CHAPTER 39: A GNOME?

Stephan had been so focused on tearing the Orc apart that he hadn’t even noticed Anna Mary’s condition. When he finally turned and saw her lying there,pale, blood pooling beneath her, cold dread pierced through the lingering battle-high.

"Damn that Orc..." he muttered, voice dark with frustration. "I should’ve killed him slowly."

He stepped toward them, jaw clenched.

"Grief....can’t you do something? Do something, damn it!"

Grief didn’t look up. Her hands were already glowing with dull black light, pressed against Anna Mary’s wound.

"I’m trying, my Lord," she said quietly. "But... not in this realm. My healing isn’t responding here."

Stephan’s eyes narrowed.

Is it the same reason I don’t have full access to the System? he wondered. Grief was created through the System’s Abyssal protocol... If the System is malfunctioning here, then she’s affected too...

But why? What is this realm?

"Damn that bird..." Stephan growled through clenched teeth. "Damn you, Noctis."

"Noctis?" Yennefer glanced at him. "What did he do?"

"This realm," Stephan spat, barely containing his frustration. "It’s nothing like how he described it."

He gave a hollow, bitter laugh. "’Crawlingwith soul-eaters,’ he said. ’Be careful,’ he said. Crawling with soul-eaters my ass...why the hell are there Orcs here?"

Yennefer’s brow furrowed. "Now that you mention it... we haven’t encountered a single corrupted soul yet."

She looked around at the cracked stone and dark skyline. "This place doesn’t feel artificial at all. It feels... alive. Like the ruins of a real city."

She paused. "But Noctis said this realm was fabricated. Like a test field."

"He could’ve tricked us," Stephan said, eyes narrowing. "Back in the Void Mansion, he said he could control every conversation that takes place there. For all we know, he fed the other players completely different information."

Yennefer’s expression darkened as the thought settled in.

"And now that I think about it... we haven’t encountered a single other player since we arrived."

"We can’t lose Anna Mary," Stephan muttered, the anger fading into something heavier. "Not now..."

The realization struck him harder than he expected. He genuinely didn’t want to lose her. Back in his previous life, he had always admired her, from a distance, perhaps, but the feeling was real. In this one they were meant to be rivals, destined to fight for the Death King’s throne... yet the idea of killing her now felt unthinkable.

Not yet, he told himself. Not her.

"Grief," he said sharply, struggling to keep the edge out of his voice, "try something...anything. Don’t just let her slip away."

"I’m trying," Grief replied, sweat gathering at her temple. "But I need more power. My link to the Abyss is still obstructed...."

"I can help."

The voice was soft... but old. Ancient, almost. They all turned at once, startled.

"What the fu...." Stephan began, instinctively raising his sword.

They found a small figure standing calmly behind them, as though he’d been there the entire time. Old, weathered, barely reaching Stephan’s waist. A hooded emerald-green cloak draped over his shoulders, fastened with a golden scarf. One of his eyes was hidden behind a scarred, wrinkled lid, the other sharp and unnervingly perceptive. He took a slow pull from the polished pipe between his fingers, the ember at its tip glowing softly.

"Well now," the old figure said, exhaling a thin ribbon of smoke. "No need to raise that blade, young man. I’m not here to fight."

Stephan blinked twice. "Yennefer... are you seeing what I’m seeing?"

Yennefer stared, eyes wide. "Is that... a gnome?"

"Huh?" Stephan muttered, still trying to process it. "Come to think of it... the Orc was looking for a ’thieving gnome.’"

"A gnome? Yes, I’m a gnome," the old creature said with a small huff. "But I’m no thief..."

Stephan blinked again. "It talked. Yennefer...it talked."

"Yes," Yennefer said flatly. "You’re not dreaming."

The gnome took another puff of his pipe and tilted his head, studying them with open curiosity. "So this is what a human looks like..." he mused. "Fascinating. Who would’ve thought humans actually existed?"

"What the hell is this place?" Stephan muttered, exasperation bleeding into his voice. "First Orcs...and now a little man...a fucking gnome. A talking gnome."

The gnome ignored him completely. His one good eye shifted toward Yennefer... and widened slightly.

"My word," he said, sounding genuinely impressed. "Human women are stunning."

Yennefer blinked, taken aback. "I....what?"

Stephan scowled. "Hey. Eyes off."

The gnome ignored Stephan completely.

"I am Fizzwigg Hoggle, my lady," he said with a small bow and a pleasant smile.

Yennefer blinked. "Is... is it talking to me?"

"I believe it is..." Stephan muttered.

He stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "Listen here, Freezewig...if you’re looking for trouble, I won’t hesitate to cut you down like I did that Orc over there..."

Fizzwigg glanced toward the still-smoldering corpse.

"Ah... yes. So you’re the one who defeated Grizbarn."

Stephan raised an eyebrow. "Grizbarn? ...Was he your friend?"

"What? No, no, no...how could we be friends?" Fizzwigg spluttered. "Gnomes and Orcs are natural enemies. He was hunting me. And thankfully... you killed him."

He turned back to Yennefer and bowed again, even deeper than before. "I owe you my life, my lady."

"I’m the one who killed him, you short piece of shit," Stephan snapped.

Anna Mary let out a weak groan.

Fizzwigg glanced at her, expression softening. "Hmm. I see someone is in critical condition. May I take a look?"

Yennefer hesitated. "Can we trust him?"

"She might die, Lord Stephan," Grief said quietly. "We need help."

"Healing happens to be my specialty, you see," the gnome added, sounding perfectly confident.

Stephan exhaled sharply. "Fine. But if you try any sketchy stunts... I will kill you."

Fizzwigg tilted his head. "What are... ’sketchy stunts’?"

Stephan stared at him. "...Fuck you."

Fizzwigg didn’t seem offended in the slightest. In fact, he gave a cheerful nod and walked past Stephan as though he’d just been granted a royal invitation.

"Right then. Let’s have a look."

He crouched beside Anna Mary and placed his small, calloused hand gently against her blood-soaked side. His one good eye narrowed with focus as he took a slow breath. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then faint golden motes of light seeped from his fingers, sinking into her wound.

Yennefer’s eyes widened. Even Grief paused.

"...That’s not Abyssal magic," Grief murmured.

Fizzwigg didn’t answer. The glow grew stronger, spreading across Anna Mary’s torso like warm sunlight. Her breathing, which had been shallow and ragged, began to steady. Stephan watched carefully, sword still in hand.

After several tense seconds, the gnome pulled his hand back and exhaled. "There. That should stabilize her for now. She’ll still need rest, but her soul-thread is no longer unraveling."

Anna Mary gave another faint groan, but this time her expression relaxed, as though the pain had lessened.

Fizzwigg stood and dusted off his cloak.

"She looks better," Yennefer said quietly. "She’s not... going to slip back into that miserable state, is she?"

Stephan gave her a sharp, questioning look. Yennefer immediately looked away, jaw tightening.

Fizzwigg exhaled and shook his head. "I can’t guarantee a full recovery....not quickly, anyway. Without the proper reagents, this is only a stabilizing treatment. The body will mend in time, but her soul has been damaged. She’ll need rest... and preferably a place that isn’t a corpse-strewn street."

Stephan stared down at Anna Mary in silence for a long moment before finally lowering his sword.

"...Thanks," he said under his breath, the word almost dragging itself out of him.

The gnome dipped his head. "Don’t thank me just yet. You still owe me a favor for saving her life."

Stephan lifted a brow. "A favor?"

Fizzwigg smiled, a small, clever little smile. "Of course. Gnome magic doesn’t come free, young human. There is always... a cost."

"Saving your skin doesn’t come free either, little man," Stephan said flatly.

Fizzwigg blinked. "Saving me? What are you talking about?"

"Don’t play dumb," Stephan growled. "That Orc I killed? He was hunting you. You were hiding from him and his Bonehowlers until I put him down."

The gnome sniffed. "I didn’t ask you to kill him, did I?"

"And we didn’t ask you to heal Anna, did we?" Stephan shot back. "You offered."

Fizzwigg opened his mouth... then closed it again, his one good eye narrowing in irritation.

"Ughhh! Fine, fair enough... male human," Fizzwigg grumbled.

"It’s Stephan," he snapped.

"Right. Stephan." The gnome lifted his chin. "Then how about we make a deal?"

Yennefer narrowed her eyes. "What kind of deal?"

"It’s obvious you have no idea where you are," Fizzwigg said, folding his arms behind his back. "And honestly, I don’t really care why you’re here. But...I do need help. Escort me safely back to Magodilin..."

"Magodi... what?" Stephan cut in.

"Magodilin," the gnome repeated patiently. "It’s my home. A gnome city. If you help me reach it, I’ll get proper treatment for your beautiful friend. We have herbs and runes that can heal her in the blink of an eye."

Stephan and Yennefer exchanged a glance.

Fizzwigg took a slow puff of his pipe. "I’ll also serve as your guide. A map, if you will. Help you find whatever it is you’re looking for."

Yennefer’s expression made it clear she didn’t like the idea.

Stephan, however, stayed silent, running through the possibilities. There was no guarantee Anna Mary would survive if he refused...and a guide would give them a serious advantage over the other players. But another thought nagged at him:

If this gnome wants an escort... what is he afraid of?

And why was a Moon Guardian Orc hunting him in the first place?

Still... Anna Mary came first.

Stephan’s eyes hardened.

"How do we know," he said quietly, "that you won’t betray us?"

Fizzwigg smiled, completely unfazed.

"I mean... look at you." He gestured up and down at Stephan’s shadow-wreathed form. "You reek of danger and darkness. What kind of fool would willingly cross a creature like you?"

A low chuckle slipped from Stephan’s throat. "Fair enough. ...Deal."

Yennefer opened her mouth to protest, then stopped. The look in Stephan’s eyes told her his mind was already made up.

She exhaled quietly and turned back to Anna Mary, brushing a strand of hair from the unconscious girl’s brow.