Rune Seeker

Hiral tapped his finger on the table as the five of them sat around it, the pastry in front of him only half-eaten. Actually, maybe calling it a pastry wasn’t right. It wasn’t flaky like the ones he got up on Fallen Reach. This was more like bread filled with… stuff. A bean-paste of some kind – according to Seena – though it was pleasantly sweet, along with a type of whipped cream. It was good, but the flavor wasn’t why it sat unfinished on the plate.

Yanily and Seena were talking about another shop across the way – this one built into the side of one of the massive roots connecting the Grower islands. Apparently, the owner of the shop had some bad habits… that Hiral had mainly zoned out during the description of.

“You should’ve gone when we dropped off your sisters,” Left said from beside him.

“There’s still time now,” Right added from Left’s other side. “Drake could have us there and back within the hour.”

Before Hiral could respond, it was Seena who spoke up. “Just go.”

“Huh?” Hiral asked, looking to the woman on his right. “How…?”

“We’ve been around each other long enough, I can tell when you’ve got something on your mind,” Seena said. “Like right now. And, I also know that when you get like this, you can’t concentrate on anything else.”

“Go see your dad,” Yanily added across the way. “You’re feeling guilty about vanishing on him again. Even if we’re not planning to be gone long, there’s still a risk going to the surface.”

“Yeah, but we could be there and back before he even knows we’re gone,” Hiral said, like he was trying to convince himself. Which meant – as soon as he realized it – he was trying to convince himself.

“True,” Yanily agreed. “Or… we could not make it back. I’m pretty sure we will – we’ve gotten a lot stronger – but there’s always the chance. Take it from somebody whose family would actually rather I didn’t come back, go tell him. For both your sakes.”

“Yan,” Seena said, reaching out to put a hand on her friend’s arm. She didn’t say anything else – it was obviously a touchy subject – but the spearman nodded at her.

“It’s fine,” Yanily said quietly. “Okay, it’s really not, but it’s true and I’m used to it.”

She patted his arm one more time, then turned his attention to Hiral. “You know where Caaven’s is, so just meet us there when you’re done talking to your dad.”

Hiral looked at them both once more. His sisters would probably tell his father what was happening… but… that wasn’t fair to the man. And that was a big part of what was bugging Hiral. His father deserved more than for his son to vanish a second time.

“Thanks guys,” Hiral said, sliding the half-pastry across to Yanily. “In thanks.”

“A gnawed-on-snack?” Yanily asked, then shrugged and took the plate. “Waste not, want not.” Just like that, the spearman’s easygoing façade was back in place.

“I’ll see you in about an hour,” Hiral said before turning to his doubles. “Coming with me?”

“Somebody needs to keep you out of trouble,” Right said as he and Left both stood.

“I think I can manage between here and there,” Hiral grumbled, but waved to the two Growers and started for the edge of the island. It wasn’t far, and it would be a much better place to call out Drake. The middle of the crowded square would… yeah, that would cause trouble.

As soon as he got there, bone-white mist billowed out of his Interspatial Ring, and the Dracolich arrived with his usual flair – and roar. Nearby heads snapped in their direction, with some of the poor people instinctively taking a fearful step backwards. Then they seemed to recognize Drake – he’d gotten a bit of a reputation already – and there were a number of sighs and dirty looks before people went back about their business.

“Hey buddy,” Hiral said to the Dracolich’s skull that came down for horn-scratchies. “Sorry to work you so hard today. Can we go back up to the island?”

Drake hopped back and forth in excitement at getting more time to fly – the ground shaking slightly with each jump – then lowered himself so Hiral could reach the saddle.

“Try not to break the island,” Hiral grumbled, but Rejected himself up to the saddle. Left and Right found their own ways up easily enough, and then the Dracolich leapt off the side of the island. There was a second of stomach-flipping as the mount dropped before extending his wide wings, and then they were soaring.

Blue energy spread between the bone ‘fingers’ of Drake’s wings, and each powerful beat rocketed them forward. Hiral could move fast when he wanted to, but Drake devoured distance when he got to let loose. Fallen Reach flashed by above them until they cleared its shadow, then they circled up and around. Within minutes, buildings and Makers raced by below them, until shortly after, a familiar building came into view.

No, it wasn’t his home – talking to his father was one thing, his mother was another one entirely – but instead his father’s studio.

“Milly and Nat probably went straight home,” Right said. “He’ll be surprised to see you.”

“Assuming Yanna even lets you in to see him,” Left said in reference to his father’s receptionist. “You know how she gets about his schedule.”

Hiral groaned as Drake hovered above the street in front of the studio. There wasn’t really room for him to land down there, and more than one head had turned up to stare. Yes, a lot of them recognized Drake, but there was still the common disbelief Elezad’s son – the Everfail – could command such a mount.

Time to make a bit of an entrance, I guess.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“She’ll just have to fit me in,” Hiral said. “Thanks for the ride, Drake, we’re getting off here.”

“We are?” Right asked, but quickly stood up as Hiral did. “What is it with you and jumping from unsafe heights?”

“I like the rush?” Hiral asked, stepping off Drake and cancelling the summons at the same time, though not before Right and Left pushed off. A wing of blue flame emerged from Left’s shoulder, slowing his fall, while Hiral did the same thing with gentle application of his Runes of Gravity and Decrease.

Right just dropped down the hundred feet to land dramatically – down to one knee and fist, both glowing with purple flame – in the center of the crowd. He was standing the next second, none the worse for wear, as Hiral and Left joined him, their matching Coats of Ur’Thul flapping in the breeze.

If Drake’s presence hadn’t gotten attention, their entrance sure had, and more than one person was looking between Hiral and the sky to see if any more black-clad doubles would be falling from it. That second of distraction was all he needed to quickly scoot through the crowd and slip into the front entrance of his father’s studio.

The door clicked behind the three of them even as the people thought to start asking questions.

“For somebody who didn’t want to attract attention earlier…” Left started.

“Shush,” Hiral said, looking up to find Yanna glaring at him. Two Shapers sat on oversized chairs in the waiting room, their dark bodies glowing with their powerful Meridian Lines. Like Hiral, they had to be B-Rank, and their corded muscles flexed under their skin as they sized him up.

As if in response to the unspoken challenge, Left and Right stepped in front of Hiral, their own inked lines glowing with purple and white energy on their coats.

“Everfail?” one of them asked, and that was all it took before Right was right in front of him. Purple flames crackled from his lines, painting the room in dark, flickering light, and the double leaned forward to meet the man’s eyes. Solar energy flared oppressively, rattling art hanging on the walls.

“Say that again,” Right offered.

Sitting, the massive Shaper was eye to eye with Right standing in front of him, and unlike the double, he had the full compliment of lines and tattoos. They glowed with the energy of long use, and any Shaper who’d reached B-Rank had to be strong. But the man gulped, and his eyes stayed wide and locked on Right’s face right in front of his own.

“A-apologies,” the other Shaper said. “Dole didn’t mean that. Old habits…”

“Need to die quickly,” Right said without taking his eyes off the Shaper directly in front of him.

“They… they do,” the Shaper apparently named Dole said. “I didn’t mean any offense. It won’t happen again.”

“It’d better not,” Right said, his head turning ever so slightly to take in the other Shaper.

“Not from me either,” the Shaper said, his hands very obviously on his clothed knees to make it clear he wasn’t going to try to shape.

“Good,” Right finally said, standing straight. The infernal flames from his Meridian Lines faded, though the blanket of solar energy stayed a few extra seconds longer – for dramatic effect, knowing the double. Then he turned like he didn’t care if the Shapers tried something, and walked back over to stand beside Left.

The other double hadn’t moved, not exactly, but the S-Rank tattoos across his body glowed ready for use. If either of the Shapers had tried anything, they would’ve been in for a bad time.

So would’ve dad’s shop.

Hiral looked at his protective doubles – his friends – and smiled inwardly. Right’s… drastic reaction had surprised him, but the double wouldn’t have escalated further than that. Still, to see the Shapers cowed so quickly, well, that was impressive.

Dole – still unmoving in the chair – licked his lips and opened his mouth to speak. It took him two tries before the words came out. “Really, I didn’t mean it,” he said, this time making eye-contact with Hiral in the back. “I was there, at the tower, after your friends got us out of the prison. I saw what you did. What you fought. I know that name is the furthest thing from the truth.”

“It’s…” Hiral started. He was going to say it was okay, but like Yanily had said earlier – it wasn’t, really. “Apology accepted,” he said instead. “And, if you were there, thank you for fighting with us. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

The two Shapers looked at each other, then back at Hiral. “We didn’t…”

“You did,” Hiral said, stepping between the doubles to stand closer to the two men. “There were too many with Fitch – the man causing all the trouble.” He kept it simple. Sure, information was spreading about the truth of what was happening, but it was a lot to take in. “We couldn’t have taken those rebels and dealt with it. We’re still here – Fallen Reach is still here – because you fought.”

The two Shapers sat up a little straighter, then Dole shook his head. “Shit, now you’re making me feel even worse for calling you Ev…” he cut off with a look at Right. “For calling you that name. Were you always… like this?”

Hiral shook his head. “No, I really did get my class down on the surface. I wasn’t faking it or anything.” He added that last part considering one of the more outlandish rumors he’d heard.

“Not that,” Dole said. “Not your class or your rank or whatever. Your… attitude. How can you say those things to us with how we all treated you? Why aren’t you challenging everybody to a fight in the Amphitheatre to… I don’t know… show them?”

Hiral thumbed over at Right. “Oh, he’s already got that planned.” Then he thumbed at Left. “He’s working out the logistics of it. Just haven’t had the time yet. You’re number three on the list.”

The man visibly paled before Hiral chuckled. “Kidding,” Hiral said. “Honest answer? I’ve been too busy. More realistic answer, I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Doesn’t sound like you’ve ruled it out,” the other Shaper said.

Hiral’s laugh faded as he remembered his sisters telling him how they’d been treated. His fist clenched at his side as solar energy rippled out of him, his runes and double-helix flaring. “Oh, I haven’t at all,” he said, the sturdy chairs under the Shapers creaking, while the whole building groaned at the sudden change in gravity.

Then Hiral let it go with a breath, his lines returning to normal, while he forced his fingers open. “Word of advice,” he said to the Shapers. “People can say what they want about me…”

“No, they can’t,” Right interrupted. “If they do, they answer to me.”

“Us,” Left agreed.

“Two words of advice, then,” Hiral amended. “That was the first.”

“What’s the second,” Dole asked after Hiral let the silence hang.

“My sisters are off-limits,” Hiral said. “I hear people are treating them like they treated me? Then what you saw at the tower is the least of their worries. Clear?”

“Crystal,” Dole said, eyes going to the hilt of the crystal greatsword peeking over Hiral’s shoulder, the crystal ring floating beside him, and then the two crystalRHCs on his thighs. He gulped again.

“Feel free to spread the word,” Hiral said.