The Last Experience Point-Chapter 184: Tension Between Allies

Chapter 184: Tension Between Allies

The thunder stopped, and along with it, the sound of rumbling ceased while the winds died down. This, naturally, signaled an end to the typical all-night storm that rocked the island of Elendroth from sunset to sunrise, heralding in the new day.

Awakened by a stirring motion, Zach slowly opened his eyes and groaned. “Kal?”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you,” she said. Even with grogginess in her eyes and her golden hair unkempt, she looked stunningly beautiful. She scrunched up her cheeks and then pinched his. “Go back to bed.”

Zach had been sleeping with his head in her chest, the blankets covering them both. “Are you seriously getting up already?”

“I gotta, I’m sorry.”

Zach rolled over onto his back, releasing a sigh. “The sun’s not even all the way up yet.”

“Yeah, but it is in Shadowfall Coast, and umm, today I have a meeting with one of the guerilla leaders in the safe zone. Also, I have to take little Pete to school.”

“He’s going to hate that. I can take him today.”

“No, it’s on my way.”

“Yeah, but he hates waking up to begin with, and it’s, like, really early, Kal.”

“Oh, he’ll get over it! I’ll run him to Varda’s Lair then circle back through Yorna’s and get to Shadowfall Coast. Everybody’s gonna be waiting for me in the safe zone.”

Zach knew all about the safe zone. The media had been going on and on about it for almost a week. Given there were no serious injuries or deaths, the story of the Mare of the Primordial Void, which Zach had taken part in defeating five days ago, had a surprisingly short-lived run, and the top news was once again dominated by the situation in Shadowfall Coast, which to her credit, Kalana had actually managed to calm down somewhat by creating an exclusive part of the city in the southeast where no guns or guild operations were permitted. To be sure, it was a good thing that she was doing, but…it also meant that Zach barely got to spend any time with her, as she got up early and came home late every single day.

Meanwhile, Zach, for his part, had been nothing but a lazy glutton since killing that oversized pony, and he was proud of it, too. He’d spent five days eating, sleeping, watching an enormous amount of news, and napping on a pool float. At no point in his life had he ever been lazier than he was being right now. He was so lazy, in fact, that when the periodic lightning storms came around, he sometimes didn’t even bother to get out of the pool. He simply continued to lie on the float while ignoring the downpouring of rain and brutally harsh winds.

Once, yesterday, he was even struck directly by lightning, but he was now at the point where that wasn’t really a concern for him, and it felt like having a fly land on his chest. In fact, with his eyes closed, that had actually been what he’d thought at first. It was only after the float started to lose air along with a smell of burning plastic that he realized he’d been struck.

“Jascaila!” he’d yelled into his water-proof phone.

“Zach, are you all right?” her barely audible voice had come from the sliding-glass door, where she called out to him rather than simply speak into her phone. But the howling winds had made it difficult to hear her.

“Hey!” he recalled calling back to her. “Uh, can you blow me up another float and throw it to me?”

Clearly annoyed, she had closed the sliding-glass door and had then responded to him over the phone. “No! Stop being lazy! We talked about this. You’ve barely moved in days.”

He’d sighed. “Okay, fine.” Then, trying his luck, he’d raised his voice. “Eilea!”

“Yes, Zach?” the Goddess’s voice had called out to him, the door opening a second time. She had no phone, but she could somehow hear him through walls and storms.

“Do you mind blowing me up another float and throwing it to me?”

In hindsight, Zach should have known that Fylwen and many of her Elvish kin would take offense to the request. But, in fairness, she’d agreed to do it! Yet her retinue of Elves, who happened to be nearby, reacted with outrage and wouldn’t let her. And because of that little incident, Zach now needed to “schedule” a visit whenever he wanted to speak with Eilea. Well, okay, it wasn’t just because of that one incident. There might have been a “couple” more, such as the Elves being horrified to walk in on Eilea making him pancakes one morning, or getting him the screen remote so he could turn up the volume to the news without getting off the couch. Honestly, there’d been a lot more just like that now that he thought about it.

Maybe asking her to scratch my back went too far.

Zach rolled over again and tried to drift off back to sleep, but it was difficult with the sound of Peter VI crying and screaming from the other room. “I DON’T WANNA GO TO SCHOOL!”

“Be a big boy, cutie,” Kalana’s voice drifted through the walls. “Ruby, please help him get packed.”

“Yes, Mommy Kalana!” the raptor chirped. “Come on, Pete!”

Although Ruby was Kalana’s pet—and formerly Zach’s—she had really become Pete’s best friend. The two slept in the same bed, and she guarded him like a family dog. She behaved like one, too, which meant Jimmy’s hypothesis about her inheriting a dog’s mind in a raptor’s body was probably correct.

Through the opened bedroom door, Zach spotted the sight of little Pete, still half asleep, riding Ruby through the hallway with his backpack on, and it made Zach laugh. But not because he thought the current situation was funny, but rather because of how different it was from his own childhood. To Pete, his daily routine was quickly becoming his new normal, but to every other level-1 child in the world, the idea of getting up early in the morning, traveling across multiple planets, and attending an exclusive, prestigious school for the children of guild members in Varda’s Lair…that was like a surreal dream life. The boy actually got to ride a level-66 raptor into his classroom, and that was just, like, allowed. And from what Kalana told him, everybody in his class including the teachers loved Ruby.

“Bye, Zach!” the boy yelled. He waved to Zach as he and Kalana headed towards the front door.

“Have fun!” Zach called back to him.

“Bleh, school’s never fun!”

Pete continued to ramble various things as the sound of his voice lowered the farther away that he became. The last thing Zach heard was “…and I’m the highest level in my class” before the distinct sound of the front door shutting reached his ears.

Okay, back to sleep.

And that was what Zach did. Closing his eyes, he rested for another hour or two, but he awoke a second time, much more unpleasantly, as he heard his name being angrily called by none other than Fylwen. Or at least that was who it sounded like.

“Zach! Enough sleeping!” she shouted from what he assumed was the kitchen.

Oh, shit.

“Coming!”

What could she possibly want?

Zach got dressed as fast as he could then yawned his way into the kitchen, gulping nervously as he saw Fylwen, Trelvor, Seiley, Jascaila, and about four Elvish guards standing there upright as though waiting for him. Eilea was nowhere in sight.

“Young man,” Fylwen said to him, her arms folded over her chest, “though I’m well aware you’ve been in need of some rest, this has simply become obscene. Everyone who stays on Elendroth contributes, even our guests. Even the children! Don’t you think it’s time you did something?”

The Elvish queen was in a very stubborn mood. Zach was actually surprised to see her here. Usually, she left early in the morning with Kal and Pete, and with negotiations over the region’s future having begun two days prior—alongside increased efforts to quell the uprisings and civil unrest—Zach would’ve expected her to be present bright and early.

“I don’t get it. Are you mad at me or something? And if so, why?”

Fylwen half turned around and pointed towards the nearest window, which revealed a beautiful, warm morning, the sun now fully in the sky. “Because you should be helping plant vegetables or teaching sword fighting to the children. I have seen you at your best, and it is not this.”

Zach frowned. “Hey, I’m just taking a break.”

“You’re retreating from life is what you’re doing! Now, I’d appreciate it if you would help the young learn the sword after their morning classes. I imagine you’d make an apt instructor.”

Zach released a long, drawn-out yawn while he stretched his arms. “Gee, you know, I wish I could, but I can’t do it. Too much trauma I’m working through. Tell her, Jascaila.”

“Actually, I agree with her, Zach,” she said, which stunned him.

“The hell do you mean you agree?”

“You’ve gone from one extreme to the other. You went from someone who refuses to rest to someone who now refuses to move.”

“This is actually my default state. It’s proof I’m healing.”

“No, it’s proof you’re trying to drown yourself in laziness. You should be doing things, Zach.”

“It’s only been five days!”

“Yep. And that’s long enough. Don’t you have to go to Dragon Squire and start figuring out how we’re going to defeat the World Eater? How long are you gonna keep putting that off for, kiddo?”

The way Zach's heart sped up in response to that question was perhaps the most strenuous activity he’d endured in the past five days. Sending Jascaila a look of extreme warning, he said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He made slight twitching motions with his head in Fylwen’s direction.

Jascaila laughed. “Relax. The Elves already know. They found out a few days ago.”

“It’s true,” Fylwen said. “Eilea told us.”

“Told you…?”

“About the World Eater. And also that you do not wish this information to go public just yet, but that you have been expressly granted permission by the Great Lord to spread this word of warning to the people of Galterra.”

Zach considered her words, and his mood changed from surprise to anger. “Wait, you’re kidding me. She actually told you all of that?”

“Indeed, she has, young man.”

“Why?” Zach shouted louder than he intended, looking around the kitchen as if hoping to see her. “Eilea! I know you can hear me. Eilea, did you seriously—”

Fylwen pointed at him. “Do not disrespect Her Greatness and treat her as though she is somehow subservient to you, young man! Neither I nor any of my kin will continue to tolerate this…this blatant abuse of her kindness. She is, and has always been, a Goddess, and you, as I, are mortals.”

“My bad.”

“Your bad is correct! Now, lose the attitude, and do not dare hurt the Great Goddess’s feelings. Perhaps you should instead consider the fact that you were gifted with this incredibly sacred knowledge, and rather than act upon it, you’ve essentially done nothing. Should this continue to be the case, the Elvish stand ready to act for you. But for now, know that it will not slip from any Elvish lips.” She stared intensely at him. “The operative words there being: for now.”

Zach felt an apprehensive pinch in his stomach, much of it because everything she’d just said was true. Sure, it was definitely the case that numerous events recently had kept him away from what, honestly, should really have been his primary goal. The problem, however, was that even during moments like now, when he had an ample amount of free time, he still wasn’t doing anything. And this was actually a really urgent matter, as Zephyr’s Explorer’s Brigade had made no progress in finding anything in Dragon Squire; this was despite spending many, many hours in the Grand Library located in the only sizeable town in the sparsely inhabited, mountainous region.

Maybe she’s right. Maybe I am being a bit too lazy.

Though he’d been a total sloth, Zach had, until now, been able to justify this to himself because he’d succeeded in a whole bunch of stuff that surely warranted a break. He’d rescued Vim, helped Jimmy regain his confidence, defended Faded Island from a boss spawn, and he’d even gotten a great deal for the people of Giant’s Fall.

That was actually really easy.

Five days ago, after a delicious dinner, he’d managed to enter into relatively simple negotiations with Fiona Darkmae, who’d agreed to pay a 9% fee on all coco bean exports shipped through Giant’s Fall. Having come right out of the gate with such an offer, there really wasn’t much need to argue with her over that last percentage point. Zach had signed immediately after dessert, which consisted of chocolate cheesecake and vanilla wafers, and then he’d gone straight to sleep in one of the luxurious guest rooms of Fiona Darkmae’s family estate. Exhausted, Zach had slept so soundly that he was barely capable of waking up the next morning. Truly, it was only his desire to get back to Elendroth and Kalana that had willed him out of bed.

But yeah, anyway, after a shockingly huge breakfast hosted by Fiona, he’d handed Jimmy the item that Kalana had asked Zach to make sure he got: the inn room keycard to room 20 in Angelica’s, which everyone on the Trials of Nolak raid had apparently agreed should go to him.

“But I failed,” he’d argued, reluctant at first to accept it. “I don’t deserve it.”

Zach had shrugged. “Well, I wasn’t there, Jimmy, but from what everyone was saying, you’re the only one who seems to remember it that way. Everyone I spoke to seems to think you did a really good job and then got all upset over nothing.”

“It wasn’t nothing. I could’ve gotten the whole raid wiped. I fucked it all up. Donovan and Zephyr had to take over.”

“Like I said, I wasn’t there, so I can’t really comment. But uh, I think you should just take it. If you really don’t want it, I’d definitely be happy to keep it.”

“You already got inn room 8!”

“Yeah, so let’s be neighbors.”

“Fine. I’ll take it. As long as you promise not to sell yours.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Zach had agreed, though he now regretted it. At the time, his brain had been exhausted, and he’d simply wanted to end the argument. But now? Now, he realized he’d just promised not to sell his most-valuable possession, something with a value that was likely even higher than the artifact-rarity sword he’d won on the T9 boss raid. Actually, it was probably worth ten times as much.

I guess I’ll just have to make a kick-ass base, he thought. It’s not like I didn’t already want to do that.

At any rate, Zach had said his goodbyes to Fiona and her staff, and then he, Jimmy, Tena, Rian, and Lienne had all danced together in Hamen’s Isle before going their separate ways. He hadn’t seen any of them since, but Rian and Lienne were planning to come over sometime today around noon, and Jimmy, who last night, ended up going on the full Yorna’s raid without him, said he’d swing by around that time, too.

“Umm, Fylwen?”

“Yes, Zach?”

“Is Elendroth reopened for hunting yet?”

“No.”

He made a dramatic, disappointed sigh. “I don’t get it. At this rate, it could be months or years before you reopen it. I thought we were talking a few days or weeks, but now I feel like it’s going to be way longer.”

“It will be,” she replied as she opened the refrigerator and poured herself a glass of orange juice. “It’s too much of a hot-button issue right now, and our records are incomplete. We cannot have you or your friends causing more disruption.” She fixed him with a hard, somewhat frightening look, but it didn’t last. A small, but motherly smile appeared on her lips as she continued to lock eyes with him. “You and your friends should spend the day in Archian Prime. The entire planet is yours to adventure in. Why limit yourself to this one island?”

“Because it’s awesome, and there was still so much I wanted to see. Especially that town me and Kal told you about.”

“The one with all the quests?”

“Yep.”

“Perhaps you should save that for a time when my daughter isn’t so…busy. You should know she’ll be quite livid if you explore that without her.”

Zach made a nervous laugh. “You’re right, actually. Okay, maybe we will hit up Archian Prime. Everybody should be here in about five hours.”

“Good,” Fylwen said with a self-satisfied-looking nod. “That’s five hours to help Val’kora plant cabbages and to begin teaching a class to the children in how to swing a sword.”

“Uhh! I don’t want to.”

“It’ll be good for you,” Fylwen insisted, the motherly quality in her tone increasing by the second. “Surely, five days of sleeping and doing nothing has sated your desire for sluggish idleness. Honestly, Zach, at your age, it should be unbearable.”

“It should be, but…nope.” He rubbed his eyes to remove the last lingering feelings of grogginess. “All right. I guess I’m going out today. But you know what? Archian Prime should wait. You and Jascaila are right about the whole Dragon Squire thing. Actually, Jascaila?”

“Yep?”

“By any chance, do you know an easy way to get to Dragon Squire? I might as well at least take a peek since I’ll have Jimmy with me, and he’s great at finding secret stuff. I guess it can’t hurt for us to head over there.”

Jascaila curled her lips and looked off to her side as though concentrating. “I’m not sure. You can’t get there from Hamen’s?”

“I don’t know…can we?”

“I’m not the best person to ask. I do know of one slightly longer way.”

“Tell me just in case I need it.”

She laughed. “This should be safe since the dungeons don’t reset until tomorrow. Basically, you go from here to POE, POE to Nolak, and Nolak lets you out all the way up north in Slopes of Dal’Zarrah, which I’m sure you already know. From there, head back into Hamen’s Isle and use your tickets to get to Plains of Mist. You’ll come out near the Grand Library. Right across the street from the library, there’s a bus stop that takes you to the town of Misty Millings in western Plains of Mist, and there’s an express bus in Misty Millings that goes all the way to Drake’s Wing in Dragon Squire. It’s about a three-and-a-half-hour ride.”

“Yikes,” Zach said. “That’s a whole lot of traveling. I guess I’ll ask Jimmy if he knows a better way, but uh…if not, I guess that’s how we’ll do it. Thanks.”

“No problem! But really, Zach, try to get out today even if it’s not to Dragon Squire. You don’t need to spend another day lying around watching the news. Now, how about I make everybody breakfast?”

“You made us breakfast yesterday,” Fylwen said, her ears twitching with barely contained delight. “Are you sure you don’t mind? You’re awfully generous for a human.”

“I sure am. And I love doing it.”

Ten minutes later, sitting between Trelvor and Seiley, who were anxiously awaiting Lienne and Rian, the three of them ate breakfast across from the queen and Jascaila, who discussed various architectural topics regarding Elendroth. Jascaila had a lot of ideas on how to beautify the mob-free zone, and Queen Vayra seemed to be overjoyed to listen. Trelvor and Seiley, on the other hand, were giving off strange looks to one another. It was like a combination of optimism and guilt. They appeared reluctant, though Zach wasn’t sure why.

“What’s going on with you two?” he asked them quietly, engaging in an entirely separate conversation from the one the queen was having with Jascaila.

“It feels wrong,” Trelvor said. “Letting Princess Kalana go alone to Shadowfall Coast while I spend time with Lienne.”

“She ordered you to do that, though.”

“Yes, but only because she knows it’s what I desire.”

“So then what’s the problem?”

He sighed. “It just feels unfair.”

As though his words were a contagion, Zach found himself becoming infected. It really wasn’t fair. Kalana was getting up every morning and spending the entire day pleading with idiots and doing outreach. On numerous occasions, she’d had to save babies who were thrown out of the third-story windows by their lunatic mothers, who decided it would be better for them and their children to die than to have to live in a city that allowed Orcs and other hopeful trading partners to enter and, in some cases, live near them as neighbors. These murder-suicide attempts happened several times a day, and Kalana was not always fast enough to stop them.

The people over there have gone nuts, he thought.

Every night, Kalana would come home emotionally drained, and sometimes, she’d weep. This was partially why Zach desperately didn’t want her to go over there in the first place, and after seeing the mental toll that just a few days had inflicted upon her, Zach reconsidered and told her he’d start accompanying her—only to be shot down.

Things had changed.

Vim, Mr. Oren, and all the others in charge over there had done a total one-eighty and were now adamant that Zach not come. This was because Zach was supposedly detested and reviled in Shadowfall Coast. Word, apparently, had now spread that it was him who killed the sons of some well-regarded guild officials during his rescue operation, and they said that if he showed up, it would start a riot. Somehow, the ire towards him didn’t pass along to Kalana. They really liked her, but they sure did hate him.

“Baby, you can’t come,” Kalana had told him yesterday morning. “These people are very, very traumatized and unstable, and umm, anything that might agitate them…I’m sorry, it just won’t be good.”

Even amid his laziness, Zach worried about her all day every day. Thankfully, though, Jascaila was going to begin heading out there starting tomorrow, because Kalana, along with Jascaila and her mother, had seemingly come up with a very daring plan. They were in the process of assembling an army of social workers that would begin engaging directly with the distressed people. This was because Kalana, having spent a great deal of time with them over the past few days, had developed a very strong belief that the use of infantry in day-to-day engagements was actually making things worse, not better, and that by utilizing social workers in the safe zone she’d established, there was a real chance for things to improve.

She might even be right, Zach thought.

At first, he’d disagreed with her and thought the idea ridiculous. But the more he learned of the developing situation, the more he became convinced that Kalana was actually one of the few people who actually knew what she was doing. For starters, the citizens of Shadowfall Coast were clearly not behaving in predictable ways, and it didn’t seem to matter how many guns were pointed at them or how overwhelming the show of force was. The problem over there was, in many ways, psychological as opposed to rational. This wasn’t something the guilds could solve with bullets or magic. And that was why the Elves dispatched there were now so important.

I’m really glad Fylwen is doing the right thing.

Now that the Elves no longer faced even the remote possibility of danger, they had undergone a radical, mind-blowing shift. During the brief, but very ugly war, they had been ruthless—far more so than the human fighters, anyway. Of course, that was when there was at least some possible threat to them and their kin, and also, it was during the mad scramble to disarm Shadowfall Coast before some God-imposed deadline. But now, however, with the nuclear situation resolved and having become free of even the chance of being harmed, the Elves were displaying a stunning level of gentleness.

Whereas the Royal Roses, Lords of Justice, and People of Virtue were pacifying resistance via violent suppression, the Elves were not even utilizing measures of self-defense—because they didn’t need to. When Level-1s attacked, they were disarmed, restrained, and in some cases, arrested and then evaluated on a case-by-case basis by trained professionals brought in from the Whispery Woods, who would then decide if they posed a danger to themselves or others and, if so, the most humane way of rehabilitating them.

Whispery Woods, long ignored and underfunded, had an abundance of aging but still viable humans whose chosen professions had become untenable due to the impoverished nature of the city. But now, thanks to Fylwen, many former psychologists, social workers, and doctors were finally again able to once more return to their original line of work—often with generous pay and to much higher rates of success than the human guilds were facing.

But this was creating a whole lot of friction.

Yesterday, one of the main stories in the news had been the ongoing debate between the Elves and the other human guilds. The Elves were calling on the human guilds to show more restraint in how they operated in the city, and Queen Vayra had even called upon the Royal Roses to cease all peacekeeping activities immediately.

That was some fight they had here yesterday.

Zach wasn’t sure what the deal was between Fylwen and Vim. On the one hand, they were, by far, the two closest guild leaders in North Bastia. Despite not knowing each other very long, Fylwen and Vim had a very strange, very undeniable camaraderie that made sense to absolutely nobody and maybe not even to themselves. It wasn’t even a stretch to say that the two had become friends. But on the other hand, they really got vicious with each other sometimes.

Late yesterday evening, Vim had personally visited Elendroth to meet the Elvish Goddess but also to negotiate with Fylwen. And though there was clearly a mutual respect between the two of them, Zach, who’d eavesdropped from Kalana’s bedroom, definitely noticed there was some very real tension forming over the issue of peacekeeping efforts in Shadowfall Coast.

“Gnome, you must let me and my daughter handle this,” she’d said, having returned a bit early in order to meet him there.

“I appreciate the suggestion,” Vim had said, “but my people are doing a great job.”

“Oh really? Remind me again: how many level-ones did the Royal Roses kill today?”

From where Zach had been standing, the bedroom door slightly ajar, he’d been able to see the smile fall right off Vim’s face and turn into a vicious scowl. “Okay, cut the shit, Fylwen! You know how fucked up it is out there right now. These maniacs are firing on us all day every day. We’re trying to show restraint, but the idiots don’t care if they die. Some of them even try to kill their own children!”

“Yes, indeed, they’re quite riled up. And that is why you must cease all operations. You’re inflaming tensions.”

“Inflaming—what? Are you nuts?”

“Gnome! Do not speak to me as though I’m a fool. Or do I need to make good on my threat to cut your tongue out of your mouth and burn it?”

“Go ahead. That’s my fetish.”

“Ugh! You insufferable fool. Can you seriously not see the conversion here?”

“The conversion?”

“Yes. For every one bullet fired, you convert one previously peaceful citizen into a guerilla fighter.”

Vim had shrugged. “We’re only doing what it takes to bring peace to the region.”

Fylwen glared at him. “You’re lying. Not just to me, but to yourself. This is about revenge. This is about Ogre’s Axe. Do not think you can fool me, Vim Alazar. I too have felt the thirst for revenge. I know the craving for human blood better than any other. Your guild in particular ought to have no interaction with these people. The hatred for what they’ve done to your city makes your troops incapable of showing restraint. Even when you’ve directly ordered them to heel, they have been spotted raping, looting, burning, and indiscriminately killing. And I know that you are aware of this.”

“Are you really one to talk? Don’t forget you were the one who planned to blow up the entire city.”

“That was when I believed we were without an alternative solution.”

As the two argued, Zach knew that Fylwen was clearly right about everything she was saying. The Guild of Gentlemen had killed over a million innocent people in Ogre’s Axe, and there wasn’t a thing in this world Vim could do to stop his people from enacting revenge—even against those who were blameless. The Royal Roses wanted blood. And sending in level-1 troops whose moms, sons, fathers, and daughters had died in Ogre’s Axe…it was a recipe for disaster.

“I personally witnessed two squads of your troops pulling the clothing off a group of young captive women, some of them not even fifteen years of age.”

“Bullshit. When was this?”

“Two days ago, just before noon on 11th and Junction.”

At this, Vim’s scowl vanished, he lowered his head, began muttering something quietly to himself, and then suddenly, he snapped his head back up as his scowl returned, this time becoming even fiercer. “Wait a second. Are you the one who killed fifteen of my men?”

“Yes!”

Vim swore at her. “Fucking Gods dammit! You killed fifteen of your own allies, you moron!”

“Fifteen would-be rapists. They were lucky to die as fast as I tore them apart!”

“I can’t believe it. I can’t fucking believe it! We thought they were taken out by guerillas, but it was you?”

“Yes, you fool! And I’d do it again. Your men are out of control. And so are your women. Call them off!”

The shouting became frenzied between the two of them, and by the time Vim stormed off, nothing had been resolved. Zach chose not to get involved, however, as he doubted anything he said would have made the situation better. But it was clear, at least in his opinion, that Fylwen was in the right. Maybe not to kill a bunch of people—though who was he to judge her for that?—but certainly, that the Royal Roses were incapable of acting humanely.

As Zach thought back on their fight, he noticed that everyone at the breakfast table was staring at him. “What?” he asked. “Why’s everyone looking at me like that?”

Jascaila gave him a soft smile. “Because everybody’s been talking to you, kiddo, and you just zoned out for like thirty seconds.”

Zach exhaled slowly. “Sorry, I was just thinking about that fight Fylwen got in with Vim yesterday.”

“Hm? You saw that?” Fylwen asked.

“Yeah, it was impossible not to.”

“And?”

Zach looked directly into Fylwen’s eyes. “You’re right. My guild—err, I mean, the Royal Roses—clearly can’t be trusted to do peacekeeping operations in Shadowfall Coast. Even if Vim tries his best to prevent inhumane treatment—and I’ll be honest, I don’t think he is—the troops from Giant’s Fall aren’t going to listen. They hate the Guild of Gentlemen too much.”

From the way both Jascaila and Fylwen bowed their heads and smiled, he could tell that they were pleased by his answer. “I’m glad to hear you say that, kiddo,” Jascaila said.

“How come?” Zach asked.

“Because it means you haven’t lost your humanity. Not to get all preachy on ya, but if there’s one thing you should always remember, it’s never okay to kill innocent, defenseless people. No matter what their ruling guild did.”

Zach lost his appetite as he reflected on the supposed atrocities the Royal Roses were committing over there. “Kal told me some of the stuff they’re doing,” he began. “The Royal Roses, I mean. The thing is, I get why they’re so mad. Grundor and I talked about this on the phone a few days ago, actually. He’s still in Ogre’s Axe trying to pull bodies out of the rubble. But like…the people in Shadowfall Coast didn’t mean for that to happen. They didn’t even know about it until after it did happen. This whole situation just sucks. Look, if you want, I can try talking to Vim. I doubt he’ll listen to me, but maybe if I—”

“You should not,” Fylwen said adamantly. “You might only make things worse. It is not as though Vim isn’t trying to control his people: he cannot. Your words will change nothing.”

“Then what will?”

“Force.”

At this, Zach felt his heart sink. “Now wait a second. You can’t…you can’t go to war with the Royal Roses!”

“I do not wish it. But if they will not stop, we must act.”

“B-but why?”

“Because they are murdering, raping, and looting, and though that brilliant young man, Lord Oren, continues to try salvaging the situation, the fact of the matter is that the Lord of Justice are far too weak now to intervene, and the People of Virtue are far too indifferent to care. I cannot allow this. If he will not back down, my Elves are willing to use force. Humanity must not be allowed to behave this way.”

Yeah, Zach’s appetite was gone.

Maybe it’s best I focus on Dragon Squire.

******

Alex wasn’t the type to scream. He wasn’t the type to lose his cool. He typically had an excellent control over his temper. But as he led a patrol unit through 5th and Willow, he almost broke his composure as he spotted a uniformed sergeant of the Royal Roses crack his gun into the forehead of a very old man simply for walking too slowly.

“Sergeant!” Alex roared at him, storming beyond a destroyed fountain, two overturned, burned-out DEHVs, and a blown-apart kiosk as he made his way over to the man, who was flanked by troops of his own. An immediate tension came upon their two groups—men and women who were supposed to be allies.

“What is it now, Lord Oren?” asked a tall, blonde mage standing beside the sergeant. “Anything you want to say to him, you can say to me.”

Alex recognized her. She was Amcilla Yalldrin, the 9th in command of the Royal Roses. Alex confronted her directly. He pointed to the old man, who was now on his back, blood pouring out of a wound in his forehead. “Why did you allow your sergeant to strike this man?”

“Allow it?” she asked. “I ordered it.”

“Why?” Alex demanded.

She lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask this piece of shit why he decided to murder my sister’s children while they were on their way to school in Ogre’s Axe.”

“He didn’t,” Alex said angrily. “Back off!” He turned around and called for a medic. Yet even as he did so, he knew something was wrong as he heard an electric buzzing sound behind him. Spinning back around, he was too late to intervene. Amcilla had already conjured a fast rotating, electric buzzsaw from her staff, which flew directly downwards at the wounded old man, decapitating him and causing an ungodly amount of blood to rush out of the emptiness above his shoulders.

Control your anger! Alex warned himself. Control it!

He wanted to hurt her. He wanted to hurt her badly.

“I’m reporting what you just did,” he said, though his words were barely heard over the laughter and cheering from her level-1 cohorts.

“Come on, boys,” she said to them, leading away the column of troops. “Let’s patrol a different street and let the Lords of Justice have this one. We clearly aren’t functioning as a team right now.”

Alex turned around, and he could see the same disgust and revulsion that he was currently feeling in the eyes of the troops under his command. Culturally, the men and women from Slopes of Dal’Zarrah had a very, very different take on honor than those born in Giant’s Fall, and it was on full display here and now.

“Why’d she do that?” asked one of the riflemen. “What the fuck is wrong with the Royal Roses?”

Alex shook his head. “They’re too angry. Something has to be done.”

“You could’ve killed her,” the man said. “Everyone knows how you took on like twenty of the Guild of Gentlemen’s best by yourself. You could’ve put that witch down.”

“It would only create more problems. The best thing all of you can do now is file a report with me. High-Lord Besh still doesn’t realize the extent to which Sir Alazar is losing control of his men. He doesn’t want to accept that things are as bad as they are.”

Alex shuddered. Something had to be done. Vim’s orders were not being obeyed, and how could they be? In the eyes of his guild, this was revenge, and not even their leader could dissuade them.