M37

The meeting in the tavern’s backroom had been going on for a while now. It started with introductions; Morgan knew Olivia, Arthur, Bronwyn, and vaguely Dr. Kerns. He knew he’d met some of the others but was glad to hear their names again. A lady named Maria Rios represented a large group of craftspeople and citizens, then there were other technicians and engineer types like Rene Bisset, Tanya Delgado, and Morgan’s old friend, Boris. All told, nine people sat around the table and discussed everything from the status of the latrines to where they should put the next road to who on the leaderboard deserved the next private home.

Morgan sort of tuned out a lot of the logistical discussions. He figured he was here as a kind of courtesy, mainly because he’d arrived with so much information and had reached a level in the System that others hadn’t experienced yet. He was staring into space, thinking about how he might improve his transitions between the various forms of his fighting style when he heard his name and realized Arthur had repeated it. “Hmm? Oh yes?”

“Uh, yes, we were wondering what your thoughts were in regards to the likelihood of an invasion by these “Urghat” creatures?” Morgan glanced at Bronwyn and saw she’d drawn her eyebrows together in a scowl. Did the council doubt her assessment?

“Well, before you all arrived, Olivia and Bronwyn filled me in on her “duel” with the big Urghat. I fought a lot of those guys in the Crucible, and they seem like the kind of people who like to fight. My friend, Issa, said that her people were constantly at war with them, the biggest issue being that the Urghat liked to eat her kind. Well, they seem to want to eat everyone they meet, so…” Morgan stopped talking as he realized he was rambling a bit, and the faces of the people had grown a bit shocked.

“What the fuck is it with the natives here wanting to eat people? The Yeksa, the Yovashi, the Urghat. Seriously, what the fuck?” Bronwyn let out an explosive sigh.

“Not all the natives are like that. I told you guys about Issas people, but I met some other races that weren’t cannibalistic, too: the Ghelli and the Cadwalli. Issa mentioned a couple of others that her people were allied with, but I can’t think of their names. Sorry, she only mentioned them once.”

“So you think Bronwyn’s assessment that we need to prepare for an attack is correct?” Arthur pressed.

“Yeah, of course. We should prepare for anything in this place. I think the wall is a great first step, and it looks like you have started arming a militia. Now we need to train and get stronger. The Urghat I fought were not much in the way of Energy users, but they were savage and tough as hell.”

“The only one I saw using Energy was the one the System coaxed into dueling me,” Bronwyn added.

“What do you mean the System coaxed him?” Maria Rios asked.

“Bron got a quest to fight him, and before they fought, the Urghat told her the System gave him a quest to fight her,” Olivia said, suppressing a bemused chuckle.

“That kind of takes the wind out of the theory that we’re the protagonists in the System’s eyes,” Dr. Kerns muttered.

“What? Hah, I could have told you that; we’re a drop in the ocean of the individuals that the System is fucking with!” Morgan laughed.

“Alright, everyone, please focus on what we can control. Morgan, may I ask how many people might be able to take shelter in that tower of yours? Olivia mentioned to me that you said it was larger on the inside?” Arthur asked, and everyone quieted down to hear the answer.

“Hmm. Well, I only have access to the first three floors currently. I’d say between the library, and the reception hall, and the two galleries we could stuff a thousand people in. Not comfortably, mind you.”

“Well, that’s good to know as a last resort. Why can’t you access the rest of the tower?”

“Each floor has a guardian I have to fight.” Morgan shrugged as if there wasn’t anything more to say. A thought occurred to him, and he continued, “You know, I very much want to help out here, but I also want to find a way to my friend’s village. I think I might be able to kill two birds with one stone there; as I said, her people are at war with the Urghat. They might be willing to help us out.”

“Intriguing…” Arthur seemed about to say more, but Olivia cut him off.

“That’s a great idea, Morgan. I’d love to meet this friend of yours and her people. Allies are just what we need!” Olivia leaned forward earnestly as she spoke.

“Uh, yeah, I’d planned to spend a few days practicing with my weapon and trying to level my Core, but maybe I should get going? How soon do you think we’ll see Urghat raids, Bronwyn?”

“I mean, I’ve already killed that scouting party about a day’s hike north of here. I don’t know how fast they can mobilize, but it could be any day. It could be a month. I wish I could say more. Maybe I should scout them out?” Bronwyn drummed her fingers on the table, visibly losing herself in thought. The table grew quiet for a moment while everyone thought about what had been said. Arthur cleared his throat and spoke first:

“I’d like to propose a course of action,” he paused to see if anyone objected. “Morgan, I think you should make the journey to the Ardeni village as quickly as possible. I’d like Olivia to travel with you as an ambassador from our Colony. Not that you couldn’t represent us, but I think it's better if she accompanies you. Bronwyn, I think you’d be an excellent candidate to scout out the Urghat. You’re resilient and have proven your ability to face those foes. However, I must insist, respectfully, that you assign full permissions to the rest of us here, on the council, with the Colony Stone.” He cleared his throat again as he finished speaking and looked down at the table, bracing himself for arguments.

“Yeah, that sounds smart,” Bronwyn said casually, causing everyone to look up sharply in surprise. “Hah, don’t get so freaked out. I’m not a power-hungry monster, you know. I mean, yeah, I want to be powerful, but not politically. You guys are doing a great job running things; I’m happy to just be one voice among many with regard to the colony.”

“Just a moment,” Dr. Kerns spoke up. “I’m fine with that, but we must all agree that an election is in order as soon as we’ve stabilized. I like the idea of a council, but the people must have some sort of voice in its composition.” Around the table, many people voiced their agreement, and Bronwyn nodded.

“Yeah. I was playing around with the stone’s settings this morning, and it, conveniently, has an election system built-in. Members of the colony can vote anonymously at the stone once we set it up.”

“That’s very convenient, isn’t it? I suppose, with millions or billions of worlds under its influence, the System has had time to perfect things. Well, I’m in agreement, and I’m also in agreement with the idea that I should travel with Morgan,” Olivia said, looking at Morgan with an eyebrow raised inquisitively.

“Yeah, that’s fine with me. It might be a dangerous journey. I don’t know the exact route, but it seems she’s about a hundred miles southeast of here.”

“How the hell do you know that?” Bronwyn asked.

“I got a skill with my class. It lets me feel, roughly, where people I consider allies are.” Once again, Morgan shrugged.

“The System is fucking weird.” Bronwyn shook her head, smiling ruefully.

“Well, before you all get going your separate ways, come out to the common room and have some soup. I started a big pot of ham and beans cooking early this morning!” Maria stood up, deciding for everyone that enough had been said. Morgan was quick to agree, sliding his chair out, and then it cascaded; everyone walked out to the common room, but Morgan saw that Olivia and Bronwyn lingered at the table. They’d been sitting next to each other and were talking in hushed voices. It seemed like Bronwyn was worried about Olivia. He shook his head; everyone had to find their path in this new world. He’d do his best to protect Olivia, but if he’d learned anything with his time in the Crucible with Issa, it was that he wasn’t perfect. He’d lost count of the times Issa had saved his ass.

As he walked out to the common area, he saw Alec behind the bar and a couple of other people wearing aprons were scrubbing tables and sweeping the floors, apparently getting ready for the dinner rush. Maria walked behind the bar and called out, “Hey gang, help me dish up some of this soup for the council real quick.” Alec smiled and kept wiping down the bar, but the other workers hustled back to the kitchen to help Maria.

Morgan was standing around waiting for the food when Bronwyn and Olivia came out of the meeting room. Bronwyn looked around the room, then beelined for Morgan. “Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?”

“Sure,” Morgan replied, turning to her. “I can already guess what you’re going to say, though. Olivia is…”

“I already almost got her killed once,” Bronwyn interrupted. “You know that. She’s got the scar to prove it.”

“Hey, she’s a big girl, as I was going to say. She chooses where to go and what risks to take. You can’t take the blame for every bad thing that happens.”

“Hah, tell that to the colonists that are dead because I went to sleep knowing the barrier was down, like an idiot.” Bronwyn shook her head and frowned, grinding her knuckles into a nearby tabletop.

“Look, I’m not going to promise that Olivia, or myself for that matter, won’t get into trouble on this trip, but I’ll do my damned best to make sure she gets through alright. Okay?” Morgan grabbed her shoulders and shook her a little, making her look into his eyes.

“Alright, Morgan. Thanks. I can’t ask more than that.” Bronwyn shrugged off his grip and walked out of the tavern, like the weight of the universe was on her shoulders.

“The fuck is going on with her?” Morgan shrugged and walked over to the table where the tavern hands were setting down bowls of bean and pork soup.

“She has a little bit of a self-persecution complex,” Olivia said from off to the side.

“Oh, you heard that? Sorry…” Morgan winced. Him and his big mouth.

“No, you’re alright. She’s trying really hard to make up for some mistakes she made early on, and I think she’s her own worst critic. She’ll be alright.” Half-heartedly, Olivia smiled, running a hand through her hair and then walking over to the table to eat. Morgan followed her, grabbing a bowl and sitting with the others. No one mentioned Bronwyn’s absence, and soon Morgan was lost in the delicious flavor of the soup. At first, he’d thought it sounded more like a stew, considering the main ingredients were beans and ham, but it had a delicious broth - just the right amount of spiciness over the smokey taste of the ham with a slight vinegar aftertaste.

“This is great, Maria! Thank you so much for cooking,” Dr. Kerns said, tipping his bowl to his mouth to finish the dregs. Around the table, people echoed his compliment, and Maria smiled proudly.

“Don’t thank just me! Alec smoked the pork, and the whole colony contributed to build this tavern with the great kitchen!”

“You’re too modest,” Alec called from the bar, “That soup elevated my pork by a factor of ten!”

“Morgan, what time do you want to leave in the morning?” Olivia asked from across the table.

“Oh, tomorrow, huh? Yeah, I guess we should get moving. Hmm, let’s meet at the south gate a little after dawn? I’ll buy some supplies from the Contribution Store on my way.”

“Perfect! Thanks for the reminder. I don’t have a backpack or boots. These shoes I’ve been wearing are probably not going to cut it! I’ve got a few Energy beads I can turn in for credit.”

“Hey, aren’t you the one with multiple affinities?” Morgan asked as he pulled one of the pouches of Energy beads out of his ring from the Yovashi dwelling.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Olivia replied, looking with interest at the pouch that had suddenly appeared in his hand.

“Check these out. They’re Energy beads with two different affinities - rot and cold.” Morgan handed her the pouch. Olivia opened it and took one of the smokey blue Energy beads out, taking in a sharp breath.

“Amazing! You can put more than one affinity into an Energy bead? I have to try this!” She started to hand the pouch back to Morgan, but he held up his hand.

“Keep it. I have a lot of them. Use it to buy equipment and provisions for the trip. I’ll see you at the gate in the morning.” Morgan stood up and waved to the table, “Thanks all! Good luck if I don’t see you before I leave tomorrow.” He left the warm inn with everyone’s well wishes following him out. He had a slight smile on his face. He wasn’t sure why he felt good - maybe the sense of community or maybe the prospect of finally getting on the road to see Issa.