Chapter 11
Uprising
Raids are the most common disaster that brings communities together. Withstanding a storm, earthquake, or meteor could be done by any lone person or group. The dangers of a Zori Raid were on an altogether more devastating scale, as they did not stop with the destruction of one town. If a Zori Raid succeeded, the momentum gained from access to rich foods would cause the wave of danger to spread to other settlements and even cities. To prepare against such dangers, towns and cities formed together with an ideal of mutual defense. In Myrrh, walls surrounded all settlements from hamlets to resource camps, and even the largest of cities. In the case where the local branches of defense were not enough, emergency action could be taken to rally the people together for protection and to draw out volunteer warriors.
The quiet tension of the early morning was shattered by the raid bells clanging above the town. A clamor of activity tore the peace into panic, and evacuation proceedings began at once. A rush of footsteps pounding through the building and outside caused Yan to wake with a start and Michael to fall from bed in a mess of bedding. “What? What’s happening?”
The door burst open as Sebastian, already dressed and carrying his pack, peered into the room. “What are you doing? Get your things!”
“What’s going on Sebastian? What’s all the racket and ringing?” Yan covered her ears for the most part, stopping them from shaking about from the noise.
“Right, you wouldn’t know. It’s a Zori Raid, we need to get to the city center. Get everything ready now!”
Going against common knowledge, the party took the time to gather their belongings before rushing out of the inn. They were quick, but still the last ones to hit the street. A large number of people rushed through the streets towards the central plazas and parks, while the ringing of the bells continued in earnest.
As the party drew nearer to the heart of town, the sense of panic from those around them was subsiding into confusion. Before long, the general sense of those out and about was one of frustration, with some returning to their homes, but many others complaining and trying to crowd closer towards the main plaza. Something was going on, and it wasn’t at all what it had seemed to be.
Sebastian grabbed one of the complaining people by the shoulder, “Do you know what’s happening?”
“It’s a bid for power by that Guard Captain. The promotion must have gone straight to his head, he’s holding some kind of event!” It was clear that most people were perturbed by this, some scoffing just at the news being said aloud. Using an emergency alert to promote your own agenda, Sebastian understood the rage he was seeing all around them.
Michael made triple sure his dark shades were on before they had left the room, but he checked again to be safe. “We need to go and see what’s happening. It could help us find Hyato.”
“Agreed. Let’s go across the rooftops, there are too many people on the street. Yan?” The ninja girl nodded and led the way into an alley and up the side of a building. It seemed odd to Michael at first, but there were others on the roofs here and there. Perhaps this was normal for adventurers.
As they drew near the main plaza the situation still was not apparent. Many guards were on a stage apart from a crowd of people, and large boxes were arranged up behind them. Roland was addressing the people of Nita, though how many of them were listening or just stewing was unclear.
“I for one believe it is past time we did something about this plague upon our society.” Roland shouted, his words carrying to the rooftops where Yan had them hide. “For too long, and for no reason, has this impeded justice, order, and civility.”
Many people booed and shouted in response to Roland's words, but he continued on undeterred. “Let not your preconceived notions obscure you to reality. I face your derision now that you may thank me later for my actions today.”
“This guy really knows some big words.” Yan commented.
“It's hard to believe that he is the Revenant with such articulation.” Sebastian frowned, “But I am more concerned with the context of his words.”
From the public discomfort expressed by the watching masses, it could be clear Roland's speech was about the same thing Yan had told them. “The greatest threat to society are those who will not join it, the outcasts that move among us to be heralded as celebrities. Well I say, no more! The age of adventurers should never have existed, and must come to an end!” Roland spread his arms, and a few of his guards moved to the large boxes behind him. Large canvas sheets covered the boxes, anticipation building in the crowd. No one liked his words, yet hung on to hear every one.
The guards gripped the canvas but did not reveal the boxes. “Behold, people of Nita, the truth you all ignore!” The sheets were lifted, revealing the contents of Roland's theatrical madness. Wooden cages made with the same reinforced architecture of the city's roads and buildings. Inside each one someone sat imprisoned, chief of which was Hyato himself. Stripped of arms and armor, they sat in their clothes. Hyato remained impassive in a meditative state, but the other two prisoners gripped their bars and shouted to be released.
“These so-called adventurers revealed the truth of their souls, criminals with no respect for order and justice. It is people like these men that disrupt peace here and throughout the world.” Michael's hand balled into a fist as Roland kept posturing on and on. “A world without conflict is a world without crime, and so it falls upon us to root out such criminals from every shadow they hide in.”
Someone threw an apple towards the stage, eliciting a few guards to berate and batter the crowd. Barricades were in the way of the stage, but Michael could feel his face twitching with anger as he looked for a way to bypass them. “Don't fall for it Michael, he is trying to incite a reaction to justify his actions.” Sebastian was more concerned for his young associate than listening to the speech.
“What he is saying is wrong.” Michael lowered his pack to the rooftop. “Hyato is right there, Sebastian. We could get to him.”
Sebastian frowned again as he examined the situation from above. There were many guards on Roland's stage, and they held strong defensive positions. Approaching would not be easy.
Roland had stopped to say something to his guards for a moment, and scanned the crowd as if waiting for something. After a moment he let out a sigh and lowered his arms. “It pains me to go to such lengths,” he smirked as he took a dramatic pause, “But I shall carry the burden of correcting this world. Let this be the first blood spilt for a just world.” Roland turned to face his prisoners, “Execute them.”
Ceramic cracked as the tiles beneath Michael shattered from his leap, clattering down long after he had already landed. Michael hit the stage with enough force to splinter it, standing up with his sword drawn. “You've gone too far, Roland!”
The guard captain raised a hand to signal his officers, turning to face Michael as a group of guards moved between the two. “There you are. I was wondering how far I would have to go to draw you out, rat.”
Michael didn't waste time thinking over the words, moving to push past instead. “I won't let you get away with this!” He tried to avoid them, but the guards repelled Michael with sheer numbers and strong shields. He was pushed back to the edge of the stage, but did not fall.
“I knew you'd come crawling out of hiding if I pushed the right buttons.” Roland continued, “Now behave yourself, or your friend is dead.” The guards near the cages readied crossbows at those inside.
Arm twitching with the need to act, but shaken by the imminent danger, Michael didn’t raise his sword again. “This isn’t right or just, Roland. You can’t just kill people you don’t like.” Michael kept rage from his tone, but his eyes were locked on the man from behind the dark shades. One of the guards tried to push Michael off the stage, but he didn’t budge.
“Don’t try to talk your way out of this, criminal. You and I both know you don’t have the education to win a battle of words.” Roland’s smug grin widened, but Michael arched a brow in response. A murmur from the crowd reinforced Michael’s instinct, Roland was killing his reputation with the public every time he opened his mouth.
“We can be civil about this. Explain all sides and let a neutral arbiter pass judgement.” The words came to Michael with confidence, and he felt he knew what he was talking about. Perhaps before he’d lost his memory he was involved in discussions like this, is that how memory loss worked? There was no time to worry about that.
The attempted diplomacy cut Roland like a whip, his face reddening from growing frustration. “I am the only judgement that is needed!” He yelled, stomping one foot. This time it wasn’t just the crowd that murmured, but some of the guards looked around with growing concern too. The one badgering Michael remained too close, but the crossbowmen looked hesitant. Still, the situation was not in their favor. Michael took note that neither Yan nor Sebastian had joined him, and pressed on.
“Must this come to violence? There are other ways to resolve things.” Michael moved forward a few steps, pushing the nearest guard with him. The other guards nearby flinched and trained weapons on him, many of them stepping closer to form a wall between Michael and Roland. “We can still talk this out.”
“No! The time for talking is at an end!” Roland spun to give an order, then stammered in shock as he noticed something at the last moment, right after Michael had seen it too.
Behind Hyato’s cage Yan crouched, pulling her hand back as she finished passing over an object to the imprisoned swordsman. Roland shouted for his guards to fire, as the sound of metal rang out through the air.
In a flurry of motion, the sharp edge of Hyato’s sword cut through the cages and crossbows throughout the stage. Chunks of wood clattering about in every direction as the man stood and freed the other prisoners in one strike. The other imprisoned people fled from the stage, but Michael and Hyato stood amidst the guards with weapons drawn. Yan landed next to Michael a moment later, ready for battle, while the guards and crowds of Nita were locked in a moment of disbelief. The situation had changed, and Michael brandished his sword.
The moment of tension in the plaza elongated as the harsh clanging of the raid bells died out around them. Someone had put a stop to the bells at last, which left the unpleasant situation bare for all to see. Michael and Yan stood amidst a group of gawking guards who had their eyes on Hyato’s sword. Roland looked like a cherry ready to burst, deflating from his growing lack of justification or influence. A crowd of people remained gathered, frustrated and upset by everything that had interrupted their peaceful lives. Michael did not want to fight, but the animosity around him was heavy in the air.
“We don’t have to do this.” Michael insisted.
“Seize them!” Roland cried.
The tension shattered. The nearest guard leapt for Michael and was punched in the face by Yan, while the others took up actual combat stances to deliver energized strikes with their clubs. Michael blocked the assault with the swing of his sword, creating a surge shield strong enough to repel the attacks and create some distance.
From across the stage, Hyato dashed between guards while delivering a series of precise attacks. Three guards were disarmed, one dodged, as Hyato moved to join his comrades. In an instant the remaining guards formed up around Roland to protect him, with the outliers readying to attack the party.
“Where is he?” Michael didn’t want to use Sebastian’s name in front of the guards and everyone else.
“Watching our stuff, securing an exit.” Yan replied, quiet enough to not be heard. “He says we grab the objective and go.” Michael’s mouth twitched, but he had no time to respond.
The guards attacked in unison, a tactic to overwhelm and overpower their targets. Had they chosen to attack one at a time it would have been all too easy to deal with them, but Hyato unleashed a blast of energy to knock the entire group away anyways. Methods used to subdue common thugs would not be enough here.
Yan delivered the next attack with a swift step followed by multiple jabs. Her knife was not much threat to the guards in leather armor, but her kicks managed to knock a few of them back. Michael tried to push past them or get around, but they were steadfast in keeping between the party and Roland. Whenever the guards attacked they did so with bloodshed in mind, but Michael and the others refrained from anything close to lethal or even enough to cause wounds. No matter how much they disliked Roland, they weren’t about to give him more justification.
Despite the odds, the party were not pushed back by the guards. More aggressive and more numerous they were, it was clear they lacked the power to match them. Michael’s attacks were strong enough to splinter the stage, though never came close to that when near the guards. Yan was agile enough to avoid every attack and respond with one of her own between each motion. Hyato parried so well that the guards almost seemed to be dancing with him, rather than fighting. Every moment that passed made the redness in Roland’s face deepen, between screamed orders along the same vein as before. Attack, seize, get them! It didn’t matter what he shouted, the guards were unable to follow through.
Michael needed a way to break through the guards, and waved for Yan and Hyato to create a distraction. As they moved into place, however, Yan felt a sudden twinge of alarm from behind. She moved just in time to dodge, then parry, a flying kunai knife. The message was clear, and there was just one dark alley from the direction of its flight. “I have to go.” Yan said, sounding worried and disappointed at the same time. Michael gave her a nod, and Yan leapt away from the stage to chase after a shadow.
It came as no surprise that something would come up, and Michael was confident that Yan could handle herself alone better than with him tagging along. It wasn’t much harder to stand against the guards without her either, but Yan’s retreat gave Roland a smug sense of satisfaction. “How quickly you criminals betray one another when the going gets rough. How lamentable.”
“You are wrong, twisted one.” Hyato said in an even voice, “We trust her with our lives to do whatever needs doing. It is your cowardice, fear, and tyranny that is to be lamented.” Michael was taken aback by Hyato’s sudden speech, but Roland regained all the rage he had doffed and returned to blustering incoherence.
Hyato followed up his words with a sweeping slash that created more of a wave of air than it did energy, knocking a couple of the guards to the ground. He gave Michael a look and flicked his head towards Roland, then struck at the guards again. He was the distraction by himself, and this time Michael pushed through.
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“I won’t let you hide any longer, Revenant!” Michael shouted, closing in on the guard captain. The man’s enraged visage twisted at the words, then fell into a stoic calm as Roland drew his sword to attack. Michael blocked, but Roland pushed against him with intense force.
The sudden shift in attitude was bizarre, but Michael had no time to worry about it. Roland’s henchmen moved in to attack from both sides, so Michael dropped back to avoid them. This proved to be the wrong choice, since Roland stepped in as Michael retreated and slashed, cutting Michael on the chest. His chestplate did its job to make the blow shallow, but it still stung and bled.
“You aren’t worth the clothes on your back.” Roland spat, diving ahead to attack again. He struck with a broad sweep and aimed for the neck, but Michael lifted his sword in time to parry it. The attack didn’t hold anything back, and Roland’s sword bounced off Michael’s and into one of the other guards. There was a yelp of pain and exclamation of shock, but Roland was already winding up for another attack.
He had lost himself, that much Michael was clear of. Roland came at him with unbridled fury, and in that moment before the attack he saw something in his eyes. Not something that evoked images, or called up some deeper insight, but something tangible and real that he remembered. Soaked in the darkness of the Revenant, Roland had crimson pupils and yellow sclera, slitted and scarred. They were not the eyes of a valon, nor any other race that Michael knew. These were the eyes of the Revenant, and he had seen them before. The man in Nita had shown these same eyes before the end.
Michael swung his sword at Roland’s with a grunt of effort, parrying the attack once more and knocking Roland back a few steps. His blade flew wild and would have impaled one of the other guards, except they had already stepped back to stop helping. Even his loyal henchmen had realized, with disgust, what Roland was becoming.
It was time to reel this all in, Michael had no desire to kill or let anyone die. “It’s gone on long enough Roland, lay down your arms and call off your guards. There won’t be an execution today.”
“Never!” Roland rushed Michael and swung with a two handed grip, but lost his balance and tumbled. He hadn’t even stopped to realize his sword had been sundered in the last clash. On the ground and coughing, he was still foaming with rage. “All adventurers are evil! There must be a purge! I must cleanse this wicked town!”
The wild ranting had a variety of impacts all at once. Michael looked down at Roland with concern, no longer seeing an angry tyrant but instead someone suffering. Roland was trembling and convulsing, and had gotten very pale. Those nearby did not seem to notice, as the guards stopped trying to fight Michael or Hyato. Perhaps they realized that they had taken no wounds, because the people they had condemned refused to make serious attacks. Or perhaps it was with a sense of guilt or shame that they wanted to distance themselves from the man who had roped them into this.
The biggest issue arose as Roland’s declaration echoed out over the crowd. Already frustrated, tired, and overlooked, the crowd heard Roland cry out the desire to cull the city. Whether the crowd would be targeted, or their friends or family, something boiled over as someone shouted; and the crowd stormed the stage.
At once the guards moved to blockade the stage, using techniques with shields to form a barricade. They were trained to deal with such incidents, but the scale was too great to be ruled. The barricade broke after just a few seconds, and the mob rushed closer. Roland rolled and began to scramble away on all fours, followed by Michael and Hyato.
Michael caught up to Roland and grabbed him from the ground, pulling him up by his shirt. “Stop this, let me help you.” Roland grasped at Michael’s arms to try and pull free from him, but his legs were limp. He had no strength, twitching and coughing, and Michael was more sure that something was wrong. “Stop fighting, just relax.”
Roland’s fingers dug into Michael’s wrists for a moment, then he convulsed once and went limp. Michael balked and stared for a moment, then looked around. He didn’t know what to do, did Roland just... die?
Shadows erupted from Roland’s body and spread out in a wide wave of energy, before coalescing to streak off the stage and away from them. “The Revenant! I’ll go after it!” Hyato took off after the shadowy energy before Michael could even process what just happened, leaving his face sore as he held the body of Roland. Being struck up close had hurt, and Michael could feel blood as something small hit the ground. He shook his head to clear it, feeling a bit dazed.
A clamor drew Michael back from the daze a bit, and he looked around again to see what was going on. He knelt there, holding the limp body of Roland, who was already growing stiff and cold. Around him were many figures, people crowded around yet keeping back. A wave of sounds roiled throughout those gathered, hushed and fervent sounds. Something cold crawled along Michael’s back, an icy dread.
“Is he dead?”
“Do you see what I do?”
“I can’t believe it, is this for real?”
“Was he right all along?”
The murmurs of the crowd were spreading like flames, igniting an anxiety that Michael had felt before. The way people were looking at him felt too familiar, too sinister. He noticed the remains of dark glass on the ground, along with the sundered frame of his shades, and felt the blood trickling between his eyes. He knew what came next, and lowered the body of Roland to the stage before it could happen.
One of the guards approached and knelt by Roland, exhaling as he checked him over. He gave Michael a sorrowful look, but didn’t say anything. The reaction that Michael expected wasn’t immediate, but he still worried it would be coming. The crowd of people were restless and still pushing forth, shouting queries and exclamations. They were so numerous that many of them were surrounding the stage just to try and get a look at things, while Michael felt more alone than ever.
Yan had gone into the alleys when signs of those ninja appeared, Hyato went off chasing the Revenant, and Sebastian was nowhere to be found. As Michael looked for an escape from his isolation, the predicament escalated like before. “He has empty eyes! A bringer of destruction!” A guard tried to placate the shouting man, but people from the crowd pushed through with sheer numbers.
“Stop this at once! Calm down!” The guards’ protests were in vain as members of the city, their frustrations boiling over into anger, overwhelmed them. Many of the guards were stripped of their weapons, some pushed off the stage, and the same people reached Michael before he decided how to act. Hands grabbed his shoulders, his arms, and tried to pull him in different directions. They weren’t as rough as he expected, not trying to lift or hurt him, but still he felt powerless and uncertain.
As Michael’s breathing grew rapid, he looked around for something to get him out of the situation. Instead he saw the eyes of many focused on him, eyes full of anger and distrust that saw nothing more than the glazed emptiness of his own irises. He tried to pull away from the people surrounding him, but their hands were firm to keep him from moving. They weren’t trying to hurt him, but would not let him leave. Perhaps this time would be different.
Someone reached for Michael’s left hand to take the sword from him, then cried out in pain and leapt back. As he and others turned to look, the flat blade of the black crystalline sword brushed against two others. As if struck, they recoiled hard enough to knock people over, despite having never touched the blade’s edge.
“He attacked them!” Someone shouted, pointing with a club taken from a guard. Further words were drowned out by angry shouting, until a voice boomed over the crowd, “Get him!”
The mob descended on Michael, panic spiked into fury, and everything went black.
Since its founding and throughout a long history of wars, expansions, and development, Myrrh has maintained a strong and active military force. Every native of the kingdom, and most people in other nations, were well aware of Myrrh’s military prowess and presence. This included active military branches in every town of a suitable size, complete with private post channels to be used in case of emergency. Even as rural as it was, Nita was a small city, and the coup of a guard captain and his lackeys while the upper echelon of the guardforce was busy with a swarm was not something the military would ignore.
After passing on the plan to free Hyato to Yan, Sebastian raced towards the military offices as fast as he could. He trusted the young folk to be able to handle themselves, knowing they would be able to handle anything troublesome together. In order to resolve the morning’s debacle, the main force of Nita’s guards needed to be informed or recalled as soon as possible.
It was clear he was not unique in his idea. The military office had a small crowd of people outside trying to get in or shout about what was happening. Most of the streets had been bared, and the false raid bells had just made the tension in the city worsen. As he slowed to a stop away from the crowd, Sebastian rubbed his chin and chewed on his lip. It would be no easy feat to give his information now.
“Sebastian?” Turning to see two men approaching, Sebastian recognized and bowed the moment he saw the man at the front.
“My Prince!” As regal as ever, the former crown prince arrived as if from the ether. His notable hair and eyes of silver telling of the lineage of the royal family, though he frowned at the comment. “Ah, of course. Though not true any longer, I thought you were abroad, Mien.”
“I was summoned back by the King, but am currently following up an incident involving the town of Liniva instead.” Mien looked tense, frustrated, but conducted his words with calm and clarity. “What about you? When you departed from the academy I’d heard you were traveling to the different libraries across the length and breadth of Sera. What brings you here, of all places?”
“As my feet carried me ever onwards, I found the paths changing more times than I could count.” Sebastian rolled one shoulder, “I sort of fell into the life of a traveling adventurer. But that’s not important right now. Something is happening in this city that needs to be dealt with.”
Mien’s visage hardened, “Given all the trouble I had at the gates, I am inclined to agree. What’s going on?”
One of the first things Mien mentioned was Liniva, and given his temperament Sebastian did not feel inclined to share his information regarding that incident. Still, the former prince was a capable man with a great deal of pull even after having abdicated his bid for the throne. “While the senior officers are away, a guard captain by the name of Roland has tried to enforce his own ideology on Nita. This morning he woke the town to proclaim that all adventurers are criminals. I came here to inform the military, but...” Sebastian gestured to the small crowd of people all trying to talk to the lone military officer standing just outside the door to the office.
“I’ll take it from here. Pierre, see if you can contact the Mystic Grove and report in on everything we’ve learned.” Mien strode towards the military office with all the confidence in the world, and the crowd parted at his coming. The soldier with him waited a beat to approach as well and enter the offices himself, while Sebastian watched from afar.
The military officer saluted at Mien’s approach. “I’ve heard the situation quite clearly. I believe it is time for military intervention, don’t you?”
“Yes sir, but I am the only one here. Everyone else is helping with the Zori problem. I’m only a clerk.” Mien spoke with the officer about getting additional reinforcements, but the military was already spread thin. From the surreptitious way Mien and the officer were talking, Sebastian was starting to suspect that more was going on in the Kingdom than just the Liniva issue.
The important next step Sebastian needed to consider was how to proceed. While Yan and Michael rescued Hyato and captured the Revenant, they also needed to find a way to be rid of it while revealing what it had done so far. If there was no military backup, perhaps working with Mien would be the best course. On the other hand, he seemed to be working towards finding out what happened in Liniva, which might just lead him to Michael and the others.
Before Sebastian could figure out what to do, Mien returned to where he was lost in thought. “Apparently there won’t be any backup on short notice. It might be better to intervene myself. Where is this Guard Captain at the moment?”
“I was focused on coming to get help, but didn’t you say you were here for another reason? Where is that soldier ally of yours?” Sebastian hoped Mien didn’t realize he was trying to stall him.
“My issue will take some time to find information, better to resolve the urgent matter.” Mien glanced around. Besides the small group of people still trying to speak to the military clerk, the streets were quiet. They were far from Roland’s spectacle, but Mien didn’t seem to be aware of it. “It doesn’t seem to be urgent around here though.”
Sebastian was careful with his words, in case Mien was scrutinizing them. “I wouldn’t have come to the military post if I thought things were too dire.” Mien arched an eyebrow, but Sebastian looked past him, “Your soldier buddy is coming.”
The arrival of the black haired valon soldier boy, Pierre, was enough to make Mien turn around. “I sent a report in to headquarters sir, and was informed of matching reports from the other unit.” The news seemed to relieve Mien, a little. “And a platoon is being diverted to touchdown at Nita’s skyport in just a few hours.”
“Sounds like things will be sorted out.” Sebastian clapped his hands together, which drew attention back to him. “In that case, it might be important to plan out a course of action going forward.”
Pierre scrutinized Sebastian for the first time. He had the usual confident posture of a soldier, yet seemed less hardened. A rookie perhaps? “And who exactly are you, sir?”
Mien waved a hand to indicate Sebastian on Pierre’s behalf. “You are looking at one of my upperclassmen from the Myrrhmidon Academy of War, someone who completed the Tactician Courses with higher scores than anyone in history.” Pierre’s scrutiny turned to awe, while Sebastian hoped there weren’t too many others around to overhear Mien’s sudden praise. “You ought to be running the military tactical offices, not fading into obscurity. I never did understand why you suddenly left the Mystic Grove.”
“I had no interest in being chained to a desk while immersed in all the politics and schemes of the military and courts of the capitol.” The words made Mien nod to himself a bit, though Pierre was still struggling to recover from the reveal of Sebastian’s academics.
“Wait, are you the one who found solutions to the Broken Times battle scenarios?” Pierre asked, a memory of gossip clicking into place. “The man who earned black trim on a tactician coat?”
“One and the same.” Mien smirked at Sebastian, seeming to enjoy poking fun at him after all these years. “He may have had one of the loftiest reputations among those that did not pursue all four courses to become a Myrrhmidon.”
Not many other people were around, but Sebastian was worried a few of them may be overhearing what was being said. “That’s all ancient history. I’ve found pursuing scholarly pursuits travelling to different libraries abroad far more fulfilling.”
“More like pursuing women.” Mien grinned, he was having quite a bit of fun bringing up the past, “You spent more time chasing skirts than you did working on studies, and still managed to come out on top.” His humorous grin faded to a serious frown seconds later, “Which makes it all the more baffling that you left. You could have had a celebrated life, yet you went off travelling in pursuit of who knows what. Why?”
For a moment Sebastian wondered the same question, until he sensed a bit of hesitation in the former royals tone. “Are you perhaps looking for a justification yourself?” Mien’s face hardened, and Pierre’s eyes widened. “Ah, I see. Well, whatever may be the case, we both find ourselves back in Myrrh after all these years. Perhaps in all our travels, we yearned for the familiarity left behind.”
Mien was careful not to let his body language betray him anymore, adopting a poise trained from countless years within the political courts of his youths. “My reasons for returning are specific and focused, not for any fanciful bouts of nostalgia. What matters is not the past, but things that are happening in the now.” Sebastian blinked, and realized he had steered the conversation too far, or else failed to control it in the first place. He could not stop what Mien was going to say next. “I’ve come to Nita following a very serious problem, and on arrival find another of equal importance. One must be dealt before the other, so these matters can be laid to rest for good. There are more important issues going on that need to be dealt with.”
Pierre returned to a serious stance and waited for orders, while Mien shed away all the relaxed socializing from his posture in preparation to work. Sebastian needed to buy as much time as he could, he needed to work out a good excuse to keep Mien from encountering Michael. It was no secret that Mien was one of the greatest trackers in the land, so he might assume that a man with purple colored empty eyes and unusual scars was behind the destruction of Liniva. Mien still had yet to reveal it had been destroyed as well, but since the town had been brought up Sebastian was sure that was why he was here.
“Then to business.” Sebastian agreed, “The first step of which is planning. What are the objectives, and how best to go about accomplishing them?” If he could stall them with planning, it would give the others time to capture and get away with Roland. They could figure out how to destroy the Revenant later, and then deal with the repercussions afterwards.
“You never change huh? A plan requires information, so we’re going to meet with this guard captain and find out how much of a traitor he is ourselves.” Mien started walking, as if expecting the others to follow. “You are welcome to join us, Sebastian. I wouldn’t mind having you on my side. Your skills are too great to go to waste.”
Stalling wasn’t working anymore, and neither Mien nor Pierre slowed down to see if Sebastian would follow. He might be overthinking things, but Sebastian got the feeling he should do whatever he could to prevent Mien from encountering Michael. The man might not be as superstitious as rural people tended to be, but the moment he learned Sebastian and the others were at Liniva things would become too problematic to continue.
Sebastian rushed ahead and took stride in front of Mien and Pierre. “Well, let me lead the way then. These roads aren’t as straightforward as the Mystic Grove, but I’ve been here for a few days. I know my way around.” If he couldn’t stall them, he could delay their arrival. As long as he bought time, he could come up with a plan.
Mien nodded and they began to follow along behind Sebastian, but the former prince narrowed his eyes when the others weren’t looking. A few days could be a coincidence, or a clue.
