“So, did you patch things up?” Clayton asked with a side glance.
“Patch things up? What are you talking about?”
Clayton shrugged. “With Sylvia? That fight the other day looked like it got pretty heated.”
“Ah. Yeah, I guess it did, huh? Things are fine now. I guess you can say we ca to an understanding,” I said.
Clayton chuckled and grinned. “Good, good. I wouldn’t want you two to break up or anything. I’m also surprised you so readily agreed to co with today.”
“That would be bad, yes. And there are things I uh… need to attend to in private,” I admitted awkwardly.
Getting so real privacy is becoming more of a challenge for , it seems. And there is no way I’m doing it outside again. I have standards.
“Is that so? I didn’t imagine you were one to keep secrets, Voker.”
I turned my head and t Clayton’s smiling face. “I’m wearing a mask? I never really take it off?” I said, confused.
“That’s true. But you are just such a straightforward guy. Honestly, I’ve already kinda forgotten about the whole mask thing. I think it would be weird to see you without one on,” Clayton mused.
I’m not sure if people getting used to wearing my mask all the ti is a good or bad thing. I’d rather not be Voker Winterheart if I could help it.
“Mhm,” I grunted. “Anyways, do you buy from the guild since you are a retired adventurer?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“Sure do. It’s cheaper that way for in the long run. Buying from a rchant or the city is a pain I would rather not deal with.”
“Do you sell the wool to the guild as well?”
Clayton shrugged and readjusted himself on the carriage. “About half, yeah. I’ve got a few clients lined up that buy from directly. Mostly noble types wanting to get instant access to the wool for the following winter.
I nodded along at his explanation. The Shamb wool was so high-quality stuff, and it seems to be sought out by just about everyone. The winter coat the Pruits let borrow is lined with the stuff, and it’s ridiculously comfortable and warm. Clayton told that so nobles even use the stuff as insulation for rooms. The wool is also in high demand in Luminar, which is much colder than it is here in the south.
But with a high-quality product cos high risks. The Pruit ranch is typically assaulted by bandits at least once or twice a winter, but we have only seen signs of them so far. Monster sightings have also gone down in the last month or so compared to the beginning of our job.
Sylvia ntioned that maybe we scared away the bandits and monsters, and I’m starting to believe that we actually achieved that. Maybe since monsters have constantly been dying and not getting anything out of it, they have finally decided to stop showing up?
Sa with the bandits as well. I’m sure a scouting party must have been watching from afar and saw either or Sylvia dispatch a monster or two and decided against making an attempt on the ranch.
Either way, it was all guesswork. Unlike last ti I went to Nactus, Clayton and I had to sit in the carriage line, which was moving at a snail’s pace. The guards were taking their ti checking each and every rchant or farr. Clayton ntioned a side entrance, but apparently, they shut that down during the winterti, which seems like a mistake to .
“Papers, please,” an older guard asked. His hot breath reeked of booze, and the guy was clearly not having a good ti standing in the snow.
But at least he said please.
Clayton was fishing the proper paperwork out of his bag when I flashed him my Ruby guild tag. The guard looked surprised and gave a low whistle. “Not every day you see two Ruby adventurers. Let ’em pass, boys!” he yelled to his subordinates.
Clayton laughed nervously to himself. “Seems being Ruby has its perks. I ranked up to Topaz then retired right after pretty much. It makes feel like a chump for barely making it to that rank.”
“No need to be down on yourself about it. Do you regret it? Retiring early?” I asked.
If Clayton hadn’t retired early, I imagine he could have made it to Athyst with his skills. He also has a hardworking attitude, so seeing him make it to Ruby after a few years of training wouldn't surprise .
Clayton smiled faintly and looked forward as he guided the Cradal pulled carriage into the city. “Sotis, yeah. Living the life of a free man doing whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Spending days out on a quest with your boys only to co back into town and celebrate. Yeah, I miss those days, but I don’t regret retiring early.”
“Why’s that? If you don’t mind asking.”
Clayton shrugged and gave a kind smile. “When you have your first kid, your priorities change. I stopped adventuring for fun and started adventuring because I needed money to raise my kid. No more spending late nights in the pubs buying rounds for everyone. Instead, I sent every extra coin I didn’t need back to Jess. I went back to the ranch every long break just to see them. And you know what?”
“What?” I asked.
“I’d do it all over again. Maybe it was because we got lucky. I never had anyone in The Stars die. We had a few close brushes with death, but we always made it out. So I guess you could say the fantasy of being an adventurer never died for . Maybe things would have been different if sothing bad happened, but it didn’t.” Clayton rubbed his head and gave a wry look. “Long story short, no, I don’t regret retiring early. And if given the sa chance, I’d be an adventurer again in another life, fall in love with the farm girl from the village, and have another kid then retire young.”
“That’s good,” I said, unsure how to respond precisely.
Clayton is a good man. His family is kind, and I can tell they make him very happy. I wonder if I’ll ever manage to find that kind of happiness.
Clayton shooed away. “Go now and do whatever it is you have to do. I’ll et you at the guild in say… two hours tops?”
Two hours? I need like… two minutes.
—
I rented the cheapest room, the smallest room possible, at a random inn. Perford my deeds. Ate brunch. Then I took a nap. All in all, a highly unproductive day but a necessary one. What did dream sli Apollo say to again?
Having a few monts to yourself is crucial to maintaining your sanity? Yeah, I can get behind that idea. But I’ve been having a lot of these days recently. Winter needs to hurry up and end.
Ah, but I do prefer the cold weather. Maybe I got that side from my mother? Dad never seed bothered by the jungle heat, but I don’t think Mom was much of a fan despite her not complaining about it. Either way, I miss that stupid humid jungle, but I can enjoy the snow a bit for now.
I was making my way towards the guild to et Clayton when I heard sobody drop sothing behind . I turned around and found a High Elf woman wearing white and gold priestess garbs with a thick overcoat staring at in disbelief with cloudy gray eyes, and it didn’t take long for those eyes to beco misty with tears.
“Voker? Is that you?”
“It’s been a while, Anna.”
My vision filled with silky light blue hair as Anna threw herself into . “You! Your hand! Your leg! You… what happened to you? I heard rumors that you survived?! Why didn’t you co to find us?!” Anna said in between muffled sobs.
I felt a tinge of regret when she asked why I didn’t contact her. In truth, I probably should have left a ssage for her and the others to let them know we were okay. But a lot happened after we got out of the dungeon, and my goals have stayed the sa.
The only reason I stayed with Dem and Anna for so long was that they taught how to be a proper adventurer along with helping get my foot in the door because it benefited . It doesn’t change the fact that they were good to , though, and reading their reports on Sylvia and my supposed deaths was rough. I should be more thoughtful about these things…
“It’s a long story…” I said with a grunt while pushing her off of . Anna looked up at with teary eyes. She used to be way taller than , and now I’m just a little taller than her. “I’m sorry. I should have left a note for you guys at the guild.”
“Or you could have found us! We thought you were dead! Sylvia, is she alive?”
“Yes, we both survived and cleared the dungeon.”
“So you were the ones that killed that Wyrm… it was the sa monster,” Anna said quietly.
“It was.”
I didn’t really know what to say to her. I feel terrible, but another part of didn’t.
“Hey… uh… Voker? Wait, you are…” Clayton asked from behind .
“A friend. We were in a party together. Anna, this is Clayton,” I said, gesturing towards Clayton.
“You’ve already found another party?” Anna said despondently.
“Not quite…”
Clayton gave a small pat on the back and a wry smile. “I know who Anna is… it seems she has forgotten . It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Anna? Also, Voker here is working for right now.”
Anna wiped so of the tears from her eyes and stared blankly at Clayton. Clayton laughed awkwardly and shrugged his shoulders sadly. “Can’t be helped… wind mage? Part of The Stars? Friends with Nick?”
Sothing clicked in Anna’s eyes as she smiled. “Ah! The guy that tried doing five hundred push-ups at the inn then threw up from drinking too much! It has been a long ti! You’ve gotten way older…”
I looked over at Clayton, and he looked like he had been stabbed in the heart. His eyes glazed over, and he nodded weakly at Anna. “Yeah… that’s ,” he mumbled.
What? I am going to have to ask about that on the way back ho.
“Are you okay, Clayton?” I asked.
“Fine… just fine…” he said quietly. “Anyways… the feed won’t be ready till tomorrow, so I’ll just co back and get it then. Why don’t you stay in town and catch up.”
“I don’t know about—”
“Yes! You should stay! Everyone is here, and they would love to see you again, Voker!” Anna shouted while grabbing ahold of my arm and pulling tightly towards her chest.
Those are… dangerous.
“Don’t worry about it, Voker. I’ll be back tomorrow morning,” Clayton jabbed in the side with his elbow and grinned. “And don’t worry, I won’t tell Sylvia,” he whispered.
“What do you an by that? Hey? Why are you walking away from ?” I asked Clayton’s retreating back.
“Co on, Voker! Everyone is at the inn right now, so let’s go find them!” Anna giggled while pulling along.
Yeah… sure… why not?
—
“You an to tell you had enough food for an entire year?” Alce asked from beside .
“That’s what you’re surprised about? The guy cleared multiple floors in an unknown dungeon? Who cares about the food!” Anna pouted from my other side.
“It’s more amazing that you survived the fall. Good thing Sylvia had that magic item for you,” Dem said with a chuckle.
“Was the Wyrm the final boss? There was no way that thing wasn’t the guardian,” Alce asked.
“Yes, it was. I barely killed it, and it took nearly everything I had,” I lied.
“Most impressive. I knew you were a powerful mage. My barrier didn’t even hold it back for a mont,” Il huffed in annoyance.
“There was a lot of luck involved,” I admitted. I cleared my throat. “Ah… would you two mind letting go of ?”
“Nope.”
“Don’t want to.”
I sighed while Dem and Silent gave a wry smile from across the table. I had Alce and Anna sitting far too close to , each holding one of my arms to their chests and drinking their beers. I didn’t mind them being so close… actually yes, I do mind them… concentrating is becoming more of a task than it should be.
The inn is bustling with people, and it maxed out on capacity. People are enjoying drinking and celebrating whatever tonight’s occasion happens to be. Judging by the sheer volus of alcohol and the types of people drinking, it seems to be an inn more geared towards adventurers. We have spent the last few hours here chatting and drinking. Well, they have been drinking. I’ve just been talking.
I recounted the story of how Sylvia and I made it out of the dungeon with so apparent changes to the account. I severely downplayed what we accomplished and Sylvia’s involvent with just about everything.
I did feel bad about lying to them, but I planned on keeping my promise to Sylvia above all else. Making sure nobody figured out who she was more critical. Besides, they didn’t need to know how we cleared the dungeon, just that we got out.
“Are you sure you don’t want a drink, Voker?” Il asked.
I shook my head and tapped my mask. Il gave what I assud to be a toothy frown, but it was hard to tell on a Dragonkin. “You haven’t changed at all, have you?” she said to herself.
Dem chuckled loudly to himself. “Changed!? The last ti we saw him, he was a little kid! Now, look at him! He’s almost as big as ! How old are you now, Voker?”
“I… uh… I just turned fourteen?”
“Why did you say that like a question?” Alce asked.
I think I’m getting secondhand alcohol poisoning from breathing the air in this room. My head feels a little fuzzy and I even forgot how old I was there for a second…
“I don’t know?” I answered back.
“You must be getting tired, Voker. You said you were staying at a ranch outside of town, right? How about we walk you back? Say hi to Sylvia while we are at it?” Dem suggested with a smile.
“I was told that I would be picked… that… I—that sobody was coming back for in the morning, so I should—”
“Nonsense! It’s a win-win for us. We get to walk you back and talk so more while seeing Sylvia. You get a nice warm bed to sleep in that you don’t have to pay for,” Dem said proudly.
I took a few seconds to decide if this was a good idea, but I didn’t see a problem with it. I would rather sleep back at the ranch instead of spending the night at this inn. And I didn’t want to go back to the one I stayed in this morning if I could help it.
“Okay, if you say so.”
Everyone paid their tabs, and we headed out. Despite the light snow, Nactus was bustling with people. The city seed to be even more alive now than it was when… when I ca a few months ago. Yeah, around then…
Either way, the sun hadn’t quite set, and the pink and orange sky was filled with high milky white clouds. So we took our ti as we made our way back to the ranch making small talk and just generally catching up with each other.
Alce recounted the story of how they survived the Wyrm as well. Apparently, the Wyrm had tried to confirm our deaths or sothing along those lines… at least. I think that’s what Alce said…
Anyways, it gave the group enough ti to run to the other side of the floor, where they managed to camp out for a few days and scout the bridge out. But the Wyrm had disappeared, and they were able to retreat out of the dungeon from there.
It makes wonder… wonder… I uh… what was I thinking about again?
Ah, whatever, we still have a little more than an hour till we get to the ranch. I’m also not sure why everybody ca. Does everyone just want to see Sylvia that bad? I’m not even sure if Sylvia likes any of these guys.
And why… why did everyone get quiet all of a sudden?
Eh, I guess it’s getting late, and they had a few drinks. Alcohol is a depressant, after all. I have no interest in drinking that stuff, knowing what it can do to your— your… my?
I turned around in confusion, and everyone had stopped walking. They were all staring at with all different kinds of expressions. Alce, Silent, and Il were just looking at with blank faces. Anna wasn’t even looking at at all and instead was staring at the ground with a grimace. Dem wore a weak smile.
“Ah, hello—”
“How are you feeling, Kaladin?”
“Fine? I think? I’m… not sure? It’s kind of… I just don’t really know?” I said honestly.
“I see…” Dem mumbled.
What? Wait… what did Dem just say? I—
My body moved without telling it to. Dem lunged forward with outstretched hands, but I batted them away while taking a few steps backward. I stumbled and ended up falling over myself. I hit my head sowhat hard on the ground, and it seed to sober up for a mont.
Sothing…. sothing is wrong with …
“It doesn’t have to be this way, kid…” Dem said coldly.
“What are you doing? What… what did you do to ?” I said just as coldly while quickly brushing the snow off .
My mind. This haze… it’s been creeping up on … making forget things. It is making forget that sothing is wrong. How long? How long has this been going on?
“We know who you really are, Kaladin. Listen, we don’t want to hurt you. Seriously, you can trust .” Dem said while slowly walking towards .
I took a few more steps back. “You keep calling Kaladin. That’s not—”
“We know. Everything on the bounty points towards you. A crippled child that was missing a hand. Capable mage found in the woods not far from the escape… it’s you, isn’t it? You’re Kaladin Ambersoul,” Dem said seriously.
“Yes but no I’m act—”
What? What am I saying? My mouth moved before my mind did…
Dem shook his head and gave another weak smile. “No point in hiding it, kid.” Everyone else wasn’t following while Dem kept moving forward.
They… poisoned with sothing. But how? I didn’t eat or drink anything? I couldn’t have breathed in anything either since they would have been affected as well. Then… touch… Anna and Alce rubbed sothing on …
They betrayed .
I dipped my foggy mind into my storage ring and took out a single red vial. Then, running almost on autopilot, I unsummoned my mask and downed the red vial. The thick liquid tasted like dirt going down. The taste helped focus, even if just a little.
Dem’s eyes went wide with shock, but he quickly returned to his natural face. “Wow… you really are a Dark Elf. And you have a spatial ring. It makes sense seeing that you suddenly brought a sword out of thin air before that Wyrm took you out.”
“Surprised you even noticed with how afraid you were,” I hissed. Those words were the first thing that ca to my mind, and I couldn’t stop their flow.
Dem winced. “Whatever… you don’t an that. Listen, I’m not sure what you just drank, but there isn’t an antidote for Cloudy Mind, kid.”
Cloudy Mind? What kind of stupid na is that? Who the hell nas a poison Cloudy Mind?
I could feel my heartbeat quicken in my chest, and my veins pulse with hot blood. I looked down at my tan arms and watched my skin beco taut, and my muscles flex. My mind wasn’t getting any clearer. If anything, I felt myself slipping away even more. Sowhere along the line, I just stopped thinking about things entirely.
“I don’t need an antidote.”
Dem chuckled, then sighed. “Sure, whatever you say. I hope you know this isn’t personal.”
“It is personal. Everything about this is personal,” I said in a low growl.
“Dem!” Il snarled.
Dem sighed again and extended an open hand to . “We don’t want to hurt you, but just know there are two ways this will go down, kid. You either co peacefully, or we are going to have to get physical. So please don’t make us get physical,” he pleaded.
“Unfortunately for you, there is a third option.”
Dem raised his eyebrows. “And what would that be?”
“I kill all of you.”
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