The Mask Falls 3 (1/2)

The mood in the living room of the Morgana household was awkward, to say the least. Not only had Keira and Rowana been denied a late and lazy morning, but they also had an uninvited visitor. Anyone would be annoyed if some huge muscle-bound man in full ceremonial armor dropped in unannounced at their house, but the fact that it was the Hero of the Hammer made it doubly worse. Sigmund Law was the sort of person who seemed to radiate grim determination, and the fact that he was sitting in a flower-patterned armchair didn’t diminish that one bit.

Of course, none of that seemed to disturb the residents of this particular household.

“Mr. Law, could you please stop bleeding on my furniture?” Rowana asked politely.

“I apologize, miss,” he replied firmly. “I don’t mean to point fingers, but it wasn’t my choice to be greeted with a knife to the face.”

Both of them glared at Keira, who was still holding onto the bloodied knife.

“… In my defense, he looked extremely knife-able.”

Sigmund and Rowana shared a sigh. She had a point. The Hero of the Hammer cut a naturally imposing figure, and the redhead’s tenure as Hero of Chaos had made her notoriously jumpy. It wasn’t that Keira was high-strung, she just reacted badly to surprises since most surprises reacted badly to her. Frankly speaking, it was a small miracle that the matter had been settled with just a cut on the cheek. There would’ve been an international incident if things had escalated to a Clash of Fate.

“Ahem?”

Before the visitor could get to explaining himself, he was offered a fresh cup of tea by someone just outside his field of view.

“Oh? Thank you,” he replied on reflex as he picked up the cup. “Wait, what?”

He looked down at the sentient table with a look of utter confusion.

“Don’t mind him, that’s just Tablesworth,” Keira reassured him.

“Another thing like that animated wooden doll I saw earlier?”

“Ahem!” Tablesworth said indignantly while walking away in a huff.

“Don’t call them ‘things,’ please,” Rowana chimed in. “They’re house mimics. Though they look like objects, they have minds and hearts of their own.”

Now that the elf mentioned that, Sigmund was fairly certain the mannequin had given him the finger before it disappeared into another room, but he decided not to question it.

“How… many of them are around?” he asked warily.

“Quite a few,” the redhead answered.

Sigmund couldn’t help but eye the room warily upon hearing that. Now that he was actively looking for them, he spotted a cookie jar with pincers waddling across a nearby shelf. The butterfly hair clip on the elf’s head seemed to be moving around, too. And maybe he was going crazy, but he felt like the crystal dragon statuette in the corner was giving him the stink-eye. Was the carpet in on it, too?

“Relax, they’re harmless,” Keira reassured him. “House mimics are quite literally incapable of harming people. So for real, calm down.”

“Ah, yes. I apologize, this is just a bit… bizarre to me.”

The man realized he was starting to get needlessly paranoid.

“Also, don’t freak out,” the redhead smirked, “but you’re sitting on Sir Seatmeister the Third.”

Or perhaps he wasn’t paranoid enough.

“Keira! Stop teasing our guest!” Rowana scolded her. “I apologize Mr. Law. She must’ve gotten up on the wrong side of the bed today.”

Her tone was polite and her words kind, yet Sigmund couldn’t help but feel that she had taken a metaphorical jab at him for disturbing them at this early hour.

“Yes, well,” Sigmund regained his composure, “I admit I was a bit inconsiderate. At the very least it’s good to see you haven’t lost your edge, Miss Morgana. I know we didn’t get much chance to talk the last time we met, so let me just say I personally appreciate your aid during the orc invasions on Velos.”

“Yeah, yeah. Cut the crap, Sigmund,” Keira crossed her arms demandingly. “Why are you here?”

“Alright, I’ll get straight to it,” the man leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees. “It’s not just me that visited Azurvale. Orrin and Gux are here, too. As is the new Hero of the Sword.”

The beastkin raised an eyebrow while Rowana excused herself and left the room upon hearing the ‘h-word.’ It would appear she anticipated this was a topic she probably didn’t want to be directly involved in.

“That didn’t answer my question,” Keira pressed.

“I know, and I’m getting to that. The thing is, after settling things on Velos, we decided to extend our collective partnership. As I’m sure you’re quite aware, a Shift is most likely on its way, and we decided that it was our duty to prepare ourselves for whatever it may bring. And we can’t do that without the help of the Hero of Chaos.”

“I think you’re barking up the wrong tree,” Keira sighed. “Hero or not, I’m just one person. I’m nowhere near significant enough to steer the course of history by myself.”

After all, entire civilizations could rise or fall in just a few years during a Shift. Yes, Keira Morgana was a famous adventurer that had certainly left her mark on the world, but to think she alone could influence a Shift was ludicrous. Which wasn’t to say that Boxxy T. Morningwood couldn’t make an impact, but that was beside the point.

“I know, and I’m not asking you to,” Sigmund stated firmly. “We just want your input and opinion on a number of topics that we need to discuss.”

“Let me get this straight. You and a bunch of other Heroes came all the way to Azurvale… for a consultation?”

“It sounds silly when you put it like that, but that’s basically it, yes,” he nodded. “I would also like to state that it wasn’t my idea, but Miss Hilda seemed adamant that your unique experiences and perspective might show us something we missed. She sends her regards, by the way.”

“Tsk,” Keira clicked her tongue. “That old bat always makes good points, doesn’t she? What’s she been up to, anyway? Haven’t heard from her in months.”

“Last I heard, she remained on Velos. Apparently she intends to retire there.”

“Really? I always imagined she’d be eager to challenge the Dragon Festival.”

“Mmm, yes, well, I do not know her circumstances, but it appears she’d rather spend her twilight years slaughtering orcs for sport.”

“Heh. Just wait until she runs out of booze, she’ll be back here in no time,” Keira chuckled. “But, if Miss Hilda thinks I may be of some help, then I suppose I’ll at least hear you out.”

“Thank you. I promise it won’t take more than a day. In fact, we can probably get it over with before evening if we leave now.”

“Alright, give me ten minutes to get ready and we’ll head off.”

Sigmund agreed and spent the wait sipping at the tea he was given and trying really hard to ignore the way the chair seemed to shift underneath him. Figuring the combined weight of his body and armor might be hurting the living armchair, he stood and let his eyes wander around the room. He began to feel a bit envious of how cozy and comfortable it was once he got used to the house mimics. Being the head of the Inquisition naturally came with all kinds of perks, one of which was top-tier accommodations. However, it had been an almost unbearably lonely post ever since those triplets left his care.

Speaking of which, Sigmund had already heard through the godly grapevine that Nao had taken over their education. Keira had apparently done her best to teach them self-reliance in the short time they had been together, but had to send them away because of how unstable Azurvale had become in recent months. Though the man didn’t know how to feel about that turn of events, he agreed that it was probably for the best. He had a fairly high opinion of the Hero of Magic, having worked with him extensively during the initial Velos incident. Unfortunately, he now had absolutely no idea what his ‘nieces’ were even up to, or where they actually were.

And since he didn’t want to bother his divine patron with what were basically an old man’s worries, he decided to bring the topic up with Keira during their walk to the Hero meeting.

“So, have you heard anything from the girls?” he asked her after they left the house.

“You mean Lydia and her sisters?”

“Yeah.”

“I assume you know Nao’s looking after them.”

“I do, but I have no idea how they’re actually doing. I thought maybe you would know.”

“Funny you should ask. I actually got a letter from them a few days ago. They probably sent you one too, but I’m guessing you missed it.”

“Ah, I must have. I came here straight from Velos, so it’ll probably be waiting for me when I get back to headquarters.”

“Probably,” she shrugged.

“So? What did it say?”

“Uh…” Keira hesitated for a moment. “You know how they were supposed to study under Nao?”

“Yes?” Sigmund raised an eyebrow. “Is he not teaching them properly?”

“Oh, he’s teaching them a lot of things, I’m sure. Especially since they’ve done a lot more than just study together.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The look of puzzlement on the man’s face made it clear that nothing short of the cold, hard, truth would get through to him, so Keira decided to stop trying to hint at it and just get it over with.

“Nao got all three of them pregnant. At once.”

Sigmund’s eyes blinked a few times as he processed this information.

“… What?” he asked dumbly.

“Lydia, Madeline, and Robin are all heavy with Nao’s children,” she repeated herself. “And I mean heavy. Apparently all their bellies are already swollen to the point where they can hardly walk. Madeline says she’s even expecting twins.”

Upon hearing both the confirmation and elaboration, Law tilted his head back and thrust his fists towards the sky.

“YYYYEEEEEEEEES!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. “NOT ME!”

Rather than being upset or angry, Sigmund was overjoyed. All things aside, he still thought of the triplets as his own daughters, and had been dreading the thought of having to do unfatherly things with them. He was also quite happy that they’d chosen Nao as their partner. He knew that boy would do right by them, and wasn’t one to run from his responsibilities. Speaking of which, though he did approve of the union, he wasn’t quite sure how to deal with the moral ramification of one man having three simultaneous partners. He assumed they had probably worked out some kind of arrangement, but nevertheless felt it necessary to personally ascertain the nature of their relationship.

Thankfully Nao and the triplets were still going to show up for Keira’s wedding in about two weeks’ time, or so the redhead claimed during the walk. Sigmund decided to stick around Azurvale until then, but for now focused on the impending meeting. He used a Comm-crystal to inform the other Heroes that they were on the way, then led Keira to one of the most expensive and luxurious hotels in Azurvale. They passed through the lobby and, after having a chat with the receptionist, were escorted to what was either a small banquet hall or a huge meeting room, with the rest of the gods’ chosen already waiting for them.

“Keira! It is good to see you are well!” Orrin greeted her with his usual sense of mirth.

“Same here, old man,” she smiled sweetly at him.

“Gux would say hello,” the levitating lizardman was next, “but his mind is currently visiting his late grandmother.”

“Uh-huh. Any idea when he’ll be back?”

“Shouldn’t be more than a few minutes.”

“And you must be the new Hero of the Sword I was told about,” she turned towards the last person in the room.

Standing in the corner was someone wearing the same set of mithril armor that Hesk had used during her final battle against the orc warlord. The equipment had been lovingly cleaned, repaired, and refitted to better suit its new owner. His face wasn’t visible, but his build and height alone were enough to determine he was a male raptor. His weapon of choice was an imposing greatsword that was leaning against the wall next to him. Upon being greeted by the beastkin, he pulled himself away from the corner, took a few steps towards her and slammed his fist into his breastplate.

“I am Kut of clan Susk,” he spoke calmly. “It is an honor to finally meet you, Crimson Lotus.”

“Uh… just Keira is fine. Where did you even hear that nickname?”

“It was carved into the flesh of the orcs that fell by your blade. The blooms of blood left in your wake are truly befitting your moniker, Crimson Lotus.”

“Please don’t make me sound like some kind of violent psychopath,” she sighed.

“Says the woman that greeted me with a knife to the face,” Sigmund crossed his arms.

“Wahahaha!” Orrin chortled, much to the man’s discomfort. “Come now, Sigmund. What’s a few cuts between friends?”