Come One, Come All!

Aurora couldn’t believe it. She had spared so little time for slaves, but here she was, breaking bread with them. They told her about how while the three of them were foraging in the wilderness, they saw signs of the smoking forest. It was the forestmar, no, the elf who wanted to investigate. She, like the kortu, had been trained in the art of medicine and healing. Even if there was danger, she couldn’t abandon someone in need.

“What frightened us the most wasn’t the fire,” said the kortu, sipping tea. “It’s when mercenaries fled from it. We saw several men running out of the woods, splattered with blood.”

“Was there a man with shaggy brown hair and a scar over his left eye?” asked Aurora.

“Not that we saw,” said the elf. “Was that your captain?”

“Yes. If the others were fleeing, either Captain Bowen called for a retreat, or...” Aurora shook her head. “What happened next?”

“Well...”

The story continued, and they described how the men saw Aurora in the river. One of them said they should get her, but the others said it wasn’t worth it, so they kept running. Then a giant of a woman leaped from the forest with a trident like a rampaging demon. She landed in front of the mercenaries, making a small crater in the ground upon impact. And then...

“I won’t go into the gritty details, but the mercs didn’t make it.” The kortu was elbowed by the elf. “Sadly, of course. It was a terrible tragedy.”

“But because the other mercenaries pointed you out, we were able to find you,” said the elf. “It looked like you hit your head on something, possibly from a fall. After the giant woman was gone, I pulled you from the river myself.”

“With some healing there and some medicine later, that’s how you avoided an untimely demise,” said the kortu, finishing his tea.

“I see...” Aurora looked at the wet tea leaves in her cup, contemplating the situation. On one hand, her comrades were on the run from an insurmountable enemy. On the other, Alech shot her in order to hit Jabez. No matter how she tried to rationalize it, the people she once considered a second family didn’t care about her. Maybe some of them cared, but certainly not enough to stick their necks out for her. And here were three escaped slaves treating her better than her comrades. When all of that sank in, Aurora couldn’t help but cry.

“Whoa, what’s the matter?” asked the kortu.

“Here,” the elf passed Aurora a ratty cloth. “It’s not much, but feel free to use it.”

“Thank you...” Aurora tried to dry her tears, but they just kept coming. Her whole world had been turned upside down ever since Jabez appeared. At first she thought she had a star pupil, then a friend, then a bitter enemy. And yet... When she saw how little her comrades cared, and how nicely some slaves treated her, the way Jabez thought started to make sense. There was still so much to untangle in her mind, but if nothing else, there was kindness here. A kindness she would not forget.

“I know it’s a bit soon to ask,” the dwarven girl spoke up, “but what do you think you’ll do now? Will you look for survivors?”

“No. Who... Who needs ‘em?! The only one who showed me any respect was the captain!! And maybe Isaac... But you know, I’ve been feeling homesick for so long. I think I’ll put up the sword and go back to my family’s farm. Planting some vegetables sounds really good right about now.”

“Planting some veggies, eh?” asked the kortu. “That sounds nice... I remember I used to do that back in my homeland. Aye, those were the days. Planting seeds, wiping sweat from the brow, and watching the lil’ ones at play while sipping cool water and smoking the pipe.”

“You used to be a farmer too?”

“Yes indeed. I helped with the village ‘tatoes, squashers, wheat, and other things.”

“What if... You came with me?” asked Aurora. “I know it’s not the same as your homeland, but my folks are kind. We’d never mistreat you. And if you found a way to get back home while living on the farm, well, all the better, right?”

“But what if our old master finds us?” asked the elf.

“They never have to know,” Aurora smiled. I know a good scribe. He could help fake some papers. And then-”

That’s when the door was kicked open. The wood splintered from the strike, causing glass to break and the dwarven girl to fall, bleeding. In walked riders, alongside a face she hoped she’d never have to see again... Hito.

“Domo, Aurora. I was wondering where you had gone.”

“Hito?! What’s going on? How did you find me?”

“The nose knows,” Hito tapped a finger to his face. “Besides, I saw you get dragged off by these criminals, so of course I wanted to help you.”

Hito wore a great big smile when he talked. A strange, inhuman smile. It was not that he was enjoying the situation like a sadist. More like he was... Acting. Badly. It didn’t matter, though. Aurora couldn’t let these people hurt her new friends.

“Stay behind me! I’ll protect you!” Aurora put herself between the riders and the escaped slaves.

“Out of the way!” a rider shouted, swinging his fist. Aurora ducked, kneeing him in the gut and punching him in the jaw. The other riders saw one of theirs collapse, and they drew their swords.

“We’ll skin you for that!” growled one of the riders.

“Get her!” shouted another.

“Ah, don’t be like that,” said Hito. “She’s just confused. Here, I’ll apprehend her.”

Without even moving his staff, a potent magic emitted from Hito. Aurora felt a shock go through her whole body, rendering her paralyzed. She collapsed to the ground, as did the escaped slaves still standing. Afterwards, Aurora was put in shackles and dragged out of the shed, alongside the slaves. While the riders took custody of the slaves, Hito had Aurora placed over the back of his gurok.

“W-where... Are you... Taking me?” asked Aurora, fighting through the paralysis.

“Why, to the capital, of course! I can’t let you miss out on all the fun. We’re having a grand party for the newlyweds! That, and our... New arrivals,” he smiled.

“New arrivals? Wait... Do you mean?”

“Bingo! By the way, wherever did you come across this crystal?” Hito held up the blue gem Ozahl had given her so long ago. “It has a rather intriguing magic, if I do say so myself.”

“Hey! Give that back! Ozahl entrusted it to me!!”

“Ozahl, you say? That old bag? Interesting...” Hito examined the gem some more. “Did he ever tell you what this does? If not, that was awfully dangerous of him. If this burst while in your pocket, why, it would have kicked your soul right out of your body!”

That’s what that does?! Aurora’s eyes went wide. But... Why would he say to use it on Jabez if he was too troublesome? That seems a bit extreme. Unless...

“Just what are you planning, you bastard?!” shouted Aurora.

“Nothing much. I just thought I’d invite some friends into the capital, you included!”

“I am not your friend! You and the others left me for dead!”

“Ouch! You wound me, Aurora! Still, I’m sure I can make it up to you soon. And who knows, maybe even our dear friend Jabez will show too? In fact...” Hito snickered. “I’m counting on it.”

---

When Jabez next awoke, he felt strange. His body ached, yet he had never been more invigorated. He grew excited. The medicine worked! So why... Why did he hear crying?

Forcing himself up, Jabez stumbled off the stone slab. “What’s going on, everyone?” he asked. Before the others replied, he saw a terrible sight. Kela and the other goblins were crying, and Serena had her hand over what looked like a webbed cocoon. A still, unmoving cocoon. When he did a quick headcount, everyone was accounted for except... Iris. “Oh god... What happened to Iris?”

“I warned her,” said Serena, her voice solemn. “I told her what might happen, but...”

“What did you do? What happened to Iris?” Jabez asked, limping up to Serena. “Is she in this cocoon? Why?!”

“She... She wanted to be strong. Strong for Jabez,” said Kela, wiping tears from her eyes. “Foolish girl. She was no burden. Kela told her so.”

Jabez was at a loss for words. Strength? Burden? It sounded like Iris was still fixated on her thoughts from before. But why? There was no need for her to risk her life... Not for Jabez, or anyone else.

“Serena... Is there nothing we can do?”

The jurou shook her head. “Even in my age, my venom is strong. Had she survived, she would have emerged a half-monster. Disfigured, but strong. That strength is what she sought in order to help you.”

“No...” Jabez put a hand to the cocoon. No movement, no warmth, no sign of life budding within. Just stillness. Horrible, terrible stillness. As the reality of things finally sank in, Jabez fell to his knees and wept. “Iris... Iris... Iris!!!”

After he regained his composure minutes later, he feverishly sifted through the manual Gamugin had given him. It was doubtful anything in it could help Iris, but if it was about surviving in another world, there might be talk of poisons and venom. Bug bites, snake bites – things of that nature.

“If you get bitten by a creature you don’t recognize and you feel your leg go numb, seek an apothecary, doctor, or an alchemist! Make sure to haggle with them over the medicine, or they’ll think you’re crazy!”

Jabez threw the manual across the room. “Is this a joke?! How is that helpful?!” Feeling a bitter rage from within, he wanted to reach out and strangle someone. But violence wasn’t going to solve the issue. Even so, not being able to do anything for his friend was eating him up inside.

While Jabez was huffing and puffing, Serena crept across the cavern, picking up the manual. “Gamugin? So he’s the one behind this...” The jurou perked up her head, looking about as if something drew her attention. “Visitors? I see.”

“Visitors? Who?” asked Jabez.

“An elven woman... And a catkin.”

“Tuuli? Sullivan? What are they doing here?”

Serena’s eyes focused, staring into the distance. “I think you should ask them yourself. Here, I’ll make a path for you.” With a gesture, an exit in the cave appeared. Jabez walked up to it, realizing he could make his way down to the others with ease.

“Thank you... I’ll be back.” Serena merely nodded in response. With that, Jabez rushed out of the cave and down the side of the mountain. With a clear path, going down proved much easier than climbing up. It wasn’t long until his two friends came into view. He waved to them and called out, and soon the three were reunited.

“Jabez!” cried Tuuli. “Your body, you’ve healed!”

“That doesn’t matter right now. What happened? Why were you two running?”

“We were tricked...” said Sullivan.

Tuuli and Sullivan told Jabez about what became of the other Hidden Grove members. They were supposed to reach the city of Leonia with the help of Reijo, but the truth was... Reijo died during the battle against the Company of the Spade.

“What? How could Reijo die?!” asked Jabez.

“We believe it was Hito...” said Sullivan. “We don’t know for certain, but when we were traveling towards the capital, we took a turn along the route I didn’t expect. Reijo was quiet when we asked questions, and when we finally realized why, he... Smiled.”

“And he led you into a trap.”

Tuuli nodded. “The route led to a contingent of riders and other guards. We fought best as we could, but so many were killed. Many others were captured. But before we met our end, Demetra appeared.”

“She tore through the guardsmen like wet paper,” said Sullivan. “Were it not for her, we would have never escaped. She shouted for us to head northwest towards the mountains where we might find you, so we ran.”

Jabez wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. First Iris, then Reijo, then everyone else. Everything was crumbling all around him, and he had gone through so much just so he could help them. In the end, he couldn’t do a thing.

“Where is Hito now?” asked Jabez.

“We don’t know,” said Sullivan. “Best case scenario, Demetra won. But...”

“It’s okay. I understand,” Jabez put a hand on Sullivan’s shoulder. “But you said some of the Hidden Grove was captured. Why?”

“I’m not sure. Hito mentioned something about... A party?”

Given what Jabez knew of Hito, there were only a few things that could mean, and every possibility was worst than the last. But... If some of the Hidden Grove had been captured, there was a chance Demetra was captured instead of killed as well. That spark of hope, no matter how small, was enough for Jabez to hold onto.

Then, in the distance, Jabez saw riders coming down the path. Scores of men on guroks, armored and ready for a fight.

“Dammit all! They followed us all the way here?!” shouted Tuuli.

“Sullivan, can your magic make me a sword?” asked Jabez.

“It can... For a time,” said the catkin.

“Good.” Jabez stared down the swarm of soldiers in black, riding with their weapons held high. “Because right now, I really need to hit something.”