Start of B4 – Chapter 419: Reunion

Kaius trudged along open fields, the rolling hills and scattered trees of the frontier spreading out before him. It had been over an hour since they’d left the burning pyre that contained the remains of Old Yon and his hirelings behind. Now he walked with his team, joined in their formation by Rieker, Ro and the Gold out of Grandbrook, Arc’theros.

None of them had been particularly talkative after their counter-ambush of the Onyx-aligned Silvers.

Kaius was exhausted, and he knew that his bonded companion felt the same. For all Porkchop’s great abyss of endurance, and his physique that was larger than even a dire beast’s, the fatigue they both felt went beyond the physical.

It was the drain of staying alert, on edge, for months at a time. Not only had they been certain — and correct — that they were being tracked, but even their safest camps inside of the Depths had required vigilance.

Judging by the heaviness of their brows and the dulling of their otherwise bright eyes, Ianmus and Kenva felt the same.

Kaius hadn’t expected it to set in so suddenly, but it had. A heavy yoke on his shoulders that seemed to snap into existence the second Rieker and Ro had arrived. He supposed that now, safe in the presence of three Golds, he finally allowed himself to feel the exhaustion that had built up during their long delve.

Ahead of him, Ro stalked at the head of their pack, with Kenva trudging in her shadow. As a pair, they both kept watch on their surroundings, acting as their scouts. Though, Kaius was half sure Kenva was only using it as an excuse to chat with her fellow Hiwiann.

Every few minutes Ro would glance back, her eyes settling on him for just a moment before she returned to scanning. The curiosity that blazed within the guild administrator was blatant. She hungered to know more about what he and his team had endured in the months they’d been gone.

Given that Ro was clearly familiar with Kenva’s mother, and had been utterly taken aback by her presence, Kaius found it almost shocking that the only words he picked up from the two women was idle conversations about their surroundings.

Ro was holding herself back. Hells, all of the Golds seemed to be. Not one of them seemed surprised by the fatigued silence that had fallen over him and his team. Rieker had even gone so far as to remind them aloud that some simple quiet would be good to give them a bit of time to put their heads back together before they told their tale.

Kaius supposed that anyone who pushed hard enough to reach Gold had their fair share of long campaigns, extended delves, and the sudden violence that could come at the hands of fellow men. Regardless, he appreciated the chance to just breathe and relax while he enjoyed the blessedly real sun that shone down from above him.

Besides, being patient now meant he wouldn’t have to repeat his story. To recount everything they’d endured once for Ro, only to repeat himself again when they ran into Bronwyn and his team, would have been tiresome.

Despite his tiredness, Kaius felt a glimmer of a smile tug at the corners of his lips.

“What’s got you in a good mood?” Porkchop asked, subtly bumping him with his shoulder.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Kaius replied silently through their bond. “I’m just excited we’ll finally get to meet Bronwyn and his team.”

“I know how you feel,” Porkchop replied. “You’d think with how often his name was bandied about Deadacre’s common room, we’d have run into him by now — or at least learned the names of his teammates.”

Kaius’s smile widened — the curse of being a team leader, you caught ninety percent of the flak. “It is what it is. We can’t exactly blame the man for being busy, especially considering how chaotic the last year has been. Still, it’ll be nice to meet a more normal Silver — at least one that isn’t gunning for our throats.”

“I’d have thought you’d already have a pretty good idea of how much stronger we are than the average, considering the fight we just had.”

Kaius shook his head. “It’s not that, or at least not just that. I’m also interested in what the phase change has meant for them. If, in the year they’ve been out in the field, their levels have grown significantly — or if their level differential was already high enough that they didn’t grow all that much. I’m curious — who knows what sort of beasties have been hiding out in the wilds.”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Inwardly, he sincerely hoped it had been good for the silver team. It was one thing for integration to bring a new generation of powerhouses to the forefront, but if the world wanted to thrive, those already established would need to take advantage of the changes too.

“I’m sure it has been,” Porkchop replied, bumping him lightly again.

As they fell back into silence, Kaius’s thoughts drifted to their final conversation with Old Yon. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the criminals final moments. He didn’t feel guilty — not about killing the Old Yon or his men. Not after the wizened Silver had tried to kill him so thoroughly, on multiple occasions. Especially not when Yon was the kind of man to kidnap those with promise, powerless against him, then torture their secrets out.

No, what kept him distracted was what they had learned from the crime lord.

Kaius finally had a name to put to that scarred face — Morton, the tracker. The man who had chased him off a cliff; who had caused his father’s death. Even just thinking of that visage was enough to set his stomach burning.