Book 5 - Chapter 22

There were a few preparations to be made and Cid took care of them quickly. There were things that needed to be done in the commoners' camp, but that was where Sion was and they didn't want to tip him off about what they were up to. This was supposed to be a surprise, and if Sion found out about it, he'd definitely find some way to help.

Cid obtained a wagon, filled it with firewood, hired a few mundane horses to pull it, and enlisted two pages to help with leading the wagon and daily chores. The pages were Gruffin and Drew, and the two of them were more than happy to get away from the daily drudgery of camp life to go off an excursion with a Lance.

Next, they found the nicer tavern where people with Rare Classes spent their leave and were delighted to find a familiar face. The [Witch Hunter] they'd met in Dustrim, Mal Onion, was there. As a bonus, he was drunk enough to accept the job they had in mind. He wasn't drunk enough to be cheap, though, and Brin made a big show about being reluctant to part with a whole gold piece, to be paid in advance. In actuality, he was just happy to find someone so perfect for the Talra mission.

Brin's Invisible Eye told him that Sion was in a backroom office of a public house, one that he wouldn't be passing on the way out of town. He was beginning to think that they'd get out without a hitch, but the moment they left the tavern he heard a familiar voice.

"Brin? Cid? Oh, the whole Lance is here. Where are you going?" It was Cati Breckon, the [Cook's Apprentice], walking together with another civilian girl that Brin didn't know. 

Brin frowned in concern. Cati did jobs for Sion, here and there. She needed to be silenced. Brin gave a mental laugh at the [Delusionist] part of himself for the kneejerk alarm. It was apparently very invested in hiding every secret, even though keeping all this from Sion wasn't actually that important. She did need to be silenced, though. Or removed from the equation entirely.

"That's a bit of a grim subject, I'm afraid. It might be easier for you if you don't hear of it," said Cid.

"No. What? Come on, guys, tell me," said Cati.

"Cati, let's just go," said the girl with her. She was light-haired and freckled, a [Mender] named Amai. She spoke at a near whisper and kept her eyes to the ground.

"No, I know these men. They're fine. What are you up to? Should I be worried? Should I fetch Sion?"

"No!" Brin and Cid shouted at once, making Amai flinch back a step.

"No," repeated Brin softly. "This is for Sion. It's for us, too. We're going to Talra. We're removing the curse there, and burning the dead."

Cati paled. "Oh."

"Yes," said Cid.

"Would you like to come along?" Brin asked. "We could use another pair of hands for moving Sion's things, assuming any of it is intact. We'll pay for your time."

"Oh!" Cati said again, even more surprised by the offer. "Um."

"We have duties," Amai said quietly.

Cati recovered from the initial surprise. "Will... she still be there?"

"The Order hasn't been able to enter the town, but we set guards to ensure the dead don't join the ranks of the enemy army. She's there," said Cid.

"Can I drive the wagon?" asked Cati.

Hedrek currently sat at the driver's seat of the wagon, entertaining Mal Onion with silly stories.

"I don't see why not," said Cid.

"I won't cook; I don't want too many levels until I get a chance to switch Classes. But I'll do other chores that need doing," said Cati.

"I would find that agreeable," said Cid.

"But... but Cati..." murmured Amai.

"Come with us," said Cati.

"But..." Amai said.

"I know these men. The Prime and Second don't put up with nonsense. We'll be better off with them than we are here," said Cati.

Cid smiled, looking back at the men. "You hear that? I believe someone just vouched for our character."

"Our finest behavior, sir," said Brych, appearing so suddenly it made Amai flinch again.

"I won't go if you don't," said Cati. Then to Cid, she explained, "Women shouldn't walk around the warcamp alone. Not with so many soldiers about. They’ve been taking advantage."

Amai took a moment to think, and Brin mentally calculated his next step should they refuse. He hadn't settled on how much he'd be paying; should he offer silver? That might look suspicious.

After a moment, Amai gave a short nod, and Brin sighed in relief. The two girls left to fetch their belongings, and Brin kept Invisible Eyes on them to make sure they didn't tip off Sion somehow.

The girls took the wagon, moving Mal to the back with the firewood. He had his own horse, but no one really trusted him on it until he sobered up.

They left the war camps, and thankfully he saw no sign that Sion was aware of what they were doing. The distance back to the border wasn't a long one. For all the fighting they'd done, the border was still plainly visible from the front lines. 

The closer they got to the border, the more signs they saw of those first few days of fighting where the allied army had scorched the land barren and left nothing but fields of ash. Past that, they trod across the area where the chaos spell from the Master of Magic had landed. The earth was melted in some places, but there were also great furrows carved into the ground and spires jutting up. 

In the midst of the chaotic fallout, they found the original Commoner's Camp, the one that had been set up with real buildings of stone and wood. In the last few weeks it had become a real town, unofficially titled "Witch Town", but Brin hoped that name wouldn't last. As this was the only place most soldiers could reach with one or two days of leave, it had become an entertainment hub, and the population was now greater than the commoner’s camp that followed the army.

"Shall we stop for the night?" asked Brin. They hadn't gotten far, but they'd had a late start in the day and wouldn't get to Talra before sundown.

Cid passed the decision to the men. "Thoughts? Perhaps a night with real beds under a solid roof would do us good."

Brin thought that sounded like a dream, and was somewhat surprised when no one jumped on the offer. Cowl broke the silence, "I think I'd rather spend the night outside of Arcaena."

Cowl was a man of few words, but when he spoke most people agreed. It was the same this time, with everyone nodding along.

"I don't think I've had a single restful sleep in Arcaena. The ground here is cursed. I can feel it," said Meredydd, which though true, was pretty rich for someone from a place called "Sickside." Then Meredydd noticed Cati and Amai. "Oh! But what do our fair maidens desire? Let's not be too hasty."

"Nuh-uh, don't look at us," said Cati, waving her hands in denial.

"Too true! We have members of the fairer sex present. Let us spend the night in town," said Brych.

Govannon nodded enthusiastically. "It's only proper! Ladies, never fear. We'll see that you're well cared for."

Those three had been the ones who'd been way too pushy with Cati and Awsta when they'd visited Talra, and now they were apparently trying to make up for it by being way too pushy again.

"We move on," Brin ordered, and everyone looked relieved by the end of discussion. Even Cid gave a slight nod, indicating that Brin was actually being a proper Second for once. Brin paused. "Oh, no wait, hold up."

Cid closed his eyes and took a breath. "Now what?"

Brin had sent a few Invisible Eyes on instinct to search the town. One of them had found a Public House with music playing inside. The [Bard] wasn’t anyone he knew, but from a glance at one of the screens he kept in his periphery, he noticed another sitting back and waiting for his turn. It was Davi.

"Davi's here," said Brin.

Cid grinned. "Excellent. Go fetch him."

"Who's Davi?" asked Hedrek.

"Brin's best friend from home, and an accomplished [Skald]. That's a [Bard] evolution," said Cid.

"Brin has friends?" Govannon asked. “That’s hard to believe.”

Cati raised her hand tentatively. "I'm Brin's friend. I think."

"Thank you," said Brin.

Govannon, Brych, and Meredydd frowned at that. Brych said, "Maybe he just collects [Bards] wherever he goes. You know, just plucking them off the street where he sees them."

"I only did that one time!" Brin protested.

Rhun nodded seriously. "Davi is real. I've met this man, though I cannot give an opinion on his quality. He refused to duel me."

"He's strong," Brin said. "Do you really think we should bring him?"

Cid looked at Brin in surprise. "Of course. A [Bard] is useful for any occasion."

"Then I guess... I'll go ask him," said Brin.

He didn't know how to approach that conversation, but he didn't have time to plan it. Davi was already on his way over, led by an eager Marksi who was eagerly tugging him along.

"Alright, alright, I'm here. Now..." Davi held his arms out, and Marksi jumped up into them, purring as Davi scratched Marksi's scales. "Surprised to see you here, Brin."

"We're on leave," Brin said dumbly.

Davi looked from Brin to his men. "That's nice," he said simply.

"So look, we're about to ride out and face incredible danger. Would you want to... that is. I could really use your help," said Brin.

Davi shrugged. "Sure."

"Sure? That's all? Is it really ok for you to take off like that? You haven't even asked what kind of danger," said Brin.

Davi shrugged again. "Just let me find a horse."

When he said he was going to find a horse, he really meant find one. He walked down the street a ways until he saw one he liked, tied to a pole outside an inn. He asked around until he found the horse's owner, and quickly convinced the man to let him borrow it. It was an insanely Jeffrey-like way to approach things. Fifteen minutes later and they were on their way. No money had traded hands, just the ability of [Bards] and their sub-Classes to get whatever they wanted.

Brin expected questions, or maybe a retread of their last conversation where Davi had hinted that Brin had just lucked into all his levels, but Davi seemed content to ride in easy silence. 

Brin couldn’t get a read on him at all. He didn’t seem upset, or stressed, or even surprised to be doing this today. He was acting totally normal, like no time had passed and this was just them walking into town on a normal day. What was he supposed to do with this? Teenagers were so weird.

They crossed the river at a newly-made bridge, and travel immediately felt better. He didn’t think Arcaena was still cursed–his Skills would’ve warned him. But it still felt better crossing into Prinnash. More healthy. Safer. They made good speed for the next two hours, but when the sun hit the horizon, Brin called a stop for the night. They still had a ways to go until Talra, and he wanted his men fresh when they faced it.

Cati and Amai were eager to prove their worth and they rushed to set up camp. Cid tasked the pages to help them, which meant that there wasn't a lot for the rest of them to do.

For dinner, Amai offered to cook, but when she realized that meant using the campfire while all the men sat in a ring around it, watching her, she was overcome with nerves and froze in place. Brin ordered them to make a second fire under the pretense that Amai needed coals to cook while he wanted to watch flames. With the attention off, Amai got to work, but then looked so stressed when Brych, Meredydd, and Govannon offered to help that Brin ordered them to rest and leave her to it.

Cati didn’t offer either. Instead, she stepped up to the fire with the men and said to Davi, “I suppose I shouldn’t ask, but since you’re here… play us a song?”

Davi could’ve eased all the awkwardness any time he felt like, Brin was sure of it, but instead he’d just watched them all with poorly concealed mirth. “Oh, I suppose I could do that.”

He played a few simple tunes, and none of it had any emotion manipulation behind it that Brin could feel, but it kept everyone distracted until Amai was ready to dish out bowls full of Gaelach.

Davi stopped playing while he ate, and for a moment there was silence as everyone dug in. It was delicious, probably Brin’s favorite meal in this world. Most of the work had already been done by Cowl who’d picked out all the right herbs and spices, but he had to give Amai some credit; for someone without a cooking Class, it was excellent.

Mal Onion, who up to this point had mostly been silent or drunkenly rambling to himself, seemed to gain sobriety as he ate. After the first few spoonfuls, he took off his wide-brimmed hat to fix the feather and then tidy up the cravat he wore under his leather jacket. By the time he finished the bowl, he was giving everyone confused glances.

“Not to be a bother,” Mal said at last. “But if it pleases you sirs, could you kindly explain where I am? And if it’s not too much to ask: Who are you people?”

“It’s too late to get out of it now. We’ve already paid you,” said Cid.

Brin had to give Mal credit, he wasn’t one to be caught flat-footed. His fingers crept towards the whip and shortsword at his belt as he gave everyone a dashing smile that would make you think that he was the [Bard] of the group. “Paid for what, exactly?”

“Relax, Mal. We’ve met once before, remember?” Brin had his helmet off to eat, and he thought his face was fairly memorable. “You vouched for me to Sir Caradawg of the Order of the Broken Stone. Outside of Dustrim?”

Mal snapped a couple times as if to jog his memory and then pointed to Brin as it clicked. “Oh, that’s right! I remember you! You were fresh off of chasing away a [Witch]. I never did catch up with her, to my shame. Why, are you fresh on the trail of another?”

“Nothing as fun as that. Did you ever hear about what happened to the small towns near the border between Prinnash and Arcaena? We’re headed to a little hamlet called Talra,” said Brin. “To cleanse its curse.”

“Oh, that’s what we’re doing?” asked Davi.

“Well, I would’ve told you if you’d asked,” said Brin.

“I figured you’d tell me eventually.”

“And I did. We’re fixing a curse.”

Mal clicked his tongue. “Nasty business, that. Alright, cards on the table. I simply cannot help you. The Skill you think you want is [Break the Wyrd], but despite how it sounds, it isn’t a big powerful strike against [Witch] curses. It’s a way to slowly grind them away over time. It might do as a way to whittle away the days and weeks between [Witch] sightings, but it’s a waste of my time when there’s a war on. Not to mention that these are no ordinary curses. Paid or not, I won’t throw my life away. No, I simply cannot help. Now, if you’ll kindly excuse me…”

“Relax,” said Brin. “We’re not asking you to take care of everything yourself. If all goes well, you won’t have to lift a finger. We mainly just want you at the end, to tell us if our plan to destroy the curse succeeds or not.”

Mal shifted uneasily. “Is that so?” He looked at the ring of faces around him, searching for something.

Davi snorted a laugh. “He wants to hear it from one of the trustworthy-looking [Knights].”

Mal flashed a sardonic grin. “Guilty. And perhaps while the [Skald] isn’t touching that strange oversized lute?”

Davi smirked and raised both hands in the air.

“It’s called an oud,” said Brin.

“Thank you, but that's not the most pressing question on my mind,” said Mal.

Cid sighed and set down his bowl to stand up. “My man tells it true. We mainly need you for your senses, and we have no intention of leading you to your death. Our lives before yours, on my honor.”

“In that case, I am at your disposal,” said Mal. He used his hat to effectuate a bombastic formal bow. “So what’s your plan?”

“I’m wondering that myself,” said Davi.

“Simple,” said Brin. “It starts and ends with the same thing we used to get into Arcaena in the first place.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a glass marble. Contained within was a little piece of the most dangerous magic he’d ever seen or heard of. Chaos.