Choosing Destruction (Part 3)

Idris and Kaladrian approached the Inn and pushed open the doors. Idris wanted to learn more, to question Kaladrian about the rest of it but his train of thought was suddenly broken by the familiar shout of his father.

“Idris!”

Graham came rushing over and crushed Idris in a hug. Despite the apprehension Idris had about this moment, he noticed it didn’t matter and he was just glad to see his dad back from Confluence.

“Dad! Do you know what’s going on?” Idris asked.

“It’s all anybody has been talking about,” Graham said, “Everybody is convinced it’s nothing to worry about, though. Galvar is a tough old bastard. They’re in good hands.”

Seeing Idris wasn’t convinced he added, “Two Healers, over a dozen adventurers out to help dozens of others? They’re going to be OK, Idris.”

Changing the subject he gestured at Kaladrian who had taken a position right next to Graham like they were old friends, “I see you’ve met Kal! One of the few good men Conrad has brought back from a trip to Confluence.”

His father led them all back to his space at the bar where he signaled for drinks to be brought for all of them.

“The picks must be poor for you to place me so high,” Kaladrian said, smiling.

“Oh it’s not so bad as that,” Graham replied.

Idris couldn’t help but notice his father, usually skeptical of all adventurers and totally immune to the very similar charm of Conrad, seemed almost deferent in his respect for Kaladrian. He couldn’t blame him, even in just their short chat coming from the Seeker’s headquarters the man had impressed Idris.

Still it wasn’t how Idris was used to seeing his father.

The innkeeper brought over three fresh mugs of ale and Graham passed them out, signaling everybody to cheers. After they all took a sip Graham put a friendly hand on Kaladrian’s shoulder and said, “Kal, I need a few moments with my son if you can spare it.”

“Of course, how rude of me,” Kaladrian replied, “Never try to get between a man and his children. I’ll be around when you’re finished.”

He moved off, and various new faces in those gathered at the inn - new recruits gathered from Confluence Idris supposed - raised glasses or waved.

Graham apparently noticed the same thing, “That man does make an impression, doesn’t he?”

“He was telling me things about Eana that sound incredible, and it explains a lot,” Idris said.

“Guess they’re not all bad. Confluencers, I mean,” Graham said. He took a massive gulp of his drink and signaled for Idris to do the same. A heavy sense of awkwardness had settled on the two men after Kaladrian left, so Idris hurried to obey.

“Dad, about how we left things. What we were talking about last week, I -” Idris began.

His father held up a hand and sighed deeply. Not in impatience or in preparation, this was more like… resignation?

“Let me just enjoy a drink with my boy, Idris. The rest of it can wait. And let’s toast to Eana. She’s out there saving lives and, Order lay her path straight, she’ll be back with us soon.”

They did. And for the next few minutes Idris stood with his father in comfortable silence as they drank and surveyed the room. Occasionally one of them would crack a joke or comment on one of the other bar patrons, but neither of them mentioned or felt the need to mention any of the tension that had existed between them for the better part of the previous two years.

All Idris’s cares and concerns over his sister, being accepted into the Seekers, the inevitable fight with his father, it all faded into the background as the two men put it aside to just enjoy a drink together as father and son. And for the space of a couple of drinks at least, Idris began to feel that everything would be okay.

The front door of the Inn opened to reveal Conrad, equipped in his full dungeon delving kit. He struck a balance between a heavily armored, front line fighter and a nimble scout. The plates of his armor shone with polish and despite his vital areas all being encased in metal, the interweaving of plate with hard leather seemed to not hinder the man’s natural grace at all.

His face held its usual nonchalance, and despite all the Seekers following in after him and also armed and armored for veritable war, the confidence of Conrad’s smile managed to convey to the entire room that this was no big deal. Just a run of the mill stop off before heading out, just like any other day.

Though the room relaxed after a moment and the Seekers headed straight for their usual table in the back corner, Idris felt a sudden spike in his own tension.

“This is it, Dad, it’s gotta be,” he said.

Conrad caught his eye and pointed straight at him and then at the back table. The order was clear. Idris set down his drink and made to go, but was surprised to see his father doing the same thing.

“He’ll be talking about Eana too,” he said, “I’m going to be there.”

Idris nodded to him and they both made their way between the mostly full tables toward where the Seekers were seating themselves. Conrad waved to somebody else and Idris saw Kaladrian extract himself from a group of men and women who, judging by their reaction, were dismayed to see him leave.

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They all gathered at the Seekers table but nobody sat down. Instead they closed ranks, creating the semblance of privacy in the crowded inn. Conrad looked at Graham as if he were about to dismiss him and then thought better of it.

“Short version first,” Conrad said, “Something is going on with the node and we need to be ready. No, don’t look,” he chastised Idris and his father, both of whom had turned toward the windows, “Everybody here’ll find out soon enough and I want us squared away by the time the rest of them see it. We’ve got minutes. Less, maybe.”

Everybody nodded and refocused while Conrad leaned in, “It’s visible, it’s moving, and there are gaps.”

“Gaps?” Kaladrian asked.

“Gaps,” Conrad repeated, “As in, spaces where you can see the sky and all that through the walls of the node, which I remind you, we should not be able to see at all without magic.”

Idris cleared his throat and all eyes turned to him, “It sounds like the night Eana and I got chased by the imps. When they followed us in.”

Seeing everybody waiting for more he continued, “It’s hard to describe but, I had my light spell going with Detect, which can show magic like Conrad said, and we could see the wall of the node. And when we came through it was like there was a hole in it, and the imps came through that hole and kept chasing us.”

“You saying,” Troy said, “That those gaps we saw are actually gaps as in, monsters can get through them?”

Idris nodded.

“That’s the impression I was getting,” Conrad said.

“That’s not all, I think,” Kaladrian said, “Another important piece to your tale from that night. You were with your sister and she was using magic. I think that if the node is similarly affected, that may indicate that your sister is alive. And she’s coming home.”

Graham clapped a hand on Kaladrian’s back, “My man! Is that true Idris? That’s good news!”

“I’ll call it good news when she comes walking through that door with Galvar and damn near forty other adventurers,” Jibs said.

Troy held out a hand, skeptical, “Don’t you think that’s a stretch?”

“Maybe,” Kaladrian said, “But we have exactly one other point of reference for a node doing what Conrad described. And since Idris has been here without problems, we know of of only one other possible cause.”

Troy shrugged his shoulders, looking troubled.

“She might head straight home,” Graham offered, “Tired from running around and healing all day and night. Idris and I oughta go check.”

“Everyone shut up,” Conrad said, “If we’re saying Eana can somehow affect the node, and that means she’s back inside it, then the first thing we need to do is get her back outside the node.”

“Back outside? When she’s just come back? The node has always been fine with her in it before,” Graham said.

“Yeah? Well it isn’t now,” Jibs countered.

“I’m talking about keeping her out of the node, Graham, not murdering the girl,” Conrad said, annoyed, “If all this is true then everyone here, everything we’ve built could be in danger.”

“Why though?” Idris asked.

“What?” Troy said, incredulous, “We’re talking about the Order given Node of Order failing and you ask why?”

“The only reason the imps came in before was because they were chasing us. A few monsters might wander in, but that doesn’t mean we’re all in danger,” Idris said.

“Chaos storms, two dungeons, a node that’s been breached before and one look at it now saying that’s going to happen again. I think an abundance of caution isn’t such a bad idea,” Conrad quipped and continued, “Whatever we feel about it, it’s going to be worse for the townsfolk. Whether it’s dangerous for us in here with her, or dangerous for her in here with them, the best place for Eana right now is outside.”

Graham was about to speak up but Kaladrian put up a hand to forestall him and spoke first, “I’ll stay with the girl. This power of hers is unprecedented and, with your permission Graham, I can keep her safe while the rest of this gets sorted.”

“I’ll go with you,” Idris said.

Graham looked as if he would refuse. As if he was about to resurrect the whole argument about whether or not to allow Idris to become an adventurer and put himself in danger. But he didn’t. He set his face and nodded, putting a firm hand on Idris’s shoulder.

Idris returned the gesture.

“Works for me,” Conrad said quickly, “We’ll do it like this. Graham, you stay here in case she comes here first. Get her out of sight unless you want folks putting together two and two. Idris and Kal, take Idris’s house. Me and mine will-”

Conrad trailed off as it suddenly seemed he was shouting into a quiet room. The noise of the inn had died completely.

They all looked around for what was going on but the eyes of all the other patrons were fixed on the entrance.

A man stumbled in, eyes wild, blood covering his face. He reached forward and opened his mouth, but before he could form a word another shape appeared behind him.

Every patron in sight of the door cringed back and the man, seeing it, turned to face the thing that had followed him to the entrance of the Inn.

A huge hand, like an armored gauntlet of gray carapace grasped him by the face and squeezed. Gore sprayed the patrons closest to the door as the man’s head exploded like a watermelon smashed with a sledge hammer and the Inn erupted into chaos.

Several of the patrons were adventurers, and more familiar with blood and death they threw a few ineffectual spells and ranged skills at the Hive Soldier darkening the broad doors to the Inn.

But the Seekers were ready.

Without words or preamble they sprang into action. An arrow sprouted from the soft flesh at the joint that substituted for a neck on the monster. It cringed back and before it could recover Karno was on it. His great shield flashed with energy as he shoved the towering creature, sending it to the ground. Conrad and Troy followed it down, swords drawn.

With dizzying speed they danced around the fallen creature, hacking exposed flesh and severing tendons until it lay there, still alive, but no more than a useless quivering mass of armor and muscle.

Blowing stray hair out of his eyes, Conrad bent down with a knife and cut a tendon Idris couldn’t see. With a heave he pulled a section of organic armor off of the creature, exposing the body underneath. Karno stepped forward and sank his spear into what must have been the thing’s heart because seconds and a few spasms later, the Hive Soldier was dead.

Jibs was already at the door, bow ready and scanning the darkened streets in front of the Inn. Conrad pointed at his eyes with two fingers and then pointed up at the ceiling. Jibs nodded and made his way back inside and started up the stairs toward higher ground.

Outside in the streets, new sounds, distant and echoing frenetic insect clicking drifted in through the open Inn doors.

Things were about to get interesting.