Jackal Among Snakes

Argrave and Anneliese sat on the sandy coast of the Bloodwoods, staring out across the vastness of the ocean that divided this continent from others. Orion stood a healthy distance away, guarding them diligently while giving them space to speak alone. They faced the suns as they faded beyond the horizon, hueing the waters purples and oranges.

But there was one more with them. Onychinusa sat on a rock, watching the calm ocean lap gently against the sea. Where there had once been a bloody stump, now there were clumps of blackness. She was once again able to access her A-rank ascension after being struck by the emissary’s foul magic. That had made Argrave quite nervous, if he was honest. But as Anneliese promised, she caused no trouble. She had been quite rowdy and interrogative, which surprised him a fair bit, but after a time she settled down.

“Been a long while since we could afford to do this,” Argrave reflected.

Anneliese removed her gloves and sunk her hand into the sand. She picked up a handful and let it fall piece by piece. “And I think it is the last time we will, until Gerechtigkeit is perished.”

Argrave reached out towards some stones, sifting them until he found a flat one. He took it in hand, aiming the flattest, roundest bit down, and then tossed it with some spin. Though it had been from an awkward position, with the strength offered by the enchanted armor it skipped well over twenty times before dipping into the ocean. Off to the side, he saw the calm Onychinusa straighten, her eyes widening after his display of stone-skipping.

“I had been remaining quiet about this, but your talk with Ganbaatar reminded me of things,” Anneliese continued. “You said that what we experienced here was what Mozzahr, the Castellan of the Empty, experienced in the abandoned dwarven cities. Gerechtigkeit forced the early advent of a god.”

“…and you’re thinking that he won’t have experienced such a thing, and thus when he and his Ebon Cult come, it’ll be different than I remember it,” Argrave filled in the blanks, then threw another stone.

Anneliese watched the rock jump dozens of time, and then sink into the water before she answered, “Yes, that is what I thought. What we endured here was a nightmare. Some loose ends remain, but altogether… it was a better end than I daresay we hoped for. And Mozzahr… he dealt with a scenario like this. He dealt with it alone, without the help of the elven gods as we had.”

“Yeah, yeah, he’s way cooler than me.” Argrave shook his head, offering Anneliese a flat stone. He saw Onychinusa watching the stone in his hand.

Anneliese ignored his humor, asking, “Will he still come if he does not endure an attack? Will his forces be stronger or weaker? Will they come earlier or later? These are questions we must answer,” she finished, taking the stone from his hand.

Argrave watched as she rose to her feet, then took proper posture to throw the stone. It skipped ten, twenty, thirty times, at which point the skips came so quickly he lost count. It sunk into the ocean out of sight.

“I know it’s a concern.” Argrave rose to his feet with her. “But there isn’t much information I can give you. The player can’t even access the depths of the earth until the midgame, so I can predict how fighting Gerechtigkeit down there might’ve changed him.”

heap up, and then

cetera. But he wasn’t someone that could focus on those things while forgetting about the responsibilities. That was much of why he went to Quadreign, and why he went to the Bloodwoods when he could. To be fair to himself, he had

the role of king completely to prepare for the coming war with the nation underground—the Ebon Cult. Argrave had great personal strength. With the five imperial tomes in his arsenal and spirits to fuel the spells, he was a match for any magic user. Their

longer suffice. Gods great and small would emerge from all corners of Berendar, seeking to make this land their holdfast in preparation for Gerechtigkeit’s advent. The kingdom itself needed to be strengthened at this

to head back and steal Elenore’s credit, like always,” Argrave called out

it skipped only

dare risk her A-rank ascension activating and draining the ancient elf of the magic that constituted her body. She would only touch her with a thick

“And you, Onychinusa?

didn’t have the same closeness she did with Anneliese, but he could tell Onychinusa didn’t dislike him.

good answer for that—they’d been speaking of the kingdom’s future, but he supposed it made sense

trailed off when he caught a glare from Anneliese. He scratched the back of

home,” Anneliese instead said in

nonchalantly, then tossed another stone. It plunked into the water without

don’t you come with us? That way, you can know where to come, who to speak

Onychinusa

a place to take root, right? I know

counseled while Argrave thought to exploit. “But if

nodded again,

stones for a moment, and then walked back to Argrave’s side. “I think now is the time to bring back Durran and Galamon into the fold. Hiopefully, whatever task they

“You’re right. It’ll be damn good to talk to the both of them again. I’m sure Galamon will just say one word, even if we tell him

“And Durran… he seemed utterly resolute with whatever he intended in the Burnt Desert. I do wonder what he might have hoped

across the ocean fast enough it was difficult to track. It hit the ocean, bouncing high, and then kept skipping again and again until it

held his hand above his eyes to shield