by Unknown
Level Up: Apis Rogue Level 2—
Joy banished the notification from her mind before it could finish, since it really wasn’t going to matter in a minute.
“I’m sorry,” Joy said simply, giving them a lopsided smile. They looked a little dazed, but at least they hadn’t been hurt in the fight. That comforted Joy, as did the faint scent of an apis queen she smelled on the wind. That was reassuring, so her friends wouldn’t die, at least not as long as the spider didn’t get out.
The confusion in Brianna’s eyes was telling, though Stella seemed to be figuring something out, from the way her confusion gave way to worry. It wasn’t enough to overwhelm the pheromones, though, and Joy let out a sigh and shrug while pulling out the elemental core, looking at Cora as the elf’s worry gave way to panic at the sight of it.
“It’s a choice. One of us, or Clarion, the local hive, and who knows how many other people,” Joy said, and glanced at the other adventurers who were still alive: the dwarf, a half-elven man, a human priestess, and a human woman in dark leather armor. Most of them looked more confused and relieved, which was fair. She didn’t know them, either. Joy continued after a moment, sadly looking at the remains of Silverhoof and the other man who’d died, then pulled her gaze back to her friends. “All of you will live a long, long time. Me, though? I could, if we got the ore to the Shadebough Hive… but I’ve never expected that. If I can keep all of you, and everyone else alive? That’s worth it. It’s easily worth it. Don’t let Alethus get away, alright? It’s been fun!”
With that, Joy took off her backpack and belt pouch, setting them on the ground in front of the others. She wouldn’t need any of them, and she turned to the stone pillar, approaching it and the weird door behind it. She examined them in confusion, glancing up at the storm clouds as she thought.
“Now, how does this work?” Joy asked under her breath, looking at the elemental core, then at the door and orb. After a couple of seconds she shrugged, extending the glowing core to touch the orb, and her eyes went wide as the core flared with light, then dissolved, the light sucked into the orb instantly. “Ooh!”
Light flooded the orb and lanced upward into the sky in a pillar, the blast bursting through the clouds instantly, and the clouds rippled outward as a hole was punched through them and they faded, revealing a star-strewn sky above. The runes on the door changed from a dull red to soft blue, and Joy smiled, though she felt another pang of regret.
“I’m never going to get to finish reading my books,” Joy murmured sadly, turning to the orb, which she suspected was the part that controlled all of this. It made sense, with how the resurrection shrines had a stone at their core.
“Joy, no!” Cora’s voice was startling, and Joy’s gaze jerked upward to see that Cora had dragged herself away from the wall, and the elf was visibly struggling against the effect of the pheromones.
“Cora,” Joy said, looking at her in concern, and the elf paused, her desperation still obvious but restrained for a moment. The fear and worry in her eyes… it hurt, a little, and Joy spoke to her, her faint regrets growing stronger, but she pushed them down. No matter what else, she wasn’t going to leave sad. So she gave the elf a wide smile as she laid her hands on the orb. “I enjoyed my time with you, Cora! Bye!”
The orb flared, and heat surged through Joy’s body. All around her she saw tiny flecks of gold, and she could feel the orb tugging at her essence. Joy let herself flow into the orb, closing her eyes as liquid gold swirled through the air, and she began to sing.
“I’m a bee, I’m a bee, but not a bum-ble-bee…”
Golden light surged into the night sky, swirling through the air like a liquid as it circled the shrine, and Fayliss silently watched it move while the other gods debated. The magic moved for what seemed like an eternity, then it was drawn upward like it’d been pulled into a funnel, and the magic formed into immense, golden chains. Chains that wrapped around the figure of the apocalypse spider that was slowly turning back into flesh, and the chains tightened harshly, spearing deep into the earth.
The spider’s flesh turned back to stone in a handful of seconds, and as it did so, Fayliss felt a single tear trickle down her cheek.
Chapter 41
“No, no, nonono!” Cora exclaimed, grief overwhelming the sense of contentment chaining her, but it was too late. Far, far too late. The last notes of Joy’s song were still echoing through the chamber, and it felt like someone had reached into Cora’s chest and grabbed her heart.
Joy was illuminated from within, and the last sight of her was as the apis’s body simply… dissolved into motes of light that burst outward in every direction, and that was like the hand had pulled. Cora couldn’t even breathe as Joy’s armor and sword fell to the ground, clanging on the ground. She didn’t react, she couldn’t react as the light above her flared, her eyes fixed on the remnants of her friend… and the tears began welling up in her eyes.
“Not… not like this. Not…” Cora breathed out, anguish overwhelming her as the light in the orb went out, and there was a clicking sound from the carving on the wall. The runes went dark as well when the orb and two halves of the disk popped out, falling to the ground with a heavy clatter, a sound that felt almost as terrible as the ache in her chest.
Joy’s last smile was like a knife, a memory that twisted in Cora’s mind, suffocating her as tears flowed down her cheeks without pause. Unbidden, memories welled up in her mind, of other times with Joy. When she’d come back from shopping with the bright yellow dress that suited her so well. The time Joy had poked her head through the window from the top of the sill, bouncing up and down. And how Joy had pranced along the road, singing happily as she explored the world that Cora took for granted.
“Gods, no. Give her back. Don’t… oh, you bastard,” Cora hissed, her gaze turning to the unconscious body of Alethus, and her sorrow ignited into rage that burned away the last of the contentment. She scrambled to her feet, her voice rising as she exclaimed, “If it weren’t for you, she’d be fine! She’d be here with us as we headed to Bearton, and nothing would have gone wrong. No, she’d never have been in danger at all, because she’d never have used her pure royal jelly! I’m going to—”
As Cora raised her staff to cast a spell, Brianna almost tackled her, dragging Cora backward as she exclaimed, “Cora, no!”
“Let go of me! He’s the one who did all of this, and he should pay—” Cora replied hysterically, struggling against her friend, but her struggles slowed as Stella interrupted, and as she saw the tears on both of their faces.
“I know. I know he did, Cora. He took… he…” Stella sniffled, blinking rapidly as she inhaled, then spoke shakily. “He did take her from us. And by Mother Moon, if it’d bring her back, I’d kill him myself. But it won’t. You heard her, Cora. She left him alive so we could stop him from trying again. If he does… if he comes back he could succeed.”
“Don’t… don’t let her sacrifice be for nothing. Please,” Brianna said, her voice practically a whisper.
“I… but… but she’s… she’s gone,” Cora replied, her rage flickering, then slowly dying as the tears trickled down her cheeks, shock beginning to set in as she stopped struggling.
“I know. And she… she didn’t even hesitate. Gods damn it,” Brianna replied, and that was just a little too much.
Cora sank to the floor, sobbing, and was joined by both of the others. She didn’t care how the other adventurers were watching, still frozen in place by Alethus’s ability.
She’d sacrifice them all to have Joy back… but at the same time she realized Joy wouldn’t want that, and she began to cry even harder.
“This is different!” Joy said, blinking as she looked around the room. It was a modest-sized room by most human standards, but the walls were covered by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and there wasn’t a door or source of light, despite which she could see clearly. The shelves were filled with scrolls that packed every available bit of space, and Joy was sitting in a chair
in front of a broad, scarred desk.
On the other side of the desk was a figure that Joy didn’t recognize. The person, she thought they might be human, with how pale their fingers were, was wearing black robes and their face was shrouded in darkness so deep she couldn’t even make out their eyes or face. In front of them were over a dozen documents, and the figure shifted in place.
“Fortunately, you aren’t the first apis I’ve had to deal with, so I know how to explain this,” the figure said, his voice deep and distinctly male. “I’m Death, and you died, which you know perfectly well. Unlike the others, I can’t simply send you to an appropriate afterlife, not since you decided to make your death so… dramatic. I have requests from twenty-nine deities to send you to their domains. Due to how short your life is, though… that makes the decision harder.”
“Oh? Harder how? Joy asked, her attention snapping to the documents, but her enthusiasm faded slightly as she realized that she didn’t even recognize the letters on them.
“You haven’t had enough time to show which afterlife suits you best, and which you deserve,” Death replied bluntly. “Thus, you need to choose one. I have requests from—”
“Wait a second, please?” Joy interrupted. “Which afterlife will Brianna, Cora, and Stella go to?”
Death paused, his hood shifting slightly as if he was looking at her, then he spoke. “I don’t know. I won’t know until they die.”
“Then I’m not going to choose. Not until they get here,” Joy said, sitting back in her chair and smiling. “Maybe I could help you! I’m a hard worker, and it looks like your shelves need organizing!”
“I don’t need help. I know where everything is,” Death said, a note of exasperation in his voice. “And you are required to choose.”
“No,” Joy replied, turning to look at the shelves doubtfully. “Those look like they’re crumpling, but if you’re sure about the help… can you tell me why we can’t put more than one stack of empty containers in our inventory?”
Death sighed loudly, and Joy giggled.
Chapter 42
Tears streamed down Cora’s face, and she almost dropped the book. She swallowed her sob, her hands shaking as she looked down at the cover and the ribbon marking the place in it.
“I don’t even like gardening,” Cora whispered, grief almost overwhelming her again. She hadn’t been able to return to the room for more than a handful of seconds two days before, as the sight of the books had reduced her to a sobbing mess. She’d paid for an entirely separate room, which had baffled the innkeeper initially.
“You don’t?” Stella asked, tears glittering in her eyes, but the human was more composed than Cora was. Perhaps it was her faith helped, but there was a reason it was Stella helping Cora pack rather than Brianna. Her old friend hadn’t really broken down until after they’d gotten Alethus into custody. Stella continued, distracting Cora from her thoughts as she continued. “I thought elves liked plants.”
“Most elves like plants. Some of us like them well enough, but don’t like taking care of them,” Cora replied, giving a wan smile as she slid the book into her backpack along with the architecture book. “Still, I suppose I’m going to be learning anyway. There isn’t… isn’t much else she left behind.”
“No, there isn’t. Mostly memories,” Stella said, closing her eyes as she inhaled, then let the breath out. “Though she’s left a lot of those.”
“She has. And not just for us,” Cora said, her memory drifting back to the aftermath of the battle, and to their audience with the apis queen.
The queen had listened to their descriptions of what had happened, and she hadn’t interrupted, even when they’d broken down so many times. She’d simply listened patiently through it all, then had stepped forward to lay a hand on Joy’s rapier, drawing it and examining it for a few seconds, then had spoken.
“If a member of our hive had made such a sacrifice, we would have remembered them. We will remember all of those that made the sacrifices today, for they did so to shield the hive from danger. Joy is different,” the queen had said, and Cora had almost retorted angrily, but the woman had continued first. “Joy is different because she sacrificed for another hive. She gave up her future, a hive of her own, to shield everyone else from harm. That is even more impressive than what we did, and for that we will honor her. Know this. Her tale will be passed down to every queen of my hive. I only ask that you remember her as well… but given your reactions, I believe that request is unneeded. You have our sympathies.”
The queen had left after that, but the sight of thousands of apis bowing their heads in the direction of the shrine had shaken Cora. It had also helped assuage her grief, if only a little. In comparison, she didn’t really care about the kind words Marquess Clarion had spoken, words with little substance as far as Cora was concerned. It was the aching gap Joy had left in Cora’s heart that she cared about.
Every hour, she expected Joy to pop around the corner, exclaiming in excitement as she talked about keystones, fertilizer, or some other discovery she’d made. Instead… their days were a little darker, a little gloomier. And Cora hated that, since she knew Joy would disapprove.
“Hey, are you okay in there?” Brianna asked, the faint tremble to her voice audible even through the door.
“We’re just about done. We’ll be out in a moment,” Cora said, looking around the room one more time. She jumped when Stella patted her on the shoulder, and Cora returned the human’s smile, anguish spiking through her yet again. It would fade over time, she was certain… but she doubted it’d ever be easy to think about her friend. Her lovely, enthusiastic friend who’d been just so… so much more than Cora had ever expected.
Cora’s hand found the latch almost without her noticing, and she opened the door, only to pause, a little startled to see Sir Wilbert standing there, out of his armor and in the garb of a simple nobleman. He was next to Brianna and had an awkward smile on his face. At least his sympathy had been unfeigned, so Cora nodded to him, trying to force back her grief.
“My apologies for visiting without notice, but I heard the three of you were leaving today,” Wilbert said, clearing his throat as he shifted from one foot to the other. “I didn’t expect that, since the memorial service is tomorrow.”
“Yes, well, we have ore to deliver to the Shadebough Hive. The sooner they get it, the more secure they’ll be if the army ants return,” Cora replied, forcing a smile onto her face as her back tensed. “It… it’s what she’d want us to do. Besides, the Marquess seemed more worried about the apis than she was about the enemy army.”
Wilbert visibly winced and glanced around, clearing his throat. When he spoke, his tone was quiet enough that Cora doubted anyone else in the area could hear. “Yes, well, you’re not wrong. Unfortunately. I know the duke appreciates what they’ve done, though, so I promise, we’ll see if we can’t find a solution. As a matter of fact, I’m here on the duke’s behalf.”
“Ah,” Stella murmured, and Cora felt her tension ease slightly. “What does His Grace have to say?”
“First off, he asked me to inform you that Silverhoof has recovered in Irador, and is looking forward to giving you a proper reward for what you’ve done. His Grace instructed me to inform you that if you ever need anything, to let him know and he’ll see what he can do,” Wilbert said, and his gaze turned frosty as he added, “He also is ensuring that Alethus isn’t going to be going anywhere. His Grace promises that Alethus is going to live a long, healthy life in the darkest hole he can find for him.”
“Good,” Cora said, her rage burning away much of her grief, and her eyes narrowed as she continued. “And if he ever does escape, I’m going to hunt him down if it’s the last thing I do.”
“We’ll hunt him down,” Brianna said softly. “The maniac killed far too many people. We won’t let him do it again.”
Stella nodded, and Cora felt mingled amusement and grief that this, much like Joy’s previous sacrifice, had united them so thoroughly
. It’d certainly given them a goal to strive for, and she wiped her eyes to brush the tears away.
“I’m glad to hear that. In any case, I won’t keep you for any longer. Good luck,” Wilbert said, bowing his head to them.
Cora gave him a faint smile and turned to leave with a heavy heart.
Epilogue
“I don’t care how; I want her out of my waiting room,” Death said, and Fayliss couldn’t help a smile at his tone. She’d never known Death to get so flustered before.
“Can’t you just make a decision for her?” Xinra asked, twirling her wineglass and studying the ruby liquid within it. “You have before.”
“No, because she has too short of a life and did too much in that time. There’s no way to determine her proper destination with all of your interfering,” Death shot back in annoyance. Xinra opened her mouth to retort, but laughter interrupted her.
“It sounds like you need a solution for a single little apis,” Yonra said, the god of chaos standing in the doorway to the discussion hall with a huge grin on his face. “I told you they’d be interesting.”
“Interesting problems, perhaps,” Death said, crossing his arms. “If this becomes common, I’m going to have to ask for the power of summary judgment.”
“I doubt it will come to that,” Assyran said evenly, opening his eyes at last as his gaze drifted across the room. “What occurred with Joy was unusual in the extreme, and a relief for many of us. That has made her fate much more complex, and such shouldn’t occur again. Not easily. The question is, how do we resolve this? We cannot force her on to an unjust afterlife.”