Chapter Two Hundred and Nineteen - Guilt

Chapter Two Hundred and Nineteen - Guilt

Chapter Two Hundred and Nineteen - Guilt

We were all silent. I think you could have heard a pin drop.

The silence stretched, and the only sound was Awens clothes shifting as she reached around and grabbed my hand for a squeeze.

Care to explain? Amaryllis asked.

Emmanuel worked his jaw. I... could you repeat that? he asked.

Jim the Unknowable shifted, his little bowler hat slipping to the side a little. Oh! I dont mind that at all. I merely asked why you killed your fri--

The dungeon creature was cut off as Emmanuel bolted, hooves clattering on the top of the table as he shot forwards.

I only had time to gasp as the cervids sword came swinging out of its sheath and cut an arc through the air, aimed right at Jims head.

The creature raised one large tentacle to intercept the blade. Bright steel dug into the blubbery surface of the tentacle, spilling black blood in a splash as the sword bit and cut through the limb.

Wait! I shouted, far too late.

Jim screamed, not in surprise, but in anger. His body flashed and his tentacles reared up, the ends bunching up into big rubbery balls while others shot down and grabbed the edges of the table.

Back! Bastion called. He grabbed Howard and flung the fishman behind him just as the table flipped towards us.

I stumbled backwards, pulling Awen with me just far enough that the huge stone table missed our toes.

Damn it, you idiot deer! Amaryllis shouted before stabbing a hand forwards. Lightning crackled ahead of her, slicing through the air and stabbing into one of Jims tentacles that was crashing towards her.

The creature screamed again, and one of his smaller tentacles whipped out of him with a crack and smacked Amaryllis back. She squawked as she flew.

Amy! I took one step her way, then froze. No. Awen! Look after Amaryllis!

A-awa! Awen agreed before bolting off.

I spun to save Jim and Emmanuel.

The monster had switched his focus back onto the cervid, tentacles swinging towards Emmanuel from every direction, while others speared out towards the deer to try and stab him.

Emmanuel was holding his own. Sweat matted his fur down, and his teeth were grit, but his arms worked like machines, swinging this way and that, slapping tentacles away, and slicing at others while he side-stepped those he couldnt parry.

If I interrupted him now...

Jim! I called out. Jim, stop, please! It was a mistake, please, we dont need to fight!Th.ê most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m

Its too late, lass, Howard said. Once he starts, theres no end to it.

I didnt know what to say to that. My hands worked, and I felt like Howard had just dropped a rock at the bottom of my tummy. Dang it! I swore, one foot crashing onto the ground in a protesting thump.

Bastion stepped past me, working his arm. Ranged support, he said. It sounded like an order.

I... stepped back and nodded. It felt wrong, really wrong, but I couldnt let Bastion fight on his own. I started to create fireballs, little ones, that burned bright and warm and cast orange light across the room.

Bastion dove forwards and cut a bloody swathe through Jims smaller tentacles, instantly relieving Emmanuel as the tide of battle reversed. A glance revealed that a few blows had slipped past, and Emmanuel was favouring his sternum with his free hand.

I heard a loud clunk, and a bolt sprouted out from where I figured Jims head was. Awen was helping then, which meant that Amaryllis wasnt in bad shape.

I flung my fireballs forwards and almost felt like crying as they seared into Jims tentacular flesh with a painful sizzle.

You were an officer? I asked. He really didnt seem the sort.

Not a good one, he said. I know that now, but at the time I thought I was the greatest cervid to walk on four legs. The brass know what cervid like me are like, I think. They gave me a squad of green soldiers, one sergeant, and a map for an area to patrol.

I nodded, encouraging him to go on. He crossed his arms, hugging himself.

It was awful. I thought they were all just peasants. I treated them the way I did my servants at home, at least at first. My sergeant beat the stuffing out of me one night. He laughed, as if it was a fond memory. I could have had him court-martialled, but I think it worked. I started becoming closer to them?

Thats nice, I said.

Slowly, he nodded. It was. Hard, or at least, what I thought of as hard then. I didnt even carry my share of equipment, and I had a nicer tent... I was very stupid. We were returning when we found a dungeon. A small one, near Lavaleigh. It wasnt on the maps, none of us had heard of it. So I insisted we explore. The first floor was a joke. The second had one of my squad injured when he stumbled over a loose rock of all things.

Emmanuel laughed. It was hollow.

We patched him up, made some jokes about how clumsy he was. It was... fun?

I think I knew what that was like.

Then the final floor. The boss. We were all at or near our class evolutions, level ten. It was the same level. We figured it would be a cakewalk. Except for our sergeant ... he told us to turn back, maybe return better equipped. I ordered a charge instead.

Emmanuels shoulder came in.

They died. I was at the back. I didnt.

Oh, I said. Im so sorry.

Dont be sorry, he said. Be sorry for them, they had a stupid leader. I was just... such a coward. Do you know what the worst thing is? The boss gave me the Knight class. Knight! Its a joke. The army gave me a pat on the back and a commendation for finding a dungeon and clearing it, and I left. I decided that I would be a knight, but for real. Like in the stories.

Amaryllis mumbled something, low enough that I couldnt quite catch it, but it didnt sound like a very nice comment.

I decided not to comment on that. Emmanuels story was... rough. It sounded like it was something still fresh to him. He didnt look very old. Had it happened a year ago? Two?

No, the time didnt matter. For some people it would take a lot longer to get over things, and I imagined that if the army rewarded him, then they never considered how he felt about the whole ordeal.

He had tried to become a hero, in his own way. He was not very good at it, but I couldnt fault the idea behind it. And what had happened to his friends... I winced. That could happen to us. Underestimating a dungeon boss, running into a pirate when we were flying around. Meeting some people that werent very nice. We were getting stronger all the time, but my friends and I werent all Abraham Bristlecones who could laugh off trouble.

I carefully walked across the room, avoiding broken teacups and spilled chairs until I was in front of Emmanuel. Then I tipped forward and gave him a hug. It probably didnt help very much, but it was the only thing I could think to do.

Please dont, Emmanuel said.

I sighed and pulled back, then hovered a few feet away. Im still sorry, I said.

I heard a familiar sigh from next to me. Amaryllis. His story is certainly sad, but he still put us all at risk. And he killed Jim. That creature might have been a dungeon creature, but it was a peaceful one.

I know, I said. Just... this is hard.

She huffed, a surprisingly neutral sort of huff.

What do we even do? I asked. Tell Emmanuel to go away? He made a mistake. Amaryllis gave me a look. A few mistakes, but I dont think he means to be, um, troublesome.

I think, Awen said. Maybe Mister Chadsbourne isnt as ready for this kind of adventure as he thinks. At least, not the part where we work together as a team.

But what can we do about it? I asked.

Awen came a bit closer and touched my shoulder. Broc, its not us who need to do something about that.

Oh, I said.

***