Pieces of Sonder

“You’re a demoniclast. How can we be sure you won’t turn into an error and kill us?”

Red Star Lightning stared down Indrek. Sparks from the ever-growing fire flew past the guild master. Indrek was still watching the spot Kamdale disappeared. He didn’t seem to hear the accusation. But after a moment of silence, he looked up as if realizing the question was directed at him.

Freya’s blood churned at the accusation. After everything Indrek had done to help, this is what he got in return? She inhaled deeply, preparing to shout, ‘how preposterous.’ However, as she breathed in, smoke tickled her lungs, making her cough uncontrollably. 

Thunk

“Ouch! What was that for?”

She looked up from her coughing bout to see Red Star Lightning clutching the top of his head. Lady Merlin stood behind him, staff in hand. 

“Just don’t,” Lady Merlin told him dismissively. He turned to the others, “Does anyone have a skill or item that can control fire?”

Freya wanted to applaud him for hitting Red Star Lightning, but she also couldn’t help but sigh at his arrogance. You’re the one who set this fire. Don’t you have a way to put it out? Typical wizard.

“I can create a storm,” Infamous Biscuit said. “I’m not sure if it will reach far enough, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Do it,” Lady Merlin nodded.

Infamous Biscuit closed his eyes and raised his staff, “Induction Storm!”

A familiar sensation came over Freya. Small drops hit her face. They felt like raindrops, but she remained dry. The last time she felt this was in the Ruins of Old Kai Nai dungeon. The orcs had struggled against the wind and rain while their party wasn’t affected. It was a qi-based skill that used a lot of MP, but it was invaluable for attacks against large numbers of enemies. 

For a moment, she worried that Infamous Biscuit’s skill wasn’t creating actual water. The fire blazed on. However, as the rain picked up, parts of the fire dimmed and sizzled out. Infamous Biscuit strode toward the active fire areas as the center of the storm.

Wind blew past Freya without moving her hair an inch. Nightscythe reached out his hands in fascination. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the same for Red Star Lightning and the rest of his guild. They braced themselves against the wind gusts and shielded their eyes from the pouring rain. Since they were not party members, they weren’t granted immunity from the storm. They were losing a bit of HP but not at an alarming rate. They’d survive. 

After a few minutes, Infamous Biscuit had to stop. His MP was almost zero. Most of the fire was now charred black ground. A thin line of flames remained, but there was nothing between them and the fire to burn anymore. Luckily, this still provided a barrier separating them from the demon bison. 

“Nice skill,” Lady Merlin said, appraising Infamous Biscuit’s work.

Now that the fire wasn’t barring down on them, Freya could breathe easier–in more ways than one. The rain cleared the air, allowing Freya to take a refreshing deep breath. Gathering her thoughts, she fumed about Kamdale’s escape. He wasn’t going to stay quiet. She wanted to fast-travel to every single city on Lanthe to find him. He was a liability to the peace between game players and native inhabitants. 

“All those bison demons that charged past a while ago, they weren’t an illusion, right?” Indrek asked.

“No, unfortunately not,” Nightscythe answered.

“I’ve never seen so many,” Indrek worried. “We have to take care of them before they spread.”

Freya’s conscience prickled. She almost forgot about them. They escaped from the dungeon due to Red Star Lightning’s aggro. The bison could trample any passing merchants to death. She didn’t want to think about if the herd reached a town or city. 

“They’ll be difficult to hunt now on these open plains,” Red Star Lightning said. “It was much easier in the dungeon to use the high ground to pick some off.”

The other members of his guild nodded in agreement.

“We have to take care of them,” Freya said, huffing at the implication they weren’t going to help. Red Star Lightning was the one who created the problem in the first place.  

“It will be much easier if we work together,” Indrek said. He turned to Lady Merlin, “As I was saying before, I can teach you to control qi, or what do you call it? Meridian Manipulation? If you help, I will find you demoniclast teachers or teach you myself.”

Lady Merlin rubbed his chin, mulling over Indrek’s offer. Red Star Lightning and the others gaped at Indrek in shock. This was the first they heard of his offer. Despite the guild leader’s earlier aversion to Indrek, he already looked tempted by the proposal. 

It’s a good bargaining chip, Freya thought. Meridian Manipulation has to be taught by someone who already has it. It can’t be learned from a skill book. It’s a base skill, yet it’s rare for most game players to learn it.

“The skill you saw me use earlier required Merdian Manipulation as a prerequisite,” Infamous Biscuit offered. “I know it’s a base for many advanced skills.”

Temptation sparked in the eyes of the guild members. 

“Also, you could defend against qi-based attacks. Like those Kamdale used against you,” Freya added, looking at Red Star Lightning.

Lady Merlin and Red Star Lightning exchanged a long look. The other guild members tensely awaited their decision. Lady Merlin slightly inclined his head. Finally, the guild leader closed his eyes and nodded.

“Okay. We’ll help. Do you have a plan?”