Ar'Kendrithyst

Erick found Kiri in the guest rooms, near one of the beds used by Turock or Veel; he wasn’t sure which one this particular bed belonged to. Kiri was staring at the bed. Erick instantly noticed what Kiri had noticed.

A pocket of normal air surrounded one of three pillows on the bed; the [Prismatic Ward] did not form around the pillow. There was something untoward in that soft space.

“Oh,” Erick said.

Kiri said, “I’m not sure what to do with it, or if I should do anything at all.” She turned to Erick, saying, “I’m not sure if I can go back to Oceanside, either.” She quickly added, “No. Never mind. Forget that. I can go back.”

Erick paused, then he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Kiri took a long time to answer. Eventually, she said, “We just saw a dragon eat that Flare Couatl. I can’t help… I can’t help but think...” She went silent again.

Erick understood, but he tried to clarify, “Are you worried about the Headmaster?”

“… Yes.” Kiri whispered, “I forgot he was a dragon. How could I possibly forget such a detail.” She added, “Poi already checked me out. None of my memories have been altered. This is all me. This is my failure. But I have to go back.” She gestured toward the suspicious pillow, saying, “Parasites in a compromised house, or normal terror and the possibility of help. There’s not much of a choice, is there?”

“We’ll solve this problem, and then we’ll solve the rest.” Erick said, “We’re coming back with help, even if I have to give up some secrets to the old dragon. I would like you to be there so I can teach you these secrets, too. Are you interested in this?”

Kiri’s eyes did not sparkle like they usually did when Erick offered to teach her something. She did smile, but it was a faint expression; barely there. She said, “I am interested.”

“Good.” Erick said, “As soon as I can get Jane ready, we can destroy the house and remake everything inside. You need anything in your room?” He added, “Though I don’t know if we can trust any of it.”

“Crash the house to the ground. I have nothing here that can’t be replaced.”

Erick had lived in Windy Manor on Oceanside for the past two months, but his home was here, and he was about to willingly tear it apart because it was obviously infested with parasites. He was going to take [Stoneshape] and turn the house to sand. And it hurt.

It didn’t matter that [Mend] could be Aurify’d into repairing the whole thing back together, because something would inevitably be lost in the destruction. He wouldn't know what had been lost until after he tore the house apart, and put the place back together, and then when he went to go use something, it wouldn’t be there. It would be gone.

But that didn’t really matter, did it? They were under attack, and Erick would do what needed to be done. This parasitized house was a liability, right now.

“It’s all just stuff, anyway.” he said. “I’ll leave one wall up and the rest as a pile of sand for a while. We’ll spend the night in Windy Manor and come back tomorrow.”

- - - -

Erick stood outside of the closed door to Jane’s bathroom, on the second floor of the house. Her room was just down the hallway from his own.

She retched into water on the other side of the door. It was not a pleasant sound.

Erick said, “Hey, Jane.”

She puked again.

He asked, “You’re not dying, right? This is normal for losing your essence, like you said it would be, right?”

She spat, then dry heaved. Thick air spilled out from underneath the door.

Erick winced. He wanted to rush in there and hold back her hair or rub her back. Offer her tea. Something. Anything. He had taken care of her so many times when she was a kid. The flu always hit her hard, and then there was a stomach virus once or twice. Jane got her vaccines when she was a baby, but as soon as she was old enough to fight against the needles she skipped out on the flu shot from age 8 to 16. Sometimes literally.

Erick smiled, saying, “Do you remember that time you ran away for a day because I tried to make you get your flu shot?”

More retching. More thick air slipped out from under the door, followed by a blue glow. She groaned out small curses.

Erick said, “We’re leaving to go get help from the Headmaster. I already told Silverite. She doesn’t think it will work, but she wishes me luck. I want you to come with us, and be safe in Windy Manor while this Messalina mess plays out.”

Jane groaned out more curses. She spat. She said, “I can fight, now. The essence is ghHOOoo—”

Erick winced, listening. He said, “You’re in no shape to do anything. You’re going to be sick for a month and Messalina is apparently throwing around Dream Worms like they’re candy. You might even have one in you. The hospitals at Oceanside are really good. They take everyone in for free and do their best to help mitigate problems exactly like yours.”

“YouUu tAalked to thEem about mEe?” Jane paused. She asked, “What did you say?”

“Not exactly. Not yet. It was on the list to ask the doctors about your specific convalescence, but Rats has been there for weeks now, and all of his stories are about how they’re doing this or that for these long term patients.” Erick said, “I’m sure they have a good program for people in your situation.”

“… Ask them specifically about people recovering from dragoOn esseEEn—” She burped on the other side of the door. She said, “I heard that he eats everyone with essence...” She went quiet.

After a moment, gentle crying echoed from inside the bathroom.

Erick panicked. He put his hand on the door knob, saying, “I’m coming in, Jane.”

Jane sobbed quietly, as she said, “Fi— fine.”

Erick opened the door. Beneath the window, beside the toilet, Jane sprawled on the stone floor with one arm around the rim of the commode. She leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. Her face was three shades too pale. But she chuckled. Then she started crying again.

Erick went to her, but not too fast. She didn’t like it when he crowded her when she was sick. He stepped to the side of the sink, five feet from her, and kneeled down. He said, “Hey there.”

Jane glanced at Erick, chuckling. She sobbed again. She said, “This is really fucking terrible. I knew it would be bad. But I never expected this.”

“I don’t know much about dragon essence failures but—”

“No, dad.” Jane shook her head, then stopped, stock still. She quickly stuck her head over the toilet and dry heaved. She flickered dark blue, and stopped heaving. She said, “Healing helps… but not enough. It’s— It’s a soul sickness. Dragon essence failure is a soul sickness.” She added, “But no. That’s not what really sucks. I can handle this...” Tears filled her eyes, then flowed down wet channels already lining her face. “I thought Veird would be more fun than this.” She instantly added, “It’s stupid. I know it’s stupid. I’m stupid.”

Erick did not expect her to talk in that direction, but he rushed to catch up, saying, “You’re not stupid.” He added, “It’s tough. I know it is.” Erick’s own eyes began to water, as he said, “It’s not okay, but it’s okay for now. Okay?” He added, “Monsters and pain and horror. We can handle it. You can handle it. And when you can’t, it’s time for a break.”

Jane smiled. Then she puked bile into the toilet. When she was done, she flashed dark blue again, then flickered a [Cleanse] into the room. Thick air spilled away, across the floor then into the hallway. She said, “I expected adventure and levels and loot and magic. Sure, there’d be some horror. Of course there’d be some horror. But I could have died twenty times over in that unicorn hunt. I would have never seen it coming, either. I’m just now realizing how dangerous Ar’Kendrithyst actually is—” She said, “And now I’m just being a baby.” She added, “I already knew how dangerous this place is. I’m just being stupid.”

“You’re not stupid, Jane.” Erick said, “I never expected this place to be this vicious, either. Now we got Dream Worms in people and Silverite thinks Mog is compromised, among others.”

“I heard.” Jane went silent as more tears welled in her eyes. She eventually said, “I made dinner for… for those two, and me. Last night. Shepherd's pie. Great big platter of it… I used the leftover beef from a whole cow Turock roasted two days ago. Veel liked the way I made my potatoes, with cheese and too much butter.” She stared at the ceiling again, saying, “When I was in the Dead City… Ten other soldiers died while I was in there. We had seven casualties during Yetta’s mission to kill Planter… Not including Allan. And Dorthy. And Basil.” She paused. She said, “That place gets 500 adventurers a month, now. It’s like a theme park where the theme is murder. It’s horrible, dad. I don’t know...” She went silent again.

She suddenly added, “And that Unicorn Hunt! That place is rotten to the core. Something is really, really wrong over there. None of the cities have walls so the unicorns just waltz right in and dominate whoever they want and the people kill each other over the littlest things and I think someone set us up to die, dad. To die. And the Queen of the Forest talked about Melemizargo! And she thought he would respond if she just yelled his name at the sky!” She added, “The gods listen for their names and he’s a god, ergo he listens for his name and fuck, of course he does. It’s all just… It’s a lot. A lot a lot.”

Erick listened. He didn’t catch all of what Jane had just said, but he caught most of it. He would need to talk to her about all of that in a better setting than this, and soon.

He said, “Oceanside has been really nice for me for the last two months. I was able to unwind.” Erick said, “I rained here every day, and I killed the more dangerous monsters roaming close to Spur whenever Mog gave Poi a call. But I did it all at a very long range.” He said, “You’re a wreck. You need a break. Do you want to go to magic school, too? I can swing the tuition, no problem. Maybe I can help you make a [Familiar] like Ophiel, and you can do what I do.”

Ophiel listened nicely from Erick’s shoulder, like a tiny parakeet. At hearing his name, he trilled in violins.

Jane smiled at Ophiel, then at nothing in particular. She got out, “MaAA—” before she had to lean over the toilet again.

Erick tried a joke to lighten the mood, “I thought it was supposed to come out of both ends.”

Jane seemed to pale again. She stared, wide eyed at Erick, as she said, “Get out.”

Erick quickly left the room and shut the door as burbling sounds echoed loud from Jane’s tummy. A lot of unkind words followed his exit.

Erick tried to convince himself that this was normal. This was fine. She was fine. She wasn’t really okay, but she was okay. For now.

Erick joked from the other side of the closed door, “Like eating some of those Carolina Reapers, right?”

Jane groaned, “FUUUuuuuuuck.”

- - - -

Not ten minutes later, as Erick was stringing Ophiel across the ocean, back to Oceanside to talk to Rats, a knock came from the front door. Erick answered it. Bluescale Felair, the [Witness]er of Spur, stood on the other side, along with one other; a matte-grey dragonkin-shaped wrought.

“Liquid! Felair.” Erick said, “Hello. Come on in.” He granted both of them permissions and stepped aside, saying, “I was just about to take down the house.”

“Glad I came here first, then. Silverite’s got a list for me; she’s running me ragged today,” Felair said, looking over the layer of dense air across the doorway. He touched the dense air, and his fingers went inside without pause. He stepped into the house. “Show me to Turock’s and Veel’s room.”

Kiri appeared behind Erick. She said, “I’ll show you.”

Erick said, “That works. Can you tell me what you find?”

Felair said, “Sure. She’s cleared you for that.” He thumbed to the air outside of the door, to the front yard. “Turock and Veel died there with dream worms in their heads. I can’t tell if they were active, but they were there. I can tell you that they did [Defend] themselves to death. I can recognize that ability, for sure.”

Erick felt cold.

Kiri showed Felair down the hallway; the man moved fast. Erick watched him go.

Felair was the only [Witness]er Erick knew of in Spur. Surely there were more, but they were not in the public eye like Felair was. Erick had read about [Witness] back at Oceanside. His respect for Felair easily quadrupled since that day. The only way to be able to buy the spell was to have a really, really good Mana Sense. Good enough to see for kilometers around, passively, through the ambient mana.

[Witness] was just a twist on that sense that allowed the practitioner to see the recent past. The best users of the spell could even use it through a [Scry], to see the recent past anywhere, but that had some cost that the books did not go into detail about. Erick had no doubt that Felair was one of those ‘expert users’, but the man did seem to prefer to be in the location he wanted to [Witness].

Liquid came in right behind Felair, saying, “I came here to see Jane and ask her about Turock and Veel and inquire into her essence problem.” She stopped in front of Erick, listening to the house, as she said, “But I hear she’s already begun to purge. This is good.”

“Yeah. She started a while ago.”

“Silverite said something about a temporary evacuation and an attempt at recruiting more help from the Headmaster. Is that true? Are you going to evacuate Jane? You should. She is a liability and Oceanside is a fine place to convalesce from dragon essence exposure.”

Erick’s eyes went wide. “Yeah. That’s the plan, but how do you know that this is the best option for her, for sure? I was just about to talk to Rats and get him to ask around in the hospital.” Erick asked, “Are you the one she talked to about getting help with her essence?”

Liquid said, “She did not come to me, but I know my way around this world, and around stubborn soldiers. After the story started making the rounds I went to her. You don’t tangle with 50 meter tall unicorns and not come away with some dragon essence, especially if you eat their heart out.” She said, “After I heard that she might be venturing to Oceanside to get rid of her essence, I ordered her to find another way, or to take a full month to recover. She opted for the first path, so I put her in touch with the proper people. I did not expect it to happen this fast, but after the Flare Couatl attacked and I heard she did nothing— I had to come and see for myself.”

Erick smiled, saying, “Thank you for helping her.”

Liquid nodded. “If she’s already in the convalescence stage then she’s cleared for Oceanside’s hospitals. I have done this routine with dozens of other people well before Jane came along. They’re always so headstrong after they get some accidental dragon essence so I usually have to seek them out, and Jane was certainly no exception in that regard.” She added, “But since she is Jane Flatt and you’re you, you’re going to want to provide something to Oceanside before they squeeze a favor out of you.”

Erick smiled again. He said, “I am aware. Thank you. I already have a plan for that.”

“Good.” Liquid asked, “So? Is she okay? Aside from the bodily functions, I mean.”

Liquid looked at Erick with worried eyes. There was a lot of actual worry, there, too. This woman deeply cared for her charges, and Erick was glad for that.

Erick said, “She’s upstairs. She should be empty, but she keeps finding something else to disgorge.”

Liquid said, “You need to get her to Oceanside. If she’s on the internal bleeding stage, then she needs real care. And lots of liquids.”

“I am. As soon as she can move.” Erick felt a deep need to get going, right then and there, but a sudden set of questions nagged at him. He asked, “Did Jane talk to you about her time in Killtree? She talked about something being really rotten over there. We talked, but… Not about everything, apparently.”

Liquid said, “The Sovereign Cities are slag pits and worse. Killtree is marginally better than the rest, but not by much and only because they do truly stand against the monsters. There’s definitely something rotten over there, but I doubt there’s a conspiracy. The place is just full of terrible people.” She added, “I’m glad Jane made it out alive.”

That didn’t feel like Liquid’s full feelings on Killtree, but Felair walked out of the hallway, back into the foyer, interrupting the conversation. Kiri trailed behind him.

Felair said, “I can’t get shit inside this [Ward]. I don’t know what this spell really is, but it’s one of the brightest ones I’ve ever had to work around, and I just couldn’t do it. No answers today.” He added, “And I’m not touching that empty space around that pillow.” He turned to Liquid, saying, “Onto the next one.”

Felair walked out of the house without another word.

Liquid followed Felair, but looked back to Erick, saying, “Get her out of here.” She called out, “I know you can hear me, Jane. Go away for a while. Come back when you’re better.”

Jane yelled from upstairs, “FuuuuUUckin FINE. I’m gooOOOughk.”

Liquid said, “And there she goes again.” She spoke to Erick, “Best move her when it’s coming out the front end.”

Kiri bubbled out a laugh, then quickly schooled her face, saying, “Sorry. I shouldn’t laugh.”

- - - -

After Liquid and Felair left, Erick’s chain of Ophiels managed to reach Oceanside.

‘Hey, Rats. You busy?’

After a minute, Rats said, ‘Not so much, boss. What’s up? Did something happen in Spur?’

‘A lot of things. I’ll keep it short. There was a fight with the Flare Couatl. It’s a great big mess up here. Messalina is apparently dream worming people. She got to the two soldiers stationed in the house; Turock and Veel. They were blasted away in the first seconds of the battle with the Flare Couatl because they were wormed. Felair said they [Defend]ed themselves to death.’

Rats listened silently, but Erick felt a deep resolve through their telepathic connection.

Erick continued, ‘A long black dragon came through in the last seconds of the fight with the Flare Couatl and took the kill. Somehow that made Jane lose her essence. She’s puking out her guts upstairs right now, but Liquid said we should bring her to Oceanside. Liquid has pointed dozens of convalescing people like Jane toward Oceanside, so we’re going to do that as soon as she’s good enough to move.’ He sent, ‘I need you to make arrangements, however they need to be made.’

Rats sent, ‘I know just who to talk to. I’ll have it ready in half an hour.’

Relief flooded through Erick. He said, ‘Good. Thank you, Rats.’

‘I’ll see you all soon?’

‘Yes. In an hour. We’re spending the night there or whatever, and I’m going to try and get the Headmaster to help with this Messalina problem.’

‘Then we’re all going back to Spur, right?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good. See you soon.’

- - - -

Erick stood at the open front door of his house, still inside the dense air of the house, looking out onto the orange stone and sand of the front yard. He was not happy. The guard had come through and repaired enough of the Human District that it looked like the battle with the Flare Couatl had never happened, but they couldn’t repair his garden.

The lush green trees and vines and cornstalks of the garden to the right of the door were gone, completely. Erick’s stores of seeds and such, still in his house, were untrustworthy. A thorough check through the house for other areas of non-dense air revealed nine more spots like Turock and Veel’s pillows. The house was fully compromised. He had to abandon this place, for now. After Messalina was dealt with, then he could go about remaking his garden, and the house.

Mostly, Erick focused on his garden, which was a problem he could fix, because if he thought about the people Messalina had put in danger or outright killed...

Ophiel trilled on Erick’s left shoulder, and on his right shoulder, and in the air around him. Five of them held around Erick; he wasn’t about to dismiss any of them while they were still in danger, and a target. They picked up on Erick’s growing unease and anger at the whole situation and played a tiny, whispered concert of unhappy flutes and melancholy cellos.

At least Ophiel was doing okay, mana-wise. The [Prismatic Ward]'s ability to put everything inside at Rest applied to Ophiel, too. Normally, the little guy was completely unable to rest, but the forced Rest effect apparently applied to Ophiel, too, turning his 20k regen per day, into per hour; exactly as though Ophiel was using Meditation. The five Ophiel who floated around Erick were each at Erick’s 5100 mana cap.

Erick took control of one of the floating Ophiel to cast a bubble of [Prismatic Ward] into the front yard. Dense air filled a space fifteen meters across, and that Ophiel disintegrated. Erick summoned another.

Kiri came down the stairs in the center of the house, saying, “She’s ready. Don’t know how long it will last.”

Erick said, “Just come on down. It’ll be ready in a second.”

Kiri rushed back upstairs as Poi walked into the foyer. Poi stayed silent, but several lines of thought radiated from his bluescaled head. He was talking to a lot of people right now.

Erick turned back to the front yard. He summoned his [Teleporting Platform] inside the dense air. Stone floated up from the orange ground, solidifying into a disk five meters across. White runes circled the center of the floating, five-inch thick disk.

Poi suddenly said, “Okay. There’s lots to talk about.”

Erick looked back toward Poi. “Anything urgent?”

Poi said, “Nothing too urgent, just stuff to know. Plans being made. Silverite wants us gone and back as soon as possible.”

Erick said, “Understood,” as he watched the stairs, waiting for—

Kiri came down the stairs, supporting Jane on her shoulder. Jane did not look good. She looked skinny. Erick felt a pang of rage at the world that anything would ever put his daughter in danger like this, but he kept it quiet, like he usually did. He wasn’t even sure who he should be mad at, except for Messalina, and she hadn’t done this to Jane. There was plenty to be mad at Messalina for, but Erick couldn’t be mad at her for this.

Erick led the way out of the door, into the dense air in the front lawn, followed closely by Poi. Jane suddenly let go of Kiri and rushed out of the house, past Poi, past Erick. She fell to her knees on the orange stone. Bile and blood came out of her mouth, turning the stone a darker shade. Erick rushed to—

Jane said, “I’m good. I’m good.”

Erick helped her back up to her feet, anyway. She mumbled something small, impossible to hear. Erick helped her to the [Teleporting Platform]. She crashed onto the stone, sprawling out onto her side. Erick almost panicked again, but Jane meekly held up a hand; thumbs up. She breathed, and was okay, for now.

Kiri went to Jane and sat down beside her, on the platform. Poi stepped onto the floating stone and nodded. Erick turned back to the house.

He dismissed the dense air around the structure with a thought. With another thought, Ophiel scattered into the air around the house; a [Stoneshape] aura pinging off from every single one.

The two mage towers, each three stories tall, on the north and south sides of the house, turned crumbly. They crashed downward, like sandcastles drying in the sun. Nothing held them together as stone became rubble, became dirt, became dust. Diamond lathes and bottles and [Permanent Special Ward] lights appeared briefly in the fall, only to be piled high with more dirt, or they held in the air where they had been cast. The globes Erick had made of Earth’s Solar System fell down into the orange sand, becoming sand themselves.

The three stories of the main house came down in a crash. Furniture and clothes and bedding and glass; all of it broke under tons of crashing stone. Soon, the only things that remained of the whole house were all the lightwards that stood revealed in the sun, and the front and rear stone door; Erick had left the doors intact, as a starter location for a future [Mend]ing. Everything else that made his house a home was gone and buried under tons of dirt.

In one more display of magical ability, Erick dismissed most of the glowing, floating [Permanent Special Wards] that had once illuminated the house, but not all of them. He put up most of those lights, but not all. He couldn’t bear to look at his ‘house’ any longer. Someone else could [Dispel] what remained, if it bothered them. He stepped onto the platform as Jane began to moan in pain.

He said to whoever might be listening, “This was the wrong move, Messalina.”

Blip. Blip. Blip.

- - - -

Erick might have left Spur, for now, but he left a trail of Ophiel behind. One of them floated over to the farms. Soon enough, while Erick was busy getting Jane into the hospital, under the care of the nurses and doctors and Rats, platinum rain began to fall on the farms, right on time.