by K.N. Lee
“Unacceptable.” How could he even think that?
“I’m not saying we should, Tier’an, only that we can’t train the town. We have to find some other way, something that doesn’t involve leading this group of mobs to Neissfold.”
“Okay, then what?”
Benoit, Sandeep, and I look at each other, then at the fighting going on only a few meters away from us. Every muscle in my body is straining to move, to do something.
“We need to isolate the healer and at least interrupt the necro. Oh! I’ve got an idea. Benoit, you’re on the necro. Go for stuns, as much as possible. Just try to keep her from raising any more corpses. Damage is second priority until we identify the healer.
“Sandeep, keep an eye on the crowd. As soon as you see blue magic, root the mob who’s casting it.”
“And what are you going to do?” Benoit asks.
“When I see a rooted mob glowing blue, I’m gonna kill it. Fast.”
“Good plan,” he says, and runs toward the necro.
For a moment, I’m stunned. Did he actually compliment me?
Doesn’t matter. Focus, Tier’an.
Gathering the shadows once more, I watch the crowd of corrupted questmasters with Sandeep.
“There!” Blue glow surrounds the hands of a slight male with a bald head and thick, torn robes.
“I’ve got him.” Sandeep’s magic seeps into the ground at his feet, then a spray of dirt explodes upwards toward the healer. The root spell doesn’t interrupt the heal he’s casting, but that’s okay.
That’s where I come in.
Freeing my power again, I focus on my target and enjoy the rush.
I land another critical hit. I’m on a roll today! Too bad my group can’t be here with me. A pang of doubt, sharp and painful, hits me in the chest, but I push it aside.
Right now, I just need to finish off this healer. I’ll worry about my group—and whether or not I even have one anymore—later.
Just as I kill the healer and turn to help Benoit with the necro, he unleashes a level of destruction against her I didn’t know anyone was capable of.
As she drops to the ground, dead, the corpses of our people she’d risen shake off their stupor. They stop attacking their own and turn their blades and magic against the remaining corrupted questmasters. Benoit, Sandeep, and I help them finish off the mobs. Without the healer and the necromancer—even though these are stronger mobs, boss mobs—we make quick work of the small group.
Elder Kit’sanari takes a single step forward, then faints.
“Sandeep, how long have they been out here?”
“Since this morning,” he says.
Benoit has some healing abilities, so he rushes to her side to do what he can to restore her.
She’s already coming around, though she’s still a bit shaken, her gaze unfocused.
“Do you think they’ve been fighting all this time?” he asks.
“It’s a distinct possibility.” Sandeep loots the corpses of the fallen questmasters, but only the coins. He leaves the equipment on them. Smart move. They’ll respawn more slowly that way, giving us time to escape. We still need to hurry.
“We need to get out of here, fast. If any of those mobs got away while we were fighting, they might bring more this way.”
Benoit helps Kit’sanari to her feet, then we all get the hell out of there.
Back at the southern border, the guard Sandeep left behind had the good sense to call for reinforcements. Where there had been two guards before, there are eight now.
Kit’sanari grabbed one of them by the shoulder.
“Call for a town meeting. Everyone’s presence is required. Now. Benoit.” She jerks her head around to him, then to me. “Tier’an.” She addresses us both, but her eyes bore into mine. “Gather your groups at the steps of the main building. Stay for the meeting, then follow the elders inside.”
“Yes, ma’am,” we both say, then run to get our people together.
Before we reach the others, I just have to say something. “Benoit, you seemed almost nice today. What’s wrong with you?”
He laughs. “Tier’an, you are the most stubborn person I know. I always assumed that’d get you and others killed one day, that you’d never be able to take orders because you were too inflexible. Today, you proved me wrong.” He stops me with a light touch on my arm. “I misjudged you. For that, I’m sorry. It was an honor to fight beside you today.”
Benoit bows at the waist, winks at me—winks—then resumes running.
I don’t have time to even try to wrap my head around that right now, so I do the same, rushing to the training buildings and courtyard to gather my people.
Elder Kit’sanari’s piercing green gaze sweeps across the crowd. Even from the steps of the main building, that gaze—made even stronger by the contrasting kohl lining her eyes—bores right through me, down into my soul.
“People of Neissfold.
“For six generations, we have held annual quests to establish a new questmaster, the best of Neissfold, in the hopes of finding our way off of this cursed island and back to civilization. One hundred and sixty years ago, The Corruption swept across this land and turned many of its fauna into disturbing beasts that defy nature. The Corruption turned some of our own people into mindless, bloodthirsty creatures. Worst of all, it’s left us with the inability to die.”
Immortality only seems like a good thing until you’re living it, and that’s something Elder Kit’sanari, one of the oldest living survivors from 2017, knows well. We all take a moment of silence to acknowledge the horror that is our reality.
After a brief pause, she continues her speech.
“In those early days, when the original survivors formed Neissfold, we made the choice to elect a single person per year as our champion to avoid additional losses. Everyone else was to be protected at all costs.
“And look where it’s gotten us.”
What? I mean, sure, we’re still stuck on this island. But what else are we going to do, give up? What’s she getting at?
I must not be the only one who’s confused. Murmurs rise with the heat. The sun reflecting off of the metal and glass surrounding us feels like it’s baking us alive.
“The time for change is upon us. After a hundred and sixty years of sending out one questmaster after another, we’re left with as many corruptions as we’d hoped to have saviors. Only two reside in the forest north of Neissfold.
“That means a hundred and fifty-eight corrupted questmasters inhabit the lands to the south. Every year, we add to their ranks. Every year, they grow more powerful by our doing.”
Shit. She’s right. What have we done?
People are genuinely freaking out now, sharing worried glances. Some are outright bawling, not even trying to hide their tears. Not one of us is challenging her. Everyone here knows she’s right.
The Corruption may have cursed this island six generations ago, but we’re the ones who’ve damned ourselves.
Elder Kit’sanari raises a thin, pale hand in the air, and everyone grows silent. Maybe like me, they’re hoping that was the bad news and there’s good news to follow.
“We cannot fight our way off of this island. We have to find another way. Kanaan, Charlotte, join me, please.”
Kanaan looks stricken, but he follows Charlotte over to the well to stand next to Kit’sanari.
“Kanaan,” she gently urges him, “please tell everyone about your idea.”
He nods and steps forward, into the crowd. Those in the front seem to lean in a bit closer.
“I, uh, think The Corruption is sort of a virus.” He’s clearly nervous but, surprisingly, his voice carries well enough. “We’ve been…” He looks to Elder Dannison who, for the first time I can ever remember for as long as I’ve known him, smiles calmly.
“Go on,” he encourages.
“We’ve been experimenting on corrupted animals, mostly harpies. I think we may be able to cure corrupted questmasters.”
“Obviously, we won’t experiment on humans, even corrupted ones, without a majority vote.”
Guildmaster Thoram Burgess steps forward to add his piece. “Yesterday, a group of corruptions attacked the southern border. This morning, a small hunting party, including Elder Kit’sanari scouted the lands to the south of us. They didn’t get far before a small group of the corruptions attacked them. If not for Sandeep, Tier’an, and Benoit, they would have been lost to us.
“We are beyond survival at this point. We’ve created an enemy and built a whole army of them. We can’t kill them. And while they can’t kill us either, they can change us into vile creatures like what they’ve become. Fighting is simply not the answer. Not this time.
“Taking that into consideration, all of the guildmasters are in favor of trying Kanaan’s cure on a corrupted human.”
Elder Kit’sanari swept the stunned, silent crowd once more. “Take a moment to think of where Neissfold stands, and about its future. When you’re certain of your decision—or as certain as one can be in times like this—cast your vote by placing a pebble by the well.
“You will not be judged harshly no matter what your vote. If you choose not to contribute, you may leave now. If you’re in favor of Kanaan’s cure, step forward and add your pebble to the pile.”
She steps aside and waves an arm at a pile on the ground. Sure enough, it looks like the elders and the guildmasters have already made their decisions.
“Questmaster Benoit and Questmaster Tier’an, please discuss this among your respective groups and vote accordingly.”
Did she just say…
Benoit looks at me and I stare right back at him. Apparently, we’re still doing the questmaster thing, just not how we used to.
A few people wander away from the crowd, but the majority add their pebbles to the pile. Soon, it’s clear the majority of Neissfold is ready to try something new.
“Guys, do we even need to put this to a vote?”
Everyone but Eli looks fairly calm, if blindsided. Eli… well, not so calm. “You realize they’re voting to experiment on humans, right? What if it was you they wanted to force their ‘cure’ on?”
“If it was me, I sincerely hope they would try to cure me. Wouldn’t you? This isn’t something bad, Eli. They’re doing something good.”
He looks absolutely disgusted now. I’ve hoped for a very long time that he’d grow out of his feelings for me, just not quite in this way.
“No,” he says. “I can’t, in good conscience, condone this. I’m out.”
Eli walks away, casting angry glances at the line of people adding pebbles to the growing pile. My heart aches for my friend, but there’s no doubt in my mind we need to do this. I can’t take seeing these people as targets anymore. I’ve always tried to see them as just boss mobs I need to defeat for some quest or other, but they’re people. My people.
If there’s even a small chance Kanaan can save them, we have to try.
Baezu’s heavy palm lands on my shoulder and he gives me a gentle squeeze. Then he picks up a rock from the ground, and walks toward the well. Sam follows him, as do Alya, Kimber, and Benoit. Charlotte and Kanaan have already cast their votes. That leaves me and Joz.
Joz, who’s like a sister to Eli, whose facial expression still gives nothing away as she stares at Eli’s retreating back.
I’ve already lost one friend. Two from Benoit’s group have abandoned ship as well. Please, please don’t let me lose her, too.
In a quiet voice, Jozani says, “He’s going to hate me for this.” Without another word, she walks towards the well, picking up a rock on the way.
Tears burn my eyes and there’s no way I can hold them back. They aren’t tears of relief, though. It’s a keen pain I feel on behalf of Eli.
He just lost his best friend.
As much as I want Joz on my team, I hate that Eli is now completely isolated. I hope he can find it in himself to forgive us all. Maybe one day—if we’re really lucky and Kanaan’s cure works—he will.
Wiping my tears as best I can, and likely just smudging dirt across my face, I join Kit’sanari and the others at the well.
“I’m in.” I not going to bother with the pebble. There’s really no need. At this point, it’s pretty clear we’re going ahead with this. Of the nearly three hundred people in Neissfold, only a couple dozen neglected to vote. The pile of rocks has grown so large, everyone’s had to back away from the well to make room.
“Good,” Elder Kit’sanari says. “Questmasters Benoit and Tier’an, gather your groups and meet us in the Council’s Chamber in the Upper Hall.”
Considering the current state of Neissfold, you wouldn’t think Kit’sanari could still be so intimidating. And yet, here we are.
She’s just sitting there, calmly discussing strategy with the other elders, not even looking at us for the moment. Those eyes, though. I’m telling you, I’m pretty sure she’s got some kind of soul-gaze ability or something. I’m convinced she sees deep inside a person when they’ve got her full attention.
Thankfully, I’m not the only one who’s nervous around her. Or maybe it’s just the situation. Kanaan seems to have developed a stutter any time they ask him a question. No one else dares say a word besides Benoit and I. As much as I hate to admit it, Benoit’s the only one keeping his cool.
Actually, scratch that. He’s not as much of an asshat as I always thought he was. I’m not sure why he always gave me such a hard time. Plenty of people are hardheaded.
“Tier’an.” Kit’sanari and the others must have decided a course of action. All eyes are on her while her attention is focused on me. “We need about sixteen tumbler spikes to mix a batch sufficient to treat both Gordon Sorven and Auburn Beringer.”
Treat, not ‘experiment on.’ Out of the corner of my eye, I see Benoit glance at me when she says that. She’s not fooling us. Not that I disagree with what we’re doing, mind you. But let’s call a spade a spade.
Shit, is she waiting for me to say something?
“Okay, ah… tumblers are relatively easy to kill. Collecting the spikes will actually be the hardest part.”
She nods. “I’ll leave it to you and Benoit to figure out a way. I’m confident in your abilities. I’m more concerned about your approach.”
“Concerned?”
“Poor word choice,” she smiles and I’m sure it’s meant to be reassuring, but it looks a tiny bit condescending.
Jeez, I’m cranky. Focus, Tier’an.
“Our approach. Well,” I glance at Benoit, but he seems content to let me roll with it. So, roll with it, I shall.
“Okay, we really only need a couple of people to collect the tumbler spikes. But, if I understand what’s going on correctly, that’s only half of what we need to accomplish in the north for the experiment. We need the corrupted questmasters, too.
“So how about we do this—Benoit and Charlotte head northwest, and Kanaan and I head northeast. We’re on collection quests, eight Tumbler spikes each. The rest of our team combined can go after Gordon Sorven.
“Baezu does the tanking, he knows the drill. Jozani and Kimber can manage heals. Alya can do plenty enough damage to kill the minor mobs quickly, then help with Sorven himself. With Sam assisting Baezu in the boss mob kill, they’ll get the job done.
“When the four of us return with the spikes, Dannison can start mixing the cure. By then, or shortly thereafter, Baezu and his team should be dragging Sorven’s corpse back to town. You can get started with him while we all go after Beringer. He’s the summoner, so in this type of quest, he’ll be the tougher mob because we’ll have to stay alive long enough to kill him while taking massive damage
from his minions. I wouldn’t go after him without a pure healing caster of my own. No offense, guys.”
Kimber laughs. “None taken. It’s not a job I’d willingly sign up for.”
Joz simply shrugs, as ambivalent as ever.
God, I wish I could be that cool.
“Okay, then. I guess that’s it.”
Benoit finally weighs in. I still half expect him to counter everything I say. Old habits and all that.
“What part of the spike do you need, specifically?” He directs his question to Kanaan. At this point, the council of elders serves no purpose but to bear witness.
Feeling pretty freaking good about that. Must mean we’re doing something right.
Kanaan’s much more at ease responding to a friend. “The marrow inside is what we actually need. So, when you scrape the exoskeleton to collect them, make sure you carve as deep as possible to get the base. It’s the widest part of the spike and contains the most marrow.”
“So, the tips won’t do you much good?”
“No, none at all.”
Damn. That’s going to be a brutal process. I hate collection quests.
“Very well, then.” Kit’sanari rises from her seat. “It sounds like you have the matter well in hand. When will you be leaving?”
Again, I glance at Benoit, but he’s apparently content to let me take the lead. Go figure.
“Tonight. After supper. Tumblers generally prefer to hunt at dusk, so we’ll have an easier time of it if we don’t have to track them down.”
“Good idea,” Benoit says. “We’ll still have a few hours of daylight, then we can make camp in the forest and return to Neissfold tomorrow morning. Baezu and his group can set out at dawn.” He glances at me to confirm, so I nod.
“Good call. Okay, everyone. Let’s go eat so we can get to it!”
Ugh, I probably shouldn’t be so excited, but I’ve got a quest and a group. I’m a tank. It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but I feel it. Things are pretty rough right now, no doubt. But this is really all I’ve ever wanted out of life, it’s my sole purpose. To lead, to defend and protect. And hey, if it isn’t me who ‘saves’ my people but Kanaan, I’m cool with that.