Riftside 3 - Chapter 13

“So, tell us about yourself,” I said, smiling at Lan as best I could across our dining room table. I’d tried chatting with her as we made our way over from Sentinel Station after the attack was beaten back, but she’d refused to engage. 

And she still did, deciding to remain silent almost the entire time. 

The water mage sat at our table like a storm cloud refusing to break, her amber hair a curtain hiding her face. She hadn’t even touched the tea Eryn placed in front of her, which was starting to bother me. 

A staff was pressed against her chest, and she held it as if afraid someone was about to steal the weapon from her. The staff looked as if it had been torn from the heart of an ancient, petrified steelhusk tree, the shaft a twisted length of dark, gnarled wood, so dark it seemed to drink in all light. It was etched with deep grooves that coiled around it like hardened veins. At its top where a crystal normally sat to amplify a magician’s element, was a crown of thorny, interwoven branches forming a perfect circlet and within an orb made of what resembled a class gem, but with a rougher texture that glowed purple.

“Alright,” Mara said finally. She gestured from us to the girl. “You all know this is Lan. Lan, this is your new party.  Ash is the leader, and the rest are Knut, Eryn, and Nabeeh. You will be their fifth. It is a done deal, so just get over it. And try not to get them killed.”

“A pleasure to meet you, spoilsport,” Nabeeh said, her voice dripping with a sarcasm so thick you could bottle it. “Since we’re all going to be one big, happy, dysfunctional family, let’s start with the basics. What spells do you have, Lan? Beyond, you know, making it rain indoors.”

Lan didn’t look up. 

“You’ll know when I use them,” she said.

“Excuse you? We’re a party,” Nabeeh said, her eyebrows shooting up. “We share information so we don’t die. It’s a fairly simple concept.”

“I won’t die,” Lan countered, her voice a low monotone. “I’m pretty sure of that.”

“You know, for someone so determined to be mysterious, you’re coming across as a standard-issue, angsty teenager,” Nabeeh shot back. “I grew up as one, so if you want to impress us, you’ll have to try harder.”

“How about I show you my spells right now,” Lan offered, a hint of steel entering her voice. 

The air in the room grew a fraction colder.

Knut, who sat polishing his two-handed sword, let out a booming laugh that startled everyone. 

“I like little girl. She has fire in belly. Or, well, water. Welcome to pack, little storm.”

“Excellent! A duel!” Roq said. “Go ahead, little girl. Strike first. The moment you harm our Eryn, Ash will end you. I shall feast on your soul! I wonder what the water mage tastes like. Moist, perhaps? Like pie?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, fighting back a headache. 

“Enough. All of you. Fighting amongst ourselves is exactly what the Hive Mind wants.”

The name landed with the weight of a thrown stone and for the first time, Lan’s head snapped up, her curtain of hair falling away to reveal wide, shocked eyes. The deadened challenge in them was gone, replaced by pure, undiluted surprise. It was the first genuine emotion I’d seen from her.

She stared at me, then her gaze shot to Mara. 

“They… they know?”

Mara, who had been watching the exchange with the detached amusement of someone observing a line of ants crossing a river of ale, just shrugged. 

“Perhaps. Doesn’t matter, does it? You don’t care about any of that, do you?”

The surprise on Lan’s face curdled, freezing back into a mask of indifference. She looked away, her hair falling back into place. 

“No. Of course not.”

“Since we’ve established we’re all going to be professional, where will you be staying?” Eryn said, her voice gentle. She looked at Lan, not with challenge, but with a quiet understanding. 

“I don’t need a den,” Lan scoffed. “I’ll get a room at an inn. Anyone stupid enough to bother me will learn to regret it.”

“How dramatic,” Eryn said, her smile not faltering. “But not good enough. Every member of our pack has a den to feel safe in, and we have a spare room.”

“We do?” Knut asked.

“Yes,” Eryn said, leaning down to try and meet Lan’s gaze. “It used to be mine, but from now on, it’ll be yours.”

I raised an eyebrow. 

“And where will you be sleeping?”

Eryn’s gaze met mine, a playful, promising glint in her eyes. 

“I figure you and I have a long talk about that later, party leader.”

Lan let out another scoff, clearly uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation.

Knut, ever the pragmatist, bypassed the emotional minefield entirely. He set his sword down, pommel first, with a heavy thud. 

“How many big spells can you cast before dry? Regeneration rate from empty to full?”

The direct, tactical questions seemed to throw Lan off more than Nabeeh’s hostility or Eryn’s kindness. She hesitated, her mask of indifference cracking again. 

“I can cast all my spells twice, or more if I don’t use the big ones. My regeneration… is none of your business.”

“Fine,” Knut grunted, seemingly satisfied. “When can you hunt?”

“Now!” she snapped. “Do you think I’m a child incapable of slaying monsters?”

Knut nodded, a slow smile spreading across his face. 

“Child, no. Insolent whelp, yes,” Knut said. “But good. I approve.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” I said, cutting in before the conversation could derail further. “Not until you tell us something about yourself, Lan. Anything.”

She looked up then, tilting her head and raising her eyebrows, staring at me, the silent challenge back in place.

I felt my blood pressure start rising. As if dealing with one teenager called Roq wasn’t enough, now I had another. Well, she wasn’t quite a teenager, but rather in her early twenties, but still.

Eryn laughed softly. 

“Never mind him. He thinks being the leader means he gets to be nosy. Come on, I’ll show you to your room.” 

She reached out and took Lan by the hand.

The moment Eryn’s fingers touched her skin, she yelped, snatching her hand back as if burned. 

“Ouch! What was that?”

“Nothing,” Lan muttered, pulling her hands away, tucking them underneath her armpits, though not before I saw a flicker of alarm in her eyes.

“She hurt Eryn!” Roq said. “Quick! Let me eat her!”

“Quiet down, warhammer. It is but a protection spell,” Mara said, chuckling. “A gift from her soul weapon. To touch her is to invite pain, even when the staff is in her spatial storage. Feels like grabbing a very angry hedgehog. It suits her personality, don’t you think?”

Roq grumbled.

“That’s cool,” Eryn said, rubbing her hand. “I wonder if this’ll work. Warden’s Embrace.” The faint protective cocoon enveloped Eryn. “Let’s try this again, and sorry if I make your arm go boom,” she said and grabbed Lan’s arm. She winced, but her spell didn’t explode. “Hah! Seems your spell doesn’t count as an attack.”

Lan stared at Eryn’s hand holding her arm, her mouth slightly agape, looking utterly flabbergasted.

“Ow. Ow. Okay. Still hurts,” Eryn said, wincing slightly. “But manageable. Let’s go.” She pulled Lan to her feet.

Nabeeh stood as well, a predatory smile gracing her lips. Lan’s eyes flicked to her, a hint of wariness creeping in.

“If you’re going to be part of this party, little storm,” Nabeeh began, her voice a silky purr, “You need to learn how to properly threaten someone. A little defensive static isn’t going to cut it with this lot.”

“What?” Lan asked, clearly confused.

“Did Mara tell you about the time I burned my fiancé half to death for trying to overthrow the kingdom?” Nabeeh asked conversationally.

As Eryn pulled a still-shocked Lan towards the stairs, the younger mage looked back at Mara, a dawning horror on her face. It was the look of a wolf who had just realized it had been thrown into a den of tigers. She had no idea what her mentor had gotten her into, and it showed.

Mara maintained her composure until the girls were up the stairs, then she let out a sharp bark of laughter, slapping her knee. 

“By the bells, the look on her face,” she hissed. “That alone was worth the Class Gems!”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” I said dryly. “Now, about those gems. And I’m going to need your support at the Guild. I’m getting that Red Quest from Vos.”

Mara’s amusement faded. 

“Slow down, Aldrich. The gems aren’t here yet. They’re coming with a supply caravan from Central. Lan traveled ahead on her own. As for the quest… fine. Let’s go flick the lion’s balls in his den.”

As we stood to leave, Knut picked up his sword and resumed polishing it. 

“Will stay,” he rumbled. “In case of fight between cats. May need frost bear to break up.”

Mara chuckled. 

“You have no idea what a relief it is to pawn her off on someone else.”

I smiled politely.

Small wonder she acts out, if that’s how her own mentor sees her.

*

The Guild Hall went quiet as Vos snapped at Mara and I. 

“Absolutely not!” he said, leaning heavily on his cane. “You are not taking your party, with a brand-new, volatile mage you’ve known for less than an hour, on a Red-rated hunt. It’s reckless, it’s irresponsible, and it’s a suicide mission.”

“You gave me your word, Vos,” I said, standing my ground. “I got a fifth member. A powerful, high-level mage, just as you wanted. Now, you deliver. Give me the quest.”

Vos’s glare could have melted steel. He turned to Mara. 

“Talk some sense into him, woman! You, of all people, should understand the folly of this. Think of your apprentice. She’s the one who will pay the price for his arrogance!”

Mara met his gaze unflinchingly. 

“I have no apprentice, Official Vos.”

Vos blinked. 

“What?”

“As of now, I have formally transferred the mentorship of Lan to Party Leader Ash Aldrich. As per Guild regulations, Section Eight, Subsection B, the party leader now has full tactical and disciplinary command. My hands, regrettably, are tied.” 

She gave him a smile that was all teeth.

Vos looked like he was about to have an aneurysm. He knew, as well as we did, that she was using his own beloved bureaucracy against him, and he was furious.

“She’s his problem now,” Mara continued, shrugging elegantly. “If Ash wants to throw his new water mage into the fire on their first day to see if she can put it out, that’s his prerogative as her leader. As long as Lan doesn’t object, of course. And she won’t.”

“This is an irresponsible waste of lives!” Vos roared, slamming his cane on the floor.

Mara just shrugged again. 

“Sometimes you have to let people find things out for themselves, even if it means they crash headfirst into a wall. Builds character, Vos. You should know that better than anyone.”

I’d had enough. 

“Give me the contract, Vos. We did what you wanted.”

He snarled, his face contorted with frustration. 

“Fine! You’ll get your damn quest! Harold!” he bellowed. “Write it up! A Red-rated hunt for the Steel Scrambler! Raid leader, Ash Aldrich! But,” he said, pointing his cane at me, “You will take no less than two other full parties with you. Fifteen adventurers in total. Not one soul less, or the contract is void.”

Harold, who had been watching with all the joy of a man knowing he’d be the one to clean up whatever mess we made, nodded wearily and went to find Madeleine.

Vos leaned in, a grimly satisfied smirk on his face. 

“You’ll find recruitment difficult, Aldrich. News of you rushing a Red Quest with an untested, unstable mage will spread like wildfire. No sane party leader will want to join your suicide mission. Your ambition will be your undoing.”

As if summoned by the drama, Shay walked over from the quest board, a curious look on his face.

“Did I hear that right, Ash? You’re leading a raid on that red-rated crab, and you’ve got a new mage?”

Vos’s grin widened. 

“Yes, he is. A fool’s errand, isn’t it?”

“That’s awesome! Congratulations!” Shay said, beaming. He clapped me on the shoulder. “Heard it chased Richard’s party for half an hour through the forest before they managed to shake it. It’s about time someone took that thing on. If you’ve got space for another party, we’d be happy to join you.”

Vos’s jaw dropped. He sputtered, pointing a trembling finger from Shay to me, words failing him.

Mara let out another peel of delighted laughter. 

“You underestimate the bravery of our frontier adventurers, Vos. Or perhaps, their faith in a proven leader.”

“This isn’t bravery!” Vos finally managed to choke out. “This is foolishness! Sheer, unadulterated foolishness!”

Ignoring him, I just grinned at Shay. 

“We’d be glad to have you. Now, what do you say we find another party willing to go on this fool’s errand?”