Sarbie

  Home had never looked so appealing. She practically sprinted through the doors and into her mother's arms. She hugged her tight, squeezing as hard as her thin arms would let her. All the while, her mother stroked her hair and pulled her closer. It had only been a few weeks, but it was the longest time the pair had spent apart.

  "When will Dad be home?" Sarbie asked.

  "Soon, I'm sure." Her mother replied. The two gently broke their embrace and took seats at the kitchen table.

  "So, what can you tell me? I know you were very sparse on details when you left. Is that still the case?" Her mother asked.

  "Probably more true now than when I left!" Sarbie scoffed. "But I'll try to answer what I can."

  "So first, let's address the rumors. Lots of the folks around your age have been gossiping that the real reason you left was because a certain tiefling boy swept you off your feet. Moria says she saw you dancing with the unyielding at the festival of blades. So, is there any truth behind that young lady?" Her mother asked with a teasing smile. A flush crept up her face as she recalled their first dance, one which only intensified as her memories drifted back to the moments before they spoke with Shoalsatta. The way his hands had so naturally rested upon the small of her back sent a small shiver up her spine.

  "The part about me dancing with him is true." She admitted hesitantly. "Alvec had been dancing with Naya, but for some reason, he insisted that Hoc and her should dance, and before I knew it, I was talked into joining him as well."

  "So the whole eloping thing isn't real? I mean, I don't see a ring of, gold, silver, or platinum. Those would be in line with Kushang's traditions after all."

  "Mom, did you really think I ran off and got married?!"

  "No." She answered with a smile as she closed her eyes and tilted her head. "But when in your life, my little bookworm, have I ever had the chance to even ask you about a possible love life."

  "That's not fair, Mom."

  "With that out of the way, what can you tell me?" She asked.

  "I'm going to leave out names and details, but I think I can sum up what's going on." Sarbie did her best to fill her mother in. Ancient threats, strange beasts, infernal plots, and everything in between. She made sure to sprinkle in some of the best moments into her explanations. She couldn't have her mother thinking that her new friends hadn't been kind to her, and the nights she'd spent learning card games with Alvec were a surprisingly bright spot to an otherwise grim story. Even better, perhaps, was meeting his own mother. It was still hard to wrap her head around how a card shark had devoted her life to Kushang and settled down. She couldn't help but grin ear to ear as she spoke about that part.

  "So you get to meet his parents, and he hasn't met yours; that hardly seems fair. When can we have him over?" Her mother asked.

  "Mom, we're not dating." Sarbie insisted again.

  "Well, you'll want to tell your friend Hoc that." A voice from the doorway came. Her father was covered in dirt and sawdust, but even so, he was a sight for sore eyes. She nearly knocked the chair over as she vaulted over to hug her father. It was her turn to be squeezed as he lifted her clean off the floor and spun her around twice before setting her down.

  "Have you been safe?" He asked.

  "As safe as I can be." She replied honestly. "My magic has made sure that none of the wounds I suffered left a mark. In one of our last fights, some devils did try to kill me. I took a spear or two, but Alvec kept them off from me as best he could."

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  "Oh, how'd he do that?" Her father asked, giving her a concerned look.

  "He blasted them with this really bright flash of light and then cast some sort of spell which seemed to slow their weapons as they swung towards me. That's also not including the time he wrapped his tail around my waist and pulled me to safety. I was in good hands." Sarbie confirmed.

  "Well, guess I owe the hero of Rust Hill a more personal thank you," he said with a smile. A slight clattering of dishes caught all of their attention. A fox stood awkwardly in the open window. It looked directly at Sarbie and yipped.

  "Rem, what are you doing here?" She asked. "I thought I asked you to wait outside." The fox yipped in response, hopped down from the counter, and curled up on the floor in a neat little ball. Sarbie let out a small sigh.

  "Mom, Dad, this is Remington. Also known as Rem. He's Alvec's familiar. He may look like a regular fox, but I assure you, he is devilishly smart and generally very pleasant company to keep. I know they can't "talk" at a distance, but I think Rem can share how he's feeling with Alvec so long as they aren't too far apart." Rem seemed to yip in agreement. "When we split up, for our protection, we decided to make sure that everyone had at least one person with them in case there was any sort of trouble. I think Alvec can feel when Rem's in distress." Sarbie said as she took a seat and beckoned Rem to come to her. The fox uncurled himself, obediently trotted over to her, and hopped up on her lap, where he curled back up, and her hands absentmindedly petted him.

  "Dad, you were saying something about Hoc?" Sarbie asked.

  "He hasn't been taking your sudden departure well. Hells, none of us did. Your mom and I have been worried sick, especially when the only news we've gotten is through bards and the church on occasion. I'm sure there were reasons you couldn't write, but there were so many rumors in the places we knew you were heading. Then, to find out that you were at the heart of the fight against Crowley, I just about passed out when I heard that. I still can't believe my little homebody went and fought pirates."

  "I know, it's really hard even for me to accept, and I lived it," Sarbie said with a chuckle. "Should I make time to go see Hoc right away?"

  "As if we'd let you, we'll have a nice dinner first." Her father replied. "You can see him after that."

  "Can I ask what he's been doing to make you so worried?" Sarbie asked.

  "Other than stopping in every few days to ask if we've heard anything about you? I heard that he got quite the scolding from his superiors, something about gaining too much strength too quickly. I didn't really catch the details if we're being honest." Her father admitted. Sarbie frowned; policies from Ageneon enforced how powerful the church was allowed to be. Growing beyond those limits too quickly could invite penalties from the state. Something each branch of the church of Kushang would want to avoid no matter the cost. She was sure that Hoc would hate that, especially because her leaving to live his dream had to sting.

  "Soon as dinner is done, I'll go find him."

  Alvec and Naya

  The pair of adventurers sat outside the tower, enjoying the fresh air. "So he doesn't shit. Is that really all that strange?" Naya asked.

  "Yeah, I mean, name anything living that doesn't?" Alvec responded.

  Naya furrowed her brow for a moment. "Can't say I know of anything alive that doesn't shit."

  "Then I think it's safe to say that her previous master was absolutely infected by whatever it is that Kavaas does to people. I still like my theory that the enchanter didn't survive whatever mutation process is initiated by Kavaas and that the paladin survived because of her holy prowess."

  "It's a good theory." Naya agreed as she noticed Illaria's black cat Jinx stalking up on them with a peculiar focus. It sat down in front of the two adventurers and spoke in a voice not its own.

  "I have information for you," Jinx said. The pair of adventurers raised an eyebrow to the talking cat.

  "Jinx, since when can you talk?" Naya asked.

  "It's clearly not Jinx," Alvec responded as he quickly pondered who it could be. "Seems too put together to be Bristlecone, so that would make you LuCol." Alvec guessed.

  "Right, you are." The cat said as it brought a paw to its mouth and gently groomed itself.

  "What do you have to report? Movement from the one you were watching?" Alvec asked.

  "No, they've been fairly stationary. However, Tyir, Iridel, and I believe we have discovered what your grandmother wants either of you for. We're all aware now that the Hells, that Shattered Facet, tried to drag itself into our facet during the Anarchy. Well, this ritual she's looking for requires the sacrifice of a tiefling who is beloved. It allows a section of our facet to be dragged into the shattered facet instead. It's been used once in the Empire's long history. A long time ago there was a Dracolich causing immense trouble for the Empire. An accord was struck, and it was brought down into the hells to be eliminated."

  "So what do we do with this information?" Naya asked.

  "Simply put, make sure Alvec is protected at all times," LuCol said as he cut the connection, leaving Jinx grooming herself in front of the two adventurers.

  "So, looks like we'll be using the buddy system from here on out," Naya said as she chuckled a bit. Alvec let out a sigh and placed a hand on his forehead.