From Beyond the Pale

by holyflpncows

I shrug my coat back on.

Still damp. I've already magicked as much water from it as I could, so it'll have to do. I step around the puddle of water, dirt, and old blood created from washing out my coat. Do the dead care about how presentable the living are at their funeral? I make my way to the clinic and clear the question from my mind. Just keep moving forward.
Doctor Ougust presides over the ceremony as Luban and Mordax gently lay Wander's body to rest in the grave. Shen Po begins the rites, still clearly forgetting parts and making quick recoveries. I grab one of the shovels and help Luban and Mordax with the rest of the burial. Shen Po finishes his benediction before we're done. The scraping of shovel against dirt is all there is to be heard as slowly, we close the book of Wander's story.

---

One by one, everyone heads back to our room at the temple. I take a step, and then stop. "...R. Xew?" Shen Po asks Ougust. I turn, walking causally over to listen in.
"Hrmph," Ougust replies. "Yes, yes, I remember him. He was out here... a while ago, inquiring about mundane cures for diseases." He waves his hand is dismissal. "Non-magical cures for magical maladies. Herbs, spices—that sort of stuff."
"Did he ask about a cloudfrond?" Shen Po asks.
Ougust starts walking back inside the clinic. "Yes, he was very pointed about that one. But I didn't know anything about it the first time he asked, or anything the last time he asked me." He steps inside and we follow him in.
Shen Po glances at me. "Vae, any other questions for him?"
"Yes." It almost comes out as a squeak. Ougust may not know anything about the cloudfrond, but I have another looming question at the front of my thoughts. "But, a personal question. So, Shen Po, if you don't mind." I wait a couple moments, but Shen Po doesn't seem to take the hint. "Leaving." I add for clarification.
Shen Po blinks, understanding clicking. "Right." He bids farewell to Ougust and leaves the clinic.
Ougust gives me a curious yet tired look. My throat constricts. How foolish will I seem asking? "I trust you're fairly skilled," I begin. His expression doesn't change. "And I received a very cryptic indication that I may be pregnant. But I need to know for sure." Will he even hear my question over the thumping of my heart? "Would you be able to tell?"
He stares. "I'm going to need my gloves for this." He reaches behind his desk, slides open a drawer, and pulls out a pair of fine cloth gloves. "Why do you think you're pregnant?" He slides them on.
Thumpthumpthump. "An elder firbolg hinted that I..." I look away from Ougust. I'm a fool. Yes, you always have been. "I might be."
Ougust scoffs. He says nothing as he hovers a hand over my abdomen, closing his eyes and focusing. Thumpthumpthump. Breathe. Thumpthumpthump. Finally, Ougust pulls his hand away. He shakes his head. "No, you're not."
Broken, as usual. I avoid looking at the doctor. "I figured as much," I squeeze out, barely audible to my ears over the pounding of my heart and blood rushing to my cheeks. "Thank you, doctor," I say curtly. And what about addressing the actual issue you've done nothing about? I can't. Stiffly, I turn to the exit. I can't. I pull open the door and nearly stumble out. I'm idiot enough to ask for the check, to admit I'd put stock into cryptic words. So you'll continue avoiding it? The Vaelynn Usual?
I climb the stairs up the outer wall. No, no I'm not going to avoid it. I lean against the parapet, staring out to the glass slopes on the horizon, trying to calm down. Could've fooled me. This very much looks like avoidance. It's not, not really. What would Ougust truly know? Sure, he seems like a good physician, but I'd already been to the best. No, Ougust likely can't help me. But... Xew still might.

---

I close the room door softly behind me. Almost everyone is asleep and I step quietly to my bed in the soft candlelight.
From the corner of my eye, I see Mildred get up and shuffle to the table with a stack of oat-laden cookies. I shrug out of my coat and start unbuckling my armor, weary. And then Mildred gasps. I snap my attention to her at the table and freeze.
Arslan is there, sitting at the side of the table, head bowed. "Arslan?" I ask, nearly running to him.
He looks up my direction. "Vae?" His voice is hoarse and faint. "Guys? Is that you?"
"Arslan," I repeat, relieved to see him alive. I fall to a knee and reach to help him up but my hand goes right through his shoulder. "Quid?" No, he's right here! Why can't I reach him? "Arslan, are you alright? What happened?"
He gives a small smile. "I'm doing fine, just a little lonely here." Again, I try to reach for him and again I'm filled with dismay as nothing connects. "I was kidnapped by... by someone—I can't say—when we entered the Dreamscape." He sighs heavily. The others stir from their sleep, attentive to Arslan's explanation. "This Ogorath," his arm reaches to the side to presumably rest on his sword, though I can't see it, "it's not the same cursed sword. The Ogorath my father had was different. This sword appeared when I was born, and isn't truly cursed." His haggard eyes meet mine as I fully lower myself to sit in front of him. "The curse was a lie; a lure to get me out here."
Dozens of questions roil inside me, but one overwhelms the others. "Where are you?"
Arslan shakes his head gently. "Some other dimension. The Nightmare Realm? I'm not sure. There's glass everywhere. And a volcano." I suck in a breath. Nightmare Realm, the Shadowfell. That book theorized the Shadowfell is closer to this plane the further east one is. So how do I cross over? "I miss everyone." Arslan says quietly, hanging his head. His form begins to fade.
"Arslan," I say, terrified he'll vanish any second, "you're not alone there. We think whoever took you is taking others, like Shen Po's family." Shen Po stiffens. "And a friend of ours, a firbolg named Wander. Look for them. Stay with them."
He lifts his head, fearful eyes level with me. "I want to go home." He fades more, barely visible now.
I swallow my panic to keep my voice steady. "I- we are coming to find you. Don't give up." I reach for him one last time as he vanishes. Gone.
Luban's hand falls on my shoulder. How long have I been kneeling here? It looks like everyone is deep in conversation, talking about the other realm, and if Lune and the moon cycle have anything to do with Arslan's appearance. I stand and march out of the suddenly loud and crowded room.
I pace around as much of the temple as I'm allowed. Frustration, fear, and despair storm inside me. Everything has gone wrong. Everything. And I still have no answers. No progress. Arslan is still trapped, afraid, and losing his mind. He doesn't have much time. And you're still broken and barren as ever. Not much time left for that either.

---

I reach the top of the temple first, the sun just rising over the crest of the glass ridge, barely visible through trough the dark grey clouds. Master Wu is already at his seat and Morgan at his side.
"Good morning," I say but don't give him a chance to respond. "Do you know about some way into the Shadowfell? Especially from out here, this area?"
My impatience doesn't jar him in the slightest, though it's hard to tell with his mask on. "I suppose it'd be questionable as to whether or not we are already there. This is the most tenuous location."
"But what about a specific way into the Shadowfell?" The others trickle next to me as they finally reach the top.
"One could do a deliberate planar shift, but conceivably if you were to somehow travel safely further east..." His head tilts, confused.
Mildred chimes in. "For context, one of our friends is trapped in the Shadowfell, and he contacted us last night in a spectral form. He said he is surrounded by glass and there is a nearby volcano."
"Well, that's news to me." Wu's head tilts back into place. "I was unaware you knew of anyone trapped in that place."
"We know a couple people, actually. There's a couple in your clinic." I say curtly.
"Unfortunately, I'm not entirely sure what I can do for you about that. We are mostly on the defensive here."
"Do you know of any way to safely travel further east?" Shen Po asks.
"Safely? No." Wu shakes his head. "But using the techniques I learned to establish this place, I could conceivably push further east. That, of course, would jeopardize this location which was difficult enough—as you might imagine—to create. I seek now to teach others how to defend themselves so that perhaps in time such a press might be possible." Time. Something we have so little of.
Shen Po speaks up again. "So this creature you want us to help you thwart, the Evil Element Eye-"
"Elder Elemental Eye," Morgan corrects.
Shen Po gives a small dismissive wave. "To ensure we're all on the same page, what is the proposed plan of action?"
"I would like you to collect the golden slivers."
"And bring them back here? Because we think we found a pedestal where they all fit together," Shen Po says.
"Given that the exact nature of their implication is unknown, I would like to first study them before executing anything."
We circle up, pulling Morgan over, and review our plan. We'll teleport to Ulaanbaatar, then rest at the The Rusty Spear, speak with the Nacylites about the slivers and the Elder Elemental Eye, and finally head north to the Weird to save Gesh. Simple, in theory. Though hardly along the lines of anything I need to do.
Despite that, I nod with the others and step into the teleporter area between us and Master Wu. He lifts his hand in farewell and the Bimonastery blurs and disappears from around us.
The tingling sensation is odd, especially when you can't feel your body at all. Something about long range teleporting is so different than any short range teleport I'm used to. Thankfully, it lasts only a couple breaths longer than what I prefer.
And after those few moments, we find ourselves in a sort of square hole. On one wall are embedded rungs to climb up and out. Mordax leads the way. At the top, we're greeted by four large stones perched to drop on us and several aimed crossbows. Within a heartbeat, the crossbows are lifted away from us as someone shouts "The Seekers have returned! Someone inform the princess!" Elme? Not the queen, Carnassa?
We finish climbing out and stand with the troop of guards while Elme is fetched. I try to engage the guards in small talk about how the town has been doing but most of them remain stoic. So the time is mostly passed in silence until—finally—I catch sight of a small entourage on horseback heading our way.
Elme leads two others; Ono on her right and some pompous-looking man I don't recognize on her left.
"Welcome back, Seekers." Elme greets us. "I notice your ranks have changed somewhat. Are you still seeking?"
Everyone mutters something along the lines of noncommittal agreement. "East is elusive." I conclude to her.
"Well, hopefully we can help see to your anticipations."
"How fares the Khan?" Shen Po inquires.
Elme's expression remains neutral. "She fares well, but she has very little time to attend to her own city."
"What is she attending to?" Morgan asks.
"Inter-factional affairs," Elme states.
Luban peeks around from the back. "Are the orc tribes giving you trouble?"
"When are they not?" She snorts in reply.
"It would be wise to keep the deaths to a minimum," Morgan tells her.
Elme cocks an eyebrow. "I'm almost certain you're about to tell me a story."
"We have much to discuss," Shen Po says. "Perhaps we could do it somewhere," he looks up to the glaring sun, "more comfortable."
Ono nods. "We should abjure to The Dead Admiral then."
Morgan and Luban give each other worried looks as the entourage turns to head that way. "Oh don't worry," I say, "it's a great place! No more blood fog full of disease—and I bet they have cushions for the chairs now!" I smile as Morgan blanches.

---

We relay everything that's been going on since we left to Elme and her companions.
They respond with stunned silence. Finally, Elme manages to speak. "Sounds like you've had a very busy month and a half."
"So," Ono squints, "do we do something now?"
"Avoid killing," Morgan states again. "And if you see any more of these," she pulls out her sliver from Wu, "or know where any are, that would be useful information."
Shen Po nods in agreement. "We were told to use non-violent options when possible, so if you would be willing to back us in diplomatic encounters, that would aid us for now."
"Well of course you have our support. I'm just not sure how well talking to the orcs or the Weird will go." Elme thinks for a moment. "It seems like you are rather busy, but do you have time for a night's hospitality?"
We look at Luban. It would mean spending the rest of the day in town instead of making our way to the Weird. "Yeah," he looks a little stunned as he replies. "Yes."

---

After an early lunch, everyone drifts away from the inn, most heading to the apothecary to find out if Red really was involved in the plague research. I step outside after the others and call forth the power gifted from Julius. I focus my thoughts on the gold slivers, just like I did in the Marble City.
My eyes drift and I feel a pull to turn to my left. My eyes land on Morgan. Ugh, I know, I already know she has a sliver. I turn away from her and focus harder. Nothing. No magical trail, no other feeling, no spots or motes or anything to indicate there's a sliver any further than what we carry. I close my eyes and rub them in frustration.
I join the interrogation of Red at the apothecary shop. Seems like they haven't gotten too far into the important questions. Shen Po has just asked if Red recognized the name Agronometsu. Red shakes his head. Shen Po then explains the letter we found signed by "Red", found in the diseased troll cave. I see nothing in his expression or manners to hint he's hiding something. If it was him, he's dangerously good at lying. Shen Po, Mildred, and Luban continue with a few questions, but I take my leave. Eventually they'll come to same conclusion as I have.