Two Brothers

by Phoenix Grey

  "Is that so?" The man scratched his chin in thought.

  "It is as I say." Lonnell nodded in confirmation before glancing back at Azure. "My friend and brother..." he hesitated, heaviness taking over his words, "we defeated a demon that had settled here."

  "A demon?" There was surprise in Esau's tone. "I wonder how that got here."

  "The town created it," Azure stepped in. It seemed that Lonnell was content on pussyfooting around the topic, but he wasn't. "From their hatred of Uden after finding out that he was a half-imp. He died fighting it to protect the town."

  "Is that so?" Esau said more slowly this time, giving Azure a skeptical look.

  "That is so," Lonnell replied with conviction. "It was a senseless tragedy all the way around."

  "I can't help but feel somewhat responsible." Regret seeped into the miller's voice. Seeing that he was willing to admit his folly made Azure less hostile towards him. "It was not my business to spread ill words about your brother. He was...well, we all know what he was." Was there some hidden meaning behind that? "Whatever the case, I thank you for your heroics and am sorry for your loss. Give my condolences to your parents. I cannot imagine losing a child, which is why I decided to send Bronna away." His gaze fell to the floor. "To be honest, it has always been a great fear of mine that she would get caught up in one of the goblin raids. We are mostly a village of farmers. There aren't any soldiers here, and what fighters we do have come and go. I feel that it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. Crescent Island is no place for an unwed girl with so little protection."

  "I was hoping..." Lonnell hesitated, "that I could change that."

  "Oh?" Esau perked up with interest.

  "I would like to ask for your blessing to marry your daughter. Losing my brother made me realize how important it is to keep the ones that we love close," the inflection in Lonnell's words spoke of his sincerity.

  A broad smile swept across the miller's face. “I could not imagine a better husband for my daughter. I would be proud to call you my son-in-law.”

  "That's a relief." Lonnell half-sighed, half-laughed.

  "But first, I fear you must fetch her." Esau dusted his hands off on his tunic before walking around the table. "I sent her to stay with her aunt and uncle in Roselake. It's a village about five miles to the southwest of Squall's End. Much like this one, but soldiers from the Kingdom of Noseon pass through it frequently, so it's well protected from monsters and invaders."

  "Do you happen to have a map of the area?" Lonnell asked.

  "No, but it's not very big. Ask for Cristopher Prescott, and I'm sure someone will point you in the right direction. They've lived there for ages."

  Lonnell paused as if ready to ask another question, then he simply nodded in thanks. “I will bring her home as soon as I can.”

  "That's up to you." Esau gestured absentmindedly as he returned to his post at the quern-stone. "I would understand if you kids wouldn't want to come back here."

  "Why wouldn't we?" Lonnell furrowed his brow.

  Azure knew why. There wasn't much to do here. He still couldn't understand why Lonnell wanted such a boring life.

  "There might be more opportunities for you on the mainland. Besides, even though you dealt with the demon, I still feel like it's safer," his tone showed confliction in his statement.

  Lonnell sighed again. “I suppose you might be right. I've lived here my entire life, so I can't imagine anything else. I'll see what Bronna wants to do.”

  "Just promise me one thing, Lonnell," Esau said as they turned to walk out of the mill. "Keep my daughter safe."

  "Of course," Lonnell gave him his word, and they took their leave. Once they were outside, the sound of stone grinding grain continued. He stopped for a moment, his eyes dancing around the village. "Well, I suppose we should pick up what we might need for the journey."

  The next thirty minutes were spent wandering around Cragbell and visiting the few merchants that were open for business. Lonnell seemed more lost in thought than interested in purchasing anything. He sold everything he could to help him buy passage aboard a ship as well. The time felt mostly wasted, though, spent window shopping.

  Azure hunted on the way back to Manny's farm, taking down a small buck that happened to be feeding in a clearing off the beaten trail. His arrow barely missed a vital area, and they ended up having to track the beast for a good ten minutes before they found where it had fallen. It was worth it, though, because the meat would feed the family for days. Azure equated it to being the same thing as taking a casserole to a grieving family in his own world.

  They carried the carcass to Manny's farm where Azure got to work butchering it while Lonnell went to tell his parents about his plan to leave Crescent Island. Without even witnessing the discussion, Azure knew they wouldn't be happy. Since Uden had just passed away, it probably felt like they were losing both of their sons. On the one hand, he felt bad for them. On the other hand, it was far beyond time for the boys to carve out their own lives. Perhaps if Manny had allowed it to happen sooner, Uden would still be alive. It was a sad thought―that a parent could hold on so tightly until they destroyed what they loved the most. Maybe he was overthinking it in this situation, but he'd seen lots of cases in his own world of parents losing their children by either holding on too tightly or not holding on tightly enough. Parenting seemed to be a delicate balance. Briefly, he wondered if he'd ever get a chance to experience it, or if that option had fled the moment he'd woken up inside The Realm. This was real, yet it wasn't. A life he'd gotten used to, yet one he still couldn't entirely accept. He also wondered when his memories of his other life would fade away and this would be all that was left.

  They supped on the deer, with minimal conversation. It was evident that Meva and Manny were still dealing with the shock of Uden's death, now coupled with the realization that they were about to be alone. Azure mostly kept his lips sealed, only commenting on how good the stew was that Meva had prepared.

  He spent the following day wandering around in the forest outside of the farm gathering herbs and mashing them into minor healing potions. By the end of the day, all of his vials were full, and his Alchemy skill was a little over 80% of the way to level four. He had also received the following notification.

  Congratulations! The skill: Foraging has reached Level 6. Plants collected through foraging have a variety of uses. You can sell them, consume them, or use them to create potions through alchemy.

  After the sun had set, he walked to the house to join the family in preparations for laying Uden's remains to rest. Ruthren also showed up, and they proceeded out to the tree that Manny had picked to bury Uden under. Deep gouges were carved into the bark where it had been struck over and over again by Uden's knives, one of the last remnants of his existence.

  They stood together in silence while Lonnell dug a shallow grave for the bones at the base of the tree's trunk. Meva set them delicately inside, holding back her sobs as she did so.

  Once they were all standing again, Manny stepped to the edge of the grave to speak. “I found him by the river, but he was always my son. Never did I regret bringing him home. Not for a moment.”

  He stepped away, glancing at Meva to say something, but she was still too shaken up. She clung to his side, her long flaxen hair hiding her face as she sobbed against her husband's chest. “He was my son,” was all that she could manage to get out. Manny petted her soothingly, nodding to Lonnell to say his final words to the deceased.

  Lonnell clasped his hands in front of him and cleared his throat before speaking. “He was my brother. My friend. Someone to get in trouble with. Someone to keep out of trouble. Someone to bail out of trouble,” he said with a slight smile. “Never did I feel like he was not of my blood. We were very different, yet deep down, we were the same. Both good people just trying to find our way in this world. He will be forever missed.”

  There was silence for a long moment. Azure wondered if he should speak next, bu
t both Manny and Lonnell were looking at Ruthren. The merchant was staring sullenly down into the grave. It wasn't clear if he was silently mourning or planning what he would say, but he was definitely lost in thought.

  Lonnell cleared his throat again, summoning Ruthren's attention.

  "Oh!" he said as if coming out of a daze. "I suppose it's my turn." He coughed and shifted his weight, his eyes searching the tree and everything around them for something appropriate to say. When he finally found his voice, his gaze settled on the bones again. "Uden was my favorite customer here on Crescent Island. He always had something witty to say, and he could haggle like no other. If he ever thought I'd taken advantage of him, he'd pay me back by trying to steal something," he chuckled. "One time, that son of a bitch moved my entire cart when I was off taking a piss. I thought I was going to kill him."

  Meva glared at the merchant through her hair, quickly bringing the story to an end.

  Ruthren shifted uncomfortably again. “He was a trickster but a fun guy. I'll miss him. Your turn.” He reached over and tapped Azure's arm as if he needed the reminder that he was the last one left to speak.

  "I didn't know Uden for as long as any of you," Azure began, "but he was one of the most interesting people I've ever met. I felt like there was always a storm brewing inside of him"a constant secret battle between good and evil." He purposely avoided looking at Meva, figuring she wouldn't approve of his assessment of her late son. "There were times I thought he would lose that fight. Times that he almost did lose that fight. But everything he did, he did to protect his family.

  "But there was one thing in particular that he did that solidified where that battle ended in my mind. I'm not sure if Lonnell told you guys this or not, but at one point we had a fight with a camp of goblins, and he let one of them go. I had asked him about that goblin several times, and he refused to tell me the truth. But on his deathbed, he confessed that the reason why he had let that goblin live was because it wasn't a fighter and it had a son.

  "I don't know much about your world still, but I do know that half-imps aren't innately evil or good. Uden might have done a lot of mischievous things to you," he glanced at Ruthren, "and to the people of Cragbell. But he cared about people. If he didn't care about people, he never would have come with us to help save Bronna. If he didn't care about people, he wouldn't have come to help stop the demon, despite the position he was in. And if he didn't care about people, then he wouldn't have sacrificed his life for his brother. Uden was a good guy that got dealt a bad hand in life, but he played it in the best way he knew how. I will always admire him and his sacrifice."

  After the words had been said, everyone gathered around and knelt by the grave to bury the body together, throwing fistfuls of dirt on top of the bones until there was nothing left. Their tears watered the soil. Even Azure felt his eyes welling up from all the grief around him. No one seemed immune.

  When they were done, Ruthren, Azure, and Lonnell stood to walk back to the house together. Manny and Meva stayed behind to continue mourning their son and watching over his grave.

  "We'll be leaving for Squall's End tomorrow," Lonnell told the merchant.

  "I suppose I'll be seeing you there then," he replied, his voice still low and solemn.

  "Do you do business there?" Azure glanced at him.

  "When I do leave, I tend to hit up all of the little towns along the coast all the way to the Kingdom of Noseon. Speaking of which, I'll be heading that way tomorrow. Maybe we can all board a ship together."

  "I think that would be fun." Azure offered him a soft smile. He liked the merchant well enough. Ruthren was a bit hard around the edges, and definitely a strict businessman, but he seemed like a fun guy when he wasn't busy tending to his cart. It might be interesting to see him out of business mode.

  "Then you can help us find a ship?" Lonnell asked.

  "It's not that difficult," the merchant told him. "Just meet me at the pier when the sun is high in the sky. They typically take off a little past lunch. It's easier for them to pass the sirens at night when everyone is asleep."

  "Sirens?" Azure's curiosity was piqued.

  "Aye. The deadly, bewitching beauties of the sea." A sarcastic grin took over his face.

  "Like mermaids?" Azure wanted to be sure he was hearing him correctly.

  "Almost," Ruthren said. "The evil version of mermaids."

  "I'd like to see them." Images of gorgeous topless women with long glittering scaled tails flashed through his mind.

  "And I'm sure they'd like to see you...falling overboard into the drink," he muttered the last bit. "I never got the fascination. Who wants to yearn for a woman you can't touch?"

  Lonnell chuckled, but Azure wasn't getting the joke.

  "I've never seen one before. I think it would be interesting," he said.

  "Well, they might be able to tie you to one of the masts. I wouldn't recommend it, though. Their song will drive you insane."

  "You mean inflict you with Insanity?" Azure raised an eyebrow. That didn't sound like much fun at all.

  "No," he hesitated as he thought, stopping with them by the house. "More like make you crave getting to them. Take you down to the likes of an animal. You'd be like a dog trying to go after a bitch in heat. You'd want to stop at nothing to get to them. Men have even chopped off their own arms to break free from their binds to go overboard."

  Azure's eyes widened in surprise. “Wow. That sounds intense.”

  "So, you see, lad, you're better off not knowing about them." He clapped Azure on the shoulder before turning his attention to Lonnell. "Well, I guess I'll be off. It's best not to leave my cart unattended for too long. There might not be any goblins in the area right now, but thieves are still aplenty, I fear."

  "Not on this island, I hope," Lonnell said sincerely.

  "One less now that your brother is gone," Ruthren laughed, not realizing that his joke was in poor taste until he saw Lonnell's scowl and coughed to silence himself. "Anyway, I'll see you two tomorrow. And don't be late." He pointed at them as he began walking away. "Those ships wait for no one."

  Lonnell waited until the merchant was out of earshot before saying, “I wonder how often he thinks before he speaks.”

  "It was all in jest, I'm sure." Azure's eyes trailed behind the merchant as he rounded the house and disappeared out of sight.

  "Well, we best get to bed. It will be a lazy day tomorrow, but a long one, nonetheless." Lonnell yawned to show his exhaustion.

  "Hey," Azure called to him before he could walk away.

  "Yeah?"

  "There's some other business I'd like to take care of before we leave here."

  Lonnell shifted his weight. “Hopefully it's nothing that will take long.”

  "Ehhh, it might, actually." Azure cringed inwardly at his own delay. This was important, though.

  "Well, what is it?" Lonnell tried to hurry him along with the info.

  "When I was taken prisoner by the goblins, I noticed that they had several women held captive. I'd like to go rescue them."

  Lonnell blew out a long weighted sigh.

  "What's wrong?" Azure was surprised that his friend didn't seem immediately on board with the idea.

  "Uden told me you were going to bring this up."

  "You make that sound like a bad thing."

  "Azure...it's not possible to save everyone in the world."

  "Excuse me?" His head jutted back almost involuntarily. "I'm not talking about saving everyone. I'm talking about saving three women who are obviously being held against their will and raped repeatedly."

  "Those women are slaves. They likely have nowhere else to go."

  "Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Azure's anger flared. "Are you telling me that you're willing to just sit idly by while innocent people are being abused? I thought you were better than that, Lonnell."

  Now it was Lonnell who raised his voice. “We're not indestructible, Azure. Uden's death should have proven that. And despite what y
ou think, you aren't some mighty hero that can just rush in and conquer all. You're talking about invading a goblin settlement and taking on who knows how many goblins―certainly more than we could handle on our own―to save three women that would then become our responsibility. Oh, and not to mention they're probably all pregnant with goblin babies.”

  "They're still human," Azure argued. "And we wouldn't have to be alone. I'm sure we could rally some of the villagers to help."

  A bitter laugh escaped Lonnell's lips. “Oh yes, a village full of farmers who are afraid of goblins and have no vested interest in these women. I'm certain they'd be willing to risk their lives to save a bunch of slaves when they have families that they need to take care of.”

  "What is wrong with you?" Azure couldn't believe the words coming out of his friend's mouth. This was a side of Lonnell he'd never seen before. "We don't have to risk everyone"s lives. I could just sneak in and release them. As long as we have backup in case something goes wrong."

  "Something would go wrong," Lonnell insisted. "Those women are very heavily guarded. The continuation of that settlement depends on those women being there. The goblins aren't just going to let you come take them."

  "Fine." Azure threw his hands up in exasperation. "If you won't help me, then I'll just do it myself."

  "You are my friend, but you are an idiot sometimes. I," Lonnell pointed to himself as he spoke, "am getting on that boat tomorrow. You can do whatever you want. Say hi to my brother for me when you get to the other side." He spun on his heels and walked hurriedly away, slamming the door behind himself when he entered the house, leaving Azure out in the cool night air.

  Quest: Rescue the Goblins' Thralls

  You spotted a large cage with three women inside while you were in the goblin settlement. They are obviously being held against their will and begged you to free them. Honor the vow you made to yourself and liberate them.

  Difficulty: Very Hard

  Success: Free all three women

  Failure: Fail to free the women or die