The Duty of Righteous Men

Chapter One: The Gauntlet

"It is the duty of righteous men to make war on all undeserved privilege, but one must not forget that this is a war without end." –Primo Levi

Drinking contests with Grog never ended well—except, perhaps, for Grog. But for the rest of Vox Machina, the wisdom of going toe to toe on alcohol consumption with someone more than twice their size was… questionable, to say the least. Of course, when they were hanging out in a tavern, wisdom wasn't usually a consideration.

Last night had been no exception. When Grog had issued his challenge, only Percy and Vex had declined. Keyleth had, as usual, been as enthusiastic as she was a lightweight, and had tapped out early. Pike had kept up for an impressive number of rounds, and Scanlan even longer, but both gnomes had eventually conceded their inevitable defeat. That had left Vax, matching Grog drink for drink for as long as his stubbornness could hold out.

Which, in hindsight, may have been quite a bit too long.

And Vex, Gods damn her, was no help. She'd barged into his room entirely too early with a loud and overly cheerful "Good morning, Brother!" and flung open the curtains to let the bright sunlight spear directly into his brain. She knew he'd be nursing the hangover from the Nine Hells, of course, and seemed to feel obligated to torment him. It was how she showed her love.

He'd get her back for it eventually. But right now, all he could do was sit here at the table with his head resting on his arms, and try to convince the cup of black coffee he'd just drunk to stay put.

It took him a moment to realize that the pounding in his head wasn't from the hangover—not entirely, anyway. Someone was beating frantically at the doors of Greyskull Keep, shouting to be let in. Bleary-eyed and grumbling, Vax trudged to the entrance and opened the door a crack, squinting against the still-painful sunlight. "What?" he all but snarled.

The courier outside took a step back, startled. "I-I have a message for Lord Percival," he stammered. "Is he at home?"

Lord Percival? Despite the angry dwarf beating the inside of his skull with a warhammer, Vax had to smother a grin at the use of his friend's title. This courier must have come from Whitestone. "I'll take it to him," he said, holding out his hand.

But the courier shook his head. "I'm sorry, but the Lady Cassandra gave me quite explicit instructions. I am to deliver this letter into her brother's hands only."

Vax sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath. This was already more social interaction than he felt up to this morning. But there was nothing for it. "All right, I'll go and get him. Wait here."

At least he didn't have to search for long. As he expected, he found Percy in his workshop, a cup of strong tea cooling by his elbow, tinkering with the shock gauntlet he'd ironically named Diplomacy. Though the door stood open, Vax knocked anyway so as not to startle him—the last time he'd surprised Percy in the middle of a project, the resulting small explosion had required Pike's healing touch on severely burned fingers. Percy had forgiven him instantly, but Vax had nevertheless sworn to be more careful in the future. Even in his current state of semi-functionality, he knew to approach with caution.

"Just a moment," Percy said without looking up. With a long, delicate-looking instrument, he gently nudged something into place until it clicked, and the gauntlet emitted a faint whine. With a satisfied smile, he snapped a cover closed and then turned to Vax. "Good morning, Vax'ildan." He frowned. "Forgive me, but you look terrible."

Vax waved off his concern. "I'm just a bit hung over from last night, that's all. I'm fine. Look, there's a messenger at the door. Says Cassandra sent him, and he'll only speak to you."

"Cassandra?" Percy's eyebrows shot up. "I'll be right there." He snatched up his greatcoat off the back of his chair and shrugged it on as he all but ran to the Keep's entry hall and flung open the door.

"Lord Percival, sir," the courier said with a bow. He handed Percy the letter. "An urgent message from Lady Cassandra. Your presence is requested in Whitestone immediately."

As he read the letter, Percy's already pale face whitened even further. "Dawnfather's mercy," he breathed. He dismissed the courier with a short, sharp nod, then turned to Vax with wide, nearly panicked eyes. "Gather the others," he said, his voice strained. "We must depart for Whitestone posthaste."

Vax swallowed hard as his stomach rebelled at the thought of going anywhere right now. But judging from the look on Percy's face, he didn't have much of a choice. "What's going on, Percival?"

"There's been an uprising in the city." Percy's jaw clenched, and his hands balled into fists. Something dark flashed in his eyes as he continued, "And someone's just tried to murder my sister."

Keeper Yennen met them at the Sun Tree, her face grave, as Keyleth closed the portal behind them. "Welcome home, Percival," she said solemnly.

Percy greeted her with a nod. "Keeper Yennen. Where is Cassandra?" The curt acknowledgement of Whitestone's foremost holy woman was perhaps unforgivably rude of him, but at the moment, it took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to simply run for the castle, shouting his sister's name.

"She's in the Temple," said Yennen, and if she was offended by Percy's lack of decorum, she didn't show it. "It took the city's best healers as well as the magic of our most learned priest to stabilize her, but the road to healing will be long. The Righteous employed some kind of poison we have yet to identify."

Poison. Percy's gut clenched, his heart threatened to stop, and his pulse thundered in his ears. Words failed him utterly. One thought echoed in his mind, drowning out all else: I can't lose her, too.

He heard Vex's voice as though from a great distance. "Who are The Righteous?" she asked, frowning.

Yes, that was important information, wasn't it? But all Percy could think about was his sister. The need to see her, to confirm for himself that she was alive and would be all right, consumed him. He stepped away from the group and onto the road toward the Temple of Pelor. "Explain as we walk, Yennen, please," he said tersely. "Cassandra's letter mentioned an uprising?"

Yennen snorted softly as she followed. "That word makes it sound like a bigger problem than it is. They are—"

Percy stopped short and whirled around to snarl in her face, rage flaring white-hot behind his eyes. "They tried to kill my sister. I'd call that a pretty damned big problem!"

"Percival." She met his glare with implacable calm. "I meant only that their movement is small. I understand that you care deeply for Cassandra, but you must keep the larger picture in mind." Her face and voice grew stern. "Your sister may rule in your absence, but you must never forget that you are the Lord here, whether you like it or not."

"I… of course." His flash of anger faded to a red smolder, filling his mind and heart with smoke and ash, but no longer directed at the woman before him. "My apologies, Keeper Yennen. Your wisdom is, as always, appreciated."

Yennen patted his arm with a forgiving smile. "Come. Let us check on Cassandra, so your mind may be clear for the task at hand."

Inside the Temple, Keeper Yennen led Vox Machina through a door to a set of chambers off the far side. Most of the rooms stood open, each furnished with a cot, a chair, a long table, and a cabinet. They were warmly lit and meticulously clean, ready and waiting for their next occupants.

One door was closed, and it was to this one that Yennen directed them. She stopped Percy before he could enter. "Your sister's condition is stable for now," she said, "but she is fragile. She needs rest. You must not alarm or excite her."

Vex could read his impatience in the line of his shoulders, the set of his jaw. Anxiety radiated off him in waves. But he deferred to Yennen's authority anyway. "I understand," he said, and opened the door.

When Vex went to follow him inside, Yennen threw out her arm to bar the way. For a moment, Vex considered ducking underneath, or simply forcing her way through. But she had too much respect for Yennen, for Whitestone, and for Percy to do such a thing. So she could only watch, her heart in her throat, as Percy stopped short with a horrified gasp, then crossed the small room in two long strides to drop to one knee by his sister's bedside. "Oh, Cass," he whispered, his voice trembling.

She truly did look awful. Bleary-eyed and pale, she could give her brother only a weak smile as he took her limp hand in his own. Dark, necrotic-looking lines branched across her cheek, as though something evil ran in her veins. "Percy?" she rasped, her voice dry and hoarse.

He cupped her face with his free hand. "I'm here, Cass. I'm here."

She leaned into his touch, but her eyes stayed locked on his. "How… why?"

"I got your letter." He went very still as she frowned. "You… sent a courier to Emon…?"

Cassandra coughed. "Didn't send a letter." She drew a deep, rattling breath. "Handling this."

"Bullshit," Vex interjected, gently, but earning a stern glare from Yennen nonetheless. Cassandra was handling nothing whatsoever in her current state—but Vex could certainly recognize her attitude. Terminal stubbornness must be a de Rolo family trait, she decided.

Cassandra glanced at the doorway, her eyes slowly focusing on Vex. "You brought…"

"All of Vox Machina," said Percy firmly. "We are here to help, Cass. Rest. Let us deal with this."

With great effort, Cassandra shifted her gaze back to Percy. She opened her mouth to speak, and for a moment, Vex thought she might protest. But then she let out a thin sigh, nodded, and closed her eyes.

Percy delicately lifted her hand and pressed a chaste kiss to her knuckles, then laid it carefully on her stomach. He stood, but didn't move from the bedside right away, remaining still for a moment with his head bowed. If Vex didn't know better, she might have thought he was praying.

When he finally did turn around to leave the room, his face was set in hard lines, his eyes twin chips of emerald ice. He shut the door behind him and turned to Keeper Yennen. His voice low and dangerous, he said, "Tell me everything you know about The Righteous."