Chapter 99 - Arrival of Reinforcements

Bud sat in the reception area of the mayor’s office, staring numbly at the far wall. For the last three months, it had been him, Hump, and Celaine. Now, Hump was gone, and it felt like they were missing the spark that made them click.

All he could think about was what his friend might be going through; trapped in another realm and help prisoner by a monster. It was the stuff of nightmares. Celaine checked the bond multiple times each day, just to know that he was still alive. The worst part was that despite knowing he was out there, there was nothing they could do for him. Nothing anyone could do, at least not yet. Not until the beast came to them.

Reinforcements had arrived in Fishers Lake that morning, two days after the attack. They were too late. It had been Randall’s letter that finally spurred Sheercliff City into action. Apparently, they had adventurers to spare after all, so long as the right people did the asking.

The party leader had called for a meeting soon after their arrival, and for a while, Bud had finally felt a sliver of hope. That hope faded further with every minute she made them wait. For almost an hour, he and the others had been left out in the hall, even Vivienne being refused access to the command room.

Clearly, the new leadership was trying to send a message, and it was a message Bud received as clear as day: “I am in charge now.”

He was furious. They didn’t have time to waste on petty politics. Hump was captured, along with at least twenty villagers. They had to take action now or they wouldn’t have a hope of being prepared for when the next wave of spirits attacked. Despite that, Vivienne waited patiently.

When the doors to the mayor’s dining hall finally opened, the same adventurer that had turned them away before stepped out. He carried a spear and wore a round shield on his back. His armour was mostly layered cloth—light, but not all that effective against a direct attack. Only his chest was properly armoured in plate.

“Lady Helen Astida is ready for you now. Please, come in.”

Bud stood first, his chair scaping the ground. He waited for Vivienne to take the lead, then followed behind her, entering the makeshift command hall. The tables were almost clear now, the papers and maps gathered by Randall and his party cleared off to make room for a couple of maps of the town. On the wall, a tally of missing people drew Bud’s eye. At least they were keeping track of things that mattered.

Helen Astida sat in the middle of the long table; her party seated on either side of her. She was a silver ranked adventurer and wore the medallion proudly. She wore a mixture of dark leather and mail, much like Celaine. Bud spotted her bow resting against the wall behind her, alongside a quiver. A war bow, judging from the size of it. It had to be almost twice the size of Celaine’s. Helen herself had arms as thick as tree trunks, her right arm and shoulder considerably thicker than the other.

Mayor Arnold and Priestess Elowen had seats at the heads of the table. On the right, Randall and his own party were seated smartly, only Skander ignoring etiquette and slouching in his chair. Clearly, the rogue was feeling better. Sergeant Fredricks had returned and taken command of the guard now that Captain Winfrey was dead. He and the other guards stood behind them.

“You must forgive me for keeping you waiting,” Helen began, addressing Vivienne. “I thought it best I was properly caught up on the situation before we spoke. I’ve heard much about your efforts here, Wizard Vivienne, and not all of it good.”

Vivienne smiled. “That comes as no surprise. It’s a good thing then that I did not come here seeking approval. You requested my presence. Now that I am here, now do you wish to proceed.”

Bud detected the challenge in her voice, but Helen didn’t bite.

“There’s no use sugar coating it,” Helen said. “As I understand it, you worked in the best interest of the town. You took the necessary precautions for a plausible plan, and it backfired. Would you agree?”

“I do,” Vivienne conceded.

“Then I suggest we move past it and work toward a new plan. My goal here is to avoid a repetition of the events two days prior. With that in mind, I will focus on improving our defences before the next attack.”

Bud clenched his jaw and stepped forward. “Forgive me if it’s not my place, but a number of villagers were captured. They can’t afford for us to take a defensive stance. If we can find the gateway, there’s a chance we can still get them back.”

“Lord Robert, I presume?” Helen asked.

“Yes.”

She gave him a sympathetic look. “You lost a party member. A friend. I know how that feels, and how difficult it is to accept. But Emirai’s mercy, you must. They are dead, accept that, as hard as that may be.”

“You’re wrong,” Bud said. He couldn’t tell her about the egg, but he didn’t need to. “They didn’t kill the towns people and they didn’t kill Hump. I was there. For whatever reason, they kept them alive and took them back through the gateway. Randall can attest to that. I expect they’ve been taken prisoner.”

“What Robert says is true,” Randall said. “While Captain Winfrey and a few of the other guards were dead when we arrived, the majority of the towns people inside were still breathing. They’d been spared, at least for the time being.”

Helen sighed. “Then they are as good as dead. I suggest you only pray it be quick.”

“You won’t even try?” Bud said.

“We can stop this if we find the source,” Celaine added. “If we locate the main gateway, there won’t even be another wave. By going on the offence, we may also save everyone else.”

“I believe enough mistakes have been made by rushing into things,” Helen said. “My first objective is to establish a foothold here. Your loyalty to your friend and the people of Fishers Lake is admirable, but we must choose our battle for the greater good.”

“We have a foothold,” Dylan said. “We’ve been establishing a foothold here for months. The waves grow stronger with every month. Waiting will only make our situation worse.”

“Since then, a gateway has opened in the town,” Helen said. “The situation has changed. Three days is far from enough time for us to prepare to a level I am comfortable, but it is all we have. I’m sorry, but there are simply no resources to spare. Once this wave has passed, we can discuss our more aggressive options. For now, I have my own orders to follow. Lord Ferrand has commanded we defend Fishers Lake, so that is what we shall do.” She stared at Vivienne. “Do you have any further concerns, Wizard Vivienne? Otherwise, I would value your thoughts on our plans.”

“No,” Vivienne said. “My assessment of the situation was evidently mistaken. I’m happy to work with you on this. A defensive course of action may well be best for this next wave, so that we have a chance to take stock. After that, we can figure out a new plan.”

“Wizard Vivienne—” Bud started.

“Enough,” Vivienne said. “There is a chain of command that must be respected. Lady Astida is the ranking adventurer. We will follow her lead.”

“Thank you,” Helen said. “I’ll be counting on your support.” She clapped her hands together and smiled. “Good. That makes things easier. With that out of the way, let’s continue our discussion.”

Bud gritted his teeth, furious at himself for not finding a fault in her argument. She had the town’s interest at heart. As much as he hated to admit it, he thought Helen was right.

Kelisia help me, Bud thought. This is where Hump would know what to say. His view of the world was dark and warped, but he saw things others didn’t, and he knew how to push people.

Bud hardly listened as talk turned back to the defence. Vivienne’s leadership had been stolen away just like that, and she’d not even tried to put up a fight. With Helen in charge, Hump might as well have been dead.

When the meeting concluded, Bud barely managed to hold back his fury until they were out of time.

“Robert, I can practically hear the steam coming out of your ears,” Vivienne said as they followed the path along the lakeside back to the lighthouse. “Out with it.”

“I’m struggling to understand why you would agree to Helen’s plan,” Bud said. “It’s not what we discussed.”

“Indeed it is not. The less people involved, the better. We’re still going to find the source as discussed. With Lady Helen Astida taking care of the defence, I am no longer required here. We’ll head out onto the lake and position ourselves on the island where Hestia’s Star was received.”

“Then what?” Celaine asked.

“Then we wait,” she said. “When the gateway opens, and the spirits have flown toward the town, we try and find the gateway.”

“And even if we don’t, we can follow them the rest of the way once they return,” Celaine finished. “That will work.”

Bud clenched his fists at his side. “Is that really the only reason? Or do you still want to keep the temple for yourself?”

She glanced at him and sighed. “The world isn’t always black and white, Robert. I’ll do everything I can to help Hump and the other villagers. Whether anyone else knows about the temple or not, it makes no difference.”

“We’re in this together, Bud,” Dylan said. “Trust us.”

Bud frowned at the druid. He had no problems trusting him, but Vivienne had proved herself to have an ulterior agenda time and time again. This time, he wouldn’t let her make the first move. For Hump’s sake, and for the sake of all the villagers, he was taking matters into his own hands.

***

Hump didn’t dream from the gorger’s pen. When sleep took him, he fell into blissful darkness. Each time he woke, it would be to the sound of Lucil entering the cavern beyond. He would eagerly await the next chip. It had been a long time since he’d felt so hungry. He’d taken to storing every other chip beneath the surface layer of dirt in his cell, so it had gone from bad to worse. Each time it was a fight to convince himself that he needed every bit of power he could get his hands on if this was going to work.

That was what kept him sane. He was going to get out of this, and he was going to take Lucil with him, and anyone else he could find in this hell hole.

Over the last few visits, he could tell the gorger was growing frustrated. Despite its efforts, Hump found it easier to resist its attack with every attempt. The pain was the same, and the cold, but it no longer penetrated as deeply. He could tell where his walls would crack, or where the beast was focusing its attack, and he was getting better at filling in the damage as it formed. He supposed he had the dragon to thank for that. He’d come to realise the imprint wasn’t just protecting him, it was nurturing him. He was getting stronger.

This time, the gorger seemed different as it entered his cell. There was an eagerness to it that had been lacking when he’d last seen it. A jump to its step, if the giant monstrosity could have such a thing.

“Did something happen?” Hump asked, his voice quiet as a whisper. His body didn't have the strength for more.

The creature’s face broke into a toothy grin. "Not yet. The time of the feast is almost upon us. I must suffer your presence for now, but today… I dine.”