PreCursive

  Grey and I broke up for the day not long after that, since my mentor was still busy with everything involving the Elderwyck occupation. I got the impression that he really didn’t even have the time for the lesson he had given me.

  He’d instead made time.

  I appreciated that, I did. But that didn’t ge my opinion about leaving. I just…I o go. It was like an it my skin that I wasn’t able to scratch. Every moment that I remained a part of this war, of this flict…it grated on me.

  But, probably not as quickly as Azarus and I had inteo. We had jumped the gun ba that wrecked tavern. We probably weren’t leaving anytime within the week sidering everything I had to do before we left. That wasn’t even taking in the prep Azarus might o do on his own. I had people to see and rituals to undergo, after all. Speaking of, it was about time I sought out some of those people, who I knew would be at the meeting I’d been told about hours and ho.

  Possibly the st gathering of the Noe Division.

  I masked and hooded up, and then slipped out of a side window of the manse instead of the front door. I didn’t he awe and worshipping looks I’d find in that dire.

  ………………………………..

  It didn’t take me long to reach the docks. I was used to this city by now, as much as I was beginning to loathe it. When I reached the damaged warehouse that had been our meeting point, I found the dipidated structure looking almost , pared to how it had looked before my little crusade against the surrounding pntations. It wasn’t repaired or anything, but the rubble had been cleared away and a few supp beams had beeed to keep it from colpsing any further. At first I wondered why they had even bothered before I noticed that the Thorny Reef was still docked o it. I suppose Bel needed a pce to berth and this was as good a pce as any.

  When I touched down and started to approach the warehouse, one of the surviving members of the Divisioed out of the shadows. I didn’t know who they were, sidering they weren’t even b to wear a mask. The man ied me for a moment before nodding. “Hangman. They’re iing you inside. You…don’t have to wear the mask if you don’t want to. We’ve all heard about your curse.”

  Relief rolled over me at that. After a moment, I the unknown man and removed my mask and hood, revealing my mutated features to the world. “Thanks…” I trailed off for a moment.

  He got the hint. “Cody, formerly Pincer,” He said with a wry smile.

  Pincer. Not…sure I’d ever spoken with the man, but I think I’d seen him around.

  I did my best to return his smile, but I felt it wither on the vihose came...harder for me, these days. “Nate. I…hope everyone hasn’t been waiting on me,” I said, a bit embarrassed at my tardiness. “I was busy for a while with…stuff…” I trailed off mely. Said stuff involved getting momentarily shitfaced drunk and wallowing in my own despair, but I didn’t mention that.

  Cody shook his head. “No, the meeting isn’t meant to start for a little bit more. Sparrow told us we’d make a decisiohe su,” He said, nodding to the horizon. After my delightfully full day of misery, Tarus was only just starting to begin his dest. The light was barely starting to dim through the ever-present storm clouds. “Head on down to the basement. It’s where everyo is gathering. I’ll be down in a bit.”

  I nodded, and with a goodbye, walked past him and into the warehouse proper. Well, what remained of it.

  My attention was tinuously stolen by the numerous blood stains that littered the stone floor of the old fishery. I paused for a moment when I came upoe where I knew I had fought General Longstripe at. There was a rge, spicuous blood stain oohat must have e from my attempted coup de grace. For a moment, I allowed myself to wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t failed in killing him then. If Baldric hadn’t been occupied with the mind-trolled General, would he have mao kill Nerexxa before she could summon Rhazal?

  I would never know, I suppose.

  I shook off the useless thought and approached the basement, walking doweps and into the and room.

  There were distressingly few people down here, and all of them looked up at my entrao stare at me. I returhe looks, taking a moment to t the number of people who had apparently survived the st week. Nearly everyone was sitting in a ring of chairs set out in the ter of the room. I only barely registered the sloug form of Bel in the er away from everyone else, puffing on a rolled cigarette and looking bored. She straightened up at my entraaring at me with a raised eyebrow, but I had other things on my mind.

  Thirteen. Out of over fifty different Noe Divisios that had been active in Elderwyck, only thirteen of us had survived. I didn’t t the still form of Sparrow behind the and desk in that number. He…hadn’t been here.

  I let out a breath and fully desded the steps, meeting the gaze of those I knew personally as I did so. Liora was here, as expected, looking much more put together tha time I saw her. The Gnoll woman wasn’t masked either, and seemed to be dressed nearly as an adventurer would be ihers and mail. Strangely, I didn’t see Maria anywhere down here. Maybe she was the person we were waiting on to start the meeting? Guess I really wasn’t the st person to get here.

  I finally got an answer as to where Sylvia was, as well. Turns out she had been here, all along. My former partner was wearing what looked to be a replica of her old bat leathers. I almost stopped for a moment at the sight of them, as I hadn’t seen that getup since Addersfield and our first lessons. The Sculpted woman was covered from head to toe in nondescript bck leathers, with her face being covered with a non-Divisioher mask like it had back then. I only k was Sylvia because I reized the outfit.

  I felt a pang of heartbreak at how she was looking at me. There was a note of wariness in her crystalline blue gaze that hadn’t bee earlier. It made me wonder what she had been told.

  I wasn’t sure I wao know.

  Sparrow, the only person in the room still in a Noe mask, looked from the book he had been reading in silence. He gave me a nod and spoke up in the quiet room. “Nathan,” He said calmly, shutting his book. “Good to see you. If you’ll take a seat, we’ll get started soo-”

  Another set of footsteps behi the man off, causing me and everyone else to look behind us. I turned just in time to watch as an oddly dressed Maria desded into the basement, pletely ung about the odd looks she was getting. The woman looked to be dressed almost as a roving mert would be, wearing hardy-looking travel clothes in muted colors. Slung over her back was a rge pack that seemed to be stuffed to the gills, with a familiar bow strapped to the side of it. Atop her head was a wide-brimmed leather hat tilted at an almost jaunty angle.

  Trailing behind her was a bemused-looking Cody.

  Maria didn’t care about the looks she was getting. Instead, she just marched down in the room, and straight up to my still standing form. “Heard about some curious things happening out in the tryside,” She said with a smirk, shrugging her massive pack off her shoulders and tossing it against the wall. I wi the g hat erupted from the impact. “Didja get what you o done?”

  I looked away from her pack to give my now former rade a slight nod. Despite everything that had happeo me retly, I didn’t regret freeing the ensved Sculpted in the area a si. “I did,” I said quietly, a slight twist to my lips. Maria’s smirk widened in response.

  We were interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing behind us. When I turned, I saw a mildly impatient Sparrow waving to the gathered chairs. “Nathan, Maria, Cody,” He said dryly. “If you don’t mind, we all have pces to be. Let’s get this done.”

  Straightening up, the three of us who had been indicated nodded and sat down in the circle. When we were all seated, Sparrow stood up from the desk and joined us i remaining chair.

  The circle was silent for a moment, before Sparrow reached up and removed his mask. An almost femininely mousy-looking face greeted the world, plete with a long brue ponytail draping down a slender neck. I bli the sight of him.

  Those were very… delicate-lookiures, for such a deep-voiced man.

  God I was gd I still had the physical trol that my c gave me.

  “We all knoe’re here,” Sparrow said in a grim tohe operational forces of the Noe Division have been all but wiped out from this campaign. A number of…highly unseen circumstances pced us-you,” He corrected himself, sounding almost bitter. “Ih of…horrors. I’m here to tell you that the leadership of the Order is…sympathetic.”

  One of the other surviving Agent’s snorted. “Sure. And what the hells does that mean?”

  Sparrow sighed. “It means that we’re done, holy,” He said, reag up to massage his forehead. “The Noe Division, in its current state, ot fun. While the logistical side of anization survived, sidering they were all ba Helstein during this, there are too few of the actual Agents left. As such, the Grand Marshall and Marshall are a number of choices to all surviving Division assets.”

  I leaned forward at that, resting my forearms on my knees. Grey hadn’t mentioned any of this to me, despite the extended amount of time I’d spent with him.

  “One,” Sparrow said. “You choose to ht retire from both the Noe Division and the Order altogether. I know W-Maria in particur has chosen to go this route.” He said, nodding to her.

  This caused a bit of a stir among gathered Agents, with some of them turning to stare at Maria. She just shrugged, ung about some of their acg stares.

  “Two,” Sparrow said loudly, drawing attention ba. “Is that you either choose to join the logistical arm of what remains of the Division, aire from fieldwork. I know a number of you have the skills to be useful there. It’s going to be seeing some ges, though,” He shrugged. “It’s barely going to be the Division anymore, so the skullduggery is going to be essentially over. It’s being folded into the administration of the Order, and will be based out of the chapter house in Blutstein at the end of the war. It’s not a…bad life, per se. Safe, with a possible retirement.”

  That…wasn’t for me. But I did see a few people nodding along with that.

  “Third. You… choose to join the regur forces of the Order,” Sparrow said doubtfully. “You would join as a Lieutenant, and would bee a small squad ahe option, at the very least, exists. It’s how yoing to tiright fighting for the Order, if that’s what you wish.”

  I didn’t see muterest in that, with the notable exception of one person. Most of the members of the Noe Division had been part of the elite of the Order. Essentially orack to being the true csssers, if not of a specific type.

  Not many people wao voluntarily take a demotion.

  “Fourth, if you ’t give up this life,” Sparrow tinued. “You choose to join up with the Bluebacks,” He nodded over at Bel, to my surprise. “I’ll let Captain Isabel talk more about it.”

  Bel stood up from her chair then and stalked into the ter of the chairs, unbothered by the stares of everyone else. “Ain’t much to it,” She said bluntly. “The Admirals always need more bdes, and some of you lood at wet work. If ye ain’t ied in pushin’ paper, and want to shiv some more Loyalist dogs, then ye’ve got a p the sea.” She turned on her heel then and stalked back to her chair, but not before stopping to give me an odd look. She mouthed the word ‘ter’, causio nod iurn.

  I was already going to talk to you about something Bel. Don’t worry.

  “I'm...personally going to be taking that option,” Sparrow said ruefully, shaking his head. “I failed you all, by not being here,” He held up his hand when some of the ents protested verbally. “I’ve already signed up. It’s done.”

  Exging a gh Liora from across the room, I spoke up. “I don’t know about anyone else, Sparrow,” I said out loud, drawing attention. “But…I don’t begrudge you. I wouldn’t wish the shit that went on in Elderwyy worst enemy.”

  That was a lie.

  I would have wished worse on Magnus, but that wasn’t the point.

  Sparrow smiled wearily at me, as several ent’s nodded along. “That’s kind of you to say, Nathan. But my sense of duty will not allow me to do otherwise. And…call me Alex. Sparrow…that mask is being hung up. So!” He said, forcibly cheerful. “I’m afraid it’s time to make a decision, people. We’ll go around the circle, and I want you to say what your pns are. I’ll write them down, and deliver the decisions to the leadership. Maria, you go first? Just for the record.”

  Maria shrugged, not standing up from her chair. “I’m retiring, as you all know,” She said indifferently. “I’m heading south to try and find my family in Blutstein. I know!” She held up a hand, when some people protested at that. “I know that it’s going to be hard, and that it’s where the Loyalists are thickest. But I have to try, and I’m not letting aop me.” She finished defiantly.

  Ah.

  Well, there went one of the people I was going to talk to. I inally had the idea to vihe woman to join up with Azarus and I, but I had no pns to go south of all pces.

  I wao get away from the war, not further in.

  “Good luck, Maria,” Liora spoke up for the first time. Her voice pierced through the protests, sileng them. When she saw that she had the attention of the room, Liora stood up. “I…am retiring as well.”

  That seemed to shock most of the room, Alex included. I…wasn’t as surprised, sidering Baldric’s st request.

  “But…” Cody said in a fused tohe Division and the Order are practically in your blood?”

  Liora snorted bitterly. “Yes, and where has that gotten us?” She said with a frown. “An early grave. No, let my line be doh it, ahe Division vanish into the wind.”

  Alex coughed into his fist. “Ah…I see,” He said weakly, before shaking his head. “Then…Sylvia? I…know you don’t remember much about your role here, but I do o know what you intend.”

  The Sculpted woman stood up then. “I will be joining the regur Order forces,” She said simply. That…didn’t surprise me, thinking about it. It’s not like she was going to be leaving the anization that her father helped run.

  Alex hen as Sylvia sat back down, as unsurprised as I was. “Very well. …Nathan,” He said, turning to look at me.

  Along with everyone else. There were some very curious looks being thrown my way.

  I stood up from my chair, indifferent to the attention. “I’ll be retiring as well,” I said with finality.

  That shocked some people as well.

  “But you were the ohat killed the Camity!” One Agent said in surprise. “The Order needs you!”

  “And aren’t you the Grand Marshall’s apprentice?” Another asked in fusion. I saw Sylvia’s attention sharpen at that, as she took another look at me.

  I felt a frown y lips.

  Thanks, Woodrick. Thanks a lot.

  “Yes, and that isn’t ging,” I said curtly. “But I’m doh the war. Too much has happened, and I o process it.”

  I was getting a bit tired of answering that, holy. I'd be gd when this was all behind me.

  I sat down then, deliberately cutting off any questions that could have been thrown my way. versation slowly started back up then, and I didn’t speak again while the rest of the Division was deg their own fates.

  It was only after the meeting was over that I stirred in my chair, standing up. I was intending to seek out Liora, but I was unsurprised to find the Gnoll woman already waiting on me he stairs out. She jerked her head in the dire of Bel and joihe pirate as she stalked out of the basement with the others.

  I followed them, aware of several eyes trag me.

  Including Sylvias.

  I tried not to let it bother me.