Chapter Three Hundred And Thirty Five – 335
It was the morning of the fifteenth day since they had departed from Setoria that Zara heard the cry.
"Haarwatch! Quarter-glass out!"
The shout was one of glee, unmistakable to anyone who heard it. The Haarguard around her cheered, the fog of sleep burnt away in their contagious excitement. Not even Zara herself couldn't keep a fierce smile from slipping across her lips. It was indeed good to see the city again. The Verdant Pass had been filled with countless monster hordes that had come down from the mountains and through the mines, attacking villagers and clogging the Gates that spanned the Pass. They had even spent precious days combating them in efforts to secure the monster lures that had drawn the hordes together. Lures that the Redcloaks had left scattered across the Pass, and which drew in beasts by the hundred.
"I'll admit, I cannot wait for a bath," Reed said from beside her. "Close quarters living with this many soldiers is bringing back unpleasant memories. Unpleasant smells."
"You should have attuned to water Mana," Zara said. She let small waves manifest above her left palm, swirling with aquamarine light. "It is quite good at cleansing."
"I've had to settle on redirecting the air flows around me," Reed said with a frown. "Air Mana attunement is a tradition among the Daynes."
"And you're a member of their House, are you?" Zara asked.
"Adopted, yes. Ever since I made Captain of the Duke's strike team." Reed sighed as he leaned forward, his overlarge hands gripping the Manaship's railing as if he could wring more speed out of the craft. "A House I'll find myself without if something has befallen my ward."
Zara kept her Spirit carefully veiled, and only nodded slowly. Sagely, perhaps. "I trust she is safe from harm. Felix will have protected her."
"I fear the Fiend's intentions more than some monster," Reed growled. "Something is...off about that boy."
The Chanter hummed in contemplation. "Your fear is misplaced, Darius."
Reed narrowed his eyes at her, and this time she heard the railing crack beneath his grip. "I fear no child, Sorcerer. Autarch or not." He spun away from her and onto the deck, calling out for more speed from the helmsmen.
The Manaship thrummed beneath her, processing more power through its complex arrays. It was a feat of etheric engineering that Zara had no solid grasp ofaside from the basicsbut which impressed her to no end. Perhaps this was how the ancients traveled, rushing across leagues on a transport hewed from the earth and flung into the heavens. It would have been a divine miracle were one of these crafts invented when she was a child. Zara grimaced; those had been dark times. The Continent she had walked across these many centuries had changed much, too much if her mentor were to be asked.
It will change far more in the coming years, she thought. If we have that long.
With their extra speed, the walls and buildings of Haarwatch soon came into clearer view. Now even those with minimal Perception could make out the sprawling remains of the Sunrise Quarter, filled with the early morning bustle of market and industry. Zara could make out smoke and raised voices from the river and the Dust Quarter, men and women of all Races waking to begin their days.
The mines must have been recovered, she mused. They had been lost due to lack of wards, filling quickly with monsters from the deep. That she could spot the nearest mines active again meant they were once more safe. An impressive feat.
Almost as impressive as the newly rebuilt Haarwatch Manor at the elevated center of the city. It was twice as high as it had been only a few months ago, evidence of the industrious population, and resembled nothing so much as a fortified castle. Cal had intended for it to be a place of safety in the city, somewhere everyone from all Quarters would be welcome. It now exuded a sense of stout defense, a shelled beast huddling over the city skyline. At its top, however, three cylindrical towers stuck up into the sky. Each one was a third as wide as the Manor itself and equipped with ringed platforms around their topmost levels.
Air docks. That they had built them already was surprising. Yet when she glanced about at the city, she changed her mind. The destruction left in the wake of the Ravager King, Revenants, and "Battle of Haarwatch" had been largely repaired. She felt at the air with her Affinity, and a rousing melody sprang up from below, bracing and strident but calm for all of that. A stark difference from the chaos unfolding in Setoria. That's a relief, at least.
Their convoy of Manaships passed over the walls of Haarwatch, and the hustle of the guards increased as packs were fetched and armor buckled. Kelgan shouted crisp commands as the Haarguard assembled atop decks, a few still rubbing sleep out of their eyes as they gazed out at their home.
"It's been a long journey," the spearman lieutenant said. His left arm was in a sling, one of many injuries that they hadn't time to heal. His right arm clung tightly to his well-worn spear, covered in scratches and dings, but newly polished for the day. "All of you have proven yourselves twenty times over, gaining levels and Tier Formations. You've become strong. Defenders of Haarwatch by any measure of the word." Kelgan paused, his eyes searching among them. "Yet not all of us have returned. Before we land upon our city once more, let's think on that. On the Skill and Strength of arm that saw us through; on the sheer dumb luck. Most of all, on all of you. Without every one of you, living or dead, we would not have made it to this point. To home."
Silence hung thick in the rushing winds, and more than one Haarguard shed a quiet tear. They'd all lost someone, friends and more, all to stop the Redcloaks from dropping on their city in a wave of light and fire. Zara beheld them and was surprised to find none of them sang the discordant burr of hate she had expected. Her Affinity only sensed pride and the stirrings of grief, by waves stronger and lesser through the crowd.
"And now we return! Victorious!" A cheer went up, a scream into the wind, and Kelgan grinned at them all. "Once that gangplank hits the dock, you're all on leave for a full week. Enjoy it."
That elicited a far more boisterous cry, and Zara had to pinch her Affinity so as to not be overwhelmed. She still smiled though. Enthusiastic idiots.
They approached the air docks, which looked like nothing so much as an unfolding claw, curling outward from the tower at its center. Ridges along the flat stone claw were lined with anchors for mooring lines, where a clutch of attendants stood in robes and...armor.
No. Not attendants. Zara realized. Her eyes picked out a sewn patch on their chests. Legionnaires.
The ship rocked as the Hand piloted it in close, banking the varied streams of Mana around its shell. Moor lines were cast out, only to be secured by those same armored soldiers. Soldiers that watched their two ships with hooded, almost hostile eyes.
This should prove interesting.
The Hand took the lead down the gangplank, his great slab of a sword secured against his back. His tunic was torn and a little stained after the long weeks behind them, but the gleam of his armored shoulders more than made up for it. Behind him came the regimented lines of the Haarguard, spilling out onto the docks in an orderly sprawl.
All the while, the Legionnaires watched them. Zara studied them in return, noting the unease in their Spirits and the crackling lightning Mana churning in several of their cores. Their leader was a Hobgoblin, his dusky red skin stark against his blue-grey robes and golden eyes. Her Analyze named him Kev'al Slene, a level 32 combatant with a hefty Mana pool. All of the mages had significant investments in their Mana, and as such their Willpower. They, at least, did not flinch when Reed planted himself before them, his boots stomping hard enough to send a slight shiver through the dock.
The warriors beside them, however, almost drew their weapons then and there. None of these Legionnaires were a threat to them, but Zara was curious exactly how things would play out.
"Who bars my way?" Reed all but snarled. Kev'al inclined his head, his composure unchanged before the Hand's clear wrath.
"I am the First of Arclight and they are of the Blade. You have arrived in the Autarch's vassal state of Haarwatch and we are one of its protectors. Do you see the mist?"
The Hobgoblin's voice was steady and calm, as was his Spirit. Void of the anger or aggression Zara felt from the Blades. At his question, the Naiad tilted her head while Reed clenched his gauntleted fists tight.
"No, we haven't seen that blasted mist for weeks now. What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "I am the Hand of the Duke of Pax'Vrell, she is the Sorcerer Zara Cyrene, and these are members of the Haarguard that set out with usfrom this very city, mindless than two months prior."
"I understand, Lord Hand," Kev'al said with a slight incline to his head. The other mages stood down, the tension in their shoulders and tumult of their channels relaxing to Zara's senses. "Our duty comes first. We cannot allow those who are not welcomed by the mists within our walls."
"I see," Reed said slowly. His eyes swept across the Legionnaires, noting their almost-uniform. "And is the Fiend here?"
"No, my Lord. The Autarch has taken up a city in the west, we are told. If we are lucky, perhaps one day he will send for us." Kev'al inclined his head, a touch deeper this time. "If you would follow me, I shall lead you below."
"Our people need healing," Kelgan said with a grimace at his own arm. "More than a few."
"Of course, Lieutenant," the mage said again before gesturing to one of the sword-wielding Legionnaires. "Mervin? If you would please."
A tow-headed youth saluted, fist to heart. "As you wish, First. Sir? If your injured would come with me?"
At Zara's nod, Kelgan and a large contingent of the Haarguard filed after the Legionnaire, quickly entering the tower through a wide set of double doors. "The rest of our people have earned a rest, please have one of your Legionnaires bring them to the lower levels."
"My pleasure, Lady Cyrene." Kev'al nodded to a mage at his side, and they lead the rest of the Haarguard down the docks. "If you would not mind, please follow me. The Lady Haarwatch wishes to speak with the both of you."
Reed looked to Zara, a question in his gaze, but the Naiad merely inclined her head. "Lead the way."
The First of Arclight, his remaining mages, and no less than ten warriors fell in beside them as they walked. They were led through the same double doors as their soldiers, and Zara noted that they were freshly made and had yet to be painted or stained. As they traversed the halls and winding staircase, she found much of the sameplaces where the Manor had been hastily constructed. Or rather, where function had taken precedence over form. Walls were unpainted and undecorated, more doors unstained, but everything felt solid to her senses. No wobbling floors or misaligned joins showed themselves, despite whatever haste had possessed them.
"They sure finished this in a hurry," Reed said in a low tone. "Why, do you think?"
"I am unsure," Zara admitted. "Perhaps the Lady Haarwatch will be able to enlighten us."
The Hand grunted.
Their escort shed the further they walked, the Blades leaving soon after they had exited the tower, and the Arclight dwindling to half by the time they reached another set of double doors. These were in far better condition, stained dark and decorated with silver accents. Two armored Half-Orcs wearing the blue tunics of the Haarguard had stiffened the moment their group exited an adjoining hall, their hands flexing on the hilts at their waists. Zara felt the staccato rhythm of nervous fear from the guardsand not directed at them, but at the Legionnaires.
Kev'al stopped several strides short of the guards and gestured behind him. "I bring the Lord Hand and Lady Cyrene to meet with the Lady Haarwatch. If you would please let her know."
The shorter of the two slipped between the great double doors, letting them close with a soft boom. Zara delved into the Spirits around her, Affinity plucking at the ripples in the air in an effort to understand. Why do they fear them? She could feel the tension even without her Affinity, for all that the guard and Kev'al tried to pretend it didn't exist. Yet she was only given a few moments before the door opened once more.
"The Lady Haarwatch will see you now," the guard said. Zara and Reed started forward, as did Kev'al. "Just the Lord and Lady."
Displeasure scudded across the Hobgoblin's face and Spirit, before vanishing entirely from the former. "Very well. My Lady. My Lord. This is where we leave you." He bowed deeper to Zara than the Hand, a fact which deepened the frown on Reed's face. "May the skies smile down on you."
"Thank you, First," Zara said lightly. "Perhaps you and I can speak again later."
Kev'al's face broke into a smile. "I would like that, my Lady."
She smiled, keeping her sharp teeth hidden behind her full lips, and swept into the room before Reed could barge in himself.
Zara had visited Cal's offices before, but it had always been a sparsely decorated chamber with little more than a desk piled high with missives and paperwork. The large desk and paperwork remainedthe latter seeming greater than everbut now the room was filled with a bevy of items Zara could only describe as junk. Baskets of bread and fruits, crates of pig iron, even a few extra chairs in a number of styles. Weapons were hung on the walls, the only thing placed with any reverence, each of them polished and maintained. In the center of it all was a woman with tawny hair cut short about her ears and wrapped in leather armor. A collection of knives were strapped to her chest and waist, with two foot-long blades at either hip. She was leaning casually against the large desk, eating a kelaar fruit and reading a scroll.
"You've been busy, Cal," Zara said as she walked in. Lady Calesca BoscalLady Haarwatchgave Zara a sour look over the top of her scroll.
"That's a way of seein' it," she agreed, nodding at the both of them. Zara noticed the scroll she was reading was marked in with a burning eye surmounted by a crown. "If you're both here, then I assume the Redcloaks have been squared away?"
"For the moment. We were able to neutralize all the Order members that had run off, but not before they had engaged the Waystone." Zara gestured and a wave of aquamarine light moved aside a crate of more kelaar fruit out of one of the armchairs. She sat down, arranging her skirts about her knees. "Thankfully, Felix's fog barrier activated, shutting down the Waystone and sealing us off."
"Sealing us off? As in none can leave?" Cal asked, brow furrowed.
"And none can enter, including any agents of the Inquisition." Zara sighed. "Though that presents its own set of problems." She briefly explained how Felix's claim of Authority had been broadcast to the entire Continent.
Cal rubbed her temples. "That fog just about started a riot here in town, for all that it disappeared shortly after arriving. Plenty of folks out there were convinced the monsters were coming for a second try. It got...ugly, and would've gotten worse had the Haarguard and Legion not stepped in as they did. Took a while, but we calmed everyone down."
"Setoria was not so lucky," Reed grumbled. "The Governor there is less than useless, and they could not see through the fog. I am still unsure as to why we can."
"I already explained that to you, Darius. Felix would have had to manually exempted us from the array. From the sounds of it, he had exempted all of Haarwatch from the start." Zara pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Is that why you have the Legion questioning travelers before allowing them to disembark? To prove that Felix is allowing them into the Territory?"
"They're what?" Cal asked, anger warring with exhaustion on her face. "No. No I didn't ask them to do that. Gods, they cause me so much stress. You're the first and only visitors to come by Manaship, but they've been pulling the same stunt at the Sunrise Gate as well. I had to put a stop to it before, and I'll do it again." She let out an aggrieved sigh. "Which one was it?"
"The First of Arclight, I believe," Zara said. "They seem petent."
"Oh they are. The Legion train themselves constantly, pushing their stats and Skills higher by the day. Emulating their lord, they say," Cal scoffed. "As if they could keep up with" She coughed, and Zara could tell the woman was distinctly not looking at the Hand. "Anyway. They're a pain, but useful. Haven't had to worry about monster surges in quite a while, but those few that come have been stopped every time by the Legion."
"How many are there?" the Hand asked.
"Around a thousand, now. About half the number of my Haarguard. The promise of training and free meals drives my recruits. I dunno what pushes folk after the Legion, however. They're fanatics." Cal took another sloppy bite of her fruit.
"They've been violent?" Reed asked.
"No, nothing like that. The opposite really. After they helped settle things down, they joined in on the efforts to rebuild. Way I see it, once their heads were outta their asses, they realized this city couldn't take much more chaos." Cal shook her head. "We rebuilt, everyone helped. Even finished the Manor quicker than expected. Which let us start on the people's homes and even the Wall."
"The Wall? I'm surprised you were able to do that," the Hand said.
Cal shrugged. "It's only a patch. Won't handle nearly as much strain as before. It's only Tier II steel. Orichalcum's still too precious. Ain't found much yet."
"I'm surprised that any would be left to mine in these mountains any longer. That is not a metal often found in areas of such low Mana density," Reed said.
"True enough. But the mines've been busy lately too. We'd been stockpiling Tier I and II ores to sell before the fog fell, but hearing now about being cut off...I'm not sure what we should do with all of it."
A knock sounded at the door moment before a green-skinned face poked through. The guard adjusted his helmet nervously under their gazes. "My Lady, I apologize for the interruption." His eyes were wide. "There are Henaari at the Haargate."
"What?" Cal asked. "What do they want?"
"They said they wish to speak with you." The Half-Orc licked his lips, and his Spirit sang with wonder. "They say they were sent by the Autarch."
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