Chapter 31: The Patriarchy Is Dead

  Arriving in the almost empty breakfast area of the hotel, Erik was surprised to see only Emma sitting at a table. Erik threw together a few breakfast items and sat down at the same table as her, greeting her a good morning.

  “Hey. You’re up early,” she greeted him back with morning-reddened eyes. Was it earlier than Erik had thought? He’d only glimpsed at the clock when he woke up, and it was about six in the morning. That should’ve been a few hours ago.

  “What time is it?” Erik asked, then looked around the room for a clock, noticing it was just after seven. “Oh, I thought it would be later. I woke up early and meditated for a little while,” he explained.

  “I see,” she said with a deadpan look at her own food.

  “Where’s everyone else?” Erik asked.

  “I haven’t woken them up yet. I usually eat first.”

  “All alone? Isn’t it more fun with more people?” Erik asked. He used to like being alone himself, so he wasn’t the right person to ask.

  “I don’t mind. Since the monsters arrived, it’s been all action all day. Since you arrived at Bridgefort, it’s settled a bit, but it feels like it’s just the build-up phase right now. We’re knee deep in the training montage about now. It won’t be long until we’re in the third part, and I’m sure that’ll be the worst time for me personally since the war started. I’m just trying to prepare myself mentally before then,” she said, twirling a spoonful of yoghurt with her hand as she spoke.

  “I get that. Me, I’m more worried about the climax myself, but that might be because I haven’t considered how the next days or weeks might turn out.”

  “Well, you’re the side protagonist, so the climax will be your greatest trial for sure. I’m just a grunt, I won’t be in that part,” Emma said with a slight grin.

  “Woah, hey! Side protagonist? Aren’t I the main character?”

  “No, that’s Jessie. It’s the twenty twenties; everything is all female empowerment these days. Maybe the book is written by an old man stuck in the 1900s, but the movie will definitely alter the content to fit more female-oriented audiences. The patriarchy is dead, Erik, get with it.”

  “Sorry, but I’ve been dead for a while, so I’m a bit late to the party. At least I’m the mysterious wizard in the story,” Erik joked.

  “Not a chance, that’s Jessie as well,” Emma laughed.

  “I guess she is, yeah,” Erik said, and an awkward silence filled the space between them. They both ate some more.

  “Thank you, Emma. For being here, I mean,” Erik said when she was done eating her breakfast.

  “There’s no need to thank me. I want to be here. It’s an honour, actually. It might be more egotistical of me than you realise, though,” Emma responded, her expression unreadable.

  “How is that?”

  “In one way, it’s a dream come true. I’m a bit of a fantasy and sci-fi nerd, so joining an adventuring party alongside my magical friends is kind of at the top of my unrealistic wish list.” Emma started, a slight smile growing back.

  “Really? I didn’t take you for the type. What’s your favourite archetype, then? Considering you’re both a marksman and close quarters expert, you’re hard to pinpoint.”

  “Warrior, actually. Never were one for magic, and archers or rangers are often too static for me. It’s not the same when in the field in real life. Wind, moisture, sounds, adrenaline - no game can get that feeling right,” Emma explained. “There’s few things in combat as complex and exciting as hitting a target over the 1k mark.”

  “I think I understand. What’s the other reason?”

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Do you understand that if we can win this, I’m basically set for life? It’s shallow, I know, but I could go to work anywhere in the world just by reputation alone. I’m not after fame, don’t get me wrong. I’m after opportunities. That’s why I wanted to go to Bridgefort. That’s why I wanted to stay in Bridgefort. It’s not like I would settle down and retire even if I could, but no one would refuse me wanting a post anywhere after saving the world.”

  “That isn’t shallow at all, Emma,” Erik started, her eyes meeting his. “It seems like what you’re after is sort of like job security, in a sense. But have you considered that the state of the world after we win might not be what it was before the invasion? I mean, most of the Empire, our nation, is already in ruins.

  “We don’t know how much destruction they will have wrought when we manage to beat them. Most militaries will be helping rebuild the following year, unless another war happens for whatever scraps are left of the Empire or something, which I’m sure is a real possibility.”

  “I’ve thought about it a little. Of course I want to help rebuild the Empire. It’s not like I want the luxuries of being posted in a tropical paradise or anything, but after the rebuilding, when some semblance of normalcy has been recovered, I can choose between battlefields or sandy beaches however I wish.”

  “I’d want that for you as well,” Erik said as he emptied his plate for the last piece of breakfast.

  Emma smiled in return and got up from her seat. The two of them then climbed the stairs back up to their floor together, splitting up to let Emma wake the rest up.

  Before separating, Emma asked to check on his bandages, and promptly told him to go check in with the medics before they left to change them to fresh ones. Even though he was healing fast, blood had soaked the bandages from yesterday, and they would soon become uncomfortable.

  Erik climbed another floor, knocking on the door with the number Emma had given him. A familiar face opened the door moments later, the man’s face more red than its usual brown.

  “Amir! I thought this was the medics’ room?” Erik asked with surprise at the sight of the man.

  “We changed. I originally got the two-bed bedroom, and they got a one-bed. I’m surprised to see you up and walking, considering the state of you when I recovered you,” Amir said. He rubbed his eyes violently.

  “I wanted to thank you for that, by the way. Thank you, really. I would’ve died if it weren’t for you.”

  “Not like I want to leave anyone behind to die, but leaving half of the world’s only hope for dead would have bothered me even worse,” Amir shrank. “The medics are just across the hall, there,” the pilot then said, pointing at one of the doors placed diagonally from his.

  “Thanks. We’ll talk later?”

  “You’ll see a lot of me over the next while. Just got new orders, actually. You should talk to Colonel Ashleigh, she just got the same orders.”

  “She’s not a colonel anymore, she shouldn’t be receiving orders,” Erik said, the complaint firmly stuck on his face.

  “Oh, I misspoke. She wasn’t really ordered like I was, but she was asked to talk something over with you. I’m sure she’s looking for you right now, as a matter of fact.” He looked worried that he had said something wrong.

  “I’ll find her right after I’ve talked to the medics. Thanks, Amir,” Erik said, nodding to the man before knocking on the door behind him. Amir closed his own door after a nod in response.

  The medics were astounded at the rate Erik was healing, although his back was still a large open wound tied together with string at this point. If it kept up the same pace, his stitches could be removed in less than a week.

  They removed his bandages and replaced them with new ones. The medics were both men, one of them in his early fifties, and one in his late thirties. They both worked in tandem and was done in a flash. It was obvious that these two men had done this a lot, most of it probably the last few months.

  As the bandages were replaced, the two of them talked casually about anything but the patient in front of them, and Erik chimed in once or twice in the conversation. He wasn’t usually all that comfortable with strangers, but since coming back to life he had bigger concerns than his own comfort. Besides, it was likely a good idea to build a good rapport with those that assisted him in his cause.

  He learned their names, thanked them for their work, both the day earlier and now, and talked about the past with them. It wasn’t that long ago life could be called normal for all of them, but the past few months made them all look back at that time with decades worth of nostalgia.

  Having fresh bandages on, Erik once again thanked the medics and was about to leave their room when Angela opened the door in front of him.

  “Good morning, boys,” she said with a smile directed at the medics. They responded in kind, and Angela turned to Erik. “We should talk. Meet us for breakfast downstairs?”

  “Of course. I can join you on the way down, I was just about to leave anyway,” Erik said, gesturing to the door and followed Angela out. He waved goodbye to the medics as the door shut behind him.

  Angela and Erik shared simple pleasantries on their way down the stairs, like how they had slept and what today’s weather was forecast. Reaching the lobby and the dining area, Erik was surprised to find Emma having returned along with Jessie and Sophie.

  Jessie’s new pet dinosaur was nowhere to be found, which would be hard to explain to anyone else anyway. Jessie and Sophie were already eating breakfast, and Angela went to gather up some food before sitting down along with the rest.

  “So, I got a call from Majo- uh… MacLeod. He delivered a warning and had an idea for us. First though, we should talk about recent events,” Angela started, meeting everyone’s worried faces.