Scourge Sixty-Six   - Goof

I meet Commander Nunez with a big, kinda goofy grin, and I really couldn’t care any less if he thinks I’m a bit weird for it. My heart’s still beating at a million thumps a minute, even though I haven’t moved all that much, and I feel extra floaty.

The commander has come around with a good number of his Templars. Some on horseback, a few others on foot. It’s clear from the undead gore staining their armour that they’ve been busy guys lately.

“Hello,” I say.

He nods to me from the top of his horse. “Hello, Princess Malvada,” he says. “I’m glad to see you well. Are your companions all in good health?” He looks past me and to the mansion. The front lawn is a mess of turned up dirt and re-dead bodies. A few of my monsters are laying on the ground too, their skin turning into black ash as they melt away.

“Yeah, we’re all fine,” I say. “I didn’t think you’d be coming around this end of the city?” From what I recall, he was planning on hitting up the noble quarter.

“You’re correct. It seems that my predictions were erroneous. While we did find some of Altum’s necromancers in the noble quarter, they were no better than beginners. From the looks of it, they were using the mansions there as schools to educate a new cadre of cultists.”

“So, lots of undead, then?” I ask.

He nods. “Yes, but none which were strong enough to contest us. A few were certainly powerful, enough to place a lone Templar on the back foot, but we were far from alone, and the necromancers themselves posed little threat. For all that their creations might overwhelm in large quantities, they themselves aren’t well-trained cultivators when it comes to straight combat.”

“Yeah, I think we noticed the same thing. So, you came around here to help us?” I ask.

“No. One of the necromancers we put to the question let us know where their leader resides.” He looks at me, then pointedly at the mansion behind me.

I nod. “Yeah, that sounds about right. A guy called... Gerry?” The name’s a bit fuzzy.

“Getorix,” he says.

“That’s the guy!” I chime in.

He eyes me for a moment. “And you encountered him?”

“Oh, yeah, he’s kind of splattered across the entrance hall right now,” I say distractedly. I want to get back to my friends. My... girlfriends?

Are we even there yet? Maybe I need to ask formally. Or do they need to ask me? How does that even work out? I mean, sure, we’ve kissed, which was very nice, but I’m not sure if that makes it official or anything.

Is there documentation to be filled? I should ask Esme. Or Felix. No, both. Yeah, both makes a lot more sense.

There’s a shake, and I blink, realising that the commander’s dismounted his horse at some point and is poking me in the shoulder. “Are you well?” he asks.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m just fine,” I say.

“You seem feverish,” he comments. “Perhaps over-cultivation. Have you used anger or fear magics? They both tend to have adverse effects on the body’s ability to regulate heat. Especially if you’re not trained in their use.”

“No, no, it’s nothing like that,” I say with a dismissive wave.

“Are you certain?” he asks. He half-turns and gestures to one of the Templars. “We have a few members here versed in the healing arts. Even a Templar or two who can cultivate grief to a small extent to heal.”

“Uh, no, it’s... a girl problem,” I say, entirely accurately if not completely truthfully.

Commander Nunez straightens up, his own cheeks turning a little reddish. “Ah, I see. Well then,” he says as if immediately dismissing the entire issue as something he wants nothing to do with.

Poor Lily, her adopted dad’s such a boy.

“Anyway, sorry, what were you saying?” I ask.

He smiles and gestures some of his Templars towards the mansion. “I was saying that I’m impressed. You found the heart of this local evil and excised it. Hopefully, this will be the end of this entire fiasco.”

“Oh, I doubt that,” I say. “There’s going to be a lot of rebuilding, and a lot of people have died. It’s going to take a while before this city’s back to being the way it was before. Not to mention all the cultists of Altum who were running around. Once they find out their leader’s dead, they might do something stupid.”

“That’s true. I’ll send letters out as soon as I can to every leader in the country. Hopefully the rest of this mad cult can be squashed before their madness spreads. One city lost to their like is one too many.”

“I don’t think it’s all lost,” I say. “There were servants working here, and they said that a bunch of people are still alive near the docks. I guess they’ll have to sort things out and start rebuilding.”

The commander nods. “That sounds plausible. We’ll scour the city for more pockets of undead, then perhaps we can assist what remains of the guard in taking back control of the environs. There are still thousands of undead beyond the wall that we will have to cull. Though I fear they might begin to roam without guidance.”

“It shouldn’t be a problem. With the amount of people that have died, there’ll be a lot more monsters appearing soon. They’ll attack the undead on sight, so soon everything will be just fine.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” he says. “Changing the topic... how is Lily?”

“Hmm? Oh, she’s okay, I think. She’s a pretty good fighter, you know? Really good with that earth-fire combo stuff. She might be a bit too lenient with the collateral, but otherwise, she’s pretty handy to have around!”

Commander Nunez grins. “I’m happy to hear it. That child has been no end of trouble for me, but she’s got the heart of a true hero in her. I... imagine it might help for her to make some friends. Even if they’re rather unconventional.”

“Uh-huh,” I say.

We both turn as a Templar runs out of the mansion and comes to a stop next to us. “Commander,” he says. “We looked over the body. It’s Getorix. Or at least, it fits his description.”

“He was pretty strong,” I say. “Good with water magic, and he had a lot of abominations with him. But, uh, well, he was probably a match for any one of us, but we were five. Plus he wasn’t the only fear cultivator. ”

“Numbers do tend to make a difference in these kinds of engagements,” Commander Nunez says. He pats me on the shoulder. “I need to see to these matters, then to clearing out the city of the remaining undead and reassuring the surviving population.”

“Does that mean our alliance is over?” I ask.

“I suppose it does. But I’m no fool to only obey the letter of an agreement and not its spirit. Take your time in departing.”

I nod. “Yeah, we still need to find Semper’s books and I should get my monsters to regroup.”

“Ah, yes, about that. The many-headed goose. It left our temporary base at some point and was last seen chasing undead across the streets. Is there anything you can do to rein it in?”

I consider it for a moment, then shake my head. “No, there really isn’t.”

“That’s concerning,” he mutters. “Well, we’ll deal with that in due time.”

Commander Nunez continues on towards the mansion, and I wave behind his back. Now I can go and rejoin my friends.

For some reason, I almost don’t want to.

Things have changed. Probably for the better, but still... it’s going to take a lot to figure things out, a lot of talking, and working through things, maybe a bit of arguing. I take a deep breath. Yeah, I can handle it.

Plus, the kissing’s nice.

Grinning like a loon again, I rush back into the mansion, squeezing past a Templar who folds away from me as if I’ve got a sickness or something. Maybe I do? I’m certainly feeling pretty weird.

I find my friends in one of the antechambers to the main entrance. Bianca and Lily are off to one side, talking to each other while Felix and Esme are on a couch.

Esme’s face is as red as when I left, hands on her thighs and attention fixed ahead while Felix has a grin so big it must be straining her ears.

“H-hey,” I say, then I promptly pretend my voice didn’t crack. “So, Esme, want to find those books? After that... well, after that, I think we’re nearly done here.”

“That sounds perfectly doable,” Esme says as she bounces to her feet. That brings her face-to-face with me, and we stare at each other for a moment, some unidentifiable

something

between us before we both break eye contact.

Felix sighs. “Man, I have so much work ahead of me.”

***