It was going to be an important day. Ivolethe felt it, just like she felt the rays of the sun warm her frozen body slightly. She could sense\u2026there were no words for what she sensed. The English language had no words for it, because Humans had only five senses, and perhaps a few others that were more instinctual and sometimes slightly magical.<\/p>\n
A proper comparative would be that Ivolethe tasted the sense of foreboding and premonition on the air and felt d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu creeping over her while she simultaneously smelled, heard, and thought of all these sensations as well. It was the feeling of destiny, of fate.<\/p>\n
Contrary to what Ryoka Griffin feared, Frost Faeries could not in fact tell the future. They could, however, predict the future, but that was a skill most beings had. Humans could do it. Less well than the fae, but they could<\/em> do it.<\/p>\n It was easy. Show a Human an apple and most would agree that it would fall when dropped. Some might suspect the apple would explode, defy gravity, or commit to some other miraculous feat, but insanity lurks within all species. By and large, Humans could predict the future in simple ways like this.<\/p>\n They could see the apple and know it would fall. However, Ivolethe and her kind were different. The fae could see the apple and know what would happen if it was caught, what would happen if it landed, and what would happen if an arrow shot it out of the air during an archery competition.<\/p>\n They could predict what would happen after<\/em> the apple fell, but they couldn\u2019t see the whole of the apple\u2019s fate. Just more of it than most. Where mortals saw only the road in front of them, faeries could see the crossroads.<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t mean they knew everything. But Ivolethe could see strands of destiny weaving and changing each other. She could sense\u2026peculiarities and moments in time that mattered.<\/p>\n And today, a lot<\/em> of these threads were coming together. So many, and the ones that were already moving were pulling the rest. Because of course, destiny was connected. How could it not be?<\/p>\n So today would be momentous for many people in this small part of the world. It would be special. Ivolethe didn\u2019t question the coincidence that pulled together so many events at once; she sometimes thought that reality liked such things. Special things should be special.<\/p>\n It could have been the work of a god as well, of course. Immortal beings were all about important days and destiny. But in this world, such an occurrence would be impossible. Ivolethe knew this. The gods were dead. And they had better stay that way.<\/p>\n The Frost Faerie sighed as the sun rose a bit. She could hear a Gnoll child flopping around her room, waking up to the smell of food as she ran over a young woman\u2019s face. Ryoka Griffin groaned and Ivolethe smiled and flew away from Ryoka\u2019s windowsill.<\/p>\n Today was going to be important. She flew into the Wandering Inn\u2019s kitchen and stole a huge sausage link and some garlic. Even faeries liked something to eat while watching.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ryoka knew it was going to be a bad day when she woke up. She opened her eyes and knew something was wrong.<\/p>\n There was nothing supernatural about this premonition. Ryoka had lived through too many days like this not to remember.<\/p>\n It was the feeling of things going wrong. It was the sensation in her mind of the sun going out. On days like this, Ryoka couldn\u2019t help but feel angry and unhappy.<\/p>\n It had been a while since she felt like this. Back home, on Earth, Ryoka could go for months without days like this. Other times it was a never-ending week of bad days. And oddly, it always felt like the world seemed to agree with Ryoka\u2019s mood.<\/p>\n There was a large, brown beetle with a speckled exoskeleton crawling on her toothbrush. Ryoka stared at it for a long time as it crawled over the fine bristles and investigated the insides of her runner\u2019s backpack. It was a fitting start to her morning.<\/p>\n She flicked the beetle off her brush and then tossed it out of the window. Then the Asian girl determinedly spread the foul toothpaste\u2014a blend of sage, salt, pepper and other herbs Octavia mixed up and sold in small jars\u2014and brushed her teeth with her toothbrush.<\/p>\n She took extra-long to brush her teeth just to show the damn beetle what was what. Then Ryoka remembered she hadn\u2019t had breakfast.<\/p>\n \u201cFuck.\u201d<\/p>\n She made her way downstairs, trying not to scowl that openly. But her mood had followed her. It lived in her mind. It was a blackness creeping in her thoughts.<\/p>\n \u201cGood morning, Ryoka! Would you like some pancakes? They\u2019re hot and we have honey!\u201d<\/p>\n A smiling Lyonette greeted Ryoka. The tall girl grunted at her. The little devil sitting on her shoulder made her shake her head. Just to be contrary.<\/p>\n \u201cNo pancakes. I\u2019ll have the cinnamon muffins Erin made a few days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh? Sure! I\u2019ll heat them up. It\u2019ll be a moment. And you want\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMilk. Thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n That was the thing about Erin\u2019s inn. Ryoka could order a steak Erin had seared to perfection five days ago and have it fresh and hot in moments. The hot, warm muffins with a side of honey and milk made the clouds around Ryoka lift for a bit. Then Lyonette came back and showed her Apista.<\/p>\n Ryoka recoiled in her chair as she came face to face with two black, fragmented eyes and a massive, furry insect\u2019s head. She backed up and realized it was only massive for a bee. Apista the bee was a bee twice the size of Ryoka\u2019s hand, clinging quietly to Lyonette\u2019s arm and fanning its wings.<\/p>\n \u201cIsn\u2019t she amazing? I have a lesser bond with her, and she listens to everything I say!\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette beamed as if a bug crawling on her shirt was something to be proud of. Ryoka took one look at the bee and decided to ask Octavia about what kind of poisons she sold. Preferably powders. A nice can of Raid would be acceptable too.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay. Good. Please get it away from me.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette did, looking somewhat hurt. However, the sight of the giant bee crawling over her arm was frightening enough at a distance, let alone up close. Ryoka eyed the bee\u2019s stinger.<\/p>\n \u201cIt looks like a queen bee. Are you trying to start a hive or something?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2014it\u2019s just a pet. I really didn\u2019t want to keep it at first but\u2026it grew on me, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see. Can you take it somewhere else while I eat? I don\u2019t usually share my meals with insects.\u201d<\/p>\n After Apista was gone, Ryoka looked around and found Mrsha was busy harassing Zel Shivertail before he left the inn. He was always in the city doing something. The Gnoll was trying to pin down his tail and having no luck. Zel could lift Mrsha\u2019s entire body up with his muscular tail. For some reason, seeing Mrsha enjoying herself with someone else annoyed Ryoka.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019d just annoy you if she was here. Think, idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka smacked herself in the head. That was the thing. She could tell when her mood was bad and she did try to account for it. Well, she tried in this world.<\/p>\n But while Ryoka could tell what was coming, she could never realize when the snap was coming, when the bile rose up and came out of her mouth. When Lyonette gave her a muffin sans bee, Ryoka glanced around to look where it had gone. Apista was calmly eating from a bowl on a table, watched warily by some of the regular customers and hungrily by Bird.<\/p>\n That was another thing. Bird was now a permanent fixture in Erin\u2019s inn. He didn\u2019t say much and sat on the roof where the third floor and new wing were slowly being constructed. But there were also several Drakes and Gnolls who had decided Erin\u2019s inn was a good place to have breakfast.<\/p>\n Right now Ryoka didn\u2019t want any company. She unsubtly glared at a Drake who was sitting across from her table, eying the Ashfire Bee queen warily. And meanwhile, Erin had just edged out of the kitchen carrying a pot that was shaking of its own volition. Ryoka stared at it. Lyonette coughed.<\/p>\n \u201cUm, Ryoka? Are you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAwesome. Great. What the hell\u2019s in the pot?\u201d<\/p>\n There was something disturbing about Erin. It was that when you got to know her, the innkeeper of the Wandering Inn never did normal things. In any other person, Ryoka might have assumed the small pot with the shaking lid was\u2026something explainable. With Erin, Ryoka immediately suspected the worst.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a, uh, slime.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA what.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA slime. Remember when Erin was talking about healing slimes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n As it turned out, Ryoka was one of the few people Erin hadn\u2019t<\/em> told about her idea to make a slime out of a healing potion. Lyonette told Ryoka how she\u2019d cajoled Typhenous and Octavia into helping her create one.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd they did it? They went along with that insane idiot\u2019s\u2014just like that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not hard, apparently. It\u2019s just a mana stone and a bit of existing slime. Apparently they can create themselves. Erin made one out of water to see if it would work first.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat stupid\u2014Erin!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Erin came over, beaming and holding the small pot. She opened her mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cHey Ryoka, guess what\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA slime. Why the hell did you do it, Erin?\u201d<\/p>\n The other girl looked put out. She stared at Lyonette, who mimed an apology and scooted away to help Drassi wait the tables. Erin put the pot down on the table and took off the lid. Ryoka had a glimpse of a mostly transparent blob slowly rising from the pot, questing around with part of itself. She slammed the lid down.<\/p>\n \u201cAw! Ryoka!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you insane? Why do you think creating a monster is a good idea?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll be cool! Lyonette has a pet, so I thought I could get one. Besides, did you hear about my idea to make healing slimes? We could feed it water and mana and get infinite healing potions!\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka ground her teeth together.<\/p>\n \u201cErin, no.<\/em> This is exactly like the Rags situation. And Toren! Haven\u2019t you learned anything from the past?\u201d<\/p>\n At that, Erin\u2019s smile vanished.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean? This isn\u2019t\u2014Rags was cool.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe started her own tribe and started ambushing travelers on the road, Erin. She nearly killed me<\/em> the first time I met her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but\u2014she\u2019s innocent, Ryoka. And she\u2019s smart. She\u2019s not like Toren at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka let that go for the moment. She scowled at Erin. This conversation had been a long time coming. Why did it have to be today it happened?<\/p>\n \u201cToren? We should have talked about him a while ago, Erin. He was a monster and he didn\u2019t listen to Pisces\u2019 spells or your orders. That much is true, but you<\/em> were also the problem. You never realized he could think, that he had free will, did you? I warned you. Didn\u2019t I tell you about Frankenstein?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s smile was long gone at this point. She sat down.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. But I didn\u2019t think he could think.<\/em> He\u2019s undead! He was undead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that\u2019s a slime. A living thing. How long before it gets upset you\u2019re keeping it in a pot\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was going to build a larger place to keep it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014Keeping it prisoner and trying to harvest it, and decides to kill someone? And what was that about healing potions? You want to do what, lick its body now and then? Scoop out its insides whenever you have a cut? Doesn\u2019t that sound a bit like cruelty?\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka stared at Erin. The other girl wasn\u2019t prepared for this, but she was now on the defensive. And getting angry.<\/p>\n \u201cTyphenous said that slimes don\u2019t feel pain! Or think, really. Why are you so grumpy today?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m grumpy because this seems like another mistake that\u2019s going to cause trouble for everyone, that\u2019s why! Typhenous is a [Mage] and an adventurer, Erin. He\u2019d blast a hole in a Goblin\u2019s head as soon as look at one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but\u2014he\u2019s still right when he\u2019s right, right?\u201d<\/p>\n The Runner girl didn\u2019t dignify that with a response. Erin scowled at her. She suddenly seized the pot.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, it\u2019s just a slime. It\u2019s not dangerous, it\u2019s small!<\/em> See?\u201d<\/p>\n She brought it up right to Ryoka\u2019s face so Ryoka could see inside and tilted it to her. Ryoka saw what looked like plain old tap water swirling around in the pot for a moment. Then the fluid inside grew decidedly non-<\/em>Newtonian and leapt onto her face.<\/p>\n Ryoka screamed. It was like being splashed by water, but without the splash. Suddenly, she was choking as water clung to her face and shoulders, trying to cover her head.<\/p>\n \u201cMmfh! Getr off!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh no! Ryoka!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin tried to grab the water, but her hands passed right through the slime. Ryoka felt herself choking\u2014drowning. She staggered back and shook her head. The slime lost whatever grip it had and splattered onto the floor. It formed into a blob and was immediately scooped up into Erin\u2019s pot.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you okay, Ryoka?\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone was staring at her. Ryoka swayed. She put one hand up to her mouth as Mrsha ran over, looking distressed.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I swallowed some of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka felt something squiggling <\/em>down her throat. She was immediately sick.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Six minutes later Ryoka sat at the same table. The vomit was gone, the slime was in the kitchen with a very heavy rock weighing down the lid, and Erin was sitting across from her. Both girls were angry at this point. Ryoka because she\u2019d nearly been drowned and Erin because of what Ryoka had said to her afterwards.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to get rid of it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean, kill it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the general implication, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin hesitated. She looked around\u2014Zel had left, the Gold-rank adventurers were gone, the Horns of Hammerad were in Celum looking to see if there was any work to be had there, and only the objectionable Drake Ryoka had seen this morning was still around. Finding no inspiration, Erin could only shrug.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t kill things if I can. Duh. Killing\u2019s bad, m\u2019kay?\u201d<\/p>\n She paused and grinned expectantly. Ryoka\u2019s face remained stony. Erin waited, and then grinned again.<\/p>\n \u201cHey Ryoka, did you get the reference? See, that was a reference to South Park\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI got it. If killing\u2019s so bad, why are you feeding and housing a bunch of Gold-rank adventurers? They kill things all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, those are monsters\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike the fucking slime.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s different. They kill really bad<\/em> monsters that are threatening people. Not slimes that accidentally got on someone\u2019s face.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh? Bad monsters? You mean like Goblins. Like the Goblin Lord\u2019s army, and Rags\u2019 tribe, come to think of it. I suppose they\u2019ll kill all those Goblins and things will be great, won\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n The other girl stared at Ryoka.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. No one\u2019s killing Goblins. I put a sign up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe one buried by snow? Good job.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey Lyonette? Lyonette, get a shovel and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShut up, Erin. What good is a sign going to do? For that matter, mind telling all the victims of the Goblin Lord\u2019s army that they shouldn\u2019t kill Goblins? I\u2019m sure that\u2019ll go down wonderfully.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n What was she doing? Ryoka remembered the last fight she\u2019d had with Erin. It hadn\u2019t gone well. But there was a feeling in the air now. Erin glared at Ryoka.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sign stays.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy? So we can all get killed when some actually dangerous Goblins come around?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure that when the evil Goblins are marching around and being\u2026uh, evil, no one\u2019s going to worry about my sign. It stays because I don\u2019t believe all<\/em> Goblins are evil.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight. Some of them are \u2018just\u2019 bandits. Name one Goblin\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRags.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014One Goblin who hasn\u2019t<\/em> tried to hurt or kill you at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was this big Hobgoblin that Rags brought one time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight after the Goblin Lord\u2019s army tried to kill me and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka broke off, saw Mrsha sitting on a table and playing with a wooden spinning top.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2014And did other things which I\u2019m sure I remember. What\u2019s your excuse there?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin stared at Mrsha and shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cNone. They\u2019re bad and if they die that\u2019s\u2026that\u2019s how it has to be. But Rags was different.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n The innkeeper poked at the spotless table, speaking quietly and then meeting Ryoka\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cRags was small. She only wanted to survive. She did bad things, but she wasn\u2019t a monster. She deserved a chance. Just a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSounds like she took that chance to do more \u2018bad things\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe. But she\u2019s gone. You didn\u2019t see how Relc treated her, Ryoka! He kicked her and tried to hurt her!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor good reason, it sounds like.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh come on. All Goblins are bad? That\u2019s racism\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, that\u2019s practicality in a world where making a mistake gets you killed<\/em>, Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is about the slime, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes! It nearly got me! What happens if it crawls out of its pot and finds you asleep? Or Mrsha?\u201d<\/p>\n The Gnoll cub\u2019s ears pricked up. Erin looked at Mrsha, horrorstruck, and then at Ryoka. She wavered, and then got up. She came back with the bumping pot and took off the lid. The slime slowly oozed over the sides. It would have been fascinating, magical to watch if it didn\u2019t make Ryoka so wary.<\/p>\n Erin stared at the clear blob, slightly tainted by a bit of the vomit it had absorbed from Ryoka. Apparently slimes weren\u2019t picky about what they picked up. Ryoka stared at it with deep distrust.<\/p>\n \u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n She pushed the slime out of the pot. It seemed reluctant to go this time. It swirled around on the table. Now Ryoka could see a single part of it that wasn\u2019t fluid. It was a bobbing stone, a shimmering little blue gem hovering around the slime\u2019s center.<\/p>\n Erin sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t feel pain. And they\u2019re really stupid. But I still feel bad.\u201d<\/p>\n She reached into the slime. It immediately began flowing up her arm. Erin ignored that and quickly plucked the gem out of the slime. It tried to resist, clinging to the stone, but Erin was too quick and strong. The instant the gem left the slime\u2019s body completely it collapsed. Water sloshed over the table, drenching Ryoka and Erin\u2019s lower halves.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the hell?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka stared at the remains of the slime as Lyonette rushed out of the kitchen with a towel. Erin showed her the shining gem. It still had bits of water stuck to it.<\/p>\n \u201cSlime core. It\u2019s this crystal, see? A mana crystal that\u2019s got\u2026slime stuff all over it. It can\u2019t do much this small, though. It needs to be at least the size of an apple before it\u2019ll move around. But the slime stuff is still part of the slime. They\u2019re like a microbe-thing, I think. A fungus, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAmoebas that reproduce and join together when exposed to mana?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin put the stone on the table and didn\u2019t quite meet Ryoka\u2019s eyes. She spoke to Ryoka\u2019s right ear instead.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll make a very small healing slime. I\u2019ll keep it safe, and if<\/em> it seems violent or dangerous in any way I\u2019ll destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka sat back. She was hungry again. But she didn\u2019t feel like having breakfast twice.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, well. Aren\u2019t we hypocritical. Killing stuff\u2019s bad, m\u2019kay? Except when you want to experiment. Then it\u2019s fine to make life and destroy it.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s head snapped up. She and Ryoka locked gazes and Lyonette desperately tried to get in the way with her body while mopping up the mess.<\/p>\n A howl punctured the silence. It came from a Gnoll\u2019s voice and from outside. Ryoka and Erin leapt to their feet. They ran outside and Ryoka saw Mrsha. She was running and a leathery, brown-green creature was attacking her.<\/p>\n It was a bird, a scaled beast. A pterodactyl in almost all respects. It was twice Mrsha\u2019s size and it was swooping at Mrsha as the Gnoll child howled and tried to run for the inn. But the bird wouldn\u2019t let her. The dino-bird\u2014the Razorbeak grasped at Mrsha\u2019s fur and flapped its wings as Mrsha struggled and bit and clawed at it. It was trying to lift Mrsha and carry her away!<\/p>\n Images of giant eagles hunting goats and dropping them from huge heights filled Ryoka\u2019s mind. She snarled and ran at the bird. The Razorbeak flew away from Mrsha and Ryoka crouched over the Gnoll protectively. She raised her hand.<\/p>\n \u201cIvolethe? Where the hell are you?\u201d<\/p>\n The Frost Faerie was usually about. But not today. Ryoka concentrated, spoke a word.<\/p>\n \u201c[Flare]!\u201d<\/p>\n She threw an orb of searing bright red light at the bird, which squawked and dove away. The light was harmless, but it made the Razorbeak hesitate. Unfortunately, the bird seemed to sense the magic was just light and dove at Ryoka instead. It clawed at Ryoka as she swore and tried to fend it off while reaching for her belt knife.<\/p>\n \u201cRyoka! Duck!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Someone shouted. Ryoka ducked. She heard a whirring noise, and a thunk.<\/em> The Razorbeak attacking her suddenly went limp and fell on Ryoka. She shoved it away and staggered back with Mrsha. Ryoka had a dagger in her hands, but there was no need to use it.<\/p>\n The Razorbeak was dead. A kitchen knife stuck out of the bird\u2019s chest. Sharp as a razor, it had gone through the bird\u2019s body, ending it in moments.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin was standing in the doorway, a frying pan and another knife in her hands. Ryoka stared at her as Mrsha clung to her chest, sobbing. Slowly, she brought Mrsha inside and when the Gnoll was being hugged by Lyonette and Drassi, she looked at Erin.<\/p>\n All the fear went one way. All the fury too. Ryoka didn\u2019t thank Erin for saving her or Mrsha. She looked at Erin and flicked the mana stone on the table. Then she nodded to the Razorbeak\u2019s corpse lying just outside.<\/p>\n \u201cFor someone who doesn\u2019t like killing, you\u2019re awfully good at it.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin\u2019s face went white. Ryoka waited.<\/p>\n \u201cRyoka, Erin, please.\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette had heard it all of course. Ryoka turned her head and Erin punched her stomach. Ryoka swore and hit Erin in the shoulder before dodging back from Erin\u2019s next swing.<\/p>\n Erin kicked her. Ryoka threw the magical chessboard at Erin and missed. She punched Erin twice before the other girl tackled her and they rolled around on the ground, hitting each other. The fight ended when Mrsha leapt into the fray, biting indiscriminately and Lyonette hit both girls with a bucket of water and then the bucket.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A bad mood. The Queen of the Antinium felt like that didn\u2019t describe her current feeling. A bad mood was just a chemical imbalance, a result of emotion and circumstance. In lesser creatures it might become an issue if not corrected, but the Antinium were perhaps the most biologically advanced creatures in the world. They could suppress mere bodily imperfections.<\/p>\n But only if they wanted to. The Queen did not want to in this moment. She was furious. Beyond furious. She was betrayed.<\/em><\/p>\n Klbkch had told her. Her faithful Revalantor had learned from Xrn\u2014he had told her\u2014<\/p>\n The Grand Queen was not attempting to create more Queens.<\/em><\/p>\n That news had broken the Queen of the Free Antinium. It had shattered all her ideals, all the faith she\u2019d put in the Antinium on Izril. They were no longer trying to create more Queens? Why? How could they? Did they think six Queens were all they needed? Had they given up hope? Why?<\/p>\n Was it that they wanted to be the sole rulers of the Antinium?<\/p>\n No. The reasons didn\u2019t matter. The outcome was the same. The Queen shifted. In her private chambers, she did something she rarely did. She moved.<\/em><\/p>\n The Soldiers who guarded her shifted as their Queen slowly rose. She had huge, massive legs and she used them to swivel her gargantuan body around and then fall onto her side. Slowly, awkwardly, the Queen pushed herself across the ground, lifting her body with effort. But she did move, and because she was huge, even a grudging step carried her far.<\/p>\n There was a way out of her quarters. It carried her down a tunnel where no other Antinium ever went, even Klbkch. He probably had bad memories of such places, but it was there the Queen dragged herself. Her voice echoed through the dirt hallway, filled with rage and anger she could barely remember feeling. She hadn\u2019t felt like this in years.<\/p>\n \u201cTraitors. Cowards. Fools!\u201d<\/p>\n She whispered to herself, dragging her immense body past primitive rooms she had built. They were all airtight, one of the few places in the Hive that were sealed by proper doors. They had to be; mixing the enzymes, chemicals, and other reagents necessary for the Antinium to change and grow required facilities beyond what most [Alchemists] made use of.<\/p>\n She stopped in front of one of the rooms and rested a palp from one of her feelers on the entrance. The Queen of the Free Antinium knew what was within without having to look.<\/p>\n Corpses. Half-rotted bodies of malformed Antinium, mixtures, formed concoctions of enzymes, chemical triggers made from combinations of magic and alchemy, designed to trigger sequences in bodies as they grew. And sacs, embryos. Gelatinous containers like those that Workers and Soldiers emerged from, but far different.<\/p>\n Experiments. Forbidden of course and practically doomed to failure because the Queen of the Free Antinium lacked the resources the other Queens kept to themselves. Without them, she could not create specialized Antinium. But she had tried, oh yes. She had rediscovered the Rite of Anastasis through her experimentations, saved her beloved Klbkch\u2019s life with it. And Ksmvr had been created here.<\/p>\n Still, it was the countless failures that paused the Queen\u2019s body as she recalled the years of death that had gone on here. That did not stop her from turning to the carefully arranged collection of bottles and objects on the far wall, however.<\/p>\n \u201cMy work. It must be done. We cannot let the Antinium die here. Six queens? We should be legion. We should have names. I thought\u2014they are failures, all of them. We should never have become so small.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The Queen reached for a bottle of saltpeter. She hesitated, turned to an extract used in creating new Antinium. She would need eggs. The Queens of the Antinium produced eggs as a matter of course; it was one of the reasons why they grew so large, so they could sustain the populations of their hives. There were Birthers too\u2014Antinium designed for one purpose. But the Queen of the Free Antinium used only her eggs for these experiments. It was\u2026just.<\/p>\n She had no idea where she could begin. How could you create a Queen out of the base materials? What were the formulas her predecessors had used? The Queen of the Free Antinium wished she could remember anything of it, but she had never once been privy to the process. Not before it was too late.<\/p>\n She had not been made for this. Once upon a time she had been young, a new Queen, barely more than a child created to venture to a new world. Over three hundred Queens had been sent, the majority of the living Antinium, to flee. To build and reproduce and prepare for their enemy\u2019s return. They had left a rearguard to fight for years, decades if need be. But the sleeping god would one day overrun Rhir, and so the Antinium had left. To win, retreat. To survive, flee.<\/p>\n But never to hide. The Antinium had sent warrior-queens, geniuses who fused and melded Antinium shapes into new forms. They had sent their Centenium, the ageless champions of old.<\/p>\n And they had all died. The Queen of the Free Antinium tasted despair on her mandibles. They had drowned at sea, died battling krakens and monsters from the depths. The Antinium had underestimated the sea. And what was left was unworthy.<\/p>\n Eight fools who were not qualified, not trained. A handful of uncertain Queens trying to rebuild the majesty they had been born of. And of that number, six remained.<\/p>\n \u201cSix, and it seems only I recall what our purpose is.\u201d<\/p>\n The Queen\u2019s body shuddered. Traitors, all. How could they? If only she could speak with them. But she was an outcast, wasn\u2019t she? What irony. At least it would help her now. She selected the gel that was the beginning of life for Antinium eggs and smeared it gently into a stone basin.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was said that we sacrificed a million lives for the first Centenium. I will sacrifice my Hive and my body if I must. But we shall have Queens again. We shall have champions. Klbkchhezeim\u2014you shall not keep faith in vain.\u201d<\/p>\n The Queen sighed. She was too tired. Too old, too weary of keeping her Hive intact. Too alone. That was why she sat in her rooms, eating, managing her Hive, leaving the rest of the world to Klbkch, who had ever been more qualified than her to lead their people.<\/p>\n But now she felt like she was waking up. She could not trust the Grand Queen, or the other Queens. They had lost the way. Perhaps some remembered. Perhaps Xrn was wrong. But until then\u2014the Queen\u2019s feelers shook. But it had started. She reached for another reagent, selecting carefully, hesitating, memorizing her attempts for the inevitable next time.<\/p>\n She began to create.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n It really was her fault. Ryoka knew that. But there was truth in what she\u2019d told Erin. She knew that too.<\/p>\n She wasn\u2019t good at friends. Perhaps that was why it was easier for Ryoka to apologize to Erin after they\u2019d both cooled down and ask for forgiveness. Sincerely. Because Ryoka was terrified of losing a friend, one of the few she had.<\/p>\n Not that an apology could heal things over so quickly. It was only the start. However, Lyonette had a hand in the next bit of reconciliation. Because both girls were filthy from the slime and fighting, she suggested they take a bath in one of Liscor\u2019s public bathhouses.<\/p>\n It was a first for Ryoka to experience that. Normally she paid a lot of money for water to be hauled up to a bathtub or showered with water, again in bucket form.<\/p>\n But Drakes were a bit more civilized than Humans, or smarter. Liscor had a set of very high-quality bathhouses that reminded Ryoka of the Romans. They even had private bathing spots you could rent for a small fee.<\/p>\n It was an excellent service and Ryoka purchased that for the two girls today. The water in the pool they\u2019d rented was hot and wonderful after the cold winter air. Ryoka exhaled slowly as she got into it\u2014completely nude.<\/p>\n Unlike a Japanese onsen<\/em> which she was familiar with, the Drake bathhouses didn\u2019t require people to wash themselves before getting in. That sounded awful and disgusting to both Ryoka and Erin until the purification spells had been pointed out to them. Gnolls loved to bathe and they couldn\u2019t exactly take off their fur before entering.<\/p>\n \u201cI think its weird how Gnolls and Drakes bathe separately. Isn\u2019t that a problem?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDunno.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin spoke shortly as she tested the hot water with a toe. She was more embarrassed about being naked than Ryoka, despite the baths being gender-specific. She shrugged as Ryoka heard the sounds of Drakes chattering away outside of their bath. Erin cocked her head, and sniffed the scented waters before continuing.<\/p>\n \u201cGnolls are touchy-feely and Drakes aren\u2019t always like that. It makes sense to give them their own room, and Selys says she went to the bathhouse with Krshia the other day, so it\u2019s not like there\u2019s a big rule against it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess.\u201d<\/p>\n The two girls fell silent. Ryoka submerged herself deeper, feeling the heat and enjoying it. The little monster in her brain was gone. Shame and guilt didn\u2019t get rid of it, but a splash of healing potion and Mrsha\u2019s betrayed glance had banished the specters in Ryoka\u2019s head at once. She was left tired, remorseful.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s the water?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin asked as if she didn\u2019t know. Ryoka hesitated, closed her mouth on the smart-ass response.<\/p>\n \u201cHot.\u201d<\/p>\n The other girl entered the water slowly, yelping a bit at the heat. She submerged herself quicker after getting both legs in. For a while, the two drifted, and said more in looks and silence than they did in words. Ryoka was sure Erin could see the emotions in her eyes. One thing Erin could do was read people when she put her mind to it. Ryoka wondered if that was a chess skill.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you\u2014did you ever go to things like anger management class?\u201d<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t the start of the conversation, but it was the important bit. Ryoka sighed as she and Erin sat together on the underwater ledge.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. My dad insisted after the second time I got arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd? Did it\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope. Didn\u2019t help. I got therapy, pills, the whole nine yards. I hated and resisted all of it. Especially because the therapist was working on my dad\u2019s orders, not to help me. And the pills\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDidn\u2019t work?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, they did. They turned me into someone else. I refused to ever take them again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBet your dad didn\u2019t like that. Did he try to make you take them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. It stopped when I started sneaking them into his<\/em> drinks. Ever seen a bunch of rich assholes\u2014sorry, I mean, businesspeople\u2014go totally insane from drinking a bottle of wine spiked with Xanax? Sight to see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI get it. And I know you\u2019re right about dangers and stuff. It\u2019s just that when you said all that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you were right. Rags is<\/em> a problem. I don\u2019t know where she is. That big Hobgoblin looked sort of scary and Toren\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook, I probably wouldn\u2019t have given him a chance. Despite him turning out\u2026the way he did, he still got treated better than he would have if someone like Pisces was ordering him around.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wish I could go back and fix things.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin hugged her knees. Ryoka sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cHell, maybe you can. Toren\u2019s like a horror story. And you know how those go\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMonster comes back. I know. I\u2019ve been asking Wesle, Klbkch, and Relc whenever they come in. No unusual skeleton sightings. If I hear of one\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you hear of one, you tell Halrac or Jelaqua or Pisces. You<\/em> don\u2019t do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a peculiar feeling in the air. It was a sound as much as feeling. It was the sound of people trying to say sorry without saying sorry. Of course, in the end someone gives up and says it out loud. Ryoka did it twice, Erin once.<\/p>\n After a while, someone opened the curtains to their bath. Ryoka and Erin looked up. The convivial atmosphere they\u2019d created blew out. Not instantly\u2014at first they thought it was just a bather who\u2019d gotten the wrong private tub.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry, we\u2019ve reserved this one.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin smiled and waved at a red-scaled Drake, an older female with a scar down one arm. The Drake returned the smile and closed the curtain behind her.<\/p>\n \u201cI know. You are Erin Solstice and Ryoka Griffin, aren\u2019t you? Please, let me introduce myself. I am Welsca Crimsonscale. In service to Wall Lord Ilvriss.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka sat up at once at the name. Erin frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cWall Lord\u2014you mean that jerk I threw a pan at? Is he okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Welsca smiled at Erin and then at Ryoka, looking friendly.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is. And you may be happy to know that Wall Lord Ilvriss has decided to forgive any transgressions made against him. You may consider yourselves fortunate for that.\u201d<\/p>\n Erin and Ryoka exchanged a glance. Ryoka folded her arms over her breasts. Drakes didn\u2019t have breasts, at least, nothing that floated. Welsca slid into the water, further amplifying the unpleasantness of the moment. No one had invited her in.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe Lord Ilvriss would consider it a personal favor\u2014as well as an act of trust\u2014if he were to have a chance to speak with you, Miss Griffin. I\u2019m sure you\u2019re aware that there is a need for conversation, and if you feel uncomfortable speaking with him, I would be happy to relay\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re in our pool. Get out.\u201d<\/p>\n Welsca cut off. Erin and Ryoka were glaring at her. She swished her tail gently in the water and sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Solstice, Miss Griffin, I don\u2019t think you understand. This is a serious matter. Assaulting a Wall Lord and withholding information\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin splashed her. The dignified Drake lady blinked as water ran down her face. Erin stuck her tongue out.<\/p>\n \u201cBleh! Get out of our bath! No one\u2019s allowed to mess with private baths, not even a Wall Lord!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLadies, please. I am one of Lord Ilvriss\u2019 most trusted aides. I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGet out.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka\u2019s tone could have frozen over their tub. Welsca hesitated. Erin made a fist, cracked her knuckles, yelped, and winced.<\/p>\n The red-scaled Drake could read the mood. She could also probably predict the near future, at least in this situation. But she was stuck. She had her orders. She smiled weakly at the two girls\u2019 hostile faces.<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps if we all soaked for a moment\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n The main bathing hall in the women\u2019s section of the bathhouse was slick from steam and bathers walking around. Thus, the walkways were made of rough stone for traction. Nevertheless, children both Drake and Gnoll loved to slide around on the rest of the bathing areas. It wasn\u2019t exactly polite, and they often got in trouble when they slid into someone else\u2019s pool, but it did happen.<\/p>\n It was rarer for adults to do that. Then again, there was a notable incident in which Relc and Klbkch had been banned for that exact practice. Legends were still told about that day, which had required healing potions for at least six people. But on the women\u2019s side things were generally peaceful, chatter being the main focus.<\/p>\n That pleasant ambiance was shattered by a raised voice coming from one of the private bathing areas. There was a shout, splashing of water, and then a crack.<\/em><\/p>\n Heads turned. The Gnolls and Drake ladies saw a female Drake with red scales slide headfirst across the slick marble floors. She looked battered.<\/p>\n A young woman darker of skin than most inhabitants of Izril and totally naked, came out from behind a curtain. Another young girl followed her, electing to use the curtain as a towel. Ryoka Griffin stomped towards Welsca. The other Drake got up. She tried to back away and slipped on a wet tile. Ryoka kicked her and watched her splash into a pool filled with Gnolls.<\/p>\n She laughed at Welsca as the Drake flailed around in the pool. Ryoka made fists and waited at the pool\u2019s edge. She felt a lot<\/em> better. Hitting someone who deserved it was a very pleasant experience in contrast, Ryoka decided. She stared down at Welsca, ignoring the stares around her.<\/p>\n \u201cHah! What are you going to do now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ryoka sat in Liscor\u2019s guardhouse, both hands bound by cord. She stared at the table in front of her and looked around. A Drake [Guardsman] with a club was eying her, and the room was filled with other criminals. Petty thieves, brawlers, and an angry Gnoll covered in egg yolk who was screaming at another Gnoll. Ryoka sighed.<\/p>\n \u201cCrap.\u201d<\/p>\n It turned out that kicking someone out of your private hot tub wasn\u2019t a crime, but kicking them into someone else\u2019s<\/em> tub was. Moreover, since Ryoka had been doing the kicking, it was she who was in handcuffs until someone could interview her and get the full story out under truth spell.<\/p>\n She looked around. Liscor\u2019s barracks were fairly large. This being the reception area, Ryoka couldn\u2019t see much, but the Drakes seemed very keen on military organization. Drakes and Gnolls off-duty did loiter around of course, but there was a sense of purpose that struck Ryoka as very different from the relaxed Human [Guardsmen] who generally ambled about the city.<\/p>\n That was because Drakes trusted their militias to handle monsters and criminals alike. Adventurers were necessary, but the first and last line of defense for any city was their police force, which doubled as their army and in this case, judicial system.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Ryoka Griffin?\u201d<\/p>\n One of the Drakes on duty came over at last. He had faintly purple scales and some ill-fitting armor. He also had a sheaf of notes that Ryoka hoped weren\u2019t all complaints from the other bathers.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s me. Look, I\u2019m sorry about the fight, but that Drake did<\/em> enter our bathing spot\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlease. We\u2019ll get to that in a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka fell silent. At least he didn\u2019t look openly hostile and wasn\u2019t telling her to shut up<\/em> because she was a filthy Human. Still, she didn\u2019t like the fact that she\u2019d hit an aide of a Lord of the Wall. She didn\u2019t regret doing it broadly speaking, but in situations like this, that fact was a lot more pressing.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, this incident between you and Miss Crimsonscale\u2026I see there was another Human involved. One Erin Solstice. Yes\u2026we have a few notes from the Watch Captain, Senior Guardsmen Klbkch, Senior Guardsmen Relc, several complaints\u2026she has quite a file.\u201d<\/p>\n That didn\u2019t sound good. Ryoka braced herself, ready to pay a fine if it meant no one got in trouble. She heard a shout.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, what\u2019s going on here?\u201d<\/p>\n Someone came stomping over to their table. The Drake with purple scales looked up, looking faintly alarmed. Ryoka twisted and saw a Drake with dark green scales and\u2014Ryoka stared\u2014huge<\/em> arms striding forward. He was big for a Drake, big for a Gnoll\u2014he looked like he was all muscle and he had scars on his arms and legs.<\/p>\n He was also carrying a spear, but he tossed it to one corner of the room carelessly. He approached the table, narrowing his eyes for a moment at Ryoka.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s with the Human? I heard there was an incident with her and Erin. Someone punched one of us?\u201d<\/p>\n He looked at the [Guardsman]. Ryoka was sure that talking about a case in front of the guilty party wasn\u2019t exactly good form, and the [Guardsman] seemed reluctant to speak. He nodded at Ryoka.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got this. Uh, don\u2019t worry Senior Guardsman Relc.\u201d<\/p>\n The other Drake\u2019s non-existent eyebrows rose. He opened his mouth and then shrugged, looking unconcerned.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, but hurry it up! I want Erin back in her inn soon\u2014she promised me I\u2019d get roasted eels tonight, and I want them fresh!\u201d<\/p>\n He knew Erin? Wait a second, Relc\u2026Ryoka remembered him vaguely. They\u2019d met, but only as acquaintances. And he\u2019d clearly forgotten her face. Ryoka knew for a fact that the eels in question had already been cooked and were waiting to be eaten at the inn, but she was grateful for him prompting the other [Guardsman].<\/p>\n The Drake with purple scales cleared his throat as Relc wandered a few feet away and intruded in a conversation between two Gnolls. He looked harried and kept glancing at Relc. Then he sighed and leaned towards Ryoka.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Griffin, I\u2019m going to make this very simple. Tell us what we need to and this can be over quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, I didn\u2019t start it. Welsca did. I can swear on a truth spell\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot that. Lord Ilvriss wants to know only one thing. Where is [Captain] Periss? How did she die?\u201d<\/p>\n He sat back. Ryoka stared at him and felt a cold chill on her back. He was one of Ilvriss\u2019 people too? She remembered the Drake in the inn at breakfast. Another one?<\/p>\n Was Ilvriss watching her? Listening in on her conversations, hoping she\u2019d leak something? She stared at the Drake. He nodded slightly, as if confirming her worst fears.<\/p>\n \u201cLord Ilvriss is not accustomed to waiting. You may have the immunity of your Guild, but he will seek you out no matter where you go. Speak now, and this need not get worse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo to hell.\u201d<\/p>\n The fake [Guardsman] sighed. He flicked through the notes on his clipboard.<\/p>\n \u201cMiss Ryoka, your friend Erin Solstice has a file on her that would attract the attention of any Drake [Leader] in any city. Why Watch Captain Zevara seems content to let her unauthorized inn stand\u2026suspected ties with the Antinium, disorderly conduct, endangerment and death<\/em> of a Watch member on duty. She may be safe here, but if word of her actions reaches the de facto governing body of Liscor, their army, for instance\u2026a few words in the ears of another Lord or Lady of the Wall might prompt them to take action, and the Assassin\u2019s Guild in Izril is quite, quite competent.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka stared at the Drake.<\/p>\n \u201cTouch Erin and I\u2019ll make sure Zel Shivertail learns about it. He kicked your precious Wall Lord\u2019s tail once, and he\u2019ll do it again. He stays at Erin\u2019s inn, or isn\u2019t that on file?\u201d<\/p>\n The fake officer of the Watch\u2019s eyes flashed. He learned across the table and seized Ryoka\u2019s arm in one unfriendly claw, digging into her skin.<\/p>\n \u201cListen here, you Human flesh bag. Tell me what I want, or\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka kicked him. She\u2019d been waiting for him to get close and gave him her best kick right to his groin. He doubled over and let go. She backed out her chair, kicked him again, and then hit him with both her hands tied up.<\/p>\n \u201cHey!\u201d<\/p>\n The other [Guardsmen] had seen what was going on. The one called Relc leapt over a table and ran at Ryoka. She whirled, ready to kick him too. She lashed out\u2014and he slid around her kick like water.<\/p>\n \u201cCriminal! Take this! [Relc Headbutt]!\u201d<\/p>\n He slammed his head into Ryoka\u2019s. She sat down. And then slid out of her chair. Relc kicked the chair away and dragged her up.<\/p>\n \u201cAssaulting a [Guardsman]? Here? You\u2019re really stupid, Miss Human. Even if you are a friend of Erin\u2019s, you\u2019re not getting away with that. Hey buddy, you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake that Ryoka had kicked was getting up in her swirling vision. He shook his head and knocked away Relc\u2019s offered hand. He growled at Ryoka, murder in his eyes. He took one step forwards and then Relc let Ryoka go.<\/p>\n One hand shot out, barring the purple Drake\u2019s path. The Drake stopped, looking confused. Ryoka felt confused. And ready to sit down. But Relc\u2019s eyes were narrowed.<\/p>\n \u201cWait a second. Who are you? You\u2019re not one of the new guys. I know them all and none of them have purple scales.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDamnit.\u201d<\/p>\n The purple Drake took a step back. Relc turned away from Ryoka and she decided to lie down again. The imposter took a desperate swing at Relc. The big Drake leaned back from the blow and then returned it.<\/p>\n \u201c[Relc Punch]!\u201d<\/p>\n He hit the fake guardsmen a lot harder than he\u2019d hit Ryoka. The Drake back-flipped over the table and Ryoka heard a thud<\/em> as he landed.<\/p>\n \u201cHah! Take that! That proves you\u2019re not one of our guys\u2014no one picks a fight with me! Don\u2019t you know who I am? I\u2019m Relc! Relc!\u201d<\/p>\n Ryoka managed to sit up and saw Relc posing, one foot on the fallen Drake\u2019s chest. He looked inordinately proud of himself, and then frowned as he saw she was up.<\/p>\n \u201cHey. You. Miss Human.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019d already forgotten her name. Ryoka forgave him that; at the moment she couldn\u2019t remember what the color orange was. Relc helped her up, removing her bindings as she sat on a chair and tried to tell whether the banging was in her mind, or whether her brain was bouncing around.<\/p>\n \u201cWho was that guy? He has a set of our armor and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWall Lord\u2026Ilvriss. His person. Like the bathhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh. Oh.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Relc slapped his forehead and nodded at the other [Guardsmen] who\u2019d gathered around. They grunted and immediately picked up the fallen Drake and shoved him into a corner. That they didn\u2019t toss him out of the barracks or throw him in a cell was probably due to his master\u2019s fame.<\/p>\n While Ryoka put her head down, she heard Relc speaking with the others. Then his loud voice called out as an angry female Drake demanded to know why one of her people was unconscious on the floor.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Captain Z! Turns out this Human and Erin didn\u2019t start anything. It\u2019s that Wall Lord guy\u2019s cronies stirring up trouble again. I\u2019m going to let the Human go, okay? And I\u2019m taking my lunch break! Be back in an hour!\u201d<\/p>\n Relc helped Ryoka up and practically pushed her out the door. Ryoka heard a frustrated roar coming from behind her.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn it, Relc! Get back here!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Of course, if you focused too much on Ryoka, you neglected other interesting things. A bit of garlic fell from the sky and landed on Brunkr\u2019s fur as he showed Lyonette how to hold her sword. He brushed it off absent-mindedly.<\/p>\n \u201cGood. Hold it here, see? Yes. And swing. Quickly\u2014a cut should be fast. Yes, like so.\u201d<\/p>\n He was teaching her. And Lyonette was learning. They practiced outside in the cleared snow as Mrsha sat and watched. Inside, Apista was tethered to a table with a leash Erin had gotten while Ishkr cleaned up.<\/p>\n It was an all-Gnoll parade, in short, except for Lyonette. And perhaps that would have been awkward or fatal for her a week or two ago. But things had changed.<\/p>\n Lyonette had changed a lot. All sins were forgiven, and a debt had been written for her actions. More than that, and perhaps more importantly, Brunkr had changed. He was no longer the self-confident Gnoll [Warrior], but a recovering one, grateful for his still-healing arm and quietly guilty. He and Ryoka would have understood each other, in that.<\/p>\n Still, only Erin would have thought it was a good idea to have him near Mrsha, the person who\u2019d bit him and infected his hand, and Lyonette, the girl he\u2019d tried to kill. But as Ryoka had noticed, Erin did have an eye for these things now and then. When Brunkr had first arrived, he and Mrsha had sniffed each other for a bit, solemnly, but said nothing. Lyonette and Brunkr on the other hand were different.<\/p>\n She was guilty as he was, in a different way. She had apologized to him first, and then him to her. It had ticked both to realize that Lyonette hadn\u2019t remembered Brunkr specifically trying to kill her, and a friendship had started once Brunkr realized that Lyonette was the one responsible for his honey salve.<\/p>\n That was the boring bit. The special bit for any watching fae nibbling at garlic came at a moment when Brunkr mentioned his aspirations.<\/p>\n \u201cA [Knight]?\u201d<\/p>\n Lyonette put down her sword and massaged her aching arms. She wanted the [Warrior] class too, and felt she might get it by the end of the day. Brunkr nodded, looking embarrassed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a very Human class. There are some Drakes with similar classes, but no Gnoll has the class, yes? Similar classes, but I found a book when I was young. My tribe had bought it from a [Trader] and my aunt let me read it\u2026there were pictures of Human [Knights] in shining armor. I admired them and wished to be like them. So I trained with sword and shield. However, I am only a [Warrior].\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s because you need a [Lord] to make you one, or some other nobility.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHrr. Yes, that is what I have been told. I came north to help my aunt and also to see whether that would be possible. I think\u2026it may not be. Entering in service to a Human [Lord] requires much trust and perhaps standing I do not have. It matters not. I am still useful to my Tribe and my efforts have made me a strong warrior nevertheless.\u201d<\/p>\n Brunkr shrugged his broad shoulders, hiding his disappointment behind casual words. Lyonette nodded, hesitating. Her eyes lingered on the Gnoll\u2019s back as he stood up to exchange a few words with Ishkr. They were around the same age, although Brunkr was older. He wasn\u2019t much older than Lyonette, really.<\/p>\n Yes, a faerie could see what would happen next. Perhaps a Human could too. Destiny wove together and Lyonette raised her hand. She whispered quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cI, Lyonette du Marquin do solemnly\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Mrsha had been playing in the snow, quite close to the inn, but poking her head under the snow and rolling around in delight. Suddenly, she raised it and stared at Lyonette, ears flicking with each word Lyonette spoke.<\/p>\n The two Gnolls had finished speaking at the door to the inn. Ishkr was going back into the inn, collecting dishes to be washed and Brunkr was sniffing at the entrance to the inn, his stomach audibly rumbling. But as Lyonette whispered both froze up.<\/p>\n Ishkr slipped and dropped his entire tray of empty dishes. They crashed<\/em> to the ground inside the inn, scaring Erin half to death as she cooked up some food for dinner.<\/p>\n Brunkr\u2019s eyes opened wide. He half-turned, and then pretended to scratch at one ear. Lyonette finished speaking. Her voice had been inaudible to anyone standing next to her, carried away just as swiftly by the wind. Now she stared at Brunkr\u2019s back and cleared her throat. Trying to sound casual, she raised her voice.<\/p>\n \u201cBrunkr, can you show me how to parry again? I think I\u2019m doing it wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh?\u201d<\/p>\n He started, and then turned. His smile was about as fake as Lyonette\u2019s. Mrsha was still staring.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. I will show you. Lyonette.\u201d<\/p>\n He trudged across the snow to Lyonette as Erin rushed out of her kitchen, demanding to know if there was another one of Ilvriss\u2019 spies. Ishkr reassured her nothing was wrong, Brunkr showed Lyonette how to hold her blade correctly, and Mrsha kept staring.<\/p>\n Above them a Frost Faerie cackled with glee and waited for Relc to drag Ryoka up the slope and into the inn. Destiny. Coincidence. Or perhaps just an act of kindness from a girl who happened to be a [Princess]. Who knew?<\/p>\n One thing was sure, though. Despite having lived in Liscor for over a month now, Lyonette still hadn\u2019t learned how sensitive Gnoll ears could be.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then I hit him! Pow! Hey Hawk, I didn\u2019t know you knew Ryoka too! What, do all Runners know each other?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve met before. I\u2019m surprised you don\u2019t remember Miss Ryoka, Relc. She once ran through the High Passes on a delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGet out, really? I thought I remembered her, but you know Humans. They all look alike, am I right? Ah. Ahem.\u201d<\/p>\n Relc was laughing in the common room. Somehow he\u2019d dragged Ryoka up from the city\u2014Erin was a bit fuzzy on the details, but apparently there had been a quick fight. He\u2019d encountered Hawk the Rabbit-tribe Beastkin on the way and the Courier had stopped by for a drink with Ryoka.<\/p>\n Olesm was due later that evening, and Erin was busy. Ishkr was cleaning up plate fragments\u2014he said he\u2019d tripped, which was uncharacteristically clumsy of the Gnoll, and Lyonette and Brunkr were training outside with Mrsha.<\/p>\n On the whole of things, Erin could claim to be happy. Sure, the morning\u2019s incident with Ryoka had been bad, but they\u2019d made up and she was glad to see Brunkr was really getting along with Lyonette now. And best of all, she\u2019d made another amazing invention!<\/p>\n It was the slime. Erin peered at it as she stared at the tiny hand-sized thing in the center of a saucepan. This slime was bright blue, with shades of yellow running through it. It was a healing potion slime.<\/p>\n \u201cDrop it into a healing potion, wait, and hey presto! I knew<\/em> it was possible!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin crowed to herself softly as she spooned a bit of the slime up. She\u2019d tested it on a cut and it had healed perfectly. Now she added a bit of water to the slime and saw it absorbed the liquid and grow, replacing the bit she\u2019d taken with water.<\/p>\n \u201cHmm. Looks like you get diluted if I add just water. But if I feed you all the ingredients of your potion, you\u2019ll probably just get bigger and <\/em>more potion-y, right?\u201d<\/p>\n She smiled at the slime. It didn\u2019t respond. Erin moved the spoon towards it again. In line with Ryoka\u2019s wishes, she\u2019d kept the slime very small just in case it attacked someone. Her spoon penetrated the slime\u2019s side and it suddenly scooted away from the spoon.<\/p>\n \u201cHuh? Hey! Get back here, I need part of you!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin chased the slime around the saucepan with her spoon. She eventually cornered the slime against one side with another spoon and prepared to take part of it. But Erin hesitated when she noticed something. Or rather, something the slime was doing.<\/p>\n It was shaking. The blob of colored liquid pressed itself against the wall of the saucepan. When Erin moved her spoon towards it, it trembled harder. When she took it away, the slime shook less.<\/p>\n But it did shake. It was like jelly. Only, jelly couldn\u2019t squeeze itself so finely against the metal walls of its cage and quiver. Jelly couldn\u2019t be afraid.<\/p>\n \u201cOh no. Hey little guy. I\u2019m not going to take all<\/em> of you. I want to take\u2014just a bit, see? You\u2019ll get it back. I\u2019ll feed you!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin reached out with one hand, putting the spoon down. The slime reacted violently to her fingers, flowing away and around them. It quivered as Erin reached out towards it. The healing slime shook like a leaf.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? I\u2019m not scary. It\u2019s just my hand, see?\u201d<\/p>\n The girl reached out and the slime froze. It was such a\u2014a universal reaction that Erin froze too. And she understood something, in that moment as the slime slowly backed away from her fingertips.<\/p>\n \u201cSlimes can<\/em> think. Oh. Oh no.\u201d<\/p>\n There was no other way to see it. Erin knew fear. She could see it in the blob that ran from her touch. She could see it. The slime had no face to show her, no body parts, no voice. But it could not be anything but afraid.<\/p>\n And then Erin realized that it was the same slime, the same core that she\u2019d taken out of the water slime this morning. She wondered if it remembered. And then she looked at the slime as it tried to hide from her and knew it did.<\/p>\n \u201cOh no no no\u2026but Typhenous said they don\u2019t feel pain!\u201d<\/p>\n He said that. Erin recalled him saying that. But\u2014but if a slime couldn\u2019t feel pain, couldn\u2019t it still feel loss? What would it be like if someone scooped out part of your body, even if it didn\u2019t hurt? Erin reached out and the slime would have screamed if it had a voice. She felt sure of that.<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n And in the end, Ryoka was right. It was Toren all over again. Only this time, Erin could see it. She looked at the slime and wondered what it would be like, to live all your life in a cage and have someone feed you and consume you for\u2026for however long you lived.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t do that. Can I?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin whispered as her inn began to fill up. The Gold-rank adventurers and her regular guests were returning. She heard Olesm\u2019s eager voice, asking about her.<\/p>\n It took Erin only a moment to decide. She grabbed the saucepan, splashed water in it, tossed a handful of garlic in, some oil\u2014the slime bulged, growing distorted, losing the properties of its healing potion. It was now filling the saucepan.<\/p>\n Erin went over to the window and unlatched it. A cold wind blew in, making her shiver. The slime didn\u2019t shiver. It only shook when Erin reached for it.<\/p>\n \u201cErin?\u201d<\/p>\n That was Octavia\u2019s voice. She was coming closer, and now Erin could hear Typhenous.<\/p>\n \u201cWonderful news, Miss Solstice! I have the lodestones I ordered. Have you finished your experiments with the slime from this morning?\u201d<\/p>\n There was no time. Erin hesitated, and then poured it out of the window. The slime dropped into the snow and she saw it vanish into the deep drift outside her window.<\/p>\n \u201cErin?\u201d<\/p>\n Typhenous and Octavia walked into the kitchen, looking excited. Octavia glanced around.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s that slime? Did the healing potion work like you thought?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin gave Octavia a blank look. Then her eyes widened.<\/p>\n \u201cOh yeah! The slime! It didn\u2019t work guys. Sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Really?\u201d<\/p>\n The [Mage] and [Alchemist] looked crestfallen. Erin nodded slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, it was sucky. The slime grew from the healing potion, you know? But when I tried using a bit of it\u2026no go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps it\u2019s the magical effect that dissipates. It cannot be part of a living creature\u2026of course. I should have predicted that.\u201d<\/p>\n Typhenous groaned, shaking his head. Octavia nodded and looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe we can try again. Hey Erin, where\u2019s the slime?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe slime? It\u2019s right here of c\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Erin went over to a pot and opened the lid. The [Mage] and [Alchemist] saw her freeze and look up slowly. She gave them a weak smile that fooled neither of them, and in doing so, fooled both of them.<\/p>\n \u201cOops. Where\u2019d it go?\u201d<\/p>\n Typhenous and Octavia stared askance at Erin. She put on her best bemused look and shrugged her shoulders. And she made sure that everyone heard the story later that night. Healing slimes were impossible to make, as it turned out. Of course.<\/p>\n Only an idiot would try to make one.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Nearly there. Nearly time. A bit of sausage fell into Typhenous\u2019 beard. He didn\u2019t notice. He was speaking to the other adventurers sitting around him, looking frustrated.<\/p>\n \u201cAt least I have my delivery of lodestones. That will allow us to produce something of worth tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can make the door? Really?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin looked excited. Typhenous smiled and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be a simple matter to attune the stones. I\u2019ve already done one.\u201d<\/p>\n He flicked his fingers at a red stone carved with a glowing symbol. Its twin sat next to it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe real challenge will be delivering each stone to its destination and affixing it in a proper place. Merely getting the stone to its intended destination will take some time\u2026I suspect you may have to hire a City Runner to send it, although finding a suitable location will also be important. I would suggest hiring Miss Ryoka in that regard.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRyoka? Sure!\u201d<\/p>\n Erin glanced over at Ryoka. The Runner girl had recovered enough and was now drinking with Relc and Hawk. She frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cBut where should the stones go, in that case? You said it\u2019s hard to have a lot of destinations\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExponentially difficult. Too much interference. However, that should not be a great issue if you limit your door to three or four set anchors.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay, assuming we leave an emergency stone with you guys\u2026and I want Celum, obviously\u2026where should the other ones go?\u201d<\/p>\n The old [Mage] coughed delicately.<\/p>\n \u201cMight I suggest a door to Invrisil first? I should quite like to return there at my leisure, and I am sure many would pay well for such a service.\u201d<\/p>\n Octavia nodded, looking eager.<\/p>\n \u201cNot to mention how lucrative it would be for me\u2014I mean, for everyone to sell their goods in Invrisil. They haven\u2019t seen my matches yet, and I don\u2019t want to miss out on sales before everyone copies my recipe!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHah! Invrisil?\u201d<\/p>\n Someone had heard them. The adventurers looked over and saw Relc waving a half-full mug at them. He scowled at the Humans. Revi scowled at him.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething wrong with Invrisil? It\u2019s one of the biggest cities on the continent, you know!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot as big as a Walled City! Why\u2019s Erin got to put her fancy magic door to one of your cities first, huh? She\u2019s already got Celum\u2014give our cities a chance!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah!\u201d<\/p>\n Olesm, sitting at a table and playing chess with Pawn, raised his voice. He called out to Erin, waving a sheaf of papers.<\/p>\n \u201cI know several [Tacticians] in Pallass\u2014why not put your door in the Walled City? Drakes would love a chance to bypass the Blood Fields, the Walled Cities are far better than any Human city\u2014not that I mean to offend anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOffense taken!\u201d<\/p>\n Revi sat up at her table and scowled at Olesm.<\/p>\n \u201cInvrisil\u2019s obviously the better choice. You Drakes might think your home is all that, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHah! Drakes rule, Humans\u2026Humans drool!\u201d<\/p>\n Relc was clearly drunk. However, his comment elicited a roar of approval from every Drake in the room. Olesm gave a thumbs-up to Relc, and the Drake returned the gesture. It was very Human and very, very odd since Drake claws were a lot scarier than Human thumbs.<\/p>\n Before Erin knew it, an argument had erupted in her inn over which city was better. Helplessly, she turned to ask for Ryoka\u2019s opinion and found herself face-to-face with Zel Shivertail.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t help hearing what the argument was about, Miss Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n The [General] leaned over her table, speaking quietly as Relc threw a mug and brained Typhenous. The mage threw a mug back and soon a fight had broken out\u2014in the form of arm wrestling. Somehow it was now about which species was stronger and Ulrien was already squaring up against Relc, to the cheers of their audience.<\/p>\n \u201cOh? You want me to put my door in Pallass, right Zel?\u201d<\/p>\n Erin felt awkward speaking with Zel, mainly because she thought he still disapproved of her. But Zel just nodded. He didn\u2019t smile, rather, he frowned and looked a bit concerned.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t ask normally\u2014I can live without going home and prefer it that way. But I\u2019ve been speaking with a friend\u2014a fellow [General], actually, and I\u2019ve fallen out of touch these last few days. I\u2019d love a chance for some news, and there\u2019s a bit of a situation among the Drakes\u2026could I sway your opinion a bit?\u201d<\/p>\n The door to Celum burst open. Erin saw Garia rush into the room, waving her arms, as Relc beat Ulrien to a roar of amazement from the crowd.<\/p>\n \u201cHah! Take\u2026take that! I win!\u201d<\/p>\n The Drake shakily stood back and crowed before Ulrien shook his hand, taking the wind out of Relc\u2019s victory. She caught a bit of what Garia was telling Ryoka excitedly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a [Martial Artist]! Can you believe<\/em> it? I got this Skill\u2014[Basic Footwork].\u201d<\/p>\n Relc had spotted Garia. He eyed the large girl and shouted at her.<\/p>\n \u201cOoh! Nice muscles! Hey, Human girl! Want to arm wrestle? I bet you can beat Miss Ryoka here, and probably Hawk, too!\u201d<\/p>\n It was all chaos. It always was with Relc. But seeing him here made Erin smile. She looked at Zel and made a spur-of-the-moment decision. It wasn\u2019t hard, and it didn\u2019t matter much, right? There were lodestones to go around.<\/p>\n Ivolethe watched as destiny changed.<\/p>\n \u201cSure! Why not? I think Ryoka doesn\u2019t want to go down there, but Hawk\u2019s a Courier, right? Maybe I can get a discount if I promise to feed him or something!\u201d<\/p>\n Zel coughed delicately.<\/p>\n \u201cA discount for a Courier is still quite a lot of money. I\u2019m prepared to pay whatever price he asks if he\u2019ll do the delivery?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? You will?<\/em> In that case, I\u2019ll totally do it! Hey Hawk! Stop arm-wrestling and come over here!\u201d<\/p>\n The Rabbit-man walked over, massaging an arm.<\/p>\n \u201cThose Human girls are strong<\/em>. This is why [Farmers] make such great [Warriors]\u2026what can I do for you, Erin? And\u2014General Shivertail?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n He hadn\u2019t spotted Zel up until now. But when introductions were over, Hawk nodded amiably.<\/p>\n \u201cI can do that. Why not? General Shivertail\u2019s a hero in Liscor, and if I don\u2019t have to run all the way back\u2026yes, I\u2019m quite willing to do that. I can set out tonight and have the delivery done by the end of tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally? Tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, a job\u2019s a job, and if it means opening up a door to Pallass that everyone can use from now on\u2026you do know how important this could be, right? You could earn a fortune. Plus, do you know how many hot Drake ladies there are in the Walled Cites? I uh\u2014forget you heard that last bit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Horns of Hammerad were not part of the arm-wrestling competition. They sat in a corner of the inn, arguing over some pieces of paper. Ceria was snapping at Pisces.<\/p>\n \u201cI know you wanted a Gold-rank contract on some lucrative monster, Pisces. It\u2019s not happening! We haven\u2019t gotten certified yet\u2014the decision will take a while, and we need practice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo we lower ourselves to the most common bidder in the meantime? That hardly seems like a productive use of my <\/em>talents.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShut it. I think we should hunt the wolves. It\u2019s good training and we\u2019ll earn\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPittance?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Yeah. But it\u2019ll be a contract, and we need to practice fighting something. <\/em>I\u2019m not suggesting we try a Rock Crab first thing, or go into the dungeon. Are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI made no such intimations. However, I simply think that wolves<\/em> are below our\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Yvlon Byres sat at the table next to Ksmvr and watched her teammates argue. She was depressed, a mood which had nothing to do with the day\u2019s events and all to do with her situation in life.<\/p>\n She was\u2014had been\u2014a [Warrior]. A Level 22 [Warrior]; very respectable and a worthy Silver-rank adventurer in her own right. Her team, the Silver Spears, had been relatively well known in the local area and respected as a competent force. But her fortunes had changed. Yvlon had lost everything, gained everything, and she was now\u2026different.<\/p>\n She\u2019s lost her friends, her team, and part of her body. She\u2019s gained a new team, and magical items that would make her a Gold-rank adventurer. And something else. A new class.<\/p>\n \u201cYvlon? What do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n The woman started. She looked at the others and smiled guiltily.<\/p>\n \u201cHow about Esthelm?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEsthelm?\u201d<\/p>\n They stared at her. Yvlon shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s close by, although we might need horses for quicker travel. But I doubt they\u2019ve got too many adventurers and they\u2019re sure to need help.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA few contracts around that city? Potentially lucrative. I concur with your thinking, in broad terms, Miss Byres.\u201d<\/p>\n Pisces rubbed at his chin, looking intrigued and Ceria pounced on the idea. Ksmvr sat, nodding occasionally and Yvlon sank back into her seat.<\/p>\n Everyone was getting stronger. Ceria was about to learn her new spell, Pisces was\u2026better, and Ksmvr claimed that he thought his fourth arm was growing again. It was all going well. Except\u2026<\/p>\n Yvlon closed her eyes. She had leveled up. Gained a new class. Only it wasn\u2019t the one she\u2019d always dreamed of. Instead\u2014<\/p>\n She was Yvlon Byres. A Level 26 [Wounded Warrior].<\/p>\n No one knew. Yvlon hadn\u2019t had the courage to tell anyone, yet. How could she? It hurt too much. She was never going to be a [Knight]. She had no idea what she would become. Her brother\u2014she\u2019d never be his equal now. And she was never going home. Never.<\/p>\n The Rabbit-man named Hawk left the inn an hour after the Horns of Hammerad finished deciding to take a few contracts in Esthelm for the time being. Yvlon had seen him, blurring through the snow at lightning speed. She envied his abilities.<\/p>\n Now she and the others were eating some fried eel, and trying to explain to Ksmvr what an eel was. They were laughing, and Yvlon felt that she had to tell them about her class. Now. Perhaps they could help? Even if not, they deserved to know. She opened her mouth, and someone burst through the door. A Human adventurer panted and shouted for everyone\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n \u201cA Named Adventurer just entered the city! You won\u2019t believe who it is!\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone turned. Moore dropped the massive mug he was using and Jelaqua cursed out loud. Halrac sat up, looking at his teammates with grim resignation.<\/p>\n \u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRegrika Blackpaw, the hero of the Gnoll tribes! She\u2019s formed a two-person team with a Gold-rank adventurer and she\u2019s here! In Liscor!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The adventurer shouted the name and every Gnoll in the inn started howling. Mrsha sat up, looking confused, but Ishkr, Brunkr, and the other Gnolls in the inn immediately surged for the door, running towards the city. Caught up by the moment, everyone else did too.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Regrika Blackpaw was a giant of a Gnoll, her fur black as coal, her body armored in splendid golden plate mail. She was a [Champion], a hero who\u2019d sprung out of the earth a few years back and slain incredible monsters single-handedly. She was accompanied by a slight young Drake, a [Mage] who radiated magical power and who had dark purple scales. Both female adventurers were being greeted with fanfare by all the Gnolls in the city despite the late hour.<\/p>\n This is how it ends. Ivolethe narrowed her eyes at Regrika and swooped down lower. Not to interfere, but watch. Regrika was speaking to Krshia Silverfang, and she\u2019d just caught sight of the Gold-rank adventurers who\u2019d come through the gates. She was striding towards them, paw raised in greeting, when the last thread snapped into place.<\/p>\n Someone burst through the crowd, shouting. People were knocked aside and Hawk nearly ran over the Named Adventurer. People screamed and backed away, because the Rabbit [Courier] had a body in his arms.<\/p>\n A limp Drake with blood on his armor and the insignia of a Drake emblem on his shoulder guard bled crimson onto the frozen paving stones. He bled, but only a few drops. He had died a while back. Hawk shouted as people stepped back, calling up at the [Guardsmen] on the wall.<\/p>\n \u201cSound the alarm! <\/em>This is a request from a Courier! Get me the Council and Watch Captain Zevara!\u201d<\/p>\n The members of the Watch did not hesitate. A horn began to blow from the wall, a piercing wail that woke up the city. Hawk turned\u2014he was panting and his fur was damp with sweat. Ivolethe had seen him run south, and then run back. She could grudgingly admit that he had run fast on the way back.<\/p>\n \u201cHawk!\u201d<\/p>\n Zel Shivertail pushed his way through the crowd, staring at the insignia on the fallen Drake. Hawk turned to him, and the [General] stared down at the dead soldier.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere did you find him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot thirty miles down the road south of here. He was barely alive; my healing potions bought him only a few moments.\u201d<\/p>\n Zel bowed his head over the Drake.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Goblin Lord. He crushed both armies sent against him. Crushed them\u2014Garusa Weatherfur is dead<\/em>, and Thrissiam Blackwing ordered both armies to buy time for word to be sent to the other cities! There\u2019s something wrong with the Goblin Lord. He\u2019s a powerful [Necromancer] as well as a leader!\u201d<\/p>\n Hawk\u2019s voice provoked gasps and screams in the crowd. Zel swore.<\/p>\n \u201cTo the Council. They need to hear of it at once! Go! I\u2019ll follow!\u201d<\/p>\n Hawk nodded. The Rabbit Beastkin ran through the streets, legs blurring, out of sight in a moment. Zel charged down the street after Hawk.<\/p>\n [Guardsmen] followed him, some shouting for people to keep calm and wait for word, others running to find Wall Lord Ilvriss and everyone of note. A Gnoll stopped and bowed before Regrika.<\/p>\n \u201cLady Blackpaw, we would deeply appreciate your\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course. Lead on. This is no time for dawdling, no?\u201d<\/p>\n The Gnoll Named Adventurer strode after the [Guardsman]. After a moment\u2019s deliberation, Ulrien and Jelaqua both followed, and they were quickly escorted in her wake. The shocked voices of the people echoed above and Ivolethe sighed.<\/p>\n Here it ended. She flew down and alighted on Ryoka\u2019s shoulder. The young woman was holding Mrsha as Erin stood next to her. Everyone was afraid. They reeked of it. They could only see one future. Ivolethe could see many. They were right to be afraid, but they didn\u2019t know all of it.<\/p>\n Nor could she tell them. Ryoka glanced at Ivolethe.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know anything about this, Ivolethe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf I did, I would not tell ye.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ivolethe looked calmly at Ryoka, and saw the girl\u2019s eyes roll impatiently.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we die\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYe die. I cannot interfere.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ivolethe sighed. She felt old. Old and tired. In that moment, the wind blew. She felt the world change and realized one thing. Faeries could see the future. They could predict it. But they couldn\u2019t see everything.<\/p>\n Time moved. She felt the call, heard the echo in her very soul. She felt the winter shiver, and then\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ryoka saw Ivolethe sigh. The Frost Faerie looked worn down, tired. And then something happened. Her form, her crystalized icy form slowly blurred. Just for a second, Ryoka thought she smelled damp earth, saw greenery and felt sunlight. For a moment. Then Ivolethe was back to normal.<\/p>\n Almost. Something ran down Ivolethe\u2019s face. It gathered, running down her suddenly slick skin, beading, reaching her leg. It fell, a piece of crystal, a frozen bit of ice, onto the ground and shattered. Ivolethe looked around.<\/p>\n Ryoka stared. The Frost Faerie glanced at Ryoka, irritated.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? What?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIvolethe. You\u2019re\u2026melting.\u201d<\/p>\n Ivolethe froze. She looked at herself, and touched at her wet skin. She blinked at Ryoka, surprised, upset, and then\u2014resigned.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHuh. So I am.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does it\u2014does that mean\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n The Frost Faerie shrugged. She looked at Ryoka, and then at Erin, and finally Mrsha, smiling slightly.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWinter is ending. And so I suppose we run out of time. Let us make the most of it, Ryoka Griffin.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n With that, she flew up, spiraling through the streets of Liscor as word spread of the Goblin Lord\u2019s army and fear once again rode on the breeze. Fear of the future.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n One last thing. The news that struck Liscor and then the rest of the Drake cities like a bomb was almost instantaneous, thanks to the [Message] spells sent out by Zel Shivertail and Ilvriss. However, the Human cities would only hear the news in the morning, mainly thanks to every [Mage] in the Mage\u2019s Guild being monopolized by Drakes.<\/p>\n Only a few individuals got word of what had happened at the same times as the Drakes. People who paid for private information, and paid quite well. Which was why Typhenous\u2019 [Message] spell was immediately relayed to Lord Tyrion Veltras and to Lady Magnolia Reinhart\u2019s presence within moments of casting it.<\/p>\n Magnolia Reinhart sat in a moving carriage and opened the [Message] scroll she\u2019d just been handed by Ressa. The artifact recorded any [Messages] her people deemed important enough to send her directly. And this one was important, oh, yes. Important and very unwelcome indeed.<\/p>\n She stared down at the [Message] as Ressa read it over her shoulder. Her [Maid] uttered several words that made the driver of the carriage swerve erratically, but Magnolia said nothing. What was there to say? She looked out the window at the dark landscape, at the snow, at the night creeping in and said nothing at all.<\/p>\n Instead, she sighed. And fate, like the fading winter, like the wind and indeed, the Goblin Lord himself, took no notice at all.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Previous Chapter<\/a> Next Chapter<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It was going to be an important day. Ivolethe felt it, just like she felt the rays of the sun warm her frozen body slightly. She could sense\u2026there were no words for what she sensed. The English language had no words for it, because Humans had only five senses, and perhaps a few others that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52856846,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"patreon-level":0,"patreon_level":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11693084,349],"tags":[7224,250708,4330244,4472517,11693079],"twi_volume":[11693133],"twi_collection":[],"class_list":["post-4151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-volume-4","category-writing","tag-fantasy","tag-inn","tag-web-novel","tag-web-serial","tag-writing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n