A few more days had passed, and the feast was upon them. Most people were happy for a reason to drink and celebrate. There hadn't been a lot of happy times since the cataclysm had happened. So despite it being for the return of Trillia, most people celebrated for their own reasons. Leadership was all too happy to let them.
Trillia sat around the fire with her family, as well as, Cordaos, Amelia, and a few of their closest friends. The conversations were mostly about old adventures or dungeons they had conquered. That shifted into the moral grey area of destroying a dungeon core or not. It went on for hours. There was dancing and singing. As the moon began to sink once more in the sky, everyone began to shuffle off to sleep.
Trillia walked next to her mother, holding her hand. Varga had left them at the fire, making sure that there were still guards stationed at the gates. Or making sure the change of guard had already slept off their portion of the revelry. Amara wasn't even buzzed, even though many of the others Trillia had seen were stumbling about or slurring their words. Trillia had to wonder if her mother had a trait or skill that made it so she couldn't get drunk anymore.
As they walked inside, Amara began to strip off her armor, equipping it on a wooden dummy she had made to hold and work on it. Walking into their tiny little kitchen, she pulled a tankard out, filling it with water using the runes on its sides. Grabbing another, she offered it to Trillia.
"Thank you."
Filling it with water herself and taking a drink. Amara sat at the table. Suddenly, it was just the two of them. Her mother was staring at Trillia, wanting to say so much but unsure how to say anything at all. Trillia sat across from her, breaking the heavy silence.
"I'll be ok, Mom. You don't have to worry about me so much. I... I think I understand why you hate the situation so much."
Amara continued to stare, not saying a word.
"From some of the stuff I have overheard. It's like what happened with you and Uncle Cord. Being pushed and bullied into risking our lives. I know they can't just fix it themselves because, supposedly, there are rules. But. Well, why are there this many mistakes in the first place if everyone is following the rules?"
Trillia spoke grimly, angry at the deities, angry at Alirast. Just... angry at all of it. Her skills not sure if they should remove these emotions or not, since they were good to have in some battles. Amara grabbed her hand, offering it a little squeeze.
"I am the Grand Chieftain. I oversee the laws of the Shattered Plains. I make these laws as simple as I can so that they can be followed without sacrificing individuality. Even so, there have been tribes in the past that have used that simple phrasing to skirt the laws. To get around or under them so that they can get more power. When that happens, and tribal warfare breaks out. I do not blame everyone involved. I only blame the ones who broke the rules, causing it to all go to shit."
Amara huffed a bit, thinking on something intently.
"I don't think Lord Darktone would ever knowingly put this realm in danger. His wife lives here. If ever they have children, they will live here. He created this realm itself. Alirast is his child in a sense. Which leads me to believe that someone else broke the rules, that someone else messed everything up. He is left to try and fix it, along with, Alirast and his pacts."
Trillia lay her head on her other arm, staring into her mother's eyes.
"I don't like what Alirast did. I never will. But I think... I think it's just trying to protect itself and everyone else. The way it sees things is the sacrifice of a few thousand is better than billions."
Trillia didn't really understand that word. They had a brief discussion on the way back to town when she learned she had millions of mana. Billions must be higher than even that. Trillia ran her fingers along the cloth her mother wore around her wrists. The same place she latched her bracers.
"Something in my head. Is telling me to go to Kincairne. Every time the word comes up, something pulls me to it. Even now, sitting inside the city, my skin crawls. Demanding that I leave and pursue knowledge. I can feel the tug of spawns in so many directions, urging me to seek them out and destroy them. Will any of that ever go away?"
Amara took another drink of her water. Silence filled the air between them. Trillia figured that couldn't be good news. Amara finally blew a heavy sigh before answering.
"No. It doesn't. Even now, my brain tells me to seek out the other pacts. To go to Kadessa to visit the Queen. It tells me where the primordials roughly are. It tells me that we have a few years before things get really, really bad. Maybe more before they wake up themselves."
Her words were solemn, almost a whisper. Grabbing Trillia's hand, she forced the two to stare at one another.
"Promise me that you will never betray your people for the sake of your duty."
That caught Trillia completely off-guard. She felt her mother's grip tighten, her eyes darken. Fear could find no foothold, so she spoke calmly.
"I will do my best to protect our tribe and the rest of the realm. If...if it's a choice between just our tribe and all the rest of the realm. I don't think I could make that choice. I would never want to make that choice."
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Amara let go of her hand, and Trillia quickly pulled it back to her side of the table. Amara seemed even more sad and depressed now. She stood and walked over, placing a kiss on the top of Trillia's head.
"Do your best, sweetie. That's enough. The two of you will leave in two days. I look forward to seeing you off and of hearing tales of your victory."
Amara gave her a weak smile before she moved to lie in bed, her back to Trillia. Trillia didn't understand it all. It was as if... as if her Mother was two people now. As if she saw Trillia as two people as well. One is her daughter and a member of the tribe, and the other some foreign invader that must be kept under watch.
Trillia said nothing else. Sitting there at a table for a few moments more before she pulled herself up and moved off to sleep as well. Was the question asked because Amara had been forced to fight her own tribe? Was she worried that Trillia would be forced to attack them or that Amara would be forced to kill as her enemy?
Once more, her skills worked overtime to calm her down.
-=- Two Days Later -=-
Amelia and Trillia stood at the northern gate. Both carried packs with provisions, some healing potions, and things of that nature. Trillia wore leather armor, lovax plates strapped to her shoulders and forearms. All of it dyed a dark red that matched her skin. A simple iron rapier at her side. Amara was going over her armor, making sure it was strapped properly, double-checking her provisions. Trillia smiled.
"It's ok, Mom! We'll be back before you know it!"
The trip would be about two months. A short time compared to how much time she had just spent trapped in that pod. Honestly, Trillia was happy to be out of the city. Something about the tall walls made her feel even smaller, trapped. Like some tiny critter waiting for the world to gobble her up. Everyone gave them hugs and went over a checklist, making sure they had tribute. Things they had gone over a hundred times in the past couple of weeks.
But, Trillia knew it was because they cared. She and Amara hadn't spoken since that night. There was an air between them that felt heavy. She could sense the same wariness from Uncle Cordaos as well. She knew it had to be something to do with them being [Pact-Bound], but she couldn't get any information out of them regarding it. Tormash and Ba'Shoon approached her. Tormash extending a small book in a metal contraption. Ba'Shoon was hugging his other arm with a smile on her face.
Trillia took the book, running her stump over the cover, looking at them curiously. Ba'Shoon spoke.
"It will hold the book open for you. It has. It has a few entries in it regarding some of the enemies in the area. Tormash used some [Naturalist] skills to give you a heads-up if you wanted it. The quill is enchanted to never run out of ink. The book itself is almost entirely liquid-proof. This way, you can journal your thoughts, as well as take notes on the dungeon."
Trillia smiled at the book, holding it to her chest with her left arm as she unlatched a pouch on her right side. Finally transferring the book over. She walked up and hugged them both. Tormash spoke ever so softly into her ear.
"She who fights and runs away may turn and fight another day. Be cautious. It is not just your life in the balance anymore."
Trillia nodded solemnly as she pulled away. Taking a deep breath, the two of them set off. Amara was the first to start it, startling everyone a bit. A large hammer slamming into the ground rhythmically. Others joined in. Amelia and Trillia both wore massive grins, turning to cheer and pump their fists.
You're now under the effects of a [Warband Chant] for the next 2 weeks.
Trillia smiled as they got further away from the city, and the thumping slowed. Looking up to Amelia.
"Thanks for having me along. I hope I won't slow you down too much."
Amelia only grinned, pulling out an instrument that Trillia hadn't seen before, strumming a few notes.
"Are you kidding? With you around, we don't have to worry about mana, pretty much at all. It means we can stay topped off with skills and spells. In addition, we can go all out during combat. We'll want to be careful, as I'd wager I can still get mana sickness from too much mana healing. But it will make our lives a lot easier, that's for certain."
Trillia was happy to hear it. She looked down at her outstretched arms, flexing her hand and looking at the stump. It was a very serious handicap in a fight. There wasn't a good way to fix it. They had tried to give her slings with blades on the end, but even other veteran orcs that used such things. Told her that they were mostly useless. It was better to just have heavy armor on the stump and use it as a makeshift club or shield. The lovax shells used to give her bracers were enchanted on that side. She'd have to learn to fight using it as a shield.
The sparring in the previous weeks had gone a long way toward doing just that. But there was a big difference in sparring compared to fighting something trying to kill you. As Amelia sang and buffed them for the walk, Trillia set her maximum mana to what it was now. So that Amelia's was always topped off. Better to see if she got mana sickness now, right outside of the city where it was safe. Instead of in the middle of a dungeon surrounded by enemies.
While they walked, Trillia pulled out the book her brother and Ba'Shoon had given her. Trillia opened the first page and saw a small latch on the bottom, she pressed it, and the metal contraption gently clamped the edges of the pages. Another button flipped one page forward, and another still flipped one page back. She smiled deeply at the thing. The first page was not a creature but a message written in her brother's handwriting.
~Dear Trillia,
I hope this book is filled with amazing adventures for many, many years to come. I haven't told anyone but Ba'Shoon. I trust you as well. There will come a time, very soon. That I split off from mother and the united tribes. I wish to create an orc city, not something with high looming walls, but something that allows us to live and be free. That lets us choose our own destinies instead of being forced into combat classes again and again with no room for hobbies or happiness. I tell you this because I want you to know. That no matter how bad things get or how divided our people may become. Ba'Shoon and I will always love and care for you. You will always have a place in my tribe. Good luck in the dungeon. I have faith in you, Trillia.
Love, Tormash.
P.S. This is Ba'Shoon. I have some ideas for your arm. I'll work on them while you are in the dungeon. Kick ass and take names! See you soon!
Love, Ba'Shoon.
Trillia smiled, tears forming in her eyes. She pulled the book up and kissed the message softly, unlatching the pages and allowing the book to close. She took a deep, steadying breath, looking up to Amelia, who was fiddling with her instrument. Maybe striking off on her own wouldn't be so opposed. Maybe she could convince everyone she'd be ok.
It was no surprise to anyone she hadn't felt like she belonged. Now it was even more bizarre. Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she began to hum along with Amelia. She'd enjoy this trip, enjoy this last little sliver of her homeland before she found a way to leave.