How can I save the world if I'm no longer the hero?

Joan yelped and flailed, dropping to the ground. She hit it and tumbled, closing her eyes and rolling a little bit before she managed to catch herself. Luckily, she didn't lose her staff.

Sand. Darkness and sand. Far too dark to see. All she could feel under herself was sand, but she didn't want to risk moving too much and disturbing something. "Bauteut?" Joan asked.

"Ow…" Bauteut said softly. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Joan said. "Somewhere near Penthe, though. I'm—"

The words were cut off when suddenly something wrapped around her from behind. A hand went over her mouth and muffled her words. She heard Bauteut give a confused sound of her own, but the other girl didn't say anything.

She readied to ram the staff back, but a voice made her go still. "Joan, don't say a word," Penthe whispered. "Don't move unless you want to die."

Joan went still. Penthe was holding her, but she didn't know why. Apparently something was going on. She just wished she could see anything. Slowly, she looked up.

There weren't any stars. It was just solid darkness. Yet, there was sand beneath her feet. She could feel it. Why would--

She heard a light clicking and a growl. The sand shifted slightly and she felt something moving past her.

Something large.

No, something massive. She didn't have to touch it to practically feel its size when it moved past them. The sand was moved aside, washing over her feet and getting into her boots, but she tried to ignore it.

There was another light clicking and a sudden high pitched, terrifying scream.

Distorted and horrific. She felt that scream through her bones and it was horrifyingly, terrifyingly familiar. She'd only been near one in all her time as Joan, but she never wanted to be near it again. Last time she had been with all seven of the Chosen and they had kept it from getting too close. But she could feel it sliding past them now. The sound of its tentacles sliding through the sand was enough to make her almost want to run away and hide. But she knew that wasn't an option. Any sound, any cry, even a whimper might give her away.

Why? Why were one of THOSE here? HOW? She had to glance up once more. They weren't outside. There weren't any stars. No light at all. They weren't in the Deadlands. So how were one of THOSE things here? WHY?

There was another shriek, this one less animalistic, in the distance. The hulking mass went still for a moment before the sand shifted with such force it sent both her and Penthe back, slamming into a wall. Penthe, to her credit, kept her arms around Joan and held the hand over her mouth. She didn't even make a sound aside from the light clink of her armor hitting the wall. Joan was too dazed and achy to say a word in objection, her head slightly ringing from the strike.

They could hear the monster leaving and, slowly, the hand was lowered from her mouth, but didn't let her go.

"Who are you?" Penthe's voice came, filled with anger.

"Joan," Joan said. "And Bauteut. Penthe? Is that you?"

"Can I let her go now?" Qakog asked.

"No," Penthe said, her voice cold. "How do we know you're really Joan? Why would Joan be here?"

"The Nameless One sent us," Joan said. "Because you're in danger."

"Why would the Nameless One send you? Why would they help you at all?" Penthe asked, her other hand tightening around her. "Last I saw you, you were unconscious on a beach. Tell me one reason I should trust you."

"Hold still," Qakog said. "If you're really Bauteut, you're not in any danger. I just-- OW! She bit me!"

"Bauteut, if that's you," Penthe said, her voice cold. "Stop fighting or I'll have him kill you."

"That did it," Qakog said.

"Well then, Joan, if that's really you. Tell me one reason you should be trusted," Penthe asked.

"Well—" Joan started, before yelping when she felt something pressed against her throat. "Oh, this is familiar."

"That's not an answer," Penthe said.

"Well, I mean, there's not a lot of reasons to trust me," Joan said sheepishly. "You keep trying to kill me, and then not kill me, and then kill me. How about when my memory was all messed up because Korgron broke your sword and then you took me to that manor? Showed me that underground place you were hiding in? Or how about the fact I can go through the Realm of the Gods? How about when you had me free that earth elemental thing in the Realm of the Gods? You said I could help you fix your other problems and go on adventures and face ancient evils and stuff?"

"I never said that," Penthe said.

"It was implied," Joan said quickly. "But, ummm, I have one question for you. One very important question."

"What?" Penthe asked, her voice cold as ice.

"Are you my aunt?" Joan asked. "You know my parents. Are they… are we related?"

Penthe was silent for a few moments before she gave an exhausted sigh. The blade was slowly pulled from her throat. "Of course. Once again, the Fate's have more jests at my expense. How?"

"The Nameless One," Joan said. "Apparently they realized it when I went to speak with them."

"And why did you go to speak with them?"

"Because there was a whole thing with a hag and apparently the Nameless One was trying to get a hold of my soul once I died and make me a river hag," Joan said. "I am actually still working on that, but they showed me that you were going to die to a vampire here if I didn't come and help you."

"Gods give me strength," Penthe said softly. "River hag?"

"It's a long story," Joan said. "When I was a little girl, I… well… that's not really important here."

"That probably makes it the most important thing," Penthe said. "Qakog, let her go. It seems to be them. Joan, why are you here? Bauteut, I told you to keep her safe."

"I can only do so much," Bauteut said. "When it comes to Joan, you just learn to follow along and try to keep her out of too much trouble. What was that?"

"Demon," Penthe said. "There's a lot of them in this place. We need to keep moving. Joan, if you can leave, then leave."

"I can't," Joan said. "This is kind of a one-way trip."

"Of course," Penthe said, the fury clear in her voice. "Armor yourself. There's no telling what's going to come for us."

"Uhhhhhh," Joan said sheepishly. "I actually don't have my armor now. Guardian Nova isn't really coming to me anymore."

She could hear Penthe muttering a slow, steady string of curses under her breath, some in languages she didn't even think existed anymore. At least, she assumed they were curses. The tone certainly implied that they were curses.

"Sorry," Joan said sheepishly. "The Nameless One gave me a weapon, though. And a medallion."

"Of course they did," Penthe said. "I have things under control."

"But they showed your death, to a vampire who—"

"They showed you a possibility," Penthe said. "I have things well in hand. You shouldn't be here. Where's Chase?"

"He's… not coming," Joan said softly. "This place… he's… he wants nothing to do with it."

"Should we be waiting here?" Bauteut asked. "What even was that?"

"I don't think it has a name," Joan said. "Most people who run into one are dead and the rest of the world never needs to know they exist."

"Then can we go and pretend we never ran into it?" Bauteut asked.

"She makes a good point," Qakog said.

"Thank you," Bauteut said. "And, uh, sorry for biting you."

"It's okay, I'd have done the same," Qakog said.

"What did I do to deserve this?" Penthe asked. Joan felt a hand grab her arm and start pulling her. "Come on. We need to get somewhere safe so I can question you both properly."

"Does safe exist here?" Joan asked.

"Safe enough," Penthe said.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"How goes finding Dixon?" Joan asked.

"Not well…" Qakog said softly.

Penthe just gave a low growl.

------

"So then I kind of made a deal with the Nameless One and they sent me here. Apparently they can… kind of see things around me, I think," Joan said. "Supposedly they can talk to me, too. But I haven't had them say anything so I'm not sure if that's true or not."

Penthe just rubbed her forehead, the sound of metal grinding against metal dissipating quickly in the tunnel. From what she could see the 'Gauntlet' was a long string of tunnels ranging from so wide she could barely see the opposite side through the little bit of light they could make with magic to so narrow they had to walk single file through them.

On the positive side, there wasn't any more sand and, therefore, no more of those… things. They'd passed at least one more in the darkness before they'd escaped.

"So you trusted the Nameless One," Penthe said. "You almost got all of us killed with that stunt. Some things here even I wouldn't want to fight."

"What even were those things?" Bauteut asked.

"I don't know if they even have a name," Joan said. "Penthe?"

"If I knew a name for them once, I don't now," Penthe said. "But that doesn't matter. I'm more concerned they managed to get some here. They're not exactly something you can tame and drag around. I'm also concerned that you made a deal with the Nameless One. Of all the stupid things I would expect you to do, Joan, that is one of the worst."

"You expect me to do stupid things?" Joan asked. "I mean, I would. But if you're just going to expect it, what's the point?"

Even through Penthe's helmet she could practically feel the look she was receiving for that. Bauteut and Qakog grinned at least.

"But it's fine," Joan said. "If I die here, then… well… apparently my soul is currently divided into two parts as it is and I am going to probably need your help with that anyway. On top of that, there's the whole… you dying thing. I don't want that. I only just got you to stop trying to kill me and I've never had an aunt before, I'm really excited about that. We could go on adventures!"

"Stars give me strength," Penthe said, shaking her head.

"Also, I wanna know why you're even here," Joan said. "I thought you were going after Dixon? Not through some weird underground gauntlet of death?"

"Oh, oh, can I?" Qakog asked, his eyes glimmering with excitement.

Penthe gave the most exhausted sigh before responding. "If you must."

"Well, first we went into this amazing underwater city. You should have seen it," Qakog said. "A city of the dead on the back of a massive turtle. The primary part of the city, where the living could go, was held within a great air bubble and the undead lived outside of it, cleaning away the waste, making outer homes, polishing its shell. It was incredible. We could see out through small windows in the bubble as we traveled. There were the most beautiful corals that sparkled like jewels, a forest of them, each so massive you could have fit the entirety of Kazora on any of them and had room for many more!"

"T-that sounds amazing," Joan whispered, unable to keep the awe out of her voice. "Do you think on the way back we'll get to see it again?"

"Maybe!" Qakog said. "Then we went into this great underwater cave and came out to this small, underground city! It must have been dwarven, but it had all but crumbled long ago. Now it is ruled by this vampire known as Saga! Here's the best part. He was EXPECTING us!"

"That is far from the best part," Penthe said, the grouchiness in her tone making Joan snicker.

"It was amazing. He had a feast for us and everything," Qakog said. "He thought Penthe was the Demon Lord and I was a Chosen or her consort."

"Wait, what?" Joan asked, the smile falling off her face. "Why would he think that? What did you do?" They all turned to look at her and her cheeks went red. "S-sorry."

"Are you jealous?" Qakog asked, his eyes managing to glimmer even more.

"N-no," Joan said. "So, Demon Lord?"

"It was a trap," Penthe said. "He knew who Dixon was. He'd hoped to lure the Demon Lord or possibly the Chosen to us. Once he realized who we were, he was a lot less hospitable."

"It was incredible," Qakog said. "He started by showing us all of these trophies and statues, great monsters that he had slain in the past. Said our world was filled with them and he had come here, seeking a worthy challenge to meet his end. Then he showed us his massive coliseum."

"I offered to just kill him if he wanted to meet his end so badly," Penthe said, the annoyance clear in her voice.

"She tried to stab him," Qakog said. "She's upset it didn't work."

"He took me by surprise," Penthe said, her voice turning cold.

"He said if we wanted Dixon back, we'd have to earn the right to face him in the Gauntlet. If we can make our way through it, back to the coliseum, he'll see us as worthy to face him in battle," Qakog said. "If we can slay him, Dixon will be released to us. Otherwise, well…"

"He believes only a Chosen can slay him and took me by surprise," Penthe said, her voice bitter. "He's powerful, but I've slain worse. As arrogant as the Hero."

"Ow," Joan said.

"Penthe," Bauteut said.

"Joan is still quite arrogant," Penthe said. "She needs to work on that."

"So do you," Bauteut said curtly.

"You do have quite the tongue on you," Penthe said.

"Especially when I'm right," Bauteut said.

Penthe just gave another soft sigh.

"So, if we get to the end of this… place, we can fight him?" Joan asked.

"Apparently," Qakog said. "But he's strong. Incredibly strong. He was fast, too. It was like he was reacting to our attacks before we even tried them."

"He's not from our world," Penthe said. "He's from… somewhere else. I don't know where. But I don't think he has been here long. If he has, he's hidden himself far too well for someone who has been trying to attract the Chosen to him. As concerning as he is, though, I'm more concerned by the statue he had in the middle of his little arena."

"Oh, oh! I forgot about that!" Qakog said. "You won't believe it, Joan. It was an angel. Made of stone."

"A what made of stone?" Joan asked.

"Angel," Penthe said. "Not… really… something I've seen before. Great winged creatures, they were said to be servants of the gods long ago, but I can't say if that's true. The fates didn't use them."

"She was beautiful, even made of stone," Qakog said. "She had this sword jammed through her chest, though. He told us it was a tribute to his greatest foe and offered to let us try to pull the sword free. Then Penthe attacked him before I could try."

"The sword was a trap," Penthe said. "It was surrounded by ash and there was enough magic flowing through it even you should have felt it."

"But imagine if I were to pull such a sword from the angelic statue," Qakog said, his voice filled with awe. "I could get a new title."

"In the middle of the coliseum?" Joan asked. "Seems like a weird place to put a statue. So, we get there, kill him, take Dixon and go? That doesn't seem so hard."

"I'll kill him," Penthe said. "You three just need to stay out of my way. Joan, you especially."

"I can help," Joan said quickly.

"You don't have your armor or sword," Penthe said. "I don't want you getting hurt, again."

"But—"

"This isn't up to debate," Penthe said.

"I—"

"Joan," Penthe said. "You almost died once. You're not doing that again."

"I ju—"

Penthe reached out and grabbed her staff, before yanking her hand off it. "I sai—" She then stopped. She paused and grabbed the staff again, but didn't move.

Joan just looked down at it. She didn't feel any pressure on the staff itself. "I could help, though. You can't can't just handle everything yourself."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you," Penthe said. "You were the Hero, remember?"

"And I had help from seven VERY important people," Joan said. "You just need to have help from three."

"Oh hey, she didn't forget about us," Bauteut said chipperly.

"Of course I didn't," Joan said. "Penthe, please. What are you doing?"

"What is this thing?" Penthe snapped, her hand not letting go of the staff.

Joan frowned and tried to pull it back, but when she did Penthe almost fell over, letting go of it quickly. "Uhhhhh…" Joan said. "What?"

"So now you have a magic stick," Penthe said. "That doesn't change anything."

"You need our help," Joan said. "You can't kill this thing alone. And I probably can't kill it alone, either."

"That's why you can't interfere," Penthe snapped.

"And what do you think he'll do to us once you're dead?" Joan asked. "It doesn't do us any good to protect us if you end up getting killed and then we die because you weren't there to help."

"I'm not going to die, but I can't protect you and me at the same time," Penthe said, glowering down at her.

"Nobody can protect me," Joan said. "Wait, no, that came out wrong."

"Pretty accurate, honestly," Bauteut said.

"Nobody can protect me from me," Joan said. "I'm going to fight with you, like it or not! Because I've already seen how this fight goes if I'm not there."

"And what if nothing changes?" Penthe asked. "And you threw your life away for nothing? How am I supposed to face your mother then?"

"You won't, but it's not like I haven't died before," Joan said. "I mean, I'd like to not but I probably have more experience dying than anyone here except maybe you!"

"I swear by the gods, Joan," Penthe said. "You're not interfering in this. You cannot just run into this and hope, somehow, you survive. I didn't want you getting involved in this to begin with."

"I'm not surprised," Joan said. "But I survived you, the Demon Lord, the Hungry One and frankly annoying all of the Chosen one by one. I didn't go through all that just to let you get killed trying to find some jerk who was going to shatter my legs just so I couldn't run from him!"

"Wait, what?" Penthe asked.

"Dixon, we've met, we didn't get along," Joan said. "But that's not really important here. He's a jerk, but he's the jerk YOU want! So I am HELPING you get him and then we're going to talk and I am going to ask you so many questions because THAT is what I do! I go to places, I kill something scary, I save someone who needs it, I ask ten questions and have a dozen new ones that appear in the wake of it and I've gone too far and done this for too long to change it now!"

Penthe let out a frustrated growl before turning towards Bauteut and Qakog. "And what about you two? What do you have to say about this?"

"I mean," Bauteut said. "She does have a good record of not dying when we're all working to stop her. It's not like we can just go back to the Nameless One and the only way forward is through that vampire, right?"

"I'd hope none of you expect me to run from a fight with a powerful vampire," Qakog said.

"Of course," Penthe muttered before she started walking again. "Fine. It was so much easier when I just had to try and kill you, Joan."

"I mean, you never succeeded at it," Joan said, quickly running to keep up. "You've kept me not dead a lot more times."

"Trying to kill you was slightly less stressful," Penthe muttered. "But only slightly."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Joan said. "I think the fae hate me. Or are at least scared of me. It's pretty great."

Joan wasn't sure, but she swore she could hear just the faintest snicker from Penthe. But maybe it was her imagination.