《HereAfter: Dragons Fall》 Chapter One - Maelstrom {Tavish} A maelstrom opened in the icy waters where the giant beast slouched beneath the waves. Tavish wrapped an arm around the shattered mast of their splintering ship and turned to his dwindling crew. When it resurfaces, aim for the underside of its jaw! He dashed up the deck, skittering along the brined surface as it rolled hard beneath his feet. He felt, for a moment, like he was floating towards the wheel as the ship dropped in the unpredictable waters. Then a wave caught the aft and brought the end to meet Tavish at the chin. He pushed off the ground and met Fynn who had a shoulder braced against a spoke of the wheel. His beard was half soaked through with blood from a gash on his head. Tav! Help me turn this blasted thing! We need to go hard port to avoid that whirlpool. Tavish pulled hard, thankful for his out-sized level. The churning power of the oceanand the programs insistence that they not go any farthermade it so he strained hard to turn them. At last the spinning sea-hell dissolved and the water became merely violent instead of outright murderous. The waters bubbled in front of them as the monster returned, blasting out of foam-crenelated waves and soaring towards the storm-twisted clouds. Its kilometers-long body was covered in scales that glistened and wavered like mother-of-pearlthe water pouring down created a refraction that was almost beautiful. The head was out of sight, but Tavish focused where it should be and pulled up its stats. Sea Dryvrn - Lvl. 0x270f (0x221e / 0x221e HP) Error reading. No data available. The chill he felt ran deeper than even his soaked clothes could impart. His eyes flicked behind themblue skies and sun the way theyd come. He looked ahead, blue skies and sun pounding through the tempest to alight on a small, sandy island encircled by craggy pillars of coral.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Fynn! Straight ahead! We need to get to past the barrier. Fynn balked at Tavish. This ship wont fit through there. It doesnt need towe just need to get our bodies past. Are you Tavish! Kaela howled over the winds from her defiant perch at the head of the ship. Whats the goddamn plan? We cant kill it! he shouted back. Kaelas eyes widened in spite of the stinging mist as the dragons long tail slipped out of the water and the head tilt down towards them. Its diving! Get to the coral! Tavish pulled out his fathers sword, DragonBlade, in one hand and prepared his own kyoketsu-shogea nastily curved blade attached to a long ropein the other. Use the whirlpool to slingshot us towards that island, Tavish said to Fynn. Jam us in the rocks. Well die on that island, said Fynn. Well die here. At least on the island we have a chance. He gave Fynn a firm slap on the shoulder and hopped to the deck, landing firmly on the cracked boards. If it cant die, he muttered to himself, raising DragonBlade to the sky. Ill make it wish it could. Tavish launched off the deck, the sodden wood erupting under his feet. He launched the long roped-blade hard, the coils twisting and looping through the air in a seemingly endless ascent until the blade sank between two scales and Tavish yanked the slack taut. He pulled himself towards the beast even as gravity brought it hurtling towards his face. Tavish learned this next move from his dad. As they passed like charging locomotives he thrust DragonBlade out, carving it along the length of the seemingly soft underbelly but the blade skipped along the flesh as if it were immutable iron. The rope-blade slipped loose from his hand. And Tavish flailed in the air, the dragon pulling away and smashing headfirst intoand throughthe ship below. One of their crew was cut down, lower half pulled under the water and the top following moments after. The back of the ship bucked, catapulting Fynn, flailing, into the waves. Kaela kept launching arrows as the tail slipped away into the churned-white foam as the bow where she stood sank rapidly. Tavish gasped a lungful of air just before he splashed into the water. His body went rigid with cold in an instant as the turbulence twisted like a corkscrew, pulling him deeper into the dark. No up, no down, just salty water pressing in on him from all sides and the subtle pressure change as pieces of the ship passed him on their way to their final resting place. Just the low rumble of an indomitable monster roaring into the depths. Chapter Two - Immortal War 永生戦争 {Kato} Katos boots squelched in the dirt turned mud with blood. He flicked the blade of his long katana, thick red drops spattering noisily on the ground. He swung around in place, checking the area for survivors. From his hilltop vantage he had a good view of things. No one was left from his cohort. Neither were any remaining from the enemy. All in all a win. At least as far as he was concerned. In the distance he watched his men rout the opposition. He smiled with pride. They werent his men really. He had no right to command themthat honor belong to the daimyo for whom they all workedbut he had formed the small army for this battle. Hed handpicked the team from the surrounding domains within his daimyos influence. The victory that day was as much his as anyone elses. One last impediment. A squad of opposition forces stood between him and his men. Theyd watched him drop a few score of their well-armored samurai warriors, but even so, when they saw him standing there unscathed, they began to advance on him, vengeance in their hearts, burning in their eyes. This was the only part of his job Kato liked. The moment when he could launch into fightingpure, unadulterated expression of will. No responsibility except to fuse his arm to his blade and make contact with the enemy. He grinned, cheeks pressing into the cool face guard. Left hand on his scabbard to keep it from bouncing. His right hand spun around the ornate handle of the sword to take it in an underhand gripbetter for running. His knees bent and his body leaned forward and he blasted out of the mud and down the hill, a war cry boiling out of his throat. The enemy grew in sight. With firm ground underfoot he decided on a bit of shock-and-awe. He knocked his helmet offthe heaviest part of his armorand cut away the thigh guards tied to his breastplate. His underhand grip hid the length and position of his blade and as he reached the men he erupted from the ground, snapped the sword out, driving it through the throat and into the chest of the fighter in front of him, and leveraged over, flipping with acrobatic ease over their heads. He landed before the men could turn and he swept the blade along their legs, cutting them to stumps. He backed away from that group, saving them to finish off laterthey wouldnt be going anywhere anytime soon.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Hed been able to take the first bunch by surprise, but the last dozen or so would require a more conventional approach. He stood and set his feet. His hands found their proper place on the handle, honed by years of practice. He remembered something indistinct, something composite of many, many nights. Fluorescent light in an ancient space. The wood was warm with footwork. In an alcove outside the sliding doors was a trim suit with a dark green tie, all neatly folded in a pile. Inside, a score of students in navy blue hakama knelt on the ground. In the muggy night outside it was the twenty-third century, full of neon and exhaust and asphalt and the mad alienation of a workforce without purpose. Inside, it was all the ages of Japan tied together with the thread of martial spirit since the first swordsman had begun to pass his knowledge down, each swing of the bamboo shinai an expression of survival, of humanity. Only the suffuse cries of cicadas blanketed the past and the present together. Those nights, identical and unique at once, came to him on the battlefield. Every bamboo-sword swing built on the past, they made their home in this steel-sword moment. Kato centered the tip on his next opponent and scanned the rest out of the corner of his eyes, waiting for movement. He could wait all day if he needed, but he knew they would attack first, and in doing so expose their weakness. Ah. There we go. From the right. This one had never had any training. He lifted his sword too high, too blindly. Too slow. Katos right foot slid wide and he brought the broad edge of his blade to bite into the gut of his wild attacker. One to his left took the opportunity, thinking Kato distracted and exposed, but he knew it was coming. His balance was perfectly spread and he snapped back to center, in position to drive the point into the heart of the next man. They both screamed, clutching their guts, and fell to the ground. Good performances. Kato took the initiative on the next go-round. He snapped forwardneck shot. A well-done gurgle rose bubbling out of the man. He parried with his scabbard to the left as he cut right. Then back left for the man on hold. Terrible stuff out of that last guy. Screams too articulate and obscene. Over the top, really. Kato worked his way through the rest of them, one by one, until they were all prostrate on the ground. Good fight, everyone, he said, kneeling down to wipe his blade clean on the sleeves of one fallen enemy. I definitely got lucky a few times in there. When hed died, he was sixth dan. Luck had nothing to do with it. But no need to crush their spirits. It was all for fun really. Chapter Three - Glitch {Tavish} Air. He needed air. Tavish popped out of the water like a buoy. Just meters away he saw the back of the dragon skim the water. He felt a faint moment of hope when his eyes locked on the coral not too far away and realized the dragon wasnt in his way. He pumped his arms and legs against the water, his outsized power level helping him shoot like a rocket to the bare pillars. He pulled himself on top and looked around for Kaela, Fynn, and the rest of the crew. Fynn had been launched most of the way to the coral pillars when the monster snapped the ship in half. Tavish saw him pulling himself up. Tav focused his attention across the water until Kaelas ID popped up in his vision. She was swimming hard. Shed make it, no problem. Just another few seconds No good. The dragon was carving a leisurely u-turn. Tavish jumped in the water, swimming out to Kaela. Get to the pillarIll distract it. She didnt say anything, just kicked off harder, making her way to safety as fast as she could. Tavish sank under the waves and fought to hold his eyes open against the sting of salt. He saw the gargantuan snout coming towards him and wrapped himself around it. The dragon tried to shake him off, but Tavish dug his fists tighter into the soft part of its nostrils. It couldnt die, but it could feel pain. It thrashed around, bucking him like a bronco. At last, as the head snapped through the surface, he with it, he noticed Kaela pulling herself onto a pillar of coral. Tavish pushed off, soaring through the air. The dragon tried to follow after, but Tavish was too fast, snapping out his rope-blade to sink into the coral and pulling, hurtling through the air back to his perch. As expected, the dragon suddenly seemed completely uninterested in them once they were all on the coral pillars. A safe zone. He turned to Fynn. You see any of our other guys? Fynn shook his head. Tavish nodded somberly. Lets not worry about it now. We might just be able to get them back. He turned to face the small, sandy island just a couple hundred meters away. In the center was a black box like an arcade. Lets go. They leapt off the pillars. The water was noticeably warmer this side of things. Almost Caribbean. Tavish luxuriated in the warmth, letting it soak down to his iced-over bones. As they stepped out of the water onto land their clothes dried instantly. The temperature on the island was also much nicer. A clear, dry seventy-five degrees or so. Well, thats nice, said Kaela, inspecting her equipment and finding it also dry and free of water-logging. She nodded towards the big black box. That the thing we came for? It is, said Tavish, organizing the files and notes hed brought. Lets hope it was worth it, she said, not looking at him. She walked towards the box and knelt down, going through her inventory, piece by piece. You need me to do anything? offered Fynn. Nah, take a load off, said Tavish. Youve had enough to do. He hesitated. Im sorry about your crew. Cant exactly say they knew what they signed up for. Not really. Fynn shook his head. No, I guess not. But were all in this. They knew it was dangerous anyway. Wouldnt have been much better for em back shoreside. Ill do my best to get them back. Tavish stepped up to the console and put his finger to the on switch, then though better of it. He wanted to go over his plans one more time. Getting this right was critical. Digging into the guts of the systems that ran Sevceneur was dangerous. Do things wrong, or in the wrong order, and he could collapse the whole damn thing. Delete them all out of existence, or glitch them into insanity. Hell, he wasnt entirely certain that he wasnt putting all of HereAfter at risk. So, he triple and quadruple checked all his paperwork. They had a few goals at the consolea handful of things they wanted to get done. One thing was to make sure Sevceneur was completely decoupled from BlueDawns systems. They needed to be wholly migrated over to the HereAfter org-servers. Once that was done, no one would be able to undo his work.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Then hed give everyone on the planet Player status. No more NPCs. That way, if shit hit the fan, at least they wouldnt be at the mercy of the worlds monsters. Of course, that could lead to all sorts of other problems, but, well one step at a time. Then hed do whatever he could to pull all the people whod been killed back to life. If he could. Then decrypt all the documents hed stolen from BlueDawn. He had a good feeling hed hit the jackpot, if only he could read what was in there. He wanted to know who BlueDawn was working for. He wanted to know why they were doing what they were doing. He wanted to know how the hell they were doing it too. He had a good feeling that the authorities would want to know too. Thenand only thenafter hed done all that, hed try to figure out how to separate his fathers consciousness form his own. Somewhere deep inside him Nash was still there. He sent out little messages once in a while, but it was a rare event. Hed also have to figure out how to balance his character sheet, but that would have to wait. Alright, Im ready, said Tavish. Get on your guard, just in case this provokes some hostile response. Fynn drew a sword and faced the water. Kaela nocked an arrow. Tavish flicked the switch on the console box. The screen flickered to life and showed him the same, familiar interface hed grown accustomed to from working in BlueDawns bunker. Hey, Tav, called Fynn. Is that supposed to happen? What? Look yourself. Tav peeked around the console and saw one of the palm trees, fronds floating high in the air, trunk fading in and out. No. No its not. What the hell was that? Got it over here, too, said Kaela. He turned and lookeda big, perfect square of earthy stone had manifested in the water, waves passing through it as if it wasnt there, though a bird managed to land safely on the top. Tavish moved quicker. Hed need to run a proper reboot on the system, but not until he got all the required programs run through it. His fingers flew over the keyboard, searching for the right directory. There! He opened up the file. There were the fingerprints of monkeying around all over it. Pieces of code sliced and spliced form elsewhere. HereAfter proprietary codewhere the heck had BlueDawn gotten his hands on that? Selections of raw Dragons Rising code slipped in. Some home brew lines of esoteric stuff he didnt quite understand. Whatever. He copied over the migratory software, deleted the unwanted lines from the main file, and pointed the two at each other. Enter. The ground shookhard. Tavish lost his footing and slammed into the sand. In the distance a city appeared in the sky. And the city fell. He watched it tilt in the sky, the thin line of earth beneath it fracturing as some buildings fell at different angles. They all dropped at about the same rate though, stony sea meeting them with violent force, breaking and swallowing. It took a few moments for the sound to reach Tavish and his crew. But it was only sound of torn brick and ripped lumber crashing into the waters, a city whole. Not one scream reached them. Not even the imagination of onehow could they possibly imagine something like that? What the hell are you doing over there, Tav? shouted Kaela. That is definitely not supposed to happen! Tavish pulled himself back to his feet and leaned over the console screen. He needed to get the instructions through now. He couldnt know for certain what intractable changes would occur after he did the reboot. He couldnt risk a corruption in the system preventing him from finishing his work. In fact Tav flashed a copy of the Consoles integrated architecture to his own memory. It wasnt much, but he might be able to reverse engineer better solutions with enough time to pore over it later if things went sideways right now. He navigated to the next directory that needed his attention. This one was mercifully easier to deal with. He just had to flip a few False statements to True and bingo, everyone on Sevceneur was now a Player. At least they would be after a reboot. Even a soft reload should be enough. Ah, Tav, this cant be good! Fynn had let his sword drop to his side as he helplessly watched the horizon bend in the distance. Closer, gobs of ocean water rose into the air and twisted into strange shapes then fizzled into nothing. Tavish knew the next step would take a while. Longer than they seemed to have. Things were getting out of handhe needed to re-prioritize. He had a hunch that running a full reboot would make getting the dead Souls back to life impossible. Perhaps a soft reboot would be okay. Either way, he needed to get it done now. Just in case, he decided to run the stolen documents through the decryption program ahead of schedule as he simultaneously started work on the dead Souls problem. Too many problems popping up at once. Tavishs head was swimming. He was pounding down issues as fast as he couldslower than they were arising. Trying to feed through documents for encryption as he did so and trying to figure out where the lost Souls were being cached. Too many problems, too fast. Tavish dug his teeth into his lower lip and tasted blood. The sky was rent with anomalies punching through, the howls of a system tearing itself apart. Giant mountains exploded out of the water like nails through paper. Their whole island tilted thirty degrees on its side. They couldnt feel the change, but they could see it against the horizon. Unstable physical location. Attempting to find stable console placement. Please wait Please wait Please wait Found. Install 5068 km west of local orientation. Clearing current state. Everything went white. And then wallswarm wood wallsresolved around them. Tavish, Fynn, and Kaela all looked around and at each other. How did we Kaela said, trailing off in disbelief. What is this, Tav, asked Fynn. Where are we? Tavish lowered himself into a chair. Were home. The White Tavern. Chapter Four - Blossom 咲け {Kato} The battle ended and the dead began to rise. Each of the slain was reanimated in the order in which theyd died. It was always a strange process to watch. Kato caught up with his men where theyd gathered closes to the city walls. Oi, Kato! One of the men called to him and waved him over. Thanks for inviting us on this one. Really worked out well. I hope you get something nice out of it. Kato laughed and shrugged. Yeah, me too. Howd your squad make out, Ryota? Just one KIA. But Hayashis always being reckless like that. Ryotas squad were all former SDF back in life, so they had a lot of actual combat experience. Hayashi was the only one who ever got killed in these skirmishes. Then again, he got killed every timealmost as if he did it on purpose. Want me to send him your way when he revives? Youre not heading back to the city? asked Ryota. Weve got a whole storeroom full of sake waiting for us to celebrate. Maybe later, said Kato. Going to take some time to myself. Understood. Ryota clapped Kato on the shoulder. You earned it. Well be at Maru-sans when youre ready. Kato nodded to the rest and headed off on his own. Theyd fought the battle on a huge, open field surrounded on all sides by a forest. From one end you could barely make out the other side. Itd been one of the bigger fights hed been involved in, and the biggest hed organized for his daimyo. Along the nearest edge of the field was a cherry blossom tree in full bloom with a large boulder sitting in front of it. Kato stepped around the boulder until he was hidden from view and sat down cross-legged, pulling his sheathed sword out and resting it on the ground next to him. He reached into a small hole hed dug under the boulder earlier and pulled out a flask and two ceramic cups. He knew he should probably wait, but his thirst got the better of him. He poured his cup full of the soft rice wine and said a quiet thanks. A cherry blossom petal drifted down into his cup and rested on the transparent surface. Katos cheek pulled back in a weak half-grin. Was it good luck if the petal, the sake, and the cup were all digital? Was it good luck if the tree never stopped blooming? He saved the question for another day and tossed the drink back as he heard footsteps in the grass. An imposing man with a full beard stepped around the side holding a helmet that had been cut in two. Good work today, said Kato. You too, replied the man. Kato poured their drinks as the man sat down and offered him a cup. Head shot this time, hunh, Ako? Dont call me that here. Sorry. Akeshi. Thank you, said Ako-Akeshi. Of course, Akeshi-san. Dont be rude, dear. Akeshi sighed. Yeah it was a blow to the head. Im going to need to buy a new helmet. Its a shameI really liked this one. How long did you last? asked Kato, taking a long sip. Not long. Didnt get a single useful strike in myself. Akeshi sighed and took a drink. Youll get better with practice, dear, said Kato reassuringly. So, no kiss for your wife? The beard grinned mischievously.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. This is a little different from my perspective, you see, said Kato, nervously. Akeshi laughed and scratched at his face. Is it the beard? It doesnt help, no. Kato sucked his teeth. Itd be helpful if I could just, you know A sigh. Fine, fine. Call me Ako. Im just trying to have a little fun. I know. Im not trying to Kato trailed off. Its exciting being a man, you know, said Ako. Totally different in a lot of ways. Not least of all being a samurai, Kato said, laughing. I promise the differences arent quite as big as a salaryman. Ako leaned back on his elbows and smiled at the sky. Well, Im happy. Happier than Ive ever been. Kato laguhed and tossed back the rest of his cup before pouring another. Well, youve always been pretty traditional. Whats more traditional than actually living the old ways? They were silent for a moment, enjoying the breeze, the clouds, the birds. They filled their lungs with the sweet, clear twilight air. Thank you, said Ako. I dont think I really say it enough, but thank you. You dont have to Yes I do, she cut him off. You came here for me. I know it wasnt your first choice. And you came before me. You waited for me. Again. Ill always wait for you. Kato stretched his leg out and kicked Ako playfully in the shin. You didnt have to go joining the opposing faction, though. Ako shrugged and laughed. I like being a contrarian. I know. Its more fun that way. She focused her eyes on Kato, giving him a look of sincerity. I just needed this time to explore things on my own. To explore myself. Its just for our T-1. For our T-2, when were out of our debts, well be together again. Kato reached out and held Akos hand. It was strange to him, holding a mans hand in such an affectionate way, but since it was Ako he could learn to be okay with it. Im glad youre enjoying yourself. Its going to be a lot of working for the daimyo to get out from under the debt, so youll have time to enjoy. A few promotions here and there should help you speed it up, she offered. They fell into silence again, sipping their sake. I understand you a lot more now. In ways I dont think I ever could have without this experience. Is that right? It deepens my feelings for you, to know you this way. Kato hummed his understanding. He and his wife had always been a strange pair. She was old school. Born in wealth, shed been raised with an attachment to the old ways that shed never been able to shake. Even after shed lost most of her privileges within the family for marrying Kato, she never lost her connection to those ancient aesthetics. Kato, on the other hand, had spent as much time outside of Japan as he could in his youth. Before his thirtieth birthday hed gone diving in every unrestricted sea, climbing on every accessible mountain. Hed mastered English, French, and Arabic. He had a bar and a couch where hed be welcome on every continent. Hed returned to the country of his birth to begin a new life with his one true love, Ako. Hed taken to the salaryman life with some discomfort, especially entering the suit-and-tie workforce so late in life, but managed it alright. He trained in kendo five nights a week both as a way to expel his boundless energy and as a way to get in touch with the history and culture that his wife found so fascinating. It had been, overall, a very fulfilling life. He was looking forward to an even more fulfilling death. But, for now, he was stuck as a pencil pusher for some damned bureaucrat with delusions of grandeur. And his wife was off fighting for a manufactured enemy. Ah well, it was just one more lifetime. Theres be time for yet another after. And another. And another. And so on. He poured Ako another cup. Here, lets finish this up. I need to get back to headquarters before the daimyo heads over to the victory party. Ako peered at him skeptically from under her bushy eyebrows. Cant you just give him the write-up tomorrow? Its not like hes going to look at it today. You would think that. Kato groaned and put his hands on his knees. When are you free next? Ako stood as well, sliding her sword back into place at her side. Not sure. Probably a week would be good. Ill send a messenger. Kato stared at his wife. Beard and all. It was time to part ways again. He couldnt bring himself to engage romantically with her. Well, physically at least. But hed come to almost depend on these meetings. Hed missed Ako awfully during the few years between when hed unwound the mortal coil for the immortal one and when Ako had done the same. Shed always been his best friendas far back as he could rememberand that aspect of his love for her had nothing to do with appearances. Just having her thereher personalityto talk with was enough. Yet, as he looked at her he knew it wasnt enough for her. It hurt something inside Ako that he couldnt move past the superficial. She was hurting and Kato couldnt bear that. He took her hands, rough as they were, and pulled her in for a hug. Theyd embraced before, but it always had the feeling of something obligatory and shallow. This time he held her tight. He felt her whiskers scratch his ear, but he ignored it and focused only on Ako breathing in his arms. I love you, he said softly. I love you, too. Ako stepped back and, for a moment, Kato saw his wife in those warrior eyes. She turned around and vanished beyond the boulder leaving Kato under the cherry blossom with an empty flask and two cups drying in the purpling evening. Chapter Five - Reset {Tavish} Soft reset, said Tavish. I cant say it was unexpected, but it wasnt ideal. He checked the room. Really? Just Kae and Fynn? We lost everyone else? At least we know what were up against this time, said Fynn. Well hide the deaths as best we can for now and start again. Theres more ships. Im going to get a drink, said Kaela, shuffling off behind the bar. Tavish put his face in his hands. Doing that run again would mean decoys. You mean sacrifices, Kaela said as she poured a beer. You want one? No thanks, said Tavish. And, yeah, sacrifices. Of a sort. They wouldnt have a chance of getting past the coral. Thatd be our job and their job would be to pull the sea dragon. If that would even be enough. Who says theres just one? Maybe one spawns for each ship. Or for a set number of people. Who knows? Kaela poured some of her beer on the floor. For the guys in the sea. They sat there sadly for a moment, gathering their thoughts. Wait, said Tavish, perking up. The console said it was moving. Maybe its somewhere better now. Maybe this is just what we needed! Tavish threw a holographic display of the world map out for them to look at. It flickered and mentioned a pending update. Tavish ignored it. He measured out 5068 km west. Yes. Yes. Thats just a ferry and a two days walk, said Kaela.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Aner to Port Frar by boat, then we grab some horses, said Fynn. Heck, if the rail is on schedule, we might be able to cut our walk in half. Tavish rubbed his hands together. And its ground-based this time. We have the advantage there. No worries about sinking ships and drowning. Or sacrifices, offered Kaela. Yeah, or that, said Tav. Your calendars acting weird? asked Fynn. Mine has the wrong date. Tav shrugged. Probably just from the reset. Things will settle out soon. My XP gains have slowed a lot. Its either the reset, or maybe its a holiday I forgot about. The three of them noted down the aberrations and got ready to head out and try the adventure again. Tav pushed open the door of the White Tavern into the city of Saer. He lost his voice at the sight. Oh what the actual fuck. Kaela instinctively drew an arrow and nocked it. Fynn put a hand on the hilt of his sword. Tavish just walked forward, eyes sweeping over the devastation. The city was all but leveled. It didnt look like the work of a dragon. There were no scorch marks anywhere. Neither did it seem like something a player could have done. The buildings were all just collapsed. Sure, after the great battle with Raith and the Dryvrn the city hadnt been in great shape, but they had pulled themselves back together. And now this. They began to wander wordlessly through the streets. Anders Esplanade was entirely unrecognizable. The great inn was a pile of rubble and the canal had been rent apart, flooding the street, turning it into a massive river. There were few people around, but when they saw Tavish they began to run towards him. They fell on their knees. Where have you been? We needed you! Why? Tav was wide open and vulnerable, unable to comprehend what it was all about. Kaela grabbed the most coherent of the babbling bunch and pulled them to the side. What happened here? she asked. You dont know? the woman retorted. Its been like this. Fynn spun around at the strange words. How long have we been gone? he asked. Tavish braced for the answer. At least three months, the woman said, sobs catching up in her throat. We were gone four days, said Tavish quietly. Three months, the woman cried. You abandoned us! Look what happened! You abandoned us! Chapter Six - Vanished 消えた {Kato} I need you on an investigation, said the man in heavy, dark robes. Kato fought to keep his eyes open. He was grateful that there were no hangovers in HereAfter, but wished theyd made it so you didnt feel tired after a late night. Hed only snatched a couple hours before he had to report for duty. His knees ached against the floor as he sat seiza before the daimyo. Something strange is going on in some of the distant villages, said the daimyo, waving his folded fan lazily in an indistinct direction. Weve stopped receiving the post from out that way. We havent had a visitor in a long while, not even a merchant. In fact, one of our own went out that way, due back in a few days, but its been over a week. Katos brain was moving slowly. Too slowly for him to say the right thing, but he knew outright silence would be worse. What would you have me do about it, Ise-dono? This is a bit outside my work. You have no work but what I ask, snapped Ise. Your work right now is to head up there and find out whats going on. If theyre planning a revolt, if theyve switched sides, I want to know. Should I take Youll go alone. Take a round of mon for cash and take as long as you need. Kato thought a moment. Damn his brain. Maybe he was still drunk. Which village should I go to first? Ise glared. Thats not my job to figure out. Get going. Kato pushed off his feet somewhat inelegantly, legs stiff with poor circulation this early in the morning. He stopped by the bursar and grabbed a length of coins tied together. Enough for a long trip and several bribes along the way. With the right given to take as long as he liked, he debated grabbing a nap. The day was too nice for that, though. He was glad to be out from behind the desk for a little longer and eager to hit the road. Besides, if he did a good job, perhaps Ise would give him more field work in the future. Kato filled a small sack with the few belongings he figured hed need and set off down the wooded road. He studied the list of villages hed been given and decided to visit the one that was closest. If he went fast, he could be there tomorrow afternoon.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Kato was in no rush. He got there two days later. Actually, hed arrived sooner than he thought. He passed straight through the town without even realizing it. Nothing seemed off until he saw a post-marker along the road pointing toward the village he was heading towards, but behind him. The second village on his list was ahead of him. It seemed a bit funny. He hadnt passed a village in hours. Itd actually seemed a bit strange how long it was taking, but it had all been trees, meadows, and some empty lots. He paid more attention as he reached the place where the next town should be. He realized that the thick trees gave way to another open space right where he should have been entering a town. He looked to the side and noticed the villages announcement board. What was left of it anyway. The announcement boardusually about two meters side-to-side and one meter top-to-bottomwas sheared in half as if by an incredibly sharp sword. Kato stepped up onto a few rocks that were at the base posts to get a closer look. It was the work of no sword. He wasnt sure what had done it, but whatever had removed part of the board hadnt done it with anything so crude as a sword. It was too precise, too perfect. Maybe a laser, or something of the sort? He couldnt say. It was strange. Anything with much technology in it would never have been able to make it to their world. It was strictly forbidden, except in the rarest circumstances. And if something had been imported he was sure Ise would have mentioned it to him. It was like half the board had simply ceased to exist. But that was, of course, absurd. Then it hit him. There was an announcement boardhalf of one, but one nonethelessfor a village that wasnt in sight. These things were never placed far awaythey were always right there, at the very entrance of the town. He should be smelling fresh soba noodles, hearing woodworking, seeing men and women in the streets. But nothing. No streets. No woodworkers. No noodles. Not a voice or a footstep fell anywhere. It must have been the same for the last village as well. What would the next hold? There was no temple nearby, but he said a short prayer anyway. What prayers meant when man was as immortal as the gods, he could not say, but he went about it anyway. The next set of villages was beyond a mountain pass and he spent the next two hours hiking to the top. There he had a view over the broad valley that spread out. He should be able to see the villages from there, but Nothing. As the sun began to settle against the edge of the world, he should have been able to see smoke rising from countless fireplaces but the air was clear as polished crystal. Great spots in the forests were wide open and empty. In the distance, against the horizon, he thought he saw one of the old dragons of legend and myth curl in the sky and dive beneath the mountains.