by Sarah Lin
Meara looked back to the remnants of Raigar, half-expecting an Ultimate Phoenix Amulet or something even more absurd. But there was nothing. The fragments of the lich's body lay still and Meara gradually realized that it was truly over.
Which left only one more thing. Gharavi looked as though she was completely drained, but forcing herself to keep moving. She stepped forward to stare at the last loose end.
The Return Point still glowed in the center of the chamber. Bloodwraith got to his feet slowly and limped up to it, staring for a time. Meara walked up beside him and they exchanged a glance. She could feel that it was still ready to send someone to the other world, perhaps even the world of the Outsiders. There could be incredible amounts of knowledge on the other side...
"It isn't worth it." Bloodwraith sighed and raised a hand toward the Return Point. The blue light began to fade.
They all drifted to the floor around it, watching the blue light until it died out completely. Raigar was dead, all the undead were destroyed, and only the five of them were left staring at an empty ring. Meara found her gaze wandering over the strange characters, wondering what they meant and what alien beings had created them. Created this entire system that now burned even stronger within her.
Gharavi dropped back onto the floor with a wry smile, setting down her staff and sprawling on her back. Meara thought that joining her sounded like a good idea, but at that moment she was engulfed in a fierce embrace from Danniah, who was crying and laughing at the same time.
In the end, Meara laughed with her. It felt good to be alive, and despite all the challenges, they had won. She didn't hesitate to celebrate with the others.
But another part of her remained with Bloodwraith, who sat and stared at the steel circle on the floor. For now, it was too risky to challenge the Outsiders. Even if they could have survived in the alien world, they would no doubt have entered an enemy stronghold and revealed themselves. They had no choice but to leave the Return Point behind.
For now.
~ ~ ~
Bloodwraith allowed the box to remain floating in his vision for a long time, to remind him that it was actually over.
[Victory! You received 203,856 EXP and Elder Lich Corpse x1.]
That meant that they were truly victorious, yes. But it was also the reward he had received for destroying the body that had once been his. A door that had once been available to him was now closed forever, and even though he didn't regret that choice, he found himself pondering it somberly.
A bunch of arbitrary numbers and a broken corpse. That was all his former life was worth.
Yet those weren't his true rewards for defeating Raigar. Instead his eyes wandered to his allies, who had survived only because he had sacrificed the artifacts for them. His gaze wandered to Danniah, still glowing with embers from her revival, and another box came unbidden.
[Trait: Flameborn
Physical Damage Resistance +5%
Magical Damage Resistance +5%
Fire Resistance +20%
Reborn in flame, this individual has permanent increased resistance to damage. In addition to raw damage resistance, they will resist debilitating injuries in proportion to their overall Health. They also gain a weak link to the fire element, beginning with resistance to flames and potentially developing into minor fire-based abilities over time.]
A powerful asset, and one that he could definitely have used for himself. Yet he didn't regret it when she saw Danniah's relieved smile in the wake of the battle. She turned from Meara to him and her smile grew wider. Tired as she was, she limped over to him. She tugged off his helm and kissed him on the lips. He hesitated for a moment, then kissed her back.
Danniah pulled back and stared at him for a moment, overcome with relief. Bloodwraith found himself filled not with desire, but something much more consistent. They had all lived.
His eyes drifted to Gharavi, who sat up slowly. She was relieved in the wake of the battle as well, but he could see her mind already beginning to work on the newest mysteries. Between the two of them, they would unlock new questions and new answers.
Bloodwraith found himself meeting Meara's gaze and he saw the certainty in her eyes as well. This was a significant step, but only one step. The process that had begun in the Forest of Beginnings was far from over, and the Outsiders would regret it.
As Danniah pulled away, Bloodwraith saw Izilthor's skull clattering toward him. She hopped up onto his leg, eyes staring up at him widely. He smiled at her and reached down to stroke his daughter's hair.
"That was very well done. I'm proud of you, Izzy."
"Da!" She leapt at his chest, forcing Bloodwraith to catch her skull and hold her there. Though for a moment Izzy looked content, then she wriggled to look up at him again. "I like 'Izzy' but you can call me Izilthor, Da."
He nodded and held her there a while longer. But as warm as his mind felt, the room was growing cool. Once their heavy breathing ended, he got to his feet. Looking over each of them, Bloodwraith knew that he had made the right decision.
"Let's go. We have a lot of work to do."
They walked together from the unnatural room, back into the real world. Bloodwraith turned back, staring at the portal into another realm. The steel still gleamed within, but as he willed the rock of the entrance to close, it faded. He turned away and left the Return Point in the darkness.
Epilogue
The Keeper felt the Ghoul Lord's claws tear through his chest. Even as he fell back to the ground, he saw his life drifting away from him, draining into the ether. But he could not die, not yet. Not before he had delivered the message.
"I am... not long for this world." His words were interrupted as his body was wracked by bloody coughs, but he managed to hold them back for a moment longer. "You must forge your own destiny, adventurer. Even my eyes cannot see if you will change this land for good or for ill, but your impact on it will last forever. From this point on... the world of Alliandelle... is open to you..."
Speaking those words took the last of his strength and he slumped to the ground. The Keeper lay dying as his vision slowly faded into the darkness, his last glimmering sight that of the adventurer turning away, not caring about his death.
They never did.
For a time the Keeper simply drifted, a form instead of a being. There were only the barest flickers of thought remaining, infinitesimal fragmented reflections of something that had once been. A strange memory of grandchildren and a life in a tiny village. He lacked the ability to consider the memory, just felt a strange ache in his soul. Perhaps, there had been a time when things were different...
And then the power restored him. Respawn, the adventurers called it. He suspected that he wasn't supposed to know that word, but it didn't matter. All the Keeper wanted to do was to fulfill his purpose for existence.
Soon the Keeper found himself standing in a sunlit clearing. He felt the grass under his feet and the sun on his face, but deeper than that, he felt that the Forest had moved. Each cycle it emerged in a different place, tethered to that other, larger world. But he did not care about that world, only about fulfilling his purpose and guiding the newest adventurer onto the path into the glorious cycle.
His feet padded over the grass as he sought the chamber where the newest guest would emerge. But before that, he would meet the two path guardians. As he always had and always would.
Elleane approached from another path, smiling when she saw him. She came to stand in front of him, which slowed down their purpose, and put a hand on his shoulder. As she often did. "Hello, old friend. If my path has taken me here, I take it that it is time for us to guide another hero into our world?"
"Yes, it is time. Let us go."
They traveled forward for only a short time before Marrin appeared as well, scowling at the forest. "Godsdamn it, not again. Barely any time since the last one."
"Marrin!" Elleane put her hands on her hips. "This is a great honor we have been given!"
"Great honor
, my ass. It's a complete waste, most of the time. The last one didn't even make it to Edsdam. Things are getting stale there."
The two of them continued speaking to each other and the Keeper ignored them. They belonged to the Forest of Beginnings, but not as he did. Between these moments, he was not sure where they drifted, but it was only partially in the world of Alliandelle. Their memories were never perfect, always changed from one cycle to the next. The Keeper did not know why and did not care to know.
Soon they found their way to the old stone entrance, the very heart of the Forest. As was customary, they waited by the door. The Keeper closed his eyes, knowing that he would feel the certainty when the new adventurer was ready.
Most were prepared immediately, but the last one had taken some more time. This one appeared to be waiting as well. Though he remained focused, the Keeper could not ignore Elleane and Marrin speaking again.
"If Raigar didn't ever meet you, where do you think he went? Surely such a noble soul could not have lost his life easily..."
Marrin snorted. "More like he got bored, or left once he found out life is actually hard here. Whatever heaven they come from, they're not used to hard work."
"How horrible! Marrin, how can you say such things? The heroes sacrifice their bliss in a higher dimension in order to help protect our world!"
"Yeah, you only say that because you mainly see the self-righteous fuckers. But the ones that follow me aren't so noble and shining. They tell me some strange... tell... tell me..." Marrin's eyes went blank and she stared at nothing for a time. Elleane watched her with a blank look on her face as well.
The Keeper merely stood between them and waited. Something was amiss and it needed to be amended, but that was the Forest's task, not his. Soon the two of them would be themselves again, ready to enact their role.
Admittedly, an incredibly delayed role. But he could wait.
"Okay, fuck this." Marrin moved forward and wrenched open the door. "Let's just go get him."
"We aren't supposed to do that!" Elleane partially followed, then looked back to the Keeper. "We're not supposed to do that, right?"
"It is possible that the new adventurer needs our assistance." The Keeper shook his head slowly. "Let us go and greet him."
They made their way down the narrow corridor. As always, it was lined with empty prison cells. Were there fewer of them than before? His memories twitched and then smoothed themselves. Despite the delay, all was well. He could feel a presence in the final cell, as always.
"Are you the adventurer we have-" The Keeper cut off as he saw not a new adventurer in the cell, but a single glowing point of light. It pulsed and he heard a voice coming through as if from afar.
"Keeper, are there any problems in Alliandelle?"
The Keeper blinked at the point of light. Had anything like this ever happened before? He couldn't be sure, but he felt compelled to obey the voice. "I sense nothing amiss. Is something the matter in the higher realms where your kind dwells?"
"No, but in the last review we saw a strange anomaly with a Return Point." The voice let out a slow sigh. "Fired up but wasn't used. Flukes do happen, but they really shouldn't, not anymore. Wanted to check if the most recent adventurer was screwing around with things."
"There is nothing amiss to my knowledge, great one."
"Where are the active vectors? You two notice anything?"
Though the words were strange, Elleane responded as if they made sense. "I have sensed no great evil, oh heavenly one. But I felt certain that the one you sent to us would go and seek out a great evil in the world. I was surprised to return here so soon."
"If you ask me," Marrin said, "he wanted to run off and fuck around. This one didn't strike me as very serious. Kept acting like he was just playing a game."
That prompted another sigh. "Yes, some of them do that when we lift the guidelines for reincarnations. That's part of what they pay for, I guess. Let me see... yeah, that was Randall Jenkins, aka Raigar. Struck me as kind of an ass, so I'm not surprised. If it's just him screwing around, I should cut this off. You have no idea how much even voice transfers cut into profit margins."
The light... was going to disappear? The Keeper felt a moment of panic that he didn't fully understand. This was not how things were supposed to go. His role was to greet the new adventurers and welcome them into the world. If he was brought back and did not take on his role, what would become of him?
Desperate to make things return to their proper path, the Keeper searched within himself for the echoes of his life that had been stretched through the emptiness. Every time while he slumbered, there were fragments. Was not also part of his purpose to gather them? In that moment he knew that it was, that he had long ago been given a second purpose.
"Wait." When he spoke, the presence in the light seemed to hesitate. "I believe that something has been disrupted. There are too many fragments of the time before, allowed to remain instead of going through the great cycle."
"Stashing items for a second run? That happens." Yet something had changed in the voice, which paused for a moment, then coughed. "Actually, that energy consumption does look funny. Send me the data."
The words meant nothing to the Keeper, but his being itself responded. For a moment he felt as though a hole had opened within him and energy was pouring out into a void. It was pure bliss, and he felt sorrow when it ended. There was a long pause, then another sigh.
"Dammit, I guess I've got to come through."
A moment later, power built up in the cell, so bright that none of them could look at it. Just before the blinding light overwhelmed them, it vanished, leaving behind a man. The Keeper breathed a sigh of relief as he felt all was right with the world again.
Admittedly, this was strange. Usually the new adventurers wore rags, but there was something special about them. He had met many men and women over the years and immediately knew that they held the spark of greatness. Yet this one seemed very ordinary, just a thin man in straight black pants, a fine white shirt with buttons up the front, and a bizarre cloth that wrapped around his neck and hung down.
And yet the Keeper felt within himself a great certainty. Bowing slightly, he opened the cell to let the new adventurer join their world. "The signs declared that you are an authority without equal, but they did not declare your name. What would you like to be called?"
Instead of answering, the man stepped out of the cell. He raised a hand to the air and flicked it several times, as if moving an invisible object. Then he frowned and began to move down the corridor. That was not what was meant to happen, so for a moment the Keeper was stunned. The other two didn't seem so troubled, walking along beside him on either side.
"My name is Elleane," the blond woman said. "I've guided your kind before and I will do everything I can to help you. Perhaps you have memories of another world or a desire to be a hero... I do not know what higher power has acted, but those desires have been granted. This is your new life where you can be the legend you were meant to be."
Marrin scoffed. "Oh, fuck off. It's just as likely he wants to gain power and loot. I'm Marrin. Don't let Elleane force you onto her straight and narrow path. You can do whatever you want here."
The man rubbed his eyes. "God, I forgot we set up one of those binary morality meters in Alliandelle."
Gathering himself, the Keeper rushed ahead of them. There was a proper order for such things, and he could not allow this adventurer to disrupt it. Though within he felt certain that this adventurer was of more importance than any other, he was the Keeper. Maintaining the order of the world was his job.
Moving to the door at the end of the hall, the Keeper reached the door first and grabbed the handle, holding it closed. "Before you leave this place, you must remember who you are. We have shown you the door, now you need only find yourself to wa-"
The door disappeared beneath his fingers when the man made a gesture. As the Keeper stared at it in shock, the man walked through the door into the clear
ing. He didn't seem even slightly awed by the peaceful sight, he just turned back to them and sighed.
"You really don't get it yet? I'm not an adventurer. I'm Quality Control."
- End of Book 2 -
Bonus Chapter: Izzy's POV
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The following is a short chapter from Izzy's POV. I didn't feel that an Izzy chapter would fit into the third book in the series, but I wanted at least one chance to write an Izzy chapter. This one is set canonically between the second and third books, but it's a side story written afterward. You can either read it here or after the last book.
Izzy couldn't get tired, but she was tired. She had followed Da and her friends into the wastelands to find important things, but the wastelands turned out to mean lots of walking. Lots and lots of walking. Even though Izzy could walk all day if she needed to, she didn't like looking at boring rocks and boring dust all the time. Sometimes they got attacked and she got to eat tasty things, but usually she had to wait a long, long time to get food.
Hopping up onto a protruding rock, Izzy looked around. More wasteland. Nothing tasty in sight, just lots of dust. Since the others needed to catch up, she turned around to look at her friends.
Da walked at the front of the group, of course, looking all nice and tall. Gharavi was beside him with her funny stick. Meara was talking to both of them with a very serious face. Danniah moved along behind, listening but not saying much.
Since there was nothing to see but dust, Izzy ran around the group a bit. She got closer and tried to listen to what they were saying.
"What I'm sensing doesn't seem like anything the box gods set up, but that doesn't prove anything." Meara glanced over at Gharavi and frowned. "If your necklace is picking up something we can check it out, I just don't think it's very connected."
Frowning, Gharavi kept playing with her necklace. It was made of bones but Izzy wasn't allowed to eat it. "Normally I'd say I was certain there was Outsider magic, but with all of you it's more difficult to tell."
"It's worth looking into." Izzy perked up when she heard Da speak, nodding curtly to the other two. "At worst we'll lose a few days. At best, we'll be able to improve our tracking spells and finally test that bone wand."