Icarus Awakens

The green banner stood above some of the only tents set up in orderly rows. The hospital Daniel’s mother worked at never had a take your child to work day, and he’d been fortunate enough to avoid seeing the inside for other reasons. Nevertheless, the site gave him the impression of a field hospital. Unlike its red cousin, the green banner was an unfurled tapestry with the sigil of a cupped hand. The avian woman had that same sign on her armor. It was a pure guess, but she had a kind personality he’d associate with a healer. That could make her a priest or something, and the sigil religious.

A human saw him walking towards the tents and was the first to react to his obvious injuries. “Guy? No, but- Hey, stay with me!” The young man, who appeared not much older than Daniel’s 22 years, wore a simple shirt and drawstring pants. Something metallic hung from his waist, although the way he ran made it hard to make out.

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Daniel repeated as the man rushed over. “Just tired and hungry.”

“Crest you’re fine. Look at you, you should be dead!” He easily overpowered Daniel and tried to lift the shirt, only to find it stuck on like a dried bandage. Then he noticed the arm. “Are these lightning burns? Were you part of the expedition too?”

“No, it’s just been a long day?” Daniel ventured, hoping it would placate the almost vibrating healer.

“And here, it looks like your bone was sticking out!” The man was examining him from head to toe with the vigor of a crate of energy drinks. “How long has it been since that was healed?”

“Healed?”

Despite his protests, Daniel was dragged into the tent the healer had just left. Another human was resting on a bed and mostly covered by a blanket. He looked up when they entered but the healer’s face told him there wasn’t time for curiosity. “I’m only a level 1,” he continued telling Daniel. “You're not higher than that, right? Otherwise, I can't do anything.”

“Yeah, but really, I’m fine,” Daniel continued protesting. “My arm still hurts but less than it did. I just need sleep.” He didn’t mention the falling out of the sky part. The excitable medic may have had a heart attack if he heard that bit. “Hey! There’s someone else here.” He weakly fought as the medic renewed his attempts to get Daniel’s shirt off.

“I need to treat you!”

“I’ll just turn the other way,” the third man said with a friendly smile that disappeared when he shifted to his side. There was something off about the face, but Daniel was more concerned with the person trying to undress him.

“I don’t believe it,” the healer said as he managed to get the shirt off. “There’s scars here but no injury. Do you have a self-healing power?”

“No.” Daniel thought for a moment. “They did seem to heal after I slept next to Ringcat.”

“You did what!?” It was practically a shout.

“Next to! Next to!” The third man didn’t turn but was stifling pained laughter. “I passed out from the pain and woke up next to him. The worst of the injuries were healed, that’s it!”

The healer, whom Daniel had finally identified as the level one Cleric Thomas after the man had felt it fit to invade his privacy, calmed a little. “You might have just gotten a healing power and haven’t figured it out yet,” Thomas explained. “Your endurance could have advanced from surviving these injuries if you had any potential on you. The part about the ringcat doesn’t make sense but at least you aren’t at risk for disease. I’ll check with someone, but I think Totem Warriors can get rest-based healing at your level. You seem fine overall, so I’ll just leave you to get some more and check on you later. It’s just a shame Quala isn’t here, she’d know for sure.”

“She’s the-“ He stopped since he didn’t know what to call the bird people. ‘Bird people’ by itself would probably be offensive. The Totem Warrior part was something else entirely that he wasn’t getting into now. “Green eyes? Left town last night?”

“Ran into her then?” Thomas looked Daniel over again. “You sure she didn’t do anything?”

“She gave me an apple? But that was after I healed, I guess.”

“Apple?” Daniel described the fruit. “Oh, that’s a cord fruit. I’ve never heard of apples before.”

“It’s not a local thing.” Daniel sat on the bed. It was more like a cot, but at least it was off the ground. Far more comfortable than the flat ground he kept finding himself sleeping or unconscious on.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Thomas said. He then turned to the other man whose back was still facing him. “How are you feeling?”

“Better than dead. You should see the other guy.” The older man, perhaps in his early forties, sounded in pain but still presented a light-hearted face to it.

“It’d help more if you did tell me what did this, but you’re healing fine. Get some rest, both of you.” Thomas left, and Daniel closed his eyes to do what the good doctor had ordered.

Daniel’s tent mate’s voice pierced the encroaching sleep. It was jovial, not mean-spirited. “Slept with a ringcat? I knew some Totem Warriors were out there, but that’s something else entirely.”

Daniel opened his eyes again. He needed to sleep. He also needed to know why people kept calling him a Totem Warrior. He needed to know about the world he was in and why Thomas was so high-strung. This man seemed friendly enough, and there was no telling if he’d be there when he woke up again. With his luck, it would be Janice instead.

“Why does everyone think I’m a Totem Warrior?” he asked the man. Daniel could see his face now. There was an area of skin from the left chin to the nose that was in the process of making itself into a scar similar to the one on his arm. Like the pain he was in, the man didn’t seem to mind the disfigurement. There was an amused light in the coppery eyes that could see a punchline before anyone else. Other than that, there was the blanket that concealed what other features he had.

“Well, stranger, allow me to count the ways.” The man pulled his hands out from the blanket. They had lightning scars too, even worse than Daniel’s. “One,” he counted on his finger. “You have a Totem Warrior’s focus. Two-”

“No I don’t.” Daniel pulled out his phone.

“Is that a mirror? I was referring to your necklace.”

“My necklace?” Daniel glanced down at the item he'd put back on his neck once on safe ground. It was one of the two things from his world he’d kept safe, and the only thing that hadn’t changed. It was fairly simple. A preserved eagle feather hung on a cord along with a few beads. His father had worn it at first, replacing the original cheap leather strip with something more durable when it had broken off, and then given it to Daniel when he’d turned 18. Garret had said it was a piece of nature to carry with him wherever he went and had made him promise never to lose it. Since Daniel had lost his father instead, he’d decided it was the most precious thing he’d owned.

“Classic Totem Warrior. Animal part? Check. Wearable? Check. The Totem to your Warrior, as it were.”

“Huh.” It didn’t make sense. His Encyclopedia clearly said he was an Artificer. His character sheet said Artificer. He was an Artificer, as strange as that was to think.

“Two.” The man extended a second digit, which had faint burn lines. “It sounds like you came into town with a ringcat you recently acquired. Common among Beastmasters, Rangers, and Totem Warriors to be accompanied by monsters, but you only have one versus the many known to accompany Beastmasters.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Well.” The man smiled and didn’t cede the point. “I’m still right aren’t I? Three, your Regeneration. You’d be dead without that power if my eyes don’t deceive me. A couple classes could give you that, but in combination with points One and Two, you are a Totem Warrior. A fairly paranoid one. How’d I do?”

“Well enough, if you ignore the fact that I’m an Artificer!” He flourished his phone again triumphantly. Or at least, he tried to. Fatigue spoiled the gesture. He tapped the screen meekly to light it up.

Genuine interest radiated off the man. “May I see it? I’m hardly in a state to run off with your Focus.” There was a smile again, a glint in the eye. Daniel envied his easygoing nature and handed the phone over after locking it, just in case this stranger tried to mess with his attributes. “Marvelous. It is a construct.” The man rotated it to glance at all angles, somewhat slowly given his injuries. “I haven’t seen its like before, but Artificer is a rare class. I have only met a few. My apologies, my good Artificer.” He said it like he was dramatically bowing, though he just had the strength to weakly pass the phone back. “If I may, does it have any special functions? I’ve met an Artificer that built a suit of armor as his Focus that serves as a potent guardian.”

“It's fine,” Daniel said. “It doesn’t do much, I’m only level 1. It pretty much keeps track of what I know. Pretty stingy about letting me see it outside the Encyclopedia though.”

The man froze and looked at him oddly. Daniel didn’t know what, but he’d clearly said something wrong. Again. “Sorry.”

“No no, my apologies.” The man emphasized the words like he’d been caught stealing. “I was merely captured by my thoughts. And my apologies again for the misunderstanding. I’ve had quite a day. Well, days.”

“You’re telling me.”

“Oh!” The man rose in his bed with a chuckle. “No, I think I have you beat in that regard. I was…” He trailed off. “Never mind. Not something for your ears, I’m afraid.”

The last thing Daniel wanted was knowledge he’d get in trouble for having. There was something else he was curious about. “What happened, exactly?”

“Like I said, I can’t-”

“No, what happened to Eido?” It was a guess. Public disaster plus a large mark on his map labeled ‘Eido Ruins’ made it an educated one.

“Oh.” There was a full minute of silence before the man spoke again. “I suppose you haven’t heard everything yet, just finding your way here. I don’t entirely understand myself but the city, it just vanished three days ago. Pulled into the sky, if the eyewitnesses can be believed. It happened right when everyone was celebrating the completion of the Spoke. No survivors, by the sound of it.” The man’s vibrant personality sank and Daniel was sorry to see it go. “That just doesn’t happen.”

There was another period of silence, longer this time. Daniel was conflicted. He must have either survived whatever happened to Eido or had arrived just afterward. His unclear memories gave no insight into which it was. People were clearly in danger. Telling this man what he’d been through might help someone, but could he trust him? He didn’t even know his name.

Daniel never made good choices when under a lot of pressure. It’s why he’d been a clerk up until a few days ago rather than the engineer he’d dreamed of being. Sleep deprivation was making it worse. Still, he felt letting the conversation end there was a mistake. He’d have to find someone to trust eventually. “I was there.” He kicked himself for saying it like he’d watched someone not throw a ring into a volcano.

“You saw it happen?” The man’s eyes were back on him.

“I’m not sure? My memory’s a little, I don’t know. All I know was when I woke up I was in the middle of-”

The tent’s flap exploded inwards as a large armored shape rushed in and threatened to take the entire tent with him. If Daniel had more strength he’d have thrown himself off the bed. Instead, he shrank into the blanket as if it were a canopy that would protect him against carnivorous bats. Something with sharp teeth and a tail bellowed a word, its meaning lost to Daniel.

“Calm down you brute, you’re terrifying my guest,” the man said sarcastically while beaming. “Don’t you have something better to do than bother me?”

“You bastard, this is beyond the Crest!” The other speaker was male, and huge. Counting the metal surrounding him he had to be the better part of a meter taller than Daniel. It was the heaviest armor Daniel had seen yet. Practically a full knight’s suit, minus a helmet and a spot out the back for the man’s tail. That itself wasn’t unarmored as leather and rings of metal wrapped around it. Only the head and the hands were unprotected, though the multi-colored scales challenged that assumption. The male lizard creature was predominantly black, with small clusters of colors scattered across. It gave the impression of a Renaissance painting of the night sky. He didn't have any hair but thicker scales on top of the head, and above the eye which served as a replacement for the normal brow.

“We all have to advance somehow Murdon,” the bed-bound man answered, his earlier bright nature returning with the strength of a supernova. “I have a feeling I’ll get something good out of this.”

“You’ll get death out of this if you keep it up Lograve! What exactly did this to you?”

Lograve looked confused and worried despite his smile. “Did no one else make it back?”

“A Beastmaster, but she didn’t say much. The only thing she said was that those who didn’t return were gone.”

“Oh, her.” This brought the first look of discontent Daniel had seen from the man. “She- I’m sorry, but what I have to say is for your lack of ears only."

Murdon seemed to register Daniel’s presence for the first time. Daniel saw the clear exhaustion in his expression and felt its twin echo in his soul. “I don’t recognize you. What is your name?”

“Daniel,” he hollowly told the man resembling a starry dragon knight and mentally updated the list of new races to keep track of.

“Daniel, it is very important I speak to Lograve privately. I must ask you to move to another tent, but I can find you one before we move you.”

“Nonsense.” Lograve slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed. He was tall, though not as tall as the dragon man. Murdon, as he was called, was taller than anyone Daniel had ever seen, including people from Earth. “I’m no lame duck, Lograve. I can walk back to your office.”

Daniel saw concern and humor mix into a strange palette on the lizard’s stretched face. “You just called me by your name.”

“Did I? Well, my legs work fine.” He stood unsteadily. Without the blanket, Daniel could see the man was wearing only a simple shirt and cloth undergarments that could pass as shorts. Lightning burns were everywhere. His face had been bad, but from what was showing it was like he had bathed with an electrical transformer.

“Lograve.” Murdon’s voice was quiet as he saw this.

“I told you I’m fine!” Lograve staggered, and corrected, “I will be fine. Let this man rest, he needs it more than I do.”

Murdon was taller than Lograve despite the human's above average height, so throwing an arm under Lograve’s shoulder made him hunch awkwardly. Still, it looked like he needed the support to move more than a few steps. Murdon turned to Daniel again. “I can’t promise you more than a few days’ rest, but that you have earned. Thank you for keeping Lograve company. I imagine it was a heavy burden.”

“Heavy? You’re twice my weight in that metal barrel you call armor,” Lograve protested from where he was being effectively carried and lightly tapped a knuckle on the chest piece.

Daniel merely nodded. The two were having a moment that he was third-wheeling. The armored man struck him as someone important and he was not in a state to manage conversation with someone like that. He’d happily quit while he was ahead.

“Rest. There is work to be done,” Murdon said in parting, helping Lograve out of the tent. Daniel watched them go, glanced to the empty bed, then back to the opening in the tent. Outside was bright. It was almost noon. That would have normally kept him up, or at least forced him to close the tent flap, but it had all been too much for that. Daniel’s last thought before fading to sleep was the hope that Ringcat was getting along with the other monsters.

…

We have two things to talk about. Lograve did not speak to Murdon but reached out with his mind to form a Telepathic Link between them. Telepathy was a useful power when discussing important matters covertly, though it had annoying limits that wouldn’t be solved until he reached level four. This secret did not rise to the level of critical importance as the other, which he would only speak, or think, of when they reached Murdon’s office. It still merited caution. One matter I have just learned of, though it is of lesser importance.

What is it? Murdon responded in kind

That man in there is an Artificer. He is also a Totem Warrior. Lograve’s mental voice still carried the normal inflections of speech, the words just appeared in Murdon’s head instead of going through his ear holes. His friend caught the intrigue behind the otherwise innocuous statement.

Multiclasser? That’s not too uncommon. He doesn’t have the look of an Artificer though, and they’re a rare class.

That’s what I said. Lograve laughed softly to accompany the thought. But I saw his Foci, both of them. He’s a true Artificer, and there’s no way he survived without also possessing Regeneration, which isn’t known to awaken in the Artificer class. Unless there’s something I don’t know about him, or he has a similar power that is otherwise unknown to my records, that doesn’t add up.

How long did you two talk? I’d just heard you’d returned a few minutes ago.

Came rushing to my aid, Murdon? I might blush.

There was a low grunt from the giant man. Stop that. Why did you bring this up?

Even if he is something other than a Totem Warrior, it doesn’t make sense. He’s level one, Murdon.

Murdon took a moment to digest the point. That’s not possible. Who or what is this man?

I don’t know. I don’t think he knows either. He was adamant he wasn’t a Totem Warrior, that much I can tell you. There’s something else. He was about to finish the sentence when you came bumbling in. It sounded like he was going to say he was in Eido when it happened.

That got Murdon to stop. Did he arrive with anyone else? Did he mention any other survivors?

I don’t know, came Lograve’s exasperated mental reply. You barged in and started tossing me around before I could press further. He’s hardly in a state to answer us now. A thoughtful look crossed his face. Actually, he did mention he arrived with a ringcat. I doubt that’s important.

Two impossibilities. The Upswell, and a level one multiclasser. Could he be responsible?

What, are you planning on having him killed in case it happens here?

Maybe. Murdon was serious.

Lograve was troubled. It’s an awfully tenuous connection to base execution on. Murdon, Jonus killed someone at the lake and I didn’t like the look in his eyes when he did. I think he might have been going Tyrant.

These are extraordinary times. I wouldn’t say we don’t have reason for suspicion. One of the border guards mentioned a suspicious human with a ringcat had just arrived after telling me you hadn’t left the Wheel quite yet. He’d tried to pass it off as his familiar, instead of telling her it was charmed.

He lied? Why?

Could he have been lying about not knowing he was a Totem Warrior? Trying to pass himself off as a lowly level one to avoid suspicion? Artificer is a rare class, and combination with Totem Warrior is rarer still. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of an Artificer multiclassing at all, even by accident.

Wait. Lograve was the one to stop, managing it despite Murdon half-carrying him. Are you suggesting he’s powerful enough to have caused the Upswell? That would be level nine power, Murdon. Maybe higher than that. Are you thinking he’s a Proxy now? I just don’t see it.

You’ve talked to him longer than I did, and I normally trust your judgment. However, if he is that powerful, he’d be able to deceive both our senses and disguise his true level.

Circular logic there, Murdon. He can deceive us because he can do anything, and because he can do anything he can deceive us. Multiclasser, Artificer, and level nine. Lograve counted the three out on his fingers. I honestly don’t know if that combination has happened before. I don’t know of any multiclassers that make it that far period, and I cannot place him as a Proxy. Why would he bother with all of this if either were true? He could annihilate us without this deception if he wanted to. I suppose we could go back and watch that level one Cleric heal him to satisfy your fears, but you would just dream up another inane explanation to spite me, wouldn't you?

Murdon didn’t have an answer for that. He was troubled by his friend’s demeanor. Undercurrents of a deadly seriousness dampened the constant cheeriness. It had been due to the shock everyone had experienced following the Upswell, but after the pass, it had gotten worse. Sure, Lograve had been nearly fried and he'd never been more hurt, but he’d also faced a dragon in Aughal without letting his natural quirkiness suffer.

They returned to Murdon’s office in the headman’s building and closed the door. “Stranger aside,” he said, shelving his other concerns. “What happened at the pass?”

“First of all,” Lograve said out loud, returning to audible discussion for a moment. “That woman that returned is a flight risk. Not a joke!” he addressed Murdon’s raised eyescales. “A few of them tried to run on the bridge and I think she was the ringleader. That was a joke. Come on Murdon, she was using a ringcat,” he added in frustration as that didn’t draw a response. “Fortunately, they didn’t account for my Telepathy. Then?” He paused and drew in a breath. It’s a dragon, Murdon. A level six lightning dragon, and it looks like it’s claimed the pass as its own.

“Oh.”

“I almost hope that young man’s a level nine. We’ll need him.”