Chapter 11: Chapter 11 - Mast

It was his first sleep without Svel intruding, but he was haunted all the same, that night by the man he’d killed, his last gasp of breath etched in his mind.

When Daniel awoke, more tired than he should have been, the first thing he noticed was the ring of gray skin around his wrist — Svel’s flesh. It had darkened, returned to its original color. Recharged, he imagined, ready to heal another wound.

He had bruises lining his arms, could feel them in his face too, but something instinctual warned him away from attempting to use the healing ability. The hunger it came with scared him.

Instead, he took his licks like a champ and stood to help the mostly-awake camp pack up.

Kire was slicing freshly roasted meat on a flat stone, the skin of the large rodents dangling from the back of his pack. He ate in solitude, and was subsequently omitted from his portion of the remaining dried rations.

Theo and Tyn were both near the injured Crawler, strapping him into the stretcher the group used to carry him. Her intact eyebrow was upturned, soft smiles being shared. An apology, Daniel guessed.

For his share, Daniel took to rolling up any loose furs that hadn’t been already packed, kicked out the dwindling fire then approached the crippled Crawler.

“I’ll help carry him today,” he offered, realizing then that the Crawlers had been sharing the burden without asking any of the Reborns to help — though he imagined Mayline was skipped not because she was Reborn, but because she lacked an arm.

“Thanks,” Tyn said with a quick smile.

When Axen called for the group to get moving, Tyn and Daniel each grabbed an end of the stretcher. A thick leather strap was latched to each protruding end, connecting both and allowing some of the weight to fall on their shoulders rather than in their arms and hands.

It was a welcome relief, but as they started moving Daniel gained a new appreciation for the Crawlers comradery. It was hard labor carrying a full human, difficult in both weight and awkward shape. The injured Crawler drifted in and out of hazy consciousness, unable to offer thanks.

With Theo trotting alongside the stretcher, the group set off again, heading towards the colossal mast.

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They moved slower than Axen liked, injured limbs, stiff muscles, and the trailing townspeople deciding the pace more than his patience.

But the road got easier, the slopes smoothing out, and Daniel was relieved when he realized they would be passing by the mountains, not over them. The layers of peaks seemed to encircle the mast in an uneven distribution, and he wondered if it had always been that way, or if the force of the planet-destroying ship wreck had created them.

Either way, the path wasn’t as hard as he had feared, and Axen blessed the entire group when he turned back to speak to them, the sun hanging at its midday peak.

“We’ll make it to Mast today. Not before nightfall, but it should take only a few hours of night travel.”

Quick glances and hushed grumbles circled around the group, a reluctance to move without the sun after the bandit ambush, but no one voiced proper objection, and they moved on with Axen at point.

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By the time the sun dipped behind a distant mountain peak for the last time, the thickening trees had long obscured much of its light. With the final glimmer gone, a few torches were broken out, and Mayline made her way around the party, placing strips of glowing runes on weapons and hands.

Daniel got a band around his forearm, as his hands were preoccupied with the stretcher. The day of walking and carrying had exhausted his arms, made them twitch and tremble. But the reminder that Tyn had done it just as much, if not more, made him persevere.

The glowing runes kept away most of the shadows, but the dense woods sucked up the streams of light like a parched beast, leaving only a deep darkness that gave him the feeling he was being watched.

The darkness of the dungeon crept back into his mind, alleviated only partially by the glimmer of stars and fresh breeze.

Feet to stone, they marched on.

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The city of Mast was revealed in the rounding of a corner.

Daniel had expected tall walls and spiraling towers — a proper medieval castle. He was wrong.

Mast was built on a massive, rounded hill, the flux of buildings pushing outwards gave the impression the city was on a colossal wave, coming towards them, emerging from the surrounding depths of woods.

The outermost layers were small brick and wood huts, built on top of each other and packed so tightly he couldn’t imagine how people moved between them. As the huts retreated inward, they grew larger and separated themselves from each other. Welts were cross-crossed into the rolling hill that would certainly be roads upon closer inspection.

At the innermost part of the city, the buildings took on more personality. Despite the lack of outer walls, there was an interior keep of bone-white that sported its own barriers from the surrounding city. Near it were single, isolated towers that were made to look like blades of grass against the mast.

It was because of the mast that Daniel could see all that he could. The inanimate monster was larger than it had ever been, an impossible backdrop to the city. At its base, or at least where the city met the wood, thousands of smaller runes glowed.

Some of the runes were carved, huge lettering to match the mast’s size, but he imagined many more were as small as the glyphs Mayline had put around his arm. Together, they blurred into a smear of rainbow colors, lighting the tiny city that cowered in the presence of the world-ending ship.

Daniel’s jaw slackened in awe, his pace slowing enough that Tyn turned back to look at him.

Kire clapped his shoulder as he passed by, sour mood from the previous night worn down as much as their feet were. “You don’t get used to that either,” the drunkard laughed, pausing to admire the shining view alongside Daniel.

“Keep moving,” Axen commanded, snapping the group back into motion.

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The entrance to Mast was unremarkable, mostly because Daniel wasn’t sure when the city started. The first huts they passed by felt similar to the decrepit village they came from, window shutters closed tight, people tucked away from prying eyes.

Soon the huts grew in number, pressing tighter and leaving only narrow alleys between them. But even as the small homes clustered, the road the Crawlers walked remained wide, open, and barren.

The first change was a large stone arch, a soldier in sleek metal arms posted on either side of it. Their shields bore a crest of the sun, colored in red, orange, and pale blue.

“Halt!” one soldier commanded, just as the other exclaimed, “Axen!”

The pair exchanged irritated glances, and Axen approached, pulling a small metal crest from his pouch of goods. The leather sack containing the heart dangled below.

“I’ve returned from the 112th dungeon, I have urgent news—“

The soldiers cut him off, speaking in unison. “We know,” they harmonized, their look of annoyance mimicked on the other’s face.

“Mino’s Chosen wants to speak to you immediately,” one said.

”We were stationed here to make sure you went right away,” the other added.

”And to make sure your team is paid and watered,” the first finished.

With that, they peered around Axen on opposite sides, eyeing the survivors and the gaggle of townspeople that the Crawlers had brought with them. Their twinned faces shared the same confused expression. This wasn’t supposed to be a dangerous mission, Daniel thought.

Axen’s face was unreadable, particularly in the dim light. His hesitance made the soldiers shift their weight in a quiet, uncomfortable dance, but eventually he pulled a small, rolled piece of parchment from his bag and passed it over.

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“Very well. Payment details are within. Please see the locals of the 112th are shown to a refugee center,” Axen ordered, then continued down the road, leaving behind the group. Mayline’s lip quivered.

One soldier approached the townspeople while the other spoke to Henya in Proper. When they were finished speaking, Henya turned expectantly to Tyn, who relayed the information.

“Kire and Theo, go with the townspeople, the Crown’s Guard will see you’re paid after the refugees are given sanctuary. Mayline, you may stay with us until you return to First Light. Daniel, you’re also welcome to stay with us.”

Each Reborn looked surprised at the turn of events, all for different reasons. Daniel frowned over the stretcher that had become a near unconscious weight to him. He looked over to Theo for guidance, who nodded her eager encouragement, then Kire, who shook his head and paired it with a scowl.

“I’ll go with you, can’t let Tyn carry this guy all by himself,” Daniel answered, and his scar tingled in a gentle wave of approval. He wondered if Svel approved of the decision, or of him making a decision at all.

Tyn smiled, and the Crawlers continued down the main road, leaving behind the townspeople, Kire, and Theo, who splintered off down a much narrower path, further into the piles of tiny huts and worn alleys.

As they walked, the road grew brighter, more torches out and a few bodies joining them on the slabs of stone. A couple late-night shops seemed to be open, hooded patrons ducking in and out of slouched buildings who’s signs Daniel couldn’t read.

The language barrier struck him for the first time, and a wave of anxiety washed over him. Tyn and Mayline were the only people who could or would speak to him right then. The soldier spoke Common, but seemed disinterested in speaking to him. Henya barely spoke any and Moolio none.

Any conversations they passed by were quiet, a hush over the sleeping city, but what Daniel could hear he couldn’t understand, and he suddenly felt adrift, clinging to life rafts that he didn’t know.

His scars tickled, a gentle pain. An amused pain. He clenched his fist tight around his end of the stretcher and continued forward.

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Daniel’s eyes were barely open by the time they reached their destination.

The buildings, people, and roads they passed by had long since blurred together, an information overload that he would have to go back and pick apart to begin understanding the city he found himself in.

Their destination was simple enough, but larger than any nearby building. It consisted of two tall wooden structures, connected by a bridge with an expansive courtyard beneath. The entrance was simplistic, a double-door that Tyn passed through back-first.

Inside, a grand staircase spiraled both up and down, the centerpiece of an otherwise tight waiting room whose second most prominent feature was a front desk. Beside that was a massive bulletin board, and a very tired woman.

Moolio tapped Daniel’s shoulder, gesturing at the stretcher and reaching for the handles herself. He obliged, pulling himself out of the leather harness and letting the smaller woman take hold. Together, she and Tyn navigated to the left side of the room, heading towards a set of heavy steel doors.

“I’ll catch up with you tomorrow,” Tyn called out before walking backwards down the hallway, taking the injured Crawler to what Daniel assumed would be an infirmary.

Henya and the twin soldier had already approached the front desk and spoken with the sleepy woman there, the parchment from Axen passed over. Henya disappeared up the spiral staircase and the soldier left the way they had entered, murmuring to the Reborns as he passed by. “The Crown thanks you for your service.”

Mayline dipped her head in response, as much as she could given she kept her head low by habit. Daniel noticed for the first time she had stopped her constant whispered prayers, her spiral runes unchanged on her skin. A consequence of exhaustion.

But still, she smiled and encouraged Daniel to go first with a nod, following him close behind.

The woman behind the desk shuffled with drawers beneath her, deep under eye circles near black against her already dark skin. She pulled out three small pouches, one of which was immediately pushed towards Mayline. The other two, identical blue cloth tied with red ribbons, were placed in front of Daniel.

“Welcome to Mast, gem of Etheril, home of Mino — the savior of our world — and his Chosen. This is the headquarters of the crown-sanctioned Dungeon Clearing Teams, thank you for joining us,” the woman said, her tone a low montontous buzz that Daniel would have guessed came from a rehearsed script, if he didn’t see her reading off a paper pinned behind the desk.

He didn’t bother to correct her on his joining — he doubted she would care about his noncommittal nature.

She tapped the bag on the left. “In this bag, you will find your currency reward for the completion of a board mission,” she paused and tapped the right bag. “In this bag, you’ll find DCT tokens. Each token entitles you to a full day in one of our rooms, or may be used for access to our mess hall. A token entitles you to use your room for storage purposes, but if you fail to pay for the subsequent day, management does not guarantee your belongings will be available and we are not responsible for any lost goods.”

She made eye contact for the first time, staring him down until he nodded his understanding. “And finally,” she said, her voice picking up a bit, eyes off of her script. “You do NOT need to see me every time you recharge a day, you can pay in your room through the Dust System. You may pay in advance for the anticipated duration of your stay. The DS will also allow for mail services if you provide correct contact information during sign up. Do not have mail sent to the front desk.”

She finished with a stern point to a sign on the wall that read “DOES NOT ACCEPT MAIL” in Common. Three lines were listed below, presumably in other languages confirming the same information.

“Understood?”

”Understood.”

”Great. Rooms are upstairs, keep it down after dark, management is not responsible for injuries caused by tenant spats.”

With her speech done, the woman slouched back into a rocking chair tucked in the corner and pulled out a book to read.

Daniel fished around in the pouches he’d been given. Ten silver was the payout of the first pouch, fifty tokens were in the second. Mayline stood beside him, reaching into her single pouch of combined currency.

At a quick glance, it seemed she had been paid much more thoroughly in gold and silver, but in few tokens. He wasn’t surprised, but the unequal payout was an obvious message. Axen wanted him here.

Mayline smiled and pocketed two tokens and all her coins, then gave the rest of the pouch to Daniel. “I’ll only be here tonight,” she explained, folding the velvety pouch into his hand. “Consider it thanks for helping my lord. Come, we can be neighbors for the night.”

She trotted up the spiral staircase, peaking back a few times to make sure Daniel was following her.

The two reached the top of the stairs, revealing hallways on either side and a door that led to the bridge they had seen from the outside. Mayline chose the left hallway, peering at each door they passed by.

The rooms’ occupancy were marked by a single dull rune hung below the room number. The first dozen doors they passed by were all red, but soon they found two green runes in sequential order.

Mayline stopped at the first, pausing before she entered. “We can break our fast together, tomorrow, if you’d like,” she offered, then added, “with Tyn.”

“That sounds nice,” he agreed, reaching down to grab at his door’s handle when Mayline placed her hand on his.

He expected words, but she was silent for a stretched minute, the quiet revealing a soft hum that radiated off of her skin’s glowing glyphs, in rhythm with her breathing.

“I know it’s easy to stay with other Reborns,” she said finally, patting the back of his hand as she spoke. “But this world and these people are worth caring about.”

”Does it have to be one or the other?” Daniel asked, looking down at her with the beginnings of a frown. He hadn’t known the significance of the decision he made in coming here, but then Mayline seemed eager to see her own loyalty reflected in others.

“No, not always,” she whispered and gave his hand a squeeze. She bit her lower lip, a temptation to say more than she was, her tongue looser than it had been and wanting to free more words. But she didn’t.

Instead, she brought her hand back to her lips, kissed the tips of her fingers, and pressed them against his cheek, calloused skin against overgrown stubble. “By Her Light, Daniel,” she said with a worn smile, then she retreated to her room.

Daniel delayed, watching the space she had occupied, wondering where Theo and Kire were at that moment. Then he followed suit, and entered his room.

The interior was plain and practical. A single twin bed against the far wall, one window that overlooked the courtyard, and an empty desk. The room was lit only partially by the uncovered window and a small stone on the desk with runic lights. Daniel squinted to see.

The most notable item was the cleanly labeled Dust System, which turned out to be a large alcove built into the wall, its edges lined with rune-riddled slabs of dark stone. The glyphs were different from the spiral runes carved into light fixtures and glowing on Mayline’s skin — they were smaller, tight circles both hollow and filled, connected by small dashes. A different, code-like language. Beside the shelf was a grinder built into the wall itself, its slot for tokens and twisting arm a clear indication of its purpose.

The last thing Daniel wanted to do was fidget with a foreign object. He just wanted to sleep. But he wanted to steal a room even less, so he shrugged his bag off his shoulders and slung it against a wall, then crouched in front of the DS.

He slotted a token into the grinder, spinning the small metal arm and hearing the plain coin crunch in the process. A fine powder fell into the glass canister below the grinder, where it was then pulled back into a mechanism behind the wall.

The interior shelf with its blackened rock lit up, its runes a deep green color. A piece of parchment appeared and the color of magic faded, leaving the room dull once again. He pulled the paper over to the window to get a better look and groaned at the bureaucracy.

The list of required information was nauseatingly long, each line making his bed more and more appealing, many requests something he couldn’t even answer. But at the end of the parchment, there was an alternative, and a small thumb tack provided.

‘Alternatively, please provide a blood sample for us to confirm or log your identity with [RECOMMENDED]’

“Oh, this was wish fulfillment for governments all along,” Daniel joked to himself, not even his scars tingling.

Still, the choice was obvious and intended, and he poked his thumb with the tack and shoved the parchment back in the DS. The runes lit up, the paper vanished, and Daniel finally, gleefully, fell face first onto the bed.