Fabled Susanoo Act 3 | An Abrupt Conclusion, Homebound

Jillian and Syndel had just arrived at the city of Dunhaven, eager to gather information on the Blackwood Collective. As they walked through the bustling marketplace, they were struck by the beauty of the city's surroundings.

"The ocean is so beautiful here," remarked Syndel, gazing out at the waves crashing against the shore from the carriage.

Jillian nodded in agreement. "It's hard to believe that a city this peaceful and idyllic could be associated with the likes of the Blackwood Collective."

As they made their way through the city, they began asking locals about any information they might have on the Collective. However, they were met with unease and reluctance from many of the citizens.

One elderly woman, who was selling fresh fish at a market stall, eyed them warily when they mentioned the Blackwood Collective. "I don't know anything about them," she said, her voice tense.

Jillian tried to reassure her. "We're just trying to gather information. We don't mean any harm."

But the woman shook her head. "It's best not to get involved with the likes of them. They're dangerous, and they won't hesitate to hurt anyone who crosses them."

As they continued their search for information, they found that many of the locals were similarly reluctant to speak about the Blackwood Collective. It was clear that the rumors about the city's association with the group had left a lasting impact on its inhabitants.

Despite this, Jillian and Syndel were determined to continue their search for information. They knew that if they wanted to uncover the truth about the Blackwood Collective, they would have to keep digging, no matter how reluctant the locals were to talk.

They took a break and settled down at a local tavern inside and sat at a table in the corner, Jillian looked over at Syndel with a concerned expression. "Syndel, can we talk for a moment? I know I've been meaning to ask you this for a while now, but can you tell me more about what happened during the summoning ritual?"

Syndel took a deep breath, her eyes began to well up with tears. "It's a long story, I'm not sure if you're willing to listen about the situation." she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I'll try to explain it to you as best as I can."

She took a moment to compose herself, then began to speak. "I was trying to end my own life, but one of the runes were drawn over and when I realized it was too late. Kendell was already pulled from his side to mine, sitting in the field where I had planned for months to enact this. And I couldn't just let him die because of me.

Syndel's voice started to tremble again as she continued on. "But in doing so, I ended up paying a terrible price. The ritual was meant to kill me. But because I tried to save Kendell, something else happened. My World Power awakened, and it saved both of us from dying."

"That is, a rather complicated situation indeed... I'm sorry about that Syndel, maybe this is what Rene meant by it being extremely complex."

Syndel nodded, "I didn't mean to bring Kendell here. I didn't even know it was possible. The ritual was supposed to be my way out, my way to end the pain, but something went wrong. I think it was sabotaged."

Jillian's eyes widened in surprise. "Sabotaged? By who?"

Syndel shook her head. "I don't know. But I felt a presence, like someone was watching me. And then the next thing I knew, I was inside Kendell's body and he was inside of mine."

Jillian squeezed her hand. "I cannot say that I understand your yearn for death so badly, but I do empathize with your current situation with the summon. But, someone was looking out for you. Despite, that be some noble cause or a malicious one. You're alive and can tell the tale. Plus, you ended up saving Kendell as well. You should be proud of yourself for that."

Syndel wiped away a tear. "Yeah... I'm already actively being sought out, my father died, my home I grew up in was sieged and destroyed; and all I have to show for it is better control of magic and dyed hair. I don't see life getting easier from this point on."

Jillian looked at Syndel with a determined expression. "You've been through so much, you don't deserve to be punished for something that wasn't even your fault."

Syndel gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Jill. I appreciate your words."

Jillian smiled back at Syndel. "Me too, Syndel. Me too."

A waitress came over to them and they ordered food, Jillian ordered a vegetable stir-fry, which is a mix of fresh, locally-sourced vegetables sautéed with garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. She also orders a side of steamed rice and a small salad.

Syndel, on the other hand, ordered a grilled swordfish steak with a side of roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes. She pairs her meal with a glass of red wine, savoring each bite and enjoying the flavors of the ocean and earth in every bite.

The two of them ate, relaxed for a moment then continued on with their investigation.

As Marcus and Ash kept a watchful eye on the adventurers in the guild, they noticed a few shady-looking characters coming in and out. Marcus, being a seasoned warrior and skilled in the art of observation, immediately picked up on their suspicious behavior and began asking around about them. He soon learned that one of the shady individuals was a man named Jasper, who had a reputation for causing trouble in the city.

Concerned about the potential threat that Jasper and his associates might pose to the investigation, Marcus and Ash decided to take action. They informed Gil, who promptly posted requests around the town and in nearby cities for additional help from more adventurers.

Soon, more people began arriving to offer their assistance in the search for Gavriel's killers. Marcus and Ash, taking on the responsibility of directing them on where to go, were able to use their knowledge of the city to guide the adventurers to the areas where they believed the criminals might be hiding.

Marcus was surprised when he saw Jasper walk through the doors of the guild and approach Gil. He had heard of the man's reputation as a troublemaker and wasn't sure if he could be trusted. Nonetheless, he decided to keep a close eye on him and see what he was up to.

Jasper stood in front of Gil, looking somewhat uneasy as he spoke. "I heard about what happened to Gavriel and I want to help in any way that I can. I know my reputation might precede me, but I swear I have nothing to do with this. I just want to see justice served."

Gil regarded him skeptically for a moment before nodding. "I appreciate your offer, Jasper. We could certainly use all the help we can get. I'll assign you to a team of adventurers who are heading out to investigate a lead. But keep in mind, if we find out you're involved in any way, you'll be dealt with accordingly."

Jasper nodded fervently. "I understand. Thank you for giving me the chance to prove myself."

As Jasper left the guild, Marcus turned to Gil. "Do you really think we can trust him and his gang? He's been nothing but trouble in the past, so I heard."

Gil shrugged. "We'll have to keep a close eye on him, but he seems genuinely interested in helping. And besides, we can't turn away any potential allies in a situation like this."

Two newer faces walked into the guild, walking right towards Gil.

"The Dragons, we know about the Dragons." Darian repeated. Gil's face went still, realizing what he meant.

"Come with me," leading them into his office. They sat down first then began to talk.

"What did you find out?" Gil asks, his voice low and urgent.

Darian cleared his throat, his expression grave. "We managed to track down a witness who saw the attackers leaving the scene. He didn't see their faces, but he did notice something very distinctive about their clothing."

"What was it?" Gil asks, leaning forward in his chair.

"They were all wearing black cloaks with a red dragon embroidered on the back," Darian replied.

Gil's eyes widen in shock. "The Black Dragon," he murmurs. "They've been rumored to be behind many crimes in the region, but no one's been able to catch them."

Marwarida nodded in agreement. "They're known to be a powerful and dangerous group. If they're involved in Gavriel's death, we need to be very careful."

Gil rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We need to find out more about them. What do they want? What are they after? And most importantly, where can we find them?"

"We've been asking around town, but no one seems to know anything, except that old drunkard Jack whos always in the tavern. He spoke about the Blackwood Collective being tied to the faction and everything he's said up to now has been true." Darian replied.

Gil nodded. "I put out a request in other cities to see if they've heard anything. In the meantime, keep asking around. See if anyone knows anything about this Black Dragon or has seen anyone wearing those cloaks."

Darian and Marwarida nodded, and Gil dismissed them from his office. Gil sat at his desk in the guild's office, his brow furrowed as he mulled over the information Darian and Marwarida had just shared with him. The Black Dragon, a faction within the Blackwood Collective, was behind the assassination attempt on Gavriel. It made sense - the Black Dragon was known to specialize in assassination, and Gavriel was a powerful and influential figure, the kind of person that would be a prime target for them.

But why? What did the Blackwood Collective hope to gain from Gavriel's death? Gil knew they were a powerful criminal organization, with tendrils reaching into all aspects of society, but he didn't know what their ultimate goal was. All he knew was that they were dangerous, and that he and his fellow guild members needed to do everything in their power to stop them.

As he thought about the conversation with Darian and Marwarida, Gil couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He knew that the Blackwood Collective was a powerful and mysterious organization, and that they would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. And now, they had set their sights on one of the most influential people in this region of the country.

But Gil was not one to back down from a fight. He was determined to figure out just how deep this goes. He would do everything in his power to gather information about the Blackwood Collective and the Black Dragon, to find out their weaknesses and exploit them.

With a determined look on his face, Gil stood up from his desk and headed towards the guild's meeting room. He knew that he needed to gather the guild members together and come up with a plan of action, to strike back against the Blackwood Collective.

Syndel and Jillian had been gathering information in Dunhaven for hours, but they were finally wrapping up. Jillian looked over at Syndel and asked, "So, what do you think? Did we find anything useful?"

Syndel sighed and shook her head. "Not much, unfortunately. We might have to just cut our losses here, let's head back to Lightcrest and regroup."

Jillian nodded and they made their way back to Lightcrest. When they arrived, they found that Rene and Kendell had returned as well.

Rene looked up from her notes and asked, "Did you find anything in Dunhaven?"

Syndel shrugged. "Not really. We'll have to keep looking."

Kendell chimed in, "Well, we may have found something. We have a new lead. After coming together, we should head out and investigate it as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, Ash and Marco had been busy assisting the adventurers as well. They had stumbled upon a lead and Jasper had joined them.

Ash was ecstatic as she said, "Guys, I think we have something here. We need to follow up on this as soon as possible."

Marwarida and Darian returned, bringing new information regarding Blackwood and the Black Dragon. They had been gathering intel and had come back with some important details.

As it turned out, everyone's leads pointed to the same location. After a long walk down deep past the forest, the group of adventurers had all arrived at the spot where they believed the killer of Gavriel was hiding. The air was tense with anticipation, and everyone's eyes were on the small building in front of them. Marco had his hand on his sword, ready for anything.

Suddenly, a woman appeared in front of them. She was tall and slender, wearing all red, from her dress to her shoes. She wore the crest of the Sakuragi family which was strange. Her hair was long and black, and her eyes were sharp and calculating. She clapped her hands, a small smirk on her face. "Well done, adventurers. You've done well in finding this place."

Gil raised an eyebrow as he walked forward. "Who are you, exactly?"

The woman ignored the question, instead gesturing to the man who was now in front of her. "This man killed Gavriel. I have him in custody. You may take him and turn him over to the authorities or whatever you choose to do with him."

Rene stepped forward, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. She frowned, her brow furrowed. "I don't think she's lying. He has the same memories I saw when I touched Gavriel's body."

Everyone looked at her in shock. "Are you serious?" Ash asked.

Rene nodded. "I'm not lying."

"You're all probably wondering why I went through so much trouble to bring you here. You see, I've been trying to track down this man for some time. He was elusive, but then I realized that if I flooded the guild with fake requests, eventually the right people would come and pick up the trash.."

Jillian was outraged. "You put innocent people in danger just to get your hands on a criminal?"

The woman shrugged. "It's a means to an end. And besides, I knew the right people would come. And I was right."

Rene stepped forward again. "What do you want us to do now?"

The woman smiled. "You're free to do what you want. I have what I need. But I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again soon." With that, she disappeared into the building, leaving the adventurers to deal with the aftermath of the hunt.

Everyone returned to the town rather disappointed because they thought there would be a fight, but they were so wrong. As they made their way back to Lightcrest, Marco felt a pang of guilt and regret for his words to Syndel. He knew he had been wrong to suggest that she be arrested without understanding the full situation. When they finally stopped to rest, Marco mustered the courage to apologize to Syndel.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier, Syndel. I didn't know about the sabotaged spell, so my words were out of line," he said, looking at her with sincerity.

Syndel hesitated for a moment, but then just said "thank you" and walked past him to join Kendell, who had been silent on the way back.

Ash noticed Marco's remorse and told him not to worry too much about it. "You did what you thought was right at the time," she said reassuringly.

Jillian, on the other hand, had no qualms about calling Marco out on his behavior. "You need to get your head out of your ass," she told him, half-jokingly.

Marco laughed at her comment and thanked her for the blunt advice.

"I don't know about you, Rosa, but I was really hoping for a fight," Gil said, disappointed.

Rosa gave him a stern look. "What kind of a thing to say is that? We should be glad that we didn't have to fight anyone."

"I know, I know," Gil replied, holding up his hands in surrender. "I just thought it would be more exciting, you know?"

Rosa shook her head. "This isn't some game, Gil. It's serious business. We should be grateful that we were able to bring the man to justice without any violence."

Gil nodded, taking Rosa's words to heart. "You're right, Rosa. I'll do better next time."

"I also heard that the High Council of Cedrus are on the way here to grab the suspect, it'd be best to put a pause on the Blackwood Collective investigation until they depart. They should reach here by morning, so stay put. They're being extra precautious since that happened to Gavriel." Rosa spoke, reading from the paper.

Gil replied, "oh? Well, this should be rather interesting... Let's hope nothing bad comes of this."

Meanwhile, Rene had been deep in thought, piecing together information in her head. She had figured out a crucial detail regarding the Sakuragi family, but was unable to act on it just yet. She knew she needed more time to gather more evidence and find a way to bring justice.

As they finally arrived at Rene's home, she called Rosa over, and they held a small celebration, toasting to their successful mission and each other's skills.

As they sat and relaxed, Rene's mind still drifted back to the crucial detail she had discovered, her brow furrowing with worry. But for the moment, she chose to set it aside and simply enjoy the company of her fellow adventurers.

"I see you've gained control over your World Power, I must say that I am impressed, you've done well to make sure there's no rain. But, I know it's been hard. The exertion on your emotions are through the roof, I can see that as clear as day. I was wondering though, Syndel and I would like for you to join us. I know you have your detective career you'd love to focus on more with your former team but I'd like for you to join us. If you're up to it." Kendell practiced to himself in the mirror of the bathroom, after coming out he felt he could finally ask.

"Rene, would you like to join us? It's only Kendell and I right now, but I think we'd be a great party together." Syndel asked, as Kendell walked back into the dining room defeated.

"Kendell? What's wrong?" Syndel and Rosa asked, he just shook his head and sat down.

"You're a long way from home aren't you? Can you tell us about your former world?" Rene asked.

"I've told Syndel so much about the world I came from, I wish you all could experience it first hand without me having to tell you. Unlike this, where magic exists and all of these fantastic things; the world I come from is terrifying in an existintial dread way. There's no magic, it's just life, death, and capitalism. The ugly side of things, once your loved ones die, there is no bringing them back at the cost of something else. But that what makes the world I came from so precious. You live every moment as if it was your last breath, thats what life was like for me before I came here. I was the lone survivor of a terrible accident where my entire family died, but I was able to make it with minor injuries like a broken arm. Not having someone to fall back on, a family to rely on, when the universe puts the world on your shoulders at the ripe age of ten, how can you keep moving forward? It's like that day still plays on repeat in my mind and its gotten to the point where the trauma would cause me to forget completely then it just pops back into my mind when I least expect it. And much like Syndel, I feel the guilt that it was my fault. I still haven't come to terms with that ordeal and its been ten years now. I don't like to speak about it, because when I do, I feel a mix of pain, anger, and sorrow. I'm sorry for ruining the mood, excuse me." Kendell spoke, getting up from the table.

"Kendell, wait," Syndel said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to apologize. I'm here for you."

Kendell turned to face her, "I know," he said, his voice shaking. "It's just...hard to talk about."

"I understand," Syndel said, giving him a reassuring smile. "But remember, you're not alone. We're all here for you."

Rene and Rosa both nodded in agreement. "Yes, we're here for you," Rene said. "And if there's anything we can do to help, just let us know."

Kendell took a deep breath and nodded. "Thank you," he said. "I really appreciate it."

The group sat in silence for a few moments, allowing Kendell to collect himself. Finally, Rosa spoke up. "You know, Kendell, I can't imagine what you've been through," she said. "But I do know that you're incredibly strong for having survived it."

Kendell smiled faintly. "Thank you," he said.

"And you're right, there's something to be said for living in a world without magic," Rosa continued. "Sometimes we get so caught up in the fantastical things we can do here that we forget about the simple joys of life."

"I agree," Rene said. "But at the same time, magic has brought us together. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for the magic that exists in this world."

Kendell nodded in agreement. "I guess you're right," he said. "It's just that sometimes, the memories of my old world feel like they're suffocating me."

"Well, you don't have to face them alone," Syndel said. "We are here for you, and we'll get through this together."

"It was, but we also had other fun things to do. Like going to amusement parks and riding roller coasters or playing video games with your friends," Kendell continued, smiling at the memories.

"Video games?" Rene asked, curious.

"Yes, they were like interactive movies that you could play on your TV or computer. You could be a hero, or a villain, or anything in between," Kendell explained, gesturing with his hands.

"That sounds amazing," Syndel said, looking interested.

"It was, and there were so many different kinds of games to choose from. You could play by yourself, or with friends online," Kendell said, taking another sip of wine.

As they continued talking, Kendell seemed more relaxed and happy than they had ever seen him. It was clear that he was finally ready to talk about the good things from his world, after sharing the painful parts earlier.

As Ash, Jillian, and Marco arrived at Rene's house, Kendell was already a bit tipsy and in the middle of telling a story about a particularly wild football game he had attended back on Earth. He stopped mid-sentence as the group walked in, but quickly regained his composure and offered them all drinks.

"Hey guys, welcome back," Rene said with a smile. "Come on in and have a seat. Kendell was just telling us about his home world."

Kendell grinned and raised his glass. "You guys just missed the good stuff, but don't worry, there's plenty more where that came from. Have a seat, have a drink."

Ash and Jillian settled down onto the couch, while Marco stood awkwardly by the door for a moment before finally joining them.

"So, what brings you guys back here?" Kendell asked, taking a sip of his wine.

"We're just finishing up some business in town," Ash replied. "We'll be here for another week or so before we head back up north."

Kendell nodded. "Sounds good to me. We'll have to find some time to hang out while you're here."

Jillian laughed. "I'm always down for some good food and drinks."

As they chatted and caught up, Marco kept his distance from Kendell, still feeling a bit uncomfortable after their previous encounter. But Kendell seemed to be in good spirits, and the animosity between the two had noticeably subsided.

Rene, meanwhile, was happy to have her friends back in town, and couldn't wait to catch up and spend some more time with them.