Chapter 13: Talentless - Chapter 13

Rayden closed his palm, whipping the air into a turbulent frenzy as the opposing forces he held apart collided in a burst of heat.

Fuck. You.

A bright blue ring of lightning exploded in the center of the bandit horde, frying several of the brutes on impact and startling the rest with a delayed crack of thunder. Screams of pain and surprise rang through the air, but Rayden had prepared one more trick. He pulled on his Talent hard, knocking several more brigands over with a strong gust of wind, before drawing his daggers and preparing for close combat.

He was elated. Lightning had come at his command, and the wind had blown according to his will. His Talent was magnificent.

Unfortunately, his pride was dinged when a five-foot-wide pitch-black void appeared a few feet above the panicked bastards, unleashing a bone white pair of skeletal jaws that clamped shut on two unlucky grunts.

Jim is fucking scary, he shuddered. What even is his Talent?

By now, the bandits had realized their mistake. Gordo and his minions had stumbled into a hornet's nest of Talented warriors and had maybe ten seconds to effectively mount a counter-attack before it was too late. A few of the brutes must have noticed his hand gesture earlier, because one big idiot pointed at him, and several others followed his lead.

A blast of mana from Quill’s staff tore a hole in the first man that approached him, and the next had his head caved in by Boh’s hammer. The third raised his ax in preparation for a downward chop, only to get a dagger in the heart for his trouble. Rayden pulled his bloody weapon out from the man’s chest as the brigand slumped backwards, gurgling blood.

A little ways away, he saw Ivy and Jim fearlessly diving into the fray. Behind them, at the back of the melee, a group of villagers unexpectedly charged the distracted bandits with pitchforks, rusty-looking swords, and knives.

He was beginning to think highly of this destitute town. Unfortunately, one of the cutthroats noticed his wandering eye and lobbed an ax at his arm. Rayden flared a quarter of his remaining mana into his muscles, bracing for impact. The weapon was blunted by his last minute shield, but he still received a nasty gash for his mistake. If Rayden had been just a second slower, he would have lost the limb entirely.

It hurt like a motherfucker, but the veteran adventurer ignored the pain, and charged his assailant. He ducked under a fist, stabbed a dagger in the woman’s gut, then activated his shiny new toy for the first time.

Lightning crackled to life, exploding from the blade into the bandit's exposed stomach. Her eyes bulged in surprise, just before she collapsed into a seizing heap of burnt guts and leaking blood. A stomp to the neck stopped her spasms for good.

“You fucking Attuned bastard!” A man screamed, preparing to throw a tomahawk his way.

Rayden faced the man calmly. Instead of reinforcing his body, he reached out with his mana and summoned a gust strong enough to knock the weapon off course. The axe veered into another bandit's shoulder, cutting deep into the unfortunate brute’s flesh.

The brigand who threw it stared from his injured comrade to Rayden and back. Boh pulverized the man’s head into gory chunks before the bandit saw the hammer coming. It was macabre and bloody, but Rayden was thankful for the help.

Looking to his left, he saw an enraged man trying to bypass his position and maneuver towards Quill. Rayden braced his shoulder with mana and body- checked the man, knocking him to the dusty ground. He knelt down, cut the disoriented bandit’s throat, then hopped back up.

Just then, Gordo emerged from the chaos with a primal shout, charging towards Rayden with murder in his bloodshot eyes.

“I’ll hack you to pieces, you cocky little runt,” the burly bandit screamed, swinging his axe wildly. “Chop you and your friends up into meat for the crew.”

He stared at the man silently, readying his weapons. There was no point in exchanging words with the soon-to-be dead.

The bandit attempted to cleave him in half with a downward slash, but Rayden slipped past his strike and nicked the man’s side with the tip of his dagger. The brute looked down at the blood tribbling down his trousers and screamed.

More furious slashes came in waves, but Rayden focused on agility, weaving out of the man’s impressive reach and darting in for a quick stab when appropriate. It had been a while since he’d fought human enemies, and the ugly barbarian’s reckless attacks were a good reminder that men, unlike monsters, were unpredictable.

Even if this overgrown troglodyte barely passed as human, a lucky strike could be fatal.

“Quit rustlin’ about and die!” The brawny man roared in frustration as Rayden continued to dodge.

Eyes wide, Gordo suddenly bailed out of an attack and turned around, slashing at the empty air. Rayden took advantage of Quill’s distraction, rushing forward and carving the brute’s chest in an “X” pattern with his twin daggers. The chief recovered fast enough to prevent a follow-up, but not before Rayden pulled out his weapons and darted away.

He smiled at the bloody cuts, remembering how the cocky bandit had strolled into town like he owned the place. The rugged giant howled in pain for a moment, then renewed his assault with even more fury, chasing after Rayden with wide arcing slashes.

“You like to scurry, don’t you, boy?” Gordo seethed. “Got them flashy powers, aye? When I catch you, I’m gonna put you in a stockade and make you stay nice and still, then me and the boys is gonna take you from-“

The burly lecher jerked his head left, just as Quill ran in from the right and smacked him with her staff as hard as she could.

Rayden lunged at the stunned man’s chest, stabbing both daggers into his oversized innards before kicking him to the ground. Gordo attempted to sit up after a ragged gasp, but only received a second kick to the groin for his troubles.

He stomped on the man’s stomach one more time for good measure, then knelt on the ground and grabbed the hilts of his embedded daggers. He activated their electrical field, slowly twisting the daggers in a circle to burn whatever life the man had left from the inside out.

Gordo stared up in horror, powerless to stop his painful death. Rayden imagined the bandit’s terrified eyes belonged to Ivo, or baron Elias, or even the Blue Girdle members dumping his neighbors corpses into their own burning homes.

He could only imagine how they’d look when they learned who had turned the tables on them, the boy who cowered in his seat while a Knight raged in his home, all grown up. Gordo was just the first on his list. The bandit who barged into Penrith like he was untouchable, now writhing in the dirt.

“He’s dead, Rayden,” Quill called out, pulling him out of his reverie.

Rayden blinked, finally noticing that the bandit’s eyes were dull and still. He carefully retrieved his daggers from the man’s charred chest and slowly rose to his feet. Looking around, he saw Jim and Boh finishing off the last stragglers while Ivy was already attending to the town’s militia, healing any wounds with her impressive Talent.

“Sorry,” he said, meeting the concerned look on the Mage’s face with a hint of embarrassment. “I got lost for a second.”

She bit the inside of her mouth and examined him for a moment, before pointing at his left arm.

“You ok? That looks nasty.”

He glanced down, having almost forgotten the bloody wound stretching down his arm. Now that his adrenaline was fading, the pain came back in full force.

“It hurts, but I’m fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “I need some rest. Forgive me if I sound like Boh, but I could use a drink too.”

“I’ll never forgive you for sounding like Boh,” Quill said with a smile. “But I get it, I am tired as well. However, I’m glad we helped. It feels good to rid this town of scum. I haven’t had the chance to just do a good deed with no strings attached in a long time.”

“I think it suits you,” he said gently, trying his best not to look at his arm.

She blushed.

“Does it?”

“Yes. You’re like a noble in the stories parents tell their kids about. Maybe a little naive at times, but good-hearted and strong. Or at least, that’s the impression I get,” he shrugged. “Thanks for everything, today.”

He walked away before she could respond, enjoying the pleasant look of surprise on her face. Tempting as it was to escalate into full-on flirting, he needed to seek out Ivy before he fainted of blood loss.

Thankfully, the green haired woman saw his wound and patched him up without a word. Rayden looked from her to the townspeople nearby, who were pointing at their arms and legs, still faintly glowing with the residue of green mana.

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He risked putting a hand on the tall woman’s shoulder and offered her a sincere smile.

“Thank you, Ivy. I know it's risky to reveal a Talent like yours, so I appreciate you healing them, and myself.”

She looked at the surrounding carnage before meeting his stare with a calm nod.

“You are welcome. They’re my people, too.”

“Are they?”

She nodded emphatically.

“Yes.”

Rayden scratched his head as she wandered back into the crowd, figuring he’d understand the enigmatic woman eventually. For now, it was good just to be on the same side.

After a few more minutes of checking in on everyone, Rhubarb walked into the center of town and motioned for the gathering townspeople to be quiet. He seemed a little disturbed by the surrounding chaos, but that didn’t stop him from wearing an enormous grin like a well-fitted suit.

The man exuded charm.

“I will speak for just a moment,” The mayor announced. “Then, we can start the cleanup and get on with our lives.”

Rayden’s companions gathered round as the mayor cleared his throat. He couldn’t help but notice many of the townspeople were openly staring at his crew, pointing and speaking in fervent whispers. He was happy, but a bit uncomfortable. Some of the looks he was getting bordered on worship, and plenty more were fearful.

He couldn’t blame them, given his powers, but he wasn’t used to standing out this much. It made him realize that in most people’s eyes, Attuned warriors were something more than human.

“People of Penrith, today, ill-intentioned bullies came into our town to rob us, to take what little we’ve earned for ourselves,” Mayor Rhubarb began, slowly scanning the faces of his people as he spoke. “However, they did not leave.”

A smattering of cheers broke out. When Jim hollered his support as well, Rayden cracked a smile.

“Of course, we couldn’t have done it without our friends here,” Rhubarb acknowledged, pointing at Rayden and his companions. “Lauryn and I hired these five mercenaries to slay the goblins nearby, who some of you may have heard about. They completed that job, returned their pay in a show of charity, then saved our town from thirty armed bandits without asking for a reward.”

The cheering intensified, and Rayden suddenly wished he could hide in one of the shacks around the square. Quill looked similarly embarrassed, while Ivy remained unflinching as always. Jim and Boh both seemed to relish the attention, waving at the crowd and holding up their weapons like valorous idiots.

Rhubarb waited for the applause to die down with his hands folded, smiling the whole time.

“As you know, I can be a bit of a pessimist.”

He winked at Chamberlain Lauryn, who responded with a nervous laugh.

“But today has been a reminder of why I bother to have hope. There are many evils in this kingdom, most of which our town could never face alone. But heroes are out there, and today we’ve seen them in the flesh. Countless times in the past we’ve had to stand alone, but today, five Attuned warriors found the humble and hardworking people of Penrith worthy of standing with!”

Rayden couldn’t help but smile as the crowd roared, somewhat inspired himself, but mostly just impressed with the savvy mayor. The man was a politician for a reason, but he was alright as far as Rayden was concerned. Looking at the smirk on Quill’s face, he suspected she felt the same.

As the townspeople continued to holler their support, Rayden spotted the smith’s apprentice, Rick, in the crowd. The kid looked like he was fighting back tears. Rayden waved.

It took a moment for Rick to notice, but when they finally made eye contact, the boy held his fist in the air and bobbed his head.

Rayden pulled out the dagger the smith had lent him and held it up in salute. He may have indulged in a few tricks well, just to add to his new mystique. The mayor had called him a hero, after all.

Rick finally broke down, sobbing into the arms of a middle-aged woman next to him he assumed was the young man’s mother. The kindly looking brunette locked eyes with Rayden, mouthing, “thank you”.

He nodded back, smiling sincerely before averting his gaze. As pathetic as it was, the pair made him jealous. He would never have the privilege of his mother’s embrace again, as Arvus’s only hero had killed themselves in shame.

Rayden sighed, watching the mayor make his rounds amongst the people, huffing and puffing and organizing the cleanup of thirty dead bandits. Quill and Boh were both doing a bit of mingling, while Ivy and Jim remained by his side.

“Something on your mind, friend?” The dandy asked.

“Yes,” Rayden nodded. “I’m wondering what the hell is your Talent, Jim. It’s fucking terrifying.”

“Ha! I suppose it is. Thank you for the compliment, Rayden. Unfortunately, if I told you the details, I might be forced to kill you, and that would make me truly regretful.”

“Hmmm, of course. That makes sense,” Rayden said flatly.

You fucking weirdo.

“Rayden,” Ivy said with a serious tone. “The bandits were working with the baron. I heard one say as much.”

“With the baron?”

Rayden startled, having not even considered that prospect despite his cynicism.

“Ivy is correct,” Jim confirmed, with an unexpectedly violent look in his eyes. “One of the worms implied as much during his last death rattles. I suspect Gordo and his ilk were encouraged to menace towns like this, as long as they gave a kickback to the big man. That way, the greedy tyrant gets to double dip on taxes and ill-gotten gains.”

Ivy shot their genteel companion a strange look, but the man had already settled back into a goofy grin.

“Jim is correct,” Ivy confirmed. “One of them blamed the baron for sending them into a death-trap here before I finished him.”

Rayden closed his eyes and massaged his temples, trying to work through the anger and anxiety the unexpected discovery was dredging up. He already knew that Penrith was destined to clash with the barony, but now he worried their conflict would arrive sooner than expected.

The prospect of going up against the peerage made him excited, but he knew he had to be patient if he wanted to keep the town alive. He needed to think things through carefully and wait for the right moment, because too much attention could doom them all.

The chamberlain said taxes were due next month, and Rayden had a feeling whoever collected them was going to be wondering what happened to the bandits they just happened to know were in the area.

Fuck, this is going to be a pain in the ass to sort out.

Seeing the mayor bounding up to them with Quill and Boh in tow, he whispered to the others, “Thank you for telling me. We’ll figure something out.”

“Hello again, heroes,” Rhubarb beamed. “Are you absolutely sure I can’t shower you with a king’s ransom of five shiny silver coins?”

“No, thank you,” Rayden chuckled, shaking his head. “Like I said, we’ve gotten enough of a reward today.”

The mayor nodded, then shuddered.

“Ah, those Talents you showed off, I presume. Scary stuff. You all could obliterate me with a snap of your magic fingers, ha!”

Rayden raised an eyebrow at the gleeful man.

“We certainly don’t plan on it. Right now, I think we just need some rest. We’ll take a night to drink and relax, then a couple of us will meet with you tomorrow.”

The mayor inclined his head, his smile drooping a little.

“Oh, and what will we discuss?”

“Some things we’ve learned about the area,” Rayden sighed, looking around at the townspeople gossiping about their good fortune.

Rhubarb looked curious, but the savvy man had the wherewithal not to broach the subject any further tonight, much to Rayden’s relief.

“I’ll look forward to it, no worries gents. Let’s get you set up at the tavern for now. Follow me,” he beckoned. “And…I’m not going to stop saying this until you leave, so don’t ask me to, thank you. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” Rayden said warmly.

“We’re glad to help,” Quill added.

“It was a pleasure,” Jim bowed.

Ivy nodded.

Boh batted the flagon on his hip with his hand before looking up at them with big gray dwarven eyes.

“I’m thirsty.”

With that, the six of them followed Ruhbarb through town. On the way, Rayden did his best to remember where some of the shops he’d ignored previously were located, including a general store, an apothecary, and a potter. The latter was first on his shopping list, as he was going to need a vase.

None of the storefronts were much to write home about, but they had a humble charm in the way that most of the town did. After seeing how the people rallied against the bandits, he was beginning to find the town more rustic and bucolic, and not just impoverished.

When they eventually arrived at the tavern, Rayden was pleased to see it was spacious enough, if not particularly well decorated. The downstairs was a big square room with a few tables, a bar, and a stairwell leading up to their rooms. A few paintings were hung here and there, but the most striking feature was a bronze sign above the bar that had been molded into block print: The Penritentirary.

“Most people just call it the Pen,” Rhubarb noted with a chuckle.

Rayden could see why. The name wasn’t exactly inviting, but…he was sure there was a charming backstory, or something.

Rhubarb handed them off to Darron, who showed them to their rooms upstairs. He was just about to settle onto a straw mattress more comfortable than it looked when he heard a knock at the door.

If it's Boh asking me to have a drink, I’m going to put his fat ass out onto the street.

Reluctantly opening the door, he was pleasantly surprised to see a tired-looking Quill giving him a small wave. His heart fluttered at the sight of her, but he could tell from her serious face that this wasn’t a romantic house call.

“Hey, there’s something I wanted to mention to you.”

“Yeah?”

She bit her lip, looking a little unsure.

“I saw the townspeople hauling a few of the bandit corpses around…and they were strange.”

“Yeah, they’re hicks, Quill,” he said, a little more curtly than intended.. “As long as they weren’t eating them, I think we’re OK.”

“The bodies, not the laypeople, idiot,” she huffed. “Are you familiar with mana sickness?”

Rayden winced.

“Acutely, yes. But the opposite is now happening in Penrith, right?”

“I think so…but the bodies I saw were strangely lifeless.”

She glared at him before he could point out the obvious.

“Yes, they’re dead, but I meant their decomposition. They just seemed drained…not of blood, but of vitality, if that makes sense.”

“I see,” he replied, a bit unsure. “Maybe the bandits were doing some type of drug? Jim and Ivy suspect they were working with the baron, so maybe they got something from him? Wouldn’t surprise me if someone with a Talent was meddling with the baron’s grunts, but I didn’t notice anything weird during the fight.”

Quill wagged her head as if entertaining the thought, but she didn’t seem convinced.

“The baron’s involvement is certainly troubling…and that’s a good thought, Rayden, but I don’t think that’s it.”

She scrunched up her face and looked him in the eyes.

“I think whatever was done to them, it happened during the battle, or right after. Probably a Talent. That’s why I’m telling you, I know it’s not yours, and I know it’s not mine. But Jim, Boh, and Ivy...I just don’t know what their Talents are capable of yet.”

Rayden winced. He didn’t want to be suspicious of his companions so soon, though what she was describing wasn’t innately nefarious either, but it was good to know. Jim and Ivy, in particular, seemed like good candidates for abilities with strange applications.

“OK. Thanks for telling me, Quill. We’ll keep an eye out.”

“For sure,” she agreed. “For now, it's just something to note.”

She looked inside his room for a second, as if inspecting for any green-haired women who said strange possessive things about their companions. None such evils resided within.

“Hey, you’re going to stay for longer than just tonight, right, Rayden? Tonight we should spend time with the others, but tomorrow…”

“Definitely,” he grinned. “I’m on the same page, Quill.”

In actuality, he was planning on staying a lot longer than just tomorrow, but that conversation could wait for later. She smiled triumphantly at his answer, before poking him right in the stomach.

“Good, I was making sure you didn’t forget our dinner.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” he laughed. “Even if this town is filled with mana drinking cannibals, I’d be there. Tomorrow night, huh?”

“Yes,” she grinned, before smiling at him knowingly while walking out the door with a deliberate sway of her hips.

He watched her go, wishing that he could skip tonight and fast-forward to their date tomorrow. During the last thirty hours, his life had suddenly abounded with painful uncertainties and existential quandaries, but Quill made things a little easier in the present.

Every time he looked at her, he knew exactly what he wanted.