"Who's she?" I asked Oplar as I put my bag down next to the small table. The room was small, but large for an inn in this region. Oplar having paid for an inn was surprising enough; she typically slept on the road in the wilderness when she needed to, but finding a young girl in it that I didn't recognize was even more alarming.
She was sleeping in the bed, and didn't seem to be in any hurry to wake even as Oplar shut the door, a tad loudly, then went to grab sothing out of a large bag resting in the corner.
"I found her for sale down south. The craziest part is not only had the one's selling her not known what she was, she didn't either," Oplar said as she handed the letters she procured from the bag as she went to sit down at the table.
Didn't know either…? I slowly made sense of Oplar's aning as I studied the sleeping girl. She was dead asleep, even as Oplar and I spoke a few feet from her. The room had only one bed, which told Oplar had likely gotten the room for her. She looked relatively healthy and fine, though I could only see the upper half of her head and face. She didn't have any obvious trait, but she did have…
Was she a salt-water creature…? She slled like the sea. Too deeply to just have been from the sea, as in born upon it and having grown and lived upon it. This sll was of a creature from the sea, not one who subsided on it. It was just a tad too strong.
She was so kind of deep-water fish. Maybe even… a shark? I'd need to see her teeth to be sure, but it seed so.
"She didn't know she was one of us," I said as I understood. If she didn't have any very obvious traits, nothing too visible, then it made sense. She'd just look like any girl anywhere.
"Weird huh? But if you don't know your parents, and no one notices or tells you, and you don't ever see yourself in a mirror or anything… it can happen, I guess," Oplar said.
Mirror, huh? Must an she did have a trait or two. Likely her teeth, then. Maybe. I slowly sat down in the chair across from Oplar, and was a little sad that Renn wasn't here. She'd have been perfect to entrust this girl to. "What's her na?" I asked as I glanced at the letters Oplar had just handed to . There were four.
"You won't believe it."
Looking up from the letters, I frowned at the bear who had a huge grin on her face. "Renn?" I asked.
Oplar blinked and her smile disappeared. "Darn. That'd have been funnier, huh? No. It's Celine."
Oh. "She's not a saint," I said as I glanced at the girl. I didn't need to actually look at her to confirm it, but I did just in case I had sohow missed it.
"Nope, just a full-blooded predator. Sothing so rare the whole of the Society beca gossip ridden for over a year thanks to Renn. Though maybe it won't be as neat anymore, what with those idiots coming back finally? I've heard there's a few amongst them like Renn and this shark."
Shark. So I'd been right.
I nodded as I went to open one of the letters. I chose Landi's first, since it was the thinnest. "There are. A wolf, for one, is now in Lun. She's going to be a problem, but likely for my wife more than anyone else," I said.
Oplar groaned. "I've been missing out on so much…!"
She had been, but that was her job. Or rather, this was her job.
I'd lucked into her as I finished up Martin's request. Oplar was finishing her route, and then was going to head back north to Telmik, and we had just so happened to bump into one another. It's been many years since this had happened, but it was not so rare that I found it odd anymore. After all we both basically traversed the sa routes, half the ti going opposite directions as we did. Running into each other like this was more of an inevitability than not.
"Odds are by the ti you get back to Telmik, Renn will already be on the road again," I said. If not I'd have given her a letter for Renn, but I highly doubted it'd happen. Renn might even already be on the road north as we spoke.
"Then I'll just need to head that way after. I've been wondering though, with so many people showing up… I might need to employ so more help, won't I? Over five hundred ca back with Light and now another six? I'm not sure if I should weep in joy or stress over the new workload," she said with a chuckle.
"I'm doing both myself," I said as I unfurled Landi's letter. It was written in the language of the south, so it took half a second to rember what the first few words ant and…
My eye twitched as I realized this letter had been for Renn, not .
Had Oplar done this on purpose? Probably not. Landi might have just said my na when handing it to Oplar, thinking Renn would open it for since we were usually together. Still I read it in full, just in case, and almost regretted doing so.
"Landi's leaving the south," I said as I folded up her letter. I'd keep it and deliver it to Renn.
"She'd said she plans to, next year, yes. I uh… asked about what she plans to do with the kingdom and all, she didn't really seem to care to answer."
"Because she doesn't care. The kingdom only existed for one purpose and that purpose was fulfilled," I said. Or well, partly. She wasn't pregnant yet, made obvious by her intentions to join us all up north as to manhunt the new n that were now available. The ones who had returned from beyond the sea.
I'll need to put Renn in charge of that. Not only did I not want to get involved at all, I didn't want to deal with the aftermath either. And I'd inadvertently have to with Renn dealing with it all… But other than Renn I had no one else to ask for help concerning such a thing. Landi was banished from more places than Lilly was for crying out loud.
So… Before next sumr. I had half a year basically before Landi showed up to cause chaos. Could I secure Renn and her new ho by then…? Probably.
"That'll send the south into chaos, Vim," Oplar said.
"Yes, but it is her choice. Her kingdom. Unless soone wants to take it over," I said. The matters of the nation had nothing to do with the Society. Nothing beyond the typical concerning Landi, at least. Though I did hope she was going to at least attempt to leave it in proper hands, amongst other things.
"You're so callous sotis," Oplar said lightly as she went to pour herself a drink.
"I have to be," I said simply as I went to open the next letter.
Oplar humd at as she took a deep drink and I read a letter from Mordo the head of the cal family. It too was a shorter letter, just expressing his and his family's support for my cause concerning the vote, but there was another couple pages. Another letter from his granddaughter, addressed to and Renn. She was asking for permission to travel with us next ti we ca by, as to find a mate.
Renn would like that.
"Speaking of heading north… can I ask a favor, Vim?" Oplar then asked.
I lowered the letters from the cals and nodded with a frown. Why was she asking like that? She sounded almost hesitant.
Oplar gestured to the sleeping girl with a shrug. "She's not going to be accepted in Telmik. She's a pagan," she said.
"Most are. She's young enough they'll convert her," I said.
"Again, you're being callous. Renn's going to make that orphanage with the rest of them, right? Can I send her up there? I need to head north once I'm back anyway; I can drop her off on the way."
Oh. Right. I nodded slowly. "My first instinct is to say yes, of course… but rember, although Renn is going to be involved it is not permanent. She'll likely be there for a few years, but odds are it won't be much longer than that. So she'll have to be under Randle's purview and the rest," I said. I wasn't in the mood to go into much more detail on who was going to show up there or not, since I really didn't know yet. People might be thinking of moving north, but that didn't an they were actually going to.
"Randle at least won't ostracize her just for her faith. So that's fine. I just don't know where else to take her," Oplar said.
I was about to ask why she'd not considered Lun, but realized it was likely because of Light and her people. Oplar was probably now, in a way justifiably, seeing Lun just as she did Telmik. She wasn't wrong to think so, honestly. Even if it'd take years, maybe even decades, for it to get that bad… it was an inevitability. Such a thing was part of the reason rit had left.
Sighing softly I nodded. "Depending on what I've left to do, you may or may not beat there. I'd offer to take her myself, but I have a stop that won't allow it," I said as I folded the cal's letters up and went to open the third.
"Right. It's fine; she's actually a quiet girl. Not an issue at all… So… Vim."
"Hm?" I slowly opened the letter from Corvo, who I'd not seen in a few years. My last few trips south had not led through his route.
"Any gossip, Vim? You have no idea how terribly distraught I've been to hear only faint rumors so far. How'd it go with Light? Who ca back? Who's Renn traveling with? Is she pregnant yet? What about…"
I smiled gently at the bear and shook my head at her, interrupting her torrent of questions. "Most of those I've t are new faces. People I've not t before, like Martin's son. But there are a few familiar people, such as Less, Jennifer, Kapni and Tressi…" I then nodded. "And concerning Light, for now we're… copacetic I suppose. A little too much, if I'm being honest. She and Renn beca fast friends," I said.
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Oplar giggled at that. "I figured that'd happen!"
"Renn's heading up north to help Randle and Angie, as you just ntioned… I dealt with a prophecy, Light's, and plan to head back north once I handle one more thing down here. Light and all her people are busy building their new cathedral in Lun, so although are being annoying aren't really causing any issues just yet," I said as I tried to give her a summarized version of recent events.
"Gah, you're omitting all the stuff I want to hear…! What about this wolf you spoke of? Have you and Renn done it yet? What about the baby she's supposed to be having? What's Brandy think of Light taking over? And…"
I shook my head and sighed at her. "One thing at a ti, Oplar," I said as I went to read Corvo's letter.
It too was a short one, but it was asking to visit him. He had a request, though he didn't say what it was.
Should I just deal with this now then? I wasn't too far from him. But he did say in the letter it wasn't pressing… which ant it was sothing that could go years without being addressed, since such letters sotis took that long to reach .
"Fine, first the wolf. What's she like?"
"Tundra is a young girl, like that one," I started with gesturing at the shark with the letter. "She reminds of Lilly's youth… or well… actually she's a bit better. She has that predator personality, but Light has instilled in her the idea of penance. Whenever she does sothing wrong, and people point it out, she panics and weeps and runs off to earn forgiveness. She starves herself and stuff to apologize. Rash and extre, but it seems to be working. She tried to move into the Animalia Guild but they voted not to allow her, she had scared so of them sohow. So now she wants to live with Renn, but Light won't let her leave until a prophecy concerning her is fulfilled," I gave her all I knew as I folded Corvo's letter, then went to open the last one. This one was likely the most important, it ca from the Crypt.
Abel's letter felt a tad too thick to be normal. It worried as I opened it.
"Hm… It's been a long ti since we've had soone like that. Is she cute at least?"
"Renn thinks she is."
Oplar chuckled at that. "Renn thinks everyone is."
"And no, Renn's not pregnant yet. But we're pretending she is, to avoid drama. Light and the rest of her ilk believe she is, and I've enabled that misconception for now," I said.
Oplar was quiet a mont as I unfolded the many-page letter from Abel, and realized the reason it was thicker was because it wasn't just his letter but multiple letters from others as well. A quick glance showed one from Sharp, then one from Frett.
"You trust enough to know that, Vim…?" Oplar then asked.
I glanced away from the letters and frowned at the bear. She was sitting up in her seat, and looked… a little odd. As if I'd just said sothing that had shaken her to her core.
"Why not? You're Renn's friend." rit and Lilly had known too, told by Renn herself. I saw no reason to think Renn would not trust Oplar the sa way. Oplar was one to gossip, but she was not one to share secrets. She'd die before she did. That was her ethos, as much as free-will was mine.
Oplar held my gaze for a mont, and then she slowly nodded at . I tried not to notice the way her eyes glistened a little and went back to focus on my letters. Before I did though I made sure the shark was still asleep.
She was.
As I read Abel's letter first, I ignored Oplar as she masked a sniff with deep drink.
Abel inford the Crypt was doing fine. As was the human, Elisabell, who we'd left there. For most the letter I assud it was just a typical update, but near the end he got to the point.
"A ghost…?" I whispered as I read the last bit of his letter again.
"Hm? Ah. Yes. At the crypt. They all seem very serious about it being real. They say they see it out of the corner of their eyes at night, wandering the halls," Oplar said, sounding excited to talk about it.
To her it was likely an interesting form of gossip. But to …?
Right now the last thing I needed to hear was sothing like this.
Ghosts did not exist. Not in this world. But there were things that could be made to look like them. Or rather, there were things that could be mistaken as one to unknowing eyes.
Monarchs. Gods. Their creations. And with the recent events…
I sighed as I put Abel's letter aside. It seed, whether I liked it or not, I'd be going there soon. Hopefully it was a wasted trip and they were all just hyping up sothing soone had seen while half asleep or sothing.
"Didn't see it myself, which is too bad. I stayed there a couple extra nights on purpose to do so," Oplar said with a sigh.
Hopefully that was a hint that they weren't actually being haunted. But…
"Anything else odd happening? Anywhere else?" I asked as I went to read Frett's letter next.
"Other than typical stuff? Like finding Celine, or Landi's plan to leave her kingdom? Not really."
That was sothing at least.
Frett's letter also included the ghost, or spirit as she called it. She too was requesting my presence to deal with it, claiming it was giving people nightmares. The rest of her letter was just asking of Renn, and wishing us well.
I went into Sharp's letter hoping for a grounded semblance of surety, and instead found sothing worse.
"The ghost is real," I whispered as I read Sharp's letter.
"Is it…? How do you know?" Oplar asked.
"Sharp says so, I was just reading her words," I said as I finished reading her short letter.
A ghost that gave nightmares, could be seen in the corner of the eye at night, and made tal cold…? Sharp's comnt on it making handles to doors and such cold at night was odd.
If it was a monarch, or a god's creation, what was it doing…? What purpose did it have? If it was a monarch it'd have hurt soone by now. Unless it had other orders…
What if this was their attempt to distract ? To get to keep a distance from Renn, and to head there post-haste? But these letters were dated before I'd even killed Stance…
"I had just been near there. I should have went," I said with a sigh as I put Sharp's letter aside with the rest. She only had a few words for Renn, which I'd deliver later.
What a pain.
The world really was getting noisy again. And now each and every little thing was going to make worry and panic, wasn't it? Every oddity will be one I need to now be on guard of, in case they're sourced from my enemies.
Nothing will be simple again.
I was now at war again, wasn't I?
And...
Before I could finish my thought, the chair I was in snapped.
Steadying myself, I stood as the chair broke beneath . It did so rather loudly and as such it was not a surprise that the girl who had been sound asleep shot upward in shock over it. She even let loose a weird sounding yelp as she did. One that made flinch where the breaking of my chair hadn't.
"Ah, Vim, gosh…!" Oplar groaned at as she gestured out to the girl who was now sitting up on the bed, clasping the pillow and blanket she'd been using as if for dear life as she gaped at . "It's okay, Celine. This is Vim, the protector. I told you about him, rember?" Oplar said quickly.
The girl, if she even heard Oplar, didn't do a thing. She simply stayed seated on the bed, staring at with wide eyes.
"Sorry…" I apologized as I turned around to pick up so of the broken pieces of wood. I had no plans to fix it, but didn't want to leave the sharp fractures all over the floor. The girl was barefoot, and even if a full-blooded shark that didn't an she couldn't get hurt if she stepped upon them.
Plus my cleaning up eased the tension. I knew this from experience. Sotis the best cure to a panicked heart was the absurdity of soone just… doing sothing so silly as typical housework.
"He's a klutz, as you can see. Always breaking stuff," Oplar said with a sigh.
"I'd argue I'm the farthest thing from clumsy, but that's kind of hard to do when I'm picking up pieces of a chair I was just sitting on like a dork," I said as I gathered the rest up.
"Protector…"
I nodded as I stood up, slowly and confidently, and went to dump the pile of wood pieces in an empty corner. "So I am. For now, at least," I said.
Oplar scoffed at as I dug out a few coins and placed them on the table near her, so she could pay for the damage properly and not soil her na with the innkeepers.
Turning to the shark, I gave her a gentle smile as I stepped forward and extended my hand to her. She sat up a bit straighter on my approach, but she wasn't clinging to the pillow and blanket anymore.
"My na is Vim. Sorry about waking you, but if it's any consolation you now get to hear all the stories Oplar has concerning my screw ups as you travel north," I said.
"I have a bunch!" Oplar happily added.
The girl gave a weak smile, one that barely showed any teeth… but even with only a few being shown I was able to verify Oplar was right.
Her teeth were sharper than Renn's.
How had no one noticed…? She must be from a real backwater place.
"Celine…" the girl said as she carefully took my hand. Her hand was rough, as if full of calluses, but I knew better than to think it was form a life of hard labor. Her skin was rough not just on her palms but the back of it too. As we shook hands, I held back a small sigh of pity.
Was her whole body this rough? If so she was going to have trouble. Not only would humans find her odd, so would many of our kind.
Oplar was wrong. She should go to the Crypt. She wasn't as bad as Sharp was, but was bad enough to be an issue.
"Um…"
I tilted my head at the girl as our hands separated, and she glanced down at them as they did. I noted the way her eyes lingered on my hand.
"I know people with far rougher skin than you, it's no surprise," I said simply.
Celine shifted a little… and then gave a small smile. "Oplar had said the sa."
"Oplar is a gossip but she is not a liar, on any level," I said as I glanced around. I already knew there wouldn't be another chair in the room, but I looked again anyway.
"You can sit here, Vim," Oplar said as she stepped around . She sat down on the bed, roughly, and went to grab at Celine and pull her close. Oplar, being a thick-blooded bear, wasn't bothered by the girl's rough skin at all. "Well? You hungry yet? You'd not believe it, Vim, what with her being what she is, but the bloody girl's never hungry! She doesn't eat a thing!"
I frowned at that as I went to sit in the chair she'd abandoned. "I find that hard to believe," I said. Celine looked troubled over Oplar grabbing her and pulling her close, but at the sa ti had a small smile hidden beneath the troubled expression. I could tell that she's already lowered her guard around Oplar, but was still a little wary. Though that might just be because I was here.
Any young girl would be on guard in this region upon waking to find a strange man in their room.
"Aye it's true! She's only eaten twice since I've freed her from the jaws of slavery, and both tis she barely ate a fist-full! Makes mighty self-conscious you know?" Oplar said, teasing the girl slightly as she gave her a squeeze.
Studying the girl, I took into account her size and fra. She was a tad skinny, but all peoples were down south. She honestly didn't look malnourished or sickly, let alone like soone who had just been in slavery…
"You might be so kind of planktivore," I said. She might not be a shark at all, but so kind of whale or even a manta or sothing.
"I'm a… what?" Celine asked.
"Planktivore. A creature that eats very tiny food and algae found in the deep sea. There's a certain shark, a whale shark, which is a filter feeder. It can go a very long ti without eating under the right conditions… but that'd not really explain your sharp teeth. The bigger sharks can go a long ti without feeding too," I said, and as I explained I thought of Renn. I felt as if I'd just answered one of her questions, not soone else's.
"Plank-a-what? Did you just insult her!? Just for that you're paying for a feast tonight!" Oplar said loudly with a point at .
Of course I was. But it'll not be food that Oplar will be feasting on, but instead all the gossip I knew.
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