After Gamma shared Rory's memoir with Thepa, the two agreed confronting Rory was the best course of action. They didn't have to wait long as Rory returned to the city just two days later. As usual she made her way to Thepa's study. When Rory entered the room, she was surprised to see the two of them together. Confused, she addressed them with suspicion.
"What's going on? Gamma, why are you here? I told you to stay in Wildehaven."
Thepa stood up and took a few steps toward Rory. With a slight smile, she clasped her hands together trying to be gentle, yet firm. "We love you, Rory. That's why we're here. We want to help you."
"Okay..." Rory responded while her green eyes shifted between the two of them. "Am I in some kind of trouble?"
"You're not in trouble," said Gamma, joining Thepa's side. "We're just worried you're going to do something rash."
"Rash?" Rory asked incredulously.
"We're worried you might get yourself hurt." Or killed, Thepa thought.
For the moment, Rory said nothing. Thepa could see the wheels turning in her head, but her friend continued to stare off in the distance. However, the second a look of recognition crossed her brow, she took a step back, folded her arms, and washed all emotion from her face.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Rory said defiantly.
Thepa and Gamma exchanged a look, both afraid of what would come next. Thepa knew they'd have to trend carefully, but as Gamma looked down at Thepa's satchel, Thepa saw no other action. After a few moments of silence, she took a deep breath then slowly reached into her bag and pulled out Rory's memoir. From there, things turned catastrophic.
Rory rounded on Gamma. Her voice rose in anger while her face flushed with indignation. "What's the meaning of this? Why do you have my book? This is an invasion of my privacy!"
To her credit, Gamma stayed calm. She grabbed Rory's book from Thepa and held it up as a peace offering as she repented of her inequality. "You're right, Ms. Rory. I do not excuse my actions and I will serve my penitence for them. However, that does not change the fact we know what you're going to do."
"You know nothing!" Rory boiled ignoring the book. Instead, she stormed towards the door, trying to leave, but Gamma moved in front of her, effectively blocking her path. Rory's face contorted as she glared at Gamma, her eyes blazing with anger. "Move," she spat.
"Not until we talk," Gamma said refusing to budge. The two women faced each other, neither willing to back down.
"Perhaps some tea," Thepa suggested. She moved towards the teapot, but Rory ignored her. Instead, she made a second attempt to leave, but as Gamma blocked her a second time, Rory shoved her into the door post. The sound of Gamma's body smacking against the frame echoed across the room, causing Thepa to drop the teapot and send it crashing into the floor.
"Rory!" she shouted in shock.
Gamma winced in pain but still held her position. Hurt radiated off her face, desperate to maintain composure. "That...hurt Ms. Rory. You should apologize."
For the briefest of seconds, Rory looked like she might. Her face betrayed her, softening into empathic concern. However, just as quickly, it faded returning the old Rory with a vengeance.
"No," Rory refused.
When she did, Gamma's frustration boiled over and she threw Rory's book on the floor. "Coward," she said.
Rory gritted her teeth. Thepa saw her subconsciously reach for her weapon and knew the situation was almost beyond the point of no return. She knew she had to stop it, but was powerless to do so. All she could do is watch as Rory issued a final ultimatum.
"One more word, Gamma, and I will terminate you. Now move."
"As long as I serve the Goddess," Gamma replied, "I will do what's right, even if I have to save you from yourself.
"Fine," Rory responded matter-of-factly. "If that's what you want, it can be arranged."
What happened next both terrified and confused Thepa. In a flash, Rory snapped her fingers and a mask appeared out of nowhere. She put it on and as she did, blinding light flooded the room temporarily robbing Thepa of her sight. When the light dimmed, everything about their situation changed. Gamma was on her knees in prostration. Rory floated a few feet off the floor surrounded by a soft pulsating glow. When she spoke, a voice of a god sang to them, moving Thepa's soul. She felt a strong desire to join Gamma on her knees, but managed to keep standing despite the way her cloven hooves knocked into each other.
"Gamma!" Rory's voice sang. "Gamma, you have displeased my priestess." Gamma sobbed on the floor, crestfallen and crumpled. Thepa didn't know why, but tears started to well up in her own eyes.
"No, my Goddess. I love her. Please hear my plea, oh merciful Chandeidra. I seek to save her."
"Silence Gamma," the voice sang. "Your disobedience must be punished, Gamma, Therefore, I banish you. You will leave my priestess and your place in the temple."
Gamma groaned like a wounded animal. Deep, gut-wretching sobs escaped lips as tears flooded her face and onto the ground below. Thepa desperately tried to speak up, but she could only grunt unintelligible vowels.
Just as quickly as it had appeared, the light vanished. Rory snapped the mask out of existence, releasing Thepa from its grip, while Gamma lay sobbing on the floor.
"Go," Rory said, her voice cold and sharp, breaking the tense silence. Thepa could feel the weight of anger and disappointment in her tone, and in that moment, she realized things between them would never be the same.
Gamma painfully picked herself off the floor with slow deliberation, her eyes cold and lifeless, her spirit broken. Thepa's heart cried out to the woman, but before she could do anything, Gamma's defeated body ran from the room, slamming the door in the process.
Once the door closed, Rory's eyes moved from its frame to Thepa's trembling form. Terrified at what her sister had just done, Thepa took a step back. She tried to find words as anger rushed through her body, but shock rendered her speechless.
"Sorry you had to see that," said Rory with a slight hitch in her throat. Then, just as Gamma had done moments earlier, she walked out the door without looking back. Feeling utterly alone and abandoned by her sister for the first time in her life, Thepa collapsed to the floor and sobbed.
In the three months since, the two of them barely spoke. Every new mission, every meeting, only served to push them further apart. When they did speak, Rory's responses were short, punctuated sentences that stung Thepa's heart much like the arrows she shot in target practice to let out her frustration. More and more she found her blue eyes staring at the multicolored circled targets in a vain attempt to find joy, but even that had lost its luster. Instead, it only served to remind her of a relationship that was damaged beyond repair as she constantly saw Rory's penmanship etched across the rise.
To my one True Sister, may you always find your mark.
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Still, despite everything, Thepa held out hope for the future. She brought her bow on every mission, hoping for a chance to subtly show Rory that she hadn't given up on their relationship. Even now, the bow sat next to her as she sat in the council room with the rest of the team, studying the mission briefing.
Draco and Einkidi had gathered intelligence indicating that the goblins were planning something big in Bellemouth Abyss, near the Lightmount-controlled ionic crystal. The report detailed the movements of high-ranking goblin officials in Bellemouth, which the two believed to be significant. They had attempted to get themselves assigned to the area, now polymorphed as goblins, but had been unsuccessful. Nevertheless, they managed to gather a wealth of information, which now sat before them.
As she watched Rory's green eyes move back and forth across the briefing pages, Thepa couldn't help but wonder what was going on in her friend's life. Claudia was no help. Rory had cut her Sister off as much as she had cut off Thepa. The two of them even tried a second intervention, but Rory had made sure she was never around outside a mission. Instead, she found her halfling friend spending more and more time alone, isolating her even further.
Please talk to me, she thought. Don't end our friendship; not like this.
Instead of voicing her thoughts, Thepa addressed the room.
"Thoughts?"
Lily leaned back in her chair, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Why can't we ever get a simple smash and stab mission?" Thepa couldn't help but smile at Lily's comment. It was a small but welcome moment of levity in the midst of inner turmoil.
"Any constructive thoughts?"
As the silence lingered, Will finally spoke up, his confusion evident. "So, what exactly is our directive here? Are we just supposed to gather intel?"
Thepa could feel her unease growing, and she hesitated before answering. "That seems to be the gist of it. Find out what's going on and if it can be dealt with, we need to deal with it."
Sister Vivian chimed in, "So, we will need to be stealthy?"
Thepa nodded, "Yes. We'll need to teleport to the Lightmount controlled ionic crystal, head to Bellmouth Abyss, find the cave, quietly eliminate the guards, and make our way inside without being detected."
Will shifted in his seat, "I don't see any other possible plan that could work. This whole thing stinks worse than a recruit after a week in the field."
Thepa ignored the comment, but secretly she agreed. There were too many ways the mission could go south. "Right. It should be about an hour hike from the ionic crystal to Bellemouth Abyss. Once we find the entrance, we eliminate any guards before they can sound an alarm. If they do, we retreat. If not, we move inside. Once in, we find anything that looks like a threat and either eliminate it or get out of there as soon as possible. Any questions?"
When nobody said anything, she pushed them forward. "Alright, Rory, you're on."
Without a word of acknowledgement, Rory started the ritual, performing the movements with her hands and chanting with her voice. A pang of sadness once more crossed Thepa heart. As the final burst of energy surrounded them and they vanished into thin air, she thought about how much she missed her friend.
The group arrived without incident. Thepa consulted her map and deduced that the cave was situated north of the rocky hills ahead of them. As the group set out in that direction, they walked in silence. Every now and then, Thepa thought she caught sight of something in the distance, but dismissed it as a figment of her imagination with the oncoming rain.
A storm was brewing.
Normally, she would have considered the distant thunder as a bad omen, but this time, she saw it as an advantage. The rumbling would provide cover as they approached the cave. As the path using started to wind around a bend, Rory spoke for the first time that day.
"Oh!"
Thepa stopped, then turned in Rory's direction surprised at the sudden outburst. Curiosity and longing got the better of her, and she watched as Rory reached into her bag, pulled out a few letters, and gave them to her.
"I'm going to have to head back to Wildehaven after this mission. Can you deliver these to President Skydane for me?"
Thepa's heart raced with joy and relief that Rory was speaking to her again. She eagerly accepted the letters and stowed them in her bag, hoping for more conversation. Then, for the first time in a long time, Rory smiled and spoke to her.
"Thank you."
It took all of Thepa's willpower not to hug her right then and there. "You're welcome."
Jubilated, she turned back towards the path and followed it down. At the bottom, six goblins stood at the entrance of a cave. It would have been no problem for the seven of them, but there was no way they could take them all out before one of them sounded an alarm. They moved along the rocks keeping out of sight the best they could, but at some point, Thepa knew they would have to move out into the open.
"I have an idea," Rory whispered.
Thepa nodded. "What's the plan?"
Rory checked the ground and calculated the distance between them and the goblins. "I have a new spell that I believe can help, I just need to get a little closer, but we will have to act fast. It has a limited range, and once they know what's happening, they might move out of it. After I cast my spell, Thepa, you start shooting. Make sure to take out any that look like they might run back into the cave or signal for help. The rest of you will need to charge and kill them quickly."
Thepa signaled for her to take point. They moved about another twenty feet up, but that was as far as they could go without being seen.
When they got there, Rory started to cast her spell as quietly as possible. For a moment it looked like nothing happened. Then Rory made a bow shooting motion with her hands that Thepa knew was the signal. She notched two arrows and let them loose. At the same time, Bidant, Lily, Vivian, and Claudia charged.
Her arrows found the first target sending it tumbling to the ground. Four of the goblins looked towards the charging squad and drew weapons, while the fifth pulled out a horn. Thepa started to notch two more arrows to shoot at it, but nothing happened. Even though she could clearly see the goblin blow the horn, there was no sound. This seemed to confuse the goblin as well, and he bent to check the horn, but was quickly killed by her arrows. Three other goblins charged the squad. The fourth realized something was going on and started to head into the cave. As fast as she could, she fired two more arrows at the fleeing goblin. One of them hit, but the second barely missed.
"Again!" Rory shouted as she swirled her hands and hit her with a burst of blue light.
Thepa thought it was an impossible shot but she obeyed and let the arrows fly. As they flew, she saw them glow through the air and curve down into the tunnel.
By then the other five had finished off their targets. The two of them ran to catch up and from this angle, Thepa could see her third and fourth arrows had found their mark.
She turned to Rory and smiled. "That's a nifty spell. How come you've never used it before?"
"I thought the best didn't need help," Rory answered, giving her a small smile
There's my friend, Thepa thought. She wanted to express how much she had missed her presence, and ask if things could go back to normal between them, but the moment was over before it started. Instead, Rory shrugged and turned towards the cave, leaving Thepa to follow in her wake.
Unease prickled at Thepa's senses the deeper they descended. The damp scent of moss and earth filled her nose with every step, while the faintest sounds echoed ominously down the corridor. When the path eventually split, she chose to follow the distant sound of running water. Drawn by the sound, the path stretched on for some time before finally opening up into a vast cavern.
The room was huge, circular in shape. A small river came through the rock wall on the northern side cave, forming a pooling vortex in the center of the room below the room. Multiple paths split across six makeshift bridges, joining a small island in the center of the small underground lake.
Every fiber of Thepa's being screamed one thing: trap.
She started to move back, but Rory held up her hand motioning for them to stop. Thepa did, then watched as Rory crossed the bridge towards the middle of the room. In the center of the room, Rory cast a quick spell and pointed to the path leading north. The others started to make their way towards the middle, and as Thepa started to interject, a scream screeched across the cave in several directions. Deciding to abandon all forms of stealth, she yelled at the team.
"Run!"
The team turned to make their way back to the entrance, but as they got back to the first bridge, goblins started to flood the room. Sister Vivian screamed in rage and started to swing her battle axe at the oncoming flood. Rory cast a light spell in the direction of the ceiling. Thepa was grateful for the extra light, but knew it wasn't going to change their predicament as the goblins attacked them from all sides. They needed a way out and it had to be sooner rather than later.
"Plan Beta!" She shouted another command. In a flash, they all surrounded Rory protecting her as goblins charged the group.
As Rory started to cast her spell, the air in the room cracked and twisted revealing the massive figure of a beast as it stepped out of a purple void. It was the figure they had seen months prior deep in the Meric Mountains. It was the Goblin King.
Thepa shifted her stance to notch an arrow into his armor. This exposed her flank and she took a nasty hit by a nearby goblin, but she found her target. The Goblin King turned and threw a spell in her direction and she reflexively braced for impact.
Nothing came.
At first, she thought he missed. She reached into her quiver to notch another arrow, but as she did, she noticed a stutter in Rory's chant. For a brief second, she turned and it was then Thepa realized where the goblin king had truly been aiming. The horror on Rory's face said it all. The energy of her spell arched erratically and Thepa felt the vanish slowly take effect. As she disappeared, she got one last look at a very solid Rory. Their eyes met and though she could not hear her words, they echoed in her mind as clear as day.
"I'm so sorry, Sister..."