Chapter 23 - Branching Paths (Patreon)

I lay in my cramped personal space, wishing I had training facilities like Circa had inside her room. If I had something like that, I could’ve kept working on my abilities, even here. Thinking of her and everyone else who died in those ruins still provoked raw emotions. If I knew myself—and I had to hope I did—I was on this prestige path to help people, not for my own glory or personal gain. And my prestige path seemed like it was crafted for rapid advancement.

In other words, I needed to advance. If I’d left myself a message through my choice, it was clear.

Advance. Push forward. Grow.

And I would. If I succeeded, I would find the time to come to places like this and help them. I wouldn’t sit comfortably in some lavish capital city, forgetting about the troubles of the small towns that couldn’t afford strong enough adventurers to clear infestations and keep themselves safe.

I knew there was a long road between where I was now and that kind of power.

I slept when I could through most of the day, temporarily shutting off my troubled thoughts. When I finally rose from bed, it was dark out.

I thought again about that long road before me when my head was clearer from resting. The road ahead wasn’t a straight one. It branched into countless paths, and I couldn’t know which would be correct.

So, I would keep two things in focus and trust them to guide me forward.

One, I’d never forget who I was. No matter how far this went, I was still the same guy who chose to be an EMT. The same guy who went to sleep easiest on nights when he knew he’d done something that mattered—that he’d helped people.

Two, I would try to enjoy the journey but wouldn’t waste it. Every day was an opportunity, and I wouldn’t forget that.

For now, I could strive to understand my new abilities as completely as possible. If I maximized as many of my moments as possible, it would be hard to look back with regret. That would have to be enough until I knew more.

With a renewed sense of purpose, I trudged out of my personal space in what looked like the middle of the night. I wasn’t sure if the Arcanery would be open at this hour, but I was going to check. I had three fresh reward tokens, after all.

The same naidu I’d seen before was at the counter when I arrived. He was speaking into a clear, round stone when I walked in. He cut himself off, setting the stone down with a click and waving a hand over it. The stone had been glowing softly, but it went dim.

“New helmet?” he asked. “Hmm. Level 22? And three more accomplishments? Are you using a guidebook, perhaps? Those are quite rare, you know.”
 “No,” I said flatly.

“What in the name of the void are you up to, then?” he asked.

“It’s complicated,” I said. Despite all the sleep, I still felt a weariness deep inside. I didn’t feel like going into detail with the small, blue man.

He leaned closer, the magnifying lenses over his eyes spun and whirred. “I heard the Silver woman joined you in the ruins. I suppose you all acquitted yourselves quite well. Hmm. Yes. Quite well, it seems. Unfortunate about what happened, of course.”

“Can I claim my tokens?” I asked. I wasn’t in the mood to chat tonight. It didn’t help that something about the naidu prickled at my senses. I didn’t trust him entirely, but I couldn’t say why.

He nodded, pushing the lenses away from his eye absently. “Let’s claim your scrips, then.”

The naidu went through the same process as before, producing the scrips from his strange little box and reading off the accomplishments I already knew about. When he was finished, he set down the common weapon token and the common armor token on the counter. When he placed the slightly more embellished rare armor token down, he kept his fingertip on the coin, pressing so I couldn’t lift it.

“Tell me,” he said, finger still on the coin. “Are you going somewhere? You have the look of a man about to leave town.”

I nodded.

He leaned in closer, eyes darting as though we weren’t alone. “Many people are leaving for Thrask as soon as possible.”

“Thrask?” I asked.

“The tomte city on the other side of the Dark Wood. It’s underground in a cave. Quite impressive.”

“Is that where you’ll go?” I asked.

“No,” he said, flashing golden teeth. “I’m bound to this location by contract with Our Lady of the Void.” The naidu watched me expectantly as if he thought I would recognize the name.

“I’m… not familiar. Who is that?”

His eyes narrowed. “Curious…”

“What is?”

He waved my question away, pushing the coin towards me like he hadn’t been pinning it and preventing me from taking it. “Good luck in Thrask, then.”

“I never said I was going to Thrask…”

“There are epic, legendary, and cursed tokens burning a hole in your slip space. You can turn them into the furnisher in Thrask. I would be quite shocked if you were going anywhere else.”

I nodded. I supposed the conclusion was obvious enough. “And if I chose the next closest city? How would I get there?”

His pale blue eyes twinkled. “You would want still to go to Thrask and travel by boat, most likely. The current moves strong from the docks there. You could sail to Coil in three days. From Coil, you could ride the gravity wells to just about anywhere you’d like within the inner circles. But unless you plan to brave the Wastes, I’d say all your options lead through Thrask.”

“Right,” I said. I really didn’t want to ask, but couldn’t help myself. “How does one ride a gravity well, exactly?”

“Quite simple. It’s old magic.” He held up his fist between us. “This is Eros.” He tapped a finger to one knuckle. “This is the city of Coil.” He traced a wandering path around Coil that circled the top of his fist and back again. “That’s the gravity well. It flows like a river in the sky.” He shrugged as if that made all the sense in the world.

“And people ride it?”

“With the proper equipment, of course. Barges, ships, or grav gloves for those with the proper skill or reckless inclination.”

I might have pressed him for more details if I wasn’t feeling so exhausted. As it was, I nodded, filing the curious information away for later. “Well,” I said. “Thanks for the tokens. I hope you’ll be safe here…”

“Oh, don’t worry about me.” The naidu snapped his fingers, and it looked like the fabric of space itself tore open in a vertical split, like curtains parting. Violet sparks of magic gushed from the edges, spraying in every direction and bathing the Arcanery in shifting black light. He playfully stepped into it so half of his body disappeared, and the other remained. “Good luck catching a naidu, eh?”

“Wow,” I said. “Is that a portal?”

He stepped back out of the portal and into our world. The energy zipped itself up and vanished. A few sizzling violet sparks landed on the ground, circled, and vanished. There was a lingering smell like burnt hair in the air.

“Good luck on your travels, Brynn,” he said with a smile, ignoring my question.

I was fairly sure I’d never given the naidu my name.

Feeling slightly disturbed, I left the Arcanery and returned to my personal space.

For some reason, I still felt compelled to start with the lowest rarity loot and work my way up. I began with the common armor token, which produced a wooden box that landed with a thump on my bed, which took up all but a narrow walkway inside my personal space.

I found a heavy leather belt with several pouches and compartments for stashing things inside.

I was unreasonably excited about it, even though I could keep things inside my magical slip space. One perk was that the belt was some semblance of normal clothing. I’d been wearing ripped tomte clothing, and now I had the torn and tattered robe. I was tired of looking like a poorly dressed lunatic. Then again, I wasn’t sure slapping a belt on top of my robe would move the needle too far in the direction of “well dressed.” It was still a start.

The other benefit was I could put things in the pouches I wanted easier access to. I was getting better at recalling items from my slip space, but they suffered from a slight cooldown. I couldn’t suddenly call up all twenty glass vials, for example. I had to wait a second or two between summoning each item. It also took a scrap of focus to call up items properly. If I was distracted or in danger, there was a chance I could fumble the process and lose valuable time.

Stashing things in my pouches would mean there was no chance of a mishap or delay. Compared to my plate bracers, it was arguably useful, so I was happy.

Next, I used the common weapon token. I was crossing my fingers for a rare upgrade, but I had no such luck.

I found a simple metal mace inside. It was a long shaft about the length of my forearm with a smooth, heavy, round ball on the end.

[Mace (Common) (Wood)]

I shrugged. It was more useful than a whip, at least. I had been considering the role I imagined I’d have in combat, and I was beginning to see myself as a kind of mage. When real life and death were at stake, it seemed needlessly risky to want to be involved in any kind of melee combat. Still, I guessed I would rather have something heavy to whack things with if they got too close. I was happy to see leather loops on either side of my belt. They were wide enough to slip the mace down, and the rounded ball held it in place so the shaft dangled beside my thigh.

It would be a little awkward to draw the weapon. I’d have to grip the ball, pull it up, and then use my other hand to get a hold of the shaft.

I could figure out a better solution another time. I didn’t think I’d be using it much, anyway.

I summoned the rare armor chest next. It thumped down, and I couldn’t open the latches fast enough.

Inside, there was a simple gold band. I frowned. A ring?

I lifted it and inspected the ring.

[Ring of Protection (Rare) (Wood)] Absorbs one heavy physical blow (Cooldown: 4 hours).

“Wow,” I said to myself. I slipped the ring on immediately. There was a brief feeling of cold prickles passing over my skin. I touched a fingertip to my arm but didn’t feel anything different. I braced myself, raised a fist, and slammed it down on my thigh as hard as I could.

Blue light bloomed out from the point of contact, rippling over my body like disturbed water.

I raised my fist, rubbing my now-sore palm. It had felt like punching a brick wall, and I hadn’t felt a bit of it on my thigh. I tried again, just to be sure, and was able to hit my own thigh without trouble.

I already loved the ring. I could imagine a relatively harmless “heavy physical blow” could essentially waste the ring, but it could probably save me from something that would otherwise be lethal. It seemed especially useful for a surprise attack or for buying me a precious second if an enemy got too close.

I took my new loot and returned to the training area where Lyria had pummeled me just that morning under Circa’s supervision.

Part of me wanted to go back and sleep to put more mental distance between myself and everything that happened. But I also felt a kind of unstoppable drive. I didn’t want to waste precious time with sleep I didn’t need. So I sucked it up and tried to clear my mind.

I worked on my Forge Echo ability until I could form a slightly more substantial duplicate of my bottle. It took me close to two hours of practice and meditation to improve from a cloud-like mist to something more like a glowing shadow. It still didn’t seem to have any physical properties or do much, but the echo of my weapon moved when I willed it to. Sort of.

I was covered in sweat when the first hints of sunrise crept over the woods. Channeling mana was surprisingly taxing. Even the process of meditating and trying to recover my mana was oddly physical. I could feel the mana, and it only flowed back through me and refilled my reserves with a sort of active concentration that was difficult to maintain. I considered using a few of my siphons to speed up my recovery a few times but opted to hold off. I’d seen how valuable they could be in a pinch and didn’t want to find myself wishing I’d saved them for actual danger.

When I found my concentration slipping too much for my training to be valuable, I allowed myself a small break. I lifted my helmet to mop sweat from my face and push my hair back. With my helmet back on, I headed into the street, which was already picking up with early morning activity.

I asked a man and got directions to a clothing store. I was relieved to learn I could buy some simple clothes for a few copper coins, which still left me a decent amount to pay for food before I left for Thrask. I’d have to hope I found a way to fill my reserves after that, though. Between the clothing and food, I was quickly spending what little I had.

I took the new clothes back to the inn and used the washroom for free, this time, then got changed and shaved. It wasn’t much, but now I wore a button-down shirt with dark, loose-fitting pants and a fresh pair of shoes. I even bought a simple gray cloak with a hood. It looked slightly ridiculous, but I had lifted the hood and tugged it down over the horns of my helmet so they punched straight through.

Yes, I had my hood up with horns sticking out, but it was still somehow less conspicuous than when the helmet was on full display. At least, I thought it was.

My helmet gathered constant attention everywhere I went. I had almost stopped noticing, but I remembered Circa mentioned illusionists. When I got to Thrask, I needed to remember to ask about the service and see if I could afford to make my helmet look less conspicuous. After all, it seemed like the helmet was almost more of a giveaway than my face could possibly be, but I had to trust Circa’s opinion that fewer people would recognize it.

I buckled my belt over the new clothes and fumbled with the straps on my plate bracers for a while before getting it right. For the first time in days, I didn’t feel like I looked completely ridiculous. Alright. I was probably being generous. I still looked a little off, but it was definitely an improvement, even if that wasn’t saying a whole lot.

I headed outside. It had begun to rain, and distant rumbles of thunder were coming from the direction of the Black Wood. Hundreds of people already clogged the muddy streets in an apparent mass exodus.

I guessed word about the Forsaken had spread overnight, and everybody was waiting until morning’s light to leave.

Townspeople dragged carts through the mud, carried packs, or held everything they could in both arms. More than once, I heard the word “lich” and “Forsaken” in conversations I passed.

People were gathered by the front gates, packed and ready for travel. I spotted a few adventurers I hadn’t seen with us on our trip into the ruins. It looked like they were accepting payment to travel as escorts with groups of townspeople.

Captain Jarn watched it all with a resigned expression. Several people offering paid escort services were even wearing the Riverwell guard uniforms.

I went up to him. “You’re really staying?” I asked.

“Someone has to. I know this looks like a lot, but some folks will stay put. Some can’t afford to leave their shops. Some are too old or wounded to travel.” He spit on the ground and wiped his thinning, wet hair from his eyes. “This many leaving might be for the best. Could be the Forsaken passes up a nearly deserted town. Almost certain she would’ve sucked this place dry if they all stayed, though. So we’ll stay. We’ll fight if we have to. And I’ll die protecting them should it come to that.”

Rock was standing a little ways back. He gave a resolute nod at Jarn’s words. I suspected it wouldn’t make a difference in a fight, but part of me was glad to know the powerful tomte would stay here and give the people who remained in Riverwell some measure of peace.

I didn’t know what to say, so I awkwardly patted his plate shoulder pad. To him, I was just another random adventurer who arrived a day before his world was turned upside down. Still, he gave me a respectful nod and approached a group of men and women shouting and arguing over a pack that had fallen in the mud. Both groups were claiming it was theirs.

I spotted Lyria pushing through the crowds and coming straight for me. She still had on her plate armor, but had a green cloak pulled up over her head. A few wet scraps of bright red hair hung loose around her face. Her eyes were determined.

Shit.

“Trying to leave without me?” she asked.

“I was thinking about it,” I admitted.

“You look nice for once,” she said, nodding to my clothes.

“Yeah,” I said. I felt incredibly awkward. In my mind, I had been able to imagine having the fortitude to stay firm. I’d tell her it was too dangerous to come with me. I’d urge her to reconsider one more time, and I’d walk off into the sunset, alone and prepared for whatever came.

In reality, I didn’t want to do this alone. I didn’t need to do it alone. I trusted Lyria, and I hated the thought of throwing that away. Her words yesterday had also been weighing on me. It wasn’t just a question of what I wanted. Lyria wanted this, too. She had her own ambitions and reasons for wanting to come, and I didn’t have the right to tell her not to chase after them.

There was also comfort in having somebody to watch my back. She knew the real truth about me, and she hadn’t tried to kill me or betray me to take advantage of it. She’d stood with me against the lich when there was no reason to stand except for some fleeting sense of honor.

Damn it.

“Lyria,” I said. “I know Circa said all those things about me. And I’ve got some advantages because of… the thing,” I said, hoping she understood I meant my prestige path. “But all I know is I need to get stronger. That’s it. I have no plan. No clue what is going on out there. I don’t even know if I’ll find that out soon.” I was speaking fast. The words came tumbling out of me, sounding nothing like I’d planned to say.

“It’s fine,” she said, cutting me off before I could ramble more. “I’m choosing to follow along for now. Don’t get an inflated ego about it, either. It benefits me, too. Anyway, I already got us a spot in an escort group. Paying job,” she added with a crooked smile.

“What?” I asked.

She nodded. “That’s right. The leader is an Iron, and there are three Woods beside you and me. You’ll recognize them. They were in the ruins with us. Anyway, we’ll escort two kids, three men, two women, and a pair of elders to Thrask.” She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. “I assumed that’s where you wanted to go. Am I right?”

I sighed. “You assumed correctly. Once the naidu told me about Thrask, I figured it was the place to go next.”

“The naidu told you about Thrask? They usually just do business and refuse any small talk.”

“He was a little bit talkative,” I said slowly. “Hey, Lyria… Are you alright? After yesterday, I mean. Because if you wanted to talk about it, or—”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said a little too fast. “I’m fine. I’ve seen people die before. It’s no big deal.”

She jerked her head for me to follow and cut the conversation off, heading toward a group of familiar adventurers talking to some townspeople. From Lyria’s tone, I didn’t quite believe she was dealing with everything as well as she pretended. She also seemed to want me to drop it, though, so I would respect that.

I inspected the adventurers as we approached. Like Lyria said, I’d seen all of them in the infested ruins. The Iron was the one-eyed tomte berserker. He was shaved bald, bearded, and shirtless, except for two leather bandoliers that formed an “X” across his chest and back. A pair of one-handed hammers were slotted into the bandoliers, their handles sticking up over his shoulders. As we got closer, I saw the tomte was covered in crisscrossing scars, the most prominent of which was a thick and jagged line of white skin that crossed an empty eye socket.

“Ahh, look. It’s Mr. Helmet,” the tomte said, reaching to shake my hand. “You’re the one who was pissin’ poison all over everything. You handled yourself well in there.”

His hand was the size of a child’s, so I just stuck my hand out and let him grip it and shake. “Bloody Steve,” he said, patting his bare chest. He had the build of an oak barrel overstuffed with liquid, but there was a kind of confidence and strength to his movements that made me think he was stronger than he looked.

“Hi, Bloody Steve. I’m Brynn. Can I just call you Steve or—”

“Don’t you dare,” Bloody Steve said. His one eye glowered up at me. Then he laughed suddenly. “Just yankin’ your trousers. Sure. Call me what you want, so long as you listen to my orders. I’m the boss of this unit. We’re getting one gold to split if we make it to Thrask. I’ll take half, and the rest of you Woods can split the rest. Clear enough?”

Lyria looked at me. I realized she was waiting for my approval.

“Oh, yeah. Sure. Sounds great.”

“Good,” Bloody Steve said. “‘Course, if any of the townspeople die, we might not earn as much.”

One of the little girls we were supposed to escort looked up sharply. Her dad covered her ears, smiling reassuringly as he walked her away and talked quietly.

“This is Minara,” Bloody Steve said, gesturing to a woman I recognized as well. She was the white-robed healer from the ruins. She had pinched features, a slightly large nose, and dark brown eyes. She had dark hair that was tied back in a tight ponytail. I guessed she was around my age, but she had a regal kind of authority and looked like someone who had spent most of her life in quiet libraries or classrooms.

The rain continued pouring down, soaking her pristine robes.

The woman stepped forward, smiling in a way that brightened her otherwise intimidating aura. I took her hand, shaking it.

“Brynn,” I said.

“Minara, of the Radiant Path.” She gave a small curtsey that looked practiced and graceful.

I inspected her again, even though I’d already checked her level. She reminded me a little of Circa, but she was only level 30, and Wood ranked. “What’s the Radiant Path?”

Minara looked a little surprised by my question but recovered quickly. “We’re one of the oldest orders of healers. We follow the three paved paths left by our founders.”

Lyria was at my side, and she filled in the gaps quietly. “Direct healers, battle healers, and enhancement specialists. They only accept the most promising students. Usually noble borns and such.”

She was speaking quietly, but Minara must’ve heard because she inclined her head as if to agree. “That’s quite correct. I’m noble born, myself. But we’re taught to leave behind our family connection when we join.” Minara gave an uncertain smile. “I’m still getting used to that. I’m Radiant Minara now. No longer Minara Thorngold. I’ll admit it still feels strange on my tongue.”

Bloody Steve dragged the remaining two adventurers up to us. “These are the Bow Brothers.”

The two men were roughly the same height with blonde hair, handsome features, and blue eyes. We’d been behind them before leaving town for the ruins, and one of them was the one who sent arrows along those golden strings, I thought. The other was the one who fired the huge arrows I’d seen cleaving through palefiends.

They almost looked like twins, but one of the brothers seemed a little more roguish, while the other had a more trusting face. Maybe it was just in the way they held their features. Both of the brothers were level 40 Woods.

He gestured to the one who looked more likely to stab me in the back. “This is Bow Brother One,” Bloody Steve said.

“Perch,” the man added, sounding annoyed. He wore light scales of metal sewn over a thick black hooded robe.

“And Bow Brother Two,” Bloody Steve said, pointing at the other brother.

“Kass,” he said cheerily, sticking his hand out for Lyria and me to shake. Kass wore leather armor over bright red clothing. He also looked like he had bathed recently, which was in sharp contrast to his brother, Perch.

“Alright, then,” Bloody Steve said. “All that shit is out of the way. We should get moving. A few groups already went the way we’re headed, but if we’re lucky, they left some hunting for us.” He drew his hammers, clanked them together three times, and walked purposefully toward the town’s exit.

I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed or disturbed. None of them seemed to be showing any lingering effects of what we’d been through. Then again, I supposed I was putting on a normal face despite what I felt churning inside. Maybe that was normal for people who lived this life.

Absorb, compartmentalize, and keep moving forward.

Lyria ran over to say something quickly to Jarn, who looked grim. He gripped her shoulder after they exchanged a few words, and she saluted. I heard her catching up with us as we passed through the gates.

“You’re still sure you want to do this?” I asked Lyria.

“You’d better hope,” she said. “I’m pretty sure you’ll wind up dead three times over in the next week if I’m not watching your back.”

I smiled beneath my helmet. Part of me was just happy she'd be coming along. The other part of me was already thinking of all the things I'd finally be able to do once I reached Thrask. I couldn't say if I was more excited about the prospect of a cursed bed or getting a Heart core stone, though. Thankfully, I wasn't going to have to choose between the two.