Rune Seeker

After a quick burst of Rejection to remove the dirt and grime – faster than running home for a shower, and less risk of seeing his mother – Hiral finally left the tunnels beneath the city of Fallen Reach. Sun kissed his skin for the first time in hours, and after all his time on the surface under the pounding rain, he stood with his head held back to soak it up.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Right asked from beside him.

“Better than Cycling, but not as good as sleep,” Left said with a slight reprimand in his voice.

“You know about the nightmares better than anybody,” Hiral said quietly to his doubles, keeping his voice low so passer-bys didn’t overhear.

“I do,” Left agreed. “I just don’t think avoiding them is the best way to deal with them.”

“It was just while I was repairing the towers,” Hiral lied. The look on his double’s face told him he wasn’t fooling anybody. “After we get back from the dungeon, okay? We’ll all join up together and take a nap.”

“Pretty sure you don’t need us to sleep,” Right pointed out.

“Coward,” Hiral said flatly.

“Those dreams are terrifying,” Right admitted. “But! Once you get over them on your own, we don’t have to worry about them anymore.”

The forced grin on Right’s face faded as he looked at Hiral. “It’s not something we’ll ever forget. And, in a way, I don’t want you to get over it. You did something – as Seena would say – very reckless. You basically died on purpose. No, don’t give me that look. We know why you did it, but Hiral, what if the ability didn’t work? What if Vorinal was so powerful he could ignore it?”

“I would’ve really died,” Hiral admitted, some of that existential terror welling up in his gut again. The thought of the world existing without him… forever… while he was nothing; not conscious; not thinking; not part of it; it unsettled him. No, that was a vast understatement.

“And you’re not the only one,” Right reminded him. “Not trying to guilt you here. We just want you – need you – to be a bit more careful than that in the future. I know you’re probably going to take risks and be reckless, it’s kind of what you do, and there will be situations that demand it. We get that. Just… don’t throw yourself in front of super-death beams for a stat bonus?”

“Before you say anything,” Left interrupted as Hiral’s mouth opened. “I am going to guilt you. Think of how you felt when Yanily died in the Rise of Fallen Reach. Then, think of how your friends would feel. Think of how your sisters would feel. Your parents.”

“Mom wouldn’t care,” Hiral said reflexively, then shook his head. “Sorry. Not trying to deflect. I get what you’re saying, and I hear you. That All You Got? is a powerful ability, but I won’t try to abuse it like that again. There’s no guarantee it’ll always work.”

“And all it will take is one failure for it to be your last,” Left said.

“I know,” Hiral admitted. “I appreciate you guys reminding me.”

“Yeah… expect to have the same conversation again,” Right said.

“Why? I already agree with you guys. And you’d know if I was lying.”

“Uh… not with us,” Right said. “Pretty sure Seena’s been waiting until you finish with the towers before she took her turn.”

“We were just warming you up,” Left said.

Hiral buried his face in his hands. “She’s going to kill me.”

“Probably not, but it’ll be close,” Right said.

“Li’l Ur, on the other hand, will likely urge her on,” Left added.

“Can I cancel the trip to the surface? Tell her I forgot one of the towers? Maybe make up a hidden one. She’s not a Maker; she won’t know for sure…” Hiral mumbled.

“You know that’ll only make it worse for you,” Right said.

“It so would,” Hiral groaned. “Save me if it gets bad?”

“No way we’re getting in Seena’s way.”

“Yeah, thought as much,” Hiral said.

“Besides, if she does kill you, at least you have That All You Got? eh?” Left added.

“You know.” Hiral’s eyes narrowed in thought. “That’s a good point—”

“That was a test, Hiral, and you failed immediately. What’d we just talk about? Don’t say that in front of Seena or she’ll kill you twice.” Left gave him a withering look.

Hiral winced. “Guess we should get it over with. Anything you guys want from the market on the way to Arty’s?”

“Pastries,” Right said immediately. “Uh, not for me. Figured it would be a good way to butter Seena up.”

“Sure.” Hiral eyed his double. “And it doesn’t have anything to do with the flakey goodness you seem to be addicted to.”

“Nothing.” Right said it with such a straight face, Hiral almost believed him. Almost.

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Still, after Hiral made sure the entrance to the underground tunnel was closed with a wave of his hand over the activation crystal, the three joined the crowd. With their matching Coats of Ur’Thul, along with the Ring of Amin Thett and Emperor’s Greatsword, the trio kind of stood out. Not enough to make it easier to move through the crowd, but enough people would turn, point, and whisper at his passing.

Most – if not all – of Fallen Reach had known him as the Everfail for the better part of his life. And, even with word spreading of his role in saving the island, there were more than a few people who still didn’t believe the “rumors”. Those people seemed to think Hiral was trying to take credit for what the “real heroes” did.

Funny those “heroes” are the Shapers we rescued from prison, and who spent most of the time fighting the rebels.

Hiral shook his head at that. Whatever. It didn’t really matter, as long as the Makers and Growers kept working together. There were too many benefits to putting aside the old hatred, and running dungeons was just the beginning.

“We could take Drake,” Right said after the group exited the bakery, a large bag of delicious treats in his arms.

“He’d cause too much of a scene,” Left said. “Not that we need him to get where we’re going. Arty’s isn’t much further from here. With our own abilities, it would be easy enough to bypass the crowds.”

“I missed the crowds,” Hiral said, despite the dirty look he saw coming his way from an absolute stranger. Okay, so not all the old hatreds will vanish so quickly. “After all that time on the surface, let’s just be… normal. With people.”

“You’re pretty far from ‘normal’,” Right said. “In fact, one could argue you’re the strongest person in Fallen Reach now.”

“Ilrolik,” Hiral started.

“Strong, for sure,” Right said. “But with your achievements and gear? Nah, you could take her. Especially now that you’re B-Rank and don’t have to worry about the rank disparity.”

“Don’t even think about suggesting Loan,” Left said quickly. “He may’ve taught you everything you know, but your In the Hands of the Duelist ability took it all to the next level. Because of it, you’ve mastered every weapon you ever dabbled in.”

“Or imagined dabbling in,” Right added. “Whips? Really?”

“I thought it’d be fun to swing from stuff when I was a kid,” Hiral said, heat crawling up his neck.

“We were literally in your head,” Left said. “We know that wasn’t your only… fantasy.”

“Does Seena know?” Right suddenly asked.

“I will kill you,” Hiral said.

“That All You Got?” Right asked smugly.

“Or unsummon you. Forever. Or let Gauto study you. Something you really wouldn’t like.”

“She’d never look at us the same way either.” Right shrugged like he wasn’t really afraid.

The friendly banter continued between the three odd friends as they crossed the market district near Arty’s office. Unlike the main section of Fallen Reach, this neighbourhood was actually close to the edge of the island. Normally, on the rest of Fallen Reach, it was farmland or nature, with the city taking up the central section of the island. However, on this side of the city – not far from where Vorinal’s tower used to stand – a peninsula of buildings stretched the miles toward the edge.

It wasn’t the busiest section of the city, with it only being a few streets wide, but many of the city’s more esoteric shops had opened along the way, with Arty’s dynasty occupying the end. Maybe dynasty was a bit of an exaggeration, as Arty only owned three of the dozens of port buildings spreading in both directions along the edge of the island.

All the companies that traded with the Growers – previously known as Nomads to the Makers – had space nearby. It was just so much easier to fly down to the Growers’ islands from the ports along the edge than to head out from the center of the city. The extra fifteen miles made a huge difference.

“Huh, what are they doing here?” Left suddenly asked.

Hiral followed his double’s line of sight – expecting to see his party members – but his eyes widened when they landed on two familiar women. Girls, really.

His sisters.

Seeing them together like that, it was impossible to miss the resemblance. Just a year apart in age, people who didn’t know them often mistook them for twins. Milly was letting her hair grow out, while Nat preferred to keep it shorter. Besides that, though, they could practically be mirror reflections of each other.

And of a younger Mom, I guess…

“Nat? Milly?” Hiral asked as he walked up to his two chatting siblings with Left and Right at his sides. “What are you two doing here? You knew I wasn’t working today.”

The two girls looked from Hiral to each other, then back again.

“He doesn’t know?” Nat, the middle sibling, asked Milly.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Milly, his youngest sister, responded, and Hiral’s stomach did a flip.

“Don’t know… what?” he tentatively asked. Then his eyes went to the floating crystal sphere near each of their shoulders, tattoos etched into the surface, and some pieces began to click into place. “I should’ve known.”

“You should’ve,” Nat, always the smartass, agreed.

Left and Right both seemed to catch on pretty quickly, but it was Left who spoke up. “You already inked your Mediums?”

“Mom and Dad helped us,” Milly said, looking at her own Medium – the crystal sphere floating by her shoulder.

Since Vorinal’s attack – awakening – the previously dormant systems of Fallen Reach had come to life. While Hiral and his party had battled a literal horde of the mobile, flying spheres, it had turned out island defense wasn’t their primary purpose. No, they were meant to be bound to Artists and Academics as a way to allow them to use tattoos, much like Shapers did. The connection didn’t give the two classes the same sort of physical power the Shapers possessed, but it turned out to make them amazing healers and buffers.

“Doesn’t matter,” Hiral interrupted. “I’m not taking you to the surface to run a dungeon.”

“What? Why not?” Nat asked, eyes narrowing dangerously.

“I’ll tell Mom,” Milly threatened, then seemed to think better of it. “I’ll tell Dad,” she corrected in a slightly quieter voice.

“You do that,” Hiral said right back. “Does he know you’re going to a dungeon? They’re dangerous! You could die.”

“Says the guy who died up here where it was safe,” Milly countered.

“Twice,” Right clarified.

“While it was a dungeon!” Hiral said to his sister, then turned on his double. “And you’re not helping.”

“He likes me more than you,” Nat told Hiral.

“He does not,” Hiral said, though he looked at Right sideways. “Do you?”

“No comment,” Right said.

“Left, you’re on my…” Hiral turned, only to find Milly running her hand down the unbelievably soft sleeve of his Coat of Ur’Thul.

“You can show him what a real big brother acts like, can’t you?” Milly said.

“Traitors, both of you,” Hiral grumbled. “But, no, you’re not coming. And that’s final.”

“Says who?” Nat asked, a dangerous sparkle in her eye.

“Says me!”

“Pretty sure it’s my party,” Seena said from behind Hiral, and he didn’t even need to turn around to imagine the quirky smile on her lips. “And I get to decide who joins it.”

“Checkmate,” Right said quietly to Hiral, then turned to Milly and Nat. “Welcome to the party!”