Grant milled around uncertainly at the back of the meeting room. Wanda had escorted them straight there after delivering her morbid news, and upon arriving Kyra and Fyodor had immediately split off to join other groups, exchanging hugs and whispering to each other. Grant wasn’t sure how he felt about being left alone - on the one hand, he didn’t really know anyone else here and was feeling anxious and nervous… but on the other hand, he was relieved to be spared the surreptitious glances he had been the recipient of during their walk back. Despite Kyra and Fyodor telling Wanda he had been with them and must be innocent, their looks told a different story. Grant got the sense that they clearly wanted to think he was unconnected, and obviously they knew he didn’t do anything to Bukola directly, but at the same time, the fact that he was connected to so many odd events since his arrival was unsettling them. Grant wanted to feel resentful that they were so quick to be suspicious of him, but he could hardly blame them. He’d only known them for a few days, and there was also the point that, well, he was keeping secrets from them. He could hardly be angry when they were entirely right to mistrust him.
Ki had remained silent on the walk back, thanks to the close proximity of Wanda and the others, but now that Grant was alone he spoke.
This death is… is not what I expected, Ki said slowly.
What? Grant asked. You kept talking about an enemy. Surely that kinda implies that they would kill people.
Yes, I am not surprised that she would kill someone, Ki replied. But… It is too soon. I worry that she has already identified us, me specifically. She would also not usually be so clumsy as to allow the body to be discovered, or to strike only one at a time. No, this… this is wrong. Something is wrong. Stay alert.
He faded into the background as Ed took the stage. The room they had gathered in was some kind of town hall building, arranged like many auditoriums he had been in, rows of benches facing a raised stage with a lectern. The only difference between this room and any other Grant had been in was the simple fact that the floors, benches, stage and, well, everything around him, was made of thick, opaque, coloured glass. While most of the building was made of glass so densely coloured and so perfectly shaped it was hard to tell it was glass at all, there were sections on all the walls where the glass thinned significantly, losing its colour, essentially functioning as windows. Grant sat down on the farthest bench, a dark amber-coloured protrusion from the navy blue floor, quite a lurid and unpleasant contrast. The rest of the Forsaken began to quiet down and take their seats as they noticed Ed ready to speak.
Ed’s gaze swept over the crowd, intense and foreboding. His brow creased slightly as he looked back and forth across the room.
“Thank you for coming,” he said, his voice ringing out across the room, echoing back from the reflective surfaces, creating a slight layered effect to his speech. “I’m sure you all know why we called this meeting. One of our own has been killed. Bukola left this morning to meet with the gryphons of the plateau, to interrogate them as to an odd event -” Ed’s gaze flicked to Grant briefly, “- but whether he made it or not, we do not know. He missed a crucial deadline for his return, at which point I led a search party to retrace his steps.” Ed paused, a flash of sorrow passing across his face. “Unfortunately, we were too late to save him.”
A murmur swept through the room, and Grant saw more than a few heads bow in grief, and the woman sitting directly in front of him let out a small sniffle.
“The scene implies that he had not died where we found his body,” Ed continued. “It seems that he had been injured and tried to push through the pain to return home. Sadly, he succumbed to his wounds.” Ed paused again, eyes sweeping across the room once more, and his gaze and voice hardened with steel. “Most importantly,” he said, almost snarling as his rage began to spill out, “we found evidence that Bukola had not been killed by any monster. He was killed with sword and sorcery. He was killed by one of us.”
There was a brief moment of stunned silence. Grant saw Kyra’s mouth drop open as she stared at Ed. Then, like a dam breaking, shouts of outrage began to fill the room, echoing harshly off the glass walls until it built and morphed into an unintelligible cacophony of grief and anger. Even with his magically enhanced durability, Grant was still wincing slightly in pain at the deafening volume.
Up on the stage, Ed glanced at Suriya, who nodded, and snapped her fingers. Instantly, silence fell across the room. Everyone’s mouths were still moving, but no sound was coming out. It took a few seconds for everyone to realise that their voices weren’t working, and people slowly began to calm down and retake their seats.
“I know, this is… disturbing, to put it mildly,” Ed said, some of the anger fading from his voice. “But we must remain calm. Anger and suspicion are the enemies of reason, and we will not let this foul act fracture our community. We will identify the murderer, and bring them to justice. So, before we go any further, I would like to ask if anyone has any relevant information. A confession, perhaps?”
The room was silent.
Ed nodded slowly, studying the room. He glanced to the side at a grim-faced asian man standing by the stage. The man nodded to him.
Ed sighed. “Well, then if no one wishes to confess to this crime, I have relevant information.” He took a deep breath. “Bernhard is missing.”
Grant saw Kyra’s breath catch, and her hand flew up to cover her mouth as murmurs once again filled the room, Suriya’s spell apparently having faded.
“I know this is worrisome,” Ed spoke, raising his voice above the low din, “but I must stress that we should not jump to conclusions. Whether Bernhard is missing, or taken, or, worst of all, the guilty party, we must-”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Kyra interrupted loudly, standing up, fists clenched by her side. “Bernhard, kill Bukola? How could you even suggest that?”
“I agree, it is unlikely,” Ed replied calmly, “but it is a possibility we must consider. However, if you would listen to my words, you would recall that I said we must not jump to conclusions. First and foremost, we must locate him. If he is guilty, we must bring him to justice, and if he has fallen prey to the real perpetrator, we must do what we can to save him. To that end, I would ask you, Kyra, if you have any idea where Bernhard could be? Despite your young age, I daresay you are his closest friend.”
Kyra hesitated. She seemed to be fighting an internal battle with herself, gaze flicking back and forth between Ed and Suriya, conflicting emotions dancing across her face, before she bit her lip and looked down, eyes beginning to well up. “Yeah. I… I may know a few places that he likes to go when he wants to…” She glanced around the room with shame in her eyes. “...indulge himself. In…” She closed her eyes. “In numbroot.”
Shock reverberated throughout the room at her words, and Suriya’s mouth fell open as she stared at Kyra.
“Numbroot?” Ed said, horror etched in his features. “Bernhard has been taking numbroot? And you knew?”
Kyra lowered her head, eyes still closed, and nodded. “I’m sorry. I know its frowned upon, but I-”
“‘Frowned upon’?!” Suriya yelled, standing up so suddenly the chair she was using tipped over. “‘Frowned upon’ is a slightly understated way to describe one of our most inviolable rules.
“Kyra,” Ed said, looking at her closely. “Why in the world would you…” Ed suddenly jerked backwards, realisation hitting him. “Ah. I see. Bernhard is not the only one taking numbroot, is he, Kyra?”
Kyra shook her head, the shame starting to fade away and confusion taking its place. “No, but… I didn’t realise it was such a big deal. Isn’t it just like a normal drug, but one that can affect us? I mean it fades away quickly, and it doesn’t affect me after I use it…” She trailed off, looking from Ed to Suriya uncertainly.
Grant thought back to the first day that he had met Bernhard, and the package that he had passed Kyra. Numbroot, I guess. Some kind of drug, apparently. But why would Bernhard give it to her in front of me if it was so taboo?
Grant stood up, clearing his throat. The eyes of the room fell upon him as people turned in their seats at the sound. “Yeah so, just wondering… what’s numbroot?”
Everyone else in the room turned back to the stage, looking not at Ed, but Suriya. She hesitated, looking at Ed for permission to speak. He nodded at her and stepped back from the lectern, gesturing for her to take his place.
She cleared her throat. “Numbroot,” she began hesitantly, her anger at Kyra underlying her speech, “was an experiment of mine, some centuries ago. Sanctuary was quite different then, and I was relatively new… and foolish. I was hoping to find a magical equivalent of the poppy, to find an extract that would act as an analgesic that would work despite our enhanced fortitude. After many years of experimentation, I created numbroot. An innocuous looking flower, just plain white petals with a red centre. It’s essence, however…” She cleared her throat, shuffling in place. “It’s essence was… well, it was far more powerful than I anticipated. It dulled pain, yes, but also dulled… well, everything. Emotions, tastes, senses, all faded, except for a slight euphoria. That was not the intention, but it was still useful for post-battle treatments, as long as the dosages were monitored. But, sadly, that was not all. Over the years that we used it, Sanctuary began to fall into disarray. People stopped gathering for meals, stopped exploring the doors, stopped training. Just a few at first, but slowly, more and more people began to act as though they had stopped caring.
“Eventually, myself and a few other researchers discovered the truth. In our efforts to create a painkiller, we soon realised we had created a monster.” She met Grant’s eyes. “Numbroot is alive, Grant. Numbroot is a sentient, malevolent plant that worms its way into the brains of those who take it. Most times, we can take it with no ill effects, which is why it took so long for us to discover what was happening. However, sometimes, very rarely, a dose of numbroot will mutate in the patient’s body. When it does, it bypasses all of our magical and physical defences and infects the mind of the user, permanently altering their state of being. As best as we were able to discover, someone under this effect will be numb to every positive and negative experience imaginable, save one - the pleasure they get from infecting another mind.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“All the users are connected, you see? The plant, the original, solitary plant that all others grew out of, controls everything. It implants within its victims the overwhelming urge to spread, to give numbroot to everyone possible, but again - it is sentient. It is… cunning. It knows that if it behaves too brazenly, too quickly, that those who are dosed but do not succumb to its effects will realise something is amiss. So, it plans. In our case, the first person to become infected began dosing the water with miniscule traces of numbroot. Just barely enough to notice, just an almost imperceptible dampening of emotions - but enough for the plant to have a chance to trigger its mutation and infect someone else.”
Kyra was staring at Suriya, eyes wide and jaw hanging open. Grant was certain that everything Suriya was saying was news to her.
Suriya stared into the distance, eyes unfocused. “By the time we realised what was happening,” she whispered, a tear beginning to form as she gripped the lectern for support, “over half of us were fully infected. There was no saving them. No cure. We captured those affected and tried for years to save them, but the infection was too deep, and their power and desire to infect others was too dangerous. We were forced to kill them. burn their bodies just in case, and spend the next decade tracking down every single offshoot of the plant that we could. But we didn’t get the original. Someone moved it, or it moved itself, who knows… but it escaped.”
She blinked rapidly, fighting off tears, before glaring at Kyra. “And you and Bernhard have been using it?” She snarled, eyes beginning to glow slightly. “You arrogant, weak-willed children have risked the safety of Sanctuary, just for a few moments of respite from your pathetic little feelings?” She was yelling now, eyes glowing brightly, and her hands clenched, shattering the glass of the lectern and sending sharp shards whipping through the air, causing the front few rows to yelp slightly as they covered their eyes.
“Enough, Suriya!” Ed thundered as he stepped forward, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her slightly. The wind died down instantly, the ominous glow fading as her shoulders slumped and she drew a deep, rattling breath that choked off into a single, deep, heart-wrenching sob. Suriya bowed her head, making a visible effort to control her emotions before she looked out over the crowd, for the first time seeing the shattered glass fragments scattered amongst the gathered crowd. She shook her head ruefully, before raising a hand and muttering under her breath. The glass shards vibrated before melting and flowing through the air, dozens of red-hot streams of molten liquid gathering on the stage before reforming and instantly cooling into a new, slightly cracked lectern.
“My apologies,” she said calmly, voice ringing out through the room. “Numbroot remains my greatest and most costly mistake, and my emotions got the better of me. I apologise.”
Suriya shot Kyra another glare as she stepped back from the stage. Kyra flinched and looked at the ground before setting her jaw and standing up.
“I’m sorry too,” she said simply, voice laced with sorrow and fear. “I… I didn’t know any of that. Bernhard was the one who told me about numbroot, and while he did say it was forbidden, he apparently hid the truth from me. Whether he was ignorant himself or had… other motives… I don’t know. But I’m sorry. To everyone. I swear I would never have touched the stuff if I knew what it did.” She shuddered slightly at the thought of what could have happened to her.
The room was silent for a long moment, the only sound the rustle of cloth as Kyra sat back down.
Ed stepped back to the lectern, clearing his throat. “Well,” he said, glancing at Kyra, “this is, obviously, rather concerning. And we will be discussing this with you further, Kyra - for one, we must find out where the numbroot came from, perhaps even eliminate that vile plant once and for all. But, even given this revelation, our priority remains the same: we must find Bernhard. Whether or not he has been infected by numbroot is irrelevant, what matters is that he is missing. We have already attempted to locate him within this world, but we have had no success. Which unfortunately means he has moved through the doors at some point, making tracking him a-”
He cut off, staring out the windows. A beat later, it became clear what had attracted his attention, as a peal of thunder louder and deeper than anything Grant had heard before rolled through the room, accompanied by flickering, purple streams of light that reflected and refracted off the walls, changing the room to a sickly, ominous hue. Grant spun around at the sound, starting to stand before stumbling to one knee as the ground began to rumble. Beyond the windows, he could see a thick, dark cloud billowing down the hill in the background upon which stood the door to Sanctuary.
Ed and Suriya took a step forward, a green flash illuminating their bodies as they crossed the entire room in a single step, whether by teleporting or some kind of space warping, Grant couldn’t tell. They flung the doors open and ran outside, and Grant and the rest of the Forsaken followed in their wake. Ed and Suriya stopped suddenly, staring at the door, the crowd gathering behind them, as another crack resounded down the hill and through the streets of the town, a shockwave powerful enough to be visible sweeping across the buildings and leaving shattered windows and cracked walls in its wake.
Suriya spun quickly back to the crowd, raising her voice as she began to move backwards. “Everyone, prepare to fight,” she ordered, pointing at groups of people as she rattled off a list of instructions. “Fyodor, you, Will and Maria need to hold back whatever the smoke is - I don’t want to find out what happens when we breathe it in. Murali, Kenichi and Hanako, go to the storeroom and get the weapons, as many as you can carry. Everyone else with combat experience, come with me, everyone else, stay here and ready yourselves to fight. I don’t know how, but it looks like something other than a human has figured out how to use the doors.”
Everyone scattered in all directions to do as she commanded, and Grant saw Kyra, Lei and Tamiko running forward with the other fighters, apparently ready to attack whatever was coming through the door. Ed, on the other hand, turned away from the door, another flash of light surrounding him as he vanished, only to reappear yards away. Suriya watched him go, a frown crossing her face as she opened her mouth to call to him, only to glance back as yet another peal of thunder rang out. She gritted her teeth and turned around, feet raising from the ground slightly as she seemingly flew through the cobblestone street towards the oncoming threat.
Grant looked around uncertainly as the crowd dispersed, only to find himself with just two other people remaining behind; Maya and a tall Native American looking man, older than most, his wrinkled face set in a solemn visage as he watched the rest of the town move to attack.
Please, please tell me you know what’s happening, Grant thought to Ki desperately.
Grant felt the waves of shock and uncertainty race through his mind as Ki’s mind came forward once more. I have no earthly idea, he said, his shock clear in his stunned tone. This… this should not happen. This cannot happen! The doors are the foundation of the Vault, if they are able to be manipulated or bypassed, the whole dimensional foundation is at risk! Surely… this cannot be her doing. She would never risk the calamity that would be unleashed if the… ignoring the fact that it should be impossible for her to have anywhere near the level of power required!
So, I didn’t understand all of that, but… basically, you’re saying we’re fucked.
Ki began to respond, but stopped as the loudest sound yet rang across the valley, this time less of a formless thunderous roar, but something far, far more worrying. This was the sound of a door splintering.
A heartbeat later, a second, stronger shockwave emanated through the town. Grant managed at the last second to imbue as much power as possible into his body, but even having done so, the force was enough to send him flying backwards and slam him into the front wall of the town hall. Maya and the other man seemed to not be as quick - or, maybe they didn’t have the power to withstand the shockwave like he did - but whatever the case, they hit the wall beside him with even more force, and Grant heard the unmistakable snapping sound of bones breaking. They tumbled to the floor, groaning in pain, as Grant managed to land on his feet and assess the damage. As Grant stared, shocked at the extent of the damage given the supposedly magically reinforced buildings, his vision adjusted itself with a nudge from Ki, opening up the magical spectrum of his vision.
Countless wisps of magic bearing the same, purple-tinged hue as the lights dancing through the door hung in the air, tendrils of magic sticking to the devastated structures like moss. Grant realised dazedly that whatever had caused that attack, it hadn’t merely been a physical force - it was magical as well. Huge swathes of the town of Sanctuary now were in ruin, the endless array of materials they had used to construct their buildings now scattered haphazardly throughout the streets. Only a few buildings remained, mostly the ones that didn’t rise as far from the ground, their low centre of gravity apparently sparing them from some of the damage. His fellow Forsaken lay scattered on the ground, some of them badly injured, others beginning to shake off the effects and clamber to their feet. As Grant watched, some of the buildings touched by the magical remnants of the attack began to fizzle slightly - not in the visible spectrum, but on the magical side, as the purple smoke began eating away at the magical power within everything in sight, like acid on metal. Grant blinked in shock and looked down. A few faint tendrils of magic clung to him as well, and Grant quickly began to see the sizzling energy as they started to erode his power.
Ki gasped in pain. The sound kick-started Grant’s reactions, and he quickly thrust his hands outwards, reaching for his source and reacting instinctively. His hands glowed faintly as he sent streams of power soaring out through his palms, bright beams of light that only he could see soaring through the air and colliding with the purple, acidic energy. As his power met the opposing power, there was a searing flash of light as his intent caused his magic to attack, the wisps of magical energy burning out of existence. As he cleared the immediate area of danger, marvelling slightly at how quickly he had been able to create this spell, he turned his attention to his fellow Forsaken. Through his overlaid vision, he could see everyone around him starting to wince and hiss as they felt the effects of the attack, and he quickly redirected the magic he was using to fly through the air and land on the clutching tendrils of magic that were harming his new community. He worried for a second, and felt Ki’s concern too, that the huge outpouring of energy was going to be noticed and that he would be in danger - but he quickly brushed those thoughts aside. He was in danger now.
Survive first, then worry about blending in, he thought, and he felt Ki’s reluctant agreement. Besides, best as I can tell, no one else can see magic.
No sooner had he thought this then he felt a presence. The hairs on the back of his neck began to prickle, and his arms raised in goosebumps as he felt the unmistakable feeling of being seen. As though a huge, formless predator had locked its gaze onto him, but more than that - predators notice food. They don’t feel anything towards their prey, they just hunger. Predators are impersonal. Whatever this was… this hated. A hatred and rage so deep as to be inhuman began to fill Grant’s mind, and the oppressive power of the being he had attracted the attention of pressed down upon him, smothering him in a blanket of deep, unwavering loathing.
A thud echoed through the air, and the presence hesitated. Grant could somehow feel that whoever or whatever this was, it was trying to decide what to do with him - until it suddenly retreated.
Grant let out a gasp, not realising he had been holding his breath through the entire encounter, and began to take deep, gulping breaths.
…That was her. Ki whispered, dread in his voice.
Grant began to tremble as the adrenaline began to course through his system, its effects amplified a hundredfold by the terror that began to well up. That had been… if that was the enemy, Grant was fucked. The power of that mind, the sheer weight that had filled his senses as they made contact… that was stronger than he had imagined. It was a harsh wake-up call - Grant had been so certain when comparing his powers to everyone around him that he would easily be able to confront whoever this enemy was that Ki feared, but he was abruptly reminded that he wasn’t the only person concealing their true power.
Hang on, why did they leave though? He thought suddenly. They could have just killed me right then, surely? Why would they just…
Another thud. Grant raised his eyes, looking towards the hill. The entrance to Sanctuary, the magical portal in the shape of a building, was gone. And a monster stood in its place.