Riftside 2 - Chapter 58

I stood on one of our chairs in front of the unlit fireplace. The weight of Quarris’s black crystal crown was substantial yet comforting. It was heavier even than if it had been made from steelhusk, and it was cold in my hands. I stared up at our trophy wall. It was slowly becoming impressive. Proof of the adventures we’d survived.

“A bit to the left,” Eryn said, “And up a bit.”

I made the adjustments. 

“Here?” I asked. “Seriously?”

“Fitting place,” Knut said and chuckled his rumbling laugh. “Crown above the platemaw’s head. Look like royal monster. Funny, too. Make for good story.”

“I like it,” Nabeeh said. “Has a certain flair to it. Surely wouldn’t mind bringing Edwin home with all those trophies.”

I looked over my shoulder with a raised eyebrow, but she just shrugged.

“Alright then,” I said, and held out my hand behind me. Eryn came and placed a nail in it, and I handed her the crown once I’d placed the nail correctly. 

I prepared mentally, and swiped out Roq for the first time after defeating Quarris. It was his punishment for lying to me about ‘Hammer To The Face’.

“On bloody time!” Roq said. “How dare you treat your primary weapon of glorious destruction like this!? I am a soul weapon. Unique in this world, and the key to your meteoric rise, and—”

I ignored his complaints and lined up the nail. 

“Hold still.” 

One sharp tap and the nail shot into the wall. 

“Manual labor!” Roq shrieked. “And after I was so cruelly imprisoned! Do you have any idea what it was like in there? With that… that mountain of a giant? He completely filled your storage to the point I was afraid it would burst! Do you hear me, oh biped, I was almost squashed! Utterly, comprehensively squashed! I could barely draw a breath! And I didn’t even have my PILLOW!”

“That’s good, Roq,” I said out loud for Nabeeh and Knut’s sake, carefully mounting the crown. The dark, jagged circle of crystal dominated the space. “Having a big carcass is lucky for us.”

“Big?” Roq said. “He was an impossibility! He shouldn’t have fit! It was like being trapped in a collapsing mine with an expanding rock!”

“Rock on Roq action?” Arclight said, chuckling.

I stepped back, admiring the crown. It looked good. Intimidating even. 

“Oh, don’t you dare!” Roq said. “Don’t you involve yourself in this, little miss stick thrower! I didn’t see you take down no giant!”

“Because you weren’t close enough to watch my arrow send the prey sprawling,” Arclight said. “But who could keep its shortsightedness against a hammer? You are what you are.”

“Guess some things are just bigger than they seem, Roq,” I said, more to myself than him. “I guess the giant was more than just the sum of its pieces.”

Knut grunted, his arms crossed as he stared up at the crown. 

“Tough. Good fight. Learned much from Edwin.”

Nabeeh sat seated by the table, leaning her chin on her hands.

“It was rather large, Ash. When it pulled out the spear? By the scorched sands, I thought Ming was done for. But the power… the sheer destructive force when Ming’s lightning hit those pylons!” She let out a little scream of excitement. 

I turned to look and found her grinning. 

“That was fun,” Nabeeh said.

Eryn came to stand beside me, slipping her hand into mine. Arclight rested on the table. 

“We faced it together,” Eryn said. “That’s what I’ll remember. And you… you were incredible, Ash.” 

Her squeeze was warm and reassuring. I squeezed back, looking up at the crown. 

“Likewise, babe. With this quest we should be able to pay back the mortgage in time and put the screws to the silver serpents.”

“Once paid, maybe we kick bottoms,” Knut said. 

“Maybe,” I said. “Though I hope they’ll just leave and let us focus on the monsters.”

“If we smash their skulls in, we can keep the money,” Roq added excitedly.

I sighed and held him up in front of my face. 

“Alright, you. What did you learn from all this?”

Roq was uncharacteristically quiet for a moment. Then, he spoke in a subdued rumble. 

“I… I should not have tricked you, Ash. About the throwing skill. It was… an error in judgment.” He actually sounded contrite. Wonders never ceased. “I apologize.”

I raised an eyebrow. 

“You promise not to pull a stunt like that again? Hiding how a skill actually works until I’m in the middle of a fight? Or anything like it,” I swiftly added.

“I promise!” Roq said, a little too quickly. “Cross my haft and hope to… well, not die, obviously. But I do promise!”

“Good.” I wasn’t entirely convinced, but it was a start. And there we were with a deja-vu. We already had this conversation once where he promised not cause problems and I had forgiven him. 

I glanced at Eryn and she nodded at me. 

“Now, about that pillow…”

“My PILLOW!” Roq wailed, his contrition vanishing in an instant. “Yes! My beautiful, blood-red satin pillow! You’ll give it back now, won’t you? Please, Ash! I’ve been so good! My steelhusk simply cannot stand resting on un-pillowed space in your storage. It is… unthinkable!”

“No,” I said. “You’ll get another two days to think about what you did. Then I’ll return it, as long as you behave.”

“TWO DAYS?” His voice cracked with anguish. “Two days is an eternity! A barren wasteland of discomfort! How can you be so cruel?”

“How long do you think it’ll take me to reach the level where I can upgrade ‘Hammer To The Face’ so it actually, you know, comes back?” I asked. “Would you prefer to wait until then? Maybe that would be more fair after all?”

Roq went silent again. Then, in a voice dripping with false magnanimity, he continued.

“Oh, no, no, my wielder. You are far too generous. Two days is… perfectly acceptable. A mere blink of an eye for a weapon of my stature and patience. Entirely fair for such a… situation.”

Eryn chuckled a bright, musical sound. She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek, her lips brushing my ear as she whispered, 

“You’re going to be a wonderful father someday, Ash Aldrich.”

A warmth spread through my chest, and I couldn’t help the smile that touched my lips.

Roq, never one to be ignored for long, piped up. 

“So… what treasures did we find within that oversized crystal chew-toy? Anything shiny for me?”

“Roq is asking what we found inside the giant,” I relayed, and nodded at Knut. “That’s your department, big guy, isn’t it?”

Knut’s usually stoic face lit up like a forge catching fresh fuel. 

“Was good. Very good. Warrior’s class gem!” His hand was shaking with excitement, and I wondered how long he had been stuck at nineteen. “For breakthrough. Just need to see… tank or damage. Guild tomorrow. Exchange for tank gem.” He paused, then added, his expression turning more serious, “Then I hold it. Until mortgage paid. In case need to sell.”

“I appreciate it, brother,” I said and walked over, bumping fists.“Thanks.”

“Welcome, brother,” he said. “You have taken my family in like your own, how can I do less?”

“Can I see it?” Roq asked with a hint of curiosity. “Let me gaze upon this warrior’s essence if you will.”

Eryn relayed and Knut nodded and equipped his glove before swiping it out and holding it up. 

It was a deep, fiery red, multifaceted, and radiated a quiet power.

Roq went utterly silent. Not his usual sulking silence, or his angry silence. This was a profound, almost awestruck stillness. A prickle of unease ran down my spine and I gave him a shake.

“Roq? You alright?”

His voice, when it came, was a choked whisper, raw with an emotion I couldn’t quite place. 

“I… I know…” 

“You know what?” I asked.

He struggled, the words catching in his…whatever passed for a throat. 

“Now I know what I need, Ash. For my breakthrough.”

My eyes went wide and I looked to Eryn. 

“You know what you need for your breakthrough? What?”

“A… a damage dealer warrior class gem,” he breathed. “Like… like the Knut holds. But… not that one.”

“A warrior class gem?” I said. “How do you know?”

“The gem,” Roq said, his voice gaining intensity, “Knut’s gem… it’s a tank class gem. I am certain of it! And it feels… right. I can feel the pull of it, Ash, a resonance deep within me. But it’s… it’s just slightly off. If Eryn’s healer class gem whispered to me, this one sings! It just sings… slightly off-key. Like you in the bath.” He paused, then his voice became a desperate plea. “Ash, please. You have to get me a warrior’s class gem. A damage dealer one. Let me break through! I know you gain experience while I am stuck, but… I promise, Ash! I will make it worth your while! Think of how powerful we already are! Imagine us when I can grow again! When I can truly unleash myself!”

“He’s asking for a warrior’s class gem,” I said for Nabeeh and Knut’s benefit. “That it will let him grow again.”

Knut grunted and looked down at his hand. “Roq strong. Stronger Roq, good for party.”

“Wonder what abilities he will unlock on level ten,” Nabeeh said. “If there is an equally large jump in power as there is for humans when they have their first breakthrough, or if it is a more linear jump in power.”

Eryn went to pick up Arclight and held her close to Knut’s hand and the Class Gem. 

“You feel anything?”

“Nothing,” Arclight said. “My thought is that I must reach a breakthrough before it will manifest. Disappointing.” 

I took a deep breath, the weight of Roq’s plea, of all our needs, pressing in. 

“I will work to get you a class gem, Roq,” I said slowly. “But you mustn’t be greedy. Our first priority is to repay Ma and Pa’s mortgage. Then we get Knut his breakthrough. He has waited long enough and done a lot for us. We’re not skipping him, not again. And we still owe Nabeeh a bunch of mind gems. But after that… I’ll start saving for your breakthrough.”

Roq was quiet for a beat and I half expected him to start screaming for me to take Knut’s Class Gem for himself, but when he spoke, his voice was thick with emotion. 

“Thank you, Ash. It will be worth it. And you are right. The big lump has done much for us. He deserves his Class Gem and then some.” 

“I’m glad you see that too,” I said. 

Then he shifted back to his usual boisterous self. 

“Right! Can we go get gold now, then? The sooner that blasted mortgage is paid, the sooner Knut gets his gem, and then the sooner I get my breakthrough and can once again FEAST upon our enemies!”

I chuckled, shaking my head at his rapid mood swings. 

“Alright, alright. Eryn,” I said, “Pa should be done with the gem-carrying carcasses by now. Fancy a trip to the merchants to sell off the mind gems once we’ve cleaned up a bit?”

She smiled. 

“I’d like that. Though I’m going to require at least an hour and a half to get ready. I want to look presentable for my party later.”

“Party?” Roq interjected. “What party?”

“There is to be a tribal celebration of my wielder’s ascension to adventurehood,” Arclight said, her voice somewhat subdued. It was unlike her, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What?” Roq repeated, clearly confused.

“There’s a party at the Timberline tonight,” I said. “To celebrate Eryn’s breakthrough.”

Roq’s earlier anguish was completely forgotten. 

“A party! Oh, glorious day! Will there be pie? And milk? I demand pie and milk!”

I just shook my head and grinned. Some things, like Roq’s appetite, never changed.

*

The rounds with the merchants went surprisingly well. Every single one of them had the gold ready for the mind gems we offered, and most expressed keen interest in purchasing more as soon as we had them. Even Borin, the brewer, had paid without any grumbling, though he’d politely asked if Eryn could come inside by herself to do the transaction, looking mightily relieved when she’d agreed. 

I guessed he hadn’t fully recovered from my previous visit.

Back at our house, I opened the door for Eryn, letting her walk in first. She offered me a warm smile. “Thank you, Ash. You are such a gentleman.”

“You’ve proven yourself worthy of my respect a thousand times over, Eryn,” I said, and meant every word.

She playfully swatted my arm. 

“Such a sweet talker.” But the pleased blush on her cheeks told me she loved it. “How long before you’re ready to head to the Timberline for the party? Everyone is already waiting.”

“Just a bit,” I said. “First, I have something for you.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. 

“For me? What is it?”

“Just hold on for a moment.” I hurried up the stairs to my room, my heart thumping a little faster than usual. The neatly wrapped package from Martha the Seamstress felt strangely heavy in my hands as I took it from beneath my bed. 

What if it doesn’t fit? What if she doesn’t like it? 

I’d never given a girl a present like this before, something so… personal. Then a smile touched my lips. 

But what if she loves it? What if it’s the best dress anyone has ever gotten her? Yeah. She’ll definitely love it.

With a steadying breath, I headed back down. Eryn was perched on the edge of the dining table, waiting. As I descended, her eyes immediately darted to the package in my hands.

“What, exactly, is that?” she asked.

“A gift,” I said, feeling a little awkward. “A… congratulations on your breakthrough.”

“Did you get me armor?” she asked, excitement lacing her tone, and I thought back to the new armor I’d been given by Harold when I broke through.

“Erh… no,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “Any equipment you want, we’ll forge together at Pa’s. So… no. It’s not adventuring equipment.”

“What is it then?” she pressed, her gaze fixed on the package.

I held it out to her. 

“Happy breakthrough, Eryn.”

A beaming smile spread across her face as she took it. 

“Thank you, handsome.” She turned the package over in her hands, then held it up to her ear and shook it gently. A soft rustle followed.

“What are you doing?” I asked, amused.

“Trying to guess what it is,” she said, happiness filling her face. “I haven’t gotten a gift since… well, you know.”

A pang went through me. 

“Yeah. Your parents?”

She nodded, a wistful smile touching her lips.

“Well, you’re my family now,” I said, my voice softer than I intended. “So you better get used to receiving gifts.”

She swatted my arm again, harder this time, but her smile remained. 

“You better not start wasting money on me. I want us to grow strong together so we can make sure nobody else loses their loved ones.”

I stepped closer, gently placing a hand behind her neck, and leaned in to kiss her. It was a soft, lingering kiss, and I poured all my emotions into it. Then I pulled her into a hug, holding her close. 

“Thank you for being mine, Eryn,” I whispered.

She hugged me back tightly. 

“Don’t get too sappy with me or a tear or two might ruin my makeup,” she said jokingly. “Now give me some space so I can open my present!”

I chuckled. 

“You just said you didn’t want any gifts.”

Her chuckle turned into a mock-pout and glare.

“You shouldn’t make it a habit, but since this one’s already here, I’m going to enjoy it for all it’s worth!”

Eryn tore at the wrapping eagerly. The paper fell away to reveal a dress of gorgeous, deep burgundy wool, the color of rich wine, trimmed with what looked like dark silk at the neckline and cuffs. It wasn’t a fancy gown, nothing like what a noblewoman might wear, but a beautifully made dress, simple yet elegant.

Her mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide as she stared at it. 

“By the bell’s single strike… it’s… it’s beautiful, Ash, but this is too much.”

Tears welled in her eyes, but they were happy tears. She didn’t say anything, just launched herself at me, her arms wrapping around my neck in a fierce hug.And just as suddenly, she pulled away, her face alight with an almost childlike excitement. 

“Wait right there!” she exclaimed, clutching the dress to her chest, and dashed up the stairs, disappearing into her room.

I chuckled, shaking my head, and settled down to wait. About ten minutes later, her voice trailed down the staircase. “Ash? Are you ready?”

“Ready when you are!” I called back.

My breath caught as she walked down the stairs. The dress fit her perfectly, clinging and flowing in all the right places. For once, her blonde hair was loose, brushed out to cascade over her shoulders in soft waves. Her green eyes, usually so focused and serious when we were Riftside, were smiling, bright and full of joy. She looked… radiant. Absolutely, breathtakingly wonderful.

I waited at the bottom of the stairs as she descended, stopping when we were at eye level. She leaned down, her loose hair brushing my cheek, and kissed me deeply. 

“Thank you, Ash,” she whispered against my lips. “This is the most wonderful gift I’ve ever received.”

My hands found her waist, and I easily lifted her down the last few steps and held her close for a moment. “You are very much welcome. Now that I got a glimpse of just how beautiful you look in a dress like this, many will follow,”I said and shot her a wink. You’re going to make everyone at the Timberline envious tonight.”

She laughed, a joyful, carefree sound that filled the room. 

“I know I will,” she agreed, her eyes dancing. “Because I’m going to have you on my arm.”

I laughed with her, the warmth of the moment chasing away the stress that had hung over us the last few days, at least for the moment. Together, we headed for the door, ready for a night of celebration.