Gradually, my partitioned mind began to come to awareness. Radiating out from my core, my middle ring and my outer ring came alive first. Not yet opening my eyes, I tried to remember what had led to this moment.

Ah…

That’s right…

The explosion.

Slowly, painfully, I tried to open my eyes. Creaking them open, I was greeted by darkness. Wherever I was it, was pitch black. I couldn’t see a thing. Just beyond the range of my hearing, I thought I could hear shouting.

I blinked, slowly. My mind might have been rebooted, but I was still groggy. I was having trouble thinking straight. I tried to shift in place, only to wince with a hiss of escaping air. I was pinned under something, and in pain as well. My back underneath me felt like it was covered in burns, but that wasn’t all. Something didn’t feel right with my left arm. I tried to put that out of my mind for a moment, however. My movement seemed to cause a reaction, however. Something that was pinning me in place shifted on top of me.

A pair of crystalline blue eyes cracked open ever so slightly, from their position on my chest. They cast the smallest amount of light possible to see, allowing me to perceive a glint of silver in the gloom.

Sylvia.

That’s right…I had tried to shield her with my body.

“N-Nathan?” She asked quietly, seemingly just as groggy as I was.

I drew in as deep of a breath as I could, lying under both her heavy metallic form…

And the stone that I could now see was boxing us in. We were trapped in a small enclosed space of rubble that surrounded our bodies. We didn’t even have enough room to wiggle in place. I don’t even think I could turn my head if I tried, much less my body.

“Y-Yeah,” I let out a shuddering breath. I closed my eyes in relief for a moment. “Yeah. We…made it.”

Sylvia let her head fall back on my chest with a thump. “I see,” She said quietly. Even more quietly, I heard a whisper. “Thank you.”

I smiled shallowly, aware she likely couldn’t see it. “Anytime.”

We lay there for a moment, I think both of us basking in the fact we had survived a near-death experience. Above and outside our cocoon of stone, I heard the sound of shouting grow closer. I raised my head as much as I was able. “H-” I coughed, when I tried to raise my voice. I tried again, painfully aware of how weak my voice was. “Hey! In here! We need help!”

My unsteady shouting caused some dust from the rubble above to fall on us. But more importantly, I seemed to have succeeded in catching attention. The shouting near our position outside paused for a moment, before I heard heavy footfalls pound in our direction. “Nate!” I heard a familiar voice shout urgently. “Are ya in there?!”

I close my eyes in relief for a moment. Azarus had found us. I opened them and replied. “Yeah!” I called out to my dwarven friend. “It’s me and Sylvia in here!”

“All right!” Azarus called down to me. “Give us a mo’ and we’ll get ya out!” I heard Azarus pull away from our stone prison. “Grey! Over here!” He called.

Grey was fine then? I wasn’t sure he would be, considering how he must have taken the full force of that explosion. But I suppose all those levels must be good for something.

Before long, I heard the sound of feet come running to our position. “Sylvia?!” I heard Grey call out frantically. “Are you in there?!”

Hey. I was in here too.

I didn’t hold it against him, though. Sylvia was his daughter, after all.

Said daughter raised her head from its position on my chest. “Yes!” She called out. “Nathan and I are in here!”

Even through the stone, I was able to hear Grey let out a shuddering, relieved sigh. Suddenly, bright silver light began to outline the large slab of stone just above us. I squinted my eyes at the sudden illumination. Once it was completely surrounded, the chunk began to drift upwards, letting what seemed to be sunlight drift inwards. When it was safely removed from above us, I was able to see the ripped clothes and bloodstained forms of Azarus and Grey peering down anxiously at us. I tried to smile weakly at them but grimaced instead.

Sylvia raised her head from my chest to blink up at her father. Slowly, she pushed herself up off of me and stumbled to her feet, only to immediately be caught in a desperate hug from Grey. She returned it.

Meanwhile, Azarus was trying to help me out of the stone crater that I was lying in.

There was a small problem, however.

My left arm was crushed under another piece of stone rubble, even larger than what had been blocking Sylvia and I inside. I stared blankly at it, watching as a trail of blood seeped out from beneath the rock. The stone was completely covering my arm from view just below my elbow.

I couldn’t feel anything from that arm.

Why couldn’t I feel anything?

Oh.

Because my middle ring had dampened my pain receptors for the battle, and never dialed them back up. I tried doing so now, only to be nearly knocked out from the wave of excruciating pain that resulted from my fucking stupid decision. Hurriedly, I used my middle ring to dampen my pain again, nearly hyperventilating.

Azarus must have realized what was wrong as well, as he grimaced, staring at the stone pinning me down. He stood up. “Grey,” he said grimly, turning to face the embracing father and daughter. “I think we need the Gnoll.”

Grey pulled away from Sylvia at Azarus’s severe tone and furrowed his brow. Hurrying over to my position, he cursed when he saw my predicament. He shook his head. “No, not him. Get Honoka instead. She owes Nathan a debt, and will insist on this.”

Azarus nodded at Grey without arguing and jogged away, presumably to find Honoka.

Meanwhile, I was trying not to erupt into a panic attack, staring blankly at the stone crushing my arm. I was physically wrenched out of my panic by Grey gripping my head and turning it to face him. He met my eyes. “Don’t look at that,” Grey commanded me. “Look at me, instead.”

I took a shuddering breath, meeting Grey’s eyes. “I…” I tried to say, but the words got stuck in my throat. I tried again. “I’m…going to lose the arm, aren’t I?”

“We’ll see,” Grey said evenly, holding my gaze. Out of the corner of my eye, I was able to see Sylvia move around to my right side and reach down to grip my free right hand. She squeezed it, and I squeezed back. “Either way, I have to thank you, Nathan. You put your life on the line to protect my Sylvia with your very body, and I won’t forget that.” My mentor smiled at me, gratitude in his eyes. “It seems I owe you another debt.”

“Don’t...worry about it,” I choked out. Even using my core to tamp down on my emotional responses, some of it was still leaking through. I realized Grey was trying to distract me, but it wasn’t working.

Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait for long. Short minutes later, Azarus returned with Honoka in tow. The older woman was both visibly exhausted, and visibly ruffled herself. The prison rags that she was still wearing were even more ragged now, with rents and tears visible on them. Still, the woman approached us swiftly and began to inspect my form. She frowned heavily. “You,” She said curtly, speaking to Azarus. “Grab hold of the stone, and be ready to lift it away when I say so.”

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Azarus nodded sharply at her command, before approaching my prone form and digging his fingers into the stone holding me down. He waited there, while Honoka climbed into the pit I was lying in and crouched down next to me.

“Honoka,” I said, causing the old woman to look over her shoulder at me. “Am I…going to lose the arm?”

She studied me seriously for a moment. “I don’t know,” She finally said bluntly. “But be prepared for it if you are. Grey, don’t let him watch.”

Grey nodded silently, before gently maneuvering my head to my right. I was now being forced to watch Sylvia, who met my eyes while keeping a hold on my good hand. She squeezed it again.

“Now,” I heard Honoka say to Azarus. Suddenly, I heard the sound of the stone being lifted away by Azarus with a grunt. But…I still didn’t feel anything. “Shit,” I heard Honoka say.

“Honoka?” I heard Grey ask.

“No good,” She immediately answered. “It’s got to go.”

Despite myself, I began to hyperventilate, my eyes widening and filling with tears against my will.

I…

I didn’t want to lose my arm…

I didn’t have a choice.

Keeping one hand on my head to keep it still, Grey switched his other to my chest in order to hold me down. I think he felt my panic.

I just kept my eyes locked on Sylvia’s, as I felt Honoka chant something and a numbing sensation affected my entire left arm. I kept my eyes on Sylvia’s, as I heard Honoka take Stellarum from its sheathed position on Grey’s hip.

I didn’t look away from her when I heard the sound of the sword slicing down on the remains of my arm.

I didn’t feel any of it.

I saw the shadow of a healing spell flicker on the rocks near me, before I heard the sound of cloth being wrapped around my new…stump. When Honoka was done I felt an intense heat flare up to my side, before I briefly smelled cooking meat. It didn’t last long, though.

I think…she was burning away what had been left of my…

I shuddered.

Finally, Honoka was finished. She stood back up with a grunt, before addressing Grey. “You can let him up now.” She said tiredly.

Grey let go of me slowly, but I didn’t move to get up. I just kept staring at Sylvia. She let go of my hand slowly, to reach up and cup my cheek with her own. With a shudder, I reached up and lay my own hand over hers and squeezed. With a deep breath, I sat up and looked over at my left side.

As expected, my left arm was gone. It had been amputated by Grey’s sword just below the elbow. In its place was a stump, wrapped in surprisingly clean bandages. I stared at it blankly for a moment.

I…I swear I could still feel it. Even now, it felt like I was opening and closing my left fist.

I was knocked out of my shock by a broad hand appearing in front of me. Looking up, I saw that it was Azarus. “C’mon,” He said gruffly, but not unsympathetically. “It’s time to get off of this damned island.”

Ah. I…see.

I took the hand, and let it drag me upright. I stumbled once I was on my feet, however, struck by a sudden wave of weakness. Azarus caught me before I could hit the dirt, slinging my remaining arm over his shoulders. He was actually the perfect height to lean on, despite being a dwarf.

Grey finished wiping his blade clean of my…blood and nodded at the two of us. Sylvia came to stand next to her father and Honoka, and the five of us began to walk away from where we’d been found.

I needed something to keep my mind off of losing my arm. “How…how is everyone? Did the prisoners survive the blast?”

I could see Azarus grimace, but it was Grey that answered. “The people we came to free are all unharmed,” Grey said in a somber tone. “Lord Everfield’s stone protections were enough for them. However, Captain McGill’s crew was devastated by Leonard's bomb. Roughly half of those left after the fighting ended lost their lives anyway. Unfortunately…that wasn’t everyone we lost.”

By now, we had exited the ruined remains of the collapsed entry hall and were half way down to the docks of Caer Drarrow. There, we found a large group waiting for us.

Large, but not large enough.

“Most of Isabella’s crew was spared from the blast, as they were pursuing the fleeing Guards,” Grey continued. “But they did lose some members.”

I could see that. As we stepped foot onto the docks, I was able to see the still form of Curloch. It…looked like he had been partially crushed by a fallen rock. His corpse was being overseen by the grim figures of Morlow and Laryn.

Not too long ago, that guy had saved Sylvia and I’s butt. If it hadn’t been for him and his friends, I don’t know if we would have been able to free Honoka. I bowed my head as much as I was able to in his direction.

Rest in peace, Curly.

The unsurprisingly somber figures of Bell and McGill were standing not far from them as well. Both looked relatively uninjured, if not a bit roughed up. I exchanged a nod with Bella when she looked up, her eyes lingering on my missing arm.

Grey spoke again. “Venix is in a coma, and neither Honoka or Mr. Renauld can say why at this point. We’ll need to seek more specialized healing services for him back in the Kingdom. I’m…afraid that isn’t all, however.” We reached a section of the dock that had been set aside for…the dead. Woodrick was there, somberly kneeling next to a cloth-covered set of remains. I was still able to see the glint of gold through the cloth, however.

My heart lodged in my chest. “Aurum…?” I breathed.

Grey bowed his head. “I’m…afraid so. Young Aurum was…simply not strong enough to survive the blast. We believe that he was standing beyond the bounds of our shields when the bomb went off.” He grimaced. “The poor boy was veritably sheered in half. Dead, instantly.”

I drew in a shuddering breath and lowered my head. I’d…wanted to talk to Aurum after the fighting was over. I liked the guy, even if he had to grow seemed to be wary of me after seeing how I fought. I’d wanted to clear the air.

Now I guess I’d never get the chance.

We were interrupted by Bella and McGill approaching us. I raised my head, expecting Bella to tell us to get our asses on the Reef.

It was McGill who spoke instead.

“Me and the rest of my crew are staying,” He said bluntly. Grey frowned, but the pirate Captain spoke again anyway. “Not just because Bella’s boys messed up the other damn ships and we need to fix 'em, but because I see an opportunity here. The Guards are all dead, and this place is a damn fortress. Well, mostly,” He said, eyes flickering in the direction of the destroyed entry hall. He shook his head and continued. “I’m gonna turn this place into another pirate cove. One that ain’t as soft as Marrowmist has gotten. I’ll free prisoners that are…amendable to fill out me crew, and fix the ships that were sabotaged. I’ll have a fleet in no time. I think I’ll call this place…Freefief.” McGill seemed pretty proud of his off-the-cuff plan, and his equally nonsense name.

Wasn’t the idea of a ‘free fief’ an oxymoron?

However, Grey didn’t seem so happy about his plan. He stepped forward. “And what exactly makes you think I’ll allow you do so, Mr. McGill,” He said dangerously. “If you recall, if anyone has a claim to this island, it’s me. I helped to build it, after all.”

McGill didn’t seem so worried. He just grinned at Grey. “Cause I’m gonna offer ye what I know Marrowmist wouldn’t. Once I get up and runnin’, me and my new fleet will support yer rebellion. We’ll be good little boys and gals during yer little war, and raid all up and down Loyalist holdings. Gods know I ain’t got any reason to like the buggers.”

That brought Grey up short. I could see the indecision warring on his face before he sighed. My mentor dragged a hand down his face. “Oh, very well,” He said in defeat, waving McGill away. “If you become a problem after the war, I’ll just deal with you then. Do be on your way, Mr. McGill. Before I change my mind.”

McGill did as he was bid, but not before winking at me. “I’ll see ya around, Hangman,” He said, as he scurried away, chortling.

Uh-huh. Whatever.

Bella spoke up when he was gone. “Let’s get off this shithole,” She said tiredly, already walking to the boarding plank of her ship. “I ain’t ever want to see it again.”

You and me both…

She paused before exiting our line of sight. “The boys’ll load up the dead,” Bella said, not unsympathetically. “You just get the passengers on board.”

Grey bowed his aged head briefly in acknowledgment. “I’ll do so,” He answered, before turning to face the rest of us. “Azarus, Nathan, Sylvia. You can go rest on the Reef. Let Honoka and I-”

Grey was cut off by Honoka folding in place, seemingly unconscious. He managed to catch her in time before her head could bounce off of the docks. He sighed. “I’ll get everyone else on board. I suppose it was too much to hope that her constitution could withstand the shock of being freed from her brand indefinitely. Sylvia, if you could take her to our room?”

Sylvia nodded at her father, and picked up Honoka carefully. Nodding at Azarus and I as well, she departed for the deck of the Thorny Reef.

“I’ll be along shortly,” Grey told Azarus and I. “Just…try and get some rest. Nathan, I wouldn’t worry too much about your arm. I’ll gladly finance paying for its regeneration after you lost it shielding my daughter.” With a final nod to the two of us, Grey left to go and wrangle everyone who was leaving with the ship.

Azarus and I left for said ship after exchanging a glance, my dwarven friend supporting my weight. As we stepped foot onto the deck of the Thorny Reef, I could see the vast horizon of the sea spread out before us.

Where before I had found the sight comforting, now it just filled me with dread. It reminded me that the war…wasn’t over.

It hadn’t even really begun yet.

With the prisoners freed, the Uprising could start fighting again in earnest.

Soon, it would be time to put the Loyalists down.

Once, and for all.