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In Aleryn’s eyes, the hardest part about life is the waiting.
Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration. There are more difficult things to deal with. Fighting evil cultists? That’s tough. Banishing elemental lords seeking dominion over the mortal plane? Somewhat harder. Grappling with the horrors of war and the growing amount of blood on your hands? That’s not easy.
But waiting? Somehow it’s both easier and harder than anything she’s ever done. She had spent most of her life waiting, and yet every additional second felt like agony, the difficult process of anticipation made all the worse by the growing fear of the future.
“Ma’am, are you aware that you are a fish?”
And some people make it even harder.
Aleryn pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers. “This is the third time I’ve had to answer this question today. Is it at all possible that you could serve me without my giving a condensed history of my entire people?” The woman in front of her shook her head. “Sorry, ma’am, but my family is proud of our wares. We don’t plan t’sully our reputation by serving animals. That ain’t civilized.”
“But I’m not an animal,” Aleryn told her. “I am a triton. My people are descended from the nereids; elemental fey who sacrificed their immortal form to fight evil. I am not a fish.”
The woman narrowed her eyes. They were blue, Aleryn noted, and just about the only splash of brighter colors on her entire person. Everything else was muted. Lightly tanned skin, dark brown hair, a faded plaid shirt, and a set of beat-up overalls for whom hue was a distant memory. Aleryn couldn’t understand how someone on the surface, for which there were countless combinations of bright and vibrant colors, would settle for something so...bland.
Of course, she had bigger headaches right now.
“Not a fish, huh? Then what do ya call those?” She flicked a finger towards Aleryn’s fins. “Seems awfully fish-like to me, ‘less you’re sayin’ you’ve seen deer who can breathe underwater.”
Aleryn, almost by instinct, used a hand to cover up one of her fins in question. It was a futile effort, since she had one on both forearms and they couldn’t be hidden just by her fingers, but an attempt was made. “Just because I look fish-like,” she said slowly, “Doesn’t mean I’m a fish. Humans and elves look alike, do you mistake them for each other too?”
The woman made a point of pulling her straw hat down, covering the upper half of her face with the brim. Atop the hat, Aleryn recognized a piece of paper stuck on the hat, which read, I’m a traveling merchant! My name is Shandri! in what was clearly Harburk’s handwriting.
“Miss,” Shandri started, “I know you ain’t from around these parts, but I’ll have you know that we don’t take kindly to speciesism around here. If you continue to make such inappropriate comments, I may well have to bar you from making further purchases at my shop.”
“You haven’t let me buy anything yet!” Aleryn near-shouted. “And you’ve been making just as bad comments by claiming that I’m an animal. If anything, you’re the one that’s being speciesist!”
Shandri raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? Well now, Lil’ Miss High Tide, that’s an awfully big acc-u-sation.” She said each syllable of the word as if it was cut apart, separated. “And what evidence do you have to support your claims?”
“The fact that you’ve been calling me a fish ever since I approached your stand?” Aleryn suggested. “You can ask anyone, they’ll have to have heard you.”
Shandri quirked an eyebrow, then turned to the man hawking wears at the next stand over. “Dorn? Have you heard me say anything that could be misconstrued as inappropriate to the little fish lady here?” “Eh?” Dorn, an elderly man who looked like he would be blown away if a stiff wind struck him, glanced over at the pair. “I haven’t heard--Gods above, what is that?!” He jumped back at the sight of Aleryn, and grabbed the closest thing--an umbrella--and held it close as if it could defend him if she attacked.
“Dorn,” Shandri said, “Do you agree that this here woman looks a lot like a fish?” “Looks like a sea-devil, if that’s what you mean!” The old man said. He huddled behind the umbrella, eyeing Aleryn warily. “Saw one of those things a few years ago. Nearly took my leg out on a fishing trip! Ain’t been on the water since.”
Aleryn huffed. “Actually, I am a triton. ‘Sea devil’ is a term used to describe my people’s ancient foe, the sahuagin. We’ve been at war since ancient times.”
“Your fancy words won’t charm me, sea devil!” Dorn snarled. “I know your tricks! You sirens take human form, then ya eat us once we let down our guard! I read it in a book once. ”
“I don’t suppose the book was sourced or accredited?” Aleryn muttered under her breath. Idly, one of her fists balled up and began tapping against her outer thigh; the repetitive movement made her feel a little better, though that wasn’t saying much.
“I ain’t gonna listen to any of your beguiling words, sea witch!” Dorn opened up the umbrella, as if not seeing her would protect him from Aleryn’s theoretical spells, and took a few steps away from them. “Your kind are gonna invade the surface! Prune our stomachs and make delicacies out of our livers! It’ll be the end of days for man and elf alike!”
That comment actually gave Aleryn pause, its sheer audacity actually causing her to forget her anger. “Wait. But we have elves in the sea. I went to school with sea elves, how can you--” “A-ha!” Dorn cried out. He grinned, a little maniacally, as he said, “So you admit to indoctrinatin’ us innocent surface folk! Shandri, grab me the guttin’ knife! I’m gonna send a message to the sea.”
Shandri looked at Aleryn, as if trying to figure out whether or not she should actually grab the gutting knife. Aleryn just threw her hands up and said, “Fine. I’ll leave. I didn’t want anything from your shop anyway.” Aleryn turned on her heel and was about to leave, when a devious thought popped into her mind.
“But just so you know, Dorn,” Aleryn said as she turned away, “Your livers aren’t actually that tasty. We ‘devils’ much prefer your hearts. It allows us to feed on the withered remains of your own morality.” She casts a disdainful look at the two of them before saying, “Yours would pair well with caulerpa, perhaps wrapped in dulse.” And with that, Aleryn walked away, into the crowd of people that permeated the marketplace, allowing herself to feel some twisted amount of joy at the belligerent cries of Dorn and the end of days.
Was that a smart thing to do? No, Aleryn reasoned, it was not. Was it fun? Oh yes, it was wonderful. After how stressful the last several days had been, causing a little trouble was a nice way of relaxing.
“They only come into town once a week, and I’ll be gone for a month,” Aleryn said to herself. “I’m sure they’ll forget by then. Though I should probably warn Jharvas to stay out of the market for a while…”
As she talked to herself, Aleryn tried to make a point of looking through the market, hoping that they might have more interesting items, or more amenable shopkeepers. After a few minutes of browsing, however, she had to admit defeat. She considered going back to the Swinging Sword to wait until Hercan called her, until she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.
“Aleryn!” She turned, just in time to see the telltale pink figure of Ulxis push her way through the crowd. Literally pushing, as the large amount of people made it difficult to move without having to navigate around someone, somewhere. “Excuse me--I’m sorry, excuse me--I didn’t mean to--”
After about a minute of struggling with the crowd, Ulxis eventually managed to find her way to Aleryn. Though seeming a bit winded, she didn’t look too different from how she normally did. Her skin was pale pink, akin to a dahlia flower, with her pig-tailed hair only a few shades darker. She seemed to have swapped out her armor for something a little more casual, namely a black tunic that fell down to her knees. Next to her was her drake companion, Dion, whose coloration was a collage of vibrant colors.
“Ulxis,” Aleryn said. Her tone was neutral, a return to how she normally speaks, but there was a slight inflection in her voice, a pinch of recognition and surprise. “I thought you were going to see if they had snacks for Dion. I trust you found some?”
Ulxis rubbed the back of her neck, peering over at Dion. The drake’s expression was hard to read as ever, and his attempt to speak in Draconic made no real difference, given the language barrier, though Aleryn could tell whatever he was saying made her somewhat uncomfortable.
“We, uh, tried to see if we could get him an animal to eat,” Ulxis said. Her tone was low, nervous, as if she was mere moments from running away in the middle of the conversation. So, basically the same as how she always spoke. “They had sheep--they’re a bit different than the ones in the Feywild, but I think he would eat them. They’re not as shiny…”
Aleryn nodded. “I’m guessing you didn’t have enough money for one?”
“No. I mean yes, I didn’t, but--” Ulxis sighed, her coloration changing to a somewhat lighter color, closer to pale cotton candy. “I tried talking to them, but then they saw Dion and got scared. They started begging for their lives, ‘cause they thought he was going to eat them. I felt bad, so we left instead of buying anything. Plus, uh, the no money thing.”
“That’s not too surprising,” Aleryn noted. She glanced in the direction she saw Ulxis come from. Indeed, she did notice a group of merchants on the far side of the market, crying loudly and profusely to anyone nearby. A lot of shoppers seemed to avoid them, except for a familiar-looking town guard who seemed to be taking a statement. Aleryn didn’t even need to see the homemade badge to know it was Harburk, leader of the Red Larch militia.
“...We can discuss this elsewhere,” Aleryn told her quickly. She gestured for Ulxis to follow as she said, “Like Vallivoe’s. He will actually serve us.” “Oh, that’s good,” Ulxis agreed as she started to follow. “Even if I can’t buy anything. A friendly face would be nice.”
“Friendly enough,” Aleryn clarified. “He’s never barred me from his shop, so I suppose that is a victory.”
“Yeah…” Aleryn could feel Ulxis’ eyes on her as they walked. It felt like she was being sized up--though what for, Aleryn had no clue. All she knew was that it made her uncomfortable, though she made a conscious effort to resist those feelings, if only to ensure there weren’t any negative feelings between the two of them.
After a few minutes of walking, they eventually made their way into Vallivoe’s Sundries. The home-turned-business looked essentially the same as the last time Aleryn visited; the outside walls were layered with doors, barrels, broken-down furniture, and tools all set against them, seemingly because Vallivoe himself ran out of space inside. Within the shop, just about everything could be found inside, ranging from weapons and armor to carpets and mirrors.
To Aleryn, this place was like the surface world contained in a couple rooms. All kinds of things she didn’t understand and had never seen before, condensed tightly within this one space. It was strange and incredible.
“Woah…” Ulxis’ jaw fell open upon entering the building. Her eyes darted across the room, taking in all the weird new details as fast as her brain could handle it. “What is all this stuff?”
“It seems to be a bit of everything,” Aleryn explained. “I believe the general idea is to keep Vallivoe’s inventory non-specialized, that way people are tempted to shop here for the convenience of finding a variety of things they need. Though, most seem to be focused on the needs of the nearby residents. It’s where I bought my cloak.” To demonstrate, she grabbed the edges of her cloak and held it out for Ulxis to see.
It was hard to tell if Ulxis heard her explanation, as she was too busy running through the shop, turning her attention to the different items within. “Ooooh.” She ran over to a nearby table, where she found a table lamp shaped like a tree, with each branch holding a candle. “What purpose does this serve?”
“It lights up the dark. We have similar things underwater, though we don’t use…” Aleryn squinted at the candles, then shrugged. “...Whatever those are. We use bioluminescent algae or the like.”
Ulxis nodded slowly. “It’s so pretty,” She muttered. “Maybe I can buy this one day?”
“That’s your choice,” Aleryn told her. She wandered through the store, her eyes roaming over the various items displayed around her. “If you need coin, you can have some of mine. I only really need enough for the essentials.”
“Oh no, I’m fine!” Ulxis flashed Aleryn a small smile. “I don’t have anywhere to keep anything. But maybe before I leave, if I get enough money, I’ll get something to bring home.” Suddenly, Aleryn heard her companion take a sharp gasp. “Like that!”
Aleryn followed the sound of her voice, eventually finding that Ulxis had wandered into a very specific corner of the shop, one populated entirely by tables full of wooden figurines, tiny enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand. Each statuette seemed to be different, taking the shape of various surface-dwelling animals. Aleryn didn’t recognize most of them, but one in particular seemed to stand out to Ulxis.
“Look at this!” Ulxis scooped up one of the few figurines that Aleryn could recognize. It looked a lot like Dion, though its proportions were notably more in-line with his larger cousins. It was unpainted, leaving it brown in color, but other than that, it was practically a perfect replica of a true dragon.
“Impressive,” Aleryn murmured. “It’s incredibly detailed.” She grabbed the statue’s associated title card, giving it a quick look over. “The Majestic Dracon by Arveene Taloncrown. Five silver.” She hummed thoughtfully before saying, “Is this something you’re interested in?”
“Yeah! I mean, dracon is kinda the wrong term, that’s like a mix between a dragon and a centaur, but it’s still neat!” Ulxis turned to Dion and shoved the little dragon statuette in his face. “Dion, look! Isn’t this cool?”
Dion’s response was unintelligible to Aleryn as normal, but the way he turned away and started to fixate on the model horses and cows implied his mind was still on dinner.
“Well, I like it.” Ulxis sighed, then placed the figurine back on its spot at the table. “Maybe I’ll get it later. I hope it’ll still be here by the time our mission is done.”
“Hm…” Aleryn stared at the tiny dragon. It was interesting, certainly, and it wasn’t like Ulxis had any real possessions of her own that weren’t practical. But Aleryn was also aware that she shouldn’t spend her own money so carelessly, especially when she was about to journey to a strange new world. Even if the dragon was so cheap, and it would mean a lot to somebody so new to the Prime…
Aleryn shook her head. “I shouldn’t be so easy to influence,” she whispered to herself.
“Huh?” Ulxis turned to Aleryn, head tilted quizzically. “What was that?”
“Nothing.” Aleryn snatched up the little dragon and continued, “Give me a moment. I need to speak with Vallivoe.”
Aleryn headed to the central area of the shop, where she found the familiar sight of Vallivoe, an older-looking human man who hadn’t changed much from when Aleryn last saw him. He was standing at the counter, unpacking a box of varied and strange items that Aleryn didn’t recognize. When she reached the counter, he stopped and turned to her, a faint smile on his face.
“Oh! You’re back,” Vallivoe said to her. “I, um, I wasn’t quite expecting you to still be in town. I mean, everybody’s talking about it, but I thought you would have passed on given how, erm, landlocked we are…”
Aleryn really wanted to throw out a biting retort, but after so many days of dealing with passive-aggression from surfacers, she was out of any clever comebacks she might’ve had. That, and she didn’t want to risk him price-gouging her out of a sense of frustration.
“I’m actually about to leave,” Aleryn told him. “But I’ll be back later. For now, I was hoping to buy a few things. Would you mind?”
“By all means, feel free to shop to your heart’s content!” Vallivoe beamed at her. “Did you have something in mind? I was just unpacking some new magic items, and I believe I have a few new cloaks if you want a replacement.”
“No thank you,” Aleryn said. She pinched the edge of her cloak, willing it to change color from blue to white as she pulled it close. “I am quite happy with the last one I bought from you. Though I am interested in these magic items. You said they’re new?”
“Of course! Just got them from Waterdeep!” To demonstrate, Vallivoe reached into the wooden crate he had set upon the counter. He rummaged through it for a few moments before pulling out a pair of green boots, embroidered with nature-themed images. “These are Boots of Elvenkind. Crafted by a pair of sun elf siblings in Silverymoon, they make your steps completely silent at all times.”
“Useful,” Aleryn admitted. “But where I’m going, I won’t be walking often. Do you have anything more useful for someone in the ocean?”
Vallivoe frowned. “Ah...Ocean? That’s tougher, given our lack of, uh, livability down there. But let me see.” He reached back into the crate, shifting around for a few seconds before pulling out a translucent sphere, much like an artificial bubble. “This is a Breathing Bubble! It gives its user an hour’s worth of breathable…” He glanced at Aleryn’s throat, his eyes settling on her gills. “...Not too useful for you, I guess.”
“No,” Aleryn agreed, “But my companions may need it soon. I’ll tell them if they find themselves in need of it. Anything else?”
“Well, there’s one more thing…” He reached into the crate one last time, pulling out what seemed to be a horn of some kind. It was made of carefully carved wood, light brown in color and decorated with magical runes in a straight line along its side. He held it out for Aleryn to see, causing the runes to shimmer slightly.
“This is a Horn of Silent Alarm,” Vallivoe told her. “You blow on it, and the only creature who can hear it is the one you choose, and the sound carries up to several hundred feet away. Only works a few times per day, but it’s good for sneaking around and letting your friends know what’s up. Plus, the enchantment makes it waterproof!”
“Huh.” Aleryn picked up the horn with one hand, looking it over carefully. Vallivoe had a point, it would be useful. Even outside of Terminus, it could prove extremely helpful when dealing with cultists. Sneak attacks, warnings, even confusing enemies with sounds only they could hear...This would be quite the advantage.
“How much for it?” Aleryn set the little dragon miniature down next to it. “And this too.”
Vallivoe’s eyes darted around, his finger moving through the air as if he was controlling an imaginary abacus. “Well, the horn is about seventy-five gold and the figurine is five silver…Seven-hundred-fifty-five silver. Unless you have the--”
Vallivoe hadn’t finished speaking before Aleryn pulled out and counted out the exact change in gold-and-silver coins. “There’s no need,” she told him, handing over the change. “Thank you very much for the merchandise.” She picked up the figurine and the horn, then turned on her feet and walked over to the store’s entrance, where Ulxis was nervously waiting.
Aleryn held out the dragon miniature for Ulxis to take. “I believe this is yours,” she said.
“Really?!” Ulxis’ sudden gasp was sharp enough to cause Aleryn to wince. She grabbed the fake dragon and held it tight. “Thank you so much, Aleryn! I love it, I--I’ll make sure to keep it safe.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Aleryn told her. “Hopefully it will give you some level of comfort while you’re in this world.” I know I was happy to have some.
Ulxis bowed her head, smiling at Aleryn gratefully. “I know it will.” She placed the miniature in her bag, then said, “So...What should we do next?”
“Well…” Aleryn glanced down at the horn in her hands. “I guess I should go gather my things for the trip. Would you mind gathering everyone together in the Swinging Sword? I would like to do something with them.”
“Of course!” Ulxis glanced at Dion. “Let’s go. We should probably find Novak first. I don’t think Umemi will listen to us if we asked…”
Ulxis and Dion walked out of the store, the two chatting as they walked down the street. As they walked, Aleryn felt a pressure building up in her chest, a sense of foreboding and fear that she knew all too well from past experiences.
She felt this way when Daslyn left.
Waiting is hard. Perhaps not as hard as fighting cultists or defeating elemental evils from another plane, but it’s hard in a different way. It gives time for the brain to fixate on the wrong ideas, focus on the worst possible problems you can imagine. Time may heal all wounds, but it can just as easily rip open more, if one is not careful.
This was something Aleryn knew maybe a little too much about.
“I’m being ridiculous,” Aleryn muttered to herself. She paced about her room in the Swinging Sword, running a hand through her hair as the other rapped her knuckles lightly against her thigh. “This is the exhaustion talking. There is absolutely no reason for me to feel bad about leaving on my journey...Right?”
Under normal circumstances, Aleryn would’ve cherished the silence that comes from asking a question to an empty room. It was better than the empty room granting her an answer, and far less invasive than the questioning that any living person would give her if they were asked. Generally, she preferred to stew over her problems in private and make her own solutions.
That said, Aleryn was quickly finding that some solutions were too complex for her to figure out. She blamed it on her social maladaptation, but that didn’t make it any easier to deal with the growing knots of anxiety that were forming in her stomach.
Aleryn let out a frustrated groan. “I’m just being stupid. I should be concentrating on more important things. I’m about to head out to another world, one that I know next to nothing about, and I’m worried about the fact that I’m leaving a group of near-strangers for a song!” She threw herself into her bed and grabbed the closest object--her trustworthy twenty-pound shale rock. “Why are my priorities so messed up?!”
The shale did not respond.
“And now I’m talking to a rock. Great.” Aleryn sighed, placing the rock gently on top of her abdomen. The pressure was nice, comforting. It felt like she was being hugged, but without the social pressures. The rock wouldn’t judge her for holding it too long or not long enough. It wouldn’t mind if she didn’t understand the intricacies of who it’s appropriate to hug and who isn’t. It certainly wouldn’t get mad at her for somehow messing up a simple gesture.
It’s just a rock. It wasn’t that complicated.
Aleryn stared up at the bunk above her, pulling her satchel close. It was filled with various items she had accumulated since her journey began. It was far past being able to easily hold everything at once, but she had yet to try finding a replacement. That was something she should’ve remembered at Vallivoe’s, but her mind was too busy wandering to recall that.
“I just wish…” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “I wish this wasn’t so confusing. Daslyn, Jharvas, my companions...None of it makes sense to me. The cults are easy to figure out, they’re evil. But understanding my place with people I actually like being around? That’s so much harder.” Tekir and Gardrin flashed through her mind. “Well, people I mostly like.”
She glanced at her satchel. Among the many other things pushed down inside its pockets, she noticed a familiar-looking rock, small enough that she could grasp it in her fist. Small carvings marked it as a standard-issue Sending Stone, one which Aleryn recalled as connecting her to the commissar, Ervastath Gyrashiil. The thought of talking to them again made Aleryn shudder.
“I don’t trust myself to tell the commissar about my trip,” Aleryn told herself. The words felt dangerous to say, as if just mentioning the rank would activate the stone and transmit the entire conversation. She knew it wouldn’t happen without her touch, but it still made her nervous.
“I mean, I need to,” she continued. “It could cost me my position if I don’t. But with how open I’ve been about seditious thoughts, I could easily get myself in more trouble. The last thing I need is the commissar angry with me…”
Aleryn couldn’t help but think back on all the things she said and did lately that went against Dominion protocol. Offering to let Jharvas take credit for her accomplishments could mean probation if she was lucky, a demotion if she wasn’t. But telling foreigners of the Dominion’s perceived weaknesses? Possibly spreading such ideas to younger soldiers? That could ruin her career, just like it did her grandfather’s.
The thought of her grandfather led to thoughts of her parents, and Aleryn quickly shut that down. The last thing she needed was to worry about how they were taking her mission. Chances were her mother was obsessing over her safety, hounding the commissar for details on the mission status. Her father was probably trying his best to console her. Her grandfather was hard to guess at, but it was likely he would follow her father.
It occurred to her for the umpteenth time that she had a very real chance of not seeing them again. She pushed that thought away and refused to acknowledge it.
Luckily, she was saved from having to think about these things by a knock at the door. “Come in,” she called out.
The door opened to reveal the strangely mundane sight of a blue-skinned man with pointed ears and a set of large cobalt crab arms protruding from his shoulders. To most, the sight of Hercan was surprising, even when one had seen him repeatedly. To Aleryn, it had reached a point that his presence was normal, welcome even.
Aleryn pushed the rock into her lap and sat up, saying, “I take it everyone is waiting downstairs?”
“They’re outside; Gardrin didn’t want to risk his horns cutting through the roof, though I would hurry if I were you,” Hercan told her. “Many of them are eager to be on their way. Umemi, Ginger, and Ezra are especially eager to start their journey.”
“Mmm.” The reminder of the Umemi-Ginger-Ezra trio stirred a pit of negative feelings in Aleryn’s chest. It wasn’t that she disliked any of them or the trip they were planning, but she had to admit to feeling jealous that she was stuck with an interdimensional field trip instead of spending time with the others.
Just more dumb feelings that she had no place focusing on.
Hercan raised an eyebrow. Knowing him, he somehow clued in on her mixed feelings. “Is there something you need to say?”
“No, you’re fine,” Aleryn told him. “I’m just grappling with some worries. It’s unimportant.”
“Really?” Hercan leaned against the doorway, his eyes falling on the rock in her lap. “I could hear your complaints through the door. Strange that you talk like that if they're unimportant.”
Aleryn’s cheeks flushed a bright purple color. “Gods below...Please tell me nobody else was able to hear all that.”
“They didn’t,” he assured her. “Only me. My hearing is far better than theirs; I could hear your frantic muttering from the staircase.”
“Lovely.” Aleryn rolled her eyes. She moved the rock back onto the bed and stood up. “I’ll be outside in a moment. I just need to put everything together.”
“Your thoughts or your equipment?” Hercan crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing the overflowing satchel on Aleryn’s bed.
“Both, but the latter is significantly easier.” She grabbed the satchel and sat it up on the bed, carefully picking up everything that was falling out of its pockets. She hated that this bag felt like an appropriate metaphor for how her brain felt right now.
Hercan shook his head and walked over to Aleryn. “It looks like you could use some help.”
“I’m fine,” Aleryn insisted. “I’m just worried. I’m leaving for another world, one I’ve never been to before, all by myself, on a mission I don’t fully understand, while everybody I know is elsewhere on their own job and enjoying themselves as I struggle to deal with all the things I don’t know how to do. And I know I’ve done it once already, but doing it again feels--It feels--”
Aleryn’s throat felt sore. She tried to wipe away the tears that were already forming before they had a chance to leave a mark on her face. “I shouldn’t care so much. I don’t know these people. I don’t know why I’m so worried about them liking me or not liking me. I should be focused on the mission, but I keep fixating on the unimportant.”
She took a deep breath, still refusing to face her mentor. One of her hands was rapidly tapping against the edge of the bed. “I’ll be fine, Hercan. I don’t want you to have to deal with my issues, especially when you already have so much on your plate.”
Hercan’s response came after a brief pause. “...Actually, I was going to offer to help you with your bag.”
No sooner than he said this, Aleryn’s face fell forward, pressing into the soft blanket in front of her. She wanted to bury herself in this bed forever to escape her embarrassment, but instead she contented herself with an aggravated groan. “Ugh...Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to--I don’t know. After the last several days, I guess I just needed to vent. I didn’t mean for you to see that.”
Hercan only chuckled. He sat down on the bed, opposite of Aleryn. He was far too big to fit easily under the top bunk, but he somehow managed it. Somehow. “I’ve been told before I’m a calming presence,” he said in his usual tone, the one that made it hard to tell if he was joking or not. “I suppose that’s why I became your therapist.”
Aleryn laughed, but not for the reason Hercan probably meant for. The idea of anyone being calm around Hercan was alien to her; even she felt stressed when he was near, for fear of messing up and ruining his opinion of her...But she felt like that with everybody. Still, it was hard to imagine anyone finding his presence calming.
Aleryn sat up once more, wiping at the tears around her eyes. “I think I was more emotionally stable when that started. My only problems were learning not to flap my hands in public.”
“Don’t forget your near-death experience at age five,” Hercan reminded her. “Or your treatment at the hands of your schoolmates. And the growing awareness of your family situation. I’m sorry to tell you, but you’ve always been an extremely emotional person. If anything, you just became better at hiding it.”
Aleryn couldn’t stop the chuckle from escaping her lips. “I can’t believe that makes me feel better. It really shouldn’t. I think I’m still tired from the fight with Imix.”
“Perhaps. Or you are simply happy to have had the chance to discuss your problems.” Hercan shrugged. “I have observed many people throughout the years, Aleryn. Not many of them were simple. Life is difficult for everybody. If you try to ignore how these things make you feel, you won’t be able to tackle the harder ones.”
“And here I thought you would stop teaching me when I graduated.” Aleryn smiled at Hercan, then said after a short pause, “Thank you. For everything, really, but...Thank you. I don’t know where I would be without your help.”
“I do.” Hercan stood up, rolling his shoulders as he continued, “But let’s not think about that. There’s one more thing I have for you, assuming you won’t burst into tears when I hand it to you.”
Aleryn smirked. It was always hard to tell whether teasing was good-natured or not, but with Hercan she was usually safe in assuming the former. Well, she hoped. “I’ll try not to. What is it?”
Hercan gestured to the bed. Before she could move her head, she noticed something shift out of the corner of her eye. “See for yourself.”
Aleryn turned to look at the bed, and was immediately surprised by the presence of something she hadn’t seen earlier. Laying in the center of her bed was a second satchel, much like the one she was holding in her hands right now. It was roughly the same shape, being a bag that was designed to be slung over one shoulder, but it was white with red accents rather than the original’s plain brown. The red reminded Aleryn of her coral sculpture back home.
“A new bag?” Aleryn set the original satchel down and picked up the new one. It felt somewhat heavier, but not so heavy that it was difficult to pick up. She shook it slightly, getting a feel for its weight, but noticed that nothing bounced around inside. This weight was the bag itself, not whatever might’ve been inside.
“Reach inside it,” Hercan said, gesturing to the bag with one hand. “You’ll see.”
“Okay.” Aleryn opened the bag and, without really looking, pushed her hand inside. It felt strange at first, her hand tingling slightly, but she wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t until she realized that her arm was starting to reach too deep without end that she understood what was going on.
Aleryn’s eyes widened as she pulled her hand out. “A liminal space?” She pulled the bag open and looked inside. Instead of seeing the typical inside of a bag, there was only an inky-blue void, twinkling with multicolored lights like stars. Despite the fact that Aleryn could tell there was air inside, it had the texture of water; she had the feeling if she was inside this bag, she could swim as though she was in the sea.
“It’s a Bag of Holding,” Hercan told her. “It can hold up to five hundred pounds before it starts to tear apart. Useful, but they explode when placed in similar extradimensional spaces. I doubt you want to explore the Astral Plane just yet, so try not to break it.”
Aleryn stared at the bag in awe. “And you’re letting me have this? Why?”
“Terminus is filled with interesting things you may want to keep track of,” Hercan told her. “And people willing to take those things from you. This will keep everything safe better than a satchel already spilling over.” He gestured to the shale rock. “Go ahead, try it.”
Aleryn nodded, then picked up the rock. Carefully, she pushed it into the mouth of the Bag of Holding, watching with awe as it slipped inside. Aleryn peered inside, amazed to find the rock floating within the void, having already moved past how far her arm could reach.
“Incredible,” she breathed. “How do I get it back?”
“Just put your hand inside and focus on what you want,” Hercan explains. “It’s made for ease of use, even underwater, so you won’t have to worry about flooding it if you open it.”
Aleryn’s smile widened. “Thank you, Hercan, this is amazing. I hope there’s a way I can pay you back for everything you’ve done for me.” She immediately started the process of transferring her stuff from the old satchel to the Bag of Holding.
“We’ll see.” Hercan flashed her a soft smile. “For now, why don’t we head outside? I’m sure you’ll want to see the others one last time before you leave.”
“That’s...probably a good idea.” Aleryn resisted the urge to say anything that would embarrass herself more, and quickly poured the entirety of her inventory--cloak included--inside the Bag of Holding. She could sort that out later. The only thing she didn’t place in the bag was the Sending Glass that Hercan had given her days ago. That, she held tightly in her hands as she slung the bag over her shoulder. “Alright, let’s go.”
Aleryn followed Hercan back outside the Swinging Sword. It wasn’t hard to figure out where the party was, as they managed to stand out significantly, even if the area outside the inn wasn’t fairly empty. If it wasn’t the massive minotaur or large metal man, it was the half-orc with a moth’s head or the halfling with scary glowing eyes. By comparison to those four, Fie, Ulxis, Ezra, and Tekir looked downright normal.
Ulxis waved at Aleryn once she passed through the inn’s door. “I got everyone! You know, for, um, that thing you wanted.”
“Yes, that you did, Ulxis.” Tekir’s voice was low and deep, as usual, echoing from his helmet. This human man wore heavy crimson armor that could made him like more like a fiend than a person. His voice had a hint of annoyance that, as usual, made his tone all the more intimidating. “What did you need, Aleryn? I was just finishing up Braelen’s training…”
Aleryn tried not to think about what Braelen’s training with Tekir could involve. Nothing good, she was sure. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath to ease her nerves, then looked up at the group, “I wanted to say goodbye to each of you. I know that we’ll only be apart for a song, but you have all been of excellent company. I would not have made it this far in my mission without you. So…”
She glanced down at the glass, noting the new button that Hercan had unlocked on its screen. “As I told you before, this glass can create true-to-life images. I would like to ask a special favor of all of you, to commemorate our defeat of Imix. I would like a photo of our party, together. If it’s not an inconvenience to any of you.”
Everyone looked between each other, Aleryn, and the glass. Nobody had a chance to really reply before Ginger--a blonde halfling with eyes that literally shined and shimmered a bright orange color--immediately shouted, “That sounds so cool! Can I stand in front? I don’t want Gardrin’s knee in front of my face.”
“You can sit on my shoulder if you would like,” the minotaur Gardrin offered her. “It would ensure you would have room with everybody else.”
Ginger grinned and did a small fist-pump. “Yes!”
“Nothin’ wrong with a bit of celebration,” Fie agreed. The changeling woman smiled. “Frankly, we deserve it after that helluva fight.”
Nearby, a paladin wearing a mask nodded. The mask barely stopped the golden light from escaping underneath. “As long as Umemi’s okay with it,” Ezra said. He glanced at Umemi, who only chittered in reply.
“I do not like these so-called...pictures,” the moth-headed half-orc said. “But I will let you do this, as long as my face is not seen.”
“She, uh, she says it’s fine,” Ulxis translated, rather sheepishly. “But she doesn’t want to face the camera. She doesn’t like pictures.”
“Do not speak for me. Only Ginger is allowed to do that.”
Ulxis’ eyes widened and she nodded her head slowly. Ezra just shrugged and said, “Then I have no problem with it.”
“I am alright with ‘pictures’ of my face,” Novak stated simply, the automaton studying the slate in Aleryn’s hands curiously. “I am curious about how they work.”
“I suppose I have time before we leave,” Hercan mused. He looked at a watch that was not, in fact, on his wrist. “After all, Cassius and I are a vital part of your team. Don’t you agree, Cassius?”
Cassius--who thus far had been in Umemi’s Cassi-carrier--whirred and gave a thumbs up. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.
Aleryn smiled. Admittedly, she was worried they would say no, or make fun of her for wanting something so stupidly sentimental. She was glad they were so accommodating. “Alright, let me just set it up.” Aleryn pressed the button and watched as the glass showed a reflection of the scene ahead of her. She started to adjust how she held the glass, only for it to suddenly start floating as a phantom hand took it from her grasp.
“Oh, I can do this,” Hercan told Aleryn. “Why don’t you stand with us? Hurry, my Mage Hand is getting sore.” Pause. “That was a joke, it cannot get sore.”
Aleryn grinned and nudged her way through the group, eventually settling in one place between Novak and Umemi. Behind her, she could hear Hercan say, “On three. One...Two…”
FLASH!
The glass emitted a sudden light that blinded Aleryn like nothing else she had ever seen. She heard a few shouts and cries, but they didn’t last long as her sight--and presumably theirs--returned after only a few seconds. She barely had time to recover her thoughts when Hercan floated the glass back into her hands.
The picture was incredible. It was completely real, a one-to-one comparison of how the party was when the countdown had been down. In the farther row back, standing very easily to see, was Hercan, with all of the party before him. The next row consisted of Fie, standing on the far left of this row, showing off a coy smile, and Gardrin on the other side, posing so that Ginger could sit safely on his shoulder, using the base of his horn for support.
The next row consisted, from left-to-right, of Novak, Aleryn, and Umemi. Novak’s eyes seemed to shine a little more brightly than normal, creating a lens flare of sorts. Umemi, meanwhile, looked to be in the process of walking away from the camera. Her face couldn’t be seen at all, but Cassius was turned toward the camera and waving. Her body was, weirdly enough, slightly blurry, as if the glass couldn’t process her properly.
The last row held Ezra on the left, followed by Ulxis and then Tekir. The light beneath Ezra’s mask caused his face to glow, an almost angelic shine to his profile. Ulxis stood stiffly, as if terrified of making a mistake...Or it might be because she was standing next to Tekir, who held the Black Hand of Bane up proudly in the image. He radiated power, and the color around him was slightly warped because of it.
Aleryn couldn’t help but grin like an idiot upon seeing it.
“Thank you,” she said to the group. “All of you. I’m happy we had this opportunity.” She looked around, at each of the people around her. “I…” I’ll miss you. “I look forward to seeing you all again, when our journeys bring us back to one another.” Close enough.
She turned to Hercan. “I’m ready to go now.”
Hercan snapped his fingers (and claws), and a doorway-shaped portal expanded into view before them. Aleryn could see the ocean, filled with strange fish and plants she didn’t recognize. She didn’t realize how much she missed being deep under the sea until she felt her heart thump in her chest.
Aleryn took a breath and steadied herself. She felt like she was going to explode. She was scared and excited, just as confused as she was eager. Her mind was a jumbled mess of mixed emotions, clashing at each other as she tried to separate how she felt from what she needed to do.
She let everybody bid her farewell, and she approached the doorway. She allowed herself to turn towards her companions one last time, reminding herself that this was for the best, and said two simple words.
“Goodbye, everyone.”
Then she stepped forward. Out of this world, and into Terminus.