Morcster Chef Book 3 - Chapter 37 (Patreon)

“You,” Arek growled.

“You are interfering, orc,” Null snarled. He snapped his fingers.

Arek blinked. The world spun around him, flashes of light and color pulsing in and out as darkness encroached on the edges of his vision. He groaned as battle rage flared for some reason. Dust floated down around him, and something sharp poked into his back.

Null had thrown him into a wall. The battle rage slipped forward again, giving his addled mind clarity for another instant. He pushed it back, shaking his head to try and get rid of the dizziness threatening to swallow him.

“No more, Null!” Ming yelled. “This is enough. What happened to you?”

“This is all for us,” Null hissed, his voice bordering on hysterical. He raised a trembling hand and gestured to the room. “Don’t you see, Ming? We’re family. We were born powerful. You had the energy and I had the control. Now, we’re together once more. The Adventurer’s Guild didn’t recognize our strength, but that doesn’t matter. We made it, didn’t we? We’re together again, and we can take our rightful places together with the Howler Guild. I’m sorry for the method I had to use to get you here, but it’s all for the right cause.”

“Sorry? Look at all the people you killed!”

“They were in our way, Ming!” Null roared. “Every single one of them. They didn’t understand. And, when we spoke in Red Mount, you reminded me. I’d replaced my family with a fraud. A fake. I was so determined to prove myself worthy of you that I abandoned you in the process, and Avenguard encouraged that. They said to cut my ties – but they’ll never trick, me again, no. Never again.”

“Avenguard? Weren’t they working with the Howlers?” Ming asked, pointing her staff at Null and gathering magic at its tip.

“They were fools. They tried to back out when they realized the scale of what we were working on,” Null snarled. “I took care of them, Ming. They tried to get between us. It was what they deserved. Don’t you see?”

“You’re insane,” Ming said, taking a step back. “What happened to you?”

“Insane? I am your brother!” Null snapped his fingers and the staff in Ming’s hands shattered, torn apart by swirling purple energy. “I’ve been watching over you all this time, Ming! I had to make sure nobody would interfere. I arranged so much, and the Howlers have already agreed to everything. It was the least they could do, after their mistake.”

“Mistake?” Ming asked, stepping backward to get closer to one of the other staves on the ground.

Arek groaned, trying to force his battered body to rise. Not even looking in his direction, Null pointed a finger down. Energy slammed into Arek’s body, cracking the ground beneath him and slamming him prone.

“You were never meant to become cursed,” Null continued. “But you’re incredible! You beat the curse, Ming. Before it could even take hold. The Howlers wanted your group removed, you know. I stopped them. You were having fun, after all. They wanted that healer’s magic – I found a solution. They wanted to send assassins for the orc – again, I stopped them. I knew you’d come here, to me, after all. I killed the monsters that the Howlers scattered throughout the area to ward off the guild members so that you would arrive safely. I watched your every step as you made your way to Dortusk and took care of anyone that might have stood in your way.”

“You?” Ming asked, her eyes wide. “You’re the monster that Timberly saw?”

“Adventurers that would have stood between us,” Null said dismissively. “The old man was unimportant. I knew his talents might aide you in arriving here, so I spared him. And look, I was right!”

“I don’t understand,” Ming said, her voice broken. “Why are you doing all of this? This isn’t the Null I knew.”

“For us!” Null screamed. “I’m doing this so we can take revenge on that goddamn guild that left us hungry. They left us to die, Ming. How many other children just like us weren’t spared? They need to go, but we need power. The Howlers are giving me that. And, with them, we can make sure the guild never rises again.”

“At the cost of how many lives?” Ming asked, kicking a staff into the air and grabbing it. “How is that a fair trade? You could have used your power to do help people.”

“I have,” Null said, his voice trembling. “Look around you, Ming. That orc lives because of my generosity. Even now, I could crush him like a bug, but I do not. Because you care about his life. I sent the Howler guild away from this place so that we could meet and ascend together. I spared the lives of the ones you cared about. Isn’t that what matters?”

“Not all of them,” Ming spat. “You killed my brother.”

She thrust her staff toward Null. Pure magic screamed out of it in a thick beam. Null raised his hand and a black shield formed before him. Ming’s magic slammed into it with a brilliant crash, shattering it.

Null dove to the side, righting himself as the spell tore past him harmlessly and burned a hole through the ceiling, letting daylight flood into the room as sand started to cascade down from it. Dimly, Arek realized they must have been directly below the arena.

“You’re confused,” Null said, shaking his head. “It’s okay, Ming. I’m an understanding man. I’ll just take care of this last thing, then we can really talk everything out. It will be okay. We’ll be together. There are just some insects I have to crush first.”

Null raised a hand into the air. Arek’s stomach churned as energy screamed around them. It was more magic than he’d ever felt in one spot. A pulse of purple energy erupted from Null’s body, stretching out and passing through the stone as it hit. In the air above them, Arek was vaguely able to make out a dark dome.

“What did you do?” Ming asked, her knuckles white around her staff.

“What your friend’s spell was meant to,” Null replied. “Nobody can leave this city. Nobody can enter it. A perfect shield spell. We would have liked to use his, but I developed an alternative so you could enjoy your time with him. This will make sure the guild doesn’t interfere with our work. Do you see what I have done for you?”

Ming fired another blast of pure magic at Null. He batted it away, but a second bolt from Ming’s staff caught him in the leg and burned through his pants, searing his leg. He snarled, forming a bubble of dark energy around him.

“Enough, Ming. We will discuss this later. Just sit and watch!”

“I will not!” Ming screamed. “I’m not going to let you hurt anyone else!”

The air around her crackled. Ming reached into her bag and stuffed a handful of food into her mouth as tears streamed down her face. More and more magic gathered around her, arcing and hissing like a miniature storm of lightning.

She discarded her staff, thrusting both of her hands toward Null. A wave of magic crashed through the room, slamming into Null and throwing him into the wall. He raised a dark shield, his eyes going wide as he poured his own energy into it.

Ming paced toward him, the intensity of her magic only growing brighter. She shoveled food into her mouth with one hand while keeping the other pointed at Null.

“Ming!” Null screamed. “Stop!”

His hold over Arek vanished. The orc shoved himself off the floor and staggered to his feet, raising a hand to block his eyes. The magic pouring out of Ming’s hands was so potent that he could feel it curling across his skin and tingling against his runes.

Null’s shield started to crack. He roared, pushing back and reinforcing it, but Ming’s magic was slowly starting to overwhelm him. Instinctively, Arek knew that the moment Ming’s spell touched anything, it would be evaporated. Nothing would survive getting hit by a spell of that magnitude.

The tears streaming down Ming’s face told Arek that she knew it too. Null’s shield cracked again. He cried out and more magic poured into him from their surroundings, but it wasn’t enough and they all knew it.

“I’m your brother, Ming! I did this for us! Stop! You’re going to kill me!”

Ming sobbed, sinking to her knees. She didn’t let the spell waver. Arek’s heart clenched. His body moved and he arrived beside Ming, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Ming. Stop.”

“What?” Ming asked through her tears. “I can’t! He’ll kill everyone! I need to do this.”

“You can’t,” Arek growled. “You aren’t going to be able to live with yourself if you kill your brother, no matter what he’s done.”

“I need to,” Ming whispered, the roar of the magic around them nearly drowning out her words. “I don’t have a choice, Arek. He’s gone. That isn’t my brother.”

Another crack rang out through the room and Null’s shield started to bend inward.

“Ming,” Arek said, his grip tightening on her shoulder. “You aren’t a killer. Monsters are one thing, but family is another. Don’t put this on your conscience. I don’t want to lose the happy, carefree Ming that I know.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Ming begged. “He won’t see reason, Arek! There’s no containing him.”

“I know,” Arek growled. “Turn around and leave, Ming. I’ll handle this myself.”

“What? But–”

“Trust me,” Arek said, clenching his fists. If Ming really did finish Null off, he knew in his heart that she’d never forgive herself for it. Arek still saw the faces of the innocents whose lives he’d taken in his dreams – he didn’t even want to imagine what it would be like for a family member, even if they’d lost their mind.

The air around them shimmered and Timberly appeared, his face red with exertion. “Hurry, Arek. The curse is strong. I’ll take her.”

He grabbed Ming and the magic flowing from her hands sputtered and vanished. Null dropped to the floor. Sobs racked Ming’s body as Timberly grabbed the small mage and sprinted out of the room.

Null snarled. He rose to his feet, smoke rising from his body.

“You’ve turned my sister against me, orc. On top of that, you’re a fool. You don’t stand a chance against me. You – and the rest of your group – I’ll make sure you can’t stand between us anymore. Just like Avenguard.”

Arek reached into his pocket and pulled out the black badge. His hand tightened around it. “I’m sorry. Just one more time.”

“I’ll pass your apology to my sister,” Null said. He thrust his hands forward, sending a wave of black, twisting energy coursing toward the orc.

Arek activated the badge. Ice coursed through his veins as magic poured into his body and the runes along his claws flared. His armor flickered, the green energy vanishing as obsidian slate took its place, growing out of his skin like scales.

The guandao vanished and his claws lengthened, growing sharper and more jagged. Arek raised his hands as Null’s spell struck his body and sent him skidding across the ground. He blinked, looking at his arms. It hadn’t damaged him.

“What? What is that?” Null asked. “How are you resistant to my magic?”

Arek flexed his claws. Then he looked up at Null, battle rage pounding stronger than ever in his head. Every ounce of his body longed to fight, and he hated it. He was like an addict, and blood was the drug.

Gathering all the regret and anger, Arek balled it up and tossed it away. He couldn’t afford a moment of hesitation or indecision against an opponent like this. The battle rage roared, and Arek gave himself to it.

He blurred across the ground and threw himself at Null. The mage’s eyes widened and he dove out of the way, striking Arek with a blast of purple magic. It threw him into the wall, sending brick raining down around the orc, but it barely slowed him down.

Arek rolled to his feet and dashed at Null again. He roared, dodging a spell and diving at Null, forcing him to retreat. He flew higher into the air and Arek grabbed a brick from the ground, lobbing it at him as hard as he could.

Null deflected it with his shield. The projectile shot air and shattered against the ceiling with a crash. The muscles in Arek’s legs bunched as he squatted and then launched himself upward like the world’s largest, ugliest frog.

A scream slipped out of Null’s mouth and he solidified the shield around him an instant before Arek slammed into it. The orc wrapped his arms around the spell and started to squeeze.

Magic cracked and groaned as the runes on his claws flared. Arek roared again, tightening his grip. Null’s eyes shone with panic as he flew around the room, spinning and twisting to try and dislodge Arek.

The orc didn’t give an inch of ground. His claws dug through the magic, peeling it away like the skin of an onion. Rage pounded like a war drum in his mind, and he danced to its beat.

“Stop!” Null screamed, slamming a magically enforced fist into Arek’s plated face. The orc’s head snapped back, but he didn’t let go. The rage just grew stronger.

Purple bullets of energy peppered into Arek’s stomach, shattering against the armor covering his body. Null slammed him with spell after spell, but every passing one seemed to do even less than the previous.

They dropped from the sky and slammed into the ground with a crash. Arek reared back and pounded his hands against the shield, sending cracks through it with every strike.

“You can’t beat me!” Null screamed. “I have the power of five B rank mages!”

“You wasted most of it fighting Ming,” Arek growled, saliva and blood dripping from his jaws and falling against the weakening shield between them. “You said it yourself. Ming has all the energy.”

He reared back and punched the shield again. It shattered under the force of his blow. Arek staggered as black energy gathered around him, making his body feel a dozen times heavier.

Growling, he thrust his hand forward and grabbed Null by the throat. A spike pierced into his stomach, penetrating a few inches before his plating stopped it, but he didn’t even notice. Null’s feet kicked as Arek lifted him into the air, his grip tightening.

In the tiny part of Arek’s brain that was still properly functioning without the battle rage, he recognized the magic leaving Null’s body. For an instant, he just looked like a normal kid. The resemblance to Ming was strong and, for a few precious moments, Arek wondered what might have been.

But what might have been was not what had been. Fear and terror mixed with spite and hatred in Null’s eyes, and the only thought left in Arek’s mind was that he was glad that Ming wasn’t the one that had to see it.

His hand tightened. Null thrashed once more. Then he stopped.

Arek dropped to his knees, letting Null’s body crumple before him. The battle rage still pounded in his mind, driving him to seek out a stronger opponent. He groaned, pressing it back. The plates covering his body ached and burned like a brand.

Exhaustion washed over him as the rage finally faded away. Arek fell forward, crashing to the ground beside Null. The last thing he saw before his consciousness left him was Null’s glassy eyes, staring up into an uncaring sky.

Something pressed into Arek’s side. He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut tighter.

“Arek!”

He tried to speak, but the words came out of his lips in a tumbled mess.

“Arek, are you okay?”

It vaguely sounded like Belmont, but it was as if the man’s words were travelling through water. Arek worked his lips, trying to open his eyes. Every part of his body felt like it was on fire.

“Fine,” Arek forced out, his consciousness slowly returning to him. A soothing warmth battled with the burning pain, and he managed to force his eyes open so he could look up at the ceiling. Belmont knelt beside him, pouring pink energy into his body.

“What happened to not sacrificing yourself?” Belmont asked angrily.

“Couldn’t let Ming do it,” Arek said, slurring the words. His lips were stiff and unresponsive, but the pain was slowly ebbing away as Belmont’s magic worked through him. He tried to turn his head to look to the side, but it was too stiff to move. “Is Null…”

Belmont’s eyes softened, but his knuckles were still white around his staff. “He’s dead, Arek. And you damn near were as well. I can’t tell what did more damage to you – Null or Vell’s little gift.”

“What do you mean?” Arek asked, finally getting some of the feeling in his face back and immediately regretting it as it too started to throb. “It just gave me armor and made me harder to hit.”

“It drew every last drop of magic out of your body, and you don’t have much to give.” Belmont’s eyebrows knit in concentration. “And it didn’t stop there. You looked nearly dead when we got here. I think it was drawing on your life energy as well.”

“Trust Vell to give me something like that,” Arek said with a pained chuckle. He immediately regretted it and groaned as his body clenched up.

“Stop moving,” Belmont said, pushing him back down. “I don’t know how you were fighting in this state.”

“I had no idea it was this bad. I couldn’t feel it.”

“He must have suppressed the pain,” Belmont said, shaking his head in disgust. “What a horrible weapon. Anyone who used this would fight to the death and not even realize it until they were already gone.”

“How bad is the damage?” Arek asked, forcing his hands to unclench. “You’ve been healing me for a while.”

“I’ll be able to heal the physical injuries,” Belmont replied. “But when I said every last drop, I meant it. You drained your runes completely.”

“What?” Arek asked, forcing himself to raise a hand so he could look at it. The lines covering his claws were dimmer than they’d ever been. He flexed his fingers. They looked inert. “Will they recover?”

“Probably not,” Belmont replied. “Runes aren’t permanent, from what I know. They have to replenish themselves from a source, and if they go for long enough without anything to draw from after being drained dry, they’re gone. Vell could redraw them, I suppose.”

Arek let his hand fall back to the ground and let out a chuckle. “Redraw them? Why? I’m finally free of the damned things.”

A smile slipped across his face as he stared up through the hole in the ceiling. The clouds that had hung in the air were gone, revealing a clear blue sky. “What happened to the others?”

“Timberly and Ming regrouped with us while we were just about done freeing the other cursed folks,” Belmont said. “We had some trouble with some people that had gotten too lost in the curse or actually liked it, but we had enough on our side that we mowed through most of the opposition. None of our group was seriously injured other than you.”

“Ah, good,” Arek said with a relieved sigh. The stone felt cold and uncomfortable beneath his head, which he supposed was a good thing. It was better to be uncomfortable than to feel nothing at all. “And the Howlers?”

“No clue,” Belmont replied. “Once everyone was freed, we stormed the colosseum and then the city. The guards barely put up a fight when they realized they were up against hundreds of C and higher rank adventurers. There were almost no actual Howler members here.”

“Null said he sent them away. When he found out we were coming, he turned the entire city into a trap to get Ming,” Arek said. “The Howlers probably regret choosing him as their lynchpin considering how unhinged he was.”

“Good,” Belmont growled. “Ruthless bastards. They deserve what’s coming to them. With all the people here to testify, the Adventurer’s Guild will collapse on them and their guild will be wiped away. I don’t think there’s going to be any light sentencing for this.”

“Assuming they ever get around to doing it,” Arek said with a snort. “Maybe we’ll have to do that job for them as well.”

He pushed himself upright. Belmont helped him up, watching the orc closely.

“Thanks, Belmont,” Arek said, rolling his shoulders. “I’m mostly good again. You do good work.”

Belmont just grunted. “Good. We’re going to need your help again.”

“What? Is something wrong?” Arek asked, staggering to his feet.

“I suppose you could say that,” Belmont said, but the lack of urgency in his voice gave Arek pause. Belmont wasn’t one to calmly sit around if there was any serious danger to any of them. “We have a bit of a problem with the curse.”

“A problem? What now?”

“Well, we’ve got hundreds of adventurers that get hungrier whenever they see each other,” Belmont drawled. “And none of them can cleave the colosseum because of the curse. Luckily the place is pretty big so we aren’t cramped, but until someone figures out what the source of the curse is and destroys it, they’re stuck here and getting hungrier by the minute.”

Belmont stepped to the side, revealing Arek’s pack leaning against the wall behind him. He picked the chef’s hat off it and handed it to the orc. “Malissa and Ming are already doing their best to make enough for everyone, but they’re basically drowning in the crowd.”

Arek took the hat and set it on his head. He slung his pack over his shoulder and nodded to Belmont, feeling a grin inch across his face. “Then I guess we have no time to waste. Lead the way. I’ve got some customers to please.”

Belmont led Arek out of the room, moving a little slower than normal so the orc could keep up with him. Arek’s body was mostly recovered, but he still felt sluggish and more unwieldy than normal as they walked through the halls and ascended the stairs.

Loud conversation greeted the two as they emerged out onto the stands. Arek’s stomach twisted as hunger gripped him almost instantly. Hundreds of adventurers sat around the colosseum. Several of them were bandaged or lying down and getting healing from others, but the majority were gathered around the arena below, where dozens of campfires had been built.

Adventurers surrounded the fires, cooking. Large piles of food had been piled up behind them, and just about all of it was getting tossed into the mix. Arek spotted Malissa at one of them, her eyes narrow in concentration and her apron around her neck.

“I’ll be up here, helping heal the injured people,” Belmont said from behind him. “I think I know where you’ll be.”

Arek nodded, accelerating as much as his recovering body would let him. He made his way over to the arena and hopped the railing, landing on the sand with a grunt. Straightening up, he strode up to Malissa’s campfire.

“Arek!” Malissa exclaimed, glancing up from the pan in her hands and nearly dropping it. Arek’s hand shot out and he grabbed it before the food could pitch into the flames. “You’re okay?”

“I am,” Arek said, handing the pan back to her. “Belmont took care of me. How’s Ming doing?”

“She could be better,” Malissa admitted. “But I think she’s busied herself helping out with the cooking. Or rather, gathering. There aren’t that many people here that aren’t cursed, so we need people that can raid the city for supplies.”

“That’s good,” Arek said, taking his wok out of his bag and brushing it off. “I’ll pitch in as well, then.”

He went to study the pile of food and Malissa followed him over. They stood in silence for a few moments, just staring.

“It’s over, then,” Malissa said. “The Howlers can’t attack Dortusk. We’ve got too many powerful people here, and their trump card is dead. We don’t have to run anymore.”

“It’s over,” Arek agreed, his eyes alighting on several oranges. He picked them up, smiling faintly to himself. “Everything started with oranges, you know. The first meal I made Ming was beef with orange sauce. That’s what brought her over to my campfire.”

“There’s some meat in my bag of colding. We’ve distributed it so it didn’t spoil,” Malissa said, pulling a cloth bundle out and offering it to Arek. “It looks like you’re feeling nostalgic.”

“I am,” Arek replied, taking it from her. He adjusted his hat, then turned and walked back to the fire to set his wok down and get to work. Hundreds of hungry people were waiting on him, and Arek wasn’t going to delay any longer.

The following days were a blur. If Arek and Malissa thought their work on the food cart was intense, it was nothing compared to what they did in that sandy arena. Arek lost count of the amount of meals he cooked, and he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Every night when he laid down to sleep, his hands and back ached, but his heart felt fuller than it ever had. Slowly, the mood of the adventurers improved as well. There were some minor conflicts that arose from everyone being cooped up in the colosseum for days on end, but nothing truly serious.

Many of the other cooks rotated out with others, but Arek and his group remained at their fire, only stopping to sleep. Belmont and Ming occasionally joined in to help, but most of their time was spent gathering more ingredients from the abandoned town.

Through the scattered pieces of conversation that Arek picked up, he learned that a fair number of the townsfolk of Dortusk had managed to survive the curse. They’d been mostly in the latest parts of the prison, but Null hadn’t killed many of them because of the low amount of energy he earned from defeating civilians.

Despite the improved mood, a somber air hung in the crowd. Everyone in it had lost someone they’d known. But that very loss was also what helped unify them, even with the differences that the adventurers had. Men and women from rival guilds sat together eating dinner and discussing their plans after the curse wore off.

And then, after nearly a week, the Adventurer’s Guild arrived. Vell’s army of mechanical golems led the march as a horde of high ranked adventurers collapsed on Dortusk, sweeping through the city with practiced efficiency.

There were more than a few tearful reunions as lost adventurers met back up with their teams and spouses. There were others that were considerably sadder. At some point, through the churning crowds, Arek locked eyes with Vell.

It should have been impossible to tell from the distance they were at, but Arek could have sworn that Vell’s eyes dropped to his claws before rising back up to meet his, a faint grin flickering across the man’s face before he turned and left.

Several guild members went around, talking to the cursed adventures to gather information. Arek paid little attention to it. He was just focused on making as much food as possible to feed all the hungry people he could.

The guild departed some time later. Arek didn’t even notice until he overheard some of the people in line for his cooking mention it. He’d long since lost count of the days they’d been there, but he was fairly certain it had almost been two weeks.

That night, after Arek had finished cleaning his supplies and was preparing for bed, cheers rose up through the camp.

“It’s broken!” a man yelled as he sprinted past Arek. “The curse is broken!”

The colosseum, which had been well on its way into preparing for sleep, erupted with noise and motion. People ran across the bridge, their relieved cries echoing through the large building as they were finally able to step outside it for the first time in weeks.

A man strode up to Arek and shook his hand. “Thanks for everything – and the food. The guild told us about your group’s role in this, even if you haven’t been talking about it yourself. We all owe you a lot.”

Arek blinked. He didn’t recognize the man, but he suspected it was probably one of the people he’d fed in the previous days. “It was my pleasure.”

Dozens of other adventures swung by the arena, thanking the various chefs that had been working over the past few weeks before they dispersed, finally able to head home once more. As the crowd started to shrink, Arek spotted the rest of the Happy Sunflowers walking toward him.

“Took them long enough,” Belmont said. “How are you doing, Arek? We haven’t had a chance to talk much at all this week.”

“We’ve all been busy,” Arek replied. “I’m just glad this is over – it’s over, right?”

“It’s over.”

Arek turned as Magus walked out of the darkness. He had a new scar across his forehead, but it only added to his intimidating presence.

“Magus!” Arek exclaimed.

“I’m sorry for not dropping by earlier,” Magus said, putting a hand on Ming’s shoulder. “I’ve been with my apprentice. She’s fallen very far behind in her studies, so I had to do some review with her.”

“He means that he teleported her away from Dortusk a week ago and was taking her around to restaurants around the continent,” Belmont said.

“Not just restaurants,” Ming said, crossing her arms. “I got supplies too.”

Malissa laughed. “She bought several months’ worth of toilet paper for me. I had no idea what to do with that much, so I ended up giving most of it out to the adventurers stuck here.”

“Relaxation is a form of training,” Magus said through a soft cough. “And it was an urgent matter, especially once I found out about the core of the Howler’s strategy.”

“I think that was for the best,” Arek said. Ming looked more relaxed than she had in weeks, so something Magus had done must have worked. “The Howlers are gone, then?”

Magus nodded. “The guild has been hunting every last member that was responsible for this travesty. We’ve tried to make sure to avoid hurting innocents or those unaware of their real plot, which made things take a little longer, but enough innocent people have died these last few weeks. We found the source of the curse with their guild leader and broke it – along with him.”

“Good,” Arek said, taking his hat off and rubbing his forehead. “Then it really is done. The Adventurer’s Guild sure took their time, though.”

“Almost done,” Magus corrected. “There are a few more things to be taken care of. And don’t you worry about this – I won’t be sitting quiet about this, and others won’t either. The guild has been too passive. We need to find a way to make sure something like this never happens again.”

“Good luck with that,” Arek said with a dry laugh. “I don’t see them changing much any time soon.”

“You’d be surprised,” Magus replied. “But first, I need to re-introduce you to one of my contacts.”

The air beside Magus rippled and Timberly appeared, his violin in his hands. A small smile slipped across the Bard’s face and he gave them a polite bow.

“You know Timberly?” Arek asked.

“He’s an old friend from the Adventurer’s Guild,” Magus replied.

“I’m sorry for the deception,” Timberly said. “I was investigating the Howlers when I got cursed. We needed proof against them to make sure they can’t try to squirm their way out of anything, so I went undercover. Getting cursed was the perfect excuse to breach their defenses. Of course, I didn’t expect it to be as easy as it was, but I suppose I have you lot to thank for that.”

“In a very roundabout way, maybe,” Belmont said with a snort. “So how much of you was real and how much was an act?”

“Oh, I was almost entirely honest with you aside from my background,” Timberly said. He brought his bow across the violin, making a horrible screen. Grimacing, he tossed the instrument to the side and it vanished. “I was terrified. I haven’t done any real work in years, but when an old friend calls in a favor, I pay up.”

“You owed Magus a favor?” Arek asked.

“I might have tried to steal something from him a few years back.”

“It sparked an unlikely… business relation,” Magus said reluctantly. “We’ve worked together a few times throughout the years, and he just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time. I couldn’t get here myself, so I had to rely on him instead.”

“Well, either way, I was able to confirm the Howlers were attempting a violent rebellion and remotely inform Magus, who was able to push the guild into motion,” Timberly said. “It was instrumental that they not know of our movements, or they might have had a chance to prepare. Instead, they’ve been wiped away with almost no serious resistance.”

“I can’t say I appreciate the deception, but I understand it,” Arek said. “Thank you for your help. It would have been considerably harder to get into Dortusk without you.”

“You were all instrumental in stopping the Howlers. Without you, I don’t know how many more people would have died. Null might have been able to gather the power he needed in a few more days, and the Howlers would have been an incredibly dangerous fighting force. We’ll have a formal announcement of this later, but I wanted to let you know in person first. You will all be honored for your work.”

“Like knights?” Malissa asked through a snicker. “Who’s ever heard of a D rank adventurer getting recognized?”

“Nobody,” Magus replied. “Because none of you are D rank adventurers anymore. You’ve all been promoted to B rank for your actions in stopping the Howlers.”

“What?” Belmont asked, his eyes going wide.

“Magus!” Timberly snapped. “We weren’t supposed to tell them that yet. It was meant to be a surprise during the announcement, you ornery old man.”

“Who are you calling ornery?” Magus coughed and shook his head. “No matter. We’ll have time to discuss later. You’ve all been through a lot. I’ll take us all back to Ringden shortly.”

“Shortly?” Malissa asked. “Are we waiting for something?”

“One last person that needs to meet Arek,” Magus said.

A hard-faced man stepped out from the stands. He had a well-trimmed, graying beard and robes that billowed around him as he walked up to stand before Arek. The two stared at each other for several seconds.

“I did not think I’d be meeting with you again so soon,” the man said, his sharp eyes passing over Arek. “And certainly not in circumstances like this.”

“Who is this?” Ming asked.

“Nobody important,” the man replied, his lips twitching in a faint grin. “Just someone who has some old, unfinished business with Arek.”

“If you’ve got business with Arek, you’ve got business with all of us,” Malissa said, crossing her arms.

Belmont and Ming both stepped forward as well. The man’s eyebrows rose and he chuckled. “Quite the friends you’ve made, Arek.”

“Arek, who is this?” Belmont asked. “Does it have to do with the thing you mentioned you still had to deal with some time ago?”

“This is the judge that oversaw my trial,” Arek replied. “Please don’t get into a fight with him. If he didn’t grant me a stay of execution, I might have been killed back when the Starpiercers fell.”

Belmont grunted, not backing off in the slightest. The other Happy Sunflowers mirrored his motions.

“You’ve done quite a bit since we last met,” the judge said, unbothered by the animosity directed at him by Arek’s friends. “When I told you to make up for your past actions, I didn’t think you’d get wrapped up in the biggest travesty the Adventurer’s Guild has seen in years.”

“I didn’t try to, if it helps,” Arek said with a shrug. “We were just trying to live. We just kind of kept running into them.”

“Yes, Magus has informed me of the situation,” the judge said, glancing at the B-ranked adventurer. “Incredibly unfortunate indeed. I’m sorry for all of what you had to go through because of the inaction of the guild.”

“But that isn’t why you’re here, is it?” Belmont asked.

“No, it is not. Arek, do you consent to allowing me to use a Truesight Artifact on you?”

“I do.”

The judge raised a glass eyepiece to his eye and studied the orc for a few moments. Then a smile creased his face and he lowered it, putting the artifact back into a pocket.

“How apt.”

“What?” Ming asked, narrowing her eyes. “We aren’t going to let you take Arek anywhere.”

“I have no plans to, young mage,” the judge said. “Arek, I hereby judge that you have fulfilled your duty to atone for your past sins. Your actions over this past year have showed that you are no longer the man you once were, and the character of those you surround yourself with vouches for this further.”

Arek’s breath caught in his chest. “What?”

“I hope this will be the last time we meet, Arek,” the judge said, inclining his head. “It is clear to me that you’ve come far from who you once were – and to be honest, I saw that when you testified against the Starpiercers. Don’t let the guilt of your past burden you forever. Just endeavor to make the lives of the people you meet in the future better.”

The judge raised a hand in farewell.

“Wait!” Arek called. The judge glanced back at him. “What was my karma at? It was in the negative thousands the last time I checked.”

The judge grinned. “Zero, Arek. And, over the next few days, I suspect it shall rise further as the full extent of your party’s actions spread through the kingdom and more people are affected.”

Then he turned and left the arena.

“Now it really is done,” Belmont said with a smile. “You’re completely free, Arek.”

“All of us are,” Ming said.

“Now we’re really done here.” Magus coughed into his fist. “All the remaining adventures and townsfolk will be evacuated from Dortusk while the guild combs through it, but you lot have an appointment in Ringden tomorrow morning. For now, I think you’d all enjoy a good night’s sleep in an inn.”

After exchanging a glance, the group all linked hands and Magus put his hands on Ming’s shoulders.

“Are you all ready?” Magus asked.

They nodded. Energy crackled around them, swallowing the group whole, lighting the colosseum for an instant.

Then they were gone.