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5127

I stopped at a lovely little café today called the Sweet Surprise. It was run by a little foxkin named Lydia. She carried pepper and cheese rolls I think you would adore. They would’ve paired well with your summer blend of tea.

I miss you.

J. Stern
     Joseph woke up in a cold sweat, not remembering where he was for a moment. That was happening more and more often these days, and it was starting to look like a bad omen. But nevertheless, Joseph had to get up and find another assignment.     He efficiently repacked his items into his backpack and dressed, making sure to style his black hair (neat and slicked back) and polish his curved ram’s horns before he stepped out of his room at the inn. He made sure to grab some of the provided breakfast before setting out on another long walk that day: coffee with plenty of milk in it for now and his thermos, along with a flaky pastry filled with sweet cream and peaches.     He checked his map one last time before heading down a dirt highway towards the closest village. It was shaping up to be another quiet walk, alone. In these times, Joseph had a lot of silence his mind could fill with any number of problems or ruminations.     This had been Joseph’s way of life, ever since he left home at 18 to find a purpose of his own. He’d joined the F.G.I (Fantasy Guild of Investigation) to help in the U.P. division, finding unexplained troubles in towns and villages and determining whether the troubles were of magical or mundane origin. If they were mundane, Joseph had the authority to handle the situation as he saw fit. If they were magical? Well, he kept the population as safe as he could, while contacting and waiting for magically inclined guild members to come and take care of it.     This lifestyle did not facilitate a plethora of friendships and relationships in Joseph’s life, or a home he could call his own. Why did Joseph live like this? A combination of many factors: A drive to succeed and better himself to the point of exhaustion at times, the fear of opening himself up to people without the complete reassurance that they wouldn’t use that against him one day, and a phantom he’d been hunting for ages now.     Though Joseph Stern did not know it, today would be the start of a new chapter for him, forcing him out of his monotonous lifestyle, whether he liked it or not.     Many miles and hours later, Joseph arrived at his destination, Huntington. A relatively large, but quiet trade city that usually had many problems to solve, though the size of those varied. Joseph hadn’t been to this side of the continent yet in his travels and was eager to explore and learn what he could. If nothing else, it would be another place to rest and perhaps hear whispers about another village’s problems that he could go help with.     Joseph was also grateful to be in a relatively diverse city, so he wasn’t the only tiefling in town. He’d trained himself not to care about the gaping stares of others in more insular towns, but it was still nice not to need to put up as many defenses.     Though Joseph’s investigation of the city turned up nothing he could help with, he was pointed towards a message board that the other villages nearby used to get adventurer’s attention in the case of a crisis. On that well used message board was a fresh plea from someone in a nearby village:
To anyone dumb enough to walk these lands for adventure,

Something is threatening our town. Buildings keep getting ransacked, people are getting hurt, and our guys can’t handle shit. So come to Kepler and help, but I can’t pay you nothing.

Pidgeon
     After the brief note was a list of directions to take someone to Kepler the quickest way. Joseph decided that this seemed vague enough to at least warrant a visit and some questions. But before leaving, he had to complete his own side quest. Though today would not bring any more results than the last 14 years.    It was the same in every village, town and city Joseph ever visited on his travels: go into each bakery, restaurant, and café he could find in the area, give them the description of a tall Bugbear with dark brown eyes and a gentle demeanor by the name of Barclay, and asked them if they’d ever seen him pass through town. The answer was always no. Joseph knew it would be. He rarely got his hopes up anymore, but it still stung nevertheless.     Luckily, he didn’t have time to linger as he headed off towards the village of Kepler. It wasn’t as far of a walk comparatively, and as he made his way into forests that seemed to surround Kepler, he found a warning sign staked by the road.
Warning: You are moving into a Natural Resonant Quiet Zone. Magical means of communication will have a higher Arcane Spell Failure Chance going out and into the NRQZ. Please be advised when preparing daily spells within the Monongahela Forest.
     Joseph nodded, recognizing the warning. He’d heard about the magical properties of the Monongahela Forest and was excited to see what the woods and the village of Kepler would have to offer. It proved to be fascinating even from the path, as he witnesses a rabbit hopping into a hole on a log, and then that same rabbit hopping out of a different hole on a different log.     It only took a bit more walking for Joseph to find the sign announcing the entrance to Kepler and the quaint buildings that made it up. It was getting into early evening when Joseph arrived, and everyone was making their way to their homes or an inn for supper. It seemed obvious to Joseph that this was a mostly human town, as he was granted the usual stares from the villagers; though they weren’t as alarmed or prolonged, which made Joseph a tiny bit more relaxed. But he understood the stares, even if he disliked them. There was never a wide variety of tall, blue tieflings wherever he went.     Not too far from the center of town was a beautiful wooden building surrounded by a lush garden. The sign read ‘Amnesty Lodge’ with a sign below adding ‘All are welcomed here’. Well, that was good enough for Joseph as he followed the wooden plank path up to the Lodge. Opening the massive double doors into the main lobby, Joseph had the strangest feeling of coming home. Joseph tried to give himself some credit, it was very homely decorated with a massive hearth in the center of the lobby and many people sitting around and chatting with one another. This also seemed to be where the non-humans gathered, as Joseph could spot a few different races immediately: a Fire Genasi, a Selkie, and Vampire, and that was just upon first glance.     Joseph made his way to the front desk, where an ethereal woman greeted him with a smile. Joseph decided to pay for a week to start and he found himself in a room perfectly suited to his needs: A well sized bed, private bathing chambers and a writing desk by the window. After unpacking his bag, he made his way to the lobby and towards the dining room. Dinner service was about to start soon and many of the residents and visitors were gathered already. Joseph took a quiet table near the back to observe the others.     After a time, a stew dinner was served with fried potatoes. The waiter, the Selkie, dropped his utensils as he passed him a dish. The Selkie apologized and rushed off to get another set, forgetting to grab the dropped ones. Joseph took the time to bend down and grab them himself, and he froze as he moved up, his eyes catching the underside of the table.     A carving, a very old carving read ‘Barclay’s Spot’.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Um… you okay, dude?” The Selkie asked when he returned, finding the tiefling still under the table. Joseph sat up and yelped when his head hit the top of the table, his horns only taking some of the damage. He rubbed the back of his head as he looked at the waiter. “Yes, yes, I’m alright.” He insisted too quickly.     The waiter slowly set the new utensils on the table. “Okay.~”     “Does someone named Barclay work here?” Joseph blurted out, unable to control himself.     The boy’s eyes went wide as he looked at Joseph as if he’d lost some of his head under the table. “Um… No?”     “But…. Under the table…” Joseph said, gesturing towards the area.     The Selkie crouched to see under the table. “Huh… that’s weird. I wonder when that happened.”     “So no one named Barclay has ever worked here? Ever visited?” the tiefling asked, his heart trying to decide whether to pump out of his chest or since to his gut.     “Can’t say I know.” The waiter shook his head. “But maybe Mama will know. She’ll be here tomorrow morning if you wanna try to talk to her.”     Joseph nodded. “Absolutely, I’ll see out your mother in the morning.”     The boy blinked in confusion before laughing with the bark of a seal. “Nah, Mama’s the owner of this place. It’s just what everyone calls her. Oh, I’m Jake, by the way!” he said, holding out a fist to bump.     This time it was Joseph’s turn to be baffled. He tentatively reached out and shook Jake’s hand, because that’s what you did, right? “Guild Investigator Stern.” He said with a polite smile.     Jake chuckled as he took back his hand. “You’re funny, man. Enjoy dinner!” Jake said before moving to help other diners. Joseph tried to eat, he really did, but seeing that name carved under the table ignited something that had only been smoldering for years. The name wasn’t that common, he should know. And he hadn’t been to this side of the continent yet. There could be a chance…     After a few bites of his food, he decided to call it a day and went back to his room to sleep, when it started to rain outside. It was the kind that wasn’t too hard as to break off leaves from trees, and not so gentle that one would call it a sprinkle. Just soft, constant rain.     As he slowly got undressed, Joseph felt himself get lost as the rain pattered down the windows, his mind wandering to the first day he met Barclay. The first time he was truly infatuated with someone.     Since Barclay was the top suspect for the disappearances (according to the locals), Joseph had decided to interview him first, to get it over and done with. He knew that people’s first impressions were often wrong, and he wanted to put the villagers at ease with this news. They’d described Barclay as a fierce man, living solitude by order of the community to keep themselves safe. Joseph wasn’t worried though. He’d trained for years to handle much worse than a violent man.     But halfway to the lonely cottage at the edge of the woods, the sky opened up and the tiefling was drenched in moments. Not wanting to walk all the way back with nothing to show for it, Joseph persevered to the cottage and knocked on the door in a polite, but firm rhythm. As he waited for the man to answer, he could smell fresh bread coming from inside of the house, throwing off his impressions to start.     When the door opened, Joseph had to look up to see the man’s face, a rare thing indeed. Barclay, as it turned out, was a bugbear. A bugbear with warm, brown eyes, a curious expression, and an apron smeared with bright colors.     “Oh geez,” Barclay said in a soft baritone, taking Joseph’s hand at once and gently leading him inside and out of the rain. The cottage was so warm and sweet smelling, Joseph felt himself becoming disoriented between comfort and a need for professionalism, even as the door was shut behind him.     “You’ll catch death walking out in the rain like that.” Barclay said, moving a quilt sized towel over Joseph to dry him. This snapped Joseph back into the present moment as he sputtered and tried to gain some dignity in this situation. He poked his out from under the towel and came up inches from Barclay’s face, causing both of them to freeze.     Joseph could only stare into the bugbear’s eyes, not seeing Barclay’s mouth move as he said, “I think you have the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen.” In a breathless tone.     Joseph felt an electric buzzing under his skin and his face becoming warm, likely turning a light shade of indigo. He swallowed, trying to make his chest return to a steady rhythm with his brain stalling. “I… Your fur is a lovely shade of auburn.” He said earnestly to return the compliment.     Barclay was silent for a moment before he chuckled, taking a step back and rising to his full height again. “Thanks. Runs in the family. Can I get you some tea? We’ve got to warm you from the inside out.” He said as he tightened the bow on the back of his apron and began preparing enough tea for two. He also grabbed a few scones and their necessary condiments.

‘I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” Joseph thought to himself as he watched the bugbear move with such care and attention to detail. Barclay held the ceramic cups so gently, he wondered if he handed everything he cared about that way.     Joseph buried that thought deep in his heart. Professionalism. He had a job to do, he had to save people. But he did also have to interview Barclay for the investigation. And it would be rude to turn down such a fine tea. And it would be simply illogical to wander out into the rain without giving it the chance to lighten up.     So he sat at Barclay’s small table with his plain but well cared for tea set and lavender scones. When he bit into a scone, still warm from the oven, fluffy and lightly sweet with the softest taste of lavender without it tasting soapy, he wondered if his pupils could actually be shaped like hearts.     A soft crack of thunder moved Joseph out of the memory, and he shook his head to make the last of the remembered warmth disappear. Before he went to sleep, he completed his nightly ritual of writing in a particular journal. It had been rebound several times over the years and contained even more pages than Joseph started with.
5128

I’m staying at a place called the Amnesty Lodge in Kepler. I think you would like it, it reminds me of your cottage. The beef stew was good, but I know yours is better by far. I found your name carved under my table. I’m hoping it isn’t just a coincidence.

I miss you.

J. Stern
     Joseph woke up early the next morning, not in as much of a state as he was yesterday, and began his morning stretches so he would have time to consider his plan going forward. As he settled into one of his more straining poses, holding a handstand while his legs were in a perfect split, he thought through his priorities. He really should find this Pidgeon person to figure out what the trouble was in this village. But then there was this lead on Barclay to consider. By the time he finished up his stretches, he made up his mind to do a short interview with Mama and then go directly to find Pigeon. He would complete the work and then, and only then, would he pursue this potential lead.     After getting ready and having some of the grab and go breakfast in the dining hall, he moved to the front desk, where an older human woman was standing and reading through the check ins from last night.     “Excuse me?” Joseph said politely, lightly knocking on the wooden desk.     She glanced up from the book and offered a warm, weathered smile. “Morning, kid. The name’s Mama. How can I help you?”     ‘Kid?’ Joseph thought, momentarily perplexed. This place seemed to do that to him. “I am Guild Investigator Stern, and I had some questions for you.” He said, in what he thought was in a friendly, casual tone. But you wouldn’t think that from how Mama gave him such a very measured look.     “What kind of questions?” she asked, setting down her book.     “Have you ever had a Barclay work or stay here?” he asked. “A very tall bugbear, auburn fur, brown eyes, very soft spoken?” As he gave the description, he had to focus on keeping his tone measured, and more importantly, he had to focus on keeping his tail under control. He’d trained the thing long ago to behave itself, but there were times when emotion got the best of him.     “… can’t say I have.” Mama said after pondering a moment. “I feel like I would remember someone like that.     Joseph let a beat pass between them before he smiled and spoke again. “I see. Well, thank you for your time.” He said before turning on his heels and leaving for his assignment. As he began to walk through the town, asking after Pigeon and pondering the interaction with the Lodge owner, Joseph could only come to two conclusions.     Either the owner had genuinely forgotten about Barclay (doubtful) or he was being lied to. But if he was being lied to…. Why?

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

After an hour of questioning, Stern was directed to where Pigeon could usually be found: in the forest with her friends, but not as deep as usual. Stern made the trek through the forest, making sure to take his bow and quiver with him now.     When Stern finally found Pigeon, she was spending time around a lake with a few friends drinking ale, she was clearly not expecting anyone to answer the ad she left the last time she was in Huntington, let alone a Guild Investigator. But she was more than happy to answer all of Stern’s questions about what had been going on in town, even airing her frustrations a bit.     “And everyone around town acts like nothin’s wrong! My friend’s cart was fuckin’ destroyed! And they say ‘Oh Pigeon, that’s just magical woods for ya!’ but that’s a load of shit! I’ve lived in this forest my whole life, and it’s never-!”     “Is that ale? In a part of the forest that it is explicitly not permitted?” A human man stepping out of the woods asked. He was sturdily built with small streaks of gray in his brown hair, clearly around Joseph’s age, if not a little older. He wore what looked to be practical traveler’s clothing for the forest.     “Ah shit!” Pigeon and her friends dashed into the forest, leaving behind their cups and their keg of ale. Joseph was left in the middle of it all, notepad still in hand.     The human sighed and started picking up the cups. “Kid’s these days. They’re gonna get themselves in trouble for not respecting the forest one of these days.” He grumbled softly, but it didn’t hold true anger, only frustration and worry.     “… here.” Joseph said, grabbing up cups as well. “Let me help clean up, at least. I didn’t realize that drinking wasn’t allowed here.”     “I’ll give you a pass. New in town, right?” The man asked Joseph as he looped the handles of the cups through his tail for easy carrying. “You can call me Duck. It’s a nickname.”     “Joseph Stern.” He returned, offering his free hand to shake, which Duck took. It was quite a strong grip and his callouses were more pronounced than the few Joseph had.     “So, what brings you to the Monongahela Forest? Or to Kepler in general?”     “Oh, Pigeon placed an ad in Huntington complaining of attacks on the village.” Joseph explained.     Duck paused for a moment before getting back to work, making his way towards the large keg. “You don’t say?”     “Yes. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” Joseph asked as he watched Duck approach the keg that had needed all Pigeon’s friend’s to transport it here.     “… I see a lot of strange things out here, slim.” Duck said as he crouched down and lifted the keg onto his shoulder with ease. “Magical forest and all. You’re going to have to be a lot more specific than that.”     Joseph could feel himself getting excited for a new lead and more information for the case, but he was quickly interrupted by someone calling for Duck.     “Duck~!” a tall man stepped out of the woods, and in Joseph’s mind, he fit the magical forest perfectly. The man’s hair was pure white, with pointed ears and slightly sharper canines. That combined with an unseasonal tan made Joseph believe he was a half-elf. And he stood out even more in his clothes, mostly darks, but layers of bright colors underneath when he moved around, and opaque red glasses.     The man held up a bundled lunch to Duck. “Sweetheart, you forgot your lunch!”     Duck looked puzzled. “No I didn’t, it’s just-“     “Back at the outpost? I’m afraid not, you left it at home.” The half-elf said before turning to Joseph and grinning at him too wide. “My, you’re quite a sight, aren’t you?” he said as he stepped closer to Joseph, holding out a delicate hand. “Indrid Cold, at your service.”      “Guild Investigator Stern.” Joseph responded, carefully shaking the offered hand.     “How respectable, Mr. Stern. Well, if you need anything around town, my Duck has lived in these woods and this town all his life and is quite helpful. But! He’ll parish without a meal, so if you’ll excuse us?”     Joseph looked at Duck, who was clearly a little confused but trying to hide it, then back to Indrid. “Of course… would you mind-?”     “Taking the cups? Not at all!” Indrid said at the same time as Joseph, holding out his arms with that same smile. Joseph carefully deposited the cups into Indrid’s gangly hands and bid them both a good day before walking back towards.     He had a lot of investigating to do for this case, he could see that plainly now. But if the town was working to cover it up, did it also have something to do with Barclay’s whereabouts being covered up? That was still a theory, but if they were shifty about the attacks on the town and feigned knowledge of a man that had clearly been here, what else was he to think?     As Stern walked back to town, his mind racing with possible avenues to go down, he tripped over something large and fuzzy. He managed to roll out of the trip, but sat up in confusion as he stared at what had tripped him in the first place: A large white rabbit.     “Doctor, get back here!” a woman called before running over to the creature and picking him up. It was the Fire Genasi from the Lodge. She had dark brown skin with fiery red-brown eyes. Her black hair was cut into a short pompadour that seemed to lightly smolder at the tips. Everything she wore was some shade of fire or black.     Behind her came another woman around her age, this time with orange eyes and long, shining blonde hair. She had radiated pale skin and in her grinning face were long, sharp canines. Canines in a shape Joseph was very familiar with. Joseph cursed his tail for coiling around his leg out of instinct. ‘You don’t know this woman, Joseph. Keep it together.’     “Sorry about that, mister!” The Fire Genasi said as the Vampire woman offered a hand to Joseph to help him up. Joseph took it without hesitation and pulled himself up.     “It’s quite alright.” Joseph said, dusting himself off. “I hope your rabbit is alright?”     “Oh Dr. Harris Bonkers is a tough little guy! Aren’t you?” the woman cooed as she stroked the rabbit’s ears, causing him to honk. “Hey, you’re the guy that checked in yesterday, right? I’m Aubrey! And this hot babe is my girlfriend, Dani!”      The blonde woman laughed, only a little embarrassed. “You have to forgive her, she’s got no filter.”     “Oh, it’s not a problem.” Stern assured them. “My name is Joseph.”     “So, what brings you to town, Joseph? Adventuring? Travel? Vacationing? We do get all kinds coming through Kepler.” Dani asked as Aubrey walked over to them, bouncing the Doctor in her arms as she went.     “I was actually called here to investigate a series of attacks that have been made against the town by an unknown entity. You two wouldn’t happened to spot anything unusual going on around here, have you?”     The couple looked at one another and Joseph could tell that they were having a silent conversation between the two of them.     “Nope!”     “Not more so than you would living by magical woods!”     Joseph accidentally let out a sigh of defeat. “Well, if you do see anything, please let me know. I’m sure it would put the town at ease to have an explanation to these attacks.”     “Oh yeah, absolutely.” Dani said with a smile that showed all her teeth.     Stern’s first instinct was to believe that was intentional, but he tempered that down. Dani seemed like a nice young woman. She and her girlfriend were definitely hiding something, but that didn’t necessarily mean she held ill-will. She wasn’t like Hale.     “Have a good day, you two.” Joseph said before making his way further into town. He did have one other place to try that he learned about during his investigations. There was a small museum in town for tourists and beginner adventurers, run by a fellow named Ned Chicane.     The building was a patchwork of architectures and materials, and a sign one could not miss anywhere, seemingly made of pieces from other, older signs: The Cryptonomica. Stepping inside of the building, it seemed the aesthetic had spread from the outside in. “Hello? Mr. Chicane?”     “Welcome!” An older, portly human man greeted with enthusiasm. Joseph jumped back with alarm at the sudden sound. The man had gone completely gray and was sporting a well groomed beard. If Mr. Cold was a bit flamboyant under his dark exterior, this man (Presumably Mr. Chicane) was dressed in some of the finest clothes Joseph had ever seen on a common person. “How can I help you, young man?”     Joseph composed himself before speaking. “I am Guild Investigator Stern.” He said before holding out a hand. “I assume you are Mr. Chicane?”     Ned didn’t miss a beat as he took Joseph’s hand in both of his with a smile. “That I am! My reputation proceeds me, it seems.” He laughed. “What are you hoping to learn about, Investigator Stern?”     “Well, I was hoping you could enlighten me as to what your village is has been dealing with for the past few weeks?” Joseph asked, hoping that speaking to a fellow enthusiast about the unexplainable would further his mission.     But alas, Ned shook his head without a second thought, “I’m sorry, my dear boy, but I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Lots of things go on in this town thanks to the magical woods and the many adventurers like yourself.”     Joseph took a deep breath. This was getting tiresome. “Mr. Chicane, I would think you of all people would be concerned about unexplained attacks going on in your own village. Besides the person who originally posted an ad for help, no one has been willing to speak to me about this. So I would appreciate it if you would please-“     “Edmund, soup’s on!” A deep and loud voice called from up the stairs, holding a very distinct accent from a distant continent. Joseph could hear heavy footsteps above him and down those stairs, until someone peeked down the stairway at them. A large Dragonborn looked between the pair, his eyes locking on Joseph and he could’ve sworn it was in a predatory fashion.     “Eddie, why don’t you head upstairs for me, and I’ll close the shop for the night?” his words forming a question, but his tone read as anything else.     “Oh, um… sure, Boyd, old boy.” Ned said before turning to Joseph one last time. “Excuse me, my friend. Supper calls.” He said before scurrying off upstairs, much more nimby than Joseph would have thought he was capable.     Boyd made his way completely downstairs, showing off his massive size and height over Joseph. He barely seemed to fit the museum’s space. Unlike his partner, Boyd’s clothing was dark and practical, showing off the power in his body.     “Now you listen to me.” Boyd said, coming toe to toe with Joseph. “I don’t want any trouble for Edmund, myself, or this bloody museum. I don’t need to sniffin’ around trying to find something to busy yourself with, Blue Bobby. Do I make myself clear?”     Joseph kept a cool demeanor as Boyd tried to intimidate him. Though Joseph was fairly certain that Ned was not a violent man, he did not get that from Boyd. It seemed dragon territorial behavior wasn’t all legend.     “Boyd!? Your own dinner is getting cold! Hurry up!” Ned called from upstairs. There was no way he was totally oblivious to the situation downstairs, but he seemed to be doing his best to defuse it.     “Be right up, love!” Boyd called before looking at Joseph again. “I said, do I-?”     “You’ve made yourself perfectly clear.” Joseph said calmly. “I will be taking my leave. I hope you and your husband for a nice dinner.”     Boyd let out a snort as Joseph left. As he walked, the frustration inside of him started to bubble. Why didn’t they want to help? He was no threat to them, he just wanted answers, and they were treating him like he was out to get them into trouble? Were they all in on it? Was this some giant conspiracy?     Joseph finally noticed his tail whipping like an angry snake and he grabbed the end of it very firmly to stop it. That hadn’t happened in a long time. Joseph took a deep breath and exhaled, squeezing harder on his tail and letting it go. He would be calm. There was no reason to get upset. Every investigation had its hiccups. This was just part of the process.     He vaguely noted the indigo bruises forming on his tail as he made his way back to the Lodge to regroup and come up with a new plan.
5129

Dinner was chicken and dumplings. I could’ve used some of that sage you liked to grow in the forest.

I feel very unwanted here. I hope that’s just my own mind being cruel to me. I wonder if Boyd would’ve talked to me like that if you were there with me.

I miss you.

J. Stern

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Joseph woke up the next morning, trying to keep a positive and curious mindset. He decided that the best thing to do was speak to the associates of each person he’d interviewed yesterday. While the group was not suspected of causing the attacks that brought him here originally, it gave him an easy in to talk to others.     But that strategy came with an interesting side effect. He didn’t learn much about the incidents (though that seemed to be out of genuine ignorance), he learned a lot about the people he interviewed. He learned a lot of lies.     “Yeah, Duck can be the forgetful type about the easiest things.” Juno said, relaxing at her desk in the Forest Look Out Post. She was Duck’s co-warden of the forest. “Yesterday, he had lunch with his husband when he’d already brought a lunch from home. Sat right on his desk.”     “Well, I suppose she wouldn’t have seen anything." Janelle said passively as she looked through her personal library. Janelle was a solitary wizard that lived on the edge of Kepler. She was also Aubrey’s magical mentor. “She’s tired during a lot of my classes, saying she was hanging out with her friends in the tavern.”     “I mean, Mr. Chicane is a busy guy.” Kirby explained, scratching the back of his neck before taking a draw from his pipe. Kirby was the only other employee for the Cryptonomica. Joseph had found him on his smoke break. “He goes out to meet people for new findings and information, usually at night. I’m guessing he couldn’t hear whatever you were talking about in the places he patrons.”     Indrid’s interruption had been staged, seemingly just to get Joseph away from Duck. Ned and Aubrey were moving around a lot at night, which should mean that they should have seen something close to what Pidgeon had. But no such luck.     As Joseph headed into the Lodge after a long day of interviews, he couldn’t help but notice that Indrid, Duck, Aubrey, Dani and Ned were all sitting together in the dining area. They seemed to be having a good time together. They didn’t seem to nice Joseph and walked past them to him room. He couldn’t very well eavesdrop on them, but this was getting out of hand. They all knew something, and Joseph was going to find out what.     That night, Joseph didn’t go to sleep when he usually did. He stood in an alcove of Amnesty Lodge, using his darkvision to keep an eye on the grounds. If Aubrey was sneaking out at night, then Dani likely was as well. What he did not anticipate was Mama leaving with the other women, heading towards the forest, with Mama carrying a weapon Joseph had rarely seen on the continent: A shotgun.     Aubrey lit a small fire in her hands as she led the way, so that Mama could see where they were going. Joseph quietly followed behind them, keeping his breathing steady as he moved through the forest. He’d brought his bow and quiver with him, but he prayed that he would only need to use it on a beast or whatever was terrorizing the village.     As they moved through the forest, there was a sudden crash and a howl Joseph had never heard before in the waking world, but maybe in his nightmares. This sent the trio of women flying through the forest and Joseph kept up with them easily, the crunch of their own footfalls covering his own. After a short time of running, Joseph fell back to take in the scene that was before him, which was pure chaos.     Duck was wielding a sword of some kind and was handling it like a trained knight, Indrid was flitting about in a pair of ethereal Luna Moth wings, calling out to the others to dodge at precise times. Ned was moving around and firing his hand crossbow with precision and swiftness, while Mama took a hardy stance and fired with confidence. Aubrey was wielding fire magic with a performer’s flair as Dani tried to grab at their foe with foliage she seemed to be able to control. At the center of all of this was their quarry: A massive beast that looked to be made of the night sky itself, though it wasn’t as constant. The beast seemed to be able to shift its body into all sorts of creatures and animals.     As Joseph took all of this in, he came to a conclusion very quickly: This group had zero coordination or strategy. They weren’t getting each other hurt, but they were spending too much time dodging each other and the beast to make any headway. Joseph wasn’t going to risk firing a shot into the fray, but he had to help somehow.     Joseph ran his hand down his throat, summoning the only spell he could cast: Thaumaturgy. “HEY!” his voice boomed over the chaos, catching not only the humanoids, but the beast’s attention. A beast who realized that Joseph was all by himself and seemingly undefended. It charged at Joseph, moving too fast for the stunned party to react to.     Joseph leapt up, grabbing a tree branch and pulling himself up just out of the beast’s reach initially. But he knew that wouldn’t be the case for long. As he quickly began to climb, he called out to the group, who were trying to rally again to save him.     “DON’T STOP IT!” He shouted. “I CAN OUTRUN IT. DUCK, TAKE THEM TO THE LAKE WHERE WE MET, I’LL MEET YOU THERE.” Joseph instructed as he got three stories off the ground, with the beast following close behind with shifting primate arms.     The tiefling didn’t have time to confirm that they would listen as he began to leap across the forest. Joseph quieted his mind as he focused on simply outmaneuvering it. He visualized himself swinging and flipping through the branches with well-tuned acrobatic training, and his body followed the split-second script his mind crafted. Joseph was not the strongest man, but he made up for that with body he knew could get him where he wanted to go without a second thought.     Even with the shifting abilities of the beast, it could not catch up to Stern in the trees. After 15 minutes of running, he’d finally lost the beast and made his way to the rendezvous point. It seemed that someone, likely Aubrey, had crafted a small campfire by the lake that everyone had gathered around. Joseph climbed down and approached them, ready for a lot of things. Except for what actually happened.     “Fantasy Jesus, what were you thinking?”     “Are you hurt, my boy?”     “Dude, that was sick!”     Stern was taken aback by the concern and admiration, but he quickly righted himself. “Can someone please tell me what exactly is going on?”     “Probably not the whole thing.” Mama said, examining her shotgun and reloading it. “Right now, we need to take care of the Omnibear.”     “Is that what that thing is called?”     “Oh, that’s just what we named it.” Aubrey explained.     “Right… okay, we’ll address that in a minute.” Stern said as he began to pace. “First question then: How long have all of you been doing this for?”     “Um…. Nearly a year, I think?” Dani guessed with a shrug. “Not with the Omnibear, but with things like it.”     “Then I have to ask, and I apologize for how rude this is going to sound: How are you this uncoordinated in battle?” Joseph asked, desperate for the explanation.     “It really is the oddest thing.” Ned said, scratching this beard. “We used to be very good at this. It wouldn’t take use weeks at a time to track and destroy them. But in the last few months, we’ve had some real trouble with them. We think they might be getting stronger.”     “Alright, I’ll get back to that later.” Joseph said, trying to puzzle out some sort of plan.     Indrid drooped a bit from his spot, closest to the fire. “I’m sorry, everyone. I should be able to help more.” He said, pulling his knees to his chest.     “Hey, it ain’t all on you.” Duck said, sitting next to Indrid and rubbing his back. “We know that looking at battles is tough for you, considering all of the, um… unpleasant things you could see.”     “But it should be more preferable to someone actually dying.” Indrid chirped weakly.     “Wait, Indrid, are you saying-?”     “Yes, I can see the future. Or possible futures, to be more accurate.” Indrid sighed. “And no, it’s not due to my magic. I just can.” He sighed. “And looking at battles for too long makes me weak. All of those terrible outcomes, the death, the maiming. I forget what’s real and what’s just a possibility and… it can be disastrous.” He said, pulling in his legs tighter.     Stern continued to pace, thinking this through. Indrid had an incredible tool for them to use, but how to use it most effectively without hurting Indrid’s mind and himself. Then it struck him like lightning.     “Mr. Cold, I know it might be difficult, and I don’t know exactly how your ability works. But I’d like you to look at only the futures where we succeed in defeating the Omnibear.” He asked. Stern had a theory, based on what he saw of the fight.     “…. I will try.” Indrid said, taking Duck’s hand before taking a deep breath. He sat still for a few silent minutes before he seemed to come back to the present time, shaking a little bit. Duck moved to hold Indrid, and Indrid let him. “I am alright, really. I… didn’t see too many of the failures. Mostly the victories. They all have some thing in common.” He said, looking at Stern. “Duck slays the creature in all of them.”     Stern nodded. “That’s just what I thought you would see.” He said as he looked at the others. “I think the Omnibear can only be harmed by slashing damage. Bullets didn’t seem to do much to it, same with crossbow bolts. It doesn’t seem to like fire, so we can use that to our advantage.” He said as he began to plan. “I know that I’ve only known all of you for a couple of days, but trust me when I say, I know how to defeat magical beasts. It has been my job for years and I’ve…” Stern trailed off as he realized he’d been dominating the conversation as everyone stared at him.     “Sorry, I get a bit intense when it comes to work.”     “Honestly, it’s nice to have someone that seems like they know strategy.” Dani said, looking to the others. “Maybe that’s what we need. An outside perspective. Go ahead, Stern. What are you thinking?”     It didn’t take long for the group to find the Omnibear once more, thankful still in the woods and not too close to the village. Though everyone had agreed to Stern’s plan, it made a few of them nervous. Indrid, Mama and Ned weren’t necessary to the plan and stayed back with Joseph, in case something did go wrong. But Indrid seemed positive about Stern’s plan, so it seemed to be the right on.     The 4 of them stayed back as the Omnibear walked through the forest, suddenly spooked by a large burst of flame that Aubrey produced. It stumbled into a patch of bramble, which Dani manipulated to try and restrain it. It thrashed about in the thorns before Duck took a running start at the beast and in one clean motion, sliced its head off.     With that killing blow, the Omnibear shuddered and seemed to dissolve into black tar.     “Do they always do that?” Joseph asked as he watched the metamorphosis, turning not to the shiver down his spine show.     “Yep.” Everyone said collectively, including Duck’s sword, which would require some explanation.
5130

I learned much today about Kepler and a group known as the Pine Guard. I will try to keep this brief though. For many years, the magical forest has been creating monsters of its own design. A group of adventurers that lived in Kepler originally knew that if such a thing was discovered, not only would their village collapse without visitors, but eviler people might want to capture Kepler, the forest and all of its dark treasures for itself. So the adventurers made their own guild, the Pine Guard, to keep these more unknown beasts at bay, while others studied them.

This has been the way of things for years, with members coming and going, always sworn to secrecy. Mama is the most senior member currently and has recruited all of the other current members. Upon my request, I have been made a member of the Pine Guard for as long as I am here. I wish to find out why the forest produces these things. Maybe Dani is right. An outsider might be what they need to figure this all out.

I hope I can help them. I get the feeling that I’m supposed to be here. With your name on the table, and an awful mystery that hasn’t been solved in decades? I can’t think of a better place to be right now. Other than with you.

I miss you.

J. Stern

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

5131

According to Mama and the others, another monster will not appear for another few months. Mama has agreed to wave my payment for the room I am staying in, since I am on the Pine Guard. I also agreed to lend her a hand if she needed any favors done. I’d feel a bit useless if I didn’t at least try to earn my keep.

Duck has assured me that if he needs assistance with something unruly in the forest, he will come to me first and give me a bit of my own money so that I can have some sort of life here while this mystery unfolds.

I hope I can find out more about where you went while we all wait.

I miss you.

J. Stern

5132

Aubrey Little is a performer when she’s not fighting monsters, it seems. She’s quite talented too, and the children in town adore her. Dani watches her perform like she hangs the moon.

Duck informed me after the performance that he would like me to help him find a King Spider that has been getting too close to town lately.

It shouldn’t be too difficult between the two of us. But it will involve a lot of time alone together. Gods, I hope I don’t bore him. Wish me luck.

I miss you.

J. Stern
     Stern’s worries seemed to be unfounded as Duck was often quite content with the soothing sounds of the forest around them. On top of that, Duck was always happy to answer questions about the wildlife that surrounded them.     They were looking over at the Sapphire Spray when Josph looked at Duck curiously. “Duck, I apologize if this seems impertinent, but I’m curious. Why are you a warden of the forest? You seem quite capable in combat; you could be a knight or an adventurer.”     Duck sighed, clearly having answered this question before. “I was, allegedly, destined to be some great Chosen One, according to a platoon of righteous mercenaries that used to live in a compound not far from here.  Their leader, Minerva, thought I was somethin’ real special and took me under her wing when I turned eighteen. She gave me my sword and taught me a lot about fighting and stuff like that, and I was set to leave with them when they were about to move on to another region.”     Duck smiled softly, like he was all alone, remembering something sweet. “Then… ‘Drid came to town, and it changed everything.” He said with a soft chuckle. “’Drid had just left his family behind, back in the Underdark, and was tryin’ to make a life for himself. Didn’t take long for him to make a place in my heart, and I couldn’t ask him to go with me on all of these deadly adventures. And the more I spent time with him, the more I just didn’t want to leave Kepler itself. Seeing my old village through ‘Drid’s eyes, seeing how calm and charmin’ it actually was, I knew I needed to stay here and protect it.”     Jospeh blinked at Duck, astounded by his commitment. “You… gave up everything for him.” He said softly.     Duck barked a laugh. “Honestly, I’d say that ‘Drid stopped me from givin’ up what really mattered to me. I guess I just… got some clarity in what I wanted and stuck to it.”     Joseph nodded. “It would seem so.” He said softly as they continued on. He wished he could have that much confidence with what he wanted. Would things be different if he did the same with Barclay? Abandon his responsibilities and dedicate himself solely to finding Barclay? He’d never find out now, would he?     “King at 4 o’clock.” Duck whispered calmly, drawing his sword from his belt.     “You couldn’t use me for some great foes, could you~? No, I am wasted on overgrown vermin~” his sword, Beacon, whined in a strange tone.     Joseph drew an arrow from his quiver and aimed it at the monster in question. It was a spider the size of a horse with two heads that swiveled around to look for prey, its mandibles dripping with venom as it trilled softly.     “You think you can get it from here?” Duck whispered as Joseph took aim. Joseph nodded, for it would be an easy shot. If something small and irritating didn’t start throwing pinecones at him and Duck.     “Aw fuck.” Duck snarled, looking up at the half dozen tiny, blue skinned Fey hiding in the trees, laughing in squeaky voices. They kept throwing pinecones at Stern that Duck hacked away with his sword. “Damn quicklings. Get the fuck out of here.” He hissed to make the tiny Fey run off, but the distraction attracted the attention of the Spider King. It let out a loud, clicking scream before charging at them.     “Shit! Joseph, get back!” Duck shouted, waving his arms and trying to lead the Spider to him. “Try to shoot it from behind while I haul ass!” he said before he took off sprinting into the forest, the giant spider barreling behind him.     Joseph dashed behind the monster as it sped after Duck at a pace which nothing with eight legs should have. His stride was slowed by loose rocks and overeager roots as he ran, taking aim and firing at the massive arachnid. The thing dodged to the right as it shifted to get to Duck and the arrow buried itself in a tree. Joseph fired four more times, and all made their way into the trees. With each loosed and missed shot, Joseph could almost swear that his bow began to pulse. Slow at first, before growing faster and faster, the pulses turning into the rhythm of two words being repeating again and again: Seek It     It grew into a fever pitch in Joseph’s mind as he desperately wanted to help Duck, to be just as determined and focused as him in his mind. And in a rush of desperation and inspiration, Joseph called out the phrase that his bow would not stop chanting. “SEEK IT.”     When Joseph let the arrow loose, he knew it wouldn’t be a straight shot to the monster. That’s why he could barely believe his eyes when the arrow moved around the branches and trunks on its own.     After was seemed like an eternity, a flashing vision danced across Stern’s vision so suddenly that he stumbled, feeling a bit motion sick. He saw the arrow find its mark in the King Spider, piercing the thorax. It let out a scream of pain and fell, but not quite dead. In the vision, he could see Duck suddenly stopping and panting, looking around the trees. It seemed he was trying to find Joseph, but he wouldn’t, of course. He quickly took the opportunity to finish off the monster and Stern’s vision returned to the world around him a very jarring fashion. He jogged over to where the two were, trying to collect his thoughts as he approached.     He met up with Duck after a few minutes of sprinting and Duck moved to him, grinning at him in a crooked fashion. “That was amazin’, Stern! I didn’t even see you hit the damn thing!” he said, playfully punching Stern’s shoulder. But his expression dropped a bit when Joseph just looked confused and dazed. “What’s wrong, slim?”     “I… I think I cast a spell.” He said, looking at his bow carefully. It was the same bow he had since he started archery with his mother. It had never spoken to him before, and yet it decided to now.     “Oh… damn, and I thought you were impressive to begin with.” Duck said, scratching the back of his neck. “What spell was it?”     “I don’t know.” Joseph said. He’d read up on volume after volume about the arcane arts as a child, absorbing about as much knowledge as an Arcane college student over the years. But whatever this was, it was completely foreign to him.      “Duck, Thaumaturgy is the only spell I can cast, and that’s because I’m a tiefling. This is…. I don’t know what this is.” He said, pulling out the arrow from the monster and examined it. “I think I need to see Janelle.” he said, trying to sound calm, though he was anything but.
5133

Something happened today. I don’t know if I should be excited or scared. I cast a spell of some sort, that allowed me to not only fire on prey I couldn’t see, but to know where the arrow landed.

I can feel this buzzing under my skin, like something’s been awoken. I hope it is kind, whatever it is.

I miss you.

J. Stern

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Hm… that’s all?” Janelle asked as Joseph recounted yesterday’s hunt to her.     “Um… yes. That is all.” Stern said, a little surprised that she had such a mild reaction to what to him was earth shattering news.     “Hm.” Janelle said again as she set down her heavy tome and made her way to her bookshelf, full of more tomes that were written in languages that Stern could not read. “Do you understand Elvish?” she asked, pulling out a tome depicting elvish archers on the cover.     Stern shook his head. “Only basic phrases.” He admitted. His education was focused on Common and he couldn’t help but know Infernal. It was literally in his blood.     “Then that might be why you are so confused.” She said, opening the book. “You are developing Arcane Archery. Do you have any elves in your bloodline?”     “I was adopted by humans, so I wouldn’t know.” He said flatly.     “Right. Then you must have some deep in your blood.” She said, showing him a picture of elvish archers firing arrows made of magic and light, surrounded by Elvish calligraphy. “Either way, that’s what’s happening to you. I don’t know how you’re doing it without it being taught to you. That is a fascinating development.” she muttered.     Joseph nodded. “Alright then. So… what do I do about it?”     “Do about it?” Janelle asked. “You use it. But not too much. You need to take breaks in between battles when you use it. Just continue to use the magic you’ve… discovered and try new ones when they come to you.”     “Is that really all I can do? I can’t study or read anything about this? And you can’t tell me why this is happening?” he said. He didn’t want to be rude, but this lack of understanding of his own magic was concerning. He’d spent years trying to perform magic, and now it was falling into his lap, and no one could tell him why.     Janelle gave him an impatient look. “Mr. Stern, I am a very experienced magic user and scholar, so if there was anything else I could tell you about this, I would.” She said firmly.     Joseph bid Janelle farewell after that and made his way back to his room. It had been a long day of exploring the forest, and his first burst of magic made him feel weak, so he’d decided to make an entry for Barclay and go straight to bed.
5134

Arcane Archery. That’s what I can do. No one knows how to why, but I can do it.

I thought I would feel happier. But I feel more confused than anything.

I miss you

J. Stern
That night, Stern had a dream he hadn’t experienced in ages. It was a memory, from when he was 8 years old.He’d returned home from school after a very bad day. It had ended with several children chasing him home, pulling at his long, black hair, the way his parents had always kept it. He was alone when he finally returned home, his mother at her counting house and his father was most likely at rehearsal. There was no one to sooth him right away, no one to calm his racing heart and burning shame. He didn’t ever want it to happen again.He made his way to his father’s dressing room, found the thin scissors he used to cut hair and started to remove large wafts of hair. They fell like ebony ribbons onto the floor, until Stern was left with an uneven cut, just above his shoulders.His father came in then, returning home from rehearsal early. His father looked surprised at first but kept his reaction calm as he asked his child what was going on.“They grabbed my hair at school, Papa.” The young tiefling said in a soft voice, afraid he was about to get in trouble for cutting the hair he thought his parents loved so much.“Oh darling, I’m so sorry.” His father said, crouching to meet his son at eye level. “We’ll have a talk with those nasty children’s parents.” he said, stroking Stern’s cheek. “Is that why you cut your hair?”“A little…” Stern said softly. “I don’t like it long. It gets tangled in my… horns. It gets in my eyes when I read… I don’t like it.” He explained, looking at the ground. He felt sick to his stomach, but he couldn’t say why.His father nodded and thought for a moment. “… darling, would you like a hair cut like mine?” he asked, running his hand through his own hair; light brown with a fair bit of gray. It was cut in a rather short, fashionable style.Stern’s eyes lit up as he raised his head. “Really? Can I?”His father chuckled and stood up, moving Joseph to sit at the vanity mirror. “Of course, my child. Just sit still for a moment, and I will finish what you started.” He said before he began to cut.The pair were silent for a moment before Stern said, “They call me a lot of things at school, Papa. Will they say something else if I have short hair?” he asked, fearing further unwanted attention.His father didn’t pause for a moment before answering. “They might. But that is not something you have to own.”“What do you mean, Papa?” Stern asked, looking at his father in the mirror.“My child, people describe themselves in all kinds of ways. There are many words to do that. Some people like many words, and some people like no words other than their own name. But only you can decide those words. People will call you many things in this life, no matter where you go. It is up to you to decide if those are the words you wish to use. No one can make you accept them.” He said before finished off his child’s new haircut.Joseph grinned. “I look…. Like you, Papa.” He said, feeling so relieved.Stern’s father leaned down and kissed his cheek. “I am honored to look like you, darling.”     Joseph woke up that morning, feeling a sense of clarity. He knew what he had to do. Gathering Duck and Dani, the trio put Joseph’s new ability through the ringer to find its limits. They took hour long breaks when Joseph had nothing left to give, and they, for lack of a better term, shot the shit.     They told stories and tried to make each other laugh. Joseph found Aubrey’s energy easy to go along with, even if he wasn’t nearly so energized and expressive.     “Joseph, I’m having a lot of fun, but is there a reason you’re treating yourself like a test subject?” Aubrey asked as she stretched at the end of their latest break.     “Well… I like learning things. And I like knowing my own limits so I can use them best. I find it fascinating.” He said as he restrung his bow. “I want to define whatever this is my way.”     “Okay nerd.” She said with a grin, and Joseph could tell there was nothing but familiarity in her tone. Joseph liked Aubrey, with all her little flairs and energy, it was easy to get just as excited.     “Ready?” Duck asked, holding up a wooden shield to catch any incoming arrows.     Joseph drew an arrow and nodded. “I’m ready.” He said, but as he moved to aim his shot, his mind moved to Aubrey. How enthusiastic she was about her own abilities; how open and honest she was about herself. His bow began to buzz a new phrase, louder and louder like before.     “Duck!” he called, changing his target to a barrel about 10 feet away. “Get your shield ready just in case, but I’m going to try something new!” he explained. “Aubrey, get ready too!”     His friend moved away from the barrel, ready for anything. Though they seemed to be a healthy mixture of nervousness and excitement.     Joseph took a breath and shouted, what he would later coin, the command phrase.     “SHOWTIME!” and he fired. The arrow struck the barrel and created an explosion that was just barely small enough not to harm them.     Duck and Aubrey cursed a blue streak in absolute surprise, while Joseph looked at the charred grass and marveled at it.  Duck’s determination, Aubrey’s excitement. They seemed to feed Joseph and create something very different. But something very Joseph.
5135

I think I might understand what is happening now. The people I’m getting to know are influencing me in a way I don’t understand yet. But I am excited to find out. So many mysteries to solve, I just wish you weren’t one of them.

I miss you.

J. Stern

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Joseph spent the week training and testing his new abilities, which he dubbed the Seeking Arrow and the Bursting Arrow. He still wasn’t sure why this was all happening, but he was confident that he would learn in time. And through it all, he still wrote to Barclay in his journal every single night.
5142

Kepler is hosting their annual harvest festival tonight, and Duck invited me to join him, as the rest of the Pine Guard will be busy participating in the festival; Aubrey and Dani will be performing throughout the festival, Ned will be hosting short, obscure theatre productions and Indrid will be doing sketches and fortune telling. Mama will be keeping an eye on the permitter of the village; in case an abomination comes at an inopportune time.

Though I already know that it’ll be less fun than you and I had all those years ago.

I miss you.

J. Stern
     The village of Kepler was decorated with lanterns and fall foliage, booths and stages scattering up and down the main street. There were children in costumes and adults delighting in many an alcoholic beverage. Light music filled the air, along with the smell of fried delights.     Joseph and Duck moved up and down the stalls, both drinking a hot spiked cider. Joseph took a moment to examine the stall selling stationary and portable writing instruments. Duck took a turn later, buying a new model ship from his favorite vendor.     “You build model ships?” Joseph asked, surprised but delighted.     “Yep. Loved it ever since I was a kid.” Duck said, smiling at the box full of nautical possibilities.     “That must take a lot of work and patience.” Joseph said as he bought himself a candy apple.     “Yeah, but it’s worth it. And it’s real relaxin’.” He said, putting the box away into a Bag of Holding. “I think you and ‘Drid would have a fun time at the sweet stalls. All of his teeth are sweet tooths.”     “What can I say? Sugar is delicious.” Joseph said before taking a bite, his tail swishing softly from the delicious treat.     “You mind if we stop by ‘Drid’s tent? I wanna check up on him, get him a treat if I can.”     “Not at all. I’d love to see some of his work, actually.”     After a trip to the Fairy Floss stand, the pair made their way to Indrid’s pink and yellow tent. It had many easels displaying Indrid’s sketches and painting in the front, while also advertising fortune telling deeper into the tent.     Indrid stood outside of the tent, making small sketches of people for a few silver. He beamed Duck’s way before he even said hello. “There you are, waterfowl! I thought my visions might be wrong in how quickly you would arrive.” He said, wordlessly taking the Fairy Floss from Duck and eating it the same enthusiasm a moth might have to a wool sweater.     “Had to come by to see my favorite fortune teller.” Duck said with a wink, making Indrid giggle.     Joseph felt something like burnt sugar in his gut as he watched the pair. “Duck, why don’t you take some time to catch up with Indrid? I’ll meet you at Aubrey’s show later.” He said, keeping a pleasant smile.     “Uh, sure thing, Stern.” Duck said, clearly a little confused.     Joseph turned his back, but Indrid spoke to him before he walked away. “If you ever need to talk, Joseph, we’re here to listen.” He said calmly. Maybe there was a future where he explained why he felt melancholy all of a sudden. But that wasn’t this future, and he began to mindlessly walk around the festival, remembering the festival he’d spent with Barclay.     Joseph had been investigating the disappearances for two months now, with very few leads. He’d interviewed suspects to no avail, and clues were few and far between. Most of the town still believed it was Barclay who was responsible, even though Stern had cleared him time and time again. It was easy to when he was with Barclay at the time of some of the disappearances.     They would have regular meals together, read books to one another and play chess, talking long into the night most days. Joseph hated going back to his room at the inn each night. But being with Barclay romantically was impractical at the moment, much as his heart rebelled.     The village he was investigated decided to go ahead with their Harvest Festival, despite Stern’s warnings that it could be unsafe. But the town seemed more interested in their good time, so Joseph couldn’t really stop them. It looked quite fun anyways.     The morning of the festival, Stern had invited Barclay to go with him. But Barclay’s ears drooped a bit when he asked, though he tried to smile through it.     “Um… I’m not allowed to go, actually.”     “… what are you talking about?” Stern asked, in complete disbelief.     “I mean, there’s no rule saying I can’t, but none of the vendors will sell to me. And I get the stink eye from performers when I try to watch, so… no point in me going, right?” Barclay said with a sad laugh. “But that’s okay. I usually set out a blanket and have my dinner out there. I get a good view of the festival, so I can watch the dancing and stuff. So that’s nice. I hope you have fun though.” He said, this time his smile was genuine.     Joseph could not allow this. It was unfair and cruel and just plain idiotic. Honestly, if Barclay made a stall selling his cooking, the other stalls would go out of the business if anyone gave it a chance! So, Joseph came up with a plan to right this terrible wrong.     Joseph took most of the gold he had saved for an emergency and spent it on nearly every stall in the festival as soon as they opened. He would need all day to organize his haul.     By the time the sun was dipping down from the sky, Stern had completed his mission and knocked on Barclay’s door.     “Oh hey, Joseph.” Barclay said, looking surprised. “I thought you would be at the festival all day?”     “Barclay, I’m going to ask you to follow me.” He said, keeping a professional tone, as to not give the surprise away.     Barclay warily followed Joseph outside, but gasped when he saw what the tiefling had done, his eyes going a bit damp. In his usual viewing spot for the festival, there was a massive quilt on the ground, surrounded by all kinds of festival food. There was even a medium sized keg of cider to share. There were also cards, a small ring toss game and sparklers to complete the activities.     “How did you… what did you…?” Barclay was at a loss for words.     “Well, I thought it was rather ridiculous that you couldn’t have a true festival experience in the village limits.” Joseph explained, unable to hold back his triumphant smile now. “So I thought I would bring it to you. I’ve never been to a festival with a friend before, as it happens. So this can work for the both of us.”     Barclay was silent for a moment, before he pulled Joseph into a deep, warm embrace. Joseph hugged him back, feeling prouder than he ever had before. Barclay gave the best hugs.     “Come on, the turkey legs will get cold,” Joseph said, guiding Barclay to the quilt.     “I can’t wait.” Barclay said with a grin, but holding another sentiment back.     “I would love to hear your critique on the food.” Stern alleviated him.     “Oh, thank the gods.” Barclay said as he took a bite. “They never smoke it with the right wood.”     “What kind of wood would you use?” Joseph asked.      And on and on it went. They stuffed themselves with savory and sweet festival foods, played word games and card games. Barclay won the little ring toss game and won a handkerchief that Stern chose: a sage green dish towel that was soft enough to be a handkerchief for a bugbear. And as the afternoon turned to twilight, the pair started to work through the keg together, sharing drinking games they’d picked up on their individual travels.     By the time the lanterns were lit, they’d gone through most of the keg together, leaving the both of them buzzed. A bonfire was built down below and the villagers started to dance around it in pairs.     “I always wanted to do that.” Barclay said, smiling at the people below. “Have a dance with someone at a festival. But I’m too big for that kind of thing, I might crush my partner, you know?” he said before finishing off his current mug of cider.     Joseph looked at Barclay, then down at the people dancing below. They could hear the music they were dancing to from here, lively and meant for careless, grand movement. He recognized the dance they were doing from parties his parents had him attend with them.     Joseph finished off his mug of cider and slowly stood up, the alcohol affecting his mind more than his body. That would have to be the case to explain what he did next. When the next song started again and the dancers below moved in a choreographed fashion, Joseph moved away into the grass and began to dance in the same fashion. The steps were so engrained in him from childhood, he barely had to think about them, and he paused at the proper point, holding his hand out to Barclay, whom he had not the courage to look at when he started this whole ploy.     “I’m… sure it won’t bother me. I’m pretty light on my feet. Do you know the steps from watching all this time?” he asked, hoping his speech wasn’t as slurred as he imagined it might be.     Barclay looked at him with wide, brown eyes before slowly taking Joseph’s hand and standing up, moving off of the blanket. “Um… yeah. I think so.” He said, swallowing audibly as he moved his other hand to Joseph’s thin waist.     From there, it seemed remarkably easy as Barclay led the both of them through the dance, knowing the moves enough to get by. Joseph matched Barclay step for step, and his size was indeed not a problem. The longer they danced, the more relaxed Barclay seemed to be, and he moved Joseph around the grass with ease, adding moves that Joseph could properly anticipate. With the distant music, the buzz of cider in his head and Barclay’s laugh filling the air as he was moved with ease, Joseph felt like he was flying. That was definitely true when the song ended with a flourish and Barclay dipped Joseph, holding him completely and easily off the ground by the waist and back of his neck.     Joseph felt his skin prickle with desire as he looked up into Barclay’s laughing eyes. He felt so safe and cared for in Barclay’s presence. He felt like he could do anything with this man by his side. He was, without a doubt, in love.     He was also, without a doubt, sick. Damn him and his drinking. He groaned from his stomach protesting and Barclay gently put him to the ground. Joseph evacuated said stomach into the bushes, much to his shame.     “Why don’t I take you back to my cottage? You can rest on my couch until you feel better.” Barclay said with a kind smile and led Joseph back to his place. He was tucked in with a bucket by his side, wrapped up in a homey, warm quilt. Joseph drifted off to sleep, just for a moment, so he would feel better. That was the last time he saw Barclay.
5143

I’m sorry I was a coward, Barclay. I should have said how I felt at the festival. I should have done so many things. I don’t know how I keep living without you every day. It’s like there’s a cavity in my heart. It was easy to bury at first, but now it’s festering. Maybe it’s because it feels like you’re so close. And I still can’t find you. I’m still failing.

I miss you.

J. Stern

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Joseph woke up with his head feeling as if it was filled with gruel. He slowly sat up, hearing shouting from outside. He didn’t recognize where he was for a moment before realizing he was in Barclay’s cottage. The clock on the wall showed one in the morning, so why was it so bright outside of the windows?Joseph felt his heart sink as he stumbled to his feet. His head was killing him, and his stomach was in revolt at the sudden movement, but it was filled with too much dread for Stern to ignore. He went straight to the door and opened it wide.A mob. The worst-case scenario was before him, lit in the harsh glow of torches and the glint of weapons and farm tools. They were screaming and practically foaming at the mouth for blood, for justice, for Barclay.“What is going on?!” Stern called over the crowd, making his own headache worse.“Murderer!”“Kidnapper!”“We’re tired of our loved ones being taken by that monster!”Joseph felt a rage, white and hot burning in his heart. “I have told you before! Barclay has been clear multiple times! I am sorry that you are hurting, but that is no reason to persecute an innocent man!” He shouted above them all.Somehow though, over the crowd’s demands and his pleas, the sound of the back door opening and closing snuck in. Joseph looked over his shoulder for a moment. Barclay was probably running to safety, just in case Joseph couldn’t handle them. Good.“The monster is running away!”“Get him!”“Gut him!”“No, stop, please!” Joseph shouted, but he was just one man. He didn’t have his bow and quiver. And even if he did, what would he do with it? He couldn’t just shoot these people down… could he?Joseph ran after the mob as they stormed through the forest like bloodhounds. Adrenaline abated his previous drinking and focused his mind as he chased them, trying to reason with them, command them, beg them to stop. And it lasted for an hour.But Barclay had seemed to vanish into thin air, a feat for a being of Barclay’s stature. Joseph was certain he had escaped, some way, somehow. As the mob continued to search the forest, not satisfied with this development, Joseph made up his mind. Perhaps it was an immature decision, but it was the decision he made that night.He went back to his room at the inn and packed up his things. He had no one to speak to, since everyone seemed to be preoccupied with the manhunt. He left the payment for his room at the counter. He then made his way to the city hall and returned his fee for the investigation on the desk. If these people would not listen to reason and continue to harass Barclay time and time again? They didn’t deserve his help. They were on their own.     Joseph woke up the day after the festival as his most common nightmare echoed in his mind, the night after the festival with Barclay. He felt ill and heavy headed like he did that night. To add to his misery, there was a knock on the door, though it was quite light.     “Stern? Are you awake?” Indrid called through the door.     “Um… yes. One moment.” He said as he quickly put on his pants before answering the door, sans shirt. “Is everything alright, Indrid?”     Indrid took a moment to answer him. “I am in need of a chaperone to Huntington. Could I ask for your assistance?” he inquired, cocking his head to the side. “I would normally ask Duck for such a favor, but he is teaching a group of children how to forage in the upcoming winter, and I would hate to interrupt that.”     Joseph nodded. “I think I can do that, yes. Could I have a moment to get ready?”     “Of course! Take your time, I will be in the lounge waiting.” Indrid said with a little wave before leaving Joseph’s door.     The tiefling worked quickly to get ready and soon enough, the pair was walking through the forest towards Huntington in the slightly chilled morning.     “So, what errand do you need to run?” Joseph asked, keeping an eye out for any wild beasts or highway men in the trees.     “Oh, we’re off to see my brother and his husband.” Indrid explained. “His husband sent me an urgent message by currier. I have a feeling I know what it is about, but I have to be sure which timeline this is.”     “… it must be difficult, trying to keep track of everything.” Stern said, not being able to imagine what Indrid’s mind must be like.     “Sketching helps. Just getting the visions out of my head is like releasing a great dam in small bursts.” The half-elf said as they entered Huntington proper. “But other times… it is something I must live with.” He said as he led the way to the tavern district. “I’ve come to accept it, whether it brings me fortune or misfortune.”     “…. That must be nice.” Joseph said softly. “Being able to accept that part of yourself.”     “… you worry about making others uncomfortable. With your appearance?” Indrid asked, seeming to follow the line of conversation in an adjacent timeline.     “Mostly humans. Some other people find infernal beings unnerving, but-“     “You worry no matter who it is.” Indrid finished his sentence. “Why do you worry so much, Joseph?”     “Can’t you see what I’ll answer?”     “I would like to hear you say it. In some timelines, it isn’t phrased so well, so I’d like a clear picture.”     “… I was surrounded by people who were different from me when I was growing up. And they never let me forget it, in ways big and small. My parents tried their best to mitigate the effect, but they couldn’t protect me from everything. And I saw it more when I left home, when no one could protect me.” Joseph sighed, his tail curling around his thigh at the memories. “I just… wish people weren’t so afraid of me.”     “Why?” Indrid asked with complete sincerity.     This threw Joseph for a loop. “It makes my job harder, for one. I need people to trust me to speak with me.” He said, giving Indrid a pointed look. “And besides that, it’s hard to… create meaningful relationships, when people are afraid of you…”     “Hm…. Perhaps you need to look at it from a different angle.” Indrid offered. “I had a similar problem when I first arrived in Kepler. My demeanor and magic frightened others. But I still made friends and fell in love with Duck.” He said with a dreamy sigh.     “So, what angle should I look at it then?” Joseph asked as they approached a tavern ‘The Wicked Swallow’.     “Let people be afraid of you, Joseph.” Indrid said earnestly. “Because the people that will care about you, cherish you, love you? They will not be afraid. They will see what your soul really contains, and it will resonate with them.” He said with a wide grin. “And the people who are afraid of you? That is a power you can wield for good. I learned how to do it, and so can you.” He said before heading inside.     Joseph was left a little dumbstruck by Indrid’s advice. He’d have to think about that later. As he stepped inside to follow Indrid, he was momentarily confused. Indrid was nowhere to be seen on a first glance, but there was a man who looked very much like Indrid.     He was leaning against the bar, reading the specials, his form just as long and lanky as Indrid’s, though his hair had a more golden luster to it, and it was held back in a half up style with a jeweled hairpin. His clothes were of the latest fashion and were dyed in rich jewel tones. He could actually see this man’s eyes, a reddish brown. But if anything made him more different from his friend, it was the look on the man’s face; as if he was ready to strike at anyone at a moment’s notice. It was unnerving to say the least.     The look alike seemed to notice Joseph and glared at him with sharp eyes. But the gaze was interrupted when Indrid came up behind him and tapped his shoulder. The two seemed to converse quietly, like they were verbally throwing knives at each other. Indrid’s blonde twin moved deeper into the tavern and Indrid approached Joseph. “Come along, Joseph. I’d hate to lose you.”     The pair moved down to the back of the tavern, towards a table for four. Indrid’s twin was perched next to a satyr who was clearly getting on in his years. His wheat blonde hair was greying in patches, but it was kept in a much neater style than Joseph had ever seen on a satyr, which also accentuated his ivory horns. Even his facial hair was trimmed and well-kept. He, like the half-elf twin, was also wearing the latest fashion, at least from the hips up, but his colors were more varied, adding a few pastels in for good measure.     “Indrid, it is wonderful to see you again.” The satyr greeted with a smile, shaking his hand as Indrid pulled out his chair. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of meeting your friend?”     “Vincent, this is Guild Investigator Joseph Stern. Joseph, this is Vincent Capra. He’s one of the most successful merchants in Huntington.” Indrid said lightly as he and Joseph sat down.     Indrid’s twin glared at him fiercely. “Ahem?”     “Oh, and this is my twin brother, Apollo.” Indrid said with a dismissive hand wave.     Apollo balked and looked at Joseph. “My brother forgets himself and his manners much of the time.”     “And you remember them so well?” Indrid asked with a dry smirk.     “Boys, please.” Vincent said, placing a hand on Apollo’s. That seemed to settle the half-elf at once. “Indrid, I assume you have an inkling as to why I called you here?”     “My father is making moves on the surface once more?” Indrid asked, cocking his head to the side.     “Exactly.” Vincent nodded. “Apollo has noticed quite a bit of movement between the nearby entrance to the Underdark and the Monongahela Forest. Drow men with your father’s crest. They are moving men and supplies there regularly at night.”     “You noticed them?” Indrid asked his brother.     “Well, I’m not allowing father to get the drop on us.” Apollo said. “Watching their movements is key to keeping my freedom intact.”     “And mine?”     “Yours remains intact for as long as mine does.” Apollo said in a haughty tone.     “Why don’t Joseph and I grab some refreshments?” Vincent said before standing up. “You two have some catching up to do, I’m sure. Then we can develop a plan of action.” He said, squeezing Apollo’s shoulder before moving to the bar. Joseph stood and followed, looking back at the twins with some uncertainty.     “I promise they won’t get into a physical altercation.” Vincent said with a chuckle as he placed the order for 4 glasses of the tavern’s finest mead. “They may snap at each other, but they have come a long way.”     Joseph looked back at the pair. They were too far away from the twins to hear them whispering to one another, but they seemed to be trading verbal barbs at one another. Though they seemed equally matched. “Are they always like this?”     “Oh yes.” Vincent said. “And they’ve improved much since they both escaped their father’s hold.”     “Who exactly is their father?” Jospeh asked, leaning against the bar as Vincent took a seat at the bar to wait.     “Alister Cold. He is a Drow male with a lot of ambition.” Vincent explained. “He wishes to shift the paradigm of Drow’s matriarchal society. He hoped to do that with his children, born from a very powerful female warrior.” He said as he gestured to the twins in question, who seemed to be speaking to each other more calmly now. “But his parental skills left much to be desired. So Indrid fled after making his Pact. And Apollo…” Vincent chuckled. “I spirited him away, by his request.”     Joseph’s eyes widened. “You took him from the Underdark?”     “It wasn’t difficult. A shipping crate can be very cozy if one is prepared to help refugees escape.” Vincent said with a wink.     “You are… not like most satyr I’ve met.” Joseph said, his brain registering in the background that it was growing quiet, as their drinks were served to them in fine glass mugs.     “And you are not like most tieflings I’ve met, Joseph.” Vincent chuckled, but his expression became much more measured. Joseph turned and saw immediately why. The tavern was now empty of patrons except for themselves and six Drow, all dressed to resist the sun’s light and for the possibility of combat. Four were close to himself and Vincent, and one was standing behind each twin.     “You didn’t see this one coming?” Apollo sneered at his brother.     “I was distracted, could you piss off?” Indrid snapped back.     “Shut up, both of you!” the leader of this force shouted at the pair before turning to Joseph and Vincent. “Now, we don’t want any trouble, gentlemen. But we have to return Magistrate Cold’s property back to where it belongs.” He said with a grin. “You understand.”     “Understand this.” Vincent said in a calm tone that shocked Joseph. “If you attempt to take Apollo or Indrid back to the Underdark, I will have to stop you. I do not wish for unnecessary bloodshed, but if that is what it takes for me to stop your attempt of kidnapping, then my hand will be forced.”     The Drow men laughed at Vincent’s attempt at peace, which visibly angered Apollo. “And what do you intend to do, you old goat?”     “Does the lizard hunt well?” Apollo asked Indrid while looking at Joseph. While Joseph was very confused, Indrid seemed to understand this perfectly as he responded. “The lizard can hunt a great meal for himself.”     Indrid looked at Joseph now and even with his opaque glasses, Joseph somehow knew Indrid was looking him in the eye. "Joseph, glass him.” He said, nodding to the leader.     Joseph’s eyes flickered to one of the glasses of mead he was holding.     The leader chuckled. “That’s awfully generous, offering us a drink when-“     Joseph smashed the glass into the man’s face, and all hell broke loose.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Joseph knew how to fight. His honed archery skills from youth combined with relatively new acrobatic training made for a deadly combination, but Joseph was a man who fought beasts a majority of the time. Beasts that had instincts and patterns that he could memorize, but fighting people? People were unpredictable and deadly when backed too far into a corner. This meant Joseph was on high alert the moment he had picked up the glass to smash it against the Drow’s face. Everything felt heightened, more real, more vivid.             The next few moments seemed to stretch on, but in reality, they happened in mere seconds. One of the Drow moved to grab Vincent by his vest, but the mercenary looked surprised as Vincent not only leaned into the grab, but pulled his head back and slammed it into the man’s face. A loud CRACK emanated from the man’s face as he released Vincent and recoiled, crying out as he moved a hand to his nose, which was most definitely broken. The second Drow also moved to grab Vincent, but in a show of goatly heritage, Vincent leapt onto the counter of the bar from his standing position, moving out of the Drow’s reach. In that jump, he moved his left hand and it vanished into a small, secret Bag of Holding. Out of the bag came a gleaming rapier of steel and gold, glowing with holy magic. Joseph could note the impressive royal seal on the pommel of the blade even from here.             “Fegen!” Apollo called out, in what Joseph recognized as Elvish. Like a dance, he and Indrid suddenly stood from their chairs in unison, and in the same breath, kicked their chairs behind them to slam into the Drow that were towering over them not a moment ago. This gave the men the breathing room they needed to arm themselves. Indrid’s hands began to spark with pure arcane might, red and angry. Apollo, on the other hand, had a much more physical approach to things as he pressed his hands to his outer thighs. When he pulled them away, the intricate, yet subtle patterns in his trousers pulled away and materialized in Apollo’s hands as twin daggers, long and vicious like the man holding them.             Now Joseph had to worry about himself. One of his enemies was trying to recover from the glass embedded in his face, but the other was seemingly ready to strike. He pulled his shortsword from his sheath as he stepped forward to cut Joseph down, but Joseph side stepped him by an inch and avoided the blow. He used the momentum to tuck and roll away from the mercenary, gaining some space for himself now. It gave him time to pull his bow and arrow, poising one ready to fire.             Then everything was a blur with snapshots that Joseph could pick out as he tried to defend himself. Vincent held his own well against two assailants, his position on the bar giving him the upper hand. Apollo and Indrid moved around and through each other to fight against their pair: Apollo moved his daggers as elegantly as swan, while Indrid fired off Eldritch Blasts to cover for the both of them in seemingly erratic patterns.             Joseph had to focus on his own fight. The man with the shortsword moved quickly to try and take another stab at Joseph, but Joseph acted faster. Joseph took note of the wood paneling on the floor and fired his arrow downwards, piercing through his foot and pinning him to the floor painfully. The hired goon was stunned with pain as Joseph took the opening. He leapt onto the nearest chair with one foot and launched himself into an aerial walkover above the man and fired another shot into his arm. The arrow pierced the appendage and pinned the arm to the nearest table as Joseph landed steadily on the other side.
             “Lay down your arms.” The drow with glass in his face managed to spit out, but it didn’t sound like a command to Joseph’s ears. It felt like someone kind asking a favor. It seemed rude not to listen and obey.

“Morninglord, Protect Them!” Vincent called out with conviction and an edge of anger as he began to emit a sunrise aura. The moment the words left the satyr’s mouth, the kindness in the enemy’s words was washed away. Joseph mentally kicked himself for nearly succumbing to a Mass Suggestion spell.

He was still recovering when the glassed man rushed at him, flicking his wrist to extend a collapsible quarterstaff. Joseph was able to react quickly enough not to get his face smashed in as he raised his arm to block the powerful hit, but he could feel his bone straining under the quarterstaff. The force of it pushed him back a foot and he felt frustration licking up his soul, flicking out in his tail like an angry cat. The tiefling snarled at the man, something hot burning in his throat that he had to release. “How dare you!?” he shouted, and he felt his tongue tingle, like he’s just eaten a Hellfire pepper whole. The Drow that Joseph had shouted at screamed in alarm and pain as flames erupted from the floor beneath him, bright blue and precise. Joseph didn’t know how it happened, but he was sure that he had caused those flames.

He had no time to consider that, however, as his other combatant had pulled the arrows out of his arm and foot and charged at him. Joseph ran at the man as well, but dropped down at the last moment, sliding in between his legs and popping back up on the other side. Joseph took a knee as he pivoted and fired a shot into his assailant’s leg, piercing through his thigh and sending him to the ground in agony.

Joseph had the breathing room now to see how his companions in battle were doing. Vincent had incapacitated one of his two enemies, but Indrid and Apollo were still going against theirs. They’d likely been targeted by the strongest fighters in the bunch. That was made clear when one of the Drow closed the distance unexpectedly and landed a punch directly into Indrid’s face. Metal and glass cracked in harmony as Indrid’s glasses shattered under the blow and fell from his face, giving Joseph a look at his eyes for the first time.

They looked like solid rubies in his sockets with no iris or pupil to be found. Indrid’s face showed a fraction of dismay before twisting into an anger that Joseph had never seen before. “Those were a gift!” he screamed and the air around him bent and snapped like a twig as the half elf’s visage turned into a majestic monster. He grew to a height of seven feet and looked to be a cross between a man and a moth with an oil slick black body and wings decorated with gray and white eyes. His red eyes fit perfectly in this new form that glared down at his opponents, his fluffy antenna drawn back in fury as he began to attack with even more ferocity, using a mixture of magic and physical attacks with his newly clawed hands.

Joseph’s attention moved back as the singed Drow approached him, limping a bit, but clearly trying to move through the pain. The other man was still on the ground, unable to move with the arrow through his thigh, so Joseph could focus on this last one. The tiefling took advantage of the Drow’s slow pace and moved in close, positioning his bow to behind the man’s neck and pushing it down, slamming his knee into his face. It pushed the glass in his face further in, but also pierced Joseph’s pants leg a bit. It was a worthy sacrifice, in the archer’s opinion.

As the man staggered back from the blow to recover, Joseph didn’t give him the opportunity and moved behind him, extending the string of the bow to go over the man’s head. Joseph let go of the string and began to pull on the bow by both limbs, using the string as a garrote to strangle the man. Joseph couldn’t see his opponent’s face from this angle, but he could see that the Drow was trying to pry the string off of his neck. Joseph made sure he wouldn’t be able to do that by putting his foot on the man’s lower back and extending up, pushing the man into the makeshift garrote more and giving himself some distance. It didn’t take long for the man’s choked protests to fall silent as he slumped down, unconscious.

Joseph released him in time to see one of the Drow finally getting a hit on Vincent, cutting into his right flank. Vincent gritted his teeth in pain as blood began to wet the fur on his leg, not ready to back down yet. A blur of jewel tones collided with the offending Drow and Apollo was latched onto his back, a crazed look in his eyes and he plunged one of his daggers into the man’s heart over and over again. He stabbed the man at least six times before he hit the ground, his chest concave with the number of stab wounds Apollo had inflicted.

“Apollo, enough!” Vincent said firmly and Apollo’s attention snapped to him, the tavern eerily quiet after all of the violence. It seemed that Indrid and Apollo had incapacitated their enemies moments before Vincent had been injured. Apollo released the corpse and stood up, the only blood on him coating his armed hand up to his wrist. He was still shaking with adrenaline as he eyed Vincent’s injured leg.

“He had to die. He hurt you.” Apollo said, almost detached from the sentence; However, his concern for Vincent’s reaction was obvious, even for Joseph.

Vincent laid a hand to his cut leg and in a flash of golden light, it was healed. “I appreciate your concern, love, but I am alright.” he reassured as he jumped down from the bar and sheathed his rapier back into his Bag of Holding.

Apollo took in a shaking breath as Indrid transformed and picked up the shattered remains of his glasses, keeping his ruby eyes to the floor as he approached Joseph to stand next to him. “I’m sorry.” Apollo said to Vincent, so softly that they could only have heard it in the absolute silence.

“We can talk about it later, little bird.” Vincent said as Apollo made the daggers in his hands melt back into embroidery once more, his eyes downcast from Vincent’s. Vincent embraced Apollo, not seeming to care about his husband’s bloodied hand.

Joseph looked at Indrid, who had a bruise blooming on the bridge of his nose. “Are you alright?”

Indrid nodded and flicked his eyes at Joseph before looking back down again. “I am. And you?” he asked in return, sounding very tired

“Just some bruising and some cuts, luckily.” Joseph answered. “... that form you took-”

“I know, I’m sorry you had to see it, I was just-”

“It’s breathtaking.” Joseph interrupted Indrid back, who snapped his head up at him.

“... I thought that timeline was just wishful thinking.” Indrid said in such a small voice.

Joseph smirked at him. “I’m happy to prove you wrong.”

Indrid’s cheeks went a shade pink before he seemed to zone out and snap back again in a few breaths. “We should leave now. The town guard will be here soon, and it won’t end well unless it’s just Vincent here to explain things.”

Vincent nodded and turned to Apollo. “Love, go back to the house and pack a bag for us. We should leave the city for a time if your father is going to come after you this aggressively”

Apollo opened his mouth to protest but he paused, considered things, and sighed in resignation. “Alright then. Where are we going?”

Vincent looked to Indrid and Joseph. “There wouldn’t be any rooms available at Amnesty, would there?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The walk back to Kepler was tense and quiet for the most part, with Vincent and Apollo each carrying a Trunk of Holding for a lengthy stay at Amnesty Lodge. Indrid had assured Joseph that he didn’t see any danger befalling them on the way back home, but the tiefling couldn’t take the chance, so he kept his bow ready and his head on a swivel. Indrid, on the other hand, kept his eyes mostly to the ground as they walked, holding the pieces of his glasses in his hands like a wounded animal. Apollo had vocalized how unhappy with this arrangement he was, but he seemed to relax the deeper they got into the forest. Joseph caught Apollo whispering to Vincent several times when a different bird was in their sightlines or when they could hear one singing in the trees.

When they all arrived at the Lodge by sunset, it was Indrid and Vincent who explained the situation to Mama. She was more than happy to rent a room out to the temporarily displaced pair, especially when Vincent insisted on paying double the usual rate for the inconvenience. As Indrid led the way to the couple’s room, Joseph found himself in a wing he hadn’t ventured in before. He and Vincent got to talking about their travels and their few shared experiences as they trekked down the hallway.

“Was the Rowdy Rat still open when you were last in Deepwater?” Vincent asked Joseph as they turned a corner, the Cold brothers ahead of them bickering about something.

“It was. I am… deeply surprised that you are familiar with that establishment.” Joseph said with an amused smile.

“And I you.” Vincent laughed warmly. “I had some more adventurous days in my youth, and… is everything alright, Joseph?”

Joseph had stopped in front of an unassuming, but still quite odd room. All of the rooms in Amnesty were numbered and lettered for ease of locating, except for this door in the middle of the hallway. Joseph would normally chalk this up to being a maintenance or storage room, but those were usually labeled as such, and this door had no such signage.

Joseph shook his head and smiled politely at Vincent. “Sorry, my mind wandered a bit. Tell me, do you prefer the passage by the Sword Mountains, or going through the Neverwinter Woods for traveling?”

After leaving Vincent and Apollo to get settled in their room (one with a view of the forest, by Indrid’s suggestion), Joseph walked back down the hall with Indrid and stopped in front of the unmarked door.

“Indrid, do you know what this door is for?” Joseph asked, more than a little curious.

“What door?” Indrid asked, looking at Joseph before looking at the door and squinting in confusion. He blinked and shook his head like he was trying to think more clearly. “I don’t know. I’ve… never noticed it before.” he answered, sounding quite dazed.

Joseph took the doorknob in hand and jiggled it. Locked. “That’s so strange….” he said distantly as he looked up and down the hall. He thought for a moment that perhaps this door was simply in disrepair, a guest room with the lettering knocked off. That couldn’t be the case, as the rooms to the left and right of it were in the proper order, and there was no fading on the door to illustrate that a sign used to be there.

“Mama will know.” Indrid nodded, though looking mildly distressed. “I’m sure you could ask her, but I need to find Aubrey. I’m worried I’m going to lose pieces of my glasses if they’re not fixed soon. Good luck, Joseph, and thank you for your help today. It… made the difference.” he said with a small smile before leaving Joseph in the hall.

Joseph bid Indrid farewell before looking at the mysterious door again. It wouldn’t be a mystery for long though. Surely Mama would have the answer.

“I’ve never seen this door in my life.” Mama said as she and Joseph stood in front of it a few minutes later. She crossed her arms and glared at it as if its mysterious presence offended her.

“How is that possible?” Joseph asked, his tail lightly swishing with tension. Mama had owned this building for decades, according to the others. ‘

How could there be any part of this place that she didn’t know?’

“I don’t have a godsdamn idea.” the owner said as she stepped forward and tried the door. “Of course it’s fucking locked.” she cursed, pulling out an imposing ring of keys for the Lodge from her belt. She tried each and every one of them once and then again just to be sure, but none of them worked to open the door.

“We’ll need someone to break in.” Mama sighed.

“I’m delighted that my particular set of skills could be of assistance, Mama!” Ned said as he worked at the door with his thief’s tools, moving with that signature dexterity he possessed. Joseph had tried the lock himself with his own tools, but Ned had years of experience on him.

“What exactly did you do for a living before the museum?” Joseph asked, eyeing the man curiously. Before his question could be answered, the door popped open with a creak.

“Your mystery awaits!” Ned said with a smile, shifting the conversation quickly. The two humans and the tiefling made their way into the room and the first thing that hit Joseph’s senses was how dusty and stuffy the room was, as if someone hadn’t been inside for months.

As Joseph took in more of the room though, it started to feel eerily familiar. Mama lit the lantern on the wall and Ned threw open the closed curtains to give the room more light to investigate by. With the room now cast in the soft light of sunset, the tiefling’s heart almost stopped.

The well-loved cookbooks and novels neatly organized on a small shelf by the desk, dried herbs hanging by the window, an incense burner that had the lingering scent of lavender, the bed that was clearly built for a tall, wide being… And the fabric on the nightstand banished all doubt in Joseph’s mind.

Folded neat as a pin on the nightstand was a soft, sage green dish towel, but for a larger man, it could be a handkerchief. He picked it up with the greatest care, the fabric still as smooth as the day Barclay had won it. Joseph raised the cloth to his nose and inhaled.

Pine tar soap, spices, warm fur. Barclay.

Joseph turned swiftly to the pair in the room. “You don’t have any idea who’s room this is?” he asked, looking suspiciously at them.

“No, but… it feels familiar.” Mama said. She moved to the desk and picked up a small carved rabbit. “This is one of mine.” she mused as she turned the carving in her hand, eyeing her initials on the bottom.

“I am getting that feeling as well.” Ned agreed, looking troubled for once.

Joseph looked between them, trying to pick up any sense that the pair was lying to him. This seemed so improbable, that Barclay could have a place here in this Lodge, a room, a carved seat at the table, but no one remembering him?

Joseph could see the truth and confusion on their faces. They did not know this room or Barclay, so what did that mean, he wondered.

“Mama, may I have access to this room? I think this might be a good place to start gathering clues.” Joseph asked, replacing the handkerchief on the nightstand.

“I’d normally tell you that you can’t exactly snoop around someone’s room.” Mama sighed. “Much as I hate to admit it, this is completely out of my depth. I don’t have a key for the room, clearly, but you can look around here as much as you want, if that’ll help you find what you’re lookin’ for.”

“Thank you.” Joseph said with a grateful nod. “I promise not to cause you any trouble with this.”

“You don’t gotta promise that.” Mama smirked. “I get plenty of trouble from the others, why not add to the pile?”

5144

I am writing this entry in what I believe to be your room. I apologize for intruding, but I did come upon it quite by accident. I must confess, I will have to invade your privacy more if I wish to try and find you, and I am sorry for that.

Though I will admit, being in this room where you made your home, where your little touches are everywhere, I feel more at home than I have in a long time. I laid in your bed for a bit. It would fit the both of us perfectly, I think.

I have come to the conclusion that something has happened to everyone’s memories of you. I am clearly not affected, but that just causes me greater confusion.

I will find the answer to this mystery, and once I do, I know I will find you.

I miss you.

Stern

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

That night, as Joseph laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling in its grayscale cast, he realized one thing: He was not going to sleep any time soon. Between the life-threatening combat to the discovery of Barclay’s room, it left his mind was buzzing like a swarm of wasps.When he couldn’t stand the feeling of being awake in bed any longer, he threw the covers off and quickly got dressed. A walk around the Lodge might tire him out enough to sleep, but he knew that wasn’t his real intention.Walking through the dark Lodge, barefooted and shirt untucked, he knew he only had one destination in mind. Passing the lobby, its fireplace still burning bright to keep the room warm, Joseph walked to the other wing of the Lodge, to where Barclay’s room was.He moved to knock on the door, but he caught himself in time. He didn’t want to risk waking the other residents and having to explain himself. He slowly pushed the door open, closing it quietly behind him. He whispered into the air and snapped his fingers, casting Prestidigitation to light the lamp on the wall. He still wasn’t used to the ability to cast it, but he wasn’t going to start complaining.The tiefling slowly began to move around the room, looking for clues while trying not to make a mess. His mind was constantly caught between the shame he felt digging through Barclay’s things and the deep urge to find out anything he could.The desk’s contents held quite a few things to fill in the blanks of Barclay’s life after he and Joseph were separated. There were menus for various holidays and festivals at the Lodge, going back until just after the pair was separated. Alongside the completed menus were test menus, filled with notes and addendums. There were neatly stored birthday and Candlenights notes and cards, the amount growing with each year.The tops of the side tables were kept rather neat, except for the handkerchief Joseph kept touching absentmindedly. The drawers of the tables held several different towels, a supply of disposable spider silk gloves (for hairy hands to work with food without risk of shedding), whetstones, tinderboxes and Dani’s handmade seed packets.The cookbooks on the shelves were filled with annotations and bookmarks of all kinds. Joseph got a bit lost in looking through them, as he felt he could hear Barclay’s voice in each note written on the pages. ‘When baking for Indrid’s birthday, add ½ cup more sugar’, ‘Substitute with thyme, Jake is allergic to marjoram’, ‘Add 30 minutes to cook time’, and so on.Joseph was more baffled by the moment as he looked through the evidence around him. What could make someone forgotten by their dear friends? Barclay clearly cared about every member of the Pine Guard, but that didn’t guarantee that he was a part of them. Each of the Pine Guard had a piece of clothing with its insignia on it (for Joseph, he’d selected the armband) but he couldn’t find anything like that for Barclay. That didn’t rule out his membership though, as he could have been wearing it when he vanished. He’d had to have vanished, Joseph was certain.Then the archer opened the wardrobe in the room, and he felt his heart melt a bit. All the clothes in it were perfectly sized for the bugbear, and he moved the garments around like they were delicate artifacts. Pants, tunics, coats, and shirts were organized by season and color, hung with care that Joseph admired. There were small drawers at the bottom of the wardrobe that held various accessories, but none of the magical variety. Joseph did note that there were empty slots and hangers that could suggest their absence in the wardrobe, rather than their lack of existence. When Joseph opened the drawer that contained all of Barclay’s underwear and loincloths, he quickly closed the drawer far louder than he meant to. He could feel how hot his face was getting as he reprimanded himself. He was supposed to be looking for clues to Barclay’s whereabouts, not becoming a deviant.Joseph looked back up at the clothes and one of the shirts caught his eye. The memories came flooding back as he gently rubbed the soft sleeves between his fingers. It was a loose, white linen shirt with dark wooden buttons. This was the same shirt he wore the last time Joseph saw him. It felt like his hands were moving of their own accord as Joseph carefully removed the shirt from the hanger. The tiefling buried his face in the shirt before he could stop himself. It was a clean shirt, but it still carried Barclay’s scent. It reminded him of the few times the pair had hugged, warm and comforting. Joseph rarely felt like a small man while feeling safe at the same time, but being in Barclay’s embrace gave that feeling.Joseph didn’t understand why he had the impulse to, but he put the shirt on over his clothes. He practically swam in the garment, and that got Joseph to start remembering how much bigger Barclay was than him. The tiefling shuddered and sat on Barclay’s bed, wrapping his arms around himself to fight off a chill that wasn’t there. He laid down onto the bed completely and his heart lurched when he noticed something he hadn’t before: A clear indent in the center of the mattress, where Barclay must have slept for over a decade.Joseph felt his skin prickle on the back of his neck and spine as he swallowed, feeling a warmth bloom inside of him that hadn’t occupied him in a long time. Maybe indulging in that heat would help his mind finally rest and allow him some sleep. The man closed his eyes, taking in the scent surrounding him and he let his mind wander into fantasy. He had many daydreams about when he and Barclay would be reunited, what their lives would be like once they were together again. Those were romantic, domestic and sweet as treacle. There were other fantasies, however, that were more vulgar and indulgent. Joseph reached for one of those as he unbuttoned his own shirt and began to graze his nails up and down his chest and sides. He remembered Barclay’s claws being blunted, unable to cause harm to flesh, but the thought of those claws grazing his skin made him feel hot with arousal.One of his hands moved to scratch from his chest all the way up to his neck, digging them into the space where his neck and his shoulder met. The blue skinned man thought about how Barclay’s teeth might bite there. It would be hard enough to bruise and make him cry out, but never enough to wound. His bugbear was too gentle for that. He’d surely kiss and lap at the bruise he would make, tending to Joseph with attention and affection.Joseph choked down a pathetic whine at the thought as he moved his other hand down, unlacing his pants before moving underneath them and his underwear. His cock was already hard, and he was fairly wet just at the thought of Barclay laying him down on the bed, tending to his body with tender strength.As he started to rub firm circles against his dick, Joseph forced his mind to focus on one of his favorite fantasies: Barclay tied to the bed, naked except for leather straps Joseph had bought him. The straps were a sharp blue in Joseph’s mind, the same shade as his own skin. It not only contrasted beautifully with Barclay’s auburn fur, but it was also a reminder of who owned the bugbear.Joseph would spend a small eternity with Barclay like that, rubbing out the knots in his body from a long day for work, brushing his fur until it shone, the man purring underneath him. (The first time he’d heard Barclay purr over a perfectly made cup of tea, the sound had etched itself in Joseph’s mind for the rest of time as a goal to reach). Joseph would kiss his bugbear boneless, and then he’d really get to work.The tiefling had never seen Barclay’s cock in the time they’d known each other, but with the research he had conducted since then, he could imagine coaxing the bugbear’s cock until it was erect and exposed from his fur. It would match Barclay’s size and bulk, dark in color but hairless from the base up, sporting an intense but delicious curve. In Joseph’s fantasies, Barclay was very sensitive and writhed in his bonds as Joseph worked over his cock with his mouth and hands. The tiefling would tease the underside of Barclay’s cock with his tongue until the man underneath him was begging for release of some kind.Joseph laid on the bed alone and pushed two fingers into himself as he imagined straddling Barclay’s hips and lowering himself down on his bugbear’s cock, savoring every inch that entered him. He alternated between curling and thrusting his fingers as he thought about bouncing on Barclay’s dick like that. He envisioned sweetly tormenting the bugbear, who begged him to have his hands be free, to touch him, to do all the work himself, to make Joseph feel good if he was given the chance.Joseph pushed two more fingers into himself with a breathless, but soft cry as he thought about all the things he wished Barclay would moan as he rode him. All of the promises, pleas and compliments that would thrill him and push him to ride his cock harder, faster. Without much warning, Joseph came onto his fingers, biting his bottom lip to hold in cries. There would definitely be a bruise there in the morning, but Joseph couldn’t care about that now as he rode out his climax, imagining how soaked Barclay’s fur would be underneath him, how full he’d feel once Barclay came inside of him.Joseph took several deep breaths as he settled down, pulling his hand out of his pants and trying not to feel what he knew was coming. As he sat up, unsteady and feeling how much he’d soaked his own briefs, inevitable shame rushed into him as he gained his senses once more. He was definitely tired enough to fall asleep now, but how disgraceful was it to masturbate in a missing man’s room, on his bed? He quickly stood up and ran his hand over where his ass had been on the bed. He hadn’t soiled it, thank the gods, but that only helped a little. His fantasies felt so tacky after the fact, pining this hard for a man he hadn’t seen in nearly 15 years. It felt like he was objectifying Barclay to an unhealthy degree, to assign kinks and erogenous zones in his fantasies. He didn’t even know if Barclay was attracted to him and that made him feel all the more pathetic for fantasizing. He moved into the small adjacent washroom and washed his hands, trying to focus his mind only on how sleepy he was now and nothing else. Once his hands were at least clean, he snuck back to his room, stripped completely, and crawled underneath the covers of his bed. As he started to drift off, his mind wandered back to the aftermath of the fantasy, with Barclay freed and holding Joseph close to his chest.
“Thank you for taking care of me, sir.” Barclay purred, running his claws through Joseph’s hair.

“My pleasure, big guy.” Joseph sighed, turning to kiss the man’s fuzzy cheek. “I promise I’ll let you top eventually. I just… after what happened-”

“Hey,” Barclay held Joseph’s chin and tilted his face up, so they had to see eye to eye. “I’m just happy to be with you,
Joseph.” the bugbear said with a smile. “Whatever that looks, all I care about is that it’s with you.” He kissed Joseph, sweet as honey. “I love you.”
Even with his eyes closed, Joseph could feel a few hot tears escaping and running down his cheeks. He’d written the words over five thousand times, but ‘I miss you’ didn’t even begin to describe the longing Joseph felt.
5221

I had my first official Pine Guard meeting today. The first sighting of a new monster happened yesterday afternoon, when one of the Kepler’s children nearly drowned in a lake in the middle of the forest. He is historically an excellent swimmer and could not tell anyone what had tried to drown him. He simply stated that the water itself tried to kill him.

The same lake is connected to the aqueduct the village uses to get its well water, so this is deeply concerning to us. What is more concerning is that this attack happened in the late afternoon, not in the dead of night like these monsters usually appear.

The hypothesis that the monsters are getting stronger with each cycle seems to be holding water accurate. I don’t know how one is supposed to fight water, but I am hoping that the monster has additional forms that are more susceptible to physical damage. If not? I am useless.

I miss you.

J. Stern

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Weeks passed between the discovery of Barclay’s room and the Pine Guard’s most recent meeting. Little by little, Stern started to integrate himself into the town of Kepler and with his Pine Guard companions. The autumn season brought cozy game nights, dinners in the Lodge and nights sleeping on top of Barclay’s bed. Only sleeping from now on, but Stern couldn’t resist the allure of the massive bed a few nights a week. After reports that robberies and brigands were becoming more common on the roads leading to and from Kepler, Apollo and Vincent had decided to take an extended stay. The rumor mill had come to the conclusion that the increase in danger around the woods was due to an increase in Underdark Drow activity.The morning after the Pine Guard meeting, Stern spent his time researching. He had plenty of notes from his own past experiences and the experiences he’d documented from other Guild members. Based on the description of the incident, Joseph was under the assumption that this beast would be similar to a Water Elemental. If that was the case, there would be a different problem. Elementals were notorious for their inability to be harmed by non-magical attacks and weapons. Securing those magical resources would have to be their first step.“Welp, I’ve got that covered.” Duck said between spoonfuls of soup.Stern had requested Duck and Indrid to meet with him for lunch so they could talk about what their action plan was.“Your sword is magic?” Stern asked, baffled.“I mean, it turns into a belt. It has to be pretty magical to do that, right?” Duck asked with a smirk.Joseph chuckled with his own smirk in return. “Right. And Indrid, I know you’re fine. I know your Eldritch Blasts will do the trick.”“Naturally.” Indrid said. He nibbled on a plate of fruit as Joseph continued.“Aubrey and Dani are obviously well equipped for the fight. So that leaves Ned, Mama and myself.” Stern rattled off. He sipped his own soup as he thought.“I think 4 should be enough to handle a beast like that.” Duck said with a shrug.“We should probably be on standby, in case any of you need help.” Stern suggested. “Perhaps the 3 of us could find magical weapons before we plan to confront it again. I believe Paladins can cast Magic Weapon-”“Asking Vincent for help will not end well.” Indrid cut him off. “Believe me, Vincent would be amicable to help, but you’ll inevitably draw Apollo’s ire, and that is something you do not want.”“I got that impression after he left a dozen stab wounds in a man.” Stern said.“Then onto the next question: where do we attack this elemental?” Indrid queried.“The caves where the reservoir is.” Dani answered when Stern asked her that very question later in the week. He’d found her helping with the harvest alongside Aubrey, though Aubrey’s job seemed mainly to consist of wrangling her pet rabbit.“Why the caves?” Stern asked as they walked through a patch of squash.“I think keeping it in a closed space would be helpful, and if I’m remembering right, there are ways to close off the other routes for the water to flow.” Dani explained. “Aubrey and I can double check it after the harvest and we can make the plan then. We’ll let Mama know what we find and we’ll take it from there.”Joseph nodded. “Thank you for your help, Dani.”She smiled, her fangs flashing a bit in the sun. “Anytime, man.”Over the months Stern had resided in Kepler, the shadows of his past had abated him. At least when it came to matters involving Dani; He’d certainly wanted to cast off any inherited misgivings and he thought he’d done a fairly decent job.A few days later, Mama looked over Stern’s plan in her small office. The tiefling waited in the only chair left in the room. She looked up at him from the paper and raised a brow. “We got that sighting a week ago, and you’ve already come up with an attack plan?”“I… yes.” Joseph nodded. He wanted to show how he could properly contribute to this group. That he wasn’t a loner that couldn’t be a teamplayer. That he had something different to offer the group. That he could be helpful…Mama let out a whistle as she looked at the parchment again. “I’ll tell you somthin’ Stern, I’ve been at this game longer than the others. I thought I had a pretty decent grip on things. But this,” she tapped at the hypothesis on the Elemental’s resistance to non-magical attacks. “This is pretty different. You showed a lot of knowledge out the gate with the Omnibear, so I’m going to trust in this plan you’ve got cooked up.”“You will?” Stern asked, clearly stunned. The few times Joseph had worked with other members of the Guild, rank was a higher priority than anything. Joseph would have to spend half of his time convincing leadership that his idea was actually theirs. There was red tape, procedures, and though Stern didn’t mind them in theory, they only seemed to matter when Stern came up with a plan first.Mama shrugged. “It’s a good plan on paper, anyways. And you’ve got the three of us on standby too. Though I’m confused about somethin’. Ain’t you technically magic now?” Stern’s tail stirred a bit at the question. “We won’t need help tracking the Elemental. Ms. Little is capable of more potent explosions than what I can offer, so I would classify myself as non-magical in this scenario.”Mama hummed at that. “Fair, I suppose. You don’t have an idea of when you wanna do this?” Stern shook his head. “I’m not sure when it would be optimal. I figured I would leave that to you.”Mama nodded and stood up. “I think as soon as possible would be best. Tomorrow night. Then we can enjoy the rest of the cycle in peace.”The night before their great mission, Joseph decided to take a dip in the hot springs behind the Lodge. He’d held off before, for the simple reason that he could never think of a reason as to why he earned it. But with his attack plan successfully argued for, Stern finally decided he deserved a bit of a soak.The hot spring was co-ed, but for cleanliness sake, clothes weren’t allowed. You could only bring in towels if you had the desire to cover up. Joseph didn’t mind the rules, he’d been to plenty of places where nudity was to be expected. There was something about the adventuring lifestyle that made one less apprehensive about stripping down.The tiefling put away his clothes in his assigned cubby and took a quick shower, another step to maintain the purity of the hot spring. It was a relaxing touch to have the water for the shower pumped directly from the hot springs themselves.Joseph pushed his freshly washed hair out of his eyes before making his way to the hot springs completely bare. He was quite pleased to find he was the only one there at the moment.After stepping into the inviting warmth of the hot springs, the archer took a seat on one of the flat rock formations and thoroughly relaxed. He leaned his head back and let his horns cradle his skull off of the ground, taking deep lungfuls of steamy air.“Hey there, slim.” a familiar voice called from the entrance of the springs. Joseph turned his head and sure enough, Duck was just stepping into the water in the buff.Joseph immediately moved his eyes up to Duck’s face after a brief glimpse of the human’s thighs. “Hi Duck. I didn’t know you used the hot springs.”“‘Course I do.” Duck said, settling into the spot next to Joseph. “Gotta be limber for tomorrow’s hunt. Some of us actually age.” he chuckled.“Mama already put the word out?” Joseph asked.“Well, she told Aubrey, so that means everyone knew after about an hour.” Both men laughed at that.“And does… everyone seem on board with the plan?” Joseph asked tentatively.“Honestly? It’s the most well thought-out plan we’ve had in a while.” Duck said.“I thought everyone was experienced with this stuff?” Joseph asked.“Yeah…” Duck rubbed the back of his neck. “I really don’t know why it’s been so difficult. We did really well for a while, but then…” the man looked dazed for a moment before shaking his head. “It just got harder…”Joseph, looking to switch topics, took notice of a rather large scar under Duck’s left upper arm. “If I can ask, how did you get that scar?” he asked, nearly grazing the pinkened skin with a blue finger.Duck smirked. “Dagger from a bandit.”“Really? That’s such an odd area for a dagger strike…”“Thrown dagger.”“Ah, that would explain it.”“Better to get a scar there than on my face where he was aimin’.”“I don’t know, I think facial scars can be quite fetching.”Duck huffed a laugh. “Maybe, but it’s a bitch to heal.” he said before gesturing to a starburst scar on Joseph’s right collarbone. “I bet that was expensive to get patched up.”The tiefling touched the light blue patch of scar tissue, “Witch Bolt from a power-crazed wizard.”“No kiddin’?”Joseph nodded. “It was one of my first missions with the Guild, so I had to work in a team. We weren’t quite stealthy enough in his keep, and I was the first one he saw.”“Fantasy Jesus, that must’ve hurt.”“Oh that wasn’t the most painful.” Joseph chuckled, sitting up a bit to show his abdomen. It had a perfect bite shaped scar that was clear on his front, side and back.“Fuckin’ hells. What bit you?”“A sea serpent.” Joseph said. “Pulled me right off of the boat.”Duck looked pained to hear that. “That must’ve been terrifyin’...”Joseph shrugged. “I suppose it was.” Joseph didn’t want to delve too much into the memory. He remembered being in the cold, dark water, not only hurt and afraid, but painfully alone. He shook his head to clear his mind and looked back at Duck’s chest with a smile. “But I’m more interested in our matching set.”Duck grinned as he registered the half moon scars on Joseph’s chest. “No kiddin’. When’d you get yours?”“16. It was a debutante gift from my parents.”“Debutante? Well, I guess I should’ve figured. You always seem mighty put together for an adventurer.” Duck chuckled.“When did you get yours?”“18. It was part of Minerva’s package deal to get me to come with her and the other mercenaries.”The next several minutes of conversation were dedicated to relaying their different healing experiences, with Duck receiving a lot of clerical care for his work, while Joseph had gone nearly completely medical for his procedure.“Duck~!” Indrid’s voice carried from the dressing room.“Right in here, sugar! Just hangin’ out with Joe.”Moments later, Indrid stepped out into the jewel tones of sunset with his usual grin and red glasses. “Good evening, Joseph.”The tiefling was surprised to see that Indrid was absolutely covered in bright tattoos. Indrid always wore conservative layers for the colder months, so Joseph hadn’t had the opportunity to see the artwork that decorated Indrid’s tan skin.“Do you like them?” Indrid asked as he stepped into the water, noticing Joseph’s staring.“They’re beautiful.” Joseph answered, his cheeks a deeper indigo from being caught.“Why thank you! I drew them myself.” the pale haired man said as he draped himself on Duck with a content sigh. “If you are ever in the market to adorn your own skin, I would be delighted to design something for you.”Joseph smiled, at not only the kind offer, but also at the sweet sight of Duck and Indrid cuddling up to one another. It made Joseph insanely jealous, but that was deep below the surface. “That’s very kind of you, Indrid.”“You should feel confident going into tomorrow, Joseph.” Indrid said. “I don’t foresee any major complications arising during the mission.”The tiefling breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you for saying something. I thought to ask, but I didn’t want to… use you? If that makes sense?”“It’s kind of you to consider, but I do like being useful.” Indrid chuckled.“Indrid… do you… do you see any bugbears in the near future?” Joseph asked, not daring to hope too much.Indrid zoned out for a moment, as he usually did when checking the futures. Something was different this time, though. Indrid didn’t come back to the present right away. In fact, he started to slid into the water, not consciously supporting himself.“Hey hey hey, ‘Drid!” Duck grabbed the half-elf’s hips and hoisted him up. “What’s wrong?”Indrid started, as if just waking up and slowly looked around. “I…” he couldn’t quite form a sentence, he was so dazed.“What happened?” Joseph asked, immediately feeling responsible.“I’m not sure… I was gazing at a future where something happens in the woods, not too long from now. And I just… couldn’t stop walking. It was as if I was trapped in an endless loop.” Indrid said in a stilted fashion.“I…. I’m sorry, Indrid.” the archer said as he quickly stood up, feeling embarrassed that he caused this to happen. “I think I’ll get some rest in my room.”“Joseph, you don’t have anything to-” Indrid tried to speak, but Joseph was already making his way back inside.
5228

I asked Indrid about you today, if I would be seeing you soon. The question put him in a loop in time that cannot be explained. I am not going to ask him again. I can’t let someone possibly endanger themselves for my own goals.

Where are you, Barclay? Why are your things here? Why can’t anyone remember you? Why am I the only one that remembers?

Are you staying away on purpose?

I miss you.

- J. Stern