Alkara wakes up screaming and flailing for the third day in a row, breathing hard, like she’d just run for miles. Her mind races as she sits on her cot, unsuccessfully trying to calm herself down. She’s exhausted on every level, and she still can’t feel much. She doesn’t even notice the tears that are streaming down her face till her body forces her to sob.
“Dre, Alkara’s hurt. Check her please?” Chiron calls out, staying on guard while Guenwyvar makes sure the creature is gone.
Dre slowly turns away from Sengmar’s body and moves to Alkara. After a brief check, she pulls out a vial filled with light green liquid, gently but firmly instructing her to drink. She puts it to Alkara’s mouth and Alkara barely manages to swallow. She feels a cool burst of energy course through her, and it doesn’t hurt to breathe anymore, but she still can’t move. Her limbs feel heavy and all she can think of… is…
Sengmar.
None of them have been sleeping well. [Losing Sengmar had sent them all reeling.] Dre sat at her work station staring vacantly at her array of tinctures, herbs, and minerals. Chiron had disappeared, and wouldn’t tell them where to when he did come back. All he’d say is that he had done his best to contact Uncle Iro, but no one had heard from him. No one knew when he’d be back. The creature had disappeared. And Charlotte’s ashen face had only looked more horrified when she’d learned they hadn’t killed it. She’d asked them if she could keep them on call if a scout team spotted the it. But Alkara had refused. Chiron and Dre didn’t try to challenge her. So it was just as well that it hadn’t been seen again.
Guenwyvar comes up to her, whimpering, giving her the saddest look Alkara has ever seen on her face. Guen puts a paw in her lap, and Alkara numbly places a hand on her head. The one thing Alkara was starting to notice she could feel was a cold, lethal fury. And it’s building to a point that demands action. She also comes to an iron-willed decision: she is not going to put Dre and Chiron in that much danger again. But… she had to do something. She’s going to find this thing. And kill it. But… how to do that without getting Dre and Chiron involved…
She abruptly rolls off her cot, throws some clothes on, and heads into Uncle Iro’s room, closing the door. If she’s going to take this thing on alone, she’ll need to prepare. Thoroughly. She’s seen it fight now. She knows what she’s in for. But she’s still pretty sure she can beat it.
Alkara digs around the equipment pile, not really finding anything that will give her a particular advantage. Some of Dre’s potions might come in handy. But she doesn’t store them in here. Alkara would have to ask. And Dre would want to know what they were for.
Alkara sighs and turns to stare at the back corner of the room. Uncle Iro keeps an emergency stash, just in case the family needs it. It’s trapped, and requires a password. But just this once, he’d made sure they all knew how to disarm it so that they can get to it if they need to. The numb weight sits on Alkara’s chest as she walks up to the trunk that’s sitting on top of the removable stone. She stares at it vacantly before pushing it aside, murmuring the password, carefully disarming the trap, and dislodging the floor stone as quietly as she can.
She tries to pull the chest out of the indentation, but quickly realizes she’s not strong enough to manage it. Not quietly anyway. She slips the key into the lock and awkwardly opens the top as much as she can. When she looks inside her jaw drops.
Uncle Iro had always made it sound like he keeps this stash so that the family won’t starve. But this… there are bags and bags full of coin which, when she checks, turn out to be full of gold. A row of ingots: gold, silver, adamantine, and…
Mythril.
Alkara swallows as she reaches for the ingots of mythril. She’d heard that mythril was particularly effective against aberrants, but no one can afford to throw mythril around, so no one really knows for sure. Maybe this will be enough for some mythril arrows. Which means she won’t have to steal any of Dre’s oil…
Alkara takes her time searching through the rest of the stash. There’s so much in here! How the hell am I supposed to know what any of this does?! Alkara sighs as she unravels scroll after scroll. She starts when she realizes one of them is actually a list of what’s in the chest. Thank Urdima. Relief floods her, replacing the dread of having to go through one item at a time. She shakes her head. She’s glad Uncle Iro hadn’t decided to just let them find out what things were as they tried to use them. I guess this really is for emergencies… She scans the list and then finds what she needs: a strip of canvas folded into a triangle with a black sigil on it, a flask that sounds like its full of water, and a little brown wooden figurine of a horse. Combined with one of her blessings from Urdima, these would more than take care of basic survival.
But… She presses her lips together as she grabs several bags of gold, promising to herself that she’ll pay it back. She sets the gold and the mythril aside, putting everything else back just as it had been. She hides the stash she’d taken in the bottom of the trunk and heads out. Just one more thing to take care of…. if she can manage it.
“Alkara. You can’t be serious.” Charlotte looks at her, incredulous.
“Does it look like I’m fucking around?” Alkara crosses her arms, her face stony.
“You’re going to get yourself killed! You’re my best fighter–“
“All the more reason to do it. When I beat this thing, the reputation of the Retrievers goes through the roof. More money for us. And I keep what’s left of my family safe. We both win.”
Charlotte furrows her brow, clearly thinking hard. She’s a good leader. But she’s still a guild leader in Three Rivers. Alkara knows where her ultimate priorities are.
After several minutes of silence, Charlotte grabs a key from her belt and unlocks a drawer. She reaches into the drawer and tosses a bag of coin on her desk toward Alkara. “Advanced payment. For whatever kit you’re going to need to pull this off.”
Alkara shakes her head, “Keep it. If this thing shows up again, you’re gonna need to figure out how to contain it until I get back. Get it out of the city. Away from people. I’ll track it down.”
Charlotte’s frown deepens, “How long do you think you’ll be?”
Alkara shrugs, “I’m heading to Afanen. I’ll probably stop by Caerswë as well. I’ll be back as soon as I can but you know how the elves are. Nothing matters to them. Could be a couple of weeks, could be a month.”
Charlotte snorts, “Alright. And what do I tell Chiron and Dreonna?”
Alkara gives her a blank, dead-eyed stare, “Are you asking me how to do your job?”
Unamused, Charlotte arcs an eyebrow at her, “Not making this easy on me are you?”
Alkara turns and beckons to Guenwyvar, “Just make sure no one kills it before I get back. Then you can do what you want. I couldn’t care less.”
“You’re leaving?!” Dre gives her the second incredulous look she’s received in as many days.
“I’m useless here Dre. More than useless. You guys have it bad enough without me waking you up every night. The creature has disappeared and we have no word from Uncle Iro, so I’m gonna go find him. I can’t stand this waiting around doing nothing!” Alkara pleads.
“So that’s what you want us to do? Sit around and do nothing?” Chiron says with a challenge in his voice. “We’re coming with you Al. We can help you find Uncle Iro–“
“No!” Alkara barks, more sharply than she intended. She looks up at the surprised faces of her siblings. She glares at the floor and lowers her voice, “Charlotte might still need you. At the very least she’ll need someone who’s seen the creature fight and can help her deal with it.”
Chiron narrows his eyes at her.
Alkara presses her lips together, “Look, I’m our best shot at tracking Uncle Iro down and we all know it. But Charlotte is going to need help.” Alkara swallows and glances up warily. “Please you guys… I just… need some time alone…”
Dre looks at Chiron, who’s still looking at Alkara suspiciously, then looks back at Alkara, sorrow and confusion on her face. “Alkara…” She searches Alkara’s face a little longer before sighing and moving to her pack, pulling out some vials, and walking back to hand them to her sister. “Here. These should help you sleep. I’d have offered them earlier but–“
“It’s alright Dre…. thank you.”
“No, Alkara. They’re dangerous for you to use if you’re alone. And I haven’t tested them thoroughly–“
“I’ll be fine, Dre. Thanks.” Alkara takes the vials and offers a shaky smile. She glances nervously at Chiron, who’s expression has shifted to one of stony acceptance. “Chiron–“
“I don’t want to hear it Alkara. Just… hurry up and find Uncle Iro. Stay safe.” He says woodenly as he turns toward his cot.
Alkara swallows back some tears but just nods and moves to her cot, grabs her pack, and then moves into the second room to grab some supplies, as well as the stash she’d set aside. She swipes at a tear as she places Sengmar’s blood-spattered spellbook on top. She walks back into the main room, hesitates for a few seconds, but then opens the door. “Come on Guen.”