Mythos: Last Stand

  Chapter 21 — Calm Before the...

  by Caide Fullerton

  Jackie watched with glittering eyes as Sils evaporated into a cloud of mist. They hadn’t yet put much thought into what her abilities might be, but that display had make it clear they were quite interesting indeed.

  With the meeting concluded and its attendees dismissed, the gathering began to dissolve. Viz stood and stretched before making a prompt exit. Lapala did the same, his movements eerily silent despite his heavy armor. He didn’t spare his sister—or anyone else, for that matter—a glance as he left.

  Jahd sighed, stood, and made his way over to Jackie and co, a curious glint in his eye.

  Jahd: “Ta be frank, I didn’t expect ye t’agree so readily. Think ye struck a good deal?”

  Jackie: “She agreed to our terms, so I’d say so. It just happened to work out that this seemed like the best way to achieve all of our goals.”

  Jahd: “Yer goals, eh?”

  Jackie nodded, jabbing a thumb back at Sam, “Sam’s, mostly.”

  The Zombie’s gaze moved to Sam; he scratched his head.

  Sam: “I just want to save as many people as possible. It seems like that’s exactly what Sils’s plan is for, so I’m even more glad we agreed.”

  Jahd: “Aye, lotta good folk holed up in our medical quarter.” His eyes tightened. “Their pain’s been weighin’ on Sils. She tends ta take responsibility for everythin’.”

  Sam met Jahd’s eyes, his own expression hardening. “Then that’s all the more reason to give it my all. I’ll save her, too. And so…”

  He whirled around, fixing his gaze on the old man hobbling out of the tent behind him—Makala. He paused, noticing Sam’s fixation, and raised an eyebrow.

  Makala: “Do you need somethin’, young man?”

  Sam nodded, bowing his head. “I know this might be selfish, but please teach me as much as you can.

  “My medical knowledge stems from just a few books I had access to in the Heap. I’m sure there are tons of medicines, treatments, and other things I don’t know. I want to learn as much as possible, so I can help everyone as much as possible.”

  Makala considered him, rustling his mossy eyebrows. “You’ve only got until tomorrow.”

  Sam: “I know it’s unreasonable. But, even so… please teach me as much as you can in just one night.”

  Makala looked him up and down before turning and continuing on his way out of the tent. “Very well. This old man can teach you a few things, I think.”

  Sam raised his head, his lips forming a widening smile in relief. “Thank you!” He fell in line with the wizened Spriggan, following him away.

  Jahd: “So much fer getting’ plenty o’ rest, eh?” He chuckled, watching the pair leave. His gaze then slid over to the man staring daggers at him—Strade. “How’re ye feelin’? Haven’t had a proper talk since our duel.”

  Strade clicked his tongue. “Not much of a duel, was it?”

  Jahd shook his head. “No, I’d say ye did pretty good, considerin’. I’m older, more experienced, an’ most importantly, I ain’t Human. Yer telepathy’s mighty useful, but it’s all utility; it won’t help ye in one-on-one combat, while most other people’s racial magic will. I wouldn’t expect ye ta win.”

  Strade ground his teeth. “That’s a lame excuse. I’m meant to just give in and lose ‘cause I’m Human?”

  Jahd: “I wouldn’t say that. But you’ll ‘ave ta work a lot harder ‘an everyone else.”

  Strade stared up at the taller man for a moment before letting out a huff. “I see where you’re going with this. Fine.” He held out a fist, “I’m sure you’re as good a sparring partner as any.”

  There was a twinkle in Jahd’s eye as he looked down at Strade’s fist. Slowly he lifted his own, pressed his knuckles against Strade’s, and then waited a moment for dramatic effect before doing the explodey finger-wiggly thing. “We’ve only got one night, so let’s not waste it.”

  Helena: “Wait.” Helena butted in, her gaze firm. “I need equipment. Mine’s all scrap. Now that I work for Sils, you can provide me some, can’t you?”

  Jackie: “E~h? Don’t wanna wield Lii again?” They teased, causing Lii beside them to redden with a peep. Helena shook her head,

  Helena: “That… was effective, but we can’t always be together, and we need to be able to fight separately anyways.”

  Jahd glanced between her and the Mimic, silently putting two and two together. “Aye, we can suit ye up. Oi, Delia, ye still ‘ere?”

  The Spriggan woman stepped over from the back of the tent. “Aye, sir.”

  Jahd: “Good. Help this fine lady ‘ere pick out a weapon. I’ve got a date with Daggers McGee.”

  Strade: “Knives.”

  Jahd turned. “‘Scuse me?”

  Strade: “I don’t use daggers. I use knives. They’re constructed differently.”

  Jahd: “That’s the part ye took issue with?”

  Strade shrugged. Soon enough he went off with Jahd, and Helena with Delia. Jackie was left with Lii, Raffica, and Celeste—no, on second glance, it seemed the Ghost had managed to slip away at some point without even Jackie noticing.

  Raffica: “...Man, Jackie, your friends are all so fired up. It kinda makes me want to practice, too.” She was smiling, but it did little to hide her tenseness.

  Jackie: “It couldn’t hurt, right? It looks to me like you need to blow off some steam, anyways.”

  She scratched her neck, giving a halfhearted laugh. “You can tell, huh? Maybe I will, then. I’ll see you two tomorrow.”

  Jackie: “See ya.”

  Lii: “Um, g-good luck..!”

  Raffica gave them a friendly wave, and then the next moment she’d shot herself into the air with the jets protruding from her heel and knee chitin, zipping away through the camp. Only Jackie and Lii remained.

  Lii: “So, um, what now..?”

  Jackie: “There are a few things I wanna do before we leave camp tomorrow. Wanna tag along?”

  She nodded eagerly. “Y-yes..!”

  Jackie: “Alright, then. Let’s get moving.”

  * ? *

  It wasn’t hard to find Heapwatch’s prison. It was a rectangular building located near Sils’s tent, nothing more than three square cells in a row, each with wooden bars, stone floors & walls, and thatch roofs, all exposed to the open air of the camp. A few guards stood around the cells, eyeing Jackie and Lii as they approached. The cells stood out as oddly clean compared to many of the other buildings; a more recent construction, perhaps?

  As expected, the inhabitants of the prison were mostly elves, sporting the same pointed ears and fair skin as the three Jackie had seen so far. Most of them, anyways; the sole exception caught their eye. It was a woman with dark, pinkish hair, its color not dissimilar to Jackie’s. Feline ears sat atop her head, a long, bushy tail extending from her lower back; both matched her hair color. A choker of greenish stone was closed around her neck.

  She clearly wasn’t an elf. Was she a prisoner taken from within the camp’s ranks, perhaps an attempted defector? Many others within the camp had similar animal-like features, but none shared her distinctive hair color or bushy tail. Another enemy from Evendel, then? If the Scurvysands had so many races united under its banner, the same could be true for Evendel.

  In any case, she wasn’t who Jackie had come to see—for that matter, the woman in question wasn’t in any of the cells. Beside the building, two guards flanked a makeshift cage constructed of the top and bottom of a barrel with wooden bars nailed into them. Sitting inside was an elven woman in light armor—Annelys, though Jackie had no way of knowing her name.

  Of the two guards, Jackie was delighted to find that one was none other than the Kritta, Earpiercer; they’d be able to talk to him once they were done with the prisoner. The other was a muscular, shirtless man with silvery hair. He had cat-like ears, a tail, and a thick beard, though he didn’t seem to be the same race as the prisoner from before. He cocked an eyebrow at Jackie and Lii’s approach,

  ???: “Keep a move on, newcomers. Don’t needja stirrin’ up anythin’ wit’ the prisoners.”

  Jackie: “I wanna talk to her for a bit. I got permission from Sils,” they lied.

  ???: “You think I’d believe that? Ain’t no way the cap’n’s lettin’ you—“

  Earpiercer: “Kah, it okay, Fuzzy-Fuzz!” The Kritta interjected, “They good person. Helped save Earpiercer.”

  Fuzz: “That doesn’t give them permission to fuck wit’ the prisoner.”

  Earpiercer: “Kah, it fine, it fine! Fuzzy-Fuzz too strict. If they cause trouble, Earpiercer will stabby-stab.”

  Fuzz clicked his tongue. “Fine. No funny business.”

  Jackie: “Of course. Thanks.” They nodded to Fuzz, then took a moment to take in Earpiercer, who was haphazardly spinning a dagger around in one hand.

  He was similar in appearance to the Kritta they were all too familiar with from the Heap—short in stature with wiry limbs and a rat-like snout, grey skin coated in short fur, long, drooping whiskers, and a thin, lengthy tail. His tail was lacking any of the toxic barbs typical of Kritta, and he wore a simple cloth garb with leather shoulderpads, baggy trousers, and more belts than any one person might ever need.

  What stuck out most about his appearance was that half of his left ear was missing, seemingly torn off in quite a violent fashion; a thin needle pierced what remained of the ear, like a very painful attempt at an earring. That served as the origin of his name, no doubt; was it a nickname given by the people of Heapwatch, or something from Kritta culture?

  Questions they could save for later. Running into Earpiercer here was a stroke of luck, but their main motivation had been to interrogate the prisoner a bit. The woman was already giving them a look somewhere between disdain and puzzlement.

  Annelys: “So, what? Don’t keep me waiting. This captain of yours send you to torture me?”

  Jackie: “Nothing like that. I was just curious about a few things.” They sat down in front of the cage, meeting Annelys’s eye-level. Lii hovered behind them, tapping her fingers.

  Annelys: “And? You think I’ll talk? I’m tougher than that, you know.”

  Jackie shrugged. “If you don’t, Earpiercer might stabby-stab.” They had no intention of actually bringing her any harm, of course, but the empty threat got her to gulp. “So, why’re you guys attacking Heapwatch, anyways?”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Annelys: “Hah? You’re asking me that?” She asked, incredulous. Jackie responded with but a simple nod, so she continued with a shrug, “Uh, ‘cause you guys bombed Raes? Should’ve, uh, thought twice about that?”

  It was the same story Viz and Delia had described before—the elves were under the impression that they’d been attacked first. “What if I told you that wasn’t true?”

  Annelys narrowed her eyes. “I’d say you’re full of shit. People died, you know.”

  Jackie: “I don’t doubt that the attack happened. But I’m not convinced these guys are responsible.” They leaned back. “I’m a sort of third party. From what I can tell, everyone here is genuinely convinced they didn’t do it.”

  She paused a moment. “Alright. Let’s say I believe you—which I don’t. Why bother to tell me? I can’t exactly do much with that information here in my barrel cage.”

  Jackie: “What’s up with the barrel cage, anyway?” They looked over to Fuzz.

  Fuzz: “We don’t exactly get many chances to take prisoners. Didn’t have a cell for ‘er, so we had to make do.”

  Jackie: “Huh. Sorry ‘bout that.” They offered the apology both to Annelys, who was stuck in a tiny cage, and to Fuzz, whose workload was no doubt impacted by the new prisoner. Their attention returned to the former, “Well, I want to figure out what actually happened. I figured your perspective would be helpful.”

  Annelys: “...well, I don’t want to get stabby-stabbed. Ask away.”

  Earpiercer snickered. “Miss elfy-elf sure is talky-talky for a prisoner.”

  Jackie ignored the peanut gallery. “Alright. From what I’ve heard, you guys have the superior military by a lot. Why doesn’t your commander just wipe Heapwatch out?”

  Annelys: “Exactly because our military is superior. She knows you guys can’t make any real moves. She’s taking things slow to minimize deaths on both sides. Well, mostly our side.”

  So the commander was a woman, not that Jackie could do much with that information. Her strategy made sense, at least; even if victory was assured, a full assault on Heapwatch would no doubt be bloody. However, that also painted a troubling picture.

  The pirates did have a move now—they’d used Jackie’s telepathy to overcome what might have otherwise been an inescapable trap. The commander would no doubt notice that. Would it lead her to change course and attack Heapwatch? What if she caught wind of Sils’s plan as well?

  Jackie: “What makes you so sure these guys are who attacked you?”

  Annelys: “You know I’m at the bottom of the hierarchy, right? I’m not exactly privy to much. All I know is we were attacked by pirates flying the flag of Avek Tirion, and the ones we captured said they were from Avek Tirion.”

  Jackie: “Hmm… There wasn’t anything else?”

  Annelys shrugged. “I dunno. Some rumors? Apparently one of ‘em had Lucius the Silver’s jolly roger.”

  Jackie raised an eyebrow. “Who’s Lucius the Silver?”

  Annelys: “You don’t know anything, do you? What next, gonna double-check who my king is?” They weren’t, but it’d be nice to know. “He was, like, the most famous pirate in history. Ruled the seas, founded Avek Tirion with his fortune. Y’know. That guy.”

  Jackie: “Is he still alive?”

  Annelys gave them a demeaning look that said “No” all on its own.

  Jackie: “I see. Well, thanks. That was illuminating.” They stood and brushed off their pants.

  Annelys: “Huh? That’s it?”

  They shrugged. “If I think of another question before we leave, I’ll come ask you.” With that, their attention turned to Earpiercer. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a few things, too.”

  Earpiercer tilted his head. “Asky-asks for Earpiercer?”

  Jackie: “Yes. Did you escape the Forgotten Heap like we did?”

  Earpiercer: “Kah!? Why would Earpiercer be from wastey-land?”

  Jackie: “So you aren’t? There are tons of Kritta in the Heap, so I was surprised to see one outside.”

  Earpiercer: “Kaha! Earpiercer would not living-live very long in Forgotten Heap. If Kritta in there, too baddy-bad for them.”

  Jackie: “I suppose not. Where are you from, then?”

  Earpiercer: “Earpiercer from small tribey-tribe. North Krysola.”

  Another place they didn’t know. “And your people don’t have any connection to the Kritta in the heap?”

  Earpiercer: “Kah! Very not. Heap is no good-no good.”

  It didn’t seem he knew anything else about the Heap Kritta. A shame. They could probably fish for more information on his home tribe, but that likely wouldn’t be especially relevant to their current problems.

  Jackie: “I see. Thanks for speaking with me.” They offered him a smile, then turned to Lii. “Let’s get going. I’d like to borrow some books for the night before it gets too late.”

  Looking over, they found Lii staring at Annelys. They waited for a moment, studying her focused expression, then eventually waved a hand in front of her face. She blinked back to reality with a yelp,

  Lii: “Ah! S-sorry, I… r-right, let’s go..!”

  Jackie smirked at her. “Whatcha starin’ for? Got a thing for elves?”

  Lii: “N-no..! Maybe! Let’s go!”

  Lii took them by the arm and practically dragged them away from the prison. She made it halfway down the path before she realized she had no idea where they were headed next. Jackie chuckled,

  Jackie: “There’s a small building nearby that should have some books. We’ll see if they have what I’m looking for there.”

  They took the lead, and together the two found their way to a building that more resembled a shed than a library. It was square, taller than it was wide, windowless with a single door. Stepping inside revealed a cramped space with a bookshelf lining each of the three non-door walls, their shelves stocked with a variety of books, scrolls, and loose parchments.

  Jackie scanned the titles of various books with glee, truly thankful that Al had taught them to read—and that the people of the outside world seemed to mostly write in the same language that they did. Before long they’d collected a stack of historical texts that they had every intention of spending the night devouring the pages of.

  With their bounty acquired, they excited the library-shed and began making their way back to the medical quarter. Along the way, they spotted a familiar armored figure leaning against the side of a building, immersed in deep thought—Lapala. He took notice of them before they could choose another path; Jackie braced for a confrontation as he approached.

  Lapala: “You are Jackie, are you not?”

  Jackie: “Yep, that’s me. You need something?”

  He hesitated, the sound of an inhale echoing within his helmet with a tin ring. “Is it you who emboldened my sister?”

  Jackie gave him a blank-faced stare as they considered how to respond. Should they lie just to spare themself the conflict, or would it be better to try and reason with him? Ultimately, they decided on honesty. Lii cowered behind them, intimidated by the tall, imposing figure.

  Jackie: “Yeah. She’s strong and eager to help, and she needs experience to continue her Vita Sagacia. So I encouraged her to stand up to you.”

  He was silent a moment. “So you think so, as well? She is strong, that I know is true. But even so, knowing they are wrong, I cannot resist my own emotions.”

  Jackie cocked their head at that; he was being far more reasonable than they’d expected, given their earlier impression of him. “If I may ask, why are you so protective of her?”

  Lapala: “She is my family. I believe that reason enough.” He spoke firmly, then continued a moment later, “No, that is not true. It is not the only reason.

  “When we were young, she was sickly and frail. I spent many a day caring for her. It is… difficult, to accept that things have changed so drastically.”

  Jackie: “I can see that. But things have changed. She’s grown up. She doesn’t need your protection anymore.”

  Lapala: “No, I suppose she does not. And yet, I have seen too many of my fellows fall before their journey’s end. I do not want her to meet the same fate. Perhaps it is selfish of me, but above all else I wish for her to return home alive.”

  Jackie: “So you’d rather keep her trapped here forever?”

  Lapala: “If that would ensure her safety, yes.”

  Jackie: “It seemed to me like being unable to really help was suffocating her. Besides, she’s strong, she’s halfway through her Vita Sagacia, and she’s surely traveled on her own already, right?”

  The last point was just a guess, but they felt it was a measured one. Lapala was the older sibling, and he was subject to the same fifteen-year journey that Raffica was. That likely meant she’d had to travel here on her own, unless he’d gone back to escort her.

  Lapala hesitated. “She has. And it was fraught with danger.”

  Jackie: “And she survived, and was probably better for it.”

  Lapala: “Perhaps. Perhaps you are right. A part of me knows my feelings are unreasonable, but I simply cannot stand the idea of her getting hurt, or worse.”

  Jackie: “Well, she’s decided to be my friend, so I don’t plan on letting her die.”

  Lapala: “Hmph. I suppose that shall have to be enough. It is out of my hands already." He turned and took a few steps away before looking back, “Thank you for doing what I could not. And damn you in equal measure.”

  Off he went, leaving Jackie and Lii with their books. They watched him go, then finished the trek back to their tent. Jackie placed the books down inside and sat, patting the ground for Lii to sit next to them; she did exactly that, peering at the stack of books before them.

  Lii: “So, um, y-you’re gonna read all of this in one night..?”

  Jackie: “I’ll skim through for the parts that look the most interesting.” They selected a book from the top of the stack, entitled ‘Sellsword’s Vow — A History of Evendel’. “You don’t have to stay awake if you don’t wanna. Just don’t cling to me so much I can’t turn the pages.”

  Lii: “I-I wouldn’t do that..!”

  Jackie: “Oh rea~lly? ‘Cause you sure were clinging to me last night. It was a struggle to get out of your arms this morning.”

  Lii: “Th-that’s not..! Did I really..?”

  Jackie: “Yep. You must really like me, huh?~”

  Lii froze, clasping her fingers together. “W-well, you’re kind to me, and…”

  Jackie glanced over at her and leaned against her shoulder, grinning. “In that case, I’ll let you cling to me all you want.~”

  Lii: “A-as if..!”

  ? ? ?

  Annelys twirled a lock of her hair. It was about the closest thing she could do to anything entertaining.

  Being a prisoner wasn’t as bad as she’d expected, but it certainly wasn’t good, either. She wasn’t being tortured, which was awesome, but she was stuck in a tiny little makeshift cage, which was the opposite of awesome. It wasn’t even out of cruelty, either—the pirates literally didn’t have a real prison at this camp, and they’d chosen to take her alive despite that.

  She should be grateful that she was alive, but the whole situation just made her feel bitter instead. It felt like she should be thankful to the pirates for taking pity on her, and harboring that sort of emotion for literal pirates left her feeling sick in a variety of ways she couldn’t properly explain.

  What made it worse was the odd conversation she’d just had with one of her captors. She recognized her… him? She couldn’t tell. Either way, she recognized them from the group that had defeated her. She hadn’t known what to expect when they approached, but a casual conversation about the war they were on opposite sides of was near the bottom of the list.

  And the things they’d said… were the pirates really not responsible? That’d be absurd. And they spoke so casually about the Forgotten Heap, claiming they’d been inside it. Even Evendel, with its impressive military, had conducted scant few expeditions into the Heap, and they were all short-lived. Did the pirates really have the resources or expertise for such a feat? No, it wasn’t that… the word they’d used was ‘escaped’.

  Something more was definitely going on here. The pirates were up to something, that much she could tell, she just didn’t know what. Of course, she couldn’t exactly do anything about it, either—not from within this cramped cage.

  Ugh. Her knees hurt from being in here so long. She could probably stretch her legs out between the bars, but she was worried the Kritta or Splintercat might interpret that as some sort of escape attempt.

  She wasn’t being treated roughly, but being a prisoner still sucked immensely. It was, beyond anything else, incredibly boring.

  Something poked her.

  She whipped around, clapping a hand over her arm where she’d felt the touch. The sound and motion drew her guards’ attention, but after a moment they returned to quiet conversation about whatever pirates talk about. There was, after all, nothing there.

  There was nothing there, but she’d felt a touch; that could only mean one thing. She sat still and silent, waiting, and a few moments later confirmation appeared before her. Two pink eyes flashed into existence, and just as quickly as they’d appeared they were gone. Once again there was nothing.

  ???: “I’ll let Marjoriee know you’re alive,” the nothing whispered, her voice such a hushed whisper that Annelys could hardly hear it even pressed so close to her ear. “Pass on any information you have.”

  What information did she have? The only things of note she’d learned were what that strange person had mentioned during and after their conversation. Was that even worthy of the spy’s time?

  Whatever. Thinking wasn’t her job; it might be of use to Lieutenant Marjoriee, and if so, that’d alleviate just a bit of her guilt for being so useless in the earlier mission.

  Annelys: “There’s a weird person here. They escaped the Heap, and they were part of the group that captured me. They…” She blinked, an offhand remark returning to her mind. “They’re leaving soon. Don’t know where.”

  The nothing didn’t offer a reply, nor a visual signal, nor any noise at all, really. Annelys sat in silence for a full minute before she finally sighed, determining that the spy had moved on. Hopefully that would be of some use to the others.

  There went the only interesting thing to happen to her in the last hour. This was going to be a long night.

  Chapter Glossary:

  Lapala - An Alphiccan knight. Sils's left hand and Raffica's older brother. Just a teensy tiny bit overprotective.

  | Earpiercer - Heapwatch's resident Kritta. Hails from a tribey-tribe in Krysola.

  | Fuzz - An overly-serious Splintercat in charge of prisoner-watching at Heapwatch. His favorite food is tuna. Also known as Fuzzy-Fuzz.

  | Annelys - An Evendelian monster tamer who Jackie and the others defeated and captured. She's still having a very bad no good day.

  | Nothing - Nobody's there. At least, not anymore.