Chapter 10: Debriefing

The Reception Lady, as Owen currently called her, flicked her gaze between the three of them, before resting a long, hard, stare on Azure. Her demeanor was composed, but the smallest hint of a frown pulled at the corners of her mouth as she analyzed the situation before her.

“I see this debriefing needs to happen behind closed doors,” said the woman finally.

Azure’s jaw tightened as she nodded and stood, following the woman toward a door to the right of the reception desk. Halfway to the door, she turned and gestured curtly to Owen. “You should come too, since this concerns you as much as me, now.”

With a dry swallow, Owen complied and followed them through the door into what reminded him of a medieval War Room. There were no chairs in here, just a large table in the room’s center, covered with a series of paper maps.

The Reception Lady closed the door with a click, rounded the table, and leaned on it to stare them both down. “So,” she said, “The Lesser Wyvern?”

“Is dead,” said Azure, folding her arms loosely and leaning against the wall.

“And your party members?”

“Also dead,” Azure ground out. The words hung over them like an axe, thick and heavy. “I’d be dead too, if not for him.” She jabbed a thumb at Owen.

“Hi,” said Owen, swallowing a little. “I’m Owen.”

“I am Kattra, Guild Stewardess and a Keeper of Guild Hall,” she said. “Tell me, Owen, how did you kill the Lesser Wyvern?”

“Uhhhh,” Owen scratched his head, “I hit it with my van. Really hard.”

“Your… van?” Just like with Azure, the word van seemed difficult for Kattra to say.

“Yeah, it’s like a wagon,” said Owen, “but it pulls itself. No horses necessary.”

“Intriguing,” said the Stewardess. “Where is this van now?”

“It’s pinned up against the dead Wyvern,” said Azure, striding across the room and leaning over the table. “We found the beast here,” she dropped the half-empty vial of venom onto a big, ink-drawn map. From just a brief glance at the paper, Owen could easily make out Ysvale as the big, circular city in the center, as well as the big river they’d followed to get here. Other locations were dotted across the map, with the names written in fine cursive beside them.

“And it felled four members of your party before this Owen could intervene?” said Kattra, examining the venom briefly before pocketing it.

“Yes,” said Azure.

“Did you burn the bodies?”

“Yes,” said Azure.

“Then what articles have you brought back for the families of the departed?”

From her satchel, Azure retrieved the Silver Crest she’d shown the Bastard Captain earlier and placed it on the table. “Atticus’s Crest is all we could recover. We had more, but we were attacked by demons on the way back. We only narrowly escaped with our lives.”

“So it seems,” said Kattra, pocketing the Crest with a frown. “Then I take it that the story of two stragglers being caught outside the West Gate refers to you two, then?”

Owen’s stomach twisted. Did the Stewardess know that he and Azure had assaulted the Gate Captain, then?

“Probably,” said Azure, shrugging. “Though, I don’t know how much of what you heard is true. Guards tend to see strange things at night.”

“They say that the pair of you slew three Sentinels with little more than a dagger. I take that to be an exaggeration?” said Kattra.

“Oh, no, that part’s true,” said Azure. “We’ve got the bone shards to prove it.”

“I see,” said Kattra, pausing for a long moment as she inspected the pair of them. “Tell me, Owen, what magic do you possess?”

“Uhhhh… If I remember right, I have a mana of Lightning, a mana of Metal, and a mana of Wind,” said Owen, counting off on his fingers.

“Do you mean you have a mana pool of each?” said Kattra, her eyes widening a little.

“Oh, that too, but I meant that I have one mana of each type.”

At this, Kattra seemed both puzzled and astonished. “But that can’t be right. You… what level are you, Owen?”

“Last I checked?” said Owen. “Level three.”

“And the pair of you managed to fell three Sentinels on your own?”

“That appears to be the case,” said Owen.

After a moment of consideration, Kattra retrieved a small ledger from an inner pocket of her surcoat. She flipped through a few pages before settling on one and jabbing it with her finger.

“Despite the unfortunate circumstances surrounding its completion, we shall consider your quest successful. You shall receive the agreed cut of the reward, and the others’ rewards shall be allotted to their families.” She tore out a page from the ledger and handed it to Azure. Then, her eyes fell on Owen. “As for you… You are no Guildsman. Tell me, what reward would you request for saving one of our own?”

“Oh?” said Owen, feeling his cheeks turn a bit red. He could do many things, but taking something from someone else, whether as a reward or elsewise, was something he’d never been terribly good at. “It’s fine,” he said quietly. “I’m alive, and so is Azure, so that’s eno--”

“He wants to join the Guild,” Azure interrupted.

“I do?” said Owen, precisely at the same moment Kattra said, “He does?”

He looked between the two for a moment, getting daggered glares from Azure and a simple raised eyebrow from Kattra, before he finally said, “I’d like to join the Guild, please.”

“Not an unusual request,” said Kattra. “But what do you bring to the table?”

“He’s a Techomancer,” said Azure. “His van is Soulbonded to him.”

“Now, that is intriguing,” said Kattra, turning several pages in her ledger and dotting her finger up and down the page. Her reaction would have been as calm as day, if not for the way her fingers twitched jerkily over the paper. “But why would you leave a soulbonded object in the forest?”

“It was out of commission,” said Owen. “And we had to return before nightfall.”

“Can you repair it?”

“With the right tools, yes,” said Owen. “Hell, give me some duct tape and a pocket knife, and I can work miracles.”

“I take it that duct tape is some kind of tool?”

“Ah, well, yes, but it doesn’t matter,” said Owen. “What matters is that I know machines, and I can get that sucker working like it was brand new.”

Kattra put her finger to her cheek, as if she were thinking. Then, coming to a decision, she touched her finger to the book once more, and then tore out the page, handing it to Owen. “In that case, for your compensation, we shall create a quest for a party to retrieve your vehicle, free of charge. Additionally, we will begin the paperwork for initiating you into the Guild.”

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Cathan was waiting for them where they’d left him. However, there was now a large platter of meat, bread, and fruit laid out before him, with three tall, wooden beer mugs waiting on the table.

Owen settled into his place across from the wiry man, trying to get the sense of weight off his shoulders. In all, that conversation with the Stewardess had gone well. And yet…

“You look like you could use some beer,” said Cathan, proffering a mug with one hand before stuffing a sausage link into his mouth with the other.

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Owen waved it away. “Water is fine.” There would be time for drinking later. Preferably something strong. But for now, he needed his wits about him.

“Fine choice, if I do say so myself,” said Cathan with a wink, extending a waterskin. “After all, I’m the one who cleaned it.”

Grinning despite himself, Owen accepted the skin and took a long gulp. The water was lukewarm, but that was honestly better than if it were ice cold. He emptied the waterskin before returning it.

“So, what’s your plan now?” said Cathan as Azure sat next to Owen. “We were discussing forming a party?”

“Oh, about that,” said Owen. “Azure and I have already formed a party, so she’d have final say on anyone else who joins.”

Azure sipped gently from her mug. “Let’s see how you actually hold up in a fight,” she said. “We’re going on a quest tomorrow to retrieve an object. Join us, and we’ll see how you do.”

“Oooh, is it a magic object?” said Cathan.

“Something like that,” said Owen.

“It’s a wagon which can propel itself,” said Azure.

Cathan whistled. “Now that sounds useful.”

“It is,” said Owen. “I’ve had it since I was fifteen, and I’ve practically lived out of it since I was seventeen.”

“You lived in a wagon?” said Cathan, pursing his lips. “Either I’m misunderstanding what kind of wagon this is, or you were quite poor.”

“Well, whatever you’re imagining this ‘wagon’ looks like,” said Owen with a wince, the comment jabbing him a bit harder than Cathan likely intended, “you’re probably far off the mark. As for my personal wealth or lack thereof, let’s say that there are some things worth more than money.”

Cathan seemed to recognize his faux pas. “Oh, I didn’t mean any disrespect, Owen.”

“It’s fine,” said Owen, standing. “I need some air.” He left the table and went back out onto the main street. The Castle towered before him, taking up all of his view.

But right now, Owen didn’t need overwhelming. He needed solitude. He marched around the western corner of the Guild Hall, passing into an alley between it and another grand stone structure, trying to disappear into the shadows betwixt them.

The path he took was fashioned of flagstone and moss, descending down a series of steps and passing through more than one bridge’s underpass. The buildings around him seemed to be deserted, their entrances appearing as caved alcoves to him.

With each step, memories of his family flashed before him. His father. His siblings. His mother. The drugs he’d found hidden in her dresser a few weeks after his dad had died. The evenings spent tucking his little brother and sister into bed. The nights spent up studying and just praying he could keep Social Services off his mom’s back just a little longer, until she could find a way to sober up.

He came to an empty courtyard that was depressed between a tall hedge of buildings. A statue of a satyr stood mossed and unmoving in its center, with a ringed fountain laying drained around it. Sprigs of grass and weeds sprouted up from the courtyard’s flagstone, gently pulled by a slight breeze winding the canyon-like alleys of stone.

Owen sat at the rim of the ringed fountain, burying his head in his hands. He wasn’t there to protect them anymore. Mason. Jesse. Mom. It would be just like losing dad again, except now there was nobody to save them. What were they going to do? His mom couldn’t even pay her damn rent, let alone pay for a funeral.

Gripping his temples tightly, Owen tried to get a hold on his emotions. He could feel his knuckles whiten as he squeezed, trying to force down the pain and put it somewhere he didn’t have to deal with it.

But try as he might, Owen couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.

“Damn it,” he whispered. “Damn it, damn it, damn it.”

He heard footsteps, and looked up to see Azure emerging into the courtyard from the same path he’d taken. Hastily wiping his eyes, Owen said, “You followed me.”

“Of course I did,” said Azure. “Can’t have you going and getting lost. Ysvale’s a big place, you know.”

Owen snorted as he dried the last of his tears. “I don’t get lost,” he said.

“I’m sure you don’t,” said Azure, taking a seat beside him.

Without asking, she pulled his hand into the two of hers, clasping her fingers in his. Her touch was soft, yet strong. And above all else, it was comforting. Quietly, almost as if against his will, Owen leaned his face into her shoulder and wept.

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His tears dried quickly, but his heart ached for a long while after. Owen didn’t bother to track the time as he sat on that fountain’s edge with Azure, just holding her hands. It was the first time since he was a child that he'd had anybody comfort him, and while it was a certainly strange sensation, it wasn’t an unwelcome one.

“Thank you,” he said at last, turning his head so as to stare aimlessly into the darkened alcoves of the buildings around him.

“Don’t mention it,” said Azure, her voice light. “We’re a party, remember? We have to take care of each other.”

“I didn’t think you meant it quite like this, though,” said Owen.

“It doesn’t matter how I meant it. What matters is how I show it,” said Azure.

“I… I guess.”

“I’m not going to pretend to understand what you’re going through,” said Azure, “but it’s obviously been tough. You don’t have to bear whatever it is alone.”

“I don’t think I could explain it if I tried.”

“How will you know until you do?”

Finally, Owen straightened up, running his fingers through his hair. “Do you really want to know?”

Overhead, the sun had hidden behind the rooftops. It would be sunset soon.

Azure shrugged. “I don’t need to know. But if you need somebody to talk to, I’m here.”

Owen considered that for a moment, then nodded. “Thank you.”

“Like I said, don’t mention it.”

“So, what now?” said Owen, leaning back and cracking his knuckles.

“We strike out for the Western Gate before dawn,” said Azure. “We want to leave Ysvale’s limits right when the sun rises. In the meantime,” she motioned to the buildings around her, “these were once lodging for the Guild, back when we numbered in the thousands, maybe even more. Though our numbers are a lot smaller now, the Guild still lets us use these buildings to rest.”

“I see,” said Owen. “They look creepy.”

Azure flashed him a grin. “That’s the best part. Come on, I know you can feel the sense of mystery here. It makes you wonder what hidden secrets you’ll find.” She stood and pulled him up by the hand. “I’ve already got a spot staked out from a couple nights ago. Come on, I’ll show it to you.”

Owen let her lead him from the courtyard and down a different path, his hand firmly clasped in hers. Her touch was so warm against the subtle, shadowed chill of the ancient steeples and abandoned grottos. Statues long faceless and featureless watched them as they passed, missing limbs and sometimes heads from their gray-green torsos.

Despite his self-described impeccable sense of direction, Owen found himself losing track of their path, as they went up and down knee-high steps, through narrow corridors of stone, and across brambled courtyards.

At long last, Azure guided him to the base of a towered rampart, up a long spiral staircase, and into a circular chamber at the top. The room was mostly empty, but for a pile of hay formed into a makeshift mattress on the far wall and a doorway leading outside from just beside the stairway.

“Come look,” said Azure, stepping out the door. Owen followed and was met with the most wonderful view. The tower had a balcony circling the upper chamber, with a stone balustrade on its outer limit as a guard rail. Azure leaned quietly against that rail, gazing out over much of the city. In the far distance, the crimson sun set over the mountains, its last streaks of light lingering on the upper ramparts of Ysvale.

“Wow,” said Owen, stepping beside Azure as, at last, the sun hid behind the mountains. “Glad I’m inside the walls this time, not out.”

Azure chuckled. “You and me both.”

As the sun disappeared, lights began to blink into the sky. Stars, as numerous as the sands of the sea, just seemed to pop into existence, bright and vibrant against the blackened veil of night. Owen didn’t recognize a single constellation in the sky, not that he’d expected to.

Looking up, Owen saw multiple moons, each different sizes, but all larger than Earth’s moon. He counted… three? That seemed about right. A yellow moon, a light blue moon, and a metallic silver moon. No, wait, there were four. Craning his head, he glanced Eastward, to where yet another moon had just begun to rise. It was dark against the night sky, almost more visible for blocking the stars than for any glow of its own. It reminded Owen, somehow, of a skull.

“The Dark Moon,” Azure said softly, catching his gaze. “Not the best moon to be seen under.”

“Where is the Light Moon from last night?” said Owen.

“Won’t be out again for another six days,” said Azure. “There are seven greater moons, Owen. Each one for a Greater Mana type: Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, Colorless, Light, and Dark.” She seemed to spit out that last word as if it left a stench in her mouth. “On nights where they are in the sky, their respective manas become stronger. There’s a reason we set out on the day of a Light Moon, because not only does it make Light Magic stronger, but it makes creatures of darkness weaker.”

“I didn’t know moons worked that way,” said Owen. “But based on the order you listed them in,” he counted on his fingers, “tomorrow night will be a Fire Moon.”

Azure grinned in the ample moonlight, her face crowned with streaks of yellow and blue. The scales on her cheeks glowed a little as she said, “It’ll definitely make dealing with any demons a lot easier.”

A cool wind swept across them, brushing Azure’s hair across her face. She laughed, gazing out into the night, a gentle quiet falling around them as Ysvale went to sleep, so silent that Owen could hear his own breath.

He peered out on the stars, letting them fill his vision. Could one of those stars be his own? Or was Earth in another universe entirely, not even touching this one?

“I’m not from here,” he finally said.

“Well, that much I gathered,” Azure chuckled.

“No, I mean, I’m not from here. Not from this world.”

Azure frowned and tilted her head, giving him a confused look. “I don’t understand.”

“Look up at those stars,” said Owen, gesturing to them. “What are they?”

“They are Fractured Mana,” said Azure. “Alone, they aren’t much, but when drawn into a constellation, they can be used by seers or formed into new Mana Types. Why?”

“How high do you think you’d have to go to touch them?” said Owen.

“I… I don’t know. Maybe to the top of Tower Esthelenean?” Azure said.

Owen shook his head. “I don’t know how high the Tower reaches, but I doubt it’s far enough to reach a star. If astronomers haven’t already started to realize it, they’ll soon figure out that stars are much like your Sun, except that they are very, very, very far away. Farther than you could possibly imagine, burning as great, giant spheres of fire and light.”

“How do you know this?” said Azure.

“Somewhere out there is another star, probably one we can’t even see from here. And around that star there circles a small, little globe of Blue and Green. There are people who live there, with technology and culture that’s at once so similar to here, and yet so different. That place is called Earth. And it’s my home.”