You find Varant at the foot of the slope. He moves from one body to the next, checking for signs of life. He looks up as you pass, his face stony. Slowly, he shakes his head.
No survivors. As agreed.
That argument had been surprisingly short. Once the fighting started, you insisted, there would be no call to surrender. Neither of you knew how to take captives, how to make sure their ties were secure or how best to escort them by foot over wilderness. Moreover, the authorities in Konungsheim already have four captives from this group—How much use would another one be? But what it came down to is that you didn't want your adventurers to risk their lives for the sake of those who attacked them. Not with Tarrian in his current state.
Varant falls in behind you. You make your way up to the top where the rest of the group remains, noting the state of your adventurers as you approach.
Marlond is thoroughly stoic as he patrols the perimeter of the miniature hilltop, having taken it upon himself to prevent anything unexpected from happening for the remainder of the night.
Maya is looking sadly at the bodies, her left hand clutching the tarstone pendant around her neck. Varant steps up next to her, speaking softly.
VARANT: Hate to ask this of you, but I'm going to need your help again tonight. I don't want the bodies to linger past the morning.
She nods somberly and lowers her head. Varant moves to the nearest corpse and begins to methodically strip it of anything of worth.
The others aren't doing anything in particular, still winding down from the fight.
Evylie is equal parts pensive and angry, but she's not focusing on it right now. She's moved back over to Tarrian and has propped him up on her thigh. The Faithspeaker has stopped trying to hold back his groans… Potion sickness isn't easy, and it's to his credit that he managed to contribute at all tonight.
Ruvi is sitting dejectedly on the ground, her eyes looking to unseen horizons, apparently going through some kind of internal crisis that you don't know how to help her with.
But Kani is pissed.
KANI: …Those IDIOTS! What the ???? did they think was gonna happen?!
She's pacing across the edge of the slope, still cooling down after her battle fury. Or trying to, anyways.
KANI: Uphill, in the dark, against an opponent they already knew they underestimated…!
EVYLIE: They practically signed up for this. Look, they're dressed like bandits; you don't sign up for a mission like theirs without being both desperate and greedy. Or just vicious and greedy.
MAYA: That doesn't mean they deserve death…
Evylie uncaps her waterskin and puts it to Tarrian's lips. He sips from it gingerly.
EVYLIE: Maybe not. But trust me when I say I know the type of men and women who do this kind of thing. They're not the kind of person you should grieve for.
Kani sighs, and her fists untighten. But her dubious scowl remains.
MAYA: Instructor… I know you said Tarrian will be alright, but…
VARANT: He's fine. He'll be straight again tomorrow, lively as ever I'm sure. Just make sure he gets as much water as he can stomach.
Suddenly, Ruvi gets to her feet and jogs down the hill. You share a look with the others; it's obvious that something has been weighing on her. Then you follow her.
?
You find her back in the camp, getting the fire started again. She sits down on the ground in front of it and just… stares at it.
RUVI: Hey, Guildmaster.
You step over to the fire and warm your hands. The nights here are surprisingly chilly…
[GUILDMASTER]: Sorry if I'm disturbing you, it's clear something's on your mind. Didn't know if you wanted to be alone.
RUVI: No, it's fine… I just… wanted something other than corpses to stare at.
[GUILDMASTER]: Me too, hah. Thanks for getting the fire going again.
She's silent for a while. You decide to simply enjoy the fire while you wait for her to sort her thoughts out. Which doesn't take too long…
RUVI: Guildmaster… You know, I… I left my friends in Manara… My thief friends, because…
She looks down into her lap.
RUVI: Because I didn't want to kill people…
…Oh.
You sit down next to her.
[GUILDMASTER]: We didn't have any suitable options tonight. I, for one, was not willing to let them take Maya.
RUVI: Yeah… Me neither…
It clearly doesn't make her feel any better though.
[GUILDMASTER]:
—
—<1> Maybe when you're stronger, when we're all stronger, you'll have the option not to kill.
[GUILDMASTER]: Remember what we talked about earlier, how the stronger you are, the cleaner you can afford to fight?
RUVI: I do… But how could that have helped us in this situation?
[GUILDMASTER]: Well, capturing is sometimes an option, if you're prepared. But running them off is easier. Usually it just takes a show of force—You need to be strong enough to demonstrate that they can't win, without risking anything in the demonstration.
RUVI: How… How could we possibly get that strong?
[GUILDMASTER]: As a party. And I mean, do you really think Varant's plan was that far off tonight? A bit of scheming like that goes a long ways. Have you ever heard the story of the Mummer King?
Ruvi's giggle confirms that she has.
RUVI: The one where Tristan whacks the bandit leader on the head with a roast chicken…!
[GUILDMASTER]: After Heartshade dunks a chamber pot onto his head!
RUVI: A chamber pot for a crown! That one's so good… Is it real?
[GUILDMASTER]: Embellished I'm sure, but at the very least it's certain that the Infernal Six captured an entire bandit company without any deaths. That Manaran prince had to build a whole new prison for them.
RUVI: Oh, I did hear about that…
—<2> I appreciate that you feel bad about it. But remember that killing in self-defense is far, far different than killing innocents.
[GUILDMASTER]: The Judgment Principle exists for a reason. The life of anything that has the capacity to judge right from wrong is holy, according to the Virtues. You'd be a criminal yourself if you killed in the course of a theft. But tonight? Ruvi, what do the Virtues say are the exception to the Judgment Principle?
RUVI: Self-defense and Faithless…
[GUILDMASTER]: What I'm saying is… well, maybe it's good that you feel bad about it, you know? It means you have respect for life. But even so, what happened tonight… It's not something you should let weigh you down. All right?
RUVI: …
[GUILDMASTER]: Ruvi, listen. This isn't just my opinion, this is as close to fact as anything I know: You didn't do anything wrong.
RUVI: I… I guess not…
[GUILDMASTER]: Yes, it could have gone better. Yes, you're free to dislike the outcome. It's easy to see why you might regret that you had to do what you did. But please, please don't regret that you did.
RUVI: Okay…
—<3> Don't worry, you're not alone. If Varant can live his life with that principle… Maybe you can, too.
[GUILDMASTER]: You do know why Varant didn't fight with us tonight, don't you?
RUVI: No…
[GUILDMASTER]: "I'll not cross swords with anyone," was what he told me when we met. "And that includes goblins and lephan." But even so, he was one of the biggest factors in why we emerged from such a dangerous situation with so few injuries. A future like that is a possibility for you, too.
RUVI: I had no idea…
[GUILDMASTER]: That said, I'm not sure I fully understand his reasoning. I think it would be worth talking to him about it.
RUVI: Yeah…
—
RUVI: Thanks Guildmaster… I think I want to be alone for a little bit though. But that helped a lot! I just need to think…
[GUILDMASTER]: Of course.
?
She doesn't get much time to herself though, as the others soon flock to the sight of the warm fire. She's chipper enough for the rest of the night, though she doesn't volunteer to help move the bodies. And nobody asks her to.
It's well past midnight, but Varant spares the time to pass out another round of pebble tokens. You can tell that Maya and Ruvi have mixed emotions, though Kani just laughs when Varant walks up to her and silently puts one in her hand. But you can tell that it means a lot to all of them, even Marlond and the barely-conscious Tarrian.
It was easiest just to make two piles of bodies, one on each side of the ridge. You volunteer to stay up with Maya and see the job through. The others crawl into their tents, or what's left of them.
You figured it would be a good chance to ask Maya if she knows anything about why a bunch of mercs would be after her, but… you never quite find the opportunity.
?
Maya reaches down and puts her hand into the shallow pit, touches one of the stripped corpses. It sets alight, all at once, from head to toe. She holds her hand there, disregarding the flames licking at her arm. The fire spreads as if it were alive, seeking out everything combustible within the stony depression. Soon all seven of the bodies are ablaze and the heat forces you several steps back. You're grateful for the faint breeze that keeps the worst of the smoke and scent away.
Maya remains where she was, on one knee at the edge of the pit she'd formed with earth magic.
MAYA: You know what the very first precept I ever learned was?
She's still facing the roaring pyre, which grows and grows until her entire arm and even her face are caught inside. But you can hear her clearly, hear the bitterness and uncertainty in her every word.
MAYA: Death… the domain of Voranis, Leyline of Fire. Except "Death" isn't quite the right transcription; I'm sure they just name it that because all of the elements have some equivalent. But really, they're all different. Voranis—his precept is Consumption.
You're both silent. Personifying Leylines is considered archaic, you know that. But the tone of her voice tells you that this is important to her.
MAYA: I can feel when they pass. The exact moment their being is reduced to nothing. Back when they first attacked our caravan, I used my fire stream on one when he got too close. I didn't look at him after, but I knew when he died. It was ten seconds after I stopped channeling. I didn't see any smoke, but I could smell—I could smell…
Her voice dwindles into silence. There's nothing you can say.
MAYA: I learned it by accident, you know. Nobody believes me. The trainers at the Sun Lodge, they say it's impossible to learn a precept by accident. I… I wasn't suspended because of the times I lost control of my fire mana. I was suspended because they found out that I knew the precept of Death… Because they thought I'd looked at forbidden texts…
[GUILDMASTER]: I don't know if it means anything, but I believe you, Maya.
MAYA: Thanks…
There is no earnestness in her voice, only that same uneasiness.
Finally, she gets to her feet and takes a few steps back. You move next to her, surreptitiously checking to be sure she's unharmed despite having been half-engulfed by the flames… Her outer garments are scorched, smoldering even, but her skin is untouched.
MAYA: It's just… I have to wonder if it was destined, me becoming an adventurer. As if it were meant for me to see such death so close…
A morose thought fills you. You're no expert on history, but the northern empires alone have had three wars in the current age. Maya… you haven't seen death yet.
[GUILDMASTER]: Maya…
—
—<1> …You're an adventurer, not a war mage.
[GUILDMASTER]: You're exempt from conscription, even. I'd say you've dodged that destiny you worry about. Actually I ought to be lecturing you for even worrying about "destiny", seeing as the House doesn't agree with the concept. But… maybe this is its way of showing you a hint of what could have been. Just a single pigment of that broad palette of death…
MAYA: I don't get it…
[GUILDMASTER]: Do you know how many soldiers are in a single imperial company? Almost a thousand. Do you know how many companies each empire fielded in the last Imperial War? I mean, I don't, but it was a lot. And a lot of those never made it home.
At the very least, please appreciate the fact that you've been spared that.
MAYA: I… I didn't realize…
[GUILDMASTER]: And the responsibility for all that death? That's for the kings and commanders. "The face of Death is the face of the Emperor", they said in the last war. You don't have to worry about that. About being that. What destiny do you have to be afraid of? Look, Maya…
—<2> …I think you're right where you should be, destiny or no.
[GUILDMASTER]: It's true—when it comes down to it, an adventurer's job is to kill. But Maya… we're just here to kill monsters. Whether they're animals, plants, or other people. They might not be listed in the Monstrums, but by their very actions tonight those people proved themselves murderers and kidnappers by trade. If you respect life, respect the fact that they won't be able to take any more of it.
MAYA: But… Well…
[GUILDMASTER]: Don't overthink it. I think it's possible to regret the fact that you had to take a life, while at the same time being proud that you protected life by doing so. Because that's what you do now, what you are—a protector. Alright? Maya…
—<3> …I genuinely believe that the Virtues smile on your actions tonight.
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[GUILDMASTER]: Not the fact that you had to, but that you did. And I think they also smile at how seriously you're taking it.
MAYA: That's…
[GUILDMASTER]: So I'm not going to tell you to cheer up just yet. But I demand that you not accuse yourself of anything.
MAYA: I… I wasn't—
[GUILDMASTER]: Look, I don't think either of us knew exactly what you were accusing yourself of, but it was definitely something.
MAYA: …
[GUILDMASTER]: You've nothing to be ashamed of, and nothing to fear. Mope all you want tonight—er, today—but when you wake up? Conscience clear. Cleaner than a mint clinker. Okay?
And Maya…
—
[GUILDMASTER]: I mean… Well, all I'm trying to say is—Good job tonight.
MAYA: …Thanks. Thanks, Guildmaster.
You don't think you've ever seen anybody look quite so relieved… or quite so tired.
[ You discover a trait of Maya: Eye of Voranis ]
?
You awake at dusk with a double helping of grogginess stuffed into your brain. The background sounds of your dreams coalesce into the chattering of your adventurers around an equally chatty fire.
Putting yourself together, you clamber out of your tent into the cool, dry evening air. The last of the sunlight is just fading away, but you can still make out your surroundings even in your grumpy fugue.
Varant is on the northern side of camp, stretched out on a ledge of fallen rock whose every unevenness has been padded with an assortment of hides and leathers undoubtedly sourced from your courteous mercenary suppliers. Your lotch is still by the northern slope, contentedly standing guard over your supplies. The others are circled around the fire—save for Marlond, who is presumably on watch as he is nowhere to be seen or otherwise sensed.
Tarrian lounges comfortably on the ground next to Evylie, who sits in her favorite cross-legged position. Maya and Ruvi are seated hip-to-hip on a boulder they must have moved over for this purpose. And Kani is lying on the ground, hogging the whole eastern side of the campfire to herself, sprawled out on one side as if the gritty sand was as comfortable as her own bed.
One thing they have in common though—they each have their pile of pebbles in plain sight, and judging by their uneven distribution, they've been trading or betting them throughout the day.
Intent on procuring some food and water to nurse your fog-heavy head, you take a step in the direction of the campfire. Which is all it takes for Kani to notice you.
KANI: Guildmaster, back me up here! The Infernal Six—Which of them do you think is the strongest?
TARRIAN: That's not the question! The question is: Who do you think would win in a tournament?
Shaking off your sleep-haze, you give the lot of them an unsteady look. Is this really what they've been spending their time on? And their cheese?
MAYA: Come on, Guildmaster! We need a tie-breaker here!
[GUILDMASTER]: …
RUVI: Guildmaster, it's your responsibility to settle this!
You blame the fog in your brain for the fact that you're already processing the question.
[GUILDMASTER]:
—
—<1> Um, Brimrose for sure? She's the original, the most powerful, the leader for a reason.
KANI: …
MAYA: …
RUVI: …
TARRIAN: …
EVYLIE: …Heh.
KANI: That's like… the most boring answer, but at least it's not a horrible one.
Maya and Ruvi are both aghast.
MAYA: B-B—
RUVI: —Boring?!
TARRIAN: Bold of you to suggest there's anything boring about Brimrose.
KANI: Hey, I just—You know what I meant!
EVYLIE: It's only the most boring answer because it's the most correct one.
KANI: Yeah that—I mean no!
Getting to her feet, Evylie holds out her hand to Tarrian, next to her. He groans and hands her his last pebble. She then walks around the campfire and repeats the process, groans included, until she's gained another three pebbles.
—<2> I've gotta say Grimlock. Among us adventurers, Arcane Knights are known as the strongest one-man forces you can get. And Grimlock is stronger than that—an Arcane Fury.
RUVI: I knew it!!
KANI: (Way to let me down, Guildmaster!)
TARRIAN: Well, technically not an Arcane Fury yet—
RUVI: Doesn't matter!—
[GUILDMASTER]: Doesn't matter. Everyone knows the Six are at least as strong as any of last generation's Heroes, official or not.
RUVI: In fact, never mind Arcane Fury! It's Grimlock the Arcane Ravager… I bet they'll even make it a Unique Class! I mean, nobody else in history has been able to simultaneously use Fire and Ice enchantments!!
MAYA: Yeah, which is probably why that part's just bard-breath… It's not just that nobody's done it before, it's that it should be impossible to do.
RUVI: Look who's jealous!
MAYA: I mean…
TARRIAN: She totally is. Doesn't mean it's not a good reason to think it's impossible though.
MAYA: Alright, new goal! Find Grimlock and see for myself whether it's possible to put two contradictory enchantments on the same item!
RUVI: I'm joining you! But even if it's not… Grimlock is still the strongest!
TARRIAN: —But that wasn't the question…
MAYA: Maybe, but if it's not, I get half your pebbles!
RUVI: Deal!
Ruvi then makes a quick lap around the campfire and the other four each hand her a pebble.
—<3> In a tournament setting, I don't think the others have a chance against Heartshade. Her only challenge would be not killing them outright.
TARRIAN: Hah. It's just like I said. This kind of thing is exactly her forte.
KANI: Guildmaster! How could you!
MAYA: How could you!!
[GUILDMASTER]: It's just the truth. Don't blame me. She moves like a shadow and strikes where she pleases. I just don't see how she could be stopped.
Tarrian stands up with an extravagant sigh of pleasure and takes on a grandiose pose, each hand outstretched with his palms facing up.
TARRIAN: Alright, everyone. Pebbles please.
KANI: Ugh…
Kani and Evylie rise to pass him a pebble. Ruvi does not.
RUVI: Come and get it, why don't you.
Arms still outstretched, Tarrian performs an exaggerated shrug.
TARRIAN: Well, if that's what it takes.
He saunters halfway around the campfire, dropping his dramatic stylizing in favor of an air of casual confidence. But suddenly, as he nears Ruvi's spot, he lunges forward with a ruthless grin and snatches one of her pebbles before she can try anything.
RUVI: You—!!
TARRIAN: Aha! My divine reward!
Maya squints at him.
MAYA: Ahem.
When she's caught Tarrian's attention, she flicks her pebble straight at his chest. Tarrian squawks in surprise as it bounces off his coat and onto the ground. Forgetting his pride, he pounces on it.
TARRIAN: My beloved cheese token! What has she done to you?!
Maya watches with bemused shock as the Faithspeaker wipes off the pebble with his priestly white robe.
Evylie breaks out laughing, a sight you feel rather privileged to witness.
—<4> Emberly can just fry anything before it gets to her. Did you think I'd pick anyone else?
MAYA: THANK you!
TARRIAN: Oh no… why'd you have to feed the beast, Guildmaster…
[GUILDMASTER]: I take it you're a big fan of Emberly then, Maya?
MAYA: Fan? She's my rival! There can only be one Firelord!!
[GUILDMASTER]: …
TARRIAN: See?
EVYLIE: But Emberly's not a 'Firelord', she's the 'Hell Conjurer'…
TARRIAN: (I suspect this girl wants this rivalry whether or not it makes any sense to the rest of us lowly souls.)
MAYA: Pass 'em over, everyone! My true rise to greatness begins here!
RUVI: Excuse me, miss Firelord! Great and glorious Firelord!
MAYA: …Yes?
RUVI: Can I get a discount?
MAYA: Sure! Fifty percent off, rounded down.
Focusing an exaggerated glower on Maya's grinning face, Ruvi drops her one token into the smug fire mage's awaiting hand.
The others likewise each hand a pebble to Maya, who proudly stacks her hoard into an impressive mound on the sand at her feet.
—<5> It's Tristan, matter of fact. He's the best, everyone knows it.
KANI: I…
MAYA: I can't believe it…
TARRIAN: …
RUVI: …
VARANT: The Guildmaster is a wise soul.
Varant swings down from his perch and steps over to the campfire, where he begins collecting pebbles at a leisurely pace. The others don't look up at him as he moves from one to the next.
TARRIAN: …Guildmaster. Are you sure…
[GUILDMASTER]: Have you ever heard of Tristan losing at anything? Not once.
RUVI: Yeah, but I mean, the others—
[GUILDMASTER]: Don't lose… when they're with Tristan. Think about it.
KANI: I mean…
EVYLIE: Well…
RUVI: I…
Varant has finished collecting his due and returns to his stony ledge.
VARANT: A wise soul, indeed.
—<6> It'd be foolish to think anyone could even harm the Divine Herald, much less stand against her divine ruination.
KANI: That's the Guildmaster for you!
RUVI: Bah.
TARRIAN: Okay, but honest question. Can the Divine Herald even use her un-healing on a human? And if she can, can she do it only enough to defeat and not completely obliterate them? Like I was saying, tournament setting…
EVYLIE: You mean you don't know either?
MAYA: Lightmaster Tarrian, you're the one that's supposed to know those answers!
TARRIAN: Well, I don't! I don't think anyone does!
KANI: Then we have no reason to assume that she can't, then do we?
RUVI: …Bah! Guildmaster, are you suuuuuuure about that answer?
[GUILDMASTER]:
—
—<6-A> I'll stick with it.
KANI: Heh heh heh.
—<6-B> I don't know, I think Tarrian makes some excellent points.
KANI: What?! YOU CAN'T BACK DOWN ON ME NOW, GUILDMASTER!
[GUILDMASTER]:
—
—True enough. I won't be changing my answer this late in the game.
KANI: Phew…
—Too late, I've already changed my mind.
KANI: NOOOOOOOOO…!
Kani leaps to her feet with surprising grace, and with that same grace she leans and swipes Tarrian's last pebble from beside him.
TARRIAN: Ungh…
She then skips around the campfire, doing the same to each of the others as they alternately sigh and glare at her.
—<7> I just can't see them fighting each other. They're heroes, and they're a team, and you just get that 'best friends' vibe from them in every story.
KANI: Guildmaster, you're really not helping!
MAYA: Okay, but if they were forced to fight…
[GUILDMASTER]: They'd ruin whatever it was that was trying to force them.
MAYA: …
TARRIAN: …
KANI: …
RUVI: …
Marlond steps into the firelight. Evylie sighs.
TARRIAN: …That's not… NOT an answer!
With soft steps, Marlond makes his way around the campfire and begins calmly collecting a pebble from each of the others, one by one.
TARRIAN: It's not even a valid option I say!
But like the others, he doesn't make any attempt to stop Marlond from snatching a pebble—the last remaining, in his case.
His task complete, Marlond wordlessly returns to his watch in the darkness.
There's something so very different about their interactions tonight, and you know exactly what it is. Each of them, even Marlond, is confident and comfortable in their worth and in their place in the eyes of all the others. And in their place in the guild, as well. Varant saw to that…Yes, experiencing challenges together tends to form bonds. But you can't help but appreciate the difference his words have made in the demeanor of each of them. The way he built each of them up right when they needed it during the debrief yesterday. Right then, you think, was when this party was truly formed, and last night showed their promise.
Kani, Marlond, Evylie, Ruvi, Maya, Tarrian… These six left Mayika as a bunch of recruits assigned to the same team by necessity. Now, they're a real party. And you hope… maybe you had a little something to do with that.
This chapter concludes the week 2 arc. I'll be taking a three-week break while I prepare for week 3. Sorry :c
I'm also leaving up the poll at the top of , regarding what to name the guild's lotch. It's a silly thing I know, but I'm hoping for at least 5 votes before I put it into action!
? Scena 19: Rational Requests will be posted Friday, 2025-MAY-16 at 1300 EST / 1700 UTC is delayed due to a combination of procrastination and illness. Now planned for Friday, 2025-MAY-23
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