Conflicts WIthin

Even with the dubious “party member discount,” most of our budget was burned away from the arsenal of equipment Pira eagerly sold us. For a moment, I was at a loss as to how we would carry so much gear; none of us were particularly strong, and that was more clear now than ever as we hefted the various gadgets dubiously. Luckily, the final invention Pira produced was a charmed, nearly-bottomless bag she could carry everything in without difficulty, making the large pile manageable for our journey.

Andra had been the one to go after me when Pira had called for another volunteer for the customization process, and after several minutes of tape measures and scans, the hybrid girl had been paired with light materials that had high flexibility to accommodate her natural movements. She held the gear gently, clearly pleased with her new items. She was also given a cloak that magically refracted light for stealth and a special whistle that was completely silent to everyone who didn’t own a resonating stone linked to it.

Seeing Andra’s cloak prompted me to ask for a cloak of my own. Pira assumed that my request was out of pure interest in her technology; the reality was, I thought a cloak that aided in stealth would be useful in my assassination efforts, when it came to that. Of course, I didn’t share that thought with the group.

Estelar received armor pieces that were much smaller than my own to be sewn into his robe, minimizing his weight and moderating his temperature. He was also given some magical enhancement items that looked like small handheld mechanical devices. I had no idea what I was looking at when Pira held them up, but he seemed pleasantly surprised to receive them. From what I could glean from their enthusiastic conversation, the items would make his magic more effective and burden him less while casting.

Even as all our remaining daylight burned away, Pira’s enthusiasm refused to wane; an almost unhealthy level of passion for her craft was on full display as she built the most useful kits for everyone in the party. Her barks of joy bounced off the walls as she bustled about.

If she’s half as skilled a technician as her attitude suggests, we’re in good hands.

As we prepared to leave with our gear, paying with most of our remaining funds, I noticed even more bits and pieces in the pile than I had originally thought. Pira had kept adding things to the list, far beyond just the parts each of us would be wearing or using, and I realized that the presence of the added items had somehow rubbed Andra the wrong way. Pira and Andra began to bicker about our inventory.

“All of this equipment is of vital importance! Why can’t you understand that?” Pira looked down condescendingly as she stood between Andra and her pile of tools.

“And why can’t YOU understand that a lot of this will only hurt ya in the wilds we’re headin’ into?” Andra growled, annoyed. “Ya’ll need to stop underestimating nature.”

“It’s because I respect nature that I need all this gear!” Pira stood firm. “Every item here is essential to my work and to the survival of the team! Don’t you agree Kai?”

Startled, I saw both women swing toward me, their eyes sharp. They were both waiting to see which side I would come down on, and the sudden spotlight made me stumble over my words. I had a feeling a wrong answer could cause a rift in the group.

“Um, well…” I began, aiming for as much diplomacy as I could muster, “I do respect your artificer’s spirit and the equipment you have sold us… but for matters of survival, Andra is much more experienced, so maybe you could leave some of it behind? I’m sure you don’t need to bring all of it.”

A look of betrayal flashed across Pira’s face as Andra saw the opportunity to push further, the momentum in her favor.

“Nah, you gotta dump most of that crap,” she said unapologetically. “Most of that stuff would hold us back, I’m serious.”

“Oh? Please, do tell me, how so?” Pira snapped.

“Like these, for starters!” Andra picked up what looked to me like an overengineered glowstick and waved it around. The light twinkled brightly. “How many of these light sources did you pack in those bags? All of them should be thrown out!”

Pira scoffed, but Andra pressed on before she could respond.

“The insects and nocturnal predators don’t need extra help to find us and eat us all alive. Light brings trouble at night. Fire is worthwhile only when someone controls the smoke to repel the insects and scare the animals away, and when you’re using it for cooking or warmth. That’s when having light is worth it. Unless you want your head to rot off your neck from a cryphen bite, that is.”

Pira looked shocked, but she recovered quickly. “Which is why I have these net suits!” she replied, reaching into a bag and grasping at wads of mesh fabric.

Andra shook her head. “Stop creating more problems just to solve them. Fire at night, herbal rubbings during the day to prevent bites, no other light sources. They’re dead weight.” She folded her arms, looking as much like an unmoving wall as a slightly-built hybrid woman could look.

Pira sighed, but she began sorting through the pile of gadgets, pulling a few out here and there and placing them in a discard pile. Andra didn’t smile, but she looked satisfied at her victory, and she watched Pira’s adjustments to the gear with interest.

“Ahem…” I muttered to Estelar. “What’s a cryphen?”

“Ah, those are vile bugs, poisoning their prey from the inside out and drinking their innards.” Estelar shuddered, matching my involuntary response to his words. “Their secretions are strong enough to rot away people’s extremities if they pierce you. Amputations are quite common… just hope they don’t get your neck, there’s not much fix for that.”

I remained silent for a moment, imagining the variety of ways my increasingly-plausible death could occur in this nightmare of a place. Another shudder threatened to slide down my spine, but I tamped it down and shook myself.

“All right then,” I announced, drawing the party’s attention and breaking up the unpleasant vibe in the air. “Let’s go to our lodging for the night and get some much needed rest.”

The group would be staying in the prince’s villa for the night, as was tradition for the competition, and I dreaded seeing the manipulative royal again. But the day had been long and exhausting, and as we began to gather up the gear, I felt my eyelids growing heavy. We left Pira’s workplace and made our way across the city to the gates, finding a comfortable carriage waiting for us. The group climbed in without hesitation and made the trek to the cottage where most of this had begun for me.

The prince greeted us as we arrived at his house. He smiled and exchanged pleasantries with the other party members, but he leaned in to whisper to me as I passed.

“You did good today,” he said. “The more you learn about this world, the less I have to explain later.”

I didn’t respond, but that didn’t deter him. He cocked his head, smiling in his now-familiar way. “Insect poison might be quite useful for your next job.”

I pushed past him into the living area, where the silent maid was indicating to the party which room belonged to which person. My room was the same as it had been, so after saying my good nights to the group (and carefully ignoring the prince), I retreated to my space, closed the door, and fell face first onto the bed.