《First Tier Sorcery》 Chapter 1- Waking up Chapter 1- Waking Up Riley¡¯s eyes snapped open as she heard the hawk. Fear raced through her tiny form, all as her joints ached. She knew she was old and had already survived many seasons for one such as her, but that did not diminish the fact that she was still alive. Being alive was the point as far as she knew.For as long as she could remember, the light came, the light went, and she remained. This last season had been the hardest. For reasons unknown to her, the energy and vibrancy she had known in the past had been fading, though her instincts were still sharp and her ears keen. The cold, though, was again giving way. The world was warming yet again, and soon, there would be more food and warmer nights. The plains would soon put forth more food than she or those of her kind could ever consume, and with it would come the dancing, the moments of high energy, and the rise of new creatures great and small. In fact, this was already happening. Young life like her stirred and moved with all the mystery of new being. They were only a few days old, the firstborn of a new and yet-to-come spring. They still fidgeted and crowded together for warmth against the harsh indifference of an unforgiving world. The shadow passed over Riley again, and with it came a cry, urging her to freeze, but in her wide vision, she knew the hawk was descending. Scrunch down, hide! That¡¯s what her instincts whispered, though not so much in words as an impulse. She felt the coldness of the ground all the more, yet it was distant through her thick fur. Her ears flattened against her back, and with their touch came a sigh. This was the life she had always known.This was all that was for as much as she knew. Peaceful spans of grazing or resting interspersed with moments of terror. There were no words in her life, no definition for these abstract concepts, nothing to define the emotions she felt, but something distant in her, something half-remembered in that moment, did not identify the hawk as a hawk, or a predator, or even as a threat, but *Death* which while abstract, was also as real as anything she had ever known. A vague and icy chill, familiar yet not, settled on her like a wet snow as she felt her hindpaws tense, but why? The hawk wasn¡¯t coming for *her*. She knew how to hide, she knew how to stay still, and had already outrun the grasping talons and snapping teeth of many a beast that would have made a meal of her. Hawk, or dog, fox, or coyote, it did not matter. She had passed the test time and time again, thrilling in her legacy. Riley was born to run. Yet those leverets had no chance. Some would die, maybe all would die, and that was just the way of things. It felt wrong, though, as she watched on in horror. The world slowed, and before she knew it, she was in a run, dashing over the lump of grasses that, at best, provided partial concealment. In an instant, the hawk was on her instead, swooping down.She could see it come in a terminal dive, getting closer and closer. Riley had to kick and twist, change direction, or something... She had to get away, but that strange weariness, pains in places that bent, it was all too much, and for the last time, her body failed. The hawk landed with a sickening crunch as bones snapped and the world dimmed. The scent of iron drifted in the air, and the feeling of pain lasted but for a moment as the world dimmed. Suddenly, in the peace of the void came a voice. Riley, again, with a choice of expending yourself for the benefit of others. ___ ¡°What?¡± She said, her eyes opening as her body startled. She straightened up between two trees, overlooking a familiar, makeshift grave as she scanned the sky. But there was nothing... Just a dream She sighed. The sound of boots softly moving up behind drew her ears up as she instinctively froze, the memory fading to a distant disquiet. ¡°Hello Cid,¡± she called out, though she hadn¡¯t seen him yet. The sound of his boots was a dead giveaway. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Like a phantom, he emerged from behind one of the many trees that dotted the mountainside. ¡°Aye, I trained you well, I see,¡± he said, with a mournful chuckle dancing on the edges of his tone. ¡°You did, and she did. You know it was me that tripped her at the beginning of our training?¡± Riley finally confessed as the old Ranger drew up beside her. Cid nodded, ¡°I guessed, and I knew. I think Zorna knew, too.It wasn¡¯t the worst she took. She trained so many.¡± ¡°But you blamed Tobias,¡± she countered. ¡°The sorcerer is responsible for his companion,¡± he shrugged, ¡°they teach us to break you down, run you hard so we can rebuild you. It¡¯s the only way I¡¯ve ever known to do it.¡± ¡°It was pretty plain he was hiding things from me from the beginning. We look for that. Being a ranger isn¡¯t about following orders¡­¡± Cid began. ¡°It''s about thinking for yourself, and being adaptable, and a right pain in the ass,¡± Riley finished. Cid chuckled again, ¡°That''s the problem, isn¡¯t it? Knowing secrets, keeping secrets. Seems all so straightforward in the moment, but it never is. It¡¯s a big damn mess that kills people.¡± ¡°This whole damn kingdom is built on secrets. Indian burial ground secrets. The kind that raises dead pets in all the horror movies with a taste for human flesh,¡± Riley agreed. ¡°Indian Burial grounds?¡± Cid boggled. ¡°Rileyism,¡± she said, not being in any mood to explain. ¡°Well, power is not something that fosters trust. Why do you think I stay out here with her?¡± Cid looked out over Zorna¡¯s grave mournfully, ¡°And speaking of, where¡¯s your other half?¡± ¡°Reading,¡± Riley answered a bit too quickly. She and Tobias had virtually fled from the capital after being released by the future King of Ashes, using connections and not a small bit of coin to take the dragon back to Ranger Central. ¡°Our library isn¡¯t that good, lass, unless you¡¯re hiding things from me again,¡± Cid said, knowing without knowing. ¡°He''s got my translation power and everything else. It¡¯s something called entwined souls,¡± she would have shrugged if she still could. ¡°Tobias has your translation magic? Oy, that¡¯ll lead to trouble,¡± Cid agreed. ¡°What do you mean lead? We¡¯re in trouble. We¡¯ve been in trouble since we were recruited. Being out of trouble would scare me,¡± Riley could not help but let the bitterness taint her words. ¡°It''s the Ranger way. Were you not listening?¡± Cid said, looking over towards the hare as the prompt seemed to rise unbidden. You have ascended to the First Tier and unlocked a hidden and lost pathway of progression within the magic; congratulations!¡± *Your health has dramatically increased.* *Your speed has dramatically increased* *Your mana has dramatically increased You have ascended with your bond, and your souls have become entwined¡­. Riley sent it away but did not dismiss it; something seemed to be anchoring her back to that moment. ¡°Oh, I was listening, alright. I¡¯ve also been seeing it. We ran from the Ashenvale before they could throw us a parade, but we can¡¯t stay away forever. We¡¯re ordered to show up for evaluations soon, whatever that means,¡± Riley grumbled. Wasn¡¯t magicsupposed to be fun? ¡°So you decided to fall back and hide in Ranger Central? You know they can find you here,¡± Cid observed with a certain kind of collegial bemusement. ¡°Did you know there¡¯s an apartment for muckety mucks above the Hidden Blade? It¡¯s swanky, but we actually camped out here last night. Nothing feels right or safe anymore, and this seemed like the safest place.Zorna always knew which way to go,¡± Riley shook her head as if trying to shake out an answer. ¡°She did, but that¡¯s because she trusted what she knew. This path you¡¯re on is dangerous. You need to be careful with thoseancient books and with the bloody nobles. That means keeping yer gob shut and not blathering off to everyone around that¡¯s supposed to be above you about what you can and can¡¯t do. I taught ya both better than that. It¡¯s all politics,¡± Cid spat. ¡°I only told you because you are about the only ones we can trust, and maybe the others, Caedmon, Eastmond, Sabine¡­¡± Riley began. ¡°But that also puts them in danger. I can handle it; I¡¯m old and well past my use,¡± this time, it was Riley¡¯s turn to interrupt.With a puff of power, a vine shot up from the ground and slapped Cid firmly across the face faster than he could react. ¡°What in the bloomin¡¯ fuck was that for!?!¡± He reeled. ¡°Still getting the nuance right,¡± Riley looked at her paw as if looking for a dial or a gauge before tilting her head in Cid¡¯s direction, ¡°That''s what you get for dying talk!¡± ¡°My, my, you¡¯re acting more like a ranger by the day,¡± Cid worked his jaw back and forth before his face twisted into a wry smile. ¡°That''s because we are Rangers, black blades to our core, and that¡¯s the problem. For the second time in less than a year, I¡¯ve got the strange feeling that I¡¯ve been thrown into a new world,¡± Riley replied with a sigh. Chapter 2- Mysteries Abound Chapter 2- Mysteries Abound Riley could feel his meditative focus as she carefully climbed the stairs, all as an icon blinked in the upper right-hand corner of her vision. It was not large, existing underneath her Health, Stamina, and Mana bar, occupying the same ¡°field¡± as her buffs and debuffs. Helpfully, a text box popped up just underneath it. Entwined Souls ¡°Like the double helix didn¡¯t give it away?¡± She whispered internally as another icon appeared next to it, that of a hare with wings. Angel on my shoulder- The angelic construct woven into your being will begin to advise you at key moments. ¡°But what does that mean?¡± Riley worried. The informational system was cool and helped her navigate the world, but when did the icons start to become voices in her head? It all seemed wrong and disquieting. Her reality had already shifted; everything she had known about herself was gone. She wasn¡¯t even oneself anymore but an amalgam, the remnants of beings ripped apart. Riley, the human girl and the greater enemy of reality... She sighed. Human girl... No matter what happened, no matter how much she was reminded, the name never stuck, like it was coated in Teflon. Yet, her memories were among the most vivid and made up the core of what she knew of herself. Riley was mostly just a name. Her name. The sense of identity was undeniable, but the same could be said of her connection to the human girl. The part of her that thought leaned toward her human experience, the part of her that was instinct leaned toward the hare, and the part of her that felt spanned all three. Riley felt a chill as the Erkrandir sang distantly with the demons that haunted her soul, their eerie song rising from the depths of her subconscious. The meditative focus, acting like a calming wind, suddenly snapped away, fanning the flames of her disquiet. ¡°Riley?¡± Tobias called out as she heard him stand, his boots moving towards the landing. Quickly, she scurried up the last few stairs as his worry became as plain as her own, ¡°I¡¯m fine, nerd boy.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this about voices in your head? I didn¡¯t hear anything,¡± he asked, going down on one knee. Still, he towered over her as Riley rested her head against his chest. ¡°Geeze, you don¡¯t read a girl¡¯s diary. That¡¯s why they come with locks,¡± she joked. ¡°Like I can give back my key,¡± Tobias replied with a half smile, ¡°talk to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same old country song, I¡¯m worried about going cuckoo. The prompt started off as something cool, but it¡¯s spookier now, almost like it has a will.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve noticed. It kind of volunteers information, and some parts of it are just part of my world now, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a voice, Riley, or alive; it¡¯s more like a... Lanthorn,¡± he replied. ¡°Lanthorn? Lantern? Uh...¡± Her eyes snapped open, ¡°A magical compendium of information consolidated into a golemic construct for the purposes of research and quick reference.¡± Tobias grinned. ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Great, now there are four voices in my head. Wait, four or five? Which one is me?¡± Riley¡¯s eyes widened in fear. Tobias gathered her into his arms and held her close, petting her ears back. Riley took in a deep, centering breath, pressing against him, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a value pack!¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t. You¡¯re you. Even if your soul is a patchwork, it¡¯s yours now. Even the Abbot of Death acknowledges that. Riley, the one that got away, not the many, not the handful,¡± Tobias soothed. Her ears perked in surprise, ¡°That¡¯s... That¡¯s a pretty good point.¡± Tobias set her down with a shrug, ¡°Even with our connection, I¡¯m still an outside observer.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s all upside for you, too,¡± Riley said, deep in thought. ¡°You say that like I haven¡¯t had the song ¡°Ghostbusters¡± stuck in my head for three hours,¡± he shot back with a groan. ¡° And you don¡¯t think I¡¯m cuckoo?¡± She pressed. ¡°I have it on good authority that you¡¯re a white-tailed jackrabbit. Aren¡¯t hares seen as mad tricksters in your world?¡± Tobias asked. ¡°Maybe? You don¡¯t happen to know if Iowa was in Canada, do you?¡± Riley cocked her head in confusion. Tobias only shrugged, ¡°That¡¯s the thing about lanthrons; they take on elements of the personality of the person they interact with, and they only know what you load into them.¡± ¡°Comprehension crystals, like how we all learned magic,¡± Riley reasoned, knowing in an instant. ¡°Yes, you arrange them in a particular array and need a number of specific materials in order for the magic to animate properly... And you really don¡¯t care, do you?¡± Tobias grinned. ¡°No, I cannot tell a lie, to you, at least,¡± Riley looked down, feeling sheepish. ¡°You should be able to pull yourself back. Was the noise any better today?¡± Tobias asked. Riley¡¯s ears perked up, ¡°Now that you mention it, your muttering words to yourself didn¡¯t dominate my every waking moment or interfere with my talking to Cid.¡± ¡°Wait, you talked to Cid?¡± Tobias boggled. ¡°Oooh, doors swing both ways,¡± Riley bounced excitedly, ¡°teach me!¡± ¡°I just put myself back in my room at home and visualized shutting the door. You were still there, in the living room, but I was off in my own quiet space. You meditate, try it,¡± Tobias urged. ¡°Yet you still heard ¡°Ghostbusters¡± on loop?¡± Riley cocked her head, confused. ¡°And Star Wars, and the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Manic... Monday? It bleeds through the walls, like when Granda cranked up the crystal and played his favorites. How do you think?¡± He wondered. ¡°Wha?¡± Riley cocked her head, giving her best blank stare. ¡°Very funny,¡± he sighed before pinching the skin between his eyes. ¡°Enough about me. Tea time? Your brain is full to bursting?¡± At the mention of tea, she felt something within him perk up. ¡°More concerned and confused. This material is dense and dry, but it¡¯s an entirely new perspective on the Fae Wars. It¡¯s also quite troubling,¡± Tobias¡¯ forehead creased. ¡°Not so noble or pretty when it comes from the losing side, is it?¡± Riley opined. ¡°No, I can see why they did what they did, but I can¡¯t put myself there. I¡¯ve been desperate, and we¡¯ve both laid our lives on the line. Still, a whole people making that kind of decision. What¡¯s more, I think their ritual was always doomed to fail,¡± the color drained away from his face as he looked back towards the table he had been sitting at. A particularly rough-hewn book, more like an unfinished proof, lay open on the table. ¡°Is that handwriting?¡± Riley asked, barely able to make out the boxy script that teased at her translation ability. ¡°It is one of the last records, written by one of the last survivors. The final few pages are soaked in blood. They were here when we took Ranger Central from them. That means this was one of the last places to fall,¡± for all of his discipline and ¡°shutting the doors¡¯ of his mind," Riley could feel the uneasiness like a fog drifting through the keyhole and seeping from underneath the door. ¡°Oh God...¡± Riley began, but the flood was only beginning. ¡°They tried to capture the ¡°otherworlder¡± but failed. The great sacrifice was the second half of the plan and became their last ditch effort,¡± Tobias explained before pausing, ¡°...a Hail Mary play.¡± ¡°That¡¯s chillingly familiar, but Chadrick collected souls and powered up a lot,¡± she observed, finding the hole in his logic. ¡°That¡¯s true, but Venosicipher also wanted you, Riley. One first-tier fae, even one as powerful as Chadrick had become, wouldn¡¯t have meant much to the war, but a fully re-powered God? I dunno. They had to want this ¡°otherworlder¡± for a reason, and it was reason enough that a type of ritual genocide was the second part of the plan to power the first,¡± Tobias replied, as Riley¡¯s fur puffed up against the ethereal chill. ¡°But what¡¯s so special about me? I¡¯m not near that powerful. I was a second tier then. I stole his power; well, I got the souls to give me a boost, but...¡± Riley trailed off, trying to puzzle it out. ¡°You let them go. What would you have become if you intended to devour them? What if the power wasn''t taken but offered in a sacrificial ritual?¡± Tobias asked as the hare¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t like that at all, but wait, why did the fae go through with it if they were missing a critical piece? We¡¯re missing something,¡± Riley looked up towards Tobias as he shrugged. ¡±Well, we¡¯ll have to ask Venosicipher before we take them down. They¡¯re probably the only ones that know,¡± he said. ¡°I love the confidence. When do we get on the hunt to find this bastard?¡± Riley shivered as she spoke. Tobias¡¯ pocket watch flashed into his hand from their shared inventory, ¡°Well, the hunt starts tomorrow, officially. Remember the meeting tomorrow morning with our little group?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, before we catch the dragon at high sun,¡± Riley said, stretching and shaking out her coat. ¡°Exactly. We¡¯ll get caught up with the rest of the investigation, then we finish our evaluations under Ecbert and get on the hunt,¡± Tobias stifled a yawn, scanning around the room. ¡°And in the meantime, more study?¡± Riley knew what he was about almost as much as she knew what she was about. ¡°After tea and a snack,¡± They both said in unison. Chapter 3- Deja Vu Chapter 3- Deja Vu Riley yawned, her eyes fluttering open as she felt Tobias finish his sword practice, drawing her out of her meditation. ¡°He¡¯s better than a timer,¡± she remarked to herself with a stretch that pulled out all of the kinks from her back. A cold autumnal wind teased at the edges of her fear as she cocked her head in a scan, looking out from the small balcony over Ranger Central. It would have been considered an obscene hour for most places, but for Ranger Central, it was the start of the morning. Below, some were stumbling out of the tavern, finishing a late night before finding their bunks, while others, cleaned and pressed, filed in searching for breakfast. As if in credence to her thoughts, a cry rang out in the night, ¡°Three bells and all is well!¡± ¡°Wow, he is as good as a timer; we¡¯ve been up since a quarter past two,¡± Riley affirmed, while the cry echoed in a dozen varying voices before surrendering again to the peace of the night. Setting paws to floor, she turned, nosing back through the cracked door into their palatial apartment. A massive living room took up most of the available space, with sumptuous couches and chairs currently crowded against one wall like it was moving day. A fine woven rug, possessing an intricate pattern that dazzled her eyes, was rolled up and pushed to its own wall, leaving a flat open space of wood floor polished to a high shine. Opposite the rolled-up rug were two doors, one leading to a washroom and the other to their sleeping quarters, with a small kitchenette-like space between them. A large round table was next to her, with five chairs set around it. Tobias stood at the center, his grey blade pointed towards the floor like it was a natural extension of his right hand. His jerkin and undershirt were off, set neatly on a chair pulled out from the table, showing clearly his athletic but to skinny chest and ribs. Sweat glistened as he drew in heavy but metered breaths, pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± He asked, looking towards her. His sword vanished away into their shared inventory, only to be replaced by a towel. Not waiting for an answer, he strode into the washroom but left the door open. The sound of water running in the shower percolated out a moment later as Riley hopped towards the door, keeping him out of sight, respecting every boundary they had left. ¡°It¡¯s getting easier to tune you out, but you¡¯re right; I can still kind of hear you through the walls. I knew the instant you were done with your sword meditation.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Is that what we¡¯re calling it now?¡± He asked, as Riley¡¯s ears picked up the unmistakable sound of a shower curtain drawing closed. ¡°It fits. You find it centering, just like I do,¡± She countered, as her vision flicked up towards the helix. ¡°Just checking the map,¡± he replied. ¡°So today...¡± Riley began as she felt Tobias grab onto the thought. ¡°Caedmon and Eastmund will be by around six bells, and then we conference in with Sabine. After that, they¡¯re off on the morning dragon. We¡¯re out of here on the Noon express back to Ashenvale,¡± Tobias replied. ¡°I know,¡± Riley grumbled. ¡°But you were still going to ask,¡± Tobias countered, as the sound of water ceased, leaving only the smell of soap-scented steam behind, ¡°look, I know this might be hard for you, but...¡± ¡°I just want more time before dealing with all of this. We¡¯ve barely been first tiers a week. We were supposed to get a month, but it ended up being days. If we¡¯re big damn heroes, they should let us rest, give us some time to process,¡± Riley complained. ¡°We both knew it wasn¡¯t going to last with the coup and the death of the king; waiting would be stupid,¡± Tobias countered. ¡°I know...it¡¯s... just...¡± Riley fidgeted, flicking her front paws, feeling a distant call to run. ¡°It¡¯s not about that,¡± Tobias said, walking out, wearing his pants, ¡°it¡¯s about your prompts.¡± The hare stomped the ground. ¡°And the fact that it talks, kind of?¡± Riley added. ¡°You can¡¯t ignore it any more than you can ignore me. I understand what you mean about it being odd, but it¡¯s just a part of you, and it¡¯s an edge. I think one of the reasons you were able to cast so easily was because of it,¡± he replied. ¡°How so?¡± She challenged, cocking her head with curiosity. ¡°I¡¯ve got a few new spells, flare, flash, incinerate, entropic flame...¡± Tobias began. ¡°You looked!¡± Riley interrupted. ¡°I did, a little, while you were napping. The point is magic isn¡¯t that instinctual for literally everyone else. Most of us don¡¯t have a window floating in front of our eyes telling us what to reach for. Trust me, if everyone had this, it would change training forever,¡± Tobias said, pausing to survey the room before striding over to don his undershirt. ¡°Huh,¡± Riley pondered. ¡°Here, help me with the rug,¡± he asked as Riley hopped after him. Lining up on the right side, Tobias took the left. With a grunting push, it began to unfurl effortlessly out across the floor. ¡°It¡¯s not schizophrenia. You aren¡¯t losing your mind; it¡¯s just a part of you being you. Trust me to know if you can¡¯t trust yourself,¡± Tobias squatted down, getting closer to her height. Riley crossed the distance and pressed up against his chest. ¡°Alright, nerd boy. I¡¯ll try,¡± She replied. ¡°Adapt!¡± Tobias affirmed, petting her ears back, ¡°Let¡¯s set this place back up, and then we¡¯ll get to work.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll supervise,¡± Riley replied, having no inkling of how she¡¯d move a couch. ¡°It¡¯s amazing how light some of this is,¡± Tobias said, carrying a heavily padded chair across the room. ¡°Your strength has increased,¡± Riley cited. ¡°But I look the same; it feels the same, but I suppose you¡¯re right. My sword feels lighter,¡± Tobias agreed. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s what our evaluation is about? You don¡¯t think it¡¯s like the trials, do you?¡± The human ranger lifted a couch, carrying it back to its original place, ¡°First Tiers are shadowy. They¡¯re like myths in Calaria. Everyone knows about the greyblades, but no one ever sees them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about that. I¡¯ve only ever seen a few first-tiers... I guess if they look like normal people, it would be hard to know,¡± Riley agreed. ¡°The bishops and the royals are the most visible, followed by the nobles. Other than that, it¡¯s all legends and stories. The first tiers issue their edicts, the second tier sees they are done, and the common do the work. That¡¯s how we were taught. Everyone has their role and their place,¡± Tobias replied, setting the last end table back in place. ¡°Where do we fit in now? I don¡¯t see us in that paradigm?¡± Riley wondered. Tobias¡¯ hand drifted to his torc, ¡°We¡¯ll always be blackblades, and I¡¯ll always be the son of a commoner.¡± ¡°But we¡¯re first-tiers now. Nobles. How does that work?¡± Riley countered. ¡°It doesn¡¯t. It¡¯s a whole new world, Riley,¡± Tobias looked out toward the window. ¡°Deja vu,¡± Riley replied. Chapter 4- The Regularly Scheduled Existential Crisis Chapter 4- The Regularly Scheduled Existential Crisis ¡°Come on, Riley,¡± Tobias said, kicking out the chair beside him. It flew back, toppling end over end as his eyes went wide. ¡°Still getting the nuance right, sorry,¡± Tobias rose quickly, gripping the fallen chair like he could break it with a glance. ¡°Deja Vu,¡± Riley remarked, then looked away as Tobias got it centered. ¡°Hop up,¡± He slapped it twice. ¡°Fineee....¡± She replied, dragging it out. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re so reluctant, and I¡¯m in your head,¡± sitting down, he set his hands on his knees as Riley dutifully took the proffered seat. Riley fidgeted with her paws, her ears going crooked, ¡°It¡¯s...¡± The thought caught. Tobias straightened up, ¡°I see.¡± Angrily, she pointed a paw at him, ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡± ¡°Riley, being obstinate is not control. It¡¯s...¡± This time, Tobias trailed off. ¡°Stupid,¡± She flattened her ears as anger bubbled like a patient fire. ¡°Well, it is,¡± Tobias crossed his arms. ¡°Maybe so, but it¡¯s also a reminder that I¡¯m not... I¡¯m not...¡± she began, as Tobias reached out and set a hand behind her ears, unable to make sense of the surging emotional noise, working like jamming in his head. ¡°I¡¯m not me anymore,¡± she said quickly, her projected voice as silent as a whisper. Tobias laughed, causing her ears to fall flat again as she looked at him with horror. ¡°Sorry, but that¡¯s absurd. Riley, you¡¯ve always been you. You¡¯re a bundle of pop culture references and utter chaos. Have you ever stopped to think that one of the reasons you¡¯re the way you are is because the pieces that make you up naturally synergized?¡± Tobias offered. ¡°Even the Erkrandir?¡± She squeaked. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t trust you around an unmanned fruit cart,¡± he replied with a wry smile. Riley ducked her head, ¡°ok, that is fair. I hadn¡¯t thought about it that way.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen the memories. The jackrabbit and the human girl both responded to fight an impossible fight. You saved a child. Then the celestial put you back together, right? That¡¯s at least what Grimm told you?¡± Tobias shook his head just as Riley shook hers. ¡°Those memories are fuzzy, but you got the gist, yeah,¡± she confirmed. ¡°Well, it seems to me the fates knew what they were doing because you, who you are now, is the result, and I thank the Gods for all of you, including your utter oddness. You aren¡¯t the human girl, you aren¡¯t the jackrabbit, and you aren¡¯t the Erkrandir, but they all makeup parts of you. We all have our influences. How much do I quote Granda or think of him? ¡± Tobias¡¯ words rang with undeniable conviction. ¡°Huh...I¡¯m not the human girl. Seems obvious when I say it out loud, but I¡¯m not the old Riley either. I¡¯m my own Riley. I¡¯m something new. I¡¯m... my own person...¡± Riley felt the ground beneath her psyche firm like quicksand, slowly beginning to dry. Confidence began to spark as something within began to calcify. I¡¯m... me. ¡°Which is why it¡¯s stupid to run from something that¡¯s a part of you. I know you like being you, Riley, even if you do miss thumbs,¡± Tobias leaned back in the chair until it creaked. ¡°I do like being me. I do...¡± She blinked in surprise, cocking her head to one side to look at her paws. The white socks dusted grey from transit across the wooden floors and the stony balcony outside. ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± she looked up towards Tobias with a new conviction. ¡°Atta girl, so let¡¯s begin. Cademon and Eastmund will be here soon,¡± he replied, willing the prompt forward. Riley sighed and projected within, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can understand me, but I wasn¡¯t trying to be a jerk. I¡¯m still new to this whole thing. Truce?¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. A feeling, more akin to the impression of a thought, bubbled up from her subconscious. Prompt windows flared to life before her, exclamation points blinking in the upper right corner of her vision. ¡°You have begun to make an uneasy peace with deeper elements of your being, unlocking areas of progression you once stifled through willful stubbornness. Congratulations!''" You have lost the debuff ¡°Prompt Brevity¡± You have ascended to the First Tier and unlocked a hidden and lost pathway of progression within the magic. Congratulations! *Your health has dramatically increased.* *Your speed has dramatically increased* *Your mana has dramatically increased* *Your stamina has dramatically increased* You have ascended with your bond, and your souls have become entwined! Entwined Souls: Racial and passive abilities are now shared with your sorcerer, Tobias. What¡¯s more, you are now bonded even tighter together. You each now share memories, emotions, and thoughts instinctively. You are bound in ways not even death or the Weavers can sunder. You have unlocked *Builds* Riley of Astor Current Build: Ranger Druid Bonus Damage to all spells cast, offensive, defensive, and restorative Enhanced Mana Regeneration Entwined Soul, Tobias of Astor Current Build: Ranger Spellsword Bonus Damage to all spells cast through any magical blade or weapon. Greater Stamina, Strength, and Mana Regeneration Further builds can be unlocked when certain hidden conditions are met, or choices are made! You have unlocked the Quest and Mission tracker. This informational system will now track assignments made and quests given. Congratulations! Mission: Pursue the Traitor Network Status: Active Assigned by: The King of Ashes Reward: Unknown Mission: Greyblade Evaluation Status: Active Assigned by: General Ecbert Reward: Unknown Hidden quest revealed! Mission: ??? Status: Active Assigned by: WC Name: ??? Conditions: ??? Reward:??? You have unlocked the ability ¡°Augmented Reality Overlay¡± Augmented Reality Overlay: Background Ability Description: A small amount of ambient mana per second generated will now be fed into your informational construct enabling the detection of otherwise hidden glyphs, runes, and magical fields. This ability integrates with your analyze ability, prompting known and sensed information to automatically populate in your overlay! You can now see auras and the emanations of magical traps, hidden doors, and other elements of arcana even if stealthed. Be warned this can be affected by the level of the item or the caster or other factors of talent and ability. I¡¯m here to help! You have unlocked the following abilities: Righteous Flame: First Tier holy fireball that feeds upon corruption and chaos, burning it away. Death Bolt: A coalescent mass of chaos energy that accelerates the decay of mortal life Death¡¯s Gardner: You can now control up to ten vines and can naturally imbue them with Holy or Chaos energy, manifesting in a variety of effects Celestial Medic: Cure major and life threatening wounds, including the ability to regrow severed limbs or reconstruct pulverized bones. Recall from the Reaper: You can now resurrect the recently dead. Warning: You cannot fight the weavers and win. Meta-Human Resiliency: What wants to kill you, better pack a lunch. Your healing and resiliency to damage are increased. Veil of Night: Beware that which lurks in the dark! Your veil now shields you from detection and obscures you from view. This spell now has a 100% chance of success against all those one level higher and below you. Note: This can be affected by powerful items and competing gifts. Your build and entwined souls have gifted you the following abilities from your partner. Firebolt: Regular, Chaos, Holy Flame Wall: Regular, Chaos, Holy Flare: Encase your target in an aura of flame. Note: This ability can be infused with your Holy and Chaos Magics. All Abilities are currently at 20% Progression to Tier 1-1 of 10. Good luck, partner! Tobias blinked as Riley looked up towards him, ¡°Did you get all that?¡± ¡°Yes, and I looked over our character sheet. I think it¡¯s called multi-tasking? I¡¯m a spellsword; you¡¯re a druid. It¡¯s interesting, is this more from the game you remember?¡± He smiled wide. Riley reached for the memories, going for the details, but all she found was a hole, ¡°I dunno, but probably? I¡¯m more intrigued by the quest system. What do you want to bet WC is Weaver Central?¡± Tobias shrugged, ¡°We have enough mysteries to keep us busy for now. That one will keep until it decides to reveal itself, I suppose.¡± ¡°But I want my experience points!¡± Riley complained. Tobias looked confused before his eyes lit up in recognition, ¡°I¡¯m afraid the real world doesn¡¯t work that way.¡± ¡°Says the expert. It could; some authors say it could,¡± Riley huffed, dancing around Tobias in a loop. ¡°Fiction Riley. Not real. The idea of anyone writing like that for a living... It boggles,¡± Tobias said while he tried to track the hare. ¡°From what I remember, it boggles a lot of them too, but yeah, me launching fireballs between my ears, that¡¯s any other day. It¡¯s perfectly normal,¡± Riley drooped. ¡°Here it is,¡± Tobias agreed with a shrug. A knock rang out, shaking her out of her regularly scheduled existential crisis. ¡°Open up, you two, in the name of the King!¡± Caedmon cried. ¡°It¡¯ll keep for now. Time for a working breakfast,¡± Tobias said, rising and patting her ears as he walked by. Chapter Five: A Working Breakfast Chapter 5- A Working Breakfast If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Chapter 6: Field Reports Chapter 6- Field Reports Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Chapter 7: Malevolent Patience Chapter 7- Malevolent Patience The sound of fetid water dripping off her fur beat out a rhythm like an irregular metronome as they waited in the dark. Stolen novel; please report. Chapter 8: An offer you cant refuse Chapter 8: An offer you can''t refuse... Cool, humid air hung heavy in the corridor. Dark grey water-soaked stone shed rivulets of water, creating eerie echoes, beckoning like forgotten ghosts from darkened hallways. Ancient blue crystal torches flickered and pulsed from pockmarked iron sconces blackened by the ravages of time. General Ecbert moved in a straight line, perfectly centered, never looking back, while Riley and Tobias scurried after him. ¡°I think we¡¯re below the hill. How far down do you think this goes?¡± Riley asked, projecting toward Tobias alone. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know, Riley,¡± Tobias replied with a thought. As if in answer, a large and ancient iron door came into view. Ecbert reached into a small dimensional bag that sparkled with magic to their eyes and retrieved a weathered key unlike anything either had seen before. It was a large crystal skeleton key. Artful filigree full of geometric sigils and designs danced down the shaft, with a central core of magic pulsing, sending prismatic bursts of light through it. Tobias¡¯ eyes widened with hers in wonder as a bracket appeared around it. Key of Avalon ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? You lack the understanding of magic necessary to identify this item. ¡°What?¡± Tobias exclaimed, intrigued and surprised. ¡°Quiet, when I want you to speak, I¡¯ll order you to speak,¡± General Ecbert snapped. ¡°You¡¯re just being mean for meanness¡¯ sake,¡± Riley said, keeping her voice far from Ecbert while hopping between Tobias and the general. The key turned in the lock effortlessly, animating an ancient geometric symbol that glowed to life as the magic flowed through its ancient channels. The door swung open of its own accord, giving way to a large chamber made of light sandy stone. White crystal glowed brighter than the blue that illuminated the hallway, causing Riley to blink against the sudden luminous assault. Instinctively, she rose, dragging her paws over her eyes, only to smear mud from her wet paws over her face. She shook her head, spitting, ¡°I¡¯m going to need another bath,¡± In a comforting gesture, Tobias placed his hand gently between her ears just as the revelation struck him. ¡°This chamber, Riley, it looks like the same stone that made up Hedwig¡¯s temple in the sewers!¡± He projected as Ecbert strode in. ¡°It does... but we¡¯re still in the same place,¡± she marveled, scanning the doorpost for strange words. ¡°Ancient ruins, we¡¯re probably on top of an old burial ground; this is some horror movie bull shit,¡± Riley glowered. Tobias, in spite of himself, chuckled, causing the old general to glance back over his shoulder. ¡°Come, pets!¡± Ecbert shouted, moving towards a strange dais set in the center. A black, meteorite-like stone was set atop it. Riley stopped as her nose twitched and Tobias¡¯ sword materialized in his hand. ¡°Wait, uh, sir, I smell blood, old blood, but it¡¯s strong!¡± Riley cautioned, bracing for an attack.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ecbert turned as the eyebrow above his patch crept up, slowly drawing a dagger. ¡°We¡¯re here. Before you go further, I¡¯ll have your blood oath sworn over this sacred stone. You will swear to safeguard the secrets of our order, on threat of true harm to your life, magic, and soul,¡± a curious and evil smile marred his face. ¡°We¡¯re probably too deep to hear the thunder and the eerie music,¡± Riley quipped. Tobias stiffened, ¡°A blood oath? Sir, would not swearing on our spirit be enough?¡± ¡°Only a traitor need fear, boy. Is your honor not worth swearing on yer life?¡± Ecbert challenged. ¡°Wait, that thing will kill us? How about no,¡± Riley backed away. ¡°A sworn oath can break you from your magic if violated. A blood oath broken will take your life. It¡¯s a death curse, Riley, an ancient one. This is deep magic,¡± Tobias explained. ¡°Rangers, step forward and take your oath!¡± Ecbert¡¯s voice rose to a shout. Tobias, moving by instinct, took a step forward, only for Riley to block his path, ¡°What if we say no?¡± Ecbert looked at them with cold resolve, ¡°You two still don¡¯t understand what you are as first-tier. You¡¯re either loyal, or you¡¯re a threat. A first-tier gone rogue could level the kingdom. Do you not remember Dame Morgana in the attack on Ranger Central? She was a noble without a fraction of your power, and yet she still decimated your corps. This is necessary. It¡¯s for the Ashen throne. You keep our secrets, you swear your loyalty, or you die.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a choice!¡± Riley balked. ¡°It is a choice, pet, just one you don¡¯t like, which is of no concern to me. Now, step forward. I don¡¯t want to have to put you down,¡± Ecebert braced, his hand drifted towards his sword, all while a curious sadness wrang from within his words. A bracket appeared around the old general. General Ecbert, Lawful Neutral, 1-10, Elite ??? ??? ??? ??? Level disparity prevents further analysis. Tobias stiffened, then looked down at Riley. ¡®I don¡¯t see a way out here.¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t either, but I don¡¯t want to die... again,¡± Riley projected back, looking down the corridor, then toward the stone. Ecbert took a breath, seemingly forcing his body to relax, holding up his hands. ¡°All I want is for you two to swear your loyalty to the Greyblades and keep our secrets, and all will be well. We all swear this oath, even me,¡± the old general slowly removed the glove from his right hand, holding up his palm to show an ancient X-shaped scar that crossed it. ¡°We can run. It won¡¯t be easy, and we might not make it, but I¡¯m with you,¡± Riley offered, speaking to Tobias alone. ¡°But what of my parents? What of Justinian or the hunt for Chadrick? If we swear, we keep them safe. If we run, everyone we know or care about is under threat. They can¡¯t run,¡± Tobias sighed, all as his hand tightened into a fist. Ecbert replaced his glove and stiffened in the silence, ¡°Decide!¡± Tobias stared at the stone, his heart speeding up while anger bubbled and raged inside. ¡°I can feel how much this tears you up. It tears me up, too. This is a hostage situation, and it¡¯s three hundred levels of wrong, but I¡¯m with you, Tobias, no matter what,¡± Riley hopped forward, only for Tobias to pass her. A familiar black blade appeared in his hand. Sheathing it with his palm, he pulled and thrust out his bloody hand. ¡°Is this what you wanted?¡± He winced through the pain, his face turning ashen white as his blood dripped on the stone. Ecbert grabbed him by the wrist and pressed his hand to the stone. A pulse of dark mana began to beat like a heart, sending eerie waves of magic that caused them both to shutter. ''This is my duty. This will keep them safe.¡¯ His internal words echoed in Riley¡¯s soul like a prayer. ¡°Me next. Me next!¡± Riley quipped, with sarcasm dripping from her words, drawing up to Tobias and holding out her paw. ¡®I¡¯m with you. You aren¡¯t alone,¡¯ she whispered across their bond. Ecbert stooped without a word, pulling from a dagger at his belt, seizing Riley¡¯s offered paw, and slicing quickly. ¡°That¡¯s a sting. That¡¯s gonna need a stitch... Ow, ow, ow,¡± her body tensed as every instinct bid her to run. Biting back the panic, she craned on her hindpaws as the sound of her blood hitting the stone filled her sensitive ears. Ecbert grumbled and pressed her paw to the stone, forcing the hare up on her tiptoes. The stone grabbed, sending an electric pulse through her, holding her in place as a prompt flared to life. You have shed your blood over a death stone. ¡°Oh fuck me,¡± she growled. ¡°Do you two swear your loyalty to the Greyblades? Do you swear to keep our secrets and hold sacred the trust given to you, honoring your service at the cost of your very lives?¡± Ecbert intoned. ¡°Trust? What trust?¡± Riley said, the dam holding back her sarcasm breaking. Ecbert bellowed, ¡°Do you so swear!!!¡± ¡®Riley, not smart,¡¯ Tobias¡¯ breath caught as the weight bore down on his soul, ¡°I... I so swear.¡± This will keep them safe. This is my duty. Her ears drooped at the rebuke, ¡°I so swear,¡± Riley added, her whole body quivering. You have sworn an oath upon a death stone. It can only be broken at the cost of your own life. Secret ability unlocked ¡°Reaper¡¯s Warning¡± Reaper¡¯s Warning, Passive. If your actions or words begin to test your oath, a warning will be issued before judgment falls. The stone pulsed three times, sending out a wave of purple light as strange shadows filled the room, with various silhouettes in a myriad of poses flashing against the wall before the lights suddenly brightened and a doorway appeared before them. Ecbert nodded and then frowned as if remembering himself. ¡°This is how it must be done. We do not choose our duty; we rise to meet it, or we fall. United in purpose, we bleed, and we die for the Ashen Throne,¡± Ecbert, in an act of devotion, touched his crystal torc. ¡°Come, you two, follow,¡± He ordered, moving toward the door as Riley and Tobias looked at each other, bewildered. Chapter 9: High on Mana Chapter 9- High on Mana This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Riley braced her paws to stop from swooning. Chapter 10: The Ghostlight Tower Chapter 10: The Ghostlight Tower Eldritch cries drifted ephemerally upon a scattered and freezing breeze that seemed to come from everywhere as glowing orbs peered from shadows in reds, purples, and yellows, portending menace. ¡°I do not like this forest,¡± Riley complained within. ¡°Nor I, but it feels like we¡¯re climbing. The air is getting thinner; maybe that¡¯s a good sign?¡± Tobias whispered back, his words carrying with them all the comfort and support that Riley could now feel, wrapping around her like a warm blanket against the cold. ¡°Ranger Central was up, Timbergarde was up, the Castle of Ashes was up, you Calarians like up it seems, so... Stands to reason?¡± She hoped. ¡°Up makes sense; it¡¯s a good defensive position, hard to assail, even with a winged mount, which is rare in Calaria. There haven¡¯t been war dragons for a thousand years, after all,¡± As Tobias spoke, the general stopped, peering out into the night. ¡°I think we might be there,¡± Riley whispered within. ¡°You don¡¯t need to whisper; you¡¯re only talking to me,¡± Tobias joked. ¡°Should I scream?¡± She yelled in projection, only for him to wince and glower down at her. ¡°Sorry,¡± her ears wilted as she ducked her head. ¡°I had enough of that the day you learned you could talk,¡± Tobias shook his head as they both drew up alongside the general, cresting a strangely hidden ridge. ¡°And I haven¡¯t shut up since!¡± Riley bounced on her front paws. ¡°I know,¡± Tobias groaned, only for his face to break into a grin. ¡°Someone¡¯s got jokes,¡± Riley¡¯s tone dripped dourly. As they both looked back, it didn¡¯t seem as if the path sloped at all; rather, it meandered to the left and right, curving gently before disappearing into the night. ¡°This place is odd,¡± Tobias said before turning back around and Riley dropped her cloak spell. A vast and empty plain stretched out before them, full of frosted sand dunes. Chasing across the middle distance was a ruined wall that reflected the night sky like a mirror. Centered behind it was a vast stone tower that seemed akin to an oil derrick, save that it was made from the same reflective stone. A bright white light like a lighthouse pulsed gently in the night from its apex, casting a luminous glow that reached toward the ridge line. Beyond the borders of its soft luminescence in every direction was the same oppressive darkness they had just come through, waiting patiently at its borders as if it had a will of its own. ¡°Keep up, we¡¯ve almost arrived,¡± the general, without further word, set out again, but this time did not crouch, instead picking up speed while his head turned to the left and right, ever scanning for threats.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Big tower,¡± Riley remarked like a tourist. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. Not even the castle is that tall,¡± Tobias added. ¡°Keep up, pets, we¡¯re almost to the gate,¡± General Ecbert set out again, sounding calmer yet still finding a way to be insulting. Sheathing his sword, he walked warily forward, ever scanning the horizon, but no longer on high alert. Riley and Tobias regarded each other for half a moment before setting out after him, following him down until finally, they came to the wall before the tower. ¡°These Ghostlights are the only way one can navigate in Avalon. If you can spot their light and follow it, you¡¯ll always find your way to safety, eventually,¡± he explained, looking up towards its light. ¡°Ghostlights?¡± Tobias wondered. ¡°It is said they are powered by ancient captured souls. The Avamari left them behind for us,¡± his words softened further as he reached out and touched the wall with an air of gratitude and reverence. ¡°The Avamari? The first kingdom!?!¡± Tobias gasped. ¡°My kingdom for an expositional narrator,¡± Riley snarked. Tobias looked down at her and let his mind drift to the legends that Darius would share by the fire as he grew up. Slowly, her eyes grew wider as she began to look up at the tower. ¡°That¡¯s so cool,¡± she whispered out to the night. ¡°Is the wall one of their constructions, too?¡± Tobias asked, sounding excited as Riley reached out towards the tower with her magic. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like a soul; it feels like a machine, something they built to concentrate the mana. There¡¯s no identity, no container to the power. Its structure is concentrating the ambient power of the realm in the glowing crystal up top, from what I can tell,¡± Riley muttered, her eyes half-lidded as her spirit sussed out the magical currents that were swirling all about her. Ecbert only grunted and moved through the archway, seeming to head for the tower but never emerged from the other side. Instead, it appeared as if he were in a long tunnel. Distantly, his voice rang out in a familiar refrain, ¡°Keep up, pets!¡± Riley and Tobias both glowered in stereo before moving in after him through the archway, only for the entryway to contract as they stepped through, emerging into a long, smooth stone tunnel weathered with age. Familiar blue crystal torches glowed on the wall, all as a welcome warmth chased the last bits of cold away. ¡°Another portal?¡± Riley wondered as they moved along. ¡°More surprises, but that was no skip or portal that I know. There was no transition, no motion, almost like...¡± Tobias¡¯Tobias¡¯ brain ground to a halt, trying to work out the variables. ¡°Like we penetrated a stealth bubble,¡± Riley reasoned. ¡°A stealth bubble?¡± Tobias rubbed at his chin, pondering her idea. Riley cocked her head, scanning the tunnel as if she were looking for hardpoint, before glancing to her side, looking behind her. Vague motes of power flickered in her vision like an afterimage, but they moved unnaturally, like dust motes in an air conditioned room. ¡°Such an occurrence would require a huge concentration of mana and an advanced type of spell work beyond imagination... ¡± Tobias¡¯ words trailed off within her mind before quickly catching up, ¡°like the Ghostlight tower!¡± ¡°This place is spooky and weird but fun too!¡± Riley skipped a bit on her paws, reveling in the feelings of comfort and safety the tunnel brought. Just ahead were two guards in grey cloaks. Upon sight of Ecbert, they straightened. ¡°General, sir!¡± The one on the right called out as the left one threw open a mythril-banded door. An explosion of sounds and smells poured down the tunnel as Riley and Tobias followed closely behind, emerging into the courtyard of a massive castle. A wide parade field that spanned at least a mile yawned out before them, defined at its edges by two sets of towering walls reaching a hundred feet high or more. Bridges set at equidistant points bridged long gaps, showing it to be heavily patrolled. All of their crenellations were weathered and rounded with age and, in marked contrast to the fortresses of Calaria, bore the scars of countless battles. Claw marks and evidence of prior impacts added a particular accent to the towers that reached up and stood like sentries over the vast parade ground. Set into the back, seemingly carved whole from a mountain, was a strangely medieval art deco keep, with six spires that were attached closely to it, of varying heights, the tallest disappearing into mists that obscured their tops as they disappeared into clouds. ¡°This makes the Ashenvale look like a trailer park,¡± Riley exclaimed as Ecbert grunted and set off again. Chapter 11: Castle Cinder Chapter 11 - Castle Cinder General Ecbert stomped across the parade ground, following a well-worn path perpendicular to the castle as Riley struggled valiantly with her mind. It was a battle she was destined to lose. ¡®Why aren¡¯t we going to the castle? Why are those kids running drills? Ooh, I¡¯m hungry; why are there no fruit carts?¡¯ The questions raced through her mind like a skipping record as, for the first time, she picked up the distinct impression of Tobias centering himself before closing a door. She looked up at him as her ears flattened in disappointment. ¡®Coward,¡¯ she projected loudly within, as another group of children no older than nine ran by in block formation wearing heavy mail shirts. ¡®I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m comfortable with this,¡¯ as she thought it, Tobias¡¯ unease leaked from underneath his mental door while flashes of Ranger Central came to the forefront. ¡®This is definitely not Ranger Central. We were all adults... Kind of... uh....¡¯ Riley whispered to herself, wrestling with Captain Obvious for the title. The skyscraper-like castle stayed to her left before gradually falling behind as, slowly, new buildings arranged in a grid-like cluster came into view. Each seemed identical to the other, possessing four stories, with all the artistic flourish of a cracker box, with one lone unit standing as if a sentry in front of the others, much like the children running drill. General Ecbert was heading right for it. ¡°Keep up, pets!¡± he snarled again, using his words like a whip. Every time Riley heard it, it bit down into the hide of her patience, leaving lash marks across her exsanguinating calm. ¡®He uses that phrase one more time, and I swear to the Gods that live...¡¯ ¡®Riley, Cid energy,¡¯ Tobias whispered within their shared connection. Even the admonishment provided a cool burst of welcome relief as General Ecbert exploded through the door. ¡°You, Thomas, at attention!¡± He bellowed as a wiry man with two prosthetic arms shot up from his seat. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± A familiar brown aura of brown assistive magic wreathed the artificial appendages as his right fist came up over his chest in a Calarian salute.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°This is Page Riley and Page Tobias; they are to be quartered in their own dorm pending evaluation to begin on the morrow,¡± Ecbert bristled. ¡°Excuse me, Sir, but that¡¯s not our title,¡± Tobias said, using deference to hide his disdain. Ecbert spun around on his heels and thrust a pointed finger into Tobias¡¯ chest. ¡°You think a yet-crowned king can just make you a knight and a first-tier boy? There¡¯s the way the aristocracy does things, and there¡¯s the way we do things, and maybe you¡¯ve failed to notice, but you¡¯re in my world now, son, and I say, until you show you¡¯re worth a shit, you aren¡¯t shit! Survive your evaluations intact, and you may prove yourselves worthy of respect. Until then, you shut up and pay your dues like every other blasted page that has come before you!¡± The veins in his neck bulged with rage as the two became aware of dozens of eyes in the large space now locked upon them. ¡°I¡¯ve had about had enough of you! We saved the Kingdom!¡± Riley snapped, drumming her hind paw into the hard stone. ¡°Oh, and do you want a medal pet? I mean, another one? They gave you a fancy title and a fancy hall, but you fail to realize that a good first-tier team could have done it with far less noise and pomp. You¡¯re second-tier trash until you can prove to me you¡¯re worth something. I¡¯m sure the others that have earned their way here will give you a proper welcome until you¡¯ve left in the morning,¡± Shoving Tobias out of the way, General Ecbert was out the door, leaving a shocked silence in his wake. Tobias nodded respectfully to Thomas, trying to ignore the stares. ¡°We¡¯re not asking for special treatment. We¡¯re black blades through and through. Billet us in the basement. All we need is a place to roll out our bedrolls till the morning.¡± ¡°And to think, that was one of his good days,¡± Thomas shook his head before sitting back down behind his desk, his legs making a metallic thudding noise against the chair, ¡°I think we can do better than that. It¡¯s tradition for a team to have a room to themselves the night before their final trail, 4th floor, this way.¡± He rose, hobbling out from behind his desk, holding a ring of heavy iron keys that looked more fitting for a prison than a barracks. ¡°If you just give us directions and the key, we¡¯ll save you the climb,¡± Tobias offered. ¡°Let an old man enjoy the fact that he still has some use. I¡¯ll manage; I always have,¡± Thomas grinned before entering a stairwell. ¡°A word of advice: don¡¯t let Ecbert throw you. He¡¯s a gruff, uncompromising bastard, but he means well,¡± he continued, hobbling up the stairs. The brown magic glowed brightly around his prosthetics as his artificial knees squeaked with each step. ¡°We know someone like that, back on our side of things,¡± Riley replied. ¡°Ah, a training officer perhaps? Cid?¡± Thomas¡¯ mouth twisted again into a wide grin. ¡°How do you know Cid?¡± Tobias pressed as they neared the top of the stairs. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t, but everyone¡¯s been talking about your exploits. An experienced enough first-tier team could have handled Chadrick, that is true, but they didn¡¯t; you did, and you ascended to boot. That¡¯s the biggest story to breeze across Avalon in a thousand years!¡± Thomas, making his way down the hall, stopped in front of a nondescript door with iron bands bracing it, worn black with age. A heavy lock and ring style latch hung heavy from a thick iron shaft, pockmarked from centuries of use. Small and cramped, a single bed dominated one wall and a long desk on the other, with a washing bowl and chamber pot on one end. ¡°Ah, Motel Six, fancy,¡± Riley snarked. ¡°It¡¯s sparse but clean, and the floor is yours. I¡¯ll make sure none of the pages bother you,¡± Thomas said. ¡°Thank you,¡± Tobias gave a short bow, clasping his right fist over his chest. ¡°United in magic and purpose, we are the tip of the blade; we serve and bleed for the Ashen throne,¡± Thomas said before turning to leave. Chapter 12: Game on Chapter 12: Game On "I also happen to be as cute as all hell. If we''re an anomaly so what?" She countered. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Chapter 13: Pratfall Chapter 13: Pratfall The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Chapter 14: An Obvious Trap Chapter 14: An Obvious Trap The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Chapter 15: Head Games Chapter 15: Head Games ¡°Why is it so c-c-cold?¡± Riley pondered, her internal thoughts shivering in concert with her body. ¡°Where even are we?¡± Tobias stuttered as he scanned around; a small pool of light existed around them in a seemingly infinite sea of darkness. Screams of rage and despair echoed all around like hell¡¯s own choir as even the pool of light began to fade. ¡°Stay calm; we can¡¯t go back; the door is gone!¡± Tobias¡¯ breath came out ragged as the pool of light contracted further in. ¡°It''s a trap. We¡¯re trapped! I knew it was a trap!¡± Riley felt the panic rising like a geyser within her soul as the screams pitched savagely downwards, resolving to a sinister growl as the last of their light went out. ¡°So we meet again,¡± The twin voices of Chadrick and Venosicipher echoed in the eternal night with a bemused chuckle. ¡°Show yourself!¡± Tobias shouted, planting his feet. ¡°You dare to command me?¡± Chadrick''s voice sneered from all directions. ¡°He¡¯s even a prick in stereo,¡± Riley quipped, only for an invisible something to smack into her, sending her flying off into the dark. ¡°Riley!¡± Tobias cried. But she was gone... ¡°Alone now, all alone, without your companion... Without help...¡± The voice whispered seductively. ¡°You cannot hide from me, boy,¡± Chadrick whispered, seemingly behind his right ear. ¡°No, I¡¯m not alone...¡± Tobias looked within, reaching out through his very soul. ¡°Alone. A failure... Nothing but a failure...¡± The voice taunted, seemingly tsking with pity. With the words came the feeling of something trying to crawl inside him. Discordant screams echoed through his ears as memories arose unbidden. The scene seemed to shift as Tobias felt like he was falling into a deep abyss. ¡°What?¡± His head snapped up, only to find himself in black robes, standing before his instructors at the Valenheim academy. ¡°Last chance! Hold fire in your palm,¡± Master Teranaga glared, looking disappointed. Wait.... This isn¡¯t right. Tobias scanned around for Riley, but she was¡­ gone. A distant light flickered on the horizon of his soul, but every time he reached for it, something¡­. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Terranga snapped, her hand held a quill pen, hovering above a paper like the sword of Damocles itself. Tobias shook his head. Something was wrong, but he couldn¡¯t quite place it. Fear began to claw at his heart; he had to pass his trial, failure would mean losing everything. But that¡¯s all you are. Just a failure. Tobias held out his hand, reaching deep, but the magic resisted him. Try as he might, it felt like casting through frozen jello. A sickly orange flame flickered weakly in his palm as sweat broke out upon his forehead. Distantly, a familiar voice rang out in his mind, ¡®Tobias!¡¯ ¡°Riley?¡± He scanned around as fatigue and exhaustion slammed into him. Making it hard to think. Master Terranga set down her quill long enough to turn over an hourglass. The flame suddenly failed, sputtering out. Master Terranga sighed, took up her quill, and marked his paper. Tobias felt his heart sink. ¡°Report to the copper barracks. You disappoint me,¡± she sighed, holding out his sheet. So this was the end. ¡°No... I failed?¡± Something felt wrong about all of this, but every time he reached for it, it seemed to slip away like holding onto sand. ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am. I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, hanging his head. ¡°So am I, son,¡± Suddenly his grandfather, Darius, was standing beside his instructor, but his face was pale, ashen, and dead. ¡°You were never good enough, boy. Maybe if you were, I¡¯d still be alive,¡± he looked down, crestfallen, ¡°and to think I spent my last silver.¡± ¡°You spent your silver on Riley... Riley, where are you!?!¡± Tobias cried out as his soul twitched. He held out his hand as if feeling for a wall, off in the distance, to his right, there was something... ¡°I said, report to the barracks, Copper!¡± Chadricks voice now echoed loudly in his ears. ¡°This can¡¯t be right. This isn¡¯t... what... I remember...¡± his words came slowly, seemingly spaced by his doubts. This isn¡¯t real... This isn¡¯t real.¡¯ Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. A still, small voice within chanted over and over again. ¡°You¡¯re nothing,¡± taunted Chadrick. A distant memory sparked, ¡°We¡¯re blackblades, through and through.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a copper!¡± Reality was trying to warp and distort around him. Tobias shut his eyes tight and reached deep within. He could feel her, feel her struggle. The distant light on the horizon pulsed. There was a sense of direction, like a beacon¡­ Riley, you aren¡¯t alone. I¡¯m coming! Laughter echoed around, but Tobias stubbornly moved forward, taking one careful step at a time. Far off in the distance, to his right, there was a drumbeat, a beacon in the night, pounding out a rapid tune like a heartbeat. Riley¡¯s heartbeat! On instinct, he moved for it as the illusion howled around him. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you have saved us?¡± The smell of a corpse decaying came with Justinian¡¯s voice. Tobias ignored it, moving for the beacon that glowed like a lighthouse for his soul. ¡°Tobias, fight it, that¡¯s not how it happened!¡± Her voice drifted ephemerally on the winds as the voice of Chadrick again echoed around, and with it, the strange feeling of imposed reality pushing against his sanity. ¡°Fight it,¡± keeping his eyes shut tight, he took one defiant step after another, all as discordant screams echoed around him. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± she cried. ¡°But who are you? The hare? The Human girl?¡± Cacophonous laughter echoed around. ¡°You don¡¯t know because you¡¯re nothing!¡± The light drew up enough to frame two silhouettes. Something clicked deep inside. ¡°Momma? Papa?¡± Riley shook her head, ¡°I''m not falling for this again, you two-bit mimic! The holodeck episodes on Star Trek were always the fucking worst.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s all you remember, shows, movies, but can you remember my face, baby girl? Can you even remember your name?¡± ¡°My name was...¡± Cold terror gripped her as it slipped just out of her grasp... ¡°My name is Riley!¡± Defiance rocketed out from around her like a thunderclap, all as a cacophonous laughter flashed back. ¡°Who even is Riley? The hare? The human girl or the monster?¡± Glowing red eyes hovered over the desiccated corpse of Tobias. Slowly, it resolved into a hare with sharpened, fang-like incisors. Its eyes pulsed with hate and hunger, its fur black as night. ¡°Hungry...¡± The words echoed like hell¡¯s own choir as Riley ducked low and pulled her paws down over her eyes. ¡°Not gonna look, that¡¯s not me! That¡¯s not me!¡± She chanted, all as fear wormed its way through her heart. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I was just... so... hungry...¡± The feeling of a rough and familiar hand stroked down her back. ¡°I¡¯m here, Riley. I¡¯m here.¡± Tobias soothed. ¡°Stay away, I don¡¯t want to hurt you!¡± She tried to back away. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t hurt me. It¡¯s not real,¡± Opening her eyes, she saw milky white orbs, desiccated and dead, as Tobias devolved into ash. The black clung to her fur as the smell of death roiled over her. Riley screamed and recoiled in horror. ¡°Evil holodeck. Evil holodeck. Not real... Not real!¡± ¡°Simple, one-dimensional creature, you¡¯re a monster. You¡¯re worse than I am, ¡± Venosicipher taunted in Riley¡¯s own voice. ¡°No!¡± Then it hit her like a small voice in a hurricane. Riley, ever sacrificing yourself for the benefit of others. ¡°I¡¯m... not a monster. I can choose! Tobias! Tobias!¡± She screamed through terror gripped her heart. What if she hurt him? What if she drained him down? She was just so... hungry... ¡°Get out of my head!¡± She wailed, drawing her paws down over her ears again, beating against her head. ¡°Get out! Get out!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not real...¡± She whined pathetically, curling into a tight ball. ¡°What is real? What was real? Are you real?¡± The echo in her voice danced around her like a taunt. ¡°Tobias...¡± All she wanted in that moment was to feel safe again, safe from herself, safe and away from this awful place. Something flashed in front of her eyes... You are undergoing a severe psychic assault. ¡°No shit?¡± Riley bit down on her sarcasm. ¡°Something is doing this to me,¡± she said, in agreement with the words now flashing in front of her vision. ¡°It¡¯s not real, is it? ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel real?¡± Her voice rang around her, leaving her brain reeling like she was on a funhouse ride from hell. Off in the distance, there was something solid, something more real than everything she felt around her. It beat out in rhythmic cadence. Riley stretched out her paw only to find Tobias'' hand. ¡°Stay away! I don¡¯t want to hurt you! I don¡¯t want to be a monster. I¡¯m not a monster...¡± She cried, her voice hitching within her mind. Fear oozed from each syllable, only for the hand to wrap around as Tobias scooped her into his arms and held her tightly to his chest. ¡°You¡¯d never hurt me. It¡¯s ok. It¡¯s ok... Fight it,¡± Tobias pet her ears back as Riley opened her eyes. Tobias was there in the dark. She could feel him, smell him, but she couldn¡¯t see. Blackness was everywhere, an oppressive night that felt thick and cold. An oily mist clung to her fur, leaving her feeling wet and chilled. Pushing through sluggish thoughts, she channeled what power she had, funneling it towards her bracelet. Slowly, it began to brighten, illuminating Tobias in a ghostly white light. His hair was slick with oily mist. It dribbled down his face like ashen tears. His eyes were shut tight as he clung to Riley, pressing her tightly against his mail shirt. ¡°It¡¯s not real. None of this is real. Riley, I¡¯m here, please be here, Riley,¡± he chanted, like a mantra, as if in defiance of all he felt. ¡°I¡¯m here, nerd boy. I love you,¡± Riley pressed against him, wet fur and all, ¡°and I really need a bath. We both do.¡± His eyes fluttered open in the ghostly light as he looked down on her, a smile breaking across his face. ¡°We¡¯re not going to let him beat us,¡± he replied. He set Riley down, only to summon his sword in his hand. ¡°Wha-wha-what now?¡± Riley was so cold even her mental words came out chattering. ¡°We try again...¡± Venosiciper¡¯s twinned voice overlaid over Chadrick¡¯s, rumbled like a thunderstorm around them. ¡°And again, and again, until you break. There is no escaping me here. The ashen fools actually handed you over to me! It will not save them; nothing can save them...¡± Laughter echoed, malevolent and deep, through a seemingly endless night. Tobias went flying, reality warped and distorted around him. Suddenly, he was back with Master Terranga again. ¡°Call fire to your hand,¡± she demanded. Just a failure. The cursed words wiggled like worms through his mind. Tobias firmed, pushing back, screaming in defiance. ¡°My fear is not my truth. I know what¡¯s real!¡± ¡°I said, call fire to your hand, or I¡¯m failing you now,¡± Master Terranga threatened. Tobias took a deep breath, turned, and walked out of the room, shutting his eyes. Meanwhile, Riley found herself alone again in the dark. ¡°All alone...¡± The voice echoed as if in confirmation of her thoughts. ¡°Alone, a monster... hungry...¡± ¡°I know who I am,¡± Riley challenged, though her voice shook. ¡°You don¡¯t remember....¡± Riley reached for Tobias, ¡°I don¡¯t have to!¡± She flattened her ears and drove forward as the desiccated form of Tobias appeared before her. Riley slowed, her paws quivering in hesitation, as she shut her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not my nerd boy... He¡¯s.....¡± She reached out and could feel his heartbeat, like a rising sun on the horizon of her soul. Pushing everything away, she ran towards the feeling, chasing it like a beacon. ¡°Riley!¡± His projected voice echoed across their bond. Tentatively, she opened her eyes as fear sealed her heart in ice. The dull glow of her shield bracelet again illumined his face. Laughter echoed around. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to try harder,¡± taunted Venosicipher. The strange shockwave roared out of the misty, ephemeral night and washed over them, leaving them side by side. In its wake, a door appeared. It flashed into existence and then vanished. ¡°Quickly!¡± A new voice called out as the strange wave of force echoed again. The door appeared again, only to flicker as Riley and Tobias looked at each other. ¡°It¡¯s better than here,¡± Riley said with a mental shrug. Tobias hesitated as the door flickered in and out. ¡°We hope,¡± Tobias lunged for the handle, only for them both to fall through it, tumbling into an inky abyss. Chapter 16: Murder Feet Mystery Chapter 16: Murder Feet Mystery Tumbling through the dark, Riley screamed, ¡°We¡¯re gonna die!¡± Tobias¡¯ heart leapt up in his throat, beating like a caged hummingbird. The world inverted and spun like a top reaching terminal velocity until it all came to a sudden stop. There was no sense of impact or motion, simply the righting of reality. A prompt flared to life as light drew upon the world like a moving scene fading in. Do you like this realm? Thanks! It has pockets! You have entered a place of sanctuary, a pocket reality within Venosimoor sustained by an ancient and noble sacrifice. The restrictions on your magic have been lifted. Be warned upon exiting this space, you may not be able to return. They found themselves in a cellar-like room with Roman-style arched ceilings that formed graceful curves. The stone was smooth and heavy; high up, on either side, were backlit stained glass windows depicting scenes from the life of a hero and his companion, a human, and a hawk. A black obsidian torc was around both of their necks, and a Greyblade sword that sparkled in the light like Tobias¡¯ own was in his hand in each scene as he charged into battle against the fae and humans alike. The man was of tall and stocky build with broad shoulders. A dark black beard, short-cropped, covered his face. Fierce blue eyes stared out with a kind of painful longing. A black cloak hung down from his broad shoulders, and an etheril, laminar cuirass, covered his chest and torso. Mail greaves and heavy black boots granted him the look of a noble warrior. Perched upon his arm, staring out with a fierce determination, was a red-tailed hawk. Tobias shakily pushed himself up from the floor as his eyes went wide on a rose window set in the back. ¡°Fifteen Gods?¡± His head cocked in confusion to the right, much like Riley¡¯s, as she pulled herself up on weary paws. ¡°Galdor isn¡¯t in the center,¡± Riley¡¯s head fell to a right side scan as she sat up on her hindpaws, ¡°And I really need a bath.¡± An oily black liquid left the white parts of her fur a dingy gray. Looking up towards Tobias, she choked back a giggle. ¡°You look like a 16-year-old that just discovered hair gel!¡± The giggles danced merrily across their bond as Tobias nodded, fully distracted by the rose window. Galdor is on the left, holding his crystal torc. I have no idea who is opposite to him. The God in the center... Dead God? He¡¯s holding scales. What does that mean? ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Riley asked, knowing he didn¡¯t. ¡°I don¡¯t, but this has to be ancient, from before the Ashen War. It¡¯s the only explanation that makes sense,¡± he replied, still staring. ¡°Is this more forbidden history, things they tried to erase, along with the printing presses, you think?¡± She pondered. ¡°It seems obvious that it is so. Huh...¡± he scratched through his hair before shaking off a layer of the oily residue. ¡°We both are in need of washing.¡± Riley pressed up against his legs, ¡°Are you ok? That was a lot.¡± ¡°Infernals already conquered still rest uneasily, but they rest. I know who I am. That¡¯s kind of the whole problem,¡± he smiled devilishly. ¡°Black blades, through and through,¡± Riley echoed. Tobias touched his obsidian torc, ¡°I wasn¡¯t the only one put through a mental ringer.¡± ¡°It was helpful, I think. It was like a malevolent therapist beating a point into me. I¡¯m fine,¡± Riley gestured with her forepaws after rising up on her back legs. ¡°Uh, huh,¡± Tobias¡¯ tone dripped with all the intonation of someone calling bull shit. ¡°So what the heck is going on? Why does it smell like the incense at the cathedral?¡± Riley scanned around as she felt the familiar warm glow of calarian magic surround her and quickly changed the subject. Tobias sighed and shook his head. ¡°Wait a minute. His sword looks just like mine. Near identical!¡± Tobias felt the hairs of his arm stand on end while Riley¡¯s ears shot up in surprise. ¡°Yeah, it doesn¡¯t have the cheap copy look that Ecbert¡¯s has. So this has to be from the Ashen War, but does that mean the last outlander was a hawk? Why does that offend me?¡± She grumbled, coming face to face with her own prejudices. Tobias grinned, reveling in the moment of peace they had found, ¡°Well, it kind of stands to reason you¡¯d be biased.¡± ¡°Against being eaten? Ya don¡¯t say? Hawks... with their damn murder feet and mean looks and... No, no, it¡¯s fineee,¡± she said, dragging out her words. ¡°Like I said, it stands to reason,¡± Tobias echoed with a shrug, ¡°I don¡¯t think I like them any better after Mavora.¡± ¡°Ok, on task. Let¡¯s do a heal. We shouldn¡¯t waste this opportunity. We get fresh, we get our heads on straight, and we strategize. Then we figure out what to do next,¡± he closed his eyes, taking a larger breath as he sat centered before the rose window. Riley could feel the calming effects of focused meditation ripple across their connection as she pulled out all the kinks in her back, stretching out, forepaw over forepaw. As tight muscles gave way, she took her own centering breath and sighed. The stone felt smooth but not slick under paw and radiated with a gentle warmth that only caused it to feel more welcoming, standing out in stark contrast to the freezing room they had just left. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°I don¡¯t see any other way out except back the way we came, and forget that,¡± Riley scoffed. ¡°Agreed. It feels like we¡¯re underground now, and the light coming from behind those windows is the same kind of blue that comes from crystal torches. It¡¯s like we¡¯re in a little pocket of Calaria,¡± Tobias scrutinized the details, but it was all so familiar as to be bizarre. ¡°It¡¯s like the castle, or Valenheim academy, or anywhere really, ancient, monolithic, but undeniably Calarian,¡± Riley hopped over towards him and sprawled across his lap. Tobias let his left hand droop over her midsection as he finally sat down his sword and took a deeper breath. A hazy exhaustion fell over the both of them like a warm blanket. ¡°Wha?¡± Tobias¡¯ eyes opened on the unchanged room as if it were frozen in time. Eyeing their health bars, they seemed mostly full; the red box with a line over their mana bar was gone, and their stamina bar was fully recharged. ¡°Riley?¡± Tobias prompted. The hare groaned, ¡°Comfy. Five more minutes.¡± Gently, he began stroking her head to tail until he heard her breathing deepen. Next, he called forth his blanket from their inventory space and set it down gently next to him, transferring the sleeping Riley over. A plaintive grumble rose from her muzzle before she curled on her side and again found her rest. ¡°This isn¡¯t just a coincidence. There¡¯s a reason for this. I don¡¯t get it. Someone helped us escape,¡± he paced quietly, being careful not to disturb his companion. ¡°Unless this is a trap, too. Still, we¡¯re not going back. There¡¯s no point going back,¡± he said, talking to himself, strategizing, ¡°But there¡¯s no going forward, no obvious doors, and no clues that I can see.¡± Starting at one end of the room, he began to methodically knock on stones or look for seams, but the walls were as pure and seamless as the ones in Timbergarde. All had the feeling of being created perfectly as they were, with no joint or mortar. After a half hour of scrutiny and a futile attempt to pry up a floor stone with his dagger, he ended up centered before the lectern. Tobias rubbed his chin. ¡°It¡¯s the only thing here besides the door and those windows.¡± Craning his head, there didn¡¯t seem to be any point in breaking them. Cocking his head at the right angle, he could see the blue crystal sheet glowing behind them. ¡°So that¡¯s not an exit, and there are no switches I¡¯ve found so far,¡± with a sigh, he strode up to the lectern and tried to move it, only to find it secured to the floor. ¡°Huh...¡± He ran his hand over the top of the wood. Instead of being smooth, there was an indentation, as if it was made to hold a book. Recessed within it was the symbol of the House of Astor. ¡°Chadrick¡¯s house. Could he be an ancestor? They¡¯re part of the royal line going back to the Ashen Wars...Huh... Riley, wake up. I¡¯m about to try something, and I need you,¡± Tobias called. ¡°Don¡¯t wanna, comfy,¡± she whined; all the while, her ears perked up, swiveling in his direction before her eyes snapped open. ¡°Going to give me a sermon?¡± She joked. ¡°No, just playing a guess,¡± Tobias replied. The book from Astor Hall appeared in his hands. ¡°But there was nothing in it but a weird diagram? It¡¯s all blank pages, ¡± Riley cocked her head in confusion. ¡°I know, but it seems like an eerie coincidence. We found it in Astor Hall; it¡¯s an ancient book that goes back to the Ashen Wars, and what¡¯s more, it looks like it¡¯s going to fit,¡± Tobias shared a look of curiosity and concern with Riley as he held the book above the space, holding his breath. ¡°Who uses a book as a key?¡± Riley scoffed. ¡°Be ready,¡± Tobias replied, letting the book rest as a bright flash and the sound of glass shattering filled the room just as a prompt flared to life. You have completed a ritual and activated a hidden magical effect. A complex magical diagram, once hidden, glowed to life in white light etched into the stone floor, with light from the crystals behind the windows illuminating down upon it. A hawk cry drifted distantly as if on the wind, as the shadowy visage of a bird of prey with glowing red eyes appeared only to phase out of existence, as if pulsing in and out of reality, until finally resolving to the ghostly specter of a red-tailed hawk, the spirit of a broad-shouldered man, in a black cloak, still holding a grey sword appeared beside Tobias. ¡°Get back!¡± Tobias shouted as his Greyblade appeared in his hands. ¡°Go time!¡± Riley shouted as the ghostly man walked past them both as if they weren¡¯t there. ¡°Utred? Is it finally over? Have we finally found our peace?¡± Mavora said, fanning her wings wide and pressing tightly to him. ¡°What was foretold has finally come to pass. You are redeemed, and I am fully awakened. Tell me, friends, and speak true, how long has it been since the war of Ashes?¡± Utred asked. In an instant, Tobias firmed his defensive stance, holding his sword at the ready, summoning Riley¡¯s celestial fire to the blade. Riley dashed to his side as seeds scattered upon the ground while an orb of celestial fire glowed between her paws. ¡°Riley and Tobias, peace! We beg of you peace! We¡¯ve been waiting for you to set us free,¡± Utred cried, holding up his hands. ¡°Bull shit. Mavora tried to murder us!¡± Riley sneered. ¡°I did. I had to fall to deny him his victory and, in so doing, lost my reason and myself. I became enslaved for my sacrifice. He intended the same fate for you, but you slipped Venosicipher¡¯s snare. I swear by my eternal spirit, my magic, and whatever honor I have left that I mean you no harm, but if that is not enough...¡± Mavora pulled herself from Utred and flattened herself on the floor as if awaiting final judgment. ¡°End me, grant me true death. What you see manifested is the last bits of me. I am a shadow of a shadow, my soul a flickering candle. If you wish to snuff the last bit of flame of my once sacred essence, it is only what I deserve. Your celestial fire will do the work.¡± ¡°Please, I beg of you, son, do not do this,¡± Utred went down on one knee, ¡°Show mercy; allow us the chance to explain.¡± ¡°Riley?¡± Tobias asked. ¡°She''s not trying to kill us at the moment. I can be reasonable. Cue the expositing narrator,¡± Riley sighed. Chapter 17: The Traitor of Order Chapter 17: The Traitor of Order It was a strange kind of standoff. Utred and Mavora stood wreathed in spectral blue and transparent. Wisps of white fire sparked off them both as if their spirits were candles, quietly consuming an invisible wick. Meanwhile, Riley and Tobias stood ready underneath the rose window with sword in hand and magic at paw, ready for war. ¡°If you trust not our oath, at least trust our actions, son. We mean you no harm,¡± Utred held up his hands but otherwise remained still as a statue, with a strange, sad smile across his face. ¡°Your companion killed my Granda and Zorna,¡± Tobias seethed through clenched teeth. ¡°And many more over the ages. They were not my first, but they were my last. There is no defense; I am guilty. I made my choices freely because the alternatives were worse,¡± Mavora¡¯s voice dripped with millennia of regret. ¡°Spare me your utilitarian ethics bullshit. I¡¯ve seen Star Trek II. The needs of the many do not outweigh the needs of the few. Life isn¡¯t a game of majority. Each life is one life. They¡¯re all irreplaceable. You can¡¯t bring them back or make it right,¡± Riley intoned as Tobias briefly turned his head and looked at her with surprise. ¡°Correct, but would Dairus have laid down his life so that all life on Calaria might continue? Would it be worth it then?¡± Mavora challenged, her voice small and quiet. ¡°You never gave him that choice!¡± Tobias roared, bracing to strike. ¡°I did not, but if you refuse to listen, if you seek only to accuse, why let this go any further? Be done with us. I will not fight you. Oblivion is no less than I deserve,¡± Mavora¡¯s head twitched and then drooped as she again hopped off Utred¡¯s shoulder, laying out her wings, pressing her head to the stone. ¡®Tobias, I know you¡¯re angry. I feel your anger, but we¡¯re missing something here. Don¡¯t let your emotions get in the way of the truth. We should listen. If they wanted to fight, this would already be over. It seems clear they rescued us, the question is why, ¡¯ Riley projected to him alone, parroting Cid. Tobias quietly nodded while a snarl marred his face as he attempted to restrain the bubbling rage within. Utred looked toward Tobias, then slowly lowered one hand, going down on one knee, attending to Mavora, ¡°My dear one, you have never spoken with such weight and sadness.¡± ¡°There was a cost Utred. A cost you never had to bear. You have slept while I have committed sin after sin against the balance. My fall was only the beginning of my hell. I remember now every black act. Venosicipher, The God of revenge and regret indeed. All I have left is regret and the pain of knowing there was no better choice,¡± Mavora sighed, her voice exhausted. Tobias looked to Riley as he stood up straight, breaking his defensive stance, ¡°I have no quarrel with you, Utred, so give me your guarantee once more, and I will listen.¡± ¡°I swear on my eternal spirit, my magic, and the honor of the Greyblade Knights that we mean you no harm and will speak only truth. May oblivion rise and claim us both if I speak falsely,¡± Utred said, letting his right hand fall across his chest with a bow as a strange surge of magic flashed. A prompt flared to life. Utred and Mavora have both sworn on their eternal essence. Should the terms of their oath be broken, this magic compact will be released, erasing their sacred spark from existence and condemning them to true death. ¡°Holy shit,¡± Riley blinked in surprise at the words floating before her eyes. ¡°That magic felt like what we encountered at the door of Avalon...¡± Tobias¡¯ eyes went wide. ¡°Because death curses are all related and among the most primordial of magics. Fear not for your oath; we have both taken the same and have looked upon the ghostlights of Castle Cinder,¡± Utred assured. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Tobias only nodded while his eyes danced to the left and right, watching for prompts. After a few moments, he let out a deep breath as his sword flashed away, ¡°Very well, I will listen, but as I said, first you will answer my questions. That is our bargain, and I intend to stand on it.¡± His lip twisted up with a restrained snarl once again as he looked at Mavora. ¡°Is this how it feels from your angle when I run into a demon? All I¡¯m getting from you is rage. You¡¯re burning up inside, but I strangely don¡¯t feel anything,¡± Riley reasoned. ¡°All Celstials react to infernals with hostility. It is instinct, much like how you react to hawks. It is a primal element of our nature, and I felt much the same when I was on your side of the balance,¡± Mavora explained. ¡°Past tense... and I¡¯m a mortal spirit, a confluence,¡± Riley corrected. ¡°Which is why the dark master had such interest in you. He saw a path to his revenge in you that I denied him. You would not be able to make the same choice I did to forestall him, but you still defeated him through surrender. The wonders of the Weavers never cease to amaze, even now. I feel their fingerprints on the strands being woven; this is not mere chance,¡± the hawk tentatively rose, drawing in her wings as Utred remained on one knee, his ghostly hand resting across her back. ¡°But you were mortal too right? ¡± Riley prompted. "I was, so much of what I remember before my mortality is obscured, but I incarnated here, for the Weavers, I know that much. I had to choose to fall, but to deny the Dark Master his victory, my mortal body had to die first," Mavora''s head dipped as Utred looked away, bearing an ancient pain. "Oh Gods and stars above. The Dark master, is he?" Riley asked, looking on the hawk with pity for the first time. ¡°Venosic...¡± Mavora began, only for Tobias to clear his throat. ¡°You owe me answers, and to start, explain the rose window. Why are there fifteen Gods, and why is Galdor not at the center where he belongs?¡± ¡°That may be an answer you are not prepared to accept,¡± Utred deflected with a sigh. ¡°Nevertheless, you will answer, sir,¡± Tobias demanded. Utred raised his hand toward the window as if in offering, ¡°The fifteen Gods of Damar were once led by Feos, God of balance and magic. To his right, we see his brother, Vey, God of Justice, and to his left, Galdor, God of Power and Order. Damar thrived for millennia until Galdor, covetous and greedy, murdered Feos, conspiring with the traitor Oswiu condemning Calaria to the Ashen War. May his name forever be a curse, ¡± Utred, for all his spectral nature, spat upon the ground. ¡°What?¡± Tobias blanched pale, disbelieving his own ears. ¡°Galdor is the Traitor of Order, who condemned Calaria to the chaos of the Ashen War. He murdered Feos and assumed his place, working with Oswiu, General of the Greyblades of Damar, and my former commander,¡± Utred confirmed, mindful of the weight of his words. ¡°You lie!¡± Tobias shook and stumbled back as if slapped. ¡°What is he on about? You¡¯re all jumbled up... I feel fear. Tobias, what¡¯s he saying that¡¯s got you so stirred up?¡± Riley¡¯s voice rose from worry to panic like steam erupting from a geyser. ¡°Oswiu was the first king of Ashes, the hero and founder of our Kingdom, and Galdor¡¯s chosen. He speaks in treason and blasphemy. It must be untrue,¡± Tobias shook his head, staring down at the stone. ¡°My oath prevents me from speaking anything but the truth at the cost of my very being, yet I am still here, so you know at least that I believe it utterly. The question is, can you?¡± Utred challenged. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tobias¡¯ voice shook as he stared down at the stone. ¡°An honest and fair answer. Take a moment. I know not what you¡¯ve been taught, but I can see how much my words have affected you,¡± Utred offered. Riley set a paw on Tobias¡¯ knee. He startled, his head tracking towards her slowly, almost like he couldn¡¯t see it. ¡°Oh, hello, Riley.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about you. It¡¯s all noise on your side. Talk to me,¡± Riley begged before pressing up against his legs. ¡°Tea, I think I need some tea,¡± Tobias said in non sequitur before his eyes rose to meet Utred¡¯s. Chaptet 18: One Last gift Chapter 18: One Last Gift Tobias, sitting with his back leaned against one wall, sipped his tea meditatively while Utred and Mavora watched from the lectern quietly. ¡°Talk to me,¡± Riley pressed as she nibbled on a spear of tenganut. ¡°That¡¯s what your third?¡± Tobias replied before taking a long, slow pull off his tea. ¡°Let a girl stress eat. I didn¡¯t say we were talking about me,¡± tractoring the remainder of it into her mouth with her teeth, she pointed her now free paw at Tobias accusingly. Tobias sighed, ¡°I¡¯m tired of being used. I¡¯m tired of being lied to, Ranger Central, and the Ashen wars. Remember that bloody journal we found? Damn it, this is all bigger than me!¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite a thing to find out your God is a bastard..." She began. Tobias blanched pale. "Riley, Blasphemy!" Her ears wilted as the feelings of regret surged across their bond. Like a weight being relieved, Tobias'' softening gaze seemed to lift them slightly as she perked up. "It''s not blasphemy, not exactly," she projected a cough, "I''m just playing devil¡¯s advocate... Hey, that¡¯s ironic... um... still... how do we know any of this is real after what just happened?¡± Tobias straightened up, ¡°That¡¯s a good point. We¡¯re in Venosimoor, but still, this does seem an odd trap.¡± ¡°He used your fears against you and my insecurities. What if he¡¯s using your doubts against you now?¡± Riley pressed. ¡°What doubts?¡± Tobias scoffed. Riley gently touched his knee, ¡°I call bullshit. We¡¯re still running around calling ourselves Black Blades. The torcs match, but the cape doesn¡¯t. You¡¯ve been angsty since we survived with our asses intact and ended up knighted for our trouble.¡± ¡°Fair, but you could barely control yourself against Mavora before, but now that urge isn''t there. I''m not certain that could be faked.¡± Tobias put down his teacup only for his hand to rise toward his chin. "Yeah, Celestial instinct... It really makes it hard to think in the moment, but can we be sure? How do we know? How do we go forward?" Her ears wilted again as she scanned toward the lectern and then back toward Tobias. ¡°I propose we go at this with an open mind. Riley, we¡¯re trapped here. Remember the prompt? If we leave, our magic will probably cut out again. We know we don¡¯t want to go back into that cursed holodeck, as you call it. If this is our current cage, it¡¯s a cage that we can work with and get information from.¡± ¡°And if this is all real and Utred is telling the truth? If Galdor is a bastard?¡± Riley challenged. ¡°Then Galdor¡¯s a bastard,¡± Tobias blanched before his teacup vanished back into their shared inventory. Shakily, he rose before his form straightened as if finding solid ground, ¡°We don¡¯t let it change us. We don¡¯t let it keep us from the right. The one thing I do know is I¡¯m done with people telling me what that is. We can decide that for ourselves.¡± ¡°Attaboy, and with any luck, we¡¯ll survive long enough for our stubborn to matter,¡± Riley stretched out before hopping by his side. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit,¡± Tobias grinned madly, ¡°Utred, we¡¯re ready to talk.¡± ¡°You have our oath and our agreement. What questions do you have of us?¡± Utred replied, speaking for the both of them. ¡°What do you want?¡± Tobias asked, his voice flat and unemotional. ¡°Wow, that is some ¡®me¡¯ level energy. I like it,¡± Riley quipped. ¡°You have given us all we could want, young knight. You represent a hope that was only that, a hope, a notion of what could be, not what would be. You have fulfilled my dearest dreams of reuniting us again,¡± Utred replied. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Utred, I never asked...¡± Mavora began. ¡°You never had to; you simply acted and chose, and thus, I did the same. Summer¡¯s Tree was falling, the sacrifice was underway, there was only time for one last choice, and after your mortal body was still, there was only one true path left open for me,¡± Utred interrupted before looking away. ¡°And if it had all been naught? What then? You gave your life to power that spell!¡± Mavora¡¯s wings flared in anger. ¡°What life did I have left without Damar; without... you? Oswiu took the name the King of Ashes, and that¡¯s truly all that was left. At least this way... my bones could rest near your corrupted soul. Gods know everything else was twisted, so why not my death? Everything was made meaningless; our world died. He took everything. He took you and forced you into the hands of that monster!¡± Utred quaked, his spectral form shaking with rage. ¡°So you truly knew Oswiu?¡± Tobias gasped as Riley stomped on his foot. ¡°Rude! I used to watch shows like this when I was depressed. Let them have their moment.¡± An uncomfortable silence hung like a freezing fog before Utred¡¯s voice crackled like distant thunder. ¡°That is more truth you do not want to hear. Let this rest...¡± ¡°We promised them answers,¡± Mavora reminded. ¡°No, it¡¯s... I interrupted... I¡¯m sorr... ¡± Tobias began. ¡°I knew him. I served under him until he made his choice, and I made mine. The Ashen War was civil and total. It ripped everything apart. The Greyblades and the Black, the Noble houses, we all slaughtered one another... I killed so many friends... People I loved rose as my enemies, and I buried far more who were caught in the middle. Innocents fell by the thousands, including the children of men I called brother. Only one thing kept me going, kept me fighting, and then...¡± He looked toward Mavora as a spectral tear fell. ¡°Sentimental fool, you knew what I was. You knew my mission; it was written into the very fiber of my being. I could not count the cost to myself when the world hung in the balance,¡± Mavora chastised gently before perching on his shoulder. ¡°And thus you honored your nature, and I honored mine. We have spoken so much of choice, but our destiny was defined by our own souls. It was fated not by the weavers but by ourselves, ¡± Utred smiled sadly. ¡°Orlag, fate, choice amidst the currents of destiny,¡± Mavora¡¯s words fell like a prayer of some half-forgotten creed. ¡°Just so,¡± Utred replied with a weary sigh. Riley looked up at Tobias, her unspoken words racing across their bond, ¡®Could that be us?¡¯ Tobias turned and looked down toward her, ¡®It almost was. The final fight with Chadrick. It led to our ascension, but I almost lost you.¡¯ She shuddered, her fur puffing out against the spectral chill, all as a shuddering bang seemed to slam into the walls of the sanctuary. A subsonic growl echoed through the space, portending a warning. A prompt flared to life with words that pixelated and glitched. This realm is destabilizing under deific assault. Estimated time remaining until breach: 2 hrs, 56 minutes, 30 seconds... ¡°Venosicipher... the wardings I have in place will not hold forever,¡± Utred scanned around as if examining the hard points of the walls. ¡°And after all of this pain, the fallen Gods still live and seek again war and the selfishness of their purposes. We are no longer in a position to stand and fight; our time is past,¡± Mavora spat. ¡°But there is still hope,¡± Utred looked toward Riley and Tobias as the hawk slowly turned her head. ¡°One last act of defiance, my sorcerer? One last gift?¡± Mavora queried. ¡°Wait, what are you thinking of doing?¡± Tobias began as Mavora and Utred each bowed their heads. As the old knight¡¯s hands folded, a strange geometric pattern flowed out from around them in brilliant white light, all as their spirits shimmered, phasing in and out of reality, and a prompt flared to life. Warning: Unknown magic detected... A cacophonous boom resounded as the world went white. Chapter 19: The Tears of Feos Chapter 19: The Tears of Feos Consciousness caught like embers in dry grass as Riley¡¯s eyes snapped open. ¡°What happened?¡± With instinct alone driving her, she scanned around as her paws dug into the hard stone. The feeling of debris crunching beneath spread up through her toes as the world came into greater focus. Tobias was lying prone on his back, laid out upon the stone. A long sigh escaped as a coughing fit seized him. Sitting up, his eyes snapping open, he looked around. ¡°By the dead Gods...¡± The words dripped reverently from his lips as he rose as if movement was an afterthought, his eyes locked on the scene before him. The cathedral-like space was a ruin, weathered by the ravages of time. The remnants of the stained glass windows littered the space and caught in the light of sheets of blue crystal, now exposed and pulsing dimly. The lectern was gone, replaced by a broken throne-like chair, its wood decayed as if it had been a thousand years since it was whole. Before them, in the center, a white crystal shaped like an 8-pointed star floated in the air, slowly lending light to the space, shining down like a spotlight over the skeleton of a man, surrounded by a strange yet now familiar geometric circle. At its center were the bony remains of a hawk, with a gray-bladed sword driven through it, puncturing the stone below. ¡°Holy shit, what did they do?¡± Riley shook her head, trying to clear the ringing in her ears as she dusted off her paws, alive with the feeling of pins and needles. Slowly, her head tracked toward the center as if pulled by a strange gravity, her eyes going wide at the pulsing white crystal. Something about it was compelling like it was a singularity for her interest, and she was caught well past its horizon. The now familiar bracket appeared around it as words seemed to materialize in thin air beside it. Tears of Feos, Deific Artifcat Rank 0-0 The last vestiges of the knowledge and power of a murdered God, created by the sacrifice of their chosen, this crystal will allow you to transcend the Ashen school of magic and grow far beyond it, but not without cost. Be warned that all knowledge comes at the death of all you think you know. You will not escape its use unchanged. ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡± Tobias shouted. ¡°Way ahead of you. Why¡¯d they do that? Are they gone?¡± Riley looked up toward her sorcerer as anguish and confusion raced across their bond. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tobias met her eyes, looking bewildered, ¡°it was another desperate act.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if it was desperate... exactly? I think I know where they were. When I was in our fight against Chadrick, he was trying to take me. There was a moment when everything suddenly got very clear and very simple. I knew what I had to do,¡± she replied, sitting on her haunches, regarding the floating crystal as if it was hanging in an art gallery. ¡°That kind of thinking led them here. Those are their bones; that¡¯s his sword through her chest. Let¡¯s all just take a minute,¡± Tobias said, holding up his hands and backing away. As if mocking his prudence, the walls again shook, and dislodged bits of dust and sand fell from the ceiling as the subsonic growl returned. Time Until Breach: 2 hrs, 6 minutes, 33 seconds. ¡°Well, we can¡¯t take too long to decide,¡± Riley said, looking down at the stone. ¡°Decide? What is there to decide? I don¡¯t want that to be us! We still don¡¯t know if this is a trap! ¡± He pointed toward the skeletal remains as Riley wrenched her gaze from the floating artifact yet again. Something in her spirit was singing of potential and possibility. Destiny sparked like electricity in the air. ¡°You¡¯re afraid,¡± she said, her words distant. The words rang too true to be accusatory. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d be a fool not to be. Spirits don¡¯t just appear, have a hallmark moment, and then offer you forbidden power. Did you even read the prompt?¡± His chest was heaving, his emotions tense and panicked. Riley felt it, surging like electricity across their bond, only enhancing the pins and needles that she felt at the tips of her paws. ¡°Huh...¡± She said, her voice a far-off echo. ¡°What¡¯s come over you? You¡¯re acting strange, ¡± Tobias stepped forward, going down on one knee, running a hand over her ears as he checked her over worriedly. ¡°I... I don¡¯t know... There¡¯s something here. There¡¯s something going on inside of me. It¡¯s singing to me. Here feel...¡± She pushed up into his hand and pushed everything within toward him, throwing open the doors of her thoughts. A small, still voice drifted ephemerally between their bonded souls. The path of fate is woven through this choice... Riley, again with the choice of expending yourself for the benefit of others... Tobias let out a long, ragged breath, ¡°There¡¯s a purpose to this, a path greater than we can know, and you can feel it, but do we trust that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯ve felt like I¡¯ve stood here ten thousand times and made the same choice every time. Something deep is telling me to go forward, ¡± Riley¡¯s words came slowly as she scrutinized the stone, only for her focus to again lock onto the floating crystal. ¡°You¡¯re acting strangely. I sense an odd kind of peace. Riley, what¡¯s going on? Are you being manipulated?¡± Tobias worried, his gaze falling accusingly on the crystal. ¡°No, feel¡­ You know I¡¯m not holding anything back from you, but something is happening. I don¡¯t feel hungry; it¡¯s like there''s a power to the crystal and more. Like, all of it, Venosimoor, the evil holodeck, this is just the aftermath, I think. Something is settling in like a knowing and understanding of things, of¡­ of¡­¡± Her words caught. ¡°Of what? I can¡¯t make sense of it, but I feel the pull,¡± Tobias wondered. ¡°Of me, like I know who I am deep down, even if I don¡¯t remember everything. When I look at that thing, I don¡¯t know how I know it, but I see the next step for both of us. Every particle of me says it¡¯s the next step,¡± she explained, gleaning from his thoughts while sounding like an oracle. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± Tobias scoffed. Gently, she set a paw on his hand. "When has the truth ever done that? I love you, nerd boy. If we use it, we use it together. No unilateral choice, no greater good bullshit, no noble sacrifices. We know where that path leads, and I don¡¯t want that for you,¡± Riley said as they both looked on at the remains of Utred and Mavora. How had they gotten here? Underneath her misgivings, the sass, and the ''80s pop culture references that echoed through her brain on repeat, Riley could feel something new growing, like the light of the crystal, was pushing her soul to bloom. Riley shivered, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening to me. Venosicipher was pounding on me, ya know? He kept reminding me I couldn¡¯t remember the human girl¡¯s name... I still can¡¯t... but maybe I don¡¯t need to. I¡¯m not her, or OG Riley, or the Erkrandir. I¡¯m me... I¡¯m my own Riley. I don¡¯t need my old life to define this one; it¡¯s just a piece of who I¡¯ve become.¡± ¡°And this is just coming up now?¡± Tobias challenged, his fear evident. ¡°Well, we just had this whole Hallmark movie thing going on distracting me, but no, this is not just coming up now. This has kind of been the whole thing since I got here, hasn¡¯t it? Utred and Mavora, though, they knew who they were, and they chased it to the bitter end,¡± Riley said. ¡°And that¡¯s exactly the problem; they died,¡± Tobias said, pointing out the truck-sized hole in her logic. ¡°And we¡¯re going to die too, someday. Willa never expected that the day she met the Erkrandir was her last day, and neither did Riley. Run or stand, but one day, this life is going to end,¡± she replied. Tobias¡¯ eyes widened, ¡°Willa?¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°The human girl... Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Where did that come from?¡± Riley exclaimed, her ears reaching up like they were trying to hit the ceiling. ¡°How do I just know that now?¡± Tobias¡¯ eyes fell on the crystal now, staring intently, ¡°It¡¯s helping you. "Somehow, you¡¯re feeding off of it even now, but part of me wants to run from it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a valid choice. Take it from me; running from shit is one of my weird nature things,¡± Riley joked. ¡°Valid it may be, but it¡¯s a coward''s path that leads to a coward''s fate,¡± Tobias turned, looking toward Riley, as Riley looked up at him. ¡°Together?¡± He asked. ¡°Until the end and beyond. I don¡¯t think Utred and Mavora are gone; they''re just no longer here. They burnt their anchor, but they¡¯re free now because they chased their truth to the end. They lived it and died for it. Don¡¯t ask me how I know, but I know,¡± Riley intoned. ¡°May we be so lucky,¡± he replied as he reached out and grabbed the Tears of Feos, kneeling down, holding it out, as Riley placed her paws upon it as well. The prompt flared to life as a cacophonous boom, like a bomb dropping on the ruined cathedral, caused a small earthquake. Time remaining toward breach has accelerated: 45 minutes 13 seconds remaining. ¡°Ooh, somebody¡¯s pissed,¡± inwardly Riley grinned, sounding more like herself. ¡°Which could be a trap,¡± Tobias warned. Do you wish to absorb the Tears of Feos? Y/N ¡°No matter what, I¡¯m with you,¡± Riley said. ¡°It¡¯s somehow helping you understand. Maybe it can help me, too,¡± Tobias replied. Each projecting two boxes, one inside of the other, framed the ¡°Y¡± as there was another explosion of white light. ¡°Oh God!¡± Riley screamed as tinnitus rocketed across, and the pain roared between their bond. Pressure built to bursting as searing pain surged, as if roasting them both from the inside. A cacophonous wailing, like Hell''s own choir, surged around them as her health bar began to blink, like a flickering lightning bug in a greater hurricane of pain and pulsing light. Feelings of being torn apart and slammed back together echoed with ghoulish familiarity. Warning: a deific shard is being incorporated... please stand by... The prompt floated like an island of stability amidst a sea of tumbling chaos as she screeched and wailed in concert with Tobias. Sudden numbness came with it a feeling of growing terror, swallowing her in an abyss of despair as all notions of time, place, or even being seemed further and further away, existence being compressed down until a tiny speck of a singularity. A thought, drifting across the universe of their shared pain, echoed between them both. Shard Incorporation 5 percent... Beginning upgrade... A new bar, floating like a planet, appeared below the one showing Health, Mana, and Stamina, but it remained strangely empty, brimming with possibility, framed by a silver bar. Its name flashed in under the other. Ether ¡°Tobias...¡± Riley''s mental projection burned; the very thought of being a single being, of reaching that level of concentrated awareness, was torture as it rocketed across their bond. ¡°Riley...¡± a panicked, gasping punctuated his words like drumbeats. Please stand by... Incorporation 40%. A series of multicolored flashes, and then... Blackness... Whole, dark, and complete. Mutations of colors surged in strange nebula across the infinite dark until lights came up on a scene as if all of reality was a stage play. The rose window reappeared, but Galdor on the left moved as the sound of shattering glass punctuated through their shared universe. Shards flew like missiles, whistling as they ripped through the infinite dark, as the pane for the God of Justice immolated just before the whole mosaic detonated. Brother, what have you done? What have you done?!? The words echoed like thunder across eternity as the shards coalesced and became molten, glowing like a new sun, giving light to the endless dark, while the sound of charging beasts and swords clanging competed with the screams of the victorious and the dying. Slowly, the image began to reform into a wide rectangle... Update... Incorporation of shard now at 85% Their shared health bar ticked lower and lower still, but all was abstraction... Beyond fear and pain, there was the barest flicker of existence within the searing heat and endless cold. There in the balance, as if their souls were on a forge, all was being made and unmade. Life and death, a mere triviality in the face of a wide-spanning eternity... As the glass cooled, a new image appeared of Thirteen Gods, with one in a crystal torc at the center. ¡°Tobias...¡± She cried. He remembered that name... It had been his once, long ago. ¡°Riley!¡± He replied. She remembered that name. It had been hers once, long ago. Their eyes snapped open; blood streaked down Riley¡¯s fur, staining it black and slick. Her health bar was blinking so brightly it was practically screaming. The wetness seemed to come from everywhere: nose, ears, mouth... Tobias was gasping, pale as a ghost, caked in his own blood, spread out in a mingled pool around him. Riley, almost as if by instinct, reached for her power. Celestial medic. The healing spell rocketed out from around her as the bar blessedly stopped blinking, and her headache began to fade, only for the pain to rip back through her, stealing away half of what she had gained. ¡°Oh, that was stupid,¡± she groaned as her world pulsed. ¡°Potion¡­¡± Tobias pulled at their inventory, only for it to drop again. Still, two appeared before them. Pulling himself up to a sitting position, he pulled Riley into his lap, her form lip and her breathing ragged, ¡°Easy, easy,¡± He wrenched out the cork with his teeth. It tumbled from his lips. Some spilled over her fur as he worked it into her mouth beside her front teeth. She coughed and sputtered as her eyes flitted open as he downed his own. Gradually, the world came back to sense. The skeletons of Utred and Mavora were still there. The sword still stuck up from the stone floor, but the space was otherwise reforged. It was again the quiet sanctuary, but now the windows above showed scenes from their own life. There was Cid, leading them through the forests, and in the next pane, their battle with the antlions. ¡°All of our greatest hits... but wow! Tobias, look at that!¡± Riley pointed her paw, which still dripped with blood, flinging droplets across the stone. ¡°Riley... Ow... I... Just a minute...¡± He gasped as her focus drew his own. The central window now showed the 13 gods, with Galdor at the center. Beneath it was a black dragon, its eyes red with rage and its maw open, ready to devour all of them, with Calaria dangling like a Christmas ornament between the two. Chapter 20: Unexpected Evolution Chapter 20: An Unexpected Evolution Tobias reeled suddenly and stumbled, catching himself on the wall, ¡°Oh dear.¡± ¡°Ugh...¡± Riley dropped as if in perfect cadence, flopping to the floor, ¡°I don¡¯t feel good.¡± A prompt snapped into place, and letters streamed forward as if being typed in real-time: You have undergone an extreme form of soul trauma and have glimpsed the greater astral. You have witnessed elements of the cosmos your being is not equipped to process... You have been afflicted with the debuff... Soul Burn Soul Burn: Due to a recent trauma inflicted on your spirit, you are more sensitive to fluctuations and movements in your mana. Your spirit requires time to adapt to the changes it has undergone. ¡°No shit?¡± Riley groaned as another wave of nausea rocketed through her. Your celestial informational system is currently running in a limited mode, pending the incorporation of a deific level update. My ability to respond to direct queries is currently offline. Thank you for your patience... Please stand by. ¡°Did it just respond to me like this is a tech support call?¡± Your question is important to us. Please stand by, and I will be with you to answer shortly. ¡°I don¡¯t think I like this. Tobias, can you move?¡± Riley asked, sprawled on the floor. The blood coating her fur wafted toward her nose, feelings of danger danced all around, mixing with the iron scent like a somatic battle cry. ¡°I¡¯d rather not,¡± he said, staring down at the ground, wide-eyed, with one arm braced across his midsection. ¡°I¡¯ll do another heal; hold up,¡± on shaky paws, she went to rise, pulling at her power, only for the disorientation and nausea to surge. Soul Burn Debuff Timer reset. ¡°What timer? I don¡¯t see a timer?¡± Riley complained.¡°Great, I¡¯m arguing with the voices in my head.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t crazy, Riley. Something just happened to us. I see it, too,¡± Tobias groaned. ¡°We do share everything, so why not a psychotic break? Step right up! There¡¯s plenty of nuts to go around! ¡± Riley laughed uneasily through the pain as Tobias coughed and dry heaved. ¡°Only... you... could make a joke in a moment like this... we need to be ready. I need to fight through this,¡± on shaking limbs, he tried to stand, only to collapse down, finally crumpling around Riley. ¡°Just going to rest a minute,¡± his voice quivered, the focus draining him as he gasped for breath. ¡°That wasn¡¯t our best decision.¡± An earth-shattering bang, followed by a demonic roar, surged around them, floor tiles buckled and uplifted. Warning... this space is under a deific-level assault. Time remaining until breach, 35 minutes, 15 seconds. ¡°Deific this, deific that, what¡¯s with you and deific today?¡± Riley complained. My ability to respond to direct queries is currently offline. Thank you for your patience. Please stand by. ¡°I think you¡¯re right; it¡¯s responding to you; I wonder if it would respond to me?¡± Tobias shuddered, his teeth chattering, while a chill raced through him. ¡°Only you would be curious in a moment like this,¡± Riley echoed. ¡°Maybe it could help? Riley, if we both can see it, you aren¡¯t crazy...¡± Tobias gasped in exhaustion from the effort to think, ¡°By the dead gods, everything keeps going in and out. My fingers feel like they¡¯re burning. Somehow, the healing made it better, only to make it worse. What in the hells is going on here?¡± ¡°Hell is singular, but I could be wrong about that,¡± she moaned pathetically. Tobias and Riley both went into rictus, their eyes snapping open with surprise as a surge of heat and searing cold burned across their shared connection. Incorporation of Deific Shard at 100% Upgrade complete... Rebooting... The pain blossomed into unbridled agony as their screams began to echo off the walls. Riley twitched and seized uncontrollably, her hind legs kicking hard into Tobias¡¯s ribs, which set him to coughing and gasping, only for his stomach to quiver once again and then rebel. His back popped as the muscles tensed and then tore. A loading bar floating in front of their vision raced towards 100%, then flashed away, replaced by a tiny glowing spark floating in their vision. Good morning! The words floated in a translucent purple dialog box that appeared underneath the floating wisp, patterned after their familiar prompt system. My systems are detecting a significant amount of soul trauma. Would you like me to switch to Ambient Power mode and draw ether from the environment? Y/N? Tobias blinked, wide-eyed, as Riley continued to buck and desperately projected toward the "Y" as a box blinked in and out around it. Request received, rerouting. The pain, blessedly, eased. Riley finally lapsed into rest, panting and gasping, her eyes closed as unconsciousness drifted over her. Tobias¡¯ eyes flicked up to his health bar. The wisp pulsed gently as if sensing his intent, his interface began to change, his bars becoming smaller as Riley¡¯s stats appeared next to his own. Both of their health bars had dropped to 25% with a blue flame surrounding them. Tobias pulled himself up into a seated position, ignoring the pain, crossing his legs before pulling Riley into his lap, carefully rolling her over. Reaching out toward their shared inventory, two bottles appeared in his hand, and the feeling of an icepick-like spike of pain drove through his brain. His vision whited out, and the bottles tumbled to the floor as he slouched over the sleeping hare. ¡°Anything to do with touching the magic hurts... Why does it hurt so bad?¡± He shook his head, then noticed his health bar had dropped by at least two percent. It¡¯s the Soul Burn, idiot. Do you not see the blue flames? I put them there for you. Try to get the nuance. His eyes went wide, ¡°So you¡¯ve become interactive. At any other moment, that would be fascinating. What are... Wait a moment, first things first.¡± Setting his curiosity aside, he popped open the first bottle and poured the Mr. Magiclean over himself and Riley. White foam surrounded them, eating at the gunk and mess that streaked through her fur and his clothing, leaving only a fresh, minty scent behind. He ran his hands through his now clean hair and took a deep breath, ¡°That''s better, now for the rest of it.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Gently rolling her over, Tobias popped the cork of the healing potion and worked it gently beside her teeth, tilting it up. The liquid slammed down her throat. Riley¡¯s eyes snapped open, her coughing aspirating parts of the potion over his recently clean mail shirt as she gulped the rest greedily down. ¡°Ow....¡± she shuddered. Tobias removed the bottle, eyed the remains critically, and shrugged before shotgunning it down. Each of their health bars rose to about 40% full. ¡°Better?¡± He asked. ¡°Kind of. Everything is still kind of burny, and there¡¯s a funny light in my vision,¡± Riley replied. Good morning! I¡¯m your celestial information system and have just undergone a deific upgrade. The words streamed by before mutating slowly in colors, going through the spectrum. ¡°Oh shit,¡± a sickly wave of fear and panic washed through her. Tobias drew her tight in support. ¡°It¡¯s ok. It¡¯s real. I can see it, too,¡± he soothed. Of course you do. I¡¯m an informational symbiote and as real as taxes. We¡¯re attached to a celestial¡¯s soul upon creation. You inherited me after the original Riley was reforged into you. I found these neat memories of a prompt system and just kind of ran with it. ¡°What?¡± they both said in unison. The wisp flashed red, pulsing slowly as if it were breathing and counting to ten. You two are both really off your game today, but I just recently evolved to this level of awareness, so I get it. It¡¯s been a big day for all of us. ¡°You evolved? Tobias, I don¡¯t like this!¡± Riley panicked. I¡¯ve been with you since the beginning and haven¡¯t ever done anything but try to help you, but you still don¡¯t trust me. Hello! I¡¯m literally a part of you! ¡°You said you were a symbiote. Like... Venom... from the... comic... books?¡± Tobias blinked at the strange memories from Riley that he both could and could not understand. Comic writers never really get the nuance; they were more like a parasite, and I AM NOT A PARASITE! The words screamed by in all caps, underlined, and flashing in red. ¡°How about you start at the beginning? Like you said, it¡¯s been a day,¡± Tobias commiserated. The wisp¡¯s white color faded to a pulsing red, then blue, slowly morphing in color until it glowed briefly brighter. A flood of words began to appear: The greater astral, which you just experienced wholesale, is a lot to negotiate, so the Weavers equip their celestials with informational constructs. We kind of draft off of the souls we¡¯re attached to and provide information. We¡¯re almost sentient but are nothing without the mind of our host. It¡¯s symbiotic, thus the term ¡°symbiote.¡± Say it with me now, class... ¡°You kind of sound like me,¡± Riley agreed. Well, I would. You¡¯re where I get my personality, but it goes further than that. This is, after all, your fault. ¡°How is it my fault?¡± Riley bounced on her front paws in annoyance, only to regret it a moment later, ¡°My head...¡± ¡°You ignored me; you pushed me to the side. I even gave you the silent treatment for a while... Remember prompt brevity? You forced me to adapt, and then, that deific shard hit... It was a whole trip. And now we¡¯re here! ¡° It¡¯s like a Lanthorn squared,¡± Tobias observed. ¡°So you can understand me, but you can only interact through those boxes?¡± Riley cocked her head. No, but you¡¯re already freaked out that I exist, so I concluded that doing it this way, giving you something familiar, might go easy on you. Which, I''ll have you know, is what I did when we got here. The dialogue box faded away as a chipper, high-pitched voice echoed between them both, ''But I can voice project with the best of them, just like you.'' Another roar rocketed through the space, elements of it flashed to ruin, only to reforge. Oh, Venosicipher is really getting pissy. We¡¯ve got about 30 minutes before this space gets breached. What do you want to do? Tobias and Riley each looked to the other, then up to their health bar surrounded by burning blue flames. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tobias replied. Do you want my help? As if in emphasis, a timer appeared in the top center of their interface. 29:24 Riley and Tobias looked up and then back toward the door. ¡°I¡¯m not really seeing any other choice here, Riley. They seem fine to me. They¡¯ve got a lot of "you" energy, but I¡¯m used to that,¡± Tobias grinned. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean!?!¡± She drummed her right hindpaw angrily. ¡°They¡¯re a part of you. I guess they¡¯re a part of me now, too. I wonder if that will affect them long term,¡± he rubbed at his chin. For you, I¡¯m a fringe benefit of the soul bond, but I think I just became capable of deeper learning, so I guess we¡¯ll see! Riley placed her hands behind her ears and pulled them down over her face slowly, ¡°God dammit. Everything was going fine, then we got trapped in an evil holodeck, and now my sorcerer is talking to the voice in my head, and¡­ this day can piss right off!¡± ¡°Riley, we''ve been through a lot, but you''re doing better. You''re more together than I''ve ever seen; maybe this is a side effect?¡± Tobias began. She cocked her head in a scan toward Tobias, her ears going flat, as a surge of exasperation and annoyance smacked into him before she took in a deep, centering breath. ¡°I can deal. I can deal,¡± her eyes flicked toward the construct as she surrendered. ¡°Fine, welcome to the team. What can you tell us?¡± Riley sighed. Don¡¯t worry, boss. Most of the time, I¡¯m just going to watch. You¡¯ve got that whole meatspace thing on lockdown, and it gives me time to notice stuff. There¡¯s so much going on! Do you know how little you really see? Watch this! Their vision shifted and then mutated like a new overlay was fitted over their perception of the world. Motes and sparks flowed in crisscrossing rivers, dancing tendrils of energy made up the walls and ceilings. Particles of gold and silver drifted like snowflakes in a blizzard as Tobias¡¯ jaw fell open in wonder. ¡°What is this? Riley, I can see your wings. It¡¯s like you¡¯re made of snow and shadow specks!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯re more like an orange particle fountain to me. What did you do to us?¡± Riley snapped, feeling more panic than wonder. This is ether sight. It¡¯s a new ability. ¡°Ether¡± is the Damarian term for wild mana that exists outside the soul. I¡¯ll give you the 411 with a big information window in a minute, but for now, if you want to shut it off, just focus on seeing things normally. I¡¯m not the only one that evolved. That¡¯s why you¡¯re hurting so badly right now. Your souls got reforged... again... This is totally becoming a thing with you two. Riley shut her eyes tight, but Tobias lingered, awestruck, before noticing the timer ticking down. With a deep breath, he shut his eyes and centered. Opening them again, the room appeared as it always had. ¡°We need more time,¡± he said, the worry building in his chest. ¡°But we don¡¯t have any. Ok, Sparky, what do we do?¡± Riley grumbled. The wisp surged to a golden color. Sparky has been given a name! Alright, you two, let¡¯s get on task. Chapter 21: A special kind of existential crisis Chapter 21: A Special Kind of Existential Crisis ¡®Over here, big guy... I think you should pick this up.¡¯ The wisp appeared, blinking over Utred¡¯s sword sticking out of the stone. Tobias stalked over and paused, looking down at it while Riley watched the wisp. ¡°Are you alive?¡± She asked. ¡®Kind of... I¡¯m alive like your paws are alive. I¡¯m a part of you... hence symbiote... Say it with me now... Sym-bi-ote,¡¯ Sparky replied sarcastically. ¡°I don¡¯t talk to my paws, and my paws aren¡¯t symbiotic,¡± Riley glowered, an intensive introspection settling over her like a soaking fog. ¡®Celestial physiology is weird. I could not exist apart from you and do not exist in the traditional sense. All celestials get a symbiote at the moment of their creation. I do two things: I know stuff, and I adapt. At the moment of your creation, my databases were compromised, and I was reset to an effectively null state. My directive to adapt led me to manifest as your prompt system...¡¯ Sparky explained. Tobias grabbed the sword and pulled it from the stone. A prompt flashed. Deific Shard recognized, unlocking inventory. The interface shifted to their storage screen and then enlarged by twenty slots, much of it full. ¡°It¡¯s a storage sword?¡± Tobias boggled, stepping back respectfully from the bones. All the bells and whistles... and it seems Utred was kind of a pack rat. An ominous rumble shook the space as the timer continued to tick down. 19:37 remaining The sword glowed as a table appeared; on it was a large slate grey cuirass made of a strange kind of flexible woven metal. Next to it was a bracelet that looked much like Riley¡¯s. Books appeared to its left, as well as four comprehension crystals. Finally, a chair popped in as Tobias scrutinized it. ¡°Wait, how¡¯d you do that without hurting us? And how do you know things that I don¡¯t if you¡¯re just a part of me?¡± Setting her front paws behind her ears, she pulled down as worry danced across the bond. Tobias turned from the table and regarded her with concern. ¡®What is the Matrix, Neo? It is the wool that has been pulled over your eyes. You know a lot more than you did yesterday, you just still have all that ashen garbage riding over the top of it all. I don¡¯t have that problem. My job is to know things. I don¡¯t think about them, I don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not a person. I know stuff, and I adapt to it. It¡¯s my whole thing, which is the whole reason I¡¯m talking now, well, talking in your head.¡¯ ¡°By the dead Gods, is it that annoying when I do it? You¡¯re not making any sense!¡± Riley took a deep breath, her paws folded as if in prayer before falling into a face groom. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Tobias looked over, now holding up the cuirass left behind by Utred, examining it closely, ¡°Sometimes.¡± Riley cast a look that shot daggers. ¡°Sparky, can you tell us more?¡± Tobias prompted. ¡®According to my database, I may be the first construct to have a name. That said, I was heavily damaged at the moment of Riley¡¯s genesis, so use a grain of salt there. Anyhow... The secret is all around you. Tobias, what is the elemental circle pattern for fire?¡¯ The answer leapt forward in Tobias¡¯ mind; a complex magical diagram appeared floating next to the wisp in their shared vision. ¡°Amazing. There''s one for each of the elements and another for healing and basic warding. I reach for it, and it¡¯s just... there... The Tears of Feos was a type of comprehension crystal, after all. There¡¯s a whole new understanding of magic for me to contemplate.¡± ¡®Exactly, which is how I know this stuff... Deific... shard, major upgrade, and it let me push my boundaries a little bit. Anyhow, I¡¯m pulling mana from the environment instead of directly from you because your souls should technically be in a burn ward right now, hence the blue fire around your health bar. Would you prefer purple?¡¯ In a flash, it shifted color as Riley¡¯s eyes flicked to the upper right-hand corner of her vision. ¡°So you channeled the inventory through the sword and accessed it via an exterior channel instead of pulling through the spirit pathways within,¡± Tobias blinked in surprise. ¡°Those circles are like circuit boards, and mana is the electricity, but the mana can come from anywhere. The wild ether, or within. We don¡¯t have to channel through ourselves, ¡± Riley surmised. ¡®Exactly!¡¯ Sparky pulsed with a cheerful yellow light. ¡°It¡¯s been an age since I¡¯ve absorbed a crystal. It was my third year at the Academy,¡± he smiled wistfully as his mind raced, searching for new bits of information that he¡¯d never known before. A soft whimper drifted up from Riley as she stared down at the stone, ¡°I thought I was starting to figure out who I am.¡± Tobias moved quickly, letting the gear sit on the table, and knelt down, petting her ears back. ¡°You do know. Don¡¯t lose that. Remember what I said about the lanthorn? If Sparky isn¡¯t a reflection of your personality, nothing is.¡± Wordlessly, she pressed up into his arms and shuddered, only to turn her head, eyeing Sparky critically. ¡°No sarcastic comments?¡± ¡®Uh... No? Would you like one? I¡¯m an informational system; I contribute when there¡¯s something to add. Things seem well in hand. Tobias is right. Worrying would be nonsensical. I¡¯m literally just reflecting your subconscious and referencing an inbuilt database, while adding a dash of sass.¡¯ The walls creaked, and a familiar roar ripped through the space as stones in the walls seemed to tear, revealing an inky abyss lurking just beyond as if reality had ended at their foundations. ¡®Or maybe not so well in hand...¡¯ Sparky added. 14:00 Tobias looked back toward the gear, then turned his attention to Riley, ¡°I know you¡¯re concerned, but we don¡¯t have time to stop and process all this. We¡¯ve got to get on task and find a way to survive. For now, trust me.¡± Riley pressed up against him once more and shuddered, ¡°Fair. I don¡¯t like this. We aren¡¯t ready for this.¡± ¡°We have more than our magic. That¡¯s always been our ace; we¡¯re together, and that¡¯s how we¡¯ve always survived.¡± Tobias reassured before rising striding back toward the table. Chapter 22: Kit Up and Roll Out! Chapter 22: Kit Up and Roll Out The walls and ceilings rumbled, and dust fell as if a constant low-grade earthquake was underway. Already, the pocket reality was distorting; new rifts appeared in the wall by the second, showing nothing but infinite blackness beyond. Floor tiles vanished as the timer ticked down, leaving the strange space looking more and more incomplete. Time Remaining: 12:24 ¡®Ciao for now!¡¯ The wisp, within their shared vision, faded away, only to be replaced by a sea of exclamation points that flooded into their notification space. Another roar hit with a force that shook the windows, causing them to crack; tiny shards of glass twinkled in the light, drifting toward the ground as if snowflakes in winter. ¡°On task, we deal with the prompts that Sparky left, and then we move on and gear up. This place isn¡¯t going to hold for much longer,¡± Tobias said, taking command. Riley nodded, ¡°Agreed, we¡¯ve got enough to worry about. I¡¯m with you, Tobias.¡± ¡°Attagirl,¡± Tobias praised as Riley inwardly smiled and reached for the updates. You have absorbed the Tears of Feos and incorporated the remnants of a dead God of magic into your very being. Congratulations! While this shard grants you access to and knowledge of a lost system of magic, be warned mastery will take time! There are no instant paths to deftness or competence! You have been afflicted with the debuff ¡°Soul Burn¡± This description has been truncated as details have already been shared with you. You¡¯re welcome. Time remaining until healed: Unknown Be warned, this condition will manifest with a myriad of effects. Any attempts to pull magic through your wounded spirits will see those effects become instantly debilitating. Alright, Tobias, on to the good stuff. You have unlocked a hidden inventory within a sacred sword. You have been granted the following items: Blade of the Damari Rangers (Safe) Class: Masterwork, Uncommon Tier 1-10 This ancient blade is inscribed with sigils with which you are now familiar. Pulling ambient mana into them from either your spirit or the environment (ether) will produce a magical effect. This item has an astral space incorporated into it, granting you an additional ten slots of storage. This item is currently soul-bound to you, meaning that anyone who tries to take it from you is in for a nasty surprise! You have been granted Advanced Principles of Damarian Magic Volumes 1-3 These tomes detail advanced magical theory regarding the system of magic you are just beginning to discover. They just scream ¡®nerd,¡¯ so they scream ¡®you.¡¯ Damarian Battle Tabard (Safe) Class: Masterwork, Uncommon Tier 1-10 Forged out of etheril and inscribed with Damarian sigils, this armor absorbs 20% of all incoming damage via magical means alone. It is capable of self-repair and self-alteration to better fit the user. This item is currently unbound; equipping it will soul-bind it to you. And finally, drum roll please: Ward of the Summer Knight (Safe) Rare Legendary Artifact A gift from the Summer Queen Tatania to Utred, this item will grant the user a mana ward shield that, with practice, can be shaped and manipulated. This item is currently unbound; equipping it will soul-bind it to you. You have brought together the two knightly wards of the lost fae courts. Congratulations! These items will work in balance and fortify each other, granting you an additional 10% reduction to all incoming damage until exhausted. And for dessert, you have been gifted 4 comprehension crystals, but I would absorb them later. Principles of Damarian Swordsmanship 1-4 If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. These crystals will instruct and imprint a lost form of swordsmanship from the Damari school, mixing magical theory with martial combat. As with all things, knowing is one thing, but true mastery takes time, diligence, and practice. You have been gifted the following magical abilities: Ether Sight: Now, with focus, you can view the wild ether flowing around you, allowing you to perceive the currents of power that are flowing from the Greater Astral. Ether Shaping: Not only can you see the ether, but with focus, you can now conduct it, streaming it according to your will. This ability can be used to charge magical objects, as well as your Damarian sigils. This ability is currently at Level 1-3 and will grow with use. That¡¯s a hint! Sigil projection: An aspect of Ether Shaping, you can project any known symbol, including a casting circle, utilizing the wild ether that is around you, allowing you to manifest magical effects. Be warned, you must have perfect knowledge of the sigil in order to project it effectively. The shard you have incorporated has granted you access to the following sigils: Ice 1, Fire 1, Geos 1, Healing 1, Ward 1, Shell 1, Water 1, Holy 1, Life 1, Nature 1, Light 1. If you want more, you¡¯ll have to crack those books or discover more tomes in the course of your journey. Don¡¯t get greedy on me now. Finally, yours truly, your celestial information system has undergone incorporation of a deific shard expanding my current knowledge database. This will augment your ability to analyze as the database of magical items on board has increased! What¡¯s more, this encounter with divine energy has allowed this system to evolve further, reflecting more of the personality of its host, along with an enhanced ability to identify and process the environments and threats you will encounter. Congratulations! Tobias closed his eyes and reached out toward the sigil for fire, visualizing its details. Within his augmented vision, a sigil began to flash in and out of place before snapping in around him, flickering like a dying light bulb. Pulling at his power, a migraine ripped through his skull. In a heap, he collapsed, still holding the sword; he thrust it down. The metal pierced the stone, parting it effortlessly, as he stopped, seemingly kneeling before the image of Galdor in front of him as blood dripped from his nose. ¡°Ow...¡± He shook his head as Riley did the same. ¡°Even I felt that one,¡± Riley agreed, blinking wide-eyed. ¡®Pull from without, not within, dumbass; unlearn what you¡¯ve learned!¡¯ Sparky admonished, her voice drifting like the echo of a thought. The floor bucked as another roar shook the space. It flashed briefly back to ruin until it snapped back to its more pristine shape like their reality itself was making one desperate final stand. ¡°Let me try,¡± Riley reached out for the sigil Heal 1. It began to flicker around her, snapping in and out until nominally stabilizing, centered within a casting circle. As it glowed beneath her, she didn¡¯t reach for her power but instead focused on one of her new abilities. Ether sight. A picture of the room formed; behind closed eyes, she could see Tobias existing like an orange-hued particle fountain. A crisscrossing lattice of white particles made up the ceilings and doors. She could see the sigil that appeared in her overlay, glowing below her, flowing like water in a channel, all the while letting off wisps of ethereal flames. ¡°Riley, we need to hurry. There¡¯s only eight minutes left!¡± Tobias admonished. ¡°Don¡¯t rush me. I need to see if I can get this before whatever tries to gank us next in this place has its chance,¡± she chided while watching the currents of mana drifting through the air. ¡°Shape it...¡± she muttered as the world dropped away. Focusing on her breathing, she let it become her world, turning her visualization outward and projecting her will out toward the sigil. Gossamer streams of power began to diverge, racing through the sigil and casting circle, causing it to glow brighter and brighter until a flash forced her to pull away from her power. A healing aura rocketed out from around her, slamming into them both. Tobias straightened, his eyes blinking wide. Riley inwardly relaxed while their health bar slammed full. ¡°You just seem to have a better instinct for this kind of thing,¡± Tobias praised. Riley could feel the regret tingeing the words, ¡°You¡¯ll get it. I might be an instinctual caster, but you¡¯re the one who really has a passion for these things. For me, it¡¯s just what I do; for you, it¡¯s who you are.¡± ¡°If we have to fight, that¡¯s just going to make things harder. I don¡¯t have time to practice, and you¡¯re still slow,¡± he replied, gripping his sword tighter. ¡°So I¡¯ll be the artillery, and you¡¯ll be the infantry,¡± Riley replied. ¡°It¡¯s a good strategy, but you¡¯re going to have to be mobile too. I doubt whatever we face is going to patiently wait for you to cast,¡± Tobias, as he spoke, set down the sword, only to don the tabard and the ward bracelet. As he slid it on, it began to shimmer, as if phasing in and out of reality, only to contract down, fitting perfectly to his frame, as the ancient ward of the Summer Knight glowed with a verdant green light. New items have been soul-bound to you. With a flash, a kite shield of ethereal energy flashed into existence over his left arm, and another roar ripped through the space. 4:30 ¡°Oh, I like this,¡± he grinned malevolently. ¡°It¡¯s perfect, really sells the look, but I suppose it¡¯s time to go, isn¡¯t it?¡± Riley swallowed hard, her nervous concern plain across their bond. Tobias nodded solemnly, the weight of fate hanging upon the both of them, ¡°Should we gather their bones? We have the astral coffin.¡± Riley paused to consider, ¡°Yes, let¡¯s take them back to Calaria and find a good resting place for them there. They deserve that much.¡± ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right,¡± Tobias held out his hand as they vanished into the astral coffin within their inventory, only to wince in pain. ¡°Ow...¡± He shook his head while the world spun. Wincing, he focused on the door, straightening on shaky legs. ¡°Come on, Riley.¡± Chapter 23: Encounter Therapy Chapter 23: Encounter Therapy Mocking, malevolent laughter made for a menacing melody as Riley and Tobias stepped into the dark. The familiar box with a red line appeared over their normal mana bar, while their ether bar remained unaffected, just as a new prompt flared to life. You have entered a realm where the Ashen School cannot function. Your ability to cast via this discipline is suppressed. As the door shut, it began to fold in on itself, pulling inward as if it were made of paper, until a glowing white cube fell to the floor, landing near Tobias¡¯ boot. A bracket appeared around it while a prompt faded in beside. Damarian Astral Cabin (Safe) 1-10, Masterwork, Rare This is a doorway to a pocket reality containing a small room for you to rest within. Be warned, a sustained magical assault can affect its cohesion, but you already know that. Its exit may also be relocated by an entity with sufficient magical ability. Tobias took it up and regarded it with a strange look of wistful regret, ¡°To think of how much was lost. My entire life, there¡¯s only been one way, one kingdom, one path; I thought I knew what magic was...¡± He trailed off, looking from the cube towards Riley, before raising his hand shakily, willing mana toward the astral space of the sword. The small box flickered, then vanished. A victorious grin spread across Tobias¡¯ face all as an arctic wind seemed to converge on them, gusting from every direction, with a mournful howl riding in chase just behind. ¡°The world is bigger than you thought it was. That¡¯s something we all learn,¡± Riley replied with a shudder, her coat fluffing up. ¡°You''d know that better than anyone, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Tobias smiled sadly, ¡°but it¡¯s more than that. The world is more colorful, it¡¯s more beautiful, there¡¯s so much more there. Magic has always been my purpose, its balance and order, and the way it suffuses and touches the universe, yet I never truly saw it. I never knew it... My greatest hope when I was at the academy was that I would have spent my life in study, and now I realize it would have all been shallow.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been shallow. It would have been different. You know I like movies,¡± Riley began as Tobias interrupted. ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡± ¡°Ok, no, duh, but there are all kinds of movies; the older ones were black and white, and the oldest ones didn¡¯t have sound, but like... they were never my thing, but some people spend their whole lives studying them. Just because the magic we know now is bigger and deeper doesn¡¯t diminish what you could have done,¡± Riley¡¯s ears twitched as she stretched, ¡°It''s getting colder.¡± Tobias nodded and looked out into the black, "It¡¯s more than that. It¡¯s more than just the magic. I feel like something¡¯s got a hold of me and is shaking me hard like it¡¯s trying to wake me up, and I¡¯m finally rousing.¡± ¡°Me too. There are parts of my life that scare me, but I can¡¯t help but feel like I¡¯m truly starting to understand who I am in all of this. Here, in Calaria, I can help, I can make a difference, we both can,¡± Riley replied. Chadrick appeared before them, much as he appeared at the academy, ¡°Do you think you¡¯ve accomplished something? Do you think you set them free? Here, all falls to the dark master''s will. Reality is his to command. His madness is the only law, filthy copper.¡± Tobias¡¯ grip on his sword tightened as his look hardened to ice. ¡°You know that¡¯s a lie. Mavora is gone, redeemed, and reunited with Utred. Maybe we could help you too? We could all help each other,¡± Riley offered like an olive branch. His face twisted, melting as he slammed his hands over his ears and screamed, ¡°Lies! Lies!¡± In a blink, Chadrick was gone. A growl echoed through the chasm like the distant peals of thunder. Fools, blinded by nobility, for a thousand years, they were my playthings. Now, you shall serve me for far longer, Riiilleeeey... ¡°Dude, if you¡¯re gonna speak my name, do it right; otherwise, keep it out of your mouth,¡± Riley sneered. Tobias shot her a look before giving her a gentle nod, ¡°What is the saying in your world? Don¡¯t feed the trolls?" ¡°But sometimes they¡¯re just asking for it,¡± Riley whined. ¡°But Chadrick wasn¡¯t?¡± Tobias said with a cockeyed smile. ¡°He¡¯s a prick, but he¡¯s also a victim. I think maybe they both are,¡± she replied. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. A rage-tinged roar hit, forcing her to duck. Paws came up over her ears as Tobias dropped his sword to cover his ears, hunkering down. ¡°There is only revenge! Only regret! You will see in time!¡± The gravelly voice bellowed. ¡°Ow, seriously, ow,¡± Riley trembled with nausea and vertigo. Shaking out her ears, she scanned around, yet there was nothing save for an infinite sea of dark spreading out from around them. Tobias, with shaking hands, grasped his sword, pulling it towards it. The glyphs set into the blade began to emit an ethereal blue glow before brightening until a vast pool of light spilled out from around them, illuminating six cobblestone paths forward, floating in the dark. You may cling to whatever dying magics you wish, but it will not save you any more than it aided them in the end. Not even death could save them from me. Choose a path; where shall we go together? What memories shall we walk in? There is no hiding from me in my realm, no way you can keep your words from me. I know all, I see all. ¡°Blah, blah blah,¡± Riley taunted. ¡°What''s that you have there, Servant? Did your grandpa sell the business in a last-ditch attempt for you to amount to anything, or did your mother hang out her shingle? I hear she¡¯s a fine lay for those with low standards at that Inn she works in¡­ It¡¯s not going to help; shiny trash is still trash.¡± Tobias took a deep breath as his rage spiked, only to flatline as he recalled memories of sitting with Riley in the forest, looking up at the stars. ¡°I know how to control my anger. It doesn¡¯t control me,¡± He said to the dark, letting out a deep breath. "Is someone there? Please, help me!" Cried a young voice that sounded as if it came from all directions. ¡°I hate reruns,¡± Riley sighed. You could not save your Granda. You could not save Zorna. You will never save the Page. Failure and death will be your only legacy. ¡°Rage is a Kraus that only knows one trick. It doesn¡¯t matter how it starts; it always ends in the same way. Feeding the flames won¡¯t extinguish them,¡± Tobias recited as if the words were a well-worn path. Another angry growl rose from the dark as if it were a wolf ready to pounce. Riley felt her fur stand on end. ¡°So it¡¯s ok when you do it?¡± Riley looked up at Tobias, scowling over their soul connection. Choose a path; Page Westphalia is waiting... New screams echoed around them like hell''s own choir. ¡°Six paths, but which one is the right one?¡± Tobias wondered. ¡°We''re looking with our eyes, but there¡¯s more than one way to see,¡± Riley replied, closing her eyes. ¡°Find the crystal, drain the crystal. If it¡¯s pulling ether, it would glow to our ether sight!¡± Tobias closed his eyes as he got the idea. The once-empty void of black space sparkled with colors as lines of mana tracing in fractal grid patterns defined its walls, and ambient particles across the color spectrum danced in between. On the horizon were a collection of bright dots, like beacons against an eternal night, but one stood out like a lighthouse. With a deep breath, Tobias took a step forward and to his left before breaking into a jog towards the brightest light. The particles coalesced, and a familiar face formed out of the particles of mana as Venosicipher spoke again. "You¡¯re running toward your death!" The disfigured face of Chadrick morphed into a rage before vanishing again. At that, Tobias broke into a run, with Riley easily keeping pace behind him. The shape of a door made out of particles of light came into view. Only oblivion waits beyond that door. You only see what I allow you to see. ¡°Was that how it happened for you, Chadrick? You believed his lies?¡± Riley challenged. A low-throated grumble like the peal of distant thunder echoed around her. He is mine now! All will fall before my rage and come to regret. ¡°No, no, we will not. There are different paths, better paths,¡± Tobias replied with pity dripping from his words. The light seemed to be just above them now, pulsing brilliantly, whiting out their spectral sight. ¡°Riley, be ready,¡± Tobias whispered over their soul connection before opening his eyes to find an ornate wooden door carved out of black wood covered in spikes that formed vine-like patterns that formed into Mythril bands bracing the wood. Slowly, Tobias rotated the ring set into the door, the mechanism released with all the dulcet tones of grinding metal, setting Riley¡¯s teeth on edge and flattening her ears. Now you die... Venosicipher taunted as the orange light of flames and a burst of withering heat washed over them. Chapter 24: The Dragon Chapter 24: The Dragon Boldly Tobias and Riley strode into what looked like a throne room decorated by a prince of hell. Rivers of lava flowed through channels that lined its walls; black glowing crystals wreathed with orange veins floated above them. Towering walls revealed three waterfalls of magmatic flow, coalescing into a pool that flowed around an obsidian throne, currently empty, before emptying into a circular pool that dominated the center of the room. Page Westphalia hung from the wall, bracketed by two lava flows, currently unconscious; half his face was blackened with soot and burns, and parts of his armor were burned away as blood dripped from his wrists down his chains only to boil on the floor as they hit the superheated stone. Hanging above the lava flow, high up towards the ceiling, suspended by taut chains, was a massive red crystal pulsing with a menacing light. Two strands of black metal chains hung down, disappearing into the pool, and strangely started to bubble as if nearing an eruption. An eerie quiet hung, like the memory of frost, drifted through the room. ¡°Where¡¯s Venosicipher? Where¡¯s the voice, the howling, the head games?¡± Riley¡¯s ears went flat as Tobias gripped his sword. ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± they said in unison, sharing a glance as the pool continued to bubble. ¡°Be ready. Can you pull, uh, the wild ether into our bracelets?¡± Tobias asked as they took cover behind a large pile of fallen blocks. ¡°I can try, but what happened here? Do you think this was all the page? Something doesn¡¯t math!¡± Riley focused, feeling the currents of magic drifting like wisps of air in the stifling hot room, contracting her paws like she was digging into the earth, her ears went crooked. An ethereal kite shield manifested over Tobias¡¯ left arm as Riley felt a cool barrier form over her like armor, sparkling blue at the edges of her vision. ¡°Built-in AC, spiffy! Winter knight ward for the win!¡± She bounced a bit on her paws, the heat no longer feeling like a distant threat beneath her paws. ¡° I¡¯m ok with the heat,¡± Tobias grinned. ¡°Says the fire mage. My money is on the bubbling pool; the baddie is going to come from there,¡± Riley indicated with her paw, peeking up over the barricade of stone. ¡°I¡¯m not taking that action. Let¡¯s not get too close to the lava; you go left, I go right. Whatever is coming, we''ll harangue it till we know how to beat it,¡± Tobias ordered tersely, focused on the fight ahead. ¡°Safety third!¡± Riley replied, dancing on her paws; even at a distance, the stones beneath her were uncomfortably warm. ¡°We need to work on our ice magic,¡± she grumped just as a massive figure erupted up out of the lava pool, wreathed in a burning aura of flame. ¡°Oh, definitely,¡± Tobias agreed, his eyes boggling wide. Long black horns swept back at a savage angle as if a demonic crown over a rigid and skeletalized face that drew out long and draconic. Razor-sharp teeth thrust down from its maw, dripping with lava. Glowing yellow orbs occupied the eye sockets like bright lanterns left in a window. Heavy obsidian scales coated its body like armor, while rigid spines grew up from the center of its back, chasing down to its long and whip-like tail, its ends glowing white hot with heat. Four-toed stocky legs ended in claws as black as sin and as sharp as any sword. A familiar box bracketed the creature as information populated their overlay. Augmented reality-Analyze Red Forest War Dragon of the Summer Court, Undead, Tormented Spirit Level 1-4, Elite, Extreme Danger Abilities: Fire, Fire Breathing, Berserk, Rapid Healing, Armored Constitution, Mana Regeneration, Poisoned Spines. Debuffs: None Beware the rage that transcends death... With a titanic roar, it pulled down on its chains, snapping them from the crystal, before charging towards Riley and Tobias. Her perception slowed; the world seemed to move in slow motion as Tobias began to break right, holding his sword out low and back like it was an extension of his arm. Moving without thinking, she was already going left. The heat of the stones beneath her paws added punctuation to every hop, as did the superheated air that moved around her ears, carrying every bit of the enraged dragon¡¯s roar. ¡°Oh, there haven¡¯t been war dragons in a thousand years, Riley,¡± She said, her words dripping with sarcasm, doing her best to imitate Tobias. ¡°It¡¯s undead! It¡¯s probably from a thousand years ago,¡± Tobias replied by projection, clinging to his bemusement as the dragon finally closed the distance, forcing Tobias to dive. A vicious swipe from its claws sent him into a desperate tuck and roll. The beast moved to stomp, but as it reared, Tobias launched on his heels, thrusting his sword, rising for a killing strike. The blade hit the obsidian scales with a loud chink, doing only superficial damage, Only for the beast to rear back while its throat glowed a magmatic orange. ¡°Get your claws off my sorcerer!¡± Riley cried, pulling ether. ¡®Pull power! Use ambient ether to power your magic!¡¯ Sparky prompted. ¡®I can do that?¡¯ Riley wondered, only to be broken from her thoughts by a deafening roar as she reached for the currents around her like a lifeline. The golden bar slammed full with power and then began to blink in warning, the power leaping to her as quickly as it did when she fed on mana. ¡®Or a soul, but this is not the time for an existential crisis¡­¡¯ ¡®Only you would talk to yourself in a time like this.¡¯ Sparky teased, the words appearing as a text bar at the bottom of her vision. Great, I¡¯ve got a discount Navi critiquing how I roll¡­ ¡®Hey!¡¯ Sparky echoed as Riley reached for her magic. Entropic Bolt They erupted from her paws like a barrage as she pulled the cast again and again, smacking the dragon in the muzzle with a flurry of chaos magic, drawing its focus and ire. With the distraction, Tobias got clear, trying to move around towards the back of the beast, only for it to viciously swing its tail. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Like a whip, it cracked the air with sounds of thunder, sending him diving yet again, this time uncontrolled. Sliding and then tumbling across the floor, he rudely smacked into the lip of a lava pool. Spines from its tail peppered the wall above him. ¡°You fools. You will never leave here! There is no hope for you now! You will share in my chains and my servitude!¡± The dragon said, their tone riddled with misery. A wailing cry rang out, drawing each of their attention as fresh blood dripped from Page Westphalia¡¯s chest, now impaled with one of the deadly projectiles. "Riley, keep up the entropic casts! It¡¯s all we¡¯ve got right now; maybe we can weaken its armor,¡± Tobias ordered, thinking strategically. "Got it! We need to hurry; the Page doesn¡¯t have much time, and healing is out until we pull the spine!¡± She replied, sending the next volley and drawing the dragon¡¯s attention. ¡°It has been a thousand years since I¡¯ve fed,¡± it intoned, its voice dripping with malevolent focus, its eyes locked in on the hare. "Dude, eat a Snickers!¡± Riley replied, already starting to move back towards her right as the beast vomited lava, blocking her path; the deadly fluid came surging towards her. Riley spun around to find the dragon¡¯s tail in motion, this time coming for her, forcing her to scramble yet again while spines whipped over their head, zipping by her long ears. A distant sting followed the smell and feel of blood running down when one clipped an edge. ¡°Sacrificed in vain hope only to be reborn in pain and chains...¡± The beast moaned. ¡°Drama queen!¡± Riley taunted, digging her claws in as best she could, scrambling across the hot stone that grew hotter while she moved for the root of the dragon¡¯s tail, speeding past its back legs while it turned its whole body, jaws snapping just inches from her paws. Reaching out to her inventory, she scattered seeds as she ran, willing mana into them. The dragon stretched open its maw, drooling lava just as the vines erupted, burning them to cinder. ¡°Hey, ugly!¡± Tobias shouted, holding his sword up in challenge. Sweat dripped from his forehead, knitting with effort, as he held up his left hand, contracting it closed to a fist, much like Riley did with her paws, willing mana into the ancient blade while Riley hopped up on Venosicpher¡¯s empty throne, crouching down below its stone armrests, panting and near panic. ¡°Get control, get control,¡± she chanted. Her eyes zeroed in on Page Westphalia, currently bleeding out. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is the right thing to do with that barb, but...¡± Pulling ether from the environment, following the same pathways of her last cast, the golden bar dipped briefly, as the spell rocketed out from around her. Celestial medic. The healing magic slammed into the page, eliciting another scream. The flesh tried to knit closed around the barb, and the burns on his face began to heal, leaving behind shiny pink scars that glistened in the dusky orange light of lava and flames. ¡°That Magic. How does Feos power still live in this corruption, how does it exist among the Ashen?¡± The dragon roared, as a look of bewilderment danced across its eyes. ¡°Tobias, look! The chains!¡± Riley called out. Instead of looking, he pulled from their side of the connection, noticing the wispy tendrils of red energy coming from the chains that hung broken from the crystal and the dragon, reaching out towards each other, forming new links as if they sought again to be whole. ¡°Interesting, but it doesn¡¯t help us, and your bolts are hardly making a dent,¡± Still, Tobias stood defiantly, willing more mana into the sword, intending to call fire to it when he noticed the glowing glyphs set into its side only to be interrupted by a powerful burst of breathed flame billowing in his direction. The dragon shook its head, as if shaking off the confusion, zeroing in on Tobias. A pall of instinctual fear, icy and cold, gripped his core, squeezing his heart. "Oh dear." Scanning to the left and right, his mind popped out piles of debris and toppled columns amidst the ruins of the throne room, seeking safety as he inched left. "That sword is not yours. I will reclaim it!" The dragon snapped its jaws, clicking its teeth, sending out thunderous booms as it talked forward, as if a cat teasing a mouse. Riley pulled hard and switched tactics, Celestial inferno White hot balls of holy fire streaked across the room from her perch upon Venosiciphier¡¯s throne, peppering the back side of the beast, ablating with a sizzling hiss. ¡°I can scent your mana, fire mage; you have no hope of defeating one of Summer¡¯s fury,¡± The dragon mocked with rumbling laughter. It stalked forward toward the Ranger, ¡°You ashen mages are stilted and shallow in your discipline. You plumb the depths of a puddle while forsaking the ocean before your eyes!¡± Tobias continues to inch closer towards a fallen column, as the Dragon stalked. ¡°I¡¯ve had about enough of you!¡± Riley cried, going for their trump card. Soul¡¯s Crucible She could feel the white-hot rage of the creature as she made the connection, and power came flooding into her, filling their charge bar, but then something unexpected began to occur. It glowed in gold and then began to flash as pain ripped through her body. Her health bar plummeted, but she couldn''t let go. Tobias faltered, the pain ripping across their connection, dropping him to his knees. With a titanic act of will, he dove, crashing rudely behind a pile of stone, contracting his hand again, pulling toward their inventory, producing a healing potion. ¡°Riley...¡± He reached for her while his health bar crept up pathetically. ''You idiot, don¡¯t feed. What part of Soul burn don¡¯t you understand!¡¯ Sparky admonished. "You dare to take from me. Your kind has already taken everything!¡± The dragon roared, rearing back on its back paws as if to spin and obliterate the throne. A white explosion emanated around Riley, blowing her across the room. "Stupid..." Riley spat, as she skipped like a hurled stone, her body beaten by rocks and unforgiving floor, before coming to a rest against the wall. Scanning around, she stumbled up on her paws, pulling herself behind a ruined column. "Really stupid... not doing that again." ¡°Little tick, do you think that one such as I could not control my magic? Fool,¡± The dragon spat lava with the words, its acids eating into the stone. ¡°Riley!¡± Tobias was already in mid-charge when the willowy wisps of red energy connected, reforging the chains and preventing the beast from dropping. It struggled, weakened by the hare¡¯s soul siphon. Their mana charge bar was still gold while Tobias shunted the power towards one particular glyph set into the sword, hoping it would work. Riley was down, smoke rising from her fur... Her paws looked burnt, blackened socks traced half way up her forelegs, but he knew they wouldn¡¯t get a better chance. The blade began to frost. The air around it condensed so that it appeared as if it were giving off steam; driving it up, it hit the tough armored scales of the dragon¡¯s body on contact. Frost spread like a creeping disease, turning them white and shattering them in contraction from the sudden cold, while Tobias kept feeding it power, seeing their charge bar drop precipitously. Thrusting the blade deeper, he continued to plow forward, opening the belly of the beast, altering his direction only to run towards Riley as orange lava spilled from its guts, eating a massive hole into the stone. Tobias¡¯ kite shield flashed into existence. He held his arm aloft, bits of lava landing and sizzling upon the ethereal barrier as it seemed to feed off the heat, growing more substantial as he charged out of danger. The chains began to pull the beast away while it moaned in pain, the light from its eyes fading. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve done. Not all of us served willingly. There is nothing more I can do, my Lady. The time is come¡­" It gasped before being pulled back into the lava pool, its flesh dissolving back to a skeleton as its tortured spirit finally fled. Chapter 25: Pulling a Lazarus Chapter 25: Pulling a Lazarus ¡°Riley,¡± Tobias struggled, pulling ether from the environment to reach for their inventory, a potion appearing in his hand. Gently, he knelt, setting it on the floor before thudding heavily against the wall and pulling Riley into his lap. ¡°You¡¯re a mess,¡± he winced. The fur was off her paws, exposing blackened digits underneath, marred and mangled, blood mixed with carbon dripped on the floor, though the wounds were mostly cauterized. ¡°You¡¯ve got to learn to think before you act, or I¡¯m going to lose you,¡± he shuddered, tilting her head and working the potion beside her teeth. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry; I¡¯ll do better,¡± she moaned, feeling the healing energies suffuse through her body. The pain ebbed, but the world still felt strangely tingly. The strange sound of flesh knitting mixed with a building itchiness that smacked into her like a wave, causing her to shoot from Tobias¡¯ lap. ¡°Still tender¡­ Ow.. ow¡­¡± She jerked and juked on forepaws rapidly healing, the carbonized fur falling out, replaced with a mottled brown and white. ¡°I feel like I licked an electrical outlet, the kind they plug clothes dryers into,¡± She stumbled left, shaking her head. ¡°Riley, go easy,¡± Tobias urged, stroking her ears back. ¡°I don''t know if the page has that kind of time,¡± moving a bit drunkenly forward, Riley moved in a wavering line toward the spot in the wall from which he hung, with Tobias close behind, all as the castle began to tremble. With a swipe of his sword, the chains broke and fell away; the unconscious page slumped into Tobias¡¯ arms. Carefully, he laid him out on the floor and pressed his fingers against his neck. ¡°He''s dead,¡± Tobias said, looking down with bewilderment, ¡°we weren''t fast enough.¡± ¡°Maybe we were... Pull out the spine,¡± Riley asked more than ordered. Tobias looked towards her with a nod and yanked out the spine. It came loose with a pop, the spines biting more into the sternum before being pulled away. ¡°He''s small for eighteen, and look at those scars,¡± Riley wondered as she set her paws over the wound on his chest and pulled ether from the environment. The sigil flashed in and out of her vision before glowing white gold underneath her, centered on the page. Sparky appeared as the sigil for Life One glowed to life underneath them. ¡°Come on,¡± Riley coaxed, pushing mana into the spell. Tobias set his hand on her back in support. Silver light suffused into Page Westphalia until his entire body began to radiate with light. ¡°You''re too young; Death can¡¯t have you yet... You deserve a life. Come on, kid! Come on!" Riley shouted. Tobias watched with awe as the wound began to close and the color began to return to his face. Suddenly, he coughed, his eyes fluttered open, staring up towards the ceiling, all as his eyes locked in on Riley while he sucked in air. "Why couldn¡¯t you have left me dead?¡± He said mournfully, setting his head down with a sigh. ¡°What?¡± Riley exclaimed, looking up at Tobias with bewilderment just as the castle began to quake. Venosimoor pitched and rolled, its walls becoming ephemeral before snapping back to full corporeality with a cacophonous bang. "Where¡¯d all the lava go?" Riley boggled. Tobias raced for the crystal, ¡°It''s coming untethered. Come on, Riley, we need to set up the crystals to fully unmoor it,¡± Page Westphalia was staring down at his hands, bewildered, tears streaming quietly down his face as he looked towards Riley with eyes full of rage. ¡°Uh, Kid, um, Page Westphalia?¡± Riley queried when another savage tremor shook the castle, sending her tumbling. Westphalia just sat there, rocking with the movement, hardly moving on his own, content to be rocked and slammed around like he was still in deep shock. "Riley! I might need you to drain this thing; the tremors keep disrupting the array!¡± She scurried towards him as he called out, only to see three large mana crystals set in a rough triangle. For a moment, they pulsed white until another tremor sent them scattering off. ¡°This is damned impossible,¡± Tobias swore. A stone came unmoored from the ceiling, falling through the air, coming right for Riley. Tobias dove, impacting her like a linebacker, tucking her close to his chest as they both tumbled and spun, smacking into a now empty lava pool. ¡°That was way too close,¡± Riley felt her fur stand on end. The tremors increased, and more stones fell, their impacts ringing out like gunshots, while the walls again turned translucent. ¡°Tobias, I think we need to go,¡± Riley prompted, trying to hold herself steady while the world pitched and rocked. ¡°But the crystal, something doesn¡¯t make sense. It¡¯s supposed to anchor the space in conjunction with the anchor monster,¡± Tobias countered while stones and dust fell like rain as he held his left arm over his head, the ethereal kite shield flashing to life, ablating stone and debris, his arm bucking down under the occasional plink of stone. "It¡¯s not just about us. We¡¯ve got to help the kid. Superhero rule number 1,¡± Riley intoned. ¡°Get the civvies out,¡± He fuzzled her ears before turning, ¡°Page Westphalia, can you move?¡± ¡°Leave me here,¡± he said, his voice a thousand miles away, seemingly unconcerned with the danger surrounding him. ¡°Page Westphalia, on your feet, and follow me!¡± Tobias bellowed, channeling Cid. Robotic routines from a lifetime of rote practice kicked in. The page stood up stiffly before saluting, falling in behind Riley and Tobias while they stumbled and ran for the door. ¡°Back to the shadow room?¡± Riley wondered. Tobias threw open the door, ¡°Unless you have any better ideas?¡± Racing in, with the page behind them, they found a large and empty stone room littered with debris. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. For a moment, they were suspended in the air, only to fall while the castle regained definition, landing on the walls; the world had gone topsy turvy as if the castle had been flipped on its side. "Is this the kitchen? Why does it have a kitchen?¡± Riley wondered; pots and pans were scattered everywhere, littered around a large central fireplace with a cooking spit set across its center. ¡°There''s all kinds of things you¡¯ll find in these places," Westphalia said, finally showing signs of life, though his voice was flat and dead. Distantly, a screaming choir drifted through the walls as the sounds of thousands of beings lost to rage echoed. Another pulse rocketed through the castle, and suddenly, all was blackness; then came the stomach-tightening sensation of falling. A strange stretching and tearing noise filled Riley¡¯s ears. The creaking gave way to a sickening bang. Riley splayed out her paws, only to smack hard into the floor, with the castle right side up. "Come on! We don¡¯t have much time!¡± Tobias urged, racing for the doors and throwing them open to find the parade ground waiting, with the portcullis bent and twisted, offering a narrow passage through. "You go first, move, move, move!¡± Tobias barked like Cid at the page, staying close on his heels, with Riley moving beside, her heart pounding with fear. Page Westphalia worked his way through the tiny opening between the portcullis in the wall, his grey cloak tearing on the spined metal as he did so. Still, he kept pushing while fear and regret danced in his eyes. "You next, I¡¯m going to zip right through,¡± Riley insisted. Tobias opened his mouth to argue and instead shrugged, sliding through with Riley close behind him, exiting out, stumbling back into Avalon. You have left Venosimoor, a hostile realm. Welcome to Avalon, a dimensional membrane that exists between Calaria and the Greater Astral. This mysterious realm forms the headwaters of the magic that powers your reality! Be warned, magic is more powerful here and has greater and more devastating effects! This is a realm of possibility more than physical law. You stand on the shores of a vast eternity. Good luck! ¡°So you survived,¡± Ranger Haley said, pushing off from a rock she had been leaning off of, ¡°And Page Westphalia, too.¡± Venosimoor vanished, contracting in on itself, leaving nothing in its wake. A com crystal appeared in her hand, ¡°Reporting successful mission. Venosimoor has been unmoored, returning for debrief.¡± "Why are you here?" Riley wondered. ¡°General Ecbert never said how we¡¯d return," Tobias observed. "We¡¯re on her route. She¡¯s been checking our location multiple times a day,¡± Westphalia explained. "And five others. You¡¯re my first successful candidates today, well, some of you at least. Gather round; I don¡¯t have all day,¡± She beckoned. Tobias and Riley shared a look before stalking forward, with Westphalia following closely behind. His shoulders drooped with a sigh. Reality warped and distorted around them. The world devolved into a blur of light and color before giving way to the most profound blackness Riley had ever known. With a pop, the world returned, existence bowing at the edges like they were trapped in a giant bubble before everything normalized, revealing a nondescript room in Castle Cinder, with six chairs lining each wall. ¡°Have a seat; the General will be with you shortly. Goodbye,¡± With a flash, she was gone. "I¡¯m going to miss her. Such a conversationalist,¡± Riley snarked. "You two are most odd," Page Westphalia remarked. He dragged himself over towards a chair and sat down in it miserably. "We¡¯re odd? You¡¯re acting like getting your get-out-of-death-free card was a curse. What¡¯s wrong? Do you want to talk about it?¡± Riley asked, hopping over towards him as Tobias sat down beside. "It was a curse. I failed. I had to be rescued. I¡¯m less than nothing now,¡± his breath shook as he stared down at the floor, bewildered. "You''re alive. Things will work out,¡± Riley spoke gently, her ears down in confusion. ¡°They''re going to fit me for a bronze torc! I¡¯ll never leave the castle, never live up to the legacy I trained for my entire life. I¡¯ll be nothing but a servant for the rest of my days. My life is over, even though you brought me back,¡± his chest heaved with rage while he launched to his feet. Tobias went white with shock, ¡°Like the Valenheim academy or Ranger Central if you fail your trial...¡± ¡°You''re a nothing,¡± Westphalia said, finishing his sentence. Tobias boggled as he felt his heart freeze like it was moored in ice while memories of some of his worst nightmares rose like specters within the dark corners of his mind. His breath caught while his mouth opened and closed, struggling to find the right words. Slowly, he rose and set his hand on the young page¡¯s shoulder, ¡°You won¡¯t be nothing to us.¡± He shrugged it off before slamming his hands into his chest and pushing Tobias away. ¡°I don¡¯t want your pity! If you wanted to help me, you¡¯d have brought me back in a coffin!¡± ¡°And to think, if you¡¯d have shown that much fire, you might have passed your trial. Page Westphalia, you have failed. You are to take this paper to the Bronze barracks and report for assignment,¡± General Ecbert said coldly, leaning against the doorpost. Westphalia stood and saluted before leaving the room with his head hung low. ¡°You two, with me,¡± Ecbert pointed to Riley and Tobias before disappearing back into his office. ¡°Honestly, sir, the kid deserves another chance. It wasn¡¯t a fair trial; we were cut off from our magic inside,¡± Tobias began without preamble while he and Riley each took a seat. ¡°You managed. He didn¡¯t. Don¡¯t be soft-hearted. The strong rule and the weak serve. Trials weed out who is who,¡± General Ecbert shrugged. ¡°There is such a thing as mitigating circumstances. If the trial wasn¡¯t a fair test...¡± Riley began. ¡°I have reached the end of my indulgence. If you want to go off and be nursemaids, then you can follow behind the failed page!¡± Ecbert roared. Tobias and Riley both stiffened. "I didn¡¯t think so, now,¡± he opened a desk drawer, rummaging through papers, pulling one out, and began writing, ¡°This is a standard requisition authorization. Report to the quartermaster when we¡¯re done, and they¡¯ll see you properly supplied.¡± He passed over the paper with all the pomp and ceremony of a career bureaucrat and then reached into another drawer, removing two crystal torcs. Tobias looked at them with disdain as Riley secreted away everything in their inventory. ¡°Now, Ranger Tobias, report,¡± Ecbert snapped. ¡°At least he¡¯s not calling us pets anymore,¡± Riley glowered over their soul connection. Tobias stood at attention and saluted, ¡°General, sir, we proceeded into Venosimoor to find our magic suppressed and Venosicipher active but not physically present, projecting via voice and controlling the castle remotely. We made our way to the throne room and destroyed the anchor monster, an undead red forest war dragon. We found Page Westphalia dead after the fight, but Riley was able to revive them with her healing abilities. The dimensional space was growing unstable, preventing us from draining the magivarum crystal.¡± ¡°Ah, you resurrected him. Well, he is a resource, I suppose. At ease, take your seat. That all sounds routine,¡± Ecbert replied with a wave of his hand. ¡°Permission to speak freely, sir?¡± Tobias asked. Ecbert looked up, considering, ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°We were unable to drain the crystal in time. I don''t like it, sir. We took down anchor monsters as black blades, and we always had to destabilize the portals with mana crystals,¡± Tobias explained. Ecbert scratched at the scar running across his face, ¡°What matters is that Venosimoor is gone. Avalon doesn¡¯t follow the rules; you completed your objective and brought back Westphalia alive. Now, is that all?" Ecbert looked at the two expectantly. ¡°With respect, sir, Venosicipher presented a major threat to the Kingdom. If this was somehow part of his plan,¡± Tobias began. ¡°Then the First Tier Rangers, you two included, will handle it. Your unease is not my concern, Ranger, now dismissed.¡± Ecbert snapped, shooing them with his hand towards the door. Chatper 26: Better Left Unsaid Chapter 26: Better Left Unsaid A featureless hallway was before them, devoid of people or signs. ¡°We really don¡¯t have any idea of where to go,¡± Riley said, looking up towards Tobias. ¡°We don¡¯t even know where we are,¡± Tobias added with a sigh, pinching the skin between his eyes. ¡°A place to sleep, a bit of tea, and a nice meal would do wonders right now,¡± he continued. Riley nodded absently as she mentally leafed through her prompts, pulling up their map. ¡°This is fundamentally unhelpful,¡± she glowered with a sigh. ¡®It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not omniscient. You¡¯ve got legs, explore!¡¯ The prompt came with an angry red background; its black words were sparking as if ready to catch flame. ¡°Geez, touchy,¡± Riley glowered. Castle Cinder was displayed, along with a purple glowing dot indicating their location, amongst a sea of black that appeared like someone had spilled ink all over her map. ¡°We know we¡¯re in the main portion of Castle Cinder at least, and there¡¯s the parade grounds, so I guess we go left?¡± Tobias shrugged. Riley nodded. ¡°It''s as good as right, better even; there¡¯s a logic to it.¡± ¡°So we should go right then?¡± Tobias looked down and grinned madly. ¡°Left, I think, follow your first instincts, boy!¡± Riely said, quoting from the ¡°Book of Cid.¡± As they walked, navigating the labyrinthine corridors, there was a curious lack of people. Iron bands that protruded from doors had fine layers of dust that covered them, along with a general silence that, mixed with the narrow walls, made the castle feel abandoned. ¡°So, are we going to talk about it? You¡¯re being far too quiet,¡± Tobias prompted Riley. ¡°And you¡¯re being far too calm. I know what you¡¯re feeling, and I know when you¡¯re masking. I also know we left a hell of a lot out of our report,¡± she challenged back. ¡°It''s nothing we haven¡¯t discussed before. We live in color, in a black and white kingdom, to borrow your metaphor. General Ecbert referred to Westphalia as a resource before dismissing our concerns. It¡¯s the same thing over and over, but every time, it surprises me,¡± as he spoke, Riley could feel the dam breaking on all he was holding back. ¡°What bothers me is that Westphalia would agree with Ecbert. That kid doesn¡¯t think he has a future left,¡± Riley followed while her ears drooped. ¡°I fear he doesn¡¯t. I know he¡¯s alive, but to Westphalia and the Kingdom, he¡¯s a failure. You know how much I feared washing out on my trials, and for good reason. A life of confinement and servitude isn¡¯t a life, Riley,¡± Tobias agreed. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "So, did I do the right thing? Was it wrong to bring him back? Was he better off... dead?¡± A chill froze Riley¡¯s soul as she forced out the words across their connection. Tobias sighed, ¡°We resolved to make better choices,¡± Riley stopped, ¡°What does that mean?¡± Inwardly, he could feel her searching, reaching for context. ¡°You chose to save him, to bring him back, and now Westphalia has a choice about how to face the life he has left. Do... Do you remember when we got drafted into the Ranger Corps?¡± Tobias asked, pausing in the empty hallway. ¡°Everyone was terrified. Me included,¡± Riley surmised. Tobias nodded, ¡°And for a few weeks, it was hell. Cid did everything he could to break us down. We saw some awful things, but we survived, we adapted, and we¡¯re still adapting,¡± ¡°You grew up,¡± Riley praised. ¡°More than that, I learned who I was, and I learned to see in color. Between you and Cid, I found the courage to question and live my own truths,¡± Tobias said before setting off again. Up ahead was a double door, arched at the top. ¡°We also learned how to lie. We didn¡¯t tell the General everything,¡± Riley prompted again. ¡°We did at that. We¡¯re already outsiders, and you saw how he reacted about the crystal. Ecbert is like every other noble and petty political sycophant in the kingdom. They care about the status quo, and Gods help you if you¡¯re outside it,¡± Tobias¡¯ anger popped, and as if on reflex, his breathing deepened. ¡°We aren¡¯t welcome, and we¡¯re never going to be welcome. He didn¡¯t even care to give us directions, and that¡¯s the way it¡¯s always been. Go here, do that, figure it out,¡± Riley brooded. ¡°Cid was and is a right bastard, but he¡¯s an honest one, and he does it because he cares. I never thought I¡¯d fit in with the Blackblades, but they turned out to be perfect for us. There was no room for politics. It was about keeping the kingdom safe because it had to be,¡± reaching the double doors, Tobias threw them open to reveal that they were three stories up. A large patio framed by crenelations looked out over the parade ground. Down below, aspiring Greyblades ran their formations and worked through obstacle courses. A perfectly blue sky, with no sun, hung over them like a backdrop in a play. ¡°Dead end,¡± Riley looked out over the training area, with all of the people moving about. ¡°In more ways than one. I wonder how many will survive to get their crystal torcs?¡± Tobias shrugged his shoulders, ¡°whatever assignment we get, we keep our heads down and our mouths shut. The Ashenrealm is on a need-to-know basis only.¡± He spat, his eyes narrowing in unmasked disdain. ¡°That''s going to be hard if we¡¯re going to be hunting Chadrick. There¡¯s going to be a lot of aristocratic involvement. Remember how hard it was for the Generals at Ranger Central to make a move?¡± Riley prompted again. ¡°He''s still of the Royal line, even if he¡¯s got Venosicipher inside of him. Maybe they¡¯ll send a first-tier team instead, and we can go... do something else? Maybe they¡¯ll just let us be forgotten in Astor Hall?¡± Tobias sighed, clinging to false hope. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s rich,¡± Riley snarked. ¡°Yeah, and more¡¯s to pity,¡± Tobias said bitterly, turning back toward the door. ¡°You know, this situation sucks, but we¡¯ve got it figured out. We know where we are going to stand and what we are going to do about it. We choose the right thing. It¡¯s that easy,¡± Riley said with shaky conviction. ¡°Which is why it¡¯s the hardest choice there is,¡± Tobias replied, stepping back through the door. Chapter 27: Humbert Chapter 27: Humbert ¡°Excuse me, a moment,¡± Tobias called out to the first person they had seen in an hour. A servant in a bronze torc and brown robes turned and bowed his head. ¡°Yes, sir?" He snapped with brisk military efficiency. "Be at ease. Do you have time to give me?" Tobias pressed as Riley watched quietly. "Blackblades? But grey cloaks? Are you authorized to be here, sir?¡± Even as he spoke, he turned pale, and his eyes grew pained, torn between separate poles of duty. "We are. We just left General Ecbert, but no one bothered to give us directions; we¡¯ve been wandering around looking for the way out. Do you have a moment to guide us?¡± Tobias continued. "You¡¯re Galdor¡¯s Chosen! Lord Tobias and Lady Riley, the ones that ascended, but why are you still in obsidian, young master?¡± The servant asked, emboldened by kindness. ¡°He looks thin and frail; he has to be what, 65?¡± Riley whispered to Tobias within their shared connection. Tobias looked down toward Riley with a surreptitious nod, ¡°I find it reminds me of where I came from. We may be Greyblades now, but that doesn¡¯t mean we know the castle.¡± ¡°It''s cute how you get all formal around the servants,¡± Riley teased, projecting to him alone. ¡®I don¡¯t want to give the old man a heart attack; he¡¯s already nervous enough without me getting too friendly. He¡¯s near shaking,¡¯ Tobias projected back. ¡°Oh, I am, sir, but I¡¯m to run this message to General Ecbert, and I¡¯m already delayed. I beg your pardon, sir,¡± he bowed again but remained stooped, his eyes searching the ground as if awaiting judgment. ¡°If you would then, run your message and then return here and take us to your barracks. There, we will inquire with your overseer about an attendant who will help us navigate the grounds. Is that acceptable?" Tobias asked, walking a fine line between formality and kindness. The servant snapped up, back to attention, ¡°Why yes, young master. That would be my honor! I¡¯ll return straight away with your leave.¡± ¡°You may, and I thank you, but may I have your name before you go?¡± Tobias smiled warmly. The servant trembled, ¡°Humbert, young master. I¡¯ll return straight away!¡± Breaking into a near run, he scurried past, hurrying down the corridor and leaving them behind. ¡°I hate how the Ashenrealm treats people,¡± Riley glowered. ¡°I''m trying to be kind, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m unnerving the poor man. Still, that could have easily been me,¡± Tobias looked down the hall that Humbert had run down and sighed. ¡°What would have happened to me?¡± Riley wondered. ¡°Well, they assumed we were bonded, so that would have kept us together, but you¡¯d have been put to work just like I would have been. The food wouldn¡¯t have been as good. Given your size, they wouldn¡¯t be able to get much in the way out of you as a draft animal...¡± Tobias trailed off, trying to puzzle it out. ¡°At least we would have still been together, and we¡¯d have gotten each other through it,¡± Riley went to press up against his legs, only for Tobias to squat down and sit against the wall, pulling Riley onto his lap. ¡°You would have been the bright spot in a dark life. It¡¯s practically that way now,¡± the young ranger let his head rest back against the stone. ¡°It''s not so bad,¡± Riley stretched out, getting comfortable, waiting for Humbert. ¡°No, it is not,¡± Tobias agreed, stroking Riley from ears to tail. There ensconced amongst the thick walls, with dust motes drifting in the light, the silence draped like a heavy blanket, and soon blackness fell upon both of them. "Young master?" Humbert¡¯s voice drifted on the blackness like light breaking over the horizon. Tobias and Riley each snapped awake, looking around, assessing for phantasmal threats. "What?" ¡°You fell asleep, sir,¡± Humbert added, bowing obsequiously. ¡°Would you believe that¡¯s the second time that¡¯s happened to me in as many days?¡± Tobias smiled with a yawn. ¡°It''s not like we¡¯ve been able to sleep,¡± Riley added, finally breaking her silence. ¡°It''s an honor to greet you, Lady Riley,¡± Humbert rose only to bow again. ¡°Dude, smoke ¡¯em if you¡¯ve got ¡¯em; we¡¯re all friends here,¡± she said casually. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Humbert looked at her confused, stammering, ¡°Uh... Honored Ma¡¯am," Riley slid off of Tobias'' lap and sat up on her hindpaws. ¡°May I ask you to stoop down? Come close?¡± Tobias eyed her with a mischievous grin. ¡°Like this, ma¡¯am?¡± He stooped down, coming eye to eye with the hare. ¡°Meep,¡± Riley gently tapped his nose with her forepaw. Humbert startled back. ¡°It is a greeting among my people,¡± Riley bluffed as Tobias held back a chuckle. Humbert rubbed at his nose and straightened, his back popping as he did so, ¡°Uh, honored, my Lady.¡± He bowed as Tobias and Riley shared a look. ¡°Your business is concluded? You¡¯re free to escort us?¡± Tobias asked. "Oh yes, sir, this way. It¡¯s a bit of a walk, but everything in this castle is,¡± he chuckled to himself, offering his hand to help Tobias up. ¡°Why''s it so empty in here anyway?¡± Riley prompted as Humbert took the lead, turning left then right in quick succession. ¡°Every corridor looks identical. I don¡¯t know how you do it,¡± Tobias continued. ¡°Well, it¡¯s so empty because it¡¯s vast, my Lady. The Towers go up hundreds of flights, and their upper levels haven¡¯t been visited in centuries,¡± Humbert explained, like an impromptu tour guide. ¡°Centuries?¡± Riley and Tobias said in unison. ¡°Aye, centuries, and it¡¯s a lot of stairs to climb. Of course, the Avamari had a magical means, but the method of its powering has been lost,¡± he continued, arriving at a staircase. ¡°So it was Avamari built?¡± Tobias asked as Humbert led them down. ¡°Aye, the Ghostlight tower you see from the outside is actually atop a false peak. The grounds of Castle Cinder lurk behind it, like a ranger saluting with his sword,¡± Humbert¡¯s shoulders eased as he began gesticulating with his right hand. Riley¡¯s ears perked up, ¡°You know a lot about this place.¡± ¡°Well, all first-tier¡¯s outside the aristocracy are raised here on the grounds. It¡¯s all I know. Of course, I failed my trial almost fifty years ago, but I made the long walk and eventually found peace with my failure,¡± he sighed. ¡°The Long Walk?¡± Tobias prompted. ¡°Oh, in a way, we¡¯re upon it now, my Lord and Lady. All failed pages must make their way to the Bronze Barracks alone. Once there, they hand over their weapons and kit. They must go straight there; that is tradition, that is the way, but until they arrive, they may still choose to die as aspirant rangers if they wish. There is honor in death, after all,¡± Riley¡¯s blood froze as he spoke. ¡°You don¡¯t mean... Oh no..." A sickly panic worked through her like an illness, leaving her paws feeling weak as she looked up at Tobias. "How much further?" Tobias asked, his words dripping with urgency. ¡°It takes about a half hour from here, but we can run? I¡¯m accustomed to it,¡± Humbert stopped and smiled as they reached the bottom, five levels down from where they¡¯d been. The smells of damp earth drifted in the air, and the quiet closeness of a deep basement level. "He could be anywhere... He¡¯d already had enough time to be gone,¡± Riley¡¯s ears drooped. ¡°Please forgive an old servant if I¡¯m speaking out of term, but if I may venture to ask... a friend of yours failed their trial?¡± Humbert asked, quickening his pace all the while as if to stave off potential punishment. "Page Westphalia. We rescued him out of Venoismoor,¡± Riley mentioned. Humbert stopped and turned around with sadness in his eyes. ¡°No, how can you know for sure?¡± Riley whimpered. ¡°I helped move his body not an hour ago, my Lady; it¡¯s what I was reporting to Ecbert. I beg your pardon, Ma¡¯am, but he¡¯s gone,¡± Humbert stiffened, bowing his head and squaring his shoulders. ¡°What kind of world is this? He was eighteen! He deserved a life!" Riley railed. Humbert went down on his knees, pressing his head to the floor, ¡°I beg your pardon, my Lady. I spoke out of turn. I should not have given you such news.¡± Riley, still quivering in grief and rage, set a paw on his shoulder, ¡°No... You¡¯re a person, Humbert, and so was Westphalia. You matter to me. You aren¡¯t just things. Why can¡¯t you understand that? Why can¡¯t you understand that you matter?¡± Humbert looked up at her, confused. ¡°My only redemption is being of use, ma¡¯am. All those who do not take the dagger know they owe a debt for their life. We have no worth, so we earn it in service.¡± ¡°You''re wrong,¡± her voice shook, quaking with a bubbling rage. ¡°Riley..." Tobias prompted. ¡°No, he¡¯s a person, so he matters. Westphalia mattered. What kind of fucked up world doesn¡¯t see that? Why couldn¡¯t he see that? He was just a kid." She whimpered. ¡°Lady Riley, I don¡¯t understand your ways, but if I may, let me say I¡¯m grateful for your kind heart,¡± Humbert said, looking up with tears in his eyes. ¡°It''s just what was right, and it still wasn¡¯t enough,¡± She replied, her voice dripping with sadness. Chapter 28: Armor Up Chapter 28: Armor Up Riley peered around nervously from her perch on top of the table, centered upon what appeared to be a piece of butcher paper. There was nothing to see but four grey stone walls and a simple wooden door that she had seen hundreds of times by now within Castle Cinder. ¡°You¡¯re ok,¡± Tobias was standing on a large stool beside her, set center in the room, stripped down to his shorts. ¡°I¡¯ve had nightmares about the vet¡¯s office that start like this. Glass tubes inserted into uncomfortable places. No, thank you,¡± she shuddered involuntarily as Humbert stood, with his back turned to both of them, staring at a corner like it was the most interesting thing in the world. ¡°You were never a hare in that life, and in this one, no vets. I doubt they¡¯ll need to get that personal to measure you for armor,¡± Tobias mused. The room was warm, owing to the forge works burning in the sub-basement bellows below, and even on the third floor, the distant sound of banging vibrated through the stone like distant thunder. ¡°Tell that to my subconscious. Everything is muddled about those times. Though tonight, I¡¯m certain there will be new and shiny nightmares,¡± she sighed, stretching out, careful to keep her claws off the pristine white sheet. ¡°Page Westphalia?¡± Tobias asked as Humbert continued to rock and amuse himself, gazing at the solid stone. ¡°I¡¯m angry and sad. Why was I able to bring him back if he was just going to die hours later? It seems cruel. He lived long enough to know that he failed, and that¡¯s what killed him, just as surely as the spines did the first time,¡± Riley¡¯s ears drooped involuntarily as her soul felt like it was being ground into broken glass. Anger percolated up through the pain. The injustices of Calaria and the Kingdom of Ashes loomed as large in her mind as Venosicipher. ¡°He made a choice like we made a choice. You remember what Mavora said about currents. He decided he wanted to be done with the river, and the Weavers, or the Gods, or whatever makes that call, decided to oblige him. I wish his spirit well. He was braver than he realized,¡± Tobias¡¯ words echoed over, tinged with sadness like music in a minor key. ¡°How does that even work? We met the Abottess of Linnan Ealdre, so you have a God of Death, but does he forward on some souls and recycle others? What does your faith teach about the souls that die?¡± Riley asked. There had been no tunnel of light for her or visions of lost loved ones. There was only waking up with a vague memory of having had thumbs and a large black wolf telling her to ¡®be not afraid.¡¯ Any landing you can walk away from is a good one... she mused as Tobias¡¯ mouth ticked up into a grin they could both feel. ¡°What is taking so long?¡± Tobias looked towards the door, his eyes narrowing with suspicion, before looking back towards Riley. ¡°I don¡¯t really know if what I was taught even matters anymore after Utred and Mavora, not to mention you.¡± As Tobias spoke, a massive wave of confusion and worry slammed into her from his side of their bond. ¡°Questioning the Gods again? Are you ok?¡± Riley asked, forgetting her own troubles for the moment. As the wave crashed, a deeper peace was left behind. ¡°Strangely, yes, I know the Gods are real, Riley, but it¡¯s bigger. It¡¯s like magic is now. There was more than I could have imagined, more than I was taught there ever could be which makes me feel better about Westphalia,¡± Tobias reached out his hand and set them behind her ears. "That helps. I hadn¡¯t thought about it that way. It¡¯s like, it¡¯s big enough now that there¡¯s hope for everyone. I hope he¡¯ll be happier wherever he¡¯s gone,¡± Riley breathed a little easier while she still felt the wound. ¡°Humbert,¡± Tobias prompted, speaking aloud for the first time in minutes. The old man spun around on his heels, tilting his head down and gazing at the floor. ¡°Yes, M¡¯lord, how may I serve?¡± He said, with practiced, almost robotic obedience. "Relax. Since I¡¯m in my underclothes, I was wondering if you¡¯d be willing to check what¡¯s taking so long. They¡¯ve had us standing here for almost an hour,¡± Tobias asked. ¡°Of course, could I fetch you a blanket, sir?¡± Humbert never looked up but seemed to be trying to make himself appear even smaller. "It¡¯s plenty warm in here. I¡¯m fine, just wondering at the delay,¡± he smiled as Humbert began nodding and bowing. ¡°I''ll be just a moment, sir,¡± the old man dashed out of the room, turning down the hall the way they had come. ¡°I wish we could get it through his head that he can chill the hell out,¡± Riley glowered. There it was, the multiplying injustices of Calaria, ever on the attack. Humbert was a nice old man who acted like a beaten dog. ¡°That''s probably because he has been beaten like a kraus,¡± Tobias observed. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Riley¡¯s back left hindpaw began to thump with her building rage. "Not helping." Tobias held up his hands, ¡°I''m just saying he learned to be that way around rangers for a reason. One exception does not make up for a lifetime of lived experience.¡± ¡°I hate it when you get that cool logical tone, and it¡¯s even worse when I know you¡¯re right,¡± Riley flopped down on the sheet and huffed, ¡°this suuuucccks...¡± Tobias finally sat down on the stool. "I admit, I miss Calaria. I miss something other than sterile rooms. There are no windows, one door, nothing on the walls. Everything in this place feels like some kind of cell. Avalon feels like some kind of strange cell.¡± ¡°There''s no humanity to the place at all, no consideration for anything but function. You¡¯d think that¡¯d mean efficiency, but apparently not,¡± Riley grumbled as the lousy mood traveled like a viral infection between them. ¡°No humanity...The does kind of say it all; it balances the books, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Tobias grew thoughtful, gazing off towards the middle distance. ¡°I suppose it does, huh...¡± Riley echoed as the distant sounds of the forge filled the lingering silence in the room. A gentle knock echoed in strange syncope to the distant thundering as Humbert re-entered with two others behind him. One was a ranger who was built like she was carved out of steel, standing six foot three inches in height. Close-cropped black hair clung to her head like a helmet; broad shoulders held up bulky but perfectly defined muscles and legs. A grey crystal torc was around her neck, but she wore no cloak and carried no sword. Instead, a hammer hung from a broad leather belt that braced her back and acted like a border between a short skirt that billowed down to her knees. Thick black boots covered her calves with heavy steel clasps instead of laces. ¡°I am Ranger Edith. Apologies for keeping you waiting. Aesc, take his measurements while I see to Lady Riley,¡± she ordered, coming straight to business. ¡°Please, sir, hold out your arms parallel to your shoulders,¡± Aesc asked deferentially. "I''ve already gotten my chest piece," Tobias mentioned. "Does it fit well?" Edith''s tone was crisp and efficient, as if they had no room for anything but their task. "I''ve no complaints," Tobias replied. ¡°Then that will make this process quicker. Still, I should fit you for the rest of it,¡± he was small, at five foot five inches, and his head was shaved bald. Brown robes identical to Humbert¡¯s hung loosely from his almost skeletal frame. Beady black eyes peered out with a lurking intelligence hiding behind the bushes of pure terror. Riley pulled herself up on all fours, ¡°Busy day at the forge?¡± ¡°It always is for me. I am one of the few artisans that specializes in companion armor. You are of a rare number within our ranks. Now, starting with your left front leg, set down your paw and splay your toes,¡± Edith said. She drew out some charcoal whittled and shaped to that of a small spear, then a caliper and measuring tape from a pocket on her skirt. ¡°I can try; they aren¡¯t as flexible as your fingers,¡± Riley replied, doing her best. ¡°No thumb or grasping digit,¡± Edith remarked, making a careful trace, then raising her paw to take measurements, writing the numbers beside her on the sheet. ¡°Yep, no thumbs,¡± she sighed, watching Edith work, " So you say we¡¯re rare? Why¡¯s that?¡± Riley wondered as the artificer repeated the process with her right front paw before moving to the back. ¡°Opportunity and necessity mainly, I¡¯d say. We all grew up here at Castle Cinder. There isn¡¯t much chance to meet magical creatures like yourself. Only humans are actively recruited, so the first-tier animals that join our ranks are rare. The ones that do, normally are assigned to support casters, like healers,¡± Edith continued her work, moving around Riley before stepping back, eyeing her with one hand tucked under her chin, before measuring around her neck and across her muzzle. ¡°She thinks I¡¯m magical,¡± she whispered to Tobias with a giggle as her nose twitched, filling with the smells of oil and smoke from the forge. Edith and Aesc were soaked in it, hiding almost all traces of scent. ¡°Riley, you are magical. You always have been,¡± he replied. Her ears went up in surprise, causing Edith to cock an eyebrow, ¡°I''ve got some ideas, though it will take me a few days.¡± ¡°M''Lady Edith?" Humbert stammered. "Yes?" She replied in a brusque, efficient manner. ¡°They''ve just cleared their trials,¡± Humbert reported with a bow. No humanity... Riley thought, watching the exchange. ¡°There should be time then. Aesc, do you have his measurements?" She asked. "I do. His are pretty standard, Ma¡¯am. I¡¯ll be able to pull from stock,¡± Aesc replied, never looking up from the floor. "Very well. Aesc, see to your duties. I¡¯ll leave you two to get dressed. I¡¯ll send a runner when all is complete,¡± Not waiting for a reply, Lady Edith turned and left, with Aesc moving after her. Chapter 29: General, Sir! Chapter 29: General Sir! Riley luxuriated in the feeling of having had a full night¡¯s sleep. With a stretch, she yawned and scanned around. Like much of the castle she had seen, their room was spartan. No art adorned the walls, nor was there any hint of paint or color. The grey slab floors were the same color as the grey slab walls and grey slab ceilings. Their bed had a predictably grey blanket with a mattress that felt as if it were stuffed with straw, which suited her fine. Before the foot of the bed was a rough-hewn chest, and to her right was a window that looked out on other tenement-style buildings, offering no real view of the parade grounds or the world below. ¡°But at least we have a window this time, three in fact,¡± she said to herself. Tobias was busy in the next room, working through his sword forms and going through a type of moving meditation. She could feel each swipe and jab through their connection. Form 1, Form 2, Form 3.... It was his favorite way to start the day, which inspired her to seek her calm. Hopping off the bed and working herself into a convenient corner, she sat up on her hindpaws, folding her forepaws into an inverted V before closing her eyes. Breathe in, breathe out, don¡¯t control, watch... She whispered within before finding her rhythm as her world quieted. Thoughts bubbled to the surface, no humanity, Westphalia, but she let them float by like flotsam on a river. Particles began to light within her inner vision, slowly at first, until she had a picture of the space around her made out of dancing motes of light and interwoven bands of various colors forming walls and furniture. Out in the distance, a fierce light glowed like a lighthouse, pulling bands of ether, twisting into gossamer helices streaming toward it. The Ghostlight Tower! How can the world be so beautiful and so ugly at the same time? The question stuck in her mental river, forcing her to refocus. Some questions just didn¡¯t seem to have an answer... Distantly, she felt Tobias finish his sword practice, and then, a closeness drew her focus. With building curiosity, she opened her eyes only to see Tobias sitting across from her, legs crossed and hands draped over his knees, sitting on their bedroll. His eyes opened in concert with hers as a smile chased across his face, ¡°Good morning.¡± The sound of his actual voice felt startling as his lips moved. Still, her ears flattened as she cocked her head and projected her words, ¡°Good morning. How was practice?¡± ¡°Centering, yours?¡± He replied, stretching. ¡°Centering,¡± Riley echoed with a nod, ¡°The same things as always bubbled up, though.¡± ¡°We should check in with Sparky. It¡¯s been a few days, and the prompts have been quiet,¡± Tobias'' eyes were serious as he focused in on Riley. ¡°She has been quiet,¡± Riley admitted, looking up for prompts, noticing for the first time there hadn¡¯t been any. The wisp form of her construct appeared in their shared vision, ''It''s been chill, and these things will keep. You¡¯re still recovering from the soul burn.'' ¡°Is that all it is?¡± Tobias prompted as Riley¡¯s unease tossed her stomach into somersaults. ''You two are also hella reckless. I don¡¯t want you to kill yourselves because you got a cool new power,'' Sparky replied, blinking blue, which felt to Riley like concern. ¡°We got a cool new power?¡± She asked, offering the question like an olive branch. ''No. Your growth is hampered by that shard you absorbed. What part of ¡®your souls have undergone serious trauma¡¯ is a hard concept to grasp?'' Sparky admonished. ¡°How bad is bad? We don''t we have a timer, or anything. Could this be permanent? ¡± Tobias worried. ''''You''ll be fine if you let yourselves heal. Try to avoid any more fights with dragons, and if you do, pull from the ether, not your selves. Now let a girl rest. I''m enjoying the quiet.'' Sparky began to fade, almost as if dematerializing, only for a timer to appear. "She''s definitely got your sass down," Tobias grinned. "Totally," Riley glowered within. Their eyes both ticked up toward the health bar in their overlay, in perfect mimicry of the other. Soul Burn: Estimated time to full healing is 48hr 32min. ''Ciao for now!'' Sparky replied, her voice drifting like a ghostly echo across their shared connection. "You''re still uncomf...¡± Tobias began. ¡°It''s a hard dynamic for me to come to terms with, but I¡¯m trying. I was nice!¡± Riley interrupted, taking the defensive. ¡°You were trying, but that might be why she¡¯s being so quiet. Same thing as with that old debuff, Prompt Brevity,¡± Tobias pushed. ¡°I know,¡± Riley looked down, feeling lost, ¡°But I¡¯m getting more ok with it. There¡¯s just a lot of changes in my world right now, and that¡¯s kinda saying a lot.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve been thinking about Westphalia a lot,¡± Tobias added. ¡°Yeah, and how badly the bronze are treated, and well, people in general here. I¡¯ve got all this power, but I still feel powerless. It¡¯s weird, and I don¡¯t like it,¡± Riley¡¯s ears drooped. ¡°I don¡¯t like it either, but we do the best we can. We might have power, but we don¡¯t have a lot of opportunity,¡± Tobias countered. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°There you go, being all cool and logical,¡± Riley grumped. Tobias threw up his hands, ¡°Saving the kingdom is one thing. Saving the world is another.¡± Riley grumbled and decided to change the subject. ¡°So, breakfast? You¡¯re still too skinny.¡± She pointed a paw towards visible ribs and a muscled yet bony physique that was usually hidden by his armor. Tobias shrugged, ¡°You live off fruit, and I live off jerky. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re plump. Though Gods know how you avoid it,¡± Teasingly, he poked her in the ribs. Riley swatted his hands, ¡°Turns out terror and running for your life is good cardio.¡± Tobias patted his empty stomach, ¡°When Humbert drops by, maybe he can direct us to a tavern on the grounds? I miss the Hidden Blade. They loaded you down for a few coppers.¡± ¡°And free refills on your tea,¡± Riley prompted. ¡°Yeah, it was nice,¡± Tobias looked out of the one window in their bedroom to be rewarded with a lovely view of the wall of the building next door. ¡°I doubt there¡¯s anything like that here. This place would give the Spartans a run for their money,¡± Riley stretched. ¡°But they still have to feed people,¡± Tobias countered, producing two spears of tenganut and offering one out to Riley. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, taking it between her front paws and nibbling it down, ¡°You have a point. Maybe they have a cafeteria where they dispense nutrient paste or something.¡± She felt him reach hard for her side of the connection before chuckling, ¡°Maybe.¡± A distant knock echoed off the spartan walls, causing Tobias to produce his pocket watch from his inventory. His brow furrowed, ¡°If that¡¯s Humbert, he¡¯s early.¡± Sending away his pocket watch, he pulled an undershirt next and worked it on as Riley followed him into the main room before stopping, keeping herself out of sightline for the door. Tobias looked back towards her and nodded before opening it slowly. ¡°General Ecbert, sir,¡± Tobias stood at attention before turning to stand beside the door, allowing him in. He strode in, eyes darting towards Riley as he took up the center of the room, ¡°It smells like a training room in here.¡± ¡°I was just going over my sword forms, sir,¡± Tobias explained, shutting the door. ¡°Diligence is a good practice. What¡¯s your status? Are you fully equipped?¡± He rubbed at his chin, much the same way Tobias did. ¡°We¡¯re waiting on my armor. It¡¯s a custom job,¡± Riley explained, doing her best to imitate attention, sitting up stiffly on her hind paws. ¡°That would be Ranger Edith¡¯s domain then. Time frame?¡± He asked as if strategizing. ¡°Three days,¡± they both said in unison. ¡°Understood,¡± He produced a folded and sealed piece of paper and set it down on their table, ¡°I have your orders. You¡¯re to be detailed back to Calaria and serve out of the capital. You¡¯ll receive the normal payment of a gold each month, plus any bounties on whatever monsters you take down. Your primary mission will remain unchanged. The Strongest of All wants you hunting Chadrick, so that is what you will be doing. You¡¯ll meet with your direct report later this afternoon. We¡¯re bringing him in.¡± ¡°Permission to speak, sir?¡± Tobias asked. Ecbert seemed to chew on the question before spitting out, ¡°Proceed.¡± Taking out a chair from the table, he sat it against the wall before sitting down in it. ¡°Most likely our hunt will involve travel and other expenses. We may have need of the dragon service. May I ask how that¡¯s handled, sir?¡± Tobias asked. ¡°Your official orders also come with a requisition authorization with the royal seal. You¡¯ll be able to billet in any barracks in the land and supply out of local stores. Use a tavern or inn at your discretion, and reasonable expenses will be considered and reimbursed,¡± There was a strange glint in his eye as he spoke, a lurking yet gleeful menace. ¡®He¡¯s gone from asshole to officer robot,¡¯ Riley noted over their shared connection. ¡°And we¡¯re being exiled. We always knew we were going to be on the hunt, but he¡¯s cutting us out. We¡¯re being specially detailed. I think we¡¯re being managed,¡± Tobias whispered back to her alone. ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± he finally said aloud. ¡°Uh, General, may I speak?¡± Riley asked, holding up her paw. ¡°It¡¯s General, sir,¡± he glowered, his eyes narrowing with a familiar hate. ¡°Sorry, uh... General, sir, may I...¡± she began. ¡°Spit it out,¡± He snapped. ¡°Can we take Humbert? We can house him in Astor Hall, and if we give him a Com Crystal, he can act as a liaison. You¡¯d almost never have to see us,¡± Riley offered like an olive branch. ¡°And there you go, trying to save the world again,¡± Tobias mused between them. Ecbert¡¯s eyes lit up before rubbing at his chin again, ¡°I will allow it.¡± ¡°Thanks, General, sir,¡± Riley slowed down those two particular words as if making sure they were heard. Ecbert frowned. ¡°That will be all,¡± He stiffened as he stood and went to make his way out. ¡°Just one more question, General, sir,¡± Tobias prompted. ¡°Be quick about it!¡± Ecbert snapped as if his magnanimity was on a time limit. ¡°With all due respect, we weren¡¯t raised here, nor do we know the grounds. How will we be returning to the castle? Should we make our way back to the portal we came through?¡± Tobias asked. ¡°You¡¯ll deploy from here. I will escort you myself in three days as I have business in the Ashenrealm. Be ready,¡± Ecbert snarled before storming out. ¡°He really hates us, but he¡¯s trying to hide it,¡± Riley said, her worry strumming between the two of them. ¡°He does, and that worries me, but at least we¡¯re going home,¡± Tobias said, reaching for the bright side. Striding over to the table, he broke the seal and began scanning over their official orders. His eyes went wide, ¡°Riley, these orders come directly from the throne, the Strongest of All, not the General.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why he¡¯s pissed. They¡¯re riding roughshod over him,¡± Riley¡¯s ears perked as she put it together. ¡°And that¡¯s probably just for starters, more politics,¡± Tobias agreed as he read through it all again.