Penitent-Chapter 234 Book 4 Ch 15: Taking Takers

Suzy was woken by the sound of movement in the hall. She reached for the knife under her pillow and clutched the handle as she listened carefully, spinning up magicka for a shock of lightning. There hadn't been any attempts since the first one when she'd arrived to join the Hymar militia as a mage. When she'd left the man with burns and cuts all across his body the word had spread quickly that she should be left alone. Still, she never let her guard down. With the king dead maybe the men were feeling ungrounded enough to risk it.

Her door opened and she clutched the knife more tightly.

"Suzy, wake up."

It was Captain Ida. Suzy relaxed her grip on the knife and sat up.

"What's going on?"

"Get dressed and gather your things. You're leaving."

"Leaving, ma'am? Was I reassigned?"

"No. Your service to Stent has ended. You're free. Gather your things, you're going to be escorted to the square."

"My service?" She had only been there for two years. Her contract was for fifteen years, not including the time they stole from her with that cursed water.

"Just get your things together quickly. I'll wait outside the door."

She hesitated for a moment, but got up and started to get everything together, putting on her copper-colored uniform first then gathering the meagre possessions she'd managed to obtain since she'd arrived. Her two other sets of clothes, her boar hair hairbrush, and the small coral necklace Mei had given her. Back home it would've been impossible to fit her entire life in a bag like this, but considering that life was over it wasn't something she wanted to dwell on. That had already hurt her too much when she'd arrived.

Once she was dressed and ready she went to check herself in the mirror. She still startled sometimes when she saw her new face in the mirror. Her dark tan and hazel eyes were now pale blotchy skin and gray eyes. Her training had made her lithe and strong, but she missed how she'd looked before. She'd been beautiful, and now she was plain. It wasn't upsetting as being dead and then conscripted, but once the major shocks wore off the minor tremors still shook her sometimes.

There was a knock on her door and she checked the straps on her pack and went to the door.

"I'm ready ma'am."

The captain didn't even look at her to check that her uniform was on correctly. Just grunted and started walking, with Suzy falling in line behind her.

"Ma'am, what did you mean by my service has ended?"

"New orders. Takers are being released."

"Released to where?"

"Old Hume. The only place desperate enough to take you."

Old Hume? She didn't know much about it aside from the contempt the locals spoke about it with. It didn't make sense. She stopped walking for just a moment, then continued as the Captain walked out the door to the barracks. She could be lying. The people in Stent hated takers, the phantom pain that randomly shot through the back of her neck reminded her of that constantly. Was it more likely that she was being freed and shipped off? Or were they just going to take her to the town square and shoot her?

She began channeling her magicka, feeling the coolness of it moving through her channels. It would be a hopeless resistance. The brand on her neck meant she'd be brought down no matter what, but maybe she could take a few of them with her.

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They walked through the streets, still lit by magical lamposts every fifteen feet, and focused on the spell she was going to cast. She imagined the ozone smell after being near a lightning strike, the rumbling of her grandma's house in a storm, even the small shock she felt plugging in her phone incorrectly once, all while using the foci in her staff to further refine the spell. Then they turned the corner.

She could see Mei standing in the town square, right beside the statue of the old king. She was smiling, with tears in her eyes. The bruise that had been on her cheek the previous day had vanished. Mei was the closest friend Suzy had made since she'd arrived in Hymar. A taker, like her, but from Chonqing. She'd died in a factory accident and things had only gotten worse for her since she'd arrived. Suzy had never seen her cry though, no matter what had happened to her.

She lost concentration, and the magicka she'd been building quickly faded. Along with Mei were four others she recognized. All of them taker like her, all of them women. They were all familiar with one another, at least passingly, and they were all smiling.

There were a number of soldiers and knights among them, as well as one standing directly in front of all of them. He was in a suit of armor that shined like silver even in the soft lantern light. On his back was a massive shield, and at his side a heavy-looking mace. He looked like something out of a storybook, with long blonde hair and a gleaming smile. There was something… familiar about him. She had vague memories of a golden dream that she couldn't quite bring to the forefront of her mind.

He noticed her and looked in her direction with a soft smile. The expression on his face was odd. It reminded her of her grandma picking her up after she'd scraped her knee. There was no condescension in it, just concern and warmth.

"Are you Suzy?" he asked.

She nodded and gave him a salute, almost automatically.

He returned it with respect.

"I'm Michael. I'm here to heal your brand and get you on your way to Hume. May I see your neck?"

She hesitated, but nodded, turning around. After a moment she felt a hand gently touch the center of the brand. It made her flinch, but she corrected herself and steadied. Light began to build behind her, illuminating the dark of the morning, and she could feel a soft warmness, almost like a physical manifestation of the man's smile, on the back of her neck. It built for a little while, nearing being hot rather than warm, and then it slowly faded along with the light.

Suzy felt light. She didn't even need to touch the back of her neck to feel that the brand was gone. It was strange, she hadn't been aware of it most of the time when it was on her, but now that it was gone it was as if a splinter had been removed. Aside from that she noticed that the burn scars on her hand from a miscast spell were gone, as was the dull pain in her ankle from a sprain that hadn't properly healed.

"How do you feel?" asked Michael.

She turned around and looked at him. "I feel… good. Better than I have in a long time."

"Good!" he responded with a bright smile.

He turned to the local guard and militia that were there with them. His warmth and smile evaporated, replaced by a coldness that made all of them shiver under his gaze.

"I will be heading on to Vaun, next. These soldiers will be escorting them back to the capital. If I hear that they have been harassed, harmed, ambushed, or even insulted it will go poorly for you." Small motes of golden flames began to flicker across his armor as he spoke, causing a few of the closer men to back away from him. "And even if you don't fear me, keep in mind I'll be travelling back this way with taker irregulars from the front. I'm sure they'd enjoy having a word with each and every one of you."

Suzy and the others watched him wide-eyed. Who was he? How was he doing this? What was happening?

…

Michael let the smiting fire that was spreading across his armor fade. He'd run all through the night to get there and while he felt the show of power was important, it was also using energy he needed to conserve. He turned to Suzy and reached into a pouch at his side, pulling out a small piece of paper along with a piece of chalk.

"You seem to be the only one with military experience among the takers here. This piece of paper is connected to a titled journal. If you are in trouble, or experience any issues, mark it with an X and I will come to your aid. Understand?"

She took it from him carefully, and nodded.

"What… what's going on?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, I can't explain it to you personally, but your escorts should be able to fill you in on the details. Alright?"

"Okay… thank you."

He smiled at her. "You're welcome."

He gave one last look to the local guards and militia, then he started sprinting again. He was about a marathon away from the next town with any takers in it. At full sprint he could reach it by the time the sun was fully up. His lungs were already burning, and his reserves were dangerously low from healing the complicated brands, but he pushed that to the back of his mind. He just needed to put one foot in front of the other until it was done.