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JULES
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The sun set to the west. Jules sat perched on the inn’s roof with Rukia by his side. Cyrus remained inside with Whiskers, Katarina, and Pop.
“Well, today went nothing like I expected.” Rukia purred in agreement. They'd decided that she wouldn’t speak again until later that night.
“But you know, after I knocked that old man down, the rest of the day went exactly how I expected. Awkward.” Rukia smiled and panted. Jules gazed at the sunset and realized where he was looking. “Look, Rukia. Just below the edge of the horizon, somewhere out there, is Coralhaven. Dad, Evelyn, home, if there’s anything left of it by now.”
Rukia nuzzled her furry head into his lap. Ah, well. Better not dwell on it.
"Guess I better check my Notifications. I've had them silenced for some time."
Jules swiped his left hand in an L-shape. His Menu was in Privacy Mode, as always, but Rukia could read it.
"Hmm… No Level Ups. I guess when I'm…in that state…it doesn't count."
> [New Quest Available: Inner Vices]
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> [New Reward Available for Inner Vices: ???]
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> [Inner Vices — Quest Objective COMPLETED: Find out who you are.]
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> [Inner Vices — Quest Objective COMPLETED: Find Wrath (it's you).]
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> [Inner Vices — Quest Objective COMPLETED: Find Envy.]
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> [Inner Vices— 5 Quest Objectives ADDED: Find Gluttony. | Find Greed. | Find Lust. | Find Pride. | Find Sloth.]
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> [New Quest Available: Virtue Signaling]
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> [New Reward Available for Virtue Signaling: ???]
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> [Virtue Signaling — Quest Objective FAILED: Find Charity (Deceased)]
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> [Virtue Signaling — 6 Quest Objectives ADDED: Find Chastity. | Find Diligence. | Find Humility. | Find Kindness. | Find Patience. Find Temperance.]
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> [New Quest Available: Seeketh Patience]
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> [New Reward Available for Seeketh Patience: ???]
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> [Seeketh Patience — Quest Objective ADDED: Seek Patience.]
"Wow," Rukia said. "Even the description for Seeketh Patience is Seek Patience. This System really hates you."
Jules laughed. "Yeah, I guess it does. You know, you eventually get used to vague Quest Objectives—can't give too much away—though I've never seen cryptic Rewards until a few days ago. And hey, you shouldn't be talking."
Jules pet her head-to-tail for some time.
“Oi, Loverboy,” Cyrus called out from somewhere below. “It’s time.”
After one final scratch between the ears, Jules rose and plopped her on his shoulder. The trio from Coralhaven joined the trio from Aquilantis in the inn's dank basement cellar. Katarina leaned against a crate. Whiskers sat balanced on a rafter high up. Pop stood with his massive arms crossed. He had a long brown beard and short brown hair. The shape of his bulbous gut defied physics.
“First thing you need to know about me inn,” Pop said, “is that it’s a hole for shite. Full of seedy folk, much like yourselves. Sleep all day, go out to the bars in even worse districts at night. Most of ‘em are aimless vagabonds, but we get the occasional spy now and again—which is why we’re down here, in the cold dark.”
“Um, Sir,” Cyrus said, “no offense, but your walls are paper thin, and so is that floorboard.” Always poking the bear.
“Aye. And your point is?”
Katarina rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind him, boys. Pop just wants to brag. He’s a Master Forger and his second-highest Skill is Enchanting.”
Pop beamed with pride. No way. Jules and Cyrus glanced at each other. Impressive. If true.
“I Forged these walls, floor, and floorboard above us. Then I Enchanted them with a Silence Rune. Nothing inside escapes.”
“Silence…" Jules said. "Isn’t that, uh, highly illegal?”
“Doesn’t come close to harboring Sins,” Katarina said.
“I gather you two are already…well acquainted.”
Wouldn’t put it like that, but I guess he’s talking about me and Kat.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“You could say that. My name is Jules, Sir, and my Seal stands for Wrath.” Katarina and her father glanced at each other.
“I told him I’m Envy. Whiskers here suggested it.” The black kitten mewed his approval.
“So, Wrath, how did you get here? And don't call me Sir, it's Pop.”
Nice power move. “Uh—Again, my name is Jules. And I’ll stick to Sir.” No way I call you Pop. Ever.
“You don’t think Wrath is your real name?” Why do you?
“No I don’t, Kat. I’ve known I was a Sin for a long time, though I really hoped I was a Virtue. I only found out which one I am yesterday, when I was reunited with Rukia here, and she told me. I’m guessing that’s how you knew?”
“Yes. I told them.” Whiskers unfurled its bushy tail to reveal two separate ones. He let them hang over either side of the dividing rafter he sat on.
“I’m sensing some minor tension here,” Cyrus said.
“Floor is yours, Kat.” Pop motioned to her.
“Ugh, fine. Pop’s my father, but not biologically. If it weren’t for him, I’d be—well, not dead, but even worse off than that. I…don’t remember my birth parents. And that’s all there is to discuss.” Jules nodded, but remained silent. “So you two. You seem like you’ve been through a lot recently. Care to share?”
"Ehh—My story's really dramatic and complicated. I'll let Jules go first."
Jules chuckled. Thanks, I really needed that. “I was born. Somewhere, I don't know where. Then Rukia and my former incarnation visited me. We were attacked by villagers-turned-cultists, and my parents fled. We—”
“Hold on. What did you mean by incarnation?” Katarina asked.
Rukia panted in Jules' ear. He felt the hot steam of her breath. “Uh, well, Rukia? What did you mean?”
“Heh heh, oh man, did I forget that part again? You know, that's just like me!" She paused, so Jules grabbed her by the nape of her little neck and held her before him. Her paws drooped down. "Yeah, so see, what had happened was, Wrath is always the only one who can commune with previous versions of himself and all that.”
Jules returned Rukia to his shoulder. He ran a hand down his face. “OK. Sure.” Of course he is.
Rukia panted through a bright smile. Her gaze hopped from face to face. No one returned the sentiment. “What? Is there something in my teeth?"
“Foxes,” Whiskers swore. “Would you so kindly care to elaborate?”
“Oh! Oh yeah! Nope. Jules’s gotta figure that out on his own.”
> [New Quest Available: Wrath Reincarnated]
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> [New Reward Available for Wrath Reincarnated: ???]
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> [Wrath Reincarnated — Quest Objective ADDED: Speak with Wrath directly.]
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> [Wrath Reincarnated — Quest Objective ADDED: Find out why you were reincarnated.]
“Tough to trust people who withhold information,” Pop said.
"Well, ya see here, I'm not a people. I'm a fox."
“You two aren’t exactly forthcoming with your own origin stories,” Cyrus said.
“It would appear that our caution was merited,” Whiskers said.
Jules tried to read Rukia's mind, but just tapped into her feelings. She’s completely relaxed. Actually, she’s excited, borderline ecstatic. “Rukia trusts you, Kat, so I’ll fill you in on the last few days. I’m sure that’s what you both really want to know about, anyway, seeing how it affects your safety.”
Jules began his tale at the hunting trip and ended with him—and Rukia, the little devil—falling asleep on their sailboat last night. He included everything, even Isolda, Davy Jones, and the publishing house they searched for. At the end of the story, Whiskers slinked over to Jules and rubbed against his legs affectionately. Kat does not like that.
“Wow,” she said. “I have to admit, I am a little jealous of your adventure. But I am sorry for you and your families. I know what it's like to…lose control and deal with the fallout.”
Pop placed a hand on her shoulder. “Let me be very clear with you boys. Bring any trouble to my baby girl, and I’ll rip you in half.”
Jules gulped. I know you mean it.
“Hey. Hey Whiskers,” Rukia whispered. “Can we play? I wanna play.” The kitten hissed back. Rukia wagged her tail.
“So, you know my story. Our story. How did you two meet?" Jules motioned to Pop and Katarina. "And Whiskers, is there anything you can share about, I don’t know, who we are?”
Pop took a deep breath. “One day, I found Kat, my little kitten." Pop placed a hand on each of Katarina's shoulders. "She was just a babe—and bald, so I saw her Seal. Of course I’d heard the myths spouted from those fat priests—but I'd come across loads' of zealots in the War, and not one of them ever seemed right in the head—so I didn't care what they said and I took her in. Knitted a cap that night meself, I did, to keep that Seal hidden, and—”
“You raised me the best you could." I would pay to see this man knit. Wonder which war he's talking about. "Even though I was born in Aquilantis, no one ever came looking our way. I guess they figured the poor would sell their babies to the Church, especially after Sloth's whole thing. But it wasn’t always that way. For Pop.”
Man's stoic as a rock. Bet he’s trying not to cry.
“I’m an orphan,” Cyrus said. “Not even the smallest lead on who my parents are. But Jules’ were going to adopt me. Ah Hell, I just realized...”
Yeah. We failed our Quests.
“We both really wanted to join the Scholars Guild,” Jules continued for his friend. “But after yesterday, that’s not happening for either one of us.”
“Why would you ever want to join that lot of lousy louts?” Pop snorted.
“Heh, say that five times fast, Whiskers.” Rukia playfully pawed at the kitten. He arched his back and hopped away. "Lotta lousy louts, lotta lousy louts, lotta…"
“I don’t really know. Adventure, I guess. Maybe because I knew I couldn’t join, being a Sin, and that made me want it even more? I also thought, foolishly, I realize now, that someone could help me…control myself. Or fix me.”
“I am going to be an Alter one day,” Cyrus said. Whiskers sat down in front of Cyrus and studied him for a while. He went back to Katarina’s side without a word. Must have faith, figured he’d offer some more insults. "So it's the natural choice for me."
“What do you want, Kat?” Jules asked.
“I don’t know.” Whiskers purred next to her. “I guess I want what you two have, a goal to work for. I haven’t found out what that is yet. But first, I want to escape Aquilantis.”
“Aye,” Pop said. “You two oafs arrived at a poor time. The Maidens’ve doubled down. And after your stunt yesterday, it’ll only get worse.”
“What about you? What’s your story?” Cyrus asked.
“I’ve already told you—”
“Before you met Kat.”
Pop's eyes flashed. “The old me died the day I met her, and I was reborn. Sounds like Wrath here can relate.” Can't tell if that's his attempt at humor, or…
“So where do we go from here?” Jules asked. “You want to leave, but we have business here. We need to find the Sylvan Publishing House, and I need to seek Patience.”
“There’s no publishing house by that name here,” Pop said. “You’d be a fool to trust that woman, anyway. At least your friend has some sense about him. In that regard.”
“We can move on and go our separate ways,” Cyrus said. “We don’t trust each other still, and I’m not sure how we can get common ground at this rate.”
“I could lock you in the store room.” Katarina motioned to her father. “He’s Enchanted that area, too. I could make you my playthings.”
“Kat, you are welcome to join us,” Jules said. “Then we can all leave together. Help each other find whatever it is we’re looking for.”
“Well Kumbaya, Jules,” she replied. “I'll make you a deal. I'll escort you somewhere tomorrow, where you might be able to do something about Patience. In exchange, you take me away from this place.”
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26
BONUS CONTENT BELOW
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