Chapter 14 — Join, Don’t Join

The natural gloom of the cave didn’t stop Jakyra from trading nervous looks with Sauda as a certain construct stamped about.

“Seven days!” Ismat was roaring. “So far I’ve been stuck here for seven days with a child who cannot keep her silver-tongued wordplay inside her jaws, ideas running through my head that I cannot use because of my inability to leave this place for fear of magic hunters! Curse my intelligent state and the madness that comes with it, this better be worthwhile!”

Pent up anger. Jakyra let her gaze wander to the unfolded letters lying beside the meat of a goat cryptid in the corner, replies from Gunnar’s older brother Bills, before she went back to Sauda. The elf was wearing comfortably sleek, dull garments that appeared to be meant for combat — her work clothes, Jakyra thought.

And her face was covered in a balaclava, a tuft of hair poking out. The usual.

Her friend was here to report on her activities since they last met, which included communicating with a phoenix party that dealt with freelance adventurers, mercenaries, hunters, and the like. Apparently she and Jakyra had to go in person to make the Omniguards official, and so some traveling was in order.

In other words, they were going outside to complete the registration process with this phoenix party. Tomorrow.

Which Jakyra was fine with. Only leaving the cave for short trips to nearby settlements or taking care of necessities like food, a change of scenery was nice. And she’d be there to see the Omniguards finally become real and all.

What wasn’t fine was that Sauda would ride her the whole way. And it wasn’t that one slight and light elf like the dark-skinned Sauda could weigh her down, though it certainly felt like a blow to her pride. A dragon, being someone else’s mount!

But besides that, Sauda came for an arranged meeting with Gunnar and his elder brother. Jakyra had taken the initiative to send a letter, leading to exchanges. Although no concrete answer was given on whether the dwarf would join, a meeting time and place was arranged for discussion.

All this talk of going out into the open world must have been a breaking point for Ismat. “In all fairness,” Jakyra pointed out, “Bills sees you as a menace to his brother, who is terrified of you. It doesn’t matter if magic hunters or thugs or whatever are looking for you, your presence could sour relations with Gunnar’s family.”

That Ismat actually listened in the midst of his nasty temper surprised Jakyra. The most that came out of him was a heavy sigh. “My problem is that I feel entombed in here, and it brings back bad memories. I do not find joy in staying put, worried about the dangers of revealing myself to a world that seems to not like magic being free.”

“Free magic is called reviled magic,” Sauda said.

“There is a huge difference, elf, and my very presence proves it. Just because a piece of magic is outside the control of you myths, that does not make it a threat you must neutralize at all costs.”

“You have three months to prove this for yourself.” Sauda paced to the side. “Magic gone wrong has been a problem since before recorded history. Lairs used to be made to seal them for everyone’s wellbeing, now governments do that. Hunters are used on their behalf to capture these wild magics, and we too will have to do this for reputation and peacekeeping.”

Ismat stared for a long time. His maw opened, then went shut as his eyes became downcast. His talons tapped against the stone below him, the little cavern appearing more cheerful than the bright construct himself.

“Governments,” he said under his breath. “But your point stands. Peace overrides my petty opinions.”

With that, Ismat buried his head with his wings. Jakyra turned to the cave opening, a gathering gust of wind brushing against her face. The trees far in the distance swayed to the breeze, the ruffling of leaves a reflective melody.

“I’m told one such lair is nearby,” Sauda said.

The construct’s tone softened. “So?”

Jakyra didn’t care much about those ancient places, but Sauda had told her plenty. “Those trapped places sometimes become homes of cryptids, right?” she said. “And sometimes they break the seal of whatever artifacts they hold, which can lead to a cryptid or the artifact itself running amok with dangerous magic.”

“And if we neutralize those threats—”

“We also gain the artifact,” Sauda finished, “if no government claims it. Otherwise there’s compensation. Adventurers have thrived on lair-busting.”

That put a smile on Jakyra’s face. This came with the job? Definitely a sweet deal in her opinion. Wouldn’t we have to keep the artifact in check ourselves, though? she wondered, looking towards a pondering Ismat.

“We could go to the lair after meeting the dwarves,” Sauda suggested.

Jakyra’s smile upgraded to a grin. “I’m in.”

Warmth appeared in Sauda’s eyes. “I also checked on our targets for fulfilling Ismat’s challenge. Iye draws a blank, but the Blodoggs are infamous pillagers who terrorize the inhabitants of the vast eastern forests. What makes them a threat is their abnormal supply of magic supplies, advanced skills, and a brotherhood so tight that forcing information out of them is as difficult as capturing them.”

The synopsis clicked with Jakyra. She had heard of these bandits before, but she didn’t make the connection before between them and their namesake, the Blodoggs. Go figure.

“The ethereals?” Ismat asked.

“I heard a minor elf tribe encountered them. They came to find something, but left empty-handed.”

Jakyra sounded out a pfft. That was it? Compared to her own encounter, this sounded so lackluster. However, Ismat took the news differently, asking for the date.

Sauda gave a simple response. “More than seven days ago.”

A sinister grin overcame the construct. “Before that first warning letter was sent out about those constructs, interesting. Could they have been seeking Iye, and thus came to take him away before the Dragon Crown could? Something to think about while you two are out.”

Silence returned to the cave, only interrupted by the rustle of foliage. Something to think about indeed. Why would the ethereals want Iye? What do those things see in that criminal? she wondered, thinking there had to be more to it. Maybe Brimir’s records were wrong and Iye was secretly someone’s apprentice in magic?

Ismat was staring at her. Um.

“Well?” he barked. “You and your friend are still in this place, locked in place. It seems out of place to me and I cannot place my talon on why — but wait, I see what’s misplaced here, what are you two doing in this place of all places when you have places to go? Have I misplaced my esteem in replaceable workers, or are you two going to your meeting place so I may be placated?”

Each time Ismat emphasized the word ‘place’ made Jakyra’s jaw hang lower until it strained her to go any further. Behind her, Sauda shot her a harsh look before turning away. What just happened?

“Do not make me repeat myself, this hurts me more than it hurts you,” Ismat said.

Jakyra felt a tug on her tail. Her legs gave way as Sauda dragged her a good distance out of the cavern to where the morning sunlight could blind her eyes. What sounded like distorted, throaty laughing reached her horns, allowing the chills frozen in her back to sink into her body.

So. Ismat was competing with her in the wordplay department, and Sauda might kill her for it. A just recompense for killing her tolerance, Jakyra deadpanned. At least the only daggers coming her way were of the metaphorical kind.

Not that Sauda would throw her weapon at someone. Maybe say as much in jest or annoyance, but she wouldn’t actually do it.

The rarely-trod pass where her cave lied was called Ragget Pass. Amongst the low-lying hills and mountains of the region, its disuse was simply the result of more convenient roads being nearby. The one thing it had was scenery, with layered crags and rolling hills covered in both vegetation and trees, along with the snowy caps of mountains on the edge of the horizon like ominous giants.

Native to the area were goatlike cryptids, including one with legs shorter on one side than the other. Another had a ram’s head and two pairs of horns respectively belonging to goats and rams. Both tasted good when grilled — shame dragons couldn’t breathe fire these days. But Jakyra overlooked all this for now as she walked along the pass, eyes searching for dwarf brothers while Sauda quietly admired the flowers growing between the hills.

At last she spotted them. Past a bend came a rocky ridge sidelining the path like a raised platform, two dwarves sitting there. Sauda nudged Jakyra, who nodded her head as one of the dwarves took notice and raised his hand. Yep, that was Bills and Gunnar.

“They’re here,” Gunnar heard Bills say as he raised his hand to greet Jakyra the pink coairse dragon and the tiny elf coming their way. Ismat the construct wasn’t anywhere around, which worked fine with the young dwarf. Scary masterpiece of magic, he was. What was up with the elf though?

Gunnar stood up at the behest of his brother, noting that Jakyra was walking instead of flying. Something about that didn’t add up to him — why not use her wings? — but with a shrug he tossed the thought away. There were more important things to deal with right now, namely getting through this meeting and calming his nerves down.

His gaze moved to Bills’s back, a sword scabbard slung over, before caressing the edge of an aging battleaxe slung over his own. Mentor Magnus had managed to get his parents to let him join the Omniguards, but doing so had been a fierce struggle. His father voiced his disapproval of his son taking up some other profession past blacksmithing and something magic-related on the side, and his mother didn’t like for him to be engaged with what she saw as a bunch of ruffians that’d get her son killed.

As much as Gunnar disliked speaking against his parents, he was tempted to state his genuine interest to give it a chance anyway. Too bad his meekness got the better of him.

It took some effort for Magnus to get them to accept on the condition that Bills would tag along to voice their family’s concerns to the group and haggle for rights. Thus when a letter came from Jakyra, Bills wrote back explaining the entire situation and to work out a time to resolve the matter.

As his first time traveling this far from home, Gunnar couldn’t help but marvel at all the sights the surface offered, from the blue skies above to the serene plants growing beneath the thickets of trees. Mountain peaks and rocky formations galore enforced a sense of massiveness he had trouble adjusting to. Bills had traveled plenty as a beginning merchant and shared his experiences with Gunnar, but it couldn’t compare with the feeling he had of being so far from home, in an alien yet colorful world meant to be admired.

Let me see what rain, lakes, and oceans are like and I’ll be set, Gunnar thought, returning to reality at the touch of a nudge from Bills. Jakyra and that elf were coming up the ridge.

The elf bemused him, her being a few inches below five feet but with an ironic air of intimidating power. In fairy tales, it was dwarves that were her height. Meanwhile dwarves and elves on Fantasmyth were rather human-sized, yet here was a strangely short elf whose aura was like that of those mighty, dwarfish dwarves in stories — oh, this was messing with his mind!

“Jakyra, right? Good day,” his brother said, lowering his head to get a better look at Sauda. “A colleague in your, uh, Omniguards thing?”

“Gunnar and Bills, this is Sauda,” said Jakyra. “Maybe this’ll come as a shock, but she’s charged with the responsibility to run our peacekeeping team as a veteran in the mercenary business. Not the cutthroat kind, mind you.”

That took the twosome a moment to register. “Huh,” Bills said, putting his full attention to Sauda. “And here I thought she simply was an assassin.”

Sauda’s gray eyes furrowed, making Gunnar inch back. “Not an assassin,” Jakyra explained. “Just proficient with daggers.”

“I see. I assume she knows about my brother and the letters, that she can handle negotiations and contracts, and that she’s willing to, no offense, speak for herself?”

Jakyra gestured to Sauda, who responded with a gentle wave of her hand and waited for Bills to speak. The strong but silent type, Gunnar figured. At least she wasn’t as scary as Ismat. In a way, she seemed more like a bodyguard watching from the shadows.

Gunnar’s magic perception flared up as he kept observing her. The gloomy aura of shadow magic turned his skin cold as he narrowed his eyes at the elf’s clothing. An enchanted weapon? Jakyra said she was a mercenary, it would make sense.

Bills could not have sensed it, he wasn’t attuned to the feel of magic. “Being blunt here, I still have reservations for your upstart Omniguards. You don’t seem like a rotten bunch and I know Gunnar’s old enough to make his own decisions, but I have trouble trusting strangers to take my brother into their mercenary party or whatever it’s called. I care for his wellbeing, you know?

“Now I know that Gunnar’s magic teacher, he’s pushing for him to do it, while my parents are willing to allow it under fair terms and conditions. Obviously Gunnar wants to join you, otherwise he wouldn’t be here.” A pause. “Still, I must ask one last time as his older brother: please, don’t bother our family anymore. Leave my little brother out of your affairs.”

Gunnar twisted his head at that last part. “Bills—” he began, but his brother shut him down with a patient smile as he gestured to Sauda.

Jakyra and Sauda looked at each other, silently communicating. Was Bills still adamant about not letting him join this peacekeeping team? His parents had already accepted the idea under conditions, what was this for? Bills knew he was responsible enough to not get hurt or anything!

Thank goodness this Sauda person was understanding. “His choice.”

“Yes, but you can choose not to take him in and that resolves the matter,” Bills argued, Gunnar sputtering at this. Why?

“Not really,” Jakyra pointed out. “I take it his magic mentor wouldn’t take that lightly, and your brother sure is taking your words heavily.”

“The burden you place on my family by doing this is heavy too. I don’t want my brother involved in anything shady or dangerous, you hear? This saves a lot of hassle if we leave each other be.”

A short debate sparked as both sides argued over Gunnar, who felt like the child left out of a parental conversation. What was he to do, though? This was about him, but he didn’t know anything he could say to prove himself able and sway his brother’s mind. Bills, why are you making this difficult? he kept asking in his head. There had to be something he should say, but the words just wouldn’t come out.

“—not meant to be some warrior for hire,” Bills was saying. “The kid can’t even handle a look from that crazy magic construct you two have, he can’t manage whatever your Omniguards requires of him.”

A good couple of seconds before Sauda gave an off-hand comment. “A lair?”

“What?” Bills took a moment to process before laughing. “No, he can’t handle a lair. Horrible places, he wouldn't last a minute.”

Jakyra cocked her head to the side, her expression coming off as mischievous. “If you say so. See, Sauda and I were planning to go to one right after this, you could say it’s a warm-up exercise for us. Maybe you both can come along so we can see Gunnar in action for ourselves.”

Bills froze at that. An opening!

“I mean, we already have our weapons on us,” Gunnar quickly said before his brother recovered. “For Bills’s sake, maybe you two could stay in front and cover us, and if things get dangerous we bail. A lair sounds like a good way to show a certain someone that I can hold my ground and all.” He gave his brother a tap. “Sounds good?”

“Kid, are you crazy?” Bills cried out. “No. You’re not doing that.”

But for once Gunnar felt assertive. He moved over to the two females and folded his arms at a gaping Bills, restating his desire to join the Omniguards either way. Forget his own curious desire to try this out, His mentor’s recommendation was more than enough. Bills had to accept that.

“I- Gunnar, why-” stammered Bills, trying to find something to say but failing. At last he lowered his head, groaning to himself and earning a chuckle from Jakyra. Sauda, more well-mannered, gave his brother an apologetic look.

Bills’s pupils rose a little as he regained his composure, staring at Gunnar with displeasure. His hand wavered towards his scabbard. “Which way?”