Chapter 149: Old Friends

Chapter 149: Old Friends

The rest of his dream was spent calmly. He told Uunrahzil some of his stories. The new people he'd met, and the fact that he finally found one of his companions again. His plans of meeting everyone in Stormbraver, and the fact that he probably had a few people to tell he was still alive.

Mercury still had absolutely no idea where there had been assassins after him in the first place, but he could only wager that it was one of the nobles he pissed off. That, or someone was trying to blackmail one of his friends. He honestly hoped for the first one, because it was an issue he could just resolve on his own.

If this had been to get to Zyl, Lucia, or anyone else he was close to, he'd be a lot more actively mad. Sure, someone had tried to kill him, but if it was the consequences of his own actions, fine. But he didn't want to be a liability to other people.

Unfortunately, he could feel <Intuition > rumble on in his chest. It seemed to synergize with <Seeker of Secrets>, letting him get a feel for the answer to a question. Which was strange, welcome, and in this case, frustrating. Because he now knew that there'd been some greater purpose behind the attack, and it kind of pissed him off.

For the moment though, he still enjoyed the little bit of time he had, relaxing in the dream, chatting with old Uunrahzil and Whisperstar. The two were good company, each kind in their own way, and yet different as could be.

Old Uunrahzil was patient and calm, with the steady certainty and wisdom of age, while Whisperstar was excitable and naive, always eager to play and move and act. It was funny, seeing the two interact, when they were so different. Mercury smiled for almost the entire time until he woke up.

It felt like maybe the first time in his dream realm that he didn't spend his entire visit training. A welcome change of pace if he was honest. Of course, the next few days were back to the grind, trying to grasp more threads of the weave whenever he dreamt.

Progress was slow, as it usually was after he broke a barrier, but Mercury didn't mind for once. He'd get better in due time.

During the afternoons and early evenings, he continued his travels. It was easy, now, the road being eaten up beneath his legs. He hardly felt any fatigue at all. This body, which had once felt like he was stuck in it - especially the no thumbs bit - was becoming comfortable.

The thought stuck around as well. He was genuinely growing more comfortable. With himself, with who he was. It was a good feeling.

Keeping a relatively upbeat state of mind, the journey continued. Mercury was making very good time towards Stormbraver, and after only a little over a page, the city appeared on the horizon.

Except, things were off. The walls seemed so much smaller than he remembered. And there was a cloud of dust hanging above the city.

Mercury sped up. The walls came closer, then closer still, until he could start to make out the rubble.

He was still far away, and yet it was easy to see the damage to the city. So many of the buildings had fallen apart. Trash was being disposed of, meaning giant heaps of broken stone and charred wood outside the walls. There were tents - dozens of tents. He guessed some were for healing, and most for temporary housing.

The sight made his stomach sink. What the hell had happened while he was gone?

A few more hours and he'd arrived, to what distinctly didn't feel like a city anymore. So much of it had broken. He could smell the dust and decay hanging in the air. And there were so very many graves. Most of the tombstones were hewn from the very stone that buried some of the victims. Not like it was gonna see much other use.

He shivered a little at the sight, and hurried past the gates into the city. The guards paid him little attention, but he flicked his crystal to them anyway, indicating his status as a godseeker. He didn't check for the reaction.

He hardly remembered his path through the streets, making his way across the rubble and getting to his goal as quickly as he could. The guild still stood. Mercury breathed a sigh of relief he didn't know he'd been holding in. Tentatively, he stepped through the door.

Its hinges were more creaky than he remembered, like they'd not been oiled in a while, and the hall wasn't nearly as bustling. The board with jobs was more than full though, mainly exterminating monsters, but also a lot of gathering supplies for building and medical care.

Looking at it felt so surreal. Like another life. But there was a familiar, very tired and exhausted face. In fact, his old receptionist buddy seemed so tired, Mercury could hardly see his face from all the bags under his eyes. The poor guy didn't even notice the mopaaw walk in, and seemed to almost be nodding off. Not that he was currently super busy.

"Hey, panda, you good there?" Mercury asked with only a smidge of teasing as he hopped onto the counter.

Marcel jerked in place for a moment, his eyes opening wide and scanning the room in panic, before they settled onto the little ball of fluff before him. "Wha- What?! Who said- oh. Wait, is that… Mercury? Is that you? You look different. Or I could be hallucinating, holy shit I need to sleep more."

"It is indeed myself," Mercury said with a grin, giving a theatrical bow. He'd missed Marcel. "So. I, uh… see that things have changed since I was last here. You okay?"

"No," Marcel chuckled, sounding almost deranged. "No, I'm not okay. Most people in Stormbraver are feeling a little bad. But at least the war's over and done with. We had negotiations, king Fulthur of the north came in himself. Slowly rebuilding, is all. I'll give you the rundown in a minute, just gotta ask, are your stripes glowing these days or am I really that sleep-deprived?"

"Ah, that. Yeah, I actually had an evolution while I was gone. We might have some stuff to catch up on. Did you know I had like 20 assassins sent after me?" Mercury asked.

"You what?" Marcel blinked a couple times, then shook his head. "Sorry, repeat that?"

"I had about 20 assassins sent after me. More, I think."

"Did you die?"

"Sadly, yes. But then I lived!" Mercury said, very pleased with himself.

Marcel only gave him a few more slow blinks. A couple of them must've been asynchronous. Like, one eye blinking faster than the other. He looked really rough.

Finally, the receptionist spoke again. "Right. So, bud, you're back. You went through a whole evolution, almost died, and after, what, a season and a half you're just… back?"

"Sure am, Marcel," Mercury sighed. "I sure am."

"Fine," the receptionist just sank in on himself even more than he already was. "Let's get you up to speed."

- - -

A bit of talking later, and Mercury heard all about Scarlet and the attack on Stormbraver. Afterwards, king Fulthur came to negotiate. The man was old, and tired of losing his people. Perhaps the death of his oldest son had been what broke him, no one knew exactly.

Whatever the case, Evlenor and Nevarzahri now had a good deal of overlapping territory, and offered to share resources and trade. Evlenor would give furs, meats, and manpower for rebuilding, while Nevarzahri would mostly provide grains and long-lasting food.

Despite the rather beneficial alliance, bad blood still ran thick. There were very few mixed cities and towns, since both sides had lost family members to the other. People weren't all pleased with the decision, but most could recognize it was necessary.

Some plain left, wandering to other nations. They would find shelter there, or perish during their travels. Such was fate.

But everyone who remained focused on rebuilding. There was so much to do. A city didn't just restore itself from the ruins.

Things had been progressing well, despite everything. Marcel was simply still almost passing out from healing and rescue operations. Apparently, bottoming out on mana and staying there for most of a day for multiple weeks didn't do good things to someone. Who could've known.

Now, everything was slowly going back to normal. Avery had disappeared, but was back these days. Only returned a couple days before Mercury, actually. But he was mostly stable again, just more obsessed with making sure he was preparing well.

Mercury went to see the guildmaster as well. It felt weird walking through the backstage of the halls again. At least this time he would be meeting Avery in his office, not down in the hot springs.

When he entered the room, Mercury very quickly noticed the changes about Avery. Firstly, he had a new scar. Another one caused by fire, and yet it looked so much smaller. Maybe this one had gotten better treatment sooner, or Avery just had better resistance and healing abilities.

The guildmaster wore a confused expression when his door first swung open. Marcel hadn't announced them, but it didn't seem like a very big deal. Avery also looked tired, but he seemed in a much better state than the receptionist.

In fact, he looked somewhat different from what Mercury remembered. "Hey Avery!" the mopaaw shouted from below, leading the guildmaster to tilt his face down. His slightly confused expression twisted into a much bigger smile.

"Mercury! My man, where've you been?!" he half-yelled, getting up from the seat and spreading his arms wide as he approached the mopaaw. He offered his fist and Mercury tapped his paw against it, as Avery's eyes drifted over him. The guildmaster still wore sunglasses indoors, it seemed.

"It's uh… a bit of a story, Avery," Mercury said. "But I've been doing okay."

"He's not, in fact, been doing okay," Marcel interjected.

Avery coughed out a laugh at that point, shaking his head. "Alright, well, I suppose I've got nothing but time. But I'm guessing Marcel just got the whole story. You in more of a listening mood?" He gestured at the couch, and Mercury as well as Marcel took a seat.

"I am," Mercury nodded, while seated. Avery was walking around the office grabbing some drinks he had around in canteens. For Mercury, he simply poured water into a small, flat bowl.

"Well then, my man, I've got some stuff to tell you as well. I was doing very poorly just a bit ago. But I've gotten an evolution out of it." He leaned back with a satisfied grin and crossed his arms.

Mercury's eyes widened. He wouldn't have guessed Avery to have evolved, but he could kinda see it now. Maybe that had made the burn heal so well? Probably. His skin was also more taut across his muscles, even though they were lean and compressed.

Then he grinned. "Really now? Me too, actually," he said smugly, watching as Avery's eyebrows raised and he leaned forward again. They both kind of stared at each other for a few seconds, trying to make out the differences.

"It's in your purple, right?" Avery asked. "The colour of your eyes and stripes, I mean. It's deeper, like I'm looking into the night sky or something."

"Yup, that's the one. And your skin. It's… what, tougher? Thicker? What kind of evolution did you get?"

"Ah, mine isn't super apparent outward. One sec," he said, getting up. Then he took off his shirt, prompting Mercury to quickly look away. For a moment, nothing happened, before Avery's body began to shift slightly. It grew even stronger, muscles rippling underneath it.

Then, tiny, dark scales grew to cover him, and short spikes extended out from his spine. Blades of glistening bone grew from his elbows, and his nails shifted into hard claws. His teeth became fangs, wild and dangerous looking, yet his lips still had that same carefree smile.

Without a hint of danger, he turned to face Mercury, smooth scales glistening ever so slightly in the light. He grinned, his eyes still covered by sunglasses. Mercury could feel that he was suppressing some sort of effect, probably fear, around him, but he could also tell Avery only meant well.

"This is my proper racial form. The system tends to give the ability to shapeshift at higher tiers. I went from my previous "draconic human" to a slightly more general "scaleblooded shifter". It's more powerful, and more versatile, letting me borrow attributes from a bunch of different reptiles. One of the two racial Skills was the shifting one," he explained, turning to let Mercury see the new form.

"You look cool as fuck," Mercury said, smiling.

"Yeah. It comes with a fear effect, but it's selective," Avery shook his head and crossed his arms, the elbow blades standing out to the sides. "Was a huge hassle keeping the fear effect in check before the evolution. Still need to hide my eyes though, just because they put people off, and shifting those away is much harder."

The mopaaw nodded sagely. He was surprised Avery was this honest, even telling him the exact race. "So what else does it do?"

"Generally huge buffs to physical things. More stamina, much quicker stamina recovery, shifting abilities to increase different stats and enhance different Skills. Very solid enhancement overall. But clothes chafe against the scales. They tear up cotton like nobody's business; their edges are relatively sharp."

"Fair enough," Mercury said. "My new race is a "srytfyel". It helps my affinity with dreams a lot, and with travelling and mana. I honestly haven't got around to playing with it a whole lot, but if I want to go somewhere, it should be very, very hard to stop me these days."

The explanation elicited a couple nods from the others in the room, and <Seeker of Secrets> seemed to confirm his hypothesis as well.

"Sounds solid," Avery nodded, his skin shifting back as he put his shirt on again, then sat down on his seat. "Well, enough about system stuff though. You can obviously tell that Stormbraver's seen better days. I'm happy about the peace, honestly, as much as I'm upset with what we lost. We need to focus on rebuilding."

"True," Marcel nodded. "Everything that happened was shitty, but it's not right to hate the survivors."

"Yeah. I've been having a rough go coming to terms with it all. Feels like I'm failing repeatedly. But I have to hold my head high. No, I want to do it. Be a role model, all that. And I'm gonna be okay with it, come to terms with what's happened, focus on the future, you know?" Avery's face distorted slightly as he spoke, but he ended with what seemed like a bittersweet smile.

Mercury just kind of nodded along. "It sucks, yeah. But the future isn't set in stone. The city will recover, so will the guild. Just… gotta give it time."

"Exactly. Anyway, how about you? In general, I mean, not your evolution," Avery asked, leaning his head onto his hands.

"Well," Mercury turned to face Marcel, who sat there with the slightest hint of a smile. "I died a few times, and had assassins sent after me. Actually, wrong order there. First assassins, then a couple deaths later."

Avery just kind of sat there, staring at him. Mercury thought he might have blinked a couple times, but he couldn't see through the glasses. So, he decided to just tell the story properly.

"Alright, there's a few things that happened before then. After I left Stormbraver…"

- - -

The story took a while to tell, but he got into the swing of it soon. Talking about Yvette, and Iris, and Marsh. Alexander and Yasashiku. He briefly mentioned Zyl and Otto as well.

Marcel and Avery laughed and cried with him. They worried when he told them about the eclipse, and cheered when he told the story of how he destroyed the Crimson Sun. He mentioned his dream realm, but kept the details of old Uunrahzil close to heart.

Then, he briefly touched on the whole Tesla thing, which got a few laughs out of them. After Mercury was done, Avery told him all about the things in Stormbraver. More details on the war, his own feelings, and so on. It was a lot more personal than Marcel's retelling of it all.

Especially how horrendous the bureaucracy'd been. He'd left the city for a while, once most of his responsibilities were settled, and the desire for his return being fulfilled was enough to net him the last push for the evolution.

Then, bishop Nemo had appeared, being an absolute chore for Iris and Lucia. But they were managing. Mercury nodded, he'd visit them next, anyway. Then maybe the mages' guild. All in due time.

Once everyone was caught up, they just stayed and talked. Mercury told them about his eating abilities and was promptly served a little bit of alcohol. Not overly much, of course, just enough to lighten the mood. Marcel passed out halfway through the conversation, and Avery carried him to a bed.

Mercury decided to lend him the Blanket of Dreams to make sure his friend slept well, so they wrapped him up in it. The nap was deserved.

Finally, when all was said and done, Mercury reserved himself a room for the night. He got the keys to it, and would be able to enter anytime.

Then, he headed out into the streets again, to the smell of dust and decay. With his sensitive nose he could still pick up hints of metal in the air, from bloodstains long dried. It was distracting, and sad, but he trudged through the streets anyway.

He recognised so many of the once-buildings. They were now reduced to nothing but rubble. Houses he'd walked past, seen children play through those streets, now empty and void of life. Flowers from cracked pots laid wilted on the streets, though the actual roads were mostly clean.

It was surreal, like walking through a post-apocalyptic landscape. Except there were people around, many of them despite the evening hours, foraging through the stone and wood mess. Some were looking for valuables, others for heirlooms, but few spoke. The air was heavy.

Still, step by step he made his way through. He sometimes felt itinerant flickering, when people considered getting in his way or stopping to pet him. Somehow, they all swerved aside. Despite the people, his path remained completely unobstructed.

And he came closer to the church building. It was looking better than most of the city, having been built from sturdy stone, and even had some magical words carved into its rock, but a side wing had still collapsed. By now, it seemed mostly on the way to reconstruction though.

He made his way to the regular door, then hesitated. He looked up, and smiled, a plan already forming in his head. He hopped onto the doorframe, clambering from stone to stone, sometimes providing platforms with his rijn. And then, he'd made it up to Lucia's window.

Given that he knew Iris and her were dating, Mercury closed his eyes and very slowly tapped against the glass. There were no screams from the inside, which was already a good sign, and a few minutes later, the window swung open and he hopped in.

"Hey, thanks for opening, I-"

He was interrupted as one of the women swept him up in a hug. He… didn't mind. Gently, he pressed a paw against the woman's back.

She squeezed him tightly once, then let go. "Missed you, Mercury," Iris said with a bright smile. Surprisingly, even Lucia didn't seem disgruntled at his appearance.

"You're back, Mercury," she said, greeting him with a tiny bow, which he reciprocated with a tipping of his head. "Would you like some tea?"

"I'd love some," he said with a smile.

Soon, the three of them sat at a small table, Mercury's seat being stacked with pillows so he could more easily keep eye contact with his two friends. They looked… good together.

Much happier than he'd seen them before. And happy to see him, surprisingly. A comfortable silence hung between the three of them for a good while, Lucia and Iris holding hands. Mercury could feel his heart melt for them, they were so adorable.

"How long have you two been a thing, actually?" he asked, somewhat carefully.

"Ah, since quite some time before Stormbraver, really," Iris replied with a smirk. "We never saw fit to tell anyone since no opportunity arose. But now, well," she leaned over and pecked Lucia on the cheek, who promptly blushed a bit, "I get to do this, so no regrets!" She grinned brightly.

Lucia cleared her throat, then drank a sip of tea. "Yes. Having everything be more public has been much more… freeing than I expected. Of course there is pushback. Some are saying the head priestess has no business being in a relationship at all. If Nemo had his way, Iris and I would be entirely separated. Yet, he cannot deny the effectiveness of my new Skill," she explained with a somewhat vindictive smile.

The bishop was a pest to her, Mercury could tell immediately. It didn't take long to make up his mind. His relationship with religious institutions, especially their higher-ups, had been patchy at best in his last life. If this Nemo made a poor impression, maybe it was time for some anti-institutional action.

He smirked lightly at the thought, then sipped a bit of his tea. It was sweet, and slightly bitter, but in a good way. Mellow but refreshing. He liked it.

"You have probably already heard all about our struggles in Stormbraver though, Mercury," Lucia said into the evening silence, "but we have not heard of yours. How have you been?"

And for the third time Mercury recounted his tale.

- - -

Eventually it was going to get tiring, but this time was still nice. Seeing their faces was almost priceless. Lucia even asked about Yvette, and Mercury told her about the message seemingly anyone who'd experienced an eclipse got. There was probably a chance of her being on the way to Stormbraver to say thanks.

But all that would be dealt with in due time. Because their chatting and catching up was interrupted by three heavy knocks on the door. It was Mercury's cue to head out, but he was feeling a bit rebellious.

"You think I should leave through the front door?" he asked, a hint of mischief in his voice.

Iris hesitated, seriously considering the proposal, but Lucia didn't share her patience. The bishop had tested it enough, it seemed, and she was reasonably sure he would be at the door.

"Yes. I think that would only be proper for an esteemed friend of the Voice," she said.

A grin spread across Mercury's features, and he opened the door to the bishop.

"Ah, finally, you have left me waiting long enough, high priestess," he said, then realised she was not at the door to meet him.

"Down here, buddy," Mercury said and watched the old man's gaze trail downwards.

"A… kin? I do not believe your visit here was registered…" there was a thick note of disapproval in his voice.

"Must I disclose the visit of any of my friends, bishop? My private dealings should not matter much to you, should they?" Lucia asked pointedly, giving him a disregarding glance.

"Perhaps such, Voice. But it is my duty to make sure you are in good standing. Having someone visit in the night may be considered inappropriate by many," Nemo said, but his heart wasn't in it.

His eyes were still locked onto Mercury, staring right at him. As he spoke, Mercury could feel a hum resonate in the air, then press against his head. It was a very light pressure, then it began to feel invasive and probing.

Immediately, Mercury felt his Skills respond. <Unbroken >, <Unrestrained >, and <Itinerant > howled with fury. <Still Mirror> kept him calm, not a hint of emotion showing on his face, and <Seeker of Secrets> whispered to him of the attack. An attempt at manipulating him, chaining him to the bishop, bending his mind.

It would have only been a mild suggestion, a feeling of sympathy and endearment to the old man, but now it was flipped. An attempt to make him doubt his friends broke apart against Mercury's far superior will. His mind was iron at this point, and perhaps he could have even struck back if he wished, but he refrained.

Instead, he turned to look at the bishop, and decided to cause some trouble again. This dude was already being a hassle to his friend, but trying to plant a suggestion in his head? Unforgivable.

With a sense of calm so deep it cut through the air, Mercury spoke. "Well, bishop. Perhaps I should excuse myself from this space then," he said pointedly.

For a moment, the old man tried to block his path, but <Itinerant > activated, and bishop Nemo tripped on his robe, stumbling and catching himself on the doorframe as Mercury walked by.

"If you have an issue with this event, please take it up with me. I didn't schedule such a meeting because my business with the Voice and her attendant are nothing but private. In the case of you taking issue with it, find me at the gloryhall of Stormbraver. I will be happy to let you know that I don't give a fuck about your whole scheduling shtick right up and personal," he said with a smile, eliciting a giggle from Iris and a light chuckle from Lucia.

"I- you-!" A vein began to throb on Nemo's forehead, his voice shaky with desperately restrained anger. "Stop right there or I'll make you regret this!"

"Go on then, bishop Nemo. My name is Mercury Rainfall Starlight. Try me."