Chapter 83

Riley groaned, rolling over, curling up into a tighter ball on her favorite corner of the bed.

Her ears twitched at the sound of the bell ringing distantly outside.

Clang-Clang-Clang-Clang.

A moment later, nightwatchmen could be heard in the distance, "Five bells and all is well!"

"I want to sleep," she complained as Tobias snorted and blearily raised his head.

"Riley? Are you ok?" He scanned around the dark, quiet room in wary confusion.

"Five bells, I guess I was sleeping light," she replied, stretching out, arching. Pulling her forepaws as far behind her head as she could.

Moving her jaw, she licked a bit at her lips before settling down, inviting unconsciousness to claim her, only for the bed to jostle.

"You're not getting up," Riley balked.

"We were out by eleven, and I don't want Sabine to catch us unready," Tobias yawned again before tapping a blue crystal lamp.

It glowed to life. Riley shut her eyes against the luminous ferocity.

"Go ahead and sleep, Riley. I'll get ready quietly," Tobias offered like an olive branch.

"Go ahead and sleep, he says," she grumbled, pulling the kinks out of her back, "you flip on the light and start stomping around, making noise, but yeah, sleep."

"You are a grumpy beast today," he grinned mischievously.

"Sleeep," Riley dragged out the word in reply.

"You can," Tobias said, dragging the dining room table to one wall, making room.

"Evil!" She slunk off the bed, then stretched paw over paw.

"In all seriousness, I'm going to work on my sword forms, then get dressed. Rest a couple more hours. It's not like you need to do much to be presentable," Tobias yawned.

"It's fine. I'll work on my magic," She yawned while checking for waiting prompts.

Tobias shrugged as he took up a pitcher set on a small shelf under the entrance table, poured some water into a bowl, and set to washing his face.

"Do you want anything before I begin?" He asked, taking up his blade.

"Nah, I'm good," Riley closed her eyes as she heard his sword unsheath.

A moment later, she caught the sound of it occasionally slicing through the air; floorboards would creak, but otherwise, there was no sound.

"I guess I really could have slept," she yawned again, the drowsiness from the adrenaline hangover threatening to drag her down as she centered.

Pulling at her power, she grounded, only to draw again, falling into the rhythmic motion while keeping an eye on her mana bar.

Pull, ground, pull, ground, pull, ground...

The inner words rang in rhythmic cadence with the rise and fall of her paws. All was warm, safe, and comfortable, with only the sound of Tobias' blade occasionally sounding in the accent of her thoughts.

Pull...ground... pull...Her eyes felt heavy as unconsciousness draped over her like a warm blanket.

A sharp knock sent her to panicked alertness, causing her to leap as she became aware of a gap in time.

The fur on one side of her face was flattened, and just before her was a small pool of drool.

Outside, the birds were singing.

"You knock like a cop!" Riley complained as Tobias, fully dressed, answered.

"Ah, awake already, that's good," Sabine said. Balanced in her left hand was a tray with two mugs of tea set before a plate piled high with eggs and bread next to a bowl of clover and grasses. Two spears of Jogana fruit rested between the plates, drawing Riley's full and undivided attention.

"We're normally up early, and I don't want to get too out of pattern," Tobias replied warily as she sat down the tray on the out of place table.

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"Sword forms, right?" Sabine asked knowingly.

"It's gotten meditative. I like it. It helps me think and kind of sets my mind in order for the day. It also feels proactive. The better I do with a sword, the more likely I'll see tomorrow," he reflected, moving towards the table and taking a seat.

"Smart," she took up one of the mugs of tea, "Dig in, I've already eaten, and there's the matter of your orders."

"Will you be going out into the field with us, like Cid?" Riley asked, hopping over for her own breakfast, scrambling up into the seat, waiting to be served.

Tobias set her bowl in front of her before launching into his own meal.

"She's got you trained," Sabine remarked with a laugh, "No, I'm a station chief. Think of this as orientation, but in one way or another, you'll have a chief for much of your career. We're your direct report when you're in country or on a mission in the city. Normally, we disseminate orders, provide support and services, and guidance to those just entering the brotherhood," she explained.

"Which leads me to this," Reaching into her apron, she pulled out a small metal scroll case with a lock over the front of it, next, spiriting out a key that she was carrying in her dress pocket.

"You've been assigned the code name Rowan, Riley is Greenbrier, and I am Willow. They will be used on all official orders as a last ditch security measure. Secrecy is everything as a ranger, especially when you're operating in a city. Most of my greens think we do nothing but kill monsters in the wild, but it's far more than that. When things get out of hand, when the mess gets big enough, we respond and handle it. That's the core of our mission. We deal with special threats to the Ashenrealm no matter where they reside or whom they might be," she said pointedly.

Tobias only nodded as Riley kept her ears perked, "We were dispatched to Landon during training from Ranger Central."

"That will happen from time to time. It's been a busy year; for whatever reason monster attacks and unusual incidents have been at an all time high. Normally, you patrol your territory and check in every so often in a town, and occasionally, new orders will come in. Lately, though, our coms network has been getting a workout," Unlocking the case, she pulled out a scroll and unrolled it next to the tray.

"It's blank," Tobias observed, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"For now. When you're done chewing, let me see your torc and com crystal."

Tobias, mimicking his magic casting, rolled his hand palm up towards the ceiling as the crystal appeared, then removed his torc, handing it over.

"Nice trick," She observed, placing the crystal at the bottom of the scroll with the torc surrounding it, pointing away from her, "You set it up like this and..."

The crystal pulsed three times as words slowly faded into view.

ROWAN-GREENBRIER-SECURE- INVESTIGATE SERIAL MURDERS WITH CONNECTION TO THE TIMBERGARDE EVENT, ASHENVALE, PURSUE ALL LEADS, REPORT WITH FINDINGS. ESTABLISH AND REPORT ON ANY AND ALL NOBLE CONNECTIONS. WILLOW WILL PROVIDE SUPPORT AND CONTACT WITH THE CONSTABULARY.

"Well, it looks like you're going to be busy," Sabine said with a wicked smile.

"We know what caused the Timbergarde event, though. It was Chadrick; send some guards to his place in the castle, interrogate his ass, and this will all be wrapped up by lunch," Riley's ears went crooked in confusion.

Sabine regarded her as if she had two heads, "You want to storm in and accuse a member of the royal family on scant evidence?"

"What's scant about it? His familiar tried to kill us! He's guilty, a bad seed," her eyes narrowed in loathing.

"Watch your words, Ranger," Sabine warned.

"But... but...if he was a commoner or a normal second tier," Riley looked towards Tobias.

He regarded her sadly as he felt the wave of emotion hit him, the feeling of drowning in an argument.

Help.

Sabine straightened up, her look growing severe, matching her tone.

"Nobles are not commoners, and the royals are another matter entirely. You will show the proper respect. There are ways things are done, and for now, you are to investigate all angles. We know his companion has some level of connection to what happened to you in Timbergarde, but does that apply to all instances? Is there a pattern, a chain of events? If he's dirty, we'll see to it that some manner of justice is done, but one event is not enough," Sabine said, her words ringing like the slam of a door.

"We're supposed to fight monsters. I've been trained to know them when I see them," Riley grumbled.

"You're trained to succeed when all else has failed, Ranger. The monster hunting, the training you've undergone, is supposed to teach you to adapt, face impossible odds and challenges, and overcome them. We are whatever the Ashenrealm needs us to be. Right now, I've got no less than twenty three separate murders in the last year and a half going unsolved, many from families of worth and importance," She replied.

Her words made Riley itch, "Every life is of worth and importance, even the son of a bitch we aren't allowed to touch!"

Sabine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she opened them, there was a strange and weary familiarity, as if she had this conversation dozens of times before, "Look, there's what we know and the way things are. You aren't from here. Suffice it to say, the only reason this matters is due to the fact someone other than a commoner has been killed. You may not like it, but there are certain realities to how this world works, Riley, and you can either bash your head into the wall or adapt. One way will serve your goals at least partially; another will see you ineffective on any level. Make your choice."

"You do care," Riley realized, her ears perking in surprise.

"People being ripped apart sound the same, be they noble, sorcerer, or commoner. You only need to see it once before you don't want it to happen to anyone else," Sabine replied.

"I'm sorry," Riley offered.

"Don't be sorry. Be effective. The Ashenrealm is a far sight from fair, just, or kind, but you've got an opportunity to make it at least a fraction better. Don't squander that," She insisted.

"That doesn't change the fact that we've little training in investigation," Tobias mentioned, breaking his silence.

"You're going to have to learn by doing, but that's what I'm for. This isn't new to me. First off, report to the castle barracks and speak with Commander Wystan, after which you'll want to check in with the Abbot of Linnan Ealdre," Sabine guided.

Riley cocked her head at the untranslated words.

"It's a logic puzzle; you start with what you know, and you use that to frame what you don't," Tobias straightened up in his chair.

"Exactly, you see what you have, you build a theory, and you test it," Sabine replied.

"So it's like alchemical research in that way," Tobias took a long pull off his tea, "And we have business at the castle anyway."

Riley's ears perked up at that.

"Come to me if you have any problems or if you get stuck. I'll be checking in with you at least once daily. Now get to work," Sabine rose and left.