The Pillar of Enera

[Book II Chapter 81] KATE: A Day Off In Ransas

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“Don’t worry, I’ll buy you another.” Silver said.

That doesn’t make this better. Walking through the Adventurer’s Guild, Kate felt her throat again and grimaced. The pendent of Ransas’s guardian beast, a white wolf, ——which Silver had picked out for her—— was gone.

“Still,” Silver added with a smirk. “I’m amazed you misplaced it that fast.”

Kate’s heart sank. There’s the real problem. He’s going to tease me relentlessly about this, and he has every right to. How did I lose it in the time it took to walk here?

“Maybe it was a pickpocket.” Filia offered.

That makes it worst! Kate fumed. She was a saint. It was humiliating to think a petty thief had stolen it from around her neck.

Yesterday, they’d loaded everyone on the airship and had flown to Ransas. With the king Kyle Saren dead and Finley on the run, most of their passengers had wished to return home, so they’d contacted Nicholas and waited nervously for him to access the situation. Ultimately, he’d given the go-ahead, and they’d docked. It’d all worked out. The adventurer’s guild had handled recovering the Righteous Sun cultists and Allan Gorge’s body. He was the only other casualty of this rescue operation… I hope they honor him somehow.

Since there was no successor, the Grey Kingdom was sending an administrator in a couple of days. This lack of urgency was possibly due to their presence here. According to Nicholas, The gloom ninjas had reported their identity, and higher ups wanted to avoid further antagonizing Astra. Kate wasn’t convinced though. They were willing to imprison Hope, so why should we feel safe? Whatever the case, tomorrow they’d depart for Bastion in the king’s airship with those who wished to leave, so she decided to relax.

Today, with nothing planned, Kate and Silver had decided to go shopping and had spend all morning perusing stalls and small shops. Their two companions had also tagged along, with Sana silently watching and Filia mostly staring off into the distance. The sukemon summoner had experienced a brutal fight, and, while her wounds were healed, her mind remained in turmoil.

They entered Nicholas’s office. The man was on a call and waved them to the table. They installed themselves, except for Sana who went off to sit on the balcony. What will the girl do when we leave? Kate’s eyes swiveled to where Filia was sitting brooding.

Compared to what those two have been through, why am I mopping about a necklace? “Are you alright?” She asked.

Filia glanced up. “I’m okay. It’s just… I have a lot to think about.”

“When the Laughing Man killed Geordan Price, I told myself I was facing a threat beyond me. This was the immortal who reduced my birthplace to ash. How could I stop anything that madman was planning? But now…”

“Finley claimed that the strife in Lomistan was mostly his work. Albeit abnormally strong, he’s a saint like me, someone I can at least face in battle. Maybe I could have done something…”

“Then there is the sukemon matter. According to Finley, it’s not even the Laughing Man’s plan, but one of his apostles. Again, this underling is someone I might stand a chance against. I’ve already lost my hometown. I don’t want to lose my sukemon too.”

“You’re thinking about trying to stop them?” Kate asked.

Filia nodded. “I’ve finally mustered the resolve to do something, but…

“You lost Price’s cards.” Silver finished quietly. Filia winced.

“Enough about me.” She declared. “What are the two of you planning?”

“The first order of business is to contact Astra.” Silver explained. “We may not have learned anything about Hope, but we won’t be returning empty handed.”

Filia had relayed everything Finley had let slip. News of these Laughing Man apostles and Salazar Rook’s probable return had to be reported back.

“Afterwards?” Silver shrugged, glancing at Kate. “We’ll figure it out.”

Filia nodded, pursing her lips. “Kate told me what happened to you at Earth’s End when you were young. Have you ever considered tracking down the creature which stole your emotions?” Kate’s ears perked up.

Silver frowned. “I suppose now that I’m a saint, it’d be possible, but I wouldn’t know where to start…”

“Jonathan Back.” Filia said. “The immortal horror author who lives in the Undermist. I suggest visiting him. He’d be able to help you.”

“Brilliant idea!” Kate jumped in. “We should do that.”

Silver was startled by her energy. “Should we really be going off on a personal quest when so much is going wrong in the world?” He objected.

Kate shook her head. “It’s fine spending a few days on ourselves. What we learn could be important.” Since discovering his condition, Kate had always dreaded Silver’s fearlessness would get him killed. Although he was slowly improving, if there was a way to hasten the return of his fear and anger, she deemed it worth exploring.

Nicholas approached them. “Good of you to come. Margaret wanted to speak with you.”

“With us?” Silver asked. “Not Sana?”

“With you specifically.” Nicholas confirmed. “And she was strangely insistent.” He placed a projector on the table and activated it. Almost instantly, a familiar figure appeared.

“I finally reached you.” Margaret exclaimed. “I don’t see Sana. Is she around?”

“Outside on the balcony.” Kate pointed. “We can fetch——”

“Not yet.” Margaret cut in. “There’s something we must discuss first. Have any of you misplaced an important item recently?”

They looked at each other. “Yes, why?” Kate answered.

Margarette sighed. “I need you to bring Sana in. Hidden on her back under her shirt is a dimensional pouch. Take it and empty it out. She might resist, but don’t let her get away.”

They were stunned silent by these instructions. “I’ll handle this.” Filia recovered first. Stepping outside, she spoke to Sana and gestured towards the door. Once the girl had joined them, she turned green, and her hair grew long and thick. “Entangle.” She spoke sternly. The wolfgirl was wrapped head to toe in vines.

“What’s going on?” Sana demanded, pulling at her bonds.

“Margarette asked us to check something.” Filia explained. This caused Sana to struggle twice as hard. Despite this, Filia procured a small fanny pack before she wriggled free.

Sana’s eyes hovered longingly on her pouch before darting around to the rest of them and fleeing without a word.

Watching a deluge of objects fall out, they poured the contents on the table. Some were what you’d expect: jewelry, wristals, wallets… Others made less sense: office equipment, children’s toys, scarves and neckties…

“There!” Filia snatched up a small black casing, carefully checking the cards inside. She held them to her chest, exhaling with relief.

“This is my pen.” Nicholas commented, grabbing a decorated fountain pen. “And this is a paper weight my mother gave me. Oh my god, my calender! I’ve been lost without it.”

Kate reach over and spread the pile out. Eventually she found not one, but three pendants with a white wolf. She took the newest looking one and hung it around her neck.

They turned to Margaret who was watching. “What is the meaning of this?” Nicholas asked.

“I’ll explain.” Marget said. “Nicholas, do you remember an organization called the Steel Ring?”

“Yes, they were a criminal enterprise operating out of a town in the nearby Twisted Land.” He answered. “The Adventurer’s Guild shut them down quite a few years ago.”

Margaret nodded. “I was in one of the squads on the day we took them down. Sana was there, she fought us briefly before escaping. Since she wasn’t on the leadership list we were rounding up, we let her go.”

“I met her again in Ransas a couple of weeks later. She was stealing food to survive and looking fairly miserable, so I approached her and took her under my wing. After a while she opened up and told me her story.”

“For years, she’d been personally trained as a thief by the Steel Ring’s leader. Because she was stronger than he was, he used every trick in the book to manipulate her and make her dependent on him. Although he didn’t touch her physically, it was an abusive relationship in every other way. On a few occasions, he even used her to assassinate ‘bad people’, usually gang members from competing criminal syndicates.”

“The trauma she suffered at that time is the reason she is the way she is. Specifically, at some point she began pilfering small items precious to their owners. This wasn’t out of greed, as she never sold anything. Rather, I believe it was an attempt to steal happiness for herself. When she saw someone treasure something, she was hit by the urge to take it. This evolved into a compulsion, and the results are on that table.”

Nicholas surveyed the assorted mishmash. “While not everything is valuable, this remains thievery on an impressive scale. I’m not sure I can overlook it.”

“Please,” Magaret entreated. “These just need to be returned to their rightful owners. Sana remembers who she took what from. All you need to do is question her.”

… I estimate there’s maybe two hundreds people we’ll need to track down. “Seems like a lot work…” Kate stated dejectedly.

“Sorry, normally I periodically search Sana and return her stolen goods.” Margaret explained. “It’s been a while since I’ve been able to do so.”

They fell silent at the scope of the task awaiting them. We must do it. Sana proved a dependable ally during the fight at Frieden. It’s only fair.

“There’s something I don’t understand.” Silver said. “How did she take Kate’s pendent? I don’t recall her getting near us.”

“Yes!” Filia agreed. “Same deal with me. How did she grab my deck of cards?”

Margaret fidgeted uncomfortably. “This is the vital point I needed to mention. About two years ago, the situation with Sana changed drastically. Till then, she was just an incredible pickpocket with shadow magic that let her pull off some amazing feats. Remembering back, it was so comparatively simple to deal with…” Kate felt real regret in those last few words.

“Then Sana developed a sublime vagary: ‘I want it now’.” Margaret put her hands on her face. “The passive is a nightmare. Anything she sets her eyes on is instantly transfered to her hands. Changes in weight from the missing item aren’t detected. The only way to notice is to be looking when it happens.” Margaret let them absorb this information.

“What does the activation do?” Silver asked.

”There is no activation!” Magaret burst out loudly, before calming down. “At least that’s what I went to great lengths to convince Sana of. I told her she might lose the ability if she ever speaks its name. Please, whatever you do, don’t clear up this falsehood. At least the passive has limitations that can be exploited.”

“Which are?” Silver pressed.

Margaret took a deep breath. “Here’s what I know. Deeply personal items can’t be taken. This means most weapons and armors are a no go. Also, the blessing offers some protection, but this mostly applies to immortals and with enough attempts she will break through. The item must be distinct and can’t be part of anything else. Size is another factor. Things small enough to fit in her pouch are all she can manage. She must have spotted the object at least once to target it. Since she needs to be in the same space, it doesn’t work through walls. Finally, the range is around twenty feet, though she can sometimes exceed this if she tries repeatedly.”

Imagined the painful process which led to piecing together all these details, Kate felt great pity for the woman.

“And everything I just told you probably goes out the windows if she ever speaks its name.” Margeret added.

Kate suddenly got a bad premonition. Why is she spelling everything out when we are leaving tomorrow? Unless… “Is there a reason you’re sharing all this?” She asked.

“Please take Sana with you!” Margaret bowed deeply. “If she’s on her own, she’ll steal something she shouldn’t and get herself killed. She never explains herself when confronted, always running away. We’ve already had some close calls with a few immortals. If I hadn’t been there to smooth things over…”

“I can’t.” Filia objected immediately, clutching Price’s deck holder. “If I bring her anywhere with sukemon cards, it’ll be difficult to sort them out. Also, I’ve my own matters to attend to.”

Silver and Kate exchanged glances. I’m sympathetic, but honestly she strikes me as a bit much to manage.

“If you can’t take her…” Margaret faced Nicholas. “It might be best to lock her up for a few months, at least until I’m better. You have all the evidence you need on the table.”

“You’re requesting I imprison her?” Nicholas asked incredulously.

Margaret winced. “Sana is drawn to the wealthy and powerful. Their lives appeals to her. So if a saint or immortal is anywhere in her vicinity, she’ll seek them out. And if she spots something she wants…” She trailed off. “Trust me. Now that she has that sublime vagary, she can’t be left to her own devices, or it will end in disaster.”

“Then I guess we’ll take her.” Silver faced Kate. “Right?”

“I don’t think there’s a choice.” Kate acknowledged. “It wouldn’t be right to let her rot in jail.”

“Thank you so much.” Margaret bowed again.

“Glad that’s settled.” Nicolas smiled. He looks awfully relieved this problem is leaving with us tomorrow. “If there’s nothing else, we should start sorting this property——”

“Wait!” Marget interjected. “Since Sana’s going with you, there’s one last thing you should be aware of.” She paused, engaging in an internal struggle. “… Depending on where you go, Sana might be recognized as a criminal.”

“Because of her past history, right?” Silver understood. “Don’t worry, we’ll be traveling far from here, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”

“No, that’s not it. Virtually no one knows of her connection to the Steel Ring.” Magaret cringed. “It’s because of her time adventuring with me.”

“You see, one of the restrictions of ‘I want it now’ is having two free hands. So when I got really overwhelmed, I started leading Sana around in shackles each time we entered a city. When asked about this, I’d answer I was escorting an outlaw who was helping us with an investigation. It’s likely people will remember.”

“… Exactly where did you do this?” Kate asked.

“Maybe half the cities north of the Green Hell?” Margaret offered timidly. “Like any adventuring party, we were moving around a lot, doing dungeons… Anyway, that’s everything I’ve got to say. Thanks and bye!” Her image disappeared as the projection shut off.

Nicholas broke the silence. “You should track down Sana and bring her here. I need a list of the owners of these items before you leave.”

At least I got my pendent back, Kate consoled herself.