Chapter 261: Loyalty


    ke sat outside the Prospector''s Guild on a stolen chair eating stolen rations. He designed and sometimes created with True Making, restoring himself to a fullplement of deadly constructs.


    "I have finished identifying and listing the full assortment of items taken from the engineers, Master. Do you want me to describe them for you?" Navi smiled with her customary pleasure, and ke returned it.


    "Not now, thank you Navi. You can rest for a little while."


    His familiar closed into a sphere and floated over ke''s shoulder in a kind of ''passive'' mode. Annie waited beside him in her new, constant state of silent watching, as if nothing in the world mattered.


    Pliny chittered and muttered to himself in the corner, making a small pile of loot from the Prospector''s and seeming to try and build something using mostly garbage. ke was beginning to worry he was a little more on the ''mad'' side of ''mad genius''.


    But he supposed he did find him as a living dead creature in a pit.


    Finally the dungeon entrance glowed with energy, and Phuong and the others came out one by one. All were alive. All were blood soaked and looked beat to shit.


    "ke." Phuong smiled when he saw him and bowed slightly. Then his blue sword materialized in his hand as his quick eyes found Pliny.


    "No violence, please. That one''s with me," ke exined as he stood with an easy smile. "I''m d to see you, friends. Can I assume you were sessful?"


    "We were, Patron," Seul-ki came forward and bowed, and ke fought the urge to go forward and take her in his arms. "The dungeon triggered some kind of self-destruct. We barely escaped in time."


    "And it buried all the damn loot!" The big Scot, John, kicked a rock halfway across the hall and glowered. "What a bloody useless waste."


    "We gained much experience, and escaped with all our lives," Phuong said patiently. "That is far better than a useless waste, Mr. Mcgregor."


    "I know, I know," said the Scot, shaking his head. "Curse those bastards, though."


    The yers'' eyes soon found ke''s many constructs, including his walking cargo.


    "Looks like you lot had better luck," said John.


    "Where is Master Mason?" Phuong asked, his eyes a bit too cunning and distrusting for ke''s taste. He met the skepticism with a concerned frown, knowing he would quickly send the swordsman to distraction.


    "Reba was badly hurt. Mason took her back on his own." He didn''t bother adding ''and Annie and I sat here, rather bored, waiting for you''.


    Phuong''s face dropped as expected, his concern for the girl obvious. "Should we go back? Or wait for Mason and finish thest dungeon?"


    "You should go back," ke said instantly. "The goblins aren''t going anywhere. We''ll have plenty of time to deal with them once we''re rested."


    Phuong nodded and seemed ready to go, then stopped with a squint. "You said ''you'' should go back. Are you noting with us?"


    ke shook his head. This was the tricky bit, but he had been lying all his life and it came just as easily now. It was for their own good. If they''d seen the demons like he had, they''d understand.


    "There''s still more valuables to collect in the Engineering wing. I need to sort through it, then I''ll make more transports and bring it all to Nassau. But don''t worry about me, I''ll be fine."


    Phuong watched ke a bit too closely forfort, but seemed to ept this. "Thank you for waiting to speak with us. If the way is clear, we''ll head back to Nassau."


    "Quite clear," ke said, waiting for the yers to start moving before he cleared his throat and made a decision.


    "Seul-ki—why don''t youe with me and Annie? I''m sure the others can find their way. We wouldn''t mind a little morepany."


    The other yers looked surprised, but not overly. Seul-ki and Phuong exchanged a nce, then the Korean nodded and stepped aside, and the other yers went on their way with a few brief, exhausted goodbyes.


    When they were all gone for several minutes, ke pushed through the awkwardness and moved closer until his arms were around Seul-ki, and she was clutching him almost desperately.


    "I have missed you," she said, and he decided it was genuine. He also noticed she was trembling with fatigue, and he created her a small couch and shared his stolen food and drink. She epted all gratefully andy down, loosening her ufortable bindings and closing her eyes as she curled against the cushions.


    He let her sleep awhile, then when she woke and met his eyes he pursed his lips and sighed.


    "We aren''t returning to Nassau," he exined.


    She watched him, then looked at Annie’s stone-cold expression. But she said nothing.


    "We''re bringing the goblin wizards to the orc towers to my ally there. I''m going to force a kind of partnership. I don''t know if it’llst forever, but I think it willst awhile. Then I''ll slowly bring Mason around. Perhaps all three races can live in a kind of peace."


    "I trust your judgment," was all she said after a little dy. ke smiled.


    "I''ve missed you too," he said, and sat next to her on the couch. With a final nce at Annie she ended her magical disguise, revealing the beautiful woman he''d very nearlye to love, at least in his own bizarre, broken orphan-boy, post-apocalyptic kind of way.


    Slowly, they came together and held on again, until their lips finally brushed and they kissed softly for a little while.


    “Don’t mind her,” he whispered, referring to Annie. “She’s loyal, and something…changed her, in the Maker’s hall. She’s not so different than my constructs now. We’ll have to work on that but now isn’t the time.”


    Seul-ki said nothing, and showed no judgment. ke ran a finger down her cheek.


    "I have a lot to tell you," he said, thinking of Ilya and the demons, of his own changes and his adapting, endless ns.


    She listened quietly to everything, including his rtionship with the orc, his fear of things far worse than orcs and goblins, and his goal of changing the very nature of the game.


    He felt rather exhausted by the end, and Seul-ki smiled and lowered him down to lie beside her on the couch, just resting in her arms.


    "Fate brought us together in that cage," she said. "I suspected it at first. But now I am certain."


    "Oh?" ke said nomittally, not entirely sure what she meant.


    "I have never wished to lead," she exined. "My father had no sons and...it''s what he expected of me as the oldest. To make decisions, to take over the family business. But I never wanted it. He was a great man and it was my honor to help him, as it is my honor to help you. Do you understand?"


    ke nodded, knowing Seul-ki''s family was a very sensitive subject.


    "I''ll try to deserve your loyalty." He met Seul-ki''s eyes and kissed her lips again. "But remember the rules. And please tell me if I''m behaving..." he nced at the frozen, silent Annie, and the goblin still in the corner of the room, oblivious and tinkering with nonsense. "...well. If I''m losing my mind."


    Seul-ki looked at him as if the question waspletely serious, and ke realized it was. She nodded as if she''d epted some solemn oath, then they both closed their eyes.


    ke activated Dream Walk, rising above himself into the dark canopy of the power to look for the twinkling stars of his unconscious allies. He was going to go back to the goblins soon and speed up his timeline. But first he had one more job to do.


    * * *


    Mason knew he was dreaming when ke found him this time.


    "Reba made it," he said, pushing the logs on his imaginary fire with his imaginary stick. The smoke rose up through the natural chimney of his cave, and he gestured for ke to sit.


    "You''re a very simple man, brother." ke shook his head as he inspected the in stone walls. "A fire and some solitude. Is that the height of your ambitions?"


    "Pretty much. But I''d miss my girls."


    ke snorted and sat. "Phuong and the others beat their dungeon. No losses. They''re on their way home now."


    Mason grinned, proud of them all. "We still need to finish the job. Whoever''s keen and healthy when they get back, I''ll gather them up and we''ll go. You want to just stay there?"


    "I don''t think that''s wise."


    Mason just raised an eyebrow, waiting for the exnation.


    "They looked...exhausted, and injured. Annie was pretty hurt, too, and I''m not sure what that prestige ss did to her. Not everyone is a murder-machine like you, Mason. They need downtime. Some interaction. A minute to remember they''re human beings and not goblin ughtering savages."


    Mason winced because he knew it was true. But most soldiers in human history had to go through more and for longer before they got leave. The tutorial wasn''t exactly boot camp, and they would all have to toughen up sooner orter.


    "Give them a few days, that''s all," ke said. "Between the trips back and forth and all the fighting, they need it. Then you''ll be knee deep in goblin blood again in no time."


    Mason waved a hand in surrender. "Fine. A few days. Anyway I found some kind of...elf woman when I...teleported. Jesus I hate saying these things out loud. Anyway she''s asked for our help, so I''ll do that while I wait."


    "Let me guess." ke grinned. "This elf woman is a walking sex dream with pointy ears."


    "She''s old." Mason rolled his eyes. "And trust me, I do not need more women in my life. It''s already turning into chaos."


    keughed and shook his head, and Mason had to admit the reversal was kind of amusing.


    "I can''t believe you did this sort of thing for fun. I don''t know what the hell I''m doing."


    "I didn''t either, really. But you have to admit, it''s not terrible."


    ke wiggled his eyebrows, and Mason wanted to punch that punchable face but couldn''t help but grin.


    "No. It''s not terrible."


    They sat and watched the fire for a little while, until ke sighed and looked ready to go.


    "I''ve managed to collect a huge pile of tech from the engineers, so I''ve kept Seul-ki and we''ll just go through it all. I won''t bothering back." Mason was about to say that wasn''t a great idea when ke raised his hands. "It''s fine, all the goblins are gone, and the few that are left are all bunkered down and terrified. I have my constructs. So don''t worry. If you take too long, I''ll juste back."


    Mason didn''t much like it but losing ke to that tower had changed things. He knew his brother could handle himself now, and he had to trust him to keep doing it.


    "Alright," he said finally. "But Dream Walk again if there''s any issues. I''m sure you''ll find someone asleep. We''ll be back as soon as possible."


    "No rush." ke stretched as he stood. He seemed not to move for a little while, and Mason finally looked away from the fire to meet his brother''s eyes.


    ke''s expression seemed a bit pensive, like maybe he wanted to say something, but then he smiled and winked and was back to his usual self.


    "Enjoy a few nights with your girls, yeah? You don''t have to solve every problem in the world. You worry too much."


    Mason nodded, supposing that was true. "The paranoid survive," he muttered, and as ever he felt the clock ticking.


    But he did need to spend patron points, and see the crafters, and the mine, and...when he blinked ke was gone, and the dream''s intensity faded until Mason''s eyes drifted again.


    ke was right, it could all wait, at least until morning...


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