Chapter 21) Necessary

Manster has been turned to stone. No one knows why, exactly, save that it was due to a Loptyrian Priest, Charon, choosing to save the sacrificial children, hiding them in a different location. What the spell was intended to do… no one knows. We only know that it was likely the 'sister ritual' to the one attempted in Mease, and that we shouldn't assume there are not more across the continent.

We take the children back to Mease, unwilling to leave them or take them to Conote with us, and then we make our way north, leaving Manster's caretaking to Vidar, Skadi, and others of the Thracian Resistance. It's slow-going, particularly since we keep off the roads, just in case. We are well into autumn by the time we make it to the farthest villages of Conote, and the trees are an eruption of reds, yellows, and oranges as we approach.

I hope the 'fire' isn't a warning.

"Do you think he's all right?" I whispered, glancing over my shoulder to check on Charon. Gaia carried him easily on her back, but he hung there limply, like a ragdoll. "Perhaps I should check his injuries again?"

"I think if anything has changed, Gaia would've let us know," Hezul chided, chuckling. He tried to muffle the sound, especially when I scowled up at him. "You're fretting like a… ah, what is the phrase? Mother hen?"

"Why does that idiom even exist? Are hens particularly fussy?"

"I have absolutely no idea." Hezul looked up at the clouds thoughtfully. I looked up as well, to watch Dain and Noba fly about on Freya. They were high above, and handled the scouting for us since they had such a lofty vantage point. They also needed something to do because Freya flew much faster than we could walk, especially in the rougher terrain. "Actually, have either of us even seen a hen?"

"Uh…" I nearly tripped over my feet as I tried to recall and came up blank. "We haven't seen a living one, at least?" Now that I thought about it, we had never seen any farm animals, unless one counted horses. When we traveled, we did our best to avoid homesteads, and neither the cities where we stayed nor the camp had enough space. "We have seen dogs, though. Cats."

"Rats, mice, birds…" A few birds actually twittered nearby, which made me smile. "Never saw them near the castle. I think they knew something was wrong."

"It was either that or Galle ordered them killed for stealing our attention." That was… far too sad of a topic, so I leaned up to kiss his cheek on impulse and then 'innocently' looked away while he blushed terribly. "How is Vala doing?"

"I'm sure she's the same as before?" Hezul tried to sound normal, but his voice was a little squeaky. It truly was amusing, making him blush like this. "Serving as rear guard with Baldur and all."

"I hope so…" Vala made a point of keeping her distance from Charon, and Baldur handled making sure she didn't lose her temper. But because she kept her distance, and I had to often keep close to Charon because of his extensive injuries, I hadn't had much of a chance to talk to her. "Does she hate me?"

"I think she hates the circumstances."

"I hope that is all that it is…"

I might've continued fretting, but that was when something soft suddenly hit my head and I reached up to discover it was a balled and tied up bit of cloth that I unrolled to discover was underwear. After a moment of wondering what just happened, I looked up to see Noba waving with a big grin, while Dain facepalmed. Even from here, I could tell he was exasperated. But he did use his other hand to signal that we should get further off the road. We first made sure that Gaia, Baldur, and Vala all knew and then we darted towards a nearby grove of trees, where we could not only hide, but Freya could land without being completely obvious. Hezul waited for the others to catch up, but I went over to meet Noba and Dain as they dismounted because I had questions.

"Noba, why did you drop this on my head?" I asked dryly, returning the underwear to her. Noba just giggled and tucked it into her bag. "That is not an answer."

"We were trying to figure out a way to let you all know to look up, since we didn't want to draw attention to us by whistling or swooping down," Dain explained for her, rubbing Freya's neck. I frowned when I noticed it… looked like he had rubbed off some of her scales? Though, the scales themselves looked fine… "She's shedding. It's normal for growing dragons."

"I see." It took a second to comprehend what he meant. "She's growing?" I couldn't imagine her bigger! She was already as big as a horse!

"She's not getting bigger. I hope." Dain glanced at Freya worriedly, and Freya only crooned and nuzzled his cheek. "It's more that her scales are accommodating to changes in muscles and how much damage she's sustaining and the like? I think that's what Vidar said, at least. It's like how our bones and muscles get stronger with impacts and training." He scratched her under her chin and she not-purred in contentment. "I think the shedding also just helps her stay reasonably clean. Still have to give her baths and the like, but still."

"I see." I smiled at Freya and the affectionate scene before remembering the original question that led to all of this. "So, why did Noba choose underwear to drop to get our attention?"

"I have no idea." Sadly, we might never know. By this point, Noba had joined the others, teasing and tickling Vala for some reason. "I wonder if she mentioned that we were getting your attention because there was a lone rider on the road."

"I somehow doubt it." Still, a lone rider was unusual. "We should make sure of it."

"Do you mind? I want to help Freya hide."

"Good luck."

It took a moment to get everyone's attention to tell them about what Dain and Noba had seen, but before long, we were all hiding among the trees, watching the road carefully. Eventually, the rider appeared, riding at a sedate pace. She wore light armor over dark blue clothing, which hinted she was of nobility. Dark blue was notoriously hard to dye, but it did match her eyes and set off the gold in her hair (long and worn in a ponytail), so it was clear why she wore them. Her horse was a dappled grey, with black reins and saddle, all cared for. There was a well-worn bow hooked on the saddle, with two quivers set in front of the saddlebags. She kept a wary eye on her surroundings, but for the most part, she seemed relaxed. Clearly, she wasn't planning for trouble.

"That's Macaria," Charon whispered suddenly. He climbed down from Gaia's back and swayed a bit, terribly pale. Gaia helped steady him. "She's Lethe's lover, and a former Hunted like me. One of the few chosen to become a noble. Duchess, I think. Replaced a former lord in Conote who was executed for treason." He hesitated before stumbling forward, nearly falling flat on his face. Baldur caught him. "Wait here."

Vala bristled as Charon continued forward and opened her mouth to shout. Dain, however, pulled her into a hug, so she leaned into him instead, glaring at Charon's back. The rest of us just decided to wait, though Gaia unhooked her axe, just in case. However, we had chosen to trust Charon enough to go to Conote, so...

"Macaria?" Charon called when he was halfway between us and the road. His voice was quiet, but it caught the woman's attention instantly. She pulled her horse to a stop and twisted in the saddle, frowning curiously before smiling brightly in relief and joy. It was a much warmer smile than I had ever seen among the nobility in Belhalla. "What brings you out? Animal hunting?"

"Not this time," she replied, dismounting and leading her horse over to him. "No, I was on my way to see you, actually. Lethe wanted to talk to you about something and the priests wouldn't notice my absence, so…" Though she shrugged, her eyes flitted over the rest of us, and narrowed suspiciously. "Seems like we've got an interesting story?"

"A bit, yes…" Charon laughed awkwardly and coughed. "Um… I'm not kidnapped or anything. Promise."

"Charon, you know that saying that in-front of potential 'kidnappers' is a little…"

"Right… er…"

"We've only kidnapped two people, and that's the Quiet Princess and the Black Knight!" Noba declared dramatically, stepping out of the trees. Hezul immediately facepalmed, while I had to muffle my laugh in his shoulder. I didn't see the others' reactions. "Or so I think the official story is? I don't know if it's changed or not in the past year, year and a half."

"You… huh?" Macaria tried to reply. Noba knocked her off-balance, though. "I… wait, you all… what?" Then her attention truly focused on Hezul and me. "...Huh?!" She pointed at us dramatically. "Wait, you two are actually alive?!"

"Of course! We're proper kidnappers!" Noba giggled, but promptly yelped when Vala pinched her arm. "Ow…"

"Did you not sleep last night or something?" Vala grumbled, scowling up at her. We both knew that wasn't the case, though, because we girls had shared a tent ever since we got Charon and Noba had done her normal heat-seeking. "Sugar? Did someone give her sugar?" Noba grumbled something under her breath and slipped behind Vala to hug her, lifting her up a little even to pull her away from Dain. "Hey!"

"I… okay, my mind is…" Macaria sighed. She shook her head and reached up to undo her ponytail, showing that her hair fell to her knees. "Charon, while they're being weird, can you tell me what the hell you're doing here? You hate traveling. I thought I'd have to bribe you with spell books again."

"While he's doing that, I'm going to patrol around," Gaia murmured, already stepping away from us. Though she tried to keep stoic, her eyes danced with good humor. "You all should take the opportunity to rest." She left before any of us could protest, so we lingered by the trees, with Dain getting Freya and Hezul trying to help Vala escape Noba's hug.

"She has been odd all day," I whispered, watching while keeping an eye on Charon. Macaria steadied him as the two talked, and I caught little bits of teasing in between the explanations, like what Vala would do with Baldur. "Actually, no, she's been a little odd since we left Manster."

"Yeah, it's on purpose," Baldur explained, joining me in watching the chaotic trio. He passed me a bit of dried fruit and I nibbled on it. It had been a bit since lunch, after all. "We've all been down since Manster, and then you have Vala being more or less on the edge of tears due to everything…" He mimed for quiet. "Don't let her know I told you, though."

"I… oh, Noba…" I sighed, but I couldn't help but smile. This was just so much like her. "Well, speaking of Vala, how is she doing? You spend the most time with her."

"She's getting better. She's purposely looking for differences to help her categorize him in a different 'spot' in her mind. She'll probably have to do the same with every Loptyrian priest we meet. Maybe for the rest of her life." He smiled reassuringly. "But she's okay. And she will be fine. She's simply being forced to confront that pain and trauma in a way she never expected. That's enough to make anyone cranky."

"Of course…" I could sympathize, given everything with Galle. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine, truthfully. I mean; I'm scared we can't save the people of Manster, but other than that…?" He pulled more dried fruit from his pack and popped it into his mouth. "I'm good. We'll see what happens when we get to Conote. How are you doing?"

"I believe I am the same as you." I finished my fruit and nodded when I saw Macaria helping Charon over towards us. "Seems like they're done."

"Either he talks quickly or he skipped a lot."

"Shadows and blood… how did you fall into trouble like this?" Macaria sighed, running a hand through her hair. She then gathered her hair into a ponytail again. "You didn't even go looking for it." Charon just shrugged, smiling awkwardly before nearly falling. Noba caught him, though. "Freaking hell." Surprisingly, she bowed to us. "Thank you very much for taking care of him. He can be a pain in the neck sometimes, but he's my pain in the neck and one of the few I can call 'family'." She straightened and pointed in a direction. "There's a village about half a day that way. I'll tell Lethe you're there. I don't know when she'll be able to sneak out, but it should be before the end of the day. I'll come if it'll take longer."

That was, apparently, the end of the conversation because she returned to her horse and galloped off before we could even think to respond. All of us looked at each other awkwardly, not quite sure what to do. Surprisingly, it was Vala who sighed and said, "might as well get going?" She shrugged, rubbing at her eyes. "We can do health checks or something. I don't know. I'm tired."

"I'll carry you," Hezul offered. She smiled happily at him and immediately scrambled up his back. "But yes, let's go. We need to find Gaia, however."

"I'll handle that," Dain offered, pointing to Freya. Freya crooned and leaned down to nuzzle his cheek. "Meet you there."

The village welcomed us with warm, yet tired, smiles and practically bit their tongues off thanking us when we volunteered to help out with chores and medicines and whatnot. Charon babysat the children and babies while we worked, so that he didn't exacerbate his injuries, and he was surprisingly good at keeping them entertained and calm. I wondered if that knack with children was why he had been chosen to bring the 'sacrifices' to the altar; it was easier to trap someone if they didn't fight. But, regardless, we spent the rest of the morning and afternoon very busy, which was a good thing. Lethe didn't appear until evening, long after dinner.

"I am so sorry! It took forever to sneak out!" Lethe herself was… well, she didn't look a thing like her father. There was a kindness to her smile, for one thing, and a warmth to her eyes. Then there was her coloring, brown hair and blue eyes, neither of which Acheron had. She must've taken a lot after her mother. "Whatever they did in Alster, they're trying to make sure no one interferes," she sighed, plopping down at the table we were sitting at. The local inn had generously lent us a room for this meeting. "Where's Charon?"

"He is resting, with Gaia as his guard," I answered, sitting ramrod straight. Though she looked different, I couldn't forget this was Acheron's daughter. Thankfully, Noba held my hand to reassure me. "His injuries are great."

"That's what Macaria said." She leaned forward almost eagerly, looking each one of us in the eye. "So, Macaria told me what Charon told her, but I have a feeling he skipped stuff. Do you mind telling me about your journey here?"

After a moment, since we hadn't expected that, we… told her everything. Well, we didn't tell her that we had the tome, just in case, but we told her everything else. Child hunts, arenas, battles, illnesses, the tortured remains of the dead… anything and everything we could think of, we told her, taking turns all the while. Vala, Hezul, and I also included things we saw in the courts. Throughout it all, Macaria listened without saying a single word, eyes sharp as she gave us her absolute attention.

When we were done, having run out of unique things to say, she looked down at the table and remained silent still. Then, finally, she whispered, "we're taught it's necessary."

"What do you mean?" Baldur asked softly. The rest of us weren't sure what to say or do. Noba actually got up to make us all tea. "What's necessary?"

"The hunts. The sacrifices. All of it." She took a deep breath and met our eyes. Hers wavered with pain and uncertainty. "You see… from the time I was little, I learned that Loptyr was our savior. That the other gods, seeing our misfortune and believing us incapable of changing, wished to purge the world and start everything anew. Only Loptyr guards us."

"...Can't say I heard that one before."

"Funny, huh?" She smiled so bitterly, and yet, so resigned. "I remember when I first learned of the sacrifices. My father said it was a necessary evil. That the sacrifices give Loptyr power, so that He may continue shielding us from the other gods."

"Why children in that case?" Dain asked softly. By this point, Noba had finished with the tea and was passing it out, so he clutched his mug tightly for the warmth. When she handed me mine, she touched my shoulder to silently ask if I knew what Lethe was talking about. I could only shrug because I had never heard this. "Children are…"

"It's because they have a lot of quintessence," Lethe explained. Her smile warmed when Noba handed her a mug, but she set it on the table and didn't drink, even after the rest of us did. "Quintessence is the power of life itself, the strength of our souls. Children have a lot because, in theory, they have quite a few years to live."

"So?"

"Less deaths overall. Quality over quantity." She looked down again, sitting stiffly in her chair. Vala rested her head on Hezul's shoulder, eyes narrowed suspiciously. Noba took my hand again when she sat down. All of us watched and listened closely. "I remember asking why it had to be children of a certain age. I don't remember what he said, but I don't think it made sense, even back then. But..." She paused, closing her eyes. "But even with those… inconsistencies, most of us truly believe… believed… the stories. After all, one of the first things we're taught is that all power has a price." Her voice wavered, so she paused again. When she opened her eyes, I saw the remnants of tears. "My brother volunteered."

"Huh?"

"One year, there weren't enough children for sacrifices. So, my older brother volunteered to be. He was smiling when I last saw him, because he felt it was a way he could protect the world."

"...If that is the case, and that is all true, then why do they not teach the rest of us this?" Hezul asked quietly. Vala and I both nodded, because… this was the first time we had heard any of this. "Why keep it secret?"

"That was my question, among many," Lethe admitted with a laugh. But it was a terribly hollow sound, completely mirthless. "Why are some of the Hunted thrown into gladiator matches? Why must they lose their memories? Why are they not allowed contact with their families? Why, despite the supposed fairness, are the Hunted never from the nobility? I have no answers that satisfy me. No explanations that make sense."

"I suppose the razed villages…"

"Also don't make sense. I didn't even bother asking about them. No answer would make sense." Again, she fell quiet, but when she looked at us again, her gaze was sharp. "So, I'm not just in Conote because Macaria lives here. I'm here because there are a lot of Loptyrians like me here. And there are people here who, bless them, are willing to talk to an ignorant brat like me."

"All gathered here?" Hezul raised a brow, and I shared his skepticism. "Really, now?"

"Conote is a powerful city, but we're also very far from Belhalla. Makes it easier, and safer, to question when you're away from the people who taught you."

"That is true."

"So, where does Charon fall into this?" Noba asked, steering the conversation back to more present matters. She made sure to smile to try and ease the air. "You asked Macaria to go after him."

"Hmm? Oh, I wanted his opinion," Lethe explained, brightening again. I made a mental note to make sure she saw Charon before she left. "He's more… um…" She struggled for a word, moving her hands about like she could pick it from the air. "Patient. Methodical. I can flare up in a passion, but he keeps his calm. Honestly, until now, I didn't think he was capable of being impulsive. So, that's one reason."

"There's more?"

"Of course. He's family, so I like having him around. And, well…" She leaned forward a bit, eyes sparkling now. "You see… Conote holds the largest archive outside of Belhalla. Some of the books within predate the Empire! So…" She leaned so far forward that she was half-on the table. "I think… no, I know that the answers to so many of my questions will be there. And Charon thrives when he's researching." She paused suddenly and scrambled back to sit properly in her chair, coughing. "Oops… sorry, I… uh…"

"How are you planning on getting in?" Vala asked. Her voice was very dry, but for the most part, it was polite. I caught her eye and smiled and she smiled back. "I'm guessing there's a reason you can't just waltz on in or sneak in?"

"If only, but I think the priests in charge are under orders to keep everyone out," Lethe sighed. She leaned back in her chair now, grimacing. "They actually killed a servant who accidentally went near. And it was a true accident! They were new! And besides me wanting access, I am sick and tired of everyone just killing people because they can. You know; same reason you all are forming a rebellion."

"Never thought I'd hear a Loptyrian say that."

"Reminder that Maera worshiped Loptyr alongside the other gods." She smiled, though, not offended at all. "Anyway, that's what's going on in Conote. I don't know what they plan, but if they're keeping such a close eye on me, then whatever happened in Alster is going to be something that makes me mad. Meaning blood and guts, at minimum. Then there's the people in Manster we have to de-stone somehow." She looked at all of us, locking eyes. "May I ask you all for help? In exchange, I will get you every scrap of information we can find here about their plans, and every drop of power I can gather to assist you in your own battles."

"And if your stories are somehow right?"

"Even if what I was told was true, the methods are wrong. The methods condemn the people to slow death. And I refuse to abide by that any longer." Her eyes hardened, but they also shone with resolution. "My brother died because he was told it would protect the world. I won't let the world die. Even if I must go against my own father and the beliefs instilled in me as a child."

Silence. None of us knew how to respond to that. But then Baldur nodded and smiled. "I think we can can agree to that, and that we might find that archive fairly interesting as well," he whispered. He glanced at the rest of us and we nodded. Vala hesitated, unsurprisingly, but Hezul pulled her into a hug to reassure her. "We want to know, and stop, what the Loptyrians are doing here. And we want to save the world too. So, yes, let's work together."

I never thought I'd willing fight alongside a Loptyrian priest. But if escaping Belhalla had taught me anything, it was that I was hopelessly ignorant about much in the world. I just had to keep on learning.

A couple days after agreeing to work together with Lethe, she ask if I'd mind going in ahead of the others. She had planned on asking Charon, but with his still extensive injuries, none of us felt comfortable having him move about so much. Why me specifically, though? Part of her 'army', for lack of a better word, were actually the gladiators in the arena and she wanted assistance in treating them before we made our move. I agreed, on the condition that someone could come with me. Baldur volunteered, since Noba was assisting Gaia with civilian evacuations (with Charon), and Hezul and Dain worked with Macaria about our plan of attack.

"Question, why is it that you just wanted staves?" Baldur asked as we walked through the underground catacombs of Conote. From what I remembered, they were actually built originally to help consolidate the various stone mines, though no one had actually mined anything from here in decades due to a collapsed shaft that killed over a hundred people. "I would think that medicines would also work?"

"It'll make much more sense when we get there," Lethe explained, her quiet voice still echoing through the halls. Everything about this place was terribly quiet, and I was certain I would see a ghost or ten at any moment. You heard stories of those with regrets being tied to the living realm, after all. At least, that was a story Mother told me. I think. "But I also don't want to overwhelm them with strangers. I'm worried enough with two."

"This isn't the first time you've snuck in here, have you?"

"Macaria and I often sneak down into the tunnels for alone time, because no one in that castle has heard of privacy and knocking." She flashed a grin, and Baldur choked on a laugh. I frowned and glanced around the tunnels, noting how dusty everything was. Then I was distracted by the paintings I saw on the walls. "More seriously, yes, I've checked on the gladiators before."

"More seriously?" Baldur snickered. "That first part wasn't a joke?"

"Well…"

"I am certain people would be absolutely delighted to know you were having sex among their dead ancestors," I couldn't help but deadpan. Baldur had to quickly muffle his laugh, though Lethe seemed startled. "Are there not graves here?"

"Well, yes, there are, but…" she began. She fell silent and tapped her cheek as she gathered her thoughts, and continued leading us deftly through the tunnels without a single light. We hadn't even tripped over anything yet. "You know… I saw you in the palace a few times."

"You were there?"

"I wasn't allowed near. Father had wanted to introduce me a couple of times, but the Emperor always refused." She sighed, and I could only close my eyes because that made far too much sense. "Though I asked myself a few weeks before you and Hezul… escaped? Kidnapped?"

"Escaped." I smiled at Baldur, and then poked his side since I wasn't sure he saw my smile or not. "Then we were taken in by very strange people." Baldur snickered at that. "What was his reaction?"

"The Emperor actually seemed a little more receptive?" She went quiet, stopping in an intersection before turning down a path. Baldur and I, of course, followed. "I'm not sure why. Maybe he just didn't want Father near you two. Anyway, the point of that was… well…"

"Ah, yes, the 'Quiet Princess' would never have made a comment like that." I couldn't help but be proud, though. It was a simple thing, yes, but it was another reminder of how far I had come. "However, I had very good teachers."

"Clearly." She giggled, hopping over something. I stepped around whatever it was, and helped steady Baldur when he tripped. "Anything else different?"

"There are many, but Hezul and I are courting, which I suppose is a very large difference?"

"It is, but it's also unsurprising." She giggled. "I mean… there were gossips all over the place that you and Hezul were having an affair."

"Galle would have killed us." Even now, that panic flooded me and my breath caught in my throat. Baldur wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me into a hug. "It… well…"

"Hey, you two have healed enough to be in a relationship," Baldur reminded me softly. Though I couldn't really see his smile in the darkness, I knew it was there. "Hell, you two even share a bed."

"Oh, really~?" Lethe giggled, turning to face us. She clasped her hands behind her back and I could hear her cat-like grin. "How splendid! Does he take down your hair, Gwyneth?"

"Uh… he does, but what does that have anything to do with anything?" Baldur poked my cheek, no doubt able to see it thanks to my bright blush. "I'm missing something, huh?"

"I am surprised Vala hasn't explained it to everyone," I mumbled, refusing to properly answer. I would have thought she had, but then again, a lot had happened after that teasing conversation. "B-but that is for later! We have a mission!"

"Sadly, yes," Lethe agreed, still giggling. She was a far warmer and far more cheerful person than I could have ever expected. "We're almost there, but…" She trailed off and when she spoke again, her voice was tired and sad. "I'm sure you've seen worse. But it's still going to be bad. The gladiators… they're not as taken care of as the main army and considering the soldiers get the absolute bare minimum…"

With those ominous words, quiet reigned. Before long, Lethe led us through a door and up some stairs into a dark and dusty hallway. After shutting the door behind us, we strode down the hall, eventually passing by the flattened field of an arena, telling me just where we were. But there was no time to really think about it, because Lethe walked quickly, following an almost dizzying path deep within the arena, to the dorms where the gladiators slept. When we arrived and stepped inside, I actually gagged at all the nauseating smells. There was infection, unwashed bodies, sweat, mold, blood, other things I couldn't identify because they were too wrapped up in the rest… when you included how all of them were practically stacked right on top of one another, this was just a thousand and one disasters in the making! Assuming, of course, there weren't a thousand disasters already! I had known things were bad, because what wasn't in this Empire, but nothing like this!

"Ah, Lady Lethe." One person emerged from the writhing pile of filth and flesh that were the unfortunate gladiators. They wore dirty rags for clothes, if one could call the half-rotten things rags at all, and it was difficult to tell their hair color. If I had to guess, I would say it was blonde under all the dirt and sweat. "You brought strangers," they continued softly, looking right at Lethe. Their eyes were an intense blue, and had an unearthly quality to them. I had seen the look in many of the older gladiators before, but only now could I identify it. "You should have warned me." It was the look of someone who had stared death in the face so many times that they could invite it to tea.

"Bit unexpected, Lynceus," Lethe explained, smiling sheepishly. She then turned to Baldur and me. I schooled my expression to stoicism, but poor Baldur was openly gaping in horror. "I warned you."

"I hope you didn't bring them to gawk at us as a means of stirring pity." Lynceus scowled and crossed his arms. The movement opened a wound on his shoulder, but he didn't react at all to it. "Grateful as I am to you…" Without thinking about it, I brought up my staff and healed up the injury. "...Ah. Another healer priest? What about the boy?"

"Bit wrong. Not the boy, about her being a priest." Lethe then became thoughtful. "Well, maybe he is wrong in the head. Maybe all of us are."

"Not more philosophy bullshit, please."

"Ah, my name is Baldur," Baldur suddenly interrupted. The half-absent way he said it made me think he hadn't been paying any attention. "Yours is Lynceus? She's saying we're wrong in the head because we're planning on overthrowing the Empire, but we can get to that whole discussion later." Then again, maybe he had been paying more attention than I thought. "Er… wait, was that already said?"

"No, Baldur, it hadn't," I reassured, muffling a giggle. It didn't feel appropriate here. "But yes, I am here to assist Lethe with treatment. Baldur is here because our alliance with Lethe is very recent." I bowed slightly to him. "My name is Gwyneth. May I begin or should I wait for you to introduce me to the others?"

Without a word, Lynceus showed Lethe and me to the back of the room. I noticed that as you headed back, the gladiators… it looked like the older ones were closer to the door, and had the worst of the blankets and clothes. Lethe's sad, but knowing, smile hinted that it was on purpose, and that made me smile too. Even in conditions like this, kindness survived. That made me smile, even as I wanted to cry over all the infected injuries they were suffering.

"You mentioned a rebellion," Lynceus murmured to Baldur while Lethe and I went to work on treating those we could. I wished Vala was with us, for her medicines. "And here I thought Lethe was the only one ridiculous enough to plot rebellion." He looked at Baldur warily. "You think you can do better? We're in for Lethe's because death is death, and some of us are tired of dying for entertainment. Well, that and Lethe and Macaria sneaks us food whenever they can."

"Hard to say we'll do better, but we do have an advantage!" Baldur replied with a charming smile. But before continuing, he glanced at me in silent question. I caught his eye and nodded before returning to my work. This wound was completely crusted over. "You know of the Loptyr Tome?"

"I've heard rumors it disappeared."

"Yeah, it got stolen. By her." He pointed to me. "See, she's the former Quiet Princess."

"...I thought she died and they were covering it up to keep the Emperor from completely losing it. Same with the Black Knight."

"Nope! Hezul is working with Macaria at the moment, and the tome safely away!" Baldur continued smiling. "So, how did you and Lethe meet? You mentioned food."

"Well, Lethe actually first snuck down here to observe us, like we were specimens for an experiment. I threw her out." He shrugged and, for the first time, there was a hint of a smile on his face. "She skipped right on back in and introduced herself. She wanted to know what we were taught."

"Sounds like that's a common thing." Baldur frowned. "What were you taught? Your fallen blood enriches the earth or something?"

"I don't actually know. I'm one of the Hunted and one of the odd ones where the memory-rip wasn't complete." That little smile disappeared again. "It happens sometimes. Strong will or resistance to magic or something. But because of it, I still have a few memories. Nothing really worth anything, and I still lost my name and all. But it was enough to recognize the bullshit they were trying to make us swallow, so I ignored them. You don't get beaten for ignoring those lessons."

"I… I see…"

"I'll be honest. Empires and all that political shit? None of us give a damn. It's a miracle we even care enough to try and take care of each other." Lynceus looked over everyone, his gaze lingering on the children. "But if your rebellion can promise semi-regular food and treatment for injuries? We'll fight for you. We'll die for you."

"...Yeah, I can promise that. I can't think of a single person involved in the rebellion at the moment who would deny you that." Baldur turned his attention to the group as well, saddened by everything. "You know… I never thought much about how the Loptyrians treated their own. I'm sorry for that."

"Few do, because we're kept out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind. That's a thing I remember my mother telling me, when she was scolding me for not doing chores immediately." Lynceus smiled bitterly, but there was some warmth to it as well. "But we're not 'their own'. The Hunted they make into gladiators and soldiers are the ones they want broken into their army or because some quality about us makes us good potential Deadlords. I almost want to say that soldiers are the former and gladiators are the latter, but hell if I know. All I know is that we're not the ones they want to keep alive. Those are the nobles and priests. That's why gladiators and soldiers are the second largest group among the Hunted."

"...What's the largest?"

"Sacrifices."

"Miss…?" The little girl I was working on currently frowned up at me, drawing my attention away from eavesdropping. "Why are you treating my foot?" she asked me, genuinely confused even as her eyes were hazy from pain. I was surprised she was conscious, since her foot was purple and black, swollen and oozing pus, and covered with blisters that smelled absolutely foul. Blaggi called this 'wet gangrene', if I recalled correctly. "People treat injuries?"

"They're supposed to," I whispered, focused on trying to treat her. She had a high fever from the infection, and I was afraid she had more gangrene internally. I had no idea if she'd survive or not, even with help. "So, hold still, okay?"

"I never seen someone treat injuries before." She continued frowning, and my heart broke when I realized she must be a 'new arrival' and just had her memories stolen. This really was her first time being healed… "That's so weird."

I was going to be sick. Later. For now, I had to do what I could.

A few days after Lethe and I first began healing the gladiators, the others snuck in with some of Macaria's elite soldiers to begin whatever plan they had. I didn't know most of the details, since Lethe and I were healing people until literally the last second before the battle began. So, by the time I stepped outside the arena, the battle was well underway and I couldn't help but freeze when I saw all the fighting. After all, this battle was different than the ones we had before. This wasn't some small group sneaking around and dealing with patrols or anything. This was a smaller scale of what we planned, an army fighting an army for the liberation of the people. There was something horrifying about it, really. There were so many people fighting and dying, with their bodies piling up in the streets. There were so many people screaming and crying, until the sound became nothing more than cacophony on the wind. That wasn't even going into the smell, almost as bad as a sacrifice chamber in the temples, and all the blood.

"We are absolutely insane, planning this," I whispered to no one. I was alone, because everyone else had jumped into the battle as if things like this were normal. Sadly, if we succeeded gathering all of the resistances together, it would be normal. "Absolutely insane."

My focus eventually settled on the central square, where Freya and Dain were fighting. Freya's piercing shriek nearly shattered my eardrums, despite how far away I was, so I wasn't surprised when I saw a few people stumble back with blood dripping from their ears. Of course, a few of them didn't have the time to worry about that, since Freya snapped them up in her powerful jaws, crushing their bones into dust and their bodies to paste. And I couldn't help but be a little unnerved, because this was the first time I had truly seen her in battle. The claws that I had so often seen gently nudging people away from dangerous areas shredded armor like paper. The muzzle that so often nuzzled our cheeks was caked in blood. The wings that so often wrapped around us in gentle and warm hugs lifted her into the air easily so that she could breath white-hot flames and incinerate those unfortunate enough to be within range. And, riding atop her ease, was Dain, with narrowed eyes hunting for the next target for his bloody spear. No matter how Freya flew, he moved with her almost like they were a single being, and the two of them alone held an entire section of the battle, dominating all foolish enough to tread near.

Not far from them, dark magic flew through the air, and though most of them belonged to the enemy priests, I saw no small number of them were from our allies. Lethe and Charon coordinated them. Charon focused on siege tomes like Fenrir, targeting key points behind the enemy's lines to disrupt their guard, while Lethe commanded the more typical spells, viciously wielding a Hel spell to leave the enemies at the mercy of any who followed her trail of blood. Gaia kept near them both, using her heavier armor to protect them from weapons. Of course, she herself was at the mercy of enemy magic users, but when one actually got close enough, Noba slid in between them and rammed her lance up, straight through the enemy's skull. But before Gaia could thank her, Noba was off in a different part of the battlefield, flitting about almost like a butterfly to kill those who slipped through the cracks.

It was all too easy to find Vala, even through the chaos. Few on the field were wielding fire magic, after all, so she stood out well, especially since she used the flames in tandem with her blade to rip large holes in the enemy's formation, holes that Baldur and Hezul took advantage of to shatter the formations entirely. The survivors attempted to escape, but were quickly cut down by Lynceus and the other older gladiators. I knew the younger ones were hiding, though I didn't remember the excuse they were given to get them to cooperate.

Distracted as I was by watching the battle, I barely saw the axe flying towards me, but without thinking about it, I caught it and swung around to build up momentum before throwing it as hard as I could. It was a trick Jarl had showed me, and it proved just as effective as he had said. The axe thudded into the thrower's chest, blood spewing everywhere since they forwent armor for some reason. Of course, I didn't have time to wonder too long about why that was, because more soldiers were approaching. A fallen soldier's lance, however, was near, so I kicked it up into my hand and lunged, taking out the closest ones. I eventually lost the lance because it had lodged between someone's ribs, but I stole their bow and quiver and jumped back to pepper those closest to me with arrows. When I ran out of arrows, I threw it at a mage and scooped up a discarded sword to dart in close and decapitate them. Sadly, their tome was dark magic, which I couldn't use, but I was able to kick it into someone's face to break their guard.

I wasn't sure how many times I did that. I lost count of all the weapons I used and discarded, and I soon lost track of which one I was holding at a certain time. But even through the exhaustion and pain, I couldn't help but feel… powerful. Here I was, in the middle of a battle, surrounded by enemies, yet I was fine. I wasn't helpless. It didn't matter what weapon I grabbed. I could, and did, use it. A river of blood marked my path through the battle, lined by the bodies of those I killed. It was thrilling, in a sickening sort of way.

At some point after the battle, after I killed what could have been by fifth or millionth person in the battle for all I knew, a cheer rose up, quiet at first but then growing in strength until the windows trembled from the force. That was what told me that we had won. We had defeated the enemy and taken the city. In many ways, it was the first victory of our 'rebel army'. But with that realization came the burning pain from injuries and the throbbing aches from bruises. My stomach tossed and turned as I looked around, fully aware now of the corpses at my feet and absolutely nauseated by how gleeful I had been earlier. I half-worried I might faint, truthfully, or worse, vomit on the bodies. That would be just the thing, wouldn't it?

"Gwyneth!" Thankfully for my stomach, Noba appeared in front of me, practically vibrating with excitement despite all the gore and muck splattered over her. "There's horses!" she blurted. I blinked slowly, trying to process both her appearance and her words. "Horses! We have horses!"

...Leave it to Noba to find something to be happy about. I could only laugh.

Our Family

Gwyneth

21 years old

Class: Shaman; Weapons: Fire - A, Thunder - A, Wind - A, Light - A, Staves - A; (Axes - B, Swords - A, Lances - B, Bows - B)

Skills: Paragon, Critical

Think she's slowly getting the hang of most of these weapons, though she blanched when Noba suggested she learn how to fight while mounted. Worst part was that the others seemed to think it was a good idea

Finds herself curious about the archive and helps Lethe with searching, curious about what she might find. And quietly hoping there will be some record of how to destroy the Loptyr tome within the books.

Hezul

23 years old

Class: Paladin (dismounted); Weapons: Swords - A, Lances - B

Skills: Ambush, Wrath, Pursuit

Tried to figure out why Noba dragged him into the stables to assess the horses (well, him specifically, since it was obvious why the horses needed to be assessed) and found himself promptly adopted by a black gelding who refuses to let him be

Due to (technically) being a general, he was taught a great deal about army tactics, even though it was never expected for him to use the lessons. He's glad that it's showing use now, and can't help but wonder if Galle, the real Galle, made sure he learned

Noba

20 years old

Class: Soldier; Weapons: Lances - A

Skills: Adept, Nihil

Horses! Horses! Finally, she gets to learn how to ride a horse! When her injuries heal, that is.

Despite her unease, she makes a point to have at least one conversation with each Loptyrian who helped them. She figures that it'll be up to her and Baldur to be the friendly ones, and she wants to reassure them

Baldur

22 years old

Class: Mercenary; Weapons: Swords - A; (Lances - B)

Skills: Pursuit, Charisma

Though he hadn't originally planned on riding, being ambivalent towards it, he does see the benefits of it… particularly since everyone else in the family is (likely) going to be mounted too

Started playing with all the children, be they Loptyrian or otherwise, teaching them various games and helping them set up pranks. Their smiles and laughter are enough to warm his heart, and he hopes that when all of this is over, all children can play like this

Dain (and Freya)

24 years old

Class: Dragon Lord; Weapons: Lances - A, Swords - B

Skills: Adept, Nihil, Pursuit

Had to pin and tickle Noba to get her to shut up about the horses, though he can't help but smile at how excited she is. He remembers how she'd wanted to learn even before their home was burned, after all, so he's glad one childhood dream could happen

Though he fought with Freya back at Mease, this battle was the first battle-battle they experienced, and he's surprised by how well they worked together. They each just instinctively knew what to do to accomodate for each other, and he wonders if that 'bond' is why Freya chose him

Vala; Fjalar

19 years old

Class: Fire Mage; Weapons: Fire - A; (Swords - B, Thunder - B, Wind - B)

Skills: Wrath, Miracle

Though she remembers how much work it is, she finds herself a bit excited about being able to fight while mounted. She'd forgotten how dignified and powerful it feels to be on a horse

Still does her best to avoid all the Loptyrians, but she is able to bite her tongue when she has to interact. She's stiff, but polite, and that's… probably as good as it will get for the time being

Our Allies

Gaia

Unknown age; appears mid-twenties

Class: General; Weapons: Swords - A, Lances - A, Axes - B, Bows - B

Actually choked when she heard about what the Loptyrians are taught about Loptyr, laughing until she cried over how ridiculous she found it. After all, Loptyr didn't even protect his own home. She refuses to elaborate on that, though.

Charon

Uncertain age, between 18-24; Appears about 20

Class: Druid; Weapons: Dark - A, Fire - B, Wind - B, Thunder - B, Staves - A

Became friends with Lethe due to them having similar magical aptitudes and, thus, having many of the same teachers (priests are the only ones who actually get training with their 'jobs).

His lack of memories, and the weight of all the lives he's seen lost, leads him to often be very patient and quiet, trying to hide and disappear. The fact that he's now basically part of the rebellion absolutely terrifies him

Macaria

Uncertain age, between 17-23; Appears about 20

Class: Arch Knight; Weapons: Bows - A

A duchess of Conote, governing her lands and people ever since she had her memories stolen, learning on the job. Unlike Charon (who held onto a piece of his past) and Lynceus (who retained some memories), her memory-wipe was complete and thorough, giving her no clues at all to her former identity. It was her own people who showed her that something was just wrong about the world, and her decision to rule well leads her to rebelling against the Empire

She confessed to Lethe first, saying the words rather absently one night when the two were hunting through the library for answers. Lethe complains (jokingly) about how completely unromantic it was, but she does have plans for revenge. Proposals are supposed to be romantic too, after all.

Lethe

21 years old

Class: Druid; Weapons: Dark - A, Fire - B, Wind - B, Thunder - B, Staves - A

Daughter of Acheron, she has been secluded and sheltered for most of her life. However, she began sneaking out due to how 'forbidden' the outside world was, and slowly began questioning as she watched conditions deteriorate. It breaks her heart, especially since her brother died with the belief that his death would keep people safe

It was love at first sight for her when it comes to Macaria, though it took her a good few months to even formulate a sentence around her because she was so flustered and nervous. In fact, their first conversation was due to Charon 'accidentally' shoving both of them in a pond and the two vowing revenge

Lynceus

Uncertain age, between 20-25; appears 24

Class: Yasha; Weapons: Swords - A

Eldest of the Conote gladiators, and thus serves as their default 'leader'. He handles getting new arrivals settled in, and it's on his orders that the children are given all the best things and kept away from the door. The organizers for the fights have a habit of grabbing those closest to the door for matches

He's actually one of the most skilled gladiators in all of Jugdral, and there were plans on moving him to Belhalla so that he could fight the Black Knight. The subsequent kidnapping/disappearance/escape, however, put a stop to that, which he is thankful for because he doesn't want to leave the others in the dorms to fend for themselves

Author's notes: Well, have a bit more background into the life of Loptyrians? And meeting some of the former-Hunted who became nobles and warriors/soldiers/gladiators, as well as a bit more info about the 'processing'. Macaria is the name of two separate people in Greek Mythology, a daughter of Hercules and a goddess (who might be the goddess of 'blessed death'). Lynceus is another name from Greek mythos, the only surviving son of Aegyptus and a king of Argos. 'Yasha' is one of the overclasses from FE15, specifically the one for Dread Fighters, and I went with it for the high resistance and because 'mercenary' and 'hero' didn't feel right. Druids are from the GBA games (later 'replaced' by the Sorcerer class), and used instead of the 'dark bishop' class from FE4/5.

So, there's actually different 'types' of gangrene! The 'wet' part mentioned up there is because there's a bacterial infection (thus, the decaying skin is 'wet' with pus). The catacombs being a part of mining tunnels is based off the Paris Catacombs.