Of Deceit and Duties

Hours before sunrise, Lucian approached the wooden gates of Cacela. In the gloom he spotted Amon’s bulky silhouette, waiting for him just as promised.

"That’s a lot of supplies for a scouting mission," Amon remarked.

"That’s because we aren't going on one," Lucian thought. It was too soon to fill Amon in on the truth.

He slid off the bigger portion of his haul and gestured for the warrior to take them.

Amon picked them up with one hand and shifted the load onto his shoulder. Lucian was glad he didn’t pry further into the meaning of their luggage and simply set off into the dark.

By the time the first streaks of gold lit the sky, Lucian finally asked, "So how much do you know anyway? The few people at the meeting wouldn’t have told an outsider that it was a scouting mission."

"I was refused answers when I collected my pay from the Castellan," Amon said. "Then your friend Flynn found me. Claimed he could share something... for a price. Didn’t know much, but he mentioned you."

Lucian cursed under his breath. "Flynn, that sly rat! He must have followed me, sniffing for intel to pawn off. Who else knows now?"
Irritated by these news, he bit a fingernail, but that meant he could fill Amon in on those plans at least.

"Hale’s gotten strange reports from Wavebreakers," Lucian started. "Monsters turning up dead, with wounds unlike anything seen before. Their migration patterns are off too. Fewer straying far from the Monster Belt."

Amon began scowling. "A flood."

"That’s what they fear," Lucian nodded. "So we’re heading in deeper than the usual patrols and subjugators, to confirm. Last time this happened, Cacela was attacked by a Gnoll Lord. Barion, Hale, and a timely response from Silere saved the town... or so Barion told me. I wasn’t there."

"Where were you then?" Amon asked.

Lucian’s thoughts drifted back to Lilly and the Garden. Nights of crying themselves to sleep mingled between joyous moments of blissful laughter. It was a harsh time even with Byakko’s watchful gaze, but he felt alive back then. In hindsight he'd even call it his true home.

"If we’re lucky," he said in a soft tone, "I’ll be able to show you."

Amon nodded as they continued down the path.

Reminiscing about the past, Lucian failed to notice the trap until the rope snared his ankle and yanked him skyward. His pendant slipped from his neck and, spinning in the air, he saw three figures emerge from behind the trees.

"Looks like Flynn earns a bonus," their leader called out.

The other two argued about how to handle Amon.

"Friends?" Amon asked, uncertain.

"Wavebreakers," Lucian stammered, dangling upside down.

"Understood."

“Lucian heard the hiss of steel as the rope was cut and kissed the ground a second later. Rubbing the dirt off his face, he looked up to see the party’s ranger already down, knocked out cold. Their leader about to join him, as Amon’s right hook smashed into his face.”

“The third kept his distance, reciting a chant with his staff raised, making do with the little time his comrades had bought him.”

Lucian’s heart began racing. His method was different, but the essence was the same.
The mage was weaving magic just like he did!
With each syllable more power gathered, and with each word the mystical hum grew more nuanced.
It condensed into the sound of sparked kindling, then released with a distinct crack.”

"It's... Resonance!"

Amon came hurling towards him, carried by a roaring, flaming sphere. The fireball slammed him against a tree, scorching a hole into his armor. Serving its purpose well, his bronze skin beneath was marked only by faint burns. The abrupt break in momentum, however, was enough to knock him senseless.

Synapses were firing in all directions, frantically piecing together this revelation. The mage wasn’t recalling sound from memory like he did, he was singing it into form. And that cracking recoil… it came from a blue crystal fixed to the curve of his staff.

“Blessed flame, heed my call.
Gather and bind into a glorious sphere.
Purge the enemies before you and fly.

Fireball!”

Crack.

Another blaze rushed toward him. Lucian dove aside, clutching his pendant. Focusing on the bright stone, he whispered:

"Clave."

A razor-sharp whistle cut through the air. Finding its mark, the staff’s damaged crystal exploded into countless shards.

"STOP!"

Their leader staggered onto his feet, his nose bent and bleeding.

"This is why everyone despises you, Lucian!"

Lucian stiffened. He knew that person. Calviro. He was the head of the patrol squad, respected but also demanding.

Behind him, Amon stomped forward, ready to pay back the pain twofold.

"Stop, Amon," Lucian said quickly. "It’s… alright."

Amon frowned, the sword in his hand shaking in his grip. "Friends?"

Lucian looked to Calviro.

With a loud snap he straightened his nose. "Not enemies. For now."

Lucian was annoyed when the large tower the patrol squad used as an outpost came into view. He wanted nothing more than to leave, but storming off now would be too suspicious. He’d had enough run-ins with the patrol in the past, when trying to sneak out alone. The trouble they went through to bring them here meant they might be onto him. For now he had to play it cool.

"Why trap the road at all? If you knew I was taking that route, there was no need to go that far!"

"It was just a precaution," Calviro replied.

"A precaution? For what?"

"So you don't knock us out the second you spot us when all we want to do is talk!" He gave Amon a mean look, but Amon didn't respond.
"Let's continue inside. The monsters and guards don’t need to know the details."

They climbed a long flight of stairs and entered the patrol's headquarters. The tower walls were covered in maps and charts covering activity cycles, notes scrawled alongside drawings of creatures even Lucian hadn’t seen before. The cheap wooden chairs, draped in fur, tried to give a touch of comfort against the cold stone.
Lucian studied the room in awe, until he was asked to sit.

"Ivo, could you?"
Ivo nodded, setting a kettle on the stove that warmed the chamber.

"We know what you’re up to, Lucian," Calviro opened.

Lucian felt his pulse spike but forced a shrug. "So? Hale left me in charge, I'll do it my way and that’s that. Not my problem if your squad ends up with less work."

Calviro’s eyes narrowed. "You’re not going to follow the lead. Ivo’s had eyes on you since you first came into the tavern."

Then it dawned on him. The man cleaning that day, that's why Ivo looked so familiar. He was set up! Lucian slammed his fist on the table, such a careless oversight. They should’ve just knocked them out and left.

"So what now?" he asked. "Drag me back to Cacela? Put me on trial for treason?"

Calviro leaned forward, voice tight. "Not if you do your damn job. I don’t care about money or gaining favor with the Castellan. I care about my home. Our home." He spread his arms, Ivo and Jaquim nodded in agreement.

Lucian scowled. "Exactly. Your home. Not mine."

Calviro’s hand shot out, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him up.

Amon stood but Lucian flagged him down. Grabbing his pendant with the other hand.

"Do you even know how many people died getting you out of that monster pit? Soldiers from Silere. Our brothers and sisters from Cacela. My father..." His fist trembled, ready to strike.

Jaquim laid a hand on his arm, easing it down. "Do you realize what it does to us, watching the child we saved run to their death? We didn’t kill the Exabiest that day. You were the only reason that mission wasn’t a complete failure, and still you act like we’re in the wrong!"

Lucian’s chest tightened. He forced the words out, bitter and low. "I also lost my family that day. You people showing up is the reason for that. But unlike you, I didn’t get a trophy to comfort my loss."

Calviro released his grip and the room fell into broken silence, only the shrill whistle of the kettle howling through the weight of their grief.

Finally, Lucian muttered, "What do you want from me?"

Calviro slammed a map onto the table. "To keep your promise! Thanks to your selfishness we’re fresh out of supporters. So come with us and finish the job you stole. After that, you can go throw your life away if you want."