Rune Seeker

“Now that we’ve got that all sorted out,” Seena said. “Gran, do you want some time to figure out if you’re going to take the advanced class? You should probably decide before we go in, but it doesn’t have to be this exact moment.”

“Just make sure to let us know if you do decide to take it,” Yanily said immediately. “Evolutionary Inspiration.”

“The bonuses are nice for us,” Seena admitted. “If you’re comfortable with it, Gran.”

“Bunch of peepers,” Gran said. “Let me read it over and make sure it’s what I want. I’ll decide before we go in.”

“Why wouldn’t you take an advanced class?” Loan asked.

“Ask Hiral or Nivian about that,” Seena said.

“You turned down an advanced class?” Loan asked Hiral, while more Growers and Makers slowly began to stream out of the cavern.

There were people Hiral recognized, but none he particularly wanted to talk to. So, he gave his old trainer his full attention.

“I didn’t turn it down,” Hiral started. “Not exactly. I didn’t like what I was offered. I mean, sure, it gave bonuses and it was strong, but it wasn’t… me. That’s the best way to explain it. I’d met some of those criteria Seeyela mentioned, so the advanced class unlocked.

“But, just because I’d ticked off some boxes, that didn’t mean it was the right class for me. Think of it this way, if I spent my time studying and working with Gauto – did he come down, by the way? – then I might get an advanced class more suited for an Academic.”

“That… sounds like something that would fit you,” Loan said evenly. He knew how much Hiral liked solving puzzles.

“Before I came to the surface, maybe,” Hiral said. “I enjoyed it, sure, but I didn’t want it to be my life. And that’s the same kind of thing as with the advanced class I got offered. I don’t think I would’ve hated it, but I made it better. I made it mine.”

“What do you mean?” Ilrolik asked. “How did you make it better?”

“I was able to edit the rules of the class,” he said. That was probably the easiest way to explain things – at least for now. “I can’t do it for other people – before you ask – but it’s part of what let me sense and help Gran and Yanily connect with their advanced classes.”

“Do you sense anything like that from us?” Loan asked, gesturing between himself and Ilrolik.

Hiral shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t. If I had to guess, you’re not close enough yet. I can only give that last little push, not outright offer somebody an advanced class.”

“Are any of the Bonder groups stronger than yours?” Ilrolik suddenly asked, completely changing topics.

“Romin?” Seena asked. “How about Burs’s group?”

“Not as strong as us,” Romin said. “Especially after our farming.”

“Farming?” Ilrolik asked. “Vegetables? Healthy… diet?”

“It’s in that pamphlet going around,” Loan said. “Something to do with killing things over and over for experience.”

“We found a good place to get some extra levels,” Hiral explained.

“Based on that,” Seena went back to the main point. “No, I don’t think any of the Bonder groups are stronger than us. Nivian’s group is the closest.”

“Bold assumption you could beat us in a spar,” Wule said. Then he looked at his brother’s flat stare. “Okay, maybe it’s a bold – yet fair – assumption. We’ll catch up though.”

“You will,” Seena agreed. “A few more advanced classes of your own, and maybe some more dungeon gear, and you’ll be right there.”

“Why are you asking, Ilrolik?” Hiral asked the Shaper.

“Raid groups,” Ilrolik said. “Drahn tells us they need three parties. Eighteen people. We’re joining you.”

“Ahem,” Loan coughed into his hand.

Ilrolik looked at the big man, then her eyebrows rose a little. “If you’ll have us, that is.”

“She’s not used to people not doing what she says immediately,” Loan said, one hand beside his mouth as if that would prevent Ilrolik from hearing his words. “Ah, but Hiral, about our party, you should…”

“Nivian?” Seena said, starting at the same time Loan had, accidently cutting the man off. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know any of these people,” Nivian said. “But, isn’t Hiral the raid leader?”

“That’s a good point,” Seena said, blushing a little as she turned to Hiral. “I was just asking him as fellow party leaders…”

“It’s fine,” Hiral said. “As for the question, this lines up with what we were talking about before.” Then he looked towards Ilrolik. “You’re the party leader?”

“I am,” the Shaper said.

“Seena and Nivian are our party leaders,” Hiral said. “Though I’m the overall raid leader for the three groups.”

“And, I’m just going to get this out of the way,” Seena said. “If you’re not okay with taking instructions from Hiral, you’re not welcome in our raid group.”

“Is that so?” Ilrolik said, arms crossing. She was not used to being talked to like that. As one of the strongest B-Rank Shapers on the island, hers had been a position of respect for a long time. Despite her advanced age, she wasn’t small like Gran or Grandmother. And, while she didn’t have quite the same overpowering aura the Grower leader did, Ilrolik made up for it through her impressive physicality. She wasn’t much smaller than Loan, even though she had to be almost three times his age.

“That’s so,” Seena said, crossing her own arms. On her shoulder, Li’l Ur mimicked the gesture.

“Ilrolik,” Loan sighed, gently elbowing her in the side.

“She’s got backbone,” Ilrolik said to Loan without tearing her eyes off Seena.

“Yes, and it looks like it’s on fire,” Loan said. “Also, if you remember the flames from the battle at Vorinal’s tower, she’s probably the one responsible.”

Ilrolik waved one hand like that hardly mattered. “I like you,” she finally said to Seena. “Not many people stand up to me. You didn’t even hesitate. Good on you.”

“Thank you,” Seena said, though her face remained serious. “Didn’t answer my question, though.”

“You’re right, I didn’t,” Ilrolik said. “No problem here taking instructions – orders – from Hiral. You’ve all more than proved you’ve got what it takes.”

“Any instructions I give,” Hiral said. “Will be to you, for your party. You still have the autonomy to decide how to act on them.”

“That sounds fair,” Ilrolik said. “Count us in.”

“Before that,” Hiral said. “Not that I think this would impact you joining us, but who else is in your party? You two, I assume, and Drahn. Three other Growers then?”

“About that, Hiral…” Loan started, lifting a hand.

“Two other Growers,” Ilrolik cut Loan off. “We formed one of the earlier parties when Drahn came back with the information about the raid zone.”

“Quite the stir he caused with it,” Grandmother added in. “Even more so when he insisted we tell the Islanders too. Never thought I’d hear those words from him.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“The first dungeon of the group was a bit eye-opening for all of us,” Ilrolik said. “Nobody was sure we could work with each other. But, I’ll say this with complete honesty, it would’ve been a lot harder without Drahn there.”

“Oh?” Seeyela asked.

“I hadn’t run a dungeon yet,” Ilrolik said. “Neither had Loan.”

“Had our hands full, along with your father,” Loan explained. “Dealing with the leftover rebels on the council. But, that’s not important, Hiral. You should know…”

“Full was an understatement,” Ilrolik said with a glare that seemed like it would melt stone. “Those slippery bastards, still trying to play things off like they were just looking out for the island’s best interests. If I could throw them off…”

“You did throw Besimil off,” Loan said, looking antsy at the topic. Or, was it something else? He’d been cut off a few times now…

“Somebody caught him,” Ilrolik complained. “That little bastard is lucky I didn’t get my hands on him again. If he shows his face in front of me down here…”

“You know he’s coming.” Loan patted the air to try and keep the other Shaper from getting too aggravated. “Yes, some of the council – most of the council came down.”

“My father?” Hiral asked. “Did he come too?” Just considering his father may’ve come down – along with his sisters – had Hiral looking past his old trainer again in hopes of spotting them.

“Yes,” Loan said. “He did, but…”

“Of course he did! All three of his kids here? Just try and keep that man away. But he’s going to be busy keeping his eyes on the rest of the snakes,” Ilrolik said. “I’m sure they’re going to try something. Sure of it. But I don’t have any proof.”

“And you still want to go out and actively fight in the raid zone?” Seena asked. “If I had to guess, we’re going to be the busiest raid group.”

“It’s exactly why I need to go out,” Ilrolik said. “We need to prove we made the right choice rejecting that Nomad’s – sorry, Grower’s – damning offer. If I’m not strong enough to carry my weight in this raid zone, whatever it is, then that just makes us all look worse.”

“What about up on the island?” Hiral asked. “Is it safe to have so many of the council down here?”

“Enough stayed behind to keep a lid on things,” Ilrolik said, calming down a little.

“If you tell me who these troublemakers are,” Grandmother spoke up. “I’ll keep an eye on things in camp. Make sure they learn some manners if they get out of line.” A quick up-and-down of her walking stick sent a pulse of solar energy out and around the woman, startling everybody and even disrupting Hiral’s sensory domain.

A-Rank power. That’ll be us soon.

“Thank you, Grandmother,” Ilrolik said. “And, I’m sorry about the Nomad phrasing earlier. Old habits and old dogs, though it’s no excuse.”

“No apology needed,” Grandmother said. “Fitch made his choices, and I’d like to think they weren’t the same ones other Growers would make.” Then she looked at Seena, Seeyela, and Yanily. “And I’m very proud three specific ones chose differently.”

At the praise from one of the most influential people in their society, the three Growers nodded their thanks to the older woman.

“But,” Hiral said. “Back to my original question. Who else is in your party? You said you’re the tank Ilrolik? And Loan is damage? That leaves at least a healer and a few more support or damage spots.”

“Yes, I’m the tank,” Ilrolik said. “Could always take a punch better than this one.” She thumbed at Loan as she said it.

“Uh-huh, and the other party…” Loan said.

“As for the healer,” Ilrolik went on without stopping. “Drahn brought a Grower with him. A woman by the name of Yuldoria. B-Rank, and a member of his old party, I think.”

“Oh?” Seeyela asked. “Yully joined you guys too?” Then she looked at Hiral. “Yully is Drahn’s sister, and almost like an unofficial aunt for most of us. It was her and Drahn babysitting us when we were young. And, despite what Drahn was saying, it was Yully changing Yan’s diapers.”

“Whaaaaat?!” Yanily asked. “No. No way.”

“Yes way,” Seeyela said.

“I feel violated. My dignity! My innocence.”

“You never had either of those things.”

“More importantly,” Seena interrupted the two. “Yully is a very talented healer. She taught Wule a lot of what he knows.”

“Way more than what I know,” Wule said. “What’s that old expression? She’s forgotten more than I’ll ever know.”

“Kind of like Milly,” Seena said. “She studied healing outside of magic.”

“Yes, Milly,” Loan said. “Hiral, your family…”

“She proved invaluable in the dungeons we ran,” Ilrolik went on. “Even regrew some feet.”

“Whose?” Hiral asked. “Yours?” He turned to Loan.

“I would not lose a foot,” Loan said, clearly insulted.

“No, Mr. Fancy Feet here is too busy avoiding attacks now,” Ilrolik said.

“Eh?” Hiral asked, his brain shorting out a little at the thought of a Shaper dodging something.

“I had a student – bit of a prodigy actually – who swore by dexterity,” Loan said. “Thought I’d give it a try.”

“Oh.”

“It was the third Grower who joined our party with Drahn and… Yully,” Ilrolik said. “She never shared that nickname with us. Maybe when she knows us a bit better. Where was I? Right, the other Grower – Devison – he was the one who lost his foot.”

“Let me guess,” Seeyela said. “He tried to kick something in the mouth?”

“Exactly,” Ilrolik said. “At the same time it opened that mouth, then closed it. With his foot inside. Teeth as big as my fingers made short work of his ankle. It was a bloody mess. Literally. Yuldoria patched him right up.”

“You said feet,” Yanily pointed out.

Both Seena and Seeyela groaned.

“Devison did it again, didn’t he?” Seeyela said.

“The very next fight,” Ilrolik said. “Almost disbanded the party right there.”

“Why didn’t you?” Hiral asked.

“Drahn and Yuldoria took responsibility for Devison. Took it hard. Got him in line by the next fight, and swore they’d take a piece off of him – one Yuldoria wouldn’t regrow, and that somebody named Izzy would miss – if he didn’t shape up.”

“Izzy is his wife,” Seeyela explained.

“Whoever she is, the threat worked,” Ilrolik said. “And the three of them worked well together. Took a little time for the rest of us to match our tempos, but by the time we finished the third dungeon, we were in a good place. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with us in your raid group.”

“That still leaves your sixth member,” Hiral said.

“Yeah, and Hiral,” Loan said, a bit of urgency in his voice.

“Hiral!” a pair of new voices shouted from the other side of Loan, and the big man shifted just in time for a pair of young women to dart past him.

Four arms wrapped around Hiral’s chest, and two heads quickly followed. One bob of hair snuggled in under his chin, while the other – still a little shorter – nuzzled up against his shoulder, and Hiral wrapped his arms around his sisters.

Part of him had dreaded them coming down and risking themselves, but he couldn’t argue with himself over how happy he was to see them again.

“Nat! Milly! Did you get taller, Milly?” He asked the shorter sister, rubbing the top of her short-cut hair. “Or are you wearing those shoes again?”

“Am not,” Milly said, her face not at all moving from where it rubbed against the smooth fabric of the Coat of Amin Thett.

“She got taller,” Nat said, likewise rubbing her face against his collar. “We both did.”

“You don’t seem any taller, Nat,” Hiral said.

“I’m crouching so I can enjoy your coat,” Nat said.

With a touch of energy to reignite his sensory domain, Hiral confirmed the girl was in fact slightly bending her knees. They really had gotten a little taller, and he’d barely been gone more than a hundred hours!

Then again, Rank evolutions have been known to improve the body. Could be that.

The not-so-important question aside for the moment, Hiral noticed another person working their way between Loan and Ilrolik.

“Dad!” Hiral said, opening his arms a bit so his father could join in on the family hug.

Without an ounce of shame, embarrassment, or hesitation, Elezad – with a stupidly giddy look on his face – pranced over and wrapped his arms around his kids.

“All together again at last,” Elezad had. “Hiral, you’re good, aren’t you?”

“Didn’t lose your head again or anything, did you?” Nat asked, finally looking up from where she nestled against him.

“No, I didn’t lose my head,” Hiral said flatly.

“Seena did,” Right said.

“What?!” Nat asked, pushing herself up to her tiptoes to look around. His sisters knew about his sort-of-relationship with the party leader – or what it had been when he left – and they’d been surprisingly approving of it. When Nat spotted Seena beside Hiral, the middle child felt noticeably confused within the group hug. “She still has a head.”

“It got better,” Seena said with a shrug.

“Hiral said the same thing when it happened to him,” Nat said. “What is it with you two?”

“We’ll tell you all about it later,” Hiral said, turning his attention to his father. “Everything okay with you? Ilrolik mentioned you’re still having some problems.”

“Can we not talk about it while I’m enjoying seeing all my kids at once?” Elezad said, then sighed.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the adult?” Milly asked without moving an inch – other than rubbing her face along Hiral’s coat.

“Fiiiiiine,” Elezad said. One more squeeze, then he let go and stepped back. A quick look around to make sure nobody was too close, and he spoke quietly. “Yes, some of the council are still making debatable choices. I probably don’t have to tell you this, but watch your back out there. I’m sure your party – that’s what you kids are calling it, right? – will be fine. And Ilrolik’s, and…”

Elezad seemed to notice Nivian nearby.

“Uh, are you feeling okay?” Elezad asked. “You look a little pale… and, are your eyes on fire?”

“I’m fine, thank you for asking,” Nivian said. “You must be Hiral’s father. We’ve heard a lot about you.”

“All good, I promise,” Wule said. “I’m Wule, this is my bother Nivian. We used to be in the same party with Hiral, and we’ll keep an eye on him for you.”

“No promises, though,” Nivian said. “You know how he can be.”

“Hey now,” Hiral said. “You’re as bad as Left and Right.”

“Nothing wrong with a little honesty,” Right said.

“You’re all bullies,” Hiral said. “And, I’ll be fine, Dad. Ilrolik’s party is going to be with us too.”

Something about that made Elezad pause. “They are?”

“Yeah, we were just sorting out the details when you came along,” Hiral said.

“Did Ilrolik tell you who was in her party?” Elezad asked slowly. “And you were okay with it?”

“She was just about to tell me who the final person was, actually,” Hiral said.

“That would be me,” a new voice said, as another form slipped between Ilrolik and Loan.

Dressed in an artist’s robes, the woman her hair tied back, and an intricately tattooed Medium floating at each shoulder. The aura of a B-Ranker oozed off her, but that part of things didn’t surprise Hiral. No, it was the woman’s identity that had his entire body freezing.

This was the sixth member of Ilrolik’s party? Of Hiral’s raid group?

His mother?!