn’t be in any more danger because of me! Not start a freakin’ crusade!
“Um, yeah, I guess there are, aren’t there?”
Then she smiled. “Then you go. Go and save them. Save them just like you saved me!” After that she nestled her face into my chest and didn’t move an inch more.
Well dang. Guess it’s decided then. I kissed the top of her head, leaned back against the wall, and allowed myself to doze off.
I don’t know if what I experienced after that can be called sleep. After all, I was still aware of my position on the floor, wrapped in furs, with Letta snuggled in my lap. My eyes were closed, sure, but every so often they’d open to remind me of my surroundings, and in between I’d see flashes of… well I guess they were dreams?
Dreams of the future, but not mine.
In a third person over the shoulder sorta scenario I watched little Letta grow up in fits and starts. In one scene she was the same little girl I was holding, in the next she looked years older, and after that she was a full blown adult.
I watched her continue her studies, awaken and grow her abilities, gain even more new ones, and become someone that the villagers relied on heavily. More than once I watched her get hurt due to those responsibilities and expectations, sometimes physically, other times emotionally, always selflessly in the name of the faith she’d found. And it helped her bounce back. Because she always bounced back, and played it off like it didn’t hurt, but I could tell it was wearing her down.
Piece by piece.
Bit by bit.
The light in her eyes that I’d unintentionally ignited went out.
And then I saw her break. Tears, self loathing, despair, the whole shabang. And all the while she was calling my name, which only made it hurt more. I tried to answer her, but she couldn’t hear me. After all this wasn’t real, and even if it was and she could hear, time had weighed her down with so many burdens that she couldn’t, and wouldn’t, reach me from beneath it all.
Eventually she got up, left the village with her weapons, saying she was going to go hunt, but never returned, not to Kormath, or to my sight.
Then my dream faded to black, with only a few words echoing in my mind. I failed her.
My eyes stayed open after that. The anomaly that haunted the skies didn’t appear, so the validity of what I’d seen was questionable at best, a depiction of my fears if I was lucky, something far worse if I wasn’t.
I whispered. “And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that I’m far from lucky.”
The sun was creeped over the glittering edge of the copper mountains on the horizon, now freshly freed of their oxidized outer layer thanks to one abrasive Ascendant. And I held the little girl in my arms, a sweet soul, desperate for someone to rely on, just a little tighter, for lust a little longer. I have to leave. But I don’t have to leave everything.
When she woke, she didn’t say much other than. “Morning.”
I noted the lack of ‘good’ in her statement, but agreed that any morning you leave someone hurting can’t possibly be good.
Breakfast was something of a feast, with everyone, even the soldiers, participating, much to their own surprise. We had some sort of boiled crustacean, eggs of every variety, various colorful veggies that I only vaguely recognized, fresh from the gardens, and yes, grandour meat. Because what meal in Kormath would be complete without it?
I was bombarded with praise, thanks, and questions the likes of which I’d never had to endure before, I think? Maybe I’ve had something like this happen, though I can’t quite remember the details. Anyway, I met them with a smile, accepted their feelings, no matter how forced, and answered as many questions as I could with a mysterious, “You’ll understand everything in due time.”
After all, if I’m going to be touted as some sorta holy curmudgeon, I may as well sound the part, right?
After that, Beretta, Corra, and Rochelle came forward, dramatically knelt and each said their piece.
“Mighty and merciful one, thank you for everything! Please, please, please remember us as you travel on, and may we meet again in the creator’s presence when all is said and done.”
“May you go in peace–ce–ce. Fear not the dark–k–k. And bring redemption to all you might meet–t–t.”
“Be safe, Anon. And thank you.”
I nodded to each, patted their shoulders, and watched them retreat. I mean, what the heck was I supposed to do there? Bretta must think I’m some sorta avenging angel, while Corra has all but mistaken me for Jesus, and well, Rochelle is Rochelle, so I’m just glad I heard what she said.
Lastly, Alder-Craig brought me a fresh change of clothes, an extra set for when the first gets dirty, a nice large travel bag and some pouches with the necessities: money, food, and a bedroll. Once I had some time to get changed, he met me outside his house, straightened up, and bowed low. “I wish you well Anon. I know not what sort of entity you might be, but there is no doubt you’re a good one. So thank you. Thank you ever so much for gracing us with your time, for gracing us at all. And please be safe on your travels. I’ve no doubt danger will follow, but I’ve no fear that you will be safe.”
“Thanks for your hospitality. I hope the little safety net I put up helps.” I shook his hand, then followed him to the edge of the village.
I hadn’t seen Letta since we woke up and breakfast started, but there she was at the edge of the forest with a smile on her face. A smile that was barely holding back the tears in her eyes.
I knelt, arms spread wide, and she came running. Just like always.
I lost track of the, “I’ll miss you’s”, and, “Please remember to visit if you can’s”, but managed to weather her storm with a smile that eventually calmed her into silence.
I poked her bony ribs right over her heart and whispered. “Remember, whenever you need me, I’ll be right here.” I touched her forehead next. “Whenever you want to see me, I’ll be up here.” Then I tapped her lips. “Whenever you want to talk, just say so, and I’ll listen.” And whenever the world gets too heavy to bear, or you feel unsure, or threatened, hold tight to this or take shelter behind it. And it will keep you safe.” Then I handed her my buckler, shoddy though it was in appearance, it warded off the strikes of a demon, so there was no way it’d fail her.
She hugged the round wooden shield tight to her chest, choking back the tears I knew she wanted to let out, but was aware she was too brave to let slip again. I rustled her hair, waved to everyone one last time, yes even the Captain and Larissa, and set out into the woods, glancing back only once to mutter. “See you around.” before I pressed on in spite of my own heartache.
To distract myself I focused on other things. For a second there I thought the Captain might say something before I left, but I guess he’s got a lot of things to work through… Probably a whole mountain of shame to climb… I wonder if he’ll notice that once he sets down his pride that the shame will vanish too? Oh well, that’s for him to understand, not for me to tell.
I followed my feet for a while and stopped for a moment at the foot of the Wise Old Friend. I patted the trustworthy tree’s trunk by way of a hello and goodbye, and pondered. “Now, where to? North? South? East? Or West? I purposefully didn’t ask for a map, though north appears to head toward Craig’s old empire, south seems to be toward the sea, west sounds like it’s got a desert, and east might be in the direction of the Ascendant… Though I really doubt she’d expect me to get closer to her at a time like this… Heh.”