We started walking down the street, away from the square where we had fought the team of [Elite Bozos]. And all around us, the rain came down, pattering and splatting on roofs if they were solid tile or thatched, dripping down onto the cobbles along with the rest. It was dragging the muck away, dust and dirt and blood; though amongst the three of us, the blood was mostly from me. It was making my hair wet, which is a pain. Luckily, my shredded clothes are still capable of fighting the weight of the rain that soaks them.
Wait, am I still decent?
I checked. I was. No slippage, although it did show a lot of skin.
The man that had approached us started conversing with Anna as we walked, I wonder if they're related or like engaged or something? He looks goofy as hells though, I don’t know what his deal is. He has a widow's peak sharp enough to put an eye out, staffed with darker brown hair. Something about his face made him look young, but he had laugh lines and crow's feet from smiling, considering he hadn’t stopped smiling, they were not surprising.
He and she talked. A familiar, somewhat casual back and forth.
I wonder what they're talking about. I can’t follow the conversation, I’m not quite there yet.
Her hand was soft, and rather tiny in mine. She kept gripping my hand as we walked, and I didn’t feel like letting go. It was a reassurance she gave me while I kept breathing, calming myself. Her hand told me, I am here, and you're going nowhere.
And I wasn’t going anywhere, not without Anna. And not just because the rain made my [Natural Senses] rather discordant. Ripples passed all around us like stones dropped through a pool as the drops of rain fell. I could still feel the aftermath of the fight ripple through me, enervating and jitters and a little bit of excitement.
Anna and our guard and or guide and or Anna’s compatriot bickered a little, I could tell it was goodheartedly, though. Even with the rain washing the scent away quickly, I couldn’t pick up any negative smells from the two.
What are they talking about, gah I can’t stand not knowing. I need to hurry up and finish learning this language.
So I walked and listened, wondering what the hells they were talking about.
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“Well, as long as you know you made it worse I can’t really push Beth. I still can’t believe they were dense enough to think a [Bone Shaper] of any kind could create a storm, honestly.” Strause griped.
“I know.” I retorted, “I’m one of the only spellcasters in the valley, and I’m utterly unheard of. I suppose that’s what happens when I stay in my house.” I huff at him.
“Yeh, it’s a pain. But, if I may ask… Did you really need to hit one of them with lightning? I mean, come on, Annabeth, you know your my favorite sister, but that’s kinda overkill. I’m surprised he lived.” Strause asked chidingly.
I exhaled, exasperated, but the cool air was refreshing after the [Barkskin] wore off. The feeling of air brushing my skin after the encapsulating bark calmed me enough to poke at him. “I didn’t Strause, how dense are you.” I chide, “It was the land, er sky, Strause. He got up after hitting his head, and bumbled into the fight, raised his mace and got struck all on his own. And I am your only sister, you dofus, of course, I’m your favorite.” I huffed.
“Truly? How unlucky. He seriously just got up, went to club you and just BANG lightning? Huh. You will probably get the blame for the storm, but I can confirm that the lightning wasn’t you.” Strause informs me.
“Confirm?” I ask, confused to his tone.
Confirm what?
“Beth you caused an incident, I am literally bringing you to the guardhouse. I know you probably want to get the day over with, but you kind of caused a stink and got accused of being a [Corpse raiser.] I have to bring you in, even if it is horseshit. Also, your friend, who everyone thinks is some kind of super revenant, so we need to check her too.”
I just have to sigh at that. OF Course! Of all the things that have happened today a random person freaking out and calling someone a [Necromancer] would be the thing that gets me brought in to talk to the guard, not ripping up a public square or supposedly calling down lightning, they want to make sure I’m not some [Shadow weaver].
The miracle of bureaucracy, input the right phrase, output a pointless thing that does not apply. At least I don’t have to wait for Father to get back or wait for the full moon or whatever.
“What a world we live in.” I sigh at it.
“Yeh, it’s somewhat stupid, but we both know that if you were a [Dark Acolyte], it would be warranted, same with your guest, dark eyes indeed if you discount the little flames in them.” He jibes.
“I mean… yah! I guess! It’s not like I could just tell you, ‘Oh hey, my guest, yeah, she looks like an undead even though she’s not, stop freaking out, Strause, Mother, it’s my choice.'” I admitted.
“You totally could have. It would have been quite funny to watch Mother freak out. It might have even been easier on your companion if we just marched over with a priest to check.” He playfully jokes. Although I can tell, it’s also a suggestion. And I rub my neck with my free hand.
“Yeh, luckily, they just need to check, and I’m here, so I can check. No giving up your secrets or your friend's secrets with an [Appraisal] stone. I can just tell if your lying, so we can do it verbally, that will speed it up too.”
“You can just tell? And let me go, I can do that right now Strause.”
“Nah, we have to wait for a guard captain to be present and verify my answer in person. It's [Necromancy] we're talking about, not a stolen sweet berry. It will take a bit when we send someone to get one, but you can just wait for him, and its inside so no more rain. Your storm, can you, I don’t know. Possibly, maybe, theoretically… cut it out?” he asked, rolling his hand at the ask. “I’m getting soaked after all. Think of my outfit Beth. Think of the starving orphans huddled together for warmth.” He asks in a pleading tone.
“I can’t, I can start it, but not end it. I can’t move enough mana to push a storm when it wants to go. It will move on in half an hour or so. You and your starving orphans can wait, besides, if I didn’t, it would have rained for way longer than if I started it now.”
He sighs, and we walk for a while in silence, just the rain and Saphine’s hand keeping me company as we walk through the darkened streets. We walk past covered carts while others party up inside taverns or huddle in homes. A few people just bicker at overhangs.
“So she’s not undead? How do you know?” Strause asks.
“The undead slow mana, she doesn’t, she makes it move like everyone else does. I knew that before I even saw her eyes. Even the team of [Clowns] were told she wasn’t an undead from the priest that they were talking to.” I told him.
“Hmm, that’s good to know. Celleus, please go bring the priest for verification.” He told one of his procession. A guard, presumably Celleus, ran off into the rain to get the priest.
“Since when have you worked for the guards, Strause?” He had never told me he worked for the guard, and he had been suspiciously free of a job when I had last talked to him.
“I don’t work for them, just with them. I’m not frequently needed, but I was nearby, and they listen to me about stuff, so I tagged along when some guards asked me to come with them. Glad I did, this would be way more awkward if I was some random guard.” He answered jokingly.
We turned a corner and arrived at the guard house. An unassuming building with a stone foot and wooden top. Stone shingling let the rain roll off into the gutters. Besides being large, it could be mistaken for a house. We walked in the front door, and I reflexively pulled the water out, tossing it behind us. Saphine’s clothes shed most of the blood that had stuck to them.
Strause waved at a female guard at the desk who noted something down and called back to someone else. Two more guards came forward, past the front desk and escorted us to the side and into the building. They guided us towards a split, but when they made to separate the two of us, I spoke up.
“I wouldn’t do that. We can wait together, or I can walk out of the front door.” I tell the two of them.
“It's standard practice to break up people for questioning.” The guard said.
“She can't speak our language well enough to question. And there are extenuating circumstances. She will not leave me.” I told him.
The guard shakes his head, “No can do, you have to be separated.” And with that, he decided to simply start moving us.
“Guardsman, I am here of my own volition, but I still have half my mana left. If you decide to separate me from my companion, I might find it in me to donate it to my surroundings.”
The guards look at one another, practically speaking out loud with their eye contact. Was that a threat? One of them nodded and relaxed the hand on the hilt of his sword.
Strause recognized the problem and stepped in. Placing a hand on the guard's shoulder.
“My sister is here on a formality and just rescued her friend here. It's fine, and I can watch them to make sure they don’t spin a yarn.”
He sighs, “All right Strause, then you can take the captins ire when he finds them together.” He let go of his sword then. Relaxing his hand from his sword, and we went left and entered a room with a bench.
It wasn’t a cell, just a waiting room. The second guard walks back the way we came and one of the guards waits by the door, presumably to stop us from running. As if we would. The guards, like the our army, had standards; and unfortunately having a stick up their ass was one of them. They were dutiful at least, which was still better than the guild.
And so we waited there, just me and Strause and Saphine, the two on either side of me. We sat close, our hands on our laps so they weren’t trapped between us. I could hear her breathing. We stayed there until Strause caught my eye, and asked me a question.
“Anna, I need to ask you about your friend. Are you sure she is… Safe to be around?” He asked.
That took me off my guard, Saphine had done nothing to insinuate that she was anything but safe. I turned to look at him, holding firmly onto Saphine’s hand, probably over protectively.
What are you thinking about Strause, and why aren’t you smiling right now?
As if in answer, he started talking, “Your friend, or more specifically your friend’s emotions, were quite volatile. There were multiple parts fighting one another, and not all of them were her. One of the parts was trying to force her to kill the big one. The [Arbalist]. She wasn’t just standing there when I came in, she was forcing herself not to kill him. And the second he was out of reach, it just left. Your friend there is not always in control.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
What like a compulsion or like someone squatting in her head? Is she being mind controlled? What does that even mean? That could be very bad, but its not like I’m going to let that push me away from her. I have enjoyed my time with her so far, I’m not just going to push her out of my cabin. It could be bad, but I just have to help her with it, whatever it is. Strause shouldn’t care though, why would he? He doesn’t know how I feel, I have a shield up, I pulled it up the moment he came out of the crowd.
“I don’t see why that would matter in the slightest Strause. She is my guest, her having some kind of compulsion doesn’t matter. I have been, and will continue to be safe.”
“Beth, we both know that’s a lie. And with Mother or Father or Clause that might fly. But just because you have a shield up right now doesn’t mean your thoughts and emotions aren’t loud. I know it, and I’m not going to bully you over it. No one can understand us right now, not a soul. Look at the guard. We can talk about it if you want.”
I blinked and, as covertly as I could, took a peak at our guard. He stood there six feet from where we sat. He looked over us as if we were siting around and boring him to death. I stopped being covert, I waved, than I stood up, I started clapping my hands no reaction.
I turned around to look at my brother, and he just nodded, no goofy grin, just solemn.
“Strause… How? What is this?” I asked, gesturing around me.
“I don’t know. There are things other than mana in this world, this is one of them. It’s a skill called [Solitude], It just passively surrounds me, and I can extend it or retract it. It lets anyone in it, generally me, just… Fade into the background, I suppose. It’s not a normal skill, most of my skills aren’t normal, I picked up a common class to hide when a mage came poking and saw no mana being used.”
Saphine looked confused at my antics and he gets her attention and signs to her. She just nods in understanding. Strause looks at her with an eye cocked before shrugging and getting back to talking to me.
“I never really got mana anyways, I could never use it like you; I found out why when I got my class and discovered I would never cast spells. Anyways, no side-tracking me yeah you can ask me later to spill. You care about her, that’s obvious, most could pick it out from your tells alone, but to me I could tell just from being near you. You just need to make sure your not lying to yourself about it. If it’s any consolation, she cares about you too, in the same way, she just doesn’t know you want it back. Oh, Beth, don’t make that face, it’s not strange, do you have any idea how many people feel the way you do?”
I gaped at him. I could feel my face flushing, my mouth flapping like a fish. I sit down on the bench again and shut my mouth.
“There, you're going to have to work that out on your own, I don’t think I can help, and I don’t think you want me to help. If you ever need someone to help in any way, I’m always here. Anyways, could you tell your love interest that I’m your brother, she seems to think I might be a fiancé with how you’re blushing.” He continued.
“Brother!” I indignantly shouted, my face flushing further. I slapped his shoulder, and he mock winced.
“That seems to have done it. I can feel a guard captain coming, so I’ll get onto the part where I give you a legal defence. Are you ready?” He asked, which at least stemmed my mortification.
I nodded, still flushed, “Yes, yes. Give me my defence.”
“If I had to guess, probably a steep fine for damages, and more for causing a disturbance, and more for ganking a [Hunter] team. Anything to add?” Strause asked while counting up on his fingers.
Did that cover everything, I messed up the ground, I hit the team, and I did cause the disturbance… Besides damages, I can’t think of anything. I didn’t kill anyone so I’m good on that, I didn’t steal anything, I doubt I damaged any monuments, just the road, so no.
“Not that I can think of… Maybe if I were a [Bonehead], but I’m not, so I can’t think of any real things.” I told him.
He nodded, “Good If you think you can fix the square, you should mention article seven, heading five, which will get that dropped, causing a disturbance only counts if it’s a disturbance in a lawfully used public forum or through way, it was not being legally used so that’s out. You did attack a recognized team of [Hunters], and you did cause major bodily harm, you would be within your rights to dispute the charges against the hunters for their unlawful activities against your ‘guest,’” He mimed with his fingers, “and you caused major harm but only while defending against an injustice permitted by the guard. Don’t let the geezer push you around. They will take the coin out of the guild.”
I… Did not expect that. It was succinct, and there were no stipulations, and I didn’t have to pay for anything.
Strause looks towards a wall before speaking up again, speaking rapidly. “We have about a minute before he gets here, so I have to reel in the skill, get Saphine here to open her eyes so we can get that out of the way. That way, the guard won't freak out when she opens her eyes.”
I just nod before moving my face towards hers and poking Saphine, she cocks an eyebrow, but I tap her eyelids lightly a few times to get her to open them. She scrunches up her face and opens eyes, squinting at me, eyebrow still raised. I mime to keep her eyes open, and she nods. I pulled my face back, we were close enough to make me blush.
Strause must have made a gesture behind me because she started smirking. I whacked my hand behind me and caught his hand. I turned around and gave Strause a disappointed look.
“Ok, uh.” He starts gesturing for Saph to look over at the guard, and she does. “Ok, reeling it in.”
The guard blinked, suddenly looking over us as if nothing had happened. When his eyes glanced past Saph he didn’t even react like it was perfectly normal.
Or I suppose like he had seen it before and not thought about it. What a spooky fucking skill you have, brother.
The guard turns his head to look at the corridor before giving a salute and standing straight, feet clanking together. “Captin.”
The captain, whoever they are, files past him and grouses, “Follow me.” And waltzes on down the hallway. We stand up and walk out of the room, following the guard down the hallway and into a room. The guard remains outside and closes the door after us, while the old man sits down at a table and gestures to the chairs on the other side.
The ‘old man’ looks like he’s in his fifties, with some salt in his salt-and-pepper hair, black and white. He’s clean-shaven with somewhat beady eyes. His expression makes him look like he’s looking at a bug. I walk over to the chair, and I sit down. He’s holding a mug, of all things, resting it on his lap.
“Why are there two of them when there should only be one?” He asks, speaking like a glacier.
“Extenuating circumstances, captain Gurtz, one of them can’t understand us and requires a medium. And the only one who knows her is the other one.” My brother replies smoothly. The captain huffs and gets a sour look on his face before slamming the mug down on the table, causing me to jerk.
“You are being questioned regarding the charges of Necromancy, aiding and withholding the location of an undead, destruction of a public area, assaulting a legally recognized hunter team, gross bodily harm, and causing a public disturbance.” He scolded, in one long continuous sentence, without breathing.
Was that a skill I wasn’t paying attention?
“I don’t practice necromancy of any kind, I have, in fact, been actively mitigating the undead for almost half of my life,” I reply, a bit of venom entering my voice.
He looks back at Strause, who simply nods, and he gets an even more sour look on his face.
How can he even move his face like that? He looks like he needs to use a pot, is disappointed with our life choices, and was just informed about his taxes.
“And what do you say about your other charges? You have caused a great deal of property damage, attacked a legally recognized team of hunters, caused a great deal of bodily harm and created a rather sizeable disturbance which necessitated the guards.”
He slammed the mug again, which had a limited effect and was more annoying than anything else.
I nod and start reciting what Strause recommended. Each point made his scowl grow until he looked like he was in physical pain.
“You have still not answered about your undead.” He said, pointing at Saphine with one hand and slamming the mug again. It had no effect on me but still made my hand holding my guests twitch.
“If she’s not an undead, it should be fine to verify with a [Priest of Life]. Correct?” he spoke. He talked like he was trying to lead me into a trap.
Did he even get a report on what happened?
“That will be fine.” I agreed.
He tapped the desk, and I could feel a ripple of mana ripple out to the door. The guard opened it and gestured for someone to come in. He looked vaguely familiar; I couldn’t quite place it. He kind of reminded me of my grandfather, just a little bit. He looked in through the door, looked at Saph and just said.
“Stop asking me about the [Saint of Death], she’s not an undead!” and stomped off. I could hear him muttering about harassing old men before he got far enough away that I couldn’t hear him.
Everyone but me starts blinking. Still looking towards the door, I could see Saph start smiling awkwardly and shrugs.
The captain starts to talk, stops, then says. “What the hells is he talking about?”
“Your hunters attacked a Saint guard captain. Can I press charges on them, by the way? They admitted to murdering my guest here multiple times.” I countered him.
“What are you talking about she’s still alive! We just covered that she’s not an undead.”
I shrugged. “They still did it guard captain. I’m sure there are people who witnessed it.”
He starts blathering. I decide to just let him until he gestures towards her, and she starts to pull into herself and look down. I decide to take a page from his book and slam my hand on the table which makes him jump.
Ha. I like that trick.
“Anything else, guard captain? Or are you going to continue blathering and making my friend here uncomfortable!” I asked, putting scorn in my tone.
He managed to choke out one last charge. It made me want to laugh, “You used a lightning bolt to almost kill one of the [Hunters].” He accused.
I looked at Strause, “I did no such thing, it was a total act of nature and outside of my control.”
He looked like he was choking back a laugh but managed to get himself under control enough to answer the old man with a confirmation. The look on his face managed to get the guard at the door, which was still open, to choke back a laugh too.
He looked like he was about to explode before he rested his head in his hands and started muttering.
“bloody lords and their shit [Hunter] teams. I can’t wait for them to cash out and fuck off.”
He takes a deep breath before placing his hands flat on the desk, gripping it like he wanted to choke the wood.
“You're Clear of your charges,” he says in a voice that sounds like he’s trying not to scream, “Get out.”
I nod, get up and tug saph up with me.
“Come, we go,” I say and march out. I get ten feet past the first corner when I hear Strause make a noise between a cry and a laugh, which is quickly mimicked by the guard at the door.
I don’t start laughing, I just walk beside my handholding guest and one of the wheels in my head, occupied by the greatest hamster alive, started spinning.
“Hmm.” I let out.
“You thinking,” Saphine told me.
I just smile as the scheme comes together in my head, “Yes, it is nothing.”
She doesn’t buy it for a second. But she just nods, scrutinizing me.
I look up at her and start grinning, “Need to give potato.”
The look on her face looked priceless. We left the guard house, and the clouds had started to move on.
I started my scheme as the sun came out from the clouds, and we walked home together.
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We went and dropped off potatoes at a few neighbouring lodges. I stayed back from them while Anna dropped the roots off and explained them. I was tucked away behind the trees and out of sight, so they didn’t get the bright idea to try and mash me with whatever weapon they had.
We left someone, who I have to assume is her brother back after we got let out of the guard house. I didn’t have a good understanding of him; he gave me whiplash. One moment he looked like he had just gotten laid for the first time, and then he was suddenly greatly serious, then a moment later, he would go back to grinning.
Anna was plotting something. I could tell. Plotting was really just doing things while keeping a secret, but nobles always insisted on using the word plot.
Or was that just in books? Well, whatever Anna’s planning, er plotting, or is it a scheme? Are they the same thing? Or is it plotting while you make it and a scheme when it's in action? I hope it works out for the best, whatever word it is she is currently doing. Tomorrow is the time for me to start looking through the valley for those little souls. I wonder what I’m supposed to do with them. Keep them? Do they just float around in me, or do I send them away? Do I destroy them when I pick them up? Because the other one didn’t feel like it, it felt like it climbed up into me and curled up for a nap.
A nap felt like a good thing, but it was close to dinner time an...
Oh NO. I looked up and saw it was late in the afternoon. The sun was closer to the horizon than mid-sky. I said the only word that I could think of. A word I had learned today. A very important word, quite possibly THE most important word.
“Fuck.”
And I called out to Anna, and she said it too. And we ran back to get dinner ready. We got back to the grove, and it was a bit of a mess, but I got to cleaning, and she got to cooking, and we managed to have some dinner before it was dark. It didn’t take long to cook meat and butter bread. We had our fill and sat warm by the hearth after, relaxing. I remembered Kindly then and his last request.
Bring it with you. It's an excellent stone. And you would bring a piece of home with you.
I suppose I do know at least one place that has undead in it. And I can't keep him waiting forever. Not Kindly. I looked at the hearth. It didn’t have a proper stone in it, just a small pit for it to rest in.
“Hmm, going tomorrow, back after, get stone,” I said. Not directly to Anna, but there was no one else there—just she and me.
“Stone?” She replied quizzically, vegetating on the chair.
I grunted and pointed at the fire, “No stone fire.” She didn’t look up, but she grunted in agreement. We waited for a while until Annabeth tugged my shirt.
“Tired?” She asked. I grunted in agreement, “Full too.” She grunted at that. I grunted to agree with her grunt, and it started a spontaneous grunt off until Anna just tugged and said, “Bed, bring me?” That brought a smile out of me, just a tiny one. I lifted her up from her chair, which elicited a squeak, and she clung to me a little as I brought her over to her room, and towards her bed. It looked so soft; I lay her down gently and went to pull back, but she clung on.
“Warm, stay.” She asked sleepily, eyes already closed.
It was so soft looking… And I was tired. I slipped into the bed and curled up. It was warm and soft in the bed, and it smelled like flowers. And we fell asleep where we fell, next to one another.
Maybe it can wait a few days…