~ CHAPTER 25 ~

THE MAGIC OF WONDER AND REVELATION, PART 3

Actually, I had rather a lot of things to think about. That wasn’t exactly unusual, in game or out of it, but this time, I felt like I was only one piece of the puzzle away from solving it. There was a strange feeling in my stomach that kept nagging at me, like I was ignoring something important, but I couldn’t put my finger on what. Something about Demi’s voice just now…

Regardless, there were a couple of broad conclusions I could make that I felt were pretty safe. Both Lindy and the guard had referred to ‘that person’, but Lindy’s reaction had made it clear she’d meant the Keeper. That fact, and the fact that no-one else seemed even to know who the Keeper was suggested… what? That the Keeper was in hiding? From whom? Why? And right in the middle of town, really? Suddenly I didn’t feel like my conclusion was all that safe after all.

The guard had implied the Keeper was secretly in control of a ‘network of friends’, but as much as he’d tried to make it sound like she was the godmother of some kind of fantasy mafia, Lindy had made it sound more like it was something religious. Lindy had called me princess, and said it was an honour to help me, but even the simple fact that she’d known about me before I met her implied that, whatever was going on, I was squarely in the middle of it. Which, of course, brought me back to what was probably the most pertinent question: why had the Keeper, who seemed to be the person closest to all the answers, deemed all of this information so unimportant that she hadn’t bothered to even mention it?

The questions didn’t end there, though. There were others, like: who were the Children? It hadn’t sounded like Lindy was talking about her own kids, if she’d even been old enough to have any, so who else could she have been talking about? If she’d meant Freechildren, wouldn’t she have just said that? Not that it would have made sense in context anyway. They had clearly been referring to imperials, but who did that even leave out? Other than, apparently, Mistborn. I thought I couldn’t be blamed for having assumed that category included everyone but the monsters, but I also knew that Wild Magic Online still only had one playable faction.

But even then, why would Mistborn have to ‘sneak’ into town? Why would they even want to, if they had their own villages nearby? Where all Mistborn originally from the Wild Continent? My own backstory had me coming from the Empire, so that couldn’t be it, but that just brought me back to the same questions I’d had since the beginning: Why me? Why Mistborn? What was the Mist anyway? And how did the Eyes of Twilight fit into the picture? There were answers to all of these questions, I knew, even the first one. I just had to find them. I felt that somewhere, close by but just out of reach, there must be some crucial tip that would bring it all together.

In meantime, though, I’d run out of time to be lost in my thoughts. While I’d been processing, I’d unconsciously navigated myself back to the little cave where I’d separated from Demi, and now I was about to step out onto the street. I had to admire my unconscious mind for a moment: I must have jumped at least two rooftops on the way, not to mention the maze-like route and the clambering and crawling at the end. Go me? Maybe it would have been better to be aware of these things…

Demi was waiting for me when I emerged, and something about her expression immediately put me on guard. There was a frown on her face and she was pursing her lips.

“Hey!” I tried to pretend like I hadn’t seen anything.

Demi was silent, considering me. After a little while she reached forward and flicked my nose hard enough to sting. “Hey. That’s for ignoring me.”

“Hey! I said I was sorry… ” I protested, but my voice trailed off under her not-quite-glare.

Demi continued eyeing me. Finally she sighed and shook her head. “Dummy, I was really worried, you know?”

“About… me?”

“Yeah. Well, um… anyway, next time, just say something, ok?” She reached out and grabbed my hand, then pulled me into something that was probably meant to be a hug, causing both of us to overbalance and land in a tangle on the cobblestones. She apparently decided to pretend like that was what she’d meant to do, because she kept squeezing, and muttered in the general direction of my ear. “I mean… someone else might have been really hurt, you know?”

I didn’t think she was talking about the fall. Someone else might have been really hurt… my mind took a moment to catch up. You know that feeling when something happens, and you just stand there wishing you could keep hitting the undo button until it un-happens, and then you realise that in real life there’s no such thing as an undo button and you’re just going to have to live with it? Except that you’re not in real life, but there’s still no undo button? No? Anyway. Of all the people in my life I’d ever wanted anything remotely bad to happen to, Demi would have been the last on the list. I had not meant to hurt her. Or, well, I wasn’t sure if she was hurt or not, but the point stood.

She was adorable. She was cute and funny and silly, and she just made me want to protect her, even though it was basically only the other way around when I thought about it. I wanted her to like me. I wanted her to keep questing with me. More than anything else, I wanted her to want to keep talking to me. She made me feel relaxed in a way nobody else ever had. Except the Keeper. Did she count? I didn’t want to lose that. So… I was glad she’d said something, but…

As I enjoyed the hug, I felt the pit in my stomach subsiding a little, and some of the tension leaving my body. “Thanks Demi, I… I think I needed you to tell me that.”

She let go of me and pulled back, grinning. “Silly River. It’s ok. Everyone makes mistakes. This one was pretty small. I just didn’t want to not say anything, you know?”

I didn’t. Also, it hadn’t felt small. Also, it wasn’t quite ok yet, either, was it? Because that wasn’t the only ‘mistake’ I’d made. I realised that the tension I’d been feeling earlier must have been because of the hurt I’d heard in her telepathic voice, but there was something else just as big. The look of disappointment she’d given me when we parted was still too fresh in mind, but I could only imagine how she’d look when she realised what else I’d done. There was something I had to do.

“Demi?”

“Yeah?”

“There’s, um, someone I’d like you to meet, later.”

Demi’s grin appeared again. “Is it your girlfriend?”

“What? Nooo! I don’t… I mean, like, she’s a friend, and a girl. But, I was just thinking you two might get along, that’s all. Maybe we could all do a quest together some time?”

Demi laughed. Oh, that had been a joke. I felt my face burning.

“So,” Demi straightened out her face and started to ask me another question, “did you find your Brightsage Leaf, or just more pieces to your mystery?”

“Um, well… actually…” I looked at the ground again. I wasn’t sure how to say it. “Um. No, I didn’t.”

“Ok, but you did learn something, right?” She prompted. “Where have we got to go now?”

“The sewers,” I mumbled.

“Shit.”

“No, I mean… yeah, that’s the problem.”

Demi blinked at me, her face contorting into various expressions. Finally she spoke in a strained voice. “You don’t want to go in there alone, do you?”

“No, I really don’t. I just… well, I was thinking if I could find somebody who knows their way around down there, we could make it a lot quicker. I wanted to talk to that friend I just mentioned, cause I know she knows lots of people, but I wasn’t sure how to ask without it… kinda… sounding bad…”

Demi nodded. “Alright, then, lets go.”

“Wait, now?!”

“The sooner we do it, the sooner it’s done, right? Besides, if she’s that important to you, I want to meet her.”

“She’s not…” I wanted to protest, but how did I say ‘she’s not that important to me’ without coming across as a horrible person?

Demi stuck her tongue out at me, and I realised she’d been teasing me again. Doh.

Still, I couldn’t argue with her logic. I wanted to, but I knew Demi was right. On the other hand, she didn’t have any obligation to help me. Again, though, I wasn’t sure how to say that without making it sound like I didn’t want her around. It would be gross, and she wasn’t going to get anything from it, and it would be selfish of me to ask her to help, but I still wanted her to come with me, and she was acting like it had already been decided… Finally I just sighed. “Demi, you’re the best.”

She grinned again and pinched my cheek. “Haha. Nah, I’m afraid that position’s already taken by somebody else I know, even if she does get a little spacey.”

I didn’t know how to react to that. That was awkward. I felt a weird feeling in my stomach that I couldn’t place. Who was she talking about? I wanted to know, but the way she’d worded it made me feel like asking would just make things even more awkward. Instead, I just turned to lead her back to Hazeroot Row, and started composing a quick message to Inkitina.

The tension, if there had in fact been any, disappeared before I had a chance to notice it was gone. By the time we reached Hazeroot Row about five minutes later, Demi and I had both fallen back into our normal pattern, which was mostly Demi chattering and me laughing, and the conversation from earlier was forgotten-all except for the feelings. Anyway, Demi was good at chattering. Inkitina sent a message back saying she was in the middle of a project and asking us to meet her at her shop, so once we got there, I started searching for a way up.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

To reach the upper levels of the street, there were a few different ways we could take. There were the occasional rusted metal staircase or ladder that might lead up to one of the various overhead walkways, but most of the time it was easier just to climb the roots. In fact, several of the roots even had stairs carved into them, and at least one we saw had another root acting as a railing.

Unfortunately for us, neither the roots nor the metal structures always went in straight lines, so the trickiest part was figuring out which one lead to the exact walkway we wanted, vs. which ones would loop around and wind up somewhere completely different. Also figuring out which walkway we wanted, that wasn’t easy either. I’d been following those [Witch]s’ directions before, but this time we had to turn around twice before I got it right.

By the time we finally made it up to Inkitina’s shop, she’d already finished whatever she’d been doing and came out to meet us. She had a bright smile on her face as she approached, and she immediately set to work charming Demi. For her part, Demi looked… I wasn’t sure. She looked like she was having fun? It felt like the conversation had escaped me before I’d even got there, as they seemed to instantly know some secret code of how to act around each other, so I just tried to enjoy the two’s company while mostly staying quiet.

Apparently the project had been some sort of lacy half-shirt thing that went around the shoulders and had full sleeves, but didn’t even reach the small of my back, let alone closing in the front. I wondered if it was meant to be a cape? It was more like a tiny tiny see-through half-jacket… I decided I couldn’t figure it out, but that it would also be rude to ask. Luckily, the problem solved itself a few moments later when I heard Demi refer to it as a shrug, unless she’d been talking about something else? It was hard to tell.

For a few minutes, I started feeling like I’d just stepped into an alien world and was completely out of place. The two of them were speaking some strange language, and all I could do was nod and try to make appreciative sounds when it felt like it was appropriate. It was awkward. Then, suddenly, something changed. The tone of conversation shifted, the shrug-thing was put away, Demi equipped a pair of shimmery fingerless gloves, and Inkitina told her boss she was heading out. The conversation switched to our mission, and I was back to being a part of the group. I knew how that went.

Apparently Inkitina did know people who knew the underground, but she also had some quests to do down there herself, so my worry had been for nothing. Demi gave me a look that said ‘I told you so’, but then she invited Inkitina to the party, quests were shared, and suddenly all three of us had at least three: [Finding Vinot] and [Snatch Ratting] being the common two.

Then a couple of minutes later, Gadrin rejoined the party, shared [Nonsensical Nodulation], and then met us at the western exit to the street. As Demi pointed out to me in a whisper, the more the merrier, and it was better to get everyone’s quests done at once rather than make several trips.

That logic continued to hold when, a couple of minutes after that, Inkitina announced she had another friend who wanted to come. His name was Xif, and he was an Eladrin [Wind Mage]. We met him at one of the entrances to the underground and Demi invited him as soon as she got within range. He shared [Who Let the Lights Out?]. He seemed… familiar… but I decided I didn’t like him regardless. From his condescending scowl, it seemed the feeling was mutual.

Yup, five of us teamed up to complete a set of personal story quests and a pile of green-difficulty throwaway quests. Only one more member and we’d be a full party, ready to pretend like we were ready to tackle a dungeon. Basically, like this, it felt like nothing could touch me. I had nothing to worry about, except maybe somebody accidentally triggering an event. Or somebody training a boss monster to our group from somebody else’s event? Or somebody stepping on a trap? Basically, I really wasn’t all that much safer like this, was I?

But it didn’t really matter. I was surrounded by a group of… potential friends, and no matter what was going to happen, that alone would make it ok. I inched closer to Demi.

Did the Keeper’s logic work with friendship the same way? As long as you work together…

I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, and took a deep breath. It seemed not all of the skills I needed to learn where from in-game. I still had a lot to think about.

With my eyes still shut, I vaguely heard a *ping* that didn’t belong.

[Cryptic Flows of the Mist (Part 1)]

Learn to comprehend the flows of the Mist. - 60%

~ ~ 26/1/2/00:38 ~ ~

Status: [River]

Class: [Novice Mistborn Runemaster]

Location: [Cowl’s Landing - Cowl’s Walk]

Health 38/38 ~ Mana 39/41 ~ Stamina 40/41 ~ Runes 1/1

[Eyes of Wonder] Equipped Skills (8/8):

[Force Infused Palm]

[Myriad Fists]

[Imbued Defence]

[Unarmed Discipline (Passive)]

[Body Conditioning (Passive)]

[Inscribe: Rune of the Creator Flame (1/1)]

[Sign of Inverse Devouring]

[Eyes of Wonder] Statistics:

Defence +8

Resistance +5

Constitution +4

Willpower +4

Endurance +4

Spirit +1

Perception +1 (+5%)

Focus (-5%) Equipped Items (3/8):

[New Arrival’s Simple Dress]

[New Arrival’s Simple Shoes]

[Valesilver Pin]

[Silversilk Bracelet] Other Skills:

[Elementary Ingredient Preparation (Passive)]

[Runic Plea] Other Items:

[Special Edition Founder’s Token]

[Small Pouch]

[Small Iron Key]

[Sugary Biscuit]x2

[The Keeper's List]

[Amarh Elbow Gristle]x18

[Thoril's Needle]x15

[Myrl Rose]x6

[Crushed Red Longshore Prawn's Shell]x3

[Thwart Grass]x4

[Neit Flour (Male)]x13

[Neit Flour (Female)]x13

[Telemetric Null-phase Spirit Transponder]

[Basic Healing Potion]

[Basic Mana Potion]

[Basic Healing Salve]

[Basic Mana Salve]

[Dry Trail Mix]

[Waterskin (3)] Active Quests:

[Cryptic Flows of the Mist (Part 1)]

[Path of the Runemaster (Part 3)]

[The Keeper’s Garden (Part 1)]

[The Ancient Keeper of Runic Magic (Part 4)]

[Things Worth Finding in the Mist]

[The Eyes of Twilight]

[Finding Vinot]

[Snatch Ratting]

[Nonsensical Nodulation]

[Who Let the Lights Out?]

Status: [Demi]

Class: [Novice Freechild Guardian]

Location: [Cowl’s Landing - Cowl’s Walk]

Health 60/60 ~ Mana 10/10 ~ Stamina 39/40 Equipped Skills (8/8):

[Guarded Strike]

[Standfast]

[Shield Block]

[Greatshield Discipline (Passive)]

[Mocking Shout]

[Strength of Eternity (Passive)]

[Downed Brawler (Passive)]

[Resolute Defence (Active/Passive)] Statistics:

Defence +19

Resistance +2

Damage +2

Strength +8

Willpower +5 Equipped Items (5/8):

[New Arrival's Basic Short Sword]

[New Arrival's Basic Shield]

[Tarnished Iron Breastplate]

[New Arrival’s Simple Undershirt]

[New Arrival's Basic Chain Tasset]

[New Arrival’s Simple Pants]

[New Arrival's Basic Leather Boots]

[Silversilk Glovettes] Other Skills: Other Items:

[Special Edition Founder’s Token]

[Novice Stamina Potion]

[Novice Rejuvenating Salve]x5

[Guldrin’s Checklist]

[Saproot Seed]x14

[Mordalk Stew (cold)]

[Luma Feather]

[Garden Pebble]

[New Arrival’s Basic Chain Armour]

[Palt Lure]

[Greatshield of Dauntless Hope (Shattered)]

[Starfire Wasp Wing]x52

[Starfire Wasp Eye]

[Spider Monkey Chelicera]

[Kvaltyr Antler Fragment]

[Vial of Silver Gemdust (10)]x2

[Vial of Silver Gemdust (9)]

[Basic Antivenom Salve]x3

[Silver Tea Bell]

[Basic Healing Potion]x2

[Basic Healing Salve]x2

[Rogu Jerky]

[Veilberry Waterskin (6)]

[Cloudweight]

[Refined Copper Cloud Salt]x10

[Spectral Purple Gull Feather]x4 Active Quests:

[Guldrin’s Experiment]

[Wanted: Dead Jungle Palts]

[Finding Vinot]

[Ooh, What's This?]

[Asyr Hospitality (Part 5)]

[Strength of Eternity (Part 4)]

[Winged Varmints]

[Snatch Ratting]

[Nonsensical Nodulation]

[Who Let the Lights Out?]