“I’ve only been to the Keep three times. So I’m kind of excited about this,” Oplar told me as I poured some of the freshly brewed tea into her cup.

“Just three times?” I asked.

She nodded. “Not many letters ever go there. And they never send any, either. They give theirs to Vim when he visits, uncaring of how long it takes. So it’s not a place I get to visit often,” she said as I finished filling up her cup.

Hm… I studied the bear for a moment, before stepping away as to put the hot pot onto the rock near the fire.

Once I put the pot down, I glanced around the camp for Vim. The world beyond our little campfire was dark, and not just because it was the dead of night and there were thick dark clouds above us. The forest here was… strangely dark. Somewhat akin to the one Lilly and her family lived in.

Vim wasn’t around. He had stepped away a little bit ago, but hadn’t said as to why. He had walked far enough away I couldn’t hear him, or what he was doing… but he’d been gone long enough to know he hadn’t left just to relieve himself or something. There had been a reason for it.

I’d blame Oplar, and our conversations, but the two of us hadn’t really been talking about anything too odd or embarrassing lately. We were mostly just exchanging stories. Mostly my own. Of my last few visits in the Society, like at Secca and with Landi. Oplar hadn’t heard or known about them yet, so she had been very interested in them.

“I’m sure you know already, since Vim told you, but the Keep is a secretive place. It’s on the Societies records, since it’s a place of refuge, but as far as I’m aware no one’s really ever gone there. Other than me, and of course Vim, I bet only a few people have ever been there,” Oplar said as she finished up her first gulp of her tea.

“Oh…? Why’s that?” I asked.

“Because of who is there, of course.”

“Hm…?” I tilted my head at her and wondered what she meant.

Was there another Monarch there or something?

“Wait… you don’t know…?” Oplar noticed my confusion.

I shook my head. “No…? Is it someone dangerous or something?” I asked. Maybe it was someone like Lilly.

She frowned at me, and thought for a moment. Then she sighed. “Well… I’d assume it’s fine, since he’s taking you there. But just in case he has other plans, I’ll keep mum about it,” she decided.

“That’s okay. I like surprises,” I said.

Oplar was about to take a drink, but had to stop as she laughed. “Do ya’ now?” she asked happily.

I nodded, and went to sit down on the stump I’d been using as a chair. It wasn’t very comfortable, since it wasn’t a stump from an axe or saw but a broken tree. So I had placed one of the bags on it to use as something of a pillow. I used the bag full of my clothes.

“Interesting! Though that must make Vim kind of boring for you. He’s surprising to the world, but he’s not very shocking himself,” she said.

Really…? Personally I found myself being surprised by Vim all the time. It was the little things, really. Like the comb he had made me. Or him accepting Hark, that human baby, when I had expected him not to.

“You disagree?” Oplar asked, likely noticing my thoughts.

“Yes and no. Vim is… boring. I admit. He’s never startled or anything. It takes me whole days of effort, thought and planning, to surprise him sometimes. And even then all he does is raise an eyebrow or blink… but he also often shocks me enough to make me shiver,” I said.

“Hm… does that mean he doesn’t even get all emotional even when you flirt? He smirks and laughs, I’ve seen him do that often enough,” Oplar asked.

“Oh he does. Just not to the level I’d like him to, I think,” I admitted.

She giggled at me. “Of course.”

What? It was the truth. It was too bad Vim couldn’t get drunk. It’d be interesting to see how he’d act if he was.

The fire crackled, and I followed one of the wisps of ashes that flew up. It was a bright orange for a long moment, before fading into black ash and smoke.

“So Renn… I hear you’re stronger than you look,” Oplar then said.

I shrugged. “Some have said so, I guess,” I said. Lately I’ve not felt very strong at all. Likely thanks to Vim.

“Wonder who’s stronger. Maybe we should start lifting rocks and stuff as we travel, to find out,” she said, amused.

“Rocks…?” I asked.

“Yeah. We’ll each lift rocks, slowly picking up bigger ones. Once we find one that either of us can lift but the other can’t, we’ll know who is stronger,” she said.

Ah… I nodded softly. “If it’s just that I’m okay with doing it, if you’d like,” I offered.

She grinned. “Sounds great!”

Seemed she genuinely wanted to find out. I wonder if it was just because she enjoyed such odd things, or if it was important to her for some reason.

“You met Lilly didn’t you? Did you spar with her?” Oplar then asked, and then took a drink.

I shook my head. “No…? But I’d only met her for a short time,” I said. A few hours were all, really.

“I see. How about Landi?”

I smiled at her. “No. She had been far more concerned with other things,” I said.

“Huh… but maybe that’s because Vim had been there,” she said as she pondered it.

“Yeah, she doesn’t have any intention of trying to mate with Vim,” I said as I nodded.

Oplar laughed, but quickly shook her head. “I didn’t mean that! I meant she was likely worried he’d whack her upside the head if she tried to fight you! But… that’s true isn’t it? Landi has never seemed too keen on trying to bed him, surprisingly. I originally thought it was because she had succeeded long ago, but maybe you’re right. Landi’s always said she’s never done it with him and Vim just outright sighs and shakes his head when I mention it, but maybe they really haven’t. I wonder if it’s just because Vim’s strong? Landi’s proven she doesn’t necessarily have any type or anything, that’s for sure, so that can’t be the reason,” Oplar wondered.

I frowned at her. “I actually asked her about it. Or mentioned it, at least. I don’t think she ever even considered Vim as a possible option. She said she kind of looks at him like a brother or something, so to her it’d be weird,” I said.

“Brother…” Oplar tilted her head, and then nodded. “Yeah… I could see that. That makes sense.”

“Does that mean you’ve fought with Landi before, then?” I asked, trying to change the topic a little. It didn’t necessarily upset me, but I didn’t like the idea of other women thinking of Vim in such a way. It made me jealous, since I’d yet been able to do it myself.

“Twice. I won the first time, but lost the second. I’d have died if not for Sharp,” she said.

“Sharp? Really?” I asked. I wonder when that had happened? That meant they had all been together, or something like it. I wonder when and where…

“Aye. It was my fault really. I took it too far. I said things I shouldn’t have… and well… to be honest Renn, I’m usually a coward. I hate the sight of blood, or death. It makes me woozy. After saying something I shouldn’t have, she hurt me enough to draw blood. Enough blood to make me almost faint. So I hadn’t been able to properly protect myself from her follow up attack. If Sharp hadn’t stepped in at the last moment, Landi would have likely killed me with that blow,” Oplar said, a little too happily.

“You… faint at the sight of blood…?” I asked.

“Aye. Or at least, I can. Doesn’t happen all the way, but if it happens without warning or something then yeah… it can happen,” she nodded.

I shifted, and felt the bumpy stump more acutely so I shifted again as to get comfortable. “I uh… don’t understand,” I said.

“I know. I’m a predator. A bear. And I’m strong as hell, at least compared to most. But it’s the truth. I can’t handle carnage, at all,” Oplar said with a shrug.

Huh… that was…

Strangely fascinating. I mean, it made sense of course. Many of our members were like her. Skittish and feeble things… but…

Well…

I guess she wasn’t any different, was she? Although a bear, a predator, that didn’t mean much did it? There were many members who were very strong, yet were just as much cowards as she said she was.

Then there were those like Nann, who technically weren’t predators at all. Yet fierce all the same.

“I hear you’re rather bold, though. So if anything ever happens, without Vim there to handle it, I hope you’ll take care of me, aye?” she raised her cup as she smirked.

“Sure… I’ll do my best,” I said.

She nodded, glad to hear it and then took another drink.

Interesting indeed.

“How’d you fight Landi then, Oplar?” I asked.

“Well usually it don’t go so far as blood being drawn, you know! I just uh… sadly had a small attitude in my youth. But don’t worry; it’s been thoroughly beaten out of me! Not just by Landi either!” Oplar said proudly.

I wonder who else had been the cause. Lilly maybe? Merit? Sharp?

“So Sharp is stronger than Landi?” I asked. I hadn’t realized Sharp was that dangerous. Or well, she was dangerous, but I hadn’t thought it was in that way.

“Aye. Though I’m not sure who would actually win if the two were to really go at it, I know for a fact Landi doesn’t want to fight her. Which is saying something all on its own, surely,” Oplar said.

I nodded. It was. But something told me it might just be because of Sharp’s peculiar traits.

“Though I have heard Vim’s been training you, right? Must mean you’re probably plenty dangerous yourself by now, I’m sure!” Oplar said.

“Hm… we’ve not been training as often as we should, but yes. He has been,” I said. We’d only trained twice while at the Crypt. And only for a short time in the morning, while everyone else was in the church during their time of prayer.

Vim was odd about us keeping our little sparring sessions secret. But I was okay with it. It meant it’d take many more years to truly learn what he wanted to teach me, but it also made those moments all the more precious.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Interesting. But in a way, maybe not. Vim used to train a lot of us, supposedly, back in the day. Link once told me he had risen entire armies, though who knows how much of that is legend more than not,” Oplar said.

Oh…? Right. She was based in Telmik. That meant she and those there were very close. “I’ve heard of the armies,” I said.

“Hm. Such an odd thought, isn’t it? We used to supposedly have kingdoms. Armies. Entire cities and nations, even. Telmik used to be ours in its entirety. Now it’s a human capital, hah!” Oplar laughed at the idea, but I didn’t find it very funny.

I didn’t like the idea of humans using and claiming for their own what we had built.

“Lumen used to ours too, I’ve heard. Or at least, the town beneath it,” I said.

“Hm…? No. Not as far as I’m aware. Where’d you hear that?” Oplar asked.

Uh… uh oh. Maybe I misunderstood something Vim had said. “Not sure… I had thought Lumen had been built over another town. One our Society had been involved with, in some form,” I said.

Oplar frowned and shook her head. “Don’t think so…? There was of course a town there, before it sank, but I don’t think it had been ours. There may have been members there, though, of course. We used to be far more. Thousands more, all over the place,” Oplar said.

I nodded, and decided to not bring it up again.

Vim had surely mentioned he had been there many times. Often. Either that meant Oplar didn’t know much of the Societies history, or the history Vim had shared with me at that time hadn’t been of the Societies. He did do that sometimes, without realizing it half the time. Telling me of stuff that pre-dated the Society.

Though there was of course the simply chance that Oplar was mistaken… which was a little odd, really. She seemed to know a lot, and knew a lot of people… Hadn’t she mentioned her parents had been very enthralled by keeping the history of the Society and its members…? That there were even massive books and tomes of such information, written by them?

Odds are she knew far more than she let on. I should be careful then, revealing too much.

Vim often told me secrets. Secrets of not just his own, but of others and of those in the Society. It wasn’t my place to share them.

I’ve always tried not to reveal too much, but with those like Oplar it was strangely hard to figure out what was a secret and what wasn’t… though I guess I could blame Vim for that. It wasn’t like Vim ever told me what was to be kept confidential. He’s only told me a few times not to share certain things, and other times he’s told me to share whatever I wanted.

As Oplar took another drink, I went ahead and tried to change the topic a little.

“So… other than Vim, are you the most well traveled in the Society, Oplar?” I asked her.

She tilted her head and smiled as she lowered her cup. “Me? Well… maybe… Meriah genuinely lives on the road. She’s never in one place for more than a day or two, per her beliefs. Then there are those like the twins, or Mapple, who are restless… and of course Harold and his wife…” Oplar’s voice became a little quieter as she went into thought, thinking of everyone.

It was very interesting to hear names I’d not heard before, or had only heard of recently.

“Honestly there are only a handful of us left, who travel. There’s of course a few like Brandy, who travel occasionally for one reason or another, but… yeah… Not many of us anymore, are there?” Oplar then decided to conclude.

I hadn’t wanted to hear sad news, so I instead tried to focus on the positive. “Do they all travel everywhere, like you and Vim?” I asked.

“Hm…? Not really… Some do occasionally, for one reason or another, but I’m probably the only one who really goes everywhere anymore. Other than Vim, of course. Most that travel have been staying in the north and west, usually along the coast. The world’s become too violent and dangerous elsewhere, so it makes sense,” Oplar said.

“What about the places that are… hidden…? Like this Summit, or the Keep we’re going to. What’s it mean to be secretive, really?” I asked.

“It’s a remnant rule from back in the day. From the wars. Basically no one is allowed to talk, or leave written proof, of their locations or numbers. So that if something happens… like a letter gets found or something, they’ll not be found and put in danger. But they took it a step farther too. They made a rule that no new members are allowed to go there without first being in the Society for a certain amount of time. That means new members can’t be told about those places until they’ve been vetted basically. The idea was to keep those locations, usually full of the weaker and frailer members, safer in the long run. The problem with it though is that it resulted in half the Society not knowing at all about them, even all these years later, and as such they don’t even know they could go there if they wanted to. It’s a sad situation, but I can’t change it,” Oplar explained.

“Wait… you’re saying there are those that could, if they wanted to, go live there? Yet they don’t simply because they don’t know about it?” I asked.

She nodded. “Basically. There’s a lot more to it though… for instance the Summit is… peculiar. They’re a strange people. Even if more members knew of them, I’m not sure if any would even be able or willing to go live there. I mean Tor’s village is the same? Most don’t know where it is, even though they might know of it… but then you need to live under a Monarch’s rule, and most of the inhabitants there are very mingled with humans too. Makes it a strange and difficult place to live for some, so they never even consider it,” Oplar said.

Oh. Right. Tor…

“Is he cruel? Does living under his rule bring hardship?” I asked.

“Hm? No? But many of us wouldn’t like the idea of living so close to a Monarch. And many more wouldn’t feel comfortable even if they tried. So,” Oplar shrugged, deciding it was obvious and no point to continue talking about it.

Still… It made sense, but…

If Tor didn’t demand any kind of price, nor was cruel… then what was so wrong with it? Or was it just the idea that someone, or something, not too far away at any moment could eat and kill you was enough to make you never consider living under such conditions?

If that was the case, how did so many live amongst humans, or near them? Humans were just as volatile and dangerous, in my perspective.

“Though here soon it’ll probably be you, Renn. You’ll be the one to know more and visit the rest most often. I know there are several locations Vim goes to that chances are not even the Chronicler knows of. So… you’ll likely know more than I will in little time at all,” Oplar said simply.

I shifted a little on my uncomfortable stump, and felt a little awkward because of it.

She was right of course. It was just like Vim had mentioned before we left the Crypt. About how I knew more about Monarchs than most, even other Monarchs.

Which was very concerning honestly, since I felt like I knew so little about them.

Same with the Society… it was obvious that Oplar wasn’t just telling the truth… she was likely understating it. It’d not be long until I knew as much about the Society as Vim, and he knew more than anyone else.

It was weird. It made me feel like I was taking on a strange responsibility… which didn’t bother me, since I wanted it, but…

“How often do your human messengers visit other locations?” I asked.

“I try to send them everywhere at least once every six months or so. But we send the letters we get immediately. Some routes, like the one between Telmik and Lumen, have people on them almost all the time. Going one way or another,” Oplar said.

“That often?” I asked. I mean it made sense but…

She nodded. “Yeah. Then of course Vim and I take letters, and others do too if they travel. For instance not too long ago Crane visited Telmik. She brought Rapti’s and other’s letters with her, and then left with a bunch more. She’s probably still making stops along the way,” Oplar said.

Oh…? Crane was willing and able to do that? She seemed like such a skittish person…

Maybe her experience in Ruvindale had changed her.

“I was told there’s an orphanage? In Telmik?” I asked.

She nodded. “Aye. The church runs it. We actually have four, which I know of. The human kids that don’t find homes, or don’t run off or have problems, usually find jobs within the Society. Or join the church, or something,” Oplar said.

“Who runs that?” I asked.

“The Chronicler looks over it mostly. I uh… I’ll be honest Renn, I’m not very involved in those matters. I’m not too fond of the church, and because of that the Chronicler doesn’t let me meet most of the members of the cloth,” Oplar told me.

“Wait… you don’t get to meet them?” I asked, trying to understand.

She nodded. “Aye. The Chronicler is very protective of her flock.”

“Yet you live in Telmik,” I said flatly.

She shrugged. “I do. I’ve no problem outright with the church, or its people… I just… well…” Oplar sighed, and then nodded. “My parents. They were killed by the church. Burnt alive,” she told me the reason.

Ah… “That would upset me too,” I said.

“Would it?”

“Honestly, no. I’d have happily lit the fire for my parents alongside them. But… take Lomi’s village for example. If I ever found out or met those that did the deed, I’d not be kind to them. In any fashion,” I said.

“Right…? Yet the Chronicler would interpret that as outright malice. She seems to think we can’t see the difference between those who did the deeds and those who didn’t,” Oplar said.

Was that all it was…? Wasn’t the Chronicler a little odd…? She had been able to see and know things she hadn’t supposed to.

Her eyes… had… well…

Maybe I shouldn’t read too deeply into it. For now.

“Don’t feel bad about being ostracized. All those zealots are a pain in the ass.”

I startled, as did Oplar, as Vim stepped into the light.

He huffed as he nodded, and crossed his arms… and as he did…

Staring at the man who was dripping wet, I had no words.

“What?” he asked, noticing my stare.

Standing up, I gestured at the soaked man.

“You’re soaked!” I shouted at him. What the heck happened?

Vim took a deep breath, and then sighed and nodded. “Yeah…”

Stepping over to him, I glanced around to make sure there was no one else. Sometimes strange things happened with Vim, so someone else showing up randomly wouldn’t have shocked me…

I saw no one in the dark forest around us, so I focused my attention on him again. I drew closer, and tried to comprehend what had happened.

He really was soaked. His clothes looked all clumpy too, and his leathers gleamed in the firelight.

“What’d you do?” I asked. Did he ruin his clothes again? I couldn’t smell him, or whatever had got him soaked, but odds are it had been a large body of water or something and they weren’t always the cleanest things…

“I know. I know. I fell in a lake,” he said as he stepped over to the fire.

I stepped back just enough to not touch him, and could only gape at his dubious attitude. “How’d you fall in a lake, Vim, really!” I complained.

Yes. He wasn’t just wet, there was gunk clinging to him. Leaves. Grass. Dirt. Mud on his elbows, arms, and feet. He did indeed look like he had fallen in and had to crawl out of it.

“Hm… Sometimes life is just full of surprises,” Vim said lightly as he went to add some of the wood he had gathered earlier for the night into the fire. It quickly grew in size and intensity as he added nearly all of the wood. He’ll need to get more later, at least if we wanted to stay warm all night.

“Vim…” I groaned as I watched him then begin to undress. As to dry off and clean himself.

As he undressed I glanced over at Oplar… who was staring at us with a weird smirk.

She was enjoying the show, and by show I didn’t mean Vim’s body.

Ignoring her I watched Vim remove his shirt, and watched him squeeze the water out of it. Enough splattered down that even though he had done the deed several feet from the fire, some still splashed into it and made it sizzle.

Glancing around us, I tried to smell and hear any sign of what had happened. I couldn’t see, or tell, that anything was off or odd but…

Vim…? Falling into a lake? On accident?

Doubtful at best. He broke things all the time, thanks to his immense strength, but… Vim being clumsy? Yeah… not a chance.

Something must have happened. I wonder what it was.

Maybe something similar to what had happened on our way to the Crypt? Had another predator hunted us? Like that mountain lion?

I hadn’t heard anything but it might have happened at quite a distance away. Vim was weird like that, sometimes noticing things to such a degree.

“Are you fine at least…?” I asked as he went to holding his shirt out towards the fire, as to dry it off. It looked silly now, all crumpled. He had squeezed it too much, and too hard. It might even be ruined now, based off the way it looked. Did squeezing a shirt too hard really ruin it that much?

“I am.”

I stepped over to see his leather pieces. He’d already removed them, and put them in a small pile. They looked… fine, as far as I could tell. No marks, or visible damage.

“How far away was the lake, Vim? I hadn’t heard you splashing,” I said.

“A short distance, but it’s over a small bend and hill. Between all that and the trees, I’m not surprised you hadn’t heard anything,” Vim said.

Oplar scoffed, but I ignored her as I watched the way his shirt shifted a little and…

Wait. He had been about to fold it. Why’d he stop…? What had he…?

Stepping over to him, I ignored Vim who went still as can be as I grabbed the shirt and tugged a little.

With my tug a tiny ripping sound filled the night as Vim’s shirt completely separated. It tore from where I had grabbed it and ripped upward, all the way to hole where his head would pop out of it. The shirt was now two pieces, and looked so haggard and weird that it didn’t even look like a shirt anymore.

Glaring at the two pieces of cloth that Vim now held, I sighed and shook my head at him.

Of course he had ruined it! I can’t believe him! We’ve only been on the road for a few days!

“Why’d you rip my shirt Renn?” Vim then asked me, with a rather sad tone.

“Me!?” I startled, shocked that he’d blame me for such a thing. It had already been ripped! I had just touched it, to verify what I had seen!

Vim had a small smirk on his face, unable to contain it, as he tried to nod seriously.

He was teasing me.

Grabbing one of the halves of the shirt, I tugged it free from his hold and promptly tossed it at his face. It smacked him rather quietly, telling me it was already dry as could be, and I huffed as I stepped away. I returned to my stump and its uncomfortable solitude.

I was going to offer to help dry his clothes… but now he could do it alone.

“Ha!” Oplar laughed, enjoying the show of our typical night.