Ruinous Return

Kory felt groggy. He groaned and tried to sit up, only for several sets of hands to push him down onto a soft bed. Blinking his eyes open, he could see the stark, white ceiling. Sterile. It reminded him of the hospital he was in for a few days when he broke his collarbone jumping a pile for the touchdown.

"You're awake," a soft voice said. Tilting his head, he saw Trisha – plumper and with a larger rack than the last time he'd seen her – but it was her. The smile was the same. "Good. You got to us just in time. I don't know how you didn't succumb to septic shock."

He heard Jacobson next to him, and felt several straps tied around his legs and torso. "Boss…they had to take off the leg."

Kory screamed. "You fuckers! You could have fixed this shit!" He pulled against the straps, and felt hands cover him – strong men with large hands.

He heard Ben's voice as he closed his eyes tight against their words. "You'll be okay! Just calm the hell down! Trisha, tell him!"

Kory's chest heaved and he breathed rapidly, struggling against his binds. Trisha's voice brought him out of the trance of rage and feeling of betrayal. "We have a wonderful local smith who is making you a prosthetic. The people we've put them on have said it feels just like their own limb. No pain, no loss of sensation after we inscribe it. Even mana channels will eventually re-establish themselves." He felt her cool hand on his cheek and heard the sorrow in her voice. "I'm sorry we had to do this, but it was either take the leg, or risk you dying."

Kory sank into the bed. Defeated. Fuckers took my leg. He felt anger, more anger than he had ever felt before. Trisha should have been able to fix me!

The lethargy began to sweep over him, his exertion exhausting his body post-surgery. His mind entered a fugue state before darkness took him.

"Volio, what are you doing here?" James asked as he shook hands with the Archer hero.

He pulled a sack from his waist, removed a package wrapped in cloth, and handed it to James. "This is from a mutual friend. Please, wear the symbol somewhere on you that's visible. The mark of an ally." Volio began to turn his horse.

"Wait!" James said, walking alongside Volio and holding the reins of the horse. "You're not going to stay and visit? It's been…how long since you last came to Khrelardia?"

Volio scratched his scraggly beard. He looked travel worn. "A few months ago, I think? You had me over for dinner, and we went out for drinks at a tavern." He shook his head, "I'm sorry, I can't stay. The sooner I finish my mission, the sooner I can get back to her."

James felt his heart quicken. "Her?"

Volio's smile spread from ear to ear. It was a creepy smile, and one James had seen before. The obsessive smile. "Lyn's alive."

"You've been saying that for years."

Volio tapped a metal-wrought emblem on his collar. "Does this look familiar?" James looked at it, and the longer he did, he saw the resemblance to a grunge band emblem that Lyn loved. But it was customized. No, it's just a coincidence. Volio spoke once more, "Just open the package, and read the letter."

James ripped the cords aside and unfolded the cloth, revealing an iron symbol just like the one Volio wore. He saw an inscription on it and was able to make out enough of it that he knew it was some type of declaration of alliance. He ripped the wax seal – a dragon's head, curled around a sun – and began reading. The letter was written in English.

To the heroes,

You won't believe me, so I'm writing this in our shared language. I'm alive. I, Lyn Rivers, am back. You fuckers took credit for killing the Demonic Dragon, and from what I learned, you somehow messed up history as well. Records see me as a blur. You stole my glory. You're no better than those fuckers back on Earth who claim to serve in the military only to be exposed as frauds. Well, I'm back, bitches.

Wondering what happened? I went back to Earth. No one else was there. Everyone who died, all the heroes who fell – they didn't go back like we were told. I forced my way to Ghomar again. I'm Duskari now. I'm the new Destroyer. But…I'm not intent on destroying everything.

I want my valor back. I want credit for the kill. I want you to reverse whatever fucking spell you used to erase me from history. I want the name Lyn Rivers to be shouted from the highest buildings and the tallest mountains. Everyone should know my name.

If you think this is a ruse, here's a story to convince you I'm really back… In the seventh grade, every one of us forgot it was Trisha's birthday. We all felt horrible, and the next day, we brought so much cake that we ended up having a food fight with it. The one person who didn't bring cake was me, because I couldn't afford it. But our teacher, Ms. Maris, took all your cakes, cut out a tiny slice from each, and pushed them back together. Enough for me to have a cobbled-together, fucked up birthday cake to give to Trisha and not feel left out.

That should be proof enough. Wear that badge, come and see me. You'll always be welcome at Lynhold (the dread fortress) if you come as my friends and allies.

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But…

Cross me, and I will ruin you. I will ruin everything that you hold dear. I was the strongest before I died…and now I'm even more than I was before. I will fucking end you if you try to stop me from what I'm planning. Want to know what it is? Come and visit, and I'll tell you my vision for this fucked up world.

- Lyn Rivers, the Destroyer.

He looked up at Volio after finishing the letter. Volio was sitting on the horse, patiently, but smiling smugly. "I told you," he said, "I told all of you that she wasn't dead."

James looked at the satchel hanging from Volio's shoulder. "Who all have you delivered these to?"

"You're the first one. I'm going to visit Valagonia next, and then go up to Trisk."

James nodded, folded the letter, and put it in his shirt pocket under his armor. He took the badge and clipped it to his belt. The news of Lyn's return…apparently…was shocking, and he would need time to process. "Valagonia, eh? Would you be interested in serving the kingdom while you're over there?"

Lyn stood up after catching her breath. Her prodigious mana core refilled almost entirely after twenty minutes; the capacity having increased as she had exerted it over the past two days. Just like training lungs for wind or brass instruments, the more a person 'breathed' with their mana, expending it and letting it refill, the more mana their core would store. The rate of generation couldn't be changed, but the capacity could.

Slanosh ran back down the battlements to rejoin her. "My Lady …this is incredible. This fortification is massive! It could hold off an army of ten – no, a hundred thousand, easily!"

Lyn nodded and walked to the large entryway. "We need a gate. A good, solid one. And siege equipment." She gestured to a clear area behind the wall but before the forest began. "Catapults back here to lob projectiles over the wall, ballistae on top, we'll need to have troop quarters…" she paused and smirked. "But first, this should have a name. Valley Gate is too simple. Any ideas?"

"My Lady, I don't think I can-"

Lyn waved her hand dismissively, "You must get used to being straightforward with me. I expect you to be just as frank with Marshal Remora. So, for now, drop the formalities, and answer my damned question."

Slanosh seemed taken aback for a moment before he nodded, and his frills expanded slightly as he filled up with enthusiasm. "Is Shiverburn Summit remaining the same?"

Lyn nodded, "Yes, I'm not changing that name. The same with the Valley of the Volcano. For now…Lynhold is the only change to the naming schema."

Slanosh looked at the enormous wall once more. "How about…The Dragon's Maw? It has the spikes on the front of the wall that look like rows of teeth."

Lyn grinned, "I love that idea." She turned to the forest, "Come along. We make for Lynhold."

Trisha closed the door to her and Ben's bedroom. "She's sleeping," she whispered as she took her husband's arm and went outside. She gasped as they went around the side of the house towards their flower garden. "Oh, Ben…you didn't have to do all of this."

Ben smiled and laughed. Their children were dressed in their best clothes at a table Ben had moved outdoors. "I hired some local chefs as well. You deserve to be treated like the queen you are."

Trisha kissed him on the cheek and looked at Eli, "Now, young man. Where are your manners?"

Eli ran over to one of the chairs and pulled it out. Trisha sat down, and he struggled to push it in until she lifted herself just enough for him to slide it in. "Thank you, such a gentleman."

Eli grinned and ran over to his chair, climbing up into it. Ben helped Lyndra and Lawry get into their seats before he waved over the chef. "We're ready for it whenever."

The man nodded and came over with several platters of food. Trisha gasped, "How'd you get them to make pizza?"

Ben chuckled and leaned back in his chair, "I told you I had been working on a surprise." He lifted his glass and raised it, the deep, red wine shining in the sunlight. "Here's to you, mother of my children. Best mom in the world! Right, kids?"

Lyndra raised her juice and nodded. "The best mom!"

Trisha felt a tear come to her eye, and she wiped it away quickly before the kids noticed – they were too enamored anyways with the gooey, cheesy delicacy that, as far as Trisha knew, had never been on Ghomar before. Taking a slice herself, she savored the ooey-gooey cheesiness. She laughed in mirth. "You are too good for me."

"I'm just enough for you."

They finished their meal and let the kids be dismissed from the dinner table. Eli and Lyndra ran off to play with Epona, but Lawry just got out of the chair and went into the flower garden.

Ben leaned forward and his smile faded slightly, "I received a message from Misty today. She was asking about your health, and if you would be willing to travel. I asked her what was going on, and she told me about Thomas." He sighed. "We owe him. But I don't want to send you off there all alone."

Trisha sipped her grape juice and nodded. I wish I could have a drink, she thought. But nursing a child did not mix well with alcohol. "I've been thinking about that," Trisha replied. "We could invite her here. I'm sure you could whip up a guest house, and Thomas could recover in the hospital."

Ben nodded, "I was thinking of that, but I wanted to check with you first. I know Kory showing up was something unexpected, and I didn't want to throw anything on you without asking first."

Trisha nodded, "When is she going to contact you again?"

"Tomorrow."

Trisha leaned back with a sigh. "Tell her to come. And to bring Thomas. We'll do our best to fix him up. I have no clue how he figured out how to overcome death itself…but I'd be interested in learning how he did so."

Ben stood up and went to her side, wrapping his arms lovingly around her neck as they both looked off towards the sun setting, their two oldest children playing with the pony in the field as the glowing orb descended below the horizon, painting the sky in gold and crimson. "You are the most amazing woman," he muttered, kissing her on the head.

"I know," she replied, hugging his arm tightly.

Misty took her hand off the inscription pillar. Fucking Ben. Wanting me to just leave on a whim? He knows I have a whole school of mages. She shook her head. I'm not doing it. She went down the tower.

She had finished her obligation to Thomas. She had agreed to take his fucked-up experiment and store it in the death undeath studies department. Putting him into the coma was something she had not agreed to but would keep him in for his own sanity and safety. She wasn't going to go traveling off to Trisk on a two-week round trip just to drop him off. He was the person she blamed the most for Lyn's death. He hadn't done enough research and information gathering as he claimed. It's because of you, she thought, that I couldn't tell Lyn how I felt.

She felt her mental wall begin to crumble just a tiny bit thinking about her lost friend, and quickly shored up the wall stopping the memories from flooding through by forcing herself to her duties. Her job. She shook her head and descended into her scriptorium, beginning the lessons for that day with her acolytes.