Jackal Among Snakes

Argrave and Anneliese sat on the sandy coast of the Bloodwoods, staring out across the vastness of the ocean that divided this continent from others. Orion stood a healthy distance away, guarding them diligently while giving them space to speak alone. They faced the suns as they faded beyond the horizon, hueing the waters purples and oranges.

But there was one more with them. Onychinusa sat on a rock, watching the calm ocean lap gently against the sea. Where there had once been a bloody stump, now there were clumps of blackness. She was once again able to access her A-rank ascension after being struck by the emissary’s foul magic. That had made Argrave quite nervous, if he was honest. But as Anneliese promised, she caused no trouble. She had been quite rowdy and interrogative, which surprised him a fair bit, but after a time she settled down.

“Been a long while since we could afford to do this,” Argrave reflected.

Anneliese removed her gloves and sunk her hand into the sand. She picked up a handful and let it fall piece by piece. “And I think it is the last time we will, until Gerechtigkeit is perished.”

Argrave reached out towards some stones, sifting them until he found a flat one. He took it in hand, aiming the flattest, roundest bit down, and then tossed it with some spin. Though it had been from an awkward position, with the strength offered by the enchanted armor it skipped well over twenty times before dipping into the ocean. Off to the side, he saw the calm Onychinusa straighten, her eyes widening after his display of stone-skipping.

“I had been remaining quiet about this, but your talk with Ganbaatar reminded me of things,” Anneliese continued. “You said that what we experienced here was what Mozzahr, the Castellan of the Empty, experienced in the abandoned dwarven cities. Gerechtigkeit forced the early advent of a god.”

“…and you’re thinking that he won’t have experienced such a thing, and thus when he and his Ebon Cult come, it’ll be different than I remember it,” Argrave filled in the blanks, then threw another stone.

Anneliese watched the rock jump dozens of time, and then sink into the water before she answered, “Yes, that is what I thought. What we endured here was a nightmare. Some loose ends remain, but altogether… it was a better end than I daresay we hoped for. And Mozzahr… he dealt with a scenario like this. He dealt with it alone, without the help of the elven gods as we had.”

“Yeah, yeah, he’s way cooler than me.” Argrave shook his head, offering Anneliese a flat stone. He saw Onychinusa watching the stone in his hand.

Anneliese ignored his humor, asking, “Will he still come if he does not endure an attack? Will his forces be stronger or weaker? Will they come earlier or later? These are questions we must answer,” she finished, taking the stone from his hand.

Argrave watched as she rose to her feet, then took proper posture to throw the stone. It skipped ten, twenty, thirty times, at which point the skips came so quickly he lost count. It sunk into the ocean out of sight.

“I know it’s a concern.” Argrave rose to his feet with her. “But there isn’t much information I can give you. The player can’t even access the depths of the earth until the midgame, so I can predict how fighting Gerechtigkeit down there might’ve changed him.”

“I see.” Anneliese knelt down, rummaging through rocks to find flat ones. She picked a heap up, and then walked to Onychinusa, whose eagerness to try was practically radiating out of her eyes.

While Anneliese explained rock skipping, Argrave watched the ocean. If he was honest with himself, truly being king was something he avoided. He appreciated the things most did—the prestige of the title, the wealth, et cetera. But he wasn’t someone that could focus on those things while forgetting about the responsibilities. That was much of why he went to Quadreign, and why he went to the Bloodwoods when he could. To be fair to himself, he had secured Elenore as his regent so that he could do these outlandish things.

But that time was coming to an end. He would need to assume the role of king completely to prepare for the coming war with the nation underground—the Ebon Cult. Argrave had great personal strength. With the five imperial tomes in his arsenal and spirits to fuel the spells, he was a match for any magic user. Their power was so great it was small wonder Emperor Balzat, their author, sought to hoard them for his family’s use.

Personal strength would no longer suffice. Gods great and small would emerge from all corners of Berendar, seeking to make this land their holdfast in preparation for Gerechtigkeit’s advent. The kingdom itself needed to be strengthened at this point. Elenore had been setting the framework for this, working tirelessly, but now…

“Guess it’s time to head back and steal Elenore’s credit, like always,” Argrave called out to Anneliese.

Onychinusa threw her first stone. Because she was sitting it skipped only three times, but she seemed mightily pleased to have gotten the principle.

“And earn credit of our own,” Anneliese called back, smiling at Onychinusa. As ever, her hands hovered near the elven woman harmlessly. Even with gloves on, Anneliese didn’t dare risk her A-rank ascension activating and draining the ancient elf of the magic that constituted her body. She would only touch her with a thick layer between the two of them, and even despite her growing affection had not yet hurt her before.

Reminded of something, Argrave asked, “And you, Onychinusa? What’s your plan?”

She looked at him. He didn’t have the same closeness she did with Anneliese, but he could tell Onychinusa didn’t dislike him. “I don’t know,” she answered simply.

Argrave didn’t really have a good answer for that—they’d been speaking of the kingdom’s future, but he supposed it made sense that this abandoned woman-child would be at a loss.

“You should follo—” Argrave began, but trailed off when he caught a glare from Anneliese. He scratched the back of his neck.

“You will always be welcome at our home,” Anneliese instead said in a much less commanding fashion.

“Okay,” Onychinusa responded nonchalantly, then tossed another stone. It plunked into the water without skipping, and she frowned while looking at her hands.

“As a matter of fact… when we return, why don’t you come with us? That way, you can know where to come, who to speak to, and what to do in Vasquer.”

“But the dryads…” Onychinusa looked into the Bloodwoods.

Have them come too! Argrave wished to say, though kept his mouth shut. They need a place to take root, right? I know just the spot… we can build a fletcher next to it, manufacture bows and arrows by the thousands.

“They persisted one thousand years without you, did they not?” Anneliese instead counseled while Argrave thought to exploit. “But if need be, perhaps you should talk to them. They care for you. They will give you sound advice.”

Onychinusa nodded again, repeating, “Okay.”

Anneliese watched as Onychinusa skipped stones for a moment, and then walked back to Argrave’s side. “I think now is the time to bring back Durran and Galamon into the fold. Hiopefully, whatever task they dealt with in their homeland is well and done… and if not, we have the means to help them.”

Argrave smiled. “You’re right. It’ll be damn good to talk to the both of them again. I’m sure Galamon will just say one word, even if we tell him we fought two ancient gods.”

Anneliese laughed quietly. “And Durran… he seemed utterly resolute with whatever he intended in the Burnt Desert. I do wonder what he might have hoped to gain…”

Argrave felt the wind stir to his left, and jerked his head quickly by instinct. Orion stepped past him, twisting his body. He threw a stone, and it flew out across the ocean fast enough it was difficult to track. It hit the ocean, bouncing high, and then kept skipping again and again until it faded far out of sight. Onychinusa slowly turned her head to look at him in shock.

“Hmm… it fell beyond the horizon.” Orion held his hand above his eyes to shield his sight from the light of the suns. “I lost count.”

Argrave looked at him, then patted his shoulder. “Probably reached Veiden.”

“Truly?” Orion raised his brow in surprise.

“Sure. You might’ve hit some fisherman,” Argrave continued jokingly.

“I… see. Then that was imprudent of me. I must restrain my power, lest innocent allied vessels succumb to the stones,” Orion nodded seriously.

Argrave blinked. “I was—"

“Joking?” Orion finished, smiling. “Yes, I know. As was I. It seems I learn much from you, Your Majesty.”

Utterly floored, Argrave could only laugh in response.

“But in seriousness…” Orion continued over Argrave’s laughter. “I learned many things on this trip, Your Majesty.”

“Such as?” Argrave pressed.

Orion stared out across the ocean, then said evenly, “Some men would be better gods than the gods themselves.”

“That’s true,” Argrave nodded. “That is very true.”

Argrave looked back to the Bloodwoods. The imposing trees seemed a little smaller than they had when first coming here, though they hadn’t shrunk at all. It was time to leave them behind. The threat wasn’t here, anymore.

The threat would be everywhere.

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