It was nearly sunset when we arrived in Vertsbridge. The orange evening glow reflected onto the stream that led into a moderately sized town. Just outside the walls, a familiar mass of black scales sat, light grey smokestacks trickling out his nostrils. And atop his head, sat an impatient Krimsun.
“I was expecting you back much sooner,” she said as we came into view, “I presume you have a suitable excuse?” She floated down to the ground on a light breeze.
Her typically neutral face began to show a hint of what I assumed to be concern when we failed to answer.
“Madame Krimsun, I take it?” Ignatius said as he stopped the cart.
“Yes, what happened?”
“I’m sorry to say, your team fought bravely; unfortunately…”
Her face returned to its neutral position as she walked around to the back of the cart to find Gus’ body laying in the back.
“Thank you for bringing them here, I shall send word to the guild ahead of us to make the appropriate preparations,”
“It was the least I could do,” he replied before looking back at us, “Take good care of them,”
“I shall,” Krimsun said as she gently lifted Gus out of the cart with several tiny whirlwinds and brought him into the carriage on top of Magnus.
“So long kids,” Ignatius said as we got off his cart, “Let me know if you ever need anything,”
“We will, thank you,” Katherine said as she gave him a hug.
We slowly made our way atop the dragon. I could see Krimsun finishing up some sort of communication spell as we got inside the carriage. She then instructed Magnus to take off as we sat down.
“Reggie, Katherine, Mak,” she began, “It is no news to you that death is far from a rarity in our line of work,”
None of us made any attempt at a response.
“And I know very well,” she continued, “The difference between being aware of this risk and fully understanding it,” She slowly removed a pendant from around her neck and flicked open the locket. A soft light emanated from it and displayed an image of Krimsun alongside a few other adventurers.
“The Dwarf to my right is Glenda, to my left is her late husband Gnorfdul Sr., he fell on the job just before the Gnorfdul you know was born,”
Krimsun’s eyes softened as she paused for a moment.
“On the left is Kyn, the most hot-headed Half-Dragon I’d ever known, but fiercely protective to the very end. He took an attack from a ballista for me,” she then gestured to the human man in the back of the image, “Captain Tring, as lazy and unconcerned as he came off, was always there for us during our darkest times. He passed away not a month before you were assigned to me,”
Our sorrowful silence turned to shock as Krimsun revealed so much to us at once. I never would have guessed that she had lost someone so recently.
“None of this is to belittle what you are experiencing now,” she said closing the locket, “I lack my captain’s talent for finding the right words to say or not to say in these situations. However, do not hesitate to talk to me if you need to. In spite of appearances, I am grieving in my own way,”
She approached the window, seeming to focus on something in the distance. “There won’t be much time to rest, but I have arranged for a day off for you to mourn. The funeral will be held tomorrow evening.”
“That’s all?” Reggie said the first words he had spoken in days, “One measly day to pay our respects? He saved us!”
Krimsun turned from the window and looked directly at Reggie, “I understand, but that is what I can give you,” then she addressed us all, “Then, you will file a report on what happened while I was gone and for the next week, I want you to throw yourselves into training, studying, or whatever guild relevant passion you have,”
“How are we supposed to be expected to do that now?” Katherine asked.
“I know it seems insensitive,” Krimsun said, “And perhaps it is, but I want you to take your grief, your anger, your regret and channel those feelings into developing your skills,”
The issue wasn’t pushed further. It was just as she said, death is commonplace in this occupation. We would be expected to handle it like professionals. Part of me had wondered if it would be easier this time considering that I’d lost people before. But it should have been clear to see that it wouldn’t. And by the looks on Katherine and Reggie’s faces, it wasn’t for them either.
Krimsun continued to look out the window in silence. But it didn’t seem like the kind of vacant staring that follows grief. She was looking at something in particular. I couldn’t really see much from my position, so I mustered the motivation to get up and take a look.
That ominous cloud from the other day was much closer, and very much not a cloud.
ns 15.158.61.12da2
