Ruinous Return
B2 – Chapter 9

Kory growled at the recruits that passed by him. Fucking pathetic, he thought as the new additions to Valagonia's military might wound their way past him. He hefted his large hammer on his shoulder and walked down the finished line. What a waste of time. He hated training wimps, but if it was what Cecily wanted, he had to do it.

Commander Sigurd stood in front of the new recruits, "Attention!" she shouted. There was some hesitant movement, but after a few seconds the recruits followed her stance and came to attention. "You have chosen a glorious future, to join the forces of Valagonia's military! Under my guidance, you will gain skills and strength. Glory to Princess Cecily, and glory to Valagonia!"

Kory raised his voice, "Last one to finish the course is going to be cleaning out the latrines for the whole month!" The recruits stampeded toward the obstacle course, eager to show off to the other young adults, and to demonstrate their physical prowess in front of a hero. Sigurd and Kory went to the observation deck overlooking the course. He spit over the side of the rail, "This is a waste of time. We should be working on improving our existing troops instead of training up fresh ones."

"You question our Princess' advisors?" she asked.

Kory chuckled, "I've seen more real combat than the lot of them." He stared at the group of recruits working their way through the mud-pit section of the obstacle course. "Numbers don't mean shit when you have well-trained troops."

"To a point, I agree," Sigurd replied. "But if reports are anything to go by, Khrelardia can field an army of fifty-thousand levies and ten-thousand trained soldiers. If we raised all the levies from the duchies, we could maybe field double that. And with these trained soldiers amongst them, we'll have a much easier time encircling enemy forces."

Kory gripped the railing so hard it splintered and cracked under his hands. "It doesn't fucking matter. We should be spending time improving existing troops and increasing their deadliness on the battlefield. Fresh recruits with only a year to be trained up?"

Sigurd blinked in shock, "Wait, a year?"

Kory nodded, "We strike Khrelardia in a year."

"And why haven't the commanders been told?"

Kory shook his head, "No fucking clue." He put a hand to the brand on his right pec, feeling the letter C that Cecily had seared into place. "Cecily has something planned. Something big."

Lyn woke up to someone shaking her shoulder. Blinking away the sleep, she sat up and took in her surroundings. The entire space around her had been adorned with flowers and the furniture that once looked ancient was in perfect repair. Glancing down, she spotted a faerie who flew up to her eye level. "How long was I out?" Lyn asked in Elenthian.

The tiny woman shrugged, "No clue. I was just told to wake you up." She zipped away, and Lyn looked to the lake. Thomas was still sitting at the edge, and the twins were still circulating mana in the water. The sun was high above, but the normal warm, orange-yellow light that it cast was tinged with blues and purples as it passed through the vast amount of pollen in the air above Feylin.

Queen Gemini flitted over to Lyn from the city, accompanied by the master smith and several attendants. "Wesker has apprised me of what you had told him. I have a proposal."

Lyn straightened her posture and nodded, "I'm listening."

"The feysmiths are the most renowned craftspeople across Ghomar, as you well know. I desire a…partnership, if you will. I have no doubts that you will conquer the world as is your aim. And I desire to keep my autonomy. In exchange for letting the isle of Feylin remain apart from your empire, we will provide inscribed items – and even the knowledge of artifact creation – using our spells."

"Forgive me for asking," Lyn said as she eyed Thomas who was leaning in to hear the conversation at hand. "But how would you provide items whilst remaining here?"

The Queen smiled, "The fey are able to travel instantly from any one of these trees to another one." She gestured, and one of her attendants came over with a small pouch. "These are seeds of the feywood. If you plant them in soil, and pour mana into them, they will grow rapidly. Place them in a protected, encased grove, and then we can instantly travel between Feylin and wherever you have placed those trees." She raised a finger, "You will have to provide the resources for whatever items you desire created and will provide us with these…schematics on a regular basis. Say, once a week."

Lyn nodded, "This seems like a perfectly fair deal. I accept your offer." She held out her hand, and the Queen took her clawed finger, shaking it firmly. The attendant set the bag of seeds in her palm, and Lyn channeled mana into the storage choker, depositing the bag inside the space before letting it seal once more.

Master feysmith Wesker nodded, "I'll take that blueprint now." Lyn looked at Thomas, and he walked over, ripped the pages out of the notebook, and handed them to the pixie. Wesker nodded, "Very good. How long can you stay on this trip?"

Lyn looked up at Thomas, "How long will we need in the Ruins of Elent?"

"About a week," he replied. "Maybe longer, if the underground complex is bigger than the one above it."

She looked back to the master feysmith, "Would you be willing to travel via these trees to teach me?"

He nodded, "Sure. Once the trees have sprouted, we'll know, and we'll send a messenger through." He leaned over to the Queen and put an arm around her waist. "Stay as long as you wish, at our leisure."

The Queen blushed slightly but then nodded enthusiastically, "We will provide food and drink if you desire."

Lyn looked at Thomas, and he shrugged. "We'll be delighted to eat with you." She raised her voice further and swapped to Arinol, "Vael, Gael! Come on over!"

The Queen smiled and clapped her hands as several faeries and pixies came to attend her. "Prepare a feast! And make sure we provide large portions for our guests."

"Oh, for Aelor's sake! We'll see them in a few months!" Zebed was having difficulty getting his boys out of the tree house to pack up. Felej and Gerod had grown quite attached to their friends and were refusing to come out.

"No!" Felej shouted. "We want to keep playing!"

"Yeah!" his brother added.

James' two boys added to the tumult, and soon four boys were complaining, arguing, and shouting. "Alright!" Zebed shouted. "One more hour. But then we have to pack. The tides won't wait forever!"

The boys let out a collective groan. "Just an hour?" Tovol asked.

"Yes," James replied, walking across the courtyard to stand next to Zebed, "Just an hour." He pointed at his sons, "You two have been out of your studies for two weeks now. You've got to keep learning."

Again, there was a collective groan, and Zebed let out a brief chuckle as he faced James. The Paragon hero had a calm look about him, but Zebed had known the man long enough. Maria must have talked to him already, he thought. And she told him about my input in the whole situation. "James, may we speak?"

James looked at him, and Zebed felt the eyes piercing daggers into him despite the solemn expression on his face. "Yes, my study will do." He led the way into the palace proper, and after ascending a set of stairs and going down a hallway, he let Zebed into a well-appointed chamber with couches. The exterior of the room was filled with shelves, and various baubles and curios – historical relics and keepsakes from the Paragon's adventures.

Zebed took a seat opposite James, "I know Maria spoke with you-"

"Making a deal with the Destroyer." James shook his head, "A deal with an evil entity. It seeks the ruin of all Ghomar, don't you see that?"

Zebed scoffed and waved a hand dismissively, "You wouldn't be saying that if you met her. This Lady Rivers is a visionary, and she has surrounded herself with wise councilors from various races." He leaned forward and tented his fingers, resting his elbows on his knees. "I will not give too much insight into my business practices and the arrangements I have made but suffice to say I am confident enough in her benevolence that I am willing to ship refugees and those who are displaced to the Valley she has fortified."

He saw James' eyebrow twitch – a clear sign of frustration – as the man let out an exasperated sigh. "You just don't get it. The Destroyer can't be good. In what history book has the Demonic Dragon, or Raevan ever been seen as good?" He shook his head and rested it on his hand, squeezing his eyes shut. "Why doesn't anyone realize that a person, whoever they claim to be, with the power of a deity of destruction is going to bring the world to ruin?"

"Tell me, in the whole of the Demonic Age, did the Demonic Dragon ever attempt to destroy everything? No. It did not. In the histories I have read during my voyages, the Destroyer has almost always stayed within the Valley of the Volcano."

"That was because the heroes kept it harried and pushed its forces back."

"Is it though? When Raevan was slain, and we entered the Victory Age, what happened? Kingdoms went to war. Hundreds of years of conflict. Face the truth, James. When there is a Destroyer, the lands are united against them, and it ensures peace and prosperity."

James groaned and put his head in his hands, "It's a ploy! If that was the case, then this new Destroyer would not be trying to build an empire!"

"Have you ever really, truly considered that this Lyn Rivers is who she claims to be?"

"Yes. I've considered it. And there is no way the Lyn that I knew in the past would want to rule an empire."

Zebed blinked. "Wait, you knew of a Lyn Rivers already?"

The color drained from James' face, and he stood up, kicked the small table in between them into the wall with an enormous crash, and let out a pained noise. "Fuck!" he screamed.

Zebed maintained his composure. "Who is this person? This Lyn Rivers?"

James shook his head, "No, no one knows. Just the heroes." His voice was quiet, but Zebed was barely able to make it out.

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Zebed stood up, "What are you saying?"

The Paragon hero muttered something under his breath, and his eyes were wild, darting from side to side like he was a caged animal. "Just…go! Leave!" He turned to face the wall and slammed a fist into the stonework. The rocks cracked and bent inward from the force of the blow.

Zebed nodded, "Goodbye, then." He left and made haste for the courtyard. "Felej, Gerod. We're leaving now." They began to complain but he shook his head and put on his sternest 'dad' voice. "Now." The kids groaned and said their goodbyes, and the representative of the Free City of Bashinol took them back to their rooms. He helped them pack, and his guards escorted the emissary to his boat.

Zebed looked at his first mate as they set sail, "Does the name Lyn Rivers ring a bell?"

"No, sir."

"Hmm." Zebed repeated the same question with each of his men who was older than thirty. None of them could recall the name. And yet James let slip that he knew Lyn Rivers from the past. Zebed frowned as he stared out across the waves that went by under the ship's hull. Is there some connection he shares with this Destroyer? That could explain why he feels they are evil…because he knows her. Somehow.

The meal with the fey was an intriguing affair. Lyn tasted many dishes that looked as if they belonged at a little girl's birthday party; the bright, clashing colors and sweet dishes were almost unbearable after more than one serving.

The twins seemed very enthusiastic about the whole affair, and scarfed down plate after plate of food. Thomas seemed to be in the same camp as Lyn, as one plate seemed enough. There was some unique entertainment as well; a set of instruments that she could best describe as a mix between a cello and bagpipes. There was a hauntingly deep melody that was pierced by screeching howls at high points in the musical pattern.

Eventually the evening began to draw on, and the group stayed the night in the small guest area. Cushions were seemingly conjured out of thin air, as the fey humanoids drew strands of fabric from the trees and plants surrounding them, weaving in an incredibly complex manner that defied logic with the speed of their production.

Lyn lay there, staring up at the leafy canopy as the two moons tried to push their light through the treetops. Vael and Gael were both fast asleep, no need for guards as the Queen had promised their safety.

"Hey, are you awake?" Thomas asked from next to her in English.

"Mhmm."

"Did you…what happened with Misty?"

Lyn sighed, "Like I said, she's not a fan of the new me. Destroyer me. She wants the old me back."

Thomas turned over on his side and propped his head up on an elbow to look at her, "Is it because…because of what we did?"

Lyn turned her head to face him, "She admitted as much. She loved me."

Thomas' eyes went wide, "Wait, like, love-love?"

"Yes." Lyn sighed and put her head back to stare up at the canopy once more. "She never had the guts to say anything and was too shy to tell me outright."

"Yikes," Thomas replied laying back as well. "I feel sorry for her."

"Don't," Lyn muttered. "Don't be sorry for her. She should have made a move. And I would have rejected it anyways."

"Why?"

"She is…was my best friend. Going from best friend to lovers is just…weird. I love her like a sister, sleeping with her would feel wrong."

Thomas nodded, "I understand."

Maybe he knows. It's as good of a time now as any to ask. "How do you think I went back to Earth after I killed the Demonic Dragon?"

He looked over at her, "I have a theory. Did you see the doors the other hero cores you've spoken with got to see?"

"No. Everything went white and then I was in bed, pre-summon the morning it happened."

Thomas nodded, "Again, just a theory…I believe that you chose to go back to Earth."

"Why would I want to do that?" she asked, sitting up to meet Thomas' gaze. "I hated my home life!"

"I don't think it was a conscious choice. Just like how the hero cores returned to a designated location upon the hero's death, the Destroyer core returned to a designated location. As you told me, the Demonic Dragon found the core in Raevan's dungeon within Shiverburn Summit. And you found one half of the core there after returning."

Lyn scooted up next to him, "That doesn't explain why I went back to Earth with half of the Destroyer core."

"It's just like when a weaker mana core tries to consume a stronger one. If Vael or Gael took a dungeon core; the dungeon core would become their primary core, and their original mana core would be subsumed under the new core. They would still be them, but they would lose all progress of their original core as its overwritten."

He looked over at Lyn and gently put a hand on her shoulder, "When you killed the Demonic Dragon, it initiated the same process. The Scout core was consumed by the Destroyer core. That's why it's your primary core, and the Scout core was still with you – it was technically your 'original' core since we were summoned. And then you died. The Destroyer core should have left your body along with the Scout core; to Raevan's dungeon and the statue of Aelor, respectively."

"Did they get into a tug of war between the two places?"

Thomas smiled softly, "We've learned that heroes who died were not immediately sent back to Earth; they were trapped in the hero cores until new heroes were summoned; most likely because we didn't have an original core like a native of Ghomar. The same should have happened to you. But it didn't, because in that moment when the Destroyer core consumed your Scout core, your soul or consciousness was merged with the Destroyer core. We know as much because you talked with the other Destroyer core holders thanks to Misty's spell."

He tented his hands as he put his elbows on his knees, "If Vael had a dungeon core that had subsumed her original core, then when she died, the dungeon core would return to the dungeon it was claimed from, and her original core would expire shortly after as she chose…whatever options a native of Ghomar has upon their death."

Lyn nodded as it dawned on her, "The Destroyer core became my original core."

"Precisely. Summoned heroes – people not native to Ghomar – get these 'borrowed' hero cores, and we are linked to them until a new hero is summoned to claim them. Or, as we learned, you or James consumes them. Then they're returned home." He sighed and pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on them as he stared across the lake. "The Destroyer core had never consumed a hero core up until then. My speculation, my theory, is that the Destroyer core consuming your Scout core – your 'original' core as a summoned hero – sent you back to Earth…but since the Destroyer core had overwritten your original core, it went along with you."

Lyn let out a deep breath as she tried to reason through all the information Thomas had just dumped on her. She felt his hand on her shoulder and rested her head on his hand. "That's…complicated."

Thomas nodded and gently squeezed her shoulder. "It doesn't matter much now, since you're immortal to aging and disease thanks to your regeneration. The only thing that could kill you is violence." He smirked, "And I doubt you would die easily."

"You'll be immortal too, if you keep making bodies for yourself to jump between."

Thomas nodded, "I'm working on a new backup body. I was going to ask you to put it into a storage dimension and charge the inscriptions if I died again."

"I'd be happy to do so."

"…Thanks."

"Now, why did all the heroes fall out after my death?"

Thomas sighed, "You're going to be angry with me. So, I'll tell you, but only if you promise you won't hurt me."

Lyn scoffed, "Pff. I need you. I'm not going to hurt you. You're going to figure out my empire's school system and be an advisor for years to come."

"…I designed the spell," he whispered.

Lyn pulled her head back and stared at the man. She felt anger rise in her chest as a violent heat that brought a flush to her face. "What?" she growled in the Demonic Dragon's voice.

"I designed the spell that erased you from memory."

Lyn stood up and walked over to the lake, taking deep breaths as she tried to keep calm. "Thanna edain gelaidh / ennas thinna nedui / nuin anechiathron hon." An extradimensional storage space – a temporary one – appeared next to her, and she shoved her hand into it, letting the searing-hot mana flow out in a torrent of lava. Quite literally venting her anger as she poured all her disgust at Thomas' words, and the actions of her once-allies.

Thomas stood up and walked behind her. "It seemed like the best course of action."

Lyn shut off the flow of mana and let the storage space collapse into nothingness, taking the boiling lava with it. "Oh really?!" She shouted, not caring if she woke up the twins or the city of the fey. "You thought it was the best course of action to make everyone forget me?!" She felt her chest seize up as sorrow slowly crept into her voice. "…Why would you do that to me?"

Thomas' face showed remorse, and he sighed heavily. "Giving glory to someone who wasn't there didn't serve anyone's interests. How would people react if we told the truth? That the heroes ran off and the Scout hero stayed behind, killing the thing on their own?"

"You could've lied! Just said you all were fighting it with me!"

"It's not what people wanted!" Thomas yelled back, still full of remorse but undercut by some type of justified anger. "Cecily wanted the credit, James wanted the credit, fuck, even Kory did! They were at each other's throats! I proposed the only solution I could think of to keep them from ripping each other apart!"

Thomas took a deep, shuddering breath and composed himself. "They were able to come to an agreement thanks to Trisha. She brokered a deal. James would stay out of Shereld so Cecily could do whatever she wanted with it, and he would get to claim credit for the killing blow. Kory would get to do whatever the fuck he wanted, and the other two would pay for him to live the life he wanted – killing and whoring to his heart's content."

"Why didn't Misty step in to stop you all?"

"She was in shock at losing you. Numb. Same with Volio. I designed a spell, a memory spell, worded to make every person forget the name and actions of Lyn Rivers, the Scout hero."

"But you made it irreversible!"

"James insisted. He didn't want there to be a chance that someone would replace out the truth that he didn't strike the killing blow. It didn't seem like it would harm anything to word it that way, since we had no clue you would return. The only way to replace out would be to do a divination spell where you fell to observe the past directly. But we kept that from happening with Kory and Fort Watch."

"That's almost what he said, verbatim. That it was 'harmless'," Lyn muttered as she crossed her arms. She glanced around; Vael and Gael were standing behind Thomas, silent and with spears in hand, at the ready. She gestured subtly for them to stand down, and they did so. "Fine. You made a spell that wiped out all memories of me from the non-heroes on Ghomar. Who cast it? Everyone being affected must have been a massive amount of mana."

Thomas grimaced, "Almost everyone. Ben and Kory were tapped from the fight before they fled, and James put in what he could."

"Even Misty?"

"Again, she was in a fugue. Cecily just…ordered her to help, and she went along with it. I think she was just in complete shock. I'm sure the Ruler core had some influence as well, in that moment."

Lyn growled and turned to the lake. She plunged her head into the water and screamed in frustration. Pulling her head out of the water, she took a deep breath and flipped her hair back. She stood up, turned to Thomas, and grabbed him by both shoulders. "Thanks for telling the truth," she said, staring into his eyes. "Fuck, I thought I was over this," she muttered as she went to the rug and laid down on it again.

She closed her eyes and focused on her mana core, feeling the sizzling and popping of the lava that was well under control and contained. You're the Destroyer, Lyn, she thought. You've already said it yourself; who cares about the glory of past Lyn? She had to get over it. There was no point in being upset, because it would not fix anything. She had to…let go. Let go of her past and embrace the future.

Thomas walked to the edge of the rug, and the twins kept a wary eye as they both laid back down. There was buzzing noise around the covered space, as some of the fey had woken up and flitted over from their city to see what the commotion was about. Thomas crouched next to Lyn, "I'm sorry, for what that's worth."

"…What happened next?"

"We went our separate ways. James to Khrelardia, Cecily to Valagonia, Kory to Fort Watch, Ben and Trisha up to Trisk, Volio…well, he went off searching for you, thinking you survived somehow despite Misty's spell. Brad went to Valagonia with Cecily. Misty went to Vharthos, and I helped her make her mage academy complex. After that, I went to Valagonia and Cecily thralled me over a few weeks. I was under her control for two years before I broke free. She had lured me in with a wyvern egg, and I took that with me. I spent a few years in Khrelardia, and when Hector…" his expression became dour. "When Hector was big enough to ride, I went to the Ruins of Elent. Then you tripped an inscription when you arrived with your lava spells."

"Then you came to the Valley, met me, went and smashed the statue of Aelor, got killed by James, and then resurrected by Misty."

"Transferred into a clone, but yes, practically resurrection."

Lyn nodded, "Why do you think the rest of the heroes never visited each other?"

Thomas looked at Lyn, meeting her gaze. "We all had different goals and plans. I did visit the others – except Cecily after that whole debacle – a few times a year." He smiled softly, "Ben and Trisha's kids call me 'Uncle Thomas'. I never thought I'd like kids, but now that they're out of diapers, they've grown on me."

"I hate kids," Lyn mumbled in response, still trying to calm herself from the earlier revelation. "Never want them. Ever."

Thomas chuckled, "Same here."

Lyn looked over at him. "I forgive you. I understand why you did what you did. It hurts…but I have grander plans. I don't need to be remembered, because I will always be here, and everyone will serve my empire."

"And I look forward to helping you achieve your goal," Thomas replied. "I'm going to try and sleep."

Lyn nodded and turned over on the ground. But sleep eluded her, and she stood up, walking to the lake. She waded in until she could sit and be submerged up to her neck and focused on circulating her mana. If I can't sleep, I might as well be productive.