Tickets. Bags. Train station. Unanswered questions.
Overseer Whiteriver determined Fristad's destination from a tip from one of his servants. Now, we're waiting at the express train station, headed due east.
Chevron, Mason, and I will enter the train at the front. Whiteriver, Arfun, and Dan will enter at the back. Teleporting off of a moving train is dangerous. The demon will think twice before doing it. That should give Fristad and I some quality time.
I contemplate the book still in my back pocket. Once the bane of Fristad's existence, it now sits inertly. Whiteriver said the book is Elor technology. I wonder what its original purpose was? Perhaps it may offer insight into the demon's motives.
The coal-spewing train screeches and hisses to a stop. We board with the rest of the crowd.
This half-sized train car is empty of passengers aside from us three. It is too warm to be comfortable for most. There are also no windows, but the room is illuminated by a few wall lamps. Booths line the walls for adventurous rush hour passengers. To our right is the fuel room, where an engineer and a train staff member stand. Above us, some redstone dust leaks from the circuit cabinets with each bump in the rails that the car passes over. The red dust is rolling about on the floor and makes the car smell like a pub.
As planned, we sit in the booths and wait until the train reaches full speed. Should I encounter Fristad in the next car, the express train's high speed should deter him from escaping. The train staff member from the engine room enters our car and punches our tickets.
"We're law enforcement," Mason says, her claim backed by her new obsidian-plated city guard armor. "You aren't in trouble, but if you get in our way, you will be. You hear?"
"Yes, of course. I understand." the train staff acknowledges, then turns in the direction of the next train car.
Mason carifies threateningly, "Where do you think you're going?"
Mason stands up, walks over to the train staff, and blocks the door to the next train with her elbow.
"What part of, 'stay out of our way,' do you not get? Come on," Mason threatens casually. "Stay in the train car, and keep quiet. The tickets can wait. Step back."
The train staff gulps and steps back, leaving room for us in the aisle. Mason sits down back in her chair.
Chevron stands up and says, "Our apologies. We appreciate the work you do here. This won't take long."
Chevron steps in front of me and peers through the window in the doorframe to surveil the passengers in the next car.
Chevron looks at me with worry. "Are you ready to do this?"
I glance at the doorframe, which rattles in reaction to the tremors of the train. My mind is troubled by the prospect of facing my friend Fristad again, knowing the demon has influenced him to journey so far from home. I fear for my friend.
By Jeb, I fear for myself! What tricks does the demon know, that it may be willing to use on me at this point? But I must press on.
"Yes, I am ready."
"To recap," Chevron says. "You find the train car where Fristad is, and talk with him. Your timeframe is five minutes to signal back to us... or we assume the worst."
"I understand."
Chevron puts her hand on my shoulder. "I know you care deeply for Fristad. As far as I am concerned, that makes him family. Do whatever is necessary to save your friend. We will be at your side when you need us."
Chevron lifts her hand from my shoulder, and with that weight removed I feel an inner burden lifted slightly.
If Fristad is family to Chevron, then perhaps me accepting her help is not so selfish. But I was still wrong to expose Fristad to the demon. I will never forgive myself for that.
Chevron nods stoicly to me and steps back.
I step through the first train car door. My heart starts to pound in anticipation. Any one of the seats in these cars could have Fristad sitting in it, and the demon with him.
Passengers look up at me from their booths, with a mix of disgust and fear. Some would prefer I wasn't on the train. Others know I am looking for someone, and are too wise to interfere.
The express train continues at full speed. Dried shrubland races by, with villages creeping past and the city of Bluesteel slowly shrinking as the rest of the world's landscape takes over. I walk across one full passenger car, and then another, and then another.
Then, in the fourth full passenger car, in a group of four train seats facing each other, a few meters ahead on my left, Fristad sits alone, facing me. He wears iron armor, a bit oversized for his body. He looks up to me, his eyes confused and saddened. I walk toward him and stand next to the seat opposing him.
Fristad asks me, "Jonas, what are you doing here?"
"I am here because I am worried about you," I tell him. "Why are you on this train?"
Fristad searches for a distant horizon out the window, his mind troubled. "As I was fighting the book, the book told me strange, horrible things about you. I did not believe these accusations at first, thinking the book was trying to manipulate me. But as I was reading the books on the supernatural in the Bluesteel library," Fristad looks toward me, a hint of anger in his eyes. "Everything just started to click into place."
The hint of disdain in Fristad's voice fills me with sadness, then dread, then anger.
"What did the book tell you?" I snap.
Fristad eyes me with contempt. "It told me that you killed a lot of people that did not deserve to die."
A flame of guilt ignites in my stomach. My best friend knows of my criminal and monstrous past in the Red Aether. That alone is enough to justify him never wanting to see me again. But I know he's under Iris' influence.
"You brought the book to me," Fristad says. "You were the reason behind my nightmares and torment. You kept the book alive for your own selfish gain."
"All those things are true," I admit. "And I am so very sorry. I should have left my dark past behind-"
"My life was a lie, Jonas!" Fristad laments. "I stayed in Veridale because of you! And now I realize I have worked beside a monster! And the fact you are in this train car terrifies me. I have no idea what you are capable of. If you have a shard of decency left, leave me alone."
My heart shrivels from hearing my friend's words of irreconcilable betrayal, after learning of my terrible past which I hid from him.
I almost believed his grief was genuine.
I point out to Fristad, "I sensed you teleport into the train station. I assume the book helped?"
Fristad replies stoicly, "I do not have the book. The book is gone."
"If that is true, would you ask Dan to take a look, to be sure?"
"I do not want that dark mage near me. I am tired of him rummaging through my mind. And I do not appreciate that you have been stalking me."
My conscience betrays me. Under other circumstances, Fristad would have a point. Dan means well, but his methods are invasive. And Fristad won't like when he finds out about the necromancer we recruited to help chase him down.
Nevertheless, I press on.
"I know the book is still with you," I tell him. "And I know that Fristad would not suddenly leave his home behind in Veridale to run across the countryside, with nothing but a sword and the clothes and armor on his back. You are not a wanted criminal, Fristad. There are people who care about you back there. Airlass, Dunjen, Azura, your father..."
"Jonas, do not guilt-trip me with the names of my neighbors. Did you not hear what I said? I stayed in Veridale because you recruited me as your farming partner."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that me and the other residents were tying you down. That was overly presumptuous on my part." I add, "You did mention at the time that if you didn't accept my offer, you'd study for the College of Redstone in Bluesteel."
Fristad's eyes question me with disbelief. "Did I really say that?"
"Yes, those very words."
Fristad was quite young at the time. It is possible he doesn't remember.
Fristad sighs. "What great irony. Even before the book, my dreams were slowly fading. But now? I am a husk of what I once was," Fristad laments.
"Your past does not define you, and neither does the book," I tell Fristad. "I am not here to tell you what your future looks like. Maybe you'll take over my farm someday. Or maybe you'll go to college. But whatever it is, I want you to think it through. Because whatever the book has planned, it sure as the Nether is not well-thought out in the slightest!"
Fristad glares at me, his face deeply serious, almost like a threat.
"For the last time: the book is gone, and I do not need your help. Your mere presence is a painful reminder of the book. That memory is a painful curse that I would do anything to forget. And when I say anything? I really do mean ANYTHING. Do you see the point I am trying to convey to you? Do you foresee the consequences of your actions, should you continue to tread down this path?"
"The book is controlling you and driving you to madness! Do not listen to it! Do not let it control you!"
The passengers in the train car start to murmur. I sense my line of rope is getting short, and we're nearing the five minute mark. I don't want Fristad to be forcibly detained, but if he doesn't listen to reason, that may be our only option.
Fristad says, "Do not follow me. Preserve your memory of my innocence while you can."
The space in front of Fristad warps, and Fristad disappears in a flash of violet light.
What is Fristad doing? He should know better than to teleport on a moving train!
Screeching metal assaults my ears from behind. My train car passes over a big bump.
I teleport to the half passenger car at the front of the train, and find myself stumbling backward as the fast-moving train car rushes underneath me. Train teleportation is dangerous and I should have known better. Fristad stands in front of me, in the engine room. Paradoxically, I feel strong wind on my back and the windowless half-car is well lit. I look behind me and realize I am in greater danger. The backside of this train car is gone, my feet only a meter from this cliff. I can clearly see the tracks rushing past. Voidfire licks the edges of the hole. Meanwhile, the rest of the train moves away relative to us. The train is decapitated, and we stand within its speeding head.
I turn back around and see Chevron standing in front of me. Mason is here as well. The three train staff with us; the conductor, the engineer, and the ticket master; stare at Fristad with trepidation.
Fristad walks toward the conductor. The conductor pleads desperately, but Fristad does not hear their pleas. Fristad squeezes violet voidfire out of his fist. The conductor shrieks in excruciating pain as rivers of silver consume them.
Fristad then turns toward the engineer with a void-enflamed fist. I teleport in front of Fristad, blocking his path.
The engineer's life is safe for now, but now I've endangered my own. There is hatred in Fristad's eyes, the same I saw when Fristad aimed an arrow at my neck. Fristad could try to kill me this time, too.
But for now, Fristad's mind is fixated upon the dark task at hand. He vanishes to evade me, and reappears in front of the engineer. I teleport and shove Fristad aside. A ball of static energy from Fristad's hand scatters off the wall, the energetic light show dangerously close to the coal pile. Fristad stumbles, and his angry eyes blame me. I look toward the coal pile with fear. It seems the demon has more tricks up her sleeve than I anticipated, and I'm under-armed.
Fristad turns his head. His eyes flash silver. I hear a deathly scream behind me. I turn around and see the engineer run and jump off the back of the passenger train car. I avert my eyes. The remaining bystander, the ticket master, crouches in terror.
Fristad steps backward toward the front of the train and pushes a lever. The train's engines start to pump faster.
"Is that your plan?" I challenge. "To speed the train into a collision and kill us all?"
"No. I am just impatient."
"We're definitely going to crash if you don't put that lever back," Mason says. "These trains run on a tight schedule."
Chevron waves a hand, and the lever spontaneously jerks back into the middle position. Then she waves another, and smoke flows out of the engine and around Fristad's head. Fristad coughs and weezes. A flash of silver disintegrates the smoke around Fristad's head. Two other levers begin to move of their own accord. The train brays loudly, and the brakes screech. The train jerks, knocking Fristad off of his feet... and me as well. Chevron teleports in front of me and catches my fall. Then, Whiteriver and Arfun teleport around Fristad. Whiteriver pulls out a clear crystal dagger, and Arfun blinds Fristad's head with shadow.
Cornered, Fristad responds by surrounding his body in violet flames, which swiftly transport him off the train.
Whiteriver snaps his fingers, and we are transported with an abruptness greater than thought. We are now in dry grassland, the sounds of the train quickly fading. Our train motion was stopped instantly by Whiteriver's superior teleportation, but Fristad was not so fortunate. Fristad pushes himself up from his hands and knees, his clothes scraped. His sliding fall left an impression on the grass. Fristad limps as he adjusts his feet. At least one of his legs is broken, yet as is the case of many who are desensitized to the nihilistic pain of the void, his face is calm and shows no sign of discomfort.
"There is no sense in running away, demon," Whiteriver says. "Divine forces have granted me however much power is needed to capture you."
There is the intent of murder in Fristad's eyes. I fear that if we try to capture him now, he will escalate toward deadly violence, and Whiteriver and his minions will retailate in kind. And that is assuming we don't get killed first. We don't know what the demon is capable of.
I need to talk some sense into Fristad.
"Stay back!" I plead, my hands held up toward Whiteriver, Arfun, and Mason. "Please, don't attack him. Let me talk to him."
I turn around to Fristad. "Let's restart the conversation. Hey there, it's your friend Jonas." I wave casually. "I can't help but observe you've broken a leg, killed a train conductor, and coerced an engineer to jump of a swiftly moving decapitated train. I just have one question... why'd you do that?"
I am horrified and livid at Fristad. This is the second time the book has coerced Fristad to kill people, and this time an entire passenger train was put at risk. I want to yell at Fristad and punch him in the face - in a caring and nonlethal way of course. I know it's not his fault exactly and the book is making him do it, and I want to tell him such. Sadly, the direct strategy of pointing out the book's influence isn't working, and I lost my temper a little on the train. I need to pull him back from the brink.
Fristad says, "I told you not to follow me, and you didn't listen."
"Why did you have to kill people and put an entire passenger train at risk of death? That was needless and cruel."
Fristad looks at me. His eyes are full of pain and agony. "You do not know who I am anymore. You do not know what I have been through. But I do know that you are Jonas, my so-called best friend. You accuse me of losing my sanity to the book, but what ground do you have to stand on? Is your mind so twisted that you would turn against me? Why did you bring a necromancer and four other people? Why is everyone else wearing brand new armor and weapons? I do not want to fight you. I just want to start a new life. If you really still think you are my best friend, you would let me do that."
There is a bitter, accusatory tone to Fristad's words. I know it is not Fristad saying them. Yet his words hurt me all the same.
"I'm on your side, Fristad," I insist.
"Jonas who?"
I turn around, and see Whiteriver is staring at me, threateningly.
Before I can react, Whiteriver teleports in front of me and grabs me by the shirt underneath my chestplate.
He snarls, "It's, Jonas Lisa Ti'Drannes, isn't it?