Goodbye Blue Bird

“Is this... All that’s left of him?” Ozahl asked the clergyman.

“It’s all we could recover. I’m sorry.”

The young Ozahl lowered his head, hiding his eyes behind the brim of his hat. “I understand. Thank you for your help.” As Ozahl walked out of the church, he found himself staring across the cityscape of the capital, Leonia. He was far from the only one who had lost someone dear to that maddening war. He could throw a stone in any direction and hit a grieving mother, father, or widow. And yet, despite this, never had he felt more alone.

My son... Did you fight... Honorably?

---

Ozahl wasn’t sure why those old memories were resurfacing one by one. It felt like somewhere out there, a higher being was mocking him. Mocking his pain. But he wouldn’t give in. He was a man on a mission. He had found a trail of bodies out in the northern fields, and he was all but certain what happened to them.

These arrows are elven-made. And this crushed armor, it reminds me of foes Wallack once defeated. He told me his mace was stolen... Then...

He just had to keep following the blood trail. Sooner or later, he would find Jabez. But would it be the Jabez he knew, or... Something else?

While walking through a forest, Ozahl noticed elven auras circling around him. As they notched their arrows, Ozahl gently stamped the end of his staff against the ground, erecting a barrier. The arrows bounced uselessly off of his shield. And then... He appeared. With a resounding slam of the enchanted mace, even Ozahl was sent backwards. The shield protected him against most of the damage, but he crashed into a tree and felt his shield shatter. It felt like a punch to the gut. As he opened his eyes, he saw a dark figure flying towards him, mace in-hand.

“J-Jabez?!”

The figure said nothing, aiming only to end his life. Ozahl summoned swords of white light to occupy the figure while he left behind an illusory copy of himself, teleporting behind a nearby tree. A clash of steel and sorcery eventually led the pair to a clearing, and as the setting sun shined down on them, the dark figure’s features came into focus.

“Jabez... I knew it was you. What are you doing?!” asked Ozahl.

“Isn’t it obvious? You’ve come here to kill me and the others, so I’m defending myself.”

“Kill you?! But I-” Ozahl turned away, gritting his teeth. “I understand what must be going through your head. You’re angry, you’re scared. But if you keep going down this path, it will only lead to chaos! There is another way!”

“Let me guess. We sit around and drink tea while people are suffering? You make me sick! In the time it would take to overturn things your way, countless people will have lived miserable, painful lives and disappeared, never to be seen again.”

“You fool! If you tear things down, more people will die than you’ll save! Is that what you want?! What will you replace Ramtha with when it’s gone? Will it be strong enough to defend against its enemies? There are too many things at play! You can’t just see things in black and white, that’s not how the world works!!”

Jabez got into a fighting stance, staring Ozahl down. “Then maybe this world should burn.”

Ozahl saw a flare of energy well up within Jabez’s soul. Realizing at once what was happening, the wizard got into a fighting stance as well, readying his staff.

“That day when we first met... I saw darkness in your soul. At first I thought it was a part of what you were, that which was not quite living, not quite dead. But now I realize that darkness... Was you.” Ozahl whispered an incantation, calculating all manner of possibilities in his mind. He saw dozens upon dozens of outcomes in the battle, and through those myriad visions, he sought a means to end the battle without killing Jabez. But in every scenario where Ozahl spared Jabez, Jabez killed him instead.

Perhaps there’s nothing to be done about it. Whoever sent Jabez to this realm clearly had ill intentions. Once I strike him down, I’ll see where his soul goes and learn the truth. First I’ll paralyze him as I did before. By then his friends will try to intervene, so I’ll counter with a barrier. Then I’ll take them all out in one go.

In that moment, Ozahl felt calm. His breathing steadied. He felt at peace with the world.

“This... Is goodbye,” said Ozahl.

“Yes. Yes it is,” said Jabez. “Empty.”

“What?!”

Jabez pulled out a magic bag from behind him and opened it up. As Ozahl fired on Jabez, a flurry of bodies came flying out of the bag. He saw guards, he saw mercenaries. He saw Ramvic the Keen. Ozahl’s spell struck a body by accident, and worse still, he lost sight of Jabez.

Where?! Where did he go?

“Right behind you.”

Ozahl tried to erect a barrier in time, but the enchanted mace struck true. Ozahl went flying towards the bodies and was buried in the dead. Their weight was immense. It felt like he was being crushed.

And then... He was.

Jabez had climbed atop the pile of bodies and brought down the enchanted mace upon Ozahl. Blow after blow, Ozahl felt himself shunted further and further into the ground. In his struggle to cast a burst spell to free himself, more blows kept coming. He was utterly helpless before the onslaught.

In his final moments, he remembered King Kojak, who he considered a friend until the very end. He remembered Duke Sigard, who he personally tutored and raised into a man. He remembered his son Eckart, who went off to war and died a hero. And he remembered his bastard child...

I never told you the truth, but I’ve always watched over you. Stop Jabez... Stop this madness.

Ozahl reached for the sun, unable to feel its warmth. Then he closed his eyes for the last time, descending into darkness.

---

“It’s done... You can all come out now,” muttered Jabez. His hands were shaking, and it felt painful just to hold onto the mace. It fell to the ground with a thud against the pile of bodies beneath his feet.

“So that was the wiseman’s end,” said Kela. “As hearts ascend in the breeze, so too do our remains return to the dirt.” Kela glanced at Jabez, taking his hand. “Let’s go. Many eyes, much danger remains.”

“O-of course,” said Jabez. “Let’s go...”

Helped along by Kela, Jabez met up with the others. He, Tuuli, and Seela had successfully snuck their way through patrols in order to reach Kela, the other goblins, and Akari, but on the way out, Gatu stepped on a thorn and his muffled cry drew attention from the guards, leading to the group having to fight their way through the area. Things calmed down after they took out the initial wave and went into hiding. Tuuli was able to pry the thorn out and heal Gatu’s foot, but then Seela noticed Ozahl’s arrival. In the end, Jabez was able to defeat the old man through reprehensible tactics, but if it meant saving his new friends and allies, it was a small price to pay.

Besides... The old man couldn’t be reasoned with. It was better this way. Surely. As Jabez walked into the forest, however, he couldn’t help but look back at the hand sticking out from the pile of bodies. A hand reaching for the sun...

“We’ll have to move camp after this,” said Seela. “Too many patrols in the area to do much.”

“I’m sorry... I feel like I’m just making things difficult for you all,” said Jabez.

“Not at all,” Seela smiled. “Ozahl was a powerful adversary. His defeat is a great blow to Ramtha’s hold over the land.”

“Besides,” said Tuuli. “It’s not too hard to move to another safe spot.”

“It’s not?” asked Jabez.

“Magic energy courses through the land like blood. Our people call them ley lines, and by using these, we’ve moved camp to different forests all over. Of course, we can’t control where the ley lines run, and sometimes they branch out in unpredictable ways, but if we act soon, we should be safe.”

“Then just let me know if you need any help.”

“As if! You’ve done enough,” said Tuuli. “Once we tell Reijo what’s happened, he can do the rest.”

“Very well. Thank you for everything.”

Tuuli shot Jabez a glare for some reason, though Jabez wasn’t sure why. He decided to hold his tongue the rest of the trip. He wondered, for a moment, if he had done the right thing. Was there another way he could have handled Ozahl? But as Jabez looked around at Akari, at Kela holding hands with her smiling son, as well as the other goblins and elves, his breathing calmed. Their calm, their smiles were all he needed to see to know the answer.

---

In the city of Felstat, guards were moving to and fro. Aurora looked outside her window from the inn room she was staying at, wondering what was happening. Rumors were spreading of a madman that had attacked the slave house, broken down a gate to escape with slaves, and killed over a dozen guards in the process. The rumors said it was Jabez, but that didn’t make any sense. None of it made sense. Things like this weren’t supposed to happen in Felstat. It was unthinkable. And yet...

Aurora heard a tap against the balcony window. She got up from the table and opened it up, realizing a bird had crashed into it. Crouching down to get a better look, Aurora realized it was the same blue bird from before.

It’s not moving... The poor thing.

Picking up the bird gently, Aurora stepped out of the inn and found a nice patch of dirt to bury it in. She offered a solemn prayer to the animal and wished it a safe journey to the other side. As she stepped back into the street, she noticed wanted posters were being put up, all of them showing Jabez’s face. Aurora clenched her dirt-stained hands. She had to find him. She had to find Jabez and learn the truth. But... When she finally did find him, what if the rumors were true? What if he really was an enemy of the people? What then? Aurora didn’t have an answer... But she knew that if she didn’t try, she’d never be able to rest easy again. So she put one foot in front of the other, making her way to the Company of the Spade.