Chapter 30: Chapter 30: The Hero's Duty

“Sasha, what are these mission orders?” It was a while ago when Aloryn asked that question.

He had just wrapped up a case, but before he could take a breath she handed him another. The plan was to skim it. This wasn't the first time he got one job after another, and she had never asked him to solve it right away. Skimming was a good way to make a plan and get his bearings, but the orders threw him for a loop. They weren't just going to take him out of the East Wing, but out of the Mainland altogether. The trip would take less than a day with the Bridge Gates, but he had never been so far out of her jurisdiction.

“What, don’t like the Calm Lands?” She asked over her shoulder.

“I’ve never been.”

“Well, consider this a trip.”

“But it’s clearly a mission.”

“Words change all the time, you say mission, I say trip. One way or another, a job gets done, right?”

And this job? Suspicious persons were appearing around Rial. While the Harrabaren was there to establish a new point of defense, she couldn’t be troubled to investigate what could just be a rumor. Many of the Enforcers were worried though, and Aloryn was not the only person of note on the job. The orders said to connect with Thomas Wilder if possible, and if not, be wary of the following names. The Sea Father. Mud-arm Myers. Lady Beatrice. They weren’t the type of people who warranted Magic Councilors, but they were still above those he’d normally subdue. This was not a mission for him, and certainly not a trip.

“Right…” He answered. “But still, Lady Beatrice and Mud-hand? In Rial? By myself?”

“You train with Anders and you say ‘by myself’ like some of them don’t consider you their rivals.”

“I meant more that something seems off here, especially for Lady Beatrice. How long has she been a target of pursuit?”

“I don’t think you’ll run into her, she doesn’t do anything that gets her seen by other people. Mud-hand was probably there for one job and is already gone. The Sea Father’s your only real target because his flag has been spotted multiple times. I want you to see what’s up.”

“I understand, but I’m confused about how this relates to our usual plans.”

“Unfortunately there’s not always a renown villain the Hero gets to take down. This is just housekeeping more than anything. Don’t stress about it, go make friends.”

Aloryn sighed. “You’re not going to let me change my orders, are you?”

“If you have something better to do.”

He sighed again. “When do you want me to leave?”

“You can have a three day break, there’s no big hurry. Just remember this when you get to Rial, do what you have to do.”

Do what you have to do. Four days had passed since his run-in with Danson, but it only took one to figure out what Sasha had done. It happened when he delivered his report on Mud-Hand and offered his resignation letter. She wasn't lying at least. There were signs the three criminals had been in Rial, and signs that two of them had already left. Mud-Hand had done what he did best, leaving a messy corpse for an unsuspecting witness to find. Lady Beatrice left her usual ruin, remembered as little more than the story of a beautiful new lover. The Sea Father's sails had been seen off the coast a few times, but even he hadn't seemed to have stepped into the land. This was all just a part of Sasha's plan to reunite the brothers, but unfortunately for her and Aloryn, he had other things in mind. His pursuit of the criminals had unearthed interesting rumors, taking him to central Rial, to the town of Grayroot. In a navy outfit, he perched atop a building on a balmy night, watching the Enforcer base across the street. Rumors told him someone was asking questions, and while the naive Enforcers of the Calm Lands thought nothing of it, the recent skirmish told him someone was casing the place out.

Things grew quiet in Enforcer bases as night settled over their towns. While criminals were partial to the dark, the officers were restful, prioritizing energy over weary watchful eyes. An Enforcer base was vulnerable around this time, guarded not by the best but by those best at calling others. A skilled foe could easily silence them though, and in such a peaceful place they would never see it coming. In Rial, far from the noise of the rest of the Mainland, they'd never take the skirmish as a reason to be alarmed. Rial was the Calm Lands, after all. Even in its darkest times, the country had never made more than a whisper. Troubles would pass and become tales to tell later lines. Troubles never warned of changing times, or mysterious women moving in the quiet of the night.

One such woman emerged from the alley between two shops. She wore a silver shawl that dropped to her hips, hanging open around a white dress. A white sun hat sat upon her head as if it was midday, and she almost glided toward the front of the building, moving with a grace that made hairs stand up on the back of Aloryn’s neck. He launched himself from his spot before she touched the first step, drawing his sword and landing in the same motion. She stopped and turned, more confused than surprised, letting her eyes fall toward the extended blade.

“Oh my, I didn’t expect this.” She said. Her hands came up, but the brim of her hat stayed down.

“I’m certain you didn’t, but I know what you’re trying to do here. Those Enforcers aren’t dying tonight.”

“I would hope not!” She gasped. “I came here to ask for help, it’d be scary if they were dead.”

“I see.” Aloryn couldn’t help smiling. “That would explain your outfit and how you planned to get in. They would only see a helpless young woman.”

“I suppose that’s not what you see?”

“It isn’t.”

The brim tilted up a bit, but still hid her face. “What do you see then?”

“Someone who’d be more help to them than they’d ever be to her.”

“Well this is a shame.”

Aloryn felt magic like a needle in the back of his head. The first spell was subtle, cast upon him without a word or a motion and the second came lightning fast, filling her hands with a starlight sword. She spun into a swing and he let his drop, blasting at the ground to throw himself back. She frowned as her sword came up short, holding the brim as she looked at the half-elf. It was already too late though. Even if he hadn't seen her long dark blue hair, and strangely colored eyes—blue rings around yellow irises—he would have recognized her origin from the way she weaved her spell. An Imeri woman stood in front of him, and it was unfortunately one he knew.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“You’re Wynn.” He gasped, and her frown deepened.

“And you dodged my spin attack. That usually works on even the most vigilant fighters. You’re a half-elf of course, but you shouldn’t be able to sense my Stellar Spirit magic. Who are you?”

“Why is the next Northpoint chieftain in Rial?”

“Oh! I know who you are now. There’s only one half-elf who would know my name and rank. You’re Sasha’s attendant, Rien right?”

“Aloryn.”

“I could have sworn it was Rien.”

“It’s not anymore.”

“Well it is a mess now. Being seen is one thing. Being seen by someone with a direct connection to a Magic Councilor is a whole other.”

And a Councilor with a close connection to the Imeri too. The Unyielding Frontier sat in the Southeastern Wing, and it wasn't uncommon for its tribal leaders to meet with the leading Nobles slightly north. It was only four years ago that Imeri blood was being shed. The current Northpoint chieftain spoke to Sasha to broker peace, but many of their kin weren't ready to lay down their arms against the Mainland. One Imeri daring to attack a foreign base would be bad enough. For that one to be someone equivocal to a princess? It'd mean a restart to the conflict. Aloryn knew this woman had to kill him, and saw her willingness in deceptively kind eyes. He didn't bare the same, but as she sized him up he wondered if he could win. What had he learned about Stellar Spirit Magic? When the Imeri cast it on themselves, they channeled the power of the Stellar Spirit. When they cast it on others their swords moved like shooting stars through their target. So, don't get hit. Except Wynn was fast on her feet, waiting for the perfect moment to swing her sword again. He could possibly defeat her, but not without causing problems in the end. A sword battle wasn't an option then. He had to win this fight in another way.

“Wait.” He sheathed his sword. “We don’t have to fight. I just left the Enforcers actually, that’s why I don’t go by Rien anymore. It was never my real name.”

She lowered hers. “I have no reason to believe you’re lying to me, but why get in my way? They’ll see you as an enemy now.”

"Because that's no reason they should lose their lives. Enforcers just want to protect the peace. Not all of them are good but I don't think we should attack people who did no evil."

Wynn smiled. “The Hero,” she nodded. “I guess this matches up perfectly with what I heard about you. If I say no you’ll draw your sword as fast as possible. You might die but you wouldn’t regret it.”

"Can you at least tell me why you're attacking the Enforcers?"

“Only if you tell me what you’ll do in response.”

“You’re here for a reason. I don’t know what it is but it likely has something to do with the siege on the Imeri. Your mother has met with Sasha and Anai, telling them both how tense things are among the four tribes. It’s not hard to imagine that you didn’t agree with the surrender.” His eyes drifted to the base. “If I had to guess, considering the rebel activity to the south, you’ve fallen in with them. It makes sense, much of the Frontier still doesn’t fall under the Mainland’s banner. It’d be easy for the rebels to set up operations right under the King and Council’s noses. You can’t be seen among the rebels though. The Westpoint Chief has completely allied himself with the Mainland and would use this opportunity to decimate your tribe.”

“Deductive, but that doesn’t answer my question.”

“I’d help you solve this in a way that doesn’t kill the innocent Enforcers.”

“You really want me to believe your betrayal was so thorough that you’d turn completely against your mentor.”

Do what you have to do. Aloryn wasn’t much like Sasha but he had learned plenty from her. The woman wasn’t above ruthlessness, nor sacrificing others if she thought it’d do good. In a way, she was like Wynn now. Sasha would follow her convictions and not spare a thought for the corpses she left in her wake. Aloryn couldn’t do that, but he didn’t become the Hero by only doing what his allies preferred. He was going to help because turning a blind eye would be worse in the end. If those Enforcers died it’d take a small effort to track down the culprit. What he had to do in this situation was save as many lives as possible.

“I don’t want the Enforcers or anymore Imeri to die. If it can be avoided, I’ll do what I can to make it happen.”

“All right.” The woman nodded. “Then I’ll tell you half the plan. I need to get to the Bridge Gate inside that base.” One of three in the entire country. Aloryn marked that but stored it away.

“Then you just need the Enforcers to be absent. In that case I have an idea that will get them out right away.”

“Convenient.”

“Not quite. There’s been a growing bandit problem in the Calm Lands. Many Enforcers see it as crimes that only happen on the road, but rings are necessary to change the goods into phens. For something like that, secret fronts are usually the go to.” Grayroot was in central Rial—the perfect place to ship stolen goods to each of its points. The headquarters of a ring sat in this city, and Aloryn had an idea where it was.

“Go on.”

“My plan is simply that we change the narrative a bit…” He started and explained, watching Wynn’s eyes sparkle as he went over the details. She was smiling when he was through, letting her sword break into stardust as he slunk into an alley.

She headed inside the base, making a show of looking around as she walked up to the desk. A sleepy-looking young Enforcer looked up, straightening himself up as he caught a glimpse of her face. Did he know who she was too? No…it was more likely he was interested and wanted to look his best. He cleared his throat as she smiled, speaking with the little authority his position afforded.

“How may I help you this evening?”

"This may be a bit strange, but do you know about the Imeri people?" He shook his head. "We're from a very dangerous land! We're taught at a very young age to keep our eyes peeled. It's not called the Unyielding Frontier for nothing, right?" She smiled and he laughed. "Well, I was visiting this nice nation of yours to see what other places are like, and I noticed a bit of danger that shocked me. I don't fault you all of course. Sometimes colonies emerge close to Imeri without us noticing and we find ourselves in a war for weeks! I don't want that to happen to such a lovely place!"

“Thank you, ma’am, and I appreciate your concern, but I’m confused.”

"Oh right, silly me! I believe that I've found the front for a bandit ring, but I shouldn't act. I've asked around and people seem to be very confident about your organization though." At the mention of bandits, the man's persona changed, not quite discarding the smitten youth, but becoming the Enforcer on duty. He pressed something out of sight on the desk and waved her to go on. "You don't have to take my advice, but in Imeri we tend to scout these places out to be certain. Colonies scouts tend to be sneaky, after all, digging up tunnels in one place to draw our eyes from others."

“Pott, who is that!” A gruff voice climbed out of the desk.

“An Imeri woman sir! She’s visiting Rial, and noticed something strange, sir.”

‘An Imeri woman? What’s she going on about?”

Wynn leaned over the desk. "Hello! I was telling Pott here about how I think I identified a Bandit front. At home, I would inform the chieftain and she'd round up some fighters right away. I'm not sure how similar this situation is, but some monsters move around in the frontier. Others set up trick locations to lead the cautious away."

“What are you proposing?”

"Maybe send scouts out there? This is a crucial moment and I think it'd be best to act now rather than later." She had to be careful, make him feel like it was his idea and she just lured it out. Aloryn said the people on the night shift were no strangers to how other Enforcers saw them. These men would want to prove themselves, but first, they'd need a push. Silence came back from the other side, and she looked at Pott with one part hope and another worry. He smiled reassuringly.

“Pott, escort this lady off the premises and meet me in the conference room.”

"Yes sir." Pott's smile widened. Wynn kept hers hidden as he led her outside.

It took an hour for their meeting to finish, and eleven Enforcers made their way out astride lizren backs. They rushed down the street blind to the darkness above their heads, where Wynn awaited at Aloryn's side. His plan worked, and she was impressed. Aloryn, however, was happy that it worked so well. He could feel the magic lock upon the door below. The place was empty, except maybe for the cells downstairs, blind to everything above. He gestured toward the building as he looked at Wynn.

“Let’s continue inside.” He said, and together that jumped from the roof…