Chapter 108: Handover

Chapter 108: Handover

“Ameliah.”

Ameliah looked up as Tallheart spoke, then followed his gaze toward Fel Sadanis. In the dawn light, she saw a small group of people headed in their direction. From her vantage point atop the fortifications, she had a good view, despite the distance. She squinted, then shot to her feet when she spotted Rain among them.

“He’s alive.”

“Mmm,” Tallheart rumbled.Ñøv€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

It was a strange group that was heading in their direction. The most notable person, other than Rain, of course, was Velika. She was zipping all over the place, scything down monsters like wheat. Ameliah watched as a Stumper was bisected by a shockwave, a torrent of mud and earth exploding around it. The other members of the group were a bald Watch officer and a middle-aged woman that didn’t look like a fighter. There were also some non-humans, specifically Rain’s slime and a fluffy white dog that was getting progressively muddier as it bounced excitedly from puddle to puddle, chasing after the Citizen. Ameliah had no explanation for that.

“What took them so long?” she asked. She’d been expecting the city to make contact days ago, but other than a few signal flags on the walls, there’d been nothing.

Tallheart didn’t reply, not that Ameliah had expected an answer. After a moment, he jumped down from the wooden palisade, landing softly for a man in full plate. “I will go.”

Ameliah hesitated, looking behind her. The barricade had grown taller with each day, to the point that it hardly needed defending. Furthermore, she and Tallheart had just finished the morning culling, and nothing was moving nearby that she could see. After a moment, she jumped down to follow Tallheart. Screw it. I haven’t seen a Razorspine for days.

A crowd had already gathered by the time Ameliah and Tallheart reached the barrier. Jamus was there, visibly excited, shifting from foot to foot as he watched the party approach. As she watched him, something finally clicked, and she smiled. Ah, of course.

Looking back at the group from the city, Ameliah saw that the unfamiliar woman had caught the dog, bundling it up in her arms and getting mud all over her clothing in the process. That must be Meloni.

Rain stepped forward from the group as they approached, waving. He was wearing his helmet for some reason, so she couldn’t see his face. Looking closer, she saw that his armor had taken quite a beating. There was a particularly nasty looking scratch on one side of the breastplate.

“Hello, Ameliah,” he signed as he jogged the last few stride to the barrier. “Everyone. I am happy to see you.”

“Hello, Rain,” Ameliah signed back. She looked around at the group on her side, spotting Lavarro standing next to Officer Turton. Neither of them made a move. I guess I’m translating, then. “He says hello,” she said, raising her voice to address the whole group.

She looked back at Rain. “What happened in there?” she signed, speaking aloud for the benefit of the watchers.

Rain shook his head slowly, stepping forward and raising his hand to press his spread fingers against the barrier. Something about the way he moved made the motion look sad. Oh no...

Ameliah stepped forward, moving to press her hand to the barrier opposite his. However, the expected resistance wasn’t there. She was so surprised that she didn’t even attempt to stop Rain from grabbing her hand and pulling her through.

“Ah!” Ameliah gasped, then stumbled as the muddy ground shifted beneath her feet. A wave of heat and foul-smelling air assaulted her, and she coughed, spluttering. Rain, damn him, was laughing. He’d flipped up his visor, and he had a huge goofy grin on his face. Now she knew why he’d had his helmet on. In retrospect, something about the expressions of the others had been suspicious.

“Damn it, Rain!” She tightened her grip on his hand, debating whether to hug him or to send him flying. She decided on the first, pulling him into a rough embrace. They figured out the barrier! We can finally leave! Unless... She gave Rain one last squeeze, then pushed him back to hold him at arm’s length. He looked a bit shocked, but Ameliah ignored his expression as she pivoted her head to Velika. “This means you’re letting everyone go, right?”

Velika laughed. “Yes, everyone can leave. It wasn’t me, though. I was just as trapped as everyone else. Rain’s the one who figured out the barrier.”

Ameliah looked back at Rain, confused. What? She released him, letting her arms fall to her sides.

“Uh—” Rain began.

“Meloni!” Jamus shouted, having passed through the barrier. He rushed toward the woman with the dog, then slipped on the mud, barely catching himself. “Gah! What in the name of the gods is that smell?” He coughed.

“Oh, sorry,” Rain said, seeming to recover from his shock. He activated Purify, then Refrigerate, cleaning and cooling the air. “I had to wait to do that or ruin the surprise. Yeah, see Bartum? I was right. My spells go right through.”

Ameliah looked where Rain was pointing. Tallheart and Staavo had also passed through the barrier, she noticed, but everyone else was still on the other side. There was a clean circle of stone in the Lee where Purify had passed through.

Seeing that she was watching, Lavarro stepped forward, pounding her hand soundlessly against the barrier twice. She then stepped back and signed, her motions sharp and angry. “Let me in.”

Rain shook his head. “Later,” he signed back, speaking aloud as well. “I need to know the name of everyone out there.”

“You will let me in NOW,” Lavarro signed, her last motion cutting the air like a knife as she glared at Rain. “Where is my daughter?”

“She’s fine,” Rain signed quickly. He glanced at the Watch officer next to him, then back at Lavarro. “Damn, she’s really mad. Maybe I should have added her to the list after all.”

“Fuck her,” Velika said. “Leave her out there, or let her in if you must. If she makes trouble, I’ll deal with it.”

Tallheart rumbled. Ameliah looked at him, sharing his confusion. She shifted her gaze to the Citizen, then back to Rain. Since when is Velika on our side? The last time I spoke to Rain, he said...oh.

The Watch officer cleared his throat, interrupting her train of thought. “If I may, we have business to discuss. I am Officer Bartum, commander of the Watch in Fel Sadanis, after...” he stopped, deliberately not looking at the Citizen. Ameliah already knew what had happened from speaking with Rain before. Bartum cleared his throat and continued. “You are Ameliah, yes?”

Ameliah nodded, accepting his offered hand to shake.

“We saw that Officer Turton got the mindcaster working,” Bartum continued. “What is the news from outside?”

Ameliah glanced over her shoulder at Lavarro, then back to Bartum. She frowned, then summarized quickly. “The Shift hit Jarro, Southguard, and Vestvall. We don’t know how bad, but we know it wasn’t as bad as it is here. Lavarro used the Mindcaster to talk to the Guild, but she didn’t tell us much other than that they aren’t coming to rescue us.”

“Wait, Vestvall?” Jamus said, pulling away from Meloni. Ameliah’s heart clenched, recalling that Jamus’s children lived there. She nodded. “Yes, Vestvall. Sorry, I don’t know any details.”

“I need to use your mindcaster,” Bartum said, walking toward the barrier. “Ours isn’t working, even for someone on the list. We don’t know why.”

“It’s broken,” Ameliah said, making him come to a halt. “Lavarro destroyed it.”

“Why?” Bartum asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ameliah shrugged. “She said Guildleader Burrik ordered her to do so.”

“I see,” Bartum said. “No matter. We will just move ours outside. I need to contact—”

“Blah, blah, blah!” a rough voice interrupted. Ameliah jerked her head to look at Staavo. She’d almost forgotten he was here. “Never mind all that, Rain,” he said. “I need to talk to you about electricity.”

“Staavo, later,” Jamus said.

Staavo shook his head. “No, damn it, I—Hey!”

Tallheart sighed as he lifted a flailing Staavo from the ground and turned toward the barrier. “I am glad you are safe, Rain. I would like to speak with you later.”

Rain smiled. “Sure, Tallheart. I’m glad you’re safe too.”

“Put me down, you bloody horned idiot!” Staavo shouted, hammering at Tallheart’s back ineffectually.

“I will protect the camp,” Tallheart said to Ameliah, ignoring Staavo’s protests. “Do not worry.”

The noise cut off abruptly as the pair passed through the dome. Ameliah watched as Tallheart spoke briefly with Lavarro, then towed Staavo away in the direction of the barricade.

“Mmm,” the smith rumbled.

“What will you do?” Rain asked. It didn’t seem likely that Tallheart would want to live in the DKE.

Finally, Tallheart looked at him. “I do not know.”

Rain nodded. “Yeah.” He didn’t want to go to the DKE either.

“Does the teleporter work?” Tallheart asked, staring in the direction of the Stumper.

“Yes, as of around two hours ago. Bartum gave me a drawing of a guardian by the name of Dunwich. That was enough for me to let him through the barrier, and then I gave him control of it. It’s better that way.” It doesn’t even look like it hurts him when he uses it. I wonder what kind of interface he sees.

“Mmm.”

Rain sighed, lying back to stare up at the stone of the Lee. A line of light bulbs dangled there, glowing unsteadily. He tilted his head to look at Tallheart. “How does one become strong?”

The silence stretched as Tallheart considered this. Finally, he spoke in a soft voice. “Will.”

“That’s not enough,” Rain said.

Tallheart looked away. Suddenly, Rain found himself having to fight against the heat of tears. He’d almost broken down in front of Ameliah several times, but there had always been other people around, and they’d both been so busy with the evacuation that he’d been able to hide his condition from her. He’d thrown himself into the work to avoid confronting the feelings, but now they were welling up again.

The world isn’t fair. Will... Ha. As if. The Shift killed thousands of innocent people. The will to survive won’t save you from a Razorspine.

He shook his head, pushing the thoughts away from the pain, but his mind only jumped to an even darker memory. He cursed his Clarity as he found himself confronted with the crystal-clear image of Melka’s face, her dead, lifeless eyes staring up at him. It hurt, and it wasn’t a pain that the barrier stone’s torture had numbed him to. It was a different kind of agony. Also, there was the knowledge that Velika was going to get away with it. That had been her condition for the Watch: a pardon in exchange for a peaceful handover of Fel Sadanis. She was already gone, not back to the DKE, but off on her own to who knows where. A rogue Citizen, the first that there had ever been. To Rain, she was just the woman who had murdered his friend. And there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.

The tears broke free, and it was a long time before they stopped. His mind kept spinning, jumping from face to face. Melka. The other members of the Watch. His parents. Tallheart remained motionless, letting him cry. Somehow, this was the right thing.

When it was finally over, Rain took a ragged breath, too tired to even open his eyes. “Sorry, Tallheart,” he murmured. “Sorry...”

“Persistence, caution, and time,” Tallheart said.

The oddness of this statement dragged Rain out of his misery, forcing him to open his eyes. He sniffed, looking at Tallheart. “Huh?”

“The way to become strong,” Tallheart said. “You are right. Will is not enough, but it is the beginning.” Finally, he turned to look at him. “We were driven by our past, set upon the destruction of the Empire, but we learned quickly that recklessness would only lead to our deaths.” He paused, tilting his head. “Will it help you to hear this?”

Rain nodded, pushing himself back up to a sitting position. He didn’t need to ask who Tallheart was talking about. He’s lost just as much as I have. No. He’s lost more... His wife... His parents... His entire people...

“It takes great will to walk away,” Tallheart said, shaking his head slowly. “To pass up an opportunity in favor of the slow and steady course. Snowlilly died because she forgot that. She died because I allowed her to convince me that the risk was acceptable.”

Tallheart looked back out at the snow. “We traveled for years through untamed lands. Around Bellost at first, then, once we came to this continent, in the Badlands to the south of here. When we outgrew them, we moved on. Below this world, lies another, and it is vast beyond imagining. There are places deep beneath the ground where no human nor cervidian has ever trod.”

Tallheart turned to look at him. “In such places, opportunity lies for those with the will to endure. In the depths, there is no safety. There are no cities, no sanctuaries, no allies to turn to for help. You have to go deep. Far from the boundary where others have already claimed the easy prey.”

“That...” Rain sat up fully. “Tallheart, that doesn’t sound like avoiding risk.”

Tallheart’s mouth quirked. “That is because it is not.” He held up an open hand, then closed his fist. “You would call it...calculated...risk.” He tapped the fist lightly against his breastplate. “We did not do it overnight. Lilly and I moved like specters in the dark. She would scout, remaining unseen thanks to her skills until she found a target we could kill. Then, she would return to me, and we would prepare. I would build us the equipment we would need—tailor it to the task of defeating one singular monster. Often, it would take weeks. Strike. Retreat. Recover. Strike again. Blue by blue, we wormed our way down, one layer at a time. Eventually, we would reach the bottom, and then we would return to the surface to find another cave. Hopefully, a deeper one. Again and again, we did this.”

He paused, looking down at his knees.

“Each time, we descended slowly and with great caution. There is nothing harder than walking away from a foe that you know you can defeat. And yet, we did it over and over again whenever there was even a chance that something could go wrong. Then, one day, we decided to take a break. To experience the life that we had been missing below the earth. A month turned into a year, and then a year turned into two. Two years that made us forget our caution. When we resumed our descent, Snowlilly had grown...impatient. Our progress was no longer fast enough.”

Rain watched silently as Tallheart took a deep breath.

“I told you before of the lair that we found. It was above our level, but we thought we could defeat it. The monsters inside were weaker than they should have been. Still, we were careful. We studied them. Learned their strengths and their weaknesses as we delved deeper each day. And then the dragon descended upon us. Two people...are not enough. Not for a dragon.”

Tallheart lapsed into silence. At a loss for what to say, Rain reached out awkwardly, patting him on the shoulder. Tallheart looked down at his hand and snorted, the barest flicker of amusement on his face. He wrapped an arm around Rain’s shoulder, then pulled him in a bone-crushing hug.

Rain squeezed back as hard as he could, feeling like he was grappling with a rock.

Suddenly, there was a click of snapping metal. Tallheart snorted and released him, then bent to examine the gash in the side of the breastplate. It had torn open again from the pressure.

“You have not been taking care of your armor,” Tallheart said flatly.

Rain smiled. “The armor saved my life.”

“Will you tell me the story?”

Rain nodded. “Yes, but in return, you have to tell me how you made those.” He pointed to the string of light bulbs hanging from the stone above them.

Tallheart rumbled ambivalently. “That was Jamus and Staavo. Ameliah and I merely helped.”

Rain smiled. “Yeah, Staavo already cornered me. He didn’t want to answer my questions, though, just to ask his own. I ditched him with Myth and Reason. Myth’s an alchemist, and Reason’s a chemist. Staavo’s got them working on coated wire.”

Tallheart snorted. “The old man is worse than you when it comes to endless questions. I did not think it was possible.”

“Hey,” Rain said. “Ouch.”

“You are getting better,” Tallheart said. “Now, tell me the story.”

“Hold on,” Rain said, looking back at the city. Now that he had macros, he’d set Detection to automatically ping for entities every thirty seconds, and his latest scan had revealed a group headed in their direction. As they passed through the barrier, their voices became audible.

“There you are, Rain!” Jamus called. He was towing a bedraggled-looking Carten behind him, and Val and Ameliah were not far behind. “I need you to tell Carten to stop moping. He got out of it alive, so he should be happy. I still can’t believe that he was dating a Citizen.”

“—an idiot,” Ameliah finished saying as she passed through the barrier, looking at Val. “You seriously tried to solo a lair? Did you not listen to a single thing that I said?”

“I am aware that I am an idiot, yes, thank you,” Val said loudly. “Rain has already made that abundantly clear in addition to saving me from myself several times.” He turned away from her and waved in Rain’s direction. “Hey Rain, I got you something. Catch!” He hurled a dark bundle that he was carrying in Rain’s direction, then cursed when it failed to make it even halfway. The twine holding it together had snapped in mid-air, sending the bundle of black cloth flapping to the ground. A cloak?

Rain smiled and got to his feet, watching as Val stooped to collect the fabric. I guess I get to be a ringwraith again. “Come on, Tallheart. Let’s go join them by one of the fires.”

Tallheart nodded. Rain wasn’t sure, but he thought he looked...not happy. At peace, perhaps.

They sat by the fire, and then Rain began to speak. The pain was still there, but surrounded by friends, it didn’t hurt quite so badly. They talked for hours, the conversation turning to lighter topics as the sun set. Vanna eventually turned up, bringing Dozer along after growing tired of watching him. Soon after, Staavo dragged Myth and Reason out to talk to Rain, bringing Meloni and Cloud along with them. Mlem and Ava appeared just before darkness fell, towing a wagon full of food and beer. They charged for this delivery, of course, gouging them outrageously. Nobody cared.

The party ended up lasting well into the night. With the barrier and the barricade, the Lee was safer than the city in some ways. By the time that people started falling asleep, Rain knew exactly what he wanted to do. This was what it was all about. Companions. Allies. Friends. The world could be a cruel and uncaring place, but together, they could fight back.