A Quest for the Stars

Loss.

For Clara, a victory would have been, at minimum, injuring the tiny mite enough for Tsukuyomi and Apus to escape without anything stopping them. She would have been fine if Lenoria and Alistair could have continued their trip without her, even if it brought deep sadness in their hearts. She didn't want to make her friends cry, but this would have been the worst outcome that was still acceptable.

What wasn't acceptable were the swarms of spiders gathering 15 feet beneath her. She held the urge to scream, but it was only a matter of time before they would start climbing the walls and the vines to get to her. And with her suspended in the air by the mite's vines, she had nowhere to go. She could feel her consciousness slip as the vines applied more and more pressure on her body.

"That was scary." Tired and stressed, the small creature sat down at the center of the room atop a flat rock formation. "I hope you like spiders, elf! You'll make a nice soup once they all sink their fangs in you!"

"You...won't...win!" Clara tried her best to break free, but the vines were supernaturally strong. "What are they made of; metal?"

The mite cackled evilly. "You may be tough with that stone of yours, but you're just a baby compared to me." He held the grayish blue stone confidently. "As for me, I've had my power for months, giving me plenty of time to master it."

Clara wanted nothing more than to break free and pummel the evil creature, but as she was unable to break free, there was only one option left. Preferably before she started to panic even more.

"I'm sorry...I promised you that I would go to Thule with you, but..."

"I know what you're thinking, Clara!" Apus's solemn words interrupted Clara's thoughts. He wasn't speaking via their psychic link, but rather with his own voice. "But we haven't lost yet! Look!"

Using his beak, Apus pointed at the vines wrapped around Clara's mechanical arms and fists, then turning his attention to the ruined rose garden.

"You came this far because the people who love you truly believe in you! Lenoria, Alistair, Pearl, Owen, your parents, everyone! You have to stop thinking about this 'borrowed time' you mentioned earlier, and truly start living not just for them, but for yourself!"

"But Apus...I'm still scared...there's nothing we can do..."

"There's always something you can do, Clara! You can use your strength to break free and ruin this punk's garden! I hope you've noticed, but ever since you destroyed some of those roses, the fog started to disappear."

Clara took a quick scan of the area. Apus was right; the fog was still present, but it wasn't as thick as earlier. She looked at the vines around her wrists and hands, and realized she wasn't completely helpless. She tightened her grip with both fists, hoping to yank the vines away from their source.

"Not everything is lost. That's why you can't give in to despair!"

The mite gritted his teeth in anger. "How dare you. You talk as if you can still win!"

"That's right, spider breath," Apus confidently insulted his adversary. "What's your relationship with this Lady of yours, anyway? You get props for being her obedient little lapdog, but unlike you, Clara fights for people who love her!"

"Ha. Her Majesty loves all of her subjects! I have both her power and her backing!"

"Wrong!" Using both of her fists, Clara successfully crushed two of the vines, much to the mite's horror. "If she loved you so much, she wouldn't have sent you to your execution without backup!"

"What are you doing to my precious plants?!" Angered, the mite held up the Soulstone again. "Stop it! I order you to stop right-"

The clangor of cannon fire rang throughout the cavernous area. The resulting explosion blew the spider swarms, the roses, and the shambling mound away. The vines ceased their movement, their grip loosening to let Clara escape and descend back on the ground. Most of the spiders had been reduced to nothing, while the rest had been blown apart.

"Is that you, Clara? Man, you gained some weight since last time. What happened? I thought you looked great in that skimpy little dancer's outfit."

The elven girl, slightly embarrassed, recognized the insolent voice. The enigmatic arrival stood atop a flying vessel - which was about the size of a canoe at best - with one foot in front of the other. He wore a gas mask just like the one Lenoria had back at the Guild, protecting his human physiology from the fog.

"C-Caesar?" Clara was astonished, but she welcomed his presence. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to find you," the pirate captain answered. He surveyed the area to calculate the damage his explosion had caused. He noticed the mite having jumped away from the explosion on time and placed himself behind the shambling monstrosity. "We'll talk later. How about I take care of the big guy while you finish business here?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Despite Caesar's bravery, the size difference between him and the giant plant didn't escape her perception. "How is he going to pull this off? He had to be crafty during our confrontation with the giants..."

Caesar leapt from the flying canoe, which soon disappeared without a trace. Landing just a few from from the monster, the pirate captain brandished a cutlass to level the playing field in his favor. "Momma always told me to eat my greens, but I think we can skip these for dinner."

"Where did you come from?" The little mite shook his fist indignantly. "Doesn't matter if a lot more of you show up! Titan will grind you all into paste!"

The mite pushed a single fist forward, causing the shambling monster to do the same to Caesar. Blood and sweat flied outwards as the giant fist connected with its target, and soon after that Caesar could feel the plant's tendrils wrap around him.

"Caesar!"

"The humans my fair Lady had to deal with always talked a little too much. They failed to make a fool out of her, and you definitely won't make a fool out of Zep!"

"Zep, huh?" A blue outline enveloped Caesar, and as if he were coated in butter and oil, the pirate slipped out of the plant monster's grasp. "Looks like I definitely made a fool out of you."

Zep the mite growled desperately. "H-how? How did you escape?"

"A magician never tells his secrets!"

"But how did he do that? Was that a [Freedom of Movement]?"

"Let's save the questions for later, Clara. He's wide open!" Apus gestured to Zep, who was distracted by Caesar and the amount of focus he had to place for his plant monsters. "Caesar is doing what he can to help out. We better give him a hand."

"I know just what to do." Hoisting her guitar, Clara prepared a spell with some elaborate hand movements. Then, she started playing. "Hey, Zep. How does a shambling mound organize a birthday party? He plants it."

"W-what?" Zep stifled a laugh. "Oh, no..." And dropped his Soulstone. "N-no..." The mite's suppressed laughter erupted into endless cackling. "W-what magic is this?" Sinking to his knees and then on all fours, Zep could no longer contain his laughter. " W-what's h-happening to me," he asked as he laughed and laughed. "That j-joke's not f-f-f-f-funny!"

With Zep on the ground laughing away uncontrollably, Titan collapsed on the ground as well, rolling to and fro. Confused by this turn of events, Caesar wordlessly asked Clara for an explanation.

"That's a new spell I've been wanting to try out. [Hideous Laughter] doesn't work on plants, but it can work on anything that understands the concept of humor."

"Well," Caesar said as he narrowed his eyes at Clara, "you could have at least picked a better joke."

Taking a moment to recover, Zep successfully kept his laughter contained. Still on the ground, a few gasps are released from him while he looked up at his adversaries, one who was reaching for something in his holster. "Hehehe, you wouldn't mind talking this out, would you?"

"Sure." With one quick motion, Caesar drew a multi-barrel firearm and pulled the trigger. The impact from the shot pushed Zep back as a wound opened on his shoulder. His tiny opponent wailed in agony while Caesar grinned without a care. "How about we call it a draw?"

"Damn...you..." The bleeding mite spotted his Soulstone just a few feet away. Wasting little time, he crawled towards it. "I must...escape...can't handle...two at once..." The mite knew when he had been beaten. If he could just get a hold of his Soulstone, he could use Titan to hold both of them off while he escaped to live and fight another day. "My Lady...my beautiful Lady...I failed you..."

----------

He thought back on the fateful day he received his Soulstone. The little creature had been chased out of a village by a gang of human children, who threw stones and bricks at him. He stopped when his path was blocked by a deep and flowing river and felt dread when the children pelted more rocks at him, some hitting their bullseye.

Not long after, another mite came to his rescue by baring its fangs and hissing, causing the children to run away in fear. The rescuer consoled the bleeding mite by hugging him and patting him on the head.

"Even though your people believed I was ugly, you looked past that and gave me a purpose. Was it pity? Love? In any case, I wanted to be your servant. As luck would have it, you gave me the tool to become not only that, but a king as well..."

----------

"All you wanted me to do was bring back your plaything to you. Even though I failed, I don't regret the chance you've given me to serve you. I-"

The mite's thoughts were interrupted when he felt a heavy weight land on his back just as he reached his Soulstone. An angry Clara turned off the jets on her back and landed on her opponent, knee-first on his spine. The creature twitched like a bug when she got off of him and did not resist when the Soulstone was taken from him.

"Finally. Cassiopeia is finished," Clara declared.

"Fool," the mite taunted. "You may have beaten Zep, but all you got for your trouble was the King's Stone."

"What," Clara asked flatly.

"Her Majesty...my Lady...she possesses the Queen's Stone, Cassiopeia. And thanks to the King's Stone, I was able to borrow her power. I was not expecting other Soulstone users this soon, and while I may have failed, I know she will avenge me." He coughed up some blood. "The King's Stone...Cepheus...is only useful when he borrows power from Cassiopeia."

"So that's why Pearl detected Cassiopeia..." Feeling slighted, Clara raised her mechanical fist to finish off the creature. "Why is she harassing us? Does she want our power? Alistair? Something else? What?"

But Zep only gave her a bloody, toothy grin. "Wouldn't you...like to know?"

Clara grunted in exasperation when the mite breathed his last and fell limp. She stood back up and loosened her grip on her own Soulstone while pocketing away both it and the new one she had acquired. Tsukuyomi's armor vanished in an instant, revealing some bruises around her arms, legs, and neck but otherwise looking as healthy as ever. "Well done, Tsukuyomi. Please get some rest."

Captain Caesar

"Put 'er there, partner!" Caesar raised a hand, hoping for a high five. His heart thumped when Clara not only drew herself closer to him, but also smiled sweetly as she did so. "She's feeling grateful for saving her. I guess I can trade a high five for a kiss on the cheek."

What greeted Caesar's cheek wasn't the soft lips of an elf who was rescued, but an angry backhand.

"That's for the weight comment from earlier," Clara said.

"For such a dainty thing, you hit pretty hard." Not complaining about something even he felt was well-deserved, Caesar held on to his cheek as if to keep his own face from collapsing.

"What are you doing here?"

"I said we came to find you, didn't I? By now, the rest of the crew should be getting your friends out of the tunnel."

"But how did you even find us? It's not like you knew the people we met along the way." Clara was perplexed. How did Caesar find them?

Caesar grinned confidently. "Beckett, want me to tell her?"

A ghostly pirate with a blue, translucent hue appeared behind Caesar. Like a typical pirate, he wore a black tricorne hat, a long beard, and had a hook for a hand, as well as having the strong smell of alcohol all over him.

As if to confirm Clara's suspicions, Caesar revealed a blue gemstone with the palm of his hand.

"A Soulstone..."

"Yup. Beckett calls it Pyxis. It lets me detect other stones, and it comes with its own tools."

"This could be a good thing...or a bad thing." Clara had doubts about how sincere Caesar's help actually was. He saved her from the mite, but was this the better outcome?

"You look tense," Caesar commented. "But the good Constable struck a deal with us. I promise, we ain't doing piratey things...for now."

"How do you expect me to trust you? You don't plan to steal the Soulstones we have, do you?"

"No." Caesar paused. "Oh, come on, don't stare at me like that. I came with Aquamarine. She and I have news to share with you. It's...about the one you call Starflower."

Clara was inwardly elated when she heard Aquamarine's name, but shifted back to dread when Starflower was mentioned. What news did Caesar bring?

----------

The rest of the pirate gang, along with Melodious Aquamarine, had carried Alistair and Lenoria to the safety of the other side of the tunnel. One of their own - the orc named Temuulen - was also sleeping due to being the first to enter the foggy tunnel without a mask on, and succumbed to its poison as a result.

Aquamarine went back inside to figure out a way to move Chestnut and the wagon, and the rest of the pirates accompanied her while Cecilia stayed outside to watch the sleeping bodies. Cecilia seemed bored at first until her eyes spied a vulnerable Alistair.

"We meet again, Mr. Knight. I guess this would make us even for saving this old pirate crew." The halfling knelt next to Alistair. "You know, my favorite fairy tale growing up was the one about the sleeping tavern wench cursed by a wizard to never wake up unless she received true love's kiss. When I grew older, I found it a bit creepy." She crawled until her lips were right next to the paladin's ear. "But looking at you now? I guess that story does have its appeal. If I was under a sleeping curse, I would definitely want a handsome lad in shining armor to kiss me. I'm wondering if it'll be okay to wake you up this way. I mean, you've probably been wanting more of what I gave you the other night..."

The halfling pirate could hear Alistair rolling away from her. When she looked back at him, Alistair had rolled about a good three feet away from her and had found himself in Lenoria's arms. The sleeping girl immediately blushed in her sleep and mumbled away. Cecilia crawled closer to them, but she was shocked to hear what Lenoria was saying when she got up close.

"...no, Alistair. N-not here," the blonde said as she smiled lecherously. "My throat is still sensitive from last time..."

"These two are in that kind of relationship? And hold up, last time? Is that why he walked with a limp that night?" Cecilia stomped the ground in place. "That tramp! How dare she make a move on him while I was gone?" She grunted. "I knew I should have stopped the crew from taking that detour to the Butterfly Plains."

"I-I guess it's okay, if it's you. Please," Lenoria conceded in her sleep, "please pour that chocolate all over..." She snored. "...all over my oatmeal." The blonde turned over on her side. "Thanks, Alistair. This one's not spicy at all."

"All that fuss for some chocolate?" Pinching the bridge of her nose for a second, the halfling woman placed her hands on Alistair's shoulder. "Forget this. I'll just wake him up the old-fashioned way."

Before she could do so much as get another word in, Cecilia felt a tap on her cheek. Lenoria was throwing punching motions in her sleep, each one as gentle as getting poked by an annoying sibling.

"Look out, my love," the blonde said in her sleep, "an evil goblin...tried to sneak up on you."

"Who the hell are you calling a goblaaaaaaaaah!" Cecilia felt her small body move on its own, and immediately discovered Lenoria had grabbed her ankle and threw her aside. She rolled and tumbled down a hill until a tree broke her fall...and most likely a bone or two.

Caesar and Clara, who had arrived since Lenoria started tapping her on the cheek, looked on with amusement and concern (the latter mostly from Caesar).

"Is she always like this when she sleeps," Caesar asked.

"Oh, yeah. This is a good day for her. You should see her when she goes to bed angry."

***

Enough time passed for Lenoria and Alistair to get the poison out of their system and wake up (as well as to tend to Cecilia's injuries). Lenoria was the first to open her eyes under the setting sun and was startled when the first thing she felt was Clara throwing herself at her for a hug.

"C-Clara, what are you doing?" She groggily looked around and realized she was outside the tunnel somewhere along the mountain trail. "What happened?"

"It's a long story," the elf said with a sniffle. "I'm just so happy you're okay!"

"D-don't cry. Just calm down and tell me what happened."

The girls waited for Alistair to wake up before Clara filled them in on what happened. As they conversed along the mountain trail, Aquamarine and the pirates returned along with Chestnut (now awake) pulling the wagon with them.

Once everyone was on the same page, Pearl returned by manifesting herself out of thin air. Caesar and Cecilia jumped at the sight of her, but the former only needed a moment to recover. "And who's this beautiful lady?"

Pearl rolled her eyes and just turned her attention back to her group. "Well done, Clara. But even though we won this time, this could have gotten ugly pretty quickly. Had you not been immune to sleep magic, our journey together would have ended here." She closed her fist firmly. "To think I was deceived. I definitely detected Cassiopeia's energy. I had no way to know it was Cepheus who borrowed her power."

"Don't beat yourself up, Pearl," Lenoria said, having recovered from her nap. "You did what you could, and Clara was ready. I'd say this was the best outcome."

"You're correct," Alistair said. "We owe our lives to you and Miss Clara."

"I can't take all the credit here." Not willing to admit it, Clara nevertheless directed all eyes to the pirate captain. "Caesar helped me break free when I needed it the most. If he hadn't shown up, I was ready to send Tsukuyomi back with Apus to get you two to safety."

"You have my thanks, Caesar." Lenoria raised a thumb of approval. "Why didn't you tell us about that stone of yours, though?"

Caesar shrugged. "It never came up. Beckett was taking his nap after a very taxing battle, and he only returned right after our groups parted ways."

"I see," Pearl commented. She eyed the ghostly pirate behind Caesar, who observed the conversation quietly. "You, too, entered the Star Dream. I would like for you to enter our fold, Beckett."

"Bah," the ghostly pirate said dismissively. "I have no choice in the matter, anyway. This punk struck a deal with the Constable, so I have no choice but to join you and your crew."

"Wow. Two Soulstones in a single day," Lenoria said.

"Three," Cecilia interjected as she, too, revealed a Soulstone of her own. This one was colored threefold, with even shades of navy blue, teal, and white. "No captain rules the sea without his own pirate ship. As chief mate of the Celestial Compass, it's only fitting that I'm the one who is in charge of the ship's maintenance."

"My pride and joy: The Argo Navis," Beckett said proudly.

"It would explain why you two escaped my detection abilities," Pearl commented. "I wonder how many more we missed along the way."

Melodious Aquamarine shyly shifted her body side to side as she, too, revealed a Soulstone. "Four."

"You've got to be kidding me..." Pearl lowered her head.

Alistair's hand shook as he pointed at Aquamarine. "You too, Miss Aquamarine?" He then felt something soft pressed against his leg. "Eh?" A couple of somethings, actually.

"My, my," Cecilia said as she squeezed the paladin's leg. "You've gotten involved with some pretty dangerous women, haven't you? Why don't you stick close to me, darling? I can protect you a lot better than that skinny little tomboy."

"E-excuse me?"

Lenoria squeezed her fist at that remark. "You mind letting go of my man, little lady?"

"That's funny, I don't see your name on him," Cecilia retorted. "I bet he wouldn't mind seeing mine every day if it was marked across the chest."

"Ladies..."

"You better let go before I pummel you into a bloody paste," Lenoria warned the halfling right before lunging at her. Clara and Tsukuyomi snatched her arms just in time to hold her back.

"Easy, Lenoria! Y-you must be tired!"

"Let go, Clara!"

Feeling embarrassed enough, Alistair set his foot down. "That's enough, all of you!"

"But Al," Lenoria whined.

"No buts. Lenoria, there are better ways to resolve conflict than violence, especially with people who have helped us. Your devotion to me is duly noted, but there's no need for barbaric methods to show it."

Lenoria crossed her arms and pouted. "You didn't think I was barbaric when I punched that bugbear for you..."

"And Miss Cecilia," he said to the halfling pirate, "your feelings have not gone unnoticed, but I made a promise to Lenoria. I will never betray her trust and faith in me, and I would appreciate it if you didn't try to tempt me."

"Are you sure?" Cecilia batted her eyelashes. "I may be small, but I'm as comfortable as a pillow, at least compared to her."

Lenoria quickly realized what Cecilia was referring to, and crossed her arms to hide her chest. "And just what are you leering at, pervert?"

"You and I both know there's nothing to look at, blondie. He'll be happier with me for that reason." Cecilia shrugged. "I know how it is with men. Bigger is usually better. That's why pretty girls get away with more."

Lenoria had a hard time keeping her anger in check, and perhaps because of that, Alistair set his foot down again.

"Miss Cecilia, I think if you like someone a lot, how they are on the outside doesn't really matter. I hadn't even noticed Lenoria's, um, finer features until you pointed them out. There's definitely something about her that you can't see, and that happens to be the feature that won me over."

Shocked by Alistair's gentle scolding, Cecilia felt the urge to know more. "And what would that be, Mr. Knight?"

"If you can't see it, I'm afraid I can't help you." He sighed. "What matters is that you now know where I stand. I advise both of you to set your differences aside and work together. Please."

Alistair's authoritative voice placated both women. Lenoria blushed and complied by sitting down on a nearby rock, while Cecilia rolled her eyes and went back to the rest of the pirates. The scene made Caesar chuckle, which reduced the tension even more. "He's got a point there, Cecilia. It's better to not get involved with those two. Loyal men like Alistair here are hard to find."

"Hmph," Cecilia scoffed. "If he's got any sense, he'll come around soon enough."

"Uh, thanks..." Alistair said to Caesar.

"Hey," Caesar whispered, "making you look good in front of your woman ain't free, pal. How about we call it even with a gold piece or two?"

"..."

"I'd hate to interrupt," Aquamarine interjected, "but we're wasting time here. Caesar, don't you have something to say?"

"Hey, you're in this as much as we are." Not wishing to be the bearer of bad news, Caesar hesitated to change the subject. "Uh, Lenoria? If I can talk to you seriously, there's something I'd like to say."

"Um, yes." Lenoria stopped blushing and focused her attention on the pirate captain. "What's up?"

"You might want to stay seated for this. There's a reason the Constable asked us to join you. It's...about your headmaster."

"Starflower?" Lenoria's feelings towards Cecilia's earlier remark were quickly overridden at the mere mention of the headmaster. "Did they move his trial date? Did they give him the chair? What?"

Caesar and Aquamarine glanced awkwardly at each other. One of them had to break the news, and neither one wanted to be it. They feared this would shatter the girl in some way, but they knew she would find out sooner or later whether they stayed quiet or not. It had to be said.

For better...or worse.

Conclusion to the Road to Thule arc!

Lenoria receives some terrible news...and that's just the beginning!

"What do you mean Starflower's out of jail? That is so unfair!"

"Deep breaths, Lenoria! We just arrived in Thule, so let's do our best!"

"Yeah, we're definitely not in Helix anymore. Pearl, do you sense any Soulstones?"

"Many. Looks like you've got your work cut out for you, but this is to be expected. You already made some friends, but after the Cepheus incident, it would be safe to assume the wielders are enemies until we meet them."

"Heh, no worries. With my trusty cutlass and my pirate crew, we'll obtain those treasures in no time!"

"Hang on, what are those nobles doing to my Alistair?! And who's that punk with the red hood?"

"There's one with a blue hood, too."

"I don't know, the cutie with the red one seems okay to me."

"This will be bonkers for sure. Noble houses, undead, and...a paladin heroine? Only here in A Quest for the Stars: Welcome to Thule!" Lenoria paused. "Huh? What do you mean we won't be there 'til mid-August?"

A Quest for the Stars is a work with an entry in Paizo's Community Use Registry. No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission.

This novel is only posted here on Royal Road. If you see it anywhere else, please contact Antares905 at https://www.royalroad.com/profile/390982 . Thank you!