Empyrean 15: Wanted (Patreon)

Amelia, here! Please enjoy a new chapter of Empyrean's Flight :) new ones will be coming tomorrow and Wednesday, too! As usual, any and all feedback is welcome.

****

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. “You want to go to the Raccoons? Are you crazy?”

“No, but it’s the best path forward,” Soren responded plainly.

I could feel my blood start to boil. I was starting to feel like a pawn. Soren and Alon were making plans without me, and worst of all, I didn’t see the sense in their thought process.

“I am struggling to believe that would be the smartest idea,” I said brusquely.

“I told you it was a bad plan,” Alon snapped. “We need to stay and fight.”

My shoulders relaxed knowing that the axeman understood my side. “Okay, so this was actually Soren’s idea, then?” I asked.

“Yes. I don’t think we should leave the city,” Alon said. “But I do agree we should go to the Raccoons.”

I threw my hands up and started pacing angrily. “Okay, so you two still think that making plans without my input is the right way to go about things?”

My companions silently watched me. Looking at their red faces, I realized that I may have overreacted. “I am not upset that you have a plan. I am upset that you made one without me. Are we not in this together?” I asked, a little more calmly than before.

“You’re right, we are,” Soren said solemnly.

“I’m sorry, Elana,” Alon added.

“We just thought if we gave you time to rest and made a plan it would take some of the pressure off,” my brother explained. “We didn’t do it maliciously.”

“Alright, I hear you. And I appreciate that. Next time, just include me,” I said. “And I’m sorry for the… outburst, you’re right, it’s a stressful situation.” I held a hand against my forehead. “So, what is this plan you two were discussing?”

“Well, it’s not much of a plan. Soren thinks we can appeal to the Raccoon leader to get us out of here. I think we should offer our services to fight against the Devils,” Alon chipped in.

“You know I have a rapport with Eoman,” Soren said. “We have the Devils on our heels, and I am not sure how safe you are here, given your new status. I believe he will help us get out of the city.”

“But then we’re just leaving everyone behind to fend for themselves,” Alon growled. “Besides, I am hungry for revenge. They deserve to die.”

My eyes widened at the axeman’s words. Alon, as I had come to know him over the years, had never been this aggressive. But something had taken over the good-natured friend I once knew. A darkness I knew better than to challenge too much. “I agree that we should stay in the city,” I said. “I don’t want to leave Mesina. And there are many unanswered questions that I need to explore.”

“Like what?” Soren asked through grit teeth.

“Relax, brother,” I said. “For one, I want to know why there are players working with the Devils.”

“That’s a good question,” Alon said. “And probably another reason why they need to die.”

I held up my hand. “No, we cannot just run into the Devils and try kill them all,” I argued.

“So, what are we doing then?” Alon asked bitterly.

I briefly paused to give thought to his question. My knee-jerk reaction was that this city, even given all its flaws, was my home. If I could, I would want to stay and make it a better place for those around me. Everyone who loved, lost, and trudged forward anyway.

And, on the other hand, there were still facts I needed to interrogate. Questions that, if answered, could help me know more about where I come from.

“I feel like I have a responsibility to the people here,” I shared. “We can’t just run away because things have turned difficult.”

“This is our home, too, but it is not safe. And I am not sure when that will change,” Soren argued.

Words eluded me. I cared for the safety of my companions, and that meant pulling them away from the danger we faced in Mesina. But at what point was our own safety more important than that of those we would be leaving behind?

“If we help the Raccoons, we can escape and still help people,” Alon said, interrupting my thoughts.

“How do we even know if the Raccoons want to fight the Devils?” I asked. “I think we should stay away from—”

“Enough of this,” my brother interrupted, standing up. “We are not getting anywhere. I need both of you to realize that we are being chased by half of the poor quarter.”

I snapped my mouth shut and frowned at Soren. Crossing my arms, I turned away from him a little and stood silent.

“Elana, I understand you have unanswered questions. But would you rather have answered questions and die, or preserve our lives and find your answers elsewhere?”

I said nothing.

“Alon, you need to stop this bloodthirsty rampage. You are going to get us killed.”

The axeman and I continued to hold our words when Soren finished speaking. I knew, in my heart, that he was right. The safest we would be out of Mesina. But I wanted more out of this. I wanted my home to be safe—out of this hidey-hole, back to a new, hopefully better, life in the city I had always known.

“Are you done?” I snapped sarcastically.

Soren nodded, widening his eyes slightly as if he was expecting me to say something.

“Why don’t we just walk out of the city gates instead?” I asked.

“They are guarded by the Sworn,” he said.

“And? Why is that an issue?”

Soren sighed and held onto my shoulders, turning me to face him. “Listen, Elana. All I want is for us to be safe. And you know Eoman will help us. Please just trust me.”

I narrowed my eyes. Despite our talk the previous night, about not keeping secrets, about not hiding from each other anymore, I knew he was hiding something. But I also knew he was right. The Raccoons’ reputation promised that they sought to help the people here. If we had any chance of escaping safely, they were our best option.

“Alon, what do you think?” I asked, turning to the axeman, who was sitting with folded arms.

“Does it matter what I think?” he muttered.

“Of course,” I said. I pushed Soren away gently and sat down next to my friend. “We’re in this together.”

Alon gave a heavy sigh and turned to face me. His eyes were glowing red, but they held a strange sadness too. “I agree. We need to keep you safe.”

“Thank you,” Soren said.

“Now that doesn’t mean I don’t want the Devils’ blood on my hands,” the axeman continued. “But you are more important to me than that.”

“Okay, do we have a plan, then?” I asked.

“It seems we do,” Soren said. “I will send the Raccoons a message—just to let them know that we are coming and we need their help.”

The Adjudicator has allocated you a new task: Escape Mesina! Your objective is to safely get out of the city with your companions, Alon and Soren.

Great, now the Game wants me to partake in this idiocy, too. I sighed. I doubted this plan would go our way.

“Are you okay, El?” Adalinda asked softly.

“I am fine. I am just worried. I understand that Soren wants me to be safe, but his reasoning doesn’t make sense. He has also always held a love for Mesina, and now he is adamant that we leave. Right now, it just feels like the problems don’t stop piling up.”

There was a pause. “I understand. As long as we are together, though, everything will be okay. Can you hold onto that?” Adalinda said gently.

“I can,” I said.

And that held true for as long as it was reality.

I walked toward my bed and started gathering my things to leave. “Come, you two. If we are going to do this, we need to start moving.”

Soren and Alon hopped up and gathered their backpacks, then walked toward the rock-door. I followed. All I could do now was hope everything would work out in our favor.

✵ ✵ ✵

Our journey this time was not as rushed, thankfully. We were in an area we all knew, the sun was out, and there were quite a few people in the streets we followed.

Orphans were high in number, and they would often work as messengers between civilians and gang members for food or a small amount of money. That is how Soren got his message to the Raccoons, and that is how we used to make our way in the city as children ourselves.

But now we were among the older population of the area, as many did not live to see their truly older years. It was a poor life, but it was ours. And now we were seeking to escape it.

Alon broke the silence. “Something isn’t right.”

I turned to face him, but we continued walking. “What is it?”

“I have heard some strange sounds the past few minutes. Something just feels off. I think we are being followed.”

“I’ve heard it too,” Soren said. “Every now and then it sounds like bricks are being moved around slightly.”

“Okay, then we should double-check,” I said.

My companions nodded at me, and we stopped walking. We had halted in a larger street with concrete buildings, and there were very few people around now. The odd human walked past us, but it was sporadic, and they would be moving quickly. Which made sense because we were nearing the Raccoons’ base. Civilians tended to stay away from the gangs’ main areas.

I gave some thought to what Soren had said—the sound of bricks moving. How would that be possible?  There was no construction nearby, and the buildings around us were made of concrete. So where were the bricks?

Then it dawned on me. The roofs. When this area was originally built, the last of construction materials were thrown up to the roofs of the buildings when the ‘rebuilding’ project of the poor quarter was abandoned. I looked up and behind us.

And saw that Alon was right.

A brute of a creature was kneeling on one of the roofs to the left of our path and looking down at me. He was so large he was blocking out some of the late morning sunlight. His skin was a sickly green, and he had a morningstar in his hand. When he caught sight of me looking at him, he jumped down onto the muddy street.

“Look, up there!” I said to my companions, pointing at the thug.

As the brute landed, he screamed and pointed at me. “GIRL!” Then, without so much as a second thought, he ran straight toward me and held his weapon ready to strike.

I couldn’t hesitate. I held my arms to hold an invisible bow and arrow. Chanting the words I knew when I learned the spell, a blue bow appeared holding a fiery arrow almost immediately. As it took shape, I shot it toward the brute in hopes of hitting his chest.

You have grazed a level 15 half-orc!

Unfortunately, it only struck along his right arm.

He let out a menacing cackle and continued charging. Alon started running toward the brute and held his axe across his body. My companion was closing in quickly, and I could see a slightly frightened look across the half-orc’s face.

When the axeman reached our foe, he pushed his weapon down onto the half-orc, slowing his progress and pushing him to the ground. With Alon now on top of the brute, holding him down, Soren rushed to the half-orc’s side and plunged his daggers into each of his shoulders.

I quickly summoned another arrow. I had to be sure not to hit my companions, so I moved in closer, holding the bow strong for as long as I could. When I was close enough to be sure that I would not hit them, I shot the fiery arrow toward the brute’s head.

You have critically injured a half-orc and set him on fire!

It was the perfect shot. As the arrow embedded in the brute’s temple, it set aflame the last strands of gray hair on his head.

Soren pulled a dagger out of the half-orc and away from the fire, but as he moved his hand, the brute let out a gruff scream.

A level 15 half-orc has cast psionic strike.

In one swing of his weapon, he knocked my brother away and on the floor with a mighty impact. Before he stood to face me, he kicked a wide-eyed Alon off his chest.

A level 15 half-orc has cast psionic strike.

In a single motion, the brute hurled his morningstar was toward me. I tried to jump out of the way, but the weapon struck me with force on my right shoulder. As his weapon fell to the ground, the half-orc started charging forward.

Your right arm has been crippled! Your health is at 35%.

I tried to lift my hands, but my right arm was limp. The brute was coming for me, and fast, but it felt like my shoulder was dislocated. Behind him, I saw my companions stand up. They both gave chase, but they were hurt, and didn’t reach him quickly enough.

The half-orc tumbled over to grab the morningstar and swung it at me again. I twisted my body away from him, and channeling light’s fury into my good hand, managed to catch the shaft of the weapon. Light emanated through the steel, and the brute was forced to drop it.

He stared at me in horror. My companions reached us, and Alon swung his axe into the half-orc’s back. Our foe recoiled and turned to face the axeman. With Alon’s axe still embedded in his back, he sung his fist through my companion’s face. Alon stumbled, only for a moment, before he fell to the ground unconscious.

Soren rolled toward our friend, standing between him and the brute. With his daggers at the ready, he was trying to protect Alon from further harm, I guessed.

Adalinda has taken the form of a fire lizard. She has 60% psi remaining.

In the midst of battle, the celestial appeared. Adalinda lept toward the half-orc’s leg. She snapped at his heel, given it was the only thing she could reach, and bit down on his Achilles’ tendon.

With an axe in his back and a lizard hanging onto him, the half-orc was in bad shape. But he still held his fighting spirit. I had moved slightly away from him to get out of reach. But now no one was keeping him from grabbing his morningstar. Ignoring Adalinda dangling on his bleeding leg, he turned to grab his weapon and stomped toward me slowly.

You have injured a level 15 half-orc.

You have injured a level 15 half-orc.

You have injured…

…

The celestial clung onto his heel still, slowing him down. But he was focused on me, and paid no more attention to my companions. His death was coming soon, and he was determined to take me with him.

I summoned arrow after arrow, slowly ticking down at his health.  As I shot at him, I moved away. He continued heaving toward me until, finally, he dropped down, dead.

A level 15 half-orc has died. Your Summoning skill has increased to 6, and your fire magic skill has increased to 14.

Your light magic skill has increased to 15.

You have leveled up! You have been granted 1 attribute point.

Celestial trait triggered! Core attributes and skills mirrored.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. He had truly been a struggle to take down, but with all our efforts, he was finally a bloodied mess lying on the floor.

I walked over to my companions. Alon was rubbing his eyes, which was good to see. I bent down next to him. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he said. “I just have a raging headache.”

I patted him gently on the shoulder, then walked toward the body where Soren was inspecting the damage we had done. “Any idea why we were just attacked for seemingly no reason?” I asked. “Is he a Devil?”

“No, it looks like he was an assassin.”

My eyes widened. “An assassin?”

“Yes, look at this,” Soren said and handed me a picture along with a sack of gold. It was an image of me, and there was twenty gold in the little bag.

“That explains why he came after us alone,” I guessed.

“I don’t think he was the smartest,” Alon quipped, walking toward us. “He also probably thought you would be alone.”

In which case, I probably would have died, I thought.

“Whatever the case, it seems like we’re in more trouble than we thought,” Soren sighed.

I pursed my lips. “Should we still go to the Raccoons?”

Soren paused thoughtfully for a moment. “Let’s stick to the plan. We should still have a good chance of escaping with them.”

I nodded in agreement and inspected the body myself for anything we could use. Beside his weapon, I found a strange necklace and a handful of potions.

You have acquired a basic silver necklace with an enchanted onyx gem embedded in it. It prevents the user from feeling pain from effects that occur over time, like fire damage. The enchantment only works for one effect at a time and lasts for 5 minutes before it needs to recharge. The gem can be recharged with mana.

You have acquired a moderate stamina potion.

You have acquired a minor health potion.

You have acquired a full stamina potion.

You have acquired 20 gold.

Looking at the necklace and the potions the half-orc carried, I realized the Devils were more well-stocked than we anticipated. Assuming, of course, that they were the ones who sent him after me.

Either way, I was wanted, and we would have to be more careful.