1.32 R

“You’ve had your fun, but I think you should leave, Persua.”

“I don’t understand what you mean, Garia. I’m just saying hi to Ryoka, who’s had a little accident. Can’t you understand that? Or are things going too fast for you to keep up with?”

“You mean, world history like you were asking me about the other day? Sorry I didn’t know more.”

“I’m not a big reader. My dad and mother are, but I can only read when I go home. Books’re too expensive otherwise.”

“Without the potions, the best we could have hoped for would be a retreat where we didn’t lose too many of our party. In the worst-case scenario, we’d have lost over half of our group, and that’s if the Lich didn’t follow us.”

“Of course. What does distance matter? But let us introduce ourselves properly. Ceria, introduce yourself.”

“Ceria Springwalker. Village of the Spring, from Terandria. A long way from home, and technically, a student of Wistram. Ice-magic specialist and the only common sense in this crazy group.”

“Getting run over by a cart I’d believe of normal people, but a Runner? I thought you lot were fast on your feet.”

“The Adventurer’s Guild has bad ones too, like former [Bandits]. Hunt, stop spitting on the floor. This Runner’s Guild must be riddled with bad Runners, though. We’ll remember that if we need help.”

“You, we like. And your friend here doesn’t seem bad. But the rest of your lot are worthless pieces of waste as far as we’re concerned.”

“If Ceria says so, I agree. I’m self-taught, and she’s Wistram.”

“Everything’s better in your home. Go swim to the House of Minos and bring one back, Calruz.”

“I thought so. If they were trying to hurt you, they had to injure you badly enough that you wouldn’t be able to recover so easily.”

“If we do, it’ll be a fight. You know what happens when he loses his temper.”

“Calruz isn’t an idiot. He knows the law. He’ll go if he isn’t wanted, but that’s not what I meant. Ryoka Griffin can take care of herself. Or don’t you remember why we’re here?”

“I was taught, and I know more than basic words. Fals can read too, and he owns a few books.”

“I don’t recall telling you to say anything, Garia. Look at her, Persua.”

“I am Calruz of the Beriad. We have met before. I lead the Horns of Hammerad, an adventuring party in these parts. I am in your debt, Ryoka Griffin.”

“That’s not to say all Runners are bad. I know a lot of you deliver goods quickly and for reasonable rates. It’s just that there are quite a few bad Runners in your Guilds, especially the ones that we have to deal with.”

“Ryoka Griffin? We’re part of the adventuring party the Horns of Hammerad. You bailed us out of a tough situation last week. Do you mind if we sit?”

“Your job? No other Runner would have pulled off a feat like that. You saved our lives. I thought we were responsible for you getting hurt at first—but it took us a while to track you down.”

“Did you see them administer the truth spells?”

“Are you going to read all of these, then?”

“Some sell for silver. Either way, it’s fine.”

“Why don’t we all settle down? Persua, you and your friends can go have a drink somewhere else, okay?”

“Going to take a swing, Ryoka? Go ahead. Toriska—Toriska.”

“Instead, we managed to break that damn skeleton’s head in. The treasure we recovered more than made up for the expedition. And while the rest of our group is still healing from the battle, we’re here to repay the debt we owe.”

“We didn’t come here to chat. We’re honor-bound to repay our debt, which is why we’re here. And you’re injured. How’d that happen?”

“That’s a scurrilous accusation, Ceria. Don’t go throwing that around.”

“Barely worth the coin we spend to hire them. And for the rates they charge, I could buy a new sword!”

“Besides, Runners are only concerned about their pay, not anything else. They won’t stop to help even in emergencies unless we pay them. Even adventurers have more integrity than that.”

“This is intolerable. A good Runner shouldn’t be crippled. Ceria, Sostrom. Can’t you do something?”

“In that case, allow me to help you up the stairs.”

“Calm down, Gerial. He’s all about honor. He’ll just annoy her.”

“But as a fellow City Runner, I want to let Ryoka know how terribly sorry I am that she got in the way of that runaway cart. If only she’d listened to her fellow runners. We were all trying to warn her, you know. But that’s Ryoka for you. She just doesn’t listen now, does she?”

“Did you—did you go to see the [Healer] I told you about? She’s a good one. Works with us Runners all the time.”

“Really? I thought most books were several gold coins—at least.”

“I bought it in the market. Didn’t cost much.”

“Not like I have anything else to do.”

“Hah! Spirited! It is good to see that in a Human at last!”

“You. Runners. Your presence is clearly not wanted or needed. Leave.”

“Looks like you already are. Glad you made it. What—what do you want? Sit down already; you’re blocking my light.”

“I just heard that Ryoka was doing a delivery to the Ruins. Was it that helpful?”

“You came all the way here just to do that?”

“I’m Garia Strongheart. From around Celum. Pleased to meet you.”

“Persua says it was an accident. She says the Guildmaster investigated it and that’s that.”

“I could. With enough help. Sounds like this is politics. Bad politics and a shady Guildmaster.”

“Why don’t healing potions work? They fix people with stab wounds up in seconds. Why not bones?”

“And in a lot of pain. It’s already forgiven.”

“Another destroyed inn? We’ll lose all the money we just earned!”

“She reminds me of females of my kind. Fiery. The ones who would stab any male that offends. Much better than the simpering Human ones I keep meeting.”

“Bah. All that’s needed is courage and spirit to win her over.”

“Don’t wait for me. I’ll find you at the Guild later.”

“—And they decided to run her over with a cart?”

“No, calm down, Ryoka. If you start a fight, you’ll be the one in trouble.”

“What a pathetic, cowardly lot. I’d challenge them all to an honor duel in a moment if I had cause. Didn’t you call for the Watch, at least? That’s how you do it in Izril—what about truth spells?”

“Delivery? Hah! She charged right past the Lich that had us pinned down and dropped the potions off right in the center of the battlefield! He was casting fireballs and lightning around her, but she even drew his fire as she left—gave us a chance to regroup!”

“We owe you a debt of gratitude for that delivery you did for us a week ago. Without it, we’d all have been killed by that damned Lich. Thanks to you, though, we managed to kill it and recover a lot of magical artifacts. Ceria’s got a new set of mage robes she owes all to you.”

“Simpering Human…? You mean our few fans? People who flirt with you? Name me one simpering adventurer. Don’t bother her, Calruz. What are you going to do, seduce her into bed and re-break that leg? She’s not a Minotauress either, and you have all the charm of a rock covered with moss.”

“Well, I don’t know how to say it, but Ryoka sort of broke an unspoken rule in the Runner’s Guild. She did this delivery and made a lot of folks mad—”

“So, how are you doing? Is your leg feeling any better?”

“Ah! You’re rabid, Ryoka! Did you see that? She attacked me for no reason!”

“Oh, Ryoka? I didn’t see you there. Fancy meeting you in this inn. How are you doing?”

“What are we, Level 50? Calruz, healing magic is the stuff of [Archmages]. No chance a [Mage] can…hm. Well, it’s not anything ice-magic has anything to do with, so I’m useless, and so is Sostrom.”

“Strange friends you have, Ryoka.”

“Leave it, Persua. They’re Silver-ranks. Come on.”

“Case in point, your leg.”

“Where are you going, Ryoka?”

“…Ryoka Griffin. City Runner, I guess.”

“I bought this with a bunch of the gold we got. The Lich was mostly carrying magical reagents in a bag of holding, by the by. If it was artifacts, we’d have fought over a staff. Unfortunately, it was just rare alchemical ingredients. Some [Alchemist] in Pallass snapped it up, so I got some fancy robes I’d been eying. And they’re pristine, so watch the drink, Calruz.”

“It was a wagon, not a cart. Lot heavier. And I didn’t know anything about it! Fals would have stopped it—most of us didn’t know anything until it happened. I found Ryoka at the [Healer]’s…the rest of the Runner’s Guild was horrified. This was the work of Persua’s friends. Not that anyone can prove it. They say it was just an accident and Ryoka tripped.”

“It’s just a theory. But who’re you going to believe? The City Runner who saved our life with a mysterious broken leg or…well, don’t pull out your axe, Calruz. We don’t do honor duels here, and that lot would run to First Landing if you looked at them sideways. It sounds like there’s quite a lot of politics in the Runner’s Guild—and dangerous politics at that if this is what happens to people who disobey.”

“You don’t understand, uh, Miss Garia was it? I’m sure you City Runners do a good job for civilians. But adventurers? Most Runners don’t do deliveries to battlefields, and some of the ones that do only deliver after the battle ends. We could be in serious trouble, but your people won’t approach until all the monsters are gone. And even then, we have to pay triple—sometimes five times as much just for deliveries to areas we’ve already cleared.”

“Healing potions just accelerate the body’s natural healing. But this is far too complicated for a potion to fix. Maybe a high-grade one…worth a few hundred or thousand gold pieces. But that’s out of anyone’s pay unless we were Gold-ranks or Miss Ryoka were a Courier. In situations like this, time or magic is the only solution. Either that or a high-level [Healer], and the cost is hundreds of gold too. Let alone getting to one.”

“So? What about a healing potion? How good was that [Healer]? We have [Bone Healers] in the House of Minos well above the grade of local ones. Although even I can set a broken bone.”

“But they were truth spells, Ryoka. We…”

“Couldn’t help. The bone’s too badly broken.”

“Where’d you get the book?”

“The history of the cities.”

“Got run over by a cart.”

“Bone’s shattered. Splinters are in the flesh.”

“Is it just a broken bone?”

“You’re letting him go? Are you mad?”

“This is unacceptable. I’m going up there.”

“Strong. I like her quite a lot.”

“I insist. Please, let me—”

“The tide of the war only changed after the discovery of the Antinium’s fatal weakness. Using their newfound tactics, the Southern Alliance used long-range mage spells to assault Antinium hives and deter attacking forces. One of the Hives was destroyed entirely before a temporary truce was formed between the Antinium Queens and the leaders of the city states. This peace was tenuous however and lasted for only ten years when the Antinium attacked again, leading to the Second Antinium War…”

“I don’t need help.”

“I’m fine, Garia.”

“Hey, Ryoka, how are you doing?”

“Oh. Is it, um, interesting?”

“Let go, Garia.”

“Not your fault.”

“Is that a book?”

“Good for him.”

“I already read ‘em.”

“Just doing my job.”

“It wasn’t—exactly an accident.”

“Enough of this.”

“Money grubbing backstabbers.”

“You don’t like Runners?”

“We’re not all bad.”

“Sleep. I’m tired.”

“I’ve got it.”

“I like her.”

“Should we stop him?”

“…The incursion of the Antinium hives into the southern region of the continent led to the bloody year-long war known as the Antinium Wars, or more specifically, the First Antinium War, in which hundreds of thousands of Antinium soldiers established huge colonies across the western coast where it bordered the High Passes, razing cities and forcing Gnoll tribes to retreat into the lower plains regions. Initially, the southern Drake cities and allied confederacies were slow to react to the Antinium sweeping through the plateaus and rugged mountainous regions of the continent, underestimating the dangers of an entrenched Antinium hive and the true numbers of the Antinium concealed beneath the earth. It was only after five cities were lost that—”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry. She’s just—unfriendly.”

“You can read?”

“Are you serious?”

“Ryoka, stop.”

“Explain, please.”

“What, all of them?”

“Guess.”

“…Yes.”

“History.”

“Not really.”

“You.”

“Likewise.”

“She lied.”

“Runners.”

“Too bad.”

“Piss. Off.”

“Get out.”

“Fine. Go ahead.”

“No—could you fake them?”

“But—”

“Hey there, Ryoka!”

“Monster!”

“What’s it about?”

“You—”

“What?”

“No.”