Lisa trudged into the lobby of the inn behind Theo. The smell of scorched flesh wafted in the air. Small patches of fire danced on charred black masses that vaguely resembled people. Flames clung onto the wood around the massive whole in the wall leading to the alley where the slavers last moments took place. She rubbed her index finger along her thumbnail, avoiding the smoldering bodies.
Theo walked over toward the alley opening looking at the cadavars. He started clapping as he stepped into the alley, “Nice work killer. Shame I never knew about this stuff. My mentor swore by for Moflame.” He spun on his heels, hunched over, pointed at her, and spoke with a haggard high pitch voice. “Theo. Swords, bows, and magic puts people on edge. You wanna put the fear of the gods in em, grab some liquor, cloth and fire. If they don’t run away, burn the damn place to the ground. If they do run, you got yourself a victory swig.”
Lisa saw him smile, and it made her feel lighter. Like she had done something right. “Teacher?”
“Duh, almost everyone has mentors. People who do it all on their own are usually lying.” He rolled his eyes and went to stomp out a small flickering flame on a corpse.
Lisa jumped forward, reaching for his cloak, “Stop!” Theo froze. “Never touch burning Flicker Fuel. You will reignite it. Either let it burn itself out or you have to have a special ooze to existish it.”
Theo nodded and stepped back. "Two lessons in one day. Aren’t you the educator. Anyway, I’m gonna see what I can scrounge from these guys. Not like they're going to need it anyway." Lisa went to speak, but he cut her off. “Don’t worry, I will avoid the flames.”
Lisa looked away from the alley, tired of seeing the black masses. She stared at the base of the ice encased explosion, seeing vibrants oranges and reds locked frozen in an endless dance. “What about the slavers?” She asked.
She waited, half expecting him to lash back with a sarcastic comment. Lisa was surprised when he turned, pulled out a dagger, and stepped over a burned body with a half cocked smile.
Watching him stepping out of sight toward the back of the building, she called out. “Okay then, be careful. I’ll check the supplies.” She waited for a few seconds, but no response came back. It was like he had glimpses of being a decent person, before going back to the hardened asshole. Walking to the door across the lobby, it was hard to believe how dangerous ten paces had been less than half an hour ago. Ten paces to slip up and get killed, ten paces to get enslaved, ten paces that had felt so long, but now were crossed in a few seconds.
She opened the door, looking at the base of the ice, and wondered what had been the mages' last thoughts. Placing her hand on the ice, it was warm as a hot cup of tea. She looked icy, the structure up and down, mouth slightly ajar. “Magic…” Tink, tink, tink, Lisa looked over and saw the adventurers were heading over.
Twenty paces from the guild, the one in a full suit of armor took point. Their weapons were still out, which was never a good sign. Did they think she was a threat? To be fair she had just burned a group of slavers alive, but they had deserved it. Didn’t they? Three seconds then go. She rubbed her finger along her thumbnail, once for each second that passed.. She took several deep breaths, and stepped off to meet them halfway. If she was only twenty paces from the Inn, Theo might be able to help if things went south.
“Lisa!?” She heard a woman’s voice call out from the adventurers. Squinter her eyes, they were still too far to really make out any banners or sigils on their gear. “Lisa!” The suit of armor screamed, sprinting toward her. Full strides, the hard thud of metal on stone, droplets of red flew from the slick metal surface. The charging mountain of metal was covered in it, like they had been bathing in it, how hadn’t she noticed earlier?
Should she Run? Can she outrun her? They know her, but who are they? Before she knew it, the distance was closed. The smell of iron was suffocating. The armored woman rammed into her with open arms. It felt like she had been punched in the gut. Arms pinned to her sides, feel dangled in the air, the metal arms tightened around her waist. She couldn’t breath as she was flung from side to side.
“In Eneroo’s blessing girl! Did you just wake up!?” The armored woman might as well have been screaming, but the voice was familiar.
Lisa scrunched her face against the pain in her ears, leaning back from the woman. Ren! Is what she tried to say, but all that came out was a feeble squick.
“Oh, sorry. Just got excited. Hadn’t seen you up and about in seven months.” “Ren released her grip, but still held her firmly.
Gasping, Lisa smiled, looking through the helmet’s visor three horizontal slits. She saw her orcish friend’s orange eyes peering back. “Just woke up a few hours ago. What are you still doing in the city?”
“What kind of adventurer would I be if I ran from an undead army? This is what every hero story is about. Fearless warriors standing off against the evil horde. More importantly, why are you out here? I’m no doctor, but you shouldn’t be out and about. Especially with everything going on.” Ren chuckled.
Lisa relaxed in Ren’s arms, trying to be dead weight. A polite message she wanted down. “Supplies, I need to ensure Ma and Pa have everything to hold out during the invasion.”
“Little bit too late for those.” An elf said, sliding his short sword into its sheath.
Ren lowered Lisa to the ground and turned to the elf, the leaves spouted from his body weaved in and out of each other, forming a thick padding of armor. There were no colorful flowers, no vibrant leaves intertwined within his pattern, just thick splotches of deep red splattered about. “We can savage up a shelter supply pallet for them.”
After all she had gone through, escaping the slaver, putting up with Theo, and saving the guild, or what was left of it. For a hug? Lisa saw the elves' tensed jaw, forward posture. He was ready for a fight and challenging him wouldn’t get her far. She saw him open his mouth and she pulled in her shoulders, lowered her head, and put on the best beaten puppy face she could. “Please, I beg you. I need these supplies, my elders lives depend on it.” Lisa said, darting her eyes from his to the ground and back.
He frowned at her, and stared. Damn it! Had she been that far out of practice? This worked on Pa, but so did a stern lecture. She felt her knees grow weak, she was about to grovel. Not like you needed shame if it got you what you wanted. Lisa lowered her head about to drop when his look softened. Yes!
Ren laid a heavy hand on her shoulder and Lisa stood chest high to her friend, and still in the embrace, her arms and chin felt the cold kiss of Ren’s worn full plate armor. Lisa’s eyes caught sight of the two small horns poking out from underneath the long black waves of hair. Their gazes locked; Lisa was captivated by the orange orbs staring back at her.
“I should’ve known better, to think that you would run from a fight like this. I wish Mont Paul would’ve had more sense than to stay.” Lisa spoken sadness riding on her breath.
“Yeah I know. You can expect much more from them. They love you, and love makes people do stupid things.” Ren leaned down and whispered, “if I didn’t love Gerolt so much I might not actually be here. I do love a fight but not when it’s this stacked against me.”
Out of everyone who could possibly have been in the city, Gerolt was the last one Lisa ever would have guessed. The elf was nice enough, but cowardice ran through his blood. “So where is he right now?” Lisa asked, half assuming he was in some kind of bunker.
“Back at the shop. With all the gizmos and traps he set up it might as well be a castle.” Ren leaned back up and released Lisa from her hug.
Lisa took note that the other adventurers swarmed around her, listening and most likely. There is no need to worry, after all Ren was here, and that meant there would be no problems at all. She felt safe, for the first time in a while. No one had a higher moral compass, then this tower of righteous power. “Well, if you guys need a place to stay. I’m sure Ma and Pa wouldn’t mind some visitors. Especially Pa, if you bring by some Liss Weed.”
The two women shared a laugh, and Ren shook her head. “Unfortunately, the shop is pretty much done. Everything was re-organized if you will. At this point, he is been losing his wits as the days tick closer to the invasion. Actually, caught the old boy but naked talking to a plant.”
“He was having sex with it?”
Ren shrugged, “people do strange things whenever they’re scared, but he said they were just friends.” The orcs slapped Lisa on the back with a hearty chuckle. “Anyway, onto the more important question. Assuming you just woke up, what are you doing here? “
Lisa looked around at the adventurers, losing her smile for the first time since their union. “Well honestly, we’re here for supplies. Pa said he placed an order while back.”
Ren turned to look at the ruined mess, of what used to be a majestic staple for lofty dreams and somber reunions. “Well, as you can see we don’t have much left.” She turned to look at an elf pulling the string off of his bow, and wrapping it between two fingers. The two shared a nod, “but, you did save our butts. So will look to what’s left, will give you the royal treatment, and you can be on your way.”
“Are you serious?!” Lisa tightened her body to keep from leaping into Ren’s arms. Lisa wiped a tear from her face, seeing her old friend give a confident nod. “Thank you, I really really appreciate it. Is there anything else I can do?”
“Just hang out and relax for a bit. I’ll have some of the boys go over there and start unloading.” Ren said giving a passing glass to several members of the guild.
Moments of small chatter passed between the two women, some about what happened in the past several months. Talks of how the church of the mortal soul had slowly devolved into a cult of fanatics. The so-called strong government of the clans, fleeing from the city like it had the plague when the last of the seven clan’s capitals had fallen. Lisa could hardly believe what she was hearing, the home that she had started her new life in, the place that built itself off pride and unity, had fallen so easily.
Lisa felt the weight of the world start to pile back on as our conversation became more and more morbid. “Hey Ren…”
“What you got on your mind?” Ren placed a heavy arm across Lisa’s shoulder.
“What would you say if I had a way out of here? Out of the city that is.” Lisa looked up, her eyes flickered between Ren and the ground.
“First, I would ask why are you still here then.” Ren raises a black bushy brow.
Lisa glanced over toward the building of her greatest sin, “I have a friend who knows a secret passage.”
Ren nodded, “I noticed someone else on the roof with you. So what is the deal, never heard anyone mention you hanging out with people that wasn’t the old ones.”
“Well truth be told. I just met him today. I agreed to be his apprentice in return for getting us out.”
“Apprentice? Should more like a—”
Lisa found her body tight, “Please…apprentice.” A moment of silence passed between the two.
Ren raised her gauntleted hand and scratched her head, “Are you okay?”
“Are we ever really okay?” Lisa’s voice lost amongst a sudden howl of wind. “I’m okay enough.”
Ren shook her head and grabbed Lisa’s bicep, pulling her over to a steel crate. “You and Kontar are a pair of peas. Shame, y’all would have gotten along.”
“Kontar?” Lisa jumped up onto the box, and sat on its edge. Ren looked over to the frozen explosion. Lisa caught her gaze, “Was he the mage?”
“You saw?” Ren looked over and Lisa didn’t know what to say. What could you say to that? Ren turned away and looked over toward the adventurers looking through the crates that made up their cover. “Told him not to. We would have made it through, but you know. Some people are willing to give everything up, too easily.”
“Like you?” Lisa smiled.
Ren grunted with a smirk, “Yeah, like me.” The women watched the adventurers load up a small push cart with several half destroyed boxes. “Looks like their almost done. Come on.”
Lisa hopped off the crate, feeling the shock crawl up her shins. She grimaced, “Hey Ren…You are a good person. How do you justify killing people? Like it is something you enjoy?”
“Fighting? I love it. I get to help people, doing what I do best. That’s what makes this a dream job, but killing? I hate it. I don’t have to justify what I do. Crusaders like me let our god determine whether we are in the right or wrong. I know Eneroo’s expectations and I do my best to live by them.”
Eneroo the lightening Spirit of the West? “What are you talking about. I thought you were just an adventurer? You used to go to church with us.”
Ren snapped her fingers, “That’s right. You were in the coma during that time. Changed my faith.”
“But why?” Lisa found herself almost yelling. “Sorry…I just don’t understand why you would worship something that almost wiped us out.”
Lisa caught the twitch in Ren’s left cheek, and half expected her to smite her right then and there. Ren looked into the sea of black clouds and said, “I get that alot. Truth be told, I had no love for the Spirits or Gods up till recently. It was in the Elden Forest on a job that I saw it. Lisa, the people in there lived in peace at least with each other. They have their own holy war going on, but it’s against Cry-Sol and their God of Pride, Tarma. The point is, they didn’t wage pointless wars on each other and they lived under a single leader who let them thrive under it’s rule. They have divine casters like Reverends, Crusaders, and Shamans who help heal the sick and injured. Where are ours?”
“They are outlawed,” Lisa spoke matter of fact, walking next to her.
“Why?” Ren looked down at her.
“They are dangerous.”
“Only if the god is. Do you know what would happen if I went against Eneroo?” Ren said. Lisa shrugged, how was she supposed to know? She had never met any real caster, much less an illegal type of one. Well, there was that time in the fighting pits, but she didn’t know who she worshiped or anything like that. Ren started again, “If I displease my patron, next time I try to use magic. He can not give me the power to cast, leaving me wide open. Or she could give me to much, possibly resulting in that.” Ren pointed toward the frozen exposlion.
“She? I thought you said Eneroo was a guy.”
This time Ren shrugged, “Depends on the day, or just how he feels at that moment. Not the point though. Divine casters don’t just do things against their gods, because of what they can do to them. Therefore, they aren’t really that dangerous. Either the Mortal Soul doesn’t care about it’s people to create divine casters…or it’s fake.”
Fake? No that’s impossible, they have temples and ceremonies across the Chaos Plains. Eneroo must have misinformed her. Lisa looked up at Ren, lips pressed. Ain’t no way I am gonna argue with her though.
From behind Lisa heard Theo’s voice, “Are we done yet?! I am tired of waiting around!
Ren turned with a frown, “I assume that is your new ‘master’?”
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