Seamus yawned. The morning was still young, the sky still a dark purple. His body still ached, despite the couple days of rest he had. Normally, he would still be asleep, but James had called him to the longhouse to discuss something. The young man only knew that he was supposed to wait for the clan leader to call him in.
‘What does he want to talk to me about? Shit, is it about what happened in Vindis?’
That made him shake a little. Seamus had no desire to recount those events, let alone relive them with James.
“Maybe I should go back to the—”
“Seamus?” Dahlia’s voice caught him off guard. Seamus jumped at the sound of her voice. The shaman was peeking out the longhouse’s doors, her expression serious.
‘She’s here too?’
Seamus could feel the pressure on him increase at the thought of more people being behind those doors. If this was an intervention, he was going to lose it.
Dahlia seemed to have noticed this, so she raised a comforting hand, her voice growing soft. “It’s not an intervention. You’re among friends here.”
Seamus nodded. “Alright,” he muttered. He followed the shaman inside, closing the door behind him. Once inside, he noticed that the lighting was minimal. The firepit was alight, but the flames weren’t as bright as the last time. James sat alone at the table, an open book in his hands. Seamus recognized it as the tome Nathan had sold to James back in Vindis, before they had left for Yorktown.
Next to James, standing by the firepit, was a robed man Seamus didn’t recognize at first. Upon closer inspection, however, the young man’s heart dropped. It was Wizard Falrick. Seamus hadn’t seen him since that night, back during the meeting they had. That night, he didn’t have a chance to talk with him, since Falrick and James had to speak in private afterwards.
Despite their brief contact then, Seamus still felt like he was looking at a ghost. “I once thought you died back on that island,” he managed out in a breath. It was unreal. Even after Lowe’s conspiracy, the rumors of Falrick, and even seeing him just a couple days ago, Seamus couldn’t believe it. Falrick sighed as he turned to face Seamus. The old man looked like a mess. His eyes had heavy bags and his skin was much paler. His head only had a few wisps of hair and the robes he wore were a shadow of their former self.
“I’m alive, Seamus,” Falrick sighed. “Your friends here found me out not too long ago. I was hesitant to meet you at first, scared even. Now, however, I’m starting to regret hiding from you all this time.”
Seamus was silent at first. His emotions were mixed with all sorts of feelings. Anger, sorrow, shock, happiness. It all culminated before finally disappearing all together. A small, familiar voice came into the back of his thoughts.
He left you to die. He left all of you to die on that forsaken island.
‘Get out of my head.’ Seamus forced that part of him down. It tried to force its way back into his thoughts, but Seamus fought back mentally, forcing the violent side of him to die down.
“Why are you here? Why did you all call me here?” He managed out. Seamus wanted this over with. He had initially thought he was ready for a confrontation with the Wizard, but it seemed that he needed more time.
“Falrick wanted to speak with you,” James revealed. “He wanted to speak with all of us about his stay here.”
“What is it about?” Seamus asked.
“The item Lowe possesses,” Falrick spoke up. “It is an artifact, once kept safe in Aldren’s vault. Of course, I’m sure you all know how that turned out.” Everyone murmured their agreements.
“Yeah…”
“Wasn’t my fault…”
“I heard…”
Falrick nodded before continuing, “Anyway. I need to stress how important this statue is. How dangerous it can be.”
“What is it?” Seamus asked.
“Lowe knows this already, but he has convinced me that the three of you can be trusted with its knowledge.” Falrick took a breath, his gaze downcast. “The artifact Lowe retrieved from the vault is a piece of Bartholomew’s Shrine. The infamous wish granting statue.”
Seamus blinked in surprise. He wasn’t sure if he had heard the Wizard right. His confirmation, however, came with the reactions of James and Dahlia. Dahlia cursed aloud, her calm demeanor turning into fear.
James had a look of confusion, almost as if he didn’t process it properly. Still, after seeing Dahlia react, the clan leader realized that he had heard right.
“Wish granting?” James asked in disbelief.
“Yes, wish granting,” Falrick confirmed. “The shrine had once been a vital part of history, shaping the world to what we know now. It is the reason for our calendar, the reason behind the fall of many kingdoms, including the initial collapse of the Lumen Kingdom.” The Wizard rested on a chair. “It has turned men into gods, others into living corpses, and more into bits of flesh. It was a blight on humanity, one that was thankfully ended more than a century ago.”
Seamus remembered back to what Lowe had told him back on that island, back on Aldren. The gnome had desperately wanted to keep the statue out of orc hands. He even had been willing to go himself without the help of Seamus and his friends. Seamus had some thoughts about what the statue could be, but he never expected it to be one piece of the damn wishing shrine.
“I thought it was destroyed,” Seamus muttered. “It was destroyed, wasn’t it?” He repeated louder. He knew little about the artifact, but he remembered the stories and bardic songs about its end.
“It wasn’t,” Falrick revealed. “It was only broken up into separate pieces. All the pieces were spread across Azura, but as you can guess, greed can do many things.” The Wizard looked at the three friends, who were all watching with looks of disbelief and curiosity. “Yorn wanted to make sure these pieces were safely kept away from those who sought for them. That is why he hid the statue in Aldren’s vault,” Falrick explained. “The vault had enchantments in place to make sure the artifact wouldn’t be discovered. Now, however, the vault is destroyed.”
“What can we do?” Dahlia asked. “If what you’re saying is true. If that statue is truly a piece of the shrine. What do we do? Can it even be destroyed?”
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“It can’t be destroyed,” Seamus muttered. “The original shrine had to be demolished through a wish and it didn’t even destroy it properly. It is safe to say the pieces are just as durable.”
“Correct,” Falrick voiced his agreement. “Believe me when I say that I’ve tried to destroy these cursed pieces. The only way to deal with them is to keep them hidden and isolated. It isn’t the best option, but it’s our only one.”
“So how do we isolate this artifact?” James raised his head. Seamus could see that the clan leader was sporadically bouncing his knee.
‘He’s nervous.’
“Our best option is to rebuild the vault in Aldren. I can put up the same enchantments as last time, but I need the vault rebuilt.” Falrick hesitated for a moment. “I need your help. I am a lone Wizard. I cannot rebuild it. Therefore I approach you three. A clan of people, eager to help. I see that you have already rebuilt most of your own town, even extending it. I figure perhaps you can help rebuild Aldren’s vault.”
“Rebuilding the vault…” James echoed.
“The island might be burnt to ash, but the foundation of the vault should still be there,” the Wizard said.
“I don’t think it’s unoccupied. With the storm veil gone, I have no doubts that Blood-Irk or rogue bandits might have taken it over,” James pointed out. He had a point. Seamus knew well that the storm veil would have only lasted a couple more months without the Wizard’s involvement. Any bandit or orc tribe would have found it.
“Another reason I cannot do this alone,” Falrick added.
“If we’re going to actually retake the island, we’re going to need a battle plan, no?” Dahlia spoke up. Another good point. Rushing into an occupied island unprepared and without a plan would certainly lead to casualties and heavy losses.
James nodded slowly. “Yeah. We need to actually plan this out.” The clan leader looked at the Wizard. “Can you scry the island, see what threats we could deal with?”
“I can, with a crystal ball,” Falrick answered.
“I might know a place where you can get one.” Seamus revealed. He recalled the last time he was in Nathan’s shop. He had seen magic tools in that Wizard’s shop, ranging from spell crystals to staffs with glistening gems. There was no doubt in his mind that the man had a crystal ball somewhere in that mess.
“Good, we can start soon on this plan, yes?” Falrick asked in a relieved tone. He appeared relieved, as though someone had lifted a weight from his shoulders.
“Actually,” James chuckled nervously. “Here’s the funny thing. We’re pretty much broke.” His words reverberated in the walls of the longhouse. There was a deafening silence that followed right after, with everyone staring at each other with awkward looks.
“But, there is a chance that money will come in soon for us,” Seamus added quickly. “It’s just a matter of time until then.”
Falrick frowned. “How long will I have to wait?”
“Give us a couple months, tops,” James answered.
The weird wording confused Falrick, but it didn’t seem to bother him much. “Alright. I can wait. As long as you keep your word on keeping the artifact isolated, I can work for you,” the Wizard agreed.
“Good to hear.” The clan leader let out a sigh. “I guess that finishes up our meeting.” The blond man awkwardly stood up. “If you excuse us, Dahlia and I have to go set up our next venture. I’ll see you two later.” James gave off a wave before he left the longhouse. Dahlia sighed and stood up, following the otherworldly man out the tall doors.
Seamus and Falrick were the only ones left in the meeting room, their gazes directed at the ground and ceiling.
After some silence, Falrick spoke up. “Your friends are something else. When it came to the artifact. I’ve seen men crumple and beg for the thing. Kill and fight for it. Yet they took it surprisingly well.”
“Well, they’ve been through a lot already,” Seamus commented.
“I’ve heard that James is a walking corpse, with another spirit that lives inside of him. Is that true?”
“It is,” Seamus disclosed. “He got stabbed around last year, around the Frost solstice. Wound was fatal and impossible to stitch up in time. Dahlia infused a spirit into him to keep him alive.”
Falrick’s eyes widened. “Really? She managed to properly revive him?”
“Yes, but…” Seamus sighed. “It caused a lot more problems than it solved.”
“The abominations, right?”
“How did you..?”
“Townspeople talk more than they should. Including the fact that your friend is from another world.” Falrick’s words sent a shiver down Seamus’ spine. “This is a serious matter, Seamus,” Falrick muttered. “He is in danger of Delphine’s apostles and Myr’s influence. Valenfrost nomads might not care as much, hel they might even see James as a symbol from the gods.”
Seamus stood up. “He’ll be fine. James has always been fine. Everything we’ve gone through, we’ve always come out alive.”
“Do you really believe that?”
Seamus stopped on his way to the doors. “What are you getting at, Falrick?”
The question made the Wizard shift in his seat, his hands fiddling as he stared at the floor. “No one lives forever, Seamus. I myself thought once that Yorn was invincible. That he would never die and that he would come out on top.” Falrick’s words struck a nerve in Seamus.
The young man clenched his fists. “Maybe he would still be alive if you didn’t abandon him,” he spat.
Falrick tensed up. “I didn’t… I…” The Wizard stopped himself. He took a deep breath. “I never meant for everything to go the way it went. I constantly think about it, Seamus. I’m haunted by it. There isn’t a day I go without thinking about it. But… Every time I run the situation in my head, it comes out the same.” Falrick looked up from his downward gaze, making eye contact with Seamus. “I did everything in my power that night and I still lost. Nothing would’ve changed if I tried differently.”
The young man was silent. Seamus felt his thoughts run wild, his emotions building up inside. He wanted to scream, to shout, and to hit the Wizard. Yet he held it all back. A few more seconds of silence passed by and Falrick stood up. The Wizard walked to Seamus before handing him a small pouch. The young man blinked in surprise. Before he could say anything, Falrick interrupted him.
“I have kept these safe since that night. I’m not sure if it was out of solidarity or guilt, but I kept them. I want you to have it. Of course, I don’t expect this to fix anything, but… I hope it’s enough.”
With that, the Wizard left Seamus alone, leaving through the longhouse doors. The young Halvorson was now all alone, his hands holding onto the pouch Falrick left for him. Seamus took another look around, making sure that the doors were closed. Thankfully, it seemed that he was isolated from eavesdroppers and curious eyes. Seamus took a deep breath as he turned his focus back to the pouch.
He slowly untied the thing with shaking fingers. The first thing that caught his eye was a pin. Gently grabbing it, Seamus realized it was the Halvorson coat of arms. It was shaped like a bear claw, its faded silver reflecting the light of the firepit.
‘Is this my father’s?’ Seamus realized. He recognized the chipped part of the pin, a telltale sign it belonged to the late Yorn.
Seamus swallowed hard, trying his best to keep himself composed. He clenched the pin, a feeling of sorrow filling his heart. Still, he was not done. There was something else in the pouch. He reached into it once more. This time, his fingers grazed the recognizable feeling of string. He grabbed it and pulled it out. Seamus was met with the sight of a small golden necklace. The weight that hung off it was in the unmistakable shape of a rose petals. The young man stared at it, his body suddenly feeling as if something was stabbing his chest.
Staring at his mother’s necklace, his vision slowly went blurry. Seamus felt tears fall from his eyes, landing on the pouch Falrick gave to him.
“Dammit…” he managed out in between breaths. Seamus clenched tightly onto the necklace and pin. He could feel how his built up emotions overflowed. The young man covered his mouth in an attempt to control himself. In due time, however, he found himself clutching onto the last memories of his parents, tears freely flowing down his cheeks before being followed by stifled cries.