Jay stood a broken person in a broken room, staring at the two carved crosses that marked the fate of tens of thousands. Sprites floated around the room, aimlessly bouncing among the shattered stone and wrecked furniture. One bumped Jay’s shoulder, and they slapped it away. The thing rebounded off the left wall and soared out the window, as if fleeing in an annoyed huff.

A slate of rock slowly peeled away from the wall and crashed to the floor, splashing Hiqua’s blood all over Jay’s newly cleaned pants and polished boots. They were immediately disgusted at the thought. Hiqua had just died in front of them, and they were worrying about some blood on their clothes? What monster prioritized cleanliness over someone’s life? They tried to summon their mantra, but it had fled them completely.

There was nothing to analyze here, nothing to do. The world had simply decided to hand Jay an impossible task, and pin the fate of a city on it. They would fail, and tens of thousands would die. That was just the way the world was.

But still, they would do their duty.

"Upaj," Jay said, still staring at the blood, "Where is the Doge’s residence?"

The paladin startled, and looked at them, face haunted. Tsk, they were in shock. Some paladin they were.

"The Doge’s residence, Upaj," Jay repeated, "We are going there immediately. Lead the way."

"Yes, mystro," the paladin stammered.

He led the way out the study and down the stairs, and nearly ran straight into Tylo, who was rushing up them.

"I heard fighting, what happened?" Tylo asked, frantic, "Gods, mystro, you’re covered in blood. Where’s the grand paladin?"

"Dead," Jay reported, "Amber snapped. You can hear the rest from Hiqua when he returns, I’ll need to speak to him then as well. Right now we are going to petition the Doge. Amber gave us an ultimatum: either we free Jeshin within two days or he destroys the city."

"But, they’re an aether," Tylo said, "They wouldn’t ever do that."

"They can and they will," Jay said, "Process your disbelief later. Right now we are wasting time. Upaj, let’s go."

Upaj gently pushed Tylo to the side, and led Jay out of the keep and into the city proper. The bright sunlight of late afternoon started Jay. It forced them out of their panicked, cold stupor and into the warm, bustling life of a city that did not know it was condemned.

He led them across the north bridge, turning left to stay on the main street, then into the bustling river market. The place was a hive of activity, filled with pop up stalls that sold commodities from fish to block prints, and flanked by the venerable guildhalls of crafting trades from coopers to watchmakers. The rest of Two Crosses may have been more subdued than usual, but trade was the lifeblood of Varmyr and the market was as busy as any Jay had seen.

"We are close," Upaj said over the hubub of the market, "The Doge is headmaster of the clothiers guild, he resides next to the guildhall, in a manse just off the square."

His voice sounded as panicked as Jay felt. The whole situation did not feel truly real to Jay. It was as if they were observing the world past a sheet of wax paper, seeing it smeared and indistinct, sounds muffled. Two children ran in front of them, towing a wooden horse on a string and shouting with glee. Upaj had frozen again, so Jay took the lead and led him towards the clothier’s guildhall.

The guildhall was an imposing building constructed of wood in five stories. The lowest was an open display room fronted by an outrageously expensive pure glass facade through which Jay could see hundreds of mannequins dressed in the latest fashions of the high houses of Loerma and beyond. The upper floors looked as if they mostly held office space. The more modest candle maker’s guildhall flanked it to the right, but to the left there was a narrow alley that led away from the square.

Jay took that route, and quickly found the Doge’s residence. It was a breathtakingly beautiful three story manse tucked behind the guildhall, surrounded on all sides by taller and more imposing buildings. As a structure it was not particularly impressive, Yeon’s manse in Pleurian was bigger, and made of stone besides. But the extensive gardens and greenery that surrounded the manse were an absurd display of wealth that Jay had trouble even calculating. The property must have had four times the footprint of the guildhall it was bordering, and was situated right in the middle of a large city, besides.

The complex was surrounded by a wrought iron fence, and two guards in the Doge’s colors of white and purple stood watch outside the front gate. Jay hurried up to them, Upaj in tow.

"I need to see the Doge," Jay asked the one with the fancier hat, "Is he in?"

The two guards shared a look and did not respond. What? Why? But they did not have time to think about that.

"It’s important," Jay continued, "I was on a holy quest, and this mercenary Jeshin was guarding me, but now she’s imprisoned, and if the Doge doesn’t free her Amber Nekt, the aether, is going to destroy the city."

Another shared look, this one bewildered.

"He’s not in", the guardswoman with the less fancy hat said, "Move along, now."

Jay had been on the opposite end of a stonewall enough times to know when they were being given the runaround. They craned their head above the gate, and managed to catch a glimpse of activity near the manse. It seemed that the Doge was, in fact, in. And having his afternoon tea.

"I get that you have a job to do," Jay said, "I really do. But as I said, this is important."

They waved to Upaj.

"If you don’t trust my word, trust his. He’s a paladin of Ishkur, he agrees with me. Tell them, Upaj."

Upaj nodded in agreement, still slightly dazed, and the guardswoman with the fancy hat hesitated.

"Stay here," She ordered, "I’ll convey your request."

Thank goodness, Jay thought A guard with some sense.

The fancy hat guard opened the gate and hurried back towards the manse, quickly disappearing behind the thick greenery of the grounds. Jay strained to see what they could through the trees, but caught only a few glimpses of her entering the front door. She did not interrupt the Doge’s tea. Indeed, no one did.

Agonizing, infuriating minutes stretched past as the Doge laughed and ate and drank, completely happy and carefree. Apparently, a Doge’s afternoon teatime was of the highest priority, and not to be interrupted by such petty concerns as the imminent destruction of his entire city. Jay started pacing back and forth.

Why does he even take his tea in such a relatively open spot? Jay thought The rest of his manse is obscured by the foliage, for privacy no doubt, but he takes tea in a side pavilion with a clear view to the front gate. He can undoubtedly see us here, must have at this point. Is it just a power play? Making prospective business partners sweat?

It was a common practice in Varmyr, Jay had seen it before and even done it themself once or twice, but this was not the time for it. They were just about to ask Upaj to break down the gate when finally, blessedly, another person approached. This one was a short Lua woman with white hair streaked with black and a pointed beak of a nose. She was wearing the fine, frilled dress of a governess and the scowling sneer of a bigot.

Jay had been Ufriq for all of three days and already knew that expression far, far too well. Oh no.

"You need to leave," The woman said, "Loitering is a crime."

Jay bowed deeply and gave her their best smile, hoping against hope that she would prove more reasonable than the guards had been.

"Madam Governess," They said, "Utu bless your house. It is of vital importance that I speak to the Dodge. An Aether has gone mad and is about to attack the city, we must confer to discuss how to prevent this disaster."

The governess ignored them and looked towards Upaj for an explanation instead. It took the paladin an agonizing few beats to realize.

"We need to see the Doge, yes," He stammered, "Urgently."

The governess looked him up and down, taking special note of the flecks of blood on his armor.

"I presume you carry a seal or writ?" The governess said, "The Doge is a very busy man. He has better things to do than be interrupted by featherbrained vagrants."

Featherbrained? Jay thought, That’s a weird insult.

They hadn’t heard it used it before, but judging by Upaj’s expression it was a grave one. The paladin took a seal out of his pocket, a pewter paladin’s seal, but fumbled and dropped it to the ground. He reached to pick it up.

The governess took one glance at the crude boar engraved on the seal and kicked it away, catching a couple of Upaj’s fingers in the process. The seal cracked across the alleyway cobbles a couple of times, bounced off a wall, then rolled straight into an opening on a manhole cover and vanished into the sewer.

Upaj looked up in complete shock at the governess, but she simply stared back blankly. He tried to speak, but she interrupted as soon as he opened his mouth.

"No seal then," She said, enunciating every word, "How unfortunate. A writ?"

Upaj shook his head, then hesitated. He looked towards Jay.

"Jay has a holy gem," He said, "Could you...?"

He gestured for them to produce it. Jay did not. Could not, in truth, but did that even matter?

Even if I hadn’t lost it like a complete fool, Jay thought, Producing it here would be a mistake. She already doesn’t trust us, and would just assume that the gem was fake and try to confiscate it.

That would have ended in disaster. As much as this entire encounter was frustrating beyond reason, the governess was just trying to do her job.

What was more likely? That the two blood-covered, wild-eyed adults without any form of legitimation who were screaming about imminent apocalypse were correct? Or that they were either insane or running a con?

The governess’ job was to protect the Dodge from people like that. People who, from her point of view, were indistinguishable from Upaj and them. The fact that her point of view was biased, factually wrong and morally reprehensible was irrelevant to the purpose of saving Two Crosses. Jay would either have to step on the governess, or work around her.

Upaj wouldn’t kill her even if I asked him to, Jay thought And even if he would, doing so would be counterproductive. The Doge would be much less likely to listen to us.

"I do have the gem," Jay lied, "One blessed by an Aether. But I will only show it to the Doge in person."

"I see," The governess gloated, "Well, you will have to show it to him somewhere else, then. Good day, featherbrain."

Jay nodded, turned around, and left down the alley. Upaj hurried after them. He was well trained enough to hold his peace until the pair ducked around a corner. Jay collapsed, exhausted, ontop of a water barrel while Upaj started pacing nervously before them.

"That hideous witch," the paladin growled, "She will be the ruin of thousands. We should have just pushed past her and petitioned the Doge directly."

Jay shook their head.

"She would have grabbed you if you tried," They said, "And you can’t fight an entire manse guard. No, this isn’t a problem force can solve."

"Then show her your gem," Upaj said.

"I can’t," Jay started.

"We don’t have time for posturing," Upaj said, "Yes it’s a holy relic, yes she’s evil, yes it’s a debasement. Just do it."

"No, I can’t because it was stolen," Jay said, "I literally can’t."

Upaj looked betrayed, then his face hardened.

"That waif?" He asked.

Jay nodded, and Upaj cursed.

"Gods. Of all the rotten luck," He said, "That gem is more important than any mortal life, you should have killed the boy. It’s not like the death would stick."

"And would you have killed the governess if I asked?" Jay asked.

Upaj hesitated.

"Exactly," Jay said, "Us humans can’t just change our morals on a whim."

Upaj sighed, and squatted on the ground in front of the barrel.

"But Aether can," He mused, "Amber’s actions shocked me at first, but I am starting to see sense in them. What even is murder anymore? At most mere hours of utter agony, then a short nap. No separation, no grief. Death weighs little on Ishkur’s scales nowadays."

Jay nodded. Upaj looked up at them, eyes pleading.

"Would them fighting the militia really be as catastrophic as Hiqua argued?" He asked, "Thousands would die, but the deaths would be as painless as Amber could make them. Perhaps it would be for the best."

Upaj was in shock, and grasping at straws. It was a desperate plea for sense in a senseless world.

"Have you ever seen a sack?" Jay asked, "When a city burns, and those who try to fight the flames are either trampled or cut down?"

Upaj thought for a few moments, then shook his head.

"I have seen the aftermath of a bandit raid," He said, "It was horrible."

"The aftermath is incomparable to the event," Jay said, "If we miss the deadline Two Crosses will cease to exist. It doesn’t matter if the people regain their bodies, their lives will end all the same. The very soul of the city will be killed as surely as a knife butchers a lamb."

The pair sat in silence for a while. Eventually, Upaj regained some measure of calm and his hands stopped shaking. Jay felt a brief stab of jealousy at the fact that he could truly do that instead of needing to cower behind a cold mask.

"What do we do now?" The paladin asked.

"Now?" Jay replied, "We shop for extremely expensive clothes."

PIC [https://scythiamarrow.org/archive/SplinterGuard/Art/SectionMarkerJay.png]

"Run it by me again," Upaj said while pacing around the inside of the small, and incredibly expensive, independent tailor’s shop Jay had spent two hours picking out. Two incredibly important hours during which they could have been doing literally anything other than paying a large chunk of their life’s savings for exclusive access to the skills of the kindly old man who was currently taking their measurements with meticulous precision.

"There are three powers in the city with the authority to free Jeshin," Jay said, "The Doge, the city council, and the militia commander. I think. I’m not a lawyer, but I’m pretty sure."

"Breath in, if you would," The tailor said.

Jay stopped their explanation to comply, then breathed out deeply when indicated and continued.

"Of those, I suspect that the militia commander is an impossible lead," Jay said, "Jeshin killed one of their own, they won’t be inclined to free her.

"The city council will not be able to meet today, and will likely not be able to meet tomorrow either. After my measurements are taken we will swing by a few of their houses to explain the situation and beg them to call a session in the morning. I am certain Tylo has already dispatched a few paladins to pursue this line of action as well, it’s the legally appropriate course. While it is good to try I doubt it will work. Our time is so tight that a single naysayer or member too clever for their own good could derail and delay the session."

"Like during the grapeshot council," Upaj supplied.

The grapeshot council was a historical session of the Joint Council which had famously been attacked by a riot of dockworkers who had not been paid for their work on a navy ship. Said ship had capsized in a storm a few days out of port, so the city cried sabotage and blamed the dockworkers. The dockworkers blamed the navy, the navy blamed the city, and cannons ended up getting involved. Jay supposed it was an apt comparison.

"Exactly," Jay said, "The council has too many moving parts, relying on them to free Jeshin on just a day’s notice is a gamble. No, our best shot is with the Doge, even if Idi is a complete bastard."

The tailor hummed his agreement at the insult. There was a reason Jay picked this shop. Well, many reasons in truth. Such as the fact it was an independent shop not associated with the clothier’s guild. Negotiating with someone while wearing their clothes would be a mistake.

"But to meet with him and have a realistic shot of convincing him I need to play by the rules of the Varmyr game," Jay said, "One of which is to be well dressed. Hence us being here. Ow!"

The tailor had pricked them while fitting a cream-white neck frill. Small spots of blood stained the fabric.

"Deepest apologies," He said, wiping away the drops, "Don’t worry, it won’t stain. But did I gather correctly that you need this costume made by the morrow?"

"By noon, yes," Jay said, "Tomorrow is the deadline. If I don’t meet it, thousands die."

The tailor made a face, and not at the casual mention of imminent catastrophe.

"That is impossible, young one," He said, "It would take me a week at least to assemble this attire into ones worthy of being worn to meet a Doge. Even if I worked on nothing else in the meantime."

I paid over ten times what this outfit is worth, up front, Jay thought, petulantly, Nearly my entire life’s savings. I’m sorry if asking you to work through a single godsdamned night in order to avert catastrophe is too much. Not that you or anyone else in this godsforsaken city even believe me. I’m getting really tired of people politely ignoring my warnings.

"I don’t expect the impossible," Jay said, instead, "Cut any and all corners. It needs to be impressive enough for one conversation, for one day. I don’t care if it is uncomfortable to wear, or if there are loose pieces or missing stitches."

"That’s not how it works," The tailor insisted, "The quality and comfort of the work is what is impressive in the first place. I could maybe meet that deadline if I held the internal pieces together with needles instead of stitching, but it would fall apart in a matter of hours. And it would be so uncomfortable to wear that others would notice."

"Hours is all I will need," Jay said, "And I am an expert at concealing my discomfort, don’t worry."

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Upaj gave them a strange look at that. Oh right, most people did not boast about how good they were at deceiving others. Well, he would have to get over it.

The tailor finished his measurements and made a small noise of satisfaction at the results.

"Well, if this is really what you want it is not my place to argue," He said, "I’ll have it ready by the deadline, as requested."

"Thank you," Jay said, "And pray to all the gods that I don’t end up needing the stupid thing."

PIC [https://scythiamarrow.org/archive/SplinterGuard/Art/SectionMarkerJay.png]

Contacting the council members was time intensive but not overly difficult. The city hall kept a list of members and their addresses, and the paladins assigned a few to Jay when they stopped by the keep to check if Hiqua was alive again. He wasn’t, and lived in a separate building across the city besides. Jay got the address and resolved to check there after running through as much of the list as they could before dark.

We really need to come up with a term for ’coming back to life’, Jay thought, Who knew it was going to become so commonplace? Back to life... Re-something. Re-vive? Re-surrect?

Upaj informed them that the proper term was ’recorporate’, as divine magics created a new body from scratch for the soul to inhabit instead of returning life to a dead one. Jay’s academic brain reeled at the dizzying complexity of the formula which would be required for such an act. They knew that divine magics could, in theory, be reduced to arcane ones. And indeed a few simple divine spells had been.

But something like this? Jay thought, How do divine formula even fit on the pages they’re imbued into?

The gap between the divine and the arcane was unfathomably wide. It made Jay feel small, and like an idiot. They felt even more small and like an idiot after failing to convince seven council members in a row to call an emergency session. The eighth, however, agreed. By the time the sun had set a total of three of the twenty on their list were convinced enough to promise a session and even their vote.

Jay trudged towards Hiqua’s house, and listened to Upaj worry.

"Rurak, Chai, and Lauvin," He said, "Do you think it’s enough?"

"Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answers to," Jay said, "Huh, the house is dark. Hiqua should have recorporated by now. Did we miss him?"

"Perhaps," Upaj said, "Try the door."

Jay did. It was locked. They hesitated for a moment, then decided to trust their gut.

"Break it down," Jay ordered.

Upaj obliged with a solid kick that sheared the bolt with the sharp, satisfying ’ping’ of shattering cast iron. The pair found Hiqua sitting at a shabby desk, lit only by a single sputtering tallow candle, staring at two stacks of letters and nursing a crystal glass of spirits. He didn’t look up as they entered.

"You live like this?" Jay asked, bewildered.

The house itself was small for an apartment building, just three stories, but Jay had assumed that a grand paladin would find use out of all of them. Instead, he owned a single room with a desk, a dresser, cheap candles, and a straw bed. No chairs aside from the one he was using, so Jay sat on the bed.

"My needs are met, Jay," Hiqua said, "And sit down and spare me the look Upaj, I’ve had a long day and will not have you begrudge me a small vice. I have a difficult decision to make."

"Drinking is famously good for decision making, yes" Upaj said.

He remained standing. Hiqua ignored him and continued staring at the candle.

"What’s the decision?" Jay eventually asked, "Can I help?"

Hiqua took a sip of the spirits, then proffered the glass. Jay declined.

"The decision," Hiqua said, "Is whether to fight or flee.

"If I send these letters," he pointed to the left stack, "We fight.

"If I send those instead," he pointed to the right, "We stay out of it."

"Well it won’t come to either," Upaj said, "Mystro and I will..."

"You will fail," Hiqua interrupted. "If it was possible to solve this without violence Amber would have done so already. They are not so far gone that slaughter has become their first resort. And unlike you two, they can punch through steel and read minds."

Jay winced at the reminder of Amber’s power. They did not want to think about that fight right now.

What happens if this continues and Amber gets even worse? Jay thought, If they do ever go completely insane and start defaulting to violence? It’s a serious possibility, and one I need to be ready for.

"Could you even do it?" Jay asked, "Fight them, I mean. Are aether even possible to beat? How would you go about it?"

Upaj had wounded Amber, or at least appeared to, but Jay did not know enough about aether to know if that was meaningful. The grand paladin hesitated before answering.

"Yes," He said, "Aether can be fought, and while they can’t be killed they can be beaten. The strategy for doing so is similar to fighting a powerful demon. You need to use powerful potions and enchantments, employ liberal use of supportive magics to slow and confuse, and finally strike hard with weapons imbued with specific materials. Pure materials for demons, such as silver or mercury, and tarnished for aether, such as rust."

"I thought it was silver and salt for demons," Jay said, "Not mercury."

"Superstition," Hiqua replied, "Both silver and salt preserve food, so people think that both banish demons, too. Don’t ask me why that is, though. The divine could certainly stand to explain things better. Like why razing a city is somehow the right thing to do."

The sheer venom employed in that last sentence could shame a viper. No, Hiqua was not doing well. None of them were, really.

"They flicked my forehead, you know," Jay said, "When I first met them. I was being stupid and they flicked me on the forehead for it. It took me by utter surprise, I thought that aether couldn’t hurt people."

Hiqua let out a half-laugh, half-sob at the story.

"Truly, we are both the same," He said, "We both believed that Amber would never hurt us. You got a finger to the brow, and I got several to the throat. Seems unfair."

It was unfair, and Jay could tell that the unfairness of it was what bothered Hiqua the most. They sympathized. Hiqua had trusted Amber, and Amber had broken that trust severely.

Will you leave the paladins over this? Jay wondered, Or continue on in a role you no longer believe in? Or, perhaps worst of all, decide to internalize the hurt and act like nothing bad ever happened? It’s what I would do.

"To be fair," Jay said, "You are much, much more dangerous than me. How many people alive can boast to have wounded an aether? You’ll be famous!"

Hiqua smiled.

"Famous as the fool who destroyed his own order, maybe," He muttered.

Then the grand paladin gathered the letters on the left of the table and tucked them away into a satchel. So the paladins would fight, then, if Jay failed. The thought actually made them feel a bit better.

"You should go get some sleep," Hiqua said, "As will I, after I dispatch these. Tomorrow we both attempt the impossible."

PIC [https://scythiamarrow.org/archive/SplinterGuard/Art/SectionMarkerJay.png]

Jay did not sleep. Instead, they waited for Upaj to doze off before sneaking out of the boarding house through the window. The entire process had taken a longer than they had wanted.

Upaj, like Jay, had paid for a cot but, unlike Jay, he had then swapped both sleeping locations and blankets with an old woman who could not afford either. She was a farmer from a nearby village who had traveled to the city for a wedding, and loved telling stories about her amazing experiences ’in the big city’. At length. To Jay’s mounting frustration.

At least Upaj had fallen asleep nearly instantly after the woman retired, despite laying on top of cold stone and under what could be better described as a ragged cloth than anything remotely warm.

Jay needed to be back at the house before Upaj woke from his first sleep, and had a lot to do in the meantime.

Find that waif and get the gem back, Jay thought, I can do that. Easy.

Two Crosses had three temples to Gula. Jay had asked. Well, technically four if one counted the temple a mile outside the northern gates but Jay did not. Two lay south of the river, and one lay north. Both times Jay had encountered the waif they had been south of the river, so they started their search with the southwest one.

Walking the streets at night was nerve-wracking. The crescent moon was up, thankfully, but low on the sky and the shadows of the tall buildings crammed together cast the alleyways into deep voids of sheer blackness. Jay kept to the center of the road, and could not help but glance behind them every other heartbeat.

They should have picked up a magelight formula or two from the river market during the morning. It would at least have kept them from tripping over their own feet. But they had not, so they would have to accept the occasional stumble.

Not a soul was out and about, on the street or off it. No candlelights shone from within any of the houses, and it was so quiet that Jay could hear the pounding of their heart in their ears.

But no one accosted them, and they made it safely to the temple. Or, well, shrine as it turned out. It was tucked into a side alcove off a small square, and like most shrines was composed of a statue to pray to and a small shack used to store incense and other supplies. It was a shrine to Gula, so there were some marks on the ground delimiting where a medical station would be put up on occasion.

Gula’s statue was well put together, made of granite, and the paint was well maintained. No pigeon poop to be found, which was a holy miracle in itself. There was a small pile of divine offerings to the goddess, the fruits, bread, herbs, and honey that Gula held sacred. But no waif, and no Holy to ask about a waif. Time for the southeast temple, then.

The slap of bare feet on stone resounded from behind Jay, and their heart leaped into their throat. They desperately looked for a place to hide, no one sensible was out this late, but the best place they could find was behind the shack. They squeezed behind it just as a figure stepped around the corner and approached the shrine.

Jay could not see very well in the darkness, but the figure appeared to be a young woman clad in rags. She furtively snuck up to the offerings and snatched an armful. Her movements were fast and careless, she knocked over a jar of honey and scattered a small pile of fruits in her haste.

The ceramic shattered with an unnervingly loud sound and some of the fruits split apart, covering the ground with ripe flesh and seeds. The woman sat down in the mess then proceeded to make an even greater one by greedily devouring what she had taken with no regard to neatness. Her face and arms were quickly covered with herbs, juice and crumbs.

The casual blasphemy appalled Jay. Gula was the goddess of charity, yes, but there was charity and there was theft. This was clearly the latter.

The divine isn’t speaking to mortals since the sundering, Jay wondered, Are its protections weakening as well?

The thought unnerved Jay. If divine protections were weakening, what would happen to those who sought refuge in temples and shrines? They had a vivid premonition of a sanctuary temple burning, the people inside it clawing against the walls, unable to escape. The thought nauseated them.

"Hey!" They called, emerging from behind the shack, "You aren’t a holy, stranger. Hands off those offerings."

The stranger startled and froze, mouth full of orange and hands full of bread. She looked up at Jay with wild, glowing crimson eyes.

Crimson eyes, Jay thought, horrified, It’s a demon!

No human had red eyes, much less ones that glowed. Jay screamed and scrambled back from the monster, desperately preparing a spell. The monster tried to scream as well, but choked on the orange and doubled over, hacking and spitting out pieces on the ground.

Jay released a burst of flame towards the thing but it slammed straight into a shield of divine light. Jay felt only a moment of utter shock before a wave of energy smashed them into the ground, hard enough to drive their breath away. The woman finally cleared her throat and took a long gasping wheeze.

"Not!" She said in broken Rhina, "Not an demon! Elemental! Elemental!"

Jay should probably have figured that out before getting themself smote. Demons fed off suffering, not food. They rocked on the ground, groaning in pain and cursing their very existence. Their mantra, subdued by the impossible situation, roared back to life with a vengeance.

I’m not an idiot about one thing, though. The protections are weakening, Jay thought, with dread, That smite should have killed me. Instead, it barely hurt me.

"Are you okay?" The woman asked, "Do you need food? Here, have an pear. My name is Kai."

Jay sat up and stared at the proffered object. This entire situation felt surreal.

"And mine is Jay," They replied, "You don’t know about our customs, do you?"

"I do!" Kai said, "You leave food for the needy on an statue. Varmyr has very kind people. I was summoned to an nice place."

She dropped the pear in front of Jay and sat down on the ground, then pulled her rags against her.

"Cold, though," Kai said, "My home is warm. I want to go back."

The situation finally clicked for Jay.

"You’re a lust elemental, aren’t you?" They asked, "Summoned by a brothel master, but he kicked you out."

She beamed.

"I had an great contract!" She confirmed, happily, "I was learning Rhina, had many lovers, and even got ’wages’ to buy sweets. The plane of lust doesn’t have sweets. It’s very boring."

"But then your contract was up," Jay said, "And the master doesn’t want to renew it. But you can’t go back. Why not?"

Kai shrugged.

"Can’t," She said, "I try like I usually do, but just wake up in the house. Then the master gets mad and kicks me out again. Says he will ’sue’ me for trespassing."

"That’s outrageous!" Jay protested, "He can’t just kick you out of the only place you have even known. I’d like to see him try suing you. The courts won’t stand for it."

One didn’t get ones investment back after a ship sank, no matter how much one complained about it. Jay would know, they had sometimes been the person investors complained to.

Kai laughed. It sounded like a normal human laugh, only too bright and cheerful for the situation.

"You are stupid!" She said, without malice, "I have been here two months, and even I know to not trust the court. It will trick you worse than the Fey. Instead of taking your name it will take your freedom. That is stupid advice."

Jay flushed, and got to their feet.

"Well then stay in your gutter, then," They snapped, "Begging for scraps, doing nothing to improve. See if I care."

"But you do care," She replied, standing up as well, "Or you would not offer the stupid advice in the first place. You offered me an kindness. An stupid kindness, but an kindness."

"A kindness," Jay corrected automatically.

"A kindness, an kindness," Kai huffed, "Stupid Rhina. Some are a and some are an but none make sense. Speak a non stupid language."

Jay winced. Here Kai was, with barely a flaw to her speech after barely two months of learning, and Jay was nitpicking. They really were scum.

But, scum on a mission that they should get back to. They left the shrine and set off into the dark. Kai tagged along behind them.

"So that is me, but why are you about?" She asked, "You look too nice to be homeless. Do you like watching people at night? We had an few like that around the house."

What was she even...? Oh! Jay felt absolutely mortified.

"A few. And no! Absolutely not!" They said, "That’s... Ugh, that’s disgusting, abhorrent. A crime! People who do that should be locked in a pillory."

"I’m just making conversation," Kai said, "And many do get locked in a pillory. They pay extra for it."

Jay was terribly grateful that people could not see colors in the dark. They were blushing redder than a ripe pomegranate.

"I’m looking for a waif," Jay said. Anything to change the topic of conversation. "A small Leru boy, with wrinkled ears. Maybe ten years old?"

"You mean Ivis?" Kai said, "I know him! He is a good friend; I tell him stories. But he’s not ten. He’s four plus ten."

Jay missed a step. Fourteen? Gods. Ivis, if they really were talking about the same person, was small even for ten. And Lua grew taller than Rhin on average.

Mission comes first, Jay thought, Feel bad for the thief later.

"Do you know where he is? I need to find him," Jay said, eagerly, "It’s important."

Kai gave Jay a distrustful look.

"Why do you want to know?" She asked.

"He stole something from me," Jay said, "A holy gem. It is incredibly important that I get it back as soon as possible."

Kai sighed. She did not seem surprised.

"I’ll introduce you in the morning," She said, "In public. Not in the dark."

Jay seethed. They were so close. They took a deep breath to calm themself.

"Kai, listen," Jay said, "I’m on a holy quest, and this cannot wait. The entire city could be destroyed if I don’t get that gem. An aether, Amber Nekt, has snapped and vowed vengeance if a prisoner isn’t freed. That gem is one of the only tools I can use to stop it."

Kai looked at Jay with unadulterated loathing.

"Do you say such lies to everyone you seek to lead you to an vulnerable orphan at night?" She asked, "Or just people you think are too ignorant to know better?"

"I’m not..."

Kai turned to leave, and Jay grabbed her by the arm. She whirled on them and slapped them across the face, her nails grown into claws that left deep rents in their flesh. Jay did not flinch. They could barely feel the pain.

Fire blazed behind Kai’s crimson eyes, and faint wisps of smoke rose from her hair. Her skin grew so hot that Jay’s sleeve threatened to burst into flames. Jay kept their grip firm, regardless. Kai again tried to pull away, ineffectually.

"Let go of me," She said, "Or I will begin shouting."

"Do it," Jay said, "Shout. No one in this godsforsaken city cares. About anything. I’m trying to save their damned hides, and all I have to show for it is scorn and distrust. I’m not lying, Kai. I swear it on all the gods’ honor."

Jay dropped their hold on Kai’s arm and, blessedly, she hesitated. But their frustration and anguish about the day had finally boiled over.

"YOU HEAR THAT?" They shouted to no one, "I’M NOT LYING! YOU ARE ALL GOING TO DIE! AND IT’S ALL YOUR STUPID FAULTS!"

"Be quiet," Kai said, "You will draw footpads."

"What can they do, kill me?" Jay asked, "Rob me? How scary.

"AN AETHER IS GOING TO COME AND KILL YOU ALL!" They continued, "BECAUSE THIS ENTIRE CITY IS EVIL! EVERY ONE OF YOU IS EVIL!"

"Please," Kai begged, "Please stop."

She gripped their hand tightly, and it was Jay’s turn to hesitate.

What am I even doing? Jay wondered, This is madness. Sheer madness. And I can’t afford that. Act now, go insane later.

"Sorry," They said, pulling away from Kai, "I’m quite stressed. I did not mean to startle you. Or alert footpads, or whatever."

Kai tacitly accepted the apology by moving on.

"Ivis usually sleeps in the alley behind the house," She said, "North of the river. I’ll lead you there, just no more shouting, okay?"

"Okay."

PIC [https://scythiamarrow.org/archive/SplinterGuard/Art/SectionMarkerJay.png]

Kai’s former place of employment was a large building three blocks north of the river walk. By the time Kai and them reached it the moon had set, but the large red sign displaying its name was lit by a plethora of slow burning beeswax candles. It was the only bit of illumination on the entire street, which lent the red sign a demonic cast.

Nonaya’s Hoise Jay read, That name would get it burned for blasphemy in the princedoms. I’m not much of a fan, either.

Then again, Jay had never been a fan of any red house.

"Back here," Kai said, "He usually sleeps behind the rain barrel. Says it’s warm."

She moved into the alley to the right of the house, and Jay followed. Kai gently shifted aside the rain barrel, and found nothing.

"Ivis?" Kai called to the air, "It’s Kai. This is Jay. They are an friend. You can come out now, if you want."

There was no response. Jay heard a noise from behind them and whirled around. Three figures stood and blocked the alley entrance, hulking black shadows on a black background. One of them fiddled with something, and Jay was momentarily blinded by the bright shock of an oil lantern being uncovered.

"Looking for this?" A voice asked. It was masculine, and smooth, with the polished diction of an upper-class Joinderite. Jay wished they could sound like that.

Jay’s vision was blurred, but they could squint past the lantern to see the pink glow of Amber’s gem held in a gloved hand.

Those gloves are silk, Jay thought, Expensive.

They felt an instant wash of relief. The gem was safe! Jay reached for it, and the gloved man pulled it away, then pocketed it in his vest.

Jay’s eyes had adjusted enough they could finally get a proper look at him. He was of average height, and looked the model of a proper Varmyr businessman. Crisp, coiffed locks of brown hair, a faint dusting of dark brown freckles across light brown and flawless skin, and, curiously, slightly pointed ears and a pair of green eyes ringed with purple. He looked about forty years old, and had a healthy bit of extra fat on his face and waist, which he accentuated with a red waistband also made of silk.

"Eep!" Kai exclaimed, and scrambled away down the alley.

"Evict the trespasser, if you would Slei," The man said, "And throw her into the river this time."

One of the shadows behind the man disappeared down the road. Presumably to catch Kai via another route. Jay frowned and crossed their arms.

"I’m Jay," They said, "And you have something of mine."

"And I’m Emou," Emou said, "Now that introductions are over, why don’t we continue this conversation inside my house? It’s much warmer."

Jay knew a power play when they saw one.

"I prefer the cold, actually," They said, "And for my property to be returned to me."

Emou produced the gem again and twisted it in their fingers, examining the carvings. Making a show of listening to Jay’s words. They both knew he was about to ask for something unreasonable in return. It just wasn’t done to leave leverage on the table when playing the Varmyr game.

"As do we all," He said, "So I propose a deal. I’ll give you back your property, and you give me back what is mine."

Jay knew it was coming, but they bristled anyway.

"I’ve taken nothing from you. You threw out Kai, not me," Jay said, "Give me my gem back. Now."

"Kai?" Emou asked, "No, that bitch is a pain in my ass, not a weight in my purse. I’m talking about Eji."

Jay blinked.

"Who?"

Emou looked frustrated.

"Eji. The whore. Cliaman, gray hair, tattoo of a flower on his wrist? He’s been staying at your temple for a week now."

He doesn’t know, Jay realized, He thinks he stumbled into leverage on a holy of Nanaya, not a random accountant in over their head.

They heard distant shouting. Slei must have caught Kai. Jay felt a vague sense of guilt over that, but needed to keep their focus.

"I’ll talk to him," Jay lied, "But I can’t promise anything. Nayaya teaches us to accept and protect everyone. Especially those who wish to leave her profession."

"But he doesn’t want to leave," Emou said, exasperatedly, "He’s just doing this to hurt me, to try and convince himself that he doesn’t need me. Well, he does. He doesn’t have the slightest idea of what to do with himself without me. If you bring him here, if you let me speak to him, he’ll come back and we can get over this. He throws these tantrums all the time."

Jay felt a deep pit of revulsion lodge into their stomach. Even their lie about promising to talk to Eji felt like a mistake. Bringing the poor man back here, to this monster? They would rather die.

"Not happening," Jay said, "And consider my offer of talking to Eji rescinded. Now give me back my gem."

Emou sighed.

"Maybe an underwater nap will change your tune," He said, "Kludge, kill them."

The bee with the lantern took out a cudgel from beneath their overcoat and advanced on Jay. They aimed a vertical swing at them, but Jay managed to scramble back and out of the way in time. They screamed for help.

"So whiny," Emou griped, "It’s not like you’ll die for real."

Jay kept screaming, and frantically backpedaled. Kludge swung again, and while Jay managed to avoid two blows the third cracked them straight on the crown of their head, sending them sprawling to the cobbles in a daze. It hurt, but not as much as they were expecting. Jay reached up and touched their scalp. Their hand came away covered in blood.

"Just tie them up and drown them," Emou called, "Easier than beating them to death. Kinder, too."

There was nothing kind about this. Kludge grunted their assent, then reached down and grabbed Jay’s clothing. They began wrestling Jay out of their jacket. Jay squirmed, but ineffectually.

Kludge didn’t bring rope, Jay thought, So they are going to bind me with my own jacket, then throw me in a river. I’m going to die. I’m finally going to die.

The disturbing relief Jay felt at that thought shook them to the core. People should not want to die. Then Kludge began choking them with their own jacket, and the relief turned to sheer panic in an instant. They could not breathe. They had to breathe.

Jay slammed all the mana they could into their static spell, and arcs of lightning burst out of them. They scored the walls with the fast chirp of overheated stone, and ran straight through Kludge’s heart. The bee seized, then burst into red sprites.

The lightning also illuminated the back half of the alley, and for the first time Jay saw Ivis’ murder scene clearly. A pool of blood, seemingly too large for what had been such a small frame, and a single silver signet arcing with sparks as it attracted the lightning. A small grey sprite floated against the ground, nearly invisible in the dark.

No kind drowning for a waif, Jay thought, distantly, I suppose I should feel honored.

They got to their feet, and glared at Emou. The man held out the gem wardingly, as if the fragile stone could protect him from Jay’s wrath. And, gods damn it, it just might. Jay was the one to break the silence.

"Counteroffer," They growled, "You give me the gem, and I don’t kill you."

Emou smirked.

"You wouldn’t dare," He said, "I have the ear of aspirant Suma. You would be jailed faster than that poor knight who brawled with the militia yesterday. And she lasted less than a minute."

Jay was getting tired of powerful people acting thoughtlessly and without consequence. They should just step on Emou and let others deal with the aftermath.

Which is exactly what Jeshin did, Jay thought, And look where it got her.

This situation and Jeshin’s were different. Obviously they were different. But were they different enough to matter? Jay did not think so. They stood down.

"I thought so," Emou gloated, "Now run along and..."

Upaj punched Emou across the jaw, knocking him out cold. He picked up the gem, and walked over to Jay.

"I think this is yours, mystro," He said, preferring it, "You should keep better care of it, so it doesn’t fall into the hands of criminals and evildoers."

"Upaj?" Jay asked, bewildered, "I thought you were still asleep. When did you wake up? How did you find me?"

"I woke up freezing," Upaj explained, "And decided to go warm up and get a better blanket. Then I saw you were missing, and followed the shouting. You two made quite a racket."

He gestured behind him, to where Kai stood, huddled beneath a soft new blanket. She waved at them. They waved back, relieved.

"I’m sorry," Jay said, "I should have been more careful. As you said, there are murderers and robbers about."

But I have the gem, Jay thought Time to get my second sleep. I need to be as rested as I can be.

One way or another, this nightmare would end tomorrow.