13 — Heroes of the Eleventh Hour

13 — Heroes of the Eleventh Hour

We sprinted to the schoolhouse, where we found dog- and cat-folk, as well as some dragonewts.

I brandished the Illusion Staff and approached them. “What’s going on here?”

I didn’t need to be an oracle to tell they’d been fighting. Pola stood with her golem, Dhoran with his hammer, and Yulbo’s men, scratched and bruised, were the only things between them and the beastfolk.

“Do not make me repeat myself! What is going on here?!”

The dragonewts immediately fell to the ground. “Our humblest apologies, Lu— Mister Luciel. It was an emergency executive order by the council.”

“I didn’t know the dragonewts made excuses.”

None of the thirty-something dragonewts said a word, burying their heads in the dirt. I stepped towards the cat- and dog-folk and they shied back. I passed right by them, straight to Dhoran and the others, and healed them.

“Come on, we’ve barely been gone for two hours.”

“Bastards came in yellin’ you died and that the halflings blew the whole damn medical district up,” the dwarf said. “Tried to confiscate the school.”

“Oh, is that so? That sounds like a declaration of war against the Church if I’ve ever heard one.”

A chill ran through the mob. Lionel lit up his greatsword with flame, and everyone dropped their weapons at once. “If it’s a bloodbath you want, we would be happy to oblige,” he snarled.

Dog- and cat-folk alike all but turned to stone.

“Y-You! You’re cat-folk, ain’tcha? Throw us a bone over he—”

There was a fwip and then Ketty appeared behind the man, striking the back of his neck with incredible speed. Or at least that was what I assumed happened.

“You disgust me,” she spat. “I’ve got all your sorry faces memorized, so I suggest you think real hard about what your next move is. I recommend helping the chief, if you know what’s good for you, and the halflings as well.”

The beastfolk exchanged glances, then retrieved their weapons and made for the representatives’ estate, save for the dragonewts, who continued to grovel.

“Mister Luciel, we beg you, give us a chance to make this right.”

“Find me the arsonist, the merchant who sold you the lumber, and the ringleader behind this,” I demanded.

“At once!”

The dragonewts pulled themselves together and left in an organized manner.

“I’m proud of you guys for protecting this place. Let’s stop by the halflings’ street on our way back to the guild.”

“Sir.”

As we headed for our destination, we soon saw the mob. The Yenitians had exploded into a full-on lynching, jealous of the halflings’ new homes, and were about to set them ablaze. Ketty immediately took the lead in dispersing the rioters. I, meanwhile, did what healers do best.

“Search the houses!” I shouted.

I continued down the street, surveying the area carefully. My eyes fell on a child. There was no visible life in the little body, but I had to try. I cast my ultimate spell, secrecy and rules be damned.

“Extra Heal!”

The magical, rejuvenating light left my hands, reached the child...and sank in. Their body glowed, returning to normal as lacerations began to close.

“Beastfolk are so strong,” I muttered, tears for that single, small life welling up in my eyes. Lionel pretended not to notice.

Further inspection revealed that the child had likely been left as an example. A warning. We had places to be, so I left someone behind and told them to bring the kid to the guild later. Then we continued on.

“The blood means there must have been a fight,” I said. “This might be the worst case scenario.”

“What will you do?” Lionel asked.

“Find out who did this and make them pay. And the ones who were complicit won’t get off easy either.”

When the Healer’s Guild came into view, we saw its barrier first. Inside was a large group of beastpeople. The rabbit-, wolf-, fox-, and bird-folk outside didn’t look like they’d been invited. In front of them, protecting the barrier were transformed ursans with vespians perched on their shoulders, along with the knights of the Order of Healing.

Upon noticing me, the bird-folk descended from the skies. The ursans and vespians spotted us next, and a cheer broke out. The bird-folk, surprisingly, didn’t seem to be our enemy. Ursan pheromones, perhaps.

“So,” I called out, “does anyone care to tell me what all of you are doing at our guild? Well, Liliard? Orga? Forence?” The aggressors, including the three I’d named, froze. “I asked you all a question. Should I repeat it?”

“You’re alive,” Orga gasped.

“We...” Forence’s usual collected demeanor was nowhere to be seen. “I...”

“The council’s word is final,” Liliard stated. “The halflings you seem to prioritize above other earnest Yenitians have led to damages in the medical district. And you, as the spearhead of the entire endeavor, are to be held responsible.”

That sounded like a load of bull to me.

“That was an awfully quick meeting. The flames only started two hours ago. I personally find that curious. Unless... Oh, I see now. You tricked me. You took me and my guild for complete fools!” I gave a hearty yet empty and monotonous chuckle.

“You smuggled vespians into the city,” Forence countered. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Do I need the council’s express permission to invite guests into my own home? They haven’t taken so much as a single step outside the guildhall or burdened the city in the least.”

“Don’t play dumb! Their honey could be lining your pockets as we speak!”

“And? The vespians are not my slaves. They’re my friends, and their cooperation is entirely voluntary. Plus, this is my property, and you signed a contract giving me financial liberty. You’re a merchant yourself, so surely you don’t need me to explain that.”

The fox-man bit his tongue.

“Representative Liliard,” I continued, “you were found guilty of embezzling the wages of hard-working citizens to fill your own purse, and now you’re shifting the blame for what happened in the medical district. I’m frankly astonished beyond words. You’re nothing like the rabbit-folk I know. You’re lost.”

“You’re talking nonsense! And the medical district was never properly organized from the start! It only ever began because the people lost their minds over the dragon slaying business!”

“I assume you speak for all your people?”

The rabbit-folk around Liliard stepped back. They held hoes and kitchen knives for weapons. The scared civilians started to shout.

“I-I ain’t lookin’ to die!”

“I’m only here because they told me to be.”

“Liliard, have you been lying?”

“Don’t hurt me!”

Their pleas might have meant something to me had I not seen that eviscerated child on the side of the road on my way here. Too bad.

“Cry all you want,” I snapped. “What I’m getting here is that you stand alone, Liliard. Still, the rest of you aren’t guiltless. You assisted him, and so help me, by my power as Yenice’s representative and an S-rank healer, you will be punished.”

The crowd sank.

“Orga. I thought you, of all people, would have my back. I thought we shared the same goal. You were so excited about the school for Sheila. But this? What is this? Is this what the proud wolf-people have been reduced to?”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I had to do this. For my people.”

“Would your daughter be happy to see you like this?” He said nothing. “So, what? Are we enemies now?” I didn’t want to believe that Orga was a bad person.

He passed his sword to his opposite hand, closed his eyes, and clenched his teeth. “It’s over—”

“C’mon now, give the poor guy a break, Luciel. You’ll make ’im go bald.”

Orga gasped.

“He’s right. No one likes a bully. But at least we have our conspirators now.”

“You really gotta handle this sorta thing with a bit o’ finesse. Else you’ll go makin’ enemies.”

“I am relieved to see he’s still as straight as an arrow, though.”

The two wolf-men grinned.

Someone pinch me, because I have to be dreaming. “What are you guys doing here?!” But I knew this was no dream. My friends were here.

“Home sweet home,” Gulgar smiled. “Heard you were raisin’ hell, so we couldn’t help but take a look. And we figured you could use a hand on the ass-whoopin’ side o’ things.”

“Orga wrote to us and said things were nearing a tipping point. And who do we find but the Lion of War and the murderous shadow assassin, the Nightgleam, with you.”

Lionel and Ketty. The latter being an assassin came as a bit of a surprise, though.

I gestured to my companions. “I found them being sold as slaves, but they’re my trusted partners now.”

Gulgar and Galba grinned. I could’ve sworn I heard a few snickers behind me too.

“Fine with me,” Gulgar said. “Orga, those fox-folk with us? What about the bird-folk?”

“What took you so long?!” he shouted back. “Can you imagine how sad Sheila would’ve been if I’d actually followed through just then?! Oh, I should know better. You were probably investigating the one behind all this, weren’t you?”

“Well reasoned, my friend,” Galba said. “We’ve finished our business. Your answer, please?”

“Forence, the fox-man, is just heated about the vespians. I think he’s on our side. The bird-folk switched sides as soon as they saw the ursans.”

“Good. The halflings should be in place, so let’s not keep them waiting. Luciel, thank you for trying to make our home a better place.”

“Oh, but why—”

“Beastfolk are a tricky bunch,” Galba interrupted, his tone soft but his eyes sharp. “Their leaders need to be firm and disciplinary or they won’t respect you. I’ll show you how it’s done. Now let’s get to the assembly hall.”

I could only nod. His gaze was foreign, not the Galba I knew.

Gulgar grabbed my shoulder. “Say, Luciel, I heard you borrowed the whole Substance X dispenser from the Adventurer’s Guild. That right?”

“Uh, yeah? Do you need some?”

“Oh yeah. A ton. Got a few new recipes and a lotta people to test ’em out on.”

“Are you planning a kitchen nightmare?”

“Don’t call it that! This one’s actually edible! Bet they won’t even pass out.”

That just sounded worse, honestly. But I chose not to press the issue.

“That’s progress! Do, uh, all your test subjects pass out?”

“You’re the only one who doesn’t. Anyway, let’s get goin’.”

“One second. Yulbo, you guys stay on standby here. Honeur, Bryan, are any of you hurt?”

“All fine here, Sir Sage,” Honeur answered.

“We’re okay as well,” Bryan confirmed.

The battle must not have actually started by the time we’d arrived. The rest of us left for the assembly hall (formerly known as “the representatives’ estate”) with the wolf brothers.

How ignorant I’d been of the real power those two held in Yenice.

＊

“Head on without me. I’ll be back soon,” Galba said as we arrived. Then he vanished.

“Poof goes the Recluse,” Ketty joked. She seemed pretty impressed.

I returned my attention to my conversation with Gulgar. He was just as massive and bear-like as I remembered. He peered down at me with great interest.

“So, you’re friends with the vespians now, huh? Honey’s rare, y’know. Real rare. I wondered ‘how in the hell’ when I got the stuff you sent me. Those aren’t folks you come across every day.”

“It was pure coincidence, really. I’d hoped it might help make Yenice a better place, but as you can see...” I slouched. “I haven’t exactly had much success.”

“Didn’t think you would. Place is rotten to the core. Galba ever tell you why he left?”

“No. All I know is that they used to call him a prodigy.”

“He was never part of the council, but they expected a lot outta him. Made him do things, then blamed him when something didn’t work out. Every day was rough. So when I joined the Adventurer’s Guild, the two of us left ’n never looked back.”

“Even Galba gave up on this place?” The government hadn’t changed its ways since then, that was for sure.

“And now our mistakes are comin’ back to bite you. Galba couldn’t take it. It was drivin’ him crazy.”

“It’s...certainly made me appreciate how difficult being a leader is. Lately, it seems like all I can think about is when I get to leave.”

In my past life, at the company I’d worked for, my job had been as simple as signing contracts, filling out purchase orders, and telling the specialists what needed doing. And then they’d do it. But that wasn’t my reality anymore. I had to have a hand in everything, like a magical middle manager. All the pressure was on me, and it was crushing.

“When you cleared out that labyrinth and became a dragonslayer, they tried to brush it all under the rug. Turn a new leaf, pretend like the system ain’t fallin’ apart. But it wasn’t the council you know that’s responsible. It was the grand elders. You got caught like a rat, right in the middle o’ their plans.”

“Grand elders? What?”

Also, who? That was the first I’d heard of such a position. And hadn’t Goldhus been the one who’d spread the rumors about me slaying the dragon?

Gulgar could see the confusion on my face. “Ever notice how all the representatives are young? Forty’s about as old as they get. That’s ’cause the real council callin’ the shots is the elder council. A bunch o’ old, out-of-touch beastfolk.”

“I’ve never even heard of them.”

“Every race has got a representative. And every representative’s chosen by the elders. They’re not the sorta people the council can stand up to.”

“Why not?”

“The council’s only eight people, for one. For another, the dragonewt elder’s got the blessing, from what I hear. So those guys are stuck.”

There was still so much about Yenice that I was in the dark about. More than I had ever imagined.

“And here I thought things were going well these past few months,” I sighed.

Gulgar gripped my shoulder and lowered his voice to a pleasant rumble. “The elders didn’t like what you were doin’ with the slums, treatin’ the halflings like equals and givin’ ’em a place to be. That’s why they cooked this plan up.”

“That’s what caused the riot? That’s all?”

“You’ll pick up on the details later, but since you didn’t come outta the building after the fire, they took their chance to shove the blame onto the Healer’s Guild.”

“How did you figure all that out? How long have you guys been here?”

“’Bout three days.”

“And you never got caught.”

“Galba’s good, eh?”

“So, what do I do once we get to the assembly hall?”

“Nothin’. You brought the winds of change to Yenice. You worked your ass off to make it better than ya found it. I think you’ve earned a little rest.”

Our conversation wound down as we approached our destination. The halflings were surrounded by a crowd of beastpeople, including tiger-folk. I started to run towards them, but Gulgar held me back.

“Relax. Take a look around. No one’s hurt, see? We got it covered with the Adventurer’s Guild.”

I took a closer look and noticed an armed group between the halflings and their aggressors, forming an impenetrable barricade. Goldhus and Jeiyas were among them.

“What’s going on?”

“Let’s get up close and see.”

We approached and found a gaggle of elderly beastfolk of every race, bound and gagged, along with a dozen or so others.

“Sorry it took so long,” Gulgar yelled to the crowd. The clamor died down at once. “Got Luciel here, not a scratch on ’im. Luciel, these guys are the ones I was tellin’ ya about.”

The old men emitted muffled cries, but the rest were silent.

“Mister Luciel, thanks for saving Dolstar. Your friends came at a good time. We’ve played our part.”

“Kefin?” I said in surprise. “Is anyone hurt?”

“Not one.”

I turned to Gulgar, but before I could ask him anything, Goldhus stepped in.

“I knew it’d take more than that to kill one of the dragons’ chosen!”

“I didn’t know what to think when they asked us to spread rumors that you’d died,” Jeiyas said, looking down at the wrinkled beastmen, “but there was no other way to get the elders to come out of hiding. It worked well.”

I couldn’t even begin to process what was happening. Thankfully, Gulgar simplified things for me. “It’s all part o’ the plan, and we had the adventurers in on it. It’s our last hope to make Yenice right again.”

“Then the attack at the school, and the slums, and the guild...”

“Some people got hurt, but it was the best option we had.”

“But a child almost died... You’re saying all that was a calculated loss? Was the fire part of that too?”

The purpose behind all this wasn’t lost on me. I knew why it’d had to be done. But I couldn’t accept that it had to be at the expense of others. Maybe that made me naive.

“Hell no, you think we’re crazy? Scared us to death. Galba’s original plan was to meet with you before all this happened.”

I could find relief in that, at least. Our friendship might not have lasted otherwise.

“I’m back,” came a pleasantly smooth voice. “He was a tricky one. Almost got away from me!”

A tanukin hung over Galba’s shoulder. He carried a man in ropes under one arm as well. A strange calm washed over the area with his arrival.

“That guy on your shoulder,” I said. “Is that Walabis? And that other guy’s wearing the same clothes as one of the people I healed. Why is he human?”

Galba jerked the shoulder he held Walabis on. “He passed out the moment he saw me. So rude. What kind of greeting is that for an old friend? The other one, however, is the trickster behind the disaster at the medical district.”

“What?” How did he just so happen to know that?

“I think his face will be familiar to the halflings.”

Galba dropped Walabis to the floor, then lifted the other man’s head with his free hand.

“No,” Kefin gasped. “Hatori!”

It couldn’t be. The Hatori who was supposed to have died in the labyrinth?

“I thought you told me he was dead,” I said.

“He’s been one very busy corpse,” Galba answered. “And with the empire, of all places.”

“But doesn’t he have friends here? People he owes his life to?”

“Supposedly, but he’s capable of changing his appearance on a whim, and he’s been using that to gather intel on the slums and feed it to the elders.”

The man cackled. “Fools! I’m a ninja! Betrayal is the oldest trick in the book! My talents belong...belongeth to the highest bidder!”

Wherever this nutcase had gotten his impression of ninjas, I was certain it wasn’t from a genuine history book. There was no question about it—he was one of the reincarnated.

“I’m glad to see you awake, but you may not be so glad to learn that you can’t use your abilities anymore,” Galba said. “Criminal slaves aren’t allowed that privilege.”

“Fool! You underes...timate...me? Where are, er, beith mine unbinding techniques?”

“Hatori.” Dolstar stepped out of the crowd of halflings. “Why would you double-cross us?”

“You have mine gratitude for rescuing me, but I have a divine duty to fulfill. I was chosen.”

“Divine duty? So what, Lady Crya descended and told you that personally, did she? You’ve lost your mind. Chosen for what, exactly?”

“When I lost my—mine life, God spoke unto me and pulled me from the darkness. T’would be an affront to said deity for their chosen to live in squalor for an eternity!”

He was so obviously one of the reincarnated that it almost hurt. But mad ramblings about gods and destiny aside, the more pressing matter was the attempted murder.

“Dolstar and tens of people were in that building,” I said. “If I hadn’t saved them, they would’ve all burned to death. That doesn’t faze you in the slightest?”

Hatori glared at me. “The fault lies with you. With every imperial spy captured, my purse became lighter. What was I to do but accept what work I could?”

Galba looked down at him with cold eyes. “No intention of owning up to it, I see. Not a problem. We’ll have plenty of time to talk later, and you’ll tell me everything, one way or another. For now, though, I think you need a nap. Luciel, Substance X, please.”

“Uh, okay. Sure. Here.”

I took out a cup and filled it with the liquid. I suspected one of the reincarnated, and a ninja at that, might be more resilient to this form of torture, but handed it over regardless. Galba ordered him to down the glass, and the guy didn’t even make it all the way before foaming at the mouth. He went out like a light.

“Not even diluted.” Gulgar grimaced. “Damn, Luciel.”

I raised an eyebrow, but Galba’s address was about to commence.

“Hello again, friends. And a pleasure to meet you, strangers. I am the son of Elder Grauga, who you’ll find currently tied up over there,” he began. “I’ve always hated this country. I’ve seen the government’s inner workings, sat in on council meetings with my father from a young age. And what I saw was a council in name only, and a court of fools in practice. There was no legislation. No betterment. Only sabotage and slander.”

He paused for a moment before continuing. “Failure is the fault of the one who proposes change; success is the object of false ownership. The council I saw was a failure, a broken heirloom of our grandfathers who made the sage their scapegoat and pointed their ire towards the Healer’s Guild. The spices that populate our fields and fill our coffers, which the government so loves to claim credit for, came from this very sage.”

I was in awe of his persuasive delivery.

“Galba’s proposed three things at the council before,” Gulgar said quietly. “Two were hits. The other one didn’t turn out so good. The council—elder council, that is—beat it into the ground. Can ya believe that?”

“And the elder council is different, right?” I whispered back.

“Yup. They choose the representatives, like I said. Every two years.”

“I still can’t believe I never knew.”

“Doesn’t surprise me.”

Galba’s speech went on.

“So why was Healer Luciel made a representative? To hide the wrongdoings that the rest of the council have been conducting for so long. The late Representative Shahza plotted with ex-Vice Guildmaster Grohala to sell out their own country, accepting coin in exchange for state secrets—money that taints the elders who accepted bribes to allow him to join the council. Representative Liliard falsified reports, skimming wages and hiding his deeds behind the fervor over Luciel’s feats.”

He paused again. Then, “Mister Luciel was to end his term on the council with a whimper. Or so the representatives planned. But he breathed new life into the reeking slums. His fair treatment of the halflings, a people born into discrimination, has caused a dramatic decrease in halfling crime rates. He’s privately funded the founding of a school for the good of future Yenitians. And yet, today I’ve learned of a plot to undermine the medical district that he and the halflings tried so hard to build. Yenitians, I ask you, is this who we are? Do we repay kindness with spite? Are we a race of scoundrels and bandits? If the answer is no, then it’s time to rebuild this country!”

Galba’s efforts to undo years of twisted culture was admirable. And by the stirring in the crowd at his mention of the school, it seemed that project still wasn’t widely known about, which I found surprising.

“I’m not sure I like hearing Galba call me ‘mister,’” I whispered to Gulgar.

“Hey, it’s a speech.”

“I feel like he should just up and become a representative himself. Might be a good idea.”

“Maybe. For a bit.”

“Wait, what’s going on at the guild in Merratoni?”

“They’re gettin’ along fine. Brod’s the one who told us to come give ya a hand.”

“Master’s always looking out for me, huh?”

“Thank ’im in person when you’re done with all this.”

“I should.”

Not that I could ever express my gratitude enough.

“He cares about you a great deal,” Lionel said.

“Yeah. He’s always there to help, always has been. Ever since I first came to Merratoni. I’d feel the same about you if you’d actually stop being a slave.”

The older man guffawed. “I’m comfortable where I am, thank you.”

“Just think about it. Please.”

He only smiled back. Meanwhile, Galba’s oration was reaching its climax.

“Normally, I would not have the authority to judge these men for their actions. And that’s why I’m hereby assuming the role of wolf-folk leader and invoking the right of imposition.”

The crowd started to stir. Assuming the role of leader? The right of imposition? I was lost.

“Can Galba just declare that?” I asked Gulgar. “And what’s the right of imposition?”

Gulgar thought for a moment. “Well, when any leader or elder dies, or commits a crime that’d get ’em enslaved, their race gets together and picks someone new to assume the role.”

“And no one would dare oppose Galba, so he can pretty much do it automatically.”

The wolf-man smirked. “No one with a brain, at least. Now the right o’ imposition...”

According to Gulgar’s explanation, this particular political tool was risky. Invoking it meant that any representative for the next ten years would no longer have the right to speak during meetings. Plus, unless the rest of the council was softened up first, the City of Freedom wasn’t going to be willing to give such a right away. The chances of it being vetoed were extremely high.

“Will Galba’s motion pass, do you think?”

He smirked even wider. “All the elders’re criminals. Right now, Galba’s the only one with any authority left. And the right o’ imposition resets when a new rep gets chosen. The plan’s airtight.”

I looked back at Galba, who had begun issuing his decrees.

“Well, I’m off,” Gulgar said. “Got some dishes to make. Gimme some Substance X.”

I handed over a barrel, and he walked off towards his brother. The two of them together was an intimidating sight indeed.

“The elders are to be executed for the crimes they’ve committed today,” Galba declared, “and their personal assets are forfeit. The representatives cannot be dismissed without the risk of crashing the economy, so there will be a grace period for establishing new officials. Upon the results of an investigation, innocent representatives will be spared enslavement, but their assets will be repossessed. The guilty will serve a life sentence as, of course, slaves. The fate of the one responsible for the fire will be decided by a spokesperson for the former slums after a thorough interrogation. Walabis may have only been his puppet, but he too will be enslaved. As for the rioters, were I making the decision myself, you would all become criminal slaves as well. But Mister Luciel is merciful. You will be pardoned after a meal of Gulgar’s creation and a drink of the sage’s ‘elixir.’ The choice is yours, and it’s offered to everyone equally. Come and let’s rejoice in honor of a new Yenice with a bracing feast and a mugful that leaves an aftertaste unlike any other!”

Gulgar howled in sheer excitement and joy, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Galba was being too harsh. Or was this the lenient approach? Was my unwillingness to deliver punishment just a manifestation of my fear of being hated? How I wished for the existence of courts, a penal system, something... But then I realized that I was running away again. I was afraid of getting my hands dirty.

Cries, cheerful and sorrowful alike, filled the air around me. Some were vitriolic jeers towards Galba for closing the chapter with a bloody execution. They flung awful words like “patricide” at him, but he didn’t flinch. He was going to kill his father, and that was that.

I offered a stipulation. “Can we decide the executions at a later date?”

Galba looked taken aback for a moment, then nodded.

I turned to the elders. “The crimes you’ve all committed must be punished. I would take this time to make your peace and atone before your souls leave this world and your bodies become nourishment for its soil.”

I said nothing more on the matter.

“The criminals and their accomplices are to be enslaved until a date is set for their punishment,” Galba concluded.

I watched the adventurers pull away the elders, the leaders, whoever they were, by the ropes binding them and prayed that this would bring some sense of normalcy back to the city. I had been made a fool of, led along on a string through a twisted country that I thought I had understood, blinding myself with only what was in front of me. And the realization of how much peril I had actually been in terrified me.