Across the city Ryza, Orion and Ryze gathered on one of the walls. They had their backs to the rising sun, looking toward the empty expanse of space that would take them to Noria. Orion looked at the pair of necromancers and from the back, arms folded like they were, and saw the resemblance.
With the decision to invade the Necropolis on their minds they had separated to make their preparations. The three of them were lucky enough to not need to make much peace with any friends or family they could potentially leave behind and had few belongings to secure. So, the only thing for them to do was wait.
“Do you believe him?” Ryza asked her brother.
“In what?” he asked quickly.
“In opening the portal. Saying that he wants to kill our mother.”
Ryze mulled on this for a long moment and finally nodded his head, “The Vayne that I knew was cold. He didn’t act unless it benefited him in some way. And in this instance, I’m guessing that he had some love for our father. And retrieving his shovel has some priority for him.”
“Huh and here I thought killing the world and raising it as some undead nightmare would be enough to drive anyone,” Orion said dismissively.
“Any normal person yes. Though I cannot say such a world isn’t fascinating to me,” Ryza chuckled. “So many experiments to run. So many opportunities to enjoy in a world such as that.”
“You almost sound like our mother,” Ryze raised his eyebrow.
“I wouldn’t want to lie and say the prospect doesn’t intrigue me brother,” she turned to look at him. “But this world is something I haven’t fully explored either. There’s more to see in a living world than there is in a dead one. People like Orion for example. Imagine if they were living and breathing. What manner of creature would they be?”
“Likely a human,” they said blankly. “Being a construct isn’t that different from a human.”
“Yes but what if?” she asked again. “Would growing old or the idea of death have shaped you differently? Who’s to say. That’s partially what I’d love to investigate.”
“And here I thought you wanted to become a lich,” Ryze smiled at her. “What’s changed your mind?”
“You misunderstand brother,” she shook her head. “I cannot see the world in its entirety without first being immortal. There’s too much of this world to see that can be contained in one lifetime.”
“Then once this is said and done let us continue my research. I’ve almost cracked a way to create a proper immortal body. Better than what our parents practiced.”
“You did mention an experiment in the past that had borne fruit.”
“Yes. In more ways than one. Perhaps I should introduce you to Isaac.”
“Isaac?” she repeated.
“A soldier from the Sanctum. I raised him as a lich. And somehow, we became friends. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him. I wonder how he and Hector are doing.”
“A friend of my brother’s,” she almost laughed. “It is hard imagining you having friends.”
He ignored her laughter, “He was persistent. And you cannot choose who you become attached to.”
Ryza brushed her hand across Gest’s mask and caught Orions’s eye. “No. I guess you cannot.” Silence hung on them for a long few minutes. “Ryze?”
“Hm?”
“I know that our mother isn’t a good woman. In any sense. But do you have any good memories of her? I have one, I think. And I don’t know if it’s even real. But sometimes I like to believe it was.”
Ryze began to answer but stopped and let himself think before answering. He closed his eyes remembering all that he could about his mother, everything she had once put him through from what she had called training to the events that had been borderline torture. Finally, he opened his eyes and nodded.
“I think I know the memory you’re thinking of. We were young. I was maybe six and you were barely four years old at the time. It was the first time that you had cast anything even resembling a spell. But you had somehow managed to give life to a dead rat if for only a few seconds. Our mother had been ecstatic and our father proud in his own way.
“Mother insisted that we celebrate the future of not just our family but of the cult. She took us away from the Necropolis, to a small city in Noria. There was a festival going on at the same time. We had sweet pies, watched some small local performance that gave gratitude to the Great Leader. We stayed until you couldn’t keep your eyes open anymore.
“A few days later despite our father’s protest, I began my training. A year later father stole you away.”
Ryza looked at the ground they stood on and nodded her head slowly, “Yes. Yes that is the memory. I remember it almost exactly like that. Father, father never spoke of that memory. He tried to take care of me, train me as best he could to use my magic and to hide. He tried to give me some semblance of a childhood. When I was eleven, I remember overhearing him. I don’t know who he was talking to then but he said that he regretted leaving you behind brother. He regretted that he couldn’t have taken us both.”
Ryze stared at his sister and shook his head, “I don’t remember father much. I remember hating him for a long time. But eventually, I understood why he did what he did. And now here we are. We both survived.”
“Yes. Yes we did. I used to think I was alone. That I’d be alone forever after father died. But now I have you. And I’m glad to not be alone anymore.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Ryze said. “I’m glad Isaac convinced me to give you another try.”
“Me too,” Ryza looked back at Orion who stood over them like some sort of bodyguard. “But the real question is why are you still here?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” the construct asked.
“I hired you. And that job doesn’t cover any of what we’ve done or what we’re about to do. And I like you well enough. But tell me grumpy construct. Why are you here still?”
They looked at her and then Ryze, “I stuck around after the fact to find the Ouroboros. That was the first goal. But after that it was to look after you and that fool of a jester. If it were just the two of you, you’d get yourselves killed.” They sighed softly. “Which happened the moment I left that fool alone.”
“That wasn’t your fault,” Ryza said sharply.
“I know. I don’t blame myself for that,” they shook their head. “But I’d rather not lose another companion.”
Ryza laughed clapping her hands together, “That sounds like you actually care about me Orion.”
“Don’t let it go to your head,” they replied. Both she and Ryze laughed together and after a few moments, Orion joined with them on it.
Vincent brushed the flap of the tent open and walked into the inn. Just like he figured there was commotion and activity within. Which wasn’t too much of a problem. It meant he could go to the bar without being immediately seen or run into. He moved and sat down at the far corner and just his luck Annie swept through like a hurricane.
She paused refilling a few tankards and then looked at him and offered a weary smile, “Hey Vince! What’ll you have?”
“Just a beer Annie. Take your time.”
“No worries Vince. Just poured this one,” she said sliding a tankard his way. Before he could object, she was already gone. Sighing he took the tankard and sipped on it slowly. He drank and thought this might be his last one for a while or ever. Drinking, he turned around and looked at the inn.
Tables full with boasting bandits shouting back and forth. Some sitting off on their own and others singing together at the top of their lungs. He even spotted a few passed out in the corner, not drunk or even full. Just tired but having to visit this place first. Annie’s inn wasn’t the only one like this. There were plenty of them across the entire city all doing similar things to do this. Every bandit had a preference.
He turned around again leaning his elbows on the bar as he dragged one hand through his hair. He went to take a longer chug when a hand slapped into his back and he choked, coughing and sputtering against the bar. “Heya Vince! Didn’t think I’d see you here this morning!” Monica said plopping down on the seat next to him and slamming her own mug onto the bar.
Glaring at her he coughed again, “Hey Monica. Needed a drink this morning.”
“I feel that. I could use a stronger one myself,” her smile fell away and she leaned against the bar. She pulled down her scarf revealing her scarred lips and she sighed hard. “It’s been a shit week but I don’t have to tell you that.”
“Yeah it has been,” he raised his tankard to her and she clacked her mug against his before they drank together. When they were empty, they slammed them down and wiped their mouths. “So we’re both here at the crack of dawn drinking away our sorrows. That’s pretty par for the course for a Rogue.”
“Yeah but it’s different. I was leading an easy job to blow off steam,” she pointed at him, a knowing jab. “You look like you’re about to do something dangerous and stupid in the next few minutes.”
“What do you take me for?” he asked rolling his eyes.
“A Rogue with a grudge,” she said and he stopped his immediate complaint and sighed. “Uh huh gotcha didn’t I.”
“It’s not stupid,” he replied finally.
“I might be able to believe that,” she said motioning toward Annie as she rushed past. She managed to stop for a second to refill their drinks, say hi, and then rush off again. “That girl is something else.”
“Yeah she is. Need to hire some more help in here for her. Or a vacation.”
“Look Vince. We lost Boss and we lost Lionel. I don’t need to lose you too. Cause then it’ll just be me and Samuel and the Rogue’s will go to shit if that happens.”
“Oh come on. You’re selling yourself short there,” Vincent smiled and looked into his tankard for a long moment before facing her again. “For what it’s worth I think you’d make a great leader for the Rogues.”
“Heh, very funny Vince,” she waved him off and shook her head.
“I’m serious.”
She set her mug down and looked at him and realized he was. Turning to face him fully she waved her hands back and forth. “No way Vince. If anyone should be the leader of the Rogue’s it should be you. I mean Lionel raised you. And you’ve been with Boss since like ever.”
“So were you and so have you. Plus look at me. I make maps. I don’t lead people. But you, you just came back from a raid. One that you were leading. Everyone in the Rogue’s knows your name and more than that likes you. We need someone like that.”
She was speechless and looked down then back at him. Even under the scarves, he could tell she was smiling, “You really think so?”
“Hell yeah.”
Closing her eyes she let out a breath and pointed at him, “I don’t know what bullshit you’re about to do but you better come back alive. If I’m going to lead our bunch of fools then I need you on my right. No way I’m trusting Samuel with that. Take this.”
She reached to her hip and pulled off a wallet pouch and shoved it into his hands. He looked at it and back at her, “What’s this?”
“An insurance policy from your new boss. Use it when you get in a pinch.”
“Oh? That mean you finally forgive me for Paratouga?” he asked raising his tankard.
“Don’t push it,” she raised her mug smirking.
They clanked them together and laughed just like their predecessors.
The Harlequin Library 