“I find that the constant prattle Direnians are always engaged in can be liberating. After all, in a crowded room of scholars from that continent, I can throw out the most ludicrous claims and ideas and have them be absorbed swiftly and holistically into the discourse, to be debated, picked apart, put back together, and picked apart all over again, as if they weren’t the silliest things in the world. I think sometimes that no-one wars with Diren not because of the quality of their army, but because no-one wishes to wade through the pain of negotiating peace with them.”

Oreanen Vainen, the Emerald Sage, on Direnian debates

Dannek came back into town with his team of very late during the night. “I have good news and bad news.” He said as he slammed his pack down on the table and began organizing the remainders of his provisions and his gear.

“The good news is that I leveled up, my Class Advanced to , and my Talent Advanced to . Still, we couldn’t catch him. We even put a crossbow bolt through his ankle, and he still managed to get away. The only explanation is he has some kind of Stamina or Speed Talent, or both. He’s definitely at least my Level, if not higher. I’m sorry. Even Drumlin’s finest completely failed.”

Bim was reassuring. “Don’t feel too much guilt, Dannek. He was obviously much more of a threat then we assumed. I’m just glad no-one got hurt. If he comes back, Sharron will know, and we can deal with him then.” He turned to Forana. “How’s the cure progressing?”

“Well, we have three potential potions that we think are closest. Option A--” She pointed to a large flask full of bubbling scarlet liquid. “Is difficult to keep down, but seems to be restoring people’s physical faculties to their pre-infected levels for at least two days-- we’ll have to wait to see if it’s permanent-- but leaves people still feeling mentally restricted and thinking has been described as “soupy”, “slow”, and “thick”, so this one doesn’t do much to the mental side of the disease. Option B--” she pointed to a bottle full of bale blue elixir, with what looked like pieces of ash swirling in it. “This one is the easiest to digest, and cures the disease perfectly--” she went quickly on as she saw Bim’s hopes rise. “--But it only works for about 12 hours, before the patient relapses. It has potential to extend the duration of effect, though. Option C--” She pointed to a bottle full of grass-colored liquid that had a thin froth on the top. “That’s a tricky one. Cures all mental problems with the disease, but physical issues are mostly unaddressed, and people who take it have described being afflicted by colorblindness and issues with depth perception, among other sensory problems.”

Bim shook his head. “We don’t have time. Produce as much of the Option B as possible, and dispense it to people. Make it clear that the solution is only temporary, but it will at least give people some hope.”

Forana raised her hand, and Bim sighed. “Yes, just speak. This isn’t a classroom.”

“One problem with that. With the manpower we have, we can only produce about six samples of a given cure in a day. We have scores of people that are infected.”

“Fine. Give the potion to those suffering the worst, those closest to death, and in the meantime work on increasing your output and extending the potion’s duration. I’ll assign a few of the most potion-savvy townsfolk, which I assume will be none. So, in truth, I’ll assign eight complete newbies and you’ll have to train them up in the fundamentals of your craft.”

Forana accepted begrudgingly. Bim took Zara aside and they walked the streets, saying hello to people and checking in on various work, with the weavers and woodchoppers, brewers and butchers.

“We need to think about the future.” Bim said at last. “We need to consider where we’re going to be in a week, a month, a year. I like this town, correct me if I’m wrong, but you like this town too. We’ve carved out a little place here, our group has. But we need to consider where we’re headed. Once this disease is cured, once Sharron starts to recover-- where do you want to go? We’re free, free to be ourselves. Who would you want to be?”

Zara was quiet for a time, and they continued their rounds, Bim giving words of encouragement and helping out for a moment with whatever work was being done.

“I want…” Zara’s brow knit. “I want to protect people. Help keep them safe from dangers, from disasters, from people like Jules or your mentor. I guess I’m trying to learn how to do that. It’s strange; I haven’t thought much about who I want to be, after all these years. I’ve mostly just gone with the flow.”

“But you deserted. That’s not going with the flow. Why did you?”

Zara’s eyes were intent, thinking on earlier days. “For the first time in all my years of serving, my commander did something I just couldn’t stand.”

Bim’s question was small, direct, and calm. “What did they do?”

She seemed larger, all of a sudden, filled with rage at a memory. “He-- Zade--” She seemed almost to deflate, calming herself. “It doesn’t truly matter now. What matters is that we make this little town and its people’s lives brighter. And once we’re done here, we’ll do it to the rest of Esultar too.”

Bim nodded firmly. “I like the sound of that.”