Season of Bloom - 30. Righteous Retribution

“Launch.”

A snowball flew through the air, meeting a sudden ball of fire at the apex of its arc. Steaming water rained down at the ground below, splashing across Faes’ hood.

“I hope you’re not still upset about the whole treasurer thing,” the hollowborn said, stooping to pack another ball of ice off the ground.

“Launch.”

His arm drew back, hurling the ball as high as it could go. A ray of ice shot out from the tiefling nearby, shattering the carefully packed ball into a myriad of frozen chunks.

“I’m not as mad as I thought I’d be,” Kaessi denied, shaking the icy remnants of her attack off her hand. “Naturally, I was fuming when I realized you gave me the wrong information just so you could take my job, but I really didn’t want it anyway. Lapis helped me out, and I just wanted to repay that kindness. If he considers it repayed to the point he does not wish to retain me as treasurer, then I have no quarrel.”

“So I am not going to wake up one morning with my feet encased in ice?” Faes asked wryly.

“I did not say that,” Kaessi smirked. “But you have nothing to truly fear from me. I am glad for the newfound time I have to seek more knowledge of the land. Though I do wish the Sweet Teeth would leave me be occasionally.”

“The tiefling buffoons? Why don’t you send them north? I’ve heard that Oleg needs his fence repaired. It would get them out of your hair for a few days at least. Launch.”

Another snowball was hurled into the air, this one missed by Faes’ fire as it was suddenly punctured by an arrow. The hollowborn turned, spotting a group of halflings gliding down from a wall around the training ground.

“Huh. She works rather fast,” he grunted.

“Friends of yours?” Kaessi smirked, her blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

“As if I have friends,” Faes scoffed, taking a deep breath.

Energy began swirling around him, a mouse crawling near the wall suddenly dropping dead as its soul was yanked from its body to fuel the fire growing within the hollowborn.

“It’s not polite to enter someone’s home without knocking,” he called to the group of various halflings.. “Oh, and twelve against two? You realize this isn’t a fair fight, right?”

“We knocked,” one of the halflings grinned, fingers twisting in arcane gestures as magic settled over the group.

Silence descended around Faes, the hollowborn cast into a spell himself. He let out a snort, the sound pulled out of his mouth only to be muffled by the magic around him. An instant later, sound returned, the energy of the spell pulled into Faes’ body to help fuel his own magic. Watching the halflings, he spotted at least four archers in the back, and two casters. The rest were all swordsmen.

Kaessi glanced at him, and Faes motioned toward the casters. He stepped forward, a ball of fire launching from his hand as ice leapt from Kaessi. A second later, the casters were on the ground, corpses frozen or burning. The rest of the halflings were already upon Faes.

Dancing through a fence of swords aimed at his legs, Faes conjured a fiery scimitar, the flames cutting through a defensive sword to burn through the halfling on the other side. An agonizing scream filled the air, the halflings’ only clue that their silence spell had failed. The foes around Faes froze for a split second in fear, long enough for the hollowborn to slay two more enemies and send a bolt of flames at an archer.

Frozen corpses lay all around him, Kaessi offering her own support. A hand slapped against Faes’ back, higher than any halfling could reach, and a cool healing coursed through his body, repairing a pair of cuts in his legs. Kaessi backed off again, dodging a pair of blades herself as Faes continued his slaughter.

The half human’s blade ignored any form of armour, magic or not. Flames cooked his enemies from the inside out, an excruciating death awaiting those who dared attack him. Finally, only one archer remained, the halfling scrambling back over the wall.

“You let him escape?” Kaessi frowned.

“Perhaps it’s foolish. But I would like Idgon to know exactly how badly she fucked up here. Their spells don’t touch me, their protections are useless against my flames. If she wants to continue this foolish war, she will suffer. It is better for her if she agrees to my demands,” the hollowborn said.

He took a deep breath, releasing the remnants of his fire into the departing souls around him. Ghostly wails echoed as even the dead were tortured by the half human. Faes had sent his message.

“You’ve already tried to accuse me once, blind one. I trust you do not disturb my ritual again without cause,” Rismel growled.

Lapis looked at the mad cleric pityingly.

“You’re the blind one Rismel. You cannot see that you are being used. We found one of your companions. His last words cursed you for leaving him to die in agonizing terror and suffering. What did he do to earn your suffering?”

Rismel stared back at the amurrun, his stoic mask slowly breaking into remorse.

“Morry… we should have returned for you.

“Both you and Bryt, who only wished for you to see the truth around you,” Lapis continued. “You left your companion to die in your lust for knowledge. A knowledge that is fed to you by a false deity. The one speaking to you is not Nethys.”

Rismel’s eyes widened in horror. His hand ran over his face, dried blood and mud flaking off his skin.

“What have I done?”

He stared dully at his hands, a trembling starting in his arms.

“Great Nethys… I have failed you. I followed blindly and lost the truth. How can I ever atone for this? It’s… it’s impossible…”

Rismel looked back at the portal, as if just remembering it was there.

“But the voice is still there, still calling me. What is it? I… I have to let this monster through. I have to end the one who started all of this. And after… I’ll stay to guard this portal, to ensure no one ever falls victim to it again.”

“We will help you end this menace,” Tristian said. “Such evil cannot be allowed to go free.”

“Then I will start the ritual now.”

Lapis and Tristian began praying to their gods, the last of their spells taking place as a blustering laugh shook the island.

A glowing blue skull appeared in front of the portal, silvery missiles of force striking Khemet as the skull opened its jaws. Lapis let out an enraged howl.

Arrows and blades met the aberration, a horde of dire wolves appearing behind it as Rismel added his own prayers to the fray. The wisp fell easily under their attacks, Lapis’ arrow bursting through an eye socket and shattering the beast’s form. Instantly, the amurrun was at Khemet’s side, dodging a swipe from the angered tiger as he healed his companion.

A calming rumble left Lapis’ throat, settling the tiger down slowly. Healing energy filled Khemet, soothing his injuries. As the tiger calmed, the amurrun looked over at Rismel.

“Are you certain you want to stay here?”

The man nodded.

“I cannot let anyone else die here. This will become my penance, to ensure no one else falls to temptation.”

“Then we will leave you. I will be sending food and supplies every week. Perhaps some day we can close this portal and make this temple holy once more.”

“Are you sure we should be leaving the capital?”

Faes let out a silent breath, already tired of the rambling trio. He hadn’t realized that by telling Kaessi to get rid of the Sweet Teeth, the tiefling would foist them off on him. Even if he was just escorting them to Oleg’s Trading Post, a day’s journey at the most now that the roads were a little better, the hollowborn was not going to enjoy the yammering that would never end. It was worse than travelling with that puffed up gnome.

Which brought the half human to another sore point. That gnome had completely trashed the barony in his report, stating that the baron preferred to fight monsters and couldn’t be bothered to actually tend to the barony itself. It was simply not true. What were they supposed to do in two months of living here?

And then there were the assassins. He hadn’t thought Idgon would call his bluff. Faes had never met a Red Mantis member in his life, and he certainly never wished to. To know the Red Mantis was death, and the hollowborn wondered if he had been too grandiose with his threat. Not that it mattered much. The lone halfling would carry the message back to Idgon that Faes was not someone to fuck with.

Which was another reason he had agreed to leave the capital. Idgon would be looking for him, and if he was missing, even for a day or two, she might think he had a contact somewhere. It would make for a rich bit of humour if the head of the mafia grew scared for her own safety. Sure, the contact wouldn’t have been the Red Mantis, but it would be somebody unknown, and that was a risk he doubted the halfling would take. Maybe she would get out of Ellesmera that much faster and cut her losses.

Of course, that meant that Faes would have to track her down in Restov, but that wouldn’t be too hard. A proper push would get his message through to Ioseph Sellemius, and that would ensure this nonsense with all the financial gouging would end. He would be sad that eleven halflings had to die to see his point across, but Faes had never held a regret in his life, and he certainly didn’t intend to start now.

A sudden yell drew the hollowborn out of his thoughts, eyes narrowing as he realized they had just wandered into a group of bandits.

“Is this some sort of joke?” he grunted, looking at Naiho.

“No? We thought they were extra protection. You seemed quite willing to approach them,” the tiefling shrugged.

Letting out a curse, Faes pulled up a handful of fire. To his horror, one of the bandits seemed to split in half as a glowing portal spat an owlbear out. Changing targets quickly, the hollowborn hurled his fire at the creature.

“The Mother of Beasts will see you writhe!” one of the archers snarled, their arrow flying at Faes.

The kineticist let out a grunt as a burning pain erupted in his side. His next attack brought the owlbear down, inches from his body, and he ducked behind it, listening to a volley of arrows strike the beast.

Ripping the arrow out of his side, Faes slapped a burning hand on the wound, gritting his teeth as his skin sizzled. Around him, the Sweet Teeth sent crossbow bolts flying, ducking behind the owlbear corpse for their own cover.

Poking his head around the beast, Faes launched blue fire at one of the bandits rushing toward them. The man cried out as he was engulfed in flames, the fire rising up to engulf him again a couple of seconds later. Slowly he burned away, but by then Faes had moved onto his next target, pouring the resulting burn into the souls of the departed.

One last arrow thumped into the owlbear, and then silence. Faes waited a few seconds before peeking around his shield again. There was nothing left but smoldering corpses, and finally Faes let himself feel the agony in his side.

“Fuck… I don’t suppose one of you is a healer?”