Ruinous Return

Trisha closed herself off in her office at the hospital. A nice retreat when the kids became too much to deal with. The oldest two were bundles of energy, and Ben could keep up with them, but she had been dealing with her own issues. But she wasn't here just to retreat from the kids. She had to tend to herself.

Pulling aside some of her light, summery dress, she pulled the bandage away from the seared flesh. Damnit, this is why I hate the heat. She set to treating the area with several ointments and unguents that would reduce the inflammation and soothe the permanent burn.

When the heroes fought the Demonic Dragon ten years ago, she was the only one to be injured by the lava. The rest of the back-line heroes were uninjured thanks to their distance, but Trisha had to be closer to the martial combatants. And the group had pushed most of the body enhancing substances onto the front liners. Which meant that her barriers and wards popped when a gout of lava blasted in her direction.

This was the price of their folly, going after the Demonic Dragon after only five years. Other heroes spent ten to twenty years preparing, she thought. But James had been hyping them up, claiming he had an 'unstoppable, game ending' move that would win in an instant. He didn't use it, or if he did, the enemy did not care. They retreated, and returned when they heard an enormous explosion followed by silence. Lyn had killed it and vanished.

But now…she's back. Brad had arrived that morning, and he and Thomas were catching up on the going-ons in the world. The four heroes were going to sit down that evening and discuss what was going on throughout Ghomar…and what they should do.

She applied the unguent and felt the soothing relief instantly. The burn would last forever, and heat aggravated it, but she could manage it well enough. It was a constant reminder of her failures in the past, and a continuing reminder that even as the Healer hero, some wounds were impossible to cure. Powerful enough spells could leave lingering, lasting damage. Her only choice would be to cut off a huge slab of flesh – and that would have its own complications. She didn't trust anyone except herself to do such a drastic surgery…and so she suffered.

Pulling the dress back down, she went down to the hospital floor, and checked in on several patients her students were attending to. People with all manner of injuries. Some small, some large. Infections, viruses, palliative care – she had seen it all. With the knowledge she carried over from Earth she had improved healthcare drastically. Ideally, she wanted to standardize a medical curriculum and send it out to the kingdoms to train their own physicians.

But…that took political capital and she had little of that. The only noble who had ever visited them was a distant cousin to the king of Trisk. And he paid for treatment to be kept under the table, so there was no way he was going to share word of Trisha's work. Unless someone came to her with a problem, and was willing to give her work a good word to the public…she'd just be a regional healthcare provider.

She came up to the last patient. This one made her very, very sad. A child with a wasting disease. There was no cure – magic or medicinal – and all she could do was ease his suffering. "How long," she asked one of her doctors-in-training who was applying a cool compress to the unconscious child.

"Not long," The woman replied. She looked up to Trisha, "We've done all we could," she said with a questioning tone.

"Yes," Trisha said as she sat down next to the child. "One of the hardest lessons I've learned here, and one that I knew but it never really hit home…you can't save everyone."

Lyn woke up at the bar as noises echoed around her. It was considered rude in Sloren culture to tap out and go to sleep before the host has had enough.

And her alcohol fortitude was nowhere near what it used to be. She incanted the internal regeneration spell, and her brain fog instantly cleared. Looking around, she saw that several tables had been set up.

Thane Mol was sitting with several other Sloren, and they were discussing in bawdy, loud voices over drinks. Lyn knew the language…but their brogue was far too intense for her to really make out anything more than the gist of what they were saying. Instead, she set to observing the general behavior, and tried to analyze their body language.

The Thane kept a jovial mood, but she could tell that there was some type of underlying problem he was trying to assuage. Three of the five other person's present were calm and at a state of just enjoying the conversation. But two of them had a more dour expression. "Aye, lass," Thane Mol stated, waving Lyn over.

She walked next to him, "Yes?"

"We have a few concerns brought up by my companions here," he said, gesturing to the other Sloren at the table. "The heads of the major families want some assurances. First, they want to have their own cloister in this Lynhold."

"Sorry, but that won't happen," Lyn stated. "I am not going to allow for racial segregation within my borders. If you choose to make your own cloister upon arrival, it will have to be open to all races who desire to move there."

He looked back to one of the family heads. A portly woman with a pock-marked face. She grumbled and crossed her arms, but nodded resolutely. "Aye, that'll work," the Thane replied. "One other problem we got for ye. Ye mentioned that there were farms. The good, mountain-dweller kind. What about the shepherds?"

Lyn nodded and crossed her arms, "Do the animals acclimate well to the lower elevations? Or do they have to stay up high?"

"They can do just fine anywhere," the Thane replied. "The issue…is too many people around. It makes them scared. Scared sheep and rams are harder to corral."

I can't make fertile grasslands. She did not have access to flora as an external spell type anymore, and if she wanted to really cause the land to flourish, she would need that. But to the East of the Valley, she passed plentiful grazing areas. I can make an Eastern entrance like I was planning. Fortify it, and then extend curtain walls out. Not full fortifications, but a good, solid, ten-foot high earthen rampart to section off grazing lands. She smiled, "I can arrange pasture land for your herds."

The Thane slammed his mug on the table and stood up, grabbing Lyn's shoulders. "Then we are in accord." He put his hands on the sides of her head, and she braced, holding her breath. He pulled her head down onto his, and she felt the whack solidly as her brain jostled around. No external pain, but she was immediately concussed.

"Anor min / nartho hain i daeth nin." She barked out, as if she was cursing. The pain and dizziness vanished immediately as a flush of warmth surged into her skull. She chuckled and slapped the man on the shoulder. "Accord accepted." She sat down at the table, and the family heads each picked up mugs, raised them up, and in their heavy brogue, chanted out her name. "Lady Rivers!" Then, they drank.

The Thane slid her a mug, and she joined them. "To Thunder Hold!" She shouted, and they cheered once more. After draining the drink, she looked to the Thane, "Tomorrow I go to the other Holds. Can you provide any type of writ to allow me to talk to them with more ease?"

He chuckled and shook his head, "Nah, lass. I'll do it for ye. We'll take a few weeks to pack up and head over to your Valley. A month, at the most. But I have more pull than ye will in talkin to them.." He smiled broadly, "But, I want something in return."

Of course. "What would you want?"

"You were pretty drunk, but ye mentioned something about needing a Steward. Someone to manage yer coin."

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"I'd need to see evidence that you're actually good with managing money. No offense, but I just know you're the Thane of this Hold, and that you run the bar for your people."

"Ha!" He slammed the table with his palm. "Ye wouldn't know it, but I was a master brewer. One of the best in Shereld. Before that bitch took over and kicked us out." He drained his mug and looked at Lyn with a sideways eye, "Just ask anyone from Shereld. Mol Gutterglug is what I went by back then."

Lyn smirked, "Alright. I will." She stood up. "It's getting late. If you're going to convince these other Thanes to uproot their Holds-"

"Oh, they will if you get them revenge."

"I will. It may take some time. Valagonia is one of the strongest militaries around Ghomar, rivaled only by Khrelardia. I need more allies." She reached into the storage choker and pulled out one of the emblems of allegiance. "Hold this up at the entrance on the Eastern side of the Valley, and it will permit entry."

Thane Mol took the emblem and pinned it to his collar, "Take care, lass. It be dangerous out there."

Lyn smirked and ceased focus on the shifting spell, allowing the draconic features to spread over her body once more. "I'm dangerous as well." She stepped outside and into the crisp night air that would have chilled her to the bone if not for the armor and body enhancement.

That was way too easy, she thought. The Sloren were notorious for their hardy and persevering nature. But at the simple promise of revenge and some concessions that would be easy to accommodate…they had folded. It left only two thoughts in Lyn's head regarding the rapid decision. Either they were desperate, or scared. Probably the latter, especially if what they said about Cecily's actions are true. What was she thinking; of course they were true. Thinking back on their history, she didn't recall a single time where Cecily chose to interact with non-Humans.

She pushed mana into the bracer on her wrist, scanning to see if any dungeons were nearby. Just past the Slor Mountains, on the coast. Not only did she have to make allies but continuing to clear dungeons while giving a signal to the remaining hero cores just floating about. So much to do, she thought. Gonna take a week off after this trip.

She pulled out Cataclysm, willed it to its bow form, and nocked an arrow, aiming high and far to the East. Loosing the shot, and counting down, she incanted the Archer-only spell and teleported away.

So it really is Lyn, Thomas thought as he sat with brad at the kitchen table inside of their cottage. Stellas was watching the kids in the garden, and Ben had enabled one of the inscriptions on the house foundation to prevent anyone from listening from outside. Brad was sitting with a mug of tea, gingerly sipping on it, as Trisha and her husband whispered to each other. They were all speaking in English, so the inscribed spell might be a bit overkill. But caution was warranted.

"So," Brad stated, drawing the conversation to himself. "She is definitely real.""

Ben nodded and faced the center of the table, taking in a deep breath. "One of my friends got in touch with me this morning. An old friend at Trisk's court. There are rumors that the king is preparing for a visit from a delegation. An ambassador from this new empire to try and establish terms." He shook his head, "Whether we like it or not, diplomacy is moving forward between the powers-that-be and this person claiming to be Lyn."

Brad sighed, "I told you, it is Lyn. Why don't you believe me?"

Trisha looked at him with a quizzical eyebrow, "You told me what Cecily did to you. Until you go through some intense healing-spell recovery, we can't trust your thoughts entirely."

Brad shook his head and looked at Thomas, "What do you say?"

The Knowledge hero had been filled in by Brad on everything that had transpired. His flight from Valagonia, meeting with Volio, setting up a pharmaceutical industry for Lyn. His description of Lynhold and the surrounding environment. The fucking mountains turning into two-and-a-half mile high walls…the person was extremely strong, and convinced two heroes that she was legitimate. "I think it is Lyn," he stated bluntly. "And we would be idiots if we didn't try to help her achieve her vision." He looked at Brad, "I'll return with you to Lynhold. See how I can help her out. Because right now? I want revenge. I want James fucking dead."

Trisha gasped slightly, "You don't mean that! He's our friend-"

"He killed me!" Thomas shouted. "He fucking stabbed me through the chest. He killed my Hector!" He could feel the sorrow mixed with pure anger roaring in his chest. "Dead, stripped of his powers…some type of justice!"

Ben looked at Thomas, and in a very stern, dad voice, said "Calm. Down."

The Knowledge hero nodded and took several deep breaths. "Look. Trisha, you want to have your medical knowledge distributed across the world, right? Save people's lives?" The Healer hero nodded, "Then why not work with this new Lyn? Brad's medical industry could easily supplement your own work, and you two could revolutionize healthcare across all of Ghomar. That's what you wanted back on Earth, right? To be a famous doctor? Cure cancer?"

Trisha nodded slightly, "It's…It's scary. We'd be moving our whole lives and staking our claim with someone who will eventually go to war with Valagonia, and maybe Khrelardia, and maybe even Trisk."

Brad shook his head, "When I was gearing up to leave, there were rumors of the king of Trisk meeting with Lyn to discuss being a vassal state." He leaned forward as he pushed the tea aside. "Lyn is persistent, if nothing else. Bull-headed. Those traits are the same as when you last met her. But there's a level of…regality to her. The way she was running things…fucking puts Cecily's kingdom to the test."

Ben held Trisha's hand, and that's when Thomas saw her barely perceptible shaking. Thomas sighed, "I know you're scared. I think anyone who isn't scared in this situation is an idiot." He shook his head, stood up, and went to the window to stare out over the gorgeous fields. "This place is peaceful. But I know Cecily. I got a look into her mind when she thralled me, just as Brad did. He might not remember it," Thomas tapped his temple, "But I can't forget." He turned to his allies and leaned against the counter. "She intends to rule the world. Kill off every single non-Human. And she's strong."

Brad nodded, "Cecily has been harvesting mana cores of criminals and the non-Humans that didn't agree to displacement." Ben's brow furrowed and Trisha's shaking grew more prominent, to the point that Brad could spot it. "Are you okay?" Brad asked.

Trisha shook her head and began to tear up, "No! How can anyone be okay? Cecily is harvesting mana cores, James killed Thomas, he wants revenge, Lyn is back, kingdoms might go to war…it's too much." She sniffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "This is no place to raise a family." She looked at Ben, "And I don't want to risk going to Earth."

Ben nodded, "We don't know what would happen if we used that inscription," he muttered, looking at Thomas. "No one has gone back."

"Except Lyn. She went back. And forced her way back to Ghomar also." Brad absentmindedly sipped his tea as she stared out the window behind Thomas. "But we don't know how she left in the first place. It wasn't a spell." He looked up at the other heroes, "Plus, why go back? Earth's fucked. And here, at least, we have some clout and can make a difference."

Thomas looked at Brad and chuckled, trying to bring some levity to the situation, "I thought you just wanted to get a cleaner, better high?"

Brad laughed, "No, I'm done with that. I want to be rich, get high sometimes…but no. I know that I can do a lot of fucking good here." He looked to Trisha and reached across the table, gently holding her hand. "You want to do a lot of good, too. Just like I do. We can do amazing things for Ghomar…together." He gestured to Thomas and Ben, "All of us. We can make this world a better place for everyone…especially for your kids."

Good play, Thomas thought. Playing on her children's future was a smart move to try and be convincing. But he couldn't help but wonder what Brad was going to be getting as a reward for bringing the other heroes into the fold. He doubted the Alchemist hero was doing this out of sheer altruism.

Trisha nodded, "Ben and I need to talk about it."

Brad nodded, "Well, in the meantime, I'm off to visit this prosthetic-smith in the town below. Need myself a new dick." He stood up and bowed, "Thank you for agreeing to heal me up, Trisha. It's appreciated."

She nodded, "I can do the operation tomorrow." She chuckled, "You'd be surprised how many dick-related incidents happen. The smith always has a few spares on hand."

Brad chuckled and left the house. Thomas sat down across from Ben and looked the Guardian hero in the eyes. "I am going to go and advise Lyn. I can't say what is best for you and your family…but if you want them to have the best tutor around, you couldn't ask for anyone better than me."

Ben nodded slightly. "Good to know."

Thomas stood up, "I'll leave you two alone." He went outside and went to the flower garden. He spotted Stellas sitting on a chair among the flowers, keeping watch over the three kids. "Staying sane?" he asked as he walked up behind the Vharthon.

She nodded, "All three are busy with a little scavenger hunt I put together." She chuckled and waved him down to whisper in his year, "A simple illusion spell. They think I've buried treasure here."

"Oh, that's mean," Thomas replied. "You better have a real reward or treat for them."

She nodded, "I might not like kids, but I know you can't be cruel to them." She reached into her hip pouch and pulled out a few Silver Kestrels, "I figure three to whoever 'finds' the illusory gopher, and one to the runners-up."

Thomas chuckled, "Right. Sounds fun." He squatted to her level, "We will be accompanying Brad to Lynhold. I'll keep teaching you if you want…but you should know that I will probably be given other duties to help Lyn, so I won't be able to dedicate all my efforts to your tutelage."

Stellas nodded, "I'm sure this new Draconic Dragon is going to need a court mage."

Thomas laughed, "You'd be surprised. Only three people speak Elenthir fluently…and she's one of them."

"For now," Stellas said with a smile. "I'm a fast learner."

"That you are."

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