Splinter Angel Chapter 223 (Patreon)

The rain was still pouring as the time the alignment grew nigh.

The Party had all retired to the inn for a few hours before that, both to stay dry and to keep their faces from being fresh in anyone’s mind. But as the time approached, they, like so many others, stood in the square as the Summoners did their work, waiting for the Captains to speak and for the way to Ellsthal to open. They all had their packs and other equipment, and looked for all the world like any of the other Parties of Delvers there ready to leave the Splinter.

One might have expected the Summoners’ job to be a miserable one, working in the rain, but not so. A Mistress of the Rains was there with them — a Level 35 elf woman towered over them, clad in a flowing dress and with a pair of boots and a shawl as her only concession to the weather. And no wonder. Around her the rain simply turned aside. It fell in sheets in a hundred-foot circle with her as its center, wide enough to encompass all the ritualists and keeping everyone inside comfortably dry, to the envy of everyone outside.

“Bloody nice trick, that,” Kaira muttered. “Think I could do something similar? Only I’d make the air hot enough to boil the water to steam before it touched me.”

“Might get muggy,” Omda commented.

“Well, steam rises, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t be a problem!” Kaira countered, to which Omda only shrugged.

“I saw a Water-mage do the same in Misery Splinter,” Lara said darkly. “The leader of the cult there. She only covered herself, though.”

“Sounds about right, yeah,” Kaira said. “Got to be a big, gaping arsehole to lead a pack of bastards like that, don’t you?”

“She sacrificed her minions to escape, so yes. I’d say so,” Lara agreed.

It was about half an hour later that two people, a human Guild Master and a themion Defender of the Peace, made their way through the crowd. They were flanked by several guards of various Classes and shared a wide umbrella, which the themion woman handed to one of her subordinates once they entered the dry bubble surrounding the Waystone.

“We won’t be long,” the Guild Master said once he had everyone’s attention. His voice carried easily over the rain. “As you probably know I am Guild Master Aethrum, and have the honor and pleasure of handling the civilian administration of this Splinter. It’s been a fine cycle…”

The man continued for no more than five minutes, talking mostly about public works, an outlying settlement that had been established during the cycle, and mentioning that they had recorded fifteen live births; not quite a record, but also not far off. That was significant, he reminded everyone, because it meant that the expectant mothers had either arrived in the Splinter already with child, or remained here over the last alignment — and wasn’t that a fine sign of their trust in the future prosperity of the Splinter?

The Defender of the Peace, who introduced herself as Skeiran, had the somber duty of reading out the list of those confirmed fallen or who’d been missing long enough to be presumed dead. They outnumbered the babies five to one, and she mentioned that was the lowest figure in five years. “I would also like you all to know that we’ve had not a single murder this cycle, and only a few instances of severe bodily harm due to violence,” she finished. “You are all to be commended! Let’s practice the same level of restraint this coming cycle, and extend our patience and understanding to each other. Thank you.”

With that the two captains left, making room before the Waystone for the High Summoner leading the ritual. He, without preamble, raised his hands, and just as when Mistress Thair had opened the portal in Summer Angel, the obsidian surface of the Waystone came alive with bluish-white light as mana surged through the hidden Engravings within. And just like then, the whole Waystone flashed once, nearly blindingly bright, before collapsing in on itself and leaving a ten foot wide, thirty foot tall absence of existence in its place.

The High Summoner rubbed his hands together and nodded once with great satisfaction before turning to the waiting crowd. “Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone else: the way is open! They should be keeping people back for a while on the other side, but for those of you leaving us, keep to the left lane just in case. And may the Lady of the Splinters bless your travels.” And that was all. Accompanied by the Mistress of the Rains, he and his cadre of Summoners set off in a group toward the only tavern on the square, leaving the newly opened portal in the downpour.

“Job’s done, time for a good drunk, eh?” Kaira laughed, nudging Omda in the side with his elbow.

“Well earned,” the big man replied approvingly.

As her Party chatted and those departing the Splinter began slowly trickling through the portal, Ana watched the people filling the square. Even with the market the crowd was surprisingly dense for such awful weather, but portals only opened once per cycle. And it was a fairly long cycle here, or so the compendium said: one hundred and seventy-eight days. Just a hair under half a year. And if things went according to plan, they’d be staying for a whole cycle. Half a year in the mountains and valleys, running down demons and closing Delves and, with any luck, emerging significantly stronger. A lot could happen in half a year, but Ana had the goddess’s blessing, so that wasn’t her problem. Worst case, if Ana and her Party were needed somewhere urgently, the Wayfarer would have Najal break in and collect them. But Ana really hoped not. She liked the mountains, and the outpost seemed like a pretty nice place to be between Delves. She could see herself being happy here for half a year. So until the goddess decreed otherwise, she was going to treat this as the vacation from responsibility that it was.

But first they needed to nip the problem of their irregular arrival in the bud, and to do that, they needed to sneak into the slow stream of arrivals, which began trickling in a few minutes after the way was opened. That way they could register, and then hopefully get the Misery half of the Party’s guild affiliations changed. Ana had a plan for that, and it hinged on no one paying them much attention, and then making them the center of attention under controlled circumstances.

The guards were there to keep order, not to keep an eye on who came and went. Excellent. That meant that they wouldn’t really care; they’d be hunched up under their cloaks, trying to stay warm and dry and only interfering if things got loud. And that clinched it. Ana had three ideas for how to do this, but between the weather and the listless guards, there was really only one choice.

“Are we ready?” she asked, just loud enough for everyone to hear

“Ready as we’ll be,” Lara declared after a few seconds’ silence.

“In that case, let’s go. I’m gonna be Stacy for a while, and whatever I do, just play along. Alright?”

This time she got a few scattered replies in the affirmative. Good enough.

Ana led them from the awning they’d been waiting under, through the rain and toward the arrivals lane. “Just follow my lead,” she reminded them softly, then brought them up to the fence, right past the portal.

If ever there had been a time for Stacy to shine, this was it. Showtime.

Ana waited for the latest arrivals to pass. Then, using Omda to shield her from view, she slipped over the fence before quickly grabbing Mabb, her hands sliding inside his cloak. She picked him because he was the biggest person there by far, and thus would draw more attention. Jesus, she thought as she tried to wrap her hands around his forearm. There’s an inch between my fingertips on each side.

Then she giggled loudly enough to be heard over the rain. “Nooo! Stooop! Get back here!” she whined, still giggling. She pulled at Mabb’s arm ineffectually, putting absolutely no strength behind it. “You can’t just go straight to the hall! You have to register!”

“Hmm?” Mabb said, looking down at her hands around his arm in genuine confusion before he caught on and his eyes widened slightly. “Oh! But I thought we might—”

“Nooo, you have to register first! Come on, back in line! All of you!” With that, Ana started herding her Party over the fence, to the amused looks of the handful of nearby gawkers. No one questioned it. The guards who’d turned to look their way only looked relieved that a problem had apparently been dealt with by someone else before they even noticed.

“I can’t believe you,” Ana continued, still just a bit too loud, and her voice was so full of fondness that a rosy tint appeared on Mabb’s cheeks. “Haven’t you done this, like, a thousand times?”

“Well, not quite that many,” Mabb mumbled. Even a mumble from him was loud enough for anyone nearby to hear. “But it’s different this time.”

“Sure, but the rules are the same!” Ana insisted. “But it’s alright. We’re friendly people in Bluesky. I’m sure no one will mind.” She scanned the people who’d just arrived behind them, picking a guy who just oozed a sense of looking unfriendly because he was nervous about talking to people, and sweetly asked, “You don’t mind, do you?”

The guy startled, then stammered, “Uh, no, not at all. Everyone makes a mistake now and then, right?”

“Right!” Ana agreed brightly. “See? They don’t mind!”

“Really no problem,” the guy behind them agreed, and Ana rewarded him with a delighted smile.

And just like that, they were in line to register. No trouble. No fuss. With Ana’s Charisma and Acting, and her Honest Face, nobody casually watching believed that the scene was anything but what it looked like: just some newcomers getting a little confused about what they were supposed to do and making an innocent, harmless mistake. What was the expression? Refuge in audacity? Go big or go home? Of course, now she had to be Stacy until they’d registered, which was annoying, but there were some sacrifices that just had to be made.

It wasn’t even that bad. She’d noticed the same thing when she brought Stacy out on the road. She’d gotten more into the role than she usually would; she’d thought more like Stacy would, felt more like Stacy would feel. And Stacy didn’t mind being Stacy one bit. Why would she? Stacy was hot, and she could kick ass, and everybody loved her. Being Stacy was awesome… until she reminded herself that she was actually Ana, and felt mildly embarrassed about the whole thing.

With a Clerk and two Registrars handling registrations, the queue moved along quickly. Soon the Party stood before the table under the tent, tokens ready.

The Clerk looked at Jisha dubiously, then Messy, then extended the same look to most of the Party. “Um, not that it’s really my place,” the woman said, “but the ambient mana in this Splinter is quite high, and the demons are strong. Most people who come here are in the low- to mid-twenties, if not higher. Are you sure..?”

“They know what they’re getting into. That’s why we brought such a big Party,” Lara declared from the middle of the group. “Besides, we’ll look after them. Won’t we, Nari?”

“Of course,” Nari agreed.

“Oh, are you all together?” one of the Registrars asked, his voice brightening considerably. “Goodness, that's a relief. We’ve had too many sub-Level 20s come here and— well, you heard the list of the fallen. But that won't be a problem for you! Strength in numbers, and all that. Let's get the nine of you—”

“The twelve of us,” Messy corrected. “We’re a full Party.”

The Registrar’s eyebrows drew together so tightly that they formed a single curly hedge. “Twelve? The Herbalist and the Companion, too? Even the Healer?”

“We’re all together, yes,” Lara said.

“I’m not only a Herbalist,” Mabb offered.

“And I’m the fighty kind of Companion!” Ana-as-Stacy added brightly, raising her sword in its waterlogged blanket.

Ignoring the interruptions, Lara continued, “I should mention, some of us need to change our guild affiliation. We didn't get a chance to before going through. Will that be a problem?”

“Oh, dear.” The man at the desk sighed. “You really should have—”

“That includes me,” Trislain interrupted in the most apologetic, least Trislain-like voice Ana had ever heard from the man. “Where my sister goes, so do I.”

“…but that's nothing insurmountable,” the Registrar concluded smoothly, not waiting to do anything to discourage a Healer from joining either the guild or the Splinter’s residents. “I’ll just take down your names, Classes, and current affiliation…”

Once the Ardent Heart members of the Party had given their information, the man signed one of the two copies and handed it to Lara. “Take this to Administration, one floor up from the guild hall reception, and they'll get you joined up and the paperwork for the Ardent Heart done. And you should all take that opportunity to record your current Summaries with the guild, as well; synchronizing them is… well, lets just say you may not be in our records at all, so we’d appreciate it. Now, let’s get your arrivals all registered properly, so the poor folks behind you can get out of the train.”

The process of scanning their tokens was quick, and worked just as well on the Ardent Heart tokens as the Bluesky ones. And that was it. They stepped back out into the rain, now formally residents of the Splinter.

They went straight for the guild hall, intent on getting the last part of their official business taken care of. The Ardent Heart members among them went up the stairs behind the reception desk, while everyone else went to record their Summaries; everyone but Ana, that was, who had no intention of registering her Class, hidden or otherwise. It had been one thing when she was new, and didn’t have any enemies actively looking for her; it was quite another now. So she remained outside, sheltering from the rain under the portico, with her hood up to hide her face. It was no wonder that when she saw two familiar faces throw off their own hoods as they stepped under the stone roof, they didn’t see her.

Ana’s decision was immediate. She would have let them pass if she could. She didn’t want anything to do with them; their presence here was a complication, and while she’d known that one of them planned to come here, she’d hoped to avoid him. But spending a whole cycle here without running into him had always been a vain hope, and putting the meeting off wasn’t a possibility. There was a nine-in-ten chance that both of them were headed for the reception to register their Summaries, or ask for directions, or something else, and when they did, they’d recognize one or another of her Party members. And while Messy and the others may be able to diffuse what had the potential to be an unpleasant meeting, the guild hall’s reception, in front of two guild officials, was not the place for it.

In the time between Ana recognizing Jol the Magmashaper and Lynnie the Registrar and them crossing five of the ten feet from the edge of the portico to the closed doors, Ana had smoothly side-stepped to put herself between them and the entrance. “Fancy meeting you here,” she said, throwing off her hood and giving them her most disarming smile. “A quick word?”

Lynnie’s eyes wide, and with a shocked squeak she took a stumbling step sideways, putting Jol between herself and Ana. “Why?” she demanded nervously. “What are you doing here? Did you follow us? What do you want? We didn’t do anything to you, you didn’t do anything to us, we have nothing to do with each other!”

“You’re absolutely right,” Ana said apologetically. “Which is why I want to talk with you. Privately. Now. So that there’s no room for misunderstanding from either of us.” She nodded towards the river. “By the water, maybe? Still visible, but not many people walking there.”

“We should listen to her, Lyn,” Jol said.

“I’m not sure…” Lyn said, clearly wary of going to anything resembling a second location with Ana.

“I really don’t think she’s nearly as bad as you’ve built her up to be,” Jol said, demonstrating his sincerity by turning his back on Ana and taking Lynnie gently by the arms. “She just wanted her friends safe, that’s all. And the priestess… I mean, that wasn’t right. Come on. Let’s talk to her. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Lynnie was still unsure as she looked past her friend, but the Magmashaper seemed more curious than anything. That was good. Intimidation wasn’t what Ana was going for here. Intimidation would just lead to them going to the guard the moment Ana left the outpost. No, either they’d reach some understanding where Jol and Lynne felt it best for everyone involved that they forgot everything they knew about Ana and her friends and what had happened in Ellsthal, or the two of them would have to disappear. And Ana would really rather avoid the latter; she didn’t have access to a pig farm, and rivers were unreliable at best, never mind one as shallow as this one.

“Okay,” Lynnie finally said. “No, you’re right. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Great!” Ana said brightly, putting her hood up. “To the river, then."

Lynnie has good instincts. Never let them take you to a second location!