After the End: Serenity

Stallet Center, Asihanya

The morning of Earth’s integration

The walls of Stallet loomed over the town that had grown up around it.

Raz looked at them with hope as he rolled up the faded, barely functional flying carpet that was his clan’s only personal flight item. Now that he’d graduated into Tier 2, he could apply there. With a few years’ training, he might even be able to turn around his Clan’s fortunes. The Sunrise Clan had everything they needed, even a Clan Dungeon. He could help Aki improve it to what it had once been! They might have to relocate, but that would be easy if he knew how to locate a good spot.

All of the Clan’s glories were long past. Raz’s grandfather had chosen to live as a rich man when he was Clan Chief and squandered most of what was left, while his mother had chosen the opposite. Save what they could and try to rebuild conventionally. It had worked, sort of, but it was very slow and even a little bad luck could ruin them.

Raz thought they were both wrong. The best way to rebuild the Clan’s fortunes was to do what Sunrise herself did. Make the Clan Dungeon a place that welcomed adventurers instead of open only to the Clan. Charge them a percentage of their findings - or even a flat fee as some other Dungeons had started doing.

Bring the students from Stallet in! They were right there, after all, and needed practical experience! Raz wasn’t sure when that practice had stopped; he knew that Sunrise had started it, but all he could find out was “we don’t do that anymore”.

Still, his mother had promised that if he got the Path he’d been seeking, she’d sponsor him into Stallet. If he did well at Stallet, he was sure she’d give him some more leeway about the Dungeon. Dungeons were his field, after all, and it wasn’t the focus of her plans. Even if he failed, it wouldn’t hurt the clan too much - there were only positives!

Thinking hopeful thoughts, Raz hurried into the Stallet Center Market. His mother had told him to “make himself scarce” today, and that meant it was the perfect day to spend the Etherium she’d given him to celebrate his second Tier. Sure, she’d said to save it for the future, but a little wouldn’t matter, and maybe he’d find something that would be useful into the future anyway.

The vendors called out their goods, as they did every day. Raz hurried past the food vendors near the entrance; if he stopped, he knew he’d spend too much, and he’d already had breakfast. Raz attracted a few stares; most of the shoppers were human, not draykin, but the locals all knew the Sunrise clan, and Raz had the usual Sunrise coloration - yellow at his crest, fading through orange to a deep red at the shoulder and darkening to purple, then blue at the tip of his tail and his feet. His chest and under-tail were darker than his upper scales, which was normal for Sunrise. His Clan had been near Stallet for as long as anyone could remember.

Raz’s first goal was Grandma Tillon. She was the oldest-looking human he’d ever met, and one of the nicest. She was also the best source of news in the Market, as well as one of the Quest-Givers. Those usually did go together; Raz didn’t understand how the Quest-Giver Path worked, but the few he’d met all loved to gossip.

“Raz! You’re looking a bit taller today. Don’t tell me you’re Tiered up again already!” Grandma Tillon was in her usual spot, sitting cross-legged on top of a short wall that didn’t belong to any current building Raz could see.

Raz grinned. Whatever he said now, the news would make it to anyone who cared quickly now. “Yup! Youngest in generations! And I got the Path I wanted too!”

Grandma Tillon patted the short wall she was sitting on, telling him to hop up next to her. She looked sad. “Raz, I know you want to help Aki, but she’s-”

A loud BOUMPH in the distance interrupted her. Everyone turned to look. A cloud of black smoke was rising from the direction of Sunrise Manor.

What’s between here and home? There isn’t much that could give off that sort of smoke. Should I head that way to help? Could it be the Skee? No, it’s farther than that. But there isn’t much between the Skee and home-

[Sunrise Clan has been disbanded by majority agreement of all adult members. Members voting: 1 in favor, 1 not present. Tie decided by the will of the Clan Chief]

Raz stared at the Voice’s words. They meant that his entire family - his entire Clan was dead. Everyone except possibly his mother, the Clan Chief. The news was worse than that. She wouldn’t have disbanded the Clan if there had been any other option, she’d have used it to find him. She’d probably have guessed that he’d be in the town but-

Was that why she’d given him Etherium and told him to make himself scarce? Had she expected something?

[Family quest received]

[Message begins: Raz, run. Take Aki if you can; she should have enough left for one interplanetary transit if you can get a quest to give you a destination. Ask Aki about the emergency stash. I love y-. Message ends.]

[Accept Quest?]

The word Family in the quest title made it start to sink in. Quests from his mother had always said Clan before.

He accepted the Quest and looked up at Grandma Tillon. “It’s home. Home is burning. My Clan-”

She leaned over and hugged Raz. She didn’t say anything, just held him while he shook.

He was never sure how long it was. Time didn’t have any meaning while he mourned.

Eventually, she squeezed his shoulders tightly and pushed him back into sitting on his own. “Do you need a place to stay?”

Raz looked at his feet. His claws were covered in dust from his run across the market.

There would be more than dust on them in the days to come.

That would be a long time in the future. Mother was - had been - Tier 4. So whoever had killed her wasn’t someone he could face now.

“No. No. Mother-” His voice cracked, something he’d thought he was past. “Mother thought it wasn’t safe. She - I need a quest. A quest with a destination. Offplanet.”

“You have a teleporter available?”

Raz nodded. “I didn’t think it worked anymore, but Mother-”

Grandma Tillon nodded. “Shaya always did like having an extra reserve. So. A Quest.” She tilted her head to the side. “I can’t think of any reason you’d want this one, except that it’s off planet. It’s just a Death training world, so it should be pretty easy, even if the low areas are a bit high Tier for you. Don’t go more than two tiers over; it may be Death, but two is plenty. Stay to the lowest areas you can find.”

Raz nodded. As weak as Death magic was, he’d be fine. “Is that why it’s a training world?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t be a training world if it weren’t relatively safe. The areas should be more defined than here, but watch out for anomalies. I know I’ve told you and told you, but it’s the anomalies that will kill you, not the things you’re expecting.”

Raz waited. Grandma Tillon was always warning him to be careful. She’d even told him to hold off on Tiering up for one more Path, but he had to push. Aki didn’t have the time. It was an odd thing to think about someone that should have been immortal, but Aki was slowly dying.

“Eh, you’re not listening. It’s to be expected, I suppose, your mother was just like you at your age. As for the quest, it’s an odd one. The basic Goal is simple, but the rest, well, you don’t have to do that part. It only came in an hour or so ago, too. Those are both points in its favor if someone is looking for you.”

[Quest Available: Final Relics]

[An Ancient has moved on, leaving his belongings and Armory to the Order. They have been added to the rewards of all Catacomb planets. The closest Catacomb planet to you is Tzintkra. Travel to Tzintkra and investigate the Catacombs]

[Goal: Delve into a Catacomb and find a relic of the lost Ancient]

[Optional Shared Goals:]

[Discover the Name(s) of the lost Ancient]

[Discover the history of the lost Ancient]

[Discover the heritage of the lost Ancient]

[Aid or hinder the true heir of the lost Ancient]

[Rewards: Varies]

[This quest will be active until all parts have been accomplished or are impossible. Rewards will be awarded incrementally]

[Background information:]

[A light shines in the darkness. Hope glimmers where despair once stood. Death is not the End.]

[Accept Quest?]

Grandma Tillon was right, the Shared Goals were nearly impossible and the “background information” was positively nonsensical. Still, “Delve a Catacomb” was straightforward. Raz hadn’t been to Tzintkra and he knew he’d need a Catacomb Key in order to enter a Catacomb, but surely he could find one once he was there.

This wasn’t a Quest he’d even consider normally. It was a good place to start running. He accepted.

“I’d better start moving. I need to get to the teleporter before it’s found. Thank you.” Raz turned away and headed for the edge of the town, where he could unroll his flying carpet. He didn’t wait to see Grandma Tillon’s response.

If he did, he’d just start crying, and he didn’t have time for that.

There was a side entrance to the Clan Dungeon. He could start from there; it was hidden, and probably hadn’t been found. It was unlikely the attackers would head into the dungeon quickly; they’d assume it could wait.