Chapter 104: Friendships Forged

Lanterns and torches glittered in the dark woods as Ann and the rest made their way back to camp. Murmurs greeted them as the guards saw their return, ushering them through.

There was nothing more they wanted than to pass out right now, but they had a report to give to cap off the mess of the Seed. Or, at least, this part of it.

Portly, balding, and ruddy-faced, Istik greeted them with a warm meal and several cups of warm wine. “Your highness, we must stop meeting like this,” he chuckled, bowing to Katlyn. “Please, you all have been through much, no doubt. Eat, drink. This report can be as informal as you wish.”

Gratefully, they all settled into wooden chairs. The scent of hot, well-seasoned chicken, rice, and some green vegetables filled Ann’s nose, and she felt her stomach growl. Fighting was hungry work, especially how she fought.

Istik blessedly waited to ask questions for a few minutes while they all tore into their meal. Even Bren was a tad sloppy in his hunger. Once the initial rush subsided, Istik cleared his throat.

“Well, how did things go? I see your Lupine friend has had some further changes,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“Tha’s a secret. World’ll know soon enough,” Kat cautioned him. “Royal decree an’ all. Not a word.”

“Word will spread with a noticeable change like that, regardless,” Istik said. “Not from my lips, but soldiers do love to gossip. Ah well, I’ll do my best. Returning to the topic, the Seed?”

“Well, the Guardian’s dead,” Ann said around a mouthful. “Had a fuck of a time fighting it.”

“I imagine. The Amalgamation is a cumbersome opponent. Many parties have lost members to carelessness or sudden shifts in its movement,” Istik said, a somber look on his face.

“Yeah, the centaur thing was way rougher, though.”

“Excuse me?” Istik blurted.

“Yeah. Like, ten feet tall, made of people, looked like the person equivalent of a horse’s backside. Black and white and had two massive bone swords?”

“That… has never been reported before. Tell me everything,” Istik said, any joviality leaving his body.

Ann and the party went into detail around bites of their meals, detailing how they’d dealt with what they now knew was called the Amalgamation, how it had fallen. When they described the emergence of the new form of the Guardian, Istik’s quill began to fly across the paper before him. He never interrupted them, letting their descriptions of the fight flow until it was done.

“A new Guardian? An evolution?” Istik murmured after they finished. “The intelligence it displayed is worrying. We may need to mark this Seed as more dangerous until we can confirm whether this new creature is a consistent feature. The Amalgamation we figured was just a collection of bodies that got caught up and formed into a new Guardian. That it might have been forming something inside is a disturbing thought.”

“Do you think it just never got time to gestate?” Rosalyn asked. “I mean, if the body around it was an egg, mercenaries could have just been culling it before it had time to finish the process.”

“No, I don’t believe that would be the case,” Istik said, still scratching at the paper. “This seed, with its relative proximity to Korvas, is cleared fairly regularly. Though we have had breaks in reports on this for several weeks, far longer than this recent incident’s time frame.”

“Then it would be something new,” Rosalyn decided. “And I’ve got a bad feeling we know why it showed up.”

All heads, Istik’s slightly delayed as he caught on, turned to Ann.

“Shit,” Ann groaned.

“I assume this is tied to the decree, ma’am?” Istik asked Katlyn.

“Aye. An’ it’s pure guesswork,” Kat said, cutting off any further discussion. “We don’t know fer a fact that Ann’s unique circumstances are what brought that thing out. Regardless, it was feckin’ strong.”

“Understood. Thank you all for your contributions in this tragedy, and I will leave you to finish your meal in peace,” Istik said, gathering his papers. “Your highness.” He left the tent with a bow.

“We’re really bad at keeping that secret,” Ann said, tearing a piece of chicken off the bone, then using her new skill to lengthen a canine and pick at a hard to reach scrap of meat.

“Already toyin’ wit’ the skill?” Kat laughed.

“Figured I might as well,” Ann shrugged. “So, let’s get the sound things up real quick.”

She stood, rummaging in her pack and pulled the soundproofing devices out, attaching them to the canvas walls. Once the sound barrier was in place, she returned to her spot at the table.

She tried to make the tooth retract back into her gums, but instead it popped out onto the table.

“Oh no,” Rosalyn groaned, watching as Ann’s face scrunched up in pain.

It hurt like the worst toothache Ann’d ever had, and she’d had bad wisdom teeth. Those things pushing up against her back molars were nothing compared to the new tooth growing in. Just like that, the pain passed, leaving a ghost of sensation in her face.

“I really hope this one loses the pain quickly,” Ann groaned, rubbing her jaw.

“Need potion?” Lucia offered.

“Nah. This one doesn’t cost health to use. Apparently, the pain is enough,” Ann chuckled dryly. “Anyway, yeah, about the Guardian. I’m pretty sure it’s me doing it. I mean, what else could be doing it?”

“We are close to another Swarm. New species and monstrosities have been known to emerge before the events,” Bren said, rubbing his stubbly chin. His dark blue eyes were squinting as he thought, clearly disturbed by the conversation. “The way it fought, though. How it challenged you two, then waited for you to be ready to fight. There are more intelligent Warped, but those are usually in seeds devoted to more significant Gods. One showing up here is concerning.”

“Got a girl full o’ Goddess juice runnin’ around wit’ us. I figure this weird shite’s overdue at this point,” Kat shrugged, scratching at the back of her neck.

“We need to get that announcement made soon. The more we delay, the more panic and confusion we will cause,” Bren said, picking at the last of his meal.

“Rowena’s got it covered,” Ann assured him, then grimaced. “Yeah, not thinking about what she’d do if she messed up somewhere.”

Rosalyn choked on her wine, coughing and sputtering before regaining her composure. “That sure is an image.”

“So, nothing more to go over tonight?” Bren asked. “If not, I would really like to get some sleep. We can get back to the city tomorrow night if we leave a bit late in the morning.”

“Sounds good to me,” Rosalyn yawned. “All that running’s got me worn out. Don’t even think I’ve got the energy to fuck tonight.”

Ann’s heart skipped a beat at how casually Rosalyn just said those words. She looked at her Druid, wide eyed, and was met with pure innocence. This girl knew exactly what she was doing.

Bren just rolled his eyes and stood, walking out of the tent.

Lucia followed quickly after, grabbing a leftover piece of chicken off the table.

Ann got up and retrieved the noise cancellers. They were handy little things, and she’d be using them shortly. With her nap, she wasn’t nearly as tired as Rosalyn.

Bren

Bren would never describe himself as a nervous person. He tried his utmost to be calm and collected at all times. He needed to be the rock to Kat’s impulsiveness, and now Annita’s.

Yet, here he was, walking back to his tent with Lucia, and his heart was pounding in his chest.

He had given her an order. Something he had sworn to himself he would not do. He had violated his oath and now there would be consequences. He couldn’t even look at the woman walking beside him.

“Lucia, I must apologise.”

“Thought you might,” Lucia grunted.

“I… I violated my promise to you. I gave you an order.”

“Bren, for someone so smart, you’re dumb.” An audible sigh was released between Lucia’s tusks.

Bren looked up quizzically. “How so? I violated your free will?”

“Did not. Simple as. Did you not feel my want? To help?”

“I was slightly preoccupied,” Bren admitted. Having Kat and Ann laid out, bleeding on the ground, was extremely distracting.

“Still, did not violate oath. Wanted to help. Didn’t know how. Order was appreciated.”

“That is… well, I guess it is a relief, no matter how concerned I still am giving orders,” Bren said with a sigh. He looked up at Lucia and found her looking right back at him, crimson eyes studying him.

“Want to know? How it felt, I mean.”

“I will not deny my curiosity,” Bren nodded.

They passed a few more tents and reached Bren’s. He invited Lucia in and they settled on a pair of stools that had been left out. While Bren sat in his customary perfect posture, Lucia perched like she did on any type of furniture.

“So, was interesting. Good feeling. Time slowed. Could feel a will on mine. Pushing me, but not unkind. More like, parent? If that makes sense. Guiding. Felt good. Safe. Made me want to follow the order. I’d do it no matter what.”

Bren considered her words. It was, on the one hand, good that it wasn’t painful. On the other hand, it meant she might find a positive association with the orders. The psychology of that was dangerous in and of itself.

“And that, the comfort, did not bother you?”

“No. Felt right. Helped me not be confused how to help. You did that. Remember. This is your responsibility.”

“I am ever aware,” Bren sighed. “Does me giving the orders make a difference?”

Lucia tipped her head to the side, maintaining her perfect balance. “Maybe. Yes? Hard to explain. Have heard stories, of course. Know the feeling described as oppressive, but firm. Some described it other ways. May depend on the master?”

“We need to go through more records to figure that out. I would like to know if there is anything that would affect the feeling of the bond.”

“Maybe it’s the trust in the bond?”

Bren paused, turning to look Lucia in her crimson eyes. “How do you mean?”

“Well, I trust you,” Lucia said, choosing her limited words carefully. “You trust me. Can feel it. Even through frustration, there’s trust.”

“I still find it infuriating that I can tell how honest you are. It makes it so much harder to fight this. Yes, I trust you. I appreciate the return on the feeling. I just… I worry that this thing, this bond, will do things to us that we can not control. Things that we will miss and get used to.”

“Ah, good reinforcement.”

“Exactly,” Bren exclaimed, throwing his hand out at Lucia. “Just, if we use this bond, and it makes you feel even the smallest bit good, it might develop a mindset that wants more of that.”

“That might be a problem,” Lucia nodded. “Problem, though, we can’t change it.”

“Yeah. That’s why I want to do some research into how the bond is affected by those using it. Could we make it less comfortable for you?”

“You want me to hurt?” Lucia’s eyes were wide.

“No,” Bren quickly corrected. “Just, not good. I cannot bring myself to want to harm someone.”

“Probably wise, would hurt you too.”

It would, wouldn’t it? He would share any feeling she had regardless of what happened to them. “Gods, that is even more malicious. You feeling good may make me feel better while using the bond. What a horrible feedback loop.”

“Bren, look at me,” Lucia requested, reaching a long arm out and grabbing his chin. He was once again forced to look into those crimson eyes half hidden by long black hair. “We can be careful, but don’t want you scared. Am bonded to you. Goes both ways, remember? Can feel the fear. Don’t want that for you.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it. It is just so complicated. I can’t trust my words, have to constantly examine them before I speak. Saying something as simple as ‘take this’ would trigger it if I was holding something out to you. Wording everything as a request is exhausting.”

“Maybe should relax about it a bit? Do not want stress to overwhelm you.” Lucia shifted, moving her stool closer to Bren’s side and putting a hand on his back. “Can tell it eats you. Little things, though, no problem. Tell me to ‘take this’. Is normal, just has more force to it. Won’t think bad of it.”

“But if you get used to the orders feeling good, would that mess with what you want? What if you want me to order you to do something? That would be a loophole in my oath. If you’re willing to be ordered something…”

“Doing it again.” Lucia flicked the back of his head. “Can’t order me to do harm, to me or others. Untoward is up to me, not you. Is a good check on things. You’re a good man. Trust yourself more.”

Bren sighed, then without thinking leaned against Lucia. She shifted to maintain her balance on the stool, but wrapped her arm around his shoulders. “Thank you. I would talk about this with Kat, but she has all of Annita’s burdens, not to mention her own, to deal with. I worry this would be too much.”

“She is old friend, though. Yes?”

“Yes. My oldest.”

“Then talk. She will understand. Girl wants to help everyone, sometimes to her own hurt. Probably would hurt more if you didn’t tell her.”

“Yes, it would, wouldn’t it,” Bren said, laughing to himself. “I swear, her muscles come more from what she chooses to carry than her hitting things.”

“And some are built for it,” Lucia said, now slowly rubbing Bren’s back. “Others need help. Is the way of things. You need help. This talk confirms.”

“That would make me weak, though.”

“Mmm, no. Is not weakness for feelings to exist. To need help. Annita needed help at start too, no? She could barely kill Twinwolf. Now she stands against that horror with Katlyn. Shoulder to shoulder. Strength comes from weakness.”

“I still do not wish to add to her burdens.”

“Then lean on me?”

“Huh?” Bren looked up. Lucia was pointedly looking away.

“Just, who better? No one can know each other like we do.”

Bren weighed that offer. It sounded too good. So good, he was hesitant to accept. After a couple minutes of silence, he relented.

“Fine. If you will trust me with the same?”

“Pah, like you need to ask,” Lucia scoffed. “But yes, I will. Now, it is late. Am very tired, and Fillianore still needs cleaning.”

“I could help, if you want.”

Lucia looked at him, likely probing the bond for any ulterior feelings. “Is a special thing to me, but yeah. Can help. Be right back with tools.”

Bren sat in silence while he waited, pondering the conversation.

He felt his heart quicken when he heard the tent flap part again, and Lucia returned.