by Pirateaba
The Soldiers behind Ksmvr did not move. They waited, alert for any threat. They did not get bored either.
But Relc was quite bored. The Drake yawned and all five Antinium turned. Ksmvr’s swords and daggers sprang from their sheaths and the Soldiers immediately raised their club-like hands.
“Hold it.”
Relc sat up in the grass, appearing out of the dark landscape as if by magic. It wasn’t magic of course. But mud and the Drake’s dark scales had made him practically invisible in the grass.
Ksmvr held up a hand and sent a mental order to the Soldiers. But neither he nor the other Antinium relaxed. He kept his swords pointed at the ground.
“Senior Guardsman Relc. Do you have business with me at this time? If so, I request it wait until tomorrow.”
Relc scratched at the back of his head. He looked at Ksmvr and glanced away.
“What? Oh, no, no. I don’t have business with you.”
Ksmvr waited, but Relc didn’t say anything else. More questioning was in order.
“May I inquire as to your purpose here?”
“Sure, inquire away.”
More silence. Ksmvr was aware that Relc was being deliberately obstinate and confrontational. A troubling complication.
“Why have you followed my group?”
Relc raised what would have been an eyebrow.
“I’m not following—”
“Please refrain from lying. There is no other reason for you to be out here at this time of night. Moreover, you are not currently on duty. Why are you here?”
The Soldier Antinium shifted slightly. Relc eyed them, unimpressed. He flicked his tongue out and shrugged.
“I’m just taking a walk. And uh, a nap. In the rain. Which I do quite often.”
Talking to people—or rather, interacting with those not of the Hive was difficult. And Ksmvr was unused to conversations with outsiders in the first place. Still, he persisted, keeping one eye on the dark landscape the entire time.
“Will you return to the city, then?”
“Maybe. In time. I’m just enjoying myself.”
“I see. And will you continue to remain here so long as we are here?”
“Oh, no. I’ll leave pretty soon. Just as soon as a certain stupid human girl gets back to her inn all safe and sound.”
Ksmvr interpreted that information and the Soldiers around him raised their hands. Relc waved at them with his tail.
“Stop that. I’m not here for a fight. And neither are you, since I’d win.”
It was an accurate statement, at least in that the chances of Relc’s victory were higher than Ksmvr’s. And a deeply complicating factor. Therefore Ksmvr attempted a higher degree of diplomacy than before.
“Your presence is unneeded. If Erin Solstice cooperates she will be unharmed.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think she will. Do you? And frankly, even if you plan to feed her with a golden spoon I don’t think I should let you take her.”
“Erin Solstice is not a citizen of Liscor. Your duty does not extend to—”
“Would you shut up?”
Relc said it pleasantly, but with an edge that made Ksmvr consider silence the most appropriate response. The Drake shook his head.
“You sound just like Klb back—well, back when I first met him. I don’t like that. So shut up and listen since I have to spell it out. Here’s what’s going to happen tonight. Erin Solstice is going to run into the city, probably with that stupid frying pan and not find you and a bunch of your big Antinium friends. She’s going to go back to her inn all safe and nice.”
“You are protecting her.”
“I guess.”
“Why?”
Relc paused.
“I like her. Well—I used to. Now I think she’s a bloody idiot Human like the others. But at least she makes good pasta. And—well, let’s call it a favor. Klbkch died protecting her. I just figured it would be a shame if all his effort went to waste.”
There was an inconsistency in Relc’s statements and Ksmvr leapt on it, sure of his success.
“Klbkch was a member of the Hive. By obstructing my work you obstruct the Hive.”
Strangely, Relc did not respond to this logical inconsistency like Ksmvr had predicted. He just shrugged.
“Yeah. But I don’t like you.”
Dealing with non-Antinium was so—so frustrating. Ksmvr felt an unexplored emotion within him. Troubling. But he persisted.
“I am Prognugator of the Free Antinium of Liscor. My authority—”
“Shut up.”
Another tact.
“I have four Soldiers with me.”
Relc yawned. He eyed the silent Antinium, whose hands were literal weapons. Their carapaces were equivalent to unenchanted plate armor, and they possessed numerous abilities inherent to the Antinium that other species did not have. Even so, Relc did not appear intimidated.
“I’ve heard that a newly grown soldier is the equivalent of a Level 15 [Warrior] for most species. Interesting. But if you think those guys frighten me, I’ll rip a few of their heads off for you. The Antinium never made it up to Liscor so you have no idea how strong I am.”
Ksmvr paused and tilted his head as he accessed the required memory.
“Relc Grasstongue, former sergeant of the 1st Wing of the Liscorian army. Currently Level 33 in the [Spearmaster] class, and Level 12 in the [Guardsman] class. Negligible levels in the [Archer] class as well as the [Carpenter] class. Possesses mainly combat skills as well as the rare skill [Triple Thrust].”
“…Damn bugs. Did Klbkch tell you that?”
At last. Dialogue. Ksmvr did not have the facial muscles—or face—to smile, but a part of him felt relieved. He attempted to continue the conversation.
“Klbkch estimated that if necessary, he would be able to hold you off for five minutes and inflict serious wounds before death. If given the order to terminate, he predicted a sneak attack had an even chance of killing you.”
The look Relc gave Ksmvr did not indicate a positive reaction to the conversation.
“I really don’t like you, you know.”
“Your regard for me matters little. My position is temporary.”
“Good for you, I guess. Why are you talking so much, anyways?”
“I am attempting to build the same level of camaraderie shared between you and former Prognugator Klbkch.”
Another pause, and this time Relc’s expression darkened.
“Well. I—no. I’m going to stand over here until Erin comes by.”
He began to walk off. Ksmvr called out after him.
“Sixteen more Soldiers are currently moving towards this location. You will not be able to stop them alone.”
Relc paused. Ksmvr couldn’t see—but the Drake looked like he was grinning.
“That’s sort of funny. I guess not all of you Antinium are alike, huh?”
“What leads you to that conclusion?”
“You don’t have [Dangersense]. You’d better pray you get it, or another skill like it soon.”
Relc nodded towards a distant hill. Ksmvr looked and mentally ordered the Soldiers leaving the Hive to hold position. Perhaps if he were Human he might never have seen the silent figure crouching and smiling down at the two warriors. But he was Antinium and he recognized Gazi on sight.
The Drake sat down on the hill casually, ignoring the other Antinium still watching him. He nodded towards Gazi’s distant figure.
“Now she could eat you and your cute little soldiers for breakfast. Me, she’d probably choke on the way down.”
Ksmvr was capable of free-thought, a mark of his position and importance to the Hive. He was a leader, meant to direct soldiers and deal with unexpected situations as they arose. Never mind that he had become Prognugator before his training period was over—he was trusted by the Queen. But—but—
But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t decide what to do. Erin Solstice was important. But with the presence of Gazi the Omnisc
ient as well as Relc, suddenly the costs of capturing Erin Solstice became too high.
But she was important. But it was too costly. But she was important. But it was too costly. What should he do? His Queen had ordered him not to disturb her. But he knew the importance of individuals. His entire duty—the entire duty of the Antinium within Liscor revolved around the importance of this. But it was too dangerous.
What should he do? For the first time in his short life, Ksmvr had no idea what he should do.
—-
It was a silent—well, stalemate wasn’t the word. From their position within a deep section of the grass the other watchers could see that the Antinium were in trouble. Even as they watched, their leader came to a decision. He spoke a few words to Relc and the Antinium surrounding him began marching back to the city.
That was good.
“There. It is well that we did not have to intervene, yes?”
Krshia spoke her comment quietly, but even with the pouring rain the other Gnolls lying in the grass heard her perfectly. Tkrn and six of the other Gnolls relaxed their hold on their bows. Tkrn nodded at Ksmvr as the Antinium swiftly descended the hill, flanked by his Soldiers.
“It might be best to slay the bug before he returns to the city, yes? It would not be too difficult to do, especially if he intends to hurt this Erin Solstice.”
“Fool.”
Tkrn barely saw the paw that cuffed him on the head. Krshia glared at him between the long stalks of grass.
“He was not trying to kill her. Use your brain, you fool, you.”
The other Gnolls chuckled in amusement as Tkrn flattened his ears in embarrassment. As the most junior member of the Gnolls—and the most inexperienced, it was even more humiliating to make a mistake in front of their leader.
“But he had Soldiers.”
Krshia snorted.
“Yes, to capture her. But he was waiting for Erin Solstice to arrive, yes? That is suspicious. Who waits for a challenge? Only Humans in their pride and Drakes do that, yes? We fight without needing large open spaces and people to watch. But the Antinium—they are even more different than we.”
She nodded at Ksmvr as the Antinium marched back across the flatlands. The Antinium was alert—constantly scanning the landscape. But despite the Antinium’s impressive dark vision, they were no hunters of the plains. Krshia and the other Gnolls were perfectly hidden in their cover.
“If he – Ksm – wanted Erin Solstice dead then dead she would be already. He would stab her before she saw him, yes? But he wanted her here, and had many soldiers with him.”
She shook her head.
“Someone else wants Erin Solstice. And excluding the foolish Drake, three different sides came for her tonight.”
“It seems you are right. This Erin Solstice, she is important.”
Another Gnoll made that comment and the others nodded. If they had doubted Krshia before—and if they had they were wise enough to never have said it in her presence—tonight changed that. She glared at them.
“I said it, did I not? But it is poor fortune that it is known. We must hurry.”
The other Gnolls nodded. One spoke.
“The other warriors will arrive soon. Within the week.”
“Good.”
Tkrn shifted. He eyed the hill where the silent figure of Gazi was still crouching and engaged in a staring contest with Relc.
“Should we leave, then? Or will Gazi do something?”
The other Gnolls muttered. They knew the odds of taking on a Named Adventurer. Krshia shook her head.
“I do not think so. She is crafty, and she is waiting. I do not think she would have intervened unless all others failed, including we.”
“But she is still here, yes.”
“Yes.”
Krshia scowled up at Gazi. It was impossible—they were perfectly hidden, but the Gazer’s eye flicked away from Relc and towards them for the merest fraction of a second. Krshia muttered something as the other Gnolls growled.
“She likes to watch.”
“Well, she can’t do anything to us even if she knows we’re here.”
This time Tkrn received several admonitory paws to the back of the head. Krshia shook herself and sent water drops flying now that their cover had been broken.
“Maybe not. But it is an ill thing to be spotted. We will wait to make sure she does nothing. Just in case.”
The Gnolls sat up in the grass, relaxing. Relc still hadn’t spotted them but then, the Drake only relied on his Skills. And the problem with [Dangersense] is that it only told him when there was potential threat.
Still, they meant him no harm. They were on the same side, at least for the night. So the Gnolls waited. The Gazer sat patiently, and the Drake ripped up pieces of grass. The night was silent.
They waited.
And waited.
And…
From their position in the grass, the Gnolls saw Relc shift and scratch irritably at his scales. He looked around and then voiced the question on everyone’s mind.
“Where is she?”
—-
“We couldn’t find her.”
Ceria stared in disbelief at Yvlon and Cervial as the two adventurers returned, panting. They’d run all the way to Liscor and back in less than thirty minutes.
“What?”
“We got to the gates, but the guard there said no one had come by.”
Both of the adventurers shrugged helplessly. Ceria chewed at her lip.
“Maybe she got lost?”
“I doubt it.”
“Then a monster—”
“We would have noticed that.”
“Then where is she?”
“I don’t know. Did you spot Calruz by any chance?”
Cerival smiled crookedly.
“Yeah. He tried to get into the city, but the guard told him the gates were closed. He’s stomping his way back now.”
Well, that was one problem solved. But the bigger problem remained. Where was Erin Solstice? Ceria stared around, but the night was still full of rain and seeing was impossible.
“Well, we’ll just have to wait. Come on inside—the skeleton is mad as hell but it’s staying put for some reason. I guess we should as well.”
Yvlong and Cervial trooped back into the inn. Ceria looked around one last time. It was so strange. She’d assumed—
Something dropped from the roof of the inn and landed right next to Ceria. The half-elf yelped, grabbed for her wand, and stopped.
Erin got up from the ground, wincing at the bad fall. She brushed mud off her shirt and paused as she saw Ceria.
“Oh. Hi.”
Ceria clutched at her heart. It felt as if it had stopped.
“What are you—where were you?”
Erin blinked at her. She pointed up.
“I was on the roof.”
Ceria stared up. The roof.
“…Doing what?”
Erin shrugged. She wiped at her face. It didn’t do much in the rain.
“I was crying. What did you think I was doing?”
Her eyes were red. Ceria could see that perfectly. She replied, lamely.
“We—we thought you were going after Ksmvr.”
“Why would I do that?”
Again, Ceria had to stop. She grappled with words.
“Well, after what he did to your friend—I’d say everyone in the inn would have joined you. Calruz especially.”
“Really. Really?”
Erin snuffled again and wiped at her nose.
“That’s nice of you. I guess. You could all hold him down while I bashed his brains out with a frying pan, right?”
“We wouldn’t do that. Calruz—thought you were going to duel him.”
“And kill him?”
Erin looked at Ceria. It was an odd stare. Accusatory. Hurt. Ceria shifted, suddenly awkward.
“But what he did—”
“Evil.”
Erin said it flatly.
“Paw
n was innocent. He didn’t deserve that. When I saw what that bastard did—”
“Yeah. So we thought—”
Ceria trailed off lamely. Erin was still staring at her. As if it was the most obvious thing in the world, she shook her head.
“He hurt Pawn. But does that mean I should go out there and beat him to death? How? He’s a warrior and I’m—I’m an innkeeper. And I don’t murder people. I kill monsters and I’ve killed in self-defense. But I don’t murder people. Ever.”
It was too hard to meet the girl’s eyes. Ceria looked away. It felt like she was speaking to someone strange. Something—
She had no word for alien in her language. The closest words Ceria knew were outsider, strange, unnatural. Erin was staring at her, a hint of accusation in her stare. And it was hard to bear. There was something innocent in her gaze, something that Ceria had lost long ago when she first stared into a dead man’s eyes.
“I’m sorry. I just assumed—”
Erin shrugged. She paused, and stared around at the dark landscape. Ceria saw her lips move.
“Can I tell you something? Something sort of offensive?”
“Sure.”
Erin stared at the ground and the wet grass. Her breath appeared in the cold air.
“You guys have a really shitty world. A really bad one.”
“We do…?”
“I don’t like it. It’s so wonderful at times—so beautiful and full of magic. But then this happens. Every time. Well. Almost every time. I hate it.”
Ceria had nothing to say to that.
“For a moment I wanted to kill Ksmvr, too. But I would die if I tried that, right? He’s fast. Strong. A warrior. Maybe I could kill him. But then what?”
“He’d be dead.”
“And so would Pawn. Probably. That Queen would send her soldiers to rip off his head and mine.”
“I understand. You made the right choice.”
Erin shivered.
“Did I? It seems like all I can do at times like this is just accept what happened and move on.”
She shivered. Ceria was conscious of how cold it was. The enchantments on her robes made her feel warm even in the freezing rain but the human girl had sat up on the rooftop for—it had to be an hour at least.