The fallen members of Barbatos were moved to the far side of Jamoraz where charred stones marked previous pyres. Names were noted down and valuables collected for next of kin before preparing each body for their cremation. It was almost systematic how the guild went about sending off their comrades. They’d grown accustomed to losing people during large scale battles. No grandiose display would bring them back. But something would be done to make sure they were remembered once this tumultuous time passed.
Aisha, her group, and their trusted allies met in a locked room at the base camp. What was once a town hall had been repurposed for planning purposes. The other captains joined them but Freckle and Rusty handled being the main points of contact. It was pointless for unknown people to try and build a rapport with Aisha at this time. Freckle could speak for them and hopefully come to a mutually beneficial agreement.
The ring was firmly in the Hero’s hand as she held it over the desk. Every eye in the room was trained on the metallic circle.
“All that death for a measly ring,” one of the captain’s muttered. He shut his eyes and looked away while muttering a brief prayer.
“I understand your sorrow, Micah. But you know this is no ‘measly’ ring,” Freckle said. “According to all our information, it is one of three remaining Artifacts. And the strongest of any ever known.”
Kargon softly ran a thumb along the frames of the goggles around his neck. It was astonishing to him how vastly different his Artifact was to all others he’d encountered. So much so that it felt like an Artifact only in name. Though he realized that controlling the rage of a fire giant was no small feat. But neither the goggles or Aeraza’s sword were in the same league as the Ring of Planes. That was apparent from the faces of awe surrounding the table.
“We can use it to send Aeraza back to his realm!” a captain said in a panic.
Avant growled at the notion and stepped forward.
“It would be foolish to wield it and the Hero has no such ambition,” Vofric grunted while grabbing the owlbear by his scruff. “Attempting to send Aeraza back to his plane could have unintended consequences for innocent beings tangentially related to demons.”
“Well maybe-” Another captain tried to speak but was stopped by a cold stare from Sariel.
“Do not utter nonsense without considering the ramifications.”
The captain looked at Aisha and stared at her horns. Cuts from past fights left scars along their sides. A sorrowful apology was barely audible from the shamed captain. Aisha brushed it off without hesitation. There were more pressing matters.
“It doesn’t look right,” she muttered. “Freckle, do you have the documents you showed us in Shusyoun?”
With an affirmative grunt, Freckle fished the papers out of the inner pocket of her jacket. The fact they were still dry was surprising with how much monstrous blood coated her armor. Unfolding it quickly revealed what Aisha was talking about. On the paper was only an estimation of what the ring should look like. If it was vastly different then the group would have assumed Zeld’s Shell simply held a different ring. But the image wasn’t far off from what they’d retrieved. Rather it looked like the ring in Aisha’s hand had been cut in two down the center line.
“For it to be such a precise cut… The Arcanum Order really didn’t want to destroy it,” she grumbled.
“But they also didn’t want it to get used randomly,” Kargon said. “Both halves need to be found so we can assume they had some forethought before leaving it.”
Makani huffed. “If they were so concerned they could have split it further.”
“Though too much splitting and it might not be retrievable before things go from bad to worse.” Albert pointed out.
“There was the option to seal it to a bloodline,” Rusty chimed in with a slight nod to the prince.
“Many lineages end unexpectedly,” Vofric replied. “There is also that chance that their descendents would not have been on our side of the fight.”
Freckle sighed and shook her head. “That’s such a depressing outlook on a theoretical possibility.”
“Realistic assumptions often align with a downtrodden outlook,” Sariel replied.
As more ideas came to mind, more people spoke up. Captains started spouting their ideas of how they would have sealed the rings. Some suggested never sealing it in the first place. Wars had happened since the Great War and would have ended shortly with its use. Others argued it should have been destroyed when the other Artifacts were. The room grew louder and more aggravating. Kargon felt his heartbeat rising in the tense room. A quick glance to Aisha revealed a vein bulging on her head as she quickly lost the battle to stay calm.
“ENOUGH!” she roared. “This isn’t a time for hypotheticals! We are not using the Ring of Planes! All we have is half of it. That means the demon king is going after the other half. If he finds it…” a soft sigh left the Hero’s lips as she deflated. “Look. We need to do something to stop him. Otherwise Barbatos is finished. And after we’re gone, Vethyea is next. So, forget what you’d do with the ring and think about where we go from here.”
The room was finally silent once again. Quiet apologies scattered around as people began planning. They thought hard about what was a logical next step. Kargon found it unbelievable. Some of the people here were leaders of Barbatos but the stress of the situation had caught up to them. He shook his head. That wasn’t it. They didn’t know how to respond to Aisha. Fear didn’t dictate the reaction but awe. The Hero was asking for their ideas and none knew how to share them in case they were wrong. Sariel and Vofric might but they were focused on helping the others reach a logical conclusion. Kargon smiled to himself. Even years into their journey, he was the only one who had an easy time around a stressed Aisha.
“Natharia is our best bet,” he said. As people’s attention slowly drew to Kargon, he continued. “If the Ring of Planes is cut in half, that means there’s only one other piece. We had two locations to search in and one of them is still out there.”
Aisha considered the words and slowly crossed her arms. As the information became clearer she reached her left hand towards her horns. With her thumb and index finger running along them, she hummed softly. The contemplative figure triggered an immediate reaction from her partner.
“Do we know where the city is?” Kargon asked.
“If it’ll reach the demon king’s castle in a month, it’s still at sea,” Aisha answered before anyone else had the chance.
“Can we get sight of it?”
“From the coast. We need a spot distant from the castle.”
Kargon hummed. “Is it possible to reach it before it gets to the mainland?”
“We’d need a boat,” Aisha said and her eyes lit up. “We know someone with a boat!”
“Right, Captain Julian. How can we reach her?” Kargon asked.
At the mention of a friend, Rusty perked up. All eyes that once bounced between the heroic duo turned to the bloody swordsman. He retrieved an engraved stone similar to the one installed in Barbatos communicators. At the sight, Freckle retrieved the pieces of her tool but was stopped.
“Julian is likely aboard her ship. There could be prying eyes,” a captain said.
“Barbatos may have hideouts but we don’t work in the shadows. People need to know they can trust us when times are hard,” Freckle replied and began assembling the communicator. “Not to mention, she’s picky about her crewmates. I trust her judgment.”
Instead of wind, mana flowed into her device to produce its effect. Captain Julian answered immediately in an aggravated tone.
“Oi, Rusty, how in the world are you reaching me? The stones shouldn’t be in range of each other.”
“He’s using a Barbatos communicator, Julian,” Freckle answered.
A light scoff could be heard on the other side. “So he finally found his way to us. Figures. Alright, what’s going on?”
This time Rusty replied. “We found the Ring of Planes. Rather, part of it.”
“Great, I’ll head back-”
“No.” Aisha interjected. “By ‘part of it’ he means exactly half.”
There was a brief pause before the marine captain realized what was going on.
“So the Champion of Dawncaster and her cadre ended up with us, too. That’s more like it!” She took a moment to think and continued. “The other half of the ring… You assume it’s on Natharia?”
“It’s what makes sense. Can we use your boat?”
“Ain’t no reason for me to turn back. My crew and I were already on our way to the drifting city,” the captain said confidently.
Rusty’s eyes went wide with panic. “No! Come get backup! Without Aisha and the others we couldn’t have won the battle at Zeld’s Shell.”
His warning was met with silence. Many in the room were accustomed to Captain Julian’s methodical speech pattern. But as the pause grew longer they knew something was wrong. Concerned gazes looked around the room while Rusty, Freckle, and Aisha focused on the communicator. All of them wanted to say something but none found the right words. Fortunately, they didn’t have to. But the voice on the other side wasn’t Captain Julian’s. It was warped with a twinge of familiarity.
“I warned you of impending regret,” the voice said.
Aisha turned to Sariel for confirmation and she nodded sharply.
“Veil…” the Hero spoke with venom only present when her anger was on the cusp of boiling over.
“Will you not ask about the status of the captain and her crew? That’s quite cruel, chosen one,” he taunted.
“I’m not foolish enough to expect mercy from you.”
Those who never met Veil immediately understood they’d never see their ally again. None was more hurt than Rusty but he refused to detract from the conversation. As quietly as possible he stepped away from the table and exited the room. Freckle and Spike followed to comfort him.
Veil snickered. “I see Elmud was not exaggerating about your intelligence..”
“Did you think doing this would get us to turn over the ring?” Aisha asked.
“Half. You have half the Ring of Planes and are nowhere near Natharia. Similarly, we have the other half and are nowhere near you.”
“How did you reach the city so quickly?”
“There was no need,” Veil replied. “I needed only to sink this ship as per my master’s request.”
As soon as the word escaped his mouth he yelped. There was rustling on the other side then nothing. A moment later a deeper voice began speaking. It was hard to place but Aisha was sure she’d heard it somewhere. She looked to Kargon whose memory of people always outclassed hers. With a knowing glance he shared all the only name that mattered. It was impossible to utter given the current group of people and lack of sigils.
“Demon king,” Aisha uttered.
“My subordinate speaks as though my given order wasn’t a test to prove his worth,” Aeraza said with a slow and monotone voice. “Do not bother to seek Natharia, it no longer graces this realm. The eyesore was sunk when I retrieved my half of the Ring of Planes.”
“You cut through Zeld…”
“What little was left of the beast,” Aeraza stated plainly. “That is not my reason for contacting you, Aisha Ilphelkiir. I would like an audience.”
Kargon felt his emotions bubbling up and almost said something. Thankfully Avant nudged his leg to ground him. Patient looks from Sariel and Vofric cooled the monk’s temper as he focused on Aisha. Before he could give any thoughts on the matter, she replied.
“Why would I meet with you? You know I won’t just give up the ring.”
“Consider it a stalling tactic,” Aeraza answered. “Meet with me or I will begin the slaughter.”
Aisha grumbled. “Just you and me. No rings.”
“Bring your friends. Outpost Yazeum. I will wait for 48 hours.”
It was more a demand than a request but Aisha knew she couldn’t decline. Though she had no inclination to. Before another word was spoken, the sound crackled and snapped then there was nothing. Aeraza and his underling were gone, taking the remnants of Captain Julian and her crew with them.
The fallen members of Barbatos were moved to the far side of Jamoraz where charred stones marked previous pyres. Names were noted down and valuables collected for next of kin before preparing each body for their cremation. It was almost systematic how the guild went about sending off their comrades. They’d grown accustomed to losing people during large scale battles. No grandiose display would bring them back. But something would be done to make sure they were remembered once this tumultuous time passed.
Aisha, her group, and their trusted allies met in a locked room at the base camp. What was once a town hall had been repurposed for planning purposes. The other captains joined them but Freckle and Rusty handled being the main points of contact. It was pointless for unknown people to try and build a rapport with Aisha at this time. Freckle could speak for them and hopefully come to a mutually beneficial agreement.
The ring was firmly in the Hero’s hand as she held it over the desk. Every eye in the room was trained on the metallic circle.
“All that death for a measly ring,” one of the captain’s muttered. He shut his eyes and looked away while muttering a brief prayer.
“I understand your sorrow, Micah. But you know this is no ‘measly’ ring,” Freckle said. “According to all our information, it is one of three remaining Artifacts. And the strongest of any ever known.”
Kargon softly ran a thumb along the frames of the goggles around his neck. It was astonishing to him how vastly different his Artifact was to all others he’d encountered. So much so that it felt like an Artifact only in name. Though he realized that controlling the rage of a fire giant was no small feat. But neither the goggles or Aeraza’s sword were in the same league as the Ring of Planes. That was apparent from the faces of awe surrounding the table.
“We can use it to send Aeraza back to his realm!” a captain said in a panic.
Avant growled at the notion and stepped forward.
“It would be foolish to wield it and the Hero has no such ambition,” Vofric grunted while grabbing the owlbear by his scruff. “Attempting to send Aeraza back to his plane could have unintended consequences for innocent beings tangentially related to demons.”
“Well maybe-” Another captain tried to speak but was stopped by a cold stare from Sariel.
“Do not utter nonsense without considering the ramifications.”
The captain looked at Aisha and stared at her horns. Cuts from past fights left scars along their sides. A sorrowful apology was barely audible from the shamed captain. Aisha brushed it off without hesitation. There were more pressing matters.
“It doesn’t look right,” she muttered. “Freckle, do you have the documents you showed us in Shusyoun?”
With an affirmative grunt, Freckle fished the papers out of the inner pocket of her jacket. The fact they were still dry was surprising with how much monstrous blood coated her armor. Unfolding it quickly revealed what Aisha was talking about. On the paper was only an estimation of what the ring should look like. If it was vastly different then the group would have assumed Zeld’s Shell simply held a different ring. But the image wasn’t far off from what they’d retrieved. Rather it looked like the ring in Aisha’s hand had been cut in two down the center line.
“For it to be such a precise cut… The Arcanum Order really didn’t want to destroy it,” she grumbled.
“But they also didn’t want it to get used randomly,” Kargon said. “Both halves need to be found so we can assume they had some forethought before leaving it.”
Makani huffed. “If they were so concerned they could have split it further.”
“Though too much splitting and it might not be retrievable before things go from bad to worse.” Albert pointed out.
“There was the option to seal it to a bloodline,” Rusty chimed in with a slight nod to the prince.
“Many lineages end unexpectedly,” Vofric replied. “There is also that chance that their descendents would not have been on our side of the fight.”
Freckle sighed and shook her head. “That’s such a depressing outlook on a theoretical possibility.”
“Realistic assumptions often align with a downtrodden outlook,” Sariel replied.
As more ideas came to mind, more people spoke up. Captains started spouting their ideas of how they would have sealed the rings. Some suggested never sealing it in the first place. Wars had happened since the Great War and would have ended shortly with its use. Others argued it should have been destroyed when the other Artifacts were. The room grew louder and more aggravating. Kargon felt his heartbeat rising in the tense room. A quick glance to Aisha revealed a vein bulging on her head as she quickly lost the battle to stay calm.
“ENOUGH!” she roared. “This isn’t a time for hypotheticals! We are not using the Ring of Planes! All we have is half of it. That means the demon king is going after the other half. If he finds it…” a soft sigh left the Hero’s lips as she deflated. “Look. We need to do something to stop him. Otherwise Barbatos is finished. And after we’re gone, Vethyea is next. So, forget what you’d do with the ring and think about where we go from here.”
The room was finally silent once again. Quiet apologies scattered around as people began planning. They thought hard about what was a logical next step. Kargon found it unbelievable. Some of the people here were leaders of Barbatos but the stress of the situation had caught up to them. He shook his head. That wasn’t it. They didn’t know how to respond to Aisha. Fear didn’t dictate the reaction but awe. The Hero was asking for their ideas and none knew how to share them in case they were wrong. Sariel and Vofric might but they were focused on helping the others reach a logical conclusion. Kargon smiled to himself. Even years into their journey, he was the only one who had an easy time around a stressed Aisha.
“Natharia is our best bet,” he said. As people’s attention slowly drew to Kargon, he continued. “If the Ring of Planes is cut in half, that means there’s only one other piece. We had two locations to search in and one of them is still out there.”
Aisha considered the words and slowly crossed her arms. As the information became clearer she reached her left hand towards her horns. With her thumb and index finger running along them, she hummed softly. The contemplative figure triggered an immediate reaction from her partner.
“Do we know where the city is?” Kargon asked.
“If it’ll reach the demon king’s castle in a month, it’s still at sea,” Aisha answered before anyone else had the chance.
“Can we get sight of it?”
“From the coast. We need a spot distant from the castle.”
Kargon hummed. “Is it possible to reach it before it gets to the mainland?”
“We’d need a boat,” Aisha said and her eyes lit up. “We know someone with a boat!”
“Right, Captain Julian. How can we reach her?” Kargon asked.
At the mention of a friend, Rusty perked up. All eyes that once bounced between the heroic duo turned to the bloody swordsman. He retrieved an engraved stone similar to the one installed in Barbatos communicators. At the sight, Freckle retrieved the pieces of her tool but was stopped.
“Julian is likely aboard her ship. There could be prying eyes,” a captain said.
“Barbatos may have hideouts but we don’t work in the shadows. People need to know they can trust us when times are hard,” Freckle replied and began assembling the communicator. “Not to mention, she’s picky about her crewmates. I trust her judgment.”
Instead of wind, mana flowed into her device to produce its effect. Captain Julian answered immediately in an aggravated tone.
“Oi, Rusty, how in the world are you reaching me? The stones shouldn’t be in range of each other.”
“He’s using a Barbatos communicator, Julian,” Freckle answered.
A light scoff could be heard on the other side. “So he finally found his way to us. Figures. Alright, what’s going on?”
This time Rusty replied. “We found the Ring of Planes. Rather, part of it.”
“Great, I’ll head back-”
“No.” Aisha interjected. “By ‘part of it’ he means exactly half.”
There was a brief pause before the marine captain realized what was going on.
“So the Champion of Dawncaster and her cadre ended up with us, too. That’s more like it!” She took a moment to think and continued. “The other half of the ring… You assume it’s on Natharia?”
“It’s what makes sense. Can we use your boat?”
“Ain’t no reason for me to turn back. My crew and I were already on our way to the drifting city,” the captain said confidently.
Rusty’s eyes went wide with panic. “No! Come get backup! Without Aisha and the others we couldn’t have won the battle at Zeld’s Shell.”
His warning was met with silence. Many in the room were accustomed to Captain Julian’s methodical speech pattern. But as the pause grew longer they knew something was wrong. Concerned gazes looked around the room while Rusty, Freckle, and Aisha focused on the communicator. All of them wanted to say something but none found the right words. Fortunately, they didn’t have to. But the voice on the other side wasn’t Captain Julian’s. It was warped with a twinge of familiarity.
“I warned you of impending regret,” the voice said.
Aisha turned to Sariel for confirmation and she nodded sharply.
“Veil…” the Hero spoke with venom only present when her anger was on the cusp of boiling over.
“Will you not ask about the status of the captain and her crew? That’s quite cruel, chosen one,” he taunted.
“I’m not foolish enough to expect mercy from you.”
Those who never met Veil immediately understood they’d never see their ally again. None was more hurt than Rusty but he refused to detract from the conversation. As quietly as possible he stepped away from the table and exited the room. Freckle and Spike followed to comfort him.
Veil snickered. “I see Elmud was not exaggerating about your intelligence..”
“Did you think doing this would get us to turn over the ring?” Aisha asked.
“Half. You have half the Ring of Planes and are nowhere near Natharia. Similarly, we have the other half and are nowhere near you.”
“How did you reach the city so quickly?”
“There was no need,” Veil replied. “I needed only to sink this ship as per my master’s request.”
As soon as the word escaped his mouth he yelped. There was rustling on the other side then nothing. A moment later a deeper voice began speaking. It was hard to place but Aisha was sure she’d heard it somewhere. She looked to Kargon whose memory of people always outclassed hers. With a knowing glance he shared all the only name that mattered. It was impossible to utter given the current group of people and lack of sigils.
“Demon king,” Aisha uttered.
“My subordinate speaks as though my given order wasn’t a test to prove his worth,” Aeraza said with a slow and monotone voice. “Do not bother to seek Natharia, it no longer graces this realm. The eyesore was sunk when I retrieved my half of the Ring of Planes.”
“You cut through Zeld…”
“What little was left of the beast,” Aeraza stated plainly. “That is not my reason for contacting you, Aisha Ilphelkiir. I would like an audience.”
Kargon felt his emotions bubbling up and almost said something. Thankfully Avant nudged his leg to ground him. Patient looks from Sariel and Vofric cooled the monk’s temper as he focused on Aisha. Before he could give any thoughts on the matter, she replied.
“Why would I meet with you? You know I won’t just give up the ring.”
“Consider it a stalling tactic,” Aeraza answered. “Meet with me or I will begin the slaughter.”
Aisha grumbled. “Just you and me. No rings.”
“Bring your friends. Outpost Yazeum. I will wait for 48 hours.”
It was more a demand than a request but Aisha knew she couldn’t decline. Though she had no inclination to. Before another word was spoken, the sound crackled and snapped then there was nothing. Aeraza and his underling were gone, taking the remnants of Captain Julian and her crew with them.
