Chapter 16: Respite


    Lnd was the first to awaken. He sat up, his body feeling like mush that had been ground in a mortar and pestle. Slowly he looked around, feeling the wind in his hair, smelling the iron of blood.


    <em>Oh right,</em> he thought. <em>The battle.</em>


    Slowly he looked around, finding Glenny and Jude both breathing easy but not yet conscious. Lnd slipped his ring of regeneration off Jude cing it on Glenny’s finger. He wasn’t sure if the Chameleon Lord’s internal organs were damaged but from the look of the Berserker Lord, his wounds had all but healed.


    It was then, across the lush teau, Lnd spotted movement. Near the single tree close to the cliff’s drop off, was a young man. His clothes were disheveled and ruined, his leg wet with a <em>particr</em> liquid, and blood leaking from the back of his head. His hands and feet were also bound, frozen solid in a block of heavy ice.


    Standing with a grunt, Lnd got to his feet and started over. It was then he saw the absolute fear in the young man’s eyes. Tears welled in dried ducts, he shivered with something other than cold, and he mbered away as his <em>savior</em> drew close.


    It was then Lnd realized Onryo had no clue who he was, after all why would a noble look to the filthymoners he passed on the street? Why would he interact with them? He had a bodyguard to protect him from that. But now that man was dead.


    “I’m not going to hurt you. My name is Lnd Silver. My parents are—”


    “The Inquisitors Silver!” Onryo blurted out, relief shining through his wide eyes. “I thought our case was passed to another team?”


    “Your case?” Lnd asked, chipping away at the block of ice with his pocket knife.That caused the young Master’s face to fall. “You mean… you weren’t hunting that despicable man?”


    Lnd followed his gaze, finding the butchered corpse of thest remaining Icewillow. “No? We just came across the dungeon entrance and recognized your guard. I’m sorry for your loss by the way.”


    Onryo’s face didn’t change, he simply waved off the statement. “So what? You three are just adventurers?”


    “Yeah. Three friends in the right ce at the right time to help someone in need.”


    “I will have to write a letter to the head of the Inquisitors then. That <em>thing</em> over there should never havee into contact with me. In fact, I should have received notice that he was even within one hundred miles of me.”


    Lnd saw that as a <em>bit</em> self-centered but held his tongue. Instead he split the ice around a trapped hand, freeing an icy blue appendage.


    “Looks like you are going to need some anti-frostbite pills. Might be a special order in Liontrunk but I’m sure one of the many alchemists will have the reagents in stock.”


    Abruptly, a ck me sparked in Onryo’s hand. The young man held it out, threatening Lnd with a magical attack.


    “Tell me who you are or I will st you!” he yelled. “The truth this time!”


    Lnd sighed, his posture slumping like a loose custard. Was this really the time to do this? He supposed it was, actually. Glenny and Jude were still passed out, now <em>would be</em> the time to strike first. That was if Lnd actually had ill intentions <em>and</em> if the ck fire was deadly.


    The me was nothing but a ruse, Lnd knew. It was an illusion, a simple hoax, the most basic spell of the Lord of Spirits, which just so happened to be Onryo’s House Legacy. The heatless fire had important properties when fully realized. But the low ranked version being shoved in Lnd’s face was nothing but a parlor trick at this point.


    “Ah!” Lnd said. “Spirit Fire! I’ve never seen any myself, until now I guess, but the rumors are true! It does tickle my mind a bit. I don’t want to look away!”


    Onryo’s face fell. “But you can look away?”


    “Indeed.”


    The spell fizzled away.


    “If it''s any constion, I didn’t lie to you. I am the Inquisitors Silvers’ son, and those still asleep are my best friends who I trust with my life.”


    Last thing Lnd wanted to do was give Onryo a reason to look at Glenny any differently. Exining their connection could prove worrisome for both parties.


    “I… see…” Onryo finally said, Lnd still chipping away.


    Soon a second hand was free, two feeting along not long after. Once out and away from the ice and cliff, they ventured part way to Glenny and Jude. The frostbite slowed the young Master, but he was able to fully walk, albeit painfully.


    “This seems close enough. Wait here,” Lndmanded.


    “What? Why?”


    “In case you try to harm someone again, it won’t be the sleeping ones.”


    Onryo froze. “I’m not going to try that again. You would have killed me already if you were going to. And I don’t think I could stop you from kidnapping me.”


    Lnd rolled his eyes and walked off. He reached Glenny, pping his face lightly while swiping his ring of regeneration back.


    “Huh? Wha?”


    “Hey there sleepy head. It''s time to wake up and grill us some breakfast. Surely its day outside the dungeon by now.”


    Still groggy, Glenny squinted with an irritated eye. “I take it we all survived?”


    “Quite. I don’t know how much longer Jude is going to sleep though. I figured it best to let him wake naturally.”


    “Oh right, Jude…” Glenny’s eyes befell the deep breathing giant caked with dried blood.


    He shifted away, trying hard not to wake the man. With the human weight off his chest, Jude moved in his sleep. Then he started snoring. Both Lnd and Glenny frowned but said nothing.


    “Packs are by the stairs. Also, wave to our tagalong when you walk by.”


    Glenny perked up at the words, his vision going out long. He sighed deeply, swallowing pent up nerves as he went. He waved but his eyes found the mangled body of his mother’s killer. He stopped cold, reying the glorious memory of the kill over and over again.


    Then tears started forming. He hid them well from Lnd, walking off towards the obscured staircase while taking his time to retrieve his pack. Killing the Witch that ruined his family was a good thing? Right? Right? …right?


    Droplets fell from his eyes when he asked himself a question. <em>Why do I still feel guilty? Why do I still burn inside?</em>


    Lnd returned to Onryo, tossing him the ring of regeneration. “Put that on, it will help with the pain.”


    “This isn’t a trick right? I’ve heard about taking magical items from strangers. I’m not that gullible.”


    Rolling his eyes and saying nothing, Lnd started cutting the grass with his pocket knife despite the young Master’s muttering. At some point things became silent except for Jude snoring. Glenny eventually came over and started a fire. He roasted cuts of lion, his eyes low and tired.


    “You know,” Lnd began, making sure to keep his voice naturally positive. “Staring at a fire isn’t good for you. Why don’t you check your gains from the battle. Mine were quite <em>something.</em>”


    Glenny thought for a long and hard moment, eventually agreeing and summoning the mirror of his Lord. He stared at his reflection.


    “You okay there? We are going to need you in fighting shape, Glenny. We’ve still got to clear the dungeon.”


    Onryo’s head flipped to Lnd. “W-what do you mean?! We can’t leave through the entrance?”


    Lnd shrugged. “We <em>could</em>, but I’m inclined to keep going. There should only be one more boss. One more boss with the loot of <em>years </em>of monster breaches.”


    Glenny’s eyes slowly widened at the implications. He smirked. “Can we do it?”


    Lndughed. “Of course we can. I’ve got my magic, Jude’s got his axes, and you’ve got something even more special.”


    “I do?”


    “Of course. You’ve got your tongue!”


    Glenny just stared at his friend, disbelief repeating the statement over and over again. He watched Lnd’s smirk turn into something more, something <em>evolved.</em> Then he heard briskughter. But it wasn’ting from the man in front of him, but rather the man behind. Jude, fully awake and sitting up,ughed like a maniac.


    “See? Even Jude thinks you’re special.”


    Glenny’s face hit his palms. “I’m going to murder both of you in your sleep.”


    That caused Jude tough even harder. Lnd spoke up, “It’s not that embarrassing. The trademark ability of the Legacy of the Chameleon is very <em>useful</em>—”


    “Useful at catching bugs out of the air!” Jude screeched.


    Glenny looked to Lnd who simply shrugged. “That’s one of its many uses, yeah.”


    “I can’t believe this.”


    “What? You can’t believe you strangled a man with your elongated tongue, or that we are teasing you about it?”


    Glenny deliberated for a moment, a smile appearing briefly before a pout smothered it. “Both, I guess. It was traumatic and now you are both making fun of me? My two best friends in the whole world? Making fun of me during such trying times?”


    Jude’s smile fell and he hopped to his feet. Lnd, however, became suspicious. Then Glenny shared a wink with the Lord of Curses, thus solidifying the n.


    “Oh, I’m so sorry Glenny. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. It’s just that the ability is really cool, albeit weird… and I suppose I’m a bit jealous. Like, the coolest thing <em>I </em>can do is jump really far. Even Lnd can summon birds! Why can’t I get anything cool like that…”


    Lnd’s eyebrow was raised like Glenny’s.


    Jude continued. “I really am sorry. I didn’t realize you were insecure about your ability. I thought that, well you know, since your mom and everything…”


    “’My mom and everything?” What does that mean?”


    “E-eh, just that- err, that she’s really amazing and famous and stuff. And you two share the same Legacy, so I thought that… I mean…”


    Lnd startedughing, which broke Glenny’sposure. Both boysughed hard, especially when Jude’s face twitched with uncertainty.


    “Oh,” Jude finally said. “That’s not very funny. I thought I really did hurt your feelings.”