Velyan – 18th Harvestwatch
Wolvsbane, Trifectorate Confederacy
"The weak call mercy a virtue because they have never had to live with it. I've seen what it costs to spare the enemy. It just means an ally will die in his place. Mercy's not noble, it is heavy, and the strong are the ones cursed to carry it."
- Thomas, Chieftain of the Urson Tribe
We ran through the streets, boots slapping against cobblestones slick with mist and rain. The city felt hollow, like the bones something once alive.
The shutters we passed were nailed shut, windows boarded, every light extinguished except the pale gleam of the street's lanterns. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath as we passed.
The difference between what was happening outside the walls and the absolute stillness within them was impossible to make sense of. What in the gods name could hold back a storm like that?
The city's barriers had enchantments, but they weren't supposed to stop weather. If they were that strong, the Great Wall would still be standing, not buried under the corpses of half the Confederacy.
Qapla ran beside me, his face carved in stone. He seemed unaffected by the weather and his injuries. I would have thought him fine if not for his heavy limp. He was hurting more than he would admit.
The slime had thrown him around pretty good. Every step made his gait a little worse, but he kept going without a word of complaint. Typical.
Nox wasn't much better. Her armor hung from her like it had survived a war by sheer stubbornness, and her breathing came in ragged bursts. Whatever dark magic she used to heal herself hadn't finished the job. We needed Adrastos, whether I liked admitting that or not.
A flash of lightning split the sky beyond the city's barrier, turning the storm into a shifting mural of nightmarish shapes. For half a heartbeat, I thought I saw movement in those clouds. Something vast. Then the darkness swallowed it whole again.
We turned the corner and the guildhouse came into view, its lights the only ones still lit on the street. Qapla reached the door first and shoved it open, and we stumbled inside.
Chaos greeted us. Members of the guild were boarding up windows in the back, shouting orders from the bar, and moving supplies toward the cellar. Aarson stood at the center, directing the storm of people with a drill-sergeant voice. Dalia was nearby, and despite her recent arrival, she was giving orders effectively, shaping chaos into simple tasks.
When she spotted us, she wove her way through the clutter of people and object, her tail flicking anxiously. The second Dalia reached Nox, she threw her arms around her. Nox groaned under the weight, and after long breath she replied,
"Dalia. I'm okay. You can let go now."
"Not yet." She squeezed, and I swear I heard Nox's ribs creak. "I'm glad you are safe."
She backed up and gave us a once over. "Alright, alright. What happened to you all?"
"We ran into slimes in the sewers." I replied, "We took a contract to investigate. We handled it, more or less. Got a few souvenirs along the way."
Dalia looked over Qapla's and Nox's rough states with skeptical eyes.
"More importantly, what's happening here?" I asked. "What's going on? The streets are empty and there's a massive storm brewing outside. We were only gone an hour or two."
Dalia's slanted ears flattened slightly. "About an hour ago, Helena came racing down from her study. Told everyone to barricade the windows and head for the basement. Then she took Garrick and Humperdink and left."
Annalise cut in sharply, scanning the room like a hawk. "Where's Adrastos?"
Dalia hesitated, "He ran off. After he heard Humperdink was on the wall, he left. I tried to stop him, but…" she looked away. "Helena mentioned heading up to the eastern wall. She said they needed to prepare for something's arrival."
Annalise's jaw set. "Then I'm going too. I'm not going to abandon a friend."
I frowned, "It was his choice to go. He will return if he is smart. And if he chooses to throw himself into a storm, let him."
"What are you talking about, Velyan?" Annalise snapped, seemingly startled at her own outburst, before continuing with a deep breath. "He's our friend. We can't just leave him."
"I've known him for less than five minutes," I said flatly. "You're the one who's sentimental."
Her glare could have cut glass. "If him being my friend is not good enough, then maybe his status as a priest is."
"Velyan." Qapla voice cut through the tension. "Enough. Adrastos is a part of our company. If Annalise vouches for him, that's enough reason to go. But you are right, we need to be careful. This storm is not natural."
I bit back a retort. Earlier, Annalise had whispered something. Cloudbreaker. I'd dismissed it as nerves, bu the name lingered like a bad taste.
The Primarchs were legends, stories meant to scare children into staying out of the woods. But the way the ground trembled, the way the air felt… I wasn't so sure anymore.
"Fine." I said at last. "But if we all die, let the record show that I objected."
Annalise glared. I gave her one right back. Fair trade.
Then I felt a small tug on my pant leg.
The goblin boy from earlier stood there, eyes wet and wide. "D… did you find Shan-tok."
Damn it. How was I supposed to tell a kid his friend was gone? I knelt down, searching for words that wouldn't break him completely. "Hey–"
"She's dead." Qapla's voice came from behind me.
The boy blinked. "What?"
I spun to Qapla. "You could at least try to ease him into it."
He shrugged. "It doesn't change the truth."
The boy shook his head, voice trembling. "No. She can't be. She's smart. She knows every street. She –"
He stopped. His gaze had drifted past me.
Qapla was holding something out. Shan-tok's skull. He placed it gently into the boy's hands. The child stared at it motionless, as if the world had just gone quiet around him.
"She died like a warrior." Qapla rumbled.
The kid said nothing. He only turned and walked toward the corner where two other orc children stood waiting, their faces pale and hollow.
"What the hell was that?" I snapped. "He is a child, Qapla."
"I'm with Velyan" Annalise added, folding her arms. "There was a better way."
Qapla didn't flinch. "He knows now. He won't venture into sewers again. He's learned his lesson, and we need to move."
This bastard. I exhaled through my nose and turned to Dalia. "Can you make sure he's taken care of. Get him and the others into the schoolhouse. Tell them there is food and a bed waiting."
"I'll see to it." Dalia said softly, though her tail was twitching with nerves. "But… are you really going out there? You're all hurt and even Helena seemed nervous."
"We can't leave Adrastos" Qapla said as he motioned to us. "He is one of us. Let's go."
He started towards the door, and the rest of us followed.