Riftside - Chapter 57

The first thing I noticed was a splitting headache, as if Roq had redecorated it with spikes and flames, and each breath felt like it fought against iron bands. I blinked my eyes open to see tent canvas rippling overhead.

“Where the—”

“Ash!” Roq cried in my mind. “Finally! Do you have any idea how boring it is to watch you sleep endlessly? Though I must say, you did look rather peaceful. Almost... cute. Gah! Wait, what am I even saying? Forget that last part. We have GLORY to discuss! And anger management! And destructive thoughts! Not cuteness. Just forget I said anything.”

I tried to sit up, but a firm hand pressed down against my chest. Eryn leaned into view, her honey-blonde hair falling forward as she shook her head.

“Stay down, handsome,” she said. “Alex told us you need to rest.” Her beautiful eyes held worry, but also relief that I was finally awake and alive. “You had a nasty fall, and well, let's just say your body took quite the beating.”

Knut's massive form leaned in from the other side, his armor replaced with a simple tunic that strained against his muscled frame.

“Bad fall,” he said, shaking his head slowly. “Knock everything. Alex worked long to fix. Treat man to big drink. Maybe two. Or five.”

I remembered the fall, but nothing of the landing. 

“How long was I out?” I asked.

“Half a day,” Eryn said. She glanced around, and I turned my head to see Shay on another bed, his face wrapped in bandages. “The other wounded have been moved to Dawnwatch.”

“They tried to pry me from your grip!” Roq said, his voice laced with indignation. “But I made you grip me so hard that no one could even move me an inch! Though it was frustrating being unable to use Blood Forge to help heal you, but… just being close by did help your regenerative properties. How? I have no idea.”

“What happened after--” I coughed, wincing at the discomfort. Healing at this level could only do so much. “After I fell?”

Knut rested his elbows on his knees.

“You crashed to next platform. Alex healed. I carried. We ran. Tree monster slow.” He shrugged as if running with me in all my gear was barely worth mentioning.

“Everyone made it out,” Eryn said, “and then we retreated back to Sentinel Station. Barely any monsters attacked on the way, and it’s been quiet ever since.”

“We could have killed it!” Roq lamented. “All that experience, wasted! If all the other adventurers had thrown themselves at it, held it down, let us hammer on its chest until we got to the mind gem, just imagine the power.”

“So, we did it,” I said, wincing at the headache, and tried to relax.

“Many wounded,” Knut said, straightening his back. “But chamber was destroyed. Dawnwatch safe. For now.”

I tried to process what had happened, but my thoughts kept returning to the massive Treant, its words about consuming worlds, and about Roq's past. Before I could ask anything else, Commander Edwin ducked through the tent flap and made his way over.

“Clear the tent,” he ordered, his voice carrying the weight of command. It was obviously more than just a social checking-in-with-the-wounded-guy visit. “I need to speak with Ash alone.”

“Oh good!” Roq said. “Perhaps now we can discuss how absolutely amazing we were! Though we should leave out the part where we got hit by the tree branch. That was... undignified and a bit embarrassing if you ask me.”

Eryn squeezed my hand before standing. Knut nodded once, then followed her out. The tent flap fell closed behind them, leaving me alone with Edwin and a sleeping Shay.

“Commander.” I tried sitting up, but he pushed me gently but firmly back down before sitting beside my cot. Worry was written all over his face, and not just in a how-are-you-doing kind of way, no, he was genuinely afraid. The man was smart, I’d seen that many times, but was he that good at reading between the lines?

“Tell me what happened,” Edwin said.

I stared at the tent canvas overhead and a bug crawling across it. My head pounded and chest ached with each breath and I winced to buy some time and try to decide how much to reveal.

“I don't trust him,” Roq said. “Commander or not, he took our Titanfang loot.”

“He's holding it for us, Roq. He didn’t steal anything. We wouldn’t be able to carry it even if we wanted to.”

“Still. Kill-stealers and people who take your loot are among the worst kinds!”

Edwin leaned forward, looked around as if checking anyone might be listening in, and whispered.

“I've led hundreds of expeditions into rifts and dozens in dungeons. Never, not once, have I seen someone simply vanish into a rift like that.” His voice hardened. “And if you tell me you just felt like running in circles, I swear by the bells I will punch you in your ribs. Maybe even stab you with my burning sword just to cauterize the wound.”

I shifted uncomfortably on the cot and cleared my throat, but no words came out.

“I'm waiting, Ash.”

“We could take him if you were healed. Or not. Maybe?” Roq said.

“As your commander, I need to know what we're dealing with,” Edwin continued, seemingly deflating for a brief moment. His hand moved to rest on his sword pommel. Not threatening, but deliberate. “If you're a danger to Dawnwatch and the other pioneers, then…” He sighed. “I like you, Ash. I've seen your potential from day one, but I can't have a wild card out there, especially not with what you already told me and what we just witnessed in that breeding chamber.”

The tent felt smaller suddenly, the canvas walls pressing in. I could feel the weight of Edwin's stare, patient but unyielding. For a long moment, we just stared at one another and I tried to steady my breathing. Why the hell did it still hurt so much?

“The hammer,” I said finally, the words feeling like gravel in my throat. Despite his earlier protest, I pushed myself backward a bit and leaned on the pillows, propping myself up. “It's... special.”

Edwin's eyes narrowed. “Special how?”

“I wonder if we'll have to redecorate this tent with his entrails. Go for the head if he gets greedy. I’ll activate Armor Break. Don’t hit his armor.”

I took a careful breath, shifting on the cot to bring Roq into my lap where I could swing up at Edwin if need be. There was no way he’d attack me, but greed had a funny way of affecting people. 

“It's a soul weapon.”

The change in Edwin was instant. His entire body tensed and for a heartbeat, raw hunger flashed across his face. The look of a man seeing something precious and rare, something that could change his life. His eyes landed on Roq, where he noticed my fingers clenching around the weapon’s haft.

I didn’t look away, and just stared at him, unable to breathe.

Then, he relaxed. His hand left his sword, and he leaned back, running fingers through his grey-streaked hair. A chuckle escaped his lips, which turned into an awkward laughter.

“Monster balls,” he said. “I... I apologize, Ash. I shouldn't have pushed you to reveal that.” He shook his head. “You were right to keep it secret. Damn, but you were right.”

I blinked, surprised by the sudden shift.

“My old mentor had one,” Edwin continued, his voice distant with memory. “A spear that could pierce any armor. He helped train me, showed me what was possible with such a weapon.” A sad smile crossed his face. “Also showed me the cost. The constant pressure. The threats from those who wanted it for themselves or power over him. One of the worst things, in his own words, was how he could never sleep with both eyes closed once the word had gone out that he had a soul weapon. You…still can.”

“That's why I didn't tell anyone,” I said, steeling my voice just enough to show him I wasn’t interested in revealing it. “Well, almost anyone.”

Edwin nodded.

“Your family knows, I assume? And Eryn?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Keep it that way.”

“And Knut.”

His eyebrows rose.

“The northerner? I hadn't thought him the type to keep such a secret. It seems I might have misjudged him worse than I thought. That is on me, though.”

I nodded, pushing myself up onto my elbows.

“He is surprisingly trustworthy. At least once he owes you a couple of life debts.”

Edwin laughed, and I felt some of my stress recede.

“You are full of surprises, I will give you that. Now, give me the details of what happened when you disappeared. What did you see? What caused that kind of damage to you?”

I described the massive chamber, the view of Riftside spread out below. Then I told him about the Treant, its massive form and glowing green core.

“It wanted my weapon,” I explained. “Said it was... a missing piece of its power. That it needed to rejoin its 'unity-mass' or something.”

Edwin's brow furrowed.

“Could you harm it?”

“Nothing worked at first. Not my mace, not my…” I paused. “But then I used one of the soul weapon's abilities. Forge Anchor. It summons steelhusk roots, and those actually pierced its armor. Maybe because they're roots themselves? Or because steelhusk is special somehow?” I shrugged, then winced at the movement. “Either way, we know that it can be hurt, and that’s at least something.”

“And if it can be hurt—”

“It can also be killed,” I finished.

Edwin stood and paced the small space, his armor creaking softly.

“Knut and the others described the Treant. They didn’t know it was a hive mind though.”

“It didn’t speak to them?” I asked.

“No. Did it talk to you?”

I nodded. 

“Wants our deaths,” I said.

“A damn hive mind,” Edwin muttered. “If you are correct, it would explain so much. The coordinated attacks. The way monsters seem to learn and adapt. That breeding chamber contained an army. If we hadn’t blown them all up and they’d grown to maturity, I’m not sure we could have stopped them at Sentinel Station. First Steel? Possibly. Probably.” He stopped and turned to me. “This could be the biggest breakthrough since we discovered how to become classed adventurers.”

“Sir?”

“We've been fighting these monsters as if they were beasts,” Edwin said, excitement creeping into his voice. “But if there's intelligence behind them, if there's something coordinating them...” He shook his head. “We need to verify this. Need to find proof. It will change our entire approach to dealing with this danger. We’re not just fighting dangerous animals anymore, Ash, but an army.”

“The Treant showed me something else,” I said quietly as his words settled in. “It was a vision, I think. Of another world. With massive barriers of silver and bronze.” I swallowed hard. “It said it had consumed many worlds before ours, and that it was our turn now.”

Edwin's face darkened.

“It is our job to stop it from happening here.”

He pursed his lips and looked around, tapping his fingers on the pommel of his sword.

“Now that you are classed and have seen what you have, let me tell you about our real situation. No need to keep you in the dark anymore. Even more so if you’re about to become one of our greatest assets.”

I adjusted myself on the uncomfortable cot, trying to find a position that didn't ache.

“Sir?”

“Oh good. More secrets. I do love a good secret,” Roq said. “Though I prefer the kind that explodes. Can you tell him? Like, maybe add a few spikes on a mushroom-man and then let him explode? Just imagine the carnage!”

“You've noticed how we handle rifts, yes? The pattern of it?” Edwin asked.

I nodded.

“High-level parties deal with new rifts, then move on once things calm down and leave it to mid-level parties and people who want to settle around that rift.”

“Exactly. Every time a new rift opens, it brings with it a massive monster invasion. We fight them back with our strongest adventuring parties and the King’s army, usually at great cost.” Edwin paused. “Lost some good friends that way over the years. But afterward, the rifts settle into a manageable state. This gives us time to train new adventurers to start replacing those lost, spread our forces around to prepare for the next incursion.”

“Like how Commander Roland's party left after things calmed down here before you took over?”

“Precisely. But there's something else you need to understand.” Edwin leaned forward again and his voice dropped in tone. “If we station stronger adventurers at specific rifts for too long, the monster presence increases, pushing us back. That's why we keep lower-level adventurers at established rifts. It's been a stalemate for years that way.”

“So that is the stalemate they're losing,” Roq said. “Why Harold felt so fearful.”

“But something's changed,” I said, remembering the recent attacks.

Edwin nodded grimly.

“We're seeing more frequent, stronger attacks at current rifts. All of them. Which brings me to your encounter with that... entity.”

“The hive mind?”

“If you're right about what you saw, if there truly is sentience behind these monsters... It could mean they've changed their strategy. Instead of focusing on breaking through new rifts, they're increasing pressure across all fronts, probing for weakness. This isn’t just a tug-of-war anymore, they’re working on breaking through.”

My stomach tightened.

“We don't have enough high-level parties to defend everywhere.”

“No. We don't. We have incredibly powerful adventurers, but few of them. If the monsters hit us in enough places at one time with enough force, they'll push through. And once they do, I'm not sure we'll be able to stop them. With the amount of rifts open across Noros now, it could happen anywere.” Edwin nodded to himself. “But your discovery might change everything. If we can destroy this hive mind...” He shook his head. “We've cleared dungeons before, but never encountered anything like what you described. Taking out a commander could change the entire war. At least within that one rift until we find out more.”

“How so?”

“If we can reduce their intelligence, their ability to react to our movements, we could take the fight to them. But first, we need to understand what we're dealing with.” He gestured at the tent flap. “Those eggs we found... that wasn't normal. Not even close. There shouldn’t have been that many in the first place.”

“How many would you normally expect in a breeding chamber?”

“Finding and destroying one hundred eggs would be considered a major victory,” Edwin said. “Which is what they usually throw at Sentinel Station in a major attack. Maybe up to two hundred.”

“But we killed more monsters than that just by getting to the chamber?”

“And now they'll have to replace them all, plus the eggs, before they can attack the base.” Edwin nodded. “It buys us valuable time to explore, gather resources, and fortify our position.” He fixed me with an intense stare. “And most importantly, time for adventurers like you to get stronger.”

“Oh, we'll get stronger all right,” Roq said. “Strong enough to crush that oversized brush into scraps! No, kindling! I want to light it up, watch it burn to ash, and toss it in the outhouse!”

“What would you have me do?” I asked, ignoring Roq.

Edwin's expression hardened.

“You level up and tell no one about your special equipment.” He glanced at Roq. “I’ve told the others to keep their mouth shut about the hive mind theory for now, saying you met a tough opponent, and that’s it. You let me handle this and lay the groundwork.”

“Are you going to tell Harold?”

Edwin paused, his hand stroking his chin.

“About the soul weapon? No. The hive mind theory... eventually. Though I need to send some gem-grams first, test the waters. We can’t have the guild send someone to relieve me, thinking I’ve gone stark raving mad. We need to play this safe, and once we have proof, then we lay it out before them.”

“You don't trust Harold?”

“I trust Harold to do what he thinks is best for the guild.” Edwin stood. “But sometimes what's best isn't what's right. Especially out here on the frontier.”

“What do I tell others about what happened in the dungeon?” I asked, holding his gaze.

Edwin chuckled.

“You felt movement in the air and decided to run back and forth through it. Then you feel into a rift and the Treant was there. You fought it, survived, and got kicked out. Nothing more, nothing less. They saw how strong it was. It’s understandable you’d have a reaction to it, claiming to have seen more than it was. That’ll keep you safe-ish for now, and should stop people from jogging around touching things they shouldn't in dungeons.” He smiled at me. “Get some rest, Ash. You're going to need it.”

After Edwin left, I lay back on the cot and twirled Roq.

“Well, that was interesting,” Roq said. “Though I still think we should have mentioned how amazing my wordplay was. I’m sure my insults bit deeper than our weapons did.”

“Not now, Roq.”

“Fine, fine. But you should probably put me in storage now. You need proper healing.”

I hesitated for a moment and looked down at him.

“You sure?”

“Of course! I mean, I'd rather be out here planning our glorious revenge, but you need to recover first. Can't have my favorite human dying from something as mundane as a cracked body.”

With a small smile, I stored Roq, and warmth spread through my chest.

I closed my eyes, Edwin's words echoing in my mind. A war across all of Noros and a hive mind testing our defenses.

I dozed off to dreams of silver cities falling to endless waves of monsters.