Chương 36: Decisions

It was nearing midday. Ethan sat in the sand with the Valkyries and his sister. Desmond had taken ten others to scout the settlement. The rest remained behind to guard the freed prisoners and secure the perimeter. Ethan hadn't spoken much. Partially because in larger groups, speaking less and listening more was usually the smarter play. Mostly because he was thinking. Yes. Actually thinking. He had some immediate goals he needed to work towards. First—and most pressing—was the farscribe book.

He hadn't seen Alice hand it over to Desmond yet, but she would. Of that he had no doubt. The moment she reported properly, it would end up in guild hands. And then it would become infinitely harder to obtain. He probably should have forced the issue back at the settlement. He had considered it. But from what he'd seen, Alice had protected Leah. That mattered. It stayed his hand when it otherwise wouldn't have. He owed her something for that. The main reason, though, had been timing.

He thought he'd have time to persuade her. And failing that… He glanced toward where Alice sat further along the gorge wall. … there were always quieter methods. She had been starved while captured. Exhausted. People in that state slept deeply. Now? That window was closing. He needed to get his hands on it before Desmond did. Ethan exhaled slowly. No point dwelling. Regret wasted time. Instead, he needed to focus on action. He would stick with the Valkyries for now.

Desmond would welcome another awakened core in the group—even if skepticism lingered. The man could tell Ethan's core had awakened, just as Ethan could tell vice versa. For that reason alone, Ethan would be an asset. Besides, he intended to head to Arrowtown anyway. With numbers at his back, and being properly healed, he felt far more confident than earlier. He needed to see if anyone was at Bella's home after all. He had questions. And he intended to get answers.

"What are you brooding about?" Leah's voice cut through his thoughts. Ethan glanced sideways. She sat cross-legged in the sand, chewing on dry rations with clear displeasure.

"I'm not brooding," he said calmly.

"I'm thinking." She waved a strip of jerky vaguely at his face.

"That's the same thing. Are you not happy?" He huffed quietly and nudged her knee.

"Of course I am. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Like what?" He scanned the group before answering.

"We need to figure out what's happening here. If this festers, a lot of people die." Leah's expression shifted more serious.

"You don't think the Valkyries can handle it?" Ethan kept his voice low.

"I think they might. Fifty-fifty." Her brow furrowed.

"Why wouldn't they?"

"Guilds are complicated," he said.

"They want control. Always. If this situation becomes an opportunity to consolidate power, they'll take it. Even if they know they're being manipulated. War can still be profitable." Leah let out a dry breath and finished her food.

"So nothing's changed," she muttered.

"World goes to hell, and the people at the top still fight over scraps of power."

"It stabilizes eventually," Ethan replied.

"Like Earth did. After the initial struggle, systems form. Order follows chaos. I just want to make sure as many people survive long enough to see that part." Leah was quiet for a moment.

"And what about us?" she asked softly.

"You've got knowledge that could save lives. Have you thought about releasing it?" He had. Constantly.

"We'll get there," he said.

"Right now I'm too weak. Information without power is just a target painted on my back." He brushed sand from his palm.

"But I do need to warn the guilds. Millions of people are about to enter this level. If they aren't prepared, it'll be chaos." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Leah gave him a skeptical look.

"And how exactly do you plan to convince them of that?"

"I don't," Ethan said simply.

"Not at first." He allowed himself a faint smile.

"But when it happens exactly as I say it will… they'll listen next time. And I have someone I know who owes me a favor." Leah went quiet. So Ethan let their conversation drop. After stopping the war, he would have to reunite with Alex. Then, softly, Leah spoke up.

"I'm sorry I left the settlement." Ethan turned fully toward her. That hadn't been where he expected this to go.

"I know you told me to stay low. To play it safe. I thought… with what I knew… I could grow stronger before you got here." She swallowed.

"I didn't think it would turn into that." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper.

"I didn't think I'd have to kill someone." The words hung between them. Ethan reached over and took her hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze. Killing. There was no clean way to process it. He still remembered his first time. The hesitation. The nausea. The way sleep stopped being peaceful afterward. It never truly went away; you just learned to function with it. Though it was odd. He couldn't remember the persons face anymore. He just knew it was over gear.

He wondered, sometimes, who he would've been if the Trials never arrived. Would he still be calculating? Unaffected at the sight of death? Would he have been capable of making the decision he'd made with the dying Valkyrie? He didn't know, and he never would. Because his hands were already stained. Now his sister's were too.

"Don't blame yourself," he said evenly.

"You saw what they were doing. You made the correct decision with the information you had." Leah nodded, though her eyes glistened.

"I know," she said.

"It still sucks."

"Yeah," Ethan agreed.

"It does." He rose to his feet.

"I'll be back soon." He left Leah sitting in the sand, the wind tugging lightly at her hair as she stared out at the dunes. Lost in her thoughts. This would be something she has to come to terms with. She had made some mistakes but he wasn't going to reprimand her. Not for taking missions. Not for chasing power. And not for joining the Valkyries. Objectively? It had been smart. Guilds meant protection. Housing. Resources. It was just unfortunate that joining one had pushed her into this massive clusterfuck.

But even Ethan couldn't have predicted what she'd stumbled into. On one hand, it was a blessing. This situation gave him a chance. A chance to alter the trajectory of the entire level, a chance to change the fates of so many. On the other… how the hell had she managed to land in the middle of this? And why the hell was she tasked with such a difficult mission so early on. Normally guilds left newbies the easier assignments. He exhaled slowly and adjusted the strap of his pack as he walked toward Alice.

Regardless, Leah wouldn't be staying with the Valkyries. Not long-term. Once someone cleared the first level, they could leave any guild freely. After that, contracts became binding, restrictive, and often predatory. He would make sure she didn't have to worry about that. Alice was speaking with a few Valkyries. They sat in the shadows of the cliff's edge. Their conversation paused as Ethan approached and crouched beside them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," he said.

"There's no good time for this, so I thought I'd just do it now." He reached into his pack and withdrew several tags.

"I ran into some reanimations while I was searching for the settlement. They were fighting someone from your guild." He opened his palm.

"I took these from the bodies. I'm sorry I couldn't save them." Alice looked down at the tags. Her jaw tightened just slightly before she reached out and took them.

"Thank you," she said.

"It means more than you know." Her thumb brushed across the engraved names before she slid them into her pocket. She looked up to respond, but Ethan felt something approaching through [Keen Sense]. He turned toward the settlement entrance carved into the stone just as Desmond emerged, followed by the rest of the scouting party. Ethan rose smoothly, slinging his pack over one shoulder.

"Looks like we'll be moving soon." Alice followed his gaze and stood.

"I guess we will." Desmond approached, his expression tight. Troubled. Alice met him halfway.

"Did you find anything else?" He shook his head.

"No. You all handled it. Thoroughly." He paused.

"Some of those rooms though…" His jaw flexed.

"Disturbing."

"You can say that again." Desmond nodded. His gaze swept across the camp before landing on Ethan. He turned away from Alice and walked over.

"Have you decided what you'd like to do next?" Ethan nodded.

"I'll stick around. If you'll have me. I'd like to see the former prisoners to safety. Finish what I started." Desmond studied him for a second longer, then smiled faintly.

"Good. I could use the help. From what I've gathered, Arrowtown won't be simple. But this ends there. Too many have already died."

"I'll be there." Desmond gave a firm nod before turning to the group.

"Pack up. We move now. If we're lucky, reinforcements will have reached Arrowtown before we do." The Valkyries moved efficiently, breaking down the temporary camp with practiced coordination. The former prisoners gathered their things with far less discipline—but far more urgency. They looked healthier now. Restored, and looking for answers. Ethan returned to Leah as the group began marching out of the narrow gorge and back into the open dunes. Heat rippled across the endless sea of sand ahead.

As they walked, he considered his options. For whatever reason, Alice hadn't handed the farscribe book over to Desmond. For that reason alone, Ethan felt more urgency to get ahold of it. Whatever was in there would answer a lot of questions, he was sure. He would need to do it in Arrowtown, when everyone was distracted with uprooting the rest of whatever operation was going on there.

"I want you with me in Arrowtown," he said quietly to Leah.

"Stick close. Forget what's happened before. It's done." She looked at him, listening.

"You're a scout. You're in a guild. And from what I've heard, you picked up a solid skill." His tone was steady.

"You'll be fine." He adjusted his pack again.

"We'll deal with the rest after this. Then I'll figure out how to get you out of the Valkyries so I can level you properly." Leah let out a small laugh. Ethan glanced at her.

"What?" She shook her head, smiling faintly.

"I just thought since you're technically ancient now, you'd act different." She bumped his shoulder lightly.

"But you're exactly the same." She looked ahead, still smiling.

"I'm glad."