United Resolution
Amber flicked her tail in an agitated manner as she waited outside an assembly hall. While not necessarily anxious about meeting people in power, she knew she was going to be the center of attention given her status as a drifter and thus an "expert" on anything related to Central Town. The fact that her imprisonment alongside the others lasted only another day after the trial/debriefing before she had been given a warm bath and her clothes thoroughly cleaned only to be told she would be meeting the queen of Cherrystone only emphasized just how chaotic the situation truly was.
"Well this certainly was not at all what Mom and Dad were planning for me to get involved with when they convinced me to leave home," she huffed as she fidgeted with her hat, "Cults, the Jackal, meeting with important people who can get easily offended… What did I do to deserve this besides opening my mouth?"
Amber tried to reason that she could handle whatever was waiting for her. She could keep her mouth shut, just answer a few questions, and let someone more qualified handle the daunting task of playing...politics? Whatever it was that was waiting behind the doors, she knew she was not the right person to handle it. How unfortunate that her habit of opening her big dumb mouth has quickly become the primary means of her becoming the center of attention.
"Amber," Toth walked up in a simple tunic.
Amber blinked in surprise, "Toth."
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Toth crossed her arms and leaned against a wall.
"Never saw you out of your armor before," Amber shrugged before sighing, "Are the musicians in your head saying anything?"
"Repeating the first chords of Flawless Theory… Not sure what it's supposed to mean outside of waiting for something to happen. I'll know what it means once we're inside unfortunately."
"Great… For all I know that could mean hours of waiting and explaining things," Amber groaned and rubbed her head.
"Worried about your ancestor's past again?"
Amber froze briefly at the comment. Despite the anxiety about what was to happen, she realized she had completely forgotten about that irrational self-imposed burden. Memories of the wilds surrounding Central Town came to mind and the devastation that could be seen even after three centuries. What made it worse now was that she could see the same images spreading throughout the lands she has seen. Cherrystone, Crossroad, nameless forests and farmlands, even the Belran Dessert… All mirroring the same broken and shattered lands that surrounded Central Town.
And now the potential source of that devastation was being targeted by a group of maniacs because she brought that tablet with her.
"I wasn't before," she swallowed a lump in her throat.
Toth walked up and put a hand on Amber's shoulder, "What happened back then wasn't your fault Amber. You can't change the past."
"Look, it's a lot of things all right?! I brought that damn tablet out and could be the reason why there are more Central Town's in the next three centuries. It was my ancestors who were responsible for starting the Immortal Cell project and ruining everything. I'm about to go in there and explain that to people who could have my head on a pike just because I looked at them the wrong way. They're expecting me to have answers as to what the hell is going on and all I'm going to do is open my mouth and insult them! I shouldn't be going in there at all!"
Amber huffed and realized her eyes stung. Even so, it felt good to rant. She was scared, confused, tied up with the Jackal, and in over her head. The rest of the world might be filled with sights to behold but it was quickly becoming a nightmare. Amber was no stranger to hardship or harsh reminders on just how bad the world could be, she had just needed to look at how exhausted her parents were some days to know that. But all of this? Cults actively hunting her? People with power? The fact that she just somehow was responsible for all this?!
She was a drifter damn it! She goes out into the ass end of a hellscape looking for some random crap for an occupation and comes home to eat warm food. You tell a story about how you risked life and limb for whatever it is you were after, play with some of the kids if you had it in you, and went home until you went on your next voyage into the wilds. Amber could do all that...not this. She was a storyteller at best and a fighter who ran her mouth to deal with the anxiety she faced every single minute she was in danger.
"You're right," Toth said quietly, "You shouldn't be going in there," she held up a hand to stop Amber from replying, "But neither should I. We're explorers and survivors, not soldiers. I did my mandatory service and left to find my place in the world, you left Central Town probably for the same reasons. But we're going in there because we both know we're involved."
"Says the woman who wanted to get involved because I was 'interesting,'" Amber scoffed as she wiped her eyes.
Toth laughed, "Guilty as charged and proud of it. You my friend are a source of all sorts of chaos and I fully intend to see where your trail of destruction goes."
"Bitch," Amber growled but found herself unable to put any effort into the word.
Both stood in silence as they waited. Edward and Sil came walking in shortly afterwards and joined them in the waiting. Edward gave Amber a curious look but kept his thoughts to himself. Sil meanwhile began to fidget with his tail as he eyed the door anxiously. Noticing this, Amber walked over and gave him a weak reassuring smile which he returned.
"Strange how there's no guards," Toth said after a few minutes of silent waiting.
"The door's probably locked and sound proofed. Might not be having the lock systems back home but-" Edward started.
"This is the capital of Cherrystone. The queen, some of her closest advisors, and other dignitaries are beyond those doors," Toth pointed at the door, "We've been seeing guards everywhere before we reached here so why?"
"Maybe they're inside?" Amber asked before the doors suddenly opened, revealing two miniature stone golems alongside two heavily armored soldiers.
"Proceed to the table. No funny business or else… Got it?" one of the soldiers said in a clipped tone.
"Into the Abyss we go," Edward huffed, a statement Amber was strongly agreeing with.
The main occupants of the room, outside of the guards, were a vibrant bunch. There was the Jackal off to the side, a man wearing a deer skull on his head with a blue robe, a large Floran who gazed at the new arrivals with curiosity, a woman wearing armor quite similar to Toth's, a Guardian who quickly hid their surprise, and finally Emeric sitting next to another woman who sat in an ornate red chair. Even with her limited knowledge, Amber knew these people were important and that she was not meeting their expectations whatsoever.
"Welcome. I'm sorry for your rough treatment in my kingdom but these are trying times as you are aware," the woman in the red chair stated.
"Of course your highness," Toth bowed while casting a glance at the other woman, "Caution is of course a necessity, especially given that we are strangers intruding upon your talks with other nations."
"Strangers often bring interesting tales," the Floran said in a wizened voice, "To dismiss even the most unsuccessful hunter who brings news would be folly."
"Indeed," the deer skull wearer grunted as his eyes bore into Amber's soul, "And I believe one of you is responsible for giving us the best means of understanding what is happening to our world."
Amber felt her throat constrict and mouth go dry. She could feel her fur stand up and her muscles begin to coil. A sense of dread unlike anything she has ever felt before sapped away whatever false courage she had and replaced it with cold despair. Forget important, these people were dangerous in ways that not even the Barren Hills could replicate. Never before has she felt so off put by magic before and right now it was simmering in the air in a way that made every fiber of her being scream at her to run for her life.
"Valder, that's enough! Keep your gauntlet under control or leave until you are able to do so," Emeric ordered as more power was added into the air.
"I will have my answers sooner or later," the man growled but relented, dispelling the magic.
"Through the use of terror and torture? Lord Valder we are not the Inquisition the Ardent Mages are so fond of using," the armor wearing woman scoffed.
Enough, the Jackal spoked and the power went dead, Now is not the time for power plays. We have matters to discuss rationally.
"I agree," the Guardian commented, "We've been told of matters regarding this...tablet by the soldier and the mercenary. On behalf of the Forest of Nibel I must ask, what has been uncovered and is it either a threat to be eliminated or a tool for our salvation?"
"Why is it Nibel?" Sil whispered as he began walking towards a chair.
Amber swallowed as she and her three travel companions took seats. Now that the power was no longer being projected she could at least try to think of an answer. With the exception of...Valder, the attention was not on her which meant she was not the center of attention which was good because she had no intention of pissing any of the others off.
"The music is still looping," Toth whispered, "One of you say something."
You say something then, Amber nearly snapped the retort out loud.
"While I haven't been given the chance to discuss this theory with my companions, I believe the tablet can be a map to guide us to who is responsible for our world in a state of flux. I proposed this to lord Emeric during our...debriefing," Edward spoke up, sounding confident until the very end where he trailed off to awkwardness.
"This course of action was mentioned but we are at an impasse. Why should we follow through with this plan sir Coldsteel?" the queen asked.
Amber began to rack her brain in an attempt to think of an answer. The other important people began voicing their own thoughts about the idea and other proposals. Edward said something about following the footsteps of whoever was responsible. Toth suggested something about mathematics and predicting on where to intercept the cults. Sil weakly commented they could track the devastation of the Decayed instead. All Amber could think about were the incomplete files surrounding the Immortal Cell. While she wanted to just shoot the tablet and hack the rest of it to pieces with her sword, an idea began to form in her head. A messy, insane, completely terrible cocktail of all the suggestions being distilled into something that might just work.
Well Mom… Your stories better be of use here or we're all screwed. "I've got an idea," Amber spoke up loudly.
The room went silent. All eyes were on Amber and she suddenly felt tiny.
"The song is progressing beyond the first few chords. Keep going," Toth whispered in Amber's ear while Sil nudged her encouragingly.
Amber looked at the others and met their gazes before landing on that of the Jackal. As much as she wanted nothing to do with the bastard, she had to admit the Jackal was right in choosing drifters to do the impossible. Amber was afraid, far from home, and in over her head. But Amber was a drifter and right now she needed to run her damn mouth.
"I pulled Project Memory out of one of the fiercest battlefields of the Titan War. I was all alone when I went into the Crystal Forest and had no idea what I was even looking for at the time," Amber said slowly before taking a deep breath, "The recovery wasn't perfect and we've got an incomplete set of documents. Drifters have found greater technologies and relics by hunting down the lost fragments before. This mindset is inspired by special operations groups from the Titan War who were sent out small teams to find documents and information. Not an army nor a research group, just a team. They knew roughly where to go and relied on their skills to grab what was needed. We take all of the ideas proposed and do what they did three centuries ago."
"Send an armed but fast moving expedition team straight into the Necrophage hive to grab a relic and get out," the armored woman said with a look of understanding, "Preferably setting the hive foodstocks on fire behind them."
There are the armies to consider as well as the smaller scale issues that are occuring. And most of what was involved with creating the Immortal Cell is buried, the Jackal warned, There won't be support from those days and the stakes will be very high for whoever is sent out.
"Suicide runs with limited supplies are the norm back home," Edward countered, "I'd rather fight for a chance to survive than to just give up."
"Miracles happen all the time," the armored woman gave the Jackal a pointed look, "After all, even you were surprised at how the Battle of the Argosy turned out."
"Hmph, but who do we send? Our militaries are stretched thin maintaining order within our borders and chasing after these warbands," Valder muttered.
"Perhaps...we rely on those who understand this threat better than we do," the Floran looked towards Amber.
Well I did open my big mouth, Amber swallowed anxiously.
Now more than ever Amber wished she was anywhere else. And yet she could not find a reason to try to skirt around this issue. With the exception of the Jackal, she understood just how dangerous the Immortal Cell was and the stakes involved if it truly was coming back. She also understood how to operate the tablet which was the best clue to finding answers. She also knew she could not run from this...not anymore.
To be a drifter demanded one to look at atrocities dead on and desecrate graves in the hope of finding something for a better tomorrow. To be a drifter demanded one to turn fear into motivation when facing monsters of all kinds. To be a drifter demanded one to go into hell over and over and over again for even a fool's hope. To be a drifter was to accept that the world was a broken mess that may never be put back together again...and it demanded that you put that broken mess back together regardless of it being impossible to do so. Amber understood this and while she was no longer in Central Town that sense of dedication was returning to her in full force.
Well, I always wanted to fix the mistakes of the past. Might as well put this one to rest for good, Amber thought before taking a short deep breath, "I'll do it."
"Are you sure about this? If what I've been told over the past few days is true then the world is at war against this threat," the queen said uneasily, "I already owe you four for returning one of my soldiers and bringing this information to me."
"We all do," Valder sighed as his gauntleted fingers rapped against the table, "But war requires hard choices and recognizing strength in unexpected places. I will not let Felheim be blind again...nor will I accept your proposal to assist us lightly. Mercenaries you may be, I do not ask anyone, whether those of the living or undead, to lie down their lives lightly."
"Sometimes to restore the light one must embrace the darkness," the Guardian said, "Nibel will accept all the help it can get but will honor your decisions if you decide this fight is not one you wish to be a part of...especially you cousin."
"Cousin?" Edward turned his head slowly towards Sill who looked even more uncomfortable than Amber.
"Not here," Sil said quickly and quietly.
Feeling pity for her friend and steeling herself to once again gain the spotlight Amber stood up, "I'll go. Alone if I have to but I'm going. What kind of drifter would I be if I just sat around and let a threat to those in need go unanswered? I brought this mess to you, I damn well should finish it."
"Not alone you're not," Toth stood up as well, "I said I intend to see your chaotic trail to the end and I intend to keep my word."
Edward sighed as he stood up after a few seconds, "Might as well see what else you crazy surfacers have in store for me. I'm in also."
Sil glanced between the three of them and the Guardian sitting across the table before standing up also, "I have no reason other than that this is against my better judgment. Someone has to face the Decay."
"A drifter, a traveler, a mercenary, and a Guardian… Quite the hunting party for such a dangerous journey," the Floran commented with an amused tone.
"Quite," Emeric agreed with far less mirth, "Do realize you will be operating on your own and that much rests upon your shoulders."
They no doubt understand that… But they have heard the call to action and are answering it, the Jackal faced the group, Your journey will be shrouded and fraught with danger. You will face foes unlike any before you in numbers unseen in centuries. You are the champions of this story...do try to come out in one piece.
"Like you've had any input over what happens to us up until now you bastard," Amber scowled.
"Very well," the queen stood up, "As Queen Mercia, first of my name, sovereign ruler of the Kingdom of Cherrystone, I command you brave warriors to hunt down this threat and defeat it."
"As do I. Felheim welcomes you into its ranks. Find our foes and crush them. Leave dust in your wake and may their ghosts never threaten our peoples ever again," Valder commanded with his gauntlet closing into a fist, menacing magical flames surrounding it as he stood up as well.
With a feeling of panic setting in, Amber could only nod weakly with only one question on her mind, "W-Where...do we...uh...begin?"
"Where else does one start when looking for answers?" the Guardian smirked at the woman in armor.
"Queen Mercia, lord Emeric? I believe our champions are going to need to borrow your libraries," the woman sighed.
What the hell have I gotten us into?, Amber thought as rational thought came back to her.