Hiro took the time to make eye contact with each member of the meeting, waiting for their response.
Elder Kihei smiled slowly. “This is a terrible end... But also a hopeful beginning… for our peoples. The link… will be ready… by tomorrow evening.” Hiro nodded in thanks to the ancient Honu. He then turned to Amelia.
“At this point, my chief concern is the children. I am already liquidating my stores with Cephalus and I will travel through the portal to support the refugees. I have been working on some ideas for the food shortage. The Cura was unwilling to partner with me, but perhaps this is better in the end."
Cephalus just waved away the look, knowing that he had very little to do with their alternative escape.
Linus, the scarred soldier, held Hiro’s gaze for an intense moment and then replied, “My men, although spread thin, are moving through those that shelter in the city to find leaders among them. We are forming a militia of those willing to fight a moving battle through the streets. The Bastions will not flee, we will make our end here, and those who betrayed us will pay dearly before the day is done. Everyone not able or willing to fight will be ushered to the Grand Promenade. They do not know why they are being called to assemble, but I am afraid our plan will become painfully obvious as the day goes on. Hopefully, they will be close enough to the Teleport Hub that they can escape before we are broken. As of now, everything should be ready by tomorrow evening. We will miss all who choose to hide or ignore our warnings... but it is the best we can do.” He said gravely, his hard eyes colored with bitterness and his shoulders squared against the terrible weight of the duty that laid before him.
Hiro then turned to Cornelius, the representative of the emperor. Who had watched the reactions of the rest of those in the room carefully. He took a deep, tired breath and addressed the group,
“There are several treasures that will be gifted to this new Confederation by the emperor. The staff of the palace will also stay with the city, as will the true loyalist families. We have our own end to make. But know that you have the emperor’s gratitude, and we consider your obligation to the throne fulfilled upon the completion of this last request.”
At that, some of the hardness in Hiro’s eyes mellowed, and he slowly looked over to Tilly speaking for the first time, “Despite what others may think, there are many ways to help. It is my opinion that healing the sick only for them to die tomorrow is not a wise course of action. However, you are no one's property, what do you choose to do with the remaining time?”
Tilly considered Hiro's words carefully and the threat of assassination that was sure to follow him leading up to the escape. He looked over at Amelia, who had schooled her face to an expression of indifference, and thought again of the children huddled around her door hoping for help. He wondered, for a moment, what drove her almost desperate need to save as many of them as she could.
In the end, even if it didn't make any sense, he seemed to be the only one who could do something about this new sickness. Sure, he could tag along with Hiro and probably do some good before the flight through the portal. It was the sensible and safest action in a very dangerous environment. But 'sensible' and 'safest' had never been the kind of words he used to make decisions.
He had spent his life running into burning buildings, not away from them.
“Lord Hiro, I appreciate your offer of protection, but for better or worse, I know exactly what I need to do to make a difference in this fight. If I can even free up one parent from having to carry a sick child, and they make it out because of it… Then it's worth it. It may not be much in the grand scheme of things, but it means a lot to me.” Tilly said, matching the intensity of Hiro’s gaze with fire of his own.
Hiro nodded slowly, “Then we will be parting ways, I go to gather my people and get them as close to the square as possible. You will find us before the portal activates. Do not throw away your life saving those who are doomed. Save as many as you can, and then find us, my friend.”
“I’ll be there. Hopefully, with a thousand extra refugees in tow.” Tilly replied, a shit-eating grin cracking his serious expression.
“In that case, I must be going,” Hiro answered,
“My people and I are tasked with creating an entirely new nation, and we have a day to make ready. ” He said, before bowing to the room and making for the exit.
Following his lead, the others started to move toward the door, all going to make their rushed preparations before the operations tomorrow.
The Minotaur handed Amelia a fat purse as he moved to leave, “My people will be by later today to recover your goods, and we will care for them as you have taught us. Take care of my third cousin, sister.” Then he gave her a quick but powerful hug, which she endured with a huff, and then moved his considerable girth through the door.
Elder Kihei moved past them at a sedate pace, pausing to lay his ancient hand on Tilly’s shoulder.
“Do not throw away… what is not yours... I see in you a hunger for worthiness… you might find it in death,... but do not pay… such a price… lightly.” He then nodded at Amelia with a grandfatherly smile and moved through the door.
The remaining two Satyrs had huddled together in the corner for a few last-minute words, but seeing that everyone else had left they looked up and moved past the humans to the door. The soldier just nodded at them both, the elder servant however paused at the door and looked back,
“Seldom has an empire of our small size held two humans at once. I have always thought that a boon, but you two are a credit to your race. Remember us as what we were, not as what we have become.” He pronounced solemnly, the duties of the day taking a greater toll on him than they had on any of the others. He left the room with those words, his shoulders slumping for the first time as his pride bent before the terrible evidence of his people's failure.
“He is right, you know. When I first set up my business here twelve years ago, this was one of the most prosperous nations on the border of the Steppe. It was nothing compared to its glory days, but it still held to the ideals that made it great. No one saw such a rapid decline coming and even with the losses of the last year, there was still this sense that the empire would continue, as it always had…” some of the stiff determination she had exuded gave way to sorrow as she watched the empty doorway, before turning back to Tilly with a sigh, abruptly changing the topic.
“So, you can use that ability 10 times before your mana is exhausted?”
“That's what it says... Is there any way I can just shoot my screen over to you?”
She looked at him incredulously, as if the fact that he had been here for less than a week finally set in. “No, Some have Abilities to see part of another's character sheet, but it is extremely invasive. How long does it take you to regain your full mana pool?” She said, moving to another part of her work room, and starting to shuffle through some drawers.
Tilly gave his wisdom regen a glance and did some quick math, “probably a little over an hour and a half.”
The Botanist dropped what she had been looking at and looked back over at him in shock, “Even at level 12 that is dismally low. You must be pouring almost all of your points somewhere else.” She looked him up and down.
“It's not Strength, certainly not Intelligence…”
“...Endurance," Tilly muttered in exasperation.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
"I did what I had to to stay alive. I may have only been here for a small amount of time, but I've seen enough shit to fill a decade, and then some.”
Her incredulous expression rose into mild surprise, “At least you will be tougher to kill than anyone expects at your level. Here-” She said, pulling out a terrycloth sack from one of her pockets and handing it to him.
“I have a few tricks to help, but they are not overly powerful, so we best get started now.” The sack felt like it had a mixture of dried herbs and seeds in it and Tilly was about to sniff it when she slapped down his hand.
“Not yet, you oaf!” She sighed as he snatched his hand back, more out of reflex than from any pain.
“Do it when you are out of mana or you will waste its effect.”
Holding it away from his face, Tilly looked down at the sack and activated Identify.
You have identified a Shaman's Casting Aid. When smelled this item will provide a temporary 200% increase to the user's wisdom. This increase only lasts 100 breaths.
She had already moved past him and was halfway down the steps when he looked up from reading. She turned back and gestured for him to get moving, “Come on, we have people to heal, assassins to avoid, and no time to waste.”
He followed after the assertive Botanist as she descended the stairs brimming with renewed purpose. By the time he made it to the bottom, she was already giving her assistant orders, “Heras, please bring in the children and lock the front door.”
The minotauress moved with a grunt of affirmation towards the door and opened it, giving indistinct instructions to the children outside.
“Can you help me with this, Strength is most definitely my lowest attribute,” she said, already pushing against one of the center display tables holding several plants. Tilly moved next to her without a word and added his weight to the move, slowly shifting the table to the side, and opening up the center of the shop.
“Shame you have to give up this shop. It’s one of the coolest and most magical places I have seen so far.” Tilly said, straightening from the lift and looking around at the different magical enchantments and crystals.
“Yes, well Cephalus is giving me a family price on the goods, so it's not a total loss, but I will miss this little shop. Some of these plants have quite the story attached to them,” she said looking around wistfully as the children finished filing into the room. The process was difficult to watch as many of the more alert children had to help the weaker ones walk through the door.
“Alright children, I want you to bring the 10 worst cases to the front. Cog, that includes you-” She said as the gnomish boy immediately started shuffling to the back of the group.
“Young man, I have seen just how far that rash goes, and how you tear up every time something brushes against it.” She admonished the boy as he hung his head and reversed course to the front, grumbling the whole way. “Alright, but I'm not going first. I want to see a few others survive the smell before I try it myself…”
Some of the others looked around in fear at his words and Amelia again spoke up, handling the crowd like a pro, “Now, now. I would hate to see a member of the proud gnomish race reduced to cowering in fear behind some of these gentler peers. Why, on your intellectual integrity alone, you should be first in line to test this for the others.” She pronounced in an exaggerated tone.
Tilly watched impressed as conflict bloomed across his face, before he screwed it up in resolution, causing some more of his lesions to ooze, “Fine. Hurry up, before I change my mind.”
Suddenly the whole room was looking at Tilly again, and he was in the uncomfortable position of having to exhale in the face of a child in front of an audience. He had honestly never thought much about his breath. He kept a relatively clean mouth typically... But there hadn't been much of a chance to floss the last couple of days and-
“Come on!” Heras said, giving Tilly a healthy slap on the back. Tilly shot her a look before straightening up and taking a deep inhale, feeling the fire in his chest respond to his intentions and begin to kindle that same intensity he had felt earlier.
He felt the dip in his mana as simmering heat accompanied his exhalation and hit the boy right in the nose. The young gnome wiggled the facial feature without opening his eyes as if he felt a tickle. Then his expression relaxed into a look of surprise, “It actually didn't smell that bad guys. Kind of reminded me of the furnace in my dad's worksho-”
He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he collapsed on the floor shaking. Several of the watching children cried out and the rest just watched in horror as all the open sores on his rash began to sizzle and then smoke, releasing a horrible stench. Amelia quickly crouched down to the boy's side and lifted him in her arms, looking up at Tilly inquiringly, but all of Tilly's attention was on the small cloud of noxious fume forming on the ceiling above the boy.
He could faintly see shapes wriggling in the twists and turns of the smoke and without thinking, he imbued his right hand with a blue flame and leapt into the air, striking at the thickening cloud. It caught like a match to a hydrogen balloon and instantly the smell was gone. Tilly looked around the room as they considered him in a new light and he suddenly felt bashful again.
Once the children saw Cog breathing easily with small nearly healed scabs marking the place where he had previously sported the greyish, oozing rash, they were a lot more willing to be treated and Amelia had to shout a few times to settle down the commotion.
“Alright, so once expelled, this substance has some form of malicious sapience… Heras, you handle anything physical, so Mr. Tillman can save his mana.” Amelia directed.
“My pleasure mistress,” Heras growled pulling a maul out from nowhere and standing at the ready. Tilly couldn't help but note that it was the first time he had seen her smile.
“Mr. Tillman, if you would be so kind as to self-administer the shaman’s aid. That will keep us going along at a good pace, and please pay attention to your use of air once you take it. I believe it works off ambient mana inhalation and you can stretch it as far as you are able to slow your breathing.” She informed him as she lifted little Cog and moved him over to the side of the open space to lie comfortably and recover.
Tilly pulled the sack to his face and took a deep breath in, registering a scent that reminded him of a foggy early morning in a grassy field, still wet with dew. He felt his soul solidify slightly at the scent memory as his place in the world felt minutely more clear.
“Very good Mr. Tillman, now slow your breathing as much as possible and we will see just how many of the children we can move through before you run out.”
They did just that, setting a pace of about one child per 3 min, with Tilly able to slow down his breathing to just 3 breaths a minute, probably due to his Endurance. With only a few deep breathing breaks, He made it through the rest of the group of 20 in under an hour. The whole exercise reminded him of bottle conservation drills back in the Fire Department. They would bleed the bottles down to their last 10% of air, and then see how long they could last on what should be 3-5 minutes of breathing time.
In the end, he had bottomed out his mana and recovered it several times, making sure not to overdo it like he had last night. He did, however, finish with a throbbing headache and he gratefully took the tea Amelia handed him when offered. He looked around in quiet satisfaction at the children, all either resting or slowly coming to. They looked completely different than they had an hour ago, and Heras’ maul was covered in a fading black stain. It looked like she enjoyed the smashing much more than a botanist's assistant had any right to if you asked Tilly. But who was he to judge?
He took his first sip of tea and immediately felt a cooling sensation begin to move up his head and into his frontal lobe, easing the migraine considerably.
“Wow, thanks. This stuff is incredible.” He said, looking over at Amelia with gratitude.
“We have one day to cure as many people as possible, and it is going to take every alchemical and herbal trick I have to keep you going.” She replied, with a slightly predatory smile.
Tilly missed her expression completely as a light bulb went off in his head.
“You have a plant shop, and you have the alchemy Skill… do you by chance have an Herb Lore Codex?" He asked, a smirk curling at the corners of his mouth.
"I have become something of a plant enthusiast myself in my time here and I have made a discovery that could change Nephesh as we know it.” The smirk bloomed into a full-on idiot grin as he imagined her reaction to his achievement.
Amelia’s eyes lit up at the possibility of a new genus or species discovered on this vast plane. Even after all these years, she had never grown tired of finding something novel or new and entering it into the magical tome. She had the honor of making 9 discoveries herself in her time on Nephesh, and had to admit she was impressed that the new arrival had found something in only a week.