125. Sundown

  Serac ran back to her Waystation, only one thing on her mind.

  The smiting of the Frostkrill had resulted in two separate ticks of Karmic rewards for Serac herself. First [55,622 ?], which was what she’d lost to the Frostkrill in the first place, doubled by the effect of [Insatiable]. And an additional [14,667 ?] from the smite itself (severely diluted by at least five other Wayfarers). All told, it left her with a whopping Liminal Karma of [120,832 ?]! She couldn’t bear the thought of losing it all to some arbitrary time limit. Predictably enough, Trippy was her biggest cheerleader on this front:

  “Calm, Wayfarer. [Insatiable] is still in effect. By my estimates, you should arrive at the Waystation with some minutes to spare. Be ready to clear your mind and meditate as soon as you do.”

  Serac didn’t need to be told twice. She slid the last few yards of ice to reach the lotus flower, while Zacko (no status effect and therefore in slightly less of a hurry) took a more dignified approach. The snowy hill that hid Ashvanaga remained in place, but the Anchored souls inside would have to wait a bit. Such was the urgency of a pair of fast-climbing Wayfarers.

  The cache of Liminal Karma, as large as it was, disappeared in short order. Serac leveled up six times, from KL-44 to 50. That made it 20 additional levels in just over two months! She and Zacko had ripped through Naraka at breakneck pace and didn’t know how to slow down even here in Pretjord. The Rakshasa tempered her own celebration, however, mindful of the major source of her latest haul.

  If Serac had her way, she’d settle in for a lengthy and considered leveling session. Alas, given all the loose ends yet to be tied up, she could ill afford to spend too much time. After a moment’s hesitation, she again split the six points between [Substance] and [Immanence]. Failing all else, she could at least hit harder with her immediate toolkit. The main thing for her current build was the three-headed beast of [Physical BAV: 131 -> 137], [Infernal BAV: 153 -> 161], and [Zealous BAV: 165 -> 175]. The meaty buff to Zealous was especially promising, enabling [Appetizer] as a viable boss-killer, assuming the damage could get through.

  The other change of note was another increase to her [Satiety Cap: 110 -> 125]. Useful as a secondary fuel source for some of her spells, but it also made her more aware of her [Hunger]. It was hard to ignore the discomfort, but ignore it she must, the better to focus on more pressing matters.

  “Right, let’s grab the others and get out of here.”

  That was when she came to a horrible realization. In the time it took her and Zacko to meditate, Pretjord’s pale-jade moon had come out in full force, lending a clearer view of the situation. And that was how Serac saw the big hole atop of the snowy bunker, certainly big enough for a house-sized tortoise to charge right through. As she climbed the hill, her worst fears were confirmed. Ash the stone castle stood stolidly where she’d ‘parked’ it, but gone were its Anchored passengers—Inge, Munkfred, and even Petter.

  “Oh no,” she said in a hushed voice, mind grasping for a benign explanation for her missing friends. “Do you think they’re still nearby?”—she looked to Zacko, pleading for reassurance—“Maybe they just decided to switch seats? Get a better view of the Hunt?”

  “It doesn’t look good.” Zacko refused to indulge Serac. “Remember, that koi lady is connected to Bubblegum, and as much as we like her, she’s still a fugitive. Who’s to say Inge wasn’t ‘wanted’ by association?”

  “And Petey?”

  “Wrong place at the wrong time.”

  Zacko said this with such matter-of-fact bluntness that Serac’s worry quickly flared into anger. Things went from bad to worse, as further investigations revealed numerous footprints belonging to strangers, which circled and overlapped each other in a clear sign of struggle. Serac couldn’t help but stomp her castle’s stone roof in frustration.

  “How could you sit here and let this happen, Ash?” she lashed out, immediately hating the petulant whine in her own voice. “Our friends were taken away, and you just watched them go?”

  “Hey, now, none of that.” Zacko interceded quickly, grabbing Serac’s shoulder with a firmness he normally reserved for their enemies. His eyebrows drew a flat line as he added, “Ash behaved exactly how a Steed should. You asked buddy to wait for you here, and it did. Now, it’s up to us to focus up and deal with this mess.”

  Serac, already regretting her harsh treatment of Ash, felt even worse. But now wasn’t the time to mope or whine. She gave Zacko’s hand an appreciative pat as she spoke.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  “You’re right, and I’m sorry. Ash? If you’re not too mad at me, could you tell us which way these guys went? Was it”—she pointed counter-clockwise relative to the Realmtree’s roots, back toward the main beach—“this way?”

  Grraaawwww… (No.)

  “That way then?” A 180 to point clockwise, toward the site of the Frostkrill smite.

  Crreeeaaaakkkkk…!! (Yes!)

  “Okay, I guess we at least have a lead.”

  Even as she voiced her hope, Serac couldn’t help but frown. Assuming this apparent abduction had occurred recently, she and Zacko ought to have noticed a large group passing them in the opposite direction. Unless…

  “Whoever did this would’ve been watching us for some time,” Zacko observed, seeming to have read Serac’s mind. “Watching and waiting until the moment Inge was left unattended. So, someone who knows what she means to Renate… and almost definitely an Anchored soul themselves, since literally every Wayfarer in the Realm was tied up in the Hunt.”

  Somehow, Serac saw a clear picture of the Anchored soul responsible, which only accelerated her worries.

  “Speaking of Renate”—she half-gasped in sudden realization—“do you think she might be in trouble too? I mean, the Yakshas around us would’ve seen her there after she smited the Frostkrill, right? Prince Sicko did, at the very least. Oh, why, Zacko? Why didn’t we stay and help her?”

  “Because we listened to her,” Zacko said more or less calmly, but Serac had learned to recognize the anger that simmered beneath his words. “Because she told us she’d join us, and we believed her. Because we were too dumb to realize she only said that to get us away from whatever was about to go down. But most importantly… because we decided Karma was our top priority and everything else could wait.”

  It was clear exactly to whom Zacko’s anger was directed. Serac couldn’t blame him. The truth was so painful and so infuriating she wanted to kick herself, but she forced herself to stay present. To face reality.

  Let this be another lesson, she told herself, uncaring who else inside her head might hear. There are things in the afterlife even more fleeting and tenuous than Liminal Karma. Never again will I let instant gratification blind myself from the bigger picture…

  “Well?” Zacko, having reined in his emotions, went on in a slightly lighter tone. “What’s our next move?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Serac said, voice quivering and more forceful than she’d intended. It would take her a bit longer to simmer down. “We go after them. We rescue Inge, Munkfred, Petey, and hopefully find Renate too. Oh, and when we find her, you better believe she’s getting an earful from me! How could she do this to us? To herself?”

  Zacko smiled. Serac turned away before the Manusya could see her blink away a single tear.

  Time to get to work. With the pale-jade moon lighting their way, the outrealmer duo rumbled across the ice on their living castle. Almost as soon as they set off, Serac the navigator became aware of another peculiarity.

  “The Frostkrill is gone,” she murmured to herself.

  More specifically, it was the Frostkrill’s carapace that had disappeared. The change was obvious, as the thing had been massive enough to be visible from miles all around. Had it also Dusted away like the rest of the giant prawn? Or had the Yakshas hacked it to pieces and carried it away, maybe on Gulloyne’s back? Petter did mention it was crafting material for the Kronvakt’s armor.

  Even without the carapace serving as a landmark, the site of battle was easy enough to identify. Serac brought Ash to a halt as they came upon the numerous icebergs left in the Frostkrill’s wake. Just one glance told Serac that the entire Hunting party had long left. Neither were there any signs of Renate or their Anchored friends. We should still step off and investigate, Serac decided, trying to quell her disappointment. We might find clues to point us in the right direction.

  She and Zacko hopped from iceberg to iceberg, then did a lap of the perimeter on foot, scanning for meaningful tracks all the while. The Realmhunt’s aftermath made for an extremely busy and confusing picture. Everything from cleats to tortoise prints to trident marks to castle teeth. The jumbled mess left nothing conclusive and everything to the imagination.

  Serac was just about to give up and call for another huddle with Zacko when she suddenly felt a slight tremor in her horns. Whether she’d intended or not, she’d become something of a passive ripple-reader, and this new signal told her that something was lurking in the water nearby. She wordlessly gestured for Zacko to stop, then unholstered REVOLVER. The Manusya took the hint and lowered himself into a stance, back to back with Serac for maximum coverage.

  Who or what could it be? Aberrant stragglers still looking for a fight? Maybe Renate returning to the scene of the crime after a successful escape? Or—

  Icebergs broke apart and skimmed across the water, as two figures emerged from their midst. Serac’s twitchy fingers nearly squeezed the trigger right then and there, but then she relaxed as soon as she recognized the newcomers’ silhouettes. Two burly sturgeon boys, drenched from head to toe in freezing water. They looked rather worse for wear than the last time they’d met, damaged clothes and visible wounds galore.

  “Lars! Hans!” Serac cried, full of emotion but not quite sure of its exact nature. “What are you guys still doing here?”

  “Not still.” Hans the quieter one panted, straining with effort and looking utterly exhausted. A rare sight for such a strong swimmer as he. “We came back here as soon as it was safe to do so. To find you.”

  “Yes,” Lars the spokes-twin added, though he struggled more than usual to get the words out. “We knew you would be here. Glad we are not too late. Come, do not dally, and let us speak. Of the injustices that took place today upon the frozen sea—and of that which has plagued this Realm for the last decade and more.”

  sucks to lose all those hard-earned so—I mean ru—I mean Karma...

  - Larkspur

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