Chapter Three Hundred And Sixty Six - 366
Gregis woke to smoke and flame.
Fire roared all around him, igniting the carpets and wooden furnishings in the office he'd once claimed. Tapestries were as torches, and smoke crowded all but the few inches where he lay. Pain like nothing he'd experience since Apprentice Tier wracked his Body, his arm, and he gasped in desperate agony. Then coughed, his throat ravaged by the heat.
That...that burning whoreson...where...where is he?
There was no sign of the assassin from Kaldis, though the evidence of their struggle was writ in the smashed doors, shattered glass, and torn stone. That creature had been stronger than anything Gregis had ever faced, stronger even than the Commanders, he feared.
Was it...was it of the Sworn? That thought chilled him, despite the flames licking his boots. If that thing was contracted to anyone with the coin, then nowhere was safe. They need to know...the Commanders...the Justiciar must know.
With all his remaining Strength, with his blood and Health leaking from him like a punctured wineskin, Gregis crawled to the door. Not to the shattered balcony, but a side passage yet free of flames. The captain tried, multiple times, to redirect the flames and light away. To seal them behind his conjured Blade of Sunrise...yet his Mana was spent, and his Stamina barely enough to propel him onward. He...his core twinged at each effort, its brilliance dimmed by that creature's assault.
Up there. I need to send a message. He gasped with the effort of simple movement, as if his legs had rebelled against him. The Ffen...they can be sent....
He dragged himself into the side passage, up stairs of crude stone, his Endurance flagging. He made it onto the first landing where he took a long, slow blink...and when he opened his eyes again, the flames had crawled higher. Now they were behind him, on the stairs. He groaned, and hauled himself upward. Upward. Until, with a desperate cry, he fell atop the final landing. The top of the fort's only tower.
And found the final door broken. Slashed apart.
He shambling forward, holding onto the very last of his Health as if gripping a sheer ledge over darkened waters. His eyes dimmed before acclimating to the shadowed room beyond, only to find his hope...to find it dead. Torn apart.
"The Ffen..." He couldn't believe it. Their messengers, lizards no bigger than a cat, dead to the last. Green and silver scales sliced to ribbons, their Tier III Bodies no match for the monstrous assassin. One was still burning with a fitful silver flame.
"No...."
Only the fire answereda roar from below.
"What was that?" the tavernkeep shouted once again from atop the rearmost wagon. She jabbed her finger back at the Pass and fort they had just departed. "You set fire to the fort! Andand that...that wall! How are we to return to Bogfeld now?"
"Ain't," Harn grunted. "Sorry to say, your mixed up in this too, now. You and your workers."
Harn's nod took in the Dwarven women still piled atop the rolling wagons, all three now pulled by a double team of avum across the sandy plains just outside the Caleph Pass. They were moving at a steady clip now that the slowest were stowed in the wagons, though they'd have to rotate a few of the weaker mages in a few glasses. As it was, the Legionnaires, Henaari, and giants were all arrayed behind them, each jogging as best they could manage. He grunted, this time to himself. Ain't gonna get stronger if they ain't workin' for it.
Palin's face heated up, her face smudged with dirt and her hair frizzed. "And who's fault is that? Don't think I didn't hear your little leader's words! Blaming all this on Kaldis? That gets back to Prince Tevin and I'll lose more than just my tavern! Kaldis will come for the entire town!"
Harn shrugged, keeping up with the wagon easily. Felix's secondary plan had been flawed, but not because of that.
"What does your leader plan toAAHH!"
A shape fell from the sky, landing with a relatively quiet explosion of sand beside them. Harn's axes were in hand and shimmering with silver flames by the time the sand clouds resolved into the supersized form of Pit. The chimera lurched into a run, wings half extended for balance atop the uneven sands but easily keeping pace. Felix was astride his back, waving.
Palin had cut her scream off once she realized who it was...or perhaps where she wasthe woman looked around with wide eyes, suddenly terrified of the velvet darkness in all directions.
"Jeez, sorry didn't mean to scare you," Felix said, riding easily in the saddle. Harn didn't know if the kid realized how effortless he made it look, but that was high stats for you, and Felix had stats like Harn had never seenthough it wasn't like he was privy to Master or Grandmaster Tier Status sheets, or even been in the Interior for longer than a few weeks. For all he knew, having over two thousand Strength was normal for the true elite on the Continent. Harn shuddered. He hoped not.
"Harn, Pit and I didn't see any pursuit at all," Felix continued. He shook his head. "I doubt they could, given how I left things."
"Any flyers?" Harn asked, scanning the skies himself. His Perception was decent, but he couldn't make out much against the impenetrable dark clouds. The desert air was crystal clear, but so close to the Stormeaters and the skies were filled with thickening cloud cover. Unborn storms, drawn by whatever magic was in the mountains...or perhaps repelled by the desert. He'd heard it both ways from Guilders that came this way.
There were no moons, none visible at least. The night felt all the grimmer for it.
"Flyers? No, no monsters that I could see."
"Hrm," Harn grunted, replacing his axes at his side. "Good."
Felix shook his head. "The air is weird up there. Mana is coiling around the edges of those clouds, but it's behaving...strangely."
"It is a feature of the Expanse," Zara said, appearing beside them riding an avum of her own. It was an ugly beast, brown and ungainly, but she rode it as if with great familiarity. "The Scorched Expanse is not a pleasant place for water mages."
She didn't look the least bit concerned about that, for all that Harn knew she had a water core. Or something like it, anyway. No tellin' with Master Tiers. She's likely got more tricks up those sleeves than Evie's got knives.
"Storms are chased away. Huh. Makes sense why it would be a desert then," Felix said. Pit cooed, the sound deep and resonant. The boy patted his beast and smiled. "Yeah. Probably keeps those undead fresh. Sun dried."
His smile faded when he caught their eyes, especially Palin's. The tavernkeep had been pale, but now she was a bit green around the edges. Her eyes tracked from the horizon back to the smudge of mountains behind them.
"Palin. That was insensitive. You're probably terrified," Felix said.
"I am," she hissed, looking like she wanted to scream at the kid. "Why can I not go back to town? Other than the fact that you raised an impossible wall between us?"
Felix winced. "Well. The Paladins know you, and all your people. Did you really think you could get involved and just walk away?"
"I" Palin's face fell. She looked to Harn. "I had thought youthat you would protect us."
Harn's gut twisted. "Impossible. Not that we couldn't. But unless we killed every single Paladin in that place, there were bound to be consequences. It's why I told you not to come."
"Not come? They took all my stock! All my hard work, they wanted to steal, and you think I'd let you walk in there without me?" The tavernkeep and brewmaster scoffed. "It...if they want to come after me, then fine. Let them come. Everyone that works for me is here, so what more can they do to us?"
"Your tavern will not likely stand in the morning, for one," Zara offered.
"No! They wouldn't!" Palin gasped.
"They'd kill you in a heartbeat for suspecting you of sabotaging them," Zara said quietly. Intensely. "You think they would stop at burning one building? You might not be able to return to Bogfeld...not for a long time."
Palin sat back down, a thick hand reaching out to pat her consolingly on the shoulder. She turned to her people, gripping hands and sharing looks of commiseration. Harn was surprised that none of them looked particularly pissed off, at least not at them. He doubted he'd have taken that news quite as well.
Felix, for his part, looked upset about the whole thing. And he should. He didn't listen. Harn kept his mouth shut, though. Now wasn't the time.
"Palin, I am sorry for the way things turned out. But you will be safe with us. I promise you that. As far as Bogfeld goes," Felix paused, thinking. "We'll have to see how it all shakes out in the end. Maybe there's something we can salvage from tonight."
The tavernkeep only offered a mute nod before turning away, back toward her people.
She stopped yellin', at least.
"Felix? I need to speak with you at he forewagon. Atar is guiding us, but there is more to be done," Zara said. She didn't bother to wait for an answer either, only spurring her ugly avum faster. "Haah, Grouse!"
Felix shared an annoyed shrug with Harn before taking off after her.
The night wore on, and soon the light sobs from within the rearmost wagon faded to nothing. The ground began to rise and fall, true dunes appearing as if by magic. Crimson soil became reddish-orange sand that scattered beneath their wagon wheels and booted feet. The company behind them began breathing heavily almost instantly.
Harn grunted. Things are gonna get harder from here.
Atar knew his way around the desert, apparently. He was guiding them with a combination of the stars and readings from his Mana Gauge Skill. It allowed him to read the relative levels of Mana in an area, sampling some of the kinds that were out and about. Basically, a crappier version of Felix's own Manasight, but effective in its own way.
What Zara had needed Felix's help for, then, was using his Manasight to better chart the flow of power through the sands. Atar was following the strongest veins of Mana in the earth, which would fade and move from time to time. According to him, there was a puzzle to their movements, a secret passed down to him. Anything else, Felix was not allowed to know.
"This path is an ancient protection, meant to keep my home hidden from all but those entrusted with the secret," Atar explained.
"So how do people from Bogfeld trade with you? Or any other place?" Felix asked.
"Guides are offered. Men and women steeped in the ancient rituals that can lead them to the City. This way we are safe from anyone, monster or mortal."
"Mysterious," Felix said, intrigued.
"And lucrative," Zara said, wryly. Atar laughed.
"That too. That too." Atar smiled. "Give me some time, a day or two at most, and we'll soon reach Ahkestria, the City of Embers."
That had been an hour prior. Atar said he had a firm grip on their course, and Zara had wandered off to speak with Vess and Evie for some reason. He could have joined Alister, but he was back with the company, and Felix realized he wantedneededtime away from everyone.
So Felix let Pit take off, burning off the energy that had been pent up during the battle. Pit's tread was light as wind Mana swirled beneath his wings even while running atop the dunes, and at the apex of each hill they'd leap into the air, wings outstretched to let them glide atop the cold air currents. Each leap would carry them higher and higher, and in the distance all Felix could see was more of the sameand endless procession of crimson sands that looked more like purple in the gloom. Behind them, his people moved quickly at the iron command of Darius and Harn, the lot of them all but running.
The miles vanished beneath them as the hours grew long. After the third, however, they had dropped to a slower pace while Darius rotated out people that were resting amid the wagons. These resting Legionnaires and Henaari were fresh, and took up the old pace within minutes. The Frost Giants never wavered, however, following their Battlelord and marching tirelessly. After all, a rapid jog for Humans and Dwarves and Orcs was a fast walk for the Risi's enormous stride.
The clouds had begun to thin above them, and now the occasional star peeked from behind their gauzy curtains. To Felix's Manasight, it was more than enough to see everything, and the air was so clear that his Perception could make out the smallest of details from miles away. Scouting while atop Pit was difficult, however, so thankfully they had sent out proper scouts ahead of them.
What will they find? he wondered.
"Felix," a gruff voice called from behind. "Run with me a bit."
"Oh, sure." It was Harn. Reining Pit to a stop with a thought, Felix hopped off his Companion. He could feel the tenku's urge to move further into the sandshis boy was hungry. "Go ahead, bud. Just stick close by. I have no idea what's out there."
Pit chirruped happily and took off into the night, sand scattered back from his huge, pumping wings.
Then Harn and Felix ran. No words, just movement. Harn's armor slid about itself, somehow soundless despite being made of thick plates that would have clattered on anyone else, while the man moved like a machine. Arms and legs pumping up and down, each step strong and steady, firmly planted beneath him. He was leagues above the small army behind them, who even now were struggling in the shifting sands. Felix had always admired the man's physical prowess, and though his stats were higher now, he was pretty sure Harn had forgotten more about fighting than Felix would ever know.
After a handful of minutes of silence, Felix nodded his head back at his people. "How much of this can they take?"
"More than they think, and less than we need," Harn grunted.
"The martial orders seem decently strong," Felix judged, sweeping his Eye over them again. "Most aren't very far into Apprentice Tier, but I've seen worse."
"None of em have Endurance higher than 200, though most have a stupid amount of Strength," Harn said with an annoyed growl. "Their Stamina is low, and fewer still have decent movement Skills. Perhaps half have Runnin' up beyond Apprentice, while the rest are simply moving their bodies however they see fit."
"You think they'll have Running by the end of this trip?" Felix asked.
"That or somethin' like it. Just a matter of pushin' em hard enough."
"Stress and need," Felix echoed, recalling his earliest lessons in Skill acquisition. Those rules applied to him as well, though it was easier for him, being Unbound and all.
"Stress and need."
They ran on, Felix sounding Relentless Resolution if only to try and level the Skill a bit more. He felt as if he could keep up their current pace for days without any Skills at all, but the use of his movement Skill put a little extra strain on him. It was a pleasant burn, like warming muscles and deep, steady breathing. It was almost zen, after a while. No thinking. Just advancing.
"Felix."
He tilted his head toward Harn some time later. How long had it been? An hour? Two? In his periphery, he noticed there was a different set of warriors trailing behind them now.
"We need to talk about the fort. About the Paladins," Harn said.
Felix frowned. "What about them?"
"You left them alive."
Felix slowed his pace, and Harn slowed down with him. The man was puffing a bit harder than usual. "I couldn't do what you suggested, Harn. I couldn't kill them just...just like that. Monsters, sure. No problem. And I've killed people too, but it's always self-defense. Walking into that fort and slaughtering everyone feels like murder, man." Felix shook his head. "I can't."
"Mercy ain't somethin' you can afford, Felix. Especially not now, with the mantle of Authority on your shoulders. The bastards'll fight you, tooth and nail, and not a one will have a shred of mercy for you."
"Does that mean we shouldn't try? Maybe not here, but somewhere else?" Felix asked.
"If a beast were killin' people, is it a mercy to stay your hand? What if it would kill a hundred people if you let it live? One death balanced by a hundred innocents. I know which one I'd pick," Harn said.
"But they're people. Even if almost every one I've met was a rude, mean-spirited bigot, that can't mean every single person in the Hierocracy's orders are bad. Can it?"
"The Orders choose their people young. Four, maybe five years old and off ya go, whisked away to their citadels and fortresses. To be trained." Harn worked at his tongue, as if he was trying to gather up what little spit was left. The air was utterly dry despite its frigid chill. "Trained to think like them, to act accordin' to their codes, to trust in the Order over all else. Maybe someone good can come outta all that, but I doubt it."
"Jesus. That's messed up," Felix said. "So they're all child soldiers?"
"A good way to put it. Of a sort. Youngest don't usually get outta their academies until they hit their majority though. But all of em would be willin' to slit your throat if you went against their tenets or the instructions of their Order. They'd walk through fire to get it done, too," Harn growled.
Felix had seen the Inquisitors act pretty insane before, like that Creel guy in the sewers. "Why? Why would someone do that?"
Harn shrugged. "You forget. Monsters ain't just beasts. Many walk on two legs, preachin' about purity and the light." Harn finally spat to the side, his spittle thick and dark. "I killed their messenger lizards, but that'll only slow em down. There'll be consequences for leavin' them Paladins alive, I guarantee you."
Felix didn't have anything to say to that. He had known it, deep in his gut.
"Think on it, kid. I need some water."
Harn left him, jogging back toward the middle wagon. Felix stood there, frowning as the company swiftly over took his position. When he started running again, it was from the back, where his gaze could linger on the smudge of mountains behind them.
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