Kanin Fyre: Chapter 44 - Fallout

[Planar Linkage spell ended.]

The tear in space collapses onto itself, crumbling into nothing as the air stitches itself back shut.

We try to pull ourself together. We can’t afford to wait for the pain to abate—we don’t have time.

“Lorata,” we say. She must have only been a second or two behind us. Which means we have minutes, at most, to prepare for her. We struggle to get up. “She’s coming.”

“Don’t,” Fyre says, gesturing for me to be still. “It’s alright. We’re prepared for her.”

Prepared for the head of the pantheon? “How?”

“We’ve erected a barrier around the city,” Fyre explains. Yes, we recall seeing that form earlier tonight. Or, we suppose, that wasn’t tonight; that was three days ago. “It’s capable of keeping the gods out, and it’s powered by the Ruin’s magic itself, so we don’t have to worry about its mana being exhausted.”

We stare at her, unsure if we’re intimidated or impressed. How in the world did she gain this sort of power after spending only a little over a half a year on this planet?

Noli’s brows are pinched in worry. “Are you okay? What happened?”

She’s only signing with one hand. The memory of her hand shattering beneath Lorata’s attack comes back to us. She’s hidden it in the folds of her dress.

We jerk upright. “Healer! We need a healer.”

“I’m okay,” she tries to object, but we’re not going to let her deflect that easily.

“Her hand,” we tell Fyre. “She’s hurt.”

Fyre frowns. “Let me see it.”

Reluctantly, Noli lifts an edge of her dress. Blood is staining the material black. It’s hard to make out much else.

Fyre sucks in a startled breath. “I’ll send for a healer right away.”

She doesn’t get up or speak to anyone else, but we have to assume she’s contacting someone with her telepathy.

“It’s nothing,” Noli insists. “My life is in no danger. Is anyone else injured? Are you okay?”

The room is crowded with confused Travelers, many of whom seem to be panicking. If Fyre is right, that most of these people haven’t spent more than an hour or so on this world, then they probably haven’t even contended with their own deaths yet. There’s so much we need to tell them. We hadn’t realized what an ask this was of Fyre when she first agreed to take care of them.

“Better,” we tell Noli, finally letting ourself relax—fractionally. The ethereal pain in our mind is diminishing. Not gone, but no longer overwhelming. Wearily, we separate our minds.

The sensation is unpleasant—like peeling off a scab. Some of the previous pain flares, but it’s nothing compared to the agony we’d first felt. And now that we’re separated, I can distinguish that most of the pain is coming from Ink’s side.

Not all of it, though. I feel exposed nerves in myself as well.

“It was the refiner,” I wearily tell Noli. “You saved me. If you hadn’t deflected it, it would have hit our void head-on.”

Noli slumps, some of the worry lines soothed from her forehead—but she still looks older, more worn, than I’ve ever seen her. “Then how did you get hurt?”

“The refiner still clipped us,” I say, reluctant to admit that Noli’s sacrifice hadn’t been entirely successful. “Some of Ink got torn away.” And judging by the lingering pain in mind, a few of my memories as well.

Which is new. I don’t remember it hurting so much when the predator was partially torn away by a refiner in Emrox. Ink remembers the pain. It remembers taking over a day to fully recover. So this time is not as bad—much less of it was stolen.

Yet, before, when twenty-odd of my memories were torn away with the predator, I don’t remember feeling such discomfort within my mind. Is it because this time I was working with Ink instead of against it? I don’t like to entertain the alternative; that I lost a lot more than just twenty memories this time.

Noli gives me a reassuring pat with her free hand. “Do you think—”

A distant boom sounds through the city. The throne room shakes, and a cascade of dust hisses down from the ceiling. Some Travelers shout, and other huddle close.

“What was that?” I ask, alarmed.

Fyre is silent for a long moment, frowning intensely, though her gaze is distant. Finally, she lets out a breath. “That was Lorata arriving at the city. She was unable to get in. That worked better than I’d hoped.”

“You hoped?” I repeat.

“Well, it was just a theory,” Fyre admits. “There’s no reason it shouldn’t have worked. But we haven’t yet had an opportunity to test it.”

Great. If she’d said that earlier, I might have thought a bit harder about bringing all the Travelers here.

“Excuse me,” Fyre says to Noli and I as the room begins to fill with confused chatter. “I need to start addressing our guests. The healer is on the way and should be here shortly. Can you manage until then?”

“Of course,” Noli signs, waving Fyre off. “Please go. We’ll be fine.”

Fyre parts with a thankful smile, spreading her wings as she turns to address the Travelers. Her fiery display of colors is an effective way to draw their attention.

“Please,” she calls, her voice carrying through the room, warm and confident. “I know this must all be a lot for you to process. But I have been where you are now, and there is an explanation for what is happening. I’ve called for some food and blankets to be brought up—once everyone’s needs are attended to, I’ll explain everything. If there are any injured, would you please alert me so we can see to you first?”

As Fyre continues to placate the crowd, it’s all I can do to watch her. Her very presence seems calming. Now more than ever, I can see it; she’s a natural leader.

It should be me up there, talking to them all. But I’m not going to kid myself; I’m not cut out for this kind of thing. I’ll stay. I’ll help where I can—I owe them that. But I’m not the best suited to this kind of thing.

It’s funny, isn’t it? All I ever wanted was to be famous. And now that I’ve become the center of attention, I’d love nothing more than for no one to know my name.

“Kanin,” Fyre signs, drawing me out of my thoughts. “Should you end our spell now?”

“Spell?” I ask, somewhat confused. I closed the Planar Linkage spell the moment we made it through.

Noli gestures, and a flicker of green light dances over her hand. “The bond. That was you, right? Why I was able to make such a powerful spell?”

“Oh!” I sign. “Yeah. That came from me.” Although originally the mana came from Dizzi’s containment cubes and Shirasil, but that’s beside the point.

“Not that I’m not grateful,” Noli signs. “It was pretty fun!”

“You shot a god, Noli.” I draw myself up, so I’m no longer a pair of hands floating over a puddle of void and broken glass. It will take a while to Sculpt something like a body again, but in the meantime, I can at least shape myself into the silhouette of a person. Or, a vaguely humanoid blob of glass and void. Close enough.

She grins. “That doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun.”

I shake my head with a laugh, focusing on the Core Bond spell that’s connecting our magic, then activate a second Sever Bond spell.

[Sever Bond failed,] Echo says. [Required Mana: NaN]

“What?” I try again, but I get the same result.

Noli tips her head. “What is it?”

“It’s the Core Bond spell,” I tell her. “I can’t sever it.” What the hell did Shirasil get me to do? Goddamnit. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him.

“Is that bad?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “Do you feel any different?”

She frowns in concentration. “I don’t think so. Just… stronger, I think? But I assumed that was the gravity spell.”

I don’t feel any different either. Maybe it’s not as bad as I’m worried it is. Just to be safe, I Check her.

[Name: Noli]

[Title: PENDING]

[Species: Elf]

[Class: Woodland Ranger]

[Level: 33]

[HP: 93/125]

[Mana: 100/100]

[Allegiance: Kanin]

“What the fuck.”

Noli doesn’t chastise me for swearing. Instead, she looks dead serious. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I’m not sure,” I admit, still staring at her stats. “Your stats changed. It now says you are ‘allied’ with me.”

“Well, that’s not so bad, right?” she says. “And it’s technically true. I am your ally.”

“It also says you have a Title.”

“What’s that?”

I’m not sure how to answer, because the more I think about it, the more I don’t like what it implies. “It says PENDING, but…”

“What is it?” Noli presses after I continue to hesitate.

“But I’ve only seen gods and champions with Titles,” I admit.

Noli stares at me.

With mounting concern, I Check my own stats as well.

[Name: Kanin]

[Title: PENDING]

[Class: Arcane Attendant]

[Level: 28]

[HP: 10/10]

[Temp HP: 472]

[Mana: 127/575]

[Role: STATUS=NULL. Establish new parameters?]

“I also have a PENDING Title,” I tell her. But unlike her, I don’t have an Allegiance.

“What does this mean?” Noli asks.

“I’m not sure,” I sign. “But I know someone who might. Hold on a second.”

I open my Contacts.

[Kanin: What does the Core Bond actually do?]

There’s a pause before I get a response, but it still comes sooner than I expected.

[L: Oh! You’re alive. Delightful. Did you find what you were looking for?]

[Kanin: What does the Core Bond actually do?]

[L: What, no chitchat? Alright. The spell does exactly what it says it will do: it secures an energy source to a vessel.]

[Kanin: And what else does it do?]

[L: Hah! You’re on the right track. But the question should really be, ‘How does it function?’]

He’s lost me. I mean, what more is there to “connect magic to object”?

I try to piece it together anyway. With my soul, I’m binding that to my glass core. With Noli, I was binding my magic to her, so she’d be connected to the System. But… why does that make her connected to the System? Is it because my magic is connected to the System? I guess it would have to be.

Ink is the only other magical connection I haven’t been able to sever. It isn’t connected to the System—but it does negatively interact with it. Like interference on a radio station. How is all this connected?

[Kanin: What does the System have to do with remnants?]

[L: Ah, now we’re getting somewhere! I suppose you could say they were made for each other.]

The evasiveness is starting to tick me off. Why does he have to be so damn cryptic? This isn’t a game—it’s our lives.

[Kanin: Why does the System exist? If remnants are the magical leftovers of the gods, then why don’t they work well with the System? Why would you guys make a magical interface that you can’t completely use?]

[L: Now, who ever said we created the System?]

That stops me in my tracks. If the gods didn’t create the System, then who? Is that why they all have Roles, too? I can’t imagine anyone would give themself one by choice.

This opens up a whole new can of worms… But it feels like a distraction to steer me away from my initial questions. I skim back over our conversation, trying to put everything together.

The System and remnants are linked somehow—and given I can’t sever my connection to Ink, that would explain why I can’t sever the connection with Noli, now, either. She’s at least indirectly linked to a remnant, even if she isn’t capable of seeing the System interface itself. I have a strong suspicion Shirasil knew that would happen. But to what end?

The Titles. Did he know that would happen, too? Maybe he was just curious to see if it would. But considering both my and Noli’s are PENDING, it seems the additional Stats weren’t processed correctly.

[L: Are we done already? It was just getting interesting.]

[Kanin: My Role is currently listed as STATUS=NULL and the System is prompting me to ‘establish new parameters.’ Do you have any idea what this means?]

[L: Fascinating. To be honest, no, I’ve never seen anything like that. You should Accept the prompt.]

This feels like another trap.

[Kanin: Why?]

[L: Because I want to see what happens.]

“Are you kidding me?” I grumble.

[Kanin: I’m not going to f*ck around with my Role for your personal entertainment.]

[Kanin: What the f*ck? Is this thing censored?]

[L: You can thank Lorata for that.]

[Kanin: I’m not so sure she’s interested in chatting with me again.]

[L: Oh? You met our glorious leader? I’m impressed you managed to get out. Can’t wait to hear how she spins this whole debacle.]

This is getting nowhere. I don’t know what else I was expecting.

[Kanin: I’ve got three dozen Travelers here I need to help stop from having a mental breakdown, so I don’t have time for this. Is there anything you can tell me that will be helpful?]

[L: I’m wounded! As if I haven’t already been helping. You did get that refiner you were looking for, didn’t you?]

I think of the other refiner, the one that tore through my essence and very nearly sealed us away. Ink growls at the memory.

[Kanin: Yeah, we got her.]

[L: Good—there are ways to get those things open, but it’s not easy.]

I return my full attention to the conversation; now we’re getting somewhere.

[L: This has been a project of mine for the last few decades, actually. And I haven’t been entirely successful. But the key ingredient is void magic, so you may make progress where I have stalled.]

[L: Oh, hold on, Lorata is calling all the gods for a meeting. No idea what that could be about. Hah! I won’t be able to contact you while in the Heavens. Good luck with the refiner. I’ve stored some research notes in the mortal realm.]

Echo abruptly pops up with a separate message from our conversation. [Location of Importance added to World Map.]

[L: I’ve sent you the coordinates. The location is protected, so enter with caution, if I’m unable to reach out again before you go. Good luck, my prismatic friend. You’ll certainly need it.]

[Kanin: What kind of protection?]

[Kanin: Hello?]

[Kanin: Wait, don’t leave yet! That’s kind of important information!]

[Kanin: Shirasil?]

[Kanin: Sh*t]

[Kanin: You’re an asshole for leaving right after that]

[L: Maybe so, but this way is far more entertaining!]

[Kanin: Are you f*cking kidding me?]

[Message failed to deliver]

Goddammit.

I turn to Noli with a defeated shake of my head. “I wasn’t able to get much information about the bond or our Stats. Sorry.”

She smiles reassuringly. “That’s alright. It doesn’t appear to be negatively impacting either of us, so for now, I wouldn’t worry about it. Besides, we’ve got more pressing issues to deal with at the moment.” She nods back out into the room.

Fyre has managed to settle most of the Travelers down and is starting to get them organized. More Fyrethians have shown up to help pass out supplies and coral the frightened and confused humans. Well, they used to be humans, at least.

Now they come in every variety of species I’ve seen, from halflings and harpies to dracid and dhampyrs. A couple huddle together for comfort, but none of them can have known each other for more than an hour or two. I guess in times of crisis, we find comfort where we can get it.

A dwarf that looks faintly familiar hurries over to us. Echo calls her Opal—a Fyrethian I think I’ve run into once or twice. Her worried gaze skips over me and lands on Noli. “I was told someone was hurt?”

“Yes,” I say, gesturing to Noli. “Her hand needs healing.”

Opal looks a little shocked to hear sound coming from an amorphous pillar of glass and shadows. For Opal’s comfort more than my own, I remove my coat from my Inventory. The dwarf jumps at the abrupt appearance, but her attention quickly hones in on Noli.

She holds out a hand. “Let me see it.”

I struggle to stuff my amorphous body back into my coat as I pass the request on to Noli, though Opal’s body language was clear enough. Noli winces as she lifts her hand, crooked and bloody. Opal gives a little gasp, and a deep guilt twists in my soul. Ink, for its part, fumes with anger. How dare someone hurt her? It will exact revenge. No one is allowed to hurt our pack!

I’m not sure we stand a chance at getting revenge on the head of the pantheon, I wearily think.

Ink dismisses this thought entirely. No one is allowed to hurt her, it emphasizes.

A soft glow appears in Opal’s palms, much like Rezira, and the dwarf bathes Noli’s hand in warm light. Some of the wrinkles in Noli’s forehead are soothed away, and she lets out a breath of relief.

[Fyre: Kanin, I don’t mean to interrupt—I’m sure you have a lot to juggle right now as well. But these Travelers—I need some help handling them. There’s a lot going on with the city right now that I need to address.]

Crap—yeah, of course she has more to deal with than all these Travelers I just dumped on her. She’s one of the city’s rulers, after all.

[Kanin: Of course. I got this. Go do what you need to do.]

Fyre smiles across the room at me, her expression tired but thankful.

[Fyre: I appreciate it. Let me know if there’s anything you need.]

“Can you sign?” I ask Opal as she continues to work on Noli.

The dwarf glances over at me in surprise—I can’t tell if that’s due to my appearance or the question. I continue to attempt to stuff my glass shards and void inside my coat in the vague approximation of a human. A moment later, I give up. I’ll need to spend some time Sculpting my glass back into pieces that can act as bones before I’ll have any hope of obtaining a humanoid form. I toss the coat back in my Inventory, resigning myself to a floating blob of glass and shadow that orbits my core and translator. And honestly? I’m too worn out to be bothered by my appearance.

Or maybe it just doesn’t bother me that much anymore.

“No, sorry,” Opal says. “I only know Dunmorish.”

“That’s okay.” Not surprised; it seems Fyrethians don’t know many other languages, given how isolated their people were for the last several hundred years. “If you need anything, come get me, and I’ll interpret.”

I sign to Noli next. “I need to help with the Travelers. Will you be okay?”

She smiles wryly. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been injured you know—the perks of marrying a healer. Go on.” She waves me away. “And Kanin? Don’t worry. You’ll do great.”

I wish I shared her confidence. But if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s faking it.

I float to the head of the room as Fyre departs. All eyes turn toward me. I mean, I don’t really blame them, it isn’t every day you meet a sentient stained-glass window.

“Hey everyone,” I say, using a pair of hands to sign at the same time. A handful of Travelers have become lamia, but I’m not sure if they’ve figured out how to use Echo’s translation ability yet. “Fyre had some things to take care of, so I’ll be taking over for her.” It should have been me up here in the first place, anyway. “I know how disorienting this all feels—trust me, I’ve been there.”

I pause, trying to figure out how to go about this whole conversation. Where to start? What would be too much? Should I dole it all out in bite-sized chunks?

Should I obscure my hand in all this?

No. That won’t help anything. Lorata knows about me, now. She knows about all these escaped Travelers. They need to be as prepared and informed as they can be.

“My name is Kanin,” I tell them. “And like you all, I used to be a human from Earth. But then I died, and I ended up here, in this form.” Well, something like it, anyway. “I suspect most of you already know or suspect this by now, but it deserves to be said, so I’m just going to rip the bandaid off; you all died as well. But instead of passing on, you were brought here, to Lusio, and given a second chance at life.” The room is nearly silent as everyone stares and listens. All eyes on me. No running from this now. My void ripples nervously. “In fact, I was the one who brought you here.”

And like that, a pressure around my soul dissolves into nothing. Gravity seems to fall away. I’m light—relieved—eager.

Eager? Yeah, I guess so. I’m eager to help these people. To get to know them. To offer them a guiding hand that I would have appreciated when I was first stumbling my way through this world.

“So, there’s some basic things you need to know,” I continue. “First thing is that you all have access to a magic System that will help you interact with the world. I call this interface Echo. The first functionalities you should become familiar with are Interpret and Check.”

As I continue to explain, the Travelers continue to listen. Like I’m actually some kind of authority figure. And the more I explain, the more confident I grow.

I still don’t think I’m really meant for this—the people side of things. I’d much rather be entertaining people than instructing them. But it doesn’t feel as uncomfortable as I’d feared. It’s not as far off from acting as I would have thought. I doubt I’ll be the best person to turn to when the inevitable existential questions start pouring in.

But you know what? I think I got this.

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Author's Note: Two chapters left in this book. Thanks for reading <3