ã€ŠFortress Al-Mirã€‹


 The Hunt

    Arkk drew back his bowstring, taking careful aim. He didn¡¯t blink, he barely breathed. Even when the draw of the bow weighed on his arm, he simply clenched his teeth and stared across the field. Arkk watched and waited for the most opportune moment, intending to use every aspect of the situation to his advantage.

    The beast dipped its head, antlers disturbing leaves as it sniffed at a crop of berries. Animals were most skittish when eating, but they were also still.

    As soon as he saw the stag bite at the bush, Arkk released the string, loosing the arrow.

    Whether it was the twang of the bowstring, the rustle of the arrow as it flew through some loose brush, or some unconscious grunt Arkk made, the stag started. It didn¡¯t look up and stare, it bolted without hesitation. The arrow still struck, but in its rear, not in the heart or skull. It wasn¡¯t a fatal blow. The stag wouldn¡¯t even bleed out in all likelihood.

    ¡°Damn.¡±

    ¡°Ah well, shame.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s gaze slid to the side where Ilya shoved off from a tree. The elf had remained so still for so long that he had almost forgotten about her presence. ¡°Shame?¡± he said, not bothering with remaining quiet. That stag rushing off would have frightened away all the other game in the immediate area. ¡°That stag was big enough to feed the village for a week. Bit more than a shame.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let it get you down. It was a good shot. You just had a spot of bad luck.¡±

    ¡°No such thing as luck,¡± Arkk said, slinging Ilya¡¯s bow over his shoulder as he moved forward. His eyes roamed over the area as he tried to figure out a way to salvage the situation. ¡°Just opportunities and what you do with them.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Ilya said, putting on a grin, ¡°you¡¯re saying you missed because of your own incompetence?¡±

    Arkk¡¯s eyes shifted, glaring. ¡°Maybe a little luck,¡± he admitted under his breath.

    ¡°Come on. We¡¯re not going to get anything else in the area today. Let¡¯s head back to camp.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s half a day¡¯s hike in the wrong direction,¡± Arkk said, feeling bad for the poor stag. If they didn¡¯t hunt it down, he¡¯ll have just skewered its hindquarters for no good reason. ¡°We can still track it down.¡±

    ¡°The camp¡ªand our cart¡ªis a half-day away already. You want to go after it and then try to lug it back? We¡¯ll never make it.¡± Ilya shook her head, sending her gleaming silver hair shaking around her shoulders. ¡°In case you missed it, that thing was huge. It was already going to take forever, but now? Even if we found it and killed it, we¡¯ll return the triumphant hunters! Our spoils, spoiled meat.¡±

    Arkk crossed his arms, shooting the elf another glare. ¡°If you go get the cart now, that would help.¡±

    ¡°Through these trees? And back? I doubt it would be much faster.¡±

    His eyes drifted off to the east. They were close enough to the Cursed Forest to see the way the plants didn¡¯t quite grow as thick as they did elsewhere. They hadn¡¯t gone through the forest to get here, of course. It was a three-day trip back to the village by going around the Cursed Forest but through it? It was a half day¡¯s trek through the dead brush, dead trees, and relatively flat land to reach Langleey Village.

    In looking back toward Ilya, Arkk caught a glint of something glistening on the berry bush. Smile spreading across his face, he gripped his bow and started forward.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°You should get the cart,¡± Arkk said as he moved across a small clearing to the berry bush. Once there, he plucked the glistening leaf. ¡°We¡¯ll take the carcass back tonight.¡±

    Blood glinted on the leaf, catching the sunlight. Quite a bit of blood, actually, once he looked around the area where the stag had bolted off. Beyond the initial bloodied ground, the trail petered off, becoming much harder to see as the stag picked up its speed. Still, Arkk doubted it was enough for the stag to bleed out. But it might be injured, tired, and resting to lick its wounds. Ineffectual though his arrow had been at killing the beast, with a bit of it in his hands, he should be able to find it.

    Kneeling down, Arkk picked up a stick and started dragging symbols into the ground. A circle to contain the magic, a triangle for the source material, radiating lines to seek out more of the material, and several squiggly lines that resembled runes but probably didn¡¯t matter. And¡ª

    ¡°Oh no. You¡¯re going to make it explode?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a tracking spell. That mercenary group that passed through the village last year had a spellcaster with a beginner spell book. He let me look through it while they were staying over at the church.¡±

    Ilya frowned, considering. ¡°You¡¯re trying to remember something you saw in a book one time over a year ago?¡±

    ¡°It was a very simple spell. I have part of the stag here, so I can use it to find the rest of the stag.¡±

    ¡°What does that symbol mean?¡± she asked, pointing with her brown leather boot.

    Arkk hesitated, looking at the scrawled lines he had scraped into the dirt. The specific marking that Ilya was pointing out was¡­ a marking for joining? Or¡­ maybe it was just a smudge in the dirt that had already been there.

    Ilya let out an exasperated sigh, his hesitation having gone on far too long. ¡°You¡¯re going to make that poor thing explode.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t dignify her comment with a response. Sure, one or two spells he had tried out in the past hadn¡¯t turned out as he expected them to. This was a simple spell; it came from a beginner book. He might not be able to remember exactly what each line did, but that spellcaster had said that intent mattered most.

    He intended to find that stag.

    Standing so that the triangle with the leaf pointed at him, Arkk took a deep breath. He had to be careful. That spellcaster said that he had great magic potential. Too great, even. That was why everything failed, he poured too much magic into everything he tried. Had he been born in one of the cities, the Abbey of the Light would have sent him off to an academy to teach him proper sorcery. Instead, he had been born in Langleey. With no guidance, he often ended up causing problems with knowing he could do more but just not knowing how.

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    The moment he started to feel a tingle, Arkk snapped his eyes open, cutting off the magic he was pouring into the circle.

    His eyes were first drawn to the berry bush. It glowed with a faint ethereal silhouette. Like a ghost in the shape of the plant had settled down just over the top of it. Except, he could see the entire ghost despite Ilya standing in the way. The effect hurt his head a bit, but he shook it off, turning his head toward the direction of the stag.

    The trail of blood stood out to him in much the same way. Little pale white splotches that he could see through the surrounding trees and brush. Looking further into the distance, he could see a much larger mass in the shape of the stag. It looked like a ghost wandering through the forest.

    ¡°Oh. That looks good,¡± he said, following the movements of the distant stag.

    ¡°You did something that worked?¡±

    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t mean to see where the bush was.¡± Arkk glanced down at the leaf in the triangle. ¡°I suppose that makes sense though.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easy to prove,¡± Arkk said, hurrying through the forest. ¡°I don¡¯t think it is too far. It looks like it stopped sprinting, anyway. Let¡¯s hurry. I don¡¯t know how long this will last.¡±

    Ilya¡¯s long legs made it easy for her to keep up despite his rush. ¡°Try not to spook it again. I don¡¯t want to be chasing this thing all week.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not getting the cart?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to track you through the trees while on a cart without knowing that you actually managed to get the stag. Hunt it and I¡¯ll figure out the best path to take the cart on my way back to it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s going to take a lot of time¡­¡±

    ¡°I can move quickly on my own. I¡¯ve got long legs.¡±

    ¡°That you do, Ilya,¡± Arkk said, glancing aside to admire his hunting companion. ¡°Say, maybe those long legs¡ª¡±

    ¡°Are too long for you,¡± the elf said, tone annoyed but without any real heat behind her words. ¡°You should focus on your target, you lovesick fool.¡±

    Arkk let out a small chuckle but followed her advice.

    The stag was still upwind of them. They would have to slow down and try to avoid making noise once they got closer, but for now, Arkk kept up a hasty rush through the brush. He hopped felled branches, skipped over a narrow brook, and found a worn deer trail that let him run in roughly the correct direction without having to worry about further debris.

    Arkk skidded to a stop as they closed the distance on the stag. The ethereal glow started to fade and, in a moment of panic, Arkk poured more magic into the spell.

    The glow came back, but¡­

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I, uh¡­¡±

    Ilya¡¯s brilliant silver eyes flashed in irritation, though her lips quirked into a mirthful smile. ¡°You made it explode, didn¡¯t you.¡±

    ¡°No! I didn¡¯t even¡­¡± Arkk shot her a glare. ¡°Maybe¡­ a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Oh, just a little explosion,¡± Ilya said, nodding her head. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine then.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up,¡± Arkk grumbled, staring at the ethereal¡­ mess. It was still shuddering on the ground, twitching and¡­ looking like it was being ripped apart. Forcing his stomach to be calm, Arkk tried to look at the positives of the situation. If it was exploded, some of it should still be salvageable. They would have some meat to take back to the village. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ll find out soon enough. It isn¡¯t far now.¡±

    Though not far, it still took quite some time to reach the stag. A little under an hour, by his estimate. Throughout it all, Arkk had to watch as the stag continued to peel apart. Rather than a side effect of whatever he had done, it looked like some wild animals were ripping it apart.

    Eventually, he spotted the stag on the ground, half hidden behind a large tree. It wasn¡¯t moving. It wasn¡¯t breathing, as far as he could see.

    A spray of viscera coated most of the surrounding trees. A few bits of skin hung off branches and an antler was sticking out of a rock a short distance away. But there was something more as well. Something that made Arkk ready an arrow.

    Circling slowly, bow at the ready, Arkk¡¯s eyes widened as he watched the translucent silhouette spread out beyond the beast¡¯s body. Further than the explosion looked to have gone. Looking at the beast itself, Arkk frowned. Claw and teeth marks covered the soft underside of the stag¡¯s carcass. Large chunks had been ripped from it. Consumed? His eyes looked around, searching for more of the creature. Small ghostly flecks of blood trailed off a short distance around the forest, but no large chunks that might have been resting in something¡¯s belly. Perhaps because it now counted as part of something else, rather than the stag?

    Before he could consider more on the mysteries of the magic he was using, Ilya let out a loud hissing noise. ¡°Goblins,¡± she said, drawing her short sword. Her silver eyes darted around the forest, looking for any sign of a threat.

    Arkk¡¯s wide eyes went back to the stag, looking over its wounds again. He had thought some wild animal got to the exploded stag, but investigating closer, he couldn¡¯t deny the ripping and tearing looked too systematic to be a random animal. Stepping back from the corpse, he scanned the ground, quickly finding three-toed footprints stamped into the dirt around its body.

    ¡°They went that way,¡± he said, pointing toward the fading trail of ghostly blood left behind by the messy eaters. The footprints headed in the same direction, confirming what he saw through his magic.

    Staring at the footprints made Arkk gasp. One of them was not like the rest. Rather than the three-toed bare footprints of the goblins, this one was much larger and covered, as if the maker had worn proper footwear. A bit larger than Arkk¡¯s foot. It couldn¡¯t be his footprint. Nor would it be Ilya¡¯s. Neither had walked beyond the carcass.

    ¡°An orc?¡± he asked, waving Ilya over. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything else that would willingly travel with goblins like that.¡±

    ¡°A pack of goblins is bad enough. Organized goblins?¡± Ilya said, walking around, staring at the ground. ¡°More orc footprints over here. Different ones for sure. Three¡­ four¡­ five of them? Light, this is bad. Why are they here?¡±

    ¡°The goblins probably smelled the blood and the orcs lost control of them.¡±

    ¡°Why are they here in general?¡± Ilya asked. ¡°Not this specific spot.¡±

    ¡°They¡­ they couldn¡¯t be after the village, right?¡±

    Pressing her lips together, Ilya nodded her head. ¡°Maybe. Maybe not. We have to warn them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a three-day trek back after going back to camp for the horses.¡±

    ¡°Not if we skirt the edge of the Cursed Forest.¡±

    Arkk looked in the direction of the blood trail, wishing the goblins or orcs had left a part of themselves behind so he could try tracking them. ¡°I think they are skirting the edge of the Cursed Forest. We can¡¯t take on a whole horde on our own,¡± he said, then slowly looked eastward. ¡°But if we cut through the forest¨C¡±

    ¡°No! No.¡± Ilya took a deep breath, gnawing on her lip as she looked around the bloodied carcass. ¡°I can move swiftly on my own. And stealthily.¡± She looked to the sun, low in the western sky. ¡°It is almost night. If they stop for camp and I slip past them, I can reach the village by morning.¡±

    ¡°What if they don¡¯t camp? What if they find you?¡±

    Ilya offered a wan smile. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re heading back to camp. Grab the horses, leave the cart. Ride as fast as you can.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too long,¡± Arkk said, shaking his head. ¡°It will take half the night traveling in the wrong direction just to get back to camp.¡±

    ¡°If I get caught, I¡¯ll lead them around by their nose, buying you as much time as I can. If I don¡¯t get caught, then I¡¯ll make it before you.¡± Her sharp, blade-like ears twitched as she forced a smile. ¡°You can do this. But we¡¯re wasting time. Go!¡±

    Without waiting for a response, she turned and rushed off through the brush and trees, hurrying in the direction the footprints had gone.

    Grinding his teeth, Arkk turned away from the carcass. He started toward the sunset, only to pause. There was no chance he would ever make it to the village before Ilya or the monsters. At best, he would show up in time to help defend the village. At worst, he would find it ransacked.

    Putting the sun to his back, he stared beyond the green trees and lively section of the forest. The Cursed Forest was by far the shortest path. With as much traveling as they had done chasing after that stag, he was even closer now. If he didn¡¯t stop for the night, he could make it to the village well before sunrise.

    The sooner he got to the village, the sooner they could prepare and rally for a defense.

    Time was of the essence.

    Sun at his back, he took off in a sprint.

 The Cursed Forest

    The Cursed Forest wasn¡¯t so much a forest as it was a desolate wasteland. The surrounding proper forest went by the name of Langleey Forest, even though it was further away from Langleey than a few other burgs and villages. Like normal forests, it contained all the usual foresty things. Trees, grass, brush, rolling hills, rocks, and plenty of animals and insects and other fauna. But at a certain point in Arkk¡¯s trek, with the sun at his back, the forest thinned out. Thick, healthy trees turned scrawny and leafless. Plants thinned and yellowed. Even the dirt itself went from a healthy brown to a dead gray color, filled with small cracks and larger fissures.

    The people of Langleey Village did not venture inside. When visiting Langleey Forest for food or timber, people took a long and roundabout trail to get to the part of the forest where Ilya and Arkk had been hunting. Legends said that those who ventured in would emerge with a taint that poisoned the ground around them with every step.

    That wasn¡¯t true. Arkk had been inside before with Ilya when they were children. He didn¡¯t know what caused the Cursed Forest to become the way it was, but he knew that it wasn¡¯t contagious. That was likely a story meant to keep adventurous children from doing just what he and Ilya had done. That said, it wasn¡¯t without its dangers. Loose soil and deep crevasses presented natural hazards. There were always rumors of monsters, even if he had never seen any evidence.

    He had to be careful.

    Leaping over a wide fissure in the wasteland, Arkk landed mid-stride. He slowed for nothing, not even the largest of the cracks in the ground. While the sun was still up, he wanted to get as far as he could. Once the sun set, he would only have moonlight to guide his way. There wasn¡¯t a cloud in sight and the moon had been bright these last few nights, but he would still have to slow down then.

    Arkk considered himself more athletic than most in his village. They were strong, and work had a way of hardening bodies, but the kindest word he could use to describe most of them would be stout. Growing up alongside Ilya gave him far more time running and moving than he wanted. Even still, his heart hammered in his chest and his lungs wanted ten times the air he could give them. Sweat rolled down his face, back, and arms. The constant leaps and hops over flat but unstable terrain were taking its toll on his legs. He had discarded his sword and Ilya¡¯s bow and arrows to move faster, keeping a small dagger for defense. No bow was going to save him if he stumbled into a horde. If he made it to his village, he could reequip for the defense.

    Though Ilya might kill him when she learned he left her bow behind. He was pretty sure he could find it again if they retraced their steps, however. At the moment, he didn¡¯t care. He needed to get back.

    In a way, he was glad he was in such a rush. Moving with purpose, even a worried purpose, felt good.

    With the sun at his back, low in the sky, the shadows ahead of him stretched clear to the horizon. Dodging around a boulder, he walked along its shadow for two dozen paces. A rickety dead tree cast a shadow ten times as long. They were like spikes. Or teeth of some vast monster¡ªthough only the lower teeth. If he went slower, he would have had time to process the eerie atmosphere.

    Instead, he planted his hands on a fallen tree, vaulting off into a long shadow.

    A divot in the shadow snared his foot.

    Arkk swung his arms forward, catching himself just before his face met the dirt. He still skidded along the ground for a short distance, slamming his hip and one shoulder into the coarse ground. Sucking in a sharp breath, pain spiking along his side and forearm, he sat in the dirt for a few moments just feeling his own body.

    Was he injured? Nothing felt broken. Grateful for the leather gloves saving his hands from being ground to raw meat, he clenched his teeth and focused. His hip stung the most. Pulling up his tunic, he hissed at the long scrapes. From his stomach down to his thigh, blood seeped from thin lines of torn skin. Scrapes that would soon bruise. Nothing more. It would hurt, but he could still run.

    There was no time to dress the wound. He had to get to the village. They needed warning. If Ilya failed and a group of orcs and goblins attacked¡­

    He didn¡¯t want to think about what might happen.

    Clenching his teeth, Arkk mustered as much willpower as he could to push himself back to his feet. As much as he wanted to rest, if he took even a short break, he would likely find himself too worn to continue.

    On his feet, he locked his eyes on the horizon with clenched teeth. One foot in front of the other. Faster and faster, until he was back to his previous speed. He kicked off with his boot, launching into a sprint once again.

    He ran, planting one foot on the ground and then the other¡­ until his foot found nothing underneath.

    Eyes widening as his stomach flipped, Arkk fell into a fissure shadowed by a small boulder. His back hit the dirt wall after a short distance, grinding down a steep slope. His hands and boots found no purchase to slow him down. He slid a long way until the earthen wall vanished from beneath him. After falling a short distance through open air, Arkk landed with a grunt on something squishy.

    Arkk sat still for a long moment. With his hip burning and now his back feeling like he had been raked over hot coals, he needed a bit longer than before. Foolish. After the first fall, he should have been more careful. He had wanted to get as far as he could in the last vestiges of the light, but now he wasn¡¯t moving anywhere at all.

    Groaning, Arkk tried to look around but saw nothing. The fissure overhead looked like a jagged crack in the night sky. No light was getting down, however. If the sun had been higher in the sky¡­ He was in some kind of cavern, that much he could tell by the feeling of the air around him. Underneath him¡­ it almost felt like a bed. A bed of somewhat slimy texture, moving like an oversized waterskin pouch.

    Something moved beneath him. Whatever he landed on shuddered and began descending. The squishy bed pulled out from beneath him.

    That got Arkk to jolt despite his pain.

    Nothing lived in the Cursed Forest. Nothing except rumors. And yet something was moving?

    Arkk rolled to the side, away from the direction of movement. He ended up on much firmer ground, though still soft. At least this felt more like woven mats than a water-filled sack. Unmoving woven mats. That, he felt, was the key part.

    Feeling at his side, his fingers curled around the hilt of his dagger. Glad it hadn¡¯t gotten knocked loose, he slammed it into the woven mat and traced out a small symbol to the best of his ability. It felt like hard stone beneath, but he was far less concerned about his blade¡¯s edge than he was about being able to see.

    Symbol complete, Arkk poured the tiniest amount of magic into it, not wanting to have it blow up in his face.

    A brilliant yellow flame erupted from the ground instead. Arkk threw himself backward at the unexpected fire, only to realize that it wasn¡¯t spreading. Small mercies. If he remembered the pattern right, a small orb of light should have popped up into the air. As it was, he supposed the column of flame was doing its job of providing light. Not much, but enough to see the rest of the area by.

    He had been wrong. This was no cavern. A cavern was a natural structure. Brick walls and a vaulted ceiling didn¡¯t form naturally. Nor did caves form¡­ beds? It looked like the room was filled with rows and rows of beds¡ªnot whatever he landed on as these looked like something he might have in his home. None were occupied, thankfully. In fact, with the amount of dust and dirt coating every inch of them, he doubted anyone had touched them in decades upon decades.

    There was, he noted, no sign of whatever he landed on. The area beneath the fissure was just empty ground, covered with some kind of woven mat or carpet. The lack of anything soft sent a chill down his spine. What had he landed on?

    Shuddering, he looked up at the fissure. The slope didn¡¯t look as steep as he thought it was. If not for his momentum, he might not have slid all the way down. As it was, he could probably climb back out. If he could reach the fissure.

    It might be possible to stack up the beds and climb up them, but¡­ that could take all night. And that assumed that there were enough beds to reach the top of the vaulted ceiling. It was quite high up.

    Arkk¡¯s eyes lowered to a doorway at the far end of the room. A door implied that there was more to this place. Beds indicated that people lived down here at one point in time. If people had to get in, they could get back out. That meant there should be an alternate way up.

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    He was losing time.

    With a faint limp, he hurried over to the closest wall. There were torches mounted along the walls, many of which still looked oily at the end. Assuming it would work, he pulled one off the wall and swept it through the flames he had made. Sure enough, it roared to life, providing much greater illumination in the dark. Sweeping a foot through his magic circle snuffed the fire he had started.

    Pushing open the door took a great deal more effort than he imagined it was supposed to take. It felt more like he was breaking the hinges on the door than operating them. Even still, he pushed open the door and stepped into a long, narrow corridor.

    The corridor had collapsed at one end, leaving him only one direction to walk. There were a few more doors in the other direction, but what drew his eye were the bodies.

    ¡°I think I found the owners of those beds,¡± Arkk mumbled to himself.

    On both sides of the corridor, periodically slumped against the walls, were at least a dozen corpses. Some might have been wearing armor. For others¡­ it was hard to tell. Perhaps they had simply worn less robust armor, a material that had disintegrated over time. And it had been a great time since whatever happened here. None of the bodies were anything more than bones.

    A rush of wind that sounded like whispers at his back caused the torch to flicker. He whirled, breathing heavily with his dagger gripped in his other hand.

    The corridor was empty save for the collapsed tunnel and more bones.

    ¡°Is someone there?¡± Arkk called out. Drawing attention to himself might be a poor decision under most circumstances. He was already wandering around with a torch, kicking open doors. The advantage of getting help tipped the scales against alerting something that was going to notice him anyway.

    Wondering if he had let in a draft by opening the door, he simply turned back and continued on the only path he could.

    He pushed open each door as he passed them, checking what was inside. The first room, closest to the barracks, looked like a king¡¯s armory. Weapons and equipment hung from the walls, though most spots were empty. The gear equipped on all the bodies littering the place went in those slots. Everything looked so old that if he picked them up, they would probably turn to dust. One room looked like it had chicken coops and pig pens along with a small field. That one, in particular, had him pausing. The field actually had plants growing. Considering how dead everything else was in the Cursed Forest, even a small bit of life surprised him.

    Passing by training rooms and even a pool, perhaps for bathing or recreation¡ªthough Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if that had been the original purpose of the room or if rainwater had simply accumulated in a basin meant for other purposes¡ªhe deduced that this place had been some kind of self-sufficient fortress. Despite living not far away, he had never heard even the faintest rumors of such a place. That, combined with the completely decomposed bodies, meant it was probably so ancient that nobody knew about it.

    He wanted to explore the place more than merely glancing into each room. He wanted to drag Ilya here and explore it with her. But to do that, he had to get out of here and save the village.

    The one thing he had yet to find were stairs.

    Coming to a third intersection in the corridor, Arkk started feeling despair settling in. Just how large was this place? The rooms were massive. Half his village could fit within the sleeping quarters and he had found three such rooms so far. The other two intersections had been a full crossroads, allowing him to simply continue stumbling his way forward. This one, however, only had two choices. He could go left or right.

    Picking at random, Arkk selected the right path.

    The second he took a step, he felt it again. That rush of whispering wind at his back. He whirled around, eyes searching.

    In the dark corners of the corridor where the light from his torch failed to reach, he did see something. It looked like the shadows themselves were twisting and writhing. The strangest thing was inside the umbra. Little golden orbs, like miniature suns that failed to provide light. If they had remained where they were, he might have thought they were some ancient magical lighting technique that had since failed. But they didn¡¯t.

    The little golden stars winked out of existence, one by one, as the shadows stilled and returned to normal.

    It only took a moment. If he hadn¡¯t turned around so quickly, he would have missed it entirely. Now, however, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that something was watching him. Magic or monster, something had made this empty fortress its home. Was it upset at his presence? Or merely curious? It hadn¡¯t attacked him so far, which he was taking as a good sign.

    Was this thing in the shadows what he had landed upon? Unless there was something else moving down here¡­

    Abandoning his chosen path, Arkk followed after those shadowy lights. It hadn¡¯t attacked him and he couldn¡¯t help but feel that those whispers were a beckoning, not a warning to stay away. Heading towards it might be foolish, but¡­ above all, he didn¡¯t want those lights at his back.

    He kept opening doors along the way. Some of the rooms were so decayed that he couldn¡¯t even guess what their use might have been. It did interest him that there was a library in this fortress, but he didn¡¯t dare touch a book. If he opened one carelessly, it might fall apart. If it didn¡¯t fall apart, he might wind up reading it. That would be even worse; he needed to get back to the village. This detour was already taking far too long. How long had he been wandering? An hour? Maybe even more.

    One of the doors was stronger than the rest, made from metal rather than rotted wood. It took real effort to push this one open, not just because the hinges were one fused block of rust. A heavy door meant something worth protecting lay beyond. Hopefully a staircase up to the surface. After struggling for a few minutes, Arkk liberated an old sword from one of the nearby skeletons. Wedging that in the small opening he had made, he started prying the door open.

    The sword snapped clean in two, throwing Arkk back as the counter to his weight vanished. He grimaced as his back hit the wall. Slumping down to the ground, Arkk took another short break, holding his hand to his injured hip. Jostling it with that little move hurt.

    His efforts did not go to waste. Although the sword broke, it held strong long enough to leverage the door open. It wasn¡¯t fully open but there was space to squeeze through.

    There were no stairs inside, much to Arkk¡¯s chagrin. Instead, it was almost the opposite. It was a large room. One of importance with large steps leading up to a dais in the dead center of the room. The dominating feature was a circular pit placed into the dais that seemed to go down forever. A large sphere, with deep grooves forming a maze-like pattern on its surface, looked like it had been knocked aside. Bodies littered the floor of this room more than any other, making it difficult to walk toward the center of the room. He had to take care, not wanting to trip and fall in.

    Pulling another torch from a wall, lighting it, and dropping it down the deep pit, Arkk never saw it hit the bottom. The light just kept shrinking into the darkness until he couldn¡¯t see it anymore.

    Arkk backed up from the pit, sinking onto the steps leading up to the dais. It wasn¡¯t a very comfortable place to sit. Deep grooves lined the floor and even the walls and ceiling of this room, creating a labyrinthine pattern that spread across every surface. He dropped his head into his hands. All the adrenaline and exhilaration that came from his mad sprint through the Cursed Forest had long since faded. Exhaustion crept into his bones. The injuries he sustained weren¡¯t making it any easier.

    This fortress was too large. There could be a stairwell beyond the door on the other side of this pit chamber or there could be yet another corridor. With as many doors as he had opened thus far, it almost felt like he had to stumble across a way up sooner or later. And yet, it felt like he was never going to escape. At what point would it be better to try stacking up furniture to reach that fissure versus continuing in the hopes of finding another way up?

    It would have been nice if this fortress had a map somewhere. The tactical disadvantage of a map showing any intruders that saw it how to navigate this place meant that he doubted there would be one. Not to mention, it probably would have rotted away along with the bodies unless its creators carved it into the stone walls.

    Arkk¡¯s eyes drifted side to side. He had been avoiding looking too closely at the bodies throughout the ruins¡ªit felt a bit morbid to stare at so many corpses¡ªbut now that his explorations had stalled, he couldn¡¯t help but look at some of them.

    He noticed now that they weren¡¯t all humanoid. One was a partially crushed exoskeleton with a great many limbs, looking like a giant spider. Another had four arms and two legs. It was hard to tell what it might have looked like if it was more than just bones, but Arkk couldn¡¯t think of a creature that had four arms. A skull a short distance from the rest of a humanoid body had horns. The oddest thing was a cube. A cube of folded layers of metal with long, sharp limbs jutting out at strange angles. Arkk had thought it was merely a sculpture until he realized that one of those sharp limbs was piercing the chest plate of a more humanoid-looking corpse. A battle-axe almost completely bisecting the cube must have been what killed it, but¡­

    He had never seen anything like it.

    Staring at it felt strange. Like it had too many angles for being a cube.

    Tearing his eyes away, Arkk looked to a shadow in the room where a little golden light glinted in the darkness. For a moment, he thought it was a mere reflection of the torch off a suit of armor. It blinking dispersed that notion.

    Arkk launched to his feet, noticing the room.

    The entire half of the chamber changed while his back was turned. Dark shadows covered every surface despite his torch. Inside those shadows, stars burned bright, looking like dozens of eyes. Teeth gleamed in the darkness, forming dozens of mouths with lolling black tongues dangling from the shadows. The entire room stared at him.

    Arkk¡¯s dagger trembled in his fingers as he tried to steady himself. The room seeming to come alive into some kind of monster shook him. He just about ran. It would likely be useless given that he was trapped down here, but fight or flight instincts didn¡¯t care about details like that.

    Before he could, however, someone stepped out of the shadows. Something. It appeared as a woman, but obviously not human, elf, or even orc. No creature he had ever seen before had dark violet skin. Those same starry eyes that now possessed the rest of the room gleamed from its remarkably humanoid face. The majority of its clothes almost matched its skin, save for being a bit darker. A long white segment that ran down its entire front almost made it look like it was wearing an apron of sorts.

    He quickly realized that its clothes weren¡¯t clothes at all. They glistened and dripped. More of those golden eyes dotted the shoulders, stomach, wrists, and sides of its dress-like lower body.

    This was a monster. Not like a simple orc or goblin, but a true monster. The kind spoken of in ancient tales from before the Calamity ravaged the lands.

    And it was here. Staring at him from across the bottomless pit.

 Fortress Al-Mir

    What did one do when confronted with a pre-Calamity monster?

    Die. There wasn¡¯t much more to it than that, Arkk figured. He would try to fight back. It was only natural. Looking at the creature before him, he had no doubts that his little dagger wouldn¡¯t scratch a room-encompassing monster with stars for eyes. Even had he a proper sword or Ilya¡¯s bow, making it angry was all he would accomplish.

    And yet, it was a bit difficult to fight back when it wasn¡¯t attacking in the first place. The eyes in the shadows of the room watched him, blinking occasionally. The blue-hued woman standing in the light simply stood. With its hands clasped together at its navel, just in front of another of those glowing yellow eyes, it watched him. Its head tilted to one side, ever so slightly, as if trying to decide what to make of him.

    Legends and myths originating thousands of years ago said that aberrant, inhuman creatures once roamed the land. Great wars raged between armies of monsters, devouring all in their path. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if devouring was literal or a metaphor. Either way, this one didn¡¯t seem particularly hungry. If it had been living in this fortress since the Calamity, or even in the last few months, it had never once bothered the village just a short trek to the east.

    Was it trapped here? Arkk shook his head. Even discounting the fissure he had fallen through, this place wasn¡¯t sealed off from the surface. He had spotted several such cracks in the ceiling, a few of which he had been able to see through to the surface.

    The thing took a step. Step was probably the wrong word. It didn¡¯t exactly have feet. Roiling tendrils of dark oil snaked across the ground beneath its dress¡­ or whatever dress-like body it had. Whatever it did, it moved with glacial purpose as it rounded the large pit in the dais. Arkk immediately moved in the opposite direction, keeping the distance between them the same.

    Though he quickly realized his folly. The shadows encompassing the rest of the room weren¡¯t moving. If they swapped positions around the dais, its shadows would be at his back while it was at his front. Already, it was well within reach of the door he had pried open to get into this room.

    Gnawing at his lip, Arkk decided that fighting would be impossible. But it wasn¡¯t attacking and it had a humanoid face. Was talking a possibility?

    ¡°Hello?¡± Arkk said, trying to keep his voice from trembling too much. ¡°Sorry for intruding on your, uh¡­ home?¡±

    It paused, stilling while still watching. The humanoid head canted to the side again. Its mouth opened as if to speak. ¡°[Greetings]/[welcome]. [Long time]|[existence]|[witness]/[visitor]. [Who]|[why]/[purpose]? [Unknown human]|[seeking]|[treasure]/[riches]?¡±

    The torch rolled back away from Arkk and his dagger clattered to the floor. He was not ready for what came forth from its mouth. Clamping his hands over his ears, he fought back tears. The thing spoke, which was a surprise on its own, but it didn¡¯t speak in words. Concepts forced their way into Arkk¡¯s mind.

    ¡°[Unknown human]|[seeking]|[power]/[force]/[domination]?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arkk said through clenched teeth. ¡°No. I am looking for the way out.¡±

    The monster cocked its head to the other side, taking another step around the dais in the process. ¡°[Unknown human]|[abandon]/[flee]|[Fortress Al-Mir]/[HEART]?¡±

    It was all Arkk could do to remain standing, let alone move further away from the creature. Hands still pressed to his ears, he knew only one thing: It was open to conversation. To what end, he couldn¡¯t say. But he had to try to plead his case.

    ¡°Please,¡± he said. ¡°My village is under attack. I need to get out of here so I can warn them.¡±

    ¡°[Unknown human]|[seeking]|[protection]/[safety]?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Yes, that.¡±

    ¡°[Fortress Al-Mir]/[HEART]|[ultimate]|[defensive tool]/[offensive tool].¡± The monster stepped closer. It was far enough around the dais to be on the same side. The tendrils squirming out from under its dress would be able to reach Arkk if they wanted. ¡°[Contract]/[binding]/[agreement]?¡±

    Arkk managed to stumble back, but the woman didn¡¯t continue toward him. Instead, it turned away and moved toward the large stone sphere that had the same maze-like pattern across its surface that the rest of the room possessed. The sphere was taller than either of them but looked stuck inside a crater in the floor. The monster pressed its hand against the sphere¡¯s side, though it didn¡¯t bother trying to shove it out of that crater.

    ¡°[Contract]/[binding]/[agreement]?¡±

    Arkk licked his dry lips. It didn¡¯t help. The inside of his mouth was just as dry as the outside. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re asking. I need to get back to my village and warn them of an attack.¡±

    ¡°[Agreement]. [Contract]/[binding]|[offer]|[ultimate]|[defensive tool]/[offensive tool]. [Home]/[Sanctuary]|[rescue].¡± The creature turned away from the sphere, looking back to Arkk. It didn¡¯t need to. Its hair, tied up in a high ponytail, had one of those golden suns peeking out from the thickest part. ¡°[Abandon]/[flee]|[Fortress Al-Mir]/[HEART]|[possible]/[unlikely]. [No exit]|[collapsed]. [Self]/[Vezta]/[SERVANT]|[offer]|[assistance]. [Contract]/[binding]|[required].¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes, feeling more than hearing the monster¡¯s intention as he tried to parse the concepts it was shoving into his mind. There was no way out, at least not anymore. This monster would help, but only if he agreed to some kind of contract. Stacking up furniture to reach the fissure might still be an option unless this thing decided he wasn¡¯t going to do what it wanted. At that point, it might get in the way. If not kill him outright.

    ¡°What is this contract?¡±

    ¡°[Offer]|[Fortress Al-Mir]/[HEART]|[ultimate]|[defensive tool]/[offensive tool].¡±

    ¡°Yes. I got that much. What do you get?¡±

    ¡°[Fortress Al-Mir]/[HEART]|[receive]|[restoration]/[refurbishment]/[beat]. [Self]/[Vezta]/[SERVANT]|[receive]|[master]/[leader]/[warlord].¡±

    ¡°You want me to fix this place up?¡± That¡­ didn¡¯t sound so bad. This place was massive. It would be work, that was for sure. But sweeping out the dust and burying the bodies didn¡¯t sound that horrible. Especially if the monster allowed him to browse the library. What the monster received sounded a bit dodgier, but still not horrible. It described itself as [SERVANT]. A concept filled with far more meaning than the simple word would imply. Despite the language forcing concepts into his mind, he couldn¡¯t quite comprehend what it meant. The basics, if he understood it correctly: It wanted someone to serve.

    A faint smile touched the monster¡¯s lips. It held out its hand, palm up. ¡°[Agreement]?¡±

    Arkk bit his lip. Did he have a choice?

    There was always a choice. He could choose to throw himself into that deep pit. He could pick up his dagger and stab it into his own throat. He could choose to ignore the monster and face whatever consequences that would bring. None of those saved his village.

    He didn¡¯t know enough. He didn¡¯t understand enough. It was too sudden. Arkk generally tried to find the best way to use any situation to his advantage but at the moment, his head was pounding too much to think properly.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°No.¡±

    The smile faded. ¡°[Disappointment].¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m having a hard time thinking with my village in danger.¡±

    ¡°[Defensive tool]. [Addition]/[bonus reward]|[self]/[Vezta]/[SERVANT]|[strong]/[weight-lifting champion].¡±

    ¡°Yes, I understand that. But it is just a few orcs and goblins. We¡¯ve handled worse. As long as I ready the villagers before the orcs arrive, as long as people aren¡¯t caught out working in the fields, we¡¯ll be fine without¡­¡± Arkk glanced at the large sphere. ¡°Whatever that is.¡±

    He didn¡¯t know what it was. The monster could say whatever it wanted to say. Making a contract with some ancient artifact sounded like a good way to get his soul eaten by a demon. He had never heard of such a thing happening, but Arkk would be the first to admit that he was a country peasant with no formal instruction in anything beyond hunting and farming. Even that didn¡¯t count as formal.

    The Abbess of Langleey¡¯s church warned of such things in her sermons. Not exactly like this. Demons were known to prey upon ignorant or deviant individuals, offering anything from wealth to skills to revenge in exchange for payments that sounded a lot more innocent than they truly were. Demons were monsters possessing ultimate antipathy for mortals. Making a contract with one was only done by the most foolish of beings. Or so went the teachings of the church. Arkk had never met one.

    He didn¡¯t particularly want to.

    Tidying up this fortress didn¡¯t sound like any demon deal the Abbess had mentioned, not that she had ever been particularly specific, but it did sound like just the sort of thing that would come with hidden strings attached.

    ¡°Please,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Help me out of here. I¡¯ll even come back if that is what you want. I¡¯ll help clean this place up a bit. But not while I¡¯m distracted with my village¡¯s problems.¡±

    ¡°[Return]?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Return.¡±

    ¡°[Contract]/[binding]|[HEART]?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    It was a fairly selfish promise. Assuming he worked up the guts to go through with it. The library interested him enough that, as long as this monster wasn¡¯t going to eat him, he would almost certainly try to come back. He had only taken a brief glimpse into that library, but at least some of the books inside were surely magical. He was fairly certain he had seen the arcane symbol on the spine of one.

    Learning magic, even with this thing hanging over his shoulders, was worth dragging a broom out here to sweep out the corridors.

    ¡°[Understanding]. [Extract]|[promise]/[word of honor].¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ sure? I promise to return here if you help me get back to my village.¡±

    ¡°[Acceptable]|[terms]. [Contract]/[binding]|[temporary]/[on hold]/[stay of execution].¡± The monster stepped away from the large sphere. ¡°[Follow]/[good boy].¡± It turned and began gliding toward the door he had pried open. The way it moved on its pillar of tendrils was disturbing. Even worse was the way the entire room seemed to shift; the oily shadows filled with eyes and mouths swept around Arkk, flowing into the monster as it walked.

    Keeping his eyes on the creature, Arkk bent and retrieved his dropped dagger and the still-burning torch.

    The monster laid a hand on the metal door, throwing it open with no obvious effort despite how much he had strained in getting it open. They arrived at the library in short order. Arkk felt like it had been an hour from the library to the maze chamber the first time, but only a few minutes to get back. It did help a bit that he wasn¡¯t opening every door on the way, but it still felt faster than before.

    The monster had said that the exit was blocked. Maybe even down that collapsed passage he had started near. Still, he expected some other way out. Instead, he found himself led to a small table beyond the shelves of musty books where a dusty crystal ball sat atop a small platform. The monster swept her hand over it, clearing the dust, then motioned for him.

    ¡°[Display]/[imagination]|[home].¡±

    Arkk stared at the glass ball. He had heard about such devices. The Abbey and sorcerers used them for communication. Even that spellcaster who visited the village several months back carried a small one. He knew of them. He had no idea how they worked.

    Seeing his helpless state, the monster took his hands. They glistened in the torchlight but didn¡¯t feel wet or cold at all. There was a gentle warmth to its fingers. It held his hands just over the top of the crystal ball, not touching, but close enough that he could almost feel the cool glass. ¡°[Display]/[imagination]|[village]/[peasantry]. [Sanctuary]. [Leaser]/[property owner]/[landlord]. [Eating hall]/[restaurant]. [Livestock]/[field]/[grocery store].¡±

    A white mist occluded the clear glass as the monster spoke. The concepts thrust into Arkk¡¯s mind brought up thoughts and memories without him even trying to think too hard. When the farm came up, Arkk drew in a breath. With it came the scent of freshly cut wheat, the mint fields, and the less pleasant smell of livestock. The mist shimmered, changing to show the village¡¯s fields, lit only by moonlight. Despite the darkness, he recognized the layout and the paths. Up the shallow hill were their local church, a large storehouse, and a nearby barn.

    The servant took over, shooing his hands off to the sides. With one of its hands pointed toward the crystal ball, the image began flickering, snapping inside homes, out in the fields, and around the main church building. Eventually the view changed to display an image so high up that he could see the river and the Cursed Forest beyond. A few jarring snaps through the Cursed Forest before Arkk saw himself looking at his own head of brown hair, hunched over a crystal ball in a decrepit library.

    He glanced upward, but there was nothing above that indicated a watcher¡¯s presence.

    ¡°[Understanding].¡±

    The words brought his gaze back down. The monster¡¯s starfield-like eyes stared into his own, bright yellow suns dominating. ¡°Understand?¡±

    ¡°[Location]/[coordinates]|[understanding]. [Please hold]/[stay of execution]. [Problem]/[concern].¡±

    Arkk narrowed his eyes. The serene face of the monster didn¡¯t flinch in the slightest. Why should it? It wasn¡¯t human and it could probably crush him if it took a sudden dislike to him. And yet, he couldn¡¯t help but glare. ¡°You said you would help.¡±

    ¡°[Assistance]|[agreement],¡± it said, pointing a lithe finger toward the crystal ball. The image of the village church shimmered into position. ¡°[Problem]/[concern]. [Symbol]/[regalia]/[scribble]|[Almighty Glory]|[Heart of Gold]|[Holy Light].¡±

    Arkk blinked again, this time in confusion over the unfamiliar names. He was fairly sure those were names, anyway. ¡°So¡­ what?¡±

    ¡°[Understanding].¡± It seemed pleased, offering a smile. ¡°[Disuse]/[abandoned]?¡±

    ¡°No, the Abbess leads sermons every Suun.¡±

    ¡°[Confusion]? [Foreign]/[not us].¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I have no idea what you¡¯re trying to say,¡± Arkk said. This was a monster. He wasn¡¯t sure what the church had to do with anything. Despite the odd way the thing spoke, he thought they were communicating rather well until now.

    The monster jerked its head in a confused twitch. ¡°[Ignore this message]. [Promise]/[word of honor]|[reminder]/[nudge-nudge].¡± Tendrils swept out from under the creature¡¯s long dress, shoving aside bones, armor, and weapons with no reverence or care. Books, however, were plucked from the pile and carefully set apart, much to Arkk¡¯s relief.

    Within the now-emptied space, the monster¡¯s tentacles began working, leaving trails of black slime where there had been none before. Its normal walking and even that careless clearing didn¡¯t leave slime behind, so this had to be intentional. As Arkk watched, he quickly realized that it was forming some kind of magical circle in the ground. A complex one, far more complex than any he had seen before. And this monster was doing it all without turning its head away from him.

    Eerie.

    ¡°Your name is Vezta, isn¡¯t it?¡± Arkk said, desperate to focus on something else. ¡°I think that is what I got while you were talking about¡­ contracts.¡±

    ¡°[Inaccurate]. [Self]/[Vezta]/[SERVANT]. [Inadequate]/[sorry state]|[language]. Vezta|[acceptable].¡±

    ¡°Oh. Good then,¡± Arkk said before an awkward silence fell over them. It was made all the more awkward by the way that Vezta simply did not blink. He had seen the eyes in the shadows blink before, but never the eyes on its face. Emboldened by her answering his question, Arkk asked another. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what kind of monster are you? I¡¯ve never seen something like you before.¡±

    ¡°[SERVANT].¡± The self-proclaimed servant stepped aside, bowing while holding one hand out toward the freshly drawn magic circle. ¡°[Existence]|[relocate]/[walk away]/[walk inside]. [Mind the edges].¡±

    ¡°You want me inside the circle?¡±

    The monster bowed deeply, upper body nearly parallel to the ground.

    Arkk looked to the circle, wary. He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine what the circle was for. Just following the channels, veins, and magical pathways made him dizzy.

    Sensing his hesitation, the monster took hold of his hand again and slowly brought him over. ¡°[Safety]/[bodily integrity]|[assured]. [No]|[error]/[flub].¡±

    ¡°Ah, what, exactly does this¡ª¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t get to finish. The monster took a step back, out of the circle, leaving him in its center. The circle flashed and cold night air soaked into his tunic. He blinked a few times, confused at the library¡¯s absence. Somehow, he was outside, standing on a dirt path. He was just around the back of the carpenter¡¯s shop, between the building and the riverbank. The familiar sound of the water rushing past the locked waterwheel filled his ears.

    This was it. His home. Langleey Village.

    He was back. That quickly? Did all spellcasters know how to do something like that?

    Arkk put the thought out of his mind. Even with the hours spent exploring that fortress, he was back long before he would have been if he had simply kept running. Those hours couldn¡¯t go to waste. Drawing in a deep breath, he turned and sprinted toward the Baron of Langleey¡¯s manor.

 Langleey Village

    Gert Freede, Baron of Langleey, made his home in the center of the village square, just across from the church. It wasn¡¯t a particularly large manor. Arkk had been to other villages and burgs where their local lords of the land had miniature castles. Gert lived a simple life, not far elevated from the serfs employed to work the farms. The grounds were far more elaborate than the house, being one large garden tended to by Gert¡¯s wife and a few others. The wide lanes of strawberries were a much-beloved treat during the times of the year when they grew in.

    Rushing through that garden, Arkk reached the large wooden doors of the Baron¡¯s home and started hammering the knocker.

    It was the dead of night. Well before anyone would be awake. Arkk didn¡¯t expect anyone to answer right away. It took a few minutes of hammering before the door creaked open.

    A short, round man with rosy round cheeks and a round nose pulled open the door, standing with a small rushlight burning in his hands. The light from the miniature candle paled in comparison to the larger torch that Arkk still held. Gert raised a hand, blocking the light from the torch as he squinted into the darkness.

    ¡°What is the meaning of this? Have you any idea¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sorry to wake you, sir. I thought you would want to know that orcs and goblins were spotted near the village.¡±

    Gert sucked in a breath, free hand clutching at his pale yellow nightgown as the rushlight drifted to the ground. ¡°Goblins? Here?¡±

    ¡°In the company of orcs,¡± Arkk said.

    Goblins were by far the more alarming threat. Vicious little creatures, more akin to wild animals than proper beings. Orcs, on their own, were generally treated with suspicion but could be open for trade while passing through on whatever business orcs got up to. Orcs in the company of goblins, however, was bad news. Raiders and scavengers, the lot of them.

    ¡°How many? How far off?¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°Not sure, exactly. Ilya and I spotted tracks. She counted at least four orcs. I¡¯d guess maybe twice as many goblins. They always outnumber the orcs in these kinds of groups. As for how far off?¡± He didn¡¯t have a proper answer for that. ¡°I¡¯d guess they could be here as early as dawn if they¡¯re heading straight here.¡±

    ¡°You and Ilya?¡± Gert said, squinting his beady eyes. ¡°Arkk?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°You were hunting out west, beyond the Cursed Forest?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°Where is Ilya?¡± Arkk hesitated. The brief pause made Gert grimace. ¡°Oh, no¡­ is she¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, no. She should be safe. We took different routes back. Wanted to make sure that one of us made it just in case the horde got the other. She took a route that kept her closer to the orcs and goblins. I imagine her arrival will mean we¡¯ve run out of time.¡±

    Relief crossed Gert¡¯s face. The fingers clenching his nightgown relaxed some. ¡°Good. Very good. I understand. Rush to the church and sound the bells. Wake the village. We¡¯ll gather everyone who can fight and hide the rest in my manor.¡±

    Time being of the essence, Arkk didn¡¯t bother saying anything else. He turned and rushed across the small plaza to the church.

    In contrast to the Baron¡¯s rather simple home, barely more affluent than any villager¡¯s home, the church had opulence to it. It and the smithy were the only fully stone structures in the village. Where the smithy had a rugged design, the church was smooth and tall. High windows brought in natural light to the main chapel area. Whitewashed walls gleamed in the moonlight while the golden symbols inscribed on its bell tower sparkled with whatever light they could catch.

    The door wasn¡¯t locked. Although it had heavy bolts, it was never locked. The bell tower hung over the entrance, just before the main chapel. A door to the side let him into the bell room where, after dropping his torch on the stone floor, he set to pulling on the thick ropes.

    Despite the gravity of the situation, pulling down on the ropes reminded him of when he was a boy, fighting with Ilya over who got to ring the bells before the Suun sermon. He had heard the bells ring in emergencies like this before, but had never done it himself. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but smile when he heard that heavy bong.

    Arkk didn¡¯t know for how long he should ring the bell, so he kept going. The entire village didn¡¯t need to wake up from the bell ringing, just enough people. Those who were awake could then wake their neighbors.

    A few bongs turned into a few dozen before Arkk felt a hand resting on his shoulder. The Abbess stood behind him, wearing a grim smile that wrinkled her face more than usual.

    ¡°Thank you, Arkk. You can stop now.¡±

    Arkk immediately let go of the rope. ¡°Right. Enough people up?¡±

    ¡°The Baron is organizing everyone in the plaza now, repeating what you said.¡± Abbess Keena fiddled with her habit, smoothing out the wrinkles. Arkk was honestly surprised she was wearing it at a time like this. Pure white with elegant golden thread marking symbols into it, it was probably the single most opulent article of clothing in the entire village. Not even the Baron wore such expensive threads when viscounts or earls were visiting. ¡°Are there really goblins approaching?¡± she asked.

    ¡°There¡­ is a chance they weren¡¯t headed toward the village,¡± Arkk said slowly. ¡°Ilya and I were on the other side of the Cursed Forest when we noticed them. They seemed to be following the forest¡¯s edge. We couldn¡¯t take the chance that they weren¡¯t coming here.¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± the Abbess said, face turning grim. ¡°I shall pray they pass us by, but will prepare my salves and prayers for healing.¡±

    Before Keena could turn and leave, Arkk tugged up his tunic. ¡°Could you take a look at this first?¡± he asked, wincing as he looked down at his wound for the first time. Long jagged lines of torn flesh ran from his hip to his ribs amid raw, red skin. It wasn¡¯t bleeding, but thin streaks of blood showed that it had been when he received it. Seeing it made it start stinging all over again. ¡°It looks worse than it is,¡± he said quickly, not sure if he was trying to reassure the frowning abbess or himself. ¡°Took a bit of a tumble in my hurry to get back.¡±

    ¡°I can apply an ointment, but I need to keep my healing prayers ready for more grievous injuries.¡±

    ¡°Prayer would be more than I need,¡± he said, flashing a smile. ¡°Just want to fight without distraction.¡±

    The Abbess brought him through the chapel, sitting him down on one of the pews before disappearing through a door behind the altar. She returned in short order, carrying a small clay jar. Arkk wrinkled his nose at the fish-like smell when she pulled out the wax stopper but didn¡¯t complain as she rolled up her sleeves and gently applied a thin layer of the freezing gel to his side.

    ¡°Abbess Keena?¡± Arkk said as she worked. ¡°Might I ask a question of¡­ religious nature?¡±

    The older woman let out a soft laugh. ¡°That is what I am here for.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ What do demons look like?¡±

    The Abbess jerked her hand, smacking into the clay pot. Arkk snapped his hand forward, catching it just before it rolled off the pew.

    ¡°Sorry¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have asked.¡±

    ¡°No, that is what I¡¯m here for,¡± she said again, far less humor in her voice this time. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    Arkk bit his lip. ¡°I might have taken a shortcut through the Cursed Forest to warn the village faster,¡± he said, wincing at the way her eyebrows popped up and wrinkled her forehead. He continued, speaking faster and faster with every word to get his confession out of the way as quickly as possible. ¡°There was something out there. A monster, I think. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it before. I think it wanted me to agree to something¡ªit didn¡¯t exactly speak any proper language so it was a bit hard to tell. I said no,¡± he added, words spilling out of his mouth as fast as he could to deny agreeing to anything. ¡°Then it just let me go. I wasn¡¯t sure what to think of the encounter.¡±

    To his surprise, Abbess Keena seemed to relax the more he talked. She even started moving again, hands rubbing the ointment into his side. ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like a demon then,¡± she said slowly, thinking. ¡°Demons typically look like people, at least when attempting to engage in such a conversation, to better deceive those with whom they would make deals. Something unlike anything you had ever seen would not be a demon.¡±

    ¡°Typically? But not always?¡±

    Keena glanced up, brows scrunched together. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly have personal experience, Arkk.¡±

    ¡°No. No, of course not.¡±

    ¡°Apart from that,¡± she continued, ¡°it is well-known that demons can speak any language with perfect fluency. Demons cannot lie while making deals. Garbling their deal with another language would violate that, I imagine. Therefore, it couldn¡¯t have been a demon.¡± Pulling away from Arkk, Keena dried her fingers with a small cloth before recapping the jar of ointment. She stood, and paused. ¡°What did it ask of you?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t perfectly clear. I think it wanted three things,¡± Arkk said, straightening out his tunic. ¡°First, it wanted help cleaning up some ruins I fell into.¡±

    ¡°Ruins? In the Cursed Forest?¡±

    ¡°Some old fortress. Looked really old. Maybe pre-Calamity. Frankly, I think the monster might have been pre-Calamity too. It looked like some kind of slimy, tentacle monstrosity with a few too many eyes.¡±

    ¡°A creature from before the Calamity?¡± the Abbess asked, actually sounding amused. ¡°It has been over a millennium. Only dragons and elves live that long and this doesn¡¯t sound like either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± Arkk mumbled, ¡°it would fit the stories.¡±

    ¡°The other things it asked of you?¡±

    ¡°Well, there was some kind of large magical object in those ruins. A giant ball. I think it wanted me to take it.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Just give it to you?¡±

    Arkk shrugged. ¡°Finally, it kept calling itself a servant. And I think it wanted someone to serve.¡±

    Keena pressed her lips together. ¡°Peculiar.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound familiar?¡±

    ¡°I am hardly a walking index of monsters, Arkk. I¡¯m just a remote village¡¯s religious guide. I dare say that the mercenaries who pass through on occasion would be of better assistance in identifying your mysterious creature. A magical artifact is more concerning. It could be what is causing the corruption in the Cursed Forest.¡± She hummed. ¡°I should prepare a cleansing ritual for you later. Getting so close to this artifact¡­ If it is what is causing the corruption, removing or destroying it might be a worthy endeavor. If we could reclaim the Cursed Forest, Langleey might enter into a new age of prosperity.¡±

    ¡°The creature called the artifact a defensive and offensive tool, though it wasn¡¯t more clear than that.¡±

    Keena furrowed her brow, squinting as she stared off into one of the large glass windows of the chapel. ¡°That¡­ sounds familiar.¡± She tapped the jar of ointment against her chin a few times before shaking her head. ¡°I can¡¯t recall. After our current crisis is over, I shall delve through the Holy Tome and see if I¡¯m imagining familiarity or if I¡¯ve heard of that before.¡±

    ¡°Current crisis,¡± Arkk mumbled, closing his eyes and wishing he could forget about that. His eyelids were heavy enough that he couldn¡¯t quite open them right away. The Baron would take care of things right now. He didn¡¯t have anything else to say about the goblins and orcs. There was still much he could do, but trying to put effort into his legs just didn¡¯t quite work. Exhaustion kept him still.

    A short rest would help him fight all the more.

    He hoped Ilya was alright.

    <hr>

    The warm light from the morning sun streamed through the tall windows of the church, stirring Arkk from his rest. The warmth felt nice, peaceful, and serene. Too peaceful, even. Like he was missing something.

    Snapping his eyes open, Arkk jolted to his feet, remembering what daylight meant. He was still in the chapel. Abbess Keena must have left him to rest. While thankful for the brief respite, Arkk wished she wouldn¡¯t have let him sleep quite this long. Rushing out to the square, Arkk set about learning what was going on.

    The village had assembled. Of the seventy people in their village, twelve men and eight women had taken up arms. Six teens strong enough to carry bows had been recruited as well, positioned atop roofs to act as lookouts. Their eyes were on the west, toward the Cursed Forest. The large fields of corn would obstruct the sightlines, unfortunately, with it being so close to harvest. The church and manor up on the hill would hopefully provide enough elevation to spot unnatural rustling to give an early warning.

    ¡°Where is Ilya?¡± Arkk called out, running through the assembled defenders. She was supposed to arrive by dawn¡­ unless she had taken to her fallback plan of distracting the orcs and goblins so that Arkk would have a chance to arrive first. Unnecessary now, but she didn¡¯t know that. ¡°Has anyone seen Ilya?¡±

    A hand grasped hold of the back of his tunic as he slowed, jerking him to a stop.

    ¡°Quiet down, boy. You¡¯ll cause a panic.¡±

    The man holding onto Arkk gave him a dark look as he spun him around. An older man with thin clouds of white hair might not have intimidated a young man like Arkk, but this was John, the village carpenter. Wearing a worn gambeson with a heavy lumber axe strapped to his side and a powerful longbow slung over his shoulder, he was probably the most intimidating man in the village.

    ¡°Have you seen Ilya? Did she make it back?¡±

    ¡°No one has seen the lass. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be the first to know.¡± John took a deep breath, softening his expression. ¡°Now what¡¯s all this about goblins?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Baron¡ª¡±

    ¡°I want to hear it from you, boy.¡±

    ¡°Ilya and I found a handful of orcs and goblins, we were¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey! Arkk!¡±

    Fighting the grimace off his face, Arkk turned toward the new voice. ¡°Jorgen. Hurtt,¡± he said to the two approaching him. Both were burly men with arms thicker than tree trunks. Neither had a pleasant look on their face.

    ¡°Got any magic for us today?¡± Jorgen said.

    ¡°No, I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Course he doesn¡¯t,¡± Hurtt said with an ugly scoff. ¡°The one time explosions might be useful and he doesn¡¯t have anything.¡±

    ¡°Oi, shove off,¡± John said. ¡°You got time to flap your lips, you got time to keep a lookout.¡±

    The two laughed as they turned away. Arkk followed them with his eyes, watching the way they kept their smiles and seeming amusement only until they were a short distance away, at which point they dropped the act entirely, shooting each other glances.

    ¡°They¡¯re just nervous,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°We all are. Waking us up so early in the night?¡± John gave a tired shake of his head then let out a mighty yawn. ¡°Could have slept in for another few hours.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Besides, you¡¯ll show them up. Hit a few goblins between the eyes. Who needs unreliable magic and chanting when you¡¯ve got¡­¡± John blinked, frowning as he looked over Arkk. ¡°Where¡¯s your gear, boy? You can¡¯t fight like that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s out in the Cursed Forest,¡± Arkk said with a groan, running a hand down his face. ¡°They were too heavy and I needed to run.¡±

    ¡°You left your lady-friend¡¯s bow in the Cursed Forest? I take it back. You¡¯re going to be dead the moment she walks up.¡±

    ¡°I remember where it is!¡± I hope. ¡°I can get it back after we fight off the attack.¡±

    John looked off into the distance, then snapped his eyes back to Arkk. ¡°Not going to be fighting off anything like that. Run down to my shop. There should be two bows hanging on the rack near the wheel. Neither will be as good as an elf¡¯s bow, but at least you won¡¯t be useless.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arkk said, starting away. He paused and glanced back. ¡°Thanks!¡±

    John just threw his hand in a dismissive motion.

    Hurrying down the hill, back to the side of the river, Arkk threw open the door to John¡¯s workshop. A pair of wagon wheels leaned against one wall. The start of a bedframe sat atop the main workbench, surrounded by all manner of metal tools. The opposite wall from the door had what Arkk was looking for. Two bows hung next to the door out to the lumber saw and the waterwheel. One was missing its string. Not knowing where John kept bowstrings, Arkk picked up the other and tested its weight.

    It was quite a bit heavier than Ilya¡¯s bow, but it would work. Of course, a bow wouldn¡¯t do much on its own. John had to have some arrows around somewhere. Arkk started pulling open workbench drawers and searching shelves.

    Arkk felt a rush of wind and a thunk at his back. Whirling, he found an arrow, end vibrating, sticking out from a cabinet along the wall.

    ¡°That one,¡± a voice whispered.

    ¡°Hale?¡± Arkk said, looking to the door to find a young lady hanging upside-down from the roof. Her twin-tailed hair hung down, giving her the comical appearance of a giant beetle, but her piercing green eyes betrayed her seriousness. A much smaller bow hung from her arms. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°You were looking for arrows,¡± she said, unblinking. ¡°Headed and fletched arrows are in that cupboard.¡±

    The arrow sticking out of the cupboard bit into it right along the grain. Grabbing hold of it, he wrenched it from the door. In doing so, half the door fell to the floor with a clatter. She was right, there were completed arrows inside, but¡­ ¡°How are you going to explain this to John?¡±

    Her eyes went wide. They darted left, then right, then back to Arkk. ¡°Goblins did it.¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t even here yet.¡±

    ¡°Goblins did it,¡± she said again, voice firm. Reaching up to whatever she was hanging from, she started to pull herself up, only to let out a small, ¡°Ah!¡± before falling straight down onto her back.

    She was on her feet before Arkk could get over to her, but he still grabbed her arms to help steady her. In contrast to her steady voice, her arms were trembling. ¡°Why are you out here? Everyone else is up near the plaza.¡±

    ¡°Guarding the shop,¡± she answered, yanking her arms from Arkk¡¯s hands.

    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous on your own. Did John tell you to do this? I¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    ¡°No! I have to stay here. Master is too old. If the goblins burn this place down¡ª¡±

    ¡°Then the whole village will help rebuild it. You think John cares more about a few planks of wood than his apprentice?¡± Arkk flicked her forehead between her brows. ¡°Can you even draw that bow back?¡±

    Rubbing between her eyes, Hale scowled. ¡°I hit the cupboard door right where I was aiming, while upside down.¡±

    Arkk glanced back, then to the arrow still in his hand. ¡°So you did. Maybe you can help then, but with everyone else. Not out here on your own.¡±

    After gathering up a number of the arrows into a sack that Hale found for him¡ªthey didn¡¯t have a proper quiver handy and he had left everything with his other equipment¡ªArkk started dragging Hale out of the workshop.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Hale said, stopping abruptly. The little girl grabbed his hand and pulled. ¡°I remembered. I wanted you to see something.¡±

    ¡°You wanted me to see something?¡±

    ¡°You know magic, right?¡± she asked, dragging him around the shop. Arkk didn¡¯t have a good answer for her, affirmative or negative, so he kept his mouth shut. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Arkk blinked, looking where she was pointing. There was a magic circle burned into the ground, the same one Vezta had drawn out in the library. The one that had brought him here. Intricate and complex, and yet, it was perfectly clear right there in the dirt. ¡°Do¡­ do you have a sheet of paper handy?¡± he asked. ¡°And something to scrawl with?¡±

    He didn¡¯t know if it would survive the coming battle and he so desperately wanted to figure out how that worked. Magic that moved people great distances? It was too good to be true. If they could move from the village past the Cursed Forest without having to walk or ride the distance, they would be able to hunt and forage and chop lumber so much easier than they could now.

    Hale returned, bringing with her a rough piece of pulpy paper and a thin stick of charcoal. Not ideal, but it would work. ¡°Keep an eye out for goblins or orcs. And Ilya too.¡±

    ¡°Why Ilya? She¡¯s right there?¡±

    ¡°Yes, keep an eye¡ª¡± Registering what Hale said, Arkk snapped his head up.

    A lithe elf ran along the bank of the river, eyes up on the church. She looked worn, covered in far more grime than when Arkk had last seen her. It was as if she had crawled through a pit of mud on her stomach.

    ¡°Ilya!¡± Arkk called, waving the paper.

    He could see her eyes widening even from the distance. The silver in them gleamed in the morning light. Seeing him must have given her a new wind. Her pace picked up as she headed straight toward him.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she shouted, voice rough and scratchy. Sweat dripped from her face and stained her clothes in all the places where the mud wasn¡¯t caked on. ¡°Did you¡­ Did you go through the Cursed Forest? After I said¡­¡± She trailed off as she got closer, shooting a wary glare at the magic circle on the ground. ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s, uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Never mind,¡± she snapped, shaking her head and sending her knife-like ears bouncing. ¡°We need to go.¡±

    ¡°Go where? I already warned the village. Including the youth, we have just under thirty people ready to fight.¡±

    ¡°Not enough,¡± Ilya said, shaking her head. ¡°It isn¡¯t just a handful. There is a whole army out there. Maybe an hour behind me at most. I could have been here sooner, but I wanted to see what we were dealing with. Good thing too. That group that attacked the stag was just a small scouting group. The larger force has thirty to fifty orcs, with a half-dozen goblins to each. No idea how many other scouting groups there might have been.¡±

    Arkk staggered back. ¡°What? That¡¯s¡­ about two hundred? Minimum. How are they wandering in such a large group without the Duke hunting them down?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we can¡¯t be here.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ where?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said again, grinding her teeth together. ¡°The monsters will see the village, or their scouts will. It won¡¯t be long before they come down on it. Pillaging it will buy us time to move, but only if we start now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost harvest,¡± Arkk said, leaning against the carpentry wall. ¡°They¡¯ll burn whatever crops they don¡¯t want. Loot the storehouse. Slaughter the livestock they don¡¯t take¡­ How are we¡ª¡±

    Something hard smacked into the side of Arkk¡¯s face. ¡°Pull yourself together! Everything is already lost. If we don¡¯t want to die with the village, we need to go.¡± She stepped past him, looking around the wall of the carpentry up toward the church. ¡°We¡¯ll flee to the Duke. He will have to take action against these monsters. Then¡­ we just have to hope he takes pity on us and opens Cliff¡¯s storehouses.¡±

    ¡°Flee to the Duke? You can¡¯t go to the Duke. You can¡¯t go to the Duke, Ilya. He¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    ¡°What other option do we have?¡± she snapped. ¡°If it is for the village, I can make sacrifices. Just as my mother did.¡± Teeth clenched, she took off, running toward the church.

    Arkk had never met the Duke before. As far as he knew, the Duke didn¡¯t visit the various villages in his fiefdom. He did send collectors for tax and tribute. Every year, they wanted money, food, livestock¡­ and rarely women. Ilya¡¯s mother. Though ancient by human standards, she appeared beautiful and young. At least, that was what Arkk remembered. He had been a mere boy when she had volunteered herself as tribute during a year of poor harvest.

    Volunteered herself to save Ilya from that fate.

    She had never returned to Langleey. Arkk didn¡¯t even know for sure if she was still alive.

    With all the other tax the Duke collected, his storehouses should be plentiful, if not overflowing. Theoretically, he had more than enough to give to displaced refugees.

    Arkk clenched his teeth.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± a trembling, frightened voice asked.

    Arkk stepped forward, standing in the center of the circle burned into the ground. With a smile, he reached out and ran a hand between Hale¡¯s twin ponytails, messing up her hair. ¡°I¡¯m going to get help?¡±

    ¡°Help?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Arkk said, drawing in a shaky breath. He spoke more to himself than to the young carpenter¡¯s apprentice. ¡°The Abbess said it wasn¡¯t a demon. It¡¯s not a demon.¡±

    Hale jolted, alarm obvious on her young face.

    ¡°Stay with Ilya. Don¡¯t try to protect the shop all on your own. If they leave, you leave with them.¡±

    Giving her a light shove to make sure the young girl was clear of the circle, Arkk knelt and pushed just a touch of his magic into its channels and pathways.

    The circle flashed and Arkk found himself plunged into total darkness.

 Contract

    Of course it was dark. This was an underground library with no natural lighting. He hadn¡¯t brought his torch with him.

    ¡°Vezta?¡± he called out. Not receiving an answer, he carefully started moving, feeling his way to the door. If he remembered correctly, the maze-like room with the bottomless pit would be to his right. ¡°Vezta?¡± he called again as he made his way as fast as he could in the total darkness. A few times, he stumbled over the bodies of the fallen soldiers or monsters, but he pushed on until he felt the heavy metal door.

    Turning the corner into the pit room, he found Vezta seated on the steps of the dais. It looked like it had one knee crossed over the other, but the only things peeking out the bottom of its ¡®dress¡¯ were thick, black tendrils that dripped with slime. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how he could see the monster¡ªthere were no visible torches in the room¡ªbut there it was.

    Maybe it had something to do with the way he couldn¡¯t see anything but darkness in the rest of the room. No starfields with bright yellow suns peeking out at him this time.

    The creature smiled, flashing surprisingly human-like teeth. ¡°[Defense]|[successful]/[victorious]?¡±

    Arkk grimaced as the strange concepts formed in his mind, but this time, he refrained from clamping his hands over his ears. It hadn¡¯t helped last time.

    ¡°No. It hasn¡¯t started yet. I¡­¡± His eyes shifted to the side where he spotted one other thing despite the total darkness of the room. The large stone sphere, engraved with the same labyrinthine pattern that covered the rest of the chamber. ¡°There are a lot more than expected, it seems.¡±

    ¡°[Misfortune]|[lament]/[mourn]. [Unknown human]|[presence]/[continued existence]|[query]?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m back.¡± He looked to the sphere. ¡°This thing. You said it is a defensive tool?¡±

    ¡°[Fortress Al-Mir]/[HEART]. [Ultimate]|[defensive tool]/[offensive tool]. [Confirmation]/[no fibbing].¡±

    ¡°There are two hundred creatures, a few dozen orcs with the rest being goblins, approaching my village.¡± Arkk paused, considering his words. ¡°Can it stop them? Fight them off?¡±

    Vezta cocked her head to one side, hand scratching behind its ear. It seemed to swap which legs were crossed, but again, nothing but a writhing mass of tentacles came out the bottom of its clothing. ¡°[Fortress Al-Mir]/[HEART]|[require]|[construction]/[embedding]/[fortification]. [Require]|[temporal passage]/[tick-tock]. [Require]|[underlings]/[minions]/[employees].¡±

    ¡°Is that¡­ is that a no?¡± Arkk clenched his teeth. ¡°What about you? You look strong, can you¡ª¡±

    Vezta held up a finger. ¡°[Self]/[Vezta]/[SERVANT]|[bound]/[tethered]|[Fortress Al-Mir]/[HEART].¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re stuck here?¡±

    ¡°[Bound]/[tethered]|[HEART]. [Unknown human]|[contract]/[binding]|[HEART]; [Self]/[Vezta]/[SERVANT]|[bound]/[tethered]|[unknown human].¡±

    ¡°If I¡­¡± Arkk started, trying to parse its meaning. ¡°If I do your contract thing with the heart, you¡¯ll be bound to me? And then we can both leave this place?¡±

    ¡°[Confirmation].¡±

    ¡°Can you take out two hundred monsters?¡±

    Vezta considered again before slowly nodding its head. ¡°[Self]/[Vezta]/[SERVANT]|[serves]/[delivers tea]. [Conflict]/[barroom brawl][specialty]. [Possible]. [Out of practice]/[rust-covered blade].¡±

    ¡°Please just say yes or no.¡±

    ¡°Yes or no.¡± It paused, then frowned. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Good enough for me,¡± Arkk said, marching over to the sphere. ¡°How do I do this?¡±

    Vezta was at his side before he even noticed it move. It took his hand in its own¡ªwarm and not slimy despite looking like it should be¡ªand gently moved him closer to the massive stone sphere. ¡°[Magic]|[push]/[saturate].¡±

    Arkk blinked. For some reason¡ªtales of old, he suspected¡ªhe thought there would be a literal contract to sign. Something requiring his signature. Instead, the monster guided his hand until his palm met the cool, rough stone of the sphere. ¡°You aren¡¯t a demon, right?¡± he asked, wanting just a little more confirmation than the Abbess had been able to give.

    To his surprise, Vezta gnashed her teeth. Her hand squeezed his just a bit too tight, making him wince. ¡°[Offended]/[insulted]. [Deceiver]/[scam artist]?¡± It scoffed a clear and uncannily human-like scoff. ¡°[Self]/[Vezta]/[SERVANT]|[SERVANT]. [SERVANT].¡±

    As Vezta slowly relaxed its grip on his hand, Arkk decided to never bring that subject up again for as long as he lived. ¡°I¡­ most times I try to use magic, I blow up whatever I¡¯m trying to do,¡± Arkk admitted. ¡°Just a warning.¡±

    ¡°[Unknown human]|[powerful]/[terrific]. [HEART]|[desires]|[power]/[magic]. [Positive quality]/[good job].¡±

    ¡°Alright, I guess. Just don¡¯t blame me when it explodes.¡±

    The monster said nothing more. Taking a deep breath, Arkk focused on the sphere. Gently touching it with his magic, he could feel its channels and pathways. The labyrinthine design carved into its surface tugged at his magic. Like one massive ritual circle, impossibly complex compared to anything he had seen, let alone used.

    The tugging continued, pulling more. Arkk tried to rear back, only to find the tug grow stronger. It ripped at his magic, siphoning more and more. He tried to rip his hand off the sphere itself, but the monster kept him pinned to it.

    His fingertips started to burn. The heat spread across his palm. Throwing his head back, Arkk couldn¡¯t stop the scream welling in his throat.

    The sphere ejected a great thump, moving despite its stone nature. The force of it sent Arkk flying backward, breaking his contact with the artifact as he sailed across the room. His back slammed into the wall and his vision swam.

    Before the tunnel vision took over completely, he saw the monster turn to him with a too-wide smile stretching across its face. ¡°Contract accepted,¡± it said as the torches mounted on the walls flared to life.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Arkk¡¯s head slumped and everything went dark.

    <hr>

    Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure when he awoke. All he knew was that it was the most comfortable waking he had ever experienced. Ilya always knew how to stuff her mattress to make it comfortable, but compared to this? Arkk imagined he had fallen asleep on a cloud.

    That¡­ couldn¡¯t be right.

    Slowly opening his eyes to flickering yet bright torchlight, he jolted.

    A pair of bright gold eyes stared down at him, looking like two suns hanging in a pitch-black night sky.

    ¡°Welcome back.¡±

    Arkk leaped to his feet and backed away slowly. The monster sat on the ground, shadows and tendrils spread out across the floor where he had been. As far as he could tell, his head had been resting on its¡­ thighs? If it had such things. The way those tendrils disappeared back into its body made him doubt it.

    It stood in an inhumanly smooth motion, hands clasped in front of its navel once again. But Arkk found his attention drawn away from the monster.

    The room had changed during his unconsciousness. There were still skeletons strewn about, but the torches had come to life. The crater that had held the sphere was empty. Now, the sphere floated over the bottomless pit, slowly revolving. Every few seconds, a thump-thump resounded throughout the chamber, sounding like the beating of a heart.

    Which answered the question of why the monster had called this a [HEART].

    Magical light traced paths through the sphere¡¯s maze. Magic that he could feel as it coursed over the heart. The feeling made him nervous. His heart beat faster. So too did the stone heart, increasing the rate of the heavy thumps.

    That¡­

    He wasn¡¯t sure what to make of that.

    ¡°Fortress Al-Mir lives again.¡±

    Arkk turned his head, though his eyes lingered on the beating stone heart until her words forced him to shift focus to the monster. ¡°I understood you?¡±

    ¡°It would be more accurate to say that the [HEART] informed me of your language, which I am now speaking.¡± Keeping its hands clasped together, the monster dipped into a low bow. ¡°I apologize for the pain the [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE] caused you, but I had no other method of communication.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Arkk didn¡¯t quite know how to respond to a monster sincerely apologizing to him. Clenching his teeth, he shook his head. ¡°How long was I out?¡±

    ¡°Approximately one hour.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s heart threatened to leap up his throat at hearing that. The thumps in the chamber picked up the pace, making him all the more aware of his own hammering heart.

    ¡°Something wrong?¡±

    ¡°We need to hurry. They might already be there by now. You¡­¡± Arkk looked at Vezta, pausing. ¡°You can fight them, right?¡±

    ¡°I can try.¡± Vezta tilted its head back and forth like it was cracking the bones in its neck. If a creature that dripped with slime and walked on tentacles had anything resembling a humanoid bone structure, Arkk would be surprised. ¡°Not my usual duties and I am rusty. Did you say two hundred? Should be doable as long as they do not all rush me at once.¡±

    ¡°It is scary that you sound so casual about facing down two hundred goblins.¡± Grabbing Vezta¡¯s hand, this time he led her toward the library. He knew exactly which door it was, which was kind of an odd thing to know given how many times he had been there before, but he supposed it wasn¡¯t too strange. More importantly, Vezta didn¡¯t protest at all. She seemed quite pleased, having a chipper tone in her voice when she next spoke.

    ¡°Is it truly frightening? I imagine you would be capable of far more.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you think I am, but I¡¯m just a regular human. Taking out a few monsters at a distance should be doable with a good bow. I could probably fight off a goblin or two in close quarters. Maybe an orc if I get lucky.¡±

    ¡°I feel your magic. Use that?¡±

    ¡°Things explode. And I don¡¯t have time to set up ritual circles in the middle of battle.¡±

    ¡°Ritual circles are well and good for complicated magic, but incantations are far faster. Electro Deus causes explosions?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea what that even means.¡± He knew what incantations were, just not that specific one. When that spellcaster had visited the village, Arkk had questioned him at length. Incantations were advanced, however. According to that spellcaster, all sorcerers needed to start with the basic ritual magic before moving to compress extravagant rituals down into words.

    ¡°[Lightning Strike].¡±

    Arkk flinched reflexively, but¡­ it didn¡¯t hurt when she said that. Now that he thought about it, the few other times she had used that language hadn¡¯t caused pain since he woke up. And¡­ he thought he understood. Lightning Strike.

    Pausing in the hall, he looked at one of the corpses along the sides of the corridor. Holding out his hand, he said, ¡°Electro Deus,¡± while funneling a little magic through the words.

    A brilliant bolt of blue-white lightning ruptured the space between Arkk and the skeleton. It slammed into it with enough force to send the skull flying through the air, charred and blackened.

    Even knowing he was in a rush, Arkk couldn¡¯t help but stop and stare at his fingertips. They burned a little bit, but that was more of a tingle of magic waiting to be cast again than any burn from the power of the lightning.

    ¡°Do¡­ you know any more things like that?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, no. I am not a sorcerer and cannot cast magic in such a manner. Such things are useless to me. The only other spells that come to mind are [Create Lesser Servant] and [Possession].¡±

    Both spells blossomed in his mind. The first would create something like Vezta if he understood the concept correctly. There was a definite difference between [SERVANT] and servant, however. As far as he could tell, the spell created minor assistants and helpers, more akin to an apprentice in a workshop than¡­ whatever Vezta was. Despite her calling herself a [SERVANT] using that language, the concept still didn¡¯t quite click. Neither did [HEART], for that matter, or [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE]. He wasn¡¯t sure what was different about those words compared to a full spell forming in his mind, but there it was.

    The other spell, however, made him a bit queasy. ¡°I can¡­ completely take over someone else¡¯s body?¡±

    ¡°If they are subservient to you. Won¡¯t be much use against an opponent in combat, but¡­ Ah, I see. Do you find it distasteful? It is quite a useful spell. My former master used it to great effect, wielding other bodies as if they were suits of armor, discarding them once they were worn down and broken. I know that spell specifically because he possessed me on occasion.¡±

    ¡°Discarding people?¡± Arkk swallowed, feeling a bit ill. ¡°Like broken armor?¡±

    ¡°It kept him safe. His minions reveled in becoming possessed. It was a great honor.¡± Vezta frowned, looking around. ¡°You have no minions, unfortunately. I would suggest possessing me, but you are inexperienced. You would not be able to wield me as effectively as I can wield me.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll just¡­ shelve that one for now.¡±

    ¡°I shall protect you as best I am able,¡± Vezta said, leaning up against Arkk. ¡°I cannot have my new master falling so soon.¡± She paused, then looked up to Arkk, meeting his eyes with her burning suns. ¡°Were we not in a hurry?¡±

    Arkk pulled himself away, deciding to put that topic aside for¡­ forever, probably. ¡°Yes. Yes, we were,¡± he said, approaching the door to the library. It was closed, but the door swung open before he could even touch it. Assuming that was Vezta, he stepped inside without pause and headed straight for the magical circle. Much like the rest of the fortress, the torches in the library had roared to life.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first,¡± Arkk said, stepping right into the circle. When he turned around, however, he found himself alone. He looked left, then right. As if suddenly aware of where she was, he glanced downward.

    Arkk stood in the center of a small puddle of dark violet slime. It wasn¡¯t actually touching his boots. Picking up one foot and setting it down elsewhere had the slime moving out of the way, letting him step down on the stone tiles of the fortress floor. If he hadn¡¯t been paying too much attention, he might have thought he was looking down at a strangely shaped shadow. The only problem was the glowing yellow sun staring up from that oily shadow.

    ¡°Alright then¡­ together, I guess?¡±

    Looking down at the circle, he was a bit disappointed that he didn¡¯t instantly understand it the way he understood the spells Vezta had mentioned. Vezta had drawn it out, so maybe she could do that language thing for this? Something to ask later. For now, he knelt and touched it with his magic.

    The peaceful and silent library vanished, replaced with the inhuman cries of alarmed monsters.

    Vezta¡¯s tendrils whipped out from his shadow, snatching a quartet of goblins. The tendrils pulled them down to the ground but didn¡¯t stop there. Sickening snaps, squeals of pain, and rent flesh filled the air as the goblins smashed into the earth.

    It did make him a little nauseous, but more at the brutal and likely painful deaths than the deaths themselves. Killing the attackers was what he had come here to do.

    And the attack had started.

 The Defense of Langleey

    Arkk drew back his bowstring, not bothering to aim. The second he had enough power behind the arrow, he released it. He didn¡¯t watch where it went, assuming it would hit something in the mass of monsters, and instead pulled out another arrow, drew it back, and let it go as fast as he could.

    It seemed as if Ilya had gotten the rest of the village to flee. There were no other humans around. The goblins and orcs were not fighting anyone, free to pillage and plunder as much as they wanted. None of the homes were smoking ruins yet, thankfully. It was more like they were searching for people than properly looting the place. Arkk wondered if the orcs had deliberately warned the goblins against wanton destruction, wanting to go through undamaged homes for plunder before setting fire to everything.

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± Arkk shouted after releasing another arrow. Blue-white lightning struck a goblin in the face.

    Goblins were a diminutive species. Most barely came up to Arkk¡¯s knees. Their skin tone ranged from light brown to a near-luminous green. With natural weapons in the form of razor claws and nasty, sharp teeth, having one anywhere nearby was liable to result in a loss of fingers, limbs, or worse. Of particular morbid interest at the moment, however, were their eyes. Disproportionately large for their heads, they were a sickly yellow color with dark black pupils.

    The eyes of the goblin Arkk hit exploded into dark viscera as dark black smoke bellowed from its nostrils and ears. The goblin collapsed instantly, body wracked by seizures, never having had a chance to scream.

    Feeling the tingle of magic still in his fingertips, Arkk pushed through more power, not needing the incantation again for repeated casts. A second bolt tore another goblin off the ground, flinging it into a crowd and knocking several over. A pair of goblins, touching each other, started smoking as a third bolt struck one of them. The next bolt Arkk fired off hit a sword. The goblin holding it panicked, thrashing around and striking its fellows as smoke wafted from the sword¡¯s grip and the goblin¡¯s hand. Arkk¡¯s fifth bolt of lightning hit a goblin square in the chest but only made it yelp and stagger.

    Arkk gasped for breath, feeling like he had just run through half the Cursed Forest again. Chest heaving, he forced himself to draw another arrow. The goblins were sprinting toward him now.

    Tendrils erupted from his oversized shadow, grasping the front two goblins by the legs. Picking them up into the air, the dripping tendrils slammed the goblins back down onto more goblins, crushing bone and killing several. Arkk used the extra space to loose five arrows in rapid succession, each striking a goblin in the chest.

    One goblin jumped into the air, forcing Arkk to leap to the side as it came down on him.

    His shadow remained where it was. At the spot where Arkk had been standing, a gaping maw appeared in the ground. The goblin in the air saw and started to cry out, only for its cry to abruptly cut off as it vanished into a field of stars behind the teeth.

    The maw snapped shut, leaving just an oily surface, interrupted only by those burning gold eyes.

    Arkk turned and launched an arrow toward a screeching goblin, not having any time to ask what happened to that other one. Even if he did have the time to question Vezta, he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to know.

    Spotting an orc coming up the dirt path toward the plaza, Arkk threw out his hand. ¡°Electro Deus,¡± he shouted.

    Much like the first goblin, the orc didn¡¯t stand a chance. The orc flew backward, leaving an arcing trail of viscera from his eyes and mouth. Aside from some seizures on the ground when he landed, the orc didn¡¯t move again.

    Two more lightning bolts felled goblins before Arkk stopped again, exhaustion creeping up. ¡°Vezta,¡± he called, nocking an arrow. ¡°I thought you said I had a lot of magical power. Shouldn¡¯t I be able to cast more than a handful of spells at once?¡±

    Although Arkk hadn¡¯t seen him fight, the spellcaster that visited the village certainly sounded as if he could cast a great many more spells during his stories.

    A mouth opened in the ground not far from Arkk. ¡°The [HEART] is constantly consuming a portion of your power. It will return that power as you claim territory and gather minions, but you should still be able to cast more than you are now. Your problem might be that you have too much power. Or, at least, you seem more able to unleash a wide breadth of power at once. Imagine it as a lake emptied by a roaring river rather than a narrow brook.¡± Vezta ate another goblin without even pausing her sentence. ¡°Try moderating yourself. Be the brook, not the river.¡±

    ¡°I have no idea how to do that,¡± Arkk said as his arrow sliced through the shoulder of a goblin before hitting another straight in its open mouth. ¡°I have never cast a spell like this before twenty minutes ago.¡±

    ¡°Something to practice, I suppose,¡± Vezta said as a tendril erupted from the ground behind Arkk just in time to swipe aside the bolt of a crossbow.

    Following the trajectory of the bolt back, he spotted yet another orc. There had been a small lull in the wave of monsters attacking him for a short time there, but it looked like more and more were taking notice.

    Not enough, however. He could see a black cloud of smoke rising from one of the most distant dwellings. He and Vezta might be able to handle any that came near, but there were just too many. They would have the entire village burn down before he managed to rout them.

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± he shouted, launching a bolt at the orc before it could crank its crossbow back for a second attempt.

    Rather than fire another lightning bolt at a goblin, which Vezta had started consuming with disturbing efficiency, Arkk raised his hand over his head. He had to force magic through his fingertips. The spell did not like not having a target. Yet, at a certain point, the spell couldn¡¯t stop itself. The magic overflowed, launching a bolt skyward. This one was powerful enough to create a deafening crack of thunder echoing over the village as a cloud overhead violently dispersed into thin wisps that spread out over the sky.

    Again, Arkk felt like he had just run a minor marathon. Although he was gasping for breath, he was quite thankful that the ringing in his ears faded quickly enough. It let him catch the tail end of something Vezta had said.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Arkk asked between breaths.

    ¡°I said, ¡®you missed,¡¯ in an incredulous tone of voice. Quite an impressive miss, admittedly, but not in a good way, Master.¡±

    Arkk straightened his back, reaching for more arrows. He was starting to run out. Even if every single arrow killed a monster, he would run out long before taking out even a quarter of this army. This was every arrow John had too.

    ¡°I was trying to draw attention,¡± Arkk said, taking a slight moment more to aim, wanting to make the most of every arrow he had left. ¡°Get all the monsters here so they aren¡¯t wrecking the rest of the village.¡±

    Vezta¡¯s golden eyes turned down the long path leading from the plaza toward the rest of the village. ¡°Well, I dare say that you succeeded,¡± she said. ¡°Are you sure that was wise? I am not omnipotent, Master.¡±

    Following her eyes, Arkk faltered. He had thought there were a lot of monsters between him and the church. Now, however, there was a veritable tide of goblins rushing up the path. Orcs, lording over them at over three times their height, shouted orders or battle cries. Several brandished large axes, swords, and pikes. A few more wielded crossbows. He only counted a dozen orcs, meaning there were still almost two dozen left if Ilya¡¯s count had been accurate. Still, he stumbled back at the sight.

    This was what he wanted. Clenching his fists, Arkk steadied himself and nocked another arrow. ¡°Arkk,¡± he said.

    ¡°Sorry?¡±

    ¡°My name.¡± Arkk loosed an arrow, aimed at an orc approaching from the path up the hill. It hit the orc in the chest, but that only seemed to make him mad. The orc let out a vicious roar, raising a spike-covered cudgel. ¡°Arkk. I don¡¯t think I introduced myself before.¡±

    The humanoid form of Vezta stepped out of Arkk¡¯s peripheral vision. Her appearance made him jump slightly, but she merely offered a deep bow. ¡°Vezta,¡± she said. ¡°I look forward to serving you properly.¡±

    ¡°If we survive this,¡± Arkk mumbled. ¡°Electro Deus,¡± he shouted, trying to focus on not pushing quite as much magic as he fired off a series of bolts at the approaching horde. He managed to fell eight goblins and a pair of orcs before feeling that exhaustion creeping up on him again.

    Vezta¡¯s tendrils were sweeping through the approaching crowd without pause now, taking out twice as many as he was. She wasn¡¯t killing them anymore, at least not outright. There were just too many. But sweeping the front line into the horde of goblins behind probably wound up with several skewered on their comrade¡¯s weapons. Her physical body remained near him, almost uncomfortably close, though she did not get in the way of him drawing back the bowstring.

    Still, this was going to be an unsuitable position in short order.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°The church,¡± Arkk said. ¡°It has strong, stone walls. The doorways and windows will limit how many monsters can approach at once.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Vezta¡¯s shout made him jolt, filled with a fear that she had lacked even while calling him out for drawing the attention of all the monsters with that lightning bolt.

    ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°Entering consecrated ground bearing the regalia of the Almighty Glory, Heart of Gold, and Holy Light is a recipe for disaster.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°They would not take kindly to our presence.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°I just said.¡± Vezta grabbed hold of Arkk¡¯s shoulders, leaning up against him as he targeted an orc with a bolt of lightning. ¡°I promise. I won¡¯t fail you. If I have upset you in any way, tell me and I will correct whatever I did. Please, we can fight these monsters off without going to them.¡±

    Arkk tried to shove her aside to grab at another arrow from his sack. Vezta pulled him down, just in time for him to watch a crossbow bolt sail through the air where he had been. She set him back upright, using several tendrils to support his body until he was back on his feet, then stepped aside, allowing him access to his arrows once again.

    He had no idea what she was talking about. Almighty Glory? Heart of Gold? Holy Light? Only the last made any sense, with this being a Church of the Light, but Arkk had never heard it phrased that way before. None of the sermons conducted by the Abbess mentioned any of the names Vezta was worried about. The Abbess prayed to the Light for healing and protection. It was a type of magic that not everyone could make use of. Arkk had tried, once upon a time. It hadn¡¯t blown up, but it hadn¡¯t done anything else either.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this, later.¡± Arkk narrowed his eyes, focusing on an orc. ¡°I¡¯ll focus on the orcs. Kill as many goblins as you can¡­ as horrifically as you can. We don¡¯t need to kill them all. We just need to rout them.¡±

    How many had they killed so far? Thirty? Fifty? More? Was it even that much? He honestly wasn¡¯t sure, but he was surprised that they hadn¡¯t routed already.

    It was because there were only two of them. Even with as many deaths as there had been, the monsters saw a single human¡ªVezta had only emerged physically recently. With as many of them as there were, a single human didn¡¯t stand a chance in their eyes.

    If there were more of Arkk and Vezta¡­ If the villagers had stayed¡­

    No, they might have been killed before he returned. Fleeing was the correct choice.

    But if there were more of them¡­

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± Arkk said, frying two orcs.

    The orcs would be the ones to call for retreat. It was unlikely that the goblins would flee on their own. He couldn¡¯t kill all of the orcs unless they were also going to kill all the goblins.

    Vezta, despite her efforts, was already starting to slip. Goblins were getting closer to Arkk than they had been before now. Not quite to the point of reaching him, but with the horde pressing in on all sides¡­

    ¡°Slave Natum,¡± Arkk said, waving his hand. Vezta had only taught him three spells. Lightning Strike, Possession, and Create Lesser Servant.

    The final of the three spells nearly made Arkk vomit. Not because of magic expenditure, although that spell had taken a lot out of him, but because of what formed on the ground in front of him.

    Vezta had a certain grace to her, even with her absurd number of eyes, tentacles thrashing wildly, and maws swallowing up goblins left and right. She was elegant and poised, calm and collected. That carried through even in the movements of her unnatural extremities.

    The terrible sight gave Arkk pause. A shapeless congeries of bubbling flesh, putrid slime, forming and popping eyeballs, and ugly, maw-tipped tendrils snapped into existence between him and the tide of goblins. It was small. Barely larger than a goblin.

    While it used its maw-tipped tendrils to snap at a nearby goblin, it didn¡¯t last long. The horde descended on it with vicious fervor, tearing it apart as quickly as it came. Arkk felt it die. The magic used in its construction came flowing back to him.

    Bolstered by the brief abundance of excess magic, Arkk shouted, ¡°Electro Deus,¡± and fired a full ten bolts of lightning.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Vezta said. ¡°Should have mentioned. Those things are useless for combat.¡±

    ¡°Can you make more of yourself?¡±

    ¡°There is only one [Self]/[Vezta].¡±

    ¡°Can you make it appear like there are more of you? Several bodies?¡±

    Vezta slowly shook her head, looking casual despite tearing a goblin apart with her bare hands. ¡°I can reform this body if it suffers damage, but it is my only body.¡±

    ¡°Damn,¡± Arkk hissed as he drew a dagger and slammed it through the forehead of a goblin that got too close. Reaching over his shoulder, he grasped three arrows. The last three. He sent them out one at a time as fast as he could, then tossed the bow aside. ¡°Electro Deus!¡±

    Not quite recovered from his recent casting, he managed four bolts before they fizzled out.

    Slashing at the throat of another goblin, he bent and picked up its dropped sword. Not all the goblins had swords, most used nothing but their claws and teeth. It wasn¡¯t a particularly good sword either, barely long enough to count as a dagger. Still, it was something.

    Arkk swept the blades through any goblin that managed to get past Vezta. He fired off bolts of lightning whenever he felt able, but the orcs must have realized that he was targeting them. None were showing themselves. Perhaps they had decided to flee on their own, leaving the horde of goblins to cover their retreat. He wasn¡¯t sure. He barely had time to think between strikes.

    One goblin knocked into him, sending him to the ground. He stabbed it through its ear, killing it instantly, but a second goblin latched onto his arm and bit down. He cried out in pain. Vezta was already moving toward him, only to stop and crush the skull of a goblin closer to her. She turned away, attacking another goblin.

    Before Arkk could even think of her actions as abandoning him, an arrow punched straight through the skull of the goblin clamped onto his arm. It continued out the other side, hitting another goblin in the chest before it could pounce on him.

    Arrow after arrow rained down, striking the goblins closest to Arkk.

    He craned his head to see where they were coming from.

    Despite the pain in his arm, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a joyous laugh. ¡°Ilya!¡±

    The elf stood atop the Baron¡¯s manor¡¯s roof, silver eyes gleaming in the distance. Her arm moved in a blur, launching arrows so fast it was like one steady stream of death for the goblins. She wasn¡¯t the only one there. Five others were on the roof, including the carpenter¡¯s young apprentice. They weren¡¯t aiming anywhere near Arkk, however, likely not wanting to hit him on accident.

    More of the villagers were down in the manor gardens, beating down any goblins that dared to approach the archers. They didn¡¯t advance out into the tide, but Arkk couldn¡¯t blame them for that.

    Forcing himself to sit up, Arkk shouted, ¡°Electro Deus!¡± He launched as many lightning bolts as he could, frying goblin after goblin and buying room for Vezta to continue her slaughter.

    A horn sounded somewhere in the distance.

    Not every goblin turned toward it. Some were too enraptured in their bloodlust. But the majority took that as the signal to fall back. They turned, scampering away from the village. Vezta made short work of the ones who failed to heed the call for retreat, leaving Arkk to flop back down onto the unusually soft ground. He laughed, panting heavily as he cradled his arm.

    ¡°We did it?¡±

    Vezta approached, looming over him with a faint smile on her face. ¡°It seems your goal has been accomplished.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t bother fighting the grin on his face, but it did slowly fade as he started thinking more. ¡°For now. How many escaped? They may try again in the future.¡±

    ¡°Might I suggest returning to the [HEART] and¡ª¡±

    Vezta staggered back with the bolt of a crossbow sticking out from her chest. Black tar dripped from the end of the bolt, falling to the ground.

    Arkk bolted upright. ¡°Vezta?¡± he shouted, forgetting his wound as he grabbed her shoulders.

    She didn¡¯t seem all that concerned. ¡°Rude,¡± she said, yanking the bolt from her chest. Her fingers, also dripping the slime that seemed to comprise her entire body, rubbed at the wound. When she pulled away, there was no sign that she had been hit at all.

    Looking back to the manor, Arkk noted the villagers standing about, looking wary rather than celebratory. Only Ilya was approaching.

    She did not look happy.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can look a little more human-like?¡± Arkk whispered. ¡°Just to put them a little more at ease.¡±

    ¡°The things I do for my Master,¡± Vezta said with a faux-exasperated sigh.

    The shadows on the ground started drawing back toward her, leaving the ground untouched. Arkk would have expected more goblin bodies in the immediate area, but¡­ had Vezta eaten them all? She didn¡¯t look any larger. As the shadows vanished entirely, so too did the tendrils emerging from her dress. A pair of elegant yet heavy boots appeared in their place.

    Her dark violet skin and hair didn¡¯t change. Neither did the eyes on her person, though if they didn¡¯t blink, perhaps they would look more like part of her dress than actual eyes. Vezta clasped her hands in front of her and took a step back, moving just behind and to the side of Arkk. Not hiding behind him, but taking up a subservient position.

    Just in time for Ilya to stop in front of them.

    ¡°What¡ª¡± the elf started, eyes flicking between them, then around the carnage littering the plaza. Angry as she was, she didn¡¯t seem to know quite what to say. ¡°Saw the lightning bolt. A few of us turned back. And now we find¡­ what? Just what?¡±

    Arkk imagined he would have said the same thing in her position. ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± he said, keeping his hand clamped on his arm.

    Ilya¡¯s sharp eyes didn¡¯t miss that. Her face softened as she said, ¡°You¡¯re injured.¡±

    ¡°Goblin bite.¡±

    Ilya grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s going to rot your arm off..¡±

    Vezta took a half-step forward, still remaining behind Arkk. ¡°If you would like, Master, I would be pleased to cleanse your wound.¡±

    ¡°Master,¡± Ilya repeated, face wrinkling in distaste. Her eyes shifted to Vezta, where they stayed for a long moment. ¡°What have you done, Arkk? What have you done?¡±

    Arkk raised his eyebrows. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have a good answer for her.

    Vezta took his silence as consent to tend to his injury. She reached out, black slime dripping from her fingers. It didn¡¯t fix the gnarled flesh as it had with her arrow wound, but it was soothing in much the same way as the ointment the Abbess had applied earlier. The bleeding seemed to stop as well.

    Offering her a small smile, he looked back to Ilya. Answering her question, he said, ¡°I saved the village?¡±

    Ilya stared for a long moment before letting out a clipped laugh. It didn¡¯t sound like a particularly happy laugh, but Arkk would take it over her angry face any day. ¡°If only that were all,¡± she mumbled, glancing back to the Baron¡¯s manor. ¡°We need to make sure there aren¡¯t any stragglers,¡± she said, louder. ¡°Keep your monster on a leash and don¡¯t go anywhere. We need to talk.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s never good when a girl says that.¡±

    ¡°Like you have any experience.¡± She turned away, but paused and looked back, momentary smile gone. ¡°I¡¯m serious. You¡¯ve¡­¡± Her eyes flicked to Vezta. ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere.¡±

    With that, she stalked off.

    Arkk slumped. There wasn¡¯t any pain in his arm, thanks to Vezta, but it didn¡¯t look good. And he was so tired. Exhausted from fighting and casting spells. His sleep, lucky though he was to have had it at all, hadn¡¯t been the best. And he had been running all last evening. He wanted nothing more than to just lean back and close his eyes.

    ¡°Are you alright? That bolt¡­¡± Arkk mumbled, closing his eyes while standing. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been able to heal like that.¡±

    ¡°I was skewered by numerous goblin swords as well. I do not claim to be invulnerable but it will take more than that to down me.¡±

    ¡°Still¡­¡±

    ¡°Rest now. Know that I shall protect you to the best of my ability.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt the villagers.¡±

    ¡°I am a [SERVANT]. I exist to assist you in your desires. If you do not desire harm to the villagers, they have nothing to fear from me.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Vezta,¡± Arkk said, leaning against her. ¡°You saved my village.¡±

    ¡°Your desire saved it.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m serious. Thank you.¡± Arkk opened his eyes, meeting her black and gold eyes. ¡°If there is anything I can do¡­¡±

    Vezta pressed her lips together, then nodded slowly. ¡°Become a master truly worthy of my services. That is all I ask.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

 Discussions and Promises

    ¡°No amount of glaring is going to bring my mood down today!¡± Arkk said with a laugh, raising his flagon with the crowd.

    Once it became clear that Vezta was not a danger to the people of the village, suspicion turned to relief and relief turned to joy. Langleey Village would not fall to the wolves¡ªor goblins¡ªand the people would not have to beg the Duke for mercy. After clearing out the goblins who missed the memo that it was time to leave, everyone returned to the plaza. It was a bit of a grisly job, clearing the place out, but Vezta was more than happy to handle that task.

    Keeping things tidy was one of her primary duties. Not combat.

    Who would have thought?

    The Baron raised his flagon, a wide grin on his face. ¡°And right you are for that. Smile, Ilya! I didn¡¯t break out the kegs of good mead so you could sit about unhappy!¡±

    Before today, Arkk hadn¡¯t known there was good mead. Just the watered-down beer that Ken brewed. The next celebration the village had, he would be reminding the Baron about the honeyed mead.

    Of course, this afternoon wasn¡¯t all about celebrating. It was as much to calm down the villagers as it was a toast to the routing of the horde. Two homes had gone up in flames, leaving little more than charcoal behind. A few other buildings suffered at the hands of goblins and were now trashed beyond reasonable habitation. Not that anyone would want to go back to their homes tonight.

    For the next week at the very least, the village would split between the Baron¡¯s manor, the church, and the main storehouse. All right up here around the plaza. Watchmen would set posts around the clock and nobody was to go anywhere on their own. While nobody really believed that the goblins and orcs would return after running from a thrashing delivered by just two people¡ªplus the villagers toward the end¡ªthey couldn¡¯t say for sure. Especially if some goblins got loose and decided to come back on their own.

    ¡°¡ªjumped right on my back! The biggest orc you ever saw. Instinct took over and I threw myself into the wall. That stunned it enough to get it off me. I turned and started pounding its face in,¡± Hurtt said, miming punch after punch. ¡°Thought I had it down to rights until its buddy showed up. An even bigger orc!¡± The small crowd he was telling his tall tale to gasped.

    Arkk was fairly certain that his lightning had frightened off all the orcs well before Hurtt showed up. Once they realized that he was picking them out with his bolts of lightning, they vanished. He had probably only killed ten. Maybe not even that many.

    John, sitting nearby, met Arkk¡¯s gaze. He simply rolled his eyes and shook his head.

    Not everyone was in quite as high of spirits. Those whose homes were damaged or destroyed went about with bitter-sweet expressions on their faces. While the village would help them recover, it still stung to lose what they had. Aside from them, Abbess Keena, though at a table nearby, hadn¡¯t spoken to Arkk since returning. She wouldn¡¯t even look at him. He did catch her sneaking glances¡ªoften with a heavy scowl in place¡ªat Vezta.

    Most people seemed a bit nervous about Vezta¡¯s presence. More so those who had arrived in time to see the fight. Only Ilya, Baron Gert and his wife, John, and Hale seemed willing to approach. And Jorgen and Hurtt, neither of whom would ever admit to being afraid of anything.

    It probably didn¡¯t help that Vezta wasn¡¯t exactly joining in on the festivities. She stood still and silent just behind Arkk, hands clasped together with a faint smile never leaving her face.

    ¡°What do goblins taste like?¡±

    Arkk raised his eyebrows, ears catching a strange question right behind him. Turning around, he found Hale more than willing to approach Vezta. The young carpenter¡¯s apprentice stood right at Vezta¡¯s side, staring up at her. Vezta didn¡¯t look like she noticed or cared, at least not until Arkk turned around. Only then did she look down at Hale, tilting her head to the side in the process.

    ¡°I saw teeth in the ground around you and Arkk,¡± Hale said. ¡°One of the goblins fell into the open mouth and it snapped shut.¡±

    The surrounding conversations slowly died off, Hale having spoken loud and clear. Even Jorgen and Hurtt paused their exaggerated tales to subtly glance in the direction of the mysterious monster.

    ¡°Humans consume boars, correct?¡± Vezta asked slowly. ¡°Fat, juicy pigs?¡±

    Hale nodded her head, sending her dark twin tails bobbing.

    ¡°Goblins are like the opposite of that. Stringy, scrawny, and more crunch than flesh.¡±

    A few disquieted murmurs rippled through the villagers. Not that Vezta¡¯s answer perturbed Hale in the slightest. She nodded her head as if that was what she expected and looked back up. ¡°What about orcs?¡±

    ¡°I cannot say I have ever eaten an orc. None strayed close enough today and I do not recall such a creature existing the last time I walked the surface.¡±

    Hale frowned but asked another question, undaunted. ¡°Have you ever eaten a huma¡ª¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± John said, standing and grabbing Hale¡¯s shoulders in one swift move. He started dragging her off toward the garden around the Baron¡¯s manor. ¡°Let¡¯s go have a talk.¡±

    An uncomfortable silence followed in their wake. A whole lot more people were probably wondering about Hale¡¯s question, Arkk included. Unlike Hale, few others would have her apparently innocent curiosity over the matter.

    ¡°Orcs didn¡¯t exist?¡± Arkk asked, trying to get the morbid question out of people¡¯s minds. ¡°How long ago was that?¡±

    ¡°I cannot say I counted the nights. I apologize.¡±

    ¡°No, no. Don¡¯t worry. I just hadn¡¯t ever heard of orcs not existing.¡±

    The Baron, emboldened by the question and answer session, or just by Vezta breaking her silence, leaned forward somewhat. ¡°We¡¯ve had the occasional beastman and demihuman pass through the village, but I¡¯ve never seen something quite like you. What manner of creature are you, if you don¡¯t mind my asking?¡± he added hurriedly.

    ¡°I am the [SERVANT] of the [HEART].¡±

    Everyone within earshot flinched except for Arkk. He shot a glance backward. ¡°None of that,¡± he said.

    Vezta dipped her head in an apologetic bow. ¡°There is no better concept for describing myself, but I shall refrain from using¡­ that language unexpectedly in the future.¡±

    ¡°Servant, the regular word, will have to work.¡±

    ¡°Understood. If that is what you wish,¡± Vezta said.

    Ilya slammed her hands into the table as she stood up. ¡°Arkk. You avoided me all day. We need to talk. Now.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, glancing around. Between Hale¡¯s questions, the [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE], and now Ilya slamming her hands down, the good mood of the celebration had completely vanished. His mood included. With a small sigh, he set down his flagon of mead. Ilya turned and stalked off a short distance down the path leading to the rest of the village.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± he said, both to Vezta as well as the Baron. He stepped aside, only to pause and shoot a pained smile at Gert. ¡°Unless she realizes I left her bow back at the western edge of the Cursed Forest.¡±

    That got a foggy chuckle from the rotund man.

    Vezta, Arkk noted, did not follow after him. He was a bit surprised. Although he was going to tell her to wait¡ªIlya clearly wanted to speak privately¡ªhe still expected her to trail along until he told her not to. Unless she had known that he was going to tell her to wait¡­ Which was possible.

    There was something there. Something between them. Arkk couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it. During the fight, there had been a few times where he had known what she was doing without him actually seeing her do it. The moment when she had swiped one of the crossbow bolts out of the air stuck out vividly. Then there was when she had hidden in his shadow before using the magic circle to arrive. He had simply known where she would be.

    They were connected together. Somehow.

    It was a bit eerie but after that fight? Arkk found it hard to care that much. She had protected him and saved the village. He knew beforehand that there was some kind of binding in that contract, he just hadn¡¯t known exactly what form it would take.

    Shoving the thoughts aside, Arkk had to pick up the pace to catch up with Ilya¡¯s long strides. Elf that she was, Ilya was a full head taller than he was. Her irritation put an extra bout of haste in each step, making her even faster.

    They were well beyond the hearing range of anyone up at the plaza. Ilya showed no sign of slowing. She continued marching with purpose all the way down the small hill and to the carpentry shop. ¡°Is your monster going to attack anyone?¡± she said, spinning on her heel as soon as they were around the side of the building.

    Taken aback, Arkk shook his head. ¡°No? She said she wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°And you believe it?¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­ yes? Why save the village only to turn around and attack it moments later? If she wanted to hurt people, she could have simply refused to help.¡± Arkk frowned. ¡°And you believe that too, or you wouldn¡¯t have left her alone back there.¡±

    Ilya crossed her arms. Outside the direct presence of Vezta, she didn¡¯t look quite so upset. Still, she pressed her lips into a thin line as she stared at Arkk. Turning away, she pointed to the magic circle that was still burned into the ground. ¡°Take me there,¡± she said.

    ¡°Take you?¡±

    ¡°Hale told me. You disappeared into this circle saying you were going to get help and not to worry because it wasn¡¯t a demon.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not¡ªShe¡¯s not. I asked the Abbess. Also, I asked Vezta. She seemed offended that I would even think that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried it is worse than a demon.¡± Crossing her arms again, Ilya tapped her finger on her elbow.

    ¡°Worse? What could possibly¡ª¡±

    ¡°Can you take me there or not?¡±

    Clamping his mouth shut, Arkk looked down at the circle burned into the dirt. It looked intact despite the battle. There were a few stains on the ground around it. Dark blotches marring the dirt and grass from where Vezta had killed a few goblins upon their arrival. Nothing looked to have touched the circle itself.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I think so.¡±

    Ilya stepped forward until she reached the center of the circle. Turning around, she shot Arkk a look.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t exactly sure how to send other people. Although he had used the circle three times and nothing bad happened any of those times, he hoped it was safe for other people to use. Reaching down, standing on the outside of the circle, he pushed just a little magic into it. The pattern in the ground flashed and Ilya disappeared.

    Immediately, he felt warning bells go off in his head. Not in the sense that he might feel something was amiss, but literal warning bells. As clear as the church bells he had rung to warn the villagers. Focusing on the sensation made Arkk gasp.

    He could see Ilya. She stood in the fortress library, looking around with narrowed eyes. He was still in the village, not moving, not sure what might happen if he appeared in the same spot she currently occupied. Yet, he could see her. A strange case of double-vision settled over his mind. She didn¡¯t move save to draw her daggers, clearly checking around herself for danger. She even checked upward, though if she noted Arkk watching from above, she didn¡¯t show it.

    Slowly, she moved forward, reaching out for a book on a nearby shelf. The spine crumbled under her lithe fingers. Not promising for Arkk¡¯s hope of finding magic in that library. As soon as she stepped out of the circle, approaching the crystal ball, Arkk moved in. With a push of magic, Arkk was inside the library alongside Ilya.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    She jumped, grip tightening around her dagger, but she didn¡¯t strike at him.

    ¡°This place is old,¡± she said softly. ¡°The Cursed Forest was the Cursed Forest when my mother was a young girl. If people ever lived here, it probably wasn¡¯t the Cursed Forest back then.¡±

    ¡°I thought it was some pre-Calamity fortress. Mostly because of Vezta.¡±

    ¡°She told you so?¡±

    ¡°No, but just look at her. Never heard of a beastman, demihuman, or anything that resembles her, right? More like the monsters of old.¡±

    Ilya drew in a resigned breath through her teeth. ¡°So you knew that much and still decided to go along with what she wanted?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that makes her worse than a demon. Does it? She¡¯s just old. Like a dragon or¡­ Where are you going?¡±

    Ilya moved with purpose, exiting the library. Arkk did note that the door did not simply swing open for her until he approached from behind. If she was curious about it opening on its own, she didn¡¯t say. Instead, she looked up and down the corridor before selecting the right path.

    The direction that led toward the [HEART].

    Ilya stopped partway, kneeling near one of the skeletal corpses. Prying a shield from where it had seemingly fused with the floor, she stared down at the remains of the heraldry on the corroded surface. It was a bit hard to make out, but it was some kind of great tree. Something surrounded the tree¡ªpeople, perhaps?¡ªbut it was mostly a scarring of rust. It certainly wasn¡¯t the emblems used in the Duchy of Mystakeen.

    An unsettling noise echoed down the corridor. A slopping, squishing noise. Ilya was on her feet, daggers at the ready. Arkk started as well, though quickly calmed down. Much like simply knowing where Vezta was or seeing Ilya in the library, he knew and saw what was ahead of them.

    ¡°It¡¯s a lesser servant,¡± Arkk said, grimacing as he watched its pulsating mass of boiling flesh squirm down the corridor.

    It turned the corner of a room up ahead. The doors, Arkk noted, opened for it all on their own. It paid them little mind, choosing to stop at a corpse instead. A thick tentacle stretched out, mouth forming as it moved. Its mouth, a ring of razor-sharp needles, scooped up the skeleton, armor, and all, ripping it to shreds as it ate.

    ¡°Vile,¡± Ilya hissed.

    Arkk¡­ didn¡¯t disagree. Perhaps because he had seen one before, he didn¡¯t find it that shocking, but it wasn¡¯t a pleasant creature to look at. Of greater interest was the fact that it was his. Not the same one he had summoned back during the fight¡ªthat one had been killed in seconds¡ªbut it was still connected to him. Just like Vezta was.

    After consuming the corpse, it started doing something. A hideous dance of gyrating tendrils. There was magic in the air, twisting and following its movements. Slowly, the cracked and worn stone wall it stood near changed. Bricks that must have been down here for ages, wearing down under wind, water, and time, reformed. Cracks sealed together, bricks grew into the places left behind by missing bits, and the entire section of the wall smoothed over, looking as if the masons who built it had just finished.

    ¡°My mother warned me of this,¡± Ilya said.

    ¡°Of tentacle monsters with aspirations to be stone masons?¡± Arkk asked, watching as the lesser servant moved to the opposite wall to repeat its dance.

    Ilya looked back, shooting him a look. ¡°Of a great evil ready to rise once again. Monsters that once brought the world to its knees, nearly destroying everything.¡±

    ¡°I know it looks gross, but great evil? Those monsters just saved our village,¡± Arkk said, feeling defensive. Though he paused and thought. ¡°Besides that thing is building, not destroying anything.¡±

    The lesser servant finished with the wall and started on the floor. It cleared away bits of debris and a discarded sword, consuming them as it had the corpse earlier. Maybe that counted as destroying? But it was more just cleaning up, which became even more evident when the dark grey stone repaired itself just as the wall had, gaining a pattern like a compass rose with a deep blue-violet gemstone placed in the very center.

    ¡°I only know what my mother told me, which wasn¡¯t much,¡± Ilya said, edging past the lesser servant. It didn¡¯t seem to notice or care about their presence, carrying on cleaning the corridor. ¡°I don¡¯t know that she knows the full story. My mother is only a little older than six hundred. Much younger than this place if it truly is pre-Calamity.¡±

    ¡°And what story is that?¡± Arkk asked, only partially paying attention. He was more focused on the creature. His first thought was that Vezta had come back and created it because he was fairly certain that this place had been otherwise deserted, but she had been at his side ever since he activated that artifact.

    Not to mention, it was connected to him. Not to Vezta.

    ¡°My mother, and her mother before her, lived here in this village specifically to keep watch on the Cursed Forest. The elvish village they came from believed a great evil resided here. An evil that would one day return.¡±

    ¡°Vezta helped save the village,¡± Arkk said again.

    ¡°I know. I do not know if that creature is the evil that my mother spoke of.¡± She paused, frowning. ¡°It certainly didn¡¯t feel like it back in the village. Though I can¡¯t say it acted kind¡­ the way it looked at Hale¡­¡±

    ¡°As far as I can tell, Vezta listens to me. I am not evil.¡±

    Ilya looked back, flashing a grin. ¡°No. Just stupid. Running through the Cursed Forest?¡±

    ¡°It worked, didn¡¯t it? I got back before you and brought help. I wasn¡¯t even poisoning the ground with every step. I checked.¡± Arkk stamped his feet on the ground as if demonstrating. ¡°Walked right over some patches of grass and none of it withered and died.¡±

    ¡°Nevertheless,¡± Ilya started, smile fading. ¡°The Cursed Forest is dead and has remained dead since my grandmother¡¯s time. That doesn¡¯t happen naturally. Something in this forest is causing problems.¡±

    They stopped at the heavy iron doors that led into the room with the sphere and pit. Much like the hallway that the servant had been working on, something had refurbished this door. All evidence of wear, corrosion, and battle damage had gone. The surface practically gleamed. At Arkk¡¯s approach, it swung open without a single creaking noise.

    There were no bodies inside the chamber. Not even that odd cube with its strange limbs. The lesser servant must have cleaned the place out. The walls and floor had been repaired. Even that giant divot where the stone sphere had sat was now level with the rest of the floor.

    Ilya didn¡¯t follow him inside. She stood just outside, looking in. A wince crossed her features with every beat of the stone [HEART].

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ It feels wrong. You are at least capable of sensing magic, right? Surely you feel that in the air?¡±

    Arkk looked at the beating heart. It thumped in time with his own heart. There was, he noted, a taste of magic in the air. It didn¡¯t feel unpleasant or wrong. The more he focused, the more it felt like his own magic, if on a much grander scale. ¡°Vezta said something about my magic being tied up in the heart.¡± Each beat spread out a faint wave of magic over the room. If he were being honest, it felt comfortable. Like he belonged here. ¡°That is probably what you¡¯re feeling.¡±

    Ilya closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m no spellcaster. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m feeling. I just don¡¯t like it. Can¡¯t we just walk away? Pretend you never found this place or that monster?¡±

    ¡°I made a promise,¡± Arkk said with a shake of his head. ¡°Vezta helped save the village. I¡¯ll help her out in turn. She seems¡­¡± He trailed off, thinking for a moment. ¡°Lonely. Maybe. I would be the evil one if I just abandoned her.¡±

    ¡°Then promise me,¡± Ilya said, stepping into the room. She grabbed hold of his hands and held them up to her chest. ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t lose yourself.¡±

    ¡°Lose myself? Ilya, what do you think¡ª¡±

    ¡°Promise me,¡± she said, far more insistent. ¡°I¡¯ll help. I¡¯ll keep you centered. But I need you to promise that you will try too.¡±

    Arkk swallowed, staring into her silver eyes. Ilya normally had the air of a tease about her, offering snide remarks and casually exclaiming false despair over his actions; the look on her face when magic he tried to do went wrong¡­ But now, she was serious. Deadly serious.

    Finding himself nodding, Arkk said. ¡°Alright. I won¡¯t lose myself. You can help me all you want, but it¡¯s completely unnecessary.¡±

    Ilya closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh of relief. Like he would have rejected her.

    Just as Arkk was about to comment on the absurdity of that, he felt something. A slight change. A tether formed, stretching between Ilya and himself, relayed off the [HEART]. It was a lot like the bond he had noticed with that lesser servant or with Vezta, but not quite the same. They were directly connected to him. Ilya, with the [HEART] between them, was a step removed.

    ¡°Ilya?¡±

    Silver eyes snapped open. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Did you¡­ feel that?¡±

    Her brow furrowed. ¡°Feel what?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. Something just happened between us.¡±

    Ilya looked down between them, noticed her hands holding Arkk¡¯s close to her chest, and promptly gave him a light shove. She shot him a heavy scowl and turned away. ¡°I felt thanks for you. Nothing more happened between us, Arkk.¡±

    ¡°No, not¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, I¡¯m much too young for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ You¡¯re ten years older than me!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only interested in other elves.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never seen any other elves besides your mother.¡±

    Ilya started stalking away, shaking her head. ¡°Come on, you love-struck fool. Now is hardly the time for this.¡±

    Arkk caught her hand before she could walk more than three steps. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Ilya. Something magical happened between us and I do not mean that in a romantic sense. We¡¯re¡­ bound together, somehow.¡±

    ¡°Bound together?¡± Ilya raised an eyebrow. She locked eyes with him for a long moment, but slowly widened her eyes and looked over his shoulder. ¡°Oh. I¡¯m not sure what you are talking about¡­¡± Trailing off, she took a deep breath. ¡°But the air here doesn¡¯t feel quite so bad.¡±

    ¡°Is that good?¡±

    ¡°I assume so? But we should leave regardless. I don¡¯t like leaving your monster alone with the villagers.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I think I need to talk to Vezta and figure out exactly what is going on here.¡±

    Thinking about Vezta, he found he could still see her. She stood in the middle of the village, hardly paying attention to anyone, though no one looked interested in interacting with her either. The little party seemed to be at a close anyway. Taking a moment, Arkk inspected the link between them, trying to figure it out a little more. He had assumed that it formed because he made that contract with Vezta, but now, with Ilya having a similar link, he wasn¡¯t so sure. While inspecting it, he found he could tug on the link, for lack of a better word.

    Ripped through time and space, Vezta appeared in front of Arkk. She was clearly off balance, but a part of her dress peeled away into a thick tendril, catching her. As soon as she got her balance back, the tendril merged seamlessly into her dress once again.

    While Ilya drew her daggers in a flash, wary, Vezta simply turned with her faint smile firmly in place. She didn¡¯t look the least bit irritated at suddenly finding herself somewhere new. Her golden eyes locked onto Arkk, dipped down to where his hand held Ilya¡¯s hand, then moved up to Ilya¡¯s face.

    ¡°Ah, your first minion. A wise choice. Her sharp elven eyes and keen accuracy with a bow offer great value in many situations.¡±

    ¡°My what?¡±

    ¡°Minion?¡± Ilya hissed, shifting a glare from Vezta to Arkk.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Vezta said, canting her head. ¡°Was there a mistranslation? [Initial]/[ready-set-go]|[minion]/[underling]/[employee].¡±

    Arkk understood those concepts forced into his mind. He had hired Ilya. Their promise constituted an agreement for her to effectively work for him. It wasn¡¯t binding. He could fire her or she could choose to leave. But for the moment, she was his minion. ¡°Employee,¡± Arkk said, ¡°is a better word. Use that.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    ¡°Now, what is this link between us? And you and me. And me and¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, finding the lesser servant that was roaming the corridors of the fortress. With a yank on the link, he picked it up and dropped it down next to them. ¡°Where did this even come from?¡±

    Ilya jumped back with a sharp gasp, but Vezta just smiled down at the creature.

    ¡°A bond between a lord and his subjects runs much deeper via the [HEART]. We can call to you in times of crisis, drawing your attention. You are aware of where any of us are at any given time. The bond prevents direct harm caused by employees, though they can break the bond and then attack, you will at least be alerted. And, as you so expertly demonstrated, you can move us anywhere within your territory at will.¡±

    Vezta knelt, smiling to herself as she patted the lesser servant on its¡­ Arkk didn¡¯t think they had heads or backs or anything resembling humanoid bodily structure. ¡°As for this, now that the [HEART] is functioning once more, it will tend to the most basic of chores using these servants. A few will spawn on their own, but you can create more using the spell I taught you. You should be able to direct them if you wish. They are miserable fighters, but quite capable diggers and builders.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Ilya said. ¡°Not the¡­ thing, but the HEART.¡± She tried to use the [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE], but it just didn¡¯t quite have the same effect as when Vezta did.

    ¡°[HEART]|[ultimate]|[defensive tool]/[offensive tool].¡±

    Ilya didn¡¯t look like the language bothered her all that much. She had flinched earlier, back when Vezta had identified herself to the villagers, but now, she barely blinked. ¡°What is its purpose? Who built it and why?¡±

    ¡°Ah. It was a gift from the [PANTHEON] to my former master for the express purpose of using it as he desired. Through it, he acquired vast wealth, power, and followers. He would have been the ruler of this land were it not for the interference of the Heart of Gold, the Almighty Glory, and the Holy Light. They severed this world¡¯s connection to the [UNDERWORLD], cutting off a majority of his employees and power. He sent me to uncover what they had done and how to reverse it. Alas, when I returned, my master was gone and the fortress was in ruins.¡±

    Ilya and Arkk glanced at each other. He could see in her eyes that she understood about as much as he did. Which was to say not much at all. The three names Vezta mentioned were gods, she had said so before, but [PANTHEON] sounded like one or multiple gods as well. [UNDERWORLD] was a place. Maybe Vezta¡¯s home? Somewhere not connected to the world.

    ¡°What was your former master¡¯s name?¡± Ilya asked. ¡°If he ruled the land, maybe we¡¯ve heard of him.¡±

    Arkk raised an eyebrow. He had no idea how Ilya would know that. Duke Levi Woldair was the only name he could think of off the top of his head, and only because he was their duke. He supposed he could name King Abe Lafoar for the same reason. Their predecessors? He didn¡¯t have a clue. Kings and dukes just didn¡¯t matter much in their little village.

    ¡°Keeper of the [HEART], Razerk.¡±

    Just as Arkk expected, the name meant nothing to him. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ilya slowly shaking her head as well.

    ¡°I wish my mother were here,¡± she said softly.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t leave books behind? A journal, maybe?¡±

    ¡°No. Just the vague stories about keeping a watch on the Cursed Forest. She didn¡¯t even say what to do about it. Just to watch.¡±

    That got Arkk wondering. ¡°Vezta, is the [HEART] responsible for the¡­ deadness in the land around it?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Ignoring the way Ilya tensed, Vezta continued, ¡°The [HEART] is partially alive, but it requires magic as sustenance. Broken and without a master, the [HEART] sought alternative sources of nourishment, draining the life from the forest above.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s fixed then? The forest will recover?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on immediate change,¡± Vezta said slowly. ¡°But so long as your magic continues to flow, the [HEART] should have no need of such methods.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s great then,¡± Arkk said with a widening smile.

    Ilya didn¡¯t mirror his grin, staring at Vezta with cold eyes. ¡°Is this thing going to kill Arkk?¡±

    Arkk sucked in a breath, snapping his gaze to Vezta.

    ¡°No. Even if something were to block his magic from recovering, it would return to the forest over killing its master.¡±

    Letting out a small sigh, Arkk put his grin on once again. ¡°Wonderful. See? We¡¯ve fixed things, not broken them.¡±

    Ilya allowed herself a small shadow of his smile but started rubbing her forehead. ¡°I think I need to sleep on this. Organize my thoughts.¡±

    ¡°We can have the little one prepare quarters for the employees¡ª¡±

    ¡°I need to sleep in my own bed,¡± Ilya said, interrupting Vezta. She turned to Arkk, then started walking down the corridor. ¡°Take me back.¡±

    ¡°Right. Right,¡± Arkk said, following after her. ¡°But I might stay here for a while. Quiz Vezta on what else this thing can do. How it functions as a defensive tool and stuff like that. It would be handy if the goblins come back.¡±

    ¡°Fine. Just¡­ remember our promise.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

 Plots and Plans

    ¡°This library is useless,¡± Ilya said, tossing a book into the trash pile. A pile that was growing much faster than the keep pile.

    Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s library might have been an impressive collection of tomes and knowledge at one point in time, but that time had long since passed. If only time had been eating away at this room, there might have been some worth salvaging. Unfortunately, much like many other rooms in the fortress, there was a fissure in the ceiling. This one wasn¡¯t as large as the one Arkk had fallen into, but water could get in easily.

    Very few books were in any kind of state to be touched, let alone read. Assuming mold hadn¡¯t eaten the book, it still probably couldn¡¯t be opened. Those that could be opened without destroying the entire thing were, more often than not, lacking any text on their pages. The words had been washed away or the ink had simply decayed over the ages.

    Arkk had a small pile next to him. A dozen full books and a handful of scattered pages. Vezta, sitting at a desk next to him, was doing her best to clean them of their filth without further damaging them.

    But even those were more or less useless.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t understand how you can¡¯t read them,¡± Arkk said, frowning as he copied legible symbols from one book that was too damaged to believe it would be around for much longer. The Baron had graciously provided a few rolls of vellum.

    Even with the small stack of books here, nobody present could read the words. The particular page he was working on had a crude depiction of eight women bathing in a green pool. At least, that was what he thought it was. In truth, it could be anything. The book was filled with plants and animals that he had never seen before¡ªor that he couldn¡¯t recognize from the faded and, frankly, amateurish drawings.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t these from the time of your former master?¡±

    Vezta¡¯s hands did not slow as she looked up to Arkk, continuing to copy the text as she spoke. ¡°In truth, I only know the [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE]. The [HEART] is what allows me to communicate with you and all who speak your language. It was the same with my former master. With his passing, I no longer have access to his knowledge of languages. The text present in these tomes is as unfamiliar to me as it is to you.¡±

    ¡°This is a waste of time,¡± Ilya grumbled, tossing aside yet another book. ¡°We should be back out hunting. Especially now, with the damage the farms sustained.¡±

    Arkk sighed. This wasn¡¯t the first time they had gone through this argument in the last five days.

    At first, Ilya was all for uncovering more about the history of Fortress Al-Mir. Unfortunately, aside from Vezta, who Ilya didn¡¯t exactly trust, there were no real sources of information. Langleey Village didn¡¯t have a library or any historians. The closest thing was the Baron¡¯s sitting room, which had a handful of historical books. However, none were historical enough. None mentioned anything pre-Calamity. One of his books listed old rulers and kings, but there had been no mention of Razerk, Vezta¡¯s former master.

    They hadn¡¯t only been reading old tomes. There was work to be done. Ilya and Arkk had gone out to recover her bow and the horses left from their hunting trip, using a teleportation ritual handily provided by Vezta to cut the time spent into a small fraction of what it otherwise would have taken.

    Vezta had been quite pleased to put her skills to use in rebuilding the burned-out homes. She could lift an entire wall on her own, hammering fasteners into place at the same time with her plethora of tendrils. Of course, that had spooked the villagers a bit at first, but Arkk thought they got over it. Having proper homes back in mere days instead of weeks was worth it.

    ¡°Arkk,¡± Ilya said, voice stiff. ¡°One of your things is back.¡±

    Looking up from the manuscripts, Arkk scowled. One of the four lesser servants crawled through the door and started eating the pile of trash books, the emptied shelves, and even parts of the floor and walls. Its mouths had some kind of magic to them, allowing them to bite right through solid stone and earth. He had seen them eating the debris in caved-in corridors as if the stone was little more than bread.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t going to touch anything we¡¯re still using,¡± Arkk said with confidence. ¡°Just ignore it.¡±

    ¡°Vezta is bad enough. If anyone else saw these things¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re the same species as you, right? Can¡¯t they¡­ look like you do?¡±

    ¡°They are nowhere near me,¡± Vezta said, slight offense in her tone. ¡°They are, however, protoplasmic beings, able to assume any form their duties require of them.¡±

    ¡°So if their duties require them to look normal¡ª¡±

    ¡°Normal is subjective, Master.¡± Vezta sighed. ¡°But I understand your desires. I suppose I can teach them some tricks of aesthetics. Would you prefer that task to take priority over the books?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Better finish copying and cleaning the books before they deteriorate any further.¡±

    ¡°Where does everything they eat even go?¡± Ilya asked, staring at the monster with grotesque fascination as its gaping maw inhaled a rotted and worn desk three times its size. ¡°I¡¯ve seen these things eat entire rooms filled with broken beds, bodies, equipment, and tools. They aren¡¯t that big.¡±

    ¡°Beings of the [HEART] return material for transmutation.¡±

    ¡°Transmutation?¡± Arkk asked.

    ¡°Are you unfamiliar with transmutation tablets, Master?¡±

    ¡°Arkk.¡±

    ¡°Have you not checked the [HEART] chamber in recent days, Arkk?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy,¡± Arkk said, dipping his pen back into the vial of ink. ¡°Still busy,¡± he said.

    Ilya stood, dusting off her leather pants. ¡°I¡¯ll check it. Anything to get away from this room for a bit. I think I¡¯ve got mold growing in my hair¡­¡±

    Arkk waved her off. They were pretty much done with the library anyway. There was only one shelf left to sort through and it was the most damaged shelf in the entire room, positioned directly under the fissure. He wasn¡¯t expecting anything from it. Letting the servant eat it now would probably save a lot of time.

    ¡°Master,¡± Vezta said after a few minutes.

    ¡°Arkk, please.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ It is the height of impropriety to bring up my former master unbidden,¡± Vezta said, setting down her pen for the first time since they started.

    Recognizing that she had something important to ask, he finished copying the line he was on and lowered his pen as well. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Razerk left me with one final mission. One I have been unable to accomplish. My failure has been weighing on me for centuries now¡­ and I¡­¡±

    ¡°You want to finish it?¡± Arkk closed his eyes, thinking back to their conversation nearly a week ago now. ¡°Undoing whatever the¡­ gods did to weaken your former master?¡±

    ¡°It would be beneficial to you as well, Master,¡± Vezta said, speaking faster as if afraid he would reject her. ¡°Breaking the seal on the world would allow the [HEART] to access the [PANTHEON]¡¯s power. You would be able to gain their blessings. We would be able to reopen the portal to begin hiring employees beyond those humans with whom you are acquainted. And¡­ I would be free to dedicate myself wholeheartedly toward your goals without the shadow of failure weighing on my shoulders.¡±

    ¡°What exactly would we be doing if we undo this? I don¡¯t know much of anything about¡­ gods. The Abbess prays to the Light and receives blessings of healing to distribute in return. Beyond that, the Light is supposed to be the source of all life, growing the plants, blessing births, protecting¡ª¡±

    ¡°Lies,¡± Vezta hissed. ¡°Protection? Life? The gods, the Heart of Gold, Holy Light, and Almighty Glory are beings of death and destruction. They¡­¡± Vezta paused, pressing her lips together. ¡°I do not know the full history of the world,¡± she said eventually. ¡°I am not exactly certain about what my former master wished of me. Initially, he sent me out to discover what had happened to the portal¡ªperhaps you saw the room with the crystal archway?¡±

    ¡°I did, yes,¡± Arkk said, thinking back to his initial tour of the fortress. Thinking about it, he could see it just as he could see any other location within the fortress. A large room with a high ceiling, dominated by a pale crystal structure as large as a small home. Shaking his head, Arkk refocused on Vezta, barely noting the red light fading around them. ¡°What of it?¡±

    ¡°That is a portal that leads to the [UNDERWORLD]. A realm once connected to this world, now severed. My former master recruited heavily from the magical inhabitants there to form his armies.¡±

    ¡°Magical inhabitants?¡±

    ¡°Most magical beings are not native to this world,¡± Vezta said, sounding an awful lot like Abbess Keena when lecturing. ¡°The [UNDERWORLD] is one of many elsewheres such creatures originate from.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡±

    ¡°Think of it as another continent except on a far grander scale with travelers hailing from afar.¡±

    ¡°Huh.

    ¡°In any case, I set out to uncover why the portal stopped functioning. I believe I have a solution, although I don¡¯t know exactly what needs to be done as I planned on relying on my former master¡¯s vast knowledge of ritual magic to finalize the plans. However, I have determined in the years since that the portal is merely a small symptom of a much greater illness in this world.

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°From the context of what you and Ilya have spoken of, I believe my former master wished for me to undo what you refer to as the Calamity.¡±

    Arkk blinked several times, eyes widening. ¡°You want to undo the Calamity?¡±

    The Calamity, to Arkk, was little more than a myth. It was something that had happened so long ago that it was entirely irrelevant to him. But he knew the stories. The sky darkened for years. Life withered. Magic weakened. Entire races perished. Monsters of old, creatures beyond mere beastmen or demihumans, had vanished. Only the dragons had survived, and everyone knew they were a dying race, unable to procreate. Every dragon that died was one dragon permanently removed from the world, never to be replaced.

    ¡°Is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°The effects of the Calamity have already rippled through the world. Those who died would not magically return to life. But we can restore the proper order of the world, how it was meant to be before your so-called Light interfered.¡±

    ¡°But is it possible? I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t want to disappoint you, Vezta, but I¡¯m not some great magi of old or even a proper spellcaster. I¡¯m a farmer. A hunter. I¡¯m not even very good at the latter job.¡±

    Vezta shook her head. ¡°It would be a task far beyond any mortal.¡±

    ¡°Then¡ª¡±

    ¡°But you are no mere mortal, Master. You have claimed the [HEART] of Fortress Al-Mir. It is not fully functional yet but it is still a magical artifact unrivaled by anything else in existence. If it can be restored, such a task may just be within our grasp. In addition, there are other [HEART]s out there. They were relatively common in my former master¡¯s time. Lay claim to those and reversing the calamity would be a matter most trivial.

    ¡°The first step, I believe, should still be to restore functionality to the portal. I know roughly how to fix that. If you were to recruit a capable spellcaster or delve into such studies yourself, I believe we could accomplish that task in short order.¡±

    Arkk stared at the woman before him, wondering if there wasn¡¯t something to Ilya¡¯s fear of this place. The way Vezta spoke, the fervor in her voice, that utter belief that the [HEART], and Arkk by extension, was capable of undoing the Calamity. The legends he knew spoke of the Calamity like it was a force of nature. Not something that anyone had been able to fight, whether they be human, dragon, or¡­

    Apparently not gods, if Vezta¡¯s claims that the Light had caused the Calamity were true.

    ¡°This Underworld place is your home?¡± Arkk said, mostly trying to fill the silent gap with some sound so that he wasn¡¯t left dwelling on his thoughts. ¡°Or where you came from?¡±

    Vezta shook her head, then looked upward toward the recently repaired arching ceiling. ¡°I am a being of the [STARS].¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Arkk¡¯s eyes flicked to one of the golden sun-like eyes set into the cuff on her wrist. ¡°Makes sense, I guess. Still, repairing the Calamity? That sounds so grandiose for someone like¡­¡± Trailing off, Arkk shook his head. He straightened his back and locked eyes with Vezta. ¡°No. I made a promise to be someone you can look up to. If you say I can do it, then I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    Vezta stood, kneeled, then bowed until her forehead touched the ground. ¡°Thank you, Master. I feel as if this weight I have been carrying is lessened already. I will not fail you.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t need to do that. Please don¡¯t do that. If Ilya saw you like that, she would think I am forcing you¡ª¡±

    A voice from behind Arkk made him shudder. ¡°You mean you aren¡¯t a depraved, love-deprived fool abusing your servant?¡±

    Turning slowly in his seat, Arkk winced under Ilya¡¯s silver eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ She¡¯s not¡­ It¡¯s not what you think!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Ilya raised an eyebrow. ¡°I think it is exactly what I think.¡± She scoffed, rolling her eyes. ¡°Your servant is a monster who can¡¯t comprehend normal human mannerisms.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, glancing back at Vezta. The servant was still kneeling but was no longer bowing. Her back was upright as she watched the goings on with a smile. ¡°Yes. Probably that. Or else she does comprehend humans and is just trying to embarrass me.¡±

    ¡°I would never,¡± Vezta said, returning to her feet. Arkk could not decide if the tone in her voice was sincere or sarcastic.

    ¡°Never mind that,¡± Ilya said, tossing something toward Arkk. ¡°Did you know about this?¡±

    Arkk caught a coin. A heavy coin that gleamed a brilliant gold in the light from the library¡¯s glowstones. One side had the same compass rose that was stamped on every corridor tile. Like the tiles, it had a little blue-violet gemstone set directly in the center of the coin. The other side was a labyrinthine maze, much like the [HEART].

    Hearing clanking, Arkk glanced up to find Ilya holding out a whole fistful of identical coins.

    ¡°Where did you find these? Some treasure room?¡±

    ¡°They were sitting around the heart chamber. Arkk, just the amount in my hands makes you wealthier than the Baron, probably, and there were three piles up to my knees.¡±

    ¡°Transmutation,¡± Vezta said, leaning forward. She plucked the coin from Arkk¡¯s hands, looking over it before handing it back. ¡°The servants recycled the material from the old rooms. You should be able to use this to construct proper replacements, defenses, furnishings, and so forth.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait,¡± Ilya said, holding up her free hand. ¡°You¡¯re saying those things eat whatever they want and vomit it up as gold?¡±

    ¡°Nothing so crude,¡± Vezta said, annoyed.

    ¡°You¡¯re upset I¡¯m calling that crude?¡± Ilya pointed a finger at the bubbling pustule of flesh, eyes, and maws.

    It gurgled like the world¡¯s emptiest stomach as it ripped off a rotted plank from the wall, shredding it with its teeth. One of its eyes popped as a fresh replacement bubbled up from under its oily flesh, though it somehow managed to not get gunk all over the place. Magic, probably.

    ¡°Right,¡± Ilya said. ¡°I rest my case.¡±

    Vezta pressed her lips together. ¡°I¡¯ll see about teaching them better,¡± she said, retaking her seat in front of one of the thick tomes. Several shadowy, dripping tendrils sprouted from her back. Each picked up a pen and she began scrawling out the copy of the book onto fresh vellum at an absurd speed. ¡°As soon as I finish my priority task.¡±

    Ilya stepped forward, grabbing hold of Arkk¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Do you know what this means?¡± she asked, waving the hand still full of gold. A few coins fell, but she didn¡¯t seem to mind.

    ¡°I¡¯m rich?¡± When Ilya narrowed her eyes, Arkk tried again, ¡°We¡¯re rich?¡±

    ¡°It means you better be real careful about who hears about this place. If word spreads about a handful of gold coins sitting in the middle of the Cursed Forest, people are going to come searching. This much coin and I¡¯m sure everyone and their mother will be after it. Hell, half the people would probably be willing to stab their own mothers just for what I¡¯ve got in my hand.¡±

    ¡°Assaults on Fortress Al-Mir are not an uncommon occurrence,¡± Vezta said, not looking up from her work. ¡°In its current state, defending against an army would be perilous. I should be more than adequate to deal with any common thief.¡±

    Ilya threw a glare in Vezta¡¯s direction before shifting that glare to Arkk.

    Arkk barely paid attention to her, however, rolling a gold coin between his fingers as he thought.

    The fortress was a strange oddity. But it was just that. An oddity. Something he wanted to use, along with Vezta, to learn more magic from. More than that? Vezta kept calling it the ultimate defensive and offensive tool. He hadn¡¯t thought much about what that meant. He didn¡¯t see how a stationary building could be an offensive tool.

    This, however, got his mind working. While he was sure it wasn¡¯t what Vezta had meant, a way to create gold could certainly count as an offensive weapon. Gold could get him mercenaries, food and supplies, craftsmanship, materials, and just about anything else he could think of.

    ¡°How much gold can we get out of this place, Vezta?¡±

    ¡°I am unsure. My former master chose this location due to the presence of a large deposit of gold underneath the fortress. I do not believe he managed to mine even a small fraction of it.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re sitting on a gold mine?¡± Ilya said, looking faint. ¡°This is going to draw the Duke¡¯s attention.¡±

    ¡°Only if people find out. I¡¯m not going to tell. You aren¡¯t going to either. Vezta won¡¯t.¡± Arkk tapped the gold coin on the desk, listening to the clink. ¡°Maybe we can use this.¡±

    ¡°Arkk¡­¡±

    ¡°Hear me out. Your mother¡ª¡±

    ¡°My mother,¡± she hissed. ¡°The Duke took her as a tribute after a season of poor harvest. What has that got to do with this?¡±

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t pay then, but now¡ª¡±

    Ilya¡¯s face hardened. ¡°Arkk¡­ We¡¯ve talked about this. You were barely old enough to remember and I was young too. The other villagers say he was after Mother for years, just looking for an excuse to take her. A fistful of gold isn¡¯t going to make him¡ª¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that. This changes things.¡± He held up the coin, looking at his shiny glint in the light of the library¡¯s glowstones. ¡°We have to try. She raised me. Taught me to read. Told me about my magic ability. It is the least I can do for her.¡±

    ¡°If it isn¡¯t enough? If he isn¡¯t interested?¡± Silver eyes flashed with a dangerous glint, defiant. Like she didn¡¯t want to dare hope for the possibility of seeing Alya again.

    ¡°With this much gold, someone will be interested. I always thought we were trapped in Langleey. Trapped with our lot in life,¡± Arkk said with a sigh. Ilya stared at Arkk, then looked over his shoulder, staring at Vezta for a long moment. ¡°This is an opportunity. I know you want your mother back.¡±

    Arkk looked around the room, first at the books. Although he held out hope that they would be able to find a way to translate them, they were worthless at the moment. With as much gold as Ilya had in her hands, he could probably just go to the city and buy all the spell books he wanted and then some. Vezta¡­ had something she wanted done as well. The first step of which was to find a capable spellcaster or for Arkk to learn magic himself. The latter would likely take too long but with gold, he could hire someone.

    His parents had died when he was young. Before he could remember them. After that, Alya, Ilya¡¯s mother, raised him. He remembered more of Alya than of his parents, but even that wasn¡¯t much. Just a beautiful woman with a caring look in her eyes who was always there when Jorgen and Hurtt were being cruel. If not for Alya, he might not have learned to read and write.

    ¡°I want her back,¡± Ilya admitted, voice a slight whisper.

    Vezta stood, turning to face Ilya and Arkk. Her tendrils continued scribing behind her back. ¡°Master Arkk, forgive my impudence but I overheard your plans.¡±

    Arkk raised an eyebrow. ¡°We weren¡¯t trying to hide. We weren¡¯t even speaking quietly.¡±

    ¡°Most benevolent,¡± Vezta said with a slight bow. ¡°However, in lieu of proper advisors, allow this servant to fulfill that role. Fortress Al-Mir is the ultimate offensive tool, but it is not yet in an operational state. We require additional funds to construct rooms and facilities. There are no employees to operate the rooms or serve as martial forces. In addition, you are inexperienced with the operation of the [HEART] and have a limited repertoire of spells, one of the [HEART]¡¯s greatest offerings is vast magical power, growing ever larger as it acquires territory and employees. Opening the portal will solve several of these issues, but not all of them. Engaging in conflict with a Duke, who presumably has a standing army, is¡­ not ideal at the present time.¡±

    ¡°Woah, woah, hold on.¡± Arkk glanced to Ilya. ¡°We¡¯re not starting a war with the Duke.¡±

    Some, but not all, of Vezta¡¯s eyes blinked. ¡°Were you not proposing we hire additional forces using the gold?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Arkk started, looking at Ilya. ¡°Mercenaries, yes. Someone has to be willing to take a job to rescue an elf from the Duke, right? Probably demihumans and beastmen over humans¡­ But not¡­ war.¡±

    ¡°We just need to meet with him first,¡± Ilya said before either of them could get out of hand. ¡°If he does accept a fistful of gold, then we should take it long before we start plotting anything more violent.¡±

    ¡°Rescue,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°Whatever.¡± Ilya¡¯s eyes shifted toward the ritual circles on the floor in the back of the library. There were two, side by side. One went to Langleey Village, the other went to the opposite side of the Cursed Forest which they had used to recover their hunting supplies. ¡°Can you make another one of those to the city? Cliff?¡±

    ¡°That depends on the distance, but¡­¡± Vezta turned her head away from Ilya. ¡°Master Arkk, forgive my impu¡ª¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to say that every time. I¡¯m not going to take offense at anything you say.¡±

    ¡°You are dressed like a [simpleton]/[peasant]/[village idiot].¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, glancing down at his leather tunic and hemp undershirt. Ilya snorted, donning a smile at Vezta¡¯s comment until she realized that she was dressed in nearly identical clothing.

    ¡°Okay. I might take some offense at the things you say.¡±

    ¡°If you are wishing to meet with a duke as equals¡ªor at least lessen the gap in your status¡ªa change of attire is [required],¡± Vezta said. ¡°My master is greater than any duke, earl, or king. I cannot have you carrying on as you are if you are to meet with such individuals of objectively lower standing.¡±

    ¡°Then what do you suggest,¡± Arkk said, crossing his arms.

    A tendril snapped out from under Vezta¡¯s dress. She used it to pick up one of the fallen gold coins. Handing it off to her actual hand, she rolled it between her knuckles before pinching it between her thumb and fingers. ¡°Allow me to show you how the [HEART] is meant to operate.¡±

 Fortress Al-Mirs New Room

    Arkk stood inside an empty chamber within Fortress Al-Mir. At one point in time, it had been a barracks, foundry, or training room. He wasn¡¯t sure. Regardless, the lesser servants had eaten everything inside, leaving just smooth stone tiles, each bearing the compass rose and blue-violet gemstone.

    A small pile of gold sat on the floor next to him. Gold was heavy, surprisingly so. Even the small fistful that Ilya had been carrying around weighed as much as a full-size lumber axe. It would have taken a few trips from the [HEART] chamber were it not for Vezta helpfully informing him that he could transport not just people, but things as well. Anything that belonged to him could be moved near instantly simply by thinking about it.

    Now, he had to do a bit more thinking.

    He knew what looms were, even if he had never seen a proper one. Just the one that the local village tailor used to make the clothes he wore now. Vezta had helped, sketching out detailed plans for the room. Holding the sketch tight in his mind, Arkk stretched out a hand toward the pile of gold and pushed out a touch of his magic.

    The room changed before his eyes. Bolts of colorful cloth formed in the walls, set on great reels. Large spools of thread looped over wheels and dangled from the ceiling. Four large machines covered in wheels, thread, and cloth popped into existence around the center of the room. Tall wooden mannequins covered in pins and partially-finished clothing sprung up near the sides of the room. Scissors and needles hung from walls while machines for sewing appeared on tables.

    The torches vanished so as to not cause fires. Thankfully. In their place, glowing stones provided bright and almost natural light to the room.

    Arkk had no frame of reference beyond the village tailor, and yet, he had a feeling that this place would rival even that of the tailors of Cliff. If nothing else, he had just created bolts of cloth from nothing.

    Well, not quite nothing.

    Looking down at his feet, Arkk found a mere two and a half coins remaining from the small fortune he had started with. Still, he couldn¡¯t exactly call himself disappointed with the outcome. Just running his hand over a spool of blue cloth felt like it should be against the realm¡¯s laws. Someone like him touching something so smooth and soft?

    Ilya and Vezta approached from the door to the room. The former stared with wide eyes, lightly touching her fingers to one of the bolts of cloth much as Arkk was doing. The latter simply looked around, nodding to herself. Vezta didn¡¯t look impressed at all, but that was probably to be expected if her former master was capable of feats such as this.

    ¡°It would behoove you to hire skilled tailors to operate this room,¡± she said, completing her inspection. ¡°The lesser servants may craft some minor goods here, but this room is wasted on them in the end.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ guess I¡¯ll keep it in mind?¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Ilya said, regaining her stony look. ¡°Wait. Those things are going to be touching our clothes?¡±

    ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Yes, it is. Arkk, tell her it is.¡±

    Arkk shrugged. ¡°I mean, they cleaned up the corridors without leaving slime everywhere.¡±

    ¡°Arkk.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t like there are many options. I guess we can grab Higgens, but¡­¡± Arkk tugged on his shirt, which Higgens had made. ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll be able to make anything better?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡± Ilya trailed off, looking to the door.

    As if called by their conversation, one of the lesser servants squirmed into the room. Ilya glared, moving between the bolts of cloth and the servant. Vezta, however, calmly approached. A tendril snapped out, wrapping around the lesser servant and holding it in place. With her bare hands, she tore into the servant, ripping pieces off and shoving other pieces into its body. A tentacle flew across the room but didn¡¯t make it to the floor before vanishing into motes of blue-violet light.

    The servant squirmed and screamed, a hideous noise like a rabbit frightened by a fox. Even still, Vezta did not stop, clawing it to pieces.

    Arkk turned away, a grimace on his face. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what Vezta was doing, but he could feel the link to the lesser servant. It was in pain, but it wasn¡¯t dying. She wasn¡¯t trying to kill it.

    The screeching stopped after a few moments. Arkk finally looked back, only to pop his brows up in surprise.

    Vezta set a small creature on the ground. A creature that looked remarkably like she did. A small Vezta that barely came up to the knees of the larger version. With a nudge of her tentacle, Vezta sent the smaller version of herself scuttling toward the wooden mannequins.

    ¡°They require aristocratic attire,¡± she said before turning to Ilya. ¡°Pleased?¡±

    Ilya, who had been standing as still as Arkk had during that¡­ process, shuddered. ¡°I¡­ think I¡¯m going to be sick,¡± she said, rushing out of the room.

    ¡°Master, your minion is difficult to please.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t exactly feeling the best either, but he still forced a smile. ¡°Employee, Vezta. Are you going to do that to the others?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps in time, if you wish. For now, they are more useful as they are. May I recommend sending them to the lowest level of the fortress to clear the path to the mine? Unless my former master was exceedingly vigorous in his final moments, there should be a plentiful supply of gold beneath us. Perhaps not enough to sate a lord¡¯s lust for wealth, but enough to fulfill your immediate goals of bribing nobles or hiring mercenaries.¡±

    ¡°How large is the gold mine under us?¡±

    ¡°Plentiful,¡± Vezta repeated. ¡°If not, I know there is a way to use the [HEART] to conjure gold, though I am unsure of the specifics. You will have to research that.¡±

    ¡°Add it to my list,¡± Arkk mumbled.

    Somehow, Vezta heard him. ¡°Current goals: Return Fortress Al-Mir to full power. Become a master I idolize. Open the portal to the [UNDERWORLD]. Revert the Calamity. Recover Ilya¡¯s mother. Research magic. Research gold conjuration.¡± Vezta paused, frowning. ¡°Master, nearly all these goals were imposed upon you by myself. I exist to serve your goals, not Ilya¡¯s or even my own.¡±

    ¡°Your goals are my goals,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have agreed with them if I didn¡¯t want to. You aren¡¯t pushing me around if that is what you¡¯re thinking.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    Arkk held up a hand. ¡°There are a lot of things I want and a lot of things I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll want in the future. But I do have one immediate interest¡­¡± For a moment, Arkk focused on Ilya. As his employee, he could see her just about anywhere. He didn¡¯t like looking in on her, but right now? He wanted to make sure Ilya wasn¡¯t nearby.

    She wasn¡¯t. She was back in the library¡ªthe only other furnished room at the moment¡ªsitting in one of the chairs. She looked a little green in the face, but she was otherwise fine.

    And out of earshot.

    ¡°What you said this morning, about starting a war with the Duke? I didn¡¯t want to say it in front of Ilya, but that is a whole lot closer to what I want than I might have let on.¡±

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    ¡°As I said, Fortress Al-Mir is not yet¡ª¡±

    Arkk stopped her with a raised hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want an actual war. But deposing him? Replacing him with someone, anyone else?¡± Arkk¡¯s hand clenched into a fist. ¡°That man sends his tax collectors around every harvest season. We owe them a full half of what we harvest. I talk to everyone who passes through the village. All the mercenaries and beastmen, all the demihumans and adventurers. Mostly, I talk to the spellcasters, but I still talk to the others.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the food goes to waste. Just rots. Sometimes, they toss it on the roads outside Cliff City because their storehouses are too full. Every village in the province harvests all this food that just goes bad? It¡¯s supposed to be feeding armies and soldiers. People who protect us? And yet orcs and goblins a few hundred strong roam the land unimpeded. They would have destroyed our village if not for you and me¡­ if not for you.¡±

    Arkk clenched his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. ¡°And if we fail? If the harvest doesn¡¯t meet the quotas? If a drought or pestilence claims our crops? The Duke doesn¡¯t hand out that abundance of food he takes from the other villages to help us through tough times. No, he starts taking other things. Horses, tools¡­ Ilya¡¯s mother.¡±

    Breathing, calming down, Arkk slowly opened his eyes. Vezta simply stood in front of him, staring without judging. She had her slight smile in place as her eyes burned.

    ¡°I came back to you¡­ I made that contract with you¡­ It wasn¡¯t just to save the village. Ilya wanted to go to the Duke. I couldn¡¯t let her. If¡­ I fear that if the Duke catches sight of her and sees how beautiful Ilya is¡­ he¡¯ll snatch her up as well. Then she¡¯ll be gone.¡± Arkk let his hands fall to his sides, limp. ¡°Then I¡­¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t finish his sentence. He just stared down at the ground, down where Vezta¡¯s tendrils were unusually still, though they still dripped their dark oil. It somehow managed to avoid reaching the stone, absorbed back into her body.

    ¡°Sorry for springing that on you. Just forget it. It isn¡¯t something I ever thought would be possible, but as Ilya said with that handful of gold, this changes things. But probably still too much to ask.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary, my master. I am in awe of your ambition. You have a single functional room and a single minion apart from myself. And we¡¯re plotting a coup.¡± Vezta leaned closer. ¡°I am excited.¡±

    ¡°You think we can do it?¡±

    ¡°Of course, though not soon. We might want to open the portal sooner rather than later, however. The Cloak of Shadows could provide useful minions or blessings for such a task.¡±

    ¡°Cloak of Shadows?¡±

    ¡°A member of the [PANTHEON]. Rules the night, secrets, stealth, and other such related matters.¡±

    Arkk rubbed his chin. This opening the portal business, and undoing the Calamity, was something he wanted to talk to Ilya about before actually starting. He had made a promise to her and that felt like something he should mention, just in case.

    Nodding slowly, he took a breath. ¡°We¡¯ll focus on trying to get back Ilya¡¯s mother first. Whether we try to depose the Duke now or later, at least she¡¯ll be out of the way. He won¡¯t have her as a hostage.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Vezta said with a bow. ¡°In that case, I believe my inferior copy would like to take your measurements.¡±

    Arkk turned to find the knee-high Vezta holding up a flexible strip of leather with several markings on it, denoting distance. It stood atop one of the stools in the room, though even with that added height, it wouldn¡¯t be able to reach halfway up his chest. He glanced back to the real Vezta, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°As I said,¡± she sighed, ¡°best hire some proper tailors. I suppose I better help it out.¡±

    <hr>

    Arkk sat over a desk in a newly recreated library. Gone were the musty shelves and broken furniture. The only books that remained were the few he had saved and the few he had copied. In place of the rest were empty, depressing shelves. It was a small consolation that the furnishings of the room had been replaced with comfortable seats. The reading lights made from glowstones weren¡¯t too bright, yet weren¡¯t dim enough to cause a strain on the eye.

    He wasn¡¯t copying books at the moment. While Ilya had her measurements taken, Arkk had decided to do a bit more planning.

    At the moment, he hated their plan. If it could even be called that. Walking up to the Duke and throwing money at him had to be the worst decision, well-fitting clothes or not. They would seem desperate and the gold would come across as suspicious. They might not get a chance to hire mercenaries if the Duke found cause to throw them in prison. Arkk might be able to use the [HEART] or Vezta to get them out, but winding up in that position in the first place would be bad.

    He had come up with a list of a few priorities.

    First and foremost was not actually to rescue Alya. It was to prevent Ilya from falling into the Duke¡¯s hands.

    The easiest way to prevent that would be to have her simply not go anywhere near Cliff. But Arkk doubted Ilya would be willing to go along with that. She would want to be front and center in this.

    So, the next best option would be to make her untouchable. Ilya couldn¡¯t be a peasant from some village in the duchy. She had to be someone important, whose absence would be noted and investigated. To that end, wealthy-looking attire would be a great benefit. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how to play it out, but it was something to discuss with Vezta and Ilya.

    The second priority was, also, not to rescue Alya, but to keep the [HEART] secret and secure. Even with just the little he had seen thus far, the room construction and the gold creation, the servants, and Vezta herself, it seemed like the kind of thing a man like the Duke would covet above anything else. To say nothing of all the capabilities Vezta implied it could demonstrate. That might sound like the kind of thing that could be traded for Alya¡¯s freedom, but Arkk would rather die than let a man like the Duke have the [HEART].

    For the third priority, Arkk started to write down Alya¡¯s rescue but crossed it off. He started to replace it with protecting himself and Vezta, needing to be safe and free to carry out the rest of the tasks on his list, but he didn¡¯t quite make it before a flash of light sparked from one of the two magic circles in the room.

    A young girl with black hair tied into two tight ponytails stumbled into the room.

    Arkk lurched to his feet. ¡°Hale? What are you¡­ How did you get here¡ª¡±

    Hale¡¯s dark eyes locked onto Arkk¡¯s. Wide-eyed and obviously terrified, a small bit of relief crept into her expression as recognition took hold. She launched herself at him, trembling. ¡°Orcs in the village!¡± she blurted out. ¡°I saw them, orcs!¡±

    Some of Hale¡¯s panic rubbed off on Arkk. He felt the palms of his hands start to sweat. Almost on instinct, he ripped Ilya and Vezta into the room. The latter didn¡¯t look surprised or alarmed in the slightest. Ilya, shirt half off over her head, stumbled. The only thing that saved her from a fall to the ground was the grace of her elfish reflexes. She rammed her shirt back down over herself and shot a ferocious glare at Arkk.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re¡ª¡± She spotted Hale and blinked. The scorn in her voice vanished, replaced with surprise and concern. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing here? Arkk, did you¡ª¡±

    ¡°The orcs you saw, Hale, did others see them?¡±

    She nodded her head into Arkk¡¯s chest. ¡°John saw them. He started shouting for others.¡±

    Ilya¡¯s face went paler than normal, though Vezta simply stood with her usual smile in place.

    ¡°Were they attacking?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡­¡± Hale pushed herself back, steadying herself. She took a breath. ¡°I said I would get help,¡± she said, shooting Arkk a nervous smile. ¡°I saw you use the circle thing many times, so I knew how to use it too.¡±

    It took a touch of magic to get working. Arkk hadn¡¯t known that Hale could use magic. He filed that away for later. Looking to the side, he met Ilya¡¯s gaze and nodded. ¡°You go first,¡± he said. ¡°You can¡¯t use the circles on your own. Vezta, with her. I¡¯ll follow.¡±

    Vezta bowed and a series of tendrils emerged from the ground around her, ripping and pulling at her in much the same way as she had done to the lesser servant earlier. Rather than transform herself into a small version, the tendrils pulled her down into the ground. A bright golden eye opened in the oily pool that had been Ilya¡¯s shadow. Ilya glanced down at it with a wrinkle on her nose but didn¡¯t argue. She hurried to the ritual circle but stopped just before entering it. Looking back to Arkk, she narrowed her eyes. ¡°My bow?¡±

    Since recovering her bow, Ilya had been carrying it everywhere. Except now. She must have taken it off while with the miniature Vezta. Mentally searching through the Fortress, he found it resting against the wall not far from the lesser servant in the tailor¡¯s room. Much like pulling Ilya and Vezta to him, Arkk tugged on the bow.

    It appeared in the air just above Ilya¡¯s extended hand along with a quiver full of arrows. Taking a split second to examine it, she nodded to herself and stepped into the ritual circle.

    In a flash, they disappeared to the village.

    ¡°You stay here, Hale. We¡¯ll be back when it is safe.¡±

    ¡°I can help too!¡± she said, taking another breath. ¡°I can use a bow. I helped last time after we saw your lightning bolt!¡±

    ¡°Last time I went through that circle when the goblins were attacking, they had it surrounded. If you go through, they might be on the other side. They¡¯ll get you before you have a chance to draw your bow. I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, then had a thought.

    The miniature Vezta popped into the library, standing atop the chair Arkk had been sitting on. He turned to it and pointed at Hale. ¡°She is important. Your other duties are on hold until we get back. Keep her safe here, understand?¡±

    The little thing nodded its head without hesitation. It couldn¡¯t fight. Just because it looked like Vezta didn¡¯t make it any stronger of a lesser servant. But it could keep Hale from stumbling around the place. Although the servants had cleaned up, there were still a few areas that could be dangerous. That pit in the [HEART] chamber, for one. Not that those heavy iron doors would open for anyone. It probably wouldn¡¯t be able to stop Hale if she were determined to use the magic circle to get back to the village, but Hale didn¡¯t know that.

    Patting Hale on the head, Arkk hurried to the circle. It took a mere instant to check that Ilya and Vezta were clear.

    He disappeared in a flash.

 Orcs and Offers

    Like last time, Arkk expected to find himself thrust into combat the moment he was through the ritual circle. Instead, he found the air oddly calm and lacking in the sounds of battle. Hurrying around the carpentry workshop, Arkk spotted a group gathered out near the bridge over the river.

    A divide ran through the group. On one side, wary villagers took up arms with whatever weapons they had been able to grab. They didn¡¯t look nearly as organized as they had been while preparing for the initial defense a week ago. Across from the villagers, a quintet of orcs stood, shuffling in obvious nervousness.

    At first, Arkk thought they might have been an entirely different group of orcs, ignorant of the horde that had attacked just days prior. It wasn¡¯t like orcs were a species constantly trying to pillage and raid. Just the opposite. In contrast to the few hostile, many orcs were like any other being trying to live their lives. Not an easy prospect in the Duke¡¯s territory. As long as demihumans and beastmen avoided the main cities where the majority of the Duke¡¯s army patrolled, it was perfectly possible.

    Or so he heard from the various visitors to the village over the years.

    Arkk¡¯s suspicions reignited upon examining them a little closer. They wore armor, not clothes. Two wielded crossbows, gripped tight in gloved fingers, while the other three had a mix of axes and pikes. These were not simple travelers. They were mercenaries at best. Given recent history, they were almost certainly from the horde that had attacked the village.

    But they weren¡¯t fighting now.

    Arkk hurried over, a dozen paces behind Ilya and Vezta, the latter still in the former¡¯s shadow.

    John moved to intercept him and Ilya, concern on his face even as he gripped one of his lumber axes tight in his hands. ¡°Hale? Where is Hale?¡±

    Ilya glanced back, meeting Arkk¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°She¡¯s safe. I told her to stay put for now. What¡¯s going on?¡±

    A flicker of relief crossed John¡¯s countenance as he half-turned. ¡°I think they want to speak with you. They won¡¯t talk to anyone but the ¡®Warrior of Lightning¡¯.¡± He paused, pressing his lips together. ¡°I saw Hale disappear. Just¡­ gone.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s safe,¡± Arkk said again. ¡°Though I didn¡¯t know she could use magic.¡±

    ¡°Nor I,¡± John said, looking back to the orcs. ¡°I knew she had talent, but¡­ I suspect she¡¯ll want to apprentice herself to you now.¡±

    Ilya let out a hefty scoff, rolling her eyes. Arkk just shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know magic.¡±

    Despite the tense atmosphere, John still managed to inject a little sarcasm into his tone. ¡°Oh? I suppose you¡¯re not the ¡®Warrior of Lightning¡¯ then.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I know one spell, a ritual or two, and a lot of ways of blowing things up.¡± Arkk shook his head again. ¡°Later. We need to deal with this. Any idea what they want?¡±

    ¡°You. Maybe your head on a pike? Maybe just a chat. They didn¡¯t say much.¡± John paused, then added, ¡°Glad you kept her away. This could get messy. Hurtt and Jorgen are ready to hammer their heads in. The Baron is with the other villagers, but Abbess Keena went to fetch him as soon as the orcs started demanding to talk to you.¡±

    ¡°No sign of goblins?¡±

    John waved a hand. ¡°Don¡¯t know anything else beyond what you see.¡±

    ¡°Great. At least nothing is burning yet.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, taking a deep breath. Talking with visitors to the village was normally the Baron¡¯s duty. The Baron wasn¡¯t a fighter, nor did he possess much physical strength to fight if necessary. He spent his spare time whittling toys for the village children. An activity that made him popular but wouldn¡¯t help here if the situation turned chaotic.

    Ilya met his eyes. She nodded her head ever so slightly, then stepped aside. ¡°They want to talk with the one who beat them.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Arkk stepped forward. John stayed a step behind to one side and Ilya, with Vezta, stayed on the other side. He stopped a few paces away from the orcs, not sure at all what to say to them. Up close, they were all at least a head taller than he was. Ilya was far more their vertical equal, yet their eyes were locked on him. The silence was going to grow even more uncomfortable if he didn¡¯t say something, however, so he opened his mouth.

    ¡°You would dare return here?¡±

    He felt like cringing the moment the words were out of his mouth. Was threatening the right move? Was that even threatening? It didn¡¯t sound like it. Arkk had a hard time seeing himself as threatening, but¡­ well, lightning was an incantation away. Vezta¡¯s darkness was slowly spreading out underneath their feet as well, though it didn¡¯t look like the orcs noticed in the dying sunlight. Her tendrils would probably crush all five of them in an instant.

    Maybe he was intimidating.

    One of the orcs snorted, baring his teeth. ¡°The human doesn¡¯t look like a monster of lightning and shadow and fury. Demonstrate.¡±

    ¡°Demonstrate lightning? By frying one of you?¡±

    Another orc, the smallest of the group, grabbed the metal armguards of the first, tugging on him. ¡°I saw his face. That¡¯s the one that turned Jakk¡¯en to ash.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t remember turning anyone, goblin or orc, to ash, but if he was being vouched for, he supposed he shouldn¡¯t complain. Instead, he straightened his back, trying his best to look even a little more intimidating. The orc in the lead, a hulk of muscle with a flat face and thick black hair from his ears to his chin, just snorted again.

    Arkk blamed the height difference. It was hard to intimidate someone so large.

    The shorter orc, who still stood a head over Arkk, was a woman with grayer, more tan-colored skin and dark hair braided tight against her skull on the sides but hung loose on top. She stepped forward. ¡°We have come to seek your aid,¡± she said. She opened her mouth to say more but caught the closed fist of the taller orc in the stomach instead. Aside from a brief step back and a snarl revealing sharp lower tusks, she didn¡¯t react. None of the other orcs looked concerned in the slightest.

    ¡°Aid?¡± Hurtt called from somewhere behind Arkk. ¡°Burning down more villages?¡±

    ¡°Kill ¡¯em before they can try!¡± Jorgen shouted.

    Arkk felt more than saw John turn at his side. He assumed John did something because a brief rallying cry from a few of the other assembled villagers cut off before it could really begin.

    The lead orc didn¡¯t move his eyes from Arkk. He crossed his arms, curling a lip to show his tusk. ¡°You killed our chief¡¯s brother,¡± he said, tone surprisingly neutral, though it still had an exaggerated snarl under the words. Most orcs spoke with a guttural growl, but he was laying it on thick.

    Arkk had no idea how to respond to the accusation. It was probably true. He had killed several orcs. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have attacked?¡± he tried.

    One of the others, the older orc, snorted. Laughed, even? Arkk wasn¡¯t the best at reading orcs. Especially angry orcs.

    ¡°Any other orc and we would have moved on. Found easier prey. But the chief wants revenge for her brother.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re coming back?¡± someone behind Arkk whispered.

    Someone else, far louder, barked out a forced laugh. ¡°Arkk and Vezta will thrash them again. These are the cowards, running away!¡±

    That comment got the lead orc to unleash a full snarl, taking an aggressive step forward. Two of the others grabbed his arms, barely keeping him a step outside Vezta¡¯s shadow. Arkk might have backed up from that if it weren¡¯t for Vezta. She had tendrils at his back, snaked up his legs under his trousers, forcing him to maintain his stance.

    ¡°The chief captured travelers off the road,¡± another tan-skinned orc, bald with a wrinkled and battle-scarred face, barked out. As he spoke, Arkk noted that he didn¡¯t seem to have tusks. His teeth were not that different from a human¡¯s, though aged and missing one or two. ¡°She¡¯s going use them to summon a demon to fight your monster. Tonight.¡±

    The jeers and laughs from the villagers cut off instantly. The shadows underneath Arkk¡¯s feet twisted in a way that he could only describe as anger. A sharp gasp from the approaching Abbess took Arkk¡¯s attention off the orcs for a moment. Long enough to see the Baron at her side topple backward, fainting. That got a raucous round of laughter from the orcs.

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    All except for the shortest one. She took another step forward. ¡°The chief will destroy us all! Some fled already. She killed or captured those trying to flee. Most support her,¡± she said, teeth clenched together. Her fists clenched. ¡°You don¡¯t care about us, but the demon will come for you next. Help us.¡±

    ¡°Help you?¡± Jorgen shouted. ¡°So you can go back to raiding other villages?¡±

    ¡°Or stab us in the back.¡±

    ¡°Kill ¡¯em! And the summoner!¡±

    The orc backed up in line with the others, all of whom now looked far warier. They weren¡¯t quite brandishing their weapons, but they were a lot closer now that they were facing an angry mob. Angrier mob.

    Arkk¡¯s heart hammered in his chest. Demons. He didn¡¯t know exactly what a demon was. A deal maker that could grant almost any wish in exchange for a price too steep for anyone to pay. His mouth felt dry. Could he and Vezta fight a demon? Vezta was strong, but as she said, she was not a fighter. Even against pathetic goblins, they had almost been overwhelmed. A demon would likely be far stronger than dozens of goblins.

    They had to kill the summoner before the demon could appear. It was the only option. And without knowing where the summoner was¡­

    ¡°We can¡¯t kill them,¡± Arkk said, turning his back to the orcs to face the villagers. ¡°They know where¡ª¡±

    ¡°She wants you!¡±

    Arkk spun back around at the cry. ¡°Electro Deus!¡± he shouted before he even saw the orc rushing him with a pike. Lightning sparked from his fingertips, catching the charging orc in his chest. An arrow appeared between his eyes, fired from over Arkk¡¯s right shoulder. At the same time, oily tendrils sprouted from the shadows, looping around the orc¡¯s arms and legs. Pulling him taut, the tendrils twisted in opposite directions.

    A broken, skewered, smoking corpse hit the ground long before it could reach him.

    Arkk¡¯s extended hand slowly moved over the rest of the orcs. The older orc didn¡¯t move, but the shorter orc flinched back. The leader set his jaw and glowered. The fourth, a bulbous orc even rounder than the Baron, shirked back, using the woman for cover as he cowered. ¡°We didn¡¯t¡­ it wasn¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°We agreed,¡± the old orc said, looking down at the broken body with a gaze of utter contempt.

    After a brief moment of shocked silence from the mob behind him, Arkk heard Hurtt shout out a huzzah! Arkk could feel the pressure on his back. The villagers wanted blood even though it should have been obvious that the other four hadn¡¯t been planning on attacking him like that. If they had been, they all would have attacked at the same time.

    ¡°Master.¡± Vezta used her tendrils to pull herself from the ground at Arkk¡¯s side, an action that made everyone, villager and orc, take a sudden step back. Only Ilya resisted, more used to the servant than the others. ¡°You clearly cannot let these creatures see your back. If I might offer a solution¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Hire them. They can¡¯t betray me if what you said is true.¡±

    ¡°They can, but you¡¯ll know in advance.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°In addition, it solves more problems,¡± she said, speaking softly. ¡°Fortress Al-Mir can sustain any number of creatures, providing everything they need with the proper rooms constructed. There will be no need for them to pillage and raid. It keeps them from raiding your village, or any other. In addition, we gain minions. If we wish to progress with your other goals, minions¡ª¡±

    ¡°Employees, Vezta.¡±

    ¡°Regardless of the word, they will be an asset.¡±

    ¡°You want to hire them?¡± Ilya hissed, close enough to hear Vezta. ¡°You heard them, they were happy to go on raiding if not for this demon business.¡±

    ¡°I gave my reasons,¡± Vezta said, stepping aside.

    ¡°They¡¯re not good people.¡±

    Arkk held up a hand, locking his eyes on the green-skinned lead orc. ¡°When is this summoning to take place?¡±

    ¡°When the sun is farthest from directly overhead,¡± he said, no longer willing to play games. ¡°You humans call it the witching hour.¡±

    Glancing to the horizon, Arkk frowned. The sun was starting to set. They had but a few hours.

    ¡°Regardless of your decision with the orcs, you must stop this summoning, Master,¡± Vezta said, voice far more intense than usual. ¡°Demons are the enemy of all.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Ilya said, hand tightening around the leather grip of her bow.

    ¡°How many orcs and goblins are still present?¡± Arkk asked of the assembled orcs. ¡°How many are likely to fight with your chief or fight against her if we show up and start attacking? How well-defended is she? Can we kill her from afar¡ª¡±

    The shortest orc started talking, only for the lead orc to snap his hand into a fist in front of her face. ¡°No more answers until you guarantee our safety.¡±

    Someone started to say something behind Arkk, but John snapped his fingers, cutting them off before they could cause a commotion.

    Arkk pressed his lips together. He didn¡¯t think he was cut out for this job, but he didn¡¯t have a choice. Reaching his hand into his pocket, Arkk pulled four gold coins from Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s [HEART] chamber in the same way he had moved Ilya¡¯s bow earlier. Vezta had warned him that both that method of moving items, as well as her teleportation circles, would not function at great distances¡ªwhich she estimated to be limited to about twice the distance from the fortress to the village, about a hundred kilometers, though she hadn¡¯t known the measurement used in the duchy. Still, it worked for now.

    ¡°I will hire you,¡± Arkk said, holding the coins out, three in his palm and one pinched between his thumb and index finger. Paying gold, according to Vezta, was how her former master had most often hired his employees. ¡°You work for me. No more raiding, pillaging, or looting. You do as I say.¡±

    ¡°Work for a human?¡± The lead orc curled his lips back into a snarl. ¡°You dare¡ª¡±

    Idea popping into Arkk¡¯s head, he held out his left hand. A crystal ball popped into being. The same one he had used to locate his village for Vezta when he first met the servant. He could transport anything that was his to anywhere that was his territory, which his body counted as.

    The orcs flinched back at the ball¡¯s appearance, but he simply held it over to his side, offering it to Vezta.

    ¡°Find the orc encampment,¡± he said, looking across the bridge. He spotted no horses. They could have left them behind to appear non-threatening, but more likely, they just didn¡¯t have any. ¡°Search that side of the river. Roughly six hours of walking distance. If you don¡¯t find it, spread your search further. Riding distance in the same timeframe.¡±

    ¡°As you wish,¡± Vezta said, coiling a tendril around the crystal ball. Holding her hands above it, images started flashing inside the glass.

    Leaving that to her, Arkk looked back to the orcs. ¡°You have until she finds your chief,¡± he said.

    ¡°Or what?¡± the lead orc said, teeth clenched hard enough that Arkk was surprised they hadn¡¯t started cracking.

    ¡°Or you will become far less useful,¡± he said, offering one of the golden coins.

    The older orc caught his meaning immediately, followed quickly by the lead orc. He could see it in the way their eyes changed. The shorter orc didn¡¯t take long either, her own eyes widening as she looked to the leader and then back to Arkk. He could see her fingers rubbing together, eyes darting down to the coin in Arkk¡¯s hand.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t entirely sure that the rotund orc ever got exactly what Arkk was saying. He had been dripping sweat the entire time, especially after the fifth orc tried his attack. Arkk wondered just what he was doing with the other orcs, looking far more like those that passed through town than a raider. Perhaps he was forced to participate in their group?

    When Vezta let out a soft, ¡°Ah!¡± noise, it was the fat orc that lunged forward, grabbing hold of the coin.

    The link formed immediately. Like with Ilya and unlike Vezta, it relayed off the [HEART]. He was now Arkk¡¯s first intentional minion. Employee.

    The other three looked at him with a mixture of expressions on their faces. The girl looked surprised while the leader looked like he was about to murder his comrade. The older orc simply sighed, resigned. He was the next to step forward. Then, after a brief hesitation, the girl.

    The leader glared at both of them in turn, but the fires of his ire in his eyes died down with each. He was left looking at Arkk, a hefty scowl on his face. ¡°We are not slaves,¡± he growled, unmoving.

    ¡°Do slaves get paid?¡± Arkk asked, the final coin still held out between his fingers.

    Curling his lip, the lead orc swiped the coin from Arkk¡¯s fingers. As the bond settled into place, a look of surprise came over the orc. He looked off into the distance, toward Fortress Al-Mir. For a moment, Arkk thought he noticed the bond forming, but if the orc did, he didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he looked down at the coin in his hand. He popped it into his mouth.

    Arkk gaped for a moment, thinking he was eating it. He didn¡¯t seem to be chewing or swallowing, however. In short order, the orc spat it back out. ¡°Still cold? And no taste?¡± Genuine surprise laced his voice. ¡°It¡¯s real?¡±

    His shock prompted all three of the other orcs to give the gold a taste test, though when the larger orc did, he actually bit down. With predictable results. With a slight ¡®eep¡¯ of pain, he spat it back out first and began rubbing at his teeth through his cheeks.

    Shaking his head in bewilderment, Arkk turned to Vezta. ¡°You found the encampment?¡±

    Vezta¡¯s faint smile turned into a wide grin. ¡°Not yet. I merely decided to encourage their response. We are pressed for time, Master.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arkk said, a bit of laughter escaping his lips. After a moment, he started laughing with gusto, nervous tension draining with each chuckle. Taking a breath, he nodded a head toward the orcs. ¡°Find out everything you can from them.¡±

    ¡°As you desire.¡±

    Turning fully, Arkk faced the villagers.

    He expected to find anger at their vengeance being denied. Instead, he found himself faced with surprise. More eyes were over his shoulders than actually on him. It was only the Abbess and the Baron who weren¡¯t staring. The former was kneeling next to the latter, gently patting his cheeks in an attempt to rouse him.

    ¡°Where¡¯d a punk like you get gold from?¡± Jorgen blurted out.

    Hurtt shot him a look. ¡°Same place he got that monster from, idiot.¡±

    ¡°Not important!¡± Ilya snapped. ¡°We¡¯ve got an orc that just won¡¯t accept no for an answer! Who is with us!¡± she shouted, raising her bow into the air.

    The rallying cry was significantly less enthusiastic than when the cries to murder the orcs had gone out, but everyone looked determined to some degree.

    Arkk didn¡¯t know anything about demons and doubted any of them did either, but everyone knew a demon coming after their village would not end well. It might not even be the kind of thing they could run away from.

    ¡°The orcs here are not to be harmed,¡± Arkk said. ¡°They won¡¯t betray us without me knowing about it.¡± He looked over his shoulder, gaze sweeping over each of them. ¡°And I won¡¯t take kindly to that.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    Arkk looked back to the villagers but wasn¡¯t sure who asked. He simply shrugged. ¡°Magic.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Jorgen said with a grimace. ¡°You¡¯re going to make them explode.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡­¡± Arkk pressed his lips together, sighing. ¡°Nothing I¡¯ve done recently has exploded. Nothing since¡­¡±

    Since binding with the [HEART].

    Shaking his head, he looked to the Abbess. ¡°Keena, anything you can provide that would harm a demon or protect us from it would be appreciated. And healing.¡±

    The Abbess, white robes dusty from kneeling next to the Baron, met his eyes for the first time since he returned to the village with Vezta in tow. She only held his gaze for a moment before her eyes dropped down to the ground as she nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± she said softly. ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure what problem the Abbess had, but with how much Vezta seemed to dislike the symbols on her habit and on the church itself, he wasn¡¯t all that surprised that the Abbess didn¡¯t like Vezta in turn. If she knew what Vezta was, however, she wasn¡¯t saying.

    Still, she would have to help fight a demon. It would be insanity not to. Trusting that, Arkk turned back to the villagers.

    ¡°Anyone who wants to go, gather your weapons and horses. We need to move quickly. As soon as we know which direction to head. We¡¯ll plan as we go!¡±

 The Barrows

    ¡°A barrow?¡± Arkk said with a scowl. There went his best plan.

    The horde had holed up in an old burial mound some distance south and east of Langleey Village. He had been hoping for a nice open field where Ilya would have had a clear shot at the summoner from afar. Even if she couldn¡¯t get a shot, somewhere open would have been better. Arkk had never been inside the barrows here. He knew from stories of mercenaries hunting down the odd necromancer that they weren¡¯t spacious areas.

    Tight quarters with around over a hundred goblins and a few dozen orcs sounded like a good way to get overwhelmed. If they were only attacked from one direction, the terrain might favor Vezta. Arkk couldn¡¯t guarantee that, however.

    ¡°Is the summoning being conducted inside the barrow or out here?¡± Maybe there was still some hope for Ilya¡¯s skills to put a quick end to the situation.

    Olatt¡¯an, the elderly orc with the battle-scarred face, shook his head. ¡°The chief was preparing it within.¡±

    ¡°Damn.¡±

    ¡°Problem, ¡®boss?¡¯¡± Rekk¡¯ar, the leader of the four orcs, said with a curl of his lip.

    Arkk didn¡¯t rise to his tone, instead taking the crystal ball from Vezta. He didn¡¯t have as much control over it, being less experienced, but he had enough to scan through the tunnels beneath the earthen mound.

    Goblins packed the tight corridors. There was only one entrance to the barrows, a narrow entrance that would probably force most orcs to duck as they walked through it. A short way in, the path split in three different directions. Following one goblin-stuffed path in the crystal ball, Arkk found what looked like a temporary barracks inside a larger chamber with skulls and other bones lining the walls. A little over a dozen orcs had cleared away the goblins, leaving space with small mats for sleeping on. The room and the corridors seemed to be lit with glowing stones similar to those that lit Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s new library. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if they had been left behind by the ancients who had built the barrows or if the orcs had brought them in.

    Following the center path, Arkk saw a much smaller chamber with a low altar. The altar was adorned with the same symbols as the Langleey church and it looked to have been built into the ground, meaning it was part of the original architecture. However, new symbols had been scrawled into the top using¡­ well, it looked like blood, so it probably was. A much smaller orc stood hunched over the altar wearing a dark cowl and long robes, drawing a fresh profane symbol with her fingertips. It looked like she had cut her hand for the blood.

    ¡°That¡¯s the chief,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, leaning over the crystal ball. ¡°Fool,¡± he spat, watching her work.

    ¡°I thought orcs tended to follow the strongest of the group. She doesn¡¯t look like much.¡± There were two other orcs in the room, standing near the entrance. Both towered over her. She might even have been shorter than Arkk or any other average human.

    ¡°Ah, but you don¡¯t look like much either,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, a smile creasing the wrinkles on his face. ¡°Yet here we are, following you.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ intimidated you into following me.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an nodded, then motioned toward the crystal ball. ¡°The same is true here, though it is true that the only thing that saved the chief from being the runt of the group was her brother. Then she found that book in a village we¡­ visited.¡± Tapping the ball, Olatt¡¯an pointed at a thick tome that was chained to the cowled orc¡¯s hip. A thick black book with glimmering red circles interlaced within each other on the cover.

    Abbess Keena, though she stood a few paces away, narrowed her eyes. ¡°The symbol of desecration,¡± she said, making a gesture with her right hand from her navel to her chin, then left shoulder to the left hand. She murmured a prayer as she did so.

    ¡°Whatever it is,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, ¡°it taught her magicks of foul nature. Put herself and her brother in charge after¡­ embarrassing the previous leader.¡± Both Rekk¡¯ar and Dakka, the shorter orc, looked to Olatt¡¯an as he spoke with frowns spreading across their faces, but neither commented. ¡°Turned our little group toward more vicious activities, taking more risks and¡­ subjugating every goblin we came across. Be warned, the chief will not go down as easily as other orcs and the goblins will not fight against her.¡±

    ¡°Noted.¡±

    After watching the summoner work for another moment, Arkk pulled the vision in the crystal ball back to the crossroads and followed the right path to another small open space inside the barrows. Goblins swarmed the room along with twelve heavily armed and armored orc guards.

    ¡°Humans!¡± John said with a gasp, looking over Arkk¡¯s shoulder.

    Three humans sat, huddled together. One was dressed in the tattered remains of what might have been a fancy suit at one point in time. To his left, someone wearing boiled leather armor tried to keep a straight back, but his face, black and blue with an eye swelled shut, looked like it had been used as a punching bag. A woman sat to his left, looking better than either of the other two yet still wearing the remains of a once fine dress. Arkk could see gashes along her arms and face, though none so bad as the armored man.

    ¡°The ones the chief is planning to sacrifice,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said. ¡°Looks like some more orcs have joined them.¡±

    Six orcs were in the room as well, stripped of their weapons and armor. They sat apart from the humans yet they had not been treated any better.

    ¡°If we free them, they¡¯ll help against the goblins and the chief?¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar crossed his arms. ¡°We don¡¯t speak for all orcs,¡± he said, then dipped his head slightly. ¡°But it is likely, yes.¡±

    ¡°Good. Then¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Dakka said, leaning close to the crystal ball. She pointed to two of the guards standing to the side of the room near the entrance. ¡°That¡¯s Orjja and Pett¡¯en. They were thinking about leaving with us. If they knew there was another option¡­¡±

    ¡°Too late, girl,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said with a sad shake of his head. ¡°After our desertion, the chief will have her most loyal on watch. You¡¯d never get in there. The most you can hope for is to shout in the fight and hope they hear over the bloodlust of battle.¡±

    Dakka bared her tusks but slowly nodded. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she said, teeth clenched together.

    The ones on watch, Arkk had already seen. The orcs had helped to point out where they would be. Three orcs stood outside the cave, crouched around a small campfire along with a bunch of goblins. But there were others, further out. The area around the barrows was made up of gently sloping hills with the occasional tree. Nothing as dense as a forest. Arkk had called the villagers and orcs to a stop well in advance of getting close specifically to avoid being spotted over the relatively empty plains.

    ¡°We need to take the watch out first,¡± Arkk said. ¡°If we can get close before raising the alarm, we have a better chance at catching them before they bunker down. It looks like they rigged the entrance to collapse unless it was always that unsteady looking. Either way, I would drop the entrance, buying time to begin the summoning while any invaders were trying to dig their way in.¡±

    ¡°Master,¡± Vezta said, sliding forward. ¡°If I may remind you of Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s mines¡­¡±

    ¡°Mines? What¡­ Oh. Oh!¡± Arkk¡¯s eyes flashed with acknowledgment. ¡°That¡­ Does that work out here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. Those walls are hardly fortified and this barrow does not appear to have an active claimant that would hamper the magic of their teeth.¡±

    ¡°Got it,¡± Arkk said, mind churning over the possibilities. No matter what, however, they needed to deal with the watchers first to get closer. ¡°These guards in the trees around the barrows need to go. Ilya, can you and¡­¡± Trailing off, Arkk looked over the group.

    They had not brought most of the teens from the village. Only the eldest two. Nine men and six women had joined up. Of them, only Archie carried a bow. Despite his name, Arkk knew he was nowhere near a good enough shot to hit someone in a tree from a hidden spot.

    Looking back to the orcs, Rekk¡¯ar carried a particularly nasty-looking pike¡ªmore of a halberd¡ªand Dakka wielded a shield covered in thick spikes alongside a battle axe large enough that Arkk doubted he could lift it. Olatt¡¯an carried a crossbow but was quite the elderly man for an orc. The other carried a crossbow too, but¡­ his size¡­ any guard worth posting would see him coming long before he got within range.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t catch your name,¡± Arkk said to the rotund orc.

    The orc stiffened, drawing in a deep breath. ¡°They, uh, they call me The Butcher,¡± he said, voice slightly deeper than normal.

    ¡°I¡¯m not calling you that,¡± Arkk said, tone flat.

    ¡°Oh.¡± His shoulders slumped slightly, earning mocking laughs from all three of the other orcs. ¡°I guess you can call me Larry then.¡±

    ¡°Larry.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my name,¡± he said with a sigh.

    ¡°Not¡­ Larr¡¯ak or¡­ something else?¡±

    ¡°No, I was raised among humans,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°Had a nice little shack to myself on the outskirts of Pineberg Burg. The village huntsmen would bring me their kills and I¡¯d chop it up for them in exchange for keeping some for myself.¡±

    Arkk blinked. ¡°You were literally a butcher.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I said.¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes and let out a small breath. ¡°Why don¡¯t we have you sit this one out?¡±

    His comment got another round of laughs from the three orcs. Arkk got the distinct impression that they didn¡¯t think too highly of their comrade here. Though, probably rightfully so. He didn¡¯t look like a fighter and, if what he was saying was true, probably wasn¡¯t a fighter.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    How did he wind up in a group of raiders? A question for later. They only had about two hours before this ritual was supposed to begin. No time for chatting.

    Arkk, left with little choice, looked to Vezta. He didn¡¯t want to send her away. Without her at his side, even a small group of goblins would overrun him in moments.

    Then again, this time he had the villagers at his back and the orcs, as long as the latter didn¡¯t break their bond and backstab him, but he was fairly sure a lightning bolt was faster than a battle axe.

    ¡°Vezta, Ilya, can you take out the guards in the trees without alerting the others?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Vezta said with a deep bow.

    ¡°Yeah. As long as your monster doesn¡¯t get in my way.¡±

    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±

    ¡°You¡ª¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± Arkk said. ¡°We need as much time as possible.¡±

    Vezta bowed again and, after taking a few steps away from the group, tendrils ripped out from her own shadow, lashing around her as they pulled her down into the grass. That got a few gasps from everyone else around. Ilya headed off toward the southeast, opposite Vezta, drawing her black and white bow as she sprinted. Despite the speed at which she moved, Arkk heard nothing of her footsteps in the grass. Years of keeping silent and hidden from wild game would hopefully serve her well against the orc guards.

    Luckily, orcs didn¡¯t see any better in the darkness than humans did.

    ¡°Right,¡± Arkk said, waving both humans and orcs to his sides. ¡°Don¡¯t be too alarmed. Slave Natum,¡± he intoned.

    ¡°You know,¡± John said, ¡°telling us not to be alarmed just makes me more nervous.¡±

    ¡°Might want to close your eyes,¡± Arkk said, pushing magic into the intoned spell.

    A bubbling mass of flesh, eyes, and mouths formed before him, earning a groan from John.

    ¡°I was right.¡±

    Arkk shook his head, focusing on summoning the lesser servants. He managed five before he started to feel the exhaustion. Stopping there, for now, he leaned down and whispered a few words. The lesser servants listened intently before turning away. Their bodies turned into one large mouth which promptly aimed downward at the ground. The five disappeared beneath the surface of the ground.

    Turning back to find a group of sick villagers and orcs, Arkk frowned.

    He wondered if Vezta could modify that spell so that miniature Veztas popped out instead.

    Later.

    ¡°While they¡¯re doing that, let¡¯s go over the plan I have in mind¡­¡±

    <hr>

    Arkk stood on the opposite side of the burial mound from the entrance. The large heap of earth was eerily silent. Being filled to the brim with goblins and orcs, Arkk would have expected some noise, but the air was as dead as those interred within.

    Vezta and Ilya had been successful in their task, allowing Arkk, the villagers, and the orcs to approach the barrow. They had left the guards out front alone. They were too close and their deaths would surely cause a ruckus. Right now, Arkk had the element of surprise and he did not intend to give that advantage up.

    A large hole now existed on this side of the mound where there had been none before. The lesser servants were swarming over the mound as Arkk directed. Why fight through a horde of goblins and trapped passages when he could simply make his own tunnels? He was just waiting on a few finishing touches.

    Arkk glanced around, making eye contact with those around him. The majority of the villagers stood alongside him, as did Dakka, the brown-skinned orc warrior. She had a serious look in her eyes, staring at the incomplete tunnel ahead of them. No one spoke. Not even Jorgen and Hurtt. Everyone knew the plan and, with a few alterations suggested by Olatt¡¯an and John, they had agreed that it sounded like the best course of action.

    Olatt¡¯an, along with Vezta, Ilya, Rekk¡¯ar, and the braver villagers were a short distance away, positioned in front of a near identical hole in the mound. Vezta either sensed his gaze or noticed with the multitude of burning eyes positioned around her body. She turned her head, meeting his look with her proper eyes, and offered a small nod of her head.

    Arkk could sense the lesser servants nearing the completion of their tasks. Turning his gaze to the crystal ball, he checked in on each of the rooms. Orcs in the makeshift barracks looked to be rousing each other. Likely in preparation for the ritual. Goblins still packed the corridors, but he was hoping to avoid dealing with the majority of them. There was movement in the prisoner¡¯s room as well. One of the guards looked to be having a bit of a disagreement with the others, who were advancing on the human prisoners.

    They were running out of time.

    The summoner herself seemed to have finished drawing her patterns on the altar in the barrow. She stood over it, inspecting her work. Arkk couldn¡¯t hear through the crystal ball, but he watched as she barked out orders at the pair of guards in the chamber with her. One turned back to the corridors immediately, but the other hesitated. He opened his mouth, saying something.

    The chieftain took exception. She raised a finger, muttering something. A bolt of sickly green light crossed the distance between them.

    The guard started screaming, tugging at the skin on his face. Blood started boiling from his mouth, eyes, nose, and ears. Lacerations split his skin. Blood gushed from his chest and arms and even his fingernails. He collapsed in short order, shuddering a few times before going still.

    All the while, the chieftain simply turned her back to him, hardly a care in the world as she looked back to the altar.

    If she had been a little more attentive, she might have noticed the crack split the rock between her feet. The gap widened, splitting apart to the point where she did finally notice, but it was too late. The ground disintegrated under her as the maw of a lesser servant ate into the floor of the room. She screamed as she drew a crooked knife from her sash and dark magic erupted from her free hand. Arkk felt the servant die near instantly, but not before wrapping a tongue around the chieftain¡¯s leg, dragging her down into the deep, deep pit it had been digging for the last hour.

    As other servants began collapsing the corridors on the goblins, Arkk drew a sword, dropping the crystal ball.

    ¡°Now!¡±

    Servants ate through the walls of the prisoner room, completing the tunnels just as Arkk and the others charged in.

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± Arkk shouted, frying an orc that Dakka had pointed out as one that would never betray the chieftain. Several goblins fell to lower-powered bolts as others rushed into the room.

    The captive humans were screaming. They had probably been screaming ever since the orcs had started advancing on them, but that didn¡¯t change now.

    A cloud of dust billowed out from the collapsed corridor, but it brought with it a large horde of goblins that had managed to get out of the way of the falling ceiling.

    They were intercepted, along with the surprised orcs, by Vezta¡¯s group. Two orcs, a few humans, an elf, and a servant charged into the barrow, attacking anything that looked like a threat. Dakka rushed forward as well, running after her two friends to try to get them to give up¡­ or else to be the one to grant them a warrior¡¯s death. Her words.

    The rest of the villagers behind Arkk weren¡¯t here to fight. They had weapons, but their task was the prisoners. Both humans and orcs. John helped the leather-clad mercenary to his feet while Jorgen hauled the man in the wealthy clothing over his shoulder.

    Arkk himself headed to the orcs along with Hurtt and the village blacksmith, Irving. The two largest non-orcs among their group. Larry followed as well. Not a fighter, but the hope was that a familiar face would convince the captive orcs to move a little faster.

    A few lightning bolts sent after stray goblins were more for a display of strength than killing them. Vezta certainly needed no help. Fingers still crackling, he held his hand out to the orc in front of the group of prisoners, which caused a wince, but the orc set his jaw in defiance.

    Arkk twisted his wrist, now holding his palm out as if to help the orc to its feet. ¡°Do you want to get out of here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Larry said, sweating profusely as Hurtt slammed his weapon down on another goblin. ¡°He hired us. Said he¡¯d keep the humans from hurting us if we help take down the chief.¡± He paused, then glanced to Arkk. ¡°Uh¡­ Right?¡±

    Arkk glanced aside, speaking in a flat tone. ¡°Yes, Larry. That¡¯s¡ª¡±

    A cry had him whirling around.

    Ilya, back near the tunnel entrance trying to shoot arrows from afar, cried out as a goblin crawling along the wall pounced on her back. The goblin¡¯s weapon was more a rusted slat of metal than a proper knife, but it was still sharp enough to cut as it flailed its little arms around. Blood spurted from Ilya¡¯s face just below her eye before the goblin rammed the blade into her side.

    Arkk didn¡¯t even get a chance to cast a lightning spell before a crossbow bolt appeared between the goblin¡¯s eyes.

    His eyes traced the path of the bolt in a flash, noting Olatt¡¯an already whirling to use the blade fixed to the end of his crossbow against one of the larger orcs. He slammed the butt of the weapon into the larger orc¡¯s face before the blade sliced open his neck.

    ¡°Electro Deus.¡±

    Six other goblins that had been clinging to the walls fell to the ground in smoking, twitching piles of limbs. The last one hit looked like it was about to get back up, only for a thick tendril to sprout from the floor and crush it against the wall.

    Ilya, teeth clenched, had her hand pressed against her side, pinning the rusty blade in place as blood dripped from her fingers.

    Arkk wanted to run over to her. She was alone, separated by the distance she had been trying to use to her advantage.

    John made it to her first. With the battered mercenary already leaning on him for support, John scooped up Ilya into his arms and started carrying her out through the tunnels. The Abbess was outside. She could do more for Ilya than Arkk could.

    ¡°The Throatripper joined you?¡±

    Arkk whirled back to the prisoners he had almost forgotten about. Something in his expression must have betrayed his anger; the entire group flinched backward as he faced them.

    ¡°Olatt¡¯an,¡± Larry whispered, answering the question before Arkk had a chance to ask it.

    Throatripper sounded far more vicious than Larry¡¯s epithet, especially knowing that Larry¡¯s was his profession. He wondered what kind of history Olatt¡¯an might have behind him to garner that. Whichever of the prisoners had mentioned it had done so in reverence, not scorn. He probably had quite the body count. Then again, that was the man who had just saved Ilya from further injury entirely on reflex while engaged in his own battle.

    ¡°Are you coming or not?¡± Arkk said, deciding not to address it to anyone at the moment, prisoner or even himself.

    The orcs seemed far less hesitant now, nodding near instantly.

    Arkk turned away, unleashing a bolt of lightning over Vezta¡¯s shoulder. She probably had been aware of the orc coming at her from behind, but it didn¡¯t look like she had been moving to handle it.

    The battle was dying out. With the corridors collapsed, the enemy couldn¡¯t reinforce their numbers. Were it not for the goblins, both those in the room and those that had survived the collapse, the twelve orcs would probably have fallen long ago simply due to the villagers having superior numbers.

    Dakka had blood on her axe. The woman she had pointed out earlier was at her side, but not the other one. She had blood dripping from under the leather armor she wore, leaking from a gash around her waist. Not that she looked to care. She wasn¡¯t even hunched over.

    The captive humans were gone, as were those who had been assigned to escort them out. Larry, Hurtt, and Irving were leading the captive orcs out. One enemy orc had thrown his weapon to the floor, keeping his arms in the air in the universal signal for surrender.

    The rest were dead. Rekk¡¯ar lifted his blade from the punctured skull of the last one who had been fighting.

    Arkk couldn¡¯t help but grimace as he noted that their side had not survived entirely intact despite surprise, numbers, and Vezta. Ken, the village brewer, was on the ground. A blade had bit into his neck, leaving him partially decapitated. The Abbess couldn¡¯t cure death. Several others were sporting wounds that ranged from scrapes and cuts to deep gouges, especially in the arms. Vezta was treating the worst injury in much the same way as she had treated Arkk after a goblin gnawed on his arm. The village shoemaker, Benji, was missing his left arm below the shoulder. Vezta had his stump wrapped in her tar-like body.

    Clenching his teeth, Arkk gnawed on his lip. He should have done more. He could have done more. The plan had been made with him going to the captive orcs in the hopes of keeping them from attacking their backs if they decided to stick with their kin. He had expected more of the orcs to switch sides after what Rekk¡¯ar and Dakka had said. But only two had, the one who had thrown down his weapon and the woman at Dakka¡¯s side.

    And the night wasn¡¯t done yet. They needed to get back to the Abbess. They had left her a few villagers¡ªthe teenagers and one other¡ªas guards, hoping that everyone else would rejoin her before anything happened. The orcs and goblins at the entrance would surely have noticed the collapse and while they might spend a few minutes investigating there, they would eventually make their way around.

    Then there were the orcs in the barracks. With the corridors collapsed, they would be trapped. Arkk had half a mind to leave them there after this.

    But he was already forming a plan for them. Without captives in their room, Arkk had no reason to enter. A lesser servant could eat a small hole into the side of the barrow, forcing them to crawl out if they wanted to ever leave. They could be captured one by one from there.

    That still left the chieftain. Arkk was hoping she had fallen to her death¡ªthe servant had dug quite a massive pit¡ªbut he wasn¡¯t going to count on it. If she lived or escaped, she would certainly try again.

    The chieftain was now the priority.

    Teeth clenched together, he led the group out of the barrows, back to the field where Vezta and the Abbess could tend to the wounded before they had to continue.

 The Chieftain

    ¡°She¡¯s still down there. I can see movement.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too dark to make anything out. Did she bury the glowstone knowing we were watching or did they get buried in the rubble?¡±

    ¡°Can she summon the demon without sacrifices?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me how it works, human. You¡¯re the spellcaster here.¡±

    ¡°Does she have sacrifices?¡±

    ¡°We saved the other humans.¡±

    ¡°What if some goblins fell in with her, could she use those?¡±

    Arkk stared into the crystal ball, trying to glean anything from the dark orb. Vezta stood to his side while Olatt¡¯an, Rekk¡¯ar, John, and Hurtt peered into the ball. Ilya sat on the ground not far away, refusing to stay put near the Abbess despite her injury.

    The wounded were laid out on the grassy field, recovering. Those who could still carry weapons, orc and human alike, stood guard, watching for any stray goblins or orcs. Those guarding the entrance had already found them, though they couldn¡¯t be counted among the living anymore. Arkk had not dug into the barracks yet. If those inside knew their chieftain was dead, they would be far more willing to surrender without a fight.

    ¡°Not too keen on getting close to her magic,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, speaking as if he were discussing nothing more interesting than the weather. ¡°Seen it do some nasty stuff to those who cross her.¡±

    ¡°Can we just leave her there?¡± Hurtt said. ¡°She can¡¯t escape, right?¡±

    Arkk shook his head. Vezta would have been able to escape with her teleportation circles. He didn¡¯t know if the chieftain knew any magic like that¡ªhe thought she would have used it by now¡ªbut it was too great a risk. Even if she couldn¡¯t do that, who knew what else her magic was capable of.

    ¡°Drop the barrows on her,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, spitting on the ground. ¡°Bury her alive. A warrior¡¯s death is too good for the likes of her.¡±

    ¡°Will that kill her?¡± Arkk said. He could do it. Two of his lesser servants had died in the tunnel collapse, but he could summon more if the remainder didn¡¯t suffice. ¡°Quickly, I mean. I¡¯m not going to take any chances. She dies tonight. If she escapes, this will only have enraged her even more. She¡¯ll flee and summon another demon another day. One that we might not have the fortune of knowing about in advance.¡±

    A moment of morbid silence followed Arkk¡¯s words. The villagers paled at the mention of another summoning and the orcs didn¡¯t comment on the likelihood of her survival. With the powers she learned from that book on her hip, Arkk guessed that they genuinely had no idea.

    ¡°I could stand at the top of the pit and throw lightning down it until she stops moving, but I¡¯m sure she can toss magic back up¡­¡± Arkk glanced over to Vezta. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we can carry out your former master¡¯s final orders and get some help that way,¡± he said, vaguely. He didn¡¯t exactly want everyone present to know about the [HEART] or anything to do with it if he couldn¡¯t help it.

    Vezta, unfortunately, shook her head. ¡°Not unless you¡¯ve dug up a magical researcher without my knowledge. I would suggest we recruit the chieftain but one who resorts to demon summoning is hardly an ally I would take comfort in having at my side.¡±

    Nodding his head in definite agreement, Arkk asked, ¡°Any other ideas?¡±

    ¡°I could drop down there myself and tear her apart.¡±

    ¡°Could you survive her magic?¡±

    ¡°I have survived a lot in my time,¡± Vezta said with a wan smile.

    ¡°But could you survive her magic?¡± Arkk asked again, not willing to let her skirt around the question.

    She just shrugged. ¡°Unsure.¡±

    ¡°A bomb,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said. ¡°Black powder. Toss that down and boom.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going to get a bomb from?¡± Hurtt asked with a sneer. ¡°We¡¯re a farming village, not an outpost for the Duke¡¯s army.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar bared his teeth in response, flashing his tusks. Hurtt, to his credit, didn¡¯t back away, though he did look back to the crystal ball with a contemplative look on his face.

    ¡°Could we get a bomb?¡± Arkk asked Vezta.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure we could acquire the materials, but without a skilled craftsman to put it together, I imagine we will face disaster.¡±

    ¡°Does anyone know how to make a bomb?¡± Arkk asked, addressing the others. He knew none of the villagers would.

    Unfortunately, his two hopes glanced at each other. Olatt¡¯an and Rekk¡¯ar shrugged their shoulders, not saying anything as they glanced back at him. If any of the surviving orcs knew, they weren¡¯t saying.

    Arkk scowled, looking back to the crystal ball. He wasn¡¯t sure why. The image in the glass was just darkness. He started trying to think of all he knew, which was distressingly little. Lightning, possession¡ªwhich wasn¡¯t something to be used on enemies, according to Vezta¡ªand a smattering of rituals. Most of which didn¡¯t¡­

    Arkk blinked, then let out a small chuckle. ¡°Wait, I can make a bomb.¡±

    Ilya glanced up, scrutinizing Arkk. ¡°Since when could you¡­¡± She trailed off, frowning. The frown quickly turned into a wide grin as her eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re going to explode her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to explode her.¡± He paused, looking at Vezta. ¡°I haven¡¯t exploded a spell since¡­ then, but I haven¡¯t really tried. I feel more in control of my magic, but that just means I should be able to let go of that control for this. Right?¡±

    ¡°Her blood,¡± Ilya said. ¡°She was using it on the altar.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Arkk said, jumping to his feet. One of the lesser servants was already squirming over toward the barrows, ready to dig through to the room where the altar had been.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    While the servant started digging, Arkk started ripping grass out of a large patch of ground. He wasn¡¯t sure if the grass would interfere but definitely didn¡¯t want to mess this up. Or rather, he did want to mess it up, but in a very specific sort of way. Tearing up the grass wasn¡¯t easy. There was too much, and it was all too small.

    Vezta saved him, gently moving him aside before a tendril swept across the ground. It left a thin smear of oil on the ground that ate the grass before quickly dissolving into nothingness, leaving dirt behind. She gave him a nod of her head before stepping aside, hands clasped together in front of her navel.

    Arkk wasted no time, scrawling the tracking ritual into the cleared ground.

    By the time he finished, the lesser servant had accomplished its task.

    Vezta and Rekk¡¯ar accompanied him into the newly dug tunnel, just in case there were still goblins clinging to the walls or if the chieftain had a surprise up her sleeve. However, they found nothing.

    The altar was there, lit by a bowl of glowing stones in one corner. Arkk, having grabbed a leaf outside, smeared it through the still-damp blood on the surface of the heavy stone altar. What had to have been hours of work drawing out the intricate ritual were ruined in a second. Having what he needed, he turned to go.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Rekk¡¯ar said with a bit of a snort-like scoff.

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar snorted again before grasping the side of the altar. Muscles bulging, he pushed. A bit of a creaking groan in the unstable ground had Arkk taking a few steps back down the tunnel, but Vezta stepped forward to assist. She grasped the altar with a myriad of tentacles and flipped it into the deep pit.

    Screaming echoed out. Anger, not pain, unfortunately.

    Rekk¡¯ar looked to Arkk and shrugged. ¡°Was hoping it would crush her. Now hoping it screwed up whatever she was surely planning down there.¡±

    ¡°If nothing else,¡± Vezta said, tendrils disappearing under her dress, ¡°the glowstones may provide insight into her actions.¡±

    ¡°Well, shouldn¡¯t be necessary now,¡± Arkk said, clutching the leaf tight.

    He hurried back out of the barrow and rushed over to the ritual he had scrawled into the ground. Setting the leaf in the triangle, Arkk took up his position opposite from it. Just as he had done with tracking the stag, he poured just a little magic into the circle.

    Ethereal silhouettes formed in his vision. He ignored the bush he had plucked the leaf from and focused downward. The orc chieftain glowed, appearing through the ground. She was working on something down there. From her movements, Arkk guessed that it was a ritual circle carved into the walls.

    Not knowing what it did and definitely not wanting to find out, Arkk started to focus more magic into the spell. With the stag, the spell had started to fade and he had panicked, flooding it with magic in an attempt to keep the spell going.

    Here and now, he opened the floodgates to their fullest intentionally.

    The bush started to sparkle and crack first. Smoke drifted from its withering twigs. But Arkk¡¯s eyes were on the chieftain down below.

    She noticed something was wrong. Her scrawling stopped and she stared at her hands. That lasted a mere moment before she started panicking. Arkk couldn¡¯t tell exactly what she was doing, but it didn¡¯t matter.

    Wincing, snapping his head back reflexively, Arkk grimaced at the sight.

    He could see the chieftain¡¯s blood, having used blood in his tracking spell. It was everywhere. The pit had a fresh coating all around its bottom. The largest mass of blood, presumably the remains of the chieftain, barely looked humanoid anymore. Just a smattering of ruined meat.

    A cheer from behind him drew his attention to a whole crowd that had gathered around the crystal ball. A few of them, especially the villagers, looked like they were going to be sick. Hurtt, however, let out a loud whoop and promptly slammed his fist into Jorgen¡¯s shoulder. The orcs were a bit more subdued in their reactions, though Arkk did not miss a glance exchanged between Olatt¡¯an and Rekk¡¯ar. The former nodded at the latter, a barely perceptible dip of his head.

    ¡°Vezta,¡± Arkk said, silencing the celebration with that single word alone. ¡°Can you get me down there?¡±

    ¡°You wish to descend into that?¡± she asked, pointing a slender finger that dripped with a little tar toward the crystal ball. ¡°Would you like to look first and reconsider? She appears to have suffered injuries quite incompatible with continued life.¡±

    ¡°I want to make sure.¡±

    ¡°It looks pretty sure to me,¡± John mumbled, averting his eyes from the crystal ball.

    Vezta ignored him. ¡°Very well,¡± she said, not offering any other argument as she walked to Arkk.

    Together, they returned to the barrows. Vezta split apart into a mass of tentacles, losing her human guise from the waist down. Arkk raised an eyebrow but didn¡¯t otherwise protest as she wrapped one tendril around his waist and under his arms while her arms wrapped around his shoulders, securing him in a harness made from herself.

    The rest of the tendrils jammed into the rock walls of the pit. Using them as anchors, she started descending, jamming new tendrils into the walls as they went.

    Arkk had experienced many strange things in the past several days, but this was probably the strangest. Still, he didn¡¯t complain. Vezta was only doing as he asked.

    The scent of viscera stung Arkk¡¯s nose as they descended. He tried to breathe through his mouth alone, but it didn¡¯t quite get rid of the pungent scent. It only made him taste a metallic note in the air.

    He tried not to think about it.

    He and Vezta soon reached the bottom. She kept hold of him, making sure that he stayed well above the pool of blood that had gathered at the bottom of the pit. The glowstones were coated in blood, making the light they put off an unpleasant, violent red color. It probably made the entire pit look worse than it was, but not by much.

    Arkk¡­ couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the¡­ thing. If someone had told him that it was an orc a few minutes ago and he hadn¡¯t known better, he wouldn¡¯t have believed them. There was absolutely no skin left anywhere that had been exposed to air. He could see flaps of green flesh clinging to the interior of the cowl, which had also been thrown off the chieftain¡¯s head. It had no eyes. No¡­ anything. Bone. It had bone. The skull looked like something had tried to escape from inside it.

    Arkk couldn¡¯t help it. He vomited. Vezta kept hold of him, even going so far as to lightly pat his back.

    ¡°I did try to warn you,¡± she said, voice gentle.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arkk said, wiping the corner of his lip. ¡°I¡­ Remind me, if I ever want to try something like this in the future, to not.¡±

    ¡°But it was so effective.¡±

    ¡°Too effective. There have to be better ways of dealing with an enemy in a situation like this.¡±

    ¡°If you insist,¡± Vezta said with a sigh. ¡°Shall we return?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we¡ª¡± Arkk paused, eyes roaming down the body of the orc chieftain. ¡°Wait. Lower me, just a bit.¡±

    ¡°Lower?¡±

    Though she questioned him, Vezta did as he asked. Arkk reached out, brushing aside now loose chains. The black book the chieftain had was, improbably, still black. It had managed to avoid the coating of blood that covered everything else. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if it was that its owner was dead or simply that he could easily grasp it, but the moment he touched it, he felt the [HEART] acknowledge it as his property.

    The book vanished in a flash, reappearing on a shelf in his library for later perusal.

    ¡°Master,¡± Vezta said, her gentle tone absent from her now harsh voice. ¡°I hope you are not planning something unbecoming of a Keeper of the [HEART] of Fortress Al-Mir.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to summon a demon, Vezta,¡± Arkk said with a small sigh. ¡°But if someone else has a similar book or similar magic, I want to know what they can do.¡±

    Vezta hummed. Hugging him tighter, she somehow managed to turn Arkk around to face her. She didn¡¯t say anything. She just stared into his eyes with her luminous golden suns.

    ¡°I promise,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°Good.¡± Vezta moved her head closer, dropping her chin on his shoulder. She didn¡¯t speak anything more, choosing to remain quiet aside from her tendrils puncturing the rock as they ascended the pit. When they finally reached the top, it felt like there was some reluctance in releasing him.

    There was still much to do. The other orcs in the barracks needed to be dealt with. The wounded still needed tending. He needed to figure out what to do with the orcs they had rescued.

    Their dead needed to be buried.

    And yet, despite that, Arkk felt like a pressure had been removed from his back. The possibility of a demon appearing was no more. They could take their time. Do things carefully.

    Arkk let out a soft sigh, wondering how an amateur hunter had wound up in this position.

 Aftermath of the Barrows

    Ilya grasped at her side, teeth clenched tight. The ointment that Abbess Keena had slathered onto her wound helped to numb the pain, but only while sitting still. She tried not to move too much, but at the same time, she didn¡¯t want to appear injured.

    The orc, Dakka, sported a similar wound. A deep gash right in her side nearly twice as long as Ilya¡¯s wound. She wasn¡¯t grimacing and limping around. The Abbess hadn¡¯t even tended to the orc. Yet Dakka carried around her ridiculous shield riddled with spikes that had to increase its weight by an absurd amount and her battle axe that looked like it could cleave a tree in two with a single swing. Neither hampered her movements in the slightest.

    Orcs had always been a hardy sort. Ilya wasn¡¯t envious, but she still didn¡¯t want to lose.

    ¡°So what now?¡±

    Ilya¡¯s ears twitched as she picked out the gruff voice of the burly orc leader, Rekk¡¯ar. He wasn¡¯t speaking at full volume, instead having dropped to something akin to a whisper. She looked around carefully, not wanting to get picked out as an eavesdropper.

    Arkk was ensuring the orcs who were emerging one by one from the barrows were disarmed and suitably cowed. Several of the villagers were helping, along with the healthier four of the six orcs who had been captive. Those orcs had already turned on their fellows before Arkk¡¯s arrival and needed little convincing to keep those who had beaten and imprisoned them in line.

    Dakka stood not far behind Arkk, snarling at the occasional orc while looking at others with pity in her eyes.

    But Ilya¡¯s eyes focused on Rekk¡¯ar and Olatt¡¯an. They were both nearby as well, though standing off a few paces. Close enough to ostensibly support Arkk, but far enough as to carry on a conversation in private.

    Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, Ilya looked away. Her gaze focused on the next orc crawling out of the low tunnel, but her ears focused on the two behind her.

    ¡°What now?¡± Olatt¡¯an said, voice even quieter than Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s. ¡°We made an agreement.¡±

    ¡°The human? You can¡¯t intend to carry through.¡±

    ¡°And what would you do, Rekk? Steal off into the night? Find another horde to join, raiding villages until the Duke¡¯s men are finally roused from their sloth? You¡¯ll die like a dog, pathetic and whimpering.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar snarled at the older orc, loud enough to draw attention from more than just Ilya. The two fell silent. Rekk¡¯ar glared at anyone who dared look in their direction, including Ilya when she chanced a glance. When they finally started talking again, Ilya had to strain to hear their hushed voices.

    ¡°The winds are changing. The stars are changing. In times like these, best to be on the side of change, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°The human? He¡¯s a boy. A peasant.¡±

    ¡°With the company he keeps, do you believe that? All great men and women, whether orc, human, or any other species, began their lives as boys and girls. They must begin somewhere.¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t even fight. The coward hid behind us. Did the chieftain ripping your teeth out also rip your spine out?¡±

    Ilya tensed, fingers curling tight around her bow. Toothless, she knew, was an insult and slur among orcs. The kind of insult that started fights to the death.

    Yet, to her surprise, the old orc just let out a low chuckle. ¡°You didn¡¯t see his eyes, did you?¡±

    ¡°Eyes?¡±

    ¡°When his woman cried out.¡±

    Ilya bristled. They were talking about her. ¡°His woman?¡± she grumbled under her breath. She shot a glare at Arkk on reflex, though with his back turned, he would never know it.

    ¡°Red,¡± Olatt¡¯an said after a short moment. ¡°Glowing red. Could you not feel the charge in the air at that moment?¡±

    Ilya raised an eyebrow, glare on Arkk turning to a curious examination. Arkk had blue eyes. Bright blue eyes. It would be hard to mistake them for red. Unless, of course, orcs saw color differently than she did. Ilya honestly didn¡¯t know.

    And glowing?

    ¡°I was a bit caught up in the fight,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, murmuring.

    ¡°There is a lecture on awareness here, but I¡¯ll spare you for the moment,¡± Olatt¡¯an said with a friendly laugh. His tone sobered again as he said, ¡°Regardless of your thoughts, my interest has been piqued. If he turns out to be nothing, I¡¯ll leave, but for now, I wish to see his change for myself.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I can think of far worse, less honorable fates than serving a human boy in any case. Serving our former chieftain, for one.¡±

    ¡°Good riddance. That is one thing I will give the boy. Watching her squirm in her final moments was the most satisfying experience I had with her.¡±

    ¡°If you decide to leave, that is your choice. Just know you¡¯ll get no support from me.¡±

    A grumble from Rekk¡¯ar ended the conversation. The two split apart after, with Olatt¡¯an simply walking around the captured orcs while Rekk¡¯ar went to yell at one that might have been looking too uppity for his liking.

    Ilya remained where she was, eyes still following Arkk. He looked tired. Exhausted. Even more so than after the battle in the village. Ilya could only imagine that his lethargy came from Ken¡¯s death, Benji¡¯s arm, and the various other injuries the villagers had sustained. Ken¡¯s death stung Ilya as well. He had always been a nice guy, even if his beer was terrible.

    But he hadn¡¯t died under Ilya¡¯s command. He hadn¡¯t died while following Ilya¡¯s plan.

    It was too much to hope that everyone would have survived a battle like that. Arkk would beat himself up over it anyway.

    Arkk¡¯s eyes, his blue eyes, met with Ilya¡¯s for a moment. He gave her a smile. Not exactly a joyous smile, but a smile nonetheless. Straightening his back, he seemed to recharge just a bit before turning back to the disarmed orcs. Ilya wasn¡¯t sure if he was planning on hiring them as well.

    She wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about that. The four who had come to them with the warning about their chieftain were understandable. The six captives as well. Even the two who had surrendered in battle, maybe. But there were another fifteen who had crawled out from the other side of the barrows. They were all murderers, but at least the others had turned on their demon-summoning chieftain.

    Ilya wanted to toss them to the Duke¡¯s men for trial. They would probably end up executed, but that was the consequence of raiding villages.

    Leaning back, gripping her side again as the movement shot pain through her wound, Ilya stared at the night sky. A million tiny lights stared back as she considered the orc¡¯s words. The winds and stars changing? She didn¡¯t see anything different.

    With a shake of her head, she steadied herself. She would have to warn Arkk of the orcs and their possible desertion. And, at the same time, she would have to keep a closer watch on Arkk.

    And Arkk¡¯s eyes.

    <hr>

    ¡°No! Hale!¡±

    Hale jolted back at the sudden shout. She almost tipped her chair over. Only the wild swinging of her arms kept her stable long enough to kick her foot into the bottom of the desk, knocking her back forward.

    Arkk was back. Under other circumstances, she might have run up to him, demanding to know what happened and why he had left her alone for so long. The obvious anger on his tired face locked her into her seat.

    The book she had been reading disappeared from the desk in front of her, reappearing in Arkk¡¯s hand. He stared down at its black and red cover for a long moment, looking angrier with the book than he was with her. Thankfully. The book disappeared from between his fingers after a moment. She didn¡¯t miss it reappearing on a much higher shelf than she had found it on but did her best to keep her eyes on Arkk.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be reading books like that,¡± he said, voice hard and angry.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know. It just appeared and¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Arkk said, taking a breath and closing his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I forgot you were here.¡±

    ¡°You forgot?¡± Hale glared. Arkk didn¡¯t look quite so upset, so she felt like she could get away with a little anger of her own. ¡°Where were you? It¡¯s been days. You just left me here? And that thing wouldn¡¯t even let me leave!¡± Hale said, pointing to the little monster that was guarding the door.

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been one day,¡± Arkk said with a sigh. He locked eyes with Hale. ¡°I need you to understand, that was not a good book. Don¡¯t do anything you learned from it, okay?¡±

    Hale crossed her arms, frowning. ¡°I couldn¡¯t read most of the words,¡± she mumbled.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°I was just looking at the drawings!¡± she snapped. John had taught her some words, but not most of the ones in that book. Instead, she had been looking at all the drawings. There had been a lot of skulls, for some reason. Skulls and circles like the one Arkk popped out of just a moment ago. And maybe directions for moving her hand in a specific way while casting spells. ¡°What happened with the orcs?¡± she asked, sitting up.

    ¡°Oh, well¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, glancing back to the magic circle just as it flashed with a faint white light.

    A hulking green-skinned man stood in the middle of the circle. He had a flat nose and black hair that ran around his face and chin. Yellow eyes locked on Hale. As he stared, he curled his bottom lip away from two long tusks.

    Hale jumped out of her seat, hiding behind Arkk.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± he said quickly, patting her on the head. ¡°This is Rekk¡¯ar. He helped fight the bad orcs.¡±

    ¡°Bad orcs?¡±

    ¡°You employ children?¡± the orc said, voice like the lumberyard saw.

    ¡°No. And step out of there,¡± Arkk said, waving his hand away from the magic circle. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happens if someone tries to come through while someone else is standing inside. I would really rather not find out.¡±

    Grumpy. That was how Hale would describe the orc¡¯s movements. The way he stormed across the floor, crossed his arms, and even how his eyes looked over the empty shelves of the library. He was grumpy about it all. Not quite angry but he didn¡¯t want to be here.

    ¡°Empty place.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a work in progress.¡±

    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t speak with any kindness in his tone either. The two didn¡¯t exactly glare at each other, but Hale doubted they were as friendly as Arkk had tried to make it sound.

    The magic circle flashed again a moment later and another orc appeared. This one was much older, with brown-tan skin rather than bright green. Although he looked mildly surprised to see Hale, he didn¡¯t sneer or growl at her. He just looked at her for a moment before examining the rest of the room. When he finished, he offered Arkk a polite nod of his head.

    Hale liked this orc much better than the other one.

    ¡°Well,¡± Arkk said, shifting. ¡°Welcome to Fortress Al-Mir. Most of the place is empty, but Vezta drew up some schematics for rooms she thought you and your kin would need.¡±

    ¡°Where are we?¡± the green orc asked.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°The middle of the Cursed Forest.¡±

    ¡°The Deadlands?¡±

    Arkk shrugged. ¡°The people of Langleey call it the Cursed Forest.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in the Cursed Forest?¡± Hale gasped. ¡°We can¡¯t be there!¡±

    Arkk glanced down, running a hand through her hair. ¡°Right. We should send you back to the village.¡±

    ¡°No! I can be good.¡±

    Rolling his eyes, Arkk shook his head. ¡°Fine. When I go back, you¡¯re going back with me. Understand?¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Hale didn¡¯t want to be left behind with orcs anyway.

    ¡°Come,¡± Arkk said to the orcs. ¡°I¡¯ll show you where you¡¯re staying. We¡¯ll discuss further arrangements and duties later.¡±

    ¡°Duties?¡± Green-skin said with a growl as they walked down a stone corridor. ¡°You expect us to work?¡±

    Hale was more focused on her surroundings than on the orcs now. Every few steps, a small blue-purple gemstone glowed on the floor. They passed some huge doors built into the walls, each of which opened for the tan-skinned orc as he peered inside.

    ¡°I did hire you. I¡¯m fully prepared to continue paying you a regular allotment.¡±

    ¡°And where would we spend our pay?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Arkk trailed off. He clearly hadn¡¯t thought about it.

    The tan orc saved him from having to answer. ¡°Every room we¡¯ve passed has been empty. Not much here, is there?¡±

    ¡°As I said, it is a work in progress,¡± Arkk said, stopping at a door. Hale wasn¡¯t sure what made this room different from the last. It was just as empty as all of them, but he stepped inside. ¡°Wait here,¡± he said, motioning for them to stop just inside the door.

    A pile of gold coins appeared at his feet from nothing. Hale¡¯s eyes bulged as she stared. John occasionally got work for the merchants, mercenaries, and adventurers that passed through town. Often to make new arrows or, occasionally, to repair broken parts of carts and wagons. They usually paid in small silver coins. Hale had only seen a gold coin once before, and John hadn¡¯t wanted it, saying it was too much for the job.

    Arkk stood over an ankle-high pile of gold coins.

    The coins didn¡¯t stay in place for long, however.

    The room changed. Instead of the gray tiles patterned with points and those blue gemstones, smooth dark tiles rippled into place within the room. The bright yellow flames of the torches on the walls snuffed out. In their place, more glowing stones formed in fancy star-like patterns. They weren¡¯t as bright as the torches but combined with the dark tiles, it made the atmosphere a lot cozier.

    ¡°You turned an empty room into an empty room,¡± the green orc said with a disgruntled snort.

    ¡°Well, if Vezta was right, you should¡ª¡±

    The tan orc interrupted Arkk, stepping into the room. ¡°There is magic here.¡± After looking around the room with narrowed eyes, his gaze settled on the corner nearest to the door. He walked over and held out a hand.

    A thick wooden pole sprouted up from the dark tiles a short distance from the wall. Several smaller poles emerged nearby, arrayed around the large pole. Crossbeams locked into place near the tops, joining all the poles together. Sheets of leather, stitched together like they had come from a number of different animals, unfurled from the crossbeams, forming an upright, circular tent. The orc shoved aside the front-most section of leather, the only piece that wasn¡¯t fastened to the upright poles.

    A bed sat against one wall of the tent. Fur rugs covered most of the floor, though a small pit dug a short distance into the ground burned as a small campfire. The flames had a little pewter pot resting on long legs. Something bubbled inside. Taking a deep breath of the air, Hale felt her mouth start to water. Meat and potatoes in a thick brown gravy.

    The orc hung his crossbow from a hook attached to the center pillar. He undid some of his armor as well, hanging up a heavy armguard that was probably just there to keep the sharp blade on the crossbow from cutting into his arm. ¡°This,¡± he said, reemerging from the tent, ¡°will suffice.¡±

    ¡°How did you do that?¡± the green-skinned orc growled.

    Arkk looked like he wanted to know too. Naturally, Hale listened close.

    ¡°I just did what felt natural.¡±

    Grumbling under his breath, the green-skinned orc moved up to the spot next to the large tent and held out his hand. He seemed to struggle a lot more but did get something to pop up from the ground.

    It wasn¡¯t as fancy as the large, circular tent. The green-skinned orc managed to make a triangular tent with sloped leather walls. It did have a bed inside, but was much shorter than the circular tent and lacked the little campfire.

    Ignoring the complaints from the orc about the state of his dwelling in comparison to the tan-skinned orc, Hale hurried over to a different side of the room and held out her hand.

    No matter how much she tried to ¡®do what felt natural,¡¯ she didn¡¯t manage to get anything to pop up out of the ground before Arkk herded her back to the village.

    She scowled the entire time.

    <hr>

    Dakka stalked through the halls of Fortress Al-Mir, armor clinking and clanking with each step. Some of the others had taken to leaving their gear behind in their quarters. Not Dakka. Her shield hung from the back of her armor and her axe was looped into a rope strung around her waist. She had an image to maintain and could not afford to be seen as anything less than a ferocious warrior.

    She had been the runt of the group for long enough.

    Her position of power wasn¡¯t anything formal, unfortunately. In fact, if she hadn¡¯t had the good fortune of being put on watch with Rekk¡¯ar and Olatt¡¯an the night they slipped away from the barrows, she likely would have been a nobody here, assuming she had survived at all. Just another face among the horde. As it was, she wasn¡¯t consulted often.

    Rekk¡¯ar had taken up the position of leader for their horde, working under Arkk. They butted heads but had yet to come to blows. For the first few days, Dakka had thought that Rekk¡¯ar would challenge Arkk for leadership, but that had yet to come to pass. Arkk had powerful magic and¡­ well¡­ Vezta wasn¡¯t someone anyone wanted to cross.

    Olatt¡¯an helped keep things calm as well. Arkk tended to go to Olatt¡¯an next. As he should. If Arkk knew anything about orcs, he would have ignored Rekk¡¯ar entirely. The Ripthroat, though his teeth had been stolen by the old chieftain, still managed to command respect.

    Arkk came to Dakka third. It wasn¡¯t often, as he usually stuck with the first two when he needed to discuss living arrangements or figure out if any of the orcs were skilled blacksmiths to work forges that he had conjured up from a small pile of gold. However, Arkk came to her often enough for the others to take notice. Dakka did her best to flaunt her position as much as possible without being too overt about it. She couldn¡¯t appear desperate.

    Of the four that Arkk originally hired, only Larry was left out.

    Not that the oaf minded.

    Dakka stopped walking at a large door not far from the living quarters. A cheerful, oblivious whistle drifted out from inside, along with the sound of panicked, clucking chickens. Peering inside, she watched Larry happily wring the neck of a chicken before he started plucking the feathers, filling a large basket. Three other chickens, already plucked clean, hung from hooks above a long, bloody table.

    At least he was being useful. That was more than Dakka could say about half the orcs Arkk had hired.

    Dakka continued, heading toward the neighboring tavern. Every day, she made use of the training room for longer than anyone else. It worked up quite the appetite. When considering it like that, Larry was perhaps the most useful of all of Arkk¡¯s hirelings.

    Before she could reach the door, Dakka heard the clink and clank of armor that wasn¡¯t her own.

    Turning her head, she narrowed her eyes.

    Kazz¡¯ak was in full armor as well. What was more, he had a heavy war pick out and in his hands. His movements were not overtly hostile, but his eyes were locked on Dakka. She knew a challenge when she saw one.

    Dakka wished she could say she was surprised. There were murmurs among the orcs. Following a human did not resonate well with some of them. She didn¡¯t think that Kazz¡¯ak had been a part of that group, but when someone crawled out of the barrows squealing that they had never wanted to serve their old chieftain despite never having shown signs of hesitance, she figured they would betray just about anyone to save their lives, honor be damned.

    Kazz¡¯ak was a head taller than her with a longer reach. His war pick would puncture straight through her armor if he got a good hit in.

    So, he couldn¡¯t get a good hit in.

    Dakka struck first, unleashing her axe and swinging it around in one swift strike, putting him on the defensive.

    She wasn¡¯t sure why he was after her. Maybe he wanted her position as third in command. Maybe he held some grudge that she couldn¡¯t even recall. Maybe he blamed her for their chieftain¡¯s downfall and was too much of a coward to challenge Rekk¡¯ar or Olatt¡¯an. No matter what his thinking was, it was foolhardy.

    Dakka swept her axe through the air, missing his arms by a hair¡¯s breadth. She took care to keep her swings short and swift. They might not do much damage, but the attacks she was using wouldn¡¯t overextend her either. Dakka had no intention of taking a hit from that pick.

    If Arkk had been an orc, attacking and beating her might have been a good way to gain status, but he wasn¡¯t. Arkk was a human. Dakka hadn¡¯t spent a lot of time around humans but doubted he would be pleased to find fighting among his employees.

    Their fight wasn¡¯t silent. It didn¡¯t take long for someone to step out into the corridor, notice the fight, and shout for others to come. Naturally, they didn¡¯t help. They started cheering. Egging on the fight. Calling for bets, perhaps. Dakka put them out of her mind and focused on her fight.

    Would Arkk punish her for fighting? Possibly. Especially because she could open her mouth and call his attention here at any moment. But that would just make her look weak. Like she had to hide behind him, to count on him to win her battles for her.

    Kazz¡¯ak¡¯s eyes widened as his foot bumped against the spiked decoration on the tiles.

    Dakka didn¡¯t hesitate, swinging hard to capitalize on his poor footwork.

    His foot slid aside the moment she started her strike, gliding out of the way. A feint? His strike was already coming in.

    Giving into the momentum of her swing, Dakka pivoted around her foot. The war pick slammed into the shield on her back, making her stumble a step forward. As fast as she could, she continued turning around, adjusting the angle of her axe blade to keep the edge in line with her momentum. There was a bit of resistance in her turn, but when she rounded on Kazz¡¯ak again, she saw him staring in surprise at his own empty hands.

    The pick must have gotten stuck in the shield.

    The blade of her axe bit into his chest. It wasn¡¯t as strong as a proper blow would have been, but it still sent him reeling back, blood gushing to the floor.

    Dakka was about to go in to finish the job when a force threw her back. She backpedaled, barely managing to remain standing, and eventually stopped.

    Arkk stood between her and Kazz¡¯ak. His eyes were wide, staring at the taller orc for a moment before rounding on Dakka.

    ¡°What is going on here?¡± he hissed.

    She had been right. He was angry.

    Dakka lowered her axe, keeping it in her grip but showing deference to Arkk. ¡°He thought he¡¯d get a promotion if he killed me, sir,¡± she said, taking a guess at his motivations. ¡°I handled it.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Arkk¡¯s eyes flashed, briefly turning red as he rounded on Kazz¡¯ak.

    ¡°No! I¡­¡± He met Arkk¡¯s eyes for just a moment before ducking his head, not meeting Arkk¡¯s gaze. Dakka took that as a confession.

    Arkk apparently did as well. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked, looking back to Dakka.

    ¡°Not a scratch.¡±

    Nodding, Arkk looked back to Kazz¡¯ak. He slowly looked around, staring at the watching orcs with a deepening scowl. Eventually, he looked to Kazz¡¯ak once more. ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯ve volunteered to help me test a new spell,¡± he said, speaking loud enough that the entire corridor heard.

    They both disappeared, popping out of the corridor.

    Dakka curled a lip, hoping that Arkk¡¯s new spell was a painful one. Looking away, she turned her gaze to the orcs. ¡°Well?¡± she shouted. ¡°Who all bet on me?¡±

    It took a moment. A few of the orcs started cheering. Not as many as she would have liked, but enough that at least she hadn¡¯t just raised a fist in celebration of an awkward silence.

    She took careful note of the faces most upset with her victory and filed them away for later.

    Dakka wouldn¡¯t be a runt again.

    <hr>

    Pontiff Benjamin Bernardin ascended the many steps to the Grand Old Church in a slow and methodical fashion. He paused often, making sure to greet everyone he passed. It didn¡¯t matter if they were the lowliest acolyte or initiate, a random member of the public, or the Ecclesiarch himself¡ªnot that the Ecclesiarch visited Cliff. If no one was in sight, he would take his time and read from his copy of the Holy Texts. Perhaps even taking a seat on the stairs to do so. Others, he knew, saw his movements as pious, dedicated, and humble.

    In reality, Ben did not wish to enter the old church out of breath and sweating through his robes.

    He was getting much too old for this. If only he could be reassigned to some other province.

    The City of Cliff, the Duchy of Mystakeen¡¯s capital city, was not so named because it had been built on wide open plains. A grand river flowed out to the ocean, offering a wonderful harbor for trade and fishing. Much of the city had been built around the harbor, down where it was a bit more level. However, mountains surrounded the entire settlement. One tall spire jutted out right in the middle of the harbor, connected to the rest of the city by a fine stone bridge. Some great fool from ages long past thought a church set atop the island mountain would impress all who saw it.

    It did. That didn¡¯t make it any easier to reach.

    For that reason, he was all too happy to pause upon a landing of the stone stairs that had been carved into the cliff face when he heard someone calling him from behind.

    ¡°Your Holiness!¡±

    A much younger boy took the steps three at a time. He wasn¡¯t dressed as any member of the church but rather had fairly plain attire. Ben didn¡¯t recognize the boy¡¯s face, nevertheless, he smiled when he saw him, raising a hand in greeting.

    ¡°How might I be of service this fine day?¡±

    The boy shook his head, reaching into a small satchel that hung from his shoulder. ¡°Just a message for you, sir,¡± he said, holding out a small letter.

    Technically, a delivery like this should go all the way to his office in the church above. Ben didn¡¯t blame the boy for wanting to shave off half the trip by delivering it to him directly.

    It was a good excuse to stop. Ben didn¡¯t mind in the slightest. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, pulling a few silver coins from his pocket to tip the young boy. ¡°May the Light go with you.¡±

    The boy looked far more excited about the coins than his words. Which Ben didn¡¯t blame him for either.

    Looking down at the letter, he noted the wax seal on the front. The marking of the Abbey of the Light had been pressed in. This particular version indicated that it was sent by either a priest or an abbess. That likely meant that it had come from one of the many tiny villages strewn throughout the land. It was a bit odd that the letter was coming to him. Local religious guides would normally send messages to their bishop, rather than to him.

    Curiosity piqued, Ben broke the seal and pulled out the letter.

    The more he read, the more alarmed he became. An army of orcs and goblins alone almost had him rushing back down the steps to the Duke¡¯s manor. A demon summoning by those orcs might have had him crying in alarm on the spot were the passage not prefaced with word that the situation had been handled.

    The small village with a population numbering less than one hundred, most of whom were not fighters, had managed to drive off the initial attack by the orcs. Then, after hearing of an imminent demon summoning, they allied with a few orc deserters to put a swift end to the orc leader¡¯s plot.

    Ben¡¯s relief was short-lived, unfortunately. As he read further, he found the true cause for the missive. Concern over an unknown monster that aided the villagers. It hadn¡¯t hurt any of the villagers, yet every time this abbess looked at it, it filled her with a deep unease and dread. A feeling of impending doom struck her.

    And it wasn¡¯t just the monster. The sensation was spreading to those with whom the monster associated most.

    The letter was a simple plea for guidance. How to respond to such a monster that hadn¡¯t obviously hurt anyone, and had saved them, yet caused such feelings within the Abbess. There were questions of whether or not the Abbess was imagining the feelings since no one else seemed to notice.

    Ben skimmed past the remainder of the letter before returning to the description of the monster.

    Hiking up his robes in a most undignified manner, Pontiff Benjamin Bernardin ascended the steps to the Grand Old Church in a hurry. He did not greet anyone as he passed them. He did not stop at each landing to admire the view. He made haste to the church¡¯s archives, headed straight to the back, and pulled an old and dusty manuscript from the furthest shelf.

    He flipped it open and began to read.

    Every word turned worry into dread.

 Harvest

    An orc with deep, almost red skin shot Arkk a dark look. Pausing his scythe-swinging, Arkk glared back until the orc averted its gaze.

    Several under his employ were a bit unhappy with the situation. He recognized that mutiny might be near but this was something he wasn¡¯t willing to budge on.

    Harvest wasn¡¯t a simple thing where one day everyone woke up and decided to harvest everything all at once. These things came in waves. Several crops overlapped; beets, oats, and barley all needed to be harvested within a few weeks of each other. Corn and beans would be a few weeks later. Winter wheat and sorghum came a few weeks earlier. Barley and oat fields were by far the largest, requiring the most work and the most effort to reap.

    So, he had carefully explained to the orcs that, because they attacked his village, they would be paying reparations in service. Harvesting service, specifically. Although being hired as employees through the [HEART] required payment or some kind of promised exchange, they were not being paid for this specifically. Each orc was to receive one gold coin a month with special bonuses available for special services¡ªcombat if it should become necessary, blacksmithing, and Larry got a special stipend for his services as a butcher. Arkk was forcing every orc, even the likes of Rekk¡¯ar and Olatt¡¯an, to help with this year¡¯s harvest if they wanted to remain employed. They were not receiving anything extra for it.

    It wouldn¡¯t be reparations if they were being paid.

    Not his most popular decision. Still, no one had said no. Not after five of the fifteen orcs from the barrows had refused to join him. Those five had been sent in chains to the nearest burg where the Duke¡¯s men would hopefully deal with them according to the laws of the land. No one was too keen on joining them.

    Arkk sighed as he went back to sweeping the scythe over the ground, cutting the stalks of the oats. Things had settled into something of a routine over the three weeks that had passed since the barrows incident. He felt like he was starting to get used to his new life as¡­ whatever he was. Owner of a magical fortress. Leader of a bunch of orcs. He preferred the former to the latter.

    Honestly, part of the reason the orcs were sweeping scythes through the field was that he just didn¡¯t know what else to do with them. It was easy for Vezta to say that minions would come in useful, but they couldn¡¯t just sit around in the fortress all day every day, could they? They did seem content for now, especially after he had turned one of the rooms into a big pit for brawls with room for spectators and betting, but that wouldn¡¯t last.

    Looking around the field right now, Arkk decided that farm work was not an option. While they were doing the work, they were not happy with it. He had snapped at a few of them earlier who looked like they were deliberately sabotaging the harvest with wild and careless swings of their scythes.

    No. Farm work would end up a disaster in some way, of that Arkk had no doubt. Was there other work they might be interested in?

    Aside from Larry, working the kitchens and butchery, only one had stepped forward for a specialized position. Perr¡¯ok. He didn¡¯t talk much but did mention that his father had forged for the Duchy toward the end of the war with the Evestani Sultanate that ended thirty years ago. He took over a smithy that Arkk had constructed within the fortress. Aside from those two, everyone else was a raider. Warriors.

    As much as Arkk hated the Duke, he did not want to start a war. If warriors weren¡¯t to go to war, then¡­

    Mercenary work?

    That seemed like an idea. Now that it was in Arkk¡¯s head, he couldn¡¯t help but nod to himself in satisfaction. The orcs would likely revel in the opportunity. Maybe he could even use being sent on missions as a reward for good behavior.

    Arkk talked with everyone who passed through Langleey Village. Several of those people were mercenaries. There was always work to be done. Sometimes it was protecting a merchant as they carried valuable goods between locales, hunting down criminals, taking out groups of highwaymen accosting travelers, and plenty of other martial matters.

    Arkk didn¡¯t need money with that gold mine still filling his coffers, so perhaps some could go to the village? Maybe even other villages, again as reparations.

    As for the rest, the orcs needed some funds to bet on their fight clubs. A little income to gamble away would probably make morale soar.

    Looking up from his work, Arkk found Rekk¡¯ar and Olatt¡¯an not far away. Rekk¡¯ar looked as if the ground itself had been stringing insult after insult at him, but Olatt¡¯an had a relatively soft expression on his face as he carefully swung his scythe through the stalks of oats. The older orc was a mystery to Arkk. For someone the others all spoke of in hushed tones, someone who others called the Ripthroat, he was¡­ surprisingly mellow. Given that he was by far the oldest orc around and Arkk lacked a real frame of reference for orc culture¡ªor the culture of these raiders¡ªArkk had to wonder if aging had calmed a more violent youth.

    Or if he was just good at hiding it.

    Before Arkk could head over to ask their opinion on his new idea, he spotted something beyond them.

    A carriage drawn by a pair of horses with a man in a black cap seated at the reins barreled up the path toward the village. It wasn¡¯t just any carriage either. The glossy walls gleamed with a shiny black lacquer and it had glass windows. As it turned along the path leading past the fields, he spotted the blue and white striped shield that was typically used by official representatives of Duke Levi Woldair and the Duchy as a whole.

    The only representative that passed through these parts was the taxman.

    Setting his scythe down, Arkk started across the field. He did not rush after the carriage immediately. Instead, he headed toward the adjacent barley field. Most of the villagers stuck to this field, not exactly keen on being near a bunch of angry orcs. More importantly, Ilya worked in the barley fields.

    He spotted her quickly. The large straw hat couldn¡¯t hide her long silver hair. She had her head down, back to the path. Had she not seen the carriage?

    ¡°Ilya!¡±

    She glanced back, keeping her head down. Her silver eyes, wide with alarm, met his beneath the straw hat. Carefully looking around, eyes drifting toward the path, she pressed her lips together. In a hurry, she tucked her long silver hair down the back of her shirt before readjusting her hat to cover as much of her hair as possible. As soon as that was done, she tucked her long ears up into the hat.

    ¡°They¡¯re weeks early,¡± she hissed as Arkk ran up.

    ¡°No large carts following them,¡± Arkk said, looking back down the path. ¡°They aren¡¯t going to take any tax in that small carriage. And it was so nice looking too. Never had something like that visit before.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± she said, pulling her hat down tighter. ¡°Something is different and I doubt it is for the better.¡±

    The carriage had disappeared behind the terrain and a few buildings for a few moments but quickly came back into sight as it climbed the slight incline of the path leading to the plaza. ¡°I¡¯m going to find out what they¡¯re here for. Find Hale. She can get you to the fortress if necessary.¡±

    ¡°Hale?¡± Ilya¡¯s silver eyes darted around. ¡°Where is Vezta?¡±

    ¡°Back at the fortress, working on a¡­ special project for me.¡±

    In her worry over their visitors, Ilya didn¡¯t question what that project was. She simply nodded her head. Arkk still hadn¡¯t told her about Vezta¡¯s goal. He kept meaning to, but how did one bring up undoing the Calamity? He had time to figure it out.

    ¡°What about the orcs?¡±

    Arkk bit his lip. ¡°They almost certainly saw the orcs already. It would be too suspicious if they just disappeared now. If we convince them that the orcs were just a traveling troupe assisting with harvest instead of where they came from¡­¡± His eyes widened as he realized just who the people in that carriage were most likely to speak with first. ¡°I need to get up there and stop the Baron from opening his big mouth.¡±

    Arkk took off without another word.

    He wished he could simply teleport up to the village proper. Within Fortress Al-Mir, Arkk could move anywhere at will. He could also move himself and any of his employees to the fortress. However, the village was not part of his territory. He couldn¡¯t teleport to it, only from it. The lesser servants had to claim territory for the [HEART] and, with the relatively large distance between the fortress and the village, Arkk had decided to have them focus on the gold mine rather than spend the time slowly crawling toward the village. The teleportation circle worked well enough.

    The teleportation circle didn¡¯t help now. It could only go from a designated point to a designated point. He couldn¡¯t even draw one. Vezta tried to explain how to select the destination location but it had gone over Arkk¡¯s head.

    It took a few minutes to run up the path. Because of that, he wasn¡¯t surprised in the slightest to find the carriage deserted save for the coachman, who was now fanning his face with his large hat. Ignoring him for the moment, Arkk crossed the large garden before Baron Gert¡¯s manor and opened the door without bothering to knock.

    Voices were coming from a sitting room just off the entryway. Arkk meant to listen in for a moment before barging right into the conversation. An extremely tall man with thick sideburns and thin glasses stood just aside the open doorway, fiddling with some whittled decoration the Baron had on a shelf. He looked surprised for a moment but put on a smile.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Ah,¡± he said, ¡°it seems we have a visitor.¡±

    ¡°Visitor?¡± the Baron said, stepping into view. As soon as he saw who was there, he started beaming. ¡°Arkk! I was just telling them! This is the hero of Langleey Village.¡± Stepping out and grabbing hold of Arkk¡¯s arm, the Baron led him into the sitting room.

    Two others were inside, both unfamiliar. The first was a rather small man with a tablet of papers he was looking at. He wasn¡¯t that small, but next to the man with the sideburns, he looked tiny. When the man looked up from his papers, he started squinting as if he couldn¡¯t see Arkk well at all.

    The other person in the room was a woman with wild black hair. She stood near the window, apart from the others, and stared out. She must have seen Arkk coming, though she didn¡¯t bother looking his way. Even without her turning toward Arkk, he could see several thick scars running over her face. The skin around her eyes was dark like her skin had charred or she had rubbed black ash on her face.

    ¡°The hero of Langleey Village,¡± the tall man said, drawing Arkk¡¯s attention back to him with a clap of his hands. He stepped closer to Arkk, towering over him. He had to look straight down while Arkk craned his neck up. For a human, he was extremely tall. Maybe taller than Ilya, though only by a small bit. However, if he was trying to be intimidating despite his smile, it wasn¡¯t going to work on Arkk.

    After all, every orc was as tall if not taller and ten times as muscular. After dealing with them every day for the last few weeks, a skinny tall guy standing a bit too close was kind of annoying rather than unnerving.

    ¡°The dear Baron was just regaling us with tales of your heroic deeds.¡±

    ¡°Exaggerations, I¡¯m sure,¡± Arkk said, not taking a step back. ¡°I¡¯m just a farmer. And sometimes I go out hunting.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± the tall man said, stepping past Arkk to look at a portrait on the wall. A painting that Gert¡¯s wife had done of the river. Probably. It wasn¡¯t that good of a painting.

    ¡°Arkk! You¡¯re too humble. He fought off a hundred orcs that day and all their goblins too!¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes. ¡°Definite exaggerations,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°I only killed between five and ten orcs. And several goblins. I wasn¡¯t exactly counting at the time.¡±

    ¡°Still quite impressive,¡± the tall man said, picking up a small wooden horse from the Baron¡¯s mantle. As he spoke, he turned it over a few times like he wasn¡¯t quite sure what it was supposed to be. ¡°I know several proud knights who would have balked at facing even a few orcs.¡± Sharp brown eyes met with Arkk¡¯s eyes. ¡°How did you do it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a spellcaster with some proficiency in lightning magics.¡±

    ¡°Ah, a fellow sorcerer?¡± He set the horse back down on its side as he stepped closer to Arkk again. The Baron slipped behind him to right the horse. ¡°Where did you study? Hollens Sorcery Academy is my alma mater. Lovely trees around Hollens.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s eyes widened as he shot a glance around the room, wondering if all of them were spellcasters. They all wore a uniform of sorts. Long black coats with two columns of silver buttons down their front, holding the vests of their coat together with thin straps. Each had a small pin on its collar, a little metal depiction of an eye, except instead of a pupil, it had a vertical bar, adorned with a few notches, touching both the top and bottom of the eye. The shorter man seated on the couch was scribbling things down, looking more like a scribe than anything else, and the woman still had her back to the room as she faced out the window.

    Realizing that the taller man was still waiting for an answer, Arkk shifted uneasily. ¡°Didn¡¯t have any formal training,¡± he said. ¡°Our town is sometimes visited by passing mercenaries and other travelers. I learned from the books of any who were willing to show them to me while in town.¡±

    ¡°Self-taught? And you¡¯ve managed a lightning spell with some degree of success?¡±

    ¡°It is my best spell.¡±

    ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°A handful of minor, beginner-level rituals. Most blow up in my face,¡± Arkk admitted. When he did so, he couldn¡¯t help but notice the tall man and the short man making eye contact for just a moment, leading to a bout of furious writing from the scribe. ¡°Are¡­ you not the tax collector, sir?¡±

    The tall man looked back to Arkk, teetering backward for a moment before letting out a brief breath; the start of a laugh. The laugh ended before it could get going as the man realized that Arkk was serious.

    ¡°How rude of me,¡± he said, entirely taken aback. ¡°Introductions slipped my mind.¡± He motioned his hand to the shorter man. ¡°Chronicler Douglas Greesom.¡±

    The shorter man kept writing for a moment but looked up to Arkk with a squint before dipping his head in something that might have been a greeting.

    ¡°Purifier Agnete,¡± he continued, moving his hand toward the window.

    The woman finally looked toward Arkk. Arkk couldn¡¯t help but suck in a breath. Her eyes¡­

    They reminded him of Vezta¡¯s eyes. Not quite the same. This woman¡¯s eyes were more human, but the whites of her eyes had gone dark. Not completely pitch-black slices of the night sky, just gray, but still. And her irises¡­ Vezta didn¡¯t have irises or pupils, just burning golden suns, but this woman¡¯s irises had a luminescent yellow quality to them, though that might have been the light from the window.

    She didn¡¯t nod a greeting or otherwise react. After that brief glance shocked Arkk, she simply turned back to continue gazing out the window.

    Some long-lost relative of Vezta? Arkk doubted it. Although her eyes were odd, she was human. He couldn¡¯t quite explain how he knew that, he just did.

    ¡°And finally,¡± the tall man said, moving his hand to his chest. ¡°I am Master Inquisitor Darius Vrox.¡±

    He maintained his gaze through his thin glasses. The way he stared and the way he dipped his voice a bit deeper than he had been speaking made Arkk think that he expected some sort of reaction to his unfamiliar titles.

    Whatever reaction he had been expecting, it probably wasn¡¯t a sigh of relief. ¡°So, you aren¡¯t the tax collector?¡±

    Vrox¡ªor Darius; Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if both were his name or if one was a continuation of his title¡ªstared a moment before letting out a barking laugh as he clapped his hands together. ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever been mistaken for a taxman before.¡±

    ¡°Not many others visit bearing official seals of the Duchy,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Figured you were a collector wanting a report on the village¡¯s yield for the year. That¡¯s why I rushed over. I¡¯ve been working in the fields these past few days and feel I have a pretty strong grasp on what we¡¯ve got. If you aren¡¯t the collector¡­ uh, sorry for interrupting your meeting? Nice to meet you,¡± he said, slowly backing out the door.

    Arkk didn¡¯t know exactly what an inquisitor was, but he talked with everyone who came through the village. He had heard of them before, usually in hushed whispers. They somehow worked for both the church and the crown, hunting down the most dangerous individuals in the greater Kingdom of Chernlock, of which the Duchy was a member state.

    Although he didn¡¯t know what they were here for, not being present felt like a much better option all of a sudden.

    ¡°Mister Arkk,¡± Vrox said, tone polite yet slightly less pleasant. ¡°We had a few more questions regarding recent events in the area.¡±

    Grimacing, Arkk stopped. He shot a glance at the Baron. This was his job, wasn¡¯t it?

    He got a helpless shrug in return.

    ¡°The demon summoning. Tell us what happened.¡±

    Although the Baron paled at the mention of demons, Arkk sighed in relief. Of course they were here for that. Not him, Vezta, or Fortress Al-Mir. They probably heard about it from the captured orcs Arkk had sent to Smilesville Burg.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to say. There wasn¡¯t a demon summoning. We stopped it.¡±

    ¡°With the orcs now tending your fields?¡±

    Arkk nodded, even though far fewer of them had helped to stop it than were present. ¡°They warned us of the summoning and helped us fight their old chieftain and the orcs loyal to her. After all was said and done, those surviving orcs who refused to assist were sent to Smilesville Burg for the Duke¡¯s men to deal with. The rest agreed to help with the harvest as reparations for attacking in the first place.¡±

    ¡°And the orcs were fine with you sending several of their number to execution?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing Vrox¡¯s raised eyebrow, Arkk elaborated. ¡°Their old chieftain was not popular, to put it simply, nor was anyone who willingly followed her.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Arkk shifted his weight from one foot to the other, fully expecting a barrage of questions to follow. What were the orcs going to do after? The orcs had likely raided other villages under their former chieftain, should they not face the consequences of their actions? Why weren¡¯t these orcs going to the Duke¡¯s men for judgment following their reparations? What authority had Langleey Village to determine the fates of these orcs?

    Instead, Vrox clasped his hands behind his back, taking a few steps forward to loom over Arkk once again. ¡°You have neglected to mention the facet of this incident that I am most interested in, Mister Arkk.¡±

    Arkk nervously swallowed. ¡°And that would be?¡±

    ¡°The horror from beyond the stars.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t have to hide his confusion. Although he tensed, knowing they were talking about Vezta¡ªshe had said that she came from the [STARS]¡ªhe was still taken aback by the phrasing. ¡°Horror from beyond the stars? I¡­¡± He trailed off, glancing around the room. All three of the inquisitor¡¯s group were staring at him now. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Come now, you¡¯ve deliberately avoided mentioning the presence of that creature. You well know what I speak of.¡± He wrinkled his nose, all traces of good humor absent from his features. ¡°I could smell its presence draped over you from the moment you walked in.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ probably sweat from working in the fields. Sorry, sir, but it is hard work.¡±

    ¡°Black and gold eyes. Blue skin. Appears solid, yet made of slime. Numerous tentacles.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± the Baron said, raising a finger. ¡°Vezta. You¡¯re talking about¡­¡± He trailed off, looking between Arkk and Vrox, perhaps realizing that he shouldn¡¯t have said anything at all.

    ¡°So you do know it,¡± Vrox said, the corner of his lip twitching into an unpleasant smile. ¡°I do not appreciate being lied to.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not a horror,¡± Arkk said, mind racing. ¡°She helped the village in a time of need. How were we supposed to know who you were talking about before you described her?¡±

    Vrox moved back from Arkk a step, turning slightly to look at the chronicler. ¡°Where is it now? I would love an encounter with the creature.¡±

    Encounter. Not meeting. Arkk didn¡¯t like this man¡¯s choice of words.

    Vrox turned back to Arkk after his question and stared for a long minute, eyes boring into Arkk¡¯s as if he could detect a lie through willpower alone.

    Maybe he could. Arkk didn¡¯t know that much about magic.

    ¡°She appeared just in time to help fight the initial raid on the village and stuck around until the demon summoning was successfully stopped. Vezta hasn¡¯t been to the village in at least a week,¡± he said with a shrug, picking his words carefully. He was telling the truth in full. It wasn¡¯t his fault if the inquisitor took it the wrong way.

    After another minute of uncomfortable staring, Vrox¡¯s smile snapped into place. The same perfectly polite, friendly smile he had first used when Arkk walked in. ¡°Shame. If it has moved on, nothing to do about it I suppose. Agnete, Douglas.¡±

    The shorter man stood immediately, offering the slightest bow to the Baron before hurrying out of the room. The woman seemed much more reluctant to leave. She lingered at the window, staring out with a stony expression on her face.

    ¡°Agnete,¡± Vrox said again.

    That was enough to get her to turn aside. She strode across the room with rigid movements, hands clenched into tight fists that made the leather of her gloves creak.

    Away from the sun in the window, Arkk noted that her eyes didn¡¯t glow nearly as much as Vezta¡¯s did. However, the thick scars that marred her face did glow. Faint yellow-red lines at the deepest crevasses in her scars made her look like she didn¡¯t have blood under her skin, but hot iron straight out of the smithy furnace.

    She stopped in front of Arkk, locking eyes with him. Her lips, darkened much like the skin around her eyes, parted ever so slightly. ¡°You feel¡­ empty¡­¡± she whispered, voice barely carrying to Arkk¡¯s ears. It looked like she was going to continue, but ended up turning and leaving the room instead.

    ¡°Your cooperation is appreciated, Baron of Langleey,¡± Vrox said with a shallow nod of his head. Stepping away from the Baron, he stopped at Arkk again. ¡°You should visit the local Abbess and request a purification ritual.¡±

    With that comment, he turned and left the room as well. The front door to the Baron¡¯s manor clicked shut behind them.

    Arkk let out a long sigh, stiff back turning to putty.

    ¡°I thought they would stay a little longer,¡± Gert said, obviously disappointed.

    Arkk just shook his head. They had stayed quite long enough, in his opinion. He wasn¡¯t sure if Vrox had believed his implication that Vezta wasn¡¯t around anymore. Regardless, he had a feeling that Vrox would be back one way or another.

 Leaving Langleey

    ¡°And then they just left.¡±

    Arkk looked around the room, staring at the morose faces. Well, one morose face.

    Fortress Al-Mir had undergone some reorganization. The orcs had a whole village-sized section of the fortress to themselves. Heavy iron doors fabricated by the blacksmith wouldn¡¯t let any of them cross over into a more secluded area for him, Ilya, and Vezta. He and Ilya even had private rooms, made using the same living area magic that allowed the orcs to create personalized homes for themselves.

    His room was a fairly simple affair with wood flooring and wood panels on the walls. A large open room covered with a rich violet rug. He had a remarkably comfortable bed, a desk, and a shelf that held just a single black book at the moment. Stone shields hung from the ceiling like chandeliers, their maze-like pattern broken up by a compass rose with a bright gemstone in the middle.

    Ilya¡¯s room was a bit more extravagant. It looked like a slice of a castle, complete with a roaring stone fireplace, massive four-poster bed, and large windows that, despite being underground, still managed to look out over the Cursed Forest as if her room was set in a high tower.

    Vezta had denied needing room.

    This room, however, was a dedicated meeting room. It too had walls adorned with maze-engraved shields with compass roses and gemstones. That seemed to be the theme of this place. There was a large table and¡­ that was it. Rekk¡¯ar and Olatt¡¯an sat on one side of the table. Ilya sat next to Arkk. Vezta stood to his other side. Of all of them, Ilya was the only one who looked concerned.

    ¡°Horror from beyond the stars?¡± she repeated, smile a little tighter than normal. Slowly, Ilya looked over to Vezta.

    ¡°First, that is highly insulting. Beyond the stars? Really?¡±

    Ilya glanced over, losing her concern for a moment as she raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s the part you have a problem with?¡±

    ¡°I am from the [STARS]. Not from beyond the stars,¡± she said slowly as if explaining to a child. ¡°Whatever does that mean? These humans know nothing about me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s close enough that it gave me a start,¡± Arkk said. ¡°The orcs we gave to the Duke must have described you. It probably wasn¡¯t a very accurate description, but they still got that much right. That¡¯s enough to be alarmed over; these inquisitors did not look that friendly.¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t follow you, did they?¡± Ilya asked. ¡°Did they see the teleportation circle?¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°I watched from the Baron¡¯s manor until their carriage disappeared over the horizon. The circle is hidden behind the carpentry workshop. They wouldn¡¯t have seen it coming or going.¡±

    ¡°Master,¡± Vezta said, lips turning to a frown as she spoke. ¡°It may be prudent to destroy the teleportation circles.¡±

    ¡°Destroy? But how will¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not permanently, Master, but anyone capable of magic will be able to appear within our walls at will. With these hostile magic users in the area, the circles are a liability.¡±

    Arkk put his elbows on the table, interlacing his fingers. He could already see Ilya ready to object if he agreed. Vezta was right, of course, but Langleey was their home. Arkk had little doubt that Ilya would abandon the fortress long before she abandoned the village.

    Not that they were abandoning it if they destroyed the circles. It would just be less convenient to reach. To her, that was probably the same thing.

    ¡°We¡¯ll move them,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Out of the library and into a more secure room. Perhaps on the surface. Somewhere that someone would have to try to get down here. The passage up and down will be beyond the section of the fortress where the orcs live.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar, despite caring nothing about the drama of humans showing up knowing something about Vezta, leaned forward and hit the table with his fist. ¡°You plan to use us as guards?¡±

    Arkk, though he flinched at the fist hitting the table, met Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s eyes without wavering. ¡°I hired you all for something. That something is certainly not farm work, as you handily proved yesterday. You¡¯re telling me you don¡¯t want to fight either? I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar held Arkk¡¯s gaze for a few seconds longer before letting out a laugh as he leaned back in his seat. ¡°The human can be taught. Wonderful.¡±

    Suppressing a roll of his eyes, Arkk just shook his head. ¡°Speaking of fighting, I wanted to discuss the possibility of mercenary work for the orcs.¡±

    ¡°Mercenary work?¡±

    ¡°You know, hunt down some highwaymen who are causing trouble for travelers or¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know what mercenary work is,¡± Rekk¡¯ar growled. ¡°I¡¯m asking what jobs you have for us. I imagine some of the rowdier crew would love to get out and take some heads.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any. We would need to visit a city that posts jobs.¡± Arkk glanced aside at Ilya.

    Her eyes widened. ¡°Now? In the middle of harvest?¡±

    ¡°Lousy as the orcs were at working the scythes, we did clear out the entire oat field. That is a massive load of work off the village. They¡¯ll be fine without us for the remainder.¡± He paused a moment, taking a breath, but quickly started speaking before Ilya could say anything. ¡°Not to do anything about your mother. At least not yet. We¡¯re going for mercenary jobs, we¡¯re going to get some spell books, we¡¯re going to take a look that will help us come up with a better plan for Alya, and now¡­ we need to go to figure out just what this Master Inquisitor Darius Vrox might be planning with us.¡±

    Turning to his other side, Arkk looked over Vezta. The prim and proper servant looked perfectly prepared to agree to whatever he asked. ¡°Can you handle things here for¡­ a week? Two? I hope we wouldn¡¯t be gone longer than that but I honestly don¡¯t know how long it will take to reach Cliff.¡±

    ¡°I am unable to command the [HEART] as you do, I cannot construct rooms or mobilize your forces as you do, but I will defend the [HEART] to my dying breath.¡±

    ¡°I meant, can you keep things running here without the fortress falling to pieces?¡±

    ¡°Oh. That should be possible, yes.¡±

    Nodding, Arkk looked at the two orcs. ¡°I have no idea what your group is both capable of and willing to do. If one of you¡­¡±

    Olatt¡¯an slowly shook his head, making Arkk trail off. ¡°Your power keeps most in line. With you gone, keeping order falls to us. After that stunt you pulled with the farming, if one of us¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stunt? That was reparations.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar scoffed. ¡°Whatever you call it, it¡¯s made us¡­ unhappy. If one of us is gone, you¡¯ll come back to a burned-out husk of a dungeon.¡±

    Vezta narrowed her eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t allow it.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll return to a bunch of dead orcs.¡± Rekk¡¯ar shifted in his seat, clenching his teeth like he didn¡¯t want to admit something. Even still, he opened his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m not strong enough to keep twenty angry orcs in line. Olatt¡¯an carries some respect, but not enough. Aside from that¡­ well¡­¡±

    ¡°There is a chance I won¡¯t be popular in most human cities,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, smiling a sad smile. ¡°There is a chance those mercenary postings you wish to look at carry sketches of my face.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Arkk said with a frown, shooting a glance at Ilya before looking back to Olatt¡¯an. ¡°Do I want to ask?¡±

    ¡°Doubtful.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together but didn¡¯t ask. Olatt¡¯an was the most levelheaded of all the orcs. He knew he had something of a past to have earned the moniker of Ripthroat, but all the orcs had a past. Whatever he had been, he wasn¡¯t anymore. And Arkk really couldn¡¯t afford to lose him if it meant riots.

    He would ask one day. But not today.

    ¡°Take Dakka,¡± Olatt¡¯an said. ¡°You might not have noticed, but she has been trying to draw your eyes more often lately.¡±

    ¡°Draw my eyes?¡±

    ¡°Besides,¡± Rekk¡¯ar cut in with a hardy laugh. ¡°She¡¯s short. Less threatening to humans.¡±

    With her massive axe and spiked shield, Arkk didn¡¯t think she was much less threatening. ¡°If we¡¯re going based on that, Larry¡¯s the best choice.¡±

    He meant it as a joke¡ªArkk severely doubted that Larry would be able to talk about the groups¡¯ capabilities or willingness to do certain jobs. However, neither of the other two laughed. They just glanced at each other. Arkk took a breath and closed his eyes.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°Is he on wanted posters too?¡± he said, taking a guess based on their expressions.

    ¡°He told you that he had a shack in some human village.¡±

    ¡°Pineberg Burg,¡± Arkk said, remembering.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell you why he left.¡± Olatt¡¯an pressed his lips together. ¡°They found a little girl¡¯s body chopped up in the woods behind his home.¡±

    Ilya gasped. ¡°He didn¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Says he didn¡¯t,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said. ¡°And I believe him. I mean, look at the oaf. He¡¯s got a gut, but doesn¡¯t have the guts.¡± After laughing at his joke, Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s face turned serious once more. ¡°When the executioners are on the hunt and you¡¯re an orc in a human settlement, you don¡¯t stick around.¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes, nodding his head. That made an unfortunate amount of sense. He had wondered why Larry was part of their group since first spotting him. It was because he had no choice.

    ¡°But Dakka is fine? Not wanted in many cities?¡±

    ¡°Doubt it.¡±

    ¡°Fine. Ilya, Dakka, and I will leave in the morning. You work with Vezta to keep things running here. Destroy the teleportation circles.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t use them to get to the city?¡± Olatt¡¯an asked.

    Arkk glanced at Vezta, who shrugged. ¡°I was told that they have a limited range. And to make the existing ones, I had to show Vezta where to put them. I¡¯ve¡­ never actually been to Cliff. I don¡¯t know the way there. I might find it by searching along the roads but¡­¡±

    ¡°Nor have I,¡± Ilya said, a slight tremble in her lip. She straightened her back, took a deep breath, and nodded at Arkk. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    <hr>

    In all his years, Arkk had never left Langleey Village. He had ventured out to the Cursed Forest, and a bit beyond, and Stone Hearth Burg sat just on the edge of the forest he and Ilya had been hunting in. Those were close enough that they didn¡¯t count. He had never been outside the forested plains that Langleey Village was at the center of.

    It wasn¡¯t that travel was too far or the journey was overly dangerous. He just never had a reason to do so. There was work to be done around the village. The travelers who passed through might have filled his head with adventure and excitement but when the sun came up, it was time to head back to the fields.

    Ilya had left the village twice as far as Arkk knew. Once just a few weeks ago when she had taken a small group of orcs to Smilesville Burg. Once as a young girl, before her mother had been taken. Arkk didn¡¯t know where they had gone, but Ilya hadn¡¯t bragged about it. So, she had never left it either. All Arkk knew was that it was something about her ancestral people.

    Walking along the road out of town, Arkk glanced at their third companion. Even though she was the shortest orc in Fortress Al-Mir, she was still just a bit taller than Ilya. Her black hair was tightly woven against either side of her head but was loose on top, hanging down one side of her face to her chin. Dozens of metal rings adorned her ears and even more metal covered the majority of her body in the form of armor.

    Arkk considered asking her about her travel history, but¡­ after hearing about Olatt¡¯an and Larry, Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to know.

    ¡°Are the roads very dangerous these days?¡± he asked instead.

    It took Dakka a moment to realize that Arkk was talking to her, not Ilya. She stiffened, glancing at him with her red eyes. She had dark paint under and around them, presumably to help against the glare of the sun. After taking a long moment to consider his question, she finally answered. ¡°We never traveled the roads,¡± she said. ¡°If that is what you¡¯re asking.¡±

    ¡°I was wondering more about your armor. We¡¯ve got a long journey ahead of us. It isn¡¯t too late for me to send it back to the fortress if you don¡¯t want to lug it around.¡±

    Ilya had her black and white elvish bow and Arkk had a sword¡ªthough he planned to use magic over metal if at all possible¡ªthey had otherwise packed light. Well, mostly light. A significant fraction of the weight Arkk had in his pack was gold.

    ¡°If¡­ you don¡¯t mind, Sir, I would prefer if I kept my equipment.¡± She sounded stiff, afraid of offending him. ¡°You said we would hire a wagon in the next burg.¡±

    ¡°That is true, but we won¡¯t reach it today.¡± As much as Arkk would have liked to take horses from Langleey, they just couldn¡¯t spare them at the moment. Not with the harvest going on.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ve walked much more than a day with the horde.¡±

    Arkk let the topic drop. Occasionally, as they walked on, he would try to draw Dakka into a conversation. The topics ranged from thoughts about what Cliff might be like with Ilya, musings about what Vezta might get up to in their absence, and even what kind of travel food was best. Dakka gave clipped responses, grunts that might have been agreements or disagreements, or just tried to avoid getting looped into the conversations altogether.

    By the time night fell and they stopped for camp, Arkk was wondering if he had done something to upset Dakka. They didn¡¯t speak often, but when they did, he hadn¡¯t thought their interactions were quite so stiff.

    Ilya took the first watch.

    Partway through the night, Arkk found himself shaken awake. Nothing happened during Ilya¡¯s watch. Her brief statement about whatever she had seen had been more of a yawn than a proper sentence but she kicked him off the small mat and immediately crawled onto it. Through the link between them, he could tell that she had fallen asleep almost the second her head hit the pillow.

    At the same time, through the same link, he could tell that Dakka was not asleep. At least, she wasn¡¯t anymore. The orc hadn¡¯t brought any kind of mat and was just leaning up against a tree, shield over her body as if it were a particularly stiff blanket. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was steady, but Arkk could still tell that she was wide awake.

    The fire was still going, he noted. It wasn¡¯t a proper wood-burning fire, but the same magical ritual he had thought was a light spell back when he first found Fortress Al-Mir. He didn¡¯t think it should have lasted this long, but¡­

    Well, the [HEART] provided a massive advantage to spellcasters in that it refilled its contractor¡¯s magic at an absurd rate, according to Vezta. The more minions and territory, the greater the capacity and throughput. So he wasn¡¯t too surprised that the little flame was going.

    Crouching down next to the flame, trying to warm himself up a bit, Arkk kept stealing glances at Dakka, wondering if she had slept at all. Was she worried about an attack? Ilya hadn¡¯t been or she never would have just fallen asleep as she had, and elves could see at night and hear better than humans or orcs could.

    Then what? Was it him? Ilya?

    ¡°Are you alright, Dakka?¡± he said, deciding to just ask. He didn¡¯t look up from the fire as he spoke, still rubbing his hands together and holding them over it.

    Dakka remained still for a long moment, but she eventually opened her eyes. ¡°You knew I was awake?¡±

    Arkk shrugged. ¡°Guessed,¡± he lied. He hadn¡¯t told anyone the full power the [HEART] gave him over those in his employ. Being able to teleport them around within his territory was alarming enough. They didn¡¯t need to know more. ¡°Did I do something to upset you?¡±

    That got a reaction from her. Her eyes widened and she sat up straight. ¡°No. Of course not.¡± She paused, then added, ¡°Sir.¡±

    ¡°Why so formal and stiff? I don¡¯t remember you being this way back in the fortress. You usually seemed¡­ excited to see me, if anything.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re on a mission,¡± Dakka answered after a long moment.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t that kind of mission. We¡¯re just camping and traveling together as friends, not marching off to kill another demon summoner.¡±

    ¡°Friends?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I mean¡­ unless¡­¡±

    Maybe that was the wrong word to use. He had kind of threatened Dakka, along with the rest of the orcs, into joining up with him. Ostensibly, he was her superior in whatever hierarchy the fortress had. Vezta had said that he was to be a leader, but he didn¡¯t feel like the position was right for him. Rather, he felt like a babysitter, watching the village children while their parents went on a long hunt. Instead of rambunctious children, they were an army of orcs.

    Dakka leaned back against the tree, slowly closing her eyes without saying anything else. Arkk figured the conversation had died a miserable death, but she slowly started speaking.

    ¡°Hearing movement around me while I sleep is generally a sign that something bad is about to happen.¡±

    Arkk looked up, but her eyes were still closed.

    ¡°I would wake up to find the bottoms of my boots missing, my axe slammed against a rock to dull or chip its edge. Or, I might even be woken up by the others throwing stones at me.¡±

    ¡°The orcs did that?¡± Arkk asked, aghast. ¡°Because you¡¯re a little smaller than the others?¡±

    ¡°There is always a runt.¡±

    ¡°Not here,¡± Arkk said. ¡°In case you hadn¡¯t noticed, both Ilya and I are smaller than you.¡± Even if it wasn¡¯t by much in Ilya¡¯s case.

    ¡°Physically,¡± Dakka countered. ¡°She¡¯s your right hand. You¡¯re¡­ you.¡±

    ¡°Regardless, neither of us are going to attack you. I fully intend to get a few more hours of sleep, so you best be up for watch in a couple of hours. That means getting rest.¡±

    Dakka¡¯s eyes snapped open. She stared for a long moment, utterly still, before speaking slowly, one word at a time. ¡°You¡­ trust me with watch?¡±

    ¡°Of course? Should I not?¡±

    ¡°No! No, Sir! You can count on me.¡±

    ¡°Good. Then get some sleep.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    ¡°And quit that. I¡¯m just Arkk.¡±

    Dakka stared, nodded, then closed her eyes again. She didn¡¯t fall asleep immediately, of course, but Arkk felt her doze off before too long. Before waking her up for watch, Arkk spent a few minutes examining Fortress Al-Mir. Even away from it, he could still see everything going on inside its halls. He could even move its occupants around at will if he needed to. Not that he did, right now. Everything seemed calm and business as usual.

    Come morning, Dakka was a bit less stiff and stand-offish, so Arkk counted their little conversation as a win. She even started a conversation or two on the walk. Nothing consequential, just small talk about fighting, mostly.

    All conversation came to an abrupt halt as they spotted Smilesville Burg.

    ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t have come here,¡± Arkk said slowly.

    Ilya looked sick. ¡°Barbaric.¡±

    The burg itself was a large city. Ten Langleey Villages could have fit within its walls. It had walls. Large stone defensive walls with periodic towers along them. Homes and other buildings dotted the land outside the walls, and the land itself was covered in fields far larger than Langleey had. People toiled around in the fields. It was harvest here as well.

    But what really stopped the conversation were the wooden poles erected along the path to the city.

    Rotted, fetid corpses of orcs hung from ropes on the poles, dangling in the light breeze as carrion feeders pecked at bits of dangling flesh.

    Arkk kept his eyes locked on the sight but used his power over the [HEART] to check on Dakka. A strange double-vision hit Arkk, letting him see the orc as if he were facing her. She looked on, face mostly impassive. To her, this didn¡¯t matter, it was just a thing that happened. Arkk wondered if the slight curl in her lip was a smile. Given what she had said last night, some or all of those might have been among her tormentors.

    How many of the orcs in his employ had attacked her in her sleep?

    Eventually, Dakka glanced over. ¡°Why did we stop? You knew they were going to be executed when you brought them here, right?¡± she shrugged. ¡°They deserved it.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d¡­¡± Ilya trailed off, shaking her head in disgust. ¡°It¡¯s been weeks! They should have buried them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a warning to other raiders,¡± Dakka said with another shrug. ¡°Stay in line or go for a swing.¡±

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    ¡°Stay close to us,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Don¡¯t want them getting any ideas about you. Let¡¯s just see if they¡¯ve got a cart we can buy, some provisions, and get out of here before anyone notices we¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Like they¡¯re going to miss me,¡± Dakka scoffed. Still, as they started walking again, she stepped closer to Arkk, sliding between him and Ilya.

    In the end, Arkk had rushed their departure even more than he thought he needed to. The more they walked through town, the more it looked like a lynch mob might form. It was a shame. He had wanted to check around and see how one might take on mercenary jobs. Getting jobs at the closest burg, one still within range of Fortress Al-Mir, would have been convenient.

    Still, even as hostile as the town was, they were more than willing to accept a few gold coins for what he needed. Supplies, a horse and cart, and directions.

    With that, they were off toward the City of Cliff.

 The City of Cliff

    Cliff was unlike anything Arkk had ever seen before.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if he was vibrating in excitement or shaking from nerves. He was finally out of Langleey Village, traveling and seeing the world. Technically, he had been traveling for a week now, but some of the luster of travel had worn off once he realized that most villages weren¡¯t meaningfully different from his village and most burgs were just larger villages.

    Unlike the places they had traveled through to reach here, this was a city.

    It was a bit annoying to get to. There was a big¡­ well, mountainous cliff in the way. A large heap of earth and rock propped up into a thin mountain. Following the winding road around the mountain, past truly massive swaths of farmland, brought him to the city itself. Houses and buildings were crammed next to each other in tight rows. They sprawled back and forth, filling every available spot between the ocean and the mountain itself.

    But the city itself didn¡¯t look that impressive until one looked out to the ocean. A wide stone bridge over the water connected the city to another mountain, one that jutted right out of the waves. It wasn¡¯t quite as high as the one on proper land, but it was what was on it that mattered.

    There were a number of grandiose buildings built into the sides of the mountain, but at a certain point near the top, the entire mountain leveled off, supported by tall brick walls and natural cliff faces. Atop the plateau was the largest church Arkk had ever seen, stretching almost as tall as the mainland mountain. Arkk thought this might have been the first temple that he ever saw. There had been large churches in a few of the burgs on the way here, but this was on another level entirely.

    Vezta would have hated it. Its white walls were adorned by golden symbols that seemed to glow, though that might have been a trick of the high sun.

    Arkk didn¡¯t see any storehouses and rotting food sitting out as he had heard, but this was just before harvest. Taxes wouldn¡¯t have been collected yet.

    There wasn¡¯t much of a wall around the city. There was one, but it just ended at the mountain. The natural terrain was enough of a deterrent to any attacking forces. Two massive ballista-like devices sat atop towers on either side of the gate, ready to decimate any siege equipment that made it this far. Though, Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if there had ever been an attack on the city before. Also unlike other burgs Arkk had visited on the way here, the guards around the large gate were stopping each cart.

    Arkk was getting a little nervous as they approached. Why were the guards stopping carts? Had it been a mistake to bring Dakka? Would they reject her? What about Ilya? The elf had her ears tucked into a small hat again, hoping to disguise what she was from the Duke¡¯s prying eyes, but if the guards ran up to her and started examining her, what were they to do? Fortress Al-Mir was well beyond reach at this point. He could still see it and move things around within his territory, but he had no territory anywhere nearby.

    When Arkk finally brought their cart to a stop next to a pair of pike-wielding soldiers in blue and white striped tabards, he had worked himself into a nervous tension. One pikeless guard, along with a younger boy who held a note tablet and pen, stopped at the side of their cart. He barely looked up at Arkk.

    ¡°Local?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    The guard threw a flat look at Arkk. ¡°Are you from around here?¡±

    ¡°Oh. No.¡±

    ¡°Name, origin, profession if relevant, and purpose for visit,¡± the guard said in an utter monotone.

    Clearing his throat to buy a moment for his bewilderment to die down, Arkk answered honestly. Mostly. ¡°Arkk. I¡¯m from Smilesville. Here to purchase a few books, if possible, and maybe have a look at mercenary work.¡±

    The guard changed his demeanor with the mention of mercenary work, now looking over them with a bit more of a critical eye. He started with Arkk, looking him up and down, before turning his attention to Ilya and finally Dakka. When he turned back to Arkk, he let out a small breath through his nose. ¡°Right,¡± he said, a slight laugh in his tone.

    Arkk pressed his lips together, unsure of what the guard found funny, but decided not to comment. The guard wasn¡¯t calling for Dakka¡¯s head. It wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to press their luck.

    ¡°Are you or any of your companions wanted in any of the four great states?¡± the guard asked, tone bored once more. Arkk shook his head, still not sure about Dakka but not willing to say yes to this guard no matter what. In response, the guard moved on with what had to be a script that he read dozens of times a day. ¡°Are you transporting any magical artifacts, cursed items, enchanted items, or holy items?¡±

    Again, Arkk shook his head. ¡°No, Sir. Just what you see here. We¡¯ve got some food and camping supplies, but nothing else.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t even sure if the guard heard him, because he just continued with another question. ¡°Are you transporting any alchemical solutions, magic reagents, or blighted fungus?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Are you or any of your companions practicing necromancy?¡±

    Arkk shifted, hesitating a moment before quickly shaking his head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Are you or any of your companions currently infected with blighted fungus?¡±

    Arkk glanced to Ilya, who gave him a blank look, then back to Dakka. The orc offered a shrug and a shake of her head. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so. No.¡± Arkk honestly had no idea what that was. It sounded bad. If they were asking about it, it probably was bad.

    The guard looked up again, rolled his eyes, and started waving his hand as he stepped back. ¡°Whatever, you¡¯re probably fine.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Arkk blinked twice, surprised. Was blighted fungus not something to worry about then? ¡°So, we can go in?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t cause trouble.¡±

    ¡°No, Sir.¡± Arkk started to grab the reins, only to pause and look back to the guard. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know where we might be able to get lodging and food for a few nights?¡±

    Arkk did not miss the way the guard¡¯s eyes flicked to Dakka before answering. ¡°The only place I would try if I were you is Primrose.¡± He looked into the city, beyond the large gate, and pointed with his entire arm. ¡°Down the street, take a left turn at the large brown building toward the end. From there, continue forward until you reach the waterfront. Follow the waterfront past the harbor and you¡¯ll eventually see Primrose down a street on the right. It has a yellow and black sign.¡±

    ¡°Right. Thanks.¡±

    As they followed the guard¡¯s directions, Arkk couldn¡¯t help but think that the people who passed through Langleey Village were wrong. Almost every one of them mentioned the fresh salt-sea air as being something wonderful about Cliff¡ªor any oceanside town. But now that he was tasting it for himself, Arkk did not agree. It wasn¡¯t crisp like the air after a long rainstorm. It was¡­ soggy. The air hung in his nose. If he were being honest, it made him feel a bit nauseous.

    He definitely would not be bragging about the ocean breeze anytime soon.

    The next big shock were ships. As big as the Baron¡¯s manor with massive spires of wood sticking out of them. He had heard about them from visitors, but seeing one in person? He could hardly believe they floated, let alone moved. He had seen shallow-bottomed riverboats before, so he tried not to be too surprised. It wasn¡¯t a very good try, however. These ships were in an entirely different class.

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    Continuing along, the wonder of the city started to die off as he realized that the route the guard had provided was taking them into progressively less well-maintained sections of the town. Buildings weren¡¯t quite as intact as they had been elsewhere. Rotted wood that didn¡¯t fit together in snug seams, possibly rotten from that unpleasant salty air, made up most of the buildings out here.

    Perhaps he should have noticed earlier, but entering this section of the city just made it all the more apparent that demihumans and beastmen weren¡¯t exactly welcome around Cliff. From the gates up until about halfway through the harbor, Cliff had been dominated by humans. The guards hadn¡¯t barred Dakka from entering and the occasional demihumans were wandering around. Here, however, was the opposite. The occasional human was interspaced by elves, dark elves, and orcs for the most part. Arkk did spot a gremlin smoking a pipe while leaning against a wall, a pair of fairies flying overhead on their thin wings, and even what he was pretty sure was a sphinx lounging outside one building.

    Neither of his companions spoke, but Arkk could feel the dour mood that had settled in as they continued through the city.

    Arkk almost missed the turn for Primrose. It wasn¡¯t even that he was distracted looking at demihumans he had heard about but had never seen before. There was a signboard but the colors on it were so faded that he would have been better instructed to look for a gray and slightly lighter gray signboard where the remnants of paint were maybe in the shape of a primrose flower.

    A small stable next to the Primrose building handled the cart and horse for a small fee. He had long since broken down a few gold coins into a pouch of silver on their journey, which was by far preferable. Paying in gold was sure to draw attention and it was kind of a waste; when faced with a gold coin, a lot of merchants didn¡¯t have enough silver on hand to cover the difference¡­ or they didn¡¯t want to cover the entire difference because then they wouldn¡¯t have any silver themselves. Arkk had ended up overpaying for a lot of goods unintentionally but was unable to do anything¡­ and then there were the merchants who, upon seeing a gold coin, suddenly had price increases on all their wares.

    Primrose was a stayover cabin, although a bit larger than the three they had stayed in on the journey. Most larger burgs had them. It was a strange concept, a building dedicated to people traveling. Smaller villages, including Langleey, housed visitors in the local church or individual homes if there was a spare room.

    The entire ground floor was dominated by the smell of roasting meat. Several people, mostly demihumans with the occasional beastman or human thrown between, occupied a number of tables. The kitchens were over on one side, but Arkk spotted a woman behind a rounded counter that looked like the right place to start.

    The proprietor of Primrose was an elderly little human. Her hair was almost as silver as Ilya¡¯s, though from old age rather than a natural coloration. She leaned forward when Arkk approached, holding a hand to her ear.

    ¡°Do you have any rooms available?¡± Arkk asked, raising his voice.

    The old woman slowly ran her eyes over the group. Once finished, she opened a small drawer at the counter she sat behind and pulled out an old iron key in a shaking hand. ¡°Two silvers a night,¡± she said.

    Arkk raised his eyebrows but didn¡¯t argue. That was less than half the price the stayovers in the burgs had charged. ¡°Not sure how long we¡¯ll be staying,¡± Arkk said, handing over three nights¡¯ worth of payment. ¡°If we stay longer, is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°Only if you don¡¯t pay, dearie,¡± she said, sweeping the coins into another drawer.

    ¡°Good. Good. I don¡¯t suppose you would know the best place to acquire books on magic and books¡ªor just someone to talk to¡ªabout history?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about history, but the magical academy built into the mountainside is where all the spellcasters study.¡±

    Hopefully one of the spellcasters there would have more information on purchases. He wasn¡¯t all that interested in sticking around, learning magic at the academy in the long term. He wanted books he could take back home. Scholars seemed like a good place to start with history as well. He wasn¡¯t sure that they would find anything on Fortress Al-Mir or Vezta¡¯s former master, but anything they did find might be useful.

    ¡°How about somewhere we might inquire about mercenary work?¡±

    Somewhere behind him, Arkk heard a distinctive snort. He half-turned but didn¡¯t see who it might have been. Ilya leaned close, whispering in his ear, ¡°Does everyone think we can¡¯t handle ourselves? If they saw what we did at the barrows¡­¡±

    Arkk just shrugged his shoulders as the old woman began talking again. ¡°You¡¯ll want to stop by the garrison,¡± she said, then looked over Arkk¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But they won¡¯t enjoy the presence of your companions.¡±

    Lips pressed together, Arkk nodded. ¡°And¡­ is there any method to go about getting a meeting with the Duke?¡±

    The old woman stared. Her mouth flapped a few times, but no words came out. She just stared.

    It wasn¡¯t just her. There was a small ripple effect through the room where casual conversations died off into hushed whispers. Even those were quickly silenced. Arkk wondered just how many people had been listening in on his questions.

    ¡°Did you hear that boys?¡± someone eventually shouted. ¡°They want a meeting with the Duke!¡±

    That was the signal for the entire room to descend into a fit of cruel laughter. It didn¡¯t last long and regular conversation sprung up again. The few words Arkk caught of it now centered around their group and what they could possibly want from the Duke. Or what they could be thinking. Ilya¡¯s face darkened as the conversations continued, making him wonder what her sharp ears picked up.

    ¡°Well, thanks for the room and information,¡± Arkk said with a polite smile to the old woman.

    ¡°Upstairs, down the long hallway, third door on the left,¡± she said, leaning back. ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble.¡±

    ¡°Not the first time I¡¯ve heard that today,¡± Arkk mumbled, shooting a glance at Ilya.

    The room wasn¡¯t bad. It was as worn down as the rest of the building, but the bed looked decent enough. There was only one bed, but no one present was bothered by that. They slept in the back of the cart on a few of the nights when they hadn¡¯t made it to any villages or burgs.

    ¡°What were they laughing at?¡± Ilya hissed as she tossed her rucksack on the floor.

    ¡°Maybe if we were dressed in our nice clothes rather than our travel clothes,¡± Arkk said with a small shrug. He had known that just walking up and meeting the Duke wasn¡¯t going to be as simple as it sounded. They would have to figure something out. For now¡­ ¡°How secure do you think this room is?¡± he asked, looking at the handle on the door.

    ¡°I could break the walls down with my shoulder,¡± Dakka said, knocking her knuckles on the wood. ¡°Doubt it would be that hard.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but how likely is that?¡±

    ¡°If they¡ª¡± Dakka paused, stepped away from the wall, and dropped her voice to a near whisper. ¡°If they see how much you¡¯re carrying around? Guaranteed.¡±

    ¡°Is it really that much? I only took a small¡ª¡±

    ¡°A single gold coin is a life-changing amount to most of the people living here,¡± Dakka interrupted. Arkk clamped his jaw shut but was fairly happy to be interrupted by the orc. He would much rather have her speak her mind than be stiff and unresponsive. ¡°I¡¯ve never been here, never spoken with anyone who lived here, but you can just tell by looking around the place.¡±

    Arkk nodded slowly. He had noticed on the way in but hadn¡¯t thought about it in terms of coins. A part of him wondered why the people here stayed here. Everything was so run down. Shunted away into the ass-end of the city as they were, the demihumans were not welcome in the rest of the city. He had only spoken with two people so far and both had insinuating comments to make about Dakka at the very least.

    They all had two legs¡ªor wings in the case of those fairies¡ªwhy stick around? Langleey had been happy to have the help of a bunch of orcs that had attacked only a few weeks prior. Surely other villages nearby would be the same. If they put in a bit of work in helping out the farms, they would surely be more welcome out there than inside the city.

    ¡°Well,¡± he said, approaching the window. There was no glass. Two heavy wooden shutters swung outward, allowing light and fresh air in. His nose wrinkled as soon as he realized that fresh air meant ocean air, but he looked out nonetheless. The tall church in the distance gleamed in the sunlight over the tops of nearby buildings. ¡°We¡¯ve got some starting places,¡± he said. ¡°The magic academy and the garrison.¡±

    Aside from the church, the view out the window wasn¡¯t that good. Just rooftops for a street or two before taller buildings blocked the rest of the city. He couldn¡¯t even see the water of the ocean.

    ¡°The latter of which isn¡¯t a good place for us,¡± Ilya said with a frown. ¡°And the former¡­ I have no idea what I¡¯d even be looking for in a magic library.¡±

    Dakka grunted in agreement. ¡°You want to know more about¡­¡± she hesitated, glancing at Ilya for a moment. ¡°About an elf consort of the Duke¡¯s?¡±

    Ilya pressed her lips together, shooting a mild glare at Dakka. The phrasing could have been better, but it wasn¡¯t exactly inaccurate. ¡°My mother. Alya,¡± Ilya eventually said. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what the Duke wanted with her, but¡­ She would have appeared here roughly fifteen years ago.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a job I can do,¡± Dakka said, motioning toward the door. ¡°Kick around these parts, find the places where people ask questions, and see about learning why everyone laughed at our meeting with the Duke. If I read the atmosphere right, they¡¯ll be more willing to talk to me than a human and an elf hiding her ears.¡±

    ¡°Will you be alright on your own?¡± Arkk asked.

    Dakka snorted. Or scoffed. Both? ¡°I¡¯d be more worried about you two.¡±

    ¡°I can take care of myself,¡± Ilya said with a note of irritation in her tone.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to try the garrison first,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Tomorrow morning. Then I¡¯ll head over and see if I can¡¯t find anything at the academy. Ilya, do you want to go with¡ª¡±

    ¡°I want to explore.¡±

    ¡°Explore?¡±

    ¡°Just¡­ run through the city for a day. See it with my own eyes.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Arkk said after a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you to be careful.¡±

    Ilya nodded, adjusting her hat.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about the two of you, but whatever they were roasting downstairs smelled like the best thing I haven¡¯t eaten. I¡¯m going to go correct that. Join me?¡± Arkk asked, glancing between the two of them.

    Having had nothing but travel provisions for the last day and a half, since they left one of the burgs, the two of them readily agreed.

 Investigating the Leads

    As it turned out, the garrison and the academy were fairly close to one another. Both were built into the mainland mountain that shadowed Cliff. Both even had similar architecture on the exterior, that being miniature keep-like structures that extended out from the sheer face of the mountain. The difference was that one kept a contingent of guards standing around its entrances.

    Adjusting the odd jacket of his dark suit, Arkk stood in the middle of a small line. He had dressed up, deciding to make use of the fancier clothes that he had. Maybe it was because a lesser servant had been the tailor or maybe it was just the style of the suit, but he didn¡¯t quite feel like it fit. The shoulders felt too tight and it rubbed against his neck.

    ¡°Name and business,¡± a guard behind a wire mesh window asked as Arkk stepped up.

    Keeping his back straight and his expression as serious as he could manage, Arkk introduced himself. ¡°Arkk. I¡¯m here to inquire about mercenary work.¡±

    The guard¡¯s eyes looked up from a tablet of vellum and roved over Arkk. Unlike the previous times he had mentioned looking for mercenary work, the guard did not laugh or make any snide comments. He simply looked back to his vellum and nodded. ¡°Are you making specific inquiries, posting work, or looking for work?¡±

    ¡°The latter, please.¡±

    ¡°Open bounties, recruitment notices, and other matters of interest for routiers are posted on the southern wall of the garrison, just to your left.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Thank you,¡± Arkk said, stepping out of line.

    Following the guard¡¯s directions, he found a large board up against the stone wall, shielded from the elements by a heavy awning overhead. Rows of paper, each stamped with an official-looking seal covered the board. There were a wide variety of jobs on the board. Some were mundane and offered low rewards, such as gathering certain herbs and roots from a forest or assisting villages that had a shortage of labor. Arkk dismissed those entirely for the moment; his orcs had already tried the latter option and he had no desire to further encourage a riot.

    Others were a bit more interesting. A merchant wanted an armed escort for traveling between a few burgs that Arkk didn¡¯t recognize. Another person wanted escorts to guard an expedition to some ancient temple. Someone had lost a daughter, as in physically could not find her, and was wanting to hire trackers and others who specialized in finding people. For a moment, that one sounded like a job he could do right now if the daughter had left behind hair or something else he could use, but the longer he thought about it, the more an unpleasant feeling swam through his gut.

    He forced himself to stop thinking about the tracking spell before he threw up.

    The two most rewarding jobs were by far the most interesting. The first was a request to gather samples of blighted fungus for study. Arkk still didn¡¯t know what that was, though maybe it was time to start asking around. Judging by the amount offered for the job, it must have been dangerous stuff. The other job, only slightly more rewarding, was a request to clear out a mine that had been overrun with gorgon.

    Arkk didn¡¯t know exactly what a gorgon was. The name sounded familiar. Thinking back, he thought he heard about it from some mercenaries in his childhood. One of the groups that passed through Langleey with stories to tell. Nothing specific jumped out at him from those memories, however. He reached out, lifting the paper in the hopes of finding more details underneath, but before he could, a rough hand landed on his shoulder.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t pick that one, mate.¡±

    Jolting, not having been paying attention to those around him, Arkk turned to find a man with a flat face and a pointed nose giving him a serious look.

    ¡°Nasty beasts, gorgons. Their coils can crush steel, their venom melts flesh from bone, and if that wasn¡¯t bad enough, they¡¯re known to turn men to stone. Wouldn¡¯t take that job if it were offering ten times the amount.¡±

    ¡°Men to stone?¡± Arkk said. That¡­ sounded familiar. The mercenary group he had been thinking of might have abandoned the job in fear of two gorgon. ¡°What about women?¡±

    After staring at him for a moment, the man let out a loud laugh and clapped Arkk on the shoulder. ¡°Good one,¡± he said at the end of his laugh. Taking his hand from Arkk¡¯s shoulder, he held it out. ¡°Name¡¯s Hawkwood. Friends call me Hawk. White Company senior commander.¡±

    ¡°Arkk,¡± Arkk said, taking the man¡¯s hand. Hawkwood¡¯s attire was simplistic. Just a tunic with a leather jacket. A shield pin with a black chevron adorned his breast pocket. ¡°You¡¯re a mercenary company?¡±

    ¡°White Company is. I¡¯m just a man. Don¡¯t recognize you though.¡±

    ¡°You know everyone?¡±

    Hawkwood shook his head. ¡°Just everyone in the mercenary business. So, imagine my surprise when a dusty farmboy shows up reaching for the most dangerous job on the board. Wouldn¡¯t the herbs be more your speed?¡±

    ¡°Farmboy? Dusty?¡± Arkk glanced down at his suit. He had taken care to keep it clean on the journey and that hadn¡¯t changed in the last few hours since he put it on.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got the clothes, but you don¡¯t wear them like you belong. Your hands are calloused and not in the way a soldier¡¯s would be. The back of your neck is heavily tanned, even more than your face, meaning you spend a lot of time looking down at the ground. Your hair is dry and unkempt. Anyone wearing clothes like that would grease their hair down every morning. There¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Arkk said, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and brushing his fingers through his hair with the other. ¡°So the clothes are useless?¡± Vezta was going to be disappointed.

    ¡°You might fool some people, but not me,¡± Hawkwood said with a grin. ¡°So, what¡¯s the story?¡±

    Arkk sighed. ¡°Just trying to figure out how all this works. I wasn¡¯t going to take the job. Probably.¡±

    ¡°Probably?¡±

    ¡°Some very strange things happened recently and now I find myself with twenty-something orcs following my lead.¡± Hawkwood¡¯s eyebrows crept up his forehead and he started looking around, making Arkk shake his head. ¡°They aren¡¯t here. I just wanted to find something for them to do so they don¡¯t tear each other apart.¡±

    ¡°Did you want to get them killed?¡±

    ¡°No! Of course not.¡±

    ¡°Then skip over that job. Demihumans aren¡¯t immune to gorgons either.¡±

    Arkk wondered if Vezta might be immune. She had said that she survived a lot of things over the years. Then again, she hadn¡¯t been positive that she would survive the orc chieftain¡¯s magic.

    ¡°At least you¡¯re seeing sense,¡± Hawkwood said, reading his face. ¡°Well? What¡¯s the story with the orcs?¡±

    ¡°A long one.¡±

    ¡°Tell you what, you tell me the story and I¡¯ll show you the ropes. Get you putting those orcs to work. I¡¯ll even throw in a meal.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure he liked how Hawkwood phrased that, but it didn¡¯t sound like the worst deal. At least not so long as he edited the story a bit. Those inquisitors had already been asking about Vezta. He didn¡¯t need even more people talking about her or Fortress Al-Mir.

    <hr>

    ¡°Farm work?¡± Hawkwood¡¯s fist hit the table as he laughed. ¡°You made a bunch of warriors do farm work? I¡¯m surprised they didn¡¯t take your head for suggesting that!¡±

    ¡°It certainly didn¡¯t win me any points with them,¡± Arkk said with a faint smile, skewering another slice of fish. Maybe he was just used to the river fish from around Langleey, but he wasn¡¯t sure he liked oceanic fish much. It was the largest food industry in Cliff, so he supposed he would just have to get used to it. ¡°Although, while we were farming, we got interrupted¡­ Can you tell me anything about inquisitors?¡±

    Hawkwood¡¯s lingering chuckles died in an instant. He sobered up, snapping his gaze around the patio where they had gotten their meal from the vendor. Unlike the Primrose, however, it didn¡¯t look like too many people were paying attention to their conversation.

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    ¡°No good business comes from inquisitors,¡± Hawkwood said, all humor gone from his voice. ¡°Inquisitors showed up while you were farming with the orcs?¡±

    Arkk nodded. ¡°They asked me a number of questions about the demon summoning. I told them basically what I just told you. Then¡­ they asked about stars.¡± It was a bit of a risk to mention that, but at the same time, Arkk wondered if the more experienced mercenary might have some information. ¡°Had no clue what they were talking about,¡± he added with a shrug.

    Unfortunately, Hawkwood didn¡¯t react to Arkk mentioning stars. ¡°If they weren¡¯t interested in demons, it was probably that magic you were throwing around. The church hates spellcasters that didn¡¯t go to their approved academies. The orcs you sent to the burg talked, something about the way they described the magic made someone else call up the church.¡±

    ¡°Me? Not the magic the summoner was using?¡±

    Hawkwood shrugged. ¡°They hounded you, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arkk lied. They had been there for Vezta, not him. But he had already dropped the hint about stars. No need to say anything else.

    ¡°There you have it. I¡¯d go get checked out at the academy, but if the inquisitors left without clapping your wrists in irons, you¡¯re probably fine.¡±

    Arkk stretched, then stood. ¡°I was actually planning on stopping over there after the garrison,¡± he said. ¡°Thanks for telling me about mercenary work.¡±

    ¡°No problem. It isn¡¯t every day a new mercenary company pops up. Especially not one made up of demihumans.¡± Hawkwood stood as well, then held out his hand once more. ¡°If you need any more help, stop on by the White Company building. It¡¯s just down the road from the garrison. Can¡¯t miss it.¡± He paused, then slowly nodded his head. ¡°In fact, I have a contact who might appreciate you looking into a job that you and a bunch of orcs could do. Why not stop by in the morning?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯ll bring my companions if that isn¡¯t a problem.¡±

    ¡°The orcs?¡±

    ¡°One of them and then an elf.¡± Arkk frowned, looking the man in the eyes. ¡°That isn¡¯t a problem, is it?¡±

    Hawkwood shook his head. ¡°Not with me.¡±

    ¡°Good. See you then.¡±

    With that end to their conversation, Arkk headed toward his second destination of the day. Helpful though Hawkwood had been, the mercenary work was just a diversion. Something that needed doing but not something he had been particularly interested in.

    The magic academy was a passion.

    Getting close to the Cliff academy sent tingles up his arms. Arkk honestly couldn¡¯t tell if it was magic in the air or just his excitement, but by the time he walked through the wide-open gates and stepped into the academy foyer, he was positively vibrating.

    And what a foyer it was. Carved straight into the mountainside, it almost felt like walking into the [HEART] chamber of Fortress Al-Mir. Except, instead of a floating magical artifact of unknown origin, there was a massive statue of a man in golden robes with one hand extended out as if welcoming people through the tall doors. His other hand held tight a thick scroll. Runes on the scroll glowed a brilliant gold that illuminated the entire statue.

    The people walking about were scholarly types. Most wore clothes a lot like the suit Arkk had on, but he could tell just by looking at them that they had no muscle at all underneath. On average, at least. There were the odd ones that stood out. Hawkwood had been right about the hair, however. Every single person, man and woman, had styled, almost shining hair.

    Pulling his collar up to hide the back of his neck, Arkk wandered through the halls, a bit disappointed when they turned out to be far more narrow and claustrophobic than the impressive foyer or even the corridors of Fortress Al-Mir. The lighting was poor as well. The academy didn¡¯t use torches¡ªsomething about Fortress Al-Mir made the soot and smoke vanish in a way that probably wouldn¡¯t work here¡ªbut its glowstones weren¡¯t half as strong as those used in certain rooms of the fortress.

    He passed several rooms. Some looked like lecture halls. Others were obviously for practical magic usage. An alchemy station with bubbling alembics and glass tubes caught his attention for a moment but Arkk already had enough on his plate without learning a whole other discipline. Maybe another time.

    Arkk stopped at an open door, spotting two people standing across from one another on a raised platform. Demonstrating something? Dueling? They had a small crowd watching. A crowd that Arkk found himself joining in, momentarily pausing his efforts to locate a library.

    ¡°¡ªcan block any energy-based spell with few exceptions. However, physical objects require a separate spell. As most outside these halls are not spellcasters, blocking physical objects is often more useful. The element is wind. The motion is a spinning sweep of your hands. The visualization is effectively a solid wall, but slightly more complicated. You may read my dissertation for more details. The incantation is hentikan semua benda yang masuk sebelum mencapai dagingku.¡± As soon as the woman on stage spoke the incantation, a haze enveloped her. A shimmer in the air, like fog, settled in, but only in a bubble around her person. Arkk couldn¡¯t see through it clearly but her silhouette was there.

    Turning away from the audience, the silhouette motioned.

    On the other side of the stage, a tall man in a tall hat lifted a heavy wooden staff. With a motion from the staff, a dozen small rocks lifted from the ground in front of him. With another gesture, the rocks flew across the stage faster than arrows, but they didn¡¯t make it through the haze around the woman. They sunk in, stopping rapidly, before going completely still. Most interestingly, they didn¡¯t fall to the floor. Not until the woman canceled the spell and dispersed the haze.

    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± the woman said, ¡°this spell is still in a prototype phase. While active, visibility is next to nothing. I¡¯m working on that. Still, perhaps it will save your life. Commit it to memory.¡±

    Arkk blinked a few times. The crowd around him nodded their heads, but all he could think was how. That spell, hentikan semua something something something was, first of all, far too long. Electro Deus was nice and snappy. Quick to speak, quick to cast, easy to remember. So was Slave Natum, for that matter. Her spell did look useful, visibility issue aside, but by the time he finished the incantation, he would wind up a pincushion of crossbow bolts and swords. The black book he stole from the summoner had similarly long spells in it. Flesh Weaving, which was twice as long as that, was the only one he had tried so far. It required such intense focus and concentration that using it on the battlefield would have been impossible anyway, making its long incantation not that big of an issue.

    Unfortunately, Arkk didn¡¯t get a chance to see more magic. That spell was the end of the demonstration. The others in the crowd meandered off toward the door, discussing the spell on the way. Some were calling it revolutionary, so it was apparently a big deal. Arkk¡­ wondered if any of them had been in combat ever in their lives.

    Arkk remained in place. The man with the staff used it to retrieve the stones, which he quickly pocketed. At the same time, the woman started cleaning up ritual circles on the ground that must have been used in earlier demonstrations.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Arkk said, approaching the stage. He had probably passed a dozen persons of authority in the hall on the way here, but he couldn¡¯t tell the difference between a learner and a teacher by attire alone. This woman seemed close enough.

    The woman looked up, violet eyes staring through the thin lenses of her glasses. Irritation flashed across her face before she put on a polite, if forced, smile. ¡°Was there a question you had about my spell?¡±

    ¡°Ah. Yes?¡± Arkk almost asked about a library first but didn¡¯t want to upset her by not asking about her revolutionary new spell. ¡°You said this was a prototype? Is the incantation going to be shorter in the final version?¡±

    ¡°It is quite short already,¡± she said, looking surprised. ¡°Twenty syllables.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s short?¡± Arkk asked, surprised as well. ¡°Have you ever been in a fight before?¡±

    The woman sneered, adjusting the long black cloak she wore open over a stylish bodice. ¡°Do I look like some kind of ruffian to you?¡±

    ¡°No, but a spell that takes even a full second to cast seems a bit useless in actual combat.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked, adjusting her glasses. She swept her fingers through her jet-black hair as she finished. ¡°You aren¡¯t one of the church¡¯s dullard initiates, nor are you a scholar. Explorer?¡±

    Arkk wondered if she was basing her assumption on the color of his neck. ¡°I¡¯m self-taught. Just visiting today. But the spells¡ª¡±

    Understanding lit up in her eyes when he mentioned being a visitor. ¡°You just need practice. A deft tongue makes for a deft spell,¡± she said as if quoting some source.

    ¡°But the other spells I know are all short. Each one is just two words.¡±

    ¡°Two¡­¡± She blinked a few times, started to laugh, but blinked once more as her eyes widened. ¡°What kind of spells?¡±

    ¡°Well, a lightning bolt spell, a¡­¡± Arkk trailed off. The other two short spells he knew, Possession and Summon Lesser Servant were probably not the kinds of spells he should admit to knowing. The former for obvious reasons and the latter because servants were what had the inquisitors snooping about Langleey.

    ¡°Can you demonstrate?¡± the woman asked, not caring that he didn¡¯t finish his explanation.

    Arkk glanced around. From experience, he knew that the lightning spell didn¡¯t like a lack of a real target. The room had cleared out during their brief discussion, letting him spot several chairs pressed up against one wall. Seeing nothing better, he pointed to one. ¡°Is it alright if I destroy a chair?¡±

    ¡°Yes, hurry now.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Electro Deus,¡± Arkk said, pointing his hand toward the nearest chair. He pushed just a tiny sliver of magic into the spell. A bolt bridged the distance between him and the chair, slamming into it. It split in two, burning wood chips raining down around the larger seat and back pieces.

    He looked back to the woman to find her mouth hanging open, her eyebrows up in her hairline, and her rectangular glasses sliding down the front of her nose.

    ¡°Miss?¡±

    She blinked. Her jaw snapped closed. Reaching out, she snatched Arkk¡¯s hand, twisting his arm to see his fingertips. Grabbing one finger, she wiggled it around while asking question after question. ¡°No gesture? Or a thrusting gesture? What was the visualization? Element?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡ª¡±

    ¡°Self-taught. Right. No preconceptions, allowing convention violations?¡± She clamped one hand under his jaw, yanking his head down to stare directly into Arkk¡¯s eyes. Her face was close enough that their noses almost touched. ¡°Open.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Her fingers pinched into his cheeks, forcing his mouth open. She stared into his open mouth until it got just a bit too uncomfortable for Arkk. He pulled back, knocking her hands aside when she tried to grab him again. She hardly seemed offended in the slightest, simply looking down at her hand for a moment before shrugging.

    ¡°No time like the present. Short Cast Experiment number one. Lightning bolt visualization, element¡­ storm, obviously. Thrust gesture.¡± Thrusting a hand toward the next chair, she spoke the incantation. ¡°Electro Deus.¡±

    At first, nothing happened. The woman¡¯s intense look of concentration didn¡¯t waver. After a few more seconds, Arkk thought he saw something. It wasn¡¯t a bolt of lightning, that was for sure, just a faint change in the lighting around her palm. If he hadn¡¯t been focused on the woman¡¯s hand, he would have missed it entirely.

    He did not miss the woman collapsing into a heap on the stage in the very next instant.

 Explorations and Gambling

    Dakka leaned back in her chair, taking a long drink from the hardest ale served in whatever shithole she found herself in. She tried to project an air of casual disregard as she carefully watched the faces around her.

    The lizardman with his distinctly inhuman facial features was the hardest to read. His tongue flicked out of his face, tasting the air as his beady yellow eyes looked over his opponents. In contrast, the little fairy girl couldn¡¯t be any more open as she sighed over and over again at the pasteboard cards in her hand. Dakka kept thinking that it was an act, but the fairy lost hand after hand.

    The other two, a dark elf with unnaturally gray skin¡ªunnaturally for most other species anyway¡ªand a fellow orc, were much easier to read. Right now, she was reading that the orc didn¡¯t like her all that much. Possibly because of her size, probably because of the large stack of silver she had in front of her that used to be in front of him.

    Dakka tossed half a dozen silvers across the table, raising the stakes to the point where the fairy let out a long groan as she threw her cards away. It would have been easy to bait the fairy with a lower bet, but at this point, Dakka was just trying to spare the poor thing from losing any more coin.

    The orc across from her, on the other hand¡­ When it looked like he was about to fold as well, Dakka rolled her eyes with an exaggerated scoff. With an angry grunt, the orc tossed in the remainder of his silvers. Too easy. The dark elf folded while the lizardman tossed in a few of his rather sizable pile of coins.

    Dakka spread her cards on the table. A fairly bad hand, all things considered. The orc let out a guffaw, throwing his cards next to hers while reaching for the pile of silver, only for the lizardman to lash out with a hasty claw.

    ¡°Not sso fasst,¡± the lizardman said, carefully setting his cards down.

    A grin spread across Dakka¡¯s face. A grin that only widened once the orc turned a furious expression her way. She might have lost the hand, but reading the lizardman was a victory all on its own. Mostly because it took away the orc¡¯s victory.

    She didn¡¯t care about the money the lizardman was sliding over to his side. It wasn¡¯t like it was her money. She just cared that the orc was upset. He pissed her off. Now that his pile was completely gone, Dakka stood, dumped the remainder of her coins into her pouch, and waved.

    ¡°Thanks for the games, boys. Was a¡­ productive afternoon.¡± After meeting everyone¡¯s eyes, lingering on the orc¡¯s just a moment longer than everyone else, Dakka turned and left the fine establishment.

    She headed down the road, moving alongside the harbor, though a street removed from the seaside, and continued along until she found what she was looking for. A narrow, deserted wynd between two of the rundown wooden buildings of this district. Dakka took the backstreet, stopped halfway through it, and leaned up against the wall.

    It didn¡¯t take long before a certain, silverless orc rounded the corner. He paused, startled at her simply waiting there, but quickly balled his hands into fists.

    ¡°Tell you what,¡± Dakka said as he approached. ¡°I have a few questions I want answers to. In exchange, I¡¯ll hand over¡­ let¡¯s say ten of your hard-earned silvers.¡±

    ¡°Scared without your lizard friend here?¡± he spat. ¡°He won¡¯t be coming to your rescue this time. My boys are watching him.¡±

    Dakka laughed. She had never met that lizardman before. It might have looked like they were conspiring together to ruin this orc. ¡°Should have brought your boys to back you up. Honestly thought there would be at least three of you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t need anyone to teach a runt like you a lesson.¡±

    Dakka¡¯s eye twitched as she ducked his punch. He was wide and obvious. The orc was two heads taller than she was, around the upper end for male orcs. But he wasn¡¯t a fighter. Not a proper fighter, in any case. Not a raider.

    Sidestepping another punch, Dakka rammed her fist into his stomach. His knuckles slammed into the side of her head, snapping her neck to the side, but she rolled with it, shimmying around a haymaker. Grabbing hold of his shirt and outstretched arm, Dakka stepped forward, wrapping a leg behind his leg. With it, she lifted him up enough to slam his back down onto the hard flagstone ground.

    Dakka kicked her boot into the side of his head once and his shoulders twice as he tried to use the wall to pull himself back up. Bringing her fists together, she hammered down on his head, knocking him down once again.

    Grabbing her axe in one hand, Dakka swung straight for his neck. It bit into the wooden wall behind him, sending splinters flying past his face as it stopped just a hair from the side of his green skin.

    The orc panted, wide-eyed and sweating. His gaze was off in the corners of his eyes, looking at the edge of the blade without turning his head, as if afraid that even a small movement would have it slice into him.

    Dakka grinned. Rearing back, she spat a wad of blood off to the side. ¡°That kind of talk is why you¡¯re silverless,¡± she said with a grin. Blood was probably staining her teeth. She could feel a little warmth on the side of her head where he had hit her. She might even be bleeding there as well. Dakka expected it to add to the intimidation factor. ¡°Now you¡¯re going to answer my questions. Understand?¡±

    He didn¡¯t answer, too focused on gripping the side of his head where Dakka had kicked him.

    ¡°Now,¡± Dakka said, leaning down. ¡°Tell me everything you know about the Duke and his elf.¡±

    <hr>

    Ilya did not meander through the streets, gawking at the compact buildings, stone structures, the fancy fountain in the middle of a stone plaza, or even the hundreds upon hundreds of people that somehow both fit and lived in such a relatively small space. Exploring wasn¡¯t exactly the word she would use for what she was doing despite what she told Arkk. While she didn¡¯t know exactly where she was going, Ilya moved with purpose.

    She had never been this close before.

    In the past, as a child, Ilya had dreamed of coming to this city and valiantly rescuing her mother from the Duke. It had been nothing more than that, dreams. Leaving her home alone or even with Arkk on some crusade had always sounded like madness. Now they were here. Ilya, Arkk, and a completely random and unrelated orc. It still sounded like madness that they were going to do anything, and yet, things had changed.

    Ilya didn¡¯t know where to go, but she knew her destination. She figured that finding it would be easy. All she had to do was follow the wealth. From the district where the majority of the demihumans and beastmen lived to properly maintained wooden buildings and on to stone buildings. When Ilya started to see actual glass in the windows of the surrounding buildings, she knew she was headed in the right direction.

    Much to Ilya¡¯s irritation, she found herself stopped before she could reach what she suspected was her destination.

    At first, Ilya thought it was a canal. Water filled a relatively wide trough of stone bricks at the end of the street she had been walking on. Walking alongside it, Ilya quickly discovered that it was not just a canal, but a moat. The moat didn¡¯t fully encircle the land beyond but only because part of that land stuck out into the ocean. On the opposite side of the moat was a walled land. Maybe even as large as Langleey Village¡ªthe main area including the Baron¡¯s manor, church, and workshops anyway, not the full farmland. There were only two ways across, aside from swimming, and both had guards positioned in front of closed gates.

    Walking around for a few more minutes, Ilya came across just what she needed. A three-story building, tall enough to see well over the wall on the other side of the moat. It was right up against the mountainside, which provided the perfect cover as Ilya scaled the wall, finding handholds and footholds in the wide grooves of the stonemasonry.

    Ilya pulled herself onto the slanted rooftop made of shale shingles. She took care not to go over the peak, keeping her body firmly on the side that faced away from the moat and walls.

    That was it. That had to be it. It looked idyllic. A wide open and frankly beautiful vineyard sat beyond the walls, merged with some kind of park-like garden. It stretched on, wrapping around a truly massive, opulent structure in the center of it all. A veritable castle.

    The Duke¡¯s manor. Though, calling it a manor implied that it was somehow on the same level as Baron Langleey¡¯s manor and it absolutely was not. Power and prestige permeated every aspect of the construction. The grounds covered the majority of the promontory, jutting out into the sea. The fine building at the center of it all was covered in smooth white stone, not at all like the whitewashed church back in Langleey, where the washing had to be reapplied every few years to keep it gleaming. Here, the stone itself was white. An arching dome made of long panels of clear glass occupied a plot of land about as large as the Langleey church while a high tower at the other end of the keep overlooked the ocean.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Between the moat, the wall, and the wide vineyard, it was as if the Duke were keeping an arm¡¯s length from the unwashed masses of the city he presided over.

    People were wandering the grounds. A few guards patrolled the walls and Ilya¡¯s sharp eyes spotted a few more posted in the tall tower but the people on the grounds and in the gardens appeared to be regular people. Gardeners tended to the vineyard.

    Others meandered about as well, though not workers. Most were women, dressed in fine robes and gowns. As far as Ilya could tell, they were simply wandering about, enjoying the gardens and the company of each other. Interestingly enough, they weren¡¯t all human.

    Arkk had mentioned in the past, hearing tales from the various travelers to the village with whom he loved to talk, that demihumans weren¡¯t often treated well within the Duchy. Ilya hadn¡¯t necessarily believed it. Certainly, no one in Langleey had treated her poorly. Then again, elves supposedly got off lightly compared to some of the more monstrous species. Cliff was evidence enough for her. The way all the demihumans had been shoved off into one little corner of the city, a particularly poor and unkempt corner at that, spoke volumes.

    Yet, demihumans were wandering the grounds. They wore fine clothes, no less, not the clothes of serfs or workers. Ilya spotted a dark elf¡ªeasily identifiable by her red eyes and long yet more rounded ears¡ªtwo harpies, a dryad that looked like a walking tangle of bark and vines, a pair of werecats, an orc that, based on the heights of those around it, was even smaller than Dakka, and one other monster that Ilya couldn¡¯t decide if it was a water elemental or a particularly well-formed slime. Of course, there were elves as well. The vast majority of the women wandering the grounds were elves.

    There were almost no humans aside from the guards.

    Ilya watched from the roof for hours, eyes moving from elf to elf, trying to spot anything familiar on their faces. The people in the bailey meandered about, wandering into the manor and back out. Was that the same orc as before? A werehound joined the small group of beastmen, excitedly running around and annoying the werecats at the same time.

    What were all these women doing, just lounging around? Ilya wasn¡¯t sure that she understood. Maybe she just didn¡¯t want to understand, not wanting to think of what it might mean for her mother. If her mother was even there.

    Ilya didn¡¯t want to think about what it might mean if her mother wasn¡¯t there either.

    The sun started to set before Ilya began to stir. She had been watching the manor grounds all day. It was well past time to meet up with Arkk and Dakka. If she delayed much longer, they would probably start panicking.

    Just before she could begin climbing down from the roof, however, she heard a loud squawk from the manor grounds.

    One of the harpies took off in a sprint, wings flapping. Kicking off the ground with her powerful legs, the harpy launched into the air, much to the alarm of the guards on the walls. Crossbow bolts started flying through the air. While the guards were targeting the harpy in the air, the bolts came down everywhere, forcing everyone on the ground to rush for cover in the safety of the manor.

    The harpy did not get very far. It wasn¡¯t even the crossbows that got her. The harpy banked under a volley of bolts, then, as the guards were cranking back their crossbows for another shot, the harpy headed straight over the walls.

    A lattice of thin blue lines encapsulated the entire manor, bailey and all. A pair of robe-wearing guards stood in the tall tower at the center of the compound, crouched around a glowing light. Ilya couldn¡¯t see what was glowing from her angle, but she had seen that same light before when Arkk tried to do rituals. The manor had magical protections.

    After running into the lattice, the harpy seemed to pass out in mid-air. Her wings, still spread wide, caught the air but the harpy made no effort to stop her tight spiral as she crashed into the ground behind the wall. Ilya winced, wondering if the harpy had survived. She could only barely see the bird-woman, but what she could see wasn¡¯t moving.

    Ilya¡¯s eyes were drawn up to the manor where people were once again running out. Guards from the walls made it to the harpy first, but Ilya wasn¡¯t paying attention to them anymore. How could she? Her eyes were locked on a tall, graceful elf striding across the bailey.

    An elf with long, silver hair, silver eyes, and sharp ears.

    Ilya sucked in a breath.

    That was her. Her mother. Alya. She reached the harpy and started saying something to the guards. Even though she was practically yelling, Ilya¡¯s sensitive ears heard nothing while she was focused on her mother¡¯s face.

    She looked¡­ well. Healthy. Her skin was as flawless as Ilya remembered, with no sign of bruises or abuse. Her arms weren¡¯t scrawny sticks of skin and bone. Although Ilya wasn¡¯t listening to her words, she had a strong voice as she shouted at the guards. It¡­ wasn¡¯t what Ilya had been expecting. In all her nightmares, her mother had been chained up in a deep dungeon, shackled to the walls, and fed little more than barley water. In the better nightmares, Ilya and Arkk charged in with a sword and bow, chopping down guards as they worked to free her.

    In her focus on her mother, Ilya completely missed someone else approaching the guards and the fallen harpy. It wasn¡¯t until he grabbed Alya by the waist that Ilya took notice.

    He was short, especially next to Alya, with large bulging eyes like those of a frog. Dressed in the finest clothes that Ilya had ever seen, he wore a velvety black and red lounge jacket with particularly bright red lapels. Every finger on both his hands was adorned with gold bands and colorful gemstones. A large blue and white striped shield emblem hung proudly off his chest, surrounded by filigree while a winged lion stood on its hind legs in the center.

    Duke Levi Woldair.

    It had to be him. Ilya had never seen the man before, but the moment she put her eyes on his slimy grin, she knew it had to be him.

    Ilya¡¯s hand moved to her back where her mother¡¯s bow was locked in its clasps. He was right there. Right in front of her. Standing out in the open. From her elevated position, it would be too easy to end him right now.

    Before she could fully unclasp her bow from her back, her movements made it scrape against the shale tiles of the roof. Ilya froze solid at the noise, not daring to move. Even though it had been a faint scrape, it sounded like thunder to her sharp ears.

    The humans across the moat didn¡¯t react in the slightest as they continued to speak to one another. Her mother, however, snapped her gaze up. She looked around for just a moment before her gaze landed on Ilya. Her eyes widened for a bare instant before narrowing into a thin glare. She kept her gaze on Ilya long enough to mouth a single word.

    ¡°Leave.¡±

    As soon as she said that, she adopted a forced smile and leaned down, whispering something into the Duke¡¯s ear. Whatever it was, the Duke let out a laugh and waved off his guards. One guard, who Ilya now realized had a loaded crossbow aimed at the harpy¡¯s head, pulled back as two others moved to grab the harpy by the wings. They dragged her off toward the manor.

    The Duke followed and Ilya¡¯s mother fell in line just behind him, putting herself between Ilya and the Duke.

    It was another hour, well after sunset, before Ilya dared to climb down from her perch. Neither the Duke nor her mother returned from the manor. Most of the others Ilya had seen over the day remained inside as well. Only the guards stayed out, returning to their posts around the walls and towers. After the excitement with the harpy, they remained on alert, but that slowly died down.

    Ilya drifted through a haze as she made her way back to the Primrose. She couldn¡¯t believe what she had seen.

    Ilya clenched her teeth, fingers digging into the palms of her tightly clenched fists. Her mother was protecting the Duke? Why? And that glare¡­ The first time she saw Ilya in fifteen years and she glared? Ilya couldn¡¯t understand it. In all her worst nightmares, she had never seen that reaction. She had been prepared to find her mother battered and broken, used and abused in ways that Ilya didn¡¯t even want to think about. And yet¡­

    ¡°There you are!¡±

    Ilya blinked, realizing that she had made it back to the Primrose. Dakka sat at one of the tables, a half-burned cigar in one hand and a spread of pasteboard cards in the other. The orc dropped her cards on the table, face down, and scooped a rather large pile of coins into her pouch as she stood, much to the disappointed looks of those she was sharing a table with.

    ¡°You look like shit,¡± Dakka said, picking up an orc-sized flagon full of beer from the table and marching right over to Ilya. ¡°Drink?¡±

    Ilya stared at the orc for a moment. Alcohol wasn¡¯t her favorite thing in the world, beer even less. Yet, right now¡­ She reached out and took the tall mug. Tipping it back, she started drinking and didn¡¯t stop until there was nothing left.

    For some inane reason, people around her let out a laughing cheer when she finished.

    ¡°Damn,¡± Dakka said as Ilya shoved the empty mug back over. ¡°Don¡¯t know what happened to you, but I might have some good news to cheer you back up.¡±

    ¡°Good news?¡±

    Dakka glanced around, dropped the flagon on the nearest table, then motioned toward the stairs up to the second floor. ¡°Not here.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡±

    Ilya followed after Dakka, feeling everything she just drank slosh around in her otherwise empty stomach. She hadn¡¯t eaten anything since morning, having stayed up on that rooftop all day. About halfway up, she thought she might wind up sick, but managed to steady herself before continuing. It helped that Dakka clapped a hand to her back, steadying her.

    ¡°So,¡± Dakka said as they stepped into their room. ¡°It turns out the Duke has a lot of monsters in his¡­ collection.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I noticed.¡±

    ¡°Noticed?¡±

    Ilya shook her head as she slumped onto the bed, motioning with her hand for Dakka to continue.

    ¡°Well, he has many elves,¡± Dakka said, sounding a little less certain of her supposed good news. ¡°Word is that he treats them very well.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Ilya might have been happy to hear that earlier, but now? Did the Duke treat them well enough that her own mother would trade her for his company? She felt nausea welling inside her at the thought.

    Or maybe that was the alcohol.

    ¡°If that doesn¡¯t cheer you up,¡± Dakka said, hesitating a moment as she watched Ilya. ¡°The Duke holds monthly parties at his manor where he shows off his collection to all the important people in the city.¡±

    Ilya blinked, looking up while slowly shaking her head. ¡°Is that supposed to make me happy?¡±

    ¡°I thought that, with you and Arkk planning on pretending to be some important people, you might make it into his manor for one of these parties.¡±

    It took a moment for the words to hit her, but when they did, Ilya sat up straight. She nodded her head, slowly at first, then faster and faster. ¡°Yes. We could get in and I could ask¡­¡± Ilya trailed off, a lump forming in her throat.

    ¡°In addition to parties, I hear he auctions some of them off on occasion.¡±

    ¡°Auctions?¡± Ilya said, nose wrinkling.

    ¡°Disgusting, yeah. The Duchy officially has a bounty on any slavers. Apparently owning slaves isn¡¯t against any decrees.¡± Dakka shrugged as if the notion didn¡¯t bother her much. It was just the way things were. ¡°With your goal, however¡­¡±

    Ilya¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re right. Right, we just need to,¡± Ilya said, standing, then she looked around. She squinted, the room was dark, but it was obvious that only she and Dakka were inside. ¡°Where is Arkk?¡±

    Dakka shrugged. ¡°No idea. Haven¡¯t seen him since this morning.¡±

    ¡°He was the one who insisted we be back before sunset.¡±

    ¡°I was back,¡± Dakka said, tone implying that she had been the only one to follow that particular plan.

    ¡°Oh no. I feel like he¡¯s gotten himself into another mess¡­¡± Ilya said, staggering over to the window. ¡°I hope he hasn¡¯t made anything explode.¡±

    ¡°Or anyone.¡±

    Ilya grimaced. Memories of the orc chieftain¡¯s grim fate were too much for her, making her lean over the windowsill.

    She ignored Dakka griping about the waste of good beer.

 The Inquisiton of the Light

    Arkk sat on a bench outside the recovery ward of Cliff¡¯s academy. He had run out to get help the moment the woman¡ªZullie, he had discovered¡ªcollapsed. A few students and instructors had come, picked her up, and carried her off to the recovery ward. He should have left while they were busy and not paying attention to him, but two things were keeping him at the academy.

    First, he hadn¡¯t accomplished anything he had come here to do. All he had learned was one spell that he couldn¡¯t remember after having heard its long incantation only once. Secondly, well, he felt guilty. That woman had collapsed after having tried to cast his spell. He had no idea why. None of what Vezta instilled in his mind with the [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE] gave him any clue as to what had happened to Zullie.

    Still, he should have left. He could have come back in the morning. They were planning on spending three days in Cliff, plenty of time to visit again and both look into the matter of books and check up on Zullie.

    He should have left.

    He knew he should have left the moment he spotted a familiar face walking down the academy corridor. Arkk should only know two other faces in the entire city and this was neither.

    The man¡¯s head practically scraped the ceiling of the corridors. His posture, head slightly ahead of the rest of his body and arms straight at his side without swinging as he moved, triggered all kinds of unease in Arkk. The worst was his smile. It looked calm and serene, but the stiffness and the way his lips were parted just enough to see his upper teeth didn¡¯t help Arkk¡¯s disquiet.

    He walked right past Arkk, reaching for the door handle with his long arms, but paused the moment he touched the metal. With a faint sniff, he turned his head.

    There was a slight, awkward pause as recognition lit up behind those thin round glasses. ¡°Ah. Mister Arkk,¡± he said in the same tone someone might use when greeting an old friend.

    Arkk held in a sigh. ¡°Master Inquisitor Darius Vrox. Right?¡±

    ¡°You remembered.¡±

    ¡°Well, you made an impression, I guess.¡±

    His smile deepened without reaching his eyes for a bare instant before he returned to a placid expression. ¡°Fancy encountering you here. Did you recall something you wished to tell us?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡­¡± Arkk trailed off as the Master Inquisitor stepped closer, utterly dwarfing him as he remained in his seat. ¡°I remembered what you said about learning at a magical academy and decided to come to take a look for myself.¡±

    ¡°Enjoying yourself so far?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t really get a chance to look around before the first person I tried to talk to collapsed,¡± Arkk said with a glance at the closed door.

    ¡°I heard an old colleague of mine suffered some sort of magical malady,¡± Vrox said, looking toward the door. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve found you here, many questions come to mind.¡±

    ¡°As much as I would love to answer them,¡± Arkk started, sliding to the side on the bench so he could stand without bumping into Vrox. ¡°I was only sticking around to make sure Zullie was alright, but if someone as qualified as you is here¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stay,¡± Vrox said, taking a step to the side to keep in front of Arkk. ¡°Tell me what you did.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think I did anything?¡±

    ¡°Because you are here,¡± Vrox said, smile slipping entirely. ¡°And, Mister Arkk, I do not trust you. I do not believe a word you say. From the moment we met, you have done nothing but lie to me.¡±

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Another lie.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, glaring. ¡°Then I suppose there is no point in telling you anything, is there? If you aren¡¯t going to believe a word I say, why waste my breath?¡±

    Darius Vrox stared, then smiled his stiff, open-mouthed grin once again. ¡°Well, shall we see how our unfortunate professor is handling herself?¡± he asked, stepping to the door. Without even waiting for Arkk¡¯s response, he turned the handle and pushed the door open.

    Arkk glanced down the corridor. This was his chance to escape. Yet, if he ran away now, he was sure that Vrox would see that as a sign of further guilt. Arkk still wasn¡¯t sure exactly what the inquisitors wanted, but Olatt¡¯an, Vezta, and Ilya all said that having them after him would be irritating at best, but more likely deadly.

    Not to mention, he did want to know if Zullie was alright.

    With a sigh, feeling again like he should just leave, Arkk followed Vrox into the recovery ward.

    Cliff Academy Recovery Ward was a fairly subdued affair. There was a large desk with a larger shelf behind it. Dozens of stoppered glass bottles occupied the spaces, each a different size, shape, and with different colored liquids inside. Between the shelf and the desk, a woman sat wearing white robes almost identical to those worn by Abbess Keena in Langleey. Her clothes covered her entire body except for her face and her hands.

    Beyond the desk, several beds were pushed up against the wall. Three of the five were unoccupied. One had a younger man with bloodied bandages wrapped around one arm. Zullie was in the other, asleep and unharmed save for the large bruise that had spread across her chin and cheek on one side of her face.

    Another man stood over her bed. He wore a long white cassock with a little black square at the center of his collar. There was no doubt that this man was a member of the Abbey of the Light; the golden thread woven into his cassock formed the same symbols that adorned Abbess Keena¡¯s habit and the church buildings.

    ¡°Priest,¡± Vrox said, stepping up to the foot of the bed.

    ¡°Who¡ª¡± The priest looked up from Zullie. His eyes widened to their maximum and he took a hesitant step back. ¡°M-Ma¡ª¡±

    ¡°Darius Vrox, at your service.¡±

    ¡°Master Inquisitor!¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± Vrox said with his utterly insincere smile, ¡°call me Darius.¡± His eyes shifted down to Zullie and his smile disappeared. ¡°What happened to the female?¡±

    ¡°Your Eminence!¡± the priest shouted, back stiffening. ¡°This is hardly a matter that warrants your attention.¡±

    ¡°I will be the judge of that.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Sir.¡± The priest glanced downward, frowning at the woman on the bed. ¡°It¡¯s just Zullie. One of our premier spell researchers. Except, she doesn¡¯t know when to stop. She has overloaded her magical channels. Again. A bit of rest and she¡¯ll be back on her feet.¡±

    ¡°This is a frequent occurrence?¡±

    ¡°Oh yes. This happens¡­ once a month at the very least.¡±

    ¡°Once a month?¡± Arkk said. ¡°It isn¡¯t anything serious?¡±

    The priest jolted, glancing at Arkk as if it were the first time he noticed that anyone else was in the room. With a slight glance to Vrox, who didn¡¯t move in the slightest, the priest nodded his head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it isn¡¯t serious, but it is hardly unusual for Zullie. You¡¯re the one who brought her here? I didn¡¯t realize you were waiting around.¡±

    Arkk sighed. ¡°I should have left. I was worried for nothing.¡±

    Scratching the back of his head, the priest offered a half-hearted shrug. Looking back to the inquisitor, he stiffened and cleared his throat. ¡°I offered a prayer of rejuvenation as well as administered a phial of replenishment. There is no need to concern yourself, Sir.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary, I find myself quite concerned when one of our esteemed oracles begins a Prognosis stating that the stars have begun aligning within Cliff Magical Academy.¡±

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°Inside?¡± Arkk said, frowning. He grimaced at having accidentally drawn the inquisitor¡¯s attention but pressed his lips together and continued when no one said anything to him. ¡°Don¡¯t you mean above? How are stars aligning inside a mountain?¡±

    Vrox fixed Arkk with a long look. Long enough that Arkk felt himself fidgeting under the taller man¡¯s gaze. ¡°Where is the horror from beyond the stars, Mister Arkk?¡±

    ¡°This again,¡± Arkk mumbled with a sigh. ¡°I haven¡¯t even seen that monster in¡­ over a week at least,¡± he said, once again implying one thing without lying. Thinking back to what Vezta had said, he asked, ¡°What does that even mean, beyond the stars?¡±

    ¡°Mister Arkk, I understand that you are a lowly countryside creature ignorant of the ways of the world and, I¡¯m sure, most everything save for farming and what few scraps of magic you might have gleaned from the pages of passers-by.¡±

    Arkk waited for the ¡®but¡¯ to follow that extended insult.

    It never came.

    ¡°The Inquisition of the Light exists to protect the world and all its inhabitants from things beyond,¡± Vrox continued. ¡°A mine infested by gorgon or a necromancer commanding an army of thousands is mere child¡¯s play compared to what I have personally seen. The things we deal with threaten the very concept of life; the average being we hunt down is unimaginable to the majority of humans. And yet, I believe you, in all your ignorance, would imagine one such being quite well.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re talking about Vezta,¡± Arkk said with a scowl, ¡°then I told you in Langleey. She showed up and helped defend the village. So obviously I can imagine her. But we almost got overwhelmed by a hundred goblins. I would be far more scared of a necromancer with an army. Besides, she helped the village. Saved us, even. An enemy of life itself or whatever wouldn¡¯t have done that. You¡¯re clearly barking up the wrong tree.¡±

    Vrox took a deep breath, staring. His smile snapped back into place. ¡°Possible,¡± he said, turning away from the bed. ¡°But unlikely given the description we received. And now, I find you at the site of the oracle¡¯s Prognosis. There is a limit to coincidence, Mister Arkk.¡± He dipped his head. ¡°Please inform any member of the Abbey of the Light should you recall anything of interest regarding your monster. We may be mistaken. Finding the creature and examining it would put our worries to rest. Good day, Mister Arkk.¡±

    Arkk watched the tall man duck through the doorway and turn down the hall.

    Now, he decided not to leave. Not yet, anyway. Let the inquisitor get far away before he followed. The last thing Arkk wanted to do was carry on their conversation on the way out. Or worse, walk along in awkward silence. Instead, Arkk turned back to Zullie and the priest.

    The priest was breathing hard, half collapsed onto the adjacent bed. His face was flushed and he kept patting his chest.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Arkk asked, not wanting to be responsible for a second person fainting in his presence today.

    ¡°Oh dear me. I¡¯m¡­¡± He pressed his lips together, breathing out. One more breath in and he seemed to calm himself down. ¡°Not every day you run into an inquisitor, is it? Not to speak ill of His Eminence, but I am glad he is gone. Ill omens follow in their wake. I hope he doesn¡¯t return.¡±

    ¡°Ill omens?¡±

    ¡°As he said, inquisitors hunt dangerous creatures and forbidden magics. If an inquisitor is snooping about, one of those things is certainly present.¡± The priest glanced down at Zullie. ¡°I hope you haven¡¯t been delving into dangerous research. Again,¡± he mumbled under his breath. ¡°Sorry. Just a bit shook is all. You mentioned that you were from Langleey?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve heard of it?¡± Arkk asked, surprised. He had been telling people he came from Smilesville after the first few people had no idea where Langleey was.

    ¡°The abbess in charge is still Keena, correct?¡± At Arkk¡¯s nod, he smiled. ¡°Keena and I were initiates and, later, acolytes at the same time. Tell her Heller says hello. I haven¡¯t seen her in years.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be happy¡ª¡±

    Zullie¡¯s eyes snapped open as she gasped in her bed. The gasp turned into a rickety cough that ended with her leaning over the side of the bed. Arkk thought she was going to be sick for a moment, but she ended up only spitting out a small wad of blood onto the floor.

    ¡°Zullie! Please,¡± Heller said, pinching his nose. ¡°I¡¯ve told you time and time again and now you¡¯re dirtying my ward¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ugh, here again,¡± Zullie groaned, smacking herself in the face. ¡°Glasses. Where are my glasses, old man?¡±

    ¡°I am not old.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re twice my age, almost three times,¡± Zullie said. She patted her hands around the bedside table until her fingers found the square rims of her glasses. She tried to put them on, only to hiss as she jabbed herself right in her bruise. With a finger, she tenderly prodded at it, feeling for the edges of the injury.

    ¡°I applied some poultice. You¡¯ll probably be tender for a good week.¡±

    ¡°Great.¡± Zullie carefully slid the glasses onto her face, taking special care not to bump her cheek. ¡°How long¡­¡± She trailed off as she looked around the room. ¡°You!¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arkk said with a grimace. ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡ª¡±

    ¡°How did you do that?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    Against the protests of the priest, Zullie jumped out of her bed, lunging for Arkk. He started to back up, moving out of reach of her grab, only to watch her legs fail her. Arkk stepped forward quickly, managing to catch her before she could crash to the floor again.

    ¡°You need rest, Zullie,¡± Heller said, moving around the bed to help.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need rest.¡± She fought him off, grabbing hold of Arkk by the shoulders and pulling herself far too close for comfort.

    What was it with these people and their lack of personal boundaries?

    ¡°You!¡± Zullie said again. ¡°How? I poured everything I had into that and couldn¡¯t manage a spark!¡±

    Arkk shrugged. ¡°You were talking about elements and gestures? Maybe you got the wrong ones.¡±

    ¡°No. Something should have happened.¡±

    ¡°You collapsed.¡±

    She glared.

    ¡°Uh¡­ there was a slight flash of light? Nothing too bright. It might have been my imagination, honestly.¡±

    Releasing him, Zullie pinched her chin between her thumb and forefinger. ¡°So, it did work,¡± she mumbled to herself. ¡°But¡­¡±

    As the magical researcher began mumbling to herself about various magical theories that Arkk couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of, he started backing away. Slowly at first, but once he got to the door, he picked up his pace. He really should have left a long time ago. There would surely be others around who could point him to a bookstore. Maybe even Hawkwood. Surely a mercenary company made use of spellcasters in their ranks.

    Arkk didn¡¯t make it very far before he heard the woman running up from behind. She had barely been able to stand a moment ago and now she was running? Arkk had to give her points for determination if nothing else.

    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Zullie shouted as she closed the distance.

    ¡°Thought you needed your rest,¡± Arkk said with a wan smile as he turned around.

    ¡°What I need is to figure out how you did that spell. Show me again.¡±

    Arkk sighed. ¡°Before you go pass out again, would you mind telling me where I can pick up some books on magic? Both rituals and incantations, please.¡±

    ¡°You want books after showing me that? If I knew where to find a book that could teach me to cast a spell in two words, you think I¡¯d be in this dump? I would be living large as the King¡¯s court sorcerer!¡±

    ¡°Well, I would still like some books. And I have no idea how to teach you that spell. The way I learned it¡­¡± Arkk pressed his lips together. ¡°It was unorthodox, to say the least. And some people might be after the person who taught me.¡±

    ¡°The inquisitor?¡± Zullie asked, violet eyes piercing through her glasses. ¡°I was half-awake throughout all that. Caught part of it, I think.¡± She stepped back, crossing her arms with a thoughtful expression on her face. ¡°Forbidden magic, huh? Inquisitors don¡¯t roll out of bed for a soul-splitting lich and you¡¯ve got them in a tizzy over a little lightning bolt?¡±

    ¡°I think they¡¯re after the person who taught it,¡± Arkk repeated.

    ¡°Only because they don¡¯t know about the spell. Did you ever demonstrate it for them?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t. I¡¯ll teach you a proper spell for a lightning bolt if they ever show up asking to know.¡±

    Arkk raised his eyebrows. ¡°You¡¯ll help me? Even if I¡¯ve got these inquisitors buzzing over my shoulder?¡±

    Zullie stared at him, eyes locked on his. ¡°There is nothing I value more than the pursuit of magical advancement. A two-word lightning spell of that caliber¡­ To be honest, it puts every accomplishment under my name to shame.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful. Fascinating. So, you teach me your spell or bring me to your tutor and I teach you how to better hide from the inquisitors. They are non-too-pleased with me, to be honest. I have experience dealing with them. How does that sound?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, frowning. ¡°Well, I need to be careful making transactional agreements like that. You might end up getting hired by accident.¡±

    ¡°Hired?¡±

    Arkk shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. He was sure she would be interested in that as well given that the [HEART] was some ancient magical artifact. With her as excited as she was about the lightning spell, he didn¡¯t want to alarm¡ªor excite¡ªher any further.

    ¡°My companions and I were only going to be in the city for another few days before we return home. We are planning on coming back sometime soon, but I don¡¯t know about bringing Vezta¡ª¡±

    ¡°How many more days?¡±

    ¡°Two or three.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have my things packed and ready.¡±

    Arkk stared. ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°I can pay my way for food and sleeping accommodations. Transit too, if necessary.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re coming with us?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zullie said, straight-faced and entirely serious. ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°I guess not.¡± He would double-check with Ilya and Dakka, but he doubted they would mind. And if she was going to help him with the inquisitors, then keeping her happy would be for the best. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly when we¡¯re going to leave. Stop by the Primrose stayover tomorrow night and we¡¯ll have a better idea.¡±

    ¡°Primrose,¡± she said, nose wrinkling.

    ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°No, no. I suppose not.¡± Nodding to herself, she straightened her back. Arms still crossed, she angled one upward and gestured vaguely with her fingers. ¡°I will be there. Tomorrow evening, before sunset.¡±

    ¡°Great. I¡¯ll let the others know,¡± Arkk said, backing away once again.

    For a long few moments, he thought she might chase after him, but she didn¡¯t. Zullie remained right where she was, tapping her finger against her chin while muttering to herself. Satisfied that he wasn¡¯t about to be tackled, Arkk began the long process of figuring out where to find the exit to the maze of interconnected corridors.

    It did remind him of Fortress Al-Mir in that regard, though he had never found himself lost back home. The fortress projected a map into his mind and he could teleport anywhere at will within. The same was not true here.

    Eventually, he found someone else wandering the halls who was happy to show him the way out.

    When he saw the night sky hanging overhead, Arkk winced.

    ¡°The others are going to kill me,¡± he mumbled.

 Viscount Wesley

    ¡°She didn¡¯t even look at me. The moment she realized who I was, she turned away. Not once did she even pretend to glance back.¡±

    ¡°Did you expect her to start shouting and waving? Pointing out the elf on the rooftop about to attack the Duke?¡± Arkk said with a shake of his head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you were about¡ª¡±

    Ilya cut him off. ¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°What else were you grabbing your bow for?¡±

    ¡°I just¡­ nothing,¡± she said through her teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it. Not unless we¡¯re talking about how to get into one of the Duke¡¯s parties.¡±

    ¡°Could always put Ilya up for auction,¡± Dakka said as they walked along one of the fancier roads in the city.

    ¡°No, no,¡± Arkk said, shooting the orc a look. Then he turned a glare on Ilya, who looked to be considering the possibility. ¡°Getting in is only part of the problem. We have to get back out too, with Alya. From what you said, how close she seemed to the duke, it doesn¡¯t sound like she is likely to be sold off at an auction.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Ilya said, looking to Arkk, ¡°how do we do it?¡±

    ¡°Magic. Maybe¡­ I¡¯m a bit wary about those magical defenses you said the manor had. If those interfere with Vezta¡¯s teleportation circles, we¡¯ll have to find another route.¡± Arkk shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll ask her when we return. We¡¯ve confirmed that Alya is safe and isn¡¯t being harmed. That means we have time to figure it out. No need to rush in there without a plan. In any case, what we¡¯re doing now may or may not help. Not sure. I was planning on doing this anyway.¡± Arkk glanced around, then dropped his voice to a lower register. ¡°Let¡¯s avoid discussing Alya for now.¡±

    ¡°What are we doing?¡± Dakka asked, looking around with a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you two, but several people we¡¯ve passed have been staring. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m welcome in this section of the city.¡±

    Arkk had noticed the stares as well. They were far from the only ones out and about. In contrast to the area around the Primrose, people here had a much more obvious wealth and a pampered air to them. They were also, by and large, human. The number of demihumans they had passed in the last ten minutes of walking could be counted on one hand. It was¡­ odd. The Duke had a whole manor filled with demihumans and beastmen, yet in the wider city, they were treated poorly.

    It made Arkk wonder what the three of them looked like walking down the street. He and Ilya both had their fine clothes on, but she wasn¡¯t bothering to hide her ears at the moment. Dakka, lacking fancy clothes from the fortress tailor servant, had her normal metal armor on with her shield attached to her back and her axe slung against her hip. Would they look like two well-to-do sorts walking around with an orc bodyguard or could the people they were passing simply tell that they weren¡¯t as affluent as they were pretending to be?

    Unconsciously, Arkk rubbed at the back of his neck.

    Luckily, they were almost there. Arkk turned through a small black-metal archway to a building that looked like it could have been a fortress of its own. Not like Fortress Al-Mir, but something akin to the garrison in the city. Strong, thick walls, a heavy wooden door reinforced with iron, and a long path between the gate and the building where people might rain arrows down on intruders.

    Today, Arkk wasn¡¯t an intruder but an invited guest. Though, being invited still meant he was asked to stand around outside while the men in white tabards with black chevrons went to fetch their commander. Expecting Arkk to arrive, it didn¡¯t take long for Hawkwood to step outside with a smile on his face. He took in both Ilya and Dakka without losing that smile, then stepped forward with a hand extended.

    ¡°Mister Arkk, glad you made it.¡±

    ¡°Hawkwood,¡± Arkk said, taking his hand. He then motioned to his left and right. ¡°This is Ilya, my¡­ second in command? And Dakka. She¡¯s the¡­ uh¡­ field commander for the orcs I mentioned having in my employ,¡± he said, faltering with introducing their duties. It wasn¡¯t something he had thought about until this moment, but just introducing them as Dakka and Ilya felt lacking.

    ¡°You really are new to this, aren¡¯t you?¡± Hawkwood said with a hearty laugh. Though his smile remained in place, his tone turned far more serious as he continued speaking. ¡°It does make me wonder how you secured their loyalty.¡±

    Arkk hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. He had deliberately avoided mentioning Fortress Al-Mir and its powers during his earlier explanation of events.

    Dakka, however, came to his rescue with a casual shrug. ¡°Most of us were already displeased with the way things were going. Arkk offered an alternative that kept our heads from a chopping block along with the possibility for meaningful jobs.¡± She shrugged again then looked down to Arkk. ¡°Though if you have us farming again, you only have yourself to blame for desertions.¡±

    Hawkwood clapped his hands together a few times, laughing all the while. ¡°No farm work today,¡± he said, giving Dakka a companionable thwack against her armbrace. ¡°Might not find it much more exciting, mind, but it isn¡¯t farming.¡±

    ¡°Where are you taking us?¡± Arkk asked.

    ¡°One of those jobs you were looking at the other day was for tracking down a missing daughter. Remember that? Still interested?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ part of the reason for that is that I know a tracking ritual. But I¡¯m not sure that I should use it on anyone I don¡¯t want harmed. It has a¡­ dangerous component to it.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Hawkwood crossed his arms.

    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t know¡ª¡±

    ¡°No matter. The appointment has already been made. We¡¯re meeting with Viscount Wesley now. He is waiting inside.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re, excuse me, we¡¯re meeting with a viscount?¡± Ilya asked, startled out of her morose thoughts, bringing her into the conversation for the first time since Hawkwood walked out. ¡°Arkk,¡± she hissed, turning toward him.

    ¡°Nothing to worry about. Viscount Wesley is a serious man who takes his duties to the Duchy with the utmost decorum expected of a man in his station. However, since his daughter¡¯s disappearance, he has been increasingly disturbed. Someone, anyone, offering even the hope that they are looking for his daughter will go a great way toward helping him from his depression.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t offered to help?¡± Arkk asked Hawkwood. He tried not to sound accusatory, but if the situation was as dire as it sounded, surely he could offer assistance.

    The knight shook his head. ¡°White Company isn¡¯t exactly that kind of mercenary group. We¡¯re under a direct charter from the Duke himself, effectively acting as a supplementary army to the guards of the realm. A single individual going missing, while tragic, is outside the purview of our contracted duties. To be more accurate, we cannot take on other contracts without the express permission of Duke Woldair.¡±

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°But nothing is preventing me from introducing the Viscount to an up-and-coming mercenary group like yours. Come along,¡± he said, turning back to the White Company headquarters. Right before he reached the door, he paused and looked back. ¡°You never mentioned a name for your group. I presume you are not registered with the realm¡ªI can help backdate that if you wish¡ªbut having a name is important. It grants legitimacy and helps to spread reputation among anyone interested in the services of mercenaries.¡±

    Arkk hadn¡¯t spent any more time considering what to call his group than he had what to call Ilya and Dakka. His first thought was of Fortress Al-Mir. He couldn¡¯t call them Fortress Al-Mir, but perhaps Al-Mir? It sounded like it needed something more. From his earlier meeting with Hawkwood, he had heard of a few other mercenary groups. White Company, of course, and then there was the Veridian Guard, a smaller group that specialized in taking down nefarious spellcasters, the Flying Dragons, a group of beastmen¡ªnone of whom were dragons or even dragonkin according to Hawkwood¡ªthat primarily served as bodyguards to wealthy individuals who could afford their unique skills, and the Grand Company, soldiers leftover from the War of Kings who sold their services to the highest bidder. They all had two words in their names.

    ¡°Company Al-Mir?¡± Arkk wasn¡¯t sure that felt right, but put on the spot like this?

    ¡°Al-Mir?¡± Hawkwood asked.

    ¡°It has meaning to us,¡± Arkk said, not wanting to divulge anything more about the fortress. Perhaps he shouldn¡¯t have even mentioned the name.

    Not that it looked like Hawkwood noticed. With a shrug and a quirk of his head, he opened the door and led the group through a short hallway before they arrived at a small conference room. It was a surprisingly grandiose affair. Thick, cushioned furniture, large portraits over the mantle above a fireplace, a small table set out with colored confections that Arkk had never seen before, and the man himself.

    Viscount Wesley was every bit as opulent as Arkk would expect from a viscount. Arkk didn¡¯t know exactly what viscounts did, but that they had a title at all meant they were people of importance. The man wore a slick black suit with red accents, far nicer than Arkk¡¯s attire, and had perfectly styled white hair slicked back over his head. With gloved hands, he lifted an ornate teacup to his mouth and started to take a sip. He paused as soon as he noticed the door opening.

    As Arkk entered, with Ilya and Dakka behind him, he noted Wesley¡¯s nose wrinkle as if a foul stench had followed them into the room. Casting his gaze on the teacup, which received an undeserved look of disgust, he set the cup down on the table and placed his hands on the knee of his crossed legs.

    ¡°Viscount Wesley,¡± Hawkwood said, striding into the room with perfect confidence. He offered a slight bow then gestured back. ¡°May I present Mister Arkk, Ilya, and Dakka of Company Al-Mir.¡±

    Arkk ducked his head at his introduction, as did Ilya. Dakka didn¡¯t. The Viscount simply sat still for a long moment before he nodded his head.

    ¡°Charmed,¡± he said, the word coming out in a slow drawl where he never quite parted his teeth.

    ¡°Good afternoon, Viscount,¡± Arkk said with a slightly more respectful bow. It felt gross doing so. Unnatural. Made all the worse by the fact that this certainly did not look like a man fearing for his lost daughter. ¡°I understand you had a daughter go missing?¡±

    ¡°Missing?¡± Viscount Wesley ground his teeth together, clenching one of his hands into a fist. ¡°She was kidnapped!¡±

    ¡°Kidnapped?¡± ¡°Kidnapped?¡±

    Arkk and Hawkwood spoke at the same time, glancing at each other immediately after. Deferring to his experience in mercenary endeavors, Arkk waited for him to speak first.

    ¡°The notice posted on the garrison said¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know what it says. The¡ª¡± Wesley¡¯s eyes flicked to Ilya then back to Hawkwood. ¡°¡ªperson taking my statement did not comprehend what I was saying. Gretchen is not so clumsy as to fail to find her way back home, nor would she simply abandon her comfortable life in the manor. The girl was kidnapped. Stolen.¡±

    ¡°Do you have suspects or leads? Any news of ransoms or¡­¡± Hawkwood curled his lip in disgust. ¡°Or marriages?¡±

    ¡°No. No to all three questions,¡± Wesley said. He pressed his thumb and middle finger to either side of his eyebrows, shading his eyes as he sighed. ¡°It has been eight days. I have not seen hide nor hair of Gretchen or her abductors. I commissioned the Jarman Guild with seeking her out, but I¡¯ve not heard from them either. I know not whether they perished or simply took my down payment and fled.¡±

    Arkk made a note to ask Hawkwood about this Jarman Guild later on. Hawkwood would know if they were reputable or if they were the kinds of people to take advantage of a viscount.

    ¡°We won¡¯t require any kind of down payment, Sir,¡± Arkk said, taking over during the moment of silence.

    ¡°No down payment?¡± Wesley asked, lowering his hand to show off slightly watery eyes. He was at least a little broken up about his daughter being gone. ¡°It offends me that you think I need charity.¡±

    Arkk mentally retracted his assumption that the man was broken up. ¡°You¡¯ll pay in full when you have your daughter back,¡± Arkk said, voice firm. ¡°Until then, why not start with a description of your daughter?¡±

    Wesley narrowed his eyes. After a brief glance to Hawkwood, who nodded his head, the Viscount sighed. ¡°Dark skin, dark eyes¡­ face similar to my own without the beard. Her hair is white as well, though a bit curly. The color runs in the family. The curls came from her mother.¡± The man took a deep, slightly trembly breath, then added, ¡°She has a fondness for the color green. I believe she was wearing green the night she was taken. More went missing along with her. A silver broach, in particular, with a large emerald embedded in the front.¡±

    Appreciating Hawkwood correcting his lack of foresight by handing over a paper and inkwell, Arkk scribbled down everything Wesley said. He almost asked the Viscount if he knew where his daughter might be, but stopped himself at the last moment. While he thought the intended meaning would be obvious, the Viscount¡¯s temperament was already volatile. It wouldn¡¯t surprise Arkk to hear him grouse about pedantry.

    Instead, Arkk asked, ¡°Do you have any starting places for where a search might commence?¡±

    ¡°Three days after she was gone, when I realized she was missing, I sought a spellcaster from the academy. This isn¡¯t the first time Gretchen has been kidnapped. Previously, the spellcasters were able to help locate her through arcane means, but this time it failed. It seems as if she traveled too far away.¡±

    ¡°They tried a tracking ritual?¡± Arkk asked with a wince. Hawkwood shot him a sympathetic look.

    ¡°I am no spellcaster, nor do I care to be one, Mister Arkk. I don¡¯t know what they did, only what the results were.¡±

    Arkk sighed. Scratch one plan before it could even start. At least he didn¡¯t have to begin the awkward task of asking the man for a piece of his missing daughter.

    ¡°The only real clue I have is what the Jarman Guild reported to me before they stopped sending missives. Someone matching the description of my daughter was spotted in some backwater called Darkwood.¡±

    ¡°Darkwood?¡± Arkk asked, frowning. The name sounded familiar. There was only one place he would have heard the name before and that was from people passing through Langleey. Mercenaries and bounty hunters.

    ¡°A burg to the east,¡± Hawkwood said. ¡°Not a very reputable place. It exports rare wood but always has some necromancer or sorcerer with delusions of grandeur trying to make trouble in the woods.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head as he wrote the name down on the piece of paper. ¡°Any other information you might think pertinent?¡±

    The Viscount stared a long moment before standing. ¡°Mister Hawkwood. Thank you for the tea. It was¡­ passible.¡± With that, he strode right past Arkk, Ilya, and Dakka without looking at any of them and left the room.

    Arkk drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. He looked away from the closed door, meeting Ilya¡¯s eyes. He could easily see the exasperation in her gaze, the same exasperation he felt. Looking back to Hawkwood, finding the man smiling as if nothing about that confrontation had bothered him, Arkk tried to think of something diplomatically polite to say.

    ¡°If that man is upset about losing his daughter, I¡¯ll eat my axe,¡± Dakka said before Arkk could speak.

    Hawkwood laughed, but it seemed more forced than his earlier displays of humor. ¡°It isn¡¯t the first time Gretchen has, pardon me for saying, run away. There have been three instances in the past, all of which he claimed were abductions, one of which seemed to be an abduction. Whatever the case is this time, he is at least somewhat numb to the frequent occurrences.

    ¡°Rest assured, to someone who knows him, he is acting unusual. Worried and frightened in his own way.¡±

    Arkk nodded, deciding to avoid asking what the man was worried about. Instead, he took the top sheet of paper, left the rest on the table, then stood. ¡°Well, whatever his feelings are, his daughter is missing. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll be able to do anything about it, but we can certainly try.¡±

 Departure

    ¡°Dakka,¡± Arkk said under his breath. ¡°Are you aware that there are about eight demihumans following us?¡±

    Arkk could see his employees wherever they were, in the fortress or out here in Cliff. He could see a little bit of the area around his employees as well. At least while outside the fortress. For those inside Fortress Al-Mir, he could see everything if he focused. It was an odd sort of vision. A bit like going cross-eyed from drinking too much, except instead of seeing two of whatever was in front of him, he saw whatever he was focused on.

    Out here, in the periphery of Dakka, he could see several orcs, a lizardman, and two elves following some distance behind as he walked along the streets with Dakka at his side.

    They had been following them since they left the Primrose.

    ¡°Cowards and weaklings,¡± Dakka said with a huff, glancing over her shoulder. As she did so, most of those following stopped and tried to look busy with anything else. That just had her scoffing. ¡°I recognize a few of them. People I¡¯ve been gambling with lately.¡±

    ¡°Have you been cheating?¡± Arkk asked, mildly exasperated.

    ¡°Hardly.¡±

    ¡°So, a little.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Dakka said with a grunt. ¡°We can take them.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to take them,¡± Arkk hissed. ¡°The inquisitors are already breathing down my neck. If I start throwing around forbidden magic¡ª¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t your new minion teach you a different lightning spell?¡±

    ¡°She isn¡¯t a minion. You¡¯re not a minion.¡± Ignoring Dakka¡¯s scoff, Arkk continued, ¡°She did, but I don¡¯t think a seventeen-syllable spell that can only produce one bolt of lightning per incantation is actually valid for combat. How do other spellcasters do it?¡±

    ¡°Ask your new minion,¡± Dakka said with a shrug as they kept walking along the road. ¡°Plans for the group behind us?¡±

    ¡°Stay out of dingy alleys? They won¡¯t attack us in the open, will they?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll probably stick around, keeping watch until we return. Jump us on the way back.¡± Dakka paused, then added, ¡°Or they might head back and break into our room, hoping to get some coin that way.¡±

    Arkk slowed down, frowning. Ilya was in the room. Ever since her little escapade to the Duke¡¯s manor, she had not been all that lively. Even the promise that they would come back, properly prepared and ready to infiltrate one of the Duke¡¯s parties hadn¡¯t gotten her fully back to normal. It was her mother¡¯s actions that bothered her.

    To Arkk, it had sounded like a wise move on Alya¡¯s part. Unless Ilya had very much misrepresented the situation in her retelling, it sounded like Ilya had been about to assassinate the Duke. Arkk didn¡¯t like the Duke any more than Ilya did, but that was the worst possible decision. They would never be able to simply kill the Duke in the middle of his city and get away.

    Thanks to Alya, he didn¡¯t have to deal with his friend¡¯s momentary lapse in judgment.

    He still had to deal with his employee¡¯s trouble, however.

    ¡°We can¡¯t let them go back to the Primrose. Ilya could probably get away normally, but with her moping about? I¡¯d be worried.¡±

    ¡°We are going to take them, then?¡± Dakka asked with a grin. ¡°Next backstreet past that building is a good spot.¡±

    Arkk shot Dakka a glare. ¡°Why do you know good spots for this kind of stuff?¡±

    The dumb orc just grinned wider, but her grin stalled as she put on a serious expression. ¡°They won¡¯t fight like we did,¡± Dakka said in a hushed tone. ¡°Rough them up a little and they¡¯ll run with their tail between their legs. Literally, in the case of the lizardman. Frying them is going to be more trouble than it is worth.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on frying them,¡± Arkk said as they turned down the indicated alley. ¡°And those elves just stopped following us. I think they heard.¡±

    ¡°Good. Two we don¡¯t have to worry about.¡± Dakka paused, then shrugged as she leaned up against one building halfway down the alley. ¡°Don¡¯t remember pissing off any elves anyway.¡±

    ¡°But all the others following us have valid reasons, I¡¯m sure,¡± Arkk said with a sigh.

    Dakka didn¡¯t get to respond before a quartet of orcs rounded the corner, followed closely by a lizardman. She barely glanced at them, not budging from her spot against the wall where she leaned with her arms crossed. ¡°Depends on how valid you think losing some coin is.¡±

    ¡°How much coin?¡±

    Glancing down, Dakka grabbed a large pouch that clanked as it moved. It filled her hand completely. Although she was small for an orc, she was still larger than Arkk, making it quite the hefty sack of money. ¡°About three of these. Mostly silver. A few gold.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± the orc at the head of the group yelled.

    ¡°I could just pay them off,¡± Arkk said, eyes still on Dakka. ¡°I¡¯m rich, apparently.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll just want more and more.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡ª¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re talking here!¡± Dakka shouted at the orc who was interrupting. Then she adopted a kind of smile Arkk had seen on orcs now and again. The kind that fully bared the lower tusks. ¡°I know you,¡± she said, staring at the orc. She cracked her neck back and forth. Loud pops echoed between the worn planks of the wooden buildings. ¡°You listened to my advice and brought friends. This¡¯ll be fun.¡±

    ¡°Fun,¡± Arkk scoffed. ¡°I was hoping to bump into Hawkwood with you, and now¡ª¡±

    Arkk leaped to the side, narrowly dodging a stone. His eyes snapped to the lizardman who threw it from a sling. If he hadn¡¯t seen it through his¡­ whatever his observational vision might be called, it would have hit him square in the chest. Probably with enough force to crack a rib.

    The lizardman was in the middle of fetching another stone from a pouch at his hip, but his motions slowed under Arkk¡¯s glare. The stone slipped from his fingers, clunking against the ground. An orc faltered, staring at Arkk with wide eyes. Given that the orc had been about to strike Dakka with a wooden club, it was far from the most opportune time to let his guard down. Dakka¡¯s fist met his face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

    Another orc, who had been ready to back up the first, jumped back well before Dakka hit the first. One orc, toward the back, turned and ran. The rest backed away slowly yet surely. One orc helped the fallen one up. Both turned and ran.

    In a few seconds, the alley was empty.

    Arkk looked around, making sure that Cliff¡¯s guard force hadn¡¯t marched up behind him, but there was no one there. Just him and Dakka.

    ¡°When you said we would have to rough them up, I thought you meant a bit more than that,¡± Arkk said with a frown. ¡°You would think they would have put up more of a fight. Not that I¡¯m complaining.¡±

    ¡°You mean, you didn¡¯t do that on purpose?¡±

    ¡°Do¡­ what?¡±

    ¡°That eye thing. Your eyes flashed red when that lizard threw the rock at you. Bright glowing red.¡±

    ¡°What? But¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, staring at himself from an outside perspective. As far as he could tell, he looked entirely normal.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done it a few times,¡± Dakka said. ¡°In the barrows once or twice, when Kazz¡¯ak ambushed me. Those are just the times I saw it. I thought you were doing it on purpose. Glowing eyes are a pretty ominous omen. Figured you were trying to scare people.¡±

    Arkk let out a small groan. ¡°I think I need to talk to Vezta.¡±

    ¡°She has glowing eyes too.¡± Dakka shrugged. ¡°Just saying¡­¡±

    Shaking his head, Arkk looked down the backstreet. ¡°They¡¯re going to spread this around, aren¡¯t they? Word of this is going to reach the inquisitors¡¯ ears one way or another,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°I think we¡¯ve overstayed our welcome in Cliff.¡±

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Dakka said, sounding genuine. ¡°Probably should have held back a bit in the gambling.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Arkk said with a sigh. ¡°We¡¯re just leaving a little earlier than planned. Go back to Primrose. Get Ilya and the cart. I¡¯ll grab Zullie. We¡¯ll meet outside the gate.¡±

    They had already been planning on leaving in the morning, intending to return in the future after having come up with a way to get into one of the Duke¡¯s parties. One day early wouldn¡¯t matter. He already had what he needed from the city.

    The sooner he put some distance between himself and the inquisitors, the better. For some reason, he doubted that Darius Vrox would turn and run if his eyes flashed red.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t worried about me walking back on my own?¡± Dakka asked, insincere tone clear in her voice.

    ¡°You were about ready to fight all of them with me sitting it out, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°The people in this city are soft, Arkk. Compared to what I¡¯ve lived through? Five orcs and their lizard pet are fodder to be pushed aside.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Arkk said, shaking his head. ¡°Meet me at the gates outside the city.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing, boss.¡± With a lazy wave, Dakka headed back the way they had come.

    Arkk turned away, heading in the opposite direction. He started slowly at first, then picked up the pace with every step until he was in a swift jog. The sooner they left, the better. Those inquisitors would hear about some human with glowing eyes and he wanted to be nowhere nearby when they did.

    Hurrying past the large statue at the Cliff Magical Academy¡¯s entrance and into its labyrinth of corridors, Arkk quickly found himself at the door to Zullie¡¯s office. After their meeting with Ilya and Dakka, he had come back the next day to help pack. And to take a look at the magical books she had. Most of her books and equipment were at the Primrose, ready to be loaded into the cart. Zullie, however, wanted even more. Having seen her office, Arkk well knew that it had far more books than even Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s library before he remodeled it.

    He was entirely unsurprised to find her trying to fit two too many books into an open crate.

    ¡°There is a limit to how much we can pack on the cart before the horse starts having trouble,¡± Arkk said. One crate probably wasn¡¯t going to hurt, but he could see five empty crates up against the wall just waiting to be filled.

    Zullie, rectangular glasses hanging off the end of her nose, squinted at Arkk over the rims. Setting one of the offending books down, she shoved the glasses up her face and frowned. ¡°Are you a spellcaster or not?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    Slapping the lid on the crate and securing it with a little metal latch, she turned it on its side, showing off the bottom. On one of the thick planks that made up the crate, Zullie had inscribed a complex ritual circle. She slapped her hand to it, held it there for a moment, then pulled back. Bright white lines of magic covered the circle for a moment before fading to a dull, barely-visible glow.

    Grabbing hold of the crate, Zullie hefted it up and tossed it at him. Arkk grimaced, leaning a bit too far forward in anticipation of the weight. When it hit, he had to quickly step forward to keep from falling at the lack of its expected weight. Steadying himself, he held the crate in one hand.

    ¡°This feels like holding one book,¡± Arkk said, flipping the crate upside-down to get a better look at the ritual circle. ¡°Not twenty.¡±

    ¡°A featherweight ritual. You haven¡¯t used one before? Don¡¯t know how people get things done without them.¡±

    ¡°I only know a few rituals,¡± Arkk admitted, hesitant. She had seen his lightning spell and was interested in that but didn¡¯t exactly want to frighten her off by revealing himself to be the country louse that he was. ¡°One that is either fire or light and I¡¯m not sure which or if I¡¯m doing it wrong, a tracking ritual¡ª¡±

    ¡°That is a fairly complex ritual to know while not knowing featherweight.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arkk said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m kind of self-taught. Picked up a few other rituals from travelers to my village. Though I do know a teleportation ritual, I¡¯m not sure exactly how to set a destination. Something I should talk about with Vezta,¡± Arkk mumbled to himself.

    ¡°A¡­ what?¡±

    ¡°Is that not a commonly known ritual?¡±

    ¡°Teleportation?¡± Zullie narrowed her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what that word is supposed to mean.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not exactly sure either.¡±

    ¡°How are you not¡ª¡±

    ¡°Zullie!¡±

    The door flung open behind Arkk. Priest Heller, panting slightly, looked around the room with worry on his thin face. That worry abruptly vanished when he spotted Zullie standing upright at her desk. He looked at her, confused, before shaking his head. ¡°Thought you fainted again.¡±

    ¡°And just why would you think that?¡±

    ¡°Last time an inquisitor pulled up to the academy, you were in trouble,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°Worried you needed help, but now that I see you don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to leave. If they are here for you, I don¡¯t want to be anywhere nearby.¡± With a curt nod of his head, Heller vanished as quickly as he appeared, leaving the door to gently swing shut behind him.

    ¡°Inquisitors,¡± Zullie said, nose wrinkling. ¡°Again?¡±

    Arkk, tense, moved to the door and peered out down the corridor. The priest was hurrying down the hall away from the entrance and a few others were walking about. No sign of the inquisitors yet.

    They couldn¡¯t possibly know about his eyes already, could they?

    ¡°We need to leave.¡±

    ¡°Leave?¡± Zullie rolled her eyes. ¡°They do this once a year or so. Harass me and my good work. I was asleep when he came by, so he¡¯s come back for that. Darius will come and frown at me for a few minutes¡ª¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t here for you,¡± Arkk said. ¡°They¡¯re here for me. Is there another way out of this place? Other than the front entrance.¡±

    ¡°After you?¡±

    ¡°I can explain later.¡± Arkk paused, then glanced back to Zullie. ¡°If you still want to go with me knowing the inquisitors are after me, that is.¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t done anything since their last visit,¡± Zullie said, crossing her arms.

    ¡°For some reason, I can¡¯t shake the feeling that Vrox won¡¯t be too friendly if he catches me. I don¡¯t want to start a fight here. I don¡¯t know what kind of sorcery he knows, but even if I do beat him, I won¡¯t be able to beat all the city¡¯s guards.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re serious.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t even finish nodding his head before she grabbed his arm and dragged him out into the hall. She took off in haste, heading away from the entrance. Without a word, she led him down one corridor, another, then crossed around another long corridor.

    ¡°You owe me,¡± Zullie said as they entered into a much darker and less well-traveled section of the academy. ¡°All my poor books that I hadn¡¯t packed¡­¡±

    ¡°That is what you¡¯re worried about?¡±

    ¡°The most valuable ones are with your cart. They¡¯re still safe, right?¡±

    Quickly checking on Ilya and Dakka, he found both just barely leaving the stables next to the Primrose. As far as he could tell, there were still six crates of books in the back. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Then it isn¡¯t a great loss. The academy will take care of them. But¡­¡± Zullie sighed.

    She didn¡¯t stop walking.

    The corridors were becoming dustier and dustier. The glowstones on the walls weren¡¯t doing much glowing. He didn¡¯t know the theory of why but presumed they needed some kind of magical upkeep to maintain their luminosity. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Arkk asked, eying the tiles on the floor.

    He had thought of it before, but this place was similar to Fortress Al-Mir. The tiles weren¡¯t his compass rose tiles, but they were close enough that he wouldn¡¯t have been surprised to find the two places had been built by the same people.

    ¡°The academy is built into some old ruins. Dwarven, I think.¡±

    ¡°I thought dwarfs were extinct.¡±

    ¡°Very old ruins,¡± Zullie corrected herself. ¡°This whole mountain is filled with crossing passages and unused rooms. Only the front section is commonly used. Technically, these passages are off-limits. Rumor has it that foolish initiates wandered into the deeper tunnels and never wandered back out. I¡¯ve never seen a skeleton back here; maybe I haven¡¯t explored far enough.¡±

    ¡°Is there a way out?¡± Arkk asked. He didn¡¯t like the idea of becoming one of those rumored skeletons.

    ¡°There are, but¡­¡± Zullie slowed, glancing back behind them. ¡°Listen,¡± she said, holding up a hand.

    Arkk didn¡¯t hear anything, but her eyes widened.

    Zullie glanced down at the floor under their feet. It was dim in the faded glowstone light, but the footprints in the dust were clear to see. Stepping away from Arkk, pushing him against the wall in the process, she held her hands out around her and began to spin in place, around and around. ¡°Angin bertiup di sekitar saya dalam badai besar untuk menyapu musuh saya dari kaki mereka.¡±

    If Arkk hadn¡¯t been up against a wall, he would have been thrown off his feet from the sudden gale that ripped through the corridor. As it was, the crate of books ripped out from his grip and went skidding across the floor until it caught on the edge of a doorway and broke open, sending books everywhere down the hall.

    Opening his jaw popped his ears, but he didn¡¯t get a chance to ask about that spell before Zullie grabbed his hand and rushed down the hall, away from the broken crate. She took two turns¡ªthe floor on the way had been cleared of dust from her spell¡ªand ducked into a room. She didn¡¯t stop until she had pressed him back into the corner.

    ¡°What¡ª¡±

    ¡°Do not move. You will break the spell,¡± she said, then motioned with her hands in front of them, holding them up with her palms facing toward the doorway. ¡°Penyembunyian dari saksi mengambil bentuk apa yang paling diharapkan berdasarkan konteks daerah sekitarnya.¡±

    Arkk braced himself, not wanting to get blown away. However, this wasn¡¯t that wind spell. At first, he wasn¡¯t sure what it was doing, but then he looked at Zullie in front of him and blinked in confusion. She was there¡­ Yet, she was also just another stack of boxes in this old storage room they had found themselves in.

    Arkk didn¡¯t dare ask, not wanting to break her concentration. Soon enough, he didn¡¯t want to ask for fear of alerting whoever was in the corridor. He could hear someone moving out there. Their boots thumped against the tile floors, slowly growing louder in a slow, steady rhythm. Every so often, the footsteps momentarily faded and were replaced with the sound of doors creaking open out in the hall.

    The footsteps drew closer.

    The woman he had seen with Vrox in Langleey stepped inside the storage room. In the dim light, the faint glow in her many scars was all the more apparent. The very center of her pupils lit up with the same yellow as her scars as her head slowly scanned the room, looking from one side to the other. When her gaze reached the corner they were hiding in, Zullie¡¯s arms started trembling.

    Arkk shuddered. No wonder the orcs had run off, assuming his eyes looked anything like that.

    Agnete, if Arkk remembered her name right, didn¡¯t do anything aside from turning and leaving. Her footsteps faded as she continued down the hall, occasionally stopping as she opened doors.

    Zullie¡¯s arms dropped to her sides, ending the spell, almost the moment that Agnete left. However, neither she nor Arkk moved while they could still hear those steps. A few minutes after that, Zullie looked back.

    ¡°Holy Light,¡± she said, voice a shaking whisper. ¡°That wasn¡¯t just an inquisitor. That was a purifier.¡±

    ¡°I have no idea what that means. She called herself Purifier Agnete. Or Vrox did, anyway.¡±

    Zullie shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re the real deal, aren¡¯t you? Forbidden magics and everything.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    Zullie gripped his wrist and pulled him to the door. She glanced both ways, then started walking back the same way they had just come. ¡°Good Light, I am even more excited.¡±

    ¡°Excited? You aren¡¯t worried about the scary woman with glowing eyes?¡±

    ¡°Terrified. It is said that purifiers wield holy flame, capable of burning anything. Wood, rock, water, air. It doesn¡¯t matter. They can even burn down the sky.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like an exaggeration. But in case it isn¡¯t, let¡¯s get as far away as we can.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. There should be a way out not far from here.¡±

    That was the best news Arkk had heard in a long while. The sooner he was out of Cliff, the better.

    He just had to hope the inquisitors wouldn¡¯t follow him all the way back to Langleey.

 Fortress Maintenance

    ¡°That was certainly a strange sensation,¡± Zullie said as she appeared within the halls of Fortress Al-Mir.

    After Arkk explained the ¡®hiring¡¯ process to her over the week it took to return, she readily agreed. More in the interest of experiencing new magic than working for him, but as long as she was teaching him, Arkk wasn¡¯t going to complain.

    As soon as the cart had come within range of Fortress Al-Mir, Arkk had been able to move all the equipment, the cart and horse, and finally all four people. Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure what he was going to do with a horse underground, but he wanted off the roads as soon as possible. There had been no sign of the inquisitors following them. Arkk didn¡¯t want to take the chance. If they were following, hopefully vanishing would throw them off.

    Of course, they would just go to Langleey Village if they couldn¡¯t find him, but he didn¡¯t intend to go there anytime soon either.

    Arkk sent Ilya and Dakka to their respective quarters, where they could clean up from the hasty journey they had just been on. As soon as he finished, he found Vezta, somewhere in the lower levels of the fortress, and pulled her in front of him and Zullie.

    ¡°Master,¡± Vezta said, bowing immediately without any sign of discomfort at her sudden relocation. ¡°Welcome back. Several matters require your attention.¡±

    ¡°Emergencies?¡±

    ¡°No. The [HEART] chamber is overflowing with gold. Constructing a dedicated treasury will be required before we resume mining. In the interim, I have assigned your servants to expanding your territory toward both Langleey Village and the nearby burg.¡±

    ¡°Expansions?¡± Arkk said, quickly checking through the dungeon with his second sight.

    ¡°At the moment, they are little more than deep and narrow tunnels, easily defensible with the liberal application of traps. I presumed you would still wish to visit the village after the destruction of the teleportation circles and took the initiative. If that is not your desire, I apologize. We can collapse them easily.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s good,¡± Arkk said, pulling back. What he saw was exactly as Vezta described. ¡°Don¡¯t connect the passages with the surface yet. We might have trouble coming.¡±

    ¡°Trouble, Master?¡±

    ¡°Those inquisitors. They¡¯re¡­¡± Arkk shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later. I want input from Olatt¡¯an and Rekk¡¯ar. First, this is Zullie.¡± Pausing to motion to his side, he found Zullie standing utterly still, wide-eyed with her mouth agape. ¡°Zullie?¡±

    Vezta¡¯s eyes, both the glowing suns on her face as well as the smaller eyes dotted around her shoulders, wrists, and elsewhere shifted, focusing entirely on the woman she had been ignoring since appearing. After a moment, she cocked her head to the side. ¡°Your latest minion appears to be faulty, Master.¡±

    Arkk waved his hand in front of Zullie¡¯s face, breaking the stupor. She blinked several times in a rapid fluttering before slowly turning her head toward Arkk. Although her head turned, her eyes were still locked on Vezta.

    ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t a demihuman,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°I am the [SERVANT].¡±

    ¡°Zullie is a magical researcher from Cliff,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I¡¯ll be constructing quarters similar to my own and Ilya¡¯s, but closer to the orc section of the fortress. I want you to teach her the lightning bolt spell after she gets settled.¡±

    ¡°Might I suggest placing her quarters near the library? That is the traditional location for magical research.¡±

    Arkk paused, then nodded. ¡°That¡¯s doable.¡± Glancing to his side, he frowned at the woman who was once again staring. ¡°Zullie,¡± he said, making her jump. ¡°This is Vezta. She keeps the place tidy and running. And yes, she isn¡¯t a demihuman. She¡¯s pre-Calamity.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Zullie¡¯s jaw clamped shut. ¡°If I were a magixenologist¡­¡±

    ¡°Try to get over the shock quickly,¡± Arkk said with a sigh. Ilya hadn¡¯t acted like this. Neither had the orcs. Shaking his head, he glanced over to Vezta. ¡°Gather everyone important for a meeting in¡­ two hours. That includes Zullie and Dakka.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Shall I offer the malfunctioning human a tour while you construct sleeping quarters?¡±

    Arkk nodded. ¡°Best make sure the orcs know she is one of ours while you¡¯re at it. I don¡¯t want any accidents. Speaking of, has there been any trouble with them while I was gone?¡±

    ¡°There were some disgruntled murmurs that evolved into a small fight between a few of the orcs. Rekk¡¯ar beat down the two most responsible, but several were involved. The two most injured are both recovering in the medical lair.¡±

    ¡°Permanent injuries?¡±

    ¡°Nothing particularly alarming. I tended to the worst wounds. I am no expert on orc physiology, but I would guess they will be back on their feet in another day or two.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll speak with Rekk¡¯ar then.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t bother to walk away. He instantly appeared in an empty room just down the hall from the library. A small pile of gold followed him. It was a rather small room and took a mere second to convert into the magical room that allowed inhabitants to construct their own private domiciles. The lair. If he hired more magical researchers in the future, he might have to figure out alternative living quarters, but for now, this should suffice for Zullie.

    Quickly peeking into the [HEART] chamber, Arkk confirmed what Vezta had said. It was nearly impossible to stand anywhere without stepping on a pile of gold coins. Just how much gold was under the fortress anyway? A month ago, he might have fainted at the sight of all this wealth. Even now, knowing it all belonged to him had Arkk unsteady on his feet.

    He wasn¡¯t quite sure what building a proper treasury meant. As far as Arkk could tell, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem just dumping it all into one of the many spare rooms the fortress had. He would have to ask Vezta later.

    Before that, however, Arkk relocated out into the long tunnel that stretched between the fortress and Langleey Village. When Vezta had ordered the construction of the tunnel, she had done so with security in mind. Even though the [HEART] chamber was between the village and the orc section of the fortress, the tunnel stretched well past both before looping around. Any invading force that made it through the tunnel would have to face the orcs almost immediately after.

    If Arkk had anything to say about it, an invading force wouldn¡¯t make it through at all. Hearing about the abilities purifiers were said to possess did have him a little worried, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do about that at the moment.

    Whatever magic powered Fortress Al-Mir and the rooms it contained was a bit finicky in Arkk¡¯s eyes. With a small pile of gold at his disposal, he could fashion a foundry that would make a king jealous. The fortress smithy could make expertly crafted tools, weapons, and even smaller things like doors and hinges. If he had a proper tailor, they could make the finest clothes in the land with all the expensive cloth and precision equipment that the fortress could provide.

    However, the fortress seemed incapable of making an end product. He could expend gold to fill the tailor¡¯s spools with bolts of the finest cloth, but he couldn¡¯t make a cloak. Ingots of fine metal filled the smithy storage, but he couldn¡¯t magically make a sword. He could make a room that would transform itself based on its occupants¡¯ comfort needs, but he couldn¡¯t make a room that came with a bed and desk if he so desired. At least not without heading to the drawing board to sketch that out. Even then, the desk and bed would be of far lower quality.

    Vezta had said it back before he made the contract. The fortress wanted artisans for some reason. It needed intelligent beings to run the place.

    Traps, as it turned out, counted as an end product. Something he couldn¡¯t conjure up with a liberal application of gold. Yet, in a strange way, they were similar to rooms. He designated a location and determined the type of trap that he wanted, whereupon he would receive proper schematics to hand off to the blacksmith or whoever was required to build the thing.

    Unfortunately, Arkk didn¡¯t know much about trap building. Vezta didn¡¯t have ready-made plans for traps. Not to mention, they seemed like it would be best to design bespoke traps for the location he was trying to defend.

    Here, a long and narrow tunnel, Arkk had only two good ideas.

    Dragging a lesser servant from elsewhere in the fortress, Arkk pointed along the tunnel. ¡°Dig periodic pitfalls,¡± he said. It had worked on the orc chieftain. Large crevasses alone would work well to stymie intruders, but he was hoping to cover them with trapdoors that he could open at will.

    Beyond pitfalls¡­ there were probably a lot of things he could do. But having been to Cliff recently, Arkk took inspiration from the massive ballistae they had watching their front gate. Those things had been intended to throw log-sized arrows that would destroy catapults, trebuchets, or other large war machines. Presumably. He hadn¡¯t asked anyone to confirm that suspicion.

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    In a narrow yet straight tunnel, a log-sized arrow would plow through an entire army if they tried to invade. Arkk doubted any army was going to come marching on the fortress but those inquisitors might. Although they hadn¡¯t attacked him so far, after everything he had heard in Cliff from Zullie and Priest Heller, and what Vrox himself had said on their few encounters, Arkk doubted they would be all that happy to find Vezta or the fortress.

    Maybe it was his contract with the [HEART], maybe it was the wealth, maybe it was a debt of gratitude toward Vezta, but he felt it was his responsibility to ensure that Fortress Al-Mir remained safe and secure.

    Designating a location for a door at the far end of the tunnel¡ªwhen doors were damaged, the fortress alerted Arkk, allowing him to get people ready to man the ballista or otherwise defend the place¡ªArkk felt he had at least a good start. He moved to the other tunnel, the one headed to Smilesville Burg, and repeated the same defenses over there. Once done, he moved to the smithy.

    Detailed designs for the defensive parts needed were already up on the board. Or, at least, the metal parts were. Arkk presumed the wooden parts would have to come from elsewhere. He did not currently have a lumber processing room, so perhaps he would commission pieces from John. Or just invite the carpenter down into the fortress, not that Arkk thought he would want to live inside permanently.

    They had sealed up all the fissures in the ceilings, but there was a certain temptation to open a few intentional areas for allowing a little sunlight to reach the living areas of the fortress and make it a little more palatable to live within. Unfortunately, it wouldn¡¯t be much of a fortress if it were full of holes.

    Satisfied that things would proceed for the time being, Arkk focused on Rekk¡¯ar. The burly orc was in the middle of a meal, seated in the large feasting hall not far from the kitchens. Arkk didn¡¯t appear directly in front of the orc; Vezta didn¡¯t mind sudden appearances, but popping out of nowhere tended to disturb most everyone else unless they were expecting it. Instead, Arkk appeared outside the door, which promptly swung open to admit his passage.

    A few others were eating as well, all of whom looked up as Arkk walked by. Two looked like they weren¡¯t sure if they should stand. Arkk gave them a brief nod of his head as a greeting but didn¡¯t stop until he reached the head of a long table. Rekk¡¯ar, notably, did not get up. He barely looked up from his roast chicken dinner.

    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±

    ¡°Only just,¡± Arkk said, taking the seat next to the orc. ¡°I heard there was trouble while I was gone. Two people are in the medical lair?¡±

    ¡°Nothing that couldn¡¯t be handled,¡± Rekk¡¯ar grunted, tearing off a strip of chicken with his teeth.

    ¡°They¡¯re getting restless,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, walking alongside the table. He took a seat across from Arkk, setting a plate of chicken down as he did so. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it before among prisoners and ship crew. They become agitated, distraught, and occasionally violent from prolonged confinement. It isn¡¯t so bad right now¡ªthose two have been at each other¡¯s throats since I was in charge¡ªbut you can just feel the unease in the air. It won¡¯t be the last time a fight breaks out like that.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t at all surprised to hear that the old orc had been imprisoned before. He simply nodded. ¡°I learned a bit about how mercenaries work while I was gone. I¡¯m not sure what might be offered locally, but in the city, there were a variety of jobs that I think we could do. Maybe even enjoy.¡± Arkk glanced between the two orcs. ¡°How do you feel about gorgons?¡±

    That got Rekk¡¯ar to stop eating. The green-skinned orc stared, eyes narrowing. Olatt¡¯an, on the other hand, just started shaking his head with a few low chuckles.

    ¡°Gorgons?¡± Rekk¡¯ar said after a long moment. ¡°More than one?¡±

    ¡°The posting I saw didn¡¯t say how many, exactly, but it said the mine was overrun. I presume that means at least a few.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to throw my life away for you,¡± Rekk¡¯ar snarled.

    Arkk held up his hands, leaning back in the chair. ¡°That was pretty much the advice I got when I was looking at the job. Just thought I¡¯d ask.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar bared his tusks before turning back to his food.

    ¡°In that case, there were several other things. I presume you don¡¯t care what it is, within reason, as long as we get people some exercise and fresh air?¡±

    ¡°If gorgons are your upper limit, I would be fascinated to discover what ¡®within reason¡¯ means,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, still chuckling.

    ¡°Don¡¯t accept any job without running it by me first,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said. With that, he dove back into his meal.

    ¡°Slightly too late for that,¡± Arkk said with a wince that he tried to keep off his face. At Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s glower, he quickly added, ¡°Nothing on the level of gorgons, just a missing girl. I plan to have Vezta try to scry for her.¡±

    The orc glowered but nodded his head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like good exercise.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see about stopping by Smilesville Burg tomorrow.¡± The tunnel wasn¡¯t finished yet, but the servants would continue their work overnight. If they dug a small shaft to the surface, he should be able to get out to the burg early on. ¡°Sorry for disturbing your meal. I¡¯d like to have a proper meeting in about an hour. Vezta will be by around then to collect you.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar just grunted while Olatt¡¯an waved him away as Arkk stood. Rekk¡¯ar felt a little testy during that brief conversation, making Arkk wonder if he had actually been injured in the fight and was hiding it, if he was getting a little stir-crazy himself, or if he just didn¡¯t like having his meal interrupted.

    Whatever the case, Arkk walked away a few steps before teleporting once again.

    ¡°¡ªshouldn¡¯t be possible,¡± Zullie shouted, waving her arms around her new quarters.

    Before, it had just been a carpeted chamber. A fairly small one at that. Zullie now stood in front of a thick bed, large enough for several people to share with comfort. A translucent sheer curtain hung from a single point on the wall, stretching to all four corners of the bed. Next to the bed, glowing crystals adorned a large desk. On top sat an alchemical station for concocting small potions and a small stack of books.

    Zullie had a book in her hand, open to a page toward the end. She had her hand on the page, glaring at it.

    Vezta simply stood to the side, faint smile looking a little more strained than usual.

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Arkk asked, stepping inside.

    ¡°You!¡± Zullie shouted, stomping over to him. She thrust the book out toward him, almost striking him in the face as she held it open for him to see. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±

    The page was filled with text in tight, neat scrawl. Handwritten, not made using a printing press. There was far too much to read at the moment, so Arkk gently pushed the book down to meet Zullie¡¯s violet eyes. ¡°Was your book damaged when we transported it?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t my book. I¡¯ve never seen it before in my life. But it¡¯s my spell,¡± she said. ¡°I invented it. Why is it in a book that just appeared in the room? How did the room just appear? Why is it in my handwriting?¡±

    Arkk had exactly zero answers for the woman. Looking over her shoulder, he met Vezta¡¯s eyes.

    The servant just shrugged. As she had said several times, she was just a servant. She knew a little magic, apparently from when her former master had possessed her then used that magic, and she knew about the [HEART]. The details of how it functioned were never made available to her.

    ¡°Magic,¡± Arkk said with a smile.

    That was the wrong answer. He could see it in Zullie¡¯s face.

    Before she could start yelling again, he held up his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, but I imagine whatever runs this place is pre-Calamity. Who knows how it really works? But that¡¯s why I hired you, right? Unlock the mysteries of all this old magic¡­ and maybe craft some spells with this old magic that are short enough to be worth using in active combat.¡±

    ¡°Pre-Calamity,¡± Zullie whispered to herself as she looked at the book with wide eyes, awed by whatever nonsense Arkk had just tried to placate her with.

    He had no idea if it was even possible to figure out how anything here worked. But then, he wasn¡¯t a spell researcher. Zullie was.

    ¡°Anyway, was just checking in. I¡¯ll leave you to your tour,¡± Arkk said.

    Before she could interrupt, he appeared outside a wooden door elsewhere in the fortress. Gently, Arkk tapped his knuckles against the door.

    ¡°Come in!¡±

    Arkk stepped into the castle-like room that Ilya called her own. She sat at a large desk with several rolls of vellum set out before her. The outfit that the tailor servant had made was propped up on her bed, currently on the receiving end of intense scrutiny. As Arkk stepped closer to Ilya, she frowned as he looked over the papers. Each had a little sketch of clothing. Some dresses, some suits, others chemise with long gowns, surcoats, and more besides.

    ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± Arkk asked, motioning to the array of papers. ¡°Getting into fashion?¡±

    Ilya looked over them, then to the nice gown spread out on the bed. ¡°It isn¡¯t enough,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°You didn¡¯t see them, but the clothing that the people at the Duke¡¯s manor had would make this look like a peasant¡¯s work clothes.¡±

    ¡°I thought it was a nice dress.¡±

    ¡°Compared to anything in Langleey, maybe. I just feel like we¡¯ll be laughed out of any party we manage to get into. Assuming we can get into one in the first place.¡±

    ¡°We will,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I have been stirring a bit of a plan for that.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Not quite fully realized. It¡¯ll take a bit to get running and has to do with the viscount we ran into. I¡¯ll tell you about it with the others in an hour. We¡¯re having a little meeting regarding what we learned in Cliff, so be ready.¡± Arkk looked over at the dress. ¡°Though perhaps it would be a good thing if we could hire a proper tailor if you say it isn¡¯t good enough.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I wonder where we would find someone.¡±

    Ilya frowned for a long moment, staring at the dress. She reached out and rubbed its long sleeve, then her eyebrows popped up. ¡°I¡­ might have an idea.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Arkk said, returning her earlier question.

    ¡°Not quite realized¡­ but why don¡¯t you leave finding a tailor to me.¡±

    ¡°You know a tailor?¡± Arkk asked, not believing her for a moment. Having grown up with her, he knew what she knew and she did not know a tailor aside from Higgens in Langleey. They had already dismissed him as a possibility.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone specifically¡­ Can I take a few orcs on a little road trip to the north? I remember my mother talking about her ancestral home. There have to be elves there both capable of making good clothes and willing to help her out.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ want to go visit other elves?¡± Arkk said, suddenly feeling a tightening sensation in his chest. He tried to push it down, to ignore it.

    Ilya noticed and promptly rolled her eyes. ¡°Arkk. Please. This is for my mother, nothing else. Even if it was for something else,¡± she started, but stopped with a shake of her head. ¡°I could try to go on my own, but I thought a few bodyguards would make the trip safer.¡±

    ¡°No. No. Don¡¯t go alone,¡± Arkk said with a slow nod of his head. ¡°If they agree to go, take the orcs with you.¡±

    Ilya glared. ¡°Are you paying them or not? Tell them to go, boss.¡±

    ¡°Point. I guess,¡± Arkk said with a sigh. ¡°And it would get some of them out of here for a while.¡± It would be something to bring up with Olatt¡¯an and Rekk¡¯ar at the meeting. ¡°When are you thinking you¡¯re going to leave? And how soon?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll set off in the morning. Then¡­¡± she shrugged. ¡°A week after that to reach Marrowlands Fen, plus a few days there? And the same to return. Maybe more. I¡¯ve never been there. I don¡¯t know how long it will take to reach.¡±

    ¡°Give me something a little more defined at the meeting, but I¡¯ll probably say yes.¡±

    ¡°Good. Then get out of here. I need to plan,¡± she said, then started pulling open drawers on her desk, mumbling to herself, ¡°I need a map¡­¡±

    Arkk smiled despite the unease in his chest, watching her work for a few moments before he turned. With how listless she had been after their arrival at Cliff, seeing her moving and working was a relief. Hopefully, she would keep it up.

    Heading to the adjacent room, Arkk kicked off his boots and sat down on the bed, finally ready to rest for a while before the meeting started.

 Visit to Cliff Aftermath

    Three days into her journey and Ilya was starting to question whether this was a good idea.

    When younger, her mother had told her about her people. The elven community that had raised her mother was somewhere in the northwestern areas of the Duchy of Mystakeen. A locale known as Marrowlands Fen. Geographically, it was an interesting area. Lots of islands of varying sizes right on the edge of the ocean with people living on most if not all of them.

    Unfortunately, Alya¡¯s stories had not included directions. They had been less stories and more anecdotes of her time among them. One story in particular, the one that set Ilya off on this idea in the first place, had been about Alya¡¯s younger sister. An elf by the name of Prya who, according to Alya, made the most beautiful clothing in all the elven village. That would have been about six hundred years ago. Hopefully, Prya had kept up with her tradecraft in the time since then.

    Ilya wasn¡¯t sure what she would find when she arrived but she was hoping that her mother¡¯s family was around. Not just for Prya but for all of her mother¡¯s family. She could probably find any elven commune and find a centuries-old elf with plenty of practice at tailoring elegant dresses but she doubted that she would find real help.

    She had never thought she would be able to rescue her mother from the clutches of the Duke. Arkk, the fortress, their newfound wealth, and the strange assistance offered by a pre-Calamity monster made that impossibility sound ever so slightly achievable. Yet, of all the things she listed, she really only trusted Arkk. Family, even family she had never met, would hopefully both help recover her mother¡ªeven if only by making clothing¡ªand help keep them from letting all this wealth and power go to their heads.

    The problem was getting there.

    ¡°I see, thank you,¡± Ilya said.

    ¡°This is the last burg you¡¯ll find for about a week of travel if you¡¯re heading up in that direction.¡± The butcher helping her load salted meat into the back of her cart talked as he worked. ¡°There are a few villages dotted here and there but you might not be able to resupply as much as you want. I would suggest you prepare but¡­¡± He laughed, slapping a crate on the lid. ¡°You¡¯ve practically cleaned me out of all my preserved meat.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if I should get more,¡± she hummed, more to herself than to him.

    The butcher heard anyway. ¡°More? This¡¯ll last five a month.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m traveling with about a dozen. Orcs,¡± she added. ¡°They eat a bit more than most.¡±

    ¡°A dozen orcs?¡± The old man glanced around, looking more suspicious now than he had before ¡°You aren¡¯t in trouble, are you?¡±

    ¡°No, no. Nothing like that. They¡¯re bodyguards. We all work for Company Al-Mir.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Mercenary business? They aren¡¯t helping you supply up?¡±

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Ilya said. ¡°And they are. They¡¯re just getting supplies elsewhere,¡± she lied. In an attempt to change the topic, she quickly asked a question before he could say anything else. ¡°Any dangers on the road ahead?¡±

    ¡°Always dangers. The western side of the duchy has slavers and bandits running amok. They practically run the whole area.¡± He let out a small laugh, looking around once again. ¡°If you¡¯re traveling with a dozen battle-hardened orcs, I doubt you¡¯ll get any trouble though. They like easy targets.¡±

    ¡°They run the area? What about the Duke¡¯s men?¡±

    ¡°Too busy manning the border. Word passing through here is that the damn Sultanate is getting a bit uppity these days,¡± he said with a sad shake of his head. ¡°Lots of soldier-types making their way over there as of late. Times are getting interesting but¡­ I think I prefer boring times.¡±

    ¡°I get that,¡± Ilya said as she secured the crates in the back of the cart. ¡°Thanks for your help. I¡¯d best get moving.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing. Take care of yourself,¡± the butcher said, nodding his head. Dusting off his hands on his bloodstained apron, he turned and headed back into his shop.

    Ilya quickly moved the cart. She went along to several other shops and purchased supplies. All on her own. Like the butcher, most questioned what she was doing, loading up so much traveling gear all for herself. She offered them the same excuse she gave the butcher. The others were just collecting their own supplies. Maybe the merchants would all have a get-together and talk about the strange woman buying up all the gear in town. They would realize that she had lied but by then, she would be long gone.

    By the time she was finished, the light in the sky was dimming. She would have liked to have found a stayover to rest for the night. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have that luxury at the moment. Ignoring the warnings of the burg¡¯s guard, she ventured out onto the road and started traveling. She didn¡¯t intend to make a full leg of the journey tonight, of course. Rather, she traveled along the road just until she spotted the dancing light of a fire burning off the beaten path.

    Directing the horses off to the side of the road, she quickly came up to a camp of rowdy orcs, laughing and talking around a large bonfire. It was obvious that they were excited to be out of the fortress. Ilya was as well, if she were being honest. Sometimes it was easy to forget where that fortress was but the lack of sunlight and that constant feeling of wrongness that came from being in the Cursed Forest weighed heavily.

    As soon as the lookout noticed her and called out to the others, a ripple spread through the group. Laughter cut off, voices died down, and soon enough, Ilya found herself standing in front of a dozen silent orcs. All of whom were staring.

    ¡°Took you long enough.¡±

    Almost all were staring.

    Olatt¡¯an sat at the side of the bonfire, leaning against a toppled log in a lax pose, barely even glancing up to meet her eyes.

    Ilya wasn¡¯t sure if it was disrespect, his usual mellow demeanor, or if he knew that the way the other orcs acted at her arrival disturbed her but whatever the case, she vastly preferred his presence to that of the others. Still, his words incensed her.

    ¡°I took long enough? I had to walk around, carrying heavy crates and kegs all by myself from morning until sunset. And what did you lot do all day? Sat around on your fat asses? Why are you wanted in every burg in the Duchy? Dakka didn¡¯t have this problem.¡±

    ¡°Dakka was new.¡±

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    ¡°Young.¡±

    ¡°A runt,¡± someone said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call her that,¡± Ilya snapped. She let out a long, withering sigh. ¡°This is going to be a long journey. You don¡¯t need to make it longer by complaining about me when you lot are¡ª¡±

    ¡°Did you say kegs?¡± Kazz¡¯ak called out.

    Ilya shot him a glare that faded before it could really begin. Reaching back over the cart, she threw off the tarp that kept their supplies out of the elements. Three large barrels sat horizontally in the back of the cart. ¡°These two are water,¡± she said, standing and tapping a foot against two of them. ¡°The third¡­ is ale.¡±

    A brief pause of silence shattered to pieces as a cheer ran through the crowd of orcs. They surged forward as one only to stop short as Ilya stomped a foot down on the cart¡¯s edge.

    ¡°But!¡± she shouted. ¡°This is going to be a long journey. Longer than we thought. The next burg is a week away and there is no guarantee they¡¯ll have excess ale there. Marrowlands Fen is further than I thought, so we¡¯ve got a long march ahead of us. If this is all gone tonight, well, I¡¯m not going back to that burg for more.¡±

    With that said, she jumped off the cart and stalked through the crowd until she reached the only orc that wasn¡¯t gathering around the ale keg. She sank down against the log and crossed her arms.

    ¡°They¡¯re going to be useless in the morning,¡± Olatt¡¯an said.

    ¡°They better not be useless in the morning,¡± Ilya said, loud enough that at least a few of the orcs in the back heard.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to get that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ well,¡± Ilya started, voice softer. ¡°I¡¯m not here to be your friend. You lot are being paid to be out here. But if dropping a few silver on a bunch of alcohol gets them to stop tip-toeing around me, I¡¯ll take it. That¡¯s just going to make this trip drag on at a snail¡¯s pace.¡±

    ¡°I understand the reasoning but drunk orcs will make it drag on as well,¡± Olatt¡¯an said with a small chuckle. ¡°Longer than we thought, huh?¡±

    ¡°A bit over two weeks to reach Marrowlands Fen from here. No idea about where the elves are located within the fen. Hopefully one of the burgs closer will have more information.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully,¡± Olatt¡¯an repeated. Clapping his hands on his thighs, he stood. ¡°Best get me a mug before they drain the entire keg.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re having some as well?¡± Ilya said, not bothering to hide the note of disappointment in her tone.

    ¡°If it is any good, it will be wasted on these runts. If it¡¯s bad ale, well, I¡¯m just sparing them from having to drink more.¡± Olatt¡¯an flashed his tuskless grin. ¡°I am an orc,¡± he said, turning away.

    Ilya crossed her arms and glared at the tan orc¡¯s back. ¡°A long journey indeed,¡± she mumbled to herself.

    She was wondering if this was a good idea at all.

    <hr>

    The sea started to boil.

    The Grand Old Church of Cliff City sat atop a small island jutting up from the water in the middle of the bay. The winding staircase that led up to the cathedral on top had a little-used path that ran downward. The stairs ended at a small boat dock, one that had hardly seen any use since the bridge had been built.

    Agnete didn¡¯t often come to the city of Cliff. When she did, it was usually for only a short amount of time. The life of an inquisitor rarely had them remaining in the larger settlements of the land. While cultists and other subversive elements did occasionally try to infest the city, local priests and bishops were usually enough to root them out. Inquisitors were sent out into the less well-traveled areas of the Kingdom where a deviant might be able to otherwise make their lair without anyone the wiser until after their plans came to fruition.

    Moving from town to town. Incinerating a totem to a foul god. A witch burned there. There was always more to be done. Never staying for long. Perhaps someone ended up saved here or there. Agnete never got to meet them. It was always on to the next place, to stymie the seemingly endless tide of enemies of the Light.

    It was a¡­ cold existence.

    There weren¡¯t often moments to take for herself. Agnete had learned to cherish them when they came.

    On a previous visit to Cliff, she had discovered this spot. Down the stairs of the Grand Old Church, past the unused dock, and around the rocky wall of the island was a small sandbar. The perfect spot to toss off her boots, her cloak, and the rest of her clothes and wade out into the waters.

    The waters boiled against her bare skin.

    Bending, Agnete scooped up a fistful of sand. The individual grains began to glow a white-hot as they began merging together into one smooth flow of molten glass. Ankles in the water, Agnete sat against a large stone and began to massage the liquid-like glass. She flicked her thumbnail through the glass, creating neat lines in the blob. Scooping up more sand, she added it to the mass, pulling out a sharp point from one end while rounding the other.

    Agnete worked in silence. The only sounds were the waves slapping against the island and the sizzling noise of water turning to steam against her legs.

    A chill wind swept over her. Normal cold didn¡¯t bother Agnete in the slightest. This made her lock up. She stiffened, dropping the glass sculpture into the water as she bolted to her feet.

    ¡°Purifier.¡±

    Agnete slowly turned, facing the dock just to the side of her little sandbar.

    Darius Vrox stood on the worn wooden planks, leaning against one of the piles anchoring the dock to the ground. One hand was in his long coat¡¯s pocket while the other drummed against the wood. Those fingers stopped abruptly as, behind his large round glasses, Darius narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Awaiting our next move, Sir.¡±

    Darius looked over her before his eyes roamed over to the clothes she had left draped over the rope railing of the dock. ¡°You get precious little time off. Can you not enjoy it like a normal person?¡±

    Agnete opened her mouth but Darius held up a hand.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Douglas and I have been going over the texts sent over by Central, trying to uncover exactly what we are dealing with. We¡¯ve been stumped, mostly, but there is one thing I would like clarification on. You referred to the young man as empty. Elaborate.¡±

    Pressing her lips together, Agnete thought back to her first meeting with Arkk back in the small town of Langleey. She was different than other people. Special in some ways, broken in others. Like other purifiers, she could wield fire magic without incantations or ritual circles. She could sense heat and fire even at a distance. And, within people, she could see embers. The soul. Or so she assumed. There had been no confirmation made by any of the Abbey of the Light¡¯s researchers.

    It was just what she felt.

    ¡°You and I have a flame inside us. He didn¡¯t. I don¡¯t know what that means.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t compare us,¡± Darius said with his half-smile. ¡°It sickens me.¡±

    Agnete clamped her jaw shut.

    ¡°Perhaps he is less human than we thought. Or what made him human has been removed.¡± Darius removed his hand from his pocket, shaking off a few flecks of frost before he started rubbing at his chin. ¡°Could the creature be controlling him?¡±

    Unsure as to whether or not Darius was asking her or merely wondering aloud to himself, Agnete played it safe and remained silent. Which, after a momentary pause, seemed to be the correct decision. Darius paid her little attention as he continued speaking.

    ¡°No. He seemed active and independent during our encounters. He has a proper history with the people of his village. They would likely have noticed something. Unless they had all been affected similarly?¡±

    Feeling like that question was directed more toward her than the ambient aether, Agnete said, ¡°Langleey¡¯s baron felt normal to me. He had the same burning core inside him that¡­ most people have.¡±

    ¡°Have you ever encountered someone with the same affliction as Mister Arkk?¡±

    Agnete shook her head slowly. ¡°No, Sir.¡±

    ¡°I see. Very well. Carry on with¡­¡± Darius looked around. ¡°Whatever it is you were doing. Douglas and I will fetch you when we are ready to move again.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Darius turned and began his long climb up the steps toward the Grand Old Church. Agnete remained still, watching his back until he rounded the island¡¯s mountain and vanished from view. Only then did she let out a warm sigh as she looked down at the water around her feet. The boiling stopped.

    Reaching a hand into the water, Agnete felt around until her fingers found a smooth shape among the sandy grit. Standing upright, she withdrew a small glassy raven. A bit of seaweed had gotten tangled around its neck. She spent a moment trying to untangle it but only seemed to make the problem worse. Frustrated, she sent a surge of heat through her arm.

    The seaweed noose burned away. The raven, unfortunately, did not come away unscathed from her burst of heat. It drooped, sagging into a shapeless blob.

    Lips pressed together, Agnete turned up the heat to the point where small globs of glass ran between her fingers, falling to the sea below where they sizzled and cracked before rejoining the sand at the bottom.

    That was why she was not allowed to help research in the archives. They didn¡¯t want ancient and unique books going up in flames.

    Cracking her neck, Agnete found her seat once again. She reached into the steaming water and pulled up a fresh fistful of sand.

 Magical Experiments

    Arkk placed a long list in front of Rekk¡¯ar, then stepped back and waited for the orc to look over the notes.

    The first mercenary expedition had been a resounding success. It had been a simple task. A baron of a nearby village had been having trouble with wolves attacking his livestock. The dozen orcs Arkk had taken with him had been more than happy to hunt them down, culling the numbers. They even behaved themselves for the duration of a small feast in the village. The residents had been a bit surprised at Arkk¡¯s choice of company, but no one had been able to argue with the pelts brought back.

    It wasn¡¯t enough. Not if Arkk planned to succeed. A few wolves taken care of for a village that few would have heard of out in the greater Duchy wouldn¡¯t be nearly enough.

    ¡°No gorgons,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, striking the item from the list with an angry swipe of his pen.

    ¡°I merely included it for completeness¡¯ sake.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar just grumbled, striking several other items from the list. With a final glance over the list, he shoved it back over to Arkk.

    Arkk immediately adopted a frown. ¡°You crossed off all the large jobs.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re orcs, not your servant or you,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, standing. ¡°I¡¯m aware of our limits and, being responsible for the rest, cannot condone a suicide mission.¡±

    Arkk pointed at one of the crossed-out items. ¡°Surely a single vampire¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about vampires, it is true. I know you don¡¯t either, so don¡¯t bother denying it.¡± Rekk¡¯ar grinned when Arkk couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t be offering that much if it was a simple task. Maybe we can do it easily. Maybe not. Do research and get back to me.¡±

    Arkk gave him a look at being commanded around, but Rekk¡¯ar just laughed. ¡°Why did you cross off the viscount¡¯s daughter? I kind of already accepted it¡­¡±

    Even if he hadn¡¯t accepted it, it was the one job Arkk was most interested in. The one that might put their name out there faster than any other single job. Viscounts, though Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what exactly they did with their time even after meeting one, were important people.

    Rekk¡¯ar shrugged. ¡°If nobody else has done it by now, the girl is either dead, doesn¡¯t want to go back, or is being held by something too big for people like us to deal with. No matter what, a bunch of orcs getting involved with a missing human girl is only going to end poorly for us.¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡± Arkk sighed. ¡°I can see your reasoning, but I¡¯m overruling it. Getting a viscount vouching for us is the best way to get our name out there.¡±

    ¡°Waste of time,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, shaking his head but without fighting it further. ¡°Might I suggest the expedition to a lost pyramid? It would get the boys some fresh air and get them moving. Maybe get us some treasure too.¡±

    Arkk nodded slowly but didn¡¯t think that job would be worth it at all. Not unless that lost pyramid brought with it great fame as well as fortune. With the state of Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s gold mine, he didn¡¯t need any treasure. Not that he said that. To the best of his knowledge, only he and Vezta knew of the wealth sitting around the [HEART]. Technically Zullie had heard as well, but the researcher had thrown herself into trying to uncover the magical mysteries of the fortress. She probably hadn¡¯t even heard Vezta.

    ¡°Not worried about gorgons or vampires inhabiting a lost pyramid?¡±

    ¡°Figured they would have made a bit more noise.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I found Vezta here. The fortress was completely abandoned at the time and I had lived next door to it my entire life. Never suspected a thing.¡±

    ¡°Then you should be even more interested in it,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll find another servant.¡±

    Arkk opened his mouth to discredit that assumption, only to find that he couldn¡¯t. After all, why couldn¡¯t there be another creature like Vezta at some lost pyramid in the middle of nowhere? Looking down at the notes he had taken regarding that particular job, Arkk started nodding to himself.

    ¡°The expedition is being led by an elf along with some historian. They want a few guards for the journey. Get me three to five people who won¡¯t have problems taking orders from an elf.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar nodded, then headed to the door. As he moved, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll have your team by tonight.¡±

    ¡°Good. They can requisition whatever they need from the blacksmith, food supply, and whatever else.¡±

    With a final nod, Rekk¡¯ar stepped outside the meeting room.

    Arkk didn¡¯t linger. He teleported away, reappearing inside the fortress library. With the addition of Zullie¡¯s crates of books, it was looking like a library these days. Zullie stood over three open books on the desk. She kept looking back and forth between the two of them while scribbling into the third.

    His appearance had gone unnoticed thus far. Even after clearing his throat, she didn¡¯t look up from whatever she was working on.

    ¡°Zullie.¡±

    ¡°Busy!¡±

    Sighing, Arkk stepped closer, looking over her shoulder. As far as Arkk could tell in his inexpert observations, she was attempting to dissect the lightning spell. Most of what she was writing made no sense to him. Lots of words, lots of numbers. Since arriving back here, she had given him one of the beginner books she had brought and told him to get through it and then ask questions if he had any. He was only about a third of the way into it. There was just so much going on.

    Between running the fortress and mercenary work, there just hadn¡¯t been much time to sit back and read. And he was busy keeping a lookout for any sign that the inquisitors had followed him back to Langleey. Both tunnels were complete now and both had hidden entrances just outside the village and burg. He could teleport in, ask around, and get out in the blink of an eye. The extended tunnels came with the added benefit that they increased the size of his territory, allowing transport from outside the fortress into it from much further out.

    ¡°Did Vezta get around to teaching you the spell?¡±

    Zullie didn¡¯t answer right away, finishing her current batch of notes first. Eventually, she turned her head. ¡°Nope!¡±

    ¡°I told her¡ª¡±

    ¡°There wasn¡¯t any need. I cast it myself on my own just using the incantation you gave me.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You figured it out on your own?¡±

    ¡°Not quite,¡± Zullie said with a frown. ¡°More accurately, there was nothing to figure out. Simply repeating the incantation you gave me allowed me to cast three lightning bolts in a row before I felt like I was about to pass out. Through a few repeated tests, I believe I have discovered a few things. First of all, only I can cast that spell.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been fairly successful at it as well.¡±

    Zullie held up a finger. ¡°Sorry. I meant outside this place, I sincerely doubt anyone would be capable of casting that spell. When you performed whatever ritual magic made me an ¡®employee¡¯ and let you move me around, it created a connection between us. I¡¯m having a very difficult time analyzing that connection, but it is that connection that allows me to cast the spell. It simply requires far too much magic to cast for any individual spellcaster. A team might be able to pool their magic together, but not any individual without your connection.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re leeching magic from me?¡±

    ¡°Not you, there is something else here,¡± she said, looking around with narrowed eyes. Her gaze eventually landed back on Arkk. ¡°I suspect you know what it is, however.¡±

    The [HEART]. Arkk didn¡¯t say anything and he tried not to react¡ªthe [HEART] was something only known to him, Ilya, and Vezta and he intended to keep it that way.

    Still, Zullie nodded as if she expected his reaction or lack thereof.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Arkk said, ¡°if the magic isn¡¯t coming from you, does that mean I would be able to teach the lightning spell to all the orcs? Any employee, for that matter, regardless of whether or not they were capable of magic beforehand?¡±

    ¡°I doubt they will manage well,¡± Zullie said, scribbling a little note down on the side of her already full page. ¡°Maybe a single weak bolt? I could be considered in the upper echelon of spellcasters in terms of power. If I can barely manage, I doubt a bunch of uneducated orcs will get much of a spark. Still, a fascinating experiment, to be sure.¡±

    Perhaps only as an experiment, however. Half the orcs only agreed to work for him because he could sling magic around. If they could do it too¡­ well, they would still have to break their employee bond and then¡­ then they wouldn¡¯t be able to cast at all. So perhaps it was a good idea all around then? It would make the orcs vastly more effective if they could use magic as well as their already superior martial prowess.

    Maybe Rekk¡¯ar would agree to some more prestigious jobs.

    ¡°Another thing I discovered was that the lightning spell you use is an entirely separate system of magic from what I¡ªor anyone else¡ªknows. It is the difference between magic and the holy spells wielded by higher-ranking members of the Abbey of the Light. I didn¡¯t realize it right away because two words are hardly enough to linguistically compare to regular spells but by breaking it down analytically, it becomes obvious. I¡¯m not sure what this means, exactly. I need more samples to work with.¡±

    ¡°I only know two other spells. I haven¡¯t even used one and the other¡­ Slave Natum.¡±

    A lesser servant formed between them, slopping to the ground as a gaggle of eyes formed on its pulsating mass. Zullie stumbled back, bumping into a shelf hard enough to knock a few books down around her.

    Arkk whisked the creature away, sending it to join the others in digging out a room on a lower level of the fortress. The new treasury.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be sick,¡± Zullie said, pressing one hand hard against the base of her throat.

    ¡°Should have warned you. Sorry. You get used to them.¡±

    After a few breathing exercises, during which Zullie managed to keep herself from throwing up, she shook her head. ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass on that one. What was that?¡±

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°A servant of the fortress. They dig out new rooms, claim land, reinforce walls, keep things clean, repair damaged areas, and do other general maintenance work.¡±

    ¡°There are more of them?¡±

    ¡°Eight, right now. I try to keep them out of view for obvious reasons. Vezta was going to show me how to make them a little more aesthetically pleasing, but we¡¯ve been busy with other things.¡±

    Zullie shook her head again and, after a few more deep breaths, looked up to Arkk. ¡°The other spell?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is one you can use. When I learned it, it was kind of just shoved into my head, but from what I understand, it is something only I can use. It, uh, lets me possess an employee.¡±

    ¡°Possess?¡±

    Arkk shrugged. ¡°I haven¡¯t used it. Don¡¯t know the exact details. Just the general concept.¡±

    ¡°Well? Test it out already.¡±

    ¡°Right now?¡±

    Zullie spread her arms wide as if to say go ahead.

    Arkk, however, wasn¡¯t an idiot. An untested spell that could take control of someone else¡¯s body sounded like the perfect way to mess something up. So, he ripped Vezta through space, pulling her from her work in the room with the large crystal archway. He felt a bit bad about dragging her away, especially because he was rather interested in her work with reopening the portal, but she didn¡¯t mind.

    As usual, Vezta simply bowed without any apparent discomfort or surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to test the possession spell.¡±

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Vezta said with a smile. ¡°It is a good one to get used to. Keeps you safe while allowing you full use of your abilities. Will you be testing it on myself or your employee?¡±

    Arkk glanced between the two. Vezta was the obvious choice. She had already stated that it was considered an honor to be possessed in this fashion. However, her body was about as far from human as it could possibly get. Arkk had no idea how the spell worked beyond that it took over someone¡¯s bodily autonomy. Would he even be able to function while possessing Vezta?

    Zullie, on the other hand, stood with her arms wide, welcoming the opportunity to experience the spell firsthand. He barely knew her and this felt like a fairly personal thing, but she was a human.

    If Ilya was around, he might have asked her. Unfortunately, she and Olatt¡¯an were on their way to the Marrowlands Fen in search of her people.

    Ultimately, the deciding factor came down to one key thought that ran through Arkk¡¯s mind. If something did happen, Vezta would be able to help him far more than the magical researcher. Trapping her in her body or whatever happened to someone while possessed was less than ideal.

    ¡°Ready?¡± Arkk asked, looking at Zullie.

    ¡°I¡¯ve read about possession. Never experienced it, but it is supposedly the domain of ghosts or gods. Neither of which have physical forms, so I¡¯m interested in seeing how this works out. Ghosts typically possess objects rather than people, but the latter has been documented. As for gods¡­¡± She shrugged. ¡°They say the Light will possess the Holy Ecclesiarch in times of grave danger, but that hasn¡¯t happened in my lifetime.¡±

    ¡°Alright. But are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I am completely focused on my internal magic in an attempt to uncover what will happen. Proceed at will.¡±

    ¡°Cranium Internum,¡± Arkk said. Not wanting to explode anyone, he carefully pushed out just a touch of magic toward Zullie, slowly increasing it until it felt like a bit of twine snapped between his fingers.

    Arkk shook himself, wobbling slightly. Vezta reached out a hand, steadying him, but even after he regained his balance, he still felt off-kilter. His perspective was shorter than normal and his vision wasn¡¯t as sharp as it usually was. His fingernails were too long, his chest was too heavy, and his back had developed a sudden ache.

    Glancing down at himself, he didn¡¯t see himself at all. Rather, he was clad in the black surcoat-like coat that Zullie wore. It left her arms bare¡ªshe said she didn¡¯t like sleeves smudging ink¡ªwhich was more than enough to realize that Arkk wasn¡¯t at all Arkk anymore. His arms were thin and bookish.

    Looking up, he saw Vezta smiling at him, but no sign of him.

    ¡°This is very strange,¡± he said, feeling like he needed to clear his throat.

    You think this is strange for you? You should see it from my perspective.

    ¡°Zullie? Are you there?¡±

    I wonder where your body went. Gods don¡¯t have bodies and neither do ghosts, so it makes sense that they would be able to enter another being¡ªor object¡ªbut you most definitely had a flesh and blood meat sack carting around your consciousness until just now.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t refer to me as a meat sack,¡± Arkk said, then looked over to Vezta. ¡°Is everything working properly?¡±

    ¡°I see no issue. You are fully in control of the body?¡±

    Arkk held out a hand and drummed his fingers in the air. Slowly, he started walking around the library. His walk picked up into a light jog around the large desk. Surprisingly enough, despite his initial disorientation, he wasn¡¯t having any trouble moving around. He had thought the smaller legs would have thrown him off, but once he started moving, it all came as naturally as if Zullie¡¯s body had been his all along.

    Please stop. You¡¯re getting me sweaty.

    Slowing down, not wanting to upset his magical researcher, Arkk stopped next to Vezta. From the information she had shoved into his mind when first teaching him the spell, he knew roughly how to end the spell. His magic was still being siphoned from him, slowly but surely. Pulling back on it for just a moment had him staggering in place.

    Zullie almost toppled over, but Vezta¡¯s quick movements saved them both from an unfortunate fall to the ground.

    Back in his comfortable tunic, Arkk patted himself down, just making sure that everything was where it was supposed to be. Across from him, Zullie was doing much the same. Almost in the same patterns too, making him wonder if he was somehow still controlling her.

    Then she opened her mouth.

    ¡°Fascinating,¡± she said, reaching for her pen. She somehow managed to speak and write at the same time. ¡°Being a passenger in my own body is not anything I ever expected to experience. I could feel your magic thrumming through my bones. No matter how hard I tried, I was unable to reassert control. I¡¯ve heard of people fighting off ghostly possession but perhaps I need more experience¡­¡±

    ¡°I did hear you talking to me,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Or talking to yourself. Not sure which. Once I started moving, it felt perfectly natural to walk around in your body.¡±

    Zullie bobbed her head, adding his commentary to her notes. ¡°We should soak you in water and then have you possess someone for an extended period of time.¡±

    Arkk blinked. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I am curious to discover whether the water will have dried or if you will emerge as wet as you were before.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense. See if my body changes while it doesn¡¯t¡­ uh, exist? That could be vital if I get wounded. I could possess someone and ride their body around until I could reach someone capable of healing my body¡­¡± Arkk paused, an odd sense of disassociation hitting him. ¡°This is also the strangest thing I¡¯ve ever talked about.¡±

    ¡°Will you possess me now, Master?¡± Vezta asked, all of her eyes staring at him.

    Arkk hesitated before slowly shaking his head. With how natural Zullie¡¯s body had felt after a few minutes, he would probably get the hang of Vezta¡¯s body, but¡­ her body was just so very different. The thought of having so many eyes, limbs, and whatever minor shapeshifting ability she had to turn her thick tendrils into a long dress felt disorienting just imagining it.

    ¡°Later,¡± he said, not sure how much he meant it. Vezta accepted the response without any disappointment, just a slight bow of acknowledgment. ¡°I actually had a job for Zullie. I¡¯m sorry for disturbing your work. Both of you,¡± he said, looking from Vezta to Zullie. ¡°But this could be important.¡±

    ¡°I live to serve,¡± Vezta said with another bow.

    Zullie, on the other hand, shot him a dirty look. ¡°Is this job related to your magic?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Arkk winced at the flash of irritation in her violet eyes. ¡°I¡¯m planning to send some of the orcs to protect an expedition to some ancient pyramid. I would like it located and assessed before committing, however.¡±

    ¡°Assessed?¡±

    ¡°For danger as well as possible value in seeking it out. Lost magical knowledge, treasure, or anything similar.¡±

    Zullie nodded with a small frown. ¡°And you want me to do that? I thought¡­ Vezta was our scrying professional. I can use a crystal ball, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Vezta is working on a different project for me,¡± Arkk said, looking at the monster for a moment before turning his attention back to Zullie. ¡°If there is some pyramid out in the highlands, I assume it will be much easier to locate than a person. If you cannot locate it, it isn¡¯t that big of a deal. I just prefer being forewarned about any dangers.¡±

    ¡°I suppose if I¡¯m being paid to do this,¡± Zullie said, grumbling as she looked back to her notes. ¡°You want me to pause the magic research?¡±

    ¡°Just for a few hours,¡± Arkk said, handing over his own notes on the mercenary job. ¡°This is all the information I know. Spend at least a few hours today and tomorrow on it. If you haven¡¯t found anything by nightfall tomorrow, you can stop.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Zullie said with a sigh, looking over the notes. After a long moment, she walked over to the crystal ball in the library and hunched over it.

    ¡°Vezta¡­¡± Arkk said, thinking about what Rekk¡¯ar had mentioned as he led her out of the room and away from Zullie. Once they were down the hall, he asked, ¡°There are other fortresses like this, right?¡±

    ¡°Today? I do not know, but I doubt it. In the days of my former master? I wouldn¡¯t have said they were common, but there were certainly a number around.¡±

    ¡°Do you know if there was one in the Cliff mountainside? The magical academy there reminds me a lot of this place.¡±

    ¡°The location you visited recently?¡± Vezta hummed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t called Cliff at the time, but I do believe that there was a Keeper of the [HEART] operating in the area. Malachite? Mendechaus, perhaps? I suppose whoever it was is long dead.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if I should make a contract with it next time I am there¡ª¡±

    Vezta started, actually losing her smile as she gripped Arkk¡¯s arm. ¡°Do not claim an unknown [HEART], Master. Your [HEART] is your heart.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t I supposed to claim more for your other task?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but not on a whim¡­¡± Vezta trailed off, eyes shifting away from Arkk for a moment. ¡°If you wish to merely expand your territory beyond great distances, beseeching the [PANTHEON] is the proper method. Other Keepers are known to lay traps, sabotage, or otherwise make it unpleasant for others to take what is theirs. In addition, there are many types of [HEART] devices and not all are compatible with each other. I must protest any action toward another [HEART]. If you discover one, inactive, we can assess it together.¡±

    Never in the several weeks that Arkk had known Vezta had she used such passion and fervor while speaking. In tense situations, such as nearly being overwhelmed by goblins, she always used a demure tone with a serene smile on her face. Even when discussing her former master¡¯s final orders and her desire to see them through, she had spoken with a reserved reverence, not anything like this.

    ¡°Besides,¡± Vezta said, slowly returning to a calmer state. ¡°It is highly likely that any [HEART] in the area is already dead.¡±

    Arkk, licking his lips, drew a breath and asked, ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten what the surface looks like here? If there are people and plants near a still-living [HEART], I would be surprised. Unless, of course, someone claimed it or the [HEART] discovered another method of survival. I cannot rule either out, but find it unlikely given the location and population.¡±

    ¡°Hearts would be in other Cursed Forests,¡± Arkk said with a frown. ¡°I understand.¡±

    Vezta nodded, looking relieved. ¡°I apologize for my outburst, Master. I merely wished to impress upon you the gravity of the situation.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. There is a lot I don¡¯t know and I appreciate you warning me before I bumble into problems. I was just thinking it would be nice to be able to teleport around Cliff at will¡­ Vezta, are there more of your kind around? Perhaps near the fortress of this possible dead Heart?¡±

    ¡°If there are, I have not heard of such a thing.¡± Vezta smiled. ¡°I would not be surprised to find that I am the last of my kind on this plane.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Sorry?¡± Vezta shook her head, side to side. ¡°I suppose it is a bit too peaceful like this.¡± Arkk raised an eyebrow, but Vezta simply bowed.

    Shrugging, Arkk asked, ¡°How is opening the portal coming along?¡±

    Vezta clasped her hands together, rubbing a thumb against the back of her hand. ¡°Not as well as I had hoped. I aim to recruit your magical researcher to my efforts, but she is still familiarizing herself with magic and life here. Perhaps¡­ ask me for a progress report in two weeks?¡±

    ¡°I can do that.¡± Arkk nodded, then asked. ¡°And the other task I assigned to you?¡±

    ¡°Scrying for the girl? I had something to report on that matter. I searched through the Darkwood forest. It appears incompatible with human existence, being filled with dangers I don¡¯t believe any individual is likely to survive. Because of that, I focused a great deal on the burg. I spotted someone matching the description you gave me.¡±

    ¡°You found her?¡± Arkk perked up. His whole plan to get invited to the Duke¡¯s party revolved around making a name for themselves. Rescuing a viscount¡¯s daughter was their ticket to that renown.

    Vezta held up a hand with a small frown. ¡°There was an issue. I spotted a woman, but she possesses an artifact of some type that allows her to hide from my sight.¡±

    ¡°Hide how?¡±

    ¡°Invisibility.¡±

    ¡°Is that possible?¡± Arkk said, eyes widening.

    ¡°My former master has a spell that would allow that, but from what I observed of your missing woman, she possesses an article of clothing with a similar spell effect woven into it.¡±

    Invisibility could be a problem, but¡­ ¡°She is there, right?¡±

    ¡°As of this afternoon, yes.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave at once. If she shows again, alert me and I¡¯ll focus on you and your crystal ball.¡±

    Vezta canted her head. ¡°If I were there in person, I imagine I would be able to track her.¡±

    Arkk bit his lip then shook his head. ¡°No. The inquisitors will be searching for any sightings of you. I need you to keep things running here anyway. With Olatt¡¯an out, it¡¯s just you and Rekk¡¯ar. Luckily, we¡¯re sending a few orcs out to that ancient pyramid, some are with Ilya, and I¡¯ll be taking a few as well. There won¡¯t be too many here.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Vezta said with a bow. Her movements were the same as they ever were, but Arkk still felt a hint of disappointment in her tone. ¡°If there is nothing else, I shall see to the tasks you assigned me.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s all. Thank you, Vezta.¡±

    She bowed again before turning. Arkk watched her back¡ªand the array of glowing yellow eyes that traveled down her spine¡ªfor a long moment until she turned down a different corridor. Pressing his lips into a small frown, Arkk turned and, after a few steps, teleported away.

 Darkwood Burg

    ¡°Not the friendliest place, is it?¡± Dakka asked, eyes traveling over the muddy road and the few poor souls who had ventured out into the moderate rain.

    Arkk didn¡¯t say anything as he pulled his heavy cloak a little tighter, but he agreed in full.

    Darkwood Burg wasn¡¯t a particularly well-to-do settlement. Arkk would never compare a regular burg to an actual city like Cliff, but even compared to a backwater like Smilesville, Darkwood was lacking. The quality of the buildings wasn¡¯t anywhere near that of other burgs, the people walked with their heads down and only glanced up to look at newcomers with suspicion, and its surrounding farmlands were smaller and far less healthy than others Arkk had seen¡ªthough with several of the fields being empty from the recent harvest, maybe Arkk shouldn¡¯t judge too harshly.

    The wall was the only truly impressive aspect of the burg. A thick stone wall wrapped around the entire settlement. Most burgs contained a larger keep where the local lord sat, which might have some amount of important structures enclosed within the wall but was otherwise fairly insular. Beyond the keep, the rest of most burgs were regular villages that spread out from the walls.

    Darkwood Burg had a large keep in the center along with a hefty wall, but a second, larger wall surrounded every other building. On the way in, Arkk spotted less than five buildings outside the wall.

    Part of that, Arkk figured, was its location. Darkwood was so named for the nearby Darkwoods, a particularly nasty bit of terrain filled with all manner of unpleasant creatures. Or so Arkk had gathered from asking about the area over the last few days that he and his group had been traveling. Among the many dangers, there were known goblin infestations, an insect colony that tended to leave people alone until they didn¡¯t, occasional sightings of ghasts, and it was a known hunting ground for raptors. A necromancer had allegedly called the area home well over a hundred years ago and, while he had been slain, there were still rumors of undead wandering and attacking anything living they came across.

    With all that, one might wonder why anyone bothered to live here. The lumber harvested from the forest, which was a rich, near-black hardwood, was a valuable and rare luxury for the wealthy. Too valuable, it seemed, for the locals to build their homes out of it.

    Arkk and Dakka came to a stop outside a small, unassuming building. The signboard on the wall lacked text but did possess a rather intricate carving of an alchemical alembic and several stoppered vials.

    ¡°This it?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arkk said with a frown. ¡°Check around the sides for other entrances. Watch them if there are any, otherwise return and wait here.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing. Orjja,¡± Dakka said, pointing, ¡°left side. Farr¡¯an, with her. I¡¯ll take the right.¡±

    As the three orcs spread out, Arkk pushed open the door, tossing his hood off as he stepped out of the rain.

    The smell hit him first. An unpleasant sting of a dozen different concoctions. The potion fumes were thick enough in the air that Arkk felt a need to leave the door open lest he suffocate entirely. Wafting a hand in front of his face, a useless gesture, he pressed forward. There were living people in here and if they could survive the air, he could as well. He wasn¡¯t about to be stopped by a foul smell.

    Stepping past dusty shelves filled with aging bottles of colored liquids, Arkk approached a wide counter. A person stood behind it, cloaked in thick black clothes. The individual wore a full face-concealing mask. Dark lenses allowed sight while a long, beak-like protrusion jutted out from the mouth and nose area. The attire revealed no skin and no hair, but Arkk did note the gloves had a few too many fingers as the person poured sticky, black liquid from a wide metal pan with a notch on one side into a small glass jar.

    Arkk waited, not wanting to disturb the alchemist and cause them to spill whatever that potion was. He simply looked around, noting a raven perched on a thin dowel behind the counter. Several pots and cauldrons were propped up on a stone firepit against the back wall, though there was no fire lit at the moment.

    Eventually, the alchemist ceased pouring the black liquid and promptly stoppered the glass jar and covered the larger pot with a metal lid. Placing both containers to the side, the alchemist clasped their many fingers together, gently placing his gloved hands on the countertop.

    ¡°Apologies. Thank you for waiting,¡± they whispered, voice muffled behind the mask. ¡°How can I serve you? Perhaps I can interest you in a soakless solution to keep the rain off your cloak?¡±

    ¡°Tempting,¡± Arkk said honestly. He almost coughed as he breathed in but, now that there was a lid on whatever potion the alchemist had been brewing, the air had started to clear. ¡°But I¡¯m here for information today.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Interested in learning the art of alchemy yourself?¡± They leaned forward, whispering voice speaking with a little more intensity. ¡°It is a rewarding discipline, but mistakes can cost you dearly. You would not believe how annoying it is to get gloves made with eight fingers,¡± they said, holding up their hand and wiggling around the extra digits.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± That wasn¡¯t what he had come here for, but couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°Are you offering personal tutoring or books?¡±

    ¡°I do not recognize you. You are a traveler. Unless you are planning on staying in Darkwood for a significant amount of time, I would not be able to offer an apprenticeship that would teach you anything effective.¡±

    ¡°You are correct. I hope to not be in the area for more than a few days.¡±

    ¡°In that case,¡± they said, turning away. They walked over behind some curtains hanging off to the side of the counter. Leaning forward, Arkk spotted a tall series of shelves filled with a number of books and small bits of equipment. They pulled off a worn and weathered book that was less a proper tome and more a collection of papers haphazardly bound together with thin pieces of twine. Returning to the counter, they placed it down. ¡°This is what got me my start. It is a fairly simple treatise with a small collection of recipes that can all be brewed in a simple cooking pot, so no need for any exotic equipment. Perfect for beginners.¡±

    Arkk raised an eyebrow. ¡°How do you know I¡¯m in the market for something for beginners?¡±

    ¡°You still have both your eyebrows,¡± they said with a wispy laugh.

    After staring for a moment, Arkk shrugged. ¡°Fair enough. That sounds perfect. What are you asking for it?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s say¡­¡± they trailed off, humming in thought. Far too many fingers drummed against the counter before their beak-like mask dipped in a nod. ¡°Thirty-four of the King¡¯s stamped silvers.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t a hard exchange rate from gold to silvers. At least not his gold. On the way to Cliff, he had exchanged several pieces of gold for a few pouches of silver with a few of the wealthier merchants he had come across, simply to make it easier to pay for things elsewhere without having to haggle over the value of his gold. The best rate he got was one gold piece for thirty silvers. The worst had been one for thirteen.

    Arkk fished a pair of gold coins from inside his cloak. Knowing he was going to pay for the actual information he had come here for, he didn¡¯t want to hand over every single silver that he had.

    The alchemist picked up one of the pieces of gold, holding it up to the dark lens in their mask before dropping it into a small glass bowl on the counter. The other coin went on one side of a set of scales. Ducking underneath the counter, the alchemist returned with a bottle of clear liquid and a thin glass straw. After dipping the straw into the clear liquid, the alchemist placed their finger over the other end. When they lifted the straw, a small amount of liquid remained suspended in the bottom until, holding the straw over the gold coin, they removed their finger. The liquid fell out, landing on top of the gold coin. A few sizzling bubbles appeared on the surface of the coin, but only for a brief moment. In short order, the liquid calmed and stilled until it looked no different from water.

    ¡°I do not recognize the stamp, but this is quite pure gold.¡± The alchemist leaned down to the scale, adding a few weights to the other side until the coin was evenly balanced. ¡°Very well. This will suffice.¡± Reaching under the counter again, the alchemist pulled up a thin section of animal hide and began wrapping the treatise. ¡°I would hate to see it damaged by the rain.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arkk said. He placed another three gold coins on the countertop. ¡°But I originally came here for a different type of information.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± the alchemist asked, tying a piece of twine around the hide-bound book before sliding it across the counter toward Arkk. They did not touch the new coins, however. ¡°What might that be?¡±

    ¡°There was a woman here about nine days ago. Young with dark skin and curly white hair, wearing a green cloak,¡± Arkk said, repeating the information Vezta had given him before he left the fortress. ¡°I would like to know about her.¡±

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The alchemist slowly shook their head. ¡°I receive a great many customers. My services are in high demand within Darkwood.¡±

    ¡°You brewed a violet-hued potion for her. It took an hour and she stood by in that corner over there, watching until it was finished,¡± Arkk said. He dropped ten more coins onto the pile. ¡°She tried to pay you with a few silvers, but you refused.¡±

    The pointed beak of the alchemist¡¯s mask dipped down to the counter before they looked back toward Arkk. ¡°It sounds as if you know a great deal already.¡±

    ¡°She returned every day for the next three days and then two days after that. She brought you lunch,¡± Arkk said. She had just sat and talked, spending almost the entire day here. ¡°I believe she is the daughter of a viscount, kidnapped and currently missing. Her father is worried about her.¡±

    The alchemist took in a deep breath. ¡°Sir¡ª¡±

    Arkk pulled out a fistful of gold, nearly doubling the size of the pile.

    The alchemist just shook their head. ¡°You can pile gold onto the counter all day long. It won¡¯t change what I know, which seems to be a fair deal less than you.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, staring into the mask¡¯s dark lenses. Eventually, he dipped his head with a small sigh. While scraping the pile of coins back into his pouch, he left one on the counter. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, then slid the extra coin toward the alchemist. ¡°An apology for harassing you. I¡¯ve just been worried for her. Whoever kidnapped her¡­ well, they seem to be the worst sort imaginable.¡±

    When the alchemist said nothing, Arkk picked up the wrapped book and headed back toward the door. Pausing, he looked back.

    ¡°If you do recall anything, I am staying at the local stayover for another few days.¡±

    Stepping outside, Arkk threw his hood on and then took a deep breath of fresh air.

    Dakka, Orjja, and Farr¡¯an were casually leaning against the adjacent building, talking with each other. None looked like they were watching the entrance in the slightest, yet all three subtly shifted the moment Arkk stepped out. Heading in the opposite direction, he turned a corner; they followed after a few moments.

    ¡°Nothing?¡±

    ¡°Just the one door,¡± Dakka said. ¡°Rainy day like this and nobody¡¯s walking around either. Street was deserted the whole time you were inside.¡±

    Nodding, Arkk reached inside his cloak and pulled out a crystal ball.

    He had taken the crystal ball on the trip to watch the shop on the way. Both he and Vezta had been unable to discover where the woman had been going before and after the potion shop. She had a cloak that rendered her invisible to scrying, and possibly regular vision as well, though Arkk hadn¡¯t yet seen her in person to test that.

    Quite the suspicious item¡ªand activities¡ªfor someone supposedly kidnapped. There were only two reasons why a young woman would be kidnapped. Ransom or lust. The former could be ruled out as no ransom notice had been given to her father. The latter made Arkk irrationally angry just thinking about it, but he felt that could be ruled out as well. No matter the reason why someone had been kidnapped, they wouldn¡¯t be allowed to roam around with a magical item.

    Still, Arkk didn¡¯t think she had escaped either. The notice of her kidnapping had been posted weeks ago and the sighting of her in Darkwood was old as well. Yet she was still here. Or had been several days ago. If she had gone to a city guard and mentioned the reward for her safe return, she would have been in Cliff by now.

    Which meant she hadn¡¯t been kidnapped at all.

    Arkk motioned toward the crystal ball, lighting it up with a touch of magic. The alchemist appeared inside, standing over the counter. They hadn¡¯t gone back to their work with the sticky black potion but were instead using a single one of their many fingers to roll the gold coin back and forth on its edge.

    Arkk waited, watching the crystal ball. Hoping. For over an hour, the alchemist didn¡¯t move. They just stood there, fiddling with the gold coin. Eventually, however, the alchemist picked up the coin, palming it in their fist. They stepped around the counter and carefully approached the door. Opening the door just a crack, they peered out into the rainy street, slowly opening the door wider to see further. With the door opened enough to step through, the alchemist looked around. Upon spotting nobody, they grabbed a cloak from near the door, pulled it up over their head and mask, and stepped outside.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Arkk said, alerting the orcs around him. ¡°It¡¯s time. Let¡¯s see where you¡¯re going¡­¡±

    Using the crystal ball to remain entirely out of sight while keeping a watch on the alchemist made following them through the burg almost too easy. Arkk felt like he should at least be trying to sneak around, yet he and three lumbering orcs walked out in the open because they knew exactly where their target was even while remaining a street away.

    The alchemist was at least trying to be careful. Arkk did have to give them credit for that. With how much they were looking around and ducking down side streets and alleys, anyone without a crystal ball either would have lost the alchemist or they would have been caught.

    As it was, they managed to follow the alchemist to a rundown old single-room building on the opposite side of the city.

    The alchemist started pacing out front, so Arkk quickly checked inside the home. ¡°Found her,¡± he said, watching as the woman who he presumed to be the viscount¡¯s daughter stirred a stew hanging over a small fire in the fireplace. The alchemist knocked and she jolted, tensing so quickly that the ladle went flying from her fingertips, spilling stew across the floor.

    From his position around the side of a small house, Arkk couldn¡¯t hear the conversation, but he could see the woman speaking through the door. She almost melted in relief when she realized who it was. Which Arkk took as a good sign. If this wasn¡¯t Gretchen, the viscount¡¯s daughter, after all this sneaking about, he would be beyond surprised.

    As Gretchen opened the door, the alchemist glanced around one last time before stepping in.

    He did a quick scan of the interior, but there wasn¡¯t much space in there to check. A bed, a table, a few stools, and a bookshelf with many alchemical texts. The latter fact made him wonder if the home belonged to the alchemist, though he hadn¡¯t seen the alchemist return here in all the time Arkk spent watching him.

    ¡°Check doors again,¡± Arkk said, rounding the corner and hurrying up to the small home. ¡°She might be invisible. If a door opens and you don¡¯t see anything, try to block the way as best you can.¡±

    ¡°Orjja, left. Farr¡¯an, right. If there are more doors and windows than you two can guard on your own, let me know. I¡¯ll ensure no one comes out the front.¡±

    ¡°Remember, we aren¡¯t trying to harm her,¡± Arkk said, still watching the crystal ball. ¡°And we need to hurry. The alchemist is probably telling her to go on the run again. With that cloak of hers, we might never find her.¡±

    It had been, frankly, a stroke of luck that Vezta decided to search the burg as well as the neighboring forest. Repeating that wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    While the two orcs moved around the building, Arkk walked right up to the front door. For a moment, he considered walking in but decided against it. Startling them might cause a fight. A knock, on the other hand, would give them a moment to steady and prepare. Maybe prepare to fight, maybe prepare to flee. With the crystal ball in hand and the orcs watching two windows around the back, Arkk felt prepared for either eventuality.

    Both jumped at the knock. The alchemist moved to put Gretchen behind his back, standing in front of her with their arm raised to shield her. Arkk almost missed it at the first glance, but the alchemist had a pair of glass vials held between the fingers of their outstretched hand, looking ready to throw them. Yet another confirmation that barging right in would have been a bad idea. Even as it was, Arkk wished that the fortress was nearby if only to have an easy escape via teleportation if things took a turn for the worse.

    When no one did barge through, the alchemist said something to Gretchen, who quickly donned the invisibility cloak, revealing a small coat stand that had been concealed by its power. It was an interesting effect. Not as great as the [HEART] and its construction, teleportation, and employee utilities, but if the cloak was the first magical artifact Arkk had ever seen, his jaw would have been dragging along the floor. As soon as Gretchen was fully hidden, the alchemist stepped closer to the door.

    ¡°Good evening,¡± Arkk said when the door opened a crack.

    The alchemist started. Their face was still hidden behind their mask, but the jolt that ran through their whole body gave it away. The lenses of their mask glinted as they looked up to the side where Dakka stood, arms crossed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll draw less attention inside,¡± Arkk said with a smile. ¡°Unless you would prefer attention. I know we are not the only ones looking for Miss Gretchen.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t even a lie. In the two days he and Dakka had been in town, they had asked around. With the amount of money the Viscount was offering, it was no surprise that every bounty hunter in the region had gravitated around Darkwood.

    ¡°Miss¡­ who?¡± the alchemist whispered. ¡°Sir, I think¡ª¡±

    Arkk lifted the crystal ball. It was in front of him already, between the door and his body, but he wouldn¡¯t be surprised to find the large beak of the mask had blocked the view. Now, however, the crystal clear image of the interior of the single-room home was clear to see.

    The alchemist¡¯s shoulders dropped. ¡°I see.¡± Opening the door wider, they stepped aside. ¡°Come in quickly, I suppose.¡±

    Dakka immediately moved, repositioning herself to completely block the now wide-open door. She stepped in first, ducking her head under the doorway, with Arkk following right behind. He closed the door, ensuring no invisible woman slipped past. As Arkk stepped further into the small living space, Dakka took up position behind him, still blocking the door. He quickly checked the crystal ball, noting Orjja and Farr¡¯an outside the two shuttered windows, making sure to linger on both long enough for anyone paying attention to notice. Slipping the crystal ball into a leather pouch under his cloak, Arkk looked up with a smile.

    ¡°I think the stew might be burning,¡± he said, tone as calm and casual as possible. The potions in the alchemist¡¯s hands weren¡¯t visible at the moment, but he wanted to avoid doing anything that might get those thrown at him, unsure what they might do. ¡°Please relax. Gretchen, I¡¯m not here to drag you back to your father. Probably.¡±

    A slight gasp from the corner of the room had both Arkk and Dakka shifting, though neither moved.

    Eventually, just to the left of where Arkk was looking, Gretchen shuffled off her cloak, leaving it around her shoulders but letting it hang loose with her hood off. Arkk expected to see fear on her face but was surprised to see that she looked about ready to attack anyone that came near. Probably with the ladle she had picked up sometime between now and when she had dropped it.

    ¡°What do you mean, probably?¡±

    ¡°Were you ever kidnapped? Are you being held here against your will? Are you in danger here? Are you hiding here from someone and are unable to return to your father?¡±

    With each question, Gretchen shook her head back and forth.

    Sighing, Arkk asked one final question. ¡°Do you want to go back to your father?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she said, almost as a hiss. ¡°That bastard can¡ª¡± Cutting herself off, she threw an angry glance at the wall, refusing to look at anyone.

    Arkk exchanged a glance with Dakka. ¡°Could always drag her back anyway. Not like they can stop us,¡± the orc said.

    ¡°No, no,¡± Arkk said, noting both the alchemist and Gretchen tense. ¡°We¡¯re trying to rescue someone. I doubt Ilya would be happy knowing we boosted our fame at the expense of someone else. And that¡¯s assuming she didn¡¯t kill me first.¡±

    Gretchen looked up at that. ¡°Rescue someone?¡± she asked.

    Arkk shrugged his shoulders. ¡°We hoped to return you to your father would make us notable enough¡ªperhaps with a little help from your father¡¯s connections¡ªto open a few doors that are currently closed to us. I honestly thought finding you would be the hard part. Now¡­¡± With a sigh, Arkk gestured toward the pot of stew. ¡°Why not take that off the fire and then let us sit down and discuss a few things? Maybe we can turn this around and somehow not make it a big waste of time.¡±

 The Viscounts Daughter

    ¡°To summarize,¡± Arkk said, rubbing the side of his forehead. ¡°Your father wants to marry you off and you object, so you ran away.¡±

    Gretchen, seated on an old wicker stool, nodded with a hefty scowl wrinkling her face. ¡°It isn¡¯t just marry me off. I might have been happy to do it if it was someone agreeable. Earl Pritchard is eighty-five, has had six wives, and three of those wives have died in what I might call suspicious circumstances.¡± She shook her head. ¡°The age difference alone is enough to make me vomit. I might have been able to put up with it for a few years if it meant I was able to claim his estate¡ªhe has no heirs¡ªbut I don¡¯t intend to die for it.¡±

    Arkk just frowned. ¡°I assume the Earl offered something to your father in exchange?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Maybe he¡¯s just doing an old friend a favor.¡±

    ¡°Would he be open to alternate offers?¡±

    Gretchen, who had been listlessly stirring a bowl of stew, froze as she shot Arkk an appraising look.

    ¡°Not for marriage!¡± Arkk said the moment he realized what he said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t marry you.¡±

    Gretchen huffed. ¡°Well.¡±

    ¡°Not¡­¡± Arkk held up both hands, index fingers slightly raised more than the rest. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re a lovely woman but I don¡¯t know you at all.¡±

    ¡°That hardly seems to be a requirement,¡± Gretchen said, scowl deepening. ¡°I¡¯ve never even met Earl Pritchard.¡±

    ¡°It matters to me. I would pay your father a great deal of money to not marry you.¡±

    Gretchen¡¯s eyes flashed in irritation. Dakka just started chuckling behind Arkk.

    Arkk, rubbing his neck, cleared his throat. ¡°What I mean to say is that I want to take you back to your father. As someone who thinks he has a proper sense of morality¡ªnot to mention a growing dislike for almost everyone I¡¯ve heard of with a noble title¡ªI don¡¯t want to force you back. Especially if it means you¡¯ll get¡­ murdered?¡±

    ¡°How considerate,¡± Gretchen said, tone utterly flat.

    ¡°The Viscount clearly intends to collect more than he is offering for Gretchen¡¯s return,¡± the alchemist said in a whisper. ¡°You can pay that and more?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ independently wealthy.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Arkk blinked at Gretchen¡¯s question. ¡°Why¡­ am I wealthy?¡±

    ¡°Why spend all this wealth on me? Especially if you don¡¯t intend to¡­ marry me.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Arkk shrugged. ¡°I need the renown.¡±

    ¡°Renown?¡±

    ¡°Clout. Prestige. Glory. Fame. Notability. Whatever you call it, I need it. The Duke has these parties every so often and I want in. Returning victorious with a viscount¡¯s kidnapped daughter sounded like a great way to get my foot in the door.¡±

    Disgust crossed Gretchen¡¯s features as she looked from Arkk to Dakka and back. ¡°You want to go to one of those parties? I¡¯ve been twice and neither time has been particularly pleasant.¡±

    ¡°My best friend¡¯s mother was taken by the Duke. We want to get her back. That¡¯s the best idea we¡¯ve got right now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ so sorry.¡±

    ¡°We found her,¡± Arkk hurried to reassure her. ¡°She¡¯s safe. We just can¡¯t get to her. Or get her out of there.¡± He was about to ask about the circumstances under which Gretchen might be willing to return to her father, only to pause as a thought occurred to him. ¡°Could your father get us into one of those parties? Or would helping him even help us? I guess I should ask that. If the answer is no, there is no point in even talking about this any further.¡±

    Gretchen didn¡¯t answer right away, frowning to herself as she resumed stirring her stew. She hadn¡¯t offered Arkk, Dakka, or even the alchemist any. While it smelled alright, he had eaten before setting out for the alchemist¡¯s workshop and would have refused the offer anyway.

    ¡°You are doing a job for my father. He is not the kind of person to recognize achievements in service. You¡¯ll get your pay and he¡¯ll send you on your way.¡± Gretchen paused, ate a spoonful of stew, then continued. ¡°I¡¯m not just saying that to get you to leave me alone either. It¡¯s the truth.¡±

    Arkk sighed, leaning back against the wall of the small cottage. Had this all been a waste of time? Although for the wrong reasons, Rekk¡¯ar might have been right in rejecting this job outright.

    Taking the lull in conversation to think, he spent a moment checking in on his other employees and Fortress Al-Mir. Rekk¡¯ar was in a training room, apparently instructing the few orcs who were still at the fortress. Five others were camping out in the highlands, accompanied by an elf and a human. They were the group headed to that ancient pyramid. Arkk didn¡¯t necessarily expect anything to come of that expedition, but so long as no real incidents occurred, it was a good way to get the orcs some exercise.

    Ilya and Olatt¡¯an¡¯s group of ten were on a small riverboat. It had been over two weeks since they set off for the Marrowlands Fen and they had only just arrived in the general area in the last day. Increasingly worried about them, Arkk had been checking in at regular intervals. He didn¡¯t think there was much he could do to assist from a distance if they did wind up in trouble, but checking on them made him feel marginally better.

    Vezta and Zullie were both in the fortress, together at that, inside the room with the large crystal archway. It was the portal, he knew, or at least it had been at one point in time. Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure how Zullie was going to help with that. Vezta seemed like the kind of person capable of accomplishing her task on her own, but then again, Vezta had already admitted a deficiency in magical knowledge.

    How soon would he be able to open the portal? Vezta had mentioned potential assistance coming from the other side. Beings and boons granted by the Cloak of Shadows and other members of her [PANTHEON]. With this plan to rapidly boost their renown being a bust, he started considering what his next plan might look like.

    According to Vezta, the [PANTHEON] would be able to grant remote extensions to his territory. Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure what form that would come in, but if he could plant an extension within range of Cliff, thus allowing for teleportation out of the city, hiring Alya would be all he needed to teleport her out of the Duke¡¯s manor. Of course, that meant he still needed to reach her. Or someone he was associated with, so long as an agreement for service occurred on his behalf.

    Arkk jolted out of his reflections on his other employees, startled by Dakka clapping a hand on his shoulder.

    ¡°Your eyes were red,¡± she whispered, nodding her head toward the other two in the room.

    ¡°Honestly didn¡¯t realize my eyes were open,¡± Arkk whispered back as he took in the wary look of alarm on Gretchen¡¯s face. The alchemist¡¯s face was still covered by their full mask, but Arkk read their readiness for fight-or-flight in their posture. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to startle you. I was just thinking.¡±

    ¡°Does that happen often?¡± the alchemist whispered.

    ¡°Increasingly,¡± Dakka said.

    Arkk just shrugged. He was about to say something when he felt a strong tug on the link between him and his employees. Jolting, fearing that Ilya had run into trouble, he followed the link only to find himself drawn to Orjja, standing just outside the small shack. With a wince, he realized that he should have invited the other two inside once it became clear that Gretchen wasn¡¯t going to try running if only to keep his employees out of the rain.

    When he noticed the reason for Orjja tugging on the link, he realized what a stroke of luck it was that he had left them out there.

    People were approaching the shack.

    Not just any people, but ones he recognized from the stayover. Other bounty hunters and mercenaries.

    Arkk started wondering how they were here only to grimace as realization hit. While following the alchemist, he hadn¡¯t bothered trying to hide, secure in knowing that the alchemist wouldn¡¯t be able to notice them. Someone else would have been able to follow him without trouble. And of course people would. After having asked around at the stayover, people knew that he was after Gretchen just as much as any of them.

    ¡°It appears as if we have company,¡± Arkk said, guessing that his eyes had flashed red again based on the expressions around him. Ignoring them, Arkk pulled out the crystal ball. While his employee vision was useful, it wasn¡¯t as versatile as a proper crystal ball. ¡°Five armed men, all bearing an emblem of¡­ is that a goose?¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Dakka, peering down into the crystal ball, shrugged. ¡°Ferocious creatures.¡±

    ¡°I guess.¡±

    ¡°Time to go, I suppose?¡±

    Arkk nodded his head, pushing off from the wall he had been leaning against. He froze as he spotted the horrified look on Gretchen¡¯s face.

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving? Just like that?¡± she asked, voice tense.

    Arkk grimaced. There had been nothing here for him in the first place. Now knowing that, there was no reason to stick around any longer or get into a fight with a group of bounty hunters that, as a fellow mercenary, he should theoretically be at least on speaking terms with. Even if he fought them off, word would spread and others would show up eventually.

    ¡°I feel bad about leading them here, but¡­ Can¡¯t you just hide under your cloak like you had been planning when I showed up?¡± Arkk asked with a small sigh.

    With what the Viscount was offering for her return, anyone looking for her wasn¡¯t likely to leave this building or the alchemist in peace if they thought either were relevant. She wouldn¡¯t have been able to stay hidden forever. With him having dragged bounty hunters to her doorstep, the time she had left shrank abruptly.

    Gretchen knew that as well. He could see it in her eyes.

    ¡°Maybe I could claim you as my bounty, getting rid of them for now, then have you escape on the way to Cliff?¡±

    Gretchen bit her lip, shooting a look at the alchemist. There was something in her eyes there as well, making Arkk wonder if some romance had blossomed since running away from her father. It would help explain this house she lived in. It was either the alchemist¡¯s home or simply one they had been able to procure for Gretchen. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure which.

    ¡°Can she trust you?¡± the alchemist whispered, stepping closer.

    ¡°If I still wanted to take her back to her father at this point, I wouldn¡¯t even be having this conversation.¡±

    ¡°Why not hire them?¡± Dakka asked absently, drawing her axe as she peered into the crystal ball. ¡°Nobody would find them in the fortress.¡±

    The idea had occurred to Arkk. The alchemist in particular had skills that he was sure he could make use of. Especially if he could make a top-of-the-line potion brewery using the fortress magic. Gretchen, however, didn¡¯t have any skills he thought he would need. Not that skill was a requirement to be hired, but it was a factor. ¡°I can¡¯t just hire everyone I come across,¡± Arkk said, shaking his head. There was a much bigger reason why he couldn¡¯t just hire everyone he spotted. ¡°The alchemist has a shop here. They have lives here¡ª¡±

    ¡°Had,¡± Dakka said. At his pointed look, she gave an unapologetic shrug. ¡°They¡¯re almost here. Better at least hide for now if you don¡¯t want to get caught.¡±

    With one last gnawing of her lips, Gretchen rushed to the rack and threw her invisibility cloak over herself.

    ¡°Dakka, stand in the corner, leaning against the wall. Gretchen, hide behind her. That will keep them from bumping into you.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing, boss,¡± Dakka said, moving to the wall. Her large hand felt around in the air until it bumped into something solid. Nodding, she angled herself such that there was a small corner behind her where Gretchen could stand.

    ¡°Alchemist,¡± Arkk said, pulling out the wrapped treatise that he had bought earlier.

    ¡°Morford.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°My name. Morford. If you¡¯re helping, might as well have you call me by name.¡±

    Arkk nodded slowly, waiting a moment. This seemed like the kind of situation where the alchemist would pull off their mask and reveal themselves. When they didn¡¯t, Arkk continued. ¡°Is this your home?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    Arkk frowned at that. In the time he had been observing the alchemist in search of Gretchen, the alchemist hadn¡¯t left their shop. They slept there and took meals there, mostly delivered by Gretchen. Assuming that they had been steering clear of the place for her sake, Arkk shrugged. ¡°You invited me here to tutor me. We¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    Two heavy thumps against the door rattled the entire small home. Arkk quickly crossed the floor, taking up Gretchen¡¯s stool. He opened the treatise to a random page as if he had been reading from it and, leaving it open on his lap, picked up the half-eaten bowl of stew. As he did so, the alchemist, Morford, crossed the room and opened the door just as they had done when Arkk had been the one knocking.

    Unlike when Arkk had knocked, those on the other side of the door forced it open the moment the alchemist undid the latch.

    Three men barged in. The other two, he knew, were outside in a tense standoff with Orjja and Farr¡¯an. Neither side had come to blows yet, but it wouldn¡¯t take much to set them off.

    ¡°Where is she?¡± one of the bounty hunters asked. They didn¡¯t have anything like the White Company¡¯s uniforms. Just the goose emblem somewhere on their outfits. If Arkk had passed them on the street, he doubted he would have looked twice at them. The only reason Arkk recognized them as bounty hunters was that he had seen them in the stayover. He had spoken to the bald one on the left, asking about Gretchen.

    ¡°She?¡± Morford whispered, masked face shifting to the side.

    ¡°They must be talking about Gretchen,¡± Arkk said with a frown. ¡°The First Legion, was it?¡± A grandiose name considering they were just a small group. From what Arkk had gathered, there were only ten members in total.

    ¡°We know you were looking for her.¡±

    Giving them a flat look, Arkk nodded his head. ¡°Yes. I mentioned that.¡± Arkk paused, then frowned. ¡°Were you following me in the hopes that I would do your job for you? If the girl had been here, she would have been my bounty. Not yours.¡±

    The apparent leader of the group, a shorter man with a thick mustache, sneered while the other two started poking around the place. It wasn¡¯t a large place. There were only two hiding spots. Under the bed and under the table, the latter of which wouldn¡¯t have saved anyone from one who simply leaned over.

    ¡°I heard the alchemist here had contact with Gretchen, but upon finding nothing, I elected to receive some tutoring in the subject of alchemy. It has always interested me,¡± Arkk said with a half-shrug, keeping his tone cool and casual even as the bounty hunters tried scouring the tiny home.

    The First Legion didn¡¯t seem all that impressed or convinced. Hawkwood had warned him about this. A vast number of mercenaries weren¡¯t exactly pleasant people. Thieves trying to claim legitimacy, former soldiers who only knew war, people who wanted an excuse to shove around those weaker than them¡­ For every Hawkwood in the business, patient and willing to help out as he was, there were ten thugs ready to backstab everyone else for a quick coin.

    One of the bounty hunters got a bit too close to Dakka. She bared her tusks and, when he didn¡¯t back off, she slammed her fist into his face.

    Of the remaining two, one drew a cudgel while the other drew a sword.

    ¡°Electro Deus.¡±

    Two lightning bolts leaped from his fingertips, striking each before they could take a step toward Dakka. They weren¡¯t full-power bolts capable of frying them. That didn¡¯t stop their muscles from seizing up, forcing them into heaps with small bits of steam wafting off their rain-soaked clothing.

    The alchemist jumped back. He heard a startled squeak from Gretchen behind Dakka. Although Arkk winced at the sound, none of the three were in any state to pay attention to their surroundings.

    Interestingly enough, the only one of the three who didn¡¯t get back on their feet in short order was the one Dakka had punched.

    ¡°You barge in here, harass us, and thought you might steal my job?¡± Arkk ignored that he had done practically the same things, minus the last offense. With a shake of his head, he wiggled a finger back and forth, letting the lightning still sparking on the tip do a lot of the talking. ¡°I¡¯ve turned goblins to ash before. That was the least I can do. Attack us again. I dare you.¡± Arkk paused just long enough for the sparks at his fingertips to die out, then he started again. ¡°Electro De¡ª¡±

    ¡°No! No¡­¡± With an angry snarl, muscles in his neck twitching, the leader of the First Legion grabbed the one Dakka had punched and hauled him to his feet. None of the three were entirely steady, but they made their way back to the door and quickly rushed out.

    ¡°Nice meeting you!¡± Arkk called out with forced cheer as the alchemist closed the door. His shoulders slumped the moment they were gone and he let out a long breath. ¡°Making friends already,¡± he mumbled.

    ¡°Friends,¡± Dakka scoffed. ¡°If you want, we can drag them back for a proper fight. They can¡¯t have gotten far.¡±

    Arkk just shook his head, barely avoiding rolling his eyes at her quip, before settling his gaze on the spot behind Dakka. The orc still hadn¡¯t moved, but the smaller girl behind her had thrown off her hood creating the odd effect of a floating head peering around the side of Dakka¡¯s spiked shield.

    Aside from the noise she had made, which hopefully nobody would remember after they had a chance to get their bearings, she had been utterly undetectable. If Dakka hadn¡¯t been standing in the corner, maybe nobody would have walked over there in the first place. She could have hidden there until they left.

    Arkk had to wonder at its limitations. Were there spells that could pierce that invisibility? If so, were such spells commonly used? Perhaps not among mercenaries, but among guards of noblemen¡¯s keeps? How hard was it to get an invisibility cloak like that?

    Turning his head to the alchemist, who was now peering through a crack in the door, presumably watching the First Legion flee, Arkk considered his earlier question about a soakless solution. Something, presumably, to keep rain from soaking into cloth. ¡°Morford. Is invisibility something that you can brew and apply to cloth like a soakless solution?¡±

    The beaked mask turned first to Gretchen then over to Arkk. Morford didn¡¯t respond right away, going a bit stiff. Arkk had to bite back at his frown, especially once he realized that Gretchen hadn¡¯t come out from around Dakka yet and wasn¡¯t making any move to do so. Rather, she was barely peeking out from around the large shield, looking at Arkk with narrowed eyes.

    Was it the spell? Hopefully, they didn¡¯t think he was going to hit them with lightning bolts. Maybe they knew enough to recognize that it was some forbidden magic that the inquisitors didn¡¯t like.

    ¡°No,¡± the alchemist eventually whispered. ¡°More accurately, I can¡¯t. Distilling magic into a liquid form is advanced alchemy, but it is possible. However, I have never seen a cloak like Gretchen¡¯s before. I do not know how it was made, whether its fabricators used pure magic or alchemy and, in the case of the former option, what rituals or incantations were used in its construction, whether the material matters, and so on and so forth, is unknown to me. It might be possible to discern some of that through deconstruction, but I wouldn¡¯t want to damage such a useful artifact.¡±

    Arkk pursed his lips in annoyance. There went another plan. Admittedly, it was a plan he had only thought of since meeting Gretchen and Morford. Simply being able to waltz into the Duke¡¯s compound unseen by all would have been a perfect way to hire Alya and then teleport her to that nearby fortress expansion that didn¡¯t exist yet.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you would be willing to sell the cloak?¡± Arkk asked, looking over to Gretchen.

    Her eyes narrowed further. ¡°It is the only thing keeping me safe from the likes of¡­ them.¡±

    Arkk just sighed, wrapping the treatise back in its protective leathers. ¡°I hope you enjoy living under it for the rest of your life.¡±

    ¡°Better living under it than dead.¡±

    Conceding the point with a slight nod of his head, Arkk headed toward the door. ¡°Dakka, we¡¯re leaving at first light. No heavy drinking tonight.¡±

    ¡°I can sleep in the¡ª¡±

    ¡°Dakka.¡±

    The orc crossed her arms with a snort. ¡°You¡¯re the boss.¡±

    ¡°Morford. Gretchen. I won¡¯t tell anyone where you are, but¡­¡± Arkk shrugged as he stepped out the door. ¡°Good luck.¡±

    With that, he started walking down the road. A whistle from Dakka called Orjja and Farr¡¯an.

    ¡°So,¡± Dakka started as they neared the stayover. ¡°All that for nothing?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. I¡¯m hoping the alchemist remembers your comment about taking them to the fortress and asks to either shelter Gretchen or both of them.¡±

    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to drag them away from their lives here.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t. I¡¯m not a kidnapper,¡± Arkk said, mildly offended. ¡°But if they want to come willingly, that is a different story. Regardless of their decisions, I can¡¯t justify spending more time here trying to convince them. There will be other ways to reach Alya.¡±

    He just had to figure out what those ways were.

 Storm Delay

    ¡°We¡¯re not leaving in that are we?¡±

    A flash of lightning illuminated three orcs and a human as they looked out the door of the Darkwood stayover. The low rumbles of the following thunder didn¡¯t manage to overpower the heavy patter of pouring rain.

    ¡°I said we would leave at first daylight,¡± Arkk said with a heavy frown, leading to the orcs grumbling under their breath. Arkk shook his head. Unfortunately, he agreed with them. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯re getting daylight today.¡±

    The light drizzle from the day prior had turned into a full-blown storm overnight. There wasn¡¯t much wind, but the rain and lightning made up for it in droves. Even if he was willing to brave the lightning on the open road, they wouldn¡¯t have gotten far before their cart wheels wound up stuck in the mud.

    Closing the door, Arkk looked back to the stayover¡¯s tavern area. His group wasn¡¯t the only one present. Two of the First Legion, one he had hit with a bolt of lightning and one of the ones who had been outside during that confrontation, were glaring in his direction. The Order of the Claymores had two seated with them, both glaring as well even though Arkk had done nothing to either.

    Looking around, Arkk¡¯s frown only deepened. With the storm, it looked like everyone who could get away with it was staying inside. There were two other tables with a mixture of bounty hunter organizations. Both tables were glaring in his direction as well, though not to quite the same intensity as the First Legion. It did make him wonder what kind of rumors had flown about the tavern since the day before.

    ¡°Try not to start anything, but I guess we¡¯ve got the day off,¡± Arkk whispered before heading over to the counter. The stayover proprietor had a large pot of soup being kept warm over some embers. He overpaid for a bowl and then headed to the one occupied table that wasn¡¯t glaring daggers at him.

    ¡°Mind if I sit here?¡± Arkk said.

    This table only had two others seated. A middle-aged man with graying hair and a younger woman who might have been his daughter with vibrant brown, almost orange hair. Arkk, however, was more interested in their clothes at the moment. The man wore a fine green vest held together with polished wooden toggles. The woman had a black dress with fur trim and a deep blue sleeveless jacket worn open.

    Not the sort of clothes peasants or even mercenaries wore around often.

    As long as he was trapped here, he might as well try to learn something.

    ¡°Arkk,¡± Arkk said, introducing himself as the older man nodded his agreement to Arkk¡¯s request. ¡°Leader of Company Al-Mir.¡±

    ¡°A free company?¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. ¡°More or less.¡± Mostly less. Free companies were typically mercenaries hired for war and little else. There wasn¡¯t currently a war going on anywhere around the Duchy of Mystakeen and Arkk had no intentions of getting involved in one should one start.

    ¡°Aron Wolf,¡± he said, extending a hand. ¡°Wolf Trading Company. My daughter, Arianna Wolf.¡±

    ¡°Charmed,¡± Arkk said, only to be met with rolling eyes. Paying Arianna little mind, Arkk turned his attention back to Aron. ¡°You¡¯re merchants? Trading in the ebon wood, I presume.¡±

    ¡°Merchants?¡± Aron said with a chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s a bit small for what we do, but not inaccurate, I suppose. And yes. Ebony wood is in quite high demand across the great states and even beyond the kingdom¡¯s borders. I just purchased the local lumber mill and plan on expanding it to double its output.¡±

    Arkk nodded along, slowly eating his soup as he listened to the merchant discuss all his plans for the area. Aron had a lot to say on the subject. Enough so that Arkk imagined he took great enjoyment from both the financial and logistical side of his business but never got a chance to discuss such things with others. In truth, Arkk wasn¡¯t at all interested in wood trade. Not even if it was rare and fancy wood. Still, he politely nodded along until he found an opportunity to ask a question of much higher interest.

    ¡°Have you ever been to Cliff?¡±

    ¡°Oh of course,¡± Aron said with an easy smile before lightly patting his daughter¡¯s back. ¡°We have a home there, though the servants seem to live there more than we do these days. We¡¯re planning on building here this coming year as well, though in truth, we spend most of our time traveling between the larger cities.¡±

    ¡°You travel yourself? For the trade? I figured you hire people to do that for you.¡±

    Aron hesitated but nodded his head. ¡°That is true. I have some people working for me. But I always like to meet with my clients personally. If you want something done right, do it yourself! That¡¯s what my father always said,¡± he added with a laugh.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if it was the laugh or what he said, but Arianna shot her father a withering look before slowly shaking her head. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to keep that up, Father,¡± she said, tone clipped. ¡°Especially with this latest expansion.¡±

    ¡°And that is why you¡¯re here learning,¡± Aron said with a full smile. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anyone better suited to represent Wolf Trading Company than a Wolf.¡±

    Watching her flat look, Arkk asked, ¡°Not interested in the family business?¡±

    ¡°Not by half.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Aron rubbed his daughter¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve a sharp mind, my dear. When I turn the company over to you, I know you¡¯ll take it to new heights!¡±

    ¡°Because I know how to delegate,¡± she said, arms crossed in a huff. ¡°If we weren¡¯t traveling constantly, we could get so much more done. And we would have time to relax and socialize among other elites, people who would bring in more money when they buy our wares.¡±

    ¡°Mister Arkk is the leader of a free company and he is traveling,¡± Aron said, turning fully toward his daughter. ¡°He understands the importance of a personal touch.¡±

    ¡°A free company carries out vastly different tasks than a trading company,¡± Arianna said, voice firm. ¡°Not to mention, Mister Arkk must certainly understand the importance of delegation. You do have more than three orcs under your command, do you not?¡±

    ¡°That is true,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Al-Mir is undertaking several different tasks at the moment. Magical research, exploration, mercenary jobs, recruitment, and others.¡± Saying it like that made it sound far more grandiose than a few people running around without a clue what they were doing.

    ¡°You must be here because this is either a job of great import, it is something you don¡¯t trust underlings to handle, or it is something that only you can accomplish. Correct?¡±

    Arkk decided to nod his head in agreement, more to see where she was going with this than because she was entirely accurate. Finding Gretchen was something others could have done and he even trusted them to do so, it was just that everyone he did trust to do this was busy with other things. Vezta was working on the portal, Olatt¡¯an and Ilya were heading toward her home, and Rekk¡¯ar had to remain with the other orcs at the fortress. Technically, he could have sent Dakka on her own¡­

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    He probably would have wound up with Gretchen dragged back to the fortress against her will. As much as he didn¡¯t want to do that himself, a traitorous corner of his mind thought it might have been the preferable outcome. He still doubted he would have turned her over to her father but access to that invisibility cloak might have been worth making an enemy of some viscount¡¯s daughter.

    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t get to see where Arianna was headed with her train of thought.

    The door to the stayover flung open, letting chill, moist air into the warm tavern. Standing in the doorway, the alchemist¡¯s beaked mask slowly turned from one side of the room to the other. As soon as the dark lenses of their mask stopped on Arkk, Morford began moving with haste.

    Arkk had to admire the alchemist¡¯s cloak. It wasn¡¯t that thick, but the rainwater just rolled off it. As soon as they took their first step into the tavern, it was like they had never been in the rain at all. Their cloak was as dry as if it had been hung in front of a fire for hours.

    ¡°I would speak with you,¡± the alchemist whispered upon reaching the table.

    ¡°You¡¯re late. I said daybreak.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± The alchemist clenched their fist, holding out a small scrap of parchment.

    Raising an eyebrow, Arkk took it and quickly skimmed the few short sentences. ¡°She¡¯s gone?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t want to cause me further disturbance,¡± the alchemist whispered, referencing a line in the scribbled note. ¡°When I woke this morning, she was gone.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you want me to do about this. I already said I wasn¡¯t going to force her to do anything if she didn¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°You must find her. I¡­ I cannot match the viscount¡¯s price, but I can pay.¡± Arkk tried to get a word in, but the alchemist held up a hand. Although their voice still came out in a whisper, the intensity behind it spoke of their fear. ¡°She cannot be out today. The storm¡­ Days like these are the most dangerous around Darkwood. The times of year when the walls are put to the test. If she has left the burg, she will be torn to pieces at best.¡±

    ¡°Even with the cloak?¡±

    ¡°The inability to see will not affect creatures that hunt by sound and smell.¡±

    ¡°It certainly affects my ability to find her,¡± Arkk said as his hand drifted toward the crystal ball hanging from his waist. ¡°I know a tracking ritual. If she hasn¡¯t gotten far, it might work¡ªI¡¯m not sure how it would interact with the invisibility cloak. I suppose it is worth a shot. I need a part of her. Hair, blood, maybe a few threads from the clothing she is wearing. Anything like that will work.¡±

    The beaked mask dipped as the alchemist sagged in relief. ¡°I will scour my home. There must be something left behind.¡±

    ¡°Hurry. I don¡¯t know exactly how far the tracking ritual can reach, only that it has limits. If she is beyond those limits, finding her will be nearly impossible. We¡¯ll meet you at your workshop.¡± It was about halfway between the stayover and the alchemist¡¯s house.

    ¡°I will be there.¡±

    ¡°As for pay,¡± Arkk started before the alchemist could run. They stiffened, freezing as the dark lenses of their mask locked onto Arkk. ¡°Treat some of our gear with that soakless solution and we¡¯ll call it even.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it? That is worth a few dozen silvers at best.¡±

    ¡°Are you really arguing?¡±

    The alchemist stared for a moment more before turning without a word. They didn¡¯t quite walk straight as they moved to the door, moving with a limp in their gait. Arkk watched until the door slammed behind them before he stood and looked back to the two who he had shared a table with.

    ¡°Did I understand that correctly?¡± Arianna said, staring with wide eyes. ¡°Some foolish girl ran off into the storm? Around Darkwood? Even we have heard the rumors¡­¡±

    ¡°It seems work is calling,¡± was all Arkk said, offering a wan smile. ¡°I¡¯d love to chat more, but don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll run into each other again here. Will you be back in Cliff anytime soon?¡±

    Arianna and Aron simply stared until the former clacked her jaw together.

    ¡°There are monsters¡ªghasts among other things¡ªout in the forest.¡±

    ¡°Do you have a death wish?¡± Arianna added to her father¡¯s statement.

    ¡°As you said, a free company has remarkably different duties compared to a trading company.¡±

    ¡°In exchange for soakless solution?¡±

    ¡°Company Al-Mir is excessively wealthy. Besides, who said I am doing this for nothing?¡± Arkk grinned. ¡°What I hope to get out of this little job is worth far more than anything that alchemist could come up with. It isn¡¯t always about coin.¡±

    Aron shuddered, but stood up, extending a hand once again. ¡°Well said, my boy. Well said indeed. Saving a poor lost girl is a noble cause.¡± He gave Arkk a far firmer grip on his handshake this time around. ¡°If you do make it back to Cliff, the House of Wolf would be honored to see you as a guest. Our manor is in the trade district. Large wolf emblem on the gates. Can¡¯t miss it. If we aren¡¯t there, I¡¯ll instruct the servants to admit you so you might leave a missive. I would be most interested in hearing how this turns out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to tell you. Good day,¡± Arkk said as he turned to the rest of the room.

    Most of the room had eyes on him once again. They had probably been staring since the alchemist arrived. Arkk paid them little mind, looking to his employees. They had eyes on him as well.

    ¡°Time to go,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°Into the storm?¡± Orjja grumbled. ¡°Thought we had the day off.¡±

    Dakka punched Orjja in the shoulder as she stood, shooting the other orc a glare. ¡°Boss said it¡¯s time to go. It is time to go,¡± she said, then leaned down to whisper something into Orjja¡¯s ear.

    Arkk didn¡¯t catch what was said, but he did catch the way Orjja¡¯s skin changed to a sickly shade of green. He hadn¡¯t thought that was possible. Whatever Dakka said, it got Orjja practically sprinting to the door. Farr¡¯an didn¡¯t need any extra encouragement. He simply downed the rest of his bowl of soup before following Orjja out.

    ¡°Good luck,¡± Arianna said just as Arkk reached the door behind Dakka. He smiled even as she turned aside and added, ¡°Idiot.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯d you say to Orjja?¡± Arkk asked as he stepped out into the pouring rain.

    He hated everything about accepting the job the moment he felt the water soak into his cloak. It took consoling himself with the promise of the alchemist¡¯s soakless solution to continue walking.

    Dakka didn¡¯t seem to mind, though the rain was making the dark paint under her eyes start to run down her cheeks. ¡°Just reminded her what happens to people who displease you.¡±

    ¡°What happens to people who displease me?¡± Arkk asked, genuinely curious as to the answer.

    ¡°They get hung outside burgs as a warning to others. Or experimented upon with new magic.¡±

    Arkk shot her a dark look. ¡°I would appreciate it if you didn¡¯t threaten my employees with death. Unless they¡¯re trying to summon demons or run off to raid villages, I¡¯m not going to kill her. Or any of you.¡±

    Dakka didn¡¯t seem bothered in the slightest. ¡°It got her moving.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you all afraid of me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not. I doubt Rekk¡¯ar or the Ripthroat are either. Those who you rescued from the prison room probably aren¡¯t too afraid. The rest?¡±

    Orjja had been one of two that Dakka had wanted to convince to change sides and the only one of those two who had survived that particular skirmish. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure how early she had surrendered, but Dakka was probably counting her among ¡®the rest¡¯ for this.

    ¡°Just¡­ Dakka, as my field commander, try not to traumatize them. That gives them more reason to desert or rebel.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to reject that order.¡±

    ¡°What? Wh¡ª¡±

    ¡°We were in a crowded tavern. You do not want your employees disrespecting you or fighting against you in public. It undermines your authority, makes you look weak, and instills more thoughts of rebellion than a good threat would. Orcs don¡¯t respect that. If someone is talking back, you should just punch them.¡± Dakka looked down, eyes roving over Arkk¡¯s arms. ¡°Or hit them with a lightning bolt.¡±

    Arkk took in a breath and let it back out slowly. She¡­ had a point there. Although¡­ ¡°Are we including you in that, Miss Reject-that-order?¡±

    Dakka stiffened, lips pressed together as much as orc anatomy would allow, hiding most of her tusks. ¡°Uh¡­ no, Sir. Not me, Sir.¡±

    ¡°Relax. I¡¯m not going to punish you for explaining yourself,¡± Arkk said maybe a little too quickly, but he didn¡¯t want her to regress to the stiff Dakka that had been with him and Ilya on the first day of their journey to Cliff. ¡°You know orcs better than I do. I¡¯ll leave them to you to handle. Just try to keep the threats, direct or implied, to a minimum.¡±

    ¡°Very good, Sir.¡±

    Arkk let out a small groan, one muffled by a roll of thunder. Deciding to let the matter drop for the moment, he kept silent until they reached the alchemist¡¯s workshop. The door was locked but the roof hung a bit over the door, letting them keep mostly out of the rain.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the alchemist came limping back with a crystal phial in hand. Within, he had a single curly white hair.

    Arkk and the orcs handed over their cloaks for treatment. While the alchemist shoved them into a large cauldron and began pouring liquids inside, Arkk took a stick of chalk and started sketching out the tracking ritual.

    An unpleasant tightness formed in his stomach as he looked over the lines. He hadn¡¯t used the ritual even once since using it to kill the orc¡¯s former chieftain. Even now, he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to use it. If he pushed a bit too much magic into the ritual, Gretchen might not have a chance to be torn apart by the monsters of Darkwood.

    Knowing she probably would be torn apart if he didn¡¯t perform the ritual, Arkk took a breath and stepped into the circle.

    He pushed minuscule amounts of magic into it, slowly and carefully building it up until he felt the ritual complete. The hair in the triangular section of the circle began glowing with that ethereal translucency that he knew could be seen through walls.

    Slowly, Arkk turned in place until he spotted a much larger mass in the distance beyond the alchemy workshop.

    ¡°Got her,¡± Arkk said.

 Monsters in the Woods

    Arkk was no stranger to being out in the middle of a storm. Really bad storms didn¡¯t happen around Langleey more than a few times a year. When they did occur, they tended to do so at unpredictable moments. If he was in the village, it was typically a time for staying indoors and doing little else. Sometimes, however, they happened while he and Ilya were out hunting, forcing them to seek shelter¡ªand often forcing them to head home should the winds have ripped their camp down.

    This storm was the first Arkk could recall in which he ventured out into it willingly.

    The soakless solution on the cloaks helped a lot. The rain didn¡¯t quite avoid them, but it was the next closest thing. If not for the humidity in the air, he wouldn¡¯t have felt much different than on a chill day. Watching the water run down his front without drenching him brought a little spark of joy as he started thinking back to that treatise on alchemy, wondering if he would be able to make something like this in the future. If Arkk had known this was possible, he would have tried to find an alchemist a long time ago to treat his clothes.

    Though, until recently, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to afford it.

    Checking over his shoulder, he was pleased to note that all three of his orcs were looking much happier, outfitted in their own cloaks. Morford walked a short distance away, moving with their group without being a complete part of it.

    Turning his attention forward again, Arkk frowned. ¡°Damn. She must have been beyond the walls before I started tracking her.¡±

    The street they just stepped on was near the edge of Darkwood Burg. A thick stone wall stood tall at the end of the street, blocking progress forward. While Arkk could see the ethereal glow of Gretchen in the distance, he hadn¡¯t been able to tell what was between them. This had simply been the most direct path from the alchemist¡¯s shop to Gretchen.

    ¡°Is there a gate nearby?¡± Arkk asked, looking to Morford.

    The alchemist looked around as if to double-check where they were, then nodded. ¡°Follow me,¡± they whispered before walking along the street they had just come from.

    The nearest gate took longer to reach than Arkk had been hoping for. He knew from the first time he had successfully performed the tracking ritual that it wouldn¡¯t last forever. He didn¡¯t know exactly how long that was, but if it started to fade before they reached Gretchen, he would do nothing to try to restart it. He couldn¡¯t risk that.

    Not with what happened to the stag.

    The gate was locked tight, protected by miserable guards trying to take cover from the rain in the small alcoves on either side of the larger wooden structure. A few happier guards hung out near the guardhouse, safe under its awnings. As miserable as the others looked, the ones positioned on the ramparts had to be in a worse state of mind, not even having a wall to block some of the rain. The alchemist, in far more of a hurry than Arkk was even with the time limitations on his ritual, rushed up and began speaking with one of the guards. Their conversation concluded before Arkk could finish walking up.

    ¡°They will allow us out,¡± Morford whispered as the guard pulled the latches on the smaller door set within the larger gate.

    ¡°I know what I said back in the tavern about following your orders¡­ We¡¯re really going out in this?¡± Dakka grumbled, first glancing at the dark clouds overhead and then at Arkk.

    He wasn¡¯t particularly happy about it either. Perhaps he should have taken everything the alchemist owned instead of just the soakless solution.

    Dakka¡¯s shield was on her back, over her cloak. As she ducked through the relatively small door, she drew her axe, holding it firm in two hands. The other orcs followed suit, drawing their weapons. Orjja wielded a large mace with thick triangular protrusions coming off the bulbous end. Farr¡¯an, apparently having taken up tutelage under Olatt¡¯an, wielded a crossbow with a nasty blade on the end.

    Arkk had his daggers but planned to use lightning almost exclusively if something started a fight.

    The alchemist followed up in the rear, brandishing no obvious weapons but took a moment to adjust a number of vials on a bandolier. Some contained colored liquid, others clear liquid, and others still looked more like they contained miniature clouds. Arkk was curious, but not so much so that he hoped one of the Darkwood¡¯s monsters would come charging out and force the alchemist to reveal just what was in those stoppered bottles.

    Outside the burg, thankfully on the side of the town that faced away from the majority of the forest even if some of it did wrap around and follow alongside the road, Arkk could see the ethereal glow of Gretchen in the distance. It didn¡¯t look like she was making good time, trudging away with heavy steps. From her posture, hazy though it was to his eyes, he guessed that she was wrapped up tight in her cloak.

    It hadn¡¯t occurred to Arkk to try to scry on her as scrying on someone invisible was fairly useless. Now, he wondered if that cloak was her invisibility cloak or a regular one that she had switched to for the travel.

    Drawing his crystal ball from its pouch, he looked down and focused. Unable to tell how far away to look from the tracking spell alone, he focused on himself first then dragged the view in the crystal ball toward Gretchen¡¯s position. After a few moments of seeing nothing, Arkk almost put the crystal ball away. Movement in its smooth surface made him pause. A few quick flashes of the view changing had him close enough to see what they might be dealing with.

    ¡°Wolves,¡± he said, drawing the attention of the others even as they hurried along the path away from Darkwood Burg.

    A small pack. Six that he could see. All things considered, a pack of wolves wasn¡¯t the worst thing to face. Even better, while in the rough direction of Gretchen, they didn¡¯t seem to be actively hunting her. The heavy rain probably played havoc on their senses, drowning out footsteps and washing away smells in the air. Still, they were in her direction and that alone posed a mild danger. Most wolves wouldn¡¯t just maul a person for no reason, but if they were hungry enough?

    Arkk had everyone pick up the pace.

    A few wolves weren¡¯t a problem. So long as they were far enough away from him when he spotted them, he could likely take them out on his own. Having seen the results of the orcs on their first mercenary job, that of culling a few out-of-control wolves that had been harassing a village, he was willing to bet that Dakka alone could take them on, let alone all three orcs and him. That was assuming the wolves would fight at all rather than run off once faced with a threat they couldn¡¯t handle. Arkk figured that just them showing up would see them back to the woods.

    With them running and Gretchen stumbling through the mud, they made decent progress relative to her. It was quite a ways away, far enough that Darkwood Burg looked like a little brown box against the backdrop of the thick Darkwoods. Had Gretchen managed to get her hands on a horse, catching up would have been a much more difficult ordeal. As it was, it just took some good old-fashioned hustle.

    In the distance, he thought he could see her. The actual Gretchen, not the ethereal tracking spell. The crystal ball must have been too small to see properly, but there was an odd haze in the air. A person-shaped bubble where the rainwater hit and ran off, leaving a space in the air. As impressive as the invisibility cloak was, it did not work perfectly in the rain.

    He could see the wolves as well, lurking off in the woods a short distance away from the path. As Arkk expected, their hasty approach startled the small pack, sending them away.

    ¡°Gretchen!¡± the alchemist said, apparently having seen the same distortion in the air that Arkk had. Their voice was still a whisper, but a raised one filled with a harsh rasp.

    The haze, and the ethereal glow coming from within, froze.

    ¡°She knows we can see her, right?¡± Dakka said, loud enough that it was meant for Gretchen to hear.

    There was a long pause before Gretchen reached up and pulled her hood down. ¡°I told you not to follow me,¡± she said, looking about ready to cry. Maybe she was crying. With the rain, it was hard to tell.

    ¡°I might have listened to your wishes had you left on any other day.¡± Morford stepped forward, only for Gretchen to step back. The alchemist stopped moving as soon as she did so. ¡°Today? What were you thinking? You know the dangers¡ª¡±

    Six heads snapped to the south of the road as a baying cry started and silenced in the same short second. An instant later, four of the wolves from earlier bolted out from the tree line straight toward their group. The lightning spell on Arkk¡¯s tongue died as he watched the four wolves, two of whom were splattered with blood, run straight past them, heading into one of the recently emptied fields.

    A new noise followed in the wake of the wolves, drawing everyone¡¯s attention back to the trees. Arkk had a hard time identifying just what that noise was supposed to be. A howl? A shout? Laughter? It sounded distinctly human and yet animalistic at the same time.

    Whatever it was, it sent a chill up his spine.

    ¡°We cannot be out here,¡± the alchemist whispered, grasping hold of Gretchen¡¯s invisible shoulders. ¡°Back to the burg. Quickly.¡±

    ¡°And put our back to that sound?¡± Arkk asked, watching as Morford forced a protesting Gretchen along the road.

    ¡°Better to be near the wall than caught in the open.¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°Caught by what?¡± Dakka asked, glowering at the trees.

    ¡°Ghasts,¡± the alchemist said. ¡°Quickly.¡±

    None of them made it more than five steps before that chittering howl started again. It was louder now. Closer. Arkk narrowed his eyes, looking at the trees. With the heavy clouds overhead diminishing what little light made it through the trees and the rain making it even harder to see, he didn¡¯t spot the source of the sound.

    ¡°What is a ghast?¡± Arkk asked, moving once again. Even Gretchen wasn¡¯t protesting now.

    ¡°Beasts created for war,¡± Morford whispered without looking back. ¡°We do not wish to encounter even a single one.¡±

    ¡°Created?¡±

    This time, the alchemist¡¯s beak-like mask turned. Not fully. They still kept their hands on Gretchen¡¯s shoulders as they rushed along the path. ¡°This forest has played home to a plethora of unpleasant guests over its lifetime. Necromancers, warlocks, vampires, and others besides. This dark forest contains numerous ancient evils.

    ¡°The ghasts are creations of a life alchemist attempting to design a being that could conquer the kingdom. I dare say he might have succeeded if he hadn¡¯t been consumed by his creations before he could learn to control them. It is what initially drew my interest to this area.¡±

    ¡°You wanted to conquer the kingdom?¡±

    ¡°I wanted knowledge. What would I do with a kingdom?¡± The alchemist managed to inject incredulity into their whisper.

    Shaking his head, Arkk looked to the forest again and decided to ask a slightly more immediately important question. ¡°Are they immune to lightning?¡±

    ¡°I do not know. They were created for war and all that entails.¡±

    Although Arkk talked to every single person who passed through Langleey Village, learning more about the world beyond the farms, he had little clue about what, exactly, war entailed. Obviously, people fighting each other. Soldiers, weapons, knights, and spellcasters. Zullie had taught him the academy-approved lightning spell and it was fairly long-winded, but if a row of spellcasters was protected by a frontline of soldiers, they would be able to cast it with relative freedom.

    But did they? Would a man who wanted to conquer the kingdom have prepared his creations for lightning spells in specific?

    Arkk gnawed at his lip as another cackling howl echoed from the trees.

    This time, he saw something. A dark shape, shadowed by the heavy birch and pine trees. The silhouette shuddered with great, heaving breaths as it stood hunched over with long arms dangling down to its legs. Arkk opened his mouth, the incantation for lightning on his lips, but the creature disappeared behind another copse of trees before he could get a single syllable out.

    ¡°It is watching us,¡± he said instead.

    ¡°All the more reason to hurry,¡± Morford said, drawing a vial of dark red liquid and holding it tight in one hand.

    ¡°If we reach the walls and they don¡¯t let us in because we¡¯re being chased, doesn¡¯t that just mean that we¡¯ll be up against that wall with nowhere to run?¡±

    ¡°You would rather face it out here?¡±

    ¡°I would rather not face it at all if I¡¯m being honest. How likely is it to attack us? Do they travel in packs?¡±

    ¡°There won¡¯t be more. They are aggressively territorial toward their own kind,¡± Morford whispered, looking off into the trees. ¡°Another failure by their creator. As for how likely it is to attack? I¡¯m surprised it isn¡¯t attacking already.¡±

    Arkk started to ask another question, only to freeze as he caught sight of the creature once again. It chittered, wheezing behind one of the trees. He could see it better now. Closer to leaving the forest, it was in the light enough for Arkk to grimace in revulsion. Hairless with skin a ghastly gray, it looked like a human with distorted proportions. Its eyes were tiny relative to its head and it lacked both a nose and ears, having only thin slits in their places. It lacked lips as well, leaving gums and far too many teeth visible as the skin was drawn back around its maw. Red glistened off its teeth.

    Blood from one of the wolves?

    It elicited a feeling of revulsion similar to what he had experienced the first time he saw one of the lesser servants. It wasn¡¯t quite the same but it was a feeling of wrongness. The creature near the trees just shouldn¡¯t be.

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± Arkk intoned.

    Even as he built up magic at the tips of his fingers, he didn¡¯t fire the spell.

    The eyes of the monster changed. Formerly a beady white, the moment Arkk finished his incantation, they glowed a luminous red. A familiar red. Its entire posture shifted, moving from a hunched back to a straightened back. The laughing wheeze vanished.

    Arkk¡¯s eyes widened, then narrowed immediately. Not sure that he could do it on demand, he drew on as much irritation as he could manage; the rain, the waste of time this trip had been, the delay in returning to the fortress, and the other bounty hunters. All his feelings focused on a point.

    An external view of himself using his connection to his employees showed his eyes flashing red. It didn¡¯t last long. A few seconds at most.

    It was enough.

    The ghast, the possessed ghast, stilled for a long moment. Its large thighs and digitigrade legs made it look like it was better suited for leaping, yet it took a single step forward.

    Farr¡¯an readied his crossbow and the alchemist raised the vial in his hand, ready to throw.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Arkk said, holding up a hand. Aside from that single step, the ghast wasn¡¯t moving. Just watching.

    ¡°Wait?¡± Morford hissed. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the red-eyed ones before. They¡¯re smarter and far more vicious.¡±

    ¡°Orjja, Farr¡¯an, escort Gretchen and Morford back to town. Dakka, with me.¡±

    Everyone hesitated at Arkk¡¯s orders. He could see Dakka¡¯s glance at him over his shoulder.

    ¡°You sure about that, boss?¡±

    ¡°No. But¡­¡± Arkk took a breath, not blinking as he kept his eyes on the monster. It still wasn¡¯t moving toward them, just watching and waiting. ¡°But yes. Do it.¡±

    Orjja and Farr¡¯an still hesitated. Morford and Gretchen did not. Jerking his head got the orcs moving. Arkk waited a few moments for them to put some distance between them before he cautiously approached the line of trees. Arkk eyed the monster¡¯s teeth and its long fingers. The fingers were like spider legs, sharp and to a point with thick joints. One of its hands was as red as its face.

    But it still didn¡¯t attack.

    Arkk kept a distance between them. He might be curious and suspecting that this wasn¡¯t some wild creature, but he wasn¡¯t a complete idiot. Only mostly an idiot.

    ¡°Do you speak?¡± Arkk said, then paused and altered his question. ¡°Maybe I should ask if this body speaks?¡±

    The ghast narrowed its thin eyes even further. When it did speak, its voice gurgled with a wet slop in the back of its throat. ¡°You are the one casting old magic in my domain.¡± Arkk got a distinct impression that these creatures were not designed to speak as humans did. Or, if they had been designed to speak, this one hadn¡¯t done so in years. Its speech was further hampered by its lack of lips.

    ¡°If by old magic you mean a single lightning bolt yesterday, then yes. Otherwise, I have no idea what you are talking about.¡±

    A repetitive clicking came from the back of the ghast¡¯s throat. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what that meant.

    He was curious and wary. The presence of this possessor made Arkk wonder about this forest. All the stories he had been told, from what Hawkwood said back in Cliff to the alchemist just a few moments ago, said that this forest harbored numerous dangerous creatures. It drew the attention of necromancers and life alchemists¡ªwhatever those were¡ªand other powerful individuals who all sought refuge within to carry out their plots and research.

    Now it was starting to make a little more sense. There was a [HEART] in the forest. One that sounded like it had been claimed many times over the decades.

    Was there another of Vezta¡¯s kind out in the forest? Did this claimant know more old magic than Arkk did? Was there a library out there filled with a treasure trove of old books that were more intact than those in Arkk¡¯s library? Would this [HEART] work for Vezta¡¯s ultimate goal or would they have to destroy it?

    He was curious. Eager, even. Yet, something gnawed at the back of his mind. It had been gnawing since seeing this creature¡¯s eyes turn red. Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure what that feeling was, only that it was screaming a single word at him.

    Rival.

    ¡°Where did you learn?¡± the gurgling gaunt asked.

    ¡°Old magic?¡± Arkk licked his lips. ¡°A mentor taught me everything she knew. You? You¡¯re using Cranium Internum, correct? Possession.¡±

    Its narrow eyes widened for a moment. ¡°You do know. In my eighty years, I have never met another¡­¡±

    Arkk did not miss how it didn¡¯t answer his question. He didn¡¯t bring it up. Most of that was an attempt at deflection. Admitting to being another owner of a [HEART] felt dangerous. He would consult with Vezta before saying anything on the subject. Instead, he shrugged. ¡°I am a traveler from afar after a bounty. I wasn¡¯t expecting to meet someone like you. I apologize if you feel I¡¯ve intruded. We were going to leave today, but the storm has delayed us.¡±

    ¡°After feeling the old magic, I set my watchers along the roads. I was preparing to invade the burg, but I suppose that is no longer necessary.¡±

    ¡°Invade?¡± Arkk said, tension threatening to rip his stomach apart. ¡°Just for me? For a single lightning spell?¡±

    He had been about to ask if the ghast¡ªor the person possessing it¡ªwould be willing to sell books on old magic in exchange for gold. Now?

    ¡°An old magic practitioner is too rare. I would have you give your knowledge to me.¡±

    ¡°I have a few books,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Not with me, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°No books,¡± the ghast said, stepping forward. ¡°I would have you give your knowledge to me.¡±

    Something about the way it spoke made Arkk think that it wasn¡¯t inviting him to a nice sit-down around a cup of tea for a chat about their favorite spells. The way it was looking at him was more akin to something wanting to rip open his mind and consume the contents without any regard for him.

    Was that possible to do with possession? Arkk hadn¡¯t tried to do anything similar during his one experiment with the spell, but it did make a little sense. He had been sharing Zullie¡¯s mind.

    Something to think about later.

    For now¡­

    ¡°Well,¡± he started, trying to keep as calm as possible. ¡°I suppose I could share my favorite spell right now. Have you heard of¡­ Electro Deus.¡±

    The moment the incantation left his lips, Arkk opened the gateway of his magical power to its fullest. Every scrap of magic he had went into his fingers as he thrust his hand forward. A bolt of lightning burned into his eyes as a deafening thunderclap threatened to throw him to the ground. The air around him lost all moisture as it burned, feeling more like he was standing next to a bonfire rather than out in a rainstorm.

    When his eyes finally cleared, the ghast was gone. In a panic, he started looking around, only to turn back to where the ghast had been.

    There was a dark cloud there. Shadow given a misty form. As it slowly solidified, a pair of bright red lights appeared in the head of the shadow. The two eyes narrowed into thin slits, forming a glare that lacked any words but promised pain, agony, and ultimate death.

    Before Arkk could start the incantation over for a fresh if less powerful bolt of lightning, the shadow whisked away through the trees.

    Gone.

    Possessing something else? Another ghast? Back to his [HEART]? Arkk didn¡¯t know.

    All he did know was that they needed to get out of here. Immediately. Back to the burg, maybe to mount a defense against whatever invasion that Keeper of a Heart had been planning on.

    Turning, he noted Dakka¡¯s face twisted in a snarl. She was blinking several times, trying to clear her own eyes from that bright lightning bolt. At the same time, she looked completely ready to chop her axe down through whatever approached.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Where did it go?¡± she growled. ¡°Did you get it?¡±

    ¡°I think I got the ghast. Not whatever was possessing it.¡± Arkk, carefully, grabbed Dakka¡¯s arm and helped lead her back to the road.

    Shaking him off, she kept blinking for a few moments before shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just a blind spot straight through the center of my eyes.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. After the alchemist¡¯s comments, I wasn¡¯t sure that a normal lightning bolt would put it down.¡±

    ¡°I wish I could have seen its face,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Didn¡¯t know who it was messing with, did it?¡±

    ¡°We need to get back and try to convince the guard that a threat is coming,¡± Arkk said, avoiding her question. It wasn¡¯t like he had given it a fair shot. The ghast probably would have torn him apart if he hadn¡¯t taken it by surprise. If it came back with two ghasts, he doubted he would be able to kill both before they reached him. Not with that powerful of a bolt of lightning, anyway.

    Shaking his head, he started running down the path toward the other orcs and humans. He could see they had stopped. Probably because of that thunder. ¡°We need to hurry,¡± Arkk shouted. ¡°We¡¯ll pick up and carry Morford and Gretchen if we have to.¡±

    Hopefully, the guards could be readied for an invasion.

 Reinforcements

    ¡°Slave Natum.¡±

    A trio of lesser servants appeared before Arkk. ¡°Search the forest,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Look for a fortress like Al-Mir. Failing that, alert me if you find anything that looks like a permanent dwelling.¡± They hadn¡¯t even finished forming before they burrowed into the ground heading in the direction of the Darkwood forest, moving to carry out his commands. He wasn¡¯t sure that they needed verbal orders. Around Fortress Al-Mir, they always just seemed to know what was needed at any given moment.

    The verbal command at least removed any ambiguity on his end.

    Ignoring the repulsed noises and cries of alarm from both his companions and the wall guards, Arkk closed his eyes and focused his attention afar.

    Within Fortress Al-Mir, Arkk ripped one of the lesser servants through space remotely. It couldn¡¯t reach him¡ªhe was far too far away¡ªbut he could pick it up and drop it down right in front of Vezta, stopping a discussion between her and Zullie. Assisting him from afar might not be possible. He still felt that she should be aware of the situation.

    If it came down to it, Vezta had suggested chaining together teleportation rituals for rapid transit in the past. Both of them had been leery of actually doing so for the simple reason that it would leave a trail that led directly back to the fortress. Destroying the circles forced the one doing the destroying to walk the distance, which wasn¡¯t an insurmountable problem but it was an irritating one.

    With the lesser servant interrupting Vezta, a crystal ball appearing in its hand along with an alembic, he hoped Vezta would catch on. She was smart enough.

    As soon as Arkk saw her pick up the crystal ball and start scrying with it, Arkk opened his eyes. It would likely take her a few minutes to find him since he wasn¡¯t actually in the alchemist¡¯s workshop, the first place he figured she would check because of that alembic. That gave him plenty of time to start scrawling down a few messages for Vezta to read from afar. The guards, after receiving a generous donation of far too many coins, had been more than happy to lend him some parchment and ink.

    ¡°I will be getting Gretchen back to my workshop,¡± Morford whispered. Gretchen was under the cloak once again, but Morford had a hand gripping the empty air, so presumably, he was holding onto her.

    They started to turn, but Arkk held up a hand. ¡°Wait.¡±

    Morford stiffened. ¡°I offered payment. I can offer more if¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about payment or Gretchen at the moment. You said you had seen red-eyed ghasts before? When? Under what circumstances? Have you ever seen more than one at a time? How many ghasts are estimated to be in the forest?¡±

    Arkk could feel the flat look he was getting despite not being able to see it. ¡°Gretchen¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is an excuse. Answer my questions, alchemist.¡± Arkk shot a look at Dakka and nodded his head toward Morford. ¡°This is not negotiable. If you refuse, I will carry out the job I initially came here for. Rescuing Gretchen from her captor.¡± Arkk shot a pointed look at Morford as he said that.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t,¡± hissed the empty air next to the alchemist as Dakka approached, arms crossed over her chest.

    ¡°I won¡¯t need to if you just answer the questions.¡±

    ¡°An invasion of ghasts is unlikely at worst,¡± Morford hedged, sounding more resigned than upset. ¡°They don¡¯t work together.¡±

    ¡°Assume there is an outside force making them work together.¡±

    ¡°That is just as absurd. I have studied the creatures in an attempt to uncover the secrets of their creation. They possess a gland that secretes a substance which makes them angry and then turns their rage into strength and brutality. Unfortunately, a flaw in its design causes it to go overactive when in the presence of another of their kind. The smell of each other sets it off. Hence their territoriality.¡±

    ¡°Boss,¡± Dakka said, ¡°we might be dealing with more than just ghasts.¡±

    ¡°How do you figure?¡±

    Dakka shrugged. ¡°You hired us, that witch, and Vezta, right? There are all kinds of monsters out in this forest. If this guy can hire these ghast things, who is to say that he can¡¯t hire everything else?¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes. She was right. He hadn¡¯t actually hired Vezta¡ªshe had come along as a part of the fortress more than a minion¡ªbut everything else was accurate. What all was out in the forest? Undead, an insect colony, goblins, raptors¡­ probably more besides those. Raptors were beasts more than monsters. Was it possible to hire them? If not, it was entirely possible that he would have people in his employ capable of taming them and using them as war beasts.

    Pulling out his crystal ball, Arkk asked, ¡°Morford, when you were out there exploring, did you ever come across old ruins, structures, landmarks, peculiar activity among the various monsters, or anything else of interest?¡±

    The guards, though happy to hand over parchment in exchange for gold, hadn¡¯t believed a word about an invasion. Monsters threw themselves against the walls of Darkwood Burg with a regularity that had become routine. None of those assaults were organized. If he could scry an army approaching and show it off, he might be able to organize a proper defense.

    While Morford thought, Arkk quickly checked in on Vezta. She and Zullie were hovering over the crystal ball. A quick glimpse into their crystal ball showed it focused on him. Glad Vezta was such an adept at scrying, Arkk pointed over to the parchment where he had set it down on the gatehouse table. One of the guards was reading it as well, not that Arkk minded much. While he hadn¡¯t written it in code, references to another potential fortress were vague enough that only someone familiar with them should be able to understand what he had written down.

    Other parts of the message were less vague. A potential invasion on the burg chief among them.

    ¡°There is a lake in the center of the forest,¡± Morford said in their usual whisper. ¡°When I and¡­¡± They trailed off, hesitating a moment before restarting their sentence. ¡°When I first came to this settlement and began my research, there was an old church-like building that I observed some monsters making their home of. Raptors, for the most part. We caught a ghast not far from it and neutralized it with one of my potions before dragging it away for examination.¡±

    Looking into his crystal ball, Arkk focused high above the forest. From there, it was easy to pick out the lake. It looked completely landlocked. No river flowed in or out. ¡°What side of the lake? Closer to the burg or the opposite side?¡±

    ¡°Closer, around the southern side.¡±

    Adjusting the viewpoint in the crystal ball, Arkk started scanning. ¡°Dakka, write what Morford just said on the parchment while I search,¡± he said.

    Image after image flashed by in the crystal ball, flickering from point to point around the lake. The vast majority of everything he saw was just trees, unfortunately. Thick black-barked trees with branches high over the forest floor formed a thick canopy that blocked even more of what little light there was today. Those must have been the trees Darkwood had been named for.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    He found it. He wasn¡¯t sure if it had been a church in its former life, but today, the ruins Morford had pointed out were little more than a mound of rubble. A full pack of emerald-feathered raptors was nesting within the crumbled walls. Each was as large as a horse, capable of moving fast to chase prey. Their hooked beaks were sharp enough to tear through flesh as easily as the kingdom¡¯s sharpest sword. Or so Arkk had heard; this was his first time seeing one.

    Moving the viewpoint of the scrying down below ground, Arkk sucked in a breath.

    A familiar sight greeted him. Large hallways lit by torches and the occasional glowstone. If he squinted his eyes and blurred his vision somewhat, Arkk doubted he would have been able to tell the difference between Al-Mir and this corridor. Upon looking closer, however, the differences were obvious. Instead of clean tiles with a faint maze pattern and compass rose in the floor, the tiles here were old and worn, cracked and broken. There were still glowstones, these burning a dim red as opposed to Al-Mir¡¯s vibrant violets, but several tiles were simply missing their glowstones. Checking from room to room, he had to frown at the sight. Most of it looked dilapidated. More like how he had originally found Al-Mir instead of its refurbished look after the servants had gone through to clean it up. The rooms that did have items and occupants looked less like they had been constructed using the fortress magic and more like the occupants had simply dragged in whatever they needed from outside.

    Still, it was there.

    And disturbingly empty. Al-Mir had a lot of entirely unused rooms but enough of it had activity, even with the currently reduced presence of orcs within its walls, that he felt confident in being able to find signs of life if he had to scry his own fortress. This place, however, was deserted. That might have filled him with confidence had he not received that warning about invasion earlier. As it was, it only made him think that this other Keeper¡¯s forces were already moving toward the burg.

    ¡°Write down¡ª¡±

    A faint flash of light in the guardhouse cut Arkk off. He blinked twice and found Vezta, hands clasped at her navel, standing in the middle of a freshly formed teleportation circle.

    ¡°Master, I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Holy Light!¡± the guard cried out, staring at Vezta.

    That was the wrong thing to say. All of Vezta¡¯s eyes narrowed as an oily tendril lashed out from her arm, wrapping around the guard¡¯s throat.

    ¡°Stand down, Vezta,¡± Arkk said as soon as he realized what was happening. ¡°He isn¡¯t an enemy.¡±

    The tendril remained in position just long enough for it to look like she was going to snap his neck anyway. It uncoiled, letting the guard drop into a heap where he quickly scrambled back against the wall. The tendril merged with Vezta¡¯s arm as she gave a light bow. ¡°As you command.¡±

    Letting out a small sigh, Arkk looked over his servant, then dropped his eyes to the ritual circle. ¡°You came.¡±

    ¡°Another active fortress is unexpected and warrants extreme measures.¡±

    ¡°What do you propose we do about it? I assume you have suggestions?¡±

    ¡°We leave,¡± Vezta said. Arkk blinked a few times, not quite sure he heard her correctly. She took that as a need for explanation. ¡°We take this circle out of the city. It took four hops to reach you here. We will only use this, the shortest distance teleportation. The rest we destroy on our way back to Fortress Al-Mir. After we have gone, we can reevaluate the situation at our leisure.¡±

    ¡°This other Keeper is going to invade,¡± Arkk said, frowning. ¡°You want to leave these people to fend for themselves?¡±

    ¡°They are not allied with you.¡± Vezta sighed, then pointed a tendril toward the parchment. ¡°And if it bothers you to such an extent that you would throw your life away, consider that this Keeper is invading for you. If you are no longer here, there is no cause to invade.¡±

    ¡°And who is going to tell this Keeper that I¡¯ve left?¡± Arkk shook his head.

    Stepping closer, Vezta put a hand on Arkk¡¯s arm. ¡°Master, many of Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s capabilities are not functioning due to the Calamity. I have no reason to believe that this fortress is any different. However, the capabilities Fortress Al-Mir does provide heavily favor defense. Assaulting an opposing fortress without offensive power¡ªor, indeed, an army¡ªwill see you defeated and me bereft of a master once more.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s¡ª¡± Arkk paused as he felt a tug on the link between him and one of the lesser servants. Checking on it, he frowned. ¡°One of the lesser servants I sent out to find the fortress just ran into a fortified wall that it can¡¯t dig through?¡±

    Vezta nodded her head as if she expected that. ¡°As I said, we lack offensive capabilities. We would have to find a proper entrance, go through it the way the opposing Keeper wants us to, and deal with his traps and minions. Minions that he can move about at will just as you can yours within Al-Mir¡¯s walls.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. ¡°What kind of offensive capabilities?¡±

    Vezta cast a glance around the room, narrowing her eyes at each of the individuals present who weren¡¯t affiliated with Fortress Al-Mir. Taking Arkk by the arm, she led him off to a corner of the room where they could speak in quiet, hushed tones. ¡°There exists magic capable of rending the fortifications. Siege magic. I know little about how to go about affecting such spells but do know that my former master, as powerful as he was, was forced to lean heavily on the [HEART]¡¯s magical reserves when conducting these rituals.¡±

    ¡°Is the Heart capable of supporting that kind of magic right now?¡±

    Vezta could only shrug. ¡°Unsure. The [HEART] gains strength with additional territory and minions. It might be possible. It might be impossible with the effects of the Calamity looming over us. However, in either case, neither of us knows how to cast those rituals.¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes once more but before he could say anything else, a shout came down from outside the guardhouse. ¡°Enemies at the gate! To arms!¡±

    Vezta tried to pull Arkk toward the circle, but he shook her off. ¡°We can¡¯t leave.¡± Before she could protest, Arkk said, ¡°We won¡¯t attack the fortress. We will help defend. Then we need to be seen leaving the city. Is that¡ª¡±

    Another faint flash filled the guardhouse. Arkk blinked and glanced over to the teleportation circle.

    Zullie stood in the middle, looking down at her hands with a loopy grin on her face. ¡°That was a hell of a thing.¡±

    ¡°Zullie, you know any offensive magics?¡±

    The violet-eyed witch looked up, offense written across her face. ¡°Do I know offensive magics? Who do you think you¡¯re talking to?¡±

    ¡°A woman who said she had never been in a fight when last I asked.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that has to do with my magical knowledge.¡±

    ¡°Good. Zullie is here for the defense too.¡± Arkk paused then tilted his head to one side. ¡°What about siege magic?¡±

    ¡°Siege magic?¡± Zullie sounded less certain. ¡°What exactly would that entail? I¡¯m sure some magic I know could be used in a protracted siege¡­¡±

    ¡°Never mind.¡± Looking back to Vezta, Arkk placed a reassuring hand on her arm. ¡°Defense then leave. Alright?¡±

    Vezta let out a long, incensed sigh. ¡°As you command,¡± she said with a bow.

    ¡°Good,¡± Arkk turned, nodded to Dakka, then started out of the guardhouse. He paused at Morford, however. The alchemist¡¯s dark lenses were locked on Vezta. Thinking back, Morford had been staring at Vezta since her arrival. Obviously, Arkk couldn¡¯t see them blinking, but with how utterly still they were, Arkk wouldn¡¯t be surprised to find out that Morford hadn¡¯t blinked once since that initial flash of light.

    Shaking his head, Arkk moved past the alchemist without a word. Morford wasn¡¯t a minion of his. He couldn¡¯t command them around. Not to mention that he had maybe threatened Morford just a little bit ago to get them talking about the fortress. Better to just leave them alone.

    With Vezta here, Arkk wasn¡¯t too concerned about whatever this Keeper might throw at the burg. They had the guards to back them up and, assuming she did know combat magic, Zullie could sling spells from the walls until she collapsed from exhaustion.

    A set of stairs along the wall granted him access to the ramparts. He probably wasn¡¯t supposed to be allowed access. Nobody stopped him. A number of guards were rushing up ahead of him, all brandishing longbows. Vezta, Zullie, and the orcs followed him up, also unimpeded. Vezta did draw a few looks and even an alarmed shout. However, the presence of a monster standing peacefully on the wall paled drastically in comparison to what was lurking in the woods that hugged the road out of the city.

    Arkk started to wonder if his confidence in fighting off this force was misplaced.

    Multiple ghasts lurked around a large group of raptors and goblins, running counter to Morford¡¯s claims. There weren¡¯t many and they were spread across the rest of this¡­ army? Insects took up the backline. They were larger even than the raptors with thin, spindly legs and large snapping pincers. Others were more bulbous in shape, drooling caustic yellow slime. Arkk didn¡¯t know much about insect colonies like this, unfortunately. He had no clue what they were capable of.

    It was a small consolation that this army numbered fewer than the horde of goblins that had attacked Langleey Village. There had been two hundred goblins in that encounter, though about half of them had fled once Ilya and the other villagers returned to offer support. This wasn¡¯t even half as large. Maybe not even a third of the size. With the ghasts, raptors, and insects, he felt he would rather have faced off against four hundred goblins instead.

    At the lead of the army, one ghast stood in front of the rest. One with bright red eyes, ominously glowing in the dark storm.

 The Best Defense

    ¡°Electro Deus!¡±

    Lightning scorched the ground where the red-eyed ghast had been standing an instant ago. The ghast hadn¡¯t jumped aside. It simply vanished. Arkk recognized the effect immediately as the same kind of teleportation he could do around Fortress Al-Mir.

    ¡°I did warn you, Master. It isn¡¯t too late to flee.¡±

    ¡°Focus on the rest of them,¡± Arkk said, launching two more lightning bolts at the goblins attacking the gate. ¡°Without an army, the other Keeper¡­¡± Arkk trailed off as the third goblin he tried to fry vanished much like the ghast.

    It wasn¡¯t just him either. Archers on the walls found their arrows passing right through where their targets had been. Farr¡¯an tried to hit one of the snapping insects with a crossbow bolt, only for it to be whisked off elsewhere. Dakka and Orjja had procured bows from somewhere and were making efforts, but to Arkk¡¯s eyes, it looked more like a waste of arrows than an effective battle tactic.

    ¡°Electro Deus.¡±

    Five bolts laced out from each of Arkk¡¯s fingers. Only two hit their targets. The Keeper was quick at getting the minions out of the way.

    Zullie threw a few lightning bolts of her own. Like Arkk, the majority of hers struck nothing. Their combined accuracy was still better than any of the archers. Lightning was just a bit faster than arrows and they didn¡¯t have to aim much at all. Just point and blast. Unfortunately for Zullie, she couldn¡¯t maintain the output that Arkk could. After two or three bolts, she had to stop and take a short rest. That took out half their effective fighting force for several moments.

    With a frustrated cry, Dakka shouted the incantation for lighting and fried a raptor that had tried to leap onto the wall near her. It looked like she tried for a second bolt but didn¡¯t manage anything before collapsing, chest heaving up and down. Interesting though it was to note that she could cast that spell in a combat situation, Arkk was disappointed in her stamina with it.

    Maybe training would increase her effectiveness? He would bring it up with Zullie later.

    Arkk narrowed his eyes as he spotted movement in the distance. More monsters were approaching. Reinforcements? Or were they the ones the Keeper had whisked off coming back to rejoin the fray?

    ¡°He has territory nearby?¡±

    Vezta, who hadn¡¯t yet acted in an offensive capability as she stood next to Arkk, simply nodded her head. ¡°I would expect nothing less.¡±

    ¡°We¡ª¡±

    Arkk cut himself off as a cry of alarm rose over the far end of the wall. A yellow and black striped insect had scaled the wall. One of the guards, bow on the ground and sword drawn, didn¡¯t get a chance to strike out before the scythe-like pincers sliced him clean in two.

    Arrows and crossbow bolts rained down as the insect started to lash out at another guard, only for the insect to vanish. That didn¡¯t stop the arrows. One ripped straight through another guard¡¯s thigh, eliciting a cry of pain.

    The distraction allowed the forces at the wall to spring their attack. A ghast, using its powerful hind legs, leaped into the air not far from Arkk, intending to land on the wall somewhere near him.

    ¡°Electro Deus!¡±

    A blinding bolt of lightning followed by a heavy thunderclap struck the flying ghast. Its limbs seized in mid-air but its momentum carried it straight toward the wall.

    Tendrils erupted from the shadows around Arkk, ripping the ghast from the air. Arkk expected it to simply get whisked away to wherever the other monsters had gone, but it didn¡¯t. Vezta¡¯s tendrils wrapped around its limbs and began pulling, squeezing, and twisting. Pale blood dripped to the ground as if the ghast was a wet cloth being wrung. Finished, Vezta flung the broken body back into the crowd with enough force to crush a goblin.

    ¡°We should count ourselves lucky that this whole town isn¡¯t within our opponent¡¯s domain,¡± Vezta said in a conversational tone as she worked. ¡°Not only would I not have been able to teleport directly to your side, but one of those large insects teleporting behind you would take off your head before either of us could react.¡±

    ¡°A few more of those and the wall will fall anyway,¡± Arkk said, looking around. ¡°The Keeper just needs to kill enough guards to lessen the defense enough to where the majority of his force can rush inside unhindered. Until then, it is a battle of attrition and his teleportation tactic is giving him an advantage while depleting our stock of arrows. But¡­

    ¡°The Keeper isn¡¯t fighting the way I would. He could have used his servants to burrow into the burg, bypassing the wall entirely. He is just throwing his forces at the wall. The heavily defended part of the wall no less.¡±

    More reinforcements were coming to the gate. Soldiers from elsewhere. Even some of the mercenaries from the tavern.

    Everyone was coming here.

    ¡°Dakka!¡± The orc wasn¡¯t effective with the bow and couldn¡¯t manage sustained lighting bolts. Arkk pulled out his crystal ball and tossed it over. ¡°I need you to scry the rest of the wall. Make sure we aren¡¯t fighting a distraction.¡±

    ¡°Me? Scry? I can¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easy. If you can cast a lightning bolt, you can scry! Just think of where you want to see with a little touch of magic and the crystal ball will take care of the rest.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I can try.¡±

    Arkk glanced at Zullie, who had given up on lightning spells in favor of some bird made of flames that swept outward from the wall before exploding in the middle of the monsters. It wasn¡¯t killing anything¡ªthe wave of flame following the explosion wasn¡¯t nearly as fast as lightning which meant that the Keeper could pull any monster that was in danger away¡ªbut it was doing a wonderful job of giving them some breathing room.

    Vezta wasn¡¯t actively attacking, but the few monsters that did make it within range either had to be whisked away before her tendrils could reach them or else she would crush them. It was like the Keeper couldn¡¯t teleport anything away once she got her tendrils around them.

    Both were too effective to put on scrying duty.

    ¡°Do it,¡± Arkk said, tossing the crystal ball. ¡°Succeed and you¡¯ll get a pay raise.¡± She tried to protest, but Arkk was already turning away. ¡°Orjja!¡±

    The green-skinned orc stiffened, loosing an arrow before turning to face him.

    ¡°Get down to the guardhouse. Take the teleportation circle. You should find another circle at the other end. Repeat that until you¡¯re back at the fortress. I¡¯ve shoved Rekk¡¯ar and the other orcs into the armory¡ªhopefully, they get the hint to gear up. Bring them back here.¡± Before she could offer the same protests that Dakka had tried, Arkk added, ¡°You should be able to use magic enough to activate the circles.¡±

    Orjja gave an uncertain nod to acknowledge the order but didn¡¯t protest as she rushed down off the wall.

    ¡°Will a few orcs turn the tide?¡± Vezta asked, voice soft in the heavy rain.

    ¡°Not necessarily, but if we are being surrounded, I would rather have people I can count on to have my back,¡± Arkk said, eying a pair of the First Legion who were taking up the defense down the wall. ¡°Can we destroy or otherwise nullify the Keeper¡¯s territory? If the Keeper¡¯s forces have to travel long distances after being rescued, that will at least wear them out. It should also slow down the attack, giving our side moments of rest.¡±

    ¡°Your lesser servants should be able to forcibly unclaim territory. They won¡¯t be able to claim it in your name without territory of our own, but it would shrink our opponent¡¯s effective area.¡±

    Arkk, after launching a few more bolts of lightning, summoned a pair of lesser servants. ¡°Burrow in that direction,¡± he said, pointing to where the reinforcing stream of monsters was coming from. ¡°Find enemy territory and disrupt it.¡±

    ¡°They shouldn¡¯t require verbal orders,¡± Vezta said, canting her head as she watched them leap off the wall and dive into the ground. A few monsters struck at the lesser servants, but they couldn¡¯t follow into the tiny passages. The servants weren¡¯t digging corridors or halls meant for others, just their own amorphous bodies. ¡°The lesser servants are direct extensions of the [HEART]. Your [HEART].¡±

    ¡°So the ones I summoned earlier can be brought back to help those two?¡±

    Vezta dipped her head. ¡°For as much as they can help. You¡¯ve seen them fight. The moment the other Keeper spots them, their mission will end.¡±

    ¡°They need escorts.¡±

    ¡°Master,¡± Vezta said, burning suns that were her eyes turning to bore into him. ¡°Might I remind you that you said we were to defend only?¡±

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    Arkk fried a goblin and hit a ghast with lightning. The latter got back to its feet, unfortunately. ¡°You know what they say about a good defense,¡± he said, gritting his teeth into a forced smile. ¡°We just need to¡ª¡±

    ¡°No we master. The Keeper is after you. If you step foot onto enemy territory, you will be surrounded and defeated in an instant.¡±

    ¡°If it is any consolation, I don¡¯t think the Keeper wants to kill me. Just eat my brain.¡±

    Vezta was not amused.

    ¡°I¡¯m open to suggestions.¡±

    Vezta drew in a breath of air and let it back out. ¡°I will go after your servants. You will stay safe.¡±

    ¡°Will you be safe?¡±

    Vezta¡¯s eyes shifted back to the ground over the wall. She assessed for a moment before nodding. ¡°If this is all the Keeper has, I won¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°And if he has more? If there is another of your kin around?¡±

    ¡°Then I will impress upon my sibling the utter mistake of attacking the master of Fortress Al-Mir.¡±

    Arkk held Vezta¡¯s gaze, looking for any sign of false bravado in her confidence. Finding none, he smiled. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave this to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Arkk!¡± Dakka shouted, moving closer with the crystal ball. ¡°Sorry to interrupt. You were right. The guards along the northern side of the wall are dead. They look¡­ eaten. Partially.¡±

    Grimacing, Arkk looked back to Vezta. ¡°If the Keeper is here, now might be the best time to go. Destroy as much as you can. Once you¡¯ve been noticed, get out.¡±

    Vezta hesitated, then bowed. ¡°As you command.¡±

    She backed up until she bumped against the waist-high barrier of the wall. She didn¡¯t stop moving, tipping over backward. Arkk rushed over just in time to watch her land on her feet, somehow facing away from the wall. Tendrils covered in eyes and mouths whipped around her in a fury, striking at anything too close. The Keeper took note in an instant, ripping away any monsters that were within reach.

    As soon as there was nothing left to attack, Vezta¡¯s tendrils turned on her. They twisted around her, folding over and over as they tied her down into a tiny knot far too small to contain her full form. The tendrils turned and shrank until they were completely gone, pulled into the ground right where one of the lesser servants had burrowed into the ground.

    A moment of silence covered both sides of the battlefield with Vezta¡¯s departure. More than a few eyes turned in his direction. Even Zullie was staring down at the spot where Vezta had vanished. Arkk tried to pretend he didn¡¯t notice. Instead, he used the momentary lapse in action to send a full-powered bolt of lightning at the nearest insect. The explosion of yellow globs of blood and viscera started the battle over again.

    <hr>

    Twisting, roiling masses of tendrils erupted back onto the surface just after reaching a fortified wall through the narrow tunnel the lesser servants had dug. The entrance to the fortress was well hidden, poking out from a large boulder that might have been covering the entrance entirely up until this event started.

    Vezta stared for a long moment, watching and observing as she tried to recall just who had commanded a [HEART] in this area. The area had the faint smell of death and decay still lingering even after a thousand years. The Eternal Silence, Vezta presumed. The only Keeper Vezta could recall who paid such tribute to the Eternal Silence would have been Duncan the Undefeated, who had obviously been defeated at some point over the centuries. Or¡­ maybe he hadn¡¯t. The Eternal Silence, a master of death and undeath, could have sustained a servant indefinitely.

    Or so would have been the case before the Calamity.

    As Vezta stood watching, a third lesser servant emerged nearby. Arkk had summoned five in total, three before she arrived and two after. She wasn¡¯t sure where the missing ones were, but the three present should suffice for her current duty.

    Disrupting the enemy¡¯s ability to return their minions to the fight in a timely manner wasn¡¯t a bad plan. It might make the opposing Keeper less inclined to rescue useless minions knowing that they wouldn¡¯t be back in the fight for a long time in addition to tiring out those that did get rescued. It showed acceptable levels of tactical thinking, which was about all Vezta could expect from a novice. It was also a plan that only had a chance of success now. If the [HEART] of this fortress was connected to the [PANTHEON] the way it should have been, Vezta wouldn¡¯t have made it more than a step inside before magical destruction rained down upon her for her insolence.

    As it was, all she had to worry about were the monsters raining down upon her.

    Vezta watched with narrowed eyes as a trio of monsters emerged from the long stairwell that led down into the depths of the fortress. None noticed the glowing eyes in the shadows of the Darkwood. They didn¡¯t bother to look back, ushered along by their Keeper to continue their mindless assault on the human settlement. A pair emerged shortly after and another two after that.

    Simply walking inside would see her caught. While Vezta had every confidence in her ability to escape, even should the Keeper make an appearance, the lesser servants would perish and thus she would fail her mission. Without the siege magics provided by a fully functional [HEART], burrowing inside wouldn¡¯t be possible either. She could scour the area for an alternate entrance but that would likely consume too much time.

    Vezta looked over the three waiting servants with a distasteful frown. If only she could carry out the task of destroying territory on her own. Alas, her former master had sacrificed much of her connection to [HEART] magics to make her a more effective advisor capable of autonomous thought and activity. It had been necessary for her to delve into the mysteries of the [HEART] failure caused by the Calamity.

    Reaching down, she picked up one of the squirming masses of tentacles and began reshaping it much as she had done with the servant currently in charge of tailoring. Discarded bits and pieces fell to the ground around them as she rent the physical form of the creature, leaving it more or less in the form of a shadow between the stars. A few glowing eyes and one snapping set of teeth were all that remained. The rest of the darkness bled into the shadows of the brush under the trees.

    Vezta performed the same treatment on the other two servants. They wouldn¡¯t survive for long like this. They didn¡¯t need to. Within the hour, she would finish her task and would finally be able to get her stubborn master away from this place.

    Prepared, Vezta waited for a lull in the number of monsters emerging from the opening beneath the barrel. Her tendrils pulled her down into a shadowy form, though it wasn¡¯t quite as hidden as while in Fortress Al-Mir or while near Arkk. The Keeper might notice if he paid attention. Some of the smarter minions could as well if they knew what to look for.

    Entering the passageway with the other servants trailing after her, Vezta was surprised to find a total lack of doors. Had the Keeper relied entirely on the boulder as their method of defense? That, Vezta could only shake her head at. It was either an embarrassing display of incompetence, an embarrassing display of overconfidence, or an embarrassing display of ignorance. Whatever the case, her opinion of the Keeper fell even further as she continued down a long and straight corridor.

    She no longer held any delusions that this might be Duncan the Undefeated.

    The corridor was a mess. The tiles were cracked and broken and the gemstones, typical identifiers of [HEART] territory, were faded or missing entirely. Vezta could hardly believe that this area could count as territory without the linking stones carrying out the [HEART] magic. What were the servants of this fortress doing?

    Vezta¡¯s slithering march through the fortress corridor came to a pause as she considered that question.

    Were there servants? Arkk only knew the spell to summon lesser servants because she taught it to him. If other servants of Vezta¡¯s kind had withered away in the years since the Calamity, there might not be anyone around to teach the current Keeper of the [HEART]. Vezta was unsure how she had survived. The [HEART] going dormant without a master should have starved her. Instead, she had waited for a suitable master to come along and now lived to watch Fortress Al-Mir regain its beat.

    Master Razerk¡¯s modifications to her being might have been the cause. He truly had been a genius in the art of magic. If only he had lived to see her return with knowledge of what the so-called Light gods had done, he would have had the portal reopened in a week and the Calamity undone the next.

    Thought discarded, Vezta pushed forward. If there were no servants in this fortress to reclaim the territory she destroyed, her task became infinitely simpler. She just needed to find the furthest junction of the territory. Fortress territory had to be contiguous for any given locale. If she disrupted territory as far from the boulder entrance as possible, she wouldn¡¯t need to fight her way through minions every step of the way. Normally, that wouldn¡¯t even be possible. She would have to start at the outside and work her way in on any proper fortress. Here? With the weak links between each tile?

    She was honestly surprised that the fortification magic was still working. Destroying the territorial claim would be child¡¯s play.

    With the magic of the [HEART] disconnected, the servants would then be able to collapse the tunnel entirely, forcing the monsters to take a different route if the enemy Keeper wished to continue their assault.

    Vezta found her junction after a few minutes of scurrying along the corners of the corridor. This tunnel was long and empty, much like those from Fortress Al-Mir that led to the nearby villages. It lacked the traps Arkk had installed and had no other defenses. Not even patrolling minions¡ªthey were presumably all involved with the assault. Vezta was disappointed with how easy this job was.

    The servants under her command got to work with a mere gesture, fighting the weak magic of the dilapidated fortress¡¯ claim on the territory. Vezta remained at the ready, fully prepared for the rain of minions.

    Yet the tiles cracked and withered, collapsing to raw earth. As the last of the fortress magic dissipated from the area, a cascading effect ran down the corridor at Vezta¡¯s back, destroying every tile and wall. Not questioning her good fortune at a lack of opposition, Vezta directed the servants to the walls to begin collapsing the tunnel.

    Only after they burrowed within did the situation change.

    A ghast appeared before Vezta, perhaps the same one from the initial moments of the assault. Frothing white foam dripped from its unhinged jaw as it looked around the corridor. Its tiny red eyes settled on Vezta after only a moment. Without a word or attempt at communication, it charged.

    Vezta just waved, smiling wide as the tunnel collapsed down around it.

    That wouldn¡¯t have killed the Keeper. Even if he hadn¡¯t been possessing a body, a simple teleport would have him extracted. With the collapse and no territory on this side, however, he was trapped over there. Vezta did not know where other entrances were or if there was another close route. That should still stall him enough.

    Perhaps more than enough. A small part of Vezta wanted to agree with her master. Crushing this interloper entirely both for offenses against the [PANTHEON] and being such an embarrassment toward Keepers of the [HEART] would have been gratifying. Still, embarrassment though this Keeper was, her reasoning from earlier had not changed. Especially not now that he had been alerted to her presence. He would be on guard if he wasn¡¯t completely incompetent.

    With a small shake of her head, Vezta turned and started walking back through the dirt tunnel, directing the servants to continue collapsing the tunnel behind her until they inevitably expired.

    Upon returning to the burg, Vezta took stock of the situation as she approached. The gate had been bashed in but there wasn¡¯t any fighting going on. Bodies stained the ground, most from monsters but a few humans as well. No living monsters remained. The Keeper must have pulled them back, possibly fearing that they were under further attack.

    Ducking under a ruined wooden beam of the gate, Vezta¡¯s many eyes swept over the scene. The knot of fear pulled taut deep within her chest.

    Humans stood on one side. Orcs stood on the other. Arkk was on the ground, blood staining his tunic from a series of thick claw marks across his chest. Zullie crouched over him, muttering something as she drew her finger over one of the wounds. The skin behind her finger sealed together as she moved, but whatever magic she was using didn¡¯t work properly. The skin split apart almost immediately and her spell wasn¡¯t doing anything about the black veins spreading out from the wound.

    ¡°Master?¡±

 Flight from Darkwood

    ¡°¡ªbrought the monsters here!¡±

    ¡°¡ªheard they were after him¡ª¡±

    ¡°¡ªattacked one of my own the day before.¡±

    ¡°You see the company he keeps? No wonder monsters¡ª¡±

    ¡°The one with the eyes¡­ you didn¡¯t see the way it fought. Ripped apart anything that got near without even blinking.¡±

    ¡°My advice? Hide until this blows over. Keep the kids indoors and¡­¡±

    ¡°That ghast spoke. Said it would leave us alone if¡­¡±

    ¡°Speaking ghasts? Nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. This ¡®Al-Mir¡¯ group is bad news. Kick them out before they draw more problems to the burg.¡±

    ¡°And just who is going to do that? You? Don¡¯t make me laugh. You soiled yourself when that monster of theirs¡ª¡±

    Zullie carefully closed the door behind her, trying to avoid as much noise as possible. Only once she was inside the small room did she lower the hood of her cloak. ¡°Boss isn¡¯t very popular, is he?¡± she mumbled, wishing the relative privacy of the stayover room did more to relieve the tension in her shoulders.

    ¡°Irrelevant,¡± Vezta said, eyes locked on the unconscious form of Arkk as he slept on in the bed. Several tendrils moved damp cloth over his body, trying to keep his body temperature down. ¡°Did you discover anything?¡±

    ¡°I spoke with the alchemist they mentioned. Ghasts have some kind of toxin in their claws. He gave me this,¡± Zullie said, holding up a small crystal phial of clear liquid, ¡°in exchange for about ten times more gold than I know it would take to make something like this.¡±

    ¡°Gold is no object.¡±

    ¡°Still¡­¡±

    ¡°Will it work?¡±

    ¡°Hope so,¡± Zullie said, stepping closer to Arkk. ¡°The alchemist refused to come to see Arkk. Said something about Arkk threatening him. So, if it doesn¡¯t work¡­¡±

    Dakka, standing watch over Arkk¡¯s bed not far from Vezta, bared her tusks in full with a low growl. ¡°We go out there to rescue his girl from monsters and he repays us like this? It wasn¡¯t even a real threat,¡± she snarled. ¡°Should have left the girl to die.¡±

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work,¡± Vezta said, voice unnaturally calm, ¡°I will be the one speaking with this alchemist.¡±

    Zullie suppressed a shudder. Her first thought upon meeting Vezta had been one of fear and shock. The monster¡¯s appearance alone was unsettling. Knowing Vezta was pre-Calamity? That was another level of shock. One that quickly gave way to interest and curiosity once it became apparent that Vezta wasn¡¯t going to eat her. The problems they had been working on together were fascinating, to say the least.

    An alternate system of magic with truncated incantations alone was enough to draw her interest. Then Vezta brought up her reverse evocation problem. Punching a hole through planes of existence to reopen pathways that had been closed for over a thousand years? How could she say no?

    Evocation, summoning, and likely teleportation¡ªZullie was fairly certain that the teleportation ritual circles used planar magic to dig tunnels through reality for instant transportation¡ªwere all classified as High Anathema by the Abbey of the Light. Zullie knew the theory of summoning but had never been allowed to practice or delve deeper than what was required for recognition. Vezta helped out with that. The pre-Calamity monster didn¡¯t know how to work magic but she did know how to explain what she needed to happen in such a way that Zullie could formulate ideas about how to accomplish her needs if not full rituals.

    With such interesting problems to work on, she had almost forgotten just what Vezta was.

    Having seen Vezta in a fight and, later, frighten off a mob of angry people, Zullie doubted she would think of Vezta as just another researcher anytime soon.

    Deciding to not tempt the ancient creature by staring, Zullie hurried over to Arkk¡¯s side, uncapping the phial as she moved.

    ¡°Ingested, injected, or topical?¡± Vezta asked.

    ¡°Ingested. Can you sit him up?¡±

    Tendrils formed from the shadows around Arkk, lifting him into a sitting position. Zullie winced at the sight. He wasn¡¯t completely limp nor was he completely unconscious. He drifted in and out of lucidity. While her mending spell had sealed the gashes in his front after far more effort than she had expected, a bramble of blackened veins marred his chest, stemming from the thin scars the magic had failed to heal. Parts of the black veins were creeping up his neck, threatening to attack his face.

    ¡°Alright, Arkk. I need you to swallow this as much as you can.¡±

    Zullie¡¯s boss didn¡¯t respond. Not even a blink of his eyes. Was he weaker than he had been before she left?

    Yes. Almost certainly. They wouldn¡¯t need a potion if he was getting better.

    The alchemist had given her a long glass straw to use to carefully administer the potion without spilling any. Dipping the straw into the phial and then covering the end captured a small amount in the tube. With Vezta holding Arkk¡¯s head back and his mouth open, she held the straw partially in his mouth¡ªnot far enough to trigger a gag reflex¡ªand let it dribble out and down his throat.

    His breathing paused a moment. Just long enough for a weak swallow. That was a good sign. Zullie had been worried about accidentally drowning him on the concoction.

    Zullie continued, forcing him to drink small amounts at a time until she couldn¡¯t capture a meaningful amount in the straw, at which point she upended the remainder into his mouth and hoped that would be enough. Stoppering the bottle and setting it aside, Zullie watched as Vezta gently set him back down on the bed.

    ¡°How long before we see¡­¡±

    Vezta trailed off. It wasn¡¯t hard to see why. The black veins around his throat were already pulling back. His breathing, formerly labored, steadied out. The potion worked fast, it seemed. That alchemist, though antagonistic, knew alchemy.

    ¡°Good,¡± Vezta said. ¡°As soon as we confirm the stability of his condition, we will be leaving. In fact, we ought to leave before he regains consciousness to avoid any protests on his part.¡±

    ¡°How will we¡ª¡±

    A pair of sharp knocks interrupted Zullie. Her head snapped to the door, worried the angry crowd from downstairs had decided to throw them out. Or worse. She dismissed the notion almost as soon as it came. An angry mob wouldn¡¯t knock.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Vezta stepped toward the door, unfazed.

    Zullie quickly inserted herself between Vezta and the door. ¡°Maybe I should..?¡±

    ¡°I can handle myself.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t you who I¡¯m worried about.¡± Zullie didn¡¯t consider herself a creature blessed with social graces. Between a pair of angry orcs and an angry¡­ whatever Vezta was, it was a bit sad that she thought she was the best option for a peaceful encounter with whoever was on the other side of the door.

    Vezta stared a moment but dipped her head, clasping her hands in front of the eye that sat where her navel should be.

    Taking a breath, Zullie carefully pulled open the door, ready to jump aside and let Vezta handle a potential angry mob. Only it wasn¡¯t a mob at all. A well-dressed man stood on the other side of the door, gently running his fingers against the stubble on his chin. He looked surprised before a small smile wrinkled his face.

    ¡°Ah. Good day. Is Mister Arkk¡­¡±

    ¡°Doing better, now that he has had a healing potion.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that. I¡­ I heard the alchemist when he came in. Mister Arkk went to help a woman who ventured outside the walls, asking little in return for his assistance. The monsters would have certainly followed anyone back, including that alchemist, so I know the others downstairs aren¡¯t speaking with the entire story in mind.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ much appreciated,¡± Zullie said with a forced smile. ¡°Mister¡­¡±

    ¡°Wolf. Aron Wolf,¡± he said with a nod of his head. ¡°Wolf Trading Company.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let Arkk know. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll appreciate your visit.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I¡¯m not here just for good wishes. I wanted to warn him that the crowd downstairs is getting¡­ rowdy. Several guards have shown up. I would try to explain what happened myself but the hysterics of the situation seem out of my control. Letting you know so that there wouldn¡¯t be any surprises is the least I can do.¡±

    Zullie drew in a sharp breath. That didn¡¯t sound good. What were they going to do? Throw them into the stocks? Lynch them outright? Zullie glanced over her shoulder. Neither option seemed likely to succeed with Vezta here. Either option would turn bloody.

    Zullie¡¯s hesitation to respond cost her. Vezta stepped forward, offering a polite bow. ¡°Thank you for your warning. We were just leaving.¡±

    The man stiffened, eyes going wide. He tried to speak only to cough on a bit of spittle. His coughing fit died out as he took a step backward. ¡°Yes, well, I¡­¡± He cleared his throat more, pointing a finger vaguely away from the door. ¡°I just¡­ Better leave before¡­ Good luck.¡±

    Zullie watched him scurry off down the hall and could only shake her head. Vezta hadn¡¯t even been trying to threaten him and she frightened him off. Hopefully, Arkk wasn¡¯t going to be upset that he might have lost the one friend he had in this town.

    Closing the door, Zullie turned back to the room. ¡°How are we¡ªWhat are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Avoiding unnecessary conflict,¡± Vezta said, pushing open the large shutters over the window. Her tendrils had Arkk wrapped up, held aloft and away from the bed. ¡°Out the window. Dakka. Orjja. Zullie. I¡¯ll follow.¡±

    Neither orc looked impressed. ¡°You want us to fit through that?¡±

    The window wasn¡¯t a large one. It had no glass. A vertical beam of wood bisected the opening, cutting down the total space to one that Zullie felt she would have a tough time squeezing through, let alone Dakka or the marginally larger Orjja.

    Vezta simply looked back to the window, considering the problem. Before Zullie could offer any alternate solutions to the situation, tendrils wrapped around the frame and ripped a portion of the wall away.

    ¡°Out.¡±

    Dakka didn¡¯t argue again. With a casual shrug, she kicked aside a plank that was protruding before hopping straight out of the window. Orjja followed immediately after.

    ¡°Maybe we should leave some gold for repair¡ª¡±

    The noise of ripping away the wall must have alerted those on the ground floor. Heavy stomping moved up the stairs. Flipping the latch on the door, Zullie hurried over to the opening.

    Vezta was already climbing out, using extensions of her tendrils to lower herself and Arkk carefully.

    It wasn¡¯t that high of a drop. The ground below was muddy and slick. Zullie¡¯s mind started flipping through every spell she knew, trying to find one that wouldn¡¯t have her breaking her leg if she landed poorly. A heavy slam against the door behind her made her mind go blank. Splinters of wood broke away from the latch with another heavy thud.

    ¡°Vezta!¡± Zullie shouted, jumping.

    She wasn¡¯t going to land well. Her arms spun through the air. She wasn¡¯t just going to break her leg, her neck was going to snap against the muddy ground.

    Oily black tendrils reached up and looped around her, slowing her down until her feet touched the ground as gently as if she were stepping down from one of the library¡¯s ladders.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Hurry,¡± Vezta said, not even stopping. ¡°Arkk would be upset if I were to start a fight here.¡±

    Zullie didn¡¯t need telling twice. The angry shouts from above were more than enough motivation to rush through Darkwood Burg.

    They rushed through the streets, moving directly toward the gate where all the fighting took place. Rekk¡¯ar and the rest of the orcs stood outside the guardhouse, protecting the ritual circle within from a small contingent of guards who wanted to get back in. Zullie was honestly surprised that there hadn¡¯t been a fight yet. Rekk¡¯ar looked more than ready to start one.

    The posturing of the guards died down as soon as one spotted Vezta approaching. Some must have seen her fight. They quickly pulled the rest away, granting them a wide berth to enter the guardhouse.

    ¡°Zullie. Get the orcs through the teleportation circle.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re taking the circle out? Arkk wanted to be seen leaving.¡±

    ¡°Then he should have been more careful.¡±

    Zullie pressed her lips together but didn¡¯t argue any further. It wasn¡¯t that she was afraid of Vezta. The pre-Calamity monster did creep her out somewhat but she was fairly certain they had a good enough rapport between them to not come to actual conflict. Her lack of further protest stemmed from a definite desire to leave Darkwood behind and never return. Teleporting was simply the best way to put as much distance between her and the monster-infested woods as possible.

    One by one, the orcs stepped inside. Zullie knelt next to the teleportation circle, activating it for each with only a small delay between. They all had done this before and knew they needed to clear the exit point as fast as possible.

    There were more than just orcs inside the guardhouse. Two of those creepy lesser servants sat in one corner, bubbling and staring at everything while mouths and eyes formed and reformed across their pustulate skin. As Orjja, the last orc, made it through the portal, Zullie glanced at Vezta. ¡°What about the servants?¡±

    ¡°Send one of them.¡±

    ¡°Only one?¡±

    Vezta pointed a tendril at one. It carefully repositioned itself within the ritual circle. With a shrug, Zullie pushed out some of her magic. In a flash, the servant vanished.

    ¡°The other?¡±

    ¡°It will destroy the ritual circle after we have left then burrow straight down and discorporate,¡± Vezta said, narrowing her eyes at the few guards brave enough to stand at the doorway and watch what was going on. ¡°Don¡¯t want anyone following us.¡±

    ¡°Discorporate?¡±

    ¡°Kill itself.¡±

    Zullie winced. ¡°Is that really necessary?¡±

    ¡°It is just a lesser servant. It barely has thoughts of its own.¡± Vezta looked off into the distance over the heads of the few guards in the doorway. Zullie could hear shouts approaching. ¡°Through the portal.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Zullie stepped inside and, with a light touch of magic, she found herself out in some nondescript forest. The same one she had traveled through on the way to the Darkwood Burg. The orcs stood around, casually chatting as they waited. They hardly took note of her presence, watching for Vezta and Arkk.

    The two emerged a moment after Zullie cleared the circle. Vezta immediately destroyed the circle she had just emerged from with a liberal application of tendrils and then started directing the orcs through the next circle. The heavy rain, which had thankfully stopped, had disrupted part of the circle but Vezta was quick to clean it up.

    As Zullie sent each orc through, she watched them, observing the way they looked at Arkk and Vezta. The end of the battle had been chaotic, to say the least. Just before all the monsters had vanished, they had broken through the gates. Zullie hadn¡¯t seen it with her own eyes but she had heard from Dakka that, in the ensuing fight, Arkk had shoved Katt¡¯am out of the way of the ghast¡¯s claws.

    Zullie barely interacted with the orcs. They lived in an entirely separate section of the fortress. Technically, she used the same mess hall for food. Practically, she ate at such odd hours that she most often scrounged through the kitchens to find food that she then took back to her room or the library. She wasn¡¯t sure what relationship the orcs had with Arkk prior to today. She wasn¡¯t sure what they had now, only that several were shooting him looks that she couldn¡¯t quite parse.

    Vezta left behind their final lesser servant to destroy the portal and then kill itself once again. The thought made Zullie a little ill at how callously Vezta just threw them away. Sentient or not, ugly though they were, she still found it disturbing to a degree. If Arkk was conscious, he probably wouldn¡¯t have stood for it and would have insisted that they walk all the way back.

    As Vezta destroyed the next teleportation circle without them traveling through it first, Zullie almost wished there were more lesser servants to facilitate their speedy return to the fortress. Almost. Not quite.

    ¡°Find the nearest burg or village,¡± Vezta said, holding out Arkk¡¯s crystal ball. ¡°We¡¯ll head there for rest and transportation.¡±

    Zullie couldn¡¯t help but sigh as, an hour later, she located the nearest village far enough away that it would probably take the rest of the day and even part of the night to reach.

    Maybe a little more than almost.

 Darkwood Defense Aftermath

    ¡°We¡¯ve been searching for a week across this soggy marsh,¡± Olatt¡¯an grumbled. He slapped at his arm, crushing more than one mosquito. ¡°The exercise and fresh air were nice for a time. These bugs are not. How long are we going to keep looking?¡±

    ¡°They have to be here,¡± Ilya said, frowning at the bit of cheese on her stale bread.

    She knew as well as he did that their time was running out.

    Their provisions were running low. The wet marshlands and accompanying insects were irritating the orcs she had brought along with her. A week of trudging through the marsh, both on foot over the large islands and on a boat for crossing the wide channels, might have been fine if there had been an end in sight. At this point, they were just wandering aimlessly.

    ¡°My mother said that if I ever couldn¡¯t stay with the people of Langleey Village, I should seek out the elves of Marrowland Fen. They would take me in.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an looked over the despondent elf. She caught his eyes wandering over the few other orcs who were taking a rest before ending up back at her. ¡°Your mother,¡± he said, voice soft. ¡°She lived in the human village for most of her life?¡±

    Ilya raised an eyebrow. ¡°She had a very long life. I¡­ I was only a small part of it.¡± Maybe that was why her mother hadn¡¯t looked happy to see her. Alya was over six hundred years old. Ilya was thirty-two. Only half of which had been spent in the presence of her mother. For the rest of Ilya¡¯s life, her mother had been with the Duke.

    The thought made her shoulders slump.

    ¡°When was the last time your mother visited her people? Didn¡¯t she have a more accurate location?¡±

    Ilya looked over at the toothless orc, pressing her lips together. She didn¡¯t know. Her mother hadn¡¯t left Langleey in the time since she had been born. From stories the other villagers told her, Alya had been a part of their village for at least a generation. Even the older villagers remembered Alya as children. Whether or not she left and returned at any point, Ilya couldn¡¯t say.

    ¡°None of the villages we passed could point us toward an elf village,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, voice still soft. ¡°All they said was that elves would show up on occasion, but haven¡¯t for a long while.¡±

    Ilya swallowed a lump in her throat. ¡°If they aren¡¯t here anymore, where did they go?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t say. I don¡¯t know elves. The only elf settlement I¡¯ve visited was down near the border of the Duchy of Mystakeen and the boy prince¡¯s Principality. That was decades ago. No idea if it is still there.¡±

    ¡°Could you take me there?¡±

    ¡°To the Principality? That¡¯s months of travel. Not to mention¡­¡± The old orc wrinkled his nose. ¡°Elves have long memories. I doubt my face would be welcome.¡±

    Ilya rolled her eyes. ¡°Is there anywhere that doesn¡¯t have an outstanding bounty on your head?¡± Throughout the entire journey, Olatt¡¯an kept a bandanna around his face and a hood up anytime they ventured into a settlement. Even then, he stuck on his own, avoiding anyone outside their group. Most larger burgs, he and the other orcs had camped well outside their walls.

    Olatt¡¯an didn¡¯t get a chance to answer her. Kazz¡¯ak came running up. Ilya noted that he came running up to Olatt¡¯an, not her, despite her being in charge of this whole operation. He didn¡¯t look particularly excited to speak. At the same time, there was a worried intensity in his eyes.

    ¡°We¡­ found something, Ripthroat.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an gave the younger orc a flat look. It was subtle, but Ilya caught the way his head twitched toward her.

    Kazz¡¯ak turned his head first before the rest of his body followed, looking at Ilya. ¡°We found something,¡± he said again with marginally less respect in his tone.

    ¡°A village?¡±

    ¡°It¡­ might be better if you came and saw for yourself.¡±

    Not liking the sound of that, Ilya wrapped up her meager meal in a bit of cloth, pocketing it for later. ¡°Keep watch here,¡± Ilya said, probably unnecessarily. The older orc wasn¡¯t making any attempt to stand as he continued to eat his own food.

    Marrowlands Fen was a wet marshy location far to the northeast of Langleey Village, right on the border with the Sultanate. Some parts of it were open to the ocean, the same ocean that Cliff¡¯s harbor sat on, but large berms of grassy land kept the salty water mostly out. Were it not for the water, the land would likely be an incredibly hilly landscape, bordering on mountainous. Instead, it was more like large rounded islands dotted the greenish water. A few of the larger islands held settlements, though none were at all prosperous and wealthy. Even for all the gold Arkk had given her for this voyage, they weren¡¯t willing to part with too much food for fear of starving themselves. Their farms were small, constrained by the islands, and most of their meals came from the fish both in the ocean and in the marshes.

    So far, Ilya and the orcs had combed over the larger islands. Both those settled and those barren. Upon discovering that the settlements that were here didn¡¯t know about any elf villages, she had been hoping that the elves were hiding their home with some kind of magic that she, an elf, would be able to see through. Just like in the stories of old. Unfortunately, she had yet to locate any sign of that. Even if the villages were hidden, there should still have been elves moving around, farmlands that couldn¡¯t be concealed, or any number of other proofs that her people lived in the area.

    Instead of heading inland on this island, however, Kazz¡¯ak took her along the shore down to the second of their boats. The one he and his scouting team had been using to circumnavigate the island in an attempt to locate any sign of habitation. He joined two others aboard. Ilya followed.

    Rather than circling the island, however, Kazz¡¯ak directed the boat away from shore. Ilya¡¯s sharp eyes looked into the distance, spotting a large mountain on their left and a smaller yet hilly island on the right. Using a long pole to push the boat through the water, Kazz¡¯ak set the heading directly between the two islands.

    As the boat sailed away from the island she had been on, Ilya spotted something that they were going to hit. It looked like a large grouping of cattails and a mess of reeds. As they got closer, however, Ilya realized that it wasn¡¯t a natural formation. Cut reeds, wooden planks, and netting made from bulrush sedges formed the floating island. There were¡­ constructions on the island as well. Small foundations of what might have been huts in the past. Now, it was clear that they had fallen into disrepair.

    Kazz¡¯ak pulled the boat up against the reeds, partially beaching it on the fake beach. Ilya had to wrinkle her nose. The entire island smelled of rotting plants. She had to wonder how long it had been out here, floating around with no one to maintain the island. It was clearly artificially made and would have to have maintenance to keep it from completely falling apart.

    Following the scouting team, Ilya stepped onto the floating island. It wobbled a bit under her feet. Not enough that she thought she was going to fall through it. In fact, in its prime, it might not have felt different from solid ground.

    ¡°This way,¡± Kazz¡¯ak said, waving a hand as he started across the surprisingly large floating island.

    Passing one of the straw pillars that might have been a hut, Ilya paused and knelt. Something was sticking out of the straw that caught her eye. A smooth wooden shaft. Gripping it and wrenching it out of the straw, Ilya scowled down at the chipped metal arrowhead.

    Ilya looked up to Kazz¡¯ak, about to ask whether the arrow was one of theirs, when she spotted something beyond the tall orc.

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    Corpses. A dozen bodies piled up. The flesh had rotted and the bones had been picked clean by carrion feeders. Stumbling closer, Ilya found the scent of decaying plants replaced with the foul stench of rotting meat. The remains were still intact enough to tell that they had been humanoid. Judging by the tall stature, long legs, and thin builds¡­

    These had been elves.

    ¡°We searched the area,¡± Kazz¡¯ak said, voice mild yet uncaring. ¡°Couldn¡¯t find anything of value, though I can¡¯t tell if that is because everything was looted or if these people didn¡¯t have anything valuable in the first place. The bodies all look older. No children or youth. More huts than bodies too. Slavers, I would guess.¡±

    ¡°This couldn¡¯t be too old,¡± Ilya said, warring with herself between getting closer and stumbling backward. ¡°A few months at most or this entire island would be gone.¡±

    ¡°Think there are other floating villages? We might have been looking in the wrong place by checking over all the actual islands.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Ilya¡¯s voice caught in her throat. ¡°Where would slavers have taken them?¡±

    Kazz¡¯ak shrugged. ¡°The chieftain wasn¡¯t in the habit of selling captives,¡± he said without any shame toward his former profession.

    Ilya clenched her fist around the arrow in her hand. She felt sick. Sicker even than when her mother had turned away from her at the Duke¡¯s manor.

    Could she do anything about her people being captured? It had been months ago, based on what she saw now and what the other villages in the area had said about elf visitors. They would probably be gone in the wind without a trace.

    Ilya let out an inarticulate cry as she dropped to her knees, slamming her fist down into the reeds.

    She could only hope that Arkk was having better luck than she was.

    <hr>

    The fires burned. A beautiful red-white glow licked the stone bricks of the long corridor, dancing under the wild choreography of Agnete¡¯s dancing fingers. She basked in the flickering light, letting the fire flow around her in a whirlwind of purifying fury. This, Agnete thought, dropping the burning remains of her long coat to better feel the heat of the flames against her skin, must have been what humanity¡¯s ancestors felt when they first lit their drab caves.

    Light bright and hot enough to ward off the dark and the evils that lurked within.

    Agnete strode forward, indomitable and relentless. The flames moved ahead of her, attacking all without mercy. Squeals of goblins, shrieks of fleeing insectoids, dismayed cries of all kinds of monsters¡­ None reached her ears as her flames burned sound itself.

    One of the mockeries of humanity appeared directly in front of her, claws already swinging through the air. Its hairless body caught fire the instant it manifested, but that didn¡¯t stop its momentum. Agnete didn¡¯t try to dodge. The monster¡¯s claws skewered deep into her side.

    A geyser of white flames erupted from the wound, fully engulfing the red-eyed ghast even as they burned away at Agnete¡¯s skin. The keratine of the claws evaporated in the heat, leaving a wound that quickly seared itself shut. Mere pinprick scars remained behind. Agnete¡¯s march forward didn¡¯t slow in the slightest.

    As the ghast died a fiery death, black smoke emerged from its disintegrating corpse. Bright red eyes glared at Agnete just long enough for the monster within to realize its mistake in approaching her. The black smoke burst into flames, causing the intangible being to fully manifest before her.

    A human. Greasy black hair with a pointed beard. Neither remained on the screaming man¡¯s face for more than a few seconds before being consumed by the flames. His purple robe and high collar caught fire and his skin began to char, but Agnete didn¡¯t get to enjoy the process of purification before the man disappeared as quickly as the ghast had appeared.

    Agnete continued forward through the hallways of this underground fortress. She didn¡¯t make it far before a shudder in the ground threatened to throw her off her feet. A loud noise of breaking earth followed, bringing with it a blast of air coursing through the tunnel with such intense force behind it that it actually managed to snuff out her flames. Agnete¡¯s fingers melted the stone wall, creating a handhold to keep herself steady.

    As the wind died down, Agnete found her attention drawn to the wall she was gripping. Or had been gripping, rather. The thick stone bricks, reinforced with magic to the point where they managed to avoid more than cosmetic damage from the intense heat of her fires, began to crumble to dust, revealing bare dirt walls. The tiles under her feet, cracked and broken yet were still similarly reinforced, decayed.

    The curiosity about the deteriorating fortress became a non-concern as a chill in the air made the hairs on Agnete¡¯s arms stand on end. She drew in a breath, preparing to flood the area with the hot comfort of fire once again, only to hear a voice behind her.

    ¡°That is enough.¡±

    Dry lips cracking into a snarl, Agnete turned around to face the one who dared dampen her heat. A man stood in the dirt tunnel, tall and lanky. Arms like noodles and thin glasses perched on his nose, he wasn¡¯t a threat. He should burn for his¡ª

    The man reached into a pocket in his long black coat and withdrew a small clear marble. White fog of condensed air flowed around the man¡¯s gloved hand, drifting to the floor like a waterfall of cold.

    Agnete sucked in a breath, taking a fearful step backward. Ice replaced the molten heat in her veins as she stared with wide eyes. The ice crept inward, moving from her fingers and toes toward her burning heart. She opened her mouth, letting out a dry, croaking scream.

    ¡°I said that is enough, Purifier.¡±

    Fight or flight kicked in, except she couldn¡¯t manage either. Her feet had frozen to the ground and the fire contained under her skin diminished to mere embers in the presence of that marble of ice. All she could manage was a clipped nod of her head. Agree. Bow down to the ice in the hopes that it would grant mercy.

    The man stared, a humorless smile plastered on his face. Nodding in satisfaction at something, he clasped his hand around the ball of ice and dropped it back into his pocket.

    The moment it was away, Agnete collapsed, curling up into a tight ball on the dirt floor. She shuddered, rubbing cold fingers against her arms and legs in an attempt to bring back some of that heat from earlier. Slowly yet surely, feeling and warmth returned to her. It didn¡¯t return in the same force. The out-of-control boil that threatened to spill over turned to a low simmer capped with a lid to avoid the possibility of that marble coming back out.

    ¡°Pick yourself up, Purifier,¡± Darius said, voice as cold as the marble hidden in his pocket. The disgust in his tone said more than words ever could. He stepped over her even as her shaking arms tried to heft herself up.

    He held out a gleaming brass lantern. The white orb within was a gift from the Light, allowing vision even in the darkest of environments. Agnete hated the thing. For all its brightness, it had no heat. One could reach through the bars of brass and feel nothing at all.

    Agnete stumbled to her feet, arms clasped tight to her body. She had to grind her teeth together to keep them from clattering. She dared to take her eyes off Darius, looking around back where they had come from. Sure enough, the short chronicler was coming up from behind. Holding a tablet in one hand and a pen in the other, he scribbled a few notes down. Probably ones related to her, how she almost lost control and burned them all or just how long it took her to recover from exposure to the marble. Whatever they were, she didn¡¯t care at the moment. Her eyes were locked on the articles of clothing draped over the crook of his elbow.

    Douglas squinted up at her, then, reluctantly, handed over a fresh pair of trousers and a long coat. He dropped the boots from under his arm and then continued after Darius without a word. Glaring after him for a long moment, Agnete tore off the remains of her burned clothes and began dressing herself. First the trousers, then the coat. She did up the six buttons across her chest before ducking down to don her boots. Once the buckles were secure, she let out a small sigh. The barrier between her skin and the cold air outside wasn¡¯t much, but it helped.

    Straightening her back and squaring her shoulders, Agnete began marching after her two fellow inquisitors. She didn¡¯t speak when she caught up with them, merely falling in step behind Douglas. Agnete didn¡¯t pay attention to the crumbling fortress around her, letting Darius lead them through the now silent corridors. He paused at a few intersections and peered into a few rooms, but didn¡¯t stop until they reached a room unlike any other.

    It was a large and rectangular room with a circular pit in the very center, surprisingly intact despite the ruins the rest of the fortress had turned into. Four thick columns stretched up, not quite reaching the peaked ceiling of the room. Each held carvings of profane symbols. Thick metal chains dangled into the pit from the tops of the pillars, perhaps having once held something aloft. Whatever that something was, it was gone now.

    Stepping up alongside Darius at the pit¡¯s precipice, she peered down into inky darkness. Not even the light from the holy lantern could penetrate the depths.

    Douglass sat back, muttering under his breath into a small golden pendant that he wore around his neck. Prayers to the Light, asking for information. He paused and, with a nod of his head, looked over to Darius.

    ¡°Divine inspiration doesn¡¯t tell me what this is. It¡­ wasn¡¯t so much of a non-answer as it was a rejection and refusal to answer.¡±

    Darius frowned, dragging his long fingers from his cheeks to his chin. ¡°Whatever it was, it seems to be gone now. Was it the purifier¡¯s fires?¡±

    ¡°That information was not revealed to me,¡± Douglas said, squinting as he motioned to the chains dangling from the pillars. ¡°All I was told was that we removed a great evil from this world.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Darius said, clapping his hands together with a false smile. ¡°Not what we came here for. It is gratifying to know that we could eliminate an object of ancient evil nonetheless. If only the horror had been present.¡±

    Douglas flipped back through his notes with a thin-lipped frown. ¡°The truth is difficult to discern from an angry mob, but reports place the horror as defending the burg from the creatures of this pit.¡±

    ¡°Curious, isn¡¯t it? Eyewitnesses put our old friend Mister Arkk working alongside it once again. I do wonder what dark magics he had to invoke to gain such control over a creature like that.¡±

    Agnete, head remaining still, shifted her burning eyes to the back of Darius before flicking them back down into the deep pit.

    ¡°Perhaps it is time to visit that lovely village of Langleey once again,¡± said Master Inquisitor Darius Vrox.

 Evocation

    ¡°Evocation is considered a lost art of magic. To the best of my not-inconsiderable knowledge of magic, no attempt at evocation has succeeded since the Calamity. There are highly detailed records, so we know it was an actual branch of viable magic at one point in time. To make matters more complicated, evocation, along with all planar magic, has been deemed High Anathema by the Abbey of the Light. Anyone caught researching or otherwise engaging with planar magic is immediately charged and, without trial, sentenced to summary execution.

    ¡°At the academy, we were taught enough to recognize when planar magic was involved so that we could abort whatever we were doing and seek absolution with the church before it got to the execution point. Nothing else.¡±

    Arkk grimaced at Zullie¡¯s explanation. ¡°And you want to research it now? Even knowing that consequence?¡±

    ¡°Already have,¡± Zullie said with a wave of her hand. ¡°I told you before that I¡¯ve got experience dodging inquisitors. They weren¡¯t hounding me because they were interested in my ability to stop incoming projectiles. There have been accusations against me in the past. Nothing anyone could prove,¡± she added with a grin.

    ¡°Why is it banned?¡± Arkk asked. He doubted he would change his mind about proceeding with their evocation magic to reopen the portal. The inquisitors thought Vezta was an enemy. Their opinion was clearly flawed. Still, it would be good to know.

    Zullie, one arm across her chest with her hand holding the elbow of her opposite arm as she gesticulated, launched into a lecture. It was starting to become a familiar sight. After their disastrous departure from Darkwood Burg, it had taken a little under a week to return to Fortress Al-Mir. Arkk had been too weak for most of that to protest their abandonment of the burg. When he had recovered enough, they were practically back. Scrying on the burg showed no additional attacks since their departure, so he hadn¡¯t felt up to insisting they return.

    Arkk had enlisted Zullie in magic tutoring on the way back, mostly to distract himself from what he thought was a fairly unpleasant departure. Not only was proper magic something he always wanted to learn but it also helped Vezta with her objective of carrying out her former master¡¯s final command. The last few days had been¡­ a lot.

    Still, Arkk felt he had the basics down. He knew much more about rituals and how to construct them. Learning what all the little symbols and runes did in a ritual circle had clued him into what he was doing wrong that caused explosions when he tried to work most magic. Namely, an utter lack of direction toward how magic was supposed to flow through a ritual spell. In a great number of rituals, the undirected collision of magic caused the explosion.

    He wasn¡¯t quite so confident about jumping into forbidden anathema magics. That didn¡¯t stop Zullie from her explanations.

    ¡°Evocation is a branch of planar magic, dealing with other planes of existence. It is a close relative to summoning magics¡ªwhich also used to be a widespread branch of magic but has since degraded into demon summoning and little else. It is banned for that reason. Very little good can come from pulling bits of other realities into our own.¡± Zullie shot a curious look to Vezta, who simply chose to lean up against the wall for the duration of every lecture, before adding, ¡°Or so says the church.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough. But we aren¡¯t summoning demons.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question.

    Zullie laughed, waving her hand back and forth. ¡°No, no. We¡¯re not stupid. We¡¯re just trying to punch a little hole into this Underworld place. No Hell involved.¡±

    ¡°And,¡± Arkk started, glancing at Vezta, ¡°breaking through to the Underworld isn¡¯t going to end this world or anything, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why it would,¡± the servant answered. ¡°The planes have been connected before without ending the world. We¡¯re merely reopening a door that has been closed for a long time.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head, accepting her answer as he turned back to Zullie. ¡°You¡¯ve figured out how to do this? Work some ancient magic nobody has gotten working before?¡±

    ¡°It helps that we have someone who has seen this kind of magic working, knows why it stopped working, and has a general idea of how to fix it,¡± Zullie said, motioning toward Vezta. ¡°When I publish, I will be sure to mention your names in the footnotes.¡±

    ¡°Is it a good idea to publish anathema?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Posthumously.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough. So, how do we do this?¡±

    ¡°Not easily, unfortunately.¡± Turning around, Zullie approached the large table in the library and whisked a cloth off the top.

    Arkk took a few minutes to figure out what he was staring at. Several vaulted iron archways surrounded a diamond-shaped pool of water. Thin bridges reached out from all four corners, stretching to a pentagonal altar in the center of the pool. Several tiny runes were inscribed on the altar, each so small that Arkk had to get up and squint down at it just to see. As he did so, he noted several other pentagonal circles spaced around the outside edge of the pool of water, one placed beneath each of the archways.

    ¡°It¡¯s only a model,¡± Zullie said. ¡°Vezta tried to explain the schematics that let you build rooms but I didn¡¯t quite get it. Instead, I got that blacksmith orc to build this to my specifications. Hopefully one or both of you can figure out how to build a large-scale version.¡± Zullie pointed at the altar in the center of the pool of water. ¡°That altar should be large enough to fit a full-sized orc within the inner pentagon. The rest of the room, likewise, expanded to scale.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s eyes widened. He didn¡¯t know for sure without measuring it but just from a glance, it looked like the central altar would be roughly the size of the meeting room table. The room would be massive. Larger even than the orc barracks.

    ¡°It is modeled after the temple,¡± Vezta said, not moving from her position against the wall. ¡°You may or may not recall the room with the large pool of water. That is where my former master beseeched the [PANTHEON] for their boons. The ritualistic elements were added by Zullie to facilitate our ¡®evocation¡¯ efforts.¡±

    ¡°And this will work?¡±

    ¡°Never seen evocation work, remember?¡± Zullie shrugged. ¡°No idea if this will do anything at all. We¡¯re venturing into the unknown.¡±

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Hopefully, we learn something.¡±

    Vezta shoved off the wall, stepping closer. ¡°While I may not know much of magic, I do know a few odds and ends. Evocation, as Zullie refers to it as, was not a type of magic commonly seen. A layperson would not have the magical capacity to reach through the walls of realities. It was the type of magic that required several spellcasters, advanced preparation, and,¡± she paused, motioning to the model on the table. ¡°And a lot of work. It is no surprise that such magics have died off. Even a large number of spellcasters wouldn¡¯t be able to accomplish anything with the way magic has withered away in this world.¡±

    ¡°But we will?¡± Arkk asked.

    ¡°It will still require work and personnel, but Fortress Al-Mir will make what others find to be impossible just within our reach. We should have the gold reserves to cover the construction of the temple,¡± Vezta said. ¡°It will cause a sizable dent compared to your other constructions, however.¡±

    ¡°Not like I¡¯m using it for anything else,¡± Arkk mumbled. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll have the lesser servants start digging? If you can get me the exact size of the room, that would be appreciated.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± Vezta said with a bow.

    Arkk nodded, then looked back to Zullie. ¡°I assume there is a little more to this than just building this temple?¡± Work and personnel. He could already see several points around the model that looked like they were intended for spellcasters.

    Stolen story; please report.

    Zullie let out a withering laugh. ¡°A little,¡± she said with a snort before pointing at the central altar. ¡°You¡¯ll need to position yourself here,¡± she said. ¡°From there, you need a spellcaster of at least my caliber at each of the four corners.¡± Her finger crossed from point to point. ¡°Between each corner, at each ritual circle, you can have lesser spellcasters. I¡¯ve been testing the orcs. Not many of those I¡¯ve seen will suffice. You¡¯ll need to find others for the remainder of the spots.¡±

    Arkk did some quick math. There were five spots between each corner. Twenty in total. Ilya¡¯s group of orcs had yet to return. If even half of those who had passed through the Fortress in the last few days were able to fill those spots, that was only about six orcs. Even if Ilya¡¯s group were all able to fulfill Zullie¡¯s requirements, that still left several empty places. And Zullie wasn¡¯t sounding all that optimistic about the orcs.

    Not to mention the four corners.

    ¡°Vezta can take one of the corners, right?¡±

    Zullie shook her head, glancing at Vezta.

    The monster¡¯s many eyes narrowed ever so slightly. ¡°Not exactly,¡± she said, voice cool. ¡°My magical capacity is pitiful. I might suffice in one of the lesser ritual circles, but even that is uncertain.¡±

    ¡°Rather than have her perform that role, however, I believe she would be better suited to standing in the central circle alongside you. You provide immense magical power. She provides a symbolic connection to this Pantheon thing. Symbology is quite important in ritual magic.¡±

    Arkk pressed his fingers to his forehead, closing his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose either of you has suggestions for where we might find three more capable spellcasters and several others for the lesser slots?¡±

    Uncomfortable silence greeted him. It lasted long enough to force Arkk to open his eyes. He shifted his gaze from Zullie to Vezta and back.

    ¡°Anyone?¡±

    ¡°I went through a list of all my colleagues at the academy. Of the ones who might be capable of helping, I only came up with one name who might be willing. And he is a fairly big might. That¡¯s the biggest problem. Anyone in good standing with the Abbey of the Light is more likely to report us than help us.¡±

    ¡°Great.¡±

    One problem after another.

    <hr>

    Arkk stood outside the Smilesville Burg garrison. Compared to the garrison in Cliff or even Darkwood, it was a wooden hut that wouldn¡¯t stand up to a stiff breeze. Still, it had mercenary jobs posted. Mostly local affairs. Things that needed doing within about a day or two of travel from Smilesville. It did have a few larger warrants out for enemies of the Duchy.

    Now that he had spent a few days distracting himself from his pessimism with other work, he had become a little more optimistic.

    He was starting to think that this would work. The mercenary business at Darkwood hadn¡¯t exactly gone as planned but it hadn¡¯t exactly gone poorly either. Sure, he had wound up poisoned and had to be carried away from a potential riot. That was a bit of a downer. But upon arriving at the Smilesville garrison, he found a letter addressed to him from Hawkwood full of praise for the successful defense of Darkwood. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure who told Hawkwood but that praise meant something. It meant someone was paying attention.

    If Hawkwood was paying attention, perhaps, just perhaps, the Duke was as well. He had heard that the Duke often invited various prominent figures, including the leaders of mercenary companies, to his lavish parties. That, as far as he could tell, was the best bet for getting into contact with Alya. He and Ilya had written letters to her several times over the years and never received anything in response. Arkk wasn¡¯t exactly sure what her situation was right now, only that the Duke apparently listened to her. So, forcing a confrontation using one of those parties would work best.

    But that wasn¡¯t why he had come today. At least, not the only reason. It was definitely something he was keeping in mind as he browsed through stacks of papers at the Smilesville garrison.

    Unlike Cliff where they posted jobs out on a signboard unless the weather turned bad, Arkk had to enter the garrison and browse through their files. They just didn¡¯t get used often enough to justify having them out in the open. That meant that Arkk could go through even the older bounties that had never been claimed.

    One of which he recognized. The sketch of Olatt¡¯an depicted a younger, tusk-filled mask of snarling rage. Seeing that might have given Arkk nightmares as a child. Now, he found himself confused over how the easy-going elderly orc could possibly be the same person as the one listed as wanted for nearly every crime it was possible to commit.

    Sliding that paper aside, Arkk browsed through the rest. Paper after paper went onto the discard pile, making sure to maintain their order so that the archivists here didn¡¯t get upset with him. Eventually, however, he spotted something promising. Another scowling face, this time of a human that looked about ready to eat a whole pile of babies. Most of the sketches were of scowling individuals. Very few had normal expressions on their faces.

    The bounty was old. Posted about six months ago. Wanted dead or alive, Savren of Hope¡¯s Rest was accused of practicing foul magics of the most awful sort. What exactly those foul magics were wasn¡¯t listed. Still, Arkk figured this was as good as he was going to get for now. He flipped through the remainder of the notices but failed to find anything promising.

    Leaving the rest of the papers in a neat pile, Arkk headed up to the archivist.

    ¡°Has there been any more information on this Savren person?¡± Arkk asked, sliding the paper across a wide desk.

    The woman seated on the other side of the desk adjusted her round glasses as she looked up. ¡°Savren of¡­ Oh. The Hope Killer.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, not sure he wanted to ask but, at the same time, he couldn¡¯t stop himself. ¡°Hope Killer?¡±

    ¡°From Hope¡¯s Rest,¡± she said, a slight nasal tone in her voice. ¡°Put the whole village to rest, didn¡¯t he now?¡±

    ¡°Killed a whole village?¡± Arkk said, mentally groaning. He had been paying attention to the magic listed on the paper, not what the man had done with the magic.

    ¡°No. Put some kind of sleeping spell over all eighty people there. ¡¯twas a few months ago and they haven¡¯t woken up since. Mind magics.¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯re alive?¡± Arkk asked with a frown.

    ¡°Sure are, but they don¡¯t wake. Don¡¯t eat. Don¡¯t even breathe. Just sit, still alive but as good as dead,¡± she said. That sounded like a bit more than mind magic to Arkk but, even with Zullie¡¯s tutelage, he was still far from knowledgeable. ¡°The brightest spellcasters from the academy haven¡¯t been able to wake them. As far as I understand it, they were taken to a larger church and are just¡­ stored there until something can be done about them.¡±

    ¡°Then why Hope Killer?¡±

    ¡°Catchier than Hope Rester now isn¡¯t it?¡± the archivist said, turning to a large paper-filled drawer.

    ¡°I guess,¡± Arkk said with a slight shake of his head. The possibility of recruiting this spellcaster was a little bit more palatable than it had been a moment ago. Zullie said that no one in good standing would help them out, leaving Arkk to track down people who weren¡¯t in good standing. He knew what that meant, but he didn¡¯t want someone who would callously slaughter an entire village.

    He tried not to investigate the pasts of the orcs in his employ for much the same reason. At least most of them had fought against a demon summoning and were now making amends through honest mercenary work. More or less.

    The archivist turned back with another paper in her hand. She laid it out on the desk, facing it toward Arkk. ¡°Last news on Savren was reported three months ago. Other burgs might have more up-to-date information.¡±

    ¡°Spotted in the mines of¡­¡± Arkk started reading, only to pause as he recognized a name. It clicked a moment later. ¡°Oh. Oh no.¡±

    ¡°Something wrong?¡±

    ¡°The mines of Silver City,¡± Arkk said, thinking back to his first outing to find mercenary jobs in Cliff. ¡°I recognize that name. A den of gorgon moved in. It has been one of the largest outstanding mercenary jobs for¡­ about three months. No one has dared take it up, I¡¯ve heard.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Probably explains why we haven¡¯t had any updates on Savren. He¡¯s been turned to stone. Good riddance, I say.¡±

    Arkk sighed, fearing he might have to go to a larger burg to find more information on spellcasters who might be willing to participate in an evocation ritual. ¡°Mind if I get a paper to write all this down on anyway?¡± he asked. Might as well have Vezta scry the mines and see if it was full of gorgon or not.

    If Arkk were trying to hide, starting a rumor of some of the most dangerous creatures in existence living around him would be a great way to keep all but the most dedicated of bounty hunters away from him.

    The archivist handed over ink and paper in exchange for a silver coin. Arkk quickly scribbled down every bit of information, from the location of Hope¡¯s Rest to the various villages Savren had been spotted in before winding up at Silver City. In the end, he thanked the archivist for her help and left the garrison.

    He made it about three steps down the street before spotting something unpleasant. A black carriage, gleaming with the striped emblem of the Duchy on the side, sat just outside the local stayover. A familiar man with a wide black hat sat at the reins of the horses. Arkk didn¡¯t stick around any longer. Ducking back into the alcove of the garrison¡¯s entryway, just out of sight of the guards, he teleported straight back into Fortress Al-Mir.

    And ended up in front of Vezta, who was currently trying to convert Zullie¡¯s model into a useable schematic for construction.

    ¡°We have a minor emergency. Maybe a major one,¡± Arkk said, pulling a crystal ball to him.

    Vezta canted her head to one side, looking away from the model to peer into the glass ball.

    He held it out and immediately began scrying on the Smilesville stayover. The Smilesville stayover had an external staircase to four rooms, all perched over a tavern. It took only a second to flick through each of the rooms before finding the black-cloaked inquisitors in the third.

    The short chronicler sat on the edge of the bed, reading from a small book. The purifier stood perfectly still at the window, watching outside. There was no sign of High Inquisitor Darius Vrox, but something about the purifier sent chills up Arkk¡¯s spine.

    Adjusting the viewpoint of the crystal ball, he let out an audible groan as he noted the direction the purifier was looking.

    If she had been standing there a few moments ago, she would have had a clear view of him stepping outside the garrison and then ducking back in.

    ¡°I need you to keep watch on these people,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but until they leave the vicinity, this takes priority over the temple room.¡±

    ¡°I can handle both tasks at once,¡± Vezta said with a mild bow.

    ¡°Good. Thank you.¡±

 Fortress Construction

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying I don¡¯t need to dig downwards?¡±

    Arkk stood in the middle of the largest room in the fortress. It took a full week for Vezta to convert the model temple room into a workable schematic. The room itself had been ready in two days. Compared to digging a straight line, where more than one lesser servant would just get in the way of any others, digging out a large room made space for many others.

    But he was a little confused about the specifications Vezta had given him.

    ¡°The pool is supposed to be deeper than the floor of the room, which will be roughly where the floor is right now,¡± Arkk said, looking down at the tiled ground.

    ¡°The schematic was designed with this floor level in mind. Interestingly enough, should you decide to dismantle the room following the ritual, the floor will return to this level.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    Vezta shrugged. ¡°Fortress magic.¡±

    Arkk gave the servant a flat look. ¡°Considering I¡¯m in charge of this place, I feel I should understand how it works a little better.¡±

    ¡°Even my former master didn¡¯t understand all its nuances. I doubt any but the [PANTHEON] know how it functions.¡±

    Zullie looked between Arkk and Vezta with a small shake of her head. ¡°I¡¯m still hung up on the fact that you can convert gold into entire rooms filled with all kinds of different matter. Gold is alchemically pure and magically inert. Introducing impurities the way you are should be impossible.¡±

    The witch had a point, he supposed. The room construction itself wasn¡¯t something he understood either, he had just come to accept it as part of the fortress. The whole place was as much a mystery to him as it had been the day he found it. It was just that it was his mystery.

    Reaching into the treasury, Arkk pulled over several piles of gold. Almost a third of what he had collected thus far. A few months ago and he would have died from shock at seeing this much gold. Knowing it was all his still caused an odd sense of disassociation. ¡°I really hope this works,¡± Arkk said. It didn¡¯t quite feel real. Throwing it away on a flawed ritual would still hurt.

    Taking a breath, Arkk focused on the schematic in his mind. Vezta, like the other schematics, had communicated what was needed in the [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE], which shoved the concept of how to go about building this place straight into his mind. It wasn¡¯t so much that he knew what needed to happen as it was that she had developed an instinct for it within him. However it worked, he could hear it working even with his eyes closed. Like an archivist using an enormous wooden block stamp to mark papers, the room around him shifted and changed.

    Opening his eyes, Arkk looked around. The tiny model from a week ago had blown up to a truly staggeringly sized room. He, Vezta, and Zullie all stood in the direct center of the room, atop a platform with a detailed ritual circle carved into its surface. Intricate metal archways lined the edge of the pool, both around the central altar and on the far sides beyond the narrow bridges. Each bridge, stretching out in cardinal directions from the central altar, was engraved with a long pattern of maze lines quite similar to those in the [HEART] chamber and a few other areas around the fortress.

    The maze designs on the bridge had Arkk frowning as he knelt to inspect the lines. ¡°This wasn¡¯t in the schematics. Is it going to cause a problem?¡±

    Zullie joined him, bending to run a hand over the faint indentations in the stone walkway. ¡°I¡¯ll have to double-check whether or not magic is being channeled through these areas. If so, the design will likely cause resistance as the magic tries to work its way through the maze. That could cause a cascading¡ª¡±

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Vezta said, standing tall just behind the two of them.

    ¡°And how can you say that? You don¡¯t even know how this ritual works,¡± Zullie said, looking over her shoulder. ¡°Need I remind you that you left its design to me?¡±

    ¡°This is true. However, while you may know magic, I know Fortress Al-Mir. It wouldn¡¯t do anything to jeopardize the intent of a room.¡±

    Arkk raised an eyebrow at that, turning to Vezta. ¡°Is the fortress alive?¡±

    ¡°The beat of its [HEART] is the beat of your heart.¡±

    ¡°I mean, how does Fortress Al-Mir know what the intent of the room is?¡±

    ¡°You know. It knows.¡±

    ¡°Alright. But I don¡¯t know. I might be learning a bit about proper ritual construction from Zullie but this reverse evocation ritual is about a hundred levels beyond me right now.¡±

    Vezta just shook her head. ¡°[Fortress Al-Mir]/[HEART]/[Arkk]|[created by]/[placed by]|[PANTHEON]/[beings above all]. Attempting to comprehend the inner workings is likely an exercise in futility that¡ª Zullie, I would recommend against touching the water.¡±

    Arkk looked back to find the witch near the edge of the altar platform, hand stretched out over the glassy surface of the utterly still liquid. Her hand snapped back as Vezta spoke, looking at the servant with alarm.

    ¡°Why? It should be regular water.¡±

    ¡°The majority of this room is based on the temple. Arkk, you may recall passing a room with a pool of water during your initial exploration of this fortress.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t investigate too closely, but yeah. I remember. The lesser servants had eaten it by the time I thought about exploring this place later on, unfortunately.¡±

    Vezta dipped her head in a nod. ¡°My former master used the temple to gain boons from the [PANTHEON]. To do this, he would offer something to the temple waters. It serves as a gateway between this plane and theirs.¡± She paused, canted her head, then added, ¡°Things that cross over rarely returned and, when they did, never in the form they departed in.¡±

    ¡°But the planes are disconnected,¡± Zullie said. ¡°Reopening the portal to one of those planes is the whole point of the ritual here.¡±

    ¡°Still a bad habit to get into.¡±

    Curiosity getting the better of him, Arkk approached the edge as well. He trusted Vezta enough to not touch the surface of the water, but he was still interested.

    The surface was glassy, looking more like a polished silver mirror than water. Except, while it reflected the world around him¡ªthe rest of the room¡ªhe didn¡¯t see his own reflection as he leaned over the edge. Zullie, still near the side, should have been visible as well. She wasn¡¯t. Just the violet glowstones set into the ceiling¡ªwhich was a great deal higher than it had been before constructing the room.

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    ¡°Your former master would put something in and get something else in exchange?¡±

    ¡°This is correct.¡±

    Pulling a gold coin from the treasury, Arkk held it in his hand for a slight moment before tossing it out into the water.

    It slipped through the surface without causing any disturbance. Not even the slightest ripple spread out. The coin just disappeared. He couldn¡¯t see it beneath the surface either. The way it simply slid out of the world made him shudder.

    He wasn¡¯t the only one. Zullie had almost the exact same reaction. As a chill ran up her spine, she slowly scooted back from the edge.

    ¡°This is no wishing well, Keeper,¡± Vezta said, though she sounded more amused than annoyed.

    Arkk just shrugged. ¡°You said to toss something in so I tossed something in.¡±

    ¡°Many rituals my former master performed were private affairs, even to me. I do know that he occasionally entered the temple room with captured prisoners and returned with loyal minions. Other times, he would enter with grand meals or livestock.¡±

    ¡°What if we tie a string to the coin?¡±

    ¡°I would suggest you do not offend the [PANTHEON] by attempting to retrieve your offerings. However, with access to the [PANTHEON] restricted, it is likely nothing will happen should you attempt your experiment.¡±

    Zulllie¡¯s eyes brightened for just a moment before she started scowling. ¡°Great. Another magical mystery to add to my ever-expanding list. I¡¯ve been here for a month and a half and it seems like my list doubles in size every other day.¡± She shot a glower at Arkk. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve had any luck recruiting more researchers? Or just laboratory assistants? An extra hand could go a long way.¡±

    Arkk shook his head.

    He hadn¡¯t found anyone, not that he had an opportunity to try. Those inquisitors were still around Smilesville Burg. He hadn¡¯t dared to return. In fact, he hadn¡¯t left the fortress at all. The only thing he had done remotely related to venturing out had been ordering the lesser servants to dig a tunnel out in the opposite direction from Langleey Village, headed toward a burg roughly the size of Smilesville on the other side of the Cursed Forest. He didn¡¯t know that Stone Hearth Burg would have anything that Smilesville didn¡¯t, but at least it didn¡¯t have inquisitors swarming around.

    ¡°I did scry on the gorgon mines,¡± Arkk said. ¡°There is a human in there living with the gorgon.¡±

    ¡°Without being killed? A prisoner?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I wouldn¡¯t call their existence copacetic but the human does seem to be directing the gorgon around. The archivist mentioned something about mind magic. I assume that is how he has survived among them; he¡¯s using them as his guards now. No idea how to approach that situation, unfortunately. I already know Rekk¡¯ar and most of the orcs would riot and abandon us if I tried to tell them to go there.¡±

    ¡°Best to avoid that,¡± Zullie said. ¡°We¡¯re already short on people for this ritual.¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m thinking about solutions. It¡¯s just those inquisitors aren¡¯t making things easy. I know they¡¯re here for me. Still, if I could get a message to Savren and offer him asylum in exchange for helping out in this ritual¡­ The food alone has to be better than rats and mushrooms and¡­¡±

    Arkk trailed off, squinting as he looked over the wide pool of water. While the pool was shaped like a diamond, the room was square. Each corner of the pool was at the mid-point of the walls.

    Along those walls, he spotted several large pedestals that also hadn¡¯t been in the schematics. Turning around, he found four pedestals against each of the four walls.

    A few of them were occupied.

    ¡°What are those?¡±

    Both Vezta and Zullie looked over, following his gaze toward one of the occupied pedestals. Following him, they crossed the bridge and came to a stop in front of a tall statue of a woman wearing a long, ripple-covered dress. She had her arms spread wide as she stood in front of an engraved decoration that looked like a tall closed door. The door had two half-circles, one on either side, that looked almost like large glass windows looking out onto a field of stars. The stars were just tiny glowstones, however. The door didn¡¯t open either.

    Probably.

    The magic of the fortress could be strange at times.

    Large thin tendrils reminiscent of Vezta¡¯s extra limbs reached out around her from the false door, winding around her arms and wind-blown wavy hair. A large orb at the center of her dress looked like an eye, though not like Vezta¡¯s many eyes. It was more like a mechanical depiction than burning suns set into a void.

    Vezta gave a deep, respectful bow toward the statue. ¡°Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key. The member of the [PANTHEON] holding dominion over barriers, locks, boundaries, and separation. The Lock and Key¡¯s presence is likely a good sign, indicating that we are on the right track.¡±

    ¡°It is just a statue though,¡± Arkk said, hesitated, then added, ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°This place is more connected to the [PANTHEON] than any other physical location in this world. If anyone can breach the barrier separating them from us, it would be the Lock and Key.¡±

    That didn¡¯t answer Arkk¡¯s question in the slightest. Still, Arkk didn¡¯t see any sign of intelligence or movement in the violet gemstones that sat in place of the statue¡¯s eyes. Turning to the pedestal two away from this woman, Arkk asked, ¡°What about that one?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t human. Humanoid, yes, but not human. With a head like the skull of a goat, four sets of horns stretched out in a long and tangled mass that wrapped around the depiction of the creature like a briar thorn bush. It held both hands in front of it, one hand above the other. An hourglass floated between, rotating end over end to keep the sand within from ever emptying fully into one side.

    ¡°The Jailer of the Void. Time. Eternity. Emptiness,¡± Vezta said, offering another bow to the statue. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why this one would appear.¡±

    Arkk waited but Vezta didn¡¯t have anything more to offer. Instead, the servant narrowed her eyes as she looked at another wall. Another pair of statues occupied two of the four pedestals.

    The first was a woman cast entirely in gold armor with a large heart-like object placed within the breastplate. The headdress she wore over her full, curly, and golden-brown hair was large and extravagant, making her look like some kind of royalty. The serious expression on her face reminded Arkk of some of the times Abbess Keena gave the occasional harsh Suun lecture.

    On the other end of the rows of pedestals, a tall man stood clad in golden light that hurt Arkk¡¯s eyes to look at. Much of his chest was bare with only those thin lights of gold stretched between his muscles. He had a chiseled, angular jawline and short hair. Like his chest, most of his face was hidden behind a form-fitting mask of golden light.

    ¡°The Heart of Gold and the Holy Light,¡± Vezta said with ill-concealed hatred. ¡°Traitors.¡±

    From her tone of voice, Arkk didn¡¯t think it was wise to ask further questions about these two. The servant turned on her heel, fists clenched as she strode across the bridge to the opposite wall.

    Only one of the pedestals was occupied here. The last of the sixteen with a statue in place. This one was of another muscular man with longer hair striking a heroic pose. A spear in one hand and a staff topped with a fleur-de-lis in the other, the ends of both were planted near his feet. A long billowing cape was frozen in the air behind him, though Arkk wasn¡¯t sure how it was attached to him. The man didn¡¯t have a shirt on and, below a washboard of muscles, he only had a wrapping of cloth around his hips. Two feathery wings sprouted from his back, giving him the visage of a particularly humanoid harpy.

    ¡°The Almighty Glory,¡± Vezta spat. ¡°The three instigators of the Calamity. Trapping the rest of the [PANTHEON] while they run free? Betraying their sisters and brothers to elevate themselves? Disgusting.¡±

    ¡°Should we¡­ destroy these statues or something? If that tentacle woman is a good sign, surely these are the opposite.¡±

    ¡°I would leave them all alone,¡± Vezta said, her voice in a forced cool tone. ¡°For now. In addition, I would suggest you avoid further experimentation with the waters of this chamber. Although I imagine it is unlikely that those present are watching us in any capacity, tempting that would be unwise. Avoid the room until we¡¯re ready to use it.¡±

    Arkk nodded, glancing toward the sole doorway. A translucent visage of a metal door appeared with his gaze. The work order would already be in the smithy.

    ¡°Right. Zullie. No experiments.¡±

    ¡°Am I the only one creeped out by these?¡± the witch asked, staring at the towering face of the Almighty Glory. ¡°They weren¡¯t in my plans.¡±

    ¡°This is the first room I¡¯ve made that had unexpected changes,¡± Arkk said with a frown. He cast his gaze around the empty pedestals, wondering if they would populate after the ritual.

    He eventually looked back to the Almighty Glory. Though he expected it to be looking down at him with his back turned, it wasn¡¯t. The statue remained still and stagnant.

    ¡°As long as they aren¡¯t manifestations of these beings¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here. Zullie, I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re aware of any other outlaw spellcasters,¡± he asked as they started walking away.

    Only Vezta remained, shadowy tendrils around her roiling as she glared at the tall statue.

    Eventually, she turned away, putting her back to the statue as she left the room.

    None of the five statues moved.

 Recruitment

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±

    ¡°Recruiting,¡± Zullie said.

    Zullie stood in a recently emptied storehouse within Langleey Village, hands clasped behind her back as she paced back and forth in front of twelve villagers. Each of the villagers had a magic circle on the floor in front of them. They were simple circles, all of which were the same. Arkk easily recognized the spell to create a temporary, stationary light source. Despite the looks of concentration on most of their faces, only two circles were lit up.

    Lips quirking into a frown, Zullie shook her head. ¡°Well, determining whether anyone is worth recruiting. It isn¡¯t looking good.¡±

    ¡°Of course it¡­¡± Arkk pressed his fingers to his forehead, rubbing away the headache. ¡°Langleey is just a simple village. We¡¯re not known for our spellcasters.¡±

    ¡°Not known for anything,¡± Zullie mumbled. ¡°Still, there is some promise,¡± she said with a motion toward the two lit circles.

    One was dim. Jorgen, surprisingly enough, sat in front of it with a scowl on his face. Not quite as big of a scowl as Hurtt, who glared with undisguised envy from the darkened circle one over.

    Hale sat in front of the other lit circle. The young girl managed to coax a bright white light from her circle. She was one of the few without that intense focus on her face. Arkk wasn¡¯t too surprised given her ability to use the teleportation circles without being contracted to the [HEART].

    ¡°You aren¡¯t thinking of roping a kid into this, are you?¡±

    ¡°We need spellcasters and you haven¡¯t had any luck.¡±

    ¡°I have plans,¡± Arkk said. ¡°If those inquisitors weren¡¯t buzzing around, I¡¯d have gone to the gorgon mines already.¡±

    Zullie looked over, eyebrow quirked above the rim of her glasses. ¡°Really? You were going to go in there? Do you have a death wish?¡±

    ¡°No. Of course not. I wasn¡¯t going to go in, just toss a message in and run away.¡±

    ¡°Great plan,¡± Zullie said, tone flat. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that one of these can take a corner position. I¡¯ll have to do a few more tests. This whole charade was just to check on who was worth spending more time on.¡±

    Arkk just sighed. ¡°How did you even get here? And how come you didn¡¯t mention anything about going.¡±

    ¡°I do have two legs,¡± Zullie said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that I needed your permission to do my job.¡±

    ¡°I could have saved you the time it took to walk. And¡­¡± Arkk dropped his voice to a whisper. ¡°I could have saved you the effort of testing this bunch.¡±

    ¡°Would you have mentioned her?¡± Zullie asked, pointing to Hale. When he didn¡¯t say anything, she continued. ¡°If she had been born in a proper burg or city, she would have been taken in as an initiate. I¡¯m surprised the local abbess didn¡¯t report her.¡±

    Arkk frowned, thinking. ¡°I haven¡¯t been around the village much in recent weeks. But¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen Abbess Keena in months. Huh.¡±

    ¡°She was spying from the door not too long ago. Disappeared just a bit before you arrived, actually. I tried to invite her in to test her as well¡ªany proper abbess should be capable of taking a corner spot in the ritual¡ªbut she rejected me. Probably for the best given her profession.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she likes Vezta much. Or me for bringing Vezta to the village.¡± Which was probably why the Abbess had been avoiding him. It¡­ did sting a little. Especially because half the reason he had gone back to Vezta for help was that the Abbess reassured him that he wasn¡¯t making a deal with a demon. ¡°Speaking of Vezta, she was looking for you. Which was why I was looking for you.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Did she make any progress on her task?¡±

    A half-smile spread across Arkk¡¯s face. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re giving her tasks now?¡±

    ¡°I thought she was happy to be ordered around. As she keeps reminding us, she is a servant.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know that she is happy to be given orders¡­ Maybe. What did you have her working on? More ritual work?¡±

    Zullie waved a hand, dismissing the notion. ¡°That project is effectively frozen until we¡¯ve got enough personnel to proceed. No, I asked her to write down everything she knows about the older magic used by her former master. Every instance she could recall of him using it, what the effects were, incantations if possible. The evocation ritual was an interesting distraction but I came here to uncover the mysteries of your short incantations.¡±

    Arkk couldn¡¯t stop his sudden laugh. Reversing the Calamity and opening portals to other planes of reality were distractions.

    At his laugh, the looks of concentration faded from most of the villagers around. Like a trance broken, everyone looked up to him all at once.

    ¡°Arkk¡¯s back!¡± Hale chirped, only to steel her features in a sudden bout of embarrassment.

    ¡°Well, well, well. Look who deigns to visit us mere peasants.¡±

    Arkk turned away from Hale to shoot Hurtt a flat look. He had thought they had been getting along better after the barrows. Seeing that same envious look from earlier directed at him now just made Arkk sigh. ¡°Hello. Harvest went well?¡±

    Higgens made a show of looking around the empty storehouse. ¡°Well enough that the taxman felt he could take the entire stock we had here.¡±

    ¡°Only one storehouse to get us through the winter,¡± Jorgen grumbled. ¡°Going to have to tighten our belts. Especially with you and Ilya not bringing any meat in.¡±

    Arkk grimaced at that. True, he hadn¡¯t been hunting. The sudden freedom and ability to travel that came with even a modicum of wealth had him focusing on other matters. Things that felt more important. Especially because Fortress Al-Mir provided food on its own.

    ¡°I might be able to help with that. I can get some chickens and pigs.¡± Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure how but a small portion of gold could be turned into living chickens and pigs within the pens and bread and vegetables in the kitchens. It was an entirely automatic process, providing plenty of meat for Larry to butcher up into passible if not good meals.

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    ¡°Isn¡¯t that mighty gracious of you, your majesty.¡±

    ¡°What Hurtt means to say,¡± Higgens said, shooting the larger man a glare, ¡°is that help would be appreciated. We¡¯ve been doing our best but no human can match an elf at hunting.¡±

    Arkk gave the village tailor a flat look, knowing well that he had kept up with Ilya just fine. Mostly. He did have to wonder at just who they had been sending out in his place. Some of the younger boys, probably. Maybe he could have Ilya take them out for some proper hunting lessons when she got back.

    With a quick glance through his employee link, Arkk checked on Ilya. The elf had been on her way back with the other orcs for a few weeks now. It did not look like they had accomplished their objective. They only had two new members of their group. Both were elves but they both looked like children. Elves did age a bit slower than humans, so they might have been as old as twenty rather than the ten to fifteen they looked. Even with that consideration, they did not look old enough to be master tailors.

    That was a failure on two fronts then. Both his attempts at rapidly increasing Al-Mir¡¯s renown and Ilya¡¯s attempt to get them nicer clothes than the lesser servant could provide. At this point, it was looking like he might have to visit Cliff once again, this time with a sack of gold specifically for fancy attire. He was wealthy enough to simply purchase clothing outright.

    All the fancy clothing in the world wouldn¡¯t get them into one of the Duke¡¯s parties, unfortunately.

    Visiting Cliff again would give him a chance to meet with Hawkwood. Maybe Wolf as well. They might have some connections he could use.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± Zullie said. She lifted a small wooden wand with a handle capped with a violet glowstone that looked like it had been pried off the walls or floor of the fortress. A small wave of the wand created a controlled gust of wind that swept away the magic circles. The only one she skipped over was Hale¡¯s circle. ¡°Come collect the pay I promised and get out,¡± she said, reaching into a pouch at her hip and pulling out a few silver coins.

    Arkk¡¯s eyes were stuck on the wand, however. He recalled something similar at the Cliff Academy. The spellcaster helping Zullie with her shield spell had used a large staff to fling the rocks at her and then later to collect them after the demonstration.

    ¡°How does that wand work?¡±

    Zullie glanced over, perplexed even as she handed out coins to the departing villagers. ¡°Right. I keep forgetting you have no magical training or even general knowledge.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. Your lessons are helping.¡±

    ¡°I should hope so. I would hate to think that I¡¯m wasting my time.¡± Between handing out coins, she held out the wand for Arkk to take. ¡°It is possible to imbue single spells into limited-use items like this wand. Well, mostly into large staffs. Not too popular considering how heavy they are. The glowstones in the fortress are of exceptionally high quality, however, so I was able to craft that. It has a simple wind spell inside that I made as a test.¡± Her voice dropped to a hushed whisper as she leaned over, tickling Arkk¡¯s ear with her breath. ¡°Nothing impressive to any initiate with the basics of magic down. More than enough to floor some backwoods bumpkins.¡±

    Arkk opened his mouth, about to object to her insult. Keeper of the Heart of Fortress Al-Mir though he might be, he had still started out here with the rest of Langleey Village. Before he could, however, Zullie pulled away to chase down Hale, grabbing the younger girl by the shoulders.

    ¡°Not you. You stay.¡±

    ¡°But John wanted me back by¡ª¡±

    ¡°You really want to go back to¡­¡± Zullie started waving her hand in a circular motion, grasping for a word. ¡°Peasanty things,¡± she settled on, ¡°instead of learning magic?¡±

    Hale¡¯s eyes widened. After a quick glance at Arkk, who just sighed, she looked back to Zullie and offered a hesitant, ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t want to learn magic?¡±

    ¡°No! I meant no to the other thing. But John¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he would be happy to know that you¡¯re moving up in the world, not bound and tethered to this¡­ slovenly place.¡±

    Hale crossed her arms, pouting a pout that said she didn¡¯t understand the word but still understood that she had been insulted. She didn¡¯t get much of a chance to continue her pout, however, as Zullie reached out and grabbed her head.

    ¡°Open, tongue out,¡± Zullie said, pinching the sides of Hale¡¯s cheeks.

    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±

    ¡°Chin up,¡± Zullie said, lightly tapping Hale¡¯s chin closed. ¡°Look at my eyes.¡±

    ¡°Bwah¡ª¡±

    Hale, now trying to shove Zullie¡¯s hands off her face, squeaked in surprise as Zullie leaned over and started peering into her ear. With a slight grunt, Hale squirmed out of her grip. ¡°Can you read?¡± Zullie asked, undaunted by the look on the twin-tailed girl.

    ¡°A few words,¡± Hale grumbled, rubbing her cheeks.

    ¡°We¡¯ll work on that too. Now, sit and¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s late,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Let her go back today and talk about it with John. There isn¡¯t any rush given that we still need several others.¡± Looking at Hale, Arkk nodded his head toward the door. ¡°Go ahead and get back to John. We¡¯ll¡­ get back to you tomorrow, I guess.¡±

    Hale nodded twice. Spring in her step, she started toward the door only to pause and switch to a more serious style of walking. She kept her hands at her side without swinging them in the slightest as she marched out of the warehouse.

    ¡°Who is John? Her father?¡±

    ¡°The local carpenter. Treats her like his daughter. No one knows who her actual parents are. She just showed up on the Baron¡¯s doorstep one day as a baby.¡±

    ¡°Really? Odd. Or is it odd? I don¡¯t know how these peasants work. Does that happen often?¡±

    Arkk shrugged. ¡°A number of us don¡¯t have parents. Not everyone just shows up in the middle of the night but pretty much everyone in the village is missing at least one parent or, failing that, a grandparent or two.¡±

    ¡°Mhm. I never knew my parents.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Sorry?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t bother me,¡± Zullie said, her tone as clinical as when discussing the difference between a rune and a stave. ¡°If I knew my parents, we wouldn¡¯t be talking now.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°When the church identifies someone with the potential for spellcasting, they¡¯re taken away as initiates. A propensity for holy magic results in an acolyte. I showed promise for the arcane and was shoved into one of the academies. If I had been left with my family¡­¡± Zullie stared after the door Hale had just vanished through, shaking her head.

    ¡°I¡­ barely remember my parents,¡± Arkk said slowly. ¡°Ilya¡¯s mother raised me, taught me to read, and showed me that I had the capacity for magic¡ªeven if I only caused explosions at the time.¡±

    ¡°That is the woman you¡¯re trying to rescue from the Duke?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°And she knows magic?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­¡± Arkk paused, considering the question. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t remember ever seeing her cast a spell, either through ritual or incantation, but it is a bit strange that she knew enough about magic to identify me as a spellcaster.¡±

    The conversation lapsed into a few moments of silence. Arkk thought about Alya and the small ritual circle she had drawn to get him to try. It was a faint memory. Something he had thought that she had come up with as a way to get his mind off his recently deceased parents. He couldn¡¯t remember the ritual circle or even what its intention was, only that it had turned into a bright burning fireball that Alya had then used a wet rag to beat out before it could spread through their house.

    She had ordered him to never try magic indoors again.

    ¡°Perhaps she would be willing to take up a position around our ritual then.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Arkk allowed. He wasn¡¯t so sure about that. When the subject of rescuing Alya had first come up after finding Fortress Al-Mir, Ilya had mentioned something about how Alya had been living in the village to keep watch on the Cursed Forest. If that translated to keeping watch on Vezta and the [HEART], she might not be so enthusiastic. ¡°We have to get her out of the Duke¡¯s manor first. With everything else I tried ending up poorly, I had been hoping to use this ritual to do that. Vezta says we will be able to find allies on the other side of the portal. If we need her, then we¡¯ll have to find another way.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like something for you to figure out,¡± Zullie said, stiffening her back. ¡°Now, as long as you are here¡­¡±

    ¡°What? Don¡¯t want to use your legs to get back to the fortress?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done enough physical exertion for the day.¡±

    With an amused snort, Arkk ripped both of them through space. They reappeared just outside Zullie¡¯s room, down the hall from the library.

    Vezta stepped out from the latter room the same instant that they appeared. ¡°Master, there you are,¡± she said, walking closer. ¡°I was just about to call for your attention.¡±

    ¡°Something wrong?¡±

    ¡°I have an update on the task you assigned to me,¡± she said, holding out the crystal ball.

    Arkk leaned in, peering at the image already on display. A familiar dirt road, roughly halfway between Smilesville and Langleey. Arkk, Ilya, and Dakka had camped on it while on their way to Cliff. At the moment, there was just one small black carriage traveling along the bumpy road.

    ¡°The inquisitors are on the move.¡±

 Confrontation

    Arkk watched via crystal ball as the inquisitors made their way through Langleey Village. Like their first visit, they stopped at the Baron¡¯s manor and had a chat with Gert. It wasn¡¯t a long conversation. The inquisitors didn¡¯t even proceed beyond the entryway. After their conversation finished, the inquisitors left and headed to the church. Abbess Keena opened the door for them but, as they moved inside, Arkk noted something odd.

    ¡°I can¡¯t position the crystal ball¡¯s viewpoint inside the church?¡±

    ¡°The Abbey of the Light has a method of blocking scrying,¡± Zullie said in an absent tone as she flipped through the pages Vezta had made up for her.

    ¡°Not surprising,¡± Vezta said. ¡°The symbols on the building indicate that it has been consecrated to at least one of the three. It is effectively a temple to them.¡±

    Arkk tapped his foot on the ground repetitively, impatiently waiting for the three inquisitors to step outside. It was late. Just after sunset. If they were planning on spending the night, he would have to hand the scrying off to Vezta. The only reason he doubted they were staying right now was the presence of their carriage driver. The man with the wide hat was moving about the carriage, shoving oats into the mouths of the two horses. As soon as he finished, he retook his seat, reclining back against the wall of the carriage with his hat over his face.

    If they were staying the night, surely they would have invited him inside too.

    Sure enough, High Inquisitor Darius Vrox soon followed Abbess Keena out of the church, the latter carrying a lit lantern to guide her way in the dimming light. The chronicler and the purifier stayed inside, unfortunately.

    Abbess Keena brought the inquisitor to the empty storehouse that Zullie had been using earlier in the afternoon. Keena stayed near the door while Vrox moved about, inspecting the remnants of the ritual circles left behind.

    ¡°I wish I could hear what they are saying,¡± Arkk grumbled. Neither Vezta nor Zullie responded with a solution, so he just sighed. ¡°You weren¡¯t doing anything illegal in there, were you?¡±

    ¡°It was a standard aptitude test. Shouldn¡¯t cause any real concern, although he might wonder why we were testing the villagers.¡±

    ¡°Is that illegal?¡±

    ¡°Not as far as I know. Of course, officially, I would be required to report any promising subjects to the church. The fact that you and that little girl were never reported is more damning for that abbess than for us, I should think.¡±

    Arkk slowly nodded twice, then tensed. ¡°Is Hale in danger?¡±

    ¡°The inquisitors are ruthless, or so I¡¯ve heard, but they aren¡¯t unreasonable. They aren¡¯t going to murder her if that is what you¡¯re worried about.¡± Zullie casually flipped a page in her book. ¡°Might take her away and shove her in one of the academies. Bit of a shame for us, but I¡¯m sure we can find other spellcasters. It¡¯ll just take longer.¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t have a choice?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t given one,¡± Zullie said.

    Arkk tapped his fingers against the armrest of his chair several times, watching as the inquisitor knelt in front of one of the circles. As Vrox stood up, so did Arkk.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to get her.¡±

    ¡°Master¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I slip in, ask Hale if she would rather go with the inquisitors or come here, and then teleport back. Ideally, nobody knows that I was even there. At least in the next few minutes.¡± A quarter of the village had seen him earlier while looking for Zullie.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to object,¡± Vezta said, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. ¡°I was going to mention that the young girl has been here before. Allowing her the choice of falling into the inquisitor¡¯s hands is less than ideal.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Forcing her didn¡¯t sit right with Arkk. Still, Vezta had a point. ¡°I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t choose some random people over someone she knows.¡±

    ¡°Very well. I shall maintain my vigil over the intruders. If you feel me reach for your attention, leave at once unless you wish to meet with them.¡±

    Vrox had been chatty enough the first two times Arkk encountered the inquisitor. This time felt different, however. The way Vrox was moving about the village combined with how they had been lurking around Smilesville, searching through the streets for him¡­ Not to mention the way the purifier had chased him and Zullie around just before they left Cliff.

    Arkk doubted a meeting now would be quite so friendly.

    Teleporting to the far end of the Langleey tunnel, Arkk climbed up the ladder and pushed the trapdoor out of the way. It wasn¡¯t particularly well hidden but it was out of sight of the village. Unless Zullie had screwed up earlier, nobody from the village should be aware of it. As Arkk hurried across the bridge to the village proper beyond the river, he pulled a spare crystal ball to him. Vezta keeping watch was good for when he was distracted but he needed to be sure nobody would see him making his way to the home next to the carpentry shop.

    The purifier and chronicler were presumably still inside the church. He couldn¡¯t see them. The coachman was still napping under his hat. Vrox and Keena had emerged from the storehouse but weren¡¯t walking anywhere. Instead, they were chatting with Higgens just outside the storehouse doors. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure why the village tailor was there at this time of night. The inquisitor was probably asking about Zullie¡¯s test earlier.

    That meant he would quickly learn that Hale had been the one with the best results.

    Still, they were paused for the moment. That gave him time to run along the riverbank and to the building next to the old waterwheel. Hale was inside, eating a stew with John. Arkk didn¡¯t bother to knock, slipping inside through the narrowest gap in the door he could manage, not wanting to flood the outside with light from the hearth.

    ¡°Arkk!¡± John said, an easy smile on his wrinkled face despite the sudden intrusion. ¡°Hale was just telling me that you might be taking her away from me.¡± His serious tone managed to inject a note of levity at the same time, making it clear that his disappointment was just a front.

    He cared for Hale a great deal. The life of a backwater village¡¯s carpenter wouldn¡¯t lead anywhere. A spellcaster, on the other hand? Arkk well knew that a proper spellcaster could make a great deal of coin, travel the world, and generally live well. John had to know that as well.

    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Arkk started slowly. ¡°She might be leaving sooner than expected.¡±

    The easygoing look on John¡¯s face faded as he narrowed his eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Arkk took a breath and looked down at Hale, who had been doing her best to not look excited at Arkk¡¯s arrival but was now struggling not to scrunch up her face in confusion. Holding out the crystal ball, Arkk focused on Vrox.

    ¡°This man is an inquisitor with the church. He is almost certainly going to be coming here later this evening. Maybe even in the next few minutes. He will probably want to take you away and put you in an academy. The kind of place where Zullie learned magic.¡±

    ¡°A real magic school? Will they teach me to read and write?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t actually know,¡± Arkk said, wishing he had brought Zullie along to answer a few questions. ¡°Probably? But that isn¡¯t why I¡¯m here now. At least not directly. If this man takes you away, you probably won¡¯t be allowed to leave the academy for a long time. You probably won¡¯t be coming back to Langleey anytime soon.¡± Arkk gave a long look at John before glancing back to Hale.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°I assume you came with an alternate option?¡± John asked.

    ¡°Hale comes with me first. Zullie and I can teach you magic and how to read. You¡¯ll still be able to visit the village, though you probably won¡¯t want to come back until after the inquisitors leave.¡±

    ¡°To your¡­ castle, was it?¡± John said, a frown on his face. ¡°Out in the cursed forest?¡±

    Arkk grimaced. Of course Hale would have told him all about it. Arkk had mentioned the ruins in the cursed forest to Abbess Keena, so the inquisitors probably knew that much at least. ¡°Yes, though I would appreciate it if you didn¡¯t spread that around too much. I don¡¯t think the inquisitors like me much. If you come with me¡ª¡±

    ¡°I am.¡± Hale crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°Obviously.¡±

    ¡°If she goes with you then what?¡± John asked, not so easily deterred.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t exactly know for sure,¡± Arkk said, rubbing the side of his head. ¡°I will obviously strive to keep Hale out of any conflict that might arise. The last few times the inquisitors and I met, we just sat down and talked though, so maybe nothing bad will happen at all.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°You can go with her as well,¡± Arkk said on impulse. ¡°I can have accommodations made in an instant.¡±

    ¡°Abandon the village?¡±

    ¡°Not abandon. Just a temporary relocation. As soon as the inquisitors leave, I don¡¯t see any reason why you both can¡¯t return. It¡¯s just that they will almost certainly try to take her while they¡¯re here. Maybe forcibly.¡± Once again, he should have brought Zullie along to clarify that.

    Arkk¡¯s eyes flicked to the crystal ball as Vrox started moving. At the same time, he felt that warning tug from Vezta.

    ¡°We need to decide quickly.¡±

    ¡°I choose Arkk,¡± Hale said, crossing her arms as she shot a glance at John. It wasn¡¯t a challenging look. Rather, she was searching for approval.

    Approval came in the form of a groused sigh. ¡°I¡¯m going with her.¡±

    Arkk held out his hand, two gold coins appearing in it just before he uncurled his fingers palm up. ¡°Take the coins and I¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    Two heavy thunks against the door made Hale squeak. Startled, she quickly snatched one of the gold coins. John frowned but followed suit.

    In an instant, they were gone. Relocated to the library with Vezta and Zullie. The crystal ball on the table went with them.

    Arkk, however, stayed where he was. Vezta wouldn¡¯t approve. He didn¡¯t need to peek into the Fortress to tell. The constant tugs for attention were enough.

    But he was curious. What did Vrox want now? Why come back to Langleey? Was this going to be something he had to worry about in the long term? Would he always have to watch his back for inquisitors chasing him down?

    Arkk didn¡¯t feel like he was in any danger. If Vrox did move to attack him, he could instantly teleport himself back to the fortress. Meeting here and now was a better option than happening across Vrox in the middle of Cliff or anywhere else where Arkk lacked the advantage of Fortress Al-Mir.

    Besides that, it caught Vrox off guard. As Arkk opened the door, he watched the flicker of surprise cross Vrox¡¯s face before the tall man steeled his expression. Abbess Keena, standing just behind and to the side of the inquisitor, didn¡¯t do quite as good of a job at hiding her shock.

    ¡°Mister Arkk.¡± His lips drew back into a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. ¡°I was under the impression that a burgeoning spellcaster called this¡­ hovel her home.¡±

    ¡°Sorry to disappoint you, High Inquisitor. It¡¯s just me today.¡±

    ¡°Not a disappointment at all. You saved me the trouble of tracking you down.¡± His tone was polite but Arkk could feel the threat. ¡°Might we come in?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t his home. Arkk stepped aside, motioning a hand toward the table and chairs anyway.

    Vrox ducked his head to fit under the door but otherwise entered the home as easily as if he owned the place. He didn¡¯t take a seat, moving around and touching things instead; he inspected some of the woodcarving tools on one shelf and then moved to the bed where he rubbed a thick blanket between his fingers. Keena, on the other hand, ducked her head despite her shorter statue, seeming to shrink in on herself as she walked past Arkk. She quickly took a seat at the table and locked her eyes on her lap.

    ¡°I knew you were lying to me, Mister Arkk,¡± Vrox said, pressing his hand to the side of one of the bowls of stew. After a short hum, the tall inquisitor looked back to the gently closing door. ¡°From the moment we met. I could smell it on you.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°You were in Darkwood a few weeks ago. Defending the burg from a horde of crazed monsters. In addition to your usual cadre of orcs, you were spotted in the presence of a monster with dark violet skin and burning yellow discs against a black starfield for eyes. The horror from beyond the stars.¡±

    ¡°Her name is Vezta,¡± Arkk said. ¡°She isn¡¯t a horror. That makes twice that she has defended human settlements from monsters. That¡¯s more than I can count for you or the Duke¡¯s men.¡±

    ¡°The inquisitors under my command had to clean up your mess in Darkwood,¡± Vrox said with his smile widening. ¡°After you fled, we arrived and removed the threat at its source.¡±

    ¡°So much for the ultimate defensive object,¡± Arkk mumbled.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t catch that.¡±

    ¡°I said, I hope the people of Darkwood were more appreciative of your efforts than my own.¡±

    Vrox let out a small laugh. ¡°Indeed. We had to decline their invitation to a victory feast. Too much to do. Too many heretics to put in the ground.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Arkk said, raising his eyebrows. ¡°What did I do?¡±

    ¡°Mister Arkk, what do you believe is the purpose of the Inquisition?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ been told that you hunt down users of forbidden magic to kill them and seal away the magic. But I¡¯ve never¡ª¡±

    ¡°Spare me,¡± Vrox said, raising a hand. ¡°I¡¯ve heard every protest. Lucky for you, I don¡¯t care that you¡¯ve delved into forbidden magic. Only the results of that magic.¡±

    Abbess Keena jerked her head up and looked over to Vrox with as much confusion as Arkk felt.

    ¡°I thought your job was to suppress and destroy magic.¡±

    ¡°It is a side-effect of our true purpose. That of keeping beings like your monster out of our world. Some still manage to get here. They are summoned by deviants or manage to force their way through on their own. We are interested in destroying the means they might use to do so. But controlling the creatures? That is an entirely separate interest and one within which we have made many strides.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ want to control her?¡±

    ¡°Control or destroy. I¡¯m not particularly picky,¡± Vrox said with his same bland smile. ¡°Then find out where she came from and make sure nothing else follows her.¡±

    Arkk drummed his fingers on his thigh, considering. He thought back to his conversation with Abbess Keena back before the goblins assaulted the village, trying to remember everything he had said to her. He knew he mentioned ruins out in the Cursed Forest, a magical artifact, and Vezta. Had he mentioned that all those were pre-Calamity? He thought he had. In that case, repeating it now wouldn¡¯t likely reveal anything new to the inquisitor.

    ¡°I might be able to set your mind at least partially at ease. Vezta is pre-Calamity. She has been here for at least a thousand years. From the way she talks, it might be even double that. If nothing has followed her here after all that time, I doubt you have much to worry about.¡±

    ¡°Worry I do,¡± Vrox said. ¡°Especially when the oracles point me in a direction and I find you sitting along the path. I don¡¯t believe in coincidence, Mister Arkk.¡±

    Arkk just sighed. So much for getting the inquisitors off his back by making a show of cooperation. ¡°Why don¡¯t you speak plainly and tell me what you want? Specifically, what do you want from me?¡±

    Vrox turned his head, looking over Abbess Keena for a moment. ¡°You found an artifact out in that desolate forest.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. ¡°That artifact is what granted you control over the creature, correct?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t control her. We¡¯re working together¡ª¡±

    ¡°On what?¡±

    ¡°She asked me to clean up some old ruins out there,¡± Arkk said, figuring Abbess Keena had mentioned that as well. He really wished that he had kept his mouth shut back then, but how could he have known what would happen? That had even been before he made his contract with the [HEART]. ¡°In exchange, she has agreed to help me out. First with defending the village and, later, defending Darkwood Burg.¡±

    ¡°Cleaning ruins makes you worthy of devotion?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s her home.¡±

    ¡°And the artifact?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, I have no idea what it is.¡± Before Vrox could call him a liar again, Arkk barreled onward. ¡°It protects the ruins. Vezta can¡¯t interact with it herself. Thus, she requires me to help.¡± Vague but true.

    Vrox hummed. ¡°Very well. Then, you will hand over the artifact for examination. If it is innocuous, it will be returned to you. You will hand over the creature as well. I will not promise its return.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to decline on both fronts then. The artifact is part of Vezta¡¯s home. Vezta has done nothing to harm people. I¡¯m not going to betray that.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking, Mister Arkk.¡± Vrox¡¯s tone was polite but laced with a painful warning.

    ¡°Yeah, well, demand all you want. It won¡¯t change my answer.¡±

    Vrox shook his head, turning to fully face Arkk. ¡°It is unfortunate to hear you say that, Mister Arkk,¡± he said, reaching into the pocket of his long coat. ¡°I had thought you¡ª¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t stick around. He reappeared within Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s library and immediately turned to Vezta. ¡°What did he pull out of his pocket?¡±

    The servant leaned over the crystal ball with a frown. ¡°A ring. Silver with a black stone.¡±

    ¡°Magical?¡± Arkk asked, glancing between her and Zullie.

    ¡°Probably,¡± Zullie said with a shrug. ¡°Can¡¯t tell you what it might do without examining it. I can tell you that inquisitors are known for their use of a variety of holy artifacts.¡±

    ¡°Things that act like that magic wand you had?¡±

    ¡°More or less.¡±

    Arkk nodded twice, feeling entirely justified in escaping before the inquisitor could use that artifact on him. ¡°Keep watching him. The inquisitors know about the ¡®ruins¡¯ out here. Since we sealed off all nearby surface entrances, I hope they just wander around until they get bored and leave.¡±

    Otherwise¡­ Otherwise, Vrox claimed that he had killed the Keeper at Darkwood.

    They might have a fight on their hands.

    It was time for a strategy meeting with Vezta, Rekk¡¯ar, and Zullie.

    But first, Arkk turned to the two new guests. Hale and John stood between him, Zullie, and Vezta, right where he had dropped them off at. Hale, having been here before, didn¡¯t look too shocked at her surroundings but John was gawking at the still sparsely populated library. He even reached out and ran his fingers along the wooden shelves.

    Arkk just smiled at them. ¡°Welcome to Fortress Al-Mir. I expect you have a few questions. Let¡¯s find you some quarters.¡±

 A Return Home

    ¡°Does anyone have any ideas on how to avoid the effects of mind magic?¡±

    Arkk looked around the meeting table. Vezta didn¡¯t move in the slightest in response to his question. She simply sat with her hands clasped on the table, watching him with her unblinking eyes. Zullie, sitting across from Arkk, hummed but didn¡¯t say anything. She glanced upward, looking to the ceiling as if she might be able to divine the answer to his question from the maze-like pattern overhead.

    Rekk¡¯ar leaned back in his chair, one elbow on the armrest while his other arm rested on the table. Arkk didn¡¯t expect him to have any real answers, yet he was the first to speak up.

    ¡°Kill the caster.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Zullie said. ¡°Can¡¯t be mind-controlled if the controller is dead.¡±

    Arkk stared between them, lips pressed together. ¡°I will mark that down under contingencies,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°Any other thoughts?¡±

    ¡°The [HEART] normally protects its master from many forms of internal magics. A fireball slamming into your face will still hurt but I believe there should be some resistance to mind-controlling magics.¡±

    ¡°Normally?¡± Arkk asked, glancing at Vezta.

    ¡°I am unsure if that feature is functioning with the current state of things.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t help now. I wanted to use this guy in that ritual.¡± Arkk drummed his fingers on the desk. ¡°Zullie, do you know mind magics? Maybe we can test to see if I¡¯ll be able to resist.¡±

    Zullie shook her head with an apologetic smile. ¡°Mind magic is, of course, anathema.¡±

    ¡°So is evocation.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re taught to recognize signs of summoning as part of our training in the academies, giving me an inlet into how such magic functions. Identifying signs of mind magic usage falls under the dominion of those who use holy magics. I would suggest you ask your abbess or the inquisitors but I doubt that is an option, is it?¡±

    Arkk shook his head. It certainly wasn¡¯t an option. ¡°If I can get a meeting with him, Vezta will come with me, hidden in my shadow. Should he manage to take control of me, you¡¯ll have to kill him and we¡¯ll look elsewhere for our ritual participant.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of,¡± Zullie said. ¡°I¡¯ve been working with Hale over the past three days. I¡¯m not positive that she can take a corner just yet but she is a whole lot closer than¡­ anyone else,¡± she said with a glance at Rekk¡¯ar.

    The orc just scoffed, unbothered by the insult.

    ¡°If she can, that would be the best option.¡± Arkk paused, taking a moment to peek in on his most recent employees. Both were in the newly constructed workshop. It was a full-fledged lumber mill and carpentry shop complete with tools and a large saw blade for cutting the plentiful logs. John had been quite impressed upon seeing it. ¡°The corners are going to be harder to fill than the sides,¡± Arkk said, looking back to Zullie ¡°Keep working with her.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing. Any idea who is going to be positioned at the last corner? Assuming you can get this gorgon guy¡ª¡±

    ¡°Gorgons?¡± Rekk¡¯ar growled. ¡°I thought we were done entertaining that foolish idea.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sending the orcs after them,¡± Arkk said, shooting Zullie a glare. ¡°The mine I told you about the other week ago is where this mind-wizard is hiding out. I think he is controlling the gorgon to use as guards. I¡¯m not quite sure what the plan is yet. I don¡¯t want to meet with him while the gorgon are around.¡±

    ¡°I would say that you just said the smartest thing I¡¯ve heard you say but you want to meet with a man who has gorgon under his thrall.¡±

    ¡°He also put an entire village into some kind of stasis-like sleep,¡± Arkk admitted. Rekk¡¯ar did not look impressed. ¡°From the scrying I¡¯ve done on the mine, he mostly stays down on the lower levels while the gorgon lurk around the entrance. They venture out to bring him food¡ªmostly rats and fungus¡ªbut otherwise stay well within the mine unless intruders venture too close. I¡¯m¡­ honestly hoping I can appeal to him through his stomach. I¡¯ll toss in a nice roasted chicken from Larry along with a message requesting we meet peacefully.¡±

    ¡°Should use your instant movement magic to appear in his private quarters and drag him out,¡± Rekk¡¯ar grumbled.

    Arkk nodded. ¡°I thought about that. Don¡¯t want to startle him. Considering I need his help, antagonizing him on our first meeting sounds like another downside.¡±

    ¡°In my former master¡¯s day, spellcasters would typically ward against such teleportation magics. Teleporting in despite that generally ends poorly for the one attempting it. There is no obvious way to identify a warded area before attempting the teleportation unless you locate the anchor stone, which can be fairly easily hidden.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s another reason,¡± Arkk said. Vezta had explained that before to him when he had asked about getting into the Duke¡¯s manor that way. Her words now were for the benefit of others at the table. ¡°Given teleportation magic is High Anathema,¡± he said with a nod toward Zullie, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how many people will be¡ª¡±

    Arkk froze as he felt a sharp tug on the employee link between him and Ilya. He let out a small sigh as he looked in at her location. She wasn¡¯t in trouble. Rather, she was standing around outside a garrison. It took him a moment to recognize the spot.

    ¡°Ilya¡¯s in Smilesville,¡± he said, a genuine smile forming on his face. Standing, he looked over the others. ¡°Meeting adjourned. Keep an eye on the inquisitors,¡± Arkk said to Vezta. ¡°And everyone, try to think of a good plan for avoiding gorgon or mind magic.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t wait for any responses. He disappeared from the meeting room and reappeared at the far end of the Smilesville tunnel. The inquisitors, he knew, had left Langleey and headed back toward Cliff. He doubted they would be gone for long but for the moment, he should be safe to walk around Smilesville without worrying about them popping up.

    The tunnel¡¯s exit let Arkk out a short distance away from the burg¡¯s walls. Most of the burg¡¯s farmlands were down by the river on the floodplain. There was a small forest-covered hill just behind the village. That forest hid the trap exit. People did come up into the forest for foraging, hunting, and lumber, but nobody had found the door so far. It helped that it was hidden underneath a layer of dirt and brush that he had to lift to get out.

    From the exit, it took a little over ten minutes to reach the burg¡¯s gate. Nobody stopped him. He had been a little worried that the inquisitors would have put a bounty on his head. So far, there was no sign of that. After another few minutes of walking through the town, Arkk reached Ilya.

    She was a beautiful mess. With how long she had been out on the road, Arkk wasn¡¯t surprised to see her looking worn down, tired, and covered in a smear of grime. Her silvery hair wasn¡¯t as smooth and straight as usual. Tied up into a tight ponytail to keep it out of the way, it was still frayed and frazzled. Her clothing looked worn and in need of replacement.

    ¡°¡ªput a bounty out on any slavers!¡±

    Still, watching her argue with the same archivist that Arkk had spoken with the last time he had been here, Arkk¡¯s heart swelled. He rushed right up to her and wrapped her in a tight hug.

    She jolted, shocked and ready to fight him off until she realized who he was. ¡°Arkk! How did you¡­ Where¡ª¡±

    ¡°Welcome back, Ilya. You stink.¡±

    ¡°Arkk,¡± Ilya growled. ¡°Get off me.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in over a month and that is how you treat me?¡± Arkk said, affecting his tone with false hurt as he pulled away. ¡°I take it you didn¡¯t succeed in finding a tailor?¡±

    ¡°They were all dead,¡± Ilya said, voice a whisper. ¡°Or kidnapped. We found two on the way back but they didn¡¯t know where they had been taken or what happened to any others. I¡¯ve been trying to put bounties on slavers at every burg we¡¯ve passed. Only one or two even listen to me,¡± she said with a glare at the archivist. ¡°Only one would take a down payment of gold and Olatt¡¯an thinks he took it for himself.¡±

    Arkk had no idea how bounties got instantiated. He glanced at the archivist, who was pointedly ignoring them despite their presence right in front of her desk. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the gold,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯m worried about the bastards who attacked the elves.¡±

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°I¡¯ll speak with the archivist,¡± Arkk said, hoping their few interactions would be enough of a rapport to get an honest answer about how to place bounties. Otherwise, he might have to ask Hawkwood about it the next time he was in Cliff. ¡°For now, however, why don¡¯t we get you and the others back to the fortress? We¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s another thing,¡± Ilya said, shoving a scrap of parchment against his chest. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±

    Raising an eyebrow, Arkk looked down. The first thing he noticed was the large symbol dominating the top half of the parchment. A familiar symbol. It was a depiction of an eye with a vertical bar instead of a pupil, split several times by thin horizontal lines. The inquisitors wore the same symbol as a metal pin on their uniforms.

    Feeling his stomach dropping, he quickly scanned over the rest of the parchment. ¡°A recruitment notice? To scour the Cursed Forest for old ruins?¡± He looked over to the archivist. ¡°How long has this been posted? When is this search taking place?¡±

    The woman adjusted her glasses. Still ignoring Ilya¡ªmaking Arkk wonder if half her troubles in placing a bounty came from her sharp ears¡ªthe archivist looked at the parchment in Arkk¡¯s hands. ¡°Swiftwings delivered notices to all burgs in the area over the last few days. We just received the notice last night. The search parties will gather in Stone Hearth Burg in ten days¡¯ time where High Inquisitor Darius Vrox will organize them and send them into the Cursed Forest. Unfortunately, we do not have many more details than that. If you are interested in signing up¡ª¡±

    ¡°I might be,¡± Arkk lied. ¡°I need to speak with my men first.¡±

    ¡°Very good, sir,¡± the archivist said, immediately looking back to her desk.

    ¡°And I think I need to speak with them immediately,¡± Arkk said, placing a hand on Ilya¡¯s elbow as he led her away from the garrison. ¡°Let¡¯s get you and the others back. The two elves with you are coming as well?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what else to do with them,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°Sorry if that¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. The fortress is more than large enough for two hundred more, let alone two more.¡± Although they were now moving down the street toward the stayover, far from others, Arkk dropped his voice to the barest whisper possible. ¡°They aren¡¯t employees so I can¡¯t just take them straight there, unfortunately. Are they opposed to joining up?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t talk with them about that. They barely speak at all. I was just¡­ trying to keep a level head as we made our way back. I kept wanting to run off into the wilderness and track down these slavers myself. Olatt¡¯an kept me moving in the right direction.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see about these bounties. Maybe tracking them down ourselves won¡¯t be impossible. We¡¯ve got a lot going on right now, however. A lot has happened while you¡¯ve been out. Not much of it good.¡±

    ¡°Great. Just what I wanted to hear upon returning.¡±

    ¡°Would you like to hear about a hot bath? I¡¯m having the lesser servants stoke the flames as we speak.¡±

    Letting out a faint sigh, Ilya nodded. ¡°That, I could stand to hear some more about.¡±

    ¡°Great. Try not to worry too much about things for at least a little while. We¡¯ll talk about what you did and what I did after you get some good food and some rest. Nothing that has happened is immediately urgent.¡± Arkk pressed his lips together, looking back down at the parchment in his hands. ¡°Well, nothing except this maybe.¡±

    ¡°Piss off some people while I was gone?¡±

    ¡°To be fair, I think they were pissed off before they got here. I didn¡¯t do anything to make the situation better, though.¡±

    Ilya paused in the middle of the road, making Arkk stop as well. The garrison sat right on the edge of the city, close to the wall and one of the city gates. ¡°We¡¯re not actually at the stayover,¡± she said, nodding her head toward the gate. ¡°Olatt¡¯an claims he wouldn¡¯t be welcome in any burg in the Kingdom and a few of the others are in similar situations. I especially didn¡¯t want them around here after what we saw when passing through with Dakka.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s jaw tightened. ¡°They did take those bodies down. Probably a good idea anyway.¡± Using his employee vision, he did a quick check on Olatt¡¯an and the other orcs Ilya had taken with her. Like her, they all looked worn and ready for a nap. If the inquisitors were sending people into the Cursed Forest in search of him, he needed them well-rested and ready to fight if the situation called for it.

    He would have transported them all straight into Fortress Al-Mir from here were it not for the two smaller elves that were sitting in the middle of the group. A young boy and a young girl. Siblings, maybe? They both had hair the color of gold and the same upward tilt to their sharp ears.

    ¡°What is the deal with the elves?¡±

    ¡°As I said, the village was destroyed. Many died. Many more were taken as slaves. Those two, we found on our way back in the hands of some old human,¡± Ilya said, her fists clenching tight. She paused, not speaking for a long few moments until they passed through the gate and left the burg behind. Only then did she resume in a soft whisper. ¡°The orcs were more than happy to fight his guards and smash in his head. They looted his manor. I only took the kids.¡±

    ¡°Did¡­ anyone see you?¡±

    ¡°No one still alive,¡± Ilya said with a frown. ¡°Don¡¯t know exactly what happened to the kids. They don¡¯t speak much. Any time I or one of the orcs raise our voices, they flinch. I¡¯m hoping a safe environment will help, but we¡­ sort of left that village behind in a hurry. Doubt our hasty retreat helped much considering they were slung over orcs¡¯ shoulders most of the way. It must have felt like they were being kidnapped all over again.¡±

    Arkk¡­ didn¡¯t quite know what to say to that. ¡°Hale is living at the fortress for now,¡± he said. ¡°Learning magic from Zullie. Maybe having someone around who is their age¡ªor at least height¡ªwill help. John is there as well. You know how he dotes on Hale.¡±

    ¡°That is a relief. I have no idea what to do. They want to go learn how to hunt, I can do that. Parental things?¡± Ilya shook her head and then pointed off the road.

    Following her lead, they quickly came across the orc camp. Although it wasn¡¯t a camp. Rather a small gathering. They hadn¡¯t set up their tent or even started a fire. Most of the orcs were gathered around, sitting on the ground or a fallen log while a few others kept watch. At Arkk¡¯s approach, one of the guards called back for Olatt¡¯an.

    The old orc stood and approached slowly. He looked a bit resigned to having a chat right out here in the middle of the woods. Before he could start, Arkk waved him off.

    ¡°You all want to get back. We¡¯ll have a debriefing later. Unless there are any objections, I¡¯ll send you all back now. Make sure you have your belongings.¡±

    Arkk waited a moment. Although he hadn¡¯t specified, all the orcs ready to go lined up in front of him with a pair holding onto the horses¡¯ harnesses. The horses and carts, considered property of his, could be transported as well although they were reaching the upper limit of what he was able to move. As the rest gathered their things, they slowly formed into a messy gathering as well. Then, once everyone was standing in front of him, he pulled them back to the Fortress. Everyone except Ilya and the two young elves stayed behind.

    The two elves didn¡¯t look up or react to the sudden disappearance of the orcs. They just stood stock-still, not even looking up to meet Arkk¡¯s eyes.

    Arkk shot a glance at Ilya but she had no eyes for him. She stepped forward, pausing when the smaller elves flinched. ¡°This man is going to give you a coin,¡± she said. ¡°It is yours to keep. It will let him take you to a safe place. Do you understand me?¡±

    Both gave identical nods of their heads, still without glancing up. Neither said a word, though he did note that the young boy started breathing harder as Arkk stepped closer. Trying to look as unthreatening as possible, Arkk pulled out a pair of gold coins. Kneeling, he got a look at their faces for the first time.

    While partially healed, there was heavy evidence of bruising. The girl¡¯s eye looked like it might have swollen up recently, though now it had at least partially returned to normal. One of the boy¡¯s ears had been clipped, chopping off a sizable portion.

    Not trusting himself to open his mouth, he just held out the gold coins.

    ¡°Take them,¡± Ilya said, noting their hesitation.

    That stopped their hesitation. Arkk didn¡¯t miss the stricken expression crossing the girl¡¯s face as she took the coin like it was a venomous snake. The boy held it like he wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to throw it away or hand it right back.

    Arkk couldn¡¯t quite understand their expressions. He did start frowning as he noted something.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t work.¡±

    Both winced, squeezing their eyes shut in preparation for a beating.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ilya hissed, tearing her eyes off the elves.

    ¡°I mean it didn¡¯t work,¡± Arkk said, keeping his voice as soft as possible. ¡°There isn¡¯t a connection.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said, thinking back to all the other times he had hired employees.

    Ilya had been his first, becoming an employee upon them making a transactional agreement. The orcs, he had hired with gold. At least some of them had been under duress at the time with him threatening them into working for him. So duress couldn¡¯t be it. He had been able to hire Hale without incident, so age didn¡¯t play a factor.

    Then there were all the times he had handed gold over to people without hiring them. Mostly merchants. Whatever magic linked him to his employees could tell the difference between purchasing goods or services and a desire to hire. At least to an extent, given Ilya¡¯s hiring.

    Was it his fault? Did he not want to hire them? He wanted them back at Fortress Al-Mir. Wasn¡¯t that enough? Or was it something else? Did the magic, apparently smart enough to not hire merchants, think that these kids weren¡¯t worthy of working for him? Was it something about them? A resistance to wanting to work for him? He doubted that it was the falsehood of what Ilya said given that he had hired Ilya basically on accident, maybe her words played some role anyway?

    ¡°I might need to ask Vezta.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t just leave them here while you go figure things out,¡± Ilya hissed. ¡°Can we¡­ I don¡¯t know, carry them? You move our clothes and gear. Why not people?¡±

    ¡°We can try. Otherwise, the entrance to the tunnel isn¡¯t far from here. The tunnel isn¡¯t designed for people to physically travel through¡ª¡± Not after Zullie¡¯s excursion to Langleey, anyway. ¡°¡ªbut it is a direct route straight to the fortress.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s try the instant travel first. Not looking forward to walking in a dark tunnel. My boots have practically worn away as it is.¡± Stepping back toward the smaller elves, she held out her arms for the young boy. ¡°Come here. I¡¯m going to pick you up and hopefully we¡¯ll disappear.¡±

    Although he winced at Ilya¡¯s arms, the young elf didn¡¯t disobey. He stoically marched over and let Ilya pick him up without a fight. Ilya lifted him off the ground but didn¡¯t fully stand. Probably not wanting to drop the elf if one disappeared but not the other.

    With Ilya¡¯s arms around the young elf, however, Arkk noted something interesting. A link formed between him and the boy. It wasn¡¯t an employee bond. Not like he had with all his other employees. Some elements were similar but, if Arkk had to put a word to it, it would be prisoner.

    Although he hoped it wasn¡¯t permanent, it did afford him the ability to pick up and drop both Ilya and the elf in her arms back at the fortress.

    The prisoner bond solidified somewhat upon their arrival, making him worry a bit more.

    He needed to speak with Vezta.

    But first, he looked down at the remaining elf. Instead of staring at the ground, she stared after her vanished brother with wide eyes and a quivering lip.

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to hurt you,¡± Arkk said, kneeling and holding out his arms as Ilya had. ¡°Come here and you¡¯ll be back with him.¡±

    The young girl had teal eyes, Arkk noted as the elf threw an angry glare his way. That flash of defiance disappeared almost as quickly as it had come as the elf dropped her head and stepped into Arkk¡¯s arms.

    Both vanished.

 The Ruins of Fortress Al-Mir

    ¡°Master Arkk. Might I ask why you¡¯re out here?¡±

    Arkk glanced back. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how Vezta found him. To the best of his knowledge, the employee link was one-way. He could look in on his employees at any time but the reverse was not true. Then again, the link he had with Vezta was slightly different than what he had with everyone else. Well, everyone except his two prisoners.

    And wasn¡¯t that a topic.

    He didn¡¯t want the two elves working for him. They didn¡¯t want to work either. Thus, an employee bond couldn¡¯t form. Instead, upon being ¡®captured¡¯ in his and Ilya¡¯s grips, they had become prisoners. A similar status to an employee in that he could see them but he couldn¡¯t move them on their own, only in the grip of one of his employees. Or himself. They didn¡¯t contribute to the magical power of the [HEART] the way his employees did and they couldn¡¯t open doors on their own. They were¡­

    Prisoners.

    Even though Arkk didn¡¯t really want that either.

    Shoving the thought aside¡ªhe had enough on his plate at the moment to worry about investigating the strange magic of the [HEART]¡ªhe looked back to the newly constructed tunnel.

    ¡°Working on a project,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°There are several wings of Fortress Al-Mir that are going unused. Making an entirely new wing and so far from the rest of the fortress is entirely unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°Ah, but it can only be far away. It would defeat the purpose if I started this little construction project closer to the Heart.¡±

    All twelve of the lesser servants were scurrying about, moving their pulsating and vile bodies against the dirt walls, eating them away to extend tunnels and carve out rooms. Some of them followed along behind the others, claiming territory by stamping down those compass-rose tiles with the glowstones in the center. Arkk followed after those ones, pulling gold from the treasury to place down rooms in every corridor and newly constructed room.

    The appearance of the tiles didn¡¯t change too much. The stone cracked. Bits and pieces disappeared entirely. Spider webs formed in corners and an unpleasant musk filled the air. He had gotten used to it.

    Vezta wrinkled her nose, running her hand along the wall. Bits of the wall crumbled away under her touch. Dust clung to her fingertips.

    ¡°You call this construction? The schematic you are using is faulty. Where did you discover it?¡±

    ¡°Asked Zullie. She said she doubted that she would be able to make a more advanced room on her own but the work she did with you on the temple gave her enough of an idea of how to do this. And this is exactly what I intended,¡± Arkk added, kicking a small bit of rubble off to the side of the corridor.

    ¡°You intend to deface Fortress Al-Mir with such shoddy work? This looks like¡­¡± Vezta trailed off, eyes narrowing as her golden suns turned on Arkk. ¡°This looks worse than the dilapidated fortress at Darkwood.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Arkk spread his arms wide, spending gold to ruin this new section of the fortress. ¡°Inquisitor Vrox wants to find ruins? He¡¯ll find ruins.¡±

    ¡°A decoy?¡± Vezta said, frowning at one of the torch-holders dropping its torch as the new schematic overwrote the pristine wall.

    ¡°If he can¡¯t find anything, he¡¯ll expand his search. Don¡¯t want him to expand it to the point where he discovers the trap doors. So, we give him a little something. Hopefully what he expects to see. I did some scrying on the Darkwood fortress. Not much left. Looks more like dirt tunnels than how this fortress did when I first arrived, but I did copy the layout here.¡±

    ¡°They likely killed the [HEART]¡¯s Keeper and sent the [HEART] into dormancy,¡± Vezta said, her tone pained. ¡°Fortress Al-Mir was merely lacking a master when you found it.¡±

    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t want that to happen here, do we?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Hence the ruins,¡± Arkk said.

    Vezta knelt, plucking a cracked glowstone from the floor. That might have normally destroyed the magic of the room but, since the room was a cracked and withered version of the regular tile, the actual tile was underneath, shrouded in magic. Or so Arkk guessed from everything he knew.

    ¡°You went to Zullie for help with this schematic?¡±

    Arkk hesitated at her question. She spoke with the same pristine calm that she normally used. Something about the way she stared at the glowstone without any of her eyes flicking up to him made him think there was more to the question than the surface words would indicate.

    She¡­ wasn¡¯t jealous, was she?

    ¡°The idea came to me after I went to bed last night. Following yesterday¡¯s meeting, I couldn¡¯t sleep much. Too busy thinking.¡± He shook his head, moving on. ¡°I woke up early and thought to find you. When I did, you were in the temple room. I¡¯m not sure if you were meditating or praying. I didn¡¯t want to disturb you.¡±

    ¡°I exist to serve Fortress Al-Mir and its master.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you have to do everything. You can take a break too. Zullie was awake¡ªI¡¯m not sure living underground is good for her; it seems like she has no sense of a sleep schedule¡ªand I asked her. As I said, making a more advanced room would have likely been beyond her capabilities.¡± Arkk motioned to one broken-down wall. ¡°This wasn¡¯t.¡±

    Vezta stayed staring at the glowstone for a long moment before it fell from her fingers. Clasping her hands together in front of her navel, she stood and nodded. ¡°I understand your reasoning. Please don¡¯t fear disturbing me in the future.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. ¡°If it makes you feel better, I will need your help with some other rooms. First, let me tell you the rest of my plan.

    ¡°I¡¯ll dig a few access points to the surface and scatter around some debris. Nothing too obvious, but enough to draw attention. Might have the orcs stomp around to make it look like the entrances are in use too.¡±

    ¡°We draw them in and bombard them with traps? Collapse the entrances around them and trap them inside? Collapse the entire wing on top of their heads?¡±

    Arkk stared for a long moment, surprised at the hostility in her voice. ¡°I¡­ was thinking more along the lines of letting them destroy it.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Master¡­¡±

    ¡°This wing, I mean. Not the whole fortress. This is what I need your help with. I want to make a fake Heart. We put up a token resistance but eventually let them in. They destroy the fake heart. We decommission the whole wing then, collapsing parts of it until they start running away. The inquisitors leave, thinking they¡¯ve finished their objective. The main Fortress Al-Mir is unaffected and we carry on as usual¡­ except you and I need to take care not to be seen around the area. Maybe we go on a road trip to the other side of the duchy to make them think we¡¯re starting a new base of operations out there.¡±

    Vezta drew in a deep breath, looking around with a frown. ¡°That might work. They might come back later once they realize the extent of your duplicity.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully we have the portal open and the Pantheon¡¯s help by then. Or whatever is on the other side.¡± Vezta had tried to explain a few times but¡­ it felt like one of those things that had to be seen to really comprehend.

    ¡°We¡¯re just buying time then. I understand. You would need to make at least some parts of this place look lived-in. The inquisitors are aware that you have several orcs working for you.¡±

    ¡°Good point,¡± Arkk said, looking through his plan for the new wing in his mind¡¯s eye. ¡°We¡¯ll have a few proper rooms closer to one of the entrances. A dormitory, kitchens¡­ Maybe a library if it will generate books on its own the way Zullie¡¯s bedroom did. Otherwise, I don¡¯t want to lose our books.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to adjust them to look more worn down to match the aesthetics you have in the rest of this place.¡±

    ¡°Adjusting existing schematics shouldn¡¯t be too hard, right?¡±

    Vezta shook her head. ¡°I shall get started on the task immediately.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. I appreciate it.¡±

    Vezta dipped her head, bowing. She started to turn away, only to pause and look back. ¡°As servant, advisory isn¡¯t my forte¡ª¡±

    ¡°Just say it, Vezta.¡±

    ¡°The fortress requires contiguous territory. Some small tunnel must connect this place to the real [HEART] if you wish for your ploy to succeed. That introduces a vulnerability to the real [HEART].¡±

    Arkk frowned. He had been planning on collapsing the main tunnel he had used to build this wing far to the north of the actual fortress. The fact that it would all fall apart if he did so had slipped his mind. ¡°Any suggestions?¡±

    ¡°My former master had a method of hiding passages. Doors that were indistinguishable from walls. I do not know how to create such defenses.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t think that was very useful to point out if it couldn¡¯t be done. He didn¡¯t voice his thoughts, however. ¡°What about smaller tunnels? When the lesser servants dug out to find the Darkwood fortress, their tunnels were much smaller,¡± he said, holding his fingertips together in a circular manner. ¡°Too small for people, but large enough to count for contiguous territory.¡±

    ¡°As long as they are large enough for the servants to claim the area, that might work.¡±

    ¡°We could put several of the tunnels around in every room. Have a few loop around on themselves, others lead to nowhere. Only one would be a real tunnel. Even if they found a way to investigate the holes in the walls, they surely wouldn¡¯t investigate them all. All could be filled with grates to deter any exploration if they do find a way.¡±

    ¡°Still a vulnerability. I suppose that cannot be eliminated with this plan. Very well. I shall consider other complications and deliver my thoughts on the matter when I deliver the altered schematics.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯m going to keep working here. Do you want a quick transport back?¡±

    ¡°To the library, if it isn¡¯t too much trouble.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t any trouble at all. With a thought, Vezta disappeared.

    <hr>

    Arkk peered into the crystal ball on his table, frowning at what he saw within. The mines of Silver City were maze-like and expansive, containing even more ground than Fortress Al-Mir. The network of tunnels followed the veins of ore¡ªsilver, which was where the settlement got its name, but also lead and copper. Tools, carts, shoes, and hats had all been left behind. Most looked untouched but the gorgon in the caverns had taken an interest in some of it.

    Watching the gorgon was a strange experience. The Smilesville garrison had a small treatise on various beastmen and demihuman races. Their writings on the subject of gorgon left much to be desired, unfortunately. It seemed as if gorgon were rare enough that there wasn¡¯t much information about them. Or perhaps few people made it back from an encounter alive. What was known was little more than what Hawkwood had mentioned back in Cliff. The serpentine beastmen had coils strong enough to crush even hardened steel, they had glands in their upper mouth that allowed them to project a kind of venomous acid from their fangs, and their gaze could turn someone to stone.

    Their most infamous ability was on full display inside the mine. Not all the miners had made it out when they moved in. Detailed statues of fearful humans stood around the tunnels, silently watching forevermore. Arkk had been somewhat nervous about scrying on them, not sure if looking at their visages would turn him to stone even through the crystal ball.

    That particular bit of magic required direct eye contact. Thankfully.

    They also looked at the so-called Hope Killer without ill effect, implying that it took an active choice to turn someone to stone rather than passively turning everything they saw to stone.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure how much Savren was controlling them. When he wasn¡¯t in their vicinity, they went about their day as normal. Mostly spending the time lounging about or eating¡ªArkk had discovered that they could undo their stone transformation, returning petrified persons and animals to their fleshy forms for consumption, which made their infamous ability far more practical as a hunting tool than Arkk had initially thought. From his morbid observations, he decided they liked animals¡ªmostly rats, though he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they would turn to the frozen humans if they got too hungry¡ªand ate nothing in the way of grain, fungus, or fruit.

    Which made Savren¡¯s consumption of the latter items curious. The mind magic he used must have made them ignore it.

    Some of them had to go hunting for Savren. They brought back vermin for the most part. Sometimes one or two would venture out of the mines for fruit or mushrooms foraged from the nearby forest. From the way they moved within the mines and the way they moved outside, Arkk doubted they enjoyed those tasks much. It was almost like they were frightened of the open air.

    Savren himself spent most of his days deep within the mines. He avoided the gorgon for the most part, choosing to isolate himself with a shelf full of books. Arkk tried to peer over his shoulder and glean what the man was reading but he flipped through the pages so fast that Arkk barely had time to read a few sentences. He couldn¡¯t tell if the man was actually reading or just skimming through in search of something. The only clear thing was that the books delved into mind-affecting magics.

    That was the biggest problem point. Even more so than the gorgon. So far, his only plan for dealing with that possibility was bringing along Vezta and hoping that her killing the man would remove any spells.

    He might not have much of a choice. According to Zullie, people capable of fulfilling the corner spots of their ritual didn¡¯t grow on trees. The ones that did exist would almost certainly have been swept up by the academies and would be both harder to access and less willing to help. His only real choices were criminals like Savren or unknowns like Hale. While the latter was more appealing, he didn¡¯t know how to go about finding such people beyond testing every single person he came across.

    Savren, though less appealing from a purely moral standpoint, was at least a known quantity already.

    Known quantities could be planned around to an extent.

    He just wished he had a better plan.

    ¡°Vezta, are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Master,¡± Vezta said, standing from the table, ¡°is it wise to leave the fortress at this time?¡±

    ¡°We have eight days before the inquisitor commences his search. The new wing is almost finished. There isn¡¯t much we can do here besides sit around and twiddle our thumbs. If this works, we get someone else who might help defend should the inquisitor find the real fortress.¡±

    ¡°And if it doesn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°We escape and we¡¯re back where we started except we know not to waste our time on Savren.¡±

    ¡°And leaving a trail of magic circles for them to follow?¡±

    Arkk waved his arms around the dilapidated fortress. ¡°That¡¯s the beauty of doing this here. We want them to discover this place. If they don¡¯t stumble across them, great. If they do, great! No matter what, we win.¡± Arkk reached down to the table and adjusted the basket. It contained bread, fruit, and fresh meat. A peace offering. Or bribe. He had some raw poultry dangling from ropes tied to their ankles in the hopes that throwing them at the gorgon would make them less likely to try to eat him.

    The raw poultry had a little surprise with it as well. He wasn¡¯t sure that it would work but he was willing to try just about anything at this point.

    Vezta walked over to a clear section of the floor and, after a short scrying session, used her tendrils to scrawl out a teleportation circle. ¡°Very well,¡± she said. ¡°I shall protect you as best I am able.¡±

    ¡°That is all I ask. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Silver City

    Silver City did not live up to its name. It wasn¡¯t silver, though Arkk hadn¡¯t expected it to be. It wasn¡¯t a city either. Barely larger than Smilesville Burg, Silver City lacked walls, expansive farmland, a stayover, and even a church. Nestled against the wrong side of a mountain, the moist smell of mildew permeated every one of the tightly-packed homes and storage warehouses.

    Despite the state of the mine putting the miners out of work, the settlement was still populated. It might have been better had the people scattered to the winds. Everywhere Arkk looked, people were downtrodden, covered in filth, and gaunt. The latter issue was all the more apparent in the children that roamed the streets. Their bony arms and knobby knees reminded Arkk of a famine that had hit Langleey in his youth. They had managed to get some help from Smilesville.

    The Baron of this village probably traded the goods from the mine for the bulk of their food. The farmland was too small to support this place on its own. Fewer farms meant more people working the mines. As long as they had goods to trade, the more miners they could get, the better.

    Normally. Without the goods from the mines, their survival would rely on altruism from the nearby settlements.

    And it didn¡¯t look like anyone was helping here. Certainly not the Duke with his droves of taxed food and goods. With the air chilly and winter setting in, it would only get worse.

    Arkk and Vezta on their own would have drawn plenty of looks. Vezta especially. She wasn¡¯t bothering to hide most of her inhuman nature, having donned a cloak but was still walking in the open with her dark violet skin and a multitude of moving eyes set about her body. Despite that, Arkk was pretty sure the villagers gathering in their wake were far more interested in the chickens hanging from his and Vezta¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°Maybe we should have taken one more teleportation circle directly to the mine entrance,¡± he whispered to Vezta. ¡°All the scrying I did and I never thought to scry on the actual village. Maybe we should give them our food and come back with more for the mines?¡±

    ¡°The meager food we carry is intended for eight gorgon and one human. All we would accomplish is starting a riot as the have-nots attack those who would receive our gift.¡±

    ¡°Then¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s hatchery is far too small to support a population of this size. While it is possible to expand, it wouldn¡¯t be up and running for some time. We only have a few days before the inquisitors arrive. If you wish to delay¡­¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arkk said, firming his shoulders as took his gaze off the gathering villagers. ¡°But I might ask that Savren send the gorgon away before we leave. That will do more good for the village than a few chickens.¡±

    ¡°A wise decision.¡±

    ¡°I am a little surprised they aren¡¯t trying to attack us.¡±

    ¡°Curiosity and wariness hold them at bay. Curious about our presence and intentions with the food. Wary of me.¡±

    Arkk blinked and glanced to his side.

    He started, jolting as he realized Vezta wasn¡¯t just not bothering to hide but actively flaunting her inhuman nature. Outside the comforts and privacy of Fortress Al-Mir, she normally formed proper legs from the mass that made up her body. Not today. A large mass covered the ground underneath her cloak with several tendrils clawing forward. They roiled about, moving in an unnatural undulation that he found difficult to look at and difficult to turn away from at the same time.

    He forced himself anyway, focusing his gaze on the far end of the village where the mine entrance was located.

    They didn¡¯t make it much further before a trio rushed toward them. A shorter man who reminded him of Baron Freede except this man had clearly had to tighten his belt over the past few months. The way his fine clothes hung loose made Arkk wince, wishing there were more he could do. The other two were here as guards. They were probably militia, gathered up from some of the local miners.

    The newcomers stopped a respectful distance away, eyes on Vezta.

    ¡°Heard you had a gorgon problem,¡± Arkk said, deciding to speak first. He didn¡¯t want to waste time while they hummed and hawed over Vezta. ¡°I¡¯m Arkk, the leader of Company Al-Mir. Here to take a look and see what we¡¯re dealing with.¡±

    ¡°A free company? You¡¯re answering our request for help?¡± The apparent leader of the group sounded like he could hardly believe his ears. He turned his head away from Vezta though couldn¡¯t quite take his eyes off her for another few seconds. Eventually, after blinking several times, he looked at Arkk. ¡°A few adventurers came by a month ago¡­ they were the only ones.¡±

    ¡°I assume they weren¡¯t very effective.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t come back.¡±

    Arkk nodded, expecting that answer. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t promise anything.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ understand. We didn¡¯t think¡­¡± The man looked around, loose skin trailing just behind the rest of his face as he met the eyes of the villagers. ¡°The poultry you have, is that¡ª¡±

    ¡°For the gorgon. Not something you would want to eat. Trust me.¡±

    ¡°Poisoned?¡± he asked with a frown. A few of the crowd let out despairing moans at hearing that. Some even started wandering away. ¡°We tried that in the early days. The damn snakes can smell it or something. They didn¡¯t touch anything we left out for them.¡±

    ¡°Not exactly poison, but¡­¡± Arkk considered. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see if it works.¡±

    The man shrugged, then turned away from Arkk. ¡°I am Geno. Baron of Silver City. The mine is just this way,¡± he said, motioning before walking. ¡°The gorgon only come out at night. We can approach without harm during the day. Stepping even a single foot inside is¡­ perilous.¡±

    Arkk had already seen the results. There were five or six statues just inside. He had seen it during his scrying. ¡°I notice you don¡¯t have any walls,¡± Arkk said as he walked alongside the older man. ¡°Is the silver not a valuable target for bandits and raiders?¡±

    Geno smiled and raised an arm to the mountain. ¡°The steep natural walls protect us here. burgs Meddale and Stirling Waters block the way through the valley, protecting us from that side. No problem we couldn¡¯t deal with ever reached our town.¡± He paused and looked back. ¡°Until the gorgon.¡±

    ¡°The burgs can¡¯t help with the food situation?¡±

    ¡°Some of our people already fled to them, putting a strain on their resources. They still helped out¡­ until a few weeks ago. The¡­¡± The Baron wrung his hands, shooting a look around. ¡°Duke Woldair¡¯s taxmen collected their due. There isn¡¯t enough left for all of us. I don¡¯t know how we¡¯re going to get through the winter, even if you do get rid of the gorgon.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s hand clenched into tight fists around the handles of the wicker basket he carried. He could hear the creaking under his hands.

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to say this,¡± he started, pausing and turning fully. ¡°When the taxmen came here¡­ they took our silver. We can¡¯t offer what we originally posted on the bounty boards.¡± He held up his hands, fear crossing his face as his mind came up with all kinds of terrible scenarios. ¡°But we can still pay. If the mines are safe, we can start working again. We¡¯ll pay double. It¡¯ll just be over time. If you could just¡ª¡±

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    Arkk wished he could hold up a hand of his own to stop the man¡¯s diatribe. Hands busy, all he could do was rudely interrupt. ¡°Why don¡¯t we see if we can clear out the mines before we worry about payment? No sense getting ahead of ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Geno looked surprised for a moment. His shoulders slumped after. ¡°Oh.¡±

    Not sure what part of that the Baron was worried about, Arkk simply kept walking, moving past the older man. ¡°Probably best if you stay back from here. The mine is just across the creek, isn¡¯t it? We can find it ourselves.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ Good luck.¡±

    ¡°Appreciated,¡± Arkk said, giving the man a small smile as he and Vezta started up the worn path to the mine. Turning to Vezta, he asked, ¡°Thoughts?¡±

    ¡°The man must be desperate if he is ignoring me.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t want to question his good fortune at having someone show up.¡±

    ¡°I think he is nervous about what you¡¯ll ask for if you do manage to clear out the mines. The way he reacted makes me think he believes you will ask for the whole village. Maybe you should.¡±

    ¡°What would I do with a whole village? I¡¯ve already got the fortress.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to claim the territory at this time, not officially, but the people would still be yours. The [HEART]¡¯s power increases with every minion added. My former master counted a hundred thousand as his minions and the magic he could wield would put the lightning spell that impressed you so to shame.¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t know what I would do with the village. I¡¯ve got enough on my plate already.¡±

    ¡°If that is your desire.¡±

    ¡°For now at least,¡± Arkk mumbled, thinking about it more. Maybe being the baron of a village would get him in the good graces of the Duke. At least enough to get him in the door to see Alya.

    He shook his head.

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± he said, slowing to a stop as the path leveled out. A short distance away, a gaping hole in the mountainside opened up, supported with thick wooden beams. He didn¡¯t see any movement around the entrance, which was probably a good thing.

    Setting down the basket of food, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a thick strip of cloth. Wrapping it around his eyes and pulling it tight, ensuring not even a little light got in, Arkk shifted his view. While his eyes were blind, he could still see himself and Vezta using the fortress¡¯ power. The perspective wasn¡¯t that great, offering a view of himself from somewhere overhead, but it was better than being turned to stone.

    Vezta handed over the chickens she had been carrying. Accepting them was a bit clumsy. As was bending to pick up the basket once again. Taking a few steps, he staggered, feeling like he was going to tip straight over onto his side.

    ¡°You should have practiced more.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Arkk said, steadying himself. ¡°It¡¯s as simple as putting one foot in front of the other.¡±

    Vezta shrugged. Her tendrils reached up around her, ripping and tearing through her as they pulled her into Arkk¡¯s shadow. A few glowing yellow eyes appeared in the darkness under his feet before they winked out one by one.

    ¡°Remember, eyes closed. If I start panicking, just start attacking everything around me.¡±

    Vezta didn¡¯t respond in her shadow form.

    Moving carefully at first, Arkk crossed the rest of the way to the mouth of the mine. Through his Keeper vision, he spotted the statues standing around the entrance. Five of them, all looking inward yet frozen with fear on their faces. They had been there ever since the first time he had scried on the mines. They had likely been left in place as a warning to anyone else approaching.

    Quite an effective warning.

    The Baron had said that anyone stepping inside would be attacked. He had already guessed that would be the case. There was always one gorgon on watch at the entrance. Usually the smallest one, though they did rotate through all eight of the snake-like creatures.

    Arkk stopped at the threshold.

    ¡°Hello,¡± he called out. ¡°Anyone home?¡±

    Not every beastman could speak or understand human languages. Sometimes, their mouths or throats just weren¡¯t set up for it or they just never were taught in the first place. Those that couldn¡¯t typically stayed on their own, remaining in their communities away from humans and demihumans. Gorgons typically stuck to themselves, but he wasn¡¯t sure if they could speak. Their faces looked humanoid enough, yet snakelike at the same time. It was a bit confusing. Like a cross between a demihuman and a beastman.

    He was hoping that Savren could somehow hear through them with his magic, listening to Arkk shouting.

    ¡°I¡¯m here in peace with food aplenty,¡± Arkk said, lowering the basket. The chickens looped over his shoulder were tied together at the legs, leaving them dangling from a string. He shrugged one off and flung it inside. ¡°I know there is a human in there,¡± he said. ¡°I just want to have a chat with the human down in the lower levels.¡±

    Movement in the shadows beyond the mouth of the mine made him tense, ready to signal Vezta at the first sign of hostility.

    Although the creature had black scales, as it slithered forward into the light, it took on an iridescent rainbow barely visible against the dark coloration. Larger, horizontally oriented scales covered its belly and underside. They were a bit of a lighter color, though still dark enough to mesh well with the rest of its body.

    It had a wide hood spread out behind its head and neck, making it look wider than it really was. A normal snake might not have much distinction between its neck and the rest of its body. Gorgon, however, were partially humanoid. They had shoulders and arms and four-fingered hands.

    The human-snake face lost all illusion of humanity the moment it opened its mouth. It let out a long hissing noise as its dark tongue snapped out, tasting the air.

    Arkk kept his feet planted where they were, trying not to shake as it drew itself up until it was a full three heads taller than him. The smallest of the gorgon would tower over an orc like that. He was glad they didn¡¯t have one of the larger ones guarding the entrance. It was still far enough away that Vezta couldn¡¯t attack it. Unless he had severely misunderstood how gorgon petrification worked, it couldn¡¯t attack him either.

    That was the only reason he hadn¡¯t turned and run.

    ¡°Hello,¡± he tried again, shrugging off another pair of chickens. These, he just held out. ¡°I come in peace with gifts of food.¡±

    The treatise he had bought from the Darkwood alchemist, Morford, contained only the simplest of concoctions. One of which had been labeled as a Drought of Rest. Arkk had tested a little on himself. It wasn¡¯t a sleeping potion but it did make him calmer and in a state where he could get an easier night¡¯s sleep.

    Arkk was hoping the gorgon would be a bit less interested in attacking him with that in their systems.

    Assuming they didn¡¯t smell it and view it as poison like the local baron suggested they might.

    The gorgon hissed again.

    Then it spoke a wispy, hissing speech.

    ¡°Leave, human, or join your brotherss and ssissterss in ssilence,¡± it said, waving toward the statues around the entrance.

    ¡°I would love to, believe me,¡± Arkk said, starting to gain a little confidence. He would much rather talk than fight. It talking was a great sign. Maybe something would go right for once. ¡°I just need to talk to the human here first. If he doesn¡¯t want to come up, I wrote him a note here in this gift basket,¡± Arkk said, slowly lowering himself to grab the bit of parchment he had written out earlier.

    ¡°Human? There iss no human here.¡±

    Arkk blinked behind his blindfold and looked up. He couldn¡¯t see the gorgon through his eyes but the surprised reaction still followed through. ¡°Down on the lower levels. You bring him food once a day while he sits and reads his books. You, the green one, and the orange one visit him most.¡±

    ¡°Vissit?¡± The snake¡¯s slit-pupil eyes didn¡¯t blink the way a human¡¯s might. The protective shield that winked over them still made it look confused in a very human-like way. ¡°Ssavren demands tribute. He iss the only one I offer food to. There iss no human here.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Savren. He¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, frowning as the wheels in his mind turned. Savren was a human. He had seen it through scrying and he had confirmed it through the bounty on the Hope Killer. The wheels clicked into place once Arkk thought a moment longer about the type of magic he specialized in. ¡°He isn¡¯t mind-controlling you. He makes you think he is a gorgon as well.¡±

    ¡°You¡ª¡±

    ¡°This is going to sound weird,¡± Arkk said, interrupting. He pulled the crystal ball out from his pouch and held it out toward the gorgon. The image in the ball changed as he did so, showing the private quarters Savren had made out of one of the chambers on the lower levels. ¡°Could you look into this and tell me what you see? No tricks. I don¡¯t even have a sword.¡±

    The gorgon slithered closer. Some primal part of Arkk¡¯s mind wanted to run off. He clamped it down and locked his legs in place.

    ¡°A human,¡± the gorgon said, dismissively.

    ¡°Does it look familiar at all?¡±

    ¡°You all look the ssame.¡±

    Arkk blinked behind his blindfold again and slowly shook his head. ¡°I meant the room. His surroundings.¡±

    The gorgon stretched its head forward again, peering down into the crystal ball for longer than before. Arkk couldn¡¯t read a single expression on its face but he did note the expression change a few times.

    ¡°What iss thiss?¡±

    Arkk was pretty sure it sounded upset. Maybe even angry.

    He took a slow step back that the gorgon barely seemed to notice.

    The gorgon turned away from him, slithering deeper into the mine without another word.

    ¡°Wait, where are you going?¡± Arkk said, stepping forward once again. He even crossed the threshold of the mine but the gorgon did not turn back as it raced inside. ¡°Wait!¡±

    Vezta extracted herself from his shadow, slowly opening only the eyes on her face as she looked at him. ¡°Master,¡± she said, ¡°was it your intention to get our spellcaster killed?¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t entertain her with a response. He grit his teeth, staring after the gorgon as his mind raced to find a way to fix the situation or at least turn it to his advantage.

    Gnawing on his lip, he picked up his gifts and stepped forward, moving deeper into the mine.

 The Mines of Silver City

    ¡°Is this a good idea, Master?¡±

    As used to Vezta as Arkk was, he still jolted at the way Vezta formed a mouth on one of the tendrils that emerged from the shadow around him. It moved with him, just appearing out of the ground. With his blindfold still in place, he only saw it through his employee sight. That only made it all the eerier, watching as it seemed to slide along the ground, inhuman maw facing him.

    Despite being unnerved, he put on a smile. ¡°I trust you to keep the gorgon away should they attack.¡±

    The tendril sighed, an odd mannerism from the fleshy limb, and then retreated into the shadows.

    ¡°I do have a quick question though,¡± Arkk said, not pausing as he hurried after the gorgon. He stumbled a bit, tripping over rocks that he couldn¡¯t see. Glowstones in the cave let him see where he was going now that they weren¡¯t being washed out by the daylight outside but the perspective with which he saw occluded the ground directly in front of him. It took a bit of care not to fall on his face. ¡°At Darkwood, several different monsters were working together for that enemy Keeper. Including a monster that I was assured would never work alongside its own kind. Is there something about the Heart that¡­ encourages cooperation, for lack of a better term?¡±

    ¡°As far as I understand it,¡± Vezta said, tendril emerging once again, ¡°the [HEART] does not impose any mental magic like what we suspected this spellcaster to be capable of. If someone with a bond intends to attack you, the bond will be broken immediately.¡±

    ¡°And that bond doesn¡¯t falter between employees no matter their intentions,¡± Arkk mumbled to himself, thinking back to the times the orcs tried attacking one another. ¡°Do you have any explanation for the cooperation of the Darkwood ghasts?¡±

    The tendril shook in a way that Arkk recognized as a negative. ¡°Perhaps being bound to the same entity instilled a sense of comradery that the creatures normally lack? Why do you ask, if I may?¡±

    ¡°Just trying to figure out how best to use everything to our advantage,¡± Arkk said, falling silent as the long tunnel opened up into a much wider cavern. Wooden planks laid out in the tunnel provided extra footing. More wood had been brought in here, anchored to the walls as a rickety staircase that descended into the mine.

    The gorgon he had been chasing after didn¡¯t traverse the stairs as easily as the relatively flat tunnel, giving Arkk plenty of time to catch up.

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    The gorgon turned its head upward.

    Arkk felt something. A tingle in his fingertips and toes. For an instant, he feared he miscalculated with the blindfold. The feeling didn¡¯t progress. A quick check of his hand showed no sign of stone. Shrugging the sensation off as nerves, he turned his head down to fully meet with the gorgon below. ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°If the human valuess itss life, the human would leave before drawing the attention of my den.¡±

    ¡°I need to speak with that human,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°The den won¡¯t allow that human to live after desseiving uss.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, how are you going to convince your den that he¡¯s a human? You open that door and I bet he looks like a snake again. It is your word against his and your den¡¯s eyes.¡±

    That comment got the gorgon to narrow its eyes.

    ¡°The human is a powerful spellcaster,¡± Arkk continued. ¡°He put an entire human settlement into some kind of sleep that they haven¡¯t woken from even after months. Who knows what he might do if he thinks you all are turning on him.¡±

    ¡°Thiss iss a matter for uss. What iss your sstake, human?¡±

    ¡°He is a powerful spellcaster,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I¡¯m conducting a ritual that requires many powerful spellcasters, so I would prefer if you didn¡¯t try to kill him. Also, I¡¯m sure people would be very happy if he would undo whatever spell he put over that human village I mentioned.¡±

    ¡°None matterss to uss.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. ¡°I suppose I should have expected that.¡±

    The gorgon turned away, resuming its slow trek down the stairs. Arkk continued after it. ¡°Hold on, you still have to convince the other¡ª¡±

    A loud hissing noise cut Arkk off. It didn¡¯t come from the gorgon he was following but rather from one of the large tunnels branching out into the walls at the bottom of the stairs. He froze, though the other gorgon did not.

    The green-scaled gorgon emerged from the tunnel. Larger than the black one with a more masculine frame, it rushed straight to the stairs in a move that made Arkk take a few steps back up. It didn¡¯t rush up the stairs, thankfully, but rather stopped at the black gorgon. They engaged in a rapid series of hissing along with undulating movements of their tails that must have had some kind of meaning. Arkk didn¡¯t understand any of it.

    ¡°If they start attacking, collapse the stairs below me?¡± he mumbled, watching from above.

    Vezta didn¡¯t respond verbally but Arkk noted dark tendrils emerging from the shadows to wrap around several of the stairs ahead of him.

    As the two gorgon spoke¡ªor communicated¡ªmore started emerging from the same tunnel the green one had passed through. In short order, Arkk was pretty sure all of the mine¡¯s eight gorgon were gathered down below, sporting a variety of colors. Green, red and black, yellowy orange, and brown. Only about half of them were actively participating in the argument. The others had taken up positions slithering back and forth at the base of the stairs, waiting for the command to surge upward.

    Something the iridescent black gorgon said gave even the ones passively listening pause. It pointed up toward Arkk before swinging its arm over to another tunnel that, from his scrying, Arkk knew led down to where Savren had taken up residence. It then held out its hands, making a spherical motion. Arkk presumed it was talking about the crystal ball.

    The deep viridescent snake turned its head upward, aiming emerald green eyes at Arkk. ¡°Human,¡± it said, voice deeper than Arkk expected yet still maintaining that breathy quality that the iridescent snake had. ¡°Sshow us of what sshe sspeakss.¡±

    ¡°The crystal ball?¡± Arkk didn¡¯t need to turn his head to look around with the way he was seeing the area. He did so anyway. If the way the snakes had been moving while talking was any indication, body language was important for the gorgon. ¡°What assurances do I have that you won¡¯t attack me if I go down there?¡±

    The viridescent snake drew itself up a little higher. ¡°None.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Well, that¡¯s inviting,¡± Arkk mumbled. ¡°Do you think you can take on all eight at once?¡±

    He felt something squirming up his back. Warm breath tickled his ear as Vezta spoke from just behind his shoulder. ¡°With my eyes closed, I can do little but thrash wildly.¡±

    ¡°Is that a yes or a no?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an ¡®I wish my master wouldn¡¯t be so foolish as to descend into the gorgon den.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Since you aren¡¯t protesting more, I¡¯ll take that as a yes,¡± Arkk said. Louder, he called down to the gathered gorgon. ¡°Alright. I brought gifts. I know you all have been eating rats and I can¡¯t imagine they¡¯re very appealing, so please, enjoy these chickens,¡± he said, leaving the basket behind so that he could hold the chicken out. The basket was for Savren anyway with its fruits, vegetables, and bread. ¡°And if you don¡¯t attack me, I could probably get more,¡± he added, descending.

    Reaching the bottom, the four that had been slithering back and forth didn¡¯t rush him. He took that as a good sign. Holding the chicken out brought them a little closer, obviously wary. Their tongues kept darting out, licking the air around him. One with an orange diamond pattern down its back snatched a pair of chickens from him as he slowly walked forward. It tasted the air around the chicken in its hands for a long moment before opening its mouth far too wide. Snapping the string that kept the two chickens attached, it reared its head back and shoved the entire bird down its throat, whole. Larry had plucked them before Arkk left but he wondered if that would have even mattered as he watched the snake¡¯s throat visibly constrict and pull the chicken further down into its long body.

    None of the others came for the chicken. While Arkk watched in a disgusted fascination that he couldn¡¯t quite look away from, the other gorgon watched as well though with a different purpose, maybe expecting the orange one to keel over from poison.

    After a moment, it settled down on its coils, making a noise. An odd buzzing noise. Almost like a cat purring, but not quite as¡­ soothing. Still, it seemed to be a noise of contentment.

    Another gorgon picked up the discarded chicken and began the same air-tasting process before it too decided to eat it whole. That broke the tension over the rest. All except the black and green snakes quickly relieved Arkk of his gifts. There was a whole chicken for each of them. That left him holding one pair, which he held out as he approached the two remaining snakes.

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    The black one accepted it, snapping the string tying the chickens together before handing the spare over. The green gorgon didn¡¯t take it, however, staring over Arkk. It left the black one behind, circling Arkk while its tongue darted out of its mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to be enemies,¡± Arkk said, speaking with as much confidence as he could muster. The gorgon accepting his offerings helped bolster his confidence quite a bit. It would help even more if that Drought of Rest he had soaked them in actually worked. ¡°In fact, now that I know the situation here isn¡¯t what I expected, I think¡ª¡±

    ¡°You ssmell of the sstarss,¡± the green gorgon hissed as it came to a stop a little too close for comfort.

    Arkk licked his dry lips. It could smell Vezta? ¡°Is that a good thing or a bad thing?¡±

    ¡°That remainss to be sseen.¡±

    Ever since he had been a child, he had quizzed everyone who came to Langleey Village on every topic he could think of. While that impulse had died out a little as he got older, it hadn¡¯t died completely. None had mentioned stars until just the other week ago. The inquisitors had mentioned an unusual smell around him as well. Unable to help his curiosity, Arkk had to ask, ¡°What do stars smell like, anyway?¡±

    The green snake¡¯s tongue shot out into the air again, wiggling up and down for a few seconds before snapping back into its mouth. It turned away without answering, returning to the iridescent black snake. It took a lot longer to taste the air around the final remaining chicken than any of the others had taken but still eventually ate it, shoving the whole thing down its throat.

    Arkk let out a small sigh of relief. He wasn¡¯t sure if the contentment the others were showing off was from his alchemical solution to this problem or if they were just happy to have a large good meal. Either way, it couldn¡¯t be bad for him.

    ¡°Anyway, yes. The other person here is a human, not a gorgon. He¡¯s a master of mind-affecting magics which is probably why you don¡¯t think he is human.¡± Arkk slowly, not wanting to make any startling moves, reached down into his pouch and retrieved the crystal ball once again. He probably should have asked the first gorgon if it knew what a crystal ball was and how it worked but it seemed to work out. ¡°So, here we are,¡± he said, showing off the large room they were in. ¡°And if we move the view down that tunnel over there¡­¡±

    Several of the gorgon gathered around, peering into the crystal ball. Figuring the green gorgon was the leader given that it was the one who ordered him down here to show this off and was the last to eat the chicken, Arkk tried to pay them little mind as he focused his attention forward. Even still, when he moved the view of the crystal ball into Savren¡¯s quarters, he felt the tension in the air spike.

    ¡°This man is Savren. A human criminal wanted for putting an entire village to sleep. We thought he was controlling your minds but it seems as if he has merely been posing as a gorgon.¡±

    ¡°The room,¡± the black gorgon said, pointing a finger at the crystal ball. ¡°You can ssee the bookss. The chair. We¡¯ve sseen the room and yet itss a human.¡±

    ¡°The ball sshowss liess.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a crystal ball,¡± Arkk said, feeling a little nervous as a smattering of hissing began from the others around. ¡°If you know how to use one, you can try it yourself without me.¡±

    ¡°We confront Ssavren,¡± the black gorgon said. ¡°Reveal which human iss desseiving uss.¡±

    ¡°Ssavren is not to be disturbed.¡±

    The black gorgon let out a long, irritated hiss.

    ¡°Why?¡± Arkk cut in before a fight could break out. The way they immediately turned their heads toward him made him think it was a bad idea. Too late now. ¡°Why? If I¡¯ve assembled my timeline correctly, he came here between a few weeks and a month after you all moved in. He isn¡¯t your leader, is he? If he is, how did he become your leader?¡±

    Perhaps there was more mind magic going on than he had thought.

    ¡°When exactly did Savren first appear? Why did you start turning to him, following his commands to bring him food and water? He never leaves his quarters, does he? How often do you actually see him?¡±

    Arkk¡¯s questioning seemed to stall the green-scaled gorgon. He could almost see the wheels turning in its mind.

    ¡°We will dissturb Ssavren.¡±

    ¡°As soon as you open the door, he¡¯s going to look like a gorgon again.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure how he was pulling off his mental magics. A lengthy incantation probably wouldn¡¯t be fast enough. Perhaps he had some ritual circle prepared that he only needed to flood with magic or maybe he was using a magic wand to store his spell. However it was, Arkk doubted that simply opening the door would cause his ploy to fail.

    ¡°Let me talk to him,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I have no weapons on me. If he is a gorgon, he¡¯ll be able to crush me in an instant and you all can go back to your lives. If he isn¡¯t, I can handle him myself. And then¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, glancing around. ¡°Then I might have a proposition for you all.¡±

    ¡°More food?¡± a red and black striped gorgon asked.

    ¡°As much as you can eat,¡± Arkk said. ¡°In a safe location.¡±

    ¡°We are ssafe here.¡±

    ¡°Are you?¡± Arkk asked, cocking his head. ¡°You might not know this, but the humans that used to work here have a large amount of silver that they are offering to an army that can kill you all.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t exactly a lie but the wording got the intended effect. The gorgon started hissing at one another. Although sedate after having fed, they were getting riled up.

    ¡°Can we fight an army?¡±

    ¡°It doessn¡¯t matter. Ssavren will sslaughter the human.¡±

    ¡°The army will sstill be there whether or not thiss human diess.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be punisshed if the human intrudess. Kill it now.¡±

    ¡°I alwayss thought Ssavren acted sstrangely¡­¡±

    ¡°We sshould confront Ssavren oursselvess. The human cannot be trussted.¡±

    ¡°Ssilence!¡± The green gorgon slithered around, moving back and forth among the others. ¡°Who ssuggesstss we sslaughter the human now?¡±

    Arkk tensed, looking around through his Keeper sight. He let out a small sigh of relief as only two of the gorgon slithered forward in response. One orange and one brown snake. The latter looked around as if expecting others to join it, giving another brown gorgon a look of betrayal as it did so.

    ¡°It promissed food.¡±

    ¡°The human liess.¡±

    ¡°No lie,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I have a safe, underground home with as much chicken as you could stuff yourselves wit¡ª¡±

    ¡°The human will remain ssilent,¡± the green gorgon said, coming a little close for comfort. ¡°You will live. For now.¡± Backing away, it turned back to the rest of the assembled gorgon. ¡°Who would have the human sspeak for uss in front of Ssavren?¡±

    Arkk looked around again, wincing as he noted not a single one of the gorgon moving.

    His plan to get Savren out of here wasn¡¯t looking too good at the moment.

    ¡°Who would confront Ssavren oursselvess?¡±

    This time, only one of the gorgon remained behind. The orange gorgon who had first come forward for chicken. The same gorgon who had expressed fear over Savren punishing them and one of the two who had just voted to kill Arkk.

    ¡°A conssenssuss hass been reached. We sshall confront Ssavren and ask for proof.¡±

    ¡°He is a mind-affecting spellcaster. He could¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ssilence.¡±

    Arkk stepped back as the green gorgon got in his face once again. He could see the shadows underneath him twisting, reading themselves to attack. The gorgon didn¡¯t, however, choosing instead to just stick out its tongue once again.

    ¡°You ssmell far too confident for your possition, human of the sstars.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel all that confident,¡± Arkk mumbled, mind racing as he tried to figure out a way to salvage at least some of this trip.

    ¡°Ssavren or the human liess. We will kill the liar.¡±

    If the gorgon killed Savren, he would have to look elsewhere for a spellcaster and he had absolutely no other leads. Vezta could probably stop them but that put both of them at risk. All it would take would be a little bite from one of them to kill. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if Vezta could survive that with her unique physiology but he certainly couldn¡¯t. Besides, if he could get the gorgon to Fortress Al-Mir, it would help on a few different fronts. First, they were strong and powerful enough that their mere presence made mercenary companies wary of venturing in here. Second, if the inquisitors did find their way into the main fortress, a glance from their petrifying gaze would put an end to that incursion.

    Third, he would gain renown. Single-handedly saving Silver City from destruction by clearing out their mines? Doing a job entire mercenary companies were afraid of on his own? Even dragging a kicking-and-screaming daughter of a viscount back wouldn¡¯t be worth as much as saving a whole city.

    Then, if he could convince Savren to undo whatever he had done to the village of Hope, that would be a second settlement saved in the same fell swoop. That was in addition to his participation in the ritual.

    If the Duke refused to invite Company Al-Mir to a party after saving two whole cities, nothing would get him in.

    Now, it looked like at least half of those things were going to crumble to pieces, if not all of them. The gorgon were slithering away, heading for the tunnel that led down to Savren¡¯s quarters. There, they would likely kill him or he would convince them to kill Arkk.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Arkk called, stepping after them. His mind raced, trying to come up with something to say to convince them of anything.

    A black and red gorgon turned and hissed at him but Arkk kept walking, looking at the green-scaled one. It was the leader here.

    What did the gorgon want? As a collective, safety and food. Was there more than that? Revenge against the human deceiver in their midst¡ªwhoever they ended up deciding that would be. There had to be more. What kind of hopes and dreams did they have? What could Arkk offer them?

    Gold didn¡¯t seem all that useful for the gorgon. It was a human and demihuman currency. They didn¡¯t interact with humans at all. What else? Books? They hadn¡¯t thought it was strange for Savren to be reading books. Could they learn magic? Would they want to?

    If he could show them Fortress Al-Mir, let them create their living quarters, see the hatcheries, and even browse the library, would that help?

    Arkk, running after the snakes with his blindfold in place, missed a step and stumbled down a sudden slope in the passage. He swung his arms about, trying to regain his balance before slamming into the floor¡ªor worse, slamming into one of the gorgon.

    A tendril, stretching out from the shadows, caught him.

    As he felt his balance return, he looked around. The gorgon had paused their advance down the tunnel, attention pulled by his flailing and possibly a yelp he had made upon first stumbling.

    One of the gorgon came up to him, the orange one that had voted to kill him earlier. It raised its arm and opened its mouth wide with its fangs extended.

    ¡°Vezta.¡±

    A dark tendril swept around him. It wasn¡¯t the precise attack that Arkk was used to. It still smacked into the gorgon, flinging it against one of the walls. Three more tendrils emerged from the shadows, wiggling with hostile intent around him.

    He thought for just a moment that the others would rush in and attack all at once.

    They didn¡¯t.

    With all eyes on him, Arkk tensed. This was his moment to say something. Possibly his last words before they confronted Savren. Maybe his last words period. He stared for a long moment, mind racing until the wheels clicked together. Looking at the gorgon¡¯s eyes through his Keeper vision reminded him of something Dakka had said back in Cliff City.

    These gorgon didn¡¯t respect him. They didn¡¯t respect some human coming into their den, upsetting the balance of things, bringing gifts and sniveling like a coward.

    Arkk took a breath and reached up behind his head. He tugged at the blindfold around his eyes. Focusing on his ire at the situation, at all he was working toward nearly coming to failure once again, and at the thought of finally getting things working in his direction for once.

    Letting the strip of cloth fall from his eyes, Arkk stared at the ground for a moment before raising his gaze to meet with the potentially deadly eyes of the snakes around him. As he did so, a bright red light flooded the corridor, coming from him.

    Glowing eyes are an ominous omen, Dakka had said.

    Arkk, tendrils wiggling around him, turned his head slowly and made sure everyone saw his eyes. ¡°I said, wait.¡±

 Mesmeratic Magic

    ¡°You know, I come in here with gifts. I try to be nice. I explain what is going on¡­¡±

    Arkk looked over the gorgon, feeling strangely calm. Stupid. Yes. He had his eyes open, staring at creatures that could turn him to stone with eye contact. Still, the tranquility running under the surface managed to suppress the instinct to flee in fear. Maybe his calmness came from the fact that he probably wouldn¡¯t even know what hit him if they decided to attack. Vezta would surely go on a rampage. At that point, Arkk wouldn¡¯t be in much of a position to worry or care.

    Either this worked or it wasn¡¯t his problem anymore. That thought was strangely freeing.

    He had the full attention of the gorgon now. Were glowing eyes that big of a deal? It was true that when that purifier had been chasing him and Zullie around the Cliff Academy¡¯s tunnels, he had found the glowing embers of her eyes unnerving. To command the attention of creatures entire mercenary companies wanted to avoid with just a look?

    Arkk might have to be even more careful in the future to not let people he didn¡¯t want to know see his eyes like this.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re upset. Or if you aren¡¯t yet, you will be if you manage to see through Savren¡¯s illusions.¡± Arkk paused, looking around as if daring them to petrify him. ¡°But I need him alive. I¡¯m willing to offer food and shelter in exchange. Maybe more than that. Meaningful work. Magical tomes. Other things you might want. Or you can walk away.¡± Arkk paused, looking downward at the nearest gorgon. ¡°Or¡­ slither away. Or you can even stay here, though the threat of an oncoming army of humans is looming on the horizon.

    ¡°But I need him alive.¡±

    The orange gorgon that Vezta had knocked aside said something in an elongated hissing noise. Arkk made sure not to look directly at it, feeling like that was the most likely gorgon to try to turn him to stone at this moment, but he still caught its movements in the corner of his eye. From the way it looked at Arkk and bared its fangs once again, it was probably something like ¡®Kill the human!¡¯

    Vezta¡¯s tendril sliced through the air in front of it. If she wasn¡¯t keeping her eyes closed, she probably would have taken its head off. As it was, the swipe passed just in front of its snout, making it stop its advance before it could begin.

    Arkk didn¡¯t flinch, trusting Vezta to keep it at bay. He settled his gaze on the green gorgon, putting as much intent into his gaze as possible. He had suffered too many setbacks, too many failures. He wasn¡¯t going to falter again without a fight.

    ¡°So. What will it be? Take my offerings? Walk away? I don¡¯t mind if you confront him as long as he stays alive.¡±

    A smattering of hissing started up around him. From their earlier voting, it seemed like they would go with whatever the majority decided, not whatever the green one said. Still, it had been the spokesperson¡ªspokes snake?¡ªso far, so Arkk didn¡¯t look away.

    The hissed dialog of the other snakes petered out after a few seconds. The green snake hadn¡¯t joined in, choosing to stare back.

    Eventually, it spoke.

    ¡°Sstarss¡­¡±

    Arkk quirked an eyebrow. The tight grip of his fist loosened as he stared with a little less determination and a little more confusion. ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°The human sspeakss with the power of the ancientss,¡± the green gorgon said. ¡°Ssavren iss a traitor and desseiver.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ believe me now. Just like that?¡±

    ¡°The ssirkessh honor the old wayss,¡± the green snake said, bowing its head.

    Arkk blinked twice, watching as several of the others also ducked their heads. The orange one that had attacked Arkk didn¡¯t. Neither did the brown one that had also voted to kill him. The iridescent black gorgon looked around in what Arkk assumed was confusion as did a red and black gorgon. The other four were practically bowing¡ªor whatever the equivalent was for beings that lacked a defined waist.

    ¡°Vezta,¡± Arkk whispered. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°In my former master¡¯s days, snakelike beings lived in the [UNDERWORLD],¡± Vezta whispered into Arkk¡¯s ear. ¡°Keepers brought them over to this plane. These gorgon must be descendants of the beings I once knew. I presume they remember their ancestral allegiances.¡±

    ¡°Half of them do,¡± Arkk said, looking to the four who hadn¡¯t bowed down. ¡°Is there a proper response to this?¡±

    ¡°That would have been my former master¡¯s domain of expertise, not mine. I suggest you make minions of them as soon as possible to prevent them from changing their minds and backstabbing you without warning.¡±

    Arkk took a breath and slowly walked forward, ending up even more encircled by the gathering of gorgon in the narrow tunnel. ¡°You wish to join me?¡± he said, louder than the tone he used with Vezta.

    The orange one protested immediately, hissing out an obvious objection despite Arkk¡¯s inability to understand exactly what it was saying.

    The green gorgon raised its head, glaring at its fellow gorgon as it let out a furious response. Whatever it said, it was clear that everyone was shocked. The other three bowing their heads jerked their heads up to stare at their leader and the three not bowing recoiled slightly. The wide hood around the orange gorgon¡¯s head thinned, pulling in on itself as it seemed to shrink in size.

    Before Arkk could ask, the green gorgon turned back to Arkk. ¡°Disscord,¡± it hissed. ¡°You will confront Ssavren. If Ssavren sslaughterss you, you are unworthy.¡±

    ¡°And I can take him if he doesn¡¯t kill me?¡±

    ¡°We sshall align oursselvess in the interesst of the old wayss.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. ¡°Acceptable terms.¡±

    ¡°Then come. We sshall deliver you to Ssavren.¡±

    The green-scaled gorgon turned away, slithering ahead down the tunnel. After a slight hesitation, Arkk followed. The other seven gorgon trailed behind, hissing among themselves quietly. Arkk didn¡¯t say a word, moving with full confidence as he descended another staircase.

    This was it. He wasn¡¯t quite sure exactly what happened. Something about either his eyes or Vezta¡¯s tendrils had given him an advantage here. It had gotten him what he wanted. He wasn¡¯t about to let this advantage slip away.

    The chamber Savren called his home wasn¡¯t far from the second set of stairs. Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure what the original intention of the room had been. A resting room, presumably, given its beds and the attached latrine. The door wasn¡¯t meant to keep anything out. It was more for privacy.

    The green gorgon stopped outside the door, standing off to the side. It dipped its head again as it motioned to the door.

    ¡°Vezta,¡± Arkk said softly, ¡°hide again unless you sense something wrong with me.¡± Taking a breath, Arkk closed his eyes and let go of the feelings he had been concentrating on. When he opened them again, he was pleased to note a distinct lack of ruby light reflected off the walls of the mine.

    With Vezta¡¯s tendrils retracted for now, Arkk stepped up to the door, pushed it open, and stepped inside.

    The largest gorgon Arkk had ever seen sat in a chair with a book open in its five-fingered hand. It was a bit strange to see a gorgon sitting in a chair. The way its long, snake-like tail bent at the ¡®knee¡¯ and then just flopped across the room looked incredibly awkward. Rather than a hood behind its head, this gorgon had a hard crest rising from the vibrant blue scales around its eyes, forming into a ridged structure with sharp points at the middle and either side.

    The pale blue eyes¡ªwhich lacked slit pupils¡ªslowly tore away from the book to look up at Arkk.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Something immediately hit Arkk as he met the creature¡¯s eyes. A sensation of fear and awe nearly drove him to stumble back out of the room. Pressure at his back¡ªa tendril under his shirt¡ªkept him in place.

    ¡°What is thiss?¡± Savren hissed, rising off the chair. ¡°I¡¯ve not humored any humans for dinner in a handful of moonss.¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes, taking a brief moment to look at the area through the third-person perspective provided by the employee link with Vezta. When he did so, the illusion shattered. A greasy old man with black, unkempt hair who hadn¡¯t had a bath in months stood at the chair. Not a gorgon.

    When Arkk opened his eyes, the gorgon was there once again along with the sensation of awe. The fear of it wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Hello, Savren. Or should I call you the Hope Killer?¡±

    The false gorgon blinked. A slight flinch. ¡°What wearisome waste is this? Why have the others allowed a human into my miness?¡±

    ¡°That awe effect is something interesting. It must be why the other gorgon haven¡¯t noticed that you don¡¯t even elongate your s-sounds properly.¡±

    The gorgon¡¯s lips twisted in a distinctly human sneer. Not the kind of expression Arkk thought the others would be able to make. When his eyes looked up over Arkk¡¯s shoulder, Arkk did a quick check behind him using his Keeper sight. Three gorgon stood in the opening. The green one, the black one, and the brown one. ¡°Khan, Zharja, Vezz. What is the meaning of thiss? Do you deign to disregard my directions not to be disturbed.¡± Savren turned away, setting his book on top of his desk to the side of a small stack of thick tomes. ¡°Dereliction of duty. Dispose of this dunce then return for your disciplining.¡±

    ¡°Turn me to stone,¡± Arkk said, stepping further into the room.

    Savren whipped his head back. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a gorgon. Turn me to stone.¡±

    The gorgon form of Savren shifted in a distinctly humanlike movement of discomfort. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you ask, human. Petrification is a poor penalty, death is preferable. Your body freezes but your faculties still function. You don¡¯t see, you don¡¯t feel, you just think until you succumb to the senseless situation.¡±

    ¡°Not sure why you care. I¡¯m just a human. Go on. Turn me to stone. I won¡¯t blink or look away. Do it. If you can.¡±

    The gorgon¡¯s jaw slid to one side and Arkk heard a very human set of teeth grinding together. ¡°I have no time for this. Khan, dispose of this human. Now.¡±

    Behind Arkk¡¯s back, Arkk watched the three gorgon look at each other. He couldn¡¯t quite read their expressions but if he were to make a guess, he would guess they were a bit angry. Even the orange one, despite its anger at Arkk, looked none too pleased with the actions of their so-called leader.

    ¡°I think that is one item checked off my list,¡± Arkk said, taking his eyes off Savren to look around the room. ¡°How are you maintaining this illusion? A hidden ritual circle somewhere? Or maybe¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡­ Lumpuhkan yang di depanku¡ª¡±

    ¡°Electro Deus.¡±

    A thin bolt of weak lightning jumped from Arkk¡¯s fingertips to the large gorgon before he could get his incantation off the ground. It wasn¡¯t a powerful bolt. It was still enough to send Savren to his hands and knees.

    And he had knees now. Arkk couldn¡¯t guess whether the illusion required mental concentration or if he had an item on his person that the lightning bolt had damaged. Either way, a human knelt on the ground in front of him, panting. He spat a bit of blood out of his mouth, having bit his tongue from the jolt.

    ¡°We have sseen enough,¡± the green gorgon hissed from behind Arkk.

    Savren¡¯s head snapped up. He looked down at his grime-coated robes before looking back up with fear in his eyes. ¡°You fool. They¡¯ll kill us both!¡±

    Arkk just slowly shook his head. He looked back over his shoulder.

    ¡°The ssirkessh will join you,¡± the lead gorgon said, dipping its head once again. The other two gorgon dipped their heads as well, though not quite as reverently. The black gorgon still looked confused while the orange one maintained a faint glare.

    ¡°You would follow a human?¡± Savren shouted, disbelief filling his tone.

    ¡°We follow the wayss of the sstarss.¡±

    As soon as the gorgon spoke, Arkk felt it. Eight new employee links forming. No exchange of gold necessary. It was more like when Ilya had accidentally joined up as his employee. A bit strange but not something he was going to question. He simply nodded to the gorgon. ¡°Gather up what belongings you might have. We¡¯ll leave these mines as soon as I¡¯m done dealing with Savren.¡±

    ¡°You need him alive,¡± the green gorgon said¡ªKhan, if Savren had their names right. ¡°We can sstone him if you wissh and return him to normal ssome other time.¡±

    Arkk turned back to Savren as the man let out a long squeaking noise. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. Let me talk with him first.¡±

    ¡°We undersstand.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Arkk said before they could slither away. ¡°The humans at the entrance. You can unpetrify them?¡±

    The black gorgon¡ªZharja¡ªexchanged a look with Khan. ¡°It may be more merssiful to ssmash the sstatuess.¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°Are there other petrified humans in the mines?¡±

    ¡°A ssmall number.¡±

    ¡°Gather them up at the entrance, please. Wait to unpetrify them until I¡¯m ready.¡±

    Khan ducked his head. ¡°We obey.¡±

    Arkk opened his mouth, about to complain about the gorgon¡¯s mannerisms. He got enough subservience from Vezta. Something held his tongue, however. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what their perspective of him was, exactly, but he didn¡¯t want to damage that perspective right now while the situation was still precarious. There would be time to talk to them normally later, once they were all at Fortress Al-Mir.

    Instead, he let them slither away.

    Turning back to the room, Arkk stepped past Savren, moving to the stack of books. Flipping open one, he looked through a few pages. Mind magic rituals. Mass rituals. Rituals that were intended to affect a large number of people.

    Something like what he did at the village of Hope, then.

    Movement at his back had him turning.

    Savren was trussed up, held by a tentacle at each limb and around his waist. A long, thick rod of knotted wood with a green glowstone attached to the tip fell from his fingers as Vezta¡¯s tendrils twisted his arm. He let out a few pained gasps before she stopped.

    ¡°Wha¡ªWhat are you?¡±

    Arkk stared at him. Blinking his eyes, he welled up his feelings of irritation, making a red light return to the room. ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I came down here with a gift basket for you in an attempt to appease you. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to give you a choice now, however.¡±

    ¡°A choice¡ªgah!¡±

    ¡°Vezta, it¡¯s okay. Come out, would you?¡±

    A few stray tendrils turned into the shadows under Arkk¡¯s feet, reaching inside. They ripped Vezta¡¯s main body out of the darkness, bringing her out into the open. She still managed to maintain her hold over Savren even as she moved about.

    ¡°I was already pretty upset with you after I heard what you did to Hope. I was going to try to convince you to undo that over time. Ease you into things. The way you acted just now kind of pissed me off and I was already a bit on edge from dealing with the gorgon. Hope was bad enough but at least they aren¡¯t dead. Do you have any guilt over ordering the death of some random human who had done you no wrong?¡±

    ¡°You were jeopardizing my¡ª¡± He cut himself off as one of Vezta¡¯s tendrils started worming its way around his throat.

    Arkk didn¡¯t bother admonishing her. Instead, he just bent and picked up the large staff that Savren had pointed at him. It was too large to have come from his clothes. It must have been leaning against the wall. He looked it over, wondering what kind of spell it contained. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just taking it a little personally because it was me,¡± he said with a small shake of his head. ¡°So here is the deal. You are coming with me. You can do so as a mostly free man or as a prisoner. We are preparing for a large ritual. You will help with it. This is not negotiable. Whether or not I have a use for you after the ritual depends on how cooperative you are. Understand?¡±

    Savren didn¡¯t speak. He did nod his head.

    ¡°Good. So,¡± Arkk said, holding a gold coin in one hand. He had beaten the man over the head with the stick. It was time for the carrot. ¡°Are you going to work with me and walk out of here on your own?¡± He held out his other hand, motioning toward Vezta. ¡°Or are we being a little more aggressive in getting you out?¡±

    Vezta unleashed one of his hands. There was a slight hesitation but he reached out quickly enough and took the coin from Arkk¡¯s hand.

    The employee bond formed. It felt a bit weaker than most others but it was there enough that Arkk didn¡¯t feel like anything was wrong.

    Arkk gave Savren a smile. ¡°Vezta. What are you doing? We don¡¯t treat employees this way.¡±

    All of Vezta¡¯s tendrils snapped back to her, dropping Savren into a pile that he quickly picked himself up from. ¡°My apologies, Master.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure Savren is just happy to be free,¡± Arkk said, watching the man rub at his wrists where Vezta had tethered him. ¡°These books, are there any others around? Anything else valuable?¡±

    Savren stood still, frowning to himself for a long moment before he realized Arkk was talking to him. ¡°Uh. No.¡± He cleared his throat and tried to smooth down the front of his dirty robes. ¡°Unless you set your sights on the silver.¡±

    ¡°Tempting, but I think I¡¯ll leave that to the villagers. I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t thank me if I set the servants to eating this place.¡±

    ¡°Eating?¡± Savren said, looking like he wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to know.

    Arkk paid him little mind. ¡°Vezta, can you carry all these and see them back to Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s library?¡±

    ¡°Certainly, Master,¡± she said, setting several tendrils to pick up the stacks of books. She carried them over to herself and then held them in her regular arms.

    ¡°The plan from here is to get the gorgon and Savren back to the fortress,¡± Arkk said. ¡°You¡¯ll see them through the ritual circles. I will take the villagers back to the village and see how much renown I can get from the village here. Maybe get them to spread Al-Mir¡¯s name far and wide. I¡¯ll even turn down their silver reward,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°Al-Mir is strong enough to clear out a den of gorgon with only two people and kind enough to do it out of the goodness of our hearts.¡±

    ¡°A most devious plan, Master.¡±

    ¡°Devious?¡±

    ¡°Well, most plans appear devious when you speak them with glowing red eyes.¡±

    Arkk blinked twice. Taking in a deep breath, he allowed his irritation to fade away.

    ¡°Much more genuine, Master,¡± Vezta said with a smile. ¡°Will you be alright here on your own?¡±

    ¡°You saw that village when we passed through it. They¡¯d be throwing me the greatest feast they can manage if I allowed it.¡± Arkk pressed his lips together. ¡°I won¡¯t, of course. They don¡¯t have the supplies and I¡¯ll need to get back to the fortress as soon as possible. Try to keep the gorgon from interacting with anyone else before I get back. And if Rekk¡¯ar finds out about them, try to keep him from deserting while you¡¯re at it.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Vezta said, bowing with the books in her arms. ¡°Any other impossible orders for me?¡±

    Arkk looked over at Savren with a frown. ¡°Keep an eye on him.¡±

    ¡°Naturally.¡±

    ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s get out of here.¡±

 Silver City Aftermath

    Zharja stared around what was to be her new home with middling curiosity. Smooth walls. Smooth floors. It wasn¡¯t natural. That didn¡¯t necessarily mean it was bad, just that it meant someone had built it. The same could be said of the mines, though they felt more naturalistic with the exposed raw stone and dirt.

    There wasn¡¯t much to it. At least not in the small section the gorgon had been given. Although it was smaller than the mines, most of the others didn¡¯t mind. Between the large room filled with nothing but chickens and small piglets that they were free to eat whenever the mood struck and the strange magic that granted them each personalized dwellings, most of the others were lazing about, enjoying the coma that came with filled stomachs.

    In truth, Zharja found it hard to leave her new dwelling as well. What had once been a plain room with oddly-patterned fabric coating the floor had turned into the perfect spot to lounge about. There was a large stone, warmed by a bright glowing stone overhead, that was perfect to coil up on top. If she got too warm, the stone sat right next to a large, marshy pool, deep enough that she could entirely submerge herself, hiding from the world above. In the two days she had been at this fortress, Zharja had taken to coiling her upper half against the rock while letting her tail dangle into the water.

    It was¡­ soothing.

    She could understand the others wanting to rest. Those mines, while safe, hadn¡¯t provided plentiful food or warm, sun-baked rocks to rest against.

    Today, however, Zharja had dragged herself away from her rock to further explore the corridors of her new home.

    The fortress was made up of long corridors, often with several doors on either side. The corridors would occasionally split, leading to a branch of more corridors with their own doors. Most were empty. Boring. Good hiding places if she needed them but nothing worth exploring.

    There was one problem with this place.

    It was too¡­ samey. In a proper cavern or even the mines, there were ways to tell where she was. Markings on the wall, odd outcroppings of rocks or stalactites overhead in the more natural caverns. Here, there were stone brick corridors and stone tiled floors. Each corridor was the same as the last.

    Zharja didn¡¯t want to admit it, but she had no idea which way to go to get back to her rock.

    Tongue darting from between her lips, Zharja tasted the air, identifying a number of different scents. In a split second, her mind categorized each and every one. She dismissed the scent of leather, cloth, metal, wood, and other inanimates. None were important. It was just the scent of the building around her and the items within. They couldn¡¯t hurt her.

    It was the other scents that had her tail twitching with nervous tension.

    Sweat, muscle, meat. There were orcs here. The strange creature with a smell she couldn¡¯t quite place had told her that. The taste they left in the air was similar to humans except more¡­ volatile. Aggressive. She could taste the aggression mixed in with their sweat. Their fear as well. Shortly after the new human returned, the taste of the orcs changed. The anger had spiked and the fear permeated the air.

    The strange creature warned the gorgon against interacting with the orcs, at least for a while.

    That was fine with Zharja. She had no intentions of interacting with anyone if she could help it.

    Moving down the corridors, Zharja found herself drawn to a room of heat that smelled strongly of metal and sweat. The corridors of the fortress weren¡¯t exactly cold¡ªwarmer than the mines¡ªbut if she were in charge of the place, the lights that heated her rock would be lining every corridor.

    Turning a corner, she approached the warmest door in the new hall. It, like all other doors in this place, swung open for her as soon as she approached.

    A truly massive hearth, lit with bright orange coals, dominated the entire back wall of the room. Large bellows pumped up and down on their own, attached by chains. A rack of metal ingots lined another wall while flowing water ran through troughs on the opposite side of the room. In between, several anvils sat out on the floor.

    An orc stood at one of the anvils, raising a hammer and bringing it down on a bit of metal. Sparks erupted into the air with every strike.

    At her appearance, the orc paused. He looked over to Zharja and immediately froze.

    Zharja stared back. So much for not disturbing the orcs of this fortress.

    She didn¡¯t know why the elders of the den had chosen to abandon one human for another. She supposed it was better that Arkk wasn¡¯t deceiving them as Savren had done. Although she thought the den would be better off on its own¡ªat least, she had thought that before growing to like her rock and the plentiful food¡ªstill, she had no intentions of causing trouble. Savren had never seen fit to punish her for any transgressions. She didn¡¯t want to give their new leader cause.

    ¡°I am not going to turn you to sstone,¡± Zharja said, hoping this orc wouldn¡¯t panic and call down Arkk on them. She deliberately glanced away, looking down at the item he had been hammering out.

    A gauntlet? Made for humans¡ªor something else with five fingers.

    The orc jolted, staring contest broken. Clearing his throat, he reached into the pouch on his apron and pulled out a ragged, blackened cloth. Wiping it over his face might have mopped up some of the orc¡¯s sweat but it only served to smear around the soot.

    ¡°Heard there were gorgon around,¡± he grumbled, still staring at her. ¡°You need something or just scaring people for no good reason.¡±

    Not willing to admit that she had gotten lost, Zharja slowly moved about the room, examining the racks of half-finished weapons on the walls, bits of armor pieces, and the odd components that looked like they were made for larger contraptions. ¡°You are a craftssman?¡±

    ¡°I volunteered for the forge. Better than marching or fighting,¡± the orc said, wiping his face once again. It had little effect. ¡°Think I¡¯m actually getting good at it these days.¡±

    ¡°What are you working on?¡±

    He held up the vambrace he had been working on. ¡°Arkk wants all fighters fully armored and ready for battle. Don¡¯t know why. Orcs have tough skin. Cover the vitals. Cover the arms to block blows. Take everything else and bare the scars with pride.¡±

    ¡°I ssee. What battle approachess?¡±

    ¡°Hopefully nothing,¡± the orc said, relaxing enough to pick up his hammer once again. ¡°Got some humans breathing down our necks,¡± he said, slamming his hammer down. ¡°But he¡¯s got a plan for dealing with them without a big fight. This is just in case.¡± A few sparks jumped up as he hammered again. ¡°You wanting armor? Never made anything for a snake before. Might be interesting.¡±

    ¡°I have tough sscales,¡± Zharja said, echoing his statement. ¡°Clothess and armor would get in the way,¡± she said, slithering around as a demonstration.

    ¡°Maybe down there, but your head? Chest? You got vitals in there?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Where is your heart? Your stomach? Your lungs?¡±

    Zharja blinked. How would she know? She had never seen inside herself.

    Perhaps one of the elders would know.

    ¡°Well, probably doesn¡¯t matter much right now,¡± the orc said, slamming his hammer down again. ¡°Too busy with this work. Perhaps later.¡±

    ¡°Perhapss.¡± Zharja moved closer to the door. ¡°I sshall leave you to your work.¡±

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    The orc didn¡¯t respond, his focus returned to his hammering before the doors closed behind Zharja.

    Zharja remained outside for a short moment before slithering down the hall in the same direction she had come from. If this was the orc section of the fortress, she didn¡¯t want to meet any others. The first had been pleasant enough. There was no guarantee that any others would be the same.

    A despondent, lithe grace hit Zharja¡¯s tongue as she explored the corridors. Elves, it had to be. There weren¡¯t as many elves as there were orcs. One of them smelled more like a human than an elf but the other two¡­ Death lingered in the air around them. Perhaps that was why all three smelled distraught.

    She did not head toward the scent. Meeting with the orc had been enough interaction for the day.

    Other scents hit her as she tasted the air once again. Not far from the sad elves, she could taste more humans. Again, not very many compared to the orcs. If she hadn¡¯t already met the leaders of this place, she would have thought the orcs were in charge.

    One room smelled of books and Savren. Zharja moved right past without a second glance. Although she had been warned against interacting with the orcs, she didn¡¯t care much about them one way or the other. That indifference did not extend to Savren. His¡­ betrayal stung. Zharja wasn¡¯t sure that she would be able to stop herself from turning him to stone if he stepped in front of her.

    Beyond the room of books, Zharja came across a room that smelled of cut trees. A thick layer of wood dust coated the floor outside the door. She paused in it, feeling it under her scales. It was an interesting sensation. Like dirt but smoother. It soaked up the little moisture on her scales. Not an unpleasant feeling.

    Zharja¡¯s delay cost her. The door swung open of its own accord.

    ¡°¡ªlesson time with Zu¡ªAh!¡±

    A tiny human stepped out, bumping right into Zharja.

    Zharja looked down, waiting with mild resignation for the tiny human to start screaming. Instead, the girl just stared up with wide eyes. A quick taste of the air detected a slight sensation of fear, but nothing close to what she expected.

    ¡°You are so pretty.¡±

    Zharja blinked.

    ¡°Hale! Get away!¡±

    Looking up from the tiny human, Zharja saw an older man further back in the workshop. There was the fear. Despite that fear, the old man still rushed forward, grabbed the small human around the waist, and pulled her back.

    ¡°Get off me,¡± the human grumbled. ¡°Arkk wouldn¡¯t let something run around that would hurt me.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± the older human said, not taking his eyes off Zharja. Which, when dealing with a gorgon, was one of the more foolish things to do.

    It was a good thing that Zharja wasn¡¯t about to stone them.

    Zharja looked away from the two, about to continue without another word. An extra taste hit the air before she could move. It just appeared out of nowhere.

    Arkk stood between her and the door to the workshop. ¡°Is there a problem? Zharja, right?¡±

    ¡°I wass exploring,¡± Zharja said, keeping her hissing as neutral as she could manage. ¡°The tiny human bumped into me.¡±

    The small human stiffened, dark hair on either side of her head twitching as she straightened her back. ¡°It was my fault. I wasn¡¯t watching where I was going. And then this old man went and panicked,¡± she said with a glare over her shoulder. ¡°The snake lady didn¡¯t do anything bad.¡±

    ¡°Snake lady?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Look at how pretty she is.¡±

    Zharja looked down at her iridescent black scales. They weren¡¯t gleaming much at the moment. She would have said that she looked fairly dull. ¡°I will be sshedding ssoon. My sscales will regain their lusster after.¡±

    ¡°Can I see?¡± the tiny human asked, stepping closer again now that the old man had let her go.

    Zharja stared down for a long moment before twitching her head. Realizing that the human wouldn¡¯t recognize her motions, she affected a shrug. ¡°Perhapss I sshall return then.¡±

    The little human flashed a grin before immediately trying to look more mature, like the older humans. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, bowing her head.

    A long moment of quiet fell on the strange group before Arkk finally spoke. ¡°Well, if there are no problems¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Zharja said.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Zharja glanced back to the other two humans before motioning with two fingers further down the corridor. She wasn¡¯t sure how far humans could hear but did know that everyone said they had bad hearing. A few body lengths away, she stopped. Looking at Arkk, she hesitated.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? If Hale is bothering you¡ª¡±

    ¡°No¡­ No. Jusst. Which way to my rock?¡±

    <hr>

    Hawkwood sat at his desk, staring down at the latest report from the Duke.

    The Kingdom of Chernlock was made up of four states. Chernlock itself, the seat of the kingdom, occupied the largest portion of the continent to the south. Most of it was a desert but several underground rivers allowed civilization to thrive, especially when combined with the fertile swaths of land all along the Chernlock River. To its east, the Principality of Lockloch was a fairly small territory but contained valuable mineral deposits and the largest lake on the continent, providing fresh water to the entire region. North of Lockloch, the Principality of Vaales dominated much of the northeastern edge of the continent and possessed a large navy.

    The Duchy of Mystakeen, north of Chernlock and west of Vaales, was a forested and mountainous territory. It didn¡¯t have too many special features. Just mounts, trees, and adequate farmland. The only thing that made it notable was that it was the only one of the kingdom¡¯s territories that bordered another nation.

    The Duchy maintained a strong military. It had to. The Evestani Sultanate wasn¡¯t always the most friendly of neighbors. It was part of the reason why White Company was exclusively contracted to the Duke. Reserve forces¡ªor, more likely, fodder¡ªwhile the rest of the nation prepared in the event of an invasion.

    In the last hundred days, the peace seemed to be wearing thin. If the Duke¡¯s spymaster was to be believed, Evestani was marshaling its forces. The spymaster didn¡¯t know why they were suddenly building up their army¡ªif they did, they hadn¡¯t seen fit to inform Hawkwood about it¡ªbut that didn¡¯t change what was likely to happen.

    ¡°Thirty years since the last war ended,¡± Hawkwood mumbled, taking a drink from his teacup. ¡°Fifty years since the last war began. How long will this one last?¡±

    ¡°Not long if they put you in charge, Sir.¡±

    Lowering the spymaster¡¯s report, Hawkwood looked up. His adjutant, Neil, stepped through the door, holding a few more papers in his hands.

    ¡°Doubt I¡¯ll be doing much. Throwing away good men while the proper armies make sure their swords are polished.¡± He let out a long sigh. ¡°More word from the spymaster?¡± he asked, nodding toward his adjutant¡¯s papers.

    ¡°Not quite. You asked me to keep informed of Company Al-Mir¡¯s activities.¡±

    Welcoming the distraction, Hawkwood hurriedly waved Neil further into the room. ¡°And what has Arkk been up to since he fought off that horde of monsters at Darkwood?¡±

    ¡°It seems some inquisitors took interest in his activities after that. Reports say they cleared out the remainder of the monsters at Darkwood and now they¡¯re poking around some Cursed Forest south of Smilesville Burg.¡±

    Smilesville¡­ Hawkwood turned around in his chair, facing the large map of the territory. It took him a few moments to find it. ¡°Not far from Langleey. Wasn¡¯t that where Arkk said he was from? He seemed like a good sort. Wonder what they¡¯re doing.¡±

    ¡°It might have something to do with what he did after.¡±

    ¡°After? Wasn¡¯t he wounded?¡±

    ¡°Back on his feet, according to this. Arkk and a single associate¡ªa demihuman of undetermined type¡ªshowed themselves at Silver City one week ago.¡±

    Hawkwood clapped a hand to his forehead, rubbing at his hair. ¡°The gorgon job. I told him not to take it. Two people aren¡¯t enough to assault a den of gorgon. Was he there for other matters?¡±

    ¡°No. He marched through the town with several dead chickens slung over his shoulders.¡±

    ¡°Poison? Gorgons would have smelled it.¡±

    ¡°Not sure. All we know is that he entered the mines alone, according to witnesses.¡±

    Hawkwood closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh. ¡°Shame.¡±

    ¡°He walked out about two hours after, helping several formerly petrified humans back to the village. Claimed he dealt with the gorgon and that they wouldn¡¯t be back.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°Silver City¡¯s baron, Geno, tried to throw a feast. Arkk just left. Didn¡¯t even take the reward they were offering. They sent a few volunteers into the mines and couldn¡¯t find any trace of the gorgon.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ Good thing I wasn¡¯t taking a drink of my tea. I might have made a mess.¡±

    ¡°It gets better.¡±

    Hawkwood raised an eyebrow. ¡°He did something else?¡±

    ¡°Did you hear what happened to Hope¡¯s Rest Village?¡±

    ¡°Terrible business,¡± Hawkwood said with a nod of his head. ¡°Some kind of stasis spell over the entire village.¡±

    ¡°Well, two days ago, Arkk found a ritual circle hidden behind a wall in the catacombs beneath the village church. Destroying the ritual circle woke up the villagers. The village is lost¡ªwithout anyone to tend to the crops, pretty much everything died. Our illustrious duke wanted to send tax collectors out upon the news reaching him¡ª¡±

    ¡°Bastard.¡±

    ¡°¡ªbut was convinced not to by one of his advisors. The elf, I gather.¡±

    ¡°Good thing someone in his manor has some sense to them. I don¡¯t suppose she convinced him to send some of his taxed goods as support?¡±

    Adjutant Neil shook his head slowly. ¡°Not sure what is going to happen to the village yet. I¡¯d put coin down on them splitting apart to nearby villages that will take them in.¡±

    ¡°At least the people survived. They can always return to their homes in the spring and try to get their village going.¡±

    Neil didn¡¯t say anything. He merely set down the papers he had been looking over while delivering his report, allowing Hawkwood to read them at his leisure.

    ¡°Sounds like Arkk did some good. More than good. Estimates were six to ten gorgon? Would have lost half our company clearing them out. And he recovered the petrified miners then casually went¡­¡± Hawkwood trailed off, looking back to his map. He found the mountains where Silver City was nestled then dragged his eyes across the Duchy to Hope, not too far from Cliff. The distance between the two wasn¡¯t insignificant. A single rider could travel much faster than a group, but to make it across Mystakeen in a week?

    ¡°Huh.¡±

    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Neil asked.

    ¡°No, no. Just thinking,¡± Hawkwood said with a shake of his head. ¡°Arkk did very well for himself. Glad I had the opportunity to help guide him along, even if it seems like he ignored my advice about the gorgon. Any chance we can lean on the inquisitors and get them to back off?¡±

    ¡°I could ask around.¡±

    ¡°Do it. See if you can figure out what they¡¯re after and maybe get them to back off. Saving two villages? Doesn¡¯t deserve to be hounded like that.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Sir.¡± Neil ducked his head, bowing out of the room.

    ¡°Before you go,¡± Hawkwood said, frowning down at his empty teacup. ¡°See if you can¡¯t get some more Evestani tea imported. And quickly.¡± His eyes drifted over to the spymaster¡¯s report. ¡°Might not have much of a chance in the near future.¡±

 The Evening Before

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go over this one more time,¡± Arkk said, looking around his meeting table.

    Vezta stood a step behind and just to the side of him, looking calm and serene as usual. Khan was coiled up directly across from Arkk, hands gently resting on the table. Ilya, Zullie, Rekk¡¯ar, and Olatt¡¯an were split on either side, none paying too much attention to Arkk as they stared at the gorgon in their midst. For once, it seemed like Vezta wasn¡¯t the strangest thing around. Or, more accurately, people had gotten used to her but were still highly wary of the gorgon.

    ¡°Tomorrow morning,¡± Arkk continued, trying to pretend like he had everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°the inquisitors will begin their search of the Cursed Forest accompanied by about forty volunteers, most of whom are just regular villagers looking to get a little extra coin in their pockets and not hardened mercenaries.

    ¡°It is a large swath of land to cover,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Possible to traverse in under a day if you¡¯re walking or running through it but these people will be searching. I don¡¯t know how fast or how slow they¡¯ll be moving. Vezta will be making use of our crystal balls to keep track of the inquisitors and both Fortress Al-Mir and the false fortress to the north.¡±

    Vezta dipped her head in a slight bow, acknowledging her part in the plan.

    ¡°We don¡¯t want to make it easy or obvious for them, so if they do pass right over the small clues we left pointing toward the false fortress, we¡¯ll let them go by. I assume the inquisitors won¡¯t give up so easily, they seem quite persistent, but if they give up temporarily, it buys us time to work out even better plans for the next time they stop by.

    ¡°If the search parties do stumble across the false fortress, we¡¯ll make a show of fighting them off. Based on my own village¡¯s temperament, regular villagers will stand and defend their town to the death as long as victory seems plausible. Out here? The mere presence of a small group of orcs will likely be enough to frighten away anything but overwhelming numbers. We¡¯re not expecting that. The mercenaries might take a bit more of a beating but we should easily outnumber them even with that team of orcs still at the lost pyramid. Even still, I want everyone to be careful. Remember that I can transport all of you at will.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar didn¡¯t even glance over to Arkk, focused entirely on Khan. Thankfully, Olatt¡¯an gave Arkk a firm nod of his head. ¡°I will endeavor to remind the others that they can garner your attention should they become injured or otherwise find themselves in a precarious situation.¡±

    ¡°Good. If the inquisitors enter, I don¡¯t want anyone fighting them. I don¡¯t know exactly what their capabilities are, only that they destroyed the Darkwood fortress. Given the monsters around Darkwood, that makes them a whole lot more dangerous than anyone else. When they arrive, I¡¯ll deal with them myself.¡±

    ¡°Big talk,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, voice low and gravely. He finally turned his head over to Arkk. With his lips curled into a frown, he crossed his arms. ¡°Would you remind me who fell to a ghast just a few weeks ago? These inquisitors can apparently kill ghasts with little effort if the destruction of that other fortress is any indication.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, stiffening. ¡°That was me saving one of your men from having his head torn off in exchange for what was obviously a far less grievous wound. Remind me of who made your former chieftain literally explode.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar flashed his tusks for a brief moment. ¡°You have warriors. Use them.¡± He slammed a fist on the table, glaring before speaking again. ¡°If Vezz¡¯ok or Orjja dies, who cares? But if you die, there goes our cushy lives here, our pay, and maybe even our own lives if those inquisitors really will tear through the place.¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡± Arkk glowered. He had a point. The thought of throwing orcs to their deaths, even if they had once been attackers of his village, just didn¡¯t sit right with him. Maybe he would have agreed a few months ago. Not now that they had gotten to know each other, fought at Darkwood together, and generally just lived together for the last three months.

    ¡°Boys,¡± Ilya said, rubbing her forehead. She wore dark bags under her eyes. In fact, she had sported those dark bags ever since returning. Looking at how hard she had to try just to stay awake for this meeting, Arkk felt guilty about dragging her away from the two elf children. ¡°Please. Arkk doesn¡¯t even need to fight them since we want them to destroy the fake fortress. So it doesn¡¯t even matter.¡±

    Zullie adjusted her glasses with her middle finger. ¡°If they find the real fortress, what then?¡±

    ¡°Then we fight for real,¡± Arkk said, turning his attention to Zullie. ¡°I don¡¯t see how they would, though. Since sealing the crevasses in the ceilings, the only physical access comes in the form of the tunnels to the villages. All three entrances are well outside the area we¡¯re expecting the inquisitors to be searching. The tunnels themselves are filled with traps and are designed to be collapsible. The only connection from here to the false fortress is a tiny tunnel that even a rat would have a hard time squeaking through.¡±

    Arkk looked around slowly, watching everyone¡¯s faces. Rekk¡¯ar had gone back to glaring at the gorgon¡ªwhich really wasn¡¯t a wise decision in Arkk¡¯s humble opinion¡ªwhile everyone else had simply fallen silent. They had a plan. Arkk thought it was a pretty good plan. Most of the rest of them had agreed at one point or another. This meeting served just one purpose. Making sure everyone was on the same page.

    ¡°You requesst our pressence in thesse fightss?¡± the gorgon asked, hissing voice making everyone except Arkk and Vezta jump.

    This meeting served two purposes. ¡°When I initially made these plans, I didn¡¯t know I would have gorgon joining us. You¡¯re here because I wanted to keep you, and the rest of the gorgon by extension, informed of the goings on around Fortress Al-Mir. If you have input, I¡¯ll happily accept it. However¡­ your presence might be detrimental to what we hope to accomplish here. We want to lure them in and have them think they¡¯ve won. If they see gorgon in the halls, they¡¯ll likely run away and call down the Duke¡¯s army on us.¡±

    The gorgon nodded his head. ¡°I undersstand.¡±

    ¡°That said¡­ while I didn¡¯t plan for your presence, gorgon standing at our backs would be a great boon if we do have to fight for real.¡±

    Khan nodded, tongue darting out of his mouth before snapping back in.

    ¡°While you¡¯re here, how are you and your people settling in? Is there anything you need?¡±

    Khan closed his eyes, letting out a nasal hum. ¡°Not at thiss moment. We are enjoying our new homess and belliess filled with real meat.¡±

    ¡°Good. Good. Keep me posted if that changes,¡± Arkk said. ¡°And if your people are getting bored and want something to do, let me know what skills they have and I¡¯ll see if I can¡¯t get them doing something. Otherwise¡­ continue enjoying yourselves?¡± Looking over the group once more, Arkk nodded. ¡°If there are no other comments about the next few days,¡± he said, pausing a moment to see if anyone said anything. ¡°Meeting over. Zullie, stay a moment.¡±

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    The witch, who had started to stand, stopped and dropped back into her chair. Vezta remained directly behind Arkk. Ilya didn¡¯t move. Rekk¡¯ar remained seated as well. Olatt¡¯an stood and, with a gracious nod of his head, started toward the door, only to pause and let Khan exit first before following after. They turned in opposite directions just before the door swung shut behind them.

    Arkk glanced around at the people who stayed behind. ¡°I assume you all have something else to discuss?¡± he asked, already feeling like he knew what the topic was.

    ¡°Are you sure it is a good idea having the gorgon around, Arkk?¡± Ilya asked, first to speak. ¡°John said one stopped by the other day and nearly frightened him to death.¡±

    ¡°Zharja. I¡¯m pretty sure she got lost, though she wouldn¡¯t admit it. Hale went on and on about how pretty her scales were. I didn¡¯t think it was much of a problem.¡±

    ¡°Hale would¡ª¡±

    ¡°One threatened my blacksmith,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, fist hitting the table.

    Arkk sighed. After finding Zharja wandering around, he had run through a quick check to make sure nothing had happened. Given that Zharja hadn¡¯t attacked him at the mine entrance, he doubted that she would have randomly attacked anyone. Someone getting scared and attacking first would have been a different story but no incident had occurred.

    ¡°I spoke with Perr¡¯ok. He said she just asked a few questions. Even offered to make her armor¡ª¡±

    ¡°As an appeasement,¡± Rekk¡¯ar growled. ¡°I said no gorgon and now you¡¯re bringing them to meetings like this?¡±

    ¡°You said you didn¡¯t want to fight gorgon. You aren¡¯t. Khan is an employee, same as you. They stick to their section of the fortress for the most part. Even when they don¡¯t, they aren¡¯t attacking.¡± Arkk shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so frightened of them. Everyone in this room is dangerous. I could fry you with two words. Vezta could tear apart everyone here at the same time. Zullie is a powerful spellcaster who knows more magic than I could even guess at. Ilya could put an arrow through your head from the next mountain over¡ª¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t bring me into this¡­¡±

    ¡°¡ªand you hang around with a man called the Ripthroat on the regular. They can turn you to stone, so what? At least that is reversible.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re cold-blooded snakes. They don¡¯t think like you or me.¡±

    ¡°They are intelligent, reasoning beings. That¡¯s enough for me,¡± Arkk said with a shake of his head. ¡°Frankly, I¡¯m more concerned about our other¡­ guest.¡± Turning his head toward Zullie, Arkk tried to force the subject onto what he actually wanted to ask. ¡°How is Savren settling in?¡±

    ¡°Unhappily. Although not in chains, I think he feels like he is a prisoner here. He sticks around in his room most of the time, thankfully, but he stops by the library often enough that I have taken to facing the door at all times.¡±

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t tried any magic on you?¡±

    ¡°Would I know if he had? A perplexing question. I¡¯ve been setting up systems around my room, little reminders that, if I suddenly can¡¯t remember, I¡¯ll know he did something. And that is in addition to a few warning spells I¡¯ve had active around me. That said, he might try something far more subtle that I won¡¯t easily be able to detect.¡± Zullie shuddered to herself. ¡°Are we sure we need him? Even aside from his concerning magical knowledge, the way he speaks is just¡­ slimy.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who said we aren¡¯t going to easily be able to find people of your level for the ritual. I still have no idea where we are going to find another.¡± Arkk paused, then added, ¡°You have checked Savren, right? He will work? Because if he doesn¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, he will suffice.¡±

    ¡°Then we deal with him for now. If he makes himself a problem, we get rid of him. I don¡¯t suppose you checked the gorgon to see if any of them are magically capable?¡±

    Zullie¡¯s violet eyes flicked across the table. ¡°Not to give into my associate¡¯s paranoia¡ª¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar snorted.

    ¡°¡ªbut I would rather not be alone with them either.¡±

    Arkk glanced over his shoulder. ¡°Vezta, can you assist Zullie?¡±

    ¡°I am beginning to feel stretched thin, Master.¡±

    ¡°I know. You have a lot on your plate, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Ilya said, sitting forward. ¡°I can stick with Zullie when she needs someone else around.¡±

    Zullie glanced over, flipping a lock of black hair over her head in the process. ¡°You might be able to put an arrow through his head from a good distance but what good are you up close and personal with a gorgon?¡±

    Ilya¡¯s eyes flashed in irritation. ¡°You want moral support or not?¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t going to attack,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Probably. The four older ones for sure. They¡­¡± He shared a look with Vezta. ¡°They¡¯re loyal with very little doubt. Half of the younger ones follow the elders. The other two¡­ I¡¯m keeping a close eye on them. They¡¯ve hardly left their lairs, however, and then only to eat.¡±

    Zullie drummed her fingers on the table. ¡°Fine. On the condition that if even one of them is a capable spellcaster, we get rid of Savren.¡±

    ¡°But we need two¡ª¡±

    ¡°Look, I signed up for magical research, not for dealing with monsters.¡± A strange look came over Zullie¡¯s face as she glanced at Vezta. ¡°No offense.¡±

    ¡°If one of them is capable, we can run the ritual immediately and get rid of Savren after. We¡¯ll turn him over to a burg to deal with.¡±

    ¡°Might as well kill him yourself,¡± Rekk¡¯ar grumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t like getting your hands dirty?¡±

    Arkk drew in a breath, glaring down Rekk¡¯ar. He was getting a bit irritated with the orc¡¯s demeanor. Rekk¡¯ar had a number of valid complaints, it was true, but he was so abrasive about it that Arkk couldn¡¯t help but find it grating. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly willing to get my hands dirty when it benefits me. In this situation, turning the Hope Killer over to a burg, captured by Company Al-Mir, serves me to a far greater extent.¡±

    Something about Arkk¡¯s comment made Rekk¡¯ar smile. Not the angry bearing of his tusks but a smile. A nasty, unpleasant smile. ¡°Good,¡± the orc said, standing. ¡°Keep the gorgon away from me.¡±

    Without another word, Rekk¡¯ar left the meeting room, leaving the door to shut behind him.

    A long moment of silence followed before Zullie stood as well. ¡°If we¡¯re done, I suppose I best ready my materials for testing the gorgon. Would you kindly transport me to the library?¡±

    With a nod of his head, Arkk made a vague and entirely unnecessary motion with his hand. Zullie vanished, leaving just him, Ilya, and Vezta. Arkk drew in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh.

    ¡°You alright?¡± Ilya asked softly.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I saw this fracture coming when I decided to try to recruit the gorgon. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing but I couldn¡¯t not do it. They have abilities that are just so¡­ useful.¡±

    ¡°When did you start thinking like that?¡± Ilya asked. ¡°Useful to keep the gorgon. Useful to send a man to his death¡ª¡±

    ¡°First of all, that man is a remorseless murderer who tried to kill me the moment we met and might have ended up killing an entire village if his ritual circle went undisturbed for too long.¡±

    ¡°Still¡­¡±

    Arkk just shook his head. He had goals. Rescuing Alya wasn¡¯t going to be easy. Deposing the Duke? Even harder. He well knew that he would have to make some tough decisions at some point. Handing a murderer over for trial under the laws of the land was not one of them.

    ¡°What about you? Following Zullie around? What about the two elf kids?¡±

    ¡°John and Hale have been spending time with them. They¡¯re¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do. They seem better with Hale especially. Something to distract me for a while sounds like a good thing, honestly. This isn¡¯t something I¡¯m looking forward to telling my mother about.¡±

    ¡°I could¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. This is mine to deal with.¡± Ilya rested a hand on Arkk¡¯s arm before letting her fingers fall away as she stood. ¡°I¡¯ll head out as well, I suppose. See when Zullie wants to test the gorgon.¡±

    ¡°Alright. But don¡¯t push yourself too hard,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Get some rest, especially before tomorrow.¡±

    Ilya shot him a funny look. ¡°Yeah,¡± was all she said before stepping out of the room.

    Arkk leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting to the maze-like pattern on the ceiling. He traced a few long pathways, moving endlessly within those lines before his vision started to fuzz over from the repetitive patterns. Shaking his head, he turned. ¡°Any thoughts?¡±

    Vezta offered a slight bow. ¡°I think you are operating optimally under the circumstances. I apologize for not being able to do more¡ª¡±

    ¡°Your scrying is a valuable duty and I lean on you hard for help managing the servants, learning more about the fortress, teaching Zullie as much magic as you can, working with Zullie over the ritual, and your fighting skills and¡­¡±

    ¡°Still, it pains me to not be able to fulfill a task upon being asked.¡±

    ¡°Physically painful?¡±

    Vezta stared a moment before laughing. A musical, uplifting laugh. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure he had ever heard the servant laugh before.

    ¡°No,¡± Vezta said with a smile on her face.

    The smile was a bit much. Although he could tell that her mannerisms were well-meant, it still was a smile too wide with a few too many teeth.

    Shaking off the sudden reminder of her vastly inhuman nature, Arkk returned her smile. ¡°Well, I hope I¡¯m doing right by you.¡±

    ¡°Of course you are, Master.¡±

 Sick Tension

    If Arkk had known how little he would have had to do, he might have been able to sleep. Knowing that he had forgotten something, that some part of his plan was faulty, that something would go wrong had filled him with enough anxiety that he wound up sitting awake in bed, going over everything even as the hours ticked by. Arkk now found himself sitting in the meeting room, twiddling his thumbs, wondering if he had over-planned everything.

    Using a crystal ball, he had watched the inquisitors round up all the volunteers¡ªa total of about fifty people, only a small number of whom were mercenaries¡ªand their meeting. The crystal balls didn¡¯t provide sound but he could guess at what they were saying from the motions to the map on the wall and the way they all split apart into groups. They were organizing how to search the Cursed Forest.

    After about an hour, they took off, marching toward the border of the Cursed Forest. Most of the people were on foot but a small handful, including the inquisitors, were mounted on horseback. Despite their horses, they stuck close to the groups of walkers. Arkk assumed their horses were more for rapidly communicating with others rather than for searching. The ten groups of five were spread out far enough that there were fairly significant gaps between them.

    They were not making good time. In fact, they were slow enough as they wandered back and forth in wavy patterns that Arkk wondered if they were planning on camping out overnight partway across. Having started from Stone Hearth Burg in the southwest, they would have to cross more than half of the Cursed Forest before they came across the false fortress. They would also pass over the actual fortress well in advance of that.

    All-in-all, Arkk had stressed out over what was turning out to be a rather dull morning. At their current pace, they wouldn¡¯t even arrive until the next day.

    ¡°Vezta,¡± Arkk said, glancing over to the other occupied seat at the table. When it became apparent that today wouldn¡¯t see any significant activity, he had sent Ilya, Rekk¡¯ar, Zullie, and Khan off to do whatever they wanted to do, leaving just him and Vezta keeping an eye on matters. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask but have gotten consistently distracted¡­ How come I couldn¡¯t hire on the two elf children?¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many reasons. If they were already bound to another Keeper, that would stop you. I doubt that is the case given the current state of the world. The Darkwood Keeper was likely an anomaly.¡± Vezta looked up from her own crystal ball, though a few of her spare eyes dotted around her body maintained their focus. ¡°A few other magically binding loyalty agreements might similarly block your ability to hire. However, let me ask you this: Did you want to hire them?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I needed to get them here and intended to use Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s magic to do so.¡±

    ¡°You wanted to use the fortress magic, but did you want to hire them? Put them to work in your rooms, have them assist your operations, and protect and serve you?¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, frowning. ¡°I hired Hale for much the same reasons. I needed to get her here and away from the inquisitors.¡±

    ¡°You intended to use her for the ritual. For the elves, you saw their misbegotten state and rejected the notion of inflicting additional problems on them by having them serve you. The [HEART] is aware of your intentions.¡±

    Drumming his fingers on the table, Arkk hummed. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll grant it that. But if it is aware of what I want, why do I feel like the elf children are prisoners?¡±

    ¡°Because they are. The function of taking captives is far more automatic than hiring. You effectively sequestered the elves away in their own section of the fortress and are preventing them from leaving. Regardless of your wants they are prisoners. That affords you certain control over them. The magic of the [HEART] treats them as if they are property, which is why you can transport them around at will.¡±

    ¡°Can I?¡± Arkk asked, focusing on the prisoner link between him and the elf children. He hadn¡¯t tried moving them around. Not since initially transporting them from Smilesville to the fortress and that had been in his arms. Thinking about it now, he found Vezta¡¯s claim accurate. ¡°They really aren¡¯t prisoners, though. They aren¡¯t locked into their rooms or anything.¡±

    ¡°It is a power dynamic. Were they older, stronger, or simply capable of defending themselves, you would likely have to be a bit more thorough to keep the magic identifying them as prisoners. Yet they are children. Powerless children.

    ¡°Forgive me for speaking of my former master yet again, but I will say that he had entire rooms the size of the orc barracks dedicated to containing prisoners. Deep pits and oubliettes with large spikes keeping even the most deft of climbers from escaping. Magic dampening kept them from using any mystical methods of escape.¡±

    ¡°Multiple rooms the size of the orc barracks? How many captives did he keep?¡± Arkk could understand needing some space for captivity. If he had one of those pits, he might have been tempted to throw Savren inside. Keeping thirty or more captives in a single room and having several of those rooms?

    Arkk hoped he didn¡¯t have that many enemies.

    ¡°He fought in wars. Quite successfully, I might add. To further bolster his ranks, any captured alive would be¡­ tempted to join him. He had minions in his employ who specialized in methods to convince people that life was better under him.¡±

    ¡°The emphasis you are putting on certain words is concerning.¡±

    Vezta merely smiled.

    Arkk didn¡¯t bother asking for more details. He wasn¡¯t quite sure he wanted to hear all that much about her former master. Instead, Arkk asked, ¡°Do you remember the schematics for one of those prison rooms?¡±

    ¡°I truly only know basic rooms, rooms that my former master created while possessing me. A prison was not one of those rooms, unfortunately. However, a pit with spikes around the sides is simple enough to construct. The magical wards may be more difficult.¡±

    ¡°Zullie should be able to help with that, right?¡±

    ¡°I shall ask, if you would like. Although¡­¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Arkk said with a sigh. ¡°You¡¯re stretched thin.¡±

    ¡°While I appreciate the trust you put in me to manage so many of your affairs, I do feel as if my talents are being appropriated improperly.¡± Vezta demurely motioned to the crystal ball in front of her. ¡°Scrying is something I am capable of even while working on other matters, however it is a simple, base task that any of your minions should be able to accomplish with minimal training. Offloading at least that much onto others would allow me to focus more energies on more important matters.¡±

    Humming, Arkk nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Dakka if any of the orcs are interested in learning to scry. Keep it up for now, however,¡± he said, standing. ¡°I¡¯ll be back shortly. Alert me if¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, looking into the crystal ball at the handful of people trudging through the desolate wasteland that was the Cursed Forest. ¡°Well, if anything happens. Doubt anything will, though.¡±

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Of course, Master.¡±

    Arkk transported himself out of the meeting room. Not to Dakka¡ªwho was personalizing some of the new armor Arkk had ordered for everyone using some kind of red paint she got from who knew where¡ªbut to the section of the fortress he had cordoned off for the two elf children. It wasn¡¯t far from his and Ilya¡¯s rooms, just around the corner, and wasn¡¯t technically restricted to any of his minio¡ªany of his employees. To the best of his knowledge, only Ilya, Hale, and John had visited them since their arrival.

    Even Arkk had been avoiding them as much as possible. Part of that was because he had been running around the nation, working. The other part was just that Arkk found them a bit¡­ unnerving. They barely spoke to anyone, or so he had heard from Hale and John, and didn¡¯t do anything either. When nobody was around, they just sat inside their quarters and that was it. It wasn¡¯t living so much as it was languishing.

    As Keeper of Fortress Al-Mir, he had brought them in. They were his responsibility. Avoiding them forever wasn¡¯t going to fix anything.

    He had no idea what to do.

    Ilya, currently speaking with Olatt¡¯an in the canteen, wasn¡¯t with them at the moment. Hale was having an impromptu lesson with Zullie.

    Knocking at the door, Arkk waited. It didn¡¯t take long for the door to swing open. Neither of the elves opened it. Instead, John stood in the doorway. The old carpenter had a long apron on that was covered in little chips of wood. A few metal tools poked out of his pockets and he held a small block of wood, partially carved on one side, in his hand.

    Having peeked into the room, Arkk had known that John was there. In the past few days, John had taken up the task of teaching the elf children to whittle wood. It was a good hobby and one Arkk approved of. There wasn¡¯t much else for children to do here, unfortunately. Not unless he put them to work.

    ¡°Arkk?¡± John asked, a bit of shock on his face. ¡°Did something go wrong with the inquisitors?¡±

    ¡°No. Nothing like that. I doubt they¡¯re even going to be here before tomorrow. Maybe not even then. I got worked up over nothing¡ªor at least too early¡ªand now I¡¯m mostly looking to take my mind off things.¡± Arkk leaned slightly to one side, looking over John¡¯s shoulder.

    Both of the elves dropped their gazes the moment he looked their way. They didn¡¯t flinch away and the young girl didn¡¯t fix him with a glare like the first time they had met. That felt like a fairly large improvement to Arkk.

    Both held wooden blocks in their hands. The girl¡¯s was a bit of a mess. Even taking a closer look with his Keeper vision, he couldn¡¯t tell at all what it was supposed to be. The boy¡¯s, on the other hand, was a horse. It looked like something he had been working on for a few days at least, given the detail.

    ¡°How are they doing?¡± Arkk asked, looking back to John.

    John glanced back for just a moment before stepping out into the hall, letting the door shut behind him. ¡°Better than when I first saw them,¡± he said with a mild sigh. ¡°Yavin has taken to woodwork like he was born to do it. Might have done it in the past, don¡¯t know, they don¡¯t talk about their time before coming here. Honestly, might ask him if he is interested in more professional work.¡± At that, John shot Arkk a mild glare.

    ¡°Hale still wants to do woodwork, doesn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°You and I both know that won¡¯t last. The girl has been spending more and more time with that witch. Comes back every day with some new scribbles to draw on the floor,¡± he said with a sad shake of his head. ¡°Don¡¯t think she ever was this excited about new carving techniques.¡±

    Arkk couldn¡¯t help his smile. ¡°There¡¯s something special about blowing up your first ritual circle,¡± he said with a nostalgic sigh.

    John raised an eyebrow. ¡°Hale hasn¡¯t blown anything up.¡±

    ¡°Really? Huh.¡±

    ¡°Anyhow, Yavin is doing well. I am a bit worried about Nyala though. She¡­ Rather than carving wood, she mostly just¡­ mutilates it.¡±

    ¡°Woodwork isn¡¯t for everyone,¡± Arkk said with a withering laugh.

    ¡°If it was just that, I wouldn¡¯t be concerned.¡± John rubbed the back of his head, tossing a glance at the closed door. As if they could hear through it, he dropped his voice to a quiet whisper. ¡°She¡¯s got some anger issues but she hides them well. They really just come out when she has a whittling knife and block of wood in hand. Don¡¯t think she likes me much either. Doesn¡¯t hide that quite as well.¡±

    Arkk hummed, leaning up against the stone wall. ¡°Think they want to get out of here?¡±

    ¡°They haven¡¯t said anything like that to me,¡± John said with a negative shake of his head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bet against it, however.¡±

    ¡°We left our horse back at Darkwood,¡± Arkk said with a frown. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to see if I can¡¯t purchase a new one. I noticed Yavin¡¯s carving was a horse. Maybe he would like to go. And Nyala¡­ think she would rather have a book instead of a block of wood?¡± None of the books currently in the fortress were well-suited to children. In fact, almost every tome was a book on magic in some variety or other. ¡°Can she read?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t really judge that. Not too literate myself.¡± John shrugged. ¡°You want to take them to town? Now?¡±

    ¡°As I said, I doubt the inquisitors will be around before tomorrow at the earliest. As long as we don¡¯t go too far, I¡¯ll be able to instantly transport everyone back here if there is an emergency.¡±

    Besides that, if they stopped by at Stone Hearth Burg, maybe he could get some information from anyone who heard Inquisitor Vrox¡¯s speech and see if he couldn¡¯t get a few more details on exactly what their plans were out here. Arkk didn¡¯t like to call that an ulterior motive. Just using every opportunity to its fullest potential.

    ¡°Well,¡± John said, ¡°we can ask them.¡±

    Nodding, Arkk motioned for John to reenter the room first.

    The door swung open on its own as soon as they decided to head back inside. The two elves were still on the floor. Neither looked like they had moved much in the short time they had been alone. Yavin, having picked up his knife again, did have a slightly larger pile of shavings around his feet.

    Their room was fairly barebones. Plain beds. Plain walls. The only thing of real note was the woven reeds covering the floor and the odd give they had when stepped on. Like the floor wasn¡¯t perfectly stable. Their room, like every other personal room in Fortress Al-Mir, used the magic of the living room to generate customized living space. Arkk wondered if the bare-bones nature of the room came from them being considered prisoners or if they just didn¡¯t have well-formed desires for their living quarters.

    ¡°Hey kids,¡± Arkk said, feeling incredibly awkward all of a sudden. He had barely said more than twenty words to either of them. Did they even know who he was? ¡°Don¡¯t know if you remember me. I came to meet you when you first came here. My name is Arkk. I run this place.¡±

    Both kids stared at him. Yavin had his eyes locked somewhere around Arkk¡¯s chest, not lifting his eyes up to Arkk¡¯s face. On the other hand, Nyala looked at him directly in the face. Her eyes were the picture of innocence but something¡ªa hint through the prisoner link they shared¡ªleaked defiance. She was testing him. Perhaps checking to see if he would beat her if she openly stared at him.

    ¡°So,¡± Arkk said. ¡°You might remember I gave each of you a gold coin? Not much place to spend it here, is there? I was thinking about heading into one of the local burgs¡ªI¡¯m in the market for a horse,¡± he said, trying not to give a meaningful look at Yavin. The boy did raise his eyes, however. ¡°I thought to myself, why not see if either of you wants to go to town with me? I don¡¯t know that any horses will be on the market but I have a few books and other things to gather at the same time,¡± he said, this time trying to gauge Nyala¡¯s reaction.

    She didn¡¯t react. Her facial expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest.

    Arkk suppressed a shudder, wondering exactly what these kids had been through before deciding that he was probably better off not knowing.

    ¡°Or whatever else strikes our fancy,¡± he finished, feeling a bit lame about it. ¡°Any takers?¡± When they didn¡¯t respond after a long few moments, Arkk glanced at John. ¡°John will be coming as well.¡±

    ¡°I will?¡±

    ¡°And Ilya, if that will make you feel better about coming,¡± Arkk said, ignoring John¡¯s surprised look.

    Finally, the young boy spoke. ¡°Horses?¡±

    One word. Still, that was one word more than Arkk had ever heard from them. ¡°Horses. If I can find one to buy, how would you like to visit it here at the stables?¡±

    For their old horse, one of the rooms had been converted into a straw-filled pasture-like room. It probably wasn¡¯t as good as being able to roam an open field but it was all they had. Maybe after the inquisitors left, they could build something topside. But that land was still a dry, dead wasteland.

    The boy considered Arkk¡¯s words for a moment before simply nodding his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m going too,¡± Nyala said. She spoke clearly, not breaking her eye contact with Arkk. Lacking the trodden look she had sported upon their first meeting, Arkk might have overlooked some of her oddities if he hadn¡¯t known better. She almost sounded normal there. Except¡­ not quite.

    Arkk noted two things. First was the subtle anger that John had mentioned. Arkk got the impression that he wasn¡¯t too well-liked either.

    The other thing was that this was yet another test. She hadn¡¯t asked if she could come or said she would come. She effectively demanded to come. Arkk didn¡¯t mind. He imagined her former owner would have been a bit harsher in his treatment after getting those simple three words in response to a question.

    ¡°Great,¡± Arkk said, hoping his smile didn¡¯t look too forced. ¡°Let me go speak with Ilya and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±

 Fresh Air

    Stone Hearth Burg was a typical example of a walled burg within the Duchy. Three months ago, Arkk would have said that it was quite a large place. That was really only in comparison to Langleey, however. In comparison to most of the burgs he had visited in his travels, it was on the smaller side. One unusual facet of the burg was that almost every building was predominantly made from stone rather than wood. Or a stone-wood mix, generally with a stone foundation and wooden roofs.

    The abundance of building material came from the quarry a stone¡¯s toss from the main burg. Allegedly, most of the stone structures within the Duchy, including almost all churches and the majority of Cliff, got their stone from here. With such a chief export, Arkk was a bit surprised at its small size.

    ¡°Can we¡­ pet the horses?¡±

    Arkk glanced down in mild surprise as Yavin asked a question. Following the elven boy¡¯s eyes, Arkk found one of the things they had come here for. A short hike outside the burg itself was a large stable with an expansive pasture fenced off from the wilds. Having asked around in town, Arkk had been directed out here. One family owned most of the workhorses that were used in and around the burg. Mostly in the quarry.

    ¡°Of course we can,¡± Hale said, flashing a smile at the elf. She tried to grasp hold of Yavin¡¯s hand but the young elf flinched away from her. Undaunted, Hale took a few steps away and started waving. ¡°Come on!¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Arkk said. He didn¡¯t want to stop their fun but felt it would be best for them to not be traipsing around someone¡¯s property right before he tried to make any kind of business deal with them. ¡°Let¡¯s see if they have anything for sale first. If they do, you can ride it home. If not, you have to ask the owner first.¡±

    Hale shot him a glare but Arkk shrugged it off. Yavin looked at him as if he forgot that Arkk was there. After a short minute, he simply nodded his head in a slow and hesitant affirmation that he understood, moving back to partially hide behind John.

    Arkk tried to hide his sigh. He didn¡¯t know why Yavin was so afraid of him. Was it just that he was new, relatively speaking? Arkk hadn¡¯t done anything to the boy to give cause to that kind of reaction.

    Nyala, on the other hand, simply stared straight ahead. Even with the numerous horses grazing and running about in the pasture, she didn¡¯t even blink in their direction. Ilya stood just behind her, looking down at the young elf with a frown on her face.

    Arkk shook his head. He wasn¡¯t quite sure why he decided to do this. Mostly to get his mind off the inquisitors and their search. That was a task he could have accomplished doing just about anything else.

    Reaching the large door of the manor attached to the main stables, Arkk lifted the large knocker and tapped it down three times.

    The man who answered wore a flat cap and brown vest and had a scraggly graying beard. As soon as he stepped into the sun, he narrowed his eyes into thin squints as he looked from Arkk to the others with him.

    Arkk quickly explained that he had heard that there might be horses for sale. It didn¡¯t take long to be led out into the stables where a much younger man had a horse¡¯s leg up on a small bench. The farrier was scraping and polishing the horse¡¯s hoof, readying it for a fresh horseshoe. Yavin and Hale both walked a little slower as they moved past.

    ¡°I¡¯ve only got one I¡¯m willing to part with at the moment,¡± the old man said. He let out a loud whistle at the entrance to the pasture. Rather than call the horses, the whistle had one of the stablehands rushing over. After a few words between them, the old man turned back to Arkk. ¡°She¡¯s getting on in age¡ªhad ¡¯er since I was a boy¡ªbut still has some years left in ¡¯er.¡±

    Arkk looked at the man a second time. If the horse had been around since he was young, that must have been an old horse indeed. ¡°We don¡¯t plan on working her hard. If she can haul a small cart between burgs now and again, that¡¯ll be enough for us.¡±

    The old man bobbed his head up and down in acknowledgment, clasping his hands behind his slightly bowed back. ¡°Lucky you. Some of the boys earlier were thinking about taking her.¡±

    ¡°What changed their minds?¡±

    ¡°Me. Said they were heading into the Cursed Forest.¡±

    Arkk stilled, practically feeling the awkward atmosphere behind him. A quick glance through his Keeper vision showed John and Ilya throwing each other a look. Neither of the two elves reacted. Hale opened her mouth only to be hushed by John.

    ¡°Once I ¡¯eard that,¡± the old man continued, ignorant of the commotion behind him, ¡°I told them all to get lost. They want to get themselves cursed, fool¡¯s on them. Don¡¯t want the poor horses involved.¡±

    ¡°Huh. What¡­ uh¡­ could they be doing in the Cursed Forest?¡±

    ¡°You heard of it?¡±

    ¡°I grew up not far from Smilesville.¡±

    ¡°Then I ¡¯ope you¡¯re smart enough to avoid it. A bunch of church-types from the city convinced a bunch of idiots to go running around inside for a few days. Mostly foreign types. Not locals. Paying well but not well enough if the boys never ¡¯ave a chance to spend it.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Arkk said again, this time in genuine curiosity rather than an awkward attempt at finding something to say. Nobody in Langleey Village thought much about the Cursed Forest. There were rumors that people who entered would be cursed but most didn¡¯t put much stock in them. He and Ilya had ventured in, a short distance, in their youth and got nothing more than a stern talking-to over it. Abbess Keena had hardly blinked when he mentioned traveling through it¡­ at least until he brought over Vezta.

    It made him wonder what kind of superstitions and rumors surrounded the place in the other nearby burgs. Not enough to ask, however. If this guy didn¡¯t want to sell to people involved with the Cursed Forest, he didn¡¯t want to talk about it. That increased the chance that he¡ªor maybe Hale¡ªwould let something slip.

    Luckily, the stablehand who had run off earlier was on his way back, bringing with him a tall black horse with white stockings up to its knees. Even with some graying hairs, she was still a beautiful horse. Muscular and sturdy. Quite docile as well, not at all fighting the stablehand as he led it over to the stables.

    ¡°Clover,¡± the old man said. ¡°A good horse. Calm and eager to work. Too old to work in the quarry now but should suit your needs.¡±

    Arkk nodded, walking up to the horse from her side. ¡°Hello, Clover,¡± he said softly. He held out his hand, letting the horse smell him. He gave it a few moments before rubbing the sole white streak from her nose up to the top of her head. Glancing back to John and Yavin, Arkk gave them a small nod of his head as he went over to haggle with the old man.

    Yavin and Hale practically rushed up to the horse. Nyala didn¡¯t move, leading to Ilya leaning down to her. ¡°Not interested in horses?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even want to try petting it?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Ilya pressed her lips together and shot Arkk a look. He could only give her a shrug before he had to focus on the business.

    The old man wanted a few too many silver in Arkk¡¯s opinion. With the size of Al-Mir¡¯s treasury, he didn¡¯t mind but still commented. He probably would have laughed and walked away if he heard the price a few months ago. Now, he just pulled out a pair of gold coins. ¡°If you throw in a proper harness and fresh shoes.¡±

    No longer in direct sun, it was obvious when the old man narrowed his eyes at the coins. He took one, examining it closely. Arkk was well used to the suspicion by now. Hardly anyone walked around with gold coins. Everyone had to test them in their own ways, whether that was biting into them or tossing them into some alchemical potion.

    The old man didn¡¯t do more than stare, however. ¡°Where did you say you were from again?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Arkk, leader of Company Al-Mir. A free company that does work all over the Duchy. I was born in Langleey Village, however.¡±

    ¡°Al-Mir¡­¡± the old man grumbled rolling one of the coins between his fingers. ¡°Sounds familiar.¡±

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    ¡°Really?¡± Arkk stood a little straighter. ¡°Well, that¡¯s great news. We¡¯ve been fairly unknown for a while now but I¡¯ve been taking on some high-profile jobs to try to get our name out there. Was it Silver City? Hope¡¯s Rest?¡± It felt like those were a bit too recent for word to have spread so far so quickly but then again, they were large jobs. Silver City¡¯s gorgon problem was the highest-value job for months and while he hadn¡¯t turned in Savren, the Hope incident wasn¡¯t far behind.

    Rather than answer him, however, the old man just hummed and then clenched his fist around the gold coin. ¡°Well, if this is good, I suppose we can part with her old harness. It¡¯s in fairly good condition.¡±

    ¡°And the shoes?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have Harry take care of those after Goldy,¡± he said, nodding back down the stables where Arkk had spotted the farrier earlier.

    ¡°Excellent. We¡¯ll be back later then.¡±

    <hr>

    The prisoner bond between Arkk and Nyala broke.

    It was not a subtle thing.

    Walking down Stone Hearth¡¯s market, casually browsing for anything that caught his eye while making his way toward the local garrison, Arkk felt relatively at ease. The inquisitors hadn¡¯t put his name or depiction out for the whole town to see. Nobody cared that he was walking around in the open. Quickly peeking in on Vezta showed nothing alarming either.

    All-in-all, visiting the town was a distraction most welcome.

    Until the warning bells hammered in the back of his mind. He knew the prisoner bond broke immediately. It was just instinctual. The reason for the breakage was less clear.

    With the jolt, Arkk spun around. He made it just in time to see the glint of metal disappear into the sleeve of Nyala¡¯s tunic. Hale and Yavin were off to one side, looking at a vendor¡¯s selection of bolts of cloth. John had his arms crossed, watching the two of them. Ilya was just a step behind Arkk, a step ahead of Nyala.

    The young elf didn¡¯t make eye contact with Arkk. She didn¡¯t have any air of defiance anymore. In fact, staring at her, Arkk thought she looked rather nervous all of a sudden.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Ilya asked, noting the way Arkk spun around. She immediately started looking around, though her gaze remained on the crowd and not on the short elf just to her side.

    Looking around, Arkk tried to piece together what had just happened. It didn¡¯t take long. The immediate warning combined with the glimmer of light gave him more than enough information to guess that Nyala had just nabbed a knife as they passed by a butcher¡¯s stall. The butcher was distracted with wrapping up a cut of meat in a bit of brown parchment.

    Normally, such a butcher would have a large knife or hatchet to chop up his wares for those needing some but Arkk didn¡¯t see any blades on his counter.

    The power dynamic changed when she picked up and concealed the weapon. Thus the bond had broken. Probably. He would have to ask Vezta to be certain but, based on what she said earlier, that made the most sense in Arkk¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong,¡± Arkk said, glancing back at John. ¡°Mind checking out the cloth they¡¯re looking at? See if any of it looks like something our tailor can use.¡±

    Ilya gave him a flat look that said she knew there was more going on here. She even gave a brief glance to Nyala, who was still avoiding both their gazes. ¡°Sure,¡± she said after a moment.

    As she wandered off, Arkk knelt down. ¡°Nyala,¡± Arkk said, pulling out his own dagger. ¡°Tell you what. Why don¡¯t we trade?¡±

    The young elf¡¯s eyes went wide as they locked onto Arkk¡¯s blade. The actual blade wasn¡¯t out, sheathed in leather, and the hilt was facing her. That was still enough to make her hands shake. Arkk internally grimaced, wondering if she was taking it as a threat, but outwardly kept his stern look.

    ¡°You can keep it,¡± Arkk said. ¡°If you promise not to try to use it on anyone at the fortress.¡± He paused, thought, then added, ¡°Without their permission, anyway. Maybe you can find someone to teach you to actually use it. Maybe me, if I can find the time. Or, I¡¯m sure Ilya would be happy to teach you to use a bow.

    ¡°Or you can leave. I don¡¯t need you at the fortress. I don¡¯t want a prisoner or someone who feels like they¡¯re a prisoner. I don¡¯t want a slave either. You can walk away. Ilya might be upset but if you don¡¯t want to be there, she can¡¯t really complain. You can even keep the dagger when you walk away. But you can¡¯t keep that knife you stole.¡±

    Nyala¡¯s eyes snapped up to Arkk. ¡°I¡­ can leave?¡±

    ¡°Whenever you want. I¡¯ll even have the cook send you off with a load of food and that gold coin you got should take you far if you¡¯re careful with it.¡±

    ¡°I can go home?¡±

    Arkk shifted. ¡°The place you came from was effectively destroyed. I placed a rather large bounty on the heads of any slavers in the area of Marrowlands Fen but I haven¡¯t heard anything back yet.¡± Pausing, Arkk tilted his head as he considered. ¡°Actually, has Ilya asked you about your experience yet? Anything you can remember, any locations, landmarks, or even names and appearances of people who took you might help us find more of your people.¡±

    A look of strange confusion came over Nyala¡¯s face. Arkk thought she was merely thinking back, trying to remember things she likely didn¡¯t want to remember. However, she frowned and said, ¡°Marrowlands Fen?¡±

    ¡°Did your people have a different name for it? The large floating reed island was deserted except for a number of bodies when Ilya found it.¡±

    The look of confusion on Nyala¡¯s face didn¡¯t disappear. In fact, Arkk was pretty sure he only made it worse. She even mouthed ¡®floating?¡¯ to herself.

    ¡°You¡­ aren¡¯t from there, are you?¡± Arkk said slowly, feeling a spike in tension deep within his chest as he considered the ramifications of that. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me that Ilya kidnapped you.¡±

    If Ilya had attacked some innocent human who had taken in two elves and then dragged them all the way out here¡­

    No. Both elves, upon arriving at Smilesville, had been covered in bruises and welts. Yavin¡¯s ears had been clipped and Nyala still bore scars around her neck from, Arkk presumed, chains. Ilya might have been capable of misunderstanding a situation and attacked the wrong person, but she wouldn¡¯t have allowed them to come to such harm on the way back. They must have been slaves at one point in time.

    Nyala wasn¡¯t answering him. If she was the forthcoming sort, that might have worried him. As it was, he figured she was trying to figure out if she could trust him. However, the butcher was now looking around for his knife. Arkk held out his hand, shooting a pointed look at the butcher¡¯s knife peeking out from her sleeve.

    With little more than a small huff, she handed it over. The prisoner bond did not settle back into place, however. Instead, as she snatched the still-offered dagger from Arkk¡¯s other hand, a different, more familiar bond linked them together. The minion bond.

    Deciding to think over that later, he quickly handed over the knife to the butcher, claiming that he had dropped it, then rounded up Ilya and the others. Taking them away from the crowded areas of Stone Hearth Burg, Arkk found a quiet corner and rounded on them all with a frown.

    ¡°You,¡± Arkk started, pointing a finger at Yavin, only for the young elf boy to flinch and take up cover behind Hale. Sighing, Arkk closed his eyes. ¡°Sorry. Yavin,¡± he said, voice soft and gentle. ¡°Did you live on a floating island made from reeds?¡±

    ¡°What is this about?¡± Ilya asked, crossing her arms as she leaned her weight back on one heel.

    ¡°Just making sure we haven¡¯t had any severe communication issues as a result of¡­ everything,¡± Arkk said with a frown. He shook his head. It might have been prudent to pay a little more attention to the goings on of his fortress. Talking with the prisoners, even if they weren¡¯t really prisoners, should have been high on his list.

    ¡°Is that a knife?¡± Ilya hissed, stepping toward Nyala. The younger elf quickly slammed the blade back into its sheath and tried to hide it behind her back. ¡°Where¡ª¡±

    Arkk stopped Ilya with a hand on her shoulder. He gave a small shake of his head then knelt down and focused on Yavin just as he had with Nyala a few moments ago.

    ¡°Yavin, you might not want to think about it, but I need you to answer my questions. Okay? There isn¡¯t a wrong answer and nothing bad will happen no matter what you say. Understand?¡±

    The young boy looked around, first seeking help from Nyala¡ªwho was too focused on her new dagger to return his gaze¡ªthen to Hale. The latter, giving him a reassuring smile, made him nod his head.

    ¡°Okay. You were taken from your home, right? You didn¡¯t want to go to that human¡¯s house where Ilya found you?¡±

    Nonverbally, Yavin again nodded his head.

    ¡°Before that, where did you live? Floating islands?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered, voice small. ¡°Eures.¡±

    ¡°Eures. The name of the floating island?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Arkk offered the boy a smile. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, then turned to Nyala. ¡°You didn¡¯t live on Eures?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Wait,¡± Ilya said, looking paler than normal. ¡°You didn¡¯t live with that old human¡­ He beat you. I saw¡­¡±

    Nyala narrowed her eyes and then slowly shook her head. ¡°They took me while I was gathering berries outside¡­¡± Her eyes widened and she clamped her jaw shut. ¡°We¡¯re not supposed to talk about Hallow Hill.¡±

    ¡°Hallow Hill. An elf community?¡± Arkk asked. Nyala clamped her jaw once again, refusing to speak further. Instead, Arkk asked, ¡°When did they take you? Around the same time as Yavin?¡±

    Nyala shook her head. ¡°I was with the Master for a full month before he showed up.¡±

    From the corner of his eye, Arkk watched Yavin flinch, this time moving to position Hale between him and Nyala.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t siblings?¡±

    ¡°I thought the Master was replacing me¡­ until I overheard him wanting us to have ¡®beautiful elf babies¡¯ that he could raise as his own. Fresh and unspoiled.¡±

    Arkk wrinkled his nose as he glanced between the two elves. Their similar looks were¡­ what, chosen so that their children would have similar-looking kids? He had thought they were siblings but that¡­

    John started grinding his teeth together while Ilya let out a clipped gasp, covering her mouth with her hand. ¡°He didn¡¯t¡­ You didn¡¯t¡­¡±

    Nyala¡¯s fingers curled tighter around her dagger. Yavin didn¡¯t move. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure that either was an indication of a response. He wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to know.

    ¡°Was Hallow Hill attacked when you were taken?¡± Arkk asked, trying to focus on what he could do, not what had been done. ¡°Are there still people there? Your family?¡±

    Nyala looked at him with a heavy glare. ¡°I¡¯m not about to tell a human about it,¡± she said with a curled lip.

    Arkk slowly stood, nodding his head. ¡°If you were to leave right now, turn and walk away, would you be able to find your way home?¡±

    Nyala¡¯s glare faded as a look of uncertainty came over her. Her eyes darted around the outskirts of the market as if she was trying to figure out exactly where her home might be relative to where she was now. After a moment, she hung her head, staring at her feet.

    Arkk let out a sigh. He couldn¡¯t be sure that she didn¡¯t know¡ªshe might just be trying to fool him¡ªbut he felt it was likely. After having been dragged across the Duchy by Ilya and then taken however far away from her home by slavers, probably without seeing where she was going, it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise to find out that she had no idea where she was in the slightest.

    Still, that was a lead on other elf communities. Perhaps somewhere that would take in both Nyala and Yavin. Maybe people who would be interested in helping out with a ritual¡ªor even just tailoring¡ªif it meant helping out Ilya¡¯s mother. Perhaps one of the local garrisons would have information on Hallow Hill. Failing that, maybe someone back in Cliff could point him in the right direction.

    Until then¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the fortress for now.¡±

 Invasion

    ¡°Status report,¡± Arkk said as soon as he teleported into the meeting room.

    The previous day¡¯s outing had been a welcome distraction, enlightening, and worrisome all at the same time. Unfortunately¡ªor perhaps fortunately¡ªhe had other, more pressing matters to attend to now. Namely, the possible invasion of Fortress Al-Mir.

    Vezta had called him, tugging on their link, shortly after daybreak. He would have figured that this was too early for anyone to arrive, not having expected them until noon, and yet Arkk recognized some of the landscape displayed on the crystal ball in front of Vezta. Particularly, one of the dead husks of a petrified tree wasn¡¯t far from the fake ruins he had scattered around on the surface.

    Without looking up from the crystal ball, Vezta managed to make eye contact. ¡°It appears as if some of our guests got an early start this morning. They just stumbled over some of the bricks you left lying about.¡±

    ¡°I planted the bricks,¡± Arkk said idly. ¡°Leaving them about makes it sound like I made a mess and didn¡¯t clean it up.¡±

    Vezta didn¡¯t comment.

    ¡°There is an entrance hidden not far from where they are,¡± Arkk said, leaning into the crystal ball. ¡°Think they¡¯ll find it?¡±

    ¡°They definitely noticed the bricks. Before now, they were mostly meandering. Now they¡¯re actually searching.¡±

    Arkk looked over the group. Four people on foot. One on a horse. Judging by their attire, which was made up of well-made gambesons and well-fitting trousers, and their weapons which looked professionally made, this was one of the mercenary teams. The horse had an especially fancy caparison draped over it, colored white and red with little tent-like symbols patterned over it. That was the biggest tell. The caparison was for pure prestige. It wasn¡¯t practical to fight in and it wasn¡¯t even really practical to search a wasteland in.

    Honestly, Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what it was for. Parading about and showing off, he supposed. They probably had it on now to show off to any other mercenary groups who showed up. Or perhaps as an advertisement, passing through various villages on the way here who might have needed help.

    ¡°From what I learned in town yesterday, the inquisitors warned everyone that the ruins would likely be infested with dangerous monsters. They didn¡¯t mention you or even a creature from ¡®beyond the stars¡¯ or whatever, just that the teams were to report anything they found immediately rather than try to investigate on their own.¡±

    ¡°The horse hasn¡¯t run off yet,¡± Vezta said.

    Arkk nodded. Maybe they didn¡¯t consider a few crumbled bricks to be anything worth mentioning. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure Dakka and her team are ready, just in case. If they find the entrance or leave the area, let me know immediately.¡±

    ¡°Of course, Master.¡±

    Arkk disappeared before she even finished bowing in his direction.

    Unlike his normal efforts to avoid disturbing his employees, where Arkk would appear out of sight and then walk to them, Arkk now teleported directly into the meal hall. Dakka sat at one of the long tables along with a few other orcs, all still eating their breakfasts.

    Despite ostensibly being a mercenary company, Fortress Al-Mir was lax in discipline. People ate when they wanted, woke when they wanted, trained how and when they wanted, and otherwise went about their own business. As long as the teams he sent out to handle wolf culling or whatever other jobs he decided to accept actually did their jobs, he didn¡¯t care much how they went about it. Aside from Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s frequent issues about avoiding suicide missions, Arkk hadn¡¯t heard any complaints. He knew that orcs, or at least these orcs, took pride enough in their martial abilities to not fall into lazy habits.

    From their perspectives, they probably felt they had a decent job. He paid them a gold coin a month. There weren¡¯t many places to spend that money save for when they went out on their jobs. Still, a year of working for him would let them retire in relative wealth.

    In times like this, however, Arkk wondered if he was being a bit too lax. They looked slovenly, hunched over, barely awake. They had probably been drinking all evening despite knowing they might be needed today.

    Even Dakka looked sluggish in getting to her feet.

    ¡°Arkk,¡± she said, clearly putting effort into looking more alert than she actually was.

    Arkk looked over her and the four she was sitting with. ¡°How soon can you be ready?¡±

    Dakka glanced between her fellow orcs. Katt¡¯am, Orjja, and Farr¡¯an. Two others were part of her team for this but neither were present in the meal hall. Arkk hoped they were getting ready and weren¡¯t passed out somewhere.

    Nevertheless, Dakka looked him directly in the eye and said, ¡°Ten minutes.¡±

    Arkk was tempted to say that she only had five minutes but refrained. ¡°Ten minutes,¡± he said instead, letting her have the time she said she needed.

    ¡°Do we have intruders?¡±

    ¡°Not yet but a small group is close by. I want you on standby just in case.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be ready!¡± Dakka said, slamming a fist into her chest.

    Arkk hoped so. He still made a mental note to warn the orcs against excessive drinking the night before an operation¡­ especially because they were supposed to have been on standby the day before as well.

    Feeling a tug, Arkk teleported back to the meeting room. He looked at Vezta in mild confusion only to realize that it hadn¡¯t been her calling for his attention. Teleporting away without a word, Arkk reappeared in front of Zharja, the gorgon with the iridescent black scales. She wasn¡¯t in the gorgon section of the fortress but was actually in the library. Yet Zharja hadn¡¯t been the one to call him here either.

    Turning, Arkk frowned at the stone statue of Savren and then at Zullie, who was seated at a desk casually reading one of Savren¡¯s books on mind magics.

    Arkk let out a long sigh as he felt another tug, this time actually from Vezta. ¡°Now really isn¡¯t the time,¡± he said before teleporting back to Vezta.

    They could figure that out on their own. For now¡­

    ¡°Problems?¡±

    ¡°They found the entrance.¡±

    ¡°Already?¡± Arkk grimaced as he peeked in on Dakka and her team. They were still armoring up.

    ¡°You did leave footprints leading toward it. Once they started searching the area, it didn¡¯t take long for them to realize that some of the footprints weren¡¯t their own. Maybe some peasants would have missed it but this team knows what they are doing.¡± She paused and then added, ¡°They still haven¡¯t sent away their horseman to fetch the inquisitors. The rider dismounted and leashed the horse to one of the dead trees.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re going to investigate without informing the inquisitors.¡±

    ¡°Shall I interdict, Master?¡±

    Arkk frowned and slowly shook his head. ¡°Dakka will be ready in a few minutes. Unless they rush through, they won¡¯t get very far before she can intercept. I would rather have the team report orcs over you when they run away.¡±

    ¡°The inquisitors are already aware of my presence.¡±

    ¡°Yes but only in a general sense. You were last seen not far from Hope¡¯s Rest, which is pretty much on the other side of the Duchy. I was seen there too. If the inquisitors destroy the fake fortress without realizing we¡¯re present¡­ well, I don¡¯t know what then but it seems like a surprise we should keep secret as long as possible.¡±

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    ¡°If you¡¯re sure, Master¡­ It appears as if they are stumped by your door.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Arkk smiled, sitting next to Vezta to look into the crystal ball.

    A short staircase led down to the fairly shallow fortress. It was much closer to the surface than Fortress Al-Mir proper was. A few parts of it even poked out above the layer of crusty dirt, though they were fairly well disguised as Arkk didn¡¯t want to be too conspicuous. Following the staircase down, however, led the intruders to a large wooden door. At least, it looked like a door. It was fully fastened into place and not designed to move.

    One of the mercenaries had pulled out several metal rods that he then stuck into the locking mechanism. Which didn¡¯t function. He could try fiddling with the lock as much as he wanted and the door would never open. Arkk had intended for it to be broken down, hopefully by the inquisitors using their magic so that he might be able to see what kind of magic they used.

    Sure enough, the one picking the lock gave up after a few minutes. His friends admonished him, one even going so far as to swat him on the back of the head. After, they all started arguing with several making gestures toward the door.

    In a pique of curiosity, Arkk teleported out of the meeting room and reappeared on the other side of the door. The seal wasn¡¯t perfect on it which was good for him at the moment. It meant he could hear.

    ¡°¡ªgood thing! I wanted to tell the inquisitors.¡±

    ¡°We will. After we get first pick of the loot. Think we can knock it down?¡±

    Arkk jerked back as something heavy slammed into the opposite side of the door. After two extra thumps, the pounding stopped.

    ¡°Seems sturdy. Maybe if we had some tools.¡±

    ¡°Quit that! What if something heard you?¡±

    ¡°Like what? I asked around town. Lots of scary rumors about this so-called Cursed Forest but listen to the facts, not the superstition, and you realize nothing lives out here. No plants, no animals, certainly no monsters or the surrounding villages would be ravaged. There would be rumors of things attacking and yet there is nothing of the sort.¡±

    ¡°Inquisitors don¡¯t investigate places like this for no reason.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, they¡ª¡±

    ¡°This door is wood,¡± a new voice cut in.

    The statement got a few hearty scoffs. ¡°We have eyes, Frank.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but wood rots. This door isn¡¯t rotten at all. If this place had been sitting around for hundreds of years, there shouldn¡¯t be anything left of this door.¡±

    A long moment of silence stretched thin as the mercenaries quickly realized that there was someone out here.

    ¡°The inquisitors said there was a monster out here. What kind of monster puts up a door?¡±

    ¡°The worst monster of all. Human. Or demihuman.¡±

    ¡°Bah. That just means it is an easily defeated monster. You know what else wood does? It burns.¡±

    Letting out a sigh, Arkk teleported back to the meeting room just in time to watch Dakka march inside. The shortest orc looked much more alert now than she had a few minutes ago. His appearance made her stiffen, straightening her shoulders and neck. She wore her new armor. Orcs, having fairly tough bodies, generally only covered their chests with armor and left their arms bare. Not today. Dakka looked like a proper knight of the realm.

    Except, while the silhouette was right, her armor wasn¡¯t a shining silver color. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure where she had dug up whatever she had used as paint but the silver was tarnished and blackened with angry red lines jagged across the breastplate. Combined with the ominous spikes on her shoulders and arms that the orcs had insisted on despite Arkk¡¯s complaints, she presented an imposing look. Once she donned the spiked helmet that she held under her arm, it was doubtful that anyone would realize she was an orc.

    ¡°Sir.¡±

    Arkk gave her a nod before looking back down to the crystal ball. One of the mercenaries pulled out a thin book and started flipping through the pages. Upon finding what he was looking for, he began a fairly lengthy spell. A ball of fire splashed against the door a moment later and a ding of a warning bell sounded in the back of Arkk¡¯s mind at someone attacking his home. It didn¡¯t set the door ablaze but, after three more balls of fire, some parts did start smoldering. They would get through sooner or later if they kept that up.

    Judging by how winded the caster was, it might be much later. He probably wasn¡¯t a very high-caliber spellcaster. That book probably wasn¡¯t that valuable either.

    ¡°These are our current targets,¡± Arkk said, holding up the crystal ball for Dakka to see. ¡°Five men. One seems capable of magic but not that capable. The rest look like average warriors.¡±

    ¡°We can handle that,¡± Dakka said, cracking her knuckles. ¡°Easy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to hamstring you by telling you to go light on them but we do want them to run away and tell the inquisitors.¡±

    ¡°Frighten them off rather than kill them. Understood.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Arkk lowered the crystal ball. ¡°Are the rest of your team ready?¡±

    ¡°Should be. If they¡¯re not, it is their own fault.¡±

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll move you all to the false training room. Feel free to get warmed up there until the mercenaries show then dispatch them however you see fit. Remind your team that I can evacuate you at a moment¡¯s notice.¡±

    ¡°None of us would run from battle.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to have a choice,¡± Arkk said, motioning to the crystal ball. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching.¡±

    Dakka curled her lips in distaste. ¡°Whatever. You won¡¯t have to evacuate me,¡± she said with bared tusks. ¡°Enjoy the show.¡±

    Arkk teleported Dakka without another word, sending her and the other orcs into the false fortress. The training room was a large chamber with several wooden facsimiles of people holding wooden swords and shields, not too far from the burning door. The orcs, after getting over their initial disorientation from being relocated, happily began beating down the mannequins with their very real weapons. Arkk was quite pleased to note that all of them had, indeed, been ready. Or, at least, they had their weapons and armor equipped.

    ¡°Think they¡¯ll do well?¡± Arkk asked.

    Vezta simply gestured to the crystal ball. ¡°The mercenaries are not equipped to fight a protracted battle. They are geared lightly for travel. Even fully drunk and naked, I imagine the orcs would still have the edge.¡±

    Arkk sat down next to Vezta, clasping his hands together as the weakened door fell inwards after a few hearty blows from the mace-wielding mercenary. With them now stepping into his domain, Arkk didn¡¯t need the crystal ball to keep track of them. He could see every part of Fortress Al-Mir, including the false fortress, with little more than a thought. The warning bells of intruders violating his sanctuary started going off in his mind.

    ¡°Honestly,¡± Vezta said, angling her upper body to face Arkk, ¡°their armor makes them look remarkably similar to the Dark Knights of old. A band of mercenaries ten strong would balk at even a single Dark Knight. If these people have any sense about them, they¡¯ll run the moment they catch sight of the orcs.¡±

    ¡°Dark Knights?¡±

    ¡°An Underworldian order of martial combatants. Considered the elite among the elite. They appeared human but¡­ weren¡¯t. Not quite. They valued strength and power above all and were a bit annoying with how upset they got if they couldn¡¯t fight for more than a few days.¡± Vezta hummed, changing the view of the crystal ball to the training room. She watched a few minutes, observing the way Dakka slammed her axe down on one of the mannequins, dismembering an arm and a leg in one swift blow. ¡°I wonder if these orcs are somehow descended from remnants of them.¡±

    ¡°You said orcs didn¡¯t exist in your time?¡±

    ¡°Not as far as I¡¯m aware. Their physical appearance drastically differs but who knows what chaos the Calamity wrought.¡±

    ¡°Undoing the Calamity won¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know, change them back or anything, will it?¡±

    ¡°It is just speculation. And, as I have said in the past, I wouldn¡¯t expect such drastic changes. At least not immediately. Perhaps there is some magical link that was severed that turned the Dark Knights into the orcs of today but expecting them to suddenly change forms is a bit much for such unmalleable creatures. If this speculation has more to it than idle thoughts, perhaps future generations might see change.

    ¡°The primary evidences you should look for upon completion of our ritual would be a massive increase in magical capacity for any capable spellcaster as the source of all magic stems from the [PANTHEON]. At the moment, only three of the [PANTHEON] are capable of providing magic to this world, leading to the decline in magic-sensitive species, lesser power for those casters, and weakened artifacts such as the [HEART] of Fortress Al-Mir.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, noticing the mercenaries slowing as they walked down the long entrance corridor of the false fortress. He still couldn¡¯t hear them but he could watch them bicker among themselves once again. ¡°Looks like our intruders have noticed the sounds of the training room. Wonder if they¡¯ll be brave enough to¡­ Oh, there they go.¡±

    The five mercenaries slammed their fists into open palms three times, making shapes with their hand with each thrust, before one of them visibly groaned. Shuddering, he readied his sword and slowly approached the training room door.

    This one was an actual door and was designed to open for anyone. It took a force of effort rather than the automatic doors that existed around the main fortress area. As such, the mercenary was able to pull it open just a crack.

    From experience, Arkk knew that door creaked when it opened. A loud and high-pitched noise that grated on the ears. Watching the mercenary¡¯s face made him laugh. Doubly so once the orcs in the training room paused their mock fights and all slowly turned to face the door.

    As slowly as he opened it, the mercenary closed the door once again. Once it clicked shut, the man stepped back, turned, and started running. He ran straight past the other mercenaries despite their obvious protests. They shouted after him right up until the fully armored orcs stepped out into the hall, weapons at the ready.

    ¡°Well,¡± Arkk said with a sigh. ¡°I kind of expected some kind of a fight. Dakka is going to be disappointed.¡±

    ¡°It is for the best,¡± Vezta said, smiling as she watched the mercenaries flee in the crystal ball. ¡°Conserve their strength for when the inquisitors arrive. I imagine they will be arriving sooner rather than later.¡±

    ¡°True.¡±

    ¡°I still think we should slaughter them. Collapse the entire ruined wing of Fortress Al-Mir on top of their heads.¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s the backup plan.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Master. Are you fully prepared?¡±

    ¡°As much as I¡¯m able, I think. We just have to trick them and ¡®escape¡¯. What could go wrong?¡±

    Vezta looked over with a sorry frown on her face. ¡°My former master was not fond of such statements.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve planned a lot,¡± Arkk said, trying to fight down his own nervousness at the situation. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Oh dear.¡±

 Turning Up The Heat

    ¡°Inquisitors incoming.¡±

    ¡°Good. Maybe.¡± Arkk took a deep, shuddering breath as he leaned toward the crystal ball. ¡°Dakka?¡±

    The orc snorted. ¡°Hope these guys put up a better fight than the last group. I was looking forward to knocking some heads.¡±

    Arkk teleported Dakka and her team back to the false fortress. It would be a bit strange for them to simply return to training after being ¡®invaded¡¯ so, this time around, they were going to be ¡®patrolling¡¯ the halls. Several more orcs were ready and waiting in reserve for when Dakka¡¯s team made their tactical retreat.

    After some consideration, Arkk had decided to take Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s advice and make use of the orcs he had rather than throwing himself into the deep end of things on his own.

    The goal was to draw the inquisitors toward the false [HEART], falling back in a losing battle the entire way. It was a delicate operation. They had to put up a fight to keep the inquisitors from being suspicious without putting up so much of a fight that the inquisitors ended up retreating and returning another day with reinforcements.

    ¡°Zullie, are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Beyond ready,¡± the witch said, eagerly peering into her own crystal ball. ¡°I hope that purifier uses her flames against the door. I¡¯ve always wanted to study their magic but purifiers are rare and exclusively under the church¡¯s control.¡±

    It had taken a few hours for the mercenaries to find the inquisitors and then another few to return. At that time, Arkk had asked John and Perr¡¯ok to repair the false door in the entryway of the false fortress. It wasn¡¯t quite as sturdy as the original, having been a rush job, but it should prove a big enough inconvenience that they would once again use magic to blast it down.

    The inquisitors and their magic were the biggest unknowns and, therefore, the biggest danger. Forcing them to use magic in a safe and controlled environment would give them time to come up with countermeasures. Or rather, give Zullie time to come up with countermeasures. Arkk held out little hope that anything would be ready in time for this battle now but should he cross paths with the inquisitors in the future, Arkk really didn¡¯t want to fight fire that could burn even water without protection.

    At the moment, the plan was to evacuate Dakka and the other orcs the moment they came into danger. For burn injuries, they would be relying on Vezta. It wasn¡¯t something she had a lot of experience in but Vezta claimed that she could tend to most mild burns about as well as she could tend to cuts. Apparently, in her day, warlocks were capable of performing magic that rejuvenated and healed in only a few words. It came as a surprise to her that Zullie knew nothing about healing magic.

    The idea that spellcasters had known healing magic was something Zullie found similarly ridiculous. Healing magic¡ªproper healing¡ªwas a miracle, not magic. Arkk was a bit skeptical as well given that all the healing magic he knew of came from the Light via people like Abbess Keena. Even assuming the warlocks of Vezta¡¯s time had been able to cast such magics, Arkk figured the traitorous Light trinity would have done something to strip those powers from people who weren¡¯t of their church.

    Shoving his thoughts aside, Arkk watched the three inquisitors descend the hidden staircase and approach the false door. Darius Vrox took the lead, moving casually as if he expected little in the way of danger. He kept his hands dangling at his sides, nowhere near the short sword he carried on his hip.

    The chronicler, Douglas Greesom if Arkk remembered correctly, followed after Vrox. Like Vrox, Greesom didn¡¯t wield any weapon. The short man didn¡¯t even have a sword. Instead, he had a small note tablet in which he was almost constantly writing. Chronicler of everything, apparently.

    Purifier Agnete followed along at the rear, being the last in the group. She moved with a rigid stiffness but, unlike the last few times Arkk saw the woman, she had developed an excited twitch in her fingers. The scars and lines on her face weren¡¯t just faintly glowing anymore either. They burned. Her eyes, rather than merely having a bright light amid her dark pupils, were blazing with a heat haze hanging over her vision.

    She was gearing up for a fight.

    Arkk nervously tapped his fingers against the table, wondering if he shouldn¡¯t get Dakka out of there immediately and hope that the inquisitors thought the mercenaries had frightened everyone out of the fortress.

    The mercenaries, gathered around their horse and sitting dejectedly upon a stump, had been told to stay up on the surface.

    After a few minutes of inspecting the door, Vrox and the chronicler headed back up the stairs, leaving the purifier at the bottom.

    ¡°This is it,¡± Zullie said with a wide grin.

    Red-white flames erupted around the purifier¡¯s arms, wrapping around her body before exploding outward, setting everything on fire. Not just the door but the stone tiles and walls and even the purifier¡¯s own clothes. The black uniform burned away in an instant, revealing the purifier¡¯s facial scars extended across her entire body. The door collapsed into ashes, having withstood the heat only moments longer than the cloth. The metal fasteners holding it to the wall began glowing a bright red before warping and melting.

    Path clear, the purifier stepped forward. Her bare feet left foot-shaped indentations of molten rock in her wake.

    Two of Dakka¡¯s black-armored orcs stood just down the corridor. They barely had time to gather their wits before the purifier swept an arm forward.

    A wave of flames careened down the hall, setting the walls, ceiling, and floor alight.

    ¡°Arkk!¡± Rekk¡¯ar shouted.

    Arkk ripped the two orcs out of there before Rekk¡¯ar could finish his single word, dropping them into the meeting room just a little too slowly.

    An insidious heat filled the room along with pained and panicked screaming. The heat wave was hot enough that it felt like Arkk had thrown himself into a blacksmith¡¯s forge.

    Zullie was on her feet instantly, rattling off an impossibly long incantation in a mere few seconds while Ilya took off her cloak and tried to get closer to the burning armor of the orc. Tried. The heat kept her at bay until Zullie¡¯s incantation finished and a frosty fog flooded out from her hands.

    Although Zullie said that the flames could burn water, their power must have lessened outside the presence of the purifier.

    Ilya moved forward once again, using her cloak to protect herself from the lingering heat on the metal armor as she worked to pry it off the orc. Rekk¡¯ar moved up and joined her, not bothering with anything beyond his thin leather gloves.

    Arkk, not needing a crystal ball to observe the goings on of the fortress, quickly realized that the part of the fortress where the purifier was standing wasn¡¯t his fortress anymore. The purifier had broken the claim he held over the territory. Whether that was an aspect of her fire magic or a result of her destroying the tiles she was stepping on was a question he would have to ask Vezta later.

    For now, he teleported the remaining orcs, bringing them straight to the meeting room.

    ¡°You know, being jerked back and forth¡­¡± Dakka trailed off as she realized just what was going on. ¡°Holy Light¡­ What¡ª¡±

    ¡°Later. We aren¡¯t fighting that thing. Vezta¡ª¡±

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°I apologize, Master. My method of healing will do little for him. Those flames are not natural fire.¡±

    ¡°I noticed,¡± Arkk hissed.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Zullie panted, letting her arms drop. The chill fog dispersed over a few seconds while she caught her breath. ¡°You recognize it?¡±

    ¡°Quite so. That woman has been chosen as an avatar by the Burning Forge.¡±

    ¡°Let me guess, one of your Pantheon?¡± Arkk groaned, staring back into the crystal ball. It irked him that he had to use it. This was supposed to be his territory. The fact that his claim was being destroyed grated on him deep within in a way that he couldn¡¯t fully articulate. ¡°That isn¡¯t one of the traitor¡¯s names. Are there more you don¡¯t know about?¡±

    ¡°I am¡­ unsure,¡± Vezta admitted. ¡°Its presence is perplexing, I assure you.¡±

    ¡°Who is the Burning Forge?¡± Arkk asked, watching as the purifier continued advancing, seemingly not having noticed the sudden disappearance of the orcs.

    ¡°The Burning Forge is the patron of heat, fire, craftsmanship, manufacturing, automation, and creativity.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only noticing the first two traits on display here,¡± Arkk said through pursed lips. He flicked his eyes up from the crystal ball. The orc who had been hit by the flames was still alive. The fire had swept up his legs, thankfully hitting the armor first. That might have saved his legs from being completely burned off but the armor itself had melted to his skin.

    It smelled like a particularly burned roast in the meeting room at the moment.

    ¡°Do you know how we counter it?¡±

    ¡°I do not,¡± Vezta said. She then pointed at her crystal ball, which was not focused on the purifier. ¡°They might.¡±

    Darius Vrox and Chronicler Greesom were advancing into the false fortress, following in the wake of the purifier. The flames, still burning the stone and the walls, faded just a step ahead of him. Or rather, they faded just ahead of a small marble he held out. It looked glassy and crystalline. Like a small sphere of ice.

    It also floated just above his palm.

    Arkk drummed his fingers on the table, trying not to be distracted by the others in the room helping the fallen orc. There wasn¡¯t anything he could do for him at the moment. The only healing spell he knew wasn¡¯t designed for healing. Flesh Weaving required flesh, not charcoal.

    ¡°The purifier has destroyed my territory. Otherwise, I would just teleport in behind them, blast them with lightning bolts, and take that marble thing.¡±

    ¡°Forgive me for asking, Master, but is this not what you wanted? They¡¯ll march through, destroy the fake [HEART], and presumably leave afterward.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Arkk said. Then he frowned. ¡°If they realize we tricked them, they¡¯ll be back. As it stands, I don¡¯t think we can fight that purifier.¡± Turning, Arkk locked eyes with Vezta. ¡°I presume you aren¡¯t willing to leave Fortress Al-Mir?¡±

    Vezta went utterly still, not even twitching.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so. I¡¯m not either. Strange as it might sound, this place has grown on me. I don¡¯t think I could abandon it.¡±

    ¡°You cannot,¡± Vezta said. ¡°The [HEART] is your heart. You cannot abandon it.¡±

    Arkk blinked once before his eyes widened in sudden realization. ¡°If it is destroyed¡­ I die?¡±

    ¡°I believe I have said the [HEART] is your heart before.¡±

    The phrasing did sound vaguely familiar. She had said that once or twice. Still, Arkk felt a sudden tension clench in his chest that he hadn¡¯t felt before. ¡°You could have communicated that a little more clearly,¡± he hissed, noting the flood of red light that was emanating from his eyes. ¡°We¡¯ll talk later. For now¡­¡± Taking a breath, Arkk spoke louder, addressing the chaotic room. ¡°New objective, acquire that marble. If it is our protection against that fire magic, we can¡¯t let it get away while it is so close. Next time, they might send the purifier alone and then we¡¯ll all be screwed.¡±

    Him especially because it sounded like he couldn¡¯t just run.

    ¡°Any suggestions?¡±

    The meeting room was fully staffed at the moment. More than fully staffed with the addition of Dakka¡¯s team. Ilya and Rekk¡¯ar were still helping the downed orc¡ªKatt¡¯am¡ªwho might have passed out from the pain. The employee link was still there, so he was alive. Olatt¡¯an hadn¡¯t gotten up when the orcs appeared, choosing to simply observe passively through Vezta¡¯s crystal ball. Zullie was only just sitting back down, still looking spent. Khan was the only other in the room, coiled at the far end of the table and casually watching the goings on. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what the serpent was thinking at the moment. He couldn¡¯t even pretend to read the gorgon¡¯s expressions and, so far, he hadn¡¯t said anything.

    Those in a position to look at him were doing so like he was insane.

    Maybe he was. The others didn¡¯t have quite as perfect of a map of the false fortress as he did¡ªbecause it was literally part of him, apparently¡ªbut they could still see the crystal balls. While the inquisitors were extinguishing flames directly in their path, they weren¡¯t doing anything to the flames that burned down the side corridors or rooms. Even if he waited for them to pass by one of the intact areas, he would still have a wall of that cursed fire between him and that ice marble.

    Ilya was the one to look up and speak. ¡°Do what you did to the orc chieftain. Send your servants to dig a pit along their path and have them take out the floor as Vrox passes over it.¡±

    ¡°Possible,¡± Arkk said, rubbing at some of the scruff on his chin. Teleporting the lesser servants nearby, he sent a few mental commands, having them dig out a small pit as Ilya suggested. ¡°I¡¯d have to enter into close quarters with them. We still don¡¯t know what Vrox or that chronicler are capable of. Not to mention we don¡¯t know how quickly the purifier will notice that her friends are in trouble.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an interlaced his fingers as he set his elbows on the table. ¡°Is there time to make the pit large enough to hold a contingent of orcs? Dakka¡¯s contingent of orcs plus our battle ready should be able to overwhelm the inquisitors unless they have similar flames.¡±

    ¡°It is doubtful they do,¡± Vezta said. ¡°Avatars are rare. I would be surprised if there was more than one for each of the [PANTHEON] at any given moment in time.¡±

    ¡°Purifiers are well known,¡± Zullie said. ¡°Plural. Not saying they¡¯re common but¡ª¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether there are more outside here or not,¡± Arkk said, ordering the servants to create a constrained yet large fighting arena. It was a rush job but the magic of the fortress wouldn¡¯t let it collapse on top of them. ¡°Vrox and Greesom aren¡¯t purifiers. They don¡¯t have glowing scars and eyes.¡±

    Zullie dipped her head, acknowledging the point.

    ¡°Anyone else?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, uh¡­¡± Dakka, helmet under her arm, shot a glance down at her downed comrade. ¡°If that fire bitch turns around¡ª¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be gone before we can blink.¡±

    ¡°Good. Not too interested in experiencing that.¡±

    Arkk looked at the crystal balls. The purifier was making slow progress despite there being absolutely no resistance to her advance. She wasn¡¯t in the slightest hurry to get through the fortress. In retrospect, he should have filled the place with traps as Vezta had suggested. Though they might have fallen to ash before they could do anything. Too late now.

    ¡°I¡¯m constructing an area to fight in shortly before the false heart chamber. A servant will eat the floor just as Vrox steps over it. We¡¯ll be ready at the bottom. If somebody, anybody, grabs that marble, alert me immediately through the link. We don¡¯t know what kind of abilities Vrox has so be on your guard. Any questions?¡±

    He deliberately glanced at Khan. With the gorgon¡¯s power, Vrox would have been stoned the moment he looked up from his fall. Then again, Vrox might realize and close his eyes before Khan could work his petrification magic. That alone would have been a victory¡­ It just felt too easy.

    His position felt precarious. Like balancing on the tip of a needle.

    The gorgon didn¡¯t speak and Arkk didn¡¯t want to leave his gaze on the creature for long, so he broke eye contact and swept his eyes over the rest of the room. It was a quick, haphazard plan. He could already hear the chewing-out Rekk¡¯ar would surely give him later for not having planned for something like this. Still, it was the best they had on short notice.

    Very short notice.

    ¡°Unless they pick up the pace, Vrox will be over the pit in about two minutes. Everyone who can grab your gear.¡±

    The room burst into motion. Rekk¡¯ar and Olatt¡¯an had to grab their weapons, as did Ilya. Dakka barked out a few orders to those of her troupe that were still standing. Arkk waited just a moment before teleporting them and the reserve force of orcs into the still-under-construction pit. Dakka could explain.

    Looking down at the injured orc, Arkk grimaced. Rather than just leave him here, Arkk teleported Larry straight out of the kitchens. The butcher, holding a large knife, swung it down like he was expecting a chicken to be in front of him. Instead, it slammed down on the meeting room table.

    The overweight orc blinked and looked around.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Larry, I know it isn¡¯t your job,¡± Arkk said, ¡°but we¡¯re in a bit of an emergency. Can you help him?¡±

    ¡°What? I¡ªOh, shit. He try dancing on a charbroiler?¡±

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Arkk grumbled. ¡°If you can¡¯t do anything for him, just make him comfortable. We¡¯ll be back as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I guess I can. I¡­ Okay.¡± Larry took in a deep breath, wiped his hands on his apron, and then knelt down. It was a bit awkward watching him bend over¡ªhe had only put on more weight since coming to the fortress¡ªbut Arkk didn¡¯t have time to stick around and talk more.

    Arkk teleported away along with the other members of his council¡ªincluding Khan.

    Arkk held his breath and glanced down at a crystal ball that popped into his hands. Three of the lesser servants were clinging to the ceiling, waiting for his command. Every other servant he had available was digging at the walls, enlarging the area to make room for the potential fight.

    ¡°Get ready, everyone,¡± Arkk said, watching as the purifier crossed over the servants. ¡°Primary objective is the marble. We don¡¯t want to kill him, if possible,¡± he added, still holding out hope that his original plan wasn¡¯t a complete loss, ¡°but do it if necessary.¡±

    Ilya nocked her bow while Olatt¡¯an cranked back his crossbow. Vezta repositioned in front of Arkk, ready to intercept anything coming his way. Dakka and her orcs slowly started to spread out around the hole in the ceiling of the room.

    ¡°Ready,¡± Arkk said, holding up a finger as he watched Vrox unknowingly approach the pitfall. ¡°Ready¡­¡±

    ¡°Now!¡±

 Inquisitorial Support

    The moment Master Inquisitor Darius Vrox placed his weight on his forward foot, the scorched tiles cracked and broke. He didn¡¯t have time to think about the sound before the sudden feeling of tingling hit his stomach as he fell.

    It wasn¡¯t a far fall. In the interest of haste, Arkk hadn¡¯t built the pit too deep. The ceiling was low enough that if the tallest of the orcs were just a little taller, their heads would have scraped the ceiling. A small tunnel connected it to one of the more intact rooms of the false fortress, granting him territorial control¡ªhe would be able to move his minions about the battlefield in an instant unless that was destroyed¡ªbut it was still less than an ideal place to fight.

    Vrox landed hard, hitting the ground hip first.

    Arkk focused on Vrox¡¯s fist, hoping that the impact had made the inquisitor lose his hold on the marble. If he had dropped it, Arkk could have teleported in, grabbed it himself, and teleported everyone out. Vrox¡¯s fist was closed tight.

    Arkk shot a nod at Dakka.

    Vrox¡¯s landing didn¡¯t elicit even the slightest cry of pain. Instead, he rolled to one side immediately and without hesitation, as if expecting Dakka¡¯s axe. The inquisitor brought up his legs, avoiding a pinning shot from both Olatt¡¯an and Ilya, and then kicked out, slamming both feet into Farr¡¯an¡¯s shins. As the tall orc staggered, Vrox pushed off the ground and stood upright.

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± Arkk intoned. Vezta moved aside along with his words, granting him a clear shot. He thrust out his hand just as another form fell from above.

    The bolt of blue-white electricity shot out from Arkk¡¯s fingers and slammed into a golden barrier just ahead of Inquisitor Vrox. The bolt glanced off, instead sending Kazz¡¯ak into a shuddering heap on the ground.

    With an aside thought, Arkk pulled Kazz¡¯ak out and dropped him off next to Larry. It hadn¡¯t been a powerful bolt of lightning, thankfully. Just one intended to put the inquisitor down long enough for him to lose his grip on the marble. Hopefully, the orc would be alright but Arkk didn¡¯t have time to concern himself with the injury at the moment. He focused on the new arrival.

    The shorter, rounder form of the inquisitor¡¯s chronicler stood from his partial crouch. He must have jumped into the pit. The man held one hand around the golden chain around his neck and the other out in front of him. The tips of his fingers were glowing in the same golden light as the barrier that had appeared, leaving little doubt as to where it came from. He shifted his hand, angling the hexagonal barrier to intercept one of Ilya¡¯s arrows.

    ¡°Impeccable timing, Chronicler,¡± Vrox said, clapping a hand on the man¡¯s shoulder before stooping to retrieve a pair of thin-framed round glasses that had fallen onto the floor. Giving a puff of breath on each lens, he donned them, frowning when he realized that the frame had bent. As he adjusted it, he peered up at the hole in the ceiling. ¡°Will the purifier be along after you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe she noticed our disappearance.¡±

    ¡°Probably for the best. I would rather not be trapped in a confined space with that thing.¡±

    Arkk tensed, unease running down his spine at how casually the inquisitors were handling the situation. The orcs were trying to attack. Greesom simply shifted, pivoting with each attack to move that golden barrier in the way. It must not have weighed anything at all because, despite being large enough to cover both of them, he swung it around fast enough to block two arrows coming almost at the same time from opposite directions. All without apparent concern.

    Just in case, he sent a mental command to the lesser servants to collapse the corridor behind the purifier. He barely had a plan to deal with these two. Adding that fire witch to the mix wouldn¡¯t help.

    ¡°Well, Mister Arkk, I expected you to pull something devious. I must admit, I am disappointed¡­ Is that a gorgon?¡±

    ¡°The Light protects,¡± Greesom said, squinting over Arkk¡¯s shoulder. Neither even bothered trying to close their eyes.

    Arkk licked his lips, tightening his grip around his only dagger. So much for Khan jumping in with his petrifying gaze to help them. The others would do what they could. Arkk had to focus on what he could do. With that shield able to reflect his attacks, he wasn¡¯t willing to fry his own minions with lightning.

    But this was his territory.

    ¡°Vezta,¡± he whispered, ¡°try to get the marble from Vrox.¡±

    ¡°Master¡­¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t wait for her protests. Teleporting, Arkk reappeared directly behind Chronicler Greesom. The short man was already turning. He had been turning before Arkk appeared. The golden shield intercepted Arkk¡¯s dagger, stopping it cold. Before Arkk could react, the barrier vanished. Greesom stepped forward, hand now clenched into a fist. Ducking under a swing of Dakka¡¯s axe from behind, his fist started glowing as he struck out a punch.

    Arkk teleported himself and Dakka in an instant, shifting her position just a step to the side. Greesom¡¯s fist struck Dakka¡¯s spiked shield, buckling the metal. Better than striking her chest. At the same time, Arkk snapped a hand out.

    Vrox grabbed hold of Arkk¡¯s wrist before he could grab Greesom¡¯s necklace. Arkk tried to teleport away again only for his eyes to widen as it felt like he slammed into a brick wall. His eyes snapped to Vrox¡¯s hand around his wrist, instinctively knowing that the inquisitor¡¯s hold over him was what stopped the teleport.

    ¡°Mister Arkk¡ª¡±

    A warcry from Rekk¡¯ar cut the inquisitor off. He quickly released Arkk to avoid getting his hand cut off as well.

    Arkk swapped himself with Dakka, right as the woman was in the middle of swinging her axe. It should have caught Greesom right in the back of his head but, again, the chronicler was already moving, bringing his hand over his shoulder to form the golden barrier behind his back.

    Dark tendrils shot out from behind Rekk¡¯ar, worming around him and lassoing Inquisitor Vrox.

    That got the man to cry out. Vezta twisted the wrist of his arm, forcing his fist to open. The ice-like marble rolled off his fingertips.

    Greesom pivoted again, swinging his golden shield around in a flash. The edge hit Vezta¡¯s tendrils, slicing straight through them with no resistance. A blood-curdling scream echoed in the chamber, resonating with the high-pitched ping of the marble bouncing off the floor.

    A sheet of ice spread out from the marble in a flash, freezing Arkk¡¯s boots to the ground along with those of everyone else caught nearby. A harmonious ping sounded again as a second sheet of ice covered up the first, locking Arkk into place up to his ankles.

    Before the marble could strike down against the ground a third time, Ilya came dashing forward, throwing herself into a dive before she slid across the ice with one arm extended. As soon as the marble hit her palm and her fingers closed around it¡ªwithout turning her arm into a block of ice¡ªArkk teleported her back to the fortress proper.

    He tried to teleport everyone else as well. Several failed.

    Arkk couldn¡¯t teleport himself. He couldn¡¯t teleport Dakka, Rekk¡¯ar, or Orjja. Vezta, free tendrils thrashing wildly while the rest of her was locked in ice, was similarly stuck in place. The ice was keeping them captive.

    Dakka and Greesom barely seemed to notice. With Greesom¡¯s shield out of place from helping Vrox escape Vezta, she had a clear attack against his side. He had to let go of his necklace for the first time since dropping down the hole. Using his forearm, he managed to bat the haft of Dakka¡¯s axe aside enough for it to miss him. A second movement of his hand forced Dakka off balance, tugging her forward to the point where, locked in place, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from falling. His deflection didn¡¯t come without cost. Arkk heard the sound of bone breaking in his wrist from the initial strike.

    Rekk¡¯ar, wielding his halberd, didn¡¯t stop his attack against Vrox either. With Vrox¡¯s legs locked into position, he couldn¡¯t even dodge properly. He did bend out of the way but the halberd¡¯s blade still sliced through his thigh, spilling blood across the sheet of ice. Gritting his teeth in apparent pain, the inquisitor pulled a small ring with a square white stone set in the middle.

    Arkk didn¡¯t sit idle as the others moved, though he didn¡¯t contribute directly to the fight. Ripping all the lesser servants through space, he ordered them to eat through the ice around him and his minions. Compared to solid stone, they ate through the ice in an instant. Before the inquisitors could try counterattacking, all of Company Al-Mir were free.

    Teleporting everyone to the fortress, Arkk alone stayed behind. He did teleport far away from the inquisitors. Maybe it was foolish, but he still wanted to salvage at least part of his original plan. If possible.

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    Vrox clapped his hands together, muttered something under his breath that couldn¡¯t have been more than a few words, and then planted his hands down on the ground. The remaining ice locking his feet to the ground erupted into a cloud of steam that rapidly dispersed. As soon as he finished, the inquisitor looked up with no lingering amusement in his eyes. ¡°You fool. That thing will burn everything!¡±

    Arkk frowned, thinking back to his last meeting with the inquisitor. ¡°You control her like you thought I controlled Vezta,¡± he said slowly, realization dawning. Servant or not, Arkk didn¡¯t control her. But Vrox thought the church could have some Purifier Vezta, or whatever. ¡°I¡¯m not you. Controlling¡ª¡±

    ¡°We must stop Agnete,¡± Vrox shouted. ¡°Whatever our issues, I know you, Mister Arkk. You defend the people. You must bring the Binding Agent back or that thing will destroy everything around here. You don¡¯t want that.¡±

    ¡°Good that the only thing nearby is a desolate wasteland. Except this fortress. Shame about that, I rather liked this place¡ª¡±

    ¡°Agnete won¡¯t stop at the borders of the Cursed Forest. Your home village, Mister Arkk, is in danger.¡±

    Arkk drummed his fingers against his thigh for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it on my own. You are too dangerous. Hunting me down like this? I haven¡¯t hurt anyone. Now I¡¯ve got to find somewhere new to live,¡± he said with the most convincing sigh he could manage, hoping he wasn¡¯t laying it on too thick. ¡°Good luck escaping, Inquisitor. Maybe I¡¯ll let your mercenaries know you need a rope thrown down here.¡±

    ¡°Arkk!¡±

    Teleporting away, Arkk didn¡¯t stick around to listen. Vrox was lying. Or exaggerating. He had to be. Saying that the village was in danger was a ploy to get that marble back. The purifier might be a danger to it but as long as that marble could stop her, he could stop her.

    And if it turned out he couldn¡¯t use that marble¡­ Well, it wasn¡¯t like the inquisitors were going anywhere anytime soon. He knew where to find them.

    Arkk reappeared in the meeting room and slowly looked over the situation.

    He hadn¡¯t kept track of everything that had gone on during that fight. There had been a lot of orcs that had all tried to get their hits in that he had simply glazed over. More than a few were injured. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how. Dakka had a heavy gash from her shoulder to her breast which was bleeding profusely. Her armor, lying on the floor, wasn¡¯t damaged at all. Orjja, Zojja, Klepp¡¯at, and Hakk¡¯ar were injured as well. It wasn¡¯t until Arkk looked over at Olatt¡¯an that a few pieces clicked into place. Olatt¡¯an was nursing several wounds which looked like he had been hit by crossbow bolts.

    That golden barrier had reflected his lightning spell at Kazz¡¯ak¡­ but it had reflected more than just magic.

    Khan was the prime example. Arkk could feel through the link that the gorgon was still alive but Khan was just a stone statue of a snake at the moment. Hopefully one of the other gorgon could turn him back.

    Arkk¡¯s eyes widened upon spotting Ilya. Doubled over, clutching her stomach, she managed to force a smile as she held up the small icy marble. ¡°Feels like I¡¯ve been holding my hand in a bucket of snow for ten minutes,¡± she said, holding it out for Arkk.

    Arkk brushed her hand aside, carefully peeling back the arm pressed to her stomach. ¡°Never mind that,¡± he said, grinding his teeth at the gash in her side. It looked like she had been struck by an arrow, minus the arrow. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I think so. I was aiming to be debilitating not lethal, as you suggested. I think that affected the severity of our wounds.¡± Her silver eyes roamed around the room before settling on Dakka. ¡°Didn¡¯t even realize what was happening until my third arrow. Not sure if the orcs realized and attacked anyway or if they just didn¡¯t notice at all.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, looking at Dakka. Normally sporting tan-brown skin, she was looking more of a pasty gray at the moment. Her wounds were by far the worst in the room, having been up in combat far more than any other orc.

    ¡°Just sit still for a moment,¡± Arkk said, quickly intoning the spell for Flesh Weaving. It wasn¡¯t a spell meant for deep or complicated wounds. Or, rather, Arkk had no practice healing deep wounds. Thankfully, Ilya¡¯s arrow punctures were straight and simple that didn¡¯t go as deep as they looked. They still took several minutes to mend with his spell. He didn¡¯t have time to heal everyone while that flame witch was rampaging through the false fortress.

    A thought popped into Arkk¡¯s mind. Vezta wasn¡¯t here. She should have been helping treat these injuries. A quick look through the link made him grimace. It was little wonder why she wasn¡¯t present, looking like that. Vezta didn¡¯t strike him as the vainest of people but she had a very specific countenance that she presented to others.

    Arkk almost teleported away to speak with her before looking over Khan once again. An idea popped into his mind.

    ¡°Zharja,¡± Arkk said, noticing the illuminating red glow that gleamed off the gorgon¡¯s iridescent scales as he teleported her into the room. ¡°Does petrification cause any harm or lasting problems?¡±

    Zharja blinked and looked around the chaotic room in confusion before her eyes settled back on Arkk. ¡°No? You ssaw thosse at the mine.¡±

    ¡°Can you petrify those with the worst wounds temporarily?¡± That would give them a chance to render aid slowly on a more individual note. And give him a chance to talk to Vezta.

    The black-scaled snake stared with her slit-pupiled black eyes for a long moment. Arkk, though a little nervous about suddenly being petrified himself, didn¡¯t break his eye contact. Eventually, Zharja¡¯s tongue shot out and she nodded her head.

    ¡°Wait, what¡ª¡± Dakka started only to freeze in position, now a solid marble statue of herself. Five others followed, including Rekk¡¯ar. Arkk hoped he wouldn¡¯t catch too much anger from the orc later on.

    For now, Arkk forced a small smile. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be back shortly with aid.¡±

    ¡°Arkk!¡± Ilya snapped before he could teleport away. ¡°If you disappear before taking this damn ball of ice off my hands, my fingers are going to turn black and blue.¡±

    ¡°You could have set it down,¡± Arkk said, accepting the small marble. As soon as it touched his palm, he grimaced. As far as texture was concerned, it felt like glass. The chill, however, swept through him with a fury.

    ¡°And risk sending a sheet of ice over everyone here? I saw what happened in the fight. Just glad my hand isn¡¯t a block of ice.¡±

    ¡°Point,¡± Arkk said as he quickly slipped it into his pocket. The cold didn¡¯t vanish entirely. It felt like he walked outside on a chill winter¡¯s day. It was still better than holding it directly. ¡°Good job. Catching that was good work. Thank you,¡± he said, squeezing her hand.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± She shoved him away, waving a hand. ¡°Go get people help.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t argue, quickly teleporting to the temple. Vezta, noticing his appearance immediately, retreated to the shadows of one of the corners.

    ¡°Vezta,¡± Arkk called out, voice soft.

    ¡°Master,¡± a voice called from the shadows. It was different than normal. Corrupted and reverberating off the surface of the temple¡¯s large pool of silvery water. ¡°[Forgiveness]/[apology in advance]. [Request]|[avoidance]/[go away]|[query]?¡±

    ¡°Vezta, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°[Wounds]/[injury]|[sufficient]|[damage sustained]|[problematic]/[issue]. [Healing factor]/[regeneration]|[failure]. [Cause]/[source]|[PANTHEON]|[traitors].¡±

    ¡°That light shield thing was one of the traitor¡¯s magics? And it¡¯s interfering with your healing?¡± Arkk asked, nausea rising in the pit of his stomach. He stepped forward. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°[Fine]/[dandy]! [Request]|[avoidance]/[go away].¡±

    Arkk took another step forward. ¡°Vezta. I can see everywhere in the fortress and all my minions. I saw what you looked like now. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m worried about you. Not about what you look like.¡±

    Vezta didn¡¯t respond. The shadows in the corner of the room moved in an unsettling, hostile manner that reminded Arkk of the very first time he laid eyes on Vezta. Several of her burning sun-like eyes peered out at him. He didn¡¯t break eye contact, nor did he back away. He simply offered her his most reassuring smile.

    Slowly, Vezta stepped out of the shadows. Except she didn¡¯t look like the Vezta he was used to. Vezta¡¯s body normally looked humanoid. A violet-skinned maiden wearing a long dress and white apron. She kept herself poised no matter the situation. There were signs she wasn¡¯t human¡ªapart from the obvious eyes or occasional tendril. Her body wasn¡¯t fully¡­ set in place. It was more like a congealed mass of slime forcing itself into a humanoid shape.

    That humanoid shape wasn¡¯t anywhere to be seen. An amorphous, bubbling mass of boiling flesh covered in gnashing mouths and exploding eyes squirmed across the floor. Thick tendrils, some leaking viscous black ooze, pulled her along. She stopped almost nervously in front of Arkk.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide yourself from me,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°[Witness]/[observation]|[Lesser Servant]|[revulsion]/[disgust]/[gross].¡±

    ¡°True. Initially. I¡¯ve gotten used to them. Most of all, however, they aren¡¯t you. I am worried about you, Vezta.¡± Arkk paused a moment then asked, ¡°Are you going to be alright? Is there anything I can do?¡±

    ¡°[Time]|[magic]|[required]/[desired]. [HEART]|[provides]/[gives]. [MASTER]|[provides]/[gives].¡±

    Arkk took several steps forward until he was right up next to Vezta. Sitting down and putting his back to the statue of Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, he held up one of his hands. He hoped it didn¡¯t look too disingenuous¡ªhis pose wouldn¡¯t have looked out of place if he was trying to entice a puppy over to sit on his lap¡ªbut Vezta¡¯s large form settled down. The sharp teeth of her mouths moved away, leaving a mostly clear section of her oily skin to rest his arm on while she¡­ rested her head in his lap. Maybe? She didn¡¯t exactly have a head but that was the impression he got.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try pushing some magic into you. If you think that will help.¡±

    Vezta didn¡¯t verbally respond. She didn¡¯t pull away either. So he started, closing his eyes and acting like her body was a ritual circle. Nervous about accidentally making her explode, he started lightly, just barely touching her with his magic. Slowly, he ramped up, pushing more and more into her.

    Rather than explode, she seemed to deflate under his arm. Still, she didn¡¯t complain. He continued for a long few minutes until he started to feel less bulbous mass and more thin tendrils of hair-like strands of oil.

    He opened his eyes and found Vezta, looking far more human, resting her head against his thigh. Vezta¡¯s eyes were closed as well. All of them, at least all those he could see. They stayed still for another minute before one of the eyes on her shoulder popped open.

    Stiffening, Vezta slipped out from under his hand and to a standing position in a motion no human would have been able to manage. She pulled her arms behind her back and bowed. ¡°I apologize for my¡ª¡±

    ¡°Nothing to apologize for,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Although if you want to make it up to me, several¡­ Vezta. One of your arms is missing.¡±

    Vezta tilted her head aside, glancing down at her right arm. ¡°So it is. Unfortunate. I can still perform my duties, I assure you.¡±

    ¡°Should I try pushing more magic into you?¡±

    ¡°I do not believe it would help. Thank you for your assistance,¡± she said with another bow. ¡°Do not worry. It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Master, you were telling me how I could make up this generous donation of your magic.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. ¡°We¡¯re going to talk about this later,¡± he said, tone leaving no room for argument. ¡°But this is important. Are you in a position to help heal others or do I need to kidnap Abbess Keena?¡±

    ¡°I can assist.¡±

    ¡°Good. Ilya and several of the orcs were injured in the fight. I patched up Ilya with Flesh Weaving but there are others who could use your ministrations. The worst of the orcs have been petrified by one of the gorgon until we have time to help them.¡±

    ¡°Understood. If you would please transport me to the worst of them, I will get started immediately.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure who had it the worst at the moment. Instead, he sent her to Ilya. They could figure out where to go from there.

    He didn¡¯t go back with her. Standing with a sigh, he placed a hand over his pocket, feeling the chill against his hip.

    ¡°Time to go confront a raging fire monster,¡± he said with a mild sigh.

    Hopefully, this ice marble worked.

 The Flame Witch

    Arkk didn¡¯t consider himself the smartest person around. Well-read¡ªor at least as well-read as a small village farmboy could get¡ªand knowledgeable about the world from his frequent conversations with travelers, he thought he was better off than most. There were still many areas in which he knew he had improvements to make. Still, even the biggest idiot in the village would have been able to recognize that teleporting directly in front of a wall of fire capable of turning a door to ash in seconds was a bad idea.

    Not wanting to prove himself more of an idiot, Arkk teleported to one of the partially destroyed rooms instead. It was filled with random debris. Enough to make it look like someone might have lived here. Not that anyone even bothered to look into the room. Purifier Agnete had simply walked past the entrance a few minutes ago without so much as a turn of her head. Fires still raged up near the door. The hallway outside was completely destroyed.

    It hadn¡¯t been the intention but it was a good thing they had made the little grated tunnels between each room to help disguise the one tunnel that led back to the main fortress. Those little tunnels were the only reason he could count this space as his territory at the moment. Implementing them into the main fortress seemed like a must after everything was over just so that if something similar happened again, he would be able to teleport around the disconnected areas.

    For now, however, Arkk had to focus.

    Sweat beaded down his face the moment he appeared. When he had pulled the orcs out of the way of the purifier just a second too slow, it felt like he had walked into a blacksmith¡¯s forge. Here, it felt like he had thrown himself into the kiln. Even from across the room, it felt like his exposed skin was being burned and even his clothes were starting to smolder.

    The fires were still raging and that was what Arkk wanted, intense heat aside. He pulled out the chilly marble, using his sleeve to keep it from directly touching his fingers, and felt immediate relief. The room didn¡¯t turn cold, exactly, but it shifted closer to a hot and stifling day than a kiln. Approaching the red-white glow, he waved the marble around. The flames did fade somewhat but didn¡¯t fully extinguish. They certainly didn¡¯t diminish enough that Arkk would have felt safe going anywhere near the person controlling the fire.

    When he had been watching the inquisitors before the ambush, the marble had been floating above Vrox¡¯s hand as he walked along a fair distance behind Agnete. The fires near him had gone out completely and instantly. There was more to this artifact than simply waving it about.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure how to make the marble float but he could try pushing a little of his magic into it. Just a touch. Like he would with a ritual circle that he really didn¡¯t want to explode.

    The temperature around him plummeted. Frost formed on Arkk¡¯s breath as he failed to suppress a shudder. Most important of all, the fires winked out of existence almost immediately.

    Teleporting to a room closer to Agnete with far more intense flames, Arkk tried the same thing again. Just a touch of magic sent out a wave of bitter cold that sapped the heat from the room and snuffed out the fire in an instant. Even with his tunic in the way, his fingers still felt numb. Still, that was a minor problem compared to the turbulent flame witch.

    Taking a deep breath of the frigid air, Arkk teleported again. This time, he reappeared just in front of the wall of flames in the corridor the purifier was marching down.

    The heat from before couldn¡¯t compare. He couldn¡¯t come up with a comparison. What was hotter than a kiln? Hell itself? Demons stoking the flames around his feet?

    Gritting his teeth, he poured a little more magic into the marble and relished in the winter breeze that blew through the corridor.

    He was the only one. Behind an impenetrable wall of flames and heat haze, a blood-curdling scream echoed out. Not a cry of rage or frustration. A cry of fear and terror. One sweeping wave of fire lashed out at Arkk but the ice marble stopped it well before it could reach him. Pouring a little more power into the marble was enough to bring down the fire and the temperature. With a hiss, the haze dispersed.

    The purifier wasn¡¯t on her feet. She was on the ground, curled up in a tight ball and shaking violently. It was cold, true, but only enough that Arkk thought he needed a light cloak now that he wasn¡¯t pushing magic into the marble. The purifier¡¯s clothes had burned away, leaving her entirely naked, but even then it wasn¡¯t cold enough to send someone to the ground. Arkk watched a moment. Her eyes, wide and darting back and forth, lacked the glow he had seen in them before. The scars on her face¡ªand the rest of her body¡ªstill looked like faint embers underneath her skin but even that was rapidly fading.

    Lips pressed together, Arkk teleported away, dropped the marble off on the desk in his room, and then teleported back. He maintained his distance, just in case, but there wasn¡¯t too much danger. He could feel the marble through the [HEART]. It was his property now, meaning he could instantly retrieve it if he ever needed it. For the moment, he didn¡¯t think he did.

    The chill in the partially ruined corridor didn¡¯t vanish entirely in the absence of the marble. It did fade. Slowly, at first, but the heat started to come back in short order. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if that was natural or if the purifier was doing something. Her scars and her eyes were starting to regain their usual glow.

    Crouching down, Arkk watched and waited until her violent trembling subsided. She still remained on the ground, curled up, but at least her eyes were snapping back and forth in terror.

    What now?

    Arkk stared, wondering if he should just leave or perhaps send her back the way she came. Then he recalled Vrox¡¯s words from earlier, how worried the man had been about losing control of Agnete, and the fact that he had called her that thing. An idea started to form in Arkk¡¯s mind. A smart idea? Not particularly. Still, if it worked¡­

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Arkk asked, raising his voice to be heard from a distance.

    The faint embers in the back of her eyes shifted as she locked her gaze on Arkk. It was such a sudden and deliberate shift that he wasn¡¯t sure if she had even noticed him before. She didn¡¯t answer him, however, just sitting on the ground with her arms still wrapped around her legs.

    Arkk grabbed a thick blanket from the fortress, teleported forward, dropped it over her, then teleported back. All in the blink of an eye.

    She sat up slowly, drawing the blanket around her. Arkk just watched from a distance, thinking to himself.

    He wished they had that magic-nullifying prison that Vezta had mentioned. Initially, when he had first come up with the plan to deceive the inquisitors, he had thought to send them all away with the impression that he had abandoned this area.

    Now, the purifier brought up some interesting questions and possibilities. If Vezta was right and she was some servant of one of the Pantheon, and not the traitors, that alone made him curious about her. Then, as someone always looking to turn situations to his advantage, Arkk couldn¡¯t dismiss that she was likely a powerful spellcaster. Given that he needed one more powerful caster and their rarity, he couldn¡¯t just look away and let her go without at least trying.

    The problem was whether or not she was loyal to the inquisitors. He doubted it but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that she would be up to turning on them. Even with that marble at hand, Arkk wasn¡¯t willing to let such a powerful and destructive person remain anywhere near him. The employment bond would keep her from attacking him without any warning but those flames were destructive enough that even that would make him a little nervous.

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    Assuming she was open to employment in the first place.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Arkk tried again. The purifier didn¡¯t respond. She sat and she stared, leaving Arkk with little to do but sigh. Would he get an honest answer if he simply asked about her loyalty to the inquisitors?

    She wasn¡¯t talking at all. He wouldn¡¯t get any answer at this rate.

    ¡°The inquisitors are back the way you came,¡± Arkk said, nodding his head down the corridor. ¡°They fell down a pit, lost their ice marble, and while they probably came out ahead in the ambush I set for them, they still lost overall. I doubt they¡¯ll be too happy¡­¡±

    Arkk trailed off, noting a gradual rise in temperature along with an intensifying glow in the purifier¡¯s eyes. He almost grabbed the marble again but held off for just a moment. It didn¡¯t seem like she was attacking him. She was still on the floor, simmering but hardly moving.

    ¡°I get the impression that the inquisitors aren¡¯t too fond of you. They treat you more like an attack dog on a leash, don¡¯t they? Now that they don¡¯t have that leash anymore, what will they do? Lock you up? Kill you?¡± He paused for a response. Still none came. ¡°I¡¯m really not interested in a conflict with the inquisitors so I¡¯m abandoning this place,¡± he lied. ¡°Maybe if you went and told them you forced me out, that would grant you some leniency? Or¡­

    ¡°Maybe you would be interested in a change of employer?¡±

    That got an actual reaction out of her. Not much of one. The black shadows of ash around her eyes stretched as her eyebrows quirked upward. Was that interest?

    ¡°I have an associate,¡± Arkk said, hoping he had more to entice her with, ¡°who claims to know where your powers over fire come from. She would be most interested in discussing the matter with you.¡±

    Her lips, darkened like the skin around her eyes, parted. She whispered but it carried. ¡°You hold my leash.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Arkk said, not bothering to deny it. ¡°I don¡¯t know you. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll go on a rampage the moment you get the chance. It makes obvious sense to have insurance. I don¡¯t know how the inquisitors handled it but if you don¡¯t attack my employees or my property, I see little reason to have to use it.¡± Pulling a gold coin from his treasury, he held it up. ¡°You¡¯ll also get paid for services rendered. I don¡¯t know what the inquisitors pay you but I¡¯m quite sure I can double it.¡± Remembering what Vezta said her alleged patron¡¯s name was, the Burning Forge, he added, ¡°We also have a lovely forge set up that we can expand at will if that suits your interests.¡±

    The purifier closed her eyes, breathed out in a way that caused her face to shimmer in the heat haze, and then slowly stood up. She left the blanket dangling loose and open over her shoulders. ¡°You offer no choice.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s always a choice. Go with the inquisitors. Run away. Try¡ª¡±

    ¡°None are choice. I will be hunted. I will be imprisoned. If they fail to recover my leash, I will be killed.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Well, I¡¯m not willing to give that up.¡± He held up his gold coin. ¡°Just this.¡±

    ¡°No choice,¡± she whispered then held out a hand. ¡°I must accept.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. He already had Savren as a mostly unwilling minion. The orcs as well, technically, though he was pretty sure they had gotten over their change in employer. Most had been all too happy to sign up after he killed their old chieftain. Still, he wasn¡¯t too sure that he wanted another reluctant employee. Yet the benefits of having her with him were¡­ too great to ignore. Her fires were strong and her magical capacity had to be great enough for the ritual. Besides that, it was an insult to the inquisitors, taking their strongest caster. And, importantly, he didn¡¯t feel that great about sending someone back to them who was just going to be killed for nothing.

    Teleporting forward, Arkk placed the golden coin in her outstretched hand. It immediately started to melt in her clutch, drooping around the edges while the maze-like pattern on the face blended into a golden slurry. Bits dripped from between her fingers, splashing to the ground below before she managed to rein herself in. Using both hands, she mushed the semi-solid remains back together and then rolled her palms against each other, eventually opening her hand to reveal a lumpy sphere.

    ¡°It was probably worth more as a coin,¡± Arkk said slowly. They could probably feed it to one of the lesser servants to turn it back into a proper coin.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Arkk tested the employee link between them and found it to be secure and snug. He shook his head, dismissing her worry. ¡°It was mostly symbolic. I¡¯m wealthy enough that one coin¡ª¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡± she whispered, the glow in her eyes deepening as she stared around at the ceiling and walls.

    ¡°You felt that? That¡¯s a first.¡±

    As if following some invisible thread in the air, she brought her eyes back down to Arkk. ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°I possess a magical artifact that forms a link between myself and my employees. It primarily lets me teleport you around as I teleport myself around.¡±

    ¡°I feel a strange magic,¡± she said, looking down at her black fingernails. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if they were painted black or if they had been burned that way. ¡°Yet¡­ familiar?¡±

    ¡°It does seem to increase the magical capacity of some of the employees.¡±

    ¡°Forbidden magic. Like my own.¡±

    Arkk shrugged at that. ¡°Maybe. I don¡¯t know. Never went to a proper magic academy.¡± He paused. ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°I cannot¡­ It soothes, in some way.¡± Agnete hesitated for a long moment before shaking her head. ¡°We are already hunted.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­ certainly a way of looking at it. I hope to shake the inquisitors off our tails for now, at least. Buy us some breathing room. If you know of any method of tracking us and how to avoid it, that would be excellent.¡± Arkk beckoned with a hand. ¡°Several were injured in the fight with the inquisitors but my chief warlock made it out alright. I¡¯m sure she would be interested in hearing about how the inquisitors function.¡±

    ¡°I have limited information. Darius does not often involve me in operations.¡±

    ¡°Still, whatever you have is more than we had before.¡± He paused and then glanced down. ¡°Though maybe we should get you some clothes beforehand. So let¡¯s do that first. I need to take care of the injured and, after, we¡¯ll see about setting you up with some living quarters.¡±

    ¡°Living¡­ quarters?¡±

    ¡°A home? Room to yourself? A place to live.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t my question. You said you were abandoning this place.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Arkk¡¯s smile froze in place. ¡°Yes. That is true. This place,¡± he said, pointing at the ground. Just in case she planned on betraying him, he didn¡¯t want to tell her absolutely everything just yet. ¡°I¡¯m going to teleport you now so don¡¯t be surprised.¡±

    In the blink of an eye, they reappeared in the tailor room. The one humanoid lesser servant appeared as well, pulled from the false fortress where it had been helping the others dig.

    Agnete stared around, eyes roaming over the bolts of cloth in the walls and the machines for making attire. ¡°Forbidden¡­¡±

    ¡°So I heard. Anyway, this one will get you some clothes. I need to see to my people.¡± He turned but paused¡ªentirely for effect rather than out of necessity. ¡°Please don¡¯t burn everything down.¡±

    ¡°I shall try.¡±

    Figuring that was as good as he was going to get, Arkk nodded his head and teleported away.

    He hadn¡¯t mentioned to any of his minions that he could observe them through the employee link. It was a good test, he figured, to watch what she did when left on her own. The ice marble was a thought away, so he would be able to step in before she could manage too much damage. If she did start burning things down, there wasn¡¯t much of value there. The room could be rebuilt with an expenditure of gold and the lesser servant¡­ He would feel bad but better a lesser servant than one of his proper employees.

    He reappeared in front of Ilya, who had pulled up her shirt and was prodding some of the black slime left behind by Vezta¡¯s ministrations just above her navel. He thought he had gotten her wound pretty well patched up but Vezta must have disagreed. Noticing him, Ilya quickly tugged the shirt back down and then shot him a glare. Arkk almost chuckled at the difference between the stoic flame witch and the red creeping over Ilya¡¯s cheeks. She hadn¡¯t even pulled her shirt up that high. He managed to stop himself before he started, realizing that laughing at her would be a most regrettable mistake.

    Instead, he sat down on the chair next to her. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°This feels gross and weird,¡± she said, rubbing the same spot through her clothes. A bit of black trailed from her fingers as she pulled her hand away, making her grimace in disgust. ¡°And it is going to ruin my clothes. Maybe we should look into hiring proper healers?¡±

    ¡°That would mean going to clergy. I don¡¯t think anyone associated with the church is going to be happy working with us.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Lovely. Can¡¯t there be some bandit priest out there?¡±

    Arkk did laugh at that. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out.¡±

    ¡°The pain is gone, at least. Is it going to be enough for Dakka and the others?¡±

    Arkk turned his head to the still statue of the wounded orc with a frown. ¡°I hope so. Combined with Flesh Weaving, I imagine they¡¯ll be alright. Hurt, yes, but alright.¡± His eyes lingered on the gaping wound in Dakka¡¯s shoulder before he looked back to Ilya. ¡°In other news, I might have hired that purifier.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ When did you manage that?¡±

    ¡°Just now. She¡¯s getting some clothes with the tailor at the moment.¡±

    Or¡­ something like that. The lesser servant was trying to take measurements but the purifier had started poking and prodding it. Much to the lesser servant¡¯s chagrin. It even tried biting her finger but the purifier just flicked it off. At least nothing was on fire.

    Ilya dropped her voice to a hushed whisper, one that even Arkk had to strain to hear. ¡°First the gorgon and now that witch? I hope you know what you¡¯re doing.¡±

    Arkk put on a wide grin. ¡°Ilya, you should know best: I have no idea what I¡¯m doing.¡±

 Settling In

    ¡°And the inquisitors?¡±

    ¡°They look like they just finished their investigation,¡± Zullie said, peering over the crystal ball. ¡°They didn¡¯t find anything.¡±

    ¡°Not even the teleportation circles?¡±

    ¡°I think those were destroyed when you collapsed the connecting tunnel.¡±

    Frowning, Arkk drummed his fingers on the table. When he collapsed the tunnel, the entirety of the false fortress had lost the magic keeping it going, reverting the claimed territory to loose dirt and rock. A few of the less-stable parts collapsed on their own without the brick walls there to support the weight of the tunnel. The far end held his teleportation circles. Several of them. One went to Silver City and another went to Hope¡¯s Rest. The others were decoys.

    In the original plan, before realizing how dangerous Purifier Agnete¡¯s flames actually were, he had been planning on confronting the inquisitors somewhere near the false [HEART] chamber before fleeing to the circles. Each of the six circles led to six more circles which then led to six more. Just to confuse where he had been retreating to. He hadn¡¯t intended to use them, just make it seem like he was using them when he instead teleported back to the main fortress.

    It wasn¡¯t a big loss if the inquisitors didn¡¯t find it but it was one more thing that he had planned for that hadn¡¯t worked out. It was irritating but at least he could try that trick in the future if it ever became necessary.

    The thought of doing all this again¡­ ¡°Remind me if we ever come under attack again: We need to do a lot more research on what our opponents are capable of. While today certainly could have gone worse, it didn¡¯t go well.¡±

    ¡°Is that¡­ likely?¡± Zullie said, shifting in her seat. ¡°I¡¯d rather not go through with something like today again. I like observing unique and novel magics. Especially holy magic, which I have almost no experience with. That said, I¡¯m not too interested in being on the receiving end of unique and novel magics. After that inquisitor reflected your bolt of lightning, I locked up, too worried about doing something that would rebound on me.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head, agreeing with that. He hadn¡¯t cast anything after that either. Though, thinking about it now without the adrenaline and chaos of combat, a solution did pop into his mind. ¡°I think things that wouldn¡¯t affect him directly would have worked. A fog in the air that he couldn¡¯t see through maybe. The marble falling and freezing him to the floor worked well enough.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m most curious about how he was anticipating everything. When you and Dakka started teleporting around him, he moved well in advance of any incoming attacks. Was it magic or battle instinct?¡±

    ¡°I suppose we could ask our new hire,¡± Arkk said, quickly peeking in on the purifier as she investigated the lair room. He had left her in there well over an hour ago, saying that it would create a home that matched her desires. So far, she hadn¡¯t done anything yet. Either she had no real desires or she was having trouble getting it working. ¡°But let¡¯s hold off on that for now. We¡¯re not going to fight that man in the immediate future. I don¡¯t want anyone around the purifier unless I¡¯m there as well. At least for now.¡±

    Zullie quirked an eyebrow above her violet eyes. ¡°Should I be worried?¡±

    ¡°No idea. All I really know about her is that she has very dangerous, very painful magic and she was just barely our opponent. Until we have a better handle on her personality, I¡¯d rather not take any chances.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall getting a warning like this about the gorgon.¡±

    Arkk opened his mouth but hesitated, thinking. They were dangerous beings who had been threatening him only minutes before he hired them. Yet¡­ something about them felt right under his command. He didn¡¯t know how that could be the case. Perhaps it had something to do with what Vezta said. The gorgon were descendants of old allies. They belonged here.

    Shrugging, Arkk stood. ¡°I¡¯m going to head out on another set of rounds. Keep watching the inquisitors. Let me know the moment they do anything alarming.¡±

    ¡°They look like they¡¯re packing up. Didn¡¯t spend much time looking for their lost purifier, did they?¡±

    ¡°Not complaining,¡± Arkk said before teleporting away.

    Fortress Al-Mir had not possessed anywhere for the injured to recover before an hour ago. Before now, the only injuries were generally minor things. Usually coming from the orcs in the fighting pits. They were a hardy bunch who were happy to show off their wounds for a while. When they eventually retired for the evening, they tended to themselves in their lairs.

    With an expenditure of gold, Arkk had created a large lair room. Whatever magic of the [HEART] let them have their personalized rooms didn¡¯t like anyone having two personalized rooms. Still, what he had been able to do was make several beds all in a row. At least the wounded weren¡¯t lying on the cold, hard floors. He would have to come up with another solution in the future.

    Lots of things needed to be done in the future.

    For now, this was as best as he could do.

    Most of the occupied beds were those with moderate injuries. Those with minor injuries had retired to their own lairs. The worst¡ªat least, the worst of those who weren¡¯t petrified¡ªwas the orc who had been on the initial receiving end of Purifier Agnete¡¯s flames. Katt¡¯am¡¯s legs looked raw and were covered in blisters. His normally green skin was anything but. If there was one small mercy, it was that he had fallen unconscious.

    Arkk didn¡¯t know what to do for the orc. One leg had burns up to his ankle but the other was charred all the way up to his thigh. The latter leg also¡­ didn¡¯t exactly have much of a foot anymore. Arkk had to force himself to look at it, feeling like he shouldn¡¯t shirk away. It was his responsibility. Even still, it made his stomach churn.

    Arkk had to breathe through his mouth around the poor orc. He couldn¡¯t imagine being in Katt¡¯am¡¯s position.

    These injuries weren¡¯t something that anyone would recover from. The orc¡¯s hardy body wouldn¡¯t help here. Even Abbess Keena wouldn¡¯t have been able to help. As it was, they might have to chop off his other foot and the remainder of his leg before they started rotting.

    Maybe one of the church¡¯s healers would have an idea. The nearby burgs had larger church buildings with higher-ranking members of the church. If they had any ideas for how to handle such burn injuries, it was his duty to seek them out. Though he might not be able to go himself. It would probably be best if he avoided the nearby burgs and villages until the inquisitors had left the area. Or at least until his eyes stopped glowing. He was trying to calm down, but¡­

    Arkk turned away from Katt¡¯am and moved about the room. He made sure to speak with everyone who had taken an injury if for no other reason than to reassure them that he was doing everything he could. In reality, Vezta was the one who had done most of the heavy lifting. The slime she left didn¡¯t magically make everything better but it did seal wounds and, speaking from experience, seemed to accelerate the healing process. Arkk had used Flesh Weaving to shore up the worst of the wounds.

    Stopping at the statue of Dakka, Arkk frowned. He wasn¡¯t sure that Vezta would be enough for the gash in her shoulder. She had looked rather pale before her petrification too. Could he use Flesh Weaving on her fast enough? It wasn¡¯t exactly a spell designed for emergency use. Nor for deep wounds. It was slow and clunky, requiring a great deal of concentration just to put things back together.

    Maybe the church could help with that as well?

    It was something to investigate now rather than later.

    Teleporting away, Arkk found the one man who he felt would be able to get into and out of the burgs without drawing too much attention.

    John looked up from a long piece of timber and the adze he was using to smooth one side of it. It was a long beam with a shallow bend cut in the middle. Maybe a truss for a roof? Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what he was working on at the moment and Hale wasn¡¯t around so it wasn¡¯t a lesson for his apprentice. Given the situation, Arkk didn¡¯t think about it too hard.

    ¡°Did your work go well?¡± John asked before Arkk could speak.

    ¡°Somewhat. The inquisitors seem to be leaving,¡± Arkk said, focusing on the positives of the situation.

    ¡°So we can go home?¡±

    Arkk hesitated, considering. ¡°We should probably keep an eye on them for a little longer. As long as they don¡¯t look like they¡¯re coming back, I don¡¯t think it would be a problem. Though I would ask that you not tell anyone I¡¯m out here. I tried to give the inquisitors the impression that I¡¯m abandoning this area. Maybe running off to one of the principalities. That mostly means no telling Abbess Keena.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I¡¯ll admit, I¡¯ll miss some of these tools but it will be nice to get back home.¡±

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Shrugging, Arkk said, ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you take them. The fortress can make more. It isn¡¯t like we have another carpenter around anyway. But before you start packing them up, I came here wondering if you might do me a favor.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°We had some injuries with the orcs. One has severe burns and another few have deep gouges and cuts. I was wondering if you would be willing to head into one of the burgs and see if you can¡¯t ask some of the church healers for advice. Don¡¯t say what we were doing. Maybe just say that someone was drunk and fell into a firepit¡­ but any help we can get would be appreciated. We don¡¯t have any proper healers down here.¡±

    The old carpenter drew himself up, squaring his shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t know that I rightly trust those orcs. You do remember that they attacked us, don¡¯t you?¡± he started, holding up a hand when Arkk tried to object. ¡°But you¡¯ve done right by me over the years and kept Hale out of those inquisitors¡¯ hands. I¡¯d be happy to help.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Arkk said, giving him a firm clap on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m going to teleport you to the end of the Smilesville tunnel. You know how to get out?¡±

    ¡°Sure do.¡±

    ¡°Just make something up about being from a nearby village. I mostly need help with burn wounds but one of my orcs has a deep gash from her shoulder to her breast,¡± Arkk said, dragging a hand down his chest in roughly the right spot before handing over a small sack of gold pulled from the treasury. ¡°Help for that would be appreciated.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arkk said again before teleporting John away without further delay. The longer they waited, the worse things would get. At least for Katt¡¯am. Dakka and the others should be fine until they removed the petrification. Perhaps Katt¡¯am would appreciate being petrified as well.

    With that set in motion, Arkk did a quick scan around the rest of his fortress. Larry, under his orders, was preparing a large feast for everyone able to attend. Something of an apology and thanks for the effort put into stopping the inquisitors. Ilya, Rekk¡¯ar, and Olatt¡¯an were having a discussion just outside the new medical wing. It looked like a fairly serious meeting. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what they were talking about but he figured one of them would fill him in. He didn¡¯t really want to get into a talk with the two orcs¡ªor, at least, Rekk¡¯ar¡ªat the moment. He doubted the orc would have much positive to say. Vezta was working her way around the infirmary, fixing up an orc who was clearly not enjoying her slathering black tar on his waist.

    Hale¡­

    Arkk blinked twice before teleporting to the library. He immediately snatched a black book out of her hands and scowled down at its cover.

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, young lady?¡±

    ¡°Practicing reading like Zullie said.¡±

    ¡°Where did you get this?¡± he asked, slapping a hand against the cover of the book he had taken from the former orc chieftain. ¡°I thought this was in my room.¡±

    Hale shrugged and pointed just past the still statue of Savren to one of the shelves. ¡°It was right over there. I remembered looking through it and wanted to see if I could read it now.¡±

    Arkk frowned at Savren. ¡°I forgot about you,¡± he mumbled under his breath before looking at the shelf. The indicated shelf held many books. Mostly Zullie¡¯s. If that witch had left this one lying about where Hale could find it¡­

    ¡°Read other books, Hale.¡±

    ¡°Arkk,¡± she whined. ¡°That one had cool spells in it. Not the lame rituals Zullie has been teaching me.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s teaching you the foundations. You need to start there or you¡¯ll end up like me, blowing up half the things you try to do.¡±

    Hale huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. She started grumbling under her breath, complaining about how unfair it was that he got to use the good spells. Aside from Flesh Weaving, Arkk didn¡¯t think there was much good in the book. For a moment, he considered teaching Hale to use the spell. Having another person capable of providing aid wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea. Perhaps she wouldn¡¯t be so upset if he did so.

    He had deliberately kept the book away from Zullie even though the spell would have been useful for her as well.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with that thing anyway?¡± Hale asked.

    Looking up at Savren, Arkk frowned. With the orcs petrified, that could wait a little longer. He probably shouldn¡¯t leave one of his minions in that state unnecessarily.

    Pulling one of Zullie¡¯s beginner books off the shelves, Arkk handed it over to Hale. ¡°Practice reading with this.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    Hale didn¡¯t get to finish before he teleported her back to her room. In her place, Zharja appeared, staring right at the statue of Savren. The gorgon stared for a brief moment before letting out a ferocious hissing. The black-scaled snake whipped her head toward him.

    She froze when she met glowing red eyes.

    ¡°I apologize for disturbing you,¡± Arkk said as calmly as he could, trying to ignore the knot in his stomach at locking his gaze on her slit pupils. As much as he felt like the gorgon belonged here¡­ they were still gorgon. ¡°Would you mind turning him back to normal? I¡¯ll send you back to your rock afterward.¡±

    Zharja stuck her tongue out, tasting the air. ¡°Very well,¡± she hissed, turning her hooded head over to Savren. Unless he wanted Savren to suffer from an accident sooner or later, keeping all the gorgon far away from him jumped up on Arkk¡¯s list of priorities

    Arkk felt a faint pulse of magic from her before the smooth marble cracked and broke. Flesh, hair, and cloth appeared underneath, looking entirely unharmed.

    ¡°¡ªget you, you slimy¡ª¡± Savren, blinking three times rapidly, looked to Arkk and then turned a nasty snarl on Zharja. ¡°You!¡±

    Arkk teleported Zharja away before any altercation could break out. That made Savren blink again before the man shook his head, throwing bits of rapidly dispersing marble dust out of his hair.

    ¡°You mind telling me what you did that got you petrified?¡±

    ¡°What I did?¡± Savren said, glaring but not looking half as angry as he had a moment ago. ¡°I was minding my own business. You said I could browse the books so I was browsing. Zharja slithered in on her slimy scales, stared at me, then sentenced me to stone without a single sentence. She was always the most disobedient and disrespectful, often she deigned to disregard my directivess.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to hiss your words.¡±

    ¡°Habit,¡± Savren snapped. ¡°And now she deigns to disobey your directives.¡± He paused, frowning. ¡°Unless you so cruelly condemned me to concretion. I¡¯ve nary a notion to enact negative action,¡± he said. A heartbeat passed before he added, ¡°Since entering your enterprising employ.¡±

    Arkk let out a withering sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her. I don¡¯t want my employees fighting.¡±

    ¡°Employees? Ha.¡±

    ¡°I pay you, don¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°What good is gold when it can¡¯t be spent? Your orcs might be content with chancing on combat and your snakes find satisfaction in simple needs but Savren strives for status and skill!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± Arkk trailed off a moment then he put on a sarcastic smile. ¡°You won¡¯t persist on my payroll permanently,¡± he said. ¡°Partake of your pay without provocation and we¡¯ll part ways with you prosperous enough to¡­ relocate to a new region and start anew?¡± He hesitated a moment before saying, ¡°See, I can do it too.¡±

    ¡°Pathetic peasant, though you posit a potent point.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s smile slipped. ¡°Is there a reason you talk like this?¡±

    Irritation flashed across Savren¡¯s face. ¡°A caster, crude and cretinous, cursed my cranium to confound my communication. I can fight through it,¡± he said with a grimace. A blood vein on his temple started to bulge as he drew in a fresh breath of air. ¡°Fight it to cast spells. But speaking simple sentences starting with same-sounds shrinks the strain. If you wish for me to speak ¡®normally¡¯ then I¡­ dare say that¡­¡± He ground his teeth together like he was chewing something particularly unpleasant.

    ¡°Alright, alright. Just stop. You can talk however you want.¡±

    Savren smiled like he had just snatched success from some one-sided struggle. ¡°My mind-magic mastery comes not from merriment in manipulation but from a desire to mend my mental malfunction.¡±

    Arkk shook his head back and forth with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes, trying not to glower at the mesmer. ¡°Just take your pay. I know I¡¯m paying you a whole lot more than you would get doing just about anything else. After I¡¯m done with you, you can go start a new life somewhere else with it all. Maybe pay some academy to look into your¡­ condition.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure if he was telling the truth about that. Letting Savren go, with all he had done, didn¡¯t exactly sound like the wisest idea in the world. As upsetting as that curse might have been, he probably had done something to deserve it. The ritual at the village of Hope had been an experiment. In Savren¡¯s words, diffusion and dissemination of deleterious delusions to dampen the effect. Arkk hadn¡¯t understood what he meant at the time and had been too irritated to ask or even think much about it, but now¡­

    ¡°The ritual at Hope¡­ that was supposed to spread your curse out among the entire village?¡±

    ¡°It functioned, for a fortnight. Freedom from flowing phrases felt fantastic. Until it failed. Fractures formed and families fell. I feared the worst and fled.¡±

    ¡°Leaving the villagers to their fate.¡±

    ¡°To be fair, had I found myself felled along with my fellows, another finding the focal point would have been far-fetched.¡±

    Arkk shook his head. No, letting Savren go free was not a good idea at all. The man cared nothing for the lives he had affected. ¡°Try not to cause trouble,¡± Arkk said, stepping away. ¡°I¡¯ve got more pressing matters to do.¡±

    Rather than allow Savren time to respond, Arkk immediately teleported in front of a rather warm door. He knocked twice and waited.

    The door creaked open of its own accord, letting out a rush of heated air. It wasn¡¯t hot enough to burn Arkk¡¯s face off, being about on par with a dry summer¡¯s day, but it was mildly uncomfortable. Stepping into the room, he looked around and found himself surprised that his face wasn¡¯t melting off.

    Purifier Agnete sat in a chair made from black stone. It had no cushions and no padding. Just hard black stone. The stone wasn¡¯t whole. Large cracks ran through it, seemingly glued together by some kind of molten rock glowing from within. The bed just to the side of the chair was much the same, black stone with glowing cracks and no padding. No blankets either, not that Arkk thought anyone would need blankets in this room¡ªhe was already sweating. The most interesting, and concerning, aspect of the room wasn¡¯t the clearly molten furniture, it was where the furniture was located. The floor, made from the same black stone, didn¡¯t reach all the way to the walls. Aside from a bridge-like path leading to the door, it was floating on a lake of bubbling, molten metal.

    The room wasn¡¯t half as hot as the forge and was nowhere near the temperature needed to melt metal, so it had to be some kind of magical construct generated by Fortress Al-Mir. Still, it was a bit unnerving. Arkk wondered how hot it would be if he touched it but wasn¡¯t quite brave enough to try. They had enough problems with burn wounds as it was without adding more on top of it.

    ¡°Agnete,¡± Arkk said, looking at the woman. She wore a black long coat quite reminiscent of the outfits the inquisitors wore, though she wore no boots or footwear of any kind. He wasn¡¯t sure how long it would last, though. The hem looked like someone had dragged it through a campfire. ¡°I see you¡¯re settled in. Need anything?¡±

    ¡°The magic here is¡­¡±

    ¡°Forbidden, yes, you mentioned.¡±

    ¡°Soothing,¡± she said, casting her gaze around the molten room. ¡°And forbidden.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well¡­ I was curious¡­ If your fires injured someone, is there anything you can do to help?¡±

    ¡°Help?¡±

    ¡°Any healing or¡­ unburning?¡±

    ¡°I burn, not heal.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I figured,¡± Arkk mumbled. ¡°What did the inquisitors do with someone if they wound up partially burned?¡±

    ¡°Interrogation. After, I would be called in to finish the incineration.¡±

    ¡°Okay. That¡¯s¡­ not an option. Things are going to be a bit different here, it seems.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure that she did but wasn¡¯t going to try to explain things now. ¡°I have my chef preparing meals. Would you like one once they are ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be back later then. Feel free to¡­ relax?¡±

    She nodded, sweeping her fingers through her wild black hair. Arkk almost teleported away but hesitated, watching her for just a moment longer. The cuff of her sleeve was smoldering.

    Those clothes weren¡¯t going to last long at all.

    Arkk teleported away.

 Inquisition Expedition Aftermath

    Master Inquisitor Darius Vrox limped across his temporary office within the Grand Old Church of Cliff City, slung a pack onto his desk, and sunk low into an old wooden chair. Not the most comfortable of accommodations. Still, he appreciated what little reprieve on his aching muscles the chair provided. One would think that returning to Cliff in his carriage would have provided ample opportunity to rest. He had sat for most of the journey. Travel, however, had a way of draining energy. Especially when it left him alone with idle thoughts, forcing him to confront one unpleasant fact after another as he reflected on the debacle in the Cursed Forest.

    He was a rusted blade.

    It wasn¡¯t always this way. Fifteen years ago, when he had been scouted for and invited into the ranks of the Light¡¯s Inquisitors, he had been a one-man army. An exaggeration to be sure, but he held little doubt that he would have been able to fight off all of Arkk¡¯s orcs without too much trouble even without the help of Douglas. At some point, that changed. He had a feeling that he knew when, where, and why.

    His own competence was his downfall. The Inquisitors did not have a tall hierarchy. Nevertheless, he had risen through it rapidly. In five years, he had been made Master Inquisitor. Along with that new title came assignees under his command. Namely the Purifier Agnete. From the moment she had been placed in his cell, his role had changed. No longer was he a fighter. He became an investigator. He lurked around, discovered plots and plans, and then rather than take care of matters himself, he threw the Purifier at them.

    And why not? Her powers were monstrous beyond human comprehension. None could stand up to her flames and live.

    When was the last time he had been forced to fight like that? Sure, he flung a few spells here or there and had always considered himself above average with a longsword but¡­

    Darius removed his boots, letting him stretch out his feet.

    He didn¡¯t get much relaxation in before a knock at his office door disturbed him. Quickly, Darius sat fully upright and straightened his uniform. He pulled a stack of papers from his desk and a pen and started writing. ¡°Enter,¡± he said, barely cognizant of the tip of the pen scraping across the paper.

    Chronicler Douglas Greesom stepped into the room. Douglas had not come out unscathed from their adventures either. In fact, Douglas had the worse wound. His arm, wrapped tight and held in a sling, had been tended to by the local priest and abbess of Stone Hearth Burg, however, it would be quite some time before he was fully back to normal. The blow he had received from the orc¡¯s axe had shattered his forearm.

    Darius wasn¡¯t sure if it was luck, skill, or divine intervention, but whatever the case, he was thankful that Douglas had only contacted with the haft of the axe and not the blade. Bone was harder to mend than a flesh wound but losing an arm entirely would have been permanent. In truth, both of them had escaped with relatively little harm. Something he probably owed to Arkk, disquieting as that notion might sound.

    The presence of Douglas put Darius at ease¡ªletting him drop his pen and cease the act of the ultra-dedicated inquisitor.

    That ease quickly shifted to unease as Darius took in the stiff appearance of Douglas.

    ¡°I have concluded my report to the Ecclesiarch.¡±

    Darius flicked his eyes to the golden necklace dangling around Douglas¡¯ chest. The Ecclesiarch, barring unexpected movements, was down in the Bastion City, a star-shaped fortification nestled between three lakes in the middle of a desert. The capital of the Kingdom of Chernlock, home of the Temple of the Light, and the seat of power over the entire region. With the angled pendant on Chronicler Greesom¡¯s necklace, resembling a mixture of the Three Symbols of Light, Douglas could receive revelation, power advanced miracles, and even commune with people in a location months of travel away.

    It was a rare artifact, only wieldable by those with training in miracle usage. Chroniclers like Greesom did not grow on trees, though they were marginally more common than purifiers like Agnete.

    ¡°You spoke to the Ecclesiarch himself? Not an aide?¡±

    ¡°The Ecclesiarch is intensely interested in our operation and wished to hear the report in person.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Darius said, removing his glasses as he began rubbing the bridge of his nose. ¡°He was¡­ displeased?¡±

    Douglas snorted an ugly laugh. ¡°Light protects. Between losing the Binding Agent and allowing our purifier to go rogue, it is a wonder we weren¡¯t met at the gates by other inquisitors ready to clamp chains on our wrists. He already knew before I even had a chance to speak.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I wonder why we spend all this time writing reports.¡± Darius reseated the glasses on his nose and looked over Douglas. ¡°Well? I presume we¡¯re off the job?¡±

    ¡°Not quite.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°The Oracles are growing increasingly concerned. An event, the details of which I was not made privy to, occurred just after we lost the Binding Agent to Arkk. To quote the Ecclesiarch: ¡®The Stars have begun to churn and broil.¡¯¡± Douglas shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what that means.¡±

    ¡°A being from beyond the stars and churning stars? I would say there is a connection there.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Unfortunately,¡± Douglas said with a shrug, ¡°we will not be receiving reinforcements or a replacement for Agnete. There is¡­ something else going on. The Golden Order of Evestani has ceased communication with the Temple of the Light. The Ecclesiarch is concerned. It seems as if the other inquisitorial cells are being rerouted to Bastion.¡±

    ¡°The Golden Order¡­ their order was the power behind the war, was it not?¡±

    Douglas dipped his head in agreement. ¡°We are not being recalled. Our directive is to recapture or kill our lost purifier in the hopes of that shifting event being reverted or stalled. Priority on the being remains high though not quite as high as Agnete. I dare say faith in our ability to handle it has been diminished.¡±

    ¡°I see. Presuming Arkk has taken control of Agnete¡ª¡± A fairly safe assumption given the lack of a conflagration consuming the central Duchy. ¡°¡ªour objective has hardly changed. We track him down and he leads us to the purifier.¡±

    ¡°We are more aware of what we face. Losing Agnete is problematic but we know her capabilities and have countermeasures for her, albeit less effective than the Binding Agent.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Darius agreed. ¡°The orcs pose little problem. I shall have to refresh my memory of a few choice spells.¡±

    ¡°The Light protects. Gorgon will not be a problem either.¡±

    ¡°That just leaves Arkk, the strange abilities he demonstrated, and his pet horror from beyond the stars.¡±

    Douglas nodded his head. ¡°An opportunity for redemption beyond the handling of Agnete?¡±

    ¡°We focus on our primary directive, of course. If the opportunity of which you speak presents itself, who are we to ignore it?¡± Darius stood and cracked his neck from side to side. The sensation of fatigue vanished from his bones, replaced with a sense of renewed purpose. ¡°Your injuries,¡± he said, looking at the broken arm of his chronicler. ¡°Were you told how long they would take to heal?¡±

    ¡°Optimistically, three months. It is my hope that the local bishop can keep that optimistic schedule on pace.¡±

    ¡°Very well. Three months. Not a lot of time but time enough.¡±

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°I have been lax,¡± Darius said, stalking over to the window of his office, looking out over the city of Cliff. ¡°Too reliant on the powers of a monster to fight my battles for me.

    ¡°It is time we change that.¡±

    <hr>

    And so we arrived late in the evening. The hired orcs were most efficient and eager to put down the local wildlife threatening our camp. They were invaluable throughout the expedition in keeping the rest of the crew safe. You have my compliments.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Upon dawn the next morning, we approached the ruins for the first time. To our great surprise, they were hardly ruins at all. Preserved through the ages, the black marble displayed little evidence of any erosion or deliberate harm. The ziggurat¡¯s smooth walls looked as if they had been freshly carved by stone masons a mere week ago. Yet, through the means detailed in my notes, I was able to determine the age of the structure to be approximately eight hundred years. Not quite the pre-Calamity ruins I had been hoping for but still a significant historical find.

    The first week, we spent our time solely examining the exterior of the structure. We took measurements and fully examined the ziggurat. It turned out to be much larger than my research would have indicated. I am unsure how the ancients managed to build it, even now. There were no seams or evidence of assembly. The pyramid appeared entirely carved from a single stone. The highlands where we discovered it contained no other black marble in the area leaving the source of the material¡¯s origin a mystery.

    It was with deep and profound regret that we believed our expedition to be at an end then and there. With the pyramid being a single, uniform structure with no openings and no designs leading to clues as to its purpose, we thought to pack up camp and head home. It was one of your orcs that proved invaluable in discovering the way forward. The evening before we were set to depart, Gratt¡¯an stumbled across a similarly designed slab of stone a mild distance from the pyramid itself. This slab was not one uniform monolith but, instead, a door.

    With the aid of all five orcs and several of the workers we brought along, we managed to pry open the door and breach the interior.

    What we found was unlike anything I have witnessed in my thirty-nine years. A complex labyrinth of corridors and rooms. Most were, regrettably, empty. Their contents decayed beyond any reasonable identification. The full details are attached but I will call special attention to three rooms in particular. One, a room with a large crystalline archway, covered in strange patterns and designs. I have shipped off sketches of the designs to the Cliff Academy in the hopes of uncovering the nature or purpose of the archway¡ªI am not a spellcaster myself nor were any on our expedition¡ªbut they have yet to return my missives. I will send another letter to you with their results if they ever come.

    Another of the rooms of interest was a simple octagonal chamber containing nothing but a deep pit leading far into the mountain. Although we made efforts to discover where the pit led, we were unsuccessful. We brought with us an excess of rope in the anticipation of requiring it and yet it was not enough to reach the bottom. Combined with a lack of volunteers¡ªmany of our work crew found the pit eerie and unsettling¡ªwe were forced to leave it alone for the time being.

    The final room was, I believe based on the maps we created, the interior of the great pyramid that began this whole endeavor. Hollow, the interior walls were covered with thin plates of gold pressed into the walls, forming a massive mural. Attached are sketches but I must confess that they are embarrassingly inadequate compared to witnessing the actual room in person. I am sure that interpretations of the mural will continue for decades among my colleagues but I thought I would offer my view of the events depicted.

    It begins with sixteen stars hanging in the sky, arranged in an even, equal circle. There are people, humans¡ªpossibly also demihumans and beastmen¡ªworshiping the stars. Perhaps icons of an ancient religion, now long dead. All seems peaceful until three of the stars fell away from the others.

    The early portions of the mural depict death and destruction. Life withering away, the sky falling to the ground, civilizations collapsing to dust. Given the Calamity occurred only a few hundred years prior to this structure¡¯s construction, I am certain that those portions of the mural are depicting the fall of magic and the destruction wrought during those trying times.

    There appears to be a brief period of rebuilding following that collapse. It wasn¡¯t a long time. Rather than fall prey to another Calamity, however, it seems that man fought against man. Wars erupted among various tribes. A depiction of what I believe to be a dwarf dominated a significant portion of the mural, being killed off by the spears of one of the armies. This might represent a leader falling or, possibly, represents the time the dwarves went extinct. Supporting evidence for the latter includes depictions of several other species, few of whom I recognize, also being killed off.

    It is well known that many magically sensitive species perished in the Calamity and its aftermath. However, most scholars agree that they went extinct due to the lack of magic. The mural seems to indicate that they were killed off. This contradicts everything we believe about the era. If my interpretations are correct, of course. As I said, these are just my preliminary thoughts, shared with you since you expressed an interest in the outcome of this expedition. I am unsure of the truth of the depicted events or the interpretation.

    Unfortunately, the mural ends abruptly. There were no signs of battle within the pyramid or the rest of the structure. No remains left behind or anything indicating where the people inhabiting the pyramid went. It is possible they abandoned the location, fought in one of the depicted wars elsewhere, or even lost the technology or expertise required to continue updating their mural.

    Nevertheless, this mural is a most wonderous find. Following the Calamity, recordkeeping and chronicling fell to almost nothing, leaving the era as a Lost Age. This is, I believe, the most complete record ever discovered of the era and yet it was discovered without written word to confirm what the imagery depicts.

    Per our agreement, I have spent the last month compiling my notes. You may find the finer details beyond the above summary attached to this missive. If you are interested in more details, additional interpretation of the ruins, or further discussion, you may write to me or visit me directly in the Bastion City. I make my home at the Archives and Museum of National History.

    Thank you for your support in this expedition, Mister Arkk and Company Al-Mir.

    Ramis Phonk, Historical Curator of the Crown.

    <hr>

    Pale, milky eyes turned away from the twinkling stars in the night sky.

    Wind and snow ravaged the Forlorn Mountain¡¯s peak. A harsh, biting cold that would send most mortal races to an early, frosty grave. Even the mighty bonfire of the Hightop Shrine, ever burning with a dragon¡¯s heart at its core, did little to ward off the chill. Yet Priscilla stood from her meditative cushion without the slightest tremble, unfeeling of the harsh snow.

    Bare feet stepped around the bonfire until Priscilla stood at the very edge of the Hightop Shrine. Sightless eyes looked down the side of the mountain, spotting the faint lights from the fires of the village at the base. She stepped forward until her black toenails hung just over the edge. Taking a breath, Priscilla leaped forward.

    The sheer cliff face rushed past as Priscilla dove. The gale around her felt almost calm and serene as it carried her along, letting her skim past the rocky surface. As the lights in the distance grew larger and the ground grew closer, onyx-scaled wings spread out behind Priscilla, turning her freeform dive into a controlled descent. Gliding in lazy circles over the village, she eventually reached the ground. Priscilla¡¯s feet touched down in the shallow snow just outside the smallest hut in the village.

    Taking a step, Priscilla¡¯s foot slammed into something cold and hard. Metallic clanging skipped across the ground even as she hissed at the mild pain of stubbing her toe. Whatever she kicked slammed into the side of the hut with enough force to shatter a plank of wood.

    She heard a door swing open.

    ¡°Who¡ªWhat? Pris? What are you¡ªHide your wings,¡± a shocked and confused voice demanded.

    Priscilla¡¯s sightless eyes looked up to find the burning heart of a woman standing before her. Her lips parted into a smile filled with sharp teeth. ¡°No. No need to hide.¡±

    ¡°No need? Pris¡­ Have the centuries finally driven you mad? You¡¯ll attract poachers.¡± The burning heart approached and Priscilla felt a comforting arm settle over her shoulders as the other woman ushered her inside the hut. ¡°What are you doing down here? You can¡¯t stand the humans.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡±

    ¡°Pris, please. I can carry you back up the mountain¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. I won¡¯t go back. The stars have begun to change. Can you not feel it as well? The ancient magics are stirring.¡±

    The burning heart in front of Priscilla shuddered with her words. ¡°I¡­ You¡¯ve seen it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the stars, yes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve claimed this before.¡±

    ¡°Twice.¡±

    ¡°Both times, wars started. We died. Fought for nothing.¡± The burning heart turned away. ¡°Nothing changed.¡±

    ¡°Nothing will change unless those who can make the change act.¡±

    The burning heart turned back in a bout of anger. ¡°That is clearly not us.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. Perhaps not. That doesn¡¯t mean we shouldn¡¯t try.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t do it. Not again.¡±

    Priscilla blinked, milky eyes trailing after that burning heart. ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°There are so few of us left. Throwing ourselves away chasing the past? We¡¯ve tried¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡­ are abandoning the pact?¡±

    ¡°Pact?¡± The burning heart scoffed. ¡°What pact? A pact needs cosigners. We¡¯re all that¡¯s left.¡±

    Priscilla stared at the burning heart, watching the flames coil and twist. Pain and anguish, hope and despair¡­

    Priscilla stood and turned away. ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°Do you?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡ª¡± Taking a step, Priscilla¡¯s nose slammed into a wooden pillar within the hut. ¡°Oof.¡±

    ¡°Pris. Go back to your mountaintop. Please. If¡­ if this turns out¡ª¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve lived with these humans long enough,¡± Priscilla said, rubbing her nose. ¡°They have been a bad influence on you.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ won¡¯t harm them. Not without going through me.¡±

    Priscilla turned her head, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Cute that you think you can stop me.¡±

    ¡°Pris!¡±

    ¡°But I won¡¯t.¡± Reaching out her hands, Priscilla felt around the small hut until her fingers found the door latch. ¡°I can think of no greater punishment for one such as you than to live among humans. Enjoy your time.¡± Priscilla threw open the door, barely feeling the cold bite of the bitter weather against her scales. ¡°Or, should I say, enjoy their time.¡±

    Slamming the door shut hard enough to knock snow off the rooftop, Priscilla turned her gaze around the human village. This late at night, everyone was indoors. Probably. No one was there to see her wings spread wide. Probably. She took off to the skies where she made a lazy circle around the village, picturing a glacier of ice sliding into place, entombing the entire habitation for just a moment before angling her flight off to the west.

    Or¡­ did she need to be going to the east?

    Priscilla swung her flight around and immediately faceplanted into a tree. Sliding down the trunk, she landed flat on her back. She stayed there for a long moment, staring up at the burning stars overhead.

    ¡°This,¡± Priscilla said, frosty breath escaping her lips, ¡°might be hard without help.¡±

 Reassessment

    ¡°I want more.¡±

    ¡°Water?¡± Vezta asked, leaning over Arkk¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Everything,¡± Arkk said, hands slamming against the top of the meeting room table as he stood up.

    ¡°I see. I shall see if the kitchens are well stocked. If you¡¯ll excuse me¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Arkk waved her off, motioning for her to remain where she was. ¡°No. I¡¯ve just had a realization in the last few days. We can¡¯t continue as we are.¡±

    Arkk looked around the meeting room. All his advisors were present. Ilya sat to his immediate right while Vezta stood just a step behind his seat. Rekk¡¯ar and Olatt¡¯an sat around the circular table toward the right, the former with his arm still in a sling from the battle a few days ago. Zullie was to Arkk¡¯s left. Her eyes had been cast down toward a notebook in her lap until Arkk slammed the table. Khan stood across the table from Arkk, all the other members still giving him a wide berth.

    He had considered inviting Agnete but¡­ he still wasn¡¯t quite sure about the former inquisitor. She had agreed to join him so easily that he half expected her to be a spy.

    It had taken a few days for the realization to fully set in. He had been busy running around, making sure everyone was as healed as could be, making sure the inquisitors weren¡¯t coming back for round two¡ªthey had stuck around for a little over a week, resting and recuperating at Smilesville Burg while perhaps watching to see if Agnete would try to burn down the region¡ªand generally putting out the fires around the fortress. Not literal fires, thankfully¡ªAgnete had hardly left her room since arriving¡ªbut there had been some minor discord among the orcs. Word had gotten out that the flame witch was in Fortress Al-Mir. Some thought she was a prisoner, some wanted revenge for what she did to one of their own. Under other circumstances, Arkk would have applauded the comradery they were showing, which he felt they might have been lacking under their former chieftain, but here and now, it was yet another thing to deal with.

    He still wasn¡¯t sure what to do about Katt¡¯am. The man¡¯s injuries were severe and the local abbeys had been unable to assist. John had agreed to venture to Darkwood to see if he might be able to purchase any aid from the alchemist, Morford. Arkk doubted the man¡¯s alchemy would be able to bring back the orc¡¯s feet but maybe it would help with the pain.

    Once he had found a moment to reflect, his mind kept going back to the one thing he felt had slipped by without the reaction it deserved. It wasn¡¯t anything to do with the inquisitors or how Vrox had suggested they put aside their differences long enough to get Agnete under control. It had nothing to do with an avatar of one of Vezta¡¯s [PANTHEON] walking among them. It didn¡¯t even have anything to do with the fact that Vezta still didn¡¯t have an arm from the elbow down.

    Arkk was trapped here. The [HEART] was his heart. If it stopped beating¡­ If those inquisitors brought in a dozen purifiers¡­ If they rallied the Duke and got the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard sent to purge the fortress¡­ The only defense Arkk had was a handful of spells, a cadre of orcs and gorgons, and a pre-Calamity artifact that wasn¡¯t even functioning properly. It was no small thing. Fending off the inquisitors with Purifier Agnete and their strange holy magic had proved that beyond any doubt.

    But it wasn¡¯t enough.

    ¡°I need more personnel, more magic, more weapons, more knowledge. Everything.¡±

    ¡°Finally,¡± Rekk¡¯ar grumbled. Arkk shot him a questioning look, prompting a shrug from the green-skinned orc. ¡°The Chieftain had me by the balls,¡± he said, louder. ¡°Didn¡¯t enjoy that much but working for a limp-dicked farm boy wasn¡¯t much better.¡± He turned, glowering at Olatt¡¯an.

    The older orc simply smiled.

    ¡°So,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, leaning forward. ¡°How are we becoming a force to be feared?¡±

    Arkk looked around the room, stopping his gaze briefly on each of the others in the room. He honestly had no idea. That was what this meeting was for. Saying that would probably not go over well with Rekk¡¯ar, however. Instead, he looked to Zullie. ¡°First,¡± he started, ¡°something that can help without doing much else¡­¡±

    He held out a hand. Retrieving the black book from his private quarters, he placed it down on the table. Both Olatt¡¯an and Rekk¡¯ar stiffened at the sight of it. Olatt¡¯an in particular lost his placid expression. Had he tusks, Arkk imagined he would have been bearing them in full at the moment. Arkk was counting on what trust he had managed to garner with them over the last few months to keep them calm until he fully explained.

    ¡°This book formerly belonged to the orc¡¯s old chieftain,¡± Arkk explained for Zullie¡¯s benefit. ¡°It has a number of distinctly unpleasant spells and rituals within. But it is also where I learned the Flesh Weaving spell.¡±

    ¡°I had wondered¡­¡± Zullie said, not reaching for the book but very much looking like she wanted to.

    ¡°Look through it. See if there is anything useful that I turned a blind eye to. Make sure you learn the Flesh Weaving spell.¡± Arkk paused then added, ¡°Teach it to Hale as well, but make sure the book stays out of her hands.¡±

    ¡°Arkk!¡± Ilya said, admonishing in her tone.

    ¡°It¡¯s just the healing spell. If I¡¯m not around, having Zullie and Hale as backups could be the difference between life and death for someone.¡±

    ¡°Still¡­¡±

    Arkk shook his head and then looked back to Zullie. ¡°Keep this out of Savren¡¯s hands as well,¡± he said.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t even need to say that,¡± Zullie said, reaching for the book.

    As soon as her hands touched the cover, Arkk clamped his hand around her wrist. One more warning occurred to him. ¡°And Zullie, this book contains instructions for demon summoning. We are not summoning demons. Am I understood?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes,¡± she said, nodding her head. ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Arkk smiled. ¡°That taken care of¡ª¡±

    ¡°Do you mind if I read the demon summoning portions? Purely for reference. The planar magic involved might¡­¡± She took a deep breath and let it out in a thin sigh. ¡°There is something you should be aware of regarding the ritual.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Savren found the model we were using. He figured out its purpose and¡­ well, made a few comments that I shouldn¡¯t ignore because of the source.¡± She paused again, waiting for Arkk to nod his head. ¡°He expressed to me his concern over the catastrophic collision of conceptual corporeality owing to our count of casters charging the catalytic array.¡±

    Arkk stared, giving Zullie a flat look. ¡°He is bad enough. Don¡¯t start as well.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s just¡­ when I designed the ritual array, I thought it best if we err on the side of caution. Overcharge the array to ensure we punch a hole into reality. But we¡¯re not trying to punch a hole into reality. We just need to weaken the boundaries enough that the archway can connect to a different plane. It will punch a hole as it was designed to do. Us doing so could have¡­ potentially less desirable outcomes.¡±

    Arkk rubbed his forehead, closing his eyes. ¡°So it won¡¯t work?¡±

    ¡°It will, I wasn¡¯t wrong,¡± she insisted. ¡°It just might be best if we reduce the personnel count. Savren and I were thinking about redesigning the ritual from twenty-five personnel¡ªyou, the four higher quality casters at the corners, then five between each of us¡ªto a mere thirteen. You and the cardinal directions will still be required but we reduce the ancillary members to eight in total, two on each side.¡±

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Arkk looked up, eyebrows raised. ¡°That¡¯s good. Right? We could perform the ritual immediately.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Not quite. Previously, I cleared several of the orcs for duty on the sides. I failed to account for one small problem. The magic that allows Dakka to cast your lightning bolt spell comes from you. You¡¯ll be needing that power yourself. We need to find middling-average quality casters capable independent of you.¡±

    ¡°So basically nothing has changed then.¡±

    ¡°Correct. I just thought you should be aware.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself. At a nod from Arkk, he asked, ¡°What, exactly, are we expecting from the outcome of this ritual?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Arkk started, then looked to Vezta.

    Vezta wasn¡¯t at his side. A quick peek through the employee link found her off in the kitchens, gathering a plate of mugs along with some bread and butter. For a moment, he considered pulling her back to the meeting room. When had she even left?

    ¡°According to Vezta, we¡¯ll find another world. One similar to our own except inhabited primarily by denizens who worship the Cloak of Shadows, the member of the Pantheon who holds dominion over the Underworld. It is Vezta¡¯s belief that many will desire to join us.¡±

    ¡°They would cross over from another world to fight in our battles?¡±

    ¡°The Calamity is likely affecting them as well. As long as our long-term goal remains to undo that, there should be some willing to fight. Aside from that, as Zullie mentioned, I can provide magic and it seems like people from other planes of existence are heavily dependent on magic.¡±

    ¡°They might be less inclined to fight off dukes and inquisitors¡­¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Arkk agreed. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that everything will be perfect once we can get this ritual going, but it shouldn¡¯t hurt. That said,¡± Arkk paused, double-checking that Vezta wasn¡¯t around before speaking. ¡°I will admit that Vezta hasn¡¯t been there in well over a thousand years, well before the Calamity began. She hasn¡¯t said this, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if things changed over there as well. Maybe we¡¯ll find people desperate for change, maybe we¡¯ll find an idyllic world where nobody wants to rock the boat by joining us.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an hummed. ¡°They may even try to fight us if we state what we¡¯re trying to change.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°You have a plan for that?¡±

    ¡°Collapse the crystal archway,¡± Arkk said with a shrug. ¡°Move on without them or the support of other planes.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an nodded his head, accepting the answer.

    ¡°Though I hope it doesn¡¯t come to that. Vezta also mentioned the possibility of finding people who know more old magic. Or, failing that, someone who can translate the books we salvaged from the original fortress library.¡±

    That was one of the main reasons Arkk wanted to get a jump on this ritual. Eight casters of any caliber shouldn¡¯t be difficult to find. Hopefully. He wasn¡¯t interested in magic merely for the sake of learning it anymore, it could very well mean the difference between survival and Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s destruction¡ªand his own along with it.

    ¡°Which brings us to our next topic,¡± Arkk said, turning to Ilya. ¡°Recruitment. Is it possible?¡±

    Ilya sat up, leaning forward. She had just gotten back from visiting Stone Hearth and Smilesville. The two closest burgs. ¡°The inquisitors haven¡¯t put a bounty out on us or Company Al-Mir.¡±

    ¡°Yet,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said with a scoff.

    ¡°Yet,¡± Ilya agreed. ¡°As far as I can tell, we¡¯re in the clear. Company Al-Mir can submit recruitment notices with the garrisons. However, it probably isn¡¯t a good idea.¡±

    ¡°What? Why not?¡± Arkk asked with a frown.

    ¡°We¡¯re trying to maintain the fantasy that we¡¯re not based out of the Cursed Forest, right? That was the whole reason we let the inquisitors go.¡±

    Arkk clasped his hands together, nodding his head. ¡°Alright. Good point. You have a suggestion?¡±

    Ilya stood and moved to the large map hanging from the back wall of the room. It was a copy he had commissioned of the map in the Stone Hearth garrison, the entire Kingdom of Chernlock¡¯s peninsula along with some of the rest of the continent. Ilya looked over it for a short moment before planting a finger on the western border of the Duchy, right on the Evestani border.

    ¡°Moonshine Burg,¡± she said. ¡°Far away from both the Cursed Forest and from Cliff. If we set up a few of those portal chains, well hidden, we can move back and forth with relative ease while everyone else would have to travel across the entire Duchy. We go out there, get seen, and put out recruitment notices around there. Word eventually gets back to the inquisitors and they head out there instead of here.

    ¡°And¡­¡± she started, looking back to Arkk with thin-pursed lips. ¡°While I was in the burgs earlier, the archivist mentioned that a tip had come in on the bounty you put on the slavers. It seems they¡¯ve been active around the area.¡±

    Arkk had a strong feeling that her choice in burgs to be seen at had a whole lot more to do with the slavers than the distance from Fortress Al-Mir. Still, it wasn¡¯t a bad idea. He found himself nodding his head. ¡°Alright. I don¡¯t see why that wouldn¡¯t work. At least until the inquisitors have us outlawed. After that¡­ Rekk¡¯ar, Olatt¡¯an, I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re aware of any other roaming groups of raiders who we can browbeat into joining us?¡±

    The two orcs glanced at one another. Arkk saw the answer in their eyes before Olatt¡¯an gave it. ¡°There wasn¡¯t exactly a community of raiders where we all gathered for fun and games,¡± he said. ¡°In addition, our group had already subsumed most every orc we came across, including several smaller raiding parties.¡±

    Arkk nodded then turned to Khan. ¡°Any other gorgon groups you know of?¡±

    The snake¡¯s tongue darted out of his mouth. ¡°We aren¡¯t the mosst ssocial creaturess. Gorgon aren¡¯t common in the firsst place. Our den iss the only one I know of.¡±

    ¡°I figured, thanks anyway.¡±

    ¡°The slavers,¡± Ilya said again.

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in recruiting slavers,¡± Arkk said, glancing at Olatt¡¯an and Rekk¡¯ar. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s a bit hypocritical¡­¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Ilya said, ¡°but if we hunt them down, they¡¯ve surely taken slaves. Judging by the ruins of Eures, a lot of them won¡¯t have places to return to.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t interested in recruiting former slaves either. There might be a few fighters or skilled workers among them but¡­ most of them would surely be regular people. He couldn¡¯t claim knowledge of how slavers operated but he guessed that anyone who could fight back would have been killed rather than captured. He was expecting a lot of children and young adults, most of who would be farmers at best. Arkk wasn¡¯t going to make desperate people fight for Fortress Al-Mir just because he was desperate.

    Still, he nodded to Ilya. ¡°We¡¯ll make the slavers a priority,¡± he said, reaching out to rest a hand on her arm. It was clearly important to her. And besides, maybe they would find someone who knew Yavin or Nyala and would take them off his hands. Maybe that was cruel to think but accomplishing several objectives with one move didn¡¯t feel bad.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡°As for recruits, we¡¯ll have to see. I doubt many people will be happy if they join up and then the inquisitors declare Company Al-Mir outlawed. We might have to search through less reputable sources while at Moonshine Burg.¡±

    ¡°What have the inquisitors been up to since their departure?¡± Olatt¡¯an asked.

    Vezta threw open the doors, reentering the room. ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± she said, moving around the table with her mugs of tea and bread. She had dug up fruit preserves from the storeroom as well. ¡°Unfortunately, scrying on the inquisitors is no longer possible.¡±

    ¡°Not possible?¡± Rekk¡¯ar barked, alarmed. ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Vezta was monitoring the inquisitors the entire time they were traveling back to Cliff City,¡± Arkk said, scowling at the glass Vezta placed in front of him. ¡°They entered the large church there. We have never been able to scry on the interior of churches.¡±

    ¡°So they¡¯re staying put?¡± Rekk¡¯ar asked, calming slightly. ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡°Not quite.¡±

    ¡°The tall inquisitor exited the church the next morning,¡± Vezta said. ¡°I do not sleep and thus was able to observe the exits to the church at all times. When he emerged, he paused looked up directly at the point I was watching from, and gave a jaunty wave. After, the crystal ball went blank.¡±

    Vezta came to a stop at Arkk¡¯s side once again, having fully distributed her drinks and snacks among the individuals at the table. She smiled, hands clasped together at her navel. ¡°Any attempt at scrying on one of the inquisitors results in complete failure, no matter the distance. I can scry on the street over but the crystal ball fails before the inquisitor enters the perspective. Presumably, I admit. I cannot say for certain given my inability to scry on them.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t just her,¡± Arkk added. ¡°I tried and Zullie tried as well. We know where they are not, effectively, but even that isn¡¯t guaranteed. I feel it would be easy to create decoy blank spots or hand whatever is blocking the scrying off to some acolyte of the abbey if they can do this.¡±

    ¡°There may be alternate methods of scrying that would work,¡± Vezta admitted. ¡°A listening pool or soul stone. Fortress Al-Mir is not in possession of either, unfortunately.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar scowled, lips curling. ¡°The witch can¡¯t make those?¡±

    Arkk glanced over to Zullie, who wasn¡¯t paying attention to the conversation in the slightest. Her eyes drifted back and forth over the text of the black book. ¡°Zullie?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What?¡±

    ¡°Listening pool or soul stone. Can you craft those?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a theoretical researcher, not an artificer,¡± she said, tone absent as she looked down at the book once again. ¡°I can affix a spell to a magic wand. Never learned the art of artifice beyond that.¡±

    Arkk looked back to Rekk¡¯ar and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°So she says.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± the orc said, ¡°find artificers or magical artifacts as well. You sure have a list of things to get done.¡±

    Arkk grinned, feeling a little better now that they had something of a plan. ¡°The nice thing about having a lot to get done is that you¡¯ll end up getting several things finished in the process of finishing others. Now, gather together a team for this outing to Moonshine Burg. A large team, we want to be seen. Leave those too injured and the non-fighters only, pretty much. Khan, if you can ask the gorgon for volunteers, I¡¯m sure they would come in handy.¡±

    Khan nodded his head. At the same time, Vezta leaned forward. ¡°Moonshine Burg, Master?¡±

    Arkk shot the pre-Calamity monster a look. ¡°Maybe if you hadn¡¯t run off in the middle of the meeting¡­ Let me get you filled in.¡±

 Moonshine Burg

    The baron of Moonshine Burg was a scrawny man with deep bags underneath his eyes. Insisting on the mononym of Doble, he invited Arkk to his manor office behind the high walls of the burg¡¯s keep. Pouring a hospitable helping of amber liquid into a crystal glass, he took a seat in front of his paper-covered desk.

    ¡°Company Al-Mir, you say?¡±

    ¡°Heard of us?¡± Arkk said, taking up the glass and drinking a polite sip. Fine alcohol wasn¡¯t much to his liking.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Well, we are a fully registered free company.¡± Reaching into the interior of his suit, Arkk produced a set of papers all bearing official seals. ¡°I have papers from the Cliff Central Garrison, if you need.¡±

    Baron Doble accepted the papers and looked through them for, frankly, longer than Arkk felt was necessary. He flipped back and forth between the papers as if checking that the information on each matched with all the others. Arkk had never really formally introduced himself to any of the burgs he had operated within in the past. Silver City came the closest and that had been the local lord rushing out to meet him and being far too grateful that anyone was looking into the situation in the mines to even ask about official documentation.

    Here, however, Arkk intended to operate for long enough for word to spread. He felt it prudent to speak with someone in charge, just to make sure there wouldn¡¯t be problems with a group of heavily armed individuals squatting in the local stayover for an extended period.

    ¡°You¡¯ve only been a free company for about sixty days. Two months.¡±

    ¡°The company itself is new but our members are seasoned warriors and fighters.¡±

    ¡°Force composition?¡±

    ¡°Approximately twenty orcs make up the bulk of our company. We have a handful of spellcasters acting in a supportive capacity. In addition, we have four gorgon traveling with us.¡±

    ¡°Gorgon?¡± Doble asked, jolting. ¡°You brought gorgon into my city?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°A problem?¡± His fingers furiously massaged his forehead, sending slicked-back locks of black hair dangling forward, making him look exhausted and somewhat deranged. ¡°Where are they now? What are they doing?¡±

    ¡°Resting at the Canyon¡¯s End stayover. The journey from the central Duchy was long and exhausting.¡± Or it would have been if they had actually traveled all the way here by foot. It took several teleportation rituals but they had been able to move everyone and Arkk¡¯s new horse out here with little trouble. The nearest teleportation circle was a fair distance out of town where they had scried a suitable hiding place in one of the northern canyons. ¡°I assure you, they will bring no trouble to the burg.¡±

    Doble sputtered for a moment, completely at a loss for words. Arkk doubted any other beastmen would receive such a response. Then again, gorgon weren¡¯t normal beastmen, according to Vezta. They had come from a different plane of existence.

    ¡°And just what did you travel this far for, Mister Arkk?¡± the Baron asked, finally finding something to say.

    ¡°Slavers.¡±

    The man¡¯s panic died off somewhat as he stared at Arkk. His eyes searched back and forth, slowly coming down from his alarm. ¡°Slavers. I heard someone placed a rather generous bounty on a group of slavers in the western Duchy.¡±

    ¡°That was me, actually. These slavers have personally offended me. You know anything about them?¡±

    The Baron shook his head slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve received reports of villages being hit, travelers going missing, and other such indicators. I haven¡¯t had the manpower to investigate further.¡±

    ¡°Really? The keep and garrison are quite sizable here. Empty buildings?¡±

    ¡°We have our duty,¡± Doble said with a frown on his face. ¡°With the canyons to the north and mountains to the south, the plains where we sit are the most likely avenue for a hostile force to approach from Evestani. The guards must man their posts to give forewarning. Sending them searching through the wide, empty land in the hopes of coming across a few slavers that are, ultimately, a minor nuisance, is a major dereliction of duty.¡±

    ¡°The war ended thirty years ago,¡± Arkk said, matching the Baron¡¯s frown. He did not agree with the man¡¯s assessment of the slavers being a minor nuisance. They had destroyed an entire community of elves, for one. Likely more than that. ¡°Are they that big of a threat?¡±

    ¡°Three months ago and I would have said no with a laugh. Today?¡± He shot a morose glance at the stacks upon stacks of papers covering his entire desk. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I would feel much better if the Duke would approve transfers of the Grand Guard out here.¡±

    Arkk leaned back in his seat, wondering exactly what that meant. The war had been before his time but, from what he knew of it, the Duchy had pushed out into Evestani territory in a fairly successful campaign¡­ until that success turned utterly sour and Evestani, in a protracted and bloody assault, shoved the Duchy and the Greater Kingdom of Chernlock back. The Duchy wasn¡¯t as large as it once had been as a result.

    But the leaders of the time had made peace.

    Hadn¡¯t they?

    That, he supposed, wasn¡¯t his problem nor something he could affect. They were twenty orcs and a few others. Not exactly the kind of force that could take on a nation. ¡°Well, you¡¯re in luck,¡± Arkk said. ¡°We can¡¯t reinforce your outposts but we can hopefully take off pressure from the likes of slavers and bandits. While the slavers are our priority, we¡¯re perfectly willing to take on any commissions that might come to mind.¡±

    Baron Doble leaned back in his chair, rubbing the thin wisps of hair on his chin. ¡°There are a few things¡­ We found a werecat with manacles clamped around its wrist. Looks like the chains were pulled from a wall. It might have something to do with your slavers¡­¡±

    <hr>

    Arkk¡¯s heart hurt as he looked at the overly scrawny werecat. She was mostly humanoid with grimy orange fur. One arm, as the Baron had mentioned, was still in a manacle. The other arm was missing entirely. It was clear that nobody had put much effort into trying to help the werecat. She didn¡¯t even have a proper bandage around the stump of her arm.

    Unfortunately, that let Arkk have a good look at the wound. The teeth marks were sharp and pointed much like the werecat¡¯s own teeth. Arkk could immediately picture her chained to a wall. She managed to pull one of her manacles off the wall but, unable to free the other, had gnawed her own arm off.

    Of course, that wasn¡¯t even the worst part of the situation. Here, inside Moonshine Burg¡¯s garrison, she was still in a cage.

    As Arkk stepped closer, she snarled at him, lunging for the bars of her cell. She might have tried grasping him but her one intact arm just clanked as the manacle struck the bars.

    ¡°Completely feral,¡± the guard said, shaking his head. ¡°Won¡¯t let anyone close. Don¡¯t really know what to do about it so we just toss in a slab of meat once a day and¡­ well, ignore the beast.¡±

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°How long has she been here?¡±

    ¡°Found her wandering the road outside the burg about¡­ two weeks ago? Thereabouts.¡±

    She escaped one cage only to be tossed into another. Could she talk? Could she lead him to the slavers? Arkk stepped closer again, crouching down to be more on her eye level. ¡°Can you understand me?¡±

    The werecat growled, deep and low. A threat that promised a liberal application of pointed teeth or sharp claws from her padded paw. Long, pointed ears, one of which looked like someone had taken a bite from it, flattened against her mangy orange hair.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for the ones who did this to you. I promise to make them pay. You can help.¡±

    Her eyes, hazel green and slit vertically, shifted to the side for just a brief instant. Just long enough for Arkk to note the way she looked at the guard.

    ¡°The other ones who did this to you,¡± Arkk said with a frown. He received no response save for another growl, sadly. With a sigh, he stood and turned to his side. ¡°Zullie, do you think you can do anything about her arm?¡±

    The witch, keeping well clear of the cage, looked down. ¡°The arm with no hand?¡±

    Much as he hated to admit it, her brief study with the Flesh Weaving spell had turned out better than Arkk expected. Better than he could manage. She hadn¡¯t been able to restore Katt¡¯am¡¯s legs but she had managed to reduce the pain by destroying nerves inside his legs, followed by a simple smoothing to make the stumps less prone to infection.

    ¡°I guess I can try,¡± she said. ¡°If I don¡¯t get my face clawed off. You have a spare arm you want grafted?¡±

    Arkk shot her a look. She well knew that he didn¡¯t wander around with severed arms in his pockets. Ignoring her, he turned to his other side. ¡°Savren, can you help calm her down?¡±

    ¡°A simple solicitation with a simple solution. A swift spell shall supply sufficient serenity.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt her,¡± Arkk said, voice firm. ¡°Or¡­ just¡­ be nice.¡±

    Savren rolled his eyes, fingers curling his black beard. ¡°Sure.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Beyond the werecat,¡± the Baron said, swirling around his glass of amber liquid, ¡°there is a small community further west from here. A plateau just at the edge of the canyons. Technically within Evestani territory. A small flopkin community lives out there.¡±

    ¡°Flopkin?¡±

    ¡°Diminutive bunny-like beastmen,¡± the Baron said. ¡°They stick to themselves most of the time. Once in a while, they venture out into the nearby villages and even as far out as Moonshine Burg to peddle their wares. Fresh fruit and vegetables, mostly. They¡¯ve got the sweetest apples you¡¯ve ever tasted.¡±

    Arkk hummed. ¡°I presume you aren¡¯t commissioning me to run out and purchase a basket of apples¡­¡±

    ¡°No, no. Just, they¡¯re well-liked among the people. I know from the reports that the slavers have been primarily targeting beastmen and demihumans. With them on their own and too far from the city to get help, I worry they may be a potential target.¡±

    ¡°You want us to protect them? Station guards around this¡­ plateau?¡±

    ¡°I doubt that would be feasible with your numbers. Not while searching for these slavers. That said, if there is something you can do to keep them safe, I would appreciate it.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. He would have to find out more. Where was this plateau, how far away was it, what kind of defenses could they erect and how much danger were they in. That said, one idea did pop into his mind. ¡°I might be able to come up with something¡­¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Stupid Arkk¡­¡± Ilya grunted, digging a foot into a small crevasse on the rocky plateau¡¯s side. ¡°Why me?¡±

    Tall and lithe, Ilya felt that climbing had always come naturally to her. She could reach up to places that humans couldn¡¯t reach. Her body, lacking the pounds of muscles that orcs had, was easier to pull up. That didn¡¯t make climbing up the sheer side of an entire mountain any easier. Ilya stretched a hand up, reaching for a small ledge. Her fingers found a firm grip on the hard stone. A small bit of security against the sheer drop down the side of the plateau.

    ¡°Vezta could have scaled this in five minutes¡­¡± she grumbled, pulling herself up to the ledge. Halfway there. The slope of the plateau dipped inward, which should have made it easier to scale. But she was tired, worn, exhausted. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s right. Because she¡¯s a horrific inhuman entity that sends small children running and screaming.¡±

    There had been a few incidents around Moonshine Burg. To be fair to Vezta, they weren¡¯t all her fault. Word of armed orcs and gorgon had gotten out. Next to no one visited the stayover they had taken over as their main base of operations now. Arkk had needed to hand over a fair amount of extra gold just to keep the proprietor from kicking them out. Even then, they still weren¡¯t happy with what was going on.

    Ilya grit her teeth together, continuing her ascent. She had looked all around the base of the plateau and had been unable to find any way up. The beastmen probably lived inside the plateau, burrowing it out, which meant there had to be entrances somewhere. Oh, but Arkk couldn¡¯t spare five minutes to scry inside and find out where. They were too busy looking for the slavers. They didn¡¯t want to startle the skittish flopkin by invading their secret entrances or teleporting in.

    Ilya hadn¡¯t been upset about that twenty minutes ago, also of the opinion the slavers needed to be found, but that was before she had scaled half the plateau.

    Now, huffing and sweating despite the chill air of winter, Ilya was cursing Arkk¡¯s name with every step she climbed. All just to hand over a coin to hire some flopkin, thus letting them call out for Arkk if they came under attack. Who was even going to be able to attack a place like this?

    Arms feeling like wet noodles, Ilya pulled herself up and over the final edge, crawling forward into a grove of apple trees. She sat right on the edge, back to one of the trees, and looked out over the deep canyon that stretched north. ¡°Arkk!¡± she shouted despite her exhaustion, her voice carrying over the edge of the plateau. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡±

    As her voice echoed off the distant canyon walls, she heard a loud crack of a snapping branch to her side.

    Ilya snapped her head over, eyes meeting the wide eyes of a little white flopkin, wearing a red waistcoat and tall black hat. He was short, about half the size of a regular human, and had tall perky ears sticking up on either side of the hat. Flopkin were more beastlike than some beastmen races. Were it not for the more humanoid hands and face, he might have looked like an overgrown rabbit that someone had dressed up.

    That humanoid face was expressive enough that Ilya could see the terror in his eyes. The moment she took in a breath to say something, the flopkin bolted, hopping off through the grove of trees.

    ¡°No, wait!¡± she called after the flopkin, reaching a hand out. But the beastman was gone. Long gone. Slamming her fist into the side of the tree, Ilya shouted out once again. ¡°Arkk! This is your fault!¡±

    And to think, she was going to have to climb back down once she finally hired one of the flopkin.

    <hr>

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Baron Doble said. ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate gorgon in my city but¡­ an extra helping hand isn¡¯t something I¡¯m going to reject. If they cause problems¡­¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t travel with them if I thought they were a danger¡­ to the general public. My enemies, on the other hand, make quite the wonderful statues.¡±

    The Baron pursed his lips tight. Maybe it was just Arkk¡¯s imagination but it looked like the man went a few shades paler than he already was, which was saying something. With all the paperwork on the man¡¯s desk, Arkk had to wonder if he ever actually saw the sun. Even the windows in the room had been covered with thick cloth drapes that tinged the office in a dim red light that the white glowstones couldn¡¯t quite fight off.

    ¡°Any other matters that might help?¡± Arkk asked, taking another drink of his amber alcohol. It had a smoky flavor to it that just felt out of place. Meat smoked over a fire had a similar taste. A drink that reminded him of meat just didn¡¯t quite sit well on the back of his tongue.

    The Baron fell into silence for a long moment, thinking. He eventually sat forward, nodding his head. ¡°To my great dismay, Moonshine Burg has always had a plague of bandits and highwaymen in its vicinity. Which is likely why these slavers thought it would be good to set up here.¡±

    ¡°Personnel issues stopped you from dealing with all that as well?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. It has forced us to take some unpleasant actions¡­ Ah, but the history of Moonshine Burg is hardly your concern,¡± he said with a shake of his head. ¡°One group of highwaymen, in particular, has been distressingly aggressive in the last month. They went from merely robbing the occasional passing merchants to outright halting trade, killing practically every traveler that passes through their territory, and otherwise making trouble. I had been trying to figure out the best way to deal with them but if you can spare some time¡­¡±

    ¡°Depends, I suppose. Are they related to the slavers?¡±

    ¡°I do not believe so, though I cannot say for certain. Perhaps you could ask them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll need more details before I commit to anything.¡±

    ¡°I am prepared to pay quite the generous bounty.¡±

    For a moment, Arkk was prepared to dismiss that as a factor entirely. With Fortress Al-Mir sitting atop a gold mine, he didn¡¯t exactly need funds. However, he intended to recruit. And the ritual room would have to be reconstructed, incurring a cost. There was also the fact that, right now, back home, he was having his lesser servants expand aggressively throughout the entirety of the Cursed Forest.

    Digging out new space didn¡¯t cost gold and he didn¡¯t have anything to fill those empty spaces with just yet, but he might one day. Right now, he just wanted as much of the land under his control as possible. Preferably with easily blocked or collapsed passages, decoy tunnels, and a full maze-like labyrinth that would be nearly impossible for anyone to traverse without using magical means.

    It was quite the project. With all three of those factors and the fact that he truly had no idea how long that gold mine would last, he wasn¡¯t sure that it was wise to keep turning down the rewards for mercenary work.

    Besides that, it was just what a proper mercenary company would do.

    ¡°Tell me more,¡± Arkk said, leaning forward.

 Visibility

    ¡°Master,¡± Vezta said, sliding her body to one side to dodge the oncoming axe strike of a random brigand. She didn¡¯t need to retaliate. One of the orcs planted a pike in his back. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to question your decisions,¡± she continued as if nothing had happened, ¡°but is this the wisest usage of our time?¡±

    ¡°That depends,¡± Arkk said, arms clasped behind his back. Zharja snaked forward, coiling up around one of their attackers. Restrained in her coils, arms pinned at his side, he couldn¡¯t do anything about the increase in pressure as the gorgon crushed him to death. Arkk turned away with a grimace as he focused on the rest of the battlefield. ¡°Can you think of anything better to do at the moment than take out a band of highwaymen?

    ¡°I would like to keep Moonshine Burg happy while we¡¯re hanging around,¡± Arkk continued, watching as an orc took a glaive to her armored shoulder, ignored the weapon entirely, and used a mace to cave in her attacker¡¯s face. ¡°Besides that, criminals know criminals¡­ right? Someone should be able to point us in the direction of our actual target here.¡±

    Vezta peered around, frowning at the carnage. ¡°If anyone survives.¡±

    That was a point. Arkk should probably have mentioned something earlier about taking some prisoners. This was the first time that the orcs had been able to go all-out, heedless of any consequences, since joining Fortress Al-Mir. It shouldn¡¯t have been a surprise that they were taking to the task with gusto, but¡­

    A bellowed cry of battle, echoed by several of the orcs, drew his attention to Dakka. The shortest orc was in the thick of the melee. Her spiked shield perforated one poor man before she dropped it entirely, grabbing her axe with both hands to slam the edge down over another brigand¡¯s skull. With her imposing black armor, he couldn¡¯t see her face. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure that this was the kind of fun that he should be encouraging. That said, it couldn¡¯t have happened to a more deserving group.

    He had seen more than enough evidence of pillaging and looting inside this cave, here out in the canyon beyond Appletop Village. Combined with the Baron of Moonshine Burg¡¯s statement that they had been more violent than could be allowed as of late, Arkk didn¡¯t have too much sympathy for the highwaymen.

    Arkk¡¯s eyes swept over a set of shattered statues, noting the eerie red glow that his gaze cast.

    This little outing was advantageous for several reasons. Not the least of which was that he had learned a little more about how gorgons worked. He could and should have just asked Zharja. Despite Savren decrying her as disobedient, Arkk found her to be quite friendly. At least in comparison to the rest of the gorgon, who were all rather closed-off.

    Gorgon petrification was not a widespread effect nor could it be done in rapid succession. It was magic, much like any other spell, that required focus, concentration, and effort. The four gorgon who had come with him on this little team-building exercise had each been able to turn one brigand to stone. After that, they began fighting with their other abilities¡ªtheir coils and, in one particularly gruesome case, their acidic venom¡ªbefore they resumed petrifying anyone else.

    Good to know for the future.

    ¡°Should we not be recruiting at the moment?¡± Vezta asked, lightly pressing a finger against one intact statue, sending it to the ground where it broke into pieces. ¡°We still need spellcasters for the ritual.¡±

    Perhaps some of these highwaymen could have been convinced to join him as the orcs had but¡­

    Arkk didn¡¯t want to staff Company Al-Mir entirely with criminals and outlaws. They had enough as it was. He needed recruits but preferably other mercenaries, former soldiers, or other less objectionable sorts.

    ¡°True.¡± Arkk wasn¡¯t exactly sure how to recruit for something like that. Assuming Purifier Agnete was willing to help¡ªsomething he still needed to discuss with her¡ªthey had their high-level spellcasters all set. That meant anyone would do as long as they could cast spells. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen anyone here cast spells¡± Arkk deflected.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t posted recruitment notices in the Burg yet either.¡±

    ¡°No. But this might help with that. We¡¯re getting the orcs some exercise. Letting the orcs and gorgon get used to each other. Taking out some murderers and thieves. Increasing the renown of Company Al-Mir.¡± That last one was most important for recruitment. He felt people would be much more willing to join up despite potential complications with inquisitors if he showed that Company Al-Mir could get things done. ¡°I¡¯m still expecting some edict from the inquisitors or the church decrying us. I want to make sure we¡¯re not going to get immediately lynched if that happens.

    While Zullie and Savren had been trying to work with the werecat and Ilya had been at Appletop Village, Arkk and Vezta had taken several very visible walks through Moonshine Burg. They moved through the streets, ate at taverns, visited the garrison, and tried their best to make sure everyone saw him and Vezta. He had even asked Vezta to not wear her human legs. The mobile mass of tendrils were far more notable¡ªand hopefully the subject of gossip¡ªthan a violet-hued human.

    With luck, word would get back to the inquisitors and they would waste time out here looking for them instead of going anywhere near Langleey and Fortress Al-Mir.

    In a few weeks, they could make an appearance on the opposite side of Mystakeen. Maybe pop over to one of the principalities and get some rumors going about them being out there. With the inquisitors running ragged across the entire kingdom, that should buy plenty of breathing room.

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± Arkk said. Lightning flung one brigand across the cave after he got a little too close. Arkk wasn¡¯t too worried about his safety. Vezta, with eyes everywhere, could spot just about any threat coming their way. Still, a little casual show of force to remind everyone why he was in charge couldn¡¯t hurt.

    This situation wasn¡¯t at all comparable to previous fights they had been in. Taken by surprise in the dead of night, the brigands hadn¡¯t been able to grab more than their weapons. Few had managed to grab any armor. Most were human, though there were a few orcs and one beastman¡ªa dog-like kobold. There weren¡¯t even that many of them. Less than fifty.

    Fifty startled and unprepared ruffians weren¡¯t at all a match for twenty war-ready orcs with gorgon backup. Not to mention him and Vezta.

    Judging by the noise in the cavern, the battle was wrapping up too. There were far fewer shouts and screams. The sound of metal clashing against metal died down. Quickly checking over the health of all his minions in the area, Arkk noted a few moderate injuries but nothing that indicated immediate danger. Certainly, nothing that would require one of the gorgon to petrify someone. He could practice the Flesh Weaving spell a bit more and they would be done.

    ¡°I¡¯m also not sure about both of us leaving Fortress Al-Mir for extended periods,¡± Vezta said. ¡°Some of your recent hires have left questionable impressions.¡±

    Arkk quickly scanned through the entire fortress, mentally observing each and every room. With the majority of orcs with him, it was practically deserted. John and Hale were back at Langleey, at least for now. The four gorgon who had not accompanied him were enjoying themselves around their heated rocks.

    Olatt¡¯an and Larry were discussing something just outside the cafeteria. Two orcs that Arkk had not brought with him were eating.

    Purifier Agnete was inside the smithy. Inside the forge, seated cross-legged on the glowing red coals with her head halfway up the flue. Arkk¡­ wasn¡¯t quite sure what to think about that. She wasn¡¯t getting into trouble, which was good, but¡­ Was that how she acted with the inquisitors? Or was she experimenting with a newfound freedom that she had lacked before?

    Prior to departing on this excursion to track down the slavers, Vezta had given him a brief description of the Burning Forge. Arkk had relayed the lesson to Agnete, feeling it best if the ¡®horror from beyond the stars¡¯ was kept separate from her for the moment.

    The Burning Forge was some kind of goddess of fire, creativity, manufacturing, and automation that took the guise of a woman made of molten slag, held together by binding chains. In the old days, pre-Calamity, practically every smith had small shrines to the Burning Forge alongside their actual forge. Allegedly, maladies, mishaps, and poor products awaited those who failed to pay proper tribute to the deity while those who did earn her favor were capable of near-inhuman levels of quality in their products.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    Vezta had been less clear on what an avatar was, aside from one chosen by a member of the Pantheon. They were supposedly rare enough that Vezta had never met one, even though both Zullie and Agnete said that there was more than one purifier with similar capabilities within the ranks of the inquisitors.

    Maybe, by sitting inside the forge, Agnete was trying to get closer to her patron goddess. Or maybe she just liked the heat.

    Shaking his head, Arkk focused back on his immediate surroundings. ¡°No problems at the fortress right now,¡± he said. ¡°If an emergency arises, we can and will return as fast as possible. Until then, being seen out here is probably keeping the fortress safer.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Vezta said, dipping her head in a nod. ¡°We¡­¡± she started but trailed off.

    Dakka strode up to them, hauling some human over her spiked shoulder. Arkk stood a little straighter, smiling. Leave it to his field commander to understand that information gathering needed live brigands.

    It did not look like a particularly comfortable ride though. The way she threw him to the ground at Arkk¡¯s feet didn¡¯t look particularly comfortable either. The man, wearing a casual brown tunic marred with small cuts and more than a little blood, moaned and groaned as he tried to back away. Dakka put a stop to that with a light kick to the side of his head, shattering one lens of his round glasses.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Arkk asked, looking up from the man.

    ¡°A coward. Wouldn¡¯t fight with the others. I thought about bashing his head in but wondered if you were interested in prisoners.¡±

    Arkk hummed, scratching his chin. A show. Something to put the brigand on edge. ¡°I suppose we can take him into town,¡± Arkk said, looking at Dakka. ¡°They wanted proof that we wiped out the highwaymen anyway. He should suffice¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Looking down at the man-made him cower as the red light from Arkk¡¯s gaze washed over him. ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not one of these people! They captured me!¡±

    ¡°Reports in town was that this group of brigands didn¡¯t take prisoners. They attacked wealthy-looking travelers and killed any who didn¡¯t escape.¡±

    ¡°They took me!¡± he pleaded. ¡°Please, you have to help¡ª¡±

    ¡°He had a sword on him when I found him,¡± Dakka said. ¡°Just didn¡¯t use it. No bindings on his wrists either. Was in a pretty fancy tent filled with kegs of ale that I intend to return to.¡±

    Arkk looked back down at their captive, who was shooting a particularly nasty look at Dakka now. As soon as he realized Arkk was looking, a mask of innocence slid into place.

    ¡°I¡­ escaped during the chaos?¡±

    Arkk gave a slow shake of his head. ¡°We¡¯ll haul him back to the burg. They can figure out whether he is a missing traveler or one of the¡ª¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do that! They¡¯ll kill me.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll kill you,¡± Dakka said with no mercy. ¡°We should. I¡¯d rather carry one of those kegs on my shoulder than this.¡±

    ¡°I have a daughter!¡± he cried. ¡°A little girl¡­ she¡­¡± He trailed off, looking to Arkk. Squinting through his glasses like he couldn¡¯t quite see him properly. That wouldn¡¯t have been much of a surprise given the shattered lens but the moment he looked over the top of the rim, his squinting stopped. He tried to stand only for Dakka to pin him back down with her heel on his shoulder. ¡°I mean, a lovely young woman. Surely you¡¯re interested in women? You wouldn¡¯t kill off your own father-in-law.¡±

    ¡°I might if you were that father-in-law,¡± Arkk said with a shake of his head. ¡°We¡¯ll take him to the burg. Tie him¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know where the treasure is.¡±

    ¡°Tie him up.¡±

    ¡°We have a dozen other hideouts where we store things until we can get rid of them. Valuable things. Treasure, gold, gemstones, and other things that are useless out here in the wilds!¡±

    ¡°Probably gag him too,¡± Arkk said, turning away.

    ¡°I¡­ lots of ale,¡± he said, looking to Dakka. ¡°The finest wines and¡­ uh¡­ I know where other hideouts are! You are mercenaries, right? Interested in finishing off some others? We¡¯re just small fry compared to them. I know the price on our heads isn¡¯t worth the paper it is written on but some of the other groups around here¡­¡±

    Arkk paused and slowly looked back.

    The brigand stiffened but donned a shaky smile. ¡°Interested?¡±

    ¡°Boss,¡± Dakka said. ¡°He¡¯s lying. Obviously.¡±

    Arkk held up a hand, stalling further commentary from Dakka. He wouldn¡¯t claim to know exactly what he was doing but that was enough threatening him for now. Time for the carrot¡­ assuming he knew anything. ¡°We¡¯re in the region looking for slavers that might have moved in nearby. Know anything about them?¡±

    ¡°Oh definitely,¡± the man said with a firm nod of his head. ¡°Bad for business, they are. Drawing all kinds of heat down on our heads. Like you.¡±

    ¡°Know where they are based?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ yes. Of course.¡±

    ¡°Boss¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me rephrase the question,¡± Arkk said. ¡°There are three possible outcomes of our situation. Which choice do you want? First option: We take you to the burg and hand you over to the garrison. They probably hang you. Maybe they just throw you in an oubliette and forget about you.¡±

    ¡°Not that one, please.¡±

    ¡°Alright, second choice: You make yourself useful to us; you get to keep living and maybe even have a relative degree of freedom. In exchange, you tell us everything you know. Other hideouts, other groups of brigands, and especially this group of slavers.¡±

    The man nodded twice but couldn¡¯t stop himself from asking, ¡°What¡¯s the third choice? Not kill me now, I hope.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, that isn¡¯t a choice anymore. The third choice is the same as the second except that we find out you¡¯re lying to us. At that point, you¡¯ll likely regret ever being born.¡± Arkk smiled, watching as the red light washing over the man intensified. ¡°I have a warlock in my employ who specializes in mind magic and can put you into your own worst nightmare. Gorgon can trap you as a stone statue for a year, letting you slowly go insane as you can still think but are locked into place. And, of course, Vezta.¡± Arkk motioned behind him.

    Vezta, hands clasped over her navel, gave a demure nod of her head.

    ¡°Wh¡­ What¡ª¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know,¡± Arkk said.

    In truth, if he didn¡¯t know anything, they would probably just hand him over to the burg. Arkk didn¡¯t have the patience or desire to torture someone for any length of time. That said, Arkk was not above making threats.

    ¡°So, what will it be?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ well. Number two still sounds the best.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°But maybe we should lower the expectations you want from me. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Do you know where the slavers are or not?¡±

    The man licked a bit of blood off his lips before smiling up at Arkk. ¡°I know where to go to find them?¡±

    Arkk stared for a long, long minute, not moving even as the man shifted under his gaze. Was he telling the truth? Did it matter if he wasn¡¯t?

    Forcing a smile, Arkk held out a hand. ¡°Welcome aboard.¡±

    The hesitance with which the man accepted the handshake did not fill Arkk with confidence. Still, he felt the minion bond form between them. Weak but there. At the very least, he wasn¡¯t about to be stabbed in the back.

    ¡°Any other survivors?¡± Arkk called out through the cavern, not helping the man to his feet even though he was in a prime position to do so. When no one answered him, Arkk shrugged. ¡°The burg wanted heads. Gather the bodies on that side of the cavern and we¡¯ll have our new friend here find the most recognizable and notorious of the bunch. After that, gather up all their ill-gotten gains in the middle of the cavern!¡±

    That got a few cheers from the orcs. Looting, yay! A lot of it was going to be useless to them. The gold coins Arkk paid out were probably worth more than anything here. Still, as had been pointed out to him, it was about the feel of the experience. He would let them take what they wanted. Everything else would go to the garrison. Maybe it would make its way back into the hands of the rightful owners. Maybe it would end up in some captain¡¯s pockets. At that point, it wouldn¡¯t be his problem anymore.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Name. I presume you have one.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ Right. My name is¡­¡± He trailed off, looking around the room. ¡°Cave.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arkk said, tone utterly flat. ¡°I assume Dead Body is your last name? Or maybe Cave Raider? Cave Sword?¡±

    ¡°Yes, actually. Cave Sword. My mother always called me her little sharpened blade. How did you know?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t too late to throw you to the garrison, you know.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± he said, holding up his hands. ¡°My name is Edvin. No family name.¡±

    Arkk doubted it. He didn¡¯t bother pressing the matter. As long as this guy led them to the slavers, he could call himself King Abe Lafoar, Ruler of the Kingdom of Chernlock for all Arkk cared.

    ¡°Well, Edvin, best get to identifying your former comrades.¡±

    ¡°Ah. The most notorious, you said? You know, I always found beheading to be quite a barbarous practice,¡± Edvin said, not hiding his grimace as he glanced over to where the orcs were hauling the bodies.

    Arkk didn¡¯t necessarily disagree. Maybe it was a bit tasteless to have this man dig through the corpses. Still¡­ ¡°Not my rules. The garrison wants heads, we get them heads.¡±

    ¡°Exactly why I left society in the first place,¡± Edvin said, snapping his fingers.

    ¡°And joined a murderous band of highwaymen instead?¡±

    ¡°Murderous? Hardly. We only killed in self-defense. Anything else is slander, I say. Slander.¡±

    Dakka shot Arkk a doubtful look. She raised an eyebrow before turning and walking off. ¡°I¡¯m going to need those kegs of ale before the night is out, I can tell already.¡±

    Arkk let out a sigh, wondering if there was enough ale for him as well. ¡°Just¡­ get to it,¡± Arkk said, waving off to the side of the cavern.

    ¡°Sure thing, boss,¡± Edvin said, making sure to respectfully emphasize the word. ¡°Mind if I loot a few of the bodies while I¡¯m at it? Waste-not want-not, that is what my mother always said.¡±

    ¡°I do mind, actually. Besides, I¡¯m sure the orcs have already done so.¡±

    Edvin glanced off to the side, watching Orjja kneel and start rummaging through one body¡¯s pockets. His shoulders slumped. ¡°Right. Of course. Guess they aren¡¯t my kills anyway. Don¡¯t worry, I can show you that my presence has worth. Don¡¯t you worry. Yep. Don¡¯t worry¡­¡± he mumbled, more to himself as he started off toward the area the orcs were dragging bodies.

    Arkk watched him go for just a moment before glancing at Vezta. ¡°Mind keeping an eye on him?¡±

    Vezta bowed at her waist but glanced up with a look on her face. ¡°Some of your recent hires¡­¡± she said with a shake of her head as she started after Edvin.

    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me.¡±

 Bandit Lord

    Arkk hunkered down, peering through the twilight-draped brush.

    A small, lonely hill stood amid the dusty plains. Several buildings sat on top. Large wooden warehouse-style homes, built in a ring around a central plaza. Though he only knew that from scrying. His position at the moment didn¡¯t let him see much more than the spiked tops of wooden fences encircling the top of the hill. All down the hill¡¯s sides, narrow wooden rods jutted out of the mound. Their tips had been shaved to points as well. They were placed haphazardly and irregularly, hindering any attempts to navigate up the sides of the hill.

    If he hadn¡¯t known better, he might have thought it was nothing more than a particularly protective village.

    ¡°That right there is a little place we call Porcupine Hill.¡±

    ¡°Creatively named,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°Bandits and highwaymen aren¡¯t known for their poets and scholars,¡± Edvin said with a shrug. ¡°Especially not these bandits. They¡¯re the true power out here in the western Duchy. Even the Duke¡¯s men steer clear of here.¡±

    ¡°And they¡¯re associated with the slavers?¡±

    ¡°Not unless something has changed lately. Their leader can¡¯t stand slavers. Used to be one, I gather.¡±

    ¡°A slaver?¡±

    ¡°A slave.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Arkk¡¯s eyes scanned over the unwelcoming hill for a long minute before he turned to Edvin. ¡°They know where the slavers are?¡±

    ¡°I sure hope so! I¡¯d rather not find out what you plan to do with me if I¡¯ve inadvertently lied.¡±

    As long as Edvin made an earnest effort, Arkk doubted he would have cause to do anything drastic. Not that he told Edvin that. In the three days since Arkk and the orcs had raided Edvin¡¯s group, the man had done little to endear himself to Arkk. Not for a lack of trying either. In fact, that was part of the problem.

    Edvin tried a little too much. Nearly every word the man said was some poorly disguised attempt at ingratiating himself with either Arkk or one of Arkk¡¯s employees. His words didn¡¯t elicit much of a reaction. Except for the few words he had for Ilya, which had earned him that black and blue bruise around his eye. It would have been pitiful if Arkk hadn¡¯t thought he was doing it on purpose.

    What was more, it was like the man couldn¡¯t tell the truth if his life depended on it. Which, unless he had seen through Arkk¡¯s less-than-lethal threats, it did. Even if he had seen through those threats, Arkk was still more than willing to hand him over to the local garrison.

    All that made Arkk less than thrilled about this whole operation. He had half a mind to sit around and hope that the slavers hit Appletop Village. The only reason he wasn¡¯t doing that was that doing so would likely end up with a large number of dead flopkins before he could intervene. Sometimes, being proactive about a problem was necessary even when that proactivity put him in an unpleasant situation.

    ¡°So, we¡¯re just going to walk in through the front door?¡±

    ¡°The hill was designed to make other paths unpalatable.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Arkk said, standing. He looked back to Dakka and Ilya, both of whom were giving Arkk the flattest looks they could. ¡°Stick together¡ª¡±

    ¡°Woah, hold on. Best to leave the others behind,¡± Edvin said, further increasing Arkk¡¯s distrust in the man. ¡°They see an army marching up the hill and they¡¯re going to start raining arrows on us before we get close enough to explain what we want. Unless you want a war¡­¡±

    ¡°Bet the garrisons would pay us for taking this place out too,¡± Dakka said with a casual shrug.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Edvin said, ¡°but what of the slavers? You might accidentally kill the one who knows about them.¡±

    ¡°This is obviously a trap,¡± Ilya said, hand resting on her dagger.

    ¡°You question my honor, elf?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Well¡­ Mother always said not to bite the hand that feeds you. Right now, that¡¯s you guys. You can trust that at least.¡±

    Arkk sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. ¡°He is probably not wrong, unfortunately. If we head up there as a large group, they¡¯re going to attack before we can get into striking or talking distance.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Ilya said.

    ¡°It makes sense, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    Ilya just pressed her lips together.

    ¡°Dakka,¡± Arkk said, ¡°you stay here. Stay ready though.¡± Pulling the crystal ball from his satchel, Arkk tossed it over to Vezta. ¡°If anything happens, I¡¯m sure you can guess what to do.¡±

    Vezta caught the glass ball with a single hand. She looked down at the ball before her golden eyes flicked over to Arkk. ¡°You would not prefer my presence at your side?¡±

    ¡°No offense,¡± Edvin said before Arkk could speak, ¡°but you¡¯d probably start a war on your own.¡±

    Aside from one of the eyes on Vezta¡¯s shoulder shifting, she gave no indication that she had even heard Edvin speak. Her attention was entirely on Arkk.

    ¡°It was definitely a consideration. Unfortunately, you¡¯re the only one who knows how to make the circles.¡±

    ¡°We should have brought Zullie along.¡±

    At the mention of his researcher, Arkk took a quick glimpse into Fortress Al-Mir. Savren and Zullie were both back there for the time being, standing inside the temple-ritual room, seemingly arguing about something. The former kept gesturing toward one of the cardinal spots while Zullie had her arms crossed over her chest, looking unimpressed. It likely related to the changes Zullie suggested needed to be made.

    Hoping that wasn¡¯t going to become a major problem before he returned, Arkk shook his head. ¡°Too late now. Don¡¯t worry. I can hold my own long enough.¡± Turning, Arkk started, ¡°Ilya¡ª¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going in there alone.¡±

    ¡°Of course he isn¡¯t,¡± Edvin said, straightening his back.

    ¡°No, you¡¯re coming with me,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I need someone watching Edvin.¡±

    The highwayman deflated somewhat but Arkk¡¯s response mollified Ilya. She gave a curt nod of her head before fixing her silver eyes on Edvin. ¡°One wrong move¡­¡± she said, fingers curling tighter around her dagger.

    Edvin just held up his hands, backing away slowly. ¡°Clingy, isn¡¯t she?¡± he mumbled.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if he was talking to himself or if he meant for Arkk to hear. Either way, Arkk didn¡¯t bother responding. He looked over the group and, after a moment¡¯s thought, nodded his head. ¡°Zharja, you come as well.¡±

    One of the four gorgon present slithered forward, nodding her head as she moved. In the closing darkness, her dark scales made her almost invisible.

    While this whole trip had been instigated for the benefit of the inquisitors, Arkk was accomplishing several minor tasks with it. And, with the defeat of the slavers, a major task as well. Of the smaller issues, Arkk was most pleased with the gorgon. They weren¡¯t exactly integrating with the orcs but Arkk wasn¡¯t expecting them to. He just wanted to make sure that they got used to being near one another, to avoid any incidents and, hopefully, to help alleviate some of Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s concerns.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Rekk¡¯ar wasn¡¯t present but if some of the orcs here spoke about their experiences, that would help.

    So far, the gorgon being around had been quite a success. They helped out with raiding Edvin¡¯s hideout and Arkk had heard no complaints from any party.

    Except for Edvin, of course, who was currently eying Zharja with undisguised wariness. ¡°Are you sure that is a good idea? I¡¯ve heard things about gorgon and their eyes.¡±

    ¡°Then you sshouldn¡¯t sstare sso much,¡± Zharja said with an intimidating hiss. ¡°Or my eyess might be the lasst thing you ssee.¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Save your energy for a fight, if there is one.¡±

    ¡°There might be once they see that,¡± Edvin said, shuddering as he turned his gaze away. ¡°Hope I¡¯m enough to calm them down.¡±

    ¡°They know you?¡±

    ¡°Everyone out here pays tribute to Porcupine Hill. They know me. We go way back. I was here just last¡ª¡±

    ¡°Save the stories,¡± Arkk said. ¡°We¡¯re going.¡±

    <hr>

    Arkk wasn¡¯t as worried as he thought he should be. A few months ago and he would never have imagined himself willingly walking into a bandit encampment. A few months ago and he had hardly left his village. Now, he had Ilya at one side, a gorgon at his other, and he had some kind of ancient, pre-Calamity monster ready to teleport in with a horde of orcs if things looked like they were going south.

    What a strange turn his life had taken. How long had it been since he found the fortress? He stumbled across it about a month before harvest. So shy of four months since then? Practically overnight he had gone from a nobody peasant to a wealthy commander of a fairly competent mercenary force.

    Idly, Arkk rubbed at the back of his neck, wondering if Hawkwood would recognize him as the peasant he was or if he had changed enough from then to appear as a peer.

    ¡°Now, I know you mercenary types like to beat your heads into brick walls until the walls give way but this situation is going to take a delicate touch. I¡¯m not claiming that we¡¯re all bloodthirsty barbarians but we are familiar with violence. If you don¡¯t want to die, follow my lead. Let me do most of the talking, hey?¡±

    Arkk shared a look with Ilya.

    They were being led into a trap. The minion bond formed by Fortress Al-Mir might keep his employees from stabbing him in the back but it didn¡¯t overwrite their free will. Edvin could plot and plan against Arkk all he wanted. He just wouldn¡¯t be able to take the final action without putting forth a bit of effort into breaking that bond.

    According to Vezta. It wasn¡¯t something Arkk had experienced. Yet.

    Getting other people to do the work for him? Letting this group of bandits surround them and take action on their own?

    That seemed entirely possible.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Arkk said, still not that worried. Between his lightning bolts, Ilya¡¯s bow, and Zharja¡¯s abilities as a gorgon, he was confident in holding off an ambush long enough for Vezta to arrive.

    Taking a glimpse of Vezta, he found her drawing out several ritual circles in the ground. They were incomplete¡ªshe didn¡¯t know exactly where the destination would be¡ªbut they were all but ready to send the whole army of orcs in at once.

    ¡°That¡¯s close enough!¡±

    Arkk stopped, as did the rest of his group, at the voice from the wall. He couldn¡¯t quite make out the figure poking his head over the top of the spiked palisade in the darkness but he could see their silhouette in the light from the full moon. Were it not for the moon, he doubted he would have been able to see anyone at all.

    Movement drew his eyes along the wall. More silhouettes stood atop. These were archers, readying bows and arrows.

    That did give Arkk some pause. He took a step closer to Zharja and pulled Ilya with him. He had long since memorized Zullie¡¯s spell for stopping projectiles and had spent some time practicing it, making sure he could speak both quickly and without his tongue tying into a knot. He still wasn¡¯t sure that he would be able to get the entire incantation out before an arrow crossed the short distance between them but having it on the tip of his tongue was better than nothing.

    ¡°Well, Edvin? You wanted us to leave the talking to you.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ right.¡± The man cleared his throat. ¡°Oh great wall captain of Porcupine Hill, I have come¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh Light,¡± someone atop the wall groaned, loud enough to be distinctly audible to everyone. ¡°It¡¯s Edvin.¡±

    Arkk raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s actually your name?¡±

    Edvin glanced back just long enough to shoot Arkk a withering look before returning his attention to the wall. ¡°Yes, it is I! I have returned with a solution to¡ª¡±

    ¡°You were told what would happen if you came back,¡± someone else shouted down.

    ¡°Oh come now, I apologized for the tomb business.¡±

    ¡°He led my brother to his death in the marshes!¡±

    ¡°That was an accident no one could have predicted and I resent¡ª¡±

    ¡°Throw him to the wurms!¡± one shouted, receiving a few echoing cheers from others on the wall.

    Edvin flinched, taking a step back. He shifted like he was going to look at Arkk again but held himself before he moved, straightening his shoulders.

    ¡°Thought these were your friends,¡± Ilya hissed.

    Arkk nodded his agreement. His suspicions of this being a trap were slowly yet steadily diminishing. That didn¡¯t necessarily mean that these bandits wouldn¡¯t attack them. It just meant that they would attack him and Edvin.

    ¡°Did I say friends?¡± He shook his head. ¡°We just need to talk to their leader, they won¡¯t do anything without¡­¡±

    Torchlight on the wall made Edvin trail off. Two new faces appeared over the top of the palisade wall. One, an older man carrying the torch. The other was a younger woman with darker skin and black tattoos on her face and bare arms, giving her the appearance of a striped animal. She glared down with the torchlight flickering in her eyes, arms crossed over her chest.

    ¡°Edvin¡­¡±

    ¡°Katja! It¡¯s so good¡ª¡±

    ¡°Throw him to the wurms.¡±

    ¡°Kat! No, Kat! We¡¯re here to help!¡±

    ¡°Help?¡± The woman tilted her head upward, sneering down at Edvin. ¡°Every word you speak brings death and disaster.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true at all.¡±

    ¡°You have violated your exile. There is one punishment.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here with schemes or tall tales or maps pointing toward buried treasure,¡± Edvin said, speaking as fast as he could. ¡°I¡¯m here with solutions. I know those newcomers haven¡¯t been playing by your rules and my fine companions here want their heads on a pike!¡±

    For the first time since approaching the wall, Arkk felt attention shift toward him. Deciding that Edvin was more of a liability at this point than an asset, Arkk stepped forward.

    ¡°I¡¯m Arkk, leader of Company Al-Mir. We have a personal interest in annihilating this group of slavers. Edvin claimed you would be able to point us in their direction.¡±

    Katja¡¯s eyes shifted in the torchlight, looking back to Edvin. ¡°You bring mercenaries to our doorstep?¡±

    ¡°I told you to leave the talking to me,¡± Edvin hissed.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t getting us anywhere,¡± Arkk whispered back.

    Hanging his head, Edvin sighed before looking back up to the wall. ¡°Didn¡¯t have much choice. They kind of utterly destroyed Marv¡¯s group.¡±

    ¡°Marv is gone?¡±

    ¡°Delivered his head to Moonshine Burg¡¯s garrison just yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Other survivors?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re looking at him!¡±

    Katja¡¯s face lit up. It was hard to tell in the poor light of the torch but Arkk thought she looked pleased. That lasted but a moment before she scowled down at Edvin once more. ¡°You should have died with your brothers.¡±

    ¡°Brothers is a bit more familial than¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Katja hissed before turning back to Arkk. ¡°You, mercenary, have made a poor decision¡ªseveral, likely, if you have been following Edvin¡¯s advice.¡±

    ¡°So it seems,¡± Arkk said, ¡°though that doesn¡¯t change our reason for being here. Tell us where the slavers are.¡±

    The woman stared for a long moment before dropping her arms to her sides. Arkk tensed. If the call to attack went out, it would come from her. However, she didn¡¯t give a signal to the others on the wall. Clasping her hands together behind her back, she started pacing along the wall, speaking as she moved.

    ¡°Demanding for your position. Do you not see who holds the power here? Even with a gorgon at your side, you cannot survive all of us.¡±

    Arkk shrugged. Vezta had finalized the teleportation circles. Each orc had its own, meaning they would all teleport in at the same time. No delay as they passed through one by one. If Arkk were to guess, he would assume that Vezta aimed the teleportation circles directly behind each of the bandits.

    He had half a mind to signal Vezta right now. A simple hand movement behind his back would have her here in an instant. The only thing staying his hand was how little he wanted to advertise Al-Mir¡¯s ability to utilize those circles. Both Zullie and Vezta said that such teleportation could be warded against. The Duke¡¯s manor had magical protections that would likely work against him and the inquisitors had already taken to blocking his scrying. He didn¡¯t want more magical defenses springing up.

    This was another of the main reasons why only Edvin had survived their raid on the raiders. Anyone who saw the teleportation circles used in such offensive mannerisms would have to die or join him.

    He wasn¡¯t necessarily opposed to wiping out another contingent of bandits here but it was a much larger place with the possibility of secret escape routes and alternative means of getting away. Unless he was sure, he would rather not start something.

    So he just smiled, nodded his head, and let the striped bandit leader continue, giving her a moment of power, even if it was illusory.

    ¡°On the other hand, it is true. These newcomers have become a thorn in my side. We were preparing our own¡­ response to the situation. A little tit-for-tat. Though with Marv gone¡­¡± She trailed off, turning from her pacing to face Arkk once again. ¡°Yes. If you¡¯re willing to soften them up for us, who I am I refuse that?¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll point us in the right direction?¡±

    ¡°Horrik!¡± Katja barked, turning her head to the older man at her side. ¡°Fetch Lexa. She can lead them.¡±

    ¡°Aye.¡±

    Nodding, Katja turned to Arkk, glanced at Edvin, and then back to Arkk. ¡°A little free advice: Drop him down the deepest hole you can find at the first available opportunity. You can thank me later.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Arkk said, smiling.

    They had a guide of some sort. One who could lead them to the slavers. He could see the anticipation on Ilya¡¯s face without even turning his head.

    Soon.

 Turnabout

    Tracking down the slavers was taking longer than Arkk had hoped for. The land outside Moonshine Burg was vast and empty. Old outposts dotted the plains, most long abandoned, relics of the old war.

    Arkk stared down at Lexa, a gremlin who barely stood tall enough to reach his waist, with a frown on his face. On loan from the leader of the bandits, she wasn¡¯t a proper employee. That had Arkk a little on edge in her presence. The way she looked at him, large eyes roaming over his shoulders and arms, had him a little more on edge. He didn¡¯t get the feeling that she was likely to stab him in the back from the way she stared, more like¡­ she was interested in him.

    ¡°So these things are so handy. Is it true they can see anywhere?¡± she asked, peering into a blank crystal ball. ¡°Anywhere?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arkk lied. He didn¡¯t want the weakness of churches or whatever the inquisitors had done to themselves to become widely spread information.

    ¡°Like¡­ inside the quarters of your boss?¡± Lexa grinned, sharp teeth on display as she ran a hand through her spiked mass of bright red hair. ¡°How do I get me one of these?¡±

    ¡°I doubt Katja would appreciate that.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. She invites me in at least once a fortnight.¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°Just find the slavers. That¡¯s what you¡¯re here for. Nothing else.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I got it. The guy Kat captured wasn¡¯t too specific about which of the old outposts they¡¯re squatting in. When she told me to guide you around, I thought we¡¯d be walking to check each one. Not kicking back and relaxing with a garrison-provided map of their old outposts and this sweet ball.¡±

    ¡°This is the second time you¡¯ve mentioned capturing one of the slavers,¡± Arkk said, sharing a pitying look with Ilya. The elf was going to be the one making sure Lexa stayed on task, backed up by Dakka and two other orcs. He did not envy them. ¡°Why don¡¯t we try interrogating him?¡±

    ¡°Oh sure!¡± she said with a dark grin. ¡°It¡¯s been a few weeks but I¡¯m sure a competent necromancer would be able to ask a few questions. Might be tough getting his remains back from the wurms though.¡±

    Arkk shook his head slowly. ¡°Never mind. Is there anything else you need besides the map and crystal ball?¡±

    Her grin turned sly as her eyes roamed up and down Arkk. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t mind you sticking a little close by. Maybe a few more orc guards too,¡± she said, casting a lecherous glance around the small room of the tent they had set up a distance outside Moonshine Burg.

    Neither she nor Edvin were allowed inside the city proper. Only Edvin was wanted by the garrison, Arkk had checked, but he didn¡¯t want to risk being associated with her either.

    Arkk stared a moment before flicking his eyes up to Ilya, meeting an utterly ferocious glare. He had known her long enough that he could figure out some of what she was thinking. Right now, it was something along the lines of ¡®Please don¡¯t leave me alone with this gremlin. I¡¯d rather have Edvin here! Or even the Duke! Arkk! Please! Don¡¯t go!¡¯. With a silent apology, Arkk turned and stepped out of the tent without another word.

    Pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose, Arkk shook his head. It would be fine. Probably. Dakka was there to make sure no one got hurt. The fact that the orc had been trying to suppress chuckles didn¡¯t mean that she wouldn¡¯t do her job.

    With that operation underway and no immediate tasks from the local baron to see to, Arkk figured it was high time to attend to one thing he had been neglecting thus far.

    ¡°Worried, Master?¡±

    Arkk glanced up to find Vezta approaching, steps demure as she maneuvered around a pair of gorgon who were enjoying the heat of the sun despite the cold air. All they needed was a small wall around them to keep the direct breeze off their scales.

    Vezta came to a stop in front of him, the heels of her boots clicking against the floor. She cocked her head to one side, looking at him before deliberately flicking her eyes over his shoulder at the closed tent flaps.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear a word about recent hires,¡± Arkk said, moving away from the tent so that the occupants wouldn¡¯t hear. ¡°I didn¡¯t even hire the gremlin.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Vezta said, a thin smile spreading across her face.

    ¡°But¡­ speaking of new hires¡­ I want you to meet Agnete properly.¡±

    The smile on Vezta¡¯s face froze in place. ¡°I am not sure I am enthused with that idea any more than I am enthused with her presence at Fortress Al-Mir.¡± She looked down at her arm. Or the spot where her arm should have been. It did look better than it had immediately after the inquisitors injured her but still wasn¡¯t back to normal. ¡°The magic she wields is given by a god. The damage it can do to me, on a personal level, is concerning.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. ¡°I am aware. Which is why we should do this under controlled circumstances with me¡ªand that ice marble¡ªpresent.¡± He took in a breath, letting it back out slowly. ¡°I stopped by the Fortress the other day ago and checked up on things around there. Mostly her. She expressed interest in learning more about the Burning Forge. Most of her time has been spent inside the forge, molding little bits of metal into small sculptures.¡±

    ¡°And you wish for me to speak with her.¡±

    ¡°You know more than I do,¡± Arkk said with a shrug. ¡°Better to get this over with sooner rather than later. If she does attack you¡­ Well, I¡¯m fairly certain that ice marble will kill her rather quickly, judging by how she acted in its presence the first time.¡±

    ¡°And you wish to do this now?¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. ¡°It is going to take some time for them to find the slavers. We¡¯ve got until then.¡±

    ¡°If you think it is best,¡± Vezta said, her tone polite if slightly strained.

    ¡°I do. I think it is more than for the best. Agnete should be able to take the final spot in our ritual but¡­ kind of need her willing. If she takes up an interest in the Pantheon, I feel like that is a good avenue to get her to agree despite any misgivings she might have over ¡®forbidden¡¯ magics.¡±

    ¡°When put like that, I can see the reasoning. Very well, Master. Back to the stayover?¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. They had set up a teleportation circle inside the stayover, figuring it was less suspicious to have people disappear from within rather than heading out a half a day¡¯s walk away from the burg to an unsheltered area where anyone with eyes could watch them disappear. Today, however, that meant they had to walk back into town.

    Walking through the streets of Moonshine Burg with Vezta at his side had become something of a regular occurrence. He wanted to be sure that the inquisitors were aware of him and hadn¡¯t tried hiding because of that. Still, people stopped what they were doing to stare. Even after weeks of being inside the burg, walking through the market caused a commotion.

    It always started slow. Someone would notice Vezta and nudge someone they were standing near. Their actions would attract others who then attracted more. In a few moments, it felt like the entire market stopped what they were doing to stare. At least word had spread enough to avoid panicked people rushing to the guards. It still felt a bit¡­ eerie.

    Worst of all were a small number of the ones from Evestani. On the border of the two nations, Moonshine had accrued several residents from Evestani. Most were perfectly normal people who stopped and stared like everyone else. Yet there was a small subset with extravagant golden tattoos around the crowns of their heads who didn¡¯t so much as stare as they glowered.

    Pious of the Golden Order, according to a few locals who Arkk had asked. As far as Arkk could tell, the Golden Order was equivalent to the Abbey of the Light except native to Evestani. Given the relation, Arkk wasn¡¯t too surprised by their more hostile interest in Vezta compared to the average citizen.

    They were one of the main reasons Arkk wanted to finish up with this slaver business and then move away. Perhaps to one of the principalities, both of which were on the opposite side of the Duchy and thus as far from Evestani as possible. He already had one religious organization hounding him. Adding a second seemed like a bad idea.

    Today especially felt unusual. It felt like there were more pious than usual. What was worse was the way they didn¡¯t look like they had been participating in the usual market activities. They weren¡¯t standing in lines, manning shops, peddling wares, or even proselytizing. It was almost like they had been sitting around, waiting. Now they all stared at him as one, heads turning all at the same time.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    Yes. The sooner they could get out of Moonshine Burg, the better.

    Reaching the Canyon¡¯s End stayover, Arkk had to smile. Partially in relief at being out of the public eye, partially because of the feel of the stayover. The entire place had effectively been taken over by Company Al-Mir. Orcs sat at each of the tables. Some drinking and eating, others playing a variety of games, gambling what coin they hadn¡¯t spent in the burg with each other. Only the occasional traveling merchants stopped by and often not for long.

    Getting out of the fortress had done them some good, Arkk reflected. From what Dakka, Olatt¡¯an, and Rekk¡¯ar had mentioned among each other and his observations, there had been some amount of disconcertion regarding the handling of the inquisitors. Sending them into fights they could win, a place where they could spend coin, and just generally getting some fresh air had done wonders for morale.

    To the best of his knowledge, there hadn¡¯t been any altercations in the town involving the orcs either. That, especially, reassured Arkk that he had, in some way, rehabilitated the former raiders.

    Up the stairs and beyond a door guarded by the other two gorgon, Arkk stepped into a complex ritual circle drawn on the ground. A touch of magic and Arkk found himself a day¡¯s walk away from Moonshine Burg, nestled between a pair of craggy rocks. Two steps forward and he was in another ritual circle. It took several more hops¡ªMoonshine Burg was by far the furthest he had ever been from Langleey¡ªbut he eventually found himself in one of the decrepit corridors of the trashed false fortress. From there, he simply used his abilities as Keeper of the Heart to transport himself into Fortress Al-Mir proper.

    He took in a deep breath and let it out in a content sigh.

    Home.

    As he mentioned to Vezta, it had only been a few days. Still, knowing that the fortress was, in some way, literally him¡­ he couldn¡¯t help feeling that he didn¡¯t belong far away from it.

    Vezta, pulled from the false fortress, appeared at his side a few moments later.

    ¡°Savren and Zullie were arguing about something the other day,¡± he said. ¡°Why not see if it is something you can resolve while I go and speak with Agnete¡­ make sure she doesn¡¯t incinerate you on sight.¡±

    Vezta bowed. ¡°Most magnificently magnanimous, my Master.¡±

    Arkk leveled a glare at Vezta, not bothering to give her the satisfaction of commentary before sending her off toward the library.

    People had been doing that more and more lately. Usually whenever Savren came up in conversation. He hoped it was just people mocking him but¡­ perhaps he needed to take Zullie aside and ensure that Savren¡¯s curse wasn¡¯t spreading. Or that Savren wasn¡¯t trying to spread his curse around as he had with the flawed ritual in Hope Village.

    Arkk didn¡¯t think he was doing the latter. Able to examine the entirety of the traversable areas of the fortress in only a few seconds, he couldn¡¯t find any ritual circle like the one he had destroyed. It wasn¡¯t possible to dig through the reinforced walls or floors either, leaving no possibility that Savren had somehow hidden a curse-spreading ritual somewhere out of sight. Still¡­

    Shaking his head, making a note for later, Arkk moved himself in front of Agnete¡¯s quarters.

    Like most doors in Fortress Al-Mir, this door had been refurbished from one of the original doors left behind. Even now, he wasn¡¯t quite sure about all the rules in this place. Gold could form entire rooms including furnishings or raw materials but not other things, like doors, which required skilled labor to produce from those raw materials. Yet the lesser servants could repair many existing things, like doors and floors and walls, all without consuming gold or raw materials. They just performed some magical dancing and everything came out brand new. There were limitations. Once something was destroyed beyond a reasonable point of repair, it would have to be replaced entirely.

    That meant he only had a limited number of doors to move around before he would have to occupy blacksmith time with making new ones. If he wanted wooden doors, he would have to recruit John¡¯s assistance as well. So far, that hadn¡¯t been an issue.

    So far¡­

    The metal frame of Agnete¡¯s door sagged and drooped, barely managing to hold in the wooden boards. The wood wasn¡¯t really wood so much either. Rather, it had turned to a brittle, black charcoal. The lesser servant was trying to perform its magic. That was probably the only reason the door was still intact but it looked like a losing battle.

    ¡°Do the best you can,¡± Arkk said to the poor bundle of pulsating black slime, mouths, and eyes.

    He would have to see about getting the door replaced. Maybe Savren or Zullie could figure out a way of making the doors magically resistant to heat.

    In the meantime, Arkk retrieved a thick leather glove from the smithy and gently knocked on the door.

    The wooden panels crumbled under his touch. Even with as light a knock as he could manage, the panel he touched fell apart. The one next to it fell as well, then the next one over. The chain reaction spread through the door until it was nothing but a cloud of ashy dust. The warped bits of metal clattered to the floor around his feet. Hot, dry air rushed out, enveloping him.

    The lesser servant looked up at him. It wasn¡¯t human. It didn¡¯t have a human face let alone the ability to make anything resembling a recognizable expression. He still felt the withering look it gave him, like he had just wasted all its efforts at keeping the door intact.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°It was my fault.¡±

    Glancing up, Arkk found Agnete standing at the back of the room, just beyond the cracked throne, staring into a large mirror that hadn¡¯t been present the last time Arkk visited her room. She looked¡­ calmer than when Arkk last saw her. Her muscled back wasn¡¯t as tense as before.

    Arkk, blinking, realized he could see her muscled back. ¡°Sorry,¡± Arkk said again. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to just barge in. The door¡ª¡±

    ¡°I noticed its state the other day,¡± Agnete said, turning. She knelt down next to the large throne and popped open a large stone chest that matched with the cracked and molten throne. Withdrawing a long black overcoat, she threw it on and began buttoning up the front. ¡°Since then, I have been trying to rein myself in. This place is freedom unlike any I have experienced¡ªslight elevation in ambient temperature would have the inquisitors upset with me¡ªbut I suppose there is cause for restraint even now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡¯m honestly not sure how to handle you. I would rather not be comparable to the likes of Darius Vrox but at the same time, I would prefer the fortress intact.¡± Arkk reached out with the glove, snapping a piece of the frame off the wall with little effort. He tossed it to the lesser servant, who formed a mouth in just the right spot and swallowed it whole. ¡°I¡¯ll see about getting a more durable door put in instead. A solid metal one.¡±

    Turning back to Agnete, Arkk stumbled in place. Her face was turned toward the door now. The glowing lines on her face and bright embers in the depths of her pupils made his heart skip a beat. It was no wonder people ran from him when he made his eyes glow if that was what greeted them. But Agnete wasn¡¯t staring at him. Her eyes were on the lesser servant, watching with intent as it consumed the remainder of the door.

    ¡°The horror from beyond the stars¡­¡±

    ¡°Vezta would be upset to hear that.¡±

    Glowing eyes flicked over to Arkk as Agnete raised a questioning eyebrow.

    ¡°Vezta is my¡­ assistant? She calls herself a servant. This is just a lesser servant. Vezta is the pre-Calamity monster that you inquisitors have been so upset about.¡± Arkk knelt to pat the lesser servant on its¡­ itself. ¡°She looks more human though. In fact, she is an almost duplicate of the little tailor servant you met when you first arrived.¡±

    ¡°It bit me.¡±

    Arkk let out a small chuckle, thinking back. He had been watching when that happened. If he remembered right, Agnete had been poking and prodding the lesser servant. Probably trying to figure out what it was.

    ¡°They¡¯ve been avoiding me,¡± Agnete said, interrupting Arkk¡¯s reminiscing. ¡°I¡¯ve felt them around but every time I turn my head, they¡¯re gone. These are the horrors from beyond the stars? But it is¡­ cute. Not how Greesom described them at all.¡±

    Arkk snapped his head over to Agnete, both eyebrows climbing up his forehead. While he had long since gotten used to them, calling them cute was a bit much. And this was the first time she was seeing them. Everyone else had strong words to say about them, even if they also got used to them eventually.

    Ilya still didn¡¯t like them.

    ¡°Why do the inquisitors call them horrors from beyond the stars? Vezta has quite a negative view on that term.¡±

    ¡°Horror?¡±

    ¡°No. The beyond the stars part. I think she would prefer horror from the stars.¡± Arkk shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t really get it either but the distinction seems important to her. How did the inquisitors come by the name?¡±

    Agnete slowly shook her head. ¡°I told you when you offered me your false choice, I have never been privy to the operations of the inquisitors. I believe you put it best when you said that I was little more than an attack dog on a leash.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡ª¡±

    ¡°However, I can make guesses. We are dispatched by Oracles. I know little about them other than their supposed prophetic visions, which are what direct the inquisitors as a whole. I understand that a vision directed the inquisitors to me in my youth.¡± She paused, eyes losing focus for a long moment before she shook her head, sending her wild dark hair thrashing around her. ¡°My only real experience with such visions comes from Greesom. He could receive lesser revelation. Vague and imprecise, interpreting it nonetheless brought us to several incidents.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ sounds familiar. I think Vrox mentioned these oracles to me before.¡±

    ¡°I am not sure what transpired. We were on another assignment, investigating an issue in the Kingdom¡¯s southern desert when we received urgent orders to head up to the Duchy. Immediately. We abandoned our then-current assignment without resolution and relocated to find you.¡±

    ¡°And Vezta¡­¡±

    ¡°Judging by the urgency, it is unlikely the inquisitors will give up. With my presence, they may elevate this issue to a full crisis and send more than just a single inquisitor, a chronicler, and a purifier.¡±

    Arkk nodded, leaning up against the doorframe. ¡°Yeah. I figured something like that would happen. I¡¯m hoping I¡¯ve thrown them off the track a bit. I told Vrox that I would be abandoning the area they found me in. Then, this last week or so, I and Vezta have been very visible on the far side of the Duchy, making sure everyone has seen us moving around. I¡¯ve even asked Vezta to unleash some of her tentacles as we walked around some of the larger burgs, just to get rumors flying around.¡±

    ¡°That may work for a time. Greesom¡¯s visions are vague and difficult to understand. They pointed us in the right direction but then we had to rely on information gathering from villagers and other local avenues. But I doubt your efforts will be a permanent solution.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I figured that as well.¡±

    ¡°I will fight,¡± Agnete said, squaring her shoulders as she stared at Arkk. ¡°Or I will die. Unfortunately, I am not the only purifier among the ranks of the inquisitors. The Binder you took from Vrox is not the only one. My efforts against them will be limited.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hoping to have a more permanent solution. Or¡­ at least more help. I¡¯m preparing a large ritual,¡± Arkk started, taking the opportunity to shift the topic back to one of his original purposes in coming here. ¡°One that, while forbidden magics, I¡¯m sure, will hopefully be a first step in changing the world for the better. In addition, it might let you find out more about the Burning Forge and¡­ what made you you. Would you like to hear about it?¡±

    Agnete stared for a long moment before dipping her head in a brief nod.

 Readying Up

    ¡°You received some letters. Came in by Swiftwing Harpies.¡±

    Arkk barely stepped out of the newly fashioned teleportation circle inside the Moonshine camp before being practically assaulted by Ilya waving a set of neatly folded letters in front of his face. One letter had an obvious seal stamped into wax while the other only had a glob keeping it closed. Taking them, he frowned down at both for just a moment before tucking them into his inner jacket pocket.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. It means people know we¡¯re here.¡±

    He didn¡¯t have time to examine them. Arkk had to step out of the teleportation circle and further into the large tent set up outside Moonshine Burg. The ritual circle pulsed and Agnete appeared within its confines. The temperature of the tent immediately shifted from a chill winter¡¯s morning to a hot summer afternoon, making Arkk, Dakka, and several of the other gathered orcs break out in sweat.

    Rekk¡¯ar, already present having come through the teleportation circle before Arkk, just crossed his arms. He was finally out of that sling. It was thanks to him that Ilya and the others had gathered.

    While at Fortress Al-Mir, Arkk made a sudden realization. Rekk¡¯ar had left the fortress only once since first being hired. That one time had been a temporary departure when Arkk called for reinforcements at Darkwood, defending the town from the other Keeper. There was always some problem going on but Rekk¡¯ar spent his time at the fortress, making sure to keep everything in line. It was high time that he got out to fight and war and just get a breath of fresh air. Maybe it would make him less cranky. With Vezta staying back at the fortress with the two warlocks and their research¡ªand the fortress being nearly empty¡ªArkk was hoping this little excursion would help alleviate some of Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s concerns in addition to getting him out and moving about.

    Agnete, on the other hand, was here solely because she wanted to be here. Arkk hadn¡¯t offered. She had asked. She wanted to see how Arkk ran things, what kind of person he was outside their limited prior interactions, and how the others in his employ acted. Arkk didn¡¯t have much of a reason to keep her in the fortress. With her abilities, it would only make their upcoming task all the easier to accomplish.

    ¡°Come along,¡± Arkk said, moving from the large tent across their small camp on the open plains and to a smaller tent with several cots set inside.

    Arkk looked around the new tent, locking eyes with Edvin and the gremlin at his side. Lexa. The only non-employee in the area.

    Gremlins stood shorter than most other races. Half the height of an average human left the gremlin utterly dwarfed by all the orcs filing inside, though her spiked mass of bright red hair helped to make her look a little less short than she actually was. That probably wasn¡¯t the only reason she looked distinctly uncomfortable. Being the only fully-fledged bandit among a group of mercenaries had her clearly on guard. Not that there was much she would be able to do if Arkk did suddenly decide to throw her to the local garrison.

    Looking away from the two, Arkk found Ilya¡¯s silver eyes. ¡°Report,¡± he said. ¡°Did you find the slavers?¡±

    Ilya shot a glance in Lexa¡¯s direction as well, nodding at the same time. ¡°We managed to track them down two days ago. They are about two days out from here, making their home in an abandoned outpost from the last war as Lexa indicated.¡±

    ¡°Would it be too much to ask for the Duchy to hold onto its territory?¡± Arkk asked with a sigh. ¡°I suppose this isn¡¯t the first time we¡¯re cleaning up the Duchy¡¯s mess. Were you able to scry on this outpost?¡±

    Grimacing, Ilya nodded her head. ¡°It¡­ It isn¡¯t pretty. The outpost has an entire dungeon set up. Probably for holding onto prisoners from the war but¡­ now¡­ it¡¯s holding onto slaves. They have these massive carts drawn by massive horned creatures. Each cart has stacks upon stacks of large metal cages. I think they take them around to the places they raid, fill them up then drag them back here. Some of the slaves are treated better than others¡ªprobably the ones they want to sell for looks rather than labor¡ªbut it is a mess all around.¡±

    ¡°How many slavers?¡±

    ¡°There are about two-hundred cots in their barracks.¡±

    ¡°Two hundred?¡± Arkk repeated with a frown. That¡­ was a fair amount. They only had eighteen orcs now that Rekk¡¯ar and a few of the others who had been at the fortress were with them. Plus himself, Ilya, four gorgon, and Agnete. And Edvin, he supposed, though he wasn¡¯t going to expect much from the highwayman.

    He had fought off about that many goblins when he first met Vezta. That had been an entirely different situation, with them all rushing toward him¡ªmeaning only a limited number could engage with him at any given time¡ªand him not having to worry much about innocents getting in the way. Here, they had slaves who would turn into hostages the moment things took a dive for the slavers.

    For a few moments, he considered returning to the fortress to retrieve Vezta, Zullie, and Savren. Maybe the other gorgon as well. Looking to his side, where Agnete had taken up a position a little too close for comfort, he shook his head. Himself, Ilya, four gorgon, and Agnete were probably enough to take on eighty entrenched slavers on their own. Sure, most of that might have been Agnete, but still¡­

    ¡°Dakka,¡± Arkk said, looking at the orc. She stiffened under his gaze, back straightening. ¡°You¡¯ve been informed of the situation?¡±

    ¡°I was watching them scry it, Sir.¡±

    ¡°Good. Take Rekk¡¯ar and Agnete, get them fully up to speed on what is going on and start coming up with strategies. Vezta and our warlocks are available if we feel it is necessary. I¡¯ll join you shortly.¡±

    Dakka¡¯s eyes shifted over to Rekk¡¯ar. There was a certain pride to her gaze as her lips curled into a smile. ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± she said.

    ¡°The rest of you, get everything ready to move. Jorr¡¯or, check our food and medical supplies. Make sure we have some extra of both, enough to help anyone we rescue. You have full authority to take as much gold into town as is required to procure the necessary supplies.¡±

    The orc who had acted as quartermaster on this excursion nodded his head before turning to the flaps of the tent. Everyone else filed out in short order, leaving just Arkk and Ilya behind in the large barracks-like tent. It wasn¡¯t the best home base, but they didn¡¯t have anywhere else unless they wanted to take another hop to the stayover. Although more effective than walking, moving people one at a time through the teleportation circle wasn¡¯t a very effective means of travel or he might have suggested they return to Fortress Al-Mir every night. It was just easier to rent out the entire stayover and use this camp.

    ¡°Vezta didn¡¯t come back with you?¡± Ilya asked as they took a seat on one of the nearby cots.

    ¡°There were some problems with Zullie and Savren. Wanted to make sure they didn¡¯t end up killing each other, so she¡¯s mediating.¡±

    ¡°Problems?¡±

    ¡°Disagreements over changes to the ritual circle. As interested as I am, I didn¡¯t ask. Too much other stuff going on. After setting Vezta to loom over their shoulders, they actually started cooperating instead of just arguing about it. I sat in on a few of their sessions but¡­¡± Arkk hung his head. ¡°It¡¯s complicated. I wish I had more time to fully learn everything but I¡¯ve got to run around plotting assaults on slavers.¡±

    Lips pressed together, Ilya reached out, resting a hand on Arkk¡¯s knee. ¡°This is important too. Just think of all the people we¡¯re helping. And all the people who won¡¯t have to worry about being raided in the future because these slime will be dead.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I¡¯m not saying it isn¡¯t important or we¡¯ll leave those people.¡± Shaking his head, Arkk focused. ¡°With the inquisitors lurking in places we can¡¯t scry, I just was hoping we could find some spellcasters out here. Sadly, I doubt many, if any, of the slaves will be casters.¡±

    ¡°What about¡ª¡±

    ¡°I can cast spells.¡±

    Arkk blinked and looked over Ilya¡¯s shoulder. Lexa leaned up against the central pole holding up the tent. The short gremlin hadn¡¯t left with the others and Arkk hadn¡¯t even noticed. He was so used to looking up that he had entirely forgotten to look down, despite having singled her out earlier. It didn¡¯t help that she had half-hidden behind the large pole, barely visible from his position.

    Discussing sensitive things without fully securing the area¡­

    ¡°You can cast spells?¡± Arkk asked, trying to maintain a neutral tone of voice.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Nothing flashy,¡± the gremlin said, grinning with sharp teeth. ¡°A few tricks here or there. Distract a mark or make me harder to notice. It worked on you. Useful, right?¡±

    Arkk narrowed his eyes. Maybe he hadn¡¯t simply overlooked the gremlin. ¡°And you¡¯re offering your services.¡±

    ¡°Consider this my demonstration of ability.¡± Shoving off the pole, Lexa walked around it and stopped in front of Arkk. ¡°I¡¯m a thief. Best in the business. At least around these parts. I can slip through cracks most others wouldn¡¯t even notice, I can hide in plain sight, and I can nick valuables right out from under people¡¯s noses.¡± Pulling a hand from behind her back, she waved two familiar letters back and forth.

    Arkk stiffened, reaching into his jacket even as Ilya¡¯s arm shot out. She snatched all the letters from the gremlin¡¯s small hand. Not that the gremlin even tried to withhold them. Lexa just flashed her sharp teeth again.

    ¡°When did you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Magic,¡± Lexa said, wiggling her fingers. ¡°Not going to say more than that unless you hire me.¡±

    ¡°Bad first impression,¡± Ilya snapped. ¡°What else have you stolen?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, nothing at all. I did snoop around,¡± she admitted. ¡°Peeked into a few bags here or there. Spotted some interesting magic circles in the guarded tent¡­ Left everything right where I found it.¡±

    Arkk stiffened at the mention of the teleportation circle. That was one of his biggest advantages and not something he wanted to give up. Especially not to bandits.

    ¡°Sure you did.¡± Ilya¡¯s disbelief came through as clear in her tone as it was written on her face, patting herself down to check that she wasn¡¯t missing anything else.

    Arkk held up a hand. ¡°And you¡¯ve, what, tired of your thieving career? Want to turn over a new leaf?¡± If she wasn¡¯t offering to work for him now¡­ He wasn¡¯t quite sure what he would have done. Secrecy was security and security was paramount.

    ¡°Never. My skills are handy no matter the situation. Handier than a bunch of ex-raiders, anyway. Now I hear you¡¯re in the market for spellcasters too? That just makes me more valuable.¡± She laughed a sharp, high-pitched laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I love what I do. Kat¡¯s Bandits are a nice family¡ªKat is sexy and perfectly happy to share herself with anyone who pleases her¡ªbut after snooping around here and seeing how much coin you¡¯ve got to throw around? Well, if I knew how well being a mercenary paid, I¡¯d have joined a company years ago.¡±

    Of all the topics he had discussed with Hawkwood during his visit to Cliff City, pay had not been among them. He honestly doubted that most other free companies could afford to give a gold coin to each employee every month. Fortress Al-Mir put him in a league of his own when it came to what he could offer his workers.

    ¡°You can¡¯t just¡ª¡±

    Holding up a hand, Arkk stalled Ilya¡¯s retort. ¡°What assurances would I have that you aren¡¯t going to take the coin and run back to your outlaw friends?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not hiring another criminal, are we?¡± Ilya asked before Lexa could say anything.

    Arkk shrugged. ¡°We already knew we weren¡¯t going to find any spellcasters in good standing. That pretty much leaves only criminals.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m working for a free company, I¡¯m not a criminal, now am I?¡± the gremlin grinned. ¡°As for assurances¡­ the only assurance out there is gold. As long as the gold keeps coming and nobody offers me a better deal, I¡¯m yours. For whatever. You. Want.¡± Lexa hooked a finger over the front of her bodice and lightly pulled, showing off just enough skin to be enticing without showing off everything.

    Arkk locked his eyes with her hazel slit pupils and frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not in the habit of abusing my employees like that.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t abuse if¡ª¡±

    ¡°I also prefer women who are taller than me.¡±

    Ilya, who had been glaring at Lexa, shifted her glare over to Arkk before moving back to the gremlin. She stared back and forth like she wasn¡¯t sure who was more deserving of her ire. When Arkk flashed her a smile and winked, she rolled her eyes and shook her head.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Lexa said, looking between the two as she slumped her shoulders. ¡°Kind of rude to put it like that but maybe I can change your mind later. I¡¯m more after the gold anyway.¡±

    Reaching into his pocket, Arkk withdrew a single gold coin. Holding it up, he watched as Lexa¡¯s eyes went wide, following its motions like a cat ready to pounce on a rat.

    ¡°I¡¯ll hire you,¡± Arkk said, moving the coin back and forth. ¡°A gold coin a month, plus bonuses for combat or other situations that require your skills or presence. While employed, you don¡¯t steal from regular people or anyone else under my employ.¡±

    Although her eyes kept following the gold coin, her head turned slightly toward Arkk. ¡°No one? What defines ¡®regular people¡¯? What about rich idiots begging to have some of their wealth redistributed? The tax collector, maybe? Does it count as stealing if they¡¯re dead?¡±

    ¡°No murdering people either,¡± Arkk said, narrowing his eyes.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. Just suppose I¡¯m walking around, minding my own business, when I stumble across an old mausoleum filled with all kinds of shiny things¡­¡±

    ¡°Look. I just don¡¯t want you acting like a thug. I¡¯m still trying to build up Company Al-Mir¡¯s reputation. If you do anything to tear that down, we¡¯re going to have a problem. Clear?¡±

    ¡°Crystal.¡±

    With a slight sigh, Arkk held out the coin. It vanished from his fingers in the blink of an eye and disappeared down the front of her shirt¡ªshe must have had a pocket sewn in there¡ªnot via magic, just the quick reflexes of the gremlin. While Lexa didn¡¯t seem to notice, Arkk felt the minion bond form between them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Lexa said, eyes back on him while she showed off her sharp-toothed grin. ¡°You won¡¯t regret this.¡±

    ¡°I hope not. Now get prepared to head out with the others.¡±

    ¡°You can order me around however you want,¡± she said, turning on her heel.

    Arkk watched her go, making sure she didn¡¯t slip off to spy on them a second time. She must have known that he was watching because she started swinging her hips in what Arkk had to hope was an exaggerated manner. It couldn¡¯t be comfortable to walk like that all the time.

    ¡°Lexa,¡± Arkk called out before she made it to the tent flaps, a thought occurring to him.

    She paused and turned, raising a bright red eyebrow.

    ¡°Are there other spellcasters among Kat¡¯s Bandits?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah. Kat herself is one. Then there¡¯s Roland, Hestia, Marg, and maybe a few others? Not sure how good they are. None of us have any professional training. Just the books we¡­ liberated from our customers.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°You want a full list? Every spell they know¡ªor every spell I know they know, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Later, perhaps.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing.¡± With one last sashay, Lexa slipped out of the room.

    Arkk hummed to himself, mind churning as he considered possible future interactions with Katja and her crew. With these slavers being a thorn in Katja¡¯s side, taking them out should engender some feelings of gratitude. He wasn¡¯t sure that they would all be as willing to jump ship¡ªespecially not the leader¡ªbut if he could borrow a few spellcasters for however long the ritual would require¡­

    ¡°You aren¡¯t seriously thinking about hiring them all, are you? I can¡¯t believe how many criminals we have working with us.¡±

    ¡°If they¡¯re working for us, they aren¡¯t causing problems for villages and travelers.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the same logic we used on the orcs and Savren and the gorgon and now these thieves. I¡¯m not sure how much I like that argument.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all gone well so far,¡± Arkk said with a shake of his head. ¡°We¡¯ll talk it over later. I doubt they¡¯ll all even want to join up. For now, I¡¯m curious about these.¡±

    Holding up the letters Ilya had handed him, he broke the wax seal on the one without a signet stamped into it. It was the thickest of the two, containing a great many pages. Sketches and diagrams of buildings and murals. The front letter, after Arkk skimmed it, filled him in on what it was all about.

    ¡°Ah. That expedition we helped with. This is the historian getting back to me.¡±

    ¡°Back to you?¡±

    ¡°I waived half their pay in exchange for details on the ruins they were heading to. I thought it might have been another fortress like Al-Mir. Judging by this giant pit, I might have been right, though it fits with Vezta¡¯s description of a dead fortress. Interesting but not all that exciting. I¡¯ll look over his other notes later.¡±

    The next letter, stamped with the upward chevron seal of White Company, was a letter from Hawkwood. This one wasn¡¯t a particularly long letter but the content had Arkk sitting forward in his seat.

    ¡°It seems like we have made a splash among those who pay attention to mercenaries. Hawkwood is congratulating us for saving Silver City and ridding Savren¡¯s magic from Hope. He¡¯s mentioned us around and¡­¡± Arkk pressed his lips together. ¡°Seems like he wants to invite us to a small dinner in Cliff, accompanied by several other mercenary company commanders.¡±

    Ilya crossed her arms, closing her eyes. ¡°Is that all?¡±

    Arkk flipped the letter over, checking the backside, before shrugging. ¡°Looks like it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a trap. The inquisitors got to him. Or the entire letter is forged.¡±

    Arkk drummed his fingers on his knee. The thought had occurred to him but¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t want to believe that.¡±

    ¡°What else could it be?¡±

    ¡°Just what it says. I¡¯ve had several correspondences with Hawkwood since we met for the first time. He mentioned things like this before. All the company leaders are friends, though some consider other companies to be friendly rivals. It¡¯s¡­ not out of the ordinary to be invited along with them.¡± Arkk paused then looked Ilya in her silver eyes. ¡°We have been making a name for ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Even if the inquisitors have nothing to do with it, they are still there. You can¡¯t seriously be considering going. They won¡¯t just ignore you.¡±

    ¡°They might,¡± Arkk said, knowing damn well they wouldn¡¯t. ¡°I asked John to visit Stone Hearth and Smilesville while I was back at the fortress. Neither place has any bounty, notice, or other declaration of interest regarding me, Company Al-Mir, or even the Cursed Forest.¡±

    ¡°Because they¡¯re trying to draw you in with this letter!¡± Ilya snapped standing up. ¡°Arkk. Ask any of the others. Rekk¡¯ar. Olatt¡¯an. Vezta. Zullie. Savren. Dakka. Edvin. They¡¯ll all tell you this is a trap.¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes, nodding his head. He did not doubt that. He wasn¡¯t even disagreeing. He didn¡¯t think¡­ He hoped that Hawkwood hadn¡¯t tried to trap him. That didn¡¯t mean that the inquisitors wouldn¡¯t hear about his arrival and try to do something then.

    Still¡­ This could well be the last chance they had to visit Cliff without being labeled as heretics or traitors. The last chance they would have to get Alya out of the Duke¡¯s manor while still able to freely move about the city. If he brought up that point, Ilya might change her mind.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if he should or not. She might insist they go, which Arkk wasn¡¯t sure he wanted. Or she might not, feeling she would have to abandon her mother. Arkk didn¡¯t want that either. It wouldn¡¯t be a good feeling.

    ¡°We¡¯ll discuss it later,¡± Arkk said, folding the letter and sliding it back into his pocket. He would have to think it over. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now. We¡¯ve got this counter-slaver operation to deal with.¡±

    Ilya stared a moment before letting out a small breath, blowing a loose lock of her silver hair aside. ¡°Twenty-five versus two-hundred, can we do it?¡±

    ¡°To be honest, unless these slavers have a secret inquisitor up their sleeve with an ice marble, I think Agnete could handle them entirely on her own.¡±

    ¡°Without incinerating the slaves?¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips into a thin smile, lightly touching the round lump in his pocket just to make sure that hadn¡¯t gone missing. ¡°That¡¯s why the rest of us are going.¡±

 Slavers

    When Arkk had been told that the slavers were held up in an old military outpost, he had expected some kind of fortress. Like the garrison at Cliff, with tall stone walls and observation turrets at the corners, or even like the bandit encampment and its imposing spiked defenses and tall wooden walls. Instead, he was greeted with a squat brick wall that he could probably see over just by jumping¡ªIlya and the orcs wouldn¡¯t have a problem in the slightest. The wall wasn¡¯t even thick. Shoving his shoulder against it a few times might not make it move but gather up three orcs and put them in roughly the same spot? They would knock it over in a few seconds.

    Although the wall was unimpressive, it was a large compound. In the war, it must have been used as a staging point. A whole army could fit inside those thin walls. Given the wide open area lacking in buildings, they likely would have been expected to use tents. That was what the slavers were doing now, in any case. There were a few actual structures, all of which had been built into the walls. It was within those that most of the slaves were being kept.

    Scrying on the camp for the previous day got them some information. There were about one hundred and fifty slavers present, all outfitted for combat. They had about an equal number of slaves crammed into the buildings. Most were occupying floor space but there were a number chained to the walls¡ªpresumably troublemakers.

    Out in front of the outpost, which sat on a fairly flat plain covered in a light dusting of snow, was something Arkk had never seen before. Four great beasts, each towering over the rest of the outpost. Their massive bodies, covered in thick, rough hide, looked like they could crush an orc and barely notice what they stepped on. Even from his vantage point well away from the outpost, Arkk could feel their steps as they meandered about their makeshift pasture. More imposing were the large spiked horns that jutted up from their snouts.

    Despite their awe-inspiring appearance, they didn¡¯t look like they were used in combat. The pasture was right next to four equally massive carts. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how big they were¡ªthe size of the beasts nearby was playing havoc on his sense of scale¡ªbut each of those carts contained twelve rectangular metal cages. Judging by their profession, those cages were probably the size of humans, if not orcs.

    ¡°Rhinos,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, unprompted. ¡°I¡¯ve encountered the beasts before. They look frightening, but they are surprisingly docile. Unless you provoke them. In that case, you¡¯re going to have a bad time.¡±

    ¡°I bet,¡± Arkk said, lowering the crystal ball to look across the plain with his own eyes. Despite the size of the beasts, they weren¡¯t quite as easy to spot. Their black hides blended in with the night too well. ¡°They¡¯re why we¡¯re approaching from the opposite side. It¡¯s just that feeling the ground as they move¡­ Avoid them if possible.¡±

    ¡°And if it isn¡¯t possible?¡± Rekk¡¯ar asked.

    Olatt¡¯an snorted. ¡°Run.¡±

    ¡°Can the gorgon stone them?¡± Arkk asked, looking to Zharja.

    The black-scaled gorgon let out a long, thoughtful hiss before slowly shaking her head. ¡°Their eyess are on sseperate ssidess of their headss.¡±

    ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°Yess,¡± she said, offering no elaboration.

    ¡°As I said, they¡¯re not aggressive beasts. Make noise and they¡¯ll likely scatter,¡± Olatt¡¯an said. ¡°The ones you have to watch out for are the slavers whipping them into a frenzy.¡±

    ¡°Right. Lexa,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Change of plans. You¡¯re going to protect the rhinos. Take out anyone who looks like they¡¯re trying to get them fighting us. Can you manage?¡±

    ¡°Sounds easier than what you wanted me doing before,¡± the gremlin said with her sharp-toothed grin.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡°Mind if I head out? Bit of a trek to the opposite side of the outpost with these short legs of mine.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. ¡°If things seem calm or you take out everyone heading to the rhinos, go back to the original plan, if possible. Otherwise, just cause as much havoc as you can.¡±

    ¡°Righty-oh,¡± Lexa said, tapping her fingers to her brow in a sloppy salute. Turning, she hurried off into the night, making even less noise than Ilya as she ran.

    Arkk watched her go for a moment, frowning.

    ¡°Can we trust that one?¡±

    Arkk shrugged at Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s question. ¡°She accepted a coin, so she is a proper employee.¡± This meant that Arkk could watch her no matter where she was, though that was a secret he was still keeping from everyone except Vezta. ¡°If she does turn traitor, I imagine it will be as a spy for Katja later on. Katja wants these slavers gone. I doubt we have to worry about her sabotaging us right now.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be keeping an eye on her.¡±

    ¡°You keep an eye on a lot of people,¡± Arkk quipped. ¡°Running out of eyes?¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re too trusting. Even with one eye on others, I¡¯ve still gone one to watch where I¡¯m going. If you take a knife in your back, that¡¯s your only back.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips into a thin line, staring at the green-skinned orc for a long moment. It took a moment to parse that analogy and he wasn¡¯t sure that it was any good. Even if it was, it didn¡¯t exactly apply to him. The power of Fortress Al-Mir let him observe his employees from anywhere at any time, effectively granting him an infinite number of eyes. Even that wasn¡¯t necessary given that the Heart should alert him if anyone tried to betray him, much as it had warned him that a prisoner bond broke. Technically, he hadn¡¯t tested that feature yet.

    Yet¡­

    Looking over Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s shoulder, Arkk found Edvin gesticulating wildly as he chatted with a nearby orc. From the way he was acting, the highwayman was regaling the orc with a tale of intense battle. Probably a very tall tale.

    Well, there was a first time for everything.

    Testing that betrayal warning was half his reason for keeping Edvin around at this point. Nobody had a positive word to say about the man and Arkk felt betrayal was inevitable, just as soon as Edvin felt he could get away without being chased down. Perhaps during a bout of intense combat.

    Which was fine. The man had no important role to play this evening. As long as he didn¡¯t try to literally stab Arkk in his back during his flight from their organization, Arkk was content to use him as a test.

    Movement drew Arkk¡¯s eyes away from the potential deserter, back toward the outpost. Ilya, long silver hair tied up in a small bun to keep it out of the way during the fight, came running up to their encampment. She gave Arkk a sharp nod of her head, fingers tightening around the grip of her black bow.

    ¡°The watch has been taken out,¡± Ilya said.

    ¡°No one noticed?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arkk said, standing and turning.

    Twenty orcs stared back. Almost every orc from the fortress. Six gorgon stood among them¡ªthe four he had originally brought along with two more he had invited over just to make sure everything went smoothly. Vezta wasn¡¯t present. Neither were Savren or Zullie. After discussing the strategy with his advisors, they judged their presence unnecessary. Arkk would rather have them working on making the adjustments to the ritual anyway. It seemed like it was going to take longer than expected so the more time they had to work on it, the better.

    Agnete hung close to him, the heat she put off strangely comfortable in the chill night air. She hadn¡¯t said much and didn¡¯t look like she was going to say much. Somewhat like Edvin, this was a test for her. Arkk had the little ice marble safe in his pocket, just in case, but was hoping he wouldn¡¯t need to use it.

    There was one additional member of their group tonight. One who had only been made an employee this morning. Standing hunched over just apart from the rest, a werecat with mangy orange fur had her lips parted in a permanent snarl. Although her face was mostly humanoid, her sharp teeth and heavy breathing had the orcs nearby shooting wary glances in her direction. That wasn¡¯t helped by the way the moonlight gleamed off her orange eyes, making them glow bright despite the lack of any other light source.

    She wasn¡¯t fully healed. The end of her tail and one arm were wrapped up in white linen. The arm that wasn¡¯t bandaged had a thick chain dangling from her wrist. Thus far, she had resisted any attempts at having it removed. Her body was far thinner than Arkk had seen among the few werecats around Cliff City, making him think that she still needed to eat a lot more.

    She didn¡¯t talk much. At least she wasn¡¯t trying to attack them. Arkk had a small doubt in the back of his mind that Savren¡¯s mind magics had a permanent effect but the warlock insisted that he had only calmed her. Prying out her name, Lyssa, had taken some effort which did serve to reassure Arkk. The only thing she wanted, as far as Arkk could tell, was a chance for revenge.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    As long as her feral fury was aimed at his enemies, Arkk was happy to facilitate that revenge.

    ¡°Everyone knows their roles,¡± Arkk said, looking over the orc-dominated group. ¡°I¡¯d give a rallying speech but you don¡¯t want that, do you? Watch each other. Help each other. Come back alive. That¡¯s all I¡¯ll say.

    ¡°Olatt¡¯an. Get your group in position. Rekk¡¯ar, Zharja. Get moving. Dakka, Agnete, with me. Everyone, wait for my signal.¡±

    Orders given, the three groups split off from one another. They weren¡¯t going far, but they had a plan. Olatt¡¯an was in charge of a handful of orcs who wielded crossbows, Ilya as well. Rekk¡¯ar commanded the majority of the orcs this time instead of Dakka, solely to make sure that he had an important role. The gorgon followed Zharja¡ªArkk felt that having one of their own give them commands was for the best¡ªbut they were mixed in with Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s group along with both Edvin and Lyssa.

    Arkk with Dakka and Agnete as bodyguards were on their own for the moment.

    Each corner of the compound, while lacking tall brick turrets, did have elevated wooden platforms that allowed guards to keep watch on their surroundings. With Ilya having taken out all the guards on watch on this side of the compound, Arkk had little to fear from simply walking right up to the wall. It was even more pathetic up close. How long ago had it been abandoned? Thirty years or so? Some parts of the crumbling wall looked like they had been patched up recently. Even still, it was in a sorry state. Maybe the slavers didn¡¯t intend to stick around. Maybe they just hadn¡¯t gotten to it yet. In Arkk¡¯s opinion, securing the outpost would have been among the first tasks he would have ordered unless something truly vital was needed. Like food.

    Given how many people were inside the walls, maybe securing a source of food was a dire problem.

    Whatever the case, the decrepit architecture worked to his advantage tonight. Over the years, the windswept plains had piled up dirt at the base of the wall, giving him even easier access than he would otherwise have. It took no effort for him or Agnete to vault over the top. He was a little worried that Dakka, being much larger than they were, would break the wall and cause a bunch of noise when she followed. She did stumble a bit but a steadying hand from Arkk kept the noise to a minimum.

    Neither said a word. Arkk remained silent as well. Not now, not this close to their opponents. They simply nodded and moved.

    The inner compound was a field of tents. Varying sizes of canvas-covered dwellings covered the empty¡­ was it a courtyard? Given the lack of buildings, except for the two built into the one wall, this must have been how it had been used during the war. A hastily constructed outpost to serve as a waystation or logistical stopping point. Not a permanent dwelling or fortification.

    Arkk had memorized the route he planned to take during the day¡¯s scrying. He slipped between a few smaller tents, took a circuitous route around the array of barracks tents, and finally stopped at one of the larger tents toward the center of the compound. He held open the flap and let Dakka duck inside. Tossing a glance around, making sure nobody had seen them, he followed.

    Dakka had explained a little bit about how she and the other orcs operated while raiding. Everyone had their own gear and weapons, mostly looted, and never parted with their belongings. They each maintained their blades and armor to the best of their abilities. Sometimes, heavier damage might require going to someone who knew more, but it was best to have something valuable to trade. Otherwise, anytime they did part with their gear, they were at risk of having stuff stolen by the others. Though she had admitted that maybe that was something unique to her situation, being the runt of the group.

    Here, among the slavers, the situation seemed different. In this large tent, several wooden racks contained a vast plethora of weapons and armor. Chains, whips, swords, pikes, bows, quivers and arrows, and plenty more besides. Arkk was sure there would be plenty of weapons among the sleeping slavers but if they could deny this communal armory, that might result in a whole lot more people surrendering. The more who surrendered, the less likely something would go wrong.

    Pulling out a moderately sized metal rod, Arkk started dragging it through the dirt. It wasn¡¯t the most complex of arrays. The tracking spell was probably at a higher level. Still, it was something he wouldn¡¯t have been able to create before Zullie¡¯s lessons. It wasn¡¯t something he had just copied from a book. Rather, he had specifically designed this ritual just for tonight. That alone made this a bit more special.

    Especially with what he was about to do next.

    Agnete simply watched. Although magically powerful, she didn¡¯t actually know much about magic. Her flames were more akin to beastman magic. Rather than require incantations or complex designs to use, her flames were more instinctive. And limited. No matter how hard she tried, she wouldn¡¯t be able to conjure a lightning bolt. As such, her curiosity over the pattern he was drawing was understandable.

    After dragging a line from the circle at the center of the tent to each of its corners, he quickly approached the front flap. Dakka, who had been peering outside from a thin crack, gave him a nod of her head. He couldn¡¯t see her face, hidden underneath her imposing black helmet, but the nod was enough.

    Darting outside, he quickly ran to one of the exterior corners and started dragging the line out to another tent. This tent held more weaponry, some of a much higher quality than the others. He figured the leaders of the slavers would keep the best gear for themselves¡ªand, importantly, on their persons¡ªbut getting rid of this would help.

    It was a bit of a shame that he couldn¡¯t take them for himself. He didn¡¯t need the weapons and armor, not right now, but while Company Al-Mir had started as a front for getting into one of the Duke¡¯s parties, the idea of running a mercenary company had grown on him. Arkk actually felt like he was doing good out in the Duchy, unlike some other elements he could name. Sure, he still planned to get rid of the Duke if he could and then there were the complications of tying his company to the fortress¡ªnot to mention Vezta and the Calamity stuff¡ªbut the thought of expanding Company Al-Mir into a proper mercenary force did appeal to him and weapons would help with that.

    It was a bit disappointing that they had such little luck in recruiting from Moonshine Burg. Most who were capable of mercenary work were already employed with the garrison and didn¡¯t have much interest in traveling. A few, Arkk had turned away simply because they looked more like accountants than proper fighters.

    Finishing the ritual circle at the smaller tent, Arkk returned to the main armory tent and dragged out two more lines to either side of the largest barracks tent. He worked in silence, taking even more care here to not wake anyone on the other side of the thin canvas wall. This part of the job did have him feeling a little conflicted. He wouldn¡¯t describe any fight he had been in as glamorous or honorable. Those were words for bards and stories. Still, fighting someone in proper combat was a far cry from what he was doing. Then again, thinking about the state of Lyssa or those slaves over in the buildings across the compound offered some solace.

    Arkk started back toward the armory tent for the final line when a footstep that wasn¡¯t his or Dakka¡¯s ground against the earth.

    ¡°Hey! What are¡ª¡±

    Turning, Arkk made it just in time to watch a headless body thump against the ground. The decapitated head, flung from the blade of Dakka¡¯s axe, slid along the ground until it caught on the canvas of a nearby tent.

    For a long moment, neither of them moved. Arkk didn¡¯t even breathe. As he listened to his surroundings, he did a quick check-up on all the others through their employee links. Olatt¡¯an and the others in the ranged squad were perched atop the actual buildings, ready to support those on the ground while also keeping slavers from going after the slaves in retaliation or for hostages. Rekk¡¯ar, Zharja, and the others were over the wall at the end of the compound, just awaiting his signal. Lexa was in the process of wiping blood from a short dagger on the body of a man who had his throat slit. Some kind of magical haze surrounded her. It wouldn¡¯t render her invisible but combined with the dark of the night, she might as well have been.

    In the tents in Arkk¡¯s immediate vicinity, he could hear rustling. Stirring. Whether it was the man¡¯s words or his body hitting the ground, Arkk doubted they would have long before the entire camp was on high alert.

    ¡°Hurry,¡± he hissed, taking off in a run toward the large tent. Far less concerned with stealth and far more concerned with speed, he dug the metal rod into the ground and continued running, marking a trail behind him. Dakka, wearing armor, was much louder than he was. It wouldn¡¯t matter much in a few moments.

    Reaching a safe distance, Arkk quickly swept the metal rod around in a hasty circle. He inscribed symbols into the dirt out in the open, not far from the same wall he had climbed over to enter the compound. Already, shouts of alarm were going up in the distance. Torchlight started flickering against the edges of the tent canopies.

    Finishing the last sigil, Arkk flung the metal rod aside and stepped into the circle. Taking a deep breath, he flooded his magic into the ring.

    A bright violet light lit up around his feet, infusing all the markings he had just drawn before darting off along the line he had dragged in the direction of the armory tent. He couldn¡¯t see it but he knew it was doing the same thing there. The light would spread through the large circle before it darted off to the three other circles he had drawn. And then¡­

    The ground shook and a brilliant red-yellow column of twisting fire erupted in the center of the camp. A rush of wind followed the light, blowing tents over as it passed. Even Arkk, expecting this result, found himself knocked backward. He hit Dakka¡¯s breastplate, letting out a grunt of mild pain. The orc, larger and sturdier, did not stumble or stagger. She simply clamped a hand on his shoulder, steadying him as he had done for her at the wall.

    ¡°Beautiful,¡± Agnete whispered, her eyes wide as she stared at the tornado of fire.

    Arkk shot her a look before shaking his head. ¡°Let¡¯s meet up with¡ªElectro Deus!¡± A bolt of lightning slammed into a man who had climbed out from under one of the toppled tents nearby. ¡°Let¡¯s get to Rekk¡¯ar.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ am allowed to purify anyone who gets in our way, am I not?¡± Agnete asked in a wispy cadence. She reached a hand toward the tornado, siphoning off a thin stream of fire, twisting it in the wrong direction of the spinning column of flames. It wrapped around her hands and arms, burning away her long cloak¡¯s sleeves.

    Arkk, nervously wondering if he should have used a different spell to take out the armory, slowly slipped a hand into his pocket. The icy touch of the marble brought some reassurance that he would be able to handle the situation if the purifier went berserk. ¡°Just don¡¯t harm our own or the slaves.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ often lose control in the presence of intense fire¡­ but¡­¡± It took obvious effort to tear her eyes from the flames in her hands. Those glowing embers slid into place, locking onto Arkk¡¯s bright red eyes. ¡°Something is different this time.¡±

    She flicked her wrist, sending a stream of flames in a lazy arc at a screaming man wielding a spiked cudgel. His screams turned from anger to pain. The fires gained a bluish hue and the heat intensified. The man crumbled as he burned, cries cutting off abruptly.

    Arkk grimaced at the likely painful death. Even Dakka shifted in obvious discomfort. Agnete simply flicked her wide eyes over to the body before flicking them back to Arkk.

    ¡°I shall endeavor to keep control.¡±

    Resisting the urge to lick his heat-dried lips, Arkk nodded his head. ¡°See that you do.¡±

    ¡°And I thought the gorgon were unnerving,¡± Dakka muttered barely loud enough for Arkk to hear. ¡°You ever think about blinking once in a while?¡±

    Arkk nudged the orc with his elbow. He hit hard armor but Dakka would still have felt it. Agnete didn¡¯t seem to have heard anyway. Or, if she had, she wasn¡¯t paying the quip any mind. Her eyes were scanning the collapsed tents, looking for any other threats. Any others for her purifying flames.

    Taking a breath, Arkk nodded his head. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡±

 Freedom

    When Arkk witnessed the destruction left behind by the fire tornado, he thought it might have been a bit much. A little overkill. The ground around where the main tent had been was a smooth, glassy surface sprinkled with globs of metal that might have once been weapons. There was effectively nothing left of it.

    The three smaller circles didn¡¯t have quite the same level of destruction. They should have been smaller fire tornados but the area where the circles had been looked more like they had exploded than burned. The thought of having screwed up the ritual circles made him grimace a bit. He thought he was getting better but something hadn¡¯t gone as intended despite the effectiveness of the destruction wrought.

    Crouching down beside the body of Kazz¡¯ak, Arkk found himself wondering if the fire tornado hadn¡¯t been enough. He could have gone with different methods. Originally, especially after spying the higher-quality weapons, he had thought to simply ward off the area with protective spells to save them for either use or sale later on. In the end, he decided to go large and flashy with a tornado of flames for the sole purpose of intimidation. An awe-inspiring, overwhelming force designed to shock as many of the slavers into submission as possible, preferably before they realized that there were only twenty orcs present.

    In fairness, it had mostly worked. The other orcs were currently clamping the slavers¡¯ own manacles around the wrists of the sixty or so who had surrendered plus some who hadn¡¯t surrendered but had been too wounded to continue the fight. Arkk took a bit of vindictive pleasure in knowing that their tools were being used against them. Still, Kazz¡¯ak¡¯s body marred that satisfaction.

    Kazz¡¯ak wasn¡¯t the only casualty but he was the only fatality. The Flesh Weaving spell had helped get most of the others if not better then intact. It couldn¡¯t do anything for a dead man.

    ¡°It¡¯s his own damned fault.¡± Rekk¡¯ar spat¡ªnot on the body, just off to the side. The anger in his voice, for once, wasn¡¯t directed toward Arkk. ¡°Ran off, treating this like a raid against farmers, not against other raiders.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Bah. He was always causing trouble. I warned him that his trouble would catch up to him. Idiot.¡±

    Despite Rekk¡¯ar firmly laying the blame at Kazz¡¯ak¡¯s feet, Arkk couldn¡¯t shake the sensation of guilt in the pit of his stomach. Even if it wasn¡¯t his fault, Arkk still felt that he could have done something. Found him faster to heal him before he died of his wounds, supported him before he wound up injured, or just instilled better discipline in the orcs to keep him from having run off in the first place. It was compounded by the fact that, through his link with his employees, Arkk knew where they were at all times and could even tell if they were in trouble. In the heat of combat with the slavers, practically everyone had been in trouble, wounded, or otherwise in need at some point.

    He had simply failed to notice that one person needed assistance more than anyone else.

    It was true that Kazz¡¯ak had caused more than his fair share of trouble. Arkk would have twenty names on his list of favorite orcs before Kazz¡¯ak. Yet, the orc was still one of theirs. Part of Fortress Al-Mir. Losing him¡­

    Arkk clenched his fist, trying not to let his anger show lest Rekk¡¯ar think it was directed at him. He took a breath. ¡°Are there customs that should be observed?¡± he asked, soft tone feeling forced. It was probably something he should have asked following the barrows incident¡ªthere had been a number of dead orcs then as well¡ªbut those had been enemies and raiders. Kazz¡¯ak was theirs and deserved better than to be left behind in some forgotten tomb.

    The anger in Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s features slowly waned as a thoughtful expression moved to fill the vacancy. ¡°Kazz¡¯ak has no children. His mother is not among our group and I wouldn¡¯t know where to begin searching for her. It would be best to bury or burn his body with his weapon over his chest.¡±

    ¡°Mother? She would take his belongings after his children?¡±

    ¡°We honor our mothers,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said. ¡°My mother was named Jarra. In honor of the one who carried me, I carry a portion of her name on mine.¡±

    ¡°The ¡¯ar?¡± Arkk asked, receiving a nod in return. ¡°Dakka, Orjja, and the other women don¡¯t follow that.¡±

    ¡°Women are expected to carry children of their own. They don¡¯t need to carry their parents as well.¡± Rekk¡¯ar shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s all nonsense. Even I think so. But it is tradition and most orcs¡ªat least those raised among orcs¡ªwill follow it.¡±

    ¡°I see. What about your father?¡±

    ¡°Men are independent. Expected to have their own things and not need the charity of others. Women aren¡¯t helpless by any means but they do lose time carrying us. If a child dies, that time is returned in the form of their gear, property, or other valuables.¡± Rekk¡¯ar paused, lips twitching into a frown as a thought occurred to him. ¡°Of course, we¡¯re raiders, now mercenaries. There is a little less respect among us. I would say looting the body is a custom as well.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arkk said, voice firm looking back down to Kazz¡¯ak. ¡°We¡¯re not so destitute that we need to salvage from our dead.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar gave Arkk a curt nod of his head. ¡°I¡¯ll have some of the others wrap him in one of these tent tarps.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll bury him outside Moonshine Burg. I¡¯d suggest the fortress but we¡¯re trying to keep our above-ground presence minimal. Not to mention the possibility of accidentally digging into a grave¡­¡±

    ¡°Unpleasant.¡±

    ¡°And disrespectful,¡± Arkk said, turning away from Kazz¡¯ak¡¯s body. He looked out over the utterly ruined encampment in the morning light.

    None of the tents were still standing. Most had been knocked down as a result of the spell he had cast. In the time since, the orcs had gone around, piling up the tents off to the corner of the compound to make sure no stragglers were hiding underneath. Bodies littered the ground, sporting a variety of wounds. Some arrow, some blade, others had been electrocuted or burned¡ªeither by Agnete or the tornado.

    The eighty-one survivors, currently kneeling with their faces pressed to one of the walls, weren¡¯t entirely unharmed. Arkk had been a whole lot less interested in healing their wounds compared to those of his employees. He had only fixed the most life-threatening wounds. Particularly those inflicted by Lyssa. The werecat, as far as he could tell, hadn¡¯t killed anyone. She had mauled them, ripping their faces and skin to shreds or lashing them with the chains still around her wrist before moving on to her next targets.

    There were a few crumbled stone statues scattered around as well. Even a few up near the wall where the others kneeled. There had been a brief moment when those who surrendered realized that there weren¡¯t that many individuals among Company Al-Mir. Some had tried to get the rest to rise against them. A hundred against twenty.

    Seeing those instigators turned to stone and then shattered with a light shove stalled most thoughts of overthrowing them. Doubly so now that most of the slavers were in shackles and the rest soon would be.

    Looking away from the slavers, Arkk turned his attention to those enslaved. Ilya, Dakka, Agnete, and Lexa were slowly freeing those who had been captive inside the larger buildings. There were beastmen, humans, and demihumans alike. Beaten down, weakened, and even completely starved in some cases. Olatt¡¯an was distributing some of the food stores here.

    Arkk eyed a few of the elves, wondering if they knew anything about the mythical Hallow Hill that Nyala had mentioned. The young elf didn¡¯t know anything about it¡ªor wasn¡¯t willing to divulge what information she did have. She wouldn¡¯t even tell him what kind of trees grew around the place. There was some kind of law about not discussing the place with outsiders.

    Would one of the elves here know of it? Would they tell him about it?

    He made a note to ask. Not now. It could wait. It could wait a long while, even. Let them get back on their feet, rest, eat, and recover.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what to do with all the people. There were a lot. Both slavers and slaves. The slavers would go back to Moonshine Burg. The local garrison could deal with them there. He figured that most would be put to death. Less because it was the law and more because winter was settling in. Feeding an extra eighty unexpected mouths throughout winter was simply impossible, even for a larger burg. Their criminal status meant they were expendable.

    The freed slaves, on the other hand, were a more complex issue. The burgs couldn¡¯t just kill them even though they posed a similar problem. Winter food stores, especially with the Duke¡¯s taxes, couldn¡¯t sustain so many additional people.

    Some of the slaves had been taken from roads¡ªtravelers that passed through the wrong place at the wrong time. Most of those could probably go back to their villages or homes. Others, however, suffered the same thing that happened to the elves Ilya had been looking for. The slavers took who they could and killed the rest. There wasn¡¯t a place to return to. They had nothing. No belongings, no family, no home.

    Arkk hadn¡¯t thought about it before launching this raid. It wasn¡¯t until he started thinking about how the slavers would be handled that he figured the same problem applied to the slaves as well.

    He would have to wait and see what Moonshine Burg¡¯s garrison had to say on the matter. Maybe they would try to split them up, scatter them to every village in the area. Having grown up in a small village, Arkk well knew that even a handful of unexpected mouths to feed could put an awful strain on the stores. It was entirely likely for the locals to find themselves less compassionate and more resentful of being saddled with others. Even in his most recent visit to Langleey, they had commented on a lack of food and they actually had less mouths to feed than normal.

    There was a solution. A simple one, in fact.

    Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s food production could be expanded easily. It would take an expenditure of gold but even with the construction of the temple and the renovations he was going to have to make to it because of Savren and Zullie¡¯s redesign, the gold required for food production was almost insignificant. He was already digging out space to better control the area around the Cursed Forest. Some of that space could be used for them. Even if they didn¡¯t join Fortress Al-Mir, thus locking them out of the living space magic, they would at least have a warm place to live with a roof over their heads.

    Was it ideal? Not really. They would all head back to Moonshine first. Anyone who could be offloaded back to their original villages would be. After seeing who and how many were left, Arkk could make a more informed decision.

    In the meantime, he had to transport everyone back to the burg. There were far too many to efficiently use teleportation circles and he didn¡¯t want outsiders to know of them anyway. Turning again, Arkk allowed a small smile as he spotted the tall stacks of cages on the massive carts. If they could get those rhinos back, transportation would be much easier. Maybe not pleasant, especially for the slavers, but that was more than they deserved.

    ¡°Lexa,¡± Arkk called out, drawing the attention of the short gremlin.

    After patting a younger elf on the back, she bounded over, leaving the former slave to Ilya. ¡°Something you needed, boss?¡±

    ¡°Take one of the horses. Head back to Porcupine Hill.¡±

    Lexa drew back. ¡°You¡¯re firing me?¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°Not unless you want to go. No. Rather, I¡¯d like you to tell Katja that we¡¯ve succeeded. In addition, I would like to meet with Katja.¡±

    ¡°To take her head? I got ya. Shame but¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arkk said, stopping her before she could continue. ¡°I checked at the burg. There aren¡¯t any bounties on her head. Or any mention of Porcupine Hill, for that matter.¡±

    Which was a bit suspicious, in Arkk¡¯s opinion. Katja, according to Edvin, was a powerful figure in the area. Enough so that the Duke¡¯s men left her alone. Still, Arkk would have figured that there would at least be a notice of Kat¡¯s Bandits for mercenary groups, even if it was only a formality. Edvin¡¯s former group had a fairly sizable bounty prior to Arkk collecting it.

    What had Baron Doble said? He made some deals with the local bandits to keep their activities at a reasonable level.

    ¡°I suppose that makes sense,¡± Lexa said with a shrug. ¡°Hardly raid anything these days. Just take in tribute from the other groups around. The times we do raid¡­ well, it¡¯s just business.¡±

    ¡°Business. Raiding people?¡±

    ¡°Oh certainly. Maybe it is business our customers aren¡¯t too happy to receive but we try our best anyway,¡± she said, grinning with her sharp teeth. Looking at the expression on Arkk¡¯s face, her grin slipped. ¡°Don¡¯t know what nonsense Edvin has been filling your ears with. I know Marv was an utter bastard who didn¡¯t leave many survivors but Kat always said that kind of thing was bad for business. Best leave travelers alive so that they¡¯ll travel again, thus bringing more business to our territory. Sure, we might slit a few throats¡ªwho doesn¡¯t?¡ªespecially of those who fight to the death.¡± Leaning forward, Lexa put the back of her hand to the side of her mouth in a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°Then again, Coin-Bags who order their guards to fight to the last usually get stabbed by their own men before we can even get close. They hand over their goods and we let them go in exchange.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±

    ¡°Just saying¡­¡± Lexa said with a shrug. ¡°If you¡¯re ever interested in making some extra coin on a slow mercenary day, I know all the tips and tactics.¡±

    Arkk¡­ honestly didn¡¯t know what to say to the gremlin. Or rather, he did. ¡°No, Lexa.¡± It was just that he was flabbergasted that she would come out and say all that. Here they were, sending off slavers to the garrisons and she was suggesting they engage in a little highway robbery?

    He could only shake his head at that.

    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± Lexa said, starting to turn away. She paused and turned back. ¡°Wait, what was I supposed to do again?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t let me finish. This is related to the matter you overheard. I¡¯d like to purchase the services of some spellcasters.¡±

    Lexa put on a pout. ¡°More than me?¡±

    ¡°A couple.¡±

    ¡°Kat isn¡¯t going to be happy about losing me, let alone other spellcasters.¡±

    ¡°First, I don¡¯t want to hire a bunch more bandits. This is a temporary affair. Loan us some spellcasters for a few days, help with the ritual, and then head back with a sack of money. And¡­ maybe don¡¯t tell her that she lost you,¡± Arkk said with a small frown. ¡°At least not while surrounded inside Porcupine Hill.¡±

    ¡°Nothing is hotter than a man who cares,¡± Lexa said, making doe-eyes up at him.

    Arkk just rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure some of the others would be more receptive to your advances.¡±

    ¡°Ah, but sleeping with the boss usually comes with advantages that the rank and file lack, even if they aren¡¯t lacking,¡± she said with a wink.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think you¡¯re supposed to say that part.¡±

    ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m an honest thief.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ huh. Right. Do you think Katja will agree?¡±

    Shrugging off a flicker of a pout, Lexa said, ¡°No idea. Don¡¯t think anyone has offered this kind of arrangement before. No harm in asking, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m hoping for.¡±

    <hr>

    Processing the prisoners and the freed slaves was taking a lot longer than even Arkk had expected.

    After confirming the veracity of his claims, the Moonshine Burg garrison had delivered a modest bounty to the stayover. It wasn¡¯t much, at least not compared to the coffers of Fortress Al-Mir, but it was substantial enough to make his crew happy after dividing it up among them. They had spent the last five days partying, tossing it all away on food, drink, intimate company, weapons, even some furniture that they wanted to take back home. As long as they weren¡¯t getting into trouble, Arkk was happy to let them run amok.

    The gorgon and Agnete, less interested in partying, had already gone back. The former had been away from their heated rocks for too long while the latter simply said that she had matters to think on.

    Arkk probably could have returned as well, leaving Ilya in charge of what needed to be done in this burg. However, upon returning with the captives and freed slaves, he had pulled those in charge of the garrison aside and let them know that he could provide lodging through the winter for anyone who didn¡¯t have anywhere else to return to. As the leader of Company Al-Mir, he felt it was important to be seen and noted as an active participant in providing aid. The last thing he wanted was to take everyone back to the fortress only for them to feel like they were being kept prisoner once again in some underground dungeon.

    As for the slavers¡­

    A hooded man on the wooden platform down below pulled a lever. Five trapdoors opened as one and Edvin started making choking sounds. The man rubbed at his throat, squirming as he stood next to Arkk, watching the display in the courtyard below with undisguised disquiet.

    ¡°I think¡­ I should rethink my opinions on beheading,¡± Edvin said. ¡°A nice clean chop to the throat sounds a lot nicer¡ªand quicker¡ªthan that. That guy¡¯s neck didn¡¯t even break. Look at him kicking and squirming¡­ I think I¡¯m going to be sick.¡±

    Arkk¡­ didn¡¯t necessarily disagree. He wasn¡¯t very happy to watch either. The only reason he was here at all was that he felt some responsibility for having been the one to bring them here. He had known that this was coming, even before they had been loaded up on their prison carts. He didn¡¯t disagree with the actions being carried out down on the gallows. That didn¡¯t make it easier to watch.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you in a murderous band of highwaymen?¡± Arkk asked, mostly as a distraction. He had brought Edvin here specifically to clear his name. If at all possible, Arkk didn¡¯t want more people with wanted posters in his employ. The goodwill they had garnered here was enough to get the burg to rescind the bounty on Edvin¡¯s head.

    Given that the man hadn¡¯t run off in the middle of the fight, Arkk figured it was an adequate reward. If only he could do the same for Rekk¡¯ar and Olatt¡¯an. Unfortunately, they were wanted by practically the entire Duchy, not just one burg out on the outskirts.

    ¡°Well, yes. I wasn¡¯t a highwayman though. Just the man who could get things that other people couldn¡¯t. We didn¡¯t use nooses either. As my mother always said, these burgs are so uncivilized.¡±

    ¡°It could be worse,¡± a new voice cut in.

    Arkk stiffened, looking to the balcony door. A woman strode across the platform, wearing a slim black and red outfit. She had a sword affixed to either hip and a long red cloak draped over her shoulders like a cape. Her face wasn¡¯t immediately familiar to Arkk. The black, animalistic stripe tattoos on the dark skin of her bare arms and face clued him into her identity.

    Katja. The Bandit Lord of Porcupine Hill.

    While she was only slightly shorter than Arkk, the hulking man at her side made her look even smaller. He had graying hair and a withered look to his face but more muscles than half the orcs in Arkk¡¯s employ. Muscles he showed off with a lack of a shirt.

    Arkk almost missed Lexa at Katja¡¯s other side, the short gremlin gave him a waist-high wave of her hand and a nervous grin.

    ¡°If I had my way, the wurms would be chasing you across the desert,¡± Katja continued, ignorant or ignoring of the look Arkk was giving her. What was a bandit lord doing walking around so openly in the middle of a burg?

    ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­¡± Edvin shifted where he stood.

    ¡°I see you failed to take my advice,¡± Katja said, turning her amber eyes onto Arkk.

    Arkk had to resist the urge to rub the back of his neck. His suit, a black coat not too dissimilar to that which the inquisitors wore, was the nicest thing he had. Yet he still couldn¡¯t shake Hawkwood¡¯s words about him not quite fitting in. Facing someone so well dressed¡ªand so full of confidence in waltzing right into a garrison¡ªhad him feeling inadequate once again.

    ¡°Technically,¡± Arkk said, drawing in a breath to buy a moment to calm himself down, ¡°Edvin fulfilled his end of our agreement. I can¡¯t just toss him into a pit for no reason.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he will give adequate cause before long.¡± Her eyes flicked over the balcony, looking down on the garrison courtyard with a cool expression on her face. ¡°Those are the slavers?¡±

    ¡°We captured just under half of what was at the outpost. Those five represent the first of those the garrison has decided to execute for their crimes.¡±

    ¡°Half,¡± Katja said, glancing down to Lexa for a brief moment. ¡°There were two hundred according to reports. The rest escaped?¡±

    ¡°Dead. Died in combat.¡±

    ¡°Casualties on your end?¡±

    ¡°Just one.¡±

    Katja¡¯s eyebrows slowly crept up her forehead. That impressed her. Though she didn¡¯t give away much in her expression, there was a slight tension. Nervous? ¡°I see,¡± she said. A single blink and all signs of nervousness vanished. ¡°I underestimated you. I expected a fight, deaths, and hopefully some damage to their outpost. Enough for my men to slip in and finish the job.¡±

    ¡°Company Al-Mir is good at what it does.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. And now Company Al-Mir wishes to make deals with bandits?¡±

    Arkk took a moment to look around. He and Edvin hadn¡¯t been the only ones up on this balcony. The baron of Moonshine Burg stood apart, leaning over the balcony¡¯s railing next to the captain of this garrison. Several guards were stationed around as well. None offered significant reaction to Katja¡¯s initial approach and none reacted now that she had mentioned her¡­ profession.

    Company Al-Mir being able to take on the slavers made her uncomfortable. Her brazen appearance in the middle of a large burg had him nervous in turn. He had expected Lexa to come back with a date and a time to meet at Porcupine Hill. Not this.

    ¡°I understand you have spellcasters in your employ,¡± Arkk said, not bothering to drop his volume. Trying to do so wouldn¡¯t help if they put any effort into listening in and it would only make him look more suspicious. ¡°I¡¯m working on a contract that will require a few more than I have in my employ.¡±

    ¡°I loaned you Lexa because your aims served my goal. This does not.¡±

    ¡°I am prepared to compensate them for their time.¡±

    ¡°Compensate me for their time, you mean.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together before nodding his head. ¡°Of course.¡±

    Katja flashed her pearly white teeth. ¡°Then we can discuss business.¡±

    <hr>

    The Baron of Moonshine Burg gave Arkk a small smile as he poured amber liquid into a pair of short glasses. He slid one through a narrow canyon made from stacks of papers on his desk, leaving it in front of Arkk. The other, he picked up and downed in its entirety before Arkk even had a chance to reach for his.

    ¡°I like when things are peaceful,¡± the Baron said, immediately pouring himself another drink.

    Baron Doble. So far, they hadn¡¯t interacted much besides Arkk¡¯s initial meeting with the man. Arkk had dealt with the head of the garrison for all bounty-related topics. Now, he had been asked to join the Baron for a quick discussion.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure where this discussion was going. To be polite, he picked up the offered glass and took a small sip. It burned a bit with that same smokey taste. Not an easy drink to down at all. ¡°Peace is nice,¡± he hedged.

    Doble didn¡¯t drink his fresh glass, holding it at the level of his chest instead. ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°No buts. I would prefer it if things were peaceful. Company Al-Mir tries to do its part to keep the peace where we operate.¡±

    The Baron let out a tittering laugh, filled with sarcasm. ¡°A mercenary preferring peace?¡± he said with another laugh. ¡°I know your type. You feed off the troubles of others. If the world were peaceful, you wouldn¡¯t exist.¡±

    ¡°I doubt the world can be peaceful as long as people exist,¡± Arkk said with a sorry frown. ¡°Someone is always going to hate someone.¡±

    With the slavers done for, he was planning on heading back to Fortress Al-Mir to figure out what needed to be done with the ritual and maybe see if he could figure out any other high-profile jobs that would draw the eye of the inquisitors. Preferably jobs far, far away from Moonshine Burg, Kajta, and the Pious of the Golden Order. Then there was Hawkwood¡¯s invitation to consider.

    ¡°If anything, I hope we¡¯ve made your corner of the Duchy a little more peaceful,¡± Arkk said instead of arguing, eyes roaming over the man¡¯s desk. What were all those papers for anyway? It looked like a lot of reports from forward scouts. Moonshine Burg was right on the border with the Evestani Sultanate. He had mentioned troubles last time but Arkk hadn¡¯t paid too much attention.

    Having felt the stares of those from the Golden Order, Arkk was a little more concerned.

    ¡°I suppose I should thank you for that,¡± Doble admitted, grudgingly. ¡°The larger burgs up north couldn¡¯t handle them. Then they moved down here. They weren¡¯t playing nice.¡±

    ¡°Like Katja plays nice?¡± Arkk asked, lifting his eyes from one stack of papers. He was curious about why the bandit was allowed to wander around so freely.

    Doble let out a withering sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t know how they did it wherever you crawled out from,¡± he said before pausing to take in about half his drink. ¡°Here, we have more concerns than just local matters. The ¡¯Stani¡¯s like to poke us now and again. Plant their flags on our rightful territory until they get pushed back. We¡¯ve too much to deal with keeping them away from the villages under our domain to worry about more internal matters. My deal with Katja keeps things peaceful.¡±

    ¡°Highwaymen and marauders are peaceful?¡±

    ¡°She is supposed to keep the various bandit tribes in line.¡±

    ¡°Like Marv¡¯s group of bandits.¡±

    The Baron nodded his head, frowning. ¡°It isn¡¯t a perfect system. That issue was one Katja and I were planning on dealing with. She was certain they were testing waters, trying to decide if it was possible to usurp her leadership. You simply provided a more immediate solution.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°Rest assured, it isn¡¯t a deal that I enjoyed making,¡± the Baron said, pouring a third glass of alcohol. ¡°As long as they aren¡¯t causing too much trouble, we look the other way. We have to look the other way despite this deal, so it is advantageous towards us.¡±

    Arkk hummed, looking down again. As his eyes roamed over another stack of papers, a wax seal caught his eye. Although broken open so that the Baron could read the letter within, the striped heraldry of the Duke stood out. Part of the letter was sticking out from the stack it was in as well. He couldn¡¯t read the entire thing with it half shoved into the stack. What he could read made his eyes widen.

    Duke Levi Woldair cordially invites Baron Sten Doble to¡ª Contained within, you will find four inv¡ª Wishes you good travels and¡ª

    Arkk¡¯s eyes snapped up. The Baron, between glasses again, had said something. Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure what. Instead, he frowned and made a show of approaching the window. ¡°Is the Evestani Sultanate really that aggressive that you have to constantly worry?¡±

    ¡°They poke and they prod. Testing the men on the front lines. No real skirmishes break out but there is a tension that no one denies,¡± the Baron answered, thankfully moving on from whatever he had said while Arkk was distracted. ¡°Last few years haven¡¯t been so bad. I gather the Duke had been making headways toward peace. Proper peace. Still, the old guard that got pushed back in the last war are bitter about being fended off. Wouldn¡¯t surprise me to find a legion gone rogue if they spotted a weakness. It got particularly bad about three months ago. I¡¯m hoping the winter cools them off. Don¡¯t get much snow out here but it does get cold enough for an army to lose their toes to frostbite.¡±

    Arkk let out a small shiver. While the ambient temperature had dropped over the last few weeks, the shiver came from memories of the few cases of frostbite he had seen around the village in years past. Fingers or toes completely blackened to the point where they had sometimes cracked and fallen off. Old Pucy¡¯s entire hand had been lost after falling drunk out in the cold. His nose, ears, and feet hadn¡¯t been any better. Then, in barely a week, his arm had swelled with rotten flesh. He hadn¡¯t survived.

    ¡°Well,¡± Arkk said. ¡°If your¡­ deal works for you, I don¡¯t particularly care. There isn¡¯t a bounty on Katja¡¯s head. None of my business.¡±

    ¡°Of course not,¡± the Baron said with a mild glower. Did he want someone to take out Katja? Arkk honestly couldn¡¯t tell.

    ¡°Company Al-Mir will be departing someday soon and we don¡¯t currently have plans to return. However, if you do have more trouble with slavers, feel free to send a missive. Not sure where we¡¯ll be heading but I can bet that Hawkwood of White Company in Cliff will be keeping an ear out.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡±

    ¡°Nothing else keeping us here. Unless you had another job that pays well enough to occupy our time?¡±

    ¡°No. No. I just¡­¡± The Baron let out a sigh, setting his glass on the desk. Arkk¡¯s eyes flicked to the Duke¡¯s letter before snapping back to Doble. ¡°That is a relief.¡±

    ¡°Was our presence so terrible?¡±

    ¡°When you so handily exterminated that first group, I admit to growing concerned. I¡¯ve heard of mercenary groups that will effectively oust burg leadership in favor of themselves. With you making deals with Katja, I grew concerned that you and she were plotting something.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, shooting a glance down at his glass. For a moment, he worried that the Baron had decided to poison him in his paranoia. Arkk dismissed the notion. The Baron had been drinking from the same source and there had been nothing in the glass beforehand. Even still, Arkk felt that the one small sip he had taken was more than enough. He set the glass down.

    ¡°I meant what I said to her earlier. I need spellcasters and she can provide.¡±

    ¡°Could have been code,¡± Baron Doble said, taking a seat. ¡°I hardly believe even a foolish bandit would plot against me within earshot. I was worried I¡¯d have to make deals¡­¡± Shaking his head, he looked up to Arkk. ¡°Never mind. So long as Company Al-Mir clears out within the week, we¡¯ll have no problems between us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have my employees packing before nightfall.¡±

    The Baron nodded his head before motioning toward the door. Arkk watched a moment as the man picked up a paper from one of the stacks.

    Leaving the man and his potential poison, Arkk hurried out of the room. He made his way out of the keep, avoiding any further discussions with anyone. At least until he reached the main gate. There, he found someone leaning against the wall, waiting for him.

    Lexa flashed him a sharp-toothed grin. ¡°He hand over a big sack of coin?¡±

    ¡°The garrison already paid us,¡± Arkk said, looking down at the gremlin.

    Her smile vanished. ¡°Thought you were bullying concessions. Kat always said he was a pushover.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak so loud right in front of the keep,¡± Arkk said, shooting a look at the gate guards. Placing a firm hand on Lexa¡¯s shoulder, he led her a short distance away. She quickly brushed him off.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a child.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a thief. I like you in my sight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m your thief. Remember? I wouldn¡¯t steal from my employer.¡±

    Arkk doubted her words completely. Still, he smiled and said, ¡°True. As long as my coin is good, right? Speaking of, how would you like to earn another bonus for a task suited toward your skills?¡±

    Lexa¡¯s eyes positively gleamed as she stood a little straighter. ¡°Something out there you can¡¯t buy with your pockets of gold?¡±

    ¡°Just a letter I¡¯d like to read, actually,¡± Arkk said, looking back to the Moonshine Burg keep. ¡°Let¡¯s find somewhere a little more private and I¡¯ll tell you what I need you to do¡­¡±

 Slaver Aftermath

    Nyala peered around the edge of one of the many doors within Fortress Al-Mir. Something big was going on. Something she didn¡¯t want to miss. The two months she had spent with that miserable Master taught her a few things. Maybe things more important than anything she had learned while still at Hallow Hill.

    Knowing what was going on was important. Vitally so. Being able to anticipate the Master¡¯s mood and plans for the day let her adjust herself to be exactly what he had wanted to see. Knowing saved her from several beatings that others hadn¡¯t been so lucky to avoid. Not all of them, unfortunately, but enough that she had managed to get away with bruises whereas the others came away with scars or clipped ears.

    Fortress Al-Mir was different. She knew that now. Ever since that outing a few weeks ago when she had stolen the knife from the market. Somehow, even with his back turned, he knew the instant she laid her fingers on the blade. She had thought she was going to die then and there. There would have been nothing she could have done about it. Yet, instead, he had given her his dagger just so that he could return the knife she stole to its proper owner.

    He even said that she could leave if she wanted. Go home to Hallow Hill.

    She couldn¡¯t go back. Hallow Hill was a secret. Those who left weren¡¯t allowed back. Even though she hadn¡¯t wanted to leave, she figured she wouldn¡¯t be welcome leading people back to the Hill. Not that she could if she wanted to. She didn¡¯t know where it was. The people who had taken her away had thrown her into a cage with a sack over her head, dragging her away. She couldn¡¯t even retrace her steps.

    Until she figured out what she was supposed to do¡ªwhat she was going to do¡ªNyala didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go. That didn¡¯t mean she was going to sit around in her room like a child. Knowing was important even if the people here weren¡¯t going to beat her. Especially when something so big was happening.

    There were people here now. Many people. At least a hundred, though with them moving around in the large room, Nyala wasn¡¯t able to count exactly. Most looked young. As young as she was, if not younger. There wasn¡¯t a single person in the room who looked too old. Not even middle-aged.

    Beyond their ages, Nyala couldn¡¯t help but notice the state the newcomers were in. Everyone looked half-starved and quite a few sported fading marks, minor scars, and missing bits of hair. Not that odd, all things considered. Travel was dangerous and hard work could leave bruises on the careless. Yet there was one thing that Nyala¡¯s sharp eyes picked out above all else.

    Without exception, every one of the newcomers had thick rings of black and blue bruises around their wrists.

    That was familiar. With one hand clenching tight to the sheath of her dagger, Nyala¡¯s other hand rubbed her wrists, feeling the phantom pain of heavy shackles weighing her down.

    Narrowing her eyes, Nyala focused on the faces, trying to discern why there were slaves here and whether or not she should finally try to flee. She hadn¡¯t been able to find any exits during her stealthy explorations of this place but there were plenty of doors that wouldn¡¯t open for her. However, looking over the crowd, she started to feel the tension in the back of her neck relax.

    She knew what expressions slaves wore. The downtrodden, hopelessness of being taken from a village that had either been destroyed or that they would never see again. She had seen it herself on more faces than she could count. Probably her own face as well.

    Instead, among this group within Fortress Al-Mir, there was an undercurrent of hope. It wasn¡¯t exactly joy. Plenty, especially the youngest among the group, still looked frightened as they watched with weary eyes. They weren¡¯t slaves. At least not anymore.

    They were like her.

    Which was something that might have been more obvious if she looked at their actions rather than their appearance.

    The more familiar orcs were moving about the room along with that monster that made Nyala shudder every time their gazes met¡ªa disturbingly common occurrence given she had eyes everywhere on her body. They moved through the room, setting up large tents spread about. It was a bit strange to put tents indoors. She didn¡¯t know why they didn¡¯t just build rooms. She had seen those smaller monsters digging this place out over the past week, using some kind of magic to make tiles and brick walls that would have sparked envy in any builder back at Hallow Hill.

    The older newcomers were helping the orcs and that monster, putting up tents themselves as well as bringing in low cots for sleeping, chairs, and even some tools like the kind a carpenter would use. Maybe they were planning on building more permanent dwellings.

    ¡°What are you doing out here?¡±

    Nyala yelped, jolting as she whirled around. It wasn¡¯t easy to sneak up on an elf, not with their hearing, yet she must have let herself get too distracted with the newcomers. Spinning around, clutching her blade tight with one hand on the hilt and the other on the sheath, she found herself faced with someone her height. At first, she thought it was a human child. Elves typically grew at a much slower rate compared to humans until their middle-late teenage years, at which point they would have a sharp growth spurt and put on several heads of height over a year. Nyala had yet to hit that spurt so someone her height could be even a few years younger than she was.

    She quickly noticed a few things wrong with that assumption. This person had pointed ears, though not long like an elf. She had a round head with thin, slightly wavy pupils. Her bright red hair defied gravity as it stuck up, making her look taller than she actually was.

    ¡°You¡¯re a gremlin.¡±

    The gremlin smiled, showing off sharp teeth. ¡°How come you¡¯re not with the others?¡±

    ¡°Others?¡± Nyala blinked, stiffening as she realized she was standing fully within the doorway. More than a few of the newcomers were looking in her direction. Crushing her lips into a thin line, Nyala turned away and started walking in the opposite direction from the gremlin.

    ¡°Hey, wait! I don¡¯t think you¡¯re supposed to be walking around on your own.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Nyala snapped back, breaking into a hurried jog.

    ¡°Arkk said he wanted you all together until he had a chance to speak with everyone. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re supposed to be walking around with this knife either. It¡¯s dangerous, you know?¡±

    Nyala blinked. This knife? Glancing down to her hands, she lurched to a stop when she realized both were empty. Spinning around, she glared at the gremlin. The demihuman stopped a few paces back, holding the dagger in one hand as she examined the blade.

    ¡°Not the best blade I¡¯ve seen. The edge is a bit dull and the tip is chipped. It has seen some use. I would guess mostly at cutting thick hide but there are a few notches here that look more like damage from metal against metal. A hunting dagger used in combat? That¡¯s my guess.¡±

    ¡°Give it back.¡±

    The gremlin snapped the blade back into the sheath. Looking at Nyala for a moment, she grabbed the edge of her long jacket. It was a brown leather thing that looked worn beyond reasonable use. From the waist down, it was less a jacket and more long ribbons of leather that hung down just below the gremlin¡¯s knees. However, that wasn¡¯t an intentional design choice. The ribbons looked torn and ripped, likely over a great deal of time. Pinched between her fingers, the gremlin pulled open her jacket.

    Nyala¡¯s eyes boggled at the display underneath. She wore a matching leather corset that wrapped around her middle. On it, a dozen needle-sized shafts of sharp metal lined her corset, making her into a facsimile of a metal skeleton. A long bandolier hung from shoulder to hip, covered with thicker blades. The entirety of the inside of her jacket looked made up of nothing but knives arranged back and forth in rows.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll keep hold of it until I have a chance to talk to Arkk,¡± she said, moving to slip the dagger somewhere among the mess of other blades. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come back¡ª¡±

    Nyala lunged at the gremlin. That was her dagger. Arkk had given it to her so that she could defend herself. It rankled how easily it had been taken from her but she wasn¡¯t about to sit around and let the gremlin keep it. He promised her lessons. She would never get those lessons if he thought she was so useless that she couldn¡¯t even keep hold of his gift.

    The lunge caught the gremlin off guard. They both went to the floor, Nyala on top with the gremlin twisting underneath. She grasped at the dagger, fully prepared to wrench it out of the gremlin¡¯s grip, only for the gremlin to let go with hardly a fight. Nyala didn¡¯t let her surprise get the best of her. Springing off the floor, she backed away, not taking her eyes off the gremlin.

    ¡°I¡¯m all for a roll-around as much as the next woman but you¡¯ve got to give me some warning,¡± she said, straightening her jacket and corset as she got to her feet. ¡°You almost skewered yourself. And not on anything fun.¡±

    Nyala didn¡¯t say anything back to the gremlin. She took a step back, drawing the dagger and pointing its tip toward her enemy. Only to get the gremlin rolling her eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re holding it all wrong.¡± The gremlin produced a blade from somewhere inside her jacket. She spun it around her finger twice before gripping the hilt. The way she grabbed it was backward. If her arm were out with her thumb up, the blade would be pointed at the ground. ¡°Like this,¡± she said, taking a step forward.

    Nyala took a step back. She didn¡¯t turn and flee from the much more experienced gremlin. The gremlin could probably have flung one of those daggers right at her if she wanted to hurt her. More importantly, Nyala¡¯s sharp ears picked up on a set of familiar footsteps approaching from the large room with all the newcomers.

    ¡°Someone your size needs all the power you can scrape together,¡± the gremlin continued, oblivious. ¡°You¡¯re more likely to pierce light armor with a heavy downward slam than any wimpy jab or slash the way you¡¯re holding it. If you¡ª¡±

    ¡°What is going on out here?¡±

    The smile on the gremlin¡¯s face froze. She turned around, using the movement to hide the dagger back under her jacket, and faced an irritated Ilya. ¡°I saw this one sneaking about,¡± she said. ¡°I tried to bring her back but she got a knife from somewhere and I thought she needed a few pointers.¡±

    ¡°Lexa¡­ Nyala is not one of our recent arrivals,¡± Ilya said, lips tight. ¡°I hope you weren¡¯t threatening her.¡±

    ¡°No! Of course not. I¡¯m a thief, not a monster,¡± the gremlin said, turning to Nyala with an expression that pleaded for affirmation.

    At the movement, Ilya¡¯s eyes flicked up, pointedly looking at the dagger in Nyala¡¯s hands. ¡°What did Arkk say when he gave that to you?¡±

    Nyala flinched, slipping it back into its sheath. ¡°Not to use it on anyone at the fortress.¡±

    ¡°Then why is it out? Was Lexa threatening you?¡±

    That pleading expression on the gremlin boiled over into silent, panicked begging. The gremlin hadn¡¯t threatened her¡­ Not if she really thought that one of the newcomers was running around with a knife. She could still say so and Ilya would surely believe her story over the gremlin¡¯s¡­ Which the gremlin knew, judging by her expression.

    ¡°Arkk also said I could seek lessons from someone if he couldn¡¯t find the time. I saw how many daggers she had and figured she knew how to use them, so I asked.¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I was just giving out a few pointers,¡± the gremlin said, quick to latch onto the provided excuse.

    Ilya looked between them. It was the same expression Nyala had seen on her mother¡¯s face when she had been caught fighting with her brother only for both of them to claim that nothing was happening. Nyala smothered the painful feeling in her stomach that welled up at the thought of Hallow Hill and quickly moved forward.

    ¡°Lexa promised to teach me how to fight.¡±

    The gremlin raised an eyebrow but didn¡¯t offer any corrections to the statement, merely shrugging and nodding her head.

    With a slight shake of her head and a faint sigh, Ilya turned. ¡°I see,¡± she said, not sounding too happy about the prospect. ¡°Worry about that later. There are a lot of new people here and a lot of them are scared or uncertain. Your experiences here could help reassure them. It would also be good for you and Yavin to meet them. Why not fetch him and meet us back here? It would be good for Lexa to meet him too so that there aren¡¯t any other misunderstandings.¡±

    Lexa let out a lame chuckle, running her fingers through her red hair.

    Nyala stared at her for a moment before turning away to head back to her room. She didn¡¯t know if she would get lessons from the gremlin. She didn¡¯t know if she wanted lessons from the gremlin. A part of her hoped so. Or hoped that the newcomers would need a lot of attention.

    Anything that would help distract her from thoughts of her lost home.

    <hr>

    ¡°It seems¡­ the consul have¡­ uh¡­ canceled on the day¡¯s meeting,¡± the nervous attendant said, shifting awkwardly before remembering something. ¡°Your Highness,¡± he quickly added.

    Duke Levi Woldair didn¡¯t outwardly show his irritation in the attendant¡¯s mannerisms or lack of decorum. His fingers drummed against the armrest of his throne. The repetitive thumping of each finger against the near-black wood was more than enough to make the attendant flinch over and over again.

    ¡°Cancelled.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t surprise me that those barbarians have such pathetic manners.¡± The Duke stood from his throne and began walking back and forth in front of it, one hand tucked against his back while the other held tight to the ermine cloak draped over his shoulders. ¡°They barge into our domain, demand an audience, and then renege? Did they offer any excuses or request an alternate meeting time?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think they are interested in any further meetings.¡±

    The Duke stopped and slowly turned his head. ¡°You don¡¯t think?¡±

    ¡°When the escort arrived at the consulate, they found it abandoned. Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Abandoned? Was it an attack?¡± the Duke asked with a hint of nervousness entering his tone.

    The attendant shook his head, looking like he wished it was. ¡°No. Just deserted. From piecing together reports of those in the neighborhood¡­ it seems as if the consul and their retinue departed Cliff in the middle of the night. About a week ago.¡±

    The Duke froze, locking in place with an expression that would frighten a battle-hardened orc. He took a step forward, pointing at the attendant. ¡°You¡ª¡± He didn¡¯t get any further before a lithe set of fingers gently graced his elbow. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. ¡°Get out,¡± the Duke said, voice soft. ¡°Out!¡± he said, louder. ¡°All of you.¡±

    No one needed telling twice. The guards, attendants, and advisors all vanished, slipping out of the long throne room through the nearest exits. When the last door slammed shut, the Duke sank back onto his throne, cupping his eyes with the palms of his hands.

    ¡°Why? Why now? Things were going so well. The banquets, the lavish gifts¡­ Relations with the Evestani Sultanate have never been better. I was set to marry the Sultan¡¯s second daughter!¡± His fist slammed down onto his thigh. ¡°Then the ambassadors departed. Communications turned hostile. Troops started amassing on the border, demanding entry. The special consul they sent in won¡¯t even meet with me to tell me why. What changed? Was it something I did?¡±

    Alya licked her lips, not sure what the best response would be. With her hand on his shoulder, they had been well on their way to forging a lasting peace between two nations that had been at war time and time again throughout her lifetime. Just when the end had come within sight, with the Princess and the Duke¡¯s marriage only needing a date for the ceremony¡­ this happened. ¡°You treated them with dignity and respect. You offered a wealth of gifts¡­ peace¡­¡± she said, trailing off, entirely at a loss of how to salvage the situation.

    ¡°And they have thrown that peace in my face,¡± the Duke said, thumping his head back against the high wall of the throne. ¡°Winter is starting. They won¡¯t march an army this time of year. Their soldiers would die of frostbitten limbs before crossing half of the Duchy.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ perhaps there is still time. We have a few months to figure out¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is there a point?¡± the Duke snapped, angry eyes meeting her silver eyes. ¡°They have proved themselves the barbarians we knew they were. Unable to carry on a meaningful dialog when whatever happened upset them so much.¡±

    ¡°The point is to avoid another war¡­¡±

    ¡°I feel we have crossed that bridge,¡± the Duke said, shaking his head. ¡°We have three months of winter. Not to guess at the motivations of their childish sultan and bow down to his temperamental whims, but to prepare.¡±

    ¡°If we could just speak with Princess¡ª¡±

    ¡°And how do you propose we do that?¡± the Duke asked, shaking his head. ¡°She is deep within the Sultanate, likely locked up by her mad father for daring to consort with me.¡±

    ¡°Her father endorsed the marriage!¡±

    ¡°Her father is the one gathering an army on our border!¡± The Duke stood, flourishing his ermine cloak as he stepped away from the throne. He paused and turned his head. ¡°We tried,¡± he said. ¡°We failed. Perhaps our nation¡¯s children will have a better chance. For now, we cannot afford to continue as we have been. We have to prepare or they will never get that chance.¡±

    Alya leaned back against the wall where she had been standing just to the side of the Duke¡¯s throne, watching the short man approach the main entryway with a forlorn look on her face.

    ¡°Fetch the messenger harpies,¡± he barked as he threw open the door. ¡°And someone get White Company here as soon as possible.¡±

    The strength in her legs faltered, leading to her slumping down onto the throne. She put a hand to her forehead, wondering much the same questions the Duke had asked. Why now? What happened in the last four months that threw away all their hard work and effort over the last fifteen years?

 Plans and Preparations

    ¡°It is a trap,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, lowering the invitation to the Hawkwood¡¯s dinner down to the meeting table. ¡°Obviously.¡±

    ¡°I concur,¡± Olatt¡¯an said.

    ¡°The fact that your missives were delivered by a Swiftwing harpy should have been evidence enough of that,¡± Zullie said, adjusting her rectangular glasses. ¡°They¡¯re reserved for use by the Duke only, for correspondence with important people. The King or the Ecclesiarch. Not random mercenary leaders.¡±

    ¡°Forgive me, Master. I also find it suspicious that you fend off the inquisitors and then suddenly receive an invitation to their last known location.¡±

    Arkk tapped his finger against the table a few times. None of them were saying anything that he hadn¡¯t already thought.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t seriously considering going?¡± Rekk¡¯ar asked, tone somewhat resigned.

    ¡°I am. Not just for a meeting with Hawkwood¡ªassuming this isn¡¯t a trap. Right now, Company Al-Mir is not in any way sanctioned. I¡¯m not either. I don¡¯t know how long that will last and there are other reasons to visit Cliff. Doing so would be much easier as a free man.¡±

    ¡°What reasons?¡± Rekk¡¯ar leaned forward, hand clapping flat against the table. ¡°What could be worth stepping into the inquisitor¡¯s net?¡±

    ¡°Two things. First,¡± Arkk paused, glancing at Vezta. ¡°I want us to investigate the magic academy.¡±

    Vezta tilted her head to one side, violet-hued hair dangling over her shoulder. ¡°Master, I believe I have informed you that I am incapable of casting traditional magic.¡±

    ¡°Not for the magic. If you remember, I thought the academy might be another fortress. I¡¯d like confirmation.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Understood.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. Little more needed to be said. If it was another fortress and it was possible to claim it, that would change things drastically. It would bring Cliff under his sphere of influence, allowing him free teleportation as well as a foothold that would be difficult to oust him from. Having a fortress in the center of the city of his enemies was less than ideal but the possible benefits would be great.

    ¡°Secondly,¡± he started, glancing at Ilya at his side. Reaching into his jacket, he withdrew a piece of fine parchment, folded over three times. Placing it down on the table, he pulled back and waited.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ilya asked.

    ¡°Invitations to the Duke¡¯s next party. We can bring four people in.¡±

    Ilya¡¯s eyes went wide as she snatched up the invitation. At the same time, Rekk¡¯ar let out a loud huff.

    ¡°Now they¡¯re just being obvious.¡±

    ¡°Too obvious,¡± Olatt¡¯an said with a frown. ¡°Or¡­ the Duke did not send you this invitation, did he?¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°Originally, it was addressed to Baron Doble of Moonshine Burg. I¡­ felt sorry for how much paperwork the man had and decided to lend a helping hand in reducing that work.¡±

    ¡°You stole this?¡± Ilya snapped, eyes narrowing as she glared up at him. ¡°But¡­ it has your name on it.¡±

    ¡°It does. Although grudgingly, Lexa pointed me in the direction of Edvin for help with that. Whatever other problems people have with him, he seems to be a competent forger.¡±

    ¡°Whatever other problems?¡± Edvin said, aghast as he spoke for the first time this meeting. ¡°What people have problems with me?¡±

    ¡°Anyone who has met you?¡± Lexa said with a joyless smile.

    ¡°You can¡¯t think this will actually work,¡± Ilya said, rubbing her temple. ¡°Believe me, nobody wants to get into the Duke¡¯s manor more than me. A chance to talk to my¡­¡± Shaking her head, Ilya held up the invitation. ¡°The Duke isn¡¯t going to let someone in who he doesn¡¯t remember sending an invitation to just because they have one.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the Duke sent these invitations out,¡± Arkk said, pointing out the differences between the handwriting of the Duke Levi Woldair¡¯s signature and the rest of the letter. ¡°Besides that, I highly doubt the Duke will be manning the door. It will be some servant. Probably also not the person who wrote the invitations.¡±

    ¡°Then what? We get in and just act like we belong?¡±

    ¡°Exactly! We¡¯re not there to engage with the Duke. We¡¯re there to speak with Alya. Get her out of there or just hire her so that we might get her out sometime in the future.¡±

    Ilya¡¯s open mouth shut with a slight clack as her eyes drifted back to the letter. She was mulling it over now. The possibility of meeting with her mother would entice her. In ten minutes, she would be arguing to go as well.

    Arkk¡­ although things had been different upon first finding Fortress Al-Mir, wasn¡¯t sure how much he actually wanted to meet with Alya. There were just things about the situation with her that didn¡¯t quite add up. Especially not after hearing what Ilya had to say regarding her little spying campaign on the Duke¡¯s manor during their last visit to the city.

    He was more interested in the academy. The possibility of a fortress being there was¡­ too great to ignore. He didn¡¯t exactly know how having a second [HEART] would work but it had to be better than just one, vulnerable, stationary [HEART]. A backup for if things went wrong. Its location left much to be desired but he already wanted to get rid of the Duke simply for his crimes against the people of the Duchy. Either it would be a good staging ground for an assault or it could be claimed afterward, after making the city safe.

    Although¡­ he had no idea how to go about getting rid of the Duke without making enemies of the entire kingdom. That bit of the plan might not be possible in the near future. Not with how much of a failure their recruitment attempts had gone in Moonshine Burg.

    ¡°Recruitment at Moonshine was a failure,¡± Arkk said, looking around the table. In the month and a half they spent at the burg, they had gained Edvin, Lexa, and three more orcs who, as far as Arkk could tell, thought that Company Al-Mir was an orc-run company. ¡°We need more people.¡±

    ¡°You intend to do that at Cliff?¡± Rekk¡¯ar asked, shaking his head. ¡°Jump into a trap and then what? Ask the locals to get you out?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Arkk turned back to Edvin and Lexa. ¡°When I was there last time, I noticed a significant number of demihumans and beastmen who weren¡¯t¡­ exactly well off. Some could fight.¡± He thought back to the group that had harassed Dakka. He hadn¡¯t personally seen them fight and her review of their capabilities hadn¡¯t been a glowing one. Still, people could be trained. ¡°I doubt any are all too thrilled with living in the Duke¡¯s shadow. A new place to live with proper food and pay would be something many would consider, right?¡±

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Edvin glanced to his side, frowning at Lexa before looking to his other side where Khan was wrapped around a warm rock, only half paying attention to the meeting. ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡±

    ¡°Because you and Lexa are going to be my recruiters.¡±

    ¡°Wait. Wait a moment. Hold on. I don¡¯t know about this. My mother always said not to get between an inquisitor and the ones they¡¯re after. She also said never to walk into obvious traps. ¡®Edvin, my little pointed sword, don¡¯t you plant your foot in the waiting maw of a beast,¡¯ she said. You didn¡¯t forget that this is a trap, right? Because this is the most obvious trap I¡¯ve ever seen and I have seen a few.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Nobody will know that you¡¯re working with us. You¡¯re new. Brand new. Nobody will know you¡¯re part of Company Al-Mir. And that is the whole point.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s only going to last until we start handing out flyers for recruiting.¡±

    ¡°Edvin, please,¡± Arkk said, moving around the table. He clapped a hand on Edvin¡¯s shoulder, smiling. ¡°You¡¯re cleverer than that.¡±

    ¡°I am?¡± The man cleared his throat and then nodded to himself. ¡°I mean. Yes. I am. But why not explain your thoughts for the orcs? They don¡¯t look like they¡¯ve quite caught on to your equally clever plan.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar curled his lip, growling from the back of his throat.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to be shouting Company Al-Mir¡¯s praises. You¡¯re going to be spreading rumors. ¡®Oh, Lexa? Fancy meeting you here at this incredibly crowded tavern. Heard about that new free company?¡¯¡±

    Lexa blinked as Arkk turned to her but she quickly grinned. ¡°¡®The one with loads of gold they¡¯re paying people with?¡¯¡±

    ¡°¡®That¡¯s the one! Heard they¡¯re recruiting. I¡¯d apply myself but seems like they¡¯re interested in demihumans and beastmen.¡¯¡±

    ¡°¡®Oh¡­ I don¡¯t know about that. Probably will come up with excuses not to pay us.¡¯¡±

    ¡°¡¯Not true! Practically the entire company is made up of non-humans. Their second in command is even an elf. A beautiful elf at that with the most shapely¡ª¡±

    ¡°Arkk¡­¡± Ilya said, tone flat.

    ¡°¡®A gold coin per month is the going rate for recruits,¡¯¡± Arkk continued ignoring Ilya. ¡°¡®And free living space and food!¡¯¡±

    Lexa¡¯s eyes danced as she looked back and forth between Ilya and Arkk. Her grin showed off just a few more teeth before she managed to get a hold of herself. ¡°¡®Wow! A whole gold coin? Where do I sign up?¡¯¡±

    Arkk let the placid smile drop from his face as he looked down at Edvin. ¡°Well?¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar snorted, drawing the attention of the table. ¡°You should quit the mercenary business and take up a career in the arts.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Edvin said with a serious frown. ¡°I was going to say not to quit his day job. Mind if I¡­ adjust some of that dialog?¡±

    ¡°Have at it,¡± Arkk said, releasing the man¡¯s shoulder as he continued to make his way around the meeting table. ¡°Zullie¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah. No,¡± Zullie said. ¡°Nope. If you¡¯re forming a wandering theater troupe, I quit.¡±

    Arkk shook his head with a small chuckle. Crossing his arms, he looked down at her. This was the main reason he wanted to go to Cliff. Alya¡­ was more of a side project. Important to Ilya, of course, and thus important to Arkk as well. But¡­

    The Cliff Magical Academy, even beyond the possible fortress it held, had things he both wanted and likely needed.

    ¡°Zullie, how close are you and Savren to finishing the modifications on the ritual?¡±

    Zullie¡¯s lips squished together, making her look like someone who ate a particularly rancid piece of fruit. ¡°If he wasn¡¯t such¡ª¡±

    ¡°No complaints, just timeframe.¡±

    She drew in a deep breath through her nose. ¡°A few weeks? Maybe months if he keeps¡­ He keeps trying to insert minor nodes that I am pretty sure will destabilize a planar array but that he claims will recycle magic. There is some merit to the idea, doubly so given we¡¯re not exactly sure about your magical output¡ª¡±

    Arkk held up a hand, stalling the witch before she could launch into a full dissertation. A few weeks was too long for the Duke¡¯s party or Hawkwood¡¯s invitation. He would have to proceed without any support from alternate planes of existence.

    Or rather, he would have to proceed to ensure the ritual was a success.

    ¡°When we left Cliff the first time around,¡± Arkk said, ¡°we left in a hurry, leaving behind some of your books. Would grabbing those help? Or any other material at the Cliff Academy?¡±

    Zullie¡¯s eyes shifted over to Edvin for just a moment before flicking back to Arkk. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that I¡¯m all that interested in getting in the way of the inquisitors either. Especially because they know me. I know I said I have experience dodging them but this is a bit of a different level than what I¡¯ve seen in the past.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to figure out what you might need on my own,¡± Arkk said just as a thought occurred to him. ¡°But Savren was able to disguise himself as a gorgon for an extended period. Could that be used just to look like someone else?¡±

    ¡°You want to take him with you? Oh please! I¡¯d get so much more work done.¡±

    ¡°No! No¡­ I don¡¯t think I could stand the snide sneering and snippy snarks. He would be dead before we leave the fortress. But you are brilliant.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Brilliant enough to learn his spells?¡±

    Zullie¡¯s eyes found the ceiling where they stayed for a long few seconds before slowly dropping back down. ¡°There are a few tomes that might be worth investigating. Restricted stuff, not books from my office. We could double-check our work with anathema. The few surviving scraps of ancient spellcasters who actually practiced planar magics¡­ Yes¡­ That might be valuable enough to risk it.¡±

    Those were the words Arkk wanted to hear. ¡°Excellent. Having definitive resources on hand will hopefully prevent you two from changing the designs at the last minute again.¡±

    ¡°The original designs would have worked,¡± Zullie huffed, crossing her arms. ¡°Just a little too well.¡±

    Arkk just shook his head, already moving on. ¡°Khan.¡±

    The gorgon looked up, glaze receding from his eyes. He opened his mouth in a yawn wide enough to swallow Lexa whole, showing off his fangs and tongue at the same time. While Arkk somewhat expected those present to stay awake for the duration of the meetings, he honestly didn¡¯t know what contribution Khan could make. He was here mostly as a courtesy, keeping the gorgon looped into the goings on of Fortress Al-Mir.

    ¡°Unfortunately, based on my previous visit to the city, they tolerate non-humans more than accept them. In your case, I¡¯m not sure you would get that much. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be going.¡±

    ¡°Undersstood,¡± Khan said. ¡°Zharja might be dissappointed. No other will care.¡±

    Arkk nodded and moved around the table to the next seat over. Another member of the table who had yet to speak. She was the reason Khan had a warm rock that was putting him to sleep. ¡°Agnete, how much danger is there in you visiting Cliff?¡±

    The purifier hummed, black lips parting toward the end of the tone. ¡°Our excursion to the slaver encampment was¡­ different than usual. Flames call to me and I cannot reject that call. Yet, I cannot quite explain the oddity of it. There was next to no desire to incinerate anyone beyond the slavers. It was a¡­ curious experience. I believe I will have no trouble remaining in control.¡±

    Arkk stared a long moment, wondering how close they had all been to suffering a fiery demise. He felt disturbingly aware of the sudden shift in the room¡¯s air. Everyone, including Khan, stared. ¡°I meant¡­ danger from the inquisitors.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± A gloved finger scratched a scarred chin. ¡°My appearance is distinct. The others will become aware of me as soon as we arrive. If they have not acquired an additional Binding Agent, they will likely leave me alone. Depending on the threat they have ascribed to you and the horror,¡± Agnete said with a nod toward him and Vezta, ¡°they may well steer clear entirely or decide we are too great a prize to pass up. I cannot guess either way.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ I think¡­ I¡¯ll have you come, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°My duties?¡±

    ¡°Toss fire at the inquisitors if they do anything other than have a nice chat.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar drew in a heavy breath, groaning as he shifted where he sat. ¡°So we are doing this. I don¡¯t know why I bother.¡±

    ¡°I hope you will continue to bother,¡± Arkk said, offering the orc a smile. ¡°The time I take your advice will likely be the time it saves my life.¡±

    The orc rolled his eyes. ¡°My point exactly,¡± he said, though Arkk was pleased to note a lack of hostility in his mildly resigned tone.

    ¡°I would like a list of the least notorious of the orcs who are willing to venture to the city. Make sure they know the possible dangers¡ªthough with Vezta and I present, I imagine they will be ignored in favor of us. I¡¯ll need the list soon as I intend for our tailor to make up uniforms for all of us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll set Dakka on it.¡±

    ¡°This is a trap,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, the final member of the table. ¡°You have not forgotten that, correct.¡±

    ¡°I have not. But, as I said, this is likely our last chance to walk into the city as free people. We might not be walking out of the city as free people¡­¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be walking out of the city at all if the inquisitors have their way.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. ¡°True.¡±

    ¡°When springing a trap, it is generally best to have a way out.¡±

    ¡°Also true. I presume the inquisitors will be focused on me, Vezta, and Agnete,¡± he said, nodding to each as he continued to make his way back around the table. ¡°We can handle ourselves for the most part.¡± Taking a seat in his chair, he looked over the assembled group. His trusted advisors and Edvin. ¡°I have a few ideas but I would like to hear from all of you. First, Agnete, if you wouldn¡¯t mind going over everything you know of methods the inquisitors use to incarcerate captives¡­¡±

 Return to the City of Cliff

    Returning to the City of Cliff did not fill Arkk with the same sense of wonder and awe that had struck him during his first approach to the city. Cliff hadn¡¯t changed. It was still the largest settlement he had ever seen, far larger than any regular burg, with grandiose buildings and a harbor full of ships that looked too big to float. The temple atop the island mountain in the middle of the bay gleamed in the sun of the early evening, just barely out of reach of the shadow of the mountain that gave Cliff its name.

    The city hadn¡¯t changed. Arkk had.

    He knew things now. He was wholly aware of the shanty town just beyond the harbor where the non-humans of the city were effectively sequestered on their own. He knew the disparity between the Duke¡¯s dwelling and the hovels of his citizens. He knew how useless the Duke¡¯s armies were at securing his land¡ªbetween allowing groups like Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s and the slavers to exist and effectively abandoning the land around Katja¡¯s bandits to whatever criminal elements decided to move in, Arkk hadn¡¯t the slightest clue why anyone was paying taxes.

    Though he had a sneaking suspicion that the Duke¡¯s men would be quite effective at subjugating any village that failed to pay.

    Everything Arkk had seen on his travels had only reinforced his opinion that the Duke was a blight on the land and needed to go.

    Getting past the guards at the gate had taken a bit more work this time around. Three travelers, lightly armed, weren¡¯t a big deal. This time, Arkk was heading into the city with a retinue of nine orcs plus Dakka, Zullie, Vezta¡ªunder a heavy cloak¡ªAgnete¡ªalso under a cloak¡ªand Ilya. It wasn¡¯t an army, by any means, but was a little more concerning than blighted fungus.

    Which, after all his travels, Arkk still didn¡¯t know what blighted fungus was. Even Zullie just gave him a shrug of her shoulders.

    Once he flashed the invitation from the Duke, however, the gate guards changed their tones. To his surprise, the invitation came with more than just entry to the Duke¡¯s manor. Last time, the guard had begrudgingly pointed them in the direction of what had to be the worst stayover in the city. This time, Arkk and the rest of Company Al-Mir got themselves an escort that brought them straight through to a large stayover a stone¡¯s throw away from the garrison. Not the fancy part of the city but far better than the shanty town beyond the harbor.

    The Cliff¡¯s Edge.

    ¡°I thought we would be staying in the Primrose again,¡± Ilya said, looking around a large lobby furnished with fine tables and chairs made from healthy brown wood. Several others sat around, talking and eating. Unlike the Moonshine Burg stayover, Arkk hadn¡¯t rented out the entire place just for them. It was already occupied by several individuals. Judging by their attire, the rough yet clean looks most presented, and the weapons dangling from near everyone¡¯s belts, it seemed to be the kind of place where mercenary types gathered. Fitting, Arkk supposed.

    Case in point, Arkk recognized insignias from the Order of the Claymores gathered around one table. Apart from their presence at Darkwood Burg, he didn¡¯t know all that much about them other than that most of them were getting on in years. The majority of their members were sourced from soldiers who fought in the war between the Evestani Sultanate and Chernlock thirty years ago. Some looked up, shooting wary looks in his direction. Or, more accurately, in the direction of the orcs.

    ¡°Think they¡¯ll be up for some games with coin on the line?¡± Dakka asked, voice quiet.

    ¡°Don¡¯t start any trouble,¡± Arkk said, looking away. Trouble was the last thing they needed right now.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t start trouble last time,¡± Dakka said, earning a glare from Arkk. ¡°I wasn¡¯t cheating any more than they were.¡±

    Arkk just shook his head. In doing so, he spotted a larger group of men bearing a crest of a white shield with a black chevron. White Company. Hawkwood¡¯s people. Verifying the authenticity of Hawkwood¡¯s letter was among his first tasks here at Cliff¡ªthere was still the possibility of it having been forged by the inquisitors without any knowledge of Hawkwood. As long as it was real, he hoped the rest of White Company would keep any cause for rising tensions low in the area.

    ¡°Vezta?¡± Arkk asked as they made their way up to the second floor where the Cliff¡¯s Edge proprietor directed them. Arkk rented out a pair of large rooms. One for the rank-and-file orcs and another for himself and the ¡®officers¡¯. With them hopefully recruiting while in the city, he wondered if he should make ranks among the members official or not. Something to decide later. ¡°Any sign of the inquisitors?¡±

    Vezta, holding a pair of crystal balls, each flashing different images, shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve scanned every room in the building as well as those of neighboring buildings. The scrying hasn¡¯t been blocked yet.

    ¡°They could have disabled that,¡± Zullie said. ¡°Maybe using a more magically intensive method of hiding that doesn¡¯t betray their presence, knowing you would be doing just that.¡±

    ¡°Like the illusion spell you used at the academy last time we were here?¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, slowly opening the door to the finer of the two rooms he had rented. ¡°We¡¯ve showed up without any warning. We missed the date for Hawkwood¡¯s initial invitation so they wouldn¡¯t even have that going for them. I doubt they managed to scramble together and hide out in the twenty minutes since we arrived.¡±

    ¡°Unless they were scrying on us and knew we were coming. Crystal balls are rare but not unheard of and I wouldn¡¯t put it past the church to have a few.¡± Zullie stepped into the room, moving warily and eying everything around her. ¡°Let me just¡­ Aku menggunakan akal sehatku untuk mendeteksi aliran sihir yang aneh di sekitarku.¡± She reached out and grasped hold of an invisible rope, slowly drawing it toward her chest as she turned around. She did stop and shudder upon facing Vezta but quickly shook her head and kept turning around the room. ¡°No magic beyond our own here,¡± she said, moving back to Arkk. ¡°I¡¯ll check the other room.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arkk said with a nod of his head. Zullie slipped past him while he and the others entered the room properly.

    Although designed to be an upscale room, the beds left something to be desired. The fabric was worn and the rough wool stuffing poked through at places. It was a far cry better than the Primrose had been or even the Moonshine Burg stayover, but¡­ Arkk had grown used to the creature comforts provided by Fortress Al-Mir. The magically generated beds were perfect in just about any way that mattered.

    While the others quickly picked out places to sleep and began unloading some of their travel gear, Agnete steered clear of the beds. She simply laid down a canvas tarp in one corner of the room and sat upright in a meditative pose.

    They hadn¡¯t used the teleportation circles to reach Cliff. At least not directly. They had used them to reach a little burg to the north called Charming, from which they rented a large pair of wagons and headed out to Cliff, hopefully disguising the angle of their approach. Maybe it was paranoia. Arkk hadn¡¯t seen any evidence that they had been watched. Still, he didn¡¯t want to lead his enemies right back to the Cursed Forest if he could help it.

    Throughout their few-day journey from Charming, Arkk learned that Agnete had to be fairly wary of where she slept. While the area around her was unlikely to erupt into a raging inferno like what they had used against the slavers, it was not uncommon for her to accidentally spark flames in her sleep. The canvas she used, left behind by the inquisitors when they escaped from the false fortress, was treated specially to avoid accidental ignition.

    It wasn¡¯t perfect, evidenced by the scattered scorch marks and one edge having charred, but it was better than any kind of regular fabric.

    After allowing a short time for everyone to freshen up, Arkk gathered everyone together. ¡°First thing first,¡± he said, looking around. ¡°Vezta, Zullie, and I will head to the academy. Hopefully, we can finish our investigations before anyone hears of our arrival and¡ª¡±

    Three light knocks at the door made Arkk tense. He was far from the only one. The orcs never liked to be far from their weapons and traveled with their armor on. It took a hasty wave of his hand to keep them from drawing their weapons. Zullie and Ilya moved to the back corner of the room, looking mildly busy while also having a clear view of the doorway. Vezta, without a care in the world, approached the door first. With her heavy cloak covering most of her body, Arkk was hoping she would come across as a particularly unusual demihuman rather than a pre-Calamity monster.

    Arkk pulled one of her crystal balls to him and quickly checked the other side of the door. Tense still, Arkk gave Vezta a nod of his head, motioning toward the door.

    She opened it in such a way that it was doubtful anyone would see her face. Even once fully opened, Vezta positioned herself just behind the door so that nothing but her shoulder would be seen.

    The face that appeared in the open door wasn¡¯t familiar. The white shield and black chevron on his shoulder was. The sword at the man¡¯s hip looked more ornamental than usable. All of which had Arkk relaxing.

    ¡°Mister Arkk of Company Al-Mir, I presume?¡±

    Arkk slowly nodded his head. ¡°That¡¯s correct. And you are¡­¡±

    ¡°Neil, adjutant to Hawkwood. My Lord has heard of your arrival and wishes to meet over a meal in about an hour at the White Company Headquarters.¡±

    ¡°That soon, huh?¡± Arkk asked, putting on an easy smile that he didn¡¯t quite feel inside. It must have been one of those he had seen down in the lobby. They knew Hawkwood wanted to meet with him and went to tell him. ¡°We missed the dinner he invited us to and he already has another set up?¡±

    ¡°Hawkwood understands that this likely comes as a surprise. It will be a meal between Company Al-Mir and White Company, no one else has been invited. If you are fatigued from your journey, we might be able to put it off. However, things have been busy lately. It was fortuitous that you arrived tonight. He hasn¡¯t had many other evenings unburdened by work.¡±

    ¡°No, no,¡± Arkk said quickly. He had wanted to check out the possible fortress within the academy as soon as possible, but if putting off a meeting with Hawkwood meant not meeting with him for a significant amount of time, it was best to get that done now. ¡°I wanted to catch up with Hawkwood as well and apologize for missing out on his initial invitation. An hour you said? And just myself?¡±

    The adjutant slowly looked over the room. His facial expression, hidden partially behind a bushy mustache, didn¡¯t change but Arkk did note his eyes lingering on the orcs. ¡°The table has open seats for six.¡±

    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll be there.¡±

    ¡°I will deliver the good news to Hawkwood at once.¡± With a slight dip of his head, he turned and walked down the hallway. Vezta slowly closed the door behind him.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Right,¡± Arkk said, looking back over his team. ¡°New plan. Zullie, Agnete, you go and try to get those books you were after. Preferably without anyone finding out that anyone is interested in them, least of all us.¡±

    Zullie shot a wary look at Agnete, the latter of whom simply nodded her head, before nodding as well. ¡°Right this moment?¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°Wait until we have left. Try to slip out without being seen.¡±

    ¡°Easy,¡± Zullie said.

    ¡°Myself, Ilya, Dakka, and Vezta will go to this meal¡ª¡±

    ¡°Vezta?¡± Ilya asked, surprised. ¡°Is that wise? No offense.¡±

    ¡°She is a demihuman with a skin condition,¡± Arkk said with a shrug. ¡°Nothing more. I didn¡¯t bring her along only to keep her hidden away. Hawkwood is at least a friendly face.¡±

    ¡°Unless he betrayed us to the inquisitors,¡± Ilya grumbled.

    ¡°Unless that. If that has happened, we¡¯ll be enacting plan two. Just like we talked about,¡± Arkk said, meeting everyone¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m hoping we¡¯re still friends, however. That will let us gauge his reactions and decide how much we need to hide her from others.¡±

    As Arkk spoke, he glanced over to Vezta. She nodded slowly. They had already discussed most of that on the way and during planning sessions but it was always good to reinforce the lessons. Watching her expressions over the journey, especially while their group had been questioned at the gate, had been interesting. He wondered if she was nervous about being this surrounded by possible enemies or if she wasn¡¯t wanting to meet with other people.

    She didn¡¯t protest. Arkk turned back to the group at large.

    ¡°The rest of you, head down to the lobby and mingle. Be polite. Try to get a positive rapport with everyone¡ªespecially White Company¡ªand also distract them, if you can, to help Zullie and Agnete slip out. Nothing disruptive. Buy everyone a round of drinks or something. I¡¯ll reimburse you.¡±

    Orjja and Farr¡¯am flashed wide grins, which quickly spread across the other orcs. He figured they would be pleased with that.

    ¡°Our friends should already be here,¡± Arkk said, looking back to Zullie. ¡°At the Primrose. If you think you need an extra hand carrying books, they are your best bet.¡±

    ¡°They,¡± Zullie said, rolling her eyes. ¡°You mean the shorter of the two.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ Yes. Best to keep someone around Little Sharpened Blade and make sure he keeps out of trouble.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll need help,¡± Zullie said, tone flat. Between that spell she had been using to pack up her books on their initial departure from Cliff and Agnete¡¯s help, she was probably right.

    ¡°It¡¯s just an option. Orjja, later tonight or tomorrow morning, see if you can slip away. Find our friends at the Primrose and let them know that we won¡¯t be joining them there.¡± Arkk paused a moment, waiting to see if anyone had input. No one spoke, leaving him to look to the three who were heading to Hawkwood¡¯s place. ¡°Let¡¯s get ready.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Arkk! Welcome back to Cliff. How was the journey? Reports had you out in Moonshine Burg. Surprised you made such good time back.¡±

    The ox-like man that was Hawkwood stood from his place at the dining table. Or¡­ Arkk was pretty sure it was supposed to be a dining table. Stacks of papers surrounded Hawkwood in a semicircle, some only a few papers thick while others were stacked up to the length of his hands. The tips of Hawkwood¡¯s fingers were stained in ink. Was everyone deep into paperwork at this time of year or just Hawkwood and Baron Doble?

    ¡°I can¡¯t complain. I¡¯m sorry about missing your invitation to meet with the other mercenaries. Moonshine Burg is quite far and we weren¡¯t able to finish our business there in time. The sudden snowfall around Cliff in the last few days didn¡¯t help.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Hawkwood said with a heavy nod of his head. ¡°The job comes first. There will be time to meet others later.¡±

    Arkk relaxed somewhat. That was confirmation that the letter had come from Hawkwood. And unless Hawkwood was quite the actor, it didn¡¯t seem like the inquisitors would be waiting in the wings. They had already scried through the entire place and hadn¡¯t found anything amiss. Again, Arkk figured it was far too early for the inquisitors to have made their move unless they had been watching Arkk¡¯s approach for a few days.

    ¡°You look¡­ worn out,¡± Arkk said, not sure if he should call attention to it. ¡°Everything alright?¡±

    Hawkwood had a flat face and a large, pointed nose that didn¡¯t quite sit straight on his face. Arkk imagined it had been broken many times. However, the last time Arkk saw the man, he had been clean-shaven. Now, a haggard beard had been allowed to grow and the man had dark circles around his eyes like he hadn¡¯t been sleeping well.

    For a moment, Hawkwood smiled and looked like he was about to say one thing. That smile faltered and he slowly shook his head. ¡°Tensions are high with Evestani at the moment,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°If it weren¡¯t winter, we would likely be in the middle of a war. As it stands, I need to get my men into tip-top shape by spring just in case the tensions remain high. I hope the winter cools some heads but¡­ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. It¡­ was one of the reasons for my invitation to meet with the other mercenary leaders. Yours isn¡¯t a large company but it has been effective in what tasks you¡¯ve taken on.

    ¡°But I didn¡¯t invite you here to discuss such woes,¡± he said before Arkk could speak. ¡°At least not tonight. There will be time later. For now, come, sit, eat. Or eat soon, the meal will start before long now that you¡¯ve arrived. Ilya and Dakka, was it? Welcome. Good to see you again. And¡­¡±

    ¡°Vezta,¡± Arkk provided. ¡°My¡­ chief assistant.¡±

    Hawkwood hummed, leaning to one side to better see underneath the hood of Vezta¡¯s cloak. His eyes widened before he schooled his expression. ¡°This is the one who accompanied you to Silver City?¡±

    Arkk¡¯s eyebrows popped up in surprise. ¡°How¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t mean to imply that I¡¯ve been spying on you.¡± Hawkwood started clearing away the papers in front of him, stacking them at alternating angles so that he could easily unstack them later. ¡°White Company is a large organization with at least a few members making homes in almost every major burg. Mostly as recruiters. It is quite easy to get reports on such matters, especially when those matters make as large a splash as you¡¯ve been managing.¡±

    ¡°Should have had you wear a cloak back then,¡± Arkk grumbled, mostly to himself, as he took the seat opposite Hawkwood.

    ¡°She was also spotted in Darkwood Burg and, recently, in Moonshine Burg.¡± Hawkwood motioned back toward the door. ¡°There is a rack if you would like to remove the heavy cloak. The hearth should keep us warm enough despite the chill air outside.¡±

    ¡°She has a skin condition,¡± Arkk said as Ilya took a seat to his right.

    That earned him a flat look from Hawkwood.

    Sighing, Arkk gave a nod to Vezta, who headed over to the rack and took off her cloak. While within Fortress Al-Mir, Vezta often used a mass of¡­ herself in place of legs, she did have the ability to form legs. Which she had done now. Her appearance was still beyond unusual, between her unusual tone of skin, an oily and liquidy appearance that extended to her ¡®clothes¡¯, and bright yellow eyes that looked like stars against black space. Arkk still hoped that proper legs pushed her more into the realm of unusual demihuman and outside the realm of pre-Calamity monster.

    Hawkwood stared. To his credit, it looked like he was trying not to. It wasn¡¯t until Vezta took a seat to Arkk¡¯s left that he blinked. ¡°Huh,¡± was all he said.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing or not. He decided not to comment¡ªdrawing attention to Vezta would just draw attention to her other-ness¡ªleaving the only noise in the room that which came from Dakka as she took her seat on the opposite side of Vezta.

    The table felt unbalanced with the four of them on one side and Hawkwood alone on the other. The adjutant had brought them to the room but hadn¡¯t joined them inside. There weren¡¯t any other guards or members of White Company around either.

    ¡°I had a question,¡± Arkk said, drawing attention back to himself.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Hawkwood forced his eyes on Arkk.

    ¡°The Duke is having a party soon. Is he¡­ often in the habit of inviting mercenary companies to his parties?¡±

    Hawkwood¡¯s bushy eyebrows twitched upward for a brief moment. ¡°I should say so. The Duke likes to show off. He invites merchants, mercenaries, nobles, lords, barons, even the King, though I dare say that I have never seen the King at any event I¡¯ve attended.¡±

    ¡°You go often?¡±

    ¡°Quite so. Unfortunately. White Company is large and directly contracted by the Duke for national defense. We¡¯re hardly the only mercenary company who attends but I would be surprised if other companies manage invitations to every single party.¡± He let out a shuddering sigh. ¡°Even if I wish otherwise. Why do you ask?¡±

    Arkk reached into his jacket. Time for another test. ¡°What do you make of this?¡± he asked, placing the forged invitation from the Duke down on the table. If Hawkwood immediately spotted it as a fake then at least they wouldn¡¯t waste their time trying to get into the party.

    Hawkwood hummed, reaching for the letter. He squinted at it for a short moment before turning to the stack of papers he had shoved aside. Standing and leaning around the papers, he spotted what he was looking for. He donned the pair of half-moon glasses and quickly skimmed over the letter.

    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Hawkwood said, lowering the letter. ¡°I recall you mentioned wanting to go to one of these parties. Don¡¯t know whatever for, but it looks like your efforts have paid off. I bet it was Silver City. The Duke was quite ecstatic upon finding out that the gorgon had been dealt with.¡±

    Arkk tried his best not to look guilty. He put on a smile and accepted the letter back. ¡°Sorry about that. I just wanted to confirm that the Duke¡¯s invitation to Company Al-Mir was¡­ well, genuine.¡±

    ¡°Should it not be?¡± Hawkwood asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

    ¡°I¡­ just wasn¡¯t sure that the Duke often invited random mercenary companies to his estate for parties.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be incorrect. Especially not a random and brand-new mercenary company. But I have done my part to sing your praises. Not that you needed me to do much. I say, how did you manage to clear out a den of gorgon from the Silver City mines?¡±

    ¡°I just offered them alternate employment opportunities, contingent on them turning the miners back to normal.¡±

    Hawkwood barked out a laugh, clapping his hands together. It didn¡¯t last long. He took one look over the table before quirking both eyebrows up his forehead. ¡°Oh dear, you¡¯re serious?¡±

    ¡°Eight gorgon work for Company Al-Mir at the moment. Paid just as much as anyone else.¡±

    Dakka snorted. At the table¡¯s attention turning toward her, she shifted uncomfortably. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re more interested in good food over coin.¡±

    ¡°True. Rats made up most of their diet while in those mines,¡± Arkk said with a shrug. ¡°They helped out quite a bit in annihilating a group of slavers around Moonshine Burg. Surprised your recruiters didn¡¯t mention their presence there.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for precise details. Like I said, it wasn¡¯t my intention to spy.¡±

    ¡°Guess we did a better job at hiding them than you,¡± Arkk said, looking at Vezta.

    A knock at the door stalled any further conversation. A pair of servants dressed in fine black and white attire entered. They promptly began setting out places around the table. A large mat went underneath a dizzying array of silver utensils. Three forks, three knives, and three spoons, each a different size. Crystal glassware came down next. The largest was filled with water but, popping the corks on a few bottles, the servants filled the others with fine wines. Finally, the servants placed down a plate in front of each of them.

    The plates had only one item on them. A lumpy red¡­ lump of something with two green leaves arrayed as if it were a berry. Whatever it was, it was cold enough to chill the plate. Arkk expected a little more¡ªthe lumpy substance could fit entirely in the palm of his hand¡ªbut the servants bowed out and left them with just the single plate.

    Dakka looked utterly flabbergasted, prodding the forks like they were live snakes. Ilya wasn¡¯t fairing any better. Vezta, as usual, had a prim and proper ghost of a smile on her lips but she left her hands in her lap and did not move toward the meal. Arkk felt like it was his turn to pop a curious eyebrow in Hawkwood¡¯s direction.

    The man, watching their expressions, burst out into a hearty round of laughter.

    ¡°Um¡­¡±

    ¡°What luck you came today!¡± Hawkwood said as his laughter died down. ¡°Especially with your invitation to the Duke¡¯s party.¡±

    ¡°Is this our meal?¡±

    ¡°One plate out of eleven or so.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I had the same expression when I first saw this.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I thought I might surprise you with this but now it is training for the party. A custom from the Evestani Sultanate that the Duke has adopted. They call this an Amuse-Bouche.¡±

    ¡°And there are eleven of these?¡± Dakka asked, deciding to forego the utensils entirely as she picked up the lump of red with her fingers. It looked even smaller in her hand, not having been sized proportionally to her.

    ¡°Just one Amuse-Bouche. Then an appetizer. Then a second appetizer. Seafood or soup, pasta, some small portion of meat followed by a palate cleanser. We¡¯ll then get a salad and a main course followed by two different dessert plates. And the Duke would not take kindly to anyone picking up food with their fingers. Unless, of course, that specific plate was meant to be consumed by hand.¡±

    Dakka dropped the lump back down on the plate. Having melted somewhat from her body heat, it splattered a bit. She promptly licked her fingers, hummed a mild note of approval, and wiped her fingers off on the placemat.

    ¡°Avoid everything you just did as well,¡± Hawkwood said with a wide grin.

    Ilya looked at Dakka with a frown before looking to Hawkwood. ¡°Some forewarning would have been appreciated,¡± she said as diplomatically as possible.

    ¡°This is your forewarning! Give me a hearty roast and a pile of potatoes to shovel in my mouth any day and you¡¯ll see me happy and full. I wouldn¡¯t care if you lick it off your plate. But at the party in front of the Duke? This took a little bit to get used to. Lucky you, you¡¯ve got me to show you the ropes,¡± he said with a wide grin as he picked up one of the many utensils on the table. Arkk had a feeling that the moment his men notified him of Arkk¡¯s presence, he had rounded up the cooks to make this meal solely for his own amusement. Which was reassuring more than anything else that his letter hadn¡¯t been an inquisitorial plot. ¡°This is a salad fork¡­¡±

 Fallen Plans

    ¡°Still no sign of the inquisitors?¡±

    Vezta shot Arkk a glare. An actual, genuine glare. That was, perhaps, the first time he had ever seen her in any way upset with him.

    He simply raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°No, Master. Rest assured that I will inform you the moment I detect any suspicious activity. You do not need to ask me every five steps.¡±

    ¡°Just making sure,¡± Arkk said.

    Twenty-four hours inside Cliff and still no trap sprung. He was fairly confident that the letter from Hawkwood had been genuine now but that didn¡¯t mean that the inquisitors would just sit back and watch them. With every step they took, he felt like suddenly turning around just to catch the inquisitors trying to sneak up on him. A useless gesture while Vezta was at his side. She had a crystal ball in her hand and eyes literally on the back of her head. There was no chance that he would notice something amiss before she did.

    That didn¡¯t make the sensation that they were being watched go away.

    ¡°Zullie, was there ever any progress on detecting when we¡¯re being magically watched?¡±

    ¡°Was that something I was supposed to do?¡± Zullie half turned, meeting his eyes as they walked through the halls of the Cliff Magic Academy. ¡°First I¡¯m hearing of it. I¡¯ve had all my efforts focused on the ritual lately. You don¡¯t want me to reprioritize, do you?¡±

    ¡°No. No. Definitely not. I just¡­¡± Arkk drew in a breath and let it back out in a clipped sigh. ¡°I think I need more magical researchers. Don¡¯t suppose walking through here has jogged your memory of some other casters who have gotten into trouble with inquisitors in the past, has it?¡±

    ¡°Not particularly. And scrying is a rarity. I imagine most kings and the church have methods of scrying. Maybe old warlocks who have managed to inherit magical artifacts. Hardly anyone else. The Abbey of the Light maintains a monopoly on methods of detection and avoidance. I imagine that is precisely because they don¡¯t want people hiding from their eyes.¡±

    That was not the first time Arkk had heard that something he wanted to do was exclusively within the domain of the church. Avoiding mental magics came to mind. If the church didn¡¯t want counter-scrying knowledge public so that they could scry, it did make him wonder if a similar issue had them blocking mental magics as well. One more reason to avoid the church¡­ Though¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know of any corrupt priests or abbesses who would know such things?¡±

    ¡°Aside from the healer we have on hand for accidents and injuries, the academy doesn¡¯t have much interaction with any member of the church.¡±

    ¡°I wonder how hard it would be to find someone¡­¡±

    ¡°Corrupt individuals exist in every profession,¡± Zullie said, frowning. ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of having something to offer that they think is worth risking their position.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± He didn¡¯t know that he would find an opportunity to use that tidbit but he would have to keep an ear out for anyone the church wound up angry with. Maybe they would post bounties on former priests.

    Dismissing the idea for the time being, he turned to Vezta and opened his mouth.

    She glared. ¡°No, Master, the inquisitors are not on our tail at this time.¡±

    Arkk clamped his jaw shut, pursing his lips. ¡°I was just going to ask what you thought about this place?¡± he said, waving his hands along the corridor.

    They had been walking through the Cliff Academy for some time. Not wanting anyone to know of his interest in the place, Zullie had used a spell from Savren that made them look like whoever a viewer most expected to be in any given place. Which was a spell powerful enough that it was no wonder that the church had labeled mind magics as anathema.

    Though, Zullie did say that it had some drawbacks. Any spellcaster would be able to tell, entirely passively, that a large amount of magic was being used in their vicinity. Trying to use it to slip into the garrison would likely have them arrested in moments. The academy, already inundated with magic from research and training, made it far more difficult to tell that something was amiss. Even if someone did notice the magic expenditure, it wouldn¡¯t be thought of as anything out of the ordinary here.

    After having passed through the populated areas of the academy, Zullie had dropped the spell. It worked by affecting nearby minds so anyone scrying on them would have already known, thus making the effort pointless this far into the academy.

    They had made it to the back corridors. The same dusty halls that he and Zullie had used to escape from Agnete just before leaving Cliff the first time around. Now that he was looking at them again, he wasn¡¯t quite so sure of his earlier assessment. Fortress Al-Mir had perfect walls, straight and smooth with fine tiles and the regular glowstone marking the path. Even before he took over, when it had been in a more dilapidated state, it still retained that regularity and ruggedness.

    The back tunnels of Cliff Academy wound and wove, twisted and turned. The corridors weren¡¯t all the same width or height. This particular path allowed five orcs to stand shoulder to shoulder. The hallway before, however, barely let him walk alongside Vezta and Zullie. One set of stairs up to a higher level had been narrow and steep, almost like climbing a ladder, while another set of stairs felt more like a gradual ramp. More of an incline than proper stairs.

    Glowstones dotted the corridor now and again. Arkk wasn¡¯t surprised to find them all dim and inert. Zullie had grabbed a few bright amber glowstones to light their way through the dim tunnels. The tunnels didn¡¯t feel like they had been constructed through the magic of lesser servants. Rather, it looked like it had been dug out by men with picks. Or dwarves. Wasn¡¯t that who was supposed to have created what was now used as the academy?

    It just¡­ didn¡¯t feel like Fortress Al-Mir.

    Maybe it shouldn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t, after all. When Vezta had mentioned other fortresses with other [HEART] artifacts at their core, he had pictured identical clones of Fortress Al-Mir. Was that the case? The only other confirmed fortress he had seen was the one in Darkwood. And that one he hadn¡¯t actually seen. He had been too preoccupied with the defense and, later, his injuries to even scry on it. Had it been a regular labyrinth of connected corridors or had it been a maze of tunnels more akin to an ant colony?

    Vezta was looking around now. With her multitude of eyes, she could keep watch of the crystal ball at the same time. Arkk guessed that this human-like gesture was more for his sake than out of an actual need to look around. He appreciated it.

    ¡°There are elements that make me scoff and say that this couldn¡¯t have ever been a proper fortress,¡± Vezta started, speaking slowly as if to gather her thoughts. ¡°I would almost suggest that we turn around and cease wasting our time. But then I¡¯ll spot something familiar. An arch in the ceiling, a tile on the floor, the shape of a doorway,¡± she said, nodding to an open doorway whose door must have long since fallen.

    ¡°So¡­ it is a fortress? Or isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°The [HEART] of a fortress is a gift from the [PANTHEON]. However, which member of the [PANTHEON] primarily offered the gift can influence the appearance and function of the fortress. In a way, this place reminds me of Unknown, the Enigma. A maze of corridors turning in on each other, impossible to tell how far we¡¯ve gone or how far we¡¯ve come. Every landmark we spot is unique and yet has a familiarity that leads us to believe that we¡¯ve passed this point before¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡­ sounds dangerous,¡± Arkk said, looking around the corridor once again. Had they already been this way? The dusty hallways hadn¡¯t been disturbed yet. They were leaving a trail of footprints in their wake, so they should be able to escape. But¡­ ¡°Zullie, didn¡¯t you say that sometimes academics would wander back into these tunnels only to never be seen again?¡±

    ¡°Stories,¡± Zullie said. ¡°Fictional stories. Probably.¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t surprise me,¡± Vezta said, continuing forward even as Arkk stopped. ¡°Something wrong?¡±

    ¡°If these tunnels are designed to trap people, is it wise to continue?¡±

    ¡°If,¡± Vezta said. ¡°I am not wholly convinced that these tunnels weren¡¯t simply dug out by mortal hands. Or perhaps men discovered the tunnels and then dug into them, damaging the original layout or erected walls, changing the size and shape of the corridors. Even if this is a fortress owing favor to Unknown, the Enigma, it is quite clearly inactive and dormant. No actual magic will trap us. We can always follow our trail to escape.¡±

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    ¡°We¡¯re sure?¡±

    In lieu of a verbal response, Vezta cocked her head, approached the closest wall, and raised a tendril that split off from her side. A gaping maw of razor-sharp teeth formed, looking much like the mouths of the lesser servants. She plunged it straight into the wall, easily consuming the brick and stone. Pulling back, she looked to Arkk.

    ¡°If this is a fortress, it is entirely inactive. Even more so than Fortress Al-Mir was when you first discovered it. Failing every other method of escape, I could dig a tunnel out. There is no danger of us becoming trapped in an enigmatic maze.¡±

    That did offer some relief. There was another problem, unfortunately. ¡°Next question: Are we wandering aimlessly or do you have a way of telling where the Heart might be?¡±

    Vezta looked around again, this time with a deepening frown. ¡°This place is inert. I cannot sense where the [HEART] might be, if there is one.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a problem. According to Zullie, these caves encompass nearly the entire mountain. We could be wandering for weeks with no luck. And that¡¯s assuming it is possible to find and not walled off.¡±

    ¡°My feet are already protesting,¡± Zullie grumbled, moving to lean up against the wall. ¡°I¡¯d rather not pick paths at random.¡±

    ¡°Any ideas?¡± Arkk asked, looking from the witch to the servant. Neither spoke up, leading to Arkk letting out a small groan. ¡°It¡¯s pitch dark. Scrying won¡¯t work. After they¡¯re finished securing our escape routes, if I order the lesser servants to zig-zag their way through in the hopes that they find something, is there a possibility that they might damage the Heart?¡±

    Vezta chuckled, which was more than enough of an answer. She still added, ¡°Not likely. Though they may cause collapses and other problems elsewhere in the mountain.¡±

    Arkk clicked his tongue. Although Vezta prefaced her statements with ifs, Arkk was a little more confident that this was a fortress, even if it wasn¡¯t like his own. Unfortunately, he was significantly less confident that they would be able to utilize it in an appreciable amount of time.

    ¡°Slave Natum,¡± he intoned, springing forth six fresh lesser servants. The pulsing masses of oily flesh, bulbous eyes, and gaping maws stared up at him, patiently awaiting his commands. He didn¡¯t need to use words to command them but, for the benefit of Vezta and Zullie, he said, ¡°Split up and wander the corridors. Alert me if you find anything. Do not get seen by anyone. If you find a populated area, turn back and try other routes. If you are at risk of discovery¡­¡± Arkk pressed his lips together. Vezta had assured him that they could barely think but it still left a sour taste in his mouth when they died. ¡°Self-terminate.¡±

    In an eerie unison, the lesser servants turned away, moving down the corridor. As they passed by doors on the sides of the hall, one or two would split off. In short order, he was alone with Vezta and Zullie once again.

    ¡°I don¡¯t expect them to find anything soon,¡± Arkk said. ¡°But maybe we¡¯ll get lucky.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving then?¡± Zullie asked, sounding excited.

    ¡°Yes. But keep this in the back of your minds. If you have any ideas on how to find the Heart, assuming there is one. Lower priority than the ritual but it is important to our long-term goals.¡±

    Unfortunately, unless the lesser servants came up with something soon, it didn¡¯t look like they would be able to use this as territory to teleport to if things went poorly in the city. They might be able to escape to it but they would have to go on foot.

    Better to use the other lesser servants who were already burrowing tunnels underneath the city.

    <hr>

    Dakka swirled a fine glass of ruby-red wine. Going in for a drink, she carefully watched her opponents over the top of its rim. Her eyes shifted from one human to the next. Then the one after. They were harder to read than the undisciplined scum around the Primrose. A result of the training they underwent with their respective mercenary companies, undoubtedly.

    Even still, she could see it in their eyes.

    Here was the big, dumb orc with loaded pockets, here to play games at the human table.

    Wishing that the wine glass was a proper flagon just so that she could set it down with a little more force, Dakka picked up a gold coin and tossed it into the pile at the center of the table.

    Her opponents balked. They didn¡¯t do anything so overt as to grimace or groan. The way their fingers moved over their cards and coins told enough.

    One bore the white shield with a single black chevron, upward facing, on the breast of his white suit. White Company. Their allies, at least for the moment, though she doubted he would have any qualms over cleaning her out. He bet risky but had the luck to prop himself up. No sign of cheating that she had been able to spot. The gold piece seemed a bit too much for him despite the pot being worth almost five before Dakka¡¯s addition. After thinking for a moment, he folded.

    The woman across from Dakka wore a metal brooch pinning a heavy black cloak over her shoulders. The brooch was shaped like an upward-thrusting claymore, surrounded by the wings of a bird¡­ which made it look more like a trident than a proper sword. Dakka didn¡¯t know much about the Order of the Claymores other than that a small contingent of them had been dispatched to Darkwood Burg in search of Gretchen, Viscount Wesley¡¯s daughter. They had helped with the defense later on¡­ which meant that this person, whether or not she had been present herself, likely knew of Vezta and possibly even the teleportation circles that Arkk wanted to keep quiet.

    Dakka wasn¡¯t sure what to do with that information. That was something for Arkk to think about. All Dakka knew was that this woman had lost more than anyone else at the table. Dakka still gave her a respectful nod when the woman slid over twin stacks of silver coins.

    The last at the table might not have been human. He wore a solid black robe-like suit, complete with gloves, a high neck, and a wide-brimmed hat. Only his head was visible and yet, Dakka couldn¡¯t see a single hair poking out under his hat or on his face. Nor any evidence that hair had ever grown. To make matters a little more suspicious, he wore black lenses with leather shields blocking any peripheral vision. The glass was so dark that Dakka wondered how he could even see his cards.

    Maybe some kind of lizard beastman. Whatever he was, he tossed in a gold piece of his own, turning a toothless smile back to Dakka.

    ¡°Company Al-Mir, is it?¡± he said, speaking a little strangely as he kept his lips firmly over his teeth. An odd move that only reinforced Dakka¡¯s suspicion. ¡°Quite the stellar rise to prominence.¡±

    Dakka tapped her knuckles against the table twice before looking up to meet his gaze. Even with the glasses, she could tell that he wasn¡¯t looking at her but at the emblem she wore on her chest. The compass rose backed with an intricate maze. ¡°Boss-man is ambitious,¡± she said with a shrug.

    ¡°Makes quite the use of non-humans. Elves and orcs. Gorgon too, if rumors hold.¡±

    ¡°They are,¡± Dakka said, watching the table as one final card joined the other four. ¡°Looking for a job?¡± she asked as she tossed in another ten silvers.

    With the man from White Company out already, that left the woman from the Order of the Claymores to hum and haw over whether or not to add to the pot. Although her face was perfectly expressionless, the length of her hesitation spoke volumes.

    ¡°I might be. What kind of long-term goals and aspirations does Company Al-Mir hold? What kind of benefits do you offer? Does the leader use you as fodder or does he care?¡±

    ¡°Last question first: I¡¯d say he cares a bit too much.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± The question didn¡¯t come from the glasses-wearing possible non-human but from the soldier from White Company.

    Dakka glanced over just as a clink of coins joined the pot. After the Claymore tossed her coins in, the non-human instantly threw in a full gold coin. From his earlier betting, Dakka hadn¡¯t expected such a confident display. Her eyes drifted to the last card flipped, trying to figure out how likely it was that he had a better hand than she did.

    ¡°He does foolish things on occasion,¡± she said, using the question to buy her a moment to think. ¡°Shoves an orc out of the way of an attack and takes the hit himself despite our armor and tougher hide. Goes in by himself if he thinks the situation is too dangerous. We¡¯ve taken on several dangerous tasks and only just lost one¡ªto his own idiocy, I might mention. No one else took more than a few nicks and cuts. I think Arkk took it a bit hard. The rest of us¡­¡± she shrugged, tossing in twenty silver to match her bet with the man in the hat.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t care?¡± the White Company man asked with a frown.

    ¡°Me specifically?¡± Dakka scoffed. ¡°Rolling his body into a ditch would have been more than he deserved. But he and I had a bit of history. Arkk gave him a full cultural burial.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± the hatted man said, watching as the Claymore cautiously matched their bets. ¡°Are conflicts among the rank-and-file common?¡±

    ¡°Get any group of people together and there are going to be some who can¡¯t stand others. That said, we don¡¯t fight much. Outside the pit, of course. Arkk made it clear that he wouldn¡¯t stand for any real fighting early on.¡±

    The hatted man hummed and, nodding to himself, threw in another gold coin. ¡°Benefits?¡±

    ¡°Lodging, food, and equipment are all provided and he knows some healing spell to keep us from suffering from most injuries.¡± Dakka paused and then grinned. She pulled out a pair of gold coins. ¡°Pay is good enough to keep up with you as well,¡± she said, tossing them into the pot.

    White Company¡¯s soldier laughed at the display. The Claymore, on the other hand, dropped her expressionless act in favor of a heavy scowl. The stack of coins in front of her wasn¡¯t anywhere near enough to match and she knew it.

    ¡°He hire humans too?¡± she asked, slamming her cards against the table. Dakka would have accepted her putting everything into the pot even if she couldn¡¯t match but it seemed like the woman wasn¡¯t interested.

    Probably for the best.

    ¡°Claymores don¡¯t pay well?¡± Dakka asked with a grin.

    ¡°Apparently not,¡± she huffed.

    ¡°Well,¡± the hatted man said, looking from the large pot to Dakka. ¡°And goals for the organization?¡±

    ¡°Help some people out. Make money while doing it.¡±

    With a drawn-out hum, the man placed his cards against the table. ¡°I¡¯ll have to consider my options,¡± he said, standing. Touching his gloved hand to the brim of his hat, he turned and stalked away from the table. Dakka turned in her seat, watching him head over to the entrance to the stayover. A second after he left, Arkk and his entourage entered.

    ¡°Something I said?¡± Dakka asked with a frown, earning nothing but shrugs from the other two at the table.

    ¡°Never seen him before.¡±

    ¡°Same.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Shrugging, Dakka started dragging the large pot of coins over to herself. The Claymore reached out for Dakka¡¯s cards, only to freeze as a heavy hand clamped around her wrist.

    ¡°Not even going to show your cards?¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll know if I was bluffing or not,¡± Dakka said, all smiles as she squared her cards into the deck before anyone could see them. With a wink, she tossed out a gold coin to each of the mercenaries and scraped the rest into her already-loaded pouch. ¡°Get a few drinks on me instead. And that is the boss-man,¡± she said, thumbing over her shoulder as Arkk passed. ¡°If that was genuine interest in swapping companies, I¡¯m sure he would be happy to hear you out.¡±

    The Claymore looked a little uncomfortable at the comment, though she was happy to keep the offered gold. Her eyes followed Arkk for a long minute until he disappeared up the stairs.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to talk to him for a bit. Assuming he has no tasks for me, I¡¯ll be back later, offering anyone a chance to earn some of this back,¡± she said patting the pouch.

    Heading up the stairs after Arkk, she had to wonder what their reactions would be if they knew just how much she had been bluffing. Both about her cards and about the goals of Company Al-Mir. Claiming to want to overthrow a kingdom would be more believable than reverting the Calamity.

 Scouting Mission

    ¡°So that¡¯s it?¡± Arkk asked, looking out over the wide gardens and open plazas that made up the promontory that jutted out into the ocean. The grounds looked idyllic, the kind of place where fairy-tale princesses would frolic during the day. At night, the white stone walls would provide plentiful security for a peaceful rest.

    Clinging to the roof of a building with Ilya at his side wasn¡¯t how he pictured his day going when Ilya said she could get their eyes on the Duke¡¯s manor. He wouldn¡¯t, under pain of death, admit to being afraid of heights. The way his foot kept sliding down the mist-slicked slate tiles of the roof sent butterflies through his stomach. The mist having turned to frost in the chill air didn¡¯t help his traction any. He had one gloved hand firmly gripping the edge of the roof and his other hand wishing it could find purchase.

    He had half a mind to grab hold of Ilya¡¯s leg. Under other circumstances, he might have admired the view of the elf pressed down against the roof just above him. The way she clung to the building with surety and grace would have been beautiful if not for the quick spikes of adrenaline that shot through Arkk¡¯s stomach every time he felt himself sliding downward.

    Grabbing hold of her wouldn¡¯t have been a good idea, unfortunately. He would just end up dragging her down as well. Vezta waited at the bottom. He had to hope that her reflexes would be enough to catch him if he did fall.

    ¡°Are you listening?¡±

    Arkk flicked his eyes from the toned thighs of the woman sharing the roof to her face. ¡°Yes?¡±

    Ilya rolled her eyes. ¡°Better watch it. I might kick you off.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You were thinking about grabbing my ass.¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Could you blame me?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯d still kick you off.¡±

    ¡°Harsh but fair, I suppose,¡± Arkk said with a sigh, trying to play it cool even as his foot slipped off the lower edge of the roof again. ¡°You know, we never get time to ourselves anymore. There is always something needing doing or people around. After we get your mother out of there, we should go hunting again. Just the two of us.¡±

    ¡°Arkk, focus, please.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. Just nervous being up here with such a lovely lady.¡±

    ¡°Lies.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Arkk admitted, turning his head to try to find any kind of lip or edge that he could plant his foot against without it just sliding off.

    ¡°Anyway, if you¡¯re done acting the love-sick fool¡­¡± Ilya¡¯s sharp eyes turned back over the side of the roof. The crazy elf actually let go of the roof with one of her hands to point off into the distance. ¡°I was trying to say that the tower over there was where the magical defenses were. I think, anyway. I don¡¯t know much about magic but the tower glowed and then the harpy couldn¡¯t escape.¡±

    Edging ever so slightly closer to the edge of the roof, Arkk peered around it from his lower vantage point. He could see the tall tower jutting up from the far end of the Duke¡¯s keep. Maybe there were people up there? He could see movement but that could easily be a flag shuffling in the chill gusts of wind.

    ¡°There are four people up there. Two look like regular guards, the same as anywhere else along the walls. Two are wearing robes. Spellcasters, I assume.¡±

    ¡°Why robes?¡±

    Ilya managed to shrug without losing her grip on the roof. ¡°Maybe the Duke likes them in robes so he can easily tell apart spellcasters from rank-and-file.¡±

    ¡°And you think there is a ritual circle up there?¡±

    ¡°Something glowed. You¡¯re the magic expert. You tell me.¡±

    ¡°Zullie is the magic expert. I might be able to tell you what it does if I could see it. My eyes aren¡¯t as good as yours. Can you describe it?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t see the floor from here. Or anything else that looked like it might have been glowing.¡±

    ¡°Dang.¡± Much like churches or wherever inquisitors were suspected of being, scrying anywhere near the Duke¡¯s manor failed. They hadn¡¯t been able to get a good, in-depth overview of the place. If they could scry on it, there was no way Ilya would have convinced him to climb up to the top of the roof, enticing view of her backside or not. ¡°Those are probably not the manor¡¯s only defenses. Magically speaking. Zullie said that a lot of work went into its design. Some aspects of the manor¡¯s defenses are studied in the academy but a lot of it is either secret¡ªfor security reasons¡ªor were developed by the church.¡±

    ¡°Will it be a problem if there are more defenses?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea. If there is nothing else, shall we get down?¡±

    ¡°I thought you wanted to map out the place.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, as it turns out, my hands are a bit busy,¡± Arkk said, adjusting his grip on the edge of the roof. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to remember it for later.¡±

    ¡°From what Hawkwood said, that large wing with the glass ceiling is likely where we¡¯ll be for most of the party.¡±

    ¡°Opposite side of the keep from the tall tower. Not ideal but possibly not a problem. Won¡¯t know until we go in, I suppose. We have no idea what the interior looks like and I really can¡¯t see anything from here anyway.¡±

    ¡°It would help if you weren¡¯t staring at me.¡±

    ¡°Ilya,¡± Arkk said, putting on his most suave smile. ¡°How do we get back down?¡±

    The elf blinked at the non-sequitur. ¡°Climb?¡±

    ¡°Backwards?¡±

    ¡°No. Head first,¡± she said, rolling her eyes. ¡°Just the reverse of how you got up here. Dangle your legs over the edge and find the notches you used to get up. The brickwork is jagged enough that there are plenty.¡±

    As if to demonstrate, Ilya let go entirely. She slid down the slick roof right until her boots hit the lower edge. Some elven magic must have kicked in because she stopped with her boots dangling just past the rooftop. However, she didn¡¯t stop for long. A slight wiggle in her waist sent her over the edge. Her boots made faint clacks as they struck the wall and, in a graceful display, she was upright clinging to the roof and the wall.

    ¡°Just like that. Easy.¡±

    ¡°Easy,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Maybe you should send Vezta up for me when you get down.¡±

    Ilya was probably going to strain something with how much she was rolling her eyes. ¡°Come on,¡± she said, using only one hand to hold onto the roof as she planted a hand on his backside. ¡°I¡¯ll guide you. Just let go and¡ª¡±

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Arkk, doing as he was told, let go of the side of the roof. Only for a moment. As soon as he started sliding back, he tried to clamp hold of it again. The frosty roof slipped through his gloves without purchase.

    In an instant, Arkk felt his stomach drop out from under him. The rest of him followed.

    ¡°Arkk!¡±

    The building they had been using as a vantage point was a three-story building. Tall enough that his uncontrolled tumble would break his neck on impact but not so tall as to offer time to do anything. As Arkk flipped off the roof, he spotted two bright yellow eyes glowing from under the hood of a cloak. Was Vezta going to catch him? Could she?

    He didn¡¯t have time to think of the answers.

    Arkk spoke the two words he thought might save him in that instant.

    ¡°Cranium Internum.¡±

    Arkk slammed into the ground.

    Except, it didn¡¯t hurt. It wasn¡¯t even a fast fall. More like he had toppled backward out of a chair onto a soft mat. He still let out a long, feminine groan, more out of the expectation of pain rather than feeling anything. Slamming a hand into his face and dragging it down, he slowly sat up and opened his eyes.

    And opened his eyes.

    And opened his eyes.

    A cascade of visions, each more bizarre and unsettling than the last, assaulted Arkk. The world he beheld through the eyes of this inhuman entity was unlike anything he ever could have imagined.

    Just a few moments ago, it had been a cold, overcast day. Entirely ordinary for early winter. The colors were dull and muted, looking drab. There had been no sign of the sun even though it should have been visible over the top of Cliff¡¯s mountains.

    Now, the overcast sky was gone, replaced with a shattered black void that stretched eternally. Distant specks of light looked nothing like normal stars. They were eyes like Vezta¡¯s, staring back down at him, watching his every move. Waiting. Waiting for what? They wanted something.

    He could feel it.

    He could hear it.

    Whispers, faint and haunting, called down from the shattered sky. Their words meant nothing to him. Secrets from ages long past or casual conversation around a tavern fire. It could have been either.

    Fear coiled in his chest, feeling small and insignificant. He was merely one tiny speck of dust next to the [STARS] above. And yet, amidst that terror and shrinking feeling, an ember of curiosity ignited deep within. This was where Vezta had come from. Distant. So far away that only gods could reach. He could see it.

    Arkk. Farmboy-turned-mercenary leader was now witnessing a sight that no other being had witnessed.

    Something moved to block his view. Ilya¡¯s face obscured the shattered sky. She looked down with worry and panic, hands clamping down on Arkk¡¯s shoulders. For some reason, Arkk expected her to look different. Maybe something subtle, a distortion to her features, or maybe something obvious like transparent skin revealing blood, bone, and organs. But she was just Ilya. Beautiful with her elven features.

    The ground was the ground. The bricks were bricks. It was only the sky above that had changed.

    ¡°¡ªhappened to Arkk? He fell and¡­ I panicked and¡­¡±

    Arkk blinked and blinked and blinked and blinked. He could hear her words and her voice but¡­ those unintelligible whispers from the [STARS] were so fascinating¡­

    ¡°Arkk is safe,¡± his mouth responded of its own accord. ¡°Startled, I think. Master, if you can hear me, it would be wise to end the spell.¡±

    Spell? Spell.

    Cranium Internum. He was possessing Vezta. Of course he was. She was the only other in the entire world who saw what he was seeing now. Spell. End spell.

    Arkk stumbled back from Vezta¡¯s body, slamming into Ilya and knocking them both to the ground. Ilya, startled, started to shove him off only to realize who he was. She immediately wrapped her arms around him.

    ¡°Are you okay? You slipped and¡­ I¡¯m sorry! I should have had a better grip on you or¡­¡±

    Ilya continued apologizing. Arkk just sat back, head against her soft chest. The awe and shock faded slowly as he stared up at the gray, overcast sky. Eventually, it reached a point where he sucked in a sharp breath. Arkk blinked. Had he been breathing before?

    ¡°Arkk?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Arkk said slowly, words feeling strangely unfamiliar in his mouth. He licked his lips and shook his head, forcing himself to blink several more times. ¡°Fine. Sorry for scaring you.¡±

    ¡°Scare me? I almost jumped down after you but then you just vanished.¡±

    ¡°He possessed me,¡± Vezta said when Arkk didn¡¯t speak right away.

    ¡°Possessed?¡±

    ¡°I only used it once before. Testing with Zullie,¡± Arkk said, closing his eyes as he rested back against Ilya. Shaking out his arms, he started feeling a little more normal. ¡°Not a spell I like to use¡ªor even like the idea of¡ªbut it was the only thing that popped into my mind in my panic.¡±

    ¡°I would have caught you.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. ¡°I figured but wasn¡¯t completely sure¡­¡± Trailing off, he looked upward again. A regular, overcast sky hung overhead. ¡°What¡­¡± he started, only to find himself unable to finish the question. ¡°Are they still there?¡±

    Ilya, behind him, tilted her head back to follow his gaze. ¡°Are what still there?¡±

    ¡°The [STARS],¡± Arkk said.

    Vezta nodded. ¡°Always.¡±

    ¡°What are they saying?¡±

    A pained look crossed Vezta¡¯s face for a brief moment before she adopted her usual pleasant expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said, pointing a finger upward. ¡°It¡¯s broken.¡±

    Arkk nodded slowly. That made sense¡­ even if it didn¡¯t. He hadn¡¯t been able to understand them either. Those whispers, now gone, might have been nothing more than his imagination. He was sure that there had been words¡ªeven words he understood¡ªbut the meaning of the concepts failed to translate. Vezta¡¯s [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE] worked so why wouldn¡¯t that?

    Because it was broken.

    The shattered sky.

    ¡°The Calamity?¡± Arkk asked, only for Vezta to slowly shake her head.

    ¡°No. The sky shattered long before the Calamity. Long before the [PANTHEON] or this world existed. Primordial beings that were the first and will be the last,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°But those are them, aren¡¯t they? The [STARS]. The things the inquisitors fear and the things the gorgon could smell on me.¡±

    ¡°True. I do not know what the inquisitors fear for, however. They cannot meaningfully interact with any plane of existence. Even if they knew we were planning on reverting the Calamity, that wouldn¡¯t be enough to fix the shattered skies. As for the gorgon, my kind was typically allied with those from other planes¡ªwhich, the gorgon do hail from the [UNDERWORLD] originally.¡±

    ¡°Your kind¡­ There are more of you?¡±

    ¡°Were. I feel like I would know if others had survived. I thought the [HEART] of Fortress Al-Mir beating once more would call to them. That none have responded is telling.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arkk said, earning a shrug. ¡°What¡­ how did you get here if interaction is impossible?¡±

    ¡°[PANTHEON]. Specifically, Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key.¡±

    ¡°The god of boundaries and barriers?¡± Arkk said, remembering Vezta¡¯s introduction when they first created the temple room.

    ¡°The only being any have seen capable of reaching through the broken skies. She offered experience as opposed to observation. They couldn¡¯t come through, even with the Lock and Key¡¯s power, so they sent us [SERVANTS] in their place.¡±

    Arkk licked his lips, trying one more time to ask the question he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to hear the answer to. ¡°What are they?¡±

    ¡°Primordial beings. The first and the last. They have no true name. But, as I am a [SERVANT] and was one before Fortress Al-Mir, the most apt term for them would be the [MASTERS].¡±

    That feeling of curiosity and unease melded together at hearing the term pounded through his skull with the [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE]. A discordant hum escaped his lips. At his back, even Ilya flinched and her breathing hitched. A feeling of insignificance threatened to crush him until Vezta reached forward, planting a hand on his.

    ¡°As I said, I wouldn¡¯t worry. Or think about it. It is what it is and nothing any of us do will change that.¡±

    Arkk shuddered but nodded his head. And to think Vezta¡¯s former master possessed her often. Well, if they stayed within Fortress Al-Mir, he probably wouldn¡¯t have seen the sky all that much. Even still, he had to have seen it. Now that Arkk had seen it, did he want to see it again?

    The question brought up a void in Arkk¡¯s mind. He wouldn¡¯t say yes. At the same time, he couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to say no. Perhaps, after a time to get used to the idea, he would decide one way or the other. For now, he just nestled back against Ilya, not making any attempt to disentangle himself from her arms.

    Tragically, her head twitched to one side the way it did when her sharp ears caught an interesting sound. ¡°I don¡¯t quite know what is going on¡­ I hear footsteps and voices approaching. They probably heard us shouting and are here to investigate. We don¡¯t want to be caught spying on the Duke¡¯s manor. Besides, you were supposed to meet with those Claymores who wanted to switch companies.¡±

    ¡°But it is so comfortable here,¡± Arkk said, pressing himself further against Ilya¡¯s chest.

    She looked down, frowned, and promptly shoved him off to the side. It was a halfhearted shove at best. Still, it got him off her. He stood slowly, not quite steady on his feet. Ilya grabbed one arm to steady him. At the same time, Vezta grabbed his other.

    ¡°Maybe we can snuggle later.¡±

    ¡°In your dreams.¡±

    ¡°I guess that will have to do,¡± Arkk grumbled.

    With that, Ilya took the lead, using her senses to keep them from encountering anyone.

    The entire way back to the stayover, Arkk found himself glancing upward every so often.

 Interviews

    Wealthy merchants, knights and lords, and other important people, tended toward the far grander stayovers not far from the Duke¡¯s manor. The Cliff¡¯s Edge, situated near the garrison and nowhere near any cliff¡¯s edge, was still the kind of place where people like Alma wouldn¡¯t normally be allowed inside. It was a fine building, one of the taller ones around, made of hearty wood washed yearly with a glaze to fend off the corrosive ocean air. The washing had been done just a few months prior, leaving it gleaming in what little morning light made it through the overcast skies.

    ¡°This the place?¡±

    Alma shrugged at Kelsey¡¯s question. ¡°How should I know? It isn¡¯t like they passed out a notice, now is it?¡±

    Luther, teeth clattering in a nervous tic that he couldn¡¯t control, pointed toward the main entrance. ¡°L-Look. Beastmen. T-This has to be the place.¡±

    Following his gesture, Alma frowned. Luther was right in that a line had formed around the exterior of the building. Beastmen, demihumans, and even some humans were all gathered up. The latter two groups huddled together¡ªwhile maintaining some minor distance between themselves¡ªto better fend off the cold bite of the morning wind. The beastmen, especially the full-beastmen, were far less affected by the chill temperatures. Their fur or thick hides kept the heat inside well enough. They still kept their heads down, avoiding the gazes of any humans nearby.

    ¡°Kelsey, get us a spot in line,¡± Alma said to the burly man with the horns and hooves of an ox. ¡°Luther and I will make sure this is the right place.¡±

    ¡°M-Me? G-Going inside?¡±

    Alma¡¯s expression softened and she rested a gentle hand on Luther¡¯s arm. ¡°No one is going to hurt you here.¡±

    ¡°B-But¡­¡± Luther¡¯s slit pupils shifted to the line outside the stayover. His skin rapidly changed from a deep brown to a pale gray matching the layer of clouds overhead. ¡°The others are waiting outside. Shouldn¡¯t we¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to waste our time standing in line for scraps off a noble¡¯s table. Imagine how dumb we would feel when they ask us for a bowl and all we¡¯ve got are swords.¡±

    One of Luther¡¯s eyes stayed on the line, the other shifted independently back to Alma. ¡°I-I think we should stay outside. Don¡¯t want to b-bother anyone.¡±

    Kelsey clapped a strong hand on Luther¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on him.¡±

    Alma let out a small sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll be right there. Just going to peek inside and make sure the rumors were right.¡±

    With a heavy nod of his horned head, Kelsey headed to the back of the long line with Luther in tow. Alma watched their backs for a moment before squaring her shoulders. Hands on her head, she made sure her hat was firmly in place. As a half with easily hidden characteristics, some might say that she was lucky. Alma wasn¡¯t so sure. It certainly made brief excursions into otherwise unfriendly areas easier. The main problem came when people inevitably found out she was hiding herself.

    Trust tended to snap. Even among those who didn¡¯t hold ill intent toward beastmen, they would regard her with suspicion. Why had she been lying? Trying to get close, deceive them, maybe steal something? Most people, Alma didn¡¯t care about. But it was impossible to strike up a friendship. Some said they understood but they would still put some distance between them in the end.

    Despite that, Alma rarely went anywhere without her floppy round cap hiding her ears. She had Luther and Kelsey. Striking up relations with anyone else was unnecessary.

    Well, unless they wanted to eat.

    Slipping past those in line¡ªwho weren¡¯t blocking the main entrance, just standing near it¡ªAlma headed inside the stayover. The line continued inside with those standing about within the warm walls of the building looking far more comfortable than those outside. All were up against one wall, keeping well out of the way of the main floor of the stayover¡¯s tavern. A few tables had been moved aside to make room.

    The tables were occupied, most with the hardened sort one might expect from mercenaries who had seen action. Alma recognized White Company¡¯s emblem on several of them. Others wore less familiar pins or insignia. A sword with wings, a compass rose set atop a maze, the profile of a helm with an overlarge plume of feathers coming out the top. Other free companies.

    What surprised Alma were the amount of demihumans at the tables. Orcs, mostly. Almost all of them bore the compass rose emblem somewhere on their outfits. Alma was aware that free companies occasionally had competent demihuman members. Rarer were the free companies that hired beastmen.

    Not that she would disparage her fellow non-humans but getting a job as a demihuman was leagues easier than getting a job as a beastman.

    Alma didn¡¯t understand it. Demihumans and humans were easily distinguishable from one another. No one would mistake an orc for a human or an elf for a gremlin, not even under full armor. Yet, for some reason, demihumans were typically more acceptable than beastmen. No one could tell her apart from a human so long as she had a hat or helmet on. As soon as she took off her hat, crude comments about her parents and ancestors cropped up, questioning at what point an animal entered her family tree.

    Truthfully, Alma didn¡¯t know her parents and didn¡¯t care to. She had no idea how beastmen came about. Neither did anyone else. Nobody even knew where humans came from. Only that they were numerous. That didn¡¯t stop the commentary. Those comments shouldn¡¯t have affected her. They didn¡¯t. But they did affect her employment opportunities.

    Yet, there were a small handful of beastmen at the tables as well. All the beastmen wore the compass rose symbol.

    The rumors were true then. One of the free companies was willing to hire beastmen.

    The end of the line stopped just outside one of the doors along the side of the stayover¡¯s main room. As soon as she spotted it, the doors opened up. Three men¡ªhumans¡ªemerged with sour faces. Alma knew the types. Heavy build indicating a well-bred position in life but carried themselves with discipline gathered from either a stint in the guard or one of the more militaristic mercenary companies. Probably sons of someone in a position of wealth who had been sent out to get some life experience.

    As the door closed behind them and the men headed out of the stayover, Alma heard some noise at her back. Though her ears were hidden, she still had better hearing than most. The clink of coins changing hands was a familiar sound, as were the grumbles of those who lost a bet. She turned slightly, eying some of the orcs and humans around the tables.

    ¡°Told you. Those are the kind of people here for fun or profit. Arkk isn¡¯t here for fun.¡±

    ¡°Two served at the garrison with me for a few years. Good men, decent in a fight, decent in bed. Thought they¡¯d take.¡±

    ¡°First of all, Arkk isn¡¯t here to bed his employees. Second, pretty sure he fancies women¡ªexotic women, if you get what I¡¯m saying. Third¡­ Garrison men decent in a fight? How many fights do you all see in the garrison a month? One? And probably in the back of a bar.¡±

    ¡°The Duke¡¯s men are highly trained,¡± a third person said, butting into the conversation.

    ¡°Trained against wooden dummies, I bet. Never see a real fight. Few weeks ago, we went after a group of slavers. Outnumbered us twenty-to-one. Killed a hundred of them, forced the rest to surrender, and only lost one of our own in all that.¡±

    ¡°Twenty-to-one?¡± Someone scoffed. ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Believe it or not, you want to run with us, you have to handle yourself. Oh, next group going in. What do you think about¡­¡±

    The orc trailed off. It wasn¡¯t hard to see why. The door opened again and a young human appeared in its entryway. He¡­ didn¡¯t look like much. His black clothes were nice enough¡ªbetter than what anyone Alma knew would be able to wear¡ªbut not so grand as to imply a position of high authority. He had a full head of brown hair and a trim beard wrapping around his mouth. There was something about his eyes that gave Alma pause. The way they snapped back and forth around the room, as if he were scanning for any possible threats. A fairly familiar action. But it was the way he glazed over and dismissed everyone present that set Alma on edge. As if this room filled with mercenaries, warriors, and wannabes just wasn¡¯t a threat to him.

    Maybe it was that the room had several individuals bearing the same compass maze symbol that he had woven into his suit. Alma hadn¡¯t counted but was fairly confident in saying that they outnumbered all the other groups put together. At least of those inside the building. Add up those waiting in the line outside and the scales would tip. Or maybe he was looking for something specific. A particular threat that nobody present represented.

    Either way, his gaze passed over her without pause.

    The next group in line started to approach, only to stop as the human held up a hand.

    ¡°Sorry about this,¡± the human said with a casual smile despite his alert eyes, ¡°going to pause here for about twenty minutes. Just have to get some things prepared before we continue. I know it is cold outside for those still standing out there. I¡¯ll order up a round of soup for everyone to warm themselves with before we continue.¡±

    Another human emerged, heading toward the back of the stayover. Probably to arrange for the soup to be sent outside. The first human turned away, closing the door behind him.

    Alma looked around, counting the doors on that side of the stayover, and promptly turned and headed back outside. She spotted Kelsey and Luther standing at the end of the line¡ªalthough another few people had formed up behind them in the short time Alma had been inside¡ªbut rather than approach, she simply gave them an affirming nod of her head. This was the place. The rumors were true. But she wanted to know a little more about what they might be getting into before fully committing.

    This wouldn¡¯t be the first time someone had shown up with a decent job for beastmen only to turn around and try to sell them off to slavers.

    Ducking down the alley, Alma counted the windows until she reached the one the human should be inside. She casually walked past once, discreetly peeking inside. The human was accompanied by a few others. An elf, an orc, and someone wearing a thick cloak that hid their features. A beastman? If they were accepted, why hide?

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    As soon as she finished passing the window, Alma turned and pulled a small knife from inside her cloak. Carefully, cautiously, she wedged it between the window panes and twisted just enough to make a small gap. Taking off her hat, her pointed ears sprung up, letting her hear as best she could

    <hr>

    ¡°Where did they all come from?¡± Arkk asked, looking around his advisors with one hand rubbing at his forehead.

    Dakka grunted. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said with a frown.

    ¡°You said you talked to a single poker table. And only the Claymore present showed any interest. That doesn¡¯t account for the line stretching halfway down the street!¡±

    ¡°She talked?¡±

    ¡°Possibly,¡± Arkk said, sinking into his chair at one end of their interview table. Propping his elbows up on the table, he used both hands to rub at his temples. ¡°It¡¯s Edvin. I know it is. This is not what I wanted. A few discreet recruits, not half the city. What did he do? Hire out all the town criers?¡±

    Upon realizing that they had scores of people here to sign up for Company Al-Mir, Arkk had quickly spoken with the Cliff¡¯s Edge proprietors and made arrangements to use a private dining room as his impromptu interview room. As it was essentially meant for meetings among mercenaries, it had everything he needed to conduct these interviews. Which, given that he had no idea what he was doing, really only required a table and a few chairs. Maybe a piece of parchment and some ink to take notes.

    ¡°I fail to see the problem. Is this not what we wanted?¡± Vezta asked. ¡°Additional personnel help us achieve our goals.¡±

    ¡°The goals are the problem. Not the recruits. If we were an ordinary mercenary company, I would probably be over the moon with the amount of interest we¡¯ve got. But we aren¡¯t. How am I supposed to tell people that we¡¯re planning on undoing the Calamity, pissing off the Inquisition of the Light at every turn, and that we¡¯re here to kidnap someone from the Duke¡¯s manor?¡±

    ¡°Rescue,¡± Ilya cut in.

    ¡°Whatever it is, I doubt the guards will be all that enthused. I¡¯m honestly surprised that Vrox hasn¡¯t stopped by to leer at us. I¡¯m still waiting for that shoe to drop.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ve decided we¡¯re not worth it?¡± Dakka said, puffing out her chest in pride. ¡°Sent them packing at the fortress. While not in the fortress, we are here in force. Not to mention we¡¯ve got the purifier with us.¡±

    Arkk nodded slowly. He had been getting the same feeling. It was one thing to stand off and wait for prey to stumble into a trap. But when that prey was skirting around the trap and uprooting the crops, it was time to toss the trap aside and hunt them down. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if that analogy really applied here. Still, the whole rush to investigate the Cliff Academy had been specifically because he had feared that the inquisitors would try to accost them the moment they learned of Company Al-Mir¡¯s arrival.

    Instead, as far as Arkk could tell, they had complete freedom to travel around the city. Nobody had tried to stop them. He had even gone back to the academy for more mundane purposes¡ªlearning proper magic was still an aspiration of his even if it had fallen in priority with everything else going on¡ªand nobody had stopped him. His entourage, all those who were attending the actual party, were set to meet with a tailor in a day and a half. Hawkwood had been in and out, discussing various matters when he had free time. Now, this recruitment drive that had somehow sprung up was drawing plenty of attention. Even if Vrox had somehow missed his arrival, there was zero chance that Company Al-Mir¡¯s presence in the city wasn¡¯t known.

    Thanks, Edvin.

    And yet, they had been left entirely alone.

    It made him think back to his most recent encounter with Vrox. The man, upon realizing that he had lost the one thing that could keep Agnete under control, had called Arkk out. Playing to his sense of responsibility and desire to not cause wonton destruction by pointing out that other villages would have been in danger from the purifier¡¯s conflagration. He knew that Arkk wasn¡¯t a bad person. Every encounter they had, he was happy to talk. Well, happy wasn¡¯t exactly the right word. They hadn¡¯t always been pleasant talks but the man hadn¡¯t even tried to arrest or attack him until talking definitively failed.

    Aside from a few bits of magic, like the teleportation circles, Arkk didn¡¯t even think he had done anything wrong. Maybe that was enough. But it was Vezta that the inquisitors were really worried about. Maybe they finally had enough proof or assurances that Company Al-Mir, Vezta included, wasn¡¯t on some world-destroying warpath at the behest of beings from beyond the stars.

    The thought brought an involuntary shudder over Arkk. He turned slightly, looking at the side of Vezta¡¯s cloak, before standing and moving to the window. His eyes searched over the clouds in the sky. The utterly normal and mundane clouds in the unbroken sky. He let out a long sigh, not sure if he was relieved or disappointed.

    ¡°Maybe¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡ª¡±

    Arkk cut himself off, looking at Ilya. Both had started speaking at the same time. He nodded to her before looking up to the sky once more.

    ¡°I was just going to say,¡± Ilya said, shifting from one foot to the other. ¡°I was talking with some of the people around here. Trying to learn more about the Duke and my mother. I¡­¡± She clenched her fists, eyes looking off to one side. Arkk could see it in the reflection of the window. ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ she is being¡­ held. Against her will, that is.¡±

    That sounded painful for her to say. Like each word twisted a knife in her stomach.

    ¡°The Duke has an advisor. Lots of them, actually, but one keeps getting mentioned when I ask. An elf with long, silver hair and matching eyes.¡± She drew in a deep, haggard breath. ¡°I should have known after last time. No. I knew. I just didn¡¯t want¡­ Damn it,¡± she hissed, slamming her fist down on the table.

    The sudden noise made Arkk jump. He wasn¡¯t the only one.

    Outside the window, a pointed pair of black, cat-like ears slipped into the corner of his vision. Just for a moment. At first, he thought it was a child in the alley but, leaning a little closer to the panes, he realized someone was listening in on their conversation. The blade in the window, keeping it cracked open just a hair, was evidence enough of that.

    Arkk quickly looked away, keeping the person only in his peripheral vision. Not that doing so was necessary, Arkk quickly realized. Their back was to the window. They were listening only, not watching.

    Ilya continued, talking about her mother, what she had heard from the people she spoke with, and her worries that Alya just didn¡¯t care about her anymore. Arkk empathized. He really did. But his mind was racing over the revelation of this eavesdropper. What had they said? Anything damning? They were already targets of the inquisitors¡ªit was hard to get more damned than that¡ªbut anything else?

    The Duke. Kidnapping someone from the Duke¡¯s manor. That was a new revelation. Something the inquisitors wouldn¡¯t be aware of. Was this person reporting to the inquisitors? The Duke? A rival mercenary group? No matter what, that was information that couldn¡¯t get out.

    ¡°Vezta,¡± Arkk said, drawing the servant¡¯s attention. Stepping aside, making sure that he wasn¡¯t in view of the window just in case, he pointed down to the corner and mouthed ¡®eavesdropper¡¯. ¡°Zullie is taking a long time in the kitchens. Would you mind heading out and seeing if there are any problems?¡±

    Vezta¡¯s eyes flicked to the window then back to Arkk¡¯s. ¡°Understood,¡± she said, standing. Moving to the door, she quickly left.

    Dakka and Ilya, the only two left in the room, stopped talking. Both stared at the corner. Dakka, though she didn¡¯t have her full armor on, still carried her axe at her hip. Her hand firmly gripped the axe¡¯s haft. Ilya tensed and adjusted her stance, moving as if to pounce out the window should he open it.

    Arkk waved them off. Making a smiling gesture in front of his mouth with his thumb and middle finger, he pressed forward as naturally as he could. ¡°I was thinking something similar,¡± he said. ¡°Upsetting the Duke right now isn¡¯t a good idea. We have¡­ twenty-something orcs, a few gorgon, three spellcasters, and now our latest recruits who will probably abandon us if the Duke decides to send his armies out. While I¡¯m sure the Fortress could weather them simply because of its location and the defensive abilities it offers, doing so would be¡­ unpleasant. We wouldn¡¯t be able to show our faces in any burg and¡­ well, it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea all-around.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡± Dakka started, eyes still focused on the window. ¡°Then what do you suggest?¡±

    ¡°We go to the party, all smiles. Talk to Alya. If she wants to stay then¡­ sorry, Ilya. We can¡¯t do anything about that.¡±

    Ilya blinked several times, the tension in her shoulders lessening. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Then we try to help. Hopefully in a way that doesn¡¯t implicate us. With the alternate fortress a bust, for now, we can¡¯t just pop out of there. We do have our contingency plans already in place but¡­ I would prefer if we avoid any trouble. If Alya needs to get out immediately, then we do what we can, of course. If not, then at least she knows that we can hopefully help someday.

    ¡°After the party ends, assuming without incident, we head back to the Fortress and proceed with our other plan using Katja¡¯s spellcasters. That should get us additional help to better achieve our goals,¡± Arkk said, speaking vaguely now that he knew that they were being watched. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I think that¡¯s the best option we have¡ª¡±

    Motion outside the window made Arkk tense. The cat-eared intruder snapped her head to one side, clearly startled. She tried to get up and run but black tendrils snapped out, stretching across the window.

    Undoing the latch, Arkk flung open the window and waved a hand. Vezta¡¯s body wasn¡¯t visible but her tendrils glowed bright yellow with her eyes. She saw him. Vezta stepped over the side of the window, bringing through a squirming werecat. Arkk reached outside in her wake, grabbed the dagger that had fallen to the ground as he looked up and down the empty alley, and then quickly closed the window once again.

    Arkk turned around, frowning down. The werecat looked up at Vezta with fear-filled eyes, breathing heavily through her nose. She couldn¡¯t speak. Not with Vezta¡¯s tendril clamped against her mouth. There were some muffled sounds. Screaming? Begging? Pleading?

    Arkk let out a sigh. A hardened inquisitor would have been one thing. The woman on the ground, though it looked like she had seen her fair share of combat, was clearly out of her depth. Vezta had her pinned completely, to the point where she couldn¡¯t move more than a toe. A toe that Arkk could see through a hole in a worn boot. Was it a disguise? An outfit designed to go unnoticed? Or¡­

    He had seen others¡ªmostly beastmen¡ªwearing similarly worn attire throughout the day. He wasn¡¯t too thrilled with hiring all these people who might soon become enemies of the Duke¡¯s men through no fault of their own. Still, while he had accepted the initial three Claymores and a handful of other humans, he found it somewhat difficult to turn away people dressed like that.

    Arkk stood over the woman, toying with the dagger she had dropped. It wasn¡¯t a particularly good blade. Cheap metal and an uncomfortable haft. Still, he hoped he looked threatening. If her attire was to deceive him¡­

    ¡°You get one chance to answer. Who sent you to spy on us?¡±

    Her eyes tore off Vezta with effort but he wasn¡¯t sure that she even saw him before looking back to the monster pinning her to the floor. Which made sense. The mildly threatening act he had paled in comparison to the starfield behind Vezta¡¯s eyes. Some amount of noise¡ªactual words, presumably¡ªescaped Vezta¡¯s tendril. Nothing intelligible.

    ¡°Vezta, I need to hear what she said. If she screams or shouts for help, you can eat her.¡±

    ¡°Arkk!¡± Ilya snapped, tone displeased. ¡°Just kill her. Don¡¯t¡­ that.¡±

    Although the werecat¡¯s eyes flicked to Ilya like she was an angel at her initial admonishment, the rest of what Ilya had to say made the cat ears flatten against the woman¡¯s head. The noises from behind Vezta¡¯s tendril died off and she tried, impotently, to shake her head back and forth.

    ¡°Vezta?¡±

    Slowly, the tendril peeled back from the woman¡¯s mouth, leaving a long trail of black slime. Which had to be intentional on Vezta¡¯s part. Playing herself up as the scary monster. The woman didn¡¯t scream, though she might have whimpered a bit.

    ¡°Who sent you?¡±

    ¡°N-No one.¡±

    ¡°How long were you out there?¡±

    ¡°S-Since you called a pause on the interviews.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    The woman¡¯s eyes flicked from Vezta to Arkk, then to Dakka and Ilya. ¡°Heard you were recruiting. Thought knowing what you were looking for would be an advantage.¡± She tried to smile. It didn¡¯t work, looking more like a grimace.

    Arkk closed his eyes. The stupid recruitment thing.

    Dakka started laughing. ¡°Isn¡¯t this for the best?¡± she said between chuckles. ¡°You prefer recruiting like this, right?¡±

    ¡°Like what, exactly?¡±

    Dakka tapped her chest. ¡°Us, the gorgon, Savren, that werecat we rescued from the slavers, Edvin¡­ even Hale and that carpenter were under duress from the inquisitors. Face it, it¡¯s better like this. And you don¡¯t even have to explain about the inquisitors.¡± Dakka grinned down at the woman on the floor. ¡°Welcome to the club.¡±

    The cat ears flattened even more.

    ¡°Don¡¯t. Nothing is decided yet. I¡­¡± Arkk sighed. ¡°How did you hear about this recruitment?¡±

    ¡°Heard from a friend who heard from¡ª¡±

    ¡°Skip to the end, please.¡±

    ¡°Some human at the Primrose mentioned to his friend that Company Al-Mir was more interested in beastmen and demihumans than humans. They were drunk and he¡­ well, mentioned rather loudly, to the entire tavern, that there was a mercenary company willing to hire beastmen. In fact, he has been going on about it for a few days now¡­¡±

    ¡°Was this other friend a gremlin?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the werecat answered quickly, not even needing a moment to think.

    Arkk squeezed his eyes shut and drew in a deep breath. He had asked Edvin and Lexa to reach out quietly, not announce their recruitment to the whole world. After counting to ten, he let it back out.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to do it,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I¡¯m going to throw him to the wurms.¡±

 Recruits and Tea

    Arkk looked around the commandeered room of the Cliff¡¯s Edge, eyes meeting with those of the assembled recruits. There were just under forty in total¡ªnot including a few he had hired outright earlier in the day before realizing just how many people had shown up. About half were beastmen and a quarter were demihumans with the remainder being humans. Not many. Especially not compared to how many people he had seen throughout the day. It was more than he expected upon arriving at Cliff, however, that number having been less than twenty.

    He still wasn¡¯t sure that doing this was the right idea but there were a few advantages. Immediately, it made Company Al-Mir look even more legitimate. Mercenary companies recruited often. Maybe not quite the way he had but similar enough. He knew that from his talks with Hawkwood.

    Secondly, as much as Company Al-Mir wasn¡¯t a regular mercenary company, they sure had been doing a good job of acting like it. More boots on the ground meant that larger operations, like handling the slavers, would hopefully be safer and far more achievable even without the heavy hitters like himself, Vezta, or Agnete. They couldn¡¯t be everywhere.

    Third, though it wasn¡¯t necessarily an advantage, deciding against antagonizing the Duke in the immediate future made it far more palatable to hire people who had less dependence on Fortress Al-Mir. Although Dakka pointed out that he preferred to recruit those under duress, he had decided that it was more like he was willing to recruit those who had nowhere else to go. If they had nowhere else to go, their loyalties felt more firm. Maybe that wasn¡¯t true but it made sense somewhere in his mind.

    All the new recruits had to worry about were the inquisitors. Speaking of¡­

    ¡°There are a few things to note before you finish signing up with Company Al-Mir,¡± Arkk said. It was the same thing he had already told those he already recruited. Part of deciding to wait to hire the rest all at once was purely to save his breath explaining this several dozen times. ¡°Chief among them is that the Inquisition of the Light isn¡¯t too pleased with us. We¡¯ve had a few run-ins with inquisitors. Only one incident turned violent. There may be incidents in the future. If that offends your morals or otherwise sounds too dangerous for you, the door is right over there,¡± Arkk said, motioning to the back of the room.

    He paused and waited a moment, fully expecting at least one person to get up and leave. To his surprise, however, nobody did. A few glances passed between some of the assembled crowd but aside from a light cough in the back, nobody even said anything. Arkk wondered what to think about that. The beastmen, he could easily imagine, were a little too desperate for coin to concern themselves too much. The rest? He wasn¡¯t sure about.

    He would have to keep an eye on everyone for a time to make sure there were no spies among them.

    Shrugging, Arkk carried on. ¡°Company Al-Mir makes use of a magical contract for employees. It primarily offers a method of grabbing my attention. Panic, pain, or deliberate attempts to call me will let me know that you¡¯re in trouble. Might not do a lot of good if I¡¯m on one side of the Duchy and you¡¯re on the other but it can¡ªand has¡ªmeant the difference between life or death for some of our employees. As a side effect, you might be able to cast spells where you hadn¡¯t been able to before. That is a facet we¡¯re still experimenting with. If magical contracts sound frightening or unappealing, again, the door.¡±

    This time, someone did stand up. Or flew up. A fairy beat its long, dragonfly-like wings and, without a word, drifted over to the door.

    Arkk didn¡¯t know too much about fairies. They were a demihuman race that had, according to legend, once been powerful spellcasters. Then the Calamity struck and magic withered. Unlike many magical species, the fairies didn¡¯t die off. They did lose their magic. They were effectively shorter humans¡ªthough taller than gremlins¡ªwith insect wings now.

    All that made him think that she had been offended at the idea that he could grant people the ability to cast spells. Or maybe she didn¡¯t want to get her hopes up only to find out that she still couldn¡¯t use magic. Either way, Arkk waited for the door to close behind her before looking over the rest of the crowd.

    Nineteen beastmen, including three who weren¡¯t allowed to leave, sat on one side of the room. Most had watched the fairy depart with pitying looks, furthering Arkk¡¯s suspicion of the fairy¡¯s reasons. The eleven demihumans¡ªseven orcs, two gremlins, and two dark elves¡ªjust shook their heads. The seven humans maintained stiff shoulders and barely paid any attention to the rest. Not out of malice, Arkk hoped, but simply because most of them were more disciplined, having jumped ship from the Order of the Claymores.

    Hopefully, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems with that company over his stealing of their members.

    ¡°The pay is a gold coin every month. There are bonuses when you see combat and for other work performed. I mentioned this during the interviews but, as a reminder, anyone with skills outside the realm of combat is in high demand. Bonuses in pay are available for blacksmiths, magical researchers, carpenters, tailors, and so on. You can speak with one of us later on.

    ¡°As for us¡­ Once again, I am Arkk, leader of Company Al-Mir. Outside of life-or-death situations, we¡¯re fairly casual. Call me Arkk, boss, or whatever else you like. This is Ilya, my second-in-command.¡±

    Ilya gave a curt nod of her head, making sure people knew who he was gesturing toward. She didn¡¯t speak, however, and from years of knowing the elf, he could tell that she was at least a little nervous. Which Arkk found mildly amusing. She charged off with a bunch of raider orcs in tow, rescued slaves on her way back, and interacted with everyone at the fortress without trouble but set her up in front of a crowd and she balks?

    Cute.

    ¡°Dakka is a primary field commander and who you¡¯ll likely be reporting to in the immediate future.¡±

    The large orc took in a breath, making herself look just a little taller. Her hard eyes looked over the crowd but kept drifting back to the orcs. There wouldn¡¯t be any problems with her being the ¡®runt¡¯ of Company Al-Mir. Arkk had made sure of that during the interviews. Unless Arkk had misread the situation with the orcs currently employed, Dakka had proved herself worthy of her position. Still, he could understand her nervousness as well.

    It was also cute in a way.

    ¡°Zullie is the head of magical research. If you do have a background in spellcasting, you¡¯ll want to speak with her.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Zullie said with a tight smile, using her middle finger to adjust the position of the rectangular glasses she wore. ¡°Unless you have five years of study at Cliff Academy or equivalent, have invented your own spells, published books on theoretical magics, or apprenticed to any well-known names in the magical community, you¡¯ll be useless in Al-Mir¡¯s research division.¡±

    ¡°So she says,¡± Arkk said with a smile. ¡°But if you have unorthodox training, you might want to check in with her anyway. She has been surprised by the capabilities of those without a formal education before,¡± he said, hardening his tone as he shot her a look.

    Her tight smile turned to a tight-lipped frown but she nodded, accepting the point.

    ¡°Lastly, at least among those present today, Vezta. My adjutant¡ª¡± He decided to steal Hawkwood¡¯s term for his assistant as he felt it best described what Vezta was to him. ¡°¡ªand the primary caretaker of our headquarters. A quartermaster, in other words. If you have material needs, please ask her.¡±

    At her introduction, Vezta lowered the hood of her heavy cloak. That caused a reaction. Not as much of a reaction as he had experienced during his first encounter with Vezta. Then again, that time had seen her spreading her mass throughout an entire room with dozens of glowing yellow eyes peering out from the shadows. Here and now, she really did look just like an unusual demihuman.

    Alma, one of the recruits who wasn¡¯t allowed to leave, visibly shuddered. The hat on her head hid her ears but small movements in the hat made it look like they flattened down against her head. She did not join in on the low murmuring going on among the rest of the recruits.

    ¡°Any questions?¡± Arkk asked as the noise died down. A few looked about ready to stand up and speak but Arkk headed them off. ¡°Any questions not related to Vezta? It¡¯s just a minor skin condition. Not contagious or harmful to anyone around her. We¡¯d all appreciate it if you didn¡¯t make it into a big deal.¡±

    Despite the disbelieving looks passed around, most of those who had been about to speak didn¡¯t. There were still a few questions. Where were the headquarters located? What kind of training was available? How did the contract work? What kind of work did Company Al-Mir specialize in? Several of the questions he had answered during the interviews but not to everyone. Some questions he had to make things up on the spot. Others he answered evasively¡ªmostly any question related to the location of Fortress Al-Mir.

    After a time, the questions tapered off. Aside from the fairy who had left, not a single one of those remaining seemed to have any kind of major problem with any of Al-Mir¡¯s various oddities. All of them stuck around until the end.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Queue up, please. Sign your name on the parchment. If you cannot write or read, Ilya will assist and there may be lessons available in the future. After that, you¡¯ll receive an advance on your payment. A single gold piece.¡±

    Let them think that the paper was the magical contract. It had a lot of text on it and several symbols that wouldn¡¯t do anything, thanks to Zullie. There were a few hesitations in signing it but everyone did so in the end. No one hesitated to take the gold.

    ¡°Is this Evestani gold?¡± asked one of the former Claymores. Joanne, if he remembered correctly. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize it¡­ except this is your company¡¯s heraldry?¡±

    ¡°Company Al-Mir mints its own gold coins. Rest assured, I¡¯ve not run into any problems using them within the Duchy. They typically exchange for between thirty and fifty silvers, depending on how generous the merchants are feeling.¡±

    ¡°Odd. Why not use the King¡¯s stamped coin?¡±

    Arkk shrugged. ¡°This is what I¡¯ve got. In any case, once paid, you¡¯re free to go for now. As mentioned, Company Al-Mir has no official presence in Cliff City. We¡¯re staying in the city for one week and one day for other business, which you all don¡¯t need to be involved in as new recruits. In a week, we¡¯ll meet back here and leave the city, heading westward. We¡¯ll reach Fortress Al-Mir and get you all settled in properly. Enjoy yourselves, don¡¯t spend your payment all at once, and if you need us in the interim, we¡¯ll be here. Just find anyone with the compass maze badge and they¡¯ll find one of us later on if we¡¯re not around.¡±

    ¡°If we¡­¡± one of the beastmen started. A younger boy. Glancing down at the paper, Arkk quickly picked his name from the list. Luc. Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure what kind of beastmen he was, only that he had feathers instead of hair but wasn¡¯t a harpy as he had humanoid hands and no wings. ¡°If we don¡¯t have anywhere else to go, can we stay here?¡±

    Arkk considered a moment then nodded his head. ¡°I believe there are a few bunks free in the room the majority of the employees are staying in. Anyone else wish to stay? I¡¯m willing to rent another room if necessary.¡±

    About two-thirds of those present voiced agreement. Every one of the beastmen plus both dark elves and one of the former Claymores. More than Arkk expected but he wasn¡¯t all that surprised. Knowing how Cliff treated nonhumans, the chance to stay in a fancy stayover or head back to the streets they had lived on before wasn¡¯t that difficult of a choice.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll have arrangements made. Everyone else is free to go. Alma, stay behind, I need to explain¡ª¡±

    ¡°Arkk,¡± Ilya whispered, leaning over with a hand on his shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re going to be late to our other appointment for the day.¡±

    Arkk grimaced then nodded his head. ¡°Right. Alma, Vezta will explain a few more things to you now that you¡¯re one of us properly.¡±

    The poor werecat looked like she was going to be sick. ¡°Can I just wait for you to come back?¡±

    ¡°No. She won¡¯t bite.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± The werecat peered over at Vezta¡ªwho had a prismatic smile on her face, completely ignoring the horror of the situation¡ªand let out a shaky sigh. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Dakka, Ilya, we¡¯re heading out in a few minutes.¡±

    <hr>

    Standing in front of a larger manor, one that easily exceeded the Baron of Langleey¡¯s home, Arkk had to frown at the large head of a wolf adorning its front gate. It wasn¡¯t a real wolf but was some metal artwork designed to look like one. The home of Wolf Trading Company¡¯s founder, Aron Wolf.

    If Arkk were being perfectly honest with himself, he had completely forgotten about his brief encounter with the man and his daughter out in Darkwood Burg. The same was not true in reverse. Much as Hawkwood had done in sending out his adjutant to invite him to dinner, Aron Wolf had sent out a servant with a similar invitation. Not for a meal, just for a quick chat to catch up.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure that he had made that large of an impression on the man. Still, the invitation had come and there was probably some good that could come from cultivating relations with a renowned merchant. No sense throwing it away. It could have come at a slightly better time. Although he trusted Vezta and Zullie to see to matters involving the recruits, being there in person would have been ideal, at least for now.

    ¡°Ah. Sir and madams, you have arrived.¡± A lanky man with a bushy white mustache appeared at the gate, hardly using any effort to swing it open. He stepped aside, motioning with one hand over his waist as he offered a respectful bow. ¡°If you would follow me.¡±

    Arkk, smoothing down the front of his black suit, stepped forward. Ilya and Dakka fell in step just behind him.

    ¡°Mister Wolf was quite thrilled to hear of your arrival. Although, he did express some disappointment when you neglected to reach out to him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to apologize,¡± Arkk said. ¡°It was a busy few days and we just haven¡¯t had the time for social calls yet.¡±

    ¡°Of course. But you made time today. I¡¯m sure Mister Wolf is most appreciative.¡±

    After leading them up a flagstone courtyard, they stepped into an entry hall furnished with polished wood. Several pedestals lined the walls, each bearing a curio of, presumably, high value¡­ though Arkk doubted he would ever be interested in displaying a curled conch or broken sword. Higher on the walls, paintings lined the entry hall. Some were of simple scenery. Others were portraits of people that Arkk didn¡¯t recognize.

    Off to one side of the entry hall, the butler brought them to a small lounge. Wood cabinets, decorated with more curios, broke up smooth tan-colored walls. A few life-sized portraits and one large polished mirror filled in the spaces between the cabinets. A fireplace, already lit, warmed the room with an accompanying yellow glow.

    At the center of the room, surrounding a small table, two chairs sat across from two larger couches. The chairs were occupied. For a moment, Arkk almost didn¡¯t recognize the people. Arkk wouldn¡¯t have described the Wolf family¡¯s appearance in Darkwood as peasants but they had certainly been wearing cheaper traveling attire. Here and now, a middle-aged man with graying hair, styled with a tasteful touch of grease, puffed on a wooden pipe in a rich velvety-red jacket. At his side, wearing a slim yet elegant white dress, Aron Wolf¡¯s auburn-haired daughter waved an irritated hand in front of her face, trying and failing to dispel some of the smoke.

    ¡°Mister Arkk! Welcome, welcome!¡± Aron Wolf stood, leaving his pipe behind in a tray on the wooden table. When he stepped around the table, hand extended to greet Arkk, his daughter grabbed it and emptied the contents into the fireplace. ¡°Please, join us. Take a seat. Your companions as well. I think I recognize you,¡± he said to Dakka, ¡°but never had the pleasure of hearing your name.¡±

    Arkk wondered if that was true or if he was just guessing that she was one of the orcs he had with him back during their previous meeting. Dakka wasn¡¯t wearing the armor she had used at Darkwood, but black pants, an underbust corset, and a white shirt with small wooden buttons. Her hair, braided tightly against one side of her head while hanging loose on the other, wasn¡¯t nearly as chaotic as it had been while they had been out traveling in Darkwood. She did have her axe, even now. Slung through a leather loop hanging from her belt, she had to remove it in order to sit on one of the red couches around the table.

    ¡°Dakka.¡±

    ¡°Lovely,¡± Aron said, smiling. ¡°And, speaking of lovely, I¡¯m sure I would have remembered someone as beautiful as you, my dear,¡± he said, turning to Ilya.

    Ilya started to roll her eyes. Arkk saw the very moment where she decided that doing so would be a bad idea and forced herself to stop. Instead, she put on a smile and took his offered hand.

    ¡°Ilya, Company Al-Mir¡¯s second-in-command,¡± she said.

    He twisted her hand to the side and stooped over, planting a kiss on the back of her glove. While his head was down, Ilya did roll her eyes. An action, Arkk noted, which Arianna mirrored.

    ¡°The pleasure is all mine,¡± he said, taking a little longer than necessary to release her hand.

    When he finally did, Ilya and Arkk took their seats. Dakka, muscular and large as she was relative to the humans, occupied an entire couch on her own, leaving a single couch for Ilya and Arkk. They were large enough that there should have been plenty of space between them. To Arkk¡¯s surprise, Ilya leaned over toward him, half resting against him as they settled in.

    Aron hesitated a moment before smiling and retaking his seat. His hand absently grasped at the tray where he left his pipe but, finding nothing as Arianna still had it, he quickly motioned to the other occupied seat. ¡°Arianna, my daughter, I¡¯m sure you remember.¡±

    ¡°Greetings,¡± the girl said, tone flat.

    Arkk smiled in turn. ¡°She did leave an impression at Darkwood,¡± he said, prompting a polite laugh from Aron.

    ¡°I¡¯d hope so. She¡¯s going to be the face of Wolf Trading Company one day and needs to leave all the impressions she can!¡±

    ¡°Let us not discuss this now, father,¡± Arianna said, tone stiff. ¡°You invited our guests to talk about them, not me.¡±

    ¡°Now, now. When socializing, you must offer yourself up as much as you ask of the other party. Otherwise, one side ends up feeling awkward. But, you aren¡¯t completely incorrect,¡± Aron said with a laugh, looking back to Arkk. ¡°When you said you got out to Cliff on occasion, I thought we might see each other sooner than this.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know that I said on occasion¡­ just that I had been now and again.¡±

    ¡°Glad you arrived when you did. We¡¯ll be taking off on business again in about two weeks. Almost missed us. Heading out to a little salt flat in Lockloch to see what we can make of the place. How about you, though? Here on business?¡±

    ¡°Something like that. Company Al-Mir has garnered enough renown for the Duke to take notice. We received an invitation to his next party.¡±

    Arianna made a very vocal ¡°Ugh,¡± glancing off to one side as she did so.

    ¡°Ah. I do recall you mentioning wanting to attend one of those. Next Suun, yes? I¡¯ll be there as well. Arianna¡­ is avoiding this one.¡±

    ¡°Really? Any reason why?¡±

    ¡°The Duke is a pig,¡± Arianna said in the same flat tone. ¡°Everyone there is scarfing through his scraps. The worst of the worst¡ª¡±

    The smile on Aron¡¯s face vanished in an instant. ¡°Arianna! Please.¡± He looked back to Arkk, eyes stopping over Dakka and Ilya on the way. His worried expression slowly lessened, likely taking in the expressions on their faces. They were no allies of the Duke.

    Ilya especially.

    ¡°Well¡­ you shouldn¡¯t let her comments get you down if you¡¯re excited to go. At the very least, the food is excellent. Even Arianna agrees.¡±

    Grudgingly, she gave a curt nod of her head.

    ¡°Though, I have to ask¡­ you aren¡¯t attending in¡­ that, are you?¡±

    Arkk glanced down at his suit and frowned at Ilya¡¯s casual tunic. ¡°No, no. Of course not. Hawkwood made us an appointment with a tailor. We¡¯re seeing them tomorrow morning, actually, for some quick attire.¡±

    ¡°Tailor?¡± Aron said, latching onto the safe topic as quickly as he could. ¡°Anyone I know?¡±

    Arkk hesitated, drawing a complete blank. Thankfully, Ilya came to his rescue.

    ¡°I believe it was Terrier¡¯s Silken Goods?¡±

    ¡°Oh. Oh no, no, no. That won¡¯t do at all.¡± Aron shook his head back and forth. Even his daughter nodded along.

    ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°Not if you want uniforms for a mercenary company, I suppose. Gowns and dresses for a party? Don¡¯t worry. We can still fix this. Madame Webb¡¯s Fine Threads is where you¡¯ll want to go. I¡¯ll send a letter explaining the situation. Webb is an old friend of mine. She¡¯ll get you what you need and in half the time. I doubt Terrier would be ready by next Suun. You are cutting it a bit close, though. Next time, it would be best if you made arrangements at least a month in advance.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Arkk said. If there was a next time.

    ¡°Now that business is out of the way. Sebastian! Tea, if you please.¡± Aron clapped his hands together. The man with the bushy mustache quickly set out cups in front of everyone, including a larger cup for Dakka. ¡°And while we drink, I would love to hear about your adventures. I say, Darkwood was a bit close to the adventures of a mercenary group for my tastes but I can¡¯t deny that it was thrilling! Been up to anything else in the interim? Something impressive to have garnered the attentions of the Duke, no?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Arkk started. ¡°There was a group of slavers¡­¡±

 The Dukes Manor

    ¡°I feel like an impostor.¡±

    ¡°We are impostors,¡± Ilya said, fiddling with the sleeves of her dress. She grasped hold of long, dangling strips of cloth. ¡°What are these for? Can¡¯t I cut them off?¡±

    Arkk looked over her. Madame Webb¡¯s Fine Threads had come through. Last night, the day before the party, Arkk had received the delivery at the Cliff¡¯s Edge. Clothes for himself, Ilya, Dakka, and Zullie.

    Ilya¡¯s dress was a long white gown that hugged her waist and left the tops of her shoulders bare, save for a single white strap on each keeping the dress up. Long sleeves looked relatively normal right up until they reached her wrists, at which point the cloth hung down for almost another arm¡¯s length, drifting loosely in the wind. Down at her feet, her dress spread out over the floor of the carriage, leaving her feet hidden.

    ¡°And what¡¯s with the tightness around the knees? I can barely walk.¡±

    ¡°The tailor assured us that this was current fashion,¡± Arkk said, forcing his eyes back to Ilya¡¯s face. He had been somewhat skeptical as well. The bare shoulders especially. The bare shoulders with sleeves extra especially. He couldn¡¯t fault the end result, however. ¡°You look beautiful.¡±

    Ilya glanced aside. Embarrassed? Her expression quickly switched to a flat look that she leveled at Arkk. ¡°Like I can trust your opinion.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll draw every eye there, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±

    Ilya put up one eyebrow. ¡°Is that a good thing?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. I might get a bit jealous if too many good-looking young men approach you.¡±

    Ilya pressed her lips together. He expected some admonishment about how who she interacted with would be her decision. ¡°Frankly,¡± she said instead, ¡°I don¡¯t think I want anyone at one of these parties to approach me. I spoke with that Wolf guy¡¯s daughter once or twice over the week. She had nothing good to say about anything.¡±

    ¡°If anyone bothers you, we can handle it. Though let¡¯s try to avoid making too big of a scene.¡±

    ¡°And if the Duke bothers me?¡±

    Arkk¡¯s teeth clenched together, unable to keep his irritation at the thought from his face. ¡°We¡¯re not peasants. We have status and renown. He can¡¯t just¡­ steal you away.¡±

    ¡°If he does?¡±

    ¡°Then we switch to Plan D,¡± Arkk said, voice hard.

    Ilya stiffened then, slowly, smiled as she nodded to herself. It was a small thing. A shy smile that made Arkk¡¯s heart calm.

    ¡°What if he comes after me, boss?¡±

    Arkk turned, pulling his eyes away from Ilya. He had almost forgotten that there were others in the carriage with them.

    Dakka sat across from him, leaning against a wooden panel next to the carriage door. Bare shoulders were surprising on Ilya. Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure what to think about Dakka¡¯s dress. Madame Webb had never designed for an orc before and, given the short notice with which they needed attire, had instead cobbled together a few different pieces that she had lying about. Madame Webb had claimed that she wished to show off the orc physique with her creation. Arkk was fairly certain that she simply didn¡¯t have the time to sew together enough cloth.

    The end result was bare arms and a bare midriff. Dark blue cloth, sprinkled with lighter blue highlights woven into the fabric, criss-crossed over Dakka¡¯s chest, looping around her neck and the middle of her back. A light gray sash looped around her waist, underneath which long strips of the same blue cloth hung down to her ankles. Part of the lower dress was split, letting her walk a whole lot easier than Ilya while showing off one of her legs.

    Dakka didn¡¯t look bad. Quite the opposite. It was strange and unusual attire. If he didn¡¯t know better, he wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if Dakka said that she came from some far-off kingdom where the weather was always warm. He was sure that the wealthy and elite would balk at the multitude of scars adorning her tan skin but Arkk thought they added a bit of character. They and her impressive muscles showed off that she was a warrior.

    Arkk had thought she might balk at the dress. He had been right, though for the wrong reasons. Her main issue wasn¡¯t in the attire itself but rather the lack of weapons at her side.

    ¡°Stare too much and the elf will get jealous,¡± Dakka said with a grin. Confident in her tone yet he could see the way her hand hovered where her axe should have been.

    Ilya scoffed. ¡°Hardly.¡±

    ¡°Oh? I saw you watching Arkk just now, looking for his reaction to me.¡±

    ¡°You misunderstand. I watched in the hopes that you would take this love-struck fool off my¡ª¡±

    ¡°If you people are done with your primitive mating rituals,¡± Zullie cut in, looking irritated as she adjusted her glasses. ¡°We¡¯re crossing the drawbridge to the Duke¡¯s Manor now.¡±

    Zullie wore something more akin to Ilya¡¯s dress. Bare shoulders¡ªthough her black dress had three sets of straps over each shoulder, one vertical, one at an angle, and the last parallel to the ground. A crescent moon cutout on the front of her chest had some semi-transparent sheer cloth over the top. The same material adorned her waist, loose as it draped down to the floor. Some thicker cloth underneath covered her legs. Rather than sleeves, she wore long black gloves that stretched up above her elbows.

    ¡°You look good too, Zullie,¡± Arkk said with a smaller smile.

    The woman just scoffed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m here. I would rather be back at the stayover, reading through the books we stole. Ugh. I can¡¯t believe Savren was right about the counter-clockwise magic collision problem. Where did he even learn about that? But I was right about the anti-magic seepage barrier. Planar magic is far more chaotic than mind¡ª¡±

    ¡°Should we be talking about that here?¡± Ilya asked, looking around with obvious discomfort. As if someone might hear them talking.

    Technically, their coachman wasn¡¯t part of Company Al-Mir. Rather, someone in Hawkwood¡¯s employ whom he had hired to take them to the manor. But the carriage was fully enclosed. Unless they raised their voices, they shouldn¡¯t be heard that easily.

    Despite Ilya¡¯s concerns, Arkk leaned forward, interested. ¡°Katja can provide ten spellcasters. With what you know now, is that enough? Do we need to find a few more?¡±

    ¡°That should be enough. The ritual should only need minor alterations at this point. I¡¯ll know more once I get back and can do some proper calculations.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arkk said, sitting back. As he did so, he felt something else move at his side.

    The other member of their group had been leaning forward as well.

    ¡°Excited?¡±

    Vezta hummed. She was the only one in the carriage who did not have fanciful attire on. She didn¡¯t even have her heavy cloak. Vezta sat in her usual body, white and dark violet in parts that gave off the impression of clothing. A multitude of her golden eyes swiveled in their starfields to focus on him. ¡°Breaching the Calamity and reaching the Underworld will be a great step toward undoing the Calamity in its entirety. I¡¯m surprised at how close that task feels after a thousand years of stagnation.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you sat around in the fortress for a thousand years.¡±

    ¡°I could not leave the Heart,¡± she said simply, not using the [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE] for perhaps the first time. Arkk had specifically asked her not to do anything that might draw extra attention to them. While employees of Fortress Al-Mir seemed fine with hearing the language, anyone else got headaches, stabbing pains, or just feelings of deep discomfort. ¡°The Heart is my responsibility. Abandoning that to languish without a master, even temporarily, would have been a severe dereliction of my duties.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°Even if you would have been able to find a new master sooner?¡±

    ¡°You came eventually. My patience was rewarded. I need no other Master.¡±

    Arkk stared a moment, eyes lingering in Vezta¡¯s burning suns. After a short moment, he nodded his head. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m upset that someone else didn¡¯t steal the opportunity from me. Hopefully, I¡¯m living up to your expectations.¡±

    ¡°Moving from a peasant to a proper Keeper of a Heart isn¡¯t a simple jump. You are performing most adequately.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I¡ª¡±

    Arkk cut himself off as he felt their carriage come to a stop. Looking away from Vezta, he gazed past Ilya and out the window of their carriage. Even though night had fallen, the Duke¡¯s Manor was lit up to the point where he might have been confused about the time of day. Statues of lions flanked the entrance while rows of guards wearing gleaming silver armor stood up and down the path to the main entrance.

    ¡°Vezta,¡± Arkk said. The servant nodded and ripped herself into his shadow without a word. He looked to the other three. ¡°Remember, if you need help, you can call to me. I¡¯ll find you as fast as I can. Or Vezta will if the situation is dire enough. Hopefully, we won¡¯t need that, though. Let¡¯s just try to have some fun, talk to Alya, and get out of here in one piece.¡±

    Their coachman, after tapping his knuckles against the door as a warning, pulled open the doors.

    Ilya stepped out first. For the first time ever, Arkk watched as her natural grace failed her and she almost stumbled out of the carriage because of the tight dress around her knees. Arkk caught her by the arm, keeping her from falling outright. The coachman promptly mumbled an apology and held out a hand to help her out.

    Arkk moved next, accepting the coachman¡¯s help but not needing it. His attire wasn¡¯t that difficult to move in.

    He wore a light brown jacket over a white, ruffled shirt. The jacket wasn¡¯t closed or buttoned together. A thin pair of varnished leather bands kept it from fluttering open in the chill breeze but it was otherwise open to display the fancy shirt underneath. Intricate designs were woven into the jacket up and down the edges and a white cloth poked out of a breast pocket. His trousers were far simpler than any of the dresses, barely being anything different than what he might normally wear except in terms of how fine the cloth was.

    The coachman didn¡¯t help Dakka out of the carriage. Arkk offered his arm instead. She placed a hand on his arm but didn¡¯t put any weight on him, not needing the help to get out. Zullie, the last one out, scowled at the coachman and then at Arkk before hopping out on her own.

    ¡°Try to smile,¡± Arkk said, forcing his face into a casually pleased look.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather be back at the stayover.¡±

    ¡°Yes. You said that. Just imagine what kind of magical protections the manor has. Doesn¡¯t that sound interesting? Maybe you can get a tour of that tower,¡± Arkk said with a wink.

    Zullie just scoffed. ¡°More interesting than planar¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ilya¡¯s right. No talking about work while we¡¯re here.¡±

    Her violet eyes glowered behind her rectangular glasses.

    Arkk just forced himself to smile a little more.

    ¡°Sir. Ladies,¡± a newcomer said, dressed in fine attire yet nothing flashing. One of the manor¡¯s servants. ¡°If you would be so kind as to follow me.¡±

    Leaving the coach behind, Arkk walked alongside Ilya with Dakka and Zullie a step behind. He had to frown as they passed the guards outside the entrance. It was a soft noise but he could hear metal rattling. Given the cold air, he had to imagine they were shivering something fierce inside their armor. Even with a thick gambeson under their armor, being made to stand around in the cold as they were was a fairly cruel posting. Had they upset a superior to be assigned here or did they draw straws? Whatever the case, they surely could have performed guard duty from a slightly warmer locale.

    They were here to show off. Their gleaming, polished armor was evidence enough of that.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t wearing as much as he would have liked either. Hawkwood, Wolf, and even Madame Webb had all said that it would be warm inside, however, so he just steeled himself until a pair of guards pulled open overlarge doors, admitting them into the manor proper.

    And what a manor it was. In his travels, he had seen a few keeps and manors for the various barons that ran the Duchy. He hadn¡¯t been inside too many of them. Just the Moonshine Burg keep while reporting on his efforts against the slavers and Edvin¡¯s former crew. Most were fairly modest affairs, even the large keeps. The smaller village barons had small homes with only a few rooms. Maybe a second floor or maybe not.

    The entryway alone to this manor could have held three stories. A mural adorned the high, vaulted ceiling depicting a cloudy sky with a few figures engaged in revelry. A dozen men poured what he had to assume was fine wine into each other¡¯s glasses, toasting the skies and feasting on a lavish spread of meats and fruits. Magical rituals had been carved into the stone columns holding up the ceiling, providing enough illumination to see everything. Enough illumination that the large shadow underneath his feet should probably have been a lot smaller. People didn¡¯t notice that sort of thing, luckily.

    While there were a few others, guests judging by their attire, standing about the large room, the valet led them through to the large glass-roofed ballroom just off the main entrance. Although lit in the same way, Arkk felt like the mural was a bit more impressive than the glass. Perhaps a bit too gaudy though. A bit too on-the-nose with regards to the Duke¡¯s greedy taxes. In that respect, Arkk preferred the peaked glass.

    They came to a stop just inside the ballroom. One well-dressed valet swiftly approached and held out a hand. ¡°Invitations, please?¡±

    Arkk tried not to look nervous as the moment of truth arrived. Would Edvin¡¯s forgeries be enough? They had passed Hawkwood¡¯s examinations but there was always the chance that these people were trained to spot such forgeries. Reaching into his jacket, Arkk withdrew the folded piece of paper.

    The valet skimmed over it with half-lidded eyes before turning to the room at large. ¡°Company Al-Mir has arrived,¡± he announced.

    And then he walked back to his post. No one came to stop them. No one looked twice at the unfamiliar announcement. In fact, of the packed room¡ªthere had to be at least two hundred people present if not more¡ªonly those closest to the door looked over at the announcement and they all quickly went back to what they were doing.

    People mingled about, all wearing attire roughly in the same vein as theirs. Tables were set out along the sides of the room but the central area was left free for people to stand. Off to one side, atop a small wooden platform, a few minstrels provided music using windpipes and stringed instruments. They played quietly enough that conversations wouldn¡¯t be disrupted but loud enough that awkward silences wouldn¡¯t be completely silent. A set of stairs at the far end of the room led to a dais with a statue set on top. It wasn¡¯t the Duke, which Arkk would have expected of the man, but rather something that looked vaguely similar to the statues in Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s temple room.

    It was a tall man with a strong jaw and a mask hiding his upper face, holding onto a spear in one hand and a staff in the other. A long cape made from brass spread out behind him while a golden heart-shaped emblem stood proud on his armor. A sort of mixture of the three statues Vezta had pointed out as traitors.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure what that meant. Vezta noticed, though he wasn¡¯t quite sure how as he couldn¡¯t see any eyes in his shadow. Still, he saw the way the edges of the shadow twisted and churned in agitation.

    ¡°It will be alright,¡± Arkk said softly, stepping further into the room. He didn¡¯t want to block the entrance if there were more guests on their way. More importantly, he didn¡¯t want to stand around gawking like a peasant. Although he had no fondness for the Duke, some of the people present could be valuable contacts for information or even goods that Fortress Al-Mir couldn¡¯t produce.

    Ilya, tall at his side, scanned the room from one end to the other. ¡°I don¡¯t see Mother.¡±

    Arkk looked around and frowned. Most of the attendees were human, as he expected. A few weren¡¯t. There was a scattering of elves throughout the room that looked dressed in a way that Arkk would presume meant they were guests. However, there were several nonhumans mixed into the crowd. Some danced on their own, separate from the guests, while others carried around small trays of food and drink. A few, Arkk noted with his frown deepening further, weren¡¯t dressed too dissimilarly to Dakka.

    If Madame Webb thought that Dakka was entertainment rather than a proper member of their team, she wouldn¡¯t be receiving his business again in the future.

    ¡°It¡¯s the start of what I am sure is going to be a long night,¡± Arkk said, whispering as he took a flute of amber liquid from a passing dark elf. Elves and orcs stood out easily because of their height. He didn¡¯t see Alya either. ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be time to find her. If it is getting toward the end of the night and still no sign of her¡­ we¡¯ll see what we can do.¡±

    Ilya opened her mouth but didn¡¯t get to speak before a boisterous voice called out. ¡°Arkk! You made it.¡±

    Hawkwood approached with a bright smile. He looked much better than he had the last time Arkk saw the man. There were still hints of fatigue around his eyes. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if he was faking his enthusiasm or if he had genuinely gotten some rest recently. Either way, Arkk put on a smile of his own.

    ¡°Hawkwood.¡±

    ¡°Come, come. We¡¯ve some time before the meal begins. Would you like an introduction to some of the other mercenary leaders around?¡±

    ¡°I think that would be excellent,¡± Arkk said, looking back to the others.

    Dakka was standing a little closer to him than he might have expected, looking like a bodyguard despite her attire. It was her eyes and the way they scanned the room. Not for familiar faces as Ilya had done. Rather, she was on the lookout for threats. Her fingers kept close to her side where she normally kept her axe.

    Zullie, on the other hand, had drifted away and was frowning up at one of the supporting pillars, eyes looking over the ritual circle inscribed in its side. Arkk didn¡¯t see anything special about the magic used for lighting¡ªhe was educated enough to recognize it for what it was now¡ªbut perhaps she noticed something he had missed?

    ¡°I¡¯d like to look around for a minute,¡± Ilya said, taking a step away from Arkk.

    Arkk held out a hand, lightly touching her elbow. ¡°Careful,¡± he whispered. ¡°Remember, if you get in trouble and need help¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m not going to do anything. Just see who I can talk to around here. Maybe some of the other elves.¡±

    Arkk nodded and turned back to Hawkwood with a smile. ¡°Well then, I suppose it is just Dakka and myself.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful. I must say, you¡¯ve been garnering some notoriety,¡± Hawkwood said, walking away while half turned to speak to Arkk. ¡°The current commander of the Order of the Claymores has been asking about you.¡±

    ¡°Uh oh.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ might have poached a few of her people.¡±

    Hawkwood¡¯s grin spread wider. He gave Arkk a hearty clap on his back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Happens all the time. It¡¯ll be fine. No one is here to be enemies.¡±

    ¡°If you say so,¡± Arkk said, not so sure at all about the truth of that statement.

    He was still waiting for the inquisitors to drop down on his head. They or the Duke¡­ Or even Alya herself.

    There was a lot that could go wrong. He just had to smile and hope for the best.

    While planning for the worst.

 The Party, Interrupted

    For all the negativity he had heard with regard to these monthly parties and his own biases against the Duke, Arkk couldn¡¯t say that the party was bad. Strange and alien, yes. Social rituals were being conducted all around him, ones he didn¡¯t quite understand nor could he participate in.

    Arkk, led through the ballroom first by Hawkwood and then by Aron Wolf, bounced from group to group. He barely had time to talk to any of them before being whisked off to be introduced to the next little clique. Zullie, Ilya, and even Dakka were nowhere to be seen. None had alerted him to any problems¡­

    If he were being honest, he wished one of them would have a problem just so that he could disentangle himself from smiling at some old man who was droning on about how well the glassblowing industry had faired this year. Arkk kept up a polite smile, not sure what to say or do. Aron occasionally interjected with his commentary on whatever business ventures he had entered into recently, mostly discussing his plans for Darkwood come spring.

    At its base, the party was a festive feast. Not altogether unlike a good meal after a bountiful harvest back at Langleey. Yet the whole affair was so¡­ subdued. People stood around, talking and making business deals rather than celebrating. This wasn¡¯t exactly a celebration so maybe that was understandable. Still, it just felt off to Arkk. Then there was the food and drink. People drank but not like at a proper feast. They sipped at tall glasses, metering and measuring how much they consumed. The food was slightly less surprising, if only thanks to Hawkwood¡¯s invitation to dinner upon Arkk¡¯s arrival to Cliff. It consisted of a dozen plates of what was effectively samplings of a proper meal, though, as of yet, that proper meal had yet to be served.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Aron said, interrupting his own words. He reached out and patted the old glassblower on the arm. ¡°I¡¯ve spotted Geralt. I simply have to speak with him this evening.¡± He paused and glanced toward Arkk. ¡°Head of a woodworking guild who I¡¯m hoping to court to produce end products,¡± he explained. ¡°Care to meet him?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ very kind of you,¡± Arkk said, trying to avoid looking like he was searching for an escape while still looking for one. If he were being honest, he very much wished that he was still being led around by Hawkwood. At least the man¡¯s mercenary contacts were more¡­ interesting than hearing about trade commissions all evening.

    Thankfully and luckily with perfect timing, someone in the room screamed. A sharp note of surprise, not pain. An instant later, blinding white light reflected off the slanted panes of glass overhead, making Arkk blink for a moment before an entire corner of the room went dark.

    ¡°But I should see what this is all about,¡± he said, moving quickly before Aron had time to protest. It helped that the man¡ªand the other businessmen in this group¡ªwere looking around with obvious shock and surprise, trying to figure out if something dangerous was going on.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t concerned. At least not that the party was under attack. Weaving through pockets of people, he made it to the end of the room just after a small contingent of guards. Judging by the looks on their faces, the guards hadn¡¯t expected anything to go amiss. They probably worked at a ton of these events, all of which went smoothly. Of course, all those events hadn¡¯t had Zullie in attendance.

    ¡°¡ªflimsy filigree! It is no fault of mine that the Duke¡¯s contractors couldn¡¯t build the ritual array to last! I was just looking! I didn¡¯t even touch it.¡±

    ¡°¡ªstaring at it all night! I watched her walk around the column no less than eight times.¡±

    ¡°¡ªtried to make it look like she slipped but she did something when she touched it. There was a flash. I saw it! Everyone saw it!¡±

    A small crowd stood around in the darkened corner of the room, all talking at once. The poor guards were looking back and forth, trying to sort out the stories. It was clear that none of the guards were leader-types as none had taken charge. Figuring it was best to get in before things could degrade, Arkk started forward and froze.

    A tall man broke the barrier formed by the crowd before Arkk could. Hands clasped behind his back and wearing an empty smile, Master Inquisitor Darius Vrox reached the pillar in just a few quick strides of his long legs.

    ¡°Zullie, Zullie, Zullie. How lovely to see you again.¡±

    A change rippled over the crowd. If these people didn¡¯t know who Vrox was, the gleaming silver pin of an eye with a bar through it told them enough. Many onlookers turned, not-so-subtly edging away from the area. If an inquisitor was involved, they didn¡¯t want to look like they might have had anything to do with the problem. Even the guards, while immediately deferring to the inquisitor, shuffled in obvious discomfort.

    Arkk, for his part, remained in the wings, watching to see how the situation played out. If Zullie looked like she was in trouble, he would jump in without hesitation. Until that moment, however, he wanted a better read on the situation. This was the first they had seen of the inquisitors. It had gotten to the point where Arkk figured they just didn¡¯t care. Vrox knew that Zullie worked with Arkk and, by extension, the ¡®being from beyond the stars¡¯ as well. Zullie had even fought against Vrox during the invasion of the false fortress, though she hadn¡¯t played a very focal role.

    How Vrox interacted with Zullie would tell Arkk a great deal about how the inquisitor might treat him. Would a fight break out right here in the middle of the party? Would Vrox act cordial as he had their first few encounters? Was he upset and holding a grudge? Was it just business?

    ¡°Darius,¡± Zullie said, tone cool and with a note of familiarity. ¡°Finally decided to crawl out from under your church to harass a respectable researcher more intelligent than yourself again?¡±

    ¡°I would never describe you as any of those three words,¡± Vrox said, tightening his smile ever so slightly. His eyes flicked up to the top of the pillar, which, Arkk noted, was leaking a bit of smoke. Thankfully, the glass ceiling had panels that could be opened. The room wasn¡¯t filling up. ¡°You overloaded the array. Beginner¡¯s mistake.¡±

    ¡°If someone had designed a proper shunt, it wouldn¡¯t have been possible to overload. Not that I did. I was just looking when the cycling magic overloaded itself.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes. Spontaneous overload. One of your earlier research projects. You wrote a paper on the subject that almost got you laughed out of the academy. A way of excusing your mistakes in array construction, so claimed your peers, with no factual basis in reality. Haven¡¯t heard a word about it in the years since.¡±

    ¡°The context of those essays was overlooked,¡± Zullie snapped, stomping her foot. ¡°Spontaneous overload only occurs in planar arrays that fail to compensate. Not regular ritual circles. Everyone ignored that bit¡­ And I didn¡¯t shut up about it because my ¡®peers¡¯ mocked me.¡± She used her fingers to accentuate the comment. ¡°I dropped the research because you came knocking at my door.¡±

    ¡°I recall that conversation. Early in my career, I was a little more generous. Shouldn¡¯t have let you go free, should I have?¡±

    Zullie shifted, looking a little less confident. She adjusted her glasses in a way that Arkk had come to understand meant uncertainty. ¡°I appreciated it,¡± she hedged.

    ¡°Well¡ª¡±

    ¡°Darius Vrox,¡± Arkk said, deciding to not let his employee suffer any other threats to her life. ¡°How good to see you again.¡±

    ¡°Arkk,¡± the man said, turning. His circular glasses slid down his nose as he looked down from his height. ¡°I heard you were in town,¡± he added, tone as flat as Arkk¡¯s.

    ¡°I¡¯m hurt you didn¡¯t come visit. I was expecting you from the very first day and you never showed.¡±

    ¡°That, Arkk, is exactly why I didn¡¯t come. You¡¯re one of those types who isn¡¯t as clever as you think you are. The difference between you and those incompetents is that you have a frankly absurd degree of luck to fall back on,¡± Vrox said. His smile slipped during the latter part of his comment. Taking a breath, he let it out as a long sigh before smiling once again.

    ¡°I try,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I think I¡¯m getting better.¡±

    ¡°That concerns me.¡± Vrox cast a glance around the room. ¡°You didn¡¯t bring the purifier with you?¡±

    ¡°Agnete said that she isn¡¯t interested in these kinds of things. Even if she was¡­¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to put all these people in danger,¡± Vrox finished, nodding his head.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t need to. I know the purifier. Though not as well as I had thought. I honestly expected you to slip up and leave the Binding Agent aside, opening yourself to incineration. I suppose that was too much to hope for.¡±

    ¡°She isn¡¯t that bad.¡±

    Vrox hummed a note of disagreement.

    ¡°So,¡± Arkk said, eyes flicking down to his shadow just to confirm that it stretched a little too long. With the column in front of him darkened and the rest of the room lit, it reached clear across the space to Vrox. ¡°What now? Fight? Try to arrest us?¡±

    ¡°Unless you¡¯ve come with war in mind, not today, Arkk. Hardly a suitable location for it here, is it? No. I¡¯ve studied your movements and actions for the past several months. You aren¡¯t the type to place unrelated people in danger. I am not either.¡± He shook his head, looking mildly upset despite his words.

    ¡°You sent random people searching through the Cursed Forest.¡±

    ¡°And none were harmed,¡± Vrox said with the worst smile. Like he knew that there had been no danger in the first place. He was right. It still irritated Arkk. ¡°Arresting you would be within the realm of reasonable action. If I thought it would work. I do not believe you would have come here without some trickery or foolhardy plan on how you might extricate yourself.¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    At that, Arkk dipped his head in acknowledgment. That one was true and Arkk didn¡¯t mind admitting it if it was a factor in not trying to arrest him. ¡°So what then? Smile and wave and go our separate ways?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t too late to avoid all conflict. Have you given any further thought to our last discussion?¡±

    Arkk blinked, taking a moment to remember. His first thoughts were of the invasion of the fortress. Aside from panicking over an unleashed Agnete, they hadn¡¯t talked about much during that fight. The last discussion had taken place in Langleey just after he sent Hale and John off to the fortress to keep them out of the inquisitor¡¯s hands.

    ¡°About handing over my companions?¡± Arkk asked with narrowed eyes. ¡°I haven¡¯t spared a single second thinking over such nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Shame.¡± Vrox¡¯s eyes flicked up and over Arkk¡¯s shoulder. Arkk didn¡¯t turn. Although he couldn¡¯t see any eyes lighting up his shadow, he trusted Vezta to have at least some awareness of their surroundings. If someone was sneaking up on him, she would react. ¡°Very well, Arkk. I trust you to not cause issues tonight.¡±

    Trust. An odd way to put it. Arkk doubted he would have trusted Vrox if the man were wandering around Fortress Al-Mir during a party. Nevertheless, Vrox clasped his hands behind his back once again and started away. The guards watched him go, still unsure about what to do with the situation. They had been hoping the inquisitor would definitively resolve it and he clearly had not.

    Arkk took advantage of their uncertainty, rushing forward and taking Zullie by the arm. ¡°What were you doing?¡± he whispered, trying to lead her away. ¡°Blowing up their lights like that?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t. I was just looking. There is something unusual about the lights here. The light isn¡¯t generated normally and it isn¡¯t emitted as a byproduct like what happens with a flame. It is¡­ siphoned from somewhere. Planar magic. Right in the open and on full display.¡±

    Arkk stopped short, glancing back. He had thought he understood the array when he saw it. Granted, he had only looked briefly before his attentions were stolen away by the rest of the party. His studies hadn¡¯t reached a point where he had started learning anything about planar magic, unfortunately. He only knew how to draw out teleportation circles from rote memorization, not from any actual knowledge of the subject.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±

    ¡°It is subtle,¡± Zullie admitted. ¡°But it is there.¡±

    ¡°Where is the light coming from?¡±

    Zullie shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what I was trying to figure out. Could be the other side of the world where the sun is still up. Could be¡­ elsewhere.¡±

    ¡°Is it dangerous?¡±

    ¡°How am I supposed to know that? I don¡¯t even know where it is coming from. Unless it is brand new, other parties have been held here and nobody has¡ª¡±

    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± a deep voice bellowed in anger.

    Arkk hid the grimace that appeared on his face as fast as it came. He wished for a moment that he hadn¡¯t stopped to look back at the column. It was a silly wish. The guards wouldn¡¯t have taken any time to track him down if he stayed at the party.

    Now, he had to deal with the main man.

    Arkk had never before met¡ªor even seen¡ªthe Duke Levi Woldair. That didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t recognize the man before him instantly. He had heard from Ilya, from Aron Wolf, and from Hawkwood what the man was like and how he looked.

    With bloated cheeks, a round belly, and eyes a smidge too large for his face, the man looked like a toad. A toad dressed in a flashy red and black suit with thick lapels. Golden thread adorned the hems of his suit jacket, the legs of his pants, and even the ruffled ascot tucked down his front. More gold bands wrapped around each of the man¡¯s thick fingers. Enough to buy a small room back at Fortress Al-Mir.

    But Arkk¡¯s eyes lingered on the red-faced man for only a moment. The figure behind him, standing tall with an uncomfortably familiar ethereal grace, stole his attention. Her long hair flowed behind her, draped over her bare shoulders above her light gray dress. There was no doubt about her identity. If there had been, the way her sharp silver eyes flicked over Arkk, Zullie, and the pillar would have removed any uncertainty. It was the same look Arkk had seen a million times while Ilya was out tracking down game.

    Although, when she looked at him, Arkk failed to see any familiar recognition in Alya¡¯s eyes. He supposed that made sense. It had been fifteen years since she last saw him. He had been a boy. A peasant at that, off in some backwater village that most of the Kingdom had likely never heard about. Now, he wore fine clothes and stood with dignity among those who would have passed him by with an upturned nose before.

    Hopefully, the back of his neck wasn¡¯t quite so sun-worn now.

    ¡°Duke Woldair,¡± Arkk started, forcing his eyes off Alya before she realized how much he was staring. ¡°Pleasure to finally make¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± the man interrupted, face turning shades of purple that couldn¡¯t be healthy. ¡°What happened?¡± he said through grit teeth. It wasn¡¯t too surprising given what Arkk knew about the man. He valued appearances and wealth. Having a whole corner of his ballroom plunged into darkness with smoke billowing out from the skylight wasn¡¯t the best look.

    And Arkk didn¡¯t quite know how to answer him. So he looked to Zullie.

    The witch rolled her eyes before donning the fakest smile Arkk had ever seen. ¡°I¡¯m a magical researcher with Company Al-Mir. While enjoying your fine festivities, I started hearing a fizzling noise. A sure sound of improperly vented magical circles. Following my ears, I found the source to be the lighting ritual here,¡± she said, motioning back toward the pillar. ¡°I began a cursory examination. Following the Keppler array and applying Ragnold¡¯s transvector theorem, I deduced the problem as a violation of Leibniz archaeo-ingnem horaspace directional slipstream. Unfortunately, before I could figure out a way to properly vent the system of excess magical energy¡­ well¡­¡± Zullie glanced up, looking and sounding genuinely sorry.

    Arkk just stared at her. He had only been properly studying magic for a few months now and only between all his other tasks. Still, he was fairly certain that he should have heard of at least one of those things she mentioned. He hadn¡¯t. Had she made it all up? Arkk honestly could not tell.

    At least the Duke looked less angry and more confused. He clearly had even less of a background in magical studies than Arkk did. ¡°This room was built in my grandfather¡¯s time and has never had a problem.¡±

    ¡°Not surprising,¡± Zullie answered instantly. ¡°An issue like this is only apparent if the one activating the array has a drastically above-average capacity for magic. Fairly rare. Was someone new in charge of turning on the lights this evening?¡±

    Woldair shared a look with Alya. It was clear that neither knew. Arkk doubted that the Duke involved himself in what was likely the duties of the lowest servants. Arkk wasn¡¯t exactly sure what role Alya played. From what he had heard, she had served as some kind of advisor for the last five years or so. Managing servants was probably not among her duties either.

    After frowning up at the thin layer of smoke that wasn¡¯t quite venting out the open windows fast enough, the Duke looked back to the main entrance and made a swift motion with his hand. One of the finely dressed men announcing incoming guests hurried over.

    ¡°Majordomo,¡± the Duke said, sounding far more reasonable now that he wasn¡¯t apoplectic. ¡°Have tables set up in the throne room. Have the guests head to the entrance hall for the time being. We can¡¯t carry on here.¡±

    The servant nodded without a word, turned, and made a few hand motions of his own that gathered a few other servants to his side. They quickly left, departing the room while others began ushering the guests out. Arkk noted Dakka among the first few out the door, talking with what was likely the only other orc in the room.

    ¡°Company Al-Mir, you said? I appreciate your efforts at preventing this, even if they failed,¡± the Duke said, clearly skeptical still. Perhaps he just didn¡¯t want to make more of a scene. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you. Got the mines of Silver City running again?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± Arkk said, hoping his smile didn¡¯t look too forced. Being recognized startled him somewhat. Given that their invitation had been forged, this was the moment when everything might crash down around them.

    ¡°A good metal,¡± the Duke said, nodding his head. Or maybe not. As with the lighting arrangements, the Duke didn¡¯t send out invitations himself. ¡°Not my favorite. It tarnishes too quickly.¡±

    Arkk just kept his smile, not sure what to say to that. Eyes flicking down to the rings on the Duke¡¯s fingers, he had a feeling he knew what metal was his favorite.

    ¡°I heard you turned down the reward.¡±

    ¡°The city looked like it needed all the help it could get. Taking what little they had wouldn¡¯t have helped.¡±

    ¡°A man should be entitled to the fruits of his efforts,¡± the Duke said.

    ¡°In that, we agree completely,¡± Arkk said, trying to keep anything unpleasant out of his voice. Hoping he hadn¡¯t slipped up, he quickly added on, ¡°It was really no effort at all. I just asked the gorgon to move somewhere a little less disruptive.¡±

    ¡°If that was all,¡± the Duke said, relaxing even more than before. He stepped forward with a smile slowly forming on his face, making him look even more like a toad. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m upset that you didn¡¯t take my silver.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s eyebrow twitched as Woldair laughed and clapped a hand on his arm.

    ¡°That isn¡¯t the first reward you turned down for a job well done if I remember right. Keep that up and you¡¯ll go far indeed. Some of these mercenaries are greedy beyond belief.¡±

    Arkk doubted any mercenary company could turn down rewards while still paying their men. Fortress Al-Mir was a bit special in that regard.

    ¡°Arkk was it?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir. Leader of Company Al-Mir. This is Zullie, my chief magical researcher. My field commander, Dakka, just got swept out into the hall with some of the other guests.¡± Arkk paused, turning slightly. ¡°My second in command is standing just over there.¡±

    Through his employee link, Arkk could see exactly where Ilya was and the conflicted, hesitant expression on her face as she watched the goings on.

    The Duke turned to follow his gaze. Alya did as well. The Duke¡¯s eyes took on a far more disgusting look as he mumbled something about ¡°A man after my own heart.¡± Arkk had nothing polite to say about that and kept his mouth firmly shut.

    Alya, on the other hand, drew in a sharp breath of air. She hadn¡¯t reacted upon seeing him or even hearing his name. If the Duke knew this much about him, she had probably heard it before. It was very likely that she hadn¡¯t thought he was the same Arkk that she had helped raise for a little under a decade. Arkk doubted he was the only one with his name in the whole Duchy let alone the greater Kingdom.

    Seeing Ilya standing off to the side, however, dispelled any notions that he was someone else. She placed a hand on her chest, wrinkling her dress as she stared at Ilya. Through obvious force of will, she managed to look back to Arkk with renewed interest, looking him up and down with nostalgia in her eyes.

    ¡°Arkk?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± the Duke started before Arkk could say a word. ¡°My vizier, Alya.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve¡­ heard of her. Though she is nothing like I imagined.¡± Namely, a slave chained to a dungeon wall, not someone high in the Duke¡¯s confidence.

    ¡°Exotic and beautiful,¡± the Duke said, nodding his head in total agreement with nothing Arkk meant. ¡°I have a taste for good¡­ people,¡± he added with a wink.

    ¡°People¡­¡± Arkk said with an ill feeling in his stomach. He shook his head and smiled once again. ¡°Does she ever write home to her family?¡±

    Woldair propped an eyebrow up, not quite understanding. Alya, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes.

    ¡°Ilya, my second in command over there, worries a lot about her family. She frets and fears the worst. Just a few months ago, she made her way back home only to find out that the place had been raided by slavers. The poor woman was beside herself, thinking her entire family were slaves, sold off to the most deplorable sorts for reasons nobody wanted to think about.¡±

    ¡°The Duchy condemns slavery,¡± the Duke said, frowning as he started looking around.

    ¡°Oh yes, officially. Rogue elements still operate between burgs. Company Al-Mir just took out a large slavery operation near Moonshine Burg.¡±

    ¡°Terrible business¡­¡±

    ¡°Indeed. But just imagine poor Ilya¡¯s surprise when she found out that one of her family wasn¡¯t sold off at all but was leading those slavers.¡±

    ¡°Arkk¡­¡± Alya said, fully frowning now. ¡°You don¡¯t understand¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh? I don¡¯t, do I?¡± Arkk asked, anger rising. ¡°I was there, seeing everything with my own eyes. Saw Ilya¡¯s mother cavorting with¡ª¡±

    ¡°Arkk!¡±

    Arkk clamped his jaw shut, looking to where Ilya was hurrying over.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± she said, voice cracking. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±

    Arkk disagreed. Fifteen years, they thought Alya was some slave to the Duke, taken against her will. Yet here she was, standing tall next to the Duke. He didn¡¯t know the dynamics of the situation exactly but he was willing to bet that she was one of the more powerful people in the Duchy in terms of politics. Vizier? And she couldn¡¯t even write a letter to her daughter?

    But he didn¡¯t open his mouth again. He was fairly certain that, despite speaking obtusely, he was going to be thrown out of the party if he kept talking. If not by the Duke, then by Alya. So, after lightly resting a hand on Ilya¡¯s shoulder, he stepped back.

    ¡°Ilya,¡± Alya said, word careful and guarded.

    ¡°Hello, mother.¡±

 The Party, Intercepted

    Arkk stood alone in a side hallway of the Duke¡¯s manor. He wasn¡¯t sure that he was supposed to be off on his own. In all the commotion of moving the guests around, no one had stopped him and right now, he just didn¡¯t care.

    Something about seeing Alya standing there behind the Duke ticked him off. He hadn¡¯t meant to lash out. From Ilya¡¯s account of their first visit to Cliff and the various people who had given him information on the Duke¡¯s advisor, he knew that she wasn¡¯t being held against her will. He thought he had been prepared to maintain a calm fa?ade, carrying on the charade that was Company Al-Mir. Instead, he had lashed out, all but shouting at her for up and leaving without a word.

    It was from seeing her. The way she stood behind the Duke like she was as trusted to that man as Ilya was to Arkk. Her clothing, a flowing dress with silk so fine that Arkk doubted anyone from Langleey had seen anything comparable. The dignified posture and slight smile on her face before she realized who he was¡­

    All of it just stirred something inside him.

    When he had left, Ilya had been talking to Alya. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what excuses Alya was coming up with but he hadn¡¯t wanted to hear them. He made his excuses to the Duke and slipped away before he could say something he would end up regretting.

    This party had been a bad idea. Not because it was a trap or because Vrox was present¡ªthough he wasn¡¯t quite ruling that out yet despite Vrox¡¯s words to the contrary¡ªbut just because this¡­ everything disgusted Arkk. This party. The elites of society meandered about, feasting and celebrating nothing but themselves while, just a jaunt down the harbor, half the city lived in squalor. Non-humans were treated like trash while an elf ran about with such a fancy title as Vizier. The villages outside the city limits weren¡¯t in much of a better state. High taxes forced villages like Langleey to overfarm, leaving little room for anything else, both physically and temporally.

    On his first visit to the city, he hadn¡¯t paid all that much attention. Fortress Al-Mir had been brand new at the time and he had other problems on his hands. The Duke living large and the people living small had just been how the world worked ever since he had been able to understand it. Maybe he could have done something then but he hadn¡¯t been in the right mindset.

    There was nothing that could be done about all those problems. He was a regular guy, not someone with the power and influence of the Duke. He couldn¡¯t make large, sweeping changes that might affect thousands or tens of thousands.

    He had been thinking too small.

    Now, months down the line, he had stretched Fortress Al-Mir. Taken it out for a walk. He had defended villages, persuaded hostile beastmen to join his cause, defeated a contingent of inquisitors, and ridded the world of a blight of slavers. For the majority of those, he hadn¡¯t even been in the vicinity of the actual fortress.

    Early on, he had mentioned overthrowing the Duke to Vezta. He had been serious but he hadn¡¯t really seen a way to do it, even with the supposed offerings Fortress Al-Mir could provide.

    Now?

    He was wondering why he had let the issue lie for months.

    Not really. Obviously, there were issues. The number one of those being simple numbers. Twenty orcs, a few specialists, and, now, fresh recruits who might not even stick around if he started a war, wouldn¡¯t be enough to take on armies. Even if he could somehow lure the armies to the fortress, the numbers alone would overwhelm him.

    Although surely not his intention, Edvin¡¯s actions that caused the recruitment spike might have been worth more than Arkk initially thought. Non-humans would likely jump at the chance to overthrow the Duke. Even humans, although treated better, might still be interested. Especially if they came from the most heavily taxed villages in the Duchy.

    Then there were the promised allies from the Underworld.

    He wouldn¡¯t quite know what he had access to¡ªor why people from an entirely different plane of reality might come to join him in a crusade unrelated to their current existence¡ªuntil he completed the ritual. All he knew was what Vezta had told him. There would be magical beings interested in traversing the boundaries between worlds. They would likely wish to undo the Calamity as well, aligning themselves with that goal at the very least. As magical beings, they would require the support of the Heart to survive here. At least until the Calamity was reverted and magic could flow freely.

    That was the real trick of it. Making sure everyone¡¯s goals aligned.

    The orcs would probably agree to anything. Theoretically, they didn¡¯t have a choice if they didn¡¯t want to be handed over to the Duke¡¯s men given their raider pasts but¡­ Arkk wasn¡¯t quite so willing to hold that over their heads at this point. They had been through too much together. Arkk was fairly confident that they were entirely for a good¡ªor at least successful¡ªfight no matter who their opponents were.

    The gorgon would be harder to convince. Arkk had enticed them to Fortress Al-Mir with promises of safety and security from an invading army. While a few of them were willing to help out with things like the slavers, he wasn¡¯t sure how they might react to more. It would be something to think about and feel out a bit with Khan and Zharja.

    Savren was a criminal and didn¡¯t have a choice. Unlike the orcs¡­ Arkk didn¡¯t particularly like the man. Or perhaps it was easier to say that the man wasn¡¯t a very likable person. Zullie, on the other hand, might have qualms. At the same time, if Arkk ended up fighting off the inquisitors and the Abbey of the Light as a whole, the freedom to research whatever she wanted would be an enticing reward for helping out.

    As for the thieves, Arkk wondered if he could drag them into this. Lexa had jumped at the idea of riches. A gold piece a month was enough to buy her loyalty. At least for the moment. Would others jump at the opportunity¡ª

    ¡°Master.¡±

    Plots and plans flew from Arkk¡¯s mind as his bones leaped out of his skin. The familiar yet completely unexpected voice of Vezta at his back had his heart hammering in his chest. He turned, hand over his heart, expecting to find the servant standing in the otherwise deserted corridor. Instead, he found a stalk of oily, violet-hued flesh sticking out of an oily shadow that didn¡¯t quite fit with the lighting in the hallway. An uncannily humanoid mouth topped the stalk, aimed in his direction.

    For as used to Vezta as Arkk had grown, she really had a way of unsettling him every now and then.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to disturb you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Too late,¡± Arkk grumbled, looking around. He didn¡¯t think Vezta would do this if anyone could see. It still felt dangerous.

    ¡°But,¡± she continued, undaunted. ¡°I must inform you that I smell bodily fluids.¡±

    Arkk frowned. He didn¡¯t think she had startled him that much. Taking a whiff of the air, he wrinkled his nose. The fetid stench of a latrine filled his nostrils. Beyond the rank scent, a metallic undercurrent stung his senses. A familiar scent, both from his days as a hunter and his more recent job as a mercenary leader.

    Blood.

    ¡°I smell it too,¡± he said, wondering how distracted he must have been to have missed it. ¡°Hide again. We don¡¯t know how many of the walls here have eyes.¡±

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    Whatever corridor he found himself in appeared deserted, that didn¡¯t mean it actually was.

    It was a servant¡¯s hall, he assumed, something they used to travel around the manor unseen. It was far too narrow for a man like the Duke. Not in the sense that he was overweight, merely that his status inflated him beyond the need to travel through a poorly lit, cramped corridor. Arkk hadn¡¯t been traveling through it. He was pacing back and forth as he worked out his mental frustrations over the situation.

    Having delved so deeply into his thoughts, he wasn¡¯t sure which direction to head nor which of the many doors along the walls would get him back to the party and the guards who would surely want to know about this.

    That scent grew stronger as he picked a direction at random, forcing him to pull the corner of cloth from his breast pocket to hold over his mouth. It probably meant that he was heading the wrong way. Just as he was about to turn around, he spotted a door ajar not far ahead. Curiosity got the better of him and he approached, peeking inside.

    Dim, worn glowstones embedded in the ceiling provided enough light to see by. It was some kind of storage room. Large tarps wrapped around old, unused furniture. Chairs were stacked up along one wall and a table with its legs removed sat against another. Shelves, boxes, and a tall armoire littered the rest of the room.

    The armoire drew Arkk¡¯s attention. It was hard not to, what with the arm dangling from its partially opened wardrobe door. The strong stench of a fresh latrine was coming from it as well. Stepping into the storage room, Arkk pulled open the armoire¡¯s door.

    A filth-covered man slumped out of the closet, falling to the ground hard enough to make Arkk wince. Not that the man felt a thing. His throat had been slit, leaving lifeless eyes staring up at Arkk.

    Arkk wondered if he should have been more repulsed or panicked at seeing a dead body. As a hunter, he had seen his fair share of dead animals. Humans, however, should have been unnerving. Yet this was probably the hundredth body he had seen in the past month alone. Rather than disturbed, Arkk found himself more curious about why the body was entirely naked.

    It was fresh. He could tell that much from experience, even if he wasn¡¯t an expert. Within the last hour, he guessed. What had happened? A lover¡¯s tryst gone wrong? That would explain the lack of attire. Except clothes would have been scattered about unless the man and his lover had traveled through the halls in the nude. There were no clothes anywhere in sight. Not to mention, a tryst going wrong feels like it would have been more of an impulsive kill. The surgical slash across the man¡¯s neck looked far too¡­ steady. Planned or, at least, practiced.

    In fact, the slit across the man¡¯s throat brought up memories of how Lexa had dispatched the slaver beastmasters.

    He quickly checked on his stealthy employee, making sure that she wasn¡¯t somewhere nearby. To Arkk¡¯s relief, he found her in a tavern somewhere, casually lifting a coin purse off a man who was distracted by conversation with Edvin.

    He¡­ probably should have a chat with them about that later.

    Shaking his head, Arkk backed away from the body. Guards could figure out why and how the man died. Being caught standing over it wouldn¡¯t be a good look.

    Turning, Arkk froze with a cold sweat dripping down his back.

    Master Inquisitor Darius Vrox stood tall in the doorway, watching the situation with no sign of his vapid smile anywhere to be seen. ¡°You didn¡¯t think I would let you slip off on your own, did you?¡±

    Arkk clenched his jaw, staring up at the tall man. ¡°I had nothing¡ª¡±

    ¡°Relax, Arkk,¡± Vrox said, tone serious as he swept into the room. Arkk tensed, doubly so as his shadow started roiling. However, Vrox merely stopped at his side, looking down at the body with a frown. ¡°Not only was I following you, I told you that I studied you,¡± he said as he crouched down. He grasped the body¡¯s head by the hair, looking at the man¡¯s face before moving on to one of the man¡¯s hands. ¡°Murdering a random servant isn¡¯t in my profile of you. Regardless of our¡­ disagreements, you didn¡¯t kill this man.¡±

    Arkk let out a small breath. That¡­ was good, right? Vrox could have used the situation to arrest him, he was sure. But instead, the man was inspecting the body.

    ¡°Servant?¡±

    ¡°His hair isn¡¯t styled in the manner of the wealthy. It is grimy and unclean. Could be a guard but his hands aren¡¯t calloused like those of someone who trains in martial combat.¡±

    Arkk frowned down at the body. Hawkwood, during his first encounter with White Company¡¯s leader, had pulled a similar trick, identifying Arkk as a peasant who recently came into wealth as easily as Arkk could spot the difference between a cow and a dog.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen kills like this before,¡± Arkk said, making a snap decision to assist Vrox. Not only would it hopefully keep Vrox from changing his mind about trying to have him arrested, a rather selfish aim, but it would hopefully help bring some solace to the man¡¯s family if justice was done. Disgust with the Duke aside, the Duke¡¯s household staff were probably innocent. ¡°Professional, clean cut.¡±

    ¡°As have I,¡± Vrox said, looking up to the armoire. ¡°The body was sloppily hidden.¡±

    ¡°Bodies are heavy,¡± Arkk said, again from experience. ¡°Picking it up off the ground to shove into the armoire¡¯s closet would have been a good amount of work for someone. Especially if they were in a hurry or¡­¡± Arkk blinked twice. ¡°Or didn¡¯t need it to be hidden for long. His clothes are missing. A servant¡¯s clothes are missing.¡±

    If this wasn¡¯t a tryst gone wrong¡­ if this was fully planned by someone who knew what they were doing¡­

    ¡°Assassin,¡± Vrox said, standing abruptly.

    It would have been easy. Slip in during a crowded night and take a servant¡¯s clothes. How many people knew the faces of every servant? The Duke and Alya didn¡¯t, that much Arkk already knew from their reactions to the tall tale Zullie had spun. The majordomo might have known. Maybe a few other servants. In all the commotion of the evening, especially after all the guests had to move across the manor¡­

    Arkk blinked in realization. Zullie had said that she hadn¡¯t touched the lights. Even when Vrox had left and before the Duke arrived, she had said that it wasn¡¯t her. He had thought she was just covering for herself but there was no need to lie to him. He wouldn¡¯t care if she blew up the Duke¡¯s manor. He might even give her a bonus.

    ¡°Zullie wasn¡¯t lying about it not being her.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°The lights. They blew up. It wasn¡¯t Zullie. She was telling the truth about the overload.¡±

    Vrox¡¯s eyes widened behind his glasses ever so slightly. ¡°To get the guests to move. They must have needed a different room for some reason.¡± He turned toward the door but paused. ¡°Why do you sound so surprised about her words?¡±

    ¡°Did you believe her when she said it wasn¡¯t her?¡±

    Vrox considered then shook his head.

    Arkk just shrugged. ¡°Same.¡±

    Vrox didn¡¯t say a word in response. He turned back to the hall. Arkk, figuring he knew which way to get back to the party, hurried alongside him.

    ¡°I trust you, Arkk.¡±

    Arkk blinked at the sudden vote of confidence. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Let me rephrase,¡± Vrox said without a pause in his steps. ¡°I trust in my profile of you, Arkk. All of your actions demonstrate a need to help those less fortunate than you, those who find themselves in danger, and those whom you have personally impacted. You play the role of an idealistic hero. Do not betray that trust.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t betray the¡­ trust you have in your profile.¡±

    Vrox half-turned his head, a vacant smile in place. ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it.¡±

    Arkk disagreed. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how Vrox could say that he trusted him even in such a roundabout way. If a fight broke out, Arkk doubted he could ever trust Vrox at his back. Even if they had a common enemy, he could just imagine that man waiting for the opportune moment to slip a dagger into his back. But then, perhaps that was just what the inquisitor was saying. Arkk didn¡¯t think he was the kind of person to do that. At least not to Vrox. Assault on the fortress aside, they really hadn¡¯t had poor interactions. Disagreements, as Vrox had put it, but nothing overtly hostile. Even the assault was the inquisitor carrying out his misguided duty to either rid the world of Vezta or control her.

    Vrox paused in front of a door near the end of the corridor, hand on the handle. ¡°Act as naturally as possible. If our assassin realizes that he has been discovered, he may take drastic and catastrophic action.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Vrox threw open the door and immediately clamped a firm hand around Arkk¡¯s shoulder. A spike of panic shot through Arkk, fearing he had been lulled into a false sense of security. That panic faded as he realized this was natural. The inquisitor ushered him into the large throne room where most of the guests had assembled.

    That firm hand stayed on Arkk¡¯s shoulder until they walked a few paces from the walls. Vrox didn¡¯t handle him roughly. Sternly, yes. Arkk doubted his suit would even be wrinkled.

    ¡°Leave the gathering again at your own peril,¡± Vrox said, tone harsh.

    ¡°Just got lost,¡± Arkk grumbled, catching on quickly. ¡°I clearly don¡¯t know my way around as well as you. I¡¯m surprised the Abbey sends you here often enough that you¡¯ve learned its layout.¡±

    ¡°My duties carry me to a great many places. Some pleasant, some I¡¯d rather not visit if at all possible.¡±

    Arkk raised an eyebrow, wondering what the inquisitor was referring to. The Duke¡¯s party? Or maybe the fortress? Or maybe they were just empty words for the charade they were putting on. Whatever the case, Vrox didn¡¯t elaborate. He let go of Arkk¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking out for anything suspicious,¡± he said, making deliberate eye contact. ¡°This is your only warning.¡± Without waiting for Arkk to respond, he turned away, scanning the room once before making his way through the nearby onlookers.

    Arkk shuffled his shoulders, straightening out his suit. A good dozen people, some of whom he had been introduced to even if he failed to recall their names, were watching him with expressions ranging from disapproval to moderated curiosity. Arkk didn¡¯t find himself all that concerned with their stares. It was hard to feel self-conscious at the moment.

    Not while there was an assassin somewhere in the crowd.

 The Party, Interloper

    While trying to look mildly embarrassed over how the inquisitor admonished him, Arkk looked over the room. His eyes skipped over the gaudily dressed nobles, wealthy merchants, and mercenaries, focusing instead between them, on the servants that otherwise went unnoticed.

    There were two kinds of servants at the party. The entertainment, mostly made up of non-humans showing off their bodies, dressed similarly to what Dakka had ended up wearing. The attendants, on the other hand, moved about in fine clothes that were nonetheless designed not to attract attention as they brought food and drink to guests, set up tables and chairs, and otherwise attended to the partygoers. They were predominantly human, though Arkk did spot a few elves among their number.

    The body had been human. That didn¡¯t exclude that he had been part of the entertainment but Arkk felt it was far more likely that the assassin had taken on the guise of an attendant. It would have been less notable.

    Did one look suspicious?

    The one shaking so much that the glasses on his tray rattled? The bald one handing out wine glasses? The one Dakka had up against a wall, stealing every one of the miniature snacks from his tray? Or maybe the one standing at one end of the room, hands behind his back as he looked over the guests for someone who needed attending?

    There were only two dozen but that was too many for Arkk to guess at from looks alone. If he went up and inspected the hands of every one of them, he might have been able to pull the same trick as Hawkwood and Vrox. From hair and posture, Arkk couldn¡¯t point out anyone in particular. Which was probably intentional. If he had come here intending to steal a disguise, he would have done his best to figure out how to appear so as to not draw attention.

    Vrox didn¡¯t look like he was trying to find the assassin. He moved, as casually as he could, through the guests. The throne room, while large enough to fit half of Langleey¡¯s buildings, wasn¡¯t as large as the ballroom, leaving far less space between the little cliques that formed among the guests. The Duke, sitting at the overly opulent throne, was at the far end of the room. Alya and Ilya weren¡¯t far away from him, talking quietly off to one side of the hall at the far end. Ilya looked like she had either just gotten over crying or was just about to start. Alya didn¡¯t look upset in the slightest. Pained, maybe, likely at having to come up with excuses instead of enjoying the extravagant food.

    Arkk shook his head, trying to shove his irritation aside before his eyes started to glow. In doing so, he caught sight of Zullie, glowering at the crowd from where she leaned against one wall not far from a hefty winch that was connected to one of the great chandeliers. She was probably upset at the lack of strange magic to investigate. This room was lit by a series of grand chandeliers, topped with an array of amber glowstones. While the intensity at which they glowed indicated extremely high-quality stones, they were a far more mundane solution compared with illegal magic siphoning light from somewhere else.

    Zullie met his gaze. Something must have shown on his face. She narrowed her eyes and started looking around, clearly aware that all was not as well as it seemed.

    Sighing, Arkk tried to massage away any stress, rubbing the sides of his temples. It wouldn¡¯t be good if he gave everything away. This wasn¡¯t his battle anyway. There were guards here. Vrox was handling things.

    In fact, should he even try to stop the assassin? The obvious target was the Duke. Hadn¡¯t he just been ranting to himself about the Duke? Now someone was here, ready to do his job for him. Or close enough.

    Actually¡­ If the Duke did get assassinated, thus removing that problem from Arkk¡¯s back, and then he swooped in to apprehend the assassin after the fact¡­ He could go to the state funeral, shed some tears, but come away smelling like a proper hero for having caught the Duke¡¯s killer.

    ¡°Everything alright there, Arkk?¡±

    Arkk lowered his hands, giving a mild smile to Hawkwood. ¡°Got turned around on the way to the latrine. Luckily, I bumped into the Master Inquisitor. He helped me find my way back.¡±

    The look Hawkwood gave him was one of utter disbelief. ¡°Few people would say that they were lucky to bump into any inquisitor. You least of all. Hasn¡¯t the inquisition been¡­ interested in you?¡±

    Arkk quirked an eyebrow. ¡°You heard about that?¡±

    ¡°Put out the word with a few of White Company¡¯s branches to keep an eye on your advancements. It isn¡¯t every day I get to mentor an up-and-coming company, let alone one that has risen to such prominence so quickly,¡± he said with a laugh.

    Arkk glanced away from Hawkwood. The inquisitor, tall as an elf, was easy to spot as he made his way toward the Duke. He wasn¡¯t taking a direct path, likely not wanting to agitate the assassin. He even paused to talk to someone for a few words.

    ¡°He isn¡¯t that bad,¡± Arkk said eventually. ¡°Just doing his job. We¡¯ve had some disagreements but¡­ I guess, as a person, I don¡¯t find him all that disagreeable.¡±

    Hawkwood¡¯s bushy mustache ruffled as he let out a softer laugh. ¡°That wasn¡¯t even a proper compliment and it still sounded like torture to get it out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m going to invite him to any parties I might hold in the future. Just that he isn¡¯t the manic fanatic I expected from someone with the title of Master Inquisitor. He¡¯s just doing his job.¡±

    Hawkwood chuckled, clapping Arkk on the shoulder. ¡°Any more of these backhanded compliments and I¡¯m going to start worrying that I need to watch my back for angry inquisitors. Come. Since we¡¯ve moved rooms, it seems the meal has been delayed. We¡¯ve some time to kill. Did I introduce you to Victor Vector? Head of Sanctuary, a company that specializes in smaller-scale combat much like your own.¡±

    Arkk felt his smile start to strain. He had been introduced to so many people between Hawkwood¡¯s mercenary contacts and Wolf¡¯s trade partners that he honestly had no idea whether or not this Victor had been included.

    More than that, Hawkwood¡¯s comment made Arkk reconsider the situation at large. They had moved rooms. While Arkk believed in coincidence, a lighting array going wrong for the first time in decades on the same night that an assassin was prowling the halls seemed unlikely. Why force the move? Was it something about the meal, delaying it to buy time to poison it, perhaps?

    If the meal was poisoned, letting the assassin continue could lead to a lot more people getting hurt than just the Duke.

    But if it was poisoned, the assassin might not even be here. They would be in the kitchens.

    Were there other reasons for wanting the room to be swapped? Having a trap prepared in advance made the most sense. Perhaps a deadly magical circle hidden underneath the Duke¡¯s throne. Underneath this room might be some cellar filled with explosives. The possibilities could easily spiral out of control. There were too many unknowns. Was the Duke even the target? There were a number of wealthy and powerful people here, all of whom likely had more than their fair share of enemies.

    Even Arkk had probably stepped on a few toes despite Company Al-Mir only existing for a few months. If those slavers had any friends angry at their elimination, he could have a huge target on his back. The Pious of the Golden Order came to mind as well, even if none had acted against him at Moonshine Burg.

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    ¡°Something else wrong?¡± Hawkwood said, staring at him for a short moment.

    Arkk flashed a quick smile. ¡°No,¡± he lied. A bald servant was distributing tall glasses of amber liquid just a few paces away. He couldn¡¯t say anything now even if Hawkwood was the best person he knew who might be able to help with the situation. ¡°Just thinking about business. I honestly can¡¯t say that these kinds of parties are for me. I think I prefer mercenary work.¡±

    ¡°I understand that completely,¡± Hawkwood said with a firm nod of his head. ¡°But these kinds of things can be nice changes of pace. A field of roses might be astonishingly beautiful with the most wonderful fragrance but that won¡¯t stop you from getting sick of it after staring at it for years. Sometimes you have to step through a patch of blighted fungus just to remind yourself of the splendor.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ certainly is a metaphor,¡± Arkk said slowly, earning another hearty laugh from Hawkwood.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Vrox finally making it to the Duke. The moment he leaned down to whisper into the Duke¡¯s ear, a cry ran through the crowd. Arkk tensed, spells tingling at the tip of his tongue. His shadow curled around him with no glowing suns shining from within but ready to act nonetheless.

    Vrox moved as well. From across the room, Arkk couldn¡¯t hear his words. It was clear he managed a spell. A barrier, much like the one Zullie had demonstrated during Arkk¡¯s first encounter with the witch, formed around Vrox and the Duke well before Arkk could have managed the same elongated spell.

    But the cry hadn¡¯t come from near the throne. Distress and alarm rippled through the crowd not far from where Dakka stood halfway through the long room. The crowd swayed and parted just enough for Arkk to see a man on the ground with a pool of blood slowly spreading out from him. Dakka had left the servant she had been harassing, clearly on the lookout for what went wrong. A contingent of guards were quickly making their way to the commotion.

    But Arkk found himself scowling. Everyone was staring at the body, backing away like it was the problem. Who had done it? Had nobody seen? Arkk looked away, scanning the crowd again. Vrox, hidden behind the opaque barrier, would be useless here. Even with a body on the floor, Arkk was the only one who knew there was an assassin around.

    It didn¡¯t take long to spot something amiss. A man moving between the guests headed away from the body and toward the throne. No one seemed to notice him. They were too focused on the commotion to notice the servant slipping between them with steps far too sure considering the situation.

    For a long moment, Arkk just watched as the bald man stepped with confidence toward the throne. Morbid curiosity held his hand. What was the man¡¯s plan? Did he know what Zullie¡¯s spell did? How was he going to get past it and Vrox? Vrox and the few guards that had gathered around Vrox¡¯s barrier.

    Arkk stepped forward, wanting to see what this assassin planned, only to be held back by a tight grip around his arm.

    Licking his lips, Arkk half turned his head without taking his eyes off the bald man. ¡°There¡¯s a man,¡± he started to whisper toward Hawkwood. ¡°I think¡ª¡±

    A sharp gasp of air cut Arkk off. Arkk¡¯s eyes widened as he tore his gaze off the bald man. Hawkwood¡¯s face, contorted and twisted in surprise and pain, slackened quickly. The grip on Arkk¡¯s arm loosened as the man slumped forward, falling flat on the ground with a long handle sticking out from his back.

    Half-pulled to the ground by the falling Hawkwood, Arkk caught sight of a servant¡¯s shoes retreating through the crowd that had been around him and Hawkwood. There was more than one assassin? Already, more cries rang through the room. Some around Arkk. Others, more distant. Other attacks? Or people finally realizing that there was genuine danger nearby?

    Arkk threw one last look after the bald man making his way toward the far end of the room, lips pressed together. ¡°Assassins!¡± he called out. ¡°Dressed as servants!¡± The bald man heard, changing directions as he did. So did others. Arkk didn¡¯t chase after the man himself. He had done his part. If the assassin wanted to kill the Duke, it wasn¡¯t Arkk¡¯s job to protect the man.

    Hawkwood, on the other hand, was a friend and mentor. Ducking down, Arkk looked over the mercenary leader with a heavy frown on his face. A dagger jutted out from the man¡¯s back. Blood was quickly soaking into the man¡¯s silk suit.

    Focusing a hand over Hawkwood¡¯s back, Arkk took a breath, visualized hands knitting a sweater, and spoke. ¡°Tenun bebarengan otot lan daging lan balung, gabungke rong bagean sing kapisah kanggo nggawe siji wutuh.¡±

    With his free hand, Arkk grasped the hilt of the weapon left in Hawkwood¡¯s back and swiftly pulled it out. It was a long, needle-like dagger. Jutting under the man¡¯s ribcage at an angle, it could have easily pierced a kidney, lung, and even his heart all in one go. Not the kind of angle an amateur attacker would be able to pull off, especially while remaining unseen despite the distraction the other attack had caused.

    The Flesh Weaving spell wasn¡¯t meant for such deep wounds. It would work, but it forced Arkk to close his eyes and concentrate, shutting out all the surrounding shouts and cries for help and stomping of armored boots. Magic flooded into Hawkwood from the tips of Arkk¡¯s fingers. He could picture clearly the weaving and knitting that the spell was doing inside the man. He had seen it on surface wounds often enough, melding and shaping flesh as it did. It had originally been designed for increasing muscle mass and mutating bodies in ways that weren¡¯t natural¡ªit had been a spell in that black book, after all¡ªbut it was doing an adequate job of sealing the wounds caused by the thin dagger. There wasn¡¯t much flesh damaged, after all. Just a narrow puncture.

    Unless the blade had been poisoned, Hawkwood should be in one piece when Arkk finished. If he was poisoned, this was useless. That didn¡¯t mean Arkk wouldn¡¯t try.

    Arkk¡¯s healing came to an abrupt stop. Starting from the inside and moving out, Hawkwood was hopefully out of immediate danger. He still had a hole in his back. But Arkk found his concentration disrupted as a spike of panic ran through him. A call he had only heard a handful of times before rang through his ears. One of his employees called for his attention.

    Arkk, in a panic, quickly checked on those present. Dakka was trying to make her way towards him but a blockade of guards halted her progress. They weren¡¯t attacking her¡ªor even focused on her¡ªthey were just trying to gain control over the situation. Zullie, on the other hand, kept her back pressed up against the wall she had been leaning against while eyeing everyone nearby. Ilya stood with Alya, not far from the Duke¡¯s throne and the bubble Vrox had created around himself and the Duke.

    Yet the call wasn¡¯t coming from any of them. It was someone afar. Further than the Primrose and the Cliff¡¯s Edge. Further even than Fortress Al-Mir.

    Far out on the western edge of the Duchy, an employee of Fortress Al-Mir that Arkk hadn¡¯t even met properly stood on the edge of a plateau. The half-flopkin clutched a gold coin, holding it close to her chest like she was making a wish on it. Several other full-flopkins stood around, gazing off into the distance with fear-stricken faces. Unfortunately, Arkk couldn¡¯t control his perspective while observing his employees. It was always a top-down view of their immediate surroundings and nothing more.

    Something was happening. More slavers? Being able to respond to possible slaver threats was the whole reason Arkk had asked Ilya to head up to the flopkin village in the first place.

    Concerning, but it wasn¡¯t here. They weren¡¯t fleeing in terror. Whatever was going on, it could wait until he had a moment to grab a crystal ball and examine the situation properly.

    Although blood stained Hawkwood¡¯s clothes¡ªand Arkk¡¯s own¡ªthe bleeding had mostly stopped. A quick repeat of the incantation let him pinch together the last of the wound. Hawkwood¡¯s breathing was shallow and his pale pallor didn¡¯t bode well, but at least he was breathing. Arkk didn¡¯t think there was anything else he could do for the man.

    Arkk tried to stand when a second cry for help struck him through the employee link. This one joined by an immediate sensation of pain and fear. It wasn¡¯t the flopkin.

    Ilya clutched her chest, looking down at far too much blood. The bald assassin shoved her aside, pulling out a dagger from her stomach before advancing on Alya. The older elf, fear on her face, stepped back from the assassin. Her step carried her outside Arkk¡¯s perspective.

    Arkk sat in shock for what felt like an eternity. The gears in his mind ground against each other. This was his fault. He had ignored the assassin, assuming his target to be the Duke. What had happened? Had the assassin gone after Alya when Ilya jumped in the way? Or what if the assassin didn¡¯t know what his target looked like, only that it was an elf with silver hair. He might have decided to attack both. Or¡­

    Or¡­

    Fists clenched, Arkk stood, only to freeze as he found himself looking down the edge of a sword. A contingent of knights, bearing the emblem of the Duke on their ceremonial armor coverings, looked like they weren¡¯t sure if they wanted to attack or flee from his presence. He had a feeling he knew why. The guards wore shiny, polished armor that looked like it had never seen proper combat. Ceremonial, likely. That shiny polish made the suits reflective.

    Each of the soldiers had twin red lights gleaming off their armor. Even their tabards and the stone floor gleamed with bright red light. Brighter than Arkk had ever seen it before.

    A man hunched over a bloody Hawkwood, casting spells with glowing red eyes, probably hadn¡¯t been the best for optics. Arkk didn¡¯t care. Certainly not now. He didn¡¯t have time to try to explain away the misunderstanding.

    He spoke one single word.

    ¡°Vezta.¡±

 The Party, Incinerated

    A black, oily tendril flung out from Arkk¡¯s shadow as a dozen burning suns manifested in the dark mass surrounding Arkk. The soldiers accosting Arkk, standing far too close and not expecting any kind of monster to attack them, were handily batted aside. Armored knights bowled through the guests and crowd. Fresh screams of panic and terror from both guard and onlooker joined with the cacophony already present in the throne room.

    Arkk strode forward, moving through the cleared space and leaving Hawkwood behind. The guards would hopefully pick themselves up and help him. If not¡­ Unfortunately, Arkk could only be in one place at a time. Even with as much as he owed Hawkwood for his help, Ilya took priority.

    Vezta took form alongside him, transitioning from her shadowy state to a fully corporeal body mid-stride. Between the guards being thrown around, Vezta¡¯s appearance, and Arkk¡¯s glowing eyes, people were doing the best they could to get out of the way. A large number were running toward the throne, perhaps hoping to seek protection from the Duke¡¯s guards. It just wasn¡¯t enough. There were already panicked people running in the opposite direction from whatever the assassins had done, crashing into others and taking them down, creating a mass of people all pushing against each other.

    He could easily order Vezta to throw them all out of the way. Fighting through the entire crowd and getting more soldiers trying to surround him was less than ideal. Instead, he turned to Vezta. ¡°Cranium Internum.¡±

    Vezta jolted slightly as Arkk¡¯s perspective shifted. Then her body jolted again. This time, forward toward Ilya. Her body broke apart, losing its humanoid form to a mass of tendrils. He wasn¡¯t controlling any tendril individually. Intention guided him, pulling him where he wanted to go. One with Vezta, Arkk lurched over the crowd of frightened guests and guards.

    As an amorphous mass more akin to the lesser servants, they couldn¡¯t hope to stop him. His body simply deformed, stretching out or constricting to fit between any gap of people that he could find. Covered with eyes, and not stunned by the sight of the shattered sky, he could instantly pick out the optimal path to take among dozens of options. He could also see everything around him.

    One guard in particular, hand thrust out in an offensive motion, was trying to cast a spell in his direction. Arkk¡¯s body simply twisted and deformed, easily squishing underneath the glowing green chains that lashed out from the man¡¯s hand. Vezta¡¯s body didn¡¯t even lose any of its forward momentum.

    Cresting a group of fleeing guests, many of whom dived upon seeing Vezta¡¯s body stretching over them, Arkk got a clear look at the far end of the room. Inquisitor Vrox was still protecting the Duke inside the spell while a contingent of guards had arrayed themselves in front of the throne. Most of these guards looked less ceremonial and more functional, though still with a bit more opulence than anyone would go to battle with.

    A distance from the throne, near the wall, Ilya was slumped in a heap on the ground. She wasn¡¯t moving at all. Alya had backed up toward the throne, earning the protection of the guards there. The assassin¡­

    He fled, rushing toward one of the walls not far from where Zullie was taking up her guard position. Wrong idea. Zullie, noticing, flicked her wand in the assassin¡¯s direction. The same wind spell that she had used to clean up after testing the Langleey villagers swept the assassin off his feet, throwing him straight back toward Arkk.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if Zullie intended that but Arkk wasn¡¯t going to complain. Tendrils lashed around the bald assassin, gripping him and pulling him close. Terror, unbridled fear, twisted the man¡¯s features. He struggled and thrashed in Arkk¡¯s grip, trying to escape. He shouted and pleaded and¡­

    Stopped.

    All at once, he stopped moving. For a moment, Arkk thought he had somehow killed the man.

    ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±

    A dozen eyes across Arkk¡¯s body blinked. At the same time, the assassin squeezed his eyes shut, grimacing as if a sudden pain struck him.

    ¡°It¡¯s you. It¡¯s you. It¡¯s¡­ [you]¡­¡± The man¡¯s eyes slowly opened, just a sliver at first. Bright, golden light mixed with the red coming from Vezta¡¯s many eyes. ¡°[Found]/[Hide and Seek]|[Over]¡ª¡±

    Arkk¡¯s tendrils moved on their own. Or rather, Vezta fought against his control, just enough to twist. The man¡¯s head went from looking straight at Arkk to looking straight behind him. Arkk let the limp body drop to the ground, staring as the golden light reflecting off the floor flickered and dimmed.

    Ilya let out a faint groan, barely audible over the crowd yet somehow impossibly loud in Arkk¡¯s ears, ringing like a gong. He ended the possession spell in an instant, dropping to the ground beside Vezta mid-dash. Crashing to his knees, Arkk hesitated. Ilya was¡­ not in a good state. Far, far worse than Hawkwood. Hawkwood¡¯s wound had been deep but surgical, a straight stab through a majority of the man¡¯s vital organs.

    Ilya had been flayed. She must have tried to fight back. Without weapons or armor¡­ Her arms had been torn to ribbons and her chest¡­ It was like someone had stabbed her a dozen times over, each a twisting, ripping stab. Even among all the orcs and the various wounds they had sustained in battle against the slavers and inquisitors, none had been remotely as bad. That was the difference between armored combat against a fighter and getting attacked by a trained man to kill.

    ¡°Vezta,¡± Arkk said, not sure of even where to begin. ¡°Is there anything¡­¡±

    ¡°I am sorry, Master,¡± Vezta said, having reformed her human form at his back. ¡°I can seal small wounds, cuts, and scrapes. Something like this is beyond my abilities. Your spell to mold flesh stands a better chance. Failing that¡­¡± She trailed off for a moment. When she spoke again, a note of distaste entered her tone. ¡°Failing that, the so-called holy magic wielded by the likes of priests, abbesses, and inquisitors would be your best option.¡±

    Arkk shot a glance up to the throne. Vrox still had the projectile shield up in action. It looked like it had thinned a bit. Strain? Arkk hadn¡¯t used it ever, so he wasn¡¯t sure how draining the spell was. It had thinned to the point where Arkk could see Vrox beyond the shimmering swirl of the magic.

    And Vrox could see him. Or, rather, see out. His eyes weren¡¯t on Arkk at all. He stared directly at Vezta.

    Would he help if Arkk asked? Arkk might have said no before this night but¡­ now¡­ He figured the answer might be yes, though conditional. Arkk glanced back at Vezta for a brief moment before shaking his head.

    ¡°There is still another assassin. The one who got Hawkwood. Can you locate him? Failing that, get Zullie and Dakka here.¡±

    ¡°I will not leave your side. If they arrive, I will protect them to the best of my ability.¡±

    With a grimace, hoping he wasn¡¯t making another mistake, Arkk nodded his head. Zullie should have a clear path toward him. Dakka was further back in the room but unless the assassin had gone back, she should be out of harm¡¯s way.

    He had to focus on Ilya.

    Peeling up the top of her dress, Arkk grimaced at the state of her body. Steeling himself, he chanted the incantation for Flesh Weaving and focused, trying to feel out for the largest injury. Holy spells, he knew from asking Abbess Keena when he first learned he had the capacity for magic, didn¡¯t require much thought put into them. They were miracles granted by the Holy Light. Not something mortal men had come up with on their own. A holy spell here would have simply restored her body. They weren¡¯t universal cure-alls, there were limits, but with something like this where Arkk couldn¡¯t even visualize what might be damaged, a priest would have had a much easier time than he.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    That didn¡¯t stop Arkk from trying. He felt around, physically pressing his fingers against Ilya¡¯s wounds. Contact made Ilya¡¯s muscles tense up, which Arkk took as a good sign. Was she breathing? It was shallow at best but there. A pinch here. Smoothing the flesh of an organ over there. Her stomach and abdomen were the worst. The assassin hadn¡¯t tried going through her ribcage. Neither had he angled his blade upward. He had simply tried to put Ilya down in order to get to Alya, who could only be the actual target.

    Why Alya and not the Duke? Was it because of the inquisitor protecting the Duke and Alya was just a secondary target?

    Why start with anyone but the Duke? Killing someone out in the middle of the crowd was sure to start a panic. Even if the inquisitor hadn¡¯t been present, surely the Duke would have been escorted to safety long before the killers could make their way through the crowd.

    Arkk pushed a healthy dose of magic into Ilya, hopefully mending perforations and not making things worse. She had lost a lot of blood. So much blood. Kneeling on the ground, it felt like he had fallen into a muddy puddle of warm muck. But it was all from Ilya. Flesh Weaving couldn¡¯t fix that. He had to hope that she hadn¡¯t lost too much. His efforts were, at the very least, staunching the wounds enough to slow her bleeding.

    Unless that was just her body running out of blood. Grimacing, wishing he had more practice on deep wounds, Arkk worked faster.

    All the while, Arkk could feel eyes on him. Alya stood with mild injuries, simply watching him. She wasn¡¯t moving to help or hinder. More guards had surrounded him and Ilya. Vezta wasn¡¯t assaulting them, though with her tendrils stretched out around the area, she was warding them off. Inquisitor Vrox had finally let the spell drop, though even he wasn¡¯t doing more than simply staring.

    Had Vrox ever used actual holy magic? Arkk didn¡¯t think so. Regular spells, yes, but in the fight at the false fortress, only the chronicler had used holy spells. Perhaps Vrox was incapable, which would make pleading for his help useless anyway.

    A quick check through his employee links found both Dakka and Zullie still safe. Though Dakka looked about ready to start swinging at a few guards who weren¡¯t letting her get closer to the Duke¡ªand Arkk. Zullie still had her back to the wall. She was edging toward the front of the room but she was being cautious about it. It wouldn¡¯t be long before she ran into the line of guards trying to keep people away from the Duke though.

    It was odd. Arkk pinched closed one wound before throwing a glance over his shoulder. Behind the line of guards surrounding him, there was a brief gap before the next line of guards keeping the general public away. But it didn¡¯t look like they were letting anyone out. Trying to capture the assassin? Or¡­

    Had the assassins activated a trap of some kind? Sealing everyone into the room? There were doors along the walls but none were open.

    The thought sent a chill down Arkk¡¯s spine, forcing him to look up from Ilya. There was at least one assassin left.

    They forced a room change. They trapped people in. They targeted a few select individuals. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure who else had been attacked but based on Hawkwood and Alya, they were important individuals. And now, with half the garrison having made it into the room, trying to maintain order and people unable to leave, what was their next move?

    ¡°Vezta,¡± Arkk started, only to trail off as he spotted movement between the legs of the distant guards. The movement caught his eye because most of the crowd wasn¡¯t moving at the moment. The feet appeared again, a few steps forward between some other sets of legs, moving perpendicular to the length of the room. Toward the wall where Zullie was.

    ¡°Vezta!¡± Arkk shouted, far more urgently. ¡°He is heading toward Zullie!¡±

    ¡°Master, I won¡¯t¡ª¡±

    Casting one look at Ilya, hoping he had done enough, Arkk grit his teeth. He wasn¡¯t going to let any of his employees or friends die here. Some might call him greedy but he couldn¡¯t just watch an assassin casually approach Zullie. Maybe she would blast him away with her wand again or maybe she would get caught off-guard. He couldn¡¯t take the risk.

    ¡°Jalan yang paling banyak dilalui menyediakan jalur yang stabil untuk maju ke tujuan Anda dengan aman,¡± he spat out as fast as his tongue would allow, focusing on a stone brick road while swinging his arms down over his head as if wielding a heavy construction hammer. Not the easiest motion to make while trying to stand but all of Zullie¡¯s magic¡ªregular magic¡ªrequired an element, visualization, and gesture.

    As soon as his imaginary hammer struck the ground, ethereal bricks fell from above, forming a road of transparent cobblestone. The moment his foot stepped on the first magical brick, he felt more sure of his stance. His legs moved with an ease that couldn¡¯t be explained through mundane means. His speed increased.

    It had the added benefit of frightening a number of the guards ahead of him, sending them scattering to the sides in fear of an attack despite the bricks passing harmlessly through several of them. The effect didn¡¯t extend far, unfortunately. A few paces. Although the swiftness stuck with him when he stepped off the road, it didn¡¯t clear his path toward Zullie enough to sling a lightning bolt at the assassin.

    Vezta tried to stop him. Tried. Capable though she was, her tendril lashing out to restrain him just moved so slowly from his perspective. It barely took any effort to step aside. By the time she realized she missed, he was already leaping over the second line of guards. Her attempt to stop him was exactly why he hadn¡¯t tried possessing her again. He didn¡¯t want her fighting him the whole way.

    Now, he flew through the crowd of guests and soldiers. Supernatural stability allowed him to shift directions without losing speed, bouncing around, dodging individuals while making his way to the other side. It caused a commotion, naturally, drawing the eyes of guests and guards alike. It caused enough of a commotion that he spotted the sandy hair of the servant jolting forward, discarding subtlety in favor of haste.

    Although he had a supernatural swiftness, the assassin had the lead on him. The throne room was large and opulent, longer than it was wide.

    Zullie wasn¡¯t defenseless, however. She had that wand, not to mention her library of spells. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if she noticed the assassin or if Arkk rushing at her tipped her off but the effect was the same either way. A gale of wind blasted through the crowd. Guests went flying through the air, landing on top of each other. Guards, weighed down by heavier armor, mostly fell over. Some managed to maintain their footing.

    The assassin must have been prepared. Maybe he saw Zullie ready her spell, maybe he simply never let his guard down. The man rolled into the gust of wind ahead of Arkk, springing up to his feet the moment it passed.

    With the crowd cleared away, however, Arkk could act. ¡°Electro¡ª¡±

    The man must have heard Arkk¡¯s incantation beginning. He dove to the side, hiding among people who had been out of the way of the blast.

    ¡°Run!¡± Arkk shouted. ¡°He¡¯s after you! Get to Vezta!¡±

    Zullie didn¡¯t argue. She didn¡¯t turn and run either. Rather, she backed away, wand at the ready. Wise. Turning her back on an assassin wouldn¡¯t be a good idea.

    Arkk¡¯s eyes slid away from Zullie, trusting in her ability to get to the safety of Vezta as long as he kept the assassin distracted for just a few seconds longer. People were running again, fleeing. Trying to push through the guards and escape the danger. The assassin wasn¡¯t. The situation had gone wrong, yet he still pressed forward. Not toward Zullie now, but to the wall?

    ¡°Electro¡ª¡± Arkk started again, only for the assassin to whip his head around. The man grabbed hold of a passing guest, a shorter man with wine staining the front of his disheveled shirt. A merchant whom Arkk was fairly certain Wolf had introduced earlier in the evening. Not that Arkk remembered his name.

    He did try to struggle. That only lasted as long as it took the assassin to jam the tip of a sharp blade into his throat. It didn¡¯t puncture the skin but it was clear that it would take little effort to cut the man¡¯s throat. The merchant realized this as well. He dragged the merchant backward, one step at a time. The guards were quickly assembling, swords drawn. This time, they weren¡¯t aimed toward Arkk. At least, not all of them. In short order, the assassin had his back to the wall, right where Zullie had been standing only moments before.

    ¡°Surrender,¡± one of the guards barked. ¡°You are surrounded. There is nowhere to run. Your accomplices have been¡ª¡±

    The assassin let out a cry, inarticulate and angry. He shoved the merchant forward, forcing the closest guards to pull back lest they stab the man on their readied blades. Rather than try to flee, the assassin turned and stabbed his blade into the gearing of the winch against the wall. With a twist and a pull, the metal snapped.

    The chain of the winch, leading up to one of the large chandeliers over the Duke¡¯s throne, unspooled rapidly. Vrox grabbed the Duke, throwing both of them off the throne platform even as the chandelier crashed down. Even had they not moved, it alone likely wouldn¡¯t have killed either of them.

    But the moment the chandelier¡¯s glowstones touched the ground, a deafening shockwave rippled out from the center. The violence of it felt like another gust from Zullie¡¯s wind, except infused with a heat that scaled Arkk¡¯s skin as it threw him to the floor.

    Ears ringing and vision swimming, the last of Arkk¡¯s cognizance focused on the assassin¡¯s face appearing overhead, golden light shining from his eyes as he raised a blade to strike down. Arkk tried for a spell but the words came out slurred and unsteady.

    A black, oily tendril snaked around the assassin¡¯s neck. With a twist and a pull, the assassin fell limp just as Arkk blacked out.

 Aftermath of the Dukes Party - Hawkwood

    Hawkwood hadn¡¯t expected to wake. Ever. He could remember what happened well enough. The commotion at the party. A sharp stabbing sensation in his back. The attempt to call for help as his legs went weak. The shocked expression on Arkk¡¯s face. Finally, the sudden rush of lightheadedness, akin to standing too fast except far, far more severe.

    He knew then, as the darkness took him, that he was dead. His heart stabbed straight through.

    Now, he could feel his heart hammering in his head, throbbing and aching, he was awake. He blinked bleary eyes up at a mural-covered ceiling that was familiar but one he couldn¡¯t quite place. Not until he managed to look around. It still took him a long minute.

    People were lying in neat rows. Bodies? Some were alive. Some¡­ weren¡¯t. An abbess rushed past a few, stopping at a man Hawkwood recognized. The leader of the Order of the Claymores. A golden, holy light dripped from the fingertips of the abbess. A healing spell and a fairly powerful one. Hawkwood recognized that as well. Behind the abbess, two alchemists, dressed in the typical garb of their profession with long beak-like masks and dark cloaks, mixed a thick, green-colored ungent. Another healing concoction.

    Slowly, Hawkwood turned his head. This was the Duke¡¯s entry hall. Large and crowded. It was filled with injured people. Healers of varying professions moved about by the dozens, tending to those injured. Guards stood at every door¡ªand not just the ceremonial guards in shining armor that the Duke kept around for show, but more rugged guards clearly pulled from the garrison.

    Pinching his eyes closed, Hawkwood ground his teeth together and pushed himself up. A pinching pain in his back kept him from getting fully on his feet. It was like someone had grasped hold of every scrap of loose skin and was pulling it tight. Sitting, he tried to feel around his back¡ªsomeone had removed most of his clothing during his unconsciousness, leaving him with a thin white bandage wrapped around his chest¡ªbut he couldn¡¯t quite reach the spot with the most pain.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be up. You need rest.¡±

    Hawkwood turned to find a priest moving from one of the wounded to another. He didn¡¯t stop to chat but did settle down not far from Hawkwood. ¡°I¡¯ll rest when I¡¯m dead. What happened?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know the details,¡± the priest said, peeling back bandages to inspect a wound. ¡°Heard that there was an attack. Several were outright killed before an explosion claimed and wounded many more. Excuse me,¡± he said, reaching into the folds of his robe. He withdrew a small talisman that he quickly slapped against the man¡¯s chest, muttering a prayer as he did so.

    Hawkwood didn¡¯t disturb him any further, letting the man walk away to tend to the next victim. Taking a breath and using the wall as a support, he dragged himself to his feet. He needed to find someone who knew what was going on. Someone who wasn¡¯t a healer. Hawkwood knew better than most that in a situation like this, it was always better to leave the healers to their duties.

    He had a headache and a pinch in his back. Walking wasn¡¯t all that difficult or taxing, however. His legs worked and his balance was good enough. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had woken while wounded. In fact, out of all the injuries he had received, this affected him the least. Given that he had been sure he wouldn¡¯t wake at all, that was saying something. The healers must have done good work.

    Hawkwood started toward a guard captain, only to pause as he realized that it wasn¡¯t just the Duke¡¯s men present. The distinctive black chevron of White Company stood out among the blue and white striped shields. Once he realized that his company was present, it didn¡¯t take long to pick out Field Captain Rurik. He was somewhat surprised that they hadn¡¯t been at his side. Then again, sitting at the side of an unconscious man didn¡¯t help anything.

    While the Duke¡¯s men and garrison guard stood watch at the main entrance and prowled through the injured, clearly looking for any threats, White Company took up position around the large doors to the throne room. As he approached, he heard a knocking on the door. A specific pattern. Rurik tensed at the first knock but quickly relaxed and motioned for the others to open the door. They did so, admitting another pair of White Company soldiers who were carrying a body between them. One that didn¡¯t look particularly healthy. Hawkwood couldn¡¯t even tell if she was alive. Half her face had been burned away and bits of stone stuck out of her chest.

    Hawkwood was pleased to note that neither of the ones carrying the wounded¡ªmaybe dead¡ªgirl stopped to acknowledge him. Aid ran before all. Those of White Company who were not carrying a body, on the other hand, quickly saluted him as he stepped closer.

    ¡°Sir, shouldn¡¯t you¡ª¡±

    ¡°One word about me needing rest and I¡¯ll have you digging latrines next training run.¡±

    Rurik snapped his jaw closed, though not without a slim smile touching the corners of his lips. ¡°Good to see you up, sir. You didn¡¯t look too injured but when we heard you were specifically targeted¡­¡±

    Hawkwood closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. ¡°What happened? Report.¡±

    ¡°Assassins disguised as servants. Three, it seems, though we can only account for two at the moment.¡±

    Rurik took his eyes off Hawkwood, looking slowly around the room as if he might be able to spot the third one now that he had mentioned it. Hawkwood did the same, though hopefully less obviously. He did reposition, making sure White Company was at his back and not the larger room.

    ¡°They targeted at least six individuals specifically before causing an explosion in the throne room that resulted in this,¡± Rurik said, continuing with a wave of his hand around the entry hall. ¡°Of the six specifically targeted¡­ it seems only you and Vizier Alya have survived.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Not sure. At least in your case. Someone healed you. A few guards were going on about a glowing-eyed demon attacking you but not who helped you.¡±

    ¡°Demon?¡± Hawkwood said, narrowing his eyes as he cast yet another suspicious glance around the large hall. A demon certainly could have caused this. The fact that he was alive probably meant that it was an exaggeration, however. Stress and panic in a situation like what had happened would be far from unheard of. ¡°Who else was targeted specifically?¡±

    ¡°General Yurt and General Josen of the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard, Commander Rozen of the Red Rose Company, and Welkins Huntz of Huntz Trading Company.¡±

    ¡°Not Duke Woldair?¡±

    ¡°He may have been planned as a target but reports say that the Master Inquisitor Vrox made it to him and protected him just before the incident occurred.¡±

    ¡°They made it out then?¡±

    Rurik looked around then dropped his tone to a near whisper. ¡°Not exactly. Neither got a knife in the back like you did but they were at the center of the explosion. The Duke¡¯s guards carried both away before we arrived. I presume they are somewhere else in the manor, somewhere less trafficked than here. I guess the Pontiff Bernardin arrived early on and was taken straight to them. Haven¡¯t heard anything from them since. That would have been well over two hours ago now.¡±

    Hawkwood pursed his lips in thought. Two generals of the Duke¡¯s men, three mercenary company leaders, the elf advisor, and the head of a trading company. The last was a small outlier in the pattern until he recalled that Huntz Trading Company made its name during the war thirty years ago when they provided heavy logistical support to the soldiers.

    ¡°The Evestani Sultanate?¡±

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°Tensions have been high for a few months now. We figured war would begin in the spring when armies could march. Yet here they are trying to cripple the leadership of the armies and large mercenary companies¡­¡± Hawkwood swallowed, weight dragging his shoulders down. ¡°Where is the Duke¡¯s spymaster? How did we get caught so unaware?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t have any other information. Except¡­¡±

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    Hawkwood frowned as Rurik went uncharacteristically silent. It wasn¡¯t like him to be hesitant about reporting information. He, and all of White Company, knew that Hawkwood was not the type to get upset at messengers. Even if they were at fault for something, as long as they were genuinely sorry and attempted to make amends, he wouldn¡¯t be too harsh. ¡°Except?¡± Hawkwood had to prod.

    ¡°There is something else. A¡­ situation inside the throne room. The reason we¡¯re here instead of the manor guards.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were so good at dancing, Rurik. You sat out at Piter¡¯s wedding. If I had known you were this good, I¡¯d have insisted you show us your talents.¡±

    Rurik gave Hawkwood a flat look, rolling his eyes before glancing at the door. ¡°I don¡¯t know about demons¡­ but there is something in there. It hasn¡¯t attacked yet but¡­¡± Rurik shuddered. ¡°The Duke¡¯s men and spellcasters have sealed all the doors except this one and we had to insist, taking responsibility here, just to get injured out.¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯re starting to make me worried.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it is best if you see for yourself,¡± Rurik said, backing up to the door. At their approach, two more of White Company, Felix and Tavyn, pulled open the throne room doors. They started just a crack, the latter peering inside as if worried something might rush out. When nothing did, they opened the doors just wide enough to admit Hawkwood and Rurik.

    Bodies were strewn everywhere. More toward the far end of the room than the front. Given that walls were scorched, stone had cracked, the ceiling had partially caved in, and two chandeliers were missing, Hawkwood assumed that was where the explosion had taken place. Far from where he had been standing with Arkk when he had been attacked.

    Where was Arkk anyway? Hawkwood hadn¡¯t inspected the entirety of the entry hall but hadn¡¯t noticed the other company leader in any of his cursory glances.

    While the chaos and carnage of the far end of the room drew his eyes initially, movement closer to him pulled his attention. He tensed, somewhat nervous from Rurik¡¯s words, only to relax.

    He didn¡¯t know where Arkk was but recognized two of Arkk¡¯s people working in the dark room. The orc that had joined him for dinner, Dakka, was at one of the chandelier winches, slowly lowering it to the ground.

    ¡°Slowly. Slowly.¡± The one introduced as a magical researcher stood between the orc and the wall, using the orc¡¯s large body as a shield between herself and the chandelier.

    ¡°I know,¡± Dakka snapped.

    ¡°Almost there. Gently. Gently.¡±

    ¡°Will you shut up?¡±

    ¡°Three, two¡­ Lock it in place.¡±

    The orc slid a pin into the winch, keeping it from turning any further. She curled her lips back, baring her tusks at the researcher¡ªwho didn¡¯t seem to notice or care¡ªbefore realizing that they had an audience.

    ¡°Dakka, Zullie, was it? Is Mister Arkk¡ª¡±

    Hawkwood started forward only to be held back by a hand on his arm. Rurik gave him a sharp look before nodding back past the lowered chandelier and the two members of Company Al-Mir.

    It took Hawkwood a moment to notice. That whole end of the room was dark with the missing light and there were plenty of bodies and scoring in the walls that drew the attention. Staring at it a second time, Hawkwood realized that one corner was just a bit too dark. Shadows churned against the walls, twisting and moving in ways that didn¡¯t make sense given the stillness of other lights. Then there were the bright yellow orbs hanging in the darkness. Orbs that shifted, moved, and watched.

    Hawkwood felt a sudden weakness in his knees. If not for Rurik keeping him steady, he might have fallen in shock. It didn¡¯t help that he already felt somewhat unsteady from his headache and the pinch in his back. Seeing¡­ something, as Rurik had put it, had his heart hammering in his chest.

    ¡°¡ªsome magical bombs made to explode when jostled,¡± Dakka was saying to him while the witch started circling the lowered chandeliers. ¡°All the room¡¯s chandeliers were made to explode but, whether due to flaws in construction or simple luck, only two did. We disarmed those two,¡± she said, throwing a thumb over her shoulder. ¡°Not too keen on having them explode on us.¡±

    ¡°I would say it is luck they didn¡¯t all go off in sequence when the first one did,¡± Zullie grumbled, not looking up. She reached out with a scoring knife and, with sweat dripping off her brow, made a few careful marks on the upper part of the chandelier.

    ¡°Exactly. Don¡¯t know what else might set them off so she¡¯s¡­ what was it again? Dispersing the stored magic or something like that.¡±

    ¡°What¡­¡± Hawkwood said, ¡°is that?¡±

    Dakka, following his pointed finger, stared at the abyss. The abyss stared back but apparently not hard enough to warrant more than a casual shrug from the orc. ¡°Oh, that? Just Vezta. She¡¯s watching over Arkk. He took a bit of a knock in the explosion. Still alive and he has started to stir a bit. Hope he wakes up soon because I would really like to get out of here before some people get funny ideas.¡±

    Hawkwood barely heard what Dakka said beyond the name. It was familiar. It didn¡¯t take long to figure out where he heard it from. ¡°The demihuman with a skin condition?¡±

    Dakka looked back to the abyss again. ¡°Uh. Yes. Her¡­ uh¡­ skin condition is quite bad today, as you can see. Another good reason to leave soon. I don¡¯t suppose you can help with that? Arkk should have a few ways to get us out of here but he¡¯s out. I doubt he wants us fighting our way out. I don¡¯t favor that fight either. Too many against too few.¡± Dakka paused as Zullie grumbled something else. ¡°Right. That too. I don¡¯t suppose you know where Ilya is? They carted her off along with her mother.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    Hawkwood didn¡¯t know what to say. Though looking at that abyss against the far wall of the throne room, he did have a feeling that he knew how Arkk managed to get to the gorgon in Silver City without being petrified. Vezta. That¡­ thing over there had been at his dinner table, looking odd but not like that.

    What was she? A demon as the guard suspected? They had said someone with glowing eyes had been standing over him. He had been near Arkk. Vezta being associated with him¡­ But Arkk hadn¡¯t attacked him. He had been surprised. That shock on Arkk¡¯s face was burned into Hawkwood¡¯s mind. It was the last thing he saw before he passed out.

    ¡°Is¡­ she dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Only if you want to harm Arkk,¡± Dakka said with another casual shrug. ¡°Told your men she wouldn¡¯t be an issue. Didn¡¯t stop them from tiptoeing around though. Really, I would be more worried about this.¡± Dakka waved a hand to where Zullie was making another scoring line on the main shaft of the chandelier.

    A loud hissing noise came from the metal. Both of them jumped back. Zullie lost her grip on the scoring knife, leading to a loud clatter as it hit the floor. Rurik tried to pull Hawkwood back but his efforts were unnecessary. As quickly as it started, the hissing stopped. Everything went silent save for the tense breathing of the four people.

    ¡°That didn¡¯t happen on the other ones,¡± Dakka said, taking another wary step back.

    ¡°I think it is a good sign,¡± Zullie said, also taking another step back.

    ¡°You think?¡±

    ¡°Well it didn¡¯t explode, did it? Just a harsh dispersal. Nothing to be worried about.¡±

    ¡°That why you jumped out of your boots? Your tool is over there, right next to the stupid thing. Why not pick it up?¡±

    ¡°Why not shut up?¡±

    ¡°Do you even know what you¡¯re doing?¡±

    Hawkwood watched the byplay between the two, slowly relaxing. If either were concerned with an imminent explosion, he presumed they would have turned tail and run in the opposite direction. He found his gaze wandering beyond them to that abyss against the back wall. No matter what Dakka said, he found that far more worrying.

    Although he had been more or less confined to a desk for the better part of the last five years, Hawkwood considered himself a well-traveled man. He had been a part of several mercenary organizations in his time, fighting everything from simple bandits to foreign armies, delving into ancient tombs and climbing to the highest mountains, sailing the seas, and crossing the volcanic planes of the Dead Isle. With all he had seen, very little surprised him.

    This, he didn¡¯t recognize. He had written the book¡ªor at least several chapters¡ªon tactics against beings with unusual abilities. It, this Vezta, was monstrous to the point where his mind could only jump back to ancient myths and legends. A pre-Calamity monster.

    Where had Arkk dug up something like this?

    It was little wonder that the throne room had been sealed off by the Duke¡¯s spellcasters. Even if there truly was no danger, Hawkwood couldn¡¯t help but feel a tingle of pride at his men braving this room to recover any survivors who had been left behind. They were a gallant crew, better than he deserved.

    The problem was, what happened now? Even if it was only the guard and his men, something Hawkwood doubted given the situation, people would talk. It wouldn¡¯t surprise him at all if the only reason the Duke¡¯s men hadn¡¯t charged in was because this incident had shaken their organizational structure. Who was calling the shots? It sounded like the Duke was incapacitated and two generals were dead. There was a hierarchy but some captain who had been woken up in the last hour with no clue as to what was going on couldn¡¯t command effectively.

    The inquisitors¡­ were already harassing Arkk. Probably because of this monster. Master Inquisitor Vrox had been incapacitated as well. That might be the only reason half the church wasn¡¯t bearing down on this room as well. That wouldn¡¯t last, however. There were other inquisitors. Other officials. Like with the Duke¡¯s men, it would take some time but they would get organized eventually. Likely sooner than anyone would like.

    What of him? Hawkwood considered himself and his men. White Company was large. Per their contract, only the Duke could order them around. Still, if a threat befell the city, White Company would act even without orders. Throwing them against a pre-Calamity monster that they knew nothing about wasn¡¯t something he aspired toward. It was clearly strong. Arkk hadn¡¯t mentioned it before but it did fill in a few gaps of just how Arkk managed to convince a bunch of raiders to take up a more noble profession, not to mention his other seemingly unlikely feats.

    Trying to attack the creature was, at the moment, unnecessary. It wasn¡¯t doing anything but guarding Arkk. If the Duke or the Abbey of the Light decided to act, however, it would be a disaster. Another tragedy on top of an already trying evening.

    The Evestani Sultanate had attacked, clearly aiming to weaken those in command. Send the Duchy into disarray. They didn¡¯t need more good men dying against something that wasn¡¯t even an enemy.

    Was it the right thing to do? Hawkwood wasn¡¯t sure. He wasn¡¯t a cleric and knew nothing of such beings. Perhaps this would end with the inquisition harassing him. Nevertheless, he stepped forward, brushing off Rurik¡¯s hand in the process, certain that a fight with Company Al-Mir was not in anyone¡¯s interests.

    ¡°We have to get you out of here.¡±

 Aftermath of the Dukes Party - Vrox

    Master Inquisitor Darius Vrox stared around the throne room, grimacing at every body his eyes crossed. As an inquisitor, he walked alongside death more than most. That didn¡¯t mean he was a cold and heartless being, not even toward those he didn¡¯t particularly enjoy the company of. Which, unfortunately, included most people the illustrious Duke held in confidence.

    Still, few deserved to be ripped apart by the force of a violent explosion. Several of those closest to the blast weren¡¯t recognizable. They ceased being people and instead became piles of mulched meat and bone. The Abbey of the Light had sent out their healers. They were taking care of those who had survived.

    It was a wonder he had survived. The Duke as well. The trapped chandelier had fallen just in front of the throne, not ten steps away from where he had been standing. Darius eyed the raised platform where the Duke¡¯s throne had sat before being shattered against the wall. It was a stone dais that only went up a few steps. It was not flush with the back wall, however. There was a small gap. Throwing the Duke in before taking cover himself had saved them.

    It had been a close thing. Closer for him than for the Duke. The blast, or the flying bits of brass and glowstone carried through the air, had shredded his back. One had gotten deep into his leg. A cane slammed down onto the tiles, taking pressure off that leg as he turned around. Tap, step, light-step. Tap, step, light-step.

    He found it somewhat amusing that he had come away with more grievous injuries incidentally from being in the periphery of an attack on the Duke compared with a direct assault on Arkk. Yet, as much as he would prefer to investigate just how the assassins had infiltrated so deeply into the Duke¡¯s midst, he had his duty to perform.

    Darius wasn¡¯t quite sure what to think of Arkk at the moment. They fought. He abducted Purifier Agnete. Then he shows up in the city like nothing happened, brazenly walking around as if he knew that the inquisitors wouldn¡¯t lay a hand on him while there were so many potential hostages around, not to mention Greesom¡¯s continuing convalescence. Darius didn¡¯t think he would take hostages¡ªhe felt he knew Arkk better than that¡ªyet orders were orders. He had maintained a distance, observing only. The party provided a few moments where he felt he could interact without disobeying orders. He had planned on needling Arkk a bit, perhaps discovering what the man had done with Agnete.

    Then this.

    Darius stepped outside the throne room and looked to the nearest guard. One who had been too frightened to follow him inside. ¡°He isn¡¯t here.¡±

    ¡°What? But¡­ I¡­ That¡¯s impossible,¡± the man stuttered, tripping over his words as he dared to peer into the throne room. ¡°The only ones in or out have been White Company. They carried the wounded out. I think we would have noticed that thing slipping by,¡± he said with a visible shudder.

    Did the guard not understand where the creature had come from in the first place? It could disguise itself or everyone at the party would have known about it well in advance of it making an appearance. Darius didn¡¯t bother entertaining the guard any further, tapping his cane on the ground with every other step as he made his way through the entrance hall of the Duke¡¯s manor.

    He had already run through a quick check of all the injured. Arkk wasn¡¯t among them. Neither were any of Company Al-Mir.

    A few mercenaries wearing the black chevron of White Company stood about, mostly helping the healers where they could. Darius chose not to waste more time with them. They might have known something. It was just as likely they did not. He hadn¡¯t waited around to be healed fully before leaving specifically because he expected that this might happen. There was limited time and he only had one real lead on where Company Al-Mir might be.

    Darius limped out of the entrance hall, leaving the building. Guards were in place to try to stop most people from going anywhere, leaving the guards within to try to find any further evidence of hidden assassins. As with the members of White Company, they might know something or they might not. He stalked right past them. They didn¡¯t bother to stop him.

    Unfortunately, walking across Cliff wasn¡¯t possible at the moment. Not with his fresh injuries. His own coach wasn¡¯t present. It was likely that Douglas or some other church authority had already started using it for other purposes. Perhaps ferrying healers around or moving the less wounded to somewhere they would be out of the way. There were several horses and coaches outside the manor, ripe for the taking. So long as he wore the regalia of the Inquisition, no one would stop him from commandeering one.

    Darius snapped the reins, sitting on one of the coaches. Given the darkness of the night, the horse was understandably wary of moving too fast through the streets. Especially while pulling one of the smaller carriages. Darius would have preferred leaving the coach behind and taking the horse alone. With his injuries, such a prospect did not seem all that viable.

    Nevertheless, he made good time through the city.

    The Cliff¡¯s Edge stayover stood tall and bright with glowstone light leaking from its many glass windows. Darius spotted no movement in any of them but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that nobody saw him approach. The Abbey¡¯s oracles already believed that Arkk possessed a means of scrying. Likely a genuine crystal ball. Not common but not altogether rare either. The inquisition had taken up precautions to avoid scrying but he wasn¡¯t in any position to maintain the spell at the moment.

    It didn¡¯t matter if he was seen one way or another. It might cause Arkk to flee but Darius doubted it. Arkk¡­ might not be the most intelligent of people. What could one expect from someone raised in some no-name village? That said, he had enough of a head on his shoulders¡ªnot to mention working eyes¡ªto see that Darius wasn¡¯t here to fight. He was in no shape to.

    Limping through an utterly deserted lobby, Darius took the stairs one step at a time, grimacing the entire way. It didn¡¯t feel good to be out of breath by the time he reached the floor above. Most of his body didn¡¯t feel good but this was a psychological pain. He really shouldn¡¯t be walking around at all right now. If he injured himself further or even delayed proper healing for too long, it might wind up that the healers wouldn¡¯t be able to do much for him. A permanent limp would have him behind a desk for the remainder of his days. Not at all what he wanted.

    Darius stopped at the door he knew to be Arkk¡¯s. He thought about throwing it open. He knew enough combat magic to force a flimsy door and his poor physical condition wouldn¡¯t change that. In the interest of not starting a fight, he instead knocked. Heavy, firm, yet polite enough.

    The door swung open far sooner than he expected.

    Darius felt his heart skip a beat as his breath caught in his throat. He stared into a pair of burning eyes. Not the burning eyes he had come to discuss but a different, far more familiar set. The faintly glowing scars on Purifier Agnete¡¯s face didn¡¯t twist in rage or surprise. Her messy black hair hung loose around her ears as she quietly regarded him. A dozen spells sprung to Darius¡¯ mind. None made it to his lips. Purifiers were magical abominations that didn¡¯t need lengthy incantations to wield their power. She would incinerate him before he could start.

    Licking his lips, Darius put on his best smile. He had been told that his smiles weren¡¯t at all reassuring. It was better than nothing.

    ¡°Purifier Agnete,¡± he said slowly, making sure she knew that he wasn¡¯t casting any spells. ¡°I see you are still alive.¡±

    ¡°Should I not be?¡± she said, head tilting to one side. Her eyes flicked up and down the hall with the motion, checking for other inquisitors, perhaps.

    ¡°I feared that Arkk, in his ignorance, would overuse the Binding Agent. To a catastrophic point.¡±

    Agnete drew in a deep breath and let out a faint sigh of heated air. Having backed up against the wall opposite from the door, there was an entire hallway between them and Darius still felt like he was traipsing through a desert on a particularly dry day. ¡°Your concern is noted but unwarranted. Arkk has not had cause to use it.¡±

    That was an interesting tidbit of information. Agnete could not control herself around fire. Even a little campfire would require monitoring and readying to keep her contained. There were no flames around now but had that been the case for the last several weeks? Or did Arkk¡¯s method of controlling that creature extend to Agnete as well?

    He pressed his lips into a thin smile, deciding to bring that issue up with his superiors later on. Although they had suspected, knowing for a fact that he had Purifier Agnete working for him alongside the creature from beyond the stars and his cadre of more mundane beings would only make any action against him all the more dangerous. He had quickly grown to be a problem that a single inquisitorial cell couldn¡¯t handle.

    Things were going to get¡­ unpleasant very quickly.

    Unless Darius could do something about it. He honestly didn¡¯t know what. He had come here more out of desperation than because he had a good plan. There was little incentive for Arkk to hand over his secrets or his companions. Threats could only go so far before they had to be enforced¡ªDarius had been the one to screw up that enforcement with the debacle in the Cursed Forest. Nonetheless, he had to try.

    ¡°Is Arkk here at present? There are matters of which we must speak. Especially now that his creature has been seen by many.¡±

    ¡°Seen by many?¡±

    ¡°Ah. You haven¡¯t heard. That means he isn¡¯t here,¡± Darius said with a frown. ¡°Am I right in assuming that he will be here to retrieve you before he leaves the city?¡±

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t heard anything to the contrary,¡± Agnete said slowly. ¡°Though I am not sure how much information I should be giving away. Familiarity may have caused me to give away too much already despite me being unable to say that I particularly enjoyed working with you.¡±

    ¡°If it makes you feel better, you¡¯ve hardly given anything away that I didn¡¯t already expect or assume. Or realize upon seeing you alive,¡± Darius added after a moment of thought. ¡°Might I wait for Arkk¡ª¡±

    It turned out there was little need to wait. Several sets of footsteps started climbing the stairs, echoing up the stairwell. A few of the footfalls were heavier than others. An orc, Darius guessed just as the short orc crested the top of the steps. Although far filthier than she had been at the height of the party, Darius recognized her as the orc that had accompanied Arkk. She froze upon spotting him and immediately dropped into a combat stance despite her lack of weaponry.

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    ¡°What¡¯s¡ªOh.¡± Arkk was the next up, quickly followed by the other members of his entourage. And Hawkwood. Darius had encountered the mercenary leader in the past but hadn¡¯t interacted to the point where he would claim to know the man.

    Both Arkk and Hawkwood didn¡¯t look like they were in the best shape. Hawkwood kept one arm reaching around his side while Arkk sported linen bandages wrapped around his head.

    ¡°Hello, Arkk,¡± Darius said, eyes shifting over the young man¡¯s shoulder.

    The being from beyond the stars stood just a step behind him, hands clasped on Arkk¡¯s arm, supporting him with a demure expression on her face. She was the only one not to look surprised at his presence. He doubted she knew he would be here in advance¡ªnothing the oracles mentioned indicated abilities of prescience¡ªshe simply didn¡¯t care. The creature¡¯s eyes, burning yellow suns in a black starfield, flicked over him with an utter apathy that even a depressed fairy would fail to match.

    ¡°Are we still pretending to be friends?¡± Arkk asked, far more tense than the monster at his back. ¡°Or are we going to ruin the polished floors with a fight?¡±

    ¡°Please,¡± Darius said, holding up his hands. His cane dangled limp from one. ¡°I can barely stand. I would very much prefer it if we avoided unnecessary violence. At least tonight.¡±

    Arkk visibly relaxed. Darius had to wonder if he would have believed that from anyone else. Although he was genuine, any other enemy of Arkk¡¯s could easily get the man to let his guard down simply by saying what he had. Then again, Darius allowed his eyes to drift over the others in the hall. Tension didn¡¯t bleed out from the orc, Zullie, or even Agnete. Hawkwood, behind his scowl, looked mildly confused but wary of the situation. Even Arkk, on a second glance, didn¡¯t look fully at ease. Darius wasn¡¯t sure that he had ever seen Arkk let his guard down.

    And the monster¡­ Darius had seen her handily deal with the assassin that had been targeting the elf. She could emulate a demure expression as much as she wished, her inhuman thoughts and physiology meant that anyone letting their guard down around her would be the king of fools.

    ¡°We must speak, Arkk. With your creature having revealed herself¡ª¡±

    ¡°This again?¡± Arkk said with a sigh. ¡°All that happened tonight and you¡¯re still worried about Vezta? You saw with your own eyes that she harmed nobody but the assassins. I would think that they would be a far more pressing issue.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure they are the topic of every conversation going on in the manor this evening,¡± Darius admitted. ¡°The Duke¡¯s spymaster, especially, will be investigating every one of the staff and checking just how far they might have infiltrated. We all have our duties. Mine lies in containing or controlling esoteric magics before they wreak havoc on the world.¡±

    Darius could feel Agnete stiffening at his side. The rise in temperature wasn¡¯t exactly subtle. He wasn¡¯t even talking about her at the moment. Sweat beaded down the back of Darius¡¯ neck, not all because of the heat. Did Arkk have the Binding Agent on him or had he foolishly left it behind?

    ¡°The Inquisition of the Light is the Abbey¡¯s dagger,¡± Darius said, trying to move the conversation along. ¡°A precision instrument for dealing with issues that arise. It is not the only tool in the Abbey¡¯s arsenal. Carrying on as you are, flaunting your monsters in public, and showing blatant disregard for any concealment is going to bring down a force far greater than myself. One you are not going to be able to fend off with a few orcs and a few tricks.¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes and sighed deeply. When he opened them, there was a slight glint that someone less attentive than Darius might have dismissed as a trick of the light. Darius, however, narrowed his eyes, wondering why Arkk had glowing eyes as well.

    ¡°One thing after another,¡± Arkk mumbled. ¡°Thanks for the warning. I appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°Warning?¡± Darius said, a smile slipping from his face. ¡°Arkk, I don¡¯t think you understand the gravity of the situation. I believe you to be a reasonable man. That is the only reason I am here attempting to reason with you rather than standing back and watching the sword fall on your neck.¡±

    ¡°And I appreciate that. You wanted me to hand over Vezta and some object that doesn¡¯t even exist that allows me to control her. That will never happen. If you know me half as well as you think you do, you would already know that.¡±

    Darius sighed. ¡°I do,¡± he said slowly.

    ¡°I imagine you would want Agnete back as well?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t confirmed that you kept her alive.¡± Darius glanced to his side. ¡°Confirmation will only increase the severity of the situation.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t confirm it. You¡¯re the only one who knows, right?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t ask that of me.¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°Even if I did, the oracles would discover the truth eventually.¡±

    ¡°As long as it buys us time. I know we aren¡¯t friends or allies¡­ or even like each other, but you said you trusted me. Right now, I think I need to use some of that trust.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re stretching my words far beyond what I intended, Arkk.¡±

    ¡°You know I¡¯m not some maniacal villain bent on destroying the universe¡ªor whatever you think Vezta represents. So I¡¯m asking you to buy me time. Tell your superiors that I¡¯m coming around to what you¡¯re saying or that you think I¡¯ll join them. Whatever it takes to get them off my back for just a little longer.¡±

    ¡°Why would I ever agree to that?¡± Darius asked, tone flat.

    ¡°Because war approaches.¡± It wasn¡¯t Arkk who answered, but Hawkwood. The mercenary leader stepped forward, shoulders broad and back straight despite a grimace on his face. ¡°Master Inquisitor, you might not know me but I am the head of White Company.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡±

    ¡°After the events of the evening, White Company might be the only large free company with its leadership still intact. This war isn¡¯t a far-off thing. It is happening now.¡±

    Arkk held out a hand. A crystal ball appeared in his grip, the image within shifting and changing. Curious despite himself, Darius approached enough to see within. It took him a moment to realize what he was seeing. Rows upon rows of soldiers marched past a high plateau, trudging through the darkness with only a handful of torches to light their way.

    ¡°They¡¯re already at our borders,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I have an employee there who contacted me in the middle of all the chaos this evening.¡±

    ¡°Are they mad?¡± Darius couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°It¡¯s the start of winter!¡±

    ¡°They must think they can weather it,¡± Hawkwood said. ¡°Or perhaps they don¡¯t care about their soldiers. Whatever the case, they are half a day out from Moonshine Burg. I¡¯ve dispatched Swiftwings to rally White Company. It will be up to us to buy time while the rest of the nation puts itself back together.¡±

    ¡°Company Al-Mir isn¡¯t exactly at a size where we can fight in a war but we do have specialists and¡­ esoteric magics. We can help, but not if I¡¯ve got to fight off the Abbey of the Light and their misconceptions about my employees and companions.¡±

    ¡°Readying White Company won¡¯t be possible before they arrive,¡± Hawkwood said. ¡°Moonshine Burg has strong walls and should have full storehouses of food. They can last a seige¡­ If tonight¡¯s incident was any indication, this has been in the planning for some time. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised to hear that Moonshine Burg¡¯s leadership has been taken out already and the gate guards replaced with agents who will keep the gates open for the invaders.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°No matter what we do, they will have a stronghold inside our borders by this time tomorrow. I don¡¯t know if they plan to stop there for the winter or march through it.¡± He paused and glanced at Arkk. ¡°With the Duchy in disarray, we need all the help we can get.¡±

    ¡°Did the Duke survive?¡± Arkk asked.

    ¡°He did.¡±

    Arkk schooled his features but not before letting a flicker of disappointment through. He nodded his head. ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll need to be made aware of this,¡± Hawkwood said, giving Darius a pointed expression. ¡°I would myself but I¡¯ve got a war to run. Arkk promised transportation to White Company¡¯s nearest stronghold.¡±

    Arkk nodded. ¡°Vezta, get everything ready. Send Zullie through first. Zullie,¡± he said, turning. ¡°I want a progress report by morning. And I want to hear good news.¡±

    The witch rolled her eyes. ¡°Lovely. Staying awake all night after what we went through?¡±

    ¡°You stay awake every night anyway, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I wanted to stay up tonight,¡± she grumbled.

    ¡°Master, is me leaving your side the wisest action given current circumstances?¡±

    Darius shifted uncomfortably. Agnete represented a very real threat of a fiery death. She was still human, however. This creature barely looked at him. When she did, her eyes disregarded him so thoroughly that he felt utterly irrelevant in her presence. It was a wonder anyone else here could stand being under that gaze for long.

    Then again, she didn¡¯t look at Arkk like he was irrelevant. Perhaps ascribing emotions to such an inhuman being was wrong but he felt like there was an undercurrent of fanatical obsession hidden in those fields of stars.

    Arkk didn¡¯t notice or had grown used to it. ¡°You¡¯re the fastest at crafting ritual circles and we¡¯ll need a lot before the night is over. Don¡¯t worry. I can handle a crippled inquisitor on my own,¡± he said with an easy smile that didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. ¡°Not that I think Vrox intends any harm toward me.¡±

    Darius frowned at the implied question. ¡°I already said that I am not here to fight.¡±

    ¡°And calling the church down on me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re playing a dangerous game here. Nothing can be hidden from the oracles for long. It is just a matter of them finding the right question to ask.¡±

    ¡°As long as it buys some time. Enough for other, more qualified mercenary companies and the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard to get back on their feet.¡±

    Darius remained silent for a long moment, thinking. This¡­ He knew what Arkk was like. Everything he had learned about the man pointed toward this being an utterly and quite pathetically genuine attempt to help the nation at large. He wanted a stay of execution, not to escape but to help as best he could. It¡­

    It was enough to make Darius laugh. He didn¡¯t. He had more self-control than that. Still¡­ Drawing in a breath, Darius spoke slowly, ¡°I will file my report. If the chaos of the evening means it gets lost for a short time, then I suppose that is simply bad luck.¡±

    Arkk put on a smile, wide and genuine. For a moment, it almost looked like he wanted to clap a hand onto Darius¡¯ shoulder. He managed to restrain himself.

    ¡°Vezta, after you get Zullie and Hawkwood situated, get Dakka to the plateau.¡± Arkk turned to the orc. ¡°I don¡¯t know why an army would be interested in a tiny flopkin community, but let them know that we can house them if they feel in danger. Then both of you and Agnete get to Katja¡¯s encampment. Let her know what is going on, offer asylum as well. We need her mages. If she declines¡­¡± He looked from Vezta to Agnete and back. ¡°Well, don¡¯t take no for an answer.¡±

    ¡°And you, Master?¡±

    Arkk drew in a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave Ilya¡­¡±

    ¡°She survived,¡± Darius offered. ¡°The healers are tending to her at the behest of¡­ her mother, I presume.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± He grimaced before hefting the crystal ball. ¡°Scrying is handy. Her mother is doing well, is she? She is at her side.¡±

    Darius didn¡¯t react. Scrying on the Duke¡¯s manor shouldn¡¯t have been possible. It was as protected¡ªif not more¡ªas a temple. With its wards raised because of the attack, there shouldn¡¯t have been any way to get magical information past its walls. Arkk had said that he received a cry for help in the middle of the attack as well, hadn¡¯t he? Had that been before the alarm went up or after?

    Darius nodded his head, filing the dangerous information away for later. They already knew of Arkk¡¯s dive into esoteric magic. It was good to know capabilities but the fact itself wasn¡¯t surprising.

    ¡°If I am headed back to alert the Duke to this invasion, would you like me to pass on a message?¡±

    Arkk grimaced again, likely not favoring the idea of relying on someone that he wasn¡¯t all that enthused with. ¡°Tell her not to worry. I won¡¯t leave her there. Let her know what is going on as well, if you would.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Darius drew in a deep breath.

    ¡°Thank you. Vezta.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Master.¡±

    Darius shifted away as the creature walked right past him without a second glance. Or¡­ maybe it was staring at him the entire time. With her back to him, he had to take his eyes off her face and promptly found an oddity running down her spine, dark fields spreading the white of her outfit apart with glowing yellow eyes staring out.

    Shuddering, Darius moved past Arkk only to pause. ¡°Arkk.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°You went after that assassin.¡±

    ¡°Naturally.¡±

    ¡°Is it? I doubt many men would put themselves in danger like that. They would rather leave it to the guards to handle.¡±

    Arkk simply shrugged.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t succeed in stopping him.¡±

    The casual shrug shifted as his shoulders slackened. ¡°Can¡¯t win them all.¡±

    ¡°Well, for what it is worth, I hope you and Hawkwood win this one. Don¡¯t betray my trust.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s smile turned a little more brittle than Darius would have liked. With all the vague threats, Darius couldn¡¯t exactly call that unexpected. Still, he kept it in mind as he descended the Cliff¡¯s Edge stairwell one step at a time.

 Aftermath of the Dukes Party - Sule

    The last rays of a peaceful sun set over the Evestani Sultanate. When the sun next shined down, it would be stained with the blood of war.

    Sule, Sultan of Evestani, sat with his legs crossed atop an oversized chair. Below him, two rows of young women leaned over shallow bowls of water placed in front of each, listening to the ripples. Every few moments, one would lean back, babble a few incoherent words, then lean back over their bowl. An interpreter, sitting in the center of the room at a circular table, would then spin in his chair until he found the book he was looking for, scan through it, and scribble down his best guess on a thick tablet.

    After managing to make something coherent, the interpreter handed the tablet to Zarkov.

    Sule, fingers drumming on the armrest of his chair betraying his nervousness, watched the Grand Vizier¡¯s reactions.

    The doors to the chamber slammed open, striking the wall hard enough to shake dust from the rafters. The closest row of listeners let out identical screams as the waters in their bowls rippled from the sudden shock. One fell forward, face splashing into the water. Zarkov had to maneuver around the central table to pull the listener back before she could drown in the shallow puddle.

    Sule¡¯s eyes shifted, looking to the door as his second daughter stormed inside, golden dress billowing in her wake.

    ¡°Kala tells me you sent assassins after my husband.¡±

    ¡°General Kala speaks too much for her own good,¡± Sule said. His drumming fingers stopped as he frowned at his furious daughter. ¡°And you have no husband. You were never married. You are no longer engaged.¡±

    Mihra¡¯s fingers curled around the fabric of her dress, crushing it in a slowly tightening grip. ¡°Is this because I chose it? To get away from you? Alya and I had plans, we were going¡ª¡±

    ¡°This has nothing to do with you, Mihra,¡± Sule said, speaking in a defeated tone as he closed his eyes. ¡°Nor that elf.¡±

    He would like to lay all his problems at the feet of that elf but, truthfully, he couldn¡¯t. In fact, Sule had been quite supportive of their endeavor. Anything to help keep things going as they had been.

    Thirty years ago, Sultan Mehmed¡¯s untimely death brought a messy and chaotic end to the war against the Kingdom of Chernlock. The fighting hadn¡¯t ended, however. With no heir, Evestani fell into a civil war with the regular citizens getting caught between a trio of generals, the former vizier, and¡­ well, Sule himself.

    As a mere civil administrator, Sule had tried keeping the people he could safe. Lacking a proper military, it hadn¡¯t been easy. They were farmers, craftsmen, and the general working peoples of Evestani. That included some old veterans, enough to form a militia of their own to protect what farmland they could. And that was the extent of their power. They had been able to do little more than protect themselves as the rest of the nation tore themselves apart.

    Help came from an unexpected source. An elf, bearing gifts of supplies, food, weapons, and even people from the very nation the former sultan had tried to crush under his expansionist heel. All given freely so long as he was the one to come out of the civil war on top.

    Sule had. And now he was here, betraying that gift.

    Sule¡¯s eyes drifted away from his upset daughter to the other man in the room. A man wreathed in golden light with darker skin and short, light hair. Literally light. It looked as if the man had implanted tiny amber glowstones all along his scalp. He sat in a small wooden chair, head tipped back and eyes closed as if he were asleep.

    ¡°Father¡ª¡±

    The golden man¡¯s eyes slowly opened. Just a crack. Just enough to cast his cheeks in a thin sliver of white light.

    ¡°Guards!¡± Sule said, standing before his daughter could continue speaking. A pair of soldiers entered the room, having been posted just outside. ¡°Escort Mihra back to her room. She is distraught.¡±

    ¡°Distraught? Damn right, I¡¯m¡ªUnhand me you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Daughter. Return to your room. We will discuss this later.¡±

    Brown eyes glared as Mihra struggled against the hands on her upper arms. Her fingers nearly tore a hole in her dress as she clenched her fists. All at once, the motion stopped and an odd calm crossed her face. ¡°And you wonder why Razie vanished without a word. Unhand me! I can walk on my own,¡± she snarled as she shoved the guards aside. Her dress trailed behind her as she stormed out of the room.

    One of the guards looked at him, offering a small shrug. Sule barely saw it as he sank back into his chair, elbow hitting the armrest as his hand covered his eyes. Hearing his first daughter¡¯s name in a situation like this¡­ He would have to post other guards. Make sure no one else disappeared before he had a chance to explain things.

    But first, he had a monster to please.

    ¡°Zarkov,¡± Sule said, voice low and firm. ¡°Is it done?¡±

    The Grand Vizier, looking up from a fresh sheet of interpretations, raised an arched eyebrow. He stroked his light-brown beard with two fingers. ¡°Done? Sultan, we are only beginning.¡±

    Sule drew in a breath, throwing his gaze up toward the ceiling for a brief moment. ¡°Not in the mood for your theatrics, Zarkov.¡±

    ¡°Apologies, Sultan,¡± Zarkov said, sweeping an arm under his chest as he bowed. ¡°We have successfully taken Moonshine Burg. Their storehouses are ours.¡±

    ¡°That was never in question,¡± Sule said with a glare. ¡°What of the Duke?¡±

    ¡°The Duke¡­ yet lives. Along with the elf.¡±

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    Sule¡¯s eyes shifted to the corner of the room where the man wreathed in a golden light sat. He didn¡¯t move a muscle at the disappointing news. His eyes were once again closed. Not allowing himself a small sigh of relief, Sule turned his attention back to Zarkov as the vizier began to speak.

    ¡°The assassins were able to take out a majority of the targets. However, it seems they were interrupted by a rather interesting individual right in the middle of the Duke¡¯s party. A man with glowing red eyes accompanied by a monster of indescribable horror.¡±

    The man in the corner of the room stood slowly, eyes opening fully to flood the room with a glowing golden light. Sule wilted under his gaze.

    ¡°It¡¯s her,¡± he said, voice reverberating as if a dozen of him were speaking as one. ¡°The last one has finally found a new master. The stars are shifting once again.¡± Stepping forward, he held out his hand toward Zarkov.

    The Grand Vizier, holding only the interpreted notes, quickly handed them over before stepping back with a bowed head.

    Sule wasn¡¯t sure the man even noticed the sudden nervousness with which Zarkov moved. The man¡¯s eyes shifted ever so subtly, casting light on the pages as he read. With teeth looking like finely cut glowstones, the man smiled.

    ¡°We will still them.¡±

    <hr>

    Sule paced in front of the door to his daughter¡¯s chambers. Though the evening had been stressful enough and he wanted nothing more than to huddle up in his room, trying to avoid thinking about anything that was going on, the upcoming week was not going to be any better. He had to get this done tonight. It had been left to fester for too long as it was.

    The Palace of the Sultan wasn¡¯t a particularly large or grandiose building. The original had been destroyed in the civil war and, when Sule came out ahead, he hadn¡¯t wanted to rebuild it to be something overly opulent. Not at a time when the people of the country needed to focus on their rebuilding efforts. Its construction hadn¡¯t even started until eight years ago, well after the war had ended and he had been sure that shelter and food had been fully secured for Evestani. Nonetheless, it still stood tall on its hill with a great number of rooms for family, workers, visitors, and servants.

    He had hoped it would be a guiding light into how Evestani handled itself in the future. An example of balance between the ruling class and the people¡¯s needs, a far cry from the original Mumthaz which had been built with gold and precious gemstones covering its rounded ceilings and tall spires.

    Now he stood outside his daughter¡¯s door, trying to decide how to explain that the future he had envisioned had all crumbled to dust.

    ¡°Mihra? Are you there?¡± he called through the door.

    His daughter didn¡¯t respond. Knowing her, he would have been surprised if she had. Especially after ordering the guards to drag her away. It had been for her safety but he well knew that was just an excuse. If anything, he was surprised that she hadn¡¯t thrown a shoe against the door in response.

    ¡°Things have been complicated as of late,¡± he said in a half-sigh, leaning against the door¡¯s frame. ¡°The Golden Order has¡­ Well, there¡¯s a great evil threatening¡­¡± Sule closed his eyes, leaning his head back before deciding to focus on one particular thing she had said earlier. ¡°Your elder sister, Razie, left because there were some things she didn¡¯t agree with. She didn¡¯t vanish without any words to me. Rather, it was more because of how many words she had for me that she felt she couldn¡¯t stay any longer.

    ¡°Razie is a headstrong girl who never felt right smiling and accepting the people¡¯s adoration. Skilled and talented, she always felt people only saw her because she was the princess and not because of her personal feats and accomplishments. In contrast to you, she never took well to being called a princess and when the prospect of political marriages came up, we had extensive arguments¡­¡±

    Sule paused, waiting to see if his second daughter would say anything. He wasn¡¯t even sure if she was still awake. Meetings and plans, organizations and generals, and the Golden Order had consumed the majority of the night. There was so much to do and so much he couldn¡¯t delegate to others.

    ¡°Though her absence pains me, she didn¡¯t up and vanish as you might suspect. It was the prospect of being married to a count in the Tetrarchy that truly infuriated her. When the prospect of marriage to Duke Woldair first came up with regards to you, I had expected the same, honestly. Marrying off any of my daughters to a pig like the Duke made me ill at ease. I had hoped you would object as well.¡±

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t. Then the Golden Order came to me and I tried to make you see reason, to see the Duke for what he was and that elf for the puppeteer she is¡­¡± Sule opened his eyes, looking around the hall. There were certain things that he shouldn¡¯t say. Especially not out in the open like this. It had been made readily apparent that, despite his station as Sultan, he was not a necessary component of this country.

    His eventual replacement should he leave the throne vacant, a figurehead though they might be, was an unknown. Would they try to shield the people as much as they could from the consequences of the Golden Order¡¯s actions? Or would they revel in the chaos as the warlords of old Evestani had? He couldn¡¯t let someone else take the power. Not if Evestani wanted to continue.

    ¡°Mihra, might I come in?¡± Sule asked after another long stretch of silence. He tapped his knuckles against the wood of the door. When the silence continued, a small pit of worry fell into the back of his stomach. ¡°Mihra?¡± he called, knocking harder. ¡°I¡¯m coming in, Mihra.¡±

    Grasping the door¡¯s handle, he shoved into the door. It opened a handspan before getting caught on something. He shoved his shoulder into it again and again, pushing it open a little more each time until whatever was on the other side gave way. A chair clattered to the ground as the door swung open.

    ¡°Mihra?¡± Sule called, stepping into the dark room. The glowstones in the lamps were missing. Taken. He charged past the books and shelves, into the bedroom proper, only to freeze.

    The bed was empty, with thin sheets lying atop a flat mattress. The window, open to the night, clattered against the wall in a heavy gust of wind. Sule rushed over, peering out into the night. ¡°Mihra!¡± he called. The bushes down below looked like something might have landed in them. A foolish daughter, perhaps. That daughter was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Guards!¡± Sule called, turning. ¡°Guard¡ª¡±

    He froze as a younger man entered his daughter¡¯s quarters, eyes glowing a brilliant gold.

    ¡°Y¡­ Your Holiness¡­¡±

    The man¡¯s eyes shined their light around the room as he took it in, though his face betrayed an utter absence of emotion. ¡°Sultan,¡± he said eventually, even offering a respectful bow. Sule didn¡¯t believe in its genuineness for a moment. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ my daughter. She has fled the palace.¡±

    ¡°Is that a problem?¡± the man asked, head tilting to one side as if he couldn¡¯t understand the reason Sule was even making noise with his mouth.

    ¡°Problem? Of course, it¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°Will it affect our operations?¡±

    ¡°I¡ª¡± Sule¡¯s jaw clamped shut as the man¡¯s golden eyes turned to face him fully. He suppressed a shudder but couldn¡¯t help the step back, bumping into the ledge of the window. Swallowing, he tried to smile. ¡°No. No, it won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Good. Then in light of the information we have received this evening, I think it would be prudent to accelerate our advance into the Duchy.¡±

    ¡°Advance? We¡¯re already marching into winter. How much¡­¡± Sule trailed off, realizing just how little the man cared for anything he was saying. ¡°Sorry, Your Holiness. I¡­ What kind of advancement were you thinking?¡±

    ¡°I am glad you asked. Come along,¡± he said, turning back to the door.

    Now that the golden light had turned away from Sule, he drew in a shuddering breath. He glanced back over his shoulder and made a decision.

    He would not look for his daughter. Either of them. Though it pained him, getting away from the palace was perhaps the safest thing they could have done, even if they didn¡¯t know it. He could only hope that Mihra would find her elder sister out there somewhere and they could support each other.

    ¡°Sultan?¡±

    Sule jolted and hurried along, leaving the vacant bedroom behind.

 Shadow of the Elm Mountains

    Arkk stood back, supervising a trio of lesser servants as they assembled an idea that Savren had come up with.

    The Evestani Sultanate had marched their army far further in two weeks than Arkk¡ªor even Hawkwood¡ªhad thought possible. Aided by holy magics keeping them safe from the elements and assassins targeting the leadership of burgs in their paths, opening the gates for the invading armies, they had managed to cross a quarter of the Duchy before Hawkwood rallied and assembled White Company to act against them.

    Smaller villages in between the larger burgs had been raided. Their storehouses, full at the start of the winter, had been taken by the advancing armies to fuel their march. Refugees fled eastward, putting strain on every burg and village they crossed. A few villages had tried burning their stores at the first sign of the approaching armies but Arkk, watching through crystal balls, could only say that a handful had been successful. The rest had been saved by sudden squalls that he could only describe as divine intervention.

    Given the golden glow protecting the armies from the elements, those storehouses being saved probably were divine intervention. Or at least holy magics worked by the Golden Order¡¯s miracle men.

    But all that momentum was going to stop here.

    In the shadows of the Twin Elm Peaks was a large and normally prosperous burg that went by the name Elmshadow. The mountains did not span the entire breadth of the Duchy by any means but they, and Elmshadow¡¯s valley, stood in the most direct path further eastward, toward Cliff and the Cursed Forest. It was possible to navigate an army around the mountains but that would buy time for the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard to make their way here. Hawkwood was already out west, doing his best to stall the advancing army for just a few more days.

    Long enough for Arkk to finish his task.

    It was a trying battle for him, Arkk well knew. Unlike their opponents, Hawkwood and White Company didn¡¯t have the holy protection against the elements. White Company had a few priests and abbesses on retainer but none knew how the Evestani army was doing what they were doing. They were on hand for healing and other minor miracles only.

    ¡°Have I mentioned how creepy this is?¡± Edvin called out from where he sat at the head of a cart.

    Arkk looked up at him with a frown before shaking his head. ¡°Only once per hour,¡± he said, moving to the back of the cart. Peeling back a tarp, Arkk revealed an array of skulls. Looted from the barrows not far from Langleey Village. Taking two of them, one in each hand, he crossed the short distance to where the lesser servants had finished dragging over piles of stones. Vague stone mausoleums stood out at the mouth of the valley in a long line. These latest constructions extended that line clear to the base of the other mountain.

    It was sloppy work. The lesser servants couldn¡¯t work their construction magic out here like they could in Fortress Al-Mir. Nonetheless, they were still adept builders even while using stone brought over from Stone Hearth Burg¡¯s quarry.

    They were his only option at the moment. Everyone else was back at the fortress, preparing, training new recruits, or otherwise engaged in vital tasks necessary for the continued existence of Fortress Al-Mir.

    It was a bit harrowing. Based on the reactions of the assassins at the Duke¡¯s party to him and Vezta, Arkk had a feeling that their end goal wasn¡¯t actually the Duke or Cliff City but him.

    Tucking a skull under his arm, Arkk reached out and planted a hand on the ritual circle one of the servants had inscribed on the roof of the squat, four-pillar mausoleum. The intricate design pulsed once with a sickly green light before going idle. Taking one skull, Arkk slid it underneath the circular roof of the mausoleum and let go of it at waist height. It bobbed twice but remained floating in the air.

    Slowly, it swiveled, peering out from between the pillars to face him. Ominous violet light filled the skull¡¯s empty eye sockets.

    Arkk felt the talisman hanging around his neck heat up for just a moment before cooling back down. The skull, losing interest in him, turned away and sought out other targets.

    ¡°You know,¡± Edvin said, tremble of obvious fear in his voice, ¡°my mother always said not to mess with the remains of the dead. That¡¯s how you get cursed, that is.¡±

    ¡°Your mother was probably far wiser than I am,¡± Arkk said absently, moving to the next mausoleum to repeat the process. ¡°But I¡¯m hoping that these skulls of our ancestors would rather their remains be used to keep the Duchy safe rather than curse us.¡±

    ¡°And you trust that Savren guy? Mother always said you couldn¡¯t trust a necromancer because it doesn¡¯t matter to them whether you are dead or not.¡±

    Arkk paused, considering. He hummed a moment and then, in his most diplomatic tone, said, ¡°I trust Savren about as much as I trust you.¡±

    Edvin blinked once and straightened his back, looking proud of himself. ¡°Be that as it may,¡± he said, trailing off at the end.

    ¡°Savren isn¡¯t actually a necromancer,¡± Arkk said, taking another pair of skulls from the cart. ¡°And despite what it looks like, this isn¡¯t necromancy. It is mind magic. Anyone not wearing these talismans will be struck with such an intense and utter terror that the entire army might just drop their weapons and run back to Evestani.¡±

    ¡°You think it will be that easy?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. Despite Savren¡¯s confidence in this magic penetrating the golden magic used by Evestani, it is a delaying tactic at best. Buying a little more time for reinforcements from Cliff to arrive. Maybe even the King¡¯s army from Chernlock, if they¡¯ve even heard of the situation.¡±

    Arkk had no idea what the greater situation was in the Kingdom. He barely knew what the Duke was doing and that was only thanks to Hawkwood passing information to him. Ilya was still at Cliff but she was in no shape to spy or otherwise engage herself with the goings on there. The healers had seen to her but the emergency healing Arkk had provided had messed something up that couldn¡¯t be healed normally. The same was true for Hawkwood.

    Although both might have died if not for Arkk using that spell from the black book, something about it negated proper healing. It took all Arkk¡¯s willpower to not rush back to Cliff and try to figure out how to undo what he had done. If he couldn¡¯t check in on Ilya and see that she was sitting up and occasionally walking around for short bursts of time, he probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to resist.

    ¡°You have much greater faith in the officials of this land than I, my friend.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t agree in the slightest. Hawkwood was someone he trusted. Master Inquisitor Vrox, even¡ªthough that was more of a ¡®trust in the man to act in accordance with his duties¡¯ sort of trust. As much as Arkk didn¡¯t trust Edvin not to stab him in the back if the man saw some way of profiting from it, he probably still trusted the conman more than the Duke or any of the Duke¡¯s advisors.

    Which¡­ That lack of trust in Edvin was most of the reason he was here.

    Dakka, Rekk¡¯ar, and Olatt¡¯an were training the new recruits. Arkk wasn¡¯t about to throw them into war without making sure they could survive. The rest of his orcs were split up, some running tasks around the Duchy to try to evacuate villages or shore up defenses. Zullie, Vezta, and Savren were finalizing the ritual¡ªhopefully still on schedule to be performed in about a week. Agnete and the gorgon¡ªthe latter of whom weren¡¯t enthused with leaving the warmth of the fortress outside Agnete¡¯s presence¡ªwere evacuating small villages that might be targets of Evestani¡¯s resupply raids. Lexa, Lyssa, Alma, and a few of the other recruits who could handle themselves were helping with the civilians while Larry had a full team working the kitchens.

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    Everyone was busy with an important task. Arkk, the only one aside from Vezta able to direct lesser servants, had to be out here as well. That only left Edvin.

    ¡°I trust in the nation¡¯s officials to desire the continuation of the Duchy and the Kingdom, if only so that they might remain in a position of power,¡± Arkk said eventually, taking a leaf from Vrox¡¯s book. In only a few words, the inquisitor had given him a different perspective on how others could be trusted even if Arkk didn¡¯t trust them on a personal level. ¡°Evestani threatens that.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that makes sense.¡±

    As soon as Arkk placed the final skull into its holding spot, it and the three nearest skulls all swiveled in place, aiming at a distant shape coming out from the cover of the trees on one of the mountains. An elk froze, staring for a split second before its legs thudded against the ground. Sliding on the snow-covered ground, it slipped and went tumbling down but that didn¡¯t stop it from getting right back up and bolting off into the treeline.

    That was as good of a test as any. ¡°In any case, we¡¯re done here,¡± Arkk said, hauling himself into the now-emptied back of the cart. The three lesser servants oozed into the cart alongside him. ¡°Get us back to Elmshadow.¡±

    <hr>

    Two armies meeting each other in open battle was not a common occurrence. Not now, not during the war thirty years ago, not ever. The simple fact was that most people didn¡¯t want to die. Hawkwood knew that as well as any competent commander. White Company, gathered and assembled from across the Duchy, four thousand strong, were no different. Most of them weren¡¯t even active soldiers. A company like White Company paid the majority of its members a small retainer for them to show up in situations like this but otherwise, they were simple farmers or regular peasants.

    They were trained. Hawkwood made sure everyone in his organization not only received training upon signing up but also organized training camps throughout the duchy that members were expected to attend bi-yearly or risk expulsion. They also had equipment. Part of the retainer was meant for weapons and armor. Not everyone had the same make, style, or quality. The core of White Company, made up of about four hundred, weren¡¯t even identical in uniform, let alone the rest of the masses. Nevertheless, inspections had been performed and everyone present outside Elmshadow Burg had worthy gear.

    So, while prepared and equipped, now called to perform the task they had signed up for, actually rallying the men into battle was a near impossibility. From the last war, Hawkwood knew well how hesitant armies could be. They might talk big in the camps but put them on the battle lines and everyone was perfectly happy to shout and jeer at the enemy from the safety of a distance. Even once they started marching forward into actual combat, one army would more than likely turn tail and rout. Should two opposing armies actually meet, it still took hours of psyching people up, rallying cries, speeches, invoking the Light, and other tactics just to get people to march the last few paces into melee.

    Hawkwood hadn¡¯t bothered with any of that. White Company stood strong, showing a force, well in advance of the Evestani army. A protracted battle was not a victory condition at the moment. Nor was victory likely if they did charge into open combat.

    Evestani¡¯s army numbered upwards of ten thousand. They weren¡¯t all gathered together right here, the opposing force was spread across the Duchy. White Company was still heavily outnumbered. Not to mention the miraculous magic on display, another penalty to the morale of his troops.

    Thankfully, even despite their greater numbers, the same hesitance that White Company suffered from also affected the enemy. Just by moving his troops out here and planting them in the middle of the road, they had slowed the lightning-fast advance of Evestani. It wouldn¡¯t last forever. Nobody wanted to rush into combat and take a blade to the skull. The Evestani army¡¯s leaders would have a far easier time rallying their men into battle just by pointing out the numbers difference and the magic they wielded. White Company had its own spellcasters but their efforts toward battle were far less obvious than the golden light that suffused throughout the soldiers of Evestani.

    It wouldn¡¯t last forever.

    In fact, Hawkwood doubted it would last another day. There had already been some advancements from Evestani. Only his archers and spellcasters had kept them from crossing the gulf that was the wide-open plains in the shadow of the Elm mountains. He had already given orders to be prepared to make an organized retreat should Evestani start charging.

    This was why he almost collapsed in relief when the Swiftwing harpy dove out of the sky, spreading her wings right at the last moment to slow her descent. She touched down, taloned feet gripping the ground as she fluttered her wings. A few of the jumpier soldiers in their midst let out cries of alarm. The hard men of the group quickly calmed the others with no input from Hawkwood.

    Harpies, like about half of all beastmen, lacked humanoid hands. They did have sharp claws on their wings. Combining those claws with a specially designed harness allowed the harpy to retrieve a thin letter, sealed with a violet-hued wax bearing a compass rose on a maze-like pattern. ¡°Message for you, Sir,¡± the harpy said, voice scratchy like most of her kind.

    ¡°Thank you, Talan,¡± Hawkwood said, wasting no time in snapping open the seal.

    It was a short letter without even a proper greeting. Just a few words, in fact. The defenses around Elmshadow Burg were ready.

    ¡°Adjutant,¡± Hawkwood called out.

    Neil, ever at his side, stepped forward. ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°Order the retreat. We¡¯re falling back behind the Elmshadow defenses. Make sure that everyone has their talisman equipped.¡±

    With a salute, Neil turned to carry out his orders, delegating to the various squad captains and everyone else who needed to know. Everyone should already be ready to move. By nightfall, four thousand of White Company should be back behind the defenses Arkk had cooked up. Hawkwood hoped that they worked but wasn¡¯t going to count on them holding out forever either. Or even for a short time.

    Falling back to Elmshadow was still the best option. The Evestani army was not hauling siege equipment. No catapults, trebuchets, battering rams, or breaching towers. It was likely they had magical bombardments but there had been no need to use it thus far. That had surely been one of the factors in their swift advance through the Duchy. They couldn¡¯t have moved as fast while hauling heavy siege engines. They didn¡¯t need any of that when their assassins could take out key figures in the guard and leave the gates wide open.

    Hawkwood and Arkk had found two assassins lying in wait at Elmshadow, both discovered thanks to the efforts of one of his spellcasters¡¯ proficiency in the anathema that was mind magics. Even if they had missed an assassin or two, it would take a lot more to take out White Company. Those gates wouldn¡¯t open as long as one of his officers yet lived. Given its strategic location, Elmshadow Burg held several cannons and ballista for fending off attackers. Combined with Arkk¡¯s new defenses, any siege should fail. Evestani would have to take the long treks around the mountain if they wanted to continue their advance.

    By then, the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard should arrive in force.

    Evestani¡¯s scouts would notice the activity. They had to hurry. Fighting while attempting a retreat would lead to unacceptable casualties.

    ¡°Talan, take to the skies and warn us of any¡ª¡±

    ¡°Incoming!¡±

    Hawkwood¡¯s eyes widened as he turned in the direction of the shout. Evestani had launched the occasional volley of arrows in their direction but never without the scouts warning them that archers were assembling. White Company¡¯s spellcasters were already filling the air with a haze, well-trained as they were, but it wasn¡¯t fast enough.

    Gaps in the haze over the army let golden arrows pierce through. Shouts and cries of pain and distress sprung up throughout the army. Shields went up and metal clanked against metal. The falling arrows lasted only a few seconds but the effects carried on.

    ¡°Casters!¡± Hawkwood bellowed. ¡°Keep the skies clear! Clerics to the wounded! Have every man¡ª¡±

    Lethis, struck through the gap in between his helmet and his breastplate by a falling arrow, started screaming a dozen paces away from Hawkwood. For a moment, he thought it was the pain or the shock only to realize that something else was going on. Molten gold leaked from the seams in his armor, spreading out and coating the painted white gear. It ran down the outside of his gauntlet, forming a sword of gold to replace the one he had dropped when struck.

    The screams stopped abruptly and Lethis stood. He jerked and jittered. Someone started to approach only to jump back as that golden sword lashed out.

    A cleric cried out elsewhere. Hawkwood could only see his back and the golden sword pierced through. The sword ripped back through his body but the gold remained, spreading across the cleric¡¯s back and clothes, slowly coating the thrashing man.

    ¡°Get away from anyone hit!¡± Hawkwood shouted over the fresh wave of shouts of alarm. He raised his shield, blocking a blow from one of his own men, now turned to a gold statue. ¡°Shields up! Knights get between those golden soldiers. Everyone else, fall back to Elmshadow!¡±

 Siege of Elmshadow

    ¡°Edvin, get back to Fortress Al-Mir,¡± Arkk said, lowering his crystal ball. ¡°I want Agnete here immediately. The gorgon as well. Have Vezta show you which ritual circles to use to reach her.¡±

    ¡°Me? Interact with the scary pyromaniac? Are you¡ª¡±

    Arkk turned, eyes casting a red glow over Edvin¡¯s face. ¡°Now,¡± he said.

    ¡°Going!¡± Edvin said, his voice tinged with forced cheer. He fled, not bothering to hide his rush as he dashed out of Elmshadow¡¯s garrison office that Arkk and Hawkwood had taken over.

    They had a teleportation circle in the dark cellar with a lesser servant burrowed beneath, ready to destroy it if anyone unauthorized so much as stepped into the room. Fortress Al-Mir was seven hops back. Arkk hadn¡¯t liked using them before but found them to be too efficient. Now, however, their tactical advantage in moving small numbers was too great to ignore. There were traps and decoys around each actual teleportation circle, other circles were designed to look like a proper teleportation circle but would kill or maim any users. He worried it wasn¡¯t enough. All it would take would be someone scrying to reverse engineer where the teleportation circle went, then they could follow that straight back to Fortress Al-Mir.

    It wasn¡¯t so much of a concern with the inquisitors as they already knew where the fortress was¡ªeven if he hoped his ruse of moving the fortress was still intact. Arkk didn¡¯t know if that was true of Evestani, however, and fully intended to keep the location as hidden as possible. He didn¡¯t know Evestani¡¯s scrying capabilities but imagined they had some methods of keeping watch on distant matters. He wanted to find out how the inquisitors were blocking his scrying so that he could use the same protection around the teleportation circles. Until he¡ªor, more likely, Zullie¡ªfigured that out, he had taken to enclosing the ritual circles in pitch-dark environments, easily constructed with the help of lesser servants.

    He did wish there was a way to move larger forces around. Scaling up the ritual circle did not work. It would only transport one ¡®thing¡¯ at a time. A person. A horse. A cart. A person could carry another person or things, but there was a limit. A cart couldn¡¯t even be fully loaded. At some point in loading the cart, seemingly at different levels every time they tried, it would just leave behind everything beyond the cart itself. Neither Zullie nor Vezta had an explanation as to why. In addition, for everyone beyond him, Vezta, Zullie, Savren, Agnete, and Hale, activating the ritual circle more than once or twice quickly became magically exhausting. Even they would tire after a dozen or two uses.

    Not exactly a feasible option for transporting thousands of soldiers, their supplies and sustenance, and all the support personnel required for running an army.

    Which was incredibly disheartening now of all times.

    Standing, Arkk turned to the window in the garrison¡¯s office. Elevated above the rest of the burg, it allowed a clear view out between the Twin Elm Peaks, over the wide and currently vacant fields nestled in the valley. Far in the distance, near where he had been setting up Elmshadow¡¯s defenses, he could just barely make out the movement of the approaching White Company, fleeing from a few dozen golden soldiers.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what was up with those things. Nor why Hawkwood had his company, four thousand strong, fleeing from no more than fifty of them. They were sluggish and heavy, judging by how deeply they sunk into the ground with every step. When Arkk had first scried on Hawkwood¡¯s fleeing army, they had been much closer. Now, Hawkwood had put some distance between them. Their movements seemed stiff and janky, not at all like how a human would move. When he had scried on them earlier, he hadn¡¯t noticed any flesh under their detailed armor and cloaks, just more gold.

    The mausoleum defenses needed minds to target. These things looked more like animated statues. Had that all been a waste?

    He hoped not. Even if the golden soldiers got close, the mausoleums should survive. The lesser servants had constructed them to be sturdy enough to hold up to all but the most dedicated of long-range bombardment. They would have been useless if any old archer could have knocked them over. A sword, especially a soft golden sword, would break before the hard stone.

    The army made it past the mausoleums without problem. That was one small thing he had been worried about, especially with them being chased, but the talismans were exceedingly simple to make. Just a few quick marks that redirected the specific magic used. They weren¡¯t even magically active themselves, more like an extension of the fear-inducing ritual that didn¡¯t do anything while too far away.

    Unfortunately, the golden soldiers followed. They didn¡¯t stop to attack the mausoleums but neither were they turned aside by their power.

    A heat at his back signaled the arrival of Agnete. With the temperature rise, she didn¡¯t even need to announce her presence. Khan slithered into the room at her back, a step behind.

    ¡°Agnete, can your flames melt gold?¡±

    She quirked her head to one side, sending her wild hair bobbing with her head. ¡°I have encountered exceedingly little that my flames will not consume.¡±

    ¡°Good enough. Khan,¡± Arkk stepped closer to the pair, crystal ball in hand. ¡°What do you make of these golden statues?¡±

    The gorgon¡¯s tongue darted out of his mouth as if it were possible to taste the statues through the ball. He shook his head a moment after. ¡°They move. Thiss iss not gorgon magicss.¡±

    ¡°I figured,¡± Arkk said, tone polite yet deadpan. ¡°Can you stone them? Or at least solidify them?¡±

    ¡°Unssure. I have never encountered ssuch creaturess.¡± He leaned in closer. ¡°Sshow me their eyess.¡±

    Arkk, looking down at the crystal ball, adjusted the scrying angle. Several of the golden soldiers were wearing armor and helmets. Only a few were lacking. He quickly closed in on one dressed as a priest, focusing on its face.

    He recoiled involuntarily at the sight of the golden statue. The skin was nothing short of astounding. It bore an uncanny resemblance to human flesh, capturing every intricate detail with perfect precision. Every dimple carved around its lips, every wrinkle etched upon its forehead, and even the faintest scars were faithfully rendered in gold.

    What truly sent a shiver down his spine was the hair. The tiny, delicate hairs that adorned the statue¡¯s face. He had a trim beard, minute stubble on his cheeks, and even faithfully crafted eyebrows, drawn up to the golden man¡¯s forehead. It was a masterful display of craftsmanship that Arkk couldn¡¯t quite comprehend. They were being used as soldiers. Surely the artisan wouldn¡¯t have bothered in going quite so in-depth when it was likely the solder was going to take a bludgeon to the face, deforming it all.

    And the face¡­ What a face. The expression frozen in such intense detail was an amalgamation of fear and terror. As if the artisan had looked upon a dying soldier and decided to use that pained visage as the inspiration for his construction. The eyes, so lifelike, held a silent scream of anguish that made him shudder.

    Tearing his eyes from the crystal ball, Arkk noted his two companions. Agnete, though stony-faced as always, had taken a half step back. Khan looked unaffected. Being a gorgon, perhaps a human posed in such a state didn¡¯t affect him or perhaps his inhuman features were simply better at concealing his disquiet. Either way, Arkk couldn¡¯t help but wonder if there was some magic to these statues beyond simply animating the gold. A fear effect much like what he had tried to erect around Elmshadow would explain why Hawkwood was running instead of just crushing the soldiers.

    ¡°Their eyess are not flesshy,¡± Khan said, startling Arkk into a small jump. ¡°Gorgon magicss won¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Thank you for your input. Agnete, you up to turning these soldiers into puddles?¡±

    The embers in her eyes intensified and the glow in the scars marring her face doubled over. She didn¡¯t say a word but she did nod her head. Arkk could feel the sudden eagerness coming off her in the form of heat.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take some of the garrison¡¯s horses,¡± Arkk said, moving around the two. ¡°Khan, stay ready here. Agnete, let¡¯s ride.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°I thought you said your fire could melt gold!¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°Give me a gold coin and I will make it flow like water,¡± Agnete shouted back, one of the few times Arkk had heard her raise her voice.

    A gout of flame hot enough to make Arkk dive to the ground surged forth from Agnete¡¯s extended arm. The fire wasn¡¯t aimed in his direction, but rather toward a golden knight bearing the chevron of White Company. Orange flames wrapped around the statue, intensifying to the point of turning a nearly transparent blue. Snow evaporated in an instant, plants buried beneath went up in smoke, and even the ground turned to glass.

    The golden knight took another step forward, foot sinking deep into the molten glass.

    Although unharmed, that at least gave it pause. Once its other foot sunk up to its knee, it couldn¡¯t move forward. Arkk¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Stop, stop!¡± he shouted, hoping Agnete could hear over the roar of the fire.

    She did. Agnete quenched her flames. In the absence of the immediate heat, the ground quickly returned to a solid state, solidifying around the golden man¡¯s legs. Arkk watched from his spot on the ground for a long moment. The statue could have easily hacked away at the ground with its sword until the rough glass chipped and broke away from his feet. Instead, the thing merely wiggled back and forth, clearly lacking the intelligence necessary to free itself.

    There were other golden statues steadily approaching.

    ¡°Can you do the same thing to the others?¡± Arkk asked, latching on to the solution, even if it was only a temporary one.

    Agnete, the sleeves of her long coat completely missing, let out a misty breath of air as she straightened her back. She looked down at Arkk but didn¡¯t offer a hand to help him up from the ground. Arkk probably wouldn¡¯t have taken it if she had. Burns and boils on his hands were the last things he needed right now.

    Although all the snow had melted off, Arkk still felt muddy and damp as he stood. Taking a few steps closer to Agnete, who was now aiming a baleful glare in the direction of the nearest statue, solved the damp feeling. Unfortunately, that left dried mud caked all down his front. Brushing himself off a few times, he backed away, letting Agnete have some room as she spooled up the heat once again.

    Agnete deliberately waited until the next of the still-mobile statues was a fair distance from the first. Arkk figured that she didn¡¯t want to risk softening the ground under the first¡¯s feet. Once she felt ready, flames surged forth once again, this time focused on the earth. The golden statue walked right into the liquid-yet-viscous earth, sinking clear up to its thighs before Agnete cut off the flames.

    Gaining confidence in the strategy, Agnete advanced, preemptively melting the earth in front of an approaching trio. One stumbled from the uneven terrain and ended up knocking the other two face-first into the viscous glass. Their legs and arms sunk in, leaving them stranded even more than the others. Agnete smiled at the sight, a faint red glow illuminating her teeth.

    Arkk let her move on, staying behind to get a closer look at the closest of the statues.

    Not too close of a look. They had passed Hawkwood¡¯s forces on the way, leaving their horses behind to avoid cooking them alive in Agnete¡¯s heat. While there, they had been handily informed not to, under any circumstance, engage the golden statues in melee combat. They were far stronger than they looked and could turn their victims into more golden statues. Hawkwood hadn¡¯t been sure if it required death or just a grievous wound but he had personally witnessed several fine soldiers turning those golden blades against their own.

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± Arkk intoned, opening the floodgates to his magic. A thick bolt of electricity hit the statue, lasting far longer than any natural lightning bolt. It did have some effect. The statue spasmed and seized, twitching and thrashing far more violently. Arkk kept the bolt of lightning going for nearly a full minute, stopping just as he felt the beginnings of fatigue setting in.

    Fatigue was something other spellcasters had to worry about. Even Agnete, an avatar of the Burning Forge, couldn¡¯t throw around flames continuously for too long. Zullie, the next most powerful caster in his employ, could only manage about a dozen Electro Deus casts of brief, instant lightning before collapsing. A dozen more than before she had entered his employ by still only a handful compared to what he could unleash.

    And yet, the golden statue still twitched and jerked. His lightning affected it but what he had just put into the statue would have turned any normal person to ash and dust.

    Arkk waited, watching the statue. It continued to twitch and did not resume its smooth yet sluggish movements. He must have damaged some of the spell that was keeping it animate. Zullie had taught him some diagnostic magic that should tell him for sure and might uncover what these things were and what kind of magic powered them as well. That would be the first step in figuring out how to stop them permanently. Unfortunately, that would also require getting far too close.

    Perhaps if Agnete managed to trap one on its hands and knees like the trio without any upright nearby, he could try.

    However, he had a feeling he knew what was going on. Not exactly and he didn¡¯t know how to undo it or shut the magic down. Still, he had enough information to know that this had to be the work of a miracle passed down by one of the three traitors to the Pantheon. The Heart of Gold, he guessed just based on the name of the deities.

    He had suspected before. The assassins suddenly having glowing eyes, the fact that Evestani was home to the Golden Order, and the suddenness and unexpectedness of the invasion, which nobody seemed able to explain. Now these golden soldiers with magic that even Agnete was struggling to defeat.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if it was him or something he had done, Vezta or something she had done, or just that they existed at all, but it was clear to him that they had garnered the ire of a god. This, more than anything else, made him sure that Evestani was after Fortress Al-Mir, not Cliff City and the Duke.

    Would he still have accepted the power of Fortress Al-Mir if Vezta had mentioned that it would make him an enemy of the only three gods that could access this world? Probably, if he were being honest. The situation at the time had felt dire, the most harrowing event he or Langleey Village had ever faced at the time. The threat of the orcs and goblins and, later, demon summoning had been a very real and lethal threat. On the other hand, gods were some vague and distant entities, only spoken of in terms of vague myths by Abbess Keena during the Suun sermons. The source of power for healing miracles. Not something that could or would bother to affect regular people.

    The situation did make him wonder about the traitors and their intentions. The Abbey of the Light, the dominant religion within the borders of Chernlock, likely owed patronage to the Holy Light. So why was the Golden Order of Evestani in the middle of a full-scale invasion while the Abbey of the Light had sent out three inquisitors who hadn¡¯t understood the scope of the situation. Vrox, as he had admitted, wanted to control or contain Vezta and other archaic magics. They hadn¡¯t known anything about what Vezta actually was.

    Those assassins at the Duke¡¯s party had been taken over by something. Possessed, or some similar spell. The one that spoke had recognized Vezta and had even used the [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE]. Evestani knew. Maybe not the soldiers marching across the Duchy. Their leaders? The one sending them here? They knew.

    So what about the Abbey of the Light then? Could they be allies? He had brokered some kind of truce with Vrox. Then again, Vrox, in his ignorance, could have gotten the entire scope of the situation wrong. Maybe he had been imprisoned and was suffering torture or even death for letting Vezta out of his sight. Arkk didn¡¯t know. He hadn¡¯t seen hide nor hair of Vrox since the night of the Duke¡¯s party.

    Looking up, watching as Agnete immobilized the rest of the slow-moving statues, Arkk frowned. It was something to keep in mind. Thinking about it in terms of what Vrox had said, he couldn¡¯t trust the Abbey of the Light because he didn¡¯t know how they would act or what they wanted. The same was true with the Holy Light and the Heart of Gold. He didn¡¯t know what they wanted, other than him and Vezta. He wasn¡¯t even sure that it was possible to know what a deity truly wanted. They were being of such incomprehension that even Vezta, who supposedly knew them better than anyone alive, couldn¡¯t guess what they wanted beyond their stated domains.

    ¡°Arkk.¡±

    ¡°Is that all of them?¡±

    ¡°All the ones chasing White Company,¡± Agnete said, steam roiling from her bare shoulders. ¡°If any broke off¡­ They may find their way to an undefended village¡­¡±

    ¡°Damn it.¡± Arkk grit his teeth. She was right. Hawkwood and his army had been focused on not falling to the golden soldiers as they fell back to Elmshadow. He might not know if any had separated. ¡°Get back to Fortress Al-Mir. Have the scrying team focus on the area around here and around where Hawkwood was camped. They¡¯re slow and shiny. Should be easy to notice.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Return here after. If Evestani has more tricks up their sleeves, we might need you.¡±

    Agnete nodded her head. ¡°There is one other thing,¡± she said, raising a scarred yet muscular arm. The embers in her scars were at a low glow, visible only thanks to the overcast skies.

    Arkk followed her pointing finger.

    Evestani¡¯s army had followed along in the wake of the golden soldiers. It probably wasn¡¯t all of them, merely their vanguard. Arkk watched as a small squad, mounted on horses, rode across the vacant fields and empty plains. Perhaps, seeing that there were only two enemies out here, they intended to rush forward and take his and Agnete¡¯s heads.

    Whatever they wanted didn¡¯t matter.

    Their bravery and courage despite witnessing Agnete¡¯s flames vanished in an instant upon approaching the mausoleums. Even from the distance, Arkk heard the blood-curdling screams of terrific horror, the shrill whinnying of their horses, and the violent clattering of armor. Horses threw their riders, falling to the snow-slicked ground before scampering in the opposite direction. The riders scrambled along the ground, crying out in long shrieks of fright. They fled, arms forgotten on the ground, back toward the bulk of the army.

    ¡°Well at least that is working,¡± Arkk said, glad that they had finished the line of mausoleums before Hawkwood had to retreat. He wasn¡¯t sure how long it would last, whether or not those affected would continue running until they collapsed from exhaustion, or if their comrades would be able to bolster their courage once more.

    Such was the consequence of using experimental mind magic from a man who had thought it was a good idea to live for months in an abandoned mine, surrounded by creatures who would have killed him in an instant if they knew what he was.

    ¡°Come, I don¡¯t want to stand out in the open any longer. Get back to Fortress Al-Mir and return as fast as possible.¡±

    ¡°Shall I fetch Zullie to investigate these golden soldiers?¡±

    Arkk hesitated. She might be able to figure something out. Maybe she knew of some longer-distance diagnostic magics that she hadn¡¯t taught him. But every time he took her, Savren, or Vezta off the ritual project, it just delayed it. She had said one week just a day ago. Disrupting that now¡­

    ¡°No. We¡¯ll have to be enough.¡±

 Holding Steady

    What was one to do while being sieged? Especially when the enemy was only sieging one side of the burg. It was entirely possible to evacuate the citizens out toward the east. But to the east was Evastani¡¯s goal. Anyone fleeing toward Cliff would just have to face them again down the road. Some had gone on their own. Others stayed behind.

    Perhaps they could have headed north or south once they cleared the valley. Those weren¡¯t safe either. This army of Evestani¡¯s wasn¡¯t their only force in the Duchy, just the one pushed into the territory the most.

    ¡°At least your mausoleums are keeping them well away from the walls,¡± Hawkwood said, lowering a telescoping spyglass. Since setting up their encampment, Evestani had done something to obstruct scrying. It wasn¡¯t the complete shutdown that the inquisitors had tried. The crystal balls just fogged over, making it difficult to see anything through the glass.

    Did they know they were being scried upon? Or were these typical precautions anytime they made camp? Arkk couldn¡¯t be sure as he had only scried on troops on the move in the past.

    It was annoying. Crystal balls, along with the teleportation rituals, were his greatest advantage, in his opinion. Even more so than the likes of Vezta or Agnete or gorgon. Having people shut that ability down didn¡¯t help his paranoia. It was perfectly rational to shut down magics like that. Arkk even wanted to do it as well, even though he wasn¡¯t sure that anyone was actively scrying on him. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder what all these people who couldn¡¯t be scried upon were doing where he couldn¡¯t spy.

    ¡°I shudder to think what might happen if their archers got close enough to fire their golden arrows into the burg,¡± Hawkwood continued. ¡°One of those monstrosities in confined quarters? Evestani would have a whole burg of golden soldiers by nightfall.¡±

    Arkk lowered his spyglass. They stood on the wall of Elmshadow Burg, watching out over the snow-dusted fields. The Evestani army had set up a camp, looking like they were going to stick it out here rather than try to go around the bulky mountains.

    The golden soldiers that Agnete had fused to the ground had all stopped moving. Without venturing closer, he couldn¡¯t tell if they had given up on trying to free themselves or if whatever magic animated them had finally run dry. If it was the latter, they had lasted about twenty-four hours. Plenty of time to cause widespread destruction within the burg¡¯s walls. He couldn¡¯t help but nod his head, feeling numb at the thought.

    He glanced over. It had been three weeks since he last saw Hawkwood in person. Through the use of Swiftwing harpies, they had remained in contact and Arkk had scried upon the man¡¯s position several times. Still, it was disconcerting to see his mentor and friend as he was now.

    At the Duke¡¯s party, Hawkwood had been a bit large. Not fat¡ªthe man kept himself in shape¡ªbut still with plenty of girth. His neck had hardly fit inside his collar. He wore his hair styled in a wealthy fashion, slicked back, and had a bushy yet tidy mustache.

    Now, if Arkk had to describe his appearance in one word, it would be haggard. Gone was any spare fat on the man. He might have lost some muscle mass as well, forced to survive on rations of hardtack and pottage. His brown hair, longer and unkempt, traded its groomed luster for frayed and wild strands. A beard had joined his mustache, both of which looked like he had forgotten about them entirely, leaving them to fend for themselves out in the wilds of the Duchy.

    ¡°The Duke¡¯s Men will be here soon,¡± Arkk said, trying to console the man. ¡°Combined with White Company, we¡¯ll outnumber them by a few thousand.¡±

    ¡°A few thousand doesn¡¯t mean much in a protracted battle. Getting two armies to fight isn¡¯t easy either. Not to mention¡­ I am no longer convinced that a large force is wise.¡±

    ¡°Those arrows?¡± Arkk asked.

    Hawkwood nodded. ¡°My casters have determined that they are miraculous in nature, though my bishop claims to have never seen anything like them.¡±

    ¡°Your casters and bishop?¡±

    Hawkwood put on a smile, thin and lacking humor though it was. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who has recruited those well-versed in magic. Proper utilization of casters is a force multiplier. A squad of ten has even odds against ten men. Add in a caster and they can take on twenty with confidence.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Learned that myself.¡±

    Zullie wasn¡¯t that much of a force multiplier. She wasn¡¯t much of a combatant. Agnete, on the other hand? Arkk doubted she could take on the entire Evestani army before someone got a lucky hit in but he didn¡¯t fear much for her safety if he sent her alone against ten or even twenty opponents. More if they were fighting from a position of ambush. The gorgon and Vezta acted much the same, though they weren¡¯t spellcasters.

    ¡°That said,¡± Hawkwood continued, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose your people have come up with any countermeasures?¡±

    Arkk winced. ¡°No. They are¡­ working on something else,¡± he said, feeling a bit guilty.

    ¡°Something that will help with the war?¡±

    ¡°I hope so.¡±

    Hawkwood stared for a moment before offering a brief nod of his head. He didn¡¯t ask anything more, simply bringing his spyglass to his eye once again.

    Arkk started to follow, only to freeze as he heard a noise. A building drone like a bow drawn over a dozen stringed instruments all at once, reaching a high crescendo without any harmony. At the peak, the sound went silent. A low, vibrating tone echoed out over the vacant fields, slamming into the wall along with a brief flash of light out in the distance.

    He tensed, fearing an attack that had gotten through the mausoleum defenses. Taking up his spyglass, he swept it over the distance only to spot a deep gouge in the land. A perfect void, like someone had taken a spoon and carved out a bit of land.

    A black sphere formed in the distance, surrounding a trio of the golden soldiers, bringing with it another discordant noise of rising strings. Except, it wasn¡¯t quite a black sphere. The colors inside the expanding sphere were wrong. The snow turned black but the gold of the soldiers turned blue-white. Shadows turned light and light turned dark. The sphere expanded until it encompassed the three golden statues, hitting that crescendo once again. With the low-toned thrum, the sphere collapsed along with everything inside it. The soldiers disappeared along with another scoop of the ground.

    ¡°They¡¯re¡­ exploding?¡±

    ¡°Not quite,¡± Hawkwood said, tone gruff. ¡°To the left.¡±

    Arkk, noting Hawkwood pointing a finger, followed along until he spotted three figures standing out in the fields. The one standing ahead of the others pinched the tips of his fingers together, using both hands. As he spread his hands apart, another of those inverted spheres began growing around the next group of golden soldiers. It was not a quick process. If those golden soldiers could move, Arkk imagined they could have walked out of the sphere even with their sluggish movements.

    That said, when the process finished and the man clapped his hands together, Arkk couldn¡¯t help but shudder at just how everything was gone from inside that inverted sphere.

    He watched another dozen spheres, each consuming the unmoving statues, before he focused on those working the magic. He didn¡¯t recognize any of them but his heart skipped a beat nonetheless. One woman stood back with another man, watching with keen eyes as the one in front made sphere after sphere. Their uniforms, long black coats with a series of straps holding them closed in the front, were uncomfortably familiar.

    The man creating the spheres was thin, gangly so. He kept hunching over and shuddering between working his magic, clutching at his stomach the way someone might if they couldn¡¯t control their laughter.

    Neither of the other two looked amused. The man, the shorter of the two, looked like he could have been Chronicler Greesom¡¯s brother. Arkk couldn¡¯t make out too many details at a distance but he was shorter, thinner, and had a gleaming pendant dangling from his neck that bounced lightly as he wrote in his notebook.

    The woman stood tall, hands on her hips as she watched. Her long cloak fluttered behind her in a breeze while the brim of a peaked cap hid most of her face. Flowing silver hair¡ªperhaps tinged with a hint of blue¡ªmade Arkk wonder if she was an elf. She didn¡¯t look quite tall enough. Perhaps a half-elf. Either way, she, along with the others, had beads of sweat forming on the back of Arkk¡¯s neck.

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    ¡°Inquisitors,¡± Arkk said, stomach dropping. He couldn¡¯t make out the eye-shaped pin from this distance, even with the spyglasses, but there was no doubt about their identity. The way one stood back, one wrote in a small notebook, and one performed the dangerous magic only confirmed that suspicion.

    Did that mean the man creating the spheres was another purifier? Arkk had imagined all of them as flame-wielders like Agnete. Not¡­ whatever this was. Though, given what he knew of Agnete, he supposed this made sense. Agnete was a chosen of one member of the Pantheon. Vezta had implied that there would only be one avatar for any given member of the Pantheon at once. Both Zullie and Agnete said that there were other purifiers.

    Thus, other purifiers had to belong to different deities or else there was some other explanation for their powers.

    The man creating the spheres turned away from his task for a moment, looking straight at Arkk with wide, manic, and strange eyes. His solid black eyes, illuminated by a single ring of white, made Arkk shudder. Not just because of the strange appearance but because of the way the supposed purifier looked directly at him despite there being no way even an elf could pick him out at this distance.

    Arkk lowered the spyglass, knot tightening in his stomach. ¡°I¡­ should go.¡±

    Were the inquisitors here for the war or him? He honestly couldn¡¯t guess one way or the other. If it were Vrox, he would have said the war. These new inquisitors¡­ he didn¡¯t know anything about them. He couldn¡¯t trust them like he trusted Vrox.

    ¡°I need to get Agnete out of here,¡± he said, tone slightly more urgent. He did not want to see what a fight between two purifiers looked like. Even if, with how long it seemed to take to form those spheres, he figured Agnete might win. And that was only true if the inquisitors didn¡¯t have another countermeasure to Agnete¡¯s abilities along the lines of those ice marbles.

    ¡°Arkk.¡±

    Arkk paused, looking back to Hawkwood.

    The man reached out, clapping a hand on Arkk¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thanks for all you¡¯ve done.¡±

    ¡°I hardly did anything. I wish I could do more. Maybe those inquisitors¡ª¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. Were it not for your mausoleums, I fear we would all be golden soldiers by now.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Speaking of that, if the inquisitors give you trouble over it, feel free to blame it on me. They already don¡¯t like me.¡±

    ¡°To be fair, those mausoleums were all you,¡± Hawkwood said, smiling properly now. ¡°Go. I can handle a few inquisitors.¡±

    Arkk dipped his head. ¡°I might be back if I think of something else I can do to help. Otherwise¡­ you know where to send the Swiftwings. Stay safe.¡±

    ¡°You as well,¡± Hawkwood said, giving Arkk one firm squeeze of his shoulder before letting him go. ¡°You as well.¡±

    Arkk took the stairs off the wall and hurried through town. Elmshadow was a fairly sizable burg. Not as big as Cliff but larger than either Darkwood or Moonshine. Its garrison and keep stood tall at the center of the burg, currently occupied by about half of White Company while the rest of Hawkwood¡¯s men camped out outside the eastern wall. A large market, currently devoid of any people, sprawled out around the main garrison entrance.

    While White Company occupied the majority of the garrison, Company Al-Mir had a few rooms for their personnel. At the moment, that consisted of Agnete, four gorgon, and six orcs. Hardly anything in comparison to White Company¡¯s four thousand or the local baron¡¯s guard which had several hundred.

    It took only a few seconds to round up the gorgon and orcs. Arkk had to check in on where Agnete was using his employee link, though he wasn¡¯t too surprised to find her down in the garrison¡¯s local smithy. Ever since hearing fully about her patron, the Burning Forge, smithies tended to be her regular haunts, whether in Fortress Al-Mir or elsewhere. She didn¡¯t usually participate in the work, often just watching or, occasionally, sitting entirely within the kilns and forges.

    Whatever made her comfortable.

    Today, she stood hovering over the shoulder of some poor member of White Company as the man fixed up a battered breastplate. The embers in her eyes lit bright as she watched and scanned, observing¡ªeven judging¡ªthe way he beat down the bent metal back into place.

    ¡°Agnete. We need to go.¡±

    The wild mane of black hair she had shifted as she turned her head. ¡°An attack?¡± she asked, embers in her eyes intensifying.

    ¡°No! No¡­¡± Arkk said quickly, both for her sake and the sake of the tense blacksmith at her side. He motioned, taking her outside and well away from anyone else before continuing. ¡°Inquisitors. With a purifier who¡­ I don¡¯t even know how to describe it. He made spheres that destroyed everything inside them.¡±

    ¡°Purifiers wield holy flame,¡± Agnete said with a numb tone in her voice. She didn¡¯t look worried but the glow under her skin started to brighten.

    Arkk blinked, frowning to himself. Had he misunderstood? Perhaps there were more like Agnete and this new inquisitor was some other class of enforcer. Whatever the case, it didn¡¯t matter at the moment. He could try to figure out what to call this new inquisitor later. ¡°Whoever they are, they¡¯re dressed like inquisitors. I¡¯m not too interested in meeting them and I doubt you want to either.¡±

    ¡°Can you scry on them?¡±

    Since scrying hadn¡¯t been working on Evestani and the other inquisitors Arkk knew of had ways of blocking it, he hadn¡¯t even tried. He quickly conjured his crystal ball. Fortress Al-Mir possessed two, one he kept to himself for the most part. The other had a team working day and night, scrying on various locales of import. Mostly areas Hawkwood had pointed out as being strategically valuable.

    It did feel a bit bad that he kept one near himself when he wasn¡¯t even using it every second of the day.

    The value of being able to peer across a battlefield without resorting to Hawkwood¡¯s limited spyglass couldn¡¯t be understated.

    He first did a quick check of the Evestani encampment. The crystal ball just went foggy. It was like Evestani had some spellcasters summon up a thick fog. That could easily have been what they had done. Arkk didn¡¯t envy sitting around in a cold and wet fog in the middle of winter. Then again, he didn¡¯t have that golden light staving off the elements.

    Hawkwood had sent out lookouts throughout the mountains, making sure that no forces were hiking through with the intention of dropping those golden arrows on the burg. The mausoleums only protected the valley, after all.

    Thinking of the valley, the viewpoint changed, dragged over to dozens of scooped-out divots in the terrain. The inquisitors were still working and were not doing anything to hide their presence from scrying eyes. Able to look closer with the crystal ball, Arkk spotted the familiar eye-shaped silver pin with a vertical bar in place of the pupil.

    ¡°Inquisitors,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Recognize them?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Arkk felt a chill run down his spine as a new thought occurred to him. Were they inquisitors? They dressed the part. They had the right numbers, including one man who had a notebook, but that might only mean that someone had done their research. Taking an extra moment to think about it, something didn¡¯t quite add up.

    Where had they come from? They were out in the fields between the mausoleum defenses and the burg. They hadn¡¯t passed through the burg or someone would have noticed them. Hawkwood¡¯s scouts around the mountains had a whole system in place to check in on each other, making sure nobody disappeared and let anyone through. Thus far, the alarm hadn¡¯t gone off.

    Did that mean they had come from the mausoleums? Somehow avoiding that mental magic? Judging by Vrox and Greesom reflecting a gorgon¡¯s petrifying gaze back upon the gorgon, Arkk wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they could get past easily. But that meant that they were coming from the Evestani side of things.

    ¡°Are these inquisitors?¡± Arkk asked, voice a little more intense. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t recognize them, could they be new or just unknown to you?¡±

    ¡°That is likely,¡± Agnete admitted. ¡°I can name¡­ six inquisitors. Not including myself.¡±

    ¡°Six¡­ that¡¯s¡­ Is that a lot? How many inquisitors are there?¡±

    Agnete shrugged. Pinching a length of black hair between her fingers, she rubbed it in thought. ¡°Three dozen? Maybe four. I don¡¯t have exact numbers. That is a guess based on our typical operating area.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t many but it also meant that Agnete wasn¡¯t likely to know any given inquisitor. Arkk bit his lip as he stared into the crystal ball, eyeing the woman, who he presumed to be in Vrox¡¯s role within this group. She did not have pointed ears, he noted. The man at her side didn¡¯t quite look like Greesom from a closer perspective. Their similarities ended with their height. Where Greesom was fairly rotund in a muscular manner, this man was thin and had a gaunt face. Maybe he had been ill recently, even.

    The last man, the one causing the imploding spheres, looked mad. He had wide, crazed eyes and kept descending into fits of laughter. The woman snapped at him nearly constantly, though Arkk couldn¡¯t hear what she was saying through the crystal ball.

    ¡°Is there anything that gives them away as impostors? Their clothes or that strange magic?¡±

    Their clothes were almost identical to what Agnete was wearing now. Agnete¡¯s weren¡¯t official inquisitor clothing, but rather something made by the fortress tailor. From a distance, it was doubtful that anyone would be able to tell the difference¡ªnot taking into account Agnete¡¯s lack of sleeves, having burned them off at some point or another. From close-up, it was a different story. The seams were bulky while parts that should have been protruding were flat. The stitching lacked regular finesse and the hems weren¡¯t even. Were Agnete to stand next to a proper inquisitor, she would look like a cheap copy.

    ¡°Inquisitors seek out strange or anathematic magic. We don¡¯t merely destroy it, however. We contain and, oftentimes, utilize that magic. Anathematic magic went into the Binding Agent that was used to control me.¡±

    That fit with what Vrox had said to him in one of their meetings. He wanted Vezta and the artifact used to control her. With that in mind, it wouldn¡¯t have surprised Arkk in the slightest if they intended for Vezta to take on a similar role as Agnete or this black-eyed man.

    ¡°As for their clothes,¡± Agnete continued, peering closer into the crystal ball. ¡°I see nothing amiss. So long as they have the proper credentials, I wouldn¡¯t blink an eye if they introduced themselves to me. Does something stand out to you?¡±

    Arkk pursed his lips, staring down into the crystal ball. ¡°The situation. They show up and start destroying the golden statues. Great. But where did they come from? With Evestani¡¯s penchant for disguised assassins¡­ Hawkwood will just let them in at the gate. They walk in, act like inquisitors. As soon as night falls, they take out anyone in a leadership position. Maybe try to find a weakness in the mausoleums. Assuming they don¡¯t just use that magic to destroy them.¡± Drumming his fingers against his thigh, he looked to Agnete. ¡°These proper credentials, would someone like Hawkwood be able to tell if they were true or forged?¡±

    ¡°Hawkwood has mentioned in the past that he doesn¡¯t have much experience with inquisitors.¡±

    That was a no, then. ¡°Can you?¡±

    ¡°Unless something drastic has changed since absconding from the organization.¡±

    Arkk ground his teeth, hating what he was about to ask. ¡°How dangerous do you think it would be to meet them if they are real inquisitors?¡±

    ¡°Not any more dangerous than if they were assassins.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I was afraid of.¡±

 Master Inquisitrix Sylvara Astra

    Arkk did his best to look at ease as the heavy portcullis over Elmshadow Burg¡¯s western gate lifted.

    Everything was prepared. Everything was planned for.

    He stood alongside Hawkwood, the latter having been informed of Arkk¡¯s suspicions. In the eaves, lurking in the dark and vacant homes near to the burg¡¯s entrance, Hawkwood had positioned his finest marksmen, supposedly capable of striking an apple at a hundred paces with their crossbows. A full contingent of wary guards stood behind, sporting White Company¡¯s chevrons, alongside a smaller company of orcs with Company Al-Mir¡¯s compass maze insignia hidden behind chevrons as well. Two pairs of gorgon, one to petrify and one to free the other if their magic ended up turned on themselves, haunted the guardhouse, ready to strike.

    Agnete, though not wishing to make herself known to the possible inquisitors or their purifier equivalent, nonetheless burned hot at Arkk¡¯s back, wearing concealing armor on loan from one of Hawkwood¡¯s men.

    If these were inquisitors, Arkk hoped they would appreciate the precautions in the face of possible danger. If they were assassins¡­

    He hoped they would be surprised.

    The woman strode forward ahead of the others, her black uniform bearing the inquisitorial eye, golden regalia of the Abbey of the Light, and the blue and white striped shield of the Duke. Vrox didn¡¯t wear the latter two. Was that a clue? An adjustment made for wartime? Or inconsequential difference in uniform? Her long silver-blue hair flowed over her chest from underneath her peaked cap. Red eyes beneath the brim looked over the welcoming party like hardened steel with little obvious concern.

    They were, thankfully, not glowing red eyes. The color was common to dark elves and gremlins. Given the average height and lack of pointed ears, Arkk figured that she had ancestry of one of the two, maybe three generations back at most.

    A rapid, excited clapping pulled Arkk¡¯s attention away from the leader of the group. ¡°Oh! Are you going to play with us?¡± The man who had been creating those statue-swallowing spheres let out a childish giggle. ¡°Please say yes. I so rarely get to meet new friends and, when I do, pop! They¡¯re gone.¡± His laughter cut out, leaving behind a sorry moan of disappointment. The way the grin never left his face and his wide, black eyes kept darting from soldier to soldier didn¡¯t do anything to set Arkk at ease.

    A mere glare over her shoulder from the lead inquisitor was enough to get the man to lock up. His back stiffened, the heels of his boots clicked together, and beads of sweat even started rolling down his pale face.

    Arkk wondered for a moment if he was also on some kind of leash, much as Agnete had been. The ice marble, referred to as a Binding Agent, caused extreme pain and duress, even evoking a fight or flight instinct that leaned toward the latter since it stripped her ability to generate flames. A fleeting thought of recruiting this man out from under the inquisitors, the same way he had recruited Agnete, crossed Arkk¡¯s mind.

    One look into the man¡¯s maniacal eyes, which regained their fervor the moment the woman looked away, made Arkk shut that idea down. Although he had recruited criminals and raiders, Arkk was confident that none were quite so¡­ zealous.

    ¡°You are Company Commander Hawkwood?¡± she asked, striding forward without so much as a glance at the array of defenders in front of the gate.

    At least, not until everyone shifted, readying weapons. Her gait stalled as she slowly turned her head, sweeping her gaze over the assembled group. Her arms remained down at her sides, stiff but well away from the narrow sword¡¯s hilt at her hip.

    ¡°I apologize for the rude meeting,¡± Hawkwood said with a smile that failed to reach his eyes. ¡°But there are some mighty suspicious happenings around these parts. An inquisitor showing up out of the blue¡ª¡±

    ¡°Inquisitrix,¡± she corrected, gaze returning to Hawkwood. ¡°Master Inquisitrix Sylvara Astra.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure those fancy titles make a number of men bow out of your way but I¡¯m going to need some proof of identity.¡±

    Astra pursed her lips before glancing back over her other shoulder. ¡°Ludwig.¡±

    The gaunt man with a long, narrow face stepped forward, reaching into a leather bag at his side.

    ¡°Chronicler Qwol will see to your needs.¡±

    The chronicler pulled out a few fine pieces of paper as he approached. Intricate scrawl, written with golden ink, adorned the pages. Arkk¡¯s eyes focused on the top center where the Luminous Mandala, the primary symbol of the Abbey of the Light, sat. Normally, it was simplified to a series of concentric rings. This piece of paper had the full version, a harmonious blend of geometric precision and ethereal elegance. It appeared as a sunburst filled with a lattice-like pattern, rings following rays of represented light as they spread outward.

    To either side were the lesser regalia of the Abbey of the Light. Icons that represented the Heart of Gold and the Almighty Glory, according to Vezta. Arkk ignored them for the moment, eyes roaming up to the intricate pendant hanging from the chronicler¡¯s neck, a simplified representation of the Luminous Mandala. It was identical to the one Greesom wore, further validating their claims. Were it not for Agnete, Arkk might have taken the papers, the outfits, and the pendant would have convinced him.

    Hawkwood shot Arkk a glance and nodded his head. The information on the papers looked legitimate.

    He handed it back but, before Qwol could place the document back in the leather bag, Hawkwood gripped his wrist. ¡°Authenticate it.¡±

    The chronicler¡¯s eyes jumped up his forehead. He glanced back, wordlessly asking Astra a question. The woman¡¯s hard eyes narrowed but she nodded her head.

    Arkk tensed, ready to fling a lightning bolt when the assassins revealed themselves, only to deflate entirely as the chronicler grabbed the pendant from his neck and overlaid it atop the Luminous Mandala on the piece of paper. A warm, white glow coursed through the symbol, flowing over to the letters as well.

    They were genuine.

    ¡°Satisfied?¡± Astra asked, one hand on her hip.

    Hawkwood, frowning behind his messy beard, released Chronicler Qwol. ¡°I apologize, Inquisitrix. Evestani has a penchant for using disguised assassins. Your timing and direction of approach are suspicious.¡±

    Astra turned again, glaring at the horizon. If looks could kill¡­ She turned back with a more thoughtful expression beneath the brim of her peaked cap.

    ¡°So¡­¡± The man with black eyes slumped his shoulders. ¡°No games today?¡±

    ¡°Quite. I suppose it is your lucky day, Hawkwood. We were in the area pursuing an¡­ unrelated target.¡±

    Arkk shifted, wondering if that referred to him, Agnete, or something else.

    ¡°Purifier Tybalt felt the touch of forbidden magics,¡± she continued without even looking in his direction. ¡°We followed his instinct to the animated constructs.¡±

    ¡°Those were my men,¡± Hawkwood said, rough voice cracking at the end of the sentence. He licked his lips, taking a moment to recenter himself. ¡°Struck by enchanted arrows of the Evestani army. We¡­ I had hoped we could find a way to return them to normal.¡±

    Astra glanced to the chronicler, who shook his narrow head. ¡°It is the opinion of the Light that such magic could not be undone. Your men died. Take solace in knowing they are no longer a threat to their fellows anymore.¡±

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    Arkk spoke before he could help himself. ¡°What did you do with them?¡± he asked, only to grimace as everyone¡¯s attention turned to him. Now knowing that these were true inquisitors and not assassins, he should have just left and let them handle everything. But this was new magic. Even beyond his personal interest, knowing what might face him and Agnete should the inquisitors turn out to be less friendly than Vrox felt vital. The sudden attention still made him balk. ¡°I just¡­ thought purifiers used holy flames.¡±

    ¡°They have been detained,¡± the purifier exclaimed with an overabundance of ardor in his voice. ¡°They shall await the end, safe and sound until the stars dim with not but the void for company!¡±

    Astra snapped her fingers, making the purifier flinch back. ¡°Ignore him. He is disturbed.¡±

    ¡°All stars will burn out eventually,¡± Purifier Tybalt said, shrinking in on himself. A small smile spread across his face as he looked at his leader. ¡°Some sooner than others.¡±

    ¡°Rest assured,¡± Astra said, ignoring his words, ¡°their existence no longer concerns this reality.¡±

    Arkk tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible. Two words among everything said since his question stuck out to him. Detained and Void. One of the statues at the Fortress Al-Mir temple room was the Jailor of the Void. The patron of time, eternity, and emptiness. The one statue that Vezta had been unable to explain why it might have manifested.

    If this purifier was like Agnete, an avatar of the old Pantheon, Arkk had a feeling he knew to which god he owed his abilities. Did that help anything? Not necessarily right now. Perhaps it would make it easier to find a countermeasure or at least figure out all that he could do.

    ¡°As for holy flames¡­ Three purifiers wield them. They are flashy, obvious, and destructive. It is hardly a surprise that rumors have spread that all purifiers utilize fire.¡±

    Arkk resisted the urge to look back at Agnete. He felt he had a better source than mere rumors. Then again, she had said that she didn¡¯t know all that many inquisitors.

    ¡°You said this is my lucky day,¡± Hawkwood said, drawing attention back to him. ¡°Sure doesn¡¯t feel like it.¡±

    ¡°Our hunt has stalled. Given our purview and the Golden Order¡¯s usage of anathematic magics, it is well within our rights to assist in breaking this siege.¡± She paused, leaning over to the chronicler as the gaunt man started whispering at her side. ¡°Ah yes. We also wish to inquire about those¡­ skulls surrounding the valley. They ran off our horses.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t destroy them, did you?¡± Hawkwood asked, alarmed. ¡°Those are the only things keeping Evestani at bay.¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Her eyes hardened. ¡°You constructed them?¡±

    After letting out a brief sigh of relief, Hawkwood shook his head. ¡°A colleague. He said he had a way of protecting the area. I didn¡¯t ask. Learned it is generally better not to when he is involved.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, eying Hawkwood. He most certainly had asked. He hadn¡¯t been too approving of using the dead, even if the skulls were from ancient barrows. That was how people got themselves cursed, he said. Quite a similar sentiment to Edvin¡¯s concerns.

    ¡°This colleague being Arkk of Company Al-Mir?¡±

    Arkk stiffened at the mention of his name, only to realize that none of the three were looking in his direction.

    ¡°You know him?¡±

    ¡°Of him. He is a person of interest.¡±

    ¡°The target of your hunt?¡± Hawkwood said, asking the question Arkk had wondered earlier.

    ¡°No. We seek one roaming the skies. A dragonoid was spotted in the area. I don¡¯t suppose your scouts have any information for us on the matter?¡±

    Hawkwood started, as did Arkk. ¡°In the Duchy? Did Evestani bring it?¡±

    ¡°Unsure. Thus far, we¡¯ve had no reports of it attacking anyone. Given the information troubles with the war, that is only a matter of time. Our goal was to detain it.¡±

    Detain. There was that word again. Judging by the gleeful look in Purifier Tybalt¡¯s eyes, he doubted they meant to detain it in any regular cell. Which wasn¡¯t all that surprising. Dragonoids were something of an enigma. Not dragons, though related to them to the point where their armored scales made them nearly indestructible to any conventional weaponry and normal magics. They possessed natural magics akin to beastmen but on a far greater scale. A flame dragonoid might give Agnete a run for her money in terms of destructive prowess. If a dragonoid and Agnete were to fight, Arkk doubted he would put his money on his employee. Agnete was still a fleshy human behind her fires.

    If Evestani was fielding dragonoids, the war might already be over. They just didn¡¯t know it yet. It was said that dragonoids were hostile to almost every human. However, he wouldn¡¯t put it past the Golden Order, backed by a member of the Pantheon, to have a way of controlling them.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t help with that. Your assistance with the siege will be appreciated. We planned to hold out for the Duke¡¯s men to arrive, projected to be in about four day¡¯s time, and then use the reinforcements to turn the tides once¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sir!¡± One of the gate guards leaned over the top wall, waving one of the spyglasses. ¡°Movement on the horizon! A large force is approaching!¡±

    Arkk¡¯s eyes widened. He looked down at the inquisitors, still half expecting them to reveal their treachery and attack. When they didn¡¯t, he had to confirm. ¡°You didn¡¯t destroy the mausoleums, correct?¡±

    Red eyes centered on him once again. This time, she was more discerning, looking over him for a long moment even as Hawkwood started barking out orders to his men. Positions needed to be taken up, defenses raised, spellcasters on alert for falling arrows, and reserves woken. The purifier turned around, eagerly looking out Elmshadow¡¯s gate. At Arkk¡¯s back, he felt the chill of the winter air vanish as the heat escaped Agnete¡¯s concealing armor.

    Master Inquisitrix Sylvara Astra merely regarded Arkk with an uncanny calm. She leaned over and whispered something to the chronicler, who turned his half-lidded eyes onto Arkk as well. He didn¡¯t say anything back, however, merely watching as well until Astra spoke.

    ¡°I believe I said that I did not. And you would be..?¡±

    ¡°My adjutant, Tavyn,¡± Hawkwood said, looking to Arkk. ¡°Have you got your crystal ball?¡±

    Arkk nodded his head, mumbling thanks to Hawkwood as he turned away from the inquisitors. Back to them, he summoned the crystal ball to his waiting hand while acting like Agnete was handing it to him. Turning back around, he held it up while pushing magic into it.

    Whatever magic the Evestani had used to cloak themselves from his prior scrying attempts must have only worked while they were stationary. The army was marching forward, just barely reaching the point where the mausoleums should have sent them fleeing in terror. He saw the line in the front flinch, perhaps even losing their grip on their weapons. A golden light, emanating from the bald Pious of the Golden Order that each company counted among their number, suffused throughout the advancing soldiers.

    Whatever they were doing wasn¡¯t a perfect solution. More than a handful broke ranks and fled. The rest of the army didn¡¯t try to stop them. They simply continued forward until the first company reached the closest set of mausoleums. As soon as they did, they started hacking and beating, using horseman¡¯s picks to chip away at the stone the lesser servants had constructed. When the first of the mausoleums fell, the vanguard lifted their weapons in cheer, emboldening the other companies as they started hacking at the rest of the defensive line.

    ¡°It appears our time is limited,¡± Inquisitrix Astra said, having stepped closer to peer in alongside Hawkwood and Arkk. ¡°What will it be, White Company? Admit us entry to assist or continue this¡­¡± She trailed off, allowing a snide grin to cross her face. ¡°This inquisition.¡±

    Arkk shared a look with Hawkwood. He wasn¡¯t completely convinced. They still hadn¡¯t heard a proper explanation about why the inquisitors had approached from the direction of Evestani. Arkk felt like it was even more suspicious now. What if those golden statues had been a threat to their own side, willing to lash out at anyone and not just Hawkwood¡¯s men? It could be that these inquisitors cleared them away and still had a plot to assassinate everyone here, just in time to open the gates for the approaching army.

    Then again, the inquisitor¡¯s papers had checked out just as Agnete had said they would. Not only that, but Agnete hadn¡¯t touched his back. That was supposed to have been the sign that she noticed something fishy with their authentication.

    After a brief hesitation, Arkk nodded his head. He wouldn¡¯t be leaving Hawkwood alone with them, that was for sure. The current crisis warranted risks. Elmshadow couldn¡¯t handle those golden arrows raining down upon it. Once the Duke¡¯s Guard arrived, they would present additional targets for those golden arrows, at least until informed of and secured against the danger. With Agnete only able to melt the ground to pacify the golden statues, having a purifier on hand who could detain them sounded almost necessary.

    Hawkwood frowned behind his mustache, clearly displeased. He likely had the same thoughts and had been hoping that Arkk would shake his head, giving him an easy out. But he hadn¡¯t. Thus, Hawkwood turned back.

    ¡°Get inside. I¡¯d welcome you to Elmshadow but it wouldn¡¯t be much of a welcome,¡± he said before tilting his head back. ¡°Seal the gate!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on them,¡± Arkk said in a low whisper. Astra probably heard but Arkk didn¡¯t much care. She didn¡¯t react one way or another.

    ¡°We are specialists, not generals,¡± Astra said. ¡°I will defer to your expertise. Direct us where you will but know that we will not follow orders that sound like they will lead to unnecessary deaths.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Hawkwood said, voice gruff as the portcullis slammed down. ¡°Let me get my men in order, then I¡¯d best find out more about your capabilities to know where to place you.¡±

    He turned and started marching through the assembled troops, shouting an order to one of his actual adjutants as he moved. Arkk made a quick motion to Agnete, warning her away. The woman was getting too hot¡ªshe would be found out in an instant if her armor started glowing red. As it was, he thanked the chaos and the crowd that her heat hadn¡¯t been noticed thus far.

    As soon as she turned, heading toward the contingent of orcs that weren¡¯t following along with the rest of White Company¡¯s men, Arkk hurried after Hawkwood. As he moved, he watched his back the same way he had while blindfolded in the Silver City mines, making sure that the inquisitors following behind weren¡¯t about to launch a surprise attack.

    Siege or not, he wasn¡¯t about to let Hawkwood go anywhere alone with these people.

 Magical Bombardment

    Magic was exhausting. At least for normal people. Arkk had yet to come across a situation that had drained him to the point where he had to take a seat. He owed that to Fortress Al-Mir, however. Most people didn¡¯t have a direct connection to an ancient magical artifact that acted like a reservoir, pooling the combined magic of everyone in his employ and the very land that he claimed as his own.

    To maintain an active siege¡ªor a defense¡ªfor anyone else, they would have to rotate out their spellcasters on a fairly regular basis. Large spells capable of destroying walls or ballistae were often multi-person castings. Rituals not too different from what Zullie, Vezta, and Savren were finalizing back home. Though, with a different aim.

    For that reason, active magical bombardment over any length of time required the use of hundreds of spellcasters. Not exactly a feasible option most of the time. Spellcasters weren¡¯t rare but quality spellcasters were. That was why normal armies still used siege engines such as trebuchets, catapults, and siege towers. Assuming they didn¡¯t just have their army encircle wherever they were sieging until the food supplies ran low and the besieged were forced to surrender or starve.

    What Evestani lacked in mechanical siege engines¡ªleft behind to swiftly move across the Duchy¡ªthey more than made up for in terms of spellcasters.

    Elmshadow¡¯s walls shook and the soldiers trembled as another stone the size of a small house fell from the sky and shattered against the protective dome. The ritual circle concocted by Hawkwood¡¯s spellcasters flickered with the impact and, shortly after, the ground rumbled as bits of the boulder rolled off the dome and struck the earth outside the wall. One of the three casters around Arkk sagged, letting out a long groan before some of Hawkwood¡¯s men dragged him away. A young woman that Arkk recognized from a few hours ago, already looking haggard, replaced him. Margarete, if Arkk remembered her name right.

    Arkk stood at the anchor position. The same spot he would assume during Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s ritual. It was the most magically intensive spot yet, six hours after taking it up, Arkk barely felt a faint sheen of sweat touching his brow. For all he knew, that sweat came from the way Agnete stared at him from the sidelines, still hidden in White Company¡¯s armor. Any exhaustion he felt was purely physical, a product of having to stand around in one spot for several hours.

    Even if he was fine, he couldn¡¯t run the ritual on his own. Hawkwood was running out of fresh spellcasters and having to use people who weren¡¯t fully recovered.

    ¡°Hawkwood,¡± Arkk called out. ¡°We¡¯re running out of time here!¡±

    Above, standing on the wall, Hawkwood shouted back. ¡°With that last one, I believe we¡¯ve pinpointed where they¡¯re casting from. Get up here. Kelsey, take his spot!¡±

    A young man, younger even than Arkk, looked up with heavy eyes. He was a capable spellcaster, one that was easily on par with Zullie or Savren, but he had been inside the ritual circle three times as much as anyone else. Arkk watched his sluggish movements as he stood from where he had been resting. He was about to object¡ªAgnete could take the spot¡ªbut didn¡¯t get a chance before Astra¡¯s stern voice called down.

    ¡°Hold. Allow us. Chronicler.¡±

    Arkk pursed his lips as the gaunt Chronicler Qwol looked to his superior, frowned, and then slowly headed toward the stairs. Compared to Greesom, who had fought with agility and gusto despite his heavier frame, Chronicler Qwol didn¡¯t look like he could fight a twig, let alone an orc. Even the way he took the stairs down from the wall was akin to an elderly man who had forgotten his cane.

    As he approached the protective ritual circle, Arkk looked into his sunken dark eyes and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you okay taking over?¡±

    The man licked his dry lips, eyes meeting with Arkk¡¯s for a short moment before he shuffled into the ritual circle. ¡°As long as you lasted? No. But I shall suffice for now.¡±

    Arkk frowned, watching a moment as he took the spot Arkk had been keeping. Looking up, Arkk found the faint glowing embers within the steel helmet off to the side. He gave a brief nod of his head. The glow intensified ever so slightly as Agnete nodded back. With that, Arkk turned for the stairs leading up to the wall.

    He hoped Agnete understood what he meant by that. He felt like it was pretty obvious. If that chronicler did anything to sabotage the ritual, she was to take him out and take his position as fast as possible. Hopefully before any golden arrows or house-sized magical boulders dropped on Elmshadow.

    Reaching the top of the stairs, Arkk looked out over the snow-covered fields. He no longer required a spyglass to see the Evestani army. Hawkwood¡¯s archers kept them from approaching too close but it was still daunting to look out over the sea of people so close. He had thought the goblins attacking Langleey had been bad. Or the monsters assailing Darkwood. While this group lacked the ability to climb or jump atop the wall¡ªthey were all human¡ªthe scale of the army was simply on a different level.

    He couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was out of his depth once again. Just as he had been getting used to being a mercenary leader and had been making plans to expand¡ªmostly to protect himself and Fortress Al-Mir¡ªthis came along to show him that things could always get worse.

    Master Inquisitrix Sylvara Astra stood with her hands on her hips, stance wide, as she looked out over the wall. To her side, the maniacal-eyed purifier brought up his hands in front of his eyes, one hand upside down. He drew his fingers apart like he was framing the army, except a black void sprung up between his thumbs and index fingers.

    Out in the distance, another sphere of inverted colors spread out. With a disjointed giggle and a snap of his fingers, the sphere collapsed. It didn¡¯t quite reach the invading army but it did keep a small group who had been getting brave from approaching any further.

    Hawkwood shot the two inquisitors a look before meeting Arkk¡¯s eyes and shaking his head. ¡°Sorry to put you in that position.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°Indeed?¡± Astra asked. ¡°Quite the constitution you have.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about my only redeeming quality,¡± Arkk shot back, wondering if he should have played up being exhausted. He had been too concerned with powering the ritual circle, keeping people alive to worry about that. Too late now. ¡°You found their casters?¡±

    ¡°The majority of their force is stationed in a protective ring in roughly the center of the army. That is just a decoy, however. The bombardment rituals are being conducted just off to the side, currently in the shadow of the right mountain,¡± Hawkwood said, though he didn¡¯t point or even look in the direction. He just handed over the spyglass. ¡°Don¡¯t be too obvious about looking. We would rather not have them move before we¡¯re ready to strike.¡±

    Arkk focused on the main encampment of the army, the area Hawkwood first indicated. It wasn¡¯t his first view of the Evestani army since he had scried on them multiple times. Still, seeing them through the lens of the spyglass rather than through the crystal ball made them somehow feel more real. Rows upon rows of pikemen, soldiers, calvary, and even spellcasters filled the area between the mountains. They were setting up tents and, in a few areas, looked to be cooking some kind of stew. Clearly, they didn¡¯t intend to conclude their siege before the day ended. Longer, starvation-styled sieges could take months yet that didn¡¯t fit with how Evestani had operated thus far. They likely intended to be inside Elmshadow¡¯s walls within a week.

    Did they know of the approaching Duke¡¯s men? Did they think they could take them on as well as Hawkwood¡¯s forces?

    Arkk didn¡¯t know. All of this¡ªwar, sieges, even battles beyond a dozen people tactfully striking surprised targets¡ªit was so far out of his realm of knowledge that he could hardly believe that Hawkwood was bothering to include him in these kinds of events. He wasn¡¯t Hawkwood¡¯s aide nor a military scholar. He just had a few odd spells, a few odd creatures, and a magical fortress that wasn¡¯t much help in defending distant lands.

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Swallowing his nerves, he carefully swept the spyglass back and forth, casually observing each side of the army before settling back in the center.

    ¡°There are identical encampments on either side. How can you be sure which is which?¡±

    ¡°That would be thanks to our inquisitorial allies,¡± Hawkwood said.

    ¡°Purifier Tybalt possesses the ability to detect magics,¡± Inquistrix Astra said, turning her red eyes on Arkk. ¡°Especially miracles and anathema.¡±

    Arkk tried not to glower. She knew who he was. She completely knew who he was. If the purifier¡¯s abilities were accurate, they probably even knew of Agnete¡¯s presence.

    Well, if she was going to politely ignore who he really was, who was he to complain?

    ¡°Plans?¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡± Hawkwood started, shifting slightly. ¡°We have a plan. How do you feel about working with the inquisitors?¡±

    Arkk, possessing unimaginable powers of foresight, saw that one coming. He looked back to Inquisitrix Astra, who offered a polite smile that didn¡¯t reach her cheeks, let alone her eyes.

    ¡°I have heard you are quite the resourceful man,¡± she said. ¡°This operation will require resourcefulness in great qualities.¡±

    Arkk smiled back, lips straining. ¡°What exactly are we planning?¡±

    ¡°This calls for a chirugeon¡¯s blade, cutting out the heart of their spellcasting capabilities. Myself, Purifier Tybalt, and Chronicler Qwol are capable but slipping through the ribcage that is our enemy¡¯s encampment to strike at the heart is tantamount to suicide.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, because adding one extra person will make this strike team succeed where it was otherwise destined to fail,¡± Arkk said, trying and failing to keep the snide out of his voice. Turning back to Hawkwood, he asked, ¡°Can¡¯t we bombard them back?¡±

    ¡°They will have defenses of their own.¡±

    ¡°If their spellcasters are busy powering defensive rituals, they won¡¯t have time to launch attacks. I can get eight more spellcasters here within two hours. If we can hold out for that long¡ª¡±

    ¡°Brace yourselves!¡±

    The cry that had become uncomfortably familiar over the past day made Arkk tense up. He spread his legs, steadying himself in preparation. The sky darkened as the protective ritual strengthened in anticipation of the incoming boulder. The boulder itself blocked out the sun, casting the wall in an even greater darkness.

    It struck the protective barrier, breaking apart into much smaller fragments. The ground shook and the wall trembled as bits and pieces, still the size of large animals, tumbled down the barrier and slammed into the ground outside the wall. Arkk grit his teeth, gripping the parapet to steady himself.

    A loud cry from the direction of the protective ritual circle made Arkk¡¯s blood chill over. The haze keeping the chunks of rock from crushing them blinked twice then failed. Rubble, no longer supported by the barrier, tumbled directly toward the wall.

    Arkk grabbed hold of Hawkwood, throwing them both to the ground just in time to avoid a cow-sized chunk of rock. Smaller bits and pieces showered down on them, forcing Arkk to cover the back of his head with his arms. He¡¯d have welts all down his back in short order but figured that was a better outcome than being crushed.

    One man, still with the wherewithal to keep watch, shouted out, ¡°Another one!¡±

    Arkk¡¯s eyes widened. Despite the pain in his back and arms, he threw himself to his feet. The chunk of the boulder that had almost crushed him and Hawkwood had collapsed a portion of the wall behind Arkk, separating him and Hawkwood from Astra and the purifier. Judging by the shouts, not everyone on the wall was as lucky as they had been but Arkk didn¡¯t have time to help anyone.

    Using the same spell he had used at the Duke¡¯s party, an ethereal road formed in front of him, granting him the swiftness and surety of step to dash down the stairs as fast as possible. The Electro Deus on his tongue stalled before he could fry the chronicler, however.

    Chronicler Qwol sat crouched in the center of the ritual circle, gaunt face contorted in a look of concentration. Agnete strode forward, not to incinerate him for his sabotage or treachery but to take over the position of Margarete, collapsed and unconscious in one of the radial spots.

    Heavy boots landed at his side. Astra, having vaulted from the wall, stood from her crouched landing. Arkk glanced at her, watching the way she cracked her neck as she straightened her back. He didn¡¯t say anything, instead rushing forward with the last of his enhanced swiftness. When one member of the ritual circle fell, it sapped magic from the others at an increased rate. All four were wobbling. One looked ready to collapse. Arkk reached the caster, grabbed the man¡¯s shoulders, and all but threw him from the ritual circle. No time to be polite about it.

    Sylvara Astra, hot on his heels, did the same to the other wobbling caster, hefting the man up with little obvious exertion before stepping into the spot herself. She added her magic to the array just in time for the second boulder to slam into the barrier. Although a bead of sweat rolled off the side of her face, the ritual circle didn¡¯t even flicker.

    Emboldened by the initial failure of the barrier, Evestani sent another dozen boulders at Elmshadow in such rapid succession that they had to have exhausted their spellcasters. With Arkk, Agnete, Astra, and Qwol powering the defenses, not a single pebble made it through.

    When the attacks finally ceased an hour short of nightfall, even Arkk was feeling a little drained. At least he was on his feet. The chronicler, who had been stuck in the anchor position for the duration, collapsed into the arms of one of Hawkwood¡¯s men. Agnete, still wearing her armor, shuffled away with slumped shoulders and heavy breathing once one of Hawkwood¡¯s men could take over. Their time in the ritual circle had afforded some much-needed rest to White Company¡¯s spellcasters.

    ¡°Eight extra spellcasters¡­ would be handy right about now,¡± Sylvara Astra said, taking deep breaths between her words.

    Arkk tried not to look too guilty. While he could probably get them here, there was one small problem. He had eight spellcasters but they weren¡¯t his. Following the invasion, he had offered Katja asylum within Fortress Al-Mir because he needed them for the ritual. They weren¡¯t his employees and Katja wanted to charge an arm and a leg for their services. Fortress Al-Mir wasn¡¯t exactly hurting for gold right now but it very easily could be if he had to ask for more than what he had already negotiated.

    He had a discount thanks to offering them asylum but Katja knew he needed her and wouldn¡¯t kick her out. That, unfortunately, gave her a fair amount of bargaining power. With practically every other spellcaster in the nation tied up in the war, he doubted he would be able to find others on short notice.

    When Hawkwood and Astra had told him the vagaries of the plan, he had suggested bringing over the spellcasters mostly because following the plan of a potential assassin hadn¡¯t sounded like the brightest idea. Now¡­ it was safe to say that he had changed his mind about their theoretical status as assassins.

    If they were working with Evestani, they would have simply allowed the defensive ritual to fail.

    ¡°You¡­ have quite the frightening constitution¡­ Mister Arkk.¡±

    ¡°You knew?¡± Arkk said, his train of thought broken at hearing his name.

    ¡°I have read all of Inquisitor Vrox¡¯s reports. His depictions of you were extensive.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s fingers twitched. ¡°So? What now?¡±

    ¡°Now?¡± Astra planted on hand on her hip, looking up to the wall.

    She delayed speaking, probably still trying to catch her breath. If he was being honest, her constitution frightened him far more than his own. Arkk was a cheater, using Fortress Al-Mir to power his magic. Astra, on the other hand, looked less winded than Agnete. While it was true that Arkk couldn¡¯t see Agnete¡¯s face to confirm, the heat around the ritual circle had faded to next to nothing over the last hour. That alone made Arkk think that she had been putting everything into the ritual to the point where she couldn¡¯t even maintain her heat.

    ¡°This may come as an insult to your pride but you are no longer our priority. The war greatly concerns the Ecclesiarch. We have orders to hunt the dragonoid. You are a person of interest but not worth pursuing. Especially given Vrox¡¯s assessment.¡±

    ¡°Assessment?¡± Arkk asked. ¡°What¡¯s he been saying about me?¡±

    ¡°That you and your anathematic magics are contained and do not represent an immediate threat to the greater Abbey of the Light or the good people of the Kingdom of Chernlock. I believe he also mentioned that you are utterly unassailable, though I believe that to be Vrox¡¯s attempt at saving face over his disastrous assault.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. If Vrox were here himself, telling him all this, he would likely have believed it. That was the nature of the trust he had in Vrox. Master Inquisitrix Sylvara Astra, on the other hand, he knew nothing about. Only that she had helped defend Elmshadow just now.

    ¡°Thus, I propose the following. We eliminate the enemy¡¯s ability to cast siege magic. Then you and I go our separate ways. I make a report that you are contributing to the defense of the realm as I hunt this dragonoid and you¡­ carry on until such time as the Abbey of the Light deems your continued existence no longer palatable.¡±

    Arkk folded his arms over his chest. ¡°I can agree to that, I suppose. Though I would prefer if my continued existence wasn¡¯t on the line.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t something I can directly affect,¡± Astra said, red eyes flicking from him to the purifier at the top of the wall. ¡°Cooperation, I imagine, can open many doors. Making yourself known as a defender of the Duchy isn¡¯t hurting, I assure you.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough. I assume you have more to this plan than marching through¡­ What was it? The enemy¡¯s ribcage?¡±

    ¡°A metaphor,¡± she said, rolling her eyes. ¡°Are you willing to hear the actual plan?¡±

    Arkk put on a fragile smile, wondering if this was how Agnete had felt anytime the inquisitors made use of the Binding Agent. Hopefully, she didn¡¯t still feel like that with him. ¡°If it stops these attacks, I¡¯m up for just about anything.¡±

 Night Assault

    ¡°Lexa, Kia, Claire,¡± Arkk said, addressing the gremlin and two dark elves. ¡°We¡¯re almost ready.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re finally back and all we get is an almost?¡± Lexa, with bright red hair held down by a thick scarf tied around her head, rubbed her small hands up and down her arms, shivering. ¡°Why aren¡¯t we just teleporting in?¡±

    ¡°First, while I¡¯m fairly certain the inquisitors know, I don¡¯t want to advertise more than necessary. Second, according to Hawkwood, the first thing any competent commander does when setting down is get the casters to set up proper wards¡ªincluding wards on planar magic since no army wants a demon summoned in their midst. Finally, it is a bit too flashy. They have thousands of people. Even if we aim the portal behind some tent somewhere, someone will notice and raise the alarm.¡±

    ¡°Alright, fine,¡± Lexa snapped. ¡°Why aren¡¯t we teleporting here when it is time and spending the rest of this night back in the warmth of the keep instead of freezing my tits off?¡±

    ¡°Same third reason. There is no moon tonight. Even small flashes from the teleportation would be easy to see for Evestani¡¯s watchers.¡±

    Lexa glowered, grinding her sharp teeth together. ¡°You could have at least brought that walking furnace with you¡­¡±

    Arkk just shook his head. He didn¡¯t like leaving Agnete alone. For all the intensity of her flames, she was only human. She could be distracted, she could be exhausted, and she could be overwhelmed. Nevertheless, her destructive potential couldn¡¯t be understated, thus warranting using her elsewhere.

    Namely, with Inquisitrix Astra. He didn¡¯t like leaving Agnete with them either. Were it not for Astra making a solemn vow on the Light itself that Agnete would come to no harm from them for the duration of the evening, he wouldn¡¯t have agreed at all. But he couldn¡¯t deny that he was looking forward to seeing what two purifiers could accomplish when working together.

    ¡°Claire, Kia. You two good to go?¡±

    The two dark elves opened their eyes as one. Claire had muted brown hair, ragged and unkempt all around her face. It didn¡¯t look like she had put any work toward trimming it and preferred to hack it off with a rusty blade whenever it reached her shoulders. A few locks hung down over her face, partially hiding her wide, icy blue eyes that were sharp enough to cut glass. Her skin, an ashen grey, blended well with the dark of the night.

    Kia, although her skin roughly matched Claire¡¯s, had a golden blonde color to her hair, currently matted with mud to diminish any reflecting light and tied in a neat ponytail. With her hair tied back, she showed off the entirety of her long ears. She had enough piercings to forge a small sword.

    Neither shivered or trembled because of the cold. They weren¡¯t even wearing as thick of cloaks as Lexa was, just a thin gambeson and mail that had to be frosty to the touch.

    Kia put on a radiant smile that showed off her midnight-black mouth when Arkk looked in her direction. The smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes.

    Although they had black tongues, mouths, noses, fingernails, and even internal organs, that was not where the ¡®dark¡¯ distinction of their name came from. Arkk had, perhaps embarrassingly, asked upon meeting one that passed through Langleey Village years ago. The old elf had laughed and said that no, they weren¡¯t elves at all, they just bore superficial similarities. Mostly in possessing pointed ears. Dark elf homelands weren¡¯t somewhere they could reach anymore but its name, ¡®Undir Myrkrid¡¯, translated to something like the Deep Dark. Over time, people started calling them dark elves.

    Arkk, knowing what he knew now, wondered if that unreachable home wasn¡¯t another plane that had been cut off from the world because of the Calamity.

    ¡°We are quite well and eagerly anticipating the fight,¡± Kia said, her tone just a hint too cheerful. She was the only one of the two to ever speak. They came as a pair and rarely left the other¡¯s side. Kia was the personable one, always happy to chat, happy to meet people, and generally just happy to the point where Arkk was sure that she was faking it.

    Claire, on the other hand, could talk, as she had said her name and answered a few other questions during his interview, but only did so if it seemed like an absolute necessity. Despite that, Arkk had watched the dark elf take a bow and arrow to a swallow in flight that he hadn¡¯t even seen until it dropped to the ground with an arrow wound through its chest. Ilya was a good marksman but he doubted she could have managed that feat.

    Arkk grimaced as he thought of Ilya. Almost reflexively, he checked in on her through her employee link. He could tell through the link that, while she was getting healthier, she was still not fully healed. At the moment, it looked like she was trying to exercise, lifting a small stack of books repeatedly. Though she had to pause as Alya entered the room and immediately set to a hurried speech¡ªprobably berating her for exerting herself while still wounded.

    He wasn¡¯t sure why Alya cared now all of a sudden. It left a bitter taste in his mouth just thinking about her strutting around as some high advisor to the Duke while leaving Ilya behind in the village. He hadn¡¯t actually given her a chance to explain herself. He wasn¡¯t sure that he wanted to hear an explanation. All of his indignant anger would feel¡­ petty if it turned out that she had a good reason.

    Then again, what reason could there be for not even sending a single letter?

    Shaking his head, Arkk tried hard to suppress a shiver creeping its way up his arms. Loathe as he was to give Lexa validity to her complaints, it was freezing out tonight. Sitting down, watching, and waiting, was the worst. Movement kept the body warm.

    He could only imagine the complaints the gorgon might have if he had tried to get them out here. They did not handle cold well.

    Claire pushed off from the tree she had been leaning against. The dark elf¡¯s ears twitched as her sharp eyes looked down from the low foothills of the larger of the Elm mountains.

    ¡°It is time,¡± she said in a whisper so quiet that Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if she had spoken or if he had just imagined her words on the wind.

    Before he could ask, a bright orange light forced him to squint and turn aside before it ruined his night vision.

    A gout of flame surged through the far side of the Evestani encampment. Not quite in the encampment itself but just outside it. Agnete and the inquisitors were likely taking out those on watch, unable to proceed further inside without either surrounding themselves or causing a commotion.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡±

    ¡°Finally,¡± Lexa groused. ¡°Come close and remember, you can step on twigs or whatever because that is the twig making the noise, not you. You speak, you sneeze, you even blink too loud and the effect will break.¡±

    Arkk looked at the two dark elves as they approached the small gremlin. Kia smiled and nodded while Claire just stared.

    ¡°Do it,¡± he said.

    Lexa closed her eyes and clapped her hands together. She drew in a deep breath and then, all in that same breath, intoned, ¡°Oh rahasia malam yang mendalam, selubungi tubuh kami dalam kegelapan dan biarkan musuh kami memandang kami dalam ketidaktahuan.¡±

    Arkk looked around, back and forth. The orange light of the fire faded as a dark shadow seemed to envelop the group. The sound of yelling soldiers and the distant clangs of metal scraping against metal faded to a numb sensation in Arkk¡¯s ears. Even the rustling of the trees in the faint breeze died out and vanished.

    The sound of heartbeats started up. Three sets of thump-thumps pounding inside their chests. Lexa¡¯s heart, small though it was, just a little faster and a little louder than that of the elves. With a frown, Arkk looked down at his own chest. He couldn¡¯t hear anything coming from him. Was that something to do with the spell¡­ or¡­

    Claire, after looking around at the sudden silence, spread her lips into a feral grin. She looked to Kia, who gave her a jaunty nod, before grinning more. The elf dashed off, a small portion of the dark envelope following after her as she ran. Kia offered Arkk a wave before following after with her sword in hand.

    Lexa drew a pair of daggers, one held tight in her main hand while the other looked like she was ready to fling it. The latter spun around her finger three times before she tossed it in the air, caught it by the blade, and offered it to Arkk.

    Fingers on the hilt, Arkk accepted the dagger before heading down the hill toward the Evestani encampment.

    <hr>

    The crystal ball was still useless.

    Inside the Evestani bivouac, Arkk could see clearly. They had not filled the area with that thick white mist that he saw while scrying. The camp was totally clear to the point where he could see from one end all the way to the flames and inverted spheres that kept erupting on the opposite side.

    The goal of the operation was not to destroy the enemy army. There were too many. That would be a job for the soldiers and Hawkwood¡¯s men, assuming the events of the evening didn¡¯t rout the Evestani troops. Tonight, the goal was to remove the enemy¡¯s ability to bombard Elmshadow with magic.

    With two purifiers and two inquisitors running hit-and-run strikes on the far side of the assembled mass and Lexa¡¯s spell concealing his group, Arkk had little trouble entering the camp. It wasn¡¯t perfect. Kia had slit the throats of two guards who had been using a spell that had detected them. One managed to shout out before she got to him. In all the commotion, it went ignored or unheard. Either way, they were now leaving behind bodies.

    Even with their haphazard attempt at hiding the corpses, it wouldn¡¯t be long before Evestani realized that someone had infiltrated their group.

    He considered it good fortune that he found what they were looking for after only fifteen minutes. At least, he was fairly certain. He hadn¡¯t been able to get close just yet.

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    Despite the periodic explosions in the distance, a ring of guards stood around a wooden platform. It looked like a series of planks, each topped with brass segments of a ritual circle, had been assembled into a full circle. The planks could be folded up onto each other for transport, allowing them to set up the ritual circle anywhere they needed. The most ingenious part of it all was the targeting array. A segment of the circle almost identical to the teleportation rituals that he made such frequent use of. Rather than having to be drawn out and calculated when constructing the ritual circle¡ªsomething Vezta could do almost instantly given the coordinates were relative to the stars above¡ªthe brass segments of the targeting array could be moved and adjusted, changed to fit the new locations on the fly rather than having to be reforged.

    The rest of the ritual circle wasn¡¯t that complex. Arkk had to draw on everything Zullie had taught him over the last few months just to parse what it did. The flow of magic, coming from four ritualists, first flowed through the targeting array before the command array, a material conjuration targeting stone, took over. Counter-gravity magics kept the conjured mass at the target point until the conjuration finished at which point all magic ceased. The rocks would fall and anyone underneath would die.

    Large and powerful, making use of several spellcasters, but simple in end function. Most of the power of the spell went into the conjuration of material¡ªa fairly intensive process according to what he knew from Zullie.

    This was the boulder-dropping array. Destroying it beyond repair might stop the assaults. It depended on whether or not any of the spellcasters present knew enough to draw out a new one in the dirt or if they were all uneducated ritual batteries.

    The original plan had been to kill as many spellcasters as possible. Thus far, Arkk hadn¡¯t seen anyone who looked like a spellcaster, just a lot of martial soldiers. All the spellcasters might have been on the other side of the camp, trying to deal with the inquisitors. Purifier Tybalt was to focus on them if that happened but they had been hoping that most of the spellcasters would remain behind near the origin of the bombardment attacks.

    Arkk looked to Claire and gave her a curt nod of his head. The marksman drew back her bow in a move that looked awkward with one arm up and over her head. It did let her stay crouched low. There wasn¡¯t much cover in the bivouac. Only a handful of tents had been set up, mostly around the center of the encampment. Around the circle, several carts were strewn about. Likely how they had transported the large planks of wood for the ritual circle. That gave some small privacy to this area but nothing that would last long. Arkk was counting on the commotion in the distance keeping their activities quiet. At least for now.

    Claire loosed the arrow. It stayed in flight for a split second but she had already nocked and loosed a second arrow. Both slipped between the sides and the protruding nose guards of Evestani¡¯s helmets, driving deep into the skulls of the two soldiers she hit. One collapsed instantly, twitching and thrashing on the ground. The other clasped hands to his face. He started to scream but a third arrow through his other eye made him drop to the ground.

    The commotion didn¡¯t go unnoticed. The other guards around the circle didn¡¯t shout out immediately, perhaps in shock or just not sure what had happened. Most had their eyes on the distance.

    It didn¡¯t matter. Daggers from the darkness drove into the throats of two of them while Kia, swinging her sword in two hands, lopped the head off the last guard.

    Arkk eyed the area, straining his ears for footsteps or cries of alarm while trying to ignore the gurgling of one of the ones with a dagger in his throat. Lexa, jumping on the downed guard, swiftly dragged her dagger across the rest of that one¡¯s neck, silencing him.

    There were footsteps but only in the distance. A lot of shouting and orders being given. Nothing to indicate that anyone noticed anything amiss with this little corner of the camp.

    Still, time limit.

    Arkk hurried forward with Claire hot on his heels. Kia was already dragging one of the still twitching bodies over next to one of the carts, making sure it was out of sight. Lexa was helping, though her shorter stature made the task difficult until Claire moved over and grabbed the guard¡¯s heels.

    While they worked, Arkk looked down at the wooden planks and the shaped brass ritual circle. The craftsmanship was clearly on another level. The smooth fastenings keeping the brass to the polished wood, the latches keeping the wooden planks together that fit seamlessly into the overall ritual circle, and the gleam of the brass in the light of the distant fires¡­ It almost seemed a shame to destroy. Arkk knew more than enough ways to make an explosion. It wouldn¡¯t be hard to burn the wood at the very least. A fire might not ruin the brass, however, and that was the really important part.

    Moving over to the targeting array, Arkk crouched down. It was¡­ amazing. Toothed gears and easily grasped knobs allowed easy adjustment. It removed all calculations from the process and offered fine-tuning to a point where Arkk could hit the gate, the keep, or even a specific house within Elmshadow.

    Or¡­

    Looking overhead, Arkk noted the positions of the relevant stars. Regular stars. He shuddered a moment, recalling that shattered sky that Vezta could see, before looking back down to the ritual circle. He twisted the knobs and adjusted the levers, double-checking with the sky twice more before finishing. Then, he moved over to the side and pulled out a small metal rod. Using it, he quickly inscribed a transportation ritual, aiming the coordinates next to the circle already in the basement of the Elmshadow keep.

    Once finished, Arkk stood and motioned the others closer. He couldn¡¯t speak without breaking their stealth spell but he was fairly sure that they got what he wanted through a quick miming session.

    Lexa, Claire, and Kia split off, heading to the ritualist positions. Neither dark elf was capable of casting spells naturally but the employee link between him and them should suffice for this spell. The rock conjuration would drain them but as long as they only activated the ritual once, they would come out alright.

    Giving each a look and making sure they were ready, Arkk knelt and planted a hand on the center of the circle. He pushed his magic out, slowly at first before ramping it up until the brass began to glow with a faint golden light. The light spread across the ritual circle, joining with light from the other three spots before funneling into the targeting array. From there, the conjuration began.

    It took two minutes. Two minutes of profuse sweating, eyes darting around, fully expecting someone to come to check on the golden light that now illuminated the area. Perhaps they were all used to it¡ªit was their ritual, after all. When the light snuffed out and the ritual finished, Arkk had to hold in his sigh lest it break their cloaking spell.

    Nothing happened for a long moment. Arkk quickly started unlatching the wooden planks, twisting simple locks and brass ties to free the boards. Lexa helped after watching him for a moment. Claire and Kia, panting heavily, didn¡¯t move to assist for a long moment as they struggled to regain their stamina. With the urgency of the situation, they forced themselves to move well before they looked alright to do so, helping in hauling each piece over to the transportation circle he had drawn.

    A ground-shattering quake threw Arkk off his feet before he could unlatch the third plank.

    Bits of loose earth, dirt, and mud crashed down around him, falling in small pieces like rain. Painful rain.

    He hadn¡¯t seen it drop. Perhaps if he had been looking up rather than down. Even then, in the dark, moonless night, he doubted he would have seen the boulder falling. From the cries and shouts and fresh waves of alarm that rippled through the encampment in the wake of the quake, he figured he had hit his target.

    A house-sized boulder should have crushed the central tent of the bivouac. Probably the surrounding area as well. The rain of dirt likely blasted outward around the impact site, hopefully decimating the army. Or at least its commanders and leaders. Given the commotion with the purifiers, none might have been present. Still, at the very least, he hoped that was where they had kept their supplies.

    Sieges, those of the drawn-out variety, revolved around food. That went for both the defenders and the attackers. If their stores of food were destroyed, they would have to deliver food through their supply route, likely not nearly as defended as a full army of ten thousand soldiers.

    A strike against Evestani¡¯s supply lines was something to talk about with Hawkwood later. For now, Arkk didn¡¯t even bother looking up to see the results of the boulder drop. As soon as the rain of mud settled, he got up and continued stacking plank after plank onto the teleportation circle.

    With the final plank stacked, Arkk bent and pushed magic into the ritual circle.

    On the other end, in the pitch-black cellar, he ordered the lesser servant who had been ready to destroy the teleportation circle to begin moving the planks away from the destination. At the same time, he spoke, breaking the shadowy envelope that hid his presence.

    ¡°Slave Natum.¡±

    A fresh lesser servant pulsed and bulged into existence, squirming and unfolding from wherever it had come from. Kia took a hasty step back, looking at the thing with undisguised revulsion. Claire just stared. Her sharp eyes roamed over the servant like she was trying to decide the best way to kill it.

    ¡°We¡¯re getting out of here. Kia, you first,¡± Arkk said, pointing to the circle.

    The dark elf didn¡¯t hesitate to step closer to the servant, though she kept her eyes on it right up until Arkk pulsed his magic and she vanished through the teleportation circle. Claire moved into her place without needing a prompt and vanished as well.

    As Lexa vanished to the keep, Arkk felt a chill run down his spine. The hairs along his arms tingled and stood on end. Some sixth sense screamed at him to move aside.

    Bright golden light struck the lesser servant. It shriveled to ash before the light faded.

    Arkk whirled around. ¡°Electro Deus,¡± he intoned, flinging a high-powered bolt of lightning straight at the only person around.

    A young boy. His head, shaved bald, had bright golden paint¡ªor tattoos¡ªin intricate designs all around the crown of his head. A Pious of the Golden Order? He couldn¡¯t be older than Hale. And yet, with a casual backhand, he batted the bolt of lightning aside. It struck one of the carts around the former ritual site, setting it ablaze. It came with a cost, however, blasting off the boy¡¯s arm at the elbow. Blood dripped and muscle hung loose, twitching and flexing from where it hung from the boy¡¯s dangling skin. The stump of bone protruding was even smoking.

    Not that it looked like the boy cared. He looked down at his missing arm with no change to his facial expression. Then he looked up at Arkk, ignoring his arm as if it were nothing more annoying than a small scratch gotten from a summer day of roughhousing.

    His eyes glowed a bright gold, a familiar gold. The same color as the assassins from the Duke¡¯s party.

    ¡°[You]/[interloper]|[stand before]/[exist within]/[experience]|[self]/[deity]/[GOLD]/|[bow]/[submit]/[cower mortal].¡±

    Something struck Arkk. Nothing physical. Nothing magical either. It was just those words. He had heard the [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE] many times in the past from Vezta. That part wasn¡¯t unfamiliar to him. It was the bit where the being identified itself. [GOLD]. Something about that concept slammed into Arkk¡¯s chest with the force of a bull. But instead of pain, there was awe.

    This thing before him wasn¡¯t like Vezta.

    Vezta was certainly something from outside the regular world.

    But this?

    ¡°[Understand]/[comprehend]|[you]/[interloper]| are little more than [meat]/[insect]/[irrelevant]. Die,¡± he said, dipping out of the [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE] in his words. Arkk lacked the time to question why. The boy lifted his hand, aiming straight for Arkk¡¯s chest.

    Arkk stood there, watching as a golden light gathered at the boy¡¯s fingertips. Tears welled in his eyes. Not of fear or sadness, but of joy. Such a beautiful golden light. And it was coming for him, all for him. It was¡ª

    Something jolted Arkk. Some distant tug across the link of Fortress Al-Mir. A pull¡ªa warning, snapping him out of a discordant revelry. The malignant golden glow at the tips of the boy¡¯s fingers was coming for him and it was, in no method of description, beautiful.

    ¡°Slave Natum,¡± he snapped as he jumped aside.

    The golden beam skimmed past his shoulder, striking some poor soldier who had been coming up from behind that Arkk hadn¡¯t even noticed.

    Arkk stepped on the teleportation circle and threw his magic into it.

    He reappeared in the dark of Elmshadow Keep¡¯s cellar.

    The poor lesser servant, so swiftly brought into existence back at the Evestani encampment, opened one of its many maws and swallowed the teleportation circle whole. Right before a golden beam struck it and Arkk felt its connection to Fortress Al-Mir vanish.

    Arkk stumbled back into the cellar, back hitting hard against the wall as he tried to catch his breath. Lexa rushed over, small hands grabbing his arms as the short gremlin did her best to support him.

    ¡°Are you okay? I saw a light,¡± she said, trying to pull him off the wall. It didn¡¯t work until Kia came over and planted a hand on his other shoulder.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just¡­¡± He took a deep breath, conjured all his willpower, and forced himself to balance properly. He took a second breath, swallowing a lump in his throat. ¡°We need to signal the inquisitors. Immediately.¡± He tried for the door only to stumble. Kia caught him. ¡°Then¡­ I need to talk to Hawkwood. There is something out there¡­¡±

 Rays of Gold

    ¡°Possession,¡± Arkk said, looking around the table. ¡°It fits. The assassins at the Duke¡¯s party also gained glowing eyes once things started going wrong.¡±

    Hawkwood¡¯s tired face twisted into a frown. ¡°Possession is something only ghosts or gods can accomplish. Ghosts tend to shamble about, trying to resolve whatever anchors are keeping them tethered to the world. This doesn¡¯t sound like that¡­¡± His fingers tightened into fists on top of the table as he looked to the inquisitors, perhaps hoping that they would reject the notion entirely.

    Sylvara Astra sat with her arms crossed and her eyes closed, leaning back in her chair as if asleep. Chronicler Qwol held a wet rag to his forehead, nursing a wound. Despite them having been nowhere near the impact site, he had been struck by a bit of falling debris from the boulder Arkk had dropped on the Evestani bivouac. Purifier Tybalt sat in a squat with his feet on the seat, grinning as he listened intensely to what Arkk had to say of the excursion.

    Agnete sat on Arkk¡¯s side of the table. As was typical of excursions where she made use of her abilities, she had returned without clothes. Apart from that, she had made it back safe and sound. Evestani hadn¡¯t managed to touch her and the inquisitors had honored their agreement to essentially ignore her presence. Her presence made the entire room uncomfortably hot to the point where they had to open the window despite it being the dead of winter.

    When Astra didn¡¯t react, Hawkwood looked back to Arkk with an even deeper frown. ¡°I hope you are not implying that we are up against a deity. Light protect,¡± he hissed, drawing one hand down his arm in a protective gesture.

    ¡°It is the position of the Abbey of the Light that the gods have departed the world,¡± Astra said without opening her eyes. ¡°Only the Radiant Light still casts His gaze upon the world, evidenced by our miracles, revelation, and the very sun rising every morning. The Pious of the Golden Order are heretics playing with forbidden magics. Nothing more.¡±

    Arkk shared a look with Agnete. What Astra said was roughly the same as what Abbess Keena preached during her Suun sermons. He had never been all that invested in her lectures but he had paid attention. None of it was ever stuff that mattered to daily farming, hunting, or anything else he did.

    It was not what Vezta believed. Arkk was more inclined toward Vezta. Besides her being a pre-Calamity monster who spoke of the [PANTHEON] as if she had personally interacted with at least a handful of its members, he had seen the [STARS]. Things just made more sense with her story, with how the Calamity came about, the statues in Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s temple, and where Agnete¡¯s powers came from. And those of Purifier Tybalt.

    Arkk didn¡¯t say so, however. He didn¡¯t need heresy added to the Abbey¡¯s ever-growing list of grievances they had with him.

    Besides, there was another possibility.

    ¡°Mortal humans can possess others,¡± Arkk said, leaning forward. ¡°I¡¯ve experienced it.¡±

    He doubted¡­ He hoped that literal gods weren¡¯t directly acting upon the world. If they were¡­ Well, Arkk didn¡¯t hold much hope that even Vezta could fight against the power of the [PANTHEON]. They brought her to this world, after all. They could probably send her back. Because of that, he had to believe that this golden-eyed being was something tangible and fightable. Maybe something like Vezta given its use of the [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE], maybe something like Agnete and Tybalt given its spell usage with no incantation. Maybe even something like him, a practitioner of older magic who knew more than he did about how to cast it.

    Otherwise, he didn¡¯t know how they could possibly win.

    ¡°You¡¯ve experienced it?¡± Astra snapped her eyes open, leaning forward with a heavy scowl. ¡°What exactly do you mean by that?¡±

    Arkk clamped his jaw shut, not about to admit that he had possessed anyone at any point. Not in front of an inquisitor.

    ¡°Darkwood,¡± Agnete said.

    Snapping his fingers, Arkk quickly nodded. ¡°Right. Darkwood. There was a horde of monsters being directed by a spellcaster who could possess those monsters, leading them. He jumped from body to body, always with glowing bright eyes. I spoke with the man once. That¡¯s how I know it was the same person every time.¡±

    ¡°Master Inquisitor Vrox sent me through some old tunnels infested with monsters,¡± Agnete added. ¡°I can attest to glowing-eyed creatures impeding my progress. After killing the creatures, a being appearing as black smoke emerged before finding a new target to possess. In the final attempt, I managed to burn the being, proving its tangibility. All of this should have been in the report Chronicler Greesom submitted regarding the incident.¡±

    Astra¡¯s red eyes shifted back and forth, searching for something on Arkk and Agnete¡¯s faces. Digging her knuckles into the top of the table, she looked to her chronicler. Qwol gave her a slight dip of his head.

    ¡°I see. Well. That is news,¡± she said, retaking her seat. ¡°However, the information changes little. It just means we know without a doubt that the Golden Order is investigating anathema. Just as I said.¡±

    ¡°As much as a relief as that is,¡± Hawkwood said as he motioned with his hand once again. ¡°Is there anything we can do about it? What capabilities might this anathema offer them? How do we attack it and defend against it? Are they likely to assault us with new and strange magic now that we¡¯ve destroyed their ritual circle?¡±

    Astra and Qwol shared another look. Arkk and Agnete glanced at each other as well. He wasn¡¯t sure what their little silent conversation was about¡ªthough he guessed that they knew something about Evestani¡¯s capabilities that they hadn¡¯t yet said¡ªbut for his part, Arkk had a feeling that their excursion had not done nearly enough. Before knowing about the glowing-eyed person, he figured that Evestani¡¯s casters weren¡¯t educated enough to plot out their own ritual circles, thus necessitating the use of the prepared ritual. Anyone could copy a design from a book but certain parts of the circles needed to be adjusted for their environment.

    Most of his early attempts with magic blew up either because he put too much power into them or because he failed to configure them properly.

    In the case of the boulder-dropping ritual, it the targeting component was the most complicated bit of the array and something that couldn¡¯t be copied from a book.

    But if this was possession, it wasn¡¯t the same as his possession. Arkk had reappeared on his feet next to Vezta rather than in mid-air where he had cast the spell. The assassins at the Duke¡¯s party, on the other hand, had been possessed from afar and, when they died, they had not ejected their possessor out at their sides.

    Come to think of it, when Arkk had killed the Darkwood Keeper of the Heart, the Keeper had appeared beside the possessed body in a misty, smoky form. That form then rushed off back toward the Darkwood fortress. Had that been the same possession spell that he knew? Or some variant?

    It was hard to say. While Arkk considered himself proficient at flinging around lightning bolts and quite adept at summoning lesser servants, he had only used the possession spell three times. He hadn¡¯t taken the time to experiment with it or its limitations. It just wasn¡¯t a spell he liked using.

    Give him a slaver to kill and he would pull the gallows lever without hesitation. Controlling the minds of his friends and allies? That, he balked at.

    But perhaps it was time to investigate the spell more thoroughly. If his enemies were going to use it, he needed to know what it was capable of, its limitations, and everything.

    That would have to wait until he was away from the inquisitors, however.

    ¡°I¡¯m hoping that I managed to crush most of their leadership,¡± Arkk said, finally turning away from Agnete. He wasn¡¯t sure that the former purifier had gotten what he was thinking¡ªany of it¡ªbut she gave him a reassuring nod that sent a lock of her chaotic black hair in front of her face.

    ¡°Yes. Using their spell against them was quite inspiring.¡±

    ¡°I wish I could have gotten their spellcasters as well but any further and we would have been caught, so I saw the opportunity and took it.¡±

    ¡°Our casters are standing by at the defensive ritual but so far, no sign of any counterattack. Hard to tell in the night using spyglasses alone. What we can see is that it looks like they¡¯re still trying to put out the fires.¡±

    Agnete¡¯s black lips drew taut into a grim smile. She straightened her back and looked directly at Purifier Tybalt. Even with Agnete¡¯s naturally subdued emotions when away from open flames, Arkk could still feel the smug satisfaction at being praised radiating from her.

    Or maybe that was just her natural heat.

    ¡°What a show, oh what a show!¡± Tybalt giggled, clapping his hands together. The joy vanished in an instant as he leaned forward over the table, a dangerous look crossing his face. ¡°But while you were traipsing about with your yelling about the beauty of flames, I spotted no less than seven spellcasters who were trying to put you down. One moment, they slung incantations, the next!¡± He laughed again and pointed a finger toward a pitcher of water on the meeting table. A small inverted sphere formed around it before it vanished with a low reverberation shaking the room. ¡°Detained!¡± he laughed.

    Astra swung an arm, standing as she did so. Her fingers gripped Tybalt¡¯s throat. She didn¡¯t stop there. His chair tipped over with him still squatting in it. He bounced off the ground as his back hit but Astra slammed him back down.

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    ¡°Do not use your abilities without authorization, Purifier Tybalt.¡±

    The man had a smile in his eyes even as he gripped her wrist with both hands, trying to push her off his throat. Because of the way he had been sitting on the chair, his legs were pinned under him but it was clear he was trying to struggle away.

    ¡°Am I understood?¡±

    He grinned and tried to nod his head. He couldn¡¯t speak or move much with Astra¡¯s hand clamped down. She just narrowed her red eyes, keeping him pinned. For a long few moments, Arkk wondered if she was going to kill him there and then. His lips were even starting to turn blue. Around the time his eyes started to roll back, she reached into the pocket of her black coat and withdrew a hard-shelled bracelet. With one hand, she clamped it around his wrist. A faint white glow covered the silver band with letters that Arkk couldn¡¯t understand.

    She released him, wiping some of his spittle on his chest, then stood fully.

    Tybalt heaved and choked on the ground, sucking in breath after breath. Despite it all, his grin only grew wider. He pointed a finger at her only to freeze as the runes on his bracelet brightened once more. Despite gasping for breath only seconds ago, it looked like he stopped breathing once again. He stared, looking on the verge of tears.

    ¡°I apologize,¡± Astra said, dragging the catatonic purifier to his feet. ¡°I must tend to my team. Perhaps now, in their chaos, it would be a good opportunity to set your casters on the offensive. You do have books on siege magic, do you not, Hawkwood?¡±

    Hawkwood, as stunned by the display as Arkk was, shook his head in a sudden waking from his thoughts. ¡°Yes. Yes of course. I¡¯ve already set some of the scribes to drawing out a few rituals.¡±

    ¡°Good. I will be retiring for the evening. If this golden-eyed being makes an appearance, contact me at once, otherwise, I wish to be undisturbed until morning. Qwol, the door, if you please.¡±

    As the chronicler opened the meeting room door, Astra hooked an arm under the dazed Tybalt¡¯s arm and marched him out of the room. They closed the door with a dissonantly soft click.

    Arkk, Hawkwood, and Agnete just stared. A long minute passed before Arkk glanced over to Agnete. ¡°Was Vrox¡­¡±

    ¡°Not like that,¡± she said with a small shake of her head. ¡°If I stepped out of line, he would go straight for the Binding Agent. I believe the thought of touching me disgusted him.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together in distaste but didn¡¯t say anything more. Hawkwood rose to his feet, gingerly touching the concave divot in the table where the pitcher had been. It was simply gone. Like a carpenter had taken a large hook knife to the wood. Naturally, there was no trace of the pitcher either.

    It hadn¡¯t taken Tybalt long to create that sphere. Just a second or so, quicker than Astra could react. Compared to the near minutes he had taken to do the same to the golden statues, Arkk had to wonder what the difference was. Was it exhaustion? He had removed a few statues before Arkk started watching him. Or perhaps it took longer based on the amount of space he intended to detain. That was a particularly sobering thought. If he could remove someone¡¯s head from their body, he could do it rather quickly in that case.

    ¡°As much as I appreciate their help earlier,¡± Hawkwood started, frowning as he removed his fingers from the smoothed surface. ¡°I am not sure I¡¯m comfortable around that purifier.¡±

    ¡°I concur.¡±

    ¡°Same,¡± Arkk said. ¡°He seems¡­ unstable. Intensely so. If Astra has to keep those bracelets on him to keep his powers suppressed¡­ well, that just seems a whole lot less proactive compared to the ice marble.¡± Seeing Agnete shiver at the mention made Arkk wince. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°No. It isn¡¯t incorrect. If he decides to dive into the madness while she is more than a step away from him, I don¡¯t know what could be done.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps they have other countermeasures that we simply haven¡¯t seen,¡± Hawkwood said, turning away. ¡°In any case, I will see to the spellcasters and their counterattack. By morning, the tables will have turned and we¡ª¡± He paused, trailing off as he looked down at his hands.

    Arkk felt it too. A tingling sensation that made the hairs on his arms stand on end.

    Before either could comment, light as bright as the morning sun illuminated the window. Except it should have been the dead of night.

    Arkk stared, watching the window for a moment. Hawkwood mumbled something under his breath, a curse or a question.

    Agnete lurched to her feet, leaving scorch marks on the table as she slammed her hands against it. The embers in her eyes and facial scars lit up as a rush of heat filled the room. She dashed to the window, spreading her arms wide just as a thundering boom threw Arkk from his seat.

    The entire keep rocked and shook. Stone crumbled from the walls. The ceiling disintegrated, shedding bits of pieces into the aether over a few seconds. Everything above was simply gone. The window and wall exploded inward, igniting as they passed through a wall of flames that had enveloped Agnete.

    With the walls and the roof missing, Arkk could see the golden beam of light strike Agnete¡¯s flames, deflected up into the night sky toward the east.

    Agnete let out an anguished cry. At the same time, Arkk felt the pain over the employee link. The flames snuffed out, followed swiftly by the ray of gold. The whole thing lasted no more than five seconds.

    Arkk, dazed but unharmed, crawled out from under the table. The floor, slanted at an angle from the lack of an entire wall of the keep, creaked as he put weight on various planks. He started for Agnete only to recoil before he could get more than a few steps. A haze of heat boiled the air around her body. Just reaching out a hand felt scalding. She had fallen backward at the end, unconscious and missing her clothes entirely. Though she had fallen back into the room, she was still half dangling over the edge of the building, the entire window wall and floor gone. Her life, weakened yet present, thrummed over the employee link. She wasn¡¯t in immediate danger¡­

    At least not from the after-effects of that golden beam.

    The table¡¯s weight proved too much for the floor. Two planks crumbled away beneath it, sending the table crashing down to the floor below.

    A firm hand closed around Arkk¡¯s arm. ¡°We have to get out of here,¡± Hawkwood shouted, ¡°before the whole keep collapses!¡±

    Missing a whole wall, it was a wonder that it hadn¡¯t already.

    Shrugging Hawkwood off, Arkk grit his teeth and stepped forward again. Agnete was very likely the only reason they were alive, forcing that beam up and into the night rather than straight through the entirety of the keep. He couldn¡¯t¡ªwouldn¡¯t¡ªleave her behind.

    The ice marble, kept safe in the cellar alongside the transportation circle back to Fortress Al-Mir, appeared in his hand. He sent a sliver of magic into it, chilling the air and extinguishing the lingering fires around Agnete. Not enough to cause harm.

    Her body, scars glowing brightly, was still hot to the touch. Not hot enough to force him back this time. Wincing at the burn against his palms, he hauled her up and over his shoulder. A slight chill, emanating from his pocket, seeped up his side and over his shoulder. It wasn¡¯t much. Arkk didn¡¯t dare pour more magic into the marble of ice while he was carrying her. The cold did help soothe against her heat as he steadied her, making sure he had her in a firm grip.

    Only then did he turn toward the stairs.

    The stairs were gone along with that entire side of the keep. Hawkwood, leaning over the edge to see the floor below, waved him over before leaping.

    Creaking of wood and groaning of stone followed the thud of his landing down below. Arkk had to freeze, off balance with Agnete over his shoulder, as the scorched wood under his feet started crumbling. As the entire section of the meeting room sagged, he stepped forward and jumped.

    Arkk landed on the upended table, knees screaming at the weight on his shoulder. He stumbled forward, trying to maintain his balance even as each step made him grit his teeth in pain. Just before he crashed head-first into the wall, a hand clasped against his chest, steadying him.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he hissed through clenched teeth.

    ¡°What in the name of the Light was that,¡± Hawkwood said in response, throwing open the stairwell door. Only attached to the wall by one half-melted hinge, the whole door collapsed to the floor.

    At least the remains of the stairs were on the other side. Below, Arkk could see others scrambling down, trying to escape the keep. At the same time, out on the grounds below, he could see others making their way closer, likely intending to help.

    ¡°How should I know?¡± Arkk grunted, testing his weight on the husk of the stairwell. It loudly protested but didn¡¯t give way. It would only need to hold on for a few seconds. Fighting through the ache in his knees, he lumbered down the steps behind Hawkwood.

    Judging by the damage, the golden ray had struck only the top portion of the keep. It was a tall keep, standing with seven distinct floors. It towered over the rest of Elmshadow. The one who cast that spell¡ªthe one with golden eyes, it had to be¡ªhad to have known that they were meeting up there. He had taken off the entire top of the keep and half the floor below it.

    Could he cast again?

    Arkk hoped not. If he could, they would have little in the way of defense with Agnete out. She had burned herself out deflecting that one beam. Another would surely kill her.

    ¡°This is not a siege spell I¡¯ve ever seen or heard of,¡± Hawkwood shouted, now sounding more angry than fearful. ¡°What in the blazes am I to do¡ªNeil!¡±

    Hawkwood¡¯s chief adjutant stood in the stairwell, directing a contingent of White Company as they made their way down the stairs. He looked dusty and haggard but not injured. At hearing Hawkwood¡¯s voice, he turned and immediately saluted.

    ¡°Sir, you¡¯re alright!¡±

    ¡°Get the keep evacuated. Carefully. The upper floors were collapsing. Then get me a head count of everyone who was inside.¡± Hawkwood grimaced. ¡°I saw Kang and the upper half of Reginald. They didn¡¯t make it.¡±

    Arkk blinked. He hadn¡¯t noticed anyone dead. Then again, when he had jumped down, he had been facing the stairs and hadn¡¯t turned toward the rest of the room.

    ¡°Damn it,¡± Neil swore, slamming a fist into the wall. Despite being stone, it had a little more give than Arkk would have liked to see. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that, Sir.¡±

    ¡°Where are the inquisitors?¡± Arkk asked, shifting Agnete¡¯s weight on his shoulder. He could feel his clothes turning to ash where she touched him. ¡°Did they make it out?¡±

    ¡°They weren¡¯t with you?¡±

    Hawkwood shook his head. ¡°Left just a minute before.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see if anyone spotted them,¡± Neil said before turning and shouting down the stairs. He called a few specific names, delegating to others in White Company. ¡°Do you need assistance?¡±

    ¡°Agnete¡¯s hurt. Exhaustion, mostly. She deflected most of that attack.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll make room in the infirmary.¡± Neil stepped closer, reaching for Agnete. ¡°Would you like¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arkk said, wincing at the burn against his neck as he shook his head. The icy feeling in his shoulder crept up his neck in response. ¡°I¡¯ll carry her. She isn¡¯t to be touched.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Make way! Casualties coming through!¡±

    With White Company¡¯s discipline and Neil leading the way, Arkk and Hawkwood made it out of the keep with little trouble. When he turned around, staring up, he could only grimace.

    Bright orange flames erupted from the top of the shorn-clean stone, making the entire top of the keep look like an oversized brazier. The keep, while it had been the only thing directly hit by that ray of light, wasn¡¯t the only thing damaged. Debris, likely flaming debris, hand exploded outward behind the keep, setting fire to a great number of buildings. White Company hurried around, throwing buckets of dirt and sand while spellcasters conjured torrents of water.

    Hawkwood broke off, moving through the crowd to bark out crisis control orders to his men. Arkk, ice tingling at his side, carefully set Agnete down against the outer walls of the keep. Spotting Orjja, coming to see what had happened along with a small contingent of Company Al-Mir¡¯s orcs, he quickly waved her over.

    ¡°Keep her safe,¡± he shouted over the cacophony of soldiers rushing about. ¡°Make sure nobody touches her. If she wakes, let her know that she is safe and was successful at protecting everyone. Everyone else,¡± he said, turning to address the rest of the orcs. ¡°Help where you can. Listen to Hawkwood and anyone from White Company. If you see those inquisitors¡­¡±

    Arkk hesitated. Their departure, once again, had suspicious timing. They weren¡¯t Evestani. Arkk was quite confident in that. That didn¡¯t mean that their chronicler hadn¡¯t somehow received a revelation of impending events and orchestrated events to get themselves away, leaving him and Agnete behind to take the attack. Was it coincidence or deliberate?

    ¡°Keep away from them. If they approach, call for me immediately. I won¡¯t be far,¡± Arkk finished, removing the ice marble from his pocket.

    He hurried off to hopefully quell the flames before they engulfed the entire city.

 The Wall Falls

    There were no more rays of gold for the remainder of the night.

    The burn of smoke lingered in Arkk¡¯s nose. They had managed to extinguish the fires but not before half the garrison burned to the ground. Any building in a narrow cone behind the main keep had been on fire at one point or another. Some multiple times, if Arkk or the others fighting the fires failed to fully extinguish the last embers. Residences, workshops, and storehouses beyond the garrison¡¯s walls went up in flames as well. As soon as Arkk realized that one of the main granaries was on fire, he rushed straight to it, skipping past buildings in between.

    The threshed corn stored within survived in part. The fire started at the top of the granary, burning down like it was a giant candlestick. Everything at the top was little more than ash at this point. The slate of ice capping the top was slowly melting from residual heat, dripping water into the parts that really should stay dry. At the moment, the citizens of Elmshadow were digging through the wreckage, salvaging and relocating what they could.

    While he had made it to the threshed corn storage in time, the same couldn¡¯t be said for all of Elmshadow¡¯s food stores.

    Two granaries filled with oats had not survived. A storehouse of smoked meats got a bit too smokey.

    Elmshadow wasn¡¯t going to starve this morning. There was enough food spread throughout the burg in personal larders or dry pits to survive for a few weeks. Losing the main storehouses and granaries was still going to be a death sentence for the burg.

    Arkk was well aware that people were already leaving. Some already had¡ªas soon as Evestani appeared on the horizon, a number of the more affluent merchants had departed eastward. Now, practically anyone with the means was evacuating. Farmers loaded up their carts. Some left on foot, packing a haversack and leaving everything else behind. Faith in White Company¡¯s ability to stave off the siege crumbled as quickly as the keep.

    No one had tried to stop anyone from leaving. It was pushing the problem onto other burgs but here and now, it meant fewer mouths to feed, fewer people to worry about getting hit by those golden arrows and becoming enemies, and fewer casualties if Evestani did make it through the walls.

    Arkk sat on a bench inside the infirmary, left hand pressed to his forehead while his right hand rested on Agnete¡¯s arm. Overusing the ice marble to extinguish the flames hadn¡¯t come without cost. His fingers were numb. Not discolored or otherwise displaying signs of frostbite. Thankfully. But he could barely flex his fingers and couldn¡¯t feel a thing besides a pulsing ache. The heat from Agnete soothed the ache.

    He hadn¡¯t slept. He was so exhausted. Even before this night, his sleep had been restless and intermittent. There was so much to do, so many preparations to make. So much going on.

    Arkk didn¡¯t know how to help anymore. Everything he did barely gave Evestani pause. Hawkwood had been completely routed by those golden arrows, forcing White Company to abandon a number of their supplies to Evestani. The mausoleums had stopped them for a time but Evestani worked out a countermeasure. He had stolen the boulder-dropping ritual and, potentially, destroyed Evestani¡¯s leadership in the area. In turn, Evestani had taken out several Hawkwood¡¯s men who had been in the upper keep. Agnete wasn¡¯t awake yet. He didn¡¯t know when she would wake or even if she would have the energy to fight once she did. All he knew through the employee link was that she was stable.

    Even if he brought over all of Company Al-Mir, he didn¡¯t know how they could possibly help. Vezta wasn¡¯t omnipotent. Zullie and Savren were but two casters up against an entire army. Some orcs, a few gorgon, and the fresh recruits would just die on Evestani¡¯s swords.

    The Duke¡¯s men would arrive shortly. Another day. They would bring with them men and spellcasters in far greater numbers than Arkk could field. At that point, proper counter-siege magics could commence, not just exhausted casters pouring every scrap of magic into a defensive array.

    They could do something.

    He couldn¡¯t.

    His ability to render assistance had hit its limit. There was nothing more he could do.

    The thought was simultaneously freeing¡ªa relief at realizing that nobody could possibly expect him to pull a miracle out of his ass¡ªand disheartening all the same. It was clear that he couldn¡¯t fight off a proper army. Why had he ever thought he could depose the Duke? Ultimate defensive and offensive object? More like a broken piece of crap that tethered him to one spot in the world.

    The sound of sure-footed boots crossing the stone floor of the infirmary made Arkk open his eyes.

    Agnete was hardly the only one present. Between bits of the keep flying through the city, the fires, and injuries accrued through recovery efforts, the infirmary was packed. Yet most footsteps were rushed or unsteady. Either healers moving through from one person to the next or discharged patients making their way to the exit. As such, it came as little surprise that the confident footsteps belonged to someone who was neither a healer nor one of the injured.

    ¡°Inquisitrix,¡± Arkk said, dropping his hands to his lap. The numb feeling swiftly returned to his fingers but he wasn¡¯t willing to tie himself to Agnete if he suddenly needed to fling a lightning bolt. ¡°I see you made it out unscathed. Not even a hair under your peaked cap looks out of place.¡±

    The woman glowered, red eyes darting from him to Agnete and back. ¡°Arkk. I¡¯ve been looking for you. They told me you were helping around the burg.¡±

    ¡°I was. All the fires are extinguished so I decided to check in on my employees. Not much else I can do,¡± Arkk said with a smile he didn¡¯t feel. ¡°Give me a dozen of your types to fight and I¡¯ll do it all day long. But this army? What the fuck am I supposed to do against ten thousand warriors, spellcasters, and whatever that golden-eyed abomination is?¡±

    Astra folded her arms over her chest, tapped her boot against the floor, and raised one eyebrow. ¡°You done?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Sure,¡± Arkk sighed. ¡°I was just about to head home and hope you people and the Duke¡¯s men would handle everything. But let me guess, you¡¯ve got some risky plan you need my help with for some reason? So what is it? We sneak in again, kill ten thousand soldiers in their sleep? Maybe you¡¯ve got your own golden beams of light that will blast through their defenses to wipe out the army all at once? Or¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tybalt is missing.¡±

    Arkk blinked, stared at her face for any sign that she was joking, and then decided to laugh.

    What else could he do?

    Astra dropped one arm to her side while her other hand rested at her hip. She had a sword, he noted. A long rapier. Had she always worn that? ¡°You find that amusing?¡±

    ¡°Not in the slightest,¡± Arkk said, still chuckling. He shook his head, slapping at his cheeks in an attempt to wake himself up and knock the smile off his face. ¡°Let me guess, you think I had something to do with it because I poached Agnete from Vrox? Hate to break it to you, Inquisitrix, but I wouldn¡¯t go near him under any circumstances. I remember when Hurtt and Jorgen tried their hands at carpentry. I¡¯m pretty sure that table was more stable than your purifier after one of its legs fell off.¡±

    Astra didn¡¯t react to his story. She just stared a moment, fingers drumming on her hip. ¡°Qwol and I lent our assistance following the incident. It wasn¡¯t until a few hours ago that we realized Tybalt had disappeared at some point. Qwol is seeking revelation to locate him while I¡ª¡±

    ¡°On his own?¡± Arkk asked.

    ¡°Revelation is best sought in private.¡±

    ¡°Do you want a dead chronicler? It sure sounds like you want a dead chronicler. I don¡¯t know if you noticed but your purifier isn¡¯t exactly fond of you.¡±

    ¡°The Binder is still on Tybalt¡¯s wrists. He cannot remove them nor use his powers.¡±

    ¡°How well do they stop him from picking up a sword and jamming it through your stomach?¡±

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°I have the utmost faith in Qwol¡¯s combat abilities.¡±

    Arkk wondered if she had functional eyes. Qwol was gaunt and thin to the point where a harsh breeze could fight him off. Then again, he was a chronicler. If he was anything like Greesom, he could probably pose a threat.

    Letting the line of thought drop with a shrug, Arkk looked up to Inquisitrix Sylvara Astra and asked, ¡°What do you want from me then? I don¡¯t have your purifier. My own isn¡¯t well at the moment and I would rather not leave her to wake up alone given what her last memories likely are. Burning down the infirmary in a panic is hardly going to help the war effort.¡±

    One of the healers moving behind Astra jerked to a halt and shot an alarmed look in Arkk¡¯s direction.

    Arkk just gave him an apologetic shrug.

    ¡°Why even come to me?¡± Arkk continued. ¡°Unless I have severely misread the room, your organization doesn¡¯t particularly like me.¡±

    ¡°The Inquisition of the Light is not currently seeking conflict with you. I thought it best to inform you of the situation lest you believe we had something to do with sending him after you.¡±

    ¡°Me? Why would¡ª¡± Arkk pinched his eyes shut and shook his head. ¡°Never mind. Of course, he is coming for me. Why would I expect anything else?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean he is targeting you directly, just that you may be an incidental target. I imagine I am his primary target. Yet I wished to ensure you are aware of the situation,¡± Astra said. Minutely adjusting her cap, she turned on her heel and started moving, only to pause as Arkk called after her.

    ¡°How likely is it that he finds someone else to remove his bracelets? Can other people remove them or is there some magic built in that only lets you take them off?¡±

    Astra looked back over her shoulder, frowning for a moment. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if she was thinking about the question or trying to decide whether answering it betrayed some secret of the inquisitors. Whatever the cause for her hesitation, she eventually shook her head. ¡°Only those capable of enacting miracles can remove them. Any member of the Abbey would note the inquisitorial eye and refuse to assist.¡±

    ¡°And what if he holds a knife to the throat of some abbess?¡±

    ¡°Then she should accept her death with dignity.¡± Astra turned away, speaking as she resumed walking. ¡°Informing you was a courtesy. Rest assured, we will handle this.¡±

    ¡°Should,¡± Arkk grumbled, watching the woman¡¯s back as she departed the infirmary. ¡°Not would.¡±

    Not that he thought someone should throw their life away over the mistakes of the inquisitors anyway. Still¡­

    Arkk looked down at Agnete. While he would have liked to let her rest and recuperate after saving his and Hawkwood¡¯s lives, a mad purifier on the loose was not the best time to be so vulnerable. That said, he also didn¡¯t want to go up in flames the moment she opened her eyes. Keeping one hand in his pocket, hovering next to the icy marble there, he nudged her shoulder. His gentle motions turned a bit more rough as she failed to wake.

    Standing, Arkk moved across the room and used a small cup to scoop up a bit of water from a basin. Water used to cleanse wounds. He didn¡¯t take much, not wanting to deprive those who needed it. Moving to stand over Agnete, he frowned down at the faint glow deep within the recesses of her scars.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± he mumbled, upending the cup over her face. There wasn¡¯t time to let her wake naturally with that other purifier on the loose.

    The water did the trick. She flinched as it splashed against her face. Her eyes snapped open, glowing bright. The water droplets on her face and in her hair exploded into a cloud of steam. Arkk stumbled back but did not go for the ice marble despite the alarmed cries from those nearby.

    There was no fire.

    Agnete, hands pressed to her forehead, slowly sat upright. She didn¡¯t notice or care about the loose blanket falling aside. Groaning, she leaned over the bed, planting her elbows on her knees as she heaved. For a moment, Arkk thought she was about to throw up. It never came. The heaving died down to steadier breathing, though she did not remove her hands from her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m alive?¡± she whispered.

    Arkk leaned down, hand on her shoulder. ¡°Yes. Though you might not feel like it.¡±

    ¡°My eyes feel like I¡¯ve been staring at the sun for too long again.¡±

    ¡°Again?¡± Arkk asked before shaking his head. ¡°I wanted to let you rest as thanks for saving me and Hawkwood. It would be the least I could have done. Unfortunately, the Inquisitrix showed up.¡±

    The muscles in Agnete¡¯s shoulders tightened under her skin, tensioned.

    ¡°Not for you,¡± he quickly added. ¡°Rather, it seems they lost their purifier somewhere. I didn¡¯t want to leave you asleep with him running around.¡±

    The strain in her scarred back slowly lessened. Agnete peeled her hands away from her eyes, blinking rapidly several times before staring up at him. The embers in her eyes were a bit hazier than normal. A bit dimmer, further recessed.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Fine. Just tired.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, glancing around. He sat down on the cot next to Agnete and dropped his voice. ¡°I think it is time we get back to the fortress. I¡¯ve already sent the orcs over. Half the burg has already evacuated. The other half probably won¡¯t be far behind. The Duke¡¯s men will be here before long. I don¡¯t know what else we¡¯re supposed to do to help. Better we prepare.¡±

    ¡°I understand. My flames feel distant and weak. I am not sure how much assistance I would provide.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. That sealed it. If even Agnete was calling it quits, he really couldn¡¯t do anything more here. At most, he would be just a magical anchor for a ritual. Hawkwood¡¯s plans for a counterattack ritual were buried under the rubble of the keep. Arkk could assemble the boulder drop ritual and help cast that until Hawkwood¡¯s other spellcasters had exhausted themselves. However, a defensive barrier had gone up around most of the Evestani army¡ªthey knew they were missing their ritual circle and had taken precautions against it being used on them.

    At this point, Hawkwood planned to hold out for the Duke¡¯s men, keeping round-the-clock spellcasters at his own defensive ritual. Hopefully, the reinforcements would be able to break the siege or at least provide some way of counter-attacking.

    But that golden ray had gone straight through the defenses to hit the keep. They hadn¡¯t used it a second time. Yet. Arkk had a feeling that next time, it would be aimed lower, intending to wipe out as many of the forces stationed in the burg as possible.

    Arkk didn¡¯t want to think that he was running away. He had tried. He had run out in the middle of their army to sabotage them. It wasn¡¯t cowardice. It was pragmatism.

    ¡°Help me up.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s eyebrows crept up his forehead at the request. Rather than comment, he just leaned over, letting Agnete swing an arm over his shoulders. Dragging the blanket up and around herself, Agnete used Arkk as a crutch as they made their way out of the infirmary.

    The area around the keep was cordoned off. Bits of it kept falling off, often knocking into other parts of the keep¡ªor even other buildings. Even though only the top of it had been struck by that ray, enough of the top had collapsed in on itself to make the entire place unstable. It had been designed to hold its weight on its walls, not on the floors or ceilings.

    The guards still let Arkk pass without complaint. Enough of White Company knew him. Or maybe they just didn¡¯t want to mess with a pair of people with glowing eyes. Either way, he helped Agnete down into the cellar¡ªwhich had thankfully not yet collapsed¡ªand onto the ritual circle hidden within.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be following shortly,¡± Arkk said, stepping outside the circle. ¡°Just going to inform Hawkwood.¡±

    Agnete closed her eyes, hunched somewhat as she stood on her own, and nodded her head. She didn¡¯t say anything else. It didn¡¯t look like she had the energy to say anything.

    With a flash of magic, he sent her on her way.

    With that, it was just Arkk and the lesser servant hanging in the corner of the cellar. Everyone else from Fortress Al-Mir was either back at the fortress or on their way.

    Arkk headed back up the cellar stairs. Hawkwood wasn¡¯t an employee, so he couldn¡¯t instantly locate the man. At this point, Arkk guessed that he would be back at the outer wall, keeping an eye on the enemy.

    Just as Arkk reached the inner keep wall, he heard it. A strange rising whine, long and drawn out. The same sound that he had heard when the purifier used his inverted spheres.

    Arkk¡¯s heart skipped a beat, fearing the noise was aimed at him. Yet he saw no sign of Tybalt¡¯s magic anywhere near him. As the drawn-out whine grew in intensity, he saw the top of a black bubble crest the roof of a nearby building, far in the distance.

    The crescendo ceased as the bubble collapsed, sending out a low, vibrating thrum that struck Arkk inside his chest. The deep tone did not stop him from rushing forward, dashing through the burg toward where he had seen the bubble form.

    Coming out from between two homes, Arkk skidded to a stop in the dirt streets. He could see the Evestani army in the far distance, well across the empty fields around Elmshadow. Closer, a deep divot in the land cut into the outer wall of the burg, leaving an empty gap half the size of the keep. Guards, both on the wall and gathered around the edge of the divot, started shouting alarms.

    A second higher-pitched whine started. A sphere that turned the gray clouds black and the dark stone of the wall white started forming at the next segment of the wall. Guards atop it ran in either direction, trying to escape it as it slowly formed. Some jumped off, landing hard in their heavy armor. One, in shock, just sat and stared as the bubble enveloped him.

    Arkk tore his eyes away from the wall and the bubble forming around it. His eyes scanned along the street until he spotted a man with his hand outstretched, wearing a heavy cloak. If the outstretched hand wasn¡¯t enough, the wide grin peaking out from the cloak¡¯s hood sealed the man¡¯s identity.

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± Arkk shouted. Lightning gathered at his fingers, magic given form in electrical plasma. Stretching out his hand, arced the lightning, sending a powerful bolt straight at the mad purifier.

    Unaware of the incoming attack, Tybalt offered no resistance or defense. The man flew backward with smoke trailing out from under his cloak, his cry drowned out by the sudden thunderclap that followed. The inverted bubble collapsed in on itself, taking with it a smaller segment of the wall.

    A second bolt of lightning followed the first, sending the downed man¡¯s body into a heavy seizure. He shook and trembled, cloak igniting from the power. When Arkk finally released the magic, Tybalt went still. Arkk couldn¡¯t say if he was dead or not. That had been possibly the second most powerful lightning spell he had ever unleashed. The golden-eyed boy had survived the night before, however, so he wasn¡¯t willing to make assumptions when someone with glowing eyes was around.

    Keeping his focus on the downed body, Arkk glanced at the wall.

    Two whole segments were just gone. Guards panicked. The city, already without morale from the golden ray, wouldn¡¯t be able to repair the damage in short order.

    Evestani had already noticed.

 Critical Morale

    If there was one good thing about the purifier going rogue, it was that his actions gave Arkk an idea.

    Inquisitrix Astra came forward and confirmed the death of Purifier Tybalt. It felt a little too easy to Arkk. An Avatar of the Jailor of the Void, felled by a lightning bolt. Then again, he was just a human, albeit with strange magic. Agnete was no different. Perhaps she could use some aspect of her flames to avoid a bolt of lightning, but Arkk couldn¡¯t see how. If she got hit, especially with him giving it his all, he doubted she would be any better off.

    Unfortunately, his death did not pop the wall back into existence. It was a large gap in Elmshadow¡¯s defenses. Fifty armed and armored men standing shoulder-to-shoulder could walk into the city at once. It wouldn¡¯t be easy. The ground curved downwards into a trough that was slowly filling with water from somewhere. Melted snow, perhaps. Even with that, it was still a worrisome opening that hindered White Company¡¯s ability to defend the burg.

    So far, despite it having been several hours, Evestani had only now started marching over to take advantage. Arkk was hoping that he had taken out their leadership. That way, at least he would have done something, even if that something only meant a delay.

    The magical bombardment had started up again, covering the army¡¯s advancement. Not boulders dropping from the skies this time. Thankfully, they weren¡¯t using golden rays or golden arrows either. Instead, flaming balls of fire came down on the city far more frequently and were dangerous, especially if they made it through the barrier and started raining down on the wooden structures within, but they were also far less substantial than a solid mound of stone. Much easier for those manning the defensive rituals to weather. Arkk doubted they intended to shatter the defenses. They were just tying up spellcasters to minimize the few magical counterattacks that Hawkwood could mount against the approaching army.

    He was trying. There was no large ritual in place to bombard them in turn¡ªand not enough casters to reliably work the ritual array he had stolen from Evestani¡ªbut the army in motion was vulnerable to lesser spells and the mounted ballista. The spellcasters with the vanguard of the army didn¡¯t quite manage to defend from everything.

    Arkk, arms crossed as he stood on an intact segment of the wall, watched as winches and a claw ratcheted back two stone spheres connected by a heavy rope. The ballista could be a precision weapon at times but at the moment, hurling a ball and chain through as much of the army as possible would do the most damage, both in terms of physical damage as well as morale.

    No one wanted to rush closer to their deaths.

    With a heavy thwung, the strained arms of the ballista released their tension, rocketing the oversized bolas off into the distance. Arkk lost sight of the projectile against the gray skies, only to spot it once again as a barrier quite similar to that which Zullie had developed popped into place. Where Zullie¡¯s projectile blocker spell grabbed hold of incoming projectiles, this one deflected the bolas up and over the top of the forward soldiers. It did come back down again but at a greatly reduced velocity and a far sharper angle. The dozen soldiers in the way had plenty of time to move, clearing the landing zone before it crashed down.

    Not every group was as lucky. Spells or bolas occasionally struck true. It just wasn¡¯t enough.

    Arkk was not flinging his spells. Nor was he putting his meager archery skills to good use. He stood atop the wall, focusing not on the army itself but on the ground under their feet. He had to focus lest his mental map of the terrain shift askew.

    Purifier Tybalt had given him the idea. Or perhaps reminded him that he had more at his disposal than just orcs and a former purifier.

    He glanced over at Hawkwood and gave the man a firm nod of his head.

    Hawkwood, held up a stalling hand, scowling as he looked out at the approaching army. ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°The forward group. I think I can time it so that we get the majority of the spellcasters.¡±

    Watching the army move, both with scrying and a spyglass, it quickly became clear that they tried to keep their spellcasters as protected as possible within each battalion. The active spellcasters, the ones maintaining the defenses, would move to the front. When exhausted, they would retreat toward the middle of the group and recover.

    ¡°Hold,¡± Hawkwood said. ¡°Let them pass.¡±

    ¡°What? But¡ª¡±

    ¡°They are the vanguard. The forward soldiers the enemy is throwing away to fall upon our swords and clear the way for the rest of the army behind. The unit following is larger and better equipped.¡±

    Arkk peered into his crystal ball, comparing a few soldiers from each of the advancing units. What Hawkwood was saying wasn¡¯t wrong. Evestani¡¯s army wasn¡¯t wholly uniform across all units. They favored a black and gold theme, painting their armor and wearing regalia primarily colored along those lines. The golden sun against the black background did stand out and look striking.

    The forward group, however, looked more like how Arkk pictured a well-funded militia to look. Or perhaps a mercenary company along the lines of First Legion or the Society of the Burning Shadow. A group of people who all worked together but were left to their own devices on how to equip themselves. They followed the theme of black and gold but depictions of Evestani¡¯s golden sun were few and far between.

    ¡°Conscripts,¡± Hawkwood said, answering the question on Arkk¡¯s mind. ¡°Perhaps taken from mercenary companies. Perhaps taken from the streets.¡±

    ¡°Fake soldiers or not, they¡¯re still carrying real weapons.¡±

    ¡°They will be poorly trained and thus easier for us to deal with. Easier to rout as well. Even easier still should their backup fail to arrive.¡±

    Arkk glanced around. White Company numbered roughly four thousand strong. Not all of them were present at the wall. Elsewhere around Elmshadow, other parts of the Evestani army were approaching, likely to put strain here, allowing their men to break through. White Company had to spread themselves out along the entirety of the west-facing wall or risk being overrun from behind.

    The gap in the wall was still the weakest point and thus warranted Hawkwood¡¯s personal attention. And Arkk¡¯s as well.

    Arkk licked his lips, stomach aching from the sight of ten thousand marching forward across the vacant fields. It wasn¡¯t even mildly comparable to facing down a few hundred goblins. Especially not when he had a horror from the Stars at his back and new magic making him feel invulnerable.

    He was no stronger than Purifier Tybalt or Agnete. A stray arrow or an oblique spell and he would be gone.

    ¡°I hope your men are ready,¡± Arkk said, resisting the urge to step back. ¡°They¡¯re almost here.¡±

    ¡°Just hold steady until that second unit advances a little more.¡±

    ¡°Right. Steady.¡± Arkk took a deep breath, regretting sticking around. Fresh idea thanks to Tybalt or not, this felt like suicide. ¡°Not going to give a big rallying speech? Get everyone¡¯s spirits up?¡±

    ¡°The general riding up and down the lines, belting out a morale-boosting speech, is entirely the fiction of bards and poets. I could turn and shout as loud as I could and only a dozen would be able to hear me,¡± Hawkwood said, offering Arkk a grim smile. ¡°Every squad has battle-hardened hype men. Those who have been with White Company for a time, seen and fought in plenty of fights. They will rally those around them. Not often through the use of flowery words and purple speech. Listen,¡± he said, cupping a hand to his ear. ¡°Even now, you can hear them psyching themselves up.¡±

    Arkk turned slightly, not quite sure what Hawkwood was referring to. A thunderous sound had risen along the wall in the last few minutes. Clanging of metal against metal and shouts of discordant hype. Arkk had thought it was from the sound of the approaching army but, now that Hawkwood had pointed it out, he realized that at least some of it was coming from the soldiers stationed on the wall and behind the large divots.

    They stomped their boots. They struck their own shields with the pommels of their swords. The pikemen raised their spears into the air, cheering.

    They readied themselves for war.

    Arkk often felt out of his depth. Never more so than now. Despite all the cacophony and the vibration of war in the air, a rather silly thought flittered through his mind. It was a good thing he had relieved himself just an hour ago.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°Ignore it. Their job is to fight with sword and shield. The archers are to rain down death upon the enemy. The casters are to protect from the same happening to us. I am to be seen leading the fray. You focus on your job. The second unit. Wait until the perfect moment. No one will know when that is except you.¡±

    Arkk swallowed a dry lump, nodding his head absently.

    Focus.

    On the rolling waves of armored figures marching across the plains, set to crash into Elmshadow Burg and sweep it away like a flooded river through a small hamlet.

    ¡°The hardest part of leading men to war is getting the men to cross the final few paces that will bring them within reach of the enemy¡¯s weapons. Hours of ¡®battles¡¯ have been ¡®fought¡¯ without a single blade crossing that threshold as soldiers shout and jeer, wearing each other out until some poor fool crosses that threshold.

    ¡°They are usually the first to die.¡±

    Thousands of soldiers marched forward, their hype building as the distance between the two forces narrowed. Orders went out. Arrows flew through the air. Shouts merged with taunts, stomping with marching, and the hammering of metal drowned out everything but Hawkwood¡¯s voice.

    ¡°That is not a situation we will face today. The enemy vanguard will march straight and true, without falter. For to falter means to flee. These conscripts have nowhere to flee but into the swords of their own countrymen. The rear groups are the lynchpins of this operation. Take them out and not only will the vanguard be without reinforcements, they will also be without that sword pressed to their spine.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s eyes darted back and forth over the army. The landmarks he had been using, odd slopes or tall stones, fence posts, and even the divots created when Tybalt had erased the golden soldiers, all had vanished beneath the tides of the opposing armies. He tried to keep track of where everything was just through feel but that didn¡¯t work quite as well. He wasn¡¯t at Fortress Al-Mir with its perfect map of its interior constantly nestled in the back of his mind. Out here, he had to rely on guesswork.

    ¡°Are you trying to say that we can win this, but it all relies on me?¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t believe we can. Not now that they¡¯ve smelled weakness. There are too many of them.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Arkk took his eyes off the soldier-covered plains outside Elmshadow. ¡°Then what¡ª¡±

    ¡°We are buying time.¡±

    ¡°For the Duke¡¯s men?¡±

    ¡°Evestani is aware of their imminent arrival tomorrow. They won¡¯t let up because of that. If they take the burg, they will have the advantage in facing the approaching armies. Failing to take it will mean either a retreat or more of that esoteric magic. I can¡¯t speak on the possibility of the latter but the former doesn¡¯t sound like an option if they wish to continue their advance.

    ¡°No. We are evacuating. Buying time for the citizens of the city to escape. You will buy us a reprieve to evacuate ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Evacuate?¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that your plan before that inquisitor blew up the wall?¡± Hawkwood asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I gave the order to my adjutants early in the morning after reports came in of the damage to the food stores. We¡¯ll carry what we can and torch the remainder. Burn the whole burg to the ground. Give them their victory but hollow it out as much as possible.

    ¡°Elmshadow lies in a strategic position, it is true,¡± Hawkwood continued, perhaps seeing the questioning on Arkk¡¯s face. ¡°But it isn¡¯t worth dying over. It isn¡¯t the only chokepoint in the Duchy. We need to retreat, analyze this esoteric magic, find a defense, and then put up a fight when we are more prepared. And have the Duke¡¯s men joined with ours from the beginning.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ I don¡¯t know if that adds pressure or takes some away.¡±

    Hawkwood laughed. It was his usual boisterous laugh but it had a shallower feeling to it. ¡°Just know that it is our lives on the line. Not everyone who lives in the burg. And, if you feel the need to destroy the entire burg, go for it.¡±

    Arkk turned his eyes back to the armies. ¡°I think you overestimate my abilities. All I¡¯m doing is digging a little hole.¡±

    A dozen lesser servants darted around underneath the ground, hollowing out large pitfalls directly in the path of the army. Tybalt¡¯s destruction of the wall and the ground it had been built upon reminded Arkk of his very first tactic employed against the orcs while they were still working for their former chieftain. The same tactic that Vezta had wanted to use on the inquisitors during their invasion of the false Fortress Al-Mir.

    He had conjured them up and sent them out to take out the vanguard. Now, the vanguard¡­

    ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± Arkk said, the tension in his stomach threatening to double over. He took his eyes off the horizon for one second and spotted the vanguard. They were at the wall. At the divot. Though shallow, it would be an uphill climb¡ªWhite Company stood on the other side, ready to stab down with their spears as Evestani tried to scale it into the city.

    Evestani clearly knew it too. Their advance had stalled. It wouldn¡¯t last long, however. The rows of men were pushing forward from behind, crowding those in the front toward the waiting defenders. Behind them, as Hawkwood so eloquently put it, the blade of their own countrymen advanced. There was a gap, a wide swath of still empty farmland, but it wouldn¡¯t last.

    Not unless Arkk had something to say about it.

    ¡°Focus,¡± Hawkwood said, clamping a hand on Arkk¡¯s shoulder. ¡°And good luck. I need to be seen.¡±

    Arkk hesitated, considered objecting to being left alone, then clamped his jaw shut. As Hawkwood had said earlier, he had his role just as Arkk had one of his own. Hawkwood had already spent plenty of time getting some country bumpkin who had stumbled into a bit of power and prestige up to speed. Keeping him from his actual duties as commander of White Company wasn¡¯t something Arkk could do.

    Though, he did wish that he had pulled Vezta back.

    Arrows were flying through the air from both sides now. The casters kept up their barriers the whole time, catching even the occasional golden arrow. From his point of observation, he could see that Evestani¡¯s barriers didn¡¯t quite catch every arrow. Some made it through, either from good luck at striking the exact right spot or from the short swap between one exhausted caster to the next. If arrows were getting through Evestani¡¯s barriers, they were surely getting through those of White Company, just not where he had noticed.

    Shouts, cries, and the clashing of metal against metal erupted down below the wall. Hawkwood¡¯s voice belted out indistinct shouts, voice discernable only because of how familiar Arkk was with the man.

    Arkk took a breath and shut it out, focused on directing the lesser servants. The rear unit had strayed somewhat off the path that the vanguard had followed. It was hard to tell where the lesser servants were in relation to the rest of the army, but if he cast a wide enough net¡ªor rather, dug a wide enough pit¡ªhe should catch enough to make a difference.

    He just had to wait for the opportune¡ª

    A blinding light filled the periphery of Arkk¡¯s vision. He turned, fully expecting the beautiful golden ray to be the last thing he ever saw. No warning from Fortress Al-Mir could get him out of the way this time. There was nowhere to dodge and no flame witch to divert the beam.

    But it wasn¡¯t aimed at him. The golden ray tore through the city at an angle, coming from further south. It faded behind several of the buildings, snuffing out entirely without striking Arkk nor any of the defending White Company in the area.

    Shuddering, Arkk swallowed a hard lump of air. There was something about that light¡­ Unpleasant yet so very enticing all the same. He wasn¡¯t the only one to feel it either. The soldiers on both sides had stopped for a few seconds, just staring with bated breath as the remnants of the light faded.

    A cry from someone down below and a sick squelch of torn flesh started the battle anew.

    Arkk shook himself, focusing once again. The lesser servants hadn¡¯t been idle, able to operate independently. He left them to their continued expansion of the pits as he tried to figure out what had just happened. Adjusting the crystal ball¡¯s point of view quickly filled him in on the answer.

    Another section of the western wall was simply gone. Along with it, a fair portion of White Company who had been defending the southern segment.

    Arkk looked up, quickly finding Hawkwood at one of the turrets. He was about to call out and warn him but it didn¡¯t seem necessary. Hawkwood shouted an order to one of the men. A moment later and the repeated hammering of a brass gong echoed out, louder than the sounds of battle down below. All up and down the wall, as much of it as was still standing, more gongs started echoing out, joining the first.

    The men on the wall started moving, retreating. They fired their last arrows, threw their last stones, upended a pot of boiling pitch, and then made way for the ladders and staircases.

    They had to retreat now. Lest they wind up surrounded by the other detachments of Evestani¡¯s army.

    Arkk, glaring out, over the battlefield, pursed his lips.

    It was too soon. The rear unit was still advancing over the pitfalls his lesser servants had dug.

    Yet, he couldn¡¯t stay here either. Not unless he wanted to surrender to that golden-eyed boy.

    With a snap of his fingers, the lesser servants heard his command. They ceased expanding and began digging upwards, eating through the earth directly underneath the army¡¯s feet.

    Watching the enemy army, it was easy to tell the moment the soldiers noticed something wrong. The entire unit slowed to a stop.

    Then, the first of them fell. A gap opened up in the lines of soldiers, first only a pair of soldiers wide. As the ground beneath their feet weakened from his servant¡¯s efforts, a ripple effect spread out. The ground collapsed in on itself, naturally falling into the pit and taking along with them large, circular chunks of the wave of soldiers. Panic sprung up as the troops fought each other to escape, trampling atop their fellows and knocking others into the pits with their actions.

    A full quarter of the rear unit fell into the sinkholes. A good half short of his goal.

    There were still so many soldiers. He had barely made a dent in the army.

    He couldn¡¯t stay longer. Turning, Arkk sprinted to the nearest ladder and practically jumped from the top straight to the bottom. He set the remainder of the lesser servants to opening up all the pitfalls. Afterward, they were to dig and dig and dig until they died. He hadn¡¯t gotten as much of the army as he wanted but the terrain¡ªand the fear of more pitfalls opening¡ªwould at least slow them, keeping this section of the retreat from being instantly overrun.

    Arkk didn¡¯t know where Hawkwood had gone. He could hear the man¡¯s voice somewhere. The sound of battle, screams of dying men, metal clanging against metal, and the continued ringing of the gongs on the wall made Hawkwood¡¯s exact position into a mystery.

    But there was nothing more that he could do. He flung a few lightning bolts and helped White Company make their retreat even as he fell back in a slightly different direction¡­

    It all felt so¡­ blank. A numb sensation filled his mind as he stalked across the channels of blood flowing through the streets.

    He could only hope that Hawkwood would make it out. And as much of White Company as possible. That golden beam would have decimated them. A few hundred dead in an instant.

    Hawkwood would surely retreat to the eastern side of the city, likely setting it aflame as he went as per his plan. Arkk retreated toward the keep. It wasn¡¯t long before he found himself walking alone on empty roads.

    He descended the stairs beneath the keep to the teleportation circle in the cellar and, with a taste of regret in the back of his mouth, left Elmshadow to fall.

 Siege of Elmshadow Aftermath

    Clarkson pulled his cloak tight, shivering in the winter wind. Snow clung to his face and stung his eyebrows. It was all he could do to keep moving forward. One foot went in front of the other, slowly yet steadily. The light sack hanging over his shoulder thumped against his back in a lethargic rhythm.

    He wasn¡¯t the only one out, moving across the plains. Vanny and Kev stalked along to his left, eyes dead as they stared at the snow-covered ground. Kumm¡¯av snapped at the reins of an ox, trying to keep it moving the cart filled with children. Branson, hardly seen without a smile on his face, now looked like the only thing keeping him moving was a necromancer pulling his strings.

    Having seen more than one of his fellows fall to the snow in the past nine days, Clarkson wouldn¡¯t find it surprising in the slightest if a necromancer actually was trailing after them. They were leaving enough bodies behind to fill a small crypt. Mostly the elderly. Gemmy had been the first to fall. His enthusiastic fa?ade withered away by the second night as his nose and fingers started turning black. Although they had kept the fire going hot all night, no one had been able to wake him in the morning.

    Clarkson tried not to think about the lack of feeling in his toes.

    He just had to keep moving forward.

    They were almost there. Almost to Joydale Village. A little community north of Elmshadow, nestled in a far narrower valley. It wasn¡¯t the closest village. Clarkson, along with most of the others, had decided to head toward it anyway. Most nearby villages and burgs would be overwhelmed by the sudden influx of refugees. To avoid the risk of traveling for days only to be turned away, Clarkson and the others had elected to head further out.

    They hadn¡¯t counted on the sudden plummeting temperature. It turned a cold winter into a positively frozen winter.

    Miserable. Deadly.

    But they were almost there.

    ¡°Holding up?¡±

    Clarkson looked over to find Erwin looking¡­ well, not happy. The man, older than Clarkson but younger than most, had been one of the more enthusiastic ones for traveling out to Joydale. Said he had family out there who would take in their group, assuming they couldn¡¯t stay somewhere like the village church. While he had lost a lot of his good cheer along with everyone else, Clarkson could still see the forced smile in his eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m moving,¡± Clarkson said. Peeling open his lips for the first time today felt like driving pins and needles into the skin around his mouth. But that was good. Pins and needles meant that he was feeling something. ¡°You think everyone who stayed behind is still alive?¡±

    ¡°Still alive.¡± Unlike a number of their group. ¡°I don¡¯t know. No one I talked to knows why they¡¯re attacking. Maybe they just hate us. Maybe the Duke said something offensive.¡±

    ¡°Would they take it out on us? We¡¯re just farmers¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me tell you something. I spent some time with the Knights of Longview. Two hundred people caravanning around the deserts of Chernlock. We were a free company, fully registered with the garrisons and yet, I distinctly remember coming across a village that had been beset by bandits. Not our commission but we were fresh on our journey and itching for a good fight¡­¡±

    Erwin trailed off. His eyes, glassy as they poked out from between the hood of his cloak and a thick scarf around his mouth, stared off into the distance.

    ¡°Commander died early on. Caught a stray arrow. His second couldn¡¯t keep control¡ªwe were hardly the disciplined sorts and nobody particularly liked Yorya. Killed the bandits easily enough but, by the end of the night, I doubted that the villagers would have been able to tell the difference between us and those who had been raiding them.

    ¡°Now, an army should be more disciplined but an army is far larger. Trying to keep a few thousand in line, keep them from raiding and pillaging the people they just conquered¡­ sounds impossible. If I were their commanders, I would say let them have at it. Blow off steam on the poor souls who stayed behind. Loot whatever they wanted and so on and so forth.¡±

    Clarkson pressed his lips together. There hadn¡¯t been a good option if that was true. Still, leaving six of their group behind, dead in the snow¡­ Traveling didn¡¯t feel like a good option. Maybe a closer village wouldn¡¯t have turned them away.

    ¡°Why ask? Regret leaving?¡± Erwin asked, cocking his head. ¡°It is a bit late for that. We¡¯re almost there!¡±

    Clarkson blinked and looked to Erwin. The man had his eyes up on the horizon. Following, taking his eyes off the snowy path ahead of him for the first time, Clarkson spotted the gleaming white walls of the village church. It practically glowed against the dark overcast clouds in the background.

    A change in the caravan¡¯s mood rippled through the travelers with Erwin¡¯s words. Energy returned to the group. It was a subtle thing but their pace picked up. Even the ox seemed to sense the nearing destination.

    Safety. Warmth. Healing, hopefully.

    Those white walls of the bell tower, adorned with golden sigils of the Light, called out to Clarkson, drawing him ever closer. Just seeing it brought feeling back to his toes. By the time they reached the building, Clarkson was walking upright. He had even tugged off his own scarf.

    Erwin made arrangements. The local priest brought out a heavy pot of stew. It was thin gruel, mostly water with a few dry plants and tubers from the storehouse thrown in. Yet seated within the chapel, feeling the warmth waft from his bowl onto his face, it was the most delicious stew he had ever eaten.

    ¡°Light be praised,¡± Clarkson whispered.

    Erwin looked over, hefting his bowl in agreement. ¡°Damn those Golden Order heretics.¡±

    Clarkson winced at the memory of those golden beams that had torn through his home. Elmshadow was in ruins. It might never reach its former glory. The city guard and those mercenaries hadn¡¯t stood a chance in the face of their enemy¡¯s might.

    Looking up at the glass windows of the chapel and the ornate golden symbols covering the panes, he had to wonder¡­

    Why hadn¡¯t the Light protected them? Was the Golden Order¡¯s god simply stronger?

    It was¡­ a sobering thought.

    <hr>

    Hands clasped together, Vezta walked the halls of Fortress Al-Mir, enjoying the atmosphere. With Zullie passed out from exhaustion and Savren finally satisfied with the alterations they had made to the ritual, she had no pressing tasks around the fortress. That gave her plenty of opportunity to take time for herself.

    It had been so very long since Vezta last felt the beating of the [HEART]. It wasn¡¯t something every resident could perceive. She could feel every thrum. Each and every pounding thud, echoing against the walls. The way the beating grew faster when stressful situations found her master, the soothing calm when he fell asleep. She could guess what he was doing at any moment just from the intensity of the beats.

    It was so lively. Merely thinking about it brought a spring to Vezta¡¯s steps. She had spent so long in isolation. Upon returning to the fortress to find her master missing and all residents slaughtered, she had fallen into a state of torpor, only to be awoken centuries later by a powerful magical presence crossing through the land.

    It had taken effort to wake from her lethargy. The lack of energy within the fortress¡ªand the world itself as a result of the Calamity¡ªhad kept Vezta slow and sluggish. Nevertheless, she had managed to open a gaping hole in the fortress ceiling just in time to draw that magical presence in. It had been a gamble to allow him to leave but a reluctant master was no master at all.

    Everything had turned out so well.

    People wandered the halls that had stood empty for a thousand years, carrying out tasks, training, and donating their magic to the collective of the fortress. Furnaces burned, hatcheries spawned poultry, and lesser servants scurried about, maintaining everything. For a long few hundred years, Vezta had feared that no magical peoples still existed in the world and the [HEART] of Fortress Al-Mir would never beat again. Now they had a dozen within the fortified walls. Not all were employees, it was true.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Vezta wasn¡¯t quite sure what to think about that. Two groups within Fortress Al-Mir had not made a contract with the [HEART]. The first were rescued slaves and refugees of the war.

    Inviting random people to live in a fortress wasn¡¯t something Vezta could recall having been done under her former master. Not at such a scale, in any case. Perhaps a particular individual of note or small group that would be advantageous to bring inside for protection. Arkk was rather unorthodox. Understandable given that Keepers of the [HEART] had been effectively exterminated from the world. He had no context for precedent.

    Aside from a few words of advice or offerings of how her former master ran things, Vezta was quite content to allow him to act as he would.

    That didn¡¯t mean that she wouldn¡¯t, as the humans put it, raise her eyebrows at some oddities. Walking through the refugee wing of the fortress, there was certainly a different air to it.

    People sat around for the most part. They acted more like captives than guests. It probably didn¡¯t help that several guards patrolled the halls. Mostly the original orcs Arkk had hired. They were around solely to ensure that no fights broke out¡ªa fairly common occurrence, understandable given the stress of losing everything¡ªbut the impression they gave off wasn¡¯t necessarily the best.

    Three hundred people had found themselves invited into Fortress Al-Mir since the start of the war, plus a hundred rescued slaves from just before the war¡¯s start. Only a handful had joined properly, wanting revenge or just to have something occupying their hands if not their minds. The rest were¡­ leeches. As Vezta walked past one room, she peeked her head inside to find a few dozen men and women of varying ages sitting around, talking in hushed tones. No one was really sure what they were supposed to be doing.

    The only real ¡®job¡¯ they had around the fortress was to harvest and consume the food produced by one of the large refugee hatcheries and fields that Arkk had constructed specifically for them. Beyond that, their job was to sit around and hope they could return to normal life once spring came. Though, with the war, the prospects of that happening were not all that likely.

    They should be booted out or hired¡ªand thus donate whatever scraps of magic they had to the greater fortress.

    But Arkk wouldn¡¯t go for that.

    Still, at least they were peaceful.

    The other group of unaffiliated persons currently housed within Fortress Al-Mir were not quite so content to sit around.

    Vezta¡¯s leisurely walk took her past the main treasure vaults. That was one issue that needed to be addressed. It wasn¡¯t a problem yet but the fortress turned gold and magic into food for consumption. With so many people, especially so many non-employees, their gold reserves were starting to diminish. They would need to find additional sources of income if Arkk did not send everyone away.

    Before that, however, was the problem of the dark elf kneeling at the treasury door. Only three rooms had reinforced doors. The [HEART] chamber, the treasury, and the flame witch¡¯s private quarters. That meant it was fairly obvious that something valuable was hidden within.

    No normal person should be able to open any of those three doors. And yet, this dark elf had a pair of metal bars wedged in the frame. He was trying to force it open.

    The moment he spotted Vezta, his eyes widened and he started sprinting down the corridor.

    He was fast but couldn¡¯t compete with her once she unraveled her tendrils. A gaping, tooth-filled maw clamped down on his leg with enough force to take a small chunk out. More tendrils thrust forward, wrapping around his arms and shoulders. He fell to the ground, kicking and screaming. Vezta drew him back, deliberately drawing it out, giving the man time to contemplate his actions.

    ¡°You¡­¡± Vezta started, pulling the dark elf around to face him. ¡°You are one of Katja¡¯s men.¡±

    ¡°Get off m¡ª¡±

    A thick tendril squirmed over his face, sealing his mouth shut.

    ¡°Answer me one question. You will nod your head for yes or shake your head for no. Were you sent here by Katja or one of Katja¡¯s underlings? Answer honestly. I will be displeased if I detect a lie.¡±

    The dark elf froze in Vezta¡¯s grip. He still kicked his legs and tried to twist his arms out of her tendrils but his head stilled to the point where it was clear that he wasn¡¯t answering. Vezta waited half a moment more before closing her eyes.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Vezta let him drop, still wrapped up in her tendrils. Opening one of her mouths, she let out an unnatural whistle, sharp to the point where most mortals wouldn¡¯t be able to hear it as it crashed through not the air but the aether. It took a minute but one of the lesser servants slowly slithered up the hall. Vezta simply waved at the door. Her meaning clear to the servant, it moved forward to eat the metal bars and repair the minor damage the dark elf had managed.

    ¡°Come along,¡± Vezta said to the elf, not giving him a choice as she dragged him over the ground.

    Katja¡¯s entire crew from Porcupine Hill had accepted Arkk¡¯s generous offer of housing on the condition that her spellcasters participate in the ritual. While Vezta understood that spellcasters were a precious commodity, both because of the way the Abbey of the Light had their hands in tutoring spellcasters and because the war had seen most spellcasters joining up with various mercenary forces or the main army of the Duchy, she still felt like inviting a bunch of thieves to the fortress had been a mistake.

    It wasn¡¯t that they were thieves. It was that they weren¡¯t employed.

    Katja had her own guards posted throughout her wing of the fortress. Arkk had his orcs and gorgon patrol outside it but they weren¡¯t to enter without him. Nobody wanted fights breaking out inside the fortress. Someone must have slacked off to have allowed this dark elf access to the rest of the fortress. That was a disciplinary issue that she would see to later. For now¡­

    A few of Katja¡¯s guards tried, halfheartedly, to stop Vezta. Seeing her dragging one of their own, tied and bound¡ªand a little bloodied from where her mouths had taken small bites from him¡ªhad most of them moving aside the moment her eyes crossed over them. The only one who did stand in her way without budging was the giant of a human who served as Katja¡¯s main bodyguard.

    He crossed his arms, stepping in front of the door to Katja¡¯s private chambers. ¡°Halt,¡± he said.

    ¡°I will speak with your leader,¡± Vezta said, keeping her tone as polite as possible. ¡°Whether you have all your limbs when I do is up to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Horrik!¡±

    The door opened, prompting the large man to step aside.

    The leader of the bandits stepped out in a translucent gown, striped tattoos visible on her bare arms. Her eyes traveled first to Vezta, then to the dark elf on the floor behind Vezta, before settling on her bodyguard.

    ¡°Horrik, I have asked you to not antagonize our benefactors.¡±

    The man did not verbally respond but he did let out a lengthy noise from the back of his throat as his eyes focused on the dark elf.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure there is a reasonable explanation for this,¡± Katja said, patting him on the arm. ¡°Well, benefactor? What is the reasonable explanation for Len¡¯s poor treatment.¡±

    ¡°I found him outside your wing of the fortress, attempting¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall other trespassers being treated quite so roughly.¡±

    ¡°Attempting to access restricted areas.¡± Vezta pulled one of her tendrils taut. The snap of the elf¡¯s arm made a few of the gathered onlookers wince. The muffled moans escaping from behind the tendril clamped over his mouth quickly degraded into whimpering. ¡°I take such violations quite seriously.¡±

    The dark elf¡¯s eyes widened and he started twisting back and forth, very obviously trying to shake his head in the negative. Another bone snapped as Vezta bent his leg in the wrong direction.

    ¡°You are here because my master would like to use your spellcasters. He has generously offered shelter and financial compensation.¡± The dark elf let out another cry as his arm twisted far enough to pop out of its socket. ¡°Relations between our groups need not sour. I believe Arkk wishes to work with you in the long term on other projects. But I cannot abide any threat to Fortress Al-Mir.¡±

    Slowly, Vezta started to twist her tendrils. She watched the expressions on everyone¡¯s faces. Katja had her lips pressed together, trying to look neutral. Horrik had a heavy scowl that deepened with every passing moment. Most of the other bandits ranged somewhere between disgust and apathy. One, standing nearest to Vezta, even had a smile on his face. Perhaps someone who didn¡¯t particularly like this dark elf.

    The elf¡¯s head twisted fully. His struggles went limp. Vezta pulled her tendrils back to herself, reforming her dress and legs in full. The body dropped to the floor, twitching.

    ¡°There will be no warning. No mercy. Anyone caught violating the sanctity of Fortress Al-Mir will meet a similar fate.¡± Vezta smiled, deliberately stretching her lips just a little too wide. ¡°Good day, Katja, Lord of the Bandits.¡± She turned but didn¡¯t quite make it a full step before feeling the familiar tug of teleportation.

    She found herself in the false fortress, directly in front of the array of teleportation circles.

    Feeling the presence of her master, she turned and smiled. ¡°Welcome home¡­ Master?¡±

    Arkk stood covered in sweat and grime, clearly tired. Something in his eyes had changed. The hope of the young boy who had initially made a contract with Fortress Al-Mir was missing.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    He drew in a deep, heavy breath. ¡°Do I want to know what you were doing just now?¡±

    ¡°Meting out disciplinary measures,¡± Vezta said without hesitation. ¡°Your absence has resulted in several¡­ trespasses among Katja¡¯s men. Most were simply returned to that wing of the fortress.¡±

    ¡°I trust that man did something to deserve more?¡±

    ¡°Your trust is well placed,¡± Vezta said with a bow. ¡°He attempted to break into the treasury. I felt a need to make clear that we won¡¯t have them walking over us.¡±

    ¡°If this causes problems with¡­¡± Arkk drew in a breath, straightening his back. His eyes regained a little light. ¡°The ritual. Is the ritual ready?¡±

    ¡°Zullie and Savren are both happy with the alterations and I, in my limited knowledge of ritual magic, see no reason why it shouldn¡¯t work. Once you adjust the temple room, we can begin.¡±

    ¡°Good. Good,¡± he said, reaching out and grabbing Vezta by the shoulder. He gave her a firm squeeze. ¡°We need to do it as soon as possible. Now, even.¡±

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    Vezta¡¯s master looked empty once more as his face went blank. He stared at her but not the kind of stare that would really see her. His sight was set on his thoughts. Vezta remained still, offering her support with a smile while letting him process everything he needed to.

    Eventually, he spoke.

    ¡°Elmshadow¡­ was a disaster.¡±

 Butterflies

    Arkk poured one vial of clear liquid into a larger kettle of clear liquid. Stirring with a narrow metal rod, he watched for a long moment until, all at once, the liquid turned a deep and translucent green. Pausing, he quickly glanced over at the book open on the counter and skimmed to find the next step.

    Green was the correct color. As long as it was a clear green and not a murky green.

    So far so good. This alchemy stuff wasn¡¯t that hard.

    Well, the book he was reading didn¡¯t have anything too difficult in it. It was a step more advanced than the beginner treatise that he had gotten from Morford in Darkwood Burg but far from the theoretical concepts and more research-focused invention of new methods and recipes. Fortress Al-Mir, despite having more than doubled its population of employees since the Duke¡¯s party, still had exactly zero alchemists within its walls. Arkk had thought it would be a good use of his time, familiarizing himself with everything he could from the books he had on hand. Not to mention, it was a good way to keep his mind busy on productive tasks rather than remembering once more how useless he had felt at Elmshadow.

    Alchemy was a powerful discipline. It could create a wide variety of potions, powders, materials, and, if Morford was to be believed, even life. From something simple like the soakless solution that kept rain from drenching cloaks to those ghasts that had been the product of life alchemy. Some magical spells could be solidified or liquified for use in different ways.

    But it was a rare discipline. Unlike magic, for which there would generally be obvious signs of propensity that would result in someone being sent off to an academy, there was no propensity for alchemy. It was pure hard work, having to learn the uses of hundreds of different materials, the uses of dozens of different pieces of equipment, and the dangers of combining them improperly. Not all too dissimilar to having to learn components of rituals or words for magic¡ªwhich could be dangerous if spoken incorrectly¡ªhowever that was only the first problem.

    Magic could be performed with a stick dragged through some dirt. Cheap. Everyone had access to sticks and dirt. Alchemy required precision measuring tools, glassware formed into all manner of odd shapes, and the materials themselves which were often rare or simply located only in specific parts of the Duchy. It took gold to make and gather the equipment. That alone made it impossible to use for nearly everyone and unpalatable for the few wealthy enough to afford the materials. It was cheaper to hire a spellcaster on retainer than it was to hire an alchemist or learn alchemy.

    But magic couldn¡¯t solve everything. Or maybe it could if someone knew enough but there were some things that alchemy was geared more toward solving than magic was.

    Ladling a small amount of the clear green liquid into a small glass, Arkk took a hesitant sip. Just a taste. Not even enough to properly swallow.

    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s¡­¡± He grimaced, shuddering.

    ¡°Too hot?¡±

    Arkk shook his head, sending pins and needles down his spine with the movement. It lasted but a second before being replaced with a soothing cool. He drew in a content breath, sighing in relief. ¡°That¡¯s rather good,¡± he said, shaking out his shoulders. Rather than pins and needles, that just sent the soothing feeling down to his fingertips and back. ¡°Bit of a surprising kick at the start but I think this should work well. Not as smooth as what Morford sold us. Hope that¡¯s alright.¡±

    Katt¡¯am shrugged. He patted his thighs right above where his legs ended in stumps. ¡°It¡¯s just the itch,¡± he said. ¡°Drives me crazy. If it makes that go away for a little bit, I¡¯ll be happy.¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m reading this right,¡± Arkk said turning back to the book. The pins and needles came back as he moved. The tiny droplet he had tasted was already starting to wear off. He ignored it with a shrug. ¡°About as much as in this glass right now should last about a day. So the whole pot is roughly two weeks of the stuff? I¡¯ll bottle¡ª¡±

    ¡°Master.¡± Vezta stepped into the room, hands clasped together at her waist. She offered a bow to him and a smile at Katt¡¯am. ¡°They are ready for you.¡±

    ¡°Right. Thank you, Vezta.¡± Arkk handed the glass off to Katt¡¯am. The legless orc didn¡¯t hesitate to down the whole dose. He shuddered but, when it didn¡¯t look like he would keel over, Arkk gave him a nod and pulled a large glass bottle from the shelf on the wall. Carefully, he poured the remainder from the kettle without spilling a drop. ¡°Don¡¯t drink more than I said,¡± Arkk said as he stoppered the bottle and handed it over. ¡°Can you get back alright?¡±

    Katt¡¯am, looking far less tense than he had a moment ago, nodded a loopy nod. Setting the bottle in his lap, he reached down and patted the large wheels attached to the sides of his chair. A third, smaller wheel sat front and center where his feet would have been. ¡°Made it here just fine, didn¡¯t I?¡± Even his tone sounded far more mellow. ¡°A chair with wheels. Who would have thought?¡±

    ¡°An obvious solution to an obvious problem,¡± Vezta said. ¡°Though, if you would like, I could assist you back to your quarters.¡±

    ¡°Naah. You two go do your important things. ¡¯sides,¡± he said, looking completely content. ¡°Promised the kith I¡¯d let them pile on my chair while one of the older boys pushes them around.¡±

    Kith. A word from the orcish native tongue that essentially meant ¡®battle children¡¯. Orphans of war or other similar tragedies. Culturally, they would be raised by the group for the good of the group, whether that group was farmers, fishermen, or raiders. Arkk wasn¡¯t entirely sure how he felt about the orc effectively saying that he was indoctrinating children for use later on as raiders¡ªor mercenaries¡ªbut at least it was just fun and games and not throwing them into the arena with real swords.

    Katt¡¯am, after losing his legs, had found a new purpose acting as the primary point of contact between the refugees and the rest of Fortress Al-Mir. For a warrior who couldn¡¯t fight, Arkk had been worried that he would be offended or miserable or otherwise disagreeable toward the arrangement but he had taken to it with gusto.

    According to Dakka, he had always wanted children but not to raise them in an environment like what their former chieftain had cultivated. Fortress Al-Mir was at least marginally a better environment and a whole litter of children, many of whom had no parents or other caretakers, had landed right on his lap.

    How someone who loved children, apparently of any species, wound up in a group of raiders made Arkk wonder if he had some story like Larry¡¯s accusations of murder that had driven him out of more wholesome societies. Arkk hadn¡¯t wanted to pry, however, so he hadn¡¯t asked.

    With a thanks thrown over his shoulder, Katt¡¯am wheeled himself out of the makeshift alchemy laboratory. The doors opened automatically for him and closed behind him. Arkk looked over to Vezta. ¡°Everyone¡¯s ready?¡±

    ¡°All relevant personnel have been gathered in the meeting room.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arkk said.

    In a blink of his eyes, Arkk and Vezta found themselves outside the meeting room door. He took a long breath of fresh air before realizing something.

    ¡°Do I smell like alchemy lab?¡±

    ¡°Fairly strongly. I wasn¡¯t going to say anything¡ª¡±

    ¡°Just a moment.¡±

    Arkk teleported away again, reappearing in his private quarters. He quickly tossed the dark green tunic aside and started washing his face and hair in a small water basin he kept on the table. Hoping that at least helped, he grabbed hold of a black suit and quickly threw it on. It was a little more militaristic than the tunic he had on before, more akin to something Hawkwood would have worn. Not in battle, but around Cliff. It had a high collar and trim lines down the sides.

    Looking less like he had just rolled out of bed and into a vat of potions, he teleported back to Vezta¡¯s side. The servant waited patiently as he straightened his suit, only to brush his hands aside to smooth it down for him.

    ¡°Is the smell better?¡±

    ¡°Marginally, though you look more regal.¡±

    ¡°It will have to do.¡± He didn¡¯t want to keep everyone waiting for too long.

    Not everything could go according to plan all the time, unfortunately. There were hiccups, factors outside Arkk¡¯s control, or just plain inaccuracies in what he expected versus the reality of the situation. There weren¡¯t too many things that could be done to prevent such situations. Nevertheless, Arkk tried to account for as many issues as possible.

    Hands clasped behind his back, he stalked into the meeting room. The table had been pushed aside, leaving an array of chairs. Everyone relevant to the ritual sat before him. Agnete, Savren, Zullie, and Hale¡ªthe latter with John at her side, along with Lexa and the other bandits capable of spellcasting. Behind him, seated at a long rectangular table, were all the primary advisors and ¡®section heads¡¯ as he had taken to calling them.

    Rekk¡¯ar and Olatt¡¯an represented the orcs. The former wasn¡¯t too happy with delving into the unknown of this ritual. Arkk fully expected that of him given that he wasn¡¯t happy with too many things that fell outside ¡®orcs doing orc things¡¯. Although Arkk appreciated his caution on occasion, he often ignored the man¡¯s grumblings. Olatt¡¯an, on the other hand, maintained a calm demeanor on the outside but there was something in there¡­ an anticipation in his eyes like he had been waiting for this for a long while.

    Khan represented the gorgon in the matter. Although, Arkk had mostly included Khan as a courtesy. The gorgon didn¡¯t have much input one way or another here. Which did feel a little strange. If Vezta was correct, the gorgon¡ªor their ancestors¡ªcame from an alternate plane of existence. They weren¡¯t native.

    Katja, with Horrik crossing his arms as he towered behind her chair, was here as a courtesy as well. She wasn¡¯t an official employee but he was using spellcasters loyal to her for this ritual. Arkk had¡­ concerns about her presence. None of the bandits had been allowed to see the ritual chamber so far. Arkk didn¡¯t want them getting any ideas on how they might utilize it toward their ends or otherwise sabotage it.

    Arkk had spoken to Zullie about the potential issue. The bandits would be occupying the less vital segments of the ritual. All they needed to do was contribute a bit of magical power. Without having seen the ritual beforehand, the most she suspected they would have to worry about was people deliberately not pouring magic into the ritual or people trying to overload it. The latter notion had elicited a small laugh along with a quip about how weak their tests had proved them to be.

    ¡°Capable of parlor tricks and little more,¡± Zullie had said with a scoff. ¡°Lexa is far and large the most talented of the bunch and her power is likely being augmented by her employee contract. I wish I could have tested her before but¡­¡±

    If they simply did not contribute in an attempt to sabotage the ritual, it should fail gracefully, leaving him frustrated but perfectly able to try again. A second attempt would have to wait until after casting Katja and every single bandit out of Fortress Al-Mir. He wasn¡¯t quite sure if he would toss them to a burg or not. They had a lot to worry about with the war and didn¡¯t need a hundred and fifty bandits dropped in their laps.

    Vezta, sporting an anticipatory grin far more obvious than Olatt¡¯an¡¯s, made up the final member of the table as she entered behind him, taking a seat up at the front. That left just one seat empty.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Ilya should have been there.

    As he did every time he thought of her, Arkk quickly checked in on Ilya. At the moment, she looked to be in a session with some healers. It was hard to tell with no real communication and no way to listen in, but as far as Arkk could tell the gouging that the assassins had done was almost completely healed. The emergency work that Arkk had done to keep her alive until the proper healers could arrive, on the other hand, still looked exactly how Arkk had left it, raw and half complete. He wanted to go to her. He wanted her here. Unfortunately, Inquisitor Vrox had told him in no uncertain terms that entering Cliff would do no good favors toward their ¡®ignore each other¡¯ truce.

    There wasn¡¯t much he could do aside from make sure that the Duke wasn¡¯t harming Ilya.

    If that changed¡­ well, screw that truce. He would be there as fast as Vezta could scribe teleportation rituals.

    Shaking the distraction from his mind, Arkk focused on the task at hand. ¡°Welcome, everyone. Thank you for coming. We will be conducting the ritual today. Individually, on your parts, it will be quite simple. You are to stand at your assigned spot and, on cue, pour magic into the ritual array. Zullie will be the primary monitor for the ritual. Savren will be the secondary. They are positioned on opposite ends of the room so everyone should be able to hear at least one of them,¡± Arkk said, indicating the positions on the diagram on the wall. ¡°You will adhere to their commands. It shouldn¡¯t be anything more complicated than adding power or holding back.¡±

    ¡°Also, should we call out ¡®Stop¡¯ please cease any magical expenditure entirely,¡± Zullie added, finger in the air. ¡°Though that will only be called out if we detect something going catastrophically wrong.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head and then looked back to the rest of the room. ¡°Any questions?¡±

    One of Katja¡¯s bandits raised his hand. A young man with a chin as wide as his face. ¡°I¡¯ve never actually done any ritual that requires multiple people,¡± he said. ¡°What does catastrophic mean in this case?¡±

    ¡°Tumultuous tremors tearing terra to tiny tidbits or malefic monstrosities managing migration to materiality¡ª¡±

    ¡°What my esteemed colleague is trying to say,¡± Zullie started, shooting a glare across the table, ¡°is that you shouldn¡¯t worry because any of our projected possibilities are extremely improbable. However, there is one thing you all should be aware of. No matter what seems to be going wrong¡ªor right¡ªplease do not move from your assigned positions. There is a not-insignificant chance that you might experience a sudden discorporealization event if you do.¡±

    ¡°Discorpo-what?¡± the same bandit asked.

    ¡°You will find yourself feebly flailing as your fingers fail to firmly find footing, falling from our foundations into fantasy.¡±

    Arkk shot Savren a flat look, rolling his eyes. Not for the first time, he wondered just what kind of curse he suffered from and whether or not it re-translated his thoughts with alliteration in mind or if his vocabulary was simply good enough to push through it, even if his meaning came out somewhat less clear than it otherwise should have been.

    The ritual they were doing was designed to weaken the boundaries of reality, allowing the portal to reconnect to the [UNDERWORLD]. If things went wrong, there was a possibility that some people might fall out of reality. Or so Zullie had put it.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    Seeing the confusion on most of the bandits¡¯ faces, Arkk decided not to elaborate on what Savren had been trying to say. He didn¡¯t need to frighten them all off now of all times.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t move,¡± Zullie said, removing her glasses to rub at the bridge of her nose. ¡°We have safeguards in place within the ritual circle and once the ritual is depowered, everything will go back to normal.¡±

    ¡°Any other questions?¡± Arkk asked, forcing a little cheer into his tone. Better to get off this track sooner rather than later.

    ¡°We being paid?¡± another bandit asked.

    ¡°Katja has already received a sizable compensation for your services,¡± Arkk said before the bandit lord could answer. Smiling, he continued, ¡°I presume she will distribute your portions according to your working contracts.¡±

    It was brief but Arkk spotted Katja shooting him a glare as she carefully crossed her arms. He watched her a moment longer through his Keeper vision, fully expecting some kind of complaint. Maybe even an argument that he would be paying them more than he had already agreed. However, she simply looked at her caster and nodded her head. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if he should feel alarmed or relieved.

    ¡°As for those of you working for Company Al-Mir,¡± Arkk said. He was mostly speaking to Lexa and the one orc that Zullie had cleared, Vezz¡¯ok. Agnete, Zullie, Hale, and Savren might want to know as well though they were already likely aware. ¡°This counts as an active task¡ªbut not a hostile task unless the ritual turns dangerous¡ªand will be compensated accordingly.¡±

    Vezz¡¯ok nodded his head. Lexa just grinned, winking at Arkk. Not sure what that wink was for, Arkk ignored the gremlin and looked around the room. When nobody else brought up a question, he clapped his hands together. ¡°Okay,¡± he said, feeling a fluttering in his stomach at how close they were. ¡°Zullie and Savren will escort everyone related into the chamber. No one else will be permitted entry due to the aforementioned hazards for those wandering around outside the ritual circle.¡±

    Arkk took in a deep breath, rubbing his fingers against his thumbs as he watched the room shift and move. His two spellcasters quickly maneuvered people out of the room and down the hall. He leaned back against the wall, resting for just a moment.

    ¡°Second thoughts?¡± Olatt¡¯an asked, his voice calm as usual.

    ¡°Nervous,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Honestly, I almost want to delay a bit. Savren and Zullie deciding to redo the original ritual design did make me a little worried that this might not be correct either. Another competent caster¡¯s opinion wouldn¡¯t have hurt¡­¡±

    ¡°But the war¡­¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. ¡°Dire. Too dire.¡±

    He had already been through a long debriefing regarding the events in Elmshadow with all his advisors. That golden light, likely an avatar of one of the traitor [PANTHEON] members, was far too potent. More potent than Agnete¡¯s flames or Tybalt¡¯s void fields.

    At least they had their answer as to how Evestani was crossing the winter terrain with such ease. Before Elmshadow, Hawkwood had a whole team trying to figure out what Evestani was doing that was allowing their troops to move so quickly even through areas of heavy snow and icy winds without succumbing to frostbite. Now they knew. It was divine intervention.

    ¡°Additional allies, boons from gods, lost magics, and who knows what else we might find.¡± Vezta had given him a long list of possibilities. Unfortunately, she hadn¡¯t been there in well over a thousand years, since before the Calamity was a thing. Knowing anything for certain was simply impossible. ¡°I imagine a hundred beings like Vezta would be able to stop that army¡¯s march where they stand.¡±

    ¡°Master,¡± Vezta said, stepping into the conversation. ¡°I did warn you not to expect more of myself. I am quite unique.¡±

    ¡°Like you, not you exactly,¡± Arkk said, shaking his head. ¡°Even a hundred beings on par with orcs or elves who are willing to join us would bolster our forces. I don¡¯t know about stopping the army with just that but it would be a start.¡±

    He had posted notices around all the nearby burgs stating Company Al-Mir¡¯s intent to recruit. They were hardly the only ones, however. White Company, the Order of Claymores, First Legion, and practically every other mercenary company had similar notices out there. Having spoken with Hawkwood, Arkk was well aware that almost every recruit who might have thought about joining up with him had gone over to White Company instead. That wasn¡¯t a bad thing. Hawkwood could use recruits more effectively than he could at the moment.

    Still, Arkk felt Company Al-Mir desperately needed additional forces. Especially if his suspicion about the assassin¡¯s reaction to his glowing eyes was correct. They were coming for him. Not the Duke or the Duchy as a whole.

    Rekk¡¯ar leaned back in his chair, scowling at Arkk. ¡°Not sure you¡¯re going to have a lot of success. What idiots would go to a whole other world to die in a war unrelated to them?¡±

    Vezta was the one to answer him, looking over with several of her eyes. ¡°Those who wish to see the world restored and the Calamity reverted. Just by reaching the [UNDERWORLD], we will show our sincerity and capability in getting tasks done. While there may still be persuasion required, it is likely not as hopeless as you believe.¡±

    ¡°Bah,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, standing. ¡°Don¡¯t know why I bother. Let¡¯s get to the archway,¡± he said, clapping a hand on Olatt¡¯an¡¯s shoulder.

    Arkk quickly checked through his fortress. Dakka stood at the head of a contingent of orcs and gorgon, equipped in full armor with shiny new weapons hot out of the blacksmith¡¯s quencher. Not literally¡­ but they all had mostly new equipment.

    While Vezta promised allies, Arkk was taking a slightly more pragmatic approach. No one, including Vezta, could say they knew what would be on the other side of the portal. Arkk felt it only prudent to set up defenses and guards to make sure nothing unpleasant slipped into the fortress.

    In the worst-case scenario, Arkk had lesser servants standing by, ready to collapse the entire passage. He could teleport all of his minions out of the way and then pull the ceiling down on anything that looked too much for his guards to handle.

    ¡°Remind them not to attack first if anything comes through,¡± Arkk said. ¡°We¡¯re trying to get allies, not more enemies.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar rolled his eyes but Olatt¡¯an gave a firm nod of his head. ¡°When we go through ourselves, I will be at your side,¡± the latter said.

    Arkk blinked. That was quite possibly the first time he had ever heard the older orc make anything resembling a demand. Still, it wasn¡¯t anything unreasonable. Arkk nodded back. ¡°According to Vezta, we might have to go through just to get the portal open in the first place. I¡¯m fine with you joining. Speak with Dakka while you¡¯re waiting. We should go through with a few people. Get some volunteers.¡±

    ¡°My pleasure,¡± the old orc said as he departed with Rekk¡¯ar.

    Agnete stepped up to Arkk as the others left the room. He could tell even without looking simply because of the warmth that followed her around. He looked over to her, one eyebrow raised. ¡°Agnete. You sure you¡¯re alright?¡±

    After her collapse and exhaustion in Elmshadow, Arkk had kept a close eye on the purifier. It had been a few days since she had diverted that golden ray of light, saving his and Hawkwood¡¯s lives. Almost all of which had been spent in her room. She had spent a great deal of time sleeping, an activity broken only to eat.

    Agnete merely nodded her head, so Arkk asked, ¡°Input from a former inquisitor?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Agnete said, voice soft. ¡°This Underworld is¡­ the locale of a being titled Cloak of Shadows, correct?¡±

    Arkk slowly nodded, looking at Vezta.

    ¡°Accurate,¡± Vezta said.

    ¡°The Cloak of Shadows is a being similar to the Burning Forge. This implies that the Burning Forge has a locale as well.¡±

    ¡°Correct. It is referred to as [ANVIL OF ALL WORLDS].¡±

    ¡°Will it be possible to visit this¡­ Anvil?¡±

    ¡°The [UNDERWORLD] is, metaphysically speaking, the closest plane,¡± Vezta said. ¡°It is why we are attempting to breach it. The Anvil is fairly distant and will likely require the power of at least one additional [HEART] along with additional territory and minions, though I do concede that we may find alternate routes, methods, or assistance inside the [UNDERWORLD].¡±

    ¡°Why are you interested?¡± Arkk asked, feeling like he knew what the answer was going to be.

    ¡°I am supposedly an avatar of this Burning Forge. I don¡¯t know anything about it. I don¡¯t know anything about myself or why or how I came into this power. All I know is that I have been used all my life. I would like to know why.¡±

    Arkk nodded along with her words. It wasn¡¯t exactly what he had been thinking but close enough that he wasn¡¯t even mildly surprised. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will give you answers but, if we find a way, I will bring you along. Here and now, however, I would prefer if you remain inside Fortress Al-Mir.¡±

    ¡°Remain behind? But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Rest assured that even if we find a convenient door to this Anvil place over there, we¡¯ll stay out of it until you¡¯re with us. It¡¯s just that you are probably the most powerful person here. I would like you to stay behind and make sure nothing goes wrong while we¡¯re on a completely different plane of existence.¡±

    The faint glow of embers in Agnete¡¯s eyes dimmed as she shifted her gaze across the room. Katja was leaning against the door with her arms crossed, Horrik at her side. From the way she was standing and the fact that Arkk met her gaze when he looked over, she had positioned herself there so that Arkk couldn¡¯t slip past without running into her.

    Well, he could just teleport away. It wasn¡¯t like anyone could stop him while he was within the fortress¡¯ walls.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Agnete said, voice even quieter now. ¡°I will maintain order in your absence.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Agnete,¡± Arkk said, resting a hand on her shoulder. He didn¡¯t maintain contact for long, quickly pulling his hand back. He flicked his wrist a few times through the air, trying to cool it back down. He hadn¡¯t burned himself. At least not bad enough to rush to a pool of water. He made a mental note not to pat Agnete on the shoulder again. ¡°Although it might not be soon,¡± he continued. ¡°I promise we¡¯ll look into the Burning Forge more thoroughly after things calm down.¡±

    Dark lips pressed together, Agnete nodded her head. She walked away after, heading through the door without a single glance toward Katja.

    Arkk let out a small sigh. All things considered, Katja wasn¡¯t that terrible of a person to deal with. He had to keep in mind that it could be worse. Edvin could have been the leader of the Moonshine Burg thieves.

    ¡°Sorry if I ruined any plans to further plunder my coffers,¡± Arkk said as he approached the door where Katja was waiting. ¡°I¡¯m not too keen on double-dippers. That said, if you are interested in more gold, you could join up officially.¡±

    ¡°And die when you put me on the front lines?¡± Katja shook her head, sending her black hair swinging around her shoulders. ¡°Not interested in your war. I intend to cruise through it and come out the other side as rich as possible. Maybe take over the ruins of a larger burg. Hell, might even pretend to be benevolent, and get myself a fancy title from the Duke. Wouldn¡¯t say no to Queen Katja being made official.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think the Duke has the authority to give away the title of Queen.¡±

    ¡°No, but Duchess Katja declaring herself Queen of Mystakeen after the tragic death of her husband sounds about right. Maybe after, you would like to become my King? You¡¯re certainly rich enough for it.¡±

    ¡°And wake up the morning after our marriage to find a dagger deep in my heart? I¡¯ll pass, thank you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d make sure you died happy,¡± she said with a lascivious grin that would put Lexa¡¯s more lecherous smiles to shame. ¡°Your loss,¡± she added when he just shook his head.

    Arkk just shook his head, slipping past her. ¡°If that¡¯s all¡­¡±

    ¡°For now,¡± Katja said, licking her lips. ¡°Do keep what I said in mind though. Word is you aren¡¯t keen on the current rulers of our fair nation. Should a most unfortunate incident befall our beloved Duke, do remember those who helped you out.¡±

    Arkk looked at her with a frown, wondering if Lexa had been talking to her former employer about things that she really shouldn¡¯t have been talking about. ¡°Right,¡± he said slowly before turning away.

    It was time.

    The ritual awaited.

 Blackout

    ¡°Places, places everyone!¡±

    Arkk and Vezta stood at the very center of the ritual circle. Arkk took the anchor position, the point where the most magic would flow, while Vezta stood in a symbolic spot. She existed less as an active participant in the ritual and more as a simple connection to the beings that brought her to this world as well as the idea from ages past that people could traverse planes as easily as Arkk could hop on a horse-drawn carriage and travel the Duchy. There was a large altar between them, covered in intricate metalwork designed to channel magic this way or that.

    As much as Arkk felt he could craft working ritual circles and maybe even design a few aspects himself, staring at the altar boggled his mind. He hadn¡¯t the slightest idea how Zullie and, later, Savren had worked out what was needed. Not to mention how they assembled such a large and complex ritual.

    Arkk didn¡¯t want to say that he would be surprised if this worked. That implied a lack of faith in his employees. Still, if they all stood around and nothing happened, he doubted he would be particularly shocked.

    There was an undercurrent of fear lingering at the back of his mind. Not that it would work but that he would manage to screw something up. Having spent most of his life blowing up ritual circles¡ªor animals affected by his magic¡ªstanding at the very center of this complex, experimental, and even theoretical ritual circle didn¡¯t exactly fill him with feelings of reassurance. Savren and Zullie were here. He doubted they intended to blow themselves up. The pylons jutting up from the waters drew his eye. Four large pylons stood in the water between the bridges. Not high enough to connect to the roof. They were each topped with smaller ritual circles, tangentially connected to the main ritual via thin wires.

    ¡°Those weren¡¯t in the original design,¡± Arkk had commented upon first seeing them in the small model.

    ¡°Magic bleeders,¡± Zullie had answered. ¡°We weren¡¯t sure about the level of magic you or Agnete would output but, anticipating too much, we¡¯ve decided to err on the side of caution and add magic bleeders into the array. If the level of magic increases beyond safe levels, the excess will be channeled into the pylons where smaller arrays will disperse the magic safely.¡±

    Arkk had nodded along. ¡°They were absent from the original design because you wanted to overpower it anyway.¡±

    ¡°The original design was made before Agnete was a consideration,¡± Zullie had said with a shrug, ¡°but yes, there wasn¡¯t any concern then.¡±

    So they had some precautions. Nothing should blow up today. Still¡­

    The real reassurance was knowing that he could teleport himself and all his employees instantly should something go wrong. The bandits wouldn¡¯t be safe but¡­ Callous as it was to say, Arkk didn¡¯t feel nearly so conflicted about leaving them behind.

    Savren and Zullie were the only two who weren¡¯t in position, as far as he could tell. They were running around the room, making sure that everyone else hadn¡¯t stepped out of their spots in the time it took for everyone to get settled. They were all standing up, some looking quite a bit more nervous now than they had been during the meeting earlier.

    He spotted one bandit out of position, having stepped forward to peer down into the smooth silvery water. Arkk was about to yell at him to get back but Zullie saw him first, grabbed him by the shoulder, and wrenched him back. She promptly started chewing him out. ¡°What did I say? Don¡¯t touch the water, don¡¯t move, don¡¯t even breathe. Do you want to be the one explaining to your boss why we had to cancel to find a replacement? My boss isn¡¯t going to be happy with your boss if that happens.¡±

    Noticing that they were looking in his direction, Arkk glared. A faint red light reflected off the silvery water¡ªodd because it didn¡¯t reflect anybody. He maintained the glare for just a moment, making sure that the bandit noticed, before glancing aside with a small smile.

    ¡°Enjoying yourself?¡±

    ¡°More than I should,¡± Arkk admitted to Vezta. ¡°I look forward to the day I can get them out of my fortress. It just feels¡­ dangerous to have them around. Throwing a little weight around, making sure they know who they¡¯re dealing with, that does feel nice.¡±

    ¡°I have to say, it is an unconventional situation. Most Keepers in the past would never have allowed potential enemies so close to their [HEART].¡±

    ¡°After that little stunt one of them pulled trying to get into the treasury, I did make up some extra security features in the hallway outside both rooms. Lesser servants are standing by, ready to drop anyone who approaches either door down a large pit. Beyond that, we should be able to handle any ideas that they might get. You, me, and Agnete.¡±

    ¡°For the majority, I agree. Some of them, those here, possess magic that is harder to plan around. While we could handle them, I¡¯ve no doubt, I do worry about potential damage to your [HEART] before we can react. Seeing the gremlin¡¯s stealth spells makes me worried.¡±

    ¡°Ah, damage to the Heart would be a concern if we were playing host to someone like Inquisitor Vrox. Thieves, however, are going to be less inclined to immediately attack a magical artifact. They¡¯ll want to steal it. Assuming the piles of gold surrounding it don¡¯t draw their eyes first.¡± Arkk shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m more concerned about a knife in my back while walking through the hallways.¡±

    ¡°Master, someone of your status doesn¡¯t walk through hallways.¡±

    ¡°Not since inviting them here, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Arkk said with a sardonic chuckle. He continued looking around the room, making sure that nobody else was causing problems. His gaze landed on Hale.

    The young spellcaster looked nervous, shuffling her feet and rubbing her hands while looking around the room with ill-disguised awe. She wore a relatively nice dress that the tailor servant had made. It was simple, like most everything the servant crafted, but still leagues nicer than anything someone from Langleey would have worn. Arkk couldn¡¯t help but feel like she looked out of place here.

    Agnete, eyes glowing and face stoic, stood opposite from Hale, wearing an outfit fashioned after her old inquisitor uniform, a long coat with several straps holding it closed across her chest. In comparison to Hale, she looked perfectly at ease. Maybe even a little irritated with how long Savren and Zullie were taking.

    Having a sudden thought, Arkk teleported Zullie straight to him. The witch stumbled but was used to moving around enough that she quickly caught herself.

    ¡°Problem?¡± she snapped, lips tight and tone terse. ¡°If not, I¡¯ll thank you to leave me to my job. This is stressful enough without¡ª¡±

    ¡°I just wanted to ask about Hale.¡±

    ¡°Hale?¡± Zullie quirked an eyebrow, turning her head to look over the bridge. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡±

    ¡°You did tell her what she needs to do, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just like activating a ritual circle. Let your magic flow.¡±

    ¡°I know that. Does Hale? Or did you assume she already knew?¡±

    Zullie crossed her arms over her chest, glaring over the top rim of her glasses. Notably, she didn¡¯t say anything. That did not reassure Arkk in the slightest.

    ¡°Go remind her,¡± Arkk said with a small sigh. ¡°And do be nice about it.¡±

    ¡°Nice? I¡¯m always¡ª¡±

    Arkk teleported her away before she could finish, dropping her off right at Hale¡¯s side. The younger girl let out a small yelp, hopping aside before realizing who was there. Zullie shot Arkk one more glare, which he returned with a light wave of his hand, before bending at the waist to speak to Hale.

    ¡°Will she be alright?¡± Vezta asked, watching them as well.

    ¡°Hale? Or Zullie?¡±

    ¡°Both,¡± Vezta said with a light chuckle. ¡°Mostly the smaller of the two.¡±

    ¡°Zullie says her magical capacity is surprisingly high for someone who wasn¡¯t taken to an academy as a child. Honestly, I¡¯m more worried about the bandits. According to Zullie, none of them have a formal education. They all just stumbled through magic, teaching each other rituals and spells. Not often very successfully. Lexa says that everyone had their spells that they kept secret from the others, not wanting their usefulness usurped. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for some to try to sabotage others. Likely by teaching them bad practices.¡±

    Vezta shook her head, touching her brow with her fingertips. ¡°Something of a mess, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Nervous?¡± Arkk asked. ¡°I am. But I¡¯m excited as well. Like¡­ What if this works? War aside, casting great magic like this is something I dreamed of when I first started blowing up my ritual circles. I mean, not exactly like this, but¡ª¡±

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    ¡°Arkk,¡± Savren called out, now standing at his position in the ritual circle. ¡°I¡¯ve accomplished assessment and appraisal of all our allies. Awaiting your adjuration.¡±

    Waving a hand to show his acknowledgment, Arkk turned to find Zullie hurrying past several of the ritualists, moving from Hale¡¯s position back to her own. As soon as she arrived, she opened her mouth to call out as well only to notice Arkk watching. With a huff, she nodded her head.

    Arkk took a breath, flashing a smile at Vezta. ¡°This is it.¡±

    ¡°I eagerly await the outcome.¡±

    Humming, Arkk raised his voice. ¡°Alright. We¡¯re beginning. Listen for Savren and Zullie¡¯s callouts.¡± With one last sweeping look around the chamber, Arkk knelt and planted a hand in the designated spot.

    ¡°Arkk,¡± Zullie called out from across the water. ¡°Start slow. Ready when you are.¡±

    Arkk nodded and began pushing magic into the ritual array. Just a touch at first. Like he had done before finding Fortress Al-Mir. The tiny scraps of magic he pushed into the circle were more prodding than proper flowing as he worked to make sure nothing was amiss.

    ¡°Good. Increase output slowly.¡±

    Arkk obeyed, moving from his careful probe into a more proper flow, much like he might do if he were powering a regular ritual array. The large altar in front of him began to glow. Slowly at first; his magic took its time to weave through the interlaced diagrams of metal. It accelerated as he turned up the flow rate of his magic, flooding through the altar array. With a slight popping of his eardrums, the entire altar thrummed with a low violet light.

    ¡°Hold. Maintain output but don¡¯t increase any further,¡± Zullie called out. ¡°Alright, stabilizers! Your turn. We¡¯re starting with the four closest to me and Savren. That¡¯s me and the idiot opposite from me in case you lot haven¡¯t been paying attention.¡±

    ¡°Simply sluice the sigils set before you,¡± Savren added, speaking a little quieter as he looked to the two bandits at either side.

    Arkk kept his head down, eying the array to make sure the intensity of the glow didn¡¯t increase or decrease. At the same time, he could peer throughout the room using his total knowledge of Fortress Al-Mir. In sort of a double-vision, he kept monitoring the altar while also watching the ritual arrays around the bandits light up as they followed directions. Their purpose here didn¡¯t require anything quite so complex as the altar around them. It was more like, should someone¡¯s magic output dip for any reason, their magic would make their way through the ritual circle to steady it out until the original caster could correct their error.

    Even with only the four active, as soon as some of the light made its way across the bridges and to the central altar, Arkk found himself relaxing. It wasn¡¯t quite as strenuous to maintain the exact level of magic output that he had been when Zullie called for him to hold.

    ¡°Excellent. Alright, Hale, Agnete. You¡¯re up. Take it slow at first. Steady. Breathe, Hale. You¡¯re fine.¡±

    Turning his attention to the youngest person in the ritual circle, he watched as Hale clenched her fists. Her hair, tied into two long ponytails on either side of her head, wafted about her shoulders in a way that normally would have required a fairly stiff breeze. The levels of magic in the air, continually rising as the ritual went on, charged the currents with enough energy that magic alone held her hair against the forces of gravity.

    The smaller rituals atop the pylons in the water were slowly brightening, their intensity helping to illuminate the room. Arkk wondered if he should pull back somewhat only to shake his head. Neither Zullie nor Savren had said to stop. Everything must be going according to plan.

    Hale took a deep three breaths, eyes scrunched shut, before she slammed her hand down on the platform. The components around her feet immediately lit up with a bright violet.

    ¡°Slower, Hale. Pace yourself.¡±

    The metal channels around Hale¡¯s feet immediately dimmed, only for some of the stabilization magic to divert, keeping it at a low steady glow much like that of the central altar. Aside from some winces from the bandits, everything seemed fine on that side of things.

    Agnete, calmer and more experienced, didn¡¯t require any assistance or beratements from Zullie. There was a bit of an oddity, however. Rather than the violet that suffused throughout the rest of the ritual circle, the array components around her feet were a dim orange. More flame-like.

    While Zullie was focused on Hale, Savren noticed the oddity around Agnete. He stared for a long moment. Arkk could see the wheels turning in his head. But he didn¡¯t say anything. A few moments later, when Zullie looked around, she also stared, thought, and decided to proceed anyway.

    ¡°Next stabilizers,¡± Zullie said. ¡°That¡¯s anyone who isn¡¯t currently doing anything. Start pushing your magic into the array.¡±

    The remaining bandits, and one orc, followed Zullie¡¯s directions. Arkk watched carefully for any sign of subterfuge from the bandits. He didn¡¯t expect anything from them, however. Not after that whole discorporealization warning from the meeting earlier.

    ¡°And now us.¡± Zullie¡¯s voice carried over the gently rippling pool of water, though she was talking more to herself. She and Savren locked eyes over the top of the central altar for a brief moment before both knelt.

    Violet light coursed across three bridges. Amber light emerged from the last. They merged together at the central platform, brightening the few dark parts of the array around Arkk. On the other side of the altar, the rings around Vezta brightened as well. Vezta¡¯s many eyes darted back and forth, watching the changing and movement of the light as it swirled around her. Her expression, calm and serene, belied an almost frantic anticipation in the back of her eyes.

    After spiraling around her, the magic funneled back toward Arkk, cresting the edge of the circular altar. The light¡¯s path took it directly to the center of the metal diagram. A shaving from the crystal archway stood upright at the center point. The magic poured into it, bringing forth a brilliant luster from the formerly rough piece of crystal.

    ¡°Okay. That looks good,¡± Zullie said. The genuine surprise in her voice was a bit disturbing. ¡°Arkk, next part. Remember, you need to¡ª¡±

    Arkk knew the ritual front to back. He might not have been involved too heavily with its actual design but he had gone over every detail, in detail, with Savren and Zullie. Yet, whatever reminder Zullie thought he needed fell by the wayside as the ground shook. Roiling waves of the silvery water crashed out from the central platform, rippling out to the outer edges of the pool.

    Hale shrieked in shock and several of the bandits shouted. The glowing light on the altar flickered even as Zullie shouted out, ¡°Calm. Do not move. Do not stop! Everyone keep pushing magic into your arrays or you¡¯ll destabilize the whole thing!¡±

    Savren echoed her sentiments, though in his far more verbose manner.

    They kept speaking, kept trying to calm everyone down. It worked. The flickering of the array ceased and the low violet light glowed steady. Even still, there was an undercurrent of nervousness suffocating the large room.

    ¡°Was that supposed to happen, Zullie?¡± Arkk called out once the witch stopped trying to get everyone under control.

    ¡°Look, Arkk,¡± the witch shouted back. ¡°There isn¡¯t some book I can cross reference that says ¡®Oh, in case of quakes, divert more magic to the paradimensional entanglement array¡¯. This is cutting-edge magic here.¡±

    ¡°So is that a no?¡± Arkk said, trying to keep levity in his voice. A little humor helped calm people more than shouting at them any day of the week. It helped show that nothing was wrong, everything was under control. If he wasn¡¯t worried, nobody else should be either.

    Even though he was worried. The fact that even Vezta looked mildly alarmed was enough to set the hairs on his neck on end.

    Connected to Fortress Al-Mir as he was, he didn¡¯t detect anything wrong with the rest of the place. That quake hadn¡¯t damaged anything. No lesser servants were scurrying around trying to repair the damage. It was almost like it had only occurred within the room.

    ¡°Back down before barrier-breaking breaks our backs,¡± Savren said, voice raised.

    ¡°Right,¡± Zullie agreed. ¡°We¡¯ll shut everything down, examine what that tremor was, and try again in a few days.¡±

    ¡°Start with the stabilizers or the strong-sigils won¡¯t stop.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Savren. Thank you. I know how to shut down the ritual. We¡¯ll go in the same order that we started with. That means the two closest to me and the two closest to Savren. Pull back slowly so that¡ª¡±

    One of the bandits, the one directly to Zullie¡¯s left, started to scream. ¡°I¡ªI can¡¯t stop! It¡¯s¡ª¡± Gripping his hand with his other wrist, he tried to rip it away from the array. With a vigorous wrenching of his arm, he succeeded, though not entirely. Bits of flesh from his fingertips and palm remained behind, trailing sticky strings of blood. Hand still gripped to his wrist, he stumbled to his feet and teetered backward. He tried to steady himself with a flailing of his hands.

    Tried.

    The moment both feet left the protective ring he had been positioned within, he froze.

    He didn¡¯t quite stop moving. Like a feather floating loose through the air, he started drifting lazily toward the vaulted ceiling. His hair, short and brown, turned gray as it grew at an alarming rate. The young skin of someone in his mid-twenties paled, wrinkled, and started crumbling away. His eyes shriveled up along with his tongue. By the time the man drifted into the ceiling, he was little more than a withered skeleton. Even that crumbled to dust at the gentle impact.

    Most everyone in the room stared with undisguised horror. It was some small consolation that Hale had her head down, focused on the array in front of her. She hadn¡¯t seen the man¡¯s gruesome demise.

    ¡°Damnit. I told them¡­ Nobody move. What part of do not move do you people not understand? Sit where you are and don¡¯t do anything you aren¡¯t told to do. Now, you there, on Savren¡¯s left. We need to balance the array. Slowly pull back your magic.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t either. It¡¯s like it¡¯s sucking it out from me,¡± the bandit said, voice unsteady.

    ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t panic. Just¡­ Okay.¡± Zullie sucked in a deep breath, eyes darting back and forth over her array. A thick dribble of sweat worked its way from her brow to the lens of her glasses where it dripped down to the glowing lines below. ¡°Okay. Think. Give me a minute to think.¡±

    Savren was just staring up at the crumbled bones and decaying clothes, frowning in deep thought.

    Agnete looked stoic. She simply kept her hand down and the lines around her steady.

    ¡°I can teleport us away,¡± Arkk said, offering up that possible solution.

    ¡°All at once?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he lied. He wouldn¡¯t be able to bring along the bandits, being non-employees. Perhaps with the rest of them gone, the ritual would shut itself down and they would be safe. Perhaps not. ¡°Unless you¡¯ve got a better¡ª¡±

    Another quake shook the room. Far more violently than the first. Arkk had to grab onto the altar to keep himself steady. His other hand was still pressed down against the array. Like the bandit, he couldn¡¯t remove his hand. He didn¡¯t try.

    Instead, he tried teleporting everyone.

    His mind shuddered. Nobody moved. Locked in place, they were stuck. It was a feeling he had felt only once before. When the inquisitors invaded and that ice marble fell to the ground, freezing a number of them in place, his powers had refused to function. It was the same now. They were trapped in place, held captive by the ritual circle.

    ¡°Arkk, get us out of here.¡±

    Arkk blinked. He tried again only for that same lurch to throw his mind.

    He tried peering out of the ritual room, only to find a black void awaiting him. Even if he could remove them from the room, he couldn¡¯t see anywhere to place them down at. There was no territory around. It was like the only thing that existed was the ritual chamber.

    ¡°Arkk?¡±

    A third quake hit. This one warped the space around him. The central platform started to stretch and bend, twisting into a small marble that he and Vezta stood upon. The rest of the world fell away. The walls, ceiling, floor, and water twisted in space, stretched off into infinity. His awareness shrunk further, cutting him off from Zullie and the others as the space they occupied spread out.

    He and Vezta stood atop a sphere the size of the [HEART], alone in a black void.

    Alone until two violet lights burned down from the expanse overhead.

 Fissure in the Sky

    It might have been in the middle of winter with a war going on but the world continued to turn and life had to move forward.

    The morning started as any other for Jacob of Loan. He got up with the sun, headed out to the coops, and did a patrol around the perimeter. Coyotes, wild dogs and cats, and even harpies all liked to feast on the chickens any time but winter was an especially vulnerable time of the year. A lot less food to go around with the cold.

    No alarmed squawking had woken him but still best to make sure the fence was intact. Didn¡¯t want the mangy mutts prying something loose one night and then breaking in too fast to react to the next. Finding no problems in any of the likely areas, he opened the coop gate, stepped inside, and started spreading feed. With the chickens happily enjoying their feast, he started collecting eggs. Egg output dropped in winter months as well but it didn¡¯t stop completely. With enough chickens, there were more than enough eggs to go around. Keeping them happy and safe helped.

    Heading back inside, he handed off the eggs to his lovely wife. She was already prepping for breakfast. Leaving a peck on her cheek, he headed back into the bedroom of their small house to rouse the boys. Jacob¡¯s father had never let him sleep in. While Jacob was a little more lax, there was work to be done.

    James, the older of his two boys, got up without complaint. With a gargantuan yawn, he headed off for the latrine. Jims, however, wasn¡¯t even asleep when Jacob entered the room. His youngest boy sat back on the bed, eyes wide as he stared up at the ceiling. Jims had his fingers gripped tight on the edge of the blanket, knuckles as white as his face.

    With a sigh, Jacob sat down on the bed and rested a hand on his son¡¯s chest. This wasn¡¯t the first time this had happened. ¡°Did you have another nightmare?¡± he asked, giving his son a firm squeeze of his hand. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Everything¡¯s fine, Jims.¡±

    Jims turned his head, eyes unblinking, to stare at Jacob. In the hoarsest whisper, he spoke two soft words. ¡°It¡¯s happening.¡±

    ¡°Nothing is happening, Jims. It was a nightmare. A dream. It can¡¯t hurt¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s today,¡± he half-shouted, lurching forward as much as he could with Jacob¡¯s hand on his chest. ¡°The sky is breaking!¡±

    ¡°I was out there not five minutes ago and the sky was fine, Jims. Did you get any sleep last night?¡±

    Slowly, still without blinking, the young boy shook his head.

    Jacob let out a heavy sigh. He didn¡¯t know how to handle this. He knew what his father would have done. Under no circumstances was he about to bend the boy over his knee and whip him until his bottom bled. Instead, he just patted his son on the chest. ¡°Close your eyes, Jims. I¡¯ll have your mother bring you something to eat but try to sleep, alright? Everything is fine. I promise.¡±

    As if those words were the only thing he needed, Jims nodded his head and slowly closed his eyes. Jacob sat still on the bed for a long moment, watching as the tension drained from his son¡¯s grip on the blanket. After a moment, his breathing slowed and steadied and he fell asleep. As easy as that. With a sad shake of his head, Jacob got up from the bed¡ªcarefully; he didn¡¯t want to wake his son¡ªand quietly stepped back out into the main room of the home.

    Annette gave him a concerned look. Jacob could only shrug. He was about to explain when he heard his eldest son calling from outside.

    ¡°Dad? Daaaad?¡±

    Hearing the undertone of fear in his voice, Jacob rushed out, grabbing the heavy club that rested by the door. If some coyote had been prowling around the latrine, it wouldn¡¯t even know what hit it.

    But his son was just standing outside, halfway between the house and the latrine. Jaw open and eyes wide, he stared upwards.

    Bugs eating at his stomach, Jacob slowly followed his eldest son¡¯s gaze.

    The sky, the bright blue sky, wasn¡¯t so bright or blue anymore. A dark, vibrating line split the gray sky in two, stretching from horizon to horizon. The club slid from Jacob¡¯s loose fingers, thumping lightly against the ground. The chickens in the coop were going wild, clucking and thrashing and beating against the fence. In the distance, he could hear the baying of dogs or coyotes, howling as if they were being torn apart.

    Color fled from the world. There wasn¡¯t much color to begin with in winter but the browns of the house¡¯s wood faded to a mute gray. The green needles on distant trees, cloaked by a dusting of snow, turned completely black. His son¡¯s brown hair turned to a snowy white.

    Jacob, mouth dry and fingers numb, just stared.

    The slit in the sky peeled apart, warping and twisting the dark gray of the cloudless sky. The vibrating lines of the fissure trembled and shook violently, like a continuous bolt of ever-changing lightning. It continued widening, filling the sky with a void filled with numerous tiny lights. Like stars except¡­ not quite. They danced around, darting here and there.

    A moon rolled into place, obstructing most of the void. It wasn¡¯t the normal moon¡ªhe could still see the normal moon, low in the sky and somehow less real than usual, lacking not just color but presence. This new moon, covering a full third of the entire sky, was a deeply violet moon with bright purple jagged lines radiating out from the black center.

    Something snapped in the back of Jacob¡¯s mind. He sank down, knees settling in snow-damped soil. It soaked into his clothes but he barely felt it. He was too busy staring up at the sky, watching as the sky stared back down at him.

    It happened.

    It was today.

    The sky broke.

    <hr>

    Priscilla barreled through three trees before she lost enough momentum and the next caught her. She tumbled and fell, snapping branches and scattering needles to the wind. The frost-covered ground was as hard as a rock but dragonoids were hardy. It barely felt any worse than crashing into several trees had.

    She was too preoccupied to think about pain anyway.

    Sightless eyes stared up at what had been a perfectly normal sky only moments ago. The great burning stars overhead had been shoved aside like they hardly mattered. In their place, a beacon formed.

    Priscilla wasn¡¯t one to admit fault. Ever.

    Leaving her mountaintop without a guide had maybe not been the wisest course of action, however. She had been stumbling along, flying toward nothing more than a feeling. She hadn¡¯t known where to go and the Stars, though they clearly had been pointing something out, had never been something she had been that good at reading. Too vague. Too far off. They just didn¡¯t have the context to give proper signs to any who might watch. Good for asking about something as grand and ever-changing as the future but not so good for asking specific directions.

    Now, it was as if a finger jammed down out of the sky, practically pointing out exactly where she needed to go. Like the powers of old had seen her fruitless wanderings and decided to take pity.

    Well, she wasn¡¯t one to ignore the old ones offering a gift. More than a gift, even, a sign. This was it.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Priscilla stared up. This wasn¡¯t something that only she could see. Everyone would see it. Everyone would know.

    Claws dug into the tree as she pulled herself back to her feet, all without blinking even once.

    That fiery dragon heart she had left at the base of her mountain would see as well. She would know. And she would come.

    But Priscilla would get there first.

    <hr>

    Sule nearly fell out of his chair. To be fair, aside from the listeners, everyone in the room at least jumped. The listeners went into an outright panic as the movement caused ripples in their bowls. Some screamed short, clipped squawks of fear and surprise, others faceplanted straight into the water.

    When the resident monster in human skin with bright gold eyes jumped to his feet and rushed out of the room, it was hard to maintain a semblance of calm. When he first jumped up, Sule had thought that that was it. The golden-eyed monster was finally going to dispense with niceties and platitudes and just usurp the position of sultan in full. He was already running practically everything.

    But he just left. Not a word.

    That was¡­ odd.

    Normally, the man moved with a practiced lethargy. As if nothing, no matter the situation or the people involved, could possibly be a bother to him. To see him rush out like he had contracted a sudden bout of dysentery had more than just Sule staring at the door. Zarkov, his Grand Vizier, gathered the presence of mind to rush through the room, pulling the listeners away from their disturbed pools of water. As soon as he finished, he turned to Sule and quirked a single eyebrow.

    Sule, supposed Sultan of Evestani, sighed. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll go see if he¡¯s¡­ alright?¡±

    ¡°I would hate for him to reenter in a distressed state.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Sule said, not bothering to fight the sneer off his face. He heard what Zarkov hadn¡¯t said. The man didn¡¯t want to risk their resident monster returning upset so better calm him down. The coward was just worried over his own skin.

    With one last look over the large table and the map it held¡ªtheir campaign into the Duchy of Mystakeen was going quite well, especially with the golden magic their monster provided¡ªSule stalked out of the room and searched around for where he had likely gone. It didn¡¯t take long to notice the foot-shaped cracks in the stone floor. Figuring they would lead him in the right direction, Sule left the central area of the palace, heading to one of the guest rooms. The nearest one. The door was wide open and half hanging from its hinges.

    The golden-eyed monster stood out on the balcony, staring up at the sky. His fingers, gripping the balcony¡¯s railing, clenched tight enough to crush the smooth stone in his grip.

    Sule felt he had a working survival instinct. That instinct screamed at him that approaching would not be the wisest course of action if he ever wanted to see his daughters again. He was about to turn around and walk away¡ªhe could figure out what had happened later when he wasn¡¯t in immediate danger of having his head crushed¡ªwhen something strange started happening.

    The colors left. The guestroom bed, covered with a rich red blanket and translucent blue curtains, simply lost all of its brightness. The red turned dark. The blue faded to a gray. The floor even lost its color. Which didn¡¯t quite make sense given that the black and white mosaic tiles didn¡¯t have color to begin with.

    Confusion made Sule step into the room. Rich dark wood turned pale. The amber glowstone lights dimmed to the point where he could barely see. In the polished silver mirror, his own face, normally a healthy brown, looked like it had been coated in ash.

    Staggering forward, nausea filling his stomach, Sule stepped out onto the balcony. If this was a counterattack, he wasn¡¯t quite sure what its purpose was. Nevertheless, the source was outside.

    Stopping just behind the man with the golden eyes, Sule couldn¡¯t help but gape.

    In the far east, on the distant horizon, the sky had been torn apart. A great not-moon hung in a black void. So vast and so encompassing¡ª

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at it.¡±

    Sule blinked. He was on his knees for some reason, staring up. But his view of the sky was blocked by the back of the glowing-eyed monster. Sule couldn¡¯t see his face but he could hear the barely-concealed rage vibrating just beneath his calm tone.

    ¡°That is what we fight. That will be the end of all if we fail. We must not fail.¡±

    Sule could still see the holes in the sky on either side of the monster¡¯s shoulders. He didn¡¯t dare move, however. Not if it meant seeing that not-moon again. He simply nodded his head, perspective on this war altered. Perhaps it was more important than he had thought.

    <hr>

    Ilya folded her arms across her chest, glaring up at the sky.

    ¡°What? W-What is this?¡± Duke Woldair stammered.

    Alya, Ilya¡¯s mother, had a hand clutched to her chest as she stared up with nervous eyes. Beads of sweat dripped down her face. Two other advisors had rushed over along with seemingly half of the manor¡¯s guards. All to her room. It was on the right side of the manor to see the event in the sky in full but there were surely other balconies to watch from. Then again, they could have seen it from practically anywhere. It was almost directly overhead. Not even the mountains shading Cliff could obstruct that thing.

    From the manor balcony, Ilya could easily see the streets of the rest of the city. Not all of them, of course, but enough to guess that everywhere was probably the same. The streets were crowded, packed full of people. Many were on their knees, staring up. Praying, perhaps, though whether out of fear or reverence was anybody¡¯s guess.

    With everyone in varying states of panic, Ilya felt like something of an outsider. She was the only one not experiencing some level of distress. Worry, certainly. It was hard to not worry when the whole sky split open. Yet it wasn¡¯t the all-encompassing dread that seemed to have hit everyone around here.

    There was some sensation in the back of her mind that this was fine. Not normal, but fine. This wasn¡¯t going to kill everyone or destroy the world. It just¡­ was.

    The other major emotion running through Ilya¡¯s mind was a tinge of irritation. She didn¡¯t know exactly what this was but, given that she was apparently the only one immune to whatever they were experiencing, she had a feeling that she knew who to blame for it.

    There had been one large ritual they had been planning. The ritual that would weaken the barriers between planes so that the archway could reconnect to the Underworld. There had been concerns that it was too strong of a ritual, that it would do something far more than what was intended. Savren and Zullie were supposed to have tuned it back.

    Was this what they called holding back?

    Ilya had a feeling that the whole fortress was falling to pieces without her there to make sure everything ran smoothly. Arkk was good but he got focused on his ideas, often rushing off to handle them personally. Vezta was an inhuman monstrosity who probably didn¡¯t know the meaning of the word ¡®restraint¡¯. The orcs, gorgon, and thieves were hardly reliable. She had thought that Zullie, at least, had a good head on her shoulders¡­

    Now?

    She needed to get back.

    Her wounds were better these days. She wouldn¡¯t be drawing back a bow or running through a forest anytime soon but she was at least back on her feet. She could make her way back now. Perhaps not on her own, but¡­

    Ilya looked at Alya. Something must have caught the older elf¡¯s eye. She managed to pull her gaze off the spectacle in the sky.

    ¡°You¡­ knew?¡±

    ¡°Knew what, Mom?¡± Ilya said with a glare. With their voices, the Duke had managed to drag his eyes off the sky, though he didn¡¯t quite look all there. He stared in confusion.

    ¡°This¡­ you knew it was coming,¡± Alya said, eyes wide and fearful.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know anything of the sort,¡± Ilya said as she glared up at the purple moon thing. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to tell you, Arkk and I went into the Cursed¡ª¡±

    ¡°This is my fault. We were warned of this. I¡¯ve failed.¡± Alya¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°I left, thinking I could stop another war from starting. And I failed at that too. I left my position behind and now¡­ My whole life¡­¡±

    She sagged, leaning up against the doorframe that led out to the balcony. Like the weight of all her centuries hit her all at once. Ilya could only stare, wondering how her mother had ended up like this. She was warned? Warned of what, exactly? And who warned her?

    Ilya tried to ask but, with tears in her eyes, Alya just shook her head.

    Grabbing her by the wrist, Ilya dragged her back indoors. ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡±

    ¡°Leaving?¡±

    ¡°Now,¡± Ilya said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m well enough to travel on my own¡ªdamn Arkk for destroying the teleportation circles on his way out¡ªso you¡¯re going to help me. You¡¯re going to explain everything on the way. No more deflections, no more lies.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Alya said, her voice sounding steadier as Ilya dragged her away from the balcony.

    ¡°Back to Fortress Al-Mir. You have explaining to do. Arkk has explaining to do. And I¡¯m sick of that handsy duke coming into my room to check on my condition,¡± she growled. Her mother could throw herself at the Duke all she wanted. Ilya wanted none of it.

    Even with that Fissure in the Sky, the Duke paid far too much attention to the women. Ilya made it a mere five steps before he called out after them.

    ¡°Guards! Guards! Stop them. They know something!¡±

    The pair of guards, normally posted outside Ilya¡¯s room for her protection, stepped into the room. They hadn¡¯t left their posts with all the commotion. They hadn¡¯t fallen into a stupor after seeing the sky. They did glance at one another, surprise riddled in their faces when they realized the Duke was pointing at his chief advisor and the guest they had been guarding for the past several weeks.

    Their confusion didn¡¯t stop them from lowering their pikes, stopping Ilya in her tracks.

    At Ilya¡¯s side, her mother looked back and forth with just as much confusion as the guards must have felt. It was like she couldn¡¯t quite comprehend what was going on.

    Ilya glared. Not at anyone in particular. Just at the situation. Slowly, she raised her arms in surrender. ¡°Perfect,¡± she hissed. ¡°Just perfect.¡±

 Xelatriss, Lock and Key

    Arkk stared through the void around him, hesitant to take a single step. The world had shrunk down to the size of a small sphere, upon which only he and Vezta stood. It was about the size of the [HEART], though despite feeling like he was standing at an angle, he didn¡¯t feel like he was about to fall off.

    There was nowhere to fall to. No up or down, just the sphere and the void. It was as if he stood on the edge of a dream.

    Vezta was looking around just as much as he was, a frown firmly planted on her face.

    ¡°Think that was supposed to happen?¡± he asked, forcing a note of levity into his voice.

    Vezta, with her burning yellow eyes, looked at him. She opened her mouth to respond but, before a single sound could come out, lithe fingers emerged from the shadows of the void, large enough to grip the sphere he stood upon with long, violet-colored nails.

    A face, as large as a church, loomed out from the void, peering down at the sphere held in the palm of its hand.

    Arkk stared up, meeting those violet eyes. He opened his mouth, a cry of fear welling from the back of his throat.

    Vezta¡¯s tendrils wrapped around him, looping around his face, his mouth, and the rest of his body, dragging him downward.

    For a fleeting moment, Arkk panicked. He feared that Vezta had just attacked him. He didn¡¯t know why she would. They had been working together for months now. He knew her. He had possessed her. They had shared quiet moments and planned strategy together. She wouldn¡¯t just attack him out of the blue.

    He forced himself to calm down. Vezta wasn¡¯t trying to break his neck or even restrain him. She was just holding him. Arkk still didn¡¯t know why.

    His faith did not go unrewarded. As soon as he ceased struggling, he felt a breath on his ear.

    ¡°Do not move or open your eyes. We¡¯re in the presence of the [PANTHEON]. Just looking could have¡­ deleterious effects.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s mouth went dry. They were what? That wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. That was definitely not supposed to happen.

    Thinking about it made him start shivering. It was a completely automatic response. He couldn¡¯t help it. And yet, he was fairly certain he had recognized that face that had appeared, despite only seeing an instant of a glimpse.

    He had seen it dozens of times. Even just a few minutes ago. One of the statues in the temple room, Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key. The patron goddess of barriers, locks, boundaries, and separation¡­ according to Vezta. The only thing missing from reality versus the stone depiction was the door that stood behind her. Unless that had simply been too large to comprehend, he hadn¡¯t seen it.

    Arkk wanted to peek again. Just a glimpse to confirm that his memories weren¡¯t inside-out. But for all the start she had given him, he did trust Vezta to know what she was talking about. Peeking would likely not end well for him. Just thinking back to the half-glimpse he had gotten, in which his imagination was likely filling in a vast sea of blanks, had him trembling uncontrollably.

    Still, it made sense. Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, held dominion of barriers and boundaries. Their whole ritual had been about knocking down the barrier separating the world from the Underworld.

    Why had she shown up? Was this god upset at having mortals intrude upon her domain? Would she crush them in her massive grip or just swallow them whole?

    The lack of sight was making him nervous. What was going on? Was Vezta talking to this being? Probably not. Arkk imagined a single hum would shake him to the core. One word would have him reeling. A full sentence would end in his death. Perhaps Vezta was keeping her head down and not looking either. She certainly wasn¡¯t moving. Was this situation as terrifying for her as it was for him?

    Arkk moved one arm. Vezta tensed for a moment until his slow movements reassured her that he wasn¡¯t trying to escape her grasp. Once he could bring his hand up to the level of his head, he gently patted the tendril clamped against his mouth.

    Vezta hesitated. He could feel the tension in her tendrils. With a second pat, however, she relented. The tendril around his eyes and ears remained in place but the one over his mouth slackened and hung down below his chin. Arkk took in a breath of air and tried to swallow only to find his mouth far, far too dry.

    He had his mouth free now. He could speak.

    But what to say? What did some nobody mortal have to say to a god?

    ¡°Hey there.¡±

    Vezta hissed and promptly clamped her tendril over Arkk¡¯s mouth once again. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Arkk couldn¡¯t respond. Not with Vezta holding him ever tighter.

    He patted at the tendril around his mouth once again. This time, Vezta was even more hesitant to release him. It took several increasingly insistent pats to get her to peel away from him. Free to speak once more, Arkk cleared his throat and licked his lips.

    ¡°Sorry about that. She¡¯s just nervous.¡±

    Entangled so tightly with Vezta, he could feel her indignation. Hadn¡¯t this being been the one to bring her down from the [STARS]? She shouldn¡¯t be that worried, right? Or¡­ had she not actually seen Xel¡¯atriss back whenever that happened? Arkk hadn¡¯t asked. The master of boundaries might have simply opened a door that Vezta then stepped through, never having physically encountered Xel¡¯atriss at all.

    There was no response to Arkk¡¯s words. No voice, thankfully, but no other meaningful response either. If Vezta had him blinded and was keeping her own eyes clamped shut, Arkk had to wonder if the being was even still there, standing over and watching them. For all he knew, they were just sitting and huddling to themselves. Surely a member of the [PANTHEON] had better things to do than stare at some mortals.

    Or¡­ maybe they didn¡¯t. If the Calamity had severed them from the rest of reality, they might have just been floating around in a dark void with nothing going on up until now. But now, Arkk was just wildly speculating on things he couldn¡¯t know even the most minute details of. An active imagination wasn¡¯t going to get things back to normal.

    ¡°We were just trying to break down the boundaries between worlds just enough to reach the Underworld,¡± Arkk said, hoping he wasn¡¯t insulting the being¡¯s intelligence by explaining. If it so wished, he was beyond sure that he would be rendered into paste with a simple flick of its fingers, never mind whatever other powers Xel¡¯atriss might possess. ¡°Sorry for disturbing you.¡±

    With that apology, something shifted. Not Vezta, who remained utterly still. Neither was it a physical shifting. Xel¡¯atriss hadn¡¯t spoken. Neither had it crushed them.

    But knowledge stabbed into the deeper parts of Arkk¡¯s mind anyway. The border between ignorance and knowledge moved. Not much. He had no grand revelations about the nature of life, the universe, or anything. The concepts needling into his mind were concepts of understanding and acknowledgment.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    It did make him grimace in a pain not unlike that which he had experienced when exposed to Vezta and her [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE] before contracting with the [HEART].

    The barrier of knowledge shifted once more, bringing forth a sensation of approval. But also a warning. This ritual they had done was wrong. It did not have the intended consequences. Rather, it had drawn the attention of far more beings than just the Lock and Key. Even at this moment, others were bearing down their gazes upon Fortress Al-Mir. They were unable to act. Most of the [PANTHEON], separated as they were, couldn¡¯t act.

    Only Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, lord of barriers, could interact with their ritual to breach boundaries today. But it had been a close thing. A slight variation, a different intention, or even a small change in the cosmology of the universe and Arkk could easily have been staring down the Almighty Glory. For as long as the Almighty Glory would have entertained his presence before crushing him like an insect.

    ¡°I¡­ I understand.¡±

    The line in the sand between knowledge and ignorance shifted more toward the side of ignorance. It was almost a playful shove. Like this god was trying to say that he did not understand but that was fine because his puny little mind couldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Well, thank you for the warning, then.¡± Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there is anything you could do to help. We¡¯re¡­ I am in over my head here and really have no idea¡­¡±

    Arkk trailed off as something else moved. It wasn¡¯t some line between ignorance and knowledge, this time. Instead, he found that he could see. Not with his eyes. Vezta still had her tendrils firmly wrapped around his face. Yet he could still see. It was more like he was using his sense of Fortress Al-Mir or the many minions contracted to him. He saw from an outside perspective, looking down upon¡­

    Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, drifted in the abyss. One hand, fingers splayed out, hovered beneath the small planetoid that Arkk and Vezta occupied. The twisted and warped version of the ritual¡¯s central platform. Her fingernails glowed a cool violet in the void. Following her arm, Arkk found that rippling galaxy of a dress¡ªlike a slice of the night¡¯s sky made into fashionable wear. Twin-black locks of surprisingly normal hair dangled down on either side of her chest. The back of her hair was pulled up into an infinitely spiraling bun.

    Her violet eyes, half-lidded as she stared down at the planetoid, slowly drifted upward until they met with Arkk¡¯s point of view. Like moons hung in the cosmic expanse of the universe. Holding up her other hand, she plucked a pair of stars from the void. They rotated around one another, spinning faster and faster until the two points of light became one solid ring. She held it up for him to see.

    On one side, he could see Fortress Al-Mir. The crystal archway room specifically. Dakka, Olatt¡¯an, and Rekk¡¯ar, along with several other orcs and gorgon, stood at the ready, watching and waiting.

    Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, rotated her wrist, showing off the other side of the spinning ring of stars.

    Arkk looked out into a world unlike anything he had ever seen. A great, desolate landscape expanded outward, flat and mountainless as far as he could see. It wasn¡¯t too dissimilar to the Cursed Forest except for how vast it was. A river flowed through, black as the night, and in the far distance, great spires of shadow jutted straight up and into the red haze of the sky.

    With a casual, almost lazy wave of her fingers, Xel¡¯atriss tossed the ring of stars into the distance. Arkk followed it until it became nothing more than a pinprick of light. Even that vanished after a moment.

    Arkk turned back to find the goddess almost reclining. She curled her free hand, folding it so that her chin rested on her knuckles. Maintaining that pose, Xel¡¯atriss stared. She looked so relaxed and calm, unbothered by anything or anyone. He had to wonder if the Calamity was as big of a problem as he had been led to believe. At least for this member of the [Pantheon], it didn¡¯t seem to be the case.

    She was one of the few who had a statue at the temple. Along with the known traitors. Arkk had to wonder if the one holding dominion over barriers could have shattered the Calamity at any time if she so chose.

    Arkk didn¡¯t get more time to consider. Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, hefted up the planetoid that held him and Vezta. He didn¡¯t feel anything¡ªno movement nor even a gust of sudden wind. Not until she flicked her finger and sent the marble hurtling through the void. That ripped Arkk¡¯s stomach out from under him.

    But before he could so much as panic, awareness of the void cut off and awareness of Fortress Al-Mir returned in full. He felt the minions, from the nearby casters to the orcs to the distant Ilya, currently dragging her mother through a room in the Duke¡¯s manor. He could see the hallways and the rooms in the ever-expanding fortress. The beating of the [HEART] thrummed louder than ever in both the walls and his chest.

    Arkk sat on the central platform in the temple room, wrapped in Vezta¡¯s tendrils. She still had a hold of his face but within Fortress Al-Mir, he didn¡¯t need eyes to see. The other casters were in varying states of panic. Hale had her eyes squeezed shut, trembling violently. Agnete¡¯s eyes were alight and her teeth clenched. Savren and Zullie weren¡¯t in an outright panic, both simply looked resigned.

    The bandits who had joined in were by far the worst, shouting and frantically looking around.

    Had everyone seen what Arkk had seen? Or were they still in a panic over being unable to stop the ritual?

    Speaking of the ritual, the central platform snuffed out. All the light in the array vanished at once, leaving only the glowstones in the room to provide light. The thrum of magic died off and a distant ringing started up in Arkk¡¯s ears.

    Zullie got to her feet in an instant, now smiling at herself. ¡°And that¡¯s it. See, I told you all nothing to worry about. We just had to let the magic run its course and¡­ Arkk? What are you doing?¡±

    Before anything else, Arkk pulled one of the lesser servants from the gold mine and dropped it on the altar. It promptly started eating away at the central component, destroying the ritual circle. Arkk grabbed the two prototypes from the library and dropped them into the vault. He would debate destroying them later.

    Only once he was sure that the ritual couldn¡¯t possibly be triggered again did he give Vezta a soft pat on her¡­ herself. She wasn¡¯t at all in a humanoid form at the moment. Her body had reverted to her natural state of an amorphous, oily mass, covered in pulsating eyes and snapping mouths that looked like a larger version of the lesser servants. ¡°I think we¡¯re back,¡± he said softly. ¡°Are you alright? Can you get up?¡±

    Vezta didn¡¯t respond. She did squirm somewhat. Through the magic of the fortress, Arkk could tell that she was physically okay.

    ¡°I can sit here as long as you need. However, the minions are in something of a panic and the archway is working.¡±

    Vezta didn¡¯t peel herself away. If anything, she wound around him a little tighter. ¡°Are you alright after that? You conversed with a being mortals can¡¯t even comprehend.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I would call that a conversation,¡± Arkk started. He trailed off, looking inward. Contemplating.

    Something changed in him. He wasn¡¯t being flippant for the sake of being flippant. Nor was he defaulting to his usual methods of charging right in and dealing with the consequences later. Something was different. He couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on what. It was like his perspective had been broadened.

    ¡°I think Xel¡¯atriss did something to me. Made me more okay with what happened. When I first saw it, before you pulled me down, I could feel the terrible awe bubbling in the back of my mind. But now? It was an extraordinary situation, to be sure, but I think I¡¯m alright. We¡¯ll see if I don¡¯t wake up screaming from endless nightmares tonight.¡±

    A bright golden eye formed on the tendril that peeled away from Arkk¡¯s face. She wasn¡¯t humanoid at all and yet, he knew her well enough to feel the incredulity in that look.

    Forcing a smile, patting her on¡­ whatever again¡­ Arkk slowly disentangled himself and stood.

    He looked to Zullie. ¡°We¡¯re not running this ritual again.¡±

    Zullie adjusted her glasses, looking around. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll have to figure out what went wrong and try¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. Nothing like this again,¡± Arkk said, feeling the weight of the warning heavy on his head. ¡°The portal is open but not because this worked as intended. If we do it again¡­ We¡¯ll probably all be dead.¡±

    ¡°What? No. As long as people don¡¯t move,¡± she said, glaring at the empty spot in the ritual circle. ¡°It¡¯s perfectly safe. We just need¡ª¡±

    ¡°Need nothing. Divine intervention saved us. Nothing more.¡±

    Zullie¡¯s jaw clicked shut. She stared down at the array around her for a long moment before her glare found Savren. Aside from a small huff as she crossed her arms, she didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Hale, are you alright?¡±

    The youngest ritualist in the room forced a shaky smile. She pulled herself up on wobbly legs. ¡°That¡­ was a rush,¡± she said, voice trembling. Her smile faded and she put her hands to her head. ¡°I don¡¯t feel¡­¡±

    Arkk teleported her straight to him, catching her in his arms before she could fall. ¡°I got you,¡± he said, holding her tight. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re going to be fine.¡±

    She didn¡¯t respond. One hand grasping his tunic, she leaned against him. Her eyes fluttered closed.

    Agnete, stoic as ever, managed to stand without trouble. Savren did as well.

    ¡°Escort everyone out, Savren,¡± Arkk said, looking around the room once more. ¡°Make sure they get a good meal in the¡­¡±

    Arkk blinked three times as he noticed something new in the room. Another statue. One standing at the wall that previously held no statues. The sixth occupied pedestal in the room held a woman, draped in a shadowy veil that obscured all her features save for the outline of her body. The veil, long and flowing in an unfelt wind, dispersed into ethereal wisps like the trails of smoke from dying embers in a campfire.

    Arkk knew without even needing to ask Vezta who this was.

    The Cloak of Shadows. Lord of the Underworld.

 A Whole New World

    Every time Arkk closed his eyes, he saw a god.

    That brief glimpse that he had gotten with his actual eyes before Vezta pulled him down replayed in his mind over and over again. Even just walking into a dark room made him feel like that looming presence was going to pop out of the shadows. It might not be harmful. Xel¡¯atriss might have even been helpful.

    Arkk didn¡¯t think he wanted to go before any god ever again.

    It wasn¡¯t even that he was afraid that it would do something. Arkk feared that he would be unable to resist peeking even knowing that a split-second glimpse of the being had him lying in bed, awake and wide-eyed, the entire night.

    With everything stable in the fortress¡ªnothing was blowing up and no mass invading army came through the crystal archway¡ªArkk had called for a hold on the exploration. One night¡¯s rest, ostensibly for magical recovery after the ritual. The others, with the exception of Agnete, had all been drained to the point of lethargy as well, so his excuse hadn¡¯t sounded all that strange.

    It was more that he just wanted to process.

    And what a process it was.

    ¡°That was real, right?¡± Arkk asked as the door to his room opened.

    ¡°Master,¡± Vezta said as she stepped up to his bed. ¡°Did you sleep at all last night?¡±

    Arkk hadn¡¯t even changed out of his sweat-soaked tunic before crawling into bed. He had stared up at the maze-like pattern that covered the ceiling, following the lines and pathways as they twisted about. Even now, with Vezta at his side, he still stared up at that maze, wondering why he couldn¡¯t find a way out.

    Vezta folded her arms across her chest, looking down with a disappointed expression. ¡°Master.¡±

    ¡°Did you sleep?¡± Arkk asked. ¡°Could you sleep? I mean, who goes and has a chat with a being like that and just goes to sleep.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t sleep.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Right. I forgot.¡± Arkk¡¯s head drifted to the side, looking at Vezta from top to bottom.

    The servant was the picture of calm, standing with fully-formed legs and her hands clasped at her navel. The starscapes that surrounded the burning suns of her eyes shifted and pulsed as she looked him up and down. Her violet hair dripped a glob of dark tar onto her shoulder. The tar remerged with the rest of her body as soon as it touched. That little oddity made Arkk narrow his eyes, looking at her closer. Her face, drawn tight into a frown, looked somehow more liquid than usual. Like congealed slime. The eye at the base of her neck sagged, lopsided. When she opened her mouth, strings of that black tar stretched thin from her tongue to the roof of her mouth.

    ¡°Master? Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Am I alright?¡± Arkk repeated, forcing himself up. The motion made him dizzy but he shook it off. ¡°I should be asking you the same question,¡± he said, reaching out and poking Vezta in the shoulder.

    His finger sunk into her body like it was a pool of thickened honey.

    Her eyes widened and, with a slight glare at his finger, she firmed her body, forcing his finger out. He prodded a few more times in a few more places. She felt normal now, at least, but it was probably taking more concentration.

    ¡°We¡¯re kind of a mess, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Time dulls memories,¡± Vezta said. ¡°This will fade. In light of that, it may be prudent to delay this morning¡¯s expedition for a time.¡±

    Arkk shook his head, feeling another wave of nausea, before forcing himself to his feet. ¡°Can¡¯t. Shouldn¡¯t have even delayed one day. Every minute that passes, the Evestani army and that golden-eyed avatar get closer. People die. Villages burn. Hawkwood says that the King is sending an army but it won¡¯t be here anywhere within a reasonable timeframe.¡±

    Pressing his lips into a shallow fa?ade of a smile, he shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s up to us. Get the expeditionary team ready at the archway. I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±

    Vezta stared a moment longer, eyes once again taking in Arkk¡¯s stance and appearance. For a moment, he thought she was going to protest. To insist that he stay in bed for another day at the very least.

    If Arkk were being honest, he would have appreciated the excuse.

    However, another day of rest was not to be had. Vezta nodded her head. ¡°I will see it done,¡± she said, bowing out of the room.

    Arkk waited until the door shut behind her before moving to the basin of water in his room. He splashed his face, smacking his cheeks. All-in-all, he didn¡¯t feel that bad. He had pulled a few sleepless nights in his time, usually when danger was spotted near the village. For most of those, he had been entirely wiped out by morning. Instead, he felt¡­ not well rested but at least not exhausted. He entertained the idea that he might have fallen asleep with his eyes open at least at some points during the night.

    Looking up in the mirror, frowning at the increasingly scraggly beard on his face, he took some solace in the fact that, at the very least, he wasn¡¯t melting.

    Taking his razor in hand, he decided to do a little something to keep his mind off other things. This was twice in the same thirty days that he had seen something impossible. Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure how much more he could take. And now he was headed off to some plane of existence that nobody knew existed, filled with who knew what?

    He hoped that between the [STARS] and Xel¡¯atriss, he was building up some kind of mental immunity to world-shattering experiences.

    Based on recent trends, he would need it.

    Beard trimmed¡ªhe would need a haircut as well one of these days, but that could wait¡ªArkk changed clothes, grabbed a sword just in case magic didn¡¯t work in a different reality, and finally teleported straight to the archway room.

    A quartet of guards, three orcs and one gorgon, were keeping watch on standby. All four jumped at Arkk¡¯s arrival but quickly settled back down once they realized who had appeared in their midst. None of the expeditionary crew had assembled yet. Vezta was still gathering them up.

    Arkk turned his attention to the archway. He had examined it the night before but hadn¡¯t been in too much of a state of mind to really think about it.

    The archway room was one of only two rooms that hadn¡¯t been eaten by the lesser servants. The other being the [HEART] chamber. Aside from tidying up broken bodies and repairing cracked tiles, the lesser servants had left the archway alone.

    It was a giant of an arch. Three times as tall as the doorways in the fortress, all of which could easily fit even the tallest elf without requiring stooping. Golden crystal, jagged and blocky, jutted up out of the ground on one side of the room. It didn¡¯t bend so much as it had been grown up and to the side and up and to the side, over and over again until it reached its apex. At that point, it went down and to the side until it reached the ground once more.

    Inscrutable runes and sigils covered the entire thing. Carvings that no one seemed to understand. Zullie and Savren hadn¡¯t seen a single one of the runes before and Vezta couldn¡¯t explain their origin. They weren¡¯t even the same script as what Arkk had seen in the few salvaged books from the original fortress library.

    Prior to the day before, the sigils had been inert. Little more than decorative carvings. If not for knowing that the archway was a magical portal to another realm, Arkk might have thought they were just decorative. Now, however, they glowed. Much like everything else in Fortress Al-Mir, they preferred a rich violet hue.

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    Of course, they were barely notable next to the portal. The opening of the archway formerly looked out onto the back wall of the room.

    It lacked the spinning gold ring of stars that Arkk had seen Xel¡¯atriss create. Nonetheless, it was the same place. A flat, desolate wasteland that stretched out as far as Arkk could see, broken only by the towering pillars of shadow. The main difference between what he saw before and what he saw now was that the perspective then had felt aerial, looking down on the world. Now, it was ground level, looking out over what anyone else might confuse with the Cursed Forest.

    And there were buildings out there. Not built around the other side of the portal but in the distance, poking up as little nubs on the flat horizon.

    That would be the first stop, then. It didn¡¯t look like there was much else around. If Arkk had a harpy in his employ, a scouting flight might have found more. As it was, they would have to hope that some people did live in those buildings who might be able to connect them to the rest of the world. If the entire place was like this little desolate section, it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine everyone over there joining up just to get a chance to see blue skies or grass.

    Would scrying work over there?

    Magic?

    What did they eat?

    And¡­

    Curious, Arkk walked around the outside of the crystal archway, wondering if he could see in the other direction from the other side of the portal. Instead, he saw the four guards.

    No back side to the portal then.

    By the time Arkk made it back around the portal to the front, the door opened up. Vezta walked in first, leading the expeditionary group behind her.

    The expeditionary crew had undergone a few changes over the night. Nothing major. Olatt¡¯an stood at the forefront, dressed for battle with his crossbow-axe slung over his shoulder. He was one of the few orcs to still wear his old armor, not the new plate gear that the blacksmith had been making. Behind him, Dakka stood a head shorter even despite the short spikes on top of her helmet. Five other orcs, Zharja, and Joanne¡ªformerly of the Claymores¡ªrounded out the main warrior group.

    In addition to the main warriors, Lyssa stood with the group. The formerly one-armed werecat still had a manacle around her right wrist. The chain, however, had been lengthened with spikes jutting off from the last few links. A heavy spearhead sat at the end of the chain. Her left arm didn¡¯t match her right. As Hale¡¯s grasp of the Flesh Weaving spell grew¡ªand in need of a willing assistant to help her learn the spell¡ªthey had¡­ fixed Lyssa¡¯s arm according to the werecat¡¯s specifications. Rather than the more humanoid paw that werecats normally possessed, Lyssa¡¯s right arm terminated in a truly monstrous clawed gauntlet. Each ¡®finger¡¯ was about as long as Arkk¡¯s hand, tipped with a razor-sharp protrusion of bone.

    That was the kind of work that Flesh Weaving had truly been designed for. Not mere sealing of wounds. It was¡­ Well¡­ Arkk had to admit to being a little worried about Lyssa¡¯s mental state. She didn¡¯t talk much beyond making requests of Zullie and Hale for more ¡®improvements¡¯ to her body. Thicker muscles. Stronger legs. And so on. But she had yet to harm anyone at the fortress so Arkk was relatively content to leave her be.

    Lexa, Alma, and Kelsey strode in behind Lyssa. The gremlin sported a cocky smile as she spun a blade around her fingers. Her eyes, already large for her smaller head, went even wider as she caught sight of the portal. Most of the orcs and gorgon had seen it the night before while standing guard but this was Lexa¡¯s first time. She missed a step, almost tripping over her own feet.

    Alma didn¡¯t exactly look like she wanted to be present. But that wasn¡¯t anything new. Of all of Arkk¡¯s recruits, she was easily the most reluctant. Arkk hoped the half-werecat would eventually come around. Especially because the few bits of what she overheard during the recruitment session hardly seemed to matter these days. That said, neither she nor her companions had asked to be released or otherwise disbanded. They had volunteered for this job.

    Zullie was the last member of the expeditionary group to enter. Her eyes gleamed with awe but not surprise. She and Savren had investigated the portal before Arkk sent everyone off to rest. They made sure that it was stable and not likely to cause any harm to the denizens of Fortress Al-Mir. She looked much better today; her steps were filled with energy rather than exhaustion.

    While the expeditionary group moved up closer to the portal, more people entered the large room. Rekk¡¯ar and Khan made up the defending group along with the rest of the orcs and several of the new hires from Cliff City¡ªmostly beastmen. They would be securing the portal from the other side to the best of their ability, with the aid of lesser servants, to ensure that Fortress Al-Mir couldn¡¯t easily come under assault. A smaller contingent would be waiting as backup inside Fortress Al-Mir, led by Agnete, both as a last line of defense in case something hostile did come through and to support any retreating that had to be done.

    And to incinerate the bandits, or Edvin, if they caused problems in everyone else¡¯s absence.

    Arkk clasped his hands behind his back while waiting for everyone to assemble. Despite having practically the whole of Company Al-Mir present, it didn¡¯t take long. Despite recruitment, they still weren¡¯t anywhere near the level of a large organization. It was a bit depressing but¡­

    No, it was much too soon to get his hopes up about possible recruits from the other side of the portal. First of all, it looked like a desolate wasteland. Was anyone even alive over there?

    ¡°Thank you all for coming,¡± Arkk said as the movement and shuffling died down. ¡°Sorry for the delay. In case you missed the explanation, that ritual was a bit more draining for those of us involved than expected.¡±

    Zullie let out a commiserating scoff, drawing a few eyes.

    Arkk just gave her a nod. ¡°You all know your tasks so I won¡¯t bother with another explanation or long speech. This is¡­ quite literally the adventure of a millennium. I think we¡¯ve delayed long enough.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar cupped his hands over his mouth. ¡°So which idiot goes through first to see if it is safe?¡±

    Arkk opened his mouth.

    Vezta beat him to speaking. ¡°I will,¡± she said.

    Arkk glanced to his side. Vezta didn¡¯t look quite so melty now. Whether that was because she was feeling better or because she was concentrating more, he couldn¡¯t tell. Either way, he considered objecting. As the leader of Company Al-Mir and the Keeper of Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s [HEART], it felt like it was his responsibility to go through first.

    It was also his responsibility to ensure the safety of the people who placed their trust in him. Not to mention, he didn¡¯t exactly want to die. Especially not before seeing Ilya again. And if anyone in this room could survive in a hostile environment long enough to get back safely, it would be Vezta. Her unique physiology gave her that advantage. Not to mention her unique perception. Perhaps her eyes could see dangers that everyone else would miss.

    Arkk didn¡¯t think that Xel¡¯atriss would intentionally open a portal to somewhere dangerous after all that he had experienced yesterday. Why offer a warning against performing that ritual a second time if walking through the portal would get him killed? That said, a being like that might not even realize that the ants beneath its feet required air to breathe.

    Was there air on the other side of the portal? He didn¡¯t know.

    But Vezta was significantly more valuable than certain other test subjects he had in stock.

    Holding up a hand to stop her from going forward, Arkk pulled one of the lesser servants from elsewhere in the fortress. A wave of his hand commanded it through the portal.

    There was some hesitance as it crawled forward. The faint shimmer of the portal grew more intense as it approached, almost turning opaque in the small area around the lesser servant¡¯s body. But it kept going, puncturing through the film of the portal.

    It made it to the other side and¡­ seemed fine. It moved. It didn¡¯t seem in distress. Interestingly, he could still see it through his Keeper ability. However, he couldn¡¯t teleport it back to the fortress despite it being a mere few inches away. The way he plucked up minions to teleport them simply slid off, like trying to grasp water from a bucket. Another command had it return, slinking back through the portal. Unfortunately, it couldn¡¯t talk or communicate much about what it had felt over there¡ªif anything. So Arkk looked to Vezta and relented with a nod of his head.

    Vezta turned on her heel, marched toward the portal, and stretched a hand out. Her hand stretched further and further, coming apart in a thick strand of oily flesh as she pressed it through the membrane. Arkk could see the resistance. There wasn¡¯t much, like pushing through a curtain hung over a doorframe. Just enough to be visible.

    Her arm punctured through and, after waving it about for a moment¡ªduring which she opened both eyes and mouths along its length¡ªshe pulled the arm back. Giving Arkk a shrug of her shoulders, she said, ¡°Seems okay.¡±

    With that, she stepped through fully.

    Arkk watched for any sign of distress. He could see her on the other side, pacing around the dead landscape.

    At one point in time, there might have been a building around the other side of the portal. Maybe a fortress like Al-Mir or maybe just a housing structure. It had long since withered away, leaving mounds of brown dirt up against the remains of crumbled walls. Vezta moved up to a carved pillar and brushed her fingers over its surface. She looked down, rubbing at the residue between her fingers.

    Her fingers turned into one jagged mouth which she used to take a small bite out of the pillar.

    After a few more minutes of walking about on the other side of the portal, she stepped back into Fortress Al-Mir.

    ¡°The air seems breathable and I am not sensing any toxins in the ground,¡± she said, hands clasped in front of her once more. ¡°I doubt the environment will be deleterious toward mortal life. At least in the short term. Without further exploration, I cannot confirm that there is a source of water or food.¡±

    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem as long as Fortress Al-Mir remains intact,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Though, Zullie, your first task on the other side is to ensure that the portal structure over there is stable and not likely to collapse. Physically or magically.¡±

    Zullie nodded her head, excitement unbridled in her expression.

    ¡°Well, people. A whole new world awaits.¡±

 Wasteland

    There were a few things about the other side of the portal that stuck out as just being off.

    The sun didn¡¯t seem to set. If whatever was up in those orange clouds was a sun at all. Since the portal opened, round-the-clock guards stationed at the entrance had kept an eye on the situation. None of them could recall any darkening of the other side. Even after spending three hours on the other side of the portal, waiting for Zullie to give her assessment of its stability, the dark orange light in the sky hadn¡¯t moved one way or the other.

    The sun might have been a major contributor to the second oddity. The heat. While not to the point of boiling flesh from bones, there was a dry, sweltering heat that never seemed to lessen. It felt about as hot as the hottest day in summer. Weatherable, but not pleasant. That had caused another delay in further exploration. Not wanting his men to collapse from heat exhaustion, Arkk had Savren and Zullie work on magical methods of cooling while the guards brought out large tarps to provide shade. He had even brought over some lesser servants. They couldn¡¯t build without a contiguous connection to the fortress¡ªwhich the portal did not count as¡ªbut they could dig down to provide cool places to take breaks in.

    Finally, the sheer density of the magic permeating throughout the air was tangible. Literally. Just drawing up a little magic to Flesh Weave a small cut back together felt tingly. One of the ritual circles Zullie had drawn up to try to cool the area down activated spontaneously. She and Savren had descended into a long and academic discussion¡ªor shouting match¡ªabout the viability of harvesting the magic to later power ritual circles without requiring spellcasters or overcharged magic wands and other artifacts.

    ¡°Was this what the world was like before the Calamity?¡± Arkk asked. He flung a lightning bolt at an old stone column without even speaking the Electro Deus incantation. There was no need. The magic was already at his fingertips. All Arkk had to do was shape it into a bolt of electricity, which was an action he had done hundreds of times.

    Vezta shook her head, long and slow. ¡°No. There was more magic in the world then than there is now but not like this. To be clear, it wasn¡¯t like this here either. They were more¡­ balanced, I suppose.¡±

    Arkk frowned, considering everything he knew of the situation. Vezta had explained the generalities of the situation when he first met her and, on the occasions he asked, she explained some of the specifics as well. Her findings and theories on the subject of the Calamity often went over Arkk¡¯s head. Especially at the start.

    But he felt he knew enough to make some general assumptions of his own.

    ¡°The Underworld is the closest plane to the¡­ surface world?¡± After all this time, he still didn¡¯t know what his home plane was called.

    ¡°Null. Or the [ALLWORLD],¡± Vezta supplied. ¡°Called such because it is the only known plane lacking a connected deity, thus allowing any of the [PANTHEON] to act upon it. Or so it used to be. The traitorous trio might have claimed it as their own at this point. I am not sure how such matters truly function as they are a level elevated from beings such as us.¡±

    ¡°Alright, Allworld, then. So we¡¯ve got fifteen other planes like this, all of which are brimming with magic and one that isn¡¯t. And they¡¯re at some metaphysical distance away from each other. So the magic¡­ flows like a river through them and into the Allworld? Except the Calamity was like a dam, leading to the magic from all the various planes just building and building here.¡±

    ¡°An assumption most reasonable, Master.¡±

    ¡°Is the excess of magic the reason this place looks like this?¡± Arkk asked, stooping to pick up a fistful of sand, which he let drift between his fingers as he stood. ¡°You said this isn¡¯t how it used to be.¡±

    ¡°Also an assumption. Unfortunately,¡± Vezta said, frowning down at the mound of sand he had disturbed, ¡°I imagine it will take years of research to determine if either assumption is correct.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s assume they are for the moment. At least until we have a meeting with Zullie and anyone else qualified who might have other theories.¡± Arkk paused, watching as Dakka approached from the little outpost that the defensive team was building. Their delay must almost be at an end. ¡°If we undo the Calamity and demolish this dam, so to speak¡­ What happens to Allworld when all this magic floods into it?¡±

    Vezta didn¡¯t respond. She stared off into the distance with her lips held tight in a small frown. She maintained the stance until Dakka finished her approach, at which point she slowly shook her head. ¡°I have never claimed to hold all the answers.¡±

    ¡°I suppose it isn¡¯t a concern for the immediate future,¡± Arkk said. Cracking the Calamity was still a far-off project. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to do anything at all if that golden man gets to us. Dakka,¡± he said, turning away from the servant. ¡°How goes the setup?¡±

    ¡°Finished. Or finished enough for us to head out. Zullie completed her cooling array and the guards are posted around the portal. The build team has started assembling more permanent defense posts. Everyone¡¯s ready, just waiting on you.¡± Dakka hesitated, shifting from one foot to the other. ¡°Is¡­ uh¡­ Is it really necessary to head all the way out to that group of buildings we saw?¡±

    ¡°It is if we want to find out if this place has anything valuable for us, whether that be people or information.¡±

    ¡°Yeah but why walk? Can¡¯t you scry? At least to see if we¡¯re wasting our time heading to a deserted hovel.¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°Crystal balls don¡¯t work here. At all. Not like how the inquisitors were blocking us. Just nothing. Might as well be a rock.¡±

    ¡°Too much magic in the air, I presume,¡± Vezta added. ¡°The magic at the point of view is too saturated with random noise to connect back to the ball.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Arkk asked. ¡°Is there a problem with a little march? The buildings don¡¯t look far.¡±

    ¡°Just¡­ Been standing around with Zullie for the last hour as she works on that cooling magic and I¡¯m still sweating like a pig in Larry¡¯s kitchen. Not looking forward to this.¡±

    Dakka lacked her heavy armor at the moment. All the orcs did. It was too hot to be sitting around in a metal can. They had traded the heavy gear for lighter cloth. Breezy and loose to try to help cool them down. Unless they stripped down completely, there wasn¡¯t much else they could do. And, though the sky was transiently overcast in that strange orange way, removing clothes would just leave them exposed to the sun.

    ¡°I¡¯m having lesser servants dig a tunnel in the direction,¡± Arkk said. ¡°But they won¡¯t be done for some time. The ground here is¡­ different than that back home. They¡¯re having trouble eating through it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s magic saturation again,¡± Vezta explained.

    ¡°We can get out there and get back well before the lesser servant makes it a quarter of the way. With the Evestani army marching, we don¡¯t have the time to sit around waiting.¡±

    Dakka didn¡¯t look too happy. Her expression was all the worse with the dark paint she had under her eyes. It was supposed to help with the glare of the sun but, at the moment, dripped down her cheeks in long streaks. ¡°Understood, Sir,¡± she said with a mild sigh.

    ¡°We¡¯ll bring plenty of water. Maybe Zullie can work up another cooling array in the back of the cart that will help everyone standing near it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be nice.¡±

    Arkk nodded. If he were being honest, he wasn¡¯t too thrilled about marching across the desert either. And the poor horse¡­ Zullie would have to get something set up en route. They had delayed long enough. ¡°Let¡¯s set off then.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Got it!¡± Zullie called out.

    At the same time, a rush of cool wind blew out in all directions from the cart. The relief among the travelers walking alongside it was palpable, obvious in their sudden leaning toward the cart. Arkk let out a long sigh despite himself. He didn¡¯t want to look like the heat had been getting to him.

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    But taking in that first breath of cool air, suddenly it felt like he could think properly without his head lighting on fire.

    He had been about ten minutes from turning the expedition around just to pick up the ice marble from the fortress.

    ¡°It was a bit tricky,¡± Zullie said. She had been talking the whole time Arkk had been basking in the sudden chill. ¡°Most rituals don¡¯t like to be moved. Tossing a circle like this in the back of a cart normally winds up with either nothing happening or a mild explosion. But I managed to refactor the intake and exhaust arrays to handle this magic-saturated environment, using it as both a power source and ventilation.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Arkk said. ¡°You are a genius.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Any chance you can get scrying working?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a genius, not a miracle worker.¡±

    Zharja shot a look at Zullie. Gorgon expressions weren¡¯t easy to decipher normally. Today, Arkk had a feeling that the gorgon wasn¡¯t all that pleased with Zullie¡¯s work. Gorgon liked warm environments. A sudden cold wind blasting out around the cart wouldn¡¯t feel good on her scales.

    Sure enough, Zharja slithered ahead of the group. ¡°Sscouting,¡± she said as she advanced.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go too far!¡± Arkk called out. ¡°We don¡¯t know what dangers might be lurking in this place.¡±

    Zharja raised a hand, signaling her acknowledgment. Her self-imposed scouting mission didn¡¯t extend further than a few dozen paces ahead of the cart. Presumably just far enough to get out of the direct gusts of wind.

    In the future, it would be best to send gorgon on their own rather than mix them with people who would undoubtedly want to make use of Zullie¡¯s cooling ritual. For today, Zharja would just have to deal with it. They were almost at their destination anyway.

    The distant buildings were almost upon them. Walking at a fairly sedate pace, it had taken about two hours of travel to reach the village. And it was a village. Or, at least, it held the shape of one. Several cube-shaped buildings jutted up out of the desert landscape, all made from the desert dirt. They had the same reddish-orange coloration as the land around them. As for size, it was well larger than Langleey village but nowhere near Cliff. Without walking through it, it was a little hard to tell, but he guessed it would be on the larger end of most burgs. Akin to Moonshine, Darkwood, or Elmshadow.

    Interestingly, the entire village was cast in shadow. At first, while they were still a fair distance away, Arkk had thought that the village was built on and made out of darker earth. Then, upon realizing it was shadow, he had thought that some part of the clouds overhead were a little thicker, thus leading to the strange sight.

    But the shadow didn¡¯t move. The clouds did, the orange skies roiled and churned. The shadow around the village stayed in place.

    The expeditionary caravan slowed down upon arriving at the shadowy threshold. Even Zharja fell back to the cooling cart, hesitant to progress forward on her own.

    Arkk moved up to the front of the group, stopping right at the edge. He glanced at Vezta. ¡°Any idea what¡¯s up with this?¡±

    ¡°This is the Underworld, domain of the Cloak of Shadows. To find oddities involving light does not surprise me.¡±

    ¡°Think it¡¯s dangerous?¡±

    Vezta stuck a hand out. There was no resistance like there had been at the portal, no membrane to puncture. She just swiped her arm through it, brought her arm back, and looked at her hand. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I figured,¡± Arkk said. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t test things like that on yourself though.¡± Vezta just shrugged¡ªas she had been here before, she had likely known that odd shadows wouldn¡¯t be dangerous. Arkk looked back to the village and cleared his throat. ¡°Hello! Anyone home? We come in peace!¡±

    ¡°Should you really be shouting like that?¡± Zullie hissed from the cart. ¡°What if someone is home?¡±

    ¡°Then they¡¯ll probably have noticed our approach anyway. We came here to meet people, after all.¡±

    ¡°They would have sent someone if they wanted to meet with us,¡± Zullie scowled. ¡°Maybe we should go. Oh well, we tried. Nobody home.¡±

    ¡°I thought you would be excited to explore a whole new plane of existence and all the inhabitants.¡±

    Zullie shook her head. ¡°The magic that got us here is what I¡¯m interested in. I don¡¯t care about some dusty world. And I¡¯m starting to get a little freaked out here.¡± Her eyes narrowed behind her rectangular glasses as she swept her eyes over the shadowy village. ¡°Am I the only one? I¡¯ll shut up if so, but I¡¯ve been feeling like someone has been watching us¡­¡±

    Lyssa¡¯s head snapped one way. Her ears perked up and started twitching back and forth. The normally quiet werecat narrowed her eyes. ¡°I hear something,¡± she said.

    Frown on her face, Alma pulled her floppy cap off her head, letting her ears stand tall. She looked and listened around as well before nudging Kelsey. The burly ox-hooved man hoisted the smaller half-werecat up on his shoulders. After another moment of listening, she frowned. ¡°It¡¯s a chittering noise. T-t-t-t-t-kind of like. That direction,¡± she added, pointing to the left. ¡°Er¡­ That way?¡± she said, swinging her pointer finger to the right. Her finger wavered, drifting back and forth. ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Back up,¡± Dakka barked out, drawing her axe. The rest of the caravan followed suit, readying weapons. Lyssa unleashed her chain, Zullie drew a magic wand, and Olatt¡¯an hefted up his crossbow.

    Arkk stepped away from the shadowy barrier around the village, letting Vezta lead him to the safety of the warriors. ¡°Don¡¯t attack first,¡± he warned. ¡°We¡¯re here for friends, not to make more enemies.¡± Despite his words, electricity started crackling between his fingertips.

    ¡°I am unaware of beings who might chitter,¡± Vezta said, tone calm despite her many eyes darting about, seeking out any possible threats. ¡°But a great deal of time has passed since I was last here. I would not be surprised to find new inhabitants.¡±

    ¡°Reassuring,¡± Olatt¡¯an grunted.

    Arkk paid the nervous banter little mind, focusing on the shadows of the village. Disregarding a sudden wish to simply scry on whatever was approaching, he scanned the spaces between the buildings. Was it just him or were the shadows darkening? He could barely see beyond the first row of buildings. Whereas before it was more like the village had been in the shadow of a large tree, now it was like night had fallen just for this one section of the land.

    Not seeing anything beyond the darkening shadow, he quickly glanced over to the two werecats. Lyssa, the more cat-like of the two, stood stooped over, glowering at the encroaching darkness while lightly spinning her spiked chain. Alma readied her twin hand crossbows, eyes actively flicking back and forth at the same time as her ears twitched. Just before Arkk looked away, both their eyes widened.

    Arkk snapped his head to the side, following their gaze.

    It took a considerable expenditure of willpower to avoid an undignified shout. Some of the others did not succeed but Arkk lacked the wherewithal to check who at the moment.

    A face lurked just beyond the veil of shadows. Barely humanoid, it had wide, yellow eyes with black horizontal pupils like those of a sheep. Two long horns stood tall on its head while an array of smaller spikes poked out of a mess of black hair. Its obsidian skin looked hard and gleaming. More like a spider¡¯s carapace than flesh. The spikes continued down its face and neck, which was segmented like an armored gauntlet to allow for movement.

    Its arms split at the elbows, ending up with four total hands. Much smaller spikes covered the arms and hands and the segmented sections existed anywhere a bend was necessary. Two of its arms clung to the side of one of the buildings while the other two were hidden above the top. Its chest bulged in a way that looked sculpted more than natural. The rest of its torso was lined like a ribcage that stretched far, far too long with far, far too many ribs.

    Arkk couldn¡¯t see the rest of it, hidden both by the veil of shadows and the side of the building. With its arms and torso being as large as they were, he could easily see this creature standing taller than the building it clung to.

    It crept forward, arms moving in a way that sent chills up Arkk¡¯s spine.

    Like the first time he had encountered Vezta, Arkk felt that this was a monster that had existed before the Calamity. A class of being that didn¡¯t fit within the categories of demihuman or beastman. Unlike the first time he met Vezta, Arkk did not feel that encompassing sensation of dread or terror. It was creepy, there was no doubt about that. Especially the movement of its arms and the way it tilted its head far more than any being with a spine could manage.

    After meeting a literal god, Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure that anything so mundane could fill his heart with terror anymore.

    It stopped moving forward at the edge of the building, looming over the side.

    Arkk held out a hand to his crew, palms facing toward the ground. ¡°Steady,¡± he said, trying to inject as much calm as he could into his voice. It hadn¡¯t lunged, pounced, cast a spell, or otherwise attacked. ¡°Vezta?¡± he whispered to his side.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know this creature.¡±

    Well¡­ it hadn¡¯t attacked so far. It had a remarkably humanoid face as well, if one ignored the wide, sheep-like eyes. Despite looking insectoid, it even had lips. Though, much like its chest, they looked more sculpted than natural. Still, perhaps it could talk?

    The situation reminded him so much of the first time he had met Vezta that he decided to try the same thing he had then.

    Taking a step forward, Arkk waved a hand. ¡°Hello,¡± he said, still going for the calm and confident tone. ¡°Sorry for intruding on your home.¡±

    The creature stretched its neck out a handspan, swinging its chin from left to right as it focused on Arkk.

    He noted two things in its hands. One, a blade as long as Arkk¡¯s arm, jagged and curved. The other hand, one opposite from the blade, looked like a wine glass. A fancy one like what he had drank from at the Duke¡¯s party. Both of those sparked hope in Arkk¡¯s mind. Tools meant that this wasn¡¯t some unthinking animal that had taken up shelter in an abandoned village. Tools weren¡¯t typically used by the unintelligent.

    And a wine glass, made from proper glass, indicated some level of civility. At the very least, it had taken care to avoid crushing the fragile flute.

    His hopes turned to ash as the creature opened its mouth. It didn¡¯t speak. Its mouth opened beyond the sculpted lips, taking the entire jaw down to reveal a mouth filled with thin, needle-like teeth.

    An ear-piercing screech of ten thousand bats wailing at once made everyone flinch.

    A crossbow bolt flew through the air. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure which of the crossbow wielders had let loose but it didn¡¯t matter. The creature wasn¡¯t on top of the building by the time the bolt struck the side. Propelled into the air by thick, digitigrade legs, the creature flew and came down amid the group, forcing Dakka and Krett¡¯al to dodge its landing.

    It stood tall, bringing its clawed feet together. It towered over everyone, twice as tall as the tallest orc in the group.

    Its head swiveled around a full circle, looking at every one of those who now surrounded it.

    A beat of uncertainty passed.

    The following beat brought chaos.

 Alien

    Company Al-Mir was ready. They had been ready from the moment the two werecats noticed something amiss. While they had held their attacks at Arkk¡¯s urging, that only meant they were all the more ready once the creature landed in their midst.

    Dakka went for its legs with her axe. Crossbow bolts flew from four different directions. A bolt of lightning flew through the air while Zullie flicked her wand, sending out a blast of air.

    The creature, tall and lithe with its carapace-covered limbs, did not want for dexterity.

    It leaned back, picking one leg off the ground. Dakka¡¯s axe swiped through the air, missing the clawed, insect-like end of its foot by a hair. With it leaning back, the bolts flew harmlessly through the spot where the creature had been before leaning. Zullie¡¯s blast of air did hit it but only seemed to push it further into its lean.

    The lightning bolt struck true. One of its four arms spasmed, fingers flailing wildly. It wasn¡¯t enough to stop it.

    It landed on all four of its arms, suspended upside-down. Leaning again to one side, it brought its blade up to bear, spinning on one hand while swiping out with that jagged sword.

    The blade caught Dakka, Orjja, and Krett¡¯al square in the chests, scooping them up and off their feet. Arkk could feel their pain through the link but not their deaths. They went flying, scattering away from the rest of the group, but they weren¡¯t dead yet.

    Lyssa jumped up as the blade continued around, launching herself over it even as she threw her chain toward it. The heavy spear tip made the far end of the chain lag behind the rest as the blade struck, looping around the jagged sword. Lyssa gripped the chain in both hands and pulled, trying to free the blade from its grip.

    The creature turned its upside-down head, focusing its horizontal-pupiled eyes on Lyssa.

    Arkk flung another, larger bolt of lightning at the creature¡¯s arm. The resulting spasm made it release the blade.

    Lyssa, surprised at the sudden lack of resistance, ended up throwing herself backward. The blade, pulled by her chain, followed and embedded itself into the ground mere inches from her head.

    The creature made no move to retrieve it. It simply allowed its legs to fall back to the ground, crushing the cart and interrupting Zullie¡¯s chant of a longer spell. A glob of caustic venom from Zharja covered Zullie¡¯s sudden retreat. The gorgon had been standing still for the rest of the fight, just watching. Arkk had to wonder if she had been trying and failing to petrify the creature.

    The poor old horse, which had been trying to back away from the creature since the fight started and had been unable to thanks to the cart at its back, went down to the ground with three sharp gashes across its side.

    A shadow crept across the battlefield. For a moment, a jolt of fear coursed through Arkk, worried that this was some extension of the strange place he found himself in. The shadowy dome over the village hadn¡¯t looked inviting and he was wary about some other enemy coming to attack. That fear turned to relief as he recognized the source. Razor-filled maws formed along the darkness.

    Vezta snapped out. An oily black mass erupted from the ground. The razor maw on the end attempted to bite the leg of the creature.

    The creature wrenched its leg free, twisting away with such force that it bordered on panic. Its face remained entirely placid. Which, if Arkk was correct in assuming that its face was cast from a hardened chitin, wasn¡¯t all that surprising.

    The sudden movement allowed Olatt¡¯an to flip his crossbow onto its bladed end and swing down on one of its arms. It bit through the carapace, leading to a spatter of green blood over the brown dirt.

    Seeing the creature bleed rallied those still standing. Joanne brought her heavy claymore down over its torso. That blade bit into the carapace as well, though not deep enough to draw blood. The carapace over its stomach must have been thicker than that which covered its arms.

    ¡°Zullie,¡± Arkk shouted, ¡°keep it off balance!¡±

    The witch poked her head up and over the toppled cart. Probably hating everything about the situation, she sent him a heavy glare. But she didn¡¯t argue. Rather than try for another long spell, she brought up her wand and blasted the creature as it tried to right itself.

    Arkk immediately flung more lightning at the creature. It didn¡¯t seem to be doing long-term damage but the short spasms were damaging enough. Instead of overcharging one useless bolt, he fired off some smaller ones. One stopped a claw from decapitating Alma, letting the half-werecat send a pair of small crossbow bolts into its segmented neck. They didn¡¯t dig deep into the carapace but it did look like they limited the mobility of its head. Another lightning bolt went into its arm just as it was about to catch itself from Zullie¡¯s knockback. It crashed into the ground shoulder first, just in time for Dakka to rush back into the fray with her axe held high.

    The axe to the creature¡¯s chest didn¡¯t puncture, much like the claymore, but it did knock the creature flat on its back. It tried to pick itself back up with its legs and arms. A razor-maw opened directly under its foot.

    A horrid grinding filled the air. Like the sound of the watermill saw if a piece of metal fell into its path. Arkk had seen Vezta consume goblins in an instant. This leg held on. The grinding continued even as it tried to pick itself up. Dakka brought her axe down again. Zullie knocked one arm out from under it. Arkk caused spasms in another. More crossbow bolts jammed into its neck¡ªAlma took ready advantage of that weakness¡ªpinning its head at an awkward angle.

    With a terrifying crunch, the leg came free.

    At the same time, one last lightning bolt slammed into its face.

    The entire creature thrashed. A stray arm caught Lyssa but it didn¡¯t hit the werecat with its full strength. It just knocked the breath out of her.

    All at once, the creature ceased moving. It went completely limp. Dakka continued to wail on it, trying to crack the thick chitin of its torso. Zullie had her wand ready to knock it over if it tried moving again. Olatt¡¯an tried to pry his crossbow out of the gouge he had made in its arm. Alma looked to Arkk with confusion covering her face, as if he had any idea what was going on.

    Closing his eyes for just a moment, Arkk reopened them, knowing they would be fully glowing with an ominous red light. ¡°Hold,¡± he said, hoping he wasn¡¯t going to regret this. ¡°Dakka,¡± he said when she was the only one to continue her assault.

    With a furious growl, Dakka turned away from the creature. One look at Arkk, however, and she snapped her jaw shut. All at once, she doubled over, clasping a hand to her stomach.

    Blood stained her clothes.

    ¡°Go see Zullie. That goes for anyone else injured. We don¡¯t know if there are more of these lurking in the shadows.¡±

    The only three who weren¡¯t injured, as far as he could tell, were Alma, Zharja, and Olatt¡¯an. Everyone else had caught at least one attack. Dakka and the other two orcs had the most severe wounds, having caught that blade straight in the chest. He would have to give Lyssa some kind of commendation for disarming the creature so early into the engagement. It could have been a lot worse.

    Vezta stepped up alongside him as he cautiously approached the downed creature. She, obviously, had avoided injury as well. ¡°Do you think it is dead?¡± she asked, looking down at it.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°I was just about to ask you the same question.¡±

    ¡°I suppose I could remove its head. Just to be sure,¡± she said, extending an arm toward the creature.

    Arkk held up a hand, stalling Vezta. He looked down at the creature with a frown. Its eyes were open but unmoving, staring straight at the sky with those horizontal pupils. Its hair, black and long, looked different now that he was closer. Like a thousand ants all clinging to one another in long chains. It writhed slightly. The only movement the body made.

    Moving away, Arkk approached one of its arms. While its sword had been in its other hand¡ªpart of an arm that now held a gouge from Olatt¡¯an¡¯s axe¡ªthe hand Arkk approached still grasped the wine glass. Despite the fight, it had come out unbroken. Why a wine glass? Why hold onto it for the entirety of the fight, somehow managing to avoid breaking it? That spoke of care and forethought, knowing where and how to place its arms so that it wouldn¡¯t break the thing while performing the acrobatic tricks it had gotten up to.

    Arkk had a hard time believing that this was some kind of beast that had attacked with no cognizance behind its horizontal pupils. It was a thinking creature, intelligent and aware. Sentient and sapient.

    Crouching, Arkk tried to retrieve the glass.

    The hand kept its grip. Arkk only tried for a moment, prying back the fingers, before realizing that the tension in its hand wouldn¡¯t be there if the creature were dead.

    It was still alive.

    Standing slowly, not wanting to disturb anything to the point of waking, Arkk moved back to Vezta and, arm on her arm, put some distance between them and the monster. ¡°How do you suppose we might restrain a creature like this?¡±

    ¡°With heavy chains and manacles. Or dismemberment. Or decapitation.¡±

    Arkk crossed his arms over his chest. Things had worked out for him so far in his career as master of Fortress Al-Mir. Most of that felt like a combination of luck and determination. They had never taken serious casualties and had always managed to accomplish at least part of their objectives. Notable exceptions being the inquisitorial invasion of the fortress and the disastrous defense of Elmshadow. In the latter case, the only reason they hadn¡¯t lost people was because Arkk had sent everyone else back before the final moments.

    This could have gone much worse. A creature as tall as a building had no right to be laid low so easily. For the first few moments of the fight, he had feared that it would destroy their team without taking a scratch. His lightning and Zullie¡¯s blasts of wind might have been the only things that allowed proper hits in. Numbers had helped and maybe numbers would have brought it down without magic but that was a chance he didn¡¯t want to take.

    If there were more of these things¡­

    Arkk looked up, scanning the village. The shadowy haze still concealed most of it, preventing him from peering inside beyond a few paces. For all he knew, there could be a dozen more of these things just watching and waiting. Arkk doubted that these creatures were the original inhabitants of the village. The buildings were too small. But these creatures could have moved in, displacing or destroying the original inhabitants. Maybe it was just the one but moving forward assuming that would get someone killed.

    They needed to retreat. Examine their options without a looming threat hanging over them.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if¡ªor when¡ªthe creature would recover. He needed to decide what to do about it before then. He wanted to drag it back to the fortress and see if it was a little more willing to have a discussion while incarcerated.

    The cart was damaged. The front axle had snapped when the creature stomped on it to get at Zullie. Even if the horse could be healed with Flesh Weaving, the cart wouldn¡¯t be going anywhere. They would have to drag it back. If it woke while people were in such close quarters, things could get bad.

    ¡°Do you think you can use your body to restrain it?¡± Arkk asked Vezta. ¡°Tie it up in your tendrils?¡±

    ¡°If it is too strong, it will likely force itself free. I wasn¡¯t able to judge its strength during our brief engagement, only its durability.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you could move it while restraining it?¡±

    ¡°Not easily.¡±

    Arkk nodded and motioned toward it. ¡°Restrain it. If it wakes and feels like it is going to break free, shout a warning. I¡¯ll try frying its head again.¡±

    ¡°Very well, Master.¡±

    Arkk watched for a moment as Vezta dispensed with her humanoid form. It was a fairly disturbing sight. Her flesh just bulged out into a large blob of oily mass. The human form folded up like a potato sack, disappearing into the mass of flesh. This was perhaps the first time Arkk had watched her switch between forms. She had done so before¡ªand he had seen her already in the less shapely blob¡ªbut never while he had been in a position to watch.

    It was just Vezta. He didn¡¯t let it bother him.

    Vezta managed to twist and bend the four arms and one and a half legs into something of a knot, pinning its limbs behind its back. She tried to haul it on top of the rest of her mass and even managed to take a few steps. It wouldn¡¯t be enough to get back to the portal in any reasonable amount of time.

    ¡°Report,¡± Arkk said, walking back to the rest of his employees.

    Zullie looked up with sweat beading off her brow. With the cart having been destroyed, so too went the cooling ritual circle. Concentrating on Flesh Weaving probably hadn¡¯t helped. She opened her mouth but Dakka beat her to speaking.

    ¡°Think I broke every single rib,¡± Dakka grunted, rubbing at her chest. She had most of her clothes off to allow Zullie access to her wounds.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rub,¡± Zullie said, swatting the larger hand away. ¡°I know it feels weird but I hardened your skin to let your ribs heal better.¡±

    ¡°Oh right. You said that.¡± Dakka pressed a hand to her forehead. ¡°I feel so¡­ dizzy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably because half your blood is spilled out across the sand. You shouldn¡¯t have jumped back into the fight with that wound; she was practically in two pieces,¡± Zullie said, looking up at Arkk.

    Arkk looked over his field commander with a more critical eye. Blood stained the clothes on the ground near her. A thin seam just above her stomach was likely where that blade had hit. The normally tan skin of the orc was covered in crusty, coagulated blood. The heat had done its job of drying it out.

    She otherwise didn¡¯t look harmed. The Flesh Weaving spell had done its work.

    The rest of the group looked better than she did. The two orcs who had taken the blade along with Dakka didn¡¯t look anywhere as bad. Not as much blood and much less evidence of the healing spell on their skin. Arkk had to breathe out a sigh of relief. If that blade had struck a human, Lexa, or one of the werecats, it probably would have bisected them. The natural hardiness of the orcs might have spared their lives.

    ¡°The horse is dead,¡± Zullie said, bringing Arkk¡¯s attention to the toppled cart.

    He grimaced at the sight of the horse on its side, eyes wide open and tongue lolling out. Yavin was going to spiral. The poor elf had taken to caring for the horse like it was his own. And now¡­

    ¡°I was focusing on the orcs. Didn¡¯t realize how bad the horse had it until¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, no. Focusing on the orcs was the right choice,¡± Arkk said, earning a few grateful nods.

    ¡°Still could have given them a patch job and then fixed the horse. But¡­¡±

    Arkk shook his head. As much as the loss of the horse pained him, better to lose it than one of his employees. ¡°Is anyone incapable of walking?¡±

    He looked around the group, waiting for a response. Olatt¡¯an was performing maintenance on his crossbow; slamming the end into the creature might have messed something up. Dakka, Orjja, and the other orcs were seated around Zullie or on their feet watching the shadows, depending on the level of their injuries. Alma and Lyssa stood near one another, the latter coiling her long chain while the former kept shooting wary glances at the creature and Vezta. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure which Alma was more concerned with.

    Nobody said anything.

    ¡°Where is Lexa?¡± he asked aloud, already using his Keeper sight to figure out the answer.

    The gremlin moved through the shadowy village with a shadowy spell of her own wrapped around her. If not for the employee link, Arkk might have thought that he was looking into nothingness. Focusing a little closer, he could see the edges of the buildings and the occasional windows she peered into. When had she slipped away? After the fight? During? He didn¡¯t recall her throwing any daggers.

    She was headed in his direction, however. Arkk didn¡¯t know if she had gotten turned around or if she was deliberately trying to regroup. Either way, he had both questions and a lecture for her upon her return. Scouting out the village would be helpful but going off on her own without even letting him know was concerning.

    ¡°Never mind. Anyone who can move, get the cart righted. If it looks like the broken axle can be repaired with some simple binding, do it. Vezta will keep the creature restrained but we¡¯ll have to pull the cart to bring it back. We¡¯ll take shifts,¡± he added at the groaning. ¡°Zullie, if you can get the cooling spell working again, that would be good. Don¡¯t want anyone fainting on the way back. Especially our injured.¡±

    ¡°Actually,¡± Zullie said, holding up a finger. ¡°The horse is dead but I might be able to use a spell¡­ uh. It might be considered a little necromancy,¡± she said, shifting. ¡°But it would save us from having to haul that thing back on our own.¡±

    Arkk folded his arms, frowning. He had a feeling he knew from which book she had learned necromancy. Arkk wasn¡¯t necessarily opposed to it. There were always stories about necromancers and the heroes who fought against their empire of the dead. In every tale he had heard that involved necromancers, they were the villains.

    This was a fairly pragmatic usage. Not like the legions of zombies that he had heard of. He didn¡¯t see a problem with it.

    Zullie, apparently taking his hesitation in responding as condemnation, adopted a scowl as she adjusted her glasses. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t trust Vezta,¡± she said, ¡°but I don¡¯t want to be pulling the cart myself if that thing wakes up.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. That was a good point as well. Anyone pulling the cart would be dangerously close to the creature. An undead horse that nobody cared for getting mauled again before he could fire lightning¡ªor whatever it took to put it back down¡ªwas far preferable to the same happening to one of his employees. ¡°Do it,¡± he said.

    A wide grin spread across Zullie¡¯s face.

    Arkk watched as she rubbed her hands together, pulling a black book from the folds of her black robes, and wondered if he had chosen poorly.

 History Lesson

    ¡°Well,¡± Arkk said, peering into the prison cell he had constructed specifically for the creature. ¡°It still hasn¡¯t moved.¡±

    Zullie hummed to herself as she ran a scrub brush down the horse¡¯s side. Little bits of meat scraped off, leaving the bare white bone beneath. Arkk watched in morbid fascination as the skeletal horse shuffled in place. Its movements didn¡¯t look anything out of the ordinary compared to a regular horse being brushed. If Arkk were to judge, he might even say that the skeletal horse was enjoying it.

    The problem was that it was a skeletal horse.

    When Zullie had used her spell, the meat turned fetid in minutes. Far faster than normal. The skin frayed apart, the eyes shriveled up, and the stomach, heart, lungs, and everything else in the belly slopped to the ground with a wet, disgusting squelch. The walk back ended up knocking loose most of the remaining bits of hair and flesh and now¡­

    Now Zullie was doing manual labor, clearing away the last scraps of flesh.

    No one else would touch the thing so it really was up to her and her alone. The lesser servants looked at it with wary eyes.

    Even Vezta stood to the side, eying the risen horse with ill-concealed disgust.

    Arkk didn¡¯t want to question her lest she realize what she was doing and stop. The ride back had reeked of stewing, rotten meat. If she intended to keep the skeletal horse around for any length of time, Arkk would feel much better about it if it was just clean white bone. So he couldn¡¯t afford to stop her.

    ¡°I said, is it dead?¡±

    Arkk blinked, forcing his gaze away from the empty eye sockets of the horse. ¡°What? No. I don¡¯t think so. The fortress doesn¡¯t think so, at least. It is counting it as a prisoner which, I feel, requires the creature to be alive.¡± He sighed. ¡°It makes me feel a bit bad. We just charged into this thing¡¯s home and kidnapped it.¡±

    Zullie paused. ¡°It attacked us. I distinctly remember you saying that we came in peace.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. What if it didn¡¯t understand? What would you do if a bunch of heavily armed warriors showed up on your village doorstep and started making strange noises?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see any others. Bet this thing attacked or otherwise displaced whoever used to live in that village.¡±

    Arkk crossed his arms, thinking while tapping his foot against the ground. With a snap of his fingers, he plucked Lexa from the canteen and dropped her directly in front of him. The gremlin jolted, starting at the sudden relocation. She whirled around only to freeze still as the skeletal horse leaned its skull down toward her.

    Perhaps like it was sniffing at her. Except the skeletal horse failed to displace any air as it didn¡¯t actually breathe.

    Zullie started chuckling to herself as Lexa took a few stiff-legged steps backward.

    ¡°You saw it on the way back,¡± Arkk said with a frown.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think we were keeping it. I thought it was an emergency situation. Now she¡¯s grooming it?¡± Lexa made a face. ¡°And what¡¯s all over the floor?¡±

    Arkk glanced down to find strips of desiccated flesh littering the floor.

    ¡°The servants will clean it later,¡± Zullie said. ¡°Got to get all this flesh off so it doesn¡¯t stink.¡±

    Arkk gave a few vehement nods. The sooner the better.

    Lexa stared. Glared. Her sharp teeth were framed in a severe mix of a frown and a recoil of disgust. Gathering some of her courage, she stepped forward and grabbed hold of Arkk by his belt. She dragged him away from Zullie and the skeletal horse to the corner of the room. Reaching up, Lexa grabbed his shirt and dragged him down to her level.

    ¡°If I ever die,¡± Lexa said, wide eyes boring into him, ¡°she is not allowed anywhere near my body. Am I understood?¡±

    Arkk glanced back to Zullie as the witch started polishing the horse¡¯s skull. She hummed happily. Probably the happiest he had ever seen her and that included while working on her research projects. It was¡­ eerie. Did using necromancy spells make one more comfortable with¡­ that? He would have to ask Savren and hope he could parse the answer.

    For now, he leaned down to Lexa. ¡°I will on the condition that if I die, you don¡¯t let her get near me.¡±

    Vezta leaned over the two, nodding along. ¡°I am not sure if I could be¡­ revived like that. Nevertheless, please keep my corpse well away from any necromancers.¡±

    Lexa stared at Vezta then back to Arkk and firmly nodded her head. ¡°Now, send me back. I was enjoying a nice, cold ale with¡ª¡±

    ¡°First, tell me what you found in the village.¡±

    Lexa winced and took a step back. ¡°Well, I thought it would be good if we had warning in case a second of those things showed up. We couldn¡¯t see into the village from the outside so I went in¡­¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask why you went in, although that was going to be on the list, but what you found.¡±

    Shifting her weight from foot to foot, Lexa glanced around.

    Arkk tapped a finger against his elbow. ¡°Just spit it out. I¡¯m not going to be mad. Probably. Your motives for ditching the fight are a little suspect¡ª¡±

    ¡°Honest,¡± Lexa said, snapping back at Arkk. The uncertainty in her stance had vanished, replaced with indignation. ¡°I wanted to make sure we weren¡¯t going to be overwhelmed. I couldn¡¯t say anything because, you know, fight. At first, I was just keeping watch not far from the rest of you. A few of my spells let me see a little better inside that dome¡ªbut only while inside it.

    ¡°I saw the fight turn in our favor and decided to do a little more forward scouting.¡±

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll believe it. Then you started peeking through houses? What did you find?¡±

    Lexa dropped her gaze back to the floor. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Memory problems? A spell or¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. I remember. It¡¯s just¡­ In one house I saw a family sitting around the table, eating a meal. The family looked humanoid but I couldn¡¯t tell if they were actual humans or some demihuman variant. They were perfectly normal, sitting there. Wouldn¡¯t have seen it as out of place in any town or village in the duchy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sensing a but¡­¡±

    ¡°It was fake. Like¡­¡± Lexa looked around and moved closer to one of the glowstones set into the wall. She held out her hands, linking her thumbs together, and then looked down at her shirt. A shadowy facsimile of a bird flapped its wings over her clothes in time with her moving her fingers.

    ¡°Like a shadow puppet,¡± Arkk said, staring down at her.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lexa let her arms drop to her sides. ¡°Every house was the same. Fake people doing fake things to look like they were real. I don¡¯t have any proof. Maybe they¡¯re just weird beings not like anything here¡ªit¡¯s a whole other world, you know?¡ªbut¡­ I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that there was something there putting on a show. Whether that show was for it or me, I can¡¯t answer.¡±

    Arkk tapped his fingers against his elbow some more as he turned to Vezta. ¡°Thoughts?¡±

    The pre-Calamity monster shook her head, despondent. ¡°It is strange. The [UNDERWORLD] I knew is nothing like this Underworld. Were it not for the shadowy pillars and that dome around the village, I might have thought we managed to connect to the wrong place. The centuries have clearly not been kind to the land or its inhabitants.

    ¡°When I was there last, it was a lush forest with a long river running through the middle. The trees were odd. Similar to those around Darkwood¡ªI wonder if there is any relation¡ªand the river was as black as it is today. There were three primary inhabitants. Gorgon, who were relatively unchanged from those we have in our employ, Dark Knights¡ªwho felt relatively similar to orcs but¡­ not quite¡ªand the keth. The latter were devoted servants of the Cloak of Shadows. I suppose a decent analogy would be something like crabs.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Crabs?¡±

    Arkk, confused, looked to Lexa. The gremlin shrugged her shoulders, just as confused as he was.

    ¡°Aquatic creatures,¡± Zullie said. She stripped the outer layer of her robes as she approached their group. Probably a good thing given the bits of flesh that had clung to it. ¡°Like giant spiders with these little snappy claw things and hard shells. They¡¯re considered a delicacy in Cliff.¡±

    Deciding to take the Cliff local at her word, Arkk nodded. ¡°Alright. Water spiders with claws. A bit frightening.¡±

    ¡°Giant water spiders,¡± Zullie corrected.

    Arkk shuddered. ¡°Anyway¡­ Moving back to the story. These water¡­ keth lived with orcs and gorgon. What next?¡±

    Vezta shrugged. ¡°Not much else to say. I knew things would have changed over the years, which is why I didn¡¯t lay down exactly what we might find in advance, but I didn¡¯t know how much. I thought we could find more gorgon allies at the very least. It¡¯s¡­ concerning.¡±

    ¡°Question,¡± Zullie said, adjusting her glasses. ¡°How did each of these species handle magic? Or, focus on the keth. I have a good idea regarding gorgon and orcs, assuming they haven¡¯t changed too much.¡±

    ¡°The keth were the favored of the Cloak of Shadows. They wielded her gifts as easily as you breathe.¡±

    ¡°And there aren¡¯t any in this world because none ever traversed the archways before the Calamity?¡±

    Vezta shook her head. ¡°No. My former master had a whole detachment in his army. Assassins.¡±

    ¡°Then I posit that, upon the Calamity cutting off the other realms, they perished like so many other magical species. Likely because they could no longer access their god¡¯s magic.¡±

    ¡°I cannot argue against that theory,¡± Vezta said. ¡°From what I¡¯ve learned on our travels, there are no magically dependent species alive today except myself. Or creatures like fairies, who have entirely lost their magic.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Arkk said, looking to Zullie. He was fairly sure he knew where she was going with this. ¡°Our prisoner is one of the keth?¡±

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Vezta said. She cupped her hands and moved them together, stopping before they touched. ¡°They were smaller. Much smaller.¡± Looking down, she frowned at Lexa. ¡°Even smaller than this one.¡±

    ¡°And yet, a magically sensitive species stuck in a world where the levels of magic just keep going up and up and up wouldn¡¯t change and adapt? Or grow? I¡¯m not an expert on magibiology but I did take the required courses at the academy. I know the theories. I will bet a lot on our captive being a keth. Or a descendant of the species.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Arkk said. ¡°That¡­ how does knowing that help us?¡±

    ¡°And what about the shadow people?¡± Lexa asked.

    Zullie waved a hand casually as she turned away. ¡°Don¡¯t know. I¡¯m tired and exhausted and I¡¯ve sweat so much today. You guys can figure that out. If you discover that the shadow people are magic, let me know, but I don¡¯t want any part of interacting with some being who can¡¯t be perceived that thinks making shadow people puppets is fun.¡± She walked off, drawing in a deep breath. Her sudden gag made her stop. ¡°I need a bath,¡± she grumbled as she stepped out the door.

    A silence filled the space Zullie had left behind. Vezta stared off into the distance as if some missing piece in her memories might help out. Lexa just turned her gaze downward, staring at the floor in equally deep thought. Arkk had to wonder if everything hadn¡¯t been one large waste of time. He supposed a desolate wasteland was better for Fortress Al-Mir than a hostile invasion force but¡­

    What really bothered him was the state of the Underworld. If they cracked the dam that was the Calamity and all that magic flooded into the world¡ªhis world¡ªwould it act like a flooding river? A sweep of magic carrying away trees and lives as surely as any flood. Originally, before the Calamity, it must have flowed in and, somehow, drained out or otherwise wound up consumed. What if they ended up breaking that dam but a stopper on the other end resulted in the world turning just as horrid, stoppered against draining?

    Although it seemed they wouldn¡¯t have the promised legions of willing soldiers, they needed to find out more about what happened to the Underworld, what steps the local inhabitants took to try to solve the issue, and what might happen if the Calamity were to end here.

    And at the moment, unless they wanted to scour the endless desert, they only had one lead.

    With a thought, Savren appeared in their midst. The greasy warlock stumbled slightly. The exact motion someone made when they had been ascending stairs only to suddenly find themselves on flat ground. Aside from an inelegant noise of alarm in the back of his throat, he didn¡¯t react beyond steadying himself. He took one look around the assembled group and wrinkled his nose.

    ¡°Necromancy now? Knocking nooks into nether planes not enough for you?¡±

    Arkk shot a scowl at the skeletal horse before teleporting all four of them out into one of the meeting rooms. The sudden breath of fresh air only served to enforce how foul that room had smelled. He quickly set a lesser servant to clean up the flesh shavings as he looked to Savren.

    ¡°How adept are you at reading minds?¡±

    ¡°To a master of mind magic such as myself, amassing memories is most manageable.¡±

    ¡°Magnificent. Come along,¡± Arkk said before teleporting the group once again.

    This time, they appeared within the prison chamber. A large room with a deep oubliette. Thick metal bars crisscrossed over the top, preventing even the most adept of climbers from reaching the top. A narrow catwalk allowed guards or, in this case, Arkk and the others to stand over the pit and look down.

    The glowstones in the walls grew dimmer and dimmer the deeper the pit went. Ten gems, each spaced apart by about the same length as the average orc was tall, descended downward. The very bottom one barely provided any light at all, casting the prone form of their carapace-covered captive in a fitting shadow with only its edges highlighted in the violet light.

    It hadn¡¯t moved since falling at the shadowy village but the prisoner link said it was still alive.

    ¡°That thing,¡± Arkk said, pointing a finger downward. ¡°Can you read its mind?¡±

    Savren stooped over the railing, peering down into the depths with squinted eyes. ¡°Ah, the being brought back from beyond the barrier?¡± He hummed to himself, not expecting an answer to the rhetorical question. ¡°I shall scribe a circle suited to this species, though it may take a try or two to tune.¡±

    ¡°How long will that take.¡±

    Looking up to the ceiling, Savren nonverbally counted something on his fingertips. Looking back down, he shrugged. ¡°Morning.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s eyebrows popped up his forehead in surprise. He wasn¡¯t quite sure why he was surprised. The few magical rituals that didn¡¯t involve calling down the god of barriers, such as that inferno spell he had used on the slavers and Zullie¡¯s cooling ritual, hardly took any time at all to develop. He supposed he anticipated some long, involved process. ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡±

    ¡°A moment,¡± Savren said, holding up his finger. ¡°Meandering through memories without minding the material might get you what you want. Were you to whittle down the whys and wherefores, we¡¯ll sooner wrap up.¡±

    Arkk narrowed his eyes. That one took an extra second or two to parse. Savren, for all that Arkk wasn¡¯t fond of the man, had come through in the research and development department. He had no real reason to try to get rid of the man at the moment. Finding a solution to his curse of alliteration would help not just him but everyone who had to communicate with him.

    Of course, the man had been studying his curse and mind magics for the last year or so. Zullie had already said that curses were outside her area of expertise. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what he was going to do about it and, with the war on, it wasn¡¯t like he could stop by the Cliff Academy seeking help. All capable spellcasters were enrolled in the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard.

    He would have to figure it out later. Maybe old magic could help if the creature in the oubliette below could read those old books in the library.

    ¡°You think it will go better if I know what I want in advance?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Arkk nodded. He was inferring, but memories were vast and widespread. Doubly so if the creature was long-lived. If Savren had to randomly stumble through those memories to find what they wanted, they could be here all week.

    ¡°In that case,¡± Arkk said, ¡°focus on three topics. The history of that other world, what they did to combat the Calamity on their end, and¡ªmost importantly¡ªwhether or not this creature is an unthinking beast or something that could be reasoned with.¡± He looked around to Lexa and Vezta. ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°The thing fought with a sword and its limbs,¡± Lexa said, looking down below. ¡°Might not know anything about magic or the Calamity.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then oh well. Nothing we can do about it. Guess the mind reading will be quick.¡±

    Vezta looked at Savren with most of her eyes. She didn¡¯t often engage directly with the man¡ªexcept on the occasions where they had to work together for the purposes of the ritual¡ªso seeing her turn to address him directly made Arkk pay attention. ¡°If you could, it would be wise to discover whether this is a solitary creature or if it has a group that will be missing it. Also knowledge of any other inhabited areas it knows of.¡±

    Arkk gave Vezta an affirming smile. That was a good point. Even if it couldn¡¯t be reasoned with, if it knew where others who might be reasoned with lived, that would save them the trouble of searching that entire wasteland.

    ¡°One other thing,¡± Arkk added. ¡°Is the entire other world a wasteland or only the area in the vicinity of the portal? We might have just gotten unlucky.¡±

    ¡°The gateway used to connect to a variety of locations depending on the configuration of sigils around the crystalline structure. I believe I remember a few alternatives.¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°Nope. Don¡¯t touch it. The portal being opened at all is a boon from a god. If we turn it off and find out we can¡¯t turn it back on, we¡¯re stuck. We¡¯re not running that ritual again to get it open.¡±

    ¡°A notable concern. We¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Lexa marched directly between Vezta and Arkk, looking between them. ¡°What was that you just said?¡±

    ¡°Not to turn off the portal?¡±

    ¡°Wrong,¡± Lexa said, smacking him in the stomach. ¡°The portal is a gift from a god? Like the Light?¡±

    Arkk looked to Savren and then to Vezta before dropping his gaze to the startled gremlin. He cleared his throat. ¡°Yes? Like healing magic is a miracle from the Light. So is this door. Nothing more to it than that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re protesting too much.¡±

    A shudder ran through Arkk¡¯s back as memories of that being holding him in the palm of its hand surfaced in his mind. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t think about it.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    Arkk teleported her away, sending her off to her quarters.

    ¡°Her suspicions won¡¯t be alleviated like this,¡± Vezta said.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. She can think whatever she wants to think. I don¡¯t want to discuss¡­ that.¡±

    ¡°Shame I hadn¡¯t seen¡­¡± Savren said in a wistful tone.

    ¡°Trust me. Not a sight I wish to see again anytime soon. The weight of being there was crushing.¡± Arkk shook his head. ¡°Just focus on your mind-reading ritual. I¡­¡±

    Arkk frowned. If they weren¡¯t going to get unlimited reinforcements from the other side of the portal, they were in more dire straits than he had feared.

    ¡°I need to figure out what to do about this war.¡±

 Interrogation

    Savren stood alone in a dark room with a large yet simple ritual array scribed out across the floor.

    Every species had variances in their minds, how they thought, and even what, exactly, constituted as thought versus reflexes or instinct. Among circles he frequented, among the libraries he had plundered for texts on the mind and clues that would lead to him curing his curse, he had found ancient analysis, documentation, and even dissection of humans, demihumans, and a large number of beastmen.

    They couldn¡¯t crack open the captive creature to analyze its brain structure. Nor could they converse with the creature to get an idea of how it thought. Not once throughout the night had it so much as twitched. Arkk had posted guards in the prison room specifically to watch for any sign of it awakening while he was asleep.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if Savren¡¯s circle would work. The mind mage said that he was basing it off drider brain patterns. The spider-like beastmen had similar carapace and multiple limbs, though this creature lacked the many legs and bulbous belly. There was a vague, superficial similarity.

    Hopefully, that was enough. A lot of magic was based on symbolism and representations. It was why Vezta had participated in the boundary ritual; she, a being from another plane who had physically visited the Underworld in the past, represented a connection.

    ¡°Ready,¡± Savren called out to the empty room. Arkk couldn¡¯t hear him through the employee link but the single word he spoke up to the ceiling couldn¡¯t have been anything else.

    Arkk plucked up the prisoner and teleported it straight to the center of Savren¡¯s circle. At the same time, Arkk moved himself and Vezta out of the prison, joining Savren in the room. The tall creature didn¡¯t shift once because of the movement. If it did suddenly move, Arkk had to be ready to teleport himself, Savren, and Vezta away.

    Savren had already explained how the ritual would go. He didn¡¯t waste words explaining again. Stepping up to the point of the circle intended for the mind reader, he knelt and placed his hand on the ground.

    Vezta, hands clasped together at her waist, stood a few steps away. She steered clear of the circle and walked along its edge, every one of her eyes locked on the creature. Arkk stayed still, watching and waiting as the ritual circle began to glow.

    The creature remained still. Savren, on the other hand, did not. The man¡¯s face twitched and twisted, grimaced and gaped. He snapped his hand back but Arkk could practically see the magic clinging to his fingertips like sticky slime, keeping him linked back to the ritual circle.

    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Arkk asked, ready to teleport at a moment¡¯s notice.

    Savren turned his head, neck bent at an unnatural angle. He had to hunch one shoulder to look at Arkk. ¡°Invaders.¡±

    Vezta tensed, lowering her stance to be ready for combat.

    The creature still hadn¡¯t moved.

    Arkk drew in a breath. This was not how it was supposed to go. Savren was supposed to read the creature¡¯s mind and report back with the answers to the questions that Arkk and the others had come up with. Or as many as he could answer.

    ¡°Savren, are you in there?¡± Arkk asked.

    Was Savren being hurt? Would it hurt him to teleport him? He thought it shouldn¡¯t, based on everything he had learned from Zullie about ritual circles, but he also didn¡¯t think that Savren should have been able to stand up while keeping the ritual circle going. Those sticky trails of magic connecting his hand to the ground were surely the cause. Would teleporting sever them or just stretch them?

    ¡°Savren. Human. Invader.¡±

    ¡°Am I speaking with the¡­ creature?¡± Arkk wished he had a better name for it.

    ¡°Guardian. Protector. Speaking. Human. Invader.¡±

    Arkk glanced at Vezta. The cadence was somewhat similar to how she had spoken before Arkk had connected with Fortress Al-Mir. But it lacked that oomph of shoving concepts straight into his mind. These were just words.

    ¡°Can you ask it who it is? Perhaps what it wants?¡± Arkk asked. Although Vezta had gained the ability to communicate normally, he had not gained her ability to use the [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE] in exchange.

    ¡°[Query]/[Question],¡± Vezta started, still tense yet remaining outside the circle. ¡°[Identification]/[existence]/[guess who]?¡±

    Savren, still hunched at an unnatural angle, flinched at Vezta¡¯s words. ¡°Old. Words,¡± it said with a sudden strain in its tone. ¡°Protector. Am Protector. I am Protector.¡±

    ¡°Should I be worried that it is getting better at speaking?¡± Arkk grumbled to Vezta. She didn¡¯t even shrug. Her attention was evenly split between Savren and the creature. The Protector? Louder, Arkk said, ¡°Who or what is it that you protect?¡±

    ¡°Protector of Life. Protector of Under Land. Protect the Lady Shadow.¡±

    ¡°The Cloak of Shadows,¡± Vezta said, mostly unnecessarily. ¡°Is the Cloak of Shadows still¡­ active in the Underworld?¡±

    Savren twitched but didn¡¯t respond. One of the five strands of magic linking his hand to the ritual circle snapped. Stress? Or¡­

    ¡°We might be on a time limit,¡± Arkk whispered to Vezta. Then, louder, ¡°We entered your world seeking aid and help. We mean no harm to your people, the land, or the Cloak of Shadows.¡±

    ¡°Trust. Impossible. Betrayal.¡± The voice coming from Savren¡¯s mouth paused a moment then restarted. ¡°The Lady Shadow, betrayed by trusted Keeper of Her Heart.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯m not that Keeper. And frankly, after seeing the state of your world, I don¡¯t think you can turn away offered help from anyone.¡±

    The voice didn¡¯t respond but another one of the strands snapped, leaving just three.

    ¡°Are there others like you? Other people in that world?¡± Arkk asked with a slight urgency to his tone. ¡°The village where we encountered each other didn¡¯t seem to have anyone in it but if you¡¯re some protector, I doubt you¡¯re protecting nothing.¡±

    ¡°Protection comes in many forms. Answer this, Keeper: How where was why able to breech the Archway?¡±

    ¡°We intend to revert the Calamity. The bindings of the planes by the traitors in the Pantheon,¡± he added, just in case they didn¡¯t call it the Calamity in the Underworld. ¡°I entreated with Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, and she saw fit to grant me the boon of traveling between worlds to gather allies and knowledge.¡±

    ¡°Gods,¡± the Protector said. A haze of clarity returned to Savren¡¯s milky eyes as another of the strands snapped but the Protector reasserted control. ¡°Traitors all. Poor Lady Shadows.¡±

    Vezta visibly bristled. She was about to speak but Arkk put a hand on her arm. They didn¡¯t have time to get into a theological argument.

    ¡°Your body hasn¡¯t moved in a day and a half,¡± Arkk said. The time on this conversation might be running down but that didn¡¯t mean it had to be the only conversation. ¡°Aside from a missing leg, which we treated as best as we can, you look uninjured. Do you have any tips for healing you?¡±

    ¡°Healing unnecessary.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll die if you sit there and don¡¯t eat or move.¡±

    ¡°The body in your possession is already dead in all ways that matter,¡± it said as the fourth strand snapped. The haze in Savren¡¯s eyes kept moving in and out of focus. He was probably trying to fight off the ritual if he was still conscious under there. ¡°Explore the Land of Shadows at your own peril, Keeper. We will protect.¡±

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Arkk shoved his confusion into a little black pit and focused on trying to get something meaningful out of this conversation. ¡°We¡¯re trying to help. We haven¡¯t attacked anyone that hasn¡¯t attacked us first and¡ª¡±

    The final strand snapped. The glow around the ritual circle snuffed out and Savren, hunched in an odd position, yelped and fell backward onto the ground.

    Arkk¡¯s teeth ground together even as he rushed over to his employee. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Savren had his hands clamped over his eyes as he rocked his head back and forth. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I¡­¡± He smacked his hands into his cheeks. ¡°Hive. Hive heads having harmonious hammer. Hammer?¡± he said, lowering his arms from his face.

    The haze in his eyes was gone entirely but a trickle of blood leaked from the side of his nose. He stared up at the ceiling in confusion but with enough awareness that Arkk didn¡¯t think his brain had been completely scrambled.

    ¡°A collective mind?¡± Vezta asked, stepping between the unmoving creature and Arkk. She had her back to them but an eye on her spine kept careful watch.

    Savren snapped his fingers and pointed at Vezta. ¡°Correct!¡± he practically shouted. ¡°Connecting craniums called to the collective and, craving control over the corpse, caterwauled caterwauled caterwauled¡­¡± Savren smacked his hands into both of his cheeks. ¡°Communicated with my consciousness.¡±

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Arkk asked again, a little more concerned.

    ¡°Confused. The collective overcame my curse and caused counteraction, comeback, counterblast, backlash.¡±

    ¡°So it wasn¡¯t the creature that¡­ knocked you silly? But your own curse?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Savren said, groaning as he pushed himself to a sitting position. He ran the back of his hand along the bottom of his nose, smearing the blood across his cheek without doing much to clean it. Wobbly as he was, Arkk helped to support his back. ¡°I sawwww them,¡± he slurred. ¡°Saw their sights, standing in their stations. Some spied the soldiers at the s¡­ something something.¡±

    Arkk blinked in confusion for a moment before tensing as understanding hit him. ¡°They¡¯re watching the portal?¡±

    Savren nodded twice, only to hang his head into his hands.

    ¡°Rest. A respite is required. I¡¯ll right myself rather rapidly but only after repose.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send you to your chambers if you want,¡± Arkk said, already teleporting the creature back to its prison cell. The Protector had said that it was dead but Arkk wasn¡¯t going to trust the words of a potential enemy and leave it lying about.

    ¡°Rest, yes. I¡­ require rest.¡±

    Arkk teleported Savren away. He would have Larry bring him something to eat and check on him. But first, he and Vezta reappeared in front of the portal.

    Nothing had attacked the archway so far. He checked the moment Savren said that. The link to his employees let him easily see the other side even if he couldn¡¯t teleport there directly. No one was under attack. But being watched made him nervous.

    He stepped through the portal. ¡°Check the perimeter,¡± he said with a glance at Vezta.

    She nodded and headed off while Arkk made his way across the small and still-forming courtyard to the main headquarters.

    It had only been a few days but Fortress Al-Mir was working hard to secure the far side of the portal. Lesser servants scurried about, carrying bricks and wood to the various construction sites. Flopkin volunteers joined them, hauling material. Some of the more constructive recruits along with a handful of refugees¡ªwhom he had ensured knew that this was purely voluntary and that they would be paid for their labors¡ªwere putting together walls and buildings around the archway.

    Right now, the headquarters was still just a large tent. In a few weeks, barring these Protectors assaulting them, they would have the start of a permanent keep out here.

    ¡°Rekk¡¯ar,¡± Arkk said, shoving a flap aside.

    The orc, boots off and feet on the table, jolted. He lurched out of his chair and looked around, bleary-eyed, for any possible threat. Finding nothing but a few of the other orcs in the room chuckling at him, he let out a low growl as he bared his tusks. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Double the guard. Regular check-ins. Anyone who can¡¯t be reinforced in about thirty seconds needs to be pulled back to the tent and the archway.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s anger at being woken from his nap shifted to wary concern. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Incoming threats?¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°Not immediately. I have it on good authority that more of the creatures that attacked us at the shadow village might be watching our activities here.¡±

    ¡°The big thing you dragged back? They don¡¯t seem so tough.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve got tough skin and their strength will make them dangerous to small numbers, but they can be overwhelmed.¡± Arkk turned slightly to the side. ¡°Orjja, there are two orcs on patrol around the other side of the portal. Take Kia and Claire with you and bring them back closer.¡±

    The orc saluted and, along with the two dark elves, hurried out of the tent.

    ¡°Rekk¡¯ar, get the guard¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait. Full report on the methods you used to take down the previous creature.¡±

    Arkk crossed his arms, a little irritated at being interrupted. However, Rekk¡¯ar had a point. They needed to know how to fight them. ¡°Get Olatt¡¯an to give you the full details. Every orc in my employ should be capable of casting at least one Electro Deus lightning bolt. It might drain them to the point of requiring rest but a well-placed bolt to the head seems to have killed the one we dragged back.¡±

    ¡°Thought you said it was still alive.¡±

    ¡°It killed the body but left the mind. Or vice-versa. Honestly, not sure. They have some kind of hive mind, so each of them knows what happened to the rest. If we start flinging enough lightning bolts, they will either get the hint or they¡¯ll die.

    ¡°However,¡± Arkk continued after taking a breath. ¡°These things claimed to be protectors of the land and people here. I still think there is a chance to negotiate. If one attacks, defend yourselves. If you see one just watching or even peacefully approaching, get me immediately.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar squared his shoulders and nodded his head. At least he was taking the situation seriously. He immediately turned and barked out, ¡°Luthor.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes?¡± The nervous beastman¡¯s scaled skin shifted through a few colors. He had been deftly avoiding anyone¡¯s eyes ever since Arkk walked into the room. ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°Go wake the second shift early. We¡¯ll adjust scheduling shortly but for now, I want everyone up and on guard.¡±

    ¡°M-Me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, tone flat as he shot an irritated glance toward Arkk.

    Arkk could only shrug. He wouldn¡¯t have normally hired Luthor. Unfortunately, he had strongarmed Alma into Company Al-Mir and he came as a package with the half-werecat and their oxen companion.

    ¡°O-Okay. I can do that,¡± he said, more to himself than anyone else. ¡°I can do that. Just wake up a dozen angry orcs. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Get moving!¡± Rekk¡¯ar barked out.

    With a clipped yelp, the chameleon beastman bolted from the headquarters tent.

    Rekk¡¯ar glared after him, shaking his head in a disappointed manner once the tent flaps fell back to their resting position. ¡°What do we do about the construction?¡±

    ¡°Keep it going as long as it can be guarded. The workers are the most vulnerable but having proper buildings to fight from is too valuable to stop.¡±

    ¡°Thought you said those things could climb walls like a spider?¡±

    ¡°They can, but they might not be the only things out there. These things are protectors of something and protectors from something.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar grumbled to himself, arms crossed. His eyes drifted away from Arkk and toward his thoughts.

    ¡°Something on your mind?¡± Arkk asked.

    ¡°Just a suggestion I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll ignore.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t ignore your advice. I just¡­ don¡¯t follow it all the time.¡±

    ¡°Ever.¡±

    ¡°Not true. There was¡­ I listened when you¡­¡±

    ¡°Save it.¡± Rekk¡¯ar looked at Arkk and put all his effort into rolling his eyes. ¡°Recall everyone here and destroy the archway.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s frown at being unable to come up with an instance where he had listened to Rekk¡¯ar remained firmly in place, though his reason for holding it turned to one of incredulity. ¡°You¡¯re right. Going to ignore that one.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Why? Are you serious? After all the effort it took to get here¡ª¡±

    ¡°And we¡¯re spending even more effort to stay here. Our personnel, not numerous to begin with, are split between here and the fortress. We¡¯re expending resources and time and, potentially, lives just to maintain a presence here. And for what?

    ¡°We have an army bearing down on us back in our world and yet here we are, dithering about in the dirt of a desolate¡ª¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t do the Savren thing,¡± Arkk interrupted with a sigh, shaking his head. ¡°And I get it. I am well aware of the pressures. But¡­¡±

    Arkk took a breath and sank into the chair next to the one Rekk¡¯ar had been dozing in. With everyone in the headquarters having been sent out, it was just him and Rekk¡¯ar, free to talk and argue without anyone¡¯s authority being undermined. Even still, he wasn¡¯t quite sure how to broach the topic he wanted to bring up.

    So he just came out and said it. ¡°I talked with a god.¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°Between wanting to ensure we weren¡¯t attacked from the other side of the portal and dealing with the Protector, there hasn¡¯t been time to call a proper debriefing. Especially because I didn¡¯t think it mattered. But I talked to a god.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps you didn¡¯t hear me. What.¡±

    ¡°Crazy right? That¡¯s another reason I haven¡¯t called a debriefing. How exactly do I explain this without sounding like the village idiot?¡±

    ¡°Try.¡±

    Arkk took another breath. ¡°That ritual Zullie and Savren cooked up? It didn¡¯t open the portal. One moment Vezta and I were sitting there in the middle and the next¡­ It was there. I didn¡¯t get a good look with my actual eyes before Vezta smothered me and I can¡¯t be sure that what I saw later was how it looked. Regardless, we¡­ communicated. Talking isn¡¯t quite the right word.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar leaned forward, hands on the table. He squinted his eyes at Arkk, oddly concerned rather than suspicious or angry. ¡°Has the stress of everything finally gotten to you?¡±

    ¡°Funny,¡± Arkk said, tone flat. ¡°Vezta can verify everything. When I call the meeting, I¡¯ll have her explain. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll do a better job.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps you ought to lie down.¡±

    ¡°Funny,¡± Arkk said again. ¡°The point is, the ritual didn¡¯t directly open the portal. It was the god, specifically in response to our request for aid in both reverting the Calamity as well as in repelling Evestani¡¯s army. There has to be something here. I don¡¯t know if it is the Protectors, some other people, or knowledge lying about.

    ¡°There is something here.¡± Arkk frowned, feeling rather like he had in the presence of that being. It was probably just his mind recalling things now that he was talking about it. Still, some small part of the back of his mind felt like a boundary had shifted. Some wall between ignorance and knowledge. ¡°There is something here,¡± he said again. ¡°I can feel it. Some power off in the distance.¡±

    He turned his head, not looking anywhere in particular yet still staring toward one corner of the tent. It was something¡­ familiar yet alien all the same. Perhaps he hadn¡¯t been attuned to it properly at the time, panicked and ignorant as he had been, but it felt almost like the ambiance around the [HEART] of Fortress Al-Mir before he connected with it.

    If there was another intact and functioning heart here, claiming it could be a vast boon.

 Alarm

    Despite the looming threat of the so-called Protector, work continued within the Underworld.

    A few things had changed. They were focusing on smaller areas that could be built up quickly while under plenty of protection. Lookouts patrolled constantly. Drills kept the guards on their toes. Zullie had even taken to cycling through everyone on guard duty, ensuring that they could all cast at least one lightning bolt without passing out.

    Not everyone had passed that little test but at least those who hadn¡¯t now knew that they needed to be sure that their lightning bolts would be debilitating or else they needed to not use the magic at all. It also let them set up every patrol so that at least two people capable of casting the lightning spell were in each group.

    They had seen two more of the creatures. The same, carapace-covered tall monsters that all shared the same mind. So far, they had done nothing but stand and stare, watching the portal. Arkk was content to let them for the time being. They weren¡¯t attacking. As far as he could tell, they weren¡¯t gathering their forces to marshal an attack.

    They simply watched.

    The being he had spoken with said that exploring the world would put him in peril. Perhaps, as long as he didn¡¯t leave the portal, they would leave him alone. He would have to leave eventually but for now, he could hold back on seeking that source of power.

    Savren thought they were curious more than aggressive, not that he still had an active connection to their gestalt. He was still trying to sort through his thoughts and pick out what he remembered about them before passing out following the mind reading ritual. Arkk had apologized for putting him through that.

    Savren shrugged it off. It, according to him, had been one of the most fascinating experiences of his life.

    He had used different phrasing.

    With the guard in place and no apparent danger in the immediate future¡ªon either side of the portal since Hawkwood combined with the Duke¡¯s men had managed to stall the Evestani¡¯s relentless march¡ªArkk was experimenting.

    A lot of things didn¡¯t work in the Underworld due to the completely magic-saturated air. Ritual circles spontaneously activated, making them dangerous to be near unless specifically designed for this world, scrying failed, and gorgon couldn¡¯t seem to petrify anything. Not even regular human volunteers.

    He used a metal rod to draw a ritual circle into the orange dirt of the Underworld, sketching out a circle. A fist-sized glowstone from the fortress sat in the center, one dim and relatively lifeless. It had been completely dark before bringing it through the portal, but that had been several days ago and it was still practically black.

    Glowstones stored magic and emitted it slowly in the form of light but they typically had to be mined deep underground in solid rock, which would keep their stored magic from leaking out. It was possible to charge them, but not easily. The average spellcaster would collapse from exhaustion well before even a small glowstone started glowing enough to function as even a middling light source. Glowstones weren¡¯t uncommon but they weren¡¯t common either, which was why most villages and even larger burgs had a plethora of candles, glowstones were only used in wealthy merchant homes and keeps.

    Glowstones of a purity that would work for magic wands like the one Zullie used were even rarer and charging them up once the stone¡¯s magic depleted was nearly impossible. That Zullie had one at all was something quite special.

    Until now, hopefully.

    Arkk drew out the ritual circle carefully, ensuring the venting components were drawn in well before any parts that would direct or control the magic. He worked from the inside out. Every little mark went down with hesitance. As soon as the array was complete enough, the ambient magic would activate it.

    Sure enough, after one more swipe of his metal rod, an illumination coursed through the lines in the dirt. Arkk quickly dragged the rod through the dirt, finishing the component he had been working on. The glowstone in the center started brightening, its faint violet light turned intense.

    Arkk didn¡¯t stick around to watch any longer. He dove behind a sheet of metal set up just to the side of the array and covered his head with his hands.

    And waited.

    And waited.

    He didn¡¯t hear any snap, crackles, or pops. No explosions either. That was¡­ good?

    Arkk didn¡¯t move from his position of cover. First, he looked down on himself with his Keeper link. That afforded him a view over the metal barrier.

    The ritual circle was fully illuminated and, within it, the glowstone glowed a brilliant and almost white light. But it wasn¡¯t exploding. On the opposite side of the circle from him, a slightly dimmer green light puffed with regularity. Like Old Man Kenton smoking his pipe after a hard day¡¯s work in the fields, clouds of green flew up into the air. The motes dissipated after drifting a short distance, spreading back out into the ambient air.

    Arkk waited another minute, just to check that the venting was working properly. Slowly, he stood and looked with his own eyes.

    Glowing glowstone. Venting motes of magic. No explosions.

    Good?

    ¡°Zullie,¡± Arkk called, standing and backing away a bit. ¡°I think I got it.¡±

    The witch, hunched over her own ritual circle well across the empty desert from Arkk, stood and adjusted her rectangular glasses. Her ritual circle was an attempt at getting the teleportation circles working in this world. Even if they just wanted to head to that nearby village again, it was a fair walk away. The idea that they could be ambushed by the Protector en route made the idea of teleporting straight there all the more appealing.

    So far, she hadn¡¯t been having any luck. The teleportation circles normally inscribed a mirror of themselves at the destination location to form the spatial link. Here and now, that distant inscription wasn¡¯t working at all.

    Although slightly more annoying, Zullie figured that manually drawing out the destination circle would work. However, that would require someone to trek out to the destination to do it. Better than nothing but¡­

    Arkk shook his head and focused on his project as Zullie hurried over. Stormed over, more like. He made the cautious judgment not to ask how her teleportation circles were coming along.

    ¡°I think I got it working,¡± he said again as she stepped up alongside him.

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t shattered this time,¡± she said with her teeth visibly clenched. Definitely not the time to ask about her project. ¡°That¡¯s an improvement.¡± It sounded like she had to fish that compliment out of her throat with a hook and ended up snagging her stomach on the way.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t quite get the assortment array in place before it triggered but it seems to be working properly enough.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say to carve out the assortment array early on so that it wouldn¡¯t be a problem?¡±

    ¡°I did that in the first few but¡­¡± Arkk gestured around him where the shards of other test glowstones were scattered around the outside of the circle. ¡°I decided it was the least important component based on¡­ ahh.. was it Razlegram¡¯s theorem?¡±

    ¡°Razzlegere,¡± Zullie said, somewhat absently as she stalked around the circle. She used her own rod to, carefully, adjust a few markings on the inside of the ritual. The puff-puff-puff of the venting motes of magic steadied out into a smooth stream. The overall brightness of the glowstone in the middle dimmed along with it. Not enough to bring it down to a normal level, just enough that it didn¡¯t look blinding.

    ¡°That looks better,¡± Arkk said, hoping the compliment in return might improve the witch¡¯s mood. ¡°Think this will work more permanently?¡±

    ¡°Possibly. Let¡¯s see if we can extract the stone intact,¡± she said, stopping next to the metal shield that Arkk had hidden behind. Leaning up against it was a pair of long metal tongs that looked like oversized shears with flat pads on one end. She picked them up, stopped at the edge of the circle, and glanced back. ¡°Actually, you do this.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be such a baby. I¡¯ll put up a projectile shield,¡± she said, turning and handing the tongs off to Arkk.

    ¡°The one that we can¡¯t see through.¡±

    ¡°That thing is bright as the sun.¡± It wasn¡¯t. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to see it.¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­¡±

    A few uttered words from Zullie and the shifting haze of her projectile-blocking spell swiftly surrounded them. It was a good idea, Arkk had to admit. The whole reason for the metal shield was because these things tended to spontaneously explode. So, squinting at the bright light through the haze, he stretched the tongs out of the swirling sphere and grasped at the glowstone.

    It took three tries but he managed to move it out of the circle and set it carefully down near the shield.

    Zullie, kept up the shield for a moment longer as if worried that the glowstone would suddenly destabilize. When it didn¡¯t, she dropped the shield and cautiously stepped closer. Taking the tongs from Arkk, she prodded it a few times, shrugged, and then picked it up with her bare hands.

    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s a bit warm. Looks good though. Really good.¡± Her earlier irritation wasn¡¯t anywhere in her tone. She started grinning. ¡°You know what this means?¡±

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°More magic wands. Maybe some capable of casting Electro Deus?¡±

    ¡°No. Well¡­¡± She paused in thought. ¡°Maybe. But I wasn¡¯t even thinking like that. No, these can power large rituals in place of people. Get a dozen of these and we could run that ritual again without other people¡ª¡±

    ¡°We are not running the ritual again,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not¡­ Just an example. Any ritua¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold that thought,¡± Arkk said. Someone was calling to him over the employee link. It didn¡¯t feel like an emergency. Nobody was hurt or in a fight.

    It also felt distant. Not a problem in the Underworld then. He scanned through the fortress, making sure there were no problems there, before following the link further and further away. Aside from a handful of people he had stationed in the nearby burgs for the purpose of collecting mail, Arkk only knew of one employee that was away from Fortress Al-Mir.

    He found himself looking in on Ilya. She looked fine. Safe. Healthier than she had the last time he had checked in on her. His relief turned to ice as he took in the greater picture of where she was. Of why she had called for him now after having spent the last month in the Duke¡¯s manor.

    Ilya sat in a small cell, containing only a pile of moldy hay and a bucket. Red-faced and angry, she shouted something at the door. The link didn¡¯t let him hear what that something was.

    ¡°Your eyes are¡­ doing that thing again,¡± Zullie said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. A blink of his eyes and he was back in the Underworld, standing next to the ritual circle. ¡°Brighter than I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t even bother trying to calm himself down. Lightning crackled between his fingertips, the sound of which made Zullie take a step back.

    ¡°Arkk?¡±

    ¡°Get a sketch of the working design to the blacksmith. He¡¯ll make us a permanent version like that boulder drop ritual.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I have business in Cliff.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Oh. Is Ilya alright? Or did something happen to the Duke?¡±

    ¡°Ilya is¡­ safe. For now. I¡¯ll decide whether or not something needs to happen to the Duke when I get there.¡± He turned and started for the portal after checking on the location of a few other employees. ¡°Let Rekk¡¯ar and Olatt¡¯an know that they have command until I return.¡±

    ¡°Hey,¡± she said, keeping up with his furious march, ¡°if it is at all possible, would you mind stopping by the academy while you¡¯re in the neighborhood? We¡¯re almost out of the spell-quality glowstones I brought with me. The academy has a bunch of depleted ones sitting in storage.¡±

    Arkk paused and looked to her. He didn¡¯t want to delay for a moment. He didn¡¯t want to search through the academy to find out where the storage area was or where in the storage room the glowstones would be. There were still three lesser servants in the back of the academy, fruitlessly searching for evidence of it being a proper fortress. He could redirect them but that would still leave them searching.

    ¡°Inform Rekk¡¯ar and Olatt¡¯an. The former is in the Underworld headquarters, the latter is in the fortress canteen. Meet at the teleportation room.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going with you?¡± She glanced back to the ritual circle test area. ¡°What about that?¡±

    ¡°It can wait,¡± he said, turning and continuing back through the portal. Zullie followed for a few steps before deciding not to pester him further at the moment. She broke off toward the nearly finished headquarters building.

    As he made his way through the Underworld¡ªthe ritual circle test area was a safe distance away from anyone and anything that needed to survive an explosion¡ªnobody approached him. In fact, most of his employees backed away, especially the newer recruits. The guards on either side of the archway remained stiff and didn¡¯t turn their heads toward or away from him as if afraid that doing so might draw his ire.

    A small part of him didn¡¯t like them being so afraid of him. Even though his eyes were glowing, it didn¡¯t mean that he wasn¡¯t Arkk. At the same time, he had to mentally thank them for their awareness. If he suffered more delays, he likely would snap at them.

    As soon as he stepped through the archway and made it into the comforting aura of Fortress Al-Mir, he teleported. He reappeared in the teleportation chamber, deep within the maze of wings he had been constructing throughout the Cursed Forest. Vezta appeared alongside him at the same time, not at all surprised or upset at having been pulled away from whatever she had been doing at the time¡ªhe hadn¡¯t checked.

    ¡°Emergency?¡±

    ¡°Not life or death, yet. At least not for anyone a part of Fortress Al-Mir. I need a ritual chain to Cliff City, specifically the tunnel we had been planning on using for Plan D.¡± He held out his hand and pulled a crystal ball to his waiting palm, which he immediately handed over. ¡°Once that is done,¡± he added as an afterthought, ¡°a teleportation circle as close as you can reasonably get to the academy.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Vezta said, bowing.

    He didn¡¯t stick around long enough to see her raise her head.

    ¡°Dakka,¡± he said, reappearing at the training room. The orc in question sat up from where she had been doing exercises on the floor, took one look at him, and immediately scrambled to her feet, back unusually stiff. ¡°Teleportation chamber, five minutes.¡±

    ¡°Gear up?¡±

    ¡°That would be best. Get two of the gorgon to go with you. Zharja and Jann. You three are on protection detail. Zullie will be there shortly. Follow her directions.¡±

    ¡°Sir.¡± She nodded her head.

    By the time she looked back up, he was out of the training room. He used the metal ritual rod to knock against a warm metal door.

    ¡°Enter.¡±

    He didn¡¯t bother opening the door before teleporting inside.

    Agnete, resting on a cracked stone slab that looked a little too soft to be actual stone. The nearly molten rock deformed as the former purifier sat up. For all his urgency, Arkk had to take a moment and wonder if that kind of bed was comfortable. Then again, any normal bed would burst into flames the moment Agnete relaxed so perhaps it was the only choice. She could hold the heat in¡ªshe had done so while working with Vrox¡ªbut maybe trying to keep the heat down was worse than a molten slab of rock.

    Shaking his head, he refocused, noting the way the scars on Agnete¡¯s face started burning a little brighter.

    ¡°Trouble?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Are you feeling up to an expedition?¡±

    ¡°In the Underworld?¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°The Duke¡¯s manor in Cliff.¡±

    ¡°Are we expecting a fight?¡±

    ¡°I would prefer to be in and out before anyone notices but best to be prepared. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I¡¯m planning on going immediately.¡±

    Agnete swung her legs off her slab, leaning over as she ran her fingers through her wild black hair. Glowing red streaks trailed behind her fingers before dimming back to the dark black. ¡°I¡¯m good for this,¡± she said before looking down at herself. ¡°We have time for me to get dressed?¡±

    ¡°Call for me when you¡¯re ready. I¡¯ll move you straight there.¡±

    Arkk teleported back to the ritual room. There were a series of six ritual circles for teleportation outside the fortress. Each headed off in a different direction. Two went directly to the nearby burgs, one headed west, though that one was marked with a sign reading ¡®DO NOT USE¡¯ for the time being. They had destroyed all the ritual circles in that direction to keep any possibility of the Evestani army from finding them.

    The circle chain leading toward Cliff City had been partially destroyed as they hadn¡¯t wanted any inquisitors to stumble across them. Vezta, out in the wilderness between the fortress and Cliff, was almost finished repairing the line.

    A mental command to one of the dormant lesser servants that he had left in the city on their previous visit woke it from its slumber. They had come up with several plans for various situations, mostly escape routes to get away from the Duke or inquisitors.

    The tunnel for Plan D dug deep underground, burrowing below the moat around the Duke¡¯s manor. It didn¡¯t reach all the way to the manor¡ªthey hadn¡¯t wanted to alarm anyone too early¡ªso it needed to be extended. The lesser servant in the tunnel promptly began eating into the rock, digging at an upward slope.

    As long as they had done their planning right, the tunnel would open directly into the manor¡¯s dungeons.

    Agnete pinged him over the link just as Vezta finished the final teleportation circle at the far end of the tunnel. They couldn¡¯t go too close to the manor for fear of warding but the walk through the tunnel wouldn¡¯t take long. He teleported Agnete straight to him. She now stood dressed in thick boots and a black uniform similar to the one she had worn as an inquisitor. The ends of its sleeves were already smoking.

    ¡°Just us?¡± she asked, looking around.

    ¡°Vezta is at the far end,¡± Arkk said, gesturing to the Cliff portal.

    ¡°Operational parameters?¡±

    ¡°Rescue. I¡¯ll explain more once we¡¯re there. There shouldn¡¯t be any danger before the final portal.¡±

    Agnete nodded, stepped into the ritual circle, and flashed her magic into the ring. She vanished with a small puff of smoke, taking the heat with her.

    Arkk considered waiting a moment. Dakka and the gorgon were on their way. However, Zullie had only just disentangled herself from explaining the situation to Rekk¡¯ar. Olatt¡¯an wouldn¡¯t take as long but even that was longer than Arkk wanted to stick around for.

    Zullie would figure things out on her own.

    Arkk stepped into the teleportation ritual. The comfort of the fortress remained behind as he reappeared in a dark chamber, lit only by a few dim glowstones. The underground room wasn¡¯t part of the fortress, it was just a waystation keeping the ritual circles hidden. He stepped out of one circle and into the next.

    A dozen hops like that and he found himself in the final tunnel. It lacked any glowstones to keep it lit, leaving the long tunnel in complete darkness. That didn¡¯t stop him from seeing either of his companions. Agnete¡¯s smoldering scars and the embers in her eyes let him see her. Vezta¡¯s burning yellow suns were a little more obvious, dotted all around her body.

    Both turned to him upon his arrival. With his glowing red eyes, he stuck out as well.

    He almost wished some of the Duke¡¯s guards were down in the tunnel with them, just to hear them scream as they ran off. Perhaps they should drag the Duke himself into the tunnel, kicking and screaming. Alya too¡ªhe couldn¡¯t believe that she let them lock up her daughter. What had happened to the woman who took him in when his parents died? Had she always been like this and he just hadn¡¯t noticed in his youth? Or had she always been a snake in sheep¡¯s wool?

    Arkk was beyond livid at the moment and didn¡¯t even bother trying to think lighter thoughts.

    A swirl of flames wrapped around Agnete¡¯s outstretched hand, illuminating the tunnel and ruining the effect. It was probably for the best. The floor in the tunnel wasn¡¯t the smooth tiles of Fortress Al-Mir. They didn¡¯t want to trip over the uneven rock. Especially once they reached the downward slope that would take them under the moat.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Arkk said.

    As the trio walked, he explained everything that had led to this. The call from Ilya and the cell she seemed to be held inside. He didn¡¯t know the whys, hows, or any other reason she would be locked up. Up until now, she had been treated as an honored guest as far as he had been able to tell. The sudden shift¡­

    Could the Duke have been assassinated and now Evestani was taking over? Mind magics? Threats of that golden beam striking the city if they didn¡¯t comply?

    A thousand other possibilities ran through Arkk¡¯s mind. All were equally useless. They would find out soon enough.

    Or¡­

    Not?

    ¡°Vezta,¡± Arkk said, pausing in the tunnel. ¡°The lesser servant has hit a roadblock.¡±

    ¡°A roadblock? Underground?¡±

    ¡°Its teeth are sliding off the stone. It was eating through it just fine but now it¡¯s like¡­ as if I were trying to eat the rock.¡±

    ¡°Magically reinforced stone,¡± Vezta nodded immediately. ¡°Like the walls of Fortress Al-Mir. I suppose we should have expected this. Good thing we didn¡¯t need to use the escape route earlier.¡±

    ¡°We need it now,¡± he said through grit teeth.

    The heat in the tunnel turned scalding, forcing Arkk to take a step away from Agnete. ¡°My flames melted the enchantments off the fortress walls,¡± she said, burning embers looking at Arkk.

    Arkk hesitated to say anything. Turning up the heat in an enclosed space didn¡¯t sound like all that smart of an idea. He hadn¡¯t even brought the ice marble with them¡ªAgnete had never displayed any signs of needing it. But she was right. Her fire had melted the walls of Fortress Al-Mir during their invasion, severing the Heart¡¯s connection to the false fortress. If the magical reinforcement here were anything similar, she would be able to eat through it.

    ¡°I¡¯m redirecting the lesser servant,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I think toward the ballroom. My only real point of reference is Ilya, though, so it could be off. I don¡¯t want to break into the dungeons and flash boil Ilya or any other captives that might be down there.¡±

    ¡°Master, we might have to fight through some of the manor if we don¡¯t emerge in the dungeons.¡±

    Arkk nodded. He had already figured that. Between his lightning bolts, Agnete¡¯s flames, and Vezta¡¯s Veztaness¡­ They would have to have something special to stop their group. They were the three singular powerhouses of Fortress Al-Mir.

    If they didn¡¯t care about killing their opponents, he doubted anything short of an army would stop them. While he did not doubt that enough reserves were reinforcing the city in case the Evestani army split apart and some detachments went through to Cliff, he doubted they would be in the manor long enough for that to matter.

    ¡°Any problems with fighting?¡± he asked, looking to Vezta and Agnete.

    The latter shook her head slowly, flames gaining brightness and heat.

    The former allowed a small smile to grace her features.

    ¡°Then let us go rescue Ilya.¡±

 Fissure Aftermath

    Sylvara Astra clutched at the stump of her left arm, teeth clenched in pain as she staggered through the forest.

    Tybalt was dead. Sylvara would bid him good riddance if his traitorous final act hadn¡¯t cost them so much. Then again, those golden beams had opened up the city of Elmshadow well enough on their own. His help had hardly been needed.

    Ludwig had been missing since the day Elmshadow fell. The chronicler could be dead or he could have made away with the retreating armies. Sylvara didn¡¯t know and, with the way things were going, she doubted she would ever know. She could hope but that wasn¡¯t much consolation.

    A thin ray of gold blasted a tree to smithereens to Sylvara¡¯s left. Splinters of wood exploded outward, catching her in the side of her face. Snow clinging to the branches scattered to the air as the rest of the tree came down. Her boots slid on the slick ground, forcing her to throw herself backward to avoid being crushed.

    What was consolation was knowing that the Evestani army was without their heavy hitter.

    He had been chasing her for the last three days.

    She wasn¡¯t sure how much longer that would last.

    With the snow in the air swiftly settling, Sylvara threw herself behind another tree. It obviously wouldn¡¯t help protect her but she could hope that it would obscure her. The Evestani purifier equivalent was not infallible. She would never have survived if it was.

    Sylvara focused on her breathing, trying to still it. Three days with no rest, no food, no sleep. She was at her limits. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to seek shelter. Either she would meet her end at the golden rays or she would collapse into the snowy ground and never awaken. Now that she wasn¡¯t moving, closing her eyes alone was enough to make her feel like they would never open again. Her eyelids were so heavy.

    Sylvara chomped down on her own cheek. The pain was enough to snap her eyes open once again.

    Not yet.

    She couldn¡¯t die yet.

    Reaching into the tattered remains of her inquisitorial uniform, she withdrew a long strip of white paper. Despite the dirt, sweat stains, ash, and everything else, the paper still looked pristine as she removed it from the internal pocket. Lettering marked with a luminous ink glittered on the surface, though the actual words were impossible for mortals to decipher.

    A miracle, captured and contained for later use.

    If she were going to die, she would just have to bring down that Evestani purifier with her.

    Sylvara tensed. The sound of snow crunching under light footsteps made her suck in a breath and hold it.

    ¡°Done running?¡±

    Sylvara grimaced at the lighthearted tone of the slightly accented voice. It sounded like a child. It was a child¡ªshe had seen him during her fighting flight. Perhaps no more than thirteen years of age, a young boy with glowing box-like tattoos around his bald head. But hidden within that young face was a relentless pursuer.

    She had thought the Evestani purifier would give up after the first day. Even if it was using the same magic that the armies used to avoid the cold, it was still a child. They wore easily. Surely they grew as hungry and thirsty as Sylvara felt.

    A bright, golden light filled the forest. For a brief moment, Sylvara figured she wouldn¡¯t see the next moment.

    More snow filled the air as a tree crashed to the ground somewhere behind her. It sounded like a large tree but she didn¡¯t see a single branch. It must have fallen away from her.

    She didn¡¯t know exactly where the Evestani purifier was but if it fired off another beam, she might not get a chance to do anything.

    Sylvara bit down on the paper and then used her hand to rip the sheet in two.

    Blue-white light wrapped around Sylvara, bringing comfort and strength. Both had been sorely lacking in the last few days. It wouldn¡¯t last long. Seconds. Maybe a full minute if she was worthy. She pivoted around the tree just in time to avoid a golden beam blasting through it that would have taken her head off.

    The boy stood in the open between two trees, one of which had been knocked askew by the first falling tree. Missing one arm¡ªtaken by Arkk if the man¡¯s testimony had been accurate¡ªhe adjusted the angle of the other, aiming it toward Sylvara.

    She moved in a blur, crossing thirty paces in three smooth steps. The ray of gold went high and wide as the boy struggled to follow, blasting a hole in the forest¡¯s canopy.

    Sylvara slammed the shoulder of her missing arm into the boy¡¯s chest, pinning him against one of the trees. She grabbed his wrist with her arm and wrenched it aside. A series of tangible cracks filled the air as his wrist and elbow broke along with his shoulder.

    He didn¡¯t cry out. He didn¡¯t scream or shout or even get a little watery in his eyes.

    He grinned.

    Sylvara lifted a leg, slamming her knee into his side with enough force to pulp bone. She clipped the tree she had him pinned to, filling the air with splinters again.

    The impact sent him skidding across the snowy forest floor, slipping from her grip with a few extra broken bones in his arm. One leg twisted in the complete wrong direction as he came to a stop.

    Sylvara stepped forward, ready to stomp the boy¡¯s head until it popped, only to stagger.

    The blue-white light surrounding Sylvara faded away. She felt better. Not healed¡ªher arm was still missing and she could still feel that gash in her thigh¡ªbut better. More energetic, more alert, more awake. Maybe that wouldn¡¯t last, it could just be a brief burst of adrenaline, but she thought she might be able to stumble her way to a village.

    But first¡­

    She clenched her teeth and balled her fist.

    The boy was on the ground. He couldn¡¯t flex his wrist let alone move his arm. He just stared, one leg twitching at random.

    ¡°There will be more,¡± he said, tone almost conversational. There was a note of strain but nothing that indicated he was in pain. ¡°You saw it, didn¡¯t you? That hole in the world?¡±

    She had seen it. It was the only reason she was alive right now. The sky broke right when this purifier had her cornered. It had distracted him long enough for her to get away. Not just away but get a lead that led to this three-day nightmare.

    Sylvara didn¡¯t respond. She moved over, drawing a short dagger. The end of the blade had broken off at some point. It would still work.

    ¡°I imagine we¡¯ll be allies when we next meet. The Ecclesiarch will have seen it. How could he not? Whatever fear gripped his heart when he heard of Evestani¡¯s armies marching across your Kingdom must pale in comparison to what he must have felt that day. You¡¯ll have new orders to work with me. Won¡¯t that be a treat¡­ The world is ending if we don¡¯t stop it. You realize that, right?¡±

    Sylvara said nothing as she knelt next to the purifier, gazing down into his glowing gold eyes. She raised her dagger.

    ¡°Well, see you around, I suppose.¡±

    The light in his eyes faded before Sylvara could strike. His interlocking square tattoos on his head faded and dimmed.

    A scream split the air, startling Sylvara back a step. It wasn¡¯t just a shout. It was a cry of pure and absolute pain, terror, and agony. The boy¡¯s brown eyes darted around, filling with tears. He tried to move but what little he managed only made him scream harder. His voice was already turning to a rasp as he ruined his throat, only pausing his scream to suck in fresh air.

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    What manner of evil was this?

    That purifier¡­ hadn¡¯t been this boy from the start? Possession was the first thing that came to mind. Arkk had said it back in Elmshadow but she hadn¡¯t believed it. Only ghosts and gods could possess others and neither fit with what she had seen. Those tattoos¡­

    A fresh scream startled Sylvara from her thoughts.

    She clenched her teeth.

    The boy¡¯s body was battered and broken. He couldn¡¯t move. Even if she dragged him to a village, she doubted he would survive. In the unlikely case that he could be nursed back to health¡­ what would stop that purifier from possessing the boy once more?

    Leaning forward once more with her blade at the ready, she could see the awful horror in the boy¡¯s teary eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said.

    She dragged her blade across his throat.

    The screams in the forest cut out.

    After a minute, the gurgling died off.

    Allies, that purifier had said? To stop the end of the world?

    Sylvara stood, arm trembling.

    Exhaustion was setting back in. But she wasn¡¯t dead yet.

    And she couldn¡¯t let herself die here. There was a purifier in this world that needed to be excised.

    <hr>

    Duke Levi Woldair paced back and forth in front of his throne, listening to the court jabber on. Advisors, nobles, and generals all sat at the long table, giving out various reports. The vast map of the Duchy, spread out over the table, was covered in little painted markers denoting active combat, force concentrations, and settlements that had not reported in as of late.

    The initial foray into the Duchy¡ªHis Duchy¡ªhad slowed in the last week. Ever since that¡­

    That¡­

    Levi stumbled just thinking back to it. He tried to blot it out of his mind. He had seen the mind healers of the Abbey but they had done nothing. If anything, they were as disturbed as he was, if not more so. If they couldn¡¯t help themselves, how could they help him?

    It was like merely seeing it had torn a hole into his mind just as it had torn a hole into the sky. He could almost feel it in the back of his skull, writhing and twisting.

    Shaking his head, Levi turned and focused on the table, seeking distraction from the dire events bearing down on the Duchy.

    Olah Faran stood at the table, gesticulating with both hands and the entire top half of her body as she made a report. King Abe Lafoar was marshalling his forces to reinforce the Duchy but they had run into weather trouble. The cold winter was not kind to large armies or their supply lines.

    Useless.

    The Duchy bled. Broken in two. If the King or his precious princes thought the barbarians at the gate would stop at his borders, they were dead wrong. Yet they dragged their feet. Evestani¡¯s Golden Order had come up with a solution for the cold, surely the Abbey of the Light could as well.

    Levi looked around the room, scowling. Normally, such a meeting would warrant the presence of Pontiff Bernardin or one of his underlings as a representative of the Abbey. Ever since that¡­

    That thing.

    Ever since that thing had happened, the Abbey¡¯s upper level leaders had holed up in their church and had hardly left. He hadn¡¯t the slightest idea of what they were playing at. The Duchy didn¡¯t have time to let them¡ªor him¡ªhave panic attacks. Everything was burning down now.

    Levi clenched his teeth as Olah took her seat, allowing Viscount Wesley to take the stand. The Viscount started blathering on about droll matters entirely irrelevant to the war effort. Who cared that some nobody village out in the east had been hit by raiders? That happened all the time. None of the villages would be standing anywhere if Evestani¡¯s army resumed their marching.

    That was the one good thing about that thing. Evestani¡¯s momentum had ground to a halt. Their main force stood firm just past the Elm mountains but the Duchy was rallying everyone they had. The army had already met up with White Company¡¯s forward force. The Order of the Claymores was merging with them. First Legion and the Burning Shadow mercenary companies were keeping some smaller Evestani detachments at bay.

    Why this, why now, why attack?

    Things had been going so well. Yes, there was some bad history between the nations. But that was history of a previous generation. He had met the sultan and shook the man¡¯s hand. He had even been set to wed the second daughter of Evestani¡¯s sultan. Had they accepted his gifts of food and resources knowing they would use those resources against him?

    Those were a spiral of thoughts he had been down many times in the past few weeks. He tried not to dwell on them now.

    ¡°Astrologist June believes we will see a warming in the weather in around six weeks,¡± the representative from the Cliff Magical Academy said. ¡°There will be a brief resurgence of cold about a week after followed by steadily warming weather after that.¡±

    Six weeks.

    Levi stared at the representative. An older warlock by the name of Duvat. It had been nine weeks since winter settled in but only about six since the war began. In just six weeks, Evestani had ripped through half the Duchy, free to move at will thanks to their magic while the defending forces had to contend with the weather. If they got their momentum again, they could be at Cliff City before the first snow melt.

    Even once the weather started to warm, apparently in six weeks, it wasn¡¯t like winter would vanish overnight. Some areas of the Duchy would stay cold. The north especially. Cliff City, tucked in the shadow of its namesake, often had snow on the ground well into when the rest of the land started growing their spring crops.

    Would it be too late? How soon would the King¡¯s army be able to join up with the defense? It was a long way between Cliff City and the heart of Chernlock. The King¡¯s army was moving but not fast.

    They were likely to show up too late.

    He turned to the side, opening his mouth to speak to his most trusted advisor.

    Only to stop.

    She wasn¡¯t there. Not anymore.

    Trying not to scowl, the Duke merely waved a hand, gesturing for the next speaker to take the stand and report on whatever else was going wrong at the moment.

    Would it kill them to have some good news for once?

    ¡°We received a notice via Swiftwing harpy,¡± the Great Marshall said. A young man for his station, even younger than Levi was. ¡°It claims to be from¡­ The Avatar of the Golden Heart.¡±

    Levi¡¯s eyes scanned around the room, once again wondering where the representative of the Abbey was. This sounded like a religious matter and, until recently, he had very little interest in religion beyond paying lip service to keep important people happy. Presumably, this avatar was something akin to the Ecclesiarch of the Abbey of the Light. The leader of the Golden Order.

    So he nodded. ¡°And? I presume there was more to the letter than an introduction.¡±

    The Great Marshall placed the letter on the table. It was too far away for Levi to see the actual text but he could easily see the large, loopy lettering in gold on its surface. ¡°In short, it demands our immediate and unconditional surrender followed by our full support in consolidating our forces against the one that threatens to rip our world into pieces.¡±

    Levi flinched despite himself. The threat had to be referring to that thing. There was no other possibility. ¡°¡®Rip the world to pieces.¡¯ Those were the exact words used?¡±

    The Great Marshall nodded his head.

    ¡°Hand it over,¡± Levi said, stepping toward the large table. The Great Marshall, seated halfway down the table, passed it along. Each of the advisors quickly glanced over it, eyes on it exactly as long as it took to pass to the next one down.

    Levi accepted it from his spymaster, a man he had once thought to be competent before all this mess with Evestani. He stared down at the golden lettering, eyes roaming over the text. He didn¡¯t quite internalize it, however, thoughts swirling about distracting him from the actual words.

    Immediate surrender. Threat to the world. Those were a dangerous combination to put to paper. Especially here among the leaders of the Duchy. If someone got it into their head that this threat could only be resolved through Evestani or just that surrendering would see them earning concessions, he would be in danger of waking up to find a knife buried in his back.

    ¡°Evestani has slaughtered our people, our armies, and our fellow kin with no regard for weeks. Now they have the gall to call for cooperation? This ¡®Avatar¡¯ of the Golden Order was wise to send a letter. Had he come himself or even sent a messenger, their skulls would be on a pike outside the gates.¡±

    Levi drew himself up, walking back and forth to force his advisors¡¯ eyes on him. ¡°The Abbey is not unaware of this threat. They are assessing the situation and the proper response to what we all witnessed several days ago,¡± he said, not entirely telling the truth. The Abbey was probably doing that but they had neglected to inform him of their goings on. Much to his chagrin. ¡°We will follow their plans in dealing with whatever threat there may or may not be. But we will never bow to the slaughterers of the very people who have placed trust in us to see them to safety.

    ¡°If any of you have objections or, Light forbid, sympathy for these¡ª¡±

    A rumbling in the floor cut off his speech. Levi¡¯s eyes widened even as those at the table stood, fear obvious in their faces.

    The manor had been attacked before. But that had been through infiltration. He had gone over every last individual with access to the manor and ensured there wouldn¡¯t be a repeat. Only the most essential servants, guards, and staff remained behind and only the trustworthy from those categories. His staffing had dropped by three-quarters. There was no chance they had missed someone.

    Yet he could hear alarmed shouts coming from outside the throne room.

    Guards were moving. His advisors and leaders were backing away, all except the Great Marshall who had drawn his sword. His most trusted bodyguards were already moving around him, readying a defensive line that would allow him to retreat out of one of the side doors.

    Levi didn¡¯t move, locked in place. He stared in the direction of the noise, teeth grit.

    The far doors to the throne room blasted open, throwing back the two guards who had been working to secure them. Immediately, a sweltering heat rushed through the chamber. Orange fire licked at the walls as three figures moved into the now-open doorway.

    The light from the fire was too bright, too intense to get a good look at the figures. It swept around them as they almost casually walked further into the room. The heat alone was enough to keep all the guards backing away and yet they weathered it without apparent difficulty. All he could see were their shadows and, as they approached¡­

    Their eyes.

    One stood wreathed in fire, eyes glowing like the embers in a raging bonfire. One stood with red eyes, glowing as a demon¡¯s might. The last¡­

    The last had eyes like burning suns, set into a slice of the night¡¯s sky.

    Just like that¡­

    That¡­

    That thing.

 The Dukes Manor, Aflame

    The Duke¡¯s throne room had recovered in the weeks since the attack on the party.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if he was surprised or not. Even with all the death and destruction ravaging the Duchy as a result of the war, the Duke still found the time, resources, and manpower to remove all evidence of the attack. The floor gleamed with fresh polish. The tiles and brickwork which had been destroyed in the explosions had either been repaired or replaced. Even the chandeliers were back up, though the glowstones were perhaps not quite as bright as they had been.

    If the meeting taking place had looked anything like the party Arkk had attended, he would have been tempted to take several steps back and let Agnete sweep her flames through the entire hall.

    Instead, it looked as if he had intruded upon a war council. A massive table had been set out, filling much of the floor space of the throne room. People lined its sides. Though many chairs had fallen and the people had backed away upon Arkk¡¯s entrance, they hadn¡¯t yet fled from the room. At least, most of them hadn¡¯t.

    Some, the more militaristic of the gathering, had even drawn weapons, though they hadn¡¯t advanced into the inferno.

    Arkk could think of several reasons why the council would be held here instead of at the garrison. Aside from the Duke¡¯s vanity, much like the Abbey¡¯s churches the manor could not be scried upon, its walls were reinforced to the point where even servants couldn¡¯t eat through them, and it did serve as the heart of the Duchy.

    Much as he might wish to lop off the head of the Duchy, it wasn¡¯t a wise idea at the moment. Not in the middle of a war. He had to grit his teeth and bear with it. In the future¡­ Well, they knew they could get inside. Perhaps the inquisitors would come up with countermeasures for Agnete. Perhaps not. That was something to worry about in the future.

    For now, they stopped advancing into the room, leaving a short space between them and the table. Arkk motioned to his side.

    Agnete did not obey immediately. From speaking with the former purifier, he well knew that flames affected her. In the company of the inquisitors, she had exceedingly little control and frequently lashed out at Vrox and anyone else nearby. Especially when they tried to dampen her flames. Since employing her¡ªcontracting her to the [HEART]¡ªthat side effect of her abilities hadn¡¯t affected her quite so much. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if it was a mechanic of the betrayal mechanism that wouldn¡¯t let anyone attack him without first breaking that link or if it was that the [HEART] stemmed from the same source as her powers. The [PANTHEON].

    Closing her eyes, Agnete drew in a deep breath. With it, she took in much of the ambient heat.

    Which Arkk appreciated. He was sweating buckets and not just because they were barging their way into the Duke¡¯s manor.

    ¡°Duke Woldair,¡± Arkk called out the moment he felt he would be able to speak without choking on the heat. ¡°Release the captive in your dungeons and I¡¯ll leave peacefully.¡±

    The Duke, back at the far end of the room near his throne, shrugged off a pair of guards who were trying to escort him away. ¡°I remember you,¡± he said, pointing a finger. ¡°The so-called rising star of the mercenary companies. Company¡­ Mirror¡­ something.¡±

    ¡°Take us to the dungeons.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you want to see the dungeons, do you? Guards!¡±

    There weren¡¯t many guards in the room. The main entrance to the throne room was still blocked off by flames. A few reinforcements had been slowly funneling into the room from side doors. A few of the braver guards advanced.

    Agnete snapped her fingers. The dimming flames erupted and orange fire billowed out from her like waves of the ocean crashing against Cliff¡¯s shores. Guards went tumbling back, scurrying away. A few dropped their weapons in the path of the flames. The metal turned to slag even as Agnete clasped her hand into a fist, pulling back the fire.

    Arkk¡¯s ears picked up the start of an incantation. ¡°Electro Deus,¡± he said before even spotting the caster. A lazy flick of his wrist sent one of the war council into convulsions. He barely put any power into it. Today¡¯s objective was not to kill the leaders of the war.

    Lightning still crackling between his fingertips, he pointed at the Duke¡ªwho wisely shied away behind one of his bodyguards.

    ¡°One of my employees was here as an honored guest. And now you¡¯ve thrown them into your dungeons. Release them. I won¡¯t ask again,¡± Arkk said, projecting as much authority as possible into his voice.

    This would have been so much easier if they could have just burrowed into the lowest points of the manor. Not knowing what might be on the other side, Arkk hadn¡¯t been willing to risk it. Having seen the explosive entrance they made into the ballroom, he felt entirely justified with that decision. While he could have guaranteed that they wouldn¡¯t have blown up Ilya¡¯s cell, he didn¡¯t know how many other cells were filled or¡­ potentially worse, where the wine cellar was. Flames and alcohol didn¡¯t mix well.

    Looking around, Arkk wondered how much of the manor would survive this little incursion. There wasn¡¯t much smoke as a result of the flames burning magic more than wood or anything else. Nonetheless, he could see cracks forming in the brickwork from the heat. Some areas, mostly the floor underneath Agnete¡¯s bare feet, had turned molten.

    If they cooperated fast enough, there would still be time to get a caster to sweep through the place with a water spell. The longer they waited¡­

    The longer they waited, the more likely reinforcements would arrive from the garrison.

    Arkk had no desire to fight through an army today.

    ¡°Vezta,¡± he started, only for one of the war council to shout at the Duke.

    ¡°Levi! That is a purifier. Your men can¡¯t stand against her,¡± he said. An older man with thin glasses and a fine suit. Not a military man. He had shoulder-length ¡®page boy¡¯ hair that curled lightly at the ends, though his hair had clearly seen better days in his youth. A merchant? Some other advisor. He stepped away from the line of advisors, hand gripping the hem of his suit. ¡°I¡¯ll take them. If they extinguish their fires.¡±

    The Duke leveled a thunderous glare at the man, which was really all Arkk needed to trust him. Slowly, he lowered his arm. With a nod of his head to Agnete, she closed her eyes. This time, she drew in a great breath of air, as if filling her lungs beyond their normal capacity.

    The flames around her shrank to embers. They didn¡¯t completely vanish. A tapestry hanging from one wall still burned and the molten footprints trailing into the room didn¡¯t go anywhere. The heat lingered as well. Still, the situation at least looked better.

    However, when Agnete opened her eyes, they were glowing almost as much as Arkk¡¯s did. The same was true for the scars along her face and arms. She had somehow managed enough control to keep her uniform from completely burning away, even though her boots had not survived.

    The Duke¡¯s fingers clenched into tight fists. ¡°I¡¯ll have your head for this, Joyce.¡±

    ¡°Better my head than everyone¡¯s,¡± the newly dubbed Joyce said, straightening his back. ¡°The people cannot afford to lose our council at this stage.¡±

    ¡°You¡ª¡±

    ¡°If you wish to keep your head, Duke Woldair,¡± Arkk said, ¡°you won¡¯t interfere.¡± Turning to the older man, he said, ¡°Lead us.¡±

    The man took a breath and stepped further away from the rest of the war council. He motioned with a hand to one of the doors on the side wall.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Arkk looked to Agnete. For a moment, he thought of having her stay behind and keep an eye on the council. If they tried anything, she would be ready to handle it. But then he decided against it. If she were with them, they could blast through the dungeon and into the tunnel, removing any need to trek back through the manor.

    It was also safer to not split up.

    The door brought them to a hallway. Not the servant¡¯s corridor that Arkk had gotten himself lost in the last time he was at the manor, just a regular hallway. They moved in silence. Nobody else came across them. Presumably, any guard would have rushed to the throne room while any servant would have run in the opposite direction.

    Joyce stopped at an unassuming door and grasped the handle. ¡°This leads to the dungeons and the menagerie,¡± he said with a small note of distaste in his tone.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if it was directed at him or not, so he just nodded his head.

    The handle rattled under his grip but the door didn¡¯t open. Joyce swore under his breath. ¡°One of the guards will have a key¡ª¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Arkk said, taking a few steps backward. ¡°Agnete.¡±

    The former purifier stepped forward and planted a hand on the metal around the handle. The brass first blackened and then began to glow red. It steadily brightened until it started dripping. Slamming her shoulder into the door, it swung open.

    ¡°Neat trick,¡± Joyce said with a scowl.

    ¡°I¡¯m just full of them.¡± Arkk stepped into the opening. Average-quality glowstones adorned the ceiling, lighting the way down a spiraling flight of stairs. It was a tight spiral with a ceiling lower than would be comfortable for anyone too tall. ¡°What is the menagerie?¡±

    ¡°Servant quarters for the non-human staff.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, thinking back to the entertainment at the Duke¡¯s party. Most hadn¡¯t looked all that happy to be there. Were they paid? Arkk remembered Ilya¡¯s initial observations of the Duke¡¯s manor just after they first came to Cliff. A harpy had tried to escape the grounds and had been magically stopped. He doubted they were treated all that well.

    Would they want to leave? Seek employment elsewhere?

    Arkk couldn¡¯t deny that, after seeing the Underworld, having a harpy on his payroll sounded great. Someone who could fly overhead, scouting both for more of those Protector creatures as well as any additional settlements in the area. Or just any landmark in general. He hadn¡¯t quite realized how much he had come to rely upon scrying until he couldn¡¯t do it anymore.

    ¡°Are the staff in their quarters at the moment?¡±

    Joyce looked back over his shoulder with a frown, looking Arkk up and down. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what information you¡¯re fishing for but you requested an escort to the dungeons. I am here to prevent needless death, not assist you.¡±

    ¡°And yet, if you return to the Duke, it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯ll be keeping your head.¡±

    ¡°As I said to him, better one than all given the war.¡± He stretched his back, cracking his neck. ¡°I¡¯m an old man. Fought in the last war. Spent the intervening years as a knight errant. In light of a few prominent deaths, the Great Marshall reached out to me to see if I had any insight. Unfortunately, Evestani have drastically changed their tactics and strategies. I¡¯m the least useful member of that council.¡±

    ¡°So you lay down your life for the rest of them. Taking the risk for others in my hands but inevitability in the Duke¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Unless I misjudged you at the party, I didn¡¯t think you would kill me.¡±

    ¡°We met at the party?¡± Arkk asked, frowning in thought. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I met a hundred people that night and then the attack kind of blotted the rest of the night from my mind.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°Hawkwood introduced us. Thank you for saving his life.¡±

    ¡°Hawkwood is a friend and mentor.¡±

    ¡°Mhm¡­ Though perhaps I did misjudge you. Attacking the center of the Duchy like this? Even if the Duke spares me, I¡¯ll be forced through a hundred droll meetings on you in addition to Evestani.¡±

    ¡°I personally believe the Duke is a blight on the Duchy. Moreso now. One of my companions was injured in the attack on the party and I left her here for medical care. Imagine my disappointment when I found out she had been thrown into the dungeon.¡±

    Joyce hummed again, sounding a little more thoughtful this time. He didn¡¯t say anything else before they reached the bottom of the stairs.

    ¡°Left door, dungeons. Right door, menagerie.¡±

    Arkk frowned. ¡°Is it just a coincidence that they¡¯re located next to each other?¡±

    Joyce just shrugged. ¡°I brought you here. Good luck,¡± he said, turning back to the stairs.

    ¡°I can get you out of here,¡± Arkk said. ¡°You can either come with me or go back to your errant wanderings. You don¡¯t have to submit yourself to Woldair¡¯s mercies.¡±

    The man just shook his head and continued ascending the stairs. He did pause after a few steps, turning back. ¡°I imagine you won¡¯t have very long alone. The Duke is surely gathering up the entire guard contingent and all the spellcasters he can scrape together.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the warning.¡± Even if it wasn¡¯t strictly necessary. Arkk had already guessed that this reprieve was only temporary.

    Joyce disappeared up the spiral, leaving Arkk with Agnete and Vezta.

    ¡°Agnete. Open the doors. Vezta, go see if anyone is home in the¡­ menagerie. Make a soft sell to anyone present. Push a little harder on harpies or anyone else capable of flight.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Master,¡± Vezta said with a bow as Agnete started melting the locks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take too long. I want us gone in¡­ ten minutes. We¡¯ll go through the dungeon floor and meet up with the tunnel that way. I¡¯ve already got the lesser servant in position¡ªit¡¯s close, somewhere underneath the menagerie floor.¡±

    Agnete shoved open the door to the dungeon with her shoulder just as she had done with the stairwell door. She turned to the other door only for Vezta to form a maw of razor teeth at the end of her arm. The door gave her a brief pause but turned to splinters under the rotating teeth.

    ¡°Reinforced stone. Regular doors,¡± Vezta said with a shrug before stepping inside.

    Letting her carry out her task, Arkk stepped into the dungeon with Agnete at his back. He almost expected a guard of some sort. instead, he just found a long, poorly lit corridor with several heavy doors on either side. A small window of bars on each door let him peek inside.

    The first door on the left held a small fairy. The waifish demihuman sat on the floor of her cell, arms hugging her bent knees. A dark elf sat in the cell on the right, an eyepatch hiding one eye. He looked like he had seen his fair share of fights. Another dark elf sat in the next cell on the left. The next on the right was empty.

    Arkk scowled as he passed more doors, peeking into each. Why were there so many held here? Criminals should be held at the garrison. The average thief or even murderer wouldn¡¯t be here. Arkk doubted assassins would be either. Most likely, these were people who had simply offended the Duke.

    ¡°Open all the doors,¡± Arkk said, nodding to Agnete. ¡°All the occupied ones, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t say I expected anything else,¡± Agnete said with a faint smile touching her black lips.

    Some part of this likely resonated with the former purifier. She hadn¡¯t been held in a literal prison but with that ice marble held over her head every moment of her life, she might as well have been. If some of these people were violent murderers held here for some reason¡­ well, he would deal with that later. It might be somewhat hypocritical to turn anyone away with how many criminals he was sheltering.

    As Agnete started popping open cells, Arkk moved down the corridor, peeking into each and every cell. He knew exactly where Ilya was thanks to the employee link but he still wanted to check.

    Sure enough, by the time he reached Ilya¡¯s cell toward the end of the dungeon corridor, he had only passed a single human. Everyone else was either a demihuman or beastman.

    Even though he had already confirmed through the employee link that Ilya was fine, Arkk couldn¡¯t help the relief he felt upon seeing her sitting in her cell, resting on a pile of moldy straw in the opposite corner from the bucket. She had her eyes closed but a few quick knocks on the door had her on her feet in an instant.

    She glared at the barred window in the door for just a moment. Her eyes widened. ¡°Arkk?¡±

    ¡°You sound so surprised. Didn¡¯t think I would come for you?¡±

    ¡°I only pulled on the link an hour ago.¡± She leaned close to the door. ¡°How did you convince the Duke to release me so fast?¡± Pausing as a frown touched her lips, Ilya¡¯s tone took on a note of admonishment. ¡°Your eyes are glowing.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Turns out a few sets of glowing eyes can be pretty convincing. Stand back,¡± he said, even as he moved out of the way.

    Agnete stepped forward and placed her hand against the door¡¯s handle. Not having cooled down between each door let her heat the metal nearly instantly. As soon as it was soft enough, she shoved her shoulder into it, popping the door open.

    Ilya gave Arkk a raised eyebrow as she moved back to the now-open door.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I take it convincing the Duke involved a lot of fire.¡±

    ¡°A bit,¡± Arkk said, pulling Ilya into a tight hug. One she didn¡¯t pull away from. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I left you here for so long. The war has been¡­ hectic.¡±

    ¡°Not just the war,¡± she said, hands on his back. ¡°I saw it. The sky.¡±

    Arkk broke the hug first, pulling back. ¡°Sky?¡±

    ¡°The¡­ that wasn¡¯t you?¡±

    Arkk gave a confused shake of his head. Before Ilya could say anything, he held up a finger. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to hold that thought. My job convincing the Duke might not have been as thorough as I would have liked. We need to get out of here before they start dumping poison down the stairwell. Or however they plan to deal with us.¡±

    ¡°Wait! My mother.¡±

    Arkk clenched his teeth into a tight grimace. ¡°We don¡¯t really have time to run around the manor¡ª¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not in the manor,¡± Ilya said, stepping out into the hall. She looked one way and then the other. ¡°Oh. You¡¯re freeing everyone.¡±

    ¡°Is that bad?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­¡±

    She trailed off, looking to the door Agnete had just popped open.

    Alya stepped through, wearing a fine dress that had clearly seen better days. The tall elf still managed to affect an ethereal grace that Ilya hadn¡¯t quite managed. Her silver eyes trailed after Agnete.

    The purifier ignored her, moving on to the last few doors.

    Alya¡¯s head turned toward Arkk. Those silver eyes landed on him and widened. Likely at the bright red glow in his eyes. She sucked in a breath that was more of a hiss than a regular breath. ¡°You¡­¡± Alya stepped forward, tall and imposing but lacking any real means to threaten him. She still reached out a hand that turned into a shaking, clenched fist.

    ¡°What have you done, Arkk?¡±

 Exfiltration

    ¡°You have two options,¡± Arkk said, addressing the assorted demihumans and beastmen. And two humans. ¡°You go with me or you stay and hope the Duke is in a good mood. After I burned down his ballroom and half the rest of the manor, I doubt he is in that good of a mood.¡±

    He stood in the so-called menagerie with Vezta at his side while Agnete worked her magic at the far end of the corridor. The hall had no appreciable differences from that of the dungeon. It was a cramped corridor with doors on either side leading to small, cell-like rooms, each with a bucket and a mat of straw. The doors locked from the outside and¡­

    Well, if it wasn¡¯t meant to be a prison, it certainly wasn¡¯t a very good attempt.

    ¡°I know none of you know me and that might make the decision difficult. Know that you¡¯ll, at the very least be treated like people rather than cattle.¡± He paused for effect, looking over the crowd of people. It wasn¡¯t the best place for giving a speech. Too narrow, too long. He wasn¡¯t even sure if people toward the stairwell could even hear him properly. ¡°If you wish to take that chance, remain here. Otherwise¡­ I imagine you will find greater leniency if you sit quietly in one of the dungeon cells.¡±

    Arkk waited a moment.

    Not one of those present moved toward the door. That, he felt, was telling.

    He did, however, note more than a few shooting glances toward the tall elf standing well away from him. Alya hadn¡¯t yet had a chance to yell at him for whatever she thought he had done. The second Vezta walked back into the dungeon, Alya had clammed up. Even now, she was staring at the servant with a look of horror on her face. Arkk was fairly certain that the only reason she hadn¡¯t fled was Ilya at her side, holding tight to her arm.

    Well, Ilya and the fact that the way out of the dungeons had been sealed. Arkk guessed that the Duke was barricading the place until he felt he had enough men on the other side to take on Agnete. Or the assistance of the Abbey.

    He wasn¡¯t going to get the chance to try.

    The heat at Arkk¡¯s back faded, leading to him turning. ¡°Enchantments removed,¡± Agnete said as she stepped away from the far wall, voice unusually breathy. She was enjoying flexing her powers, although this time, she was being far more careful.

    In the ballroom earlier, she had burned through the stone all on her own with no aid from Vezta or a lesser servant. Here and now, she had to keep things toned down to avoid incinerating everyone in the cramped hallway.

    ¡°Good. I know it isn¡¯t your forte¡­ if you could cool the wall down as much as possible, that would help speed things up. The lesser servant is eating the stone properly from the other side, but the heat¡­¡±

    Agnete turned back to the wall. Once made of large brickwork, it was now little more than molten slag. The entire corridor felt like sitting next to an open bonfire on an already hot and windless summer day. Once again, Arkk was regretting leaving the marble behind. Not because he needed to use it against Agnete. Simply because having it in his pocket would keep the sweat from running down the side of his face.

    He couldn¡¯t imagine how the two werecats in the room were feeling. Then again, perhaps their thick fur helped insulate them from the heat.

    Closing her soot-covered eyes, Agnete drew in a deep breath just like she had done at the war council. The heat in the room immediately took a dip and the glow from the mushy brickwork faded. The scars lining Agnete¡¯s face took on the glow in its place and the heat around her jumped. Overall, the temperature wasn¡¯t quite as bad as before.

    More than that, the lesser servant was somewhat less hesitant to eat through the stone. It could handle a bit of heat. Just not literal lava.

    ¡°We¡¯re burrowing a tunnel into the dungeons,¡± Arkk explained as the lesser servant ate around a few warm spots, letting them cool while still making progress. ¡°Once outside the manor¡¯s wards, we will be using a ritual circle to transport everyone well out of the city. It is quite a simple process. You step into the ritual circle and one of us activates it. You¡¯ll reappear elsewhere. We need to go quickly. I¡¯ve no doubt the Duke is furiously scratching his head, trying to come up with ways to make all our lives more miserable.¡±

    As he finished speaking, the smooth, near-glassy surface of the former brickwork cracked and broke. As soon as it started crumbling, Arkk directed the lesser servant away. It scurried back down the tunnel and the burrowed inside the ground. No need to frighten anyone any further.

    Alya might just have a heart attack.

    ¡°Vezta, take the lead. Get through the portal and make enough room on the other side for this group.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± she said, bowing before turning and descending the melted slope of stone into the darkness. Her burning suns remained visible even as the rest of her ended up cloaked in shadow.

    ¡°Agnete, head up the rear. Unless someone decides to stay behind, feel free to leave a¡­ parting gift.¡±

    Without a word, Agnete nodded her head. Despite the cramped space, everyone found a way to give the purifier plenty of room as she strode through. No one wanted to touch someone who had just melted through solid brickwork. Especially not when her feet were leaving bright red marks in her wake.

    ¡°Everyone else, come quickly and mind your footing. The tunnel will slope downward in about a hundred paces and slope back upward a short distance beyond that.¡± He turned, looked to Ilya, and held out a hand.

    Although she took hold of his offered hand, she pursed her lips in a way Arkk was quite familiar with, having seen the same reaction more times than he could count. A mixture of disappointment, exasperation, and just a pinch of relief. The disappointment faded as she laced her fingers with his, only to return in force when she practically had to drag her mother forward. At least it wasn¡¯t directed at him now.

    ¡°Not quite the rescue you were hoping for?¡± Arkk asked as they stepped into the tunnel. An uttered spell, learned from Zullie, brought a mote of light to his fingertips, letting him lead the way.

    He didn¡¯t bother checking to see if the rest of the captives were following. If they didn¡¯t want to come, that was their problem. Arkk wasn¡¯t going to force them.

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± she whispered back. ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t expect to see you for weeks at least. The last report I heard was that you were fighting alongside Hawkwood.¡±

    ¡°How did you go from getting war reports to being locked up?¡± Arkk looked to his side, frowning while trying to keep a sneer off his face. ¡°And the Grand Vizier as well.¡±

    ¡°Arkk,¡± Ilya admonished.

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± Alya started, sounding¡­ confused. Lost? Uncertain. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to begin. The things Ilya has told me. And then the sky¡­¡±

    Arkk raised an eyebrow. ¡°Sky?¡±

    Ilya took a breath and let it out in a clipped sigh. ¡°Long story short, when the sky broke, we decided to go to the Fortress. I¡¯ve been sitting on my ass long enough. I¡¯m healed enough,¡± she said quickly, like she thought he might tell her to go take a seat and rest up some more. ¡°We barely made it five steps when Woldair noticed our intent to leave. He took it a bit personally,¡± Ilya said with a glare at her mother.

    ¡°And locked you up,¡± Arkk finished.

    ¡°The Duke hasn¡¯t been happy with her since the party. Maybe even before that.¡±

    ¡°Levi has been under great stress,¡± Alya started, only for Ilya to let go of Arkk¡¯s hand and whirl on her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even defend him. He threw us in the dungeons!¡±

    ¡°Not a defense,¡± Alya said, sorrow lining her features. ¡°Just an explanation. He saw what we were doing as a betrayal.¡±

    ¡°Betrayal? You, maybe. I¡¯m not some trusted servant or retainer. He had no right¡ª¡±

    ¡°You were here at my request. For healing.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean he could throw me into prison,¡± Ilya snapped back ¡°Throw me out of the manor, sure.¡±

    ¡°He saw you as an extension of me. Knowing that Arkk was in possession of a dangerous artifact in the Cursed Forest, he likely¡ªand correctly¡ªconcluded that you would know something.¡±

    ¡°Why would he know¡­¡± Ilya trailed off, eyes narrowing in hostile danger. ¡°You told him. You told him what I told you, didn¡¯t you? I can¡¯t even¡­ believe you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t judge me, daughter. You don¡¯t know what I went through¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah. How tragic, living the high life. Probably jumped at the opportunity to ditch our miserable little village.¡±

    Alya clutched a hand to her chest. ¡°You weren¡¯t alive when the last war ended thirty years ago. You don¡¯t know what it was like. A religious war of fanatics against fanatics. The Abbey of the Light and the Golden Order using the common people as pawns to try to wipe each other out. I saw an opportunity to help prevent another war from rising and I took it at cost.¡±

    ¡°Well good job with that!¡± Ilya snapped.

    Arkk wisely kept his mouth shut during their argument. He had left Ilya in her mother¡¯s care weeks ago and yet it was clear that they still had a few things to work out. Not that Arkk blamed Ilya for that. He more than agreed with her. Alya up and leaving without so much as sending a letter back home had him clenching his fists.

    Thankfully, neither spoke again, both fuming after their argument.

    He let things cool down for a moment before, as neutrally as possible, asking, ¡°What happened to the sky? It broke?¡±

    Both elves whipped their heads to him. For a moment, he thought he was going to get both shouting at him. Instead, their silver eyes held nothing but confusion.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Ilya asked first.

    ¡°Know¡­ what? Last I saw, the sky was¡­ the sky? Didn¡¯t notice anything off about it.¡± He tried an easy chuckle, hoping to defuse some of the remaining tension. ¡°Don¡¯t see much sky in Fortress Al-Mir,¡± he said as a joke.

    ¡°I thought for sure it was something you had done,¡± Ilya said with genuine confusion. ¡°Undoing the Calamity or something.¡±

    ¡°We did do the ritual, but¡­¡± He trailed off, frowning as he felt a link wink out of existence. ¡°Hold the thought. The lesser servant just died.¡±

    Ilya tensed, looking around the tunnel. Her fingers twitched like she wished she had her bow. ¡°How? Where?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how, I wasn¡¯t paying attention to it. It died too quickly for it to throw out a warning over the link. But it was going to collapse the tunnel behind us so that none of the Duke¡¯s men would follow.¡±

    ¡°Great. We¡¯re being followed?¡±

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    ¡°Agnete is fine,¡± he said, checking up on the purifier through the link. ¡°Nothing is attacking her yet. Vezta is already through the teleportation circle, widening the cavern at the other end for our group. You¡¯re the only one who knows how they work. Get everyone through. I¡¯ll head back and help hold off any attackers with Agnete.¡±

    ¡°Will she even need help? An enclosed space like this¡­¡±

    ¡°Better safe than sorry.¡± Arkk leaned in, pulling Ilya into another hug. ¡°We¡¯ll talk back at the fortress. Sorry for leaving you behind. I won¡¯t do it again.¡±

    ¡°You better not.¡±

    Arkk fell back, letting Ilya and Alya go on ahead. Turning, he squeezed past the train of captives. There were around fifty in total. Maybe just shy of that number. ¡°Follow the elves,¡± he said as he made his way back. ¡°The shorter of the two knows where to go.¡±

    They didn¡¯t part ways for Arkk quite as well as they had made way for Agnete back in the dungeons. To be fair, they tried. Just because he wasn¡¯t offloading a furnace of heat didn¡¯t mean they wanted to get too close to the guy with glowing eyes. It was just that the tunnel wasn¡¯t meant for groups of people. It had been constructed to quickly escape the Duke¡¯s manor, not to live in.

    When he got to the rear, Agnete turned to him with a single raised eyebrow.

    ¡°The lesser servant was killed just as it started collapsing the tunnel. We might have incoming.¡±

    ¡°Died from flames?¡± she asked. ¡°I did set the entire menagerie aflame as we were departing.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that is possible. It may have even been crushed¡ªalthough, that would be odd. I¡¯ve collapsed a lot of tunnels and no other lesser servant died in the process.¡±

    ¡°Better prepared than unprepared,¡± she said, raising an arm. The flames barely contained within the scars on her skin surged forth and flooded the tunnel behind the group.

    Arkk shied away, raising an arm to shield his face. Even though Agnete was several paces behind the last of the group, he still heard a yelp of surprise. Some urgent whispers followed and, with no small amount of shoving, the group hurried on. Or at least compressed.

    There was nothing a normal fire would burn inside the tunnel. No wood or tallow. Just rock and stone. That didn¡¯t stop Agnete¡¯s flames. They burned everything. The stone, the dirt, even the moisture in the air that had likely seeped through from the moat around the Duke¡¯s manor.

    The fact that he could feel the humidity dry up meant that this tunnel probably wasn¡¯t as safe as it should be. It was a good thing they wouldn¡¯t have to use it again.

    If they did need to get into the manor through tunnels again, he would start fresh. And likely deeper in the ground.

    Agnete let the flames around her die out while keeping the tunnel alight. They were at the lowest point in the tunnel right now, directly beneath the moat. Arkk had to hope that the structural integrity would hold for ten more minutes.

    ¡°If there are pursuers,¡± Agnete said, ¡°they¡¯ll have a hard time reaching us¡ª¡±

    A rush of cold air blew through the narrow tunnel, coating the walls in frost. The flames snuffed out in an instant and the heat died. Agnete sucked in a sharp breath, hands clamping to her arms as she wrapped herself up like she was trying to ward off the cold. She opened her mouth, trying to speak, but her voice caught in her throat.

    The cold sent a shiver up Arkk¡¯s spine but didn¡¯t incapacitate him as it did Agnete. He narrowed his eyes, looking into the dark of the tunnel. With the slope, he couldn¡¯t see far. He didn¡¯t need to see the source. He had seen this before.

    He had used this before.

    ¡°Inquisitors,¡± Arkk said with a scowl.

    Agnete managed to nod her head.

    ¡°Go. Hurry. I can¡¯t have you dropping into the fetal position now.¡±

    Her voice croaked as she forced words out of her throat. ¡°I can fight¡ª¡±

    ¡°Against one of those ice marbles?¡±

    Her jaw clamped shut. The burning light in the scars on her skin and even the embers in her eyes were dimmer than usual. Dimmer than Arkk could remember having seen before.

    ¡°Go,¡± he said again. ¡°I¡¯m not helpless. Slave Natum.¡±

    With the uttered incantation, a trio of lesser servants popped into the tunnel. They immediately burrowed into the floor. With the moat overhead, it was too risky to try to collapse the tunnel. An accident here could see everyone in the tunnel drowned or simply crushed by the water.

    Agnete backed up, leaving Arkk alone. She couldn¡¯t go far with the crowd and narrow tunnel but she was at least less likely to get caught up by the chill from one of those ice marbles.

    As the lesser servants worked to dig deeper, Arkk pulled out the metal rod and quickly inscribed a ritual circle on the wall and another on the floor.

    Blue-white light gained prominence at the other end of the sloped tunnel. Arkk finished the second ritual circle just as the black boot came into view, followed quickly by a cane tapping against the ground.

    ¡°Master Inquisitor,¡± Arkk called as the man came into full view. ¡°Been a while. How¡¯ve you been?¡±

    Darius Vrox came to a stop at the lowest point of the tunnel. In one hand, he held onto a cane. A different model than the one Arkk had seen him with previously. This time, it was smooth black wood¡ªmaybe even from from Darkwood Burg¡ªtopped with a silver handle and a light blue glowstone. Its appearance had Arkk wary; the staff used in Zullie¡¯s demonstration of her projectile shield had looked quite similar, if a little rougher.

    In his other hand, an icy blue marble hovered just above his palm. Despite Arkk¡¯s best attempts, he had never managed to make his float like that. It would have been nice given that contact with skin was rather painful.

    The man was alone, thankfully. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure that he would have been able to handle Chronicler Greesom if the man had used that attack-reflecting shield.

    ¡°Arkk,¡± Vrox said, no hint of his usual smile on his face or in his tone. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, betraying the trust I had in you like this?¡±

    ¡°When we last parted, I gave you a message to pass on to someone important to me. Imagine my surprise when I find the Duke has thrown her into the dungeons.¡±

    A flash of irritation crossed Vrox¡¯s face. That had been news to him. He quickly schooled his expression. ¡°Then you should have come to me. We could have figured something out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, the option did not so much as cross my mind.¡± He gave a casual shrug, trying to avoid showing the tension he felt all up his back. ¡°Besides, I wouldn¡¯t suffer Ilya¡¯s imprisonment a second longer. Meetings and negotiations would have taken far too long. And I doubt the Duke would have released her anyway.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Vrox clenched his teeth. ¡°You don¡¯t get to walk away from this, Arkk.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Try me.¡± Arkk forced a smile of his own. ¡°When you head back with your tail between your legs, you can tell the Duke to go thank the Evestani. Were it not for this war, he would not have survived our encounter.¡±

    ¡°You can tell him yourself. Submit, Arkk. You don¡¯t win here.¡±

    Arkk slammed his hand against the wall, flooding the ritual circle with magic. A deep violet glow spread around the hastily carved ring.

    The ground shuddered under Vrox¡¯s feet. Were it not for his cane, he might have fallen.

    ¡°Do you know what is directly above us?¡± Arkk asked. ¡°Why this tunnel slopes so deep into the ground?¡±

    Vrox glared from behind his glasses as he took on a wary stance. His eyes roamed from the magic circle on the wall to the ceiling of the tunnel. Arkk could see the exact moment Vrox realized what he was implying. The man¡¯s eyes widened and he even took a full step backward.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen me teleport without aid before, Vrox. I did it right in front of your face in Langleey then again when we fought in my old headquarters. Right in the middle of combat. This tunnel exists to escape from the wards around the Duke¡¯s manor and, guess what? I¡¯m on the far side of the moat here.¡± Arkk swept his foot forward, placing it in the other ritual circle he had drawn.

    Another violet circle lit up brighter than the one on the wall. With it, another tremble rocked the ground underneath Vrox¡¯s feet. Even though the ground shook, he shot a fearful look at the tunnel¡¯s ceiling.

    ¡°I can escape a torrent of water. How do you think you¡¯ll fare?¡±

    The ice marble bobbed up and down above Vrox¡¯s upturned hand. He was probably wondering if he could freeze all that water at once. Arkk¡­ wasn¡¯t sure. He hadn¡¯t exactly undertaken many experiments with his marble.

    Perhaps he should. It was a tool more useful than just as a restraining device for Agnete.

    He quickly checked on Ilya and Agnete, the only two employees he had in this tunnel. The former was at the ritual circle and was already helping people teleport through. Transporting large amounts of people was exhausting work and it showed on her face, nevertheless, she kept up a determination worthy of praise as she teleported one person after another. Her mother watched at her side with disapproval riddled over her features. Agnete, at the back of the group and looking better now that she was away from the cold, could help him measure how many more people had to go through the circle.

    Arkk had to delay a little longer.

    ¡°Back away, Vrox. I don¡¯t actually wish to kill you,¡± Arkk said, honestly. Maybe it was a bit strange but Arkk didn¡¯t see Vrox as a proper enemy. Not like the one who fired off those rays of gold. ¡°Turn around and make your report. We got away despite your best attempts.¡±

    Vrox clenched his teeth. The step forward was a surprise.

    Was he calling Arkk¡¯s bluff?

    Arkk hoped not. The bluff was all he had.

    Neither ritual circle did anything. There hadn¡¯t been any time to scribe out a true circle. They were just enough to glow.

    The ground shaking was thanks to the lesser servants directly beneath Vrox.

    But instead of raising his weapon in an attack, Vrox¡¯s fingers just tightened around his cane. ¡°The sky,¡± he said with all the seriousness of a man delivering news of a deceased soldier to a widow. ¡°Was that you?¡±

    Arkk blinked. ¡°That is the second time someone has asked me that question. I genuinely have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. The sky¡­ broke? Or something? I haven¡¯t noticed anything like that.¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡±

    ¡°Ever since you invaded my fortress, I¡¯ve been having to do a lot of construction,¡± Arkk said. Might as well use the chance to further that lie he had crafted. ¡°Our current home is underground as the one you invaded was. Not a lot of opportunity for cloud watching while underground.¡±

    Vrox stared for a long moment. Even from the distance they were at, Arkk could still see his eyes daring back and forth as if he could spot Arkk¡¯s lie. But Arkk hadn¡¯t lied about anything.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know,¡± Vrox said, speaking as if the answer surprised him even though he was the one who said it. ¡°You genuinely don¡¯t know. That¡¯s¡­¡± He clenched his teeth. ¡°The rest of the Abbey is under the impression that you and your horror from beyond the stars are at fault. They¡¯re considering betraying the Duchy and the greater Kingdom of Chernlock, throwing in with the Golden Order to exterminate you. This stunt you¡¯ve pulled will not endear them to you any further.¡±

    Arkk blinked. Then blinked again. ¡°That¡­ How could they do that? What of all the priests and abbesses providing healing and miracle support to the army?¡±

    ¡°Recalled. Assuming the pontiff cannot convince the Duke to align with Evestani and hunt you down as well.¡±

    Arkk swore under his breath. ¡°Wh¡­ Convince them not to!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve presented my testimony and analysis of your character. I already spoke in your defense¡ªyou aren¡¯t the type to harm the everyman, thus you wouldn¡¯t be trying to bring about the apocalypse.¡±

    ¡°Apocalypse? What happened?¡±

    ¡°The sky broke,¡± Vrox said, turning his head upward as if he could see through the stone and water. ¡°And if you truly are not the culprit, the real villain will be free to act with impunity while two religious orders and their respective countries assail you.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ damn.¡±

    ¡°Damn. Yeah. That¡¯s putting it lightly.¡±

    Arkk tossed a glare. ¡°And what do you suggest? You aren¡¯t telling me this for fun.¡±

    ¡°Submit,¡± Vrox said. He gestured around the tunnel with his cane. ¡°With this disaster, my testimony of your character will be called into question and thus remove one of the last voices against turning the full might of the Abbey against you. If you come into custody, it may be our only option to allow the Abbey to continue searching for the true culprit.¡±

    ¡°Or they¡¯ll stop searching entirely, thinking that they already have the culprit in hand.¡± Arkk shook his head. ¡°And they would likely force me to hand over Vezta. I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Arkk, see reason¡ª¡±

    Arkk placed his free hand on the wall opposite from the already glowing ritual circle. There was nothing inscribed there. There hadn¡¯t been time before Vrox appeared. That didn¡¯t stop the sudden tension in Vrox¡¯s shoulders as he stared at Arkk¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Turn around and leave,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I would rather not kill you.¡±

    ¡°Arkk¡­ Please. I am limited in my options.¡±

    ¡°Do what you must. Follow the Abbey¡¯s edicts if you have to. But¡­¡± Arkk hummed. ¡°If you want to help, find a place on your own and drop your scrying protections. Let¡¯s say nightfall on the next full moon. Have a paper written out with all your suspicions and theories on who this culprit might be or just what happened. Then I can search on my own.¡±

    ¡°To what end? That won¡¯t stop the Abbey¡¯s decision on you.¡±

    ¡°If I deliver the culprit to your hands, the true culprit, that exonerates me, does it not? I have resources you don¡¯t. I can search with freedom. Vezta might even know something that could help locate this culprit.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t satisfy them in the short term.¡± Vrox paused then frowned.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to search quickly.¡±

    Vrox swallowed, drew in a deep breath, and closed his eyes. ¡°This is a dangerous game.¡±

    ¡°No more dangerous than your options. But less dangerous to me personally.¡±

    Vrox opened his eyes and lifted his cane. Arkk tensed, only to frown as Vrox simply turned around. The inquisitor didn¡¯t speak. He simply walked away.

    Arkk waited a long moment until the last of that blue light faded around the curved tunnel. Only then did he remove his hands and foot from the ritual circles he had drawn.

    He turned and sprinted down the thankfully emptied tunnel, heading for the ritual circle.

    The lesser servants immediately started eating into the walls and ceiling at that lowest point of the tunnel. He couldn¡¯t risk Vrox changing his mind. Agnete, with a flame providing light, stood alongside Ilya and Alya around the teleportation circle. The only three left in the tunnel.

    ¡°Go!¡± Arkk shouted. ¡°Quickly. Alya first!¡±

    ¡°Arkk, I¡ª¡±

    Something broke behind him. Two of the three lesser servants died. This time, having been paying attention, he knew it was because of the water.

    ¡°No time,¡± Arkk shouted back as the sound of rushing water and crumbling stone threatened to drown out his voice.

    And drown him.

    Agnete, quick on the ball, snuffed out the flame and practically threw Alya into the ritual circle. She vanished the second she was fully inside it.

    ¡°Vezta pulled her out of the endpoint,¡± Arkk shouted. Vezta had been doing that for each of the people, making sure none were in the way of any follow-up teleports. ¡°Go!¡±

    Agnete didn¡¯t hesitate, stepping into the teleport circle next. She vanished and Ilya took her place, quickly vanishing as well.

    Arkk jumped onto the ritual circle, activating it the second he saw Ilya step out on the other end.

    An ankle-deep slurry of water spread out into the newly expanded waystation chamber, flooding over the other ritual circles in the room. One circle would lead near the academy, another near the Cliff¡¯s Edge stayover. Arkk had half a mind to destroy both, just in case. But not until Zullie made it back from her academy run.

    With all the commotion at the Duke¡¯s manor, she should have an easy time of it.

    ¡°Everything going alright?¡± Vezta asked, tilting her head as she looked at the thin layer of water on the floor.

    ¡°Get everyone back to the fortress,¡± Arkk said, slowly turning to Alya and Ilya. ¡°Then we¡¯re going to talk about this sky thing.¡±

 The Broken Sky

    Arkk sat at the meeting table, fingers clasped together in front of his mouth while he looked around the room over the tops of his knuckles. It was a typical meeting. Vezta stood just behind him and Ilya had taken her usual seat to his right. They were joined by Zullie and Savren, Olatt¡¯an and Rekk¡¯ar, Khan, Lexa, and Alma¡ªthe latter being a new addition representing the majority of the beastmen.

    Of the usual crew, Agnete was missing. She was recovering from the exposure to Vrox¡¯s ice marble in her quarters.

    Alya stood tall on the opposite side of the table from Arkk. She had been offered a seat but had chosen to stand instead. Like accepting the chair would be a sign of condoning this place.

    Arkk took his eyes off Alya for a moment, looking at Ilya. ¡°Is all that true?¡±

    ¡°I saw it with my own eyes. It was like the canyons out near Moonshine, except high in the sky, with jagged edges and stars shining down despite being in the middle of the day. And that¡­¡± Ilya shuddered. ¡°I think it was an eye. I swear it stared directly at me.¡±

    Arkk turned to his other side, raising an eyebrow at Vezta.

    The servant shook her head. ¡°There should be no reasonable way for anyone of this world to interact with the [STARS]. Even the [PANTHEON], even Xel¡¯atriss has been unable to meaningfully interact with the realm above.¡±

    Alya flinched at the use of the [CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE].

    Arkk ignored the matriarch, turning back to Ilya as the younger elf began to speak again.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it was that. Like Mom said, the eye was massive. Larger than the moon. Those stars you described after possessing Vezta were tiny¡ªor, at least, distant.¡±

    ¡°Possessing?¡± Alya all but whispered, eyes widening as she looked between Arkk and Vezta.

    Arkk continued to ignore her, looking from Vezta to Zullie. ¡°Could it have been Xel¡¯atriss? Poking through?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t designed to do anything like that,¡± Zullie said, sharing a look with Savren.

    ¡°Our ceremony, commandeered by a celestial, could create whatever causes it craved.¡±

    Vezta nodded along with Savren¡¯s words. ¡°A god intervened in our ritual. The effects could have been anything.¡±

    Arkk turned back to Ilya. ¡°Seven days ago?¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Ilya said with a wan, I-told-you-so smile. ¡°It was you, wasn¡¯t it.¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°I think I lied to Inquisitor Vrox,¡± he said, earning a small chuckle from Zullie. ¡°Alright. How credible is his suggestion that the one who¡­ broke the sky will end the world?¡±

    ¡°Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, may not be the most personable of the [PANTHEON],¡± Vezta said, sounding genuinely offended. ¡°She would never seek harm. The Eternal Silence, the Red Horse, or the Laughing Prince, perhaps. Not Xel¡¯atriss.¡±

    ¡°And you don¡¯t intend to end the world,¡± Ilya said. She paused and looked to Arkk with a slight frown. ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡ª Why do you sound so suspicious?¡±

    Ilya reached over, nudging Arkk in the ribs with her elbow. ¡°Teasing,¡± she said, silver eyes glinting with humor. That humor didn¡¯t stick around for long. ¡°Some of what my mother had to say does concern me, however.¡±

    ¡°Hold that thought for now,¡± Arkk said. ¡°We¡¯re not quite done with this apocalypse talk.¡± He turned back to Vezta, Savren, and Zullie. ¡°The gods might be perfect and infallible,¡± he said, not quite sure if he believed that or not. He didn¡¯t have enough experience. At least three of them seemed fairly fallible though, the three traitor gods. ¡°We aren¡¯t. How likely is it that we accidentally bring about the end of the world? That we already have by opening that portal.¡±

    Zullie, Savren, and Vezta all looked at one another. Throughout the rest of the room, other glances went around. Rekk¡¯ar leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. Lexa drummed her fingers on the table in a nervous tick. No one spoke. No one had an answer.

    Alma flattened her ears against her head, sighing. ¡°Why am I even here? I¡¯m not a spellcaster or a cleric. I don¡¯t have anything to contribute.¡±

    The brilles over Khan¡¯s eyes shifted, letting him look over to the shorter werecat. ¡°Jusst ssleep,¡± he said as the odd scales around his eyes closed once again. ¡°They¡¯ll let you know when they want ssomething.¡±

    Arkk gave the two a flat look, which Khan ignored but made Alma¡¯s ears flatten down further. They were here to keep their respective groups informed of the goings on of the fortress. But Alma wasn¡¯t wrong. This was a meeting for those magically inclined. Inviting everyone to every meeting was probably unnecessary.

    Shaking his head, he looked back to the casters. ¡°The main concern that I can see is the level of ambient magic in the Underworld.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know for certain whether the ambient magic is why that world is the way it is,¡± Zullie said. She motioned to herself and Savren. ¡°We¡¯re spell and ritual researchers, not a part of the magienvironmental corps. I can give you a few names of those at the academy who might be more knowledgeable about that kind of stuff. Doubt they¡¯d be willing to join though.¡±

    ¡°Until we do get some experts, we¡¯ll assume for now,¡± Arkk said. ¡°We need to watch the portal, see if any magic is leaking over. If it isn¡¯t, or it is at such a tiny rate that it will be a thousand years before it affects this world, we don¡¯t need to worry about it in the short term.¡±

    ¡°And if it is something of immediate concern?¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. ¡°Let¡¯s just find out if it is, first.¡±

    Zullie nodded her head and looked at Savren. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can come up with some way to measure the effects of the portal on this world. We can set up a few monitoring wards. One right next to the portal, another further away. Maybe more dotted around the Duchy to see any far-reaching effects.¡±

    ¡°Make it happen.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar leaned forward again, resting a fist on the table. ¡°This doesn¡¯t solve the issue of the armies bearing down on us. Again, we¡¯re focused too much on your little portals and not enough on the people trying to kill us all.¡±

    Arkk interlaced his fingers, staring at Rekk¡¯ar as his mind churned.

    ¡°Our situation is worse now,¡± Rekk¡¯ar continued, taking the attention as an invitation to speak his mind. ¡°If your friend inquisitor was right, the Abbey is going to try to get the Duke to stand down and turn his blades on you. After burning down his manor, he might even be happy to do it.¡±

    ¡°Suggestions?¡± Arkk asked.

    Rekk¡¯ar thumped his fist against the table. Not angrily. It was a rhythmic, pensive thumping as he considered. As he thought, Arkk turned to the rest of the room.

    ¡°Kill ¡¯em all first,¡± Lexa said with a casual shrug. ¡°You already invaded the Duke¡¯s manor. Just go back and finish the job.¡±

    Alya sucked in a breath, eyes wide at the gremlin¡¯s suggestion. ¡°You would lop off the head of our armies in the middle of war?¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t our armies,¡± Lexa shot back, glaring up at the tall elf. ¡°Like the orc said, might not be a war if they join up with the enemy. I admit, I¡¯m not a big war person. Just a humble thief.¡± She pulled out a dagger from somewhere inside her jacket and started trimming one of her fingernails with it. ¡°But when a few thieves have a little turf war, taking out the leaders is a perfectly valid tactic. Force the rest of the group into your own.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°I doubt the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard would be all that happy to join us after killing the Duke,¡± Ilya said with no small amount of sarcasm in her tone.

    ¡°What about the Evestani?¡± Olatt¡¯an asked. As everyone¡¯s heads turned to him, he sat up straighter, looking less like the lax old orc and more like a proper warrior. ¡°I imagine the Duke is furiously consulting with the entire academy and the inquisitors to make sure you can¡¯t attack his manor in the same way again. But the Evestani likely lacks such foresight or protections. Can we tear their throats out? Maybe absorb their armies if they were forced into it.¡±

    ¡°The golden-eyed boy is a concern,¡± Arkk said with a frown. ¡°As long as that thing is driving the army forward, I doubt they¡¯ll stop even if we somehow manage to blow up the entirety of Evestani¡¯s leaders.¡±

    ¡°The Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar,¡± Vezta said, ¡°is likely the cause for this war. At the party, you may recall that it saw me and had a reaction to me. While it was clearly planning the war in advance, now that it knows for sure, I doubt it will stop unless we kill it or it destroys us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s already demonstrated an ability to possess others at a distance. Unless we figure out where it truly is, killing it permanently might be impossible.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar let out a low chuckle, shaking his head slowly. ¡°All this talk of gods and leaders and avatars. You all are missing the forest for the trees. You don¡¯t need to kill an unkillable avatar to stop the army.¡± He splayed out his hand on the table, five fingers sliding forward slowly. Bringing over his other hand, he slid a single finger toward the five. He clenched that one finger into his fist and the five, slowly advancing fingers came to a stop. ¡°An army, even a magically enhanced one, marches on its stomach. If the stomachs are empty, the march stops.

    ¡°Every burg they¡¯ve captured acts as a storehouse and a waystation, but the army hasn¡¯t spent time reinforcing or defending those points with their hasty advance.¡±

    ¡°Destroy or capture the supplies and they¡¯ll have nothing,¡± Arkk said, nodding his head.

    ¡°And with Evestani¡¯s army starving to death, the Duchy can clean them up. Unless they join forces, in which case we destroy the Duchy¡¯s supply lines. Our magic lets us move with impunity. We can strike anywhere, any time.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. That was a much better plan than standing around in Elmshadow waiting for an assault of thousands. Supply caravans would be defended, of that Arkk had no doubt, but Company Al-Mir had ample experience in fighting down moderate groups of armed opponents.

    ¡°Draw up plans,¡± Arkk said, looking between Rekk¡¯ar and Olatt¡¯an. ¡°Get into contact with Hawkwood¡ªpreferably before word of the Duke¡¯s incident reaches him¡ªand find out the best places to strike. He¡¯ll know better than us. We can scry locations and send out strike teams.¡± He waited a moment, looking around the group. ¡°Any other pressing matters? No? Zullie, Savren, get on those rituals. Rekk¡¯ar, Olatt¡¯an, get planning for attacks. Everyone else is dismissed except Ilya and Alya.¡±

    Arkk watched the room disperse. The two orcs walked out, quietly talking to one another. Lexa hopped up and headed out with them, trying to interject in their conversation. Khan uncoiled from his stone and slithered out, barely opening his eyes in the process. Alma practically fled.

    No. She did flee.

    She was generally well regarded among the beastmen, having been known to most before Arkk¡¯s recruitment in Cliff City. Unfortunately, she had the assertiveness of a skittish flopkin. It wasn¡¯t just this meeting. Every meeting since he had decided to include her had gone something like this. Which was probably Arkk¡¯s fault for threatening her with Vezta upon their first meeting. Even now, she wouldn¡¯t so much as glance in Vezta¡¯s direction if she could help it.

    He would probably need to find someone else to fill that position. Perhaps someone from the manor¡¯s dungeons?

    He needed to deal with that too. Some¡ªmost, probably¡ªwould join with the refugees in the far wing of the fortress. Some would join up. Kelsey, the ox beastman, was interviewing them at the moment, checking in on each. Arkk still needed to personally see to at least those who wanted to join Company Al-Mir.

    And then he needed to gather everyone except the essential guards for an announcement.

    He had done it. The Duke was his enemy. Officially. Even if the Duke kept his focus on Evestani for the moment, Company Al-Mir were sure to be branded outlaws. Responsible for those under his banner, Arkk couldn¡¯t leave them ignorant. Some would surely desert. It was some small comfort that the fortress was underground. Nobody would be able to point out where he was located if he dropped them off via teleport rituals near Cliff City.

    The false fortress was still in place and open to the surface. Arkk hadn¡¯t touched it since the inquisitors romped through it. If he were Vrox¡ªor Sylvara or any other inquisitor¡ªArkk¡¯s first step would be to return and see if there were any clues left behind that might let them find him. Assuming they didn¡¯t know that he hadn¡¯t left in the first place.

    The door slammed shut, leaving Arkk with a pair of elves and one ancient monster.

    ¡°So,¡± he said, looking from Ilya to Alya and back.

    Getting back to the fortress had taken some time with how many people they had to move through each teleport circle. Arkk had already done some casual catching up. Ilya was¡­ not exactly healed completely. The Flesh Weaving had done a number on her, though it saved her life, and left her with a tension in most of her stomach and chest that just wouldn¡¯t go away.

    He would have to send her to Zullie later. The witch was more skilled with the spell than Arkk was. She might be able to repair or at least alleviate the problem.

    ¡°You ventured into the Cursed Forest,¡± Alya said, tone barely concealing her anger. ¡°Ilya told me. You found¡­¡± Her silver eyes flicked over to where Vezta had stood during the meeting.

    Arkk couldn¡¯t help narrowing his eyes at the judgment in her voice. ¡°You took me in when my parents died. Thank you for that. But that was fifteen years ago. You have no right to come back and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Arkk¡ª¡± Ilya started.

    Her mother cut her off. ¡°Levi took me as tribute,¡± she hissed. ¡°Paraded me around in front of anyone he wanted to impress like I was a piece of fine artwork.¡±

    Arkk rolled his eyes, not sure if she was complaining or just complimenting herself. ¡°Yes, you sure looked upset at the party. Vizier. Be honest now, how much trouble would it have been to leave him if you wanted?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t that simple,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°I couldn¡¯t leave. I had responsibilities. Levi began confiding in me early on and grew to trust my opinions. I tempered his worst traits, pulled strings behind the scenes, encouraged meetings between the Duchy and Evestani and even the Tetrarchy.¡±

    Arkk stood, slamming his palms against the table. ¡°When you were off playing politics, did you even once think of us? Of Ilya? I remember, after you were taken, we cried ourselves to sleep for weeks.¡±

    ¡°Arkk¡­¡± Ilya said, resting a hand on his arm.

    ¡°I lost my parents. And then I lost you. And Ilya¡­¡± Arkk clenched his teeth together. ¡°I remember being curled up in bed with Ilya one night. We promised that one day¡­ One day, we would go to the capital city, break into the Duke¡¯s dungeons, and rescue you from his cruelty.¡± Arkk let out a low, sardonic laugh. ¡°Guess I fulfilled that promise, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Alya crossed her arms, face stony. ¡°With the aid of abominations and anathema magic.¡±

    ¡°Not even a thank you? It isn¡¯t too late to put you back, you know. We could teleport you right onto the Duke¡¯s drawbridge and I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be back in your cushy cell in minutes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll do nothing of the sort,¡± Ilya said, pulling Arkk back from the table. She grabbed hold of his shoulders and wrapped him in a tight embrace. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± she whispered into his ear. For a long moment, Arkk just stood, leaning into Ilya¡¯s arms. It relaxed him more than he could say.

    Everything had been so stressful lately. The war and the portal and the golden-eyed child and¡­

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he whispered back, feeling all that stress melt away. It wouldn¡¯t last forever. Even now, as he pulled out of the hug, he could feel it returning. Still, that moment of reprieve was worth both their weights in gold.

    ¡°Mom and I talked,¡± Ilya said, running her fingers through her silver hair. ¡°I¡­ We still have things to work out. But she does have information on¡­ this place.¡±

    Arkk couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. ¡°Anathema, abominations, apocalypse, and horrors from beyond the stars. Yes, yes. I¡¯ve heard it all from Master Inquisitor Vrox. As you heard in the meeting, I¡¯m taking the possibility of apocalypse quite seriously. But most of everything is nonsense spoken from a position of ignorance.¡±

    ¡°Position of ignorance?¡± Alya said, judgment back in her tone in full force. ¡°You, being led astray by that creature makes you more ignorant than most.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, because you know anything more than the one doing it all,¡± Arkk said with a sneer. ¡°That unnatural moon in the broken sky? I¡¯m pretty sure that was the literal god I was speaking with at the time. I had a nice sit-down and cup of tea with a being larger than this plane. I think I¡¯m more qualified than most to know what I¡¯m talking about.

    ¡°You, on the other hand, are running off¡­ What? Thousand-year-old prophecies?¡± Arkk said, shaking his head. ¡°Prophecies likely handed out by the ones responsible for the sorry state of the world.¡±

    ¡°Sorry state?¡±

    ¡°Fairies can¡¯t use magic when they used to be one of the most magical beings alive. Dragons and their relatives can¡¯t procreate. Dwarves and hundreds of other magic-dependent species have gone extinct. Magic itself is likely dying and¡­¡± Arkk stopped himself and looked to Ilya. ¡°Ilya knows what we¡¯re working toward. If she hasn¡¯t told you yet, she¡¯s welcome to. I, however, am not particularly interested in what you have to say nor am I interested in explaining myself to you any further. I have administrative duties to attend to.

    ¡°Ilya can show you to the canteen and I have prepared a room for you next to the rooms Yavin and Nyala are staying in. A proper room, not a dungeon cell. There is a tailor if you need additions to your wardrobe and¡­¡± Arkk shook his head, stopping himself before he explained everything away. ¡°Ilya knows where everything is.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Ilya asked.

    ¡°Meet with those we rescued from the Duke¡¯s manor. Let people know that the Duke hates us. Then¡­¡± Arkk looked to Ilya, raising an eyebrow. ¡°How would you like to see an entirely new world?¡±

    Ilya sucked in a breath. ¡°I gathered from the meeting but¡­ you got it working?¡±

    ¡°The world isn¡¯t quite what we hoped, but it is different.¡±

    Pressing her lips together, Ilya glanced at her mother. Although she got a disapproving look in return, she still turned back to Arkk with a nod of her head.

    ¡°Excellent. I¡¯ll come find you once I¡¯m finished.¡±

 Resolutions

    Arkk stared at the burning wreckage, searching for any sign of movement among the myriad bodies strewn about.

    Decades of travel carved out a small road between the trees, leaving a relatively clear, if narrow pathway between Elmshadow Burg and Harmony Burg. Trees loomed large, hanging over the path, providing some shelter from falling snow leaving the trail useable in the winter.

    Evestani had been using it to resupply their army.

    The Evestani soldiers in charge of guarding the transport hadn¡¯t been worth the armor wasted on them. Five orcs, two gorgon, two dark elves, and a certain knife-wielding gremlin had handily dispatched the supply caravan¡¯s guards. Arkk hadn¡¯t even stepped in. The two dark elves were in charge today. He was present only to observe Kia and Claire¡¯s handling of the situation.

    Thus far, he was relatively pleased. Claire could stand to tone down how much she toyed with enemies who got in her way but Arkk couldn¡¯t deny the effectiveness of their tactics.

    Most of the supply caravan would be going back to Fortress Al-Mir. The dried and preserved army rations weren¡¯t good but could still find use anytime they had to make excursions. The armor and weaponry could supply new recruits without consuming blacksmith hours. The dozen horses they captured would need a place to stay within the fortress but would certainly help in any future operations.

    Lesser servants could eat anything that couldn¡¯t be used, converting it to gold for later use.

    ¡°A hungry army is a desperate army,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, trudging across the forest pathway toward him. He wasn¡¯t part of the operation either. Like Arkk, he was here to observe how the team handled themselves. ¡°Hitting one of these won¡¯t do much. They¡¯ll strain their rations a bit and tighten their belts, but they¡¯ll live.¡±

    ¡°Hit a few more,¡± Arkk said, following along with his line of thought, ¡°and they¡¯ll start searching for alternate means of feeding themselves.¡±

    ¡°I bet they hit smaller villages. So far, in the interest of advancing across the Duchy as fast as possible, they¡¯ve mostly ignored anything that wasn¡¯t a large Burg that they could use as a foothold.¡± He turned to Arkk, flashing a toothless grin. ¡°Unless those small villages have someone like you and Vezta defending them, an army will march over whatever pitiful defense they have. A village storehouse won¡¯t have enough but it will feed the army until they march to the next village.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an, former raider that he was, counted as the foremost expert on such matters within Fortress Al-Mir. Arkk didn¡¯t doubt a word he said. Nevertheless¡­ ¡°We¡¯ll have Kia and Claire hit as many as they can. They¡¯ll have to expand their search for other routes. Once is an accident but as soon as two caravans go missing on the same path, they¡¯ll look for alternates.¡±

    ¡°Throwing villages to the wolves?¡± Olatt¡¯an asked, quirking an eyebrow.

    ¡°Callous as it is to admit, they won¡¯t be marching across the Duchy if they¡¯re acting like raiders,¡± Arkk said, lips drawn tight. ¡°I have a plan for dealing with the larger army. Or at least diminishing the threat they pose. It won¡¯t be ready until Zullie finishes charging up those high-quality glowstones she stole from the academy. They take a lot longer than the smaller test ones we had been using, so I¡¯m not sure when she will finish.¡±

    ¡°Well, until that plan is ready, I might have a better solution to the Evestani raider problem.¡± Olatt¡¯an paused, the old orc waiting until Arkk raised an eyebrow. ¡°We beat them to it. Scry to find where they¡¯re headed then clear out the storehouses before they get there.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ could work,¡± Arkk said slowly, mulling it over. ¡°I presume we would offer the villagers safety at the fortress.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s your business.¡±

    It was a good thing he had been expanding the fortress since Inquisitor Vrox¡¯s attack. He had been doing it for control over the territory but it would work just as well to house more refugees. Depending on how many villages they had to step in to help, he might still have to expand more and more.

    ¡°Get back to the fortress,¡± Arkk said, ¡°and get to the scrying team. Have them check on the Evestani army¡¯s current position and begin making note of the nearest villages. Depending on how close they are, we might evacuate them immediately. I want a minimum of two days marching time between the army and their nearest possible target.¡±

    ¡°Think they¡¯ll be happy to come along after you let them know how much the Duke hates you?¡±

    Arkk couldn¡¯t help his grimace.

    They had lost a few people over that. A few of the humans who had joined up in Cliff. Not all of them but enough to be notable. None of the demihumans or beastmen wanted out. Still, even though Company Al-Mir had grown, four missing didn¡¯t go unnoticed. Worse, they knew about the teleportation circles and, if they were smart, could infer weaknesses and use cases. It was some small consolation that none of the recruits knew where the fortress was.

    Most of the refugees from out near Moonshine Burg hadn¡¯t exactly been happy either but none complained. It wasn¡¯t like they had anywhere else to go.

    Katja just laughed.

    ¡°For the villages we wish to evacuate, we¡¯ll just have to impress upon them how thoroughly the Evestani will kill them. I hope they chose the more pragmatic choice.¡±

    ¡°And if they don¡¯t?¡± Olatt¡¯an asked, strong arms moving over his chest. ¡°We just leave them and their food for the Evestani to take?¡±

    Arkk shot the old orc a look. ¡°We aren¡¯t becoming raiders ourselves, if that is what you¡¯re implying.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an held up his hands, shrugging. ¡°I suppose one or two small villages won¡¯t make a difference either way. But if they all reject your offer.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that if it happens. I imagine the threat of certain death will convince most.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough. I¡¯ll head back now then. Get the scryers working.¡±

    Arkk dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Olatt¡¯an trudged back through the forest toward the ritual circle that had brought them here. As he headed out, the two leaders of the expedition approached Arkk.

    Claire barely spoke at the best of times. Her short brown hair bobbed with her movements, unkempt and uncared for as if she hacked it off at her shoulders with a rusty blade whenever it got too long, eying Arkk with her icy blue eyes. She paused before fully reaching Arkk, cleaning off her sword on the gambeson of a downed soldier.

    Kia was the true leader of the group on account of her actually talking but she and Claire came as a unit. It was both of them or neither of them. The older dark elf had a mass of piercings in her ears, each gleaming in what little sun that managed to get through the branches of the forest.

    ¡°Area secure with only minor injuries sustained,¡± she said with a personable smile despite the slowly drying blood marring her face and blonde hair. ¡°About three-quarters of the supplies survived and have been secured. The orcs are taking the wagons to the teleportation circle now.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arkk said, clasping his hands together behind his back. ¡°Have the wounded¡­ Zullie is busy. Have them visit Hale. Minor injuries would be good for her to practice on.¡±

    Kia nodded her head, sending her ponytail flipping back and forth. ¡°If there is nothing else, I would like a bath,¡± she said, which earned a nod from Claire.

    ¡°Were there any issues working together with your team? Any tactical holes that you would like filled?¡± Arkk grimaced the moment the words left his mouth. He thanked the stars that Lexa wasn¡¯t within earshot.

    If either of the dark elves noticed or cared about his phrasing, they didn¡¯t show it. Kia hummed, touching a dark fingernail to her chin. ¡°The gorgon were a little sluggish¡ªI think it¡¯s the cold¡ªbut that wasn¡¯t much of a problem. They petrified who I identified as the most troublesome opponents without issue.¡±

    ¡°Good. I expect you two to train with this team. Once I¡¯ve got eyes on another supply caravan, you¡¯ll be hitting it just like this.¡± With a wave of his hand and a muttered incantation, Arkk summoned a lesser servant.

    Neither dark elf reacted to the unsightly monster appearing in their midst.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be taking along one of these in future operations as well. I¡¯ll make sure one waits in storeroom three for your team at all times. They won¡¯t fight but they¡¯ll eat all evidence left behind and destroy the ritual circles after you leave.¡±

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Stop by storeroom three for the slime monster before future operations,¡± Kia said, nodding her head. ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. Get your team back to the fortress.¡±

    Kia saluted like she had been in a mercenary company for about thirty years. Which she had. Raven¡¯s Claw company. Claire merely dipped her head in a barely-there acknowledgment.

    Leaving them to their task, Arkk headed back first.

    <hr>

    Of the four harpies rescued from the Duke¡¯s manor, none were interested in joining Company Al-Mir. None were even interested in remaining at the fortress. Something about having been kept underground for far too long as it was and not wanting to spend another moment in yet another dungeon. Arkk offered a fistful of gold just for one of them to do a quick fly around in the Underworld and report back on their findings.

    None had taken him up on the offer.

    Arkk had taken them out to a random point via teleportation circle and let them go free. As much as he might want aerial scouts, he wasn¡¯t going to force them into it.

    He turned next to the fairies they had rescued. Unfortunately, he had learned that fairies did not so much as fly as they hovered. They didn¡¯t mimic the swift, gliding flight that made harpies the ideal method of long-distance communication. Fairy flight needed the ground to push off. Once they got too high, they just couldn¡¯t go any higher.

    It would be little different than sending out a squad of orcs.

    One fairy wanted to leave with the harpies. Two fairies joined up with him.

    Given the supposed historical prowess for magic that fairies were said to possess, he had been interested in seeing whether the contract with Fortress Al-Mir revitalized that. The two fairies had been overjoyed, filled with awe and wonder, at their newfound ability to sling lightning bolts. Arkk found himself disappointed that, much like orcs or humans or any other who lacked the ability to cast magic on their own, the fairies wound up exhausted after a single spell, requiring several hours to get back in action.

    The other rescues from the Duke¡¯s manor weren¡¯t all that notable. Most weren¡¯t fighters and didn¡¯t want to join the mercenary company. A few did join. Another gremlin, a few elves and one dark elf, a few orcs, and a handful of beastmen of varying species.

    Arkk sat at his desk, poring over Company Al-Mir¡¯s roster. Who would be best where? Some needed training. Who was best to do the training? Was it best to split up the demihumans and beastmen? Demihumans and humans could all benefit from a single instructor but beastmen often used their claws or even teeth as weapons in addition to daggers and swords¡ªsometimes they were not able to hold weapons with the differences in hands.

    Who could be cleared for guard duty in the Underworld? Who might be better used in the scrying team rotation? Which were magically adept enough to learn spells like Flesh Weaving? Did the strike team need additional members?

    Did the food production need to be expanded again? Various wings of the fortress needed expanding. Some, such as the executive quarters, needed reorganization. There had been a minor altercation between some of the original raider orcs and some of the new hires. Did that need addressing or would they work out their issues on their own? Dakka advised toward the latter but¡­

    There was much work to be done. Constantly.

    Ilya was back and that was a great help. She, along with Katt¡¯am, were managing all aspects of the refugees and other guests of Fortress Al-Mir, ensuring they had space, clothing, food, and other necessities. And ensuring no conflicts broke out.

    Although she wasn¡¯t part of Fortress Al-Mir, Alya had taken to assisting her daughter with the refugees. Arkk was somewhat surprised that elder elf hadn¡¯t demanded to be released back into Cliff. Then again, with the Duke having thrown her into the dungeons, she was probably well aware that her time living there had passed. Whatever the case, Arkk was perfectly happy to have her off in the refugee section of the fortress. It was segmented heavily from the rest of the fortress and thus, he hardly ever crossed paths with the elf.

    A light knock on his door had him setting his pen down. He didn¡¯t need to use the link of the fortress to check on who stood on the other side. The light notes of the tapping had become quite familiar.

    ¡°Enter,¡± he called out.

    Vezta stepped inside, demure and poised as always. ¡°Message for you, Sir,¡± she said holding up a letter. With a movement of her fingers, she splayed out the letter to reveal a few more. ¡°Several, in fact. John brought them back from Smilesville Burg.¡±

    ¡°Anything important?¡±

    ¡°One bearing the emblem of White Company. The Duke¡¯s signet stamps another. The third looks like something from the Abbey of the Light,¡± she said, tone turning to distaste with that last admission.

    Frowning, Arkk took the one with the Duke¡¯s signet first, breaking the wax seal with a flick of his fingers. He unfolded the papers and quickly skimmed the text.

    ¡°A demand to appear before the Duke for trial and execution,¡± Arkk said, tossing it into the fire before he even finished reading.

    ¡°Trial and execution? Sounds as if there is little need for a trial.¡±

    ¡°Quite,¡± Arkk said, taking the letter from the Abbey. He expected it to be much the same as the first.

    Sure enough, they were demanding absolution in a temple, containment of Vezta, and, following that, submission to the laws of the land under the Duke. Trial and execution, given the first letter. Shaking his head, Arkk almost threw it into the flames as well, only to pause as he noticed the signatory at the bottom.

    Master Inquisitor Darius Vrox.

    Arkk let out a small, depressed sigh. Had Vrox ended up agreeing with the rest of the Abbey? Arkk couldn¡¯t really blame the man. Especially now that he knew the incident that had them up in arms was his fault. Still, he had hoped¡­

    Skimming the letter again, Arkk¡¯s train of thought stalled. ¡°The word ¡®trust¡¯ appears eight times in a rather short letter,¡± he said slowly. ¡°If I¡¯ve decided to repent, I can turn myself in on the broken pier by the next full moon?¡±

    ¡°The next full moon is in two days.¡±

    ¡°When I met him in the tunnel, I told him to have all his suppositions and theories on the broken sky ready and for him to turn off his scrying protections so that we can read it. But we didn¡¯t specify a location. I assumed we would be able to find him but¡­¡± Arkk placed the letter down on his desk. ¡°Join the scrying team at nightfall every night until the full moon starts to wane. Check the broken pier in Cliff City for Vrox.¡±

    ¡°Is there a point?¡± Vezta asked, cocking her head to one side. ¡°We already know what caused the disturbance.¡±

    ¡°Vrox can detect scrying, as evidenced by him waving at us before activating his protections the first time. He¡¯ll know if we ignore him and I would prefer if he at least believes that we¡¯re taking the threat to heart.¡±

    ¡°The Abbey are puppets of the Holy Light. They will be our enemies regardless of your relation with the inquisitor.¡±

    ¡°Having a man on the inside, helping us as much as he can, is valuable enough.¡±

    ¡°I see. Very well, Master,¡± Vezta said with a slight bow. ¡°Perhaps we can find a suitable scapegoat to appease them for the time being.¡± Her lips curled back into a fairly vicious grin. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be amusing if we could somehow implicate the Golden Order in the incident?¡±

    Arkk hummed, moving around his desk to dig out a fresh paper and a bottle of ink. ¡°They don¡¯t like each other already. From my understanding, the Abbey of the Light detests the Golden Order and vice-versa. It was one of the reasons for the previous war with Evestani. A whole war for just the two churches vying for dominance in the region. Which is a little odd given that the church in Langleey Village has the sigils of all three of the traitor gods on it.¡±

    ¡°Not so odd. I imagine they were united immediately after the Calamity, after their successful coup over the rest of the [PANTHEON]. But, in the years since, they may not have seen eye-to-eye. Resentment brewed. Disagreements turned hostile. They cannot act against one another directly so they use their pawns.¡±

    Arkk only half-listened to Vezta as he scrawled out a short letter back to Vrox. One that essentially confirmed that he saw the location and, while he wouldn¡¯t be able to show himself in person, he trusted that Vrox would do what he felt was necessary.

    ¡°Honestly,¡± he said as he finished up, ¡°I think it would have saved the rest of us a lot of trouble if the gods just slugged it out between one another. Why drag everyone into it?¡±

    ¡°Not a wise action. The shattered sky¡ªthe shattered [STARS]¡ªcame about because of a disagreement in the [PANTHEON]. Or so I¡¯ve gathered. It was well before my time. If they fought directly, there might not be a world left to fight over. They act through intermediaries specifically to avoid destroying more of reality.¡±

    Arkk folded up the letter and poured a dribble of violet wax onto the surface, sealing it with the impossibly complex maze and compass rose that was Company Al-Mir¡¯s insignia. ¡°Alright, in that case, I take it back.¡± He paused, mind thrumming over possibilities. ¡°If we were to somehow destroy all religion and evidence of them¡ªlikely an impossible task, but I¡¯m just curious¡ªwhat would the traitor gods do? They wouldn¡¯t have anyone to carry out their will. Would they take action directly? Or would they just fade into irrelevance?¡±

    Vezta shook her head, accepting the letter from Arkk. ¡°Even if we were to do so, a mortal would eventually be born who aligned enough with one of them to become an avatar. At that point, they would begin to spread their influence again.¡±

    ¡°So they wouldn¡¯t destroy the world. No, ¡®if I can¡¯t have it then no one can¡¯?¡±

    Vezta let out a small sigh. ¡°Arkk. I don¡¯t pretend to know the minds of incomprehensible beings. Anything is possible. And with the lengths that they went to in their betrayal of the rest, perhaps your scenario is more likely than my own.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, I doubt it matters. Destroying knowledge of them to the point where there would be zero worshippers seems impossible without destroying the world anyway,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°Have John get that on a Swiftwing back to Vrox¡­ But hold a moment while I check Hawkwood¡¯s letter.¡±

    As Vezta nodded, Arkk broke the seal on the final letter. His eyes trailed down the page. Every line made the palms of his hands a little colder. Clammy.

    ¡°Golden magic broke the line Hawkwood and the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard had been holding at Gleeful Burg. White Company in particular lost a full half of its army while the Grand Guard routed after a third perished.¡±

    ¡°Gleeful Burg?¡±

    ¡°Not as large as Elmshadow but it is one of the few large burgs left between Evestani and Cliff¡­ Or Evestani and us.¡±

    ¡°So our strikes against their supplies?¡±

    ¡°Too little, too late. And now they¡¯ve surely got their hands on Gleeful¡¯s storehouses. Hawkwood burned Elmshadow¡¯s before the retreat but was unable to do so at Gleeful.¡± Arkk clenched his hand into a fist, staring at the letter. Reading and rereading it.

    He drew in a breath and let it out slowly.

    ¡°If their pattern holds, they will spend a short time further securing the burg as their new forward operating base. They¡¯ll launch minor attacks on smaller burgs in the area, both to gather food and to keep the defending armies on the back foot. With Hawkwood¡¯s losses¡­¡±

    He clenched his teeth, turning to the map on the wall of his office. Angry gold marks indicating the advance of Evestani covered more than half of it already. Zullie wasn¡¯t ready to deal with the army. They needed those supply line strikes to slow down their advance enough to buy time to charge those glowstones. Otherwise, his plan would fail¡­

    They needed more time.

    As long as Evestani had food, they wouldn¡¯t stop.

    He had to get rid of their food. If not en route¡­ then at the source.

    ¡°Get me Agnete.¡±

 Something Burning

    ¡°Gleeful Burg has four primary storehouses and several smaller, secondary storehouses. Two of the main storehouses are within the inner keep walls. Evestani has set up anti-scrying warding within the walls of the keep.¡± Arkk took a breath, looking around at his assembled team. ¡°Unfortunately, that means it is too risky to teleport inside.¡±

    Arkk had yet to see evidence but Vezta was quite confident that teleportation rituals could be warded against. Generally in such a way that the one trying to teleport would end up more of a mess to clean up than a person. If anyone had access to that kind of magic, it would be an avatar of the Heart of Gold who seemed a little more in tune with the god than either of the other two avatars Arkk had seen.

    ¡°The smaller storehouses are already being taken care of. I have lesser servants poised to consume everything within on my signal.¡±

    ¡°That tactic won¡¯t work on the larger storehouses?¡± Dakka asked, standing at the head of one of the four groups.

    Dakka led a team of black-armored orcs. The ones she had been working with and training with the most. Since opening the portal, they had been guarding the other side. Now, he needed them here. Some of the fresher recruits were keeping an eye on the Underworld as Arkk had deemed it slightly less of a hostile posting.

    The Protectors were still watching the portal but none had moved within a certain range of it, giving it plenty of space.

    Four gorgon joined Dakka¡¯s group, providing long-range support and the ability to petrify anyone too troublesome to deal with directly.

    ¡°The larger storehouses are under heavy guard. Lesser servants are weak to the point where one would lose a one-on-one fight against a goblin. Burrowing up from underneath the storehouses might be able to do a bit of damage but they would be discovered and the guard would be doubled. We need to do this in one decisive strike.¡±

    ¡°Question,¡± Kia said, raising a hand. ¡°While I appreciate the trust you have in our skills¡­¡± She paused to motion back to the supply caravan strike team. They were team two in this operation. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure how we¡¯re going to destroy a warehouse full of food with swords.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± Arkk said. Reaching under the table he stood in front of, he hefted up a large clay jar. It stood about as high as his knees and weighed as much as a young pig. ¡°Agnete, Zullie, and I whipped this up over the last three days. It is¡­ a bomb, effectively.¡±

    More than one of those watching took a respectful step backward.

    ¡°This one is empty,¡± Arkk said with a small smile. ¡°Real ones contain an alchemical solution known as liquid fire, a ritual array scribed into the walls and lid, and a glowstone to power the array. Do not try to open them,¡± he said, emphasizing the words as much as possible. A small metal clamp around the rim kept the lid on but it was always best to make sure they knew. ¡°Not unless you can survive an inferno raging around you that most common magics can¡¯t extinguish.¡±

    Despite his assurances that the jar was empty, the entire group looked like they very much wished this little speech was taking place in a much larger room.

    ¡°They work by rotating the lid until the arrow notch lines up with the notch in the rim of the jar. At that point, you have five minutes to get away before everything goes up in flames. They cannot be turned off once activated¡ªby design¡ªand they will go off if the jars are cracked or otherwise destroyed. However, they are fairly hardy. You¡¯ll find it hard to accidentally break them. Probably avoid dropping them,¡± Arkk added.

    ¡°Oh good,¡± Joanne said. She was one of the former members of the Order of the Claymore and the current leader of the third task force. ¡°Try not to drop the bomb while wandering into the stronghold of an army.¡±

    ¡°Ideally, none of you will actively engage in combat of any kind. You sneak in, you plant the jars, and you get back to the teleport points before anyone knows you were there.¡±

    ¡°Ideally,¡± Joanne said, sounding like she was trying to hold back a more scathing statement. ¡°I was with the Claymores for five years. Spent about seven years before that in various smaller companies. I¡¯ve seen how badly things go to shit in ideal scenarios. So what¡¯s the realistic outcome here?¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, looking around the room. Several of the newer recruits behind Joanne nodded their heads. A lot of them weren¡¯t all that happy with the Duke situation. He could almost see their second thoughts about sticking around. Then again, even Dakka was looking a little nervous.

    With good reason. An army of nearly ten thousand stood inside Gleeful Burg. If something went wrong¡­

    When something went wrong¡­

    ¡°Realistically, I¡¯m expecting at least two of the storehouses to survive unscathed. Your lives take priority. If you encounter unexpected resistance or even an odd complication that looks difficult to resolve, you are to abort at once and escape to the nearest teleport point.¡± Arkk turned back to the large map hanging on the wall. One sketched from scrying on the burg. He pointed out the eight violet circles spread across the city. ¡°We¡¯ve identified several possible ingress points, which will also serve as your egress points. Memorize them, please.¡±

    ¡°I gotta question too,¡± Lexa said, holding her hand in the air. Her fingertips barely made it up to anyone else¡¯s chest. Her group wasn¡¯t so much a group as it was just her and Agnete. A stealth expert and¡­ well, Agnete. They were headed to the deepest, largest storehouse. ¡°You keep saying ¡®you¡¯. Are you not coming this time?¡±

    ¡°No. Vesta and I will be staying behind. I was getting to that¡ª¡±

    Joanne clearly didn¡¯t like that. ¡°The strongest spellcaster and the monster aren¡¯t supporting us?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± Arkk said, holding up a hand to forestall any further complaints. ¡°When you all joined Company Al-Mir, you may recall that you entered into a magical contract. One that allows me to detect when you¡¯re in trouble. I will be using that extensively and actively during this operation. Vezta can scribe a ritual circle as complicated as a teleportation circle in an instant as long as she knows the location. Together, we should be able to reinforce or extract any group that needs help.¡± He paused, looking around. The explanation mollified most of the worried looks. ¡°Obviously, we cannot be everywhere at once. Try to avoid needing our help if at all possible.

    ¡°If you need an escape and cannot get to one of the indicated points,¡± Arkk said, pointing at the map. ¡°Find a place to hide. We¡¯ll get you out. There are a lot of abandoned or otherwise uninhabited buildings in the burg. If you cannot find a place to hide, we¡¯ll likely ambush whoever has you pinned and fight until you can extract yourselves or find a place to lie low, at which point we go back to the main teleport junction outside the city and reexamine the needs of the situation.¡±

    Arkk clasped his hands behind his back, moving back and forth in front of the groups. ¡°Some of you have a lot of experience in mercenary companies. I respect that. However, if you¡¯re new and haven¡¯t fought with Company Al-Mir before, know that we do things a little differently. Teleportation and scrying,¡± he said, popping a crystal ball into his hand as he held it out, ¡°change the game. We appear suddenly, hit hard, and get out. Minimal danger to us. Maximum damage to the opponent. This operation is no different.¡±

    ¡°It has been an effective tactic on those supply caravans,¡± Kia said with a grin. In the three days that Arkk had been planning this operation, her strike team had taken out another two caravans. ¡°Wish we had even one of those back in Raven¡¯s Claw.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lexa shifted from foot to foot. ¡°You said you can¡¯t teleport into the keep.¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Arkk said. He looked from Lexa and Agnete to Dakka¡¯s group. ¡°Your two groups won¡¯t have direct support while inside the keep. Dakka, your group will be in charge of storehouse three.¡± He pointed at the map. ¡°It is right on the keep wall. You will be tunneling up from underneath with a lesser servant, planting the bomb, and then escaping as quickly as you can. Minimal time inside the keep.¡±

    Dakka¡¯s lips curled, baring her tusks. It wasn¡¯t a hostile look directed at Arkk, more of just a reaction to the dangerous assignment. ¡°Understood,¡± she said.

    There was a possibility that the stone of the keep would be warded like that of the Duke¡¯s manor. Arkk hoped not. Otherwise, Dakka¡¯s group would be on a rather short excursion. He didn¡¯t have a backup plan for getting around that kind of warding without Agnete to burn the enchantments away.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡°Lexa, Agnete. You two are taking warehouse four. The one deep inside the keep. It¡¯s also the largest storehouse, making it the highest priority target.¡±

    ¡°Just us,¡± Lexa said with a grimace even as Agnete simply nodded her head.

    ¡°You won¡¯t need to carry bombs with Agnete. A small team, especially one with your abilities, is better than sending in a full force. With your magic, Lexa, you¡¯ll be able to slip away a whole lot easier if things go wrong. But yes, you won¡¯t have support for the majority of your part of the operation.¡±

    Lexa twisted her little mouth into a frown before her eyes gleamed. ¡°I want double pay for coming back alive.¡±

    ¡°Double?¡± Arkk said, tapping a finger on his chin as if thinking it over. ¡°Well, if you insist¡ª¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°I had been considering triple pay for everyone. But I can do double for you instead.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­ no¡ª¡±

    ¡°Joanne. Your team has warehouse two. It sits right on the river that runs through the burg. Tunneling into it may prove problematic because of that. Not wanting to alert the enemy, I haven¡¯t tested just yet. You¡¯ll either be going in through teleport point one or six, depending on whether or not it can be tunneled into.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t your monsters just eat the ground and dump it all into the river?¡± the mercenary asked.

    ¡°I did consider that. The river has a frozen layer of ice covering it, unfortunately, thick enough that unless I tunnel through that, all the stores will just sit on top ready for reclamation. I¡¯ll have better information as we near the operation time, so make plans for either point. Or, if you have better ideas, let me know.¡± Arkk turned to the last group. ¡°Kia, Claire. Your strike team will be taking warehouse one. Its location isn¡¯t particularly tricky but it is heavily guarded. Expect a fight.¡±

    Arkk took in a breath, looking over the assembled groups. ¡°The scrying team is available to answer questions on enemy forces and city layout if you need more information. Memorize the map and, especially, the teleport points. Come up with plans that suit your teams¡¯ skills. You have until tomorrow evening at sundown.¡± He paused, sending the crystal ball back to the scrying room. ¡°Come to me if you have more questions. If you think certain people will be useful to your groups and they aren¡¯t required for essential operations elsewhere, come to me with those requests as well.

    ¡°With Kia and Claire¡¯s strikes on their supply lines, this should lock the Evestani army in place and keep them from traipsing about the Duchy at will. It will be dangerous. But it will save a whole lot of people.¡± Especially with Olatt¡¯an and Ilya evacuating nearby villages. ¡°It also buys time. Zullie is working on a solution for the army and a weakened army will be much easier to deal with.¡±

    He looked around one last time, pausing long enough for any additional questions. When nobody spoke up, he nodded his head. ¡°Let¡¯s show these invaders why it was a mistake to set foot into the Duchy.¡±

    <hr>

    Claire drew back her bow, held it for a beat of her heart, and let the string go. The light twang of the bowstring paled in comparison to the gurgling cry of a storehouse guard. The guard next to him turned, opening his mouth to shout. His entire form turned to gray stone, silencing his alarm before it could begin. The momentum of his turn kept the statue moving. It wobbled and fell, shattering against the ground.

    Grin spreading across her face, Claire loosed another arrow. It jammed straight through the gap between another man¡¯s hauberk and helmet, puncturing his throat as he turned to see what the commotion was about.

    Kia and one of the orcs¡ªClaire hadn¡¯t memorized their names¡ªambushed another pair of soldiers who stood around the outside of the storehouse on the opposite corner. Their fight was a little noisier, not as smooth as Claire¡¯s, but the orcs had strength to spare. The orc, using a pick-like weapon, jammed it straight through a guard¡¯s helmet while Kia carved a man¡¯s head from his shoulders. Another orc and gorgon were fighting behind Kia. The initial arrow had been their signal to go.

    It was¡­ a little disappointing. Their ambush had been too successful. Too easy. Even if someone had shouted, it was entirely probable that nobody would have come to investigate. A massive inferno licked at the clouds on the other side of the burg. One of the other teams had either burned their target or dropped their clay pot.

    Either way, with everyone staring off in the distance and soldiers leaving their posts to rush toward it, their job had been disappointing.

    The moment that thought crossed Claire¡¯s mind, a massive rumble shook the ground. Another billowing inferno stretched to the sky, this one much closer. Inside the burg¡¯s keep, which probably meant the orc¡¯s team. Theirs was supposed to be the easiest of the four, even if they had to get into the keep to get it done.

    Either way, a grin spread across Claire¡¯s face as her ears twitched. She nocked another arrow. One towering inferno at a storehouse was an accident. Two? That was a pattern. People would investigate and¡­

    Claire loosed an arrow just as a pair of boots rounded the corner of the storehouse.

    The guard rounding the corner was just a bit taller than she expected. The arrow struck him square in the chest, knocking him back a step but not puncturing through his plate armor. While he stumbled back, another guard stepped around the corner with a crossbow already raised.

    The gorgon at her side slithered in front of her, taking the bolt against the metal pauldron on its shoulder. The gorgon reared back and spat a globule of caustic venom. Claire could hear it sizzling through the air before it landed straight on the guard¡¯s helmet. Some of it must have splashed through his eyeholes. He promptly started screeching, dropping his crossbow to claw at his helmet.

    Claire eyed the gorgon with mild envy even as she leaned around it, loosing another arrow into the first guard properly this time.

    ¡°Incoming!¡± Kia shouted from behind.

    Glancing back, Claire frowned. Two orcs were carrying one of the heavy pots between them as Kia, an orc, and another gorgon defended. Claire loosed an arrow over her partner¡¯s shoulder. It might have grazed her ear but it slammed straight into the eye socket of a man with a golden tabard. Kia didn¡¯t even look back, immediately taking the unexpected opportunity to bring her sword down on a pike before it could hit her orc companion.

    ¡°Our sside,¡± the gorgon next to Claire said, making her whip her head back around.

    Three guards had learned from their fallen comrades. They rounded the corner with shields raised. Pikes poked out from between the shields, leveled at Claire and her gorgon. The one in the center lowered his shield just enough to catch a glimpse.

    That was enough to turn him to stone. He fell forward, tripping the man on his right as he shattered. The short stumble provided all the opportunity Claire needed to unleash another arrow.

    She wanted to ask the gorgon if it could turn the petrified pieces back to normal¡­ just to see what it looked like.

    The gorgon slithered after the arrow Claire unleashed, contorting its flexible body around the one steady pike to wrap the guard in a crushing embrace. Metal deformed as the embrace tightened. The guard within tried to scream but quickly focused on just trying to breathe. An endeavor he wasn¡¯t quite successful with. The gorgon released the crumpled armor and broken limbs, letting it clatter to the ground as it returned to Claire¡¯s side.

    ¡°We need to go, now!¡± Kia shouted from the opposite side of the storehouse. ¡°They¡¯re trickling in but we¡¯ll get overwhelmed once more real¡ª No!¡±

    The two orcs who had been carrying the clay pot into the storehouse stepped outside. A soldier at the far end of the street, nowhere close to Kia or Claire, raised his crossbow at the same time. Claire nocked and loosed, but not before the man pulled the trigger. The bolt sailed toward the orcs. One got a shield up and the other dove toward Claire. The bolt careened past both.

    Claire¡¯s sharp ears heard the distinct sound of a clay pot shattering inside the warehouse.

    Eyes widening, she threw herself to the ground. Heat and fire erupted from the mouth of the warehouse. A shockwave rippled over her, knocking the gorgon back further. The shockwave passed but the air still rushed overhead. The heat felt like being in the same room as that flame witch.

    Raising her head, Claire scowled. A constant stream of fire rushed down the streets, igniting homes and houses in its way. She could see people¡ªregular people, not guards or soldiers¡ªfleeing from the buildings. Citizens of Gleeful Burg? Or noncombatants from Evestani?

    A child collapsed further down the road, flames licking at the back of his clothes.

    Claire didn¡¯t even blink. Arkk would have known about them. He had been the one scrying on the city. If they were civilians, they were just necessary sacrifices to ensure the Evestani army stopped here.

    Her attentions were drawn to the orc that had dived out of the way. His back was on fire even as he crawled forward, away from the rushing flames of the storehouse.

    ¡°Petrify him,¡± Claire said as the gorgon got back to its¡­ feet? It didn¡¯t have feet.

    The gorgon stared, not arguing. A moment later, the orc stilled. The flames burned a few moments longer, perhaps taking out his gambeson, before they died out as well. There was no way she would be able to carry a stone orc. She doubted the gorgon could either, not even if they worked together. Kia and her part of the team were cut off. Hopefully still alive but on the other side of the flames.

    ¡°We need to find our own escape,¡± Claire said, looking around, remembering the map. ¡°Unpetrify him. He¡¯ll have to walk on his own. If he can¡¯t, we¡¯ll offer the Light¡¯s mercy.¡±

    The gorgon visibly bristled at the idea of killing their own companion. The way it stiffened irritated Claire. She would expect the same in turn. Better than being caught and put through torture to find out what they knew. Snapping her fingers, she caught the gorgon¡¯s attention.

    ¡°No time,¡± she said, waving a hand to the burning warehouse. ¡°If the whole burg didn¡¯t know we were here before, they do now. I bet we have less than two minutes before we¡¯re overwhelmed to the point that not even Arkk can help.¡±

    That Arkk wasn¡¯t here now was somewhat telling. Either someone else needed help more¡ªKia or maybe one of the other teams¡ªor he thought they could get out on their own. Or he had been taken out while helping someone else.

    Whatever the case, that got the gorgon moving. It promptly unpetrified the orc. To the credit of the orc, he didn¡¯t start screaming or otherwise panicking. And he was awake. The gorgon helped him to his feet, looping its lanky body under his shoulders to help support him.

    Claire was already walking. There were two egress points close to this storehouse. One was cut off by the wall of flames. Kia would likely head toward that one. Claire wasn¡¯t sure for how long the fire would burn and wasn¡¯t willing to risk sitting around in the hopes that they would die off before the army had them surrounded.

    Bow nocked but not drawn, she moved ahead of the two, keeping her eyes and ears on alert for any sign of danger.

    All the while, she grinned.

    The thrill of being completely surrounded. The uncertainty of their possible escape. The notion that they would be deemed expendable and left behind. This was what she lived for.

    Just when she had been thinking those strike missions against supply caravans had been getting boring, Arkk went and threw her into this.

    She couldn¡¯t have asked for a better excursion.

 A Gleeful Reunion

    Lightning crackled in the air, hopping from one soldier to the next. In a second, the bright flash faded and twelve men clattered to the ground. Arkk didn¡¯t spare them a second glance. He beckoned, waving at his employees.

    Claire, along with an injured orc and a gorgon, hurried across a gap between buildings.

    The dark elf clutched a hand to her arm, stymieing the flow of blood from a wound. Jorr¡¯or looked like he could barely walk, being dragged along more than anything. While Vissh didn¡¯t look too injured, Arkk could feel a level of pain in the link coming from the gorgon.

    Yet there was no judgment in their eyes. No accusations about how he could have shown up earlier or sent more support. Claire gave him a thankful nod of her head as she headed into the older house he had emerged from. After they helped Jorr¡¯or onto the teleportation circle, Claire hopped on next and vanished. The gorgon quickly followed.

    Arkk didn¡¯t join them. With a muttered incantation, he summoned up a lesser servant. It ate through the evidence of the teleportation circle as Arkk hurried out of the small home.

    Claire¡¯s group, albeit unknowingly, had been traveling a mere street over from Kia¡¯s half of the strike team. He had provided Claire with an alternate escape but Kia was still heading toward one of the original escape points. Vezta provided another alternate teleportation point, closer to where Kia¡¯s team was headed, but the servant had gone to reinforce Joanne¡¯s group.

    Arkk rushed through the streets, stepping over bodies. Not all the dead were his and Company Al-Mir¡¯s doing. Some were regular citizens of Gleeful Burg who either hadn¡¯t escaped before Evestani moved in or simply decided to stay. They were just left in the streets to rot and feed the rats.

    It was a warning.

    Evestani hadn¡¯t put everyone to the sword. Not in this nor any other occupied burg. At least not yet. As far as Arkk could tell, as long as they didn¡¯t cause trouble, the Evestani left most citizens alive.

    They did displace a lot of them. The entire keep and its surrounding buildings had been cleared out. The outer wall of the burg and all the people who lived along its perimeter had been relocated as well, cramming the people in small groupings throughout the city.

    What he was doing now would get more killed. Even if Evestani continued to leave them alive, the food was gone. They would starve. But¡­ Arkk had a feeling that they would have starved anyway. The army needed supplies and it was doubtful that they would share with the civilians.

    It was possible they would kill the citizens after this. A retaliation. A message. Don¡¯t mess with us or we¡¯ll kill everyone. Arkk¡­ had to believe that they were already dead. Better this way than Evestani marching forward to do the same to other burgs and villages.

    He had to believe that.

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± Arkk intoned, blasting a crossbowman off a roof before he could loose a bolt at Kia¡¯s group.

    The other dark elf had a larger force at her side. One more gorgon, Vezz, and six orcs.

    Two had already died. One in the initial blast, one later on during the escape.

    Innately aware of where his minions were, Arkk waded into battle with no hesitation. He didn¡¯t have to take even a split second to decide whether a target was one of his or not. Soldiers fell, crossbowmen seized and misfired, and a spellcaster turned to stone¡ªthough that last one was Vezz¡¯s doing.

    The tide turned with Arkk¡¯s appearance.

    Kia jammed her sword through the stomach of someone who should have been wearing armor. She wrenched it out the side of his body with a flourish, sending blood across the muddy street in an arc. Hakk¡¯ar bashed a helmet in with a heavy hammer. A glob of caustic venom sailed through the air, splattering across someone¡¯s arm, forcing them to drop their sword.

    They could likely have taken care of everything on their own. Kia and Claire¡¯s group were made up of experienced raiders. Arkk¡¯s intervention just facilitated a faster and safer resolution.

    After looking over the street with narrowed eyes, Kia hurried over to Arkk. ¡°Claire¡ª¡± she started, only for Arkk to hold up a hand.

    ¡°Already back at the fortress,¡± Arkk said, not stopping as he hurried across the street to one of the abandoned homes. The door was locked. Or jammed. A long spell blasted the door off its hinges. ¡°Inside quickly,¡± he said, waving a hand to draw Kia¡¯s entire group over to him. ¡°You¡¯ve done well. Hale is waiting to tend to any injuries on the other side of the ritual circle.¡±

    One by one, the orcs and gorgon stepped through the teleportation point. Kia stayed behind, watching each to ensure they got through. As soon as Zojja made it through the portal, she looked at Arkk.

    ¡°We lost Yatt¡¯el and Farr¡¯an.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Arkk said, voice hard.

    ¡°Yatt¡¯el went up in flames with the warehouse. Farr¡¯an covered for us, blocking a path while we fought through another group. I watched him fall. He took out three armored soldiers on his own before succumbing.¡±

    Arkk just nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak. Those two weren¡¯t the only two who died tonight. They were the only two who had likely died because of him. If he hadn¡¯t made those bombs so volatile, the crossbowman wouldn¡¯t have been able to detonate it. The entire group could have stayed together, fought better. Yatt¡¯el wouldn¡¯t have been incinerated.

    Kia, somehow, managed a smile. Or¡­ perhaps it was that she didn¡¯t feel all that much at their loss. Since their joining, Arkk had felt that Kia and Claire were¡­ a little off. Emotionally. They were a little too hungry for a fight and the latter rarely spoke. Even though Kia was leagues more personable than Claire, Arkk was fairly sure it was an act.

    In a war like this, Arkk didn¡¯t much care. As long as they were loyal to him and weren¡¯t harming anyone at Fortress Al-Mir. They could spill as much blood in battle as they wanted.

    Kia didn¡¯t say anything else. She hopped onto the teleportation circle and vanished.

    Arkk didn¡¯t move for a long moment, standing in the dark, abandoned home. The only light came from the roaring orange flames consuming the city. He scanned through everyone still in the city. Agnete and Lexa. Joanne and her group. Vezta. Dakka was out along with her team and now Kia and Claire¡¯s team were safe.

    Agnete and Lexa were still headed toward their target. Theirs was the only one not aflame.

    Was it worth it to continue? Would they be in danger if they did? Should he pull them back now, before they wound up in over their heads? Three teams had successfully burned their assigned warehouses already and lesser servants had consumed a few of the smaller stores in all the chaos.

    They weren¡¯t in trouble now. The city was alert. He couldn¡¯t scry on the keep but he did not doubt that whoever was in charge had noticed what they were targeting. With three storehouses down, there was only one main target left.

    The real question was whether or not Agnete and Lexa could handle themselves. All Agnete needed was a glimpse of the storehouse and it would go up in flames. Lexa, with her stealth-based magic, could get them out.

    They could do it. That was why he had sent only the two of them.

    The lesser servant from the previous ritual circle made it to the abandoned building, curling around Arkk¡¯s legs as it headed toward the ritual circle. It would be ready to consume it as soon as he left. And he needed to go.

    While Vezta was assisting, Joanne¡¯s group needed more help.

    He stepped toward the ritual circle only to feel a tingle on his arms. A strange sensation of his hair standing on end. Some deep well of power formed elsewhere in the city and it was¡­

    Arkk¡¯s eyes widened.

    It was just like at Elmshadow.

    He dove backward, throwing himself out of the abandoned home and into the muddy street, hands over the top of his head.

    The sound went dead. The distant roars of flames fell silent. Shouts and clattering armor went still. The general noise of wind and settling buildings stopped in its tracks as the entire world held its breath.

    A ray of gold filled his vision. It wasn¡¯t hot. No heat burned at his back.

    The sound came rushing back in a deafening cacophony. As if every sound that stopped during that brief pause had to make up for the time lost. Arkk grit his teeth, forcing himself up and out of the mud.

    The abandoned house was gone. As were its neighbors. And their neighbors. An entire row of the street had turned into a shallow trough.

    Gritting his teeth, Arkk threw himself to his feet.

    Vezta was assisting Joanne¡¯s group. They were practically on the other side of the burg. She hadn¡¯t noticed the golden beam or his situation. Once she returned to the scrying team, she would immediately provide an escape. Arkk didn¡¯t know how long that would take. Joanne¡¯s team was bogged down heavily at the moment.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    The scrying team would alert others to his situation. They lacked the ability to rapidly craft teleportation circles so they would use one of the preexisting ones to send reinforcements through.

    Arkk pivoted, scanning the newly changed layout of the city around him. He knew the map. He had scried the burg enough on his own to know it well enough. He knew where the concentrations of Evestani forces were holed up, which routes they would likely take to reach the towering infernos, and which areas might be safer.

    He took a few steps, breaking into a run. There were no soldiers around in the immediate area but after that golden light, some would surely¡ª

    ¡°Leaving so soon?¡±

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± Arkk snarled, throwing his arm toward the voice before even turning his head.

    Blinding, overpowered lightning split the air with a sharp, deafening crack. The violet bolt of lightning crackled through the air.

    A flash of golden light deflected it, sending it off into one of the remaining buildings on the other side of the street. The wood and stone blasted to pieces. Bits rained down onto the muddy street.

    ¡°You caught me off guard with that before. Never again.¡±

    A child stood along the edge of the trough. A middling teen girl who couldn¡¯t be any older than Hale. She stood in a casual pose with an easy smile on her face. The glowing gold tattoos around her shaved head and matching eyes were more than enough to keep Arkk fully on guard.

    He wasn¡¯t Agnete. He didn¡¯t have a way of avoiding that golden ray. When told of the problem, Zullie hadn¡¯t managed to come up with anything beyond ¡®don¡¯t get hit¡¯.

    ¡°I thought I smelled anathemic magics around here,¡± she continued, looking off to where the abandoned building had been standing a few minutes before. ¡°Naughty, naughty. You do realize that pokes little holes in reality, right? They leak all sorts of unpleasant magics and take forever to heal back up.¡±

    Lightning crackled between Arkk¡¯s fingertips, just waiting for him to sling it off toward the child once again. That deflection had him wary. It was too similar to Chronicler Greesom¡¯s defensive magic. Arkk¡¯s employees had wound up injuring themselves more than the inquisitors during that encounter. Neither Greesom nor this child had reflected his lighting at him directly but both cast it off to the side.

    ¡°You¡¯ll forgive me if I don¡¯t take your word for it,¡± Arkk said. If the child wanted to talk, talking would buy him time to think. ¡°Seeing as we¡¯re enemies and all.¡±

    A dozen other spells flicked through Arkk¡¯s mind. Nothing offensive. Anything that directly struck the child could turn against him. The child wasn¡¯t invulnerable. Assuming it was the same being from the Duke¡¯s party and Elmshadow, Vezta had killed the ones at the party and he had blown the arm off the one at Elmshadow.

    Judging by the tattoos, Arkk had no doubt it was the same person. Just possessing¡­ a child.

    A flash of anger coursed through Arkk at the thought. He didn¡¯t like the idea of possession in general. While he had possessed both Vezta and Zullie, they had both offered prior consent. The latter for research purposes and the former simply because she viewed it as a kind of honor.

    Had this child agreed to be a puppet? What about the one from Elmshadow? Arkk had taken that child¡¯s arm. Had the golden-eyed being released the child, discarding the boy as soon as he lost some of his use?

    Arkk forced his jaw loose. He was getting distracted by his own anger. That wasn¡¯t productive for the immediate situation.

    Returning his thoughts to spells, he considered. Something like the Road of Stability he had used at the Duke¡¯s party¡­ something that enhanced its user. Those kinds of spells would work.

    But the incantations were long. Long enough that someone who did not need to speak words would be able to fling off a ray of golden light at him well before he could finish speaking.

    Arkk needed a moment. A slight chance. A distraction. And if he had a distraction, wouldn¡¯t a lightning bolt to the skull be a better option?

    It was a child. It didn¡¯t deserve¡­

    Arkk clenched his teeth.

    He had to decide quickly. A distraction was on its way.

    Arkk kept the lightning curling around his fingers. Constantly funneling magic into the spell to keep it going without having to repeat the incantation. Every instant would be important.

    The golden-eyed being had said something during his thoughts, something he hadn¡¯t quite registered in his anger. Unable to reply to it, Arkk had to keep the conversation going. Just a bit longer. ¡°You¡¯re the one from the Duke¡¯s party? The assassins?¡± Arkk asked.

    The girl raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡­¡± She paused. ¡°You can¡¯t be this ignorant. You haven¡¯t figured out what I am yet?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an avatar of the Heart of Gold.¡±

    ¡°Oh good. I had a genuine fear that [Servant]/[sliver]/[STAR]-[slave] hadn¡¯t bothered to tell you anything.¡±

    Vezta. He was talking about Vezta.

    ¡°Awfully considerate of you to worry over me. And here I thought you wanted to obliterate me,¡± Arkk said with a casual wave to the trough that had cut through the burg.

    ¡°You are, ultimately, inconsequential. You are a mortal. You will die eventually. You¡¯re just an obstacle on the path to [her].¡± The child chuckled. A very¡­ uncanny chuckle. It was not the kind of laugh a normal child would give, but rather someone far older. More jaded than a child should be. ¡°I should be thanking you. We knew there was one more unaccounted for. By dragging her out into the light, we can finally¡ª¡±

    A spiraling column of flames erupted into the skies, filling the night with a bright red-orange light. Even from the distance he was at, Arkk could feel the heat wash over him, warming him from the otherwise chill winter air. The familiar sensation of Agnete¡¯s fire spread across the clouds.

    He had told her to make it big and showy. More in the hopes of cowing the army, maybe even burning the whole of the keep down.

    The child tensed, on guard. But her guard was focused on the flames in the distance, not on Arkk.

    The lightning had been dancing between his fingertips, curling around his arm, fueled by minutes of constantly pouring magic into the spell to keep it going¡­ Arkk barely twitched his fingers and the lightning was gone. It careened through the air in the blink of an eye, slamming into the child with the force of a hundred of his most powerful bolts. The resulting thunderclap boomed over the burg, stronger and louder than any Arkk had heard before.

    He fell backward from the shockwave, landing in the mud, entirely unable to see thanks to the spots in his eyes. Arkk blinked his eyes several times, trying to clear the seared bolt of lightning only to remember that he didn¡¯t need eyes to see himself. Like at the Silver City mines, Arkk focused on himself with the link from the fortress.

    It didn¡¯t offer a good field of view. Just a top-down perspective like he was scrying on himself from a point directly overhead. It was enough to get him on his feet and oriented in the direction he needed to go. He didn¡¯t know what happened to the golden-eyed being or the possessed child. They were too far from him for his current perspective to see.

    The fact that he wasn¡¯t dead from a ray of golden light was telling.

    Hopefully, it had been quick.

    Arkk started running. He assumed that most guards would be focused on the inferno at the keep. That didn¡¯t mean he wanted to stick around in this Evestani-infested town even a moment longer.

    He made it a street over from the teleportation circle before he started to feel that build-up of tingling magic on his arms once again. Gritting his teeth, he veered off from his current course, throwing himself between two buildings.

    Another ray of golden light crashed through the city, taking with it another narrow slice of land, buildings, streets, and everything in between. It was smaller than the previous ray, not enveloping the entire street. That just meant that debris came crashing down as the buildings collapsed, forcing him to duck and dodge as he dashed through an alley.

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± Arkk muttered, panting heavily. He didn¡¯t fling a bolt of lightning straight away. Aside from knowing the direction the beam had come from, he didn¡¯t have a target. Instead, he just funneled magic into the spell once again, hoping that overcharging it like before might let it penetrate whatever defenses the golden-eyed being could come up with.

    A much narrower beam of gold light tore through the building Arkk had his back against. Not even as thick as Arkk¡¯s arm. It swept a few paces, slicing a small hole into the building. The cut wood behind Arkk cracked and broke, falling and collapsing into itself. The building opposite Arkk suffered the same fate.

    He ducked down, crouching low as part of the wall fell.

    Another thin beam of light did the same to the buildings on the opposite side of the fresh chasm.

    He was¡­ mostly certain that he had made that thing upset.

    Blinking his eyes a few more times helped his vision return. It wasn¡¯t perfect but it was enough to see by. With a grimace, he peered around the side of what was left of the building.

    The golden-eyed being had taken on a new form. An older boy stood at the far end of the road. Late teens. Maybe even in his twenties. He had the same tattoos around his shaved skull but, this boy looked¡­ in poor condition. Welts, cuts, and other marks marred his body. Like he had been strapped to a pole and whipped. The tattoos around his head looked raw and had streaks of red all around his shaved head. They had been bleeding recently.

    The boy, looking off after the most recent beam of light, whipped his head toward Arkk as soon as Arkk revealed himself.

    He raised an arm, golden light forming at the tips of his fingers.

    Arkk slung his lightning bolt. It wasn¡¯t as charged as the previous one and that came through in the dampened crack and less blinding light. Nevertheless, it forced the boy to swipe his hand, deflecting the lightning off to the side.

    He immediately lowered that hand and raised his other, forming another light at his fingertips.

    Arkk sucked in a breath, wincing in prescient knowledge of his own bisection. He threw another lightning bolt. This one weak in the wake of the previous, not having been even mildly charged up.

    The boy didn¡¯t even dodge, seizing slightly upon it striking him but otherwise ignoring its effects as he continued to build that golden glow at the end of his fingertips.

    A crossbow bolt slammed through the boy¡¯s extended arm, sending the beam of gold off into the skies.

    Arkk didn¡¯t question his good fortune even as the boy snapped his head toward where the bolt had come from. Instead, he repeated the incantation, ¡°Electro Deus,¡± and threw out a fresh bolt at the golden-eyed boy.

    It struck at the exact moment another blast of golden light fired at the source of the crossbow shot.

    A scream echoed off the half-toppled walls of the buildings around Arkk.

    The boy went into a seizure, crumpling as black smoke wafted from his form.

    Dead? Not? Arkk didn¡¯t move to find out. His eyes were drawn to the scream.

    A woman. Not one of his minions. At first, Arkk didn¡¯t recognize her, figuring she must have just been a civilian who had picked up a fallen guard¡¯s crossbow. She wore tattered clothes and had a grime-covered face. One of her legs, along with half her side, sat in the mud apart from the rest of her, cut off by that last golden beam. She was missing an arm as well, but bandages around the stump meant she had lost it well in the past.

    It was her grimace-set face, brimming with determination like she could pull through having been cut in half, that clicked in the back of Arkk¡¯s mind.

    Master Inquisitrix Sylvara Astra.

    His first instinct was to leave her. Abandon her. She was, likely, an enemy.

    But she had saved his life.

    Swearing under his breath, quickly checking every relevant employee of Fortress Al-Mir, Arkk made the decision. He sprinted across the open terrain, down and back up the shallow trough that the large golden beam had cut. The golden-eyed being hadn¡¯t gotten up. Arkk assumed he was dead or injured enough to not matter for at least a few minutes. There was probably another tattooed child waiting in the wings but, for at least a moment, he was safe from golden rays of light.

    He swore the Flesh Weaving spell under his breath.

    The Inquisitrix was missing a leg, part of her hip, and her forearm. Her shoulder and chest were still intact, as were the vital organs contained within. She had probably lost something important along with her hip but Arkk didn¡¯t have the time to do any in-depth repair. He swept his hand over her fresh wounds, sealing them shut and little else.

    She didn¡¯t speak upon his approach or while he was healing her, leaving her face locked in that determined grimace. Her eyes glared daggers at him like she resented being saved.

    ¡°Leave me,¡± she said without unclenching her teeth. ¡°Just promise you¡¯ll kill that bastard. The real one.¡±

    ¡°I can promise that. But you aren¡¯t being left behind.¡±

    The second he finished speaking, a teleportation ritual carved itself into the ground at his side. Vezta appeared within.

    She didn¡¯t have a comment. She didn¡¯t ask what he wanted. As if she could read his mind, she reached out with long tendrils and grasped hold of the inquisitrix. Arkk summoned a lesser servant in the short time it took them to disappear before hopping on the teleportation circle himself.

    The lesser servant was likely unnecessary. Just before he vanished, he could feel the hairs on his arms rising on end once again.

    The lesser servant blipped out of existence in a blast of golden light.

 Losses

    ¡°On behalf of all of Company Al-Mir, I would like to thank you all for coming to pay tribute to our fallen brothers-in-arms.¡±

    In the six and a half months that Fortress Al-Mir had been in operation under Arkk, there had only been one death. Kazz¡¯ak, one of the original orcs, perished while fighting the slavers at Moonshine Burg. According to Rekk¡¯ar, his death came about due to his own stupidity in treating the slavers as farmers subject to a raid rather than fellow raiders.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t completely sure that the explanation was true. He doubted Rekk¡¯ar would downplay any failures he perceived in Arkk. Yet Arkk still felt that something he could have done to prevent the death. More training, for instance.

    Now, Company Al-Mir lost four more.

    ¡°The actions we take are never easy. Company Al-Mir, since its inception, has stood for the people. We defended Darkwood Burg from malicious monsters.¡±

    Farr¡¯an. One of the original orcs. He had gone with Arkk to Darkwood Burg when they had been looking for Gretchen, the viscount¡¯s daughter. He had fought the other Keeper of the Heart¡¯s minions alongside Arkk. Arkk wouldn¡¯t say that he knew him all that well. The orc was familiar enough that it twinged at his heart.

    ¡°We helped those who had nowhere else to live in safety and security, offering a home and shelter.¡±

    Vezz. An orange-scaled gorgon¡ªone of the few who had voted to kill Arkk back in the Silver City mines. Not that Arkk held that against them now. If any of the gorgon harbored resentment from his invasion of their one-time home, they didn¡¯t show it. Vezz had been slightly more abrasive than others, disliking most non-gorgons, and yet he still volunteered for the mission in Gleeful Burg.

    ¡°We removed bandits and slavers who were terrorizing the small villages of the Duchy.¡±

    Yatt¡¯el. Another of the original group of orcs. This one hurt a little more. He hadn¡¯t died in direct combat. While Arkk couldn¡¯t claim to fully understand orcish culture, he did know that a warrior¡¯s death was something respected. Dead was dead, in Arkk¡¯s opinion, but not everyone saw it that way. Yatt¡¯el had died in what was effectively an accident. He had the bad luck to have taken the full brunt of the flames from the bomb.

    ¡°Many of you decided to join us because of these virtuous acts. Helping those who couldn¡¯t help themselves.¡±

    Finally, Luc. Losing those who had been with Arkk for months hurt but losing someone new was a different sensation entirely. Luc was a beastman of an unknown type¡ªhe had feathers for hair but human hands and no wings¡ªwho had joined along with the majority of recruits before the Duke¡¯s party. Losing someone so new felt like a betrayal. Arkk had a responsibility. It was his job and duty to see his employees safe at the end of every mission.

    ¡°And then the war began.¡±

    He had failed.

    Arkk stood at the center of a newly constructed room. One he had designed himself over the last three days. A fairly simple room. White stone walls with several columns standing in rows. The far wall held a simple blank slate. It wasn¡¯t a large slate, though there was room for expansion if necessary.

    He hoped it wouldn¡¯t be.

    ¡°None of us expected it. None of us wanted it. And yet, when the call came for those willing to take on a dangerous mission to stymie the relentless advance of killers and raiders disguised as a nation¡¯s army, you all stepped forward.¡±

    Pressing his hand to the wall, Arkk engaged the only bit of magical architecture that he had included within this room. It wasn¡¯t anything as fancy as popping an entire home out of the ground. Simple lettering carved itself into the slate.

    ¡°The act of willingly entering into a dangerous environment, knowing its danger well in advance, is by its very nature an act of heroic self-sacrifice for the sake of others. It is here where we honor those who paid a far greater sacrifice.¡±

    The Cenotaph. An empty mausoleum dedicated toward those who had fallen. None of those who had died in Gleeful had their bodies recovered. Kazz¡¯ak, though buried far in the east of the Duchy, had his name on the wall of the fallen as well.

    About half of the permanent residents of Fortress Al-Mir stood inside the room with their faces grim, respectful, or simply neutral. There were no tears. Kia had spoken of Farr¡¯an, stating that the warrior had saved the rest of her team with his sacrifice. Joanne had similar things to say about Luc and Vezz. Nobody else had all that much to say.

    ¡°Company Al-Mir has been made lesser in their absence. It will be felt in our halls, our minds, our hearts.¡±

    These weren¡¯t grieving widows or mournful children. All those who had a choice in signing up knew that this was a mercenary company. There was danger. With the war, it was impossible to keep everyone safe. Losses were expected.

    ¡°But I will not be one to lie down and accept our losses with a hung head. These men fought for something. Whether that be for a better duchy, honor, or distant family. Their sacrifice bought time. That time has been and will be used. It will not be in vain.¡±

    Not everyone could come. It was important that the crystal balls not be left unattended and the Underworld needed its constant posting of guards to make sure the Protector didn¡¯t slip through the portal. Some had simply declined to attend. If the rest of the gorgon were mourning, he couldn¡¯t see it. Orjja, the orc closest to Farr¡¯an, was in her quarters, obviously morose about losing her friend. Most of the rest of the orcs didn¡¯t seem to care all that much. Their raiding origins and the way their previous chieftain acted meant they weren¡¯t all that friendly with one another in general.

    ¡°Company Al-Mir will strike back tenfold for their sakes and when we do, Evestani will cower. Today, however, we stop and take a moment to honor our dead,¡± Arkk said, finishing the speech that he had prepared. The words felt¡­ hollow. Vapid and vacant. Like even he was doing this because he thought it was expected of him.

    He had no real idea how to handle a situation like this. How did Hawkwood handle it? The man had lost a significant chunk of White Company. Hundreds so far. Did he have a memorial for each? Doubtful.

    In fact, Arkk doubted Hawkwood had done anything similar thus far. He probably wouldn¡¯t until the war was over and done with. They would then have some large event commemorating everyone who died throughout the war. Assuming Hawkwood survived. If he didn¡¯t¡­ Well, wouldn¡¯t be his problem, would it?

    Something like this¡­ it wasn¡¯t for the dead. Unless some necromancer invaded the fortress, they were dead and gone. Nothing would bring them back as they were.

    A speech like this, a cenotaph, the gathering. It was for the living. Those who continued to serve Company Al-Mir needed reassurance that they wouldn¡¯t just be tossed aside like a chunk of rotten meat. Their mission wasn¡¯t futile. They wouldn¡¯t be forgotten.

    The curt, respectful nod from Joanne as she left the room assured Arkk of that more than anything else.

    Arkk remained where he was, standing at the head of the room with a stony face as the last few in the room departed. Ilya, who stood to the side of the room during his speech, approached. She didn¡¯t speak. Her elbow bumped into his and her knuckles brushed against his hand.

    That was enough to get him to look to his side.

    Ilya offered a wan smile. ¡°You alright?¡±

    ¡°Fine. I took a knock or two. Got some scrapes and cuts. Between Flesh Weaving and Vezta¡¯s ministrations, I¡¯m as healed up as can be.¡±

    Turning her smile to a small frown, Ilya said, ¡°That isn¡¯t what I meant.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Arkk drew in a breath and let it out, trying to force out his emotions at the same time. ¡°I thought that maybe, with all our fancy magic and resources, we might get through a war without any real casualties.¡±

    ¡°Idealistic thinking has its place. But this is war.¡±

    Arkk couldn¡¯t help but snort. ¡°No kidding.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I think I need to take a walk around the fortress. Not teleport directly to who I need to speak with, just walk and see and be seen. Take in the general temperament of the employees.¡±

    ¡°That is probably not a bad idea. It might even be good to make it a regular thing. To walk around like a normal person, that is.¡± If Ilya¡¯s earlier smile had been strained, the one she adopted now was positively brittle. ¡°Not that I think all the changes are bad things but¡­ you have changed since¡­ inheriting this place. All that fancy magic might have gone to your head a bit.¡±

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    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back. And not just because you help keep my head level,¡± Arkk said, flashing a smile of his own that he didn¡¯t quite feel. ¡°Is there anything I need to be aware of before going on a walk?¡±

    Ilya shook her head. ¡°The Underworld seems quite still. Eerie, if you ask me. One of the Protector things got a little closer but stopped and turned back when the guards readied weapons.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it wanted to talk?¡±

    ¡°Careful of that idealistic thinking,¡± Ilya chided. ¡°Evestani sent out a small detachment to one of the neighboring villages.¡±

    ¡°As expected. I presume they found nothing?¡±

    Ilya nodded. ¡°It was one that we had already evacuated.¡±

    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s keep a step ahead of them while we can.¡± Arkk cracked his neck back and forth. Standing for the entire memorial had put a small kink in his back. ¡°I think it would be good to stop in on the refugees during my walk. They aren¡¯t official employees but they live here for now.¡±

    ¡°Probably not a bad idea. Though¡­¡± Ilya waved a hand toward his eyes. ¡°Might want to tone down the glow. Employees seeing that is bad enough. You¡¯ll frighten anyone else.¡±

    Arkk blinked, drew in a breath, and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the color of Ilya¡¯s face changed ever so slightly, lacking a red hue that he hadn¡¯t even noticed. ¡°I¡¯ll try to keep that in mind.¡±

    ¡°Good. Do you want me to go with you on your walk?¡±

    ¡°I always want you at my side,¡± Arkk said, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

    Ilya didn¡¯t protest, though she did roll her eyes. ¡°Your tone implies a ¡®but¡¯.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Arkk dropped his arms to his sides. ¡°I think I want to be seen on my own for the time being. I don¡¯t want to give the impression that someone is forcing me to be one of you normal people,¡± he said, making sure the teasing was apparent in his tone.

    Besides that¡­ Even though it had been three days, something about the memorial just made it a little more real that he had lost people. He felt like being left alone to his thoughts for at least a little while.

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Ilya said, walking off. ¡°I¡¯ll head back to the scrying team and keep an eye on things for you. I¡¯ll let you know if something crops up.¡±

    Arkk watched her go, eyes drawn to the swishing of her hair. He waited a long few moments, letting her get further away. He was headed in the same direction, after all. Walking out now, following after her, would just make things awkward after having already said their goodbyes.

    Though, as he waited, he looked down at himself. With a thought, Arkk teleported to his private chambers and removed his clothes, switching the finest black threads he had for a casual earthy green tunic. Although nicer than most anything he had worn before Fortress Al-Mir simply on account of having been made by the lesser servant who acted as a tailor, it was much more akin to something he would have worn back in the village.

    He stayed in his room for a long while, deciding to let everyone who had been at the memorial settle into wherever they were going to be afterward. Some had duties to attend to. Others were free for the time being. Arkk occupied his time reading over troop movement reports on his desk. The largest concentration of Evestani was positioned at Gleeful at the moment but they weren¡¯t the only invading force, just the spearhead.

    If he let himself, he would have spent the entire day hunched over his desk. Forcing himself to stop, Arkk headed out for a walk on his own two feet.

    He casually meandered, venturing through the library where a fairy was scowling over one of Zullie¡¯s books on magical theory. For those who hadn¡¯t been able to wield magic before contracting with Al-Mir, even a single lightning bolt was exhausting. She was trying to figure out why and maybe find a few other spells that she could cast. Arkk wished her luck and asked to be informed if she figured out good spells. Anything that could increase the abilities of those who could use magic would be invaluable in combat.

    The smithy was a flurry of activity. Both contracted employees and uncontracted refugees hammered away at the anvils, repairing armor damaged in Gleeful as well as building new armor for anyone who, as of yet, had none. A lot of refugees were plenty pleased to help out in the war effort in any way they could. Most every village had at least one blacksmith, so with all the villages he had evacuated, they had a fairly sizable workforce sweating away in the warm chambers.

    Agnete worked as well. Not just as fuel in the furnace, but working on her own project.

    Her work wasn¡¯t armor. She was making thin tubes with more tubes able to slide inside them.

    Upon asking about the project, she paused, stared off toward the main forge, and shrugged. ¡°Ever since we opened the portal, I¡¯ve been having odd dreams. I decided to try to make something from the dream.¡±

    ¡°Dreams?¡±

    ¡°Nothing bad. At least, I don¡¯t think so. It feels good, even. Something I can do to right some wrongs.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ what is it?¡± Arkk asked, looking at the pile of wheels.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not get hopes up,¡± she said, speaking softly as she continued filing away. ¡°If it works, I¡¯ll let you know. It might be nothing more than a dream.¡±

    ¡°If you need any help¡­¡±

    ¡°Some of the smiths are helping me in their spare time, teaching me techniques and the like. I¡¯ll let you know if I need anything.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Arkk said, clasping his hands behind his back. Before leaving the smithy, he chatted with Perr¡¯ok and a few of the refugees, making sure that they had everything they needed as well. A few requested a larger smithy, if possible. Enough skilled people were working now that it was starting to get crowded.

    One thing Fortress Al-Mir was not lacking was space. The lesser servants in the gold mine were having to go farther and deeper lately. He might have to figure out alternate or additional sources of income before long. An expansion to the smithy still sounded like a worthwhile expenditure.

    Fortress Al-Mir had several areas that were usually in a state of activity. Training rooms, the canteen, and the fight pits were perpetually bustling. Arkk visited each, chatting with his employees about various things they might need or how they were handling themselves. He tried to not focus on just those close advisors of his¡ªhe saw them every day.

    The orcs, recruited thieves, and even some of Katja¡¯s men who weren¡¯t proper employees had set up various gambling games in the area around the fight pits. Dakka, Arkk knew, was a frequent visitor and victor of both the pits as well as the occasional round of cards.

    They weren¡¯t quite so busy today. A contingent of guards were stationed over in the underworld and most of those who had gone to Gleeful were still resting up after their ordeals there. The pits were completely empty, though Arkk did find Dakka and Raff¡¯el seated with a pair of Katja¡¯s men at one of the card tables.

    Every single person at the table was cheating in some way or another. Observing the game for a few moments, Arkk was fairly certain that his orcs had allied against the two bandits. He kept noticing subtle cues passed back and forth.

    He then noticed the bandits doing the same thing when one turned to sneeze, passing a card to one another in the process. If the look shared between Dakka and Raff¡¯el was anything to go by, they noticed. But they weren¡¯t calling them out on it.

    What was it? A game of who could cheat better?

    ¡°Mind if I sit in for a hand or two?¡±

    Dakka jolted, almost knocking over her drink as she stood to salute. Arkk did not miss the card slipping to Raff¡¯el as she did so. ¡°Boss? Didn¡¯t know you knew how to play.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± he said, pulling up a chair. They had games in Langleey Village. Nothing like this, however. ¡°Go on, finish your hand then deal me in.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Raff¡¯el shot a pointed look at the two bandits. ¡°Not sure this is the kind of game you want to get into.¡±

    Arkk reached into an empty pocket, pulling several gold pieces from the treasury straight to his hand. He stacked them up on the table. ¡°Come now, I can handle it. I¡¯m a quick study.¡±

    ¡°Let him!¡± One of the two bandits said, eying the gold. Arkk didn¡¯t know either by name. Just one of the few dozen people Katja had brought over from Porcupine Hill.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go easy,¡± the other said.

    The group finished up their hand, explaining the rules to Arkk at the same time. It was a kind of matching game where certain cards were worth more than other cards. You could make matches through drawing from the stack or off other players via a trade or the discard pile. It was important to not accidentally give away anything more valuable than you were getting. A complication when one didn¡¯t know exactly what cards someone else might have. The game ended when someone knocked, indicating they thought they had the highest value hand at the table, at which point every other player would have one more turn before it was time to lay the cards down.

    ¡°So,¡± one of the bandits asked as Arkk got dealt his first hand. ¡°Any idea how long this war thing is going to last? Not going to lie, I¡¯ve been missing the sun.¡±

    He was probably asking only as a distraction. Arkk felt no need to ignore the question. ¡°Evestani is pushed in deep. Rooting them out at this point is not going to be simple.¡±

    Arkk played a few hands normally, just getting a feel for things. The two bandits were clearly trying to bait out increases in the bet from him while Dakka and Raff¡¯el looked like they were trying to help him out through discards or trades without actually involving him in their cheating. It was a nice sentiment that they would do so with money on the line, but entirely unnecessary.

    Talk continued throughout the games. For every word on a mundane topic, three were exchanged on the topic of the war.

    It quickly became apparent that the bandits were focusing their attentions more on Dakka and Raff¡¯el, not viewing him as any kind of threat as they tried to block or steal the various discards that the two orcs made. Which, to be fair, wouldn¡¯t be a challenge at all under normal circumstances.

    These weren¡¯t normal circumstances. This was Fortress Al-Mir and Arkk was the undisputed master of the fortress.

    ¡°Hypothetically speaking,¡± Arkk said in as conversational a tone as he could manage at the end of one hand, ¡°what is the highest value hand possible?¡±

    ¡°Three emperors, three kings, and a wildcard to make four emperors,¡± Dakka said. ¡°But the odds of that are so low¡­¡± She trailed off, narrowing her eyes.

    She was right to be suspicious. Especially because the hand was literally impossible with the way things currently were. Dakka had an emperor card under the leather vambrace she wore on her left arm. One of the bandits had another hidden under a fold of his jacket. Arkk could see everything in the fortress. He owned everything in the fortress.

    He waited for a few more hands to pass, letting the comment fade somewhat into people¡¯s memories.

    Then, on the next hand¡¯s shuffle, Arkk did a little shuffling of his own. Swap a card here. Swap a card there. Like he could move people, crystal balls, and gold coins, he moved cards. He let one round go by to get some extra bets in, drawing and discarding a queen¡ªwhich was quickly nabbed up by one of the bandits, much to Dakka¡¯s consternation¡ªbefore he slid in his heap of gold coins, knocking on the table in the process.

    ¡°Got something good there?¡± one of the bandits asked with an easy chuckle.

    ¡°I think so,¡± Arkk said, looking down at his hand with a small smile.

    The two bandits looked at each other. One shrugged and gave the other a nudge. Surprisingly enough, that wasn¡¯t cover for passing a card around. It was a genuine nudge.

    One of them folded his cards. The other met his stack of coins with the pile in front of him. Raff¡¯el looked like he was about to push in his stack as well, only for Dakka to shake her head. Both folded.

    ¡°I think,¡± Arkk said, laying down three kings, three emperors, and a wild card. ¡°I think I am done playing fair.¡±

 Dragonflight

    ¡°There is a problem.¡±

    Arkk let out a small sigh, looking up from his desk to find Ilya wearing a grim expression. ¡°Of course there is. Did Evestani manage to get a shipment of supplies in? Did they figure out the teleportation rituals and are using that to either attack or resupply? Or maybe the protectors have decided they¡¯ve suffered our presence in the Underworld long enough¡­¡±

    The grim look on Ilya¡¯s face shifted to one of consternation as she folded her arms. ¡°If you would calm down for a moment, I could tell you and you could stop panicking over nothing.¡±

    ¡°Right. Sorry, I¡­¡± Arkk shook his head, leaning back in his chair. ¡°Sorry. You were saying?¡±

    ¡°The scrying team, during one of their periodic sweeps over the Cursed Forest, noticed a dragonoid flying overhead. They noted it as an anomaly but it wasn¡¯t doing anything and there is nothing on the surface that would be visible from the air, so they didn¡¯t report it right away. That changed when, an hour later, it was still there, now circling in what looks like a search pattern.¡±

    Standing, Arkk said, ¡°We¡¯re moving to the scrying room.¡±

    He didn¡¯t give Ilya a chance to protest, teleporting both of them instantly.

    Dragonoids were humanoid dragons. Beastmen dragons, essentially. They were rare, mostly because they wound up hunted down whenever they showed themselves. According to stories he had heard and what he had learned himself since becoming a mercenary captain, dragonoids, when spotted, were immediately targeted by the greater Kingdom of Chernlock with all kinds of bounties going out on them. Otherwise, villages and even whole burgs tended to go up in smoke.

    They didn¡¯t like humans, demihumans, or other beastmen. Just dragons and other dragonoids. Near as Arkk could tell from a few scattered testimonies and reports, they blamed the other races for the decline of dragons. Given that it was the Calamity that caused the decline of magic and magical species, Arkk doubted anyone but the traitor gods were at fault.

    Unfortunately, this was something he had to deal with. Especially because Sylvara Astra¡¯s stated mission at Elmshadow Burg had been to hunt down a dragonoid suspected of working with Evestani.

    The Master Inquisitrix was currently unconscious in a medical prison on the lower levels of Fortress Al-Mir. Zullie, as the most adept in wielding the Flesh Weaving spell, had done the best she could to fix up the damage caused by that golden-eyed avatar. Even with that, nobody was sure if the inquisitor would wake again.

    The scrying room of Fortress Al-Mir was a small room with dim violet glowstones embedded in a maze-like ceiling. It was a recent construction, one made only after the war had started when he realized that they needed people watching outside the fortress at all hours of the day. He only had two crystal balls, both left over from the original fortress, and had eight people assigned in shifts, trained to look through them. Non-combatants, beastmen mostly, recruited from the refugees who nonetheless wanted to help with the war effort.

    Ilya, though slightly jarred at the sudden location change, recovered quickly enough and waved Arkk over to a half-flopkin, Harvey. The beastman sat next to a tall pedestal topped with one of the crystal balls, long bunny-like ears lying flat down the back of his head.

    ¡°Is the dragonoid still there?¡± Ilya asked.

    The flopkin nodded as he adjusted the view in the crystal ball. ¡°It started circling over the north end of the forest, near Smilesville. So far, it hasn¡¯t attacked the burg, nor can we find any trail of destruction that might indicate where it came from.¡±

    Arkk leaned close to look into the crystal ball. An act that startled the poor flopkin. He hadn¡¯t noticed Arkk¡¯s appearance in the room.

    ¡°Arkk, eyes,¡± Ilya hissed, making Arkk blink.

    On Arkk¡¯s second blink, a faint red glow vanished from the surroundings. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said.

    Inside the crystal ball, a winged humanoid drifted about. For a moment, Arkk thought she was entirely cloaked in a thick white wool. Like a flying sheep. A closer look revealed that suspicion false. The white gleamed in the sunlight. Hard facets caught and reflected light. A slight misting trailing behind the moving dragonoid reminded Arkk a great deal of the effects of the ice marble, constantly outputting an aura of cold. In this case, rather than an aura of cold, it was probably ice shavings from the dragonoid, falling into a mist-like cloud in its wake.

    Arkk couldn¡¯t tell exactly how big the dragonoid was. It was high over the Cursed Forest, making it difficult to see its size relative to anything on the ground. That said, its wings were massive in comparison to its body. If Arkk assumed that its body was average for a human, one roughly his size, its wings would have stretched from one end of the canteen to the other. At least three body lengths per wing.

    If it was larger than a human¡­ it could possibly reach from one end of the temple room to the other.

    ¡°An hour ago, I thought it was just flying through the area,¡± Harvey said. ¡°Something to keep an eye on but not to worry about. Now¡­¡±

    ¡°Search pattern,¡± Arkk said, repeating Ilya¡¯s words from earlier. ¡°It is too much of a coincidence. That dragonoid is looking for us.¡±

    ¡°If there isn¡¯t anything visible from the surface, can we ignore it?¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t quite true,¡± Arkk said, holding his chin in one hand as he peered at the icy dragonoid. ¡°There are the hidden entrances near the burgs and then there is the entrance to the false fortress.¡±

    ¡°The hidden entrances are hidden, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    Arkk shrugged. Reaching out, he let a touch of his magic brush against the crystal ball. The image within fizzled as he took control, readjusting the viewpoint to the hidden entrance outside Stone Hearth Burg, Arkk stared at it from the overhead view. It was an old-looking shack. ¡°We¡¯ve had to build them up since I have people actively visiting the burgs to collect letters and other information,¡± he said. ¡°They don¡¯t really look different than a farmer¡¯s tool shed, but that might be enough to catch our guest¡¯s notice.¡±

    ¡°So, plan?¡±

    ¡°For now, keep watch on it every so often. Let me know if it does anything unusual. I¡¯ll have the lesser servants drag some shrubberies over the few trap doors we have.¡± He looked over to Ilya. ¡°Have John stop by the Stone Hearth garrison and see if they have any more information on dragonoids, how to take them down, and whether or not this particular one has had any reports about it.¡±

    Dragonoids were powerful. Although the Calamity had rendered them sterile, they retained their personal magics. Much like gorgon, they had innate powers. Guessing based on this one¡¯s appearance, Arkk guessed that they were dealing with some kind of ice dragonoid. Agnete might work against it but, at the same time, she was particularly vulnerable to the ice marble. If she found herself at a similar disadvantage against this dragonoid¡­ Well, he had to hope that lightning or petrification would work.

    Master Inquisitrix Astra had likely intended to use her purifier to counter the dragonoid. The Jailor of the Void¡¯s avatar was dead now, nullifying that possibility.

    Perhaps she had alternate solutions? There was an old village adage about putting eggs in one basket, though he wasn¡¯t sure that a prestigious inquisitor would have heard that one.

    ¡°Keep up the good work,¡± Arkk said, patting the flopkin on the shoulder. With that, he teleported down to the medical prison.

    Hale, watched over by a pair of gorgon guards, stood hunched over the Master Inquisitrix. She muttered under her breath, moving her hands in a circular motion that Arkk associated with the Flesh Weaving spell, though not quite right.

    The two gorgon, Vissh and Jann, stirred at his sudden arrival. They quickly settled back down without a word once they realized who he was. Arkk didn¡¯t say anything either, simply watching Hale work.

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    It was¡­ strange. Hale twisted and pulled at the stump of the inquisitor¡¯s dismembered arm, stretching it out into something resembling but not quite matching her other, intact arm. She wasn¡¯t just mending flesh, knitting it back together, but instead created flesh. Arkk could see the muscles coiling together, tighter and thicker than a human arm should be. Bone cracked, spaced apart, and fresh material filled in the gaps, elongating it. Fresh skin rolled over the top, though even that was wrong and different. Thicker than normal. From all the injuries he had seen on his employees, Arkk would have likened it to orc skin rather than human skin.

    The whole process was probably not very pleasant for Astra. It was a good thing the woman was unconscious.

    Hale cut off the spell when the arm was roughly the same length as Astra¡¯s other arm, sealing it off just before where the hand would be. Hale stumbled back, sweating profusely from her brow. She moved to wipe her forehead on the sleeve of her white tunic, only to catch sight of Arkk.

    Her eyes widened. Taking a trepidatious step backward, she bumped into Astra¡¯s cot and shot a quick glance at the woman like she was wondering if it wasn¡¯t too late to undo what she had just done.

    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Arkk asked, stepping forward to inspect the fresh arm.

    Zullie was far more adept than Arkk was at the spell and even she hadn¡¯t managed to regrow an entire arm. Minor differences aside¡ªit felt more like holding Dakka¡¯s arm than a human¡¯s¡ªif it worked¡­ There were several in his employ and among the refugees who were suffering from large injuries that Flesh Weaving hadn¡¯t been able to help to this extent.

    ¡°You and Zullie don¡¯t use the spell right,¡± Hale said in a near whisper, as if worried that she would be in trouble.

    She was in trouble. Not for making the arm but for working on an unconscious person without even his say-so.

    ¡°The book explained how to use it but I think you ignored that part,¡± Hale said, touching the tips of her fingers together. ¡°And Zullie either doesn¡¯t want to catch your ire¡­ or she finds the spell less interesting than other spells in the book.¡±

    Arkk shot Hale a look, watching her wilt. ¡°How do you know what the book says? Zullie wasn¡¯t supposed to let you read it.¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t!¡± Hale said, stepping forward. Her twin ponytails swung side to side as she shook her head. ¡°Zullie didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I read the book before she was even here, back the night the orcs attacked.¡±

    ¡°You said you didn¡¯t know how to read.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t. But you had Zullie teach me after.¡±

    ¡°And you remembered the words enough to¡­ retroactively understand them? Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡±

    Hale looked down and shrugged. ¡°They just kind of stuck in my mind. Especially after Zullie taught me the spell, I just¡­ knew.¡±

    Arkk drummed his fingers on his arm, frowning down at Hale. ¡°Have you tried other things from that book?¡±

    Hale shook her head back and forth.

    ¡°Good. Don¡¯t. There are a lot of bad things in that book,¡± Arkk said, voice firm enough that Hale flinched. Letting out a small sigh, he bent down and patted Hale on the shoulder. ¡°And I understand that you¡¯re just trying to help, Hale, but you can¡¯t just go give a human an orc arm.¡± He paused, considered, then added, ¡°Not without permission.¡±

    ¡°You told me to see if I could help at all. I did. That¡¯s what the spell is for. It doesn¡¯t want to heal. It wants to make things stronger. Better.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t want anything,¡± Arkk said.

    Hale stomped a foot against the ground. ¡°Then why can¡¯t you do that?¡± she said, pointing to the regrown arm.

    Arkk didn¡¯t have a good answer for that. He knew the spell wasn¡¯t a healing spell, even if it could be used like one. The spell wanting to do something was ridiculous. However, the spell had been designed to do something else. To someone a little less experienced in magic, perhaps that felt like wanting.

    Just what was Zullie teaching the impressionable girl?

    As for the spell¡­ he would have to reread that book again. At least the section related to Flesh Weaving. A little refresher on what the spell was designed to do might make it fight him less when healing. Or¡­ Well, Ilya had yet to regain a full range of motion because of her mangled stomach. She was walking around and carrying out administrative duties well enough but putting her in any kind of a fight wouldn¡¯t end well. But if she could be¡­

    No. No way would Ilya agree to have her body molded into that of an orc¡¯s. Or anything else.

    A raspy voice broke Arkk out of his thoughts. ¡°Noisy.¡±

    Arkk blinked. Hale hopped back, startled. Astra stirred on the cot, though she didn¡¯t move much beyond her eyes. Those red eyes glared out, lacking focus as she tried to turn her head. She didn¡¯t make it very far before her face twisted in a pained grimace and she squeezed her eyes shut.

    ¡°I¡¯m alive?¡±

    ¡°You sound disappointed,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°You would be too if you were in half as much pain.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. We¡¯ve done what we could.¡± He glanced toward Hale, frowning again. ¡°Maybe a bit more than we should have. But that gold ray¡ª¡±

    ¡°How long?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been in and out of unconsciousness for the last five days,¡± Arkk said, teleporting a waterskin to him. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had this conversation with the inquisitor. She usually had a few moments of lucidity each day.

    Astra tried to force herself up. Unlike the last few times, she managed thanks to her new arm. ¡°Water,¡± she said, voice still rasping.

    She reached out to grasp the offered waterskin, only to freeze. She reached out with her new arm¡­ which lacked a hand. Staring at it, she slumped against the wall. Arkk moved forward and caught her before she could fall off the cot.

    ¡°I¡­ can fix that. I think,¡± Hale whispered. ¡°I just needed a rest.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk later,¡± Arkk said before teleporting Hale and her gorgon bodyguards away, leaving him alone with Astra. Looking at the woman, he took her only hand and planted it around the neck of the waterskin. ¡°You¡¯ve been awake a few times,¡± he said. ¡°Do you remember anything?¡±

    Astra didn¡¯t respond right away. She tipped the waterskin back, using her new arm to help hold it up. Arkk watched, trying not to look surprised at how naturally she moved the bulky arm. It was like she had been born with it. Right up until it slipped from the end of her stump. She lost her grip with her hand.

    Arkk teleported it away before it fell.

    Astra coughed twice, more in surprise than anything, and slowly shook her head. ¡°Flashes. Fire. Golden light. Pain,¡± she said with a grimace, eyes searching the room. ¡°This feels familiar.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve woken a few times. Sometimes even long enough to eat.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°I came here to try to wake you again,¡± Arkk said. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry for jumping right into questions but a problem has arisen and I¡¯d like to know some answers before you lapse again. Do you remember hunting a dragonoid?¡±

    ¡°Is that really the most pressing issue?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Maybe not. But it is an issue and you¡¯re the only one with answers. Every other problem has people working on it.¡±

    Astra pressed her lips together, closing her eyes. She waited long enough to answer that Arkk worried she had passed out again. Just as he was about to try to jostle her, she breathed out. ¡°A suspected dragonoid was spotted coming down from the North Sea, freezing a trail of ocean water in its wake. This was just after the war started. Normally, mercenary companies would be hired to handle it. With the war, my task force was dispatched instead. Purifier Tybalt was to detain the dragonoid.¡±

    ¡°He is dead, in case you¡¯ve forgotten.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t. Good riddance. He was always engaging in unauthorized use of his abilities.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, wondering what might have turned out differently if the inquisitors had gotten rid of Tybalt earlier. If not for Tybalt, Elmshadow might not have fallen. Likely wishful thinking. Those golden rays had done more damage than Tybalt had.

    ¡°Anything else on the dragonoid,¡± Arkk asked, hoping for something.

    ¡°Given the direction it came from, it was first suspected to be a scout for the Evestani army. No idea how they would have convinced it. There were no reports of it attacking villages. That doesn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t, just that the war caused enough chaos for a few reports to go missing. Based on its known flights and words from the oracles, it was searching for something.¡±

    ¡°I wonder what,¡± Arkk said, tone flat.

    Him. Or Fortress Al-Mir. One or the other.

    ¡°Beyond that,¡± Astra continued, ¡°I don¡¯t know much. We never caught up with it before¡­¡±

    ¡°Elmshadow.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have a plan for getting rid of it without your purifier?¡±

    She opened her eyes, strands of silver-blue hair hanging over her face. ¡°Yours not up to the task?¡±

    ¡°Just trying to examine every possibility,¡± Arkk said, leading to Astra chuckling but not saying anything else.

    That wasn¡¯t nearly as much information as Arkk was hoping for. It was searching for him. The why was less certain. Was it working with the Golden Order? Or something else? Dragonoids, theoretically, would want the Calamity undone to restore their ability to procreate along with whatever other abilities had been stripped from them. Yet they were not known to be friendly toward humans and he, despite the occasional glowing eyes, was human.

    Get rid of it? Approach it?

    This was his territory. He could move about at will. Just as he had done with Inquisitor Vrox at Langleey, he could confront the creature and, if things proved hostile, get away in an instant. But then the dragonoid would know he was here and, unless Agnete could fight it or it was vulnerable to his lightning bolts, he didn¡¯t have a great plan for getting rid of it.

    He was about to ask a few more questions when he felt an urgent tug over the employee link. The distance away was familiar. Someone in the Underworld. He followed it back to Zullie. After a quick check on all the guards over there¡ªnone were panicking or engaging in combat¡ªhe let out a small sigh. The last thing he needed now was for the Protectors to try to fight.

    If it wasn¡¯t an attack on their little outpost, then Zullie must have finished her task.

    Sure enough, she stood next to a crate of brightly glowing glowstones. All large, head-sized rocks that had been charged up with all the ambient magic over in the Underworld.

    They were ready.

    Arkk made sure that Astra was steady where she sat against the wall before he stood. With a wave of his hand, he pulled a small tray of bread and beans from the kitchens. ¡°Try to eat something,¡± he said, setting the tray on the cot next to Astra. ¡°And maybe try to stay awake. You¡¯re safe here, though please understand that I can¡¯t just let you wander at will.¡±

    Astra looked down at her own legs. Or rather, her sole remaining leg. Hale hadn¡¯t fixed that issue.

    ¡°Funny,¡± Astra said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll check on you again shortly,¡± he said, teleporting straight to the portal room.

    It was time to change his plan ever so slightly. To play a little less fair. If that golden avatar thought its magic was strong¡­ Well, it hadn¡¯t seen anything yet.

 Bombardment

    Arkk didn¡¯t like leaving the fortress behind while an active threat circled his territory.

    In the short time it took to gather a team, the dragonoid hadn¡¯t managed to find even the false fortress. It just looped around overhead, continuing even as night began to fall. It was a good thing its ice-covered body glinted in the twinkling stars and moonlight or else the scrying would have been much harder. He was a little surprised that it kept up its search even as night fell. Some beastmen couldn¡¯t see well at night, others could. He supposed dragonoids fell in the latter category.

    Confident that his scrying team would alert him if it found anything that posed a real threat, Arkk had gone along with his other plan.

    It was high time to get rid of the Evestani threat. They weren¡¯t quite to his territory but they were close enough that he wasn¡¯t at all willing to let them continue.

    ¡°Careful,¡± Arkk said as Eiff¡¯an and Orjja lowered a thick wooden plank down to the ground. Lines of brass on its surface linked up with adjacent planks as the two orcs latched it in place. Stepping away from it, they hurried back to the teleportation circle to gather up the next plank.

    Arkk knelt at the edge of the platform, grasping hold of a small brass nub that stuck up. Rotating it around and around caused interlocking gears to turn a larger section of the forming circle.

    He looked off into the distance, narrowing his eyes as puffs of white mist clouded in front of his face with every exhale.

    Gleeful Burg had managed to get their fires under control in the six days since his assault. The Evestani occupiers had sent out scouting forces to every village within a day¡¯s ride, likely searching for more food. Ilya¡¯s efforts at evacuating all the surrounding villages and hauling their food stores, livestock, and anything else of value back to the fortress had paid off. Evestani found nothing. Their resupply caravans weren¡¯t arriving thanks to Kia and Claire¡¯s strike teams.

    They weren¡¯t in an all-out panic just yet. They must have had some food supplies outside the burg¡¯s warehouses. Likely food brought with the army. Even with that staving off hunger, for the time being, they were getting a bit more frantic about searching nearby villages. They had to be running low.

    Arkk adjusted the brass knob, altering the angle and distance as the orcs placed the final plank in its slot. The maximum distance he could set was barely enough. Since that avatar seemed to be able to detect anathema like the teleportation circle, he had appeared at the furthest distance possible.

    The orcs brought in glowstones and placed them on the wooden planks where people normally stood to power the assembled ritual circle. Glowing magic spread out through the brass but a small modification made by Zullie and the blacksmiths kept the ritual circle from activating before he was ready.

    Arkk made a few final corrections, double-checking his work with a crystal ball set to view the entire burg from far overhead. White mist inside the ball partially obscured most of the central keep and its surroundings. It was the same tactic they had used near Elmshadow to hide their camp from scrying. Unfortunately for them, while good at hiding some low-to-the-ground tents, it couldn¡¯t hide the tall keep all that well.

    Arkk let out a long breath, creating a stream of misty air.

    This was it.

    There were civilians in the city. Regular citizens of the Duchy. The Evestani army wasn¡¯t leaving them alone. They were acting like raiders and pillagers, taking whatever they wanted from the people who were unable to stop them. They weren¡¯t the target of this. Nonetheless, Arkk held no doubts that they would suffer because of what he was doing. They would have suffered anyway.

    He planted his hand on the fresh modifications to the ritual circle.

    How did one fight an army with only a few hundred employees?

    By not playing fair.

    Arkk pulsed magic through the ritual circle. The four glowstones dimmed just a hair. He adjusted the brass knob, just a little to one side, and pulsed his magic again. Then adjusted the knob and pulsed. In the span of a few seconds, he repeated the action a dozen times, draining the glowstones down to a barely visible dim glow.

    ¡°Swap!¡± Arkk called out when he felt his next attempt at pulsing the ritual circle fail.

    Orjja and Eiff¡¯an hurried forward, exchanging the expended glowstones with fresh, brightly lit ones.

    As they worked, Arkk focused on the crystal ball.

    The first boulder dropped a few seconds after he finished, slamming down against an invisible barrier around the keep. It broke apart, crumbling to pieces just as a second boulder hammered down. A third and fourth quickly followed. Then a fifth and sixth. More and more. Each impact following the first made that barrier flicker. Some bits of rock and stone fell through, even while most of the crumbling boulders slid off toward the middle of the city.

    Even at the distance he was at, the absolute maximum range the boulder drop ritual circle allowed, he could hear the delayed impacts. They sounded like distant thunderclaps rolling over the hills.

    Arkk had been on the other side of this very ritual circle at Elmshadow, working with several others to power the defenses of that burg. He knew the strain and stress that even a single boulder caused. He almost felt bad for the poor spellcasters who had likely been chatting idly in their defensive ritual circle right up until that first impact.

    Now, they would be scrambling. People would be rushing to wake all the reserve spellcasters, getting them to move into the ritual circle as soon as one collapsed.

    When Arkk had been defending Elmshadow, Evestani had only launched one boulder every few minutes and then only for a short while before their spellcasters had to rest.

    As soon as Orjja and Eiff¡¯an moved clear of the ritual circle, Arkk started up again. Another dozen house-sized boulders manifested high over Gleeful Burg, letting the force of gravity carry them straight down.

    Before the second of the newest volley could slam into that shield, a blinding ray of gold, wide and large, went straight into the air.

    That wave of boulders never made it down. Nothing impacted. Just as the rays of gold obliterated streaks of land, they took out the falling rocks as well. And yet, despite that, Arkk had to laugh. ¡°Swap!¡± he said.

    From his experiences in both Elmshadow and Gleeful, Arkk didn¡¯t think the avatar could use that strong blast of magic in rapid succession. After blasting away an entire street, the avatar had swapped to thin, narrow beams rather than the wide blasts.

    And Arkk still had a whole crate of glowstones.

    From their perspective, it must be like he had found hundreds of high-level spellcasters, all operating multiple ritual circles.

    Another dozen boulders started toward the keep in short order. The first hit the barrier, causing it to flicker. The second shattered it.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Ten more boulders fell, pelting the keep to rubble. Arkk didn¡¯t stop there. As soon as the orcs moved new glowstones in place, he carried on, directing another dozen in the area around the keep. Most of the soldiers were concentrated just outside the keep¡¯s inner walls. Some, however, were stationed at the burg¡¯s outer walls. From earlier scrying, Arkk felt he had a fairly good idea of where most troops stayed at night.

    None of his identified targets were spared. With the barrier down, he didn¡¯t have to waste half a dozen boulders on a single target.

    In less than thirty minutes after teleporting in and getting everything set up, the majority of Gleeful Burg was little more than a pile of rocks. Arkk tried to avoid the areas where he knew the civilians of the city had been relegated. At the same time, he spared not a single thought of mercy toward the Evestani.

    He doubted he got the entire army. It was likely he wouldn¡¯t even know how much damage he had done until days later after Evestani dug out any survivors. He still felt that he had done some damage. The largest concentration of their army in the Duchy was, hopefully, no more. Hopefully, Hawkwood and the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard would be able to move in and begin reclaiming burgs and territory.

    As the last of the glowstones faded, Arkk stood up, fingers tingling from how hard his heart pounded in his chest. ¡°Pack it up,¡± he said, crushing his fingers in his grip.

    <hr>

    Stepping through the door to the library, Arkk found Zullie seated at one of the large desks. She was shifted to one side of her chair, arm fully on the table from her elbow to her chest, with her head resting against her knuckles while her glasses sat off to one side. She didn¡¯t move as he entered the room. Her eyes didn¡¯t even open.

    Hale sat a desk away, nose in a book. Arkk recognized it as one Zullie had recommended to him. A treatise on magical theory for ritual construction. It was thanks to that book that he had been able to craft a few of the specialized circles he had used. She looked up upon his arrival.

    Noticing that Zullie hadn¡¯t moved, Hale sighed. ¡°She came in about five minutes after you left, opened her book, and immediately fell asleep.¡±

    Acknowledging Hale with a nod, Arkk cleared his throat. Then cleared it a little louder. ¡°Zullie,¡± he tried, keeping his voice soft. He didn¡¯t want to startle her but he did have a few things to discuss. ¡°Zullie.¡±

    The witch¡¯s entire body jerked. Her head fell off her knuckles, dropping to her chest before she caught herself. She pressed herself back in her seat with both hands flat on the desk. Arkk caught a brief moment of alarm in her eyes before registering the situation around her.

    Heaving out a sigh, Zullie closed her eyes again. For a moment, Arkk thought she was going to go back to sleep. With another shake of her head, she looked up to him.

    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Zullie picked up her glasses, straightening them on her nose. ¡°How was it?¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. Back at the fortress, far from Gleeful Burg and the possibility of the golden-eyed avatar blasting him off the face of the world, an unpleasant nausea had settled in.

    There had been between eight and ten thousand people in the Evestani army. Anywhere from one to five thousand citizens of the Duchy depending on how many fled, how many were killed, and how many welcomed their new masters with open arms. Arkk still didn¡¯t know how much damage he had done. Yet¡­

    ¡°Gleeful Burg has been buried under a layer of rubble.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Zullie yawned. ¡°Good. The glowstones performed as I expected then?¡±

    ¡°Each group of four got about twelve usages out of the ritual circle, give or take. There were¡ª¡±

    ¡°Only twelve?¡± Zullie said with a frown. She blinked twice, looking down at the book open on the desk. Shoving it aside, she grabbed a parchment and quickly scrawled out a few notes. ¡°You should have gotten sixteen to eighteen boulders out of each group.¡±

    Arkk just shrugged. He didn¡¯t particularly feel up to arguing at the moment. The ritual circle had failed after twelve most every time. Only once had he gotten thirteen. Given that he hadn¡¯t designed or even sketched out the ritual circle¡ªit had been premade¡ªhe didn¡¯t think he could be at any fault for the discrepancy.

    Frown turning to a scowl, Zullie returned to the parchment. She tested out the equations in a few different ways, substituting a variable here or there to try to figure out what went wrong. Hale scooted over, peering over her shoulder with obvious interest. Arkk would normally have been the same. Now, he just felt too drained.

    ¡°Can the glowstones be refilled with magic?¡± Arkk asked, interrupting her calculations.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said slowly. ¡°But I¡¯m not going to.¡±

    ¡°Is there danger in refilling them too many times?¡± he asked, suddenly a little more concerned.

    ¡°Oh yeah. A major danger that I won¡¯t get any research done,¡± Zullie said, scratching out a few notes on the parchment. ¡°Not going to lie, Arkk, I like being here. There¡¯s always something interesting to research. But I did not sign up to babysit a bunch of rocks. And they do need babysitting. Leave them too long in those charging circles and they¡¯ll crack. Or worse, explode.¡±

    Arkk let his shoulders drop as the mild tension bled out. ¡°Then get someone else to do it.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± Zullie said. She turned her head, looking at Hale for a moment before shaking her head in the negative. ¡°The only ones qualified are me and maybe Savren. For near two weeks, I¡¯ve done nothing but stare at a bunch of rocks and I¡¯m tired of it. Looking into how to fill them was good. Doing so is not. Give me something fun to work on again. Let¡¯s go back to the old magic. Staring at rocks left me lots of time to think and I think I¡¯ve worked out a few options for spells based on the three we know work¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop, stop. I am interested in old magic. But unless you¡¯re about to say you¡¯ve come up with a spell that can replace that bombardment ritual, we still need those glowstones. Even if you have,¡± he continued, not letting her get an argument in, ¡°having someone else able to launch dozens of boulders at once would be even better. If Evestani rallies whoever is left at Gleeful and joins up with one of the other detachments of their army, we might need to do this again.¡±

    Arkk hoped not. Just doing it once felt like it had taken a lot out of him. Not magically. Emotionally.

    If they had to do it again, he would do it differently. While the army was on the move or camped out in the wilderness between burgs. In retrospect, he should have left them their food so that they would continue and he could have hit them later. But¡­ the situation had just felt so¡­ dire. Like if he had waited, Evestani would have reached Fortress Al-Mir.

    Maybe they would have. But¡­ Fortress Al-Mir, with its enchanted walls and maze-like layout, would have afforded him the time to figure out a better solution.

    Throwing the doubt from his mind with a shake of his head¡ªwhat was done was done¡ªArkk looked to Zullie. ¡°You turned away everyone who showed up with an interest in magic. I know you think they would be useless for research purposes but can you not take on a few assistants? Go find some of them and teach them how to work the glowstone ritual. Then we can talk about old magics.¡±

    Zullie bit down on her lip, slowly looking over to Hale.

    The young girl¡¯s eyes widened almost comically. She shook her head back and forth. ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ Arkk has me working on other things.¡±

    ¡°Do I?¡± Arkk asked, mildly bemused.

    ¡°You wanted me to fix that inquisitor.¡±

    Arkk opened his mouth, paused, then clamped it shut again. Hale¡¯s face went entirely impassive and unreadable. Which, thanks to knowing her for years, Arkk could read easily. On anyone else, it would be a knowing smile.

    Pressing his lips together, Arkk sighed. Although tempted to leave Hale to Zullie¡¯s mercies, he looked to the witch and said, ¡°Find someone other than Hale.¡±

    Zullie groaned. ¡°What do you mean, fix the inquisitor? I already healed her as good as she¡¯s going to get.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good point. Both of us should go and watch what Hale is doing when she asks Astra if she can fix her hand.¡±

    Hale flinched at the emphasis on getting permission but nodded her head.

    Zullie just stared at Hale, suspicious.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see when we do it,¡± Arkk said, cutting off Zullie¡¯s impending question. ¡°Helping her might be the most immediately pressing matter at the moment.¡±

    Getting those glowstones charged back up would be important but given how long it took, losing a little time now wouldn¡¯t matter in the long run. Meanwhile, Sylvara Astra was both injured and actively in pain. And she might be able to help with their dragonoid problem, which Arkk imagined would be something she would more willingly do if he healed her.

    He was tired. Exhausted. He wanted to go to his room and lie down, rest a little before the next big emergency.

    Helping Astra wouldn¡¯t just help her, however. If Hale proved her method of using the spell was safe and viable, she could help others as well. Several had been injured in Gleeful and would surely be grateful to receive additional aid beyond what minor healing they had already gotten. Beyond his employees, there were plenty among the refugees who were injured.

    And then¡­ there was the fact that Flesh Weaving wasn¡¯t designed to heal at all, but designed to mold the body into something beyond. He could easily picture Dakka and some of the other orcs asking Hale for some extra muscle mass, height¡­ extra arms? Eyes on the backs of their heads? Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what all the possibilities were.

    Arkk peeked in on Astra, checking on the prison. She was still awake. That was a good sign. Hopefully, she would remain so.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see if she is feeling up to it. If she is, we¡¯ll observe Hale¡¯s work. If not, I want you to train others in the glowstone rituals. Come up with a few names while I¡¯m gone.¡±

    Before Zullie could argue, Arkk teleported down to the lower prison levels, raised his hand, and knocked on the inquisitrix¡¯s door.

 A Gleeful Aftermath

    Hawkwood grimaced as the bandages came off. The end of his left arm looked like he had held it under a windmill¡¯s grindstone. The healers had done what they could, turning the pulped meat into something resembling a hand. That alone was a miracle, even if he doubted he would be able to use his hand ever again.

    And yet, he had to consider himself lucky.

    White Company was a shadow of its former self. Even now, a full accounting of the dead was incomplete. Two thousand were dead in the mud and snow. Some had been blown apart by those rays of gold. Some had turned to gold, slaughtering their former comrades as statues. The rest had died in the rout, fleeing from the Evestani¡¯s yannissar horsemen.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir,¡± said Abbess Beryl as she tended to his wounds. Even she couldn¡¯t keep the grimace off her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know that I can do anything more. Maybe an adept or a bishop could¡ª¡±

    Hawkwood waved her off with his good hand, forcing a reassuring smile. ¡°You did what you could. Go. Tend to others. I¡¯m hardly the most injured.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said again, bowing her head as she ducked out of his current quarters at a smaller burg.

    Delightful was a smaller burg well out of the expected warpath of the Evestani army. White Company needed a chance to recover and recuperate. Delightful provided a relatively safe location to do so.

    Of the two thousand still alive, the healthiest thirteen hundred had been folded into the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard, leaving seven hundred wounded with Hawkwood. The war continued, after all, and bodies were needed. Their tactics were changing somewhat.

    The Duke¡¯s guard was pressing most anyone they could into their service. The vast majority didn¡¯t have weapons, armor, or training. For the new tactics, that wasn¡¯t needed. The Evestani army did slow when faced with a large force, thus the Duchy merely needed to appear large enough to pose a threat. Most of the actual soldiers were branching off, targeting the smaller detachments of the Evestani army that were spreading out in the wake of the arrowhead that was their main force.

    It was a strategy that would let them help the rest of the Duchy, even if they did cede ground to the main force. They just couldn¡¯t deal with an army ten thousand strong and the various golden magics that Evestani¡¯s Golden Order employed. One or the other and they would have a chance. Not both.

    Of course, it was a delaying tactic. Delaying the problem of having to deal with that army. It would reach Cliff eventually and unless someone worked out a way to stop them, that eventually would be sooner rather than later.

    A knock at his door had Hawkwood shifting in his seat. The movement made him grimace as a thrum of pain worked its way up his left arm. At this point, amputation might be preferable to the pain that came anytime he moved. He would have to see if it dulled over time. But that was neither here nor there.

    ¡°Enter,¡± he called out, pulling a random report in front of him to make it appear as if he had been doing something other than brooding.

    His adjutant, Neil, stepped into the room with a fresh stack of papers held out in his hands. ¡°Good evening, Sir. How¡¯s the arm?¡±

    Hawkwood looked down and forced his fingers to flex, bracing to keep the pain off his face. ¡°Getting better,¡± he lied. Knowing their commander had been permanently maimed would plunge the remainder of White Company¡¯s already low morale.

    He honestly wasn¡¯t sure that White Company would exist in the next few weeks. Besides the uncertainty of the war causing complications in the future, his healthy men were with the guard now. Only those too wounded to hold a spear were in the burg. Hawkwood didn¡¯t want to let it fall apart.

    He wasn¡¯t sure he would have a choice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose any of that is good news,¡± Hawkwood said, noting the distressed look on Neil¡¯s face. Perhaps his show of strength hadn¡¯t been as convincing as he hoped.

    Neil hid his distress as he stepped forward. Using his fingers to keep the stack of parchment separated, he divided the stack into three smaller piles and placed them on the desk one at a time. ¡°Reports on enemy movement, reports on allied movement, reports on White Company¡¯s current state, and¡­ a letter from Arkk,¡± he said as he placed a single letter to the side of the three stacks.

    Hawkwood felt a flash of unfair irritation at the mention of his fellow company leader. He knew that Arkk lacked the numbers to make a difference. The magic he used, however, could have come in handy. The teleportation circles, fear totems, the scrying, the gorgon and the flame witch, and his pre-Calamity monster¡­ Would Company Al-Mir have made a difference in defending Gleeful Burg?

    Probably not. Elmshadow had fallen even with Arkk¡¯s presence. The Golden Order¡¯s magic was rumored to be that of a god of old. Some ancient dug-up slates of knowledge or a library of old scrolls. Theories were wild and varied but the true source mattered little. In the end, Arkk¡¯s anathema couldn¡¯t stand up to the magic of the gods.

    Shaking his head, Hawkwood left the letter from Arkk on the desk as he picked up the report on White Company. The company was his responsibility, after all. His duty.

    The report wasn¡¯t anything out of the expected. It mostly consisted of a list of names. Some were of those who had an improvement in their condition. Too many of the names belonged to those who succumbed to their wounds.

    Hawkwood placed the report back on the desk with a sigh. He honestly didn¡¯t know what to say at this point. The whole war had been a disaster beyond even his most pessimistic expectations. Nobody had been prepared for a winter attack, nor for that golden magic.

    The report on allied movements was roughly what he expected it to be. There were a few successes in the new tactics. Evestani seemed caught by surprise at their smaller detachments having to face down proper soldiers rather than whatever local guard the various villages and burgs could put together. Reading on, Hawkwood blinked.

    There were¡­ a few too many successes. Some without even the posturing for a fight that was more common than actual battles. In a few cases, it seemed like Evestani had abandoned the burgs on their own. Not to advance, but to pull back.

    Switching over to the report on Evestani¡¯s movements, he confirmed that. Evestani pulled back almost all of its smaller detachments. It was a little early to tell for certain but following the path of the smaller armies, it looked like they were retreating toward Elmshadow, holding up inside the large burg. Something had happened but the report¡­

    His eyes snapped toward the end of the report.

    Gleeful had been destroyed. The cause was unknown but the vast majority of the Evestani army had been caught within.

    Hawkwood¡¯s eyes flicked over to Arkk¡¯s letter, suspicion welling.

    The man had said that he was working on something that would change the course of the war. Could he¡­

    Hawkwood broke the wax seal with the maze pattern and skimmed through the letter, looking for keywords. His eyes locked onto multiple mentions of Gleeful Burg. He started reading a little more around each. Finishing the letter, he leaned back in his chair.

    ¡°He did it,¡± Hawkwood said, closing his eyes. It took a long moment to remember what day it was.

    It had been just shy of three weeks since White Company had been routed from Gleeful Burg, abandoning it to the Evestani army. Based on the date in Arkk¡¯s letter, it had been just shy of two weeks since the entire burg had been leveled to the ground.

    How long had the war gone on so far? It felt like years but¡­ It had only been two months since the disaster at the Duke¡¯s party. Hawkwood felt a sudden wave of exhaustion hit him. One tempered only by the contents of the letter.

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t say how, but Arkk buried Gleeful Burg along with the Evestani army stationed there.¡± Hawkwood let out a small laugh. ¡°He seems to be feeling some guilt about it. I empathize with his guilt over the civilians but I can¡¯t help the feeling of elation. Those bastards near destroyed White Company. Every burg they occupy is facing starvation issues from too many people. It¡¯s¡­¡±

    Hawkwood laughed again, only to suck in a pained breath as he moved his wounded arm just a little too much.

    ¡°They¡¯re pulling back to Elmshadow Burg. Evestani, that is. If Arkk can repeat whatever he did at Gleeful, this war might be over. It might be over now. These reports aren¡¯t exactly fresh.¡±

    Ever since taking up residence at Delightful Burg, the Duchy treated Hawkwood more as an afterthought than an active military commander in need of information. Which was fair enough, he supposed, even if it was irritating.

    Hawkwood opened his mouth, about to ask his adjutant if there was any wine left in Delightful. At the very least, Arkk had given Evestani a black eye. Hawkwood was more than willing to celebrate that.

    A tapping on his door had him pausing. It was a harsh, rigid knock. Familiar. The knock of a harpy¡¯s talon.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Hawkwood said while gesturing for Neil to open the door. Harpies didn¡¯t often remain around human settlements for the sole reason that most door latches weren¡¯t designed with them in mind. Whatever harpy was out there likely had an escort. Neil was just in case it didn¡¯t.

    A Swiftwing with a letter already in talon held it out for Neil to accept.

    ¡°The Duke¡¯s seal,¡± Neil said once the Swiftwing departed, holding out the letter for Hawkwood.

    Staring at the diagonal bars on the wax, Hawkwood frowned and snapped open the wax. ¡°Let¡¯s see what our illustrious Duke has to say about our good fortune.¡±

    Unfolding the parchment, he started reading with the expectations of a change in direction for the war in light of the main Evestani force¡¯s demise. Halfway through, he stood abruptly, throwing the paper to the table with clenched teeth. There certainly was a change in direction.

    ¡°That bastard,¡± Hawkwood said, slamming his fist into the table.

    He felt the sudden jerk of his body tenfold in his arm. Enough to make him grind out a pained groan. The pain stole some of the strength from his legs, making him topple backward. Were it not for Neil swiftly making his way around the desk and guiding his fall, Hawkwood might have ended up on the floor rather than back in the seat that had gone sliding back with his sudden stand.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°The Duke is claiming that he was in armistice talks with Evestani when tragedy struck Gleeful Burg,¡± Hawkwood ground out through clenched teeth. ¡°Now he¡¯s allying with the enemy to direct their forces at the one responsible for striking at both nations. Company Al-Mir. I¡¯ve been summoned to Cliff to report on everything I know of them and their operations.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± Neil paused, frowning to himself. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to go. Are you?¡±

    Hawkwood drew in a deep breath, thinking. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can refuse.¡±

    ¡°White Company is loyal to you, Sir. Not the Duke.¡±

    ¡°Be that as it may, a good portion of White Company is with the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard. I wouldn¡¯t put it past them to make their lives miserable if I don¡¯t show. Damn it,¡± he hissed. If only Arkk had managed his feat a few weeks earlier, White Company would still be mostly intact.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe Evestani would be content to stop here,¡± Hawkwood said, wishing he had a little more information. ¡°Whatever they said to the Duke to get him to agree to an armistice or this alliance has to be temporary at best. They just want Arkk out of the way. Maybe buy themselves a reprieve while the Duchy wears itself out attacking a new target.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Neil said slowly, ¡°send someone in your stead. Claim injuries for your inability to travel. I can offer whatever platitudes the Duke wishes to hear while you organize and decide on the correct course of action?¡±

    Hawkwood nodded his head. ¡°I need time to think. Time to contact Arkk and understand the full situation. If you¡¯re willing to buy that time for me, I will accept.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll prepare for travel immediately,¡± Neil said, bowing himself out of the room.

    Hawkwood looked down at the letter again, rereading the small bit where the Duke claims he successfully fended off an attack perpetuated by Arkk within Cliff City. That¡­ couldn¡¯t be right. Could it? The armistice talks were obviously hogwash. Why add that detail in?

    ¡°What have you gotten yourself into,¡± he murmured to himself.

    <hr>

    Master Inquisitor Darius Vrox planted his cane on the last of far too many steps that led down from the Grand Old Church. Built on top of a small island jutting up from Cliff¡¯s oceanic bay, it stood as an impressive testament to the people¡¯s devotion to the Light. That or the undoubted slave labor that had hauled several tons of bricks over to the island when it had been built a few centuries ago.

    As impressive a sight as it was, Darius didn¡¯t particularly like it. It had always been too much. Too opulent, too large, and too many stairs to climb to reach the actual building. He liked it even less so now that he needed a cane just to be sure that he didn¡¯t tumble down the excessively long staircase. The injuries he had sustained because of the assassins weren¡¯t healing as well as they should.

    Part of that was likely that he had left the event early in an attempt to chase down Arkk. He shouldn¡¯t have even been on his feet at the time. Now, he was paying the price. Perhaps now and for the rest of his life. There had been no improvement in the past two months.

    There was still work to be done. He couldn¡¯t sit about.

    Or, that was what he told himself. As of late, he had been finding it more and more difficult to engage with his peers. Now that the Duke had announced a formal alliance with the Evestani Sultanate to hunt down the one Darius had been advocating and defending, he doubted he would be anything more than a pariah at best.

    It was through his efforts that the Abbey of the Light hadn¡¯t sent out every inquisitorial team after Arkk immediately following the reveal of the horror from beyond the stars at the Duke¡¯s party. The lack of action was considered a poor move in retrospect by the higher-ups of the Abbey. There were a few who still consulted with him. Douglas, his chronicler, primarily.

    Passing a pair of priests, one of whom looked freshly returned from the war with his arm in a sling and the side of his face scarred like he had been dragged behind a horse, Darius gave them a polite nod of his head. The conversation between them died once they saw him. They passed without word or acknowledgment. Which was roughly what Darius expected.

    Word had spread beyond the inquisitorial circle. Nobody wanted to be associated with the one who had advised against assailing Arkk.

    Taking a breath, Darius moved across the bridge. Ever since the last full moon a week after his encounter with Arkk underneath the manor moat, he had been stopping at the same spot with no protections against scrying active. He hoped that Arkk would have found something after scrying on all the information Darius had provided related to the false moon in the sky fissure. Even if he hadn¡¯t found the true culprit behind that incident, some evidence pointing anywhere else might help the both of them.

    Though, at this point, Darius doubted it would matter. The Abbey of the Light was not infallible. The oracles didn¡¯t see perfect visions. The men in charge were just that, men. Mortal and flawed. When faced with the threat of the Evestani Sultanate continuing their unstoppable march across the nation, it was easy to think they would choose to uphold the alliance, using Arkk as a scapegoat to force both armies to work together.

    Darius walked toward a lone pier, the old fishing trawler having sunk half into the harbor, making this pier unusable as a dock. It was the furthest dock. At one point, there had been plans to clear the wreckage. That had fallen by the wayside and, once the non-humans moved in, the entire area fell into disrepair, left abandoned by the city¡¯s leaders. Now, it acted as a shanty town right in the middle of Cliff, further reducing the appeal of clearing the dock.

    Out here, people avoided Darius for different reasons. He was a human, which wasn¡¯t automatically a bad thing for those living here, but he also wore relatively fine clothes. The uniform of an inquisitor was well known to the point where anyone who saw him would know that he wasn¡¯t someone they wanted trouble with. As long as he wasn¡¯t investigating them, they would duck their heads and avert their eyes.

    Case in point, a lizardman and an orc both shifted away from him upon spotting him, diverting their path down a small alley well before he neared.

    Things were changing, however. There were a few stares in the shadows. A sphinx, lounging outside one of the buildings, eyed him as he passed with curiosity rather than fear. His frequent trips through the area must have been noticed.

    Reaching the pier, Darius headed to the far end. It had become routine at this point. He even knew which of the worn wooden planks to not step on. Nothing had broken under his weight thus far. A few boards were still a little suspicious.

    A week after his latest encounter with Arkk, he had been down this pier with a small glowstone and all his notes on the fissure in the sky. It had been nearly a month since then. In fact¡­

    Tonight might be the second full moon since then.

    Perhaps it was time to end this charade. A month, Darius had bought Arkk. A month, Arkk had failed to deliver on his search for information related to the fissure. A month hence and Arkk, assailed by the armies of two nations, would likely fall. He well knew that the Abbey of the Light was researching as much as possible, coming up with countermeasures to the tactics and magics that Arkk employed. From the planar magic that allowed him unparalleled mobility to the clairvoyance scrying offered, the petrification of a gorgon¡¯s gaze to the flames of Purifier Agnete.

    If the Abbey was conducting such research¡ªand coming up with results¡ªhe knew that the Golden Order would be doing the same.

    The latest stunt of burying Gleeful Burg was being considered as well.

    Darius planted his cane between his feet, standing on the far end of the pier. A slight breeze, reeking of that oceanic salt, brought a chill wind from north of the city. His long coat fluttered in the wind. Dots of mist over his glasses made him frown in annoyance.

    There was nothing out here. He wasn¡¯t sure what he expected. A letter pinned to the wooden piles or an incognito messenger. Maybe one of the non-humans from the shantytown delivering a note. Something to indicate that he could continue to trust in his profile of Arkk.

    Pulling open the lapel of his coat, Darius carefully rubbed his glasses against the fabric, clearing away the dots.

    After this, he would return to the church and¡­.

    Turning, Darius froze.

    The sun dipped below the large mountain that gave Cliff its name, shrouding the shantytown and the pier in shadow. The sun had yet to set fully, letting him see, it was just a heavy shadow.

    Yet that shadow was heavier still along the wood of the pier. The dots in his vision were back. Except, instead of blurry spots on his glasses, they were bright golden lights that did nothing to disperse the dark shadow around them.

    An oily tendril stretched out of the shadow before reaching back in, pulling more and more tendrils out in twisting knots. They formed together, merging like an oily blob into the rough shape of a human.

    ¡°Good evening, Master Inquisitor Darius Vrox.¡±

    ¡°The horror from beyond the stars,¡± Vrox said, keeping his voice as steady as possible.

    Was this it then? The betrayal of the trust Vrox had placed in the farmboy? He had sent his monster¡ªVezta, if he remembered correctly¡ªto carry out his dirty work.

    Darius was alone on the end of the pier. There was nowhere to run but into the water. In the frigid winter and with his bad leg, diving in might well be a death sentence for him. And there was nothing to say that the horror couldn¡¯t follow him. There were none of his inquisitorial allies in the vicinity and he doubted he would get any assistance from the shantytown. They were more likely to join with Arkk. He well knew that many already had.

    Instead of an attack, the horror adopted the facade of a petulant frown. ¡°Horror from the [STARS]. Or of the [STARS],¡± she said in a tone clearly annoyed.

    Darius flinched at her words, feeling like the sound carried far more than the mere words she spoke yet those words were beyond the simple understandings of a mortal mind.

    ¡°Beyond the stars makes no sense,¡± she continued. ¡°There is nothing beyond the [STARS].¡±

    Darius winced again but forced his normal smile into place. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to update the Abbey¡¯s lexicon once I return,¡± he said, projecting all the confidence he didn¡¯t feel given the situation. ¡°I presume you came for more than complaints over word choice. Be on with it, horror, or be gone.¡±

    The horror paused, straightening her spine. If she even had a spine. Tilting her head to one side, she frowned. ¡°My master sent me to convey his most sincere apologies.¡±

    Darius tensed, leather gloves creaking as they gripped his cane. ¡°Arkk didn¡¯t come in person?¡±

    ¡°With the Duke¡¯s recent edict of an alliance, he has been¡­ busy. Preparations to make, people to kill. You know how it is, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    The smile slipped from Darius¡¯ face. ¡°Be on with it, horror. Don¡¯t drag my death out longer¡ª¡±

    ¡°You?¡± She cocked her head to one side again, clearly a practiced movement. One she likely picked up from being around humans. ¡°No, no. I have no orders to kill you. As I said, I am here to convey an apology. My Master wishes to apologize for unintentionally deceiving you on your previous encounter.¡±

    Darius blinked twice. First, in mild relief. Maybe it would have been for the best given what his life had turned into, but he had no wish to die. Second, in disappointment. ¡°He lied.¡±

    ¡°Unknowingly and unintentionally. Arkk genuinely did not know about this fissure in the sky and was honest in his intentions to assist you. It was not a ruse to escape. That said, we have since discovered that we were likely responsible for the event.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ How could you not know?¡±

    ¡°Fortress Al-Mir exists underground. It has no windows to the surface. In addition, at the time of the event, we were rather preoccupied with holding an audience with a god.¡±

    Darius clamped his jaw shut. That¡­ had to be a lie. ¡°Only the Ecclesiarch¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh no. No, no. I¡¯m sure your Ecclesiarch professes to hold tea parties with the Holy Light every weekend. We entreated with Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key. Master of boundaries and borders. She is likely the one who caused the fissure to appear.¡±

    ¡°This is¡­ heresy. Blasphemy. Both.¡±

    The horror dismissed his accusation with a casual shrug of her shoulders. ¡°My Master wishes for you to know that, while the incident was our doing, after all, neither us nor the Lock and Key wish harm on this world. Our goals involve restoration, not destruction.

    ¡°That is the end of the message I was told to deliver. Good evening, Master Inquisitor.¡± She dipped her head in an insincere bow and started to turn.

    Darius stepped forward, cane tapping with his step. ¡°That¡¯s it? You come to admit more crimes and¡­ What does he expect from this? I must inform my superiors and he must know that, so why?¡±

    The horror canted her head once again. She stared. Thinking? It was hard to say. ¡°Please note that the following is my suspicion and not anything that was directly conveyed to me: I believe Arkk has grown fond of you. I believe he is genuinely sorry to have placed you in an unpleasant position by asking you to continue defending him even though he was, in the end, the one at fault.¡±

    Statement over, she bowed once again. Turning, she started walking away only for the shadows around her person to reach out with thick, oily tendrils that appeared to pull the main body down into the pier. In the blink of an eye, there was nothing but shadow and even that dispersed back toward the city.

    Darius stared after the horror, unmoving for the longest time.

    He¡­

    He didn¡¯t know what to do. Arkk, the great fool, was the cause for all the concern. Darius had suspected even after Arkk claimed ignorance but¡­

    The man told that thing to come here and tell him with no ulterior motive? No trying to get him to report more falsehoods to his superiors? He even brought a name. Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key. The name meant nothing to Darius but the Abbey¡¯s archives were vast. If he informed his superiors of that name, it was entirely likely that they would dig up information, maybe clues as to the source of the horror and Arkk¡¯s unlikely rise to sudden power.

    And, beyond that, countermeasures to that rise to power.

    Arkk had just come out here and told him. Even with the war going on. Even with the war now turning toward him and him alone.

    Darius¡­

    He needed time to think.

 New Hostility

    Arkk stared at the distant Elmshadow Burg with his lips pressed into a thin line. Everything had been going so well.

    Elmshadow¡¯s keep had been ruined in the initial defense of the burg and it had not been repaired. With the white mist obstructing his scrying, Arkk wasn¡¯t able to determine exactly where the majority of the Evestani occupiers would be stationed. A few refugees in Fortress Al-Mir, originally from Elmshadow, had given him a few ideas of possible locations within the burg, so he had targeted them.

    The first two boulders fell unimpeded, crashing straight to the earth with all the destructive power their weight carried. He then ran into the problem of a hazy defense springing up around the burg, much like the one at the initial assault of Gleeful. He figured it would take less effort to break. The moment it sprung up, it was weak and flickering. Six boulders would probably have been enough, rather than over a dozen at Gleeful.

    Now, well into six or seven dozen boulders, Arkk stared at the golden dome that surrounded the burg.

    It had sprung up just as the normal defense had failed. And it was not taking any apparent damage.

    In some ways, it was a relief. Arkk hadn¡¯t been sleeping well ever since Gleeful. He still didn¡¯t think it had been the wrong thing to do. It had stopped Evestani¡¯s advance and the destruction they left in their wake. Having seen reports on the aftermath, the thousands dead at his hands, that was a small consolation.

    It had taken nearly twenty days to recharge the glowstones. Almost a week longer than the initial charging time with Zullie working on her own. Zullie had spent a majority of the early days training volunteers to work the ritual circles in the Underworld without damaging the stones. Hopefully, now that her apprentices were trained up, the next charging time would be faster.

    ¡°Pack it up,¡± Arkk said, looking around the group with him.

    The apprentices Zullie had taken on had probably been expecting to learn some proper magic, rather than rote memorization of a repetitive task, and Arkk planned to ensure they received some instruction. For now, Vezz¡¯ok¡ªthe orc who had assisted with the ritual¡ªworked alongside an elf named Hyan and two former bandits who had ditched Katja in favor of working under Arkk, Morvin, and Gretchen. Vezz¡¯ok hauled the large crate of glowstones back to the teleportation circle while the other three dismantled the bombardment ritual.

    Arkk moved alongside Agnete, the latter standing guard between the circle and Elmshadow. Much like at Gleeful, they were at the bombardment ritual¡¯s maximum range so he wasn¡¯t expecting any return fire from the burg. Still, best to be prepared with the one person who could deflect that golden beam. If it could even reach all the way out here.

    Though, as long as that golden dome stood, Arkk doubted they had anything to fear.

    He had discussed his encounters with the golden avatar with his circle of advisors. The consensus was that their opponent couldn¡¯t work his powerful magic back-to-back. It was why only one ray of gold had been fired at the keep, one ray at the wall the next day, and one large ray at Gleeful with only smaller rays after that. It was somewhat surprising that this golden dome had lasted as long as it had. Arkk figured it was just more efficient to defend than to attack.

    He would question Zullie and Vezta on the matter later. Agnete was the only other expert on the powers of avatars and expert was stretching the term.

    Her ember-like eyes stared at the golden dome without blinking.

    ¡°Thoughts?¡± Arkk asked, deciding to get her read on the situation in advance.

    ¡°The power of the Heart of Gold seems versatile,¡± she said after a long moment of continued staring. ¡°I burn things. Purifier Tybalt¡­ detained things.¡±

    ¡°We only knew him for a day or two,¡± Arkk said. ¡°He might have had more tricks up his sleeve.¡±

    ¡°I would prefer if he didn¡¯t. I burn things,¡± she said again, more despondent this time.

    ¡°You deflected one of those rays of gold at the keep over there,¡± Arkk said, gesturing in the direction of Elmshadow.

    ¡°Luck. And fire. And I nearly died for it.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. That was true. She was here now because she was the only one who had managed to put up a defense, even as incomplete as it had been. It was a danger. She could easily die if she tried again and was even a fraction less successful.

    ¡°Those dreams you¡¯ve been having since opening the portal, they haven¡¯t given you any¡­ I don¡¯t know, guidance?¡±

    Agnete turned, raising an eyebrow above the smokey skin around her eye. ¡°Putting stock in dreams, are we?¡±

    ¡°I spoke to a god.¡±

    ¡°Outside a dream. This¡­ It¡¯s more like¡­ inspiration?¡± She paused, frowning to herself. ¡°I¡¯ve always liked creating things. Heating sand and molding it into glass sculptures was one of the few ways I could use my heat without destroying everything around me. One of the few ways the inquisitors allowed, when they were feeling generous. Maybe that makes sense now knowing who my patron is.

    ¡°These dreams are more like ideas for other things I could make.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve stopped by the foundry on occasion.¡± Perr¡¯ok and the other smiths loved Agnete. They had viewed her as a nuisance at first, sitting inside the forge or hovering over their shoulders, but as time went on, they started to notice improvements in their work when she was around.

    Perr¡¯ok had come to him, asking him about the phenomenon. Agnete didn¡¯t seem to be working any magic yet, while she was present, they created products faster, made stronger metal, and even found supplies, such as a box of nails, filled even when they knew they were almost out.

    ¡°You can¡¯t tell me everything is normal there,¡± Arkk said, offering a small smile. ¡°Not everything is so¡­ flashy,¡± he added with a wave of his hand toward the distant golden dome. ¡°I¡¯ve almost thought about having you permanently stationed at the smithy just because of how efficiently everyone works in your presence.¡±

    ¡°Coincidence.¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Maybe not. But it isn¡¯t just that. You¡¯re making something. Components for something larger, not simple glass sculptures. Metal cogs like what that ritual circle uses to guide the targeting matrix,¡± Arkk said with a nod toward the partially dismantled ritual circle. ¡°And you made the wheelchair for Katt¡¯am.¡± The orc she had burned during the invasion of the false fortress.

    Agnete nodded her head. ¡°Among the inspiration I¡¯ve been having, I thought I could make him metal legs that would allow him to walk, run, even fight again. But perhaps he would prefer Hale¡¯s solution instead.¡±

    Arkk grimaced. Hale, with Astra¡¯s permission, was trying to fix the inquisitrix¡¯s body. It¡­ well¡­ Arkk wasn¡¯t sure he would consider the inquisitrix wholly human anymore.

    Mentally peering into the prison section of Fortress Al-Mir, he couldn¡¯t help but wince at the hand Astra now sported. While her arm looked muscular and rugged but otherwise mostly normal, her hand looked more like¡­ like the Protector¡¯s hand. It was covered in a violet chitin, hard and rugged. Her fingers flexed like the articulating plates of metal armor and were tipped in long, black nails that grew to a sharp point no matter how much she tried to file them down.

    Hale was temporarily off the task of healing Astra until she could figure out why she hadn¡¯t been able to make a more normal hand. And why she hadn¡¯t stopped once she realized the extent of the changes she was making.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if many would prefer that solution,¡± Arkk said slowly. ¡°Do you think you can make working legs that¡­ well, work better than wooden pegs stuck to someone¡¯s limbs?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t tested them myself, obviously. I¡¯m almost finished. I¡¯m just¡­ not sure how to approach a man I injured with something that may not work well.¡±

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    ¡°What¡¯s worse? An awkward conversation or Katt¡¯am remaining bound to the wheelchair while your creation collects dust? The worst he can do is say that he prefers the chair to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sir,¡± Vezz¡¯ok said, coming up from behind Arkk. ¡°We¡¯re finished. The others are already back.¡±

    Arkk glanced around and found the small clearing on the side of the southern Elm mountain to be empty. He nodded, summoning a lesser servant with a muttered incantation. ¡°Then we shouldn¡¯t dally here.¡±

    Once back in Fortress Al-Mir, Arkk separated from Agnete and Zullie¡¯s apprentices. The latter had some assigned studying to return to while Agnete would likely head back to the foundry. If she really needed someone to push her into speaking with Katt¡¯am, he would step up. For now, he would let them work it out between them.

    After a quick meeting with Ilya and Vezta to ensure that nothing vital was going on at the fortress, Arkk started his rounds.

    He was trying to get out and among his employees more often now. He wanted to know them. To learn everyone¡¯s name and at least some of who they were. If¡­

    If he ever had to add names to the memorial wall, he wanted to be able to say at least a few small words about them.

    He found John and Yavin in the small carpenter¡¯s workshop, working away on crafting arrows. Alma and Kelsey were eating in the cafeteria, talking casually with Lyssa and Kia, of all people. Lexa was giving Nyala pointers on throwing daggers in one of the training rooms. The fairies in his employ, Leda and Camilla, were actually spending their downtime in the Underworld. They weren¡¯t on guard or construction duty¡ªthere wasn¡¯t any ongoing construction as they had finished a full wall around the archway and, while there were a handful of Protectors watching from a distance, none had tried to get too close.

    Arkk was starting to get comfortable with their presence. It seemed that as long as he didn¡¯t venture further into their domain, they were content to leave him alone. He was free to head in and drain the abundant magic for his glowstones to his heart¡¯s content. Useful for now, even if this latest bombardment had been nullified, but he did still want to look for other old magic and relics. Or even convince the protectors to join him.

    As for the fairies, it was difficult keeping them out of the Underworld. Three other fairies from the refugees had signed up with him just to be able to spend time out in the Underworld. They were drinking in the magic-rich atmosphere like a man who crawled across Chernlock¡¯s desert and stumbled into an oasis. So far, none had been able to cast more spells than usual because of their time in the Underworld, much to Arkk and Zullie¡¯s disappointment. There didn¡¯t seem to be a downside and it made them happy, so he was content to leave them to their wants.

    Rekk¡¯ar and Dakka were in the underworld as well, mostly taking the assignment to guard the walls as a chance to kick back and relax. The former continually warned the others not to let their guards down and yet Arkk often found him leaning back in a chair with his feet on a table.

    Olatt¡¯an, strangely enough, was in the library with his nose in a book. Not just any book but one of the ancient books from the original fortress, transcribed to modern parchment because the old books had been falling apart. He couldn¡¯t read it. Arkk confirmed that much when he saw what book it was.

    Zullie sat a few seats away, completely ignoring the orc. She had ideas about old magic but wasn¡¯t quite at a point to test those ideas. Unable to create new verbal spells without more samples of the language used, she was trying¡ªand succeeding¡ªin turning the verbal spells into rituals. Specifically, the lesser servant summoning ritual. She hoped to use the ritual circle to then reverse engineer how the verbal version of the spell functioned which might open doors to the creation of more short spells.

    Which Arkk was all for. With all this golden magic being thrown around, he felt his current repertoire was lacking.

    Rounds coming to an end, for the time being, Arkk stopped in the scrying room before ending the day. Luthor was on duty. The chameleon with a stutter was hard to parse on occasion. Not worse than Savren. He was getting better. As one of the beastmen who came with Alma¡¯s forced recruitment, Arkk needed good places to position the man. Scrying was low-stress and didn¡¯t require talking with a whole bunch of people, just the others on duty.

    ¡°S-sir!¡± Luthor said, still stuttering.

    ¡°Anything to report?¡± Arkk figured the answer would be no. He had stopped in upon getting back to the fortress and nobody had come to him or called for him via the link in the time between. So he was a little surprised when Luthor slowly nodded his head.

    ¡°I¡­ wasn¡¯t sure if it was u-urgent or not. I-I decided not because nothing worrying is happening bu-but¡­ the dragonoid found the false fortress.¡±

    Arkk blinked, quickly checking the false fortress with his sight as Keeper of the Heart rather than a scrying ball. Sure enough, the dragonoid had her wings folded back as she walked through the deliberately dilapidated section of the fortress. She walked strangely, slow and stumbling while keeping one hand always on the wall. Then again, it was dark. The false fortress was designed to look like old ruins and the few glowstones in the area were dim and barely put out any light.

    Arkk had preternatural senses within Fortress Al-Mir. He figured that a dragonoid would have decent night vision as well but it wasn¡¯t looking that way now.

    ¡°Huh,¡± he said with a small frown.

    The dragonoid had been flying circles around the Cursed Forest for a few weeks now. She had flown directly over the entrance to the false fortress a number of times¡ªas well as the hatches near the local burgs¡ªbut had never once tried to gain entry. He had almost started to believe that the dragonoid wasn¡¯t here for him. Given that nobody present was quite sure how to deal with a dragonoid, he had been content to ignore the situation so long as it wasn¡¯t actively acting against him.

    Now¡­ Well, he probably shouldn¡¯t have been ignoring the situation. But there always seemed to be something more pressing going on.

    ¡°In the future, if you¡¯re unsure whether something is urgent or not, contact me. I don¡¯t think this is urgent¡ª¡± Not unless it could squeeze its rather large wings through one of the tiny tunnels that connected the false fortress to the rest of Fortress Al-Mir. ¡°¡ªbut I would rather know than not.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes. S-sorry. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    Arkk let out a small sigh, taking in the chameleon beastman¡¯s downcast expression. ¡°It¡¯s fine. My fault for not being clear enough. Go, take a few minutes break. I¡¯m going to be borrowing the crystal ball anyway.¡±

    Teleporting away with the crystal ball, Arkk reappeared inside the main meeting room. His main advisors popped into place around him. Zullie and Savren looked irritated at being interrupted. Olatt¡¯an simply closed the book he had been reading, placing it on the table. Alma, Ilya, and Lexa tensed up, alarmed at the unannounced relocation. Khan let out a long, annoyed hiss but otherwise swiftly curled around the warm rock that acted as his chair. Agnete, hunched over like she had been working on something in the foundry, actually let a small wave of heat flood into the room before she reigned herself in. Finally, Vezta assumed her usual position at his side without any visible distress.

    Rekk¡¯ar, Dakka, and a few others of note were over in the Underworld and thus he was unable to directly teleport them. If something happened that they needed to be informed of, he would send a messenger.

    ¡°There is no grave emergency and we¡¯re not being attacked,¡± Arkk said, aiming to calm the alarm of some of his advisors. ¡°I think.¡±

    ¡°You think?¡± Olatt¡¯an said, leaning forward.

    In lieu of an answer, Arkk activated the crystal ball in the center of the table. The image in the glass wasn¡¯t anywhere as clear as the image in his mind, yet the silhouette of the winged, scaled humanoid still stood out against what little background light there was.

    ¡°The dragonoid is in the false fortress,¡± he said for anyone who had worse eyesight. ¡°Now is probably the best time to deal with it. I¡¯m considering collapsing the entrance and, maybe, the entire false fortress, but I¡¯m open to options. Especially as the latter option will cause disturbances on the surface that people will take note of.¡±

    ¡°Dragonoids are said to be physically resistant,¡± Olatt¡¯an said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure a little dirt and rock will be enough to injure it.¡±

    ¡°Stranded stationary among silt and stone, suffocation will set in shortly.¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Alma shifted in her seat, making Arkk glance over to the half-werecat. She had a single finger raised into the air. Upon realizing that she had everyone¡¯s attention, she hunched her shoulders. With a deep breath, she looked up, meeting everyone¡¯s eyes¡­ except for Vezta¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking since the last meeting. Are we sure it is an enemy?¡±

    Arkk blinked and, with a small frown, looked around the room.

    ¡°Maybe¡­ we could try talking to it?¡± Ilya hedged.

    ¡°If the supposition is incorrect,¡± Vezta started, ¡°the prowess you have claimed they possess presents a threat to Arkk that he may not be able to escape from.¡±

    Vezta didn¡¯t know anything about dragonoids. While they existed pre-Calamity, they weren¡¯t something that her previous master had much experience with and thus, she didn¡¯t have experience either.

    Zullie, still looking annoyed, raised her brows. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to see that possession spell in action again,¡± she said. ¡°This seems like a perfect opportunity.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to put someone else in danger just to keep myself safe.¡±

    ¡°What about¡­ Can you possess a reanimated creature?¡±

    ¡°Your undead horse?¡± Arkk pursed his lips, considering the idea for far longer than the idea actually warranted. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to speak. Would I?¡±

    The skeletal horse had no meat and muscle, so it stood to reason that it wouldn¡¯t be able to make any noise, let alone human speech. Then again, it somehow moved without meat on those bones.

    Maybe it could talk?

    ¡°Could also try the corpse of that Protector sitting in the dungeons. If you can possess the undead, I could try reanimating that. Oh. Can I try anyway?¡±

    Arkk grimaced. The horse had been useful. It was a one-off thing. Turning that one-off thing into a pattern¡­ Well, necromancy was a high anathema in the eyes of the Abbey of the Light. They already hated him so it probably wasn¡¯t going to get worse and¡­

    If animating a dead Protector saved some of his own, living men¡ªand himself, in this case¡ªthen he certainly could make excuses.

    Ilya wasn¡¯t looking happy with Zullie¡¯s suggestion. Few were. Khan looked utterly unbothered and Savren looked intrigued. Olatt¡¯an had a heavy scowl on his face, probably because the spells came from the black book owned by the orc¡¯s former chieftain. Agnete¡­

    Didn¡¯t look as bothered as he would have expected from a former inquisitor. Then again, her experiences with the inquisitors hadn¡¯t been the best.

    ¡°There is merit in trying to speak with it instead of jumping to conclusions,¡± he said after a long moment. ¡°I¡¯ll wall off the exit to the false fortress, just to keep it from leaving. But I suppose we can try to figure out a safe method of speaking with it. Does anyone have suggestions other than diving into necromancy?

    ¡°Anyone?¡±

 Priscilla

    The dilapidated ruins of the false fortress were more than they appeared. Initially, when designed to fool Vrox, the ruins had looked like a weather-worn version of the regular fortress. Agnete¡¯s arrival burned away the enchantments on the walls and floor, leaving them little more than regular stone which promptly burned and turned to slag under her fire. As she continued through the corridors, the burned fortress walls and floors lost connection with the rest of Fortress Al-Mir and reverted to bare dirt and earth.

    Anticipating the possibility that the inquisitors might return to investigate the ruins, Arkk had been careful when reclaiming the false fortress. Lesser servants, when claiming territory, automatically reinforced the walls and floors with stone tiles and glowstones. Rooms such as the foundry, private quarters, canteen, and so on, were like layers on top of the base foundations. So he had designed a ¡®room¡¯ to go over the top of all the corridors that appeared to be little more than crumbling dirt tunnels.

    The further in one went, the less burned and husked they would find the false fortress. Once they reached the point where Agnete had stopped, things would look more or less like a worn-down version of the rest of Fortress Al-Mir. There wasn¡¯t much in the empty rooms, however.

    There were only two locations of note. One was a circular brickwork pit, designed to look like the [HEART] chamber. It had no floating maze-like sphere hovering over the pit and, while the real [HEART] chamber didn¡¯t seem to have a bottom, the false version was merely deep. The other room was the teleportation hub. Six ritual circles would take anyone who used them out of the fortress and to a variety of small clearings. Once upon a time, those clearings each contained six more ritual circles leading out to six more clearings. Each of those had more teleportation circles that went to the other clearings, making a big messy maze that didn¡¯t have a proper exit.

    The initial plan with the teleportation circles had been to ¡®escape¡¯ the inquisitors. Arkk could have led them on a merry chase throughout the false fortress before teleporting himself directly back to the real fortress, leaving behind the impression that he had taken one of the six circles. The inquisitors wouldn¡¯t have known which circle was real¡ªnone of them were¡ªand would have been forced to give up the chase, departing with the impression that Arkk had escaped to elsewhere in the Duchy.

    That plan had not survived contact with the enemy at the time. In a way, it was good that they had never been discovered. It kept the exact method by which Arkk moved through the Duchy a secret.

    Now, all the clearings had been more or less destroyed by wind and weather and animals. The room itself was still there within the false fortress, safe and secure underground.

    It was there that Arkk teleported in, appearing in one of the ritual circles but using the free movement within Fortress Al-Mir rather than the circle.

    If this dragonoid was loyal to Evestani, he wanted to give away as little as possible. Best to disguise his movements wherever he could.

    The dragonoid, at the moment, was stumbling around the dirt tunnels. To further confuse any intruders, the tunnels were a maze. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if the dragonoid had noticed that they looped back around; she had been wandering in roughly the same two hallways for the last six hours.

    Arkk stretched out an arm, extending the oily tendril just a little too far before remembering himself. The doors in the false fortress didn¡¯t open on their own. The whole purpose of the place was to look abandoned. Like how Fortress Al-Mir had been before he took over. Thus, manual doors.

    Moving through the maze of the false fortress with a surety of step that no one else would be able to replicate, Arkk reached the looping corridor that the dragonoid was in after only a few minutes. He stared through Vezta¡¯s eyes, noting how perfectly she could see in the dark.

    The dragonoid, one hand dragging along the wall, walked away from Arkk. Now that he had a frame of reference in the rest of the fortress, he could tell that she wasn¡¯t actually that large. She stood about a head shorter than he did, maybe about the size of Vezta, and had her massive wings folded up to the point where they were just twin tentpoles sticking up over her shoulders. He had no idea how they fit all shrunk up like that. By all means, she should barely be able to walk through the corridor.

    She was a woman. The icy coating over her body didn¡¯t hide her chest and she didn¡¯t appear to wear clothing over the top of the ice. It was a bit odd that she had a chest. Most lizard-like beastmen didn¡¯t have them. Gorgon did. They were the odd species out in that regard. Perhaps because they all came from different worlds?

    Arkk lightly cleared Vezta¡¯s throat. It wasn¡¯t quite the same operation as clearing his throat. Her throat just didn¡¯t work the same way. Nevertheless, it made a small noise.

    The dragonoid whipped its entire body around so fast that it was almost like she had teleported in place. Her wings spread to fill some of the corridor and the ice-like scales coming off her cheeks glinted in the few dim glowstones that lit the false fortress. Vezta¡¯s eyes let him see her frosty breath. What surprised him most were her eyes.

    They were iced over. Milky and dead.

    ¡°Who approaches?¡± the dragonoid called out. Her head turned like she was scanning the hallway yet didn¡¯t stop when she crossed over him. ¡°Announce yourself!¡±

    No wonder it had taken her weeks to find the entrance to the false fortress. Or¡­ how had she found it? Blind, circling high in the air, Arkk couldn¡¯t see how she would have ever noticed.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re there. There is something strange about you. The light of the Stars, brought low¡­¡± the dragonoid murmured. ¡°Speak! Or has your tongue frozen over in my presence.¡±

    Master, Vezta said from within, the creature awaits a response.

    Arkk drew a breath into Vezta¡¯s body, licking her lips. Which was certainly an odd thing to think about¡ªpossession really made everything weird.

    ¡°You invade my home and make demands?¡± Arkk said, projecting as haughty of an attitude as possible. Confident and firm. If there was one thing he had learned from his encounter with the gorgon, it was that a little spine went a long way when dealing with a potential hostile. ¡°State your name and purpose and I shall respond in kind.¡±

    The dragonoid took an aggressive step forward.

    Arkk held position. There were twenty paces between them. Unless the dragonoid really could teleport, he could move far faster than she could cross even five paces.

    But the dragonoid did not continue. She paused and a thoughtful look crossed her features. ¡°Your home? You¡¯re the Keeper of the Heart. Or a minion?¡±

    The dragonoid knew about that, it seemed. Was that a good or bad sign? Either way, Arkk didn¡¯t respond. He waited, watching the dragonoid as she brought up a hand to her mouth. Her hands were¡­ odd. Arkk couldn¡¯t quite tell if they were normally claws or if the ice coating her hands was simply in the shape of taloned claws.

    She came to a decision, stepping forward without anger or aggression. She sniffed at the air a few times before her lips parted into a wide smile filled with sharp teeth. ¡°I am Priscilla,¡± she said, planting a hand on her chest. ¡°The first daughter of the late cryo dragon Lagorn.¡±

    That seemed cordial enough, Vezta said. Perhaps she has traveled to join us?

    That would certainly be the optimal outcome. ¡°Arkk. Keeper of Fortress Al-Mir.¡± If she already knew this was a fortress, there wasn¡¯t much point in hiding it.

    ¡°The Keeper. Finally.¡± She started forward again. The movement and the way she spoke made Arkk tense, unnerved at the eager tone. ¡°The very Stars led me here. They showed me the way when I got lost and¡ª¡±

    The tension vanished in an instant as Priscilla¡¯s foot knocked against a small lump on the uneven floor of the false fortress. Bits of loose rock and stone kicked up into the air, accompanied by a pulsing warning from the [HEART] that his domain was under attack. Priscilla¡¯s arms pinwheeled through the air and her wings spread out, but they knocked against the corridor walls before they could fully extend.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    She fell flat on her face with a grunt.

    Arkk stared, eyes wide. Possessing Vezta, he could feel her incredulity.

    Priscilla didn¡¯t move. She went so utterly still that Arkk felt a pang of worry for the creature despite their reputation for violence and viciousness.

    ¡°Um¡­¡±

    ¡°Fine! I¡¯m fine.¡± Using her wings, not her arms, Priscilla pushed herself back to her feet, dusting her front off with her hands as best as a blind person could. ¡°I sought you out for one reason and one reason alone,¡± she said, trying to carry on as she had before. The haste in her speech felt more like embarrassment than anything natural. ¡°Lesser keepers pop up all the time. Ones blessed by the Stars are few and far between. And likely running out. There may never be one like you again.

    ¡°Thus, you require a guide. Someone to keep you on the correct path. I know the old ways. I know the ancient tongues. I know how things are and how things were and how things should be. The world is broken. You might not believe it. You might not see it. But I can see things¡ª¡±

    ¡°You want to revert the Calamity?¡±

    The dragonoid¡¯s icy eyes blinked twice even as she stared slightly off from where Arkk actually stood. ¡°Oh. You¡­ know? Are you¡­¡± She paused with a confused frown drawn across her face. ¡°The Stars brought low,¡± she murmured before her eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re one of them, aren¡¯t you? I thought the last of you died centuries ago.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just a human, but you could say¡ª¡±

    ¡°Human?¡± Confusion, anticipation, excitement, and even embarrassment all twisted away into a fierce scowl. ¡°A human? Blessed by the Stars? Impossible. While I smell human on you, you don¡¯t smell human.¡±

    Arkk pressed Vezta¡¯s lips together into a thin, worried grimace. He had a feeling that the next few words would determine whether or not this dragonoid would contract with Fortress Al-Mir or try to kill him to leave the power open for another she could guide.

    ¡°The one you smell is of the Stars,¡± Arkk said, speaking firmly. ¡°Vezta. My chief advisor and guide. She lent me her body for this meeting, knowing you would be more hostile to humans than anything else. She is also the one who chose me for the Heart of Fortress Al-Mir.¡±

    Priscilla clenched and unclenched her icy claws as she paced back and forth in the corridor. Arkk watched carefully, ready to teleport the moment she turned her ire in his direction. She mumbled to herself as she moved, grumbling under her breath. ¡°Why a human? There must be others more worthy. They caused this¡­¡±

    She pivoted on her foot and slammed her fist into the wall. Arkk could feel the tremor from where he stood yet the wall, despite looking like a rough dirt wall, still held tight to its reinforcement magics. The dragonoid didn¡¯t leave a mark. Which Arkk took as a good sign. At least she wouldn¡¯t be as bad to deal with as Agnete.

    ¡°You, human,¡± she said, pointing a clawed finger in the completely wrong direction. Had she gotten turned around during her pacing? ¡°You are possessing the Servant of the Stars? Vacate the body immediately.¡±

    Arkk lightly cleared his throat, making the dragonoid whip around fast enough that her tail thwacked against the wall.

    She hissed as she dropped into a combat stance. ¡°An ambush?¡±

    ¡°No, just me still. Are you actually blind?¡±

    ¡°I see what I need to see, human,¡± she said, spitting the word but slowly straightening to her body into a slightly more relaxed pose. ¡°I see the guiding light of the Stars, I see the burning hearts of my kin, and I see the fear in your heart at my presence. Vacate the servant and allow me to ask questions without your poisoned tongue in the way. Do so and you will have nothing to fear from me until my questions have been answered.¡±

    It could be a trick to get you in a more vulnerable position, Vezta said. Not likely based on what we have seen, I will admit, but the possibility exists.

    That was true. It could be a trick. Arkk doubted it. Practically the first thing that the dragonoid had said was that he¡ªor rather, Vezta was of the Stars. She sounded more like an ardent believer in the Light, except replace Light with Stars, than she sounded like an assassin of the Evestani Sultanate.

    That didn¡¯t mean that he wasn¡¯t in danger. Frankly, between the Abbey of the Light and the Golden Order, Arkk was sick and tired of religion. Maybe that was an odd thing to say for someone who had literally talked with a god but¡­

    Arkk ended the spell. He reappeared in the real world, blinking a few times at just how dark the corridor was. Red light from his eyes illuminated the corridor a little better than the faint glowstones but it was a far cry from what Vezta could see.

    Vezta, at his side, reverted her pose from his wider stance to her usual prim posture with her hands clasped together at her waist.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Arkk said, speaking in his own voice. ¡°Ask your questions.¡±

    ¡°Before that,¡± Vezta cut in, ¡°allow me to answer your most likely inquiries and save us all a great deal of time. What you heard earlier was true. Arkk is the master of Fortress Al-Mir and he has proved himself to be a most adequate master. Already, we have earned an audience with the Lock and Key. The crystalline portal functions once more, though it is currently locked to the Underworld. Our progress has been stalled by the war but that is a temporary setback. I do not doubt that we will emerge victorious and continue our work.

    ¡°And I will suffer no insults toward my Master.¡±

    Priscilla¡¯s sharp teeth clanked as she clamped her jaw shut, cutting off what likely would have been an insulting retort. After seething for a moment, she opened her mouth. ¡°Why? Why a human?¡±

    Vezta turned her head, looking at Arkk with a kind smile. ¡°He was in the right place at the right time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Priscilla asked after a moment of silence. ¡°Luck?¡±

    Rather than respond, Vezta simply turned her head back to the dragonoid, regarding the woman with a cold look. She cocked her head to one side as if trying to decide what to do with her. A fairly useless gesture with someone who was blind if she was trying to communicate something.

    ¡°Luck doesn¡¯t make someone worthy, they must desire the power, seize it, and wrest it. There must have been someone else¡ª¡±

    ¡°And who would you suggest? Yourself?¡± Vezta cocked her head to the other side, stepping forward.

    ¡°What?¡± Priscilla took a step backward. The muscles in her cheeks twinged like she was blinking but her eyes didn¡¯t quite close. ¡°N¡­ No, I¡ªI can¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°No? Are you not worthy?¡± Vezta said, stepping forward again. ¡°I can see what I need to see as well as you can. I can see the scars. No, not your eyes,¡± Vezta said as Priscilla brought a hand toward her face. ¡°You¡¯ve done it before. You contracted with a [HEART]. Perhaps had one of my sisters at your side? And where did that get you? Here you are with your eyes dead and your [HEART] cold. I might not have seen your reign, but I can guess. You were corrupted. Delved into the power offered and wanted more, more, and more. Hating humans as you do, you must have turned the power of the [HEART] against them and waged war until¡­

    ¡°Until your [HEART] cracked.¡±

    Priscilla¡¯s head snapped back like she had been struck.

    Vezta¡¯s sun-like eyes burned as a smile spread across her face. ¡°Guessed right, did I? Who cracked it? Your enemy¡¯s blade after your incompetence drew them into the center of your fortress? One of your minions in a bout of rebellion? Or¡­ Did you do it yourself, seeking ever more power beyond your own limitations?¡±

    ¡°No! No, it wasn¡¯t like¡ª¡±

    ¡°Arkk may not be the most optimal master. He may not make the best decisions in every situation¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Arkk said, weakly.

    ¡°But he is a loyal and kindhearted master. He does the best he can. That is enough for me. Enough for Fortress Al-Mir. He hasn¡¯t succumbed to corrupting temptations, nor has he engaged in depravity of the sort that would cause such injuries on you.¡± Vezta sneered, glaring at the blind dragonoid even as the latter stumbled back with practically every word.

    Arkk had never seen Vezta like this. She rarely got angry. Rarely raised her voice. Even when she did, it wasn¡¯t¡­ this. Vezta¡¯s fury wasn¡¯t as palpable as someone like Agnete¡¯s might have been. She made it plenty apparent in her lashing tongue.

    The wild and vicious choler backed Priscilla over another bump on the uneven floor. This time, she didn¡¯t even try to fight gravity, letting it slam her into the ground. Her blank eyes stared up at the ceiling even as the rest of her body went still.

    Vezta stopped her forward assault just a pace away from Priscilla¡¯s prone body. Arkk followed along, frowning as he looked over the two.

    ¡°Vezta,¡± he said, voice soft.

    The Servant of the Stars let out a sigh, shaking her head slightly as she looked down on the catatonic dragonoid. ¡°Master, magnanimous as he is, will forgive you for your crimes even if I argue for your execution. But only if you kneel, scrape your face on the ground, and lick the soles of his boots.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to lick my boots,¡± Arkk said instantly.

    ¡°Kindhearted and loyal,¡± she said with another sigh.

    With a shake of his head, Arkk looked down at the dragonoid. She had hardly moved since falling. Had she hit her head? He was a little concerned despite her recent vitriol against him purely because he was a human. ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t look like you¡¯re in much of a state to discuss things further,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the dragonoid said. Her voice, soft and lofty, came with a mist of icy crystals on her breath. ¡°I understand.¡± Rolling over, she tried to dig her claws into the dirt floor. The loose rock moved but the actual floor underneath remained static under the magical reinforcement of the fortress.

    Arkk tensed, worried she would lash out at him.

    She slammed her head into the ground, bowing in front of him. ¡°The Servant is right. I have¡­ wasted my worthiness. All I can do is help you.¡±

    Her words hung in the air, accompanied by a ping through the [HEART]. A link formed. Without accepting payment¡ªmuch like what Ilya had done when they first found Fortress Al-Mir¡ªPriscilla entered into his employ.

    Arkk pressed his lips together, not sure if he was disappointed or not. On one hand, it felt like he had just pressed someone in distress into his service once again. On the other, Priscilla was an old being who claimed to know the old ways. Did that include magic? Or literature? She was blind but if she could give a key to translate the tomes in his library, who knew what he might discover.

    ¡°Normally, I would interview you, discover where you can be best used, give a tour of the fortress, and other onboarding tasks. At the moment, you look like you need some time to yourself.¡± Arkk looked over to Vezta.

    Besides that, he had a few questions for the servant.

    ¡°I¡¯ll find you a room. We¡¯ll onboard later tonight.¡±

 Forward Thinking

    The Greater Kingdom of Chernlock was made up of four separate states. The Kingdom of Chernlock to the southeast, the Duchy to the northeast, and two principalities on the eastern side of the peninsula. Shortly after the war began, the Duchy had sent for reinforcements which were just now arriving from the Kingdom to the south.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure where the communication breakdown occurred. From what he knew, based on what Vrox told him, the Abbey of the Light had pushed the Duke into this alliance. The main headquarters of the Abbey was down in Chernlock and had close ties with the King. So either the army in transit had not received alternate orders yet, the King disagreed with the Abbey¡¯s recommendations, or the Abbey had splintered into two factions with only the local leaders pushing for this alliance. Whichever of the three options, scrying on the southern border of the Duchy was certainly an interesting affair. It almost looked like a war was about to break out between the Duchy and the Kingdom.

    The King¡¯s forces were being denied entry.

    Then there was the poor state of the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard. The effective army of the Duchy hadn¡¯t escaped their few encounters with Evestani without suffering casualties. In the week since the decision to ally with the invaders, the Grand Guard had shrunk.

    Deserters. People who didn¡¯t agree with the Duke¡¯s decision. Maybe they had lost people or their homes to Evestani¡¯s assault, maybe they heard what Arkk had done to Gleeful Burg and just didn¡¯t want to fight that kind of force. The army had split up and the deserters scattered. From scrying, it seemed like the deserters were acting more like brigands or raiders, needing food and supplies in the middle of winter while having nowhere to go.

    That they had decided to turn around and start attacking the people they had been charged with protecting irritated Arkk. Nevertheless, the chaos in the Duchy was good for him. It was hard for Evestani, cowering in Elmshadow Burg, to launch a joint assault against him with an army that couldn¡¯t even form a straight line without punching each other.

    Besides that¡­

    ¡°There is opportunity in the chaos,¡± Arkk said, looking around his table of advisors. ¡°The deserters need food and shelter. We can provide.¡±

    The usual crew was present. Olatt¡¯an, Rekk¡¯ar, Ilya, Vezta, Zullie, Savren, Khan, Lexa, and Alma. Arkk had also invited a few others. Edvin sometimes joined meetings when Arkk felt he had input worth sharing. The conman sat between Lexa and Alma, looking pleased as could be for being included. Katja, the bandit lord sat at the table as well, trying to look unimpressed while clearly confused as to why someone not part of his employees was with them. Sylvara Astra looked around the assembled group with narrowed eyes, included because of her possible input and because her current stated goal was to ¡®destroy the child-possessing monster of the Golden Order¡¯ even before any other duties that the Abbey might saddle her with.

    Alya had not been included. Ilya would tell her everything later, probably, but Arkk had no desire to listen to the woman who would probably run back to the Duke if given an opportunity. The newest member of Arkk¡¯s minions was not present either. Priscilla, though she initially claimed to want to guide him, had been rather despondent as she languished in her private quarters deep within the fortress. He had ideas for her but he didn¡¯t want to push too soon. Employee though she was at the moment, he doubted that would last if he offended her too much. Best to take things slow and make sure that she could be trusted and wouldn¡¯t stab him in the back the moment she saw an opportunity.

    ¡°You plan to recruit the deserters?¡± Olatt¡¯an asked.

    ¡°Recruit is the keyword, yes,¡± Arkk said with a nod of his head. ¡°This is not an offer of housing as we¡¯ve done for the various refugees we¡¯ve taken in. They sign up or they get the boot.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar curled a lip. ¡°They deserted one army,¡± he said, most hypocritically given how he and Arkk first met. ¡°You can¡¯t trust them to stick around.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hoping that they are generally good people who just can¡¯t abide by the Duke¡¯s actions any longer. We can provide needs, food, and shelter, but also a way to carry on a more noble fight than their current brigand-like activities. Evestani is our enemy. The opportunity to continue fighting them should entice at least some of the guard.¡±

    Lexa¡¯s sharp teeth gleamed as she grinned. ¡°Failing the noble route,¡± she said with a scoff, ¡°I¡¯m sure more than a few would be happy to stick around for a little coin.¡±

    Arkk dipped his head, nodding in agreement. He didn¡¯t have exact numbers on the deserters. There were a few larger groups that were obvious and a few other less obvious groups in smaller numbers. Potentially, they could bolster Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s numbers by several hundred up to a thousand if every single person who deserted joined up¡ªwhich wasn¡¯t likely. Maybe more if the deserters knew of other malcontents who were still with the Duke¡¯s men. Already, he had the lesser servants expanding the fortress down below for food production and living quarters, among other necessities.

    There was a small problem. While he was still mining from the vein of gold that lay deep beneath the fortress, the current output couldn¡¯t sustain a gold coin a month for more than about three to five hundred additional people. He could¡ªand almost certainly would¡ªpay less than a full coin a month to the deserters. But that was only a delay to the problem. Having no idea how long that vein of gold would last was another issue. If it suddenly dried up and he had nothing else to fall back on, he would be the one experiencing desertion.

    To that end, he was considering ways to recycle some of that coin. The orcs already had their small fight pit tournaments. He could expand that into company-sponsored fighting bouts where he could charge a fee to attend. Or large gambling dens where the house took a cut of the proceeds.

    It was one of the reasons he wanted to speak with Katja. The bandit lord should have ideas for keeping men happy and in line.

    ¡°We¡¯ll discuss the exact specifics of what we can offer later. For now, I want our most charismatic personnel ready to go out recruiting these deserters in short order.¡±

    Edvin straightened his back, brushing some imaginary dust from his shirt. ¡°I would be happy¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not you,¡± Arkk said.

    The smile on Edvin¡¯s face turned to a devastated gawk. ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Edvin, Edvin, Edvin,¡± Arkk said, rounding the table. ¡°I have a far more important job for you.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± He looked dejected for a moment longer before Arkk¡¯s words finally registered. ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Desertions might be the most pressing of the Duchy¡¯s problems, but they¡¯re far from the only problems. Just yesterday, the Duke had to suppress a small group of troublemakers in Cliff. People, not soldiers, were as displeased with the Duke and the Abbey¡¯s decision as everyone else.

    ¡°It was only a few people. Just a handful. Nonetheless, it got me thinking¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Edvin said, this time with understanding in his tone. ¡°You want someone with quick wit and a sly tongue to, shall we say, stir up a little more discontent?¡±

    Arkk shook his head slowly. ¡°Many who fled from Evestani¡¯s march found their way to Cliff. Displaced and with their homes likely destroyed, they¡¯ve got nowhere else to go. A whole city of tents has formed outside the walls. I can¡¯t imagine many are happy that the Duke is now inviting their oppressors straight to the heart of the city, cozying up and sharing wine like old friends.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want discontent,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I want riots. I want the Duke to cower in the walls of his manor while the people flood the streets. So many that the few guards still in the capitol can¡¯t just show up and arrest them. If possible, having the garrison guard join in would be ideal.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ Although my talents are beyond inconsiderable, that is a tall order.¡±

    Arkk clapped the man on his shoulders. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anyone else with the ability to incite ire like you can, Edvin.¡±

    Katja snorted at the statement, making Arkk turn to her.

    ¡°And you¡¯re going to help,¡± he said.

    ¡°Excuse me? I¡¯m not one of your toy soldiers.¡±

    Arkk stepped away from Edvin, approaching Katja. Not too close. Horrik, her bodyguard and ever-present shadow, shifted behind her in a way that wasn¡¯t quite threatening while still being warning. ¡°You shared with me your vision of the future. Queen Katja, was it? Why not get a jump on that dream right now?

    ¡°The Duke has never been popular. He held the Duchy together well enough. Now, however? Get your people spread throughout the city and the refugee camps, posing as the displaced, to help Edvin drum up his riots. Put yourself at the center of it all, maneuver and lie and cheat and whatever else it is that you¡¯re best at. Make contact with merchants and other elites, garner their support, and, at the peak of everything, make sure you¡¯re standing in the right place at the right time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so easy to say,¡± Katja said with a shake of her head. ¡°Pulling off a coup will be harder than a few honeyed words.¡±

    Arkk just shrugged. He knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy. Or simple. Now was the best time for riots and what were riots but a precursor to a full coup. Even still¡­ ¡°Do it right and you¡¯ll have the support of the people, the power of the wealthy, and whatever aid I decide to lend from the shadows.¡±

    ¡°And I suppose you expect me to wear a collar around my neck? I usually like to be the one holding the leash.¡±

    ¡°Frankly, you would be hard-pressed to be half the pile of refuse that the Duke is. Keep the Duchy running smoothly and don¡¯t ally with my enemies and you¡¯re free to do whatever you want.¡±

    Mostly. There were a few things he might lean on her for. However, given her former past as a slave and stated distaste for slavers, employment of non-humans, and track record of successfully running a criminal empire, he figured that she could hardly be worse than the Duke.

    Katja hummed, thoughtful and considering. She glanced back to Horrik. Not for one of those silent communications that people sometimes had, more like she was using his face to help organize her thoughts, maybe considering the whos, hows, and logistics of such an endeavor.

    ¡°I¡¯ll consider my options.¡±

    ¡°Consider fast. Edvin is moving out tomorrow along with a few others from my employ to help. Drumming up support for yourself will be harder if you suddenly pop out of nowhere at the end.¡±

    Katja nodded, leaving Arkk to turn back to the rest of the table.

    Presuming this plan worked perfectly¡ªwhich Arkk would never plan for¡ªthe Duchy would be tied up for the foreseeable future. Potentially permanently if Katja did manage her takeover. Even without that, angry people and a confused army from the Kingdom would keep them off his back for a little longer.

    ¡°That still leaves Evestani and the Golden Order,¡± Ilya said, following his thoughts. From the frown on her face, he doubted she was all that pleased with his plan. Less the assault on the Duke¡ªshe would probably not blink an eye if Arkk suggested outright assassination¡ªand more the person he planned to put in his place.

    There might be better choices out there but Katja wanted the job and Arkk did not. Managing Fortress Al-Mir and dealing with all the baggage it came with was more than enough for his plate, thank you very much.

    ¡°Evestani¡¯s regrouping army is under the protection of the golden avatar,¡± he said, looking to Zullie and Savren. The former shook her head while the latter just shrugged. Outside of Savren examining Agnete and her flame magic over the last few days, neither had any real starting point for dealing with the magic of avatars.

    So he looked to Sylvara Astra.

    ¡°The Abbey of the Light¡ªor rather, the Inquisition of the Light¡ªcollects anathema and uses those magics against their enemies. I don¡¯t suppose you know of anything that the Inquisition may have in their stores that can fight off an avatar of the Heart of Gold?¡±

    Agnete, being one of those anathema, wasn¡¯t extremely knowledgeable about much of what the inquisitors worked with beyond things that involved herself. Arkk was hoping that Master Inquisitrix Astra would have a little more light to shed on the subject.

    ¡°The Abbey of the Light carries out numerous experiments and investigations into any magic we do not understand. Through these experiments, Binding Agents are developed that nullify such powers. Purifier Tybalt¡¯s Binding Agent took the form of the bracers you saw. Agnete¡¯s is the¡­ ice marble,¡± she said, wrinkling her nose at the terminology.

    ¡°Is that a yes or a no?¡±

    ¡°The Abbey may or may not have research on abilities demonstrated by the Golden Order¡¯s anathema user. If so, I am unaware of that research,¡± Sylvara admitted. ¡°If, as you suppose, the Abbey has splintered between the branches in the Kingdom and the Duchy, the Ecclesiarch Manfred Engel at the Grand Temple may be willing to lend us aid. If the Abbey as a whole is unified against the one who caused the fissure in the sky, on the other hand¡­¡±

    ¡°Contacting them would be dangerous? The worst they can do is say no. Or ignore the request entirely.¡±

    Sylvara shook her head, locking her red eyes on him. ¡°Every bit of additional information about a subject helps the oracles hone in on truth and dispense with distractions. It might not seem like much but a delivered letter, the contents within, the direction the letter came from, and even the paper type or ink type used will let them pinpoint facts about you.¡±

    She clenched her teeth, rubbing the palms of her hands against her knees. One hand was still that of a clawed monstrosity, currently wrapped with black linen to hide it away. Sylvara glared at it like she had just remembered it. She hadn¡¯t objected to it. In fact, she had requested Hale be allowed to continue healing her in order to get her out of the wheelchair she was in. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t¡­ tell you that,¡± she bit out. ¡°You are anathema. But that golden-eyed abomination¡­ If the Abbey has allied with such a creature, it has failed in its mission.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. ¡°If we sent you away from here, to a safe burg or even a smaller village where I have never been, would you be able to write to the Ecclesiarch or your superiors or whoever you need to ask questions? Ask about their stance toward me, Evestani, and perhaps relay the story of your encounter with the golden-eyed being that you told me and ask if they have a way to counter the possession at the very least.¡±

    ¡°The oracles may discern that we are working together. They may set a trap or feed false information.¡±

    ¡°A risk,¡± Arkk said with a frown, ¡°but as it stands, we have no information. Nothing ventured¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll consider the best method to gain information,¡± Sylvara said with a nod of her head.

    ¡°Consider fast,¡± Arkk said again. He turned to the rest of the room. ¡°Other topics. Zullie, how goes old magic research?¡±

    ¡°I have an experiment I would like for you to test. A new spell.¡±

    ¡°Good. We¡¯ll see how it goes after this. Our new friend may be able to assist with that topic. She claimed to know old ways and such,¡± Arkk said with a nod before turning to Savren. ¡°Effects of undoing the Calamity on both the Underworld and our world?¡±

    ¡°A dearth in definite data denies denouement. Source of sorcery starts several stratums separate from our subject of scrutiny. I require resources in the form of redundant realms for review.¡±

    Arkk stared at him a moment, parsing his words. ¡°You want to travel to a different plane for experimentation?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, glancing at Vezta. ¡°We did suspect there would be clues over there. The Protectors have us stalled but with Priscilla¡¯s aid¡­ She is blind but she could carry someone and, together, search the land over there for anything else of interest. I¡¯ll ask her if she is willing.¡± Arkk turned, looking at the orcs in the room. ¡°Any news on the Protectors?¡±

    ¡°A new one showed up yesterday,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said with a shrug. ¡°That makes five sitting around and watching us. Still no sign of hostility.¡±

    ¡°Sending out scouts might provoke them. I¡¯d still prefer to ally with them rather than fight. Maybe we can try talking beforehand. If that fails¡­ We¡¯ll be sure to be ready.¡± Everyone stationed on the other side of the portal could cast a minimum of two lightning bolts before collapsing. That, combined with some assistance, would have to be enough.

    ¡°Ilya,¡± Arkk said, looking at the tall elf. ¡°Any trouble among the refugees?¡±

    ¡°Quite the opposite, actually. I¡¯m not sure how but word got out that the Duke is allying with Evestani. That¡¯s going over about as well as you expect.¡±

    Arkk crossed his arms, looking back to Edvin and Katja. ¡°Look out for volunteers to leave for Cliff. Slipping in a hundred more people will only bolster the riots.¡±

    Ilya did not look impressed. Her silver eyes glared. ¡°You¡¯re going to use them? Poor people who have nowhere else to go?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m asking for volunteers. Just like I asked for blacksmiths and cooks. They¡¯re free to return here after if they wish. They really only need to show up once things in Cliff heat to the point of boiling over¡ªit might not be for weeks yet. I¡¯m not kicking them out or getting rid of them.¡± He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just something to feel out among them. Anything else of immediate importance?¡± Arkk asked when Ilya didn¡¯t speak for a second. He looked to Khan and Alma. The former looked half asleep, utterly blissful, while the latter still sat on the edge of her chair like she had no idea what to do with herself.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Arkk said. ¡°We have our plans. Let¡¯s get to them.¡±

 Unrest

    ¡°They killed my wife and son! Burned my farm. My daughter succumbed to the cold while fleeing and I lost three fingers and two toes!¡± he shouted, holding up his left hand.

    ¡°Our village tried to fight back. We numbered barely a hundred but there were only a few of them, come to pillage our food stores like any common raider. They did¡­ something. Magic. The young men defending our village turned to gold and started attacking each other before turning on the rest of us.¡± The woman choked on a sob. ¡°Only six of us made it to the next village over.¡±

    The reaction of the crowd shifted. The undercurrent of anger still swept through the people. This time, it was accompanied by a sense of awe. Everyone knew that large burgs between the border and Cliff had been targeted. It was tragic but expected. Hearing that the invaders were targeting even small villages with their strongest magic sent a wave of shock.

    Edvin, dressed in tattered clothing, let the silence hang for a few moments, making sure the feelings settled into the crowd. ¡°I have a friend in the manor guard,¡± he said slowly, rubbing his hands together before holding them out over the open flames.

    Today, following along with Arkk¡¯s plan to stir up some discontent, he was out in the largest of the temporary shelters outside Cliff City. Tents dotted the landscape, built all along the road that led to the city¡¯s gates. The materials for building the tents had come mostly from one of the wealthy merchants in the city. Donated freely. An act that allegedly earned the merchant a little ire from the Duke.

    When he had come here a week prior, Edvin had fully expected a need to lie, cheat, and steal to convince people to rise against the Duke. There was anger here. He knew that going into it. But it was one thing to be angry, it was another thing entirely to do something with that anger.

    And yet, the Duke was practically doing all his work for him. Between word getting out that he would rather let the people who had traveled all this way die of the winter¡¯s cold, handing out insufficient scraps of food from his storehouses, and the vastly unpopular move of proclaiming publicly his new alliance with Evestani, Edvin was honestly not sure he needed to be here at all.

    It wasn¡¯t just the people out in the tent city either. He had been inside the city during his week here. Even though the normal citizens of Cliff hadn¡¯t been directly affected by the war¡ªthey had yet to see the massive armies cresting the distant horizon¡ªthe sea of refugee tents on their doorstep was enough to know just how poorly everything had been going, how much destruction there had been across the entire Duchy. The guards were even less thrilled. Although soldiers were ultimately paid by the Duke, thus working for him, they were still people. Citizens of the Duchy like any other.

    And the guards were a little more informed than the regular citizens. They knew of the losses suffered throughout the Duchy. The ones remaining here had seen others shipped out to fight the invaders. And now¡­

    ¡°The manor guards are gearing up for another of the Duke¡¯s lavish parties,¡± Edvin said, voice deliberately soft and controlled. ¡°A lot of you aren¡¯t local, so you might not know, but the Duke used to have a big party every few weeks with merchants and travelers and anyone wealthy or interesting enough to catch the Duke¡¯s eye. Tons of fine food and drink, looted from the taxes and tributes the Duke enforces on all of us. Everyone wearing pure silk dresses and clothes the likes of which we¡¯ll never touch in our lives.

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t had one since the war started. The last one had some uninvited guests show up. Assassins from Evestani. Killed half the guests and almost killed the Duke himself.¡± Edvin let out a cool scoff. ¡°Now, my guard friend tells me that the top name on the guest list¡­ guess who?¡±

    Edvin let the question hang. Even if some village idiot had survived and made it here, he doubted his implications would go over anyone¡¯s head.

    ¡°We¡¯re starving out here and he invites the enemy to share bread and wine?¡±

    ¡°More than bread, I imagine,¡± Edvin said. ¡°Pies and cakes and meat by the cartload. Shimmering ale served in crystal glasses. Plates encrusted with gold. Think of the largest festival you ever had at whatever tiny village you came from and you¡¯ll be close to what the Duke feasts on every night. So for a special occasion like this, you probably can¡¯t even imagine how excessive it will be.¡±

    A discordant grumble swept through the crowd with Edvin¡¯s words. He suppressed a grin, masking elation at stringing the crowd along with rubbing his arms up and down. It helped that it really was freezing out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the rest of you all but my mother always said not to shake hands with a man who just tried to stab you in the back unless you want a knife in your chest.¡±

    ¡°Good riddance,¡± someone barked out. ¡°I¡¯ll attend the funeral just to piss on his grave,¡± he said, earning a few chuckles.

    ¡°Ah yes. I doubt anyone will be upset to see him go. But the problem is his guests. Evestani comes in here with the guards swinging open the gates for them¡ª¡±

    ¡°My burg, Tweeden, opened the gates for them,¡± one woman said, scratching at an eyepatch that covered one side of her face. ¡°I heard the guards were killed and replaced with Evestani. They killed half the people¡ªanyone who resisted¡ªand took all the food for themselves. When starvation set in and people got desperate, they killed them as well. A few of us slipped away in the chaos.¡±

    Edvin nodded his head. Although irritated at being interrupted, the woman¡¯s story illustrated his point perfectly. ¡°Evestani kills the Duke and takes over. Then what happens to us? At best, they ignore us fleeing elsewhere. We run, find somewhere new. The winter is almost over so maybe we survive in the short term, but we¡¯ve got no time to build houses and till fields while running. What kind of crops can be grown in time to survive next winter¡ªif we even make it to then.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the best option?¡± an older man asked.

    ¡°There are other ideas,¡± Edvin said with a shrug ¡°Maybe the Duke himself forces us out tomorrow¡ªor just tries to kill us¡ªnot wanting Evestani to see our¡­ unsightly camp. At worst¡­¡±

    ¡°At worst,¡± the same woman said, ¡°they kill us on their way into the city just because we¡¯re camped out front.¡±

    That morbid thought left another silence in its wake as people considered what they had just heard. It didn¡¯t last long, quickly devolving into questions of what could be done.

    ¡°Should we run now?¡±

    ¡°If you want to lose more fingers and toes.¡±

    ¡°We can work the fields once the ground thaws. Building up here¡ª¡±

    ¡°Work for Evestani?¡±

    ¡°They killed my family!¡±

    ¡°Or the Duke?¡±

    ¡°Bastard!¡±

    Edvin sat forward, hunched over the fire as the flames around him grew in intensity. He had said his part for now. Too much too soon and a fire would smother. He had to stoke it properly, feeding it the right amount of fuel at the right times until it turned into a raging bonfire the likes of which could burn down cities.

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    He would move on to one of the other main groups around the tents today. Tomorrow, a stop inside the city to meet with a few of the angrier groups of people, stoking their flames.

    For now¡­

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Is everyone alright?¡±

    A familiar voice cut through the arguing, stalling his carefully stirred fire. He glared up at the woman with striped tattoos. Katja, the bandit lord of Porcupine Hill, was the other prong of their plan. Seated atop a small cart loaded with supplies, she smiled down at the group with the fakest, cheesiest smile Edvin had ever seen her wear. He was fairly certain that she only smiled for real when watching her enemies flee from the desert wurms.

    Despite the fake smile she wore, her appearance sent relief through the crowd. In the week since she had first appeared here, Katja had become well known. Her distinctive appearance, the hulking Horrik always at her side, and her odd ability to gather up spare bits of food, blankets, and medicine for anyone who asked had made her beyond popular out here in the tent city.

    Sure enough, she set into asking if everyone had everything they needed for the next day or two. Enough blankets, clothes, and food. With Arkk¡¯s backing, she could get just about anything delivered within a day.

    She was necessary, even if Edvin didn¡¯t like her presence here. Still, she could have let the fire in the people burn for a little longer before she came to squelch it with her relief.

    Then again, she also presented an opportunity.

    ¡°Katja!¡± Edvin said, enjoying the brief moment when her smile cracked and her true nature glared through.

    She hid it well and quickly, smiling once again though a little more strained. ¡°Yes? Edvin, was it?¡±

    ¡°You can get just about anything, right?¡±

    ¡°I have my contacts,¡± she hedged. Edvin had heard commentary in her wake, suppositions that she was some kind of outlaw. Nobody cared enough to make a fuss, however. Not as long as she was the best thing to have happened to this camp since it sprung up. ¡°Evestani has started moving around again, making it a little harder to get some things¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need anything much. Maybe a sword? A pike or spear? Even a dagger.¡±

    Katja stared at him, confused for just a moment before her eyes roamed over the rest of the crowd he had been speaking with. ¡°Most weapons are being used, if you know what I mean. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Just got to thinking about how safe we are and how safe we¡¯ll be in the future. Not sure whether to be more scared of enemies afar,¡± Edvin said, waving his hand out toward the greater Duchy, ¡°or those closer at hand.¡± He gave a pointed nod of his head toward Cliff¡¯s main gates.

    Katja crossed her arms, humming as she thought. ¡°I¡­ might be able to scrounge up a few weapons. Maybe some armor as well, if you¡¯re interested.¡±

    ¡°Am I? Hell, even if I¡¯m lucky and don¡¯t need them, I¡¯m sure I can sell them for a pretty coin later on.¡±

    Nodding her head, Katja said, ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold,¡± the woman with an eyepatch said. ¡°If the offer is open, I wouldn¡¯t mind some gear myself.¡±

    ¡°I can use a bow,¡± someone else said. ¡°For hunting, if nothing else.¡±

    ¡°Me too!¡±

    ¡°And me¡­¡±

    Katja held up her hands, placating. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll speak to some people. It might not be fast, but this war has left a lot of unused equipment in its wake. I¡¯m sure some of it will have fallen off some carts transporting it around.¡± There was a bit of discomfort at the idea of looting the bodies of soldiers. Katja expertly swept that away with a direct look at one of the people around the camp. ¡°Cearl, how is your daughter? Do you need some more medicine?¡±

    And just like that, she was back to the revered figure that she wanted to be seen as.

    Edvin scoffed as he stalked off. There were other flames to stoke.

    <hr>

    Some people saw a fairy¡¯s wings and assumed they could fly like harpies. That wasn¡¯t true. Harpies had light, weak bones and large wings in place of humanoid arms that let them power through the gravity holding them to the ground. While small and lithe¡ªroughly the size of gremlins, though not as stocky generally¡ªfairies had thin wings that were narrow and flimsy. Their wings could move fast enough and in a specific pattern to create a small pocket of air as a buffer between the fairy and the ground. In other words, they hovered.

    In Leda¡¯s view, hovering was not a glamorous form of travel. Someone who spent time training up their hover could outpace a human for a short time but harpies and even horses were faster while humans would catch up once a fairy tired out.

    Knowing and having made friends with a few of the Duke¡¯s harpies in the menagerie, Leda sometimes daydreamed about what it might be like to soar the skies. Legends passed down in fairy communities of ages long past¡ªbefore the Calamity struck¡ªsaid that fairies could use magic to augment their flight, carrying them through the skies faster than hawks. It always sounded so thrilling.

    Now, numb fingers dug deep into the icy scales of a dragonoid¡¯s shoulders while the wind whipped her blue hair into a flurry, Leda could confidently state that flight was overrated. She was nestled between two massive wings on the dragonoid¡¯s back. They swept up and down, beating down equally massive amounts of air. Every thump sent deep reverberations through Leda¡¯s small body, threatening to throw her off the dragon. Only the thin straps of a hastily constructed leather harness kept her from falling to the ground down below.

    The fall might not kill a fairy. Although she couldn¡¯t fly, she could slow herself enough that she should be able to walk away with only minor injuries. That wasn¡¯t to say that she would survive. Protectors down below might not take kindly to her presence in their world.

    She was supposed to be scouting right now, looking for any landmarks or areas of interest. Leda could barely keep her eyes open. They were moving so fast that the wind had dried her eyes out and made them itchy and raw if she tried to look.

    ¡°Arkk was right. There is really one out here¡­¡±

    Despite the wind¡¯s roar in her ears, the dragonoid¡¯s cool tone wasn¡¯t much different than if she had been sitting right next to Leda. ¡°One what?¡±

    The dragonoid didn¡¯t respond. She banked, dropping Leda¡¯s stomach.

    ¡°There.¡±

    Despite the itch in her eyes, Leda forced them open.

    The desolation of the Underworld surrounded them. Everywhere she looked, it was the same, dirt desert that was all around the portal. Leda had no idea how far they had traveled but it didn¡¯t look like that desolation ever changed. The only thing of note on the horizon was a tall tower of shadow. A little plot of land that the orange light above the hazy clouds just couldn¡¯t touch. Though she hadn¡¯t seen it up close, she heard that the village near the portal was somewhat similar.

    The odd thing was that they were headed directly toward it. ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t see!¡± Leda shouted over the wind.

    ¡°I see what I need to see. The Stars, though different in this world, guide me.¡±

    Leda had no idea what that was supposed to mean. All she knew was that the tower in the distance was quite rapidly growing closer. It was a simple tower of shadowy stone, but its base was odd. Like it hadn¡¯t been built where it now stood and had rather moved there. For such a tall structure, that should have been impossible.

    But Leda had seen several impossible things since being rescued from the Duke¡¯s menagerie. Even before, with that fissure in the sky.

    The distant tower wasn¡¯t so distant at all, anymore.

    The dragonoid still barreled onward, not slowing.

    Leda¡¯s fingers, numb from the cold of the dragonoid¡¯s icy scales, clung ever tighter. ¡°We¡¯re going to crash!¡±

    The moment she spoke, the dragonoid angled her wings. Leda found herself pointing straight up at the sky, rushing higher and higher as the shadowy stones of the tower swept by underneath them. They crested the top of the tower, soaring high over it. Something in the air must have alerted the dragonoid to that fact for, without a word from Leda, she adjusted her wings again, stalling their climb and dropping them back downward.

    The pair landed atop the tower with a thump.

    Leda, arms shaking from the flight, unlatched the harness. She dropped to the smooth, shadowy stones without even trying to catch herself. Why she had ever thought going flying would be fun was a question she couldn¡¯t begin to answer. Not just flying, but flying with a blind dragonoid. It was lucky they hadn¡¯t crashed into the building. The dragonoid might have been fine, they were true monsters, but riding on her back, Leda would have been battered and broken by the bricks.

    And they still had to go back¡­ Would the blind dragonoid even be able to find the way?

    Shuddering, Leda picked herself up, standing. The dragonoid stalked around the flat roof of the tower, head down like she was staring at the structure below them. Although the bricks looked like they had been cast from molten shadow, they were solid and hardy to the touch.

    ¡°Do you see a door? A hatch?¡±

    Leda looked around and started to shake her head in the negative until she realized that the motion wouldn¡¯t be seen. ¡°No. Just flat bricks. They all look like they¡¯re made of shad¡ª¡±

    The dragonoid didn¡¯t wait for her to finish. She lifted a foot and slammed it back down. The entire tower shook and trembled but the stone remained firmly in place, even after the dragonoid continued stomping on the roof. Leda worked her wings, bringing her to a slight hover to keep from losing her footing because of the shaking ground.

    ¡°Magically reinforced. Someone is actively using it? Or is the magic in the air keeping it active? It seems inert, but¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Leda didn¡¯t understand a thing of what was being said. It was clear the dragonoid knew something.

    Figuring she would be blown off again, it came as some surprise when the dragonoid turned to her. ¡°This is a mobile fortress. A machine of war.¡±

 Walking Fortress Istanur

    ¡°Master, I am not sure this is the wisest idea.¡±

    ¡°Neither Evestani nor the Duke are making any obvious moves. That surely won¡¯t hold out. This may be our only chance for a long while.¡±

    Arkk stood atop the wall in the Underworld, looking out across the deserted wasteland. He couldn¡¯t see the shadowy tower that Priscilla and Leda had discovered. Priscilla wasn¡¯t the best at estimating distances because of her blindness and Leda had been too frightened to keep her eyes open for most of the journey. Savren, after calculating the speed at which Priscilla could reach the nearby village and the total time it took for Priscilla to reach and return from the tower, estimated the tower was a good seven to ten days away by horse-drawn cart. About as far as Cliff was from Smilesville Burg.

    Teleportation portals didn¡¯t work in the Underworld. The ambient magic levels spontaneously activated ritual circles which, for teleportation, caused unpleasant complications. That meant there were only two ways to reach the tower.

    Unfortunately, Arkk didn¡¯t think he could vanish from Fortress Al-Mir for two to three weeks¡ªthere and back¡ªfor a full expedition on foot. Things were just too precarious with the war. Ilya, Rekk¡¯ar and Olatt¡¯an, Vezta, Zullie, Agnete, and all his other main staff could handle some things on their own, it was true, but there were some things that only the master of Fortress Al-Mir could accomplish.

    Despite being unable to venture far from Fortress Al-Mir for an extended period of time, he couldn¡¯t help but agree with Vezta¡¯s concerns. The harness he had on, made up of several straps of thick leather and metal hooks, felt secure against his body. That said, he weighed a whole lot more than a small fairy.

    Priscilla stood atop the wall, looking out with blind eyes and a scowl on her face. The dragonoid looked confident. She still stood a head shorter than he did. The idea that she could pick him up, let alone fly with him¡­ Well, he supposed they would know whether it was possible soon enough. If they jumped off the wall and crashed to the ground, at least Vezta was standing by to help patch him up.

    He wished Vezta was coming with him. Her input could be handy if this was a whole other intact fortress. She suspected that another Keeper would be able to access the tower and had given him instructions on how to do so. If anything unexpected popped up, he would have to operate on his own intuition.

    But Vezta was the only one other than him who could give orders to the lesser servants. If something did happen during his absence, she could direct the fortress almost as well as he could.

    Shaking his head, Arkk looked back out over the wasteland. There was one other problem. Ever since Priscilla and Leda¡¯s scouting trip, the Protectors had been moving more and more. They shifted around, rearranging the positioning of their vigil over the portal and its surrounding defenses. It still didn¡¯t look like they were about to attack but¡­

    Arkk had ordered a full guard contingent on the walls until further notice. Everyone who could cast even a single lightning bolt without collapsing. Arkk didn¡¯t want to head out and find the mother lode of old books and magical artifacts at this tower only to return to find Fortress Al-Mir inaccessible because the Protectors had taken the portal.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Arkk asked, looking at Priscilla.

    ¡°Been waiting for you, human.¡±

    Arkk shifted at the tone in her voice. That was another thing. Despite agreeing to work for him and the link forming properly, he held no doubts about how much Priscilla liked him. He wasn¡¯t sure how much he liked the idea of heading off alone with her. Nevertheless, this tower couldn¡¯t be ignored. It was very likely the thing he had felt off in the distance¡ªsome power calling to him.

    With one wan look at Vezta, Arkk stepped over to Priscilla and linked the metal hooks of his harness into the rings on hers. It was¡­ uncomfortable being so close to the dragonoid¡­ for several reasons. Aside from her prickly personality and obvious distaste for humans, she was cold. Not as cold as the ice marble but still cold enough that he doubted he would enjoy this flight even if everything else went perfectly. Then was her height, it just felt¡­ awkward. She was a full head shorter than him and yet here he was clinging to her. He didn¡¯t know where to place his hands or how to keep his legs.

    Now, if Ilya had giant dragon wings, he could get behind that¡­

    ¡°Alright,¡± he said, looking to Vezta. ¡°You know what to¡ª¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t get to finish before Priscilla leaned forward, picking his feet off the ground. She hopped up to the crenellations as easily as he could hop up a step. With one thunderous downward swing of her wings combined with a powerful leap, they were in the air.

    Flailing with a startled yelp, Arkk wrapped his arms around the dragonoid¡¯s neck and his legs around her waist. Pounding, beating thumps against the sides of his chest had him trying to shift to one side or the other, but neither made it better.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch my wings!¡± Priscilla snapped over the rush of wind. ¡°Unless you want to go crashing to the ground.¡±

    Arkk grunted as another thwack of her wings smacked him in the side. He made himself as thin as possible, trying to angle his body as best he could. There was no other option. He could feel the sweat rolling down his skin despite the cool temperature Priscilla¡¯s icy body emitted.

    The ground below was really far away. Arkk tightened his grip. His feelings of awkwardness vanished into his fear over the height. He would be as accommodating as possible to her wings, even though he knew his ribs would be sporting heavy bruises by morning.

    This¡­ might not have been the wisest idea.

    <hr>

    By the time the shadowy tower came into view, Arkk felt like he had been taking Larry¡¯s meat-tenderizing mallet to his chest for the better part of the day. At this point, he was fairly certain that at least some of the beating he had taken was intentional. It was hard to say. He was just a little too broad in the chest to properly move out of the way.

    Priscilla, whether she hated him or not, did listen to his directions once they were close enough to land.

    The tower was¡­ massive. Arkk wasn¡¯t even sure that he would call it a tower. It was at least as large as Elmshadow¡¯s keep¡ªand shaped roughly like it, with several blocky segments jutting up into the air, peaked with tall turrets. Many of the turrets had large circular tubes jutting out of them at all angles. Some kind of defensive spikes? Arkk wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to meet whatever needed such large tubes as defenses.

    The most interesting aspect of the tower was its base. Rather than sitting on the ground, six massive legs jutted out the bottom in a radial pattern. Each leg started as a vertical shaft coming out the bottom of the tower with a sharp bend at the bottom that angled back upwards, roughly diagonal relative to the rest of the tower. A third segment to the leg, angled back down, made contact with a large circular platform that connected to the ground below it.

    Like a giant spider, minus a pair of legs.

    With a building sitting on its back.

    On the ground again, Arkk could not disconnect his harness fast enough. Even though he was taller than Priscilla, it still felt like he dropped down a short distance to the ground once the last hook was off. He was not looking forward to the return trip.

    Priscilla didn¡¯t seem to notice him. Her wings folded back behind her back, shrinking to an impossibly small size compared to how large they had been during their flight. Her eyes, milky and iced over as they were, still stared up at the tower above them.

    A step away from her, Arkk felt the ever-present heat of the Underworld warm him back up. He took a few deep breaths, brushed off his clothes to shake off the bits of ice still clinging to the cloth, and stepped forward alongside Priscilla.

    ¡°How does something this large even move?¡±

    ¡°Magic,¡± she said.

    Arkk frowned at the one-word response. He figured it was magic but had been expecting something a little more¡­ Well, if they could get Zullie or Savren out to it, he was sure he would get more than he asked for. For now¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you noticed an entrance when you were here the other day?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she said, making Arkk frown all the more.

    ¡°Alright,¡± he said, trying to keep his irritation out of his voice. ¡°What¡ª¡±

    ¡°The fairy and I only stopped on the roof. Once I realized its magic was active, I doubted I would be able to gain access on my own and returned.¡± Priscilla paused and angled her head downward. ¡°One of the legs should have an access hatch.¡± She paused again and looked toward Arkk¡ªwithout quite looking in the exact right direction. ¡°Happy?¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips into a strained smile, not that she would be able to appreciate it. ¡°Thank you, Priscilla.¡±

    Every step closer he took, the larger the structure looked. Which, he was aware, was how perspectives worked. Still, it just felt too large. Fortress Al-Mir was larger, of course, but it was immobile and buried underground, spread out far and wide. For something able to walk around, if those legs worked, it was mind-boggling.

    And once they got fully underneath¡­

    ¡°The hatch won¡¯t be immediately obvious,¡± Priscilla said as they circled the second leg of the building. ¡°Look for a section of the brickwork that doesn¡¯t mesh perfectly with the rest. It will also likely be on the inside of the legs, underneath the tower itself, rather than on the outside where invaders would have first access.¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°You seem to know a lot about this place,¡± Arkk said as conversationally as possible as he stopped at an odd section of the tower¡¯s leg.

    ¡°Naturally. I used one.¡±

    Arkk snapped his head back to Priscilla, eyebrows raising. He knew she had been a Keeper at one point. His discussion with Vezta after meeting the dragonoid had been enlightening. Though they didn¡¯t know when or where, Priscilla bore definite scars of someone who had ended up destroying her own [HEART]. A lesser being would likely have been killed outright. It was only thanks to her dragonoid physiology that she continued to draw breath.

    ¡°A mobile fortress? In our world?¡±

    ¡°They used to be common. Every Keeper used at least one. Hard to wage war when you¡¯re sitting in your bunker, waiting for the enemy to amass enough of an army to overwhelm whatever defenses you¡¯ve got.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. He had been feeling that as of late. Still¡­

    Vezta hadn¡¯t mentioned mobile fortresses before. According to her, Fortress Al-Mir, damaged as it was because of the Calamity, couldn¡¯t support the creation of a mobile fortress so she had simply neglected to discuss them in depth. She then had the gall to insist that she had mentioned it upon their first meeting when she called Fortress Al-Mir the Ultimate Defensive and Offensive fortress.

    It wasn¡¯t her fault the fortress was broken.

    Reaching out to the suspected hatchway, Arkk snapped his hands back as a spark jumped from the shadowy bricks to his outstretched fingers.

    ¡°Active defenses?¡± Priscilla hummed, more to herself than to Arkk.

    Arkk frowned, looking at the blackened mark of burned skin on the tips of his fingers. ¡°It has defenses,¡± he said, tone flat.

    ¡°Of course. You don¡¯t want the enemy taking the stairs up.¡±

    ¡°You could have mentioned that.¡±

    ¡°I thought it would be obvious,¡± she said, sliding Arkk aside. She clawed her hands and planted her palms against the shadowy bricks. Lightning crackled over the backs of her hands, melting ice into clouds of steam. ¡°Flood it with your magic,¡± she said, her voice straining. ¡°As much as possible.¡±

    Hesitating only a little, Arkk placed his hand up against the brickwork. A few small sparks jumped out at him but with Priscilla taking the brunt of the defenses, it barely tickled.

    It was like a ritual circle. As soon as he unleashed his magic, he could feel it flooding through hidden magical pathways and channels. Mentally mapping his magic, he started to get a picture of what the circle was designed to do. With that, he directed his magic, forcing it down certain paths while pulling it back from others.

    With a hiss of differing air pressure equalizing and a cloud of orange dust, coating both him and Priscilla, the shadowy bricks retracted into the leg, folding into themselves as they slotted into the walls.

    Priscilla stumbled when the wall disappeared but looked toward Arkk with an appraising look. ¡°Huh.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I thought we might have to destroy the bricks. How did you do that?¡±

    Arkk just shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot of experience working with ritual circles and figuring out why they go wrong.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± She said again, then motioned a hand into the dark opening. ¡°Shall we?¡±

    Arkk took one step before pausing. ¡°How likely are there to be other traps?¡±

    ¡°Extremely.¡±

    ¡°Why¡­ don¡¯t you go first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m blind.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but if the walls crush together, I¡¯d rather have someone who can probably survive that ahead of me.¡±

    Priscilla hesitated. Was she scared? Were the traps inside so deadly that even a dragonoid stood no chance? Arkk considered calling this whole thing off until they had a chance to come up with some ways of disabling the traps only for Priscilla to take one step into the opening. Then another.

    She tried to take a third only for her foot to knock against the base of the first stair. Hands in front of her, she caught herself on the next few steps and slowly righted herself. Arkk watched as she hurriedly straightened her back in a way that he might have suspected embarrassment on anyone else. She promptly knocked her foot into the next step, making her stumble again.

    ¡°Frost,¡± she swore, ¡°I hate stairs.¡±

    <hr>

    Despite Priscilla grumbling about non-winged creatures and their need for stairs the entire time, they did successfully end up ascending the staircase to reach the tower proper. There wasn¡¯t much to the legs of the structure beyond the stairs. No real rooms or spaces for people. Just traps.

    Lots and lots of active traps.

    Priscilla, implacable dragonoid that she was, plowed through them all. Some, Arkk had to help disable. Priscilla triggered the rest, allowing them to ascend before the trap reset.

    If there was one thing Arkk was learning on this trip, it was how best to make traps around Fortress Al-Mir. Already, he had directed some lesser servants into the long tunnels stretching out of the fortress to start making way for a few new additions¡ªin particular, Arkk was interested in the darkness trap that made it impossible to see more than a step ahead and a particularly nasty fireburst trap, which was the one thing that gave Priscilla pause¡ªall of which would be magically activated. Here in the tower, the traps were constantly powered because of the ambient magic but a few of the smaller glowstones should be able to keep magical traps active back home.

    Arkk was fairly certain that he had figured out how to make the traps activate only when someone not linked to the [HEART] of Fortress Al-Mir entered its range. Considering that the current defenses in Fortress Al-Mir consisted of pitfalls and ballistae that had to be manually operated and did not discriminate, he was fairly pleased with even this much.

    Now, in the tower proper, he hoped to find even more.

    The first few rooms they passed through, occupying much of the lower levels of the tower, weren¡¯t all that interesting. There were guard rooms all around the staircase, providing space for minions to stand and wait for any intruders that made it inside. Slits for shooting arrows outside the tower adorned nearly every exterior wall. Armories, containing intact ancient loot and gear, provided a buffer between the operational areas of the lower tower and the living quarters. Living quarters, made of the same magical room that provided Al-Mir¡¯s residents with their dwellings, occupied a massive chunk of the tower.

    At full capacity, Arkk could easily imagine this place could carry thousands of soldiers. Not just carry, but support.

    Above the living quarters were places for creature comforts, including canteens, baths, and food production. All roughly the same as what Fortress Al-Mir had. Even though the walls and floor were all made of the same shadowy bricks, it was easy to spot the similarities.

    ¡°The towers move surprisingly fast for buildings of their size. Most people don¡¯t expect buildings to move at all, I suppose,¡± Priscilla said as they made their way through an empty dining hall. ¡°That gives two options if, for example, you¡¯re assaulting any regular walled town. Either you send out raiding parties from the tower ahead of the walking structure itself, using it as a base to support and retreat to, or you march the whole tower on the town, which will often have evacuated before its arrival.¡±

    ¡°Seems you could do both,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Use your army to encircle a town but without fighting. No danger. Eventually, the tower arrives and you can stomp over everything without any chance of reprisal.¡±

    Priscilla shook her head. ¡°And what are you going to do with a bunch of dead farmers and crushed rubble? The point of it all is to take assets for yourself. Entire towns.¡± She paused and dipped her head, slightly. ¡°Now, if you¡¯re assaulting a castle or someplace with important people who you don¡¯t want escaping to cause trouble later, that idea works well enough. Except for one problem.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°People get desperate. Between an army sieging them and the inevitability of a tower like this, people feel backed against a corner. Then they start taking drastic actions.¡± She scowled, letting out an angry noise from the back of her throat. ¡°A human with nothing to lose will do their best to screw over everyone around them in the most spectacular ways possible. I¡¯ve seen magical detonations the likes of which have reshaped mountains and carved valleys, meteors called down from the skies to flatten everything, and even¡­ demons.¡±

    Arkk stared at the dragonoid, part in awe, part in disbelief. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such magic. Except demon summoning.¡±

    Priscilla waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I came into my power just after the Calamity, before the full ramifications of what had happened became apparent. Magic then, magic before the Calamity¡ªand just after¡ªwas stronger than it is today.¡±

    Arkk hummed. At least he wouldn¡¯t have to face that kind of power.

    Then again, the rays of gold unleashed by the golden-eyed avatar were destructive enough on their own. The bricks comprising this tower and Fortress Al-Mir were reinforced magically, so he wasn¡¯t sure if those golden rays would do serious harm, but he couldn¡¯t underestimate them.

    The upper quarter of the tower was where the more interesting aspects of the structure were located. An alchemy lab that occupied an entire floor of the tower was filled to the brim with all kinds of equipment that Arkk couldn¡¯t even name. His middling adventures into alchemy had proved useful on occasion but he wondered what kind of concoctions he could make with a place like this. There were books as well. Not many. If this structure had been used in conjunction with a stationary fortress, he imagined most important books would be located there. The ones here were probably just for reference. Most were written in the same ancient script that was in the salvaged books from the original fortress library. For every ten like that, there was one that looked a little more readable. Not quite modern books but the writing was close enough that he felt he could decipher it given enough time.

    A library and magical laboratory chamber, smaller even than the one at Fortress Al-Mir, did hold a few books. More of these were in the ancient script than the ones in the alchemy lab.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re blind but can you read?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot of humans ask stupid questions¡ª¡±

    ¡°I mean in the past. Could you read? A lot of books are written in an ancient script¡ªincluding some at my fortress. Nobody I¡¯ve met so far can read them.¡± Not even Alya. It was one of the few things Arkk had been willing to ask her about. ¡°But you said you know the old ways. If you could translate even a few bits that we could use to translate everything else, it would help.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been blind for a thousand years. I don¡¯t know anything about modern writing.¡±

    ¡°Anything you can do would¡­¡±

    Arkk trailed off. Exiting the library and entering yet another stairwell, he felt it.

    A thump. A pulse. A beat in the shadowy stone around them.

    It was faint. Distant. Yet, somehow, felt very close. He craned his neck upward, staring through the shadowy stone. Opaque though the bricks were, he could see the beating heart of the tower just above.

    Arkk skipped the next two floors, barely peeking into the rooms adjacent to the stairs. One was filled with gold, likely what was used to power this fortress and transmute food for the kitchens. The other might have been used by the owner of the tower or one of their favored subordinates, looking like extremely fancy living quarters.

    The floor above, near the top of the tower, had a heavily reinforced door blocking access. Like the entrance to the tower, it took him and Priscilla working together to get it open. This time with a little more emphasis on her strength as she dug her frozen claws into the metal to give herself leverage.

    The chamber beyond was unlike the rest of the tower. Where every room prior could have been found in his own fortress, this room was a massive chamber that ate every speck of light that came in from the slit windows in the stairwell. Conjuring up a light spell did nothing to help. It was like the darkness trap from before except intensified a thousand times over.

    Yet, Arkk could feel forward. There was something ahead of them. A pedestal made from shifting and flowing darkness.

    A thump.

    As Arkk drew near, the light hovering above his open palm siphoned off into the distance, encircling a small glass-like sphere that hovered above the pedestal. It greedily drank the magic from his spell, pulsing.

    A beat.

    Priscilla was saying something behind him. Arkk couldn¡¯t hear her. The rhythmic thumps pounding through the shadowy stone were growing in intensity. Vezta had said something about this. She had given him instructions. Told him exactly what to do.

    Every one of those instructions faded. He couldn¡¯t remember a single one.

    Instead, Arkk operated on pure instinct. He reached out a hand, planting it on the cold glass sphere. Just a trickle of his magic leaked into the orb. Pulled from him a little bit at a time, then a little bit more until he was flooding it with magic, faster and faster.

    Its pulse shuddered, the thump jolting like an electric shock struck it. The entire tower shook and quaked.

    But Arkk didn¡¯t so much as stumble. His awareness expanded, moving to encompass everything within the tower.

    The [HEART] let out another beat. This one in perfect timing with Arkk¡¯s heart and the [HEART] of Fortress Al-Mir.

 Fruits of Research

    ¡°This is based on the protective spell I developed before leaving the Cliff academy,¡± Zullie said, pacing back and forth in front of a large board of arcane diagrams. ¡°The difference between your old spells and modern magic appears to be the source of that magic. Modern magical incantations, translated, often equate to something more akin to prayer¡ªbeseeching a higher power to act on your behalf. Old magic are more like commands. Edicts given out to magic itself to manifest servants or fire lightning bolts.

    ¡°I¡¯ve not managed any success with command-type magic, but the difference between the two gave me ideas. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve only managed limited success myself with those ideas but I have hope that your increased magic capacity can power through inefficiencies in the incantation and¡­ Arkk¡­ Arkk? Are you paying attention? Hey!¡±

    Arkk blinked as a thumb and middle finger snapped in front of his nose. He blinked again and found himself staring through a pair of rectangular glasses and into the violet eyes of his lead researcher.

    ¡°I was listening,¡± he said, automatically.

    Zullie planted a hand on her hip, cocking an eyebrow at the same time. ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Old magic is like an edict, modern magic is like a request.¡±

    She pressed her lips together, glaring as hard as ever. Instead of continuing her lecture, she sat there, probably thinking up unspoken complaints about how his answer was just a lucky guess. Arkk left her to her thoughts.

    The longer she sat there thinking, the more he could pay attention to Walking Fortress Istanur.

    The walking fortress was more¡­ alive than Fortress Al-Mir. It felt like a lesser servant, if more limited. He could direct it around and tell it what to do with a thought. It couldn¡¯t do much. Walk, mostly. He could open and close any door at will, much like with Fortress Al-Mir, as well as interface with all its traps.

    It¡­ needed some repairs. Luckily, a small force of lesser servants, left behind before he and Priscilla had returned to Fortress Al-Mir, were quickly running through the tower, fixing everything they could.

    And they had just gotten the walking part of the walking fortress operational.

    It was nerve-wracking. He and Priscilla had carried back several books but there were plenty more left behind, not to mention all the alchemical equipment and gear in the other rooms. If the tower toppled and collapsed into a heap of rubble, all that might be destroyed.

    Yet whatever lesser servant-like intelligence that occupied the tower was reporting that all its systems were functional. It was ready to move. It didn¡¯t want to move but lesser servants didn¡¯t want anything.

    Arkk told it to pick up one leg and set it back down.

    From a distance, Arkk could perceive Walking Fortress Istanur much like he could perceive Fortress Al-Mir. He could check in on any individual room like he was scrying into them or view the entire structure from a short distance away like any minion in his employ.

    Watching the tower pick up one of its massive legs, each of which had the footprint of the entire Langleey Village courtyard, sent shivers down his spine. He almost jolted out of his seat when the other legs bent and the main tower started tilting to one side. He thought the whole thing was going to come down then and there.

    It didn¡¯t. It was just shifting the weight above to compensate for the change in balance. Like any human¡ªor spider¡ªmight do when asked to lift their legs.

    Interestingly enough, a round glass phial sitting on the corner of one of the alchemy lab tables didn¡¯t so much as shift. Even when the leg came down again, shaking the ground it stood upon, the phial remained right where it had sat for who-knew how many years.

    Arkk did jolt out of his seat when another pair of fingers snapped in front of his face again.

    ¡°Arkk?¡± Zullie said, lips pulled into a tight smile that didn¡¯t reach her cheeks, let alone her eyes. ¡°What did I say this time?¡±

    Eyes darting back and forth between Zullie¡¯s eyes and the board covered in arcane scrawl, Arkk grimaced. ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Please pay attention!¡± Zullie said, clapping her hand to the table. ¡°I know you just got a new toy but what I¡¯ve been working on might help us with our little golden problem.¡±

    Arkk straightened his back, clasping his hands together on the table in front of them. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry. I just¡­¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m excited to peruse the books you brought back. Maybe we can make this spell better with some of the information within. But until then, you might be our only defense from those rays of gold.

    ¡°Now, admittedly, I haven¡¯t seen them in person¡ªthank the Light¡ªbut I was scrying on you while you were in Gleeful. So I have a general idea of how it worked. To demonstrate, I¡­ Well, I asked for that flame witch¡¯s help. She hasn¡¯t shown up.¡±

    Arkk shuddered. When Agnete had come to him earlier in the day and told him that Zullie wanted her to throw fire at him, he had been worried that there was some kind of coup attempt going on. It hadn¡¯t been a very big worry. Zullie had effectively one sole desire in life and he was fairly certain that he was fulfilling that desire more than anyone could¡ªespecially with the new books he had brought back from Istanur¡ªbut still¡­

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we see if the spell works before we take it to a live fire exercise? Or, if fire is a must, let¡¯s use regular fire. Not fire projected through the avatar of a fire god.¡±

    ¡°That it comes from an avatar is the point,¡± Zullie said before letting out a small sigh. ¡°But I do concede that getting the spell working is a must. So, as long as you¡¯re paying attention this time, I¡¯ll explain it again.¡±

    With a nod of his head and a wave of his hand, she did. In far too many words. Enough that Arkk found himself lapsing again. After testing all six of Istanur¡¯s legs, he set it to walking.

    It was¡­ a terrifying sight to see, even through his detached perspective. He could almost feel the phantom trembles as each leg touched down, sending quakes through the ground. Although faster than any other building he had seen, he couldn¡¯t call it swift. Each step seemed to cover the distance of a small village¡¯s width, thanks to the long spider-like legs. He would have to do the calculations later but, if it didn¡¯t change speed and didn¡¯t run into any insurmountable obstacles, he guessed it would be at least a week before it arrived at the portal.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure what he would do with it once it arrived. At the very least, it could serve as a more fortified outpost in the Underworld. Unfortunately, it wouldn¡¯t fit through the portal.

    Maybe it could be dismantled once it arrived?

    He would have to speak with Vezta and Priscilla on the matter. Until then¡­

    Arkk caught Zullie¡¯s fingers before she could snap in front of his face for a third time. ¡°I am paying attention,¡± he said honestly. ¡°You and Savren dismantled the lightning and lesser servant spells into ritual circles, modified those ritual circles, and now have built up an incantation from your modifications that acts as a request and edict combined.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ is the essence of what I said, yes,¡± she said, looking pained to admit that. ¡°You¡¯ve skipped all the details.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been talking for over two hours, Zullie. You could have stood to skip a few of the details yourself.¡±

    ¡°Fine! Fine. Since you¡¯re so interested in the fruits of my labor and not the research that went into it¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll read your book when you finalize it.¡±

    ¡°¡ªWe¡¯ll get into the meat of the work. Incantation: Boun-daries, b-b-b-barriers, blocks and blocks and blockades, ward-d and sheheld. The pauses, sputters, and odd pronunciation are important. In something of a cross between old and new magic, you¡¯ll need to focus on an element but you do not need to gesture. The element is wall.¡± She promptly repeated it three more times, making sure that Arkk knew it forward and backward.

    ¡°Even with the stuttering, isn¡¯t that¡­ too understandable to be a spell? All the other spells I know are strange languages.¡±

    ¡°Without more samples of your spells, I can¡¯t infer enough of the old language. Which is also why the incantation is odd. Need to get the magic flowing in the right tempo to make up for the lack of proper words.¡± Zullie scowled, likely at the poor incantation for the spell, before adding, ¡°I haven¡¯t yet had time to analyze the spells Priscilla taught you from her era. Perhaps they¡¯ll have a clue that will help me shorten this.¡±

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    Arkk nodded along. Priscilla was trying to put what she knew about the old language to paper at the moment. Since she could speak well enough to be understood by modern people, she was able to write out the symbols and describe what they meant to some of Zullie¡¯s new apprentices. That would give them some kind of foundation for translation.

    But she didn¡¯t need to write to teach him new spells. Those were just a few short words. There weren¡¯t many, unfortunately. Priscilla wasn¡¯t a spellcaster by trade. During her time, she utilized her brute strength and gifts with frost breath rather than spells. Nonetheless, Arkk had picked up a few tricks from her.

    For now, Arkk drew in a breath and started the incantation. ¡°Boun¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold it! Stop! Stop!¡±

    ¡°What? What?¡± Arkk asked, suddenly alarmed at all the shouting. He snapped his head around, half expecting that golden-eyed boy to have popped right into their midst.

    Instead, he found Zullie swiftly backing toward the door. ¡°You stay here and just hold tight,¡± she said, opening the room¡¯s door. ¡°I¡¯m going to be in the next room over, watching from that small slit in the wall.¡±

    Arkk followed her finger to find a small gap in the brickwork of the room, just above one of the violet glowstones that adorned the walls. Arkk hadn¡¯t directed any of the servants to do that. Despite her having distilled the lesser servant spell into a ritual, they didn¡¯t take many commands from others. Vezta must have made it, likely on Zullie¡¯s request.

    ¡°Why over there?¡±

    ¡°No reason!¡± Zullie said, ducking out of the room.

    The heavy, reinforced door slammed shut. Most rooms didn¡¯t have reinforced doors. A quick scan through the fortress revealed only three rooms. Agnete¡¯s bedroom, the [HEART] chamber, and the treasury. More of Vezta¡¯s doing?

    He had wondered why they had come out to this random room instead of doing this someplace like the library or even the meeting room. Now, he started to get a creeping feeling all down his back.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Zullie¡¯s voice, muffled through the crack in the wall, sounded strained. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready.¡±

    ¡°Is this safe?¡± he said, glancing back to the reinforced door.

    ¡°Oh sure it is! I mean, there¡¯s just a little¡­ It¡¯s probably not a problem. Probably. Everything is perfectly within acceptable bounds.¡±

    ¡°Zullie¡­¡±

    ¡°You told me you were used to all that magic you tried exploding in your face!¡±

    ¡°Those explosions didn¡¯t need reinforced doors.¡±

    ¡°You blew up the orcs¡¯ old chieftain.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ was intentional.¡±

    ¡°So is this! Trust me, you won¡¯t get hurt. It is everything else that needs worrying about.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t the reassurance you think it is,¡± Arkk said, taking a deep breath. Even though the room was empty except for the one table, chair, and board with Zullie¡¯s notes, Arkk sent them all away, leaving him standing alone. ¡°Boun-daries, b-b-b-barriers, blocks and blocks and blockades, ward-d and sheheld.¡±

    Focusing on a wall, he felt his magic flow.

    It felt wrong. He realized it immediately. Electro Deus felt directed and targeted. The magic he unleashed for a lightning bolt did exactly as he expected¡ªas it was supposed to. It didn¡¯t at all feel like forcing too much magic through a pinhole or like globs of ooze and slime dripping between his fingertips.

    Bright flashes of unbound magic sparked in the air around him. The glowstones on the walls doubled in intensity before cracking with enough force to send shards flinging around the room. The magically reinforced bricks didn¡¯t care about the chaotic magic, thankfully remaining fully intact.

    ¡°Keep going!¡± Zullie shouted through the wall just as he was about to cut off the flow of magic. ¡°Chant the incantation again.¡±

    It was clear that the spell wasn¡¯t working as intended. But aside from the bright flashes popping into the air all around him, making him wince, none of it had harmed Arkk so far. He followed along with Zullie¡¯s directive, keeping up the flow of magic while repeating the stuttered and awkward spell.

    As he did so, he started to notice a change in the magic¡¯s flow. It didn¡¯t improve. If anything, it felt stickier and even more disgusting. Nevertheless, the air around him started to change. The flashes of light grew more frequent, flashing together at points, merging. All at once, like the string of a bow snapping back into place, a violet dome flashed into place around him.

    It dripped and oozed. Like he had taken one of the lesser servants and stretched them out into a thin, nearly transparent glob around him. Small spackles of light still darted around, reminding him again of Vezta and the lesser servants. Their eyes, specifically.

    Although it had clearly stabilized, somewhat, he still didn¡¯t think the spell was working quite right. The shield, if it could be called that, didn¡¯t look like it would stop a tossed rock, let alone an arrow or golden rays. Even if it could, it had taken ten minutes from when he started to now. It couldn¡¯t be cast in an emergency and, judging by the flow of magic out of him, nobody else in the entire fortress had the capacity to maintain it for more than a few seconds. Even he, with all the power of Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s [HEART] at his back, felt like he could keep going for no more than ten minutes more before it drained him.

    All-in-all, modern magic or old, Arkk felt the spell was a failure. Hopefully, Zullie had learned something from it.

    Arkk cut the flow of his magic, only to gasp as his magic flooded out, ripped from his body like someone had sliced open his stomach. The laceration, pulled from his chest, cut into the dome of ooze. It didn¡¯t feed the shield spell. It sliced open a gap directly overhead.

    Above, he didn¡¯t see the vaulted ceilings of Fortress Al-Mir. It was like a slice of the night sky had fallen into the fortress. It wasn¡¯t the usual sky. Familiar, yes, but a version of the sky he had seen only once before.

    The Stars shined through, like eyes twinkling and watching. Unintelligible whispers circled around him, calling out words in a tongue no mortal could comprehend. Fear crept up his spine. No normal fear for his life or that of others, but an existential type threat. That feeling of inconsequence. That nothing he was, nothing he could ever do, nothing anyone could affect anything compared to the watchers above.

    Vezta had said that those Stars couldn¡¯t interact with anything in this world or any other. The shattered sky kept them apart, unable to do anything but watch.

    Yet they spoke. He could hear them. He had heard them in Vezta¡¯s body too. If they couldn¡¯t do anything but watch, why did their words reach down to the world?

    Something shifted in the Stars as Arkk gaped up at them, unable to move. They slid away from the gap carved in the ceiling, making room for something else.

    Arkk caught a split-second glimpse. A violet-hued moon rolled through the aether above, slowing to a stop in the center of the oblong slit. The now fully-formed eye twisted and rotated, its gaze falling directly on Arkk for a mere instant before it swiveled again, aiming at the wall of the room.

    The last of his magic, ripped from his chest, allowed the eye an instant of a glimpse. A bare second. Yet time stretched on. The eye spent an eternity judging, an eternity measuring, an eternity weighing.

    The spell collapsed around him. Black, charred ooze slopped to the ground around Arkk. The [HEART] of Fortress Al-Mir, drained of magic, seized. Glowstones across the entire fortress flickered and winked out. Every minion Arkk had in his employ collapsed as one. Lesser servants winked out of existence without the magic there to sustain them.

    For one brief moment, the world closed in around Arkk in a way that he hadn¡¯t felt since before contracting with the fortress. He couldn¡¯t see any other room. He couldn¡¯t check in on any of his minions. Even Walking Fortress Istanur vanished from his view.

    He stood alone.

    With not a scrap of magic remaining in the entirety of the fortress, the moon and Stars above Arkk faded as the slit in the ceiling sealed once again.

    A resounding thump-thump echoed through Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s corridors as the [HEART] beat once again. Another beat followed, stronger and firmer. The light of the glowstones blinked, flickered, and started a dim, steady glow that slowly brightened with every subsequent thump. The employees of the fortress slowly started to rouse themselves, picking themselves up.

    He could see them again. Them and the rest of the recovering fortress. Panic coursed through many, some fearing an enemy attack, others just confused. The refugees, although not linked to him or the fortress, were obviously ill at ease. All the lights shutting down must have spooked them.

    The lesser servants did not return. How many had there been? A hundred? More? He would have to summon them all over again.

    Yet, Arkk couldn¡¯t find it in him to move. His fingers tingled with an uncomfortable numbness and his legs felt weak. He wasn¡¯t sure how he was still standing.

    Dry eyes finally made him blink and, when he did, whatever stupor had come over him shattered.

    Arkk teleported into the next room over.

    Zullie sat, curled in a ball under the observation slit in the wall. Her arms shook. Her lips, blue like she hadn¡¯t taken a breath in minutes, twitched and moved like she was trying to speak. No words made it out of her mouth. At her side, her glasses sat on the ground with a large crack running through both lenses.

    And her eyes, normally violet and intense, were wide and¡­

    empty.

    There was no blood. No gore. Just empty holes where her eyes should have been. In the back of those empty holes, a sliver of starlight gleamed through in tiny sparkling dots.

    Arkk stared at her, swallowing his demands for an explanation. There would be no answers for now.

    He teleported both himself and Zullie to the infirmary. Hale joined them, her eyes hazy and confused but fully intact. She looked up at him, likely about to ask what had just happened, only to catch sight of Zullie.

    Rather than look disgusted or concerned over the witch¡¯s lack of eyes, she looked interested, leaning in to get a better look. That was probably concerning behavior but Arkk didn¡¯t care enough to question it at the moment. He needed to sit down for a long few minutes. Perhaps a dunk in a cold bath would help.

    ¡°Magical accident,¡± he said as his only explanation. ¡°Help her if you can. I¡­ need to go.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t have the words to contend with Hale. Much as he wanted to sit down, he had to make some kind of announcement. Let everyone know that things were fine. Just perfectly fine.

    Before he could even consider what to say beyond fine, he got a tug through the employee link. Arkk teleported straight to the source in the scrying team¡¯s room.

    Luthor was on duty at the moment. The reptilian beastman didn¡¯t look as bad as some of the others Arkk could see through the link. In fact, most beastmen didn¡¯t. Possibly because their magic was different than that of demihumans?

    ¡°Everything is fine,¡± Arkk said, trying to inject as much emotion into his voice as he could.

    His fingers still felt numb. His lips tingled.

    ¡°Uh¡­ S-Sir,¡± Luthor said, pointing at the crystal ball. ¡°I¡­ thought it w-would be a g-good idea to check on priority targets after¡­ w-w-whatever happened. The Elmshadow Burg Keep has bright golden lights streaming through its windows. I¡­ I don¡¯t know what that means.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Just¡­ perfect.¡± He almost teleported away, only to stop and remember something Alma had said to him. ¡°Good work,¡± he said, clapping the chameleon on the shoulder. ¡°Keep an eye on them.¡±

    ¡°S-Sir,¡± Luthor said, sitting straighter in his chair.

    Arkk teleported to the war room. In an instant, all of his advisors were with him.

    They immediately broke out into a cacophony of noise.

    Arkk planted his hands on the table, taking as much weight off his legs as he could without outright collapsing into his chair. ¡°Everything is fine,¡± he said, speaking no louder than a whisper, forcing the room into silence if they wanted to hear him. ¡°Everything is¡­ just fine.¡±

 The Powers of the Pantheon

    Savren provided answers where Zullie could not. He hadn¡¯t been involved in the direct construction of her spell but he had helped out enough to put together what her thought process had been.

    The golden rays were magic akin to Agnete¡¯s flames. Powers of the [PANTHEON] granted to mortal avatars. Except those golden rays were likely stronger because Agnete¡¯s patron, the Burning Forge, was cut off from this world while the Heart of Gold was not. In order to counteract that power they felt it would be best to use magic akin to that which avatars could output.

    Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key. Given its earlier act of kindness in opening the portal, they felt it was the best choice to base the spell on.

    No one had lost their eyes from staring up at the fissure in the sky when they had performed the large ritual. According to Ilya, that incident had looked almost the same as what Arkk had described. Yet Zullie was currently in the infirmary, near unresponsive but not quite catatonic. She had been in and out of lucidity for the past week, frequently murmuring nonsense and uttering unintelligible whispers.

    Had what happened to her been a warning of some kind?

    Or had she lost her eyes because of some differences in the spell versus the larger ritual?

    He had set Savren on researching the cause.

    Savren was, until further notice, his lead researcher.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about that. What Savren had done to the village of Hope in a selfish attempt to remove his annoying but ultimately harmless curse did not sit right with Arkk. Yet, since he had arrived at the fortress, he had been quite diligent in his efforts toward whatever tasks Arkk set him upon.

    He wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about Zullie either. She had been beyond helpful¡ªinstrumental, even. Fortress Al-Mir wouldn¡¯t have made it as far as it had without her. Yet she had explicitly disobeyed his order to abandon all research related to the planar ritual.

    The main problem was that, if the spell had worked out, Arkk would have taken it with thanks and used it as well as he could. Especially if she improved it to the point where it formed faster and maybe used a less irritating incantation. Even if he had learned the source of the spell afterward, he would have been happy with it.

    But it hadn¡¯t worked out.

    It was something he would have to deal with later on. If¡ªor when¡ªZullie was capable of speaking and answering questions.

    For now, Arkk had to conduct an onboarding. A sizeable battalion of soldiers had agreed to join upon Ilya reaching out to them. Deserters of the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard following his proclamation of alliance with Evestani. Taking them in was going to quadruple the numbers of Company Al-Mir. With all the other recruiting, Al-Mir was a fairly sizable entity, numbering just short of a thousand. Counting these deserters among his number would put him in league with White Company, though only after they suffered their losses at Elmshadow and, later, Gleeful Burg.

    Fresh lesser servants were having to dig downward now to provide accommodations.

    The leader of this group was a captain. Or had been a captain before deserting. Captain Richter Porter. The third son of some viscount, he had gotten his position through nepotism. Given how young he was¡ªsome of his lieutenants who stood with him looked older than he was¡ªhe hadn¡¯t gotten it through experience or hard work. He was younger even than Arkk yet had somehow garnered the support of a full crew of retainers and lieutenants, not to mention the regular soldiers in their company.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Porter said, extending a hand to shake. ¡°We all want to fight the good fight but¡­ without the supplies and support of the Duchy, we weren¡¯t sure how we were going to manage.¡±

    Arkk shook the man¡¯s hand. It felt weak in his grip. The longer he talked with the man, the less of a man the boy looked. He was just some kid thrown out here to fight. The few other deserter groups Arkk had recruited had been smaller and more¡­ well¡­ raiderish. Soldiers who abandoned the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard not because of alliances but rather for more visceral reasons. Porter, on the other hand, was idealistic and naive.

    Nevertheless, the link formed. Arkk didn¡¯t have to hand out a coin to people freely agreeing to work for him. Fortress Al-Mir took their agreement for what it was and acted accordingly. Not just with the boy leader, but with his men as well.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to have you,¡± Arkk forced out with a smile. ¡°Evestani rampaged across our land and now they want to play at being friends while still occupying burgs and forcing our people to starve? That isn¡¯t something Company Al-Mir will stand for.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Porter said, voice surprisingly hard. Some of Arkk¡¯s surprise must have shown on his face because the captain firmed his features and added, ¡°My father was at Moonshine Burg when the invasion began.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±

    Moonshine Burg had been the first location hit on Evestani¡¯s initial march into the Duchy. Reports from the burg were scarce but it was generally accepted that assassins had killed nearly everyone in a position of power as well as most of the guards, opening the way for the rest of the army to make their way into the Duchy unimpeded.

    Porter gave a firm nod of his head before releasing Arkk¡¯s hand.

    ¡°We have quarters being set up to accommodate your men¡ª¡±

    ¡°All of them? I know your elf said that was possible, but that was before she realized how many are disgruntled with the current state of affairs.¡±

    ¡°Believe it or not, transporting them is more the issue. The magical teleportation you used to arrive is not well-suited for an army. I can¡¯t promise open fields with cottages for every individual, but once they do get here, there will be plenty of space.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me!¡±

    Arkk looked up, looking past Porter. The boy hadn¡¯t come to the fortress alone. Four lieutenants joined him to tour the place, ask their questions, and make sure they weren¡¯t being conned in some way or other. Along with them, a trio of retainers had joined as well.

    The one holding up a finger wore the pure white robes, adorned with gold thread patterned in the concentric lines of the Luminous Mandala. A woman who bore a striking resemblance to Abbess Keena of Langleey Village. She was, of course, an abbess with the Abbey of the Light as well.

    ¡°I was meaning to ask but the ritual that brought us here wasn¡¯t like anything I had seen before.¡±

    ¡°Company Al-Mir has recruited some brilliant magical researchers. Evestani has been using unknown esoterics to great effect during this war. We are engaging in research in an attempt to counter some of what they can do. The teleportation ritual is one of our most useful products of that research,¡± Arkk lied easily.

    ¡°It seems¡­¡± The abbess trailed off, not quite willing to voice suspicion of the magic being anathema despite clearly suspecting.

    ¡°Unfortunately, I do not believe we have any hope of fighting back against Evestani¡¯s golden magic without some tricks of our own. After this¡­ Well, if we survive this war, we¡¯ll figure out what to do about it then. But until such time, if you have any among your ranks well versed in magic, adding them to our research team is likely the best use of their time.¡±

    Porter turned and gestured to one of the lieutenants. A squat man with sleepy eyes. ¡°Vector leads the platoon of battle casters. He is quite a capable caster himself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce him to¡­ Savren, my current lead researcher.¡± Arkk hesitated on the name, almost defaulting to Zullie¡¯s name before he caught himself. ¡°They can determine how to proceed with whatever resources are available.¡±

    ¡°Current?¡± Vector asked, his voice pitched less like a question and more like a flat statement.

    ¡°My former head researcher was caught in a magical experiment and is currently on bedrest until further notice. Savren is quite capable and I have confidence in his abilities,¡± Arkk said, surprising himself with his honesty.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Vector nodded his head, taking the statement as fact without any surprise or concern. As if such a thing was perfectly normal.

    Perhaps it was. Arkk¡¯s first encounter with Zullie had ended up with her in an infirmary bed as well.

    Shaking his head, Arkk continued speaking. ¡°We have had several recruits in recent weeks. Some of whom are a little too new. I don¡¯t intend to throw anyone into combat unprepared. We might not have much time but anyone experienced among your ranks who can help train the fresh recruits would be appreciated.¡±

    ¡°Not enough time?¡± One of the other lieutenants asked. This one looked to be the oldest of the bunch, maybe up to ten years older than Arkk. He had a thin mustache, though it wasn¡¯t as well-kept as it likely would have been outside the war. ¡°The end of winter is still a few weeks away. Marching through it has been hell on the troops, especially since we lost the support of the Duchy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not planning on sending anyone through the snow if we can help it,¡± Arkk said. ¡°The same does not hold true for Evestani. Following the destruction of Gleeful Burg, they pulled back to Elmshadow and were content to remain in place, presumably awaiting proper support from the Duke or their homeland. But I am¡­ working on a method that may allow us to assail them heedless of the weather in the near future.¡±

    Just as soon as it arrived.

    <hr>

    ¡°Are avatars born or are they chosen later in life?¡± Arkk asked.

    Master Inquisitrix Sylvara Astra flexed her claw-like hand, staring at it with her red eyes. The prisoner link between her and Arkk was strained to the breaking point. It had been ever since Hale finished healing her legs. Between the weapon that was her claw, her magical knowledge, and the fact that she was being treated more as a guest than a prisoner, he was surprised that the link hadn¡¯t snapped already.

    Arkk figured it had to do with her temperament. She wasn¡¯t trying to escape or attack him, thus the fortress still considered her a prisoner.

    Arkk found his eyes drifting to her legs. It was a testament to Hale¡¯s improved skill that Astra could now walk. Arkk had half expected Astra to come out of the regrowing process with a monstrous limb, leaving her lopsided and entirely unable to walk.

    He couldn¡¯t see most of her chitinous leg with the cloak she wore but a multi-taloned foot rested on the floor. It was like a bird¡¯s foot with several sharp talons in an array fully around the end of her foot. She could grasp things with it as easily as Arkk could with his hands.

    ¡°Define avatar,¡± Sylvara said.

    Looking up, Arkk found her red eyes boring into him. ¡°A being with magic like Tybalt, Agnete, and presumably other purifiers.¡±

    Sylvara leaned back, crossing her arms only to wince when the tips of her claw scraped against her normal arm. She brushed off the mistake without a word of commentary on the matter. ¡°The Abbey of the Light refers to such beings, able to wield powerful magic without training or incantation, as abominations. Signs of abominations typically manifest in the late teenage years¡ªoften in situations of violence¡ªthough there may be signs in earlier years when exposed to certain types of magic.¡±

    ¡°How early?¡±

    ¡°Hard to say. Generally, local abbess or priest reports will comment on various oddities in their youth. Nothing indicating strong enough magic to be sent off to academies, just¡­ differences between them and other children. Even then, oddities aren¡¯t uncommon. Practically every village has that one odd child that nobody can make heads or tails of. Purifiers are not nearly as common.¡±

    ¡°I bet not,¡± Arkk said with a scowl.

    ¡°Why?¡± Sylvara asked, leaning forward once more. ¡°Think you¡¯ve located one?¡±

    Arkk slowly shook his head. ¡°No. Unfortunately. I was wondering if it was possible to become one.¡±

    Sylvara curled a lip in disgust. ¡°Whyever would you want that? Abominations like them do not lead happy lives.¡±

    ¡°And is that their fault or your fault?¡±

    Bristling, Sylvara stood. ¡°We give them a chance to live mostly normal lives. Abominations tend to lose control over themselves and their magic, leaving destruction in their wake. Research into nullifying and controlling their magic is among our many duties and it is to their benefit as much as it is to that of the Inquisition.¡±

    Arkk shook his head, not believing that for a moment. ¡°I haven¡¯t needed to use the ice marble on Agnete since she joined me.¡±

    ¡°An anomaly,¡± Sylvara said, dismissing the notion with a wave of her chitin-covered hand. ¡°Or you are exerting control through another method. Vrox did insist that you had a way of controlling your other monster.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, not quite able to refute that supposition. While Arkk didn¡¯t believe that Fortress Al-Mir was controlling anyone, least of all Vezta, he was perfectly willing to admit that it was a mysterious magical artifact that had odd interactions with spellcasters in terms of both offering power and using their magic for him.

    ¡°We¡¯re getting off-topic,¡± Arkk said with a shake of his head. ¡°You didn¡¯t actually answer my question. Is it possible¡ªhave you ever seen someone become an avatar later in life?¡±

    ¡°I have never seen it. That doesn¡¯t mean impossible, it just means they¡¯re too rare to say anything for certain. Now answer my question, why?¡±

    ¡°We believe that avatars are mortal agents of the old Pantheon. Manifestations of their power and, maybe, their will. Agnete¡¯s patron would be The Burning Forge. Tybalt¡¯s likely would have been the Jailor of the Void.¡±

    ¡°It is the stance¡ª¡±

    Arkk rolled his eyes, waving a hand. ¡°Yes, yes. Only the Light still casts its gaze on this world as evidenced by the sun¡¯s rise and fall. I know. You¡¯ve said as much before. That isn¡¯t our stance.¡±

    Sylvara frowned. ¡°Casual heresy aside,¡± she dismissed with barely a shrug, ¡°I¡¯m still not sure I understand. You aren¡¯t the kind of person to seek power for the sake of power. I understand there is a war going on but¡­¡±

    ¡°The golden-eyed man is probably an avatar of the Heart of Gold. The rays of gold that sliced your limbs from your body are a manifestation of the Heart of Gold¡¯s power. My researchers are under the impression that it will take the power of a god to stand up to the power of a god.¡±

    Something new came across Sylvara¡¯s face. A deep and heavy expression, one filled with barely contained anger.

    She had told him of her encounter in the woods with the man, possessing the same boy whom Arkk had already injured with a lightning bolt. The way he had callously discarded the body as soon as it wasn¡¯t useful to him, leaving a broken, injured, and scared child behind. Arkk could understand her anger, incensed at just the thought of this avatar going around and using children as disposable bodies in his war.

    He had seen it himself in Gleeful Burg. Puppeteered body after puppeteered body had come after him. Arkk had been forced to kill them.

    ¡°Then I have evidence against your claims,¡± Sylvara said, obviously forcing herself to keep a calm tone to her voice. ¡°Upon locating an abomination, the Inquisition of the Light begins research to counteract their power, restraining and controlling it, thus turning them into productive Purifiers of the Inquisition. If only the power of a god can counteract the power of another god, how are we mere mortals able to come up with such countermeasures?¡±

    Arkk blinked. That¡­ was right. They had been able to create those bracelets for Tybalt and the ice marble for Agnete.

    He pulled the ice marble directly to his waiting hand, staring down at it. ¡°How was this made?¡± he asked, pushing just a slight touch of magic into it, leaving it hovering just above his palm.

    A trick he had learned after having seen Vrox at the Duke¡¯s manor. He had known it could float before but something about that last encounter just made it click.

    ¡°I¡¯m a field agent,¡± Sylvara said with a shrug. ¡°Not a researcher.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t look up to her, still staring at the marble. It was a magical object. Enchanted or innate, it constantly output cold air into its surroundings, never diminishing. Even glowstones lost their glow after a time, doubly so when doing something actively magical like powering a ritual.

    A suspicion started to form at the back of his mind. A suspicion that Sylvara wasn¡¯t as right as she thought she was.

    Arkk teleported his resident dragonoid directly into the cell. A cascade of water flooded off her body, leaving glistening icy scales behind.

    The dragonoid didn¡¯t wait even half a second before lunging directly for Arkk. The link hadn¡¯t broken, so she probably hadn¡¯t been about to cause any serious harm. Nevertheless, Arkk reacted quickly by swapping their positions. She kept up her lunge, now unable to stop as she crashed into the wall of the cell.

    Sylvara was on her feet, poised for combat but with a rapidly rising look of horror on her face as she stared at the dragonoid.

    Arkk blinked, realized, and winced. Right. Sylvara had been hunting down the dragonoid before everything went south in Elmshadow.

    ¡°This is Priscilla,¡± Arkk said, holding out his hands in a calming gesture toward Sylvara. ¡°She agreed to work with me.¡±

    ¡°Having second thoughts about that agreement, Arkk,¡± Priscilla snarled as she used her icy claws, dug them into the wall, and picked herself up. ¡°I thought you humans had prudish qualms about interrupting bathing women.¡±

    ¡°This is important,¡± Arkk said, ignoring the dragonoid¡¯s attempts at getting a rise out of him. She didn¡¯t look any different than normal anyway. The remaining water dribbling down her body was rapidly freezing, further obscuring the icy scales underneath. ¡°Are you an avatar of the Eternal Permafrost?¡±

    ¡°Ha! I wish.¡± Priscilla molded her hands together, breathing out a frosty breath of air that caught in her cupped hands, condensing into a loosely packed chunk of ice. ¡°This entire planet would be a ball of snow. An everlasting winter wonderland, beautiful and serene where all you humans would freeze solid.¡±

    Sylvara shot Arkk a pointed look. One Arkk commiserated with.

    He made a mental note to himself that, if they did find a way to turn people into avatars, not to do that with Priscilla.

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± he said slowly. ¡°What do you make of this?¡±

    ¡°This?¡± She shook her head ever so slightly back and forth, confused as she stared just to the side of his head. Raising a hand, she pointed at her iced-over eyes with a blank expression on her face.

    ¡°Right. Sorry,¡± Arkk said, lightly grabbing one of her hands, he placed the ice marble inside. ¡°Does this feel¡ª¡±

    Priscilla¡¯s icy eyes widened. ¡°What is this?¡± she said, anger now spent entirely, leaving her with something akin to awe in her tone.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m asking. What is it?¡±

    ¡°It feels¡­ nostalgic,¡± the dragonoid said, smiling. An actual smile, fond and full of distant thoughts, formed on her face. That was a first for Priscilla. She cradled it with one hand, gently running a finger over the marble with her other. ¡°Like something I might have felt as a child, before the Calamity struck. I haven¡¯t felt like this in¡­ so very long.¡±

    That one vague statement was more than Arkk needed.

    The inquisitors were using magic derived from the Pantheon to counter the avatars. That answered one question.

    Now, how best to use that information?

 Riots

    The transition was the important part of the act.

    For the first few weeks, she had made a name for herself as the person the refugees of Cliff could come to for nearly any concern they had. Cold at night? Katja had blankets. Little ones fallen ill? Katja had medicine. Rations handed out by the guards weren¡¯t enough? Katja had food. Injuries accrued from fleeing the enemy of the people? Katja knew healers.

    In only a few short days, no one at the refugee camp hadn¡¯t heard of her. Even those inside the walls, thanks to some of Edvin¡¯s manipulations, knew of her and had used her services. The war and the refugees meant rationing for all but the wealthy, so even inside the city, people found themselves running low on food and supplies.

    But altruism on its own wasn¡¯t the goal.

    Katja walked through the encampment, wearing a thin smile on her face to hide her disgust for the rabble. It wasn¡¯t their raggedy attire, the stench of their unwashed bodies, or the unfortunate situation they found themselves in that disgusted Katja. She had been through all that and worse.

    It was their helplessness. Their lack of drive. Were it not for Katja and the supplies brought in from Fortress Al-Mir, half the camp would have sat down and accepted death as if there was nothing they could do about it. They saw their current station and, in their feeble imaginations, could envision no grander future for themselves beyond being slaves, in action if not in chains.

    Katja had once been an actual slave. Complete with chains and lashings for any perceived slight or fault. She hadn¡¯t been content with her station in life. Through plots and schemes, and one careless master who had foolishly entrusted his servants with poisoning his mistress, she had risen above and carved a bloody path forward.

    The transition was the important part.

    ¡°Woah there,¡± Katja said, forcing a laugh as a dozen children rushed up to her, all waving about little wooden bowls.

    ¡°Katja!¡±

    ¡°Tiger Lady!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡±

    ¡°I said I would be back, didn¡¯t I?¡± Katja said. She then turned her smile into a disappointed frown. ¡°And what else did I say?¡±

    Blank looks swapped between the children¡¯s faces as they looked back and forth before finally settling on Katja.

    She let out a sigh. ¡°We can¡¯t serve food when you¡¯re crowding around.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Line up,¡± one of the older kids barked out.

    ¡°No pushing or shoving now!¡± Katja called before turning to her side. ¡°Horrik!¡±

    ¡°Aye.¡± The tall man, ever-present at her side, waved the first of the young children over to the cart. He dipped a heavy ladle into one of the large cauldrons on the cart¡¯s back. Taking the first child¡¯s wooden bowl, he filled it to the brim with stew kept warm thanks to stones heated in a hearth and placed in the bottom of the cauldron.

    As Horrik distributed the stew, Katja slipped past the rapidly growing line of both children and adults. Off to the back, standing with his hands tucked under his cloak and his face set in a grim scowl, the assumed leader of this section of the camp beckoned her with a slight jerk of his head. Mal. The one man among the refugees who saw the reality of things around him. He didn¡¯t have the drive to do anything about it but¡­

    Everyone needed a push now and again.

    ¡°Mal,¡± Katja greeted as she approached. ¡°How are things?¡±

    ¡°A new group, a few hundred large, just arrived. Don¡¯t have exact numbers. The guard said to house them in the existing tents but there isn¡¯t enough space to go around. We could use blankets and tents, as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Doable.¡±

    Mal didn¡¯t show any surprise to her instant response. He had long since given up trying to figure out how Katja got her supplies. He simply nodded his head with a gruff grunt. ¡°They¡¯ll need food as well but the Duke¡¯s dogs have been doing their jobs for once in handing out a few scraps. It isn¡¯t much but it is enough for now.¡±

    ¡°We have plenty of food,¡± Katja said, shifting to look back at the cart and the four pots on its back.

    ¡°There is one other thing.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Katja turned back, cocking one eyebrow when she noticed the worried expression leaking through his lined face.

    ¡°The guard has been asking about you.¡±

    ¡°Judging by your expression, I presume they aren¡¯t interested in giving me any accolades for doing their job for them.¡±

    Mal let out a low grumble. ¡°It was the weapons, I think. They don¡¯t care about us so they don¡¯t care if you feed or clothe us.¡±

    ¡°People have a right to defend themselves. A few on the outskirts were talking about scrawny, winter-starved wolves prowling the edges of the encampment. Maybe if the guards did their jobs¡ª¡±

    Katja cut herself off as a commotion in the crowd pulled her attention off Mal.

    She fought to keep the grin off her face as she spotted a squad of armored men, all bearing the insignia of the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard, making their way through the encampment.

    The transition was the important point. The real problem with altruism, especially in a situation like this, was that it eased tension. Perhaps easing tensions would have been good under other circumstances, but not these ones. Katja had other goals, other designs and plans. She wasn¡¯t here to make people¡¯s lives easier.

    So what needed to happen?

    Well, everyone needed a little push now and again.

    Katja wasn¡¯t planning any little push, but a massive shove.

    The guard quickly surrounded the cart, shoving away hungry people. A young man at the lead of the group, not wearing any armor, raised a hand and pointed out Katja.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re about to find out what the guard wants with me,¡± Katja said, forcing a worried tremor into her voice.

    ¡°Edvin, you traitor¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± she hummed, looking at Mal.

    ¡°The man leading them. He was another refugee but¡­ I thought he was better than this.¡±

    Katja chomped down on the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

    ¡°They must have bought him off,¡± Mal finished.

    ¡°Just doing what comes naturally, I¡¯m sure,¡± Katja quipped as the guards and Edvin approached.

    ¡°Katja, Bandit Lord of Porcupine Hill,¡± the lead guard barked out, eliciting a few gasps from the people around.

    ¡°Formerly,¡± Katja said, straightening her back. ¡°The war gave me a new perspective. I decided to use my ill-gotten gains for the betterment of the people.¡±

    The lead guard didn¡¯t look like he cared. ¡°Submit to trial and summary execution¡ª¡±

    ¡°What if the trial finds me innocent?¡±

    The man sneered. ¡°It won¡¯t.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    One of the gathered crowd stepped forward, holding out a hand. ¡°Hey now, that¡¯s¡ª¡±

    The guard at the end of the group slammed a gauntleted fist into the man¡¯s stomach, sending him sprawling to the cold, muddy ground.

    Everything changed in that instant. Like an electric spark from one of Arkk¡¯s lightning bolts had jolted through the entire refugee camp. The guards drew their swords and readied their pikes. Edvin shied back, hiding behind the armored wall of the guards as the refugees began producing weapons of their own. Swords, spears, and even bows and arrows.

    A little altruism went a long way. It garnered goodwill and loyalty.

    Threaten to take away the source of food and supplies?

    Katja stepped forward, closer to the guards. ¡°Wait, please. I¡¯ll go peacefully. Don¡¯t hurt anyone else.¡±

    A long, tense moment passed while the lead guard pulled out a set of iron manacles.

    ¡°Katja,¡± Mal said, voice soft behind her back.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Katja said, shifting her shoulders in a way that disagreed with her statement. The guard clamping the manacles around her wrists with a resounding clank and the following jerk, practically throwing her off her feet, only reaffirmed her lie.

    The crowd started to close in on the soldiers, only to pause as Katja turned to address them.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t fight now,¡± she said. Her gaze passed Horrik¡¯s tall form.

    She gave him a small nod of her head. One he returned with a grim scowl.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare show your face here again, Edvin,¡± Mal said, anger plain in his tone.

    The cocky conman gave the refugee a jaunty wave as he jingled a bag full of coins. ¡°After tonight? Don¡¯t need to be here.¡±

    A hand on Katja¡¯s shoulder, shoving her forward, got her walking. The guards parted the incensed crowd with drawn weapons, dragging her straight through the encampment and to the main gates of Cliff City.

    Through the gates and halfway to the garrison, the guard led Katja off to a side alley. With a few rhythmic thumps of one of their fists against an old wooden door, the wooden slat shifted aside. A pair of eyes gleamed in the darkness, staring out, before the slat slammed shut and the door creaked open.

    ¡°Ugh. How do they move in this much metal,¡± one of her guards groaned as the door shut behind them.

    ¡°Who knew Kev had it in him to order around the boss,¡± another said with a laugh.

    Holding her hands over to Kev, he produced a key and unlocked the manacles around her wrists. ¡°Good work, everyone,¡± Katja said, looking around at the ¡®guards¡¯ as they removed their helmets.

    Her crew looked back at her, eager grins on their faces.

    ¡°Especially you, Edvin.¡±

    ¡°Praise?¡± He straightened his back. ¡°From Katja the Great?¡± he said with sarcasm in his tone.

    ¡°Of course. I always knew you were a traitorous slime. Good job revealing your true colors.¡±

    Edvin¡¯s back slumped as he put on a flat expression. ¡°Ha. Ha. Very¡ª¡±

    ¡°Put on those rags, everyone, and get back out there. Spread the word. Light a fire under their asses. Harry, Victor, go speak with the malcontents inside the city and stir them up as well.¡±

    The powder kegs were set. It was time to light the fuse.

    Everyone needed a little push every now and again.

    <hr>

    Walking Fortress Istanur had arrived.

    Arkk¡¯s powers as Keeper of the Heart worked in its vicinity, allowing him to rapidly teleport books, equipment, and everything else of value down to the lowest levels. A gaggle of lesser servants, supervised and assisted by some of his workers, carted crates of valuables over to Fortress Al-Mir. All of it had to go.

    ¡°Truth be told, I didn¡¯t believe I would ever see one of these again,¡± Vezta said, voice soft as she ran her fingers along the shadowy stone.

    ¡°A walking fortress or stones made from shadow?¡±

    Her lips quirked. ¡°Both, I suppose, though I was mostly referring to the fortress.¡±

    Arkk walked over, planting a hand on one wall. The shadowy stones felt¡­ odd. The entirety of the Underworld was uncomfortably hot but the stones were cool to the touch. Not quite cold, they weren¡¯t frosty or icy. It was like everywhere else in this world was constantly baking under the sun¡ªeven despite its perpetual cloudy skies¡ªbut this one fortress was made from normal shade.

    ¡°This [HEART] belongs to the Cloak of Shadows,¡± Vezta said, watching his movements. ¡°Each of the [PANTHEON] has their little quirks and oddities. Rather than the lesser servants siphoned from the fractured sky that you¡¯re familiar with, the servants maintaining this place would have been living beings made from pure darkness.¡±

    ¡°The lesser servants didn¡¯t have any troubles fixing this place up,¡± Arkk said. They had all died during the incident with Zullie¡¯s spell.

    ¡°There is some level of unification between all the [PANTHEON]¡¯s gifts,¡± Vezta said with a small nod of her head.

    ¡°Mine, as well as Fortress Al-Mir, come from Xel¡¯atriss, I presume?¡±

    Vezta nodded her head, bowing slightly. ¡°The Lock and Key is the only one of the [PANTHEON] capable of reaching through that fractured sky to reach the [STARS] where I, and the little ones, come from.¡±

    Arkk pursed his lips, pondering for a moment, before raising a hand. ¡°Slave Natum,¡± he intoned, calling forth one of the lesser servants.

    They were disgusting beings. Arkk hadn¡¯t watched the spell work before, not wanting to look at the creatures as they grew. Crawling masses, quivering and indistinct in form, didn¡¯t so much as manifest from nothing. The very fabric of reality wrapped around the point where it spawned, as if the world itself recoiled from its presence. A thin slice in the world opened, visible for a bare instant before the amorphous body squeezed through, adorned with grotesque appendages¡ªcountless eyes and mouths opening and closing at random.

    Arkk shuddered in a way that he hadn¡¯t since seeing his first lesser servant. Having long since gotten used to the creatures, he wasn¡¯t disturbed by its visage. It was what happened at the moment of its summoning that filled his mind with disquiet. For just a sliver of an instant, he glimpsed beyond the veil that had been cast over the world, keeping all ignorant of the ever-watching eyes of the [STARS].

    The hole in the world was gone by the time the servant finished forming. Or perhaps it closed on the creature, squeezing off just a small aspect of a much larger creature that lurked just beyond.

    His eyes drifted away from the newly spawned lesser servant to the face of Vezta. She stared at him, watching with a critical eye¡ªdozens of eyes, rather¡ªas he wondered if she was just a larger mass of some larger creature still hidden just on the other side of the world¡¯s veil.

    ¡°Something amiss, Master?¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. Horror from the Stars or not, Vezta was Vezta. Aside from Ilya, there was no one he trusted more among his crew. ¡°Just thinking about Zullie,¡± he said with a small sigh.

    The witch was up and about¡­ well¡­ mostly. She hadn¡¯t spoken a word. She woke, she ate, and she sat still in the corner of her room. None of Hale¡¯s attempts at regrowing her eyes had worked.

    And yet¡­

    When Arkk had last stopped by to visit the witch, she had looked directly at him. Even when he wasn¡¯t making noise or talking, she had stared.

    ¡°I saw the same thing she saw,¡± Arkk said. ¡°And everyone saw the sky during our ritual. So what happened?¡±

    ¡°As I have said before, I have no definite answer,¡± Vezta said, sounding genuinely apologetic. ¡°Either she was being punished for her hubris, you were protected by the [HEART] where she wasn¡¯t, or she caught a glimpse of something that you were unable to perceive. Or¡­ any other possibility. Truthfully, the actions of the [PANTHEON] are beyond the comprehension of beings such as you and I.¡±

    Arkk shook his head. With an unnecessary wave of his hand, the lesser servant vanished down to the base of the tower to join the others in removing the tower¡¯s contents. The job was almost finished. Close enough.

    He walked through the room, approaching the pedestal upon which Walking Fortress Istanur¡¯s [HEART] hovered. A shadowy orb that pulled in any light in the room yet, somehow, still allowed those within to see.

    ¡°Are we sure this is the wisest idea?¡±

    ¡°This fortress does us no good in the Underworld,¡± Vezta said. ¡°Even the Protectors have fled with the arrival of this tower. There is nothing to defend against. Its power would go to waste if you use it as a glorified carriage.¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­ I¡¯m mostly asking for reassurances that the whole tower isn¡¯t going to collapse right on top of the portal.¡±

    ¡°Ah. It shouldn¡¯t. Probably.¡± Hesitating, Vezta shifted her weight from foot to foot. ¡°I hope.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not very¡­¡± Arkk frowned, noting the cheeky smile on her face. ¡°A joke? From you?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been stressed lately. A little humor helps, I hear,¡± she said with a faint chuckle. ¡°If it truly worries you, move the tower further away. But I don¡¯t believe it will collapse.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, shook his head, took a breath, and went for it. He grasped the shadowy orb from its place above the pedestal and pulled it toward him.

    The tower didn¡¯t move but Arkk still stumbled and staggered. Vezta was at his side in an instant, holding him steady. ¡°Master?¡± she asked with concern in her voice.

    ¡°Fine. I just¡­ feel like someone stabbed my¡­ chopped off an arm.¡± Arkk shook his head. The world had shrunk down all of a sudden, leaving him unable to see the entirety of the tower or its contents. He could see his minions down on the ground below the tower, still carrying off the last of the equipment. None seemed to have noticed what he had done.

    Which was good. It meant the tower wasn¡¯t falling over.

    Feeling like he was about to throw up anyway, Arkk graciously accepted Vezta¡¯s assistance in guiding him down and out of the tower. The feeling faded by the time he reached the bottom and, once he passed through the portal and felt Fortress Al-Mir expand through his awareness, he was back to normal.

    Keeping hold of the Heart of Istanur, Arkk teleported both himself and Vezta to the exit of the false fortress. The one and only access point to the surface within the Cursed Forest.

    Ilya stood at the top, shooting a wary glance at the shadowy orb in his hands. Priscilla stood a few paces away, arms crossed and iced eyes glaring at nothing. Olatt¡¯an¡¯s eyes widened ever so slightly before he resumed a casual pose, leaning against the husk of an old tree. Around them, a gaggle of lesser servants stood at the ready.

    ¡°Is that it?¡± Ilya asked, taking a wary step back. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ smaller than I expected.¡±

    The older orc snorted at her comment. ¡°It isn¡¯t the size. It¡¯s what it can do.¡± He paused and turned a calculating eye to the orb. ¡°And I am hoping it does something impressive, Arkk.¡±

    Priscilla let out a small growl from the back of her throat. ¡°A walking fortress to crush your enemies is impressive enough.¡±

    Arkk just shook his head. Priscilla was at least partially right. With everything he had experienced in recent weeks, he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted something more impressive. A mobile tower was enough for him. ¡°Stand back, everyone,¡± he said as the lesser servants squirmed closer.

    Gold flooded from his treasury, draining it to a mere few scattered coins. This was by far the most expensive thing he had ever done. The mines would replenish it in time. As long as he avoided any large constructions in the near future. This should be worth its weight.

    ¡°We start with the chamber for the Heart,¡± Arkk said as the lesser servants approached the pile of gold. ¡°Then¡­ we¡¯ll see if we can get it walking.¡±

 Unrest Aftermath

    Duke Levi Woldair woke to a tolling of alarm.

    The sound of the warning bells in the manor was never supposed to ring through the city. For a long moment, he sat in bed, staring at the ceiling with no worries, feeling like he was listening to the chime of the Grand Old Church, which rang every morning with the rising sun. It was only the lack of melody to the frantic and panicked ringing that made him realize something was amiss.

    A jolt of adrenaline surged through his body as he jumped from his bed. Levi threw open the doors to his wardrobe and pulled out a simple robe and slippers. Not bothering with proper dress, he barged out into the hall outside his room just in time to barrel into the captain of his manor guard.

    ¡°Sir, there¡ª¡±

    ¡°What is it? Is it¡­ Evestani?¡± Levi said, whispering the word as he glanced around the hallway. Despite the Abbey of the Light¡¯s recommendations to ally with the foreign power, the alliance had him ill at ease.

    They had sent assassins after him at the start of this nightmare. The Abbey might claim that there were greater threats out there, ruinous magic that threatened the entire world. Levi didn¡¯t care about the entire world, just the possibility of blades in his back.

    He almost wished the Sultan had rejected his offer of an alliance if only so that he would know that they were still after him.

    But his guard captain was shaking his head. ¡°No Sir. At least, I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s a horde of refugees along with¡ª¡±

    ¡°Refu¡­ Refugees?¡± The panic and alarm that had woken Levi faded, irritation and annoyance replacing the feeling. He let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Just get rid of them? Why all the commotion?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t that easy, Sir. There are over a thousand of them, armed and even armored. The garrison can¡¯t handle them all and¡­ some of the residents of the city have joined the mob as well. Including some from among the guard. Things have already turned violent in some areas of the city.¡±

    ¡°Traitors.¡± Levi folded his robe around him and started walking through the manor. The guard captain followed behind him, continuing to inform him of the situation.

    ¡°Maybe so, but their presence and that of the city¡¯s residents has made the guard hesitant to fight back. It¡¯s like a wave has swept through the city and the longer it goes on, the larger the group of rioters becomes.¡±

    That gave Levi pause. He shifted, glancing behind him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Magical influence?¡± Such could be the product of either of his enemies. Evestani used their heretical golden magic to wage their war and, if the Abbey was correct, that abominable splitting of the sky had been the doing of Arkk. A man who, he now knew, had been interested in a certain mind mage that had been causing problems in the Duchy.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Levi scoffed, wondering why he bothered asking. Good help was hard to get these days. He knew without a doubt that Alya would have known everything there was to know about this incident. She would have likely known ahead of time and defused the situation before it got to this point. Or, at the very least, she would have handled it before it got to the point of waking him.

    ¡°They do have demands.¡±

    ¡°Of course they do,¡± Levi grumbled, ascending the tall tower¡¯s staircase. He needed to see what was going on himself. The eyes of his underlings couldn¡¯t be trusted.

    ¡°They demand the revocation of the alliance with Evestani and the release of some woman from the garrison.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Her name is Katja, supposedly, but there is no record of any prisoner by that name. Unfortunately, contact with the garrison has since been cut off because of the riot.¡±

    Levi crested the top of the manor¡¯s tall tower. A quartet of spellcasters were supposed to be present at all times, manning the manor¡¯s magical defenses. Only one was present. Slumped over with a dagger sticking out of his chest, he was in no position to maintain the magical wards.

    The guard captain moved immediately, calling out down the stairs for more guards.

    The sight made Levi recoil. No rabble could possibly have reached the tall tower, no matter how riotous they were. And¡­

    Now that he thought about it, had he seen any guards besides the captain?

    Mouth dry and cold air biting at his skin through his thin robe, Levi slowly turned around. There was no sign of any assailant but the view from the tall tower let him get a good look at the state of his city.

    In the early morning hours where the sun had yet to crest the top of Cliff¡¯s mountains, he normally wouldn¡¯t have been able to see much of anything. Today, however, little dancing flames bobbed back and forth with the masses surging through the city¡¯s streets. In the distance, the exterior of the garrison was burning. Most of the garrison was built into the cliffside but it had a large courtyard that stuck out into the city proper. A few other pockets of flame were burning at various points throughout the city.

    Much of the city was made from wood. The flames needed spellcasters to bring them under control as soon as possible or the entire city would burn down. Already, it looked like the mercenary quarter was being quenched but that wasn¡¯t enough.

    ¡°Tell them we¡¯ll free the woman and even pardon her for whatever crimes she committed,¡± Levi said without turning, his lips numb both from the cold and the threat at hand. He needed to de-escalate things as fast as possible. Regain control. ¡°Tell them whatever they want to get them to lay down their arms. Then round them up and¡ª¡±

    A coughing gurgle from behind him had Levi turning.

    The captain of the guard clutched at his neck, struggling for a moment before falling limp over the body of the spellcaster.

    A woman¡­ No, a gremlin with bright orange hair vaulted the side of the tall tower, landing just to the side of the two fallen bodies. She bent, wiping glistening red blood from the edge of her blade onto the spellcaster¡¯s tunic.

    Levi¡¯s eyes flicked from the short woman to the stairs back down. He lunged, all but diving toward the opening.

    The gremlin hopped over, planting herself firmly between him and the stairs. She pointed the tip of her blade directly toward his face. ¡°Ah-ah,¡± she mocked, ticking the end of the blade back and forth. ¡°You know, I thought I was going to have to find some hidden bunker or safe room. Even brought some alchemical explosives with me to blast my way in. Imagine my surprise when you come stumbling up here.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Levi said, backing toward the edge of the tall tower. He took a few steps around, moving closer to the fallen bodies. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    The gremlin remained in her spot, guarding the only exit to the tall tower. ¡°I¡¯m just your average seeker of fortune. No one important. And, obviously, I¡¯m earning a promised fortune.¡±

    ¡°I have a vast treasury. Gold coins, precious gems, rare metals,¡± Levi said, taking another step. ¡°I can pay you ten times whatever you¡¯ve been paid tonight. A hundred times, even.¡±

    ¡°True, very true. But, my dear Duke, what is stopping me from marching into your vast treasury and taking it all?¡±

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Levi grit his teeth. ¡°Take it. All of it,¡± he said, eyes flicking to the body of the guard captain. The man had drawn his sword before getting his throat cut. It was on the ground, half resting on the legs of the spellcaster. ¡°I can take you straight¡­¡±

    Flicking his eyes back to the gremlin, he found her gone. Eyes wide, he dove for the blade, grasping it by the hilt in both hands. Whipping around, he looked for any sign of the assassin. Untrained hands swung the sword back and forth, hoping to catch the gremlin off guard even as he backed up to the stairs.

    ¡°Help!¡± he called. ¡°Guards! Guard¡ª¡±

    Searing heat split his throat. He stumbled back, trying to swing the blade back and forth again. The gremlin jumped back, well clear of the sword. She looked entirely casual as if this were just another day even as she wiped the edge of her blade on the back of the guard captain.

    The sword slipped from Levi¡¯s weakening grip. He pressed his fingers to his throat, trying to staunch the blood. It leaked between his meaty fingers, flowing without end.

    ¡°You know, Arkk wished he could have been here for this. But he¡¯s too busy plotting the downfall of another nation to deal with this one.¡± She let out a long and disgusting chuckle.

    Levi felt lightheaded, woozy. He tried to speak but let out a sputtering cough as he stumbled back.

    ¡°Ah, but don¡¯t you worry about a thing,¡± she said, her tone almost reassuring. A smile spread across her face, revealing sharp, pointed teeth in her unpleasant grin. ¡°I¡¯ll find my way to your treasury just fine.¡±

    Levi tried to take another step back, only for his back foot to hit nothing but air.

    The darkness closed in, shrinking his vision as he fell through the air. Everything went black when the back of his head struck a step leading down from the tall tower.

    <hr>

    Master Inquisitor Darius Vrox heard the whispers in the halls of the Grand Old Church. Everyone, from the lowliest acolytes to Pontiff Bernardin himself, gathered at the south-facing windows of the church to watch the chaos in the city unfold. No one was quite sure what to do.

    A few of the priests and abbesses had been dispatched to help end the fires that were tearing through some districts of the city. That was only a symptom, however.

    The city guard didn¡¯t have enough stationed in the city to quell the riots. The garrison had been running under capacity with the vast majority of the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard being stationed out in the Duchy for the war. Even with the so-called alliance in effect, they had yet to be recalled. If the reports coming in were accurate, some of the guard had joined in with the rioters, further exacerbating the problem.

    ¡°¡­dispatch a purifier?¡±

    ¡°¡­make the problem worse.¡±

    ¡°When threatened with emeutes, drastic measures¡ª¡±

    ¡°The Inquisition of the Light is not meant for quelling mundane riots. The Church isn¡¯t threatened. None have tried crossing the bridge to the Church. There is no evidence of heretical magics at play,¡± Darius said, voice firm and admonishing toward the various whispers of concerned priests and abbesses. ¡°We won¡¯t expose undeserving people to the mercies of a purifier.¡±

    ¡°¡­lost his purifier.¡±

    ¡°Embarrassment.¡±

    ¡°This is a mundane issue,¡± Darius added. ¡°The city guards will handle it or they won¡¯t. The Abbey will continue in either case.¡±

    ¡°Will it?¡± Bishop Ocasek stepped forward, furrowing his thick eyebrows. ¡°Times are unusual. This disruption will undoubtedly affect our actions against the enemy. If we stand by and allow this city to fall into chaos and thus cannot act when it matters, are we not dooming ourselves and all our subjects?¡±

    ¡°We should be out there anyway,¡± Abbess Marra said, clutching her hands together at her chest as if in prayer. ¡°People are getting hurt. Dying. The few who are extinguishing fires aren¡¯t enough. It is our duty to help as many people as possible.¡±

    ¡°The Abbess is right,¡± one of the younger acolytes said as he put himself in the middle of the group. ¡°We¡¯re hiding behind our bridge and gates. That isn¡¯t right. Maybe we can¡¯t quell the riot entirely but we can at least go through the crowds and administer what little aid we can provide.¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t enough guards to keep everyone safe,¡± Bishop Ocasek said, shaking his head. ¡°I fear for the ones who volunteered to fight the fires. If the riots turn violent toward the Abbey, the few we sent with them won¡¯t hold the masses back on their own.¡± He turned, giving a pointed look to Master Inquisitor Joel Hachi.

    Hachi, along with Master Inquisitor Verimas Kael were the only two stationed at the Grand Old Church with purifiers in their retinue. Darius had lost Agnete to Arkk. A few were set to arrive in the coming weeks to help in a joint offense with Evestani against Arkk. There were others out in the Duchy, dealing with their tasks. Most hadn¡¯t contacted the Abbey in weeks if not longer.

    Casualties of the war, presumably.

    If they couldn¡¯t make contact now that Evestani was supposedly in alliance with the Duchy, they were likely dead.

    ¡°Inquisitor Vrox isn¡¯t incorrect,¡± Hachi said, shooting a dark look in Darius¡¯ direction. ¡°If the goal is to preserve lives and reduce chaos, unleashing a purifier into the city is counterproductive.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°If we act as regular guards, we can escort more healers around. Perhaps, with careful preaching rather than a show of force, we can help calm down some sections of the city. Anything beyond that is outside the scope of responsibilities for the Inquisition of the Light.¡±

    Darius opened his mouth to voice an argument.

    He found himself cut off by an unexpected voice, stepping forward from the shadows of the hall.

    ¡°All it takes is one idiot throwing one rock at a purifier to spark a massacre.¡±

    For a long moment, no one said a word. They simply stared at the woman who had emerged into their midst. Silver hair dribbled out from the hood of a black cloak. A scarred face peered out with hard red eyes.

    ¡°Astra?¡± Kael said, sounding surprised.

    He wasn¡¯t the only one.

    ¡°Master Inquisitrix Sylvara Astra?¡±

    With her hands covered in thick leather gloves, Astra gripped the sides of her hood and lowered it slowly. She looked over the group, scowl clear on display. ¡°What a mess.¡±

    ¡°Where¡­ You¡¯re alive.¡±

    ¡°Obviously.¡±

    ¡°Chronicler Qwol made it back, injured to hell and back. He claimed you had perished.¡±

    ¡°Chronicler Qwol and I were separated following the fall of Elmshadow Burg. I was pursued by a golden-eyed abomination of Evestani¡¯s Golden Order. It isn¡¯t surprising he thought I wouldn¡¯t make it out alive.¡± Her hard lips twisted into a grimaced grin. ¡°Lucky, I¡¯m hardier than I look.

    ¡°Unluckily, I return to find the city like this? An alliance with Evestani? What a sad joke.¡±

    ¡°A lot has changed in your absence,¡± Bishop Ocasek said. ¡°Surely you saw the fissure in the sky?¡±

    ¡°Bah. I¡¯m in no mood for excuses,¡± she spat. Her red eyes swept over the room, pausing on Darius for a moment longer than any other, before she finally let out a long sigh. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a nap and then I¡¯m going to start on my report. Maybe it will convince the Abbey to part with this self-destructive alliance before it kills us all.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re taking a nap,¡± an acolyte said. ¡°At a time like this?¡±

    ¡°Oh, would you prefer if I stand around at the window with the rest of you all? Useless,¡± she said with a shake of her head. ¡°A waste of time. I am hurt. I am tired. And standing around helps nobody.¡±

    Astra didn¡¯t give anyone a chance to argue with her further. She turned and, with a slight limp in her gait, walked back down the hall.

    Darius looked around the group for a long moment before walking after her. ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± he said. ¡°As long as I¡¯m awake, I¡¯ve got work to do.¡±

    He left the others behind. Perhaps the inquisitors would decide to send out their purifiers. Perhaps the healers would head out themselves, guarded or not. They could do as they will. It wasn¡¯t like his input would be taken with any amount of gravity.

    Contrary to his words, however, he didn¡¯t head back to his office.

    The Inquisition of the Light had a small section of the church set aside for their use. It contained sparse sleeping quarters and offices. There wasn¡¯t much room there. Normally, there wouldn¡¯t be this many inquisitors stationed in the church at once. With all the inquisitors, chroniclers, and purifiers, they had spread out, taking over a few of the neighboring rooms and even a few storage areas.

    Astra headed for the inquisitor¡¯s quarters but, rather than head in, she stopped outside and waited. When Darius reached the door, she looked over at him. ¡°Something to say, Inquisitor?¡±

    Darius looked up and down the hall. With all the commotion going on this evening, it was deserted. Nevertheless, he waved Astra over across the hall to his office. Holding the door open for her, he stepped inside and closed it behind them. Only then did he speak.

    ¡°Suspicious that you return tonight of all nights.¡±

    ¡°Make your accusations if you must,¡± Astra said with a sigh. ¡°Or, better yet, submit them to our superiors in writing. I don¡¯t need to hear them.¡±

    Darius moved around her, taking a seat behind his desk. His fingers found the end of his cane. He didn¡¯t use it for such short walks through the church. ¡°You¡¯re against the alliance?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the rest of you inquisitors have been up to in my absence. I was in the thick of it. Fought against Evestani and their golden abomination. I¡¯ve seen things out there. Things I cannot abide.¡±

    ¡°Personally? Or as an Inquisitor of the Light?¡±

    ¡°Both.¡±

    Darius leaned back, clasping his hands together. ¡°Your plan?¡±

    ¡°Why do you¡­¡± Astra trailed off, closing her eyes. ¡°Ah. Arkk. I met him, you know? Not sure what to think of him. Heretical, for sure.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I have my own interests and they don¡¯t necessarily align with the official stance,¡± Darius said, avoiding her comment. ¡°And if you don¡¯t align with that either, perhaps we can offer each other some mutual¡­ advice.¡±

    Astra eyed Darius for a long moment, simply staring. Her red eyes drilled into him, unblinking and unwavering. ¡°I intend to go visit the inquisitorial researchers, find out if they have any countermeasures for the Golden Order, then come back here and finish what I started. Whether or not I get support along the way is irrelevant.¡±

    ¡°If they don¡¯t have anything?¡±

    ¡°Figure out why not, impress upon them the necessity of coming up with countermeasures, and make my own. In descending order.¡±

    ¡°In that case,¡± Darius said, leaning forward once more. ¡°I think we can work together.¡±

 Under New Management

    Arkk strode through the halls of the former Duke¡¯s manor. Everywhere he stepped, it looked like a war had been fought. Blood stained the floor, discarded weapons and armor sat in corners of rooms, and every now and again, he passed by a body that had yet to be dragged out with the others.

    All in all, a war hadn¡¯t been fought. Most of the casualties of the operation were confined to the manor since it had been staffed with those most loyal to the Duke. Between some carefully targeted personnel at the garrison and the average soldier being less-than-willing to attack the citizens of the Duchy that they were meant to protect, and the general discontent with the Duke following what was seen as a surrender to Evestani among the army, the coup had come off with surprisingly little bloodshed.

    ¡°The Abbey of the Light is cowering within their church,¡± Lexa said, walking alongside him as she gave him a report on all the important bits of the coup. ¡°A few low-ranked people came out to heal and extinguish fires but all the leadership and inquisitors are hiding away.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t sure what to do about them. The Abbey was, effectively, his enemy. It was they who convinced the Duke to ally with Evestani against him.

    ¡°From asking around,¡± Lexa continued, ¡°subtly, of course. The public views them in a positive light. They came out to help the people, as little as they did, and that¡¯s made them an ally of this coup.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunate,¡± Arkk said. He would have loved to have an excuse to get rid of them. He doubted Katja wanted to keep them around either. Then again, perhaps it was better to keep them around where he could see them.

    Astra was ostensibly helping keep an eye on them, but she wouldn¡¯t be around for long. The crux of her agreement to help him hinged on him keeping his focus on the Golden Order. That golden-eyed avatar possessing children to use in his army had personally upset Astra to the point where she was willing to set aside just about everything else to take him down.

    Even if it meant working with a heretic.

    She was to feel out a few of the other prominent members of the Abbey to see if anyone else was of similar thought. Then she was going to travel to Chernlock.

    And wasn¡¯t that a whole other issue.

    The situation was complicated beyond Arkk¡¯s understanding. In part because he didn¡¯t have all of the facts but also because matters of kings and nations weren¡¯t something farmboys like him were typically educated in. Even all the books he had read in his youth hadn¡¯t touched on matters of succession or coups.

    The Duke had initially requested help from Chernlock in repelling the Evestani invaders. The King had mustered his army and sent them north to the Duchy, only for the alliance with Evestani to be announced. Per Hawkwood¡¯s reports, the King¡¯s army had been stopped at the border and denied entry with the Duke¡¯s guard claiming they had everything under control and no longer needed reinforcements.

    But the pressure for the alliance came from the Abbey, which was headquartered down in Chernlock in the same city where the King resided. Wouldn¡¯t the army have just supported the Duke and Evestani against Fortress Al-Mir?

    There was miscommunication somewhere. Or disagreements. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure which.

    With Katja taking over here and having access to the Duke¡¯s notes and whatever advisors hadn¡¯t fled in the night, he hoped he would get a better grasp on the situation soon. For now¡­

    ¡°Where is Katja anyway?¡± Arkk asked. ¡°I expected her to meet with me.¡±

    ¡°Offering a performative speech to those who ¡®rescued¡¯ her from the garrison,¡± Lexa said, complete with wiggling her fingers around the word. ¡°She earned goodwill and loyalty through ensuring people¡¯s needs were met. Can¡¯t just go lock herself in the manor and become a despot overnight, can she?¡±

    ¡°I would prefer if she didn¡¯t become a despot at all.¡±

    Arkk was fully prepared to use the resources and magic of Fortress Al-Mir to prop her up. But there was much unknown about this situation as well.

    The current goal was to consolidate. Give anyone who wouldn¡¯t support Katja the boot while installing her men throughout positions of power. The King probably wouldn¡¯t take kindly to her coup no matter the situation around it but if they painted the Duke as a traitor to the crown and managed to get the support of most of the population, having her beheaded would hopefully be a little more troublesome. Especially if the King thought the Duchy as a whole would immediately revolt.

    Of course, if the King and the rest of the Kingdom were in full alliance with Evestani, no amount of sugared words or guile would spare them.

    Lexa led him up through the manor and to a large room with wide-open glass windows looking out onto a grand balcony.

    Katja stood outside, dressed in plain clothes with very little styling to her hair. The hulking form of Horrik stood at her back with his arms crossed over his chest.

    Pausing well away from the windows¡ªnobody was supposed to know of his presence here as he would prefer if any link between him and Katja were kept silent¡ªArkk watched and waited, listening to Katja¡¯s speech while she spread her arms in grand gesticulation.

    ¡°I stand before you today as a liberator. The tides of change have swept through our lands and now a new dawn has risen. Let us cast aside the shackles of our past and embrace this new dawn for what it can be.

    ¡°I understand many might be apprehensive, having witnessed the swift downfall of the former Duke. Our illustrious Duke once resided here, throwing lavish parties, surrounded by opulence. But if you look and ask yourself what he offered you in exchange for his relaxed life, you¡¯ll find nothing more than empty promises and broken trust, heavy taxes, and a blind eye to the people of the land in favor of those with wealth and power that he could use.

    ¡°Promises, trust, and the will of the people will have to be something worked on over time. However, I can speak on the topic of taxes today to give you something to look forward to. Effective immediately, taxes will be reduced to a mere ten percent for the next five years. The people have suffered enough with the war and the displacement it has caused. I will take no more than it requires to maintain a strong army.

    ¡°My methods may seem unorthodox and strange. Desperate times call for bold action. I will craft this realm into a society that can thrive. The invaders will be expunged. There will be food and shelter aplenty. In the months to come, you will witness¡ªNo, you will be the transformation of this land into one of prosperity.

    ¡°Together, we shall build a community of unprecedented change. May fortune favor us on this journey toward a brighter future.¡±

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    Katja remained at the window for a short time longer, making sure she was seen by all the crowd who had gathered. Eventually, with parting waves, she retreated back into the manor. Horrik followed, closing the glass doors behind them.

    ¡°Nice speech,¡± Arkk said. He nodded toward the window. ¡°How much of that did you mean?¡±

    The bandit lord shrugged her shoulders, cracking her neck back and forth. ¡°Let me put it this way: I¡¯ve already been reaching out to all the wealthy merchants and nobles, assuring them that their lavish lives won¡¯t need to change in the slightest.

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t give me that look,¡± Katja said, fingers finding her elbows as she crossed her arms and leaned against the desk. ¡°As the Bandit Lord of Porcupine Hill, I learned well how things work. Especially once I started bringing Moonshine Burg around to my way of thinking. Every ruling structure has its key figures. The ones who can get things done. Some might be merchants with able laborers, some might know the secrets of the state, and others will simply be those whom others use as examples for direction and inspiration. The mass of people doesn¡¯t matter half as much as keeping those key people happy. Offer the masses some useless platitudes to keep them quiet while we focus on those who can actually help.¡±

    Arkk let out a small sigh, wondering if this hadn¡¯t been a foolish decision. He could have had Ilya or even Alya take Katja¡¯s place in this coup. Much as he was upset with the elder elf, at least she wasn¡¯t¡­ a bandit.

    But Katja had the people and, as she said, the experience. And it got her out of Fortress Al-Mir, which was another positive of the situation.

    If worse came to worst, he could always remove her. Probably a whole lot easier than they had gotten rid of the Duke.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much. Unless I turn actively malicious, I doubt I can possibly be worse than our dear, departed Duke.¡±

    ¡°You have a point there,¡± Arkk admitted. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but notice a lack of cheering or excitement outside the window. You got a rise when you mentioned taxes but not much else.¡±

    Katja scoffed. She looked back to Horrik with a raised eyebrow before shaking her head. ¡°There were supposed to be some of my men in the crowd, ready to rouse the rabbles at the right moments. I think most were too drunk to show up. As for the rest of the people¡­¡± She trailed off with a small laugh. ¡°I doubt half of them knew they were participating in a coup. They thought they were freeing poor Katja from the garrison prison. Waking up to find the Duke is dead and someone new is standing in his place is probably a shock to most.¡±

    ¡°Is that going to be a problem?¡±

    ¡°Hardly. I¡¯ll make sure I make a few visits around the refugee camps and elsewhere in the city, delivering supplies just like normal.¡± She shifted off the desk, sauntering through the room while miming handing out a blanket. ¡°¡®What am I doing here? Oh silly me. I could have other people delivering supplies these days. I didn¡¯t want this position, you know. I just want to see joy on people¡¯s faces.¡¯ They¡¯ll eat it up,¡± she said, dropping the act. ¡°Word will spread and people will be content.

    ¡°There are two real problems. Evestani and Chernlock.¡±

    ¡°Unless the latter starts a war, I¡¯ll leave them to you,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Try to appease them? Cooperate or whatever it takes. We don¡¯t need another faction in this war. As for Evestani¡­ I acquired a magical artifact while you¡¯ve been gone. I need men, however. Spellcasters especially.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know that my men will be all too enthused with that idea after what happened last time.¡±

    ¡°Look. That guy had very clear instructions to not move and he did the one thing he wasn¡¯t supposed to do. I¡¯m not sure what else¡­¡± Arkk stopped, shaking his head back and forth. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ve already reached out to Hawkwood and he¡¯s willing to lend his support but he doesn¡¯t have many quality casters in White Company. The Duke¡¯s guard, on the other hand, does. As does the academy here, if all the casters haven¡¯t been drafted into the guard.¡±

    ¡°Ah. That might be a problem,¡± Katja said with a put-upon sigh. ¡°I¡¯m not a miracle worker. While, thanks to some key¡­ adjustments of the personnel in charge, the local garrison is willing to work with me, the armies afar likely don¡¯t even know that the Duke is dead. Convincing them to follow my lead isn¡¯t going to be something that happens overnight. If at all. And they¡¯re the ones with the spellcasters.

    ¡°All I can guarantee is that anyone who doesn¡¯t fall in line will not receive any support from Cliff,¡± Katja said as a grin spread across her face. ¡°The supply lines are effectively cut off unless they bow to me. I imagine most will want to eat. What¡¯s exchanging one leader they¡¯ve never met for another? Those who do not bow¡­ might be open to alternate sources of employment.¡±

    ¡°More deserters with Company Al-Mir,¡± Arkk said, understanding her euphemisms. ¡°I can work with that.¡±

    ¡°Shortly, I¡¯ll be sending out a flock of Swiftwing harpies to inform the various divisions of the Grand Guard of the change in circumstances.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be able to direct them as normal using the Duke¡¯s signet ring to stamp the messages?¡±

    Katja dipped her head. ¡°I considered that. I decided honesty was the best way to prevent an uprising when they find out they¡¯ve been deceived. Unless you have a better plan for the guard that needs immediate action?¡±

    Arkk considered for a long few moments. Between Hawkwood¡¯s men, the deserters he had already gathered up, and the armies of the Duke, there was a lot he thought he could get done with regard to Evestani. The Walking Fortress, currently under construction, would only add to that once it finished. The Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar was a problem but, presumably, couldn¡¯t be everywhere at once or use his abilities with any resounding frequency.

    There were short-term benefits to be gained from usurping control of everything as soon as possible.

    Long term, they had to stop and think. Katja was right about the armies likely turning on her if they found out they had been following an impostor. It was hard to see right now but there was presumably life after war that needed to be taken into consideration.

    Then again, the last war with Evestani had lasted for over a decade, waxing and waning at times but never quite ending. Arkk had this image in mind that the war would end if he just defeated the golden avatar and forced the armies out of the Duchy but¡­

    How realistic was that vision? Even without the avatar, the war had started. Land had been taken. People had died. Those who lived wanted revenge. Even on Evestani¡¯s side, they would see the deaths of their comrades and use those as motivation, making them martyrs of the Golden Order.

    Perhaps planting the Walking Fortress in whatever was left of Moonshine Burg would cut off the two nations effectively enough to force a cessation of combat. Even then¡­

    There was too much uncertainty in the future.

    Did that warrant the safe approach that Katja was advocating for? Or a more aggressive approach?

    There was also the King to consider. Deposing the Duke was damning enough. Falsifying documents and usurping the armies when control should rightfully revert to the King wouldn¡¯t help matters.

    Arkk didn¡¯t know the first thing about the King. His name was Abe Lafoar. He ruled from the Bastion City, a star-shaped fortification nestled between three lakes, all of which sat in the middle of a desert. Everything beyond that was a mystery to Arkk. Most villagers of the Duchy probably knew of the Duke, if only tangentially, and likely knew of the King. But where they paid taxes to the Duke, the King was so distant and immaterial to their daily lives that there was just no need to know anything about him.

    That needed to change.

    A knock at the door broke Arkk out of his thoughts. He turned to find one of Katja¡¯s men standing at the door he and Lexa had left open. As with most of Katja¡¯s men, Arkk hadn¡¯t committed the man¡¯s name to memory, unfortunately. He was still a little put-off about going from knowing the names of every single member of Company Al-Mir to knowing a mere fraction of them.

    ¡°Sorry to bother you, Kat, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Lady Katja, please,¡± Katja said. ¡°We must maintain appearances.¡±

    ¡°Lady Katja,¡± the bandit repeated in a slightly sarcastic tone. ¡°Some bishop from the Abbey is here.¡±

    ¡°A bishop? What does he want?¡±

    ¡°To talk?¡± the bandit said with a shrug. ¡°He has a guard with him. One of those inquisitorial types. No sign of their purifiers though.¡±

    Katja let out a long hum. ¡°I suppose that is a good sign.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be seen here,¡± Arkk said. They wanted to maintain the fiction that this little uprising had nothing to do with him. To do that, he would have to limit his interactions with Katja. But, while he was here, he paused and looked at the woman with the striped tattoos. ¡°I¡¯m not going to order you around or tell you what to do. Send the Swiftwings to inform the army if you wish.¡±

    Katja smiled and dipped her head. ¡°I appreciate that. I¡¯ll send one of the Swiftwings with you as well. I know you¡¯ve been wanting a harpy in your employ and it will be good for letting you know when I need fresh supplies.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure how much he needed a harpy now that Priscilla was at Fortress Al-Mir. Someone who could actually see what they were scouting would be nice but the fairy backpack had worked well enough.

    Still, he didn¡¯t argue. He accepted the gesture with gracious thanks.

    As Katja had said earlier, there were certain key people needed to keep things running. It was important to keep those people happy and content.

    Katja just happened to be one of his key people now.

 Walking Fortress Al-Lavik

    The Walking Fortress in Allworld was almost complete.

    It wasn¡¯t as tall as the Walking Fortress over in the Underworld, nor was it as bulky. That wasn¡¯t to say that it was small. The base of the tower occupied an area as large as the Stone Hearth Burg garrison. And it just went up from there.

    Following his directions, the lesser servants had constructed a simple series of circular rooms, all stacked on top of each other. Living quarters and ancillary rooms, for the most part. It fit the definition of a tower far better than the structure in the Underworld did. There were a few small platforms that jutted out. Arkk planned to equip them with siege equipment. Catapults, mostly.

    He hoped to get enough spellcasters to man siege ritual circles¡ªcombined with charged glowstones from the Underworld¡ªbut having manual, mundane backups seemed wise to him.

    With a sigh, Arkk turned away from the shadowy tower and looked over the landscape. Winter was almost at an end. Already, the temperature was heating up. It didn¡¯t snow much in the Cursed Forest, fitting with its cursed nature, but even outside, the snow had melted off. Villages were prepping the land for spring crops, travel was becoming more possible for the layperson and refugee alike, and reinforcements from Evestani were storming across the Duchy, headed for Elmshadow.

    It was somewhat upsetting that only now did he have this Walking Fortress. Perhaps it wouldn¡¯t mean much against Evestani, who traversed the winter with their golden magic as if it didn¡¯t exist, but mobile housing for an entire army sounded like the perfect way to move through the cold. It was still a mobile fortification that afforded him all the powers he had in Fortress Al-Mir while on the move. The magically reinforced stone, which turned somewhat shadowy after being constructed thanks to the [HEART] of the tower, should be able to shrug off most siege attacks without even needing additional magical barriers.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if it would shrug off the golden rays that the avatar could fire. Unfortunately, he wouldn¡¯t be sure until one of those rays hit the tower.

    ¡°And¡­ you say this building will¡­ move.¡±

    ¡°Walk, yes,¡± Arkk said, motioning toward the thick legs that stuck out around the base of the tower. With the bulk of the tower resting on the ground, the bend in the legs reached up to the fifth floor. A little under a quarter of the way up the tower.

    Hawkwood ran a gloved hand through thinning gray hair. His hair hadn¡¯t been quite so thin or quite so gray at the start of Winter. Nor had his face sported the deep lines of stress and the sunken look around his eyes. Nor had his hand been so stiff and¡­ injured. Arkk had hoped to relieve some of the pressure from the man¡¯s back¡ªalong with an introduction to Hale and her expertise with the Flesh Weaving spell¡ªbut seeing the way Hawkwood was looking at the tower, Arkk wondered if he had only added more stress into the man¡¯s life.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be fast,¡± Arkk said, wondering if that was a reassuring statement. ¡°But when each step carries it across the length of a cornfield, it can make good time.¡±

    ¡°How¡­ Just how?¡±

    ¡°Magic,¡± Arkk said with a shrug.

    Hawkwood let out a withering laugh. ¡°Magic, he says. I¡¯m no arcanist nor am I a theologian, but I¡¯ve never heard of magic like this before.¡±

    Rather than give a straighter answer, Arkk gestured around the building. ¡°The walls are magically reinforced and it should even be able to grow its own food, enough to support at least three thousand. Filling it to that capacity will be¡­ cramped, but it is possible. I can enlarge it later as well. Those same skull defenses that we used at Elmshadow will be around each leg, which should prevent anyone we don¡¯t want from even getting near the thing let alone assailing it¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± Hawkwood ran his hand through his hair again. Then settled on tugging at his beard. ¡°When you said you had something to help turn the tides, I¡­ I don¡¯t know what I expected. Not this.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it isn¡¯t the only thing.¡±

    ¡°Dear Light. There¡¯s more?¡±

    ¡°Not like this,¡± Arkk said with a small chuckle. ¡°We¡¯ve been working on ways of casting large-scale rituals without ritualists. My spellcasters have uncovered a trove of old magic which, while most of it isn¡¯t as practical as I would have liked, still has enough to cause a few surprises in any conflict. I¡¯ve been collecting as many groups of deserters from the Grand Guard as possible. And¡­ Well, you remember that dragonoid that Inquisitrix Astra was after?¡±

    Hawkwood closed his eyes. ¡°I can guess what you¡¯re going to say but I¡¯m still not quite ready for it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s working for me now.¡±

    ¡°Light. The gorgon, I could understand. Offer them food and safety. They¡¯re pretty simple. But a dragonoid? I didn¡¯t know they ever talked with people long enough to be offered food. How did you manage that?¡±

    ¡°Funny story,¡± Arkk said. It was his turn to sheepishly rub the back of his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it at the time but she was coming here to help me out in the first place. It has to do with all the magic I¡¯ve been learning.¡±

    Hawkwood shook his head from side to side, clearly trying to shake off his exasperation. ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way. I can see why so many people are¡­ nervous about you.¡±

    ¡°That is a way to put it.¡±

    ¡°Who would have thought that a farmboy, in over his head with a handful of orcs begrudgingly working for him would turn out like this.¡±

    ¡°Not me, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Arkk said, then leaned in conspiratorially despite the lack of any eavesdroppers in the area. ¡°If I¡¯m being honest, I still feel in over my head about as much as I did that day you found me in Cliff.¡±

    ¡°Cliff¡­¡± Hawkwood¡¯s bewildered expression turned sour. ¡°Have you heard the news?¡±

    Arkk nodded slowly. There was only one bit of news out of Cliff that anyone would be talking about for a while. ¡°The Duke is dead. Not sure how I feel about that,¡± he said, honestly. ¡°On one hand, maybe the Duchy won¡¯t be after my head anymore. On the other hand, the Duke¡¯s replacement offered amnesty to anyone who deserted the army due to disagreements with the Duke¡¯s choice of friends.

    ¡°More than a handful of those deserters I mentioned hiring have¡­ expressed interest in returning to the Grand Guard. I¡¯m not going to try to stop them but it is a bit irritating.¡±

    ¡°Bah. The ones who aren¡¯t returning are likely the wiser of the group. Nobody takes kindly to deserters, good reason or not, amnesty or not. I¡¯m not all that thrilled to hear that you¡¯ve hired them.¡±

    Arkk shrugged. ¡°I needed men.¡±

    ¡°There are men and then there are men,¡± Hawkwood said.

    ¡°Question, though, since I¡¯m fairly ignorant of larger political matters. Can this replacement of the Duke offer amnesty?¡±

    ¡°She has no legitimacy. People listened to and respected the Duke because the King gave him the title. That gave him the authority and command of armies needed to enforce that respect. This so-called Lady Katja has no such authority. As far as I can tell from Neil¡¯s reports, she has managed to gather a sizable foundation of support within Cliff, but that support doesn¡¯t extend much beyond the walls of the city.

    ¡°Until and unless the King grants her a title¡ªwhich isn¡¯t likely as I doubt the King will be all that enamored with those who kill his noblemen, regardless of their reasons¡ªshe won¡¯t have any true authority.¡±

    Arkk opened his mouth, only to have his comment stalled by a raised hand from Hawkwood.

    ¡°However,¡± Hawkwood continued. ¡°The situation in the Duchy is¡­ chaotic. Some, like those you mentioned under your command, will be interested in working for this Lady Katja solely because she offers them the ability to continue living in their home. Others will still see the threat of Evestani and join together for a better chance at fending them off. Villagers and those outside the military will likely be pleased with the change in leadership once they hear of the cut to taxes.

    ¡°How the situation plays out will likely revolve around how the regiments of the Grand Guard at the southern border react to the news. They could easily step back and allow the King¡¯s army entry to the Duchy or they could maintain their postings for the usurper. If Lady Katja is wise, she will be doing everything in her power to convince the border regiments to come to her, further stalling the King¡¯s army while she consolidates power.

    ¡°Ultimately, the King will likely send word to the army to force their way in. Maybe this Lady Katja will have used that stalling time to muster the resources necessary to fend him off. Maybe they roll through faster than Evestani and take her head.¡± Hawkwood let out a long sigh, casting his gaze back upon the tall tower. ¡°Your presence, especially once this Walking Fortress manages to take its first step, throws an awful kink in the rope as well. I can¡¯t even begin to predict how anyone will react to it.¡±

    Arkk took in his words for a long moment, simply staring up at the tower as he did so. ¡°Well, I can tell you how I¡¯ll react. I¡¯m very much interested in not being tried for treason or heresy or anything else that would result in¡­ an unpleasant outcome.¡±

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Hawkwood nodded his head. ¡°If Lady Katja is at all intelligent, she will be making overtures to get you on her side as soon as you unveil this tower. This is¡­ I mean, an army spotting this approach over the horizon is going to lose all its morale even if it doesn¡¯t do anything. It represents a power that will frighten many.¡±

    Hawkwood paused a moment as a conflicted look crossed his face. Like he had something more to say but wasn¡¯t sure if he should say it. Eventually, he decided to speak. ¡°There is one other thing. I have received a letter via Swiftwing that asks, if I am still loyal to the Kingdom, to meet with Prince Cedric on the Vaales border of the Duchy. The King is sending his son to¡­ investigate matters.¡±

    Blinking twice, Arkk tried to think. He really did. While Duke Woldair was a known name even in small villages like Langleey and he had heard the King¡¯s name in passing, Arkk wasn¡¯t sure that he could name a single prince. Or princess, for that matter. Did the King have daughters? He didn¡¯t know.

    There was the Principality of Vaales to the east of the Duchy and the Principality of Lockloch to the southeast. Presumably, both were run by a prince. Which ones or what their names were just wasn¡¯t something that most villagers in the Duchy cared about.

    ¡°Is that¡­ bad?¡±

    ¡°The Prince shut down a rebellion in Vaales, orchestrated by the local count of the land, through overwhelming force. I don¡¯t know much about it other than it happened, nor what his exact plans are in coming here, but¡­¡± Hawkwood drew in a deep breath. ¡°No matter what, we¡¯re all going to have some heavy choices ahead of us. This isn¡¯t for a few weeks, however, so we have some breathing room to think.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t move outwardly. Inwardly, he wondered exactly what kind of choices Hawkwood intended to make. There was something in Hawkwood¡¯s tone. In his words. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure that he would like the answer if he asked where Hawkwood stood on matters.

    ¡°For now,¡± Arkk said, ¡°until we reach the point of those choices, I could use a drink. And you haven¡¯t even seen the fortress proper yet.¡±

    Hawkwood immediately cast his gaze around, looking confused.

    He had arrived in Smilesville Burg to the north of the cursed forest earlier in the day along with a small retinue. Most of whom were still back at the burg. Arkk joined them there before riding in along with Hawkwood and two of his direct adjutants. They were waiting some distance back, Hawkwood having been the only one to approach the tower.

    ¡°Not here,¡± Arkk said with a small laugh. ¡°We¡¯ll be using teleportation circles to reach it. Your men are welcome to join or to rest in the tower. Though the tower is somewhat¡­ lacking in amenities, the crew I have stationed here will be happy to accommodate guests.¡±

    ¡°Arkk,¡± Hawkwood said, tone flat. ¡°We¡¯ve been camping through the winter in tents and sleeping on hard ground in our armor most nights. I¡¯m sure whatever you¡¯ve got will be a luxury.¡±

    Arkk blinked, feeling foolish all of a sudden. Although he had helped out at various points during the war, he hadn¡¯t been on the campaign trail. He hadn¡¯t roughed it out in the wilderness with nothing but watery stew and hardtack rations.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Hawkwood just shook his head, clapping a hand on Arkk¡¯s shoulder before heading back to talk with his adjutants. Arkk, deciding to follow his lead, pulled Dakka straight to the entrance of the Walking Fortress. The land on the surface was still unclaimed, meaning he couldn¡¯t drop her off directly in front of him. Even if he could, it was probably best not to startle the newcomers too much by having her appear right in their midst.

    As Dakka hurried over from the tower, Arkk looked around. If a war was to be fought here, claiming the territory so that he might use it to instantly move himself and his forces around the battlefield would be an undeniable advantage. It would be obvious, however, turning most of the land into glowstone-encrusted tiles. He could build on top of that to disguise it, but whatever he built probably wouldn¡¯t be enough to hide the complete transformation of the Cursed Forest.

    Then again, he was fairly certain that anyone who cared already knew where he was positioned. Perhaps his fiction that Fortress Al-Mir had moved following the inquisitor¡¯s invasion had worked for a time but he doubted it did now.

    He would give the order later for the lesser servants to begin claiming the land.

    After giving directions for Dakka to show their guests around the tower, Arkk and Hawkwood descended into the false fortress and made their way toward the ritual circle room at the back. Normally, none of the eight ritual circles went anywhere important. They were intended to be decoys. But today, Arkk had altered one to take them into the fortress proper.

    What followed was a fairly standard tour of the fortress. Fortress Al-Mir had become unwieldy large and sprawling in the time since the war had begun. Mostly to make room for all the refugees and the necessary food supply for them, but also because Arkk felt it would be wise to have as much of the Cursed Forest¡¯s underground as possible under his control.

    He didn¡¯t bother touring most of those areas, just touching on them in passing as they moved around the more important locales in the fortress. The canteens, the library, the training rooms, the forge, the alchemy lab, and so on and so forth¡­ Arkk skipped over the portal room and the prison, feeling no desire to further shock the poor man with the former or to explain what the unmoving carcass of the Protector was in the latter.

    Arkk ended the tour in Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s larger meeting room. The one with a detailed map of the entire duchy hanging across one entire wall. It had been updated recently by a particularly artistic refugee working in conjunction with the scrying team to get what Arkk believed to be the most accurate map of the land that existed.

    It was covered in dozens of little metal pins that had been dipped in a variety of colored paint to denote various points of interest, enemy force concentrations, logistical routes, and anything else that might come in handy for this war. Hawkwood spent several minutes just staring at it and then several minutes more asking about each of the pins. He pointed out a few notes of his own, items he knew about that Arkk was missing.

    Arkk made notes to confirm that the information was still accurate. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust Hawkwood, it was just that the war had effectively been on hold for a little over a month now.

    ¡°I must say,¡± Hawkwood said, swirling a small glass of ruby-colored alcohol. ¡°This is all¡­ impressive. Hard to believe if I wasn¡¯t seeing it for myself.¡±

    ¡°When you have a crystal ball capable of scrying, gathering information is surprisingly simple. There are some holes¡ªEvestani likes to obscure what they¡¯re doing with a sort of fog.¡±

    ¡°I meant everything,¡± Hawkwood said, waving his glass around. ¡°The crowded halls and training rooms, the manufacture of armor and weapons, the magical research. I lost count of the number of soldiers you have. Beastmen, demihuman, and humans mixing together, working together. Gorgon of all things. No, dragonoids of all things¡­¡±

    ¡°Just the one.¡± Arkk hadn¡¯t seen Priscilla on the tour. Although she was working with him, she didn¡¯t exactly get along with many of the others at the fortress. Mostly just the fairies, who Arkk presumed to spark some note of kinship in her given their loss of magic in the Calamity.

    ¡°The rate at which you¡¯ve built your organization is staggering. It¡¯s been, what, a little over six months since you stumbled into Cliff City looking lost? You claimed to have two dozen orcs in your employ at the time and were having them doing farming work,¡± he said with a loud laugh. ¡°I figured you would go out and handle a few bandits or other menial work before some other company annexed your group, offering benefits you couldn¡¯t provide. Maybe suffer a mutiny if you try to get the orcs farming again¡­¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t mention that at the time.¡±

    ¡°I like to think of myself as a man with boundless optimism and firmly believed in your eventual successes.¡± Hawkwood knocked back the entire glass of alcohol. His face twisted like he expected a burn only to find that burn missing. He looked down at the glass with a frown. ¡°A bit weak,¡± he said.

    Arkk, after taking a long drink from his own glass, Arkk shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not much of a drinker. Give me a celebration or social meeting like this and I¡¯ll pour a glass. Otherwise, it isn¡¯t to my taste. If you want something stronger¡­¡± Arkk held out a hand and, in an instant, a small keg appeared on the tabletop, pretapped with a little nozzle. ¡°This is what the orcs drink.¡±

    Although Hawkwood jolted at the sudden appearance, he only looked at the keg with mild suspicion before twisting the nozzle and filling his glass. He immediately tried a bit only to start coughing. ¡°That¡¯s,¡± he started with a wheeze in his voice, ¡°a bit stronger.¡±

    Arkk laughed, leaning back in his chair. ¡°My success is definitely not because of any iota of charisma or leadership qualities. I lucked into a magical artifact that lets me do things no other mercenary leader would be able to manage,¡± he said with a nod toward the keg. ¡°An assistant who pushed me along, driving me to be what I am today,¡± he continued. Then, dipped his head toward Hawkwood. ¡°And a decent mentor.¡± Arkk held his glass aloft in a small toast.

    Hawkwood hesitated a moment before slowly smiling and taking another sip.

    Drinking it just made him cough again.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t disparage yourself so much,¡± Hawkwood said as he got the last of the coughs out. ¡°I¡¯ve seen men squander wealth, born leaders waste away in depravity and laziness, and corruption take hold of even the most honest of men. In the hands of the majority of people, a magical artifact would have gone to waste at best, directed toward nefarious ends at worst.¡± He paused and chuckled. ¡°And don¡¯t underestimate the value of a trusted assistant. You think White Company would be what it is today if I didn¡¯t have my advisers and adjutants? I would have been the squanderer.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure that he believed that. Hawkwood was probably just being polite and humble.

    ¡°And a mentor? I hope you aren¡¯t referring to me,¡± he said with another humble laugh.

    ¡°Well, someone who showed me the ropes. I might have tried to send the orcs into the gorgon¡¯s mine if left to my own devices and that would have ended in a mutiny for sure. I¡­¡± Arkk paused, feeling a tug from the scrying team. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± he said, bolting to his feet.

    He had specifically asked to not be disturbed today unless an emergency came up. That someone was trying to get his attention meant that something had gone wrong.

    Harvey, the flopkin, sat in front of one of the crystal balls with worry lining his rabbit-like face. The moment Arkk teleported into the scrying room, Harvey sat upright and waved him over.

    ¡°Kia and Claire were ambushing an Evestani supply caravan as normal,¡± he said without prompt. ¡°They were ambushed in turn. Fog obscured the crystal ball before I could see much more.¡±

    Arkk blinked twice and cast his attentions out, following the link from himself to Kia. He could sense the dark elf but it was distant, like the fog in the crystal ball was affecting the employee link. It was an unnerving sensation. He had been inside the Evestani encampment during the siege of Elmshadow but hadn¡¯t felt that effect.

    Evestani weren¡¯t resting on their asses while waiting for winter to end. They had been working to counter him just as he was working to counter them.

    Unfortunately, it was something he would have to think about later.

    Arkk teleported Dakka, Alma, Rekk¡¯ar, Zharja, and Joanne straight to him. ¡°We have an emergency,¡± he said before they fully got their bearings. ¡°Dakka, Alma, Zharja, Joanne, I need you and your teams ready for combat immediately. Rekk¡¯ar, you get everyone remaining on high alert. That means gear and postings. I¡¯m teleporting you all to the armory. A full briefing will be conducted in a few moments as you are armoring up.¡±

    He teleported them again before they could even think to argue and then teleported himself back to Hawkwood.

    The man, standing and looking somewhat alarmed at Arkk¡¯s sudden disappearance, jolted at Arkk¡¯s sudden reappearance.

    ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re going to have to cut this short. There is an emergency.¡±

    ¡°Something I can assist with?¡±

    Arkk paused to consider. Most of White Company were out around Smilesville Burg. They weren¡¯t his employees yet¡ªmaybe ever¡ªso he couldn¡¯t just teleport them around. It would take too long to get them over here. So Arkk just shook his head. ¡°Not this time. Ilya,¡± he said, gesturing to where the elf appeared in the meeting room with a short, surprised squeak. ¡°Ilya, if you would be so kind as to help Hawkwood. He is welcome to stay if he wishes or show him the way to the teleportation ritual back to the tower if he wishes to return to his men.¡±

    ¡°Arkk, what¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sorry, no time to explain more. Kia and Claire¡¯s group were ambushed.¡±

 Counter Ambush

    Arkk knew he was walking into a trap.

    It was pure complacency that allowed Kia and Claire¡¯s successful attacks to turn sour. They had allowed it to turn into a routine. Routines were predictable.

    If he had supply lines constantly under threat from an enemy he couldn¡¯t defend conventionally, he would have been scrambling to find solutions as well. He wouldn¡¯t have been content with merely repelling the attacks either. He would have been figuring out ways to strike back.

    Thus, the trap. Perhaps Evestani wouldn¡¯t consider that Arkk would try to rescue his employees. They certainly didn¡¯t seem to have much compunction regarding casualties. Arkk had personally witnessed that golden avatar hit some of his own men in attacks meant for others. But if they were at all intelligent and even half as aware of Arkk¡¯s character as Inquisitor Vrox was, they would be setting up and preparing for his inevitable arrival.

    Arkk had distressingly little information about what actually happened. He could tell that his strike team was still alive through their links but anything beyond that was shrouded in mist. It could be that Evestani thought their mist would protect them from the strike team and, on the field, nothing had gone wrong. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure that he was such an optimist anymore.

    Thus, the rescue team.

    Agnete. Priscilla. Dakka and a dozen orcs. Alma and a quartet of beastmen geared for stealth and rapid movement. Zharja and three other gorgon. Joanne and a team of swordsmen.

    With so many of his trusted and, in Agnete and Priscilla¡¯s case, powerful employees at hand, Arkk was leaving Vezta behind. She, Ilya, and Rekk¡¯ar would maintain the fortress in Arkk¡¯s absence. Rekk¡¯ar would manage the soldiers and Vezta would act as a little surprise for anyone foolish enough to actually invade the fortress and lucky enough to get past the newly installed traps.

    Although there was no evidence of any enemy forces moving toward the Cursed Forest, he had everyone remaining behind on high alert just in case.

    The teleportation ritual carried Arkk and his team a fair distance from the obscuring fog in the scrying balls. It took time, unfortunately. A fairly significant amount of time. There were a lot of people to move and all needed to move in a hurry. If there was one upside, it was that the portal chain¡ªa series of teleportation rituals leading away from the fortress¡ªwas already intact. They had simply taken the same one that Kia and Claire used up until the final hop where Arkk inscribed a new ritual circle to divert them closer but not quite to that fog.

    Alma and her team teleported in first, immediately venturing into the fog to gather information while the rest of the force moved through the teleportation circle.

    There wasn¡¯t any literal fog around. The stretch of land east of Moonshine Burg where the supply caravans traversed¡ªand thus where the latest strikes had taken place¡ªwas fairly sparse. Plains and gentle-sloped hills that stretched on and on, covered in low vegetation but without many trees about. Today, perhaps as a signal of the nearing end of winter, the sky was bright blue and cloudless. Still cold but utterly clear.

    Despite that, the crystal ball still showed nothing but fog.

    ¡°They¡¯re on their way back,¡± Arkk said, staring off in the direction that he could sense his employees.

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    Arkk half-turned. Dakka, fully armored, stood at the ready with her team of warriors a few paces back. Zharja and her gorgon flanked them on one side while Joanne and her swordsmen stood on the other. They weren¡¯t in any real formation, just standing and ready for the scouting to finish.

    ¡°I can sense that Alma¡¯s crew have started heading toward us. I can¡¯t tell exactly how far they are but they¡¯ll be back soon. As soon as we hear their report, we¡¯ll likely head out. Be ready.¡±

    ¡°I could have been there and back in half the time,¡± Priscilla grumbled from where she stooped, crouched with her icy claws on the ground between her feet. ¡°Dealt with the problem on my own too. We¡¯re wasting time.¡±

    Dakka shot the dragonoid a dark look. She opened her mouth, probably about to needle Priscilla about something or other. Arkk stalled her with a wave of his hand.

    ¡°If I¡¯m being honest, I would rather you not show yourself at all, in scouting or a fight,¡± Arkk said, earning a surprised look from Priscilla. Though she didn¡¯t quite manage to look in his exact direction. Her iced-over eyes drifted past his shoulder. ¡°Evestani may not be aware of your presence and, if they aren¡¯t, you represent a surprise that I would like to keep for the most optimal moment. But I¡¯m also not willing to risk the lives of the strike team, hence your involvement.¡±

    Priscilla peeled her lips back in an ugly snarl. ¡°You want me benched on the sidelines unless the pyro can¡¯t handle it?¡± she asked with a lazy thumb flicked toward Agnete.

    For her part, Agnete stood with a stoic expression on her face, ignoring Priscilla.

    ¡°I want everyone safe. After that, I want everyone used to their fullest potential. If the avatar of the Golden Order is here, you ripping him apart may well be a great use of your talents. But if it is anything but an entire army out here, I doubt even Agnete will be needed.¡±

    Dakka, along with many of her squad, puffed up in pride at the implied praise and expectation toward their capabilities.

    ¡°Which reminds me,¡± Arkk said, turning to address the entire crew. ¡°The lives of our comrades are our first priority but uncovering any magical secrets in the area is a close secondary.¡±

    If he could figure out how they worked the obscuring mist and make use of it himself, he would feel a whole lot more secure in knowing that nobody was scrying on him. And Zullie¡ªor¡­ Savren, rather¡ªmight be able to find countermeasures, allowing their scrying to see through the enemy, thus giving them a false sense of security.

    ¡°That means any books or tomes in the possession of our enemies are a priority, as are taking notes of any ritual circles in the area. Depending¡­¡±

    Arkk trailed off, turning at the sound of rustling brush. Since they left the area of effect of the fog, he had been able to track Alma, Lyssa, and Kelsey as they approached. The half-werecat stepped forward with the ox-like Kelsey at her flank. The full-werecat moved around the group and approached Joanne, who had been holding onto the long spiked chain which she quickly attached to the lone manacle she wore around her normal arm.

    ¡°Sir,¡± Alma said. ¡°We found them. Some are fairly roughed up and some could use healing faster than others, but they all look alive. Unfortunately, they¡¯re all caged up, being transported back toward Moonshine Burg.¡±

    ¡°Like the slaves,¡± Lyssa cut in, her voice a low growl. ¡°Big beasts hauling big carts filled with tiny cages.¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes.

    Though his optimism had been lacking, there had been a glimmer of hope that Kia hadn¡¯t run afoul of any problems and the fog was incidental to their mission.

    ¡°Enemy force?¡±

    ¡°About four dozen, most on foot but a quarter were armored knights with horses. Two dozen were pikemen and the rest archers of some variety. We did not see any children or other people with those Golden Order tattoos on their heads, however, most wore helmets making it difficult to tell for sure.¡±

    ¡°Any obvious spellcasters or ritual circles?¡±

    Alma shook her head. ¡°No, Sir.¡±

    Arkk took a breath, frowning. ¡°Well the scrying fog isn¡¯t coming from nowhere,¡± he said. ¡°How far exactly are we from Moonshine Burg? How long will it take the prisoners to reach it?¡±

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Alma and Kelsey glanced at one another, uncertainty obvious on their faces. They weren¡¯t locals of Moonshine Burg or its surrounding area. They had been teleported in with no real frame of reference.

    Lyssa cut in, stepping back toward Arkk as she wrapped her chain around her arm, leaving the spiked end dangling. ¡°A quarter of a day. Maybe less.¡±

    ¡°Not much time,¡± he said. If they let the prisoners reach the burg, getting them out would be much, much more difficult. And the enemy would probably identify which ones knew more than others in short order, interrogating them and executing the rest. In addition, Evestani might send out additional reinforcements to help escort the prisoners. Their hypothetical arrival would make freeing everyone all the more complicated.

    There wouldn¡¯t be time to spread out and find the source of the magic in the area. It might even come from the burg itself, directed to a distant location like the boulder drop ritual could be targeted.

    ¡°Dakka, Joanne. Come up with a plan to engage the transport. Involve Zharja in your plan¡ªthe gorgon can stone key targets before engaging themselves. Alma, you and your team use the chaos to free the prisoners. Focus on those least injured first¡ªtry to get them weapons so they can join in on the fight,¡± Arkk said.

    He paused to think a moment, looking over the assembled groups. ¡°Agnete, Priscilla, and I will remain at a short distance,¡± he continued, ¡°ready to charge in as heavy magical support should the engagement need assistance or should additional complications arise. Dakka, you have field command. We need to move fast before they reach the burg or reinforcements from the burg show up to escort them. We move in no more than thirty minutes.¡±

    <hr>

    Arkk watched in nervous anticipation as Dakka and Joanne¡¯s teams ambushed the prisoner caravan.

    From the reactions of the Evestani guardsmen, they had no idea what was coming. They panicked, broke rank, and fell into a disorganized mob. Half tried to flee, only to find themselves facing Joanne¡¯s team. The other half tried to fight but, disorganized and lacking half their fighting force, they were quickly picked apart by Dakka and the gorgon.

    Once Alma cracked the locks on several of the cages, tossing weapons to those captive within, the rest of Company Al-Mir tore through Evestani like a scythe through wheat.

    The ease made him even more nervous. This was a trap. It had to be. The fact that it was going so well just set him all the more on edge.

    ¡°Waste of time,¡± Priscilla grumbled, twisting at the waist hard enough to send a series of snaps up her spine. ¡°Thought I might finally get a chance to stretch my wings.¡±

    ¡°You were flying over the Duchy for at least a few weeks,¡± Agnete said, looking confused.

    ¡°It was a polite euphemism for crushing the skulls of some humans.¡±

    ¡°Surely you engaged in that as well during your trek, given what I know of dragonoids.¡±

    Priscilla bared her sharp teeth. ¡°You know nothing about me. I spent the last hundred years atop a lonely mountain at the behest¡­¡± A pained look crossed her features before she shook her head. ¡°Forget it. Another waste of time to explain to a human.¡±

    ¡°Enough. Both of you,¡± Arkk said, not taking his eyes off the fight down below.

    The fight taking place on the long path that stretched between two hills was nearing its conclusion. Not many of Evestani¡¯s troops were still standing. Some looked to have surrendered. Arkk¡­ wasn¡¯t too sure how he felt about that. Callous though it was to think it, them all dying would have been easier on him. He doubted some grunts would have much valuable information and now he had to transport them back to Fortress Al-Mir, which would show off his teleportation ritual. Not a problem as long as they were captive but they effectively could never be released.

    ¡°What do we think? Was this too easy?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Your minions got lazy and got themselves captured. Nothing more to it,¡± Priscilla said with a yawn. ¡°Got us all worked up for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Then why the fog in the scrying balls?¡± They were in the thick of it now. It was an eerie sensation. His normally clear and innate knowledge of Fortress Al-Mir, its contents, and all of his employees was obscured at the moment. Still there but just hazy and difficult to see. ¡°There has to be something more.¡±

    ¡°It could be standard protocol to obscure scrying,¡± Agnete offered slowly, considering. ¡°They never enacted the protocol in the past because the strike team acted too swiftly.¡±

    That¡­ was possible. But still too easy. ¡°I expect we¡¯ll know more once we have a chat with Kia. Until then, however, keep on your toes.¡± He glanced at Priscilla. Despite what he had said earlier about keeping her a secret¡­ Something about this situation just rubbed him the wrong way. Better to use his assets than to lose them. ¡°In fact, Priscilla, take to the skies and see¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, looking at the dragonoid¡¯s iced-over eyes. ¡°Well, see whatever it is you see.¡±

    Priscilla gave him a frosty look for a long moment before she spread her wings out and, with a downward thrust that nearly knocked Arkk off his feet, took to the skies.

    ¡°Should have brought Leda or one of the other fairies to accompany her,¡± Arkk grumbled, not sure that Priscilla would be able to bring back any valuable information. She had an uncanny sense for some things, such as the Walking Fortress, but not other things. Arkk had spied her bumping into walls and knocking over chairs on more than one occasion.

    ¡°Will she be able to find her way back?¡± Agnete asked, looking upward with a hand held over her brow to shield the sun.

    Arkk didn¡¯t answer right away. He hadn¡¯t thought about that and now, he wasn¡¯t sure. Another reason for a fairy to hang off her back. Perhaps he should assign dedicated minders for Priscilla. She wouldn¡¯t like that. He would have to call them something different. ¡°She says she sees what the Stars want her to see, or something like that. So if the Stars want her with us, I assume she¡¯ll figure things out.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it is strange for an avatar of a god to say this,¡± Agnete started with a frown on her face. ¡°I¡¯m not at all sure that relying on higher beings to guide us will see us seize victory. They¡¯re too¡­ distant.¡±

    Arkk had a feeling that the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar felt differently. But then, the Heart of Gold was one of the traitor gods. Agnete¡¯s patron, the Burning Forge, was cut off from this world. As for the Stars¡­

    Well, he had seen them for himself. Though they were distant and alien, they seemed to be aligned with the Lock and Key. Near as Arkk could tell, the Lock and Key was on his side. At least ostensibly.

    He still wasn¡¯t sure what happened with Zullie, unfortunately. Whether that was retribution, a misguided attempt at assistance, or just a freak accident. Zullie was getting better, slowly, in terms of eating and moving about. She still wasn¡¯t saying much of anything. There was a lot of muttering. A lot of fascinated, awed murmurs. Things that sounded like they could be magical theories, but which sounded like nonsense to Arkk¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get down to the prison wagon. I can already see some wounds that need patching sooner than we could get them to Hale.¡±

    Still wary but taking some comfort in the shadow of the dragonoid¡¯s wings that crossed over him, Arkk descended the hill with Agnete at his side. There was no sign of any ambush to counter their ambush.

    Dakka, heavy axe resting over her shoulder, turned her head. He couldn¡¯t see her face under the dark helmet but he could hear her smile. ¡°Thought this was going to be a tough one,¡± she barked out, earning a few cheers from the orcs under her command.

    ¡°Be thankful it wasn¡¯t,¡± Joanne grumbled, one arm held up to her shoulder where a crossbow bolt stuck out. Bright red blood leaked from between her fingers but it didn¡¯t flow at a rate that warranted panic.

    ¡°The human is just angry she got caught out,¡± Dakka said with an even wider grin in her tone.

    Not bothering to engage with Dakka¡¯s post-battle revelry, Arkk merely uttered the incantation for Flesh Weaving and set to sealing Joanne¡¯s wound. He worked quickly and without much regard for perfection. Hale would be able to do much better work once they got back to the fortress anyway.

    He hopped from wounded to wounded, prioritizing those who looked worst off. Everyone who could walk quickly formed a line, organizing themselves by who needed care the most so that Arkk didn¡¯t even have to think about who to move to next. Most of the injuries were among Kia¡¯s team. Claire and Kia were no exceptions. Though, while Claire looked like she had been thrown under a stampede of horses, Kia had only a number of bruises and a large gash just above her left ear.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Arkk asked as he sealed the gash. The long blonde hair on that side of her head was a mess.

    ¡°The attack against a lightly guarded caravan was going as well as expected in such a scenario. It was small, just this wagon with its cages covered in tarps. Thought it was food until¡­ well, it wasn¡¯t. Then¡­¡± Kia looked pained, grimacing for emotional reasons rather than physical. ¡°Not rightly sure. Something rang my bell, took my helmet off at the same time. A second knocked my lights out. Only came to in the cage.¡± She looked over, eyes locking on Claire.

    The brown-haired dark elf pursed her lips together. A rare show of emotion. Claire didn¡¯t speak much, nor did she enjoy attentions thrust upon her. Nevertheless, she stood and clasped her hands together behind her back. Now that she had been patched up with Flesh Weaving, she could actually stand.

    ¡°A soldier in gold. He¡ª¡±

    ¡°Gold soldier?¡± Arkk said, tenser now than he had been since hearing about this ambush. He immediately started looking around.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be one of those,¡± Agnete said. ¡°Or they would all be gold as well.¡±

    Claire nodded. ¡°Golden armor,¡± she corrected. ¡°Taller than an orc. Beat us all and threw us into the cages one by one. I tried to escape. He was too fast.¡±

    Despite Claire¡¯s correction, Arkk didn¡¯t feel any more at ease. ¡°Just one soldier beat your entire team?¡±

    Claire nodded again. ¡°Bare-handed. He intended to capture us from the start.¡±

    ¡°Where is this soldier now?¡±

    She just shrugged, sending even more chills up his spine. ¡°We move immediately!¡± Arkk said. ¡°Leave the Evestani who surrendered. Fall back to the ritual circle. No one is to go anywhere alone. Guards at the fore and rear of the group. Keep eyes open and shout if you see anything at¡ª¡±

    A dragonoid crashed into the ground, gouging a deep trough through the winter-hardened earth. Arkk spun, looking in the direction Priscilla had come flying from.

    There, standing atop the nearby hill, gleamed a hulking man in golden armor. Massive pauldrons hid most of his head and his helm sported a long red plume that draped down his back. Although he carried no weapon, the thick gauntlets around his hands could easily crush someone¡¯s skull if he hit hard enough.

    For a long moment, he just stared down from the hill.

    ¡°Uh, Arkk,¡± Dakka said. ¡°I think I see something.¡±

    ¡°Impressive,¡± Joanne snipped as she drew her large claymore. ¡°The orc¡¯s command of the obvious is truly unmatched.¡±

    ¡°Quiet,¡± Arkk snapped. ¡°Those whose wounds weren¡¯t healed enough to fight, fall back. Everyone else¡­ get ready.¡±

 The Sacred Armor of Inner Strength

    There was no preamble. No moment of banter or mocking. Just a long, pregnant pause where Arkk issued a few brief commands to get the most wounded out of the battlefield while the knight in golden armor sized up the group before him.

    Were Arkk in the knight¡¯s place, he wouldn¡¯t have engaged. Dakka¡¯s group contained a dozen strong orcs and Joanne¡¯s had an equal number of human swordsmen. Alma might not be so imposing but she could hit just about anything with her smaller hand crossbows. Kelsey, large and muscular, nearly matched an orc in size and strength while Lyssa¡­ Well, she wasn¡¯t a feral werecat but she sure fought like one. The knight wouldn¡¯t know how they fought but he should be able to recognize a threat when he saw them.

    Not to mention those of Kia¡¯s strike team who were readying weapons and, finally, Arkk and Agnete, both standing with eyes aglow.

    The knight in golden armor bounded down the hill with great strides carrying him three paces with every step.

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± Arkk intoned, slinging his arm forward after building up a moderate amount of magic. Enough to fry a goblin and kill an orc outright.

    The lightning struck the dead center of his mass, arcing around his breastplate. It crackled and clung to the man, the magic trying to work its way into Arkk¡¯s target, but failed. In the span of a single step, the lightning faded and dispersed into the air around him. He didn¡¯t even break stride.

    Dakka hefted her spiked shield in front of her. ¡°Form up!¡± she shouted. An unnecessary command with the way her orcs were already moving to defend the weaker members of the group. They got in place, stances wide and stable, just before the knight reached them.

    He didn¡¯t stop. He lowered a shoulder, charging forward without hesitation. The moment one of those massive pauldrons struck the front of Dakka¡¯s shield, a small shockwave went off. The nearest three orcs went flying with Dakka, launched from their stable stances into the air. Alma had to dodge and roll to one side to avoid one of the orcs crashing into her.

    With the golden knight in their midst, the still-standing orcs pivoted, raising their hammers and axes.

    A brash hand knocked one axe into a mace while the knight¡¯s armor took another attack. He grasped one of the spikes on another orc¡¯s helm, likely intending to use it as a handle, only for the spike to snap off with little effort. Although the sudden lack of resistance gave him some surprise, it wasn¡¯t enough to stop his hand from lashing out. A fist caught one of the orcs square in the face. His head snapped back with enough force to shatter the metal of the back of his helmet as it clipped the back of the gorget around his neck.

    The employee link snuffed out as the orc collapsed.

    The knight didn¡¯t stop. He caught the bottom lip of another orc¡¯s breastplate. With only one hand, he hefted the orc up and over his head, bringing him down on another of the orcs.

    ¡°Scutum!¡± Arkk shouted.

    A pulsing violet light surged around the orc just before his head crashed into the ground. The light spread out into the ground with the impact, taking the blow that would have shattered the orc¡¯s skull.

    Lyssa¡¯s chain whipped out, whipping around his leg. She pulled but the man¡¯s leg barely budged.

    With a kick into one of Joanne¡¯s men¡¯s chest, Lyssa lurched off her feet and into the air. The knight barely seemed to notice that he had brought the werecat along for the ride. He simply moved on to grasp Joanne¡¯s helmet.

    Another Scutum saved Joanne from having her face caved in against the knight¡¯s knee. She still stumbled back the moment the knight released her, disoriented and discombobulated. A small corner of Arkk¡¯s mind made a note to thank Priscilla for teaching him a few other old magic spells. Though getting the spells out of her had been like prying open a blacksmith¡¯s vices, he would probably be down two more employees were it not for her.

    Even if he managed to intercept every lethal blow with the shielding spell, the fight would still end in their loss at this rate. The gold armor was shrugging off blows from axes that would lop heads from shoulders, bashes from hammers and maces that should have crushed the gold metal, and the less said about Alma¡¯s crossbow bolts, the better. Even though she was aiming for the joints and the gap in the thin slits in the man¡¯s helmet, not one had struck true.

    Agnete stood at Arkk¡¯s side, burning hotter than ever and yet unable to act without hitting their own side in the melee. Her flames, even under her control, were too indiscriminate.

    Priscilla, though alive, was still in the crater she had made after being thrown down to the valley.

    ¡°Desidia,¡± Arkk shouted, trying another of the spells he had learned from Priscilla. If his lightning wasn¡¯t going to do a thing, he had to find something that did.

    This one had an effect. The knight¡¯s fist, about to hit Kia, slowed in mid-air as if a pot of sticky molasses had been dumped over the knight. It didn¡¯t stop him completely but it allowed the dark elf to duck to one side, avoiding the blow with time to spare. She even managed to swing her greatsword straight down on the overextended arm.

    It clanged off, chipping a chunk from the blade without so much as scratching the golden armor.

    ¡°Need ideas!¡± Dakka shouted, her axe looking like one of the lesser servants had been taking bites out of the blade.

    With the knight slowed from Arkk¡¯s spell, Zharja saw an opportunity. She slithered forward, iridescent black scales gleaming as she coiled her body around the knight¡¯s body. She only managed to pin one of his arms to his side as she started constricting but, seeing what she was doing, two of the orcs threw their weapons aside and grasped hold of the knight¡¯s free arm to keep him from tearing Zharja away.

    Grasping hold of the knight¡¯s helmet, Zharja first tried to rip it from his head. She must have been trying to petrify him but found herself unable with the helmet in the way. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t budge. Undaunted, Zharja opened her mouth wide enough to swallow a boar whole. Caustic venom dripped from her fangs. She didn¡¯t try to bite through the armor. Gathering a mouthful of the venom, she spat directly in the knight¡¯s face.

    That elicited a reaction. The first noises the knight made were shouts of pain as something hissed and sizzled inside that helmet. The slits for his eyes and the dozen small holes in front of his mouth weren¡¯t much but some of that venom must have gotten inside.

    Whether it was a surge of adrenaline from the pain, Arkk¡¯s spell fading, or the armor somehow revitalizing the man, he found a renewed source of strength. The two orcs clinging to his arm went flying as he swung. Now freed, his gauntlet dug into Zharja¡¯s side, making her hiss and squirm. The weakening in her constriction let him get his other arm free from Zharja¡¯s coils. He grasped the gorgon and flung her. The lower segment of her tail, coiled around one of his legs, ripped clean from the rest of her as she joined Priscilla in slamming into the ground.

    A shielding Scutum kept her from splattering against the ground but Arkk could do nothing for her tail at the moment.

    The knight pivoted on one foot, swinging his arms wide to clear the immediate area around him. When he finished, he stood stooped, one hand pressed to his helm. Some wisps of white smoke steamed out from the holes in his helm along with a faint labored breath, but as the smoke dispersed, his breathing cleared up and, after a moment, he stood straight with no signs of internal injury. The golden armor itself looked entirely untouched. Not just on the helm but everywhere. He didn¡¯t have a speck of blood or smudge of dirt, not even around his feet where he had been trudging through the muddy ground.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Arkk¡¯s eyes flicked down to the ground and then back up to the man.

    He was glaring now. Though his eyes were hidden in the shadows of his helmet, Arkk could tell just by the way his helmet angled toward him.

    ¡°Agnete,¡± Arkk said, planting a hand on her shoulder.

    Zharja¡¯s venom had gotten through. Thus, Agnete¡¯s flames likely could as well. Her flames had already failed once against the gold magics of Evestani back at Elmshadow. She hadn¡¯t been able to melt those gold statues. So, in case the fire through the helm failed, Arkk had a secondary plan.

    ¡°Melt the ground under his feet,¡± he said before casting the last of his newly learned spells on the purifier. ¡°Accelerat?.¡±

    The heat around Agnete exploded, forcing Arkk backward with his gloved hands shielding his face. Small hairs of stray threads on his gambeson caught flame, burning to ash in an instant.

    When Agnete moved, she moved. She crossed ten paces in the blink of an eye. The knight, for all the invulnerability of his armor, flinched back at her sudden approach. The rest of Company Al-Mir, already backed away thanks to the knight pivoting around, scrambled back even further. Those who couldn¡¯t walk ended up dragged by others.

    The knight lashed out, attacks more ferocious than earlier. Agnete simply tilted her head, dodging the first strike by a hair before she slid to one side to dodge another. Flames swirled around her, obscuring her exact movements. The enhanced speed was already visibly wearing out¡ªArkk could feel the drain of magic lessen¡ªbut it was easy to forget that she had been an inquisitor and could hold her own in close-quarters combat.

    As expected, Agnete¡¯s fire didn¡¯t seem to do much to the armor. Even when Agnete planted a palm directly on the man¡¯s breastplate, it didn¡¯t start glowing let alone melting. From some second-hand analysis Zullie had done following the incident at Elmshadow, they had two theories on why her fires didn¡¯t affect the Heart of Gold¡¯s namesake metal. Either the Heart of Gold, being on this side of the Calamity, was simply stronger than the Burning Forge¡¯s trickle of power or, as in alchemic theory, the Heart of Gold represented a purity that was so magically great that nothing could truly affect it directly.

    All that didn¡¯t stop the ground under their feet from turning red and molten. Even though the knight moved like he was wearing a light tunic, it had to weigh a ton. He rapidly started sinking into the ground. Agnete carefully kept him in one place, simply stepping side to side to dodge his attacks with a renewed haste spell from Arkk while she kept his focus on her, he didn¡¯t even realize until his ankles were well into the ground.

    But it wasn¡¯t the flames in the ground that affected him. He kept grabbing at his helm like he was trying to wipe something off the front. His breathing, once again turning more laborious, grew in intensity the longer the flames surrounded his head. Giving up his attacks against the now normal-speed Agnete, he tried to take a step backward only to twist and bend at the knee with his feet unable to move.

    As his back hit the ground and the earth turned red under Agnete¡¯s increasing heat, Arkk let out a small sigh of relief.

    A sigh too early.

    The knight thrust his hands together, letting out a sound like the ringing of a church bell. A bright golden flash filled Arkk¡¯s vision for a brief instant.

    The ground, once molten, gleamed bright gold. Agnete, clutching at her chest, was on her back on the golden ground. The few tattered strips of burned clothing that had clung to her body gleamed gold just as the ground did. One body, two swords, and a shield, left behind near the fight while the others backed away, now matched. The living beings and plant life were spared, nothing else was.

    The knight himself was still in the now-golden ground, audibly panting and gasping for breath. Now that he wasn¡¯t under Agnete¡¯s constant attack, he might just be able to rip his feet out of the holes. Or pull out some magic trick that let him escape. His hands were still free. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if he could repeatedly use that clapping trick but he wasn¡¯t about to test it.

    This was a chance to escape.

    Arkk let out a sharp whistle, catching the attention of all his employees. ¡°Back,¡± he shouted. ¡°Help anyone who can¡¯t move on their own. Alma, Kelsey, get the dragonoid.¡±

    Agnete, slowly sitting up and ripping the golden cloth off her chest, snapped her fingers, sparking a fresh flame in the area. The fire rushed forward from her even as the others began their retreat.

    ¡°Desidia,¡± Arkk said, enveloping the golden man in the slowing spell again just to keep him from doing anything in retaliation. Maybe Agnete could burn away all the air around him again. Maybe she could melt the gold and trap him further.

    Arkk couldn¡¯t take the chance. He grabbed her by the arm, meeting her fiery eyes for a brief moment. He didn¡¯t say anything. Neither did she. After a moment, she nodded her head and started backing away. That didn¡¯t stop her from keeping the flames circling the golden knight.

    They were leaving four of their own behind. Arkk hoped the knight would die from the flames but couldn¡¯t chance staying to watch. They were still in the scrying fog. The enemy could be just around the next hill. Maybe they could fight off a regular force of soldiers but if another of those knights showed up, or this one got back to his feet, they might well be done for here and now.

    So he turned, following behind the rest of the retreating Company Al-Mir with Agnete at his side. Alma and Kelsey were dragging Priscilla while Orjja and Krett¡¯al hauled Zharja. Two other orcs needed assistance walking and one of the humans was leaning on Dakka¡¯s shoulder.

    They had rescued Kia, Claire, and the rest of the strike team. From a pure numbers game, the rescue had been worth it.

    Morale was buried at the bottom of a latrine. Even as they made it back to the teleportation circle, even as they passed through one at a time without Evestani harassment, he could feel the dour mood in the air and the discordance in the group. Arkk wasn¡¯t immune.

    He was livid.

    Right when it felt like things had been looking up. The Walking Fortress and its near completion, the new spells from Priscilla, Hawkwood and the deserters gathering to help push back Evestani, Katja taking the Duke¡¯s place to turn his armies against the invaders¡­

    Now this.

    Losses were inevitable in wars. Hawkwood had sat him down and told him that the moment the war began. Losses of personnel, losses of battles, losses of territories and holdings. Arkk didn¡¯t expect to come out the victor of every engagement but this¡­ This felt different. It wasn¡¯t an honest loss. Evestani and the Golden Order had a literal god sitting on their shoulder.

    The closest thing Arkk had, the Lock and Key, had taken his lead researcher out of commission.

    The moment they returned to Fortress Al-Mir, Arkk sent the wounded off to the infirmary, including Agnete and Kia even though they had only superficial injuries. Hale was certainly getting all the practice she needed with the Flesh Weaving spell. There were no immediate calls for his attention from Vezta or the scrying team. A small relief. He still had to look over the group left behind.

    ¡°We rescued the strike team,¡± Arkk said, taking the small silver lining to this dark cloud. ¡°And we uncovered the existence of another heavy threat, one we can now begin planning around. Four lost their lives in exchange.¡± He pressed his lips together. Perhaps he was still just a little too idealistic, but he did not view that as an acceptable exchange.

    There would be four new names on the memorial wall now.

    ¡°Go,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Rest and recover. Eat and sleep. But keep the encounter in the back of your mind, thinking of the strengths and weaknesses that Golden Knight had. We¡¯ll do a full debriefing later.¡±

    ¡°You all survived!¡± Dakka shouted to the morose room, ripping her helmet from her head. The sudden gruff bark left Arkk stunned, though he tried to avoid showing it. ¡°Against a foe worthy of legends! We¡¯ll have a feast tonight and we¡¯ll crack open the kegs!¡±

    That got much more of a reaction, earning some cheers. Arkk could tell that the cheering wasn¡¯t wholly enthusiastic, the tone was just a little too flat, but at least the troops weren¡¯t showing their displeasure so overtly. Her shout got them moving as well, filing out of the room and into the rest of the fortress.

    Arkk couldn¡¯t help but notice Dakka remaining behind, not moving with the others.

    As soon as the room was clear, she turned on him, face drawn tight in consternation. ¡°Arkk,¡± she said slowly. ¡°You need to work on your post-battle speeches.¡±

    Arkk drew in a breath and let it back out, nodding his head without a word.

    ¡°And¡­ Arkk¡­ I have very much enjoyed my time under your service. Compared to being a raider, it feels good, you know?¡±

    Arkk¡¯s eyes widened as he looked up at Dakka¡¯s face. The tan-skinned orc¡¯s hair hung in a mess, matted with sweat and a small bit of crusted blood. She looked¡­ worn. ¡°You aren¡¯t thinking of leaving, are you?¡±

    Dakka didn¡¯t answer right away. She stared down at him, eyes looking back and forth for a moment before she snorted. Her lips peeled back, showing off her tusks. Not in a snarl, but in a smile. ¡°No. Not yet. But Arkk, something needs to change. I¡¯m a girl who enjoys a good fight as much as the next orc but I¡¯m no spellcaster. I¡¯m not a fire witch blessed by the gods. I¡¯m not a dragonoid or even a gorgon. We keep fighting these things. The golden avatar and now this gold knight.¡± She paused, pressing a gauntleted hand to her chest. ¡°I¡¯m not even going to say that I need fights I can win, just fights where the field is even. And it isn¡¯t just me.

    ¡°Get us fancy golden indestructible armor or spells we can cast without taking a nap after. Get us opponents that aren¡¯t gods walking among mere mortals. Something.

    ¡°Something needs to change and it needs to change fast. Or you might be finding yourself with less of an army to work with.¡±

    Dakka stared for a moment longer before nodding her head. She turned on her heel and stalked out of the room, leaving Arkk alone in the teleportation chamber with just his thoughts.

    Something needed to change. A walking tower wasn¡¯t good enough. He needed something for his people.

 Underworld Exploration

    Ever since Walking Fortress Istanur arrived at the portal, the Protectors watching the activities of Fortress Al-Mir vanished. Nobody had seen one sitting out and observing. None had tried to attack. They just left.

    Given the tower¡¯s shadowy nature and their professed loyalty toward the Cloak of Shadows, or The Lady Shadow as they called her, Arkk had to wonder if something about the tower convinced them that he was genuine in desiring a peaceful cohabitation with the denizens of the Underworld. Or perhaps blessed by their god.

    The way his luck normally went, Arkk was a little worried that they were plotting something.

    However, he couldn¡¯t afford to sit around and ignore the opportunity.

    Dakka was right. Something needed to change. The Walking Fortress standing tall in the Cursed Forest wasn¡¯t enough. Perhaps if another dozen dragonoids joined or another few purifiers defected, he could assign one or two to each team just to handle heavy threats. But wishful thinking wasn¡¯t going to get him anywhere. He needed to strike out and seize power where he could.

    ¡°There it is,¡± Arkk said, looking out over the wasteland that was the Underworld. Priscilla and Leda reported back from another outing. Although they had managed to fly out and back in a single afternoon, it took three full days of travel to reach the spot they found. They located a point of interest that Leda described as a kind of temple. Tall, black shadowy spires, grand gates, and statues vaguely matching the one in Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s temple room.

    He didn¡¯t like leaving Fortress Al-Mir alone for so long. Vezta was back at the fortress and she could take care of most things but¡­ It just made him nervous. After that ambush at the Evestani supply line, the forces arriving at Elmshadow had been increasing. Slowly. They weren¡¯t yet charging across the Duchy as fast as possible. It was still enough to make Arkk wary about leaving. Especially when he lacked a method of returning quickly.

    If something went wrong, his fastest way back was Priscilla carrying him. That would still take half a day.

    ¡°You plan to plunder a place the Protectors prioritize?¡±

    Arkk glanced at Savren, riding along on a horse alongside the rest of their team, before looking back to the temple.

    It was¡­ a sight. Tall walls, sharp angles, peaked roofs, and long supporting buttresses cast off well away from the structure. It looked like there was glass in most of the windows but the structure had fallen into disrepair. One buttress and a small portion of the roof had collapsed. A wispy statue of the shadowy god had crumbled and broken. Another statue had lost its arms.

    That was to say nothing about the surrounding land. It looked like a city had once stood around the temple. That city had long since fallen into decay. A few scattered walls stood, often at angles, but no one whole structure. Just the temple.

    It must have been a sight to see back in its prime. The whole building looked larger even than Cliff¡¯s temple to the Holy Light.

    ¡°Plunder is a strong word,¡± Arkk said after a long moment. ¡°Evestani and their Golden Order have a god sitting on their shoulder, handing out boons like they were pies at the harvest festival. The closest thing we have is Agnete and her patron god is cut off from our world.

    ¡°What I hope to find here is something more than just a few trinkets or old books. I¡¯m sure they could be helpful¡ª¡± More so if his spell crafter still had eyes with which to read them. ¡°¡ªbut Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, either cannot or will not lend us further assistance.¡±

    Zullie was back on her feet. Unsteady and blind, but awake, active, and even talking. A little. What few words she had were spent on the concept of the [PANTHEON]. Xel¡¯atriss had tried to show her something but that something hadn¡¯t come through clearly. Zullie wasn¡¯t sure if it was a warning, an attempt at assisting, or a deliberate attempt at dissuading her from continuing her line of research.

    Regardless, she didn¡¯t think burning her eyes from her head was the intended outcome. Just a side effect of a god not knowing or not caring about the consequences of its actions. Likely the latter option, in Arkk¡¯s opinion.

    He would have liked her expertise available on this journey. Savren¡¯s magical expertise was mostly constrained to ritual magics and mind magics. Zullie¡¯s was in spell creation and planar magics. Hers just felt a little more applicable to his current goals. She was, unfortunately, in no state to travel.

    ¡°Vezta told me that, in the past, temples like the one we have at Fortress Al-Mir were once used to commune with the Pantheon, petitioning for boons and making offerings. Things like that. I hope to find a way of communing with the Cloak of Shadows here and, gods willing, perhaps a boon.¡± Arkk paused, directing the horse around a set of wind-worn bricks that might have once made up a wall around a small courtyard. ¡°Failing that¡­ I would like to discover more about the Anvil of All Worlds. The plane associated with the Burning Forge.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Agnete asked an accommodation of you, I apprehend.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t just that. I mean, I appreciate all she has been doing for us but, war going on as it is, there isn¡¯t time for personal quests. The Burning Forge is, however, an active god. At least active enough to push a sliver of power out to Agnete. With Agnete already working with us, additional help seems likely.¡±

    Priscilla drew back her lips, grinning at the sky as she lounged on the long cart they hauled alongside the horses. Zullie¡¯s skeletal horse pulled it, never tiring nor needing feed. ¡°Unless the Burning Forge believes you have received and squandered aid in the form of Agnete and refuses to offer more.¡±

    ¡°Why would that be the case?¡±

    Priscilla shrugged, turning her head so that her icy eyes met Arkk¡¯s. ¡°Gods are fickle. And easily insulted. You have an avatar working for you and yet you can barely beat some human with magical armor.¡±

    Dakka let out a loud and exaggerated scoff. ¡°I seem to recall the fire witch doing a whole lot more than some others. What were you doing again? Lying face down in the mud for the whole fight?¡±

    With a snarl, Priscilla sat upright and glared in almost the right direction. ¡°Shut it, greenskin. You might as well have been beating against a mountain for all you contributed.¡±

    ¡°First of all, tan skin,¡± Dakka said, leading Priscilla to point a clawed finger at her face. ¡°Second¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Arkk said, raising his voice. ¡°We¡¯re here. Dakka. You and your team secure the horses and the cart. Shout if anything moves. Priscilla, you¡¯re with me and Savren. Leda.¡± Arkk looked at the little fairy in the group. ¡°You¡¯re in charge of Priscilla. Keep her out of trouble.¡±

    The fairy started to nod, only to flinch as Priscilla let out a guttural growl from the back of her throat.

    ¡°In charge of me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the way you walk around the fortress,¡± Arkk said. ¡°You bump into the wrong column here and the entire place might collapse on our heads. Let Leda help you or fly back to the portal. Your choice.¡±

    Priscilla opened her mouth, failed to provide an argument, and clamped her jaw shut again. ¡°The fairy can warn me if I¡¯m about to bump into anything. Nothing is in charge of me.¡±

    ¡°As long as you listen when she says to stop.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head, more for everyone else than for the one who couldn¡¯t see him nodding, and looked around the group. ¡°And everyone shout if you see a Protector. Or anything else for that matter. But, again, try not to attack first.¡±

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    Orders given and confirmation received, Arkk turned to the temple.

    The good news was that they wouldn¡¯t need to figure out how to get inside. Two great doors, each as tall as three orcs stacked on each other¡¯s shoulders, would have barred the entrance were it not for the massive hinges having come loose in the years of neglect. One of the doors had crashed into the ground, leaving the opening undefended.

    With Savren at one side and Priscilla at the other, and Leda hovering just ahead of Priscilla, Arkk stepped on the dry and dusty wood of the door. He tested it with his weight, making sure it wouldn¡¯t crumble and leave him stumbling, then walked forward into the dark shadows of the old building.

    He wished he had Vezta here as well. Zullie would have been able to provide specialized magical insight but Vezta was his expert on the Pantheon. Having lived in a time where gods touched the world on the regular, she knew more than most even if she didn¡¯t know everything. Priscilla was a poor substitute despite her insistence that the Stars told her all she needed to know. The dragonoid had been born before the Calamity but only just. The world had obviously been bereft of gods following the Calamity.

    Even the Permafrost was a subject of worship more because of her gifts with ice and draconic culture than anything else.

    Arkk expected the temple to feel different than the outside air. Even Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s temple room had a certain stillness to it. An odd reverence that closed out the hum of the many people who now lived at the fortress. The silvery waters in the temple¡¯s pools, alleged doorways directly to the gods, emitted this otherworldly aura.

    Stepping into the temple lacked any sensation of the air changing. It was cooler than the hot open desert, cloaked in shadows as it was, but that was a physical difference. There was no feeling different. No looming sensation of being watched by a being he couldn¡¯t perceive.

    The ceiling of the temple, minus the parts that had collapsed, was high and arching. Dark, obsidian-colored tiles created an illusion of the night sky while glowstones, still brightly lit thanks to the ever-present magic in the Underworld, represented stars. The dominating feature was a depiction of the Cloak of Shadows. A swirling mass of inky darkness, with a pattern that tricked Arkk¡¯s eyes into thinking it was moving and billowing in an unfelt wind. A shadowed, ashen face with bright white eyes peered out from behind the shifting cloak.

    An inspiring sight, especially with the illusion of movement, but the awe it instilled still wasn¡¯t what Arkk was looking for.

    Arkk stood still, staring up with a small frown for a moment longer before dropping his gaze back to the rest of the massive room. The entire temple seemed made up of just one space. There were a few doors at the far end, behind a section of collapsed roof and a high altar that might have been used for ritual purposes, but those doors couldn¡¯t lead to any spacious sections of the temple.

    On the main floor, mosaiced with black and white tiles, ancient bodies littered the temple. Skeletal remains of a small population. It reminded him, for just a moment, of the first time he had stepped into Fortress Al-Mir. Except, in the fortress, the bodies had all belonged to warriors and fighters. Every body had a weapon and armor. Here in the temple, there wasn¡¯t a sword to be seen. Just bodies huddled together.

    Given the lack of plant life in the Underworld, Arkk had to wonder if these people had been simple villagers who had run out of food and, thus, starved to death. Arkk well knew the aches of hunger. Langleey Village hadn¡¯t suffered many famines, but¡­ There had been one long drought in his early teens where crops had withered and the river running past the sawmill had nearly run dry.

    That hadn¡¯t been a good year. He, obviously, had made it through. Some of the others, mostly the elderly of the village, hadn¡¯t.

    Despite targeting Evestani¡¯s food stores and supply lines, starvation wasn¡¯t the goal. It wasn¡¯t a death he would wish on anyone. He wasn¡¯t trying to kill them, just force them to turn back.

    Shaking his head, Arkk turned aside. The lack of an obvious direct connection to the Cloak of Shadows almost made him want to rush back to Fortress Al-Mir.

    At his side, Leda softly whispered to Priscilla, describing the sight overhead along with much of the rest of the room. The dragonoid interrupted Leda talking about the stone columns along the walls to ask more about the bodies, which made Leda stumble and hesitate over her words.

    Savren, on the other hand, spent all of the blink of an eye observing the temple before swiftly directing Morvin and Gretchen to take charcoal rubbings of some lettering inscribed on the columns. The two assistants, formerly of Zullie¡¯s apprentice group and now assigned to Savren, gaped and gawked at the temple far longer than Savren did, earning them a brief reprimand as Savren had to direct them a second time.

    He thought those markings were important. Arkk, though he had learned a lot under Zullie¡¯s instructions, didn¡¯t see anything magical about them. But he was still vastly uneducated compared to either Zullie or Savren.

    Arkk proceeded forward, carefully stepping over the bodies on the ground. They represented another good reason why undoing the Calamity without extensive research was a bad idea. With the war, he didn¡¯t see that being a priority for some time. It still hung heavy in the back of his mind.

    Climbing over a broken pillar and a small segment of the roof, Arkk approached the altar at the far end of the temple. At one point in time, Arkk could have seen the altar being the central and focal point of the temple. The place where the pious would come to pray or make offerings. It held the remnants of mystery in its shadowy stone and the air of a well-cared-for object of worship toward the Lady Shadow.

    Breathing out sent a cloud of orange dust into the air. Arkk waved his hands back and forth a few times, clearing it away. As he did so, he noticed that there was something on top of the altar. A cloth draped over the top. Lightly running his finger over the top, he found himself surprised when it didn¡¯t feel like it was going to disintegrate under his touch. In fact, it felt quite firm and strong.

    Lifting it, Arkk gave it a light shake, filling the air with another cloud of dust.

    It wasn¡¯t a large cloth. Certainly nowhere near big enough to count as the namesake Cloak. Nevertheless, it was something special. Dark and moving even while still in his fingers. It diffused light, making the area around it marginally darker. He could feel some magic in it.

    Perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be useful, but he would take it with him.

    Beyond the cloth, the altar had a number of items adorning its top as well as littered around its base. Small figurines representing shadowy figures and stealthy beings, candelabras whose candles had long since vanished to time, and an incense burner that still had a unique smell when Arkk leaned in close enough. It smelled just like the air after sunset following a rainy day.

    Offerings left by worshippers littered the area around the altar. Gemstones and glowstones, small metal tokens in a variety of shapes, and even the bones of small animals. Despite the obvious deaths suffered throughout the temple, presumably by worshippers of the Cloak of Shadows, the offerings were undisturbed and intact. No one had grown angry and trashed the place in their final moments. The atmosphere was one of hushed reverence, even in the passage of time.

    Arkk was about to turn away when he noticed an odd flicker in the corner of his vision. It was like a bit of shiny metal catching light except¡­ backward. Dark metal reflected a shadow in a way that hurt his head to think about. Despite the mild ache, Arkk rounded the altar.

    A dagger sat on the ground. Its blade, jagged and twisted, reminded Arkk of a smaller version of the blade the Protector had used. Except, this was clearly made from an unearthly metal. The light entering the temple from the broken ceiling seemed to stop abruptly at the corner of the altar where the dagger sat. It was almost pitch black in the darkness behind the altar. Despite the darkness around it, he could still see the dagger just fine. Not very good for stealth, then. It was probably a ceremonial dagger, given its placement near the altar.

    Reaching down, Arkk¡¯s fingers curled around the dark leather wrapped around the dagger¡¯s hilt. He half expected some surge of power to course through his body. Instead, it felt just like any dagger. Weighing it in his hand, he didn¡¯t feel like it was any heavier or lighter than the dagger he had given Nyala.

    Moving it did make something happen. As he stood and took a step, the shadows behind the altar trailed after him like a long piece of cloth snagged against the dagger¡¯s tip. It didn¡¯t remove the shadow from behind the altar, just stretched it out.

    Curious, Arkk reached down and closed his free hand around the darkness.

    It felt like nothing in his grip and yet the shadows pulled away from the ground as he pulled back, leaving the altar in far more natural-looking shadows. The cloth-like shadow was like a far larger version of the smaller cloth that had adorned the top of the altar. Except this shadow was not marred by the orange dust.

    As Arkk moved, the dagger kept dragging more shadows to its tip. None were quite so black as the one from behind the altar, they were more like regular gray-colored shadows that had been transmuted into cloth. Most of those dispersed and vanished as he tried to grab at them.

    An odd item. Arkk¡­ wasn¡¯t quite sure what to do with it. Aside from keeping it, of course. This was, presumably, an artifact of a god. Whether that meant an artifact given directly to the people as a kind of boon or just an enchanted weapon crafted by whatever equivalent to priests the Cloak of Shadows had, it was something special.

    Arkk draped the thick shadow from the altar over one arm, the smaller cloth-like shadow over the other, and took the dagger in hand back toward the rest of the group to ask their opinions on the subject.

    He paused once again as he crossed through the collapsed section of the temple.

    As soon as he stepped into the column of light pouring in, the dagger disappeared. He could still feel it in his hand, he just couldn¡¯t see it. The gray shadows dragged by its tip faded and dispersed in the light. The darker cloths over his arms didn¡¯t, they stayed dark and whole. He quickly moved out of the light anyway.

    That was something he hadn¡¯t even been thinking about. These cloths were shadows. Shadows fled from light. He could have inadvertently destroyed the dark cloths or the dagger. It was only luck that he hadn¡¯t.

    The dagger came back the instant he moved it out of the light, once again snagging shadows as he moved.

    ¡°Savren,¡± Arkk called out as he drew closer to the warlock. ¡°What do you think¡ª¡±

    A loud shout from outside the temple cut him off.

 Protection

    With lightning from an Electro Deus spell crackling between his fingertips, Arkk rushed out of the temple.

    Dakka, Orjja, and Eiff¡¯an stood in front of the temple¡¯s entrance with their heavy shields raised. The rest of the team fanned out behind them, readying crossbows and battle axes. The horses, off to the side of the entrance, were pulling and tugging against the ropes used to hitch them to an old post. Their agitation didn¡¯t extend to the skeletal horse. It stood, still hooked up to the cart, without moving.

    Arkk fully expected a Protector on the other side of the orcs¡¯ shields. They had warned him against exploring the Underworld. While they had left the portal when the Walking Fortress arrived and hadn¡¯t been seen since, he doubted they would be all that excited to hear of him looting an old temple dedicated to their god.

    Yet the tall, carapace-covered forms of the Protectors were nowhere to be seen.

    A darkness unfurled across the desolate landscape. An inky shadow, elongated under the skewed light that seeped through the orange clouds in the sky, was little more than a murky silhouette. It possessed an eerie semblance of a humanoid figure rather than the multi-armed shadow of the Protectors. Its stockiness gave it the familiarity of an orc rather than a human or an elf.

    Nothing cast the shadow.

    The absence of any discernable body to account for the shadow that stepped closer to the temple sent a jolt of unease up Arkk¡¯s spine. He shouldn¡¯t feel surprised at shadows acting oddly in the Underworld. Yet there was just something disconcerting about watching a shadow step and move without anyone there to block the light.

    That unease only grew as Arkk realized that there were more of the shadows. A dozen. Two? They blended together at points, like groups of people walking alongside each other. Just without the people. Some walked in pairs, some walked alone. They all headed directly for the temple.

    Watching the shadows, Arkk made a snap decision. ¡°Out of the way,¡± he said, motioning with his hands off to one side. ¡°Back!¡±

    The shadows didn¡¯t noticeably react as Dakka and the others, with their shields aimed toward the shadows, backed away toward the horses and cart. They carried on, continuing their walk toward the temple. Based on the way the heads bobbed and turned, the shoulders shifted, and the arms gesticulated, Arkk could imagine conversations going on between the shadows.

    It reminded him of the Suun sermons at Langleey Village. Everyone would head up the hill to the church, chatting amicably as they prepared for Abbess Keena¡¯s lecture.

    Priscilla, emerging from the temple just after Savren, stood around with a blank look on her face. Arkk was about to yell at her only for Leda to grab her by the hand and, hovering above the ground, tug her away. Leda didn¡¯t manage to move the dragonoid even a single step despite her best efforts but, after a moment of staring at nothing with her blind eyes, Priscilla allowed herself to be pulled over to Arkk.

    The shadows continued past Company Al-Mir, taking no note of them. As they passed into the shadow of the temple, they formed more three-dimensional bodies, standing upright instead of flat against the ground, though they stood no less shadowy. Most of the dark figures headed inside while a handful stayed out. Those that remained mostly chatted with one another. One group stood outside only until a fifth shadow approached their group, at which point they all entered. The others slowly trickled in until all the shadows had vanished inside.

    Company Al-Mir stood silent, watching from the side of the church. Weapons and shields slowly lowered as it became clear that the shadows weren¡¯t attacking. Dumbstruck silence hung over the group as confused looks passed from party member to party member.

    ¡°What in the Light was that?¡± Gretchen mumbled, breaking the silence.

    Not that anyone had a proper answer.

    ¡°There was something strange,¡± Priscilla said, speaking slowly and thoughtfully. ¡°A chill passed over the area as if a thick cloud passed in front of the sun.¡±

    That was a fairly apt description, even if Arkk hadn¡¯t felt a physical cold. He looked over to Savren. The warlock had joined him along with Priscilla and the two magical assistants. Savren held the ceremonial dagger and the shadowy cloths that Arkk had shoved in his hands when he thought they were under attack. ¡°Thoughts?¡± Arkk asked.

    ¡°Lexa lent lexicon after leaving your first ¡¯loratory lot.¡±

    Arkk slowly raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really? ¡¯loratory for exploratory?¡± Savren just shrugged, leading to Arkk shaking his head. ¡°Shadow puppets,¡± Arkk said after a moment.

    Lexa had mentioned that. She slipped away during that first encounter with a Protector and scouted out some of the village ruins near the portal. She had found shadows of villagers doing perfectly normal things like eating at a table, knitting, or sleeping. Not wanting to provoke the Protectors, they hadn¡¯t returned to the village to investigate further.

    Arkk had almost forgotten about it.

    ¡°Think we can communicate with them?¡±

    ¡°It looked like they stood around talking,¡± Dakka said, still on guard. ¡°Didn¡¯t hear a whisper. Did you?¡±

    Arkk couldn¡¯t say he had. The entire¡­ procession had been utterly silent. The only noise came from disturbed horses and armor clanking as his crew moved around.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re real,¡± Morvin said. He winced and looked back to Savren as if he were asking for approval. Savren didn¡¯t move one way or another but Morvin took that as permission to continue. ¡°I mean. Obviously, there is something there. But nothing with thought. Shadow puppets is an apt description. Perhaps shadow echoes or shadow ghosts. We would need to examine them a bit more to be sure.¡±

    ¡°Sounds right to me,¡± Dakka said. ¡°Not that I know anything about magic. Just the feeling I got, you know? There¡¯s nothing there but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Poor Lady Shadows.¡±

    Arkk jolted. He whirled around along with most of his team. Dakka jumped in front of him, shield raised. Priscilla was a little slow on the uptake, looking around as if nothing was wrong. She must have sensed the tension in the air as everyone else scrambled to reposition. Her wings, unfurled fully, worked as a shield over the group.

    If only she were facing the right way.

    A Protector stood in front of them. Twice as tall as their tallest orc without including the elf-leg-length horns, it loomed over the group with its long and lanky limbs. This Protector did not carry a jagged sword or a goblet. Its long, sharp fingers would work well enough for a weapon, as would all the many spikes covering its reddish-orange carapace.

    ¡°Faced with the end, the Lady Shadows reached out and touched her people. An attempt to save them, I am sure. But the Lady Shadows doesn¡¯t understand. Can¡¯t understand.¡± The Protector¡¯s yellow eyes shifted their horizontal pupils to the group of Company Al-Mir, now fully prepared for battle. ¡°Their shadows endlessly act out happier days. They fail to notice that their cities have crumbled around them. There is no thought. No desire. No drive. Just the act. A final and endless performance for poor Lady Shadows.¡±

    It let its commentary hang in the silent air for a long moment, looking back to the temple¡¯s entrance. Arkk stared at it, tension slowly lessening as he took in its words. Compared to his last encounter with a Protector, this encounter was going positively swimmingly. It was talking. It was explaining things. Why explain things so calmly and casually if not to engage in communication rather than violence?

    ¡°You can speak now?¡± Arkk asked, stepping around Dakka to face the Protector directly.

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    ¡°I learned,¡± it said, eyes swiveling down to Savren and the artifacts he carried. He shied back, shirking behind Gretchen and Morvin. ¡°Poor Lady Shadows, suffered so much, must now suffer at the hands of pillagers and looters, raiding what little remains of the Lady Shadows¡¯ once great kingdom.¡±

    All that tension came flooding back. The Protector hadn¡¯t moved but the hostility in its tone was enough to twist Arkk¡¯s stomach.

    ¡°We sought audience with the Cloak of Shadows to ask for her aid,¡± Arkk said, as fast as he could. He still had some hope that they and the Protectors wouldn¡¯t have to be enemies. ¡°Our enemy is the Heart of Gold, one of the Pantheon who is responsible for the sorry state of your Lady Shadows. But fighting on our own while the Heart of Gold sends boon after boon to their worshipers is¡­ not the kind of battle we can win.¡±

    ¡°You fail to find audience and thus you resort to theft.¡± The protector leaned forward, looking at Savren even as one of the orcs moved between him and the creature. ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Not theft. A boon from a god can come in many forms. It need not be a personal chat with a god. Divine inspiration leading us to valuable artifacts like the tower or this dagger are equally valid,¡± Arkk said, bullshitting to the best of his ability. ¡°How can you say that the Cloak of Shadows would prefer for such artifacts to rot away in this wasteland rather than be put to good use?¡±

    ¡°You claim to understand the wants and desires of the Lady Shadows? Impossible. You cannot know the unknowable.¡±

    ¡°I only claim to know what I know,¡± Arkk said. ¡°And I know we didn¡¯t find this place by chance. You think, in this entire wasteland of a world, we would have just happened across this temple and the Walking Fortress Istanur?¡±

    The Protector did not respond. It stood, stooped forward with its long, blue hair flowing down its back like a waterfall. Its head tilted, swiveling somewhat as it looked over the group.

    Arkk couldn¡¯t tell what it was thinking. The faces of the Protectors, although humanoid in appearance, were rigid chitin. Its only means of conveying an expression came in its eyes and even those were alien and unreadable.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t here to disrupt the¡­ lives of the shadow people,¡± Arkk said, pleading his point. ¡°Nor are we here to destroy or plunder. But when inspiration points us toward artifacts that might help against the enemy of the Cloak of Shadows, who are we to not make use of them?¡±

    Priscilla had found both the tower and this temple. She claimed that the stars showed her what she needed to see. Maybe he was twisting things somewhat, but that sounded like divine inspiration to him. Perhaps not inspiration from the Cloak of Shadows, but it was the best they had.

    ¡°Come with us,¡± Arkk continued. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe us, join us and witness the enemy we fight. Make your decision after.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you so I should join you. The logic is¡­ absurd.¡±

    Arkk just scoffed. ¡°These are absurd times we¡¯re living in.¡±

    The Protector didn¡¯t seem to have a response to that. It simply swiveled its head, its alien expression conveying nothing.

    ¡°So what will it be?¡± Arkk asked, not even trying to read the creature¡¯s body language. ¡°Will you come with us and at least look for the possibility of a brighter future? Or do we have to fry another one of your¡­ bodies? Or however you work.¡±

    A few of Arkk¡¯s crew tensed at the casual threat. They were tense enough as it was. Antagonizing the creature that towered over them, especially when they all knew how difficult the last one had been to put down, probably didn¡¯t sit well with them. Arkk wasn¡¯t so concerned. This time, they all knew that lightning would take them down with relative ease. Everyone present could cast at least one lightning bolt. Likely more in the Underworld, given the constant ambient magic in the air.

    The Protector didn¡¯t rise to the quip. It stared for another moment before breaking eye contact, looking back toward the temple. Although its expression was just as unreadable as usual, Arkk felt a vague forlorn sensation in the way it stared where the shadows had gathered. Alien mind or not, Arkk felt he had a decent grasp on what it was thinking at this moment.

    ¡°A brighter future¡­¡± it said, still staring at the temple.

    Arkk thought he caught a note of disappointment in its tone that was separate from that forlorn feeling.

    Dakka nudged him in the side. ¡°A shadowy future? A darker future?¡± she hissed. Her voice was somewhat stressed despite the forced humor in her quip.

    ¡°Ah. Sorry,¡± Arkk said to the Protector. ¡°That was a tactless remark. Turns of phrase here are probably a little different than back home.¡±

    It turned away, looking back to Arkk. ¡°I understood your meaning.¡± Slowly, it turned its gaze over to Savren once more. ¡°I learned much since our last encounter.¡±

    Savren adopted a sneer, glaring at the Protector. ¡°You harbored the hallowed harvest of knowledge, pilfered precious perceptions from my pondering psyche?¡±

    ¡°I presume that is why you¡¯re able to communicate so naturally,¡± Arkk said, ignoring Savren.

    Savren had mentioned that, during the time where their minds were linked, several secrets of Fortress Al-Mir may have made their way from his end to the other. Arkk wasn¡¯t too concerned about that. Unless the Protector had a whole army of bodies to use, they weren¡¯t going to be able to make use of any real secrets. Not like Evestani or the Abbey of the Light would if they learned more.

    Rather, Arkk probably owed Savren thanks. Although unintentional, that pilfering of his psyche was likely the only reason the Protector was communicating now, instead of attacking immediately like they had at the village. That alone made that mind ritual worth it, even if Savren hadn¡¯t enjoyed it.

    The Protector dipped its head in what had to be an agreement with Arkk¡¯s statement. ¡°Knowing what I now know, I am more inclined to believe your words of peace even despite your actions here today.¡±

    ¡°So¡­?¡±

    ¡°Your proposition is acceptable. I will observe your actions and render judgment, even aid if I deem it worthy. In exchange, you will assist the Lady Shadows.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure how to assist a god, but what we¡¯re doing is hopefully for the good of everyone, including the Cloak of Shadows. Is that enough?¡±

    ¡°It will have to be.¡±

    The moment the Protector spoke, Arkk staggered. He smacked a hand into his forehead, rubbing at a sudden ache as a link formed. A strange link. It felt like just a single person but, the moment he tried to follow the link, it split and split and split. Dozens¡­ hundreds¡­ perhaps even thousands of the Protectors stood at the other ends. They were spread across the Underworld, and few were gathered together in groups. They were dotted about, few and far between. Only near the portal were there any gathered together. Even then, there were only a dozen, all hiding out in that village.

    ¡°Arkk?¡± Dakka whispered in concern. She reached out but wasn¡¯t able to accomplish much with her shield and weapon in her hands.

    Arkk shook his head, pulling his awareness back to himself. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said, patting Dakka on her armored arm. He turned back to the Protector and added, ¡°Don¡¯t try going near the portal until we get back. The guards have standing orders to defend the wall if any of you get too close. I¡¯ll inform them of the change in situation once we return.¡±

    ¡°Acceptable.¡±

    Arkk could already think of a dozen uses for the Protectors. Even if they weren¡¯t willing to fight, their shared mind even over vast distances and a multitude of bodies meant that they could communicate instantly. Arkk could ask one to do or say something and someone else, far away, could hear his orders instantly.

    Stationing one inside the scrying room would let them disseminate scrying updates to any active teams instantly. Something like that could have warned against the ambush at the supply lines, warning the team the moment the fog settled into the crystal balls. One at the former Duke¡¯s manor, one with Hawkwood, one with the Walking Fortress¡­

    Arkk was getting ahead of himself. The Protector had said that it would render aid, but Arkk would have to hash out the details with it later on. See what it was willing and unwilling to help with.

    And how best to keep it happy.

    He had ideas about that as well. Some he had built up just during their conversation.

    Arkk set the lesser servants in the fortress to clear out a large chamber. One with a high ceiling and plenty of open space. A new temple. One dedicated to the Cloak of Shadows. Something modeled after the temple here. He might have to get Vezta to help design the schematics for the room but he could start making the space right now.

    They could even keep the ceremonial knife there, along with any other objects they took from the Underworld. Although they might be engaged in a little plundering of this world, despite his earlier words, they could at least show that they were treating the recovered artifacts with respect. The temple could act as a reliquary for anything related to the Cloak of Shadows.

    Speaking of¡­

    ¡°I imagine we have a great deal to discuss even if you know most of our story from Savren. The way back is long and we¡¯ll have time aplenty. For now, however¡­¡± Arkk paused, not quite sure how to breach the subject. Open honesty was the best option, he supposed. ¡°We came out here to find aid from the Cloak of Shadows. As long as we are out here, I don¡¯t suppose you would be aware of anything that might assist in our efforts.¡±

    ¡°More trinkets to loot?¡±

    Arkk heard the disapproval in that question. He quickly shook his head, only to pause. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t phrase it like that.¡±

    The Protector¡¯s eyes flicked to the ceremonial dagger. It held out a hand, wordlessly asking for it to be passed over.

    Out in the sun, it wasn¡¯t visible. The only reason Arkk knew it was there was because of the way Savren gripped at nothing. Though he didn¡¯t grip for long. Without even looking to Arkk for permission, Savren held out the dagger and the shadowy cloths for the Protector.

    With reverence befitting a priceless artifact, the Protector took the dagger and held it up in one of its four hands. The long claws didn¡¯t fit around the leatherbound grip in a way that indicated it had been designed for something like the Protector. After holding it up, examining the invisible blade in the light, it took the smaller of the cloths from Savren and wrapped the blade from tip to pommel.

    It left the larger cloth in Savren¡¯s hands but kept a tight hold of the bound blade.

    ¡°There is one other object of note in the area,¡± it said, using its long legs to practically step over the group as it made its way to the temple entrance. ¡°Though I do not know if the Shadow Forge will fit in your small cart.¡±

 The Unilluminable Room

    Arkk stared into the darkness, feeling a constant pull in the back of his navel. He stood still. The ground underneath him was perfectly solid. Yet that twisting in his stomach felt like he was climbing a set of stairs only to try to step up one extra stair that didn¡¯t exist.

    Behind him, that orange, hazy light that extended throughout the Underworld illuminated Savren and Dakka along with the wide staircase that led beneath the Cloak of Shadows¡¯ temple. The light cut off abruptly at his feet. Beyond¡­ An abyss. It looked like the bottomless pit beneath Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s [HEART]. Except it wasn¡¯t just a pit. The abyss extended outward to infinity and even above as well despite the impossibility of that. The temple was above, after all.

    Holding out a hand, Arkk uttered the incantation for a small ball of light. Enough to hopefully shed some light on the room beyond.

    For it was a room. The Protector, forced to crawl on all six limbs like an insect because of the height of the stairwell, stood within the abyss ahead. It looked like the Protector was simply floating. Its chitinous face stared at Arkk without discernable expression, patiently waiting.

    The light did nothing. Arkk held it out ahead of him, past the threshold of darkness where the orange haze cut off. He could see his hand. He could see the orb of light hovering above his palm. Yet it didn¡¯t seem to cast any light at all. Not back on him in the stairwell. Not ahead on the Protector. Not even on his palm. Rather, the dark abyss in the room encroached. Thin black tendrils wormed their way around the hovering orb, entangling it. The light shrank and, as the darkness encircled it fully, snuffed out entirely.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°The Unilluminable Chamber is land consecrated to our Lady Shadows. It cannot be lit through any means.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Arkk said, frowning down at the darkness. Taking a breath, he stepped forward. He didn¡¯t place his weight on his forward foot until he fully felt the firm ground beneath him.

    As soon as he crossed the threshold, a chill ran up his spine. Inside the temple, the heat of the wasteland faded somewhat but in here? He might as well have been thrown outside a warm tavern on a cold winter night.

    What was more, he found he could see. It wasn¡¯t a large chamber. The rounded walls were adorned with sigils and runes. Even with Zullie¡¯s tutoring, he didn¡¯t recognize a single symbol. All he could tell was that the area immediately around them was somehow darker than the abyss that surrounded him.

    What could only be the Shadow Forge stood tall in the center of the room, right next to the Protector. A marvel of mystical engineering. Its design was a fusion of obsidian-like alloys, glowstone crystals that seemed to do the opposite of regular glowstone, and more glyphs that pulsed colors that Arkk had never seen before, nor could he find the words to describe.

    At its core, a swirling mass of shadow contained within a crucible mimicked the molten metal that might be found in a regular smithy¡¯s forge.

    Parts of it moved. An arm lifted. A hammer crashed down. Gears turned and pistons shifted. All without a hint of sound. It operated autonomously, filling that core with more liquid-like shadows with no clanks of machinery or hisses of steam. The crucible overflowed constantly, spilling the swirling mass. None of the shadows quite reached the ground beneath the forge, however, fading into nothingness well before it could reach.

    ¡°Knowledge of its operation is lost to us,¡± the Protector said, still crawling on all six of its limbs as it circled the forge. ¡°There is one within each temple to poor Lady Shadows. Once upon a time, they were used to manufacture all manner of items. From simple bowls and spoons for the needy to weapons and armaments in times of war.¡±

    With one foot planted on the side of the forge and two hands grasping at some stationary machinery overhead, the Protector dipped a hand into the crucible. The shadows within clung to his fingers like honey, dripping down in long, stretching strands.

    ¡°The Night Blade you found above was crafted here by the priests and acolytes. Few were permitted to observe their rites.¡± It tilted its hand, letting the last of the shadows run off back into the crucible. ¡°Now, they are gone. The knowledge lost with them. I do not know what use it may be but, as it once made weapons of war, it may serve you should you discover its secrets.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips into a thin line as he stepped closer, watching as a spigot above dispensed more of the liquefied shadows into the crucible. Gears turned and a piston chugged before more spewed out. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. If it was just a bowl of liquid shadow, it would have been unlike anything he had seen. The machine working entirely on its own¡­

    Autonomously.

    ¡°In my employ, I have an avatar of the Burning Forge. The member of the Pantheon who deals with fires, fabrication, creativity, and autonomy.¡± Agnete had been tinkering in the smithy lately. She had crafted Katt¡¯am¡¯s wheelchair among a few other simple items. Nothing as fancy as this, but she seemed to have a knack for manufacturing.

    Agnete had never touched an anvil before Fortress Al-Mir. According to Perr¡¯ok, the orc blacksmith who headed Al-Mir¡¯s foundry, her level of skill was equivalent to someone who had been working a smithy for at least ten years. Arkk suspected that was something to do with her status as an avatar, whether by receiving divine inspiration or having already had an innate talent that led to her being chosen as an avatar. Arkk hadn¡¯t thought too much of it before¡ªhe had plenty of smiths after recruiting some of the refugees with more than ten years of experience¡ªbut now¡­

    ¡°If anyone can figure out how to get it working, it will be her.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what they would do with it. It depended on what the forge was capable of. That ceremonial blade was clearly magical. If they could arm an entire army¡ªor at least their specialists¡ªwith magical weapons¡­ Well, maybe that would help level the playing field. Maybe a shadow sword could penetrate or ignore the gold armor of that knight. That alone would help with so much. Morale, mostly.

    ¡°The gadget grimly gazes at gravity, grounded and ungraceful. Gathering a gang to govern its gears shall be a gargantuan game.¡±

    Turning, unsurprised to find that Savren had joined him in the dark room, Arkk nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look very mobile,¡± he agreed. ¡°You said there were more? Is there one closer to the portal?¡±

    The Protector, now a step away from the forge, nodded. ¡°There are several. The closest would be the village where we initially encountered one another.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arkk said, trying to keep any annoyance at being unable to examine one of these forges earlier out of his tone. ¡°Once we get back, if you would be so kind as to show Agnete the way. Perhaps a few of our other smiths as well.¡± When the Protector nodded again, Arkk looked back to Savren. ¡°Any input from you on how to work the shadows?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a sorcerous scholar, not a smithy savant. Nevertheless, those spellbound symbols on the surfaces¡­¡± he said, looking at the eerie runes on the walls of the Unilluminable Chamber. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to intricately inspect those.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Arkk said, only to pause and look to the Protector. ¡°Uh¡­ if that¡¯s alright with you. It isn¡¯t our intention to commit any sacrilege or blasphemy against the Cloak of Shadows.¡±

    ¡°That you have not fallen to darkness already is evidence enough that your presence here is accepted.¡±

    Arkk shifted in a sudden discomfort. He tried to avoid glancing downward. ¡°That¡¯s a possibility, is it?¡±

    ¡°You stand within land consecrated to the Lady Shadows. Her power is at its highest here.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t¡­ frightening at all. I¡¯m glad we¡¯re accepted.¡± He leaned over, hissing in Savren¡¯s ear. ¡°Be respectful during your examinations.¡±

    ¡°Eminently,¡± Savren said with half a bow.

    ¡°Good,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m curious, Protector. What does it take to consecrate land to the Lady Shadows?¡±

    ¡°You ask for more lost knowledge. The Lady Shadows is also the Lady Secrets. Her acolytes were not the kind to share their tradecraft with outsiders.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± The Cloak of Shadows was the god of secrets, shadows, and night. Shame they hadn¡¯t stumbled into someone whose domain involved a little more openness. That said, perhaps Vezta would know. Consecrating land to one god might be similar to all of them. Failing that, the temple back in Fortress Al-Mir was somewhat similar, wasn¡¯t it? Hadn¡¯t she said that the silvery waters were some kind of connection to the realm of the Pantheon?

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    A few ideas started churning in the back of Arkk¡¯s mind.

    Nothing he could act on immediately, however.

    ¡°Well, thank you for your willingness to share in any case.¡±

    ¡°I revere the Lady Shadows for all she has done and tried to do for the people here. But I was never an acolyte.¡±

    Arkk gave the Protector a curt nod of his head. ¡°We¡¯ll spend the night here,¡± he said. Not that there were nights in the land of the night god. That orange haze outside never faded. ¡°Savren, Dakka, continue looking around for anything that might be useful, provided the Protector permits. We¡¯ll head back in the morning and¡­ introduce everyone to our new ally.¡±

    <hr>

    The temple had an armory nearby. Or the remains of one.

    Unfortunately, not much within was usable. The building itself was little more than a few crumbling walls, held up by sheer spite against gravity. Metal had rusted, cloth decayed, and shadows had been exposed to the light overhead for far too long. For normal use, light exposure wasn¡¯t a problem. But having sat around in the light for a thousand years, the weapons and armor made from shadow had faded to faint silhouettes of the items in question.

    Arkk still had them collected, carefully wrapping them to preserve them as much as possible. Even if they were useless in combat, they were examples of items manufactured in a Shadow Forge. Their existence could help Agnete and the other smiths figure out how to work one of the enigmatic forges.

    He held one of the more intact blades aloft. It weighed little. Like lifting a chicken¡¯s feather despite its unwieldy size. And it was unwieldy. The blade was too long. The grip, too thick. At least for a human.

    Although Dakka was the smallest of the orcs in his employ, she was still larger than he was. Passing the sword over to her, he noted that it fit far better in her grip. Vezta had said that orcs resembled one of the former inhabitants of this world. He supposed that made sense. She swung it, hacking through the air as a test. It left a faint trail of shadow in its wake, arcing a dark slice.

    While it looked right in Dakka¡¯s grip, her few experimental swings with the weapon left a frown on her face.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said slowly. ¡°It feels flimsy. Weak. It doesn¡¯t have the heft that my axe has. The weight of my axe head helps chop into things I wouldn¡¯t be able to otherwise.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it has properties that aren¡¯t apparent. Or a freshly made sword would be better.¡±

    Dakka glanced around the room. Not finding what she had been looking for, she set the sword down and removed her helmet. Her face underneath gleamed with small beads of sweat. While the cart had a cooling ritual pumping out chill air in a small radius around it, their exploration into the area around the temple was back in the persistent heat of the Underworld.

    She placed the helmet on the ground in front of her before taking up the sword once again.

    ¡°Bit of an awkward position for this,¡± she said, looking down. Even a goblin would have been a larger target. Nevertheless, she raised the sword and brought it down on her helmet with all the force she could.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what he expected. Perhaps for the blade to bounce off the armored helm. Or a broken shadow blade.

    But something strange happened as the blade drew near the helmet. Covered in small spikes for a fearsome appearance, though designed to break off easily in combat, several little shadows stretched across the top of the helmet. Those lines of shadow cracked and broke when the blade hit, snapping the spikes even though the blade hadn¡¯t touched them.

    The helmet itself dented where the blade made contact. It didn¡¯t slice straight through without resistance, instead hitting it as if the sword were any regular metal sword.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Dakka said, pulling the sword back to look it over.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Arkk agreed. ¡°Try stabbing the shadow of the helmet?¡±

    The orange light against the constant haze of the Underworld¡¯s sky wasn¡¯t directly overhead but it was close enough that the helmet didn¡¯t cast a very long shadow. There was still enough of a diffuse darkness for Dakka to grasp the sword in both hands and slam straight down, just to the side of the helmet.

    Two things happened at once. The sword, brittle and weak from light exposure, cracked and splintered. Small shards of shadow scattered off into every direction, all but the largest of which faded and vanished. Dakka was left holding nothing but the sword¡¯s handle and the finger-length of shadowy metal sticking out of it.

    The helmet, on the other hand, split. Cut straight down the middle, the helmet fell apart, clattering against the dust-covered stone.

    For a long moment, Arkk and Dakka simply stared.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°Huh,¡± Dakka agreed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to think of that.¡±

    ¡°Do you think a normal hit from your axe would have split it down the middle like that?¡±

    Dakka shook her head. ¡°It would have bit into it. Probably killed the guy wearing it¡ªmaybe, hitting someone who can fall back is a lot different from hitting a stationary target stuck against the ground¡ªbut these helmets aren¡¯t poorly made. It would have left a gash without breaking apart.¡±

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s¡­ interesting? I¡¯m curious to see how it handles something¡­ squishier. Not willing to volunteer for testing, however.¡±

    ¡°Same.¡± Dakka lifted the handle and turned it over before shaking her head. ¡°It would certainly be a surprise in combat, me slamming a sword down on some guy¡¯s shadow only for his armor to fall off. Assuming it doesn¡¯t slice a guy in half. But at the same time, attacking a shadow seems like it would be awkward in a fight.¡±

    ¡°And what if it is nighttime? Or sufficiently overcast? Or the Golden Order¡¯s avatar produces some light that puts the opponent¡¯s shadow directly behind them.¡±

    ¡°The same works for us, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Dakka asked, bending to inspect the helmet. She ran her fingers along the cut edge, accidentally slicing part of her glove open. ¡°Toss a glass orb filled with some alchemical solution behind the enemy that lights up when the glass breaks. Their shadow stretches toward us and then we stab it easily.¡± Her fingers moved to the heavy dent from the first strike against the helmet. ¡°Even if we can¡¯t, they still act like regular weapons it seems. And any little shadow on their body or helmet might cause their armor to break apart.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that the Protector never fought with these,¡± Arkk said with a frown. They were going to have to do a big meeting on just what kind of uses these weapons might have. ¡°There is probably some lost treatise for fighting with and against these kinds of weapons.¡±

    ¡°I cannot recall a time before the end.¡± The Protector stooped, ducking through the remains of a doorway that was not sized for it. ¡°I know I was there, smaller and less¡­ aware. Although there were many wars after the end, I was not an observer or participant. My time came after, just before¡­ I recall the fears of the people as crops died and livestock thinned. I recall the final words of acolytes across the land. ¡®And so, we shall ascend, delivered from our burdens by the grace of the Lady Shadows.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Ascend,¡± Arkk said, turning to face the Protector fully. ¡°Into those shadows outside?¡±

    There had been more¡­ gatherings of the shadows than just the procession in front of the temple. Arkk had passed a group that might have been browsing a market, another couple who appeared to stand guard around the armory, and plenty more occupying the shadows of old homes, long since broken and withered away.

    The Protector did not answer Arkk¡¯s question. It simply looked around, slowly turning its head from Arkk to Dakka and the broken helmet between them. ¡°Did you find aught of use?¡±

    ¡°Just the examples of items from the Shadow Forge as you suggested we would find.¡±

    The Protector nodded. Then, promptly stood aside.

    Gretchen stepped into the room, shooting a wary look at the Protector before looking to Arkk. ¡°Cart¡¯s all packed up. We¡¯re ready to move when you are.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arkk said. ¡°We¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±

    Gretchen shot one more look at the Protector before turning on her heel and fleeing back to the safety of the others.

    ¡°They fear me.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not used to you,¡± Arkk said, looking over the chitin-covered monster before him. If this building still had a ceiling, it would have to duck and walk on all six limbs as it had down in the Unilluminable Chamber. It was tall, lithe, and had that uncanny face carved from its carapace. ¡°We¡­ don¡¯t have anything like you back home. If they can get used to Vezta, they can get used to you. I wouldn¡¯t worry.¡± Arkk said with a shake of his head. He left the statement hanging in the air for a long moment, somewhat expecting a response. When none came, he cleared his throat and asked, ¡°Are you ready to leave?¡±

    ¡°I will not leave. I will meet you at your portal.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t coming with us? I thought¡ª¡±

    ¡°I shall maintain my vigil over the shades. It is the solemn duty I have taken on, to protect the subjects of the Lady Shadows. Fear not, I am already waiting for your arrival near your portal.¡±

    Arkk hesitated. A being with multiple bodies was¡­ a strange thing to talk to. One-on-one, it wasn¡¯t so bad. If there were multiple in the same room, what would he do then? Which would he look at when talking to it? Would all of them speak as one or would they take turns?

    With a small shake of his head, Arkk looked up at the Protector again and started to nod, only to hesitate as a thought occurred to him. ¡°You are the protector of the shades but¡­ protector from what? We haven¡¯t seen anything in this world apart from you and them. Are there other beings here?¡±

    The Protector didn¡¯t answer right away. It tilted its head up toward the hazy skies, turning slightly to face one of the tall columns of darkness that were scattered across the Underworld. ¡°It has been some time since I last saw others. Perhaps they have gone extinct and only I remain.¡± It paused a moment before its tone turned to something a little more hostile. ¡°Shadows act differently here compared to memories lifted from your spellcaster. More things interact with them. As I am sure you have noticed,¡± it said with a gesture toward the broken helmet. ¡°Shadows have developed their own predators.¡±

    Arkk shivered, though he wasn¡¯t quite sure why. Something about the Protector¡¯s tone made him think there was more to it than that.

    But the Protector turned away, crawling on all sixes to pass through the armory¡¯s doorway. Arkk followed slowly, making sure to keep a respectful distance. Dakka followed after him, holding the broken helmet under her arm while carrying the remains of the broken blade in her other hand.

    ¡°Nevertheless, the Lady Shadows gave me strength and purpose,¡± the Protector continued. ¡°Allowing me to live in this world. I will continue my vigil in turn.¡±

    ¡°What would you do if these predators have gone extinct?¡±

    ¡°I would change nothing. I can experience things in ways that my memories of your spellcaster cannot. I can explore the world while keeping watch on the shades. I will shortly venture to your world. I imagine it will be a novel experience.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say we¡¯ll be as hospitable as we can be. The ongoing war might limit that hospitality.¡±

    The Protector didn¡¯t answer again. Arkk wondered just how introspective it was. Had it had any contact with something that wasn¡¯t itself or a predator since the Calamity? Feeding it Savren¡¯s memories had probably been an unimaginable gift, giving it something other than its thoughts.

    ¡°Farewell, Arkk of Al-Mir. I await your arrival.¡±

    With that, the Protector broke off and headed toward the center of the dead city. After glancing at Dakka¡ªand getting a shrug in return¡ªArkk turned and headed to the outskirts where their cart awaited. It would be a few days back and then¡­

    Then, just how ready were they for the war to resume anew?

 Weapons Testing

    ¡°Brace. Three. Two. On¡ª¡±

    The floor of the Walking Fortress Al-Lavik shook as a boulder slammed into its side. The slight rocking made Arkk take a step to the side. Beyond that, he barely felt anything. Closing his eyes, he focused on the tower, examining it through the link to its [HEART].

    Some of the reinforced stone bricks had taken a slight beating. He could see where the boulder had impacted it. Conjured dirt and stone from the boulder scraped off against the wall, leaving an ugly scar on its side without causing significant structural harm. By the time the boulder fell the rest of the way to the ground, sending up a small column of dirt and dust, Arkk decided that there was no appreciable damage.

    As expected. This wasn¡¯t the first boulder he had launched at the Walking Fortress. Just the first he had launched while it was occupied.

    ¡°Test c-complete,¡± Luthor said, almost avoiding his stutter entirely. The chameleon had been rather nervous about meeting with Savren¡ªa sentiment Arkk hadn¡¯t exactly felt different about¡ªbut the sessions with the mind mage seemed to have paid off. Given Savren¡¯s extensive research into his own speech issue, it wasn¡¯t a surprise that he could help others. ¡°No damage.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ terrifying,¡± Hawkwood said, gripping the railing that overlooked Al-Lavik¡¯s scrying chamber.

    There were two pits on either side of a raised central platform. A large table had been set up. Thanks to John the Carpenter¡¯s efforts, little wooden pegs of varying colors could fit into little holes in the table, allowing Arkk to easily set up a map and pin down important locations. The scrying team, occupying the two pits, would ideally spot points of interest and inform whoever was in charge of the map.

    Now that Arkk had the Protector among his ranks, he wasn¡¯t sure that it was necessary to bring the scrying team along with the tower. One Protector could sit back at Fortress Al-Mir while the other was here, either informing those in charge of the map or manipulating it on its own. A slight delay causing reactions to slow too much, communication issues, or someone managing to interfere with the Protector¡¯s linked minds were all potential problems. Arkk hadn¡¯t quite decided whether or not to keep the pits occupied.

    For now, they were.

    ¡°Everything held up well in the previous tests,¡± Arkk said, smiling. There was a lot of uncertainty still but Al-Lavik¡ªnamed after one of the few ancient phrases Vezta could remember which translated to roughly ¡®Of the Stars¡¯¡ªwas not really a part of that. It felt like everything Vezta had advertised. A device of ultimate offense. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be inside here if I thought it was a danger. I just wanted to see what it felt like for the tower to get hit.¡± He paused, then added, ¡°It¡¯s also getting the bombardment team some practice.¡±

    Two levels below, Morvin headed the small squad of spellcasters. Two humans, an orc, and an elf made up the primary bombardment team. The best spellcasters Arkk had available. Not wanting to deplete the glowstones on simple tests, they were using their own magic to conjure the boulders. That was good practice on its own, as was getting used to the ritual and its targeting mechanics.

    The large ritual chamber had space for six of the massive boulder-drop ritual circles. Only two had the ritual inscribed on them. Three were blank, awaiting components from the smithy. The last wasn¡¯t a boulder-drop ritual, but rather a newly forged ritual circle whose design had come from the Duchy¡¯s siege magic records. With Katja effectively in charge, Arkk hadn¡¯t run into any trouble digging through the archives for less-publicized magics.

    The other three slots would go toward other siege magics. He might even swap one of the two boulder-drop slots for a unique spell. Unfortunately, the Duchy¡¯s siege magics weren¡¯t quite as advanced as Evestani¡¯s. They lacked the modular targeting component, thus requiring them to undergo a bit of reverse engineering to break them down and build them back up. Savren was working on that task.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t terrifying,¡± Richter Porter said, gripping the railing much as Hawkwood was. The captain of the deserters looked more excited, contrasting with Hawkwood¡¯s wariness. ¡°It¡¯s brilliant! Military doctrine states that a counter-siege ritual must be erected as soon as possible anytime a capable company comes to a halt. Non-magically capable companies are too spread out to make for a less appealing target. But all that takes time and severely harms the ability to begin launching our siege magic.

    ¡°If the building can take the punishment, spellcasters can begin bombardment as soon as a target comes within range. Whether that be an opposing army or a city.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Hawkwood said, staring down into the pit where Luthor held his hands above a crystal ball. ¡°Terrifying for anyone opposing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s rather the point,¡± Olatt¡¯an said. The older orc stood at the far end of the room, peering out the large windows¡ªwhich were reinforced with the same magic that kept the stone of the structure from harm. ¡°Any army who sees this tower on the horizon would do well to surrender.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t quite that easy,¡± Arkk said with a small sigh. ¡°Unfortunately, rituals don¡¯t like to work while being moved.¡± The cooling ritual Zullie had designed for the Underworld wouldn¡¯t work here. It relied on the overabundance of magic in the Underworld¡¯s air. ¡°The tower has to plant itself before any bombardment begins. It is surprisingly fast for its size but still visible enough that everyone will have plenty of time to set up defenses or even countermeasures. I¡¯m still not sure if the reinforced stone will hold up against those rays of gold¡­¡±

    They had no way of testing that short of inviting the avatar over for tea. Somehow, Arkk didn¡¯t think that would go over so well.

    ¡°We¡¯re working on countermeasures for that,¡± Arkk finished firmly. ¡°In any case, the test is finished for now. We¡¯ll perform another few as we finish the siege magic components, which you both will be invited to. Luthor, I¡¯ll send you and the crystal ball back to the usual scrying room for now.¡±

    Richter nodded eagerly, barely taking note as the chameleon vanished from the room. ¡°We¡¯ll finally be in a position to strike back at the invaders. The men will be cheering all night.¡±

    While the young captain looked positively ecstatic as he headed toward the tower¡¯s stairs, Hawkwood didn¡¯t look quite so certain. Neither did Olatt¡¯an.

    One would have been concerning enough. Both looking like that? Arkk felt he was missing something. That something started gnawing at his stomach as he followed the three down the stairs. It grew as he dismissed the spellcasting team and grew more as Richter kept extolling the virtues of a massive tower marching across the terrain.

    Fortress Al-Mir was divided into roughly four sections at the moment. The core of Fortress Al-Mir, where Arkk and all his direct employees lived and worked. The refugee section, which Arkk was hoping to diminish now that winter was ending¡ªlarge numbers of people had already started leaving, following an effort set up by Katja to create a new burg not far from Cliff for those displaced by the war. The mass barracks where the deserters stayed and the even larger barracks where Hawkwood and his army were housed¡ªnone of whom were actually linked to the [HEART] and were therefore kept at a distance. The latter two groups were by and large the most sizable factions in Fortress Al-Mir. Especially Hawkwood¡¯s army of nearly four thousand.

    When Richter split off to his section of the fortress, Arkk held Hawkwood and Olatt¡¯an back. Leading them off toward a smaller less-used room, Arkk teleported in some chairs, a table, and a few drinks.

    ¡°So,¡± Arkk said, taking a seat and propping his elbow up on the table. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±

    Olatt¡¯an and Hawkwood glanced at one another. They didn¡¯t say a word but Arkk got the impression that neither wanted to speak in front of the other. Olatt¡¯an was understandable in that regard, not wanting to question Arkk in front of an outsider. Hawkwood¡­ perhaps recalled that Arkk¡¯s original orc force came from a bunch of barely-reformed raiders.

    Whatever their reasons, Arkk didn¡¯t much care for it. ¡°Just spit it out. If there is an issue, especially with the tower, we need to know now so we can work it out.¡±

    Hawkwood opened his mouth only for Olatt¡¯an to beat him to speaking.

    ¡°First, let me ask what your is plan when this tower is finished?¡± the old orc said.

    ¡°March it on Elmshadow. That¡¯s Evestani¡¯s largest stronghold at the moment. We force them back, keep following and, once we reach Moonshine Burg, plant the tower there to keep more Evestani from entering the Duchy.¡± Arkk held up a hand, forestalling the objections he was sure were coming. ¡°That is an oversimplification. I was planning on gathering everyone together for a proper meeting on the topic later. I know it isn¡¯t likely to work out so nicely once we make contact with the enemy, but planting an insurmountable object in the main pass to enter the Duchy seems like the best bet at ending the war now before it drags on for another few decades like the last war.¡±

    A long silence followed Arkk¡¯s explanation. He well knew there were flaws with it. The most glaring of which was the Golden Order. Their war was against him. They wouldn¡¯t give up so easily as long as they still existed. It wasn¡¯t the only flaw, just the biggest of them. For that one, he was hoping that Inquisitrix Astra would come through with countermeasures for the golden magics. There were going to be meetings and discussions about how to fix those other flaws.

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    The way Olatt¡¯an and Hawkwood glanced at each other again, like they thought his brief summary was the full stop of his plan, had Arkk¡¯s eye twitching.

    ¡°I imagine things won¡¯t go well even before Moonshine,¡± Olatt¡¯an said. ¡°The army holding at Elmshadow has no local loyalty or reason to remain at the burg. It is a strategic location, yes, but not one worth fighting against something like the tower.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ part of the plan,¡± Arkk said, not quite sure what point Olatt¡¯an was aiming for. ¡°Make them retreat.¡±

    ¡°The army there can split in half,¡± Hawkwood said, smoothing down his trimmed beard. ¡°Some go north and some go south, making their way around the Elm mountains. You can only chase one of them. They might not even need to split up if they¡¯re fast enough.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. ¡°That works to our advantage as well. If they maneuver around us then the tower will be between them and their supply line. Even if Evestani deploys that golden armored soldier to protect them, the supplies themselves won¡¯t hold up to bombardment magic.¡±

    ¡°It still leaves the rest of the duchy¡ªand us here¡ªvulnerable to that army. They raid and pillage,¡± Olatt¡¯an said with a small smile. ¡°They¡¯ll keep doing that to support themselves.¡±

    ¡°At that point, it is a problem for the Duke¡¯s Grand¡­ or¡­ Katja¡¯s Grand Guard?¡± Arkk paused a moment, wondering if the Duchy of Mystakeen was even a Duchy now that they no longer had a duke. He shook his head. The name didn¡¯t matter. ¡°We just need to make it impossible for them to continue their campaign. Even if that means taking the fight all the way to Evestani.¡±

    ¡°That would change things,¡± Hawkwood said slowly. ¡°No books have been written on fighting with or against one of these towers, so I cannot say with any resolute authority, but the tower isn¡¯t frightening to an army that can move easily.

    ¡°Put it up against villages and burgs that cannot simply get up and walk away¡­ Once people become aware of the level of siege magic you can unleash and the futile effects of siege magic on the tower¡­¡± Hawkwood pressed his lips into a thin line. ¡°When I first saw that tower, I mentioned that it would get people worried. That was before I realized the true scope of its capabilities.¡±

    ¡°It is a siege weapon unlike any other,¡± Olatt¡¯an agreed. ¡°It is not a weapon to fight an army with. That¡¯s all we¡¯re trying to say.¡±

    Arkk folded his arms and, for the first time since taking a seat, drank a little of the alcohol that he had poured at the start. It wasn¡¯t the really strong stuff but it did leave a small burn at the back of his throat.

    ¡°First of all,¡± Arkk said, looking to Hawkwood. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in sieging villages and even most burgs. Military targets, yes. Regular people? Absolutely not.¡±

    ¡°Of course. It was just an example.¡±

    ¡°As for fighting an army with the tower¡­ It isn¡¯t impossible, exactly. Even if they split up. Only mounted troops can move faster than the tower. The Walking Fortress can soften any hard target.¡± Arkk had thought long and hard about the best way to use the tower in combat. He doubted he had the best use of it possible and he was sure he would learn once he engaged the enemy. But from talking with Priscilla and Vezta, he had a fairly good idea of how to use it effectively.

    ¡°But don¡¯t forget that it is capable of carrying a small army,¡± Arkk continued. ¡°There is no line of logistics to protect. The tower acts as a supply point that cannot be depleted, so even at a distance from anywhere, the army can carry on. The same cannot be said for the enemy. The tower¡¯s mere existence shuts down any attempt at resupply. They cannot stop to rest. They cannot raid villages and loot supplies without the tower catching up to them. They will wear out and either surrender or, exhausted and harried, try to fight.

    ¡°If an army splits up, they, by definition, become less of a problem. Assuming our estimates are correct regarding the occupiers of Elmshadow, there are ten thousand there. If they split evenly, we chase five thousand and leave the other five alone. If they carry on together, they suffer the problem I just stated. If they split again, then White Company alone¡ªeven with the losses you sustained¡ªoutnumbers them by almost double. You handle one group, we take the other. Then we can figure out where the other five thousand went and do the same thing to them or leave them for the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard.¡±

    ¡°How long will that take?¡± Hawkwood asked.

    Arkk shrugged. It didn¡¯t matter, in his mind. If it took too long, he could simply leave and head toward Moonshine Burg. A routed and split army, exhausted and without supplies, should be easy to handle even for a lesser force. He could leave Richter and his men to handle that while the Walking Fortress marched.

    ¡°Alternatively¡­ we could make it impossible for the enemy to run. Sabotage routes away from Elmshadow. Lay traps and alchemical explosives in their path.¡±

    ¡°Dangerous,¡± Hawkwood said. ¡°A force that cannot flee will fight to the end.¡±

    Arkk hummed. That was something to consider. He still wasn¡¯t sure that they would flee. Not with the avatar at their backs.

    The old orc scowled at his empty glass on the table. After a glance, seeing that Arkk and Hawkwood weren¡¯t drinking, he simply grabbed the whole bottle. ¡°When do we begin our campaign?¡±

    That was another question. Between the avatar and that gold soldier, Arkk didn¡¯t want to send his employees into a fight that they couldn¡¯t win even with the Walking Fortress at their backs. Savren was still updating the siege rituals for relational targeting and pieces of the siege rituals were still under construction at the smithy. Then there was the Shadow Forge to consider.

    Agnete was trying to get it working along with one of the Protectors.

    Priscilla was going out in the Underworld for another scouting trip in the morning. This time with directions provided by the Protectors that might lead to more useful artifacts and equipment. Those additions might change how he fought entirely if they were powerful enough.

    He could sit around forever, constantly waiting until he and his men were just a little stronger.

    But Evestani were getting reinforcements from their homeland. After the gold knight fended off the supply line strike team, more and more were headed over. Not just supplies either, but men and equipment. A day ago, Evestani had deployed their scrying fog once again, presumably to transport something that they didn¡¯t want everyone to know about.

    Evestani was building up just as he was. They would eventually launch an attack and, when they did, Arkk had no doubt that they would believe in their victory. Whether or not they could actually achieve it was another question. No matter what, he doubted it would be a battle he would enjoy fighting.

    Then again, perhaps he should allow them to attack first. With Walking Fortress Al-Lavik and Fortress Al-Mir here, he felt his position was relatively unassailable. If he allowed Evestani to throw themselves upon his blade and then launched the counter-attack, he could sweep across the Duchy all the way to the border without sizeable resistance.

    ¡°There is another thing,¡± Hawkwood said, interrupting Arkk¡¯s thoughts.

    There was a reason he had a whole host of advisors. He would put the topic of when to attack on the table. Until then, he neglected to answer Olatt¡¯an¡¯s question in favor of Hawkwood¡¯s interruption.

    ¡°A Swiftwing harpy delivered a letter to Stone Hearth Burg yesterday evening.¡±

    ¡°Another of Lady Katja¡¯s attempts at buying your loyalty?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Hawkwood started, only to pause and nod. ¡°Well, yes. There was one of those. But no, the letter I¡¯m concerned about bore the stamped seal of King Abe Lafoar. A follow-up to the message I received earlier, if you remember. This one is, however, signed by the King himself.¡±

    Arkk grimaced. He had almost forgotten that there was another faction he had to worry about. One that, in all likelihood, wouldn¡¯t exactly be on friendly terms with him. The Abbey of the Light had pushed the Duke against him. He did not doubt that they were pushing the King as well.

    He didn¡¯t know much about the King. Was he a despot as the Duke had been? Corrupt and fat on the people? Or was he just ignorant of how the Duke handled his domain?

    ¡°Good news?¡± Arkk asked. ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised that he sent a direct letter to you.¡±

    ¡°With Lady Katja sitting on the Duke¡¯s chair and many prominent commanders of the Grand Guard missing, dead, or bought out by Katja, I don¡¯t think he has many options. White Company has, through our contract with the Duke, served the Kingdom well for decades.¡± Hawkwood paused with a frown on his face. ¡°As for what he had to say¡­ Nothing we didn¡¯t already know. He is displeased with the state of affairs. Evestani has ransacked half the land. The Abbey of the Light is arguing for collusion with Evestani to focus on capturing and containing some nobody that has been stirring up trouble in spite of the Abbey¡¯s historical hostility with the Golden Order. His Duke is dead with some upstart in his place. The Grand Guard are scattered and have conflicting loyalties. Etcetera, etcetera. The letter went on for a good three rolls complaining about every little thing.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together at the reference to him as a nobody. He thought he had been making a fairly prominent name for himself. Though, maybe it was better that the King saw him as a nobody. ¡°What is he planning on doing about it?¡± Arkk asked after a moment of pause.

    ¡°Prince Cedric Valorian Lafoar, as we know, is on his way to ascertain the truth of what is going on in all this chaos. Prince Cedric will have full authority to act as he sees fit with regard to you, Lady Katja, and Evestani. That means allying with or fighting against any or all of you.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ potentially good if we can ally with him. What are the chances of that, do you think?¡±

    ¡°I would lean more toward unlikely,¡± Hawkwood said. ¡°King Abe sent his son to Vaales ten years ago to crush a rebellion. I have looked into it a little bit more since we last spoke on the matter. He arrived with an elite guard and dozens of powerful spellcasters on loan from his father and crushed the entire region before rebuilding it as his private fiefdom.¡± Hawkwood paused, shifting in discomfort. ¡°Utterly crushed it. Practically wiped the realm clean of anyone who would dare put on a look of defiance.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an broke in. ¡°It isn¡¯t said to be a pleasant place to live,¡± the old orc said. ¡°Doubly so if you¡¯re a demihuman or beastman. Most fled the land for Lockloch, from what I understand.¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t used to be like that,¡± Hawkwood said despite nodding along. ¡°Something happened to his wife many years ago, leaving him with¡­ less than a pleasant demeanor toward non-humans.¡±

    ¡°Let us not mince words,¡± Olatt¡¯an said with a scoff. ¡°He would hang us all if he got the chance.¡±

    ¡°But,¡± Hawkwood said. ¡°He won¡¯t be able to do the same thing here. Crushing a few peasants and fighting a war are two vastly different things. It doesn¡¯t matter how elite his guard is or how capable his spellcasters are.¡±

    ¡°A man like that¡­¡± Olatt¡¯an trailed off with a frown. ¡°I would have spent the last ten years raising an army loyal to me.¡±

    Hawkwood considered and shrugged. ¡°Whatever the case, the King sent the letter to me personally to ask that I cooperate fully with him, giving him whatever he needs as he takes in the state of the land.¡±

    Arkk waited a moment, taking in all their words. After it all, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a small laugh. At Olatt¡¯an and Hawkwood raising their eyebrows, he could only laugh a little harder.

    ¡°You know,¡± Arkk said as the chuckles died down. ¡°I would really appreciate the chance to solve one problem before another reared up. Just one.¡±

 The Trembling Earth

    They were on a time limit.

    Arkk didn¡¯t know exactly when, but this Prince Cedric would be here sooner or later. At that point, Arkk would lose Hawkwood¡¯s help. Worse, he might possibly lose Hawkwood as an ally and, instead, gain an enemy.

    Although Arkk had passed on the warning about Prince Cedric to Katja, he was very much hoping that the Prince would be too focused on the Duke¡¯s usurper to concern himself with the goings on out in the middle of the Duchy. In case he wasn¡¯t, they needed to move fast. Fighting off a war on two separate fronts wasn¡¯t going to be pleasant.

    That was the whole reason he had taken out the Duke in the first place.

    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that thing can move,¡± Ilya said, standing alongside him as the Walking Fortress took a step. One massive leg lifted from the ground, trailing small bits of dirt and stone in its wake.

    It came back down. The brief instant of silence fell apart as a gust of wind blasted across the surface of the Cursed Forest. Ilya¡¯s long, silver hair whipped up against Arkk¡¯s face, forcing him to turn aside just as the leg hit the ground.

    The ground rocked.

    Arkk had felt several quakes in the past. Mostly after having contracted with Fortress Al-Mir in the form of enemy attacks¡ªsuch as Evestani dropping boulders on him. But none could compare to this.

    He was thrown clean off his feet. Ilya, by virtue of her elven grace, managed to remain standing. Even she faltered as the fortress slammed down its second leg. Before she could hit the dirt, Arkk teleported both of them down into Fortress Al-Mir.

    The fortress still shook, though not as severely. Enough that he wouldn¡¯t want to try running around but not so much that he couldn¡¯t keep upright. A quick check through the fortress showed most people having stopped what they were doing to just weather out the repeated steps. Everyone, including refugees, had been warned, so there wasn¡¯t any panic or alarm. There wasn¡¯t much panic or alarm.

    Peeking into the refugee section of the fortress did show a few huddling together with worry riddled across their faces. Mostly the elderly or the young.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to adjust its pathing to swing wide around Stone Hearth Burg,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°Good,¡± Ilya said with a short sigh. ¡°I was going to say¡­ Not sure you needed all those rituals and trebuchets you put in that thing. If it walks too close to a burg, it¡¯ll shake the buildings to the ground.¡±

    Before winter, Arkk would have agreed. As it was, he fully expected some gold magic to suffuse throughout any target he neared which would render those stomps completely inert. Assuming the avatar of the Golden Order couldn¡¯t just blast it down with one of those rays. That was the biggest worry he had.

    ¡°Our goal shouldn¡¯t be to destroy places without regard. I know what I did in Gleeful, but¡­ Targeted strikes which leave most of a burg intact while routing Evestani are better ways of going about things.¡±

    It was something to keep in mind, however. An extra weapon that he hadn¡¯t counted on. If they encountered an army out in the open that, for whatever reason, hadn¡¯t run away upon spotting the approaching tower, the tremors alone would keep the soldiers from being able to move. At that point, they would be at Arkk¡¯s mercy.

    ¡°Come. We¡¯ll head to Stone Hearth Burg and let Hawkwood and Richter know that they will have to move further north to meet with the tower.¡±

    Ilya accepted, taking his hand into hers, but frowned. ¡°Probably should wait until it stops moving.¡±

    She¡­ had a point.

    Still, he wanted to visit the burg sooner rather than later.

    He teleported both of them to the end of the far tunnel leading away from the Cursed Forest. The exit had once been a small hatch, covered in dirt and brush to keep it hidden. Now, he had built a proper structure. Getting a dozen people out by ladder alone was hard enough. Trying to force a few hundred people to enter and exit by ladder was a degree harder.

    Steep stairs led up to a hastily constructed hut on the outskirts of Stone Hearth Burg. It was an unassuming building, constructed with worn scrap wood from one of the buildings destroyed in the orcs¡¯ initial raid of Langleey village. That gave it a look like it had been around for a while. Some old farmer¡¯s shed. Nothing notable. It probably didn¡¯t have any valuables. Only the most desperate would look twice at it and even they wouldn¡¯t discover that the floor slid aside.

    Arkk and Ilya stepped out, both grimacing at the chill air. It wasn¡¯t dead-of-winter cold. The general trend of the weather was upward. It was still a far cry from the heat of summer or even the warmth of Fortress Al-Mir.

    At least the ground wasn¡¯t covered in snow. The trek to Stone Hearth Burg wasn¡¯t far but trudging through snow wasn¡¯t fun.

    Walking Fortress Al-Lavik stood tall in the distance, visible clearly across the rocky quarry that extended out from Stone Hearth Burg. It was a dark, shadowy blight against the otherwise bright blue sky. Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure what had caused that. When he first built the tower, it looked like Fortress Al-Mir, filled with violet glowstones and maze-like patterns everywhere. Over time, the stone had faded and blackened, turning similar to the shadowy blocks that made up the Walking Fortress Istanur in the Underworld.

    According to Vezta, it was the [HEART]. There were many such artifacts strewn throughout the various planes. Al-Mir¡¯s was granted to Vezta¡¯s former master by Xel¡¯atriss. If it wasn¡¯t faulty as a result of the Calamity, they could have split it to form a Walking Fortress that would have matched Al-Mir¡¯s aesthetics. The one inside the tower had been gifted to someone by the Cloak of Shadows. Thus, it rewrote its construction materials to match its patron deity.

    It wasn¡¯t dangerous. If the [HEART] had rejected him, he would have known it early on.

    ¡°You can feel it even out here,¡± Ilya said.

    She was right. It was far fainter. If one wasn¡¯t paying attention, they probably wouldn¡¯t notice. Inside the burg, things could be different. The slight tremors would shake the buildings and items on shelves, and probably disturb any animals. The stables down in Fortress Al-Mir were going a little crazy. All the horses were in a wild panic.

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    Except for the skeletal horse. It just sat still, awaiting orders.

    ¡°We just have to make sure people know that it is here to help, not to attack.¡±

    In truth, Arkk expected little panic inside Stone Hearth Burg. Or Smilesville Burg and Langleey Village, for that matter. When he realized that the tower, even inside the Cursed Forest, was visible from all the nearby settlements, he sent Ilya around to make sure that the people in charge knew nothing was amiss. Of course, being told of a distant construction project and seeing¡ªand feeling¡ªthat construction project stomp toward your town was another matter entirely.

    With White Company keeping most of their men around Stone Hearth Burg, recovering and recuperating from their part in the war, he hoped the burg felt relatively safe.

    The vibrations only grew more intense. As Arkk neared Stone Hearth Burg¡¯s main gate, he could feel each step of the great tower. So could everyone else.

    He could hear the alarm of the local abbey¡¯s bells sounding, ringing relentlessly. Guards stood on the burg walls and the main gates were closed.

    White Company, as a whole, was arranged in a defensive formation around the outside of Stone Hearth¡¯s walls. Some ushered people toward the burg but most just stood in formation. Even though most of them knew, he could still see nervousness on many of their faces.

    ¡°So much for not panicking,¡± Arkk grumbled.

    Thankfully, he wasn¡¯t denied entrance. White Company ushered him along with a few others to the burg walls where he had to wait for a long few minutes, standing in line to be admitted through a smaller side gate. As was typical of a burg like Stone Hearth, when the alarm bells rang, everyone who lived outside the walls was to make their way inside. If bands of raiders or even just a small horde of goblins showed up, the best place to stay safe was behind the guards and their walls.

    ¡°Oh Light,¡± an older woman in line murmured as one of the heavier thumps resounded across the land. She clasped her hands together, turning toward the sun¡ªand, inadvertently, the tower¡ªin prayer. Only for the words of her prayer to get caught in her throat as she saw the dark shadow stretching out from the Cursed Forest.

    An older man placed an arm around her shoulders, turning her back toward the burg while lightly rubbing her back. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, dear,¡± he mumbled. Despite his words and comforting actions, he clenched and unclenched his other hand repeatedly, a nervous action. ¡°As long as those rowdy hens don¡¯t tear down the coop in their panic.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t heading toward us,¡± Ilya said. She spoke softly and with a pained look on her face.

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Arkk added. Maybe quelling the fears of one couple wouldn¡¯t mean much in the long run. It was still obviously a bother to Ilya and that did mean something. ¡°We were further out when it started moving. You can see that it¡¯s headed north of here.¡±

    The old man offered a wan, humorless smile. ¡°Mags hasn¡¯t been well since that tower appeared in the Cursed Forest,¡± he said. He traced a light pattern on the woman¡¯s back. ¡°No. She hasn¡¯t been well since the sky¡­¡±

    Arkk grimaced, especially when Ilya shot him a glaring look. He had almost forgotten about that. It helped that he hadn¡¯t actually seen it.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing to worry over. Nothing bad has happened yet, has it?¡±

    ¡°War. A moving tower. The ground quaking. The chickens losing all their feathers in worry while it¡¯s still winter¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Well¡­¡± Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what more to say. He shot a look to Ilya but the elf just gave a light shake of her head. It did seem like they weren¡¯t helping at all, so best to remain silent.

    By the time Arkk made it into the burg, the rhythmic steps of the fortress felt like he was standing on a wooden board with someone jumping on the other end. Still nothing too intense but definitely notable.

    With a mental directive, he ordered the tower just a little further north than it was, hoping that the intensity of the thumps didn¡¯t increase much more. And maybe help quell the fears of that old couple and their chickens.

    The garrison was caught in a whirlwind of activity. Guards hurried this way and that, gearing up and readying arms. Some directed the villagers who had been outside the walls to safe places. Others spent time calming¡ªor trying to calm¡ªa crowd of worried people. It was all the panic that Arkk had hoped to avoid by having Richter and Hawkwood inside the village. That was the whole reason they were here instead of inside the tower.

    The course they had plotted through the Duchy to Elmshadow carefully navigated around most large villages and burgs. Plenty had been destroyed or abandoned thanks to Evestani¡¯s push to Gleeful. Those that remained might get spooked when they saw the tower on the horizon, even if it wasn¡¯t headed directly toward them. Stone Hearth Burg, on account of its proximity to the Cursed Forest, would likely be the burg who felt the thumping the most of anyone they passed. And that was after his adjustments to its pathing further north.

    He had been planning on sending out scouts in advance to assure the villages that the tower wasn¡¯t coming to stomp on them. But if all his efforts to avoid panic here still wound up like this¡­

    Arkk had become something of a well-known figure in Stone Hearth Burg. As such, it didn¡¯t take long to find someone who knew him and could admit him to the garrison.

    It turned out, the panic was only on the outside.

    There was tension in the waiting soldiers. Every thump of the tower¡¯s slow yet steady march made everyone jump. But they weren¡¯t running ragged, as if preparing for a war that wasn¡¯t coming.

    ¡°Arkk!¡±

    Hawkwood¡¯s voice carried well over the hushed nervousness in the surrounding whispers. He stood from a table he shared with his adjutant, Neil, Richter, and the head of Stone Hearth¡¯s garrison, a stout young man who went by the name of Harrison.

    ¡°What¡¯s all the commotion about?¡± Arkk asked, looking from Hawkwood to Harrison. ¡°I thought everyone understood the plan?¡±

    ¡°Oh, we understand it,¡± Hawkwood said, gesturing around the main room of the garrison.

    ¡°Keeping a few thousand people from panic is easier said than done,¡± Harrison said. ¡°So make a show. Put up the guards. Rings the bells. Let people know that we¡¯re taking the suddenly moving tower seriously and, when it passes, everyone will be all the happier for it.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t so sure about that. The old couple who had been waiting for admittance into the burg along with Arkk and Ilya would have probably been happier out trying to keep their chickens calm. Despite that, he could see the logic in it. Make it seem like they knew what was going on and had a defense plan, even if they had nothing of the sort, and people would have a little more trust in the ones in charge of them.

    ¡°How soon are we ready to move?¡± Richter asked, eager. ¡°Not to say that your hospitality hasn¡¯t been adequate, Harrison, just that all my men are ready to evict these godless scum from our lands.¡±

    That got a few cheers from around the garrison. Most from locals rather than Richter¡¯s deserters or White Company. Arkk had a feeling that a few tales had been passed around while Stone Hearth Burg had been playing host to their guests. Maybe a few plots and plans of what the future might bring. Hopefully, nobody had been waxing lyrical about the capabilities or weaknesses of the Walking Fortress.

    ¡°There has been a slight change in plans,¡± Arkk said. He quickly continued to avoid any complaints. ¡°The Al-Lavik will not be approaching the burg as close as we thought. It will instead be trudging through the forest to the north. We¡¯ll have to march up there to meet it.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Well, I suppose the men will be good for a short march if it means not walking all the way to Elmshadow.¡±

    Arkk nodded, grateful for the agreement. ¡°Now that it is moving, I realized that its walking alone is a bit too destructive to bring close to a burg. It¡¯ll shake down the buildings otherwise.¡±

    There was a brief moment of silence as those present processed that fact. Arkk was uncomfortably aware of just how many people were listening in on this impromptu meeting. All the hum of conversation from the garrison guards died out as well.

    ¡°Thank you for your consideration,¡± Harrison said.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Ilya said, sounding mildly offended. ¡°We¡¯re not here to¡­ hurt people. We¡¯re just trying to help.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Richter said with a sly chuckle. ¡°Help our people. Evestani now¡­¡± He trailed off to another round of chuckles throughout the room. ¡°But, if we¡¯ve got a longer march than we thought, perhaps it is best if we get the troops moving.¡± He looked over to Hawkwood as he spoke.

    The commander of White Company nodded his head. ¡°Very well. Arkk,¡± he said, turning fully to Arkk. ¡°Until the Prince has us recalled, we¡¯ll lend you White Company¡¯s blade. I hope we can do some good in the short time we have.¡±

    ¡°As do I,¡± Arkk said, clasping his hand with Hawkwood¡¯s. ¡°As do I.¡±

 The Walking Fortress Aftermath

    ¡°Damn snakes,¡± Katja said, shaking her head.

    The meeting with the Abbey of the Light had been long and trying. As she had consolidated most of the military power inside Cliff City under her banner, they knew that she had the technical capability to throw them out of the city. They also knew that she wouldn¡¯t do that. If she did, another riot might break out in the city, this time with her as its target of ire. The Abbey was too popular.

    She needed a way to turn them into villains. Put them against the court of public opinion and have them found guilty. But they were too careful. They were taking special measures against anything that might be seen as negative. For as benevolent as Katja was trying to be, supported in her rule through Arkk¡¯s near-endless resources of both food and gold, some people of the city still fell through the cracks. The Abbey had a preternatural sense for finding and helping those people, giving them far too much goodwill to do anything about.

    The general populace didn¡¯t know of the Abbey¡¯s drive to ally with Evestani. The Duke had announced it, not the Pontiff. They came away from that ordeal smelling like roses.

    And they hadn¡¯t spoken out against her. Both privately, at these meetings, and publicly, they even seemed to support Katja. It was more likely that they knew just how unpopular the Duke had been in his final days and showing any support for him would have been something she might have been able to use against them.

    Just as Katja was plotting against them, she knew they were plotting against her. Behind their smiles and offers of cooperation was a dagger poised to strike at her back the moment they saw an opportunity.

    And that opportunity was on its way.

    Prince Cedric. Katja had honestly never heard of the man prior to taking over the Duchy. Life as a slave and then as a bandit out on the western edge of the kingdom didn¡¯t make an education in the goings on of the eastern side of the kingdom all that important. But her manor had a large library of historical texts, collected by the Duke¡ªor his predecessors and servants, since Katja didn¡¯t see him doing all that much historical reading in his spare time.

    That let her look at some records of his current domain, Vaales. There had been a minor uprising. Rebels against the King. Prince Cedric had been sent in.

    The texts had to exaggerate. The way it was written, it was like Prince Cedric had slaughtered everyone in the entire region and resettled it from scratch with loyalists. According to a quote from the Prince, ¡®All are complicit. There are no innocents. The rebels are obvious in their guilt but the so-called innocent allowed the rebels to form and failed to put down the treasonous actors. If nothing else, they are guilty of wasting my time.¡¯

    And he was coming here.

    This was not how they had planned. Katja and Arkk wished for the Duke to be seen as incompetent and a traitor, someone unable to keep the population in line while also courting favors with the invaders. Katja was to be the populist, the one all the people would support. She had sent letters to the King, stating her intent to align with his rule. All she needed was a writ of regency.

    Although King Abe had returned letters with cordial words on the paper, his actions in sending his son were¡­ not in line with his statements.

    ¡°What to do¡­ What to do?¡±

    If Prince Cedric were to be killed in her lands, she could easily imagine King Abe deciding to dispense with whatever air of pleasantry he had and launch a full assault. Then again, if he were killed by the Evestani, perhaps¡­

    That would cement the Kingdom against Evestani without a doubt. The Abbey of the Light was pushing for an alliance even with her in charge, trying to focus both nations against Arkk in the fear that he was going to destroy the world. She had no doubt that the Abbey was pushing on the King for the same. Yet the King would never overlook their hated neighbors killing his son.

    Arkk would like that. More importantly, Katja would very much like to not come face-to-face with Prince Cedric.

    But how? She was probably going to have to frame Evestani. Maybe they would kill him on their own if he ventured too close to their holdings. Katja wasn¡¯t the type to leave luck to its own devices. She made her own fate.

    It needed to be convincing. Witnesses needed to see the Prince die at the hands of individuals who could not be doubted. She¡­

    ¡°Lady Katja.¡± Horrik entered the room, ducking slightly to pass through the door. ¡°Sorry to disturb you. We found another.¡±

    Taking a short breath, Katja nodded her head. She stood from the round table¡ªin an attempt to distance her appearance from that of the Duke, she had been neglecting to use his throne room for most meetings. She kept her hair wildly styled and wore attire that left her arms bare, showing off her striped tattoos. No golden rings adorned her fingers. It was important, at least for now, to be a regent for the people, of the people.

    She followed Horrik through the manor, heading down into the dungeons. Most of the cells were empty. Troublemakers were held in the garrison, apprehended by the local guard. Her private cells weren¡¯t for anyone so mundane.

    At the end of the corridor, with two of her loyal bandits¡ªformer bandits¡ªstanding guard outside, she found a cell holding one young boy. Fifteen years old at the most. He had brown hair and a pudgy face with familiar features.

    Katja had seen that face all over the manor. The Duke apparently loved to look at his own face.

    ¡°Do you know why you are here?¡± Katja asked, stepping inside the cell. Horrik followed behind her. The other two remained outside.

    The boy looked at her, eyes widening as his eyes roamed over her arms. Katja well knew that most of the city¡¯s population likely didn¡¯t know what she looked like as far as her face was concerned. Knowledge of the tattoos she bore had become commonplace. So it wasn¡¯t surprising when he narrowed his eyes and spat out, ¡°My father, I presume.¡±

    Katja dipped her head. The Duke had been unwed and had no official children. Unofficial, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. Buried deep in the records room, someone had taken an accounting of mistresses and potential heirs. Many were dead. Many died under suspicious circumstances just before reaching the age of majority. Only one before this boy had been found and¡­ well¡­ the likelihood of that boy being the Duke¡¯s child had drastically gone down.

    This boy, aside from being far thinner below his pudgy jowls, was the spitting image of the late Duke.

    Reaching into her pocket, Katja withdrew a small box. Removing its lid, she held it out toward the boy.

    A brilliant, gold ring encrusted with several gemstones which bore the ducal signet.

    ¡°Place this on your finger.¡±

    ¡°Uh. No, thank you.¡±

    Katja put on a grin, leaning forward to put her eyes on his level. ¡°I shall not mince words. Do it or we will kill you. Painfully.¡±

    The boy bit his lip, staring at her. She cocked an eyebrow in turn.

    ¡°Do you think I jest?¡±

    ¡°They said you were nice. Kind. Better than my father.¡±

    ¡°No one is one-note. I choose to be kind. I choose to be cruel. Put the ring on and you may see a nicer side of me.¡±

    The boy gnawed at his lip a little more before stretching his hand forward. He took the ring from the box gingerly, as if it were a snake about to bite. An accurate assessment. Nevertheless, he slipped the ring onto his finger.

    Nothing happened.

    Katja grinned. ¡°Less crispy than the last one,¡± she said as an aside to Horrik.

    ¡°Aye.¡±

    ¡°What¡ª¡±

    ¡°It is an enchanted ring,¡± Katja said, interrupting the boy¡¯s question. ¡°Only one of Duke Levi Woldair¡¯s blood can don it without consequence. Congratulations, you truly are his bastard.¡±

    He scowled.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name, boy?¡±

    ¡°Roland.¡±

    ¡°Well, Roland. Although you seemed to know the truth of your parentage beforehand, now that it has been confirmed, there is a bit of an unfortunate conundrum here. You see, the first thing any competent usurper does upon usurping a position is eliminate anyone else who might have a better claim to the position. For you and me, that means heirs.¡±

    The boy, for his age, was quick in the head. He understood her meaning immediately. His eyes widened again and he backed up against the wall of the dungeon. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to be a duke.¡±

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Katja put on a smile. ¡°Unfortunately, that doesn¡¯t revoke your claim to the throne. Even if you venture out to the hills and live out your life as a hermit, any children you have will be in line, as will any children they have. It gets messy. Ah, ah. Don¡¯t panic just yet. You see, I wouldn¡¯t be telling you this if I intended to kill you immediately. It¡¯s a waste of breath. I would just kill you and be done with it.

    ¡°No. Rather than kill you, I think I could find a few uses for you. For one, there is a vault in this manor that can only be opened by one wearing that enchanted ring.¡±

    ¡°And then you kill me.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily. I said a few uses for you. I¡¯m trying to legitimize my rule as much as possible, as quickly as possible. You represent a few possible paths to legitimacy.¡±

    Katja doubted that Prince Cedric would care much if she was married to an heir or if she adopted one if even half the rumors of his personality were correct. It was nevertheless a possibility. One she was more than willing to explore. There was little that Katja wouldn¡¯t do if it meant both gaining power and surviving with that power.

    ¡°So here is the deal, Roland. You open the vault for me and then we find ways to make you useful to me. You move in here, enjoy a status your position as a bastard would never have normally allowed. It might seem like something of a gilded cage, I¡¯m sure, but at least the meals will be far better than that hovel the Duke shoved you into. And if you play your cards right, there might be plenty of other benefits to a positive relationship with me.¡±

    Katja paused and then added, ¡°Or we kill you right now. Trust me, you are hardly the only bastard our dear Duke had. One of them will be more than happy to take me up on my offer. So. What will it be?¡±

    To his credit, the boy didn¡¯t hesitate for long.

    <hr>

    ¡°Hey. Did you guys feel something?¡±

    Milos opened his eyes, disturbed by the sudden voice. He hadn¡¯t really been asleep. Milos was the sort of person who found it difficult to sleep in the wilderness at the best of times. Freezing cold, huddled up as close to the fire in the center of their thin tent, with a heavy cloak failing to stave off the chill, were far from the best of times. He wasn¡¯t sure that he had slept properly since the Sultanate ordered his family to provide a soldier for their campaign.

    The others slept easily. He had thought long marches through snow-covered terrain would wear him down to the point where he wouldn¡¯t be able to stand the exhaustion. It never had. He slept just as fitfully as ever.

    ¡°Hey? Anyone¡ª¡±

    ¡°For the love of the Golden Good, shut up Jovan,¡± Zayd snapped, eyes still closed as he tried to keep hold of his sleep. His voice, louder even than Jovan¡¯s, caused stirring among the other members of the Golden Army Pathfinder unit.

    The stirring didn¡¯t amount to much. A few weeks ago, when the air had been even colder and the days even more exhausting just trying to keep alive, Milos wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if a brawl had broken out over the lost sleep, thus making the idiots lose even more sleep. Assuming anyone would have worked up the energy for it, anyway. Although the nights were still freezing, the weather was warming to the point where daytime wasn¡¯t so much of a struggle, so a little disturbing of their sleep wasn¡¯t quite as big of a deal.

    Milos would still prefer if they were back with the main army. The Pathfinders were scouts and watchers, leaving them out in the cold far in advance of everyone else who enjoyed the blessings of the Golden Order. They could remain warm at night even in the absence of any flame.

    When Jovan didn¡¯t speak again, everyone settled back down. Even Milos closed his eyes once more.

    It wasn¡¯t sleep. It was just resting his mind. Nevertheless, he settled into a comfortable stillness, taking solace in the heat of the fire against his face. He could almost imagine his mind shutting down enough to call what he was doing ¡®sleep¡¯.

    Until he felt it.

    It was faint. Just a slight strange sensation in the ground. Someone brushing against him in a crowded market would have been more of a shock. Yet someone brushing against him would have been expected to the point where he probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed. Out here in this Gold-forsaken land, he expected the ground to stay put under his feet.

    Yet, there it was again. A slight bump.

    In an instant, whatever semblances of sleep he managed to grasp hold of escaped as a jolt of adrenaline struck his heart. The light weight in his eyelids vanished, leaving him staring at the fire with wide eyes.

    Slowly, he looked up and away from the fire. Of the six men huddled around, only Jovan had his eyes open as well, wide and full of fear. Jovan looked to Milos, looking relieved that someone else was taking note.

    It happened again. The flames in the middle of the tent, though small and dim as they needed another log thrown in, jolted to the side. A slight shudder ran through the thin wisps of smoke as they traveled up to the opening in the tall, pointed tent. One log, precariously propped against another, shuddered and fell, sending a small cloud of ash and embers up into the air before it all fell back into the fire pit.

    ¡°See?¡± Jovan hissed. He was trying to be quiet but was too panicked to succeed.

    ¡°I swear,¡± Zayd said, sitting up. ¡°If you don¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Milos said. ¡°Something is¡­ There. Again. Did you feel it?¡±

    Zayd, eyes open now, just glared. He waited, feeling and thinking, before shaking his head. ¡°Even if it is something, it isn¡¯t anything to worry about. Tarek and Kian are on watch. They¡¯ll wake us if it is important. You two can join them out in the cold and leave us to our sleep if you¡¯re that worried.¡±

    Jovan, for as worried as he was, quickly settled down at the mention of venturing out of the tent. Kian and Tarek had special coins, magically made so that they would keep warm even in the coldest parts of winter. But there weren¡¯t enough of those for everyone, so only those on watch got to hold them.

    While Jovan might be unwilling to brave the cold, Milos wasn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t like he was sleeping anyway. He stood, pulled his cloak a little tighter, and wrapped a scarf around his face. Pulling loose the tent¡¯s flaps, he hurried out, trying to keep as little cold air from invading the warmth of their shelter as possible. No sense in irritating everyone else more than necessary.

    He did hear Zayd scoff as he secured the flaps from the outside.

    The cold immediately bit at the skin around his eyes. That only served to further his alertness, making the next shallow thump feel all the more intense.

    Their unit was currently occupying one of the most forward positions that Evestani held. They weren¡¯t a large group. Just a forward scouting unit that had been dispatched to keep an eye on things after some incident that got everyone in charge all riled up. And that was after the disaster of the falling rocks during Gleeful Burg¡¯s occupation.

    Milos had never been enthused with being forced into the army. Yet, up until that moment, he carried a sort of pride in his nation. Led by a living prophet to finally destroy their heretical neighbors? Milos hadn¡¯t known too much about those who occupied Chernlock before joining the army but the stories he had heard since gave him enough of a drive to put his best foot forward in serving his country.

    Now, their unstoppable advance had ground to a halt. It was¡­ disappointing. How could an army blessed by the Golden Good have ended up like this?

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    Milos froze as the pointed tip of a spear dropped in front of his face, barring his way through the thick forest. The spear remained steady only until the next thump¡ªmore vibrant than the previous ones¡ªat which point, it fell by the wayside.

    Tarek stepped out from behind the tree, shuddering as he let the spear drop to his shoulder. ¡°Sorry about that. Jumpy. What in the fifteen hells is going on here?¡± he murmured, stepping up to Milos.

    ¡°No clue. Jovan woke everyone by freaking out over it. It felt stronger out here.¡±

    He could still feel it, every few seconds another thump. It was enough to make him feel like the ground under his feet was going to give way. He could hear their horses in the distance, tied to a tree with heavy blankets on their backs, going wild with neighing and worrying.

    ¡°No,¡± Kian said, stepping up alongside Tarek. ¡°It¡¯s been getting stronger.¡±

    ¡°Some kind of monster?¡± Milos asked. ¡°I hear these Light worshippers call on demons occasionally.¡±

    ¡°It better not be or we¡¯re all dead men.¡±

    ¡°It sounds¡­ large,¡± Tarek said. ¡°I don¡¯t think demons are very big.¡±

    Kian shuffled, looking over at his partner with a frown. ¡°Oh, you would know, would you?¡±

    ¡°I can read.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll believe that when I¡ª¡±

    The ground underneath them rocked. Hard. All three men stumbled where they stood. Tarek¡¯s spear fell from his fingers as he grasped hold of a tree for support. Milos mimed his actions with his own tree while poor Kian, standing a short distance from the nearest tree, stumbled hard enough to fall forward onto his hands.

    They barely managed to recover before another heavy rumble threw them off the ground. A deep cracking of distant wood breaking and trees falling joined with the rumble in the ground. Shouts from the tent started up and, in a moment, the rest of the Pathfinder unit hurried out into the cold despite their earlier protests.

    And not a moment too soon. The repeated quakes dislodged part of the tent. The linen, though treated with an alchemical concoction to avoid catching fire, couldn¡¯t withstand falling directly onto an open flame.

    Zayd, the commander of their group, tried to call for a report. Another quake interrupted him, this one strong enough to send everyone to the ground. The tree under Milos¡¯ hand swayed back and forth far enough that he lost his balance and hit the ground. Jovan curled up, huddling in on himself just in time to avoid a broken branch from one of the trees landing right where he had been standing.

    All attempts at talking were cut off as gusts of wind started blasting through the trees, each either preceded or followed by more of the quakes in the ground. The sheer noise of both the thumps and the wind forced Milos to cover his ears.

    Even still, he heard the cry from one of his fellow Pathfinders.

    ¡°Good Gold!¡±

    Milos stared up, unsure exactly what he was looking at. It was like his mind just couldn¡¯t quite process what was going on. For a brief moment, he feared that something had happened to the sky again. Another slice cut out for that false moon to roll overhead.

    But no. The night sky had changed. A column of darkness appeared between the tops of the trees, lit only by faint violet lights covering its surface.

    The massive column moved. With steady, repeated hammerings in the forest around Milos, it steadily glided forward, passing overhead until he could see nothing but its underside. If he had emerged from his tent, absent all the thumping, and looked up, he might not have noticed a difference between the sky and this thing. At least not at first. Hundreds of tiny violet dots lined its underside, giving it the illusion of a night sky filled with stars. But they were all wrong. The lights were too orderly, too regular. They formed a grid-like pattern on the underside of this thing. And they illuminated too much of it, letting Milos see the maze-like pattern of shadowy material it was made from.

    Something slammed into the forest a hundred paces away from Milos, forcing his eyes from the thing overhead. He could barely see it through the forest. A building-sized leg stretched up into the sky, bent back down, and then bent back up into the underside of the thing overhead. The gust of wind that followed the slam kicked up debris into his eyes, forcing him to cover his face and hunker down.

    He could do nothing more than hope it would ignore him like he might ignore a single ant under his feet.

    More thumping followed. More trees broke, more wind coursed through the forest. Slowly, the sound and the quakes faded.

    When he finally opened his eyes and blinked the dust from his vision, he looked up to see just the circular peak of that monstrosity over the tops of the still-standing trees. Even that vanished toward the horizon with a few more repeated thumpings.

    Without the wind and loud quakes, Milos could hear the others around him. He heard whimpering, swearing, prayers, and rambling mutters. It took him a long few moments to realize that his mouth was moving, though he couldn¡¯t be sure if he was whimpering or praying. Milos managed to clamp his jaw but he couldn¡¯t stop the trembling in his fingers.

    Slowly, the rest of the Pathfinder team calmed down. Nobody spoke to one another, as if worried that proper conversation might draw that thing¡¯s attention. They didn¡¯t need to speak.

    Milos could see the fear in their eyes. The uncertainty. The worry. None of them could do a thing about a walking mountain, or whatever that had been.

    Yet they all knew one thing.

    It was headed directly for the main Evestani army at the captured burg between the two mountains.

    ¡°We¡­ We have to warn them¡­¡± Milos muttered.

 Shadow Forge

    Agnete stood at the center of the Shadow Forge, frowning down into the swirling black mass that pooled within the crucible. She had always considered herself a creative person. During her downtime with the inquisitors, she often found herself left to her own devices. She liked to pass the time creating small sculptures, usually by turning sand to molten glass in her bare hands and then shaping the glass from there.

    Since joining with Arkk, she had taken to spending time in the forge. At first, because it was a place where her natural, comfortable temperature went desired rather than shunned. Then she started to consider Arkk¡¯s words regarding the source of her powers. The Burning Forge. A supposed god who had been shut out of this world.

    A god of fire, manufacturing, and creativity.

    She had joined with the blacksmiths, assisting as she learned the proper techniques of forging and manufacturing. Then she delved into her own projects. Ideas had sprung to her mind, often during dreams. Perhaps following the will of a dream was why none of her projects had yet turned out the way she had hoped. Nevertheless, she had ideas.

    Those ideas only blossomed further when Arkk brought her to the Unilluminable Chamber in the Underworld. Just seeing the Shadow Forge was like a burst of inspiration. A thousand different ideas came to mind.

    And yet, she found herself at a loss.

    In the heart of the Unilluminable Chamber, Perr¡¯ok dipped a ladle into the central crucible. The head blacksmith of Fortress Al-Mir had broad shoulders and hands calloused from years of crafting, but his hands moved with a practiced finesse as he carried the ladle exactly as Agnete had directed him.

    She couldn¡¯t help. She couldn¡¯t even get close.

    All the ideas in her mind and she couldn¡¯t even get close. The liquid-like shadow did not enjoy the company of heat or light. The Unilluminable Chamber kept it safe from the latter but not the former. If she approached or even lost a little control, the shadow would begin to evaporate, ruining the product.

    It was frustrating to watch Perr¡¯ok pour the shadow into the mold they had found within the forge. Could she do it better? Perhaps not. Perr¡¯ok was skilled. He didn¡¯t spill a single drop. But she wouldn¡¯t get the chance to test it for herself.

    Perr¡¯ok stepped back and grasped a lever on the wall. With a look to Agnete¡ªshe offered him a nod¡ªhe pulled the lever down.

    The mechanism of the Shadow Forge activated. With a few ratcheting clicks, a hammer slammed down onto the mold. Each pull of the lever brought the thick slab of metal down with astounding force.

    The process began. The rhythmic clanging of the hammer, interrupted occasionally to add liquid shadow to the mold, echoed through the chamber like a steady heartbeat. Agnete couldn¡¯t quite comprehend how there were normal shadows in the Unilluminable Room and yet, as the mechanism continued its operation, the shadows of the room drew around the mold. The melding of the tangible and the intangible was a swirling vortex of darkness. Sparks of shadowfire cascaded down around the hammer as the process neared its conclusion.

    With a final slam of the hammer, the magic of the room stilled.

    Perr¡¯ok reached in. He cracked apart the two halves of the mold. It was a blade. Long and curved, like that of a wheat scythe¡¯s head. Although it bore a resemblance to farm equipment, it was a potent weapon.

    He brought it over to Agnete, holding it out in both hands for inspection.

    It wasn¡¯t metal. It didn¡¯t gleam with that metallic shine nor did it hold ridges as a more matte alloy might. It was a mass of shadow and material, rippling with an ever-shifting darkness. A darkness that would hold even out of this room and in the light of the sun. Now that it had completed the forging process, Agnete could safely hold it as long as she didn¡¯t turn the heat up too much.

    Lips pressed together, she offered a nod. ¡°This would be the best we¡¯ve produced. I can tell just by the trail it leaves behind as it moves.¡±

    Perr¡¯ok split his lips into a wide grin. ¡°Gives new meaning to the term ¡®blacksmith¡¯, don¡¯t it?¡±

    Agnete gave him a look. Once upon a time, a purifier like her giving anyone a glare would have sent them running. Even if they didn¡¯t know what she was, glowing eyes meant something was wrong with the one doing the glaring. Perr¡¯ok, whether used to her in specific or used to people with glowing eyes in general, just laughed.

    Must be losing my touch, Agnete thought, unable to stop a thin smile from touching her lips.

    It was¡­ nice. Compared to her time with the inquisitors, she had¡­ people she could count on. A strange feeling, but not an unwelcome one.

    ¡°You wanna see if we can¡¯t get this attached to that staff we made?¡± he asked.

    Perr¡¯ok carried the scythe head over to another station within the Shadow Forge, leaving a trail as he moved that was somehow darker than the rest of the Unilluminable Chamber. Agnete fetched a fairly simple wooden staff, long and narrow with brass caps on either end for a little weight. It could have worked as a simple quarterstaff. But one end held a twisted bit of shadowy material that they had forged earlier.

    Holding it steady for him over the second station, Agnete waited while Perr¡¯ok¡¯s hands moved with a seasoned precision. The station came alive, this time with a flexible head that followed Perr¡¯ok¡¯s movements. Thin bolts slid through thin air, which the machine affixed with light whirring noises. In short order, the scythe head curved off the end of the staff like a proper scythe.

    Except it didn¡¯t actually touch the head. The shadowy blade hovered just a finger¡¯s width away from the intricately twisted bit of shadowy material.

    A strange mechanism. It would nonetheless assist with its usage.

    Perr¡¯ok handed over the scythe for Agnete to inspect. Satisfied with its quality, she carried it up and out of the Unilluminable Chamber.

    She had to blink her eyes several times as she reemerged into the Underworld¡¯s orange sunlight. It was almost blinding, although it was a far dimmer light compared to the real world¡¯s sun.

    In comparison, the blade of the scythe was like a trail of the night, slicing through the very world. The trail it left in its wake was a wound in the very air that took a second to heal.

    ¡°Wonderous. Most wonderous. Poor Lady Shadows must be pleased to see her techniques once again put to use.¡±

    The Protector¡ªone of them¡ªstood out in the open just beyond the ruined and crumbling building that had once been a temple or church. The tall, carapace-covered being turned its head slowly, watching Agnete¡¯s approach with its wide eyes. When she stopped a short distance away, it clasped one pair of its hands together while lowering the other pair to the ground, prostrating itself in front of her.

    That made her uncomfortable. Agnete was used to people cowering away from her, looking at her with fear or hatred, or simply fleeing. Never showing such reverence. Even if it was reverence toward the scythe and not her, she couldn¡¯t quite shake the sensation.

    Shaking her head, deciding to ignore the Protector for the time being, she focused on the tall straw-stuffed dummies they had set up. A few were in pieces but one was still whole. It had a bit of armor equipped¡ªworn and with a few holes in it from having seen combat.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Agnete stepped one foot forward, bringing the scythe around in a long, sweeping arc that trailed darkness behind its head. With a twist of her grip and a lever action between her arms, she pulled the scythe straight through the stuffed dummy.

    The metal armor clanged to the ground in two pieces, the bound straw exploded outward, and the wooden stick holding it all up fell out from the middle.

    Whipping it around again, she planted the bottom end in the dirt and stood with it at her side.

    Perr¡¯ok started clapping, unable to hold back his excitement at seeing their efforts work out. ¡°The blade is incredibly dangerous,¡± he said with a wide grin. ¡°I wish we had a more conventional weapon shape¡ªanyone using these is going to have to do a lot of training¡ªbut what we¡¯ve got is what we¡¯ve got.¡±

    ¡°The blade is still stable,¡± Agnete said, looking at the swirling mass. ¡°If we can keep up with this quality, we might be able to produce enough to make it worth training a few of the squads.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get a few of the blacksmith boys learning how to do it now that I¡¯ve got it down. We¡¯ll make plenty to use.¡±

    Agnete pressed her lips together. Perhaps it was for the best that she couldn¡¯t use the Shadow Forge for her projects. Production time was needed for the war.

    But after, perhaps Perr¡¯ok might be willing to hear out a few of her ideas.

    <hr>

    ¡°Read it back to me once again.¡±

    Zullie sat in complete and total darkness. A darkness of her own making. No matter the spell she used, no matter the alchemical concoction, she couldn¡¯t see the world around her. Her eyes were completely gone. Even Hale, with her strange prowess over the Flesh Weaving spell, could not regrow Zullie¡¯s eyes.

    So she sat with Gretchen, now returned from the temple expedition in the Underworld. While Zullie still knew how to write, she had trouble keeping lines of text separated while writing. Unwilling to let a little blindness keep her from publishing results, she had been dictating to Gretchen.

    She had such results to publish now.

    ¡°Gretchen?¡± Zullie asked. ¡°Are you there?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± came the soft response.

    Zullie turned her head to where she thought the sound had come from. She had heard rumors that those without eyes would develop enhanced hearing or even sixth senses for certain things. Thus far, Zullie had not been blessed with such changes. She had plans and spell possibilities for enhanced hearing churning in the back of her mind with everything else, but working on such a mundane problem just felt¡­ unimportant.

    ¡°Why are you not reading what I wrote? You are literate, are you not?¡± Good help was hard to find. More so now that she couldn¡¯t see to confirm that others were carrying out the tasks she assigned.

    ¡°I am. I just¡­ Are you certain you are feeling well? Do you need another week of rest, perhaps?¡±

    Zullie leaned back with a scowl. She folded her arms over her chest, drumming her fingers against the crook of her elbow. In the past, she would have narrowed her eyes¡ªa flash of unease coursed through her at the thought. She tried not to think about her eyes. There was this¡­ uncomfortable emptiness there. Like she could still feel her face around her eyes but there was no pressure against her facial muscles and skin. Just a vacancy.

    Shaking her head, suppressing a shudder, she affixed her scowl firmly on her face. Rather, in the past, she wouldn¡¯t have been in this position in the first place. This was what relying on others got her.

    ¡°Read it back.¡±

    ¡°It just¡­ I admit I may not know as much as you do with regard to spell creation, but I did attend the Cliff Academy for three years. I even sat under some of your lectures. But this does not make sense. It¡¯s such a far cry from the pristine work I¡¯m used to from you that¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop,¡± Zullie said, holding up a hand. ¡°You are dismissed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just worried¡ª¡±

    ¡°I said you are dismissed, Gretchen. Leave the dictated transcription¡ªif you even completed that simple task. Do not return. I don¡¯t need an assistant who cannot follow simple directions.¡±

    A long moment of silence followed before Zullie heard the scraping of a chair against the stone floor, a rustling of clothing, and the door to the library swinging open and closed. Letting out a long sigh, Zullie stood and shuffled her way across the library. She kept her feet on the ground, sliding one forward and then the other, all while keeping her hands out in front of her. Reaching the desk, she felt across the top, only to bump the back of her hand against an inkwell.

    ¡°Damn it all,¡± she hissed, feeling the liquid run across the surface of the desk. Gretchen must have left it uncapped.

    Now it was all over the desk. If Gretchen had written down Zullie¡¯s notes, they were surely ruined now. Not that it would have mattered. Zullie¡¯s normal spell creation methodology involved writing down everything that popped into her mind so that she could review, add, and remove parts as she needed. Having everything laid out in front of her ensured that she wouldn¡¯t miss something.

    Trying to replicate that method with Gretchen was obviously a failure.

    She needed a way to review her notes without being questioned over every little thing¡­

    Could undead read and write?

    ¡°What is this supposed to do?¡±

    Zullie yelped at the unexpected voice in the room with her. She whirled around to where she thought the voice had come from. One hand clamped against her chest where her heart had started hammering. Her other hand went to the wand she kept in the folds of her robes. Before she could actually grasp the wand, her mind registered a hint of recognition.

    ¡°Hale?¡± she asked. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been here the whole time.¡±

    Letting out a long sigh, Zullie kept patting at her chest. She hadn¡¯t always been this easy to startle. The quiet girl, practically an ever-present fixture of the library, would never have surprised her before. Zullie would have seen her in the corner, filed that away, and gone about her duties. Now¡­

    Zullie ran a hand down her face, taking care to avoid touching near her eyes even as she let out a relieved and exasperated sigh.

    ¡°Don¡¯t startle me like that,¡± she said, feeling a little weak in the knees. Not knowing where the chair was, she forced herself to keep standing.

    ¡°I saved your notes,¡± Hale said. She must have waved them like a fan. Zullie felt the slight breeze from the motion against her face. ¡°I don¡¯t understand them either. What is the Key of Forbidden Knowledge?¡±

    Zullie pressed her lips together. Hale might not be half as educated as Gretchen. Zullie might have to dictate a little more simply or comprehensively, but Hale was probably less likely to stubbornly refuse to respond out of misplaced concerns for her mental wellness.

    Fumbling around, Zullie found the chair and quickly took a seat. She didn¡¯t like standing much these days. Even though her sense of balance was still working, she still felt just a little unsteady on her feet.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t a literal key, if that is confusing you,¡± Zullie said as she smoothed down the front of her robes. More of a nervous tick to still her beating heart than because they were wrinkled¡ªshe wouldn¡¯t be able to tell if they were messy. ¡°It is a metaphor for a concept I think I¡¯ve come to understand. The Key of Forbidden Knowledge is required to access knowledge that¡­ well, is forbidden.

    ¡°You see, I have had an epiphany. Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, is said to be the god of boundaries, barriers, and separation, among a few other minor domains. That¡¯s all well and good until you understand the breadth of her domain over boundaries. Both Arkk and I experienced it. The Lock and Key gave us information by manipulating the boundary between ignorance and knowledge. We mere mortals don¡¯t normally think of something like that as having a boundary and yet I felt it. My knowledge shifted.

    ¡°If knowledge and ignorance is just one boundary that the Lock and Key can manipulate, what else might there be?¡± Zullie said, leaning forward as she got into her explanation. She had hardly seen Arkk¡ªshe wasn¡¯t sure if he was upset with her, disappointed with her, or simply too busy with other matters¡ªand discussing such a thing with anyone else in the fortress was¡­ unappealing. ¡°Is there a boundary between Spring and Summer? Inside and outside is a fairly obvious boundary. What about the boundary between youth and age? Between chaos and order? Between life and death?¡±

    ¡°Question,¡± Hale said. ¡°What does it mean to manipulate the boundary between ¡®inside¡¯ and ¡®outside¡¯? So if Xel¡¯atriss decides to shift that boundary, what happens?¡±

    ¡°Maybe a hole in the world opens up that allows us to step from here to outside instantly. Like the portal room. Maybe all of reality collapses in on itself. I haven¡¯t the slightest idea!¡± Zullie said with a laugh. ¡°And who knows what other barriers a god can perceive that our mortal minds can¡¯t begin to comprehend. The Key of Forbidden Knowledge will let us understand so much more.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to get your mind burnt out along with your eyes?¡±

    Zullie¡¯s mouth clicked shut. ¡°No?¡±

    ¡°It sure sounds like you are. Maybe try something a little smaller?¡±

    Zullie propped an elbow up against the desk, tapping her fingers against the side of her chin. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re full of ideas, aren¡¯t you? You didn¡¯t see what I saw. You don¡¯t know what I know¡ª¡±

    ¡°Maybe not, but of the two of us, I¡¯m the only one who can see how ridiculous you look.¡±

    The tapping stopped as Zullie dropped her hand flat against the table. The elation at speaking her mind quickly died off. Of course, talking with others was, as ever, an exercise in tedium and frustration.

    ¡°Instead of some boundary between ignorance and all knowledge that you shouldn¡¯t know, start with something we mere mortals can think of. Like the boundary between seeing and unseeing. Then you could look over your own notes, you¡¯d have a foundation you could build on, and you¡¯d be able to see yourself. The Key of Unseen Knowledge instead of Forbidden Knowledge.¡±

    ¡°Why do I need to see myself?¡± Zullie asked. She wasn¡¯t sure she liked that idea. It was bad enough thinking about her loose eye sockets.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re¡ª¡±

    Hale stopped speaking as Arkk popped into the room. Zullie wasn¡¯t exactly sure how she knew Arkk was there. Perhaps it was the way air just moved out of the way to make room for him. Perhaps it was those glowing red eyes that, even blind, she could feel turning her way.

    ¡°Gretchen said that you¡¯re¡ª¡± Arkk abruptly stopped. There was a brief beat where some anxiety started to well within Zullie, only for her to jerk back when he burst out laughing.

    ¡°What? What¡¯s funny?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re covered in ink.¡±

 Arms Training

    The logistics of the Walking Fortress weren¡¯t exactly simple to operate.

    A giant mobile fortress wasn¡¯t easy to access while it was on the move. Theoretically, it didn¡¯t need to be accessed. It possessed the same food production and living quarters magic that Fortress Al-Mir had. Yet there were still certain personnel and equipment that needed to move between the fortresses.

    The teleportation circles didn¡¯t work with a mobile target and walking up to the legs of the tower to access the interior while it was on the move was utterly impossible. Since he could freely teleport to his territory, and the Walking Fortress was his territory, that left Arkk to do most of the work himself.

    It was a bit of a strange feeling.

    Arkk was the leader of a free company. He commanded hundreds of men and was seen as an equal to a longstanding company commander. He could cast magic unseen in the world for thousands of years. He worked with an ancient monster, a dragonoid, and some kind of strange hive-mind collective. He dethroned a duke and put a puppet in its place. He had entreated with a god.

    And here he was, acting as a simple courier.

    Arkk teleported from ritual circle to ritual circle, moving a heavy crate loaded with equipment. A pair of orcs helped him carry the box through the teleportation circles.

    Once they got close enough to the tower, he simply teleported all of them onto one of its floors.

    Without him, the whole tower would have had to come to a whole stop while everyone carried the boxes up its many, many stairs.

    ¡°Thank you, Tell¡¯ir. Penna.¡± Arkk stretched his back, glad to be out of the somewhat cramped underground chambers where the teleportation circles were hidden. ¡°You are dismissed. There is a canteen two floors below us,¡± he said, motioning to the door. ¡°Or you can find bunks a floor below that.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t get to see these things in action?¡± Penna asked.

    Arkk paused, considered, and then shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with that. I don¡¯t know that there is going to be much to watch, but¡­ Sure.¡±

    Penna grunted a laugh as she nudged her elbow into Tell¡¯ir. ¡°Told you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±

    Arkk watched as they moved off to the side of the room. It was a large room, divided roughly in half. One side was open and empty of anything save for a few targets at a far wall, providing an opportunity for archers and crossbowmen to practice their aim. The other side of the room was further divided up into individual sparring areas. Posts in the ground could hold up wooden dummies that would allow melee weapon training without a live opponent.

    There were several similar training rooms around Fortress Al-Mir. Besides the gambling dens and fighting pits, they were some of the more popular locales within the fortress. The ones here barely looked used, however.

    He wasn¡¯t sure why that was. At the moment, the Walking Fortress housed about six hundred soldiers from White Company, three hundred former soldiers of the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard, and about seventy others. The latter of whom included Larry the butcher heading a few others from the kitchen staff, spellcasters trained to use the bombardment magics and charged glowstones, the scrying team, and Dakka¡¯s specialist team.

    Most everyone either stayed in their bunks or ate and drank at the various canteens.

    Quickly locating Dakka and her team, Arkk found them lounging much higher in the tower, having taken over one of the upper floors meant for the senior commanders for their own purposes. Which wasn¡¯t something Arkk had opposed. Dakka was a commander, even if her power was generally limited to the field. If she wanted to share the floor with the rest of her team, that was her prerogative.

    In the blink of an eye, Arkk teleported Dakka and the ten members of her team directly to the training room. There was a brief moment of disorientation. Everyone had been sitting around, having what looked to have been a fairly serious discussion even as they sat relaxed in the various furniture of Dakka¡¯s quarters. Since Arkk always knew when he was teleporting himself, he had never experienced it himself, but everyone else had to take a second to grapple with suddenly being in a new position, a new orientation, and a new room.

    But all of Dakka¡¯s team were experienced members of Company Al-Mir. This wasn¡¯t the first time they had been teleported, nor would it be their last. Feet thumped together as the group reoriented toward Arkk.

    ¡°Sir! You¡¯re earlier than you said you¡¯d be,¡± Dakka said. Nobody in Company Al-Mir saluted save for some of the more recent hires from other mercenary companies or the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard. Dakka nevertheless straightened her back in a show of respect.

    It was a bit¡­ much, Arkk felt. Dakka, Rekk¡¯ar, and Olatt¡¯an were easily the three orcs he knew best simply because they were the first three, along with Larry, who had come to him. Of them, he always felt a bit more of a connection with Dakka. Olatt¡¯an was an old man with a lot of experience to share and Rekk¡¯ar was younger and more brash¡ªand clearly didn¡¯t like almost any decision that Arkk made no matter the situation.

    Dakka was still fairly casual with him when alone. It was just in front of others. She was setting an example. The others on her team mimed her show of respect. Still, while Arkk now thought of himself far more as a leader and commander, it just felt weird with Dakka and a few of the others he knew well.

    ¡°We made good time thanks to Tell¡¯ir and Penna,¡± he said, gesturing to the side of the room where the two orcs had taken up their position.

    With a curt nod of her head, Dakka slowly turned to the stack of crates at Arkk¡¯s side. ¡°So these are¡­¡±

    ¡°You wanted something to even the scales,¡± Arkk said, teleporting the lids off the crates.

    As he did so, the light in the room seemed to dim ever so slightly. Thin slits in the walls provided fresh sunlight to complement the glowstones set into the ceiling. Yet a small portion of that light stopped bouncing around the room, absorbed into the darkness within the crates.

    One of the crates held freshly forged scythes. The blades were wrapped in cloth made using the ceremonial blade. They had discovered that shadowy cloth to be one of the few things the shadow blades could not cut, which made them the perfect sheathes for when the scythes weren¡¯t in use.

    Arkk gripped the sturdy wooden haft of one of the weapons, pulling it from the crate.

    ¡°Oh no,¡± one of the orcs grumbled.

    Arkk cocked an eyebrow. He wasn¡¯t quite sure which orc had spoken but, looking over, none looked particularly happy. ¡°Something wrong?¡±

    A few of the orcs glanced at one another before one, Klepp¡¯at, cleared his throat. ¡°Just worried you¡¯re going to have us reaping fields again.¡±

    Arkk blinked. It took him a long second to think all the way back to when he had first strongarmed all the orcs into joining him. The very first task he had assigned them had been to help out with Langleey¡¯s harvest. With a small chuckle, he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that these would be effective in a field. Maybe too effective. Tell¡¯ir, Penna. As long as you¡¯re here, grab one of those training dummies and slot it into the hole here.¡±

    The two not of Dakka¡¯s team looked surprised to be addressed. They got over it quickly enough, moving one of the dummies into place. As they did so, Arkk carefully removed the cloth sheath from the scythe.

    Very carefully.

    If he was being honest, these scythes frightened him a little. They were almost too dangerous.

    ¡°The blade will cut through anything cloaked in shadow,¡± Arkk said as he readied the weapon. ¡°Since they absorb light around them, that basically means anything.¡±

    With fairly casual ease¡ªthe scythes weighed only as much as the wooden staff that served as their hafts¡ªArkk sliced the wooden dummy clean in two.

    Dakka let out a long, slow whistle.

    ¡°The only exceptions are other things forged with the Cloak of Shadows¡¯ power and the magically reinforced stone of Fortress Al-Mir. Don¡¯t know how they will fare against that golden armor. Can¡¯t be worse than anything else we tried.¡±

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Do they have to be scythes?¡± Raff¡¯el asked.

    ¡°For now, yes. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have the ability to make custom designs in the Shadow Forge yet. We had to make do with the molds already present. The Protector is sending other instances of itself to explore a few of the other temples for more molds but no word back on that just yet.¡± Arkk carefully placed the cloth back over the scythe¡¯s head and replaced it in the crate before moving over to one of the other crates. ¡°It¡¯s also why the armor we made is something of a one-size-fits-all.¡±

    Arkk lifted a thin slice of shadow from the crate. The front half of a breastplate. It wasn¡¯t as all-encompassing as properly made plate armor, thus it would need to be augmented with regular armor to provide full protection, but it did weigh almost nothing and was practically impervious to normal weapons and most magics that he and Savren had thought to try.

    Explaining that to the orcs, Arkk handed out a few of the pieces. They had greaves, cuisses, boots, and gauntlets. No helms, unfortunately. But Arkk had a plan for that.

    ¡°They just so happened to have orc-sized equipment in these forges?¡± Dakka asked as one of the others helped her equip some of the armor.

    ¡°You recall what Vezta said? Black Knights¡ªnot sure if they were a race or some kind of military order dedicated to the Cloak of Shadows¡ªbore a resemblance to orcs. These Shadow Forges were likely created to serve them.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Dakka accepted the explanation with a nod of her head.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if that was the truth but it made the most sense to him. Humans and even elves would find the armor far too bulky to use. Perhaps someone hulking like Horrik could make use of it but Arkk wasn¡¯t willing to ship this special equipment off to Katja before he had equipped every single one of his orcs. And even then, he wasn¡¯t so sure.

    With easy access to only one Shadow Forge near the portal, they were exceedingly limited in how quickly they could produce this equipment. As it was, what they had now was literally every piece that had been produced. The final gauntlet had been finished just this morning. Perr¡¯ok would continue making more but a full set of equipment took over three days to manufacture.

    Drastically less time than normal armor in a normal forge¡ªwhich could take weeks for an average set of armor¡ªbut a normal forge could be expanded until every blacksmith was working at once, creating dozens of pieces a day.

    As it was, he was just happy they had gotten this much before reaching Elmshadow.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time to train with this. Keep the sheathes on until you¡¯re sure you aren¡¯t going to smack into each other or anything important. But I want you on this every day until we arrive.¡±

    They had between seven and twelve days, depending on terrain, to get ready.

    <hr>

    ¡°Arkk, t-there¡¯s a change in the situation at Elmshadow.¡±

    Slowly, Arkk opened his eyes. He was trying to scrape together every bit of rest he could manage. Unfortunately, it felt like some new problem cropped up every few minutes. Sometimes it was things at the Walking Fortress, which were relatively easy to deal with as he was physically present.

    When he felt tugs for his attention over at Fortress Al-Mir, things turned more harried. Ilya was in charge over there, assisted by Vezta. Sometimes, he was able to teleport one of them to the person who called for his attention. Sometimes, Ilya or Vezta was the one calling for him. Everything needed to be in order over there. At the moment, the Walking Fortress could drop a lesser servant to the ground below to dig out a new teleportation chamber to add to the chain, thus allowing him to rush back to deal with problems like Kia and Claire getting a little too vigorously engaged in interrogating some Evestani scout unit the tower had crossed over and subsequently captured. That wouldn¡¯t last once they arrived.

    Arkk needed to be fully focused on Elmshadow with no distractions.

    He stood from the large chair positioned in the center of the command floor.

    The room was one of the few with large, open windows. A balcony before the windows let them stretch both higher and lower than the floor itself, letting him look down at the ground ahead of the tower even from his chair. As one of the highest rooms in the tower, it provided a view that kings wished their castles could provide.

    There was enough room to fit all the strategic staff. A large table in the center of the room held a drawn map of Elmshadow and its surrounding terrain. Little models marked out notable locations within, such as the keep and force concentrations. The scrying team updated the map nearly constantly, working in groups. Either side of the map had a lower level, divided by a few steps downward, where the scrying teams worked in groups around the clock. Both crystal balls were here in Al-Lavik, one in either pit.

    There were four pits in total. Two were unused at the moment. One major goal was to figure out how to build scrying-capable crystal balls or locate other methods of distant vision. Arkk hadn¡¯t had the time to properly investigate crafting methods or external builders of scrying equipment just yet.

    Luthor, the chameleon beastman, stood in one of the pits. They were shallow enough pits that someone standing would be at chest height with the rest of the room. It was just enough to let them have a degree of separation while seated to concentrate on their duties while everyone else in the command room did their work.

    ¡°A change?¡± Arkk asked, fighting down a yawn.

    Communication was still a problem. There were magical methods of mimicking an in-person conversation, but they were involved and ritualistic. Nothing that could be used in the heat of combat. Even outside combat, the Duchy¡¯s official military detachments still preferred to use written letters delivered by Swiftwing harpies because the rituals were too complex.

    At the moment, Arkk and Savren had devised a series of spells that would light up the exterior of the tower, with different colors warning anyone outside the building of predetermined changes in the situation that the scrying team noticed or simple tactic changes, should that be required. It wasn¡¯t ideal. The tower was likely to be at the backs of their forces. But it was better than nothing.

    The Protector¡ªthree of it¡ªwere in the tower and were willing to facilitate communications. But that was still limited to just those three. They couldn¡¯t be everywhere at once.

    Savren had ideas about the Protector¡¯s mental link with its bodies and ways of possibly mimicking that link with an enchanted device. Thus far, that project was purely in the theoretical stage.

    ¡°S-Sir. The fog in the crystal balls is c-changing.¡±

    With a slight shake of his head, Arkk refocused on the situation at hand. That fog Evestani used to obscure scrying was one of the bigger banes of his existence. It ranked right below the Heart of Gold¡¯s magic. Any change was likely to be bad for him.

    ¡°What are they cooking up now?¡± Arkk hummed as he descended the few steps into the scrying pit.

    Luthor, unnecessarily, waved him over to the crystal ball. Harvey, the flopkin member of the scrying team, sat at the ball itself, holding his hands up to its smooth surface. The scenes inside changed and shifted, roaming over what Arkk easily recognized as Elmshadow Burg.

    Much of the burg was hidden in a thick layer of that fog. Much of the fog surrounded the central keep. It was nothing that Arkk hadn¡¯t seen before. Ever since Evestani pulled back to the burg following Gleeful¡¯s fall, they had been hard at work. Much of the burg had been destroyed in fire¡ªsome as a result of Hawkwood while the rest came from the after-effects of those rays of gold.

    While the keep itself was still missing its top¡ªthat poked out of the fog surrounding it¡ªhe had been able to watch over the weeks as they rebuilt the rest of the burg. They hadn¡¯t rebuilt it the way it had been. Much of the partially destroyed buildings had been cleared out entirely, the materials of their construction being relocated to form defensive arrangements around the exterior of the burg¡¯s walls. Two large turrets had gone up on the Duchy side of the burg, each of which held a large golden statue that vaguely resembled the one of the Heart of Gold in Al-Mir¡¯s temple. They had expanded the barracks, built and rebuilt storehouses, and took over a few workshops and smithies, the latter of which had been pouring smoke from their chimneys almost constantly. Other areas were marked out as possible ritual sites for bombardment or defensive magics.

    ¡°What¡¯s changing?¡± Arkk asked, only to see it the moment he finished his question. ¡°Ah.¡±

    Harvey shifted the view in response, closing in on the edge of the fog just outside the keep.

    The fog had been hovering right around the inner walls, obscuring what Arkk presumed was the center of Evestani¡¯s military operations. Except, it was no longer stopped at the walls. The fog billowed outward, flowing through the streets and over the buildings. It wasn¡¯t exactly fast, but it was spreading out through the rest of the burg all around the central keep.

    If it kept up its pace, it would likely encompass the entire city by nightfall.

    ¡°I think they know we¡¯re coming, Sir,¡± Harvey said.

    Arkk nodded absently. That was true. They had the map with markers for everything important already. But, if Arkk were in Evestani¡¯s position, he would be using every spare second rearranging the city under the assumption that current targets of interest were compromised. Of course, he had lesser servants to do such work quickly and efficiently. Thus far, he had seen no sign that Evestani used anything other than the labor of their army to rebuild Elmshadow Burg.

    With that golden avatar in play, he couldn¡¯t discount anything.

    ¡°Keep a constant watch on it anyway,¡± Arkk said to the scrying team. ¡°Especially the exterior of the burg. I want to know if soldiers leave in any direction.¡±

    ¡°Given that w-we¡¯re still over a week out,¡± Luthor said, ¡°they might not be able to maintain the spell that long. A circular fog l-like that¡­ if it doubles in size, it quadruples the area. I-I don¡¯t know the c-calculations for how much magic that drains, but I imagine it is considerable. If they¡¯re trying to cover the entire burg, that¡¯s¡­ far, far more than doubling its size. They would have to double its size at least four times.¡±

    Arkk stared at Luthor for a long moment, not having expected that from the chameleon beastman. He wasn¡¯t sure it was perfectly accurate¡ªhe would have to check with Savren¡ªbut the sentiment was correct. If covering the entire burg had been magically feasible, they would have done so from the start.

    ¡°If Evestani wants to wear out their spellcasters this far in advance, I¡¯m not going to complain,¡± Arkk said. Not that he believed they would do that without a plan. Perhaps they had come up with something similar to the charged glowstones that would let them maintain it without draining their people.

    Luthor smiled, nodding his head as his beady eyes shifted back to the crystal ball.

    Good that he was in high spirits. Arkk had a feeling they would need all the morale they could get before long.

    ¡°Keep me informed. And make sure the other scrying teams are aware that I¡¯ve been informed.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Arkk climbed out of the pit with a larger worry on his mind.

    The tower needed to be on high alert from now on. It would be too easy for the avatar of gold to slip out of the city and fire off one of his rays of gold.

    Arkk still didn¡¯t know how the tower would handle getting hit by one of those.

    Zullie¡­

    Against his better judgment, he had not put a stop to Zullie¡¯s investigation into the Lock and Key¡¯s power. Even blind, now with Hale¡¯s assistance, she was working around the clock. She claimed she wasn¡¯t an avatar and certainly hadn¡¯t demonstrated any abilities resembling that of Agnete or Tybalt. But the ideas she had for magic now¡­

    Arkk teleported to the base of the tower, pausing its movements for just long enough to make his way to the nearest teleportation circle.

 Return to Elmshadow

    Elmshadow Burg was nestled between two tall mountains. The mountains were somewhat distant from the burg itself, as the burg sat on relatively flat terrain with a river running through it. The surrounding land, mostly farmland, extended in all directions until the ground turned to rocky hills with steep drops and sheer hikes that only goats would enjoy. Even those rocky hills were still not quite at the mountains, though there was a gradual upward slope to their layout. At some point, where the tall trees began growing in force, the land spiked upward. Massive, jutting mounds of land towered over the valley. Those tall mountains and rough terrain stretched in either direction, practically slicing the Duchy in two.

    The Walking Fortress could handle unsteady terrain. Each of its six legs was the size of a large house. Even if one leg failed to find a good place to plant down, it still had five others as backups. Arkk wasn¡¯t willing to try climbing the Elm mountains in their entirety¡ªnot with the tower occupied and in danger of tipping over¡ªbut the hills? Those were doable.

    For that reason, they weren¡¯t coming to Elmshadow from the center of the valley. It had been Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s suggestion to come in from the north, climbing over the rocky hills while using the tall mountain as a shield against Evestani¡¯s golden magic.

    No need to take all the bombardment they would face if they approached in clear view from the horizon.

    ¡°Shame the warlock wasn¡¯t able to increase the range of our bombardment magics,¡± Rekk¡¯ar grumbled. His fingers drummed against the command table as he glared down at the map spread across its surface. ¡°This spot would have been the perfect cover to unload everything we had without facing retaliation,¡± he said, jamming a finger into a small crook of the mountain.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t work,¡± Hawkwood said with a shake of his head. ¡°Arkk tried to repeat his feat at Gleeful here at Elmshadow. The golden dome fended off his spells without trouble. We would waste our supply of glowstones without accomplishing much.¡±

    ¡°Then why bring the bombardment magic at all?¡±

    ¡°Aside from it being yet another tool that will undoubtedly come in handy?¡± Arkk asked, raising an eyebrow at Rekk¡¯ar. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m hoping we get hit by one of those rays of gold.¡±

    ¡°You think that witch¡¯s idea will work?¡±

    Arkk shrugged. Zullie¡­

    Her reliability had dropped drastically in Arkk¡¯s eyes. It had been just a single mistake. One error in her plans to call upon the power of Xel¡¯atriss. To find that she, even after losing her eyes, hadn¡¯t given up¡ªin fact, she seemed more eager than ever¡ªonly filled Arkk with more unease. Yet¡­ She wasn¡¯t wrong. The Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar had such versatility that it made Agnete¡¯s power of flames look mundane in comparison. From what little Arkk had seen of Tybalt, the Jailor of the Void¡¯s avatar, before his death, he doubted that Tybalt would have been any more versatile.

    It had to be the status of the [PANTHEON]. The Burning Forge and the Jailer of the Void¡ªthough the latter had a statue in the temple¡ªwere disconnected from the world in a way that the Heart of Gold and the other traitor gods were not.

    Zullie had come up with a solution to those rays of gold. It was planar magic. Magic derived from a combination of the lighting spell she had seen in the Duke¡¯s manor and information she had¡­ Stolen? Gleaned? Been granted? Arkk wasn¡¯t sure. He didn¡¯t know that Zullie was sure. Whatever the case, she now had information following the incident where she lost her eyes that she had lacked before.

    From that, she had derived a few new spells.

    ¡°Even if our new protections don¡¯t work, the tower is large. Far larger than any instance of those rays. From what we¡¯ve observed, the avatar of gold can and does wear out. Especially after casting those wide rays of gold. It had to resort to casting far narrower beams after the first large one. Thus, we take a hit. The tower is large and the servants are standing by to repair damage. Then, while it is weakened, we can bombard with impunity.¡±

    Richter cleared his throat, looking over the group with a small frown. ¡°Not that I find fault with your grand plan,¡± he started, looking a little nervous. ¡°Is there an option that does not require us to get hit? I haven¡¯t seen one of these ¡®rays of gold¡¯ in person but I have heard of their effects. They don¡¯t sound¡­ pleasant.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m with the human,¡± Rekk¡¯ar grunted.

    The entire tower lurched as its forward momentum came to a halt. All six legs planted into the ground with a mental command from Arkk. The jolt wasn¡¯t much. It probably should have felt like a minor earthquake. The magic of the mobile [HEART] kept things steady most of the time.

    Still, it knocked an empty mug that had been sitting on the edge of the table to the floor where it clattered as wood struck stone.

    ¡°Alright. Suggestions,¡± Arkk said. It felt like this was the thirtieth time he had said those words in the last week. It seemed like they changed their plans for this assault every ten minutes. Sometimes it was because of additions to equipment such as the shadow scythes, other times, it was because new tactics opened up with the addition of magical elements provided by Savren or Zullie. Most times, it felt like nobody was sure how to handle the situation.

    Granted, not many treatises on battle tactics had been written with regards to massive walking fortresses stomping around nor regarding avatars of gods. Not even Priscilla¡¯s¡­ experience with walking fortresses could quite apply to the operations of today. Times then, magic then, were far different than that of today. As were the leagues of dragonoids and other now-extinct species that she had had at hand to send into combat. Her tactics had been of the overwhelming firepower variety which, bombardment magic and supply of charged glowstones aside, Arkk lacked.

    The discussion at the table carried on long into the night. Elmshadow was a mere half a day¡¯s march away¡ªfor the tower. If they had been approaching straight up the valley, they would have been able to see it with the naked eye. Were it not for the change in route to take them alongside the mountain, they likely would have been hit by one of those rays of gold by now.

    As it was, Arkk was a little nervous just sitting about. It would be relatively simple for the avatar of gold to take a horse out, charging around the rocky hills and unpleasant terrain. The scrying teams were keeping an eye out but it would be easy to miss a single horse rider at night.

    If the avatar did leave the burg, the burg wouldn¡¯t have that golden dome defending them. The tower needed to be in range to strike back if that happened.

    So all this sitting around, talking, arguing, and back-and-forth over details that had been discussed to death over the last weeks was grating, to say the least.

    Rekk¡¯ar favored a cautious strategy. An attempt to draw the defenders out of their magically defended stronghold.

    Hawkwood, were he in charge of the enemy force, would never leave their stronghold. As long as the avatar of gold could keep bombardment magic off their backs, they could hold out indefinitely. Especially now that the strike teams against Evestani¡¯s supply lines were on hold.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Richter wanted to rush in. Send the tower through whatever attacks it could weather up to the walls of the burg. Stomp down any magical defenses with the tower itself, bombard the city once the magic was down, and send in the combined might of White Company, Richter¡¯s men, and the specialists that Company Al-Mir could provide to overwhelm whoever was left after that.

    Olatt¡¯an, sitting at the table with his eyes closed, didn¡¯t speak much. The older orc had a thoughtful expression on his face but¡­ Arkk privately thought that he had fallen asleep.

    Priscilla sat in her chair, tipped back to the point where two legs were completely off the ground. Her wings, planted on the floor behind the chair, kept her from falling. She was present because of her aforementioned expertise in utilizing mobile towers in combat. Most of the time, she didn¡¯t contribute much to any discussion. The few times she did open her mouth, she tended to favor Richter¡¯s aggressive plans. Much to the chagrin of the more cautious members of the table.

    During a lull in the argument, Olatt¡¯an opened his eyes. He swept his eyes over the map once before looking up, sweeping his eyes over each of the others at the table. ¡°Why are we not playing to our strengths?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Magical bombardment from afar¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not that. While you possess great personal magic and the glowstones allow far more castings than should be expected, it isn¡¯t a match for the avatar.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. He didn¡¯t exactly have a way to refute that, so he kept silent and gestured for Olatt¡¯an to proceed.

    ¡°Now, I don¡¯t know the way the Duke¡¯s Guard or White Company typically handle things, but Company Al-Mir is at its strongest when we do something unexpected and catch our opponents off guard, that they couldn¡¯t plan for. This tower is something I doubt many could plan for. I¡¯m not quite willing to extend that suspicion to the avatar just yet.

    ¡°They know we¡¯re coming, as evidenced by the expanded fog over the entirety of the burg. They¡¯ll have a plan. Maybe it works. Maybe it won¡¯t. But charging in and allowing them to enact their plan is the height of foolishness.¡±

    Arkk let out a small breath, nodding his head. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m aware. I just thought¡ª Never mind. You have an alternative, I presume?¡±

    Olatt¡¯an lightly tapped the map on the table. He pointed to the same spot Rekk¡¯ar had indicated earlier. A little spot nestled in the northern Elm mountain that was close to Elmshadow while still keeping the mountain between them and the burg.

    ¡°It is too far away,¡± Arkk said, shaking his head. They had discussed that spot. Several times. ¡°The range of our bombardment magic is limited. Savren¡¯s new ritual might have worked if we were able to get a direct line of sight but all the spells that don¡¯t require line of sight are too limited.¡±

    ¡°Forget the magic, Arkk,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, voice turning gruff. ¡°We¡¯re in a massive magical fortress that moves. More importantly, it counts as your territory, does it not?¡±

    ¡°It does.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an curled his lips into a tusk-less smile. ¡°Then it should be simple to begin a battle on our terms. Not theirs.¡±

    <hr>

    Walking Fortress Al-Lavik came to a stop. Six massive legs clamped into the ground, locking into place, before lowering the bulk of the tower. The flat underside sent up a cloud of dirt and dust as it came to a partial rest on the rocky hill. With one final adjustment of the legs to compensate for the uneven terrain, the tower went still.

    Lexa watched the tower¡¯s actions from one of the lower levels, peering out from a thin slit in the tower¡¯s walls that was meant for unleashing arrows or spells upon anyone who would dare to approach. Before the dust could settle, dozens of formless figures slithered from the tower¡¯s legs. Horrible slug-like monstrosities with far too many eyes and mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth. They scurried around, dragging their pulsating, bulbous masses along with them. The lesser servants of Fortress Al-Mir got to work.

    Their maws gaped, swallowing swaths of dirt and rock here. Over there, they¡­ excreted material. It wasn¡¯t the same rock and stone. It was more of a slurry of gravel and mud. Other lesser servants moved over the top and began a hypnotic gyration. It was an abomination, revolting and disgusting to the point of making her stomach churn. Yet, despite that, Lexa found herself unable to look away.

    Tiles, like those within the tower or Fortress Al-Mir, formed underneath the dancing servants. However, here, the tiles were more like those within the tower. They possessed a shadowy, smoke-like quality lacking in the maze-like designs that permeated the entirety of Fortress Al-Mir. The only true unification was the violet gemstones that blossomed from the center of each tile.

    Lexa wasn¡¯t sure where Arkk had found those creatures. Or Vezta, for that matter. Possessing a sense of self-preservation, she felt it best to not make too many inquiries. They created livable spaces, cleaned up messes, and performed minor maintenance on damaged parts of the fortresses. That was enough for her.

    Still, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder what they were up to out there. This stop and construction work hadn¡¯t been in the latest plans she had heard. Having memorized the local map and from observing a little with the scrying teams, she recognized the area they had stopped in. They were about ten minutes of walking out from the burg¡ªfor the tower, not for a normal person. The tower wasn¡¯t exactly fast, but it wasn¡¯t slow either. When a single step could carry it half the distance of a village, it ended up able to make quite the pace. Especially once it got going.

    It had been something of a shame to leave Katja¡¯s warm bed for the relatively cold halls of Fortress Al-Mir. Gold lured her. It was just a bit more appealing than flesh. Her pockets had been filled, but there was so much more here. True power. Wealth was a way to power for many. Lexa had certainly followed that idea for the majority of her life. But now¡­

    Look at Katja. She might be able to call herself a Lady or a Duchess or whatever she wanted, but when Arkk came knocking, she had to stop and listen.

    Lexa was fairly certain she was in a better position than Katja. True, she also had to listen to Arkk when he came around, but that Arkk came around at all was a sign of how good she had it. Not everyone got personal attention from the guy in charge.

    If only his attentions were a little more¡­ attentive to her needs.

    With a small sigh, Lexa turned from the slit window to find someone who knew what was going on. Only, before she could take a step, she felt that familiar pull. Like someone grabbed hold of her by her shoulders with a massive hand, whisked her through space, and then let her drop down into an entirely new place.

    Well, well, well. Speaking of personal attention. After a brief stumble, Lexa found herself looking up to find Arkk glowering at a large window. His eyes, bright red and glowing, flicked back and forth as he started. She had once thought his eyes glowed when he was angry. Which was true, but also wasn¡¯t. It was more like keeping the glow down took concentration. If he was deep in thought¡ªeven about mundane ideas¡ªdistracted by pressing issues, or just generally not paying attention, his eyes would light up.

    Even though the red glared back against the window¡¯s glass, Lexa wasn¡¯t sure that he even noticed.

    This was much higher up in the tower. The command room. Olatt¡¯an was back at a large table and the scrying teams were in their little cubby holes, staring into crystal balls. Lexa had been inside a few times but this was the first time she had been invited.

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ have a mission for you, Lexa. It will be dangerous.¡±

    Lexa quirked her lips. ¡°Danger is just a spice to enhance a relationship.¡±

    ¡°Good in moderation but bad if it is overwhelming?¡±

    ¡°Everyone has a different taste for spice.¡± Lexa leaned against him, injecting a little extra breath into her voice. ¡°I like it on the spicy side.¡±

    Arkk drew in a breath, nodding. ¡°This might be of the overwhelming variety,¡± he said without the slightest acknowledgment of her actions.

    He was always like that. She knew he liked taller women¡ªhe had said so himself¡ªyet she felt something should get through to him. It was starting to make her feel inadequate.

    ¡°We can¡¯t scry directly on Elmshadow,¡± he continued as if nothing happened. ¡°But we need information from within, to put the final pins in our plan.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ve got the skills you need to get some eyes in the city? I understand.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know that you can get in undetected. Normally, I would assume you could without a doubt. But they are expecting us. The avatar has powers we¡¯re not fully aware of. And Evestani in general does things quite a bit differently than around the Duchy. I don¡¯t want to put you in unnecessary danger, on your own, with no support¡­ but knowing is half the battle.¡±

    ¡°Relax. If there is anything I value more than gold, it is my own life. If I think I can¡¯t do it, it might be embarrassing, but I¡¯ll come back and admit failure.¡±

    Arkk looked at her, glowing eyes flicking back and forth. After a moment, he nodded. Some of the tension in his shoulders lessened. He must have been worried. Actually worried.

    How sweet.

    Lexa grinned. ¡°I suppose I should gather my things. You¡¯ll want me out of here immediately, right?¡±

    ¡°First, I have a gift for you.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You shouldn¡¯t have¡­ Which is not a rejection. I¡¯m a woman who loves men who give me gifts.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t react once again, save to hold his hand out.

    A flowing black cloak of pure shadow appeared in the air, draping over his extended arm.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Lexa said. ¡°You¡¯ve got my interest¡­¡±

 Phase One - Reconnaissance and Preparation

    Estimates put the number of Evestani forces within Elmshadow Burg upward of seven thousand soldiers. Hawkwood had seven hundred under his command. Arkk had three hundred. They were outnumbered, but that wasn¡¯t a problem.

    Everything hinged on the avatar. Without the avatar, Arkk would be able to launch bombardment magic with impunity and the tower could walk right up to the burg¡¯s walls, forcing a surrender. Or, failing to get their surrender, simply bombard them to dust.

    For that reason, Lexa stole through the burg¡¯s streets. There was no wind in the air, yet the shadowy cloak Arkk had gifted her billowed around her, fluttering against the stillness. It moved as if it had a mind of its own, melding with the shadows of the buildings she neared and drawing her toward spots that would hide her presence. Combined with her own magics that kept others from noticing her, it was enough to make Lexa burst out laughing. Or, it would have been enough if laughing wouldn¡¯t have ruined the effect.

    She felt utterly invisible. Completely undetectable. Not just the kind of unnoticeable that someone not paying all that much attention would ignore.

    The crunch of boots against a worn road made Lexa freeze. Caught out between buildings, she had nothing to hide behind but the dilapidated remnants of a market stall. It had been broken and trashed, leaving little more than a few planks of wood standing upright with some torn and ripped cloth limply dangling from where the canopy had been. Even a gremlin of her stature wouldn¡¯t be able to hide behind it.

    A patrol of a dozen guards, one of many that she had slipped past so far, marched right past the market stall. A few of the guards even looked directly at her as she stood frozen, only half behind the stall.

    Close enough to watch their eyes, Lexa held her breath as they focused on one thing to one side of her then immediately slid their eyes to the other side of her. They didn¡¯t so much as blink. In a moment, the patrol was gone down another street, leaving Lexa stifling laughter.

    This thing was amazing.

    Arkk had warned her not to test it against the avatar, if at all possible. She could certainly see the reasoning in that. They knew that the avatar could detect some level of planar magic, given that it had attacked Arkk while he had been teleporting people out of Gleeful Burg. They didn¡¯t know if it could detect this shadow magic too.

    But right now? Lexa felt she could single-handedly end this war here and now. The avatar might be a worthy foe, but what good would the avatar be if Lexa slit the throats of every single soldier in the burg?

    It was a bit difficult to keep a realistic outlook on things with this cloak on. There was no way she would kill more than a hundred before Evestani¡¯s spellcasters or the avatar found some way of detecting her. She had a mission. It had specific parameters. Risking that mission was not acceptable.

    Lexa moved on, letting the cloak guide her from spot to spot as she advanced further into Elmshadow Burg.

    <hr>

    ¡°Careful with that!¡± Hakk¡¯ar hissed as clay met stone a little harder than expected.

    He ducked down, running his fingers along the outside of the clay pot. Not feeling any cracks or leaking, he let out a small sigh before turning a harsh glare on Livva.

    ¡°If the boss didn¡¯t want them broken, he would have made them stronger,¡± she said, turning aside without the barest hint of shame.

    ¡°You fool. You weren¡¯t at Gleeful. You didn¡¯t see what these things can do. If these things go off, we¡¯re dead. Even that little girl¡¯s healing magic won¡¯t be enough to save us.¡±

    Livva huffed but she sent a wary glance at the tall clay pot anyway.

    It stood at roughly waist height with two handles on either side of a circular lid. The lid had notches on its surface. Although three large clamps kept the lid from being removed, they did not stop its ability to rotate. Twisting the lid to a certain point would activate some small magical array deep within. Hakk¡¯ar didn¡¯t pretend to understand it.

    He just knew not to be anywhere nearby when that magical array started up.

    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Joanne said. The human stepped up behind them, carrying her own clay pot along with another human that Hakk¡¯ar didn¡¯t recognize. Company Al-Mir had grown quite a bit since the war¡¯s start and he hadn¡¯t bothered keeping up with every single person who signed on. ¡°If you weren¡¯t listening during the briefing, I don¡¯t need you on my team. You hear me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Livva said with a slight curl of her lip. Just enough to show off a little extra tooth.

    If Joanne saw that as the threat it was, she didn¡¯t make any outward show of it. She brushed by with the other human and set their pot down near the other one.

    Both looked relieved to be done with the job, but Joanne didn¡¯t double over panting like the other human. She straightened her back, kept her breathing steady, and glared around the tight corridor.

    If Hakk¡¯ar was being honest, he was surprised that a little human woman could carry one of the pots. Joanne was a little over half his size and yet, she had to be hiding some muscle under her gear.

    Hakk¡¯ar idly wondered what it would take to get a look under her cloak. Humans were often a little too prudish about that kind of thing. Ask an orc and they would either be happy to go for a toss or simply shut the idea down. No further complications. Humans, Hakk¡¯ar thought, think too much.

    <hr>

    Lexa dropped down, cloak billowing about her as it drew the shadows close. She stared into the defaced church with a frown on her face.

    On the outside edge of the keep¡¯s inner wall stood a tall church. It had seen better days. Most churches had white-washed walls, keeping them gleaming, and several golden symbols overlaid on top of the bell tower. Today, soot marred more of the walls than not. It wasn¡¯t an intentional thing, just a consequence of Elmshadow having experienced a few fires.

    What was intentional was the bell tower¡¯s golden symbols. Normally, there were three distinct symbols. The Luminous Mandala, a complex set of geometric symbols¡ªnormally simplified into a series of concentric circles¡ªwas said to represent the Light. The other two didn¡¯t have specific names but were said to represent and honor fallen gods.

    The Luminous Mandala and one of the other symbols had been blasted off the sides of the church. That left just one set of gold metal in the rough shape of a rectangular, angled spiral with long lines radiating out from the center, joining at the corners of the spiral.

    She had never been a pious sort. Some among Katja¡¯s crew were. How could the sun shine every day if not for the Light¡¯s grace, and all that. The world would come to an end if not for the powers above, and so on. Imagine her surprise when Arkk claimed that the gods were real.

    Of course, that was still second-hand information. But Arkk didn¡¯t seem all that pious himself. He spoke of the gods more as things that simply existed and could be interacted with rather than almighty beings that existed in an intangible sort of way, passively influencing the world.

    Regardless of the status of the gods, Lexa didn¡¯t much care for the defacing of the church. She was much more interested in the interior.

    The church had one large room with a high ceiling and rows of wooden pews. Religious iconography adorned practically every surface. Most, except for those geometric spirals, had been defaced along with the exterior.

    Although the Abbey of the Light didn¡¯t discuss the other gods all that often, Lexa had a feeling that she knew to whom those rectangular spirals belonged.

    The pews had been arranged to make something of a central area. A dozen children sat within, huddled together with nothing but rough, woolen blankets to keep out the cold. Aged between ten and fifteen years of age¡ªprobably, Lexa wasn¡¯t the best at judging human ages¡ªnot a single one looked happy. They looked downright miserable. Their faces were unwashed and covered in various levels of filth, which just made the tear streaks on their faces all the more obvious.

    Every single one of them had their heads shaved with tattoos that were obviously fresh, leaving the skin still raw and red in places. They were¡­ a week old? Give or take. They had probably been applied around the same time as the expanded fog around the city in the scrying balls. The tattoos were rectangular boxes that adorned the crowns of their heads. Now that she saw the symbols around the church, she could easily compare the similarity.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    That was it. Lexa hadn¡¯t found the avatar yet but she had more than one objective. This was one of the secondary things Arkk had asked her to look out for.

    Guards stood at the doors of the church. They didn¡¯t look like they were protecting the children so much as they were acting as their warden. Which wasn¡¯t what Lexa had expected. These¡­ hosts of the avatar were not volunteers. They weren¡¯t enamored to be here, they weren¡¯t honored for their sacrifice or gifted with lavish rewards for their service.

    Lexa ran a gloved thumb against a blade beneath her cloak, biting her lip¡­

    <hr>

    ¡°Disgusting thing.¡±

    ¡°Quiet. What if it hears you?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t much care,¡± Abbess Hannah said, glowering.

    A blob of black tar and slime dragged itself down the corridor. Its eyes, small and yellow like miniature stars, bubbled and popped, only to reform and repeat the process. A gap in its side opened up, revealing a row of razor-sharp teeth shaped like the tip of a blade. Tendrils dug into the wall of dirt and rock, breaking it apart with smaller maws before dragging the bulk of the mass down into the void in its side.

    Once enough of the wall had been eaten, it slopped to the ground. Tendrils pulled it forward, dragging its mass over the top of itself. The maw that had eaten most of the wall ended up smashed against the floor as the rest of it oozed along the top. That opening sealed shut, returning to the formless mass of the rest of the creature until it came to a stop against the wall of rock. There, it broke down and consumed the wall.

    A second of the creatures followed along behind the first, undulating and squirming in a foul dance that, through magics unknown, formed smooth tiles, glowstones, and brickwork in place of the raw earth.

    Occasionally, more of the servants would arrive and start digging in a different direction, creating branching paths that seemed far too easy to get lost in.

    Continuing in that manner, they carved out a long tunnel beneath the Elm mountains.

    Abbess Hannah, despite her revulsion, continued following behind the pair of creatures. Vector and his squad of battlecasters walked alongside her with a large detachment of soldiers spread through the corridor around them.

    Ever since following Richter in his idealistic goal of doing what was right rather than what was ordered, Hannah had been somewhat at odds with their leader. Not with what they were doing. Evestani and the heretics of the Golden Order were a blight on the Duchy. It was the methods through which they were accomplishing their goals that Hannah took umbrage with.

    ¡°It is quite a fascinating creature,¡± Vector said. The squat man with perpetually sleepy eyes barely blinked upon first seeing one of the monsters. Rather, it looked like he wanted to try poking it. ¡°Makes you wonder what all exists in this world that you¡¯ve never seen.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is a creature of this world at all. It is an invader. An abomination. It scurries in the dark of these tunnels to avoid the wrathful gaze of the Light.¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so,¡± Vector said with a shake of his head. ¡°They were moving all around the tower as we exited it, up on the surface. Didn¡¯t you see?¡±

    Hannah grimaced. Despite having traveled inside it for the last several weeks, she tried her best not to think of that tower. Upon first laying eyes on it, she had urged Richter to abandon this Arkk heretic. But Richter was too blinded by his idealism and desire to be the hero of the Duchy. The one who fended off the Evestani army¡ªor at least played a large part in it¡ªand Company Al-Mir offered him exactly what he wanted to hear.

    To be fair, it wasn¡¯t like abandoning Company Al-Mir would have changed anything. That tower would have marched without them. Although sizable in a vacuum, those who followed Richter were too small to make a difference in the end.

    Hannah had considered departing on her own. In the end, love for the soldiers she had grown close to during the war kept her where she was. They needed guidance. Especially in times like these, with company like this.

    The Abbess closed her eyes as she waited for the creature to consume another section of the earth around them, devouring the very world they lived upon. She flipped through her mental library, seeking an appropriate passage for the situation she found herself in. In these dim corridors, with an approaching battle against heretics with heretics at their side, there had to be something she could say.

    She was an abbess. It wasn¡¯t a particularly high rank among the Abbey of the Light. Barely above that of an acolyte. A bishop, oracle, disciple, or adept would know how to bolster the spirits of those around them even while surrounded by monsters. It would come to them naturally, as if granted divine inspiration by the Light Itself. Hannah had studied the holy texts, the history of the Abbey, and the ways of the Light. She just lacked that spark of inspiration.

    Then it hit her.

    A passage in an old scroll she had discovered.

    ¡°Remember the words of the Prophetess Aeliana as she spoke in the Canticles of the Dawning Sun. ¡¯Even in the company of shadows, the Light shall be your shield and your spear. It is not the nature of our ally, but the righteousness of our cause that sanctifies our coming battle.¡±

    Hannah¡¯s voice carried through the corridor. It carried far further than she had anticipated or wanted. She could feel the way the soldiers and battlecasters around her fell into silence, looking at her as if she were about to speak something utterly profound.

    Her jaw locked up and nerves bolted her lips closed. She was no stranger to public speaking. She had offered plenty of sermons in the ten years she had served as an abbess. Yet here and now, she swallowed, feeling trapped by her sudden outburst.

    These were men who were about to go to war. Not just war, but a battle with the odds stacked against them. She along with them, as their healer and support.

    They waited in silence, staring, waiting for inspiration or words of comfort. A blessing for the battle ahead.

    Hannah drew in a breath. ¡°We stand on the precipice of a battle that may well decide the fate of our lands. Among us¡­¡± She pressed her lips together, narrowing her eyes in the direction of the corridor¡¯s end. Her eyes then flicked over the mass of soldiers to another creature. One creature too tall to fit in the large corridor upright, had all six of its arms spread out. ¡°Creatures of ancient might and magic beyond our ken. Our alliance with these beings, born of necessity, does not tarnish our souls. Nor does it sway our commitment.

    ¡°Our enemy is deplorable in the extreme. I have read reports of their so-called Avatar of the Golden Good. A heretic who mutilates children to further their goals¡­¡± Hannah suppressed a shudder. If what that scout had said was true, the Golden Order was even worse than the Abbey typically preached. It was possible to be a heretic and still a good man. Even those who didn¡¯t believe in the Light would share their porridge with their neighbor in trying times. But mutilating children to use as disposable bodies? ¡°In this trying time, our faith is tested. But it is also proven! The Light does not abandon its faithful. It will not abandon us! Let your courage be as your shield, your faith as your sword, and your spirit as an unbreakable bond that unites us all in singular purpose¡ªto vanquish the heretics and liberate our people in the name of the Light!¡±

    Hannah let her words hang in the air. Her heart pounded in her chest, nervous and yet¡­ exhilarated. She wasn¡¯t sure that she had said anything coherent at all. If not, it didn¡¯t seem to matter. The soldiers in the corridor pumped their fists, cheering out.

    Vector just raised an eyebrow. Of course, he wasn¡¯t one to fall for a ramble of rhetoric. Still, the corner of his lip curled upward.

    This¡­ was a good feeling. It was why Hannah stuck around despite the monsters and anathema. She wasn¡¯t some powerful pontiff, she was just an abbess. Her duty was one of guidance and comfort.

    Just as she allowed herself a small smile, a sudden hush surged through the crowd of soldiers.

    It wasn¡¯t hard to see why.

    That creature at the rear of the group crawled forward. It didn¡¯t try to push past the soldiers or battlecasters. Rather, it avoided them entirely by clamping its many limbs into the ceiling, skittering above the soldiers¡¯ heads. Hannah locked up, freezing solid as it came to a stop directly over her. Its head, upside-down and backward, twisted and bent until that false face it wore was at her level.

    ¡°I have a question,¡± it spoke, its voice sending tremors through Hannah¡¯s heart.

    Hannah didn¡¯t know what to say in response. It wasn¡¯t supposed to speak to her. It was here to provide information, using its foul magics to communicate instantly with other groups in the tower and the city.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Vector asked. ¡°Regarding the Light? Abbess Hannah is well-versed in such matters. I¡¯m sure she would be most pleased to discuss theology.¡±

    Hannah¡¯s eyes widened, flicking over to Vector. He wasn¡¯t implying that she could try to convert this thing to proper worship of the Light, was he?

    ¡°But perhaps now isn¡¯t the best time,¡± Vector finished.

    ¡°A simple question.¡± It looked away from Vector, turning those wide, eerie eyes on Hannah. ¡°You spoke of a prophetess. The words used ¡®in the company of shadows¡¯. To what does that phrase refer?¡±

    Hannah opened her mouth. Her throat, dry and parched, forced her to swallow rather than speak. Vector lightly nudged her in the side, which was just enough encouragement. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Hannah admitted. Now that the first few words were out, the next came easily. ¡°Prophetess Aeliana¡¯s life is poorly chronicled. Many records of the time have been lost. Even the Canticles of the Dawning Sun are incomplete. She was involved in a war and had allies she obviously didn¡¯t agree with, so the words just popped into my mind. Beyond that, I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± the creature said, accepting her words without doubt. Its hands, gripping the ceiling, started to pull it back where it had come from, only for it to pause and turn to Vector. ¡°I am informed that you are almost in position. Preparations are still ongoing elsewhere. You will not engage immediately.¡±

    Vector nodded his head. ¡°Thank you for the notice.¡±

    With that, the creature skittered back over the heads of the soldiers, much to their discomfort. Hannah could only sigh in relief at its vacancy.

    ¡°Looks like we have some time,¡± Vector said. ¡°Perhaps you should speak more of this Aeliana. What little you know, anyway.¡±

    Hannah drew in a breath and nodded, agreeing internally. Better to not leave silence in the air. That would only lead to festering thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t know of those shadows,¡± she said, averting her eyes from the creature. ¡°But the battle she was in is said to be one of legend¡­¡±

    <hr>

    Lexa finished measuring out the distance from the keep to the final primary target. The keep, though ruined, still stood tall enough to poke out above the scrying fog. That meant that it could be used as a reference point to various targets throughout the burg.

    As long as her measurements were correct, anyway.

    Arkk had dumped several brass items in her lap¡ªcourtesy of Hawkwood, apparently¡ªand had given her brief instructions on how to use them to determine distances. It had been a short lesson but Lexa was pretty sure she got the gist of it.

    Writing down the last few coordinates, this one pointed at an armory, on a small notebook marked the end of her mission. She had accomplished all her objectives. All except one. There had been no sign of the avatar. Just those poor children.

    Night was on its way. Which meant she had to get back. Arkk needed her reconnaissance to finalize all the preparations.

    Lexa found her eyes drifting back toward that ruined church.

    After she delivered her report¡­

    After¡­

 Phase Two - Divide and Provoke

    Priscilla circled Elmshadow Burg high over its tallest building. High enough that it would have been difficult to see the burg. However, that wasn¡¯t because of pure distance. Today was an overcast day. The clouds were low and dark. Or so she had heard before departing the tower.

    It wasn¡¯t like visibility mattered to Priscilla.

    Still, Priscilla wiped at her face, grimacing at the feeling. Although winter was over, it was still chilly out. An ice dragonoid didn¡¯t care about the temperature much but, combined with the moisture from the cloud constantly spraying against her face, Priscilla had to admit some level of discomfort. It reminded her of Umasab, a water dragon who¡­ had died long ago.

    The constant spray reminded her of him. His teasing. His casual laugh. His laborious breaths. His blood flowed freely from his heart, ignoring his pitiful attempts at controlling the liquid.

    Three times in the past, Priscilla had fought. She had waged wars. The first, immediately following the Calamity, had been a war of aggression and rage, with no focus and no goal aside from inflicting pain upon the perpetrators of the Calamity. She had claimed a [HEART] for herself and, together with dozens of dragonoids and full dragons, cut a burning scar across the world.

    There was nothing left of that scar. A thousand years was enough to heal many wounds. Cities had rebuilt. People returned and spread out. Rivers, though rerouted, settled and their new positions became the norm.

    Yet, some of hers had perished. They didn¡¯t heal. They didn¡¯t return.

    A scant fifty years after, Priscilla, though blinded and confused, had seen the stars shift. The dragon the humans called Gorethorn the Jinx had enacted great magics to bend the reality of the world. Priscilla had rallied her fellows to fight once more.

    Only for the combined might of the Light, the Glory, and the Gold to slap them into the ground.

    Some of hers had perished once again.

    Two hundred years after that, the stars shifted once again. Priscilla had rallied and fought and bled and failed.

    How long had it been since then? How long had she sat alone on the mountaintop, waiting and watching for signs of others who might be able to fix this broken world? Five hundred¡­ six hundred¡­ seven hundred years? More? For hundreds of years, she sat in silence.

    Now, their numbers had been reduced to¡­ well¡­ to just her. Priscilla knew of at least one other dragonoid still alive, but she had abandoned the call. No one else was here. So either they had ignored the signs or they were dead.

    Now, she was working with a human. That rankled. More than once, she had considered just taking his [HEART] for her own. It wouldn¡¯t work. Her heart was cold and dead. Attempting to become a keeper once again would see her destroyed completely. The temptation was there regardless.

    Now, things were different. Priscilla hadn¡¯t kept up with the goings on of the world below during her time on the mountaintop, but what little she had seen and heard since her descent spoke volumes. The Light, the Gold, and the Glory were separated and decidedly ununified. In the times since she last fought, the three had fought among themselves. Or their followers had, which was roughly the same thing in the end.

    While the current Keeper was an ignorant backwoods hunter, that simple state of the enemy factions alone gave him a far better chance than she had ever had¡ªand thus, gave her a far better chance.

    Even if his odds were low, he was still providing this opportunity.

    A slight shift in the Stars served as her signal. Whether or not Arkk wanted her to act now wasn¡¯t relevant. Priscilla pulled her wings tight and angled herself downward, sending her into a steep dive.

    Opportunities like this were things she couldn¡¯t pass up. For while Priscilla hated humans in general, she detested the ones who worshipped their gods. A whole city full of them?

    The elemental crucible in the heart of her chest stirred as Priscilla unhinged her jaw.

    <hr>

    ¡°The dragonoid started early,¡± Rekk¡¯ar grunted, lowering the telescoping lens from his eye. He leaned over one of the scrying pits, squinting at the crystal ball within as if to confirm what he had seen out the window.

    Arkk frowned but shrugged. ¡°Well, better than late. Or not starting at all. It wasn¡¯t like we had an effective way of signaling her.¡±

    ¡°Think they¡¯ll fall for it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think it matters. If dragonoids are half as destructive as I¡¯ve been led to believe, they can¡¯t ignore her. With Evestani having concentrated all their forces on our side of the burg, having her attack from behind is going to force them to withdraw at least some of their soldiers.¡±

    ¡°Unless the avatar deals with her.¡±

    Arkk couldn¡¯t help the wince. ¡°I don¡¯t think that will happen. If it does, we can move in, fully committing knowing that we won¡¯t have to face another of those large blasts or an impenetrable magical shield.¡±

    ¡°At the cost of the dragonoid?¡±

    ¡°Our presence and the threat we represent should keep her safe. If it doesn¡¯t¡­ Priscilla has an odd way of sensing the world around her. If anyone can preemptively move out of the way, it would be her.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar shrugged and brought the spyglass back to his eye. ¡°No skin off my back, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be more worried about the man in golden armor. He beat down Priscilla before using just his fists, grabbing her out of the sky when she swooped down to investigate an oddity that the ¡®Stars¡¯ warned her about.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar just grunted an acknowledgment.

    ¡°In any case,¡± Arkk continued, ¡°her starting early isn¡¯t a problem. Tunnels are still being dug but we weren¡¯t going to have people attack immediately. Have to give Evestani a chance to spread their forces thin.¡±

    <hr>

    Agnete shivered despite herself.

    Elmshadow Burg reverted a few weeks into the heart of winter. A thick layer of ice and snow ravaged the outer wall of the burg and several of the inner buildings. What had once been farmland, trampled and left untended, was a solid slate of ice. It was a rather impressive showing, in Agnete¡¯s opinion. It would have been more impressive if the brunt of the attack had swept through the center of the burg rather than the fields outside, but she supposed she shouldn¡¯t fault the blind dragonoid for being a little off in her aim.

    At least she managed to get the back of the burg instead of the front. Or, worse, miss it entirely.

    Agnete cracked her neck back and forth, sending a series of pops echoing off the rocky hills around the south side of the burg.

    The signal hadn¡¯t come yet but Agnete started to stride out into the open anyway. It wouldn¡¯t do to be outshone by a glorified winter storm.

    This, perhaps, was the first time she ever felt able to go all-out. With the inquisitors, she had been limited, chained almost literally. Joining with Arkk had been freeing but, at the same time, limiting in other ways. There were always people around. Flames and flesh just didn¡¯t mix. She always had to hold herself back.

    Being with Arkk brought along the surprise that she was actually able to hold herself back. Something about the magic of Fortress Al-Mir had freed her from the madness of the cleansing flame. Which, she was sure, her newfound allies appreciated to no end.

    Today, Agnete stood alone. She was one of the few who had been identified as safe to engage. Relatively speaking. Given her earlier feat of deflecting one of those golden beams, the hope was that she could pull off that trick once again.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Never mind the fact that she had been knocked out entirely for days¡­

    Agnete walked the short distance between the tunnel exit and the burg walls. There was little need to hide. While Priscilla attacked the north-west side of the burg, most eyes would be on her. The few that weren¡¯t wouldn¡¯t be able to react before¡­

    Breathing deep, Agnete let her magic go. Like the bellows of a forge breathing fresh air over a few simmering embers, she let her breath out.

    Flames erupted around her. She hadn¡¯t bothered wearing clothes, knowing they would be burned off the moment she acted. All around her, weeds and plants that had survived dormant through the winter turned to ash. A wooden shack, built up against the wall, collapsed in on itself as flames surged forward. The shack didn¡¯t provide even a moment of pause.

    The wall itself exploded into the burg as her flames took hold. Bits of burning stone flew into the air, sailing outward. The flames on the normally inflammable bricks and rock only intensified, turning the stone molten and white-hot before they crashed into more buildings inside the burg. Each stone exploded on impact. Fire rippled out from the crash sites, exploding outward as they sent more bits of burning stone through the air.

    A wide grin lit up Agnete¡¯s face as she strode further into the burg.

    <hr>

    ¡°That flame witch started early too.¡±

    Arkk sighed. ¡°Protector, if you would be so kind as to signal the battlecasters and the bombardment team.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°The golden barrier has gone up!¡±

    ¡°Stop casting!¡±

    Morvin removed his hands from the ritual array, complying with Gretchen¡¯s command. Using the hem of his tunic, he wiped away a good deal of sweat from his forehead. The Prismatic Firestorm ritual had a bit of magical leakage somewhere in its array. Morvin wasn¡¯t knowledgeable enough in ritual construction to identify the faults, but he could feel the effects.

    Prismatic Firestorm was a specialty bombardment ritual developed by the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard at the tail end of the last war. It called down a storm of magical fire in a spectrum of colors, each with its own unique property. Red flames burned as normal but blue flames splashed out into a flood of water, white flames froze, green flames corroded, and yellow flames created intense gusts of wind that typically agitated the other colors. It was a chaotic spell that wasn¡¯t particularly discriminatory.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if the fault was in their version of the ritual or if it existed in the original, but every time the ritual produced a different color, some slight effect leaked out into the air around the ritual instead of the target location. Luckily, it was a problem they had known about beforehand.

    Being surprised by a sudden flame igniting in the middle of the attack would have gone poorly.

    ¡°They¡¯re on their way.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Morvin glanced up to find Gretchen nervously biting at her lip. ¡°Who?¡±

    Instead of an answer, Gretchen just pointed, handing over a spyglass as she did so.

    They were set up in the rocky hills north of Elmshadow Burg, just barely within range of the spell. The rituals weren¡¯t meant to be dismantled and moved like this. The tower was supposed to have been their permanent home. Nevertheless, the new plan called for them to be moved, and, being one of the bombardment engineers, Morvin had to follow.

    He felt¡­ undefended. It was just him, Gretchen, and the looming presence of the Protector out here at the mouth of a tunnel that led back to the tower. The ritual required direct access to the sky, so they couldn¡¯t just cast from underground. He understood that much. Still, would it have killed them to send a few guards as backup?

    And now, raising the spyglass to his eye, he just about wet himself.

    Elmshadow Burg stood in the distance, obviously scarred from the battles it had seen. Both from older battles and the current conflict that was just breaking out. Mostly the ice dragonoid laying on the¡­ ice. Flames erupted in the distance on the other side of the burg. Although some ice and fire had gotten around the edges, the majority of the burg now sported a semi-transparent dome of gold, protecting it from further bombardment.

    Although an imposing sight, that was the good news. The golden dome meant no golden rays. Arkk had specifically directed everyone into small groups to make each group less appealing of a target. The golden dome was what they had hoped for.

    Horse riders by the dozen were charging forth from the walls of Elmshadow Burg. Absolutely the opposite of what Morvin had hoped for.

    ¡°They figured out where we were this fast?¡± he hissed, trying to keep his voice steady. He wasn¡¯t sure that he succeeded. ¡°What was the point in setting up behind these trees?¡±

    He turned to find Gretchen crouched over the ritual array. The metal rings, linked in on themselves, turned slightly as she recalibrated the circle.

    ¡°Distance?¡± she called out.

    ¡°You¡¯re recalibrating now? We need to get out of here!¡± They had the tunnel. They could escape. Arkk could teleport them directly in an emergency¡ªand this was sure feeling like an emergency. He could even teleport the ritual circle and glowstones. That was how they got them out here.

    ¡°Distance!¡± Gretchen shouted, not looking up.

    Gnawing on the inside of his cheek, Morvin turned back to the burg. He brought up the spyglass and tried to measure. ¡°T¡­ three thousand paces. Maybe?¡± They were charging. Hard. And they had already been moving before he first spotted them, maybe before the golden dome had even gone up. How fast would it be before they reached them at that rate? Three minutes? One per thousand paces?

    Behind him, he heard the grinding of the targeting gears as Gretchen readjusted the ritual circle. It wasn¡¯t meant for such close distances.

    ¡°Shout when they¡¯re at a thousand paces.¡±

    ¡°A thousand? If you¡¯re going to attack, do it now! Don¡¯t wait¡­ Oh Light¡­¡±

    Reaching deep within himself, he felt for that link that connected him to Company Al-Mir. The one that had sprung up when he first joined. Arkk had told them all to tug on that if they were in trouble and this was trouble.

    Wrapping a metaphorical hand around it like it was the reins of a horse, he yanked and then braced himself, fully expecting that disorientation that came with a sudden relocation.

    None came.

    He stood on the hill, near a lone tree, still watching those horses approach. Was Arkk busy? Focused on something else? ¡°Oh Light! We need to¡ª¡±

    ¡°How far?¡±

    ¡°A thousand five hundred¡­ four hundred¡­ three¡ª¡±

    ¡°Close enough!¡± Gretchen shouted, slamming her hand down on the activation sigil.

    The air around them turned humid and then plunged into a sudden chill, followed quickly by a heavy breeze blowing outward from the circle, a sweltering heat, and a rise in humidity. The sensation leaking from the ritual circle swapped back and forth, accompanied by brief flashes from the glowstones powering the array, randomly altering the environment.

    Like falling stars, columns of flame crashed down from the sky on the hills ahead of Morvin. The spell couldn¡¯t be targeted precisely. Just focused on a general area about the size of a village marketplace.

    The first dozen horse riders charged straight through, clearing the area of effect well in advance of the first column striking the ground. Those behind weren¡¯t so lucky.

    A small tide of water covered the ground just before a sheet of ice spread out from the white flames. That alone sent five horses skidding about as they lost their traction. Two more erupted into short-lived flames before the wind threw them from their startled mounts. A third wasn¡¯t so lucky as to have the flames extinguished.

    But it wasn¡¯t enough. The riders started evading the falling flames with the majority simply swinging wide around the area of effect to avoid it entirely. Barely a third fell to the siege spell.

    It was made for buildings and burgs, not riders.

    ¡°Gretchen, we¡­¡± He paused, remembering one other thing Arkk mentioned. ¡°Electro Deus!¡± he shouted, swinging a hand forward.

    Blinding blue lightning crackled forward, soaring through the air until it slammed into the leader of the group. Morvin thought he had been aiming for the rider, but at the last moment, it veered down and struck the horse straight in its flat face. The hair burned and the skin blackened in an instant. It took two more steps forward before its knees buckled, skinning itself against the rocky ground as it ejected its rider.

    Morvin sagged in sudden exhaustion but forced himself upright. He had been told that he had more magical potential than most, but also that that wasn¡¯t saying much. Still, during training with Zullie before her incident, he had managed a full three lightning bolts before the exhaustion was too much to overcome.

    ¡°Electro Deus!¡± Gretchen shouted at his side, flinging forward a bolt of her own. Her bolt caught the shield of one of the armored riders. The crackling electricity jumped from the shield to the armor of the man who held it but, if it affected him, he sure didn¡¯t show it. The horse felt it, though it didn¡¯t fry, it did buck, throwing its rider.

    ¡°Electro Deus!¡± Morvin shouted again. This time, he made sure to aim for the horse. If the riders had some kind of magical protection in their armor, getting rid of their horses was their best bet for surviving just a little longer.

    It was too late to run. Far too late. He had to hope that Arkk would notice them and help.

    Morvin launched another bolt, then one more. Maybe it was the adrenaline or simply knowing that if he didn¡¯t stop the riders, he was a dead man, but he managed a fifth bolt after that. Gretchen managed four before she sagged, panting and sweating.

    The Protector moved. Morvin had almost forgotten about it. It normally just stood there, looming and staring without blinking¡ªthe creepy thing. But now, with Morvin and Gretchen barely able to move, it used its long legs to step directly over them. Just in time to meet the first rider that made it to them.

    The rider leveled his pike at the Protector. The speartip glanced off the hardened carapace.

    Morvin could hear the startled shriek as the Protector grasped the rider by the head in one of its four hands, kicking the horse out from under him. The horse crashed into another, sending it and its rider to the ground. All while the Protector swung the man it had grasped at a third rider. The sound of bones breaking filled the air.

    Morvin didn¡¯t get to watch the fight any further.

    He almost threw up from the sudden relocation. The air changed. It was the comfortably warm air of the Walking Fortress. Gretchen landed on the ground beside him, too exhausted to prop herself up. She did vomit, spilling her last meal on the ground.

    ¡°Sorry about the delay,¡± Arkk said. He looked¡­ angry. Thunderously so. His eyes blazed brighter than Morvin had ever seen. ¡°There were complications.¡± Morvin waited for more but that was the only explanation he was getting. ¡°You did well. Rest for now,¡± he said.

    Again, the world around Morvin shifted as he popped into the barracks. Everything within was piled up on one side of the room for some reason but Morvin didn¡¯t get a chance to consider why.

    The second teleport was too much for him. Exhausted, nerves strained from the attack, and feeling sick from the smell of Gretchen¡¯s vomit, he couldn¡¯t help himself. He emptied his stomach on the floor of the barracks.

 Phase Three - Assault

    The tower could not move.

    Currently, the tower was planted in the ground, nestled in the crook of the northern Elm mountain. As per Olatt¡¯an¡¯s idea, they settled down, opened doors, and burrowed deep into the mountain using lesser servants. Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure how the old orc knew, but the Walking Fortress could be used to create contiguous territory, capable of being claimed just like the land around Fortress Al-Mir. That had expanded Arkk¡¯s awareness, allowed him to teleport troops and materials, and gave him the ability to rescue people who were in trouble by teleporting them out of danger.

    It came at a cost. The tower could not move.

    ¡°The gold statues breached the western leg!¡±

    Nothing was preventing him from sending the directive to the tower to raise its legs, physically speaking. The legs were intact and operational. But if he did, it would break the connection between the tower¡¯s heart and the land around it. The tunnels would all revert to bare rock and dirt. And, likely, grow unstable without the reinforcing magic. Anyone caught inside might suffer a collapse. It would kill his awareness and severely limit his ability to move around his employees.

    ¡°Keep everyone away! Don¡¯t get touched by their blades!¡±

    Not to mention, it would completely cut off Hawkwood and his men¡ªthey were not employees of Company Al-Mir and thus could not be moved around like them¡ªas well as the furthest of Arkk¡¯s minions. The tower seemed to have a far smaller area in which he could teleport his minions around. Right now, with tunnels burrowed all the way to Elmshadow, everyone was within reach. But when it was just the tower? He would be lucky if he could recall those who were attacking the near side of the burg.

    ¡°The door is holding for now but it is only wood. They broke through one already. They¡¯ll get through this one.¡±

    So, when a horde of those golden statues managed to approach the tower unnoticed until they were already hammering on the doors of the tower¡¯s legs, Arkk couldn¡¯t simply lift the legs and walk away¡ªor, better yet, crush them.

    Most of his forces, including the heavy hitters like Agnete, Priscilla, and Dakka were at Elmshadow Burg. Most of the soldiers were out in the tunnels. His spellcasters were positioned throughout the burg, awaiting orders to begin their attacks. The tower, massive though it was, was practically deserted at the moment. And a good thing too. Those golden statues were tearing through the tower.

    Arkk had relocated everyone to the upper levels.

    Rekk¡¯ar and Olatt¡¯an had geared up, as had Richter. They were accompanied by about a dozen guards of varying species. One of the Protector¡¯s bodies stood hunched in the tall chamber. Beyond them, they had several noncombatants. The scrying team, smiths, and cooks, mostly.

    And poor Evelyn. The warrior had been bracing one of the doors with her shoulder when one of those golden blades jammed through a crack in the door. It only nicked her arm but that was enough. Were it not for Olatt¡¯an¡¯s quick reaction in chopping her arm off, she might have become another statue.

    ¡°S-Sir¡­ The golden¡ª¡± A heavy hammering on the command center¡¯s door interrupted Luthor. Splinters of wood exploded inward as one of the planks cracked. ¡°G-golden shield is up.¡±

    ¡°Protector,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Tell Dakka and Hawkwood that it is time. And Lexa is to aim for the three priority targets.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Great that we¡¯re continuing but what about us?¡± Evelyn hissed. Even though Arkk had sealed her arm with the Flesh Weaving spell, she still clutched at the stump like she was trying to staunch bleeding. ¡°We¡¯re running out of floors to evacuate to.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m awa¡ª¡± Another battering ram against the door broke part of the wood around the latch. Another good hit would shatter it completely. ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± Arkk finished. ¡°The situation is under control.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar scoffed. Arkk paid him no mind.

    ¡°This is my territory. My domain. The audacity of that avatar trying to take me down with anything but a fully powered ray of gold is laughable.¡±

    The battering ram slammed against the door once again, cracking wood and splaying chips across the room. The door swung on its hinges, crashing into the wall.

    A golden figure stepped forward. It wasn¡¯t a soldier. It didn¡¯t have the armor of a soldier. It was a woman. Frumpy. Like old lady Emma back in Langleey Village. She wore a simple tunic with a long, handmade apron¡ªall cast in gold. A civilian? One of the citizens of Elmshadow Burg? It had to be.

    Arkk¡¯s eyes blazed. ¡°Incendiary Explosio.¡±

    A tiny pinprick of light formed at the level of the statue¡¯s chest. The statue didn¡¯t seem to notice. It stepped forward.

    The moment the pinprick of light touched the statue¡¯s reflective gold surface, it exploded into a dazzling inferno. The heat was intense, even from across the room. Arkk and his companions had to shield their faces with their arms. He was able to keep watch, however, using his omnipresence of his own territory.

    Despite the ferocity of the flames, the old magic spell he had learned from Priscilla was nothing compared to Agnete¡¯s fire. But it didn¡¯t need to be. He wasn¡¯t trying to melt the statue. Whatever enchantments were in the gold had shrugged off Agnete¡¯s flames when they had first encountered the statues.

    They didn¡¯t shrug off the physical effects of the spell. The concussive force of the spell knocked the statue backward. As a pile of heavy gold, it didn¡¯t go far.

    ¡°Hold on!¡± Arkk shouted.

    There was a slight panic as everyone scrambled. They had been warned in advance.

    The entirety of the tower shifted. Without leaving the ground, half the legs of the tower lifted up. The other half sunk down. The entire fortress tilted. Magic normally kept the interior from feeling like it was moving. He had shut that bit off.

    The heavy gold statue, unstable from the explosion, toppled with the tilted floor. Gravity dragged it down toward the wall of the tower. It crashed into another three statues on its way. Lesser servants, clinging to the exterior of the tower, destroyed a section of the wall just as the mass of golden statues hit it.

    All four went flying out, sailing down toward the ground far below.

    As soon as they were ejected, he ordered the tower to right itself. The jolt from the legs shifting must have been too much for poor Luthor. The chameleon let out a yelp as his grip slipped.

    Before Arkk could even think to teleport him back to safety, the Protector reached out and grasped him by the back of his tunic. The fabric stretched and ripped but it stopped his fall long enough for the floor to level out. Luthor dropped to the floor with a nervous chuckle. ¡°Th-thanks,¡± he mumbled.

    Arkk gave the Protector a curt nod of his head before turning. ¡°See? Under control.¡±

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Rekk¡¯ar scoffed again. Arkk, again, paid him no mind. He quickly scanned through all the forces in the field, checking for anything he had missed while busy. ¡°Scrying team, back on the crystal balls,¡± he barked out as he teleported the bombardment team back into the tower. ¡°Sorry about the delay,¡± he said, practically growling the words.

    He wasn¡¯t upset with the bombardment team. They had done their job well, even managing to defeat several armed knights before he had extracted them.

    The problem was further in the city. Dakka¡¯s team was in trouble. Too much trouble to handle? He wasn¡¯t sure yet. Their shadow armor and scythes weren¡¯t tested to their fullest extent.

    Agnete was the closest person to them but Dakka was inside the golden dome, Agnete was outside it. The battlecasters were tearing through the streets on the other side of the burg, handling the divided yet larger army well enough. They almost seemed driven by a light of their own, bright against the backdrop of the golden dome. They would have to cross practically the entire city if they were to assist Dakka.

    Lexa couldn¡¯t be diverted. He had no method of contacting her now that she was away from her Protector. Hawkwood¡¯s men were on their own, fighting hard against the bulk of Evestani¡¯s army.

    Could Dakka¡¯s handle that gold-armored knight on their own?

    Or did he need to teleport them out before things went too far?

    Arkk bit his lip, watching a moment longer before moving to confer with his advisors.

    <hr>

    Dakka let out a barking laugh as she swung her scythe. Awkward weapon to wield aside, it was amazing. Every swing cut through whatever it touched with little more resistance than a blade through a stream of water. It worked better in the darkness¡ªthe shadows between buildings and indoors¡ªbut even out in the direct light of the sun, it still cut into anything with almost no effort.

    ¡°Get back here you¡ª¡±

    Dakka jerked back as three crossbow bolts struck her in the chest, one after another.

    She had been somewhat nervous about her mission. She and her relatively small team had effectively been asked to act as an entire division of an army while taking on an entire division of Evestani¡¯s army. There were a dozen of the shadow-armored orcs and several hundred expected opponents. Technically speaking, they had the easier job, cleaning up the Evestani forces who had split off from the main defense to try to deal with Agnete and Priscilla.

    Hawkwood was tasked with leading his seven hundred against the majority of the Evestani forces. They didn¡¯t even have many tricks up their sleeves thanks to Arkk, just a few odd magical spells powered by glowstone wands and most of the gorgon for their petrification and venom. Richter¡¯s battlecasters were backing Hawkwood up, using larger-scale magic to ensure that Hawkwood never had to face a sizable force all at once. Dakka didn¡¯t envy their position.

    That was the nature of war, she supposed. Nobody¡¯s position was all that enviable.

    Still, watching those crossbow bolts simply fall to the ground, leaving naught a mark on the shadow-like metal¡ªmetal-like shadow?¡ªgave her a good laugh.

    Dare she say it, but she was having fun.

    The battle was pure chaos. They had emerged from a tunnel near the western side of the burg. A dozen knights cloaked in darkness ripped through the assembled army. Like scythes through a field of wheat. Her blood pumped. The adrenaline flowed.

    Dakka hadn¡¯t much enjoyed her time as a raider. The fights were generally pathetic¡ªa mass of goblins was hard for most to overcome, leaving little for the orcs to actually do¡ªtheir leader had been an utterly insane witch, and Dakka herself had been the runt of the group with little personal power. Now, clad in fancy armor, leading a team of specialists, and able to properly enjoy the fights?

    Dakka charged forward, rearing back the scythe. The line of soldiers had long since broken. Most were attempting to make their way around the Shadow Knights, avoiding them as they tried to regroup in the center of the burg. It was Dakka¡¯s job to ensure that didn¡¯t happen.

    That would only make Hawkwood¡¯s job harder.

    However, before Dakka could bring down her scythe, the three crossbowmen who had just shot at her locked up for a brief moment. The first, the one closest to Dakka, threw down his crossbow. Both others swiftly followed his example. She figured they were going for their swords¡ªcrossbows were easy to use yet difficult to reload¡ªbut instead, they dove for the muddy ground, each placing their hands on the backs of their heads.

    ¡°Surrender! Surrender!¡± they cried, the words heavily accented.

    Dakka clicked her tongue in annoyance. This wasn¡¯t the first time this had happened. Dakka didn¡¯t exactly blame them. If she had to face herself, she might have been tempted to throw down her arms too.

    ¡°Zharja!¡± Dakka called out. ¡°Three more here.¡±

    The shadows against one of the nearby buildings rippled as a gorgon slithered out into the light. Zharja, wrapped in one of the shadowy cloaks made with the ceremonial dagger, simply formed in their midst. It was a bit disconcerting to watch.

    Zharja grasped the sides of one of the crossbowmen¡¯s heads and wrenched him up to meet her gaze. The soldier locked in place as his skin, previously a light tan color, turned to a marble white. They didn¡¯t exactly have a better method of taking prisoners at the moment. Fortress Al-Mir had a fairly sizable prison wing, recently built, but the tower didn¡¯t have more than a few rooms with bars on them.

    Predictably, the other soldiers immediately started panicking at the sight of the first being turned to stone. At least, that was presumably what their sudden babble was about. Dakka didn¡¯t speak a word of Evestani.

    Dakka swept her scythe down, slashing its black blade through the crossbows, slicing them in clean halves. ¡°You turn to stone or you get cut in half. Which will it be?¡± She leaned forward, grinning. They couldn¡¯t see her tusks behind her helmet but they should be able to hear her smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t forget to unpetrify you after we¡¯ve taken control of the burg. Probably.¡±

    It took another moment before Zharja was ready, but she grasped the second crossbowman and petrified him.

    Taking prisoners would have been faster if they had more gorgon assigned to them, but only Zharja was here. The rest were assisting Hawkwood. Zharja would have been with that group were it not for the injury the gorgon had sustained fighting that man in the golden armor. The bottom portion of her tail had been torn completely off. While Hale had healed her, it wasn¡¯t quite perfect.

    It was more like one of Vezta¡¯s tendrils than a proper gorgon tail. It couldn¡¯t form eyes and mouths like Vezta but its prehensility was unmatched. Unfortunately, that came at a slight cost of mobility. Hence her being here with that cloak than in the thick of a proper battle.

    ¡°You got the last one?¡± Dakka asked, already looking around for more targets. She didn¡¯t want to sit around while waiting for the gorgon¡¯s petrification to work again.

    Zharja offered a nod. ¡°Yess.¡±

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be¡ª¡±

    Something slammed into Dakka¡¯s helmet just as she turned away. It wasn¡¯t anything light, like an arrow. It carried enough force to pick her up and off her feet. Dazed, Dakka flew back, sailing over the downed crossbowmen until her shoulder clipped the corner of a building. Stone and timber splintered with the impact, showering around her as she crashed into the muddy ground.

    Rattled and shook, Dakka nonetheless forced herself up, grasping the haft of her scythe as she moved. To remain still was to die. She swung the scythe as she stood, half hoping to randomly catch whatever hit her.

    Her head ached. Her eyes felt crossed. She closed her eyes, shook her head, and forced herself to focus.

    Zharja was nowhere to be seen. Presumably, she was back in the shadows.

    In Zharja¡¯s place, standing on the other side of the downed crossbowmen, a familiar figure glared. A man in bulky, golden armor. He carried no weapon but Dakka knew from experience that he didn¡¯t need one to be a threat.

    The golden knight stepped forward. His foot came down on the spine of one of the marble statues. He didn¡¯t even glance down as the petrified person shattered. He just stepped forward completely focused on his target.

    ¡°Come for a rematch, have you?¡± Dakka spat out along with a small globule of blood. It splattered against the inside of her helmet. Ignoring the metallic smell, she grasped her scythe with both hands. She leveled the scythe, bringing it down such that a swing might just cut his head off. ¡°Well¡­ bring it on.¡±

    <hr>

    Lexa swept through Elmshadow Burg, wiping blood from her dagger with a small cloth.

    She had to hurry.

    The fuse was already lit.

    As the guards slumped into puddles of their own blood, Lexa pushed the doors open to the old, ruined church near the keep wall of Elmshadow Burg. A dozen frightened eyes turned toward her. But, with the cloak on, the children¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t fully focus on Lexa. Their eyes went hazy as if they were trying to see through her but couldn¡¯t quite manage.

    Lexa threw off the cloak¡¯s hood. ¡°Quickly, children. Gather around,¡± she hissed, eyes darting back and forth. More guards could show up at any moment. Or, worse, that avatar could make an appearance.

    Company Al-Mir didn¡¯t have the ability to handle that avatar at the moment. Arkk had managed a lucky shot on it in Gleeful Burg but everyone doubted it would let its guard down like that again. Not without a significant distraction. Thus, it was her job to ensure that they had to handle that avatar as little as possible.

    The children, terrified as they were, did not gather around. Lexa fully expected that. Lacking the time to explain, she just grabbed the nearest child. A young girl. No older than Hale. ¡°This will hurt,¡± she said, ¡°but it is better than the alternative.¡±

    With that, she uttered the Flesh Weaving spell, pressing her fingers to the crown of the child¡¯s head right where those box-like tattoos had been etched into her skin.

    The child started screaming a moment later.

 Phase Four - Siege

    Getting men to close the last few paces and engage in combat wasn¡¯t an easy task. The young, no matter their talk while gearing up, would find themselves nervous while those experienced in war and combat would know the risks well. Only the foolhardy would charge ahead, bleating their cries of war. They were usually the first to fall. No matter how foolish they were, their deaths would harm the morale of everyone around them.

    Which was why Hawkwood did not accept the foolhardy into White Company. Anyone who joined had their foolishness beaten out of them during the training camps.

    The army of Evestani did not seem to ascribe to the same principles.

    Blades clashed with shields. Pikes jabbed forward. Blood spilled. Spells flew overhead, crackling with power. The occasional soldier turned to stone.

    Hawkwood yelled a cry of pure noise with no meaning. His blade arm hung heavy, worn and sore from uncountable swings. His shield arm rattled with an impact, sending a fresh ache up through his shoulder and down his back. Grinding his teeth, he grunted and shoved aside his shield and the weapon that had hit it. His opponent, yet another faceless soldier of the Evestani army, staggered back.

    Hawkwood thrust forward. The chipped tip of his sword scraped against the cloth gambeson of Evestani¡¯s pikeman before it slipped up a small plate of metal and jammed into the gap between the man¡¯s helmet and collar. Three long spurts of blood shot out from the man¡¯s neck before the spurts lost their strength and began dribbling all down his front.

    His opponent dropped his pike, hands clamping to his neck. The man only managed to keep the pressure up for a few seconds before his grip faltered, his eyes unfocused, and he collapsed into the mud.

    Hawkwood didn¡¯t get a moment of reprieve before one of his fellows shouted out a cry of anger. In an instant, another soldier stood in front of Hawkwood, just as faceless as the last. Hawkwood barely got his shield between him and the soldier in time.

    A second strike against the shield never came. Peering over the top, Hawkwood let out a small, relieved sigh. The new pikemen was a statue of marble, frozen solid in a thrusting pose.

    Hawkwood wasn¡¯t sure which of the five gorgon spread through his army had managed that but he sure wasn¡¯t about to complain. Even a few seconds of rest were like a long nap on a summer afternoon in a situation like this. Teeth clenched, Hawkwood nonetheless forced his back straight. The armor he wore, fancy and well polished¡ªsome of which managed to gleam through the muck and blood¡ªwasn¡¯t just for show. Or rather, it was exactly for show.

    He was Hawkwood. Champion and leader of White Company. His armor was a symbol more than it was a protective garment. The reason he was here at the forefront rather than back at the tower was solely for morale. They were up against an army that outnumbered them by far, headed by an avatar. While most of the rank and file likely didn¡¯t know about the avatar, they knew without a doubt about the strange and powerful golden magics.

    They needed a symbol of their own that they could follow. It painted a target on him, but that was a risk he had to take.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting too old for this,¡± Hawkwood grumbled under his breath. He gripped his sword, finding his brief moment of rest at an end as another soldier moved up to face him. This one armored in proper plate.

    They didn¡¯t get a chance to come to blows before an explosion rumbled throughout the burg. A column of flame and fire stretched high into the sky¡ªnot from where Agnete had been assailing the burg, but from the center of the city, toward the keep. The inferno wasn¡¯t magical in nature, but alchemical.

    A few seconds after the flame went up, the golden dome over the burg wavered and shattered. Motes of falling gold magic dissipated into the air.

    Without more than a second of delay, a bombardment began. Falling rocks slammed down into the city in the distance, causing rumbling in the ground. Multi-colored comets of flame fell. A fresh explosion of roaring flames erupted near the southwestern edge of the city, visible even over the tops of the nearby buildings. At the same time, a wave of cold rushed from the northwestern side of the burg, near where Priscilla was supposed to be.

    Closer to him, Hawkwood watched as the sky above his army split.

    It wasn¡¯t like the fissure in the sky that appeared mid-winter, just before the Duke decided to ally with Evestani. But it was close. A starry void stretched out overhead like a web woven by a particularly chaotic spider. More forbidden magic. Orbs of tiny stars shot forth, black and weaving and distorting the air¡ªno, the world¡ªas they traveled. They skimmed over the heads of his army, striking down into the ground in the midst of Evestani¡¯s bulk.

    Hawkwood wasn¡¯t quite sure what the orbs were doing. This spell was one developed in just the last day or two by Arkk¡¯s now-blind witch. Untested and likely unstable, he was somewhat glad that the front row of soldiers blocked his view of where the orbs had struck.

    The sudden screams were more than enough for his imagination.

    The sound of clashing swords and metal striking metal faded as everyone, Evestani and Al-Mir-aligned stopped and stared. Both sides looked on in horror, though Evestani had the worst of it by far. Even on only those faces he could see opposing him, uncertainty had gripped the hearts of the soldiers.

    Hawkwood couldn¡¯t let his side falter. Not now. No matter what was happening over their heads, as long as it was focused on their enemy, it was good for them. But only if they took advantage of it. He forced his sword into the air. ¡°Huzzah!¡± he cried, throat burning from the guttural noise.

    Alone, the cry would have passed entirely unnoticed in the chaos. But those of White Company closest to him saw and heard his cry. Those who weren¡¯t in imminent danger copied him, raising their own blades as they let out loud cheers. The effect spread like a stone thrown into a pond, rippling outward as more and more cries of ¡°Huzzah!¡± echoed around him.

    Between the shouting and the magic overhead, Evestani¡¯s forces began falling back. Those that held strong didn¡¯t manage for long. As their neighbors fled, their resolve faltered, making them flee in turn. The chain reaction continued, spreading through the enemy force just as the cheer had spread through White Company.

    In moments, their hesitant retreat turned into a full rout.

    It wasn¡¯t over by a long shot. The city wasn¡¯t yet retaken. But this small segment of the battle?

    He could call this a victory.

    ¡°Huzzah!¡± Hawkwood cried again, feeling less weary and worn with the bolster to morale. ¡°Huzz¡ª¡±

    A ray of golden light blasted through the land, coming from the church near the keep. It sheared apart buildings and people, striking both Evestani¡¯s retreating forces and Hawkwood¡¯s men without discrimination. It tilted upward, cutting into the dark slice of stars in the sky.

    The gold coursed through the fractured reality above, encompassing the stars one by one until there was nothing left but a bright golden light burning itself into Hawkwood¡¯s vision.

    It vanished all at once, leaving behind an afterimage of gold.

    <hr>

    Lexa dashed forward, grasping another child by the back of his neck. She twisted her fingers around the crown of the girl¡¯s head, using the Flesh Weaving spell to twist and ruin the skin. The intricate rectangular tattoos broke apart, turning to streaks of dark ink spread out across the girl¡¯s scalp.

    The girl screamed and cried and thrashed, beating against Lexa¡¯s arms in stark protest. It didn¡¯t hurt. Not physically. These children were half-starved and far weaker than they should have been. Yavin would have trounced them in a fight and the elven boy could barely bring himself to strike at an irritating fly.

    Mentally, Lexa grit her teeth. She had to do this. She had to do this as fast as possible. There was no alternative.

    She was saving them. She had to remember that much. As much as they cried and struggled, they were alive. Maybe someone talented with the spell could even put their scalps back together.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Dropping the girl, leaving her in a crying heap on the floor like so many others, Lexa turned around the church. There was one left. An older boy whom Lexa had deliberately saved for last specifically because she feared he might be able to put up more of a fight where the others had managed nothing but impotent struggles.

    Sure enough, although backed in a corner, he had picked up a broken plank of wood from somewhere. He tried to bring it down on Lexa¡¯s head. Her short height and lithe steps let her dance around the incoming attack. Whipping out a blade, she slammed it straight through his overextended arm, piercing the flesh between the bones of his forearm.

    He screamed, dropping the plank as he grasped at his wrist. That gave her more than enough time to jump onto his shoulders. Uttering the Flesh Weaving spell as he fell forward, she grasped at his head. Before he even hit the ground, she had scraped back her fingers along his scalp, twisting the flesh of his head into an ugly knot of skin and tiny stubs of hair.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Lexa whispered, releasing the older boy¡¯s head.

    As she did so, a low rumble coursed through the room. That had to be the alchemical bomb going off.

    Sure enough, looking out the broken window, she watched as the golden dome around the burg wavered and fell.

    Lexa closed her eyes. A sudden surge of emotion struck her somewhere in her chest. She felt like crying. In relief, not in sadness. She had made it just in the nick of time.

    She didn¡¯t get a chance to enjoy the release of all that stress. The boy she had just saved by mutilating his tattoos grabbed her by the ankle and yanked. Unprepared, she barely managed to get her hands in front of her before she hit the ground. Luckily, as a gremlin, she didn¡¯t have far to fall.

    ¡°Get off,¡± she hissed, kicking her foot. ¡°Let¡ª¡±

    Lexa froze.

    All that relief she had felt turned to ice colder than that dragonoid¡¯s breath.

    There, in front of her, one more young boy hid beneath one of the pews. A young boy with rectangular tattoos fully intact on top of his head. His eyes, wide and frightened, locked with her own. For a long moment, both stared at each other.

    The boy with his hand on Lexa¡¯s ankle tried to drag her back, breaking the staring contest. The younger boy immediately started scrambling away, crawling under the rows of pews.

    Lexa flicked a knife out from under her cloak. Without even looking, she threw it back behind her. The hand around her leg dropped with a cry of pain from the boy. She didn¡¯t glance back to see what she hit. All that mattered was her freedom.

    Her freedom and the younger boy underneath the pews.

    ¡°Get back here!¡± she hissed, diving underneath the pew. He was trying to scramble away. Lexa, fresh dagger in hand, slammed it through his foot, pinning him to the ground.

    He screamed, violent and anguished. Lexa grasped his flailing hands and yanked him toward her.

    She put his hands to his head and uttered, ¡°Tenun bebarengan otot lan daging lan balung¡ª¡±

    Bright, golden light flooded her vision before she could finish the Flesh Weaving incantation.

    Lexa couldn¡¯t see. She felt the ground leave her. The pew she had been underneath slammed into her back but she didn¡¯t stop. She flipped, end over end, through the air until the back of her head broke against the stone of the church. Lexa slumped to the ground.

    With her vision split into a series of spiraling afterimages, Lexa could only watch as the boy stood, eyes aglow with golden light. He casually tossed the knife aside, ignoring the bleeding from his foot, and looked around with an expression of utter disdain on his face.

    ¡°Useless.¡±

    Snapping his fingers, a thin beam of golden light spiraled around him. It burned into one wall of the church and swept around, leaving a dark black mark on the white walls.

    The sound in the church died off in an instant. All the crying, whimpering, and sobbing simply¡­ stopped.

    His golden eyes looked over the room once more, pausing for a long moment on Lexa. He stared, eyes widened in surprise before narrowing into thin slits. He held up a hand, pointing it at Lexa, only for something outside the church¡¯s window to catch his attention. He shifted his hand upward and outward and a bright, golden beam flooded Lexa¡¯s vision once more.

    What little strength Lexa managed to hold onto faltered. That golden beam faded into darkness.

    <hr>

    The infirmary was filling up. Hale dripped with sweat as she ran from person to person. Every time she turned around, three more people were groaning and clutching at wounds. If they were lucky. The less lucky weren¡¯t able to groan.

    She had assistants in Vezz¡¯ok and Hyan. They couldn¡¯t use Flesh Weaving properly, however. The most they could manage was to seal wounds. Which, to be perfectly fair, wasn¡¯t much less than what Hale was doing. There just wasn¡¯t time to use Flesh Weaving to its full potential. They had to prioritize saving lives right now.

    Improvements could come later.

    ¡°Another one!¡± Vezz¡¯ok barked out, entirely unnecessarily.

    There was always another one.

    ¡°Looks bad,¡± he added, making Hale turn away from some poor dryad.

    Hale hadn¡¯t even known that any dryads were working for Arkk. Unfortunately for the plant-like woman, the Flesh Weaving spell was having a hard time working on the rough bark that made up her skin. On the plus side, she didn¡¯t seem to be bleeding much. Or¡­ sapping? Her blood was a sticky, amber-colored liquid that was far thicker than blood. Hopefully, what little Hale had managed would be enough to see the dryad through another day.

    Vezz¡¯ok stood hunched over¡­

    Hale wasn¡¯t actually sure what it was. Or what it might have been. That it was here at all meant that it had a connection to Arkk, allowing him to teleport it. But¡­

    It was humanoid. Likely a demihuman. Yet, at the same time, it had an amorphous look to it. Like the humanoid shape was something it had been molded into, rather than formed normally. Its skin was a translucent ruby color that let Hale see through it to the spot of the floor it occupied¡ªalmost like a colored one of those lesser servants.

    A¡­ A slime? Hale kept her hands back, well away. She had heard that slimes would dissolve people into nothing but bones and then use those bones to give themselves structure¡ªmimicking people¡¯s shape. Just where had Arkk been recruiting from?

    It stirred. A small ripple undulated in its oil-like skin, making it look like something was crawling around just beneath the surface.

    Hale hopped back at the movement. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think Flesh Weaving can help a slime,¡± she said. ¡°Try to scrape it into a¡­ bucket? A bucket of water. Maybe? Do slimes like water? Maybe that will help.¡±

    Vezz¡¯ok didn¡¯t look like he knew what to do either but, as Hale had somehow managed to garner some status as the head of the infirmary, he nodded and proceeded to follow her orders. Which was good. He could handle it. Orc flesh was much hardier than Hale¡¯s flimsy human skin.

    She wanted to fix that. She knew she could fix that. The weakness of her flesh wasn¡¯t pleasant to think about. It never used to bug her but, since learning the Flesh Weaving spell, she had been exposed to more injuries than Langleey Village had likely suffered in the last hundred years, let alone during her lifetime. She now knew just how frail people were.

    And how much better they could be.

    But there was still that fear there that she might regret it in the end. Flesh Weaving wasn¡¯t an easy spell to undo or revert.

    Besides. She had too much to focus on.

    Like Lexa. The poor gremlin popped into the infirmary on one recently vacated table. Her shadowy cloak hung askew, giving her an odd look of being there but not at the same time.

    The gremlin was in bad shape. Just looking at her, Hale could spot a dozen broken bones all along her back, ribs, and arms. The back of her skull looked like someone had taken a mallet to it. Her face was scraped up like someone had ground her against rough stone.

    Hale got started immediately, working on the back of Lexa¡¯s head first. It seemed the most pressing issue.

    The entire tower rocked before she could finish. It shifted and shook beneath their feet, tilting to one side. Hale had to grab onto the table, bolted to the ground as it was, just to keep from falling.

    Several patients weren¡¯t able to hold on. More than a few fell the short distance to the ground and then promptly started sliding along the angled floor. Hale closed her eyes, hoping this was planned like the last one.

    Today made her really hate this walking tower. She missed Fortress Al-Mir.

    But the tilting didn¡¯t stop. If anything, it felt worse. Her arms started to strain, especially once Lexa bumped into her. Hale tried to keep her on the table while using her own body to block the fall, but¡ª

    A twisting pinch in her stomach signaled a teleport. Off-balance and unable to right herself in the tilted tower, Hale collapsed as soon as the table vanished from under her fingertips.

    She wasn¡¯t the only one to hit the ground. Hyan and Vezz¡¯ok didn¡¯t maintain their footing. The many injured from the infirmary weren¡¯t in a position to catch themselves either.

    They were in a long and narrow corridor that stretched off further than Hale could see. The tiles lit by violet glowstones were of the shadowy variety, meaning they were somewhere in the walking tower. But the ground felt level and sable, much to Hale¡¯s relief.

    ¡°¡ªhit through the mountain? How could¡ª¡±

    ¡°If it had been aimed higher, we all would have perished.¡±

    ¡°Agnete couldn¡¯t manage something like that. Calling her an avatar seems almost an insult to that gold¡ª¡±

    ¡°Quiet.¡± Arkk looked around, eyes blazing red. He crossed gazes with Hale for a moment but didn¡¯t stay on her for long, looking over all the wounded, several guards who hadn¡¯t been around before, those of the scrying team, and several others. ¡°The tower was hit,¡± he said, addressing everyone. ¡°It hasn¡¯t fallen yet but until the lesser servants can repair it, we¡¯ll be relocating here.¡±

    Several of the lesser servants appeared in their midst. They immediately set to widen the tunnel, turning it into a proper room rather than the corridor it was.

    ¡°Scrying team. Your job hasn¡¯t changed. Get on it,¡± he said, pointing to two pedestals, each topped with a crystal ball. ¡°Hale, Vezz¡¯ok, Hyan. We¡¯ll be making room for you to continue your work as well.

    ¡°So long as our assumptions about the avatar hold true,¡± Arkk said as he turned to his advisors, all of whom were present as well, ¡°he won¡¯t be able to do that again soon. But the golden beam sliced through the earth, disrupting my claim on the territory away from the tower.¡±

    Arkk paused, looking over the assembled group. He had a look of concentration on his face.

    A heavy rumbling ran through the room. More than a few people whimpered as the glowstones in the tiles winked out, plunging the chamber into darkness lit only by the glowing red of Arkk¡¯s eyes. Another quake hit the room. And another.

    ¡°I¡¯m marching the tower to Elmshadow proper,¡± Arkk said as a pair of glowstones appeared in his hands, bringing welcome light back to the chamber. The walls were bare stone now, lacking in the reinforced bricks and tiles. ¡°Now is the time to finish this.¡±

 Phase Five - Capture

    Clamors of war, cries of battle, and the clang of steel filled the air. Evestani forces defended with faith and power, wielding their overwhelming numbers against Company Al-Mir. Their god protected them, keeping the hostile siege magics from causing any harm.

    Then, the protective magics failed. Siege magic bombarded the primary concentration of Evestani forces. They fell back, moving to better defensive points where they could hold off the lesser numbers with greater efficiency.

    Until a shadow fell over their forces.

    Walls cracked and the ground trembled as an elongated shadow eclipsed the burg of Elmshadow.

    The mighty tower of shadowy stone loomed on the horizon, an ominous silhouette against the evening sky. It moved with an eerie grace on six colossal legs, each step causing another quake to shake the ground.

    Walking Fortress Al-Lavik approached Elmshadow burg.

    Evestani confidence shattered, replaced by abject terror as the Walking Fortress drew near. Wails of fear and confusion erupted from the rank and file as they stared up at the towering behemoth. The commanders tried to maintain order even as their hearts trembled, shouts shifting between threats to keep in line and promises that the Golden Good would prevail, crushing the tower before it could reach them.

    With every step the tower took, those promises grew less confident.

    The masses broke rank, abandoning their positions and fleeing in a chaotic rout.

    The soldiers of Company Al-Mir, though affected by the shaking ground as much as their enemies, found their spirits bolstered. Faces, grim with the strain of prolonged combat, now shone with relief and vigor. Deafening cheers drowned out the panic of Evestani as they surged forward, backed by the might of the Walking Fortress.

    <hr>

    There weren¡¯t many things Priscilla could see.

    That ray of gold still seared into the darkness of her vision.

    Priscilla dipped a wing, sending her glide around in a tight turn. The protective dome, another thing she could see, was gone. Nothing would stop her from reaching the source of that light.

    It was the Heart of Gold. The destroyer of this world. Even her hatred for humans was nothing but a pale, flickering flame next to the burning rage she felt for those so-called gods. They ruined everything, killed her kin, and destroyed her [HEART].

    They couldn¡¯t die. Or, if they could, Priscilla wasn¡¯t capable of killing them. Nor was any mortal. It would be like trying to kill the sky. But she could kill their minions. She could scour their influence from the world.

    That scouring would start here and now.

    Reaching the point above the source of that golden ray, Priscilla folded her wings behind her and let herself drop. The air screamed past her until her body crashed into a thin series of wooden planks. A roof. The moment she felt herself crash through, she spread her wings wide. Her right wing scraped into the side of whatever building she had entered.

    Despite using her wings to slow herself, her feet struck the ground with enough force to crater the floor. Somethings squished between her clawed toes along with the familiar cracking and snapping of bones. Judging by the lack of sudden screams, whoever it was wasn¡¯t alive.

    It wasn¡¯t the avatar. She could see the avatar. A pinprick of golden light gleamed in her dark eyes.

    Priscilla didn¡¯t hesitate. She didn¡¯t banter or bargain. In her experience, those with power often liked to gloat about it. Her tenure as a Keeper of a [HEART] had ended poorly in part because she had once been one of those types. It was an exploitable weakness¡­ but one that worked in both ways. The one listening would just stand around.

    Blind as she was, her opponent could be preparing Frost-knows-what while she just stood there with a stupid look on her face.

    So, she didn¡¯t hesitate. Unhinging her jaw, Priscilla breathed. The temperature of the room plummeted as sharp shards of ice formed in the air, sailing through it like miniature arrows.

    The golden pinprick swelled. Whether a shield or an incoming attack, Priscilla didn¡¯t stick around to find out. The claws of her toes dug into the ground, propelling her forward with a burst of speed that was too fast for human eyes to follow.

    As she charged, the golden light intensified, morphing into a dazzling array of thin, destructive beams. They scattered through the air in rapid series, with several trailing just behind her.

    One appearing in front of her forced her to twist and turn, her dragonoid form shrinking in on itself as she wove through a forming web of deadly light. She could hear the missing beams carve deep gouges into the walls and floor, leaving trails of destruction in their wake.

    A stray beam grazed her side, searing through her icy scales and flesh with agonizing precision. She stifled a roar of pain, refusing to give that bastard the satisfaction of hearing her suffer. Instead, she forced her cold fury inward, channeling it into the elemental crucible within her chest.

    Another blast of ice erupted from her unhinged jaw. This time, she aimed at the ground around the avatar, turning every surface in the room into a slippery sheet of ice. Excess icy crystals hung in the air like tiny flecks of snow, filling the room with a thick mist that would hopefully render the avatar as blind as she was.

    Using the mist as cover, she darted forward, closing the distance between her and the avatar.

    A golden construct melted into her vision just ahead of her. Humanoid and golden, she couldn¡¯t tell if it was like that man in gold armor or like those golden statues that turned everything they attacked into more of themselves. Either way, letting it touch her was not an option.

    Priscilla beat her wings, launching herself into the air. Her back slammed through another beam of wood, but she ignored it. The pinprick of light that was the avatar looked like it was struggling against the icy terrain. Its movements became sluggish as the cold began to take its toll and¡­ well, she hoped it was slipping and sliding about. She wished she could see that. That might even be enough to make her laugh.

    Unable to see the comedy, Priscilla focused on her rage. She dove with a powerful beat of her wings sending her back down, over the top of the golden construct. Claws extended, she reached for the avatar. For all his power, he was as mortal as anyone else. If she could just get her hands around his throat¡­

    Something grasped her wing. Just a finger-length more and she would have had her claws in the avatar¡¯s heart. Now, the construct pivoted and released, taking her with its movement and sending her sailing through wall after wall. Stone broke and shattered around her as she plowed through at least two buildings. Her back finally skimmed against the ground, bouncing her off and slowing her enough that the next wall stopped her momentum.

    Priscilla¡¯s head spun. If she still had working vision, she imagined she would have thrown up.

    ¡°[You]/[enemy]¡­ You seem¡­ [familiar]/[recognized]/[do i know you?].¡±

    Clenching her teeth, Priscilla shook the spinning world from her head. The pinprick of the avatar stood before her with the bulk of the construct blocking a direct path to him.

    ¡°I suppose it won¡¯t matter. [Kill]/[slaughter]/[destroy],¡± the avatar said, waving a hand.

    The construct took a step forward, its weight enough to send vibrations through the ground. Priscilla tried to push herself off the ground with her wings, only to hiss as a familiar pain coursed through her bones. The wing the construct had grabbed was broken.

    Priscilla dug her claws into the ground, ready to shove herself out of the way of an attack.

    Before the construct could rise up at her, a gout of heat surged forward, intense enough to make even Priscilla shriek. She breathed out a heavy gust of ice, just to keep herself from burning to bits. But the heat wasn¡¯t coming for her. It swirled around the construct. The sheer weight of the construct combined with the heat had it sinking into the ground.

    Priscilla used the opportunity to push herself to her feet, carefully folding her wing behind her and out of the way. The avatar¡¯s pinprick had grown again, much like it had when she unleashed her first icy breath at it. A shield then.

    ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± Priscilla hissed at where she thought the flames were coming from. Although she could see the Gold¡¯s avatar, she couldn¡¯t see the avatar of the Forge.

    ¡°Not all of us have wings,¡± the flame witch said. With the construct down to its waist in the ground, she allowed her fires to fade. ¡°I would have been later if not for¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± the Gold¡¯s avatar barked out.

    Another welling of golden light filled Priscilla¡¯s vision. She could feel the heat swelling at her side as the flames coursed toward the avatar. Priscilla ducked and weaved, leaping over a dazzling array of beams. Rays of gold struck where the flame witch had been, but rather than carving through her position, the beams deflected up into the sky with a roaring of intense flames.

    A cry of true pain echoed out as flames forced the golden beams back to the avatar. Another shield enveloped him, cutting off the heat of the flames momentarily.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Not one to be outdone by a human, Priscilla seized the moment, her claws scraping against the ground once more. The construct was stuck, leaving her with a clear path forward. The pinprick of golden light was her sole focus. She dove into the flames surrounding the avatar, grimacing as she could feel the ice melting off her scales but trusting in the Permafrost to see her through.

    Priscilla crashed into the golden barrier, her momentum sending cracks spiderwebbing through it. She drew back her arm and slammed it forward. And again. And again.

    The heat of the flames twisted around her. It was probably burning her skin off her bones, but she didn¡¯t care. She struck again.

    This time, the flames intensified, but only right where she had struck. She could feel the intensity of the heat in the exact spot she had struck double over, then double over again.

    Priscilla slammed her fist onto the intense blade of flames.

    The fire pierced through the barrier. She felt that satisfying lack of resistance as her arm followed straight after. The knife of flames erupted around her arm, filling the interior of the shield. Her arm grasped the face of the avatar.

    She squeezed. If breaking through the barrier had been satisfying, it was nothing compared to the feel of brittle bones cracking and breaking underneath her icy claws. The pinprick of golden light scattered in a thousand different directions as a splattering of hot liquid exploded across Priscilla¡¯s front. She flinched at the feeling of the liquid boiling off her skin but still managed to taste a few drops of human blood as she licked her lips.

    The golden motes of light in the air didn¡¯t escape unharmed. The flame witch¡¯s power nipped at them even as they streaked off into the distance, off to the west. They went far, far beyond what Priscilla could see. Far enough that she had to assume they left the city entirely.

    Priscilla¡¯s knees hit the stone as the heat of the flame witch¡¯s fires winked out. Blessed cold covered her body. Which Priscilla took as a good sign. If she could feel cold, then she couldn¡¯t be that hurt. Maybe the flame witch¡¯s skill with her power let her control the flames to such a degree that none of them ever actually touched Priscilla, leaving her exposed only to the convection. That had to be it.

    She could have stopped herself from collapsing completely onto the ground. All she needed to do was raise a hand to catch herself. But, for some reason, Priscilla¡¯s face still slammed into the nearly molten stone where the avatar of gold had been only moments ago.

    She opened her mouth, breathing out ice that vaporized into steam almost the moment it left her lips. It still cooled down the stone she was now pressed against.

    With a twist of space, she found herself removed completely from the heat of the flame witch and in the cool air of an underground room¡ªor maybe one of the tower¡¯s rooms¡ªsmelling a mix of blood and sweat from a variety of different species. Moaning and groaning from the wounded bounced off the smooth walls. The infirmary. This was the second time that the golden avatar¡ªor its minions¡ªhad sent her to the infirmary.

    Priscilla clenched her teeth but lacked the strength to do much else about her anger.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± The voice of the human child, lower than expected but higher than most humans, sounded utterly exhausted.

    Last time, Arkk had healed her of her concussion. Now, she had a child looking after her. Priscilla honestly wasn¡¯t sure which she would have preferred.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± the girl asked again.

    ¡°Wing¡¯s broken.¡±

    ¡°Ha? That¡¯s it? I have a harpy missing a wing. You can wait¡ª¡±

    ¡°I have a hole in my side.¡± That was an injury she had taken, wasn¡¯t it? It seemed so long ago now. ¡°Am I burned to a crisp? I honestly can¡¯t tell. I think all my ice melted away.¡± What she wouldn¡¯t give for eyes at the moment, just to see how poorly she looked.

    And now this human was looking at her, seeing her in such a sorry state.

    A loud click of annoyance snapped through the air like the clap of someone¡¯s hands. The little girl uttered one of those long new spells the humans had developed. A sharp, snapping crack of bone made Priscilla jolt.

    ¡°Sit still,¡± the girl snapped even as more of Priscilla¡¯s bones cracked back into their proper place.

    Pain tore at her wings. Priscilla forced herself to remain as still as possible even as she felt like this mad medic was trying to rip her wings into pieces. Three more sharp cracks echoed through the room before the sharp pain faded. It still ached, but the worst of the pain quickly subsided.

    ¡°Your bones are¡­ strong.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Priscilla raised an eyebrow. Now that the pain in her wing was gone, she was feeling much better. Her body still tingled all over and her side still ached. ¡°Thanks? Yours are weak.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± the girl said with a pout in her tone. ¡°Hold still. I¡¯m going to patch up the hole in your side.¡±

    A human that could admit to her own weakness. That was refreshing. As was the lessening of the pain in her side. Now that she wasn¡¯t in intense pain, she found herself feeling more exhausted than anything. Had she been able to see, she imagined she wouldn¡¯t have seen much more. Her eyes closed and her mind decided that now was the perfect time for a nap.

    <hr>

    Dakka fell back, stepping just in time to avoid a flying fist from the gold knight. In the weight of her old armor, she would have been far too slow to dodge like that. Even as it was, Dakka had taken more beatings from the knight than she cared to count. It was a surprise that the shadowy gear was still intact.

    But she couldn¡¯t do damage. It wasn¡¯t that her new equipment was lacking. The first strike she made had lopped the golden knight¡¯s hand clean off his arm. But since then, she hadn¡¯t landed a single hit. It wasn¡¯t her equipment that was the problem. It was her. The knight was too fast. And he was fighting without an arm.

    At least she could confirm that he was human under there. Or flesh and blood. A good portion of his blood had spilled out from his stub. But not enough to seriously inconvenience him. Or maybe the armor just had healing properties and was replenishing his blood as he went.

    She swung again, aiming for any part of the knight that she could swipe at. He barely moved, only raising his arm to avoid the swipe of the scythe.

    Dakka grit her teeth in frustration. She was fairing better than she had last time she fought the knight but it just wasn¡¯t enough. And she was wearing out. Though the blade of the scythe didn¡¯t feel like it weighed anything, her arms felt sluggish and her steps less sure. If the knight was feeling the same fatigue, he didn¡¯t show it. She was slower than him to begin with and that gap was only widening with every passing moment of the battle.

    The knight stepped into her guard. His foot snaked behind hers even as he planted a hand directly on her chest. All it took was a heavy shove to knock her off her feet.

    The first few blows hadn¡¯t been so bad. She had thought that she would be able to get a lucky hit if she just made enough strikes. Now, she regretted having waved the other members of her team away to finish their job. Would they have helped? Maybe. Maybe not. At the very least, they could have taken some of the pressure off her, letting her rest for at least a few brief moments.

    The knight clapped his arms together and raised his joined hand and wrist high over his head. Dakka clenched her fists, digging her fingers through the muddy ground in frustration.

    He didn¡¯t even have skills beyond his speed. Dakka was an untrained raider who had lucked herself into a good station and she figured she would easily have trounced this guy in an unarmed fight. If he didn¡¯t have that implacable armor¡­

    Before the knight brought his arms down on top of her, the knight froze. His helmet turned slightly, looking off into the distance of the city in the same direction as where that ray of gold had come from.

    Dakka didn¡¯t know what distracted him. She didn¡¯t much care. A distraction was a distraction.

    Dakka lurched forward, flinging one arm up. Mud flew through the air, striking the golden knight in the thin, vertical slats of his helmet visor. She heard the grunt of surprise and pain as some of that dirt got in his eyes. It was no gorgon venom but the eyes were the weak spot of even the strongest warrior.

    She didn¡¯t stop moving there. The scythe was too unwieldy to use from the ground. Dakka snagged a small mail breaker from her waist belt and, in one smooth motion, jammed the thin, needle-like blade up beneath the knight¡¯s fauld and straight through the mail protecting the gaps in the armor around his groin. A spurt of blood shot out as she twisted.

    ¡°Gotcha, bastard.¡±

    The knight kicked forward, sending Dakka sliding across the ground.

    Yet she couldn¡¯t help but laugh at how weak that kick felt. What was more, she still had her grip on the dagger. Ripping it out of him with that kick would have only done more damage.

    Dakka rolled to the side just in time to avoid the knight crashing down where she had stopped moving. With renewed vigor from the success of her strike, she shoved herself to her feet, watching with unbridled glee as the knight staggered after his attack. Blood ran down the golden armor of his leg, tainting it red. That felt good to see.

    It probably wouldn¡¯t kill him, unfortunately. Especially if her theory of his armor healing him was true.

    But if it slowed him down¡­

    Dakka¡¯s eyes flicked to her scythe, lying on the ground where she first fell. Too far away to be of use now. She angled the mail breaker in her hand, pointing its tip toward the knight. It was just a regular blade. Metal, not shadow.

    The knight knocked his hand against his helmet, trying to get some of that dirt out. Dakka flung another fistful of muddy dirt at the knight. He raised his good hand this time, blocking his eye holes. It still obscured his vision, letting her dash forward without hesitation.

    He staggered back, stumbling slightly. One of his legs wasn¡¯t working right.

    Dakka grit her teeth, wishing she could show her opponent her tusks, and jammed her mail breaker forward, aiming for the thin gap between his helmet and the rest of his armor.

    The knight swept his arm to the side, knocking her away with hardly any of the force that had been behind his other blows. She still rolled along the ground.

    Right next to the scythe. Her fingers curled around it. Twisting on her knees, she swung out. A ringing of metal against metal sounded as the haft of her scythe struck his leg.

    ¡°Gotcha again,¡± she quipped as she pulled forward.

    The shadowy blade of the scythe slipped straight through the knight¡¯s leg. Blood rained down around his armor as the leg fell away on its own. The knight tumbled to the other side, unable to keep himself upright.

    Dakka stood, swinging the scythe in a high arc over her head.

    She slammed it straight down on the knight¡¯s face and then pulled.

    The knight split in two from head to groin, exposing a steaming pile of blood and bone and viscera as the two halves of his armor broke apart.

    Panting, sweating, and aching everywhere, Dakka stared a moment. A part of her expected some trick. An illusion where the body would disappear and he would jump out from behind her. But, after a long moment, nothing happened. Dakka chuckled. Slamming her faceplate up, she hocked back and spat a blood-tinged glob at the knight.

    ¡°Bastard.¡±

    She sank back, finding a wall to lean against as she worked to catch her breath. As she tilted her head back against the wall, she ended up looking toward the sky. But, instead of the sky, she found herself staring at a shadowy tower standing tall in the center of the burg.

    ¡°When did you get there?¡± she wondered. Knowing the effect the tower¡¯s movements had on the ground, it seemed impossible that she wouldn¡¯t have noticed. But there it was. She must have been enveloped in that fight to the point of tuning everything else out, even groundquakes.

    Then again, thinking back, there had been several times where she had stumbled. She had attributed that to some magic¡­

    Now she was thinking it was lucky that the knight hadn¡¯t capitalized on any of her quake-induced blunders. Or, perhaps, he hadn¡¯t been able to capitalize on any of them with the quakes affecting him as well.

    ¡°We won!¡±

    Dakka turned at the familiar voice. Klepp¡¯at was hobbling toward her, limping heavily while using his scythe¡¯s haft as a walking stick.

    ¡°We won!¡± he cried out again, sounding pleased beyond belief. ¡°Some of the enemy managed to retreat. The rest have surrendered!¡±

    Dakka¡¯s breathing turned heavy and labored. For some reason, those words brought exhaustion rather than elation. All of a sudden, the blows of the battle came back one by one, making her feel like she was getting hit all over again. It was nothing magical. Not an attack. Just her mind finally getting caught up with the pains and aches that she had suffered through that battle.

    ¡°The others are on their way to help with the gold knight, but¡­ you killed him?¡± Klepp¡¯at asked. His helmet turned toward the pile of meat. ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­¡±

    ¡°Damn right, I did,¡± Dakka snapped, suddenly finding that elation that had evaded her moments before. She had won.

    And she was going to make sure everyone knew it.

 Liberation of Elmshadow Aftermath

    Thousands dead. People he had been charged with leading into a new, more peaceful age. Sons and fathers who would never return home.

    The aftermath of Gleeful had been bad enough. Now this?

    Sule, head bowed and hands clasped together, listened to the listeners as they mumbled over their bowls of water. Each word, translated by Grand Vizier Zarkov, added a weight to Sule¡¯s back. He had never been one to concern himself with legacy, not while the people of Evestani were suffering. Yet, he couldn¡¯t help but think now that he would undoubtedly go down in the annals of history as the most vile sultan Evestani had ever seen.

    The irony was not lost on him. Back when he had been a mere civil administrator during Evestani¡¯s internal war, he had come into power thanks to his dreams of reform and ideals of a better, brighter future. As his influence grew and more and more villages, men, and resources came his way after fleeing the warring generals, he had envisioned a kingdom where the arts flourished, where scholars from all over the world would gather to share knowledge, and where the markets would never be without food, clothing, and even luxuries.

    As Zarkov continued to translate, Sule¡¯s thoughts wandered to the faces of the men he had sent into battle. Young faces, full of hope and determination, believing in a cause Sule had championed on behalf of the Golden Order. A divine edict to sweep Evestani¡¯s prosperity across the land, blessed by the Golden Good.

    It had all been a farce. He had known that. Yet, upon witnessing the fissure in the sky, his enthusiasm jumped. Just knowing that there was an actual reason for the war more than the madness of the Golden Order¡¯s Most Blessed had him thinking that maybe, just maybe, they were in the right. Few could turn down a divine crusade to save the world.

    The room felt suffocating, the air thick with grief and unspoken accusations. Sule could feel the eyes of his court on him, their gazes heavy with expectation and disappointment. Word was confined to this room for now, but that wouldn¡¯t last. A vizier or general offhandedly speaking in front of a servant would see the word spread throughout the city like wildfire. Sule wouldn¡¯t be surprised to find a mob forming outside the palace by the week¡¯s end. They had managed to downplay their losses at Gleeful, but this?

    Sule placed a hand on his forehead, covering his vision. He hadn¡¯t heard word of his daughters in weeks. There had been rumors of his eldest being spotted out in one of the villages near the southern border between Evestani and the Tetrarchy¡­ Against his better judgment, he had his spymaster send one of his agents out to investigate. Nothing had come of it, however. Which was probably for the best. He didn¡¯t need to give the Golden Order any further hold over him.

    Were they doing well? Had they abandoned their names to better distance themselves from him? He could only hope so.

    ¡°Sultan?¡±

    Sule opened his eyes to find Zarkov standing a few paces away, fingers twisting the tip of his long beard. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Your¡­ orders, sire?¡±

    Sule pursed his lips. He looked around the room, casting his gaze over the tops of the listeners¡¯ heads to meet the eyes of his generals and military advisors. Even General Kala, by far the biggest proponent of the war, stood uncharacteristically still.

    ¡°Where is His Holiness?¡± Sule asked, looking back to Zarkov.

    Zarkov grimaced. The vizier did not like even mentioning their golden-eyed compatriot. To be fair, neither did Sule. For all that the Golden Order and His Holiness stood against evils like that fissure in the sky, Sule couldn¡¯t help but feel like they planned on discarding and replacing him the moment he failed to live up to their standards.

    With recent events, Sule wondered if that moment was coming sooner rather than later.

    ¡°He has yet to emerge from his private chambers.¡±

    Sule closed his eyes. The Most Blessed had vanished into his quarters days ago, back when they first received word of that building that walked and its aim toward Elmshadow.

    Well, if they were going to be abandoned now, the Golden Order could hardly complain about them taking matters into their own hands.

    ¡°Pull all forces back to the border. Moonshine Burg is still under our control, is it not?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    Sule nodded. ¡°Good. Retreat there. Ensure there are ample supplies ready to comfort those who make it. If that tower begins walking toward Moonshine¡­ pull back immediately. Do not try to defend further.¡±

    Kala took a step forward. Her black and gold dress, militaristic in its cut, felt too gaudy for the situation. Nevertheless, she swept her hand around in a grandiose manner. ¡°Retreat? And let that tower into our lands?¡±

    ¡°And how do you propose we stop it?¡± Sule snapped, standing. ¡°Even if it didn¡¯t march on the city itself, that tower provided a base from which to launch attacks, magical support the likes of which we don¡¯t understand, and those tunnels. His Holiness even failed to¡ª¡±

    Sule didn¡¯t get to continue. His words, borderline blasphemy, sparked an outcry among his advisers and generals. It was a muddle of noise with nobody managing to to make clear words. The sensitive listeners in the room began showing signs of distress, scrunching up their faces and twisting in discomfort. Zarkov noticed the listeners and quickly began moving around, trying to keep them calm.

    Sule just sank back down into his seat. Joining in on the shouting now would only disturb the listeners further. It wasn¡¯t like their orders mattered. After Gleeful and now Elmshadow, he would be amazed if anyone in that army even stopped at Moonshine. They would probably flee back to central Evestani without pause.

    A large portion of the army had been captured at Elmshadow. Not killed. Not yet, at least.

    Sule wondered if they could be saved, somehow. If he could get them back, that would be a small bright mark on the charred remains of his legacy. What would it take?

    Military force was out of the question. They had seen that for themselves.

    Diplomacy? Could he even try to be diplomatic with the heathens across the border?

    And what of His Holiness? Surely he wouldn¡¯t support any diplomatic actions. Not unless Sule phrased it right. If he managed to argue that recovering their captured soldiers would help in carrying out the war, His Holiness might agree.

    Whether or not they could continue the war didn¡¯t matter in the short term. If his men remained in the hands of their enemy, they would die. Getting them back was the priority. Everything else could come after.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Zarkov,¡± Sule said, voice soft. ¡°Fetch me a messenger harpy. One of the ones accustomed to long-distance travel.¡±

    ¡°Now?¡± he asked, turning back to the mess of the strategy room. None of the listeners were actively listening anymore. They just sat, some askew and even drooling, leaning back away from the bowls of water. There wouldn¡¯t be any further information coming in through them until the room calmed.

    The arguing among his advisors was still going on, now shifted to the topic of that battle tower and how they might stop it¡ªor build one for themselves. Lavis Harren, the court wizard, was trying to discuss some of the previously unseen magic the listeners had mentioned. Most notably the sudden teleportations of various members of the enemy forces, taking them out of danger and even, at certain points, teleporting them straight behind attacking opponents. Sule suspected he wanted to discuss that massive ritual spell that had taken out swaths of the army¡ªthe one featuring shards of the night¡ªbut he had so far kept his mouth shut. Likely to avoid accusations of heresy.

    Sule was well aware that Evestani, under the watchful eye of the Golden Order, was woefully inadequate in terms of magical knowledge compared to the likes of Chernlock. Their neighboring kingdom¡¯s religious order almost seemed to revel in heretical magics, even making use of such things in their inquisitorial forces. It was little surprise that their various magical academies outpaced those of Evestani. Even more so given the disruption to the nation in the civil war following the previous war.

    Regardless, such things were out of his hands. Sule was no spellcaster. He was no researcher. He was hardly even a pious of the Golden Order, attending various sermons but avoiding anything delving into the magics the Order¡¯s pious used.

    Sule was no warlord or general either. Nor was he a strategist or tactician.

    He was a civil servant who had been granted far too much power.

    It was best to use this time away from His Holiness to focus on what he was good at.

    Diplomacy.

    <hr>

    ¡°We have a problem.¡±

    ¡°It is under control.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that what you call the situation?¡± A loud laugh echoed through the wide pool of silvery liquid.

    ¡°We have a problem.¡±

    ¡°It is under control.¡± A shimmering, golden light burned at the bottom of the pool. ¡°Why have you called me here? I have a war to run.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Run it into the ground.¡± The laugh coursed through the ripples once again. ¡°That is what you are best at, isn¡¯t it? You did the same a few decades ago, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    The gold pulsed, violent and angry. ¡°If you have summoned me for nothing more than insults, I will be leaving.¡± The gold faded but didn¡¯t fully vanish. Lingering, it waited, perhaps hoping that someone would have something to add beyond insults.

    A deep, feminine voice shook the bowl. ¡°We have a problem.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. We heard you the first two times. Or¡­ Oh dear. The avatar of the Alwhiny Glory is stuck in a loop again.¡± Laughter echoed like hollow chimes in a gentle wind. ¡°Hello! Glory! If you can hear me, try striking your avatar¡¯s face as hard as you can!¡± The joyful tone turned harsh and vicious. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll break her neck and rid us of your influence for the next century.¡±

    A faint, curious glow of gold lit the pool. ¡°You seem woefully unconcerned with the situation.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you just saying that there wasn¡¯t a situation?¡±

    ¡°He is in your lands.¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s focused on you. If he wants to crusade across the land to take your head, who am I to stand in his way? You kill him or he kills you. Either way, neither of you will be in a position to fight further. I win.¡±

    ¡°You would stand aside, watching as he works to undo everything we have worked for?¡±

    ¡°We?¡± Saccharine sarcasm dripped from the word. ¡°Don¡¯t think your true motives went unnoticed, Golden Boy. You were fully prepared to use him as an excuse to wipe me from the face of the world up until our little friend proved hardier than you expected. Then you, what was it again? Oh yes, you came groveling to me, begging for an alliance.¡± A sharp, piercing laughter made the silvery liquid stand in tall spikes before it splashed back down.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ You¡­ That¡­ Traitor.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we all.¡±

    ¡°That alliance accomplished nothing. Did you even try?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Not in the slightest. In fact, I blinded that fat ecclesiarch and his oracles. They couldn¡¯t decide what to do for the longest time. When the majority finally pushed for an alliance, it was a fractured and halfhearted effort. As expected of mortals fearful of an invading army.¡±

    ¡°Wha¡­ Why? Whyever would you¡ª¡±

    ¡°As I said, no matter the outcome, I win.¡±

    ¡°Irresponsible,¡± the deep, feminine voice graced the pool with its presence once again.

    ¡°Your light must have blinded you.¡± The gold pulsed in anger. ¡°You failed to notice the Lock and Key¡¯s interference? I personally witnessed the Cloak of Shadows¡¯ unilluminable magics present in that recent battle. This is worse than¡ª¡±

    ¡°The Cloak was present? Really?¡± The silver pool rippled with a light, joyful hum. ¡°Shadows and the Light always got on well. The Light even extended an invitation to old Lady Shadows to join, you know? I wonder¡­ A thousand years of isolation could change the mind of anyone, even a god¡­¡±

    ¡°You cannot seriously be considering¡ª¡±

    ¡°What does it matter? You have it under control. Allow me my idle thoughts and I¡¯ll allow you your absurd delusions.¡±

    ¡°Unacceptable.¡±

    The silvery liquid shook in a scoff. ¡°I¡¯ll accept criticism from you when you sail your armies across the world, Glory. Until then, you¡¯re as impotent as a blustering wind.¡±

    ¡°Your wit and mockery may amuse you,¡± the feminine voice said, shaking the pool in a surprising amount of words for the being behind the voice, ¡°but they do not protect our realms.¡±

    ¡°Spare me the sermon of unity,¡± the silvery liquid gurgled with an audible gag. ¡°You never cared about that when the Heart of Greed began forcing my influence off the continent and onto this tiny peninsula. Nor when he began his wars to try to wipe even that influence off the world.

    ¡°There is no benefit to carrying on this charade of an alliance.¡±

    ¡°Unacceptable. The Cloak of Shadows and the Lock and Key are interfacing with the world in ways that are not meant to be. These are not isolated incidents. They are harbingers of a deeper malaise. The Heart of Gold has proved that containment in isolation is impossible¡ª¡±

    ¡°I have it under control,¡± the golden light snarled. ¡°It is one lone mortal and one servant of the Stars. Both are dispatched as easily as any other mortal. I just need a moment¡¯s opening.¡±

    ¡°Regretting the theatrics of taunts and banter, are we?¡±

    ¡°If you would have¡ª¡±

    ¡°Silence. The enemy does not care for our infighting. To him, we are but obstacles to be eradicated.¡± The Glory emanating from the pool grew stronger, threatening to drown the gold and silver. ¡°We need not become allies in the truest sense. Our interests are too divergent, our pasts too stained with each other¡¯s blood. But a truce, a pact of non-aggression, could allow us all to fortify our positions. The two of you must cease your sabotage of each other.¡±

    ¡°And you?¡± The golden light shined with harsh anger. ¡°Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed your warships on patrol around my northern territories. Circling like a vulture¡­¡±

    ¡°Myself as well.¡±

    ¡°A truce,¡± the silvery liquid repeated, roiling around the word as if tasting it for the first time. ¡°Temporary, of course.¡±

    ¡°Until our enemy¡¯s ambitions are curtailed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll need some concessions from our greedy friend as well. As restitution for using the situation to try to wipe out my influence¡ª¡±

    ¡°You would dare¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough. I will arbitrate these concessions after our enemy is dealt with.¡±

    The pool simmered with anger from all three sources. That anger slowly subsided as thoughts warred and, after a long few moments, the surface of the pool reflected a momentary agreement. A rare occurrence among the avatars of three divine beings.

    ¡°If these concessions involve ceding territory and influence, you will both pay.¡±

    ¡°You do understand what concessions mean, don¡¯t you, Heart of Greed? You must give up something. In return, I¡¯ll cease my block of the oracles and ecclesiarch. Maybe even throw a vision their way implying that an alliance with the Eternal Empire is in their favor.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it? That isn¡¯t an alliance.¡±

    ¡°It is more than enough for a truce of non-aggression. They can use their renewed prescience to determine their fate. Perhaps even attempting to renew their alliance with you.¡±

    ¡°And if they don¡¯t? Will you step in for once?¡±

    ¡°I am not in the habit of grinding my fellow worshippers of Light under the heel of my boot. Nor can I control the whims of mortal minds. I¡¯ll show them the Light. They can choose what to do with the information.¡±

    The glory in the pool pulsed. ¡°If your followers fight the Heart of Gold, it will be a violation of the truce.¡±

    The silvery liquid hung in the pool, staying still for a long moment before rippling in glee. ¡°Then I can assure you, no true follower in good standing will act against you or yours. I will ensure it.¡±

    The gold bubbled in barely concealed anger. ¡°Fine. Then a truce.¡±

    ¡°A truce.¡±

    ¡°A truce.¡±

    The gold didn¡¯t stick around to affirm anything else. The pinprick of light faded from the pool. The radiant glory quickly diminished, leaving nothing but the mercury-like silver liquid all on its own.

    It bubbled with laughter. ¡°Fools.¡±

    The pool went still.

 Maintaining Order

    On one hand, Arkk felt like a deep burden had been lifted from his shoulders. The Duke was gone. His army was effectively under Arkk¡¯s control. Evestani was broken and retreating. They had a whole nation across the border, so he couldn¡¯t count them out of the fight. Especially not while that avatar was leading them.

    But, for the time being, they were not an immediate issue looming on the horizon.

    There was the issue of the Prince. Prince Cedric Valorian Lafoar. The Prince lacked scrying protections, allowing Arkk to spy on him with impunity as he set out from Vaales and approached the Duchy. He and his retinue didn¡¯t constitute a full army but they still numbered upward of five hundred individuals, mostly humans with a handful of demihumans mixed in. That shouldn¡¯t be able to threaten Katja or Arkk, especially if they worked together, but the rumors around Prince Cedric and his subjugation of Vaales still had Arkk on edge.

    It was also not something Arkk was worrying about at the moment. Vaales was on the complete opposite side of the Duchy from Evestani. There was too much going on here on this side of the country.

    ¡°Sir, we¡¯ve found a-another d-detachment.¡±

    Arkk sighed. ¡°Numbers?¡±

    ¡°About a hundred soldiers plus logistic p-personnel.¡±

    ¡°Any sign of the avatar or tattooed pious? Any golden knight?¡±

    ¡°No, Sir.¡± The chameleon beastman leaned over the crystal ball, peering into its depths. ¡°All regular soldiers by the l-looks of things.¡± Luthor gave a nervous laugh. ¡°I d-don¡¯t think they know what happened here.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t surprised.

    While the bulk of Evestani¡¯s forces had been concentrated in Elmshadow Burg, they hadn¡¯t been solely stationed within its walls. Scout units patrolled all around the burg at varying distances, raiding teams had been charged with scouring the surrounding villages and burgs of their food and supplies¡ªmostly hardy cloth and metal¡ªand even larger detachments patrolled around to secure the land from any opposing armies, whether those be the Grand Guard or even smaller militia made up of farmers, miners, and other regular people.

    ¡°They¡¯re heading for Elmshadow?¡±

    ¡°Yes. About a d-day away. I imagine they¡¯ll camp for the n-night and arrive sometime tomorrow afternoon, assuming they don¡¯t stop for any other reason.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. ¡°If they do deviate, send out Priscilla and Agnete to round them up. Otherwise, no sense exerting effort walking all the way out to them. Let them come to us and have some men round them up out sometime tomorrow morning.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t they down south of the burg? There was that g-group of p-pious¡­¡±

    Pausing, Arkk quickly scanned through all his minions. He checked their position and current tasks, making sure he hadn¡¯t forgotten things or gotten mixed up. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time. Things had been hectic. Even without a battle going on, it seemed like thousands of different items all required his attention.

    He wished Ilya was here. Or Vezta. Both were back at Fortress Al-Mir, keeping up operations there¡ªmostly dealing with the refugees who hadn¡¯t gone back to Cliff. Now that the battle was over, Arkk had sent all the wounded and the medical team through the teleportation ritual circles to recuperate back in the fortress¡¯ safety.

    ¡°Richter and his battlecasters are dealing with the pious,¡± Arkk said. ¡°And Hawkwood should be shoring up the burg¡¯s walls and magical defenses. Agnete is down in the foundry, hammering away at something. Priscilla is lounging at the peak of one of the mountains.¡±

    The dragonoid had constructed a large chair for herself out of ice and snow. She just sat, one arm propped up on the icy armrest, with her head tilted up toward the sky. Or, rather, toward the Stars.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let them know they have upcoming duties,¡± Arkk said, knowing the chameleon wouldn¡¯t be able to hike up and down the mountain in any reasonable amount of time. ¡°Is there anything else of importance?¡±

    ¡°Not that I¡¯ve s-seen.¡±

    ¡°Good. I¡¯m heading into the burg for a time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll alert you if anything c-changes.¡±

    Arkk nodded and teleported.

    He didn¡¯t go straight to the burg, however. He stopped at the base of the tower which was currently positioned directly in the center of Elmshadow, on top of the ruins of the old keep.

    It¡­ leaned. Lesser servants crawled all over the exterior, trying to seal the shadowy stone that had been hit by the avatar¡¯s golden ray. The stone had held up to the ray, mostly just melting against one side but not wholly vanishing like regular ground or buildings had in the past. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t as reassuring for future operations as it felt like it should be.

    Turning, he stared at the sharp spike of the mountain that had once hidden the tower from the burg¡¯s direct line of sight. A circular hole had been carved straight through, puncturing a hole that let him look through the mountain. Would the tower have survived if it had taken a direct hit? How much of the avatar¡¯s magical power had gone into boring a hole in the mountain versus into the tower itself?

    Arkk doubted the same tactic would work again. Right now, the Evestani remnants were headed toward Moonshine Burg. They were bypassing a few of the larger burgs in favor of that one, presumably to use the entire rest of their nation as support in its defense.

    Not only were there no tall mountains to hide behind near Moonshine Burg, but that avatar would have come up with a way to hit him even if he could hide the tower.

    If the tower had collapsed, instigating the surrender and routing of Evestani¡¯s fighting force would have failed. They would have likely fought to the end, or at least a lot further. People would have died. The entire battle might have ended differently.

    He couldn¡¯t risk it being hit again and yet, he did not doubt that this war would continue unless he managed to kill the avatar. The actual avatar, not the possessed puppets.

    Sylvara Astra. Darius Vrox. Arkk didn¡¯t like to pin his hopes on those who might like to see him fall and yet¡­ he really hoped they got back to him with information about possible countermeasures for the avatar¡¯s powers. Either his power of possession or a way of nullifying the golden rays. Both would be best.

    ¡°Should you not be celebrating with the others?¡± Arkk asked, half turning as he heard a heavy set of footsteps approaching. ¡°It was your plan that gave us this victory. You deserve a little rest and relaxation.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an let out a small chuckle. ¡°Plan? That¡¯s a bit grandiose. I merely suggested we play to our strengths. As for rest¡­¡± He shook his head, scoffing. ¡°There is much to do, even now.¡±

    Raising an eyebrow, Arkk hummed. He had much to do, Arkk wouldn¡¯t argue with that. But Olatt¡¯an? Most of his advisors were going around, cleaning up minor holdouts or just maintaining order in the rapidly expanding prison system in the depths beneath Elmshadow Burg. Arkk hardly counted that as being busy.

    Most of them were drunk on the job. Something Arkk would be cracking down on in the near future.

    ¡°Have you got more suggestions?¡± Arkk asked, wondering what was on the old orc¡¯s mind.

    ¡°I would like for you to give me a team to delve into the Underworld a little further. And I would like for this team to include the elf.¡±

    ¡°Ilya?¡±

    ¡°Alya.¡±

    That made Arkk hesitate. Ilya would have given Arkk pause enough but Alya? The elven matriarch had taken to caring for the refugees, handling them with Ilya while Vezta focused on the rest of Fortress Al-Mir. She wasn¡¯t an official minion of Fortress Al-Mir, nor was she considered a prisoner. She did go out of her way to avoid Arkk. It was almost like she had a sixth sense for his presence.

    Of course, many of the refugees at Fortress Al-Mir were originally from Elmshadow. Many were eager to return, even if there wasn¡¯t much to return to but hard work repairing the city. There were some of Elmshadow¡¯s original inhabitants still present here, those poor souls who hadn¡¯t managed to evacuate in time, who would be beyond pleased to reunite, he was sure. So perhaps that job was of far lesser importance going forward.

    ¡°What do you hope to accomplish that Priscilla or one of the harpies can¡¯t scout out faster?¡±

    ¡°It is a personal request, though I don¡¯t doubt that it might have some benefit for you. Now that the Protector isn¡¯t threatening anyone who ventures through the land, I have some ideas on where we might go.

    ¡°You see,¡± Olatt¡¯an continued, ¡°I believe your servant was correct when she said that orcs might have originally come from the Underworld. The younger generations don¡¯t know much and even I have only heard scraps and pieces from legends passed down. But, having seen what I have seen, some of those legends hold grains of truth.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°I hope to find the homeland of the orcs. During some of my guard postings in the Underworld, I mapped out the mountains and landmarks. I think I know where to find it, assuming the legends are true. The Protector, if willing, might help narrow down those legends into fact.¡±

    Arkk nodded slowly, mind churning over the request. There wasn¡¯t a good reason to deny it. Unless Evestani and the Golden Order had a big surprise up their sleeves, they were on the run. Even if Arkk wanted to chase after them, the tower couldn¡¯t move more until it was repaired and the prisoners relocated out of the large chamber beneath it. The Prince wasn¡¯t likely to cause an immediate problem. Just an eventual one.

    They had weeks¡­ potentially months of calm ahead of them.

    Arkk wouldn¡¯t plan for months of calm, but he couldn¡¯t deny their possibility. Besides that, Fortress Al-Mir had grown. Losing a team for a few weeks wasn¡¯t as big of a loss now compared to what it would have been before the war.

    ¡°Why Alya?¡±

    ¡°She is an ancient elf. She might well know orcish legends far better than even I. Besides that, I think the elf knows more than she has said. You¡ªthe fortress, your glowing eyes, and your connection to Vezta¡ªmake her hesitant to speak, not wanting to fuel your corruption,¡± Olatt¡¯an said with a scoff. ¡°A journey like this is an opportune time to pry out those secrets.¡±

    Arkk let out a long sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t want her harmed, despite everything.¡±

    ¡°Calm yourself,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, propping himself up against the base of one of the tower legs. He crossed his arms. ¡°I know your temperament. She won¡¯t come to harm from me. What do you take me for?¡±

    ¡°The Ripthroat.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an grinned, flashing a tusk-less smile. ¡°That¡¯s an old name. Hardly counts as mine anymore. No, there will be no throat-ripping. Just a long journey with a fascinating new world and little to discuss but topics of the ancient past.¡±

    Arkk mirrored Olatt¡¯an¡¯s crossed arms. Were this Rekk¡¯ar making the suggestion, Arkk would likely have denied it. If only because he wouldn¡¯t trust the more aggressive orc to not harm Alya. Olatt¡¯an, despite his storied past, was far more mellow. More than that, he had never done something to give Arkk cause for worry.

    ¡°How soon were you thinking of leaving?¡±

    ¡°As soon as possible. Today even. I only have my legends to guide me, so I don¡¯t have a timeframe for how long this will take.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about today,¡± Arkk said with a small shake of his head. ¡°People need time to gather gear. I presume you¡¯ll want horses as well? Food and water?¡±

    ¡°Day after tomorrow, then. That will give you enough time.¡±

    ¡°Doable.¡±

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Olatt¡¯an said as he reached into his brown leather vest. He pulled out a slip of paper. ¡°I have the names of the ones I wish to accompany me on this expedition.¡±

    Arkk skimmed the list, wincing as he came to one of the names. ¡°Gromm¡¯as didn¡¯t survive the battle.¡±

    ¡°Really? I expected better of him,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, tone entirely flat. There was no emotion in his voice.

    ¡°Everyone else is mostly unharmed. Though Hamm¡¯on took a heavy hit to the leg. Hale healed it up but did so in her way. It has somewhat impacted his mobility. He might decline because of that.¡±

    ¡°Doubt it, but if he does, I¡¯ll come up with replacements.¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll have everyone else on the list meet you at the teleport back to Al-Mir?¡±

    Olatt¡¯an shoved himself off the wall. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said. Without a word more, he turned and headed toward the downward-leading stairs at the base of the tower¡¯s leg. Arkk almost asked if he wanted to be moved straight to the teleportation ritual room, but decided against it. If Olatt¡¯an wanted it, he would have asked.

    Still, as Olatt¡¯an walked away, it got Arkk thinking. An expedition into the Underworld wasn¡¯t a bad idea. He had bought some space, some relief of pressure. Sending Priscilla and Leda out¡ªmaybe a few harpies as well, if they were willing¡ªto some areas of import that the Protector had pointed out would be best done now.

    If there were more towers at all close to the portal, retrieving them, bringing the [HEART] here, and setting them up would be invaluable. He could plant Al-Lavik on the western border, blocking further incursions from Evestani, and one on the eastern border, keeping any army Prince Cedric might call for well away from him. A third one could go on the southern border, interposed between Chernlock and Mystakeen.

    Arkk closed his eyes, quickly scanning over all his employees. The gorgon made it through the battle unharmed. They could accompany Agnete to subdue the stray group of Evestani soldiers. That would free up Priscilla to leave as soon as possible. She wouldn¡¯t need to carry an entire team¡¯s worth of provisions and wouldn¡¯t have a whole team ready. She could leave tonight.

    In scanning through his employees, Arkk spotted one particular employee looking¡­ despondent. Priscilla could wait a few more minutes.

    Arkk teleported through the tunnels connected to the Walking Fortress and reappeared just outside the ruined walls that had once encircled the keep. Not far from where Priscilla and Agnete had taken down the avatar.

    The city was in a poor state. Once that golden dome had gone down, Arkk hadn¡¯t held back. Every bit of bombardment magic they had came down upon the city. It was a small consolation to know that there weren¡¯t any of the original inhabitants present in the center of the city. They had all been segregated into a small section of slums and effectively left to fend for themselves.

    At this point, razing the entire burg to the ground might be better than leaving it in ruins. The tower wouldn¡¯t be here permanently. As soon as Arkk left, he had no doubt that people like Katja would see it as a perfect place to move in. Bandits, the deserters who hadn¡¯t joined up with Arkk, and even whatever scattered remnants of Evestani¡¯s forces that he would inevitably fail to locate. If he stayed long enough to rebuild, it would help, but he wasn¡¯t sure if he could do that.

    Evestani¡¯s forces were another problem. He wasn¡¯t sure what to do with them all. Almost three thousand people sat in the depths. Without the infrastructure of Fortress Al-Mir close at hand, he couldn¡¯t keep them fed for long. As it was, he was using their stores that their supply lines had managed to deliver, but those wouldn¡¯t last and there wouldn¡¯t be any more coming from Evestani.

    Execution had been brought up among his advisors¡ªRekk¡¯ar, mostly. It was a fairly standard tactic for combatants deemed a significant threat. Perhaps it was the difference in upbringing between a raider like Rekk¡¯ar and his own, but that didn¡¯t sit particularly well with him. Especially when he took into consideration Hawkwood¡¯s words from before the initial siege of Elmshadow, where he suspected that a large portion of the Evestani army was made up of conscripts who likely didn¡¯t want to be here in the first place.

    Then again, Evestani as a whole hadn¡¯t been kind to the citizens of the Duchy who failed to get out of their way in time. Perhaps it was just paying their harsh tactics forward.

    A few, the leaders and commanders, might be worth ransoming back. Arkk doubted the income would supplement his reserves that much. Vezta had suggested that her former master was someone who enjoyed capturing favored minions of others and then bartering every concession possible from those who wanted them back.

    The idea of recruitment had crossed his mind, but he hadn¡¯t decided to act on it. Though he might be viewing the Evestani as a monolith rather than as individuals, they were far too fanatical for his tastes. He had already executed a small group of priests who had been trying to draw tattoos on another¡¯s head.

    The worst-case scenario at the moment would be that avatar popping up right in the midst of their group.

    Since that incident, his guards patrolled on the regular and everyone had to submit for inspection¡ªsomething he lacked the personnel to do effectively.

    There just wasn¡¯t a good solution.

    Or rather, there was, but he didn¡¯t want to admit that execution was the best option.

    But he hadn¡¯t teleported away from the tower to decide the fate of the prisoners. He could put that off for another day or two. Long enough to gather up the remnants from the area. For the time being, Arkk stalked across Elmshadow Burg¡¯s empty streets, between ruined buildings and broken walls. There, near the damaged wall that had once encircled the burg¡¯s garrison, stood about half of an Abbey of the Light church.

    Much of the air around Elmshadow Burg smelled foul and rotting. The church was no different.

    The entire eastern wall was just gone. The rest of it¡­ didn¡¯t look all that stable. Every few moments, an odd creaking of wood or grinding stone echoed over the otherwise silent section of the burg. If he couldn¡¯t teleport instantly, he doubted he would be brave enough to step over the waist-high remnants of the eastern wall.

    A gremlin with fiery red hair and a shadowy black cloak sat on a cracked bench in the middle of the church. The bench leaned at one end, letting her short legs reach the floor. Her elbows were propped on her knees and her head rested in the palms of her hands. She didn¡¯t move even as gravel crunched underneath Arkk¡¯s boots.

    ¡°Lexa?¡± Arkk said, voice soft as he slowly lowered himself to the bench. Broken as it was, it wasn¡¯t a very comfortable place for a fully-grown human to sit. He ignored the discomfort just as he tried to ignore the creaking groans of the wood. Gently, he rested a hand on the gremlin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    She started at the touch, jolting. Her hands rubbed across her face, doing little to clean it. Realizing the futility of the attempt, she stopped and let out a sorry laugh. ¡°I tried,¡± she said. ¡°I tried so hard.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°A snap of his fingers. A flash of gold. And they were all gone. I just¡­¡± She grit her sharp teeth, clenching her fists. ¡°I keep thinking about it.¡±

    She slowly looked around. The bodies of the children had been removed. It wasn¡¯t much, but Arkk had spared some manpower to dig a few graves.

    ¡°I keep wondering what I could have done differently. I thought I didn¡¯t have time to explain why I had to mutilate them. They were already panicked and scared. I didn¡¯t think they would listen. But would things have been different if I had tried?¡± A crack of frustration broke her voice. ¡°What if I had counted? I was in a rush. Things blurred together. But I could have counted how many I had done. Or just¡­ looked. I knew some of them tried to hide, especially after the first. But¡ª¡±

    Arkk put his arm around her shoulders. He pulled her close, giving her a firm, comforting hug. ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault.¡±

    ¡°It is. I could have been faster. I could have practiced the spell more, spoken it faster, or¡ª¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault,¡± Arkk said, voice far more firm. ¡°It is mine. I ordered the detonation of the alchemical bomb before you were ready.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not¡ª¡±

    ¡°It is. I may not have had perfect battlefield knowledge, but my abilities give me a better scope of things than anyone else is capable of. I gave the order,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I killed these children.¡±

    For a long minute, silence reigned in the broken church. Only the faint creaking of wood and distant wind ruined that silence.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Lexa, it wasn¡¯t your¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lexa snapped, shoving herself away from Arkk. Whirling around, she glared at him. Even with her standing and him sitting, she barely came up to his chest. Yet the fury in her eyes gave her an extra level of imposing. She jammed a finger in his chest. ¡°Promise me.¡±

    ¡°Promise what?¡±

    ¡°When we track down that avatar¡ªthe real one, not his¡­ puppets¡ªI get to be the one¡­ I get to drag my dagger across his throat and watch that golden light in his eyes fade.¡±

    Arkk pursed his lips. That wasn¡¯t something he could easily promise. It would likely be him, Agnete, and Priscilla fighting against the avatar. Although the avatar could deflect the bolts of lightning Arkk favored, he wasn¡¯t omnipotent. A distraction could easily get lightning through his defenses, as their recent encounter showed.

    But a dagger was far slower than a lightning bolt.

    The way Lexa looked up at him, her eyes darting back and forth as she looked at his eyes, made him hold his rejection.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Arkk said.

    Lexa didn¡¯t look happy. If that simple agreement could bring even a little comfort and contentment, it was a small price to pay. Even if he had to break that promise in the future.

 Securing Territory

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel good.¡±

    ¡°War never does.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t have the experience to make that kind of claim. He wasn¡¯t old enough to have seen any other wars. All he had were the stories told by bards, mercenaries, adventurers, and other ramblemen who passed through Langleey Village.

    Hawkwood sat on the other side of the room, scowling at a letter delivered by a Swiftwing harpy.

    ¡°They always glorified it. Stories, that is. Warriors fighting off the barbarian hordes and heroes standing up against evil. They never mention the mud, blood, and dead children.¡± Arkk paused, then added, ¡°Dead soldiers as well. Nor the prisoners and their fates.¡±

    ¡°The poets won¡¯t mention it here either,¡± Hawkwood said, not taking his eyes off the letter. ¡°It will become a shining battle, the moment the invaders were forced back to the border. They¡¯ll pose you with a sword raised high in the sky with Evestani fleeing like cowardly dogs¡­ Unless, of course, history chooses to vilify you. Then this will be the dark point in the Kingdom of Chernlock¡¯s story.¡±

    Arkk shifted in discomfort. Another weight settled in on his shoulders. He had never really considered a legacy. Simple villagers didn¡¯t leave legacies. Now he had the weight of future narratives pressing down on his mind. ¡°Why can¡¯t they just tell what happened? Evestani invaded, assassinating leadership before their armies killed the masses. We fought them back.¡±

    Hawkwood finally looked up. His gaze pierced Arkk with an intensity that made him flinch.

    ¡°The truth,¡± Hawkwood started, ¡°is the first casualty of war.¡±

    Arkk broke eye contact. That was certainly true. After all, he well knew that Evestani had come for him and Vezta. It wasn¡¯t his fault, he didn¡¯t antagonize them or invite them here. Nevertheless, Evestani wasn¡¯t simply trying to conquer territory and expand their nation.

    ¡°The truth gets distorted, covered up, and buried under the rubble of grand moments and epic tales. Even absent political influence, the truth is too¡­ raw for feasts and celebrations.¡± Hawkwood stood, picking up the letter as he did so. ¡°But, ultimately, history is written by those with power and influence. In the long term, perhaps that will be you¡ªand you¡¯ll be able to say whatever you want. For now, whether you are a villain or a hero will likely depend on Prince Cedric¡¯s judgment.¡±

    ¡°A man about whom I¡¯ve heard nothing but good things,¡± Arkk said, sarcasm on full display.

    Hawkwood motioned with the letter. ¡°As the sole remaining member of our former Duke¡¯s retinue, I¡¯m to meet with the Prince as he enters the Duchy. I just got the exact date he is expected to arrive. Two and a half weeks from today¡ª¡±

    ¡°Does he know you¡¯re in Elmshadow? You wouldn¡¯t normally be able to get to the eastern border in three weeks. Obviously, you¡¯re free to use my teleportation circles¡­¡±

    ¡°I suspect it is some attempt at a power-play. Perhaps he wishes to use my absence as an excuse to justify moving all the King¡¯s armies into the Duchy to¡­ quell matters.¡±

    ¡°More war,¡± Arkk said, slumping.

    ¡°More of a purge, at least from their perspective. White Company has been decimated and split, the Grand Guard is barely being held together, and there are few other major threats in the region¡ªat least on the level that can contend with the King¡¯s armies. Except for you.¡±

    Arkk only slumped further.

    ¡°Which is why I will be there on time. I will be doing my utmost to convince the Prince that you are the hero of this story, not a villain.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Hawkwood smiled. That was a rarity these days. When Arkk had first met the man in Cliff all those months ago, he had been nothing but smiles. He had been larger then too, with a well-kempt beard and hair.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, Arkk. I like you. But I¡¯m doing this for me,¡± he said with a chuckle. ¡°The idea of fighting against you is terrifying. We just took out an entrenched opponent that numbered up to four times larger than our force. All in under a day. All without using this tower in the actual attack.¡±

    Arkk almost said that it was because of the tower that they could create such deep and intricate tunnels and make use of instant teleportation to get their wounded out even from the midst of battle. It was the tower that had finally shaken the resolve of the defenders, instigating their surrender and rout. The tower that now stood tall in the middle of the ruined city was their victory, even if it hadn¡¯t personally stomped down their shields or crushed their armies under its feet. He closed his mouth, deciding against saying anything. Hawkwood surely knew all that.

    Instead, Arkk smiled back. ¡°You could always join up more permanently.¡±

    ¡°It is a consideration,¡± Hawkwood said, folding the letter and sliding it into the inside pocket of his militaristic jacket. ¡°Whatever happens, I will take the route I believe will lead to less conflict. I¡¯d urge you to do the same, not that I expect you to lay your head on the chopping block should the Prince call for that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that advice,¡± Arkk said, grimacing at the image.

    ¡°Good. Then I should be off. I¡¯ll have my adjutants lead the majority of my army back over land while I and a small retinue take the ritual transport.¡±

    ¡°Before you do,¡± Arkk said, standing. He held up his letter, one that had arrived just this morning via harpy. ¡°Any idea what I should do about this?¡±

    Hawkwood hesitated. ¡°Instinct tells me not to trust the Evestani leadership. Not after everything they¡¯ve pulled. That said, I can understand and empathize with a leader trying to get his men home. I believe I would make the emotional decision and agree to the release.¡±

    Sighing as Hawkwood departed now that his advice had been delivered, Arkk stared down at the paper. A letter from some sultan. The supposed leader of Evestani. In all the war, Arkk had known there was a sultan, but he had been so focused on the Golden Order and their avatar that he hadn¡¯t even considered the Sultan an actual person, let alone one potentially involved in the war.

    He wanted his people home. People who, just a few days before, had been fully ready to take the heads of everyone Arkk knew. How long would it be before they turned around and pointed their swords at him once again?

    There were no apologies¡ªthough there might have been a few implications that the war had been a mistake, if Arkk squinted between the lines¡ªand no restitution or ransom for the majority of the soldiers. A few names with monetary amounts attached as a reward for their release, Arkk recognized. Leaders who were unaccounted for that the Sultan hoped Arkk had in his prisons. Only a small fraction of the names were in his prison. The others had either escaped with the rest of the fleeing army or had perished in the assault.

    The Sultan was willing to part with a significant chunk of his treasury, gold all of it, in exchange. That was the price for the important leaders and a smaller lump sum for anyone else Arkk had imprisoned.

    Arkk needed gold, it was true. Building the tower had not been cheap and he still had his minions to pay. At the moment, he was supplementing his income by eating through Elmshadow¡¯s ruins. The lesser servants could convert the material they consumed into gold. It wasn¡¯t much. The amount converted seemed to be based on the general value of whatever they ate and ruins just weren¡¯t worth that much. Still, it cleaned the place up.

    He had a few lesser servants digging deep into the ground below Elmshadow and into both of the mountains, looking for any deposits of gold he could mine from while occupying the city. They found something, though it wasn¡¯t gold. Some kind of large gemstone that they had a hard time eating through. For the time being, he had them ignoring it, spreading out while looking for anything else of value.

    Funds weren¡¯t an emergency yet¡­

    But if Priscilla did find another tower on her exploratory flights through the Underworld, Arkk would need a sizable amount of gold more than he could spend to rebuild it here. The amount the Sultan was offering could almost fund a quarter of a tower on its own.

    Yet, he had to be suspicious.

    He knew things that Hawkwood didn¡¯t. The Heart of Gold, a deity, could easily curse the gold or cause it to attack like those golden statues.

    The golden statues that had attacked the tower had gone inert. Agnete was going to try melting them as soon as she got back from capturing another small group of enemy soldiers. If they were solid and proper gold, that would certainly help.

    Arkk performed a quick check on all his employees. Finding no immediate or major problems at Elmshadow, he stood, teleported himself to the teleportation ritual room, and performed a few quick chain hops back to Fortress Al-Mir.

    As soon as he was inside, he made his way to the private quarters. On the opposite end of the section from his quarters, he lightly knocked on a door.

    The door opened after a short moment, revealing a tall elf with long silver hair. Her face pinched when she saw who was standing there. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s you.¡±

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Alya,¡± Arkk said, keeping his tone carefully neutral with the elven matriarch. ¡°Glad I caught you before you left.¡±

    Convincing Alya to head out on an expedition in the other world had not been as difficult as Arkk expected. For all that she viewed Fortress Al-Mir and their activities within much like the Abbey of the Light¡ªand likely the Golden Order¡ªthe fact that Ilya was here tempered her somewhat.

    It was¡­ strange. Arkk had observed their interactions, usually from a distance. Personally, he couldn¡¯t stand Alya. She had once been like a mother to him, but now? Not so much. But the way Alya acted with Ilya was a lot like how Arkk remembered from his childhood. It made Arkk consider her actions, that of leaving Langleey to serve as the Duke¡¯s advisor, in a somewhat different light.

    She was an elf. She lived naturally for¡­ potentially forever. Arkk had never heard of an elf dying of old age. While she hadn¡¯t lived forever¡ªshe was roughly six hundred, give or take¡ªArkk had only been a part of her life for a tiny percent of that. Even Ilya didn¡¯t amount to a significant chunk of that time. To an elf, spending fifteen years trying to prevent a war was hardly worth considering. Were it not for Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s activation pushing that avatar to war, she might very well have been successful. Then she could have let the Duke die of old age or simply found some other way to leave. She could have come back to Langleey and reentered her daughter¡¯s life without a significant delay from her perspective.

    It was different for Ilya. Ilya was only a little older than Arkk was. Her perspective was more akin to that of a human. That would probably change after a few centuries, but for now, Ilya had much more human-like attachments.

    ¡°Was there something you needed?¡± Alya asked, folding her arms over her chest. She tilted her head down ever so slightly. It was something of an illusion but the pose made her look dignified and yet a little more approachable for someone of lesser stature. A pose she had likely grown used to using while in the Duke¡¯s employ.

    ¡°Do you know anything about Evestani¡¯s Sultan?¡±

    It was subtle but Alya twitched her head in surprise. Ilya did the same on occasion, though a bit more obviously than the time-tempered manners Alya had developed. ¡°I know plenty,¡± she said after a slight pause. ¡°We met on several occasions. You may wish to narrow down what you wish to know if I am to make it to the expedition in time.¡±

    Rather than figure out what questions would be best to ask, Arkk simply held out the letter requesting the release of the captured Evestani soldiers. He watched Alya¡¯s eyes move back and forth over the paper, widening slowly in the process. Once she reached the bottom, her eyes darted about the paper once again before finally settling back on Arkk.

    ¡°This is signed¡­ Sule. The Sule I knew was a man of the people. Well-liked generally and respected. He even offered one of his daughters for marriage with Levi in an attempt to strengthen comradery between our nations and to prevent another war.¡±

    ¡°You doubt its authenticity?¡±

    Alya slowly shook her head. She turned away from Arkk, reading the letter again while pacing around the doorway to her chambers.

    That gave Arkk a good look at the interior. He did try to avoid looking in on his minions around the Fortress, especially in private locations. There was a near-constant level of activities going on that he would rather ignore. Yet it still wasn¡¯t anything he hadn¡¯t seen before.

    The magic of the personalized rooms only worked for employees. As Alya was neither a prisoner nor a minion, she had been left to collect furniture from John the carpenter. She had a spartan bed, covered in only a few thin blankets, and a simple desk with a chair. A tall wardrobe held a few changes of clothes. Beyond that, she had next to nothing. The walls and floors were plain brick much like any corridor or empty room in the fortress.

    Alya stopped her pacing back in the doorway, frowning down at the letter. ¡°The words read like someone overly concerned with his men. Not the kind of person who would throw years of peace away for¡­ whatever the goal of this war is.¡±

    Arkk carefully did not change his expression. He doubted anything good could come of letting others know his suspicion that Evestani marched for Fortress Al-Mir, not the rest of the Duchy.

    ¡°So it is a genuine offer?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ believe so. But I do have concerns about some of the other content in this letter,¡± she said, dragging a lithe finger down the paper. ¡°You captured five thousand soldiers. You?¡±

    ¡°Closer to two thousand. I¡¯m not sure they knew how many survived the battle when they wrote the letter.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ Hawkwood,¡± she said, speaking with finality, like she had realized something. ¡°White Company captured the Evestani.¡±

    ¡°White Company made up about half of our side of the battle,¡± Arkk said slowly.

    ¡°Who else? What other free companies? The Grand Guard?¡±

    ¡°Just us. Most other free companies have been destroyed, were absorbed into our companies, or stayed out of the war entirely. And the Grand Guard is¡­ still a little discombobulated following the change in leadership.¡± He paused and then added, ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure you know just what it is you were supposedly keeping an eye on out in the Cursed Forest.¡±

    Alya crossed her arms again. This time, she tilted her head upward, looking down on Arkk without a word. Her posture said enough.

    ¡°To be fair, I own the thing and still am discovering things,¡± Arkk said with a small laugh. ¡°You know, when it was just me and Ilya, practically the first idea we had was to rescue you. There was no plan, no thought behind it. Just the idea and a whole lot of gold. We thought we were going to buy your freedom¡ªthought you were some kind of slave back then. Yet I was cautious. Didn¡¯t want to do anything that might get the Duke¡¯s armies set against us.

    ¡°Now look at me,¡± Arkk said with a casual shrug. No grandiose arm waving or haughty posturing. It just wasn¡¯t needed. ¡°Fighting on even footing with an entire foreign army. When I rescued you and Ilya from the Duke¡¯s dungeons, there was barely a consideration that making an enemy of the Duke would turn out poorly. It just didn¡¯t matter. I knew I could handle the Duke. Turned out, he handled himself pretty well. I hardly needed to lift a finger.¡±

    Alya pressed her lips into a thin, disappointed line. ¡°Only the foolish seek conflict instead of cultivating allies.¡±

    ¡°I am cultivating allies,¡± Arkk said, thinking of the Protector. ¡°They do seem to come from strange places. Besides, it isn¡¯t like I want conflict,¡± he added, fully in agreement. ¡°But it seems like a lot of people want to fight me. Maybe you¡¯ll be happy to know that I¡¯m trying to get more normal allies. Hawkwood is heading out to try to convince the Prince that I¡¯m some kind of hero.¡±

    ¡°Prince?¡± Alya tilted her head again. ¡°What prince?¡±

    ¡°Prince Cedric of Vaales. He is apparently on his way to the Duchy¡ª¡±

    Alya closed her eyes, pressing a hand to her forehead as she let out a long sigh. ¡°If that prince is on his way here, I fear the King feels as if the Duchy is beyond salvation.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Arkk said with a frown of his own. ¡°But he is approaching with a relatively small entourage, not an army. I hope that means there is still some hope.¡±

    ¡°I would advise caution regardless. There was some¡­ discussion regarding the methods through which he subjugated the Vaales rebellion among the Duke¡¯s advisors. The systematic and utter destruction of rebellious elements and the speed at which that destruction was carried out have¡­ unpleasant implications.¡±

    ¡°Unpleasant meaning what, exactly?¡±

    Alya shifted, moving from foot to foot in clear discomfort. Not even spotting her daughter in the middle of the Duke¡¯s party had her quite so rattled. It was enough that Arkk, though normally dismissive of Alya¡¯s concerns, felt compelled to listen as she whispered, ¡°Rumors imply he may have sought extra-planar assistance in subjugating Vaales.¡±

    ¡°Extra¡­ Demons? He summoned a demon?¡± Arkk shook his head. ¡°Impossible. The Abbey of the Light¡ª¡±

    ¡°Either doesn¡¯t know or they lack the evidence to accuse a royal¡ªor they were convinced to look the other way.¡±

    Arkk clenched his eyes shut, grinding his teeth together. When he had heard that the Prince was approaching with only a small force, he had been overjoyed that there wouldn¡¯t be a big fight. But it didn¡¯t take a lot of people to summon a demon. If Alya was right and those rumors were true¡­

    Most of his advisors were still at Elmshadow. Luckily, his spellcasters had all returned to Fortress Al-Mir following their victory. Zullie sat in the library, speaking with one of her assistants. Savren stood hunched over a ritual circle, drawing out fresh lines in what looked like a way of trapping people in a daydream-like hallucination. Hale was in the infirmary, patching up some of those who had been injured worse than others and had volunteered for her¡­ unique methods of using Flesh Weaving.

    Arkk pulled all three of them straight to the hallway. After a moment of hesitation, he pulled Ilya in as well.

    All three jerked slightly, reorienting themselves after the sudden relocation. They were all used to it enough that they didn¡¯t fall flat on the floor. Zullie looked around the most, turning her head back and forth as her empty eye sockets took in some small amount of the surroundings. She had performed some ritual that let her know a few things that she shouldn¡¯t be able to see. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but she eventually looked to Savren and then down at Hale.

    For some odd reason, she had taken to wearing her rectangular glasses again, though the lenses were far more smudged than she had kept them previously.

    Ilya first looked surprised to see Arkk. He probably should have visited her when he first got back to the fortress. Especially as she looked at her mother with mild accusation in her eyes. However, she was quick on the uptake. That Savren, Zullie, and Hale were all present meant this situation was serious. She folded her arms in an almost exact mirror of her mother¡¯s earlier pose and waited for Arkk to speak.

    ¡°I infer an issue has intruded, incessantly. Immersed in intellectually intense investigation, if it isn¡¯t an exigent emergency, I entreat you to escort me back to my endeavor. My colleagues can confront the conundrum.¡±

    Arkk stared at Savren for a long moment before he simply shook his head. ¡°I need all three of you on a priority task. Delve through the black book again. Find anything you can on demons¡ª¡±

    Ilya sucked in a breath. The anger in her pose fled, quickly replaced with worry.

    ¡°Don¡¯t summon one,¡± Arkk continued, giving a firm and deliberate glare at Zullie. He wasn¡¯t sure if she quite got the look but the way she shifted implied she heard something aimed at her in his tone. ¡°Look for defenses, ways of banishing one, or otherwise ways of dealing with hostile demons.¡±

    ¡°What idiot summoned a demon?¡± Zullie asked, somehow managing her haughty tone even as she failed to look directly at Arkk. ¡°Not the Golden Order.¡±

    ¡°No one has, yet. I hope no one will. But I have come to appreciate the maxim of being prepared for anything.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking in such a hurry that we¡¯re having a meeting in the hallway,¡± Ilya said, trying to keep her tone flat. There was a slight waver in her tone, betraying her worry. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll call a full meeting to explain the situation,¡± he said with a small glare at Alya. He shouldn¡¯t hold it against her for dropping this on him but¡­ it was still annoying right now. He wanted a few days of peace before being bombarded with more problems. ¡°But I need to get to Hawkwood before he gets too far away. While I¡¯m doing that, I want you to pen a few letters to Astra and Vrox. See if they know anything about fighting demons. We¡¯ll have the meeting after.¡±

    Turning, Arkk looked fully at Alya. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have any information on the topic? Or are capable of fighting demons yourself?¡±

    ¡°Certainly not,¡± Alya said.

    ¡°Then you¡¯re still on for Olatt¡¯an expedition.¡± There wasn¡¯t much point in delaying their journey. If Olatt¡¯an had a way of fighting demons, he surely would have used it with their old chieftain instead of coming to Arkk for aid.

    Hale piped up. ¡°What about the wounded?¡±

    Arkk stared down at her. She wasn¡¯t a researcher or all that knowledgeable in magic. He had pulled her into this mostly because of her propensity for Flesh Weaving. If she could use that spell to such a degree¡­ Well, it had come from the black book¡­

    Quickly scanning through the infirmary, Arkk grimaced at the sight of it. There had been a lot of wounded in the aftermath of the battle of Elmshadow. Most of everyone had already been stabilized. But stabilized and healthy were two very different things.

    ¡°Get the worst of them as healthy as you can,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Then join the others.¡±

    Hale nodded her head, her twin tails of black hair bobbing with her.

    Without further room for arguing, Arkk sent all of them away even as he teleported himself straight to the ritual circle room. He had to get to Hawkwood and find out if he knew anything about this demon summoning that he had neglected to mention. And, if not, to warn his mentor.

 Of Necromancy and Gods

    ¡°Current food stores can feed the prisoners for three weeks with mild rationing. Further than that and we¡¯ll need either extreme rationing or another source of food.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head, sliding a paper across his desk. ¡°Thank you, Alma. Maintain the mild ration for now then. We¡¯ll reevaluate our situation after a week. I hope to receive a response from Evestani¡¯s leader by then.¡±

    If it came down to it, he could create hatcheries and pig farms like what Fortress Al-Mir had. There were already some present at Elmshadow, mostly confined within the tower, for his own troops. It was the last option he wanted to go for, however. The magic of Fortress Al-Mir and Al-Lavik consumed gold to fuel the farms. Feeding the thousands of prisoners would drain his already diminished supplies ever further.

    The werecat shifted where she stood, lips curling in a distasteful frown. ¡°They¡¯re going to pick up their spears and point them at us the moment they¡¯re free. You know that, right?¡±

    ¡°Maybe so,¡± Arkk said. ¡°No. I¡¯m a fool but not that big of a fool. Probably so. But I can¡¯t keep them here. The Duchy is in too much turmoil under Katja and with the pressure the rest of the Kingdom is heaping on her. I could order them executed¡ªPriscilla would revel in the opportunity to kill a bunch of humans and I don¡¯t doubt I would get several volunteers to hold the executioner¡¯s axe from among my employees. But that doesn¡¯t get me anything. If Evestani is willing to pay for their release, then it is clearly the best option.¡±

    ¡°Assuming it isn¡¯t a trap.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve spoken with some of the others about ways to check if the gold is tainted in any way. We¡¯ll be exhausting that list. If the actual exchange is a trap, then it won¡¯t be a very good one. Zullie had a proposition to ensure that nobody will be physically present at the exchange,¡± Arkk said, glancing to where the blind witch sat with a smug smile on her face. ¡°She was just about to inform me when you came in.

    Alma glanced over with a shudder. The felt cap she wore shifted without her touching it. Arkk didn¡¯t blame her for her discomfort. The deep holes that had once held her violet eyes looked¡­ worse than usual. Or better? They were still black voids, but the tiny flecks of light scattered across the backs of her eye sockets now gleamed with unnatural energy.

    Not that there had ever been anything natural about her lack of eyes.

    A curse and a gift at the same time, or so Zullie said.

    She was still blind. But, whatever ritual she had done on herself¡ªArkk was almost afraid to ask¡ªgave her at least some insight. She tilted her head as if looking around the room. ¡°Ah,¡± she said, as if she hadn¡¯t been expecting the sudden attention. ¡°You probably would rather hear my proposition alone before we involve others.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to like it,¡± Arkk said. It wasn¡¯t a question.

    Zullie just smiled.

    ¡°Very well. Alma, thank you for the report. I¡¯ll consider your concerns.¡±

    With one last glance at the witch, the werecat gave Arkk a nod and quickly departed. As soon as the door shut, Arkk turned to Zullie and waited.

    And waited¡­

    And¡­

    ¡°Zullie? We¡¯re alone now.¡±

    Zullie jolted, turning her head toward Arkk. ¡°Sorry. Still not used to seeing like this. Or¡­ not seeing. It¡¯s more like my level of knowledge just shifts. I don¡¯t so much notice someone has left because the knowledge of their absence was just¡­ always there.¡±

    ¡°Are you¡­ okay?¡± Arkk asked, feeling genuinely worried for the witch.

    She¡­ didn¡¯t exactly look well. Ignoring her eyes, her cheeks were thinner than normal and her black hair, normally kept tight in a ponytail, hung loose and wild around her head. More like Agnete than Zullie. Strands even hung over her face, not that they would obstruct her vision. And beyond her appearance, she had always been a strange one, heavily invested in her magical research. But since the incident¡­

    Well, there was a lot to worry about.

    ¡°Fine. My eyes¡ªor my¡­ eye holes?¡ªdo have this persistent itch. I¡¯ve been trying to find a way to not feel it but nothing any spell does to my eyes seems to last. Otherwise, Hale would have been able to give me new ones.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°Rude,¡± Zullie huffed, folding her arms.

    Arkk narrowed his eyes, trying to decide if she was making a joke. A joke didn¡¯t fit with her personality. But rather than being offended or in good humor, she looked nervous. Her foot tapped against the ground in repetitive, agitated taps. The fingers on her elbow jittered as well. And she was biting her lip.

    ¡°So, your proposition? What¡¯s so important that we have to meet like this?¡±

    ¡°Okay. Hear me out. It¡¯s like this¡­ Well, there¡¯s something¡­ I just wanted¡­¡±

    ¡°Zullie.¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t a good way to say it so I¡¯m just going to say it,¡± the witch said, moving her hands to her knees where she scrunched up the fabric of her trousers. ¡°There are a lot of dead in and around Elmshadow.¡±

    Arkk blinked. He blinked again as he ran over what she just said, just to make sure he wasn¡¯t misunderstanding anything.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Oh please¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, Zullie. The horse was bad enough.¡±

    ¡°What was bad about it? It served its purpose and it served that purpose well. Nothing bad came of it. It¡¯s just magic like any other magic.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s thoughts soured as he considered the horse. The horse had been just a horse. Hardly worth thinking about twice. It had been useful at the time, saving them the effort it would have taken to drag the Protector¡¯s body back to Fortress Al-Mir.

    But it was just a horse. This was¡­

    ¡°Hear me out. I would never have said this aloud back at the academy; Inquisitions tend to come knocking if you say the wrong things. But you¡¯re different. We¡¯re different.¡±

    Arkk drew in a breath and let it out as a long sigh. ¡°Zullie, this isn¡¯t even worth considering.

    ¡°Of course it is worth considering. Necromancy isn¡¯t evil, it¡¯s just magic. To living people especially, it could be so beneficial. The dead can perform dangerous labor without fear, working in mines, fields, lumber mills, and even as experimental test subjects that would otherwise put people at risk. The only problem with it is that nobody wants to watch their mother or husband or children shambling around.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite the problem.¡±

    ¡°Hardly. All we have to do is scrape off all the meaty bits. Nobody can tell one skeleton apart from another.¡±

    Arkk ran his fingers in a circular motion over his temples. ¡°That¡¯s not the solution it sounds like it is,¡± he said, closing his eyes.

    ¡°Look. We might be seeing a demon in the near future. I don¡¯t want to fight a demon. You don¡¯t want to fight a demon. Agnete, Priscilla, and Vezta don¡¯t want to fight a demon. And if we all don¡¯t want to fight demons, you think you can even mildly convince the rest of Fortress Al-Mir to fight a demon?¡± Zullie shook her head back and forth, further tussling her black hair. ¡°But you know who doesn¡¯t care if they have to fight a demon?¡±

    ¡°Dead people.¡±

    ¡°Dead people!¡± Zullie said, clapping her hands together.

    Arkk hated that she had a point there.

    There were a lot of dead in and around Elmshadow. Both from the recent conflict as well as the initial siege. During the time the burg had been occupied, plenty had died as well. Evestani hadn¡¯t done much for the bodies. They cleared the corpses out of the areas they had been using. Elsewhere in the city and its surroundings, they just sat out in the open, exposed to the rats and the elements. With the cold of winter still lingering as spring slowly awoke, they hadn¡¯t even really decomposed.

    Zullie sounded so¡­ convincing.

    ¡°And, as long as we have a bunch of skeletons to fight a demon, why not use them elsewhere too? You can supplement any fighting force with disposable warriors. Send the dead in first as shock and terror troops, both demoralizing the enemy as well as wearing them down before the living have to engage. And, with regards to the prisoners, they can act as escorts.

    ¡°There is even a bonus! The prisoners will be less likely to rebel or, after rejoining Evestani, raise their arms against us again if they know that, should they fall in combat, they¡¯ll just rise again and join the other side.¡±

    Arkk, elbows on the desk, ducked his head and clasped his hands together behind his neck. ¡°I need you to stop talking.¡±

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Why? Because my arguments are too good?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Arkk snapped. ¡°This is the kind of thing that gets mercenary companies on our asses.¡±

    ¡°We are the mercenary company. Sure, First Legion might be scurrying around and the Claymores aren¡¯t completely destroyed. But you really think they have the power to stop us even without adding a legion of undead to our ranks?¡±

    ¡°White Company.¡±

    ¡°They still can¡¯t stand against us.¡±

    ¡°I still need a good relationship with Astra and Vrox. If they catch wind of this¡­ I¡¯m sure Hawkwood wouldn¡¯t be all that pleased either. And this might just be the thing that gets the Prince to summon his demon.¡±

    Zullie stopped talking, frowning to herself.

    Arkk used the silence to lean back and think a little without her honeyed words filling the air. Despite his words just now and despite his reservations, the idea had merit. A lot of merit, if he were being honest.

    He didn¡¯t know how actual mercenary leaders and military generals handled it. The fortresses provided unparalleled ability to teleport everyone in his employ out of danger. Because of that, Fortress Al-Mir had only suffered a small number of casualties. Those who had died too quickly to react to. Combined with esoteric magics of teleportation rituals, Flesh Weaving, the fact that everyone in his employ could cast at least a few small spells, and the support of beings like Agnete, Priscilla, and the gorgon, and Arkk had quite the advantage.

    Yet he still felt wracked with guilt over every one of those who fell because of his ideas, plans, and actions. Arkk was constantly concerned with keeping everyone safe even as he sent them into dangerous situations. He tried his best to learn from failures and to not repeat the same mistakes twice.

    Meanwhile, thousands of people would die when two regular armies met each other. Both sides would clash and, at that point, it was impossible to not have hills of corpses piled up. Even in this latest battle, Hawkwood and White Company had suffered three times the casualties that Company Al-Mir saw, even adjusted for the total amount of people. They weren¡¯t contracted with Arkk. He couldn¡¯t move them around like he could with his forces. Hawkwood knew that and still had designed battle plans around it, sending his men into the thick of the fight.

    How did Hawkwood and others like him handle that? Arkk felt like he would have crumbled. As he was, he was legitimately considering necromancy of all things just because it sounded like it might save a few lives.

    But if it did save lives, wasn¡¯t that worth it?

    ¡°Alright¡ª¡± ¡°How about¡ª¡±

    Arkk cut himself off as Zullie started to speak at the same time. He gestured for her to continue, only to sit there feeling dumb for several seconds before he cleared his throat. ¡°Go ahead,¡± he said.

    ¡°If you are opposed to necromancy, I did have a few other ideas. They will take longer as they require research and development instead of the already existent necromantic spells.¡±

    Arkk held his tongue, wanting to hear what she had to say without mentioning that he wasn¡¯t quite as opposed to necromancy as it might have sounded.

    ¡°Godly magic. Specifically, magic derived from the Lock and Key.¡±

    ¡°Zullie. The last time you messed with that, you lost your eyes. And you lied to me. I¡¯m still not happy about that.¡±

    Zullie lurched forward, hands gripping her knees. ¡°I didn¡¯t lie!¡±

    ¡°You said that stuttering spell was a shield¡ª¡±

    ¡°It was a shield. In all my tests, it worked fine. Mostly. I just couldn¡¯t keep it going for any length of time. I didn¡¯t expect that your freaky magical reserves would open a rift in reality.¡± Zullie leaned back, taking a breath. When she calmed down, she tilted her head up. ¡°But, because it did, I think I caught a glimpse of things I wasn¡¯t supposed to. I learned things. I think I know what went wrong, how to correct it, and, more importantly, how to fabricate rituals and spells that utilize the magic of gods.¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯m more open to necromancy than¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh please. I know what went wrong. Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key is too¡­ real. Too close. It is the god of barriers and boundaries. It is especially sensitive to power directed toward it and, when it notices that, it gets curious and checks on what is coming knocking.

    ¡°I have theories that the Lock and Key is entirely unaffected by the Calamity. All the other gods were cut off by what the traitor gods did but how could the master of barriers wind up trapped behind a wall? It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t what Vezta¡ª¡±

    ¡°Vezta doesn¡¯t know anything. Or, not everything. For all her age and strangeness, she spent a thousand years sitting in an empty fortress in the middle of nowhere. She isn¡¯t a god. She isn¡¯t a spellcaster or magical researcher. In the end, she is as mortal¡ªand fallible¡ªas the rest of us.¡±

    Arkk crossed his arms, cocking an eyebrow. ¡°She hasn¡¯t been wrong so far.¡±

    ¡°How would you know? You don¡¯t know anything more than what Vezta has said. And if Vezta is wrong about a few things, you don¡¯t know anything at all!¡± Zullie stood from her chair and crossed the room. Her foot knocked against the edge of Arkk¡¯s desk, but she didn¡¯t seem to care. She jammed a finger against the top of the table. ¡°A thousand years ago, something changed. Before that change, there were a large number of gods involved in the world and closer connections between this world and others. After that change, the connections were cut off and only three gods seem to remain.

    ¡°Anything beyond that is hearsay and conjecture. Those three gods are probably responsible for the Calamity as it fits with the circumstantial evidence we have.¡± Zullie pulled back from Arkk¡¯s desk, visibly calming herself down. ¡°To be clear, I don¡¯t think Vezta is intentionally deceiving us. She¡¯s probably correct about most of what she said.

    ¡°But I do not believe she is correct about Xel¡¯atriss being locked behind the Calamity. A being that could casually open a portal between here and the Underworld can¡¯t be restricted like that.¡±

    Arkk let her words hang in the air for a long few moments. Zullie remained standing on the other side of his desk, her breathing unusually heavy. She reached up, shoving her rectangular glasses up the bridge of her nose. The refracting glass only made the starlight in the back of her eyes sparkle all the more intensely.

    For his part, Arkk sat a little confused. ¡°I am not agreeing with or denying what you are saying, but what does that have to do with utilizing spells derived from the Lock and Key¡¯s power?¡±

    Zullie flinched ever so slightly. ¡°Sorry. I got distracted. Xel¡¯atriss is the easiest to craft spells with because of all that I just said. It is the closest non-hostile greater entity. The other options are the Heart of Gold, the Holy Light, and the Almighty Glory.¡±

    ¡°None of which are acceptable. What about the Cloak of Shadows?¡±

    Shifting her weight from foot to foot, Zullie shook her head. ¡°Savren and I confirmed that no magic¡ªor anything¡ªis leaking from the Underworld through the portal. I believe that includes the Cloak¡¯s power.¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°The shadow armor and cloaks seem to disagree with that.¡±

    ¡°The shadow armor and cloak were crafted in the Underworld and brought over. It¡¯s a bit different. Like how we can charge the glowstones over there and then bring them here to power rituals. The ceremonial dagger is probably weaker here, but we haven¡¯t had the opportunity to properly test that with all the other things going on.¡± Zullie paused then added, ¡°The Calamity is still in full effect. It wasn¡¯t weakened because of the opening of the portal.

    ¡°That said, there may be a way to¡­ tunnel through the portal to tap into the Cloak of Shadows¡¯ power more directly. I do not recommend this. Not only might it cause a weakening in the Calamity¡ªsomething that would probably end poorly for this world unless we are sure that the magic from the Underworld will flow through at a manageable rate before being drained out somewhere else¡ªbut the complexity of such a tunnel would likely require years of research. Tapping into Xel¡¯atriss is far simpler.¡±

    Arkk drummed his fingers against the table, closing his eyes as he thought. When he had personally met with Xel¡¯atriss¡­ things had gone rather well. The god hadn¡¯t communicated in words, but in adjustments to his knowledge. One of those adjustments was¡­ well, an urging against repeating the ritual that had caused that meeting in the first place. As a result, Arkk shut down all planar research immediately after.

    When Zullie had lost her eyes, he had taken that as a reaffirming of that warning. That magic of that type was, in some way, taboo. But now, the one who had lost those eyes was saying that it wasn¡¯t an issue. She had already performed some kind of ritual based on the Lock and Key, that which allowed her to somewhat comprehend her surroundings even without eyes.

    As far as Arkk had heard, there had been no repercussions from that.

    Arkk stood, turning his back to Zullie, and faced the large window that looked out from the Walking Fortress. He peered straight through the hole in the mountain north of Elmshadow Burg. Godly magic had carved that hole. While the tower had mostly weathered what of the attack made it through the mountain, he knew it wasn¡¯t going to be enough. The avatar would be back and he would likely change his tactics.

    On the other side of the Duchy, there was the potential for a demon to appear. Despite his research, despite conferring with Abbess Hannah in Richter¡¯s battlecaster group, despite having read through the black book, he still didn¡¯t know exactly what a demon could accomplish. Only that they were empowered by a supernatural might to fulfill the terms of their contracts. If the Prince summoned one contracted to destroy Company Al-Mir, they would be up against potentially another avatar-level threat. If not greater.

    Wasn¡¯t asking for assistance in times of such hardships what gods were for? That was what Abbess Keena preached in the Suun sermons back in Langleey Village. She had been talking about the Light, specifically, but¡­

    ¡°Do you recall when we first built the temple back in Fortress Al-Mir?¡± Arkk asked as a sudden thought occurred to him. ¡°Sixteen pedestals appeared around the perimeter that weren¡¯t in the plans. A few of those pedestals were occupied with statues of gods. Vezta said it was because the temple was a place closely connected to the gods.¡±

    ¡°I remember,¡± Zullie said, sounding a little confused.

    ¡°Three of the pedestals were occupied by the traitor gods. One held Xel¡¯atriss¡ª¡±

    ¡°More proof that the Calamity didn¡¯t affect it.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Arkk said, ¡°but there was one other occupied pedestal. That of the Jailor of the Void. I encountered an avatar of the Jailor, right here in Elmshadow. He was¡­ out of his mind, but his abilities were powerful. Don¡¯t repeat this to Agnete, but his powers might have been stronger than her flames.¡± He had been able to destroy¡ªor detain, in his words¡ªthose golden statues that Agnete had failed to melt.

    ¡°I see what you¡¯re going to ask,¡± Zullie said as Arkk turned again to face her. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about this Jailor. Neither do you, beyond what you just said. For all we know, this being was a secret fourth traitor, allied with the other three. Xel¡¯atriss, we know from its actions, is friendly. Or, at least, willing to assist.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t think it is worth investigating?¡±

    ¡°From a purely academic sense, of course it is! But we¡¯re under limitations, time constraints, and pressure from gods.¡±

    ¡°So we should stick with what we know, even if we don¡¯t know that much.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of what we don¡¯t know, I have examples of how to tap into the Lock and Key¡¯s power. I have no reference for this Jailor.¡±

    Humming, Arkk returned to his seat. He would ask Vezta what she knew. Even if, as Zullie said, she didn¡¯t know everything, she certainly knew more than anyone else. Aside from her, only Priscilla and the Protector might know anything.

    He would ask them as well.

    For now¡­ ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll authorize this research and see that you get what you need. But you are to be exceedingly careful. No more accidents.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to lose any more body parts. You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Arkk drew in a deep breath then let it out again as a sigh. ¡°Also, come up with ways we might raise undead without upsetting everyone because of ethics, morals, religion, and common sense. If you can do that, you can raise as many as you think we need. But only from the corpses of Evestani. None of the local villagers or our comrades.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Zullie held up a finger. ¡°I was thinking you would do the raising.¡±

    ¡°Me? I don¡¯t know necromancy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s easy. I¡¯ll teach you in ten minutes.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°I can raise twenty-five to fifty. A hundred if I strain myself.¡± Zullie¡¯s lips split into a shark-like grin. ¡°You, with your freaky magical prowess, can likely raise every corpse in Elmshadow without even noticing the drain. If you want an army, you¡¯re going to have to do it yourself.¡±

    Arkk slumped back, closing his eyes. As he did so, his perspective shifted to the cenotaph within Fortress Al-Mir. It needed new names added to it as a result of this battle. He had been delaying because of everything that needed doing, but¡­

    ¡°Fine,¡± he said, red light flooding into the room as he opened his eyes.

 Passing Time

    ¡°You received a letter as well?¡±

    Darius Vrox looked up from a flimsy sheet of paper to find Sylvara Astra leaning against one of the old archive¡¯s many shelves. Wearing just one glove, she held up a similarly thin piece of paper. On the backside, he could see the broken wax seal bearing the compass rose atop a maze-like background.

    Without a word, Darius held out a hand. The inquisitrix shoved her shoulder against the shelf and stalked over, flipping the paper around as she moved. She placed it into his hand.

    Darius set the letter down next to the one he had been reading and quickly scanned over the content.

    Hope this letter finds you well¡­

    ¡­ an encounter with the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar¡­

    ¡­ successfully fended it off by removing the tattoos¡­

    ¡­ defeated the body it was possessing¡­

    I have been too lucky, I think. I doubt such tactics will work again. Unless this avatar is a complete fool, it will take measures to better protect its body doubles.

    ¡­ in addition, a knight wearing golden armor¡­

    ¡­ near invulnerable¡­

    I don¡¯t mean to pressure you, but I eagerly await word that you have discovered something usable against such a foe.

    One other thing. A rather sensitive topic. I shall avoid using specifics in such an easily intercepted method of communication but I must ask whether or not you and your order have any information on a possible demon summoning that occurred within the province of Vaales roughly around the time of the rebellion. I don¡¯t mean to heap additional pressures on you and Vrox, especially not pressures of such a depressing nature, but any information you have on that topic may have become uncomfortably relevant to modern problems.

    ¡­ my researchers are attempting to find a better method of long-distance communication¡­ related to planar magic used in the Duke¡¯s ballroom¡­

    ¡­ should you require assistance that I can provide, simply ask.

    Arkk.

    Darius took a breath, looking up from the two papers. ¡°They¡¯re nearly identical,¡± he said finally. ¡°Aside from direct references to you or me.¡±

    ¡°You thought he would send two conflicting letters?¡± Sylvara cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Lie to one of us even though we¡¯re working together?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps not intentionally,¡± Darius said with a small scowl. He grumbled, more to himself than Sylvara, ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the first time he has lied to me unintentionally. Another difference,¡± he continued, louder, ¡°is that he offers you assistance while assuming I can handle things myself.¡±

    Sylvara¡¯s expression turned stormy. ¡°He thinks I need help? And you don¡¯t? Oh, that¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°I should think it is more of a result of his friendlier nature with you. He calls me Vrox in the letter but refers to you as Sylvara.¡± Darius raised his eyes, scanning over Sylvara¡¯s different-sized legs and her gloved hand before stopping at her face. ¡°Unless something more occurred between the two of you during your interactions? Something you neglected to mention.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t lay with him, if that¡¯s what you are implying,¡± Sylvara said, face completely blank. ¡°From what I observed, I would think that he only has affection for non-humans.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Darius looked back down to the letter. ¡°Perhaps he is still cross with me for threatening the Horror from beyond¡­ from the Stars.¡±

    ¡°Enough about our relationships. What of the actual content of the letter?¡±

    Darius leaned back in his chair, looking upward. The ceiling of the Abbey of the Light¡¯s main archives was a tall, vaulted panel covered in an intricate and ancient mural. That of the sun extending its rays of light across all the land, casting out shadow and darkness wherever it touched. Crops grew because of the light. Life flourished.

    There was a metaphor up there. Light didn¡¯t represent just actual light. Fitting in with the nature of the archives, light represented knowledge. Darkness was ignorance. The growth of crops and life was akin to intelligence and innovation progressing.

    Yet, sitting here, surrounded by ancient scrolls and even stone tablets bearing runes that few could comprehend, he had hardly felt more ignorant.

    He had uncovered things here, perusing through tomes long forgotten behind newer books, rolls of vellum covered in dust, and even an ancient tapestry bearing depictions of historical events. A history of the Abbey that he had never known. An alleged alliance, formed between beings blessed by the gods themselves before their departure from the world as they fought a long and bloody conflict against a far more devious alliance of evil. Gods that wanted nothing but destruction and darkness.

    Except for one odd detail. That being the one blessed by the god of darkness fought alongside the warriors of Light in some previous conflict. They were allies.

    Which was a strange notion for several reasons. Darius had never considered that a god of darkness might exist. The current stance of the Abbey of the Light was that other gods had existed in the long past, but they were gone now. Dead or departed, only the Light itself remained, casting its holy gaze over the world at the dawn of every morning. But if a god of darkness existed in the past, wouldn¡¯t nightfall signify its continued existence?

    None of the texts mentioned what happened to the god of darkness or its avatar. It was more like, they just stopped mentioning other gods at a point. More wars erupted. Alliances formed and were broken. There were only a few exceptions to the lack of other gods mentioned. Most notably being some kind of schism that erupted between a man armored in gold and the warrior blessed by the Light. That tidbit did not surprise Darius in the slightest, given the endless animosity that continued to this day between the Golden Order and the Abbey of the Light.

    But that animosity just made it all the more suspicious when they had pushed for an alliance against Arkk.

    That moon in the sky¡¯s fissure¡­ Had that been the god of darkness, once again looking down upon the world? Its very presence put pressure on two sides who hated one another to reforge their old alliance¡­

    Except the darkness had been on the same side as the Light.

    There were too many contradictions. Too much history missing. Too much inferred and implied rather than outright stated. And, on occasion, historians simply made things up because they didn¡¯t know the truth. That was the crux of the issue.

    Everything in the archives had been written by mortal hand. Perhaps gods of darkness, light, gold, and whatever else was out there were infallible. Perhaps not. But mortals certainly made mistakes.

    Shoving all the gods out of the picture and looking only at mortal happenings that he could prove with his own eyes and ears, he could see two sides. On one side, Arkk was trying his best to do what he thought was right¡ªhe was possibly misguided¡­ probably misguided in his other efforts, but overall, he was trying to help people. On the other side of things, the Golden Order had started a war, apparently unprovoked, that had killed thousands in just a few months. There was no valid reason in his eyes for the Abbey of the Light to try to ally with such an entity, even in the face of the fissure in the sky.

    ¡°It is good that Arkk was able to fend off the Golden Order,¡± Darius eventually said, pulling his eyes back down to Sylvara Astra. ¡°I believe he is correct in his assertion that the avatar of gold will not be so easily dispatched in the future. He¡¯ll need assistance.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll go back then? Take what we¡¯ve learned here and join him?¡±

    Darius folded his hands together, looking down at the letters. Rather than answer, he asked, ¡°Your intentions?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already packing. Chronicler Qwol will join me.¡±

    Darius nodded his head. ¡°Then the two of you will have to suffice.¡±

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t coming,¡± Sylvara said. Her red eyes widened in genuine surprise.

    ¡°There is something here. Something going on that is bigger than a mere war. Perhaps it is mere corruption or, worse, infiltration of the Abbey¡¯s higher echelons. Or¡­ perhaps something even larger than that.¡± Grasping hold of his cane, he stood from the archivist¡¯s desk he had borrowed for his research. The High Archivist had been incredibly helpful in their research, always knowing exactly where a book containing information they sought was and even reciting entire passages from her memory. ¡°We are inquisitors,¡± he said with a small smile. ¡°It is our duty to root out corruption. Whether that be corruption out in the wildlands¡­ or corruption closer at home.¡±

    ¡°Dangerous words,¡± Sylvara said after a long moment of silence. Her expression belied no emotion.

    ¡°No more dangerous than what you are doing. I doubt the Ecclesiarch sanctioned your actions.¡±

    ¡°What I am about to do is not approved by the Abbey,¡± she confirmed with a slight nod of her head. ¡°But I¡¯m not going to be surrounded by the Abbey while I¡¯m out.¡±

    ¡°True. Whatever is happening, I feel I can discover more here than I can afar. I¡¯ll just have to tread carefully.¡±

    Sylvara nodded slowly. ¡°If you find yourself in trouble, get word to me. I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± She started to turn away, only to pause and look back. ¡°What of the other issue he mentioned?¡±

    ¡°The demon?¡± Darius frowned down at the papers in his hand. After a thought, he handed Sylvara¡¯s back to her. ¡°Merely mentioning it has worrying implications. I¡¯d hope that Arkk isn¡¯t getting into more trouble but¡­ my profile of the man suggests that he won¡¯t be able to help himself. Not sure why he brought up Vaales. I¡¯ll do some research and pass on what I find to you, hopefully before you arrive back in Mystakeen.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± she said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to delay any longer. The sooner we kill this avatar, the sooner we can get back to usual business.¡±

    Darius looked after her, watching the swaying of her silver hair as she stalked out of the archives. ¡°Usual business, huh?¡±

    As he folded up the letter and slid it into his breast pocket, he shook his head. He didn¡¯t begrudge her for her opinions or her single-minded drive against that avatar. Not after hearing what she went through following the fall of Elmshadow. But¡­

    ¡°I doubt things will return to usual so easily.¡±

    <hr>

    Agnete let out a short puff of air, blowing off metal shavings she had just filed away. She removed the toothed cog from its clamp and looked over the quality of her work. Her finger ran along the ridges and the valleys, feeling for obvious imperfections.

    She paused with a grimace, looking down at her hand. The skin, blackened and charred, didn¡¯t hurt. She still had full range of movement. But she couldn¡¯t feel. During the fight with the avatar, she had deflected one of those thin beams of gold with flames wrapped around her hands. Either her flames hadn¡¯t been intense enough or¡­ they had been too intense. She wasn¡¯t sure. Either way, it left her with an injury that she didn¡¯t know how to fix.

    Hale hadn¡¯t been able to help her. The young woman had tried. Something about the injury¡ªpossibly the source being magic derived from gods, whether that was the Heart of Gold or the Burning Forge¡ªresisted the effects of the Flesh Weaving spell. Since it didn¡¯t hurt, Agnete had taken to ignoring it. Often wrapping it in a wreath of fire, which did have a slight soothing effect.

    But she couldn¡¯t do that without ruining her project.

    Examining the cog with her other hand, Agnete nodded to herself. Finding the cog satisfactory, she turned around.

    Katt¡¯am sat in his wheelchair, watching her without particular emotion. He was either very good at hiding his emotions or he genuinely wasn¡¯t upset.

    Were their positions reversed, Agnete wasn¡¯t sure that she would be able to contain herself. She had taken his legs, destroyed his ability to fight, and sentenced him to carry out the remainder of his life bound to that wheeled chair. It was true that they had been enemies at the time, with her having been under Inquisitor Vrox¡¯s command and Katt¡¯am under Arkk¡¯s, but they were allies now. He was the one she had harmed the most.

    It was why she had built the chair.

    But now¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s try this,¡± Agnete said, voice soft as she crouched down near the wheelchair.

    Today, she wasn¡¯t performing upgrades or maintenance on the chair itself.

    Katt¡¯am sat with the stumps of his legs held out. Rather than ending in misshapen lumps of scorched flesh, his legs were capped with metal plates covered in arcane ritual lines that Agnete didn¡¯t fully comprehend. The idea had come to her in a dream. A vision? She had been having a few of those since the encounter with the avatar¡­ Since burning her hand. With Savren¡¯s help, she had brought that dream into reality. With Hale¡¯s help, she had attached the metal to his legs.

    She was a little surprised that Katt¡¯am had rejected Hale¡¯s offer to heal his legs. Then again, it wasn¡¯t exactly uncommon among the lightly wounded to reject her ministrations. Seeing others walk around with monstrous and mutated parts of their bodies had a way of making others shy away.

    And now, after locking the cog into place, she carefully slotted the thick metal limb onto the anchor points of Katt¡¯am¡¯s leg. The ritual circle on the plates lined up with ritual circles on the mechanical limb. Light pulsed from the inscription before fading to a dull glow.

    Katt¡¯am let out a grunt as she twisted the leg, locking it into place.

    ¡°Pain?¡± she asked.

    ¡°No. Or¡­ Yes? It¡¯s strange. I haven¡¯t had legs for months, yet I can still feel them. My eyes confirm the lack of leg, but an irritating itch still gnaws at me where I have no skin to scratch. But now¡­¡± He looked down at the prosthetic.

    The surface of the legs was smooth metal, akin to that of plate armor, designed to conceal and protect the intricate mechanics within. Everything stemmed from the connection of the ritual circles scrawled into the plates of his legs and the top end of the prosthetic, they connected to his mind to read his intentions, magically operating spinning gears and stretching pistons to articulate the knee, ankle, feet, and even toes.

    ¡°I can feel these,¡± he said, lightly scratching at the armored cover. ¡°Even that. I know I¡¯m touching metal. Maybe it is my imagination. But it¡¯s like I can feel a sensation there that has been nothing but a scratching itch ever since¡­ Since I lost my legs.¡±

    ¡°The ritual circle,¡± Agnete said, pointing to the connection. ¡°It is mind magic designed by Savren. I don¡¯t fully understand it.¡± Standing, she crossed over to his other side. ¡°If there is no problem, we can try attaching the other leg.¡±

    Katt¡¯am nodded his head, letting Agnete get to work. It was just a quick twist and clamp. The legs were designed to be removed and attached with relative ease. Given their heft, she imagined he wouldn¡¯t prefer to sleep with them on. It also made maintenance, modification, and cleaning far easier.

    He grunted in that same pained and surprised noise. But he didn¡¯t complain.

    She stepped back, watching his legs for problems as he started rolling his ankles and flexing his toes.

    ¡°This feels¡­ strange.¡±

    ¡°Bad?¡±

    ¡°No. Just strange.¡±

    Agnete hummed. ¡°I don¡¯t see any issues. Everything is working the way it is designed to.¡±

    ¡°Can I try walking?¡±

    In lieu of an answer, Agnete made sure that she was running cool and then held out her hand. Her good hand. He clasped his hand with hers without hesitation, pulling himself to his new feet in the process. Using a bit too much gusto in his movements, he almost threw himself straight forward. Agnete had to plant a hand on his chest to keep him from falling flat on his face.

    ¡°Careful.¡±

    After a few initial wobbles, he steadied himself out. For a long few moments, he simply stood, adjusting his position ever so slightly. His weight shifted from hip to hip and his legs and feet adjusted to compensate. After growing comfortable with simply standing, he took a step. Then another.

    Agnete kept hold of his hand the entire time. She occasionally felt him putting weight on her hand when his balance went askew. With every step, he kept his balance better and better. To the point where he felt comfortable letting go.

    Remaining in place, Agnete watched as he walked around the workshop. Her eyes honed in on the metal prosthetics, watching and observing for any fault in the construction. Some sixth sense for structural integrity and her own work¡ªperhaps a gift from the Burning Forge?¡ªlet her simply know if there was a problem.

    There wasn¡¯t all that much room for him to stretch his new legs. Certainly not enough to break into a run, but that was probably for the best. As he tried to pick up the pace, he got clumsy. One toe scraped along the ground, dragging just enough to send him off balance. He tumbled forward, arms swinging around to try to keep his balance. But his efforts were for naught.

    He hit the ground with a heavy thud and a hearty grunt.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Agnete asked.

    In response, she got a laugh. ¡°This is¡­ amazing,¡± he said as he rolled over to his back. ¡°I¡ª¡±

    Agnete felt that twist and pull of being moved through space. In the blink of an eye, she stood not in the workshop, but in front of Arkk within the main transportation hub of Fortress Al-Mir.

    She felt the heat start to rise. The flames in her chest always roiled around Arkk. Even more so when something like this happened. Unannounced teleportation usually meant something was wrong. If something was wrong, that usually meant that she would get to unleash her flames. She stared into his glowing red eyes, starting to get excited, until she noticed the relatively relaxed and calm posture he had.

    ¡°Sorry for interrupting you,¡± Arkk said, losing any air of imposing dread as he ducked his head in an apologetic gesture. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back in a moment. But I have a small job for you in about an hour over at Elmshadow and I didn¡¯t want you to get started on any big projects.¡±

    Agnete let out a breath, trying to expel some of that heat as she did so. It wasn¡¯t easy, but she managed. It was easier now than it had been with the inquisitors. She didn¡¯t enjoy cooling down and it was probably unnecessary in Arkk¡¯s presence. He wasn¡¯t going to pull out the Binding Agent if it got a little hot in the room. Still, it was the polite thing to do.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡± she asked in that same breath.

    ¡°The¡­ Well, Evestani followed through on their agreement. A crate of precious metals and gemstones was left out in the wilderness. I¡¯m surprised they got it here this quickly. A little suspicious too, actually. The¡­¡± He trailed off again, sighing. ¡°The undead are hauling it back toward Elmshadow.¡±

    Agnete felt her lips quirk into a frown before she could school her expression. Perhaps it was lingering values left behind from her time with the Abbey of the Light but undead? Really, Arkk. If she couldn¡¯t see how much it bothered him, she might have had more vocal complaints.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± he said, quickly moving on without lingering on the topic, ¡°I¡¯m wary of traps so I thought it would be a good idea for you to melt it all. Your flames destroy most magic, so the gold should be clean afterward. And if you can¡¯t melt it like you can¡¯t melt those golden statues, then we know that Evestani is up to something involving the avatar¡¯s magic. Your flames combined with the lesser servants eating it and turning it into regular gold coins should hopefully clean the gold enough that we don¡¯t have to worry about traps.¡±

    ¡°Reasonable,¡± she said, nodding. ¡°I can certainly assist.¡±

    ¡°Good. Be at Elmshadow in an hour then. I¡¯ll send you¡­¡± Arkk paused, thought, and then asked, ¡°How is Katt¡¯am doing?¡±

    ¡°When you teleported me, he was laughing.¡±

    Arkk clasped a friendly hand on her shoulder, donning a smile that seemed at odds with his ominous glowing eyes. ¡°No one asked you to do that. But you did anyway. I¡¯m proud of you.¡±

    Agnete sucked in a slight breath, feeling the heat rise with it.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± she whispered.

 Scrying Team

    Vezta looked around the room, eyes like miniature suns burning with mild disapproval.

    Arkk paced back and forth in a room devoid of furniture or decoration, deep beneath Elmshadow Burg, at the head of scores of soldiers. Twelve rows of ten soldiers, arrayed in a precise, imposing formation, stood perfectly still. Their attention unwaveringly focused on his movements back and forth.

    The air was thick with unease, yet not a breath could be heard from the ranks. No murmurs of impatience, nor the customary clinks and shuffles of armor. A hundred people crammed into a small room should have made noise. They should have given off the musky scent of sweat. With their helmets on and the thin cloth mesh over the small gaps in the helmets acting as veils, Arkk couldn¡¯t see the expressions hidden beneath.

    Not that there were any expressions.

    Vezta, approaching the nearest of the soldiers, reached out. With a single hand, she lifted the helmet off its skull.

    Vacant sockets stared back. Bones clanked and metal finally shuffled as the skeleton within adjusted its pose to compensate for the motion.

    ¡°Master¡­¡± Vezta said, turning to Arkk. The expression on her face was perfectly neutral. Not a hint of her earlier disapproval remained.

    Yet Arkk couldn¡¯t help but wilt in on himself. ¡°I know,¡± he said, planting his palm on his forehead. ¡°I should just destroy them. What was I thinking? Zullie is a bad influence but I still was the one who decided in the end.¡±

    ¡°I am not particularly fond of necromancy,¡± Vezta said, jamming a finger between the skeleton¡¯s eyes. It stumbled backward but quickly righted itself. ¡°It is the domain of the Smiling Prince. A particularly¡­ Well¡­ His followers tended to be difficult to get along with.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°The Smiling Prince embodies two primary concepts. That of elation and that of undeath. He is the jester in the court of existence. I¡¯m sure a theologist would have a lot more to say on the Smiling Prince¡¯s philosophies, but the primary word his followers live by is that life is the greatest joke of them all.¡± She paused, frowned, and sighed. ¡°His followers come in roughly three varieties.

    ¡°First, those who tend towards misanthropy. Life is a joke and thus, it is their duty to end it.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Then there are those who believe themselves to be funny but everyone outside their altered perception of reality just view them as annoying. Mostly harmless, though. The third type follow the Smiling Prince in name only, just wanting the power of an army that they can control on a whim, that grows as their enemies fall, and that requires neither payment nor nourishment.¡±

    Arkk shifted. While he had heard Vezta mention the Smiling Prince before, he wouldn¡¯t say that he revered him in any kind of capacity. But, if he did, it would probably be the third type. ¡°The spell I used operates with modern magical rituals and incantations,¡± Arkk said after a long moment. ¡°If Zullie is correct in her theories, it isn¡¯t tapping into the power of the gods at all.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Vezta agreed with a small dip of her head. ¡°Though I doubt the Prince of Laughter sees it that way. It was said that he would offer blessings to anyone so long as he thought they might provide some amusement. With all the chaos you¡¯ve caused or been a part of, I imagine you would already have been in his sights were it not for the Calamity.¡±

    ¡°That sounds bad. I¡¯ve already got one god watching me and another three who likely hate me. The Heart of Gold does for sure.¡± Four gods personally interested in him felt like four more than any mortal should have.

    ¡°In truth, I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t count the Cloak of Shadows among that number.¡±

    Arkk cocked an eyebrow. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t think I had gotten anything from her. I mean, yes, we¡¯ve used the Shadow Forge and found some artifacts. Those don¡¯t feel like the direct attention of a god.¡±

    It was Vezta¡¯s turn to look surprised. ¡°You think the Protector didn¡¯t attempt to commune with the Cloak of Shadows before joining us? You think you just stumbled across those tools and items and even the Walking Fortress?¡± Vezta slowly shook her head back and forth. ¡°The years of isolation have certainly made her quite weak, but that doesn¡¯t mean she is ignorant to the goings on of her domain or your intentions there.¡±

    Arkk folded his arms, frowning at that thought. He was fairly certain that he¡ªor his minions¡ªhad done all that themselves. He supposed he felt some kind of pull toward the Walking Fortress when he first arrived in the Underworld, but he thought that was just the Keeper of a Fortress feeling drawn to another. Finding a knife half-hidden behind an altar wasn¡¯t the act of a god.

    If a god was going to help him, he very much preferred something tangible. Like how Xel¡¯atriss had opened the portal. If the Cloak of Shadows wanted to help him, giving him the ability to fire beams of shadow to counteract the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar sounded a whole lot more useful than directing him to a ceremonial dagger that he would have found just by performing a thorough search anyway.

    That did get him thinking.

    ¡°Do you suppose the other gods have suffered the same fate as the Cloak of Shadows?¡±

    ¡°Weakening?¡± Vezta paused, thinking while turning the skeleton¡¯s helmet over in her hands. Just a little idle movement. ¡°I suppose that depends on what happened with their realms. The realms effectively are the gods. The Underworld is polluted and desolate. It wasn¡¯t always like that. If the Calamity has similarly harmed the other gods, then yes, I would say they have weakened.¡±

    ¡°Does that include Xel¡¯atriss?¡±

    Vezta went silent again, staring down at the helmet.

    The silence stretched on long enough that Arkk realized he wasn¡¯t going to get an answer. Vezta either didn¡¯t know or, more likely, didn¡¯t want to admit anything. The Lock and Key was the one Vezta revered the most. Speaking ill of Xel¡¯atriss might well be too blasphemous.

    ¡°Portals originally were able to connect to multiple worlds, weren¡¯t they?¡± Arkk asked, changing the subject.

    ¡°Correct. My former master was able to reconfigure it at will to connect to allies afar.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if we could make contact with the rest of the Pantheon through it. Perhaps not this Smiling Prince, but Agnete is interested in anything to do with the Burning Forge. The Anvil of All Worlds seems like a good place to try for next. If it has turned as desolate as the Underworld, at least we know what to expect going forward. If it isn¡¯t, then perhaps we could get some real assistance.¡±

    Vezta pressed her lips into a thin line, likely not liking his disregard for the efforts of Xel¡¯atriss and the Cloak of Shadows. But she didn¡¯t argue. Instead, she said, ¡°The method through which the portal was opened is, obviously, unusual. In addition, I do not know how to alter its destination. That was knowledge privy to Keepers alone.¡±

    ¡°Priscilla¡­¡± Arkk started, only to trail off. ¡°No. She only came into power after the Calamity¡­¡± he murmured. ¡°Priscilla did finish her translation notes. Perhaps one of the books from the original fortress or the books we salvaged from the Underworld tower¡­¡±

    ¡°If I may make a request?¡±

    ¡°You know you can always speak your mind. I encourage it.¡±

    Vezta nodded, then shoved the helmet back on the undead. ¡°I would ask that you leave this research to me.¡±

    ¡°Really? You don¡¯t know much about magic.¡±

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°True. But searching through books is hardly magic.¡± She spread her arms wide, forming them into several dozen tendrils, each tipped with a glowing yellow eye. ¡°I believe reading is something I am uniquely suited for. Especially if I must constantly reference translation notes to continue reading.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that,¡± Arkk said as Vezta pulled her arms back together and clasped them over her waist. ¡°I presume you¡¯re also wanting to keep Zullie away from such research?¡±

    ¡°Zullie is useful.¡± Vezta looked out over the assembled army of skeletons. ¡°She has also had some¡­ concerning ideas as of late.¡±

    Arkk frowned, watching as the skeletons watched him back. He shuddered, forcing his gaze back to Vezta. ¡°I do wonder if the incident¡­ If she¡¯s alright. Or if she is acting according to the designs of the Lock and Key,¡± Arkk added. ¡°It seems like she has developed an obsession with tapping into the Lock and Key¡¯s powers.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Though, I suppose that will be a self-correcting problem.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°If she goes against the will of Xel¡¯atriss, I imagine she will be losing more than just her eyes,¡± Vezta said with cool neutrality.

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ warn her to be careful.¡±

    ¡°I doubt she¡¯ll listen, but that is kind of you.¡± She paused as a sly smile crept over her face. ¡°Speaking of listening, have you mentioned this to Ilya?¡±

    Arkk opened his mouth, closed it, shifted uncomfortably, and sighed. ¡°How long do you think we can keep this a secret?¡±

    ¡°Not nearly long enough.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Arkk sighed. ¡°I figured.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Luthor, could you check the riverside just past the northern mountain range?¡±

    The chameleon beastman started, hopping in his seat at the sudden voice. Harvey, the flopkin member of their scrying team, stood on his chair to see over the top of the small pit that they were stationed in. He wasn¡¯t quite sure why Arkk had designed the tower¡¯s command room like this. Ostensibly, it was to keep the two teams from being distracted by each other.

    Right now, they were in a low-stress situation, so only one person sat at each of the crystal balls. Luthor and Harvey, today. But during the battle of Elmshadow, he had shared his scrying pit with the fairy Camilla. They each had their specific things to keep an eye out for. Two sets of eyes were better than one, just in case someone missed something vital.

    But that high-stress situation was only a small fraction of the total time he spent performing his duties. At other times, since there were two crystal balls, the scrying team had developed a back-and-forth method of checking through territory. Arkk didn¡¯t wish to be alerted to minor things but also wished to be informed of potential problems as far in advance as possible.

    So when something was ambiguous, communication and double-checking felt necessary.

    Luthor nodded to Harvey and then leaned over his own crystal ball. His duty at the moment was to keep a general overwatch of Elmshadow, looking for any problems, while Harvey was to look for issues afar. Switching jobs with Harvey, Luthor skimmed the view over the top of the northern Elm mountain.

    Further north, beyond the high peek of the mountain, the land lowered into a range of smaller mountains for a fair distance. Eventually, it smoothed out into rolling hills, which themselves flattened into river-strewn plains that lasted all the way to the northern sea. It was a land of many small villages and several larger burgs, all taking advantage of the fertile land.

    But if Harvey wanted him to look around a river, there was only one choice. The Thyne River, fed by all the other smaller rivers, was the largest. Big enough for specialized rope-drawn ferries to travel up and down many times a day, transporting goods along the large burgs built on the river. There weren¡¯t many trees out in the plains but there were plenty near the mountains, resulting in lumber and carpentry products needing to go from one end of the river out to the other.

    ¡°A-At Thyne Burg?¡± Luthor called out, focusing in on the largest burg nearest to the mountain, right at the head of the river.

    ¡°Naw,¡± Harvey said, hopping up onto the upper platform before springing over to Luthor¡¯s side of the scrying pit. Technically, that left one of the crystal balls unused, but there wasn¡¯t much chance that Elmshadow would be attacked in the short time it went unattended. ¡°Over here. The little river here, flowing between the hills at the mountain¡¯s edge.¡±

    Following Harvey¡¯s directions, Luthor scanned over a smaller river. More of a creek or a brook that acted as a tributary to the larger Thyne River. Harvey didn¡¯t say what to look for, which meant it was something ambiguous. He didn¡¯t want to taint Luthor¡¯s observations with his opinion.

    It didn¡¯t take long to find something out of place. A large group of tents and several horse-drawn carts were grouped up in the hills. Judging by the stacks of logs on the backs of the carts, Luthor might have dismissed the group as nothing more than timberfellers out harvesting wood for Thyne Burg now that winter was over with. But Harvey¡¯s presence over his shoulder had him looking twice.

    On the second look, Luthor wasn¡¯t sure that he liked what he saw.

    Despite it being early in the day, none of the supposed workers were chopping down trees. That might have been explained away by the fully loaded carts, but if they had no more room for materials, they would surely head back toward the burg. Instead, they were camping around. The tents, large white fabric tents designed to hold many men, were all occupied. This was a truly massive logging operation.

    Yet, why there? High in the hills, there was certainly lumber around, but they could have gone down to the lower hills, closer to the burg, to fell trees there. They would be easier to transport.

    And those tents¡­

    Luthor wouldn¡¯t claim to be an expert in tents and large tents made from canvas were popular all around, but the encampment looked awfully familiar. He had seen the same setup at the various Evestani military encampments they had strewn throughout the Duchy. It could have been a coincidence.

    There was no magic in the area preventing scrying. That let him peek into each of the tents, looking for weapons. If he spotted more than a handful of swords or spears for personal defense, or even armor, it would be a sure sign that they were up to something.

    Luthor leaned back from the crystal ball a few moments later, humming to himself. There were a few weapons. A few bows with quivers of arrows and a couple of pikes. Nothing that made the large encampment look like a military operation. Just enough to fend off wild animals or, if it came down to it, a group of bandits, goblins, or other unpleasant sorts. Nothing strange about that.

    ¡°Well?¡± Harvey chirped. He had gone back to his crystal ball while Luthor had been working.

    ¡°It is a g-group of unusual size,¡± Luthor said, staring at the ceiling. ¡°But¡­ no weapons. No armor. Evestani hasn¡¯t been spotted that far north either.¡±

    While Evestani had units of their army scattered all across the Duchy, especially in the land west of Elmshadow, they hadn¡¯t gone too far north. If one wanted to cross past the Elm mountains without traversing through Elmshadow, heading south was the way to go. Not only were the smaller mountains considerably easier to pass over, but they had dedicated trails leading through them. If one wanted to go around the mountain ranges, the southern range was shorter as well. Thus, there had been no reason for them to venture that far north.

    ¡°I¡¯m wondering why they¡¯re just sitting there,¡± Harvey said. ¡°They paid by the day or something? I¡¯d want to head back to town the second I could.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they c-can¡¯t go? A wheel b-broke or their horses have fallen lame¡­ Or they can¡¯t work because their tools¡­¡±

    Luthor paused, churning over the thought.

    Leaning forward again, he quickly scanned through the horses and their carts. They had several, mostly filled with lumber, but some were clearly for supplies. All the horses looked in good shape, hale and healthy. The carts weren¡¯t damaged either. But he wasn¡¯t too interested in either of those.

    He scanned through the entire camp again, this time searching for tools. He couldn¡¯t remember spotting a single one on his first pass-through.

    ¡°No axes. No s-saws. No sleds for hauling timber,¡± Luthor said softly. ¡°What kind of t-timberfeller doesn¡¯t have an axe?¡±

    ¡°Ah ha! I knew something was strange.¡±

    ¡°Strange, yes. N-no weapons. And no tools? What are they d-doing?¡±

    Were they just spies? It was such a large group. All burly men. The difference in build between a trained soldier and a timberfeller wasn¡¯t all that great, so they could easily pass as lumber workers. Were they really Evestani? Arkk had them watching out for that prince as well, but he was supposed to come from the eastern border of the Duchy, not some lumber camp in the mid-north.

    Luthor picked up his pen and marked it down as an area of interest, but not one of vital priority. It wasn¡¯t Luthor¡¯s job to figure out what his targets of observation were up to, just to watch them. They didn¡¯t seem to be doing anything at the moment, so he would bring it up to Arkk during the evening¡¯s meeting with the scrying team. He, and his replacement once it was time to change shifts, would keep an eye on them throughout the day until Arkk decided if they were to keep a permanent watch on them or if they could be safely ignored.

    Setting down the pen, he looked over the encampment once again. Just a last check before returning to his usual observation schedule.

    From an overhead view of the camp, he spotted something else amiss. One of the carts filled with logs had its back open. Not the back of the cart, but the back of the logs. It was open like a door, swung on a hinge, to reveal a hollow interior. A man, standing at the open log door, hefted up a clay cask, something that looked uncomfortably similar to the alchemical explosives that Company Al-Mir had put to use on occasion.

    The man wiped the sweat from his brow as he secured the clay jar in place with a few fabric straps. After that, he closed the rear of the stack of logs, leaving it looking like nothing more suspicious than several felled trees.

    The man headed back to one of the tents. Luthor hadn¡¯t looked too closely at it earlier. It looked like several alcohol kegs had been stacked around a small table topped with a small, portable distillery. Nothing too strange. Everyone liked alcohol. But¡­ now¡­

    Those tools for distilling alcohol were probably not for alcohol at all. They were an alchemical equipment set.

    Luthor let out a small sigh, adjusting his notes. He still wasn¡¯t sure if they were Evestani agents or simply smugglers or other criminals. Regardless, the fact that they were trying to hide their operations out in the middle of nowhere was suspicious enough that Arkk needed to be informed.

 Expeditionary Matters

    ¡°Why are you still here, elf?¡±

    Alya turned an irritated glare on the old orc. ¡°You well know why I am here, orc.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an let out a small chuckle. ¡°Not here,¡± he said, waving a hand around the desolate landscape.

    The Underworld was, as always, void of life. The air was thick with an almost palpable sense of loss and desolation, as if the land itself mourned its fallen state. Olatt¡¯an wasn¡¯t sure if that was because of the Cloak of Shadows or if it was his imagination, projecting his feelings onto the emptiness.

    Where he was at the moment, the landscape was dominated by hues of gray and muted blacks. Not shadows, exactly, but darkness all the same. The colors shifted into each other, transforming and moving unnaturally. Almost like something was out there, moving. But¡­ there was nothing. Were it not for the presence of the Protector and the general lack of life outside the Protector, Olatt¡¯an might have been far more on edge and wary of attacks.

    The only thing that really put him on edge was the lighting. The cloudy orange skies never changed. There was no night. No day. The concept of time felt distorted. The only way they had to tell how long it had been since the last break was their grumbling stomachs.

    That and the exhaustion that came from travel.

    All-in-all, not the worst expedition he had been on.

    ¡°I¡¯m wondering why you remain in the fortress,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, adjusting the reins of the horse pulling the cart. ¡°You must realize that you aren¡¯t a prisoner. If you approached Arkk and asked, you could leave at any moment even if it wouldn¡¯t be in his best interests. Even if that failed, a word or two from your daughter would have Arkk providing teleportation to anywhere in the Duchy. Maybe even beyond.¡±

    Alya, sitting in the back of the cart, looked away. Her gaze turned out toward the distant columns of shadow that seemed to stretch up through the clouds. She didn¡¯t answer and gave no indication that she was going to.

    After a long minute of silence, Olatt¡¯an shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t answer if you don¡¯t want to,¡± he said as he let go of the reins and hopped off the back of the cart. ¡°Eiff¡¯an! Take over the horse. I¡¯m going to walk for a bit.¡±

    Eiff¡¯an grabbed the side of the cart and hauled himself into the lead seat without complaint. He had been walking for a few hours now, so he was probably beyond pleased for the break.

    Olatt¡¯an let himself fall a short distance back from the cart before he matched its pace, leaving him a little on his own with a clear view of the entire caravan. Half a dozen orcs marched along while another half a dozen were split across three carts. The Protector walked ahead of the group, leading the way to where he thought some of Olatt¡¯an¡¯s stories might have been described. Ritual circles in the carts provided cooling for the entire group, letting them pass through the warm Underworld without cooking in the uncomfortable heat.

    It really wasn¡¯t that bad of an expedition.

    ¡°The company could be better,¡± he mumbled to himself.

    <hr>

    To say that Arkk was disappointed would be an understatement.

    Elmshadow, despite the losses, had been a great victory. Gleeful before it had been more of a pyrrhic victory with the entire burg buried under a mountain of magically conjured boulders. But not Elmshadow. They had recovered the city, captured a significant chunk of the opposing force, and rescued all the remaining civilians who hadn¡¯t been able to flee when Evestani first took the burg¡ªnot that there were all that many, only a few thousand, mostly the elderly or children.

    It wasn¡¯t like he assumed the war would just be over.

    But with the retreating of the Evestani army followed by those letters that sounded like the Sultan would be open to negotiations, Arkk had thought¡ªhe had allowed himself to believe¡ªthat the western side of the Duchy would calm down enough.

    Now this¡­

    ¡°Lexa. You¡¯re back.¡±

    A shadowy figure uncloaked at Arkk¡¯s side, standing hunched with a deep scowl on her face. She gripped the blade of her knife with a cloth and pulled the two apart, cleaning off blood. ¡°They aren¡¯t bandits,¡± she said, sheathing the dagger. ¡°Or, if they are, they aren¡¯t from around here.¡±

    ¡°Did you learn anything?¡±

    ¡°Learned they speak an awful lot of Evestani and not a lick of Chernlish. Caught one of them out. Tried to interrogate him. Didn¡¯t go so well.¡± She paused, frowned, then added, ¡°For him, anyway.¡±

    Arkk sighed. He had been hoping for a little more information. He wasn¡¯t surprised, however. He had learned from the prisoners captured at Elmshadow that, aside from perhaps one or two of the higher-ranked soldiers, nobody in Evestani spoke a language he understood. The same was true in reverse, to be fair. Nobody in Arkk¡¯s employ spoke Evestani.

    And if they were Evestani¡­ he now had this to deal with.

    What were they doing up here? North of the Elm mountain range, there wasn¡¯t much of interest. Was it just a way to the eastern side of the Duchy that they were after, now that Elmshadow had been closed off to them? Were these men remnants left behind, ignorant of their army¡¯s defeat at Elmshadow, or were they on a mission that had been decided in response to that?

    Well, he could puzzle such matters out later. They weren¡¯t up to any good. If the scrying reports were accurate, they were producing and stockpiling alchemical bombs out here.

    ¡°Any sign of the avatar?¡± Arkk asked. ¡°Or the gold-armored knight?¡±

    Lexa shook her head back and forth. ¡°I swept through the whole camp. Nobody had tattoos. Nobody had that armor.¡±

    Arkk clicked his tongue in annoyance. It wasn¡¯t like he wanted to fight them. Especially not with Priscilla exploring the Underworld and Agnete back at Al-Mir working on her projects in their downtime. At the same time, getting eyes on them would be valuable. Perhaps valuable enough to let the group carry on as they wished, if only to keep a watch on them and learn what they were up to.

    Since Elmshadow, there hadn¡¯t been a single sighting of the avatar. Not a hint of golden magic among the Evestani army. Some areas were still protected from scrying, especially within Evestani territory¡ªArkk had tried to get eyes on the Sultan after receiving the letters only to find that misty fog covering practically the entire capital city. So the avatar could have been there.

    It just made him uneasy. Like the avatar was plotting something and could pop up at any moment, blasting him down before he could react.

    But until that happened, he still had a job to do.

    ¡°Kia. Claire.¡± The two dark elves stood from their crouched positions. Kia sported a bright smile while Claire just stared off into the distance with an utterly blank look on her face.

    He had considered recalling Agnete for this. Wiping them out would have been easy for her. But she was busy and it wasn¡¯t like Agnete was his only enforcer. He had other employees and those employees needed to earn their keep. Or, rather, he didn¡¯t want the dark elves to get too bored. Claire especially. He wouldn¡¯t say that he feared for himself but he did worry a little about what Claire would do if she had to sit still for too long.

    ¡°Extermination time?¡± Kia asked, chipper as she drew her heavy sword.

    Kia was a little concerning as well.

    ¡°I would prefer if their leaders survived,¡± Arkk said, hoping that one of these higher-ups would be more susceptible to interrogation. ¡°But it is not a requirement.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± she said, half turning. ¡°Vector, Prav¡¯en. Take your team to the east side. We¡¯ll ambush from the west. Claire¡¯s arrow will signal our start.¡±

    The squad split up, moving to follow their orders. As had become their typical tactics, Arkk hung back with Lexa. His duty was to move in and assist if something unexpected popped up. It hadn¡¯t always been a successful tactic. In the case of the golden knight, he hadn¡¯t managed to do all that much. But anything short of an agent of the Heart of Gold wouldn¡¯t be trouble for his old magic. Or even some of his regular spells.

    And Lexa was here too. The gremlin donned the hood of her cloak once again, shrouding her in shadow. She wasn¡¯t invisible, but she was far more difficult to keep track of. Especially in these thick woods up in the hills. Every tree cast a shadow and Lexa¡¯s form blended in with them while she was wearing that cloak. If not for Arkk¡¯s ability to sense all of his employees, she could easily disappear from his perception.

    ¡°How are you doing?¡± Arkk asked as he observed the coming fight through his employee link.

    Claire just loosed her first arrow, picking off one of the Evestani on their own without alerting the rest of the camp. Even though the teams were split, she managed to hit the guy in such a way that their other team saw.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    The shadows shimmered. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Arkk sat down on a fallen log. It looked like it had been felled by human hands but had been left behind instead of hauled off. Not that he was complaining. It provided a decent place to sit. ¡°Are you? After our last talk¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°¡ªyou haven¡¯t once tried to get me disrobed and in your bed.¡±

    A silence settled in, disrupted only by distant sounds of fighting. Not that it was much of a fight. Evestani tried, but they were being ambushed and had no arms within easy reach. They did have weapons, but they were hidden within those hollowed-out logs on the carts. Someone managed to get to one of the carts and started tossing out weapons to his comrades. At least until he took an arrow to the skull.

    Lexa threw the hood of her cloak down, revealing her wild red hair. She looked back, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Finally up for something fun?¡± she asked.

    ¡°No.¡±

    With a huff, Lexa turned away again, glowering. But she didn¡¯t raise her hood again. ¡°Katja was a whole lot more fun,¡± she grumbled.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯d take you back.¡±

    ¡°Haaa? You think you can get rid of me that easily?¡± She scoffed. ¡°Besides, Katja is going to be the first one eaten by the Prince¡¯s demon. No way I¡¯m going near her.¡±

    ¡°Do demons eat people?¡± Arkk asked, earning an uncertain shrug from Lexa. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Nobody is getting eaten by a demon if I can help it.¡±

    Kia took the head of one of the soldiers with a wide smile on her face. In the same swing, she changed the angle of her sword, jamming it through the leg of another. She left it there, turning away from the man who was now screaming in pain, and drew a smaller blade that she immediately stabbed through another soldier¡¯s chest. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure why she hadn¡¯t killed the one man. Nothing about him stood out to Arkk from what he could see. Something must have tipped her off that he was a kind of leader.

    With that large sword through his leg, he would bleed out in short order if it were removed. Arkk would have to patch him up to keep him alive long enough to interrogate.

    Just as Arkk was about to turn back to Lexa, he spotted one of the soldiers fleeing from combat. Right at the edge of the employee link vision, Arkk watched him grab hold of a flaming plank of wood, burning his hand. But he kept hold of it and started rushing off toward one of the carts.

    One of the carts with the bombs?

    Arkk bolted to his feet. ¡°Accelerat?!¡± he barked out. The haste spell had him sprinting through the woods at speeds that turned trees into blurred lines. ¡°Electro Deus,¡± he said, well in advance of the encampment.

    He arrived at the edge, fingers crackling with lightning, just in time to watch one of Kia¡¯s arrows slam through the back of the soldier¡¯s neck. The flaming log dropped from his limp fingers, harmlessly hitting a patch of dirt nowhere near the bomb cart.

    Arkk let out a small sigh, observing the final moments of the battle in person. The lightning at his fingertips dissipated.

    He should have trusted his subordinates more. If they weren¡¯t faced with an avatar, they were quite competent. He should have known that no rank-and-file soldiers of Evestani would pull one over on them.

    Lexa rushed up behind him with her blades drawn and ready. She moved fast but nowhere near as fast as magic could make him. Upon seeing that he wasn¡¯t fighting and nothing seemed to be going wrong with the battle, she gave him a look as she sheathed her knives.

    ¡°Can you help it?¡±

    ¡°Help it?¡± Arkk asked, turning his gaze to the man still pinned to the ground with Kia¡¯s sword.

    ¡°Keep the demon from killing everyone.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Arkk¡­ Well, he didn¡¯t exactly have a good answer for that. There were plots and plans in place. His magical researchers were carrying out their duties and Sylvara had sent a letter stating her intention to help with both the demon and the avatar. But could he? It was easy to talk. Less easy to do.

    ¡°I think you¡¯re focused too much on the avatar.¡±

    ¡°You think that,¡± Arkk said, disbelief in his voice.

    ¡°I do.¡± She traced a hand along the handle of her blade. ¡°Make no mistake. I will kill him. But the avatar has been in hiding. Meanwhile, the potential demon summoning is approaching far more visibly. It is good to be on guard against the avatar and whatever he is plotting, but to the exclusion of all else?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a good point. I don¡¯t like leaving an enemy half-defeated, able to strike back. But¡­¡± Arkk looked around the encampment. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. Perhaps another visit to Cliff is due.¡±

    ¡°Arkk!¡± Kia called out, raising a bloody hand in greeting. She planted the hand on her hip and looked over the encampment. There wasn¡¯t much movement outside the warriors of Company Al-Mir. ¡°Think we¡¯re just about done. Even got one alive for you.¡±

    Nodding, Arkk started forward. ¡°For now,¡± he said to Lexa, ¡°we should see if we can¡¯t find out why they¡¯re here. After that¡­¡±

    After that, he would turn his attention to the demon summoning.

    <hr>

    ¡°I was chosen, when I was born, to keep watch over the Cursed Forest.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an didn¡¯t look up as the elf came to sit next to him. He kept his eyes on his bowl of porridge. A few berries spiced up the paltry breakfast, but the fresh fruit wouldn¡¯t keep long and they still had days if not weeks of travel left, according to the Protector.

    He had to savor what they had while they had it.

    ¡°I was told that a great evil cursed the land,¡± Alya continued, ¡°that my presence would be needed to ensure it didn¡¯t spread, consuming the entire region and beyond.¡±

    ¡°They think a little dead land might spread out and consume the whole Duchy¡­ And they send one elf to observe it.¡±

    ¡°As decreed by the goddess Ya, only one was needed,¡± Alya said with a sigh. ¡°And I was to do more than merely watch. There were wardstones erected around the Cursed Forest. I was taught a truly paltry amount of magic. Just enough to maintain them. Five of them, positioned around the edge of the boundaries.

    ¡°Except, when I arrived in my¡­ fifteenth decade? Was it that long ago?¡± Alya whispered to herself. With a shake of her head, she continued. ¡°I found one of the stones had broken. I¡¯m not sure what caused it. I reported it immediately, of course, but my people were still suffering from the after-effects of the wars that followed the Calamity. No one with the magical expertise necessary to repair or remake the wardstone had survived. They said they would try to contact others to find someone who could¡­¡±

    Olatt¡¯an grunted an acknowledgment. Seeing the way her story was going, he said, ¡°A failed effort, I presume.¡±

    ¡°No, actually.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Olatt¡¯an said, looking up from his bowl of porridge. ¡°Huh.¡±

    ¡°They found a magical expert. Not an elf. An old fairy who, while he had lost his capacity for magic, still retained his knowledge of magic.¡± She scoffed. A hint of elvish superiority shone through her calm demeanor. ¡°He inspected the remaining stones, called us all fools, and took off. According to him, the stones were doing nothing. Just scribbles and made-up nonsense that looked like magic but was anything but.

    ¡°I kept watch anyway. My family tried to find others who might be able to repair the stones. That effort failed. But over five decades, the Cursed Forest hadn¡¯t spread further than the length of my arm. Shortly after that, another of the stones failed. Washed away by a flood. It didn¡¯t seem to affect the spread or growth. If anything, the spread slowed. The next five decades, it only grew as far as my hand to my elbow.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an hummed. From what he knew, the Cursed Forest was a side effect of the magical fortress seeking sustenance in the absence of a master. Assuming its need for sustenance didn¡¯t increase or decrease over the years, the spread of the forest probably only appeared to slow as the area in which it fed spread outward. Every step out from the center point, several steps worth of land would be added to the total space.

    Rather than comment, he just nodded his head and gestured for her to continue.

    ¡°Another stone went missing some time later. No idea where or how. Maybe it was stolen. The fourth was defaced by humans who didn¡¯t know¡ª¡±

    ¡°It sounds as if you weren¡¯t very good at your job.¡±

    Alya stiffened, turning her distant gaze into a harsh glower. ¡°I was to travel around the Cursed Forest once every decade, maintaining and charging the stones with magic.¡±

    ¡°A lot can happen in ten years. You elves might be unable to parse the difference between your thirtieth and thirty-first decades the same way my thirty-first and thirty-second years have become hazy with age. That doesn¡¯t mean the world stops turning.¡±

    ¡°I am aware,¡± she said, barely moving her lips. ¡°And I have certainly become more aware of that as of late.¡±

    ¡°Indeed? Good for you. So, one stone left. I presume that one broke as well?¡±

    ¡°Arkk,¡± she said with a scowl. ¡°He and Ilya were playing in the woods. He was¡­ three? Four? Before his parents died. Always following Ilya around¡­¡± Alya¡¯s tone turned nostalgic for a moment before she shook her head. ¡°He came across it, touched it, and it exploded. Violently. Near killed the boy.¡±

    ¡°Really? Interesting¡­¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡±

    Olatt¡¯an shrugged, slurping down some of his porridge. ¡°I don¡¯t believe in coincidence. Even the smallest happenstances have connections. That Arkk is what he is today¡­¡±

    Alya fell silent, eyes turning inward as she reflected on Olatt¡¯an¡¯s words. ¡°The local abbess tested him for magic shortly after. He blew up every test. The academies didn¡¯t want him and just told us to keep him away from magic. Now though¡­ I wonder if they hadn¡¯t made an error in their judgment. Whatever was up with him, it destroyed the stone.

    ¡°But my family didn¡¯t care. At this point, it had been over a thousand years since the Calamity. Whatever magic had created the wardstones was long lost. Recreating them was impossible and, besides that, the Cursed Forest¡¯s expansion had slowed to a crawl. Mere finger lengths after decades. They even said I could return home, if I wished.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Alya pressed her lips together in distaste. ¡°For an elf, a decade or two might be nothing. It is as you said. We live so long that even ten years feels like no time at all. Yet I spent hundreds of years out in the middle of the Duchy, watching towns spring up and fall and build up once more, always feeling like an outcast among the humans, all for some worthless duty that apparently hadn¡¯t ever mattered. That fairy was right. The stones did nothing.

    ¡°I had Ilya. I had a home in Langleey. Shortly after, practically the next day, though it must have been a year or two, Arkk¡¯s parents died. I took him in. It was something to do. Something that felt like it had more meaning than the rest of my life. Then, a short time after, a harvest failed. The Duke¡¯s taxmen came, demanding tribute¡­

    ¡°I heard about the rumors of another war brewing. Wars happen all the time. Every few decades. But I saw a chance. An opportunity to do something important. So I went to the Duke, gained his trust, influenced him, supported the strengthening of bonds between the nations¡­ Everything was going so well. I knew I would be leaving Ilya for a time¡ªI didn¡¯t want to subject her to the Duke if even half the rumors of his¡­ personality were true¡ªbut what is a few decades apart?¡±

    Olatt¡¯an couldn¡¯t help the smile. ¡°A few decades is an entire lifetime for the young.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Alya said, glaring down at her bowl of porridge. ¡°I have noticed. And it was all¡­ wasted in the end. Again. Everything I do¡­

    ¡°Why am I at Fortress Al-Mir? Why haven¡¯t I left? I don¡¯t know. Maybe I just need to see with my own eyes what I wasted my life for. What is this great evil I was supposed to prevent spreading? What will become of the land after the war?¡±

    Olatt¡¯an drained the last of his porridge. He was a little disappointed, if he were being honest. He was expecting a little something more. Glancing to his side, watching as Alya finally began to eat her meal. ¡°In all that time,¡± he said, speaking slowly. ¡°Did you ever hear anything about the Stars?¡±

    Alya tried to suck in a breath. With the bowl of porridge at her lips, she ended up inhaling her food instead. She promptly doubled over in a fit of coughs. Olatt¡¯an gave her a few good pats on the back.

    ¡°The¡­¡± She sputtered, coughing a few more times before finally drawing in a decent breath of air. ¡°What do the stars have to do with anything?¡±

    Olatt¡¯an slowly shook his head. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll tell you some other time. For now, it would be best if we got moving.¡±

    They still had a long way to go. Plenty of time to talk.

 Trust

    ¡°Haven¡¯t we been this way before?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that. You can¡¯t even see.¡±

    ¡°I see what I need to see.¡±

    Leda glowered at the back of the dragonoid¡¯s head. At one point in time, she had feared Priscilla would eat her. Or drop her. Having gone on more than a handful of these exploratory ventures with Priscilla, Leda wouldn¡¯t say that she was afraid anymore. If the dragonoid were going to eat her, surely she would have done so already. That wasn¡¯t to say that she didn¡¯t fear becoming emergency rations should they become stranded but, at that point, getting killed might be preferable to dying of starvation.

    Falling was still a concern. The harness that kept her strapped to Priscilla¡¯s back had been upgraded. Every powerful downward thrust of Priscilla¡¯s wings still made her stomach drop.

    But with a lack of fear for the woman, Leda found annoyance filling that gap.

    On their very first flight through this land, Priscilla had headed directly for that great walking tower as if she had known it was there. It was a massive find. One Arkk had been beyond happy to hear of. Enough to give Leda a large bonus. He gave a bonus to Priscilla as well, only for the dragonoid to toss the coin away as if it was worthless.

    So, in effect, Leda had gotten two bonuses.

    Despite her reservations about flying with the dragonoid, she had eagerly agreed to more outings in the Underworld.

    Now, out here for the twentieth¡­ thirtieth? How many times had they come out here on their flyovers? All without finding much of anything. There had been that church on their third or fifth flight. And a bunch of smaller villages, all left in ruins. For a few of the larger ruins, they had dived down to explore, only to find a Protector there saying that there wasn¡¯t anything worth disturbing the shadows over.

    Leda refused to believe that their first outing had been luck or coincidence. It had been too deliberate. Too focused.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you see any more of those towers with your blind eyes?¡± Leda snipped, having to raise her voice to be heard over the rushing wind.

    ¡°A few. But they are so far off that it would take days if not weeks of flight to reach the nearest.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we head toward one of them?¡± Leda asked, only to squeak in surprise as a particularly heavy thrust of Priscilla¡¯s wings sent her bouncing off the dragonoid¡¯s back. The leather of the harness snapped taut, keeping her in place, but it still sent jitters through her wings.

    ¡°What good would that do?¡± Priscilla barked back. ¡°Arkk has to interact with them himself. I already asked if Arkk wanted transport out to them. He said he couldn¡¯t leave Fortress Al-Mir alone that long while that avatar and that prince are out there.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there any way we could bring one back? He doesn¡¯t need the whole tower, right? Just the little ball thing.¡±

    ¡°If I try to touch the Heart of a fortress, I¡¯ll lose more than just my eyes.¡±

    ¡°What? What does that mean?¡±

    The dragonoid let out a low, grinding growl. One that vibrated through Priscilla¡¯s back to the point where Leda felt like she might fall off even despite the harness. The air chilled along with the noise. All that fear that had gone away throughout their repeated expeditions rushed back in force.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Leda mumbled, curling up on herself. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°I broke my contract,¡± Priscilla said in that same continued growl. ¡°The Pantheon will undoubtedly strike me down if I touch one of their treasures.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I see.¡±

    Leda didn¡¯t see. There were a lot of mysterious things about Company Al-Mir and the magical fortresses Arkk had. He didn¡¯t talk about them, but the mere fact that he could teleport around anyone who signed his contract as well as grant fairies the ability to cast magic, if in small and limited amounts, was proof that something unusual was going on.

    This was the first she had heard of a pantheon.

    Leda honestly wasn¡¯t sure what she should do with that information. From Priscilla¡¯s reaction to the question, it certainly sounded like something serious. Something she should not bring up with the dragonoid. The chill in the air was already starting to wane back toward that unpleasant heat that permeated the Underworld, but if she asked again, she might just find herself entrapped within a sheet of ice instead of safely returning to the fortress.

    ¡°What about me?¡± Leda asked, softly. When it seemed as if the dragonoid couldn¡¯t hear her over the rush of wind, she cleared her throat and asked a little louder, ¡°Could I touch the ball thing?¡±

    Priscilla¡¯s laughter was a rumble of thunder against the backdrop of wind as it shook the air around them. ¡°A magicless fairy? Touch the Heart of a fortress?¡± She opened her maw in a wide laugh, showing off her sharp teeth as she angled her head backward.

    Though the ice-covered her eyes, Leda still felt like she was seen.

    Leda shirked away, feeling like she was the butt of a joke that she didn¡¯t understand. Except, Priscilla didn¡¯t continue with her laugh. She paused and stared with her head craned back over her shoulder, her countenance taking on a calculating expression.

    Leda wasn¡¯t sure she liked that expression.

    ¡°What does our food supply look like for the next¡­¡± Priscilla trailed off, looking about ahead of their flight trajectory. ¡°The next four days? You can eat my portions.¡±

    Leda wasn¡¯t sure she liked that question either.

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Hold on tight, little fairy,¡± Priscilla said.

    Leda didn¡¯t get a chance to respond before Priscilla folded her wings behind her. They angled downward, falling into a sharp dive that sent the wind roaring over the top of Leda¡¯s head. ¡°Ground! Ground!¡± she screamed as the terrain below got closer and closer. If Priscilla heard, she didn¡¯t show it.

    The stupid dragonoid might be able to survive a fall like this. Leda had no chance. She squeezed her eyes shut, grasping hold of her harness.

    Except, the end didn¡¯t come. Leda felt like her stomach sank into her boots, but beyond that, there was no sudden stop at the end. The wind was still rushing past, far faster than she had ever felt before with Priscilla. With a grimace, fearing what she might see, Leda nevertheless peeled open her eyes. She had to duck down and use Priscilla¡¯s back to block most of the wind in order to see.

    They were still flying. Much, much, lower now. If Leda were as tall as an elf, she could have stood on the ground below and clapped hands with Priscilla as she flew overhead. That was how low they were. But they were moving horizontally, flying straight ahead while the ground zoomed beneath them fast enough that it made Leda dizzy to watch it go by.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re prepared, little fairy!¡± Priscilla yelled out.

    Leda shrank down, closing her eyes once again. She had no idea what she was supposed to be prepared for. All she knew was that she wasn¡¯t prepared.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Not in the slightest.

    <hr>

    ¡°Inquisitor Vrox?¡±

    Darius jolted, taking in a sudden breath as his eyes flicked around. The tall, tome-filled shelves of the archives stood around him. He was at one of the desks with several books open and a small glowstone providing a little extra light. One of the books was in his own writing and, unfortunately, now contained a large blob of black ink that had dribbled down one of the pages.

    He took in another breath, trying to use the fresh air to wake himself up. It might have worked if he was still in the forests and mountains of Mystakeen. The air there, especially in the mornings, had a crisp chill and pleasant taste. In comparison, the air in Chernlock was as dry as the surrounding deserts and stiflingly hot. The air in the archives was particularly stale.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to disturb your rest,¡± a woman said, her voice carrying notes of amused humor.

    Darius quickly gathered his composure, swiftly wiping at the ink with a small cloth, though that only smeared it further across the page. ¡°No, no. I was just¡­ engaged in a little mental reflection,¡± he said, straightening to face the woman. His voice carried a hint of embarrassment that he tried to mask with his usual professionalism.

    The woman before him adopted a truly radiant smile, making him think he wasn¡¯t all that successful. Lyra Zann stood on the other side of the desk. The High Librarian of the Chernlock Archives always had a bright smile on her face and a gleam in her eyes. If ever there was a woman more blessed by the Light, Darius had yet to lay eyes on them.

    She pulled a chair from one of the nearby desks and slid it toward him before taking a seat. ¡°You¡¯ve been here every day since you arrived in Chernlock. Are you still yet to find what you have been seeking?¡±

    The momentary good mood Darius felt awakening to Lyra¡¯s face diminished somewhat as he looked down at his smeared notes. ¡°Some,¡± he said. Sylvara was returning to Mystakeen with the knowledge they had uncovered regarding the creation of artifacts that have the capacity to bind abominable powers. The powers of avatars, presuming Arkk was correct.

    It wasn¡¯t an easy process. Darius wasn¡¯t sure that they would be able to accomplish much, not having access to the high priests of the Abbey and their miraculous magics. But if anyone could use that knowledge outside the Abbey, it was Arkk.

    Darius was still not sure that giving that information to Arkk was the right decision. But it wasn¡¯t his decision at all. He had left it up to Sylvara. The inquisitrix would sooner partner with a demon than help the Golden Order¡¯s avatar. At least Arkk, whatever else he was, was no demon.

    ¡°But not everything,¡± he finished, looking down at the half-written book in front of him. A compilation of everything he had found so far on the topic of gods. The fact that it fit all into half a book was telling.

    Nobody knew anything.

    There were bits and rumors here and there. A great deal on the Light, but it was difficult to discern what was fact and what was exaggerated dogma of the Abbey.

    Lyra hummed a knowing note, grinning down at him like she knew something that he didn¡¯t. ¡°And you still won¡¯t come to me for aid? I know my way around the archives, you know?¡±

    Darius pressed his lips together. It was tempting to ask. When Sylvara had been here, they had asked the High Librarian about a few topics. Nothing sensitive, of course. The research they were conducting was borderline heresy. With Sylvara gone and left to fend for himself, research had slowed drastically¡­ Slowly, Darius shook his head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t wish to involve you in matters such as this. As it stands, the inquisition may not take kindly¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh please,¡± Lyra said, rolling her silvery eyes. ¡°I have read every tome within the archives. I have memorized every tablet and looked over every scroll. If you¡¯re reading something you found in here, I already know it.¡±

    Breaking eye contact, Darius glanced up at the tall shelves around him. They were packed with books and tomes, charts and diagrams, scrolls, and even ancient texts that none could read today. And this was just one small section of the archives, the portion dedicated to historical works. The archives sprawled outward in every direction, there were always more and more shelves filled with more and more books. A single person claiming to have read all of them was¡­ unbelievable.

    His train of thought must have shown on his face. Lyra let out a light laugh.

    ¡°The Light has blessed me with a wakeful mind and a capacity for knowledge. As the Light sweeps away the night every morn, it is my duty as High Librarian to sweep away ignorance with enlightenment,¡± she said with a grin that swiftly turned into another laugh, one hearty enough to send ripples through her dark red hair.

    Darius had to raise an eyebrow. Although clearly a joke, comparing oneself to the Light wasn¡¯t something someone would normally do in front of an inquisitor. It was a step away from blasphemy.

    Yet, her offer warranted consideration. It was an exaggeration, to be sure. She was older than Sylvara but still a good decade younger than Darius. To have read every book in the archives in that relatively short amount of time was absurd. She was still the High Librarian.

    ¡°I am seeking information on deities other than the Light.¡±

    Rather than surprise, the High Librarian nodded knowingly. ¡°I presumed so,¡± she said.

    It caught Darius off guard a bit until he realized that someone who had read even the titles of the tomes he had stacked on his desk would be able to guess at his intentions, let alone reading the whole books.

    ¡°So, who? The Almighty Glory? The Heart of Gold?¡±

    Darius stared at her for a moment. The first time he had heard those names in full had been within this very library, reading through ancient books. Everyone knew of the Gold, the Glory, and the Light. They made up the Three Divines, though current Abbey doctrine said that only the Light still remained active among them, as evidenced by the sun¡¯s rays shining bright every morning.

    ¡°The Gold is one of my subjects of interest, yes,¡± Darius said, ¡°but more than that, there is one other. A name I have yet to come across. Are you¡­ aware of what occurred mid-winter? The Fissure in the Sky that streaked across Mystakeen for an hour?¡±

    The incident had been visible even from Chernlock, he knew, but it hadn¡¯t been as¡­ intense. That false moon that had stared down from the fissure had barely been visible, for one.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Lyra said, leaning back in her chair. She folded her arms over her chest, covering up her usual attire of traditional librarian garb with subtle, intricate markings of a caster proficient in arcane magics. ¡°You seek information on the one known as Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key.¡±

    Darius leaned forward. That she had been able to immediately say a name had caught his interest. He couldn¡¯t say for certain whether it was the correct name, but the way Lyra sat there, radiating confidence, that alone made him trust her a little more. Then again, he supposed it made sense. The Ecclesiarch would surely have come to the High Librarian for information following that incident. It would be fresh in her mind.

    ¡°You know something?¡±

    ¡°I know everything,¡± Lyra said in a teasing note. ¡°It is, after all, my duty to enlighten fools. You may not be a fool, but¡­¡± She grinned, then looked over the books on the desk. ¡°It is no wonder you haven¡¯t found what you have been searching for. You¡¯re in the wrong section.¡±

    ¡°Old gods from before the Calamity would be historical¡ª¡±

    ¡°This is why you should have come to me to begin with,¡± Lyra interrupted as she stood. ¡°Come. Come, come, come.¡±

    Without giving Darius a chance to argue, she started off through the archives, forcing Darius to grab his cane and hurry after her. They traveled to a stone staircase that spiraled up to different levels of the archives. But, instead of traveling up the spiral, Lyra moved underneath the stairs and, with one quick glance around, placed her hand on the wall.

    A bright flash of silvery light forced Darius to turn away. It only lasted a moment but left several spots in his eyes. When he finally blinked them away, he found Lyra standing at a shimmering rectangle that hovered just off the wall. It was such a strange bit of magic that, at first, Darius wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it. Until Lyra grabbed hold of his hand and dragged him through.

    Then he knew. ¡°Planar magic,¡± he whispered, looking at the High Librarian with far more suspicion.

    She just smiled and shrugged. ¡°There are things in this archive that not even the Ecclesiarch is aware of.¡±

    The silver portal behind him cut off, sealing him in a smaller chamber that nonetheless resembled the archives outside this space. There were shelves, books, tomes, scrolls, desks, and even a bowl of silvery liquid that had a faint glow to it. A scrying pool?

    Lyra caught him looking. ¡°I¡¯ve dabbled in oracle training,¡± she said as if that was some casual thing anyone could do. ¡°Which reminds me, it may interest you to know that the blindness that had stricken the Abbey¡¯s oracles around the time of that fissure incident has been lifted.¡±

    Darius had heard of that. It was part of why the Abbey had been in such disarray for much of the war. He didn¡¯t speak, however. He stared at Lyra, trying to decide what his next course of action was to be. Dragging an inquisitor through planar magic like this¡­ She was either a fool in the extreme or confident that Darius wouldn¡¯t do anything.

    From the way she casually walked through the small archives and took a seat at the scrying pool, crossing her legs and folding her arms, made him think this was far more on the confidence side of things.

    ¡°Welcome, Darius Vrox, to the hidden archives. All the ancient lore and lost mythos that you¡¯ve been seeking can be found here. I cannot guarantee that it holds the answers to everything you¡¯ve been seeking, but I can guarantee that you won¡¯t find anything like this outside this space.

    ¡°But only the High Librarian can enter and exit this space at will. I will grant you access on one condition. One little payment in return. There is something I wish to know and I believe you can help enlighten me.¡±

    Darius licked his lips, watching as she leaned forward. The silver light from the bowl reflected off her eyes, making them look as if they were glowing. ¡°And that is?¡±

    ¡°I wish to know of the one who caused the fissure incident. The current master of Fortress Al-Mir?¡± She grinned again, though this time, her smile held little humor. ¡°Tell me of Arkk.¡±

    Darius tapped his finger against the end of his cane, thinking for a long moment. His eyes broke away from Lyra Zann, looking over the books stacked on the shelves. Just from their appearance alone, he could tell that they were ancient. Yet, they were in impeccably good condition. Not a spec of dust adorned even the fine wood of the shelves.

    Slowly, he stepped forward, sliding into the seat across from the scrying pool.

    ¡°What do you wish to know?¡±

 Research and Development

    The war was still active and ongoing, but it changed in the last few weeks. Rather than marching a large army across the entirety of the Duchy, Evestani had taken to subtler tactics. Smaller cells had orders to accomplish specific objectives. Since capturing the leader of the Thyne River group, Arkk had come across three other cells in the vicinity of Elmshadow.

    The Thyne River group had orders to detonate alchemical explosives inside the Thyne Burg, specifically any building that sat on the river itself. A smaller group of casters had been preparing a ritual array high in the southern mountain range which, according to Savren, was intended to cause some instability in the ground itself¡ªthough the large array hadn¡¯t been completed before Kia and Claire went in, leaving the specifics of its purpose unclear. Another set of soldiers had simply been camping out in one of the old forts left behind, alone and abandoned, from the previous war; they hadn¡¯t been doing anything obviously nefarious, which only made their presence more suspicious.

    ¡°Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t arrive in time. They destroyed a bridge,¡± Kia said, giving her report on the latest of these cells. ¡°One of the main transit routes between Elmshadow and the western side of the Duchy. Not the only one, but it does make the route more annoying for anyone wanting to traverse the land.¡±

    Arkk scratched the back of his head in confusion. ¡°Was that their main objective?¡±

    ¡°The commander took his own life before we could stop him. We did capture two others, but they claim to know nothing.¡±

    Arkk scratched at his chin. If patterns held true, they were probably telling the truth. Even the leaders of these groups didn¡¯t have the full picture. They were ordered to take care of a specific task and none knew how that task fit into the larger picture. Savren could use his mind magic to confirm that, but¡­

    How did they fit into the larger picture?

    ¡°Rekk¡¯ar? Thoughts?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a major bridge,¡± the orc said, poring over a map of the land. He traced a few routes along with his finger as he spoke. ¡°They obviously wanted to inhibit movement. Possibly to prevent us from securing territory west of Elmshadow.¡±

    ¡°Not our movement,¡± Arkk said with a scowl. ¡°The avatar could detect teleportation in his vicinity, so he knows we¡¯ve got that method of movement. And the Walking Fortress won¡¯t care about a bridge. It can¡¯t be impeded by a river.¡±

    ¡°Traders? Regular soldiers? Refugees?¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t much trade going on out here, is there? Not with the war. And I imagine that most refugees have already made their way to the eastern side of the Elm mountains, if they were able.¡±

    ¡°Soldiers then,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said with a huff. ¡°Duke¡¯s men. Or Katja¡¯s men. Whoever.¡±

    Arkk drummed his fingers on the armrest of his chair. That didn¡¯t feel right either. If anything, it felt like this bridge being gone would stifle the Evestani army if they wanted to attempt a proper counterattack on Elmshadow. More than that, Arkk couldn¡¯t see how it was related to the other cells in the area. How did blowing up Thyne Burg help them? What of that random fort in the middle of nowhere?

    The only group that made sense was the caster group trying to destabilize the ground. Maybe they thought they could cause the tower to tip over.

    There was something at play here. He just couldn¡¯t see what it was.

    ¡°Thank you, Kia. Claire. You are dismissed, although on your way out, please inform the scrying team that I want them keeping an eye on both sides of the river around that bridge, looking for anyone that might be trying to cross.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Kia said with a wide albeit emotionless smile.

    ¡°The scrying team will contact you if they find another of these groups.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be ready.¡± With slight bows, the dark elves turned away.

    Arkk watched their backs for a long moment, mind churning over a few possibilities. They were skilled. Their team hadn¡¯t had any trouble dispatching these cells. And the supply caravan strikes from before had gone well up until that golden knight appeared.

    And that was another thing. The avatar hadn¡¯t been seen since the attack. Neither had any other golden-armored knights. Arkk didn¡¯t know if the avatar could make more or not¡ªexaminations into the remnants left behind by the knight Dakka killed were mostly inconclusive as the armor appeared to be just regular gold. He might have been happy about that if their absence didn¡¯t make him so anxious. They were just asking for a repeat of that supply line incident. Except, last time, the knight had been content to capture the strike team. There was no telling whether or not the next surprise would be so kind next time around. If Evestani set up one of these cells as another trap with another golden knight or the avatar, it was highly likely that they wouldn¡¯t be returning at all.

    ¡°Kia, Claire,¡± Arkk called out to them before they could leave the meeting room.

    Both paused. Kia turned fully to face him while Claire just looked back over her shoulder.

    ¡°Zullie has been working on counter-demon magics,¡± he said slowly, noting the mild stiffening of Rekk¡¯ar in the seat next to him. ¡°Some of her research has¡­ progressed to the point where she is asking for volunteers for something she is calling Project Liminal.¡±

    Kia cocked her head to one side, a clear request for more information. Claire didn¡¯t react beyond turning fully. Was that an indicator of interest? Or just the realization that he had something a little longer to say?

    ¡°It is magic derived from the Lock and Key, goddess of boundaries, borders, and separations. The same being that allowed us to open the portal to the Underworld,¡± Arkk said slowly. ¡°I¡­ am not sure what form this magic will take¡ªI don¡¯t know that Zullie knows¡ªonly that it will be somewhat¡­ transformative. But she believes it will be capable of at least stalling a demon. To be clear, you are not being ordered to engage with this magic in any way. But, I thought that it might be wise to investigate possibilities if you encounter a golden knight again, or other opponents of similar threat level.¡±

    Kia and Claire glanced at one another. Some silent conversation passed between them before Kia turned to Arkk with a smile.

    ¡°Worried about us?¡± Kia asked, sweeping a hand back through her sweat-matted blonde hair.

    ¡°I worry about all my employees.¡±

    ¡°Such a neutral response isn¡¯t cute,¡± she said with a faux pout. ¡°But you don¡¯t need to worry¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Claire¡¯s voice stopped Kia cold. She looked over, eyebrows halfway up her forehead. Even Rekk¡¯ar made a small grunt of surprise. It wasn¡¯t like Claire never spoke. But on the few occasions in which she did, it was usually to add some small detail to a report that her sharp eyes caught while Kia was in the fray. They certainly had never disagreed or interrupted one another.

    Kia had sounded like she was going to decline. Her words and her tone of voice made that apparent from the start.

    ¡°Plans can fail,¡± Claire said with a simple shrug at Kia, not looking disturbed in the slightest by the look Kia was giving her. ¡°Backup plans, hidden abilities, tricks up sleeves. It is foolish to decline power when offered.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°That knight made fools of us. He should have killed us. What do you think a demon would do?¡± Claire¡¯s lips twisted into a violent smile as her eyes sharpened. ¡°But if we can stand against a demon, we could slaughter another one of those knights.¡±

    ¡°That witch lost her eyes toying with that magic,¡± Kia countered. That incident was supposed to have been a secret. But it didn¡¯t take much to put together a few stray hints into most of the story. ¡°If you lose your eyes, how are you going to get revenge?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have my nose. My ears. My tongue.¡±

    Kia clenched her fist. ¡°Fifty-seven years ago, you asked me to help you when you looked like you were going to make poor decisions. Do you remember? You said you can trust my judgment when you can¡¯t trust your own. This, Claire, is a poor decision.¡±

    Claire winced as Kia spoke, looking like the memory itself had physically assaulted her. ¡°Help. Not make decisions for me.¡±

    ¡°If¡­¡± Arkk said slowly, ¡°If you two would like time to discuss the matter among yourselves¡­ I could get more information from Zullie on exactly what¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll do it,¡± Claire said.

    Kia¡­ just looked disappointed. With a small shake of her head, she turned to Arkk and offered the same slight bow she had offered before. She left the room without another word. Claire remained where she stood, shifting slightly in discomfort at her companion¡¯s absence.

    Rekk¡¯ar leaned back in his chair with a small sigh. ¡°Sure you want to give these nutjobs more power?¡± he asked, not bothering to even try to whisper.

    Arkk would admit that Kia and Claire frightened him a little. That disagreement hadn¡¯t helped that. But he was positive that they were more frightening to his enemies than to him.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we pay a visit to Zullie and see if her idea will even work before we make any further commitments,¡± Arkk said, standing. ¡°Rekk¡¯ar, you¡¯re in charge of Elmshadow for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure. Your funeral.¡± He shifted, cracking his spine. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can¡¯t get a few heads together to figure out what Evestani is planning.¡±

    Arkk nodded slowly. ¡°It just feels so random,¡± he mumbled, more to himself than to anyone else in the room. ¡°Maybe it is all a distraction. Maybe Lexa is right and I need to put all my focus on the Prince.¡± Shaking his head, he looked up to Claire. ¡°I guess we start with that here. I¡¯ll teleport us to the transportation rituals.¡±

    She nodded her head. A curt, stiff nod.

    Once in the lower room of ritual circles, a few quick hops got them to Fortress Al-Mir. From there, Arkk teleported them both directly to Zullie¡¯s laboratory¡­ but only after checking to make sure that it was safe to do so. Ever since effectively giving her free reign to do what she wanted, all in the name of defending against a demon, Zullie¡¯s laboratory had suffered a handful of¡­ incidents.

    Nothing deadly.

    Yet.

    Nothing like the incident that had taken Zullie¡¯s eyes.

    Yet.

    But there had still been more than one occasion where Hale¡¯s skills with the Flesh Weaving spell had been required. Arkk had needed to clamp down on some of her more dangerous ideas. In theory, Arkk would have been fine with them were it not for Zullie putting the rest of his employees at risk. Which was one of the main reasons he had built this laboratory.

    It was far deeper than any other area of Fortress Al-Mir. Down near the active digging in the gold mine. Well away from anyone else in the fortress with huge amounts of solid rock in the way.

    Given some of Zullie¡¯s ideas that she claimed came from the incident where she lost her eyes, Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if that was enough. But it was the best they had without relocating her out in the middle of the Underworld¡¯s wilderness.

    Which was a consideration.

    ¡°Zullie,¡± Arkk called out from across the room. He had known where she would be and could have teleported closer. It was just that he didn¡¯t want to appear directly behind her and startle her while she was working.

    Zullie wasn¡¯t alone in the room. Morvin, the former-member-of-Katja¡¯s-bandits-turned-magical-assistant, was present as well, acting as Zullie¡¯s eyes and hands. Most of the time, that task was little more than note-taking. However, Morvin had somehow managed to distinguish himself from all the other assistants. Zullie favored him enough to drag him into¡­ whatever they were doing now.

    Zullie set down the ceremonial dagger they had taken from the Underworld. It dragged shadows along with its movements as if the absence of light were fabric that its tip had pierced. All around the stone table upon which it sat were small ritual arrays, drawn in chalk, that were designed for measuring various esoteric values. Arkk recognized most of them from the lessons Zullie had given him.

    For one fleeting moment, a wistful thought drifted through Arkk¡¯s mind. A wish that he still had time to study magic more in depth. It had been something he always wanted to do, ever since he was little. And, while Fortress Al-Mir had provided the opportunity to meet Zullie and learn magic from her, circumstances conspired to rip that away from him.

    What he wouldn¡¯t give for this war to be over¡­ For this demon summoning to not be a threat at all. He could go back to learning magic, figuring out how to help Vezta with the Calamity, and not having to send everyone he knew into constant danger.

    But he couldn¡¯t control that. He could only do what he could to bring this war and its dangers to an end. At the moment, that meant Zullie and her projects.

    From his magical knowledge and the context of the situation, he put together what the rest of what the ritual arrays were designed to do. She was measuring¡ªor attempting to measure¡ªthe external source of magic on the dagger.

    The Cloak of Shadows¡¯ power, in other words.

    He had approved that a few days ago. Although Arkk didn¡¯t have any proof of his suppositions, the Cloak of Shadows felt, somehow, safer. Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, had given Arkk a warning about the planar magic. The god of boundaries had taken Zullie¡¯s eyes, whether intentionally or as a side effect of simply existing. Despite both of those happenings, Zullie continued to poke at the god, trying to utilize Xel¡¯atriss¡¯ power.

    The Cloak of Shadows, on the other hand, had not warned them away or harmed them. Technically, the Lady Shadows hadn¡¯t done anything at all to them, beneficial or otherwise. According to the Protector, the Cloak of Shadows hadn¡¯t done anything visible since rendering the living beings of the Underworld into shades, which had been centuries ago.

    It made Arkk wonder if gods could actually die and, if so, whether or not the Cloak of Shadows wasn¡¯t just a corpse hanging over the Underworld.

    ¡°Arkk? Is that you?¡± Zullie asked as the stars in her eyes swept over the laboratory. The rectangular glasses she still wore for some reason only seemed to magnify the lights in the back of her eye holes.

    ¡°It is,¡± Morvin added at her side. ¡°And a dark elf.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing all the way over there?¡±

    ¡°Just making sure I don¡¯t startle you and end up with that dagger in my stomach,¡± Arkk said as he approached. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to be turned into one of those Underworld shades.¡±

    Zullie waved her hand back and forth. ¡°Oh, that wouldn¡¯t happen. We stabbed a chicken, just to check.¡±

    Arkk paused. He had been excessively busy, but he did his best to pay attention to what Zullie was doing. He didn¡¯t recall her asking for approval for that. ¡°What were the results?¡± He hesitated to ask but his curiosity got the better of him.

    ¡°Well, as tends to happen to something stabbed by a blade, it bled out and died.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Arkk said, wondering why he felt disappointed.

    ¡°Then it turned into a shadow monster.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Tried to kill us, I think, but didn¡¯t manage much. It just kept pecking at our shadows.¡±

    ¡°It still hurt,¡± Morvin added, rubbing at his arm.

    ¡°I dispatched it with a flash of light that blew away all the shadows in the room at once,¡± Zullie said, frowning to herself. ¡°Which, combined with its strength remaining that of a chicken, is an unfortunate weakness that makes similar creatures rather infeasible in any kind of combat capacity. Even the most inept casters can create simple light spells.¡±

    Arkk shifted his weight from foot to foot. ¡°Right,¡± he said. ¡°Of course they can.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, chicken aside, I wasn¡¯t expecting a visit today.¡± She scrunched up her cheeks as if she were narrowing her eyes. It didn¡¯t quite work with her lack of eyes. ¡°And a guest? Prisoner for experimentation or ally¡­ for experimentation?¡±

    Arkk glanced at the dark elf, who had decided to return to her quiescence, before looking back to Zullie. ¡°This is Claire. She volunteered for Project Liminal. Assuming you¡¯re still looking to progress with that project.¡±

    ¡°Liminal..?¡± Zullie asked, half turning.

    Morvin cleared his throat. ¡°The¡­ uh¡­ ¡®reality layer¡¯ project.¡±

    Zullie snapped her fingers. ¡°Right. Interesting project. The chicken we tried it on fell through the world. Pretty sure that¡¯s because it can¡¯t think, though. Someone who could think would be able to control the power much better. Probably.¡±

    ¡°Another chicken?¡± Arkk mumbled before shaking his head. ¡°It fell through the world?¡±

    ¡°More of a sucked through the world,¡± Morvin said, gesturing with his hands. ¡°Like it squeezed itself into the thin gaps between the floor tiles.¡± He paused, frowned, then added, ¡°And then it exploded.¡±

    With a sigh, Arkk turned to Claire. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for wasting your time. And for causing that fight with Kia. If you¡ª¡±

    Claire didn¡¯t even look at him. She stepped forward, a single step past him, and looked to Zullie. ¡°Can you give me the power to crush a demon?¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything else. No context. No elaboration.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about crush,¡± Zullie said with a thoughtful hum. ¡°If you can use it the way I think it should work¡­ How does peeling apart the layers of reality holding it together sound? Like an onion.¡±

    ¡°Will that be painful?¡±

    ¡°Excruciatingly so, I¡¯d imagine.¡±

    Claire didn¡¯t hesitate. An unpleasant smile worked its way across her face. ¡°I can work with that.¡±

    Zullie¡¯s smile matched Claire¡¯s. ¡°Wonderful. Welcome aboard.¡±

    Arkk¡­ let out a small sigh.

 Arrival in Mystakeen

    As dawn¡¯s first light crested the horizon, a majestic procession emerged from over the hill of the Principality of Vaales, making its way toward the ancient stone bridge that spanned the vast canyon that was Mystakeen¡¯s border. At the head of the caravan, a group of mounted heralds clad in gleaming armor announced the approach of royalty with the melodious call of trumpets echoing against the canyon walls.

    In all his time serving the Duchy, Hawkwood had never had a face-to-face meeting with the King or any of his immediate family. Duke Levi Woldair gained his position through a hereditary title, one earned by his thrice-great grandfather after he successfully led the war that reclaimed the territory of the current Duchy from the Yzanstani Empire¡ªthe predecessor to the current Evestani Sultanate. But the Duke wasn¡¯t related to the royals. At no point in his family line had anyone married into King Lafoar¡¯s line.

    Despite that, Hawkwood was fairly certain that he knew what to expect. He had met his fair share of counts, viscounts, scions, and earls. He had sat in on meetings with generals and commanders, plenty of whom had earned their positions through nepotism rather than achievement. Prince Cedric Valorian Lafoar was said to have waged a brutal campaign of suppression in Vaales, quelling the revolt so thoroughly that he had to have more tactical and strategic skill than a nepotism position could have warranted¡­

    Yet, if Arkk¡¯s suspicion was correct and Prince Cedric had used a demon¡ªhad fed the revolting population to a demon¡ªthen all that image was nothing more than bluster. Hawkwood fully expected an arrogant child who had never had to want a day in his life, so detached from the reality the rest of the population lived in that he could barely be considered human.

    ¡°So which will it be?¡± Hawkwood murmured, standing with his best men at the entrance to the canyon bridge that linked Mystakeen and Vaales. ¡°Brutal warlord or arrogant boy?¡±

    White Company stood on the Duchy¡¯s side of the bridge, their black chevron on white background banners held high. They were here today as honor guards, not as warriors. Ordinarily, the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard who were stationed at the fort near the bridge would have been present as well. They weren¡¯t. The fort was deserted.

    Lady Katja had done an unexpectedly adequate job of enticing the Grand Guard to her banner, but she had failed here. The soldiers stationed at the border fort had heard of Prince Cedric. Not the demon summoning rumors, but just his more popularly known methods of quelling the Vaales rebellion. Even that was enough for them to fear what he might do upon his arrival.

    It didn¡¯t look as if he had come to battle.

    The Prince¡¯s caravan was more rugged than a wealthy scion might favor. It still managed opulence with the heralds and the banners embedded with woven threads of gold. But the carriage in the back¡ªthe one likely carrying Prince Cedric¡ªwas armored. A veritable fortress of metal plates and ritual enchantments. Narrow slits in its sides allowed the occupants a view without exposing themselves. Great beasts pulled the carriage. A pair of manticores. Hawkwood recognized their lion-like bodies and large, scorpion-like tails from books, though he had never seen one in person. Their eyes held an intelligence far greater than any average mule.

    This was a carriage designed for a person who knew the realities of war.

    Once upon a time, Hawkwood might have found it impressive. The metalwork and the rituals were clearly of fine craftsmanship. It could likely withstand some minor bombardment magic, at least for a single wave of castings.

    Unfortunately for its impressiveness, he had seen the Walking Fortress.

    Behind the carriage, a contingent of soldiers marched. Some on horseback, some on foot. They were not dressed in the ornate armor typical of ceremonial guards but in practical, battle-ready gear that was still light enough to travel in despite their number being too small to fight a proper battle. Their eyes scanned the surroundings with the vigilance of men who had seen combat but weren¡¯t expecting any fight today. Not here, anyway. Hawkwood knew that look. The experienced members of White Company were the same.

    The procession slowed as they approached the bridge. It was too narrow to march everyone across in the same formation that they had moved with prior. This was the weak point. If Hawkwood¡ªor Lady Katja¡ªhad been intending subterfuge, this would be the opportune moment. Alchemical explosives placed underneath the bridge could send the entire procession down to the depths of the canyon in one fell move.

    So it didn¡¯t surprise Hawkwood when they took the bridge slowly. First with just a few men, all of whom looked to be experienced casters, sweeping prepared wands around as they advanced, likely looking for any sign of explosives. Footmen advanced next, taking the bridge in small squads, each with a mule pulling a cart of supplies.

    As the groups reached the Mystakeen side of the bridge, the men quickly arranged themselves in a defensive formation. Hawkwood spent some time observing them, somewhat wary of the Prince himself, despite having been ordered here to meet the man. It was with some relief that the soldiers didn¡¯t appear to be gunning for a fight. The formation was more formality than anything else. They squared up, matching White Company, but were at ease.

    Hawkwood did not doubt that they could be ordered to violence at a single word from the Prince¡ªWhite Company was the same¡ªbut if the plan was to fight, they hadn¡¯t been told about it.

    The fortified carriage finally moved up to the bridge, drawing Hawkwood¡¯s attention back to the procession. The massive, muscular manticores that pulled it moved with surprising haste. With no footmen in the way, it cleared the vast bridge in a matter of moments, not wanting to stick around and give further opportunity for sabotage.

    Now that it was closer, Hawkwood could see shadows moving in the thin slits of its walls. Its occupants shifted in place as they looked about the exterior. Hawkwood, at the fore of the White Company reception, waited, expecting the Prince to come out for a greeting¡ªor for him to send someone in his place, but the carriage merely pulled in line with the rest of the footmen and stopped, now waiting for the rest of the procession to make its way across the bridge.

    It was not a quick affair. Although they were less wary now that the carriage had gotten across, there were still at least two hundred soldiers that had to make their way over, plus the myriad horsemen, and then the squires and logisticmen along with their carts of supplies. By the time the caravan made it fully across the bridge, the sun was high in the sky.

    One of the horsemen broke away from the rest of the group and dismounted, followed by his own set of honor guards. He was a man of imposing stature, almost as tall as an elf, clad in the hardened leather and metal of a leader with only a single regalia of royalty to associate the man with the Prince. Perhaps Hawkwood was projecting on the man, but he carried himself with the assurance of one who had commanded on the battlefield, his eyes sharp and assessing as they swept over Hawkwood and his men.

    Hawkwood, on foot, stepped forward to meet him.

    ¡°Hawkwood, Commander of White Company?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Hawkwood said with a nod of his head.

    ¡°I have heard of your exploits. Both in this and the previous war with the wretched Evestani,¡± the man said, extending a hand. ¡°The legends do you credit.¡±

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    ¡°Legends are often exaggerated,¡± Hawkwood said, keeping his expression neutral. ¡°Might I have your name?¡±

    The man breathed out an amused note as he released Hawkwood¡¯s hand. ¡°You don¡¯t know? Perhaps not as perceptive as I had been led to believe.¡±

    A knot of tension tugged at the base of Hawkwood¡¯s skull. His eyes flicked to the metal carriage.

    ¡°Ah. You thought I would be arriving in that.¡± His laugh only served to increase Hawkwood¡¯s tension. ¡°A deception. Give your enemies a target to strike and they¡¯ll strike it. Disguise the target and they¡¯ll reveal their hands. I couldn¡¯t be sure of your intentions until I safely made it into the Duchy. Or, rather, Mystakeen, isn¡¯t it? The Duke is dead and no heirs exist. My father is¡­ most upset with the situation.¡±

    Father clinched it. ¡°Prince Cedric?¡± Hawkwood dropped into a bow. ¡°I meant no disrespect.¡±

    The man hummed. He offered no casual commentary or assurances that Hawkwood¡¯s informalities were expected or warranted. The note in the hum didn¡¯t exactly carry good connotations. If anything, the way the tone changed made Hawkwood wonder if his bow wasn¡¯t further offending the prince.

    ¡°You have been around Mystakeen a great deal, engaging with all these factions that have arisen. That knowledge is valuable.¡±

    Hawkwood dipped his head in acknowledgment.

    ¡°Come. Walk with me. We make for Cliff. I would have you tell me of this Lady Katja, this Arkk, and the current status of the Evestani invaders on the way.¡±

    ¡°Certainly, Sir,¡± Hawkwood said with another bow. He would tell Prince Cedric whatever he wanted to know.

    And, in the meanwhile, he would keep his eyes and ears open for any sign of a demonic presence or the requisite materials necessary to summon a demon. If he could confirm that rumor¡­ Well, his personal allegiances would be all the clearer.

    <hr>

    ¡°Your presence is unwanted and unnecessary.¡±

    A stiff breeze swept across the water, carrying with it the tang of salt and the pungent odor of seaweed from the shore. It whipped the ships¡¯ hoisted sails, causing them to flutter and snap in the wind. The sound mingled with that of the distant cries of gulls circling above.

    The warships, moored in the span of sea that divided the bulk of Evestani¡¯s lands from the jagged cliffs of Mystakeen, gently rocked back and forth with the wind and waves. Large cranes mounted to the sides of the ships lowered smaller boats to ferry soldiers and supplies to land. Each boat brought over a force of strength and support.

    Unneeded strength and support.

    Not one of the ships bore the emblem of the Golden Sun, nor did they display striped banners of the Duchy of Mystakeen or the greater Kingdom of Chernlock. The breeze kicked up into a harsh wind, unfurling the great black flag bearing nine white swords of the Eternal Empire.

    A young boy with glowing gold tattoos around his skull stared out in distaste from the cliffside. The one possessing his body had long thought he had seen the last of that flag. To have it here now flooded his body with ill feelings and simmering anger. His teeth clenched tight enough to hurt his jaw, not that the one possessing his body noticed or cared.

    ¡°You squandered your opportunity.¡±

    The boy¡¯s head wrenched to the side as his teeth clenched harder. Worse still was the woman at his side, watching from the cliff.

    She stood tall. Graceful. She was like the stories of elves except for the lack of her pointed ears. A golden ring, with nine spikes jutting off it, hovered just behind her head. A matching golden glove covered only her right hand. With a black, flowing dress and a white cape, all adorned with fine gold, the boy thought she was as beautiful yet terrifying. It was her eyes. Her whole face. Framed with blonde hair, her luminous white eyes stared down without a single emotion. She was as impassive as a statue. Her lips maintained a perfect mask of neutrality.

    Normal people didn¡¯t act like that, the boy knew, not when he was like this. Those who weren¡¯t a part of the Golden Order were often awed, disturbed, or frightened, and rightfully so, when in the presence of a god. Even the boy could hardly believe that he was in the honored position of serving as a vessel. It was what he had been born to do. He had been raised for this, granted the sacred markings, and now he got to watch as his god acted through his hands.

    Except his god wasn¡¯t happy. And this woman wasn¡¯t impressed. It looked more like she wanted to crush him under the spiked heel of her boot.

    ¡°Why appear before me in this form?¡±

    The two were talking. The boy didn¡¯t understand the words. He and all those like him were taught a special language, only known by them and their handlers. But their god didn¡¯t speak in that language, nor did anyone else.

    ¡°You take me for a fool? You think I don¡¯t know what you plan? The moment this truce ends, I¡¯ll be fighting you off my lands.¡±

    ¡°Your lands?¡± The woman turned, leaning down. She touched her finger to the boy¡¯s chin. ¡°Immortality, power, prestige. Anything you want, so long as you continue to serve the Heart of Gold. These are not your lands. These are Their lands.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Everything that is mine is Hers.¡± The boy smiled. A grin spread across his face that wasn¡¯t his own. ¡°And if I say the Heart of Gold wants it all?¡±

    The woman¡¯s face remained inexpressive and utterly still. She leaned back upright, looking down on the boy. ¡°Then I invite you to the Almighty¡¯s shores once again to try to take them.¡±

    Frustration. Anger. Annoyance. Emotions seeped through. The boy didn¡¯t know what they were speaking about, only that his god wasn¡¯t happy with it. The boy didn¡¯t understand. Why not smite the woman here and now? Such insults¡ªfor what other meaning could those words hold¡ªwere undeserving for the ears of a god.

    ¡°Regardless, attacking you now would violate our truce. I will depart these lands peacefully once we have finished our work. Unless you give me cause to act otherwise.¡±

    The boy scoffed as both turned their gazes back to the sea.

    The warships continued to unload. There wasn¡¯t a large port here, so everything had to be carried on the smaller boats.

    ¡°Where is our contemporary?¡± the woman asked as they watched a cleric in stylish robes that almost matched the woman¡¯s dress direct laborers to their tasks.

    ¡°Huh? You think the¡­ the¡­ Lacking Light would actually show up?¡±

    ¡°The truce¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you get it?¡± The boy tapped the side of his head. ¡°You are the only one who cares about that truce. It is, at most, a polite fiction between us. One which can be nullified the moment it becomes convenient.¡±

    The woman stared for a long moment before calmly turning away. ¡°I suppose it is no great loss. With the¡­ diminishment of the Holy Light, I question her ability to contribute meaningfully.¡±

    ¡°It is a shame she didn¡¯t show her face. She wouldn¡¯t be able to resist stabbing us in the back. But I¡¯d be a step ahead¡­¡±

    ¡°Save your energy for our true opponent. This should be the final servant. The final link to that abysmal hell. We sever it and this world will finally be saved.¡±

    The boy looked up to the woman, one eyebrow popping up. ¡°You don¡¯t think the Lock and Key or the presence of the Cloak of Shadows¡¯ regalia implies that we¡¯re too late?¡±

    ¡°It may take work, but so long as we prevent the issue from spreading, we will be victorious in the end. The Solution can be mended once more.¡±

    Frustration welled within the boy once more as he stared at the side of the woman¡¯s head. Another gust of wind picked up, fluttering her cape. One lock of hair ended low on her face, hanging over her white eyes. Only then did a flash of irritation¡ªher first emotion¡ªcross her face. She raised her hand slowly and deliberately.

    With a snap of her fingers, the air stilled. The flags atop the boats drooped as if there were no air at all. Not only was the wind silent, but the woman¡¯s blonde hair was back, swept over the top of her head where it draped down her back. The boy hadn¡¯t seen her move to fix the stray lock.

    The boy felt his eyes roll.

    ¡°I¡¯ll return in a few days¡¯ time,¡± his mouth said, the words alien and unfamiliar in his mouth. ¡°I fear my subjects have grown a minor streak of independence in my absence. They must be reminded of their duties.¡±

    The woman, dismissive, waved her hand as she lowered it back to her hip. ¡°I will alert you once the remainder of my forces arrive.¡±

    The boy sagged in place, feeling the divine presence leave his body. He fell to his hands and knees, trying to remind his body how to breathe on its own. He panted, clenched his fists, and stared up with a glare as he sucked air down his lungs.

    The woman still stood at the cliff¡¯s edge, watching over the sea. She didn¡¯t look at him. She didn¡¯t see him.

    A righteous rage filled every bone in his body as he got to his shaking feet. There were no handlers around. No other vessels. Just the woman who dared to disrespect his god.

    He raised his hands before he could stop himself. His god hadn¡¯t acted against the woman. Who was he to try anything? A nobody. Which made him the perfect vessel to act. He could suffer any punishment, even death, and none would care.

    The boy reached forward, shoving.

    A snapping of fingers echoed in his ears.

    He found himself over the edge of the cliff, tumbling and falling through the air. He spun over and over again, catching a glimpse of the woman at the edge of the cliff above. She stood, impassive and imposing, staring out at the sea without a single regard for him as he tumbled to the jagged rocks below.

 Dawn

    The chamber, dimly lit by specially tuned glowstones to keep the light levels low, was thick with the scent of magic. It was practically tangible, more akin to the air in the Underworld. It was a different sort of magic, however, yet one familiar to Arkk. Now that he was experiencing it for a third time, he could easily pick up on Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key¡¯s touch of magic in the air.

    Claire, once a formidable dark elf warrior, now lay vulnerable on the bed. Her body, wracked by the unseen forces of the god of boundaries, barriers, and separation, had an almost imperceptible layer of ghostly shimmering covering every visible part of her. Project Liminal was designed to explore the limits of physical and magical realms.

    Claire hadn¡¯t lost her eyes over it, but the way she stared around the room, eyes tracking things that Arkk couldn¡¯t perceive, made him wonder if she hadn¡¯t lost something more.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Arkk asked, his voice soft and concerned. He watched, already able to hear Kia¡¯s irritated voice telling them both that she had told them so.

    Claire turned her head to face him. Ghostly trails of afterimages followed the motion, each moving ever so slightly out of sync with her head. A lock of hair fell in a different place in one. In another, her face twisted in a grimace. A hundred different afterimages blurred together until they merged back with her actual head.

    The afterimages didn¡¯t stop there. They lurched upward, bending and twisting in silvery, translucent shapes that blurred and shifted into an indistinct blob. Arkk watched, feeling ill at ease yet forcing himself to stand firm. He was the one who had brought her here. He had a responsibility to Claire.

    The movement of the ghostly shapes coalesced into one, slowly gaining definition as more and more settled into place. At the end of it, Claire was left sitting on the edge of her bed, elbows propped up on her knees with her head held in her hands.

    ¡°Dizzy,¡± she said, the one word multiplying in the air around the small chamber as if spoken by a dozen different versions of Claire at once. ¡°Better than I was yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Quite a remarkable recovery,¡± Zullie said, stepping forward from her perch at the back wall. ¡°In a week, I imagine you¡¯ll be back to your old self. Mentally, if not physically.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve meticulously mended her mind, merging multiple meandering memories into a single, seamless self,¡± Savren said. ¡°From this frontier, her fate hinges wholly on herself.¡±

    ¡°Multiple memories?¡± Arkk asked, raising an eyebrow. He hadn¡¯t heard anything like that during Zullie¡¯s briefing on Project Liminal.

    ¡°Claire is currently experiencing reality on several different layers and can act independently on each of those layers,¡± Zullie said, sparing Arkk from having to parse Savren¡¯s curse. ¡°I should have expected it, but each version of herself had its own separate thoughtstream that stemmed from the¡­ Claire Prime. Savren performed a little magic to help merge them into one contiguous thoughtstream, which has helped with her¡­ recovery.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Arkk said, not quite sure what he saw. ¡°Was it¡­¡± He looked from Zullie to Claire. ¡°Was it worth it? Or¡­¡±

    ¡°You tell me,¡± Zullie said, reaching into her pocket. She withdrew a dozen smooth river stones, all gripped in her fist. ¡°Claire, don¡¯t get hit.¡±

    Without any further warning for the impaired dark elf, Zullie flung the entire fistful of rocks.

    Arkk, surprised at the sudden attack, teleported backward out of the way of more than a few that had gone wide, only to realize that he had left Claire completely exposed to the rain of stones. He tried to teleport her away, only for his grip on her to slip as her form blurred with thousands of ghostly afterimages.

    The ghostly versions of Claire raised their hands, each moving in a different place. For just a bare instant, those hands solidified one after another the moment the rocks hit before fading back into ghostly afterimages. The rocks fell harmlessly to the ground. The blurred versions of Claire merged back into one, leaving her right where she had been before Zullie threw the rocks, sitting on the side of her bed with her head in her hands.

    ¡°Good,¡± Zullie said, glasses gleaming in front of her eyeless sockets. ¡°Now catch.¡± Pinching a blade between her fingers, Zullie drew back and flung it across the room. The clumsy throw couldn¡¯t compare to the accuracy Lexa could wield. Even before it left her grip, Arkk could tell that it would go wide.

    But the ghostly shimmerings twisted and moved to push the blur that was Claire into the way. A few looked like they got hit, but the blade passed through them without apparent harm. One afterimage grabbed hold of the hilt, solidifying for just an instant before snapping back to Claire.

    Claire transitioned from sitting on the bed to standing in a ready pose without actually crossing the intervening space. She just reappeared where one of the afterimages had been, now holding onto the knife.

    ¡°And slice,¡± Zullie said, tossing a much larger stone across the room.

    Once again, Claire¡¯s afterimages moved while leaving Claire Prime in her stance. A few stumbled and staggered, looking more intoxicated than anything else, but several still managed to swing the knife Claire now held down on the stone.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what he had been expecting. The blade had looked entirely mundane in Zullie¡¯s hands. No matter how sharp it was, it would have just clanged off the stone. Or, since the stone was moving, just knocked it down while likely chipping and dulling the metal.

    The stone split clean in two.

    Claire wasn¡¯t done there. Another afterimage was already in position, swinging the blade horizontally to cut the two halves into four. Those afterimages multiplied, each swinging at the stone until nothing was left but dust drifting to the floor.

    Claire stood, all the ghosts of herself collapsing into one. She straightened her shoulders, looking down at the remnants of the rock with something akin to utter disdain. Arkk could only imagine that she was picturing the golden knight in its place. Her moment of victory didn¡¯t last long before she blurred once again, with all the versions of herself looking like they were retching onto the floor.

    The real her wiped at her lips with a foul grimace. ¡°I think I just threw up in a thousand different ways.¡±

    ¡°Not surprising,¡± Zullie said. ¡°At least you held yourself together for the entire demonstration this time. Get some rest.¡±

    Claire nodded her head. One of her dropped the knife on the table while the rest just sort of drifted back to the bed where she reformed properly, already underneath the blanket.

    Zullie looked to Arkk. Even without eyes, she managed an expectant look.

    Deciding to not disturb Claire further, or allow Zullie to throw more things at her, Arkk teleported himself, Savren, and Zullie to the adjoining laboratory room. Zullie¡¯s primary workshop deep within Fortress Al-Mir. Arcane sigils and half-formed ritual circles covered practically every surface while papers and tomes had been left scattered on tables, chairs, and even the floor.

    ¡°Well? Impressed?¡±

    Considering for a short moment, Arkk allowed himself a nod of his head. ¡°If she recovers fully, I¡¯ll be very impressed. To the point where I¡¯ll wonder if you can¡¯t do that to me.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s sensed a semblance of separation, seemingly sprung from her less-than-singular sensation of reality. Such severance may steadfastly stay, scarcely subsiding.¡±

    ¡°Claire has expressed feeling like she doesn¡¯t quite belong,¡± Zullie clarified. ¡°Like she¡¯s living outside where everyone else is living. I presume this is a mental issue,¡± she dismissed with a shrug. ¡°Time will tell whether she gets over it or not.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. Of course, there was a greater issue.

    ¡°Continuing your concept,¡± Savren said, ¡°your connection to the core constitutes a challenge that could render such risky research applied to you remarkably¡­ risky.¡±

    ¡°My connection¡­ The Heart?¡± Arkk asked, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°Claire doesn¡¯t exactly exist in our layer of reality as much as she used to. It isn¡¯t a problem for her, metaphysically speaking, but for you? Well, I don¡¯t know much about these Hearts, but we do have an example in Priscilla regarding what happens if you break them. And you, Arkk, are far less hardy than a dragonoid.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arkk said. Claire was still his employee, he could sense that much. But the way his attempt to teleport her out of harm¡¯s way had failed¡­ ¡°No experimenting with anything that might break the Heart or my connection to it.¡±

    ¡°In any case,¡± Zullie said, ¡°with the obvious success of Project Liminal, I was wondering if you might be reinterested in revisiting Project Sunder. It¡¯s based partially on the same principles, so¡­¡±

    ¡°For now, focus on Claire. I¡­¡± Arkk pursed his lips together. The Prince was practically at Cliff already. If the man decided to summon his demon, their best bet for dealing with it wasn¡¯t out of bed. ¡°I need to get to Cliff.¡±

    There were a few meetings he needed to conduct before the Prince¡¯s arrival.

    <hr>

    Arkk glanced up and down the empty street deep within the slums near Cliff¡¯s harbor. Most of the general population wouldn¡¯t recognize him. Being completely unseen wasn¡¯t his goal, otherwise he would have tunneled as far as he could before surfacing. He just needed to make sure he avoided anyone associated with the Abbey of the Light. Or Lady Katja.

    He would visit her later, after his current task was finished.

    For now, he made his way through the narrow, winding alleys, wrinkling his nose at the smell in the air. The salt-sea air stung at his nose, mixing with the stench of refuse and stagnation. Streams of murky water meandered along the uneven cobblestones. The buildings, a patchwork of salvaged wood, stone, and metal, leaned against one another for support, all slowly rotting away from the salty air.

    Not much had changed since Arkk¡¯s last visit to Cliff. It was a bit disappointing to see. He knew Katja wasn¡¯t going to focus on rebuilding the district in which most of the city¡¯s non-humans lived, but he had been hoping that some positive changes would sweep through simply because of the Duke¡¯s absence. Then again, it had only been a month. Two? How long had it been?

    Time seemed to have slipped away from him. He had been so focused on Elmshadow, both before and after retaking it from Evestani, that the days had blurred together.

    Either way, no change would happen overnight. If, in a year, the slums were still as they were today, he might put a little pressure on Katja to improve conditions. Assuming the city hadn¡¯t fallen under rays of gold or been torn to shreds by the claws of a demon.

    The muscular form of a hulking minotaur came up the alley as Arkk walked down it. Minotaurs were rare, something he had only heard of in stories. He didn¡¯t think any lived outside the lands of the Beastmen Tribes further west even Evestani. They were tall beings¡ªnot as tall as the Protector¡¯s bodies, but still tall enough to see the roofs of the shorter buildings around the slums. Where Protectors were thin and lithe, more like spiders, minotaurs were the exact opposite, thick and bulky with layers of muscle. Their skin was more like stone and the coarse fur that grew across their bodies was thick enough to stop an arrow.

    Seeing it, Arkk almost offered it a job on the spot.

    But he wasn¡¯t here for recruitment today. He simply stepped aside, letting the minotaur pass. Each footfall of its hooves shook the ground. As soon as it was on its way, Arkk leaned down to the shadow trailing after him.

    ¡°Do you think you can find that one later, maybe feel out for any interest in working with us?¡±

    Lexa pulled back her hood just enough for Arkk to see her red eyebrow half up her forehead. ¡°I think it would be hard not to find a minotaur. Did you see the size of that thing? I¡¯m as big as its thumb.¡±

    She was exaggerating. Though, perhaps from the perspective of a gremlin, it really felt like that.

    ¡°I wonder what it is doing here,¡± Lexa continued with a small hum.

    ¡°Might be another thing to find out,¡± Arkk said. It wasn¡¯t just the distance from the Beastmen Tribes that was odd. Demihumans and the more humanoid beastmen were generally accepted in human-occupied towns and villages¡ªor, in Cliff, perhaps tolerated was the right word. But the further a species strayed from human, the less likely they would find themselves welcome. They either had to be unassuming and obviously not threats, like flopkin, or they had to be useful, like harpies.

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    Arkk didn¡¯t believe for a moment that minotaurs were rampaging bulls ready to go wild at the slightest provocation. But the fact that it could crush someone under its hoof and probably only notice as an afterthought would frighten a great many humans¡­ and likely others as well. Gremlins, for instance.

    ¡°After our meeting, see what you can find out.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t long before they arrived at their destination. A run-down old tavern that looked like the mold and mildew were holding it together more than the nails jutting out from its wooden planks at odd angles. Strangely enough, it wasn¡¯t far from the Primrose Inn, which was in far better shape. The Primrose tried for at least a mild air of welcoming.

    This, The Burned Cauldron, looked like it was trying to ward off customers.

    Arkk stepped inside and immediately coughed at the smoke-filled air. He wafted his hand back and forth in front of his face. It didn¡¯t help. Narrowing his eyes, he looked around and found his target seated in the far back corner. He was leaning half out of his chair to reach toward another table, trying to slip a coin purse off an orc¡¯s belt.

    ¡°Lovely,¡± Arkk mumbled to himself as he made his way across the room. With the chair tipped back on two legs, all it took was a light knock of his boot to tip the chair all the way over.

    With a yelp and a flailing of his arms, Edvin crashed to the ground.

    The orc, realizing that Edvin had his hand around the now-freed sack of coins, stood and started for a small dagger on his belt. Before he could even touch it, Lexa was perched on his shoulders with the tip of her blade pressed against his throat. The orc went utterly still, as did the rest of the room as they focused on the commotion.

    Sighing, Arkk bent and plucked the coin purse from Edvin¡¯s hand. ¡°We have business with your friend here,¡± he said to the orc, tossing the pouch at its owner. ¡°Get out.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just¡ª¡±

    Lexa dug the tip of her blade further into his throat. She barely avoided breaking his skin. Speaking the wrong word a little too carelessly would have made him cut himself.

    The orc grimaced. ¡°Sure,¡± he agreed easily, trying to hiss the word without moving his throat.

    Lexa hopped off the orc¡¯s shoulders with a nod from Arkk. Her cloak, adjusted so that she was more real than a transparent shadow, fluttered lightly as she stood atop the table. The orc looked like he was considering drawing his dagger again but, as his eyes roamed over that cloak, he decided on the wiser course of action. Grabbing a wooden flagon from the table, he hurried away.

    Arkk turned his glare down on Edvin, who was brushing himself off as he righted his chair.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t your mother ever tell you not to disturb a man while he is working?¡± the thief grumbled.

    ¡°My mother died when I was five.¡±

    Edvin shifted, looking uncomfortable for all of five seconds, then hastily retook his seat. ¡°Well, it would have been less attention-grabbing if you had just let me finish.¡±

    Arkk couldn¡¯t deny that. Conversations around the small tavern had started back up again. He could tell that almost everyone still had their eyes on this corner.

    Ah well. It wasn¡¯t like they were going to be subtle for long. None of the people present were likely to go running to the Abbey or Katja anyway.

    ¡°It would have been less attention-grabbing if you had kept your hands to yourself,¡± Arkk said, sitting across the table from Edvin with his back to the wall, in clear view of the door. ¡°I pay you to watch Katja, not steal from random people.¡±

    Edvin lightly cleared his throat. ¡°In fairness to me, I don¡¯t think that purse belonged to the orc. The wear on the pouch didn¡¯t match the rest of his attire. It was too new or well-cared for. Likely stolen from someone from a wealthier district of the city.¡±

    Arkk sighed, long and slow. ¡°Is there anything going on in the city that I care about?¡±

    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t care about crime rates in the city. Hmm¡­ The Abbey of the Light has been acting strangely for the last¡­ few weeks?¡±

    ¡°Stranger how?¡±

    ¡°See, they normally like being seen around doing things. Helping people, providing aid, and¡­ assisting with life, I guess. Real altruistic sorts. But a few weeks ago, they shuttered the doors to all the churches in the city. The lowest acolytes are still around, maintaining the buildings and doing what little they can to carry on helping people, but there have been no Suun sermons, no sign of abbesses or priests or anyone above their standing around the city. No one but inquisitors,¡± Edvin hissed. ¡°Been a number of them out at nights, moving around the city like they¡¯re patrolling it.¡±

    Arkk frowned, leaning back for a moment in thought. ¡°They haven¡¯t acted against Katja?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Had a meeting or two with her. They seem to want to play nice for now. One of my old buddies who¡¯s stationed as a palace guard said that they came to warn her of potential threats to the city.¡±

    ¡°Palace?¡± Arkk started, only to shake his head. Whatever she wanted to call the Duke¡¯s manor didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Warned of what? Demons?¡±

    Edvin jolted in his seat. He promptly started looking around with obvious trepidation, as if the mere utterance of the word might bring down something unholy on their heads. ¡°Good Light, no. Whatever gave you that idea?¡±

    Arkk had warned Katja of the suspected dealings Prince Cedric had. But he supposed he had forgotten to warn Edvin. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. What was the meeting about?¡±

    ¡°It sure sounds like it matters. Why even bring those things up?¡±

    ¡°Edvin¡­¡±

    The thief took in a breath, steadying himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the meeting was about, exactly. But it certainly wasn¡¯t that. All I know is that Katja has been in and out of the local academy nearly every day.¡±

    ¡°She is a caster¡­ One self-taught from books her old slave master had,¡± Arkk said slowly. ¡°It isn¡¯t a surprise that she would go looking for a bit more of a formal education.¡±

    ¡°The frequency and late hours suggest she is looking for something a little more specific,¡± Edvin countered. ¡°Looking for something like how to stop¡­ those?¡±

    ¡°Edvin, I¡¯m sorry I brought anything up that made you uncomfortable. Try to forget it. It isn¡¯t a problem yet.¡±

    ¡°Yet?¡± he squeaked.

    Arkk was saved from having to say anything else with the tavern door slamming open. With his back to the wall, he didn¡¯t need to turn to see the woman wearing a black long coat step through. She wore a large pair of round glasses that weren¡¯t completely clear. The glass had a heavy amber tint.

    Just over her shoulders, Arkk spotted two others. An unassuming man with a pendant dangling from his neck wearing attire that matched that of the inquisitor. He was bald with small, narrowed eyes as he looked around the room with suspicion. And, behind him¡­

    Another woman. This woman, darker in skin tone than was typical of Mystakeen, likely hailed from either Chernlock or outside the kingdom entirely. Perhaps the same place as Katja. More important were the tattoos on her face and forehead. Arkk almost flung a lightning bolt the moment he saw their pale white glow, fearing the golden avatar had finally caught up to him. But the color was wrong and they were circular rather than rectangular.

    They formed the familiar trio of inquisitor, chronicler, and purifier. Part of the Abbey of the Light, not his enemies.

    He was still wary. The Abbey of the Light wasn¡¯t exactly not his enemies. The fact that they were here¡­

    ¡°I thought you said the inquisition went out at night?¡± Arkk hissed as he tried to look eminently unimportant.

    Edvin shrugged, his tense shoulders betraying the feelings behind the casual movement. ¡°They were! How was I supposed to expect this?¡±

    The purifier was the one to watch out for. Not that the other two could be dismissed easily, he had experienced that battle firsthand when Vrox and his chronicler invaded his fortress. Together, they had held off twenty combatants, including himself, Vezta, and gorgon. But they were a known factor. The purifier would have powerful magics that, until he saw what form those magics took, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to guess at how to defend himself. Even then, based on Agnete and Tybalt¡¯s magic, he wasn¡¯t sure he would be able to defend himself regardless.

    Despite his attempts at being just another unassuming patron of the run-down tavern, the inquisitor took one look around the room and promptly marched her way over.

    The lack of magic flying through the air was something of a relief. If they knew who he was, they would know how dangerous he was. He held no doubts that Vrox had reported on his shortened castings for lightning bolts, if nothing else. Which meant this was hopefully nothing more than a social call.

    Edvin hissed back, ¡°Should have just let me take the coin purse. Then that orc wouldn¡¯t have gone crying to the Abbey.¡±

    ¡°That was two minutes ago. There is no way he got an inquisitor out here that fast.¡±

    The inquisitor¡¯s heavy boots thumped to a stop at the edge of Arkk¡¯s table. ¡°The oracles foresaw your arrival.¡±

    ¡°Did they now?¡± Arkk shot a victorious look at Edvin before smiling up at the inquisitor. ¡°Well isn¡¯t that lovely. If you wouldn¡¯t mind passing along a message to your oracles that I don¡¯t exactly like to be watched, I would very much appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± the inquisitor said, tone utterly flat.

    ¡°So,¡± Arkk said, ¡°to what do I owe the visit, Inquisitrix..?¡±

    ¡°Inquisitrix Lui is enough for you,¡± the woman said, planting her palms on the table as she looked between Arkk and Edvin. Despite Lexa slowly creeping around the side of the table, Lui didn¡¯t spare the cloaked gremlin a single glance.

    Arkk waited a moment. Once again, the entire tavern had gone silent. Beastmen and demihumans had their eyes on his little corner of the room. So much for not raising a commotion.

    ¡°As for the purpose of the visit,¡± Inquisitrix Lui continued, ¡°there has been some division in the Abbey as of late.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry to hear that,¡± Arkk lied, not that he bothered to hide his sarcasm. If they were fighting among themselves, they weren¡¯t fighting him. ¡°I suppose you have a lot to deal with because of that,¡± he said, moving to stand. ¡°I better not take up any more of your time.¡±

    A new voice cut in from near the door. ¡°Leaving already, Arkk? And here I came all this way¡­¡±

    Arkk blinked twice. He had been focused on the inquisitorial squad in front of him, not on the door. A woman with white hair, red eyes, and a matching inquisitorial uniform stood. She ran one thick hand, gloved in brown leather, over her hair.

    She was panting, ever so slightly, as if exhausted from a long run.

    ¡°Inquisitrix Astra?¡±

    Sylvara Astra stepped into the room, clearly trying to hide her exhaustion as she strode over with a straight back. Her gait, somewhat lopsided thanks to Hale¡¯s work in healing her missing leg, was just a little too unsteady.

    ¡°Astra?¡± Sylvara asked. ¡°Who did you have writing your letters to me?¡±

    ¡°I wrote them myself,¡± Arkk said, though he paused as he remembered something. ¡°Or Ilya, if you remember her.¡±

    Sylvara frowned for a moment before flicking her red eyes over to her fellow inquisitors. ¡°I asked you to wait for me.¡±

    ¡°I wished to see his reaction without your presence.¡±

    Offering a small sigh, Sylvara shook her head and looked to Arkk. ¡°This is Inquisitrix Vin Lui, Chronicler Klink, and Purifier Irina. They are¡­ leaning toward a way of thinking that more closely aligns with that of my own rather than the majority of the Abbey.¡±

    ¡°Leaning is a generous way of putting it,¡± Lui said, narrowing her eyes. ¡°I would prefer to judge and execute the situation as usual.¡±

    Her emphasis didn¡¯t fill Arkk with much confidence that they would be working closely together. That said, if they were going to at least act like friends for a short while, he wasn¡¯t willing to turn that down. Especially not with them bringing him a new purifier to observe.

    His eyes turned toward the purifier, taking a look at her tattoos a little closer now that he didn¡¯t feel quite so paranoid about watching her hands. It was a bit strange. They certainly had a glow to them, but her eyes looked¡­ mundane. Assuming all purifiers were avatars of the Pantheon, he had been ready to assume that all of them would have interesting eyes. Tybalt, Agnete, and the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar all had strange eyes that betrayed their power.

    Arkk couldn¡¯t help but wonder if there was something wrong with this Irina. Agnete had been volatile before contracting with him. Tybalt clearly had more than a few issues. The less said about the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar, the better.

    But Irina stood in a fairly casual pose, her arms clasped behind her back. She looked¡­ serene. At ease. As if the tension that had been flying about between him and Lui just wasn¡¯t worth considering.

    He tried to match that with the gods he knew of, trying to get just a little more information without directly asking.

    The Eternal Silence was the only name that jumped out to him. But the god of death, sleep, and stillness didn¡¯t quite fit with the calm ease that Irina gave off. Unknown, the Enigma? The Laughing Prince? Surely not the latter. If Vezta were here, her more in-depth knowledge of the Pantheon might have given her a clue. As it was, Arkk turned to Sylvara.

    ¡°You were researching other gods, right?¡±

    ¡°Vrox focused on that,¡± Sylvara said with a small shake of her head. ¡°I was uncovering techniques used to seal the powers of abominations. Avatars.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t those two topics be related?¡± Arkk asked. ¡°If the powers of avatars all stem from one of the gods, then¡ª¡±

    ¡°As much as I would enjoy discussing the results of my weeks of research, we have a problem.¡± Sylvara paused, glanced around, then leaned in and whispered, ¡°The oracles have predicted the arrival of a great devastation within the Duchy.¡±

    Arkk felt his spirits sink. With the absence of the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar and the calming of the Duchy¡ªat least Mystakeen east of Elmshadow¡ªhe had been hoping that things would continue to remain calm. There was just the Prince to worry about. Which was very likely what she was referring to.

    Shooting a glance at Edvin, who was very much trying to pretend like they weren¡¯t surrounded by inquisitors, he sighed.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Sylvara said, reading his mind. ¡°This venue isn¡¯t exactly the best for talking of such matters. If you would come with us.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go somewhere of my choosing,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t trust you,¡± he said with a nod to Sylvara. ¡°Just not sure that going places with inquisitors is in my best interests.¡±

    It looked like Lui was going to argue, but a look from Sylvara stopped her shot. ¡°Such as..?¡± Lui asked with a frown.

    ¡°Somewhere in the academy, perhaps? It has plenty of empty spaces in the back corridors where we won¡¯t be overheard.¡±

    ¡°If being overheard is the greatest of your worries in the company of four inquisitors, you are a braver man than I anticipated,¡± Lui said. ¡°Or a fool.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hardly defenseless.¡± Even ignoring his abilities, which could take out an avatar if he managed to surprise them, not one of them had glanced toward the shadow creeping about at their backs. ¡°But if your oracles predicted the arrival of this catastrophe,¡± he whispered, ¡°it can¡¯t be referring to me. I¡¯ve been here the whole time. Thus, it makes more sense to work together, doesn¡¯t it? Especially when I might know what this coming disaster refers to and am perfectly willing to help fight it. Neither of us should have to fear from the other.¡±

    Lui hummed before she whirled away with a flourish of her long coat. Lexa managed to step aside just as the woman passed by, still going unnoticed. The chronicler and purifier followed without a word, both seeming at relative ease with the situation. After Arkk stood to follow, Sylvara gave him a nod.

    ¡°Try not to antagonize her too much,¡± she whispered. ¡°I have never been one for hard doctrine when reality disagrees with sermon and you¡¯ve somehow weaseled Vrox over to your side, but Lui is a staunch hardliner. Associating with a heretic like you is likely grating on her more than she shows.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Arkk said, honestly. The less enemies he made, the better.

    ¡°Good.¡± Sylvara gave a slight nod, but paused. Letting some of the formality drop from her posture, she offered a smile. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again. I heard you ran that golden avatar from the Duchy.¡±

    Ah. That explained her attitude toward him. After Gleeful, Sylvara swore vengeance against the avatar. Anyone who could give him a metaphorical black eye was good in her books.

    Unfortunately¡­ ¡°I wish I knew exactly what I did to him. I don¡¯t think we killed him but¡­ he just vanished.¡±

    ¡°A task to figure out together. But first, let¡¯s deal with Lui.¡± With another nod, Sylvara¡¯s back stiffened with a militaristic formality as she headed toward the door.

    Arkk started to follow, only to pause and look back to Edvin.

    ¡°Y¡­ You don¡¯t want me to come with you, do you?¡± Edvin asked, sounding very much like he regretted the words the moment they came out of his mouth. ¡°Not that I¡¯m opposed to the company of frightening women but¡­ I am somewhat opposed to the company of frightening women.¡±

    Arkk rolled his eyes. ¡°Just keep on watching Katja,¡± he whispered. Before Edvin could quip that Katja was a frightening woman as well, he turned and stalked away, letting his shadow trail after him.

 The Binding Agent

    ¡°There are three methods through which the Abbey of the Light creates countermeasures for abominations. Each depends on the level of access we have to the subject.¡±

    Sylvara Astra sat atop an unused desk in the back of Cliff¡¯s magical academy. While she maintained her air of professionalism, she also seemed far more relaxed than any other time Arkk had seen her. Given that those other times involved a siege, limb loss, and long recovery, he wasn¡¯t all that surprised by the ease in her demeanor.

    On the other hand, Inquisitrix Lui sat perfectly still, watching with narrowed eyes and arms crossed over her chest. Whenever Arkk glanced in her direction, he found himself on the receiving end of a glare that could level mountains. He wasn¡¯t entirely certain that Sylvara¡¯s decision to include her was the right one. It felt like the first wrong question or comment would get that tattooed purifier set on him.

    ¡°Ideally, we have direct and cooperative access to subjects. Purifier Irina here,¡± Sylvara continued, waving a lazy hand at the purifier, who sat just to Lui¡¯s side, still looking content with the situation. ¡°She approached the Abbey, asking for help sealing an uncontrollable power. That allowed a progressive, mutually beneficial arrangement.¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a luck vampire, among other things,¡± Lui answered with a stilling glare toward Sylvara, clearly not intending to offer anything more detailed than that.

    She didn¡¯t need to. Among the pantheon, Arkk knew of only one figure that would be associated with Luck. The Fickle Wheel. The god of luck, misfortune, and random chance. Patron god of gamblers everywhere, at least back in Vezta¡¯s day.

    Vampire carried some implications. Namely, that of a creature that feasted on other beings, mostly humans and demihumans. There were said to be vampires inhabiting the forest near Darkwood Burg, as well as other places, but Arkk had never actually encountered one. Supposedly, they could blend in with demihumans to the point where it was difficult to discover one.

    A luck vampire would, logically, feast on the luck of others, diminishing their luck to raise her own? Uncontrollably, if Irina had needed the Abbey¡¯s help in getting the ability under control. Arkk couldn¡¯t picture luck as some kind of commodity that could be moved between people, nor what tangible effects losing or gaining luck could have.

    Luck and misfortune were just terms to describe whether or not the outcome of a situation was beneficial or detrimental. At least, in general use. How such terms might behave under the power of a supposed god of luck was another question entirely.

    Either that one ability was so destructive or otherwise inconvenient that Irina had to find help dealing with it¡­ or there was more to her abilities. Given the way Lui shut down the question before he managed to ask it fully, Arkk was betting on the latter.

    Still, it was a basepoint for potentially dealing with that ability.

    ¡°Through various methods of research,¡± Sylvara continued, ¡°the Abbey¡¯s Binding Specialists developed a ritual array that would vent conceptual luck back into the environment, effectively nullifying the danger posed.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s eyes flicked up to the glowing tattoos that adorned Irina¡¯s forehead. They didn¡¯t look like any ritual array that he was familiar with. Perhaps that was the point. If luck was a commodity, couldn¡¯t an array like that be used on anyone to diminish their luck and, perhaps, raise that of someone else? The Abbey wouldn¡¯t want that kind of magic out in public, able to be studied by anyone like Zullie who happened to spot it.

    Presumably, it could be turned off somehow, allowing the purifier to carry out her job.

    ¡°Tybalt represents the second method of creating a Binding Agent. Uncooperative capture. While Tybalt¡¯s ability was devastating, it required specific motions of his hands. Thus, the Abbey was able to capture him and study him simply by keeping his hands locked in iron gloves. The manacles developed to counteract his abilities did not have any benefit as Irina¡¯s tattoos do. They utilized a planar array to redirect the magic his body produced into an alternate plane.¡±

    For some reason, Arkk wasn¡¯t surprised to hear that the Abbey engaged in anathema like planar magic. He simply nodded his head. ¡°And the third method, I presume, is for when you lack any access to the avatar?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Sylvara said, drumming her gloved hand against the top of the desk as she leaned back against the wall. ¡°It essentially involves creating active items that work to counteract abilities, often using the principle of polar opposites. For example, a marble made of magical ice to shut down intense flames.¡±

    It was Arkk¡¯s turn to narrow his eyes. Agnete had never shared much about her past. In fact, she rarely talked of her time with the inquisitors¡ªnever spoke of a time before that¡ªonly offering information about the inquisitors when asked. He knew that, before contracting with him, she had not handled the presence of flames well.

    It was easy to imagine a young woman, swept up in the intoxicating power, dragging a burning wall of flames behind her as she walked from one end of the Kingdom to the other. But that wasn¡¯t who she was today. Hearing about her past, especially outside her presence, felt like a violation.

    For a moment, Arkk thought Sylvara had seen something in his expression. She stopped talking, shifting in discomfort. It wasn¡¯t until he noted the readying postures of Lui and her chronicler that Arkk realized a red hue had overtaken most of the room. Even the calm purifier shifted, moving her hand toward the waist of her long coat.

    Closing his eyes, taking a breath, and reopening them, Arkk noted the lack of red. ¡°Let¡¯s not discuss Agnete for the moment and focus more on the how. Specifically the how this relates to the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Sylvara said. ¡°This last method is often hit-or-miss. Sometimes doing nothing at all. Other times killing the subject outright. There isn¡¯t usually much time or many opportunities to test the objects before use.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t particularly care if we kill the avatar. Or, rather, killing the avatar would probably be a positive.¡±

    ¡°Normally, if the object is ineffective, the Abbey simply tries a second time. Or third. Or tenth¡­ However, this case is slightly less advantageous to us. If we reveal our hand without success, the avatar will know we¡¯re working to counteract his powers. He has an entire nation at his back, researchers, personnel, and material. He isn¡¯t some loner out causing havoc that has no support.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. ¡°Best not act prematurely.¡±

    ¡°The first step is identifying the true nature of the ability. Something like fire is fairly obvious. Other things aren¡¯t. The abilities that the avatar of Evestani displays are wild and varied, far more so than typical purifiers, with little theme aside from the color.¡±

    ¡°That might be a problem for an ignorant observer, but we know that this is the avatar of the Heart of Gold. The god of wealth, greed, gold, purity, and possessions.¡±

    ¡°Which allows us to better identify the true counter for the ability,¡± Sylvara finished. ¡°After that, we develop an object, usually utilizing more planar magic, that embodies, produces, or otherwise leaks the ability¡¯s counter.¡±

    Arkk looked upward, thinking. There were sixteen members of the Pantheon, according to Vezta. But thinking over the names, he wasn¡¯t sure that they all had direct counters. Some were obvious. The Holy Light and the Cloak of Shadows seemed like they would counteract each other. As Sylvara had mentioned Agnete, the Burning Forge and the Eternal Permafrost were fairly obvious. He knew for a fact that the ice marble was, in some way, related to the Permafrost simply because of how Priscilla reacted to it.

    But¡­

    Blinking, Arkk looked back down. ¡°The ice marble is linked to the Permafrost? Directly, I mean.¡± He knew it was linked, but for it to be a bit of planar magic¡ªmagic bridging the planes¡­

    ¡°I was able to peruse the development records for Purifier Agnete¡¯s Binding Agent. It is a solidified piece of planar magic linked to a realm of¡­ well, ice, essentially. There is no mention of any other deities in any of the Abbey¡¯s records.¡±

    Arkk pondered over the latter half of what Sylvara said. The marble was planar magic from a realm of ice, presumably some kind of minor, mobile portal structure that could be opened, unleashing that ice.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    He had access to the Underworld. Could he make a Cloak of Shadows marble? Something that blasted darkness around instead of ice?

    That was something to think about. Zullie had become somewhat obsessed with Xel¡¯atriss, but perhaps this would be a good way to get her on an alternative project.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get Vezta¡¯s opinion on which of the Pantheon is most opposed to the Heart of Gold. She¡¯ll know better than anyone,¡± Arkk said, opening his eyes once again. ¡°Once we have a target, how do we create the object?¡±

    Sylvara didn¡¯t respond right away. She had a look on her face like she didn¡¯t want to deliver bad news. ¡°For that, I have to hope that your esoteric researchers will have some ideas,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°I know some of the how, but I would need access to the plane. The way the Abbey does it is to use our oracles to hone in on the requisite plane.¡±

    ¡°And getting access to an oracle will be difficult, I presume?¡±

    ¡°Practically speaking? Impossible.¡±

    Arkk almost said that he had done a lot of impossible things in the last year. Convincing someone to work with him¡ªor kidnapping someone and forcing them to help¡ªsounded like a small bump in the road compared to traversing to the Underworld or conversing with a god. Still, he would probably have asked Zullie first before trying to get more help from the Abbey, so no point mentioning that in front of Lui.

    He could tell just from the aura around her that Sylvara was spilling more of the Abbey¡¯s secrets and methods than she would prefer.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to see what they can come up with,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°There is something that might help with that,¡± Sylvara said, reaching back behind the table to lug up a narrow metal container. ¡°Before I left, the High Librarian came to me, saying that she had an object in one of the archives that could possibly assist with my task.¡±

    ¡°You discussed this with other people?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Sylvara said as she unlatched the metal case¡¯s lid. ¡°But Vrox and I often went to the High Librarian when we needed to find certain tomes for our research. It wouldn¡¯t be hard to figure out what we were planning based on that.¡±

    Cracking open the lid, Sylvara carefully reached both hands into the container. She withdrew a large chunk of vaguely yellow iridescent crystal. It was larger at one end and narrower at the other, like a wedge that didn¡¯t merge into a single point. A large rune was carved into one side, though Arkk didn¡¯t recognize the symbol.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what this is,¡± Sylvara said. ¡°The High Librarian said that someone I choose to share it with might know. So, Arkk. Know what it is?¡±

    He had an idea, though he wasn¡¯t sure how he would utilize it. Zullie might know, however.

    It was a part of a portal. The large crystalline archway in Fortress Al-Mir was made of the same material. It also had runes scrawled across it. Judging by its shape, it was something like a keystone.

    Arkk didn¡¯t open his mouth. Lui and her chronicler were staring at him just as much as Sylvara, if not more. Even if they did want the avatar dead and Evestani stopped, just outright admitting that he had some high anathema magics so easily accessible seemed foolish.

    ¡°Possibly,¡± Arkk settled on, looking back to Sylvara. ¡°I¡¯ll have to consult with my researchers to be certain.¡±

    Looking disappointed, Sylvara replaced the crystal in its container. ¡°In that case, I suppose we should get to the crux of why we¡¯re here. Not that these other things aren¡¯t important to discuss¡­¡±

    He pressed his lips together, wondering if there was another topic he could shift to. On the walk over to the academy from the slums, he had already gone over the small talk, politely asking how the journey from Chernlock was and what the weather was like down there at this time of year.

    Dry and chilly, apparently. Arkk had never been, but he did know most of Chernlock was a desert. Most of the population down there built along the central river that cut through the land, one of the three great oases, or along the coast.

    ¡°Regarding the coming disaster,¡± Sylvara said slowly.

    Arkk sighed. He didn¡¯t think anyone would blame him for wanting to put that talk off just a little longer.

    ¡°I presume it isn¡¯t an immediate threat, or we would have focused on it first.¡±

    Sylvara shifted, then glanced over to Lui.

    The other inquisitrix pursed her lips, then said, ¡°Oracles do not provide a precise analysis of any situation. But the closer to the present an event is, the clearer their description will be. As portents of events to come may appear suddenly and without warning, they are surrounded at all times by chroniclers whose duties include nothing more than writing down everything that goes on in the oracle¡¯s life. Any event is then sent to the interpreters for¡­¡±

    ¡°Interpretation?¡± Arkk guessed.

    Lui narrowed her eyes, then looked to the unassuming man who had thus far not said a word. Chronicler Klink reached into the vest of his coat and pulled out a rather thick notebook, bound in black leather. Reaching into the other side of his coat, he pulled out a single monocle and, squinting with both eyes, peered down into his book.

    He cleared his throat.

    ¡°Under a veil of sorrow, the ground does quake, Its heartbeat stutters, fearing the ache. Hope¡¯s flame wanes thin beneath night¡¯s heavy shawl, While a mournful wind¡¯s cry foretells the fall.

    ¡°The wave advances, not of water, but of will, seeking to take, to conquer, to kill. Yet, beneath the surface, where currents collide, the solution lies in darkness, to confide.

    ¡°In a time when day bleeds into night, and the stars hide, fearing the coming light. A guardian rises, not from myth or lore, holding the key to a long-locked door.

    ¡°A beacon for the lost, in the darkest of fights, a secret bond forms of twilight heights. Joining in to dance where umbra exists, the keeper of lanes, In silent accord, illuminating borders, they forge chains. The storm¡¯s fury grows and greed claims the day, hope seems but a whisper, swiftly swept away. Claiming every tomorrow, every dream, every stash, leaving echoes of a world in the gloom of the ash.¡±

    Arkk, hands clenched together in unusual tension, waited for more. Another paragraph. Another line.

    But Klink had other plans. With another slight clearing of his throat, he pulled the lens from the crook of his eye and placed it back in his pocket along with the leather-bound book. He looked up and around the room with his lips pursed into a thin smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Klink said.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a stanza missing? Some bit about how the world is saved in the end?¡±

    ¡°Most oracular insights aren¡¯t quite so lengthy,¡± Klink continued. ¡°Often, they¡¯re far more relevant to upcoming events in the next week or month. This seems to encompass a great many events, an already difficult endeavor. To then see the outcome in the end would be unheard of.¡±

    Arkk hissed out a pained sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t like the last line ending in gloom and ash.¡±

    ¡°I very much doubt the oracles care for your likes and dislikes.¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Lui cut in. ¡°Arkk. Does anything stand out to you in particular?¡±

    Practically every line had at least one word that could have meaning. Multiple meanings, if he spent any time trying to parse them out. But the biggest bit that struck him as something relevant had to be¡­ ¡°The third verse. A guardian rises, holding the key to a long-locked door?¡± He didn¡¯t want to sound arrogant, but he felt that referred to him.

    That single line could be interpreted in a dozen different ways. A long-locked door could easily refer to the portal to the Underworld. Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, who seemed to be mentioned indirectly, was the one to open that portal but now it was him who had access to it. And what was he if not someone who had risen from nothing to, now, guard the land from Evestani and the Golden Order?

    The end of the previous verse mentioned a solution beneath the surface. If the guardian rising was related to that¡­

    He looked around the room, feeling an odd knot in his stomach. Lui stared at him with that same ire that she had shown since first walking into the tavern. But now, he could detect a hint of resignation behind that gaze. Sylvara as well, though her gaze was more pitying than angry.

    They caught that verse too. Whatever else the rest meant, they believed that one verse related to him. He didn¡¯t know how they had come to that conclusion. Although Sylvara knew more than most because of his invitation to a meeting or two before she departed for Cliff and Chernlock, she shouldn¡¯t know about the portal or the Lock and Key.

    Sylvara would work with him until the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar suffered a final death. Lui, on the other hand, he had been uncertain about her presence here. Now it made more sense. She¡ªboth of them¡ªbelieved he was the answer to this coming disaster.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose your interpreters have better ideas than what I¡¯m thinking,¡± Arkk said slowly, not holding out his hopes for anything.

    ¡°A revelation of this potency is unprecedented,¡± Klink said with a wistful smile. ¡°The Ecclesiarch has quashed discussion of the matter until the interpreters have concluded their debates, but those are looking rather endless at this point. They don¡¯t even rhyme, normally,¡± he added as a delightful afterthought.

    ¡°The only reason we are aware,¡± Sylvara said, gesturing from herself to Lui with her gloved hand, ¡°is that Vrox heard these words in person and sent the letter to Cliff ahead of my arrival. As a close confidant of mine, Lui received it and¡­ read it without realizing it wasn¡¯t meant for her eyes. Though it wasn¡¯t until I arrived and was able to explain a few things that we came to this joint effort.¡±

    ¡°I merely seek the truth of the matter,¡± Lui said, back stiffening. ¡°The oracles are attempting to gather as much information as possible to make their operations as reliable as possible.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to inform them of your findings, I take it?¡± Arkk asked.

    ¡°Naturally. The sooner this can be parsed correctly¡­¡±

    The sooner Lui could assault him without fear of ruining the one hope mentioned in all that drivel. Assuming they found some other guardian.

    Frankly, he would be happy if they did. There were enough weights on his back as it was. He didn¡¯t need to add the weight of the entire world onto it as well.

    ¡°In any case, the interpreters are still arguing,¡± Sylvara said. ¡°We don¡¯t know what form this disaster will take or even how soon it will occur. It might not be until well after our lifetimes. There are only three prophecies of similar magnitude in all of the Abbey¡¯s history and none of them were retroactively assigned events for centuries after their original inception.¡±

    ¡°Given my luck,¡± he said with a small glance at the purifier, ¡°the world is going to end tomorrow morn¡ª¡±

    A sharp jolt of a quake kicked the floor, shaking the books from the shelves and knocking dust from the ceiling.

    Arkk was on his feet immediately, as were the inquisitors, though he almost tumbled to the floor as a second jolt shook the academy.

    He waited, stance wide and steady. But no third quake hit the room. That did nothing to ease the tension.

    Sylvara¡¯s red eyes swiveled in his direction. ¡°You were saying?¡±

    Arkk just grit his teeth. ¡°Maybe luck is real after all,¡± he mumbled to himself.

 Homeland

    After weeks of wandering the desolation of the Underworld, the initial thrill of adventure and comradery had given way to an unexpected sense of restlessness and confinement. Olatt¡¯an was no stranger to travel, long and short, but the Underworld was a different beast entirely. Despite the boundless expanse of the world that surrounded him, a paradoxical feeling of being trapped within an invisible cage had taken hold. The endless orange-hued landscape with no clear distinction between day and night, the distant columns of shadow, the utter lack of any civilization throughout the land, and the monotonous routine of waking, eating, walking, and sleeping, made the vast wilderness feel as restrictive as the walls of a small, enclosed space.

    Who knew that the confined space of Fortress Al-Mir would somehow feel more open and inviting than the entire world?

    It wasn¡¯t just Olatt¡¯an feeling the internal struggle of physical restlessness. Everyone on their little caravan was facing that urge to move, to escape, yet there was no clear destination unless they wanted to turn around and head back to the portal. Even the horses were growing antsy and irritable.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep?¡± Olatt¡¯an asked. It wasn¡¯t much of a guess.

    The elf, usually the epitome of grace and serenity, now bore the unmistakable signs of a night devoid of sleep. Her usually radiant skin appeared dull and shadows haunted the space beneath her eyes. The silver locks of hair, normally arranged as if she were prepared to present herself to a court of nobles even in this desolate land, hung limp around her face. Even though her movements still carried some of the fluidity and deliberate motions, they were weighed down by a level of exhaustion that wasn¡¯t unfamiliar to Olatt¡¯an.

    At his question, Alya simply glared.

    Chuckling, Olatt¡¯an said, ¡°Bad dreams?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been having them too?¡±

    ¡°Mhm¡­¡± Olatt¡¯an grunted, noncommittally. He hadn¡¯t had dreams in many years, not since he was much younger. But he had heard the others commenting on strange visions in the night. Dark shadows circling them, looking at them, only to awaken and find everything normal.

    ¡°Despite my apprehension, I was initially quite¡­ interested in seeing a whole new world,¡± Alya said, sweeping a hand over her head in an attempt to straighten her hair. It didn¡¯t work. ¡°I am beginning to think that this land is cursed. If this is what the elders of my people believed would happen to our world, their vigil over the cursed forest is all the more understandable. If my failure to protect it causes this,¡± she waved a hand about, ¡°to spread¡­¡±

    ¡°Arkk is aware of that potential problem,¡± Olatt¡¯an said as he chewed at a chunk of hardtack. They had long since run out of the fresher foods. Now they were firmly in the travel ration territory. It was just another thing that was harming the morale of the group. ¡°I trust that he won¡¯t proceed unless he is sure that nothing unfortunate will occur.¡±

    Alya pursed her dry lips in a momentary frown. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t knowingly do such a thing,¡± she admitted. ¡°But unknowingly? There is too much at stake. Too many unknowns. He should leave well enough alone.¡±

    ¡°I doubt he will. Not with Vezta pushing him forward. But that¡¯s why we¡¯re out here, to gather information.¡±

    ¡°Vezta,¡± Alya said with an annoyed click of her tongue.

    She didn¡¯t continue her thoughts, however.

    A Protector approached. It, notably, wasn¡¯t the same Protector that had been with them thus far. It was just a little bit shorter. Still three times as tall as Alya, but not quite as tall as the others. The short thorny spines that adorned its carapace were smaller and less curved as well. Was it a youth?

    That made an odd question cross Olatt¡¯an¡¯s mind. Did the Protector reproduce? If so, how? Was it¡­ Did it just¡­ They were all the same being, but¡­ On its own? Or¡­

    Perhaps some questions were better left unanswered.

    ¡°We will arrive today, not long after we set off.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Olatt¡¯an perked up. That was good news. He could see the rest of their troupe, all those in the vicinity who had heard, look up as well. ¡°Could have mentioned that last night.¡±

    The Protector¡¯s head twisted on an axis that normal beings couldn¡¯t normally manage. ¡°My memories from Savren indicate that anticipation and excitement harm the efficacy of¡­ sleep,¡± it said, as if the word was unusual.

    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m sure everyone here would have been willing to march an extra few hours if it meant arriving a little sooner.¡±

    The Protector didn¡¯t respond. It simply stared with those horizontal pupils.

    ¡°Never mind. Ready up!¡± he called out to the group. ¡°We continue in five minutes!¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°If the world were ending today, the oracles would have given more concrete information,¡± Sylvara shouted as she rushed through the corridors of the Cliff Academy.

    ¡°Up until a week ago, the oracles were allegedly paralyzed,¡± Lui shot back, ¡°unable to see anything. Who can say what oddities might happen in these¡­ strange times.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure he liked the look Lui shot him. Whatever this was, it wasn¡¯t his fault. Probably. But she had been sending him looks of ill intent since she first walked through that door, so it wasn¡¯t that strange. If anything, it would have been more worrying if she hadn¡¯t been suspicious of him.

    Whatever shook the academy¡ªthe mountain that the academy had been built within¡ªhadn¡¯t gone unnoticed among the regular students and instructors. Although there hadn¡¯t been any further disturbances, the corridors were flooded with people trying to get out. Earthquakes in Mystakeen weren¡¯t entirely unheard of. Natural tremors in the earth, often said to be caused by a lack of light since they usually occurred at night, struck every so often. Six years ago, a particularly violent quake took down the storehouse in Langleey. Luckily, nobody had been inside at the time.

    Arkk could only imagine the troubles if the entire mountain decided to collapse in on itself. He knew from sending a few of the lesser servants around the academy to see if they could find a Heart that a huge chunk of the mountain was hollow winding pathways and large empty rooms. Without the reinforcement magic that lined the walls of Fortress Al-Mir, he could easily imagine a strong quake causing cave-ins and collapses.

    Luckily, four inquisitors still drew attention. Especially when they were rushing through the hallways. Even during an emergency, nobody wanted to get in their way. Arkk, with them, had a clear path out of the academy.

    Warning bells tolled all across the city. The heavy, resounding ringing was the first evidence beyond the tremor that something had gone wrong. Some small part of him expected fires torching the city with columns of smoke flooding into the sky, golden rays slicing through the very mountain, and bombardment magic crashing down and leveling the city.

    From the elevated exit of the academy, high enough to look over most but not all of Cliff, he could see to the harbor and beyond. There were fires, but hardly the raging inferno of war. A large hazy dome covered most of the city, the same anti-bombardment magic that he and Sylvara had maintained at Elmshadow when Evestani had first assaulted it, except expanded to encompass the entirety of the city of Cliff. It was stretched and oblong, sealing off the city, the harbor, the Grand Old Church, and a good half of the mountainside that gave Cliff its name.

    The magic stemmed from the garrison, blooming out from the mountainside building.

    Ripples and cracks formed as bright points on the dome flashed in the direction of the harbor. It was only then that he realized where the commotion was coming from.

    There were no golden rays, no statues of gold, no Evestani armies marching through the streets.

    Out beyond the protective dome, far out at sea, he spotted the source of the commotion. At first, he had thought they were nothing more than large fishing vessels. Fishing was one of Cliff¡¯s main sources of food. The harbor always had numerous vessels coming and going. He had been awed by them upon first arriving at Cliff, but after having been around as often as he had, they were a simple and regular part of the scenery.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Today, those ships were gone. Sunk, perhaps, by the trio of large vessels out in the distance.

    These were no ordinary vessels. Even from this distance, Arkk could see that they dwarfed the fishing boats he was accustomed to. They were sleek, dark, and menacing, with bright white sails underneath black flags. All three were angled so that the broadsides of the vessels were aimed at the city. As he watched, bright flashes of light cascaded along the side of the lead ship. Moments after, more ripples cascaded across the dome¡¯s surface.

    ¡°What are those?¡± Arkk asked. ¡°Pirates?¡±

    He had heard tales of the raiders of the high seas from people who passed through Langleey Village. Such stories were few and far between, however. Most mercenaries and travelers who visited the village weren¡¯t the sort to go out on the oceans and, in turn, sailors didn¡¯t often visit Langleey. Still, everyone had heard of pirates.

    Had they heard of the troubles Cliff was going through and thought it might be an easy raiding target?

    But Lui was shaking her head. ¡°Not pirates,¡± she said, her voice grim. ¡°The ships are too well armed.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t Evestani,¡± Arkk said, squinting to try to see the emblem on the flag. Without a spyglass or crystal ball, it was just too far to see clearly. Still, he felt confident in that statement. Not including their base foot soldiers, who Hawkwood suspected were hastily pressed conscripts, Evestani had a habit of slathering gold color on everything.

    None of the inquisitors with him offered an answer. They didn¡¯t have anything that would let them see easier either.

    ¡°We¡¯ll head to the garrison,¡± Lui said, ¡°and ensure that they can operate the defenses for a length of time.¡±

    Lui didn¡¯t stick around for any responses. She, the chronicler, and the purifier hurried off, breaking into a hasty jog as they made their way down the street.

    For a moment, it looked like Sylvara was going to head out with them. Arkk knew from experience that Sylvara had the magical capacity to keep up with even him while operating a ritual circle. But she hesitated, looking back to the harbor. Or, more specifically, the Grand Old Church. The tall spire was missing entirely and a chunk of the rounded front had collapsed. A column of smoke drifted off into the dome.

    Arkk knew he had a bit of a different perspective on the Abbey compared to most but he knew that even if she disagreed with their practices, Sylvara still had friends among the Abbey. ¡°Go,¡± he said. ¡°Do what you need to do.¡±

    ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°I assume the city has some way of fighting back on its own,¡± he said, somewhat uncertain. There were the great ballistae at the city gates, but those were intended to repel an army coming down the relatively narrow pass, not defend from the sea. There weren¡¯t any obvious defenses near the harbor. ¡°I¡¯ll gather who I can from my people.¡±

    Agnete, the spellcaster team¡ªwith the bombardment rituals being affixed within the Walking Fortress, they would have to help out with what defensive and offensive magics the garrison had¡ªand all the soldiers he could rally from Al-Mir. If these ships tried to land and drop off soldiers, they would be in for a surprise. Priscilla was nearing the portal in the Underworld as well, carrying Leda and¡­

    Well, Arkk wasn¡¯t too sure how to feel about what those two had been up to. It would be something to figure out once they arrived. But if they could help here¡­

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you trying to keep your relation to Katja a secret?¡± Sylvara asked.

    Arkk pressed his lips together. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stand aside while people¡¯s lives are at stake for pragmatism. Besides, Company Al-Mir has fought to defend the people of Mystakeen. Katja, Duke Woldair. It doesn¡¯t matter who is in charge.¡±

    ¡°Being able to deploy a force within minutes of the attack is going to raise questions. With the Prince¡¯s imminent arrival, your forces occupying part of the city will raise even more. I¡¯m not saying to stand around and watch, but simply to act intelligently about it.¡±

    Arkk hummed, accepting her advice for what it was. It got him thinking, however. ¡°Does this have anything to do with the Prince, do you think? These aren¡¯t his ships, are they? Come to soften up the city before his forces arrive?¡±

    Sylvara looked back to the harbor and slowly shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t believe so. The flags, the black and white, don¡¯t match with either the Principality of Vaales¡ªwho favor red and gold¡ªor the predominantly blue Kingdom of Chernlock.¡±

    ¡°I suppose it is good that he isn¡¯t sieging his kinsmen¡­ But I doubt he¡¯ll be happy to arrive in the city like this.¡±

    ¡°If we were hoping to have him in a good mood¡ª¡±

    Sylvara cut off as a series of large cracking fissures split through the protective dome. The entire spell wavered, flickered, and fell as the cracks merged together. Several more flashes on the sides of the ships, followed by loud, thundering bangs echoing over the city. Fresh fires erupted throughout the streets, shaking the ground. Most seemed focused on Katja¡¯s manor, but a separate magical spell around the manor kept it safe.

    As soon as the volley of attacks subsided, the dome over the city blossomed anew. Perhaps Lui had made it and was now standing in place.

    Sylvara said nothing more. With a curt nod to Arkk, she took off in a sprint through the city, leaving Arkk behind.

    She didn¡¯t want Arkk overtly showing his hand. But that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t be prepared for the worst. Turning, he headed back into the academy. It took a bit of pushing to get through the crowd of people who stepped outside and immediately started gaping at the sight of the city being attacked. Without the inquisitors clearing the way, he had to do a bit of pushing and shoving. At least for a moment.

    His anger must have gotten the best of him. A red light tinged his surroundings. Once that happened, everyone did their best to clear his path. He considered trying to calm himself down, glowing eyes were a bit notable even in the chaos, but it was too useful.

    The crowd thinned out and, before long, Arkk found himself back in the winding corridors that had been left vacant for centuries. He walked past the room that they had been using for their meeting and to a long corridor without any apparent doors. Apparent doors being the keyword.

    Utilizing a small bit of mind magic, courtesy of Savren, nobody would see anything amiss with the large blank wall. They would walk right past it. Even Agnete on the hunt wouldn¡¯t notice.

    Arkk pushed into the wall, opening a door to a room containing a teleportation ritual circle.

    In a few quick hops, he was back at Fortress Al-Mir. He quickly checked through all the local employees, their current readiness state, and any other assets he had available. Both Luthor at Elmshadow and Harvey at Al-Mir were trying to get his attention. He didn¡¯t have to guess what his scrying team wanted to tell him, but he still teleported straight to Harvey.

    The flopkin jolted at his sudden arrival but quickly collected himself.

    ¡°Sir! Movement at Moonshine Burg. Evestani is advancing across Mystakeen again.¡±

    That removed most doubt Arkk had about the allegiance of the ships at Cliff, though he still wasn¡¯t sure why they lacked the golden eagle of Evestani on their flag. ¡°Toward Elmshadow?¡±

    ¡°Too early to tell. They only set out a short while ago.¡±

    ¡°Keep me updated,¡± Arkk said. As he spoke, he dropped a small stone beside Luthor¡¯s station at the Walking Fortress. A pre-arranged indicator that he heard the call for attention and was deliberately disregarding it for the time being. Through the employee link, he could see Luthor¡¯s crystal ball showing off the same army movements that Harvey¡¯s was. ¡°I need¡ª¡±

    ¡°There is one other thing, Sir.¡±

    ¡°Cliff? I know.¡±

    ¡°Cliff?¡± Harvey said, sounding confused. He shook his head, sending his long, rabbit-like ears flopping about his head. ¡°No, this.¡±

    Leaning over the crystal ball, Harvey changed the view to focus on a part of the army that had Arkk scowling in confusion. There were¡­ hundreds of soldiers. But they didn¡¯t look like Evestani troops. They wore solid black armor with long white capes. The armor was high quality. He could tell just from a glance that it was far, far beyond the roughshod armor that most Evestani conscripts received.

    Their elite force? Held in reserve until now? It seemed strange that they wouldn¡¯t have brought them out while reinforcing Elmshadow before Arkk¡¯s attack, but¡­

    He frowned, narrowing his eyes. The large pauldrons each wore had a symbol on their shoulders. Nine white swords arrayed around a ring, pointed outwards. None had a single fleck of gold anywhere.

    Arkk reached out, taking control of the crystal ball. He redirected its viewpoint to Cliff, focusing on the ships assaulting the city. Harvey made a slight squeaking sound upon seeing the attack, but Arkk ignored him. He focused on the flags over the battleships.

    Black with nine white swords arrayed around a ring.

    ¡°Well,¡± Arkk said. ¡°That answers that.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°What were you expecting, elf? Everything in this world lies in ruins. You thought this would be different?¡±

    Alya narrowed her eyes at Olatt¡¯an, but he brushed it off.

    They were here. They were finally here.

    The lost city of Iuzz¡¯ovra. Said to be the homeland of the orcs. Legend held that it was once a grand and beautiful land. Now it sat in silent desolation. Iuzz¡¯ovra was designed to be in harmony with the peculiar environment of the Underworld. Similar to the cathedrals of the Cloak of Shadows or the towering mobile fortress that Arkk had moved to the portal entrance, its buildings were crafted from stones that seemed to absorb the faint everlasting twilight of the realm.

    He could only imagine what it had looked like in its prime.

    Time and fate had not been kind to the once-thriving city. Like much of the Underworld, pillars and buildings had crumbled and fallen. The roads had been buried beneath a layer of the wasteland¡¯s sand and dirt. Hulking metal monstrosities, vaguely shaped like humanoids, sat rusted and broken throughout the city. A fortification stood tall as the dominant feature of the city¡¯s skyline. Once upon a time, it might have rivaled the grandeur of the Bastion City in Chernlock or Cliff¡¯s own Grand Old Church. Now, a full quarter of it had crumbled completely and the remainder stood at a precarious lean, feeling as if a slight breeze might send the rest of it tumbling to the ground.

    That crumbled portion of the fortification allowed him to see something that stood behind. A great crystalline archway that peeked just around the side of the fortification. A silvery, rippling surface like a pool turned on its side occupied the interior of the arch.

    Years, decades¡­ eons of lost lore and history. All that cultural enrichment unfortunately paled in comparison to the archway.

    ¡°Well, elf. You told me of your people¡¯s legends. Perhaps it is time to find out if my people¡¯s legends hold some truth. Perhaps I can still succeed where you failed.¡±

 Preparations for a Royal Visitation

    ¡°Horrik! Unleash the cannons!¡±

    ¡°Aye, Lady Katja.¡±

    The hammering thumps resounding in Katja¡¯s chest as alchemical explosives detonated in series was music to her ears. According to one of the former Duke¡¯s advisors, who now served Katja, Cliff had only once come under attack via sea. That had been nearly a hundred years ago in yet another conflict with Evestani¡ªor rather, the empire that was their predecessor.

    But that didn¡¯t mean that the local guard had neglected the defenses. Powerful turrets occupied strategic spots along the harbor, utilizing magically augmented alchemical explosives to launch volleys of destruction out into the sea. Accuracy wasn¡¯t the guard¡¯s strong suit, unfortunately. All of the streaks of fire came down nowhere near the ships out on the water, instead setting the water itself aflame.

    It would have been an impressive sight, the water literally burning, were it not for the utterly unharmed ships. ¡°Horrik!¡±

    ¡°Working on it,¡± Horrik said, readjusting some part of the nearest cannon even as he shouted commands down the rest of the line.

    These cannons hadn¡¯t been used, even for a test, in at least a decade. Perhaps longer than that. It didn¡¯t help that a number of those who knew how to operate them had¡­ well, they hadn¡¯t exactly agreed with Katja¡¯s newfound position as head of the city. Even if they had been around, they would have been rusty beyond belief. That would change after today. There would be regular drills to ensure those manning the harbor cannons could wield them effectively.

    Assuming the Prince didn¡¯t behead her upon arrival.

    The Prince¡¯s arrival was imminent. She knew exactly where the Prince was.

    He was just outside the city. Katja had ordered the protective barrier active knowing he was right there. This attack could very well be intended to kill him. If it was, she was perfectly willing to let them do what they had come here for. If Prince Cedric died at the hands of an enemy attack, she could hardly be held responsible. And then she wouldn¡¯t have to deal with him.

    The problem was that they were attacking her city. Either they hadn¡¯t noticed the Prince on the long path down to the main city of Cliff or they were here for her. Or some other objective.

    So, she had to defend the city. If there was a silver lining, it was that she could hopefully demonstrate some level of competence that Prince Cedric might appreciate.

    Well, she supposed that depended on whether or not they managed to do significant damage to the city. Appearing competent did require some level of competence.

    ¡°Stop trying to hit them and hit them!¡± Katja barked out as she started pacing back and forth along the harbor. She had to pause to keep her balance as a fresh volley rumbled into the docks.

    ¡°Wind coming in strong from the east!¡± Horrik shouted, his voice almost lost in the cacophony of explosions. ¡°Pull the shots to the right!¡±

    The dome cracked as a return volley from the ships struck. Katja flinched, heart pounding, wondering if coming out here in person was such a good idea. She wanted to give a good show of it and demonstrate her leadership in person, be seen by those who might still have doubts about her station in the city. But she was at the front lines. If an attack from the ships made it through, she would take it to the face.

    A resounding boom, different from all the rest, shuddered the docks. For a moment, she thought something had made it through the protective dome. But no.

    This time, the impact was undeniable. The lead ship took the hit directly to its stern. It didn¡¯t make it onto the deck, but flames coursed all along the side, eating into the wood and forcing the enemy crew away from their cannons. A ripple of water magic erupted along the side, rushing down from the bow to the back, dousing the flames as it moved.

    The damage was done. A gaping hole in the rear of the ship started taking on water.

    Cheers broke out along the harbor as Katja¡¯s forces saw the first real sign of their efforts bearing fruit.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop!¡± Katja shouted, emboldened by the victory as much as anyone else. ¡°Again! Focus on the lead ship!¡±

    A fierce grin spread across Horrik¡¯s face. He shouted his own commands, relaying directions down the line. They adjusted the cannons, clumsily refocusing. Katja wasn¡¯t sure that Horrik¡¯s commands were the best. He didn¡¯t know how to use these cannons any better than a fresh rookie. But, emboldened by the successful strike, everyone was eagerly hoping for more.

    The ships fired their salvo. The protective spell shuddered, cracked, and shattered.

    In an instant, the elation among the troops turned to terror as the protective spell fell and the bombardment from the enemy seared towards the docks. Katja, heart pounding and adrenaline surging, slammed her hand onto a younger boy¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Roland,¡± she hissed. ¡°Now.¡±

    The boy, eyes wide and fearful, slotted his hand into a small groove atop a pylon she had placed on the docks. The signet ring he wore easily slid into a matching depression and, with a turn of his wrist, it clicked. Katja, a hand on the boy¡¯s shoulder, flooded her magic through him, filling the ritual circle he had made whole.

    A surge of magic pulsed out, ripping through the air. It collided with the incoming projectiles, creating a barrier of shimmering light that deflected them back toward the sea. The force wasn¡¯t enough to capsize the ships, but it kept the docks safe. For the moment.

    Katja was a spellcaster of little renown, but this relied on the Duke¡¯s signet ring, not on her power or that of Roland.

    It was also not something that could be used with any frequency. It was a last-ditch attempt at staving off an attack. Originally, the pylon was meant to protect the manor. But she had moved this pylon from the manor out to the docks, just in case. There were other such pylons in the manor, but none that were both mobile and would assist with this situation.

    Now that it was done with, she stared out, feeling sick. The protective dome hadn¡¯t come up yet. Her men were still ducking and covering as if that would aid with anything instead of returning fire. And the second of the three ships was readying its volley.

    Katja took a step back, grimacing. Her eyes flicked to the side. ¡°Horrik¡ª¡±

    The ships erupting in cannon fire cut Katja off. Eyes wide and heart pounding, she threw herself to the ground, dragging Roland with her in an attempt to use his body as a shield.

    Silence crushed the docks. But no explosions. No pain of splintering wood, no fragments of stone, and no heat of flames. Not even a splashing of the water as the attacks fell short. Katja, on the ground, slowly lifted her head, wondering where the pain was.

    A black streak cut across the sky. No, not black. A void of space sliced through the air in front of the docks, broken only by tiny twinkling lights. Flames burned the sky along the edges, steaming the surface of the water and reaching up into the sky, but the attacks didn¡¯t make it to the docks.

    Katja had never seen magic like that before. Granted, having lived her life as a slave and then as a bandit, she didn¡¯t have the widest breadth of knowledge. But this, the way it hung in the air filled her stomach with nausea. It was unnatural.

    And she knew what it was. The Duke had left reports behind on the terrible fissure in the sky. The Abbey of the Light had met with her, impressing upon her the necessity of action primarily because of that fissure. She hadn¡¯t seen it happen because she had been underground, within Fortress Al-Mir, at the time. But she knew just who the Abbey suspected was the cause of that incident.

    The haze of the protective dome shimmered back into place, cutting just ahead of that fissure in space. As soon as it was in place, the fissure vanished. Whoever was manning the ritual circle at the garrison took far too long to get new ritualists in place. That would undergo some drills in the future as well.

    For now, teeth clenched, Katja shoved herself off the ground. ¡°Back in action!¡± she barked out. ¡°Get these Light-less dirtbags out of my harbor!¡±

    ¡°You heard the lady!¡±

    The men, startled and shaken but not yet out of it, jumped back on the weaponry. Alchemical might flung out to sea after the ships. Katja wasn¡¯t sure it was necessary anymore.

    ¡°Y¡­ You tried to save me?¡±

    Katja looked down at where Roland remained curled into a small ball. He looked up at her with fresh respect.

    She just shook her head and turned her gaze back on the battle.

    In the few moments when that fissure had been active, the ship captains must have decided that they weren¡¯t prepared to deal with that unnatural magic. Their sails billowed as they turned to catch the wind, a clear sign of retreat. Aside from the lead ship taking on a small bit of water, a negligible amount in all likelihood, they hadn¡¯t suffered any real damage.

    Did they not want to try to break through another of the protective domes while weathering attacks? Or did they fear something a little more volatile from the unnatural magics than a mere defensive barrier?

    ¡°Katja. What are you doing out here?¡±

    Katja didn¡¯t turn to face the speaker. ¡°Demonstrating competence,¡± she said, absolutely certain her quiet voice would be drowned out by the slapping of the water against the docks, not to mention the cannon fire. She hoped the frustration was drowned out by it. Saved by him? What part of that was competence? ¡°And what of you, Arkk? I thought we were to keep our association a secret?¡±

    ¡°To a point. I¡¯m not going to let you die. Or anyone, if I can help it.¡±

    ¡°How altruistic,¡± she said, trying not to sneer.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°They¡¯re leaving.¡±

    ¡°So it would seem.¡±

    Katja watched as the ships picked up speed from a sudden gust of wind coming directly from their rears, her heart still racing from the adrenaline of seeing her end approach, only to be saved at the last moment. The harbor was a mess of emotions; cheers and cries of relief mixed in with the crackling of fires that had made it to shore.

    ¡°Evestani is on the march again,¡± Arkk said as he stepped closer. ¡°This time, they are backed up by well-equipped soldiers bearing the same emblem as what is on those flags.¡±

    ¡°Any idea who they are?¡± Katja asked, glaring at the retreating ships. ¡°Or the reason for the attack¡ªI assume they¡¯re trying to kill the Prince? Or any way to blast those ships out of the water before they get away?¡±

    ¡°I could try slinging lightning bolts or a specific flame spell, but I don¡¯t think they would do enough damage before they got too far away. As for the who and why, I was hoping you might know.¡±

    Katja shook her head back and forth, half turning away from the retreating ships. She was about to say something along the lines of how the hell would she know who they were? Her upbringing hadn¡¯t exactly included vexillology tutoring. She had been a slave and a bandit.

    But some part of her mind stuttered to a stop as she caught sight of Arkk.

    ¡°You look ridiculous,¡± she said to the man wearing a heavy black cloak with the hood fully up and over his head. He had some kind of wooden mask, plain and blank except for two dark circles where the eyes should be.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to be inconspicuous about our relationship.¡±

    Katja couldn¡¯t help her laugh. ¡°And you thought this was the best way to remain inconspicuous? The magic you used wouldn¡¯t make it obvious enough? I¡¯m sure many, many eyes are on the docks right now. Everyone will have seen that.¡±

    ¡°I was hoping I wouldn¡¯t have to use it,¡± Arkk said, grabbing the mask and pulling it off his face. He had a glower for the ages on underneath.

    ¡°Well, you did. And everyone saw. Damnit,¡± Katja hissed. ¡°The Abbey is going to come knocking again.¡±

    She wanted to kick them out of the city. It would be better for everyone if she didn¡¯t have them hovering over her shoulder. But they were experiencing the same benefit that Katja had used to instigate her little revolution. They were popular among the populace. Both because of the general religiousness of the average citizen as well as their goodwill whenever they came out to heal, put out fires, or otherwise assist with everyday living.

    The general public didn¡¯t know that they were the primary driving force behind the Duke¡¯s alliance with the Evestani. It was honestly inspiring how well they had come out looking like the good guys. Their public relations were something Katja strived to emulate.

    ¡°Good work!¡± Katja shouted, turning away from Arkk. She needed to focus on the here and now. ¡°We¡¯ve got them running. Horrik! Ensure they truly leave the port and aren¡¯t just moving out of range.¡±

    Horrik looked at her, raising a bushy eyebrow. He didn¡¯t want to undermine her authority by questioning her orders. At the same time, she could read the question on his face. ¡®How am I supposed to manage that?¡¯

    Cliff didn¡¯t have its warships. It did have plentiful fishing vessels, from small skiffs to larger, ocean-worthy ships. Katja would have to commission something worthy of defending the harbor if this was how this new enemy wanted to fight. Until then, retrofitting one of the fishing vessels with all the magic the garrison and the academy could shove on it would have to do.

    Even that would take time.

    ¡°Get whatever bombardment magic you can and chase them as far as the range allows. Then find the largest ship in the harbor, requisition it from its owners, and start getting it outfitted in case they come back.¡±

    ¡°Aye.¡±

    ¡°Now,¡± Katja said, lowering her voice. ¡°What are we going¡­¡± She trailed off, hearing something. It was a faint sound, something just barely carried on the wind. She turned back to the harbor, worried it was coming from the departing ships. Some parting surprise.

    They were deploying something from the backs of their ships. Large barrels. But they weren¡¯t the sound she was hearing. The barrels made plopping noises.

    What she heard was something more¡­ musical in nature. Except not quite. It lacked a melody.

    ¡°Trumpets?¡± Arkk said, cocking his head to the side, hearing it as well.

    He was right. Now that he said it, the sound clicked in the back of her mind. Trumpets weren¡¯t an instrument she was too familiar with. There were a few among her crew who had enjoyed playing music at Porcupine Hill, usually anytime there was something to celebrate. Flutes, lutes, and drums, mostly. Things that were easy to make out away from civilization. Trumpets required a bit of knowledge to manufacture.

    Katja started to grin, only to freeze her expression in place. She quickly covered the momentary smile with a look of confusion.

    Arkk looked just as confused as she was. Staring at his face, she could see the moment the realization hit.

    ¡°The Prince,¡± she hissed, cursing under her breath for the show of it. ¡°He must still be outside the barrier?¡±

    It was good that he hadn¡¯t gotten inside. Now, with the trumpets blaring, perhaps he thought himself in a bit of trouble. She looked out to see, noting the ships. They were readying the cannons even as they angled away from the bulk of the city.

    Reaching under his cloak, Arkk produced a crystal ball. Katja hurried over as an image shimmered inside, showing the narrow pass that led down to Cliff proper. The haze of the protective dome separated the city from an army.

    There were two parts to the army. Hawkwood¡¯s men were easily distinguishable by their white banners and surcoats, bisected by a black chevron. They were, for the most part, on the outsides of the main convoy, protecting their sides and rear. Not that there was much room. They were practically in single-file lines on either side of a small group of red and yellow armored soldiers, both mounted and foot soldiers. The Prince¡¯s colors.

    At the center of it all was a carriage made entirely from metal. Rugged and thick metal. She could tell just from a glance that it wasn¡¯t thinly plated. Drawn forward by two massive manticores, beasts made up from a mixture of animals, and covered in protective magic circles, it was the dominating feature of the caravan.

    ¡°He¡¯s here early,¡± Katja spat, forcing the irritation to maintain her innocent look. ¡°Is he an idiot? Sounding his trumpets in a situation like this?¡±

    ¡°They must have seen the attack and hurried along.¡±

    ¡°Now they¡¯re not moving at all¡­ on the outside of the barrier.¡± It was stopping them from entering. Just as she planned. ¡°I need to get them inside before those ships decide they¡¯ll be a good target. If something happens to the Prince, it will be my head that will roll¡­ Horrik!¡± she shouted. ¡°Handle things here!¡±

    ¡°Aye!¡±

    ¡°Keep on them, don¡¯t let them even think of taking a shot at the Prince!¡± Katja shouted as she vaulted over a railing. She had retainers a distance away, keeping hold of a horse-drawn carriage for her. Unhitching the horse from the carriage and riding it alone to the gate was the fastest way to get there.

    ¡°What¡¯s your plan?¡± Arkk called, chasing after her.

    For a brief moment, Katja thought he was talking about her hopes that the Prince would take a cannonball to the face. But no, he was asking what she planned to do about the Prince being on the outside of the barrier. She didn¡¯t bother glancing back. ¡°You think I have one?¡± she snapped over her shoulder.

    She had everything planned. A grand welcoming, both theatric and befitting of someone of Prince Cedric¡¯s standing. Uncertain of the Prince¡¯s personality, she had plotted out two avenues to proceed from there, all based on her first impressions. In one plan, there was to be a feast, lavish gifts, and entertainment enough to last for days. In the other, a serious and detailed meeting where she would be able to go over the exact state of the Duchy, providing statistics, deployment patterns, updates from Arkk and her own guard, and anything else he might ask for. She had spent days and nights compiling all the information, going over it backward and forwards to ensure she knew everything the Prince might possibly ask.

    And now this?

    Katja didn¡¯t know who these interlopers were, but if they killed the Prince, they would be a blessing in disguise. If they didn¡¯t, she could simply go back to her previous plotting.

    The horses were skittish and uneasy. Not surprising given all the noise of the battle. Katja¡¯s retainers started getting the carriage ready upon spotting her approach. Katja brushed them off, unlatching the horse¡¯s harness herself before slinging herself up and onto its bare back. Slamming her heels into its sides sent the horse bolting, leaving both her retainers and Arkk behind.

    Riding bareback wasn¡¯t comfortable or fun at the best of times. Trying to direct an upset horse through the streets of Cliff still wasn¡¯t the worst she had had. It was faster than walking. Still, she was relieved when she made it to the garrison without getting bucked off its back.

    She tore inside, glad that a good number of the guards had been replaced with her men who recognized her without any trouble. ¡°Shut it down,¡± she shouted, barging into the central ritual room. She couldn¡¯t act any longer, not while maintaining plausible deniability. If the Prince wasn¡¯t dead already, it was too late for that.

    Three inquisitors of the Abbey and a spellcaster, all with strained faces, looked up.

    ¡°Shut it down!¡± she repeated. ¡°The Prince is outside the barrier with the barbarians!¡±

    That got a reaction. One of the inquisitors, a woman with tinted round glasses, reacted first, pulling back from the ritual circle. Without her to support the magical reaction, the other three were swiftly forced to stop. The inquisitor, unsteady on her feet and looking drained, started toward Katja with questions on her lips, but Katja didn¡¯t have time to sit around answering them.

    As swiftly as she came, Katja hurried back out.

    The garrison was built into the mountainside right next to the main gate leading into Cliff. It took mere minutes to get to the gatehouse. ¡°Open the gates!¡± she shouted, utterly baffled at the incompetence of the guards stationed there.

    Yes, the gates should be kept shut in an emergency but the Light-damned Prince was on the other side.

    She climbed the stairs to the wall, half expecting to have to pull the locking lever herself. The moment she reached the top and looked out, she saw it.

    Bright pinpoints of light all along the broadsides of the ships in the harbor.

    She couldn¡¯t do anything but watch, her heart filling with a slurry of dread and hope, as those pinpoints turned to arching streaks that sailed into the air, trailing fire in their wake. A dozen of the streaks slammed into the Grand Old Church with a vengeance. The large temple to the Light shielded much of Cliff, helping out even in its demise, but it did not stop the streaks of light aimed toward the main route into Cliff.

    One struck the mountain overhead, shredding the cliff wall and showering rock and stone down on the Prince¡¯s caravan. People below dove for cover. Katja watched one unfortunate crushed entirely by a rock as large as a horse. One of the manticores reared back and swung its snake-like tail around. The viper maw opened and caught one of the fireballs before spewing it back in the direction it had come from. Its defense was, unfortunately, imperfect. Another flaming ball sailed true, rocking the armored carriage far enough to tip it onto its side even though it didn¡¯t penetrate the metal.

    More rocks, sheared off the cliffside from flying fireballs, fell, collapsing on the now upward-facing side of the carriage. It might not be able to get through the armor, but the Prince wouldn¡¯t last long if the mountain fell on top of him. At the very least, he would run out of air.

    Before Katja could come up with anything to rectify the situation, the door to the carriage slammed open, flinging the heavy stones that had fallen on it off into the distance.

    A black and white blur erupted from the open carriage straight into the air. It was little more than a flicker in the corner of Katja¡¯s eye. She barely managed to track it as it reached a pinnacle high in the sky. Only her intense concentration on the situation let her follow it.

    Instead of arching back down the way a projectile might, it hung in that apex, a dark flicker against the blue sky. As quickly as it reached that apex, it aimed straight at the lead ship, crossing the distance in yet another flicker of movement.

    For a brief instant, nothing happened. Katja stared at the ship, expecting an explosion or some sign of damage from whatever magic the Prince had launched.

    The ship crumpled. From the distance she was at, it looked like it collapsed in on itself. Like two giant hands had clapped together, crushing it the way a farmer might crush an annoying mosquito. Even the water around the boat sloshed together, meeting in the middle where it spewed upwards in a geyser of water, splinters, and metal shards that reached higher than the crow¡¯s nest of the following ship.

    The other two ships vanished immediately after. They didn¡¯t collapse like the first. One moment they were there, then, with a light snapping sound in the air, they simply weren¡¯t. Sea water rushed into the vacancies left in their absence.

    Katja fell into a stupor. She was a spellcaster of some ability. She had spent time in Arkk¡¯s magical fortress. But she had never seen anything like that. What manner of magic was it?

    Slowly, she turned her head back. Most everyone who wasn¡¯t in immediate danger was stuck looking out to sea, likely feeling exactly as she was at the moment.

    What was Arkk thinking? Was this another day for him? Or was he staring in shock as well? He had that spell that had protected the harbor, but could he do something like that?

    Katja cocked her head to one side and slowly started to smile. Her eyes settled on the metal carriage that the large manticores were carefully righting.

    ¡°Men!¡± she shouted, startling the guards on the wall with her. ¡°Get out there. Assist anyone in need and escort everyone else inside the walls! Then get the protective magics back up and running.

    ¡°We have a Prince to welcome to the city.¡±

    If he survived.

 Prince Cedric Valorian Lafoar

    Arkk watched Nora soar overhead. The harpy drifted in wide circles, swooping over the open ocean.

    He had already searched using the crystal ball, scanning the ocean for leagues out into the waters. There was no sign of the attacking ships. One moment, they were there. The next, they weren¡¯t. As soon as the lead ship was destroyed, the others simply vanished.

    It had Arkk unnerved. He hoped it was nothing more than stealth magic, hiding the ships. The alternative was that these new allies of Evestani had magic that could instantaneously move entire warships. Out on the seas, they couldn¡¯t have any kind of ritual circle like what he used. The water was too¡­ fluid. It shifted and moved. The teleportation rituals relied on relative coordinates to teleport anything above them out to a matching circle¡ªwhich would be generated on first use. It couldn¡¯t be inscribed on the water.

    At the same time, he wanted that technology. His ritual circles cost massive amounts of magic if they were drawn any larger than an average horse-drawn cart, to the point where none of his employees would be able to activate them if they were too large. Combined with their relatively short range, they were far too limiting when trying to move something large a decent distance. The repeated activations were just as draining as a large circle making mass movements also infeasible.

    Yet if their new enemy could move something that large far enough that he couldn¡¯t find it¡­

    If he could do that¡­

    Nora swooped down, spreading her wings wide just in time to slow herself before she crashed into the docks. Her talons bit into the wood, holding her steady as she swept her head back and forth. The emerald green feathers that cascaded down the back of her head bobbed with the movement.

    ¡°Anything?¡± Arkk asked. There hadn¡¯t been any fog in the crystal ball like what Evestani used to hide their movements, but he had still sent her out to try to find anything she could.

    Unfortunately, the harpy shook her head again, this time in a far more negative motion. ¡°I circled wide like you asked. Nothing out there that looks like a warship. A few fishing boats¡­¡±

    Perhaps those ships might have somehow disguised themselves as smaller vessels, but¡­ it seemed unlikely.

    As he was debating sending Nora back out, expanding the search area even further this time, Zharja slithered up to the docks. Gorgon, snakelike as they were, were quite adept at moving through water. Zharja especially. After the golden knight had ripped off a portion of her tail, Hale had regrown it better than ever. It was thick, with powerful muscles coiled under the hardy metallic scales, and even sported a small barb that produced the same caustic venom that gorgon could spit.

    The water dripped off her scales, reflecting the sunlight in a dazzling array of colors beyond which her normally iridescent scales would produce. Her presence caused an uncomfortable stir among the men Katja had left on the docks. Even the burly Horrik stilled a moment before barking out an order to carry on retrofitting one of the fishing vessels.

    Arkk paid them little mind, far more focused on the splintered plank of wood she held in her arms.

    Long lines in the charred wood carved out a pattern. It wasn¡¯t scorch marks from a fire¡ªthe lead ship hadn¡¯t collapsed into a fire as far as he had seen¡ªbut precise patterns of pyrography that formed a partial ritual circle. From the small sample Zharja held, he could see some kind of spatial element, but not enough to tell its intended function.

    ¡°Were there others?¡± Arkk asked, looking up to Zharja¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Yess,¡± she hissed, making Arkk smile. ¡°The otherss are hauling them, along with two ssurvivorss.¡±

    ¡°Survivors?¡± Arkk asked, surprise overriding his curiosity over the potential ritual circle. ¡°From the warship or one of the sunken fishing vessels?¡±

    The attackers had taken out a few fishing boats during their attack. Nothing out in the ocean at large, as far as he had been able to tell. Which likely meant they had teleported in just as they teleported out.

    ¡°Warsshipss¡­ I think,¡± Zharja said, though she didn¡¯t sound completely certain. ¡°We only ssearched around the sshards of the sship.¡±

    That was almost unbelievable. He had seen the warship¡¯s destruction. It crumped as easily as he might crumple a piece of paper, exploding out into splinters of wood and shards of metal. Arkk was surprised there was an intact plank as long as the one Zharja had. For a person to have survived that¡­ And two, no less? They must have jumped overboard just before that spell hit their ship.

    Arkk looked over, watching Horrik for a moment. The man was ushering a few others up a narrow gangplank to the fishing ship. The two on their way up looked like academy initiates. Probably here to scrawl out some ritual circles under the direction of someone a little more knowledgeable. At least, Arkk hoped there was someone more knowledgeable than a bunch of bandits and initiates at the helm.

    ¡°Head back out there,¡± Arkk said, looking back to Zharja. ¡°Have them bring the survivors around to the slum side of the harbor. Bring them to the teleportation circle near the Primrose. Get the survivors to Savren and any intact ritual circle planks to Zullie. Try not to be seen on the way.¡± He paused a moment, thought about it, then added in a bare whisper, ¡°You may petrify anyone in the way as long as you restore them to normal as soon as the survivors are out of sight.¡±

    Zharja dipped her head in an acknowledging nod. She turned around and, after a twisting wiggle of her tail, dove back into the water off the side of the docks.

    Savren would dig into their minds. He would find out who the warships belonged to and what they were after. Maybe even why they had allied with Evestani, Evestani¡¯s plan going forward, and any other surprise attacks they might unleash. Zullie, meanwhile, would dig into that ritual circle and figure out what it was. Arkk hoped it was their teleportation spell. He hoped that the warship was the lower end of its teleportation capabilities.

    He was a little worried that he was dumping a bit too much on Zullie¡¯s shoulders. She was juggling a dozen hats at the moment. Some related to each other, like counter-demon magics and her investigations into magic that stemmed from Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key. Others were a somewhat lower priority but no less important, like reconfiguring the portal to make use of the keystone Sylvara brought. They needed to figure out how to properly investigate other domains to come up with a proper countermeasure for the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar.

    Preferably before Evestani¡¯s forward march reached Elmshadow.

    He was fortifying Elmshadow as best he could. Stemming from the Walking Fortress, he had sent dozens upon dozens of the lesser servants out and around, claiming both underground territory and land on the surface for the tower. The entirety of Elmshadow was under his direct control at this point, along with much of the farmlands that stretched out through the valley between the Elm mountains. He couldn¡¯t claim the entire mountain ranges, but he could claim enough of it that it would be impossible to surprise him even if they used some spell that could transport their entire army the same way they teleported those warships.

    And, even if they did teleport their entire army into his territory, he owned it. He could simply teleport an alchemical explosive directly into the middle of their army. No need to endanger his men at all.

    ¡°Nora,¡± he said, looking back to the harpy. ¡°Take to the skies again, this time focus on scouting out the Prince¡¯s forces. Just do a few passes overhead, and see how they¡¯re recovering and moving. And¡­ if you spot anything strange, report back to me without delay.¡±

    ¡°Going, going,¡± Nora said, spreading her wings wide.

    Arkk pulled out his crystal ball, trying to focus on Katja.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Unfortunately, the image within simply turned blank. It was a similar problem as he once had scrying on Inquisitor Vrox. He couldn¡¯t even look at the army that was lined up outside the city. When the attack had hit the armored carriage, some of its defenses must have activated. The crystal ball couldn¡¯t get anywhere near close enough to it to see what was going on. All he could tell was that they were working with the city guard to try to help people who had been caught in the landslide the attacking ships had caused.

    He wanted to go up there and get eyes on the Prince. But the Prince was with Hawkwood. If the latter saw him, he would likely have to inform the Prince of who he was.

    That¡­ could end terribly if Prince Cedric didn¡¯t take kindly to Arkk¡¯s presence.

    All he could do was sit back and rely on a former bandit lord to carry out her duty to perfection.

    <hr>

    ¡°Quite the welcome we¡¯ve received.¡±

    Katja¡¯s smile was the smile of a liar. Perfectly posed and without a hint of strain. ¡°I¡¯m relieved to see you made it through without harm,¡± she lied.

    The assassination failed. Her efforts in locking out the Prince during the attack had been a waste. She had been careful. There should be no evidence outside her mind beyond the fact that she had given the order. That should be dismissible by claiming she hadn¡¯t known that the Prince was on the path to the city. It might harm her carefully cultivated facade of competence, but hopefully, she could make up for that in other ways.

    ¡°You arrived at a most tumultuous time,¡± Katja continued.

    Prince Cedric Valorian Lafoar stood before her, tall and imposing in armor that lacked ornamentation. Rather, it looked like he just got off the battlefield. His surcoat had stains. Blood, probably, though they were old enough to have dried to a crusty blackish brown. The hauberk poking out underneath had dented and bent rings of metal, undoubtedly from an enemy¡¯s weapon.

    He had been traveling, so perhaps it should be expected that his gear wouldn¡¯t be in pristine shape. His goatee and slicked-back hair were neatly trimmed but not any more so than a random peasant who took care of themselves. Katja had a slight suspicion that he wasn¡¯t the actual prince, just a stand-in to protect against potential harm.

    But there wasn¡¯t anything Katja could do about it now. She had tried to get rid of him in a way that would implicate neither her nor Arkk. That had failed. Now she had to cozy up and figure out what he wanted.

    He hadn¡¯t ordered her immediate beheading, which was a positive.

    ¡°Give me a timeline of today¡¯s events,¡± the Prince said, looking about the garrison.

    They had hustled inside, moving the entire convoy just beyond the city gate in under thirty minutes. The protective magic over the city was active once again, though there was no obvious threat on the horizon. Katja simply felt it was prudent to show her proactivity.

    ¡°The enemy warships appeared in the harbor approximately one and a half hours ago,¡± Katja said, bowing before giving her report. The book on etiquette she had uncovered in the manor offered her a few tips on meeting a noble of higher standing. It was an old book, but one that hopefully wasn¡¯t considered too outdated. ¡°Witness reports state that they simply sailed into the harbor. I have men interviewing residents of the harbor and fishing crews who might have seen more as we speak.

    ¡°They opened fire immediately, using cannon-based alchemical bombardment to assail the city. Garrison drills paid off in a hasty activation of the counter-bombardment ritual. With assistance from a few inquisitors, they managed to hold out until I could organize a defense using the dock-mounted cannons¡ª¡±

    ¡°You organized the defense?¡± Prince Cedric cut in, still not looking in her direction. His attentions were focused across the garrison courtyard where some of his men were hastily repairing the mostly superficial damage to his armored carriage. The two manticores loomed over the work almost like they were about to pounce on the carriage.

    Katja shuddered, wondering exactly how tame they were. Manticores were dangerous. Easily on the level of gorgon if not greater. They weren¡¯t known to be particularly friendly to other species.

    ¡°While the garrison ran regular drills to ensure they could defend from bombardment magic and return attacks against anything approaching by land, they neglected drills operating the defenses from sea-based attacks. My¡­ former profession gave me a certain level of competence in defending a fortification.¡±

    Prince Cedric¡¯s gaze swiveled toward Katja. He didn¡¯t speak, simply choosing to watch her with an intense, scrutinizing gaze.

    Lightly clearing her throat, Katja continued, ¡°We were able to mount something resembling a defense, even causing significant damage to one of their ships. They were in the process of fleeing when word arrived that your convoy reached my gates.¡±

    ¡°Your gates, are they?¡±

    Katja hid her grimace with a deep bow. ¡°Your Highness,¡± Katja said, carefully raising her head just as that old book of etiquette said she should. ¡°It is with immense honor and jubilation that I bid you welcome to the City of Cliff. I apologize for the delay in formally welcoming you here. This city is yours¡ªas are its gates¡ªand I am at your service during your sojourn. May your time herein be as agreeable as it is distinguished.¡±

    The Prince¡¯s eyebrows slid up his brow ever so slightly. ¡°A line ripped from the pages of The Booke of Courtesie. Author unknown. Written approximately five hundred years ago.¡±

    Katja suppressed another wince. Outdated might have been an understatement.

    ¡°You are Lady Katja, former bandit turned¡­ regent of Cliff,¡± he said, voice carrying a weight that would have silenced the entire garrison in a less stressful situation. ¡°Your rise to power has been meteoric, to say the least.¡±

    Regent. Was it good that he named her that? It almost sounded like an official title. Which was probably a good sign. Unfortunately, a regent was typically a temporary position.

    Katja decided to focus on the positives. It was almost an official title, one that implied he was perhaps not upset with her in a way that would get her the same treatment the Count of Vaales received during his rebellion. First, before anything else, she had to ensure that she kept her head firmly attached to her shoulders. Only then could she grasp for every scrap of power she could get from the situation.

    ¡°The war displaced me along with many others,¡± Katja said, attempting to keep a neutral tone of voice. ¡°That has a certain way of granting perspective that I lacked before.¡±

    ¡°Did it? Or did it simply provide new opportunities? If what has crossed my desk is true, you were well on your way to owning Moonshine Burg before the war interrupted your progress. And now, you¡¯ve somehow managed to find a new seat of power to occupy.¡±

    Katja very much wished he hadn¡¯t known anything about Moonshine Burg. How had he found that out anyway? The entire burg fell in the opening act of the war. Had Arkk evacuated people from there who managed to send a report to the Prince?

    Before she could come up with anything to say in response, another man hurried across the courtyard. Though she had never met him in person, the graying hair, hardy beard, and¡ªmost importantly¡ªthe white surcoat with a black chevron identified him as Hawkwood, commander of White Company.

    ¡°Sire,¡± Hawkwood said with a deep bow, far deeper than the one Katja had offered.

    The Prince took his piercing gaze off Katja, looking to the letter held in Hawkwood¡¯s hands.

    ¡°I just received a missive via Swiftwing from Arkk¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ah yes. The other of the problems in this territory. Why am I not surprised that I am already hearing his name.¡±

    ¡°It likely relates to the warships in the harbor,¡± Hawkwood said, slowly righting himself. ¡°According to this, Evestani has begun marching across the Duchy¡ªMystakeen. This time, accompanied by soldiers from the Eternal Empire.¡±

    ¡°Numbers?¡± Prince Cedric asked without a hint of surprise in his voice. ¡°Unit makeup?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Hawkwood slowly shook his head, looking at the letter for a moment. ¡°He didn¡¯t say.¡±

    ¡°Useless,¡± he said, again without any surprise in his tone. Nor anger, for that matter. It was as if he simply expected a useless response and was confirming to himself that it was, indeed, useless. ¡°I presume Elmshadow is still under Al-Mir¡¯s control?¡±

    ¡°Unless Arkk has relocated his walking tower without informing me, yes.¡±

    ¡°How would you rate his odds at withstanding an Evestani counterattack?¡±

    Hawkwood fell silent for a moment, considering. ¡°Arkk has powerful magic and employees at his disposal. I would say the odds favor him. Except Evestani is aware of many of his tricks. If I were in Evestani¡¯s commander¡¯s position, I would ensure I could handle Arkk¡¯s magic before attacking again. The Eternal Empire¡¯s presence additionally complicates things. I don¡¯t know much about them.¡±

    ¡°I see. Send a return harpy immediately, find out everything he knows about the approaching force.¡±

    Hawkwood shifted a moment then nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can.¡±

    ¡°As for you, Lady Katja,¡± Prince Cedric said, turning back to her. ¡°The fact that you read The Booke of Courtesie tells me much of your intentions. Bend the knee, kiss the ring, and hope for the best, is it?¡±

    Katja pressed her lips together. She wouldn¡¯t have phrased it that way¡ªit was a bit too degrading¡ªbut there wasn¡¯t much point in denying it. Perhaps if she saw another opportunity for a plausible assassination, her plans would change. For now¡­ ¡°I am prepared to render whatever assistance I can in reclaiming full control of Mystakeen in the name of the Greater Kingdom of Chernlock.¡±

    ¡°Very well. Make your attempt. I will be the judge of its worthiness. You may begin by arranging a meeting with all notable personnel in the city.¡±

    ¡°Many military, civil, and economic advisors are housed at or around my¡­ the manor. We¡¯ll be able to organize things from there. I can arrange for a carriage if yours is too damaged to make the journey?¡±

    Prince Cedric turned away. He brought his fingers to his lips and unleashed a sharp whistle.

    One of the manticores bounded over, its lion-like head snarling at a poor guard who had already been walking in the way. Its snake-like tail lowered to the ground, providing a place for the Prince to step. Hauling himself onto its back with far more dignity than Katja would have been able to muster, the Prince turned to her.

    ¡°I will meet you there,¡± he said.

    As soon as he finished speaking, the bat wings of the manticore spread wide, carrying him up into the skies.

    Katja glared after him for a long moment before deciding that keeping him waiting for even a minute longer than necessary was a bad idea.

 The Eternal Empire

    ¡°Regrettably, none of the nabbed notables were notably high-ranking.¡±

    Arkk turned away from Savren, looking at the two bound sailors they had rescued from the wreckage of the warships. One¡¯s head lolled to his side as if the muscles in his neck just wouldn¡¯t work properly despite his best attempts. A long string of drool hung from the bottom of his chin. The other looked more aware, but was caught in a loop of rocking back and forth. At least as much as she was able with the ropes tying her to the chair.

    Their state disturbed Arkk. But it was his doing. His order. He had told Savren to get as much information from them as quickly as possible. Savren had no qualms about obliging.

    ¡°What did they know?¡±

    ¡°I presume you are probing particulars of the war and not wasting whiles on worthless wonders.¡±

    Arkk shot Savren a glare. The warlock, while running a hand through his greasy hair, simply shrugged. ¡°Yes,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I¡¯m not asking what they had for breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Dried fish and cheese,¡± Savren said as he held out a long piece of paper.

    Arkk looked down at it, finding a list of prepared responses neatly organized by priority. Although Arkk thought he had gotten quite adept at piercing the meaning of Savren¡¯s words through his curse, he was always happy to remove ambiguity through the written word, which was not affected by Savren¡¯s curse.

    He leaned back against the wall as he perused through.

    Both were soldiers of the Eternal Empire. Arkk had never heard of such a place. It sat across the ocean, far to the north. Savren included a few small details of their homeland. Arkk skimmed past. He wasn¡¯t interested in their culture or culinary preferences. Perhaps when they weren¡¯t attacking him, he would be more interested, but for now, he was far more interested in what they could do.

    The woman, Porcia ¡®Chain¡¯ Catena, was a canoness. And a cannoneer. As a canoness, she was some kind of religious leader for the ship. They did not worship the Golden Good, Heart of Gold, or any variation that the Golden Order revered. Rather, they simply believed in a figure known as the Empress.

    Presumably the head of their Eternal Empire.

    As a cannoneer, she was adept at wielding the warship¡¯s broadside cannons.

    The man, one Titus Bellator¡ªknown to his friends simply as ¡®Wart¡¯¡ªwas the ship¡¯s quartermaster and logistic supervisor. It was his job to ensure that the ship had enough food, medicine, alchemical reagents, and whatever else was needed to sail around the world. He also played a crucial role in navigation. Because of that, Savren had been able to figure out the exact route the ship had taken to reach Cliff.

    The ship, called the Pungis Victoriae, took about six weeks to sail from their homelands, meaning they had set off well before Arkk had taken Elmshadow back from Evestani. Neither knew why the Eternal Empire¡¯s army had set off for war but both were utterly elated to be serving in their empire.

    Which was just what Arkk didn¡¯t need. More zealots.

    Titus knew a few things beyond the realm of his ship, as a result of being a higher-ranked individual. ¡°They set out with twenty-one warships?¡± Arkk said, raising an eyebrow. ¡°And another thirty or so are supposedly on their way? How big is this empire?¡±

    ¡°Unknown,¡± Savren said with a shrug. ¡°I know nearly nothing about neighboring nations; I know even less regarding remote realms.¡±

    ¡°What are they going to assault with those warships? The entire northern side of the Duchy borders the ocean, but it is all cliffsides and rough rocks. There are only a handful of villages up there.¡±

    ¡°I believe their boats were better built for bearing both bodies and belongings,¡± Savren said, pointing a finger halfway down the list he had given Arkk.

    Sure enough, according to Titus¡¯ memories, a good number of the warships had been hastily converted to full troop transports.

    Which explained where the additions to Evestani¡¯s army came from.

    Skimming back down the remainder of the page, Arkk¡¯s eyes jumped to one particular line. He read and reread it a dozen times over, just to make sure he was reading it correctly. ¡°Every single one of their knights is a high-caliber spellcaster?¡±

    ¡°That is what the persuasive propaganda, published by their superiors, plainly points to. Among our captives, only the canoness commands casting.¡±

    ¡°So it could be false¡­¡± Though it was better to assume the worst and be pleasantly surprised if they all weren¡¯t slinging powerful spells across the battlefield. It would explain the level of firepower those warships had unleashed upon Cliff. The constant volleys raining down upon the city would have exhausted any minor casters.

    ¡°Did you yet devise a detailed design for dispatching them?¡±

    ¡°I have a plan, yes. I¡¯m waiting on a few things, but I hope to¡­ isolate this incident as soon as possible. Some parts of the plan may change depending on whether or not Zullie¡¯s assistants can put together that damaged ritual spell we recovered from their ship.¡±

    ¡°Shall I skillfully shift myself to spearhead that scheme?¡±

    ¡°No. That is a project that would be nice to have but unnecessary to the immediate plan. I need you on the inquisitor¡¯s project.¡±

    Sylvara was back at Fortress Al-Mir. She, Zullie, and Savren would hopefully have a proper countermeasure to the avatar of Gold before he was ready to enact his plan. If they didn¡¯t¡­ Well, he had seen how the golden rays affected the reinforced bricks of the walking fortress at Elmshadow, so he had ideas on how to mitigate damage in more mundane means.

    ¡°Understood,¡± Savren said. ¡°I shall steadfastly steer this stint with supreme sincerity.¡±

    ¡°Get back with them as soon as possible,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I need¡ª¡±

    ¡°Concerning the captives¡­¡±

    Arkk paused and looked at the two. Their states hadn¡¯t improved during the short conversation. It made him feel a bit uneasy. ¡°Will they recover? Or can you get them back to normal?¡±

    ¡°Unlikely, as I intruded into their intellects indifferent to their individual welfare.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Arkk said, somewhat disappointed. They were his enemy, but¡­ He shook his head. There were other things to worry about now. ¡°I¡¯ll have Kia and¡­ I¡¯ll have Kia deal with them later,¡± he said, trying not to think too hard about what he was doing.

    Arkk teleported away, heading to the transportation circles that would take him back to Cliff, leaving Savren alone with the two captives.

    <hr>

    Savren softly surmised to himself, scrutinizing the seemingly soulless souls stationed before him. If they were destined for doom, better to not squander such subjects for study. His pursuits permitted little need for plentiful participants, but their procurement promised to pacify part of Zullie¡¯s persistent pestering.

    <hr>

    Arkk hurried through the halls of the former Duke¡¯s manor, making heavy use of the servant corridors to pass through while avoiding the Prince¡¯s guard. Most of the Prince¡¯s guard, anyway. There were a few patrols in the servant corridors. But simply donning one of the uniforms Katja had left down in the hidden dungeon room where his teleportation circle sat gave him enough plausible deniability.

    It helped that he was carrying a vintage bottle of wine. A servant hurrying around was suspicious but a servant carrying out a task was something to be ignored.

    It certainly seemed as if the Prince had taken over the manor in its entirety. Arkk recognized a few faces around the manor as he passed through a regular hall between two servant corridors. Bandits of Katja¡¯s. So she hadn¡¯t gotten herself kicked out entirely. He quickly conversed with a few of them, getting directions to where Katja was.

    Arkk found Horrik standing guard outside one of the lower-level guest rooms. The hulk of a man had his arms crossed over his chest, blocking the door entirely with his body. For a long moment, he just stared at Arkk, not really glaring but also not moving aside.

    ¡°Lady Katja requested a bottle of wine,¡± Arkk said, not sure how many of the walls had ears now that the Prince was here.

    Horrik looked at him. One of those looks. But he stepped aside. He placed his hand on the door handle but paused. ¡°Lady Katja is not in the best mood today,¡± Horrik said.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°Yeah. I imagine not.¡± The fact that she was staying in the guest quarters was indicative enough of that. Of course, if he were in Katja¡¯s place, trying to play nice with royalty both to keep his head and keep his position, he would have offered up every accommodation possible to Prince Cedric as well.

    With a firm nod of his head, Horrik turned the handle and pushed the door open.

    The guest chambers were quite lavish compared to most anything at Langleey Village. They were still small enough to see throughout the entire room in one sweeping glance. Katja, clothes askew, lounged in a large chair nestled in the corner of the room. A younger man, maybe a little younger than Arkk, slept beneath the covers of the bed, his brown hair poking out from behind the fine blanket.

    Arkk hesitated on seeing the man and Katja¡¯s state of dress, but she simply waved a hand, beckoning him further into the room. As soon as he stepped past the threshold, Horrik closed the door behind him.

    ¡°Am I interrupting something?¡± Arkk asked, speaking quietly.

    Katja didn¡¯t bother adjusting the doublet-like outfit she wore. Not a single button was done up, leaving nothing covering the center of her chest from neck to navel. ¡°Interrupting?¡± she said with a scoff, shooting a disdainful look toward the bed. ¡°Hardly. We were engaged in nothing more than polite fiction. Though perhaps he thinks he¡¯ll be allowed to touch me if he acts mature enough.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure I understand.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you all the details of my life, do I?¡± Katja said with a long sigh.

    ¡°No,¡± Arkk said. Frankly, he didn¡¯t want to know all the details of her life. Just the important ones. After shooting one look at the boy, watching him half-snore into the feathered pillow, he turned back to Katja. ¡°How did things go with the Prince?¡±

    ¡°I still have my head, don¡¯t I? I¡¯m taking that as a positive sign,¡± she said, not bothering to lower her voice in the slightest. ¡°It seems as if my preparations paid off. Prince Cedric seemed quite pleased with my knowledge of the current state of affairs across all of Mystakeen. Even your company commander friend was surprised with how well I handled myself.¡±

    ¡°Hawkwood? How is he doing?¡±

    Katja shrugged, loosening her doublet even further. ¡°Running around like an obedient lapdog. The kind wealthy nobles preen over in the company of their peers but usually abuse behind closed doors.¡±

    The bite in her tone sounded a bit¡­ personal. Arkk wondered if she was talking more about her past rather than the Prince.

    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re here wanting every detail of what transpired?¡±

    ¡°No, not really. Only if he is intending to act against Company Al-Mir. I trust you to handle everything else.¡± Or, rather, he trusted that she would act in her self-interest. Which generally meant keeping her own power by keeping friendly with others in power.

    Arkk just needed to ensure that she remained aware of his power compared to whatever the Prince could offer.

    Katja cocked an eyebrow? ¡°Really? Huh.¡± She started to say something more, only to pause for a long yawn that devolved into an extended stretch. The striped tattoos that adorned her arms also ran along the sides of her ribs. ¡°Sorry. Long day. He is certainly interested in you. But it seems to be more in how he might make use of you as a tool rather than an obstacle. Especially in light of this renewed attack from Evestani. He wants to meet you at some point. Hawkwood and I managed to delay, saying you would need to focus on preparing for conflict. I doubt that will work forever.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Arkk said, moving just past Katja to look out the guest room window. It had a view of the harbor. Most of the ships out there were just dark silhouettes against the dark sky, but the largest ship was lit up with dozens of glowstones as people hurried across its decks. ¡°I¡¯ll have to find one of my nicer suits. But before that¡­ I had another matter I required assistance with. Your assistance.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Not here just for a chat? I¡¯m hurt, Arkk.¡±

    ¡°I need access to the Duke¡¯s treasury.¡±

    Arkk could feel the stillness at his back. He turned to find Katja no longer lounging in the chair but leaning forward with a scowl on her face.

    ¡°My treasury? For what reason?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m planning a construction project. It will consume a rather large quantity of resources.¡±

    Her eyes narrowed. ¡°I thought you had your own source of funding. You certainly poached a number of my crew with promises of gold.¡±

    ¡°It would be months before my source accrues enough for this project. Naturally, I would return it all in time. And until then, I thought you might be interested in purchasing some¡­ services from Company Al-Mir.¡±

    ¡°Services,¡± she repeated, tone flat.

    Arkk swept a hand through the air. Without a word of incantation or any visible effort, a slit of a void opened between him and Katja. Her forward lean reversed, leaving her pressed against the back of the chair where she remained frozen and unmoving.

    ¡°The spell I used earlier today is a result of counter-demon magic my researchers are developing,¡± Arkk said, pinching his fingers together. The unnatural void in the air sealed with the movement, leaving no evidence of its existence. ¡°Given who you¡¯re sharing this manor with, I thought you might be interested in learning some of my secrets.

    ¡°Of course, if you aren¡¯t interested,¡± Arkk said after leaving his proposal hanging in the air for a short moment. He turned and started back toward the door. ¡°I do have others who owe me. I think I¡¯ll pay a visit to Silver City¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Arkk paused and looked back over his shoulder.

    Katja stood, finally clasping together the wooden toggles on her doublet. ¡°Roland!¡± she snapped.

    The boy in the bed snorted, jolting upright. He looked around with bleary eyes set in a pudgy face. A vaguely familiar face at that, though Arkk couldn¡¯t quite place where he had seen the boy before. Perhaps among Katja¡¯s bandit crew¡­ except she didn¡¯t have many youth among her crew.

    ¡°Roland, you have your ring?¡±

    Blinking more times than Arkk felt necessary, the boy sluggishly nodded his head as he lifted his hand. Right on the middle finger, the Duke¡¯s signet ring gleamed in the room¡¯s lights.

    Arkk looked in askance at Katja, only to find her shrugging.

    ¡°Some parts of the manor are protected, requiring the Duke¡ªor one of his progeny¡ªto access. The treasury among them. I¡¯m working to adjust the locks to be a bit more favorable, and have succeeded elsewhere using help from the academy, but I¡¯d rather not have random people having access to the treasury.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps you can use the time it¡¯ll be empty to change the locks.¡±

    ¡°Empty?¡± Katja snapped. ¡°You¡¯re taking it all?¡±

    ¡°Depends on how much is there,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Roland, is it?¡± he said as he looked at the boy. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I am apparently pressed for time.¡±

    Roland didn¡¯t do anything until Katja gave him a nod of her head. Only then did he untangle himself from the twisted blankets and scramble for a set of slippers. In short order, they were back out in the corridor and hurrying down the halls.

    ¡°Prince Cedric has taken over the upper floors,¡± Katja explained as she waved them down a side route. ¡°Aside from a few of his guards posted near stairs and main entrances, he has left much of the lower levels to me. He¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°He isn¡¯t going to be happy if he finds out about this. I imagine the contents of the treasury technically belong to the King or somesuch.¡±

    ¡°Has he seen the contents?¡± Arkk asked. When Katja shook her head in the negative, he continued, ¡°Then claim the Duke squandered his riches, which is why taxes were so high. Or something else to that effect. Think of it this way: You¡¯re giving me the gold for safekeeping, making sure he can¡¯t run off with it. After he leaves, I pay you back, and you get to sit on your mound of gold without him messing with it.¡±

    A look of consideration crossed Katja¡¯s face. She didn¡¯t look happy, but the irritation that had lined her features since Arkk brought up the treasury diminished somewhat. That was good enough for him.

    The treasury sat behind a large vault door beneath the throne room where the incident at the party had taken place. Katja had to bring him through the throne room. Only a few of Katja¡¯s men were present.

    Arkk had already used his crystal balls to ensure that the Prince was busy and separated from Katja before daring to step foot nearby. Even now, he had his scrying teams watching them, ready to give a warning tug should the Prince so much as look toward the door of the study he had sequestered. He would have to thank Katja later for disabling the counter-scrying magic in the manor.

    At the vault door, Roland stepped forward, taking the lead. He pressed the signet ring into a little slot in the center of the rounded door and twisted his entire hand. A series of ratcheting clicks behind the door sounded out, filling the quiet corridor with an uncomfortable noise. But the door swung open without incident.

    It¡­ wasn¡¯t as full of gold as Arkk had hoped. The treasury at Fortress Al-Mir was larger currently, even in its diminished state after building up Walking Fortress Al-Lavik. Still, it was an influx of gold that he very much needed if he wanted to press forward.

    It wasn¡¯t all gold either. Arkk could see plenty of other metals¡ªsilver mostly¡ªalong with gems and jewels all arranged in decorative cases. Fine paintings of landscapes, scenery, and people who Arkk didn¡¯t recognize were hung from the walls, often between fanciful tapestries. Suits of armor stood in the corners, ones clearly not designed for combat. The metalwork was more a work of art than anything designed to take the blow of a weapon. Arkk wondered how often the former Duke walked through the treasury, just browsing his riches. Did he ever bring others in to show it off or was it all for himself?

    Shaking his head, Arkk held out a hand and, with a muttered incantation, conjured up a lesser servant. Mentally commanding it, Arkk set it to eating everything of value in the room. That included the gems and jewels, which Arkk had discovered were worth a lot of wealth to the [HEART].

    Beneath Elmshadow, Arkk had found some kind of hollow formation in the ground where glossy emerald crystals had grown from the outer shell. A geode, according to Vezta. It was supplementing his gold income almost more than the gold mine underneath Al-Mir, though it wasn¡¯t nearly as large and would soon run out.

    Katja watched the lesser servant go about its work, harvesting all the treasury, with a look of utter disappointment on her face.

    Taking some pity on her, Arkk reached into his pocket and pulled out the blade he had hidden in his palm earlier. A dark, black blade with glimmers of light dotting its surface. A product of Zullie¡¯s research into both the magic of Xel¡¯atriss and work replicating the ceremonial dagger they had found in the Underworld.

    ¡°No incantation necessary,¡± he said, holding its hilt out to Katja. ¡°Just push a little of your magic into the pommel and swipe it through the air. A little mental direction will have it form in the rough shape and size you want. We haven¡¯t had an opportunity to test, but the hope is that a demon coming into contact with it will be shunted out of this reality and back to its own. It certainly works to stop most other things as you saw with the warships.¡±

    Katja accepted the blade with a lot more care than he would have expected from the former bandit. Then again, he had done the same when Zullie first handed it to him. He never knew if something was going to blow up in his face.

    ¡°It won¡¯t last forever. Only a few of those large gaps. Three or four more, I imagine. More if you use it for smaller things, but I would keep it secret until you absolutely need to use it.¡±

    Katja stared at the blade for a long few moments before slowly looking back to the rapidly emptying treasury. ¡°I suppose it is something,¡± she said, sounding glum. ¡°You are repaying me, right?¡±

    ¡°After the Prince leaves. So anything we can do to expedite that would be best.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can.¡±

    That was more than Arkk figured he would get from Katja, so he didn¡¯t bother pressing for anything else. He simply waited for the servant to finish its job. Once it did, he set to leaving the manor the same way he had come. He got out without incident, teleporting via ritual circle back to Fortress Al-Mir.

    Deep within the recesses of the fortress, he appeared in the midst of a rather pleased-looking Priscilla and a somewhat frightened-looking Leda. The young fairy had changed since Arkk last saw her.

    Her glowing red eyes were locked on the shadowy orb hovering just above her fingertips.

 Leda

    ¡°It is quite simple,¡± Priscilla said, giving Leda a light push against her back. ¡°Just reach out and take it. Push a little magic into it¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have magic. No fairy does.¡±

    ¡°You have magic from your contract with Arkk. That will work for this.¡±

    Leda looked away from the shadowy orb that hovered above a narrow pedestal and looked at the dragonoid woman. ¡°Why can¡¯t you do this?¡±

    ¡°I said why,¡± Priscilla said with a bit of impatience leaking into her voice. ¡°I can¡¯t without killing myself, you, and anything else in sight. I want to. You don¡¯t know how much I wish I could. But I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°This is what you want. It is a magical artifact that amplifies magic. And it will feed that magic back to you. Perhaps you¡¯ll even regain proper flight. At the very least, you¡¯ll be able to teleport around like Arkk does¡ªeven in Arkk¡¯s territory as long as you don¡¯t cut your contract with him. Now,¡± Priscilla took hold of Leda¡¯s shoulders, digging her icy claws into Leda¡¯s skin just enough to make the fairy wince. With a light shove that nevertheless sent Leda sailing toward the orb, Priscilla continued, ¡°Activate it.¡±

    Leda didn¡¯t mean to, but the shove was enough to make her bump right into the orb. A spark jumped from her arm to the orb, a little burst of unintentional magic quickly spreading throughout channels and pathways built into the orb. It was like a large, spherical ritual circle.

    Leda tried to pull away. The orb pulled at her magic, siphoning it from where her arm touched its cold surface. But she couldn¡¯t free herself. It was as if some heavy vice had clamped down around her wrist, pinning her to the orb. She tried to wrench her whole body away, only for Priscilla to keep her firmly in place.

    The temperature plummeted. It felt like ice against her arm, spreading both up to her shoulder and down to her fingertips. Leda let out a yelp as the chill reached up her neck.

    A great thump resounded from the sphere. It moved, pulsing like a beating heart. That slight movement freed Leda from its grasp, sending her cartwheeling through the air. Leda¡¯s wings beat furiously, barely keeping her from slamming into the wall of the chamber.

    Priscilla looked up to her with a grin that showed off her sharp teeth. Leda wasn¡¯t sure how she was staring at the right spot. So many times when Priscilla spoke, she wouldn¡¯t quite look in the right spot. But now, Priscilla¡¯s head was angled perfectly toward Leda.

    Leda drifted higher in the room, keeping well out of reach while rubbing the numbness out of her arm. It was only when she started feeling her fingers again that Leda realized she was up near the domed ceiling of the room, far higher than fairies could normally hover. The shock of it jolted her out of her rhythm, sending her spiraling back down to the floor.

    Priscilla caught her before she could hit the ground, using just a single hand around Leda¡¯s waist.

    Something had changed with Priscilla. The normally white-blue ice that covered her eyes and much of her scales was tinged with red. Not blood. It was almost like someone had lit a fire in the room. In fact, looking around, Leda found the rest of the room changed as well. Everywhere she looked, a faint red hue coated everything.

    ¡°Success? Excellent. I wasn¡¯t sure if a fairy would be able to contact with a Heart.¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t¡­ But you said¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. I say a lot of things. Not all of them are true. Close your eyes and try to feel the tower. We need to shut it down so that you can remove the Heart. Then we can get back.¡±

    ¡°Feel the tower? That doesn¡¯t make any sense. How am I supposed¡­ to¡­¡±

    As soon as Leda thought about it, the entirety of the tower unfolded in front of her. It was like she could see every part of it at once. Even in the part where she was, she could see herself as Priscilla gently lowered her to the ground. It wasn¡¯t as big a tower as the one that had been perched out near the portal entrance or the tower Arkk had constructed back in the regular world, but it still had enough floors that Leda started to feel dizzy as she tried to think about it all.

    ¡°Good,¡± Priscilla said, making Leda focus directly on the sharp teeth in her mouth. ¡°Just listen to what I say. I won¡¯t lead you wrong.¡±

    ¡°You just said you lie a lot.¡±

    ¡°Only when it benefits me. Now, first, let¡¯s make sure this tower won¡¯t topple with us inside when we remove the Heart¡­¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Slave Natum is the spell I use,¡± Arkk said, demonstrating with a wave of his hand. One of those mounds of oily black flesh and far, far too many eyes dragged itself into existence at his side.

    Leda shuddered. They weren¡¯t a common sight around populated areas of Fortress Al-Mir and she was glad for that. Neither Arkk nor Priscilla looked visibly upset at its existence. Of course, Arkk was the one who summoned them and Priscilla couldn¡¯t actually see them.

    Leda shuddered again. ¡°I have to conjure one of those?¡± she said, trying not to sound like she was whining.

    When Arkk had rescued her from the Duke¡¯s dungeons months ago now, Leda hadn¡¯t thought anything would come of it. Finding out she could cast some small amount of magic had been wonderous. Being thrust into a war had been the opposite. Being assigned the chief minder of the blind dragonoid ranked somewhere in between.

    Now she had gotten her hands on a powerful magical artifact the likes of which only three were known to exist. And two belonged to Arkk. He wasn¡¯t trying to take this third one from her¡ªwhich Leda wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about. She could break the contract with it. Apparently without even ending up like Priscilla¡ªwho had broken far more than just her contract in trying to extract every iota of power the Hearts possessed. But now¡­

    Leda had somehow gotten herself a promotion from dragonoid minder to some kind of sub-commander of Arkk¡¯s free company.

    Another thing she wasn¡¯t sure about.

    But uncertainties aside, the power of the orb was¡­ somewhat intoxicating. She could feel the magic swirling about within her as she repeated the incantation. It burst forth from her fingertips, forcing reality to align with her intentions of summoning a servant to help her manage her new position.

    She recoiled as she felt that coalesced magic approach her, only for her revulsion to turn to curiosity as she noticed the form of the servant.

    It wasn¡¯t one of those oily monsters that Arkk summoned. Rather, it was some kind of¡­ hollow being. Transparent and barely visible, but roughly humanoid.

    Leda looked up to find Arkk just as confused as she was. Priscilla¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t changed. She probably couldn¡¯t tell the difference without touching them.

    Vezta, however, leaned forward. Her glowing yellow eyes, set across her entire body, analyzed the new form in mere moments. ¡°An adequate servant,¡± she said, ¡°it will be able to carry out the necessary tasks, even if it isn¡¯t as capable as my kin.¡±

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    ¡°Why does it look like that?¡± Arkk asked. ¡°Did something go wrong?¡±

    ¡°No. It is simply a [HEART] gifted from the Cloak of Shadows. The servants it allows will align more to the preferences of Lady Shadows than the beings from the [STARS] that Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key prefers.¡±

    ¡°I still summon¡­ uh¡­ normal lesser servants even after taking over the new Heart,¡± Arkk said with a clear question in his tone.

    ¡°Al-Mir¡¯s heart is far stronger than that of a walking fortress. It takes precedence. In any case, it is nothing to worry about. They may not be able to dig well, but that shouldn¡¯t matter for her purposes. They¡¯ll build and maintain a tower just as well as anything else.¡± Vezta paused, turning her yellow eyes to Leda. ¡°There are only two problems.¡±

    Leda shrank down, drawing her wings tight behind her back. She didn¡¯t like the look the monstrous woman was giving her.

    ¡°The first is one of trustworthiness.¡±

    Leda winced at Vezta¡¯s tone, only to be surprised when Arkk stepped between them.

    ¡°Leda hasn¡¯t done anything to make me think I can¡¯t trust her.¡±

    ¡°Ah, but the fairy has lacked any sort of power until now. And,¡± Vezta continued, shifting several of her eyes to Priscilla while still keeping a close watch on Leda. ¡°We all know how hard power is to resist. Don¡¯t we, former contractor?¡±

    Priscilla snarled, gnashing her teeth. That forced Arkk to move between Vezta and the angry dragonoid. A brave move, considering Priscilla could snap his outstretched arms as easily as Leda could break a tiny twig.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Arkk said, eyes blazing red.

    Vezta took a step back with a differential bow while Priscilla just stood in place, clearly seething.

    ¡°All I mean to ask is: Are you sure you would rather leave it in her hands rather than take it for yourself?¡±

    ¡°I have enough to manage as is,¡± Arkk said. ¡°If Leda wants the position, that is acceptable. Otherwise, I think I would rather hand it off to someone else to use. It¡¯s up to her.¡±

    Leda drew her hands into tight fists, taking in a deep breath. She could do this. She wanted to do this. Just the way the magic swirled around within her chest, ready to be unleashed instead of having to force it out¡­ She doubted it was like what her ancestors felt before the Calamity, but it was as close as she was likely to get.

    ¡°You can count on me.¡±

    Arkk stared a moment as if sizing her up. It only lasted an instant. He probably wasn¡¯t even aware of the brief consideration he took. But he ended up smiling at her, nodding his head. ¡°Good. Then what was the other problem, Vezta?¡±

    The greater servant, whose eyes did not take on a kindlier look, let out an almost disappointed sigh. ¡°With what funds are we going to use to construct another tower? The treasury is diminished and the fairy has no wealth of her own.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s good mood turned pensive once again. He hummed a moment before the red light in his eyes shone ever so slightly brighter. ¡°I¡¯ve got a few ideas. Leave it to me.¡±

    He vanished, teleporting away without another word.

    That left Leda in the uncomfortable company of a seething dragonoid and whatever Vezta was feeling at the moment. The look she was giving Leda was anything but kind.

    ¡°It would be wise to keep any thoughts of betrayal in check,¡± Vezta said, turning her body toward the door without turning her head. Her eyes were still focused entirely on Leda. ¡°Arkk may be merciful. I am not,¡± she said as she left the room.

    Leda shuddered, only to jump with a slight yelp as an icy hand dropped on her shoulder.

    ¡°Ignore the servant. She is jealous that she cannot contract with the Heart herself.¡±

    Leda clamped down on a retort asking if Priscilla wasn¡¯t in a similar position. So she just nodded her head and hoped that Arkk would be back sooner rather than later.

    <hr>

    Leda watched with mixed feelings as the largest mound of gold she had ever seen just evaporated like a bucket of water left out in the middle of a hot day. That had been enough gold to make even a fairy like her into a minor noble. And it was just gone.

    Around her, the shadowy servants she had summoned toiled away. It was strange watching them. They were little more than flat silhouettes¡ªno matter the angle Leda looked at them from, they didn¡¯t have any form¡ªand yet, they moved about the shadowy orb, exuding building materials from their bodies. The first was a tall pedestal that matched the one where she had originally found the orb. After that, they spread out black, light-absorbing bricks across the ground, forming a proper floor.

    Leda shivered in the chill spring wind. Having spent so long in the heat of the Underworld, even despite her proximity to Priscilla¡¯s natural cool, the open air of the regular world felt especially cold against her skin. It didn¡¯t help that there was nothing around.

    Her tower wasn¡¯t being built in the Cursed Forest or anywhere near Elmshadow. They were in the plains far south of Moonshine Burg. Far enough that only a dedicated scouting team would find it, but close enough that it could move there in a short amount of time.

    It didn¡¯t seem like a good idea to her, being out here without any real support. There were teleportation circles, but Arkk didn¡¯t have another army to help support her if she was discovered out here. He didn¡¯t have extra crystal balls that she could use to watch over the surroundings, he didn¡¯t have a proper escape plan for if things did go wrong, and he didn¡¯t have the focus to dedicate to her while he was worried about demons and armies approaching Elmshadow.

    All he had for her was one of the creepy Protectors. A lumbering giant of a being compared to him. Leda shuddered, looking over at it. She was about as big as its foot. Its face, stiff chitin molded in a vague humanoid shape, was utterly incomprehensible. It just stared at the construction project, its wide eyes following those shadowy servants as they went about their task.

    The construction was getting somewhere now. A large, circular chamber now fully encompassed the pedestal and the orb it held. The shadows were building outward and upward. All with hardly any input from Leda. It was like they knew what to do. Some exuded bricks underneath the existing structure, lifting it upward as they formed the top of the next room below. Others built on top of it, apparently unconcerned with the potential instability of the base being worked on. The rest worked on creating what would end up being legs for the eventual tower.

    Even the orb chamber would only be a small corner of its floor, protected by thick layers of outer walls, empty space for stairs, and even more walls around it.

    As the structure grew larger, Leda started noticing something. A magical tingle deep within her chest.

    When she had first touched that orb, way back in the Underworld, she had felt the magical power within her just waiting to explode out. To be used. It had been overwhelming until they shut down that tower to move the orb back home, but now, it was on the rise again. With every brick laid, with every additional tile spreading the building out, she could feel a sudden jump in her heart.

    It was a wonderful feeling.

    Leda¡¯s worries over the future started to give way to excitement and anticipation. She watched the shadowy servants, just waiting for them to form the next brick and join it to the rest of the structure.

    ¡°Is this how you feel all the time?¡± Leda asked, breaking the silence as she looked at Arkk.

    His glowing red eyes turned to her. ¡°Feel?¡± he asked, confused.

    ¡°Just¡­ the magic. Every brick that goes down¡­¡± Leda licked her lips, looking back to the shadowy servants.

    ¡°Ah. The Heart makes me a much more powerful caster than most people. Is that what you mean?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Leda said, distracted. She didn¡¯t think he got it at all. Was it because he was a human? Or maybe he had just gotten used to it. He had been at this for a long time, after all. Unless he didn¡¯t get this feeling anymore.

    Every brick that went down was a significant increase in power, but each was less than the one before it. Ten bricks would double a ten-brick floor, but ten more bricks after that would only add half the previous total. Ten after that would be even less. Arkk controlled the entirety of the Cursed Forest plus Elmshadow. A single brick for him would be nothing relative to the rest of it all.

    It was almost disappointing to think about it like that.

    On the other hand¡­ What must it be like to control that vast territory? If two rooms were making her heart pound this hard, what would a whole forest feel like?

    ¡°Keep at it,¡± Arkk said, ignorant of her thoughts. ¡°I need to get back and figure out how we¡¯re going to handle things going forward.¡±

    Leda grimaced, elation crashing down as she looked at the three others standing outside her slowly rising tower. ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡±

    Arkk looked at her, then smiled oh so kindly. ¡°Vezta can answer any questions you might have,¡± he said, gesturing to his servant. ¡°She helped me a lot in my early days. And Priscilla and the Protector won¡¯t let you come to harm. If there is any sign of Evestani, they¡¯ll all help get you out of here.¡±

    Grimacing again, Leda deliberately avoided looking around. She did not want to meet the glowing yellow eyes of the servant, the iced-over face of the dragonoid, or¡­ whatever the Protector was.

    Though the latter was still staring at the shadowy servants, paying her little mind.

    ¡°Head inside, practice teleporting around, and whatever else you can think of. I¡¯ll be back in the morning to check on the construction progress.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ okay.¡±

    Okay.

    Leda closed her eyes. She needed to focus on the good. That magic that was building inside her. The spells she could now learn, now that she had access to such magic. And¡­ Well, that was about it for the moment.

    Magic.

    Magic was good.

 Domination

    An iridescent crystal with an odd yellow hue sat on the table, held upright by three nail-like prongs crafted down in Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s smithy. There were no glowstones in the room. Nothing that might contaminate it with ambient magic. The only light came from a set of three oil lamps, slowly burning away. The small flames flickered and wavered, sending the iridescent gleam up and down the smooth sides of the crystal.

    ¡°The gem matches the portal archway,¡± Hale said, staring at the crystal. ¡°Like, close enough that if I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d have thought you hacked a chunk off it.¡±

    ¡°Portal archway?¡± Sylvara asked, looking at the small girl.

    ¡°I believe you sat in on a meeting or two where our access to the Underworld came up?¡± Zullie said, empty eyes locked onto the crystal. ¡°Arkk never actually showed you it, did he.¡±

    ¡°Such secrets should strictly stay shielded from the scrutiny of your Inquisition.¡±

    Sylvara eyed Savren but didn¡¯t comment. She looked back to the crystal. ¡°An archivist who frequently helped Vrox and I during our research gave me this the day I left. She said it would help, though she didn¡¯t say what with. Hearing what you have to say on it makes the inquisitor in me wonder how an archivist got her hands on some kind of¡­ planar shard?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Zullie said, leaning forward with an almost maniacal grin on her eyeless face. ¡°It¡¯s far more than just a bit of errant planar magic. I have seen things. Those portals? They were created by Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, as gifts to the worlds. Most, I imagine, were destroyed in the years following the Calamity. Those that aren¡¯t have been long buried, lost and forgotten for a thousand years. So, yes. Quite interesting that an archivist got her hands on a piece of one. An active piece. Now that it is out of that case, I can¡­ well, I can see Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key¡¯s power radiating off that thing.¡±

    ¡°It has a rune on it,¡± Hale said, more for Zullie¡¯s sake than anyone else¡¯s. ¡°A solitary dot within a larger circle.¡±

    Zullie let out a long hum, tapping a thin finger on the rim of her glasses. ¡°Doesn¡¯t match any of the runes on our portal, does it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Hale said.

    Arkk drew in a breath as he looked over the research team. He had asked Vezta about the rune upon first seeing it in Sylvara¡¯s hands. ¡°That is supposedly the symbol for the Eternal Silence. God of rest, sleep, peace¡­ and death. One of three members of the Pantheon that Vezta suggested was most opposed to the Heart of Gold. The others being the Eternal Permafrost and the Jailer of the Void.¡±

    ¡°Rest, peace, sleep, and death,¡± Ilya repeated, speaking for the first time since this meeting began. She expressed confusion as to why she had been invited given her lack of magical knowledge. Arkk mostly just wanted her at his side. It felt like they were always apart these days. ¡°Those traits oppose gold?¡±

    ¡°The Heart of Gold holds dominion over wealth, possessions, and¡ªallegedly¡ªlove. I¡¯ve not seen evidence for that last one but that¡¯s what Vezta said. Material, worldly things, in other words.¡±

    ¡°Greed,¡± Savren cut in.

    Arkk started to nod but paused. ¡°According to Vezta, followers of the Heart of Gold often¡­ well¡­ engaged in violence¡ªto put it lightly¡ªagainst those who insinuated they followed a god of greed. But yes. The Eternal Silence¡¯s focus on death and sleep is more immaterial¡ªyou can¡¯t carry your wealth into a dream, after all. Vezta¡¯s words, not mine.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Sylvara said, not sounding wholly convinced.

    Arkk didn¡¯t blame her. ¡°Not every member of the Pantheon has a direct opposition like fire to ice,¡± he said with a light shrug. ¡°That¡¯s probably why she suggested three different gods. But having this crystal here now¡­ Well, it can¡¯t hurt to try with this one.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ convenient. And raises more questions for the archivist. Did she know?¡± Sylvara murmured to herself. ¡°Perhaps Vrox mentioned something to her. Or she just saw where our research was headed and knew this crystal was sitting somewhere in the archives.¡± Sylvara shook her head, focusing her red eyes back on Zullie. ¡°I¡¯ll interrogate¡ªor thank¡ªher the next time I¡¯m in Chernlock. For now, I presume you know of a way to use this? I know how to craft Binding Agents, but I need materials infused with opposing power.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zullie said. ¡°We¡ª

    Arkk interrupted, ¡°No. We can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°It will be simple,¡± Zullie said, ruffling her robes as she folded her arms over her chest. ¡°I don¡¯t know how the Abbey gets their material, but all we have to do is replace the keystone rune of the portal with this. We walk in, find a few artifacts of the Eternal Silence, and walk out. Sylvara performs her artifice. Then we have a weapon to use against the avatar.¡±

    Arkk let out a long sigh. ¡°And if we can¡¯t turn the portal back to the Underworld? Olatt¡¯an and Ilya¡¯s mother are still out there,¡± he said, giving Ilya a firm nod of his head. ¡°Even if they weren¡¯t, if we were to lose access to the Underworld, we lose our ability to charge up glowstones for siege magics. We lose additional artifacts from the Cloak of Shadows. And who knows what might happen to the Protector.¡±

    ¡°Having harnessed hidden insights from the minds of the multi-linked, I can confidently claim that the magic melding them moves beyond mere material planes.¡±

    Arkk shot Savren a look, both in annoyance at having his argument undermined and in curiosity at how Savren felt confident in how the Protector¡¯s mind linked together. Before he could ask, however, Zullie cut in, thumping a hand against the table.

    ¡°Think of what we gain! Whole new artifacts from a whole new seat of the Pantheon. Think of how great the shadow forged gear is and imagine outfitting another squad with Eternal Silence flavor scythes.¡±

    ¡°The Eternal Silence is the god of peace,¡± Arkk said with a frown. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll find weapons?¡±

    ¡°Also the god of death.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t have a counterpoint for that. ¡°Olatt¡¯an and Alya are still out there along with their expedition,¡± he said. That was, by and large, the most important reason to not proceed at this point.

    ¡°Damn right,¡± Ilya added, shooting a glare at Zullie. ¡°We might have had a little falling out, but I don¡¯t want her banished to another plane for the rest of her life. Elves live very long lives.¡±

    ¡°If they were back,¡± Arkk continued, ¡°I might consider it, but they aren¡¯t. We¡¯re not going to play with their lives. Even if you¡¯re confident that you can switch the portal back and forth, I am not.¡±

    Zullie would have glared had she her eyes. Instead, she pressed her lips into thin lines.

    ¡°But,¡± Ilya said, raising a finger. ¡°Don¡¯t we have another choice?¡±

    Arkk looked at the elf, eyes trailing down her pointed ear to the thoughtful look on her face. It was the look of someone who just had an epiphany. But Arkk wasn¡¯t having the same epiphany and, judging by the looks on everyone else¡¯s faces, nobody else understood either.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The other archway.¡±

    ¡°Other archway?¡±

    Ilya nodded. ¡°Early on, when we were still looking for jobs for the orcs to do to keep them out of trouble, we accepted that request for expeditionary escorts out to some pyramid in the highlands. I remember we got a letter from them right around the time we were in Moonshine Burg dealing with the slavers,¡± she said with notable distaste. ¡°The expedition found a big mural that seemed to detail some history of the world¡ªI don¡¯t really remember that bit¡ªbut they also mentioned a big crystalline archway. Isn¡¯t that the same portal structure?¡±

    Arkk stared at Ilya, blinking a few times. If he were being completely honest, he had forgotten that entirely. He did remember receiving a letter sometime in the aftermath of the inquisition expedition where he had acquired Agnete as an ally and fended off Vrox and Chronicler Greesom. Had that mentioned an archway?

    Closing his eyes, he focused a moment. Somewhere in his study was a small leather-bound folder. And in that folder¡­

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    There.

    Opening his eyes, he looked down at the freshly teleported letter. He skimmed through it until he came across one specific passage.

    What we found was unlike anything I have witnessed in my thirty-nine years. A complex labyrinth of corridors and rooms. Most were, regrettably, empty. Their contents decayed beyond any reasonable identification. The full details are attached but I will call special attention to three rooms in particular. One, a room with a large crystalline archway, covered in strange patterns and designs. I have shipped off sketches of the designs to the Cliff Academy in the hopes of uncovering the nature or purpose of the archway¡ªI am not a spellcaster myself nor were any on our expedition¡ªbut they have yet to return my missives. I will send another letter to you with their results if they ever come.

    He had never received another letter. The war had started soon after, so that wasn¡¯t particularly surprising. The war had disrupted almost everything. But there it was, clear as day. A detail he had forgotten that Ilya kept in mind.

    Another archway. Not even that far away.

    Arkk leaned back, taking his eyes off the letter to stare at Ilya with a rising feeling in his chest. ¡°Have I ever mentioned how much I love you?¡±

    Red flooded into Ilya¡¯s pointed ears. ¡°Not now,¡± she hissed.

    ¡°Later then. For now¡­ I¡¯ve got some ritual circles to scribe out to get us out to this place. Zullie, you think this will work?¡±

    ¡°You never told me about another archway,¡± she said with a small frown.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always got a lot going on. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve forgotten more things than I remember.¡±

    ¡°Which is why you need to tell me,¡± she snapped, then sighed. ¡°As for whether it will work¡­ It won¡¯t be connected to Fortress Al-Mir, but if we charge up a crate of glowstones before¡­ Ah, but the state of the portal might be¡­ I¡¯ll have to see it to be certain, but I¡¯ll give it a tentative possibly right now.¡±

    ¡°Better than what we had before,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Meet back here in two hours. I¡¯ll be done by then.¡±

    <hr>

    After a few more than two hours, a time spent poring over maps and tracking down a few of the orcs who had gone on the expedition, Arkk finally stepped out of a teleportation circle in the Mystakeen highlands and took a deep breath. The air was fresh and the skies were clear. The temperature was a bit crisp. He wouldn¡¯t want to stand outside for long periods without a heavier coat, but he wasn¡¯t planning on staying out in the sun.

    They were a fair trek west of Elmshadow, almost directly at the midpoint between the burg and Evestani¡¯s border.

    During Evestani¡¯s first march across the Duchy, the army had avoided the highlands, choosing the easier, less mountainous routes through the land. Arkk was hoping that continued, but even if it didn¡¯t, they should have at least two unobstructed weeks before Evestani neared the mountains.

    Arkk stepped outside the ritual circle, allowing the rest of the research crew to follow one at a time, and looked over the surroundings. Tall trees grew thick enough that just trying to walk through them would have been nearly impossible were it not for the flagstone pathways set through what looked to be ruins of a rather small village. Even those paths were overgrown with brush and shrubs.

    It was a rather strange place for a village, in Arkk¡¯s opinion. Set on the top of one of the highland mountains, it had a clear view down the narrow valleys and across to other mountains in the land formation. There was no obvious source of water and no room for crops. Any normal village would have failed here.

    This one had failed, but not before growing a little larger than Langleey. The remnants were all cobblestone buildings that lacked roofs. Presumably, they would have been made from straw or thatch that would have rotted away over the centuries. Before then¡­ It had likely been supported by the fortress.

    At the center of the village ruins was a black marble ziggurat that looked practically brand new. A smooth monolith with no seams and no openings, just as described in Ramis Phonk¡¯s letter. Ilya sent off a letter to the Historical Curator of the Crown while Arkk had been locating the structure, inquiring about additional details, results of various research, and anything else Phonk might think of, but they probably wouldn¡¯t hear a response anytime soon.

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s here.¡±

    Arkk turned to Ilya, gave her a nod, and looked out over the rest of the group.

    Sylvara stood, back straight with her gloved hand on her hip, eying the ruins of the village and the ziggurat. Just behind her, Zullie rubbed her hands up and down her arms, shivering with Hale acting as a guide at her side. Savren, accompanied by Morvin and Gretchen, was amid a long yawn¡ªhe had decided on napping before coming out here, not sure how long they would be working. In addition to the research team, Arkk had pulled Dakka and her team from Elmshadow to primarily act as guards, just in case they did manage to open a portal and it held something hostile on the other side. A few others, orcs and humans mostly, were present as well to assist with heavy lifting or other grunt work.

    Finally, Gratt¡¯an stood just a little behind Ilya. The tan-skinned orc looked around with different eyes compared to everyone else present. The others looked around the area with unfamiliar expressions on their faces, the looks of people first visiting a new location. Gratt¡¯an¡¯s burly face was a lot more flat and uninterested in the surroundings.

    For one simple reason. He had been here before.

    ¡°This way,¡± Gratt¡¯an said, heading off toward one of the overgrown pathways.

    Arkk, wanting to make sure nobody got lost or left behind, let out a sharp whistle to ensure he had everyone¡¯s attention. A simple gesture had them all trudging after him.

    ¡°Everything seemed like a bust,¡± Gratt¡¯an said as he turned down a path that led alongside the ziggurat. ¡°Was just looking for a bit of loot. Anything to make the trip that much more valuable, you know?¡±

    ¡°Find anything?¡±

    ¡°Few stray coins. Not gold. Nothing worth nothing. Shopkeep in a town on the way back said he wouldn¡¯t take them.¡±

    ¡°Shame,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°Right shame. But thanks to that, I found this,¡± Gratt¡¯an said as he stepped into a roofless building. It was a bit larger than most of the others. Maybe a storehouse? Or simply the entryway.

    At the back of the cobblestone structure, there was a doorway with a large door crafted from the same black marble that the ziggurat was made from.

    ¡°We had to pry it open,¡± Gratt¡¯an said, glaring at it. ¡°Took six of us all heaving against it. Not fun, but we got it.¡±

    ¡°Good work,¡± Arkk said, peering down into the darkness. Everyone present had a few glowstones¡ªthe lesser ones for lighting rather than the large ones for spellcasting. He had known it would be dark but¡­

    Just looking down the stairs, he was struck with a vague sense of nostalgia for his first visit to Fortress Al-Mir, before he had contracted with it and lit everything up. At the time, he had been concerned about the imminent attack on Langleey Village. Too concerned to appreciate the place.

    Following after Gratt¡¯an, he felt he could appreciate this place even more, now that he knew what it was and how old it was.

    ¡°It¡¯s different from Al-Mir,¡± Ilya said, running her fingers along the walls. ¡°Everything is smooth and glossy. No maze patterns at all.¡±

    ¡°The Heart probably belonged to a different god,¡± Arkk said, noting the floor¡¯s lack of any pattern. ¡°Vezta might have been able to tell us who. I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    Vezta was still at Leda¡¯s walking tower. Arkk hadn¡¯t recalled her or Priscilla for this, even though he probably should have.

    There were too many things going on at once. He had to split his resources across Mystakeen. It was the same reason why Agnete wasn¡¯t here. She was in Cliff alongside Claire, both of them being his best shot at preventing a demon from rampaging across the land if Katja¡¯s diplomacy fell short.

    Gratt¡¯an let out a brief grunt, stopping at the bottom of the stairs where the corridor split off. ¡°Good. They¡¯re still here,¡± he said holding his glowstone up to the corner. A few white marks adorned the wall along with arrows pointing down the various passages. ¡°Those historians left marks here to help find their way around. Place is a worse maze than home. Wouldn¡¯t have wanted to try to figure out where to go without them.

    ¡°These are the ones we want,¡± he said as he jammed his finger next to a large chalk archway on the wall. ¡°Just follow the arrows and we¡¯ll be there.¡±

    Sure enough, Gratt¡¯an knew what he was talking about. It was a bit further along than Arkk expected but they still arrived at the archway without fail.

    A large, crystalline archway covered in numerous runes in a room almost exactly the same as the one in Fortress Al-Mir.

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Zullie hissed, eyeless sight roaming over the arch. ¡°This should work.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Arkk¡­ Arkk¡­¡±

    Arkk stirred, feeling a hand shaking his knee. He was sitting mostly upright but reclined back against something soft with his eyes closed. Sleeping? He hadn¡¯t meant to fall asleep.

    The hand on his knee gave him a hard pinch, twisting his skin underneath his pants.

    ¡°Ilya? What¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not Ilya.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s eyes snapped open, recognizing the voice.

    Hale stood in front of him, twin tails of black hair looking far longer than she used to keep them. She lifted an eyebrow, giving him a pointed look.

    ¡°Hale,¡± he said, leaning forward. Discreetly patting himself down, making sure he was still all in one piece, he glanced behind him. Ilya was in the same stone chair¡ªthe padding, if it ever had any, had long since withered away¡ªsleeping as well. She stirred as he moved but didn¡¯t open his eyes. ¡°How long was I asleep?¡±

    Hale shrugged. ¡°You left us to the work about¡­ five hours ago? Ilya said she would check on you an hour after after that. Neither of you came back.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Arkk said, rubbing his forehead. ¡°Because we were¡­¡± He trailed off, frowning at Hale. ¡°Plotting.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh. Zullie is ready for you.¡±

    ¡°Ready?¡± Arkk asked, buttoning up his tunic. ¡°Ready for what?¡±

    ¡°To activate the portal.¡±

    ¡°Already?¡± Arkk asked, suddenly feeling far more awake. ¡°How long was I asleep?¡± he mumbled again. It had taken months of off-and-on work to get the first portal opened. If he had watched them work for the first few hours before fatigue caught up to him. It just felt like he never got a minute to sleep these days. If they had kept working through the evening¡­

    It couldn¡¯t have been more than half a day since they got here.

    ¡°She wanted to open it right away but Savren stopped her, saying it would be best if you were present.¡±

    ¡°Good man,¡± Arkk said, only to pause. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d say that.¡±

    ¡°Shall I tell them you¡¯re on your way?¡± Hale asked before leaning to peer at Ilya. ¡°Or do you want a little more time to straighten your clothing?¡±

    Arkk pivoted in the chair again. Ilya¡¯s tunic had lifted, exposing her waist. The once smooth skin was marred somewhat, a result of his poor attempts at healing her combined with Hale¡¯s efforts to better her, leaving her with some plated scales cascading down from her chest to her belly button. He couldn¡¯t help himself. He reached out and gave her a light poke just above the hip.

    Ilya jolted awake with a harpy-like squawk. Entirely on reflex and certainly not on purpose, she shoved him out of the chair, throwing him to the floor. Her silver eyes darted about, first finding Hale, who took a step back, before landing on Arkk. ¡°You,¡± she growled.

    Arkk chuckled, feeling better than he had since hearing the Prince was a potential demon summoner.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell them ten minutes,¡± Hale said, backing out of the side room.

 Silence

    Arkk had missed the opening of the Underworld portal. It was understandable, really, on account of having an audience with a god at the time. He had seen the after-effects, of course. The shimmering, almost water-like membrane that separated the two worlds and the lit runes embedded in the portal¡¯s crystalline archway were certainly a sight to behold. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure that he had much of a reaction after seeing the other portal. But, again, he had just met a god. It was hard to be impressed by much after that.

    With the memories of Xel¡¯atriss having faded over time, Arkk watched with rapt attention as the shimmering liquid flooded the interior of the archway, like a pool of water lifted vertically. A light ring rippled out from the center, vibrating the water¡¯s surface until the wave reached the crystalline walls.

    Another ripple spread through the shimmering membrane, this one bringing with it proper imagery. The Slumbering Vale, Vezta had called it, was a much more lively land than the Underworld. The realm was a vast, endless garden of soft, lush grasses and sprawling fields of flowers. The undoubtedly fragrant smell of the fields didn¡¯t pass through the portal, but Arkk could still almost taste the strong floral air on the tip of his tongue. Above the garden, the starry expanse in its clear sky was stuck in a smooth transition from twilight to a gentle night, never quite reaching it.

    A small warning note in the back of Arkk¡¯s mind alerted him to an alteration to Fortress Al-Mir, one he had not sanctioned.

    One of the pedestals within Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s temple room, formerly vacant, now held a statue. This one held an aged man, clean-shaved, slumped in a small, simple chair. His head, topped by a crown, rested against one of his shoulders. Unlike the other statues, his eyes were closed, sleeping, while cradling a humanoid skull as if it were a cloth doll given to a child. He looked entirely at peace as if nothing could possibly disturb him from his rest.

    The Eternal Silence. God of sleep, rest, peace, and death.

    ¡°It worked!¡± Zullie said, breaking the silence in the portal room. ¡°And everything appears stable.¡±

    ¡°How could you possibly know that?¡± Dakka said.

    Zullie huffed. ¡°These portals use the Lock and Key¡¯s power. I can see that,¡± she said with an offended wrinkle on her nose. ¡°It won¡¯t last forever though. Without Fortress Al-Mir to sustain the portal magically, it will shut down when the glowstones run out of power. We should hurry.¡±

    ¡°Stop,¡± Arkk said, tone flat as he clamped a hand on Zullie¡¯s shoulder to stop her from skipping through the portal. ¡°First, how long will the portal last? Can it be reopened?¡±

    Morvin crouched near an array of glowstones linked to the archway via ritual circles and answered for Zullie. ¡°I¡¯ll have better numbers after a few minutes, but at the current rate of drain¡ªassuming it doesn¡¯t change¡ªI would guess an hour? Give or take ten minutes.¡±

    ¡°No reason why we can¡¯t reopen it,¡± Zullie said. ¡°Just like opening it the first time. We will have to recharge the glowstones¡ª¡±

    ¡°Which takes a fair amount of time,¡± Arkk said, frowning as he looked over the glowing stones. The glowstones they were using to power this could have launched dozens of bombardment spells. It would take several days to process them through the Underworld charging rituals.

    ¡°Yes, but it is possible.¡±

    Just as he had done with the Underworld, Arkk conjured a lesser servant. The slopping mess of oily mass looked up at him with a multitude of eyes, awaiting his command. So he gave it one. He sent it through the portal¡¯s threshold.

    With the Underworld, he had been able to feel the creature on the other side and even give it commands to return. The same was true here. But he stopped it before it could come back.

    ¡°Shut the portal down.¡±

    ¡°What? But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut it down,¡± Arkk said, looking at Morvin. ¡°And then start it back up.¡±

    Morvin hesitated a moment, looking to Zullie, then looked back to Arkk. ¡°The starting procedure cost ten percent of the magical reserves held in the glow¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±

    Morvin sighed but started carrying out Arkk¡¯s order. If it took a chunk of magic off the top just to get the portal started, it would reduce the time they could spend in the Slumbering Vale today. But he wasn¡¯t about to step through a portal without knowing that it could be turned back on again. He¡¯d be damned if he ended up trapped on the other side.

    It took a few minutes. The rippling of the archway stilled and the image faded. Slowly, the shimmering membrane disappeared as well. As soon as the last bit of glowing light in the runes around the archway diminished to nothing, Morvin and Gretchen got started turning it back on.

    The entire time, Arkk focused on the lesser servant. It sat on the other side, trembling and bubbling as they were wont to do. He might have described its movements as agitated and worried but, from possessing one just to test it out, he knew they didn¡¯t feel much at all. They weren¡¯t like Vezta or any normal being. Its movements did slow as the portal cut out entirely. Its eyes closed and its tendrils slowly settled in the grassy garden.

    Perhaps the distance across planes, without the portal active, reduced the amount of magic it could siphon from Fortress Al-Mir? It was still alive, so Arkk wasn¡¯t too concerned.

    Before long, the portal shimmered and rippled and the image of the Slumbering Vale¡¯s garden spread out before him once again. Arkk gave it the command to return.

    It jolted, eyes blinking open. It looked around, bleary, as if it had just been awoken from a long slumber.

    Which¡­ somewhat made sense but also didn¡¯t at the same time. Lesser servants did not sleep or seem to tire at all. Some of the servants down in Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s gold mine had been working non-stop since he first set them to the task months ago. It had been¡­ over half a year? Or close to it. He had never once seen them stop to rest.

    But this was the domain of the god of sleep, among other things. If a little exhaustion was the only side effect of being there¡ªand not those other things¡ªthen that was probably the best outcome.

    ¡°How long will it stay open now?¡± Arkk asked, looking at Morvin.

    ¡°Forty¡­ No. Thirty¡­ five minutes?¡±

    ¡°We have fifteen minutes,¡± Arkk said, addressing the room at large. ¡°Savren, you remain here in case anything goes wrong. You¡¯re in charge of getting the portal up and running again. Zullie, you¡¯re with me. Dakka, have half your team follow us through, half stay¡ª¡±

    ¡°Why stay?¡±

    ¡°Two reasons. First, it is a low possibility, but it is a possibility nonetheless that someone could attack us here. Second,¡± Arkk nodded toward the lesser servant who was still a little sluggish. ¡°If we all decide to lie down for a nap on the other side, I need people who are strong enough to drag us back as fast as possible. No sleeping,¡± he said with emphasis to the rest of the group. ¡°And no venturing far. Stay in clear view of the portal at all times until we¡¯re a little more certain of how things work over there. The objective is hopefully to find some object¡ªany object¡ªthat might hold a bit of the Eternal Silence¡¯s power. That might be an enchanted dagger, it might be a flower. Everyone clear on objectives and rules?¡±

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Arkk waited, looking around. Nobody voiced any objections or questions.

    ¡°And me?¡±

    Arkk turned to Ilya, hesitating. He wanted to tell her to stay here. It was the safer side of the portal. But¡­ ¡°Your choice.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be with you,¡± she said, eyes firm. ¡°But are you sure it is a good idea for you to go over first?¡±

    ¡°A leader has to lead,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m curious myself. And the lesser servant survived. Now come, we¡¯re wasting our valuable time.¡±

    Arkk stepped up to the portal threshold and paused. Despite his words to Ilya, he was a little hesitant. To start with, he reached a hand through. Everything felt entirely normal. There was a bit of a tingle right at the membrane but nothing unpleasant beyond. Taking a full step forward, Arkk journeyed to his second alternate plane.

    Or third, if he counted the encounter with Xel¡¯atriss.

    The first thing he noticed was not, surprisingly, the smell. There was a smell, it was true. A faint and far subtler¡ªquite pleasing, in fact¡ªscent of flowers. He couldn¡¯t quite identify the type of flower, which made sense given that this was a whole other world. But the thing that stood out was the sound.

    Or the utter lack of sound.

    There wasn¡¯t a hint of rustling in the flowers or the crunch of brush underneath his feet. Breathing in a deep waft of the air, he couldn¡¯t even hear the rush of air through his nose. He turned to Ilya, who stepped through at his side, and opened his mouth.

    Nothing came out.

    Ilya opened her mouth but, after a moment, snapped her jaw shut. She grabbed his shirt and forced him back through the portal.

    ¡°Can I¡ª¡± Ilya sagged in relief. ¡°I was worried for a second there.¡±

    ¡°Communication in the other world might be difficult. It seems the Lord of Silence takes that title seriously,¡± Arkk announced to the room at large. ¡°For today, during our short venture there, that shouldn¡¯t matter too much. Long-term postings might have issues. There will be no audible warning when it is time to return so ensure you are checking regularly. If you don¡¯t think you can manage that, don¡¯t come.¡±

    He looked around once to ensure that everyone heard. Then, he turned back to the portal and stepped through.

    The silence hit him like a rush of wind. Or, perhaps, the noise was drawn from him in a rush of wind. However the Eternal Silence¡¯s land worked, Arkk didn¡¯t think he would be spending as much time in it as in the Underworld. It was¡­ eerie.

    Beautiful, he could admit. The endless stretch of vaguely blue-green tinted fields of flowers and brush. It all looked¡­ cared for. As if it hadn¡¯t grown naturally. At the same time, it wasn¡¯t sculpted and designed. There was overgrowth in some areas and undergrowth in others. Someone had guided the growth of the land without restricting it, allowing it to grow as it saw fit.

    Oddly, despite how far he could see, he couldn¡¯t see any sign of habitation. The Underworld held a great number of settlements strewn throughout its lands. They were ruins now, true, but it didn¡¯t feel that different from the regular world. He could easily imagine people living in the Underworld a thousand years ago not so differently to how people lived in his world today.

    The same was not true here. Which¡­ maybe made sense. How many people would actually live in the realm of a god of death?

    Then again, the plants, odd color aside, certainly looked alive.

    It was a confusing place.

    As the others started filing through the portal, taking their first looks around and invariably trying to talk, Arkk stepped up to a nearby bush of flowers. Large and vaguely circular petals, all with a blue hue, stuck off the end of a tall stalk, one that reached nearly as high as his shoulders despite the rest of the plant resting somewhere around his waist.

    He did not lean forward to smell it. First of all, this was the land of the death god. Who knew what might happen? Second of all, he was fairly certain he could already smell it. The whole air was inundated with that floral scent and there weren¡¯t many other obvious sources.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of the orcs that had followed them into the portal had no such reservations. Raff¡¯el leaned forward with his helmet off and, before Arkk or anyone else could stop him, pressed his nose right into the flower¡¯s petals.

    He pulled back, looking awfully satisfied with that blissful look on his face, and then promptly toppled backward without a sound.

    Dakka and Klepp¡¯at rushed over, the former looking irritated and the latter looking worried. The concern diminished from Klepp¡¯at¡¯s face the moment he started inspecting the fallen orc. He tried shaking him with increasingly more vigorous movements up until Dakka had enough. She lashed out, swinging her gauntleted fist.

    She pulled back right at the last moment, swinging her arm back to her chest.

    Dakka wasn¡¯t one to pull her punches. From the surprise on her face, Arkk guessed that she hadn¡¯t intended to pull that one either. Her lips moved in what would have been a loud click of her tongue had any sound in this realm been possible. She looked around for just a moment before hefting up a rather large rock.

    She let it go, letting it fall in utter silence. Right over Raff¡¯el¡¯s face.

    That woke the orc up. Somewhat. He looked around, startled, but upon seeing nothing but the two orcs hovering over him, that blissful look took hold once again and he started to drift off despite the blood dripping from his now crooked nose.

    Dakka curled her lips, showing off her tusks, before looking up to Arkk with a shrug.

    He just thumbed back to the portal, prompting the two orcs to carry off their drowsy companion. Hopefully, that wore off in time. If not¡­ He would have to figure something out later. Frankly, Raff¡¯el was lucky that the plant hadn¡¯t killed him outright.

    Zullie, somehow having watched the exchange with her lack of eyes, promptly started miming out a game of charades to Morvin and Gretchen. The two went over to one of the nearby bushes. Morvin, cautiously, started clipping off flowers for obvious later experimentation while Gretchen worked to pull an entire bush from the ground, presumably to grow them in the real world, if that was possible. As they worked, Zullie turned back to the portal archway on this side and started inspecting it.

    She opened her mouth, holding out a hand with clear intent to cast a spell.

    Arkk had to suppress a yawn as he watched. Domain of sleep indeed.

    The silence of the world didn¡¯t let Zullie speak a single syllable. Frustration quickly etched its way onto her face. She tried twice more, perhaps thinking that verbalizing the words wasn¡¯t necessary. That only led to more frustration that quickly culminated in her crouching down in front of the portal and drawing a wooden dowel from her robes. She started scribing out a ritual circle on the ground, glaring at it the whole time.

    Arkk shook his head and looked away, only to spot something he hadn¡¯t noticed before. A peculiar pair of trees stood not far from Arkk with something slung between them. He hadn¡¯t noticed them before despite their relative proximity. Curious, Arkk approached, making sure to keep in full view of the portal at all times.

    A net had been tied to the trunk of either tree in such a way that it formed a rather appealing hammock. The exhaustion in the atmosphere couldn¡¯t go unnoticed. If he had wandered here unaware of the nature of this world, he might have decided that it would be the perfect time for a nap.

    Arkk slapped his hands into his cheeks, sparking a jolt of adrenaline to stave off the sleep.

    Rather than touch the hammock¡ªhe knew he sometimes made foolish decisions but he still liked to think of himself as smarter than Raff¡¯el, at least¡ªArkk called for the lesser servant once again. It slithered and slopped its way over and, at Arkk¡¯s command, it reached out and touched the netting.

    It didn¡¯t die. Nor did it immediately fall asleep.

    That was good so far. But just to check, Arkk had it climb up into the hammock.

    Which¡­ wasn¡¯t exactly an easy operation to carry out. As ropes woven together with large gaping holes between the strands, the hammock presented a certain challenge to a being made of tar and slime. The lesser servant, in its attempts to squelch its way into the hammock, just kept sinking right through it.

    After the third failure, Arkk had it stop its pointless task. Instead, he had it bite into the tree trunk right next to the rope.

    Trees, as it turned out, did not make a sound even with a dozen people around to hear them fall.

    The lesser servant did the same with the other tree, allowing Arkk to lift the hammock up and over the fresh stump. He coiled it up, handed it off to the lesser servant¡ªwho managed to carry it despite being unable to sit on it¡ªand slowly looked around the crystal archway.

    More than a few of his team looked like they were already worn out after a hard day of working. Voll¡¯ey and Frezza were standing upright but their heads were bobbing as if they were trying to stay awake. Gretchen had completely fallen asleep and was in the process of being dragged back to the portal by two other orcs. Dakka looked to be sustaining herself through pure anger at her own exhaustion. Even Zullie kept yawning every few seconds.

    Ilya¡­

    Arkk¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he looked around, failing to spot Ilya. That beat steadied out when he noticed her next to another hammock tied up between a pair of trees. She wasn¡¯t looking at it with an analytical eye but rather the eyes of someone wanting to close them and never open them again.

    Arkk rushed over and grabbed her by the arm before she could commit to climbing into the hammock. She looked at him with half-lidded eyes. The sluggishness of her mind took a long minute to fade away along with several shakes of her head. She opened her mouth.

    And, of course, could not speak.

    Arkk jerked his hand back toward the portal.

    He didn¡¯t know how long they had been here but they had stayed long enough.

 Trials and Tribulations

    ¡°Excellent work, keep it up,¡± Arkk said, leaving Sylvara and the rest of his research team.

    Following the information Sylvara acquired from the Abbey headquarters, they were well on their way to creating an actual weapon against the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar. They were utilizing both the flowers and the hammock from the Eternal Silence¡¯s domain. Judging from early trials, the hammock was going to work better as whatever catalyst Sylvara needed. Arkk didn¡¯t care much what they used so long as it worked. And so long as they didn¡¯t have to go back to that plane of existence again.

    Three people had fallen asleep there. Today, half a week later, one still hadn¡¯t woken up. He seemed to be having fits in his sleep. A nightmare that he couldn¡¯t quite wake from.

    It was¡­ disconcerting. Not the kind of place they would be building a long-term outpost like the Underworld. Even if they could get the portal open permanently, it was just too dangerous. That wasn¡¯t going to stop Arkk from investigating other realms if he could. As soon as Savren was done lending his expertise to the anti-avatar project, he wanted the warlock trying to use the ice marble to figure out how to access the Permafrost¡¯s domain. It wasn¡¯t his first choice to venture to but, at the moment, it was their only other hard link to one of the god¡¯s realms.

    Everything was falling into place. Leda¡¯s tower was nearing completion, the Prince had not killed Katja yet and had, in fact, responded to a letter Arkk sent, and Zullie¡¯s other projects were progressing well. The Evestani army, accompanied by the Eternal Empire, was still on its way toward Elmshadow. If not for that, everything would have been perfect.

    Arkk strode down the corridors of Fortress Al-Mir. With everything going seemingly well, he decided to physically walk. Just to keep up with his efforts toward connecting with his employees.

    Perr¡¯ok passed him outside the canteen, waving Arkk down with a raised hand. ¡°We¡¯re ready to equip another twenty with shadow armor.¡±

    ¡°Really? Already?¡±

    ¡°The boys are getting better at working that forge.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. Speak with Dakka. She¡¯ll know who to equip next.¡±

    ¡°Is she here or at Elmshadow?¡±

    Quickly checking in on Dakka¡¯s state, Arkk said, ¡°Here, for now. Sleeping in her quarters. Probably best not to disturb her this very second.¡± A lot of those who had gone to the Eternal Silence¡¯s domain had been sleeping a bit more than usual these past few days. Arkk hadn¡¯t been feeling too exhausted himself, but Ilya had barely been able to keep her eyes open for the first day and a half.

    It was getting better, thankfully. That was just another reason to avoid that domain going forward. If they did need more flowers or hammocks, they would be getting in, grabbing the item, and getting out as fast as possible. The less exposure, the better.

    ¡°Any luck fabricating armor for¡­ less bulky bodies?¡± Arkk asked, raising an eyebrow. He would have loved a set for himself. But it was all sized for orcs.

    Perr¡¯ok shook his head. ¡°Sorry. Agnete tried to make some other molds but¡­ something about her magic just doesn¡¯t work with the Shadow Forge. I tried my hand as well but didn¡¯t get anywhere. Testing takes up work time on the forge, so I could put more time into it. It will delay the next batch of armor, however.¡±

    Arkk hesitated. The chance of having some human-sized armor for himself and his other employees was tempting. But it was only that, a chance. It could be a complete failure or it could take an extended amount of time. If he had to weigh a distant hope against getting another squad of orcs outfitted and ready to go now¡­ ¡°Focus on orc armor until everyone has a set. Then experiment,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see if we can¡¯t get the next batch out even faster.¡±

    ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t sacrifice quality,¡± Arkk said, clapping Perr¡¯ok on the shoulder as he moved past the head blacksmith. ¡°Good work.¡±

    Fortress Al-Mir was feeling fairly empty these days. Much of his fighting force, including Richter and his soldiers and battlecasters, were out at Elmshadow. Roughly six hundred men in total, including some fresh faces recruited from the survivors of the burg¡¯s occupation. In comparison, Al-Mir had a mere hundred stationed in its walls.

    Even the refugees had mostly departed. With Evestani having been pushed back, the villages west of the mountain range felt a little more secure in their positions. That combined with the dawn of spring had villages a little more willing to accept additional hands for tending fields, collecting lumber, and anything else that needed doing. Fortress Al-Mir still housed about a hundred and fifty flopkin, who made up the largest single group in the refugee section of the fortress, and about a medium village¡¯s worth of humans, demihumans, and other beastmen.

    It was a wonder how much gold he saved not providing food for over a thousand refugees.

    ¡°Arkk.¡±

    Turning, Arkk found Kia standing in a doorway, fiddling with one of the many piercings in her ear. Her eyes were off to one side, not looking at Arkk directly.

    ¡°Is Claire¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s alright,¡± Arkk said quickly. ¡°Have you not seen her since she volunteered?¡±

    ¡°I did a¡­ week or so ago? She could barely get out of bed.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. ¡°There was a bit of an after-effect that had her dizzy whenever she did anything. But I understand she¡¯s adapted to it a bit more now. Do you want to see her?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    With a small sigh, Arkk teleported himself and Kia down into the lower levels of Fortress Al-Mir. They appeared in front of a heavy door covered in various runes, all of which were inactive at the moment. They were originally intended to keep the rest of the fortress safe from Claire should anything have gone amiss with Project Liminal. Now, they were unnecessary.

    Arkk thumped his knuckles against the door. ¡°Claire?¡± he called. ¡°Are you in?¡± He already knew the answer but felt it was polite to ask anyway.

    Kia stood back, looking like she wasn¡¯t sure if she wanted to be present at all. Arkk didn¡¯t know what had transpired a week ago, but the last time he saw them together, they had a bit of a fight. He could easily see that there was some lingering awkwardness. At least on Kia¡¯s half.

    A translucent afterimage of Claire appeared at the edge of the door before it opened, leaving her looking like she was poking her head through the metal. The door opened just a crack as the afterimage solidified into Claire. Her sharp blue eyes flicked from Arkk to Kia and back.

    ¡°Morning,¡± she said with an exhaustive yawn large enough to make Arkk wonder if she hadn¡¯t managed to sneak into the Eternal Silence¡¯s domain.

    And¡­ it was actually late afternoon.

    ¡°Demon problems?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Hopefully not ever. The Prince responded to one of my letters in a most cordial manner, thanking me for my and Company Al-Mir¡¯s efforts against Evestani thus far. I am hoping that is a positive sign. Though he did have a few words to say on my ¡®attack¡¯ on the Duke¡¯s manor¡­ I¡¯m still trying to decide whether or not to claim that was an imposter from Evestani or just a misunderstanding.¡±

    He had the return letter half-written up in his quarters right now.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°I¡­ see. Then perhaps a test against the avatar?¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°I have some plans for throwing a few things in Evestani¡¯s direction. Partially to slow them down and give us more time to develop weapons, mostly to see what may or may not be effective against the avatar¡¯s magic. You are part of those plans, but they aren¡¯t quite ready yet.¡±

    She nodded her head, afterimages bobbing up and down before the rest of her head. Watching her short brown hair split apart into various afterimages was somewhat nauseating, but Arkk kept his expression firmly neutral.

    ¡°We¡¯re here because Kia was wondering how you were doing.¡±

    Claire¡¯s eyes blue eyes flicked over to Kia. Her expression didn¡¯t change at all. She simply said, ¡°Better.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t been out of here at all,¡± Kia said with obvious concern in her voice. It was probably the most genuine emotion Arkk had ever heard from the dark elf. ¡°You aren¡¯t¡­¡± Kia¡¯s eyes narrowed as she turned a glare on Arkk. ¡°She isn¡¯t here against her will, is she?¡±

    ¡°She opened the door on her own,¡± Arkk said quickly, absolutely not wanting to upset either of the dark elves. ¡°She is free to go anywhere she pleases now that Zullie has confirmed that her state is stable.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Claire said with a faint sigh. ¡°It¡¯s safer down here.¡±

    Kia frowned. ¡°Safer?¡±

    Rather than answer her, Claire went for a demonstration. An afterimage of her hand appeared through the door, punching through it. Unlike when she peeked her head through, this time, the door started falling apart around her wrist. The metal simply came apart, as if made of millions of individual granules that had simply been pressed together into a flimsy sheet. By the time her actual hand caught up to the afterimage, there was a completely clear hole in the door for her arm to occupy.

    ¡°I keep doing this,¡± she said, pulling the afterimage of her hand through the door again. Even though the hole was barely wide enough for her wrist to fit in, her fist slid through as if it didn¡¯t care at all about the piece of metal that should be blocking her way. ¡°Accidentally.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t control it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting better.¡±

    ¡°At least it isn¡¯t making you dizzy anymore,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°No,¡± she agreed. A wide and unpleasant smile made its way across her face. ¡°It makes me excited. I can¡¯t wait to see what I can do in a fight.¡± Her fingers blurred through the door, taking away long narrow streaks of the metal as she dragged them down.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t destroy the fortress more than necessary,¡± Arkk said.

    Claire never looked embarrassed or sheepish about anything. She still pulled her hand back.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Arkk said. He waited a moment, watching the two dark elves. Neither spoke further but neither looked like they wanted to leave each other either. ¡°If you two would like to talk for a time, I can leave you in peace,¡± he said, reading the room. ¡°Kia, the way back to the fortress proper is fairly convoluted, so if you get lost, feel free to tug on the link and I¡¯ll move you back up.¡±

    Neither objected to his proposal. Kia nodded her head.

    Arkk teleported away. He finished his walk around Fortress Al-Mir, greeting his employees and doing his best to project an air of confidence about their path forward in this war. He was about to head over to Elmshadow to do the same there¡ªthere had been no calls for his attention for several days now and no notes left on his throne for him to read from afar, but he figured it would still be a good idea to meet with people there in person.

    A tug on the link stopped him before he could. He first peeked in on Kia and Claire, figuring they had finished their discussion, only to find them engaged in a rather intense discussion that he should probably not ever admit he had seen if he valued his life. Quickly turning his attention away, he followed the link. It was far off. Through the Underworld portal and then some. Far, far further than the little outpost they had constructed around the portal archway and beyond even the village where the Shadow Forge was.

    Arkk found himself staring down at Olatt¡¯an, engaged in a fierce battle against¡­ something. The other members of his expeditionary crew were fighting alongside him. Two of the Protector¡¯s bodies were fighting as well. That was probably the only reason none of Arkk¡¯s men had been killed so far.

    A bright flash of light drew Arkk¡¯s gaze back to the creature they were fighting against. It was some kind of flying serpent, long and narrow. It didn¡¯t have¡­ innards. It was made up of large metallic rings, joined together by flexible metal bars along their tops and bottoms. The only interior it had was made up of cogs and springs, looking rather like some of Agnete¡¯s projects in the forge. Large poles jutted out from its body periodically along its spine, each capped with a small ball. Lightning coursed between the balls, arcing from one to the next like it was constantly casting the Electro Deus spell on itself.

    One of the orcs tried an Electro Deus spell. It veered off to the side, slamming into one of the pylons without doing any obvious harm.

    ¡°There is a situation.¡±

    Arkk jolted, surprised at the heavy voice. He turned to find the Protector looming over him.

    ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± Arkk said as he immediately teleported them both away. He reappeared in the library alongside the Protector. Sylvara jumped to her feet, not quite used to people suddenly appearing around her. Savren jolted somewhat as well, locking eyes with the Protector.

    Zullie carried on dictating what sounded like a simple introductory to planar magic, probably for Sylvara¡¯s benefit, until Arkk interrupted.

    ¡°I have an immediate need to travel rapidly through the Underworld,¡± he said. ¡°Is there any possibility of getting that done.¡±

    After a brief silence fell upon the group. Zullie, looking irritated at being interrupted, planted a hand on her hip. ¡°Teleportation rituals don¡¯t work in the Underworld.¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m asking for alternate solutions.¡±

    ¡°If I may interrupt,¡± the Protector said, leaning high over the table where one of the Eternal Silence¡¯s flowers sat under a glass dome. ¡°The creature came from a world-hole. There is one in the vicinity.¡±

    ¡°World hole?¡±

    ¡°A crystalline archway covered in runes.¡±

    ¡°They found a portal over there?¡±

    ¡°And managed to activate it. The creature we fight now slipped through before we could shut it back down.¡±

    Arkk grimaced. That was careless of them. They should have¡­ spent weeks returning only to spend weeks heading back out with a proper force? He could see why they made that choice. But now they were in a mess and Arkk had no way to help. He could only watch.

    ¡°A working portal might work,¡± Zullie said, thumb furiously rubbing at her chin. ¡°Especially with the Protector there. We can reconfigure the portals to connect to each other. I know how to do this.¡±

    Arkk looked at her. She stared back with those eyeless eyes, with glimmers of starlight magnified by the lenses she still wore. He had shut her down earlier, not willing to risk the expeditionary party by changing the portals. With the glowstones still depleted from their excursion to the Eternal Silence¡¯s domain, they didn¡¯t have any other choice but to shut down the portal here and use it, hoping it would come back up afterward.

    Could the expeditionary team beat the creature and survive? There were several injured already. Eiff¡¯an was on the ground, by far the worst, with half his arm torn off in what looked like a massive bite. He would bleed out if he didn¡¯t get immediate assistance.

    The lightning coursing down the back of the serpent grew in intensity, surging forward from back to front. At the base of the metal creature¡¯s head, it jolted down inside the thing¡¯s body. It opened its maw, a solid jaw of sharp metal shards, and a lightning bolt as strong as some of Arkk¡¯s strongest shot out.

    One of the Protectors caught the blast square in the chest despite its best attempt at dodging. It immediately collapsed, smoking.

    The Protector at Arkk¡¯s side jolted but otherwise made no noise of alarm or panic.

    One of Olatt¡¯an¡¯s crossbow bolts struck the side of the creature during the brief moment it had stopped to line up its lightning. It slipped between the skeletal-like ¡®ribs¡¯ of metal, jamming up one of the cogs inside it. But that wasn¡¯t enough to bring it down.

    If it fried the other Protector, they might not have a chance at redirecting the portals. Arkk assumed there were other Protectors out there, but he didn¡¯t know how close they might be.

    Arkk teleported everyone to Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s crystal archway. ¡°You!¡± he barked, pointing at a random orc on guard nearest to the portal. ¡°Get on the other side and ring the recall alarm bells. Everyone over there has two minutes to get on this side or risk being stuck over there.¡±

    Arkk turned away, knowing the order would be carried out. ¡°Zullie,¡± he said. ¡°Tell the Protector what to do.¡±

    ¡°I need to know what the portal over there looks like. The runes are like a key. We need to shift the ones here to match.¡±

    ¡°Protector,¡± Arkk said, ¡°disengage from the fight immediately or get one of the orcs to run to the portal. I¡¯ll be able to see it.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Arkk couldn¡¯t hear through the link, but he could see the Protector move to carry out his order. He was pretty sure the Protector shouted something to the others. They all shifted their formation, moving to protect the remaining Protector.

    Another buildup of lightning surged out of the serpent¡¯s mouth. Livva dodged in front of it, taking the bolt on her metal armor to save the retreating Protector. Arkk swore out as she collapsed, smoking as well, but, strangely enough, she didn¡¯t die. It was like the lightning caught her armor and decided to simply flow along it to the ground. She wasn¡¯t unharmed. Arkk could feel the pain and panic over the link.

    But she was still alive.

    Another in need of emergency aid.

    Arkk pulled Hale to him even as the Protector drew close enough to the portal for Arkk to see it. Hale looked around in confusion for a moment. She saw the emergency going on and steeled herself for administering medical aid.

    Without a second thought, Arkk dropped Dakka in front of him as well. She was not armored up. ¡°Equip yourself,¡± was all Arkk said before teleporting her to the armory along with her main team. Then, with slightly more of a second thought, Arkk teleported Kia and Claire into the room¡ªa short distance apart from one another. They brought with them a strong stench of sweat, but that wasn¡¯t worth commenting on given the situation.

    ¡°Claire,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Are you prepared to test your abilities against a real opponent?¡±

    Her afterimages nodded before her actual head.

    ¡°Good. Gear up,¡± he said, teleporting both her and Kia to the armory. ¡°Zullie. Starting at the bottom left of the portal, the first rune is a loop with a dot in the middle¡­¡±

 Expeditionary Team

    They said that the heat of battle could do one of two things to age. The adrenaline, the sudden happenings, and the drive to survive in the face of death could erode the effects of age, temporarily lessening the wear and tear on a soldier¡¯s body, making them move with the agility and vigor of a man ten years younger. Muscles, remembering past and training, might stretch and react with a quickness honed to a fine point in years past. Reflexes would hasten, senses heighten, and, for a few fleeting moments, one might reclaim a vitality they had long thought lost.

    The opposite could equally be true. Olatt¡¯an dived to one side, feeling every ache, every pin-and-needle in his creaking bones. Hitting the ground shoulder-first only exacerbated the relentless strain. If anything, he felt aged beyond his years. But, as a jagged bolt of lightning arced to the sword he had jammed into the ground and dived away from instead of his chest, he felt some small surge of elation.

    He didn¡¯t pick himself up. He simply twisted, bringing his crossbow to his shoulder. Holding his breath, he waited just a moment and finally loosed the bolt.

    The crossbow bolt closed the distance in the blink of an eye, striking the strange flying machine¡¯s inner cogs just as his last three had. Once again, gears locked up, spinning bits of metal jammed, and the entire contraption seized. But it only lasted a moment. The metal serpent lost some height, falling low enough to the ground for Zojja to slam her axe into its ribs of iron, but quickly recovered. Its movements seemed a bit stiffer once it resumed the undulating movements of its serpentine body.

    Olatt¡¯an grunted as he shoved himself off the ground. He crouched behind the sword in the ground, now warped from the lightning strike, hoping it would serve as cover long enough for him to reset his crossbow.

    His bolts were having an effect. Eventually, with enough of the serpent¡¯s gears locked up, it had to fall and stay down. Three of his bolts were jamming three different sections of its innards. How many more were needed?

    How many more could he land before his luck ran out?

    Drawing the string back on the crossbow was not an easy or quick task, but it was a mindless one. It allowed him a brief moment to scan the battlefield.

    Things were not looking good. They hadn¡¯t been prepared to face a flying opponent. Only three of the group had crossbows and Eiff¡¯an was either dead or down for the rest of the battle. Vippa picked up his crossbow but the one and only shot she got off before being fried wouldn¡¯t have hit the creature even if it had been ten times its size. One Protector was dead. The other had shouted something before rushing off to the portal.

    Olatt¡¯an hoped it knew what it was doing. If it opened the portal and another of these things came through, there wouldn¡¯t be the slightest hope.

    The elf was missing entirely. Not surprising. She wasn¡¯t a combatant. Better for her to hunker down and stay out of everyone else¡¯s way.

    As for everyone else¡­ They were more or less useless. Early on, it had tried biting a few of them. And it got a few of them, but they got it in turn, even hacking off one of those pylons on its spine. Now, it was admirable that they were trying to draw the serpent¡¯s attention away from Olatt¡¯an, usually by flinging rocks before ducking for cover, but their efforts just weren¡¯t enough. After this third crossbow bolt struck true, the serpent wasn¡¯t even turning to snarl at the minor pelting of stones it was receiving. Its eyes, crackling with the same lightning that ran along the pylons on its back, were locked on Olatt¡¯an.

    He sucked in a breath, trying to steady his shaking hands as he finished setting the crossbow. It took time for the serpent to ready another lightning bolt. But with it staring straight at him, he doubted he would get an opening.

    In the distance, he could barely hear his men shouting¡ªcries of desperate defiance and fear as they tried to draw the serpent¡¯s aggression toward them.

    His eyes flicked to Zojja, who was reeling from her latest strike but not backing down. She stood almost directly beneath the creature, glaring up at where her axe had chunked away a small bit of the creature¡¯s metal ribs. As if knowing she was being watched, she lowered her head. Her eyes met his and, in a brief moment of understanding, she nodded.

    With a feral roar, Zojja clambered up the slope of a toppled wall. She swung her axe around, using its weight to counterbalance her brief spin. Then, she let it go. An orc letting go of their weapon was something simply not done unless they were dead or unconscious. Yet she did. And it was a perfect throw, flinging high until the bladed edge struck the underside of the serpent.

    It could ignore rocks. It didn¡¯t overlook the axe. The blade crashing into its underside nearly knocked it out of the air. Not quite, but it still turned to face Zojja.

    The orc stood there, weaponless, glaring defiantly as lightning surged up and down its pylons.

    Olatt¡¯an wasn¡¯t about to let her sacrifice herself. From the moment they made eye contact, he had been ready.

    He loosed a bolt.

    It opened its jaw, lightning crackling between the sharp points of metal that served as its teeth.

    The crossbow bolt struck another gearbox, locking it up. Just like last time, the creature lost altitude, this time landing in the dirt of the ruins completely.

    But it didn¡¯t stop the buildup of lighting. Zojja didn¡¯t have anywhere to run and had nowhere to hide. Her legs were poised to leap to one side at any moment, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough. Olatt¡¯an had seen those lightning bolts veer toward their targets.

    Just before the crackling buildup reached its peak, a small flare of red formed just below the machine¡¯s chin.

    A conflagration erupted, knocking the serpent upward. The bolt of lightning it had been charging crashed into the orange clouds overhead.

    Three dark shadows dashed toward the serpent, each wielding long curved blades at the ends of staves. They moved far faster than the dark armor they wore should have allowed, closing in on the creature before it could recover from the explosion.

    It seemed to sense their presence, even with it still roughly facing Zojja. The serpent squirmed and shifted, twisting out of the way of two of the three blades. The third cut through the strong metal with only mild resistance, slicing off a quarter of the creature¡¯s end.

    Even with that bit flipping and flopping on the ground like a fish tossed on a sandy beach, the rest of the serpent managed to take to the skies.

    And, once again, they were back to where they started. The creature high above. Them down below. The lightning along its back sparked and fizzed, no longer simply cascading up and down the pylons on its spine. The lightning jolted and jumped at random, arcing to random points in the air in instant flashes of light. The creature itself dipped and rose, unable to keep itself at a steady height. But it didn¡¯t come crashing down again.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Despite the damage it took, it was charging up once again. Maybe even faster this time, with all the mechanics inside it going haywire.

    Until¡­ something happened to it. It slowed to a crawl. For a brief instant, it looked as if the undulating movements simply stopped, but in reality, it simply moved so slowly as to look like it stopped. Even the lightning took several seconds to arc between the pylons.

    Another spark of fire appeared near the serpent. This time, above it. The resulting conflagration blasted it toward the ground. Whatever slowness took over its body didn¡¯t affect its fall. The three scythe-wielders and Zojja had barely a second to dive in opposite directions, barely avoiding being crushed.

    Before any one of them could get back to their feet, a blur moved through the air. A haze that shimmered past Olatt¡¯an, moving toward the serpent. It passed through the mechanical monster, consolidating to a stop on the creature¡¯s other side in the form of a dark elf who simply stared down at a short sword held in her hands.

    The serpent¡¯s sparks sputtered a moment more before, in slow motion, it peeled apart into a dozen thin strips of metal, split cogs, and broken gears.

    ¡°Hale! Help Eiff¡¯an. He¡¯s still alive. Morvin and Zullie, get to Krett¡¯al.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an, bones aching to their fullest, turned to find Arkk alongside an entire crew from Fortress Al-Mir. They were surrounded by the dark knights, all clearly on guard for any additional threats both in the air and on land. Arkk himself, eyes ablaze far brighter than Olatt¡¯an could remember, knelt over Vippa. From the frustration on his face, Olatt¡¯an didn¡¯t think his healing was doing as much as he hoped.

    Grunting as he stood fully, Olatt¡¯an stretched his back, felt the grinding of his bones, and ignored the aches. He turned, assessing the changed situation.

    The crystalline portal was active once more. This time, rather than an infernal land of metal machines and movement, he could see the familiar interior of Fortress Al-Mir. More of Arkk¡¯s men were on their way through. Not ready to fight as Dakka¡¯s troops were, but ready to lend aid and help recover what needed recovery. They were already spreading out, moving to the less injured who weren¡¯t currently receiving attention from the healers.

    Dakka, her men, and the dark elf stood around the metal serpent, watching it warily as if it might spring back to life despite having been taken apart. It didn¡¯t look like it would, but Olatt¡¯an couldn¡¯t fault their caution.

    The silver-haired elf, Ilya, hurried through the portal as Olatt¡¯an watched. She had fear and worry on her face, but not for any of those who deserved it at the moment. As soon as his stare caught her eye, Olatt¡¯an raised a hand and pointed off in the direction he last saw the elf¡¯s mother. Ilya gave him a curt nod and immediately hurried off.

    ¡°Alive?¡± Olatt¡¯an grunted as he limped toward Arkk. That last dive had jolted his hip enough to send a spike of pain through him with every step.

    ¡°No,¡± Arkk said with a heavy scowl. His glowing red eyes lifted from Vippa¡¯s body, locking onto Olatt¡¯an. In an unnaturally calm voice, he asked a single question. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Olatt¡¯an took his eyes off Arkk, looking around once more. This time, it wasn¡¯t at the people around, but at the scenery. The ruins. A desolate expanse of crumbled stone and shattered hope. The jagged remains of a once-proud fortress¡ªa proper, above-ground fortress¡ªjutted up from the ground around him. Blackened stones still bore the scars of ancient fires, visible even through the layer of sand and dust that coated everything. Here and there, the rusted hulks of long-abandoned war machines lay half-buried in the soil.

    ¡°We found the orc homeland,¡± he said, sighing somewhat. ¡°Or, at least, the homelands in this world. It is just as the old songs say, if a bit less intact.¡±

    Despite his obvious anger¡ªdirected more at the situation than at Olatt¡¯an, at least for the moment¡ªArkk did raise a curious eyebrow. ¡°This world?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly where orcs come from. The songs tell of a people on the run, moving from land to land all while learning and, in some cases, plundering what unique magics they could from the locals. I once thought that referred to orcs traversing actual land, such as the lands of the Beastman Tribes, the Tetrarchy, Evestani, and even lands across the seas. But after meeting you, my notions changed. We¡ªmy people¡ªtraversed planes.

    ¡°The bones we found in this place prove it. As does the utter lack of those living shadows. Orcs arrived here from another world, built this fortress, and, perhaps, spread out and learned local magics to become those black knights your servant speaks of.¡±

    ¡°And what,¡± Arkk said, looking to where Dakka and the dark elf were standing guard, ¡°you found what they were on the run from?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe so, no. I¡¯m not sure what that is but it fell far too easily to force an entire people on the run,¡± he said, turning his from the serpent to the portal. ¡°We found the portal and, wanting to take as much information back with us, started investigating it. None of the team are spellcasters or magical experts and we didn¡¯t mean to activate the artifact. I suspect that some of our investigation work combined with the overwhelming magic in this world to spontaneously activate it. We managed to shut it back down by damaging one of the runes, but not before that thing made it through.¡±

    Arkk pursed his lips into a thin line, following his line of sight to the portal. ¡°I suppose it is something that you didn¡¯t mean to activate it. But this¡­ this is a mess, Olatt¡¯an. I expected far better judgment calls from you of all people. If Alya ended up hurt¡­¡±

    ¡°It is a shame,¡± he said, kneeling down to Vippa¡¯s body. He tried to keep the annoyance in his tone as low as possible. It wasn¡¯t like he had room to complain. Arkk was right. Rekk¡¯ar was the brash one. He was supposed to be the wise one. He should have realized that fiddling with a magical artifact in a world of abundant magic wasn¡¯t the best idea.

    But what had happened happened. There was no changing that. All he could do was to make up for it.

    And he had a way to make up for it. ¡°It isn¡¯t going to lessen injuries or bring Vippa back,¡± Olatt¡¯an started, ¡°but I think you might be quite interested in what we¡¯ve found here.¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, they were still glowing a bright red, but it wasn¡¯t quite as intense as it had been just a few moments prior. ¡°Hold onto that thought, unless it is an emergency¡ª¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Olatt¡¯an admitted.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to ensure everyone else survives this. Then we can speak.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an simply nodded his head. Arkk cast one last pitying glance at Vippa before he turned and hurried off toward where Hale was working on replacing the missing flesh of Eiff¡¯an with something bulky and scaled.

    Olatt¡¯an didn¡¯t follow. After running around for his life as much as he had, he needed a moment to himself more than he thought he had. Resting his crossbow on the ground, he sat down next to Vippa¡¯s body. It really was a shame. There wasn¡¯t supposed to have been danger here. Nobody had been prepared for it beyond the basics. Half his team didn¡¯t even have armor with them, let alone on them. Would armor have saved Eiff¡¯an¡¯s arm from being bit off by that machine? Possibly. Possibly not. Would it have saved Vippa? Krett¡¯al?

    Probably not.

    Olatt¡¯an could have saved them. Activating the portal had been accidental, he hadn¡¯t lied about that. But they hadn¡¯t tried to shut it down immediately. Olatt¡¯an could have given that order. He could have stopped that creature from coming through with plenty of time to spare. But he wanted a peek. A selfish glimpse at the likely next land his people had once called home.

    When Arkk had activated the portal to the Underworld, he had ensured that there were contingencies in place. An entire group of guards to keep anything that might come through from posing a threat, traps and pitfalls in the corridors beyond the portal, and even lesser servants burrowed in the walls, ready to collapse the entire chamber if the threat proved greater than traps and guards could handle.

    A farmer and a hunter with barely a lick of sense between his ears had taken the threat of other worlds far more seriously than Olatt¡¯an had. It was, frankly, embarrassing.

    He rested a hand on Vippa¡¯s chest. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, grunting the word out. There wasn¡¯t much else he could say.

    He sat there, staring out with a scowl on his toothless face, until Arkk returned.

    Everyone else survived, though several suffered varying levels of injury. That was a small consolation. His mistake hadn¡¯t gotten everyone killed.

    ¡°Those hulking machines,¡± Olatt¡¯an said without preamble, gesturing at some of the ruins that weren¡¯t buildings. ¡°They¡¯re something similar to your walking tower, except on a smaller scale, designed for a single occupant to fuel them with magic. These are obviously little more than rust and dust, but they are intact enough to see how they¡¯re made, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    Arkk frowned, staring at the nearest of them.

    ¡°And the serpent too. It was a machine, not a living creature. I think it was protecting the other side of the portal. When we inadvertently activated it, it saw us as invaders and attacked. I¡¯m not sure how to make it see us as allies rather than a threat, but there is someone in your employ who might be the right person to figure both the hulks and the serpent out.¡±

    ¡°Agnete,¡± Arkk said, earning a nod from Olatt¡¯an.

    ¡°Indeed. In addition, I believe she would be very interested in the world we found, if it is possible to open the portal there once again.

    ¡°I think we found the Anvil of All Worlds.¡±

 Thinking with Portals Aftermath

    Prince Cedric Valorian Lafoar stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring out to sea from the tall tower of the Cliff manor. The early light of the Mon morning gleamed off the glassy surface of the calm ocean. Clouds, high and wispy, did little to diminish the light.

    It gave him a clear view of the three dozen ships spread out around the Cliff harbor in a defensive arrangement.

    None of the ships were even half as large as one of the Eternal Empire¡¯s warships, but they didn¡¯t need to be. They were mostly for show, demonstrating to the citizens that they were well protected. Their other purpose was troop and material delivery.

    When the Duke had stopped the King¡¯s army at the borders to make his ill-conceived alliance with the Evestani without their interference, the King had not simply sat around doing nothing. Sensing a rebellion of some manner, he had recalled a portion of the soldiers, leaving some to watch the border, and loaded them up on these ships to secure the Duke¡¯s seat of power. They were supposed to have arrived with Cedric but the weather had delayed them and he had never been one to wait around.

    Their original purpose was a moot point at the moment. Lady Katja handed over control of the city with hardly a word of protest. It was¡­ unsatisfying. If she wasn¡¯t going to fight, why was he even here? He could be on the other side of Mystakeen, leading the charge in person. The whole situation left him feeling like he had wasted his time. Like they were wasting his time. Katja was hiding something¡ªbecause of course she was. It was obvious the way the eggshells she walked upon kept cracking. But she wouldn¡¯t bare her fangs. She wouldn¡¯t show her claws. She bowed her head, said the right words to ingratiate herself with him, and waited patiently for the opportunities she wanted.

    Cedric had half a mind to push her, to find out just how far he had to go to get those claws out.

    Katja was lucky that more interesting targets existed to occupy his focus and attention.

    ¡°Staring out at sea again? One expects action from you, not idleness. You aren¡¯t going soft as your age advances, are you?¡±

    Cedric didn¡¯t turn to face the light and innocent voice. ¡°Mags. You shouldn¡¯t be here.¡±

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be anywhere. But I am. Thanks to your beloved Jewel¡ª¡±

    A rage erupted deep within Cedric¡¯s chest. He whirled around, hand snapping out as he moved to grasp the cheeks and jaw of the creature. Only to find himself frozen upon turning and seeing what was behind him.

    The princess pulled back, her heart-shaped face going pale at the sight of him. Her eyes sparkled with a deep, expressive blue as she fluttered her long eyelashes. The long, flowing hair cascaded down her back in soft waves of rich chestnut. She looked¡­ frightened. The playful quirk of her lips was nowhere to be seen, replaced with a slight opening of her mouth.

    It was her. Again. She was there, in front of him, looking as beautiful as the day he first laid eyes upon her. Heart aching, his hand slowly dropped to his side.

    ¡°Ced?¡± she asked, her voice light and innocent but filled with an air of trepidation. ¡°Are you alright? It¡¯s early. You should come back to bed.¡± Her fingernails, painted solid black, tapped together with a nervous clicking. ¡°We can¡­ do that thing you like.¡±

    His eyes followed the movements of her fingernails. Her black fingernails. One flaw was all it took.

    Cedric¡¯s hand shot out, grasping her face. With a wrench of his wrist, he ripped his Jewel¡¯s face straight off.

    The flesh came apart in long, sinewy strands that clung to his fingers like sticky tree sap. A waterfall of blood erupted from the gaping wound, cascading down Jewel¡¯s neck and staining the pristine white of her nightgown. The body melted apart, crumbling in on itself until it was nothing more than a compacted pile of meat, bones, and flesh.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you to leave her alone,¡± Cedric snarled.

    A deep, hearty chuckle echoed off the coned tower roof.

    Cedric turned again, hand reaching out, only to pause once again.

    His father stared back, face lined with age. Hard, steely eyes met with his. ¡°You¡¯ve let that woman live,¡± the King said, voice dour.

    ¡°She¡¯s cooperating,¡± Cedric said.

    ¡°I¡¯ve spied on her, seen her meet with that mercenary commander everyone is talking about. They plot against you, you know? She grew tired of stealing gold and has turned her sights on stealing the entire kingdom. From me.¡± Cedric¡¯s father shook his head. ¡°A thief and a bandit to the core. The only cure for the likes of her is a short drop from a long rope.¡±

    ¡°It¡­ isn¡¯t necessary.¡±

    ¡°But it would be fun, wouldn¡¯t it? Remember the look on that count¡¯s face when he realized there was no hope for his little rebellion? You were far more willing back then. What happened to you? You¡¯re no fun at all, anymore.¡± The King¡¯s eyes widened as he emphasized his words, with his mouth splitting into a too-wide grin that showed off too-sharp teeth. ¡°Or are you wanting other kinds of fun with her?¡±

    The King melted away on his own without any contact from Cedric. The bloody mess left behind let off clouds of steam in the chill morning air. Cedric tried to turn around but a pressure on his back kept him facing the bloody mass.

    ¡°Her body is shapely,¡± a low, seductive version of Katja¡¯s voice whispered in his ear. Hands snaked up and over his shoulders. Dark arms with tattooed black stripes crossed over his chest. ¡°She likes the pleasure as well. Shares her bed with her men¡ªand women¡ªmore nights than not. If you just ask¡­¡± Those hands moved up and the long, black fingernails caressed the underside of his chin. ¡°You could have a new princess to replace that little Jewel of yours.¡±

    Cedric gripped one of the hands around his neck, squeezing it until he heard bones crack and crumble. ¡°Mags,¡± he hissed through clenched teeth. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    A fully nude Lady Katja sauntered around Cedric, managing to hang off him the entire time. The bent angle of her crushed wrist didn¡¯t bother her in the slightest. ¡°I¡¯ve been asking myself the same thing,¡± she said with a pout that didn¡¯t fit on the former bandit¡¯s face. ¡°Why am I here? You promised me the blood of your enemies dripping off my skin. But look.¡± She ran a hand over her chest. ¡°Completely dry. I¡¯m bored. I¡¯m so bored it is threatening to break our little contract.¡±

    It was useless to try to decide if the creature was telling the truth. The contract shouldn¡¯t have such an easy hole in it. Yet, if there was a loophole that she had seen, leaving things as they were was dangerous.

    ¡°The Eternal Empire has a cutter out in the waters a league away from shore, watching our movements. Go have your fun with that.¡±

    ¡°Another warship?¡± the nude Lady Katja said. She shook her head in disappointment. ¡°You can¡¯t keep giving a woman the same gifts over and over again and expect her eyes to light up with the same excitement as the first time. How about that girl? I won¡¯t even break her completely if you want to use her after I¡¯m done. It isn¡¯t like humans need all these arms and legs and hearts, right?¡±

    ¡°You destroyed the first ship in the blink of an eye. Go have fun with this one.¡±

    That only made her pout grow stronger, probably more at her last quip being ignored than at his suggestion. Letting out a disappointed hum, she flashed him a quick smile. Then¡­ disappeared.

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    ¡°My lord?¡±

    Cedric turned to find a fully clothed Lady Katja standing at the stairway leading up onto the tower proper. A part of him was tempted to reach out and rip her face off. This wouldn¡¯t be the first time Mags had sought to trick him like this, usually in an attempt to break some clause in the contract.

    He managed to restrain himself.

    ¡°Sorry to disturb you and¡­¡± Katja looked around, face poised and serious but with an air of confusion. ¡°I thought I heard you speaking with someone.¡±

    ¡°Musing to myself,¡± he said, narrowing his eyes as he looked around for any sign of Mags. The creature was gone. For all he knew, she had never been here in the first place, still stuck in her warded carriage. He shook his head, disguising his glance about by looking out to sea once again. ¡°Did you require something from me?¡±

    ¡°I received a letter from Arkk of Company Al-Mir. He says he has a plan for forcing the invaders out of Mystakeen for good¡ªhe has a solution for the Golden Order¡¯s avatar¡ªbut not the manpower to carry out the plan. He requests a joint operation with men under my¡­ my command, your command, White Company, and any other free company that is still intact.¡±

    Cedric closed his eyes, very much doubting the wording of the last line. ¡°How soon? How many men, exactly?¡±

    Katja hesitated in answering, looking down at a paper in her hands. ¡°He¡­ proposes¡­ meeting in person to discuss further details would be best.¡±

    ¡°Does he now,¡± Cedric said, his tone flat as he looked back over his shoulder.

    Katja didn¡¯t manage to suppress her grimace. Cedric wasn¡¯t all that surprised that the letter didn¡¯t have all the information needed. If what he had read and heard was true, this Arkk wasn¡¯t qualified in the slightest to wield the influence and power that he did.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Cedric said, dismissing Katja with a short gesture. ¡°Send a return letter inviting him to Cliff for discussions.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± she said, bowing and backing down the steps.

    ¡°And, Lady Katja?¡±

    She paused, looking up at him from several steps down. She didn¡¯t look afraid. Was that good or bad? Mags wouldn¡¯t like it. But, despite making good points on occasion¡ªwhen it suited her purposes¡ªhe tried to avoid doing things Mags liked.

    ¡°Good work,¡± Cedric said.

    The beginnings of a sly smile touched the corners of her lips. It only lasted a moment before she bowed again and ducked fully out of view. That left Cedric narrowing his eyes, watching the stairwell for a long moment.

    Perhaps Mags was right about her.

    ¡°I¡¯d love to break her,¡± Cedric said, watching the stairs. ¡°Twist her little lips off her face.¡±

    Cedric looked to himself, fingers flicking to the black fingernails on his hands. Something about the way he spoke rubbed against the grain. ¡°How would you hold up against that so-called avatar?¡± he asked, ignoring the call for violence.

    Cedric looked to Cedric, flashing a maw filled with sharp teeth. ¡°No clue. Never encountered one before. No matter what, it¡¯ll be fun to find out.¡±

    Cedric frowned at Cedric before clasping his hands behind his back and turning to face the sea. He didn¡¯t say a word.

    ¡°Ah, but the little fortress keeper? I have encountered their kind before. They¡¯re always so arrogant. Watching the glow in their eyes fade as their confidence amounts to nothing is¡­ most entertaining.¡±

    ¡°He isn¡¯t our enemy.¡±

    ¡°Yet,¡± Mags said, voice dropping a dozen octaves behind Cedric¡¯s back. ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I can fix that. You just leave everything to me¡­¡±

    Cedric turned, a protest hanging off the tip of his tongue, only to find himself standing alone at the top of the tower.

    <hr>

    ¡°Do you think he didn¡¯t get my message?¡±

    Darius Vrox looked up from a tome he was in the midst of modernizing for proper reading. He slid his reading glasses down to the end of his nose, looking out over the top rim at the so-called archivist who was lounging across one of the nearby desks. She was on her back with her dark red hair spread out around her head, hanging off the edges.

    Lyra Zann, if that was her actual name, had become something of a fixture during the study sessions Darius engaged in. She was the High Librarian. Within the library, not even an inquisitor could claim authority over her. Not without cause. With everything she had told him¡ªand had shown him, especially in that little hidden segment of the library¡ªhe could certainly find cause.

    As she turned her head to face him, a silver glint shined in her eyes despite the lack of any light in the room that might have caused it.

    No. Finding cause to accost her wasn¡¯t going to turn out well for him. And it wasn¡¯t like her presence was unwanted. She was knowledgeable. She didn¡¯t necessarily know everything that he wanted to know, but she would know which tomes held the answers he sought.

    ¡°I warned you that he is a simpleton,¡± Darius said. ¡°His greatest attribute is his luck with, perhaps, a secondary ability toward charisma given the forces he has managed to amass in the short time he has been active.¡±

    Lyra let out an elongated hum as she brought a finger to her chin. She tapped a few times with the white, almost glowing nail. ¡°Perhaps another revelation for the oracles is in order. I wanted to cloud the true intentions of that prophecy as some individuals in the Abbey are likely to be sharing information with undesirables, but if he isn¡¯t going to understand¡­ Or maybe I should just try a more direct route.¡±

    Darius narrowed his eyes. The Ecclesiarch was supposed to lead the Abbey. It was he who supposedly received direct revelation from the Light. The oracles were there to assist, granted their information-gathering abilities through hard work and training, though they nominally acted more as clairvoyants than seers. Yet here was Lyra, the unassuming librarian who hadn¡¯t left the library in years if Darius understood the rumors correctly, casually suggesting that she could give out visions on a whim.

    Darius wasn¡¯t a fool. It was one thing for a librarian to have access to a hidden trove of books. But he and Sylvara had been doing research on avatars, purifiers, and the ways they used their powers. He could connect the dots as easily as anyone with a modicum of cognizance.

    He didn¡¯t want to admit it, however. If the avatar of the Light really was sitting across from him¡­

    The implications were unsettling. Both in that he wasn¡¯t sure how he should act¡ªthus far, treating her simply as the archivist was working well for him¡ªand in that her existence here meant that their side of the conflict could have had a powerful force behind it if she had just left the library.

    The previous war with Evestani that had ended a little over thirty years prior had been before his time. He had barely been born at its conclusion. Had it also featured avatars slinging powerful spells at each other? None of the historical records he had come across mentioned great beams of golden light or winter-time assaults throughout the Duchy.

    Lyra was watching him again, her eyes glinting with that impossible silver light. It was like she was looking through him.

    Darius turned back to his book, pushing his reading glasses back up the bridge of his nose. Another historical record of war, this one from centuries past. A great war that left such a mark on the land that the scars still remained in the form of the wastes the Beastmen Tribes now occupied, west of Evestani and Mystakeen. He had never heard of the war before coming across this book, nor had he ever questioned why the Beastmen Tribes occupied a wasteland beyond the simple fact that nobody else wanted the territory.

    ¡°We signed a treaty.¡±

    Darius jolted. Lyra wasn¡¯t draped across the desks any longer. She hung over his shoulder, looking down at the book he had opened.

    ¡°To stop something like that from happening again, The Eternal Empire, the Golden Order, and the Abbey all signed a treaty that none would use such tactics in future conflicts. Any future disagreements were to be fought through the hands of mortal men and the magics they could wield, nothing greater.¡±

    ¡°It would seem the Golden Order has forgotten the treaty,¡± Darius said after a short breath. ¡°Unless you are suggesting that those golden rays capable of leveling large swaths of land are mortal-level magics.¡±

    He hadn¡¯t seen the magic used in person. Sylvara had. The picture his fellow inquisitor painted of the situation was far and beyond what even purifiers like Agnete could accomplish.

    ¡°Magics that mortals can wield,¡± Lyra corrected in a chiding tone before she continued. ¡°Technically, the Golden Order is not assailing the Abbey in this current war. They¡¯re after Arkk and, perhaps more specifically, the being of the Stars at his side.¡± She paused, donning a wan, humorless smile. ¡°Of course, if the Abbey were harmed or even wiped off the face of the world as a side effect of this conflict¡­¡±

    ¡°Loopholes,¡± Darius said with a scowl.

    ¡°Don¡¯t sound too upset. Loopholes benefit everyone if they¡¯re positioned to take advantage of them. Purifiers, for example, are mortal men wielding higher-level magics. Were it not for the Abbey¡¯s policy of¡­ nurturing purifiers, the war thirty years ago could have ended far worse for us.¡±

    Darius raised an eyebrow. ¡°What stops our enemies from using that same loophole? Or were their purifiers simply weaker than ours at the time?¡±

    ¡°That,¡± Lyra said with a chuckle, ¡°is an accomplishment that I cherish. It is all about knowing the natures of your opponents when writing out loopholes like that. The Gree¡­ The Golden Order would never make use of purifiers. They are run by an envious, jealous, and utterly insecure individual who sees everything as threats. The Eternal Empire has a similar problem, except it comes in the form of pride.¡±

    ¡°Knowing is half the battle,¡± Darius said. He decided to not comment on the implication that Lyra had written out part of the treaty.

    ¡°Knowledge is the most important thing in this world of ours,¡± she countered with a grin. ¡°Wisdom comes in at a close second. Which,¡± she said, smile turning to a frown, ¡°is why it is so disappointing that I haven¡¯t received any response from your boy. Did he even pay attention to the words? And now he is off galivanting through the land of darkness? No signs of wisdom or knowledge there.¡±

    Darius considered for a moment. ¡°I told you about him, but I know Arkk. Perhaps if I were to write out some suggestions..?¡±

    Lyra Zann put on a small smile, looking at him as if she had expected him to offer all along. ¡°Lovely. Let¡¯s get started then.¡±

 The Anvil of All Worlds

    Arkk stared at the crystalline archway with a mild nervousness. He couldn¡¯t stop sweating. Granted, part of that was Agnete at his side, running a little hotter than normal, but at least a little came from worries over what might come through that portal.

    The former orc homeland was a wide and, as with all of the Underworld, desolate place. A few days of labor had rebuilt some of the ruins around, providing shelter and, more importantly, fortifications around the portal. Flying, lightning-spewing machines wouldn¡¯t take them by surprise again. Not to mention, Arkk was present and completely ready to cast slowing spells, explosions, haste spells, and whatever else might help bring such an opponent down enough for Agnete, Claire, or Dakka¡¯s crew to dismantle them.

    The most unnerving thing about the situation wasn¡¯t the thought of monsters on the other side of the portal coming through. It was that he might not be able to return if something went wrong. Zullie had assured him that nothing would. They had effectively tested shutting down and reactivating the Fortress Al-Mir portal both in rescuing Olatt¡¯an¡¯s expeditionary team and a few times since then just to make sure it hadn¡¯t been a fluke.

    But, while the portal was inactive and the orc homeland portal redirected to the Anvil, Arkk would be entirely cut off from his home world.

    A thin membrane of translucent liquid stretched across the interior of the archway. Arkk felt a prickle of magic against his skin, not unlike the sensation of walking into a spiderweb. It wasn¡¯t pleasant. Was that normal? It hadn¡¯t happened when they had rescued Olatt¡¯an. It could just be a product of stress-induced imagination.

    He exchanged a glance with Agnete. The flame witch stood stoic and impassive as always, but the embers in her eyes betrayed a hint of the same anxiety that he felt.

    ¡°Worried?¡±

    ¡°Excited,¡± she said, her tone flat. Maybe it wasn¡¯t anxiety then. ¡°Though, perhaps I am somewhat concerned. I don¡¯t¡­ I wanted to know why I am the way I am ever since you told me about the Burning Forge. Why or how I was chosen, who They are, what reasons They have for creating purifiers like me. But now that we¡¯re here, ready to step foot into the world of my patron, I feel like I¡¯m not sure I want to know. What if the answers are lacking? Or nonexistent. It isn¡¯t like we¡¯ve had an audience with the Cloak of Shadows here. The gods might simply not wish to speak to mortals.¡±

    Definitely anxiety then.

    Pressing his lips into a thin smile, Arkk nodded, understanding Agnete¡¯s mix of emotions. Frankly, he had been feeling roughly the same since encountering Vezta for the first time. Or, maybe even before then.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just life?¡± he said, not quite meaning to say it aloud. Agnete looked over at him, making him shift in mild discomfort. He bought a moment of thought by clearing his throat. ¡°I mean, why are any of us here? Why am I the first to stumble across the fortress in a millennium? Would a massive war have broken out if someone like Hale had come across it or am I at direct fault for that? Or you and Vrox¡ªyou probably would have destroyed it, right? What might the world have looked like then?

    ¡°Answers might¡­ No, whatever answers you get, if any, will undoubtedly be disappointing compared to any expectations you have built up in your mind,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Based on what I know of the Pantheon, none of them operate on human-level thought. Listen to the Protector talk of the Lady Shadows and how she doesn¡¯t understand that living beings are different from the shadows she turned them into.¡±

    Agnete¡¯s black lips twisted into a tight frown. ¡°If you mean to comfort or reassure me, you are performing poorly.¡±

    Arkk chuckled, clapping a hand on Agnete¡¯s shoulders. It burned a little, even through her clothing, but not so bad that he pulled back. ¡°I guess I¡¯m just saying not to worry too much about it. Regardless of what answers you find, if any, you have a place here with us.¡±

    Agnete¡¯s frown softened somewhat at his words, prompting him to give a firm and hopefully reassuring squeeze of her shoulder before letting go. He tried to subtly waft his hand behind his back to cool it back down. Judging by the faint smile that graced her lips, he wasn¡¯t too successful.

    ¡°A place here,¡± she mused. ¡°I believe that is a line I have heard coming from ramblemen and bards more often than not when their stories involve people uncovering uncomfortable truths.¡±

    ¡°Langleey got the occasional bard but I was always more interested in stories the adventurers, mercenaries, and bounty hunters had to tell. And learning what little magic they could teach in their short visits to the village.¡±

    ¡°Really? Didn¡¯t just copy one of their lines?¡± she said with¡­ teasing in her tone? That was unusual. Agnete must have been feeling quite excited. Or anxious. Both.

    The conversation trailed off as a ripple spread through the portal. The shimmering membrane, looking like a vertical pool of liquid silver, shifted and spread out into a view of yet another world.

    This one was unlike anything he had seen before. The Underworld was a desolate wasteland, much like a desert or the Cursed Forest. The Silence looked like a lush forest; though colored strangely, it hadn¡¯t been anything out of the norm. His world had a whole variety of landscapes and biomes from mountainous forests to sweeping planes and wide oceans. Perhaps that was why those gods had fought over it all those years ago. The variety.

    Then again, he had only seen very small slices of both the Underworld and the Silence. They could easily have more variety further out.

    But the world before him now was¡­

    It hardly looked like a world at all.

    It was a landscape dominated by a monstrous edifice of gears, pipes, and towering metal buildings. Massive stretches of moving pathways snaked back and forth between, through, and around the buildings, carrying an endless stream of glowing rocks, metal ingots, and manufactured creations that Arkk couldn¡¯t begin to name. The pathways fed the materials into hulking machines that belched smoke and hissed steam. Elsewhere, giant arms made of grime-covered metal and bristling with tools moved with precise, eerie efficiency. They lifted components from the pathways with exacting accuracy, assembling intricate devices that whirred to life as soon as they were completed.

    Sparks flew from grinding wheels. Furnaces roared with an intensity that could only be matched by Agnete at her highest, though he couldn¡¯t feel them from this side of the portal. Small, boxy carts zipped along narrow rails as they carried more materials throughout the world. Black tar spewed from the open end of a pipe in brief yet intense spurts. Flames at the top of narrow towers burned bright, lighting the horizon.

    There were creatures there as well. Monsters, more like. High in the air, he could see a pair of those lightning serpents patrolling about, the crackling electricity on their backs was blatantly obvious against the black clouds in the sky. Neither seemed to have noticed the open portal just yet.

    Other creatures moved about. He was pretty sure that they were living beings¡­ but they could well be more artificial constructs. Human-like creatures fully enclosed in tight-fitting suits. They carried tools that emitted a multitude of lights as if they were covered with dozens of tiny glowstones. They seemed to oversee the operation of the machinery around them, walking along on high catwalks that crisscrossed above, around, and between the moving pathways and turning gears.

    There was so much to see, so much movement in every speck of Arkk¡¯s vision that he felt utterly overwhelmed. Every time he looked back over a spot that he had already moved on from, he saw something new there. One of the buildings was even moving on massive treads like it was trying to copy a Walking Fortress.

    He was far from the only one overwhelmed. It took effort, but he dragged his gaze back to his employees. They were all staring, most with wide eyes and equally wide mouths. The only ones somewhat unaffected were those who had been part of Olatt¡¯an¡¯s expedition. They had obviously seen the other side before and even they still stared.

    Agnete started to step forward. Arkk held her back with a much firmer hand on her shoulder.

    ¡°Let the lesser servant go first,¡± Arkk said, looking over to where a servant bubbled and glopped. One of its eyes burst, only to be replaced by a fresh one. In the new eye, he saw mild resignation as he gave the command for it to move forward.

    The moment the servant crossed over the threshold, the entire atmosphere on the other side changed. First, mounted atop a massive moving gantry, a spherical orb rushed through the air. A single ray of off-yellow light danced in the smoggy air. As the gantry came to a stop in front of the portal, metal plates on the orb constricted, tightening the beam of light to a thin ray that swept over the lesser servant.

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    The eye-like orb stared for just a moment.

    Spinning red lights lit up at the corners of every building, several of the nearby mechanical arms and moving pathways jerked to a stop, and the two lightning serpents turned and plummeted from the sky. The more human-like figures on the catwalks stopped and turned toward the portal, stared for a moment, and then immediately took off in hasty sprints toward the nearest building.

    Arkk didn¡¯t even get a chance to try to pull back the lesser servant before a bolt of electricity splattered it across the smooth surface on the other side of the portal. The serpent that hadn¡¯t fried the servant slithered through the portal high in the air. It opened its metal maw as lightning coursed up and down its spine.

    But it didn¡¯t get a chance to attack. The portal structure was low enough that Dakka, leaping even in her armor, managed to bisect it with her scythe. The two halves crashed to the ground.

    If the serpents had any sort of self-preservation instincts, the second one didn¡¯t show it. It came through the portal on the tail of the first, stopped over the assembled crowd of soldiers like the first, and promptly got bisected by Raff¡¯el¡¯s scythe as he copied Dakka¡¯s attack. With Dakka¡¯s team here, it seemed the greatest threat they posed was their bodies landing on someone.

    ¡°Excellent work you two,¡± Arkk called out. ¡°Keep ready. We don¡¯t know if there are more.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t see any others, but he could only see one side of the portal. There could be an entire swarm of them behind the portal or more on their way. It wasn¡¯t like he could see all that far with the massive buildings and columns of black smoke. The red spinning lights were still running and none of the humanoids had returned, still hiding. If Arkk could just convey to them that he had come in peace¡­

    With a small sigh, he summoned up another lesser servant and directed it through the portal. It didn¡¯t die instantly, which he took as a good sign, though that mechanical eye mounted on the gantry stared and stared. He had it move around a little on the large circular platform that surrounded the portal. It was about the only space on the other side that wasn¡¯t in motion.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a quick step over, just to see what I see,¡± Arkk said when the servant managed to survive for a good three minutes. He took a breath and chanted a brief spell. ¡°Xel¡¯atriss Pargon Bankorok Santak Pargon.¡±

    A swirling void wrapped around Arkk, curling tight against his skin. It let him see out, but it was a bit hazy. This was a perfected version of the spell that had taken Zullie¡¯s eyes. It called upon Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key¡¯s dominion over barriers and separation to effectively cut Arkk off from the rest of the world, though only partially. It should keep him safe¡ªit worked on most magic and all physical weapons¡ªthough they had never actually tested it against lightning. Or the shadow scythes, for that matter.

    Testing it was, unfortunately, a bit dangerous. With it wrapped around his skin, there wasn¡¯t much margin for error. If something pierced the shield, it would pierce him too. He couldn¡¯t even have Priscilla use it to test stronger weapons against her tougher body. Thus far, no one had been able to cast it without instantly collapsing aside from Arkk. The drain on their magic was just too great. And he couldn¡¯t cast it on anyone else, it was a personal spell only.

    At least she had worked out a better incantation. It wasn¡¯t as short as Electro Deus, but it wasn¡¯t as long as modern magic.

    The moment Arkk stepped through the portal, he staggered in shock.

    There were three things that the barrier did not stop that they knew of. It didn¡¯t stop light, allowing him to see. It didn¡¯t stop sound, allowing him to hear. And it didn¡¯t stop air, allowing him to breathe.

    All three hit him at once.

    The lights, he had expected. There were flashing and blinking lights everywhere in the other world, on buildings, on catwalks, on the moving pathways, and on the machinery. Flames topped tall towers and massive furnaces ate raw ore, belching out sparks and more flame.

    The light of the gantry¡¯s eye settled over him, though it did nothing to attack or flee. It simply watched.

    While he had expected the lights to be a little more intense, he hadn¡¯t expected the sound.

    The noise was overwhelming¡ªa cacophony of clanging metal, hissing steam, and the rhythmic thumping of pistons. Arkk clapped his hands over his ears, but with the barrier in place, he couldn¡¯t quite seal the sound off. Not that he expected it would have helped. The whirring of movement around him and the crackling of electricity somewhere beyond where he could see was noisy to the point that it surely would have made it through his hands. The entire place vibrated like it was some kind of living being. A massive mechanical cat purring loud enough to shake him apart. To top it all off, a truly deafening whining drone heightened in pitch before falling and then rising again, incessantly whining as it oscillated.

    And even the sound was nothing compared to the smell.

    A potent blend of metallic tang, caustic musk, and acrid burning coal and hot metal. Arkk had once thought that being in the Darkwood alchemist¡¯s workshop had been the worst smell he had ever experienced but even Morford¡¯s most potent concoctions were like flowers compared to this. The smell alone left a greasy, oily feel that lingered in the back of his throat. The occasional whiff of sulfur in the smoke only made his nausea worse.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure how long he stood there, gaping in shock at the sounds and smells. It could have only been seconds and yet, staggering back into the Underworld coughing and sputtering, it felt like it had been an eternity since he breathed fresh air. The air in the Underworld wasn¡¯t exactly the kind found on a crisp morning in a lush forest and yet he couldn¡¯t get enough of it.

    He fully emptied his lungs, canceling the protective spell as he did so, and drew in a completely fresh breath of air until he couldn¡¯t breathe in anymore. The air was stale but somehow oh-so-refreshing.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Agnete asked, looking concerned.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Arkk said before breathing a few more times, just to make sure he wasn¡¯t about to throw up. ¡°I don¡¯t know that we can¡­¡± He trailed off, breathing again. Air certainly was nice, wasn¡¯t it? He steadied himself and shook his head to try to focus.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know that we can do anything over there,¡± Arkk continued. ¡°It¡¯s worse than the Silence. The air is vile. I¡¯d rather stick my face over a forge¡¯s flume and breathe nothing but that for a week than take another breath inside that place. And the sound¡­¡± He wiggled a finger in his ear, opening his jaw as wide as it could before he heard a popping sound.

    Agnete stared at him, keeping up her usual impassive look but tainted with a hint of disappointment. She looked away, frowning at the portal. ¡°Would it be alright if I stepped over?¡±

    Arkk waved a hand toward the portal as Ilya found her way to his side, lightly patting his back. She could see for herself.

    Agnete gave him a curt nod and, hands tense at her sides, she stepped up alongside the lesser servant on the smooth platform through the portal.

    Arkk narrowed his eyes at the bubbling slop of oily tendrils. The lesser servant didn¡¯t seem to care about the air or the noise. The traitor. It could have warned him.

    Agnete, on the other side of the portal, appeared to be handling the situation much better than Arkk had. She stood straight, clearly wrinkling her nose but not hacking and coughing. Maybe the forewarning helped. Or maybe her avatarness was helping out in a way that Arkk lacked. She even took another step forward as the gantry eye swiveled over to focus on her.

    As soon as it did, the other world changed. The red lights stopped spinning, going dark again. The gantry shifted, its gears twisting in a rapid spin. The orb dropped down, lowered on a series of thick black cables. Agnete tensed as the orb came to a stop directly in front of her. A glowing pane of glass on its surface constricted like an eye, staring directly at her. It waited a long moment before shifting its gaze to the portal.

    The membrane popped like a soapy bubble, leaving a space in the crystalline archway.

    The shock wore off quickly. He could still see Agnete if he followed her employee link. She was unharmed. So far. Several more of those lightning serpents were coming in from above, but they weren¡¯t attacking just yet. Shaking his head, Arkk turned.

    ¡°Zullie,¡± he called out. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know! It wasn¡¯t supposed to do that!¡±

    ¡°Get it open again,¡± Arkk ordered.

    Zullie hesitated before rushing up to the crystalline archway. Even sightless, she quickly found the runes in the crystal as if she could see them without trouble. She ran her fingers over the nearest before moving to the next. Calling over the Protector, she got it to lift her where she could continue inspecting the higher ones. It took a few minutes, the entire time Arkk sat tense as the serpents drew closer to Agnete.

    Agnete didn¡¯t look all that upset with the situation. She stared up at the serpents, wary but unconcerned. Flames coiled between her fingers, but she wasn¡¯t attacking. They weren¡¯t attacking either.

    Did they recognize her for what she was?

    ¡°Nothing is wrong with it,¡± Zullie said as she finished the inspection. Her voice was strained, worried. Which weren¡¯t usually emotions Arkk would have ascribed to Zullie if something went wrong with one of her experiments. Even losing her eyes, after she had recovered enough to speak, she had sounded¡­ excited with what she had learned. ¡°It should be active. This portal is fine,¡± she said, this time with some amount of relief. ¡°The only reason it isn¡¯t working¡­ if it got cut off at the other end.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. Glaring at Zullie didn¡¯t help. Both because it wasn¡¯t a productive action and because Zullie, though she could somehow see the runes on the portal, couldn¡¯t actually see him. ¡°Solutions?¡±

    ¡°We¡­ know the planar coordinates to the Anvil now. We could try to force a connection to a different portal just like we changed the Fortress Al-Mir-to-Underworld portal to get here.¡±

    ¡°How long?¡±

    ¡°Without you able to give me the coordinates like you did last time? It¡¯ll take a bit¡­ If we can scry over there¡­ I wasn¡¯t able to take magical level readings, but if it was like the Silence rather than the Underworld, they might be low enough that scrying works.¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes. The crystal balls were back at Elmshadow and Fortress Al-Mir. ¡°Get the portal connected to the fortress again,¡± he said, trying not to snap. ¡°As fast as possible.¡±

    Agnete was alright for now. The large orb hanging from the gantry had moved aside, leaving a short opening to one of the moving pathways. The serpents seemed like they were escorting her toward it, though she was somewhat reluctant to get aboard.

    The lesser servant was still over there. It was still alive at Agnete¡¯s side. For a moment, Arkk debated. He could command it to stay by the portal. Perhaps it could repair it on that end if the serpents continued to leave it alone. There was no guarantee of that given how the first servant had fared. And that assumed this portal could even be repaired. It was also his only method of communicating with Agnete. He could see her through the link but without the servant, he might not be able to direct her toward another portal if they got one working.

    Agnete reached the moving pathway. She hesitated but stepped up.

    Arkk had the servant coil its tendril around her leg, following her on as the pathway began moving, carrying them off through the massive machine that was the Anvil of All Worlds.

 The Infernal Engine

    ¡°?????? ???? ???? ??.¡±

    Agnete jerked her head at the voice. The background thrum of the Anvil hammered away, clacking and clanging and whirring and grinding. It had been overwhelming in the first few moments. Agnete wasn¡¯t sure if she had adjusted to it or if her magic was at work, but it felt like a mere distant noise now.

    But that voice had not.

    As a living human who, on occasion, interacted with others, Agnete had heard voices before. In her time with the inquisitors, she hadn¡¯t often been called upon to speak, but she still heard. Lords and serfs, priests and traders, all had slightly different ways of speaking. There was a difference between a bombastic baron throwing his authority around with every word and a humble toymaker speaking excitedly over a newly fashioned doll.

    Each word in the voice that now addressed her, coming from the large orb hanging from the gantry, was not natural. Not born of flesh and breath. It had a cold, metallic timbre. Each word was sharp and clear, she could tell that even without understanding the words, yet the precision was too much. It was unfeeling to the point where it sent shivers down her spine.

    ¡°???? ???? ??,¡± it said again. There was a strange crackling behind the crisp words that only served to make them more apparent, further drowning out the background voices. Like the hiss and pop of a fire but more erratic. ¡°???? ???? ??.¡±

    The metal eye swung away from Agnete. As it did so, the entire landscape began rearranging itself. Panels swung down on large mechanical arms, forming steps. The walls of a nearby building peeled back as if made from mobile bricks. One of the moving pathways, perpendicular to the steps, slid into place. The gantry moved the metal eye directly over the moving pathway.

    Agnete flicked her gaze upward. A half dozen of those flying serpents were lazily drifting about overhead. They weren¡¯t attacking. Rather, they looked calm. The lightning bolts hopping between the nodes on their backs even felt subdued. They were just watching.

    She turned back to the large metal eye with a small frown.

    Its words were unintelligible but the meaning was anything but. It wanted her to follow.

    Agnete looked back. The portal wasn¡¯t working. Even though she was far from a capable spellcaster, the reason was obvious. A mechanical arm had removed the keystone, depositing it into a bank of similar rune-covered crystalline stones. She could try to get it operational again. She didn¡¯t know which of those crystals was the right one, but it wouldn¡¯t be hard to test them one at a time. All she had to do was get her escorts off her back. From what she saw of those flying serpents, she doubted they would be able to withstand her flames. The lightning could be dangerous, but with nothing else here that she had to care about, she could go all out.

    Arkk¡¯s lesser servant coiled around her boot. Agnete frowned, looking down at it. Was it trying to say something? Was Arkk still controlling it or was it just latching on to her on its own?

    ¡°??? ????? ? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ?????. ?? ???? ???? ??? ?????????.¡±

    Agnete looked up to the eye again. It was trying to communicate with her in that deep, vibrating bass tone.

    Agnete stepped forward, climbing the panels toward the moving pathway. A year ago, she likely wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop herself from burning the entire place down to slag. She very well might have boiled away the crystalline archway in a blind fury. Were this anywhere else, she might have done so anyway.

    But there was something about this place. A connection that resonated somewhere deep in her chest. It was like when she had first agreed to work with Arkk and found that connection to his fortress. Except this was on a whole other level.

    Once she stepped on the moving platform, the stairs she had climbed moved back, pulled to their resting spots to make way for some kind of horseless carriage transporting a load of rocks in its back. A moment later, the moving platform began actually moving, ferrying her away from the portal fast enough to pull her hair back, whipping it around.

    This was the Anvil of All Worlds. The home of her supposed patron. It was time to see just what it had in store for her.

    <hr>

    ¡°Can¡¯t make heads or tails of them. Sorry about that.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for trying, Perr¡¯ok.¡±

    The orc blacksmith dipped his head in an apologetic nod. If he were being completely honest with himself, he hadn¡¯t expected much. The blacksmiths working for him were skilled in arms and armor. Even more mundane things like door hinges and locks weren¡¯t beyond them. But a door hinge was a far cry from those mechanical serpents. They were akin to living beings, albeit made from metal and lightning.

    Arkk pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. Agnete was still over in the Anvil. She was the only one who would have been able to¡­ dissect those creatures with a chance at understanding them. At least she was safe. Thus far, nothing over there had tried attacking her. Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure what the denizens of that land intended, but they had brought her to one of the largest structures and then effectively shoved her into a room.

    It wasn¡¯t a prison. Arkk thought it might have been at first, given how minimalistic it was. There was a simple iron bed, raised off the floor, and a similar chair built into one of the walls. But a whole side of the room was a kind of workshop, one filled with equipment and yet more machines whose purposes eluded Arkk. Agnete, on the other hand, seemed to have an idea of how to work them. For the last full day, she had sat in front of one of them, constantly moving back and forth between various tools at the station as she worked on¡­ something.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what it was. It was based around some dark cube that had been sitting on the workbench when Agnete arrived. A black box with a multitude of gears jutting off it at odd angles, pipes strewn across its surface that occasionally emitted puffs of steam, and even sparking nodes of electricity. Its gears whirred on their own, somehow powered from within the box that was no bigger than Arkk¡¯s torso.

    Inside each of the flying serpents, they had found similar black boxes. With the serpents broken apart and damaged as they were, the boxes were the only parts still moving.

    He almost wondered if she was being ordered to replace the serpents that he had killed.

    It was somewhat strange that she seemed to be complying with everything around her. There might have been some communication going on that Arkk couldn¡¯t hear through the employee link that had convinced Agnete to cooperate. Either that or she was doing so willingly in the hopes of learning more about the Burning Forge and her powers.

    Whatever it was, Arkk was stressing over the fear that the cooperation wouldn¡¯t last. Those serpents had attacked Olatt¡¯an¡¯s team, killing two and injuring more. Agnete was powerful. Her flames could deflect the golden rays of the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar. But if she were caught unawares by one of those serpents who suddenly took a dislike to her¡­

    There was nothing he could do about it for the moment. Zullie, despite her best efforts, had been unable to connect the portal to the Anvil portal that they had opened before. The scrying teams could see the anvil, although they could only see it through a static haze that indicated an overabundance of magic, but they had yet to locate any additional portal structures to try to connect to.

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    A heavy clearing of a throat had Arkk opening his eyes.

    Perr¡¯ok was still here, standing in front of his desk. ¡°Was there something else?¡± Arkk asked, already dreading what problems might have arisen.

    Was Agnete¡¯s absence causing problems in the smithy? He knew that she was a common fixture down there, one very much appreciated by all the blacksmiths even if she wasn¡¯t contributing to their work. Or had the Shadow Forge suffered problems in her absence? She was the one who taught everyone else how to work it. If something unexpected came up¡­

    ¡°Those metal hulks we dragged over from the Underworld were simpler to understand.¡±

    Arkk blinked, taking a moment to remember. With his mind occupied by Agnete and those serpents, it took a second. A quick glimpse into the foundry confirmed his thoughts.

    They had salvaged a few items from the orc homelands before Zullie reset the portals to how they normally were while she worked on how to get back to Agnete. One of those pieces of salvage were the large metal¡­ hulks. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure how else to describe them. They were large, standing at least three times as tall as an orc with boxy metal torsos and a pair of somewhat stubby legs. Unlike the serpents, they were at least as old as the rest of the ruins in the area. The wear and rust were evidence of that.

    ¡°You understood their construction? Or what they were for?¡±

    ¡°What they were for is obvious,¡± Perr¡¯ok said. ¡°Nothing gets that much armor if it isn¡¯t intended for battle. Their arms were like swords with little teeth on them that could move about, ripping and tearing at whatever they hit. As for understanding¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to build one from nothing, but if it is recreating the rusted-over parts and copying the designs exactly? I think we could do that. Nothing like those black gearboxes the serpents had.¡±

    Arkk clasped his fingers together on his desk, staring at Perr¡¯ok while using Fortress Al-Mir to stare at the hulking machine that was strung up by chains down in the depths. ¡°You want to recreate one? What of our other projects? This will take away from them.¡±

    Perr¡¯ok scratched at his chin. ¡°With the Shadow Forge providing armor, we actually have something of a surplus. At least for orc-sized gear. We haven¡¯t made any new orc armor in the regular forge since we started using the Shadow Forge. That¡¯s left it partially unused. Manpower is a problem, as we still have to staff both forges, but if you can hire¡­ five good smiths to take over regular armor production? I think I could get a small team to reconstruct one of these things in a week or two.¡±

    Arkk tapped his fingers against his desk. Two weeks would be just in time for the first of his planned encounters with Evestani¡¯s renewed force that was marching across Mystakeen. Any later than that and it would be too late. At least for this battle.

    Was it worth it?

    Gold was relatively thin at the moment, but he could hire a hundred if he wanted. The real limitation to his gold reserves came in the form of creating new walking fortresses or other large projects like that. ¡°Would ten new hires complete the project faster? Or would you start tripping over each other¡¯s feet?¡±

    ¡°These hulks are big enough that we could set everyone on different components. Might need to expand the smithy to make room. Otherwise, yes. It should be faster.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do, then. Draw up a routine and plans for ten people to work on this project.¡±

    A single war machine, unless it was far more capable than he thought it would be, wouldn¡¯t be worth it, but he was already reconfiguring some of his plans. Specifically his plans for Leda¡¯s fortress. Staffing it with soldiers wasn¡¯t something he could easily do without taking away from elsewhere. That was why he had sent his letter to the Prince, requesting aid in dealing with Evestani¡¯s army. He needed men here so that he could send his own men to Leda.

    But if one of these war machines was worth even ten men¡­

    Perr¡¯ok flashed his tusks, not in anger or rage, but in pride. He offered a shallow bow before he turned and left Arkk¡¯s office.

    One was a prototype. A test. If that one turned out to be worth the time and manpower, not to mention whatever gold he had to spend on it, he could redirect more manpower toward manufacturing more of them. There were plenty of displaced people from the war. Plenty of local smiths that now lacked a forge. He could recruit. A quarter of a gold coin a month would be a windfall for many, not to mention guaranteed food and housing.

    Arkk closed his eyes again, focusing on Agnete. If only she were present. Her mere existence generally made things run smoother down in the smithy.

    But¡­ Of all the Pantheon, the Burning Forge was the one god he thought would be the most willing to assist them. He had thought that long before they opened the portal with Xel¡¯atriss. That belief mostly came from the fact that Agnete was working with him. And she still was an employee of his, as evidenced by his ability to look in on her.

    If she could convince the Burning Forge, or even the denizens of that realm, to lend their assistance¡­

    Arkk wondered what answer the Golden Order would come up with to a swarm of those lightning serpents flying over the battlefield¡­

    <hr>

    Agnete staggered back from the workbench, grasping a hand to her head. She felt dizzy. Weak. Her arms were shaking in a way that reminded her of the week she went without food or sleep while on a mission with the inquisitors. But it couldn¡¯t have been that long. The moving pathway brought her here and just left her in the room. She had seen the workbench¡­ All the ideas she hadn¡¯t been able to bring to fruition with the Shadow Forge came surging back and¡­

    And¡­

    Agnete, leaning forward as she sat on the edge of the metal bed, looked up at the workbench. At what she had created.

    At its core, the black box that had been sitting on the workbench, waiting for her arrival. The moment she laid eyes on that labyrinth of gears, pipes, and tubes, inspiration had struck. All the ideas she had, all the experience she had built up in Al-Mir¡¯s forges, had come flooding out. She could see the efforts that had gone into building Katt¡¯am new legs here as well, expanded upon to a fully formed human.

    Or¡­ not a human at all.

    The silhouette it cast was disturbingly humanoid. Yet, in every other aspect, it was not. Limbs, if they could be called that, jutted out awkwardly and bent, jointed, at odd angles. Steam hissed from its joints and the occasional puff of acrid smoke seeped out from hidden valves, filling the air with the scent of burnt metal and oil.

    The vague outline of its head was an utter abomination. An amalgamation of rotating cogs and the odd flickering lights, devoid of any facial features. Vezta was a beautiful woman in comparison. Even the lesser servants were more appealing to look at.

    It sat on the workbench like a toymaker¡¯s doll, head hanging to one side and arms limp, resting on the bench. But, as Agnete stared at her creation, the gears in the black box began to turn.

    With a sudden creak and grind that quickly smoothed out, its limbs snapped forward. Fingers with far too many joints grasped the edge of the workbench and pushed it off. Its feet caught the ground and thumping pistons in its legs kept it upright.

    Agnete got back to her feet. With the adrenaline flooding through her body, she could hardly feel the effects of hunger or fatigue. The temperature of the room started rising.

    It slowly straightened its head, turning it in a full circle as if it were observing its surroundings with its eyeless face.

    It could observe its surroundings, Agnete realized. Not in the way any human or beastman could, but that black box had feedback mechanisms. Mechanisms that she had hooked up in her hazy fugue of inspiration. As its head reached its second full revolution, it stopped on Agnete. She wasn¡¯t sure how she could tell, but she knew it was staring at her.

    With it standing like that, arms at its side, it almost looked more human. The many joints in its limbs and hands were invisible unless it actuated them.

    Worse than looking human, some vague part of it made Agnete feel like she was looking into a mirror. Like she had designed the mechanical monstrosity after herself. It stood at equal height to her. If it kept its arms steady, the defined lines of Agnete¡¯s muscles and shoulders matched with the creation, as did its legs and torso. If garbed in the inquisitorial uniform¡ªand one avoided looking at its face¡ªit might even fool Vrox.

    ¡°??? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ?????, ??????? ?????. ??????, ??????.¡±

    Both Agnete and the creation jolted, snapping their heads toward the chamber¡¯s door. A small glowing yellow eye, metal like the larger one on the gantry, sat embedded in the wall. Agnete still didn¡¯t know what the words were. Without the changing platforms creating a stairway for her providing some context clues, she couldn¡¯t even guess at this one.

    The same did not appear to be true for her mechanical clone. It turned fully¡ªfirst its head, then its torso swiveled, then its legs moved to follow¡ªand approached the door. It slid open with a steam-emitting hiss without the machine even touching it, much like the doors in Fortress Al-Mir. It didn¡¯t leave the room, however. It paused at the threshold, turned its head, and held out an arm with the palm of its hand facing upward.

    ¡°??? ?????? ??? ????,¡± it said, emitting the words through steam-filled pipes deep within its chest. It didn¡¯t sound as deep and reverberating as the metal eyes, but it still had that same tone to it. ¡°??? ?????? ?? ???????? ??????.¡±

    This time, with its hand out, Agnete had enough context clues to know it was asking for her to follow. Agnete hesitated a moment, first looking around for the lesser servant. It was nowhere to be seen, but there was a small trail of black oil leading to a narrow vent near the bed. Taking a breath, she looked back to the humanoid construct.

    ¡°Fine.¡± She stepped forward. Although there were some hunger pangs in her stomach, her curiosity won out. ¡°Lead the way.¡±

 Defensive Preparations

    ¡°This is it?¡±

    Arkk leaned over Zullie¡¯s desk, frowning at the object clasped between the metal claws. It¡­ wasn¡¯t exactly what he had expected.

    His researchers had been hard at work. Since they couldn¡¯t try to connect to the Anvil until the scrying team found another portal archway, Sylvara, Zullie, and the others went back to the binding agent project to oppose the avatar of the Heart of Gold. This binding agent was constructed using items recovered from the Silence. Although several plant clippings had been brought back, the two main items of note had been a hammock and those flowers that put people to sleep. So, he had expected rope or a flower to sit on top of the table. Or, failing that, a skull to represent the Eternal Silence¡¯s other dominion.

    Instead, he got¡­ that.

    A horrifying bundle of dried twigs and grass, tied with thin strings into a rough, humanoid shape. The entire thing looked like it had been dipped into a vat of molten gold¡ªwhich might have explained a minor deficit in the treasury¡ªbut the dipping job had been poor enough that the somewhat charred plants were still visible at various points and the gold was flaking off. It looked like a haphazard mess, far from the quality he had come to expect from most of Zullie¡¯s work.

    Arkk folded his arms, looking around the assembled group. Sylvara sat with heavy eyelids, clearly trying to use pure frustration to stay awake. The witch in the next seat around the table wasn¡¯t even trying. She was stretched back in her seat, head resting on one shoulder. Savren hadn¡¯t shown up at all. Morvin and Gretchen had their backs to one another, both fast asleep. Only Hale was looking at Arkk, frowning slightly but not any more than normal.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t affecting you?¡± the youngest of his research team asked before breaking out into a long yawn.

    And when had Hale joined the research team properly? At some point, she had just become a fixture of the group and Arkk hadn¡¯t questioned it. Did she contribute or just observe?

    She took in all the magic around her and just made it work so easily? He had struggled for years. It wasn¡¯t until he contracted with an ancient magical artifact that he found himself able to control his magic enough to utilize it. It was true that she had proper books and even a tutor in the form of Zullie rather than just what he had gleaned from passing travelers¡­ If he were being honest¡­ seeing her like that made him feel like he could never compete. There just wasn¡¯t a point in trying further. He really should just lie down and quit¡­

    Arkk¡¯s thoughts jerked to a stop. He looked around the room at everyone¡¯s lethargic state before his eyes settled on the gold effigy. With a thought, he teleported it off to a secure vault down in the lower reaches of Fortress Al-Mir.

    The instant it was gone, it was like the air itself became lighter. Hunched shoulders relaxed, droopy eyes picked up, and Morvin and Gretchen shifted but failed to wake.

    Arkk looked at Hale again.

    She shifted, looking uncomfortable. ¡°What?¡±

    Smiling, Arkk reached out and ruffled her hair, prompting a brief shout and a sudden scramble to get away.

    It was a good thing he had checked in on them. Or, rather, it was a good thing Hale had tugged on the employee link. He hadn¡¯t been paying attention to what they were doing. A dangerous prospect. If they had been left to sit in that thing¡¯s presence, who knew how it would end up.

    ¡°So,¡± Arkk said, knocking the tip of his boot into Zullie¡¯s chair, startling her awake. ¡°Apathy? Or sleep inducement?¡± Arkk looked to Sylvara. ¡°Is that going to work on the avatar? You were fighting it off.¡±

    ¡°It was a test,¡± Sylvara snapped, her fingers digging into the table¡¯s edge. ¡°If I can resist it then the avatar can too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Zullie said as she lazily waved a hand back and forth. She was still fully reclined in her chair, not even able to muster the energy to look at anyone else. ¡°I proved it gets stronger with proximity. Couldn¡¯t even get close enough to touch it.¡±

    Arkk pursed his lips into a frown. ¡°If we have to touch the avatar with it, I might as well hit him with a lightning bolt.¡±

    ¡°Ah! But that¡¯s the beauty of it,¡± Zullie said, snapping her fingers. ¡°Allow me to explain¡­¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°We should bombard them now.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar slowly shook his head, lowering the looking glass. The motion made the thin cloak of shadow draped over his prone body shift uncomfortably. He tried to adjust it without moving too much only to find a twig digging into his side in the new position.

    ¡°Think about it, all we have to do is move that magic thing out here, activate it a few times, and then run away. Come back a day later and do the same thing. They can¡¯t march while protected by the golden dome so they have to take it down at some point. We slow them down and, by the time they even reach Elmshadow, they¡¯re beaten down to a tenth of what they are.¡±

    ¡°Being out here like this is a risk as it is,¡± Rekk¡¯ar grunted, pulling the twig from his side. ¡°Maybe it works once. Try it a second time and the bombardment team will be eating one of those golden beams. I guarantee it.¡±

    Dakka scowled, shooting him a glare. With the shadow cloak in the way, her face was little more than a haze against the forest backdrop. He knew her well enough to fill in the gaps. ¡°Maybe once would be enough. Get them wary and sluggish. Wait a few days until they think they¡¯re safe and then do it again.¡±

    ¡°You want to? Be my guest. You have Arkk¡¯s ear. I¡¯m sure you can figure out the words to convince him¡ªif he isn¡¯t already planning something similar on his own.¡± Rekk¡¯ar grunted as he pulled up the spyglass again. ¡°But don¡¯t come haunting me when you get your name scrawled up on that memorial wall of his.¡±

    The wide open plains made Rekk¡¯ar uneasy. Five steps forward and there would be nowhere to hide even with these shadow cloaks. The army had lookouts specifically on guard for anything out of the ordinary.

    The army itself stretched long in several serpentine lines of soldiers, horses, and wagons. All looked out of place in this landscape. Their armor glinted in the fading light as their banners fluttered in the weak breeze. There were two distinct banners among the lines of soldiers. One of Evestani, encrusted in gold. The other were simple black banners bearing a ring of white blades¡ªthe so-called Eternal Empire.

    The lines began to bunch up as the sun set, all gathering around the campfires that sprung up in their midst. He could make out the figures of soldiers setting up tents in a methodical, practiced way, just as they had every night since invading Mystakeen. A group of their scouts returned, speaking in tones too distant to hear to an individual who seemed to command respect; they were tall and imposing even among the Eternal Empire¡¯s already tall men.

    ¡°So?¡± Dakka said, whispering as the night fell. ¡°What¡¯s your plan?¡±

    ¡°Plan?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t come out here just to watch, did you? I sure didn¡¯t volunteer to join you just to sit around.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar lowered the spyglass. Peering into those tiny crystal balls strained both his back and his eyes. Seeing things in person had a value of its own. Not that he expected Dakka to understand. ¡°Didn¡¯t ask for your presence,¡± he said with a grunt. ¡°You want to tag along? Fine. But don¡¯t complain about my job.¡±

    It didn¡¯t help that he didn¡¯t trust those crystal balls. Sure, they worked fine for random scrying, but an army like this knew they were being watched. They weren¡¯t using that white mist to obscure their forces this time, at least not while marching. There wasn¡¯t much point. A blob of white fog or a blob of men, both were obvious.

    Information allowed them to plan. The enemy knew that. They wouldn¡¯t march directly toward Elmshadow without a plan of their own. Simple logic dictated that they would try to conceal crucial aspects of their plan just as Arkk burrowed his secrets beneath the ground.

    ¡°So what is it?¡± Rekk¡¯ar grumbled to himself. ¡°Is it a larger army than we expected?¡±

    It was hard to tell the size of the opposing force. Scrying was typically conducted from overhead, allowing them to look down on the entire enemy army. His position now only afforded him a look from a lower angle. Even still, he didn¡¯t think there was a significant difference between what he had seen in the crystal balls versus what he was seeing now.

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    Was it their carts? There were a number of siege engines in the army. Wheeled catapults and trebuchets capable of launching alchemical bombs or even just stones if the situation called for it. Some of the covered carts were magically protected against scrying, showing nothing more than a black void. Arkk¡¯s current theory was that those carts carried magical bombardment arrays much like the one he had stolen from Evestani in the first defense of Elmshadow. Unless Rekk¡¯ar was willing to venture forth and leave the safety of the forest, venturing straight into the center of the enemy encampment, he wouldn¡¯t be able to ascertain the accuracy of Arkk¡¯s theory.

    That was a little too risky. Perhaps the gremlin would manage with her light feet and stealthy spells. Neither Rekk¡¯ar nor Dakka would make it far enough to peek inside those carts, let alone escape with the information.

    Even still, that didn¡¯t feel like the answer either. Arkk was likely correct about the contents of most of those carts. If only because of the absence of such magics elsewhere in the army.

    ¡°The stars are strange tonight.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar shuddered as he lowered his spyglass once again. Olatt¡¯an had muttered some words like that before they got themselves into this whole mess. Despite himself, he craned his neck and looked up.

    Night had only fallen a short while ago, during their little stake-out. The sky wasn¡¯t totally dark yet. An orange hue struck the undersides of distant clouds, looking an awful lot like the Underworld¡¯s persistent lighting. But directly above, in a cloudless section of the sky, Rekk¡¯ar could see the faint dots of light gleaming down.

    He was about to roll his eyes and focus back on the army when one of the stars winked out. That, on its own, wasn¡¯t particularly odd. Stars twinkled. They brightened and dimmed depending on their whims. With the light still in the sky, even if it wasn¡¯t on the ground, he could easily imagine a star being washed out.

    But that wasn¡¯t what happened. It had been one of the brightest lights in the sky. Now it was simply gone.

    And it wasn¡¯t the only one. Another star disappeared, not far from the first. And another. And another. All in a rough line. There was simply a void where those stars had been.

    Except, a short distance back, a star appeared. It popped into existence like it had never left. And another. And another. Even the bright star reappeared after a moment.

    Rekk¡¯ar rolled onto his back, staring up with the aid of the spyglass. He aimed it directly at the next star that should disappear if the pattern held up. And sure enough, it did. But it didn¡¯t disappear all at once. Though it was a tiny dot even in the spyglass, he could still see it disappear from one side to the other. As if something crossed between him and the stars above.

    Realizing that, he mentally traced out the pattern of missing stars. It was like a leaf. Pointed at one end, wider in the middle, pointed at the other end. Oblong.

    Or¡­ not a leaf.

    A slight chill ran down Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s spine. That¡­

    That wasn¡¯t possible.

    No. Thinking something was impossible was foolhardy. A year ago, he would have said everything about Fortress Al-Mir was impossible. He would have said other worlds were impossible. He would have said monsters like Vezta weren¡¯t possible. Just a few months ago and he would have said giant walking towers were impossible.

    ¡°We need to get back,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said. He had a report to make.

    <hr>

    ¡°My father¡¯s armies will finally be arriving within the week.¡±

    Katja tensed, fearing the next words from the Prince¡¯s mouth. Thus far, most of their interactions had been cordial. Even accepting. Which was exactly what Katja had been aiming for.

    It honestly felt like she was a slave again, putting on the polite smile to avoid her master¡¯s beatings. The entire charade made her sick. If only the Prince had died like he was supposed to have, she wouldn¡¯t have to suffer through this. The only thing that kept her from snapping was the knowledge that it wasn¡¯t a permanent situation.

    She wasn¡¯t a slave. He wasn¡¯t her master. The situation was more akin to that of an employer that she needed to appease.

    And the reward for her patience? A chance to take his position. To be named the reagent of Mystakeen, whether that was as Duchess, Countess, or whatever other title she might be able to scramble and scrape for.

    But there was always that fear that the Prince or his father might have someone else in mind. And if an army was approaching, so too was the possibility that a less deserving replacement for her was on its way.

    The way Prince Cedric was drawing out the conversation did not fill her with confidence. He sat on the former Duke¡¯s throne, surrounded by aides and advisors, of which Katja had effectively become one. She wasn¡¯t quite sure why, but the Prince had seen fit to assign her to a position of effective honor, directly on his left. His right-hand man was, naturally, one of his chief adjutants.

    Katja eyed the adjutant with envy. More than once, she had pondered the possible changes to her position should the bearded man fall victim to an assassin from the Eternal Empire. Never enough to engage in any plotting. Given her earlier¡­ actions, she didn¡¯t want to tread through any dangerous waters at the moment. Not when things looked to be going so well.

    She held a respected position. In no part due to her intimate knowledge of the territory Evestani currently occupied. Moonshine Burg and its surroundings had been her own territory at one point. What she didn¡¯t know personally, she knew from Arkk. The information he fed her ensured she always appeared ready and competent. Indispensable, in other words. There was no need to vie for a position with the Prince¡¯s clear favorite.

    The adjutant¡ªMack or something to that effect¡ªturned his head toward her and smiled just a little too wide. It was a polite and agreeable smile, but it just widened at the corners of the lips a little too much. He always smiled like that at her. She might have thought he fancied her if not for the look in his eyes. The way he stared always made her feel like she had been speaking her thoughts aloud.

    ¡°My lord?¡± Katja said, prompting the Prince as she looked away from the adjutant. ¡°You don¡¯t sound pleased with that. Is the army a problem?¡±

    With a small scowl, Prince Cedric lowered the letter he had been reading. ¡°Only eight thousand strong. Less than what I requested. With the chaos in Mystakeen, my father wants to ensure that no section of the border between it and Chernlock goes undefended.¡±

    There was something in his words. Some odd hint that he wasn¡¯t quite telling everything he knew. It wasn¡¯t anything big, but Katja had well learned how to spot a liar. ¡°Did you not have your own army in Vaales?¡± Katja asked, gently prodding. She wasn¡¯t about to call him out for lying. The Prince obviously had his own secrets and she liked her head attached to her shoulders too much to question his plans.

    ¡°Only the elites I brought with me.¡± Cedric drummed his fingers on the throne¡¯s armrest. ¡°Vaales has little need for a standing army. We have other methods for dealing with our problems.¡±

    The adjutant¡¯s smile grew ever so slightly wider at the Prince¡¯s words.

    ¡°No,¡± Cedric continued. ¡°The problem now is what to do with them. I intended to send a detachment about as large as we are getting to Arkk for the defense of the realm, contingent on an in-person meeting with the man. But that plan involved a much larger force that I would direct at my will. With only eight thousand¡­ I either send them all and risk feeding a man with already too much power the notion that he can use them for his own goals, keep them all for myself and risk another incursion through Elmshadow, or split them and potentially fail in all regards due to low manpower across the map.¡±

    He feared lending the full army to Arkk and having Arkk turn around to try to conquer the land with them. Arkk, Katja knew, wouldn¡¯t do that. He had shoved this job off on her, after all, when he easily could have taken it for himself. Of course, perhaps he foresaw the problems that would come with usurping the Duke¡¯s throne right out from under the King¡¯s nose, but, simpleton as he was, Katja doubted that. It was still a reasonable worry for someone who didn¡¯t know the man¡­

    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t the men remain loyal to you? Or your father, at the very least. Just because they would fight with Arkk against Evestani¡ª¡±

    ¡°Company Al-Mir has accrued a large amount of power in a very short amount of time. Not in the least because of a seemingly endless supply of gold that Arkk uncovered somewhere.¡±

    Katja had to hide her scowl. It wasn¡¯t endless. She knew that. A large portion of the gold he used was her gold. Not that she could say that aloud.

    ¡°I imagine many soldiers would be loyal. But many more wouldn¡¯t. Never underestimate the greed that lies within the hearts of men.¡±

    ¡°My liege,¡± the adjutant said. ¡°Why not entrust the army to me? I will march them to Arkk¡ªor rather, to Elmshadow. They will not be under his command, but mine. We will defend the realm, and even continue the march all the way through Evestani until there is nothing left of it.¡±

    ¡°If eight thousand were enough to destroy a nation, no nation would exist,¡± Katja said with a scoff.

    ¡°Eight thousand alone? No. But Eight thousand with unprecedented magical might at their backs?¡±

    Katja pursed her lips into a frown. If Arkk¡¯s fortress could manage that, he surely would have already.

    Or perhaps not. Reclaiming Elmshadow had taken about two thousand men. Most of whom had been under Hawkwood¡¯s command, all of whom had pulled back immediately after the battle because of the Prince. Arkk had been left with nothing but his own few men.

    Hawkwood, at the moment, was running an errand for Prince Cedric. Katja had not been privy to the details. Another secret. Maybe related to the other lies Cedric was telling?

    ¡°If he continues to ignore a meeting with me,¡± Prince Cedric said slowly, trailing off without finishing his thought. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess at his meaning, however.

    Katja slowly drew in a breath. Arkk had been planning on meeting with the Prince. He had sent her letters stating so. But then some emergency cropped up with his men and had been forced to delay. And now¡­

    Katja¡¯s eyes narrowed as she looked to the adjutant. The way he had phrased his plan¡­ March with the magical might at their backs, but not necessarily Arkk. Was he planning on taking Arkk¡¯s power for himself? Katja had abandoned those plans early on in her stay with Arkk, if only because that monstrosity kept killing the men she sent out into the restricted areas of the fortress. It had to be the source of Arkk¡¯s power and it was clearly loyal to him.

    A sly grin spread across Katja¡¯s face. If the adjutant wanted to try for himself¡­ who was she to stop him? And if he left Cliff, all the better. She would be here, alone, with the Prince.

    ¡°Your adjutant makes an astute point,¡± Katja said. ¡°Keeping control of the soldiers through a trusted subordinate seems ideal given the situation.¡±

    Cedric turned his head, eying her with a piercing look. ¡°You would nominate yourself?¡±

    Katja let out a short laugh. ¡°No, absolutely not. I am self-conscious of my position. I¡¯m well aware that you would never trust me with an army like that at this stage. But your adjutant suggested himself. I can see how much you trust him. Unless there is a more ideal candidate that I am unaware of¡­¡±

    The Prince shot a look at his adjutant. Almost a glare, for which he got an even wider smile in return.

    Katja made sure to keep her own smile restricted to dainty, no matter what kind of grin she wore inside.

 War Machines

    ¡°We cannot communicate, can we?¡±

    The mechanical creature turned at Agnete¡¯s question. The gears and panels making up its ¡®face¡¯ turned and shifted. A ratcheting noise came from somewhere deeper within. It clearly heard the question. There was no indication of understanding. It didn¡¯t nod or shake its head, it didn¡¯t speak back to her even in that language the clockwork eye used. It just¡­ stared.

    Communication wasn¡¯t a skill Agnete thought of herself as possessing under normal circumstances. Brought in by the inquisitors at a relatively young age and then used by them for the majority of her life, speaking with others simply wasn¡¯t something she did often. Reports, inquiries, interrogations, and all other matters of talking were Vrox¡¯s territory. Or, occasionally, Chronicler Greesom¡¯s. Agnete¡¯s role was to be an imposing, unstoppable force they could wield to get others to talk.

    To speak with something that couldn¡¯t communicate with her was far beyond anything she could accomplish.

    With a small sigh, Agnete turned and looked outside the window.

    The backdrop of the endless factory rushed past at dizzying speeds. Barring teleportation, Agnete doubted she had ever traveled even half as fast as she was moving now. The mechanical version of herself that she had constructed brought her to a large metal carriage set atop thin beams of metal that stretched off into the horizon. Like carts in mines scaled up to an absurd degree. It moved along those tracks with great metal wheels, driven by some unseen magics at the front of the craft. Agnete wanted to look at what was surely an impressive magical array, even if she knew she wouldn¡¯t understand it, but the mechanical version of herself had insisted she take a seat.

    It wasn¡¯t a particularly comfortable seat. Just a metal bench. The way it curved upward slightly made Agnete think that it hadn¡¯t been designed for humans.

    Presumably, this kind of transportation would carry those humanoids Agnete had seen before stepping through the portal. She hadn¡¯t gotten a closer look at them since. She hadn¡¯t seen much of anything living out here. Just the occasional lightning serpent flying through the dark clouds overhead, more of those mechanical eyes mounted on mobile gantries, and the thing she had created.

    ¡°??? ?? ??? ???? ??? ????? ?? ??? ????? ???????¡±

    The steam-filled pipes in the copy¡¯s chest reverberated in a fairly light sound. It pitched upward toward the end like a question, but Agnete wasn¡¯t sure if it was actually asking her something or if her mind was just seeking recognizable patterns.

    Rather than try to parse the utterly alien sounds, Agnete decided on a different tactic. She pointed a finger to her chest and said, ¡°Agnete.¡±

    The metal head dipped, almost like it was looking where she had pointed despite its lack of obvious eyes. It stared a moment before its head turned back up.

    ¡°Agnete,¡± Agnete said again. ¡°Can you say that? Agnete.¡±

    ¡°??????.¡±

    Agnete frowned. The sounds were close. Not exactly. ¡°Agnete,¡± she said again, this time pointing toward her face so that the thing wouldn¡¯t think her chest had a name.

    ¡°??????.¡± This time, with its words, it bent its arm in several places an arm wasn¡¯t meant to bend and pointed.

    But it pointed at itself.

    Agnete shook her head. Reaching out, she grasped the thing¡¯s hand and twisted its finger to point to herself. ¡°Agnete,¡± she said, pointing with the mechanical creature¡¯s finger.

    ¡°??????,¡± it repeated, much quicker on the uptake this time. Though Agnete wasn¡¯t sure it understood.

    ¡°Agnete,¡± Agnete said, pointing to herself once again. She then turned her finger to the machine. ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°??????.¡±

    ¡°No. No¡­¡± Agnete said as it repeated the same thing it had been saying for a while now. It didn¡¯t understand. She sank back into the seat, resting her back against the chair with a sigh. She wasn¡¯t sure why she had bothered. It wasn¡¯t like teaching it her name or learning its name, if it even had one, would let them communicate at all.

    The creature made a noise. A low whining tone¡ªor perhaps a whistle. It stretched on for a brief moment before shifting back into the strange words it used. ¡°??? ??? ?????? ??? ? ?? ????????? ??????¡±

    Agnete ignored the creature, looking outside the window once again.

    She felt¡­ hotter than usual. Not as hot as when she actively used her flames, but the outside air was warming up. The windows of this vessel were positioned on its sides, negating her ability to look where they were headed. Nevertheless, she could see a red glow staining the forward side of the factory around her. The morning sun? Or evening sun? The dark clouds overhead reflected a lot of the factory lights which made it difficult to tell the time. If there was something akin to the time of day. The Underworld lacked any semblance of a day-night cycle.

    But the red-orange at the front of the craft didn¡¯t look like any morning she had ever seen. It was more like the flickering of a campfire against the trees of a thick forest. Except far more intense. A better analogy would be Agnete¡¯s own flames against the brick walls of Elmshadow during her assault on the burg.

    Was it one of the great furnaces? Agnete had seen several while atop the moving pathways. Other moving pathways, assisted by mechanical grabber arms, carried massive loads of raw ore to the furnaces. A steady stream of ore went into them and came out the other side as shiny ingots, all of which ended up transported elsewhere.

    But none of those furnaces had been quite so bright as the light ahead of the vessel.

    Agnete stood, wanting again to move to the head of the craft, this time to look at where they were headed and the magic that propelled them forward.

    The mechanical creature latched its many-jointed hand onto Agnete¡¯s wrist.

    The heat in Agnete¡¯s core flared and, for a moment, she thought of simply melting the creature to scrap. It kept getting in her way, dragging her through this place, all without even a hint at where they were headed or what they wanted from her. But something stopped her. Some strange feeling deep in her chest.

    She wasn¡¯t quite sure why, nor was she sure how, but the way those mechanical cogs turned on the creature¡¯s face struck a chord somewhere inside Agnete. It was looking at her with¡­ worry? Agnete didn¡¯t understand how she could read any part of its expression.

    ¡°??????,¡± it said, trying to repeat her name. ¡°??¡­ ??¡­ Agn???¡­¡±

    Agnete raised an eyebrow. It almost got it right.

    Releasing Agnete¡¯s wrist, it pointed a finger in her direction. ¡°Agne?e.¡±

    Agnete slowly nodded her head.

    The construct turned that finger on itself. Agnete adopted a preemptive frown, fully expecting it to repeat her name while pointing at itself.

    ¡°???.¡±

    Agnete raised her other eyebrow. ¡°Who?¡± she repeated. ¡°I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s what I was asking you.¡±

    ¡°???,¡± it repeated again, moving its finger from its chest to its face. ¡°??¡­ ??¡­ W?o.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Agnete stared at the mechanical construct that looked so similar to herself yet so alien at the same time. With a sigh, she clasped a hand to her face and ran her fingers down her cheeks. ¡°Oh no.¡±

    ¡°W?o,¡± it said, then pointed to Agnete. ¡°Agne?e. W?o. Agne?e. ? ?? W?o. ??? ??? Agne?e. ? ?????????? ???? ??????? ???.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°I still have no clue what you¡¯re saying,¡± Agnete said, shaking her head. ¡°Unless you can tell me where¡ª¡±

    Agnete jerked as an ear-splittingly loud whistle sounded somewhere above them. She heard the familiar screech of metal against metal. Almost immediately, the vessel lurched. It would have thrown her forward had the construct not grasped hold of her shoulders to steady her.

    Her first thoughts were of violence. Already running hot, her flames flared brighter in her chest, fearing that they had somehow come under attack. Only the utter calm of the construct made her think that everything was going as expected.

    Outside the window, the scenery slowed from the blur it had been as the vessel came to a stop.

    Only when it finally finished moving did the construct rise to its feet. ¡°?? ???? ???????. ??? ??????? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ?????????? ?? ???? ??? ??????.¡±

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    The construct looked to her again, gears meshing together in obvious thought. ¡°Agne?e,¡± it said, pointing a finger toward her. It then pointed toward the carriage door as it hissed open with a gout of steam. ¡°????. [Eternal Engine]/[Molten Artisan]/[Burning Forge].¡±

    Agnete¡¯s breath hitched as she snapped her head to the construct. It spoke in that language. The one she had heard only rarely coming from Vezta¡¯s mouth. The one that was less a language and more a way of forcing concepts into other people¡¯s heads.

    And Agnete just had the concept of a god shoved into her mind.

    <hr>

    ¡°The Prince is sending a few thousand soldiers to help with the defense,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Including a full detachment of spellcasters who can help operate both magical protections and bombardments. They¡¯re stopping in Cliff first before coming here, so it will be a while. Perr¡¯ok will have ten of his¡­ prototypes ready before the army is expected to arrive. Leda¡¯s tower is nearly complete and ready to move, though it is still understaffed. Our tower has extended its influence about as far as possible through burrowed tunnels all around Elmshadow. We have a countermeasure for the avatar of gold¡ª¡±

    ¡°Untested and with a limited range.¡±

    Arkk nodded at Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s assessment. ¡°True, but that is still more than we had before. I¡¯m not going to say that this battle is going to be easy but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever been more prepared. And if it works, we might be able to end everything once and for all.¡±

    ¡°And yet, their army still approaches. They are either fools or they¡¯ve got plans of their own.¡± Rekk¡¯ar leaned over his plate of steak, prepared by Larry, with a heavy glower. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bet on them being fools if I were you, no matter how nice of a surprise it would be.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the Eternal Empire. Nobody I¡¯ve spoken to knows much of anything about them, other than their utter dominance of the continent across the seas. They rule over a land larger than the Kingdom of Chernlock, Evestani, the Tetrarchy, and the Beastmen Tribes combined without any dissident or even banditry.¡±

    ¡°Allegedly. Wouldn¡¯t put it past some king to say their land is one of peace and unity while the truth couldn¡¯t be further in reality.¡±

    Arkk nodded in agreement. ¡°Then there is that thing you saw. Still can¡¯t find any evidence of it with the crystal ball¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know what I saw,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, thumping his fist against the table. The plate rattled as it settled.

    ¡°Not calling you a liar. Just saying that I can¡¯t see what you saw.¡±

    Arkk had half a mind to head out on a scouting mission of his own. Unfortunately, that was too dangerous. In Gleeful Burg, the avatar had been able to detect him, roughly at least. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was the teleportation or just his presence. Either way, approaching that army was too great a risk. So he just had to trust in Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s words. His and a handful of others he had sent out to double-check.

    A few scouts had reported the same thing Rekk¡¯ar had. A few others hadn¡¯t noticed anything amiss. All that told Arkk was that whatever Rekk¡¯ar had seen, it wasn¡¯t always with the main army.

    ¡°Any updates on getting that purifier back?¡±

    Arkk frowned, shifting his focus to Agnete. The area she was traveling through was hot enough that a bright orange glow washed out just about everything. Although looking through the link was purely in his mind, it still made him want to squint.

    The lesser servant was on its own, conducting a mission on Arkk¡¯s orders that would hopefully bring Agnete back home. The distances it had to traverse, all while keeping hidden and out of sight of those mechanical eyes and flying serpents, meant it wasn¡¯t making as much progress as Arkk would have hoped.

    If it failed¡­

    Well, Agnete would well and truly be on her own.

    ¡°For now, I believe we¡¯ll just have to trust her to figure things out for herself. She is an avatar of that world¡¯s god and, based on everything I¡¯ve seen through the link, she is being treated¡­ well?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m less interested in how she is being treated and more interested in finding someone else capable of standing up to that avatar. Your little countermeasure doesn¡¯t fill me with confidence.¡±

    ¡°We just need to figure out how to use it properly,¡± Arkk said with a small sigh. ¡°But you might be right. We can¡¯t assume we¡¯ll have Agnete for this battle.¡±

    <hr>

    What did it mean to meet a god?

    Agnete, as a purifier of the Inquisition of the Light, had been expected to uphold the values of the Abbey of the Light. They sought to enlighten the common populace, encourage harmony, preach the word of the Light, and otherwise advance the influence of the Abbey. More realistically, Agnete was only called in when situations devolved to the point of violence. Abnormal magics and their wielders failing to fall in line with the Abbey, heretics threatening common people, and monsters rising against the innocent. Agnete could count how many actual sermons she had attended on one hand and have fingers left over. She knew exceedingly little about the actual Light or what it wanted, if such things could even be comprehended by mere mortals.

    Nobody met the Light. The Ecclesiarch was said to converse with the Light, but she hadn¡¯t ever met him. Only once had she been in the presence of an oracle and she hadn¡¯t been allowed to speak to the seer for fear of tampering with future visions. The closest she had was Darius Vrox and if the Light was anything like him, she imagined the world would have been a far more¡­ orderly place.

    To Agnete, her serving the Light had been no different than a common mercenary following his captain. A captain of a mercenary team went wherever they were paid to go and Agnete went wherever she was told to go.

    Arkk had described the experience of encountering Xel¡¯atriss to Agnete once upon a time. The way Vezta practically tackled him to the ground, covering his eyes out of fear that merely seeing a god would break his mind. He then described what effectively was a vision, seeing the god as it interacted with him. He spoke of awe, fear, and eventual calm as he realized that the being hadn¡¯t intended him harm.

    Yet, despite the actual encounter with such a being, Arkk didn¡¯t seem all that reverent toward them. If Agnete had to put a single word to his demeanor towards the Pantheon, it would be annoyance. Which, she supposed, was understandable. Vezta had given him a task to fix what the gods had ruined. A practically insurmountable problem for any normal person. But to Arkk, it was just another problem he had to solve to fulfill a promise. And the gods were the cause of that problem, making them all something of an irritant.

    The Protector, on the other hand, had never spoken with or properly encountered the Lady Shadows. Yet, alone and isolated for uncountable years, it had developed an intense devotion to its god. One that rivaled even the most pious devotees of the Light that Agnete had seen. Even greater than the fanatics of the Golden Order. Agnete was fairly certain it had built up an image of the Cloak of Shadows in its mind that was far greater than the actual being could possibly be, given the sorry state of the Underworld.

    Vezta was the only other example of someone truly serving the Pantheon that she could think of. While Vezta¡¯s devotion didn¡¯t go as far as the Protector¡¯s, she still revered them. Often with a special emphasis on Xel¡¯atriss. But in Vezta¡¯s eyes, the Pantheon as a whole had been wronged by the whims of three of their number. The entire group, crippled by the traitors, needed mortal hands to help them get back to their former glory.

    That always struck Agnete as an oddity. How could gods end up diminished to such a point, especially the majority of them? She might have been able to understand it if all the rest fought against one, but as it was now? Agnete wasn¡¯t sure the title of god was fitting for a being who needed aid from mortals. It wasn¡¯t just the current situation that sent that thought through her mind.

    Avatars had always existed in some form or other, according to Vezta. Beings granted slivers of the Pantheon¡¯s power, presumably to carry out their will. That implied that these so-called gods had always needed help.

    And she was one of them.

    What did that mean? Was she expected to bow down and kiss the floor her god walked upon? To follow along with its every command without question? Agnete might not be the most assertive person. With the inquisitors, she had been pointed at a target and threatened with ice if she dared to deviate. With Arkk, though more willing, she still ended up aimed in a direction and told to carry out tasks. Now, she stood before grand iron doors that stretched up high enough that she had to lean back to see the top and wide enough to fit an entire warehouse, she had to wonder what awaited her in the next chamber.

    More strings for the puppet?

    At least with Arkk, Agnete got the impression that she could burn away her strings and he wouldn¡¯t try to reattach them. She doubted the same could be said here. Or, rather, the very flames she wielded with such freedom lately were her strings.

    ¡°???? ??? ??????? ??? ???, Agne?e.¡±

    Agnete¡¯s eyes flicked to the mechanical version of herself. Her own creation, minus that black box of gears and steam. It simply stood in an uncannily stiff stance that almost perfectly mirrored the one Agnete held.

    Turning back to the door, Agnete¡¯s black hair whipped about her with a sudden rush of air. The air came from her back, slammed into the door, and rocketed upwards to join with a column of twisting flame that stretched high enough to reach the smoggy clouds overhead. Gears on the tall tower turned in smooth motions, some driven by pistons on the outside, others driven by internal mechanics. The rhythmic thumping of metal against metal sounded like a blacksmith¡¯s hammer striking over and over again. It was loud enough to resound throughout the factory, drowning out every other noise that cropped up during the long pauses between strikes.

    Agnete drew in a breath, feeling the heat rush into her chest with the hot air. She took a step forward, leaving her mechanical clone behind.

    The great doors shifted. Long metal bars withdrew from the doorframe, pulled along metal tracks by the rotation of cogs, ratcheting and clicking with every moment. The doors cracked open.

    An inferno rushed out from the thin gap, enveloping Agnete in familiar flames.

 The Burning Forge

    Agnete stepped into the vast chamber, her breath catching in her throat as she stared with wide eyes. The room was a colossal expanse, a domed structure as large as a moderate village, where rivers of molten metal flowed like lava throughout a great basin. Streams of red-hot metal fell like waterfalls from tall crucibles hanging from massive chains or wide-open pipes mounted in the walls.

    The heat was oppressive, even for Agnete, but the hazy, burning air wasn¡¯t enough to stop her. She stepped forward, ignoring the scraps of cloth bursting into flames as the heat blasted her clothing from her body. Her eyes were fixed in the center of the chamber where the molten metal seemed to come alive, rising to form a massive figure.

    The Burning Forge emerged from the seething, glowing liquid, a feminine body towering above the flowing metals as if the liquid were part of her being. Only the upper part of her body was visible with the rest below the opaque lava, but even that was enough to overwhelm Agnete with awe. The god¡¯s eyes burned with an intense orange light, far, far brighter than the embers in Agnete¡¯s eyes. Her hair was a cascade of living flames, flowing down her back, flickering and crackling with every movement. Adorned in an armor of blackened steel, etched with pulsing magma veins, and wrapped in chains, the god looked ready for battle.

    And yet, rather than a weapon, she held aloft a smithing hammer. The Burning Forge brought it down against an anvil. A thunderclap threatened Agnete¡¯s ears, but she couldn¡¯t stop staring as massive sparks the size of obese horses flew in wide arcs in all directions. Some merged with the grand pool of lava below while others struck the walls. The bits on the wall didn¡¯t turn to slag but instead dribbled down the sides without leaving a trace behind.

    Hanging the hammer from a gigantic hook, the Burning Forge reached a hand forward. She pinched together the clawed tips of her gauntlets, picking up a tiny black object that she promptly started inspecting¡ªa little black box covered in gears, steam-spewing pipes, and narrow pistons. Turning the box over, she moved it to her left molten hand and continued the inspection. Satisfied, she swam through the molten metal to a small opening in the wall of the chamber and deposited the black box within.

    The Burning Forge turned back toward the anvil in the center of the chamber, only to pause as those orange eyes crossed over Agnete.

    Agnete¡¯s breath hitched again as she felt something familiar reach out. The flames within her chest, unbidden, surged, drawn out to swirl around her. Agnete reached out to her fire, trying to pull it back in, but it wouldn¡¯t obey. Before joining with Arkk, she had often lost herself in the flames, obeying their desire to be used, but she had never been refused. Never once since lighting her first candle had the flames disobeyed.

    Gritting her teeth, irritation welling up, Agnete glared through the flames at the being before her. The fire, forced upon her as a child, had been the cause of everything in her life. Burning down her home village, being chased and captured by the inquisitors, exposed to the icy Binding Agent, meeting Arkk, arriving here¡­ All because of this fire. And now this so-called god was trying to take its flames back?

    Agnete stepped forward, onto a small obsidian platform that hung over the vast pit of molten metal. She stretched out a hand, grasping at the flames. Normal flames couldn¡¯t be held in human hands. But Agnete wasn¡¯t a normal human and these weren¡¯t normal flames.

    They were her flames.

    Twisting her wrist, ignoring the blackening of her fingers, Agnete pulled the fire back toward her. She slammed her fist and her flames into her chest, biting down on the cry of pain. There was one final resistant tug before the flames surged back to where they belonged, back into her. As soon as she felt that flicker of control back, she pulled and pulled, drawing in every scrap of fire.

    Her fingers and toes blackened with every passing moment. It wasn¡¯t until the dark skin crept up past her knees and elbows that she realized she was drawing in too much. Far, far too much. More than she had ever held before. The heat in her core wasn¡¯t just a flame, it was an inferno. And it was still growing.

    Eyes wide, she snapped her gaze to the Burning Forge.

    Her iron mask of a face was cracked in two, split horizontally in a jagged, ruinous grin. Not unlike the carvings villagers made of pumpkins to celebrate the harvest. It even glowed behind the sharp teeth, though it was far more intense than a simple candle.

    The Burning Forge wanted this? Was that what the smile meant? She had to be allowing it, allowing Agnete to draw in too much, to now burn herself on her own flames. A little anger, even from an avatar, couldn¡¯t possibly contend with the might of a god.

    Agnete grit her teeth, trying to control the flow of the fire around her. It was a struggle just to stay standing. Sweat vaporized instantly, coating her in a thin layer of rapidly dispersing steam. All the while, she felt her limbs burning away, the heat creeping up toward her shoulders as her skin charred and cracked. It snaked upward, spiraling around her neck and down her chest and back. The pain stopped at some point. Her nerves burning out?

    Whatever the cause, Agnete straightened her back and glared up at the Burning Forge.

    Questions burned in the back of her mind¡ªunless that was the fire. Why was the most prominent. Why give her these powers in the first place? Why choose her? Why put her through everything only to try to take back those flames now?

    But, before she could open her mouth, she remembered Arkk. Or, rather, his advice to her. What answer would satisfy her? What question hadn¡¯t she built up a profound answer for in her head over the years?

    Would a god disappoint her with the actual answers?

    Arkk would say yes. The Protector would say no.

    ¡°What does it matter?¡± Agnete said through clenched teeth. ¡°It is what it is and it is my job to deal with it!¡±

    The jagged smile on the Burning Forge¡¯s mask slowly sealed back together, regaining its full form. Yet, there was something different about it now. The metal that had been shaped in an impassive mask of a human now looked somehow calculating. Her head slowly shook.

    [Failure]/[inadequate]/[incomplete]|[understanding]/[assimilation]/[mental omega]. [View]/[observe]/[sightsee]|[problems]/[inadequacies]/[opposition]|[fight]/[eliminate]/[incinerate].

    The words, if they could be called that, slammed into Agnete with the force of the giant blacksmith¡¯s hammer. She had heard Vezta and, more recently, her own metallic clone use that language. But they had spoken the words that then forced concepts into Agnete¡¯s head. The Burning Forge¡¯s words were raw and unfiltered, a molten torrent of thoughts. Agnete staggered under their weight.

    [Alternate]|[solution]/[victory conditions]|[exist]. [CREATIVE]. [CONSTRUCTIVE]. [DESTRUCTIVE].

    Agnete grasped at her head without feeling in her fingers, wondering how her hair was still intact. ¡°The orc blacksmiths have a saying,¡± she ground out. ¡°When all you have is a hammer, every solution involves swinging it.¡±

    The Burning Forge leaned back, using the massive anvil as a throne. Or perhaps a stool. She looked down at her with that vacant mask, almost as if disappointed that its words weren¡¯t getting through to Agnete. Though thankful that it wasn¡¯t wording at her at the moment, Agnete wasn¡¯t sure that she and the god could come to an understanding. What was it the Protector had said about the Cloak of Shadows and the former inhabitants of the Underworld? Poor Lady Shadows couldn¡¯t understand. The Cloak of Shadows had ¡®saved¡¯ the denizens of the land by turning them into mere shadows of their former selves, doomed forever to carry out the motions of life as if the ones casting those shadows were still around.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Hardly a salvation in Agnete¡¯s eyes.

    Now here was the Burning Forge, trying to communicate something to her. Despite the clear concepts slamming into her like a crystalline hammer, Agnete wasn¡¯t sure exactly what they were trying to say. She had thought the Burning Forge was disappointed with how she had been using the flames, hence her response, but now she wasn¡¯t so sure.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Agnete hissed. Even her tongue, despite the lack of pain, felt charred and broken.

    The Burning Forge stared. It was said that the designs and plots of the Light were impossible to understand for mere mortals and that the same held true for other gods before their departure. But something about the Burning Forge struck Agnete as different.

    It was this world. Although strange and alien compared to what she was used to, the world itself was¡­ understandable? Agnete couldn¡¯t begin to guess what the machines were making, but they were making something. There was a logic to their processes. Raw material went into the furnaces, ingots went into molds, produced goods went elsewhere. Some amount of it must have come to this central area, for there were several buckets along the walls collecting pieces and parts that fell in from large hoppers.

    And, while Agnete didn¡¯t understand how they worked, she had seen the Burning Forge produce one of those black gearboxes. One of which now served as the core to the mechanical copy of Agnete, others had been the center of those flying serpents. They were¡­ somehow¡­ people. Or living beings, at the very least. Presumably, after being produced here, those black boxes would go elsewhere in the factory. Perhaps they would be turned into more flying serpents or those suited figures Agnete had only seen from a distance.

    The Burning Forge was creating¡­ followers? A population? The god existed here, on the ground level among mere mortals, working alongside them. A stark contrast to the Light, who shone down radiance from afar, or the Cloak of Shadows, or Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key. Presumably different than the Heart of Gold or the Almighty Glory as well.

    The Burning Forge leaned forward. She stretched out her bare hand, scooping it through the pool of molten metal. Pulling her hand up, she held out a small globule of the glowing viscous liquid. Bits of it dripped back through the god¡¯s fingers, but once she moved her hand over the obsidian platform that Agnete stood upon, the drippings began moving, pulled unnaturally toward Agnete.

    Agnete took an unconscious step backward only to realize the foolishness of her actions. If this god wanted to kill her, lower, more tangible god or not, Agnete doubted she would have been able to stop it. With the charred skin of her body spreading ever further because she had grasped hold of her flames only to pull in too much, Agnete doubted the god needed to do anything at all but wait a few more minutes.

    With Agnete standing still, the thin strands of the molten metal dripping from between the Burning Forge¡¯s fingers touched her. Her flesh hissed for a brief moment, but there was still no pain. The glowing red metal worked its way around her body, flowing as if it had a mind of its own, filling in the thin cracks left behind in her charred skin. The skin near the glowing strands of metal started to change as well, turning from crusty and rough to a near glass-like smooth. It remained black but looked more like the obsidian platform she stood upon than anything organic.

    The heat in Agnete¡¯s chest started to spread out. It didn¡¯t leave her body as it had when the Burning Forge first spotted her, rather, it expanded, filling the metal lines that now covered her arms, legs, and neck. The burning of her skin slowed and subsided even as the metal started glowing ever so slightly brighter.

    Agnete looked down at one of her hands, frowning as she flexed her fingers. Both the metal and the glassy skin flowed and shifted, allowing her to move. With a thought, she pulled out her flames just as she would have done before. A small burning ball ignited the air over her palm. Instead of the familiar red-orange flames, the ball of fire was blue. Almost white. Agnete sucked in a breath and forced down the amount of magic flowing from her. It took concentration and effort, but the blue flames slowly turned back to yellow and finally a deep scarlet.

    Movement from the Burning Forge pulled Agnete¡¯s attention off her magic. Once again, the god dipped her hand into the pool of magma that surrounded the anvil. She scooped up a globule and held it over the obsidian platform. This time, she did not hold it near Agnete. It plopped down, landing in a large blob.

    The Burning Forge used the sharp tips of her gauntleted fingers to carve into the blob as it quickly solidified. Having worked in a forge plenty of times, Agnete recognized some of the techniques that she used in manufacturing something, melting down specific parts while allowing others to cool and mold the metal. Except the skill with which the Burning Forge worked was unbelievable. The metal form started to take shape. A ruff of precisely carved feathers, complete with individually lined barbs in the vane¡­ a beak with perfect roughing making it look as if it had been used¡­ the sharp points of the talons gripping the top of the obsidian platform¡¯s raised railing¡­

    If Agnete had been as large as the Burning Forge, such fine details would have been impossible.

    Yet it was clear. As the Burning Forge pulled her hand back, she left behind a raven. A life-sized raven cast in metal yet looking so realistic that Agnete was genuinely surprised when it didn¡¯t take flight.

    The Burning Forge pulled back, leaning against the anvil once again as she watched Agnete. With a lazy sweep of her arm, she gestured Agnete forward.

    Agnete took a step, idly noting that she could feel her toes once again. The marvel of that would have to wait, however. She was fairly certain that the Burning Forge was, once again, trying to communicate with her. Having decided that those words weren¡¯t working, she decided on¡­ interpretive artwork, apparently.

    Agnete threw a questioning glance up at her patron god, wondering if all of the gods were so¡­

    So¡­

    Obtuse.

    Would it kill the god to just explain normally? Surely a god could figure out how to talk rather than use those concepts.

    Concealing a sigh, Agnete looked back to the raven.

    And stared.

    And¡­ something, somewhere deep inside her, was disappointed.

    It was an impressive work, to be sure, as lifelike as it was. But it was just a raven. No matter how she looked at it, no matter the angle, it was just a raven. Not even a raven. A metal simulacra that couldn¡¯t take flight. It wasn¡¯t doing anything apart from sitting. It perched and sat, forevermore.

    For a mortal, it would have been wonderous in detail alone. But coming from a god? Perfection was the bare minimum of expectations. A god whose domains included creativity? Disappointment was the least of the feelings surging inside Agnete at the moment. She reached out for the raven.

    She paused, seeing her arm once again. Her once-charred skin was now a smooth, obsidian-like surface, crisscrossed with glowing veins of molten metal that filled the cracks and imperfections. The delicate lines of fiery gold traced intricate patterns across her fingers and palms, turning her hands into a work of art that celebrated the rebirth, forging beauty from her broken skin.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Agnete looked back to the god lounging against her anvil.

    ¡°I¡­ I see,¡± Agnete said. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t have a choice. Up until this last year, I had no choice but to burn and burn and burn.

    ¡°I¡¯ve built things since then. Armor, mostly. But also a wheelchair, mechanical legs, and¡­¡± she trailed off, looking back to the door to the chamber where her copied body was presumably waiting.

    The Burning Forge was disappointed. A god of fire, creativity, manufacturing, and automation wanted her powers used for more than just sweeping away enemies in gouts of flame. She wasn¡¯t a god of war of domination, nor of purification through cleansing fire. She was a constructor. A builder. An innovator.

    ¡°There¡¯s a war going on,¡± Agnete said with a frown. ¡°I can¡¯t make promises that things will change immediately, but¡­

    ¡°But,¡± Agnete said, straightening her back. ¡°The war has left a full half of Mystakeen in ruins.¡± She looked down at her hands again before looking back up. ¡°It can be rebuilt, grander than before. Even with your power, I¡¯m only one person. I can¡¯t do it alone¡­¡±

    The Burning Forge crossed her arms, looking down with that mechanical mask shifting ever so slightly. Her gaze was judging, trying to decide if Agnete understood what the god was trying to say. Agnete¡­ honestly wasn¡¯t sure, exactly, that she had. Communicating in such an enigmatic way was surely less efficient than other methods. Then again, this wasn¡¯t a god of efficiency.

    With a casual, almost human-like shrug of her shoulders, the Burning Forge looked upward. Her fingers curled around a large chain dangling from the domed ceiling overhead. Each link of the chain was taller than Agnete and the metal bars were thicker than her entire body. Yet the Burning Forge grasped a hold of it with ease and gave it a light tug.

    An ear-splitting whistle resounded through the air, drawn out. Agnete clapped her hands to the sides of her head, trying and failing to protect her ears. The whistle lasted until the Burning Forge released the chain.

    [Understood]/[comprehend]/[know-it-all]. [Assistance]/[aid]/[SERVITOR]|[required]/[lifetime supply]|[begin manufacturing]!

 Running the Gauntlet

    ¡°Three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ stop,¡± Arkk said, watching as the sands ran out of a small hourglass.

    Savren pulled a small glowstone from the center of a middling ritual circle and quickly began examining it. It took a few minutes to finish and then he still had to pull out a small notebook and scribble down a few numbers.

    Arkk occupied his time watching as the landscape shimmered around him. A withered village, run-down and abandoned from the first time Evestani traversed the land, wavered and wobbled. The large fields, currently occupied with more debris and packed-down soil than crops, started misting away into nothingness. It was a depressing sight for a former farmer. Especially so when his gaze crossed the poor animals. Cows, chickens, and pigs had all been slaughtered by Evestani¡¯s army, harvesting their meat and then just leaving the carcasses behind out in the open. It wasn¡¯t quite as bad as salting the land might have been but it certainly did no favors to future attempts at growing crops.

    Not that there were any people left here. Arkk didn¡¯t know what had become of them. Perhaps they had evacuated to Elmshadow and beyond. Perhaps they had been slaughtered like the livestock. There were a few human bodies among the animal carcasses, but not enough for a village of this size.

    He couldn¡¯t even give them a proper burial.

    Without the glowstone in the circle, the land¡¯s true shape came into reality.

    It was a pockmark of pits and holes. Lesser Servants scurried across the old village¡¯s farmland, digging to their heart¡¯s content. They burrowed holes into the fields that reached down to a layer of rock deep in the ground. Then, they dug a little deeper, carving out the rock and stone into sharp protruding spikes at the bottoms of each pit.

    They left the bodies alone, digging around them. They were careful to not even touch the buildings. The illusory magic Savren had come up with worked poorly when it encompassed too many different materials. Right now, it focused entirely on the top layer of dirt and maybe a scattering of plants. All to hide the deep pits.

    Nodding his head as he finished his calculations, Savren looked up to Arkk. ¡°At the current rate of resource reduction, we can sustain the spell¡¯s strength for up to twenty-eight hours.¡±

    ¡°A little over a day,¡± Arkk said, humming.

    Evestani army had small units of scouts moving ahead of the main army. If they suddenly disappeared, the army should grow wary. But he had picked this spot for a reason. This village, which he didn¡¯t even know the name of, occupied just about the only good spot of land for a fair while. To the south, a swamp sprawled out over the terrain. The muck and water would make it difficult and unpleasant for anyone crossing through it. The larger siege engines that Evestani hauled along, as well as their supplies and other carriages and carts, would likely get stuck in it entirely. They wouldn¡¯t be able to use that route.

    North of here, the terrain was mostly fine. A bit rocky and uneven for the likes of wheeled carts, but entirely passable for horses and foot soldiers. They would head up that way eventually, and he had plans for that stretch of land, but he wanted them to at least try making their way through this village.

    All his hard work in digging out the pitfalls would go to waste otherwise.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to deal with the scouts first and then activate the illusion magic to hide the pitfalls,¡± Arkk said with a small sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I can rely on you for that as well, can I?¡±

    ¡°Manipulating the minds of mere mortals to make them miss no mishap should be manageable provided I possess sufficient span to scheme.¡±

    ¡°How long?¡±

    ¡°Ten to thirty minutes per person, pivoting on their perseverance and prefrontal poise.¡±

    Nodding along, Arkk frowned in thought. ¡°We¡¯ll ambush them with gorgon, petrifying them. Can you affect petrified minds?¡±

    ¡°A mind must be malleable to mold.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to unpetrify them, have you work your magic, repetrify them, and drop them off back here, ready to run back and report that nothing ahead of the army is amiss.¡±

    ¡°Workable,¡± Savren said.

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll contact Khan and get all the gorgon here.¡±

    Arkk looked over the pits once again. The circular holes stretched out practically as far as he could see. There were probably far too many, if he were being honest. It wasn¡¯t like the entire enemy army would continue forward once a few people fell into the pits. But if he could shave off a few of their number, maybe catch a few of their carts and catapults in the pits as well, it would be a victory considering the minor amount of resources it cost to set up.

    Most importantly, it would delay them. Delay them long enough to staff Leda¡¯s tower, receive the Prince¡¯s army, and, hopefully, get Agnete back from the Anvil.

    They didn¡¯t have long. But every day they bought could only be to their advantage.

    <hr>

    ¡°Trigger in¡­ three¡­ two¡­ one.¡±

    The ground underneath Morvin¡¯s feet trembled as he sparked a bit of magic into the ritual circle. A series of alchemical detonations blasted earth into the air in tall geysers of mud and dirt. Trees splintered and exploded. Wildlife, launched into the air, came crashing down in grisly impacts.

    And the Evestani army, at the center of it all, disappeared behind clouds of dirt as the plain collapsed inward.

    Morvin waited, sighing slightly in relief when the ground he stood on remained intact. There weren¡¯t any explosives buried nearby but Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s words ran through his mind on the subject of accidentally causing a landslide. Fortunately, it seemed he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about that. Now he only had to worry about that golden glow leaking out from behind the clouds of debris.

    ¡°We should leave,¡± Morvin said, grimacing.

    ¡°Just a moment,¡± Gretchen said, standing to the side with the telescoping spyglass pressed to her eye. ¡°We need to confirm the result.¡±

    ¡°The scrying team can do that. Our job is done. Let¡¯s get out of here before they figure out what happened.¡±

    ¡°You sound like we already failed.¡±

    ¡°Of course we did. You think they aren¡¯t ready for this kind of thing? That golden glow means the avatar was here and watching. We¡¯ve already seen it use plenty of protective magic.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but if half the army is buried¡ª¡±

    Gretchen stopped talking abruptly, making Morvin tense. He stared at the dust clouds, fearing the possibility of armored riders charging after them just like at Elmshadow. But, aside from a faint golden glow sufficed throughout the dust, there was no sign of movement.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Morvin started, only to pause as he heard it.

    It began as a faint, high-pitched whistle high up in the sky that grew more and more urgent with every passing second. The closest sound he could think of was a keen whistle when the wind blew through a crack in the wall of his hut, something that only happened on the stormiest of days around Porcupine Hill. Even that wasn¡¯t half as sharp and crisp.

    Casting his gaze upward at the bright blue midday sky, Morvin squinted against the brightness of the sun. A dark black object, tiny relative to the sky as a whole, plummeted downward. It took a good ten seconds before he realized it was falling in roughly their direction.

    The high-pitched howl continued all the while, filling his heart with dread. ¡°Gretchen?¡±

    Gretchen raised a hand. ¡°Electro Deus,¡± she snapped, arcing a bolt of lightning from her fingers to the rapidly nearing object.

    It exploded just as violently as any alchemical bomb that Arkk used. White hot bits of shrapnel scattered in all directions, sizzling as they embedded themselves into the ground around them. Morvin shielded his face with his arms, feeling the heat and force of the blast ripple through the air. Lines of heat scarred across his forearms as he felt warm liquid leak down his elbows. He sucked in his breath but kept his jaw clenched tight.

    At his side, Gretchen hissed out in pain. ¡°They know we¡¯re here,¡± she said in that same hiss. ¡°Or, if they didn¡¯t before, they do now.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s leave then,¡± he said, shakily standing. He plucked a thin bit of metal out of his arm, letting it drop to the ground as he sucked in another pained breath.

    ¡°Right,¡± Gretchen said, cupping her own bleeding arms.

    Morvin didn¡¯t wait around for her. The teleportation circle was just behind them. Right at its side, another of those alchemical bombs sat, ready to destroy the teleportation circle to prevent their enemy from using it.

    The side of the clay pot was covered in small fletchings of debris. He shared a wary look with Gretchen¡ªif one of those had broken the pot, they wouldn¡¯t be standing around¡ªbefore twisting the lid to the activation point. With that, he jumped onto the teleportation circle and activated it with a pulse of his magic.

    He stumbled out the other side, clearing the circle just in time for Gretchen to appear in a flash of light. She almost immediately collapsed, grasping onto the side of her leg. A steady stream of blood leaked from between her fingers. In a slightly safer environment, he got a better look at her. She had cuts and scrapes all over, covering both her arms¡ªsame as him¡ªbut also her chest, her legs, and even some of her head. A trickle of blood streamed down her cheeks from a gash on her temple.

    He had been crouched down into a small ball while she had been upright, taking that blast.

    ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡°Do I Light-damned look alright?¡± she swore back, a harsh bite of anger in her voice.

    Morvin looked around the new clearing they were in. A fairly desolate stretch of terrain. They were well away from the Evestani army. The teleportation circles were set at their maximum range. If the Evestani army could chase after them in any reasonable amount of time, they would have conquered the Duchy before any resistance could have been raised at the first Elmshadow defense. They were safe. For now, at least.

    With a sigh, Morvin stepped forward, uttering the Flesh Weaving incantation.

    ¡°When did you learn that?¡± Gretchen asked, trying to step back only to stumble.

    ¡°After Elmshadow. I saw how useful it was when Hale patched me up. Didn¡¯t want to have to rely on her.¡±

    Gretchen didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°Can you use it as well as she can?¡±

    Morvin took a moment to consider, pinching his wounds closed. If she wasn¡¯t going to let him heal her, fine, but he wasn¡¯t going to sit around in pain. ¡°No,¡± he said as he sealed together a wound on his shoulder. ¡°But I probably won¡¯t give you scales for skin or a third arm growing off your leg.¡±

    A beat of silence passed with Gretchen doing nothing but staring at him. She finally nodded with a weary puff of breath. ¡°Fair enough,¡± she said, holding out her arm. A deep gash ran from her wrist to her elbow. Far worse than any wound Morvin had.

    It was only then that he realized how pale she was. The gleam of sweat on her brow and her labored breathing wasn¡¯t a good sign either. And she had pulled away from him in that condition?

    With a touch of magic at his fingertips, Morvin hurried to fix the worst of her wounds. Hale would probably still look both of them over when they got back, but he could at least keep her alive until then.

    ¡°Told you we should have left.¡±

    ¡°We got valuable information on enemy weapon capabilities. They can launch alchemical bombs from afar even with their army half buried in a pit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure the scrying team saw that too.¡±

    Gretchen slowly shook her head. ¡°They should have been watching the army. They might have seen the explosion in the air¡ªand more when it landed¡ªbut they might not have seen what caused it. We did.¡±

    Morvin let the argument drop. He was fairly sure she was just trying to come up with a justification. An excuse. That was just like her. No matter what he argued, she could only be right in the end.

    ¡°You think his other ideas will work any better?¡±

    Gretchen scoffed. ¡°Has to, right? Throw a thousand darts at a target and one will stick eventually.¡±

    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll have to see.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to destroy them,¡± Arkk said with a shake of his head. ¡°Not with that avatar there. But we¡¯re experimenting with new magic and weapons here. Besides, if we can whittle down their numbers a little, make sure their spellcasters have to use their magic instead of resting, and damage what morale we can, any advantage works out for our benefit, right? Not to mention delaying them until we can get Agnete back. Things are¡­ a little strange over there at the moment. She¡¯s safe, but¡­¡±

    Ilya tapped her fingers on her chair¡¯s armrest, frowning at him.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Her silver eyes flicked to the board behind his back.

    ¡°What?¡± Arkk asked again, turning to follow her gaze.

    The board had a large number of items scrawled over it.

    <ol type="1">

    <li>Natural Barriers ¨C Landslides, floods, trenches. Assigned - Lesser Servants. TEMPORARY SUCCESS - Forced army to reroute. Additional barriers planned.</li>

    <li>Mind Magic Demoralization - Fear traps, turncoat traps. Assigned - Savren. PARTIAL SUCCESS - Stopped army completely until avatar showed itself and destroyed traps, turncoat traps caused intra-army fight, few serious injuries.</li>

    <li>Impenetrable Cube - Xel¡¯atriss magic to create an impassible boundary, trapping the entire enemy army (and avatar) until they starve to death. Assigned - Zullie. FAILURE - orthogonal misalignment.</li>

    <li>Alchemical Bombs - Detonate bombs as army travels over them. Assigned - Morvin and Gretchen. FAILURE - Protective magic.</li>

    <li>Supply Line Sabotage - Strike teams, no regular patterns! Assigned - Kia and Claire. FAILURE - No supply lines?</li>

    <li>Direction Distortion Zone - Xel¡¯atriss magic to shift the idea of forward and backward, making the enemy retreat. Assigned - Zullie. FAILURE - avatar ignored effect and led army through affected area.</li>

    <li>Mind-Wipe Fog - Exactly what it says. Assigned - Savren. PROJECT DELAYED - Savren forgot where he kept his notes.</li>

    <li>Natural Barriers with Illusions hiding said barriers - Savren and Lesser Servants. PARTIAL SUCCESS - a small portion of the army fell into death pits, unfortunately, the rest of the army realized what was happening and and waited until the avatar could clear the way.</li>

    <li>Mirror-Realm Entrapment - Xel¡¯atriss magic to shunt the army into alternate layers of reality. Assigned - Zullie. PROJECT CANCELLED - Accidentally swapped research notes with an alternate reality version, rendering them useless.</li>

    <li>Poisoned Food Stores - Poison stocks of food left in ¡®abandoned¡¯ villages in the army¡¯s path. Assigned - Larry and Lexa. FAILURE - Armies didn¡¯t loot food? Related to lack of supply lines?</li>

    <li>Maze of Infinite Paths - Xel¡¯atriss magic to entrap the army in an infinitely looping space. Assigned - Zullie. PROJECT CANCELLED - DO NOT ASK. DO NOT SPEAK OF IT.</li>

    <li>Spread Misinformation - Air drop leaflets containing false or demoralizing messages. Assigned - Ilya, Edvin, and Joanne. FAILURE - Unable to distribute leaflets safely.</li>

    <li>Leda¡¯s Tower - Requires additional employees. Assigned - Leda and Priscilla. PENDING DEPLOYMENT.</li>

    <li>Illusory Opposing Army - Create illusion of a massive opposing army standing in their path. Assigned - Arkk, Zullie, and Savren. PENDING DEPLOYMENT.</li>

    </ol>

    Arkk looked back to Ilya, noting her deepening frown. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Rather than demoralizing the enemy, I¡¯m concerned that we¡¯re demoralizing our side. Only three of the fifteen items on your list have been a success and they all have caveats.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t like everyone in the fortress is aware of all these operations¡­¡± Arkk looked back to the board for a moment, frowning at the final item on the list. It was, effectively, a continuation of the earlier mind-related traps that Savren had developed. The biggest difference was that it wasn¡¯t exactly¡­ accurate.

    There were some things Arkk needed to keep concealed. Even from Ilya.

    If this one worked out¡­ there might not be anything more to this war at all. It could end here and now. At least in terms of the army. He imagined the avatar would still be after him. But an avatar without an army was far more manageable.

    If it worked out. That was a fairly large if. The avatar was too versatile to be certain of anything. But if he could cause enough damage, that would work out as well.

    One more day and the army would be in the right place¡­

    One more day.

 The Final Hurdle

    Arkk stood at the edge of the encampment, his eyes scanning the rows upon rows of soldiers assembled before him. They stood silently, their armor immaculately shined and the tabards in solid black with violet edges. Each bore the crest of Company Al-Mir on their chests, shields, and banners. Their faces were determined, showing no fear¡­ or much of anything else. There was an eerie blank look to every one of them if looked at a little too close.

    Savren did good work. The ritual circle powering the ten thousand illusory soldiers was massive and complex, buried deep beneath what would soon become a battlefield. It utilized practically every glowstone of ritual quality that Arkk had collected.

    An illusory army would hardly be worth it normally. As soon as the enemy realized that they were illusions, they would simply march straight through. A particularly ignorant army might divert course or even stop entirely, not wanting to test the realistic blades the illusions held, but Arkk was guessing that the avatar wouldn¡¯t be so easily fooled. One of those golden rays would slice through the illusions with ease. Even if the avatar couldn¡¯t blast the entire army, one little revelation would cause the entire effect to become nothing more than a waste.

    Except for one small detail.

    Arkk paused before one of the imposing figures. It looked no different from the others. The fleshy face underneath the metal helmet bore a thin goatee, furrowed brows, and a thick scar over its right eye, just like every other soldier in the line. It stared straight ahead, eyes failing to track Arkk or anything else.

    Reaching forward, Arkk¡¯s hand passed beneath the illusion with only mild resistance. His fingers felt cold, hard bone beneath. A shiver ran through him as he pulled his hand back.

    Not every illusion hid those hollow eye sockets and grinning skulls. He didn¡¯t have enough undead to make up an army ten thousand strong. Not unless he was willing to desecrate bodies that he had already sworn off. Let the Evestani fight themselves, dead or alive. He wasn¡¯t going to disturb the rest of anyone else.

    Besides, having only half the army be an actual threat might even work to his advantage. The front five thousand, the ones most likely to eat a golden ray and be taken seriously by the enemy, were fully illusory. Get them to let their guard down. And then¡­

    Arkk¡¯s eyes trailed over the blade in the skeletal soldier¡¯s hand. It looked real. Just like every other sword in the army. Arkk shied away from it. Just thinking about what he and Zullie had done to it made him uneasy.

    ¡°Everything is established. We should swiftly skedaddle before our adversary arrives.¡±

    Arkk turned to find Savren walking through a line of soldiers without even flinching. It was a bit strange to watch. Even knowing they were fake and knowing which had skeletons hidden within, Arkk found himself moving around them as if they were solid. It just felt¡­ strange not to.

    They weren¡¯t real people. Most of them had never been real people. But they looked real enough, at least from a cursory glance.

    ¡°Thank you, Savren,¡± Arkk said, looking back to the scarred face of the false soldier. ¡°It is a bit late to ask, but I don¡¯t suppose you have any hang-ups about this army, do you?¡±

    ¡°Regarding the use of necromancy? None. Rather, I reckon it¡¯s not nearly enough. Shouldn¡¯t we seek to shatter them to smithereens instead of simply poking and prodding them?¡±

    Arkk turned to the warlock with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You think this army, their swords, the buried alchemical explosives, the bombardment rituals we¡¯ve set up, and your illusions are merely poking at them? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this decimates them.¡±

    ¡°Or falls flat, felled by the golden fellow.¡±

    ¡°Or falls flat,¡± Arkk agreed. ¡°Frankly, if that happens, I¡¯m not sure what we¡¯re going to do to stop them once they get to Elmshadow again. Last time, we used the territory magic of the tower, ambushes, surprise attacks, a bomb directly underneath the avatar¡¯s feet, and Agnete and Priscilla. Either he is prepared for all that or he is the biggest idiot in the world and I doubt he is the latter.¡± Leaning back, Arkk looked up into the sky, squinting into the distance.

    There was a shimmer, almost invisible had he not known what to look for.

    ¡°With the Eternal Empire along for the journey¡­¡±

    Savren didn¡¯t say anything for a long moment, looking off into the distance along with Arkk.

    ¡°I¡¯m hoping the bombardment magic Zullie invented for Elmshadow can take that thing out. Otherwise¡­ Otherwise, we might have to get the Prince to summon his demon to help us out. Nobody wants that.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± Savren said. ¡°Are you absolutely assured we shouldn¡¯t seize the situation to trial our tactic against the avatar?¡±

    Arkk slowly shook his head. That was something that had come up in the dozen meetings they had over this operation. ¡°Sylvara is trying to improve it still, make it a little more versatile. If the avatar learns of its existence¡­ Well, I would try to find ways to mitigate its effects or find countermeasures. We shouldn¡¯t use it until we¡¯re ready or pressed up against a wall.¡±

    Both, perhaps.

    At the moment, they would practically have to touch the avatar with the little doll-like object. This was a problem not only because it meant that they would have to get close but also because, not unlike the ice marble, it affected everyone else in the vicinity. The one carrying it needed to be rendered immune somehow.

    Shaking his head, Arkk started back along the rows of soldiers. Savren swiftly followed along, not offering any further commentary on the subject. To avoid traveling in total silence, Arkk cleared his throat and asked, ¡°Have you had any luck finding ways to remove your curse?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve kept me busy beyond belief. There¡¯s been no time to tend to my personal pursuits.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Arkk winced. ¡°Sorry about that. I¡­¡± Pausing, Arkk turned back to Savren. The warlock halted as well, fingers curling through the tip of his goatee. ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t really like you¡­ at all when we first met.¡±

    ¡°Likewise,¡± Savren said with a dip of his head.

    ¡°But,¡± Arkk pressed on. ¡°You¡¯ve been one of the most reliable employees I¡¯ve got. The war is unfortunate and takes priority. After, however, once things calm down¡ª¡±

    ¡°If such an eventuality even exists¡­¡±

    ¡°If it ever happens, yes, feel free to ask me for any resources you might need. As long as you¡¯re not trapping a village in some mind ritual again, I¡¯ll give you all the support you need to get rid of your curse. Whether that means funds or books or assistants. I¡¯ve practically got full access to the Cliff Academy¡¯s library as it is and Sylvara and Vrox might be able to help with their access to the Abbey¡¯s archives.¡±

    Savren pressed his chapped lips together and dipped his head. ¡°I appreciate your generous gesture.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Pressing his lips together again, Savren spoke quietly. ¡°Under your employ, I¡¯ve had an edifying enterprise that hasn¡¯t been the most trying tenure.¡±

    ¡°Careful,¡± Arkk said, tone flat. ¡°You¡¯ll hurt yourself trying to force a compliment like that.¡±

    ¡°You kidnapped me from a cozy cavern filled with creature comforts, coopted my conspirators, countermanded my command, and cast me in confining chains.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t put you in chains,¡± Arkk said with a frown.

    ¡°Metaphorical manacles, manipulating my methods through threats and terror.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ might have threatened you a little. In fairness to me, you had a village effectively held hostage. And were those mines really that comfortable? Better than Fortress Al-Mir?¡±

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°No,¡± Savren said slowly, looking like he didn¡¯t want to admit it. ¡°The meals metered out might marginally out-perform portions provided by my minions in the mines¡­ And the company is competent and classy¡­ But first impressions impart an imprint.¡±

    ¡°Right. Well, sorry for threatening you.¡±

    ¡°Apology accepted on account of amends offered.¡±

    Arkk let out a small snort. The words meant nothing, it seemed. It was all about the gold and magic. ¡°Well, shall we see if your research paid off? Evestani will be here soon.¡±

    The forward scouts had already seen the illusory army and were surely reporting it to their superiors as they spoke. Hopefully, they wouldn¡¯t divert anywhere. Not that there was much room to make their way past this soon-to-be battlefield. All the previous roadblocks Arkk had put in Evestani¡¯s way had served to direct them here for a reason.

    Woodly Rhyme was a burg that Evestani had used as a staging location before their first assault on Elmshadow. It was strategically positioned as the perfect point to ready their forces for a final march. They would want to capture it if they wanted any kind of fallback point should things head south.

    They would come. They would fight.

    They would die.

    <hr>

    Barin yelped as a pike punctured his shield, pierced his armor, and thrust deep into his chest.

    It didn¡¯t hurt. There was no pain. No blood. Nothing more than a slight pressure against his ribs. His armor didn¡¯t have a hole in it and his shield was perfectly intact. That wasn¡¯t to say that it wasn¡¯t disconcerting, to see a blade embedded in his body, but it wasn¡¯t real.

    It was just an illusion.

    He had to tell himself that a dozen times in the last hour.

    Just an illusion.

    Embarrassed by the yelp, especially after hearing some of his unit laughing behind his back, Barin channeled his embarrassment into anger and lashed forward with his spear. The scarred-faced soldier standing opposite to him shimmered and wavered as the spear slashed through him. But he didn¡¯t vanish. Not immediately.

    Instead, the soldier¡¯s form began to contort. His rough features softened and his battle-worn armor shifted into something more familiar. Barin¡¯s breath caught in his throat as the image before him transformed into the delicate figure of his daughter, Lurya. Her wide, tear-filled eyes locked onto his as she reached out a trembling hand, grasping onto his extended arm.

    ¡°Papa,¡± she whimpered, her voice trembling as if she just woke from a horrid nightmare. ¡°Papa, please come home.¡±

    Barin¡¯s grip on his spear slackened and his heart ached. It was an illusion. Just an illusion. Yet, the sight of his daughter, the sound of her pleading voice, cut deeper than any weapon could. He wanted to reach out, to pull her into his arms and promise that he would be home soon, that everything would be alright.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t real, Lurya.¡± His voice cracked as he spoke. This time, there wasn¡¯t any laughter from the rest of his unit. ¡°You¡¯re not Lurya.¡±

    ¡°Please, Papa.¡± The illusion stepped forward, clinging to his arm. Great tears welled in her eyes as she leaned into him. ¡°I miss you.¡±

    Barin clenched his eyes shut. Keeping them shut, he shoved his arm, flinging the cruel illusion off his arms. He opened them just in time to watch his daughter go rolling through the dirt, coming to a stop with her legs twisted and arms bent and broken.

    Lurya¡¯s head turned too far then twisted just a little more, looking up at him. Her skin turned blotchy and ill. Those innocent eyes rotted and festered, leaving empty sockets behind. An evil smile spread across her face as her skin sloughed off her skull. ¡°You¡¯ll never make it home alive. Die for your false god and¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough of that,¡± Captain Vultan snarled, stomping a heavy boot down on the illusion, finally dispersing it for good.

    Barin stumbled back, breathing heavily as sweat coursed from his brow. Just an illusion, he repeated in his mind. It wasn¡¯t the first he had seen. The first had been his wife, not begging him to return, but claiming she hated him and had always hated him while proclaiming her love for Ming. That had been much easier to deal with¡­ even if he felt guilty after.

    This¡­

    Barin shuddered. He had heard from some of the survivors about the magics their enemy used. Black magics that peeled apart soldiers into thin ribbons, fires that couldn¡¯t be extinguished no matter the magic used, dragonoids and monsters and more besides. He had seen the unpleasant tactics for himself on the way here, watching some of his fellows fall into pits to be skewered on spikes at the bottom, bombs buried beneath the ground that exploded upon being walked upon, magics that caused soldiers to turn on one another¡­

    Yet none of that had affected him quite as much as this.

    The rest of his squad wasn¡¯t faring much better. Those in the front were falling back after dealing with their own mental demons. One soldier¡¯s illusion turned into an angry mother, berating them. Another turned into a comrade who had perished at the hands of their enemy. Yet another turned into His Holiness, looking around the soldiers with obvious disdain, disappointed in their performance.

    One turned into a mass of spiders that swarmed over poor Yones. They had been dispersed quickly by his thrashing and flailing, but he was still shuddering on the ground, twitching every few moments.

    ¡°You¡¯re all a bunch of babies,¡± Sydow barked out as he stepped ahead.

    That had been their tactics thus far. While His Holiness searched for the source of the illusion, the soldiers were to clear it out manually. Just in case it couldn¡¯t be found. A front row fought, dealt with the illusions, and then backed away to recover while another line moved forward.

    Sydow, the big, burly man that he was, strode with confidence toward the nearest illusory soldier. He hadn¡¯t been affected by the last illusion he faced, simply cutting into it with his curved sword until it vanished, uncaring of its form. ¡°Come,¡± he barked, spreading his arms wide. ¡°Take your best shot.¡±

    The illusion didn¡¯t acknowledge him. The scarred-faced soldiers never spoke or reacted. Battlecaster Wyn supposed that the illusions didn¡¯t know how to act until they read their opponent¡¯s minds in the first attack. So, it stepped forward, brandishing a black sword.

    It thrust, spearing it straight through Sydow¡¯s open helmet.

    A hot liquid splattered across Barin¡¯s face, making him flinch.

    At the same time, Sydow¡¯s arms lost all their strength, dropping to his sides. The sword ripped out of his face, spraying more blood across the field. Sydow¡¯s hulking body collapsed, gushing blood, as the blank-faced illusory soldier turned to find a new target.

    Screams and shouts started crying out all up and down the line.

    Barin stood frozen, staring at the lifeless body of Sydow, disbelief coursing through his veins. The air thickened with the scent of blood and the cries of his comrades. Others fell, some fought back.

    It was just an illusion¡­ Sydow wasn¡¯t dead. He was the strongest in the entire squad. He had never lost a spar to anyone else, not even solo against pairs. He survived the civil war with aplomb and¡ª

    ¡°Hold the line!¡± Captain Vultan¡¯s voice boomed over the chaos, snapping Barin back to reality. ¡°Regroup and push forward. Don¡¯t let them break us!¡±

    Soldiers up and down the line had fallen in the surprise attack. Some hit back, slamming shields, swords, and hammers into their not-so-illusory assailants.

    Barin¡¯s hands trembled as he tightened his grip on his spear. He couldn¡¯t let fear take hold. Not now. Not with so much at stake. He glanced around, seeing the fear mirrored in the eyes of his fellow soldiers. They were all struggling. He had to take action or they would all be overwhelmed.

    He jolted forward, stepping over Sydow¡¯s fallen body to slam his shield into the disguised skeleton just in time to keep its sword off Battlecaster Wyn. The older man shuffled back on his hands and knees while Barin jammed his spear into the soldier.

    Pieces of the illusion fell away where his spear hit. The bladed tip was embedded deep within white ribs, chipping one as it slid between them. They were scrubbed clean of any flesh. There were no organs or skin. Just clean white bone.

    For a fleeting moment, Barin hoped he was seeing another illusion. Whatever was under was fake just as the exterior was.

    It was a false hope. Slamming his shield into his opponent again sent it staggering back. Ripping his spear out of its body jerked it back forward. The push-and-pull jerked it enough to dislodge the skull. It fell from the illusion, landing with a thump against the ground. The teeth clacked together in a chatter as the empty eye-sockets stared up at Barin.

    Slowly, with almost deliberate gravitas, the illusion fell away completely, revealing the skeleton for what it was. It bent, hand grasping the top of the skull, before setting it back on its shoulders.

    It grinned at him.

    ¡°U¡­ U¡­ Undead!¡± Barin cried out.

    He slammed his spear forward, straight into the chest of the skeleton. But it just chipped off the bone, sliding right through the ribcage. The skeleton didn¡¯t care at all. It stepped forward, raising its sword.

    Barin put his shoulder into his shield once again, letting go of his useless spear entirely to put as much weight into shoving the skeleton as he could.

    It fell backward, bones coming apart. But it almost immediately started trying to put itself back together.

    ¡°Wyn!¡± Barin shouted, turning his head. ¡°Need magic!¡±

    The battlecaster was on the ground, pinned down. Not by a skeleton. Not by an illusion.

    Sydow¡¯s hulking body was on top of the battlecaster, vomiting black sludge over the older man. The vomit slackened into a dribble and Sydow slowly craned his head to face Barin.

    A gap split his face in two, straight between the eyes. The wound from the skeleton¡¯s sword. With that kind of wound, he could never have moved. Yet there he was.

    And his eyes¡­ Gone were the whites, the colored iris, and even the dark pupil in the middle. It was as if someone had poured boiling tar into his eyes, melting the flesh until there was nothing left but the tar.

    Something slammed into his back. It felt like a white-hot poker. With a grunt and a hiss, he turned, swinging his shield arm.

    The skeleton on the ground hadn¡¯t even finished putting itself together. It was one leg, the torso, and its sword arm. Barin¡¯s shield slammed into the sword arm, ripping it out of his body and sending it flying across the battlefield.

    He staggered away from the skeleton, arm clamped onto his side. It wasn¡¯t a deep wound. He could tell that much. That didn¡¯t stop the blood from trickling down over his fingertips.

    Although the wound was hot, he could feel something else. Like something was wiggling and squirming inside him. He tried to take a step, only to stagger and fall. He tried to open his mouth to call for help, only to spew up black bile. His vision swam and wavered, even as he watched Sydow¡¯s hulking form grasp ahold of another of their squad, ripping him away from fighting his own skeleton.

    Barin sank into the ground, face hitting the prickly grass, as Wyn sat upright and started looking around with black tar in place of his eyes.

    ¡°Lurya¡­¡± he managed.

    Barin¡¯s vision went black.

 Fields of the Dead

    ¡°As useless as I expected.¡±

    A tall woman sat on a grand throne, one leg crossed over the other with her elbow on the armrest, propping her head up. The fingers of her other hand drummed against the chair as she observed the chaos down below.

    It was a clever trick. It would have been more clever were it not for how easy it was to see through. At least, she thought it was simple to see through. The fact that her contemporary took one look at the illusory army, believed he understood what was going on, and immediately set off to find the source of the power implied that their opponent had a better grasp on his opponent than she thought.

    Now, while he was off meditating and concentrating, his army was being torn apart.

    She shifted in her throne, swapping elbows from one side to the other. With an utter look of disdain, she plucked a thin white thread from her black dress and obliterated it.

    ¡°Empress, your orders?¡±

    Luminous white eyes flicked to the side.

    An older man wearing a clean-cut black and silver uniform stood ready and waiting. He had a cane, simple and unadorned with fine detailing, planted between his feet. Both hands rested upon the silver handle as he stared out the large glass windows. As he felt her attention on him, he turned, raising a white eyebrow above his round glasses.

    ¡°Ready the cannons,¡± she said with a lazy wave of her hand.

    He nodded his head, turning on his heel. The long cape he wore as part of his uniform fluttered behind him.

    ¡°Wait, Berthold,¡± she said.

    ¡°Empress?¡± He turned back. There was no confusion in his eyes or questioning why she had stopped him. Whatever she decreed would become edict. It didn¡¯t matter how much she contradicted herself or how often she changed her mind.

    Her words were law.

    ¡°Ready the cannons but do not fire. We have a truce with the Evestani. Accidentally striking a single man even in accident would violate that truce.¡± There was little need to explain herself. If she said not to fire, not a single man would do so even were monsters of old charging straight at the cannoneers. But Berthold would appreciate the intricacies of her thoughts.

    ¡°If we laid down fire at the battle line, it might harm a few, but it would save the vast majority,¡± he said with a faint glint in his old eyes.

    ¡°Nevertheless, the truce stands.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± he said, laying his hand across his chest in a firm salute. ¡°I¡¯ll see that the men await your orders.¡±

    Watching him go, she waited until the heavy wooden door swung shut behind him. Only once she was alone did she dip her finger into a small bowl of water resting atop a pedestal next to the throne. With an idle motion, she swept the water into a gentle swirl.

    ¡°Find anything yet?¡± she asked.

    A golden light pulsed at the bottom of the basin. ¡°It¡¯s underground. I can tell that much.¡±

    ¡°You sound frustrated.¡±

    The golden light pulsed again in an unintelligible snarl. ¡°If you have nothing to contribute, stay silent.¡±

    She, naturally, ignored that command. ¡°While you dealt with your little issue, I found myself musing on the absence of our comrade.¡± Waiting a moment for a response ended up a futile endeavor. The water simply boiled in irritation. So she continued. ¡°My spymaster has received reports of a string of excommunicatory notices released by the Abbey of the Light¡¯s current ecclesiarch. A handful of prominent inquisitors, priests, abbesses, and so on and so forth have all been removed from the Abbey¡¯s roster.¡±

    ¡°Is there a point to your babbling? I¡¯m trying to concentrate here.¡±

    ¡°All excommunicated individuals are in or were recently in the lands of Mystakeen. Many are known to have associations with the leader of the so-called Company Al-Mir.¡±

    ¡°So what? The¡­¡± The golden light in the basin dimmed momentarily. She could almost hear the scraps of wilted wit mustering together to form an insult. ¡°The Limp Light is sticking to her word of not allowing anyone in good standing to fight against us. When she didn¡¯t show up to assist us, I told you that she was plotting something. I was right. As always.¡±

    She hummed lightly, stirring the water again. ¡°I merely wonder what her end goal is.¡±

    ¡°She hates us. Wants to kill us. Take the world for herself. Is that so hard to understand?¡±

    ¡°From you, I would expect it.¡±

    ¡°Same with you,¡± the golden light pulsed.

    ¡°Indeed. But her?¡±

    ¡°What does it matter? She can¡¯t deal with both of us. We handle this little insect and then swat¡­ Ah, there!¡±

    She watched through the great windows. A thin ray of gold lanced out from the center of the Evestani forces down below. It burrowed underground before passing too far, presumably to strike at the underground ritual array.

    ¡°Got it! The illusion is gone, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± she said, leaning forward to better peer out the windows. ¡°I can now clearly see the undead army slaughtering your forces.¡±

    The water in the basin erupted like a geyser as the golden light in its depths gleamed in angry incandescence. ¡°The what?¡±

    ¡°Skeletons, it seems,¡± she said, keeping her tone utterly calm. ¡°Every one of your soldiers they attack rises to join the undead army. A few thousand of your soldiers died while you were looking for that illusion spell.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± The water boiled over, slopping onto the floor. ¡°You did nothing?¡±

    ¡°I was unsure if you still counted the undead as yours. Our truce¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fuck you, stupid¨CDo something¡ª¡±

    The voice of her cohort faded as the last of the water boiled out of the basin, leaving her finger stirring through air. She stared a moment, wondering if the few words at the end counted enough to lift a hand. But she had likely pushed him as far as was wise at the moment.

    Raising a hand overhead, she flipped up a small cap on a long brass tube. ¡°Berthold,¡± she said, speaking into the tube.

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    ¡°Empress?¡± came the distorted response.

    ¡°Send in the vanguard to get those undead off our ally¡¯s back. Then rain down fire on the bulk of the undead forces.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    She leaned back in her throne, letting the cap fall over the mouth of the brass tube. The wave of black armored soldiers moved in almost immediately, easily handling what Evestani had struggled against for the last several minutes. A golden wall sprung up, further dividing the undead from the living. A bit late but better than nothing.

    Her luminous eyes flicked over the undead as the cannon fire commenced.

    ¡°Clever tricks,¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°But they won¡¯t be enough.¡±

    <hr>

    Arkk leaned away from the crystal ball with a grimace on his face.

    He had known what he was doing the moment he started. He knew the likely outcome of the foul magics he used. Zullie had expressly explained the effects of the weapons she created using notes from the black book. Arkk had okayed it, signed off on implementing it, and then got Savren aboard to make the whole project more effective by disguising it as something else.

    Even still¡­

    Even still, some small part of him had hoped that the Golden Order¡¯s avatar would have caught on sooner. But the disguise had worked on the avatar just as well as it had worked on the rest of the army. The avatar went off in search of the source of the illusion magic¡ªand found it, eventually, blasting a hole through the center of the underground ritual circle. But all that did was vanish the illusion.

    The skeletons were still animated. Their swords still corrupted anyone they touched.

    ¡°It¡¯s fair play,¡± Rekk¡¯ar grunted, seated opposite from Arkk. The green-skinned orc wasn¡¯t looking at the crystal ball either. He had his arms crossed, staring upwards at the ceiling of the Walking Fortress command room. ¡°They used their golden statue magic. We used necromancy. Same effect, in the end.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar thought it was a good idea, clearly. Which did worry Arkk. He rarely approved of anything Arkk did.

    ¡°We hit them hard this time,¡± Rekk¡¯ar continued. ¡°And utilized your undead while disposing of them. The evidence we left behind in the village should imply that some rogue necromancer raised that army. Not us. That should keep the Prince and anyone else with objections off our backs.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll know,¡± Arkk said, clasping his fingers together as he looked back down to the crystal ball.

    Carnage filled the ranks of the Evestani army. After the avatar blasted apart a tenth of the illusory forces, they had formed up in proper battle lines, fighting down the illusions manually while the avatar looked for the source. Fighting illusion after illusion, with the tricks Savren installed in them, wore them down and, at the same time, made them complacent. When the first few died, it had come as a surprise. Chaos reigned. A thousand soldiers fell before any proper retaliation could commence.

    Fire, boulders, and reality-shearing magic rained down on the army just as they started to get their footing. Bombardment magic driven by glowstone crystals and the lesser servants who placed them on the hidden ritual circles. The lines broke, the undead rushed in, soldiers died¡­

    And then a brilliant force surged through the air. Falling boulders few back as if bouncing off a wall, multicolored flames snuffed out, and while the black voids of severed reality slipped through, those rituals were demanding enough in terms of magical capacity that they couldn¡¯t do much on their own before the glowstones were depleted.

    Arkk leaned in, narrowing his eyes as the Eternal Empire made its move. He imagined they had wanted to keep all that they could do secret, but the situation forced their hand. Regardless of how the rest of the battle went, this was valuable information.

    To have so thoroughly nullified the bombardment magic, did they possess an avatar as well? Or were they simply using anti-siege spells similar to what Evestani or even he had used in the past? The effects weren¡¯t anything flashy. Not like the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar when he used his defensive magic.

    Arkk grasped the second crystal ball¡ªboth were with him today for the special operation, not wanting his scrying crew to see what the undead army at his command¡ªand quickly angled its view upward.

    ¡°There it is,¡± Rekk¡¯ar grunted, leaning in as well.

    A ship. A flying ship. It sailed through the sky as easily as a regular ship cut through the ocean. The barriers came from it, different than the normal barriers Evestani or Arkk had used. More like constant gusts of wind that blew with such force that all the siege magic was sent askew, if not nullified completely. The wind barriers didn¡¯t reach the ground¡ªif they had, they probably would have blasted both armies off their feet¡ªbut they didn¡¯t need the wind to stop the undead.

    If not for the Eternal Empire marching alongside Evestani, the necromancy might have taken out the entire army before the avatar managed to return. As it was, the knights of the Eternal Empire moved in now that the bombardment magic had been dealt with, interposed themselves between the undead and Evestani, slipping in and taking the brunt of the attacks. They were better armored, better trained, and obviously more experienced. A few did fall, but that number was practically nothing compared to the dead and redead Evestani.

    ¡°I mean, it is obvious who made the undead army, isn¡¯t it?¡± Arkk said, scowling as a warm golden light spread through the fighting soldiers. The avatar was back. ¡°Who else could do something like this? The Prince will know.¡±

    The avatar was back and with him, that golden aura. The Heart of Gold¡¯s domains did not include healing or anything that would directly counter a legion of undead skeletons and turned soldiers. But it didn¡¯t really need to. The soldiers stood straighter, bolstered by the arrival of their god. A barrier of gold carved through the battlefield, dividing it in half with Evestani and the Eternal Empire on one side and the undead on the other. Some undead were caught on the wrong side but, without the bulk pushing forward, they were swiftly dispatched by the regular soldiers.

    Then it started.

    The ship, flying overhead, began unloading cannon fire down on the far side of the golden barrier. Bones shattered and broke, undead scattered beyond the magic¡¯s ability to compensate for, effectively killing them. The bombardment was heavy and widespread, a single blast taking out two dozen skeletons in one strike. They weren¡¯t even tightly grouped. Smaller, more precise shots took out stragglers, scattering their remains to the winds.

    A beam of gold lanced out from the center of Evestani¡¯s army, only about a quarter of the size of the mass beam that had taken out a bulk of the illusions at the start. But this one swept back and forth, slicing swaths of undead into pieces.

    ¡°It might be obvious if anyone looks too hard,¡± Rekk¡¯ar grunted, shaking his head as the tables turned for the mass of undead. ¡°But right now, it might be more convenient to believe in the innocent fiction of a third party raising those skeletons. You just decimated the Evestani army and probably pummeled their morale into the ground. We¡¯re in a strong position with reinforcements on their way. The situation is too good for the Prince to start pointing fingers at those ostensibly on his side.¡±

    ¡°Maybe for now. What happens after?¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s lips curled, splitting to show off the bulk of his tusks. ¡°They¡¯re bringing the King¡¯s army, right? What happens if that army falls? Accidents happen on the battlefield all the time.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have dealt with Evestani once and for all,¡± Rekk¡¯ar continued before Arkk could even begin to object. ¡°If that thing your witches came up with works as intended, we¡¯ll be rid of that avatar too. Our position will remain strong. Our allies, if they suffer too much, will weaken.¡± He thumped his fist on the table. ¡°Claim the land for ourselves. Kick everyone else out. That second tower will watch our western border. This tower can move elsewhere to keep the Kingdom off our backs. We¡¯ll finally have peace.¡±

    ¡°Ignoring that you want to get our allies killed, that demon¡ª¡±

    ¡°Demon? If it exists, if the Prince summons it, so what? You¡¯ve got countermeasures for it. Things that can kill a demon.¡±

    Arkk doubted it would be so easy, but didn¡¯t interrupt Rekk¡¯ar.

    ¡°Build up enough of Dakka¡¯s Shadow Knights, you won¡¯t even need an army to hold this territory. Each one of them is worth fifty good soldiers, a hundred bad.¡±

    ¡°That still requires me to deliberately weaken our allies.¡±

    ¡°Arkk,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, his curled lips twisting into a frown. ¡°I¡¯m going to be straight with you because you¡¯re an idiot farm boy who won¡¯t understand if I¡¯m not. Those allies are only allies until this war is over. You are a threat too great to let stand. Especially once it is no longer convenient to ignore the who behind that undead army,¡± he said, waving a hand toward the crystal ball. ¡°You want to keep people safe? That¡¯s fine. But keep our people safe. The best way to do that is to ensure that nobody, Kingdom, Empire, or Sultanate, can threaten us.¡±

    A grinding noise filled the air as Rekk¡¯ar slid his chair back, standing from the table. He gave Arkk one last look before nodding his head. With that, he turned and left.

    Left alone, Arkk scowled, looking back to the crystal ball. There wasn¡¯t much of a battle going on any longer. Just a clean-up operation. The enemy took damage. A lot of it, even, especially considering the minor resources he had expended on the battle. Was it enough to weaken them to the point where Arkk could handle the battle without ensuring those reinforcements were used most effectively?

    Arkk shook his head. He didn¡¯t agree with Rekk¡¯ar on most of the orc¡¯s ideas.

    This one was no different.

    At the same time, agreeing with it and deciding it was the best course of action were two very different things¡­

 Day of the Dead Aftermath

    Hale was fairly certain that she knew a great deal more than she should know. Things that were supposed to be secrets. Things that would probably get her in at least a mild amount of trouble, if not a lot of trouble.

    So she kept her mouth shut. She might be one of the youngest actual employees, but she wasn¡¯t an idiot. Best to keep her mouth firmly sealed and herself out of trouble.

    In fairness to her, it wasn¡¯t like she was snooping about the place, seeking out the secrets of the fortress. It was just that Hale tended to spend a lot of time inside the library. A location she frequently shared with the likes of Zullie. Zullie had never been one to hide her work. As a former instructor, it was more like she wanted to spread what she knew far and wide. Since being afflicted with blindness, that lax attitude had only intensified. She left books open, research notes scattered everywhere, and odd magical artifacts that she had fashioned lying about.

    Hale didn¡¯t snoop, but if a book was left open, that was just an invitation to read, wasn¡¯t it?

    It helped that Hale was the quiet sort. She didn¡¯t speak unless spoken to. That made it exceedingly easy to sit down in a corner of the library, put her nose into a book, and simply allow the world around her to carry on as it would. Zullie, Savren, their assistants, and even Arkk would all have short impromptu meetings on occasion. Arkk was always more aware of her than anyone else and even he would talk about things in her presence that she was pretty sure she wasn¡¯t supposed to hear.

    For example, how many others in the entirety of the fortress knew that Arkk was dabbling in necromancy? Zullie, Savren, Vezta¡­ and Hale. She doubted Arkk had told Ilya. That wasn¡¯t the kind of thing Ilya would stand for.

    Which was stupid. It wasn¡¯t like avoiding necromancy would bring the dead back and it could only spare the lives of the living. They were dead bodies. Meat and bone with nothing inside them. Might as well use them.

    There were things Hale was keeping secret as well. Things she would rather not have spread around, at least not before she was ready. In her case, however, she was a little more careful about where and when she worked on her projects.

    Today, for instance, Hale found herself with her hand clasped around the icy claw of Al-Mir¡¯s resident dragonoid, dragging her down to one of the lower-level test chambers leftover from one of Zullie¡¯s experiments. Priscilla was a hard person to find. She often was out of the fortress, off on various tasks for Arkk.

    So, Hale had simply asked Arkk to let her know the next time Priscilla was around so that she could perform a little check-up on some older healing. An easy enough excuse.

    ¡°I take it you aren¡¯t dragging me around for healing,¡± Priscilla said with a hint of a growl in the back of her throat.

    ¡°You know a lot about these fortresses, right?¡± Hale asked, not stopping. ¡°I heard you used to have a place like this a long time ago?¡±

    ¡°Who told you that?¡±

    ¡°Leda. She mentioned it while I was tending to some bruises she got while on your back.¡±

    Priscilla clicked her tongue in annoyance.

    ¡°Arkk says he can tell when someone is injured. It¡¯s how he gets people out of bad situations and into the infirmary. I want to know if there is a way to avoid that.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t about injury. It¡¯s about pain. The more the pain, the more he notices.¡±

    ¡°So if I muddle my sense of pain, I could chop off my hand and he wouldn¡¯t notice?¡±

    Priscilla stopped abruptly. Hale, hand around her wrist, had to stop as well. No amount of effort or straining would let her move the dragonoid against her will.

    ¡°Why are you going to chop off your hand?¡± Priscilla asked. She didn¡¯t sound accusing or worried. It was a simple curiosity. As if the subject wasn¡¯t any more interesting than what breakfast was going to be served today.

    ¡°Well, I was thinking I would have you do it, actually. I figured you wouldn¡¯t have a problem with that.¡± Hale cocked her head to one side, looking up at the iced-over eyes of the dragonoid. ¡°Was I wrong?¡±

    Priscilla scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m normally all for mutilating humans¡­ but I think Arkk would be displeased with me, regardless of the reasons. And I still need him.¡±

    ¡°Still?¡± Hale said, frowning for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want him to know either.¡±

    ¡°You think he wouldn¡¯t notice your hand missing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d replace it, obviously,¡± Hale said as she rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve been testing the Flesh Weaving spell on myself, but for the drastic changes I want to make, it would be easier to start from scratch.¡±

    ¡°Why remove it if you¡¯re just going to replace it?¡±

    ¡°I want to make it better. Something more like your hand. Get rid of this weak human meat and¡ª¡±

    ¡°My hand?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not taking your hand, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about¡ª¡±

    Priscilla curled her lip in a daring smile. ¡°Like you could.¡±

    ¡°But I would like to examine your hand a bit and then replicate it on my arm. Eventually, I¡¯ll replace the whole arm. Legs. Body. And even my head, if I can figure out a way without killing myself.¡±

    Priscilla looked down, staring with her icy eyes even though she was supposedly blind. ¡°How would you manage that?¡±

    Hale shrugged. ¡°Still in the research phase. I asked Arkk if I could practice some unusual healing on prisoners but he doesn¡¯t like causing unneeded distress¡­¡±

    Priscilla hummed, folding her arms. The ice coating her fingertip clicked lightly as she tapped against the crook of her elbow. ¡°I could get you practice subjects if you can get yourself reassigned to Leda¡¯s tower.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Hale perked up. ¡°You¡¯ll help me.¡±

    ¡°So long as we keep your mutilations hidden from Arkk. How sure are you that you can replace your hand properly? And with a claw-like mine? He¡¯ll notice.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I¡­¡±

    Priscilla leaned forward, putting her face right in Hale¡¯s face as she widened a sharp-toothed grin. ¡°Why don¡¯t I rip off something less obvious? Like your leg?¡±

    Hale didn¡¯t move save to bring a finger to her chin as she gave the proposal serious consideration. It was probably just the dragonoid trying to frighten her off, but it wasn¡¯t a bad idea. Legs were easier to hide underneath clothing than hands were. It would give her a proper target to practice on¡ªherself¡ªand she could retry as many times as she wanted.

    Taking her gaze off the dragonoid¡¯s face, she looked down. Priscilla didn¡¯t wear clothing. Just jagged sheets of ice concentrated on her hands and feet. The rest of her was mostly humanoid, except covered in thick white scales. Hale followed the contours of her body down her legs where they terminated in three large toes in the front, tipped with sharp blades of ice, and a single talon in the back. Would feet like that fit into standard boots?

    Perhaps she could make some small modifications. If all else failed, as long as she didn¡¯t delay too long, she could always reattach her own leg.

    ¡°Very well. I accept.¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°I accept. Come help me remove my leg. I¡¯ve got a whole room set up already with medicinal potions, a clean place to work, and everything else I need.¡±

    The grin slowly slipped from Priscilla¡¯s lips as Hale grasped her hand once again. She tugged at the dragonoid¡¯s arm. Priscilla didn¡¯t protest this time, she allowed herself to be pulled away, muttering under her breath as she went.

    ¡°Not as fun when they aren¡¯t scared¡­¡±

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    <hr>

    Vezta dipped forward at the waist, hands clasped together. She bowed, righted herself, and turned to carry out her newly assigned tasks.

    No matter how many recruits Arkk scouted, no matter how many powerful beings like avatars and dragonoids came to his side, no matter how many spells he learned, Vezta was and always would remain one of only two people who could command the lesser servants. Others could direct them, but only if Arkk already gave commands to follow the orders of others, and only within the bounds of what he ordered them to do. That took foresight and planning. He could give them mental commands from afar, but he wouldn¡¯t know to command them unless he was actively watching the goings on around them. As other matters occupied his attention, he frequently felt it necessary to delegate responsibility for the servants to Vezta.

    It wasn¡¯t that she was afraid of being replaced. No matter what, she would always have a role as caretaker of Fortress Al-Mir. But sometimes she did desire more what a simple lesser servant would tend to on its own.

    It felt good to have a proper role, to be used, and to offer her services. Even if that role was simply to oversee construction projects. That was what Vezta was best at, after all. She never had considered herself much of a combatant. Leave the warring and the battles to others. Hers was a logistical duty.

    Vezta walked through the halls of Fortress Al-Mir, languid and peaceful. Today¡¯s task was to venture out to Elmshadow to construct barracks for the soon-to-be-arriving King¡¯s army. There was no rush. Neither she nor lesser servants tired and they could work all night. Based on the projected arrival time of the army and her intimate knowledge of how fast servants could work, she estimated that the construction would finish three days before the army reached the burg¡¯s walls. Those three days allowed leeway in both additional constructions, if necessary, and changes in the army¡¯s marching pace.

    It would go faster if they could build underground, but Arkk wanted above-ground dwellings for the army.

    The farms below the burg, connected to the tower¡¯s [HEART], had already been expanded to feed the prisoners they once held. Food supplies wouldn¡¯t be a problem, though it would further strain their income. She would have to request her own scouting expedition, accompanied by a number of lesser servants, to locate additional gold, silver, or gemstone veins. Keeping the fortress funded was one of her self-imposed duties, after all.

    Besides, it wouldn¡¯t do for Arkk to find yet another [HEART] and be unable to utilize it because of a lack of wealth.

    As Vezta continued down the corridors, trying to think back to how her former master had located the rich source of gold below Fortress Al-Mir, she had to pause as a stout human walked up to her. With his thick arms, hair coated in a dusting of soot, and the thick black apron he wore, it didn¡¯t take long to recognize him as one of the fortress smiths. A refugee-turned-employee, if Vezta recalled correctly.

    ¡°David?¡± she said, plucking the name from the aether. ¡°Was there something you needed?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± He flinched when she turned to face him despite having been the one to walk up to her. Possibly because of the way she had turned around, melding her body to the other side rather than simply rotating in place. ¡°Sorry to bother you,¡± he said as he took a step back, having apparently decided he got too close for comfort. ¡°But I¡¯m glad I caught you. The raw iron in the stockroom is running low.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Vezta said, lips quirking into a frown. Fortress Al-Mir could consume gold to produce raw materials such as bolts of cloth, chunks of iron, and both crops and livestock. Arkk was burning through it all as of late. She mentally bumped up the priority of finding additional gold sources.

    That fairy had a tower out in the middle of nowhere at the moment with servants that Vezta couldn¡¯t direct, being minions of the shadow goddess rather than servants of the [STARS] pulled to this world by Xel¡¯atriss. She would have to propose that Arkk speak to the fairy regarding the fairy¡¯s idleness. She could frame it as getting the fairy experience in directing those minions about, scouring the land around that distant tower for any valuable resources.

    ¡°Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I will ensure you are restocked by morning.¡±

    ¡°Appreciate it,¡± David said before practically fleeing from her presence.

    She watched him go with a mild smile before turning around to continue her trek.

    Only to make it a mere five paces before being interrupted once again.

    ¡°Vezta! Vezta!¡±

    A young elf slammed into her side hard enough to almost disturb her current form. Vezta manipulated the side of her dress to carefully push the child away from her. ¡°Yavin,¡± she said, crossing her arms and giving a disappointed look. ¡°What have I said about running in the corridors?¡±

    The elf sheepishly scratched at his left ear, which had been clipped at some point before his initial arrival in Fortress Al-Mir. He was far more animated these days, even smiling. Vezta wasn¡¯t sure what she had done to earn his adoration.

    ¡°I thought I heard your voice. I wanted to see you!¡±

    Behind the young boy, another elf slowly approached. Nyala¡¯s footsteps were completely silent and the way she moved was designed to disturb as little air as possible. In contrast to the young boy, the girl had drawn in on herself even more in her time at Fortress Al-Mir. Not that she had ever been open or happy, but she had somehow lost even that little part of herself. It was like Yavin had absorbed every scrap of elation the two could produce.

    ¡°Lexa back yet?¡± Nyala said, her voice surprisingly deep for her size. ¡°The stupid gremlin promised to teach me some of her hiding spells two weeks ago and I haven¡¯t seen her since.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps locating her is a challenge and you are unworthy until such time as you manage to catch her.¡±

    The corners of Nyala¡¯s lips twitched into a frown. ¡°Is she even in the fortress?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Vezta said simply, smiling at the deepening scowl on the small elf¡¯s face. ¡°Arkk has her out on a special assignment.¡±

    The scowl vanished as a spark of interest crossed Nyala¡¯s eyes. ¡°Assassination?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe the details of the operation need to be made available to those uninvolved.¡±

    Nyala huffed, folding her arms. ¡°She¡¯ll tell me later, she always does.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s her prerogative.¡± Vezta gave a light pat to Yavin¡¯s head, earning a bright smile from the young elf. ¡°Run along now.¡±

    ¡°You said not to run!¡±

    ¡°And you well know what I mean,¡± Vezta said as she turned from the two elves. Their minder, John the carpenter, was nowhere in sight. They had probably slipped away from him while he was working on a project. They weren¡¯t trouble. Yet, anyway.

    Perhaps soon.

    Nyala had been hanging around those two dark elves when Lexa wasn¡¯t around. Something she was certain that Ilya, Arkk, and most reasonable beings would find objectionable. Vezta, frankly, did not care. If the child wanted to become a more effective combatant, it was something to be encouraged, so long as she was their combatant.

    Leaving the two behind, and glad that Nyala was dragging Yavin away from her, Vezta continued toward the teleportation chambers. Along the way, she ended up stopped by no less than ten others, including Lyssa the werecat, Orjja the orc, Larry the butcher, Kia the dark elf¡ªwho was looking for Nyala¡ªand Ivan the slime creature.

    Vezta wasn¡¯t honestly sure when or how that last one joined up with Arkk. It just oozed out of the walls one day, leaving a terrible mess behind, and continued leaving a mess everywhere it went. It was followed by a lesser servant who never left its side, having been assigned to keep the area around the slime tidy. Naturally, the slime had come to her to complain about its environment being too tidy.

    She ignored it.

    Let Arkk deal with it.

    In the final corridor before the teleportation chamber, Vezta found herself slowing her pace once again.

    This time, it was not because one of the myriad denizens of the fortress wanted something from her.

    She felt something. A presence. One that shouldn¡¯t be in the fortress.

    Eyes surrounding her body narrowed as she slowly turned in place. Was the hallway brighter than normal? The glowstones in the walls and floor looked normal, but the maze-like pattern of the floor tiles gleamed. It only lasted a moment. A trick of the light in her eyes or¡­

    Vezta turned away from the teleportation room. She hurried through the corridors, moving just under a run, as she made her way to the temple room. Arkk had barred the entrance following the failed ritual that inadvertently drew Xel¡¯atriss¡¯ gaze, but that couldn¡¯t stop something like her. Vezta¡¯s body oozed between the bars, flowing over and around them until she reshaped properly on the other side.

    Several pedestals now contained statues. Something Vezta was certain was a good sign.

    The molten, chained form of the Burning Forge stood proudly atop an anvil. The Eternal Silence rested in a peaceful slumber. The Heart of Gold, head held high, looked as proud as always. The Almighty Glory maintained the same majestic pose. Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, stood in front of a now opened door, which was the same as it had been since the ritual was completed. The Jailer of the Void still confused Vezta with its presence. The Cloak of Shadows was barely visible atop the darkened pedestal.

    There were two changes from the last time Vezta had been in the room. The first was a new statue atop a pedestal in the far corner of the room. A tall man in a fine suit. He had a thin body, thin enough that a human could touch fingers and thumbs together if they used both hands at the waist. His chin was sharp and pointed with equally sharp eyes and a short tuft of black hair. Aside from his unnatural thinness, the most striking feature was his mouth. He lacked lips entirely. His teeth, flat molars all, were clearly visible. They stretched from ear to ear. If he opened his mouth, the entire top half of his head would tip backward.

    The Laughing Prince. Lord of undeath, elation, festivals, and children.

    The others, minus the Jailer of the Void, were understandable. The traitor gods existed because they had never left this plane. Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, could ignore boundaries and barriers. The Eternal Silence, the Cloak of Shadows, and the Burning Forge all had their worlds visited, opened via the portals.

    Now, the Laughing Prince had appeared. It had to be a consequence of Arkk¡¯s actions with the Evestani army. Even with the Calamity, the Laughing Prince had seen the death and undeath and had¡­ approved? Concerning, but nothing to get too worked up about. Occupied pedestals were good, in Vezta¡¯s eyes.

    The other change in the room had her scowling.

    The Holy Light, still masked in rays of blinding white, now had a hand held forward. In its hand, it held a rolled-up piece of parchment.

    Vezta stepped closer, reaching for the parchment.

    A flash of light blinded her. Rather than blink away the blindness, she simply formed new eyes deep within her core and allowed them to bubble forth. Just in time to watch her outstretched hand slop to the ground, severed at the wrist. Lacking cohesion with the rest of her body, it deformed and spread out into a thin pool of violet sludge. Stretching a thin tendril along the ground, she made contact and pulled the mass back into her body.

    Vezta scowled as her hand reformed. It was painful. Draining. She could feel the load it put on the [HEART] of Fortress Al-Mir. Much like when the inquisitors had injured her during their invasion, though to a far lesser extent.

    ¡°Vezta!¡±

    She felt her current master pop into existence behind her. Whether he detected her sudden spike of pain or noticed the drain on the [HEART] didn¡¯t matter. He was here now.

    Vezta turned slowly, keeping the statue in full view of her swiftly reforming eyes. ¡°Master,¡± she said, unable to stop a frown. ¡°It appears we had a visitor.¡±

 The Wishing Well

    Arkk leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers over a sheet of parchment that sat atop his desk.

    ¡°The temple room is a conduit to the Pantheon,¡± Arkk said, looking up to Vezta. ¡°You said that before, right? Your former master was able to use it to gain boons?¡±

    ¡°That is correct,¡± Vezta said with a half-bow. ¡°Though I do not know the proper rituals as my former master considered it a rather private affair, I do know he frequently ventured into the temple, sealed all doors, and emerged after with magical items, minions, gold, and a plethora of other welcome additions to our war efforts.¡±

    ¡°Did he ever enter with any equipment that he might have used? Or did the temple already contain any kind of ritual equipment?¡±

    Vezta paused, gaining a vacant look in her eyes for a brief moment. Notably, the expression only applied to the eyes on her head. The multitude of glowing yellow-in-black eyes dotted around the rest of her body maintained their constant vigil over her surroundings. Eventually, her journey through her memories came to an end as she refocused on Arkk.

    ¡°You¡­ may not wish to hear this,¡± she said, hedging her voice. Arkk simply waved her on with a quick gesture. ¡°It didn¡¯t happen every time, but my former master would frequently take prisoners into the temple. They didn¡¯t often return or, when they did, they came back changed and fully allied with us.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Sacrifice. From Zullie, Arkk knew that sacrifice wasn¡¯t used in modern magic anymore. The Abbey ranked it among the highest anathema and even outside the Abbey¡¯s sphere of influence, it wasn¡¯t a very popular method of enacting magic. Modern magic and rituals were often convenient enough. Rituals could be increased in power simply by adding more spellcasters, negating the need to kill people to work them.

    The orc chieftain had been planning on using sacrifice to bypass magical requirements for her demon summoning before Arkk interrupted it. The black book mentioned that sacrifice was simply easier than trying to gather together upwards of a dozen competent spellcasters to perform the same ritual. It did mention that demon summoning was possible without sacrifice, but Arkk doubted most people willing to summon demons cared all that much about killing a few people for an easier time.

    He wondered if the Prince had sacrificed a bunch of people to summon a demon during his subjugation of Vaales. Someone willing to summon a demon might not care. At the same time, he doubted a Prince would have difficulty gathering together enough spellcasters to perform the ritual properly. Yet again, that would mean a great number of people were involved in it and the more people, the higher the likelihood that someone talks.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t bring people in every time,¡± Arkk said, trying to keep focused on the task at hand. ¡°I presume those times resulted in lesser boons?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes. Not always. What are you thinking, if I may ask, Master?¡±

    Arkk clasped his hands together, rubbing his chin against his knuckles. ¡°We¡¯ve been exploring the other planes for power, magic, resources, and weapons. But it is a long and time-consuming process. We can¡¯t even spend more than a few minutes in the Silence without succumbing to sleep and the Anvil is completely cut off from us at the moment.¡±

    ¡°I see. You wish to bypass manual searching by going to the gods directly.¡±

    ¡°When we first constructed the temple room, there were only five statues in place, three of whom belonged to the traitors,¡± Arkk said with a nod of his head. ¡°I was a bit wary of using it because of that. Our encounter with Xel¡¯atriss only further discouraged interacting with the Pantheon. Now, over half the pedestals have statues and the traitor gods are outnumbered¡­

    ¡°But what boons to ask for,¡± Arkk said, turning his explanation into muttering as he thought aloud. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to offend them by asking for anything too grandiose. Nor anything that might come from the traitor gods. More weapons to fight in the war? Something to completely nullify the threat of a demon? Honestly, we seem to be doing rather well on both those fronts on our own. Granted, we haven¡¯t faced a demon and there is about to be another big battle unless Evestani finally gives up after their losses to the undead¡ª¡±

    ¡°Master, if I may interject.¡±

    Arkk looked up to Vezta. ¡°You have an idea?¡±

    ¡°Nine of the sixteen pedestals are occupied with statues. Each additional statue beyond the initial five came about when we connected the portal to another plane. With the exception of the Laughing Prince. Regardless, finding ways to fill the other pedestals is likely a positive sign towards our ability to repair the damage the Calamity wrought.¡±

    Arkk drummed his fingers against the sheet of parchment once again. He still wasn¡¯t sure that undoing the Calamity was the best path forward. Not if, as Zullie had theorized, all the magic in the Underworld would come flooding here, wreaking havoc across the whole world. Zullie¡¯s analysis of the Silence, brief as it had been, indicated a higher concentration of magic there as well, though not quite to the extent of the Underworld. Directed by Zullie, he had carved out a small testing ritual with the servant in the Anvil to check there and found almost no magic at all. Savren put forward the idea that the Burning Forge had somehow found a solution to the magic buildup problem by creating that massive factory, which hadn¡¯t been there in Vezta¡¯s memories, constantly producing everything to consume excess magic.

    At the same time, Vezta¡¯s idea did warrant consideration. Especially if they could get magic and other boons from additional gods. The Silence had given them a potential weapon against the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar and the Underworld had equipped his troops with weapons and armor far beyond what they could produce here. Other boons on similar levels would see his troubles with both the Kingdom and Evestani diminished to the point where he could put his full efforts toward finding a proper solution to the Calamity.

    Closing his eyes, he looked into the temple room. He swept his gaze over each of the statues. The Almighty Glory, the Burning Forge, the Cloak of Shadows, the Eternal Silence, the Heart of Gold, the Holy Light, the Jailer of the Void, the Laughing Prince, and Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key.

    Seven pedestals were vacant.

    ¡°Who are we missing?¡± Arkk asked. He had discussed the Pantheon with Vezta before, but a reminder couldn¡¯t hurt.

    ¡°The Fickle Wheel¡ªgod of luck, random chance, and patron to gamblers everywhere. The Red Horse¡ªgod of war, physical strength, and animals. The Veiled Dancer¡ªgod of sensuality, celebration, and flow in all forms, from rivers to air to words in a bard¡¯s song. The Whispering Gale¡ªgod of winds, travel, exploration, and messengers. The Permafrost¡ªgod of ice, winter, and stagnation. The Bloated Mother¡ªgod of fertility, disease, and life¡­ and¡­¡± Vezta pursed her lips like she licked a sour lemon. ¡°Unknown, the Enigma.¡±

    Arkk waited a moment. When Vezta didn¡¯t elaborate, he prompted, ¡°God of¡­¡±

    ¡°Nobody knows. Presumably mysteries, the unknown, or something along those lines. I would recommend against entering Unknown, the Enigma¡¯s realm, if at all possible. A single step into the Maze and you may never find your way out again.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°A single step. You can¡¯t just take a step back?¡±

    ¡°The action itself is possible. Whether or not it takes you back to where you started is another question entirely.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Arkk said, frowning. One of Zullie¡¯s failed projects for dealing with the Evestani army involved a maze of shifting barriers and boundaries. He wondered if that would have succeeded if she had called upon Unknown instead of Xel¡¯atriss. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll avoid that one for now. The god of war, on the other hand, sounds like a useful ally to have at present.¡±

    The expression on Vezta¡¯s face didn¡¯t fill Arkk with confidence.

    ¡°Wrong choice?¡± he asked.

    ¡°The Red Horse is a god that extols the virtues of physical strength and loathes magic in all forms. Followers of the war god made up the vast majority of my former master¡¯s enemies prior to the Calamity.¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t support us even though it isn¡¯t one of the traitor gods?¡±

    ¡°Hard to say.¡±

    Arkk hummed a note of disappointment. Probably best to avoid that one for now too then. What else? The Permafrost, perhaps? Priscilla was a devout of the Permafrost so getting that god on their side could only further ingrain Priscilla¡¯s loyalty to him.

    ¡°Speaking of potential allies,¡± Vezta said before Arkk could put forward that idea. ¡°What of the letter?¡±

    Arkk¡¯s pursed his lips as he looked back down to the parchment. The flowery words written across its surface did not fill him with confidence.

    Before you stand not one but two in might, their shadows cast upon your lofty height. Yet from behind, a foe does stealthy creep, To strike your back while you in battle weep. If aid you seek, just voice your earnest plea, An Ally¡¯s hand will then be yours to see.

    It was like that prophecy that the inquisitors had given Arkk. Except slightly more straightforward. Assuming the letter wasn¡¯t somehow intended for another and misdelivered, the two standing before were the Evestani and the Eternal Empire. The lofty height was probably the Walking Fortress at Elmshadow. The enemy behind was a little less clear.

    There were only a few possibilities. This war now involved three factions, not including Arkk. His two opponents and the King¡¯s army, the latter of which was set to arrive at Elmshadow in a few days.

    It was something he hadn¡¯t put much thought toward. They were allies coming at his request to reinforce the Duchy and end this war once and for all. But¡­

    The Kingdom was the home to the Abbey of the Light. If the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar was directing the Evestani army, there was a chance that the other traitor gods also had avatars who might have their own feelings about his existence. Probably feelings of ill intent. The King¡¯s army could easily show up, stab him in the back in the name of the Light, and then shake hands on a job well done with Evestani.

    Except¡­

    This letter had been delivered via a statue of the Holy Light.

    ¡°I¡¯m confused,¡± Arkk said eventually, looking up to Vezta. ¡°Is the Holy Light trying to aid us? Sow distrust between us and the King¡¯s army? Or¡­ was this accidentally delivered to the wrong statue of the Holy Light?¡±

    It could refer instead to Evestani having two enemies in Arkk and the King¡¯s army, warning them of a saboteur at their back. Seeing the letter as having been erroneously delivered made the last bit of it make a little more sense.

    Ask for an ally and get an ally.

    If it wasn¡¯t referring to the Abbey wanting to re-vitalize their alliance with Evestani, and the letter had reached its intended reader, then it almost sounded like an offer to join him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say with absolute certainty, Master, but the thought of a letter being accidentally delivered to the wrong recipient in this manner seems¡­ egregious.¡±

    ¡°Right? But that would mean that the Holy Light supports us?¡± Arkk paused, frowning to himself. It hadn¡¯t been so long ago that Zullie put forward her suspicions that Vezta didn¡¯t actually know all she said she knew. That nobody would be able to tell if she got something incorrect.

    There had been frequent wars between Evestani and the Kingdom throughout history. Never with such overt magic that it might have directly involved avatars¡ªor their involvements had been wiped from the annals of history¡ªbut enough to suggest that the Abbey of the Light and the Golden Order had rarely, if ever, been friendly toward one another.

    ¡°Is it possible that the Holy Light isn¡¯t a traitor?¡± Arkk mused, mostly to himself. ¡°Perhaps they escaped the effects of the Calamity through some other method¡­¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Vezta said, eyes firm. ¡°There is no doubt about the identities of the traitor gods.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, staring at Vezta for a moment. He nodded his head, deciding not to argue with her for the time being. Instead, he looked down at the letter once again, tapping his finger against it.

    ¡°Is there anything on my schedule for the remainder of the evening?¡±

    Vezta shook her head, completely unbothered by the sudden change in subject. ¡°You have a meeting with your magical researchers in the morning. Aside from that, you are mostly clear until the arrival of the King¡¯s army. Barring any emergencies, of course.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Arkk said, pressing his lips together. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll think more about this letter. And likely involve my other advisors before making any real decisions.¡±

    ¡°Seeking counsel is a wise decision, though I do not know that any of your other advisors have any expertise in this domain.¡±

    ¡°Be that as it may¡­¡± Arkk stood, carefully placing the letter among his important files. ¡°For the time being, it would be best if we carried on as usual. Head to Elmshadow and ensure we¡¯re ready to receive the King¡¯s Army. They haven¡¯t stabbed us in the back yet and I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m the first to wield that blade.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Vezta said with a deep bow. As soon as she righted herself, she turned and departed.

    Arkk, left alone in his office, paced back and forth. He checked in every few moments, watching Vezta¡¯s progress through Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s corridors. She encountered seemingly half the notable employees on her way, all of whom stopped her and spoke with her for varying amounts of time. Everyone knew her and it appeared as if most everyone liked her.

    Which Arkk did find a little interesting. He could still remember his fear upon first meeting her, the unease among Langleey Village after successfully defending it from the horde of goblins, and the utter terror the soldiers in the Duke¡¯s manor had of her after the assassinations at the party. Although a monster far beyond beastmen and demihumans, she was accepted here.

    Unfortunately, her popularity delayed her by almost an hour. It was far later than he wanted by the time she finally made it to the teleportation chamber and vanished from Fortress Al-Mir. Given what he planned for the rest of the evening, he might have to delay the meeting with Zullie in the morning.

    Zullie always hated disruptions to her schedule.

    But for now, Arkk teleported himself out of his office, reappearing back in the center of the temple. Alone save for nine statues of gods and seven empty pedestals.

    He turned slowly, sweeping his gaze around the chamber. He met the eyes of each of the statues. His eyes lingered the longest on Xel¡¯atriss, but he didn¡¯t stop on the thin woman surrounded by tendrils or the door she stood near. Arkk kept turning until he finally ended on the majestic pose of the Holy Light.

    Narrowing his eyes, Arkk glared at the statue. It had returned to its usual pose, standing strong and tall. The outstretched hand that held the letter was back at its side. Now, if anything, the only difference from before was the amount of light concealing the statue¡¯s face, acting as its clothing. It was bright. Almost blindingly so.

    Arkk didn¡¯t like it. The idea that one of these gods, especially one of the supposed traitors, had such control within his domain set him ill at ease. What if, instead of a letter, the statue had delivered an alchemical bomb capable of destroying the entire fortress? The temple chamber wasn¡¯t adjacent to the [HEART], but it was a whole lot closer than some of the experimental chambers down below.

    If the Holy Light could do that, what was stopping the Gold or the Almighty?

    And, perhaps more importantly, could he send something through the statues? It was a bit dangerous without knowing who possible recipients might be, but if he could hand the armored figure of the Heart of Gold an alchemical bomb and have it show up at the avatar¡¯s real body¡­

    Planning was useless at this stage. There was no point unless he figured out how this room worked. And all he had to operate on were a few suggestions from Vezta, none of which sounded particularly reliable.

    ¡°So,¡± Arkk said, turning around once more to meet each of the statues. ¡°Let¡¯s chat.¡±

    He waited a moment.

    Then a moment more.

    Nothing happened.

    It was a good thing Vezta wasn¡¯t around. He was embarrassed enough talking to himself as it was.

    Spreading his arms wide and spinning around, an assortment of trinkets and items appeared around him. A small pile of gold, what little he could spare at the moment. A pig from the farms. A tome from the library, not unimportant but nothing he or Zullie couldn¡¯t recreate if necessary. Rare ingredients from his personal alchemy laboratory. One of the shadow scythes, fresh from the Shadow Forge. Food and drink stolen straight from Larry¡¯s meal for the evening.

    While he did have a few Evestani prisoners, he wasn¡¯t quite willing to leap to human sacrifice just yet. There were plenty of other things to try first.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get started, shall we?¡±

 Boon

    ¡°Lady Shadows,¡± Arkk said, kneeling in front of the statue of the Cloak of Shadows. ¡°In times past, your followers laid many offerings at your altars.¡±

    Arkk produced a small bowl of fruit. Dried preserves left over from the long winter. It was a strange offering, in his eyes. He expected an obsidian dagger, one of those bolts of shadowy cloth, or even something made in the Shadow Forge. But, after a consultation with the Protector, Arkk had settled on a few more mundane items. Fruit, back in the day, was commonly thought of as the favorite food of the Cloak of Shadows. Those who made proper pious offerings of fresh fruit were often seen experiencing fortune and good luck in their day-to-day lives.

    The Cloak of Shadows wasn¡¯t the god of luck. That concept belonged to the Fickle Wheel. Nonetheless, Arkk decided fruit was as good a start as any to his attempts this evening. Even if he wasn¡¯t quite sure how a god would eat a bowl of fruit. Xel¡¯atriss had been so massive that an apple would have been akin to a grain of sand on her tongue.

    ¡°Today, I offer you this bowl of fruit.¡± Because of the recent winter, it wasn¡¯t fresh. Hopefully, that wouldn¡¯t matter. ¡°And I offer my appreciation for allowing me the use of your tools, your Shadow Forge, and the Protector.¡±

    Unlike many of his other planned attempts, Arkk wouldn¡¯t ask anything of the Lady Shadows. He felt like he had gotten enough out of the Underworld. If the Cloak of Shadows wanted to give him more as additional thanks for this offering, he wasn¡¯t going to refuse, but he wasn¡¯t expecting that. He mostly just wanted to see what would happen, if anything.

    So far, kneeling in front of the wispy dark cloak wrapped around the vaguely feminine form that was the statue, nothing had happened. And it wasn¡¯t looking like anything would.

    Arkk stood, bowl of fruit in hand, and approached the edge of the silvery pool closest to the Cloak of Shadows. He then upended the bowl, dumping it all in. Vezta had said that the pool was a direct connection to the realm of the gods, so hopefully the Cloak of Shadows could pluck them out of the aether and have a nice snack. Or whatever a god did with favored food.

    The bits of fruit simply slid underneath the surface. There were no ripples, no disturbances to the liquid. Just like when he threw in that gold coin all those months ago, it made him uneasy. Like some part of the back of his mind knew that this was wrong. It wasn¡¯t how the world worked.

    Arkk took a few hasty steps back and waited a moment.

    When nothing continued to happen, he nodded his thanks one last time to the Cloak of Shadows before moving on to the next experiment.

    <hr>

    Arkk approached the statue of the Eternal Silence with a sense of trepidation. The god of death, stillness, and sleep was not one to be invoked lightly. The statue was a serene, masculine figure, resting in a chair with his head slumped against his shoulder. A polished skull sat on his lap.

    Arkk knelt, his knees pressing into the cold tiles of the floor, and placed a small vial of nightshade extract at the base of the statue. From the alchemical books Morford had sold him, along with a few other books he had acquired outside Darkwood Burg, he had seen one plant associated with both sleep and death over and over again. If anything might be an appropriate offering, it would be nightshade.

    Either that or the flowery plant he had taken from the Silence. But that felt more like returning something he had stolen.

    ¡°Eternal Silence,¡± Arkk said, his voice barely above a whisper. ¡°I come to you seeking your boon. I don¡¯t know what your followers might have done in your honor. As far as I can tell, your name has effectively been wiped from the surface of this world. Perhaps you prefer it that way¡­ But today, I offer you this vial of nightshade, a symbol of your dominion. In return, all I ask is a fitting response.¡±

    Arkk placed the vial down at the base of the statue and waited, bowing his head.

    Unlike the Cloak of Shadows, Arkk waited long minutes for any possible answer. Yet still, nothing happened. Just silence. Silence might have been a positive response, were it not the default for any given moment. He expected the silence to deepen, to deafen with its absence.

    Yet it was just regular silence.

    Looking up at the statue, noting the unchanged serene face, Arkk sighed and stood. There was no indication of approval or disapproval.

    Taking the nightshade, he approached the edge of the pool. This time, he knelt, said the same thing he had just spoken, and dumped the vial into the silvery liquid.

    <hr>

    ¡°Hello, Xel¡¯atriss. Remember me?¡± Arkk knelt at the woman with the outstretched arms.

    <hr>

    ¡°Cloak of Shadows. I have another gift for you. A cloak that I made myself using the dark fabric of your dagger¡­¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Jailer of the Void, I¡¯d like to start off by apologizing for¡­ uh.. killing your avatar¡­¡±

    <hr>

    Twelve hours after locking himself inside the temple and Arkk had to wonder how anyone figured out how magic worked.

    Arkk paced back and forth in front of a large board pinned with notes. Everything he knew about the gods, both those whose statues stood around the room and those still missing, was listed out on long rolls of vellum. From the way Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key communicated by shifting the boundaries of what he knew and didn¡¯t know to every observed magical effect the avatar of the Heart of Gold had demonstrated. From the effects of the Silence to the factory of the Anvil. From the Laughing Prince¡¯s domains over undeath, festivals, and children to the Holy Light¡¯s dominion over light, the sun, and knowledge.

    The Holy Light¡¯s segment was a great deal longer than any other. He had paid attention to the Suun sermons. There were entire tomes of holy texts that he didn¡¯t even know about, let alone know the contents of, but what he did know was still more than any of the other gods. Even Xel¡¯atriss, the one he likely knew the second most about.

    Unfortunately, the Holy Light was also one of the gods he didn¡¯t want to accidentally contact, if at all possible. Regardless of what that letter said, he was still ill at ease with the idea of consorting with the traitor gods. Vezta would probably be¡­ displeased if she found out, which was also a contributing factor to his reluctance. If all else failed¡­

    The board next to the details of the gods was a listing of everything he knew about the temple room itself. It wasn¡¯t a very long list. He knew that acquiring boons was possible, he knew that human sacrifice was likely a way to do so, though it wasn¡¯t the only way. He knew they had already used a ritual within the temple room to directly entreat with Xel¡¯atriss. That option was off the table, obviously, but he still had it up on the board for completeness.

    The final board was a list of everything he had tried so far. Mostly, it consisted of throwing things into the pool, setting things at the bases of the statues, or otherwise asking for assistance and hoping for a response. He had also gone around to each of the statues, asking each in turn for even just a small sign that he was on the right track. None had answered.

    Naturally, he avoided the statues of the traitor gods.

    In addition to everything he tried, there was also a list of things he suspected or wanted to test, but couldn¡¯t at the moment. For example, did he need to try this at a certain time of day? Or a certain time of year? Did the moon phases matter? What of the constellations in the sky?

    This would be easier with Vezta present. But there were two problems with that. The first was that she had never been present during her former master¡¯s rituals. Arkk didn¡¯t know if there was a correlation there but it seemed like changing that now would just add extra possibilities to test for and he didn¡¯t have that much time to work on this. The second problem¡­

    Arkk¡¯s eyes drifted to the statue shrouded in light. The Holy Light and Xel¡¯atriss were the only two to have communicated with him. And the latter only during a complex and powerful ritual.

    If any of the statues were going to do anything, Arkk had a feeling it would be the Holy Light. He admitted he was curious about that letter too. It said to simply speak out, asking for an ally, and he would have one.

    Arkk kept his mouth firmly shut.

    His curiosity wasn¡¯t going to stop him from exhausting every other possibility first.

    Turning away from the Holy Light, Arkk approached the grinning statue of the Laughing Prince. Arkk teleported a clattering skeleton directly at his side. One of a very small number that hadn¡¯t fought the Evestani army. This skeleton had been his first test with necromancy, raising it from the dead under Zullie¡¯s instructions. Unlike all the others, it had not come from the dead at Elmshadow.

    Arkk had taken it from the graves behind Langleey Village¡¯s church.

    His father. Rickkton. A man Arkk barely knew and barely had any memories of. He had died when Arkk was only five years old, far too soon to form any real memories. There might be one or two vague feelings rattling around in the back of Arkk¡¯s mind, but nothing clear.

    Arkk had chosen his father for one reason and one reason alone.

    If something went wrong and his necromancy went out of control, if there was even a slim scrap of his father left behind, Arkk figured his father would be the least likely person to cause him harm.

    Nothing had gone wrong and, now, Arkk was well and truly convinced that there wasn¡¯t anything left of his father. It still seemed a bit too sad to send his own father into a fight with his enemies, lost among a few thousand other bodies. Arkk intended to return his father to his grave, but¡­

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    He hadn¡¯t ever gotten around to it.

    And now, he had another test that his father could assist with.

    ¡°Well, Smiling Prince. You like necromancy enough to show up on your own. So let¡¯s see if I can¡¯t get a few more reactions out of you, hmm?¡±

    <hr>

    Arkk let out a long yawn. He wasn¡¯t able to stop himself. How long had he been in here?

    With a shake of his head, Arkk focused. He wasn¡¯t done yet.

    Arkk plucked up a dried bit of apple and popped it into his mouth. It wasn¡¯t the best meal but he had forgotten to eat for most of the last day. He could have teleported anything from the kitchens straight to him, but at this hour of the day, there wasn¡¯t much already made and he didn¡¯t want to waste time making something.

    ¡°You want some of this?¡± Arkk asked, leaning back.

    He sat up against the pedestal holding the Cloak of Shadows. The wispy, ethereal drape of shadows over the actual figure underneath didn¡¯t move. Neither did the figure. With a small sigh, he looked around the rest of the room.

    ¡°How about the rest of you? Dried fruit, anyone?¡±

    Nothing but silence greeted him.

    As much as he expected it, the silence still made him shift in discomfort. Once again, he was glad Vezta wasn¡¯t around.

    This was a bit embarrassing.

    <hr>

    A marble made from the coldest ice hovered just above Arkk¡¯s palm. He walked around the temple room, stopping at each of the empty pedestals.

    He closed his eyes, humming lightly as he felt the magic in the room.

    ¡°Not this pedestal,¡± Arkk said before continuing to the next. ¡°Nor this one¡­ Then, it must be¡­¡±

    As he approached the final unoccupied pedestal, a chill ran down Arkk¡¯s spine. A sudden rush of cold came from the ice marble, but it wasn¡¯t anything he had done. It acted on its own.

    Shivering, feeling a little numb, Arkk nonetheless put on a smile. ¡°Now isn¡¯t that interesting?¡±

    Stepping right up to the pedestal, he held out his hand over its smooth surface. Taking a breath and letting out a cloud of icy mist, he pulled his hand back.

    The marble dropped through the air. It landed on the stone with the sound of glass shattering. A blast of icy air shot out.

    Arkk teleported himself to the opposite side of the room the second he felt that cold. He hadn¡¯t forgotten the last time the marble had fallen to the ground. He ended up frozen to the floor along with the inquisitors and half his team.

    The marble bounced after the first hit, landing with another crack of glass. Another wave of cold rippled out, turning the moisture in the air into icy crystals. The entire half of the room started to fill with opaque white fog, making the temperature plummet.

    Arkk waited, rubbing his arms with his gloved hands, glad he had thought to fetch a coat from his chambers before trying this out.

    The sound of shattering glass that accompanied each bounce of the marble stopped abruptly. It didn¡¯t sound like the energy of the marble had just petered out. Each bounce had a good second between. But it just stopped.

    He slowly approached, wafting his hands back and forth as he neared the curtain of fog in an attempt to clear it away. Deciding that wasn¡¯t working, Arkk pulled some hot coals straight from the forge and teleported them around that side of the room. That helped and, soon enough, the fog started to clear away.

    The pedestal was no longer empty. A part of Arkk expected nothing more than a random mass of jagged ice.

    He had not expected a finely sculpted ice statue. It looked like a dragon. A full dragon, the kind depicted in myths and legends, not the humanoid dragonoid that Priscilla was. It stood, tall and majestic. Four legs, perched like a cat, with its long and scaled tail coiled around the base of the pedestal. Its wings were neatly folded behind its back while its head, with a narrow snout, slit eyes, and curled horns, was poised in a regal, proud posture.

    Legends said that real dragons were massive, able to crush an entire village without even noticing what they were stepping upon. A dragon god was probably even larger than that. The statue, however, was scaled to fit upon the pedestal, hardly any larger than the other statues around the room.

    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that interesting,¡± Arkk murmured.

    The skeletal figure of his father at his side didn¡¯t respond.

    Stepping closer, Arkk gave the statue a closer look. Was it as real as the rest of them? Or would it melt away? It certainly looked as if it were made out of ice. And the ice marble¡­

    Arkk frowned, unable to find it. It wasn¡¯t on the pedestal or anywhere nearby. Even with Fortress Al-Mir and his ability to teleport anything he owned within its walls, he couldn¡¯t feel the marble. It was just¡­ gone.

    ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t need that,¡± he murmured, looking up at the dragon¡¯s snout. If the marble was somewhere inside the statue, he might be able to retrieve it by destroying it¡­ but that seemed like a good way to piss off a dragon god. He really did not wish to make more gods his enemies at the moment.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you might be willing to grant me any boons?¡± he asked, raising an eyebrow.

    The dragon statue didn¡¯t move.

    Of course, it didn¡¯t.

    With a sigh, Arkk focused on Priscilla. The dragonoid was currently with Hale. Again. They had been spending a lot of time together as of late. Unfortunately, both were out at Elmshadow. He made a note to ask Priscilla about how the Permafrost¡¯s followers worshipped another time.

    For now, he looked around the room. ¡°Ten statues. Six empty spots¡­¡±

    He frowned. ¡°And no boons.¡±

    <hr>

    Arkk stared, eyes wide and palms sweaty.

    The skeleton of Rickkton sat leaned over the pool of silvery liquid. Both arms were below the surface, neither causing ripples. Arkk, mentally connected to the skeleton through his necromancy, could feel something there. Something that hadn¡¯t been there a moment ago.

    The skeleton grasped at the something, bony hands wrapped tightly around whatever it was. Large and somewhat angular, it felt like a carved stone. Arkk didn¡¯t dare have the skeleton dip its head below the surface¡ªhe couldn¡¯t see through its empty eye sockets anyway¡ªwhich left hauling the stone up the only option to find out what it was.

    But the skeleton was stuck. Arkk couldn¡¯t tell if the stone was too heavy or if the skeleton was too weak. He certainly wasn¡¯t going to reach into the pool himself.

    A rope. Would a rope work? The skeleton could feel something like an underside to the stone. Strangely enough, there wasn¡¯t anything beneath the stone. Just empty¡­ whatever.

    Holding out his hand, Arkk teleported a rope from elsewhere in the fortress. He passed it to the skeleton, keeping one end up and out of the pool. With some precise mental commands, he directed the skeleton to loop it beneath the stone, making a cross pattern underneath, and then tie it up at the top end. He used a knot he had learned down in the smithy, hoping it would be enough.

    He tried hauling it straight up. It budged a little, but he lacked the leverage or general strength required to lift it.

    Frowning to himself, he scanned through the currently awake employees in Fortress Al-Mir.

    A disoriented Dakka appeared at his side. She opened her mouth, only to freeze upon seeing the state of the room. Her head slowly turned around, looking at all the random items Arkk still had lying about. She finally looked down at the skeleton, cocking an eyebrow in the process.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask,¡± Arkk said, handing her the rope. ¡°I just need you to lift. Take care not to touch the liquid yourself.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ sure,¡± she said, wrapping the rope around her hand. Bracing herself, she strained a moment before the stone came loose. She hauled it up and out of the liquid with relative ease after that.

    It was a crystal. Larger than the keystone Sylvara had brought but made from the same yellow-iridescent material. The rune on its surface was a new one, a vague depiction of a skull.

    Arkk glanced first at the skeleton pulling itself out of the pool, then at the statue of the Smiling Prince. Was this a boon? Or had he just found it randomly while searching? Both?

    ¡°So¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Dakka,¡± Arkk said, looking back to the orc. ¡°I¡¯ll send you back to the kitchens.¡±

    She vanished before she had a chance to respond. Arkk crouched down, frowning at the large keystone.

    <hr>

    ¡°Alright.¡± Arkk stood in front of the Holy Light, frowning up at his heroic visage. ¡°Alright,¡± he said again. ¡°You gave me a letter that said to ask for help. So here I am, wondering what kind of help you can give.¡±

    The Holy Light didn¡¯t move, didn¡¯t react, and didn¡¯t say a word.

    As expected.

    Arkk turned away, shaking his head. He had made a mess of the temple. Most of it could be cleared away with a simple wave of his hand, teleporting everything back to where he had gotten it, but the sight of it still wore him down. It was all evidence that he had wasted the past day. He had only one thing to show for the time spent and he still wasn¡¯t sure if it was a result of his actions or if that keystone had always been under the surface of the pool¡ªthe skeleton was going around the edges of the temple pool, searching for more, but no luck so far.

    ¡°Well, I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Are you finished playing around?¡±

    Arkk teleported immediately, completely vacating the temple. Safely within his private quarters, he peered into the temple.

    The statue of the Holy Light had moved once again. This time, it looked frozen mid-laughter. It remained like that for a few moments before, without passing any of the intervening space, it was back in its default heroic pose. Arkk waited another long few minutes.

    This was what he wanted, wasn¡¯t it? He got a response from one of the statues. Granted, it wasn¡¯t one of the statues he wanted a response from, but it was a response.

    Now he had run away from it.

    Was it dangerous? If it wanted to kill him, it surely would have just stabbed him in the back, not spoken with him. And it had been the one to send that letter in the first place.

    Mustering his courage, Arkk drew a breath and teleported back into the temple. He ended up well away from the statue of the Holy Light.

    ¡°Hello?¡± he called out from across the room. ¡°Are you there?¡±

    A light, flittering laughter cascaded throughout the chamber as the statue shifted back into an open-mouthed laugh. It didn¡¯t move to that position. It just was in that position¡ªhad always been in that position. The laughter was full of amusement and, oddly enough for the very masculine statue, it was quite feminine sounding.

    Then again, perhaps it wasn¡¯t that odd. Surely a god could do whatever they wanted.

    ¡°Hello,¡± he said again. ¡°I, uh¡­ received your letter.¡±

    The Holy Light shifted again, standing in a more neutral pose as it looked down at Arkk. ¡°I noticed. Good to see that Vrox was right. You did just require a more explicit message.¡±

    Arkk narrowed his eyes, frowning.

    Vrox? Why mention Vrox? The only Vrox Arkk knew was Darius Vrox, the inquisitor. Was he speaking with gods these days too?

    ¡°Well, Arkk? What are you doing all the way over there?¡± The statue flickered into a gesturing pose, unmoving yet somehow welcoming. ¡°Come closer, come closer. Don¡¯t be afraid. I can¡¯t attack you like this¡­ or I¡¯m sure you would have died at the hands of my¡­ contemporaries already.¡±

    ¡°Is that really true?¡± Arkk asked, turning his head and noting the still statues of the Heart of Gold and the Almighty Glory. Neither had moved.

    ¡°You think I would lie to you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arkk said. ¡°You sliced off Vezta¡¯s arm.¡±

    ¡°That is that, this is this,¡± the statue said with a shrug. Notably, it didn¡¯t perform the action of shrugging. One moment, it had always been shrugging, the next, it returned to a neutral position.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m good here,¡± he called back, not wanting his back to any of the statues, though with them at all four sides of the room, he didn¡¯t have much choice. At least Xel¡¯atriss at his back wasn¡¯t likely to turn out poorly.

    Probably.

    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± the statue of the Holy Light said, looking eminently disappointed. ¡°But we have a lot to discuss¡­ Best get comfortable.¡±

    Arkk crossed his arms, frowning.

    ¡°I¡¯ll skip to the end to get you thinking before returning to the start to explain. The long and short of it is that I wish for direct, physical access to this temple room.¡±

    Arkk looked around slowly, somewhat confused. ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡­ Don¡¯t you already have access to it?¡± he asked, gesturing toward the statue. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that I could stop a god¡ª¡±

    That light, feminine laughter spilled out of the statue once again, though the statue didn¡¯t move this time. ¡°Oh. Oh my. You believe I am The Holy Light. No, no. No. Certainly not. Were I, I imagine things would be far, far different. No, Arkk. I am merely what you call the avatar.¡±

    Arkk blinked. Then blinked again. All of a sudden, he felt the tension in the back of his neck drain away. He was not speaking with another god. That¡­

    Made a lot of sense. Between today and his earlier encounter with Xel¡¯atriss, members of the Pantheon didn¡¯t speak. Especially not so¡­ normally.

    The statue laughed again before leaning forward, towering over Arkk with the added height. ¡°Yes, Arkk. Let¡¯s start at the beginning.¡±

 The Kings Royal Army

    ¡°They¡¯re here.¡±

    Arkk looked up from the library desk to find Ilya standing at the door. For a long moment, he just stared, smiling softly at the tall elf. Until Ilya cocked an eyebrow in the way she did when mildly irritated.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arkk said, clearing his throat. ¡°I¡¯ll head over in a minute. Just finishing things up here.¡±

    Ilya didn¡¯t turn to leave. Hands on her hips, she stepped closer, all but glaring around the room. She narrowed her eyes at Zullie, not that the blind witch could tell, then turned a deep scowl on the other person present. Or, rather, other thing present.

    With a grimace, Arkk wrapped an arm around Ilya¡¯s waist and tried to lead her toward the exit. ¡°Actually, let¡¯s head over now. Wouldn¡¯t want to keep the King¡¯s army wai¡ª¡±

    ¡°Arkk,¡± Ilya said, her voice harsh and firm. Her feet remained firmly planted on the floor despite Arkk¡¯s efforts. ¡°Why is there a skeleton in the library?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ That¡¯s¡­ Well, it¡¯s like¡­¡±

    ¡°My fault,¡± Zullie said, casual and unbothered. ¡°I required a test subject for an experiment that wasn¡¯t likely survivable. We figured the dead wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±

    Silver eyes glared at Zullie, then glared at Arkk. ¡°The horse was bad enough. And what¡¯s that it has in its hands,¡± she said, peering down at the orange-yellow crystalline block it held. ¡°Part of the portal archway?¡±

    ¡°A keystone,¡± Zullie said. ¡°A new one. It will potentially allow us access to the domain of the Laughing Prince¡ªa place Vezta called the Forlorn Festival or the Necropolis¡ªthough at the moment, we¡¯re trying to decide on a way to scry on other planes without actually visiting them first. We don¡¯t want a repeat of what happened to Agnete.¡±

    At the mention of the purifier, Ilya¡¯s anger diminished. She looked to Zullie with her lips pressed in a thin line, then to Arkk. Eventually, she looked over at the skeleton. ¡°Fine,¡± she said, finally turning away from the library. Stopping at the door, she looked back. ¡°That army is closing in. They¡¯ll be here sometime today. Harvey spotted riders breaking away, heading toward Elmshadow. If you want to be there to greet them in person, better get over there soon.¡±

    ¡°I will. I¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t get to finish before Ilya stalked out of the library. The doors in Fortress Al-Mir opened and closed automatically for his employees. She still somehow managed to slam it. He cringed at the noise but sighed in relief. She was mad. But not mad mad.

    ¡°Good thing she didn¡¯t find out you had a whole army of skeletons.¡±

    ¡°Shush,¡± Arkk said, shooting a glare at the witch. There was no heat in his eyes, however. ¡°Thanks for taking the blame.¡±

    Zullie shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t care if she¡¯s upset with me. I work for you, not her.¡±

    ¡°Still,¡± Arkk said, retaking his seat at the desk. ¡°About the project¡­ Do you think it is feasible?¡±

    ¡°If we had one more portal structure, one we could dismantle for the crystalline material, we might be able to figure out how to make keystones for all the planes based on the examples we have. But we don¡¯t have one. Not unless you¡¯re willing to take apart the highlands portal.¡±

    ¡°No. If we could relocate the entire thing, that would be for the best. But not to use as parts. I want it ready to connect to the Anvil at any moment. Our portal will be used for the Underworld, Silence, Necropolis, or any other plane we gain access to. We can reevaluate which portals go where after Agnete is back. Not before.¡±

    Zullie sighed but nodded her head, knowing Arkk wasn¡¯t going to budge on that. ¡°Is Agnete even¡­ I mean, how is she doing over there?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s still alive,¡± Arkk said with a frown. Closing his eyes, he focused on Agnete. ¡°They seem to have put her to work. She¡¯s been building a whole variety of things, every day, all day long.¡±

    ¡°Slave labor?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. If anything, I would say that she is quite happy and willing.¡±

    ¡°Does she even want to come back?¡±

    That was a question that Arkk didn¡¯t have the answer to. The only thing he could say was that, ¡°She¡¯s over there because of me, so I¡¯ve got to leave a way back for her no matter what.¡±

    Zullie hummed. ¡°It¡¯s a shame neither of the walking fortresses in the Underworld had archways. Having our portal connected to realms other than the Underworld is causing delays in revitalizing glowstones for siege and ritual magics.¡±

    ¡°I know. If you have a better solution, I¡¯m all ears.¡±

    ¡°Actually¡­ Now that you brought it up¡­¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t exactly sure why, but he felt a sudden weight. Like he had just stepped in a bog. ¡°Is this more Xel¡¯atriss magic?¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been somewhat hit or miss lately. Mostly miss. Did you finish outfitting the soldiers stationed at Leda¡¯s tower?¡±

    ¡°Ugh. Those were hardly worth the effort. They¡¯re weaker than Kia and Claire, weaker even than the shadow armor. It¡¯s because they can¡¯t see the reality layers like Kia and Claire can. Should have just put Leda¡¯s soldiers through Project Liminal.¡±

    ¡°Not everyone wants to be permanently splintered across infinite versions of reality,¡± Arkk said, wondering if anyone had ever said something like that before. He doubted it. ¡°Their gear will let them do what they need to do. Once we neutralize the avatar¡­¡±

    ¡°In any case, yes, I finished,¡± she said with a begrudging look on her face. Zullie quickly perked up, dragging out a notebook from somewhere else in the library. ¡°And this new project is nothing like those failures we suffered while trying to deal with Evestani¡¯s army. You recall the planar magic in the Duke¡¯s ballroom?¡±

    ¡°He stole the light from¡ª¡±

    ¡°The realm of the Holy Light, I believe.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I recall,¡± Arkk said, looking down at the open page. He wasn¡¯t quite sure how Zullie found the page with her lack of eyes, but he figured he was looking at the right thing.

    Crystalline Infusion Nexus was scrawled across the top of the page. An elegantly drawn device, roughly half the size of a person based on the comparison sketch. At its core, a series of intricate, interlocking crystalline conduits formed a lattice that, according to a descriptive scrawl, would pulse with vibrant colors, drawing raw magic from alternate planes of existence. Mostly the Underworld. Uncharged glowstones would go into the central chamber where they would be bathed in a steady stream of magic.

    A way to charge glowstone crystals here, instead of having to cart them back and forth to the Underworld.

    There was one small problem. ¡°It says most of the device is made out of the portal structure.¡±

    ¡°Which is why we need to locate another one,¡± Zullie said. ¡°Maybe shave off some of the crystalline material¡ªI doubt they need to be as thick as they are. Or dismantle one of the ones we have access to. Could I propose sending Priscilla, and perhaps a few other fliers, through to the orc homelands? They¡¯ll then break apart that portal and carry the pieces back through the regular Underworld portal. It¡¯ll even be much faster than the initial expedition because we can send them straight there.¡±

    ¡°Then both Agnete and Priscilla are out of commission. My two best options for actually getting the Binding Agent in contact with the avatar.¡±

    ¡°Bah,¡± Zullie said, scoffing with a dismissive wave of her hand. ¡°My dark elves are just as good as any dragonoid or purifier. Better, even. If we could get more volunteers for Project Liminal¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop, stop. We¡¯ve cycled through these discussion points a dozen times. I¡¯ll think about it, but it might not be until after the avatar is dealt with.¡±

    ¡°By then, we probably won¡¯t need the Infusion Nexus.¡±

    Arkk wasn¡¯t so sure about that. Not if what the Holy Light¡¯s avatar had to say had any truth to it. He still didn¡¯t trust a word of it, but that didn¡¯t mean he hadn¡¯t listened.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Standing, Arkk said, ¡°Keep up with your other projects for now. And find out if the Necropolis can actually help us, and whether it is worth visiting. I¡¯ve got an army to meet.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Zullie said, slumping back in her chair just as Arkk teleported out of the room.

    He went straight to the ritual chamber, went through the hops, and emerged at Elmshadow¡¯s currently stationary Walking Fortress. Another teleport and he found himself at the highest point of Al-Lavik. The roof.

    He looked out to the east, easily spotting the columns of the approaching army. They weren¡¯t far off at all now.

    A certain tension welled in the pit of his stomach. Just seeing them approach like that. If what the Holy Light¡¯s avatar said was true¡­

    And here he was, about to invite them straight to the heart of his secondary base of operations.

    Who to trust? Who to believe? Everyone had an angle that they were going for, their own plots and plans. The Holy Light¡¯s avatar said that he was doing her a favor and she simply wanted to repay that debt, but that sounded like a steaming cowpie to Arkk. Not only would she not say what that favor was but the information she had given him wasn¡¯t all that helpful.

    Then she said she wanted Agnete back. Arkk was fairly sure she didn¡¯t mean from the Anvil, if she even knew Agnete was there, but back in the chains of the Inquisition.

    Prince Cedric was aiming for total subjugation of all factions in Mystakeen. He was being more cautious than during the Vaales rebellion, but that was only because of the relative strengths of his opponents. Namely Arkk and Evestani. Both were factions far beyond the rebelling nobles in Vaales. Behind his serious demeanor and firm handshakes, he was plotting Arkk¡¯s demise.

    That was the warning. An¡­ addendum to the prophecy of the oracles that Sylvara and Inquisitrix Lui had delivered.

    Arkk narrowed his eyes at the columns of soldiers. They were here as allies today. They weren¡¯t in any kind of battle formation, nor did they haul siege equipment and magics. He had already fully investigated every cart they had through scrying. They weren¡¯t here to fight.

    Not today. But tomorrow? The day after?

    Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s words drifted through the back of Arkk¡¯s mind. It would be easy to maneuver them into a position where they would suffer great losses against Evestani. With this army out of the way, he could easily lay claim to the entirety of Mystakeen. Possibly Vaales too, if he wanted. Leda¡¯s tower would move and that would free up his Walking Fortress for relocation to wherever it might be needed to ensure his dominion¡­

    All it would take was sending ten thousand soldiers to their deaths.

    Arkk closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh.

    They were just people. Regular people. They didn¡¯t have the power to slice through reality or bend shadows to their whims. They didn¡¯t have the backing of a god¡¯s avatar nor fanciful flying ships as reinforcements. They had marched and marched and marched. They were exhausted and tired and still had battles to fight. They probably didn¡¯t even know what kind of game they had gotten caught up in.

    What then? Should he put some thought into having the Prince assassinated? He would never be left alone if that happened. Not that he would be left alone if he seized the lands for himself, but if he crushed this army to do so, he would buy himself enough time to fully secure his borders while the King cobbled together another fighting force. If he killed the Prince, it might cause some disarray among the army, but they would end up taking orders from the King eventually.

    There was another option.

    He could reject the King¡¯s army¡¯s help. Keep them at a distance. Close enough that they could watch the battle, but far enough that they couldn¡¯t stab him in the back. He needed to demonstrate sheer overwhelming might. Enough to vanquish any thought of their ability to fight him from the rank-and-file¡¯s minds. Crush their spirit so thoroughly that, no matter who commanded them or what their orders were, they would fear the thought of incurring his wrath so that they might favor the consequences of insubordination or even desertion over facing him.

    The question was¡­ could he manage that?

    Hands clasped behind his back, Arkk walked around the roof of the tower. Even from the highest point around, not including the peaks of the Elm mountains, he couldn¡¯t see the Evestani staging area. They were too far off. Yet he knew what they looked like. He had studied them, watching as they built up their encampments and bivouacs. They often used that fog to protect from scrying, but they hadn¡¯t used it while on the move. He knew their force, their equipment, their supplies. He knew how they fought thanks to previous encounters. He knew how the avatar acted.

    Company Al-Mir numbered approximately one thousand strong. Not all were fighters, however. The actual number was closer to eight hundred. But even if he added in everyone, even the blacksmiths and Larry the Butcher, Evestani outnumbered him by a factor of ten. At least.

    There was a reason he hadn¡¯t taken the fight to them. There was a reason he wanted the King¡¯s army.

    Yet, with all the advancements Company Al-Mir had made, all the magical equipment, the experimental weaponry, the magical rituals and power granted by the [HEART], the training and the effort everyone had put in¡­ Arkk thought he could, perhaps, fight off Evestani. As long as their countermeasure against the avatar worked, a thousand could beat fifteen thousand without trouble.

    The problem was that it wasn¡¯t just Evestani. The Eternal Empire was a problem. They possessed magic and weapons that he didn¡¯t yet know the full breadth of yet. He had poked and prodded them on their journey here to try to learn their capabilities, but he still didn¡¯t have the full picture. They numbered fewer than Evestani did, possessing only about eight thousand soldiers, but even that practically doubled the number of soldiers in the enemy encampment. With those invisible flying ships they possessed, it was hard to tell how many more soldiers they might have hidden out of sight.

    And they were starting some kind of construction projects around the Evestani staging area, also hidden from view. More airships? Or something else entirely?

    Could Arkk beat Evestani and the Eternal Empire?

    That, he was less certain of.

    Dakka alone was worth twenty regular soldiers. But he didn¡¯t have a thousand Dakkas. Only a hundred and fifty orcs had been outfitted with the shadow armor and scythes. Not all of them were as good as Dakka was. Even assuming they were, it wasn¡¯t enough.

    Gorgon were a force multiplier, able to spew caustic venom and petrify key targets, rapidly changing the state of any battle they participated in. But there were only seven of them. They couldn¡¯t be everywhere at once.

    Kia and Claire¡­ Kia was still getting used to the changes that came from Project Liminal. If she recovered in roughly the same time as Claire had, both of them were¡­

    Well, Arkk didn¡¯t exactly know how effective they would be against an army. They might rip through it. They might get killed because of unforeseen complications. The abilities granted to them through Project Liminal were strange and powerful, but not without limit. Claire, even now, couldn¡¯t fight forever without feeling like she was splitting apart, falling outside reality¡ªwhatever that meant. So, while they were strong, Arkk had no way of estimating how much damage they could actually do.

    Richter¡¯s battlecasters, augmented with the power from the [HEART], were ten times that of regular spellcasters. But they numbered less than fifty. Arkk¡¯s spellcasters, with charged glowstones backing them up, could act as a full army¡¯s worth of bombardment specialists. Unless the avatar was dealt with, Arkk doubted bombardment magic would so much as scar his opponent.

    He could march the Walking Fortress to the army, crushing them underfoot. But again, not until he dealt with the avatar. This time, there wasn¡¯t a mountain in the way to take the brunt of the attack.

    Agnete and Priscilla each were worth five hundred regular soldiers, at least. But Agnete was gone. Priscilla might be able to freeze over large swaths of the enemy, but he needed her to engage with the avatar.

    Vezta and Lexa could slip in, assassinating key individuals. Potentially even spare bodies for the avatar, though Arkk doubted the avatar would be so foolish as to keep them all in one spot a second time. But they couldn¡¯t fight an army on their own.

    Arkk walked the perimeter of the tower, cycling from the east side to the west side and back again as he thought. More things kept popping up in the back of his mind. Extra aids in the battle. From the war machines recovered from the orc homelands¡ªcurrently inoperable due to engineering issues¡ªto potential inquisitor and purifier assistance, from another undead army¡ªthe first had proved remarkably effective¡ªto esoteric magics that he had warned Zullie against using.

    Could he do it? Could he handle Evestani and the Eternal Empire while keeping an eye on the King¡¯s army?

    Not just could he do it.

    Could he crush them? It wasn¡¯t enough to limp away with uncountable losses, claiming victory by a frayed thread. He had to win, decisively and completely. Or else he might as well surrender his head to the King right now.

    Arkk closed his eyes, scanning over every single employee he had, evaluating every option he had, every possibility.

    When he opened his eyes again, a bright red glow suffused throughout everything he could see even despite the bright sun. He took a breath and teleported to one of the lower levels of the tower. The specialist quarters.

    Kia sat in bed, eyes closed as she leaned up against one of the walls. Claire sat beside her, hand-in-hand, gently rubbing her thumb against the back of Kia¡¯s hand. When Arkk appeared in the room, Claire stiffened. The dark elf moved to stand, only to pause as Arkk waved her down.

    Kia didn¡¯t move, keeping her head against the wall. She opened her eyes barely enough to see him before she squeezed them shut once again.

    ¡°Commander,¡± she murmured.

    ¡°Sorry to disturb you while you¡¯re recovering. You can stay here as long as you need. But Claire, I have a job for you.¡±

    The quieter of the two dark elves stared through messy brown locks of hair with her icy eyes. When he had first met her, Arkk thought she was glaring at him. But that was just how she looked at people. A curious lifting of one of her eyebrows was enough to show that she wasn¡¯t angry with him.

    ¡°I need you at my side when I meet with the riders approaching from the King¡¯s army. I have it on authority that someone in the King¡¯s army might not be what they seem, so I need you to be ready to act.¡±

    ¡°A demon?¡± Claire asked, completely calm despite the implications of what she might be fighting.

    ¡°Not sure, actually. I don¡¯t think so, but it is something. Something that your unique talents might be optimal for dealing with.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± she said, entirely unbothered. ¡°Now?¡±

    ¡°They should be here within the hour.¡±

    Translucent shades of herself started nodding before her head caught up. She moved to stand again.

    This time, Kia moved to follow.

    ¡°Stay,¡± Claire said, planting her hands on Kia¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°Not letting you fight a demon on your own,¡± Kia said, shoving aside Claire¡¯s hands.

    ¡°You can¡¯t even stand.¡±

    Kia didn¡¯t respond. Like Claire, a series of ghostly afterimages both trailed after her body and moved before she moved. Some wobbled, some even fell. The latter vanished into nothingness. But Kia made it to her feet, standing beside the bed. After waiting a moment, making sure that she wasn¡¯t going to fall over, Kia shot Claire a grin. ¡°Not true.¡±

    ¡°Kia is welcome to join if she can hold herself together,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Hopefully, nothing more interesting than a casual chat will happen. You two are going to be there just in case.¡±

    Nobody handled rejection well.

 Rejection

    ¡°So, what exactly is the plan here?¡±

    ¡°We tell the army that their services are no longer required.¡±

    ¡°And forgive me if I¡¯m nagging, but could you remind me once again why we are sending away an army right before a battle in which we¡¯re heavily outnumbered?¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips into a tight frown as he looked at Kia. Despite the dark elf¡¯s unsteady state, her tongue was as sharp as ever. ¡°Is it really that bad of an idea?¡±

    Drawing in a short breath, Kia rubbed at her forehead with several afterimages of her hands. ¡°Let me answer your question with a question of my own. What did your circle of advisors have to say about this plan when you sat them down for one of your regular meetings?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t have one of those meetings?¡± Kia scoffed. ¡°Yeah, I could tell.¡±

    Arkk looked out. He, along with Kia and Claire, stood on the rebuilt eastern wall of Elmshadow, watching the King¡¯s army approach. At this distance, the army was just a meandering mass in the valley. Nothing distinct about any part of them, save for the obvious line of supply carts. About halfway between the army and Elmshadow¡¯s wall, riding right along the river, a small group of far more distinct horses was riding ahead of the main group.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t exactly time for a meeting,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Those riders will be here in twenty minutes. Thirty if they decide to slow their pace. The rest of the army will be here mid-to-late afternoon.¡±

    Kia narrowed her eyes. She lifted a spyglass and peered through it. ¡°And you think one of those riders¡ªor someone else in that army¡ªis a demon? That¡¯s why you want to reject them all?¡±

    ¡°I have Edvin, Katja, Inquisitrix Lui, and a handful of others keeping an eye on the Prince at Cliff. There has been no sign that he has summoned a demon.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡±

    Arkk shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was told to watch my back around this army, that something in its ranks isn¡¯t what it seems, and that they aren¡¯t necessarily here to aid us. Worse, I don¡¯t trust the source of this information.¡±

    ¡°Why not accept them? If the source isn¡¯t trustworthy, aren¡¯t they just trying to weaken us?¡±

    ¡°It is a possibility, but it feels¡ª¡±

    ¡°Why not¡­¡± Claire started, speaking up for the first time since arriving at the wall. She trailed off, however, looking uncertain of herself. Slowly, a smile spread across her face. ¡°Let¡¯s just find the one who isn¡¯t what they seem and peel them apart. Then you can use the rest of the army all you want.¡±

    ¡°Good point,¡± Kia said. ¡°If the problem is only one of them, just kill whoever it is. Easy solution.¡±

    ¡°If we can find that person. And that still doesn¡¯t solve the problem of the army as a whole stabbing us in the back. If the Prince gave them orders to do so, it wouldn¡¯t matter who we take out, whether that be leaders, field commanders, or some individual member of the rank and file. Killing someone well-liked by the rest of the army might only inflame their anger with us.¡± Arkk let out a breath, closing his eyes. ¡°Which is why I want to go with this plan. Send them off somewhere that they won¡¯t be able to attack us easily but close enough to let them watch what happens to our enemies. As long as we are perceived as a slightly above-average free company, we are an opponent that can be fought. But shift that status to that of an overwhelming force that cannot be stopped¡­¡±

    ¡°And no army would fight against you,¡± Kia finished, nodding her head. With a laugh and a small shrug, she looked up to Arkk. ¡°All well and good, if you can pull it off. That fact that you¡¯re entertaining our ideas means you aren¡¯t sure if you can.¡±

    Arkk shifted, moving in mild discomfort. Kia and Claire were two of the very few who knew about the final delay tactic Arkk had implemented against Evestani, so he felt he could tell them some of his plans.

    ¡°I currently have a team of servants excavating Gleeful Burg,¡± he admitted. ¡°Along with a few other sites where battles took place between Evestani and the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard, various free companies, and even a few destroyed villages and towns. The undead were extremely effective against Evestani. A normal necromancer can raise a hundred undead if they¡¯re particularly powerful. Me?¡± Arkk chuckled. ¡°I can raise them all.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t just that. Zullie is working to gain safe access to the Festival, the plane overseen by the god of undeath, the Laughing Prince. I don¡¯t know if it will be in time, or if there will be anything useful there, but the Silence gave us our weapon against the avatar and the Underworld increased our might tenfold, so it stands to reason that another realm might just boost our combat ability even more.

    ¡°Then there are all those obstacles we threw at Evestani. A lot of them didn¡¯t work. That was fine. We learned what did and didn¡¯t work. Zullie, Savren, and everyone else involved worked hard to modify their plans and work on better countermeasures.

    ¡°I am nervous. I won¡¯t lie. But I think we can destroy Evestani and the Eternal Empire.¡±

    Claire shuddered. The soft-spoken dark elf looked at him with a wide grin. ¡°Talk a little more like that and I might admit envy toward your elf.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t even get a chance to say how much that horrified him before an afterimage of Kia¡¯s elbow slammed into Claire¡¯s ribs. Or it would have were it not for a hazy ghost of Claire¡¯s hands blocking the attack. Two more left elbows shimmered through the air at the same time, only for Claire to split her hands into four separate copies, each lifting to block the elbow strikes. A fifth hand split off from the rest, reaching over to poke Kia between her ribs and her hips.

    The ghostly manifestations of the two warped back into their bodies. Neither had actually moved. That didn¡¯t stop Kia from clutching her side with a light yelp as Claire put on a victorious smirk.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been at this much longer than you, dear,¡± Claire said, speaking in a sing-song voice. ¡°Remember that before picking a fight.¡±

    ¡°You better remember that you¡¯re mine. All the experience in the worlds isn¡¯t going to save you if you try to ditch me for the commander.¡±

    ¡°Ditch you? Never¡­ But if Arkk keeps sweet-talking me like that, I might invite him along with us¡ª¡±

    Arkk cleared his throat, loudly and obviously. Awkwardly as well. The way they both turned to him with a grin did little to set him at ease. It was almost like they plotted out their little fight specifically to put on a show. Which, given what he knew of the two of them, wasn¡¯t all that far-fetched.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Why, oh why had he not listened to Rekk¡¯ar when the orc said that giving these two more power was a bad idea?

    ¡°Talking is well and good,¡± Arkk said, shifting a step away from the two dark elves, ¡°but why don¡¯t we see if I can pull this off before we start¡­ uh¡­ anything.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying we should wait until after the war?¡± Kia asked without a trace of animosity in her voice. ¡°Claire?¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s waiting too¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh look,¡± Arkk said, pointing vaguely. ¡°The horses must have picked up the pace. They¡¯re almost here. Better go greet them.¡±

    ¡°And kill them?¡± Kia asked.

    Arkk hesitated, then slowly nodded his head. ¡°If we can figure out which isn¡¯t what they seem,¡± he said, glad to be on the much more comfortable topic of assassination compared to¡­ whatever Kia and Claire wanted with him in private. ¡°Though, preferably, we make it look like an accident. Too soon or too obvious and we¡¯ll end up sieged on both sides of the burg.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kia asked. ¡°Can¡¯t handle two sides?¡±

    ¡°This is the kind of talk I expect from Lexa,¡± Arkk said with a frown, ¡°not the two of you. Are you alright?¡±

    The two looked at each other. Icy blue eyes locked onto dark brown. They both nodded their heads, turned to Arkk, and said in unison, ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Fine.¡±

    ¡°Just try to act normal, then.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Okay.¡±

    Arkk slowly shook his head, reconsidering whether bringing these two to something akin to a diplomatic meeting was really his best idea.

    <hr>

    ¡°Magatherion Goth, at your service,¡± the portly man said with a shallow bow. ¡°Feel free to call me Mags.¡±

    The man before Arkk looked like someone fresh out of one of the old Duke¡¯s parties. Despite having traveled across half of Mystakeen, he wore an immaculate and extravagant costume, covered in dangling medals, colored strands of braided rope, and a hemming that made his wide figure look almost majestic. The honor guard accompanying him was equally resplendent, with armor that looked freshly painted in the blues and yellows of Chernlock, representing the sun high in a cloudless sky. Two of them carried large and unwieldy banners, holding them high over the rest of the quintet.

    Arkk stood along with Kia and Claire. He had considered bringing along several others, meeting the newcomers with a full retinue. However, having seen the small number of individuals in the forward group, Arkk decided to meet with them with a smaller number. Just to make sure they didn¡¯t feel threatened. He didn¡¯t want to spark conflict if he could avoid it.

    The two groups met in the rebuilt gatehouse. Much like Fortress Al-Mir and his walking tower, it had been rebuilt with reinforced stone tiles that bore a faint maze-like pattern embedded on their surface. Every so often, violet glowstones dotted the tiles. All the land in and around Elmshadow was under his full control. Buried tunnels, the small size of a compressed lesser servant, wove throughout the burg to ensure that the tower remained in contact with the rest of the land no matter what kind of destruction the surface ended up facing.

    ¡°Greetings,¡± Arkk said slowly, returning his focus to the central figure. ¡°Arkk. Commander of Company Al-Mir. These are two of my aides, Kia and Claire.¡±

    They were doing a remarkable job of holding in their afterimages. It helped that they weren¡¯t moving, even after being introduced, but the faint shimmering glow that surrounded them was barely visible and he knew what to look for. Neither Mags nor his retinue made any show of noticing.

    Mags, however, did curl a lip in a slight sneer. ¡°Dark elves,¡± he said in a tone of voice that Arkk didn¡¯t find agreeable.

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    Mags quickly smiled. ¡°Of course not,¡± he said after a moment of hesitance.

    Arkk pursed his lips but refrained from saying anything. Two minutes after meeting the man and Arkk already didn¡¯t like him. ¡°You are the commander of the King¡¯s army, correct?¡± he asked, holding out a slight hope that this Mags wasn¡¯t in charge.

    ¡°I am but a humble seneschal to my lord, the Prince Cedric Valorian Lafoar. My lord has granted me charge of this army to see to the defeat of the barbarians that encroach upon our territory.¡±

    Arkk held in his sigh. ¡°I see,¡± he said. ¡°I appreciate that you¡¯ve come all this way to aid¡ª¡±

    ¡°Think nothing of it, my lad,¡± Mags said with a wide smile. ¡°Anything for a fellow countryman. And the country, of course.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Arkk slowly repeated. ¡°However, the services of you and your men are no longer required.¡±

    The wide smile on the portly man¡¯s face remained in place for a moment too long. It slowly shrank down until his trim beard and mustache obscured his lips entirely. ¡°Excuse me?¡± he finally said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I heard you correctly.¡±

    ¡°We have been observing and, in some cases, prodding the Evestani army as they made their way back across the land. In doing so, we have discovered their increased aptitude for destructive magics. Especially those brought by their new allies, the Eternal Empire.¡± Arkk shook his head slowly. ¡°In light of this, we have reevaluated the situation. A conventional army such as yours will only be a hindrance in a battle. Or, more accurately, your army will be dead within minutes of engaging.

    ¡°So you see, your aid is not going to be¡­ well, aid.¡±

    ¡°Then what is your plan? Retreat? Fall back from the greatest bastion we have in this territory outside Cliff itself?¡± Mags asked. A bit of red color flushed through his cheeks. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly expect Prince Cedric¡¯s men to spend weeks marching here only to march back.¡±

    ¡°We are not retreating,¡± Arkk said, keeping his voice firm and full of conviction. ¡°We will handle Evestani. As for your men, we have procured and converted old mining tunnels in the mountains for lodging. We have enough food and beds for every man. You are welcome to stay until you receive new orders.¡±

    ¡°Latest reports put the Evestani army at ten thousand and then another seven to eight thousand Eternal Empire soldiers with them. Your force, unless the reports were grossly inaccurate, numbered less than a thousand. I don¡¯t care what kind of magic you¡¯ve got, the disparity in manpower alone is enough to lose this battle.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where we¡¯ll have to disagree.¡±

    ¡°You¡ª¡±

    ¡°If you truly wish to get your men killed, order them to fall on their own swords. I¡¯m sure it will be a kinder death than what awaits them if they try to fight.¡±

    The red in Mags¡¯ face was swiftly turning to a purple hue, darkening as the man clenched his fists. The slight tremble in his arms stopped abruptly. A smile crossed his face. ¡°It seems my lord was most wise. I have been granted authority to act as I see fit to ensure the security of the Greater Kingdom. I will be taking command of Elmshadow¡¯s defense. You may serve me, you may flee, but interfere and you will be charged with high treason. Turn your tower, your magics, and your men over to me. Immediately.¡±

    Arkk slowly crossed his arms, shaking his head. As he did so, he glanced at Kia and Claire. They both had smiles on. Far too wide of smiles.

    He let out a small sigh.

    ¡°I urge you to reconsider. For your men¡¯s sake.¡±

    ¡°My men are well and prepared to die for the country¡¯s sake if that is what it takes to see these intruders repelled.¡±

    ¡°Is that true,¡± Arkk asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked over the four soldiers that stood with Mags. ¡°These four are well trained, I presume?¡±

    ¡°The best,¡± Mags confirmed.

    ¡°Really?¡± Arkk half turned. As he did so, he teleported Dakka into one of the gatehouse¡¯s side rooms. ¡°Dakka,¡± he called out.

    The orc pushed through a door, fully armored. Kia and Claire were here just in case there was something surprising amid this group, but they weren¡¯t the only ones he had prepared. Dakka¡¯s full squad was ready and waiting to be teleported anywhere at a moment¡¯s notice. As were gorgon, battlecasters, and Lexa.

    ¡°This is my lead field commander. An orc,¡± Arkk said, smiling a little as the soldiers fought to keep their footing. In her shadowy black armor and spiked helm, carrying that black scythe, Dakka looked like a monster from old legends. ¡°All four of your best men against her. If you manage to scratch her and draw blood, I¡¯ll believe your army can contribute to this fight.¡±

    Mags seemed to pull over the challenge for a moment, glaring at Dakka. ¡°And if we win?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll capitulate. You lead the defense. I¡¯ll follow without complaint and ensure that my men do as well.¡±

    Mags showed off his teeth. It wasn¡¯t exactly a smile. More like the expression a feral animal might use to frighten off a bigger predator. ¡°You won¡¯t cry when we kill the demi.¡±

    Arkk scoffed. ¡°Dakka, you aren¡¯t allowed to kill them. In fact, you can¡¯t hurt them more than what Hale can fix.¡±

    Though her face was hidden behind her helmet, Arkk could sense her amusement in her posture. ¡°What, you want me to hand over my weapon too?¡±

    ¡°Actually? Yes,¡± Arkk said, holding out his hand. ¡°Might as well give them a sporting chance, huh?¡±

    ¡°Ugh. Me and my big mouth¡­¡±

    Despite her commentary, Dakka whipped her hand to the side, dropping off the haft in Arkk¡¯s waiting hand. Unlike Dakka, the soldiers of the King¡¯s army wore their visors lifted, letting Arkk see the growing confidence in their faces now that Dakka lacked her scythe.

    ¡°Now, shall we take this outside?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the terms of this contract,¡± Mags said, looking absolutely gleeful. He even rubbed his hands together like this was already decided in his favor. ¡°You¡¯ll bow to me when this is over.¡±

 Figure Line

    ¡°Task list,¡± Arkk said, closing his eyes.

    Ilya let out a small sigh. ¡°Enemy army.¡±

    ¡°Securing an outpost west of Elmshadow,¡± Arkk said, using his clairvoyance to spy over Luthor¡¯s shoulder as the chameleon beastman worked his crystal ball. ¡°No sign of forward movement just yet beyond small scouting detachments. Fog is obscuring our scrying but what we can see implies some larger-scale construction project. Lexa volunteered for scouting, scouting hasn¡¯t taken place yet. Next!¡±

    ¡°Shadow armor production,¡± Ilya said as she moved her finger down a small tablet of paper.

    ¡°Slowed because of the alterations to which portals go where but we should be able to equip every orc in my employ within two weeks.¡± Arkk scanned through his employees, unable to see outside Fortress Al-Mir or the area around the Walking Fortresses. He wanted to keep the highlands portal staffed with charged glowstones, ready in case Agnete found a way back¡ªthough it still wasn¡¯t looking like she was actively trying to return, her focus was on construction projects over in the Anvil. Even still, he was somewhat impressed with their efficiency. ¡°Maybe earlier. Next.¡±

    Ilya hesitated as she stared at the next item on the list. ¡°It says walking armor things?¡±

    That one referred to the walking suits of armor the size of small carriages that Arkk had recovered from the orc homelands in the Underworld. Each was bulky and large with space inside for a single occupant. The shadow scythes could cut through them, but that was about it. Conventional arms and even most magics just dented the metal, if that. Some of the less traditionally capable members of Company Al-Mir volunteered to train inside them, allowing them to contribute to a fight without being dead weight. Or just regular dead.

    ¡°Ten have been produced. They require glowstones or capable spellcasters to power them, so more would be a waste. Unfortunately, there is something wrong mechanically with them that results in one leg locking up. Perr¡¯ok is working on it. I do need to think of a better name but that isn¡¯t a priority. Next!¡±

    ¡°The King¡¯s army.¡±

    ¡°Happily sequestered away in the northern Elm mountain,¡± Arkk said as he skimmed his perspective through the corridors dug into its side. Like the rest of Elmshadow, it was under his control, allowing him to see the soldiers despite them not being under his control. Now two days after their arrival, most soldiers were still enjoying the reprieve from the long march, but even without being able to hear through his observations, he could see discontent among their ranks. Especially those in more elevated positions. ¡°Happily is a loaded word, but they are currently irrelevant. Next.¡±

    ¡°Leda¡¯s tower.¡±

    ¡°In motion,¡± Arkk said, quickly shifting his perspective to the darkened tower. Her tower was significantly more shadowy than Arkk¡¯s was, presumably because Leda wasn¡¯t directly contracted to Fortress Al-Mir.

    Unfortunately, though he could see it moving, he couldn¡¯t tell much of where it was just from a narrow top-down view of the walking building. He would have to use one of the crystal balls to scry on it. However, unless her tower was significantly faster than Arkk¡¯s¡ªor slower¡ªthey estimated it would arrive at a staging point south of Moonshine Burg in about nine days.

    ¡°Leda still doesn¡¯t seem like she has gotten the hang of using it. She needs Priscilla at her side almost constantly.¡±

    Ilya cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Should we be worried about the dragonoid who hates every other species having excessive influence over the operation of one of our greatest assets?¡±

    ¡°Maybe a little,¡± Arkk admitted. He shook his head with a small sigh. ¡°Unless I wanted to kill Leda to end her contract¡ªwhich is not something I would ever want¡ªI don¡¯t have a good solution for that. Priscilla, for better or worse, is experienced in operating these things. It can¡¯t be helped for now. Next?¡±

    ¡°Next is Savren¡¯s proj¡­ Wait. What is this one? Gleeful Burg?¡±

    Arkk opened his eyes, frowning at Ilya. She had a finger pressed against the list, frowning with narrowed eyes. ¡°That wasn¡¯t the next one,¡± Arkk said, tense. ¡°Savren¡¯s project is¡ª¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything left of Gleeful Burg,¡± Ilya interrupted. She planted a hand on her hip as she looked down at Arkk. ¡°What project is going on there? I don¡¯t remember any meeting about it. Not since we destroyed it¡­¡±

    Arkk stood up from the command chair at the top of the Elmshadow tower. Nothing about Gleeful Burg should have been on this checklist. Yet, as he walked around behind Ilya and leaned over her shoulder, it was right there.

    Who put that there? Rekk¡¯ar? Zullie? Vezta? They were about the only three who knew about what Arkk was doing there. At least of the people who would have compiled the list.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not exactly sure how to answer that,¡± Arkk said slowly. He considered denying it outright. It wouldn¡¯t be hard to claim that Gleeful¡¯s presence on the list must have been a mistake. But¡­

    He wasn¡¯t going to be able to hide it forever.

    ¡°You know¡ª¡±

    ¡°And barrows excavation?¡± Ilya turned, narrowing her silver eyes in suspicion. ¡°What barrows?

    ¡°Why is that on the list?¡± Arkk asked as he scanned down a few items.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m asking you. Do you not know what¡¯s going on in your organization?¡±

    ¡°No. I mean, yes. I mean¡­ I just don¡¯t know why it is on the list¡­¡±

    ¡°Arkk,¡± Ilya said in that tone of voice. ¡°Why are you excavating a barrow? Is there some long-lost magical artifact?¡±

    ¡°I wish,¡± Arkk grumbled to himself as he ran his hand through his hair. It was getting to the point where he needed it trimmed once again. Of course, just thought that was a way for him to try to think of anything else to talk about. Or maybe a way to delay while he tried to think of what to say.

    ¡°The barrows I¡¯m excavating are the same ones we collapsed on the orcs way back when. Not some random one.¡±

    ¡°I feel like we disturbed that place enough¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, well,¡± Arkk started, walking a few steps away. He didn¡¯t exactly want to be in punching distance. ¡°I am trying to be careful, but I realized we buried almost two hundred goblins inside¡­¡±

    ¡°What? What would you want with¡­¡±

    Arkk carefully watched the expression on Ilya¡¯s face. He could see the confusion at his explanation stop as the moment of realization hit. The surprise turned to an angry set of narrowed eyes and pursed lips. ¡°Are you¡­ dabbling in more necromancy?¡±

    ¡°There are two hundred goblins out there doing nothing but feeding worms,¡± Arkk said with a small sigh. ¡°They could be standing between an enemy¡¯s sword and my living men.¡±

    ¡°Who put you up to this?¡± Ilya said through thin lips. ¡°Was it Vezta? Or Zullie? I bet Zullie¡ª¡±

    ¡°Do you want to see our friends and allies die, Ilya? I have a responsibility to nearly a thousand people to do my best to keep them alive. Why shouldn¡¯t I use a bunch of dead goblins to help keep them that way?¡±

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Ilya¡¯s teeth snapped together with an audible clack. ¡°And Gleeful?¡± she asked. ¡°The only thing I can think of that you might be interested in there is more bodies.¡±

    Arkk slowly nodded his head. ¡°That¡¯s right. There are more bodies to put between the enemy and my men. I can¡¯t think of a reason why I would draw the line at goblins. And, for the record, I also have a team scouring Darkwood Forest for anything useful, whether that be dead bodies, living ghasts, or any other being that might join up with us. I don¡¯t know how much is left after Agnete burned her way through that fortress, but I¡¯ll take everything I can get if it means even one soldier gets to come back.¡±

    Ilya planted her hands on the table, leaning against it for a long moment. She closed her silver eyes and simply breathed through her nose, slowly and steadily. Arkk remained where he was, tense and still, almost afraid to disturb her thoughts even as the minutes ran on.

    Slowly, she pushed herself up. She kept her eyes closed for a long moment before she opened them. They were a bit hazy with a moist layer of tears. Without a word, Ilya stepped around the table, approaching Arkk.

    He winced back, fully expecting a fist to the face. Yet he didn¡¯t move. He remained where he was. He would accept a beating if it meant keeping his employees alive.

    But Ilya didn¡¯t lash out. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him toward her to the point where he had to lean his weight against her chest. Her lithe fingers ran up and down his back, just holding him.

    ¡°You must have been so stressed,¡± she whispered. Her breath tickled his ear.

    Of all the things Arkk expected, that was not one of them. He didn¡¯t know what to say to that, so he just remained silent as she kept rubbing his back. After a long minute of silence, he eventually responded. ¡°Not as stressed anymore,¡± he murmured.

    Ilya pulled back and gave him a reproachful look. ¡°Arkk¡­¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve thought that there must be better ways,¡± he said, closing his eyes as he rested his head against her arm. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve found better ways. All the magical armor, the research Savren and Zullie have been doing, potential gains from other planes¡­ all of it. But why not use those and a few skeletons? How can I forgive myself if I knew someone ended up feeding worms when someone already feeding worms could have protected them.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t say ¡®feeding worms¡¯ again,¡± Ilya said.

    Arkk let out a small, sardonic chuckle.

    ¡°Can I talk you out of this?¡±

    Arkk shook his head slowly. ¡°I doubt it. You¡¯d have to have something awfully convincing. Something worth several lives.¡±

    Ilya drew in a hesitant, shaky breath. For a moment, Arkk thought she was going to try to say something anyway, but she eventually let that breath back out in a sorry, defeated sigh. ¡°Alright. Then I have to help you use this¡­ crime against life and death in the wisest way possible.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Arkk tried to pull away from Ilya only for her to keep her arms clamped around him. ¡°You¡¯re alright with it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± she whispered. ¡°Obviously not. But if it has to be done, then I have to be the level-headed one who helps mitigate problems. Problems like Sylvara, first and foremost. Does she know?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°And if you¡¯re going to take everything you can to save lives, why shunt the King¡¯s army off to the side?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a numbers game. I hate myself for making this decision since it will probably cause more deaths, but if they do stab us in the back, it will kill a whole lot more. If a full war breaks out with the Kingdom, it will kill a whole lot more. So, I have to keep them away while keeping them observing, letting them see us crush Evestani despite our small numbers so that the thought of fighting against us would be a worse choice than desertion if the King orders them against us.¡±

    Ilya let out another sigh. ¡°I¡­ I need a few minutes. Can you send me to my quarters?¡±

    ¡°Of cour¡ª¡±

    ¡°Without looking at my face.¡±

    Arkk hesitated. There was an almost instinctual reach for his employee link with Ilya. He barely managed to keep himself from looking. ¡°Sure,¡± he said.

    She gave him a slight squeeze and then she was gone.

    Arkk stood alone in the tower¡¯s command center. He spent a moment collecting himself. There were things to do. Things to check on. He couldn¡¯t just sit around and think about himself or Ilya for any length of time. He had to walk around to the other side of the table, pick up the paper that Ilya left behind, and scan it over himself.

    He wanted someone else present to act as a sounding board for various ideas, the status of projects, and assumptions of what the enemy might be doing. However, he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to see anyone else for the time being. So he simply sat down and ran his finger down the list until he got to where they had left off.

    Arkk¡¯s eyes ran over the words, but they didn¡¯t quite make it to his mind. His thoughts were preoccupied with Ilya.

    She decided to help him, right? That wasn¡¯t his imagination? Arkk expected her to storm out, even up and leave Company Al-Mir altogether. At the very least, he had thought there would be more shouting. She was mad and upset, of that there was no doubt, but¡­

    Closing his eyes, Arkk let out a long sigh. He should have trusted her earlier. Ilya was his closest friend. The one who had been with him since the start. Not just the start of his contract with Fortress Al-Mir, but the start of his life. Some of his earliest memories were of Ilya.

    It felt like he had tarnished some of those memories by sneaking around behind her back all this while when he could have come forward.

    Arkk dragged his fingers through his hair, sweeping it back over his head. He didn¡¯t have time for this. He had preparations to make and¡­

    And Zullie was calling for him. He could feel the tug over the link. It wasn¡¯t an urgent tug, but it likely meant she had finished her task.

    His eyes skipped down to the very last item on the list, Zullie¡¯s keystone reconfiguration efforts.

    Well, it was part of the list. If this proved as¡­ useful as he hoped, the rest of the list could very well wait. He might have all the time in the world to go through it. Or it might not be necessary in the first place.

    Arkk teleported himself across Fortress Al-Mir, reappearing in the portal chamber, near the back so he didn''t startle the assembled guards. A buzz of activity surrounded the portal frame. Zullie along with her research team and assistants, were swiftly modifying the crystalline structure to fit the keystone Arkk had received from the Laughing Prince.

    ¡°Is everyone out of the Underworld?¡± Arkk asked, already doing a mental scan on all of his employees to ensure nobody had been left behind.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Zullie said from her spot perched on the top of the crystal archway. ¡°Perr¡¯ok wanted to stay to keep working on that shadow armor. Said he didn¡¯t care that the portal would be down; said there was enough food and provisions to last until we got it connected again.¡±

    Arkk immediately focused on Perr¡¯ok, half fearing that the orc blacksmith was still in the Underworld, only to find him in one of the adjacent chambers in the fortress, fast asleep in a position that didn¡¯t look particularly comfortable.

    ¡°Knocked him out with a spell and dragged him back,¡± Zullie finished.

    ¡°Thanks. I know we¡¯ve disconnected and reconnected it several times but I still don¡¯t want anyone getting trapped over there.¡± Arkk paused, then added, ¡°Besides, he still has those walkers to fix.¡±

    ¡°Useless waste of time to force everyone back if you ask me. I say let him stay. If it worked ten times, it will work a thousand times.¡±

    ¡°Until the one time it doesn¡¯t work. Then we¡¯re screwed.¡±

    Zullie hummed but, with a flourish of magic from her fingertips, the keystone slid into place and fused to the surrounding crystal. Giving it a firm nudge to ensure it was fully secured, Zullie smiled and nodded. She then stood, muttered an incantation under her breath, and then stepped forward, only to drift down to the floor slowly and safely.

    Without even the slightest hesitation, Zullie turned and walked straight toward Arkk. All despite her lack of eyes behind her rectangular glasses. The accuracy with which she stopped in front of him and avoided her assistants made him wonder if she had performed another ritual on herself to better maintain awareness of her surroundings. More than that¡­

    ¡°How long have you been able to do that?¡± Arkk asked.

    ¡°What? The featherlight spell? I think I showed you the ritual version of it a long time ago, so not sure why it is surprising you now.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arkk said. ¡°You used magic up there without an incantation.¡±

    ¡°Pretty sure I spoke the words for the featherlight¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not that, before that. When you were affixing the keystone to the archway.¡±

    Zullie frowned, turning away from Arkk to look up toward the arch. ¡°I used an incantation¡­ didn¡¯t I? I think I did.¡±

    ¡°What were the words?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ Well¡­ Hmm¡­¡± She frowned to herself for a moment before shrugging. ¡°The portal is ready to activate.¡±

    Arkk raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re shrugging it off? Just like that? Who are you and where is the inquisitive, magic-obsessed Zullie that I know?¡± he asked, only half joking.

    Zullie looked at him. For a brief instant, he almost imagined a spark of confusion in her eyes. Except¡­ she didn¡¯t have eyes. ¡°Sorry? I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    The mild curiosity Arkk had over the situation shifted to full-on alarm with that response. Which only doubled over as Zullie turned back to the portal and continued talking.

    ¡°Since we¡¯re in Fortress Al-Mir instead of the highlands, we won¡¯t be time-limited to only a few minutes. However¡­ like with the Silence, I¡¯m somewhat wary about spending extended periods inside a place called the Necropolis.¡±

    ¡°Zullie,¡± Arkk said, tone firm. ¡°Did you do something to yourself again? Another Xel¡¯atriss ritual?¡±

    Zullie winced. ¡°Maybe,¡± she mumbled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about. We have an avatar to slay and a war to end. Aren¡¯t those more important?¡±

    ¡°More important than my employees being in trouble?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not in trouble. I¡¯m feeling better than ever.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    Zullie cupped her hands to her mouth. ¡°Activate the portal,¡± she called out.

    Arkk didn¡¯t even get a chance to protest before Morvin and Gretchen planted their hands next to the portal¡¯s frame. A silvery liquid-like surface spread through the empty archway. After a series of rippling, a brand new world shimmered into view.

    A world of living dead.

 The Necropolis

    As had become standard when opening a portal to a new locale, Arkk performed all the usual tests. Guards stood around the portal, ready to fend off any hostile beings that might come through. Lesser servants went in and out. Some even carried Zullie-developed measuring devices to check ambient magic levels, air quality, and various other things necessary to survival.

    The Underworld was the closest plane to Arkk¡¯s world. It was oversaturated with magic to the point where ritual circles would spontaneously activate. The Silence was somewhat distant, according to Vezta, and lacked a significantly increased level of ambient magic. They had unfortunately not been able to take readings of the Anvil before the portal closed on Agnete, but based on a few minor experiments that Arkk had the lesser servant perform, it had elevated magic but something was constantly draining it out of the atmosphere.

    Zullie posited that whatever those mechanical beings were, they either required moderate amounts of magic to function or massive amounts to create.

    The Necropolis was, again according to Vezta, the next step away from the Underworld. Magic levels within were high enough to, once again, activate ritual circles spontaneously. So they would have to be cautious regarding that.

    But other than that, there wasn¡¯t anything apparently hostile. Not in the environment, nor more tangible threats. No hordes of undead had stormed through the portal and overwhelmed the defenders. No skeletal dragons dive-bombed the portal. Not even a little undead rat.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Zullie looked at him, frowning slightly. ¡°We performed more tests here than ever before. Everything appears safe. We even had your servants construct some minor fortifications just in case. I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯re dallying.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t sure? Did you forget what happened to Agnete?¡±

    ¡°An anomaly,¡± Zullie dismissed. ¡°No one here is an avatar of this Laughing Prince.¡±

    ¡°While that¡¯s true¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fine. You don¡¯t want to order someone through who might get stuck? I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±

    Zullie turned away, pushing past the line of shadow-armored orcs defending the portal. Arkk reached out, about to stop her, only to pause. For the briefest moment, in the back of his head, he thought it would be better to send someone else through. Someone less valuable. For all her eccentricity, Zullie was one of the most important people in his service. Her magical knowledge was unparalleled, by anyone, even Savren, and whatever happened between her and Xel¡¯atriss only increased that.

    Not to mention whatever ritual she had conducted that she now refused to discuss.

    But just because she was valuable, did that make it right to order someone else through? She was volunteering, after all¡­

    No. He had other options¡­

    Just as Zullie reached the portal threshold, Arkk teleported her straight back to his side. She stumbled once then slowly looked at him with mild irritation lining her features.

    ¡°Are we going to do this all day?¡± she asked.

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°Just a moment,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t go through. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    With that said, Arkk teleported himself out of the portal room and down into the lower levels of Fortress Al-Mir. He stood in the center of a circular room atop an elevated pedestal. The floor below him and the floor above him had been hollowed out, leaving a large, cavernous chamber. Pockets had been dug into the walls at regular intervals, all of which had been fitted with thick metal bars.

    ¡°Sir? Is there a problem?¡±

    Arkk turned with a polite smile as his one and only dryad employee stood from her desk. Her bark-like skin was looking much better than it had after Elmshadow¡¯s recapture, but it still bore heavy scars that Hale hadn¡¯t been able to heal. Because of that, she had to be relocated to a safer job while she mended herself.

    It even had a small skylight. A narrow tunnel to the surface that allowed some amount of light to fall on her leaves.

    ¡°Not at all, Cray. I just need one of the more cooperative prisoners.¡±

    ¡°Cooperative? Hm.¡± Cray looked around the large chamber before pointing up to the highest level. ¡°4C and¡­ 7A,¡± she said, dropping her hand to the lower level. She turned around once more, brushing a leaf out of her face in the process, before finally ending on one of the cells in the middle row. ¡°3B. I would say those three have been the most cooperative. They¡¯ve all helped translate commands, directions, and questions for those who don¡¯t know our language.¡±

    Although they weren¡¯t employees, prisoners under his control and within his territory could be teleported just as well as anything else he held ownership over. So, with a bare thought, all three of the indicated prisoners were in front of him on the pedestal. He made sure he stood between them and the narrow bridge leading out¡ªthe only real way to access or escape from the dungeon.

    All three looked somewhat thinner than soldiers should, but none looked so thin that Arkk thought they were going without meals. It was probably just the environment, the stress of the situation, and perhaps defiance toward their captors.

    ¡°I need one of you to assist me with a small task. Accomplish the task, and you will be set free. Company Al-Mir will not track you, recapture you, or harm you afterward. You¡¯ll even be free to return to your homelands if you wish. Though, you¡¯ll have to make your way there on your own.¡± He clasped his hands together behind his back and smiled at the three. ¡°Well? Any volunteers?¡±

    The three shifted, glancing at each other. The manacles around their wrists jingled lightly in the ensuing silence.

    ¡°How do we know you won¡¯t kill us?¡± the man on the left asked. The other two shot glances at him, almost as if they were upset he had spoken up.

    ¡°You don¡¯t,¡± Arkk said before giving a pointed look at the man¡¯s chains. ¡°But, if I wanted you dead, there isn¡¯t much you could do about it now, is there?¡±

    All three grumbled under their breaths at that.

    The center man frowned behind his scraggly beard for a moment before looking up. ¡°The task is dangerous?¡±

    ¡°It probably won¡¯t kill you, if that is what you¡¯re asking. There is a small chance you may end up trapped inside an environment from which you won¡¯t be able to escape.¡±

    ¡°Not much different than now, is it?¡±

    Arkk just shrugged. ¡°I won¡¯t say anything more about the task until one of you has accepted. There is minor danger, but also freedom. Any takers?¡±

    He waited a long moment, making eye contact with each. When his eyes fell on the shortest of the three, the younger man spoke up.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Very good,¡± Arkk said. He immediately teleported the other two back to their cells, not allowing them to put any pressure on the young man. ¡°Keep up the good work, Cray.¡±

    With that, he teleported himself and 4C straight back to the portal room, directly in front of the crystalline archway.

    4C shirked away, all but screaming when he saw the row of shadow-armored knights.

    Arkk paid him little mind, instead gesturing toward the portal. ¡°All you must do is step through there, walk around for about fifteen minutes, then return and report anything you found, felt, or otherwise experienced. If any kind of danger presents itself, you are encouraged to return early.¡±

    With a firm snap of his fingers, Arkk teleported the manacles off the man¡¯s arms. The snap was unnecessary but, when acting intimidating, he felt theatrics were important.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°If you try to escape, well, I won¡¯t stop you. But you might not like what you find out there on your own.¡± Arkk leaned in, using his height as an intimidating advantage. ¡°Do you understand?¡±

    4C swung his head back to Arkk, only to finally stare out to the portal. ¡°W¡­ What is this place?¡±

    ¡°That is a secret. All you need to know is how to walk around. You can do that, can¡¯t you?¡± He gave a firm pat on 4C¡¯s back, shoving him lightly toward the portal.

    With a hesitant look over his shoulder, 4C took a step forward.

    Beyond the portal, all Arkk could see of the Necropolis was the interior of a massive structure. Made from black stone, it looked like a grand cathedral. The ribbed vaults running across the ceiling certainly gave it the air of a skeleton. Green-hued glass windows let in a small bit of light, but not enough to see the full majesty of the cathedral. There was nobody around. Nothing around. No bodies, no undead, no people. Despite that, the cathedral had avoided falling to ruin as much of the Underworld had. Whether that was because of magic preserving the place, stronger construction in general, or that there were some unseen caretakers elsewhere was something Arkk hoped to find out.

    The prisoner stepped onto a blackened flagstone floor. He stood there for a long moment, just on the other side. He shivered slightly but, when nothing unfortunate happened, he took a step forward. Then another. Slowly, he made his way to the oversized doors at the far end of the cathedral. With one look back at the portal, he pushed open the door and stepped through.

    ¡°You should have told him to remain in view of the portal,¡± Zullie said, stepping up to Arkk¡¯s side.

    Arkk just shrugged. ¡°If he runs off, then I¡¯ll just say we gave him his reward early.¡±

    Zullie scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. ¡°Freedom? In exchange for being a test subject? Using prisoners now, are we?¡±

    ¡°You have a problem with that?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. I¡¯d like to request a few test subjects for some of my projects.¡±

    Arkk just sighed.

    Seven minutes later, the prisoner came sprinting back at full speed. Arms flailing about and legs off the ground more than they were on, he looked like a wild animal desperately fleeing from a ferocious predator. He charged straight through the portal, ran past Arkk, and collapsed on the ground in front of the line of knights guarding the room.

    ¡°H¡­ H¡­ Help! Undead!¡±

    Arkk would have said that a ripple of tension ran through the assembled guards, but that would have been a lie. Everyone had been fully briefed on the nature of the realm they were opening. Expecting undead in a place under the dominion of a god of undeath that was called the Necropolis was just common sense.

    Because of that, nobody was surprised. Nobody except 4C, that was.

    ¡°Get ready to shut down the portal,¡± Arkk said. ¡°But keep it open for the moment.¡±

    He wanted to see. If it was just one or two undead, his guards could handle them easily. If it was a massive horde that would fill the entire interior of the cathedral and beyond, he might have to call the expedition into the Necropolis a failure.

    4C, despite his panicked flight back to the portal, had taken the time to push the cathedral doors shut. When the doors didn¡¯t open right away, Arkk wondered if mindless undead could open doors. For a long moment, he considered sending someone else to open them back up. Or at least try to peer through the tinted windows to see how many undead were outside the cathedral.

    The door silently glided open before he could give any orders. A bony hand devoid of flesh curled around the door, grasping hold of it. It pushed just a hint more before withdrawing. A moment after, a skull, held in that same hand, appeared from the gap.

    Empty eye sockets stared out. Its jaw unhinged ever so slightly, almost like a regular person finding something surprising. The skull disappeared as quickly as it came and, after a brief delay, a full skeleton stepped through into the cathedral, leaning heavily on a tall walking staff. It looked around once before slowly dragging itself toward the portal.

    ¡°Shut it down?¡± Morvin asked.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Arkk said.

    It was just one skeleton. No hordes. From the way it had looked around and the way it now approached, using the staff as a proper tool, Arkk had the feeling that it was a bit more intelligent than the undead he had raised. If it could talk¡­

    If it was hostile, hopefully his army could handle a single skeleton.

    The skeleton stopped at the portal¡¯s threshold. With no flesh on its face, it was hard to tell what it was thinking, but its body language gave off an air of uncertainty. Arkk stepped forward, keeping well out of striking distance but moving enough to ensure the skeleton focused on him. Now the center of attention, Arkk gave a welcoming beckon to the skeleton.

    The skeleton was somewhat wary, poking at the portal with its staff. Finding nothing wrong, it eventually dragged itself through. It stopped just on his side of the rippling portal membrane, sweeping its head around to take in the room.

    ¡°Greetings,¡± Arkk said, hoping he wasn¡¯t being foolish in trying to talk to a skeleton.

    His words brought the skeleton¡¯s attention back to him. The jaw opened with a grinding noise.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t quite sure what he expected. No sound at all, perhaps, given the skeleton¡¯s lack of a proper mouth and lungs. Maybe a quiet rasp or harsh shriek if it could make noise.

    Arkk did not expect the smooth, deep voice.

    ¡°Oh? I trow I hathn¡¯t beheld such a plentitude of flesh in¡­ centuries?¡± it said with a low chuckle. ¡°The portal hath opened once more. Thou are accountable?¡±

    Arkk, taken aback by an actual talking skeleton and one he could mostly understand no less, didn¡¯t give a prompt response. It took Zullie nudging him in the side to finally clear his throat and say, ¡°Yes. Yes, I did. That isn¡¯t a problem, is it?¡±

    ¡°No skin off my hide,¡± the skeleton said with another chuckle. He paused, looked around at the silent audience, and added, ¡°For I hath no skin.¡± Although his skeletal features didn¡¯t change in the slightest, Arkk got the impression that he would have been smiling something fierce if he could have managed it.

    Arkk didn¡¯t quite know what to say in response to that. He looked to Zullie, then to the cowering 4C, and finally to Gretchen who had her hand firmly pressed to her forehead.

    ¡°That is¡­ good,¡± Arkk eventually said.

    ¡°Indeed. Yet I do marvel at how thou hast accomplished it. Our most esteemed scholars did abandon the quandary of the portals long ago. Ah! How rude of me. I am Matar, grave keeper,¡± the skeleton said, tapping a hand on his ribcage.

    ¡°Arkk,¡± Arkk said, miming the skeleton¡¯s movements in gesturing to himself. ¡°I managed to garner a boon from the Laughing Prince in the form of a portal keystone. That keystone opened this portal. As for how we breached the Calamity,¡± he said, glancing at Zullie for a brief look. ¡°I think Xel¡¯atriss did something to puncture it, allowing us to visit other realms. Are there¡­ others like you over there?¡±

    ¡°Like I?¡±

    ¡°Undead? Or even living beings?¡±

    ¡°Ah. I am no scholar myself, merely a humble caretaker of the graveyard, yet even I am aware that no living souls have dwelt within the Necropolis for hundreds of years. Shortly after the portals did falter, ambient magic did surge, and whilst most beings remained unscathed, the same could not be said for crops and livestock.¡± The skeleton looked almost sad for a moment before turning his head back up to Arkk. ¡°But all is not so sorrowful. The Smiling Crown, perceiving the future as it was, did bestow upon all within His realm His divine gift.¡±

    ¡°Gift meaning the Laughing Prince raised everyone from the dead?¡±

    ¡°Then why need a graveyard?¡± Zullie asked, butting into the conversation.

    ¡°A great many hath elected to slumber away the years. They require a place of repose. Mine task is considered a matter of¡­ grave import.¡±

    Somewhere in the background, Gretchen let out a long, withering sigh.

    ¡°Why were there living beings in the necropolis at all?¡± Zullie asked, completely ignoring everything else.

    ¡°Undead cannot reproduce,¡± Matar said. ¡°The living are honored guests until their more permanent state of being comes around.¡±

    ¡°But can the living even¡­ live there? Obviously not anymore with the crop problem but¡­ It is a place for undead, is it not?¡±

    ¡°Hardly. Once upon a time, it was a paradise for all. Imagine seeking the wisdom of thine ancient ancestors in times of trial or strife, visiting with thine departed lover, knowing that pain and fear of death are merely temporary states. The living and the dead are united in the Necropolis. Or they were. No living anymore¡­¡± he said with a despondent sigh. ¡°But if the portals are opened once more, perhaps that fate can change?¡±

    Arkk shifted slightly, shaking his head. ¡°We¡­ aren¡¯t really looking for a new place to live at the moment.¡±

    ¡°And there still aren¡¯t any crops,¡± Zullie cut in. ¡°So that problem hasn¡¯t been solved.¡±

    ¡°We were looking for¡­ well, anything that would help in a war, first of all, and secondly, a way to fix the Calamity¡ªthe cause of the portals failing in the first place¡ªmore permanently.¡±

    ¡°A war?¡± Matar physically shied back. ¡°We are a peaceful people. As the saying goes, no guts, no glory,¡± the skeleton said, looking down at his chest.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything that might help? Not necessarily your people, but magical tools, equipment? Any walking fortresses that we might borrow their Hearts?¡±

    The old skeleton tapped the bottom of his jaw, eliciting loud clacking noises with each tap. ¡°I am uncertain of such matters. Perchance it would be prudent to confer with the Great Yoho? The supreme authority over all undead.¡±

    ¡°Is this Yoho nearby? Within a day¡¯s walk?¡± Arkk asked.

    ¡°Oh certainly. The portal hath a ceremonious station in Necrovale, a short jaunt from the Sable Citadel.¡±

    ¡°And Yoho will see us on such short notice?¡±

    ¡°Visitors from afar? I am but a humble graveyard keeper, but I envision an event of such import has already reached the Great Yoho¡¯s ears. I would not find myself surprised if a grand banquet were already being prepared.¡±

    ¡°A grand banquet?¡± Zullie asked, crossing her arms over her chest with a small huff. ¡°Without livestock or crops? What food would be there?¡±

    ¡°Bone broth? Crypt chips?¡±

    Zullie grimaced. ¡°Ehh¡­¡±

    ¡°We might pass on the food,¡± Arkk said, ¡°but I can happily agree to a meeting with your leader. First, however,¡± Arkk half turned and pointed at the prisoner. ¡°Franna, get 4C over to Savren. He isn¡¯t to remember anything about his time with us. After that, give him a sack of food, a coat and shoes, and get him out of my fortress. Morvin, you are in charge of keeping the portal operational. Any problems, tug on the link immediately. Dakka, you¡¯ll be with me and Zullie along with five others of your choice.¡±

    Orders given, the silent room quickly erupted into a flurry of activity. Arkk looked back to the skeleton before him, but paused, flicking his mental image over to Ilya, who was still in her chambers.

    He pursed his lips into a frown. ¡°There are a few more preparations we need to make,¡± he said, ignoring the questioning look from Zullie. ¡°I¡¯d like to offer you some hospitality, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Quite alright. I shall grin and bear the wait.¡±

 The First and Last Primeval Lord

    ¡°I know what I just said,¡± Ilya hissed into Arkk¡¯s ear. Both her hands gripped Arkk¡¯s arm, making him feel a little numb in the fingers. Every so often, her sharp eyes would flick to movement and move toward her bow, only to stop herself and return her hands to Arkk¡¯s arm. ¡°But isn¡¯t this a bit much?¡±

    Arkk tried not to look like he was at all bothered.

    In truth, he wasn¡¯t exactly at ease either.

    The Necropolis was populated.

    From the large cathedral-like building that housed the portal, Matar the grave keeper led them out to a wide road made from thick black bricks. Tall rectangular buildings lined the road, each pressed right up against the next. Occasional gaps between the buildings opened into more roads, all of which were angled seemingly at random. That led to some buildings being a mere thin blade while others were wide enough to stretch on for a thousand paces.

    Every resident seemed able to afford glass in their windows. The green-tinged sky reflected off the glass, making it difficult to see inside any of them. He could, however, see movement.

    There was nothing living here. Which meant whatever moved inside the buildings was likely undead.

    Arkk did not shudder.

    Ilya did, perhaps thinking the same things.

    ¡°Children,¡± she whispered.

    Arkk followed her gaze to find someone else outside the buildings. Another skeleton. This one looked a bit less human and a bit more beastman, but it wasn¡¯t possible to tell what kind of beastman. Only that its skull had a more pronounced snout-like shape to it. Three smaller, child-sized skeletons stood at its side. All stopped to watch the procession carry on.

    ¡°If Matar is right, they¡¯re probably older than both of us combined.¡± The last living resident of the Necropolis became undead hundreds of years ago. Although they might look like children, they certainly weren¡¯t any longer. ¡°Maybe even older than your mother.¡±

    Ilya shuddered again, forcing her gaze forward.

    Zullie was ahead of them, chatting with Matar like it was the most usual thing in the world. Dakka and a quintet of orcs followed along, silent except for the noise of their boots on the tiles. Everyone else was back at Fortress Al-Mir or Elmshadow, keeping a watch on things. Yet, Arkk was starting to regret not taking everyone with him. As they continued through the city, more and more skeletons started appearing outside.

    All just staring.

    ¡°My experiments have shown that magic in bones tends to go stale,¡± Zullie said, speaking quite loudly. ¡°I first raised a horse and, while it used to work perfectly, it has been a bit stiff lately and it is only a few months old. Does the ambient magic here help with your animation or is your advanced age with little reduction in mobility a product of more advanced necromancy?¡±

    ¡°A quandary I haven¡¯t given much thought toward,¡± Matar answered back in his surprisingly smooth voice. ¡°I know of what effect thy means. When one grows restless in their crypt and wishes to walk once more, they often suffer from rigor. But that tends to fade after moving about for a few weeks.¡±

    Zullie hummed, rubbing at her chin with her thumb and forefinger. ¡°Is simple movement a way to reduce¡ª¡±

    ¡°The graveyards I¡¯m used to are either pits in the ground with small markers denoting the¡­ resident or large mounds serving as mass graves, generally for a single-family or lineage,¡± Arkk cut in as Zullie started mumbling to herself. ¡°Are graveyards different here? I haven¡¯t seen anything that looks like the place you said you take care of.¡±

    Matar¡¯s skull swiveled backward, making eye contact with Arkk.

    Arkk didn¡¯t shudder.

    Ilya did.

    ¡°The resting are honored here. Each resident of the crypt hath a vault to call their own. A wide and grandiose plot of land, though far lower to the ground than the buildings around us, maintained by myself and a small¡­ skeleton crew.¡± Matar paused to chuckle before continuing. ¡°But our path now carries us in the opposite direction.¡±

    Arkk glanced back, wondering if he could see it, but realized he couldn¡¯t even see that grand cathedral anymore. The smaller buildings blocked it completely.

    They had left the remainder of Dakka¡¯s squad guarding the portal on this side¡ªhe didn¡¯t want to come back to find that the locals had disabled the portal, trapping him here like Agnete was trapped in the Anvil¡ªso he could still use the employee links to both see it and tell where it was in relation to him. There was little chance of getting lost here, even if the streets did cross at random.

    Though, perhaps it would have been wise to recall Priscilla to keep watch of them from above. Or Nora, since she had functioning eyes without needing someone riding on her back. But the harpy would be in far more danger on her own than a dragonoid. Either way, too late now.

    ¡°How far is¡­ King Yoho?¡±

    ¡°King?¡± Matar shook his head, making a slight grinding noise in his bones as he moved. ¡°No. Necropolis has no king. The First and Last Primeval Lord, Yoho. The Eternal Sovereign of the Risen Dead. The Chief Bone-Juggler. The Indomitable Necromancer. Yoho, the Undying Blight.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, nodding slightly. All those titles sounded like fancier ways of saying King, but who was he to disagree?

    ¡°Bone-Juggler?¡± Ilya asked with a confused frown on her face.

    ¡°Laughing Prince,¡± Arkk whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

    ¡°Verily!¡± Matar said, turning his skeletal grin on Ilya. She immediately flinched back, her fingers once again starting toward her bow before stopping abruptly. ¡°Lord Yoho is a masterful virtuoso in all manner of merriment, from capering a lively jig to warbling a delicate tune.¡±

    ¡°He can dance and sing,¡± Arkk said in a flat tone.

    ¡°And juggle,¡± Ilya whispered.

    Arkk slowly looked around at the silent undead watching them walk through the city. Enough had gathered that they lined the sides of the road with practically no gaps. It seemed as if word had spread through the entire city in a flash. Nobody had yet to approach them, however. There was a clear barrier that none of the undead were willing to cross.

    ¡°The Sable Citadel,¡± Matar said, sweeping an arm in a grandiose gesture as they turned down a new street.

    Towering spires wrought from obsidian, adorned with intricate skeletal gargoyles, surrounded a truly massive building. The walls of the citadel were a labyrinth of arches and buttresses. The green-stained windows depicted revelry and fanciful dance in the way they were patterned while the iron gates looked far more macabre with their reliefs of skeletal figures guarding the entrance.

    Ancient trees that looked more like stone than wood dotted a wide courtyard, the center of which held a tall fountain of glowing green liquid. The cobblestones underfoot had been worn smooth by the passage of countless undead feet, far more than any of the rest of the streets Arkk had crossed to reach this place.

    At the center of the citadel, one tall spire stretched high enough to pierce the clouds. A swirling mist cascaded down the obsidian stone, spreading out over the roof of the building in long, curling streams.

    ¡°Arkk,¡± Ilya whispered, her voice sounding tense.

    Arkk just patted her hand, not taking his eyes off the tall structure. ¡°For a person with such modest titles, he certainly lives in a grandiose home.¡±

    ¡°Home?¡± Matar said. Arkk could imagine the skeleton cocking an eyebrow with the way he tilted his head. ¡°No, no. Thou art mistaken. The Sable Citadel is merely the festival court! Lord Yoho doth reside just over yonder.¡±

    Following the bony finger of the skeleton, Arkk found himself looking at a small cottage just outside the citadel¡¯s walls. Practically no bigger than the home Arkk had lived in back in Langleey Village. It had a small stone garden with smooth lines drawn in fine gravel and a fence gate low enough that even the most unathletic noble could have hopped over.

    ¡°I see,¡± Arkk said as he and his companions stepped up to the Sable Citadel¡¯s courtyard gate.

    The blackened metal gates swung open of their own accord as soon as Matar stepped close enough. The hinges groaned like a dying beast, making Ilya wince and rub at her ears, only to stop with a heavy thud as they fully opened.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Following the thud, a brief moment of silence descended upon the group.

    Across the courtyard, beyond the fountain, the tall doors of the citadel swung open. Music flowed forth, some kind of reed instrument played in a merry jig as a tall skeleton practically leaped from the citadel¡¯s entrance. He was dressed in robes of deep purple and gold, adorned with ribbons and bells that jingled with every movement. A dozen more skeletons pranced out, weaving their ribbons in the air around them as they flooded into the courtyard.

    The lead skeleton, eyes aglow with red light that didn¡¯t do any favors for the permanent grin of his skeletal face, jumped high into the air, and landed into a tumbling cartwheel, before coming to a stop on the near side of the fountain. With a flourish, he extended his arms, as if beckoning old friends to a grand celebration.

    ¡°Welcome! Visitors!¡± he bellowed into the air.

    The sounds of horns and flutes and drums filled the air along with a dozen other instruments that Arkk couldn¡¯t pick out individually. Loud bangs that sounded like the Cliff defensive cannons blasted off sparkling balls of flames high into the skies. They exploded, raining down thin bits of colored papers all around the assembled skeletons as they began a macabre dance.

    More and more skeletons were flooding into the courtyard, moving around Arkk and his company from the rest of the city. They seamlessly merged with the others already present, joining in on the dance.

    One broke away in a lavish orange dress, waving around a long staff with a cloth sheet trailing after it. The sheet momentarily blocked Arkk¡¯s view of the skeleton. By the time it passed, the skeleton was wearing a smaller yellow dress. With a wide sweeping motion, the skeleton hid behind the sheet once again only to emerge with a blue dress, then a green, then a red.

    A quartet of skeletons stood atop tall poles made from the same petrified wood as the tree in the center, standing twice as tall as any orc. Ruffled clothes shimmered and swayed as they balanced on the poles, hopping from one to another. All four were in the air at the same time and all four landed on the next pillar at the same time. If even one was a second too slow, they would have crashed into each other.

    High overhead, a long rope shot out from one side of the courtyard to the other. Far more limber skeletons rushed out, hopping and skipping as they scampered across the taut rope.

    A pair of skeletons held smaller rods. One in each hand and another balanced on their foreheads. Spinning plates precariously balanced at the tops of the rods. Now and again, the skeletons would jolt their rods, sending the plates up into the air. Sometimes the same skeleton would catch their plate, sometimes they swapped, catching each other¡¯s plates.

    Throughout it all, Arkk, Ilya, Dakka, and even Zullie just stared. Arkk had no words for the sudden revelry. Judging by the silence around him, no one else did either. The only skeleton in his line of sight who wasn¡¯t dancing and performing was Matar, and even he clapped his hands together completely out of timing with the rest of the music.

    Arkk didn¡¯t count how long the dancing went on. The skeletons never seemed to tire. Which, he supposed, was expected of them. None of the undead he had raised ever tired either. At some point, a few of his guards got drawn in by some of the skeletons. It was a bit strange seeing fully armored orcs trying to dance. Not that the skeletons seemed to care about the awkwardness. They just laughed and cheered.

    ¡°Not enjoying thyself?¡±

    Arkk yelped, half barreling over Ilya as he jolted away from the sudden voice in his ear.

    The central figure of the festival, the one Arkk presumed was Yoho, stood with a wide grin. Not that he could make any other expression without lips. For a skeleton covered in flamboyant clothing and jingling bells, he had certainly managed to sneak up on Arkk without any difficulty.

    Arkk quickly composed himself. ¡°It isn¡¯t that I¡¯m not enjoying myself,¡± he said, not wanting to offend the First and Last Primeval Lord. ¡°I just wasn¡¯t expecting¡­ this.¡±

    ¡°And what, pray tell, fell within thine expectations?¡±

    ¡°A meeting of some kind? Honestly, not sure.¡±

    ¡°It was a bit sudden,¡± Zullie said, frowning. ¡°We only opened the portal an hour ago. How did you manage to prepare all this?¡±

    ¡°Prepare?¡± Yoho slid to the side, wrapping a skeletal arm around Zullie¡¯s shoulders as he spun her to face the courtyard once again. He ended up in front of her, down on one knee with her hand pressed to his bare teeth as if he were kissing her knuckles. ¡°My lady, this realm is the land of festivities! We are always prepared!¡±

    Zullie slowly pulled her hand back to herself. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what, if anything, she could see. He could see the irritation welling in her face. She turned her head toward him.

    ¡°I have confirmed the safety of this realm, environmentally and magically speaking,¡± Zullie said with a terse tone in her voice. ¡°If you¡¯ve got nothing better to do than this, I¡¯ll be returning now. Perhaps research into possible access to the Permafrost¡¯s domain will be more interesting. The new statue in the temple must mean something, right? I wonder¡­ If I scrape off¡­¡±

    Zullie continued muttering to herself even as she turned and wandered off, heading back the way they had come. Even with the crowd of skeletons behind them, both observing the courtyard and dancing themselves, Zullie managed to weave between them without any issue.

    The skeleton¡¯s jaw clicked shut. Despite being unable to change his expression, Yoho managed to look disappointed. ¡°I suppose a quieter meeting will have to suffice for now,¡± he finally said.

    ¡°I apologize for her behavior,¡± Arkk said, still not wanting to offend their hosts. ¡°She has something of a one-track mind. If it isn¡¯t related to exploring new magics, she isn¡¯t interested.¡±

    ¡°Ah, but thine interest in the festivities wanes as well, does it not?¡±

    Arkk took a quick look around. The skeletal festival was continuing in full swing. It didn¡¯t seem as if anyone had noticed their guests or their king weren¡¯t participating. Or, if they had noticed, they didn¡¯t care.

    ¡°I suppose a calmer setting is in order then,¡± Yoho said with a small sigh. As he stood from his one knee, some magic shimmered over his attire. Rather than looking like a rejected jester, he almost looked dignified in a long, flowing robe of black and green. However, it still had jingling bells hanging from its collar. ¡°Come, follow me,¡± he said.

    Instead of heading toward the Sable Citadel, he instead started walking toward the small cottage just outside the walls. The crowd around parted, flowing more like water than bones, allowing him and Arkk access.

    ¡°Do not worry about troubling the performance,¡± Yoho said, gesturing toward the courtyard. ¡°Now that is hath commenced, the festivities will continue for weeks should joining be on thy mind.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ remember that.¡± Though he didn¡¯t want to offend, he didn¡¯t have much desire to dance around. Zullie was right. There was a lot of work to be done.

    The cottage, although it couldn¡¯t keep out all the noises of the festival, did manage to at least muffle it. There wasn¡¯t much to its insides. No bed or kitchen. Just a small sitting room. Skeletons probably didn¡¯t need much sleep or food. Yoho dragged out a few chairs for Arkk, Ilya, and Dakka. He didn¡¯t take one for himself, choosing to stand.

    ¡°Visitors,¡± Yoho said. ¡°To what do I owe the honor of such a meeting?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Arkk said, looking from Ilya to Dakka and back. ¡°A war, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°War?¡± The skeleton¡¯s countenance took on a darker look as the red in his eyes started to brighten. ¡°Necropolis hasn¡¯t seen war in my reign.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps I should start at the beginning¡­ Several months ago, I discovered a fortress Heart belonging to Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key¡­¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°I understand. Quite the dire situation.¡±

    Arkk nodded his head.

    ¡°And you wish to drag the good people of Necrovale into your affairs?¡±

    Arkk snapped his head up. ¡°No. Not at all. Truth be told, we didn¡¯t expect to find people here. None of the other realms we visited had¡­ many living beings. As I said, the Underworld suffered a similar fate to your world, except without undeath allowing them to continue. The Silence was¡­ silent, as far as we could tell during our short visit. And the Anvil¡­ is locked away for the time being. When the Laughing Prince bestowed the boon of a portal keystone to me, all I hoped for were perhaps some magical artifacts, books of ancient magic, or, hopefully, more fortress hearts. Especially for walking fortresses.¡±

    Also, potentially, hordes of undead able to utterly bury his enemies. But he hadn¡¯t counted on intelligent undead, just mindless beings like what he had raised in the past.

    ¡°Mine people are a happy, peaceful people,¡± Yoho said. Though he lacked eyelids, the light in his sockets dimmed like he was closing his eyes. ¡°I will not sacrifice them in the name of a distant war.¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I wouldn¡¯t expect that of anyone.¡±

    ¡°But if the object of thine search is knowledge, artifacts, or wealth¡­ Necrovale has little need of such material possessions. There is a vault deep within the Citadel. I might be willing to part with such possessions.¡±

    ¡°Might?¡±

    Yoho clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing between the chairs. ¡°Once, life and undeath flourished as one. Now, however, life in the Necropolis has ceased to be.¡±

    ¡°Matar mentioned something about that on our way over from the portal. Magic in the air poisoned the crops, or something?¡±

    ¡°Matar spoke true. My people have stagnated. No new life, no new undeath, no new ideas or options. Certainly, my people are not the slothful sort. They engage and learn and grow on their own. But that has its limits. Without new minds, growth is slow.¡±

    ¡°So you want people? Living people?¡±

    ¡°And supplies,¡± Yoho said, dipping his head in a confirming nod. ¡°For their survival. A long-term solution for the magic problem would be welcome, though I know not if such lies within thine power.¡±

    ¡°It is something Zullie has been working on, but no results just yet. Supplies are doable as well¡ª¡± Especially if Yoho had a vast wealth he was willing to part with. Arkk could turn a portion of that into crops and livestock. ¡°But people could pose a problem.¡±

    ¡°People are the most important part.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Arkk said. ¡°It¡¯s just that necromancy has a poor reputation where I¡¯m from.¡± He gave a small nod toward Ilya. ¡°She¡¯s normally much more talkative than this. Dakka as well. And I imagine anyone with me is going to be much more accepting of¡­ unusual occurrences than a general population.¡±

    Yoho turned his red eyes from Dakka, who shifted in her seat, to Ilya, who didn¡¯t move at all. As if coming to a realization, he looked up at the ceiling. He stared at the petrified wooden roof for a short moment before coming to a decision. ¡°Speak with the old and the infirm. Those who fear the swift approach of the Eternal Silence. They who might be open to alternatives. Unless they convince their families to join, they won¡¯t sustain anything, but they will be a start to welcoming others into our realm. Speak also with the young who have no others they can rely upon; the Laughing Prince has always been a friend to the innocent.¡±

    Out of the corner of his eye, Arkk noted Ilya stiffen ever so slightly. Her thoughts probably drifted toward Nyala, Yavin, and several other refugees who were in or had been in the fortress as refugees from the war. ¡°I won¡¯t force anyone,¡± he said quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll ask for volunteers. But just as you won¡¯t force your people into a war, I¡¯m not going to force anyone uncomfortable with it to come here.¡±

    Yoho must have expected that. He dipped his head without hesitation. ¡°Acceptable. Perhaps I, and some of my fellows, might act as envoys¡­¡±

    Arkk winced. ¡°I don¡¯t have any problems bringing you over to my world, but anyone you speak with is more likely to try to kill an animated skeleton rather than engage in a conversation.¡±

    ¡°A problem to be worked out later. As a gesture of goodwill, if thy taketh myself through the portal to see the other realm for myself, I will bequeath upon you some small amount of items from the vault in advance. That should assist with thine immediate problems, should it not?¡±

    Arkk put on a bright smile. ¡°I¡¯d be more than happy to.¡±

 Permafrost

    Priscilla stalked back and forth inside Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s temple chamber, shooting the occasional glare at one of the statues despite her lack of proper sight.

    Arkk tried to ignore it. He wasn¡¯t sure what she was upset about or even why she had come back to the fortress from Leda¡¯s tower. She must have heard about the statue¡¯s appearance and wanted to see it for herself, but she hadn¡¯t said anything. Was she upset? The glares made it seem so but it was hard to tell with the ice covering part of her face. Her pacing, however, made her look more nervous than angry.

    ¡°Marvelous!¡± Yoho shouted into the room, performing a slow pirouette that made the bells dangling from his collar jingle.

    Arkk turned away from the confusing dragonoid to meet the glowing red eyes of his skeletal guest. Priscilla wasn¡¯t someone Arkk could focus on at the moment. Yoho wanted a tour of this side of the portal, so Arkk figured the temple was a good place as any to take him. They could head out above ground afterward.

    ¡°A temple thou hast dedicated to the full Pantheon? I haven¡¯t seen such sights since I scrubbed the last sinew from my old bones,¡± Yoho said with such elation in his voice. Arkk could hardly imagine being that excited about a simple room, even if it was some magical gateway to the realm of the gods. ¡°Thou art missing a few spots,¡± he said, stopping in front of one of the empty pedestals. ¡°But thine earnest dedication nonetheless pierces my heart.¡±

    ¡°I have a theory that filling the empty pedestals will resolve the Calamity¡ªor at least be one of the steps toward fixing it,¡± Arkk said slowly. ¡°It is one of my long-term projects. Based on recent experience, it seems that I need either something of significant relation to a god or to connect to their realm via the portal. But I probably won¡¯t do any more until my researchers finish their analysis of the Calamity and its effects on both this world and others.

    ¡°The magical toxicity of the Necropolis and the Underworld is something that cannot happen here,¡± Arkk finished.

    ¡°No. I concur,¡± Yoho said with a solemn nod of his head. ¡°Such a diverse pool of life would be a tragedy to lose. Necrovale houses few warriors, but we doth possess vast knowledge. Shall I provide researchers who may be useful in thine task?¡±

    Given what had happened to the Necropolis¡ªall its living population had inevitably perished because of the overabundance of magic¡ªArkk wasn¡¯t quite sure how useful those researchers would be. Still, he wasn¡¯t in much of a position to decline. ¡°That would be most welcome¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oi,¡± Priscilla grunted. ¡°Bonebag. You¡ª¡±

    Arkk teleported Priscilla out of the temple in an instant. He tossed her into a random corner of the fortress, somewhere deep and labyrinthine. Without teleportation of her own, she could very well take weeks to walk back into a populated section of Fortress Al-Mir. ¡°I am so sorry for her,¡± he said, considering leaving her there for every one of those weeks as punishment.

    ¡°Thou hast such lively subjects,¡± Yoho said with a good-natured chuckle. He didn¡¯t show even the mildest surprise at Priscilla¡¯s sudden disappearance. ¡°I take no offense. Allow thine lady to speak her question.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good idea,¡± Arkk mumbled to himself. He wasn¡¯t sure if Priscilla had an actual question or if she just wanted to insult someone. Priscilla didn¡¯t exactly get along with anyone, even if she had taken Leda under her wing.

    But, it was a request from his guest. Mentally preparing himself for whatever apologies he might have to give, Arkk teleported the now definitely angry Priscilla back into the temple room.

    She promptly snarled, lunging toward Arkk. He didn¡¯t even flinch. A second teleport put her back a few steps. A third teleport put her back a few steps more when she lunged a second time.

    Warning bells from the [HEART] went off in the back of his mind. The sudden alarm made him tense. It was something he hadn¡¯t felt very often. Only once or twice. Someone straining against the link. It wasn¡¯t breaking. Probably only because Priscilla had her own experience with minions and contracts. She was deliberately pushing on it without breaking it.

    ¡°Can¡¯t teleport me if I cut our bond,¡± she snarled.

    A dozen of the shadowy scythes vanished from the armory. Arkk teleported them straight into the temple, burrowing them into the ground to keep them in place. They were positioned around Priscilla so that if she moved more than a hair in any direction, she would start losing limbs.

    ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°But if you want to fight me, probably best to do it outside my territory.¡±

    The warning bells in the back of Arkk¡¯s mind went silent as Priscilla showed off the sharp teeth in her mouth. It wasn¡¯t quite a smile, but close enough.

    ¡°Sometimes,¡± she said, losing the tension in her arms, ¡°you almost make me like you. Then I smell the human stench that hangs around you like a poisonous cloud.¡±

    Arkk sighed, teleporting the scythes back to their places. ¡°Have you cooled down now?¡±

    ¡°Funny,¡± she snapped.

    Yoho certainly thought so. He clapped his bony hands together as he laughed. ¡°Wonderful. Thine performance is truly a blessing from my Prince.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Priscilla grunted, curling one side of her lip up as she turned her head to Arkk.

    Arkk returned her confused look with a shrug that she probably couldn¡¯t see.

    ¡°Perhaps Necrovale ought to bring back one of the old gladiatorial festivals¡­¡± Yoho mused to himself. ¡°Though violence is detestable, a good sport isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arkk said slowly, turning to Priscilla. ¡°The First and Last Primeval Lord,¡± he strained the title, trying to hammer its importance into the obstinate dragonoid, ¡°asked that you be allowed to speak the question you had before I threw you out of the temple.¡±

    ¡°Just Yoho, please,¡± the skeleton said in good nature.

    ¡°Yeah, whatever. You worship the Laughing Prince, right?¡± Priscilla said before jerking her thumb to the Prince¡¯s statue. ¡°Is that what he looks like?¡±

    Yoho turned to the statue. A tall, thin man in a fine suit. The statue had a fleshy, humanoid face but his smile stretched from ear to ear, showing off far, far too many teeth. Looking at it almost hurt the eyes. Or the mind. There were more teeth than could possibly fit in the mouth.

    ¡°It is recognizable,¡± Yoho said after a long minute of staring. ¡°But unfamiliar. The statues honoring the Skeletal Lord in the Necropolis tend to be more¡­ skeletal. But who can say they know with any accuracy the true form of any god? Or, should a god wish it, why can they not alter their form on a whim and whimsy? And the Master of Ceremonies is a most whimsical god indeed.¡±

    Arkk raised an eyebrow. Less at Yoho. What the skeleton said made sense enough. He was more confused with Priscilla. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    Priscilla gave him a glower. She couldn¡¯t help but frown at that. It seemed she was still upset. Still, she looked to the draconic statue of the Permafrost, pointed a sharp claw in its direction, and said, ¡°This is not the Permafrost.¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°What? How is it not?¡±

    ¡°The Permafrost isn¡¯t just a big dragon,¡± Priscilla snarled. ¡°The Permafrost is a blustering storm. THEY are a frozen cap on a tall mountain. THEY are the chill down your spine when you realize the futility of your actions. THEY are the silence of a snow-covered forest, where every sound is swallowed by the icy stillness. The Permafrost is the relentless march of time, freezing moments into eternity. THEY are the embodiment of inevitability, the cold truth that no matter how much we struggle, some things are beyond our control.¡±

    Arkk shivered, feeling some unnatural cool seeping into the room. He might have thought it was coming from Priscilla had he not been staring directly at her. She wasn¡¯t the source of it.

    His eyes slowly drifted over the statue. The icy sculpture was staring at him. Its cool blue eyes almost looked searching, like it expected something from him.

    ¡°That¡¯s all well and good, Lady Dragon,¡± Yoho said with a tinge of amusement in the back of his throat. Not that he had a throat. ¡°But how doth thou fashion a statue to embody a shiver down thy spine? I have beheld more spines than thou may care to imagine and yet remain unable to conjure an image of a statue of a chill.¡±

    Just like that, whatever spell the statue had was broken. With one last breath of frost in the air, the room temperature felt normal. The statue instantly transitioned from staring at Arkk to staring at some vague point in the center of the room. Neither of his two companions seemed to notice the change. Or, if they did, they didn¡¯t mention it.

    Priscilla ground her teeth together, glowering at the skeleton for a long moment before snapping her head to Arkk. ¡°You did something. You did this.¡±

    Arkk let out one last breath, making sure that there wasn¡¯t any frost misting in the air. ¡°While I appreciate your opinion of my artistic capabilities, I can¡¯t take credit. It did it itself.¡±

    ¡°Pray, tell me,¡± Yoho said, stepping closer to the draconic statue. ¡°Were thy thoughts upon the young lady when the statue did manifest?¡±

    ¡°Young?¡± Priscilla said with a note of aggression in her tone. She opened her mouth. Arkk could hear the complaint before she actually said it. But, with a click of her tongue, she decided to remain silent, huffing slightly as she looked aside.

    Perhaps she realized that the First and Last Primeval Lord might just be a little bit older than she was.

    For his part, Arkk scratched at the back of his head, not quite sure how to answer. ¡°Maybe. I don¡¯t think it was deliberate, but Priscilla is my closest connection to the Permafrost.¡±

    ¡°Though hast the notion¡­ Our inward preconceptions of the gods can alter our perception of them.¡±

    Arkk raised an eyebrow. ¡°Because I thought it might look like a dragon, it became a dragon?¡± He didn¡¯t believe for a minute that he had that much power over a god.

    ¡°Well, no,¡± Yoho said with a small chuckle. ¡°As I said, the gods manifest how they will. As for the Permafrost, it mayhap hearkened to thy desires and conformed to meet thy expectations. Why? To remove ambiguity? For the fun of it? Who can truly say their hearts know the intentions of higher beings?¡±

    Based on everything he had heard about the Permafrost, Arkk doubted that fun was the reason. The Laughing Prince, maybe. The Fickle Wheel, maybe. But not the Permafrost.

    A low growl interrupted his musings. He turned to find Priscilla hunched over low enough that she was practically on all fours. Her claws dug into the tiles.

    ¡°So it was you,¡± she said, turning her iced-over eyes to Arkk. Priscilla unfurled her wings like she was about to leap at him again, only to pause before Arkk could teleport her off into one of the dungeon cells.

    Priscilla slowly stood upright, relaxing her claws and her wings, and looked at the draconic statue. As a dragonoid and one heavily attuned to ice magic at that, Priscilla wasn¡¯t one to shiver.

    So, when a terrible tremble wracked her body, Arkk grew imminently concerned.

    He didn¡¯t feel anything himself. That unnatural chill in the air from earlier had vanished entirely. The draconic statue was still sitting in its neutral pose, the same as it had been when it first appeared. It wasn¡¯t even looking at Priscilla. Yet she stared directly at it.

    Priscilla stumbled backward with a flinch like someone had struck her square in the face. One foot went back, but not so much to catch her. It was more of a reflex than anything. The momentum made her take another step, then another. She wasn¡¯t even trying to fight it, not with the draconic might Arkk knew she possessed nor with her wings.

    Another step and she would fall into the silvery pool of the temple. Already, her tail skimmed just above its surface. Seeing that snapped Arkk out of his confusion. He teleported her, picking her up and dropping her just behind him, making sure that he was between her and the draconic statue.

    He couldn¡¯t just teleport them all away. Yoho wasn¡¯t his employee or prisoner and thus would be left alone and defenseless. The skeleton didn¡¯t seem perturbed by the goings on. Yoho simply looked around, watching with that grin that he couldn¡¯t get rid of.

    Without moving through the intermediate space, the statue faced him. A rush of cold billowed out from it, sapping the warmth from his fingers, arms, and nose.

    Arkk held his ground. A bright red light flooded over the temple, touching everything he could see.

    ¡°Leave her alone,¡± Arkk said, focusing all his ire on the statue. ¡°She is my employee. I won¡¯t take kindly to anyone trying to harm her or¡­ take her back,¡± he said with a flick of his eyes to the silvery pool that connected to the realm of the gods. ¡°Not even one of the Pantheon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not yours,¡± Priscilla whispered from behind him.

    ¡°My employee,¡± Arkk repeated.

    Priscilla let out a growl, but she didn¡¯t protest again. Nor did she try to move out from behind him. He could feel her, hovering close to his shoulder. But he didn¡¯t feel her blind gaze on him. A quick check through the employee link showed her head fully turned toward the statue once again. He saw her nod her head.

    The cold stopped. The statue stared off into the distance. The temple switched from imposing and unnatural to business as usual in the blink of an eye.

    Priscilla dropped to her knees, panting and¡­ sweating? Arkk hadn¡¯t known that dragonoids could sweat.

    Or was that condensation that hadn¡¯t yet frozen on her icy scales?

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked, kneeling down at her side and gently resting a hand on her shoulder.

    He quickly pulled back when she turned a glare at him. She didn¡¯t bite or snap at him.

    She let out a long, sorry sigh. ¡°The Heart I once held belonged to the Permafrost, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve guessed. THEY aren¡¯t happy that I broke it. I have some amends to make, it seems.¡±

    ¡°Amends?¡±

    Priscilla¡¯s claws gripped the tiles of the temple floor, not doing quite as much damage as she would have done were it not for the magical reinforcement of the fortress. Shallow scars still marred the tile when she moved her hands away. Arkk was going to have to get one of the lesser servants in here to repair all the damage she had caused today. Not that it was a big deal. It was just a few gold coins worth of scars.

    He waited, letting her speak at her own pace. If she even wanted to at all.

    Her wings spread wide. The clawed ends dug into the tiles as she used them to push herself upright. He stared at the newest marks on the floor, wondering if he should actually start charging her.

    ¡°Amends,¡± she repeated, drawing Arkk¡¯s eyes up to the ice over her face. ¡°I¡¯ll need your help. But later. If you would relocate me to my room, it might give me a higher opinion of you.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Whenever you¡¯re ready, feel free to come to me,¡± he said. He waited another moment, just in case she had something else to say, and finally teleported her off to her quarters when she didn¡¯t.

    Arkk turned back to the draconic statue, glaring at it for a moment.

    It sat there, staring without movement or change in temperature.

    Letting out a short breath as he scanned the rest of the temple¡ªit would be just his luck for something else to have changed¡ªArkk ended with a wan smile to Yoho. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± he said, earning a hearty chuckle from the skeleton.

    ¡°Verily, what a lively temple this is,¡± Yoho said, clasping his hands together. ¡°I have not beheld aught of its like since ere I did resurrect myself. Though art most blessed, art thou not, Mister Arkk?¡±

    ¡°Blessed? Hah. Or cursed?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense. Activity in the Pantheon. What an age to be undead,¡± Yoho said with a shake of his head. ¡°Praise the Laughter.¡±

    Arkk looked at the thin figure of the Laughing Prince. ¡°He ever talk to you?¡± Arkk asked.

    ¡°Talk? No. Not since granting the final gift of undeath to those who recently departed His realm oh so many years ago now. Yet I still feel the honor of His Smile upon all our festivities.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Arkk said, not sure that he saw at all.

    Certainly, the Abbey preached that the rays of the sun were the Light itself shining down on them. But, even including that, he wasn¡¯t sure that he had ever felt the presence of any god. Outside the obvious interactions, that was. His encounter with Xel¡¯atriss, the gift from the Laughing Prince, and the letter from the statue of the Holy Light were interactions. It was the distant observations that the Abbey preached of that he had never really experienced.

    With his intentions toward filling the remaining empty pedestals and connecting to other realms, he had a sinking feeling that these more lively¡ªas Yoho had put it¡ªencounters were only going to increase.

    ¡°I think that was enough fun with the Pantheon for one day,¡± Arkk said, turning his back on the temple as he swept a gesture toward the open door. ¡°You wanted to see the surface, did you not?¡±

    ¡°I am most eager.¡±

 Acquiring Allies Aftermath

    ¡°Emissaries of the Laughing Prince are not to be trusted,¡± Vezta said through pursed lips.

    ¡°You don¡¯t like undead either?¡± Ilya asked.

    Watching the skeletons move about gave Ilya a deeply unsettling feeling inside her chest. The undead of the Necropolis weren¡¯t like the skeletons Arkk had raised. Arkk created puppets using bones as a base. The denizens of the Necropolis were people, able to think and act on their own. Not only did Ilya find herself uneasy in their presence, but she felt bad about it because they otherwise seemed normal. If she closed her eyes, she wouldn¡¯t even know she was talking to an animated skeleton.

    But to hear that Vezta didn¡¯t like them either surprised her. Vezta always struck her as someone with a sense of morals that didn¡¯t quite align with anyone else. In all their time together, Ilya really only knew two things that Vezta desired; The protection of Fortress Al-Mir¡ªand Arkk by extension¡ªand carrying out her former master¡¯s final directive of reversing the Calamity. She didn¡¯t want food, she didn¡¯t want fun, she didn¡¯t want to socialize much at all. Oh, she could be polite and smile at the right times, but if an action didn¡¯t drive her toward either of her goals, it was like she didn¡¯t care.

    To hear her express discontent with something actively aiding them in one of those two goals came as a shock.

    Ilya wondered if Vezta was just more open with her. Had they¡­ Ilya frowned to herself, watching Vezta as the slime-like monster seemed to ooze back into her seat, losing part of her defined form in the process. Had they somehow grown closer than she figured was possible?

    Coworkers, yes. But Vezta had a lot of coworkers that she would never relax in front of.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if they¡¯re undead or sapient lumps of sewer muck,¡± Vezta said after a long moment of silence. ¡°The problem is their target of worship.¡±

    Ilya slumped back herself, somewhat disappointed that she hadn¡¯t found someone else uneasy about the undead. She supposed it made sense. As far as she could tell, Vezta didn¡¯t have bones. The sight of a skeleton walking around was likely no different to Vezta than a werecat or orc walking around.

    ¡°The Laughing Prince,¡± Ilya said, trying to keep on track. ¡°That isn¡¯t one of the traitor gods though, unless you were wrong about the Calamity. Why wouldn¡¯t we ally with them?¡±

    ¡°The Laughing Prince is the god of festivals, children, and extreme joy. He¡ª¡±

    ¡°And undeath.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Vezta said. ¡°And undeath. But I¡¯ve already mentioned that I don¡¯t care about that aspect. Nor do I care about festivals and children. The former are a waste of time except when a morale boost is needed, the latter are generally useless with few exceptions.

    ¡°It is the subject of the joy that disturbs me most.¡±

    ¡°Having fun?¡± Ilya asked, confused. Vezta was an ancient being who could only communicate with the people of today using her connection to Arkk. Otherwise, she spoke in that language that felt like every word was slamming a book into someone¡¯s brain. So perhaps there were some word communication issues, but Ilya didn¡¯t see a problem with a little elation.

    It just meant the Laughing Prince was a god of happiness and fun, didn¡¯t it?

    ¡°I believe I¡¯ve said it before,¡± Vezta said, peeling herself off the chair as she leaned forward. ¡°Perhaps not to you, I don¡¯t recall, but some of the Laughing Prince¡¯s few words to the people are that ¡®Life is a joke,¡¯ a phrase that can be taken many ways. Some say, ¡®Life is a joke so enjoy every laugh.¡¯ Others say, ¡®Life is a joke, and not a good one.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Ah. You¡¯re worried they might be part of the latter faction. What are they doing? Biding their time before they betray us?¡±

    Vezta slowly shook her head with a humorless chuckle. ¡°No, Ilya. The latter group are by far the more predictable. Nihilists who want to end everything aren¡¯t very subtle. I don¡¯t believe our guests subscribe to that philosophy. If they did, the Necropolis would surely be devoid of both life and undeath.

    ¡°It is the former believers that disturb me the most. They tend to be far more in tune with their god than most and what a god finds amusing is often not what you or I might find amusing.¡± Vezta stood up, forming full legs as she started pacing back and forth. ¡°One of them might do something just because they feel whatever their current task is isn¡¯t fun enough. Perhaps we start a battle only to find our bombardment magic has been subtly altered to rain down confetti rather than destruction. Or our soldiers might find their armor enchanted to dance a hornpipe when worn. The prisoners might be set free simply to cause a bit of chaos.

    ¡°Or they might do nothing at all!¡± Vezta barked out, slamming her palms against the armrests of Ilya¡¯s chair, bringing her face far too close. ¡°They¡¯ll just enjoy watching us squirm.¡±

    Vezta stared a moment longer before dropping her head with a great sigh. She slowly pushed herself back, straightening herself. She ran her hands down her sides, smoothing out the oily slime that made up her body.

    ¡°I apologize,¡± Vezta said, ¡°for venting just now. But there are few I feel I can express my frustrations toward without negatively impacting operations.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Ilya said slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t care that much.¡±

    ¡°Which is why I came to you.¡±

    ¡°More importantly, if you feel they are such a threat, did you talk to Arkk? Tell him all this?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°But, if they¡¯re such a threat¡ª¡±

    ¡°They are useful,¡± Vezta said with a deep frown. ¡°I cannot deny that. Already, that Lord Yoho has brought over rings of power, enchanted masks and cloaks, and researchers who have all studied the Calamity far longer than us. I wouldn¡¯t dare speak my mind to Arkk for fear that he ends up souring a useful relationship because of my words.¡±

    That was a good point. If Vezta said to be wary of them and it ended up putting them off¡­

    ¡°Then it is up to us,¡± Ilya said. This was something she could do. Support Arkk from the shadows. ¡°We¡¯ll keep an eye out for any subterfuge. They already know I¡¯m wary of them just from how I acted while visiting the Necropolis. A bit more suspicion won¡¯t be unusual. Dakka as well. She could keep another eye on things.¡±

    ¡°Three people isn¡¯t many¡­¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many of them. Arkk did bring up the possibility of undead volunteers joining him. Apparently, beyond Yoho and the researchers who aren¡¯t actually with us, only about a dozen agreed. Those seemingly disillusioned with the endless festivities of the Necropolis. Arkk wants to give them command of some of the undead soldiers he has been creating¡­¡±

    ¡°If they truly contracted with Arkk, deliberately betraying him would be difficult without him noticing,¡± Vezta mused to herself, resuming her pacing. ¡°That said, followers of the Laughing Prince can be sly if they think they¡¯ll enjoy the outcome more than the drudgery of their task can wear them down.¡±

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Which is why Dakka should help. Perhaps with a few others who are in a position to keep watch over things.¡± Ilya paused a moment, mentally running down a list of everyone in Company Al-Mir. She snapped her fingers as a clear choice popped into the forefront of her mind. ¡°I bet Richter¡¯s abbess would be overjoyed to spy on the undead. We¡¯ll probably want some spellcasters too, since none of us know anything about rituals or magic.¡±

    ¡°Not Zullie or Savren,¡± Vezta said, vetoing them before Ilya could even suggest it. ¡°They have to work closely with the researchers. Causing suspicion between the groups would hinder that.¡±

    ¡°For all her faults, Zullie is rather meticulous. I don¡¯t doubt that she would notice sabotage in her rituals. But that other problem? Bombardment being replaced with confetti? That is something to keep an eye on.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps Zullie¡¯s two assistants? We inform them to keep watch over any magics the undead might come into contact with.¡±

    ¡°They work closely with Zullie but increased scrutiny from either of them wouldn¡¯t be out of place. Especially Morvin. He is a bit more cowardly¡ªDon¡¯t tell him I said that.¡±

    Vezta nodded her head in agreement with Ilya¡¯s proposition. ¡°That would work, yes. Assuming he can keep his mouth shut and not give away our suspicions to Zullie, Savren, Arkk, or the undead researchers.¡±

    ¡°He isn¡¯t that bad. He just gets nervous in stressful situations.¡±

    Vezta raised an eyebrow. ¡°Like the one we intend to place him in?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ yes. Like that.¡±

    ¡°Better than nothing, I suppose,¡± Vezta said. She let a rare smile cross her face. ¡°I¡¯m glad I came to you. I feel much less frustrated.¡±

    ¡°Any time, I suppose,¡± Ilya said, wondering if they had become friends at some point. ¡°I¡¯ll speak with Morvin and Abbess Hannah¡ªI feel like those two will be more receptive to me than you¡ªif you want to inform Dakka of our worries.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a plan.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Dismissed. Rejected. Publicly humiliated.¡±

    Cedric Valorian Lafoar let out a long, withering sigh. He set his pen down, adjusting it slightly so that it was aligned with the edge of the desk. Reaching up, he pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed again, and finally said, ¡°Mags. Thought you were in Elmshadow.¡±

    ¡°I am.¡± A slovenly woman sat draped over a day couch, dangling an arm off one side. A mane of curly black hair was tossed up and over her head, hiding her face from view. She managed to affect a perfect picture of a depressed and drab young lady.

    Affect being the key word.

    Mags had no true emotions. Cedric was well aware.

    ¡°Comfort me?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    The woman seemed to slump into the couch even further.

    It didn¡¯t last long. Her skin, hair, and even the couch itself took on a glisten. Her delicate fingers elongated and thickened, the soft curves of her body rippled like water disturbed by an unseen force. Her curly hair retracted, lightening to a salt-and-pepper gray in a trim, militaristic cut. The silk dress flowing around her dissolved, leaving behind the rigid lines of a military uniform. Her face contorted, features hardening and sharpening while a stubble sprouted across her chin.

    The once reclining figure now sat bolt upright in a high-backed chair, exuding an aura of command and discipline.

    ¡°You read my report?¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Cedric said, not reacting to the change. A reaction was just what Mags wanted. ¡°Four of my best men, trounced by a single orc? Are you certain they were my best?¡±

    Mags shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Maybe. Hard to tell. All you humans are the same to me. That said, they certainly didn¡¯t look their best. The orc didn¡¯t even use weapons.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you mentioned that,¡± Cedric said, his eyes drifting to the report on his desk. A single, unarmed though not unarmored orc managed to lay waste to four men at the same time. Orcs were hardier than the average human, it was true, but not to such an extent as that. The victory condition for his team was merely scratching the orc whereas the orc had to render his men incapable or unwilling to continue.

    ¡°Arkk didn¡¯t use magic to strengthen or hasten his champion?¡±

    ¡°The armor itself was enchanted,¡± Mags said. ¡°I didn¡¯t recognize it, but it was shadowy and translucent. Took sword strikes and spears without even a mark. Beyond that, there was no magic involved in the fight.¡±

    Cedric sighed once more. When he had first heard of this Arkk, he hadn¡¯t sounded all that different from the usual mercenary company. Company Al-Mir wasn¡¯t even particularly large, employing under a thousand men. But it seemed like every time he heard Arkk¡¯s name mentioned, the man had some new trick up his sleeve. From illegal magics to that walking tower of his. Now impenetrable armor?

    ¡°Then he sent the army away,¡± Cedric said, frowning.

    ¡°Not away. Just off to the side. I think he wants them to watch. Bit of an exhibitionist, I think.¡±

    Cedric didn¡¯t rise to Mags¡¯ words. He tapped his finger lightly against the letter on the desk. ¡°I was just penning a letter to Arkk asking what could possibly be going through his mind. Rejecting the aid of my army after having been the one to request it¡­¡± He shook his head.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fun?¡± Mags said, his smile wide. ¡°I haven¡¯t the slightest clue what he is thinking! A Keeper like that turning down a whole army offered on a silver platter? Unheard of!¡±

    ¡°I take it things didn¡¯t go according to your plans.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even get to start my plans!¡± The general in the armchair shook his head, completely exasperated. ¡°Rejecting the army¡­ Who would have planned for that? But, to be honest, this is still working out well.

    ¡°He is housing the army in a series of corridors and chambers built into the mountainside,¡± Mags said, a sly grin slowly seeping across his face as he propped an elbow on the chair¡¯s arm. ¡°He has made an enemy of most of them. He doesn¡¯t even know it. The discontent, the insults, the anger. Some of the older soldiers are more relieved than not but most of the army is made up of younger, hot-blooded idiots who would rather die for their pride than live to see¡ª¡±

    ¡°Mags,¡± Cedric cut in, his voice harsh and commanding. ¡°You are not to get my men killed.¡±

    The chief adjutant parted his lips, showing off razor-sharp teeth. ¡°Afraid that might not be up to me any longer. You see, I rolled over and accepted Arkk¡¯s rejection with hardly any defense,¡± he said in a glee-filled tone. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly very popular at the moment. Combined with a few whispers that have made their way through the army, claiming tricks, sabotage, heresy, and all manner of unfortunate rumors about Arkk¡­ Let¡¯s just say that I might not be the one in charge much longer and those who will replace me might be keen on showing off the might of Chernlock¡¯s Armed Forces.¡±

    ¡°What have you done?¡± Cedric asked, narrowing his eyes.

    ¡°Surprisingly little. A whisper in an ear here. A nudge there. But overall, you¡¯ve got your hot-blooded toy soldiers to thank for anything that might happen.¡± Shaking his head with a wan smile, he shrugged his shoulders. ¡°The depths a human will sink to when their pride has been insulted¡­¡±

    ¡°Mags¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ah! Got to go. I think rumors of me taking bribes from Arkk have reached a boiling point.¡±

    ¡°Mags!¡±

    Cedric stood, slamming his palms against the desk. But it was too late. The room was, once again, empty. Grinding his teeth and clenching his fists, Cedric glared down at the half-written letter to Arkk. Shaking his head, he stalked around his desk, out the door, and into the manor at large. A few of his personal guards, who had been waiting right outside his door, started following after him. He waved them off.

    Downstairs on the ground floor, he stopped in front of Lady Katja¡¯s quarters. She normally had her own guards posted, not trusting his, but the hallway was clear today. Hoping that didn¡¯t mean she was out, Cedric thumped his fist against her door.

    Having heard Mags report on the woman¡¯s nightly activities, he half expected the door to open to a sweaty and nude woman with her companions standing awkwardly in the background. Instead, a fully clothed young boy opened the door with fingers marred with fresh ink. It was the pudgy page-like boy that Katja kept on retainer who bore a suspicious resemblance to the late Duke Woldair.

    Upon seeing who was at the door, the pageboy threw open the door fully and dropped down to his knees. ¡°My liege,¡± he cried out, only to squawk in pain as the door rebounded off the wall and struck his shoulder, knocking him aside.

    Cedric paid him little mind, pushing the door fully open and taking in the room.

    Lady Katja, formerly sitting on a short couch by a bookcase, was both standing up and offering her usual archaic bow. A somewhat scruffy man sat at a desk not far away, adjacent to the desk¡¯s main chair. He dipped into a bow of his own with an expression on his face that said he would much rather be anywhere else but here.

    ¡°My Lord,¡± Lady Katja said, still in her bow.

    Stepping inside, Cedric glimpsed the contents of the papers on the desk. It seemed like learning materials. The man must have been some kind of tutor brought in to teach the pageboy how to read or write.

    Cedric decided both were completely ignorable. He turned to Katja as the woman stood properly, hands tightly clasped together. ¡°You have a method of contacting Arkk in an emergency. Illegal magic.¡±

    He knew that they often met, thanks to Mags, so such a method was only logical.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know what¡ª¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your usage of illegal magic. I just need to speak with Arkk before something unfortunate occurs to my men. Don¡¯t waste my time, Lady Katja,¡± he said, employing all the verbal and bodily imposition he had learned over his years.

    It worked. She swallowed audibly before casting a glance at the tutor. ¡°Do it,¡± she hissed.

    Cedric cocked an eyebrow, turning to regard the scruffy man with a little more scrutiny.

    ¡°I¡­¡± The man started, looking up with the expression of a man who knew he should have stayed in bed this morning. He swallowed, smiled a fearful smile, and cleared his throat. ¡°My mother always said never to disagree with someone who can put your head on a pike.¡±

 Traitors All Around

    ¡°Prince Cedric,¡± Arkk said.

    The private meeting room within the former Duke¡¯s manor possessed the same air of opulence and finery that it had under the Duke¡¯s rule. Heavy velvet drapes, a deep shade of burgundy, were drawn tightly over tall, arched windows. Slivers of moonlight slipped through the gaps only to be washed out by the bright glowstone lamps hanging from the ceiling.

    It was far too fancy of a place for either Katja or the Prince, which probably meant that nobody had bothered redecorating since the Duke¡¯s death.

    A long, polished oak table sat directly beneath the central chandelier. On one side of the table, Arkk took a chair, trying not to fiddle with the lapel of one of his nicer suits. Both Kia and Claire stood just behind him, flanking either side of the chair. He certainly had not been about to meet the Prince without their backup. Although Zullie had a few other possible responses to a demon, the dark elves who had undergone Project Liminal remained the best bet. All they had to do was touch the demon and it should be shunted out of this plane.

    Opposite Arkk, the current Lord of the Land sat with an air of authority. Although clad in a much nicer suit than Arkk¡¯s, it was a subtle garment. Nobody would have mistaken the Duke with all those gold and silver rings, colorful and flamboyant suits, and the slicked-back hair that had become the preferred style among the wealthy of Mystakeen under the Duke¡¯s rule. Prince Cedric was dressed well, but without any of the gaudiness.

    Lady Katja, dressed up somewhere between the former Duke and the current Prince, sat on one side of the long table.

    Arkk found himself somewhat cross with Katja for outing Edvin like that. His job of spying on both her and the Prince was going to be much more difficult now that the Prince knew he worked for Arkk. Perhaps it was time to reassign him elsewhere.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I expected a meeting with you,¡± Arkk said honestly. When Edvin tugged on the link, Arkk feared something unfortunate had happened. Perhaps a demon summoning or another attack from Eternal Empire warships.

    ¡°You are most adept at dodging attempts at meeting with you,¡± Prince Cedric said.

    ¡°There¡¯s a war going on. It has kept me rather busy.¡±

    ¡°How many engagements have your forces had since retaking Elmshadow?¡±

    ¡°Open battles? None,¡± Arkk said. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ve been resting upon my laurels. There is much to be done.¡±

    ¡°Such as rejecting an army.¡±

    Arkk dipped his head.

    Between them, a decanter of aged wine and a small array of crystal goblets stood as a silent offering of hospitality. Nobody had touched their drinks yet.

    Prince Cedric pulled his hands together, resting them on the table in front of him. ¡°Help me understand you, Arkk of Al-Mir. What is it you hope to gain from the current situation?¡±

    ¡°Gain? Some semblance of peace, I hope,¡± Arkk said, taking one of the crystal goblets. ¡°An end to this war.¡±

    ¡°Do you intend to end it in favor of Evestani?¡±

    It took a force of willpower to keep from spewing the wine across the table. ¡°Certainly not. After all the troubles I¡¯ve caused them, you think I could flip sides and keep my head?¡±

    ¡°Then the soldiers you rejected¡ª¡±

    ¡°Absolutely won¡¯t help,¡± Arkk said with a sigh. ¡°I hate to be the one to inform you, Prince Cedric, but this war will not end through any level of conventional warfare. I doubt this war will ever end unless we kill the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar.¡±

    ¡°An entity your reports claim you have defeated on multiple occasions.¡±

    ¡°Defeat in this case does not mean kill. He possesses children¡ªmy researchers indicate a child is more easily manipulated than an adult. No matter how many times we defeat him, he¡¯ll keep coming back.¡±

    Prince Cedric didn¡¯t look surprised at the news. It probably wasn¡¯t news to him, even though Arkk hadn¡¯t exactly gone around telling people the full story. Better to flaunt what victories they had than let people know they were up against a nigh-unkillable implacable man possessing the bodies of innocent children.

    ¡°You have a plan, I presume?¡± Prince Cedric asked.

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Care to enlighten me?¡±

    Arkk carefully set the goblet of wine on the table as he shook his head. ¡°It is the kind of plan where the less it gets out, the more likely it is to succeed. My researchers have reason to believe that our enemy has ways of divining certain events or futures, or at least scrying upon meetings such as this one. My fortress has protections against a variety of divination.¡± He hoped those protections were working. ¡°Better to avoid saying anything at all here, unfortunately. If you wish to join me at Elmshadow¡­¡±

    Arkk knew he said the wrong thing before he finished speaking. The Prince¡¯s eyes flashed. Not in the way that Arkk¡¯s might. There was no glow. No sign that he had made a contract with an otherworldly artifact of power. Just the mundane anger of someone unused to being denied.

    It only lasted an instant. Prince Cedric quickly covered his expression with a simple frown. Running his finger along the rim of his goblet, the Prince moved to his feet. Both Kia and Claire tensed. They didn¡¯t move, but Arkk could still feel their sudden wariness through the link. It was a similar feeling to when someone was in pain or danger.

    It wasn¡¯t a feeling he got often. At least not outside combat. Concerned, Arkk looked back at them through the link, keeping his actual eyes on the Prince. There didn¡¯t appear to be any cause for concern. Arkk couldn¡¯t see any threats to them, supernatural or otherwise.

    Were they just being wary?

    ¡°I am at a crossroads, Arkk of Al-Mir. My father, the King of Chernlock, charged me with restoring stability to this land. He tasked me with doing whatever is necessary to achieve that end. I¡¯ve tried diplomacy¡ª¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°It went over about as well as you might expect. One of the early responses contained a coded plea for help. Unfortunately, I was never able to follow up on it. Messengers after that point began returning decapitated.¡±

    Arkk grimaced, nodding his head. He suddenly felt uneasily aware of his neck.

    He hadn¡¯t had any diplomatic interactions with Evestani since exchanging prisoners for gold. Given that they had turned around almost immediately and started marching back, Arkk hadn¡¯t been too interested in pursuing further relations with backstabbers and traitors of their ilk.

    With the precautions he had taken, both in having the gold retrieved by undead and, after, having Agnete melt it down, he did wonder whether or not it had been trapped. Did Evestani think they caused him some inconvenience? Had they expected him to die? Did they think they got the better end of the deal? From Arkk¡¯s perspective, the gold had been worth a whole lot more than a few thousand mouths to feed.

    The Evestani got their soldiers back, but they had paid for about half of Leda¡¯s tower. An excellent trade, in Arkk¡¯s opinion.

    ¡°I have deployed elite units to secure tactically advantageous positions throughout Mystakeen,¡± Prince Cedric continued. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed a rolled-up scroll onto the table in front of Arkk.

    Unfurling it, Arkk stared down at a map of Mystakeen. A fairly oblong stretch of land. He could see the border of Evestani, Moonshine Burg, and a long trailing route that indicated Evestani¡¯s path into the former Duchy. Rather than a wave washing through the country, Evestani had been pushed down into a thin, narrow corridor. The same route Arkk had harassed them upon. He could even see the odd turns his various efforts had forced them to take.

    Following the map back to the Evestani border, Arkk leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at the notations written down.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you think I sent you everything I had available to me? Were you disappointed at only being spared a little less than ten thousand soldiers?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re poised to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ah. As you said, you never know who might be listening in.¡±

    If the map was accurate, Prince Cedric had several sets of roughly nine thousand soldiers lined up along the border. They were positioned carefully so that they weren¡¯t likely to be spotted. They weren¡¯t just guards maintaining the border. It was an invasion force.

    Arkk looked up, eyebrows raised. He hadn¡¯t the slightest clue that the Prince had managed to maneuver several armies around like this. Granted, he hadn¡¯t been searching for it. The scrying teams focused on immediate threats and certain key areas of observation. Mostly wherever Evestani¡¯s army was and anywhere surrounding his territories. The border was far off from both.Stolen story; please report.

    Katja, who was peering over the map while trying to look like she wasn¡¯t all that interested, looked just as surprised as Arkk was. After a moment, she met Arkk¡¯s eyes. The corners of her lips twitched downward and she slowly shook her head. Arkk didn¡¯t expect her to know everything the Prince got up to but she was supposed to keep an eye on him. For something like this to have gone unnoticed meant he must have been playing with his hand very close to his chest.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you pushed forward?¡± Arkk asked slowly, looking at the Prince.

    Cedric put on a faint smile. It might as well have been the biggest, smuggest grin for all that it implied he had gotten one over on Arkk. Still, he managed to maintain some level of decorum. ¡°The answer should be obvious, no?¡±

    ¡°The avatar,¡± Arkk said, looking back down at the map.

    With the numbers he had, Prince Cedric could have crushed Evestani¡¯s army at any point along their route into Mystakeen. At least, if they were a conventional army. But they weren¡¯t. Even if one didn¡¯t know about the avatar and his near-immortality, anyone could look at their army and spot the numerous esoteric magics to which there were few, if any, answers.

    ¡°Among other reasons, yes. The avatar has been spotted in numerous locations distant from one another yet close enough temporally that he must have access to teleportation¡ª¡±

    ¡°Possession,¡± Arkk said, shaking his head. Ignoring that his own movements had likely been tracked in some manner, he motioned to the top of his head. ¡°Evestani shaves people and tattoos magical runes on their heads. Some, mostly those from Evestani, are likely willing. They are not above tattooing them on innocents from Mystakeen. Unfortunately, my researchers haven¡¯t been able to study the exact mechanics of the system. Anyone with those tattoos is at threat of becoming the avatar without warning. Don¡¯t really want a golden beam blasting through my researchers, now do I?¡± he said with a wan smile.

    ¡°Whatever the means, this avatar has a method of effectively appearing in multiple locations at once.¡±

    Arkk looked down at the map, noting the movements of the troops across Mystakeen. The paths each group followed were annotated with dates, giving Arkk a rough picture of where everyone had been at any given time.

    ¡°I think I see,¡± Arkk said. Cedric wanted Evestani focused on him and Elmshadow, not looking at their borders.

    ¡°It is more than that. Unless there has been some severe¡­¡± Prince Cedric waved his hand vaguely as if grasping for the right word. ¡°Miscommunication,¡± he settled on. ¡°Barring miscommunication with my father, the force we sent to you should be the only other major force in all of Mystakeen. I am certain Evestani is aware of them, but if they don¡¯t see that force with you¡­¡±

    His trailing off left Arkk filling in the rest of the sentence. It seemed like the Prince was doing so as a countermeasure to potential observers, but he still said too much. Anyone with half a brain could figure out that he was worried Evestani might feel something amiss and wouldn¡¯t focus entirely on Elmshadow. Of course, depending on Evestani¡¯s true abilities in gathering information, it might not matter.

    For Arkk, a map on the table was far more valuable in his crystal balls than a word in a meeting. Crystal balls communicated visually, not audibly. His earlier rejection of the Prince¡¯s question had been more of an excuse than anything else. Did the Prince know something more about their abilities?

    Something to ponder.

    Regarding the Prince¡¯s actual words, Arkk wasn¡¯t sure he agreed that Evestani would spread their focus away from him.

    Evestani didn¡¯t like him for more reasons than just getting in the way of their invasion. He had little doubt they would focus on him. But he could still see where the Prince might disagree.

    Arkk took a moment before nodding slowly, indicating he understood.

    ¡°I¡¯m still not sure what exactly you want from me,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Like you, I¡¯m sure Evestani is aware that your army is present in Elmshadow. If you insist, I can put them on the frontlines, but they will almost certainly die.¡±

    Prince Cedric pursed his lips, letting out a short hum. ¡°My objective will succeed regardless of your input. The crossroads I find myself standing upon regard whether or not you survive the coming conflict.¡±

    This time, both Kia and Clare tensed. Arkk saw them move, their afterimages positioning themselves closer to Arkk, providing a barrier between him and the Prince. Their actual selves caught up to their afterimages a moment later.

    Katja tensed as well, though only after seeing the two dark elves move. With the way Prince Cedric had moved around the room, she was now at his back. The fingers of her left hand gripped the edge of the table. Her right hand slipped somewhere below the table. Just from the way the muscles in her wrist tensed, it looked as if she had grabbed hold of something.

    A blade?

    Did she intend to use that against the Prince? Or Arkk?

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Arkk said, keeping his calm. He even offered a polite smile, looking first to Katja to maybe calm her before his eyes refocused on Cedric. The Prince said his survival in the coming conflict was in question, not his survival for the evening. There was no need to panic just yet.

    The Prince¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest. He barely glanced at Kia and Claire, dismissing their unusual manner of movement as if it wasn¡¯t anything more threatening than an old man hobbling on a cane. Was he that confident in his abilities? Had he finally summoned a demon that he knew would protect him? Or did he just expect that Arkk wouldn¡¯t order Kia and Claire to do anything before he had given him an actual reason to do so?

    If the latter was the case, he had a whole lot more faith in Kia and Claire¡¯s willingness to remain constrained by Arkk¡¯s orders than Arkk had.

    If Arkk were Cedric, he would be especially wary about making any sudden movements. Or saying anything that could be construed as a threat. Or breathing too heavily.

    ¡°I am something of an overachiever,¡± Cedric said, making Arkk blink at the apparent change in subject. ¡°When I was a boy, my mother asked me to watch my younger sister and ensure she stayed safe. She meant for the afternoon, but a year later, I poisoned my uncle after I discovered unreasonable levels of abuse perpetrated against my sister. When I was a teen, I was given the duty of overseeing a small vineyard in Chernlock to demonstrate my skills in management.

    ¡°It is now the largest supplier of fine wines throughout all four of the Kingdom¡¯s states,¡± he said, gesturing toward the decanter on the table. ¡°Of course, my most infamous contribution to the Kingdom of Chernlock was the resolution of a¡­ ruling dispute within Vaales. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of that one, at least.¡±

    ¡°I have,¡± Arkk said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re going to say that mere stability in Mystakeen isn¡¯t enough for you?¡±

    Prince Cedric smiled, chuckling lightly. ¡°I¡¯m glad we understand each other. Yes. Stability is far from enough. Evestani and the Yzanstani Empire they replaced have engaged in numerous wars with Chernlock over the centuries. If there wasn¡¯t some conflict, large or small, at least once every fifty years, I would be shocked.

    ¡°So tell me what good is stability now if a new war is going to break out in another twenty years? In my eyes, peace is an impossibility as long as Evestani exists as an autonomous power. The solution is, therefore, simple.¡± Prince Cedric spread his arms, palms facing upward. ¡°They cannot continue to exist as an autonomous power.¡±

    Arkk couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow, both in surprise at Cedric¡¯s ambition as well as his blatant speech despite the suspicion that they might be spied upon. Not that he said anything beyond a vague plan to destroy the enemy country. Bringing that vision to reality was another matter entirely.

    But it sounded¡­ good to Arkk, if he were being honest. Arkk could use the Prince¡¯s ambitions against him. Let him have Evestani. He would be off fighting a war, acting as a barrier between Arkk and anyone else who wanted his head. Arkk might even consider supporting that effort. Leda¡¯s tower was already positioned to perform a similar task. Arkk hadn¡¯t been planning on conquering the entire country but¡­

    If the Prince was in Evestani, he would likely leave Katja in charge here¡ªhe surely wouldn¡¯t have kept her alive thus far without plans to use her for something. That would let Arkk get back to what he needed to do. Which, at the moment, was researching the other realms and bringing down the Calamity.

    There was just one problem.

    ¡°You don¡¯t believe it is possible?¡± Cedric asked, reading Arkk¡¯s expression.

    Arkk thought a moment and slowly shook his head. ¡°Not while the avatar exists.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Cedric said with a small sigh. ¡°If even half the reports are accurate, the avatar must be dealt with. Thus, I am forced to act to your benefit.

    ¡°It has come to my attention that a large portion of the army, currently housed inside one of the Elm mountains, has developed a¡­ shall we say dissatisfaction with your leadership in Elmshadow.¡± Prince Cedric paused, giving a pointed look to Arkk. ¡°They are a prideful people who don¡¯t take kindly to being sequestered away.¡±

    ¡°Dissatisfaction. On the level of rising up against me just to die to Evestani?¡±

    ¡°You have powerful subordinates,¡± Cedric said, waving a hand at Kia and Claire. ¡°That much is clear. But Hawkwood¡¯s reports of your numbers suggest you don¡¯t have all that many personnel in the grand scheme of things. You believe you can handle Evestani and their Eternal Empire allies¡ªsomething I am uncertain about but willing to overlook for the sake of this argument. But can you handle that front while also dealing with an uprising at your rear?¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes, sighing loudly. ¡°I¡¯m trying to keep them safe,¡± he said, only half lying. Keeping them as witnesses to Al-Mir¡¯s might was another reason to keep them away.

    ¡°I am aware. But the force sent to you is primarily young and hotblooded men eager to prove themselves.¡± Prince Cedric adopted a rather cruel grin. ¡°They won¡¯t realize how good of a deal you offered them until they¡¯re standing in the mud and muck, watching the enemy charge toward them. Only when they wet themselves with blood will they wish they had taken you up on your offer.¡±

    With a groan, Arkk leaned back, closing his eyes. ¡°You try to do a nice thing for somebody and they stab you in the back¡­¡±

    Cedric chuckled again. ¡°A common hazard among those who find themselves in positions such as ours.¡± He turned partially, not quite looking toward Katja while still flicking his eyes in her direction. She wouldn¡¯t have been able to see it.

    Arkk definitely could.

    Maybe he wasn¡¯t keeping her around to groom her into the new Duchess.

    ¡°Speak with my adjutant with the army,¡± Cedric said. ¡°Let Mags know of our discussion and that I would be exceedingly displeased were something unfortunate to happen to either of our forces at this particular time. As for the army? Put them on the front lines. I would request you try to keep them as far away from the avatar and other such threats as possible, but if Hawkwood¡¯s opinion of you is half the truth of reality, you¡¯ll try to keep them safe without my input.¡±

    He said to put them on the front lines. Plenty would die from that alone. But they were soldiers. Arkk didn¡¯t know if they had been conscripted or if they signed up for it. But then, he went and essentially asked for them to be placed up against things soldiers should handle, rather than the things Arkk had to handle.

    Arkk drew in a breath, looking over the Prince. For all he had heard of the man, Arkk would have expected a callous disregard. Yet here he was, maneuvering around to try to protect them. Knowing what he now knew of the grand scheme of things, Arkk would have figured that they would be even less valuable for anything but a distraction for the rest of the soldiers on the Evestani border.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have my soldiers start running drills with them,¡± Arkk said, formulating a few plans of his own in the back of his mind. ¡°Tell them they¡¯re going to fight to keep them happy then beat them down with my specialists to show them just how outclassed they are.¡±

    ¡°A lot of effort to keep them alive,¡± Cedric commented in a neutral tone.

    Arkk shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s just how I am.¡±

    Besides that, perhaps he could sway a few into joining him on a more permanent basis.

    With Edvin no longer able to act around Cliff as he had been, perhaps he could start sowing a few seeds of doubt among their allies.

    Arkk stood, somewhat surprised that the meeting had been productive and not a series of stealth insults, assassination attempts, or other subterfuge.

    He had a path forward now. A proper one. Defeating the avatar had always been the plan, but it had been more of a symptom to deal with, leaving Evestani as a whole and possibly the Eternal Empire. Now, that same symptom being removed was the cure. Kill the avatar. Enable Prince Cedric¡¯s ambitions and get him out of Mystakeen. Arkk would show off that he was a force not to be messed with and get all his problems out of his hair in one fell swoop.

    A perfect plan if ever there was one.

 Drills

    ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re all that happy, Mags. Wasn¡¯t this what you wanted?¡±

    The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the rolling hills and the sprawling encampments of the two armies. The air was thick with the scent of earth and sweat, mingling with the distant clamor of soldiers preparing for the day¡¯s drills. Joanne along with other former members of the Claymores led groups around a marked-out track, Lyssa the werecat was in charge of a small subset of Arkk¡¯s command-oriented forces who were learning tactics and strategy from the guest army, Al-Mir¡¯s engineers poured over traditional siege weaponry that Cedric¡¯s army had brought. Cedric¡¯s army outnumbered Arkk¡¯s by more than ten to one, leaving most of the guest army to fend for themselves. Some lifted large stones and rocks to train themselves, others were arranging into large shield walls, scattering, and then reforming in repeated drills, and cavalry soldiers were working with their horses.

    Arkk stood at the edge of the makeshift training ground, his eyes scanning the rows of soldiers as they spared and practiced formations. Mags, the ostensible leader of Cedric¡¯s army, leaned against a small wooden railing beside him. Cedric¡¯s adjutant sighed as he looked out over the soldiers.

    ¡°You ever get an idea in your head?¡± Mags asked, lightly drumming his fingers against the railing. ¡°That little spark of finally, I¡¯ve figured out what I need to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ suppose so?¡±

    ¡°So you get the idea, right?¡± Mags tapped his finger to his head. He moved his hands out in front of him, wiggling his fingers in the air as if he were directing people around. ¡°And you start figuring out how to bring that idea to reality. You need to get some equipment, talk to some people, maneuver things around. It takes weeks, maybe longer. Day in and day out, working on little things here and there. And you start doing all that and it is a lot of work but you keep up the effort because you know the payoff is going to be worth it in the end.¡±

    Arkk jolted as Mags brought his hands together, making a loud thunderclap. A few of the nearby training soldiers even paused to look in their direction.

    ¡°Then something happens. Something outside your control. And it all falls to pieces.¡± Mags let his arms drop to his sides as he slumped against the railing once more. ¡°All that effort gone to waste. That¡¯s about what I¡¯m feeling right now.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Well, I¡¯m sorry your boss ruined your plans to stage an uprising,¡± Arkk said, his tone flat.

    ¡°Oh, no need to apologize. It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arkk said, shaking his head.

    He wondered if Cedric knew that his chief adjutant had been the one egging on the soldiers dissatisfied with being sidelined. When Arkk had first told Mags of his meeting with Cedric, the adjutant had gone on an angry rant about Cedric always dragging him down and keeping him from his fun. He wanted to be the one in charge. When he first arrived, he even wanted the fortress handed over to him. Now, he was just depressed.

    Arkk had sent a missive to the Prince informing him of that fact. He could only hope that the Prince would see to removing the man from his position.

    ¡°Maybe next time?¡± Arkk offered.

    ¡°Maybe. I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯m supposed to be doing right now,¡± Mags said in a dejected tone of voice. He looked up at Arkk, then shifted his eyes to look over Arkk¡¯s shoulder. A grin slowly spread across his face. ¡°If there is anything to cheer me up, it¡¯ll be that,¡± he said.

    Turning, Arkk spotted a full three squads of orcs, fully armored in the shadow gear. They carried long scythes, these ones made of wood for training purposes. The real ones were too deadly.

    Taking his eyes off the Black Knights, Arkk noted a certain air falling over the training grounds. It was like a ripple spreading out from those closest, who spotted the orcs first. Everyone stopped what they were doing, setting down weights and slowing their jogs. It didn¡¯t surprise Arkk. Word had spread of Dakka¡¯s unarmed victory over four of the army¡¯s best. Everyone would obviously love to get a look at the shadow-armored knights that boasted such strength.

    ¡°Looking forward to your own men getting beat down again?¡± Arkk asked. The group training would begin shortly. This time, rather than unarmed and alone, the Black Knights would be fighting as a team against a team of opponents with wooden training weapons.

    Finding out just how many soldiers the average Black Knight could handle at once would be another good reason to have done this.

    ¡°You have no idea,¡± Mags said, practically squirming with glee. ¡°There are few things I love more than watching cocky men get their pride beaten out of them.¡±

    ¡°Even if they¡¯re your men?¡±

    ¡°No matter who wins, someone¡¯s pride is going home in tatters. Whose doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Arkk hummed, frowning at the rotund man. The adjutant, Arkk was swiftly coming to understand, was not a pleasant person by any stretch of the word. He didn¡¯t know what Prince Cedric saw in the man to make him worth keeping around. Perhaps he had a brilliant tactical mind or just had been a childhood friend of some kind.

    Arkk found him creepy. If it were up to him, Mags would have been on the first carriage back to Cliff. As it was, he didn¡¯t have much choice but to put up with the man.

    ¡°You think your men have come up with any strategies to beat mine?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure those who faced your orc the first time around went around telling exaggerated tales to try to save face,¡± Mags said. His words made him sound as if he wasn¡¯t quite sure but his tone was confident. He probably knew exactly what the men who fought Dakka had told everyone else. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll be overly prepared, taking those exaggerations in mind.¡±

    Arkk hummed again, a simple note of acknowledgment if not agreement. He was not quite so sure of the outcome. The Black Knight armor made them exceedingly resistant to any threats that might crop up in regular combat. At the same time, they would be outnumbered and were lacking their usual weapons. Armor alone wasn¡¯t enough to win a battle.

    But this was just training. Winning wasn¡¯t the objective. Learning was.

    However it ended up, Arkk figured he would hear about it later. Whether that be through complaints or cheers. For now, he pushed off the railing.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t sticking around to watch?¡± Mags asked. He sounded disappointed.

    ¡°There is far too much to do. I only stopped by to make sure no real fights had broken out. I¡¯ll check in a few more times throughout the day.¡± Turning, he started walking, giving Mags a lazy wave over his shoulder before teleporting straight to the base of the Elmshadow tower once he was out of sight.

    Given that nobody wanted to traverse a million stairs every day, the tower was mostly deserted. With the reconstruction effort inside Elmshadow¡¯s walls, there was room for everyone in his employ around the city proper, though they were mostly concentrated at the site of the former keep and garrison since that was closest to the tower. It was all claimed territory under his control, allowing him free actions within, but he had been avoiding using his abilities too openly outside the tower if only to provide some semblance of privacy to his employees.

    Priscilla stood stooped, glaring downward with her iced-over eyes. Hale stood opposite, giving the dragonoid an equally fierce glare. Leda floated between them, palms out while frantically looking around for any sign of help. Unfortunately, even the base of the tower was mostly deserted today with those drills going on.

    The few people walking around took one look at an angry dragonoid and decided that being anywhere else was by far the healthiest action they could take.

    Arkk stayed back for a moment, watching with a frown as he wondered just what Hale and Priscilla might be arguing over.

    It had been a few weeks since Hale requested relocation to Leda¡¯s tower, temporarily, to try to heal some lingering injuries Priscilla had suffered at the hands of the avatar during the battle of Elmshadow.

    The formerly little girl had certainly had a growth spurt in that time. She was still small, but no longer childlike. Priscilla was a bit shorter than Arkk¡ªnot including her wings¡ªand Hale was now almost the same height. As Arkk stared, he couldn¡¯t help but feel as if there was something else off about Hale. He couldn¡¯t quite place what that something was. It didn¡¯t help that she wore a thick long coat made from dark green scales that concealed her whole body. Matching gloves hid her hands. Only her face was visible.

    If not for her hair still being pulled off into the twin side-tails, Arkk might not have recognized her on sight.

    Hale shouted something at Priscilla and the dragonoid snapped back. Arkk sighed and decided to intervene before his best healer turned Priscilla into a molten blob of flesh.

    ¡°¡ªdidn¡¯t tell me it would be constantly cold. Why is it constantly cold? I thought the ice was just a you thing.¡±

    ¡°You should feel blessed, you ungrateful little human¡ª¡±

    ¡°Alright now,¡± Arkk said, teleporting each of them an extra step away from each other. ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    Priscilla turned a snarl toward Arkk. Being fairly used to that, he didn¡¯t even blink. She wasn¡¯t seriously threatening him anyway. The link didn¡¯t even come close to straining.

    Hale looked away, almost like she was embarrassed. With a shiver, she pulled her coat tighter around herself. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ll figure out how to fix it.¡±

    ¡°Fix? Fix what?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Hale said again, turning even further away.

    Arkk raised an eyebrow. When Hale refused to speak any further, he turned to the other two.

    Leda¡¯s eyes, blazing red much like Arkk¡¯s own, shifted back and forth as she averted her gaze. The little fairy looked from Hale to Priscilla and back again before the tension in her shoulders dropped. Her hover dipped down, making her appear even shorter than she was.

    Priscilla just gave a derisive snort. Having spent whatever anger she had, she returned to the dismissive air she so often kept up. The dragonoid¡¯s icy eyes stared off at nothing in particular.

    Frowning to himself, Arkk wondered how hard he should press. None of the three were injured or otherwise hurt. He could tell that much. With everything going on here, he hadn¡¯t paid all that much attention to what had been going on out at Leda¡¯s tower.

    Although both of them agreed to Hale heading out there to heal Priscilla, it was clear things hadn¡¯t gone as perfectly as they had hoped. As long as both were in one piece, he supposed he didn¡¯t need to press too hard if nobody wanted to talk about it. It would probably be best if they were separated for the time being.

    ¡°Hale. You¡¯re going to be stationed here in Elmshadow for the foreseeable future. We¡¯re likely to need your skills. Any issue with that?¡±

    ¡°Oh thank goodness¡­¡±

    Arkk switched which of his eyebrows were raised, glancing back over the trio, before continuing. ¡°I have a small group of casters that I would like you to train on the Flesh Weaving spell. Two of them might be skeletons.¡±

    That got Hale¡¯s attention. While Priscilla had stopped by Fortress Al-Mir every now and again, including after they connected the portal to the Necropolis, Hale was completely out of the loop. She stared up at him, eyes wide. Not frightened. Curious.

    That was a good sign. ¡°Denizens of the Necropolis,¡± Arkk said. ¡°They aren¡¯t here to fight with us but a few did agree to help heal. I think they only agreed because they thought it would be funny for skeletons to learn Flesh Weaving,¡± he added as a mumbled aside. ¡°So, you¡¯re going to teach it to them. And then¡­¡±

    Arkk trailed off, staring at Hale. He narrowed his eyes as he looked directly at her eyes. They were a piercing, almost luminous blue-white. ¡°You¡­ used to have green eyes.¡±

    Hale¡¯s blue eyes widened further, this time in fear. She quickly turned her head away from him. Not quick enough. Her pupils, rounded but not quite circular, slid together to form thin slits.

    ¡°Hale,¡± Arkk said. ¡°What have you done?¡±

    The young woman balled her gloved hands. After a brief hesitation, she looked back and glared, this time in defiance. ¡°I improved myself. Any issue with that?¡± she spat out. Her arms were trembling now. Despite her aggressive tone, Arkk knew Hale well enough to see the worry that aggression hid.

    Arkk stepped back, raising his arms in a peaceful gesture. He wondered if it reflected poorly on him that his first thoughts were about how much Ilya was going to murder him and not whether or not Hale was alright.

    He looked over her again, taking note of her increased height and more powerful stance. With her lips slightly parted, he could see teeth sharpened and elongated. Not enough to cause problems with speech or closing her mouth. It was like a lesser version of Priscilla¡¯s teeth.

    Turning, he found Priscilla grinning like a madwoman, like she had been waiting for this moment for a while now.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± Priscilla said without losing a sliver of that grin. ¡°She came to me for help. This was all her idea.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m better than fine. I can almost arm wrestle Priscilla¡ª¡±

    ¡°Almost? You wish.¡± Priscilla jumped at Hale, arms out to tackle her to the ground. Arkk just teleported both of them away from each other before they could connect.

    ¡°Hale,¡± Arkk said, ignoring the dragonoid. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know how to react to this. I¡¯ll probably need to think it over. But I need to know, are you actually okay?¡±

    Hale drew herself up, which only served to make her even a little taller than Arkk thought she was. Roughly equal with Priscilla. ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± she said, looking him in the eyes. ¡°A bit cold, admittedly. I didn¡¯t expect that. But I think I can get rid of it.¡±

    ¡°Ungrateful¡ª¡±

    ¡°You,¡± Arkk said, tone far less kind as he pointed a finger at Priscilla, ¡°I¡¯ll have some words for later. I expect impulsive, brash, and stupid decisions from a child¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    ¡°¡ªbut I expect better from you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Priscilla sneered. ¡°You expect me to care if some human wants to chop her body to pieces and put it all back together?¡±

    Arkk turned a questioning glance back at Hale.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that,¡± she quickly said.

    Priscilla snorted. ¡°You wanted me to cut off your arms and legs.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that,¡± Hale repeated with a bit more desperation in her tone.

    Arkk sighed. Closing his eyes, he teleported both of them away. Priscilla went down to the dungeons for a little time-out. Hale got sent to the top of the tower in one of the private quarters.

    He would deal with them later.

    Arms crossed, he looked at the fretting fairy.

    ¡°I¡­¡± She squeaked, paused, and tried to collect herself. ¡°I didn¡¯t know until I walked in on them working. I almost threw up,¡± she admitted, looking a little ill.

    Arkk sighed again. ¡°Believe it or not, I called you here to inform you of a little change in plans. Our good Prince has some ambitions, you see, and I¡¯d like to help him fulfill his dreams. You¡¯re going to help me help him.¡±

    ¡°The demon summoning Prince? That Prince?¡±

    ¡°That Prince.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°The Prince is utilizing Hawkwood in his efforts, so that is who we¡¯ll assist the most. Nothing to worry about, Leda. Come,¡± Arkk said, leaving no room for argument.

 Arms and Armory

    ¡°Another project ready for testing,¡± Zullie said. ¡°Project Capsule. I think this one might stand a good chance at eliminating the threat of those golden rays.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arkk said. ¡°What do you need? Volunteers or material?¡±

    ¡°Volunteers. They should expect discomfort, but nothing quite as life-altering as what those dark elves went through.¡±

    Arkk pursed his lips. He had asked Zullie to try to stick to projects that didn¡¯t require people. First of all, it was surprisingly difficult to find volunteers. Even with Kia and Claire openly demonstrating their altered abilities, there had been almost nobody willing to step forward and go through the same process. It didn¡¯t exactly help that Kia¡ªnot so much Claire¡ªwas honest when people came to ask her how she felt about it.

    Project Liminal split their consciousness across several realities, whatever that meant. It left the two of them a little unstable. It was apparently difficult to tell what things were real and what things weren¡¯t real. There were a few anchor points. Arkk was always real. Or, at least, no alternate reality Arkk had ever appeared before them. There was also some sense of loss like they didn¡¯t quite belong anymore.

    Neither were particularly bothered but neither dark elf had been particularly normal to begin with.

    ¡°Did you test this new project on a chicken?¡± Arkk asked, not sure what answer he wanted to hear.

    ¡°Oh yes. Right over there,¡± Zullie said, pointing to a far corner of the laboratory.

    The whole room was a mess. Books and tomes were scattered across every surface. Large ritual circles had been drawn out across the floor so densely that avoiding them was almost impossible. Someone had dragged down some alchemy equipment¡ªone bottle over a flame was in the process of boiling over. And, off in the corner, there was a little black ball covered in star-like lights that was surrounded by chicken feathers.

    There was, however, no chicken.

    ¡°Zullie¡­ if you¡¯re going to turn my men into balls of stars¡ª¡±

    ¡°The chicken is inside. I can see it, it¡¯s alive and well for the moment.¡±

    ¡°You can see it?¡± Arkk asked, looking through the witch¡¯s rectangular glasses where her eyes weren¡¯t.

    ¡°Sense it. Whatever,¡± Zullie said with a disaffected shrug. ¡°The point is that the chicken is just failing to control its powers just like the chickens for all the other projects¡­ Frankly, it is amazing that they can use magic at all. I assume it is due to them being created through the magic of the fortress. Or maybe they count as contracted to you. I¡¯m not sure. Have too many other things to investigate.¡±

    ¡°Have you considered¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, slowly smiling as a thought occurred to him. ¡°Can Savren do any kind of mind-link with the chickens? Test the project on the chicken but use a proper person to control the power?¡±

    ¡°We considered that,¡± Zullie said, wiping the smile off Arkk¡¯s face. ¡°Unfortunately, mind control breaks apart when the subject undergoes the project¡¯s process.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Just this project or all projects?¡±

    ¡°All we¡¯ve tried,¡± Zullie said. ¡°Sorry. You wanted an army of mind-controlled super-powered chickens, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I wanted an army of chickens, yes,¡± Arkk said not bothering to hide the sarcasm. ¡°I¡¯ll ask around. Have a detailed side-effects report ready by morning.¡±

    ¡°Already got it,¡± Zullie said as she walked over to one of the desks. She started fumbling about with a small stack of papers, blindly moving her hands across the desktop. Her elbow knocked into a stack of books, sending them all to the ground. ¡°Drat.¡±

    Arkk shook his head slowly. ¡°Here. Let me help.¡±

    <hr>

    The streets of Elmshadow were bustling with activity. The vast majority of people present were soldiers, especially now that the King¡¯s army had arrived. However, a moderate amount of citizens and villagers remained within its walls.

    Some, mostly elderly, had failed to escape before Evestani took over the city. Once Evestani¡¯s soldiers were in charge, they were unable to leave. Evestani hadn¡¯t killed them but they hadn¡¯t exactly made life easy either. With all food stores requisitioned by the army, the native citizens had to scrape by with whatever they could manage.

    The magical farms inside the tower were about the only thing properly feeding them at this point. Luckily, with spring having come, it was possible to start growing crops once more. Unfortunately, the elderly didn¡¯t make the best farmhands at the best of times. Half-starved and worn-down elderly were even worse.

    Others had returned to Evestani. Former locals who had heard it had been recaptured. They could do some work. A few craftsmen put together fresh carts and a group of former stable hands managed to round up scattered livestock¡ªsheep and cows mostly¡ªthat had been set loose just before Evestani captured the city. Finding them all was impossible. Plenty of animals had probably perished in the winter, more were just lost in the wilderness. But some had come back.

    Unfortunately, that only meant that now there were more mouths to feed. Both the additional people as well as the returned animals.

    Alma stared out at the eastern side of the city, scratching at her pointed ears hidden underneath her cap, wondering how exactly all that led to this.

    Two dozen skeletons danced about the fields. Literally danced. They cheered and sang and slammed their hoes into the ground. They scattered seeds, tilled in manure, and all around joyfully turned the hard and laborious work of farming into something akin to a waltz. Their bony feet tapped rhythmically against the soil, creating a symphony of clinks and clatters that harmonized with their jubilant melodies. Even the sun itself joined in on the fun, casting playful shadows through their ribcages, making them appear as if they were glowing with the gift of the Light itself.

    It was surreal. Of all the things Alma had seen since being forced into Company Al-Mir, not even the giant walking fortress could quite compare to the absurdity of the situation in front of her.

    She was supposed to be supervising them at the moment. As part of Arkk¡¯s¡­ exchange with the people of the Necropolis, he was to instruct them on how to grow crops. It had been hundreds of years since anyone in the Necropolis had grown anything at all, after all. They needed a refresher.

    Supposedly.

    In Alma¡¯s very private opinion, she thought they were all getting ahead of themselves. She had sat in on the meetings. She knew the situation. The First and Last Primeval Lord wanted to bring the living back to the Necropolis so they could¡­ grow their population or whatever. Just like the old days.

    Except it wouldn¡¯t work out. Not right away, anyway. She didn¡¯t understand the mechanics behind it all, but she did pay attention to the effects. The Necropolis was like the Underworld and was suffering from an overabundance of magic. So much so that it was harming living creatures, including and especially crops. Even if a bunch of people went over there, they wouldn¡¯t be able to grow anything unless the magic levels lowered.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    That did nothing to stop the Merry Company of Cheerful Cadavers from coming here to learn. Or, relearn, in some cases. A few of them were old enough to have been¡­ alive? Undead? Whatever. They were old enough to have farmed before.

    Alma, as someone who had worked a dozen odd jobs in the past, was now in charge of them. She had some farming experience herself, having sold herself to villages in need of an extra set of helping hands practically every spring.

    But she couldn¡¯t keep up. Mentally. Obviously, the physical labor of farming, even with performed as jubilantly as it was, wasn¡¯t particularly fast work. It was just¡­ staring out at the dancing skeletons, Alma wasn¡¯t sure what to think of it all.

    The villagers of Elmshadow were supposed to be out here as well. She wondered if the undead had even noticed that their presence frightened all of them off.

    ¡°They ain¡¯t acting like any boneheads I¡¯ve seen.¡±

    Alma cocked an eyebrow, turning to her side to find a wrinkled old man leaning heavily on a cane. Almost all the villagers had been frightened off.

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen skeletons farm before?¡±

    ¡°Farm? Nah.¡± He scratched some of the scruff on his chin. ¡°Used to be part of the Sellswords of Camal. Dealt with an uppity necromancy once near sixty years ago? Was it really that long ago?¡± With a sigh, the old man stared off for a moment, eyes going hazy. He shook his head.

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    With his arms going limp, he dragged his feet as he moved a few steps forward. He let out a few false moans and groans before coughing lightly. ¡°They moved like you¡¯d expect. Slow, sluggish, uncoordinated. Even the necromancer¡¯s elite guard were just bags of bones. Couldn¡¯t hold a candle to a proper soldier. The only thing they had going for them was tenacity.¡±

    Alma suddenly felt intensely uncomfortable. Also not an unfamiliar feeling since she had been forced into Company Al-Mir. ¡°Sorry if this drudged up some bad memories,¡± she said quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll speak with my boss about¡­ I don¡¯t know, something.¡± They couldn¡¯t get rid of them. And the labor was needed if Elmshadow wanted to be self-sufficient again. But¡­

    ¡°Bad memories?¡± The old man laughed. The laugh fell into a hazy coughing fit before it could finish. ¡°You kidding me? Beating down that necromancer and his boneheads were some of the best fights I had. Best in terms of me crushing my enemies and them doing nothing to me. I¡¯d rather pick up my hammer and smash some skulls in again than fight with those Lightless Evestani.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Well, please don¡¯t. They¡¯re not here to fight. I know they look spooky but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Relax, kitten,¡± the old man said, making Alma reach up to make sure her hat was still in place over her ears. ¡°I can hardly lift my old hammer.¡±

    Alma¡¯s ears were fully hidden. She scowled at the old man, wondering how he knew. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ They¡¯re here to help.¡±

    ¡°Obviously. I may be old, but I have working eyes.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to accuse. It¡¯s just I¡¯m in charge of them. Both keeping them on track and making sure they stay safe.¡± Alma let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°It¡¯s like a diplomacy job that I¡¯m not prepared for but if anything happens to them¡­ I don¡¯t even know what might happen.¡±

    The old man snorted. ¡°Better keep your eye on Priest Harrin. He¡¯s been grumbling about them since they first showed up. Think he¡¯s going to try to rush out and bless them back into their graves one of these days.¡±

    Alma closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. Yet another thing to worry about.

    ¡°Say, they don¡¯t have throats. How do they sing?¡±

    ¡°How should I know?¡± Alma snapped. ¡°Do I look like a skeleton to you? Go ask them.¡±

    ¡°They talk?¡±

    Alma didn¡¯t know why he sounded so surprised. ¡°They sing, don¡¯t they?¡± she asked.

    The old man hummed, looking down at the working and dancing skeletons with a different look in his eyes. Alma didn¡¯t care as long as he wasn¡¯t going to try to hurt them. She had a more pressing matter to attend to. ¡°Where can I find this priest?¡±

    ¡°Where else? Picking up the bricks of his broken church.¡±

    That didn¡¯t narrow things down. Evestani had demolished or at least defaced every Abbey-owned church in the burg, of which there were at least three. ¡°Which one?¡±

    ¡°All of them?¡± the old man said with a shrug. ¡°You think they¡¯d answer my questions?¡±

    ¡°What, the skeletons? Definitely. Honestly, they talk too much. The most unnerving thing about them isn¡¯t that they¡¯re skeletons, it¡¯s how friendly they are. Sing a song to them and they might crown you king of their little troupe.¡± Alma sighed. ¡°Now I need to find someone to watch them while I go talk to this priest¡­¡±

    Luckily, there were guards posted everywhere, even on the eastern side of the burg. Arkk was taking no chances with security. Taking one more look at the old man, deciding he wasn¡¯t a threat, Alma said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a bit,¡± before hurrying off to find the closest group of Al-Mir guards.

    <hr>

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Lexa hissed, lowering a spyglass. ¡°What are they waiting for?¡±

    Nobody who lived in Woodly Rhyme Burg would recognize it in its current state. Before the war, it had been like any other burg. A town just a bit larger than a village. Large enough to afford a wall around most of it, a keep for the local lord of the land, and a paltry garrison for the handful of soldiers charged with maintaining peace in the territory. It had hardly been anything special, lacking defining characteristics like Stone Hearth Burg¡¯s quarry or Silver City¡¯s mines.

    It certainly didn¡¯t lack character any longer. Evestani and the Eternal Empire were turning the entire place into a fortification of their own. The once toppled walls now stood taller than ever. Lexa had no idea where they were getting the material from. To the best of her knowledge¡ªafter having asked the scrying team¡ªthere were no nearby quarries.

    It had to be the Eternal Empire. The army, nearly twenty-thousand strong, somehow lacked supply lines. They hadn¡¯t used them during their march and they didn¡¯t use them now. So either they were like Arkk and could expend wealth to simply generate supplies or they had some alternate way of getting what they needed. Possibly that flying vessel.

    Lexa was betting on the latter for the simple fact that nothing around Woodly Rhyme looked at all like Fortress Al-Mir, the highlands fortress, or the ruins of the fortress in Darkwood Burg. The new constructions lacked the glowstones in the walls, the uniform tiles over every surface, and the magical fortifications to the brickwork. Everything had been built by manual human labor rather than that of the slime-like servants Arkk possessed or the shadowy servants that Leda¡¯s tower utilized. Everything was normal.

    Except for the way they got their bricks.

    The real puzzler was what they were doing at all. It had been two weeks since they arrived. During Evestani¡¯s first charge through Mystakeen, they hadn¡¯t stopped for longer than a few days at any one place, with the sole exception of Gleeful Burg when Arkk destroyed their food supplies. That had been a massive reason why they had gotten as far as they had.

    Now, they were stopped and were showing no signs of preparation for forward advancement. Though, admittedly, that obscuring fog they used covered most of the burg. But it was clear that they were entrenching rather than advancing.

    It wasn¡¯t like Lexa didn¡¯t understand. If she were in charge, she wouldn¡¯t want to assault Arkk at Elmshadow either. The place was even more fortified than Fortress Al-Mir. But Evestani and the Eternal Empire wouldn¡¯t have come this far without a plan, right?

    Unless their plan was just to camp here forever to try to push Evestani borders forward into Mystakeen. That could be the case, though if what she had heard while snooping around Arkk lately was true, Evestani was in for a bit of a surprise when the Prince revealed his hand.

    But that seemed too¡­ easy.

    Lexa didn¡¯t like it.

    Arkk had told her in no uncertain terms that she was not to approach, but just watching the walls from afar wasn¡¯t getting her any information. The trees around weren¡¯t the kind tall enough to get her to any real vantage point. In fact, almost every tree even remotely close to Woodly Rhyme¡¯s walls had been chopped down. Trees were the one resource she knew Evestani¡¯s source for.

    Lexa pulled her shadowy cloak around her a little tighter. She tugged the hood over her face, making sure she was fully concealed. Even with the cloth in front of her eyes, she could see out.

    She could get in. She could figure out what they were doing and what they were planning. As long as she stuck to the shadows, nobody would ever know she was around. The only threat was the avatar.

    Lexa bit her lip. The avatar. That bastard. Just thinking about him got her blood thumping.

    The current theory was that the avatar wasn¡¯t present. It was likely that tattooed children were inside Woodly Rhyme, ready to receive the avatar when needed. However, nobody had seen the actual avatar. Scrying was partially obstructed by the fog and none of the scouts like her had gotten inside, so the information could be inaccurate. But immediately after arriving, the avatar had spent practically every day coming out to the walls and just glaring off into the distance. That had stopped at the start of this week.

    He was out recruiting, preparing, or was otherwise engaged. Supposedly.

    It was a risk. She could get in and out with a wealth of knowledge. Or she could get caught by the avatar.

    Closing her eyes, Lexa muttered a few spells under her breath. Every spell she had relied on throughout her life. Every little spell to help people gloss over her, to help her move a little quieter and a little faster, and to help her keep calm even in stressful situations.

    Spells finished, Lexa opened her eyes and scanned over the burg¡¯s wall. Highlighted through one of her spells, she could see the perfect handholds that would let her scale up over on one side, well away from any lights or guards.

    Taking a breath, hyping herself up, Lexa took off in a stealthy dash.

 Enlightenment

    Arkk lightly tapped the tips of his fingers against the crystal ball, readjusting its perspective.

    From certain angles, at certain times of day when the light hit just right, he could almost see through the haze of mist that covered the Evestani army. It wasn¡¯t clear. The effect worked only for a few minutes before the sun¡¯s position changed too much. But it gave him a glimpse into the army¡¯s actions.

    Usually, one of the scrying teams was in charge of the brief period of observation. They would note down the position of the army, any significant changes from the day before, and whether or not it looked like the army was ready to move. Since arriving at Woodly Rhymes, they hadn¡¯t done much of anything. Which was alarming in its own special way.

    But now¡­

    ¡°See?¡± Lexa bounced up, jabbing her finger at the crystal ball. ¡°There it is!¡±

    Arkk squinted, frowning.

    The area the crystal ball was focused on was a short distance outside Woodly Rhymes Burg, beyond the walls. Roughly where the fields of crops should have been. The fog protecting Evestani from scrying was thinner that far away, letting him see¡­

    Nothing. There weren¡¯t any soldiers, no encampment. Not even a pile of supplies thrown under a tarp.

    Arkk raised a questioning eyebrow in Lexa¡¯s direction. ¡°Is this some kind of gremlin thing I¡¯m too human to perceive?¡±

    Said gremlin rolled her eyes, huffing indignantly. ¡°Look at the way the fog is moving. It is flowing, right? But it isn¡¯t flowing here,¡± she said, jabbing her finger at the crystal ball again. ¡°It is flowing around it.¡±

    Now that she said it, the fog did look like it was avoiding a large section of the fields. ¡°We know the Eternal Empire uses a different method of hiding their stuff,¡± Arkk said, thinking back to the large aeronautical ship that they had discovered. ¡°Is it something of theirs?¡±

    ¡°Something, yeah,¡± Lexa grumbled, running her fingers through her red hair. ¡°I think they¡¯re still building it.¡±

    ¡°While it is invisible?¡±

    ¡°They obviously have a way to see it. I couldn¡¯t, not even when I got close, but people were moving around without trouble, carrying loads in hand carts and on their backs. Lots of¡­¡± She paused with a frown, shuddered, then shook her head. ¡°They had egg things. Big round eggs, all slimy and red. Big enough to fit me inside. They didn¡¯t give me a good feeling.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ huh¡­¡±

    ¡°At a certain point, they just vanished. I didn¡¯t want to accidentally bump into someone and reveal myself, so I didn¡¯t thoroughly investigate, but¡­ This is bad, right?¡±

    ¡°Is it? We already knew they had one of those things. If this is another airship they¡¯re building¡­ with eggs¡­ that¡¯s just one more. I already had plans for dealing with them¡ª¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t just the one.¡± Lexa swatted Arkk¡¯s hand away from the crystal ball, taking control for herself. The viewpoint shuddered and jerked, giving Arkk a brief feeling of vertigo before Lexa stabilized it. She zoomed the view across the land, pausing a short distance away from the construction project.

    Now that he knew what to look for, Arkk immediately spotted the odd curling of the fog as it traveled over something invisible. This one was even larger than the last. Either it was more complete or it was a different design. Arkk didn¡¯t get a chance to try to compare the two before Lexa readjusted the view.

    There was another one.

    And another one.

    And one more.

    Even that wasn¡¯t the end. Arkk counted up nine different construction spots before the sun¡¯s angle made the misty fog glare too harshly against the crystal ball. She still tried to show off one more, but if there were signs of the curling fog, they were too faint to see.

    With a frustrated grumble, Lexa pulled her hand off the crystal ball.

    ¡°How many?¡± Arkk asked.

    ¡°The report I found in the central camp said fifteen, but I was only able to find twelve out there being worked on. I don¡¯t know where the other three are. Maybe they finished already. Maybe they haven¡¯t started them.¡±

    Arkk pursed his lips. Fifteen was a fair few more than the two or three he had been expecting. Especially when his grand plan for getting rid of them was basically to throw Priscilla at them and hope for the best with some siege magic for backup. Maybe give her a few alchemical bombs to drop on them in case her ice wasn¡¯t enough. But fifteen? Perhaps in addition to the few Arkk knew they had¡­

    ¡°Get the crystal ball back to the scrying team,¡± Arkk said, handing it over.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Clearly, I need to do some digging and figure out what these things are. Maybe see if I can¡¯t find weaknesses.¡±

    Crystal ball held aloft in one hand, Lexa planted the other on her hip. ¡°And just how do you plan on doing that?¡±

    ¡°I have my ways,¡± Arkk said, evasively. He did a quick mental check, making sure the Vezta was here at Elmshadow and not in Fortress Al-Mir.

    ¡°Need me to sneak in again?¡±

    ¡°No! No, thank you, Lexa.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°I appreciate you going above and beyond,¡± Arkk said, leaning down to be more on her level. ¡°I really do. But I would rather you stay safe. You can¡¯t take vengeance on the avatar if you get caught and killed before.¡±

    Lexa scrunched up her face. She wasn¡¯t happy. But Arkk didn¡¯t particularly care if she was happy or not. He wasn¡¯t going to let her get herself killed out of some need to avenge those kids the avatar had killed. It wasn¡¯t her fault they had died. She had done her best. All the blame was at the feet of the avatar.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. Keep watch on them¡ªfrom a distance¡ªin accordance with the regular shifts I¡¯ve assigned. We¡¯ll figure out what to do when I¡¯ve returned.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Lexa. I understand. I really do. But I will assign someone else to observation if I think you can¡¯t handle it.¡±

    ¡°I can handle anything.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Arkk said, leaning back. ¡°Then handle simple scouting and nothing more. You did good, even if you disobeyed orders. So today, get some rest. I can have Ivan take your place today.¡±

    ¡°Ivan? The slime? Can it even move fast enough to run away if something happens?¡±

    ¡°Ivan can sink into the ground and hide.¡±

    ¡°Into the ground¡­ Where did you even find that thing?¡±

    Arkk opened his mouth, but hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure. I think he showed up around the time Cray did? The dryad.¡±

    ¡°And where did you find her?¡±

    ¡°Plenty of people have come to me wanting to help fight off the invaders. I have hardly kept track of where they all have come from. Ilya has done plenty of hiring without my knowing and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yes, but a dryad and an ooze? Not exactly common demihumans. Oozes are more often considered monsters¡ªor pests¡ªthan beings too.¡±

    ¡°Now, don¡¯t be rude. Ivan has been¡­ helpful.¡±

    Lexa raised an eyebrow. ¡°With what?¡±

    ¡°Moving around, spying on things without being noticed. How do you think we kept such close track of our efforts against Evestani during their march across Mystakeen?¡±

    ¡°Crystal ball,¡± Lexa said, hefting the ball.

    ¡°In part, but there were plenty of operations that took place while Evestani was using their fog magics.¡± Arkk smiled at the frown Lexa gave him. ¡°Relax. Ivan can handle it tonight. I need to go though.¡± He started to turn away but paused. At this point, he worried she would run off. If he gave her another assignment to busy herself with¡­ ¡°If you want a job to do that would help me greatly¡­¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Find Vezta and keep an eye on her. It is okay if she notices you¡ªin fact, probably better to just approach her openly¡ªjust keep her here. Don¡¯t let her come to Fortress Al-Mir. Or, if you can¡¯t come up with an excuse why she should stay, pull on the link to give me a warning.¡±

    Lexa adopted a look of genuine surprise. ¡°Spy on Vezta? Why?¡± she asked, dropping her voice to a whisper. ¡°I thought you trusted her more than anyone else¡­ except the elf.¡±

    ¡°I do,¡± Arkk insisted. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t imagine she would be very happy to learn what I¡¯m going to be doing in the next little while.¡±

    ¡°And what, exactly, is that?¡±

    Arkk just shrugged, smiling again. This time, his smile was wan and flat. ¡°The less people who know, the better. Sorry. I can¡¯t say more.¡±

    Lexa crossed her arms, keeping the crystal ball upright, as she frowned heavily. ¡°Maybe I should be spying on you.¡±

    ¡°You could try, but it might be hard for you to follow me.¡±

    ¡°And why is¡ª¡±

    Arkk moved himself out of the meeting room, reappearing straight in the ritual room. He stepped on the teleportation ritual circle and, a few hops later, stepped out inside Fortress Al-Mir. Another ritual circle-less movement and he was inside the temple. A hefty lock engaged as soon as he was inside, ensuring nobody would be able to disturb him.

    Not that very many people came by the temple. Only Vezta on occasion when she wanted to kneel in front of Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key¡¯s statue. And Priscilla had been stopping by recently as well. Even though she was upset the Permafrost¡¯s statue was that of a dragon, she still came by to pay her respects.

    Or beg forgiveness. Arkk had deliberately avoided looking in on her while she was present.

    Regardless, Arkk was alone for the time being. He pulled a chair from his office, planting it in front of one of the statues. After a moment of thought, he went ahead and pulled his whole desk over.

    Taking a seat at the desk, Arkk opened a drawer and rummaged through. He pulled out a notebook, then a pen and inkwell. On the underside of one of the drawers, there was a small compartment. John the carpenter had helped him cobble it together. It lacked any way of accessing it normally, at least without destroying part of the desk or drawer. Being his property, he could reach in and teleport items to and from the compartment just as he could teleport the entire desk.

    Security wasn¡¯t the most important thing. If it was, he would have simply sealed off one of the myriad chambers in Fortress Al-Mir.

    Arkk teleported a pair of silver candlesticks and white candles from the compartment. He set them atop the desk on either corner furthest from his chair. After muttering the incantation for a small fire spell, a bright orange flame ignited just above his fingertips. Something strange happened when he brought the flame close to the candle wicks.

    The flame jumped to the wick. Rather than burn the usual orange, a few little sparks jumped from the candle before the flame turned a silvery white. Arkk lit the other candle in the same manner, flicked his hand back and forth to extinguish the flame spell, then leaned back in his seat with his hands folded neatly on the desk.

    And he waited, staring up at the statue of the Holy Light.

    Vezta would probably be¡­ unhappy were she to find out that he had been in contact with the avatar of one of the traitor gods. He didn¡¯t exactly like hiding it from her. He had a feeling there would be a price to pay when she inevitably found out. Yelling and broken trust at the least.

    If she knew about it now, she would try to stop him. Probably not physically, but she could be convincing when she wanted to be. Arkk had already run over possibilities in his head of this being a trap or intentionally lead him to act in certain ways. But he felt it was important to explore every avenue he had available to him.

    Whatever information he got, he could bring up in a meeting as having come from one of his sources. Al-Mir had grown large enough that none of his advisors knew everything that was going on and that included Vezta. There was always someone like Lexa or Edvin out on miscellaneous orders that the others didn¡¯t know about. So getting advice on information without tainting that advice by revealing the actual source of the information allowed him the highest degree of flexibility.

    Arkk drummed his fingers on his desk, watching as the candles burned down.

    If he got any information at all.

    The candles were as long as his arm but burned surprisingly quickly. It had been five minutes and they were already half gone. He had been told that, if he ever wished to speak again, he simply needed to burn the specially prepared candles in front of the statue. Now, however, he was wondering if he had done something wrong.

    Did the candles need to be on the ground? Arrayed in a particular way? Closer to the statue?

    Just as Arkk was about to stand and rearrange the candlesticks, the statue of the Holy Light shifted from the heroic, upward-facing pose to looking directly at Arkk. The suddenness of it made him jump in place.

    A light, feminine laughter came from the masculine statue. It didn¡¯t move when it laughed, giving it an uncanny air. Nor did it move when it started to speak. ¡°Well, well, well. I wasn¡¯t sure if you would try to contact me again. Good day, Mister Arkk.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, taking a moment to settle himself back in his seat. ¡°Avatar.¡±

    ¡°Lyra, please.¡±

    ¡°Lyra,¡± Arkk said with a small frown. It wouldn¡¯t be good to upset this person. ¡°I was wondering if you were going to respond at all.¡±

    ¡°Now, now. I do have other matters to attend to. You are quite lucky you caught me now. I have a task to see to in a few minutes.¡± The statue shifted, moving to a new position without going through the intervening motions. It leaned back, arms crossed, almost like it was resting against a wall. Except, on the pedestal, there was just empty space at its back. ¡°Did you consider more what we spoke of last time?¡±

    ¡°I considered it, yes.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°Still undecided.¡±

    A disappointed frown appeared on the statue¡¯s face. ¡°Pity.¡±

    For all that the Holy Light¡¯s avatar appeared to have a disagreement and dispute with the other two traitor gods¡ªor at least their avatars¡ªArkk could not find a good reason to allow her physical access into his temple chamber or access to operational portals. Perhaps he was paranoid, but Vezta had said that the temple room could act as a direct link to the gods. He had seen some of that for himself¡ªmostly in the form of the Laughing Prince giving him a keystone that linked to the Necropolis¡ªand had no reason to doubt its ability.

    So giving an avatar of a potentially hostile god direct access to that god¡­ Not a good idea.

    ¡°But,¡± Arkk said, continuing. ¡°I did have a few questions that I thought you might be able to answer. Ones that might help me make my decision.¡±

    ¡°Oh? And what benefit is there for me in answering your questions?¡± The statue¡¯s eyebrow moved upward, an odd effect given that the eyebrow was made from shimmering light. ¡°You won¡¯t even agree to a simple request of mine.¡±

    ¡°Aside from helping clarify a few things for me? Perhaps you should view it as building a rapport? A way to help convince me of your intentions.¡±

    The statue sighed. Which, coming from the majestic form of the Holy Light, seemed somehow¡­ mundane. A demystification of the godly being, even if he knew he was only speaking with the avatar of the god. ¡°I suppose educating others at any cost is within my dominion as avatar of the god of knowledge and enlightenment. I should be a little more lighthearted. Perhaps you might be willing to perform another task for me instead? Something of lesser consequence?¡±

    Arkk shifted in his seat. ¡°Perhaps. I would have to know what it is first.¡±

    ¡°And I would need to know what you wish to ask. So let us dispense with the bartering and get straight with the questions, shall we?¡±

    Nodding his head, Arkk pulled a map from his desk of the area around Elmshadow. ¡°The Eternal Empire is building something. A lot of somethings. They are invisible to both the naked eye and scrying, though their presence can be seen using the scrying-obscuring fog that Evestani utilizes. Large red egg-like objects have been seen moving to the construction site. I was wondering if you knew anything about that.¡±

    ¡°Oh? She is doing that, is she?¡±

    ¡°You know of it?¡±

    The statue closed its eyes, cutting off a portion of light in the room. ¡°You are aware of the three gods remaining after the Calamity.¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Arkk said.

    ¡°In the first years, we worked together to maintain order throughout the land. We were going to end wars, bring peace, yadda-yadda. I¡¯m sure you can guess at our idealism.¡± The eyes opened again, narrowing. ¡°But there were disagreements regarding the whys and wherefores. Said disagreements eventually devolved into conflicts. Conflicts between avatars are nothing to be scoffed at. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that we reshaped the world in as many definitions as you could come up with for the word.¡±

    ¡°You mentioned that when we last spoke. The Golden Order took particular offense to you and started a bunch of wars.¡± That much was obviously the truth. Arkk had done his best to verify what the avatar had told him during their previous meeting. It wasn¡¯t hard to find evidence of animosity between the Golden Order and the Abbey of the Light dating back centuries.

    ¡°The only reason evidence of the Light still exists is thanks to the Almighty Glory and her. The Eternal Empress. I doubt she even remembers her own name, but she has pride. And her pride would not allow our alliance to come apart so easily. With both myself and the Greedy Gold in shambles from our wars, we couldn¡¯t exactly say no to the Eternal Empress and her proposed truce. The actual truce is long and dreadfully boring, but boiling away the flowery language, all disagreements were to be conducted without direct avatar intervention. No powers of gods nor anything derived from them were to engage in any amount of conflict.

    ¡°Naturally, we both ignored it when we thought we could get away with it,¡± the avatar said with a laugh. ¡°It was fairly simple for me. A god of knowledge isn¡¯t prone to conflict in the first place. I could easily whisper words of prophecy into the right ears, steering things in the ways they needed to go. And with only us three signing the treaty, I was free to seek out those like your dear Agnete, utilizing their power to maintain safety both within and without my borders.¡±

    The statue flickered forward, looming over Arkk¡¯s desk. ¡°You are not protected by that truce.¡±

    Arkk flinched back at the sudden position of the statue. It hadn¡¯t left the pedestal. It couldn¡¯t, as far as he could tell. But that didn¡¯t stop it from being utterly imposing. Still, he kept his calm. ¡°That much is obvious enough. The Golden Order¡¯s avatar and I have directly fought one another on multiple occasions.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but now it seems as if the Almighty Glory has decided to act as well. The Almighty Glory theoretically rules over the realms of pride, might, power, and war¡ªI¡¯m not sure of the accuracy of that, and those red eggs are a large reason why I doubt it. Nevertheless, the ancient Empress is slow to act but once she moves¡­ she might be something akin to an unstoppable force. But don¡¯t take her for a blunt hammer, swinging wildly. She has as much guile as she does strength.

    ¡°If the Eternal Empire is constructing those war machines that were sealed away following the truce, you had best prepare yourself well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve come to you for,¡± Arkk said. ¡°How do I prepare? What are they? Capabilities, limitations, weaknesses?¡±

    The statue hummed, shifting back to a neutral stance. ¡°Mister Arkk. I shall ask one more time¡­ I would like for you to return Purifier Agnete to me.¡±

    ¡°Out of the question,¡± Arkk said instantly. Even if Agnete wasn¡¯t trapped in another plane, he would have answered the same.

    ¡°Then, I am afraid we have nothing else to discuss today. Good day, Mister Arkk.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡± Arkk said.

    The statue of the Holy Light shifted back to its usual heroic pose, staring up and over the temple room. It didn¡¯t move again, not even after the candles burned completely out.

 A Lesser Servants Adventures Through the Anvil

    Noise and machines, sparks and fire, pistons and gears.

    The Anvil of All Worlds was, as always, in motion. It was a world of sound. A world of lights. A world of endless work. It never stopped. There was a sun in this world¡ªthough the thick layer of smog completely obscured the sky, the world itself still brightened in the morning and darkened in the evenings. Yet the machines never stopped. Even lesser servants paused their work and enveloped themselves in a starlight cocoon for brief minutes of rest every few weeks. Nothing here did. Metal didn¡¯t tire.

    Amid the crushing macerators and conveyors to building-sized furnaces, a lesser servant slung a sloppy tendril over a gap between catwalks. Oily tar oozed along the bridge, moving mass to the other side little bits at a time to keep the tendril from snapping under the weight. As the grotesque ballet of ever-shifting sludge continued, one of the sparking serpents crossed high overhead.

    The lesser servant stilled, still looped between the catwalks, trying its best to look like nothing more than a puddle of pollution and oil. The harsh industrial lights gave it the needed iridescent look, though anything intelligent would have noticed a blob of oil failing to fall through the catwalk¡¯s grated gaps.

    Keeping itself from falling through was something of a struggle. If the gaps were wider, it would have been impossible, but it could form mouths filled with sharp teeth on its undersides. As long as it was careful, it could use those teeth as platforms to balance the rest of itself above the catwalk. It did leave a trail of small gouges, but nothing had noticed the trail yet.

    The serpent also failed to notice the lesser servant. It drifted on high in the air, undulating languid and without apparent alarm.

    Once sure that the serpent wasn¡¯t going to loop back around, the lesser servant finished pulling itself across the gap. The last trail of its tendril sucked into the main mass with a slurping noise that was drowned out by a whirring blade cutting chunks of metal apart.

    It continued along, carefully balancing on its sharp teeth. It didn¡¯t know where it was going. The master directed it from afar, sending nudges through the Stars, commanding it over the endless factory. It could only hope the master knew what it was doing. It had a purpose to fulfill. If the master fumbled or if it failed to execute the master¡¯s commands correctly and ended up returned to the Stars, it wouldn¡¯t be able to fulfill that purpose.

    It didn¡¯t know what that purpose was just yet. Nudges through the Stars weren¡¯t enough to know the end goal. Yet the master must have an end goal. Unless that end goal involved its death, it couldn¡¯t do anything to risk that purpose.

    The latest nudge pushed it toward the conveyor belt leading away from the large furnace. That was good. The furnace heat boiled away the outer layer of its oily skin if it got too close. The air here did help against that¡ªit was thick and foggy and left a protective residue over everything, including its outer layer¡ªbut it didn¡¯t help to the point of being able to get too close.

    One of the mechanical eyes swung past on a gantry. The off-yellow light crossed directly over the lesser servant, making it freeze once again, but swept past without pause as it started inspecting the macerator.

    At the end of the catwalk, a railing prevented anyone on it from accidentally stepping onto the conveyor. Tall metal barrels of liquified glowstone cruised along the belt, moving from one part of the impossible factory to the next. It wasn¡¯t the fastest conveyor belt around, but it wasn¡¯t the slowest either.

    The lesser servant oozed between the gaps in the railing, unhindered. It clung to the edge and waited for the right moment. If it tried the slow oozing way it had used to cross the catwalk gap, it would end up stretched to the snapping point. Instead, it had to wait and watch the barrels.

    One went past now, now, now, now¡ª

    It jumped, pushing off the railing. One barrel zoomed past underneath. The leap carried it along the route of the conveyor belt, matching the momentum enough that its tendrils snapping down to latch onto the barrel didn¡¯t sheer it to pieces.

    Squirming around, it quickly maneuvered just behind the barrel, using it as a shield to block the rushing wind. As the factory tore past, it settled in to wait. It wouldn¡¯t be getting off the conveyor belt anytime soon.

    <hr>

    Arkk peeled his hand off the crystal ball, taking a short breath. Scrying into the Anvil drained him a whole lot more than scrying around Mystakeen. It wasn¡¯t anything he couldn¡¯t handle, but it was notable.

    But he had some time to rest for the moment. The lesser servant would take at least an hour to reach its next destination. He would check in half that time, just to make sure it wasn¡¯t in danger of overshooting its stop, but that was mostly a precaution.

    Portals in the Anvil were far and distant apart, just as they were in the Underworld and here in the regular world. But, unlike the Underworld, the Anvil had ways of moving rapidly around its land. Not as rapidly as the teleportation rituals, but enough.

    They had finally found another portal. This one wasn¡¯t under constant observation.

    That meant they had opportunities.

    ¡°Are you sure Agnete got your message?¡±

    ¡°She saw it,¡± Arkk said with certainty as he looked over to Zullie. The witch sat on top of one of the workstation tables where a littering of crystalline shards sat around her.

    The crystalline shards came from the highlands portal structure, carefully removed under Zullie¡¯s direction so as to not impact its functionality. They had tested it by connecting to the Silence after shaving off portions.

    ¡°Are you sure this is going to work?¡± Arkk asked, frowning down at the assembly she was making.

    Using magic that Arkk couldn¡¯t begin to identify or explain, Zullie was slowly shaping the crystalline fragments into an archway of their own. Deep violet light clung to her fingers as she moved them over the fragments. In that violet light¡¯s wake, the crystal shards were sealed back together as one single structure.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    It was much smaller than a proper portal. A full-sized carriage could go through those. This could fit a gremlin upright or a human if they crawled. Dakka might be able to fit through if she stripped out of her armor and even regular clothes. Most orcs would probably get stuck at the shoulders. Lithe and far narrower than orcs, elves could fit through.

    Zullie frowned, huffing indignantly. ¡°Have I ever steered you wrong?¡±

    ¡°Do you really want me to answer that?¡±

    She pursed her lips. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°But I¡¯m not steering you wrong now. I can see how the portals work. I can do this. They are planar magic on a level far, far beyond anything I ever saw before coming here but they are just planar magic. I¡¯ve been investigating this magic for longer than I¡¯ve known you.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Arkk said. ¡°We probably only have one chance at this¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want Savren here? Or even Hale?¡±

    Zullie dismissively waved a hand before plucking another shard of the archway off the desk. ¡°We all have our specialties. This is mine. They would only be bumbling around, distracting me.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re sure.¡±

    ¡°Arkk. You¡¯re distracting me. Go busy yourself with your skeletons or¡­ anything else.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you aren¡¯t more interested in the skeletons. You sure abandoned any research involving the Necropolis awfully quick.¡±

    Zullie shrugged. A little spark of light jumped from her finger to the crystalline archway, fusing the shard to it. ¡°Just because it¡¯s taboo doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m all that fascinated with necromancy. I enjoyed learning it, but it is hardly my passion.¡± She paused, looking up toward the ceiling. ¡°Besides,¡± she said slowly. ¡°They kind of creep me out.¡±

    ¡°They¡­ creep you out?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re too¡­ real? Yeah. Something like that.¡±

    Arkk squinted, not quite understanding what she was getting at.

    Despite being blind, she noticed his confusion. ¡°Necromancy, the kind I learned and the kind I taught you, is like¡­ We animate a dead body instead of a pile of sticks because of various magical principles tying the deceased form to motion and life. But it isn¡¯t all that different from grabbing a few sticks and waving them around like a puppet. They are puppets. Nothing more. Just puppets made from bones.

    ¡°Those undead from the Necropolis? They¡¯re like people.¡± Zullie frowned, picking up another shard. ¡°No. Not like people. They are people. I don¡¯t like the implications. Honestly, the whole experience soured the idea of necromancy for me.¡±

    ¡°I spoke with some of them about the necromancy we¡¯ve been using. None of them seem to mind. In fact, Yoho taught me a better way to raise undead. Mindless still but far more¡­ limber and mobile. Much more effective warriors.¡±

    Zullie pointed the shard at Arkk¡ªexcept she missed the angle by several degrees¡ªand scowled. ¡°That only makes the situation more disturbing. Why don¡¯t they care that we¡¯re puppeting around dead bodies? Those puppets could have been raised into people like them. It¡¯s weird.¡±

    That was a fair point. Arkk supposed he hadn¡¯t given it much thought. Maybe there was something wrong with the bodies he had brought back. Maybe they were too old to have been raised back into people or¡­ something else. Yoho had looked over the small army of goblin undead he had risen without a hint of disapproval.

    Maybe Yoho just didn¡¯t like goblins.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Zullie said, fusing another shard to the full structure. ¡°Get out. You¡¯re still distracting me.¡±

    Arkk decided not to argue this time. He stepped over to the door, looking back one more time as Zullie, without uttering any incantation, picked another shard from the pile and zapped it to the small archway.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if she had noticed what she was doing. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should comment on it.

    Shaking his head, Arkk turned to the door and left.

    <hr>

    There were no parts of the Anvil of All Worlds that could be considered desolate. Not a single patch of land had gone untouched. Over the last few weeks, the lesser servant had slipped around, sneaking through pipes and over tall buildings. Not once had it come across natural ground. There wasn¡¯t a single stone, not one tree, not even a blade of grass poking out between metal tiles.

    If the world had ever been anything but the factory, there was no evidence for it.

    Except, that wasn¡¯t quite true. Raw ore, stone, even trees all entered the factory, carried on massive locomotives in bulk. They split off, carried throughout the factory by conveyor belts and mechanical arms to be turned into parts and products. They had to come from somewhere.

    It wasn¡¯t the lesser servant¡¯s problem. At no point did the lesser servant care about the properties of this world. It would never have considered the idea of where the raw material came from if not for the nudges in the Stars from the master wondering the same thing.

    But the master was more concerned with other things at the moment.

    The lesser servant crossed over a long stretch of empty pathway. One of the few places in the entire Anvil that wasn¡¯t in motion. It felt¡­ vulnerable. If a gantry swung past with one of those mechanical eyes, there would be nowhere to hide. It could try to burrow away¡ªits teeth could easily chew through the metal tiles¡ªbut previous experiments conducted by the master showed that the mechanical eyes were particularly alarmed when they discovered any damage to the factory. Even a small hole bored through a panel that wouldn¡¯t ever cause structural problems or interfere with operations brought down a yellow-light alarm.

    When the yellow lights began spinning, hordes of mechanical men emerged from buildings and over catwalks, rushing to repair whatever damage the eyes discovered. That would only draw more attention here.

    At best, the lesser servant could spread itself thin, hoping to be seen as nothing more than a puddle of spilled oil.

    It could see its destination now. A tall crystalline archway, covered with runes and markings. Unlike the one it had come through, this section of the Anvil was sparsely populated. A transit route with a great many conveyors and locomotives but few actual machines and even fewer of the creatures that lived in this realm.

    The archway was inactive. No liquid-like membrane was stretched over its center. That was what the master expected.

    But it couldn¡¯t get started right away. Instead, the nudges from the Stars directed it to hide, pressed up into an amorphous blob right at the base of the archway¡¯s leg. There it waited, and waited, and waited¡­

    It waited until an off-yellow light crossed overhead as one of the eyes swung past on its gantry. The mechanical eye continued on its gantry¡¯s tracks without pause, not noticing anything amiss.

    The eye certainly would have raised the alarm if the servant had already started. Now, it had time to work. The nudges in the Stars told it that the gantry here only crossed over once a day or so, leaving plenty of time.

    Its task was an unusual one. The typical duties of a lesser servant were to dig and build. The magic that linked the creatures to the fortress would convert everything they consumed to its equivalent value in gold, deposited in the treasury. When the time came to construct, it did the opposite, taking gold and converting it into reinforced stone, tiles, and whatever else was needed.

    Here and now, its task was to take apart the crystalline archway and carry it elsewhere in the Anvil. It couldn¡¯t consume the archway. It had to carefully use its sharp teeth to peel it apart into shards.

    A daunting task, but a possible task.

    The lesser servant got to work.

    <hr>

    ¡°So, problem. How is Agnete going to assemble the portal on her side?¡±

    Zullie paused her work, turning her head toward Arkk. She didn¡¯t answer right away, instead lifting her glasses up ever so slightly, resettling them on her nose. Slowly, she looked back down to the few remaining crystalline shards on the desk.

    ¡°Zullie?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ Why don¡¯t we take a few of these down to the forge and see if we can figure out another way to merge them together.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips into a tight frown. Zullie got too hyperfocused on things to have noticed the problem herself. This was his fault. He should have thought of the problem earlier.

    ¡°We better hurry,¡± he said.

    They wouldn¡¯t have much time once discovered.

 Sabotage

    Joanne moved through a series of tunnels with some of her fellow former Claymores. Working with people she had known for years made operations like today¡¯s go smoother and easier. Not that working with Arkk¡¯s other units was particularly difficult. She had thought it would be.

    As a human who had been in a human-majority organization, their tactics and training were designed for humans. Although demihumans, such as orcs, were relatively similar to humans, their favored tactics often differed. Orcs, with their large builds, thicker skin, and ability to effectively use heavier weapons and armor, could charge straight into a battle that would see a human torn to pieces in an instant. Then there were beastmen. Beastmen tactics varied greatly depending on the exact species, ranging from aerial attacks from harpies to the slower, burrowing abilities molemen could execute. Humans¡ªmost demihumans¡ªweren¡¯t compatible with those kinds of tactics at all.

    And monsters like gorgon? Joanne had no idea where Arkk dug them up or how he convinced them to work for him¡ªshe had never once heard of gorgon willingly working for a human unless they were blindfolded and in chains¡ªbut she couldn¡¯t deny that they were welcome supports in hectic battles.

    Whether through good intuition or pure luck, Arkk had a knack for getting all those differing tactics working together effectively. Sometimes, that knack came through in the form of splitting up, as they were today, and other times, they mixed together to cover each other¡¯s weaknesses.

    When Joanne had signed up for Arkk¡¯s recruitment drive back at Cliff, she had only distantly heard of Company Al-Mir. They had gotten into a few minor scrapes across Mystakeen. More importantly, they were paying out the ass. A full four times what the Order of the Claymores had been paying even their senior members. She had figured their leader to be some rich scion of some minor noble or other, wanting to pretend to be a knight. Someone with more wealth than sense. For that price, she had been more than willing to play along.

    She hadn¡¯t expected a magic fortress or portal to another world. She hadn¡¯t expected a literal creature from before the Calamity to be the effective second in command¡ªand then a dragonoid almost as old showed up. She had not expected a war to break out immediately after signing on. She definitely had not expected to get involved in that war.

    But most of all, she hadn¡¯t expected so few casualties in that war. When Arkk had started up his memorial wall listing all of the deceased members of Company Al-Mir, Joanne had thought it would end up a depressing reminder of the grim future, harming morale just by existing.

    If anything, it was the opposite. Even with names going on the wall on a semi-regular basis, the fact that there were so few names just spoke to how insanely overpowered¡ªand, she was willing to admit, overly cautious¡ªArkk was.

    The Order of the Claymores wouldn¡¯t have been able to put up one of those walls without destroying morale. In fact, the Claymores couldn¡¯t do that. Not anymore.

    She had heard from some former Claymores that came to Company Al-Mir after the fact; The Claymores and several other smaller mercenary companies ended up forming a coalition to help repel the invaders. That coalition had been all but destroyed in a series of retreating skirmishes.

    There wasn¡¯t an Order of the Claymores left. Only a handful survived and none of the leadership. Most had come to Company Al-Mir. A few others migrated to the First Legion or the Society of the Burning Shadow, but¡­

    ¡°Hey. Jo? You alright there?¡±

    Joanne sucked in a breath, shooting a glare at Lyre. The vanguard carried a heavy shield and sturdy pike¡ªthe former being made from the strange shadow material that made up most of the orc armaments these days. The visor of his helm was up, letting her see his worried face.

    ¡°You looked distracted,¡± he said with a kindly smile.

    Joanne pressed her lips together. Lyre had been one of those who had come from the destroyed Claymores. An old friend that she had left behind in pursuit of gold.

    Could she have saved more if she had stuck around? Or would she have ended up in the ground?

    Deciding against voicing her thoughts and bringing up the past, Joanne focused on now. ¡°Just thinking over the plan again.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s there to think about? It¡¯s a simple plan. Get in, drop off the alchemical explosives, and get out. Just like we did at Gleeful Burg.¡±

    ¡°Four people died at Gleeful.¡± That had been the incident that made Arkk build that memorial wall in the first place. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to let us follow suit.¡±

    Lyre shook his head, almost rolling his eyes. ¡°It¡¯ll be even easier than what we did at Gleeful Burg. We don¡¯t have to sneak around a city this time. What could go wrong?¡±

    Joanne almost socked him straight in the face for that. Almost. Clenching her fist, she managed to restrain herself to just a long groan. One echoed by Opal and Viv as they pulled the cart of explosives behind them.

    ¡°What? What¡¯d I say?¡±

    This time, Joanne did reach up. She slammed down his visor a little more forcefully than was strictly necessary. ¡°Just keep ready,¡± she hissed, eying their surroundings.

    There wasn¡¯t much to look at. They were traveling through a tunnel. Not one of the fortress tunnels with their patterned tiles and well-lit glowstones. The walls and floor were bare-faced earth and stone. The only light they had were a few dimly lit glowstones hanging from the lanterns on their belts.

    Their squad of five was otherwise alone.

    Tempting fate was just asking for trouble. Especially now that she knew that gods of luck and fate were more than just superstition. With a name like The Fickle Wheel, Joanne bet that even minor tempting could have great consequences. Or no consequences at all. That was assuming its name could be taken literally.

    Joanne wondered if there was some kind of prayer or ritual she could perform to try to counteract bad luck. Every company had its superstitions and little rituals. Sometimes it was as simple as polishing a pin before setting off. Other companies had large and grandiose affairs that involved Abbey personnel, feasts, or loud group chants. Company Al-Mir had nothing like that. At least nothing uniform, some people brought along traditions from wherever they came from. Joanne always thought they were silly. She hadn¡¯t believed in that kind of stuff.

    But¡­

    The Order of the Claymores shined their swords with fresh oil before every outing, then held their swords out over a fire filled with sprigs of whatever herbs they could source at their locale and smoked the swords. Joanne hadn¡¯t believed, but she had participated if only to make a group effort.

    That clearly hadn¡¯t worked in the war. If it worked at all. It wasn¡¯t like they could stop right now and hold their swords out over an open fire.

    The Society of the Burning Shadow, a smaller mercenary company, allegedly had lucky scarves that had been passed down through the company¡¯s members for a hundred years. They wore those whenever they donned their armor. First Legion was more a group of bounty hunters than a mercenary company, but even they had a fairly well-known chant they used before starting something dangerous. Joanne felt that was more to hype themselves up than anything else.

    They couldn¡¯t get scarves out in the field, but chanting?

    Possible, but maybe not the best idea. Joanne didn¡¯t know how deep these tunnels were or where exactly they were. All she knew was that they delved beneath the supposedly invisible constructions that the Eternal Empire was working on.

    Those were the targets of today¡¯s operations.

    If the tunnels were too shallow, starting up a song and chant with the crew here could jeopardize everything. Everything being their lives more than their task.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Joanne sighed. Maybe good luck just wasn¡¯t something they could harness on a whim.

    With the tunnel bare and lacking in proper flooring, the cart of explosives had to be pulled slowly and carefully. Even still, the occasional bump would jostle the clay pots. They made a fairly steady rattling noise.

    A divot in the floor caught the wheel of the cart, making the jars clank together.

    Everyone froze. For a long moment, no one moved. No one even breathed.

    Slowly, Joanne let out a breath she hadn¡¯t realized she had been holding. The jars weren¡¯t that volatile. If they were, transporting them like this would have been impossible. A loud noise like that still made her nervous. ¡°Careful,¡± she hissed. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going.¡±

    Opal carefully pulled the cart forward while Viv moved around the side to make sure the wheel wasn¡¯t stuck. ¡°Really wish those undead would do this,¡± the latter grumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t like being around them but, if I have to, might as well put them to good use.¡±

    The corners of Joanne¡¯s mouth twitched into a frown. ¡°Arkk¡¯s undead are too clumsy. They can swing a sword but setting explosives? They¡¯re more likely to blow themselves up.¡± Not that she disagreed. They could have at least dragged the explosives out here. ¡°As for the other undead¡­ they¡¯re apparently more like people than what you or I think of as undead.¡±

    ¡°Still¡­¡±

    ¡°We have our job and we¡¯ll do it,¡± Joanne said, her tone of voice rendering all arguments invalid. ¡°Let¡¯s just try to be a little more careful. Don¡¯t want to look bad in comparison to a bunch of skeletons, do we?¡±

    Lyre let out a laugh that wasn¡¯t entirely genuine. ¡°He might decide we¡¯re more useful as skeletons.¡±

    ¡°Ugh,¡± Opal shuddered. ¡°Don¡¯t even joke. I heard Gunther, that former First Legionnaire, has been thinking about leaving because of them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s First Legion,¡± Viv said in a hushed, almost conspiratorial tone. ¡°A few years back, First Legion was just about destroyed by some necromancer out in the boonies. They took on the job willingly, but it was more than they could handle. People who bunk near Gunther say he¡¯s been waking up lately screaming about zombies or something.¡±

    ¡°Quiet,¡± Joanne said.

    She hadn¡¯t heard about that. She supposed it made sense though. First Legion usually went after smaller targets. They probably figured a lone necromancer wouldn¡¯t have been much trouble. But necromancers could be tricky. It was always difficult to tell just how many servants they could raise. All they needed was a graveyard to be something unfeasible to take down.

    ¡°Lyre. How much further?¡± Joanne asked.

    The large man paused a moment to fish a small black stone from his pouch. Joanne wasn¡¯t sure how it worked. It was some magical device Arkk¡ªor one of those nutjobs he called ¡®researchers¡¯¡ªdeveloped. He had been trying to work some artifice and create more crystal balls. These were the failures, apparently. Useful ones, which was the best kind of failure.

    Using a regular crystal ball, one could mark a location that these black stones would home in on. Lyre tapped a finger on the crystal ball, unleashing a small spark of magic. The black stone emitted a bright blue glow, looking more like a glowstone now.

    ¡°Oh, almost there,¡± he said as he kept walking.

    Except, as he walked, the bright glow started to fade away.

    ¡°No,¡± he paused, turned back, and started walking toward the cart. ¡°Wait¡­ I think we¡¯ve gone too far.¡±

    Another chorus of groans echoed throughout the tunnel.

    ¡°Calm down, calm down. It isn¡¯t far,¡± he said as he hustled back past the cart. He stared at the orb the entire time, watching as its glow turned brighter and brighter. ¡°Maybe fifty paces back!¡± he called after a minute of walking.

    He had gone so far that Joanne couldn¡¯t see much of him besides the glowing ball he carried. With a shake of her head, both angry at him for being so lax and herself for not checking in earlier, she headed over to Opal and Viv.

    ¡°Not enough room to turn the cart around,¡± Viv said with a sigh. ¡°We¡¯ll have to push it backward.¡±

    ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°Not really. It might be more prone to tipping if we hit a bad bump since we¡¯ll be putting force on the wrong side.¡±

    ¡°A bump like the one we just hit a moment ago?¡±

    Viv didn¡¯t say anything. An absence of an answer was an answer too.

    ¡°Right,¡± Joanne said. ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    Around the back of the cart, seated next to the clay jars with his six hands lightly pressed to their tops to keep them steady, was the sole member of their five-man group who hadn¡¯t been with the Order of the Claymores. He was an arachnoid, a spider-like beastman. If Joanne were being honest, the way he looked over to her with eight full eyes unnerved her just as much as the undead. Doubly so because his diet seemed to consist of raw blood. Was he some kind of vampire arachnoid? Or were they all like that?

    From what little he had said, he had seen one of the Protectors, saw some kind of kinship in it, and decided to join up.

    She didn¡¯t have a problem with him. The unease was more like a visceral reaction in the back of her mind. The way his chelicerae moved about over his mouth when she approached didn¡¯t help.

    ¡°We¡¯re pushing the cart backward a bit,¡± she said, completely professional. She wasn¡¯t about to treat a comrade in arms poorly because of some instinct in the back of her mind. ¡°So be ready for that. And let¡¯s keep an eye out for any uneven spots in the tunnel, alright?¡±

    A chittering noise that made the back of her neck tingle came from the arachnoid. ¡°Understood.¡± Those eight flat black eyes angled on his face before his head turned, shifting to the ground below.

    Suppressing a shudder, Joanne planted her hands on the side of the cart. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll help guide it. Ready?¡±

    ¡°Ready!¡± Opal called out.

    The cart slowly started moving again. Joanne made sure to lean her weight against it to push it slightly off to one side, avoiding the divot that they had fallen into earlier. She called out a warning as well to make sure Viv and Opal didn¡¯t catch their foot on it. At half the speed as it was being pulled, it took a few minutes, but they eventually caught up to Lyre. And without incident too.

    The orb in Lyre¡¯s hand emitted a bright white light now. Almost all traces of blue were gone. That meant they were right at the spot Arkk wanted them to be.

    Joanne looked up at the ceiling of the tunnel. It was no different than any other patch. Yet, somewhere above them, the Eternal Empire was busy constructing some kind of ancient weapon of war. Something dangerous enough that it had Arkk nervous, even if he didn¡¯t know exactly what it was.

    And there were several of them. Joanne¡¯s team was hardly the only one out in these tunnels.

    Which was fine with Joanne. If Evestani and the Eternal Empire didn¡¯t want to fight fairly, why should they do the same? Blow their secret weapon to the skies. And blast their army to pieces while they were at it. Several others were en route to Woodly Rhyme directly to try to take out the army.

    Arkk had doubts about it working, unfortunately. During their trek through Mystakeen, Evestani had been able to detect more than half the traps they had laid in advance. The avatar could protect too much at once.

    But hopefully not everything.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Joanne said. ¡°I presume we have some time to rest. Arkk will tug on the link when it is time to set the explosives.¡±

    These had extended timers on the ritual activation built into the lids. Once turned, they would have fifteen minutes to get as far down the tunnel as they could go. From his earlier experiments planting explosives in front of the Evestani march, he had learned that the explosion would prefer to travel through the tunnel instead of going up into the target overhead. This was why he had built small runic arrays into the walls that would collapse parts of the tunnel, which Joanne and her crew would activate on their way back. The blast would spread through the intact portion of the tunnel¡ªgoing fully underneath their target¡ªbefore being forced upward.

    Hopefully.

    Arkk said he tested his work multiple times. It had worked nine times out of ten, the first time being the one failure. A flaw which he had fixed in the latter nine tests.

    At this point, Joanne could only hope he was right.

    ¡°Say,¡± Opal said, walking back around the cart. ¡°Do you suppose¡­¡±

    She trailed off, pausing with a frown.

    There was a whistling coming from further down the tunnel. It was supposed to be a dead end at some point. But a whistle like that came from the wind.

    Wind wasn¡¯t supposed to exist in these tunnels.

    ¡°Did they find the tunnel?¡± Joanne hissed, now tense. This was the worst possible time for something to go wrong. They were as deep into enemy territory as they were going to get. And they had pots of volatile explosives just sitting here.

    The wind picked up. In an instant, what had been a slight breeze barely able to move her hair turned into a whipping gale that shook the cart. The clay pots rattled together despite Kevin¡¯s best attempts to keep them steady. He had his chitinous arms wrapped around and between them. It wasn¡¯t enough.

    ¡°If those pots crack, we¡¯re dead,¡± she swore. Her eyes flicked from the cart to the end of the tunnel where the wind was coming from. Could they move them to the ground? Spread them apart so they couldn¡¯t hit each other? Joanne wasn¡¯t sure it would matter before long. The wind was still picking up. Even the cart was starting to shake. Looking over the worried faces of Opal, Viv, Lyre, and even Kevin, she made a decision. ¡°Go! Run!¡±

    There was a moment of hesitation as they looked at each other. Just a moment. Opal, Viv, and Lyre¡ªher Claymores¡ªfollowed orders.

    Kevin didn¡¯t. Perched at the back of the cart with his arms still wrapped around the pots, he chittered. ¡°If I let go, the pots will clang together more violently.¡±

    Joanne had to raise her voice. The wind was roaring now. ¡°The whole cart is going to upend if you don¡¯t. We need to run now before it gets worse.¡±

    She gripped the front tuft of coarse hair that covered his chest. He was lithe and light which made lifting him as easy as lifting a sack of potatoes. He had the good sense to let go of the pots before he knocked them over. Joanne slung him over her shoulder and booked it, running from the clattering and clanging noise as fast as she could move.

    The nearest array that would collapse the tunnel was supposed to be five minutes of hasty walking away. Lyre had more orbs that would direct him to them. She doubted he had the wherewithal to pull them out now.

    And it wouldn¡¯t matter much even if he did. A minute at full sprint and Joanne still heard the tell-tale sound of shattering pottery.

    Joanne threw herself and Kevin to the ground even as she felt the rush of wind explode toward her. Hands clasped over the back of her head, face pressed firmly into the dirt, she could only hope that if she were to die here, it would be quick and painless.

 Emergency Rescue Operation

    ¡°Hey? You still alive?¡±

    Consciousness returned to Joanne like a mallet to the back of the head. She let out a hiss, reaching back as she lifted her head from the dirt floor. Her fingers felt an unpleasant wetness. Blood, most assuredly. Strangely enough, she didn¡¯t feel any real wound. There was no stinging sensation that she recognized as cuts in her skin.

    Or else the stinging was simply drowned out by the sheer ache that coursed through the entire rest of her body.

    ¡°You were banged up. Lucky I learned a little of that Flesh Weaving spell. Doubt I did a very good job though.¡±

    Joanne lifted her head enough to see eight glossy black eyes staring down at her. The arachnoid. Kevin. The hard chitinous armor he naturally had looked worse for the wear. It was cracked in places. One of his many forearms was missing entirely along with the stump haphazardly sealed up. Probably with the Flesh Weaving spell.

    Seeing his face brought a rush of memories back to Joanne. The sabotage mission, the explosive pots, the wind in the tunnel, and¡­

    Joanne groaned, pressing a hand to her temple. She had a splitting headache. But she couldn¡¯t just lie down. Planting a hand on a nearby tree, she used it to help get herself back to her feet. Her balance was unsteady and the world spun around her, but she forced through the dizzy sensation with pure willpower and¡­

    Tree?

    Joanne looked around with narrowed eyes, trying to force the world to stop spinning.

    They weren¡¯t in the tunnel anymore?

    Looking back behind her, she found a long trail through a forest¡¯s underbrush, though she couldn¡¯t see much of it in the dark. Bits of dirt and grass clung to her mail armor, stuck in the little gaps. Kevin must have dragged her here.

    ¡°The others?¡± she ground out, wincing at the volume of her own voice. ¡°Lyre, Opal, Viv?¡±

    Kevin shook his head. ¡°Not with us. The tunnel collapsed just ahead of where you and I dove for cover. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re buried or managed to outrun the collapse.¡±

    Joanne clenched her teeth. She had lost enough Claymores. Them too? Not if she could help it. Turning, she faced the trail her dragged body had left behind. ¡°Situation?¡± she asked. It was a struggle to not rush back to dig them out with her bare hands.

    Getting herself killed wouldn¡¯t save them.

    ¡°The blast took out the roof of the tunnel over our heads, thankfully. Or we might have been buried as well.¡± Kevin paused, eyes flicking around the forest. Joanne had no idea how well arachnoids could see in the dark. The moon wasn¡¯t out tonight. She could barely see his silhouette now that they were a few paces apart. ¡°I don¡¯t think the Eternal Empire was expecting the explosion. They seemed to be in disarray. I managed to carry you out before they could surround us.¡±

    ¡°How far away?¡±

    ¡°Not very,¡± Kevin said, stepping forward. He pointed one of his arms off to the side of the trail in the brush. ¡°Those lights over there are their glowstones.¡±

    The world was still spinning, but not as violently. Turning to look didn¡¯t make Joanne want to throw up, at least. That was a good sign.

    The mass of twinkling lights through the forest was not. They were a whole lot closer than she had expected from how casually they were speaking. Both Joanne and Kevin were whispering¡ªher, mostly because her head was aching to the point where any louder and she might just crack¡ªbut even that suddenly felt too loud.

    One thing was certain, if that was the site of the explosion, she wouldn¡¯t be getting back to dig through the debris without alerting every guard in the area.

    ¡°So?¡± Kevin said. ¡°Orders?¡±

    Joanne crouched down, suppressing the urge to groan as she didn¡¯t wish to make more noise than necessary anymore. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be giving orders. My head isn¡¯t exactly on straight. We¡¯re out in the middle of nowhere, in enemy territory, injured, with no support, and no equipment.¡±

    ¡°If we try to trek back to Elmshadow, we¡¯ll likely be caught,¡± Kevin said. ¡°The whole reason we were going through those tunnels was to avoid forward defenders and scouts.¡±

    ¡°Can we get back inside the tunnel system somehow?¡± There weren¡¯t supposed to be other entrances into the system. But¡­ ¡°Have the other teams blown their explosives? Or were they caught as well?¡±

    ¡°Unknown.¡±

    Joanne swore under her breath. She turned her head upward, trying to figure out what time it was. The explosives were supposed to have gone off all at once, or close enough to it, based on a signal given by Arkk. But with the problem with her team, would he still go through with the others? It would be just the distraction she needed to try to get back to the blast area and dig through to the tunnel. Assuming there was anything left of it.

    Assuming they could dig through to the tunnel. Who knew how much dirt was in the way. Or whether they could dig without collapsing more of the tunnel.

    If Lyre and the others had made it far enough and had collapsed the tunnel using the ritual marks, they might have been able to find an entrance further down the line.

    Joanne was certain Arkk already knew about the situation, but delved deep into herself, found the link from the contact, and pulled on it. Nothing happened save for a faint tug back from the other side. Unfortunately, the link wasn¡¯t exactly great for communication. He was aware. Knowing Arkk, he would try to help as best he could.

    But watching those lights search around the blast area, Joanne doubted his help would come soon enough. They would have to help themselves first.

    She had an injured arachnoid and herself, also injured. He had a short sword. Her sword seemed to have gone missing, either in the blast or while being dragged over, but she did have a smaller mail breaker in her boot and a small dagger sheathed at the small of her back.

    Evestani or the Eternal Empire or whoever that was would find them soon enough. If not for the darkness hiding the trail where Kevin had dragged her, they probably would have found them already. There was a whole army behind them and scouts and defensive forces between them and safety. No way to easily access the tunnels.

    Their situation was, in a single word, shit.

    ¡°Our first objective is getting away,¡± Joanne said. ¡°Without getting caught and without running into any scouts. Once we have some space around us, we can figure out a plan forward from there. Sound good?¡±

    ¡°Lead the way. I¡¯ll watch our backs.¡±

    Joanne nodded her head. Taking one breath and focusing, she forced away the last of the dizziness.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    Arkk had better figure out something soon. A dragonoid sounded good right about now.

    <hr>

    ¡°Priscilla! Kia! Claire! Emergency situation. I need you three ready to move now.¡±

    All three stood bleary-eyed with that disoriented look people got when unexpectedly teleported. Unfortunately, Arkk didn¡¯t have time to let them acclimatize. He was mentally teleporting others around, moving key personnel into their stations, and readying everyone for immediate combat. The scrying team was on full alert, soldiers were teleported to the armory, and Elmshadow¡¯s defensive rituals were staffed by Lelith and her team¡ªmore of a precaution given the incident had occurred close to Woodly Rhyme, but it was good training if nothing else.

    If something did happen closer to home, better to be prepared than caught out.

    ¡°Olatt¡¯an will go over the details,¡± Arkk continued, then frowned as he looked at Leda. The small fairy hovered near Priscilla, looking as uncertain as ever. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll need you to guide Priscilla again.¡±

    Priscilla stepped in front of Leda, disorientation gone as she raised an anger-filled fist. ¡°You want me to carry around dead weight while I¡¯m trying to fight an avatar?¡±

    ¡°The avatar is confirmed to be in Woodly Rhymes Burg, protecting the majority of his army with that golden magic. You won¡¯t be fighting him. You¡¯ll be on search and rescue outside the burg¡ªfor which you¡¯ll need a guide. As I said, Olatt¡¯an will brief you. Now get to it!¡± Arkk snapped, teleporting all four of them a few paces away to where Olatt¡¯an stood at the table.

    Just to be sure that they¡ªPriscilla mostly¡ªwouldn¡¯t turn around and argue with him, Arkk teleported himself down a floor before bringing the next group to him.

    While Priscilla, Kia, and Claire were currently his heaviest hitters, there were a few other specialists in his employ that he would welcome contributions from toward the current emergency.

    Lyssa, the full werecat, still had a manacle on one of her wrists. But the weaponized chain attached to it wasn¡¯t just a bladed chain anymore. Zullie had worked her magic, turning it into something that could shatter anything Lyssa saw as a barrier. That included magical shields as well as walls, armor, and mundane, metal shields.

    It was almost as effective as the shadowy scythes and yet could be made into any shape. Unfortunately, it wouldn¡¯t work as armor, so they had regular gear instead of the nigh-indestructible shadow armor, and it took a great deal of effort to produce while requiring a specific mentality to shatter shields. Only Lyssa and a small squad who had started calling themselves the Shieldbreakers possessed weapons with the barrier-rending enchantment. Expanding the squad was a task in progress, but it required specialized mental training because the enchantment worked off the user¡¯s perception.

    Zharja, Kahn, and Jann slithered up alongside Lyssa and her Shieldbreakers. They were mostly unaugmented, save for the mechanical end to Zharja¡¯s tail that Agnete had constructed. It had a large stinger on the end and internal cavities to hold the caustic venom that gorgon naturally produced. Besides that, all three had glowstones embedded into the chest of their many-segmented armor. The glowstones weren¡¯t high enough quality for use in rituals but could hold enough magic to let them use their petrifying gaze far more rapidly, though they wouldn¡¯t last forever.

    Richter Porter, Abbess Hannah, a Protector who had taken a liking to the abbess¡ªmuch to her chagrin¡ªand the battlecaster Vector represented the majority of the men who had deserted the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard. The entire force wouldn¡¯t fit into the small room, so these three would carry orders back to their men.

    There were others present. Two freshly hired twin dryads, both with reddish blonde hair and bark-like skin, a quartet of elves plus one dark elf, a slime monster that Arkk still wasn¡¯t quite sure how it got hired, and a recent hire. A syren. A beastman similar to a harpy with scales instead of feathers. They could cruise through water as easily as the skies and could sing songs that would hypnotize anyone who heard them. They tended to sink ships at sea and then plunder whatever loot they could carry away from the wreck. Most demihumans and even other beastmen treated them with suspicion and wariness, somewhat akin to gorgon¡­

    And yet Arkk now had two working for him. Igvile and Primvila heard rumors that he had gorgon and dragonoids and other monsters and wanted to see for themselves what all the fuss was about.

    ¡°I apologize for the sudden meeting,¡± Arkk said as Alma stepped up alongside him.

    The half-werecat had a calm face but reached up to adjust her beret in a way that Arkk recognized as a nervous tick she often had. Luthor, the chameleon of the scrying team, stepped up alongside her, looking far more nervous. Once again, he wasn¡¯t going to be doing the briefing himself.

    ¡°An emergency situation has arisen that requires an immediate response. Alma will be providing details while Luthor can answer any questions about current battlefield conditions.¡±

    One of the Shieldbreaker beastmen called out, ¡°Atta boy, Luthor!¡± leading the already nervous chameleon to shuffle and wave an arm.

    ¡°Silence,¡± Alma snapped out, stepping forward with her eyes narrowed. She flicked her gaze to Arkk, to which he nodded his head, before drawing in a breath. ¡°The situation is as follows¡­¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t stick around to hear the rest of it. If there were any problems, a tug over the link would have him back in an instant. He had his own task to see to.

    A freshly risen horde of undead goblins stood ready to receive his command. They were a bit more animated than the undead army he had previously used against Evestani. The goblins bounced around, hardly able to sit still, and even nipped and bit at their neighbors. They weren¡¯t alive in the same sense that the denizens of the Necropolis were alive, but they were certainly more independent. A result of some of the books Yoho had provided in their dealings.

    Arkk hadn¡¯t wanted to use them here and now. They were going to be a secret weapon, burrowing out of the ground directly underneath the Evestani army when they finally assaulted Elmshadow again. But they were undead he had created specifically to protect those still living.

    They needed direction. More precise control than the previous army, which had just been told to attack everything they saw.

    They had a brief march ahead of them. Sending three hundred goblins through a teleportation ritual was a good way to drain him right when he needed his magic the most.

    With a force of magic, a visualization of their destination and how to get there, and one word, ¡°Go,¡± they were off. They scampered, hopped, and climbed over one another as they rushed through the tunnels beneath Elmshadow. Arkk would catch up later via teleportation ritual. Until then¡­

    ¡°Using them already? I thought they were to remain secret.¡±

    Arkk jolted, turning to find Ilya sauntering toward him. Her silver hair flowed in a way that implied wind but, down in the tunnel, there was nothing that strong.

    ¡°What are you doing down¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, confused for a moment before he realized. ¡°You aren¡¯t Ilya.¡±

    There was no link between him and the person in front of him. The real Ilya was up in Elmshadow¡¯s tower, readying the defense just in case Evestani chose now to attack.

    An annoyed click of her tongue came from the false Ilya as she planted her hands on her hips. Now that he was watching her move more, Arkk noticed more and more wrong. The way she put her weight on her left hip, the back of her hand against her waist instead of the palm of her hand, even the posture wasn¡¯t right. Not since her injury at the Duke¡¯s party.

    And her fingernails were black for some odd reason.

    ¡°Found out that quick?¡± she said, mouth in a tight frown. ¡°Even the boy prince takes a minute and he knows about me.¡±

    Mentioning the Prince set off the tolling of the alarm in the back of Arkk¡¯s mind. In the blink of an eye, he teleported Kia and Claire on either side of the fake Ilya.

    Except, she wasn¡¯t Ilya anymore. Arkk found himself staring into his own glowing red eyes.

    The shock cost him.

    The fake version of himself raised an arm and shouted, ¡°Seize the impostor!¡±

    That momentary disorientation from teleporting was likely the only thing that saved Arkk. The afterimages of the dark elves turned away from the Arkk they had appeared next to and to him. He felt the rising tension of the link about to snap. Arkk teleported them back, straight to the top of the tower.

    The link shattered just as they reappeared. He couldn¡¯t see them anymore directly, not with the link gone, but he could see everything in his territory. Both Kia and Claire collapsed right in the middle of the command room. Why had they collapsed? He had seen the link break before and it hadn¡¯t done that. Was it because of Project Liminal? Their bodies could require more magic than they could produce on their own. Without the link, they¡­

    Were they alive? Arkk couldn¡¯t tell anymore. Olatt¡¯an and Leda rushed over to see if they could help, but¡­

    ¡°Annoying abilities you have.¡±

    But he couldn¡¯t concentrate on that now.

    Arkk narrowed his eyes at the¡­ demon? Was that what he was looking at?

    He needed to escape and¡ª

    The moment the thought of escape crossed his mind, the demon was upon him, tackling him to the ground. Arkk tried to teleport, but the false Arkk clamped his hands around Arkk¡¯s wrists. The teleport failed with a shudder. It was blocked. The same thing happened when fighting Vrox and the ice marble fell to the ground, trapping everyone in a sheet of ice.

    The grip was too strong. Arkk didn¡¯t think he weighed that much or was that strong, but the false version of himself pinned him to the floor with ease.

    ¡°Leaving so soon?¡± the false Arkk asked with a cruel smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ve been watching, waiting for a good opportunity¡­ Looks like this is it!¡±

    Arkk clenched his teeth together, running over his options. He had magic. He could still teleport other things. He could bring someone else down here, but that might lead to their link breaking as well.

    But he would probably only get one chance.

 A Missing Leader

    ¡°He isn¡¯t responding.¡±

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°The dark elves are still out.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re fine¡­ I think,¡± Hale said, leaning over the two unconscious elves. Neither were injured in any way that she could think to check. Because of some of Zullie¡¯s experiments, their bodies weren¡¯t exactly usual. Having sat in for some experiments, including Project Liminal, Hale was somewhat well-versed in abnormal magical effects. Because of that, she could see only one thing that might be a problem. ¡°Both appear to have used an excess of magic over a short amount of time. Because of the link we have with Arkk, that normally wouldn¡¯t be a problem. They should have recovered by now.¡±

    The muscles in Kia and Claire¡¯s faces were tense, as if in a constant, painful grimace. They were still using magic, even now. Or rather, they were trying to use magic. But they didn¡¯t have much to use. That left them strained and¡­ broken.

    Hale stood, enjoying the strength in her new muscles. She had been thinking about asking Zullie if there were any of her projects suitable for someone like her. After seeing this, perhaps that wasn¡¯t the best idea. Her new legs and arms were her. She would get tired if she exercised too much but that wasn¡¯t any different to how it had been before. This power the dark elves had was more like a leech, always active, always draining.

    ¡°I think I can fix it,¡± Hale continued, stepping clear of the two dark elves to an empty space in the command room. ¡°I just need to infuse their bodies with some more magic.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to drain glowstones to get them on their feet?¡± Zullie said, frowning as she stepped closer. ¡°It won¡¯t last long.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be temporary,¡± Hale agreed, bending down to start drawing out an infusion circle. Basically the reverse of the ritual used to fill glowstones in the Underworld. ¡°Hopefully we can get them talking long enough for them to tell us what happened.¡±

    Hale tugged off one of her gloves. Tensing all the muscles in her hand made a long, thin claw pierce through the tip of her finger. With that, she quickly started etching the ritual circle directly into the stone floor. The lesser servants could fix the damage later.

    Unfortunately, she had to pause as large orcish boots stomped into place directly in front of her. ¡°You¡¯re going to use up glowstones right before a battle?¡± Rekk¡¯ar growled.

    ¡°She¡¯s not wrong,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, stepping around the large table. ¡°If something happened to Arkk and the only ones who know what happened are unconscious, getting them talking is vital. Our fighting tactics hinge on Arkk¡¯s abilities.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar showed off his tusks. He looked like he was about to say something, but hesitated. He stepped aside, allowing Hale to continue. ¡°We fought for years without him or his powers.¡±

    ¡°Were we against slavers or forest monsters, I would agree,¡± Olatt¡¯an said with a nod of his head. ¡°But we are fighting an avatar and an army. While the hope was that the avatar would stay protecting his army while we extract our team, we cannot guarantee the avatar will stay there. It is best to have all our cards up our sleeves. Expending one or two glowstones still leaves us with enough to enact plenty of siege magic.¡±

    Hale tuned them out as she started working again, only to have to stop when Zullie stepped forward, blocking the spot she had been working on. ¡°Is finding Arkk not an emergency?¡± Hale barked out, starting to get upset. Looking up and finding Zullie not even facing remotely toward her only made her more upset.

    The eyeless witch was turned toward the orcs, standing with her hands on her hips. ¡°Now, now. Hale has the right idea but she isn¡¯t experienced enough to realize we can perform this experi¡­ this operation without any glowstones needed.¡±

    Hale let out a loud huff.

    Turning in place, Zullie pulled out an extensible metal rod. The kind used to draw out ritual circles in dirt or other soft ground. She tapped it to the ground and swept it in a circle. It wasn¡¯t sharp enough to gouge the ground, but it did leave a faint mark. Even without eyes, she managed to sketch out the ritual circle almost perfectly.

    Hale stared at it for a moment before realizing exactly what Zullie meant by not needing glowstones.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to use the fortress to funnel magic into them? It will only be a trickle. That isn¡¯t much¡ª¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t a bombardment array. It doesn¡¯t need an instant burst of magic, but low-sustained and constant magic. Just a little bit to ease their strain,¡± Zullie said. ¡°The fortress is perfect for that. In fact, it should be doing that anyway¡­ I suspect their link to Arkk, and thus the fortress, has been severed, resulting in their current state.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah! Of course. That makes sense. But can¡¯t we just rehire them to fix that?¡±

    ¡°Need them to be conscious.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Hale said. While she thought she had learned quite a bit from Zullie about magic, she was fully cognizant that Zullie knew much more about the fortress and its mechanics than she did. So she quickly got to work, using her claw to finish the ritual circle according to Zullie¡¯s patterns.

    As soon as that was done, she and Zullie moved Kia into place. She was more likely to be the talkative one of the two, so her first. It was a bit of a cumbersome affair, moving her, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. Project Liminal caused¡­ changes to their bodies. Those afterimages could be deadly if touched improperly. Even now, disconnected from the fortress, they were still leaving them behind. Though they seemed inert, Hale could feel them flaying away at her hands. Active use of the Flesh Weaving spell counteracted that.

    Hale wasn¡¯t sure how Zullie avoided being torn to pieces. She didn¡¯t have tough, draconic skin nor had she uttered the Flesh Weaving spell to repair her body as she moved. She simply touched Kia without regard for danger.

    Zullie was strange. Stranger after having lost her eyes.

    Hale paid her no mind. She had a patient in need of help. With Kia in the center of the ritual circle, Hale planted a hand on the trigger point of the circle. A tiny pulse of magic was all it took to activate it.

    The entire tower shuddered as the ritual circle lit up with a bright blue light. Hale tensed, gripping her claws into the ground even as she wished she had gone ahead and figured out how to give herself wings like Priscilla. But the shudder was a one-time thing. The Walking Fortress stabilized and went still once again.

    Kia wasn¡¯t still. Her afterimage lurched forward, gasping, followed swiftly by the actual dark elf. Kia¡¯s eyes darted around. Afterimages of her head and arms swirled around her as if she were trying to protect herself from a sudden attack. One of those afterimage hands lashed out toward Hale, making her scramble back from the reality-flaying hand.

    Zullie stepped forward, swatting away the ghostly arm with her bare hand. ¡°Calm down,¡± she said, leaning forward without any fear. ¡°Where¡¯s Arkk?¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Kia¡¯s eyes, wide and fearful, latched onto Zullie as if the witch were a rope thrown down an oubliette. She stared a moment before her hands grasped either side of her head, rubbing at her temples. ¡°Two of them,¡± she said slowly, her words echoing in her afterimages. ¡°There were two Arkks.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m worried about him. That doesn¡¯t mean we can sit back,¡± Ilya strode forward, moving alongside Alma. ¡°Leave Arkk to the others. We have our people to save.¡±

    Arkk, whatever he was doing, wouldn¡¯t want everyone to drop the rescue operations and focus on him. He had been gathering crews to head out without him. There was no need to hold them back.

    ¡°I¡¯m taking command for now,¡± Ilya said.

    The beret on Alma¡¯s head twitched. ¡°Is that the wisest course of action given the situation?¡±

    Ilya paused and half-turned, glaring at Alma with such intensity that it almost felt like her eyes were glowing just like Arkk¡¯s. ¡°You¡¯re suggesting we leave them? They¡¯re still alive.¡±

    Alma shied away, her ears flattening against her head on their own. ¡°N-No. Of course not. I would never¡­ I meant you being in charge. Is that wise?¡±

    Alma hadn¡¯t thought it was possible but as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Ilya¡¯s glare intensified tenfold. The tall elf fully turned, her face set in stone. ¡°Alma,¡± she said slowly. ¡°What exactly do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± the werecat squeaked, feeling more like a weremouse. ¡°Nothing at all.¡±

    Ilya stared a moment longer before turning away without another word.

    Alma shook her head and took a breath, trying to throw off that intense pressure. She had always thought Ilya was something of a pushover, but this did remind her that, during the incident that got her hired on in the first place, Ilya had been the one to suggest outright killing her instead of torturing her. She had almost forgotten. Intentionally. For as poorly as her service to Company Al-Mir had started, she rather liked her duties these days. She felt a managerial role fit her perfectly. Company Al-Mir didn¡¯t treat her poorly¡ªor anyone, for that matter. Even Luthor was starting to regain some of his confidence.

    But they had effectively kidnapped her, threatened her, and forced her into her contract. She tried to forget that bit.

    It wasn¡¯t that Alma doubted Ilya¡¯s ability to get things done or to command some troops¡ªIlya had done some of that before Alma joined up, before the war started, and before she got injured at the Duke¡¯s party. Alma¡¯s main objection to her being here was Arkk. He wanted to keep Ilya safe. And if something happened to the elf on Alma¡¯s watch¡­

    Alma shuddered to think what might happen.

    Ilya ahead of her threw open the doors to the ready-room. Inside, a handpicked group of Shieldbreakers, battlecasters, orcs with shadowy armor, and gorgon stood at the ready. A few donned looks of confusion at seeing Ilya in the lead, but nobody was too alarmed. It was well known that Ilya and Vezta were effectively the next level of Company Al-Mir¡¯s hierarchy beyond Arkk. Olatt¡¯an, Rekk¡¯ar, and the research team were just below that.

    Alma was somewhere under the rest of the advisory group. She wasn¡¯t exactly sure what she had done to earn such a lofty position¡ªapart from learning about a plot to overthrow the Duke, that was. She supposed it was either keep her close to keep an eye on her or throw her off in some corner of the dungeons to keep her quiet. Alma certainly wasn¡¯t going to complain. Not that it mattered anymore.

    The Duke was dead.

    As for the rescue teams, they probably assumed nothing was amiss.

    ¡°Arkk is unavailable for this mission,¡± Ilya started. ¡°As are the Project Liminal dark elves. Priscilla and Leda will be flying overhead, working with a bombardment strike team to draw the enemy¡¯s attention. We will be on extraction duty. Any questions?¡±

    The gorgon with the iridescent black scales and mechanical end to her tail slithered a step forward. ¡°Iss Arkk¡ª¡±

    ¡°Unavailable,¡± Ilya interrupted. ¡°Any other questions?¡±

    That was one way to shut down questions. Probably one of the more alarming ways. Not how Alma would have handled it.

    Ilya simply looked over the group as if she honestly expected more questions after her interruption. Finding none, she turned and pinned a hastily drawn map to the wall. ¡°We have three groups trapped behind enemy lines. Two underground, still in the tunnels, and one group above ground,¡± she said, updating the briefing from earlier ¡°The latter will be the more difficult, so team leaders?¡±

    Zharja, already slithered forward, stayed where she was as a battlecaster and one of the elven archers moved to join her.

    Ilya looked over the three, then shifted her eyes over their shoulders, examining their particular groups. All three were mixed in their makeup, but Zharja¡¯s had Lyssa and the majority of the Shieldbreakers while the archer had the majority of the ranged combatants. The battlecaster had a fairly healthy mix of melee and magic.

    ¡°Zharja and Lyssa,¡± Ilya settled on. ¡°Your teams will be with me, responsible for the above-ground unit. Vector¡ª¡± She looked to the battlecaster. ¡°¡ªwill be in charge of recovering unit two. Maya will recover unit three. Here is how we¡¯ll be doing this¡­¡±

    <hr>

    Joanne clasped a hand over her mouth, trying not to hiss at the stabbing pain she felt in her side. It hadn¡¯t been so bad earlier¡ªor perhaps the adrenaline covering the pain faded away¡ªbut now, up here?

    With her other hand, Joanne clung to the branch of the tree. A thin yet strong thread of spider silk helped her stay in place, supporting most of her weight. Even without being injured, she still would have been uncomfortable. With injuries?

    Pain was all in the mind. Just the only way her body had of relaying that it was injured. As she already knew that, it didn¡¯t mean anything. Or so she told herself over and over again while trying to keep her mouth sealed shut.

    Below her, bright glowstone lights scoured the forest floor. A dozen armored men searched for any sign of interlopers. Injured and broken, Joanne and Kevin quickly realized they weren¡¯t going to outpace the soldiers. Aside from the trail made while dragging her away from the explosion, which really could have been anything, she had no idea how they knew anyone was on the surface, let alone intact after that blast. But there they were.

    Searching.

    They were focused on the ground. If any one of them looked up, if she coughed or wheezed or just made the wrong rustling noise with her armor, that would be it. She didn¡¯t know if they would try to capture her or if they would just kill her immediately with arrows or magic, but either way, it wouldn¡¯t be good for her.

    Lifting her gaze, Joanne looked over at another tree. Even with all the glowstones moving around below, she could barely see the silhouette of Keven. The arachnoid clung to the tree like he had been born to climb and managed to keep himself almost completely in shadow no matter where the lights were below. If he were on his own, he would have easily escaped. Even now, Joanne was sure he could have slipped away if he wanted. Yet there he was, watching and waiting and making sure she was still safe.

    It irked. He shouldn¡¯t be here. Just like she shouldn¡¯t have bothered trying to save him. She could have gotten further down the tunnel if she ran when she ordered the others to, past the point of collapse, and made it back with Viv and the others.

    In her foolishness, she had stayed behind. And now, he was staying behind.

    Joanne couldn¡¯t help but think that they would both end up paying the price.

    Luck, that fickle wheel, chose the moment that thought crossed her mind to play its latest trick on her. The spider thread letting her hang from the tree even despite her injuries slipped. It didn¡¯t break. It didn¡¯t send her tumbling to the ground down below. But it slipped, scraping away some old, loose bark from the side of the tree. A small chunk fell, knocking into one branch and then another before finally landing in the underbrush, rustling the leaves.

    The closest guard whirled. He didn¡¯t hesitate for a single second before jamming his pike into the bush. So much for taking prisoners, Joanne thought with glum realization. That, in turn, got the attention of the rest of the search party.

    It could have been a rabbit or a fox. All they had to do was shrug their shoulders and walk away.

    Don¡¯t look up. Don¡¯t look up¡­

    Joanne didn¡¯t know if it was luck, strategy, or just Arkk, but just as one of the soldiers started tilting his head back, a blast of icy wind swept through the forest. A cascade of sleet and snow rained down a dozen paces back, back where the explosion had just gone off.

    There, high in the moonless night, barely visible between the branches of the evergreen tree, a dragonoid¡¯s scaled wings caught the starlight, glinting as she swooped around to come in for a second strafing run.

    The guards down below scrambled and shouted, fully alert. They were looking up, but not at her. Their eyes were on Priscilla. In mere seconds, they were rushing out from below, heading back the way they came.

    Joanne sagged, her relief threatening her grip on the tree. She let out a breath that she couldn¡¯t guess at how long she had been holding. For the first time since that dragonoid appeared and got herself hired, Joanne was glad to see her. Looking up, she met Kevin¡¯s gaze. Inhuman though it was, she still saw the flood of relief in his multitude of eyes.

    Her relief combined with a sudden surge of adrenaline. Joanne let out a small, soft laugh at making it through.

    Only to feel a sharp, piercing pain directly in her gut. Joanne looked down to find an arrow punctured through her mail.

    One of the guards, trailing just behind the others, started shouting even as he drew a second arrow from his quiver.

 Crash

    ¡°Two Arkks, you say?¡±

    Vezta stood at the table. Her eyes¡ªthe ones in the usual spot on her face¡ªswept over the group of five. Olatt¡¯an, Kia, Claire, Zullie, and Hale. Everyone else was busy with the operation. Vezta had half a mind to put an end to it, to focus on uncovering what happened to Arkk, but Fortress Al-Mir had enough personnel to carry out multiple operations at once these days.

    The real problem was that of an imposter, period. If the story the dark elves told was true, an Arkk could show up, order people around, and cause all kinds of havoc if the rest of the minions weren¡¯t made aware. At the same time, informing them would undermine authority, damage trust, and harm morale. Was it better to inform them or try to solve the crisis quietly while everyone was distracted by the compromised teams stranded behind enemy lines?

    ¡°They both looked exactly the same,¡± Kia said, taking the silence as a prompt to elaborate on her story. ¡°Green tunic, scruffy beard, glowing red eyes. Everything. We appeared next to one of them, who raised his hand to point at the other. ¡®Seize the imposter,¡¯ he said. We turned to face the other Arkk, started toward him, and were immediately teleported away. Don¡¯t remember much after that.¡±

    ¡°Their contract was broken,¡± Zullie cut in. ¡°We rehired them, mostly to keep them conscious over a longer period of time without draining my vault of glowstones.¡± The witch paused, then added, ¡°Without the fortress providing a steady supply of magic, the changes to their bodies drain them near instantly.¡±

    Kia¡¯s dark brown eyes narrowed as the dark elf shot a glare at Zullie. ¡°Which is a complication we were not made aware of before agreeing to your experiment.¡±

    Zullie didn¡¯t look bothered in the slightest. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a problem as long as the contract remained in place. Don¡¯t know why you¡¯d care.¡±

    ¡°Arkk is human,¡± Kia said. Her hands¡¯ afterimages slammed into the table just before her actual hands. ¡°We¡¯re dark elves. We may not live as long as Ilya and her mother but we¡¯ll outlive Arkk easily. What are we supposed to do then? Fall over and die?¡±

    ¡°I hardly see how that is my problem.¡±

    ¡°You¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Vezta said. ¡°What you say isn¡¯t accurate. As long as Arkk¡¯s connection to the [HEART] remains unbroken, he will outlive the oldest elf, the most ancient dragon, and possibly the entire world. Your concerns are unfounded. As long as Arkk stays alive,¡± she added with emphasis. ¡°If he dies, you¡¯ll have a problem. So let us focus on ensuring that does not come to pass. You can bring up your long-term future once your immediate future is secured.¡±

    Kia¡¯s lips curled into a snarl while Zullie simply shrugged and turned aside.

    Claire was the one to lean forward, getting the briefing back on track. ¡°We were tricked.¡±

    ¡°The Arkk they appeared next to was the imposter,¡± Olatt¡¯an agreed with a firm nod of his head. ¡°They turned on the real one and started to attack him, thus breaking their contracts.¡±

    ¡°Likely,¡± Vezta said. She could see no fault in that reasoning. ¡°But currently irrelevant. I will be able to tell apart Arkk no matter how convincing of a disguise this other has. The important thing now is to locate them.¡± Vezta looked between Kia and Claire. ¡°Well?¡±

    Despite looking like she was in the midst of licking a particularly sour lemon, Kia took a breath and said, ¡°It was a darker room. No windows. Air was a bit stale and foul-smelling. Somewhere underground, I think, though still part of the fortress.¡±

    ¡°Considering the labyrinth that Arkk has dug out underneath Elmshadow, I would prefer something a little more specific than ¡®underground.¡¯¡±

    ¡°The air smelled like death,¡± Claire said. ¡°Not recent death. No coppery blood. But death just the same.¡±

    ¡°Undeath?¡± Hale asked, perking up for some reason.

    Claire just shrugged. ¡°A corpse smells like a corpse,¡± was all she said.

    Olatt¡¯an stood, moved off to one side of the meeting room, and started perusing a thick leatherbound notebook. ¡°There are no maps of the Elmshadow underground,¡± he said as he flipped a page. ¡°But Arkk did note down the locations of a few important areas in case we needed to know while he was busy elsewhere. Ah. Here we are.¡±

    Walking back to the table, Olatt¡¯an placed down the notebook on an open page.

    Undead Storage

    There were three large chambers where Arkk stored his undead, according to the notebook. All were out far beyond the borders of the actual Elmshadow Burg. All were also to the west. If the Evestani army ever approached the burg and undead hadn¡¯t already been used, there were instructions in the notebook to open several passages that would allow the undead to emerge right underneath the army¡¯s feet.

    Unfortunately, the three chambers were not right next to each other. It would take time to search them. Given that it had been a quarter of an hour since Kia and Claire regained consciousness, and a good quarter of an hour after having disappeared in the first place, meant that this imposter had at least a half an hour to run amok and cause havoc.

    ¡°Arkk is still alive.¡± Vezta knew that without a shadow of a doubt. ¡°The fact that the fortresses still function is evidence of that,¡± she said. But even without the fortresses, Vezta had a connection to him. A little strand of Stars that said he was alive. ¡°But I do not know for how long that will be the case. Anyone not already out in the field should report to search the rooms and corridors on the lower levels near Undead Storage¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold up,¡± Zullie said, looking back. The little twinkling lights in the backs of her empty eye sockets dazzled with a fresh thought. ¡°The fact that he pulled these two, out of everyone in the fortress, to come to his aid has me¡­ concerned.¡±

    ¡°Does that matter?¡±

    ¡°It does when Project Liminal was specifically designed as a counter-demon project,¡± Zullie said, shuddering slightly. ¡°He didn¡¯t pull anyone else to try to help him, even after these two ended up tricked. That makes me wonder just what he thinks he is up against.¡±

    ¡°A demon,¡± Vezta hissed, unable to unclench her teeth.

    ¡°I mean, Arkk can teleport anyone instantly, can¡¯t he? Priscilla was still here when these two did their thing,¡± Zullie said, pointing a thumb at Kia and Claire. ¡°If it was someone normal, why not try to use Priscilla against them after the dark elves failed.¡±

    Kia bristled at the accusation but didn¡¯t speak. Probably because she couldn¡¯t exactly argue.

    ¡°Or anyone else for that matter,¡± Zullie continued. ¡°Dakka and the orcs with shadow armor can take on just about anything, gorgon can stall just about anything long enough to do something about it, Lexa can sneak around and stab people in their backs before they know she is there, I know a plethora of magical spells which includes a collection of esoteric spells derived from a god, so on and so forth. This fortress contains a collection of some of the most dangerous beings I can think of all in one space, all available to Arkk at a moment¡¯s notice. So why these two and no one else?

    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t want to admit it, so I¡¯m happy to hear of alternate possibilities, but tell me that doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    Vezta looked over the group with a heavy scowl. Her skin bubbled in anger and irritation. Nobody had any alternate possibilities. She could see it in their faces. Olatt¡¯an had his brow furrowed as if he were deep in thought. Kia stared at Zullie with wide eyes, her earlier anger at the witch seemingly forgotten completely. Hale scowled to herself, glaring at the table as if it had answers. The final dark elf was as blank-faced as ever.

    And Vezta couldn¡¯t blame them. She didn¡¯t have a better idea either. Zullie¡¯s words were logical. They weren¡¯t necessarily correct. Arkk could be facing something that he had mistaken for a demon.

    But Vezta couldn¡¯t take that chance.

    ¡°I have a few other items from our counter-demon research,¡± Zullie said. ¡°Most back at Fortress Al-Mir. If we equip¡ª¡±

    ¡°What are you waiting for? Get them. Immediately. The moment the thought of a demon crossed your mind, you should have¡ª¡± There was no time. Vezta clenched her teeth. ¡°Go. You,¡± she said to Claire as Zullie pulled back from the table. The witch stared a long moment, almost as if frightened, until Hale took her hand and started leading her away.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Vezta paid them no mind, focusing on Claire. Claire was the most sociopathic of the two dark elves, the one most likely to carry out the job Vezta needed her to do without question. ¡°Your new task is to enter the [HEART] chamber. You will kill anyone who approaches. You will kill Arkk, you will kill Kia, you will kill myself. You will do so immediately upon seeing anyone and without so much as speaking to them. The only way you are relieved of this duty is when Arkk teleports you out of the Heart chamber. Do you understand?¡±

    ¡°Protect the Heart,¡± Claire said with a nod of her head.

    ¡°Go,¡± Vezta said, turning to the rest of the room. Olatt¡¯an and Kia sat, fully alert. Which was good. The seriousness of the situation could not be understated. She looked to Kia first. The [HEART] here was at the highest risk, but there was a possibility that the [HEART] at Fortress Al-Mir was in just as much danger. It would take traveling through the teleportation circles to reach, which were under guard. But no guard would stand against a demon.

    If only there were more like Kia and Claire. But, unlike Vezta¡¯s former master, Arkk asked for volunteers.

    If she sent Kia away, would Zullie¡¯s trinkets be enough to get the demon away from Arkk? Did Zullie have anyone trained in using her trinkets? Which was the greater risk? That the demon would go after the [HEART]s or that they wouldn¡¯t be able to rescue Arkk?

    ¡°You two,¡± Vezta said, coming to a decision that she wasn¡¯t sure she liked. ¡°Are going to come with me. Kia is not to leave my side. I can identify the real Arkk and point out the imposter. We three are going to stick together. If any of us is separated from one another for even a moment¡­¡±

    They had to find Arkk.

    <hr>

    ¡°Now this is the life! Don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Leda didn¡¯t think. She didn¡¯t think at all.

    The poor fairy grasped the harness as Priscilla tucked her wings behind her. They plummeted straight down. Wind rushed past fast enough that it felt like someone grasped the back of Leda¡¯s hair and yanked. Her tiny frame felt like she was a mere hair¡¯s breadth from slipping out of the leather harness.

    And the stupid dragonoid was cackling. Cackling!

    When Leda claimed the Heart of her very own walking fortress, she had figured she was done with this kind of work. She was supposed to be living the high life, relaxing in her tower with the magic flowing around her fingertips. So why was she here? Why did Priscilla need her anyway?

    The dragonoid spread her wings, abruptly turning their hasty descent into a swift horizontal sweep. Priscilla blasted the ground beneath them with snow and ice. A sheet of sleet covered plants, trees, and animals that had just barely recovered from winter. As soon as her sweep finished and her icy breath ran out, Priscilla angled her wings, sending them soaring straight back up into the sky, far out of range of any bows, crossbows, or even most magic while she waited for the elemental crucible in the core of her chest to recover enough for another run.

    Even if Leda knew that what went up had to come back down eventually, the going up wasn¡¯t as mind-shatteringly terrifying. That gave her the opportunity to look around down below. She could see the streak of ice reflecting what little starlight there was, shining bright white against the otherwise dark forest. And she could see, off far in the distance, glowstones that belonged to the enemy forces.

    The ice had come nowhere near the glowstones.

    Not even close.

    Leda let out a groan, wondering how that witch saw without eyes. If Priscilla could do that, Leda wouldn¡¯t have to be out here screaming her little head off.

    ¡°We¡¯re off target!¡± Leda shouted over the rushing wind. Grasping a strap of the harness, she gave a firm tug to point the direction. ¡°That way!¡±

    ¡°On it!¡± Priscilla shouted back, dipping one of her wings, banking their flight.

    Leda waited, peering over Priscilla¡¯s shoulder, watching the glowstone lights approach underneath them. She just needed the right moment, and¡­ ¡°Go nowahhHHH!¡±

    Priscilla tucked her wings back, making them drop like a stone.

    A gale of ice joined the wind, forcing Leda to burrow her face into Priscilla¡¯s back. The dive only lasted a few seconds before Priscilla pulled up again. Once again, as had been their continued pattern, Leda looked down below to see if they hit their target.

    They had. Partially. It had been a large group of glowstones, each of which presumably belonged to someone out searching in the forest. About half of the glowstone lights were coming from the icy area. The other half had managed to escape or were on the edge of the icy run.

    Leda was about to tug on the harness again to get Priscilla swinging around for another pass.

    A thought occurred to her.

    This wasn¡¯t like the other times Leda had helped guide Priscilla. She had magic of her own now. She was strong. Maybe not as powerful as Arkk, but¡­

    The words to most of the spells Arkk taught her were all jumbled about, tossed and turned by the constant up and down arcs of their flight. But one of the shorter spells didn¡¯t have enough words to be so easily forgotten.

    ¡°Electro Deus!¡±

    Hanging from Priscilla¡¯s back, Leda threw her hand downward. A bright, blinding blast of lightning coursed from her fingertips. A larger blast exploded out from where the lightning hit, blinding her even more. She had to blink the streaks out of her eyes as she wondered what happened. Electro Deus wasn¡¯t supposed to explode. Maybe she had hit some remnants of the alchemical bombs?

    As her vision returned, she realized that she might have overdone it a little. In fairness to her, it wasn¡¯t like she had much practice in high-stress combat environments.

    A hole big enough for three orcs to stand shoulder-to-shoulder had been blasted through the tree canopy straight to the ground where a shallow crater formed. A scattering of glowstones had been left behind along with a few toppled suits of armor. There must have been something else there to have caused that explosion but Leda didn¡¯t care what it was.

    She grinned as Priscilla leveled out their flight, angling such that the dragonoid¡¯s body obscured the view of the ground.

    ¡°Did you see that?¡± Leda called out with a laugh.

    ¡°No.¡±

    The utterly flat tone in Priscilla¡¯s voice choked the elation right out of Leda¡¯s throat. ¡°Oh. Sorry.¡±

    Priscilla let the awkwardness hang in the air just long enough for Leda to wonder if she really offended the dragon woman, only for her to bark out a laugh of her own. ¡°I¡¯m messing with you! I felt that blast in my bones, and that isn¡¯t easy. Congratulations!¡±

    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Leda mumbled. The joy of casting magic felt a bit diminished but, at the same time, she couldn¡¯t help but smile to herself. The normally frosty dragonoid was joking around with her? That was a good thing, right?

    Or maybe she was just in a good mood since she got to unleash her icy breath on all the humans down below.

    ¡°Can¡¯t let you have all the fun though. Where next?¡±

    ¡°Just a moment,¡± Leda said, trying to look around. There were still a few moving glowstones back at the previous spot. But their task wasn¡¯t to wipe out one or two people. They needed to cause a big commotion, get eyes on them, and buy time for the other teams to rescue the people who needed to be rescued.

    It was dark. It was night. A golden glow sufficed throughout the burg in the distance, but Arkk had insisted they keep well away from the avatar. There were supposedly other targets near the forest edge, large constructions hidden by magic, but Leda wasn¡¯t sure how they were supposed to find them.

    At least, she wasn¡¯t until a massive explosion, orders of magnitude larger than the one her lightning bolt had made, ripped apart a portion of the treeline just to the north. Leda started to tug on the harness but Priscilla was already banking in that direction.

    Leda squinted, trying to peer ahead of them. A dark cloud of dirt-filled smoke blossomed up into the sky, but her eyes were focused on the ground as she searched for fresh targets. Or, she supposed, for anyone from Company Al-Mir in need of a distraction.

    A heavy gust of wind rushed outwards from the site of the explosion, well after the blast had finished. Priscilla jostled and jolted in the turbulence. Her wings thumped as she fought to stay in the air. Whatever good mood Leda had been in vanished in an instant as she grasped hold of the harness for dear life.

    The wind cleared away the smoke and dirt from the explosion. There was a wreckage underneath. A twisted heap of scrap metal and splintered wood. A lone figure stood next to it, dwarfed in size yet somehow standing taller. A woman in a fine black outfit with blonde, shiny hair. Something hovered just behind her head. A ring of knives.

    Despite the distance, despite her being as big as Leda¡¯s thumb in perspective, when the woman turned, it felt like she was right in front of her. She could see that ever so slight frown of disappointment cross her features. Bright white glowing eyes looked up, staring directly at Priscilla and Leda. One of her hands rested atop the hilt of a long, straight sword at her hip. The other hand, she slowly raised to the level of her shoulders.

    A loud snap from her fingers echoed out.

    Priscilla swerved, turning in the air hard enough that Leda was almost thrown from her back despite the harness.

    Something rushed past them, flying through the air faster even than Priscilla at her best. An orb of darkness surrounded by a ring of white light. It shot off into the sky, vanishing into a pinprick.

    Not that Leda got a chance to watch it for long. Priscilla dove and climbed and twisted and turned as more and more of the black orbs flew toward them. She curled up, her wings wrapping fully around Leda and herself as she spun, barely managing to avoid two of the orbs streaking by at once. Her wings unfurled, catching them in the air.

    Leda, eyes wide and covered in a fearful sweat, twisted in the harness. She looked backward. Despite having flown off for several seconds now, the woman was still there, still staring directly at them with those white eyes.

    ¡°Electro¡ª¡±

    A black orb rushing straight at her cut her off. Thanks to twisting, it skimmed right past her without hitting her.

    Priscilla wasn¡¯t so lucky. The orb tore through one of her wings, her shoulder, and the harness all in one.

    Leda didn¡¯t even have a chance to make a squawk of surprise before the harness came completely undone. Priscilla went one way, slamming into tree after tree before finally thumping into the ground. Leda went the other, beating her little fairy wings¡ªfueling them with as much magic as she could¡ªto try to stop herself from suffering the same fate.

    She still struck a tree branch, snapping it in two, then another, and a third. The remnants of the harness looped around a fourth branch, finally bringing her to a stop. The harness, wrapped around her legs, her waist, and her shoulders, saved her from a hit to the ground.

    Fire still burned through her chest. That first hit against the tree felt like it broke something in her ribs. Her heart hammered as she swung back and forth, dangling from the tree. When the swinging harness finally settled to a stop, she slumped, too hurt to try to keep upright in her harness.

    Leda didn¡¯t know if Priscilla was still alive.

    Watching little lights from glowstones swarm through the forest, Leda didn¡¯t know for how long she would be alive.

 Saved

    ¡°Priscilla?¡± Leda whispered, eyes darting around with fear and worry.

    She had finally found the dragonoid. It hadn¡¯t been difficult. Priscilla plowed through the trunk of a tree, sending it toppling to the ground, and then left a massive gouge through the dirt for a good hundred paces, crashing against another few trees in the process. All Leda had to do was follow the destruction. The hardest part had been getting out of the harness in the tree.

    One of Leda¡¯s wings was broken. She hadn¡¯t even noticed at first. The adrenaline kept the pain down and other pains, such as the stabbing ache in her chest, only served to cover up the relatively minor pain in her wing. The first she noticed her wing was when she unlatched the harness and went tumbling straight to the ground, unable to stop her fall.

    She was out. On foot. And now stood beside Priscilla¡¯s unmoving form.

    Kneeling down, Leda tried pushing against the dragonoid¡¯s shoulder. Her good shoulder. The other shoulder was¡­ not exactly present anymore, along with a wing and arm. Were this anyone else, Leda would have taken one look and dismissed them as being dead.

    Priscilla was different. Ever since hearing about Company Al-Mir and its supposed magic-granting contract, Priscilla had been Leda¡¯s constant companion. There was Camilla as well, another fairy who joined at the same time, but they had always been assigned different tasks. That just left Priscilla.

    It wasn¡¯t always easy being the grouchy dragonoid¡¯s spare eyes. There had been several points, practically after every outing, where Leda thought about asking to be reassigned to anything else. But she never had. For as much trouble as Priscilla could be, for as terrifying as flying with the dragonoid was, there was a thrill to it. A glimpse into what might have been had fairies possessed natural magic.

    Now, because of Priscilla, Leda could feel that magic. It swirled around her, inside her, fueled from the distant tower Heart. She could use magic now. Not just the little parlor tricks that contracting with Arkk brought, but full, actual magic.

    Leda couldn¡¯t just abandon Priscilla. Not after all that. Maybe if she was actually dead.

    But she wasn¡¯t.

    Every so often, a faint dusting of ice coated the plants and brush in front of Priscilla¡¯s mouth. Every shallow, pained breath sent a flurry of snowflakes through the air.

    Priscilla was alive.

    Glancing back over her shoulder, Leda squinted at the glowstone lights. They were distant still. There was time. It was a good thing Priscilla had been flying at such speed. It got them away from the army that now searched for them.

    But that distance wouldn¡¯t last for long.

    Leda rubbed her hands together, closing her eyes. ¡°I can do this,¡± she whispered to herself. ¡°I can do this. I¡¯ve got this. It¡¯s easy. I saw Hale do it a hundred times¡­¡± She took a deep breath. Then another one. She focused on the words, trying to remember them. ¡°Okay. Okay. Tenun bebarengan otot lan daging lan balung, gabungke rong bagean sing kapisah kanggo nggawe siji wutuh.¡±

    For a moment, she thought she got a part of the spell wrong. Nothing happened. The Flesh Weaving spell didn¡¯t leap to her fingers like the lightning bolt from earlier. A sick feeling in her stomach threatened to spill over until one tiny corner of the back of her mind reminded her that the long spells required more than just words. They required focus on certain themes and, occasionally, specific hand movements.

    Leda closed her eyes again, this time muttering the incantation while keeping her mind focused on the idea of knitting, the element of flesh, and focusing her hands.

    This time, the warmth of the magic swirled around her fingertips. Leda sucked in an exhilarated breath. Even in the situation she was in, she couldn¡¯t help but feel thrilled. Especially at trying out a new spell. Flesh Weaving was something she had seen Hale perform over and over again in the past few weeks, modifying her body to be more like Priscilla¡¯s. A lot of it squicked Leda out¡ªshe didn¡¯t like the way Hale just mushed about her own body like it was a clay pot she was shaping¡ªbut she had seen enough to have an idea of how it worked.

    Leda didn¡¯t need to get it perfect. Hale could fix it up if they got back. When. When they got back. All Leda needed to do was get Priscilla back on her feet.

    Leaning over the uncomfortably still dragonoid, Leda pressed her hand into Priscilla¡¯s shoulder. There was no way she would be able to regrow the arm or the wing. If she had them on hand, maybe she could try reattaching them. That seemed simpler. But it was dark, neither limb was nearby, and searching would take more time than Leda figured they had.

    So she just smoothed over the wound, hoping that the spell would do most of the heavy lifting. The gristly, twisted flesh, bone poking out, blood pooling everywhere¡­ all of it slowly coalesced back into Priscilla. Leda¡¯s fingers felt sticky and gross, her stomach was already churning from the situation and putting Priscilla back together wasn¡¯t helping. She powered through anyway.

    She couldn¡¯t just leave Priscilla behind.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Leda muttered. Even as she continued sealing Priscilla¡¯s wound shut, she started rocking the dragonoid back and forth. ¡°Wake up. Wake¡ª¡±

    A twig snapped behind Leda. She jolted, losing control of the spell. The magic dissipated into the ether as she spun around, the lightning bolt spell on the tip of her tongue. ¡°Elec¡ª¡±

    She expected to be surrounded by those knights in black armor. The Eternal Empire. Or maybe Evestani¡¯s more sand-gold-hued armor. But neither were around. The glowstones searching the forest were still off in the distance. Closer, now, but not close enough.

    Instead, two people stood in front of her. A human and a spider beastman.

    A familiar human and spider beastman.

    ¡°Joanne?¡± Leda whispered, trying to squint into the darkness.

    ¡°Yo. Not exactly the rescue I was hoping for¡ª¡±

    Leda shirked in on herself, feeling guilty.

    ¡°But I¡¯ll take whatever I can get at the moment,¡± Joanne finished. She was leaning on the spider beastman¡ªKevin, if Leda remembered right¡ªusing him for physical support. Blood covered the mail and leathers of her armor but she didn¡¯t look like she had any open wounds. ¡°The dragon girl alive?¡±

    Leda squeaked a little, spinning back around. Priscilla hadn¡¯t moved. Her shoulder looked¡­ less gristly. That was about the biggest compliment Leda could offer at present. At least she wasn¡¯t bleeding out.

    But that was okay. She wasn¡¯t on her own anymore. Leda was beyond happy to see anyone friendly, even if it was some of the people they were supposed to be rescuing. A fairy couldn¡¯t do much on her own, phenomenal magical power or not. At least not with the limited amount of spells she both knew and felt confident in using in a high-stress situation.

    But a human and an arachnoid?

    Leda drew in a breath.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    She wasn¡¯t just another employee anymore. The Heart wasn¡¯t just a magical device funneling power into her. She was supposed to be more like Arkk. A leader. As soon as he dealt with the avatar, she was supposed to march her tower into Evestani and stomp their capital city into dust until they finally gave up. She couldn¡¯t just keep going like she had been.

    She had to turn around and take charge.

    Leda drew in a breath and turned around.

    ¡°Joanne, Kevin. Are you able enough to carry Priscilla?¡±

    They looked at each other. Eight eyes met two.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about carry,¡± Kevin mumbled.

    ¡°We can drag her.¡±

    ¡°I can spin up some rope if that helps.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Leda said. ¡°Do that. Do either of you need healing?¡±

    ¡°We patched ourselves up,¡± Kevin said even as a pair of his arms reached down to a spinneret to start pulling thread. Leda forced a grimace off her face a the sight. ¡°It isn¡¯t perfect.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll do for now,¡± Joanne said as she crouched down over Priscilla, looking over the dragonoid¡¯s prone body.

    ¡°Good,¡± Leda said, trying to keep the relief off her face. If she never had to mush about someone¡¯s body with Flesh Weaving again, it would be too soon. ¡°Good. There¡¯s a ground team coming in. More than one, actually. Two through the tunnels and a specialist team over land. We need to meet up with the latter. I mean, the former would be safer, but unless either of you has access into the tunnels¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°Overland it is,¡± Leda said with as much confidence as she could muster. Despite that confidence, she wasn¡¯t exactly¡­ confident. The big problem was that she didn¡¯t know exactly where she was.

    Riding on the back of Priscilla, it got extremely easy to get turned around, mixed up, and lose any kind of spatial awareness. Doubly so when the final moments of that flight had been erratic movement trying to avoid orbs of death careening across the sky. Triply so when they had landed in such a spectacular crash.

    She needed to get a perspective of her surroundings.

    Her wing was broken. Just remembering that little fact sent a jolt of pain through her back.

    For a moment, she considered asking Joanne and Kevin if they knew where they were. But that wasn¡¯t any more likely. The briefing said they had been in the middle of an explosion. That had to be disorienting.

    More relevant, Leda remembered something.

    She wasn¡¯t just a simple employee.

    Following the link to her Heart, Leda slightly turned her head. It was halfway across the country, but she knew exactly where it was. And if her tower was in that direction, then¡­ She turned. It was the blinding beacon of her own tower, but there was a faint link toward Elmshadow. It probably wasn¡¯t exact, but heading in that direction would at least get them closer to more reinforcements.

    ¡°Are you two ready?¡±

    Although the rope Kevin had formed was merely a thin string, Joanne used it to heft Priscilla up onto her back and keep her there despite the human¡¯s injuries. Kevin, meanwhile, forwent his threads and simply used his multitude of lengthy arms to help relieve some of Priscilla¡¯s weight. One of his hands kept her wing pinned down, keeping it from flopping about and getting in the way of their movements.

    ¡°Ready,¡± Kevin said, his voice soft, almost a hiss.

    Joanne didn¡¯t say much of anything. She just grunted.

    ¡°I¡¯ll watch our backs. I can use magic like Arkk. You two just focus on getting yourselves and Priscilla away. Okay?¡± Leda waited a moment, looking at Priscilla¡¯s slack face. Neither said anything. She wasn¡¯t sure why. Did they not trust her?

    Leda clenched her fists. She had to give them a reason to trust her.

    ¡°Okay. This way,¡± she said, pointing her finger in the direction she hoped was safety.

    <hr>

    If there was one thing Arkk had learned since stumbling across Fortress Al-Mir all those months ago, it was that there were some very scary people out in the world. All of whom wanted something. If he could figure out what that want was, communication, partnership, or even friendship wasn¡¯t out of the question.

    Duke Levi Woldair was one of the first names that came to mind. A man granted power by the King to command armies, levy taxes, and¡ªthrough barons and other lesser nobles¡ªgenerally manage the territory of Mystakeen. He could have been much more dangerous, but he was a lazy slob wanting little more than to coast through life on the backs of others.

    The gorgon certainly counted. Between their caustic venom, petrifying gaze, and natural strength, they were deemed highly dangerous. So much so that a small colony had been allowed to almost destroy a city by blocking that city¡¯s economic flow. As it turned out, they only wanted a safe place to live and, with their needs satisfied, were fairly laid back and easygoing.

    Darius Vrox stood tall as an agent of order, doing his best to keep the world safe from dangerous magics and the individuals wielding them. He had been after Arkk, believing Arkk to be one of those dangerous individuals, basically right up until the beginning of the war. At that point, there were more dangerous individuals to worry about, especially because Arkk felt he had done a fair job of convincing the inquisitor that he meant no harm.

    Related to Vrox, Purifier Agnete, or perhaps Avatar Agnete, freely wielded flames that could burn just about anything not already infused with powerful magic. Arkk hadn¡¯t known her much prior to hiring her, but after, she found herself enjoying her time down in the forge, tinkering with whatever new ideas popped into her mind. Even now, a world apart, she tinkered away in some massive workshop, building things that Arkk could barely wrap his head around. Or she would have been if she wasn¡¯t trying to assemble a miniature portal frame with the aid of the lesser servant in the Anvil.

    Avatar¡­ The Golden Order¡¯s avatar was another subject. Despite all their interactions, Arkk still didn¡¯t know his name. Or even if he was a he. It was a minor concern. Of a far more pressing concern was the fact that he was powerful and wanted Arkk wiped off the face of the world. Unfortunately, that was a desire functionally opposed to Arkk.

    The orcs wanted a good fight and a good job. Lexa wanted gold¡ªor she used to, nowadays, she spent most of her time plotting vengeance against the Golden Order¡¯s avatar. Like Lexa, Sylvara wanted the Golden Order¡¯s avatar dead for good. Zullie wanted to crack the mysteries of magic. Richter Porter wanted to defend his homeland from invaders. Lyssa wanted vengeance against slavers. Priscilla wanted to restore the glory of the dragons and dragonoids. Savren wanted his curse undone. Yoho wanted a fresh breath of life in his domain of undeath. Kia and Claire¡­ actually, it was probably best not to think about what they wanted; Arkk liked to fool himself into thinking they were good albeit intense people.

    Vezta, Arkk was a little less certain about. She wanted someone in command of Fortress Al-Mir and wanted help in carrying out her former master¡¯s final order. Neither of which really sounded like her desires. But then, she was a Servant from the Stars. Having been literally inside her head on a handful of occasions, Arkk knew that she didn¡¯t exactly think like most demihumans or beastmen. If he were to guess, Arkk would say that she just wanted to serve.

    The point was, Arkk had done a fairly decent job of figuring out what people wanted. Sometimes he couldn¡¯t do anything about it, like with the Duke and the Golden Order. They were fundamentally incompatible with him. But, in the vast majority of cases, he had been able to turn most people to his side. Even if they started out as enemies, like Darius Vrox, the gorgon, Agnete, Savren, and even Priscilla¡ªarguably.

    Arkk stared down his clone, looking into his own face. He couldn¡¯t move. Despite the clone looking like him, it wasn¡¯t him. He was pinned to the ground with a strength far beyond anything Arkk could manage. It felt more like he was sparring with a fully grown orc. Maybe someone more like Priscilla, not that Arkk had ever dared try to spar with the misanthropic dragonoid.

    The point was, Arkk was alive.

    Against a being that could crush him as easily as it had pinned him down, Arkk was alive.

    That meant it wanted something. That something wasn¡¯t his immediate demise. Depending on what it was, perhaps Arkk could hire another strange sort into his ever-expanding mercenary company.

    If not, Arkk still had a chance. All he needed was for the being to release him. Just for a brief instant. A slip of its fingers for one second and Arkk could teleport himself out, reevaluate the situation from afar, and come up with a proper solution.

    Failing that, Arkk could still teleport others to him. He might be held in captivity, but nobody else in his employ was.

    What happened to Kia and Claire made that prospect less appealing than it should have been. Not everyone should collapse like they had, but that would almost be worse. If the fake version of himself convinced someone like Dakka that he was the imposter, he would lose his head to her shadow scythe before he had a chance to correct the misunderstanding.

    ¡°What,¡± Arkk ground out, glaring at his own glowing red eyes, ¡°do you want?¡±

    A cruel grin, the likes of which Arkk would never have tried, split the clone¡¯s face in two. ¡°What do I want? Don¡¯t you mean to ask what am I?¡±

    ¡°What or even who you are doesn¡¯t interest me,¡± Arkk snapped back. ¡°All I care about right now are your intentions. Why are you here? What do you want?¡±

    That smile shrank a hair, making Arkk internally wince as he feared he accidentally insulted the creature. Insulting the being pinning him to the ground didn¡¯t sound like the best way to escape the current situation. He needed tact.

    ¡°My apologies,¡± Arkk said with as conversational of a tone as he could manage in the situation. ¡°I merely assumed you had something you wanted beyond assaulting me. If not, it would be best if we simply got out of each other¡¯s way, right?¡±

    False-Arkk slowly tilted his head from one shoulder to the other, adopting a look of bewilderment. ¡°You know what I am, do you not?¡±

    ¡°I can guess.¡±

    ¡°Quite cordial, aren¡¯t you? Are you sure your guess is correct?¡±

    Arkk stared back, eyes narrowing.

    False-Arkk¡¯s smile returned wider than ever. It disturbed Arkk to look at it. Some malevolent creature wearing his face, accosting him while his employees were in danger¡­

    He needed to get away.

 Opening Act

    They didn¡¯t have long. Three people and a comatose dragonoid made noise, left tracks, and otherwise made it extremely easy for others to find them. They couldn¡¯t move with any real haste. There was no easy way of finding their allies.

    They were, in short, in a deep pit of shit.

    Leda followed along, trailing just behind the human and the beastman. She kept glancing around, expecting a platoon of enemy soldiers to pop out from behind the trees. At the same time, she tried to rack her mind for any spell that might help their situation. First on her mind were offensive and defensive spells. Electro Deus and Incendiary Explosio. Desidia was supposed to make others feel like they were moving through a vat of sticky syrup, slowing them down, but she needed a line of sight for that. She also wasn¡¯t sure how many it could affect. There was another spell Arkk had taught her, one that made people move fast, but the words for the incantation just wouldn¡¯t come to her stressed mind. Longer spells were right out. It was a wonder that she had remembered Flesh Weaving. They just had too many words. Like, she knew Zullie had some spell or ritual that could lessen the weight of objects¡ªthat would help with Priscilla immensely¡ªbut Leda could only remember the first three words of twenty or so.

    There had to be a better way. There had to be something she could do.

    Leda scowled as she trudged through the forest, wondering what Arkk would do in her situation.

    He wouldn¡¯t have forgotten spells, first of all. Arkk was dedicated to his studies. Zullie knew more and could probably have created a shoddy spell on the fly, but that was only because she had been working with magic since she was little. Leda hadn¡¯t paid enough attention. She had been so enamored with the magic crackling under her fingertips that she had felt practically invincible.

    Now, she had all that magic but nothing to do with it.

    So what would Arkk manage in her situation assuming he also didn¡¯t know a wide variety of spells?

    He had the fortress. Walking Fortress Al-Lavik, he called it. Leda hadn¡¯t named her tower¡ªAl-Mir, Al-Lavik¡­ she didn¡¯t really get his naming conventions. But Elmshadow was a distance away. It would ruin his underground tunnels, disconnecting the tower from them, but he would have immediate reinforcements and a place of safety. Once it moved close enough, he could teleport straight to it. Leda could teleport herself and the others as well as whatever subordinate she was to Arkk, but she couldn¡¯t make the tower move closer.

    Leda didn¡¯t have Walking Fortress Al-Lavik. Her tower was out in the middle of nowhere, awaiting orders to charge into Evestani. Even though she could peer through its halls and direct her shadow servants, it was too far to be of any use.

    Or was it?

    It wouldn¡¯t arrive here in any appreciable amount of time, but it did give her a quick idea.

    ¡°Slave Natum,¡± she whispered, waving her hand.

    The shadows around the forest came alive, swirling and twisting to her fingers. It took longer than the bubbling masses of Arkk¡¯s minions to form up but a shadow coalescing into a vaguely humanoid form was far less nauseating. As soon as the shadow could move, Leda gave it a quick mental command, and off it went.

    It trudged through the bushes and trees, moving roughly north-east. Leda¡¯s group was heading almost directly east, a bit south. Unlike her and her companions, the servant didn¡¯t try to hide its trail. Her shadow servants weren¡¯t all that great at digging through rock and stone¡ªas far as she could tell, fortresses granted by the Lady Shadows were all designed to be above ground¡ªbut they could obliterate softer materials with ease.

    Leda hopped forward, quickly catching up with Joanne and Kevin. The former shot her a questioning look.

    ¡°It¡¯ll make a trail for our pursuers to follow,¡± Leda whispered. As soon as she spoke, a second idea popped into her head. ¡°And once far enough from us, it¡¯ll cause a ruckus to draw attention in case they don¡¯t fall for it.¡±

    The look Joanne regarded her with was¡­ probably approving. The human didn¡¯t smile or anything, but she gave a curt nod of her head. ¡°Got any other tricks?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to think of more¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if you could get one of those teleportation rituals.¡±

    Leda thought a moment. She didn¡¯t know the ritual, but through her link to her tower, she could see one¡ªthe one they used to transport people and supplies to her tower. A brief spot of hope welled up in Leda as she thought to copy it. The enemy could likely use them as well, but if they could get to reinforcements first, they could turn around and ambush anyone who came out of the ritual. Or she could have a servant destroy it after they left. Arkk had used that trick before.

    Just as she started looking around for a clear patch of ground to scribe the circle into, a thought occurred to her.

    All the teleportation rituals were slightly different. The base design was the same, but they had coordinate arrays to determine where the exit would end up. Leda didn¡¯t know how to determine the exit point or even which parts of the circle were the coordinate array.

    The ritual circle in her tower exited east of her tower, further into the Duchy.

    If she copied the one in her tower exactly, would it also exit to the east, toward Elmshadow? Or, since her tower was to the west, would it point in the other direction? That was dangerous. If it worked like that, using it might drop them off in the middle of the enemy base. Or it might not work at all if it tried to go to the exact spot her tower¡¯s ritual exited, since it was too far away. Or it might kill them if they tried to use it for the exact same reason.

    Leda didn¡¯t know enough about the teleportation ritual.

    She could¡­ experiment? Summoning a servant worked, so she could send one through to see where it ended up. Arkk liked to test things on his lesser servants too.

    Leda glanced back, peering through the forest. The glowstone lights in the distance were closer now. Would they give up ever? Or chase them all the way to Elmshadow?

    ¡°I might be able to. It might be a waste of time,¡± Leda said, honestly unsure which case it would be. ¡°But let¡¯s move on foot for now. Get away from here and hope the decoy does its job. That¡¯ll buy us some time to draw out the circle.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± Kevin said as the two resumed their careful walk.

    Leda felt a little spark of elation light up in her chest. ¡°It does, doesn¡¯t it,¡± she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

    She made a plan. A real plan. One that might even have a chance at succeeding.

    And she wasn¡¯t done yet. Realizing that she could look in and copy the teleportation ritual from her fortress reminded her that she could look into anywhere in her fortress. There weren¡¯t as many books in it as there were at Fortress Al-Mir, but Leda had some. All it took was ordering one of the shadow servants to open a book to a page and she could look down at it and study.

    They would get out of this mess. She would get them out of this mess.

    A small, hopeful smile spread across Leda¡¯s face.

    <hr>

    The false-Arkk leaned in close, forcing the real Arkk to turn his head aside. Pinned as he was, unable to struggle against the strength of the creature, he wasn¡¯t able to do much else besides run through a list of spells in the back of his mind. He only needed to break the creature¡¯s hold for an instant and he would be able to teleport again.

    ¡°Bankorok Pargon Sant¡ª¡±

    The false-Arkk opened his mouth wide. Too wide. A thin black tongue darted out, more like a gorgon¡¯s tongue than Arkk¡¯s¡ªor a segmented worm. It lashed against Arkk¡¯s cheek with the crack of a whip. He felt a stinging burn trace a narrow line from his ear to the corner of his eye. A spray of blue-green motes of magic surged from the cut, drifting through the air before dissipating into the aether.

    The demon¡ªfor what else could it be¡ªsmacked his lips repeatedly, as if assessing a new flavor. ¡°Spicy,¡± he said in Arkk¡¯s voice. ¡°A little tingle on the tongue. You enjoy lightning a bit much, hm? Over reliant on it, I¡¯d say.¡±

    Arkk barely heard his copy¡¯s words.

    Something was wrong. Something within. It was like a door slammed shut in his face, like he walked behind a large stack of hay. The Heart still beat in both his fortresses, but they were somehow muted, soft and distant. In a panic, he tried to teleport a simple pen from one side of his desk to the other¡ªhe could still see his territory, but it was through a hazy fog. The teleport felt slow. The normally instantaneous movement had to pass through a vat of honey before it could reach the other side.

    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± False-Arkk laughed. ¡°That¡¯s the face I wanted to see.¡±

    In a feat of acrobatics, False-Arkk flipped backwards, landing on his feet to Arkk¡¯s side.

    The moment he was released, Arkk tried to teleport himself. Just like with the pen, it was slow and sluggish, as if his feet were trapped inside a thick layer of cold molasses. His counterpart simply reached out and grabbed him, ripping him out of the malformed teleport, throwing him back to the floor.

    ¡°You may or may not have come to this conclusion already, but allow me to clear up any lingering doubts. I am a demon.¡±

    ¡°Contracted to Prince Cedric.¡±

    The Arkk in front of Arkk put on a sly grin. ¡°You aren¡¯t as foolish as you look.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t take his eyes off the copy of himself. Although he had guessed that already, hearing the confirmation brought an irritated twitch to his eye. The fact that a demon had been summoned after all meant there was a serious flaw somewhere in his methods of information gathering. If he had missed the Prince summoning a Light-damned demon, who knew what else slipped by.

    In retrospect, this was what the Prince had been warning him about during their meeting. He hadn¡¯t said it directly. At the time, Arkk had thought that he simply didn¡¯t want his men engaging in a mutiny that would end with half of them dead while Evestani was knocking on the door.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Fixing the information network was a problem for future-Arkk. Present-Arkk had a demon standing over him. A situation ever-so-slightly higher on his list of problems to deal with.

    Arkk rolled off to the side, away from the demon. Gingerly, as he pushed himself up to his feet, he touched at the spot on his cheek where the demon had licked him¡ªor lashed him. His fingers came away moist, slick with blood. There was something in the blood. A faint green glow that sparkled with tiny motes of magic.

    ¡°What have you done to me?¡±

    ¡°Just had a little taste. Blood is well and good but creatures like you,¡± the demon grinned. ¡°More magic than flesh¡­ I can¡¯t tell you how much I¡¯ve been suppressing my cravings.¡±

    The demon leaped at Arkk, mouth opening beyond the capabilities of a human. And it just kept going from there, like a creature within were trying to escape.

    Arkk stumbled to the side. The demon went flying past him, reforming into Arkk once on the ground again. Arkk clenched his teeth. His legs and arms felt slow and sluggish. Poison? Had he been poisoned? No magic. Weakened constitution.

    He pulled out a thin black dagger from a sheath on his back. Even without knowing that the Prince had summoned a demon, they had still been preparing and walking around without one of the products of their research felt irresponsible at best. However, all their creations required magic to activate.

    His magic wasn¡¯t gone, just diminished. The thumping beats of the Heart, muted though they were, were slowly increasing in force.

    He brandished the blade, holding it in front of him as he eyed his counterpart.

    That he still wasn¡¯t dead was suspect. The demon just stared at him, grinning wide. His copied red eyes didn¡¯t even flick down toward the dagger. Arkk mirrored each step the false-Arkk took with a step backward.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    That segmented tongue flicked out of the demon¡¯s mouth again, though with the distance between them, it didn¡¯t come close to Arkk. ¡°Simply to squeeze every last drop of magic from your blood and lick it from my fingers.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t doing a particularly good job of that. Was it really just playing with its food? Or was there something more going on? Why was he still alive at all? With Kia and Claire out of action and his magic on the fritz, why wasn¡¯t he dead? Why the dialog? Why pin him to the floor? Why admit what it was?

    ¡°Come on then,¡± Arkk said, shifting his stance as an idea wormed its way into the back of his mind. ¡°If you think you can, do it.¡±

    ¡°Confidence. Almost as enjoyable as magic.¡±

    The demon lunged again.

    Arkk stood upright, lowering the dagger. No matter how much of his weakened magic he shoved it into it, it remained stubbornly inert. Hardly any different than a simple metal blade. He stood straight, not even bothering to dodge.

    In the last few months, Arkk had done research. He had spoken with Abbess Hannah, Vezta, Sylvara, and just about everyone else who might know anything about demons. They were creatures from another realm, somewhat like the denizens of the Underworld, the Necropolis, or any other world he had visited lately, except they allegedly lacked a god. It hadn¡¯t always been like that, but the people of their realm had somehow killed their god, all of them gaining a sliver of that power in exchange. All of which, for all Arkk knew, was hearsay with little basis in reality.

    What wasn¡¯t hearsay was how demons typically functioned. They could be summoned through a complex ritual involving the sacrifice of a varying number of people. The exact number depended on the magical strength of the sacrifices. Upon being summoned, a properly designed ritual would entrap the demon until a contract could be formed. An improperly designed ritual might lead to a rogue demon¡ªa situation in which several teams of inquisitors would be called in to deal with.

    Contracts were surprisingly simple, all things considered. A verbal agreement between the summoner and the demon, usually following a negotiation. Demons were said to be master wordsmiths but they couldn¡¯t lie during the contract process. Whether that was some quirk of their species, a compulsion from their dead god, or magic interwoven into the ritual circle wasn¡¯t known to anyone Arkk had asked.

    Once an agreement formed, the circle would release the demon or, in the case no agreement could be made, banish them.

    The demon crashed into Arkk. Its maw, jutting out from its mouth, snapped at Arkk¡¯s throat as they both fell back to the ground. But it didn¡¯t bite. It snarled at Arkk. It postured and posed. And, most of all, it looked¡­ uncertain.

    ¡°You can¡¯t, can you?¡± Arkk said, donning the demon¡¯s former grin.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Let me guess¡­ Can¡¯t kill those who aren¡¯t enemies of Cedric? You admitted to being his demon, trying to get me to see him as an enemy. Perhaps the wording is slightly different, but that¡¯s the gist of your contract.¡±

    All emotion vanished from the demon¡¯s face. Since it was Arkk¡¯s face, it looked almost like he had been knocked out, though his eyes were still open. It was just for a moment, but that sudden shift made Arkk think he was wrong about his guess, that whatever pleasure the false-Arkk had been taking from their little spar had run dry and he was simply going to snap his neck.

    ¡°Most don¡¯t take so kindly to the one setting a demon on them,¡± the demon said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that the Prince warned me of you. If he wished for me to die at your hands, he wouldn¡¯t have done so.¡±

    The reinforced fortress floor tile behind Arkk¡¯s head shattered as the demon clenched its fist, crumpling it like it was a simple sheet of paper.

    ¡°He warned you about me,¡± the demon snarled through teeth clenched so tight they were starting to crack. A clawed, scaled hand grasped at Arkk¡¯s face, skimming his skin. A few more hot streaks of pain crossed Arkk¡¯s skin, but without that drain on his magic. More importantly, the demon was clearly trying and failing at crushing his head. ¡°Bastard.¡±

    Arkk remained still, even lessening his own smile. It was tough. The relief he felt¡ªhe had not been sure about that little gambit¡ªwas difficult to suppress. But he had confirmed what he needed. Antagonizing the demon further wouldn¡¯t help.

    Especially not as more plans started to form.

    ¡°You want magic, do you? Does it have to be mine?¡±

    The demon snarled, maw all but ready to bite off Arkk¡¯s face.

    <hr>

    Leda wiped away a layer of sweat from her brow as she finalized the ritual circle that would hopefully take them closer to Elmshadow.

    Joanne and Kevin stood guard, watching out for any sign that their pursuers hadn¡¯t fallen for the decoy. Priscilla still hadn¡¯t woken up, resting with a log as a pillow.

    Leda couldn¡¯t help but bite her lip. If this worked, it would be great. They would be home free. If it failed, they all would have done nothing but waste twenty minutes that they could have used putting more distance between themselves and danger. If it catastrophically failed, they could end up with a ritual circle directly to the enemy encampment, one that their enemy could use in reverse to appear right in their midst.

    Leda gnawed at her lip.

    Maybe it was best to drop this idea before it backfired terribly.

    ¡°Finished?¡± Joanne whispered. She had been growing increasingly nervous over the past several minutes. It wasn¡¯t hard to see why.

    The glowstones in the distance, although they seemed to be following the decoy¡¯s trail, had come a hell of a lot closer.

    ¡°Priscilla first then? Get our injured out of here¡ª¡±

    ¡°Servant first,¡± Leda interrupted before muttering the incantation to summon another mass of shadows. ¡°Then one of you. Someone will have to move Priscilla away from the ritual circle after she goes through.¡±

    Kevin and Joanne glanced at one another. They must have been good teammates because they both quickly nodded their heads. Without a word passing between them, Kevin stepped closer to the ritual circle.

    The shadowy figure Leda summoned moved forward first, taking its place in the center of the circle. It moved carefully so as to not disturb the ritual circle. That was something they would have to be cautious about when it came time to move Priscilla into place.

    Leda hesitated. Her fingers trembled. This could go very wrong or it could go very right. She glanced around, first to Kevin and his unreadable face, then to Joanne who tried to keep the pained grimace off her face even as she had been limping and pressing at her side the entire time. Her eyes came to a rest on Priscilla, still unconscious but still alive as her faint breaths misted the air around her face.

    Leda didn¡¯t know if the dragonoid would be alive for long. Her breathing wasn¡¯t quite as strong as it had been earlier. The skin around her missing wing and arm was blotchy and blackened. The haphazard healing job Leda had done clearly wasn¡¯t enough. She needed Hale.

    She needed Hale soon.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Leda said, pressing her hands on the circle. Either it worked or it didn¡¯t. That was a fifty-fifty chance, right? She just needed to get lucky. ¡°Okay. Here we go.¡±

    Pulsing her magic into the ritual circle made it flash. The servant vanished, teleported elsewhere, but Leda sat stunned. It wasn¡¯t normally a bright flash. Here, in the dark, lightless forest, with her eyes accustomed to the dark, it might as well have been as bright as the sun.

    Her eyes didn¡¯t readjust instantly. She could barely see. Joanne swore somewhere to the side. Kevin hissed as well, hiding his face with his hands.

    In the distance, Leda heard shouting carrying through the trees. Cries of alarm.

    ¡°Leda,¡± Joanne hissed. ¡°I hope it fucking worked.¡±

    ¡°Just a second,¡± Leda said, shocked back into focusing on the task at hand. She closed her eyes and followed the link to the tower, then followed the link to the shadow servant. They weren¡¯t in exact opposite directions. The servant was south and east. More south than east. Looking around it, it seemed to have cut into the side of a tree in its appearance, destroying a slim chunk of the trunk. But it was otherwise safe. Safe, not in the middle of the enemy encampment, and far away from here.

    ¡°Okay. Kevin!¡±

    The spider beastman didn¡¯t say a word. His spindly legs stepped right over the ritual circle¡¯s delicate drawings and into the center. He didn¡¯t bother waiting for Leda to activate the circle, choosing to push a little of his own magic into it.

    He vanished with another blinding flash of light.

    Joanne was already trying to get Priscilla up on her back. Without Kevin there to help, it wasn¡¯t exactly an easy or fast task. Leda, tiny as she was, couldn¡¯t help. The most she could do was help heft up Priscilla¡¯s feet so they didn¡¯t drag through the circle as Joanne maneuvered her into position.

    Joanne didn¡¯t bother setting Priscilla down nicely. She dropped the dragonoid like a sack of rotten potatoes.

    Leda lacked the time or wherewithal to complain about the treatment of her friend. She slammed her hand into the ritual circle and, as soon as Joanne was out of the way, pulsed her magic.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Leda said, letting out a small sigh of relief at seeing Priscilla off to safety. ¡°We have to wait until Kevin drags¡ª¡±

    Something slammed into the tree next to Leda, vibrating with a twang just above her head. She slowly looked up, gulping at the sight of the arrow that would have hit her head if she had been just a little bit taller. Her eyes dropped, looking in the direction the arrow had come from.

    The glowstones weren¡¯t just glowstones anymore. She could see people. Knights armored in black.

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± she shouted, flinging a bolt of lightning through the trees. It struck an archer just as he drew back another arrow. ¡°Electro Deus!¡±

    Lightning crackled in both of Leda¡¯s hands. She felt the magic flowing from her tower straight into her, filling her with power. It was almost enough to make her start laughing as she slung bolt after bolt at the armored knights. Although they usually crashed to the ground after being hit, they didn¡¯t seem to stay down. Something about their armor just absorbed her lightning. But that hardly mattered.

    ¡°Try to get up after this,¡± Leda barked out with a nervous laugh that she just couldn¡¯t help. The tension in her stomach released with the laugh, making her feel a little better. A little more confident. She brought both her hands together, sending out a continuous wave of unlimited power.

    ¡°Leda!¡± Joanne called from her back.

    A quick glance at her shadowy servant with Kevin and Priscilla showed the all-clear. ¡°Go,¡± Leda said, not stopping the flow of lighting. ¡°I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±

    Joanne looked like she wanted to argue. It looked like she wanted to grab Leda and throw her onto the ritual circle first. Her eyes roamed over the lightning and she shook her head. It was a bad idea to touch the lightning fairy.

    A pulse of light signaled Joanne¡¯s departure.

    Cutting off the lightning, Leda turned and hurried back to the ritual circle. ¡°Slave Natum,¡± she said, forming another shadowy servant.

    This one would destroy the ritual circle as soon as she was gone, keeping these soldiers from following her.

    ¡°Electro Deus,¡± she shouted, flinging another lightning bolt over her shoulder. It was a blind shot, but it would hopefully keep them hunkered down for the short few seconds it would take Joanne to vacate the destination circle.

    As soon as she saw the circle clear through her link with her other shadowy servant, Leda pulsed her magic into the ritual circle.

    A fiery pain struck her back just as the bright light engulfed her.

    Leda staggered out of the end circle. Joanne smiled at seeing her, a brief moment of joy at having successfully gotten out of that situation. The smile only lasted an instant before a look of horror crossed her face. She shouted something but it didn¡¯t quite reach Leda¡¯s ears.

    Leda stumbled forward, feeling something warm run down her back and her front. She looked down, finding the sharpened point of an arrow sticking straight out of her chest.

    Her knees hit the dirt. Joanne rushed over, grasping hold of her before she could fall forward into the dirt. She was trying to cast a spell. Kevin was too. But their faces were foggy and hazy.

    Some part of Leda¡¯s mind focused outward. The shadow servant she had left behind. It needed a job. What was it again?

    Destroy the ritual circle.

    That was it.

    As it swept its shadowy arms over the ritual circle right in front of the armored knights, everything went dark.

 Fallen

    Ilya drew back an arrow on her bow, held it for a brief moment as she repositioned her aim, then loosed the arrow. It soared through the forest, missing trees and branches by the thickness of a leaf, narrowly avoiding being knocked off course. The forward scout of the Evestani Army dropped with the arrow sticking out the back of his neck.

    A quick motion of her hand had the Shieldbreakers charging forward, backed up by Dakka¡¯s team of shadow-armored orcs. The remaining eight scouts tried to put up a defense. Between the shadowy scythes and the Shieldbreakers¡¯ enchanted weapons, they may as well have hidden behind a thin sheet of paper. From the first scout falling to the rest of the team joining him in the dirt, only a few seconds had passed.

    ¡°Clear,¡± Dakka said.

    ¡°Clear,¡± Lyssa echoed. The werecat sounded almost disappointed as she started looping her chain back around her arm.

    It was the third such team they had eliminated. Barring movement from the enemy, it was also the last between them and the members of the sabotage team who had gotten trapped above ground. Ilya turned slightly and then pointed off in the direction they needed to head.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Why this way?¡± Dakka asked, trudging after her but with hesitation in her steps. ¡°This isn¡¯t the way we were headed before.¡±

    Ilya glared at the short orc. ¡°You think you can lead a team through the forest at night without getting turned around? Be my guest¡ª¡±

    ¡°Woah,¡± Dakka said. The tone in her voice was the verbal equivalent of backing off a step. Physically, she moved forward, more in line with Ilya. ¡°Just a question.¡±

    ¡°We took a detour to make sure that scouting team didn¡¯t end up behind us,¡± Ilya hissed, narrowing her eyes as she scanned their surroundings for any sign of danger. ¡°Now we¡¯re getting back on track. That answer your question?¡±

    Dakka didn¡¯t respond, so Ilya took that as an affirmative.

    With the distraction out of the way, Ilya focused on her surroundings. She could see well enough. Better than humans could¡ªallegedly, not that she had ever seen through human eyes¡ªit still wasn¡¯t much in the moonless night. Her ears were the real secret weapon. Hearing far-off voices was how she found this last group of scouts in the first place.

    Dakka and the other orcs weren¡¯t exactly silent. Their steps were heavy, the non-shadow parts of their armor clanked, and even their breathing felt loud and heavy in Ilya¡¯s ears. In contrast, the Shieldbreakers¡ªmostly made up of beastmen¡ªmoved with far greater stealth. Probably because Lyssa and half the others were doing the same thing she was doing.

    Concentrating let her tune them out, listening for distant sounds. Anything unnatural might mean a target to remove, an imminent attack, or another kind of danger. Rustling of leaves and even the crunching of underbrush weren¡¯t uncommon in a forest. Any animal, small or large, could make those noises. The real giveaways were often more subtle. The sloshing of water in a half-filled canteen, metal clinking against metal, and especially voices meant someone was around.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re worried about Arkk¡ª¡±

    Ilya jolted, half frightened out of her boots at the relatively loud voice in her ear. With how much she had been trying to tune down nearby sounds, Dakka¡¯s sudden whisper might as well have been yelling. A short distance away, Lyssa let out a long hiss of her own, probably for the exact same reason.

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about him,¡± Ilya lied, snapping back at the orc. It wasn¡¯t fair that she was taking out her anger and worries on the orc, but she found it hard to care at the moment.

    It was one thing for Arkk to go missing. He had a lot on his plate. A lot of different moving components to keep track of. Vezta assured her that he was alive, so she had mostly ignored the situation, focusing on what she could do to help out with the ongoing operations.

    Then she had been told that Arkk was facing down some copy of himself. Some being that Vezta suspected was a demon.

    Arkk could take care of himself. But against a demon?

    Ilya ground her teeth together. There was nothing she could do about it. She had half a mind to get Zullie to do to her what the witch had done to the dark elves. If she hadn¡¯t known that it would be days if not weeks of recuperation, she would have right then and there. Now, all she could do was try to keep things from falling into further disarray.

    Ilya took a step forward only to feel a massive tug across that ethereal link. The strongest she had ever felt. It wasn¡¯t an attempt at teleporting her¡ªshe was far too far from Elmshadow¡¯s fortress to teleport as it was¡ªit was more like a warning.

    She wasn¡¯t the only one who had felt it. Everyone in their squad stopped abruptly. Alfred let out a quiet whine while murmuring erupted among everyone else.

    ¡°I take it we all felt that?¡± Viola asked, one of the few human members of the Shieldbreakers.

    ¡°The link, right?¡± Maria said, nervously shuffling. ¡°Haven¡¯t felt it like that before.¡±

    Aya and Monika glanced at one another, nodding in agreement with Maria.

    ¡°Arkk is back in action, I take it,¡± Ellen said.

    ¡°Quiet down,¡± Lyssa hissed before Ilya could say the same thing. As relieved as she was that Arkk was seemingly in contact with them again, they still needed to survive this outing. ¡°We¡¯re still in enemy territory.¡±

    ¡°Do we keep going?¡± Alfred said, now in a barely audible whisper. His dog-like features took on a concerned look. ¡°Or was that telling us to go back?¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t completed our objective,¡± Ilya said, taking a step forward.

    As soon as she did, she felt another massive tug. It was completely metaphysical, a pull somewhere within. Yet it had been strong enough that she almost stumbled.

    ¡°Or maybe not.¡± Something must have happened. Perhaps another team got to Joanne and Kevin first. Perhaps they¡­ didn¡¯t make it. The link was unfortunately not that great at passing on detailed information. ¡°Let¡¯s head back,¡± she said, turning back toward the east.

    However, as soon as she took a step, she felt yet another tug.

    The rest of the squad jerked to a stop after only a step or two.

    ¡°Again,¡± Ellen said with a frown. The taurus beastman, standing a little taller than even Ilya, tried stepping a little to her left, only to pause once again before taking a step to her right. ¡°Ah?¡± She turned fully, looking southward, and took a large step. Then another. Then a third. ¡°This way?¡±

    ¡°South?¡± Ilya said to herself as she took a few quick steps after the taurus. Sure enough, there was no heaving pull from the link. That meant the right direction, right?This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Why this way?¡± Dakka asked, moving up alongside Ilya again. ¡°You get us turned around after all?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Ilya cast a subtle glance around, checking constellations in the sky and the growth of moss and other plants around the forest floor. No. They were headed toward the south without a doubt. ¡°We¡¯re not headed back, but we aren¡¯t headed toward the enemy either. Maybe Evestani is on the move?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be the rescue party. I don¡¯t like the idea of us getting stuck out here and needing rescue ourselves.¡±

    Dakka wasn¡¯t the only one. A sudden alteration to the plan like this had Ilya¡¯s nerves on edge. It meant something had gone wrong and she hadn¡¯t the slightest idea of what or how to prepare for it.

    ¡°If I could make a request,¡± Dakka continued. ¡°Maybe put a higher priority on communications to field soldiers? Surely Zullie can figure something out that¡¯s better than a vague pull from Arkk. In fact, I even got some ideas for her. How about a hole in the world that lets us talk through it? Sounds like something right up her¡ª¡±

    ¡°Dakka,¡± Ilya said, trying not to be harsh. First, she had been worried about Arkk. Now she was worried about their survival. ¡°Later. Can¡¯t do anything about it now.¡±

    More importantly, she needed to concentrate. The beastmen did as well. Before, they knew roughly how many groups of scouts they would come across, it had just been a matter of noticing them before the squad got noticed. Now, for all she knew, they might be moments away from stumbling into a full detachment of Eternal Empire soldiers.

    She didn¡¯t think Arkk would lead them into something he didn¡¯t think they could get out of, but things were weird right now¡­

    Best to be cautious no matter what.

    <hr>

    ¡°I can sense them,¡± Vezta said, eyes focused on a point along a wall.

    One of the undead storage rooms. It felt empty, from this side of the wall. She didn¡¯t know where the undead had gone and, frankly, she did not care. All that mattered was what she could sense on the other side.

    She was close enough now to feel her master distinctly form the background of the fortress. The demon wasn¡¯t quite so loud, if it was still there at all. Odd given that she had expected a demon to have an aura of overwhelming pressure.

    Her sole previous experience with a demon had certainly been that way. She still remembered the feel of it approaching from miles away. Contracted to destroy portal gates, it had ignored almost everyone who hadn¡¯t been in its path. Those who hadn¡¯t gotten away ended up dead without exception.

    She reached out across the link with a metaphorical tendril, lightly tugging on it. Her link was a little different than that of any other employee. She was directly contracted to Arkk, bypassing the [HEART]. The end result wasn¡¯t all that different, but it did help her locate Arkk. Vezta could almost see her tendril stretching through the wall, ending someone on the floor on the other side.

    There was no response. Arkk could easily have teleported them into the room to try to catch the demon off-guard. A part of her was disappointed he hadn¡¯t. But perhaps it was for the best if what Kia and Claire had said about the demon was at all accurate.

    It would be all too easy for the demon to take the guise of anyone else, throw a little confusion in the mix, and end up causing chaos. How would Olatt¡¯an and Kia handle two Veztas each accusing the other? Arkk would have been able to tell them apart thanks to the link, but in the short few seconds it took to register what happened, it might be too late.

    Taking that into consideration, the slow route might be for the best.

    Vezta looked at her side. Kia stood, eyes scanning around. Olatt¡¯an, meanwhile, had hardly taken his eyes off Vezta and Kia, clearly wary of either of them somehow being replaced by impostors. If only they had enough eyes to keep track of everything at once¡­

    ¡°Ready yourself,¡± Vezta said, looking to Olatt¡¯an.

    Olatt¡¯an at her side readied his crossbow, drawing the cable back with both arms as he used his foot to hold the end of the crossbow in place. He then took a small jar from a pouch. Vezta wasn¡¯t sure what demihumans saw when they looked into the jar, but Vezta saw stars. Not the [STARS]. Just a starry scene that changed based on her position. If she were under the jar, she could look upward into the starfield. If she stood over it, she could look down at a completely different starscape.

    One of Zullie¡¯s creations. Although it looked like a liquid hole in the world, it wasn¡¯t alchemical in nature. Truly, Vezta didn¡¯t know how she had crafted it. The only explanation Vezta could come up with was that, since losing her eyes and performing a few rituals on herself, she had somehow come to grasp knowledge that belonged to Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key. Not quite an avatar¡ªthough close¡ªbut just extremely in tune with knowledge from the god of boundaries.

    Olatt¡¯an dipped the tip of a bolt into the liquid-like concoction. The metal head of the bolt¡­ did something. It was like it slid aside to make room for the starry liquid. Except instead of aside, it went elsewhere. One of Kia¡¯s afterimages, watching the process, shifted her eyes as if she were tracking something that nobody else could see.

    Then she shuddered.

    The result was a star-tipped bolt resting in the slot on the crossbow. As Olatt¡¯an moved the bow, after carefully stoppering the jar, the tip sliced through the air. If reality were a fabric, that bolt sliced through it like a sharp blade through a hung sheet of linen. Unlike a sheet of linen, reality sealed itself back together in the bolt¡¯s wake.

    Vezta honestly wasn¡¯t sure if Zullie should be messing with stuff like that. If she were a true avatar, she would likely understand innately what was too dangerous to touch and what wasn¡¯t. As it was, she was an overly curious human dipping her toes into the realm of a god.

    But it was useful.

    ¡°Don¡¯t miss,¡± Vezta hissed. ¡°I¡¯m going to breach the wall. I will point out Arkk. Both of you are to do your utmost to eliminate anyone not Arkk or us in the room. I presume tricks may be played. We may not be able to trust our eyes precisely. Try to stick together to avoid ourselves becoming targets for the demon to disguise themselves as.¡±

    ¡°I need to get close to use my abilities,¡± Kia said. ¡°They don¡¯t work at range.¡±

    ¡°You are on defensive duties. If Olatt¡¯an¡¯s bolt doesn¡¯t work, we move as a group to confront the demon.¡± Vezta stopped, considered, and rephrased. ¡°Or rather, we move to extricate Arkk. He is conscious, I can tell that much, but he must be in some way captured. Once we free him, he will be able to aid us more directly with the power of the fortress.¡±

    Vezta looked between the two, waiting for any further objections or questions. Olatt¡¯an had already questioned why so few were going to Arkk¡¯s aid. Against a demon, anyone else would be nothing more than casualties at best. Vezta wasn¡¯t sure that Olatt¡¯an was the best man for the job here, but he had been available when much of Arkk¡¯s minions were out and about.

    The old orc had somewhat fallen out of favor following the events of his expedition into the Underworld and subsequent accidental portal opening to the Anvil. It was nothing official. Vezta doubted anyone but herself and Olatt¡¯an even noticed that Arkk had started seeking advice from others whereas before, Olatt¡¯an would have been at the top of his list. All that wasn¡¯t exactly relevant to today, excepting perhaps the notion of Olatt¡¯an wishing to regain some of that lost favor.

    Vezta hoped he performed well.

    She stepped closer to the wall, her arms and limbs spreading out far further than she normally allowed while maintaining her humanoid guise. Maws of razor-sharp teeth whirred across her oily flesh as she pressed up against the wall. The magical reinforcements in the brickwork meant nothing to her. They crumbled as easily as loosely packed dirt.

    Stuffy, stale air rushed out into the corridor as Vezta consumed the wall. In mere seconds, there was a gap from the corridor to the storage room big enough for an orc, an elf, and a monster to step in without losing track of one another.

    Kia took the lead, afterimages fanning out in front of them in a protective formation. Olatt¡¯an, crossbow raised to his shoulder, peered down over the top of the bolt.

    Vezta glanced from one Arkk pinned to the ground by another Arkk. ¡°Demon is on top,¡± she said.

    Before her words were fully out, Olatt¡¯an pulled the trigger. The starry-tipped bolt sheared through reality. At the range they were at, the bolt crossed the distance at the speed a human took to blink.

    The demon Arkk flattened himself against the real Arkk, grinning wide as he avoided the bolt by the hair on his back. As soon as it was clear, he flipped backward, flinging Arkk away¡ª

    The scenery changed in¡­ not quite an instant. The familiar feel of teleportation, rather than a sudden jolt, felt like a slow drag on Vezta as she found herself within Zullie¡¯s laboratory. Olatt¡¯an and Kia remained at her side, unmoved relative to her.

    Arkk stood in front of them, face set in a grim, angry scowl. He wobbled slightly, steadying as Vezta placed a hand on his back and chest.

    Kia started forward, only to pause as Vezta shot a look at her, blocking her way.

    ¡°Are you alright, Master?¡±

    Arkk looked over the three of them. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said, trailing the word. ¡°But Leda¡­¡±

    <hr>

    Ilya lowered her bow without loosing the arrow. The group ahead of her squad were not hostiles this time. They were¡­

    She stepped forward, slowly, lips pressed into a tight line.

    Priscilla sat face-down in the dirt, sending out a trail of ice crystals with every one of her shallow breaths. Kevin and Joanne sat behind her, hunched over a small figure with both their hands alight with magic. Magic Ilya easily recognized, having seen it up close more times than she wished. Flesh Weaving.

    The arrow sticking out of the small fairy¡¯s body was far too large for her frame. A coagulated droplet of blood fell from its tip, staining the grass around her. Glassy, sightless eyes stared upward at nothing.

 Hunt

    Arkk, Kia, Olatt¡¯an, Vezta, Zullie, and Abbess Hannah teleported into the undead storage room, the rapid movement still feeling slightly sluggish but not as bad as it had been. All carried a veritable armory of the counter-demon weapons Zullie had developed. In the five minutes since escaping the demon¡¯s captivity, he had devised a tentative plan for dealing with the entity. He wished there was more time, but he couldn¡¯t allow a demon to roam unchecked through his fortress.

    There was so much to do. So much he needed to do.

    The demon had to be dealt with first.

    ¡°What is that smell?¡± Hannah asked, pressing the back of her gloved hand to her nose.

    ¡°There¡¯s a demon on the loose and you¡¯re worried about smell?¡± Olatt¡¯an grunted, his eyes never leaving the darkened chamber.

    It was a large, open room, meant for holding undead until they were needed. He had first used it for the undead soldiers, then the goblins. Speaking of which¡­ Arkk sent a mental command to the goblins under his control. They were no longer needed out in the field. Things out there had gone¡­

    Focus, Arkk told himself.

    With another thought, he teleported a dozen smaller glowstones throughout the room, dropping them into the large chamber to provide light. The light didn¡¯t make that much difference for him¡ªhe had a near-perfect omniscience of his own territory¡ªbut it would help the others. Because of that, he already knew what he would find.

    ¡°No demon,¡± Vezta said.

    ¡°Would you stick around?¡± Hannah asked with an abrasive edge to her words, still pressing her glove to her nose. Arkk was well aware that the Abbess considered Vezta little better than a demon.

    ¡°If I thought I could ambush anyone coming after me, yes,¡± Vezta said. In contrast, her tone remained cool and neutral.

    ¡°It can¡¯t attack us,¡± Arkk said, peering around the chamber. He hadn¡¯t seen it through his localized omniscience, but he had hoped there would be something obvious to the naked eye. ¡°Not as long as we and the Prince are not enemies.¡±

    A long stretch of silence followed as the group¡¯s thoughts churned. Based on their faces, Arkk could tell they weren¡¯t thrilled with such a flimsy defense. Arkk wasn¡¯t even positive that it was accurate. It was just the only thing that made sense given the situation.

    Otherwise, he was fairly certain it would have killed him.

    Instead, they had a brief talk, just before Vezta showed up.

    One of the group decided to voice their thoughts. ¡°What exactly constitutes his ¡®enemy¡¯ anyway?¡± Zullie asked, humming lightly. ¡°Like if I say I don¡¯t like the aesthetic of his shoes¡ª¡±

    ¡°Probably best not to think of ways of becoming his enemy, witch,¡± Hannah said, sneering before her eyes went wide. ¡°Oh Light,¡± she murmured. Her eyes darted back and forth, suddenly full of fear. ¡°Prince Cedric summoned a demon and I¡¯m a member of the Abbey. We¡¯re¡­ There¡¯s no way I can¡¯t not be his enemy¡­ Oh Light¡ª¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you excommunicated?¡± Olatt¡¯an asked as calmly as if he were asking about the weather.

    Although the fear didn¡¯t fully flee her eyes, Hannah shot him a withering glare. ¡°That¡¯s beside the point. I still hold values incompatible with demons and their summoners¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we focus on the demon? It shapeshifts, right?¡± Kia asked, her voice echoing with her afterimages as they looked around. ¡°What if it turned into a rock?¡±

    Zullie huffed in annoyance, casually swinging a black-bladed knife around her finger by the hole in the handle. ¡°Did you not read the information packet on demons that I gave you and Claire? I didn¡¯t go through all that effort¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Arkk cut in. ¡°Kia is right, focus on the demon. It will be humanoid. Maybe gremlin-sized at the smallest, minotaur-sized at the largest.¡±

    Kia nodded slowly, taking that in. ¡°Alright. If it isn¡¯t here, where did it go?¡±

    That one, Arkk didn¡¯t have an answer for. ¡°I have all doors sealed in the lower levels. Only I can open them. If anything tries to damage a door, I¡¯ll know instantly¡­ but I still don¡¯t know how it got down here in the first place. It shouldn¡¯t have gotten inside without breaking at least one door.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you didn¡¯t notice?¡± Olatt¡¯an asked, walking a few steps back toward the hole in the wall Vezta had made. ¡°Too distracted with the operation going wrong?¡± Shuffling around, he pied off the corner with his crossbow raised. The tip of his bolt ripped through the world as he moved.

    Kia moved up as well. Afterimages moved in front of her, peering out down both sides of the corridor at the same time. Apparently seeing nothing, she stepped out fully with Zullie following shortly after. The latter still languidly spun the short blade around her finger.

    ¡°It is hard to describe,¡± Arkk said. ¡°And it has only happened a few times, but when something attacks the fortress itself, there is no way to ignore it. The fortress might as well scream in my ear, hammering gongs and setting off blinding blasts of magic. It is safe to say that nothing has damaged part of the fortress without me knowing.¡±

    ¡°A demon will do anything to fulfill its contract, even violating laws of magic, though I suspect that takes a special kind of contract. It is part of what makes them so dangerous,¡± Zullie said. Snapping the knife into her grip, she slashed at the air. A black void opened up, much like the openings Olatt¡¯an¡¯s bolt was causing except much larger. Although it started to seal shut, Zullie reached in and, after rummaging in the void, pulled out a solid black sphere. ¡°It can break reality as easily as I can if its contract requires. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t know any details of its contract. All we can assume is that it is only allowed to directly harm those aligned against Prince Cedric.¡±

    Zullie moved back into the undead storage room, waving around the black sphere. Nothing obvious happened from Arkk¡¯s perspective, but Zullie occasionally stopped, brought the sphere close to her face, and let out a few mild humming sounds.

    ¡°Could be that it has been here for a while,¡± Olatt¡¯an said. ¡°If it can appear like you convincingly enough to fool the dark elves, who can say it hasn¡¯t been wandering the halls as an employee.¡±

    ¡°If it did sneak in and manage to get hired, I would have noticed it before it attacked me. I would have been able to teleport it away and I would be able to locate it now.¡±

    Zullie looked up from the black sphere. With the tip of the black dagger against the corner of her glasses frame, she adjusted her lenses over her empty eyes. ¡°What part of violates laws of magic do you not understand?¡±

    Arkk nodded his head, conceding the point. ¡°Fair enough. But it still seems¡­ unlikely.

    ¡°What seems more likely is the direction it went,¡± Arkk said, turning away from the corridor. The opposite end of the undead storage room opened up into a large tunnel. ¡°That way leads to the surface.¡±

    ¡°Directly to the surface?¡± Olatt¡¯an asked, cocking an eyebrow. ¡°Rekk¡¯ar would be complaining about fortress integrity and security right about now.¡±

    ¡°This room is normally full of hundreds of undead goblins,¡± Arkk said, mildly offended. ¡°The path toward the tower is a labyrinth filled with all manner of traps until you reach the border of Elmshadow where the fortress proper begins. Seems like enough security to me. More than half the other entrances have.¡±

    ¡°Just a thought,¡± Olatt¡¯an said with a light shrug. He moved up with Kia, crossbow aimed down the dark tunnel. ¡°No doors down there?¡±

    ¡°There are two before the surface,¡± Arkk said. They were more to protect from anyone accidentally stumbling in than to keep people out, but they still functioned like every other door in his domain.

    ¡°So it couldn¡¯t have gotten in that way without you knowing.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Arkk almost answered in the negative, only to pause as a thought occurred to him. ¡°I had just sent the undead out. The doors opened for them. The demon could have slipped past them.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like one mystery solved,¡± Zullie said in a chipper tone.

    Arkk closed his eyes, mentally pausing the goblins. No sense recalling them now when they might just open the door for the demon to escape through the same way it had come in. He didn¡¯t like leaving them out in the open where anyone could see them, but nothing to do about it now.

    Vezta shot the witch a glare. ¡°I am still concerned it knew where you would be, when you would be here, and how to gain access.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Arkk said, sighing. He had thought they were prepared. They had weapons and tools and people like Kia and Claire. If Zullie was right, just being touched by any of them should shunt the demon back into the netherworld. It was as simple as that.

    Simple.

    Right, Arkk scoffed to himself. As if. Something that could break into his fortress without him knowing, assault him, and then vanish from his sight was a bit more than he was expecting. He doubted even the Golden Order¡¯s avatar would have been able to hide within the fortress. Not that the avatar would have bothered, but that was beside the point.

    And there was so much else that still needed his attention¡­

    ¡°We¡¯ll head up the tunnel on foot,¡± Arkk said. ¡°If we find nothing, we call it there¡ª¡±

    ¡°Call it?¡± Hannah said with a gasp. ¡°And leave a demon wandering around?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. But standing around arguing with each other isn¡¯t productive. We have an ongoing emergency, we might have just kicked Evestani into action, and¡­¡± He pressed his lips together. ¡°Other things have gone wrong. Stumbling around in the dark won¡¯t find us the demon and won¡¯t solve any other issue. We¡¯ll need a plan. Now that we know a little more about the demon, how it can hide itself and disguise itself, and even some of its limitations, we can make that plan. And maybe, just maybe, we won¡¯t have to worry about the demon at all.¡±

    Hannah looked genuinely offended that he was considering leaving even after the explanation. Arkk understood but at the same time, what did she want him to do? Camp out down in the undead storage room until it showed itself again? Shaking his head, Arkk did a quick check around him.

    He counted heads, making sure there were still only the six of them, then checked to make sure all six had a link. He didn¡¯t think it was possible that any of them could have been suddenly replaced by the shapeshifting demon, but he also wasn¡¯t about to take any chances. Thankfully, everyone was who they appeared to be. With that done, he motioned down the tunnel.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Eyes and ears open. Try to keep everyone else in sight at all times while also keeping a lookout for anything amiss.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an gave Arkk a look. Assuming the old orc was going to ask him to prove that he was still the real Arkk, Arkk teleported himself to the head of the group and rearranged everyone into columns behind him. There was a slight jostling as everyone adjusted but nobody questioned him.

    If a demon could replicate all his [HEART]-granted abilities, they were already screwed.

    ¡°What do you mean, we won¡¯t have to worry?¡± Hannah asked.

    ¡°The demon¡­ stole my magic? Ate it? Something. I couldn¡¯t do anything for a few minutes and I¡¯m sure you felt that teleport wasn¡¯t as snappy as usual.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kia said. ¡°Like we were swimming through water.¡± She paused and looked over the group. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be in the lead?¡± she asked as they continued walking down the tunnel. ¡°I¡¯m the one most likely to be able to take a hit from the thing.¡±

    Arkk hesitated and almost waved her forward until Zullie let out a scoff.

    ¡°If we get ambushed in a relatively small tunnel like this, the demon will probably be able to pick and choose who it strikes at without worrying about who is where.¡±

    ¡°Point,¡± Arkk said, then waved the dark elf forward anyway. ¡°Having Kia in the lead will allow her freedom of movement without the rest of us getting in the way.¡±

    A quick shuffle occurred. Abbess Hannah positioned herself in the middle of the group, near Arkk and Vezta, while Kia took the lead and Zullie shifted to the rear. Olatt¡¯an remained next to Zullie, keeping his crossbow raised but making sure he never aimed it at one of them.

    ¡°In any case, while the demon has to obey the contract, it still seems to have its own desires. Namely, it wants to eat magic¡ªprobably. Before you showed up to save me, I tried to tell it that Evestani and the Eternal Empire are full of magic and are already enemies of the Prince.¡± Arkk shrugged. ¡°Not saying I shook hands and formed an alliance, but maybe it has decided to focus on them over us. For now.¡±

    An uneasy silence followed. While arguing in the undead storage room had bounced between tense and lighthearted¡ªthe latter likely only there to help cover up just how tense some of his employees were¡ªthe time for games had passed. The tunnel wasn¡¯t exactly narrow, having been designed to allow the undead to flood out to the surface, it was still a great deal more confined and claustrophobic than the storage room.

    Smaller than the storage room, the lighting wasn¡¯t quite so dim. He still supplemented the wall-mounted glowstones with a constant teleport of the loose glowstones onto the ground ahead of them, keeping everything nice and bright.

    Arkk and the others made little haste as they moved. It had him growing more and more antsy with every step. Ilya was on her way back. He needed to deal with that. Most of the other groups were already back, all of whom he needed to deal with as well, but Ilya¡¯s was the most important. The most¡­ distressing.

    And he had a demon on the loose that could disguise as him. Until he told Ilya, she would be vulnerable to it appearing in front of her. It could take on the appearance of him, her mother, or anyone else. With that, it could easily convince her to head somewhere of its choosing. Even if it couldn¡¯t directly harm him or anyone who didn¡¯t consider the Prince an enemy, Arkk wouldn¡¯t put it past the demon to leave someone out in the middle of nowhere, deep inside a pit they couldn¡¯t escape from, and let them starve to death.

    Then there was the question of how much he should reveal to the rest of his employees. It wouldn¡¯t be good to start a panic or throw everyone into a state of paranoia where they couldn¡¯t begin to trust each other. The last thing he needed in the middle of a war was for his army to start turning on each other. At the same time, if the demon showed up somewhere he wasn¡¯t paying attention¡ªtalking to a team in private or even managing to take command of a unit in the field¡ªit could send his employees to their deaths with him none-the-wiser.

    They needed to deal with this demon as soon as possible.

    Unfortunately, they reached the closed door at the end of the corridor without encountering anything strange. There were no marks or damage on the door, no indication that anyone had forced it open. He had already seen that through his omniscience of his territory, but some part of him had hoped they would find the demon standing by, waiting for the undead to reopen the doors.

    Unless Zullie¡¯s information was wrong and it could disguise as something other than a person, the demon wasn¡¯t here.

    ¡°Could it be elsewhere in the fortress?¡± Olatt¡¯an asked, the first to speak in the last ten minutes. Hannah jolted at his sudden voice.

    ¡°It has to be,¡± Arkk said, frowning at the wooden door. ¡°Unless it can teleport around at will. If that¡¯s the case¡­¡±

    If that was the case, they were, again, extraordinarily screwed.

    ¡°Kia, Olatt¡¯an, Zullie. Remain here and keep an eye on the door. I¡¯m recalling the undead. The door will have to open for them.¡± Unfortunately, the undead were a little odd. They weren¡¯t employees or property, so he couldn¡¯t teleport them around at will. They had to walk. ¡°If you see the demon, alert me. Otherwise¡­ Stay safe.¡±

    The old orc snorted at that.

    ¡°Before you go,¡± Zullie said, stepping forward, ¡°if you aren¡¯t fighting demons, Vezta, mind swapping?¡± She held out the black dagger in one hand, asking for the curled staff Vezta carried in her tendrils. ¡°The Veilstaff is probably better for fighting in these quarters than the Threshold Blade. Not enough reach.¡±

    Vezta glanced at Arkk, getting a nod confirming that he didn¡¯t intend to hunt down the demon at this moment, before tossing the staff toward Zullie. It warped the air around it, bending light ever so slightly towards it. Though blind, Zullie caught it out of the air with one hand.

    ¡°Keep them both,¡± Vezta said when Zullie started to offer the knife.

    ¡°Any other questions?¡± Arkk asked, looking around once.

    Hannah had her lips pressed into a thin line but clearly wanted out of here more than she wanted to keep searching for the demon. Her fingers on both hands were clamped tight around a little ring that Arkk was fairly certain was supposed to be on her finger. Olatt¡¯an kept his crossbow up, aimed just over everyone¡¯s heads, while Kia was already looking in every direction with her afterimages.

    ¡°I¡¯ll drop us off in our quarters¡ª¡±

    ¡°Alone?¡± Hannah hissed.

    ¡°Probably better to be alone,¡± Olatt¡¯an mused. ¡°Given our enemy can appear as others.¡±

    ¡°But if I¡¯m alone, there won¡¯t be anyone else there to stop it from stabbing me in the back!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll put you in the operations center. Keep with the scrying teams. They might still be able to locate the demon. Vezta and I will meet with Ilya and her group as soon as she is in range of teleportation.¡± Arkk glanced to his side, nodding at Vezta. ¡°As soon as the undead are inside, if nothing happens before then, I¡¯ll teleport all of you back to the operations room. We¡¯ll decide what to do from there.¡±

    After getting an acknowledging nod from each of them, Arkk teleported himself, Vezta, and Hannah. Hannah went to the operations center as he said. He and Vezta reappeared high up in the tower, in his private quarters.

    She looked at him with a heavy frown. ¡°You were trying to broker a deal with a demon?¡±

    ¡°Not like that,¡± Arkk said. ¡°I was more pointing out that, if it wants magic, there is an avatar and those things the Eternal Empire has been building. Just the magic rendering them invisible has to be considerable. I¡¯ve no idea how they¡¯re managing it. Before you arrived, I think I was convincing it.¡±

    ¡°You cannot trust anything a demon says. Or does. Even if it nodded its head and said it would only go after the Evestani from now on, you should expect it to strike you in the back the first chance it gets,¡± Vezta said with a heavy scowl. ¡°We need to find it. Or a way to detect it, at the very least. You cannot be compromised like this again.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. But that isn¡¯t exactly why I¡¯ve brought us here to talk.¡± He looked to Vezta, lips thin, and said, ¡°Leda is dead.¡±

    The eyes on Vezta¡¯s face closed for a moment, then reopened. ¡°Unfortunate. Her contract with the Walking Fortress Heart will have collapsed.¡±

    ¡°I had a thought. Since we opened the portal to the Necropolis¡ª¡±

    ¡°Have the First and Last Primeval Lord revive her? I suppose that might be worth exploring, but we don¡¯t know if some preparations or rituals must be done in order to revive her as a cognizant undead versus the mindless normally revived with necromancy.¡± Vezta paused, turning to face Arkk fully. ¡°More importantly, it won¡¯t repair the contract even if it works. It will have broken with her death.

    ¡°That means we have have an active but unaffiliated [HEART] out in the wild, vulnerable. It must be reclaimed as soon as possible.¡±

 Emergency Aftermath

    ¡°Damage report?¡±

    ¡°Constructions two, four, and five have suffered catastrophic structural failure. We have been unable to stop the bleeding in any and, in the case of five, stockpiled ordinance went up with the blast. Eight of our engineers were killed in the resulting explosion.

    ¡°One and three suffered minor damage thanks to your timely intervention. It will set us back but is salvageable. The alchemical explosives the enemy planted under six failed to explode and merely caused a small fire that was swiftly dealt with.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± A tall woman seated at the table gave her adjutant a shallow nod before dragging her knife through the slab of roasted meat.

    The meat was perfectly seared, its exterior a rich, caramelized brown that protected the savory flavors within. Juices pooled on the plate as she cut through, revealing a tender, succulent interior. Roasted root vegetables, crisp and decorated with fragrant herbs, sat beside the meat. It was the sort of meal befitting a king in a palace, not a general at a battlefield.

    Lucky for her, she was both.

    ¡°Make a note of the dead. Their families are to receive adequate compensation upon our return,¡± she said before popping the slice of meat into her mouth.

    The adjutant, a wiry man with a perpetually furrowed brow, scribbled in his notebook as if the pen had personally insulted his mother. The scratching noise echoed in the otherwise silent chamber. Outside, the distant rumble of yet another explosion made them both pause.

    To the best of her knowledge, their enemy had fully retreated.

    ¡°Go,¡± she said, grasping the goblet of amber-colored wine. ¡°Find out what that was.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Empress,¡± he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. He dipped his head in a respectful bow before scurrying from the room.

    Watching the doors swing shut behind him, she slowly stood, leaving her meal half-eaten while keeping the goblet of wine. She approached the windows with a frown, peering out into the darkness. There had been a second one out there tonight. She was fairly certain they had perished, but it boded ill to assume anything in this war. The enemy was cunning and had a knack for turning the tide when least expected.

    More distressing was the idea that additional active Hearts existed out in the wild. One fortress was nothing if not expected. Thousands existed in ages past and finding every last one of them was a task beyond even her abilities. Keepers cropped up now and again, often drawing far too much attention to themselves, before being put down by one of the three. Even if they carried on for long periods of time, they weren¡¯t problems. Just selfish people trying to scrape together what power they could until they inevitably burned out.

    This time, this Arkk, was different. The Golden Order already confirmed the presence of a Servant of one of the old gods. Someone standing behind the scenes, guiding and pulling strings, ensuring that the power didn¡¯t consume the Keeper. There was little doubt that the influence of this Servant was the true cause of the fracture in the sky leading to the domain of boundaries.

    Then the walking fortress appeared. Those had all been destroyed. With how obvious they were in comparison to the deeply buried fortresses, there was little question that she or one of her contemporaries had demolished every last one centuries ago. Yet it existed today, standing tall, with stonework crafted from shadowy bricks. A Heart belonging to the old god of darkness.

    It was possible that the walking fortress had been inactive, its Heart stored within the confines of another fortress, but the likelihood was low. It had only appeared after the fractured sky.

    She sipped the amber wine, her thoughts too loud to savor the rich, velvety liquid.

    That second Keeper tonight, she had felt them, their connection to their own Heart. They had a walking fortress somewhere out there. Missing one walking fortress was almost believable. Two? Both operating in such a short timeframe, so obviously allied to one another?

    Gods were intervening where they had no business anymore.

    Turning from the window, she approached the table. A large map spread across its top was covered in small pins and points. Mystakeen¡¯s terrain was replicated in detail. Most pins were centered around Elmshadow. It had certainly become the main base of operations for their enemy. However, it wasn¡¯t the location of the main fortress. That lay somewhere further to the east.

    The Golden Order suspected Cliff City. It was known to have housed a fortress in its mountainside once upon a time. The idea that the Heart had somehow survived wasn¡¯t out of the question. Especially considering it was the Holy Light¡¯s territory; the recent duplicity coming from the avatar of the so-called god of wisdom meant everything had to be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism, including claims that she had destroyed all Hearts within the land the Light touched.

    There was further evidence, however. Upon her arrival at Mystakeen, the Eternal Empire launched a surprise attack, intending to draw out proof of the Golden Order¡¯s suspicions. The city was heavily defended, first by mundane magical arrays. Then, when those arrays overloaded, boundary magic protected the city.

    And a demon destroyed a warship.

    The fact that the demon had not been seen since gave some hope that it had only been summoned as a temporary defensive measure and had since been banished, but she wasn¡¯t willing to waste men and resources assaulting the city again. Best to whittle down their enemy¡¯s power and forces from this side of the country instead. If he did summon a demon again, at least two avatars together stood a chance at defeating it.

    It did mean they would end up with a cornered rat, but they intended to corner it all along. Now they simply knew what to be wary of.

    The Empress traced her finger along the map, her eyes narrowing as she considered the strategic points. Three of her six weapons of war were gone in one night. Others were in construction, but they were lagging behind, intended to be used if this turned into a protracted siege rather than the swift destruction of that tower. Perhaps two and four could be cobbled together to salvage one, but it was still a blow. And then there was a walking fortress somewhere. Likely a smaller one to keep it from being found. Elmshadow was a thorn in her side, but Cliff City was the festering wound. She needed to cut it out and cauterize it.

    The Golden Order and their listeners weren¡¯t often wrong, but she had learned to trust her instincts above all. At the moment, her instincts told her that there was something wrong with the picture they had. Something missing. Elmshadow wasn¡¯t truly important. Leaving the Golden Order to keep it busy while she advanced to Cliff¡­

    The door creaked open, the return of her adjutant interrupting her thoughts. His face, pale and drawn, brought the bad news before he even opened his mouth.

    ¡°Empress,¡± he began, bowing his head before lifting his gaze to the level of her neck¡ªno further. ¡°The explosion was at site two. An uncontained fire spread to the stockpiled armaments and¡ª¡±

    She waved a hand, stalling the rest of the report. ¡°Dead?¡±

    ¡°Only three confirmed. There may be more.¡±

    ¡°Viability of salvaging the construction?¡±

    ¡°About on par with site five.¡±

    She gently placed her goblet on the table, nodding her head slowly. So much for cobbling together the remains. ¡°Abandon site four, have everyone focus on growing the other three. I want them in the air by the week¡¯s end.¡±

    ¡°So soon?¡± His eyes flicked up in surprise before darting back down. He suddenly found his shoes fascinating. ¡°With everything that has happened, I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯ll be finished on your schedule.¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t need to be finished. They merely need to be airworthy. It will be troublesome, but we can complete them in the air where they are safe from similar attacks.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°I¡­ understand.¡±

    ¡°If we move the remaining engineers over from the destroyed projects and stagger labor throughout both day and night, we¡¯ll at least have the frames ready. Detail the schedule immediately. Have it put into place the moment we have finished confirming the status of anyone caught in the recent explosion.¡± She paused, staring at her adjutant for a moment before adding, ¡°See it done.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Orders given, she turned back to the map on the table. The door clicked shut behind her back as her adjutant departed. That left her with nothing but her thoughts.

    Her thoughts and that feeling that something was still missing in the larger picture.

    <hr>

    ¡°W?at are you working on now?¡±

    Agnete didn¡¯t stop to respond. This was delicate work.

    She stood over a small archway constructed of a crystalline lattice, amber in base color but with an iridescent sheen that changed color based on the lighting and the angle one observed it. Meticulously etched runes dotted the sides while several thick bolts and metal clamps affixed it to the ground. Burning heat from Agnete¡¯s fingertips fused a fresh chunk of the amber crystal to the main structure.

    She had to control her heat carefully. Too much and the crystal would crack, score, or melt entirely, deforming it and losing the magic properties she required. Too little and it wouldn¡¯t be part of the structure, just an odd hanger-on. It was by far the most precise she ever had to manipulate her heat.

    Agnete doubted her old self would have been able to manage. Ever since meeting with¡­ that thing¡ªshe still wasn¡¯t convinced that it was the actual Burning Forge and not just an avatar-like construct¡ªthe heat in her chest wasn¡¯t constantly leaping to escape, to burn everything around her. It was like the difference between when she had been working under Vrox and when she joined up with Arkk except now Arkk was the former party.

    Finishing with the large rectangular block of crystal, Agnete paused and looked down at her hands. Molten seams of glowing golden metal ran through the cracks in her flesh, looking like veins. Using one of the magnifying eyepieces that had been provided to her, she had gotten a close look. Despite being molten, runes covered the metal, shifting and flowing as it moved through her skin. The runes were unlike anything she had seen before¡ªand that included some of Zullie¡¯s more heretical ideas. Agnete hadn¡¯t bothered trying to analyze it. She was no researcher.

    ¡°Are you alrigh??¡±

    Agnete looked up, staring at the mechanical copy of herself. Who stood to the side, head tilted to the left. Agnete had tried to tell her to change the name now that they could communicate comfortably, only to be refused. To Who, her name was something her creator had given her and she didn¡¯t want to lose it. Despite the fact that Agnete hadn¡¯t been trying to give her a name at the time.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Agnete said, lowering her hands to her sides. ¡°Just busy.¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡± Who asked, moving around the small archway.

    ¡°Something I¡¯ve been working on while you were out. Did you procure the parts I requested?¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Who said without taking those mechanical eyes off the archway. ¡°You failed to specify a quantity. I decided to ship a w?ole train of them in. They¡¯re waiting at the station.¡±

    ¡°Bring in five, please.¡±

    ¡°Five?¡± Who¡¯s deep, mechanical voice took on a note of distress. ¡°I have ??ousands out there.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Agnete said, carefully controlling her facial expression to keep a small smile off her face. She had known this would happen. The same thing happened the last time Agnete hadn¡¯t been perfectly clear. ¡°Thank you, Who. Five will suffice.¡±

    The quiet clacking of metal tapping metal filled the air as Who crossed her arms. A gout of white steam puffed out from her ears. Gears and servos shifted behind the plates on her face as pistons pushed her mouth open in what was sure to be an irritated response. However, Who¡¯s voice stalled as her gaze shifted to one side. ¡°And what is that?¡± she asked.

    Agnete turned to find the lesser servant slop out from the ventilation duct. It landed with a splat and looked up, froze, and then quickly tried to scurry beneath one of the workbenches.

    Who didn¡¯t let it get away. Another blast of steam emitted from her legs with the sound of a low horn, propelling her into motion. Her arms extended outwards, grasping hold of a few stray tendrils. Some of it oozed out between her fingers. Just enough of it maintained cohesion when she pulled to drag the whole thing back out into the open.

    ¡°W?a? ?? ???? ??????, ??????? ??????¡±

    Agnete let out a small sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t harm it, please.¡±

    ¡°You know w?a? ?his is?¡± Who asked, looking back even as the servant struggled in her grip. She looked more curious than murderous, which Agnete took to be a good sign.

    ¡°It is a servant. It has been helping me construct the portal,¡± she said, gesturing toward the small archway.

    ¡°Portal. Like the one you wanted to visit a while ago?¡±

    Agnete nodded her head. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you discovered where it is? It certainly would be easier to use. Though I doubt it matters now.¡±

    Who continued to grasp at the servant, continually readjusting where her hands were as the amorphous blob shifted out of her grip. Her head turned almost completely backward to look at Agnete then turned just a little more as she gave a negative shake. ¡°Sorry. I was not created with that information and requests regarding the subject have been denied.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunate. But that is why I built this.¡±

    ¡°Portal.¡± Who said again, now turning to the amber archway. ¡°The thing you wanted to use to leave? You¡¯re leaving?¡±

    ¡°Not permanently, I hope. I have created a great many useful things that I need a larger portal to return to my home. To answer your question, however, yes. I cannot¡ªwill not stay here indefinitely, even at the behest of a god.¡±

    Ratchets clicked, gears turned, and metal clanked in the silence that followed. The steam-filled pipes in Who¡¯s chest thronged in a distressed note. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who can make¡­ me. Things like me.¡±

    ¡°If the Burning Forge wishes me to stay and mindlessly toil in the factory until the end of time, She should have selected a different avatar.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ You¡¯re leaving me?¡±

    Agnete stared at the metal copy of herself, wondering why she had fashioned it in her image. With a slight shake of her head, she sighed. ¡°Not permanently, as I¡ª¡±

    ¡°??.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°??,¡± Who repeated, dropping the lesser servant. She turned, steps suddenly heavy against the metal floor as if she weighed ten times as much as she had five minutes ago.

    It quickly scurried off, squeezing itself behind the workbench. Two thin stalks popped up over the top, forming thin yellow eyes.

    Agnete paid it little attention, focused entirely on Who. ¡°Do you think you can stop me?¡± Flames curled around her arms, flowing up toward her shoulders in thin streams. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you, Who.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just make me and then leave me,¡± Who snapped. Her fingers clenched and unclenched repeatedly, making heavy thunking noises with each movement.

    Agnete blinked. Smiling slightly, she let her flames die down. ¡°Then come with me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Come with me,¡± Agnete said again, motioning to the portal. ¡°It isn¡¯t like only one person can get through.¡±

    A hiss of steam spread out around Who, coming from her back, as she deflated. ¡°With you?¡±

    Nodding her head, Agnete turned to the portal. It should be finished. And if their haphazard communications hadn¡¯t gone wrong, the lesser servant coming through the vents should mean that Arkk was ready on the other side. So, with a slight tug on the link, she let Arkk know that she was ready in turn.

    It took a minute. Several minutes. Eventually, a magical hum started up around the portal. A liquid-like membrane spread through its interior, first shimmering silver, then shifting to display what Agnete recognized as a part of Fortress Al-Mir. The maze-like tiles and violet glowstones were almost nostalgic with how long she had spent here in the Anvil.

    ¡°What now?¡± Who all but whispered.

    ¡°Now we go through. Let me go first. The ones on the other side will probably attack anyone they don¡¯t expect. You can follow in a minute.¡± Agnete started forward, only to frown. Unfortunately, the portal only went up to her chest. That meant she had to squat down and make an undignified crawling walk through the shimmering membrane.

    Arkk, Zullie, Zullie¡¯s two assistants, and a contingent of orc guards all stood on the other side. The first two had smiles on their faces, Arkk¡¯s welcoming while Zullie just looked pleased that her cobbled-together portal actually worked. The assistants were near the portal frame, monitoring it. The orcs stood in an array around, weapons out but not raised.

    All ten individuals stumbled back as soon as Agnete put her head through the portal. Morvin and Gretchen let out clipped shouts, jumping away while Arkk and Zullie staggered.

    Agnete pulled herself through in a rush, worried something had gone wrong, only to come to the slow realization that they were pulling away from her, not the portal. It took another moment to realize why.

    The tiles beneath her feet were melting.

    Closing her eyes, Agnete took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, to pull in that ever-present flame. Perhaps, in the Anvil, it hadn¡¯t been easy to control. It was just that she hadn¡¯t noticed she wasn¡¯t controlling it.

    The room slowly cooled down, both in temperature and temperament. ¡°I apologize,¡± Agnete said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Arkk said, slowly getting his smile back. That smile froze suddenly as Arkk stiffened, cutting off whatever he was going to say. He went on guard, wary once again. A few of the others took up more defensive positions, as if expecting a fight.

    Exactly one minute had passed since her arrival.

    Who, arms and legs crawling along the ground like a mechanical spider, slipped through the portal frame, crawling up right behind Agnete before straightening in one smooth, utterly inhuman motion.

    Agnete stepped forward, making sure to place herself between Who and everyone else in the room. Her body language alone made it clear that anyone wishing to harm the construct would have to go through her first.

    Obviously not wanting a fight to break out, Arkk quickly gave the hand signal for everyone to stand down. He still looked wary, but he trusted her enough to put on an air of welcome. ¡°I saw through the servant, you looked like you were fighting with this¡­ Who is this?¡± he asked, clearly forcing himself to be polite.

    ¡°That¡¯s correc?,¡± Who said, her low tones sounding pleased.

    Arkk blinked, taking his eyes off Who to look at Agnete. ¡°What¡¯s correct?¡±

    Agnete looked back, watching as Who took in the situation around her. Nodding her head, she looked at Arkk. ¡°Who.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°No. This is Who.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Arkk scrunched up his face, scratching at the side of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Who, stepping forward with a small tuft of steam escaping from her legs, gestured toward Arkk. ¡°You¡¯re I Don¡¯? Know?¡± she asked in utter innocence.

    Agnete stared at Arkk. Arkk stared back. Eventually, she sighed.

 Life-Death-Undeath

    One thing after another. Never a chance to rest.

    Arkk stood inside the currently inert walking fortress, frowning at the [HEART] on its shadowy pedestal. He had half a mind to claim it for himself. Vezta worried that anyone else might betray them once they had a taste of its power or just go rogue. Arkk wasn¡¯t quite so pessimistic. Leda hadn¡¯t betrayed him. He hadn¡¯t planned for her to take the [HEART], that had been Priscilla¡¯s machinations, and she certainly wouldn¡¯t have been his first pick from those he considered trustworthy. Her rise to prominence had simply been one of convenience. Few others were small enough to comfortably ride with Priscilla and act as her eyes.

    But she hadn¡¯t betrayed him.

    This time around, Arkk had the option of choice.

    The obvious choice was himself. He wouldn¡¯t betray himself. But he already felt stretched thin. Magical fortress or not, he was only one person. He could only be in one place at a time. If problems occurred at both Fortress Al-Mir and Elmshadow, he would be in trouble. If problems occurred at both those places and here, he would be screwed. If that demon caught him once again, taking him out of the picture, all three locales would be in jeopardy.

    That was the only reason he didn¡¯t reach his hand forward.

    He needed someone else. Someone who could manage servants, who could teleport forces around at will, who could cast spells at his level¡­

    The obvious choice was someone in his primary circle of advisors. Ilya, Rekk¡¯ar, Olatt¡¯an, Zullie, Savren, Khan, Alma, Agnete, and Priscilla. Those one step removed were possibilities as well, his main field commanders. Dakka, Richter, Abbess Hannah, Sylvara, Vector, Joanne, Lexa¡­

    Katja?

    No. Not unless he wished to see betrayal sooner rather than later.

    Some of those options were out. Priscilla was impossible, she couldn¡¯t claim a [HEART] after having broken her contract. Zullie and Savren were busy with their research. Rekk¡¯ar butted heads with Arkk enough that he wasn¡¯t sure how loyal the abrasive orc would be. Khan¡­

    Gorgon in general didn¡¯t seem like the type¡ªthey were too content with food in their bellies and a warm rock to sit upon. Zhajra was probably the most ambitious of the group and even she spent most of her time relaxing. Arkk needed someone with drive, but not so much drive that they would try to take over.

    Alma reminded him a bit too much of Leda. Not to mention he had originally threatened her into joining him, which he thought they were past but he wasn¡¯t sure if they were hand-over-obscenely-powerful-magical-artifact levels of past it.

    Abbess Hannah and Sylvara were out for obvious reasons relating to the Light, as were most of the rest of the field commanders on second thought. Lexa was too effective as an assassin to bog her down with managing a fortress. Richter had control over the majority of Arkk¡¯s forces, most of them having joined up as deserters from the Duke¡¯s Grand Guard, but they all joined solely to defeat Evestani. Arkk couldn¡¯t begin to guess what they might do once that task was done with. Vector was the same as Richter, having been the man¡¯s main battlecaster. Dakka, like Lexa, was just too effective in the field, though as a commander rather than an assassin.

    Who did that leave? Ilya, Olatt¡¯an, Agnete, and Joanne?

    Joanne had been a sub-commander in the Order of the Claymores, so she had experience leading. She wasn¡¯t so effective in the field that Arkk would feel her absence if she were tied to the tower here. Unfortunately, she was taking Leda¡¯s death harder than Arkk expected, believing it was her fault, rather than his, that she and Kevin required rescue in the first place and then, later, that she had failed to adequately protect the small fairy. She might move past it in time, but time was something Arkk lacked at the moment.

    Agnete was more like Lexa and Dakka than anyone else, too useful elsewhere. She was already powerful beyond most of the rest of Arkk¡¯s forces. And now, she had ideas on how to improve things based on what she had created from the Anvil.

    That left Olatt¡¯an and Ilya.

    Olatt¡¯an probably wouldn¡¯t betray Arkk in any sense of the word. They got on well enough and had never really come to harsh conflict. Not like with Arkk and Rekk¡¯ar. He was older. Less effective on the battlefield. The ability to cast magic on the same level as Arkk would certainly make whatever appearances he did make in battle all the more prominent. He was generally wise, the incident with the initial opening of the Anvil portal notwithstanding, and could command respect when required.

    There was no doubt in Arkk¡¯s mind that Ilya would ever betray him. They had known each other their entire lives. It simply wasn¡¯t even a question. Arkk trusted her implicitly. The injuries she had sustained at the Duke¡¯s party, and subsequent botched healing by Arkk, longer healing at the manor, and touch-ups by Hale, weren¡¯t holding her down anymore. At least not enough to be worthy of note. While she didn¡¯t have quite the experience with leading men that Olatt¡¯an did, she did have experience with the fortresses, having been effectively the second-in-command at Fortress Al-Mir.

    ¡°Ilya or Olatt¡¯an?¡± Arkk mused to himself.

    Vezta, standing at his side, tilted her head. ¡°Those are your selections?¡±

    ¡°Unless I¡¯m forgetting someone,¡± he said, humming. He had a lot of people working for him. It was entirely possible someone had slipped his mind. But if they didn¡¯t come to mind now, he probably would have dismissed them for one reason or another. Hale popped into his mind momentarily, but he quickly shook his head. She was effective at healing but young and withdrawn.

    Kia and Claire were out for the same reason that Zullie couldn¡¯t give him the same treatment that she had given the dark elves. They weren¡¯t quite part of this world. Besides that, he wasn¡¯t sure giving the volatile dark elves access to even more power was a good idea.

    ¡°You have better ideas?¡± he asked.

    Vezta fell silent, her eyes shifting back and forth as if reading from a scroll of names that Arkk couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Edvin?¡±

    ¡°Funny,¡± Arkk said, his voice utterly deadpan. Despite that, he did pause to consider for the briefest of instants. He would have to be beyond desperate to give Edvin a job of any level of importance.

    ¡°Darius Vrox?¡±

    Arkk looked over to the servant, frowning. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re being serious or not. First of all, I¡¯d give the job to Sylvara over Vrox. Second, you don¡¯t think an inquisitor would bind with an ancient magical artifact of dubious origin, do you?¡±

    ¡°Just listing possibilities you may not have considered,¡± Vezta said with a shrug. ¡°It is among my duties to ensure that you see the full scope of the situation, not just what your mind likely first jumps to. That said, Ilya makes the most sense to me.¡±

    Arkk pursed his lips, staring back at the shadowy orb. He had been afraid of that. ¡°Maybe Vrox deserves some more consideration.¡±

    ¡°I believe Ilya would be most upset if you are coddling her just because you fancy the shape of her backside.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t fancy¡­ I mean, it¡¯s more than just her butt¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ah yes. Mammaries,¡± Vezta said, looking down at her own chest. The fabric-like texture of her skin over her chest turned oily and slick as more and more mass built up. Her chest bulged out, prompting her to prod herself with a finger. ¡°Not sure I understand,¡± she said as they rapidly deflated back to their usual level.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Arkk boggled, unable to hold back a sudden snort of laughter. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡±

    ¡°I feel fine. What about yourself? Do you feel any better?¡±

    A small smile settled on Arkk¡¯s face. She was trying to make him feel better? First with ridiculous suggestions like Edvin, now this? One laugh wasn¡¯t going to wipe away the latest disaster, but he did nod his head. It helped.

    That help didn¡¯t help solve their problem, unfortunately. ¡°Why Ilya over Olatt¡¯an?¡±

    ¡°Beyond trustworthiness? Her bond with you?¡± Vezta hummed, tapping her chin with a finger. ¡°Just imagine the look on her mother¡¯s face when she hears that her daughter contracted with an artifact like the one she was supposed to guard for the last few hundred years.¡±

    Arkk stared at Vezta, narrowing his eyes. But now that the words had been said, he couldn¡¯t help but picture Alya¡¯s face. He let out a small laugh that quickly shifted into a hearty chuckle. It wasn¡¯t that funny.

    Smiling still felt good.

    <hr>

    ¡°Thank you for meeting me on such short notice,¡± Arkk said, clasping his hand with the bony, skeletal hand of the First and Last Primeval Lord. It was surprisingly warm to the touch.

    Yoho, unable to do anything but smile, grinned and nodded his head. ¡°Certainly. Our recruitment efforts are going well, thanks to you. None have moved to the Necropolis yet¡ªwe need a solution for locally grown food in the event access is cut off¡ªbut it would be remiss of me not to hear you out.¡± He pulled back, sweeping his fabulous clothing across the floor as he took a seat. ¡°I understand you had questions regarding aspects of necromancy?¡±

    Arkk, taking a seat as well, rested his hands on the table. It was a small meeting room, meant for one-on-one discussions. The whole room smelled faintly of old books. Several occupied the shelves around, more for decoration than for reading¡ªhe had a library for that¡ªalong with various trinkets and toys designed to catch the eye and start conversations. A decanter filled with wine sat next to some glasses off to the side of the table, its dark red liquid catching the dim light from the chandelier above. Arkk didn¡¯t touch the wine. Yoho, being a skeleton, couldn¡¯t exactly imbibe.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Arkk began, his voice steady but he was sure his eyes betrayed unease. ¡°I¡­ The necromancy I know, even with the tips you offered, raises undead but doesn¡¯t bring the living back. Not like you and your people. I wanted to ask about that.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Yoho said, falling silent immediately after.

    That one word, the tone in which it was spoken, did not fill Arkk with any level of confidence. He closed his eyes, drew in a breath, and prepared for bad news. By the time he opened his eyes once more, Yoho was ready to continue.

    ¡°I would describe the process more as a ceremony than a ritual or magic spell. Family, friends, or other individuals of similar position, will bring the recently deceased to the Court in a great funeral procession. A grand celebration will commence, exploring the joy of life and the good deeds of the fallen. We¡¯re the kind of people who love a good party.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯ve noticed,¡± Arkk said, keeping his voice neutral.

    Yoho nodded his head. Leaning back, he tilted his skull up toward the ceiling as if reminiscing. ¡°Those celebrations could last hours or days or, in certain cases, weeks. Oh, we had some good ones back in the day,¡± he said with a hearty chuckle. ¡°But they eventually draw to a close, at which point the petitions begin. Relatives of the deceased go before the Court¡¯s twelve Judges and begin a lengthy debate, making their case for why the deceased should be brought back in undeath.¡±

    ¡°They have to argue over it? Argue the merits of saving someone?¡±

    ¡°Argue is a strong word, Arkk,¡± Yoho said, looking back down. ¡°As is the idea that we are saving someone, but that is a different topic entirely.¡± He sighed, gesturing vaguely with his hand. ¡°It¡¯s all part of the ceremony. It has happened that the debate fails to find favor with the deceased, yes, but frankly, if the Judges find no reason to revive someone, they¡¯re probably the kind of person you wouldn¡¯t want as your neighbor for the rest of your undeath, if you know what I¡¯m saying. Half the people like that wouldn¡¯t even be brought to the Court to begin with.¡± Yoho punctuated that with a sarcastic laugh.

    ¡°When the petition is accepted, as is usually the case,¡± Yoho continued, ¡°the Judges call upon the Prince¡ªpraise¡ªand ask that He look down upon the deceased with His Smile. Assuming that petition is successful, which has only failed a handful of times throughout all of history, the dead will walk again.¡±

    Arkk nodded slowly, absorbing the information. ¡°The community, the celebration, the debate¡­ How integral is it all to the actual act of bringing someone back?¡±

    Yoho clasped his fingers together over his stomach, the bones clacking with the movement. ¡°Let me ask you a question, Arkk. Did you recently lose someone you cared for? Or perhaps feel responsible for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fighting a war, Lord Yoho,¡± Arkk said, deflecting. ¡°I lose men every time they pick up their weapons. If I could bring them back, I would in an instant.¡±

    ¡°Ah, but you weren¡¯t asking these questions last week, nor the week before. So something changed.¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes. ¡°She was a young fairy. Nervous about a lot of things. Frightened of a lot of things. Yet so brave. When the pressure mounted, she forced down her fears and took charge, saving several others.¡± He pursed his lips into a thin line. ¡°I could have saved her. I could have gotten people to her in time or directed the rescue better. But I got captured by a demon,¡± he spat. ¡°It¡¯s just so¡­ frustrating. She was just starting to come into her own. She wasn¡¯t a warrior. She didn¡¯t join up to fight. But I sent her out there all the same and because of a demon of all things, I couldn¡¯t be there when she needed.¡±

    A long silence hung over the table. Only the slight grinding of Yoho¡¯s bones as he moved broke that silence.

    ¡°An impassioned petition,¡± Yoho said, voice soft. ¡°Though full of brevity compared to the usual.¡±

    Arkk blinked his eyes open, raising an eyebrow at the skeleton across from him. For an instant, a spark of hope filled Arkk¡¯s chest. It withered and died almost immediately. Even though his face was skeletal and unemotive, the look on Yoho¡¯s skull was enough to know that he was about to say something else that Arkk didn¡¯t want to hear.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe I can help you.¡±

    There it is.

    ¡°Two reasons,¡± Yoho said, holding up a pair of bony fingers before Arkk could speak. ¡°First and foremost, I have no Judges!¡± he said almost gleefully. ¡°It has been a thousand years since the last living person in the Necropolis passed away. Having twelve Judges sit about on their thrones with nothing to do was simply too droll of a duty for anyone, even the most stoic of undead. Some of my Judges returned to the crypts for an eternal rest. Others spread out, exploring the vastness of the Necropolis. I know where only two are. In light of our agreement, I have been accepting applications to fill the other seats, but even were I to select ten more today, they would need training¡­

    ¡°Then there is the possibility that the ceremony has broken entirely with the current state of the worlds. The final few living in the Necropolis weren¡¯t revived with quite the same vigor that most denizens possess. They are there, but sluggish and solemn. According to the most recent census, all five hundred of the most recently revived chose to return to the crypts for their eternal slumber by their fiftieth unbirthday. A statistical oddity.¡±

    Both Arkk¡¯s eyebrows shot up at that. ¡°You want more living among your number and you don¡¯t even know if the ritual will work?¡±

    Yoho simply grinned. ¡°You said you were going to fix the state of things. I have faith in you. Better hurry though. Time keeps on slipping into the future.¡±

    Arkk brought his fingers to his forehead, rubbing at the mounting headache. That was more pressure he definitely didn¡¯t feel he needed or deserved. ¡°So that¡¯s it? No judges and no idea if it will work even with judges.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Yoho said, glancing at his two fingers before lifting a third. ¡°I was considering those the same reason, but I suppose they are different enough to separate. The actual final reason is that¡­ undeath is simply not for everybody.¡±

    ¡°How do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Death is no treat, make no mistake. I died. So has everyone else in the Necropolis. So will everyone else. But it can be¡­ tranquil to most people. You told me you visited the Silence. Peaceful, isn¡¯t it? Undeath, on the other hand¡­¡± The Primeval Lord trailed off, somehow affecting a frown without his skull moving. He looked up, reached over to the decanter of wine, and poured a small amount into one of the glasses set aside. He held it in front of his face, swirling it around.

    Yoho shook his head, setting the glass back on the table.

    ¡°I can¡¯t smell. Can¡¯t taste. Can¡¯t feel. There are a great many things to enjoy in life. Family, friends, all the twists and bends, unexpected encounters, the joy of learning and finding meaning in work. I can experience those. But there are holes.¡± He picked up the glass once again. ¡°For example, there is a large hole in my chest!¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°If I try to drink this, I fear I will only end up staining your lovely cushion!¡±

    Yoho slowly set his glass back on his table and clasped his hands together. ¡°In the Necropolis, we used to work to prepare minds for return. Some elected not to be revived at all. Others found the experience¡­ lacking. And that is for prepared minds.

    ¡°For the unprepared mind, a state of undeath could be a worse hell than simply remaining dead.¡± Yoho stood, smoothed out his colorful robes, and started to turn. Pausing halfway as if a thought occurred to him, his skull swiveled back to face Arkk. ¡°Once I find my Judges, if you wish, we may revisit this conversation. But I suggest you take the time to consider whether what you¡¯re asking is in your friend¡¯s best interests or if you¡¯re asking because you wish to alleviate your guilt over her death.¡±

    Statement given, Yoho turned and departed, leaving Arkk with far, far too many thoughts.

 Contracts and Constructs

    ¡°Me? Me?¡±

    ¡°Ilya¡­¡±

    Arkk sat in a high-backed chair, leaning on the armrest. The matching chair next to him, angled so that it wasn¡¯t quite facing him while not facing away, currently held a visibly distressed Ilya. Her fingers were cold beneath his, his grip doing little to wipe the furrows of worry off her face.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be joking. I can¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s not¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s either you or Edvin,¡± Arkk said. His words shocked the frown off Ilya¡¯s face. Her eyebrows crept up her forehead. ¡°A tough decision, but I figured knowing each other for so long meant I should ask you first. But if you¡¯re really against it¡ª¡±

    ¡°Edvin,¡± Ilya said, her voice utterly flat. ¡°That has to be a joke.¡±

    ¡°Vezta and I discussed several candidates,¡± Arkk said with an evasive shrug. ¡°His name came up.¡±

    ¡°Came up in the no pile, surely,¡± Ilya said, shaking her head.

    ¡°We considered everyone quite carefully, weighing the positives and negatives¡­¡±

    ¡°And you narrowed it down to me or Edvin.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°I should slap you.¡±

    Arkk recoiled at the venom in her tone. He expected a number of reactions from Ilya¡ªshock, surprise, denial. Things had been mostly going as he thought they would. He had not planned for violence. ¡°Can I ask why?¡± he said, carefully, like he was tiptoeing through an undead-filled graveyard. And not the friendly kind of undead.

    ¡°The fact that you have to ask only makes it worse.¡± She turned aside in her seat, pulling her hand out from under Arkk¡¯s. Folding her arms over her chest, she glared. It took a minute before she huffed and decided to throw Arkk a rope. ¡°Either you¡¯re lying to me or you have me on the same level as Edvin of all people. That¡¯s quite offensive.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Right.¡± That was reasonable. Arkk didn¡¯t fancy being compared to Edvin much either. ¡°If it makes you feel better, his name did come up, but only for the sake of completeness. The actual second contender is Olatt¡¯an.¡±

    ¡°Mildly more palatable,¡± she said. After a moment of holding her offended pose, she relaxed her shoulders and let out a small, humorless chuckle. ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ll tell me why me?¡±

    ¡°We have an extremely powerful magical artifact just sitting, open and vulnerable. The number of people I can trust with something like that is, understandably, not all that vast. You¡¯re smart. Capable. I¡¯ve known you my whole life. There is nobody I trust more with this kind of power than you.¡±

    Ilya kept her expression neutral. Arkk¡¯s eyes flicked back to her ears. The tips turned a little rosy.

    ¡°When you put it like that¡­¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ll do it?¡±

    Taking in a breath, Ilya held it and then let it out slowly. Her silver eyes met with Arkk¡¯s. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I like this.¡±

    ¡°Ilya¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I just¡­ We¡¯re farmers. Hunters. Most people in Mystakeen haven¡¯t even heard of Langleey Village. Ever since we got involved with these fortresses¡ªwith Vezta¡ªit has been one thing after another. Those things have changed the very landscape, both politically and literally. You¡¯ve dipped into necromancy, ordered the Duke¡¯s death, you¡¯re playing games with a demon.¡±

    ¡°Who would you rather have in charge of these kinds of things? The Duke? The demon-summoning Prince?¡± Arkk wrinkled his nose. ¡°At least with us, we know we¡¯re not that bad.¡±

    Ilya gave Arkk a look that he couldn¡¯t quite decipher. ¡°When this first began, you asked me to keep you from letting all the power go to your head. I¡¯m not really sure I succeeded with that. Now you want me to take up all that power too.¡±

    Arkk couldn¡¯t help but wince a little. That¡­ was true. He couldn¡¯t deny that as things around them escalated, he had risen to match. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, Olatt¡¯an¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. No. I don¡¯t think giving power that has turned you into a warlord to someone who used to be known as the Ripthroat is a good idea,¡± Ilya said with a firm nod of her head. ¡°I understand you don¡¯t have much choice here given the people we know. So I¡¯ll do it. I just want it to be known that I am not happy about it.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Arkk said. ¡°And thank you. We better get moving.¡±

    ¡°What, now?¡±

    ¡°Yes now. Ancient magical artifact. Vulnerable ancient magical artifact. Maybe another time, we could dally, but there are enemy avatars, demons, and who knows what else all running around.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Ilya said. She nodded with her jaw clamped shut. ¡°Just thought I¡¯d get a moment to prepare myself.¡±

    ¡°Vezta and Kia are keeping a close eye on it, so nothing should happen, at least not without my knowing. But better not leave it unclaimed. I¡¯d rather see it destroyed than fall into anyone else¡¯s hands.¡±

    ¡°Understandable. Where¡ª¡±

    Arkk teleported both of them straight to the ritual circle room. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to do that yourself soon.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t wait,¡± she said, not sounding as enthused as Arkk would have expected.

    Even ignoring all the other benefits, instantly moving about without having to walk was one of the best features of the fortresses, in his opinion. Which, he presumed, she would learn soon enough.

    It took a few hops to make it to the western border of Mystakeen. The tower, inert and unpowered, stood at about half the height of the one in Elmshadow. Its thickness wasn¡¯t anywhere close to the other one either, looking more like a thin, narrow spire compared to the massive hulking tower. The shadowy bricks were far more pronounced with a dark mist wafting off them. Arkk presumed the difference in appearance was because of the servants used to construct the place.

    The servants of Fortress Al-Mir liked tangible walls and tiles with maze-like patterns on the floor. The shadowy servants Leda had summoned made bricks closer to their own appearance than any normal construction material. In retrospect, Arkk counted himself lucky that his servants preferred actual brick instead of something that looked like themselves. He could only imagine the difficulties he would have had in recruitment had his fortress looked like a slimy, oily pit of living, pulsating flesh.

    Shaking that thought from his mind, Arkk led Ilya up to the base of one of the spire¡¯s legs. There had been one last ritual circle that exited directly inside the tower, but Arkk and Vezta had destroyed it, not wanting anyone unexpected popping inside. While inert, the tower still had reinforcement magic in its bricks. Most beings wouldn¡¯t be able to enter easily.

    That, unfortunately, included Arkk. Because Leda had been his subordinate, the tower had been something of a subordinate as well. He had been able to teleport himself around within it as freely as his own territory. Not so anymore.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Reaching the shadowy brickwork of the tower leg, Arkk pulled out a thin black loop of rope. It wasn¡¯t actually rope, but it acted like it. ¡°One of Zullie¡¯s latest creations,¡± he explained as Ilya started eying it.

    Giving it a light flick of the wrist, he flung it up against the side of the tower. The deity of barriers, boundaries, and borders did not have trouble entering the tower. A warping hole opened up in the side. Arkk simply stepped over the slight lip and into the tower.

    Ilya took her time, eying the void-like ring in the tower. When she did finally step through, accepting Arkk¡¯s offered hand, she shrank in on herself and clutched at her clothing, as if she didn¡¯t want even a single stray hair to touch the void. Which was fair enough.

    Once she was through, Arkk pulled down the rope on the inside of the tower¡ªhe hadn¡¯t the slightest idea how it could be both inside and outside at the same time and, frankly, tried not to think about it too much. They made their way up the spire, using the rope to pass through a few closed doors.

    The final door, though not quite as unnaturally dark as the Unilluminable Chamber, was almost impossible to see within. Vezta¡¯s glowing yellow eyes were spread throughout the room, occupying the walls, floor, and ceiling. Kia, standing within Vezta¡¯s mass, shifted to a ready stance at the opening of the void-hole. Her afterimages weren¡¯t quite as bright as Vezta¡¯s eyes, but still gave her a faint white silhouette.

    ¡°It¡¯s them,¡± Vezta said, her voice coming from everywhere at once.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±

    ¡°I can confirm Arkk with absolute certainty. Arkk would not be traveling with a false Ilya¡ªhe can sense the real her. Ergo, they are real.¡±

    Kia let out a small sigh, straightening her back and lowering her arms.

    Just to double-check, Arkk followed the links from him to Vezta, Kia, and Ilya. All were who they appeared to be.

    ¡°Getting real tired of this, Arkk,¡± Kia grumbled. ¡°Please tell me we¡¯re dealing with the demon sooner rather than later.¡±

    ¡°Sooner,¡± Arkk confirmed. ¡°There are just a few priority tasks to handle first.¡±

    Kia scoffed. ¡°Hard to believe we have higher priorities than a demon.¡±

    ¡°Strange times we live in. Let¡¯s get this done quickly. Ilya?¡±

    The elf looked between Arkk, Kia, and the quickly coalescing Vezta with a frown. Her gaze finally settled on the shadowy orb floating above a pedestal just behind Kia. ¡°What do I need to do?¡±

    ¡°Touch it then pulse magic into it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Ilya said.

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    Ilya stepped forward. Her strides were smaller than normal, nervous. She wiped the palms of her hands on her pants. ¡°Just thought claiming an ancient magical artifact would be a little more complicated.¡±

    With one last look to Arkk, who gave her a reassuring nod of his head, she reached out and planted her hand against the shadowy orb. She sucked in a sharp breath, winced, and pulled her hand back just as a heavy thump echoed in the room.

    When she opened her eyes, a bright red light spread throughout the room.

    <hr>

    The armored walker roared to life as a pulse of magic surged through its metal core. It stood tall and menacing, the top end scraping against the foundry¡¯s ceiling. Armor plates, mismatched and patchwork made from scraps leftover from Perr¡¯ok¡¯s latest efforts in equipping the employees of Company Al-Mir, were bolted and riveted to the skeletal frame. Long arms tipped with spinning, jagged metal wheels could swing with the force of twenty orcs.

    Standing at the armored control station, looking out at the large foundry¡¯s test area through a thin slit, Perr¡¯ok grasped a lever. Jerking it past several ratcheting positions in the panel made the right leg shift up and forward. It came down with a heavy clanking of metal against stone, jostling Perr¡¯ok around. The lever automatically moved back to a neutral position, ready to move forward or backward as he needed the leg to move. First, the left leg.

    Grasping the left lever, Perr¡¯ok pushed it forward.

    The left leg lifted, jerked, and locked into place. The entire walker tilted, throwing Perr¡¯ok against the side wall. Caught on the lifted leg, it didn¡¯t tip over this time. That was an improvement.

    Grasping the lever again, the orc blacksmith tried to extend the leg back out, righting it. Instead, the armored walker sputtered. With a shuddering cough, blackened smoke flooded through the foundry.

    One of the assistant blacksmiths planted a hand on an array near the wall. A gust of wind started up, filling the foundry with fresh air while carrying all the magic-burned smoke out through the flue. Perr¡¯ok grasped for the latch, holding his breath inside the walker¡¯s smoke-filled control station. It stuck and jammed, but a boot to the latch popped the hatch open. He hopped out, gasping for a breath of fresh air as the smoke leaking from the machine whisked off toward the flue.

    ¡°That¡¯s that,¡± he said once he caught his breath. He snatched a grimy rag from a rack and tried to wipe his face, only to smear the soot around even more.

    He glanced up.

    It had been a few weeks since he last saw Agnete. She was wearing less than she used to. Gone was the long black coat that all inquisitors seemed to favor. In its place, she wore a thin white bit of fabric that left her arms fully visible. It must have been a specially made piece of cloth since it hadn¡¯t burst into flames yet. Just looking at her made sweat bead on Perr¡¯ok¡¯s forehead and she said she was running cool.

    The molten metal running along her blackened arms like veins was new as well. A lot of the heat probably came from that.

    ¡°??? ?? ???????? ?? ?? ?????¡±

    His eyes flicked over to the¡­ creature at Agnete¡¯s side. Who, apparently. Like a metal statue of Agnete come to life. He had heard about constructs. Ancient beings made from metal or stone instead of flesh and bone. All the stories about them dated back hundreds of years. If Perr¡¯ok wasn¡¯t staring at one right now, he would have thought they were myth.

    It seemed instead that they were pre-Calamity.

    And Agnete had found one while off in the Anvil.

    Perr¡¯ok wasn¡¯t sure he liked the thing. It was hard to tell where Who was looking at any given moment. Its¡ªHer, he had been corrected¡ª Her face wasn¡¯t really a face at all. There were odd blinking lights around it that might have been eyes, spinning gears and cogs, and a grated vent that might have been a mouth. He was partially sure that the voice had come from there.

    While he couldn¡¯t understand what Who said just now, it seemed like Agnete could. Agnete quickly shook her head, waving down at Who the way a parent might try to quiet a talkative child.

    ¡°Do you know what the issue is?¡± Agnete asked.

    ¡°Right leg works fine,¡± Perr¡¯ok said, frowning. He didn¡¯t like not having a proper answer. ¡°The original we hauled back was too corroded in the left leg, so we copied the right exactly figuring that would work. But the left leg always seizes. Had that witch down here the other week, she said the magical array should be fine, it¡¯s just that the seizing overloads it, making all that smoke. If the leg didn¡¯t seize, there wouldn¡¯t be any smoke.¡±

    ¡°?? ?????? ???????? ??? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ????????? ????¡¯? ???????? ??? ????-??????????? ????????, ?? ????? ???? ?????? ????????. ???? ??? ?????? ????? ?? ?? ????????¡ª¡±

    ¡°Agnete. Who.¡± Arkk appeared just off to the side, teleporting straight in. His glowing red eyes swept over the foundry. ¡°Perr¡¯ok,¡± he added as his gaze crossed the blacksmith. ¡°Sorry to interrupt.¡±

    ¡°Have you finished your other business?¡±

    Arkk nodded his head. ¡°I have,¡± he said. ¡°Sorry for taking so long. I trust getting reacquainted with things here hasn¡¯t been a problem?¡±

    Agnete quickly shook her head. ¡°Just as I remember,¡± she said with a faint smile.

    Perr¡¯ok wasn¡¯t sure if she was all that enthused with being back. She had told everyone stories of the Anvil before asking to see the armored walkers. The Anvil sounded¡­ intense. And useful. He couldn¡¯t quite conceptualize it all, but he guessed the Anvil had been akin to a painter with a palette containing every color the eye could see. Now she was back here, a master painter being handed a bit of mud and being told to make a masterpiece.

    ¡°I was helping Perr¡¯ok with some issues he was having.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes,¡± Arkk said, looking at the walker now. ¡°We¡¯ve got ten of these prototypes, but they¡­ ah¡­ don¡¯t exactly work.¡± Although he was hesitant in his words¡ªnot trying to offend Perr¡¯ok, even giving him an appreciative glance¡ªPerr¡¯ok couldn¡¯t help but wince. ¡°If we could get a full production going, that could only help things.¡±

    ¡°Who has some ideas,¡± Agnete said, nodding to her construct companion. She turned half to the side. ¡°Would you see if you can¡¯t find the root of the issue while I speak with Arkk?¡±

    The construct seemed to tense up. Her fingers split apart, from five to ten to twenty, clattering lightly as they moved in a nervous manner. ¡°???? ??? ?? ?????¡± she asked, deep, steam-filled voice unusually quiet.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Agnete said. ¡°You have nothing to worry about here.¡±

    The construct¡¯s head swiveled. Perr¡¯ok got the impression she was giving Arkk more than just a questioning glance. Her analysis continued for a few moments, watching as Agnete walked to Arkk before they both teleported out of the foundry. Only then did the construct turn to him.

    ¡°?err?k?¡±

    Perr¡¯ok flinched, then quickly nodded his head. It wasn¡¯t exactly his name. It was close enough. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    The construct nodded her head, turned away from him, and stepped closer to the walker. One of her arms split apart, opening to reveal several tools within. A tool moved along rails, brought to the end of her arm in place of her hand. A thin beam of hot metal sliced out, sheering off some of the metal paneling on the underside of the walker. Her other arm split into two, each with fingers on the ends. Her split hand caught the bulky metal plate as she sliced it off, gently placing it on the ground without even looking to her side.

    ¡°Le? us see wha? we have ?o work on here¡­¡±

    Perr¡¯ok nodded slowly, frowning at the construct. If it could speak like normal, it should have done so from the start. With a small shake of his head, he stepped closer to watch as the construct started picking apart the left-leg gearbox.

 Welcome Home

    ¡°The things I was working on over there¡­ You should have seen them.¡±

    ¡°I did see some of them,¡± Arkk said. ¡°The lesser servant is over there even now. So far, nobody has come by your workshop to check on you.¡±

    ¡°Not surprising. I wasn¡¯t¡­ captive. At least, I don¡¯t think I was. It¡¯s just that only I and the leader of that place have the capability to create beings like Who. They figured now was a great time to increase production.¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath as he honed in on the artificial construct. She wasn¡¯t one of his employees, so he had to extend his focus on the foundry itself. It wasn¡¯t a problem. Within Fortress Al-Mir, he could see all. What he saw now was the anxious figure of Perr¡¯ok fretting over one of his walking machines. The construct deconstructed it with a precision that bordered on the supernatural¡ªwhich he should have expected of a walking, moving piece of metal. Her limbs moved with a speed that made them blur. If Arkk hadn¡¯t known better, he might have thought she had undergone Project Liminal.

    Every component she removed from the walker went on the floor, organized in lines and rows so perfectly that they could only be described as obsessive. Cogs were lined up by size, screws were set next to the components they came from, standing on end with the tallest on the left and the shortest on the right, and pipes formed a two-dimensional map of the dismantled parts of the walker.

    Watching the construct move was something else entirely. Her head remained eerily still, almost detached, while her body rotated around her. One arm stripped apart a driving shaft while the other rearranged some of the components on the ground. Rather than hand the driving shaft from hand to hand, she twisted, moving to arrange the components along with the driving shaft while her empty hand began a fresh assault on another part of the machine.

    Who, odd name aside, worked with speed and precision.

    Arkk thought the display was both amazing and terrifying. ¡°You¡¯ve made more of it¡ªof her?¡± If he could recruit a few¡ªeven just one would rocket production in the smithy to heights formerly unimaginable. If they could figure out what was wrong with the walkers, all the better. The ones he had, assuming they could get them working, were destined for Ilya¡¯s tower, but more couldn¡¯t hurt. A whole army outfitted with them would certainly help aid his efforts toward demonstrating just why it would be a poor idea for the King¡¯s forces to go against him.

    ¡°More implies that Who isn¡¯t unique,¡± Agnete said, cutting off Arkk¡¯s thoughts. ¡°She is, and she is the only construct that has remained as my assistant. I don¡¯t actually complete any others. The Anvil can complete them on its own before sending them off to whatever jobs it has for them. I just need to craft the Black Box. Which, in effect, is them. The rest is just to allow them to interact with the world.

    ¡°Although their shell differs, from those lightning serpents to massive mobile foundry buildings to human-sized constructs, the Black Box is at all their cores. They effectively make up the entire population of the Anvil.¡±

    Arkk hummed to himself, nodding along. It sounded fantastical. An entire population of machines? He had heard about mobile constructs, usually used to show off feats of magic conducted by large groups of spellcasters given how magically intensive they were. But, much like necromancy, they weren¡¯t beings. They were puppets.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any people over there?¡± he asked before realizing what he might have implied. He quickly added, ¡°I mean people like you and me, not these Black Boxes.¡±

    ¡°Not as far as I¡¯m aware,¡± Agnete said, shaking her head in the negative. ¡°I don¡¯t know if there ever were, but I do know there didn¡¯t used to be this many constructs. I think the Black Boxes are the Burning Forge¡¯s solution to the overabundance of magic in the Anvil. They consume ambient magic to power themselves the same way we eat a loaf of bread.¡±

    Arkk sat forward, concerned. ¡°Is that going to be a problem here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on Who and she seems fine. It has only been a few hours. I¡¯d also like to take her outside the fortress to see how she handles it. There is a healthy amount of ambient magic in here.¡±

    Arkk nodded again, leaning back with a frown. The ambient magic in his world was at an all-time low. Both Vezta and Zullie agreed that magic had been much more prevalent a thousand years ago. The traitor gods and their Calamity were the cause. It had never been at the levels seen in the Underworld, but somewhere between.

    If beings in the Anvil needed ambient magic to survive, one or two might live fine here. More than that and they could run into problems. He would have to confer with Zullie to be sure, and Agnete after she brought Who around. Following that line of thought, their home world posed a problem for him.

    He was trying to undo the Calamity and its catastrophic effects both in his world as well as in other realms. But it sounded as if the Anvil had come up with its own solution for the problem. If magic started returning to its pre-Calamity levels in all realms, that solution would become a problem.

    Arkk was a lot of things. He had killed a lot of people, both directly and indirectly. As Ilya had recently said, she hadn¡¯t been able to keep her promise to rein him in. He was aware of that and accepted that, but he never would consider himself genocidal. Yet if he continued on his current course, he could very well be damning an entire world¡¯s population.

    It wasn¡¯t certain. Just conjecture based on a single conversation. But, in his head, it sounded like pretty logical conjecture.

    A solution popped into his mind.

    Fortress Al-Mir. Its [HEART] amplified magic. Just contracting with it made him likely the most powerful non-avatar spellcaster in the world. And it only got stronger as he claimed territory, recruited employees, and spread his influence. How would Who react to an offer of employment?

    ¡°How many of these Black Boxes do you suppose live in the Anvil?¡±

    ¡°Hard to say. Could be as low as fifty thousand. Could be in the millions. I don¡¯t know exactly how fast the Infernal Engine works or for how long it has been creating them. I don¡¯t even know if they existed before the Calamity.¡±

    Arkk let out a small laugh despite himself. Fifty thousand was a mind-boggling number to have as employees. Millions?

    Now that he was thinking about it a little more, it seemed just a little bit absurd to think he could employ the entire population of another world.

    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Agnete asked. Her eyes, formerly dim embers, now burned like molten steel pulled fresh from a crucible. She cocked an eyebrow.

    Arkk just shook his head. ¡°Just ruminations on logistics.¡±

    ¡°If there is one thing the Anvil is good at, it is logistics.¡±

    Considering that for a moment, Arkk eventually shook his head. ¡°There are other things,¡± he mumbled to himself. Louder, he said, ¡°How friendly would the denizens of the Anvil be if we managed to reopen a proper portal? They attacked on sight the first time around.¡±

    If they were perpetually hostile, recruitment was an impossibility well before logistics became a consideration.

    Agnete didn¡¯t answer right away. Arkk took that as a less-than-promising sign.

    He turned his focus back toward the foundry, watching as Perr¡¯ok stopped fretting and moved in a little closer to Who. Both had their heads half up the walker¡¯s backside. They must have found the root of the problem. A discussion ensured. Trying to find solutions? It seemed amicable enough.

    Was that just because Agnete had told Who not to cause problems? Who was unique¡ªthey all were¡ªaccording to Agnete. Did that mean the first encounter with denizens from the Anvil was just them coming across some machine in a bad mood?This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°Anything that disrupts the efficiency of the Anvil¡¯s operations is not tolerated,¡± Agnete eventually said. ¡°They were going to shut down the portal before I stepped through, but the Infernal Engine somehow sensed me and made them wait. If it turned out that I wasn¡¯t able to create Black Boxes, or was otherwise useless, I doubt they would have hesitated to throw me into a vat of metal.¡± Agnete snorted to herself. ¡°Actually, I might have survived that¡ªand if not, my melting flesh would have reduced the purity of the metal. No, they probably would have dumped me off in one of the slag heaps and buried me.¡±

    ¡°So friendship and recruitment is not an option then¡­¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± Agnete shook her head. ¡°Demonstrate some level of worth and you¡¯ll find friends.¡±

    ¡°Worth, huh?¡± Aside from a potential if logically impossible solution to the calamity of ending the Calamity, Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what he could possibly offer.

    ¡°I believe, with me acting as an intermediary, we could at least avoid outright hostilities. As long as you don¡¯t disrupt the manufacturing. Though a language barrier made it somewhat unclear, I was promised some amount of aid when I explained our plight.¡±

    ¡°I probably have disrupted manufacturing by bringing you back,¡± Arkk said with a raised eyebrow. He shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s table that for now. We got on a side topic. I meant to ask you how you are doing. You were over there for weeks and I didn¡¯t see much in the way of food or water. Are you alright?¡±

    Again, Agnete didn¡¯t respond right away. This time, she cast her gaze downward, staring at her hand held out in front of her. She had changed, physically, since the last time Arkk saw her in person. Molten metal ran over her blackened skin like thin rivers cutting through a burned-out forest. The dark portion of her skin extended up to her shoulders where it gradually faded out to a faint red color, as if she had been spending a great deal of time out in the sun but couldn¡¯t tan. Her face was similar, though charred around her now brightly glowing eyes.

    It looked painful. Like she needed regular application of ointment at the least. She didn¡¯t move as if she were in pain and she hadn¡¯t requested an immediate visit to Hale. Watching the skin of her fingers crack when she flexed and the following stream of molten metal moving to fill the gaps still made Arkk wince.

    ¡°I met with¡­ a being.¡±

    ¡°The Burning Forge?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Who and the Infernal Engine referred to it as the Burning Forge, but it didn¡¯t fit with what I thought a god should be.¡± She frowned, clasping her hand into a fist. ¡°Assuming it was, you were right. Meeting god held little answers. It changed me, then promptly ridiculed me for not being creative enough¡­¡±

    A little rude, Arkk thought to himself. Though it did make sense. The Burning Forge was, among other things, a god of creativity and innovation. ¡°Changed you?¡±

    ¡°Beyond the obvious,¡± she said, waving a hand. ¡°I don¡¯t get hungry. Or¡­ I didn¡¯t in the Anvil. Since returning, I feel like my stomach has been complaining.¡±

    Arkk swept his hand across the table in an unnecessary but grandiose gesture, teleporting in wine, water, bread, fruits, and meat. Nothing too fancy. ¡°Say the word and I¡¯ll have Larry prepare a full meal.¡±

    Agnete¡¯s eyes roamed over the table. Reaching forward, she paused before grasping an apple and moved to a simple loaf of bread. A razor-thin jet of flame sliced off one end, lightly toasting the interior. ¡°This will do for now,¡± she said, biting into it with a crunch.

    ¡°Butter?¡±

    ¡°No, thank you.¡±

    Arkk let her have a moment of silence given this was her first meal in who knew how long. He was especially keen on watching the way she sliced off another piece of bread. Except, instead of going for another piece of bread, she went back to the apple. Just holding it in her hand was enough to make a faint sizzling noise in the air, though Arkk didn¡¯t feel particularly hot despite being in her presence. A moment later, the mouth-watering aroma of a freshly baked apple pie spread through the room.

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten better,¡± Arkk said as she finished.

    ¡°More precise. I haven¡¯t needed to control myself. Not in the Anvil. Now that I¡¯m here, I can tell that things aren¡¯t quite as they used to be.¡±

    It certainly showed. Even after joining him, Agnete basically had two options when it came to using her flames¡ªburn everything they touched to ash or avoid using them to begin with. She had been able to control the intensity to a degree, but that degree was the difference between burning down a cottage and burning down a field.

    ¡°I suppose my next question is¡­¡± Arkk stumbled, not quite sure how to ask what he felt needed to be asked. ¡°Well, do you want to stay here? Working for me in this world, that is to say.¡±

    Agnete cocked an eyebrow, giving him a strange look. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have returned if I wanted to stay over there,¡± she said simply, pouring herself a small glass of water.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that you had a life-changing event, I understand. Meeting a god, working in some fantastical forge that even with Fortress Al-Mir, I wouldn¡¯t be able to replicate, creating things like Who¡­¡± Arkk shrugged. ¡°Things like that change people¡¯s perspective.

    ¡°That place¡­ the Anvil, honestly I think it is worse than the Underworld. Constant noise, constant work, constant tone to everything. No matter where you look, everything in that world is the same. The god of creativity had the gall to ridicule me after creating something like that?¡± She shook her head with a small laugh. ¡°Another reason to doubt that thing¡¯s divinity.¡± Pausing, Agnete frowned in deep consideration. After a slight moment, she gave Arkk a questioning glance. ¡°Is it strange for an avatar to be so¡­ atheistic?¡±

    Arkk just shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve met a god. A definite god, not a potential avatar gussied up like a god. Frankly¡­ not exactly what I was expecting either. It was intense at the moment, but in retrospect, I feel like the god of boundaries, borders, and barriers shouldn¡¯t be even mildly inconvenienced by the Calamity. A wave of Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key¡¯s hand and everything would be fixed. So what am I even¡­¡±

    A sudden tug from the link had Arkk trailing off. It wasn¡¯t an immediate urgent type of tug, but feeling anything at all meant something had gone awry. He followed the link, trying to find the source of trouble. Not urgent probably meant not a demon, not an enemy avatar, nor any other direct enemy action against him.

    The source of the link was outside Fortress Al-Mir. Nothing to do with Who¡ªwho appeared to be in quite enthusiastic discussions with Perr¡¯ok now that they had the walker picked apart. The tug from the link split from Elmshadow, going straight to both Harvey and Luthor, both working separately at the crystal balls. The scrying team alerting him probably meant Evestani or the Eternal Empire were up to something.

    ¡°I hate to cut our reunion short, but something has come up. Not sure what yet,¡± Arkk said with a small frown.

    Agnete was on her feet in a moment. In the past, Arkk likely would have started sweating from the sudden rush of heat. Today, there was no heat. Her eyes burned a little brighter and the molten metal in her arms started flowing a little faster.

    It was something of a relief that she was so ready to act. He had been worried that things might have changed. Well, things had changed, but not her willingness to fight. ¡°It isn¡¯t an immediate problem,¡± he quickly said, not wanting to rile her up to the point where he could feel her heat. ¡°You¡¯ve only just gotten back. Take a rest. Please. I insist.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been away for long enough,¡± Agnete shook her head. ¡°If the Golden Order is still pushing forward with their avatar at their back, I think it is time we send them a little message: I¡¯m not sure this world needs gods.¡±

    That made Arkk¡¯s brow furrow. He supposed he should have expected it, given everything Agnete had said. It wasn¡¯t something he really disagreed with either. Every problem he had at the moment could, in some way, be traced back to one of the Pantheon, whether that be their actions or their minions.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Arkk mumbled to himself. ¡°That reminds me¡­ The Light¡ªor the Abbey? Or the Light¡¯s avatar¡­ Or something related to the Holy Light might not be as opposed to us as we once thought. But they want something from you.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Mentioned you by name. I declined to hand you over. Not sure if that means the alliance is off the table or what, but thought I should mention it.¡±

    ¡°Seems like a lot has happened since I¡¯ve been gone.¡±

    Arkk could not agree with that statement more. ¡°I would explain more, but I need to find out what the problem is before it becomes an emergency. In the meantime, the best way you can help is by visiting Ilya. She can fill you in on everything that¡¯s happened, from Prince Cedric¡¯s army readying to invade Evestani homelands to the demon to¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, wincing slightly before deciding to just admit it. ¡°We have made an alliance with cognizant undead from the Necropolis.¡±

    ¡°Undead?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re surprisingly friendly. Love parties.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°I promise, they aren¡¯t like normal undead. They¡¯ve been helping get some farms going in areas that were occupied by Evestani prior to us reclaiming Elmshadow.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­¡± Agnete trailed off with a heavy frown.

    ¡°Believe it when you see it?¡± Arkk offered.

    ¡°Something like that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the best I can ask for,¡± Arkk said, standing. ¡°I¡¯ll send Ilya in. Enjoy some more food until she gets here.¡± He turned, only to pause. ¡°It¡¯s good to have you back.¡±

    ¡°Good to be back.¡±

    Arkk teleported away, intent on finding Ilya, only to stop just outside her room. Another warning came across his link. This time, it wasn¡¯t a slight tug from a minion, but a warning that his fortress was under attack. He quickly followed the link to Elmshadow where he discovered nothing too alarming. Mags, the commander of the Prince¡¯s army, was hammering a fist on the main tower door, trying to get someone¡¯s attention.

    Arkk couldn¡¯t help but scowl at that. While he didn¡¯t know exactly who among the Prince¡¯s army was the demon, he had suspects. Mags was at the top of that suspect list.

    Then again, the demon could shapeshift into whatever or whoever it wanted. Who was to say that Mags wasn¡¯t real? If Mags was the demon in disguise. It could surely knock down the door if it wanted. So, either this Mags was human¡ªin which case attacking him might just rip away that protection of not being enemies with Cedric¡ªor the demon was playing nice today.

    He wished Zullie or Savren had developed a way to distinguish the demon with certainty. He would have had Kia or Claire just punch their fist straight through the door, sending it back to where it came from in an instant.

    On the other hand¡­ it couldn¡¯t attack them as long as they weren¡¯t enemies of the Prince.

    Evestani and the Eternal Empire didn¡¯t qualify for that clause.

    Had he successfully convinced the demon to turn its attention to their actual enemies?

    Arkk imagined he would find out once he met with the creature again. He could only hope it would be a bloodless meeting.

 Things Are Seldom What They Seem

    The first thing was the easier task to deal with.

    ¡°Report,¡± Arkk said as he teleported into the command center.

    His scrying teams, hunched over their crystal balls, jerked upon his announcement. Harvey and Luthor glanced at one another, the latter nodding to the former. Luthor returned to scrying while the flopkin hopped over to Arkk, crystal ball in hand.

    ¡°Whatever magic hid those construction sites has fallen,¡± Harvey said, holding up the glass orb. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it was deliberate or accidental, but we can see what they¡¯ve been working on.¡±

    Arkk expected airships. They, combined with weapons that the Almighty Glory was said to provide to his worshippers, could fly untouched and unseen overhead while utterly annihilating anything beneath. Or so said the Holy Light¡¯s avatar. Arkk didn¡¯t have any reason to doubt that right now, especially since he had seen the destruction of his undead army. The bombs that blew apart his first foray into necromancy hadn¡¯t come from nowhere.

    But what he was looking at didn¡¯t resemble a ship in the slightest.

    Airship, as its name implied, was a ship in the air. A large boat, not unlike the warships that had attacked Prince Cedric at Cliff. Except flying. When Rekk¡¯ar had first come to him, suspecting what was hidden in the skies above, Arkk had gone straight to Zullie for more information. He still remembered the magic she had used to lessen the weight of her books when she first traveled from the academy to Fortress Al-Mir.

    Flying ships was an idea that came up time and time again at the academy, frequently proposed by ambitious and ill-educated initiates eager to distinguish themselves by finally solving this persistent challenge. The lack of ships soaring through the skies over Mystakeen was a testament to their success, or lack thereof.

    A spellcaster of Zullie¡¯s caliber could slap their hand on a crate of books, lessening its weight for an hour while the magic slowly drained from the ritual circle. Something larger and heavier, like a skiff, might be possible if she sat in the ritual circle and constantly maintained a weightless ritual¡ªwhich would only last a few hours until exhaustion set in.

    Lifting anything larger than a skiff into the air and keeping it there demanded significant magical power. Ritual circles could be expanded to include multiple casters, like the defensive spells Arkk had participated in, but each additional person just increased the weight of the craft even more. They would need to be rotated out regularly, meaning even more casters had to be on board, themselves increasing the weight further along with expansions to the craft to hold them all. It was a self-perpetuating problem that theoretically could never reach equilibrium. And that was before adding in non-caster personnel, supplies, and any other items needing transport.

    Including alchemical bombs.

    The only explanation Zullie had come up with for the Eternal Empire¡¯s alleged flying ships was that they had somehow solved that problem. Or they were cheating by using some gift from the Almighty Glory.

    The latter made the most sense to him.

    But he still expected something ship-like. Sails, boat-shape, maybe even oars sticking out the sides.

    ¡°What am I looking at?¡± Arkk asked after staring for a long few moments.

    Harvey¡¯s long ears twitched in annoyance. ¡°How am I supposed to know?¡±

    Arkk shook his head, looking away from the flopkin and back to the crystal ball, peering at the peculiar thing. It resembled a gargantuan, elongated fish, yet its shape was unlike any sea creature he had encountered. Not that, as a landlocked farmer, he had experienced all that many. Its smooth, metallic surface glistened in the sunlight, adorned with bright white glowing runes. Its vast hull tapered off at one end into a broad tail while two massive fin-like appendages extended from its sides.

    ¡°A w-whale,¡± Luthor called out from the other scrying station. ¡°Seen them h-hauled into the harbor on occasion. Nobles like the taste of the meat. Never tried it myself.¡±

    Harvey looked just as surprised as Arkk that the chameleon beastman knew what kind of creature the construction was modeled after. ¡°I take it they don¡¯t normally have metal skin,¡± Harvey said.

    ¡°No. Not that b-big either. Still quite large. Wide as a fishing trawler and just as long.¡±

    Arkk looked back to the crystal ball, skimming over its surface until he found something to compare the size to. A human pushed a wheeled cart up a ramp. Unless the human was as small as a gremlin, the whale-ship was at least the size of two of the warships that had attacked the Prince, side-by-side, and four times as long.

    ¡°Move the view to one of the sites we targeted in the operation the other night.¡±

    Harvey complied, sending the view in the crystal ball zooming across the landscape. It stilled with expert precision, landing directly on a blackened crater. A twisted metal husk sat, broken and destroyed, in the middle. Something¡­ meaty was tangled up in the mass of metal, making up most of the carnage. It even bled, dripping out great swaths of red liquid onto the ground. A swarm of people moved about it, dismantling it? Probably to use the parts in one of the other constructions. Though Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what they were doing about the flesh.

    ¡°At least we did some damage. It is concerning that they are revealing them now, though. Any sign of the one they came in?¡±

    ¡°Been checking the skies periodically,¡± Harvey said as the view in the orb pulled away from the ground. The perspective tilted back, showing mostly sky. It slowly spun around. ¡°No sign of it. Not even a cloud out today.¡±

    ¡°Concerning¡­¡±

    Could it have left? If the magic that hid the other craft stemmed from the one operational airship, that would explain why they were now visible. The question was, where had it gone? Away? To resupply? That would explain why this incursion didn¡¯t seem to use supply lines. Or had it gone forward? Surely not to attack; why come alone when at least one of the others looked almost complete?

    ¡°Evestani¡¯s army hasn¡¯t moved, has it?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re using the fog to cloak themselves but haven¡¯t seen the fog move at all. No soldiers marched out of it. I¡¯d say they¡¯re still in Woodly Rhyme.¡±

    ¡°Good. Keep watch. If any of these whale-crafts take to the skies, warn me immediately.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

    Arkk teleported away. He had alert levels to raise. All of Elmshadow was at a constant low-level of alert, but until things returned to normal, he wanted all defensive rituals manned, not just the most crucial ones, ready to activate the moment enemy ordinance fell anywhere nearby.

    It took almost an hour to teleport around, ensuring the proper people knew what to do. The Protectors helped since informing one informed them all and they could relay further commands, but it still took a while. In the future, he hoped Ilya could help streamline such problems. At the moment, she was out at the other tower, learning from Vezta how to manage the walking fortress in preparation for her upcoming duties. And, hopefully, committing spells to memory.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    All the while, a constant ringing was going off in the back of Arkk¡¯s mind. Mags was still thumping his fist against the door. It was an irritating nuisance, made all the worse because if something did attack his fortress, he might not notice with all the commotion the man was making. He had thought the man would get bored after a few minutes, but he was still going.

    He suspected that Mags somehow knew about the cloaking on the whale-ships being removed. Perhaps he had his own crystal ball. The timing was too coincidental otherwise.

    Whatever the case, Arkk supposed it was time to deal with the issue.

    Arkk teleported to the main entrance. Kia and Claire appeared along with him. While arranging the higher alert status throughout Elmshadow, he had stopped in and informed them of what was going on along with his suspicions regarding Mags.

    Even if Mags wasn¡¯t the demon, Arkk wasn¡¯t about to meet with anyone of the Prince¡¯s faction¡ªor anyone else who lacked a link to him¡ªwithout some anti-demon weaponry at his side.

    He patted down his pocket, confirming the presence of a warp blade.

    Arkk then looked up, turning from Kia to Claire and back again. The latter cracked her neck, the noise oddly echoing as afterimages copied the motion. Kia looked on with a mild frown.

    ¡°Should we not take his head,¡± Kia asked, swiping a hand through the air. An odd warbling vibration disturbed the air in her wake. ¡°You know, just in case?¡±

    ¡°I would,¡± Arkk said with a shake of his head, ¡°but assuming we¡¯re right in the limitations on the demon¡¯s contract, we are only protected as long as we¡¯re not enemies with Prince Cedric. Attacking his army¡¯s commander could easily violate that clause and open us up to whatever retaliation the demon chooses. Given its ability to skulk around in disguise and bide its time¡­ you two might survive a sneak attack, but everyone else? Me? Ilya?¡± Arkk shook his head far more vehemently.

    ¡°Disappointing,¡± Claire said.

    ¡°Trust me. I feel the same. At the same time, if Mags does reveal himself to be the demon¡­¡±

    Both dark elves shifted, growing a little more eager in their stances.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure if it was good or bad that his two dark elves, who admittedly had undergone a ritual designed to counter demons, were excited to fight one.

    ¡°¡­then I¡¯m trusting you two to deal with him accordingly,¡± Arkk finished. He looked between the two of them, meeting both of their eyes, from Claire¡¯s icy blue to Kia¡¯s dark brown. There was a faint glow there, but then, their entire bodies were wreathed in their afterimages¡ªeven when they stood still, their eyes were still moving about, tracking things that Arkk couldn¡¯t see which probably didn¡¯t even exist in this reality. More importantly, he saw determination. ¡°Play safe and smart. No mistakes.¡±

    Claire nodded her head, her afterimages flickered and dissipated. Concentrating as she was, she could mostly hide the effects of Project Liminal. There was still a haze there, but it diminished to something Arkk would have missed had he not been looking for it.

    Kia, not quite as experienced as Claire, tried to do the same. It wasn¡¯t as effective. But it would do for now.

    Arkk turned back to the main entrance and, with a thought, unbolted the door just as Mags started hammering on the other side once again. The portly man stumbled over the threshold as the door swung open before he could make contact, his foot knocking against the metal brace as he tried to stop himself.

    He didn¡¯t fall. It looked like he was going to. His stumbling, trying to stop himself, carried him a few steps forward. He might have crashed into Arkk were it not for Kia and Claire, moving forward as one. They were about to catch him when he slid a foot forward, finally righting himself just before reaching them.

    It could have been a natural movement. Suspicions and paranoia high, Arkk couldn¡¯t be sure. Bumping into Arkk might have been a way for the demon to try to provoke him¡ªor Kia and Claire¡ªsomehow rendering them vulnerable to the terms dictated in the contract. If the demon realized what Kia and Claire were capable of, stopping short of coming into contact with them could be a clue that the ritual would work.

    Or he could have simply tripped.

    Kia and Claire didn¡¯t move forward to make contact themselves. Claire¡¯s fingers twitched, making her look as if she had eight fingers momentarily, but she quickly collected herself. Both stepped backward.

    The temptation to order them to rake their hands through Mags¡¯ chest was there. The only thing stopping Arkk was not knowing for certain that Mags was the demon and not some other individual in the Prince¡¯s army. There were ten thousand of them. Plus logistic crew. If Arkk were a demon infiltrating the ranks, he wouldn¡¯t have gone with the most visible person. He would have slipped in as one of the thousands.

    ¡°About time,¡± Mags mumbled to himself, meticulously smoothing down his dark blue suit, as if his slight tumble had gathered a coating of dust. He didn¡¯t even look at Kia and Claire, too focused on himself. ¡°Do you know for how long I waited?¡± he asked, picking a bit of imaginary lint from his shoulder.

    ¡°Deeply sorry,¡± Arkk lied. ¡°Activity at Woodly Rhyme required my immediate attention.¡±

    ¡°Activity? In the invader army?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Is that not why you came? You started knocking on my door at around the same time I was warned of the activity.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean to say¡ªI say, do you mean to say that you knew! You knew the whole time and you left me out there to rot?¡± Mags finally turned his beady eyes on Kia and Claire, narrowing his gaze in obvious distaste. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have sent one of your attendants to permit me entry?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Whyever not?¡±

    ¡°Trust is at a premium at the moment,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Too many jackdaws strutting about in peacock feathers.¡±

    That caught Mags short. He had his mouth open, another complaint already on the tip of his tongue, only to pause and give Arkk a strange look. He wasn¡¯t the only one. Kia glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. Only Claire kept her razor-sharp focus centered on Mags.

    ¡°Excuse me? Birds? There is a war on and you¡¯re babbling about birds?¡±

    Arkk frowned at the confusion in Mags¡¯ tone, trying to decide if it was genuine or not. He had picked up that phrase from a bard at some point. Although out of context here, it seemed fitting given what happened with the demon. He had hoped for some reaction, some tell that a demon would reveal while a normal person would¡­

    Well, a normal person would look at him in confusion.

    Arkk sighed, shaking his head. That reaction didn¡¯t mean Mags wasn¡¯t a demon, just that the demon was a good actor.

    ¡°The Eternal Empire was hiding large-scale construction projects through unknown magic. That magic has either been removed or has failed, possibly as a consequence of an operation we ran the other night. My scrying team believes the revealed construction projects to be flying ships, after a fashion. As commander of an allied army, I felt you should be informed that, should these airborne warships bombard us with magic or even alchemical ordinance, there will be little a conventional army can do to stand against them. Your men will be obliterated.¡±

    ¡°Trying to shove us aside again?¡± Mags asked with an odd smile. ¡°You have a plan, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°It is in progress.¡± If Agnete could get those flying serpents over here en-mass, Arkk would feel a lot more confident. ¡°Thus far, the airships are grounded. That allows us some time. And again, I have to ask, was this not what you came hammering on my door for?¡±

    Mags jerked back in sudden surprise as though the change in topic surprised him. He quickly shook his head. ¡°There is a more pressing issue, I¡¯m afraid. It would appear as if some of the men got it into their heads that sitting around is detrimental toward defending the realm. They fear that the longer things stand without either side advancing, the more likely Evestani¡¯s borders will be repainted at the edge of Woodly Rhyme.¡±

    ¡°As commander, is it not your duty to dissuade them of such notions?¡±

    ¡°I would,¡± Mags said, fidgeting in apparent nervousness. ¡°Some of the men have already decided to take matters into their own hands. I couldn¡¯t stop them. Black sheep dwell in every fold, Mister Arkk.¡±

    Arkk narrowed his eyes at the phrase. It felt like a taunt. His tone was neutral but¡­

    Kia shifted at Arkk¡¯s side, uncrossing her arms. She must have picked up on it too. But Mags didn¡¯t notice. He just stood there, looking worried.

    ¡°I¡¯ve come to you to ask your assistance, Mister Arkk,¡± Mags continued before Arkk could decide whether or not to give Kia the signal. ¡°If Prince Cedric learns that the men he has entrusted with me¡ªwith us¡ªhave gone to their deaths under a misguided notion of protecting the Greater Kingdom, he¡¯ll have both our heads.¡±

    That was it. That was the game. The Prince had contacted Arkk and forced a meeting through Katja out of concern for his men. He had effectively tipped Arkk off about the demon being present just to ensure their safety. So if some of those men ended up running off to their deaths under Arkk¡¯s watch, even if it was because of their own idiocy, he might well consider Arkk an enemy, thus nullifying the protections against the demon.

    Whether or not the men deserted on their own or because the demon influenced them didn¡¯t matter. They were out there.

    Arkk pinched his brow, grimacing. If Mags was the demon, he could end the threat right now and not have to worry about the deserters. If Mags wasn¡¯t the demon, he would open up all of his men to demonic retaliation.

    If Arkk swooped in and rescued the deserters, the demon would just try again to find some avenue that would lead to Arkk and the Prince considering one another enemies.

    He needed to talk to the Prince and cut off the problem at its source or identify the demon with absolute certainty and rid the world of its presence. Both, ideally. But both would take time and going to meet the Prince while allowing his men to rush off to their deaths wouldn¡¯t end well.

    He had to rescue the fools.

 Desertion and Demises

    Arkk could feel the demon at work behind the scenes.

    How else would one thousand one hundred thirty-eight deserters slip away without anyone noticing? Most had been at the mountain hive where Arkk had sequestered the soldiers when he was still planning on them doing nothing but watching. They didn¡¯t have the rebuilt walls of Elmshadow keeping them in. But still, someone should have noticed. There wasn¡¯t much cover in the fields west of Elmshadow that would have hidden them from casual scrying.

    His scrying team had been busy.

    Had the demon caused the reveal with the Eternal Empire¡¯s whale ships? Just to hide these soldiers, just to draw the Prince¡¯s ire toward Arkk?

    ¡°Have you found them yet?¡± Arkk asked, arms crossed as he stood between his two scrying teams. He was well aware that his eyes were glowing more intensely than usual. He didn¡¯t do a thing to try to stop it.

    ¡°No, Sir,¡± Harvey said, sounding upset. ¡°How do a thousand people, presumably geared up in armor, hide themselves while moving like this?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I have suspicions about why we can suddenly see the Eternal Empire¡¯s ships.¡±

    What did one thousand people think they were capable of accomplishing against an army twenty times their size? Arkk had been planning on the same thing, but he had powerful weapons and personnel at his command. The Prince¡¯s army were all regular people, mostly human with a handful of demihumans thrown in. No beastmen.

    Even the greatest fools wouldn¡¯t rush headlong into their deaths like this.

    But if they had somehow acquired an artifact that rendered them imperceivable, their confidence might swell. A thousand invisible soldiers wouldn¡¯t have a hard time slitting the throats of every enemy combatant while they slept. Or even while they were awake. Arkk doubted it would be that easy. In addition to those offensive rays, the Golden Order¡¯s avatar seemed to specialize in defensive uses of that power. Defense seemed more prevalent, even, between using that power to march through the winter to using it to protect from Arkk¡¯s various attempts at bombardment. Even possessing other bodies could be considered defensive.

    But the idiots marching toward their deaths wouldn¡¯t know that.

    ¡°Nothing in the f-fields,¡± Luthor said. ¡°Expanding search area.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m about a hundred paces into the forest, sweeping up and down. If you want to start at the Woodly Rhyme end, maybe we¡¯ll pincer them.¡±

    ¡°S-Sure.¡±

    They couldn¡¯t have gotten that far. Not unless Mags was lying about when he thought they had left¡ªit wasn¡¯t that Arkk trusted Mags, it was just that he doubted a thousand people could sneak off without supernatural invisibility. Assuming that came from the Eternal Empire, perhaps in the form of some artifact, there was a limit to how long they could possibly have been gone.

    But he wasn¡¯t holding out much hope for the scrying team to find anything.

    ¡°Keep searching,¡± Arkk said, turning away. ¡°Don¡¯t just look for the people. A thousand soldiers can¡¯t march without leaving tracks behind.¡±

    Unless the demon hid those as well.

    If anything, this incident made Mags less likely to be the demon. The demon would be with the deserters, cloaking them.

    It was a good thing he hadn¡¯t had Kia and Claire kill the infuriating man.

    Arkk teleported himself. All of his forces who were currently able were on hand today. He had even recalled Ilya and Vezta, taking time away from her learning how to construct rooms in order to utilize her abilities here. Priscilla was still out, unfortunately. Whatever caused her recent injuries left scars behind that weren¡¯t healing as well as Hale thought they should. Agnete and Who had returned to the Anvil, temporarily, as they sought out some assistance.

    That left him with distressingly few specialists that he could send out. He was wary about having Kia and Claire move out of range of his teleports. He needed to be able to move them to the Heart chamber the moment he felt anything amiss. Lexa could slip through just about anything with her spells and the cloak, but an assassin wasn¡¯t what he needed at the moment. Dakka and the orcs of the newly reformed Black Knights, the Shieldbreakers, and anyone trained to use the counter-demon equipment Zullie had produced weren¡¯t slouches, of course, but he still wanted heavy hitters ready to deploy should the avatar, or demon, decide to act.

    Arriving at the top of the tower, Arkk planted his hands on the crenellations, leaning over the side. He squinted, hair whipping around his head. The wind was a bit brisk today, especially as high up as he was. It wasn¡¯t like he would have been able to see anything that his scrying team had missed anyway. He was up here solely for the way it helped clear his head.

    The demon. The Prince. The enemy at their doorstep. The first was the most pressing issue. It was causing problems. Direct sabotage. Likely the only thing keeping them from being killed was his surprisingly good relationship with the Prince. Something the demon knew and was clearly trying to undermine.

    Could he cut off communications with the Prince? Intercept any outgoing letters?

    Unlikely. If the demon could orchestrate this mess, it could find a way of getting word back to Cedric. It probably couldn¡¯t lie to the Prince. If it could, it would have been easy enough to say that Arkk had gotten all his men killed, negating the need to go through with this convoluted plot. Until the demon was found and dealt with, he had to be as accommodating toward the Prince as possible.

    A brief thought of assassinating the Prince flickered through his mind. He dismissed it as quickly as it came. Not only would the mere action of ordering Lexa to attack the Prince probably count as becoming his enemy, but it would also result in a rogue demon on the loose. That would be so much worse than the current situation, he couldn¡¯t even imagine¡­

    Savren was working on something that would hopefully identify anyone who wasn¡¯t who they said they were. Now that it had revealed itself and its capabilities, it wouldn¡¯t be long before he had a proper solution.

    After that, he would have to focus on the Prince. The man couldn¡¯t be allowed to summon a second demon. It was best to not think about how he was going to go about that now, however. Not unless he wanted the demon showing up and killing him before he could get the thought out.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Then there was the problem of the actual army perched upon his windowsill. He had been letting them sit there, gathering strength, because he felt he had been gathering more strength. The longer they delayed, the more options, the more tools, and the more forces Arkk would have at his disposal. That was partially true, especially if opening up more realms brought him more equipment to use, but now he wasn¡¯t sure that he was growing faster than Evestani.

    Not with what the Holy Light¡¯s avatar had said about those flying ships. They could rain down enough destruction to change the landscape.

    His sabotage had destroyed a few, but not all of them. They were still grounded. They could even be building more of them elsewhere. If Arkk had that kind of magic at his disposal, he would be building a few here to get into the air as soon as possible while building even more at Fortress Al-Mir, ready to swoop in wherever they were needed.

    Could he afford to let them get into the air? Between the ships and the avatar¡¯s abilities, and the possibility that the Almighty Glory¡¯s avatar was scurrying about like a rat as well, he wasn¡¯t so sure about defending Elmshadow any longer. Even if he did use the Prince¡¯s army.

    Arkk frowned to himself, casting his gaze at the lands below the tower. Everything he had constructed here. All built with the power of the fortress, it would lose its reinforcing magic the moment he moved the tower. He had claimed territory as far as he could see, and even a bit further. No conventional army could stand up to even a hundred of Dakka¡¯s Black Knights if he actively teleported them back and forth throughout his territory, helping them dodge any dangerous attack. It was part of the reason he had been so confident he could have taken on the combined Evestani-Empire army without the aid of the Prince.

    Now his grand plan was holding him here. Keeping him from advancing forward with the force of the tower at his back, keeping him from sending Kia and Claire out into the field where they could do the most damage, keeping¡­

    Arkk lifted an eyebrow. He looked up, eying the large fields, the river that snaked through it, and the forest beyond. Woodly Rhyme took a few days to reach by foot travel through the forest, less for horses.

    Perhaps¡­

    Arkk teleported down to the central meeting room. All his advisors teleported in from their stations at the same time. The last time he had taken a walk around the roof and come up with a plan, Kia had ridiculed him for not discussing it with his advisors.

    Rekk¡¯ar, Olatt¡¯an, Ilya, Vezta, Zullie, Savren, Alma, Khan, Dakka, Lyssa, Lexa, Kia, Richter, and even Perr¡¯ok stood around the table with varying levels of confusion on their faces. Most quickly adapted and took their seats. Vezta moved to her usual spot just behind his chair. Such teleports weren¡¯t out of the ordinary and weren¡¯t worth grumbling about. Richter was a bit slower on the uptake, though he quickly followed suit with the others, and Perr¡¯ok looked surprised to be included at all. The blacksmith shuffled around, watching in obvious discomfort as the others all took seats they knew were theirs. Arkk, catching his eye, gave a slight nod to one of the empty chairs. With a grateful look, he sat down and quickly composed himself.

    ¡°I think,¡± Arkk started, planting both hands on the table as he leaned over it, ¡°we have nothing to gain by maintaining the defense of Elmshadow.¡±

    That noisy sort of silence filled the room. A breath as his inner circle processed his words.

    The silence departed abruptly, replaced with a noisy sort of noise. Khan and Perr¡¯ok refrained from joining in. The former, as was usual for the gorgon, simply settled down on his heated rock and waited. The latter looked around the rest of the group with an awed bewilderment. They were the only ones. Everyone else had to make their opinion known. Arkk was surprised at some of the sudden voices. Kia¡¯s especially. While not as stoic as Claire, the dark elf was generally reserved.

    ¡°Running away?¡± Kia barked out, voice overpowering the rest for a brief moment. ¡°We can take ¡¯em! Send me and Claire in and we¡¯ll grind them to paste ourselves!¡±

    Of course, she wanted to charge headlong into battle.

    ¡°The people here are counting on us,¡± Ilya said, close enough to him to put a hand on his arm. ¡°And if we stop the defense, the rest of Mystakeen¡­ It¡¯ll be just like before we took back the burg.¡±

    Olatt¡¯an, though his voice remained at his usual neutral level, managed to make himself heard through sheer presence. ¡°I presume there is a good reason for abandoning territory we¡¯ve fought and bled for.¡±

    ¡°Master.¡± Even Vezta joined in with a heavy note of disapproval in her tone. ¡°I concur with the orc. We spent weeks claiming every scrap of land and burrowing beneath the land. All that effort claiming territory will go to waste if we move the tower.¡±

    On and on it went. Rekk¡¯ar thumped his fist against the table. Dakka and Lyssa agreed with Kia, wanting to fight rather than flee. Savren sought to scan Arkk, searching for subtle synapse stimulations that might suggest cerebral sabotage. Richter, having joined solely because Arkk was the one standing in the way of Evestani¡¯s first invasion, was actually straining on the link. It was close to snapping in his case.

    Arkk held up his hands, calling for them to calm down.

    Alma bit her lip, chewing a little before trying to talk over the ongoing arguments. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly want to fight,¡± she said, not to Arkk but to her fellow werecat. Lyssa growled back, only for Alma to sit up straighter. ¡°If Arkk says to leave, there is something out there that we can¡¯t handle. Listen to your head for once, not your bloodlust.¡±

    ¡°Are we trying to escape the demon?¡± Zullie asked, ¡°Because I think I have a few more ideas¡ª¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t finished formulating your freshest fancies, now you¡¯re fishing for more? You¡¯d contribute to this conflict more if you chose one idea and completed it counter to commencing continuous half-cocked creations¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, like you would know. Found your notes yet?¡±

    ¡°You¡ª¡±

    ¡°What of the avatar?¡± Lexa asked, her simple question pulled thin by the tension in the back of her throat. ¡°We can¡¯t leave that monster alive.¡±

    Arkk snapped his fingers, teleporting everyone to a random seat at the same time. The sudden teleportation, following disorientation, and confusion as they found themselves staring across the table at someone they hadn¡¯t been expecting bought him a precious moment of silence. A moment he used to slam his hands down on the table.

    ¡°If you all would let me finish,¡± he shouted, red eyes burning so bright that he could see his face reflected in Zullie¡¯s rectangular glasses. He waited a second, making sure he wouldn¡¯t be interrupted, before letting out a small sigh. ¡°Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have started with that.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be abandoning the defense to go on immediate offense,¡± Arkk said.

    That noisy sort of silence filled the room. Again.

    Arkk opened his mouth but didn¡¯t manage to beat the sudden voices shouting across the table at each other. Kia, Richter, Dakka, and Lexa started shouting at everyone who advocated for more caution. Zullie and Savren picked up on their argument right where they had left off. Vezta was still concerned about losing access to all the territory they had claimed.

    With a snap, Arkk shuffled the room around once more. ¡°If I have to throw you all into separate corners of the fortress and talk to you individually, I will,¡± he threatened, skimming his gaze over everyone. He deliberately let the silence hang this time, daring someone to speak. Nobody took him up on it. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to get a better opportunity to attack. Those airships are grounded still, but they won¡¯t be for long. More importantly, they are visible. Agnete is back and she is trying to requisition support from the Anvil. We have a full stock of charged glowstones.¡±

    ¡°What of the demon?¡± Olatt¡¯an asked, speaking up in a deliberately respectful tone. ¡°Is it wise to make our moves with that thing causing havoc?¡±

    ¡°That is the one blight,¡± Arkk admitted, allowing the interruption this one time. ¡°But unless Zullie can accurately locate the demon now¡­¡± He paused, looking at the witch. She shook her head in a sorry negative. ¡°Then the demon will only continue escalating the problems it has been causing until it manages to succeed in its goal of turning us against the Prince or the Prince against us. There is a minor benefit in that our enemies are also the Prince¡¯s enemies. The demon may just put harassing us on hold to revel in the destruction of opponents it can actually strike at.¡±

    Vezta¡¯s lips twisted into a faint frown. ¡°A dangerous proposition,¡± she said with obvious disapproval. ¡°A lot can happen in the chaos of battle.¡±

    ¡°A lot can indeed,¡± Arkk said, nodding his head. ¡°Which is why we¡¯re having this meeting. We are going to eliminate as many risks¡ªfrom demon, avatar, and conventional army¡ªas possible.¡± He looked over the table once again. ¡°Any questions?¡±

    That noisy sort of silence hung over the table.

    Arkk braced himself for the start of a very long meeting.

 Forward March

    The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. Long shadows cast over the streets of Elmshadow, stretched out from the mass of freshly built buildings into eerie shapes. The twin mountains on the north and south sides of the burg made even longer shadows that covered huge sections of the valley. Even they looked curled and unpleasant.

    Thorne shuddered.

    Elmshadow was a creepy place. He thought that ever since he first arrived with the rest of Lord Bonsworn¡¯s regiment. When Lord Bonsworn¡¯s chief retainer came to him, levying him into service as part of the King¡¯s Royal Armies for fighting off heretical invaders in Mystakeen, he had expected¡­ anything other than what he had gone through. First being denied entry by the very people they were supposed to aid, then waiting while the Duke had been assassinated, the Prince taking over from the Duke, and finally arriving here¡­ only to be told that they wouldn¡¯t be fighting, then a few weeks later being told that they would have to fight after all. It had been six months since first setting out and he still hadn¡¯t even seen the alleged enemy army.

    Not that he was complaining. Some of the other regiments got it into their heads that they needed to be heroes.

    They were probably dead by now.

    Idiots.

    But he couldn¡¯t say he didn¡¯t understand. The sooner he got away from Elmshadow, the better.

    It wasn¡¯t just the shadows every night. In fact, the shadows were about the only normal thing here. It was the mercenary company who held the burg like it was their own little fiefdom. They were a strange sort. The joint training that had started up since being told that they would be fighting the enemy at some point served more to demonstrate just how outclassed anyone normal was. Half the mercenary company seemed to be made up of orcs, all of whom had creepy shadowy armor that let them move as if they were wearing a light tunic while taking heavier hits than a fully plated knight. They had beastmen and demihumans and Thorne thought he had seen gorgon slithering about the place.

    Strange.

    But nothing was as strange as that tower. Yet another odd shadowy thing in the burg of odd shadows. Its bricks were dark and the maze-like designs that covered their bricks also seemed to cover near every building in the burg. An unsettling appearance that wasn¡¯t helped by the wafting curls of black that flowed down its sides like fog.

    Thorne shuddered again, deciding to turn away. He wished he was still up in those mountainside housings. They had been covered in maze patterns as well, but at least they looked like normal stone. Unfortunately, as one of Bonsworn¡¯s captains, he had moved down here to observe the joint training exercises the rest of his men carried out.

    ¡°Something blew smoke up the hive tonight.¡±

    Thorne glanced to his side, frowning as Rubee leaned against the house they had been assigned. She swept a lock of red out of her face, bringing a lit pipe to her face. She drew in, puffed out a few rings of smoke out the side of her lips, and grinned at him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look like you didn¡¯t want to see me.¡±

    Thorne shook his head with a small scoff. ¡°Smoke under a hive tends to calm the bees,¡± he said. Bonsworn was a smaller vassal of the King out on the outskirts of Chernlock¡¯s deserts, known for his vast fields and honey production. As such, Thorne knew a thing or two about beekeeping.

    Rubee, on the other hand, came from Vaales. One of the Prince¡¯s own handpicked. She wasn¡¯t someone he particularly wished to draw the attention of.

    Unfortunately, given that meeting like this had become a near nightly occurrence, it looked like he had failed to keep his head down far enough.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t they your men who up and vanished?¡±

    ¡°No more my men than my men are yours.¡± Rubee puffed her pipe a few more times. ¡°Tannen was in charge of them. He¡¯s gone too. Raised a big fuss before he left, saying they needed to bring the fight to the enemy before it was too late. Bet they¡¯re dead already? Or just decided to outright desert?¡±

    ¡°Idiots,¡± Thorne said, repeating his earlier thoughts. ¡°Probably a mixture of both. Tannen might have believed in the fight. My coin in on half his men only joining to get far enough away to make a run for it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, I can tell you that my Prince isn¡¯t going to be happy about this. He¡¯s sure to go on a rampage once he finds out¡­¡± Rubee trailed off, face contorting into a confused frown.

    Before Thorne could ask what was wrong, he felt it. A low, thunderous groan rumbled through the air. The sound reverberated through his bones, making his teeth chatter like dice in a gambler¡¯s cup. His head whipped around, searching for the threat as his hand went to his sword. A shadow swept over him, blocking the final rays of the dying sun momentarily.

    A clatter behind him had him spinning, but it was just Rubee. She dropped her pipe. The long bit of wood made the noise against the ground.

    Her expression had changed. Fear replaced the confusion. She stared, eyes wide and mouth agape at something over Thorne¡¯s shoulder.

    He whipped out his sword, turning to face whatever she had in her sight, only to freeze himself.

    At first glance, nothing had changed. The burg stretched out around them. That massive fortress still dominated the skies with its towering battlements and countless arrow slits. But, it had changed. It was leaning, tilted off to one side.

    For a moment, Thorne thought it was going to tip straight over, but it managed to stop itself.

    Slowly, impossibly, one of the circular columns that had been built along its base began to rise. It pushed away from the rest of the tower, looking like the leg of a spider. Stones grated against each other, sending chills down Thorne¡¯s spine at the unpleasant noise. More legs joined the first, unfolding from beneath the tower¡¯s base.

    The first leg came down onto the ground, helping to right the tilted tower. Thorne expected an explosive force, pushing outward, shaking the surrounding buildings to rubble. But the leg came down so gently. It still made a noise, but it was the noise of a distant, rumbling thunder rather than the violent shock of a sudden explosion.

    Thorne staggered back, eyes wide, heart pounding against his ribcage. He bumped into the same wall Rubee had been leaning against. She hadn¡¯t moved a muscle, but others had. Around him, the city¡¯s inhabitants¡ªalmost exclusively the soldiers stationed here¡ªrushed out of the buildings, ready to fight, only to freeze and gape alongside him and Rubee.

    Those legs lifted, stretched forward, and settled down again with gentle thunderclaps. It moved awkwardly, like it was always trying to maintain contact with the ground with at least four of its legs. But that didn¡¯t stop it from moving. In a mere four steps, it crossed over the western wall of the burg. Five more and it was about out of the field beyond.

    It took a force of willpower to pull his eyes off the tower as it put distance between itself and the burg. He knew there was something creepy about this place. If there was anyone who could explain, one of the joint training captains would be the one. But, as his eyes swept over the crowd of people who had come out to see what was going on, he couldn¡¯t find a single member of Company Al-Mir among them.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    He was about to charge off looking for one of their hosts when movement caught his eye. Rubee bent. With trembling fingers, she plucked her pipe off the ground. She tried to smoke it again, only to find that it had gone out. Still shaking, she upended the pipe, dumping the contents with a light tap against the wall, before taking a fresh pinch of hash from her pouch. With a muttered incantation, she lit the pipe again using flames burning at the tips of her fingers.

    Five wobbling rings of smoke later, she visibly calmed down. ¡°Lighty Light,¡± she muttered. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect it to be so¡­ mobile.¡±

    ¡°You knew?¡±

    ¡°Heard it could move. My Prince told us all.¡± She puffed at her pipe a few more times. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear about Company Al-Mir much, I take it.¡±

    Thorne clenched his teeth, glaring around the streets again. Not a sign of even one mercenary among them. ¡°Must have forgotten to tell us,¡± he ground it. ¡°They¡¯re gone? Just like that?¡±

    ¡°First they reject our help on account of Evestani being too powerful, then they ask us to help, and now they rush off without us. Typical.¡±

    ¡°Typical? This has happened before?¡±

    ¡°Well, not this exactly. Still, rather relax than fight anyway. Fighting hurts¡ª¡±

    A sharp shout cut through the growing noise of the gossiping soldiers. ¡°Rally!¡± cried the grating voice of Magatherion Goth. He charged on horseback into the fray with an odd look of glee on his portly face. ¡°Rally all soldiers!¡±

    ¡°Light,¡± Rubee groaned. ¡°Spoke too soon.¡±

    Thorne frowned, watching as Goth rode along, crying out to all the garrisoned soldiers. He didn¡¯t like their obstinate commander. He had overheard the man giving out contradictory orders, seemingly for no reason other than his own amusement. Thorne doubted his competence and was willing to bet that the only reason he was in charge was because he was the childhood friend of some noble.

    Unfortunately, he was in command.

    Thorne shot Rubee a small frown before turning away. He had Bonsworn¡¯s men to command.

    <hr>

    ¡°Is there something wrong with the tower?¡± Rekk¡¯ar asked as he braced himself against the window frame.

    The movement of the tower couldn¡¯t actually be felt while inside. Some magic kept everything in place. Even a ball resting on a table wouldn¡¯t roll off no matter how far the tower tilted. At least to a point. When Arkk had thrown those golden statues out of the tower during the siege of Elmshadow, he had tipped the tower near horizontal. Things had fallen, broken, and otherwise moved about then.

    That didn¡¯t stop Rekk¡¯ar from holding on like he was going to be thrown around. It was somewhat understandable, given that he was looking out the window. Seeing the world around tilting and swaying messed with something deep inside. Several of Arkk¡¯s employees refused to go near any openings to the outside world when the tower was in motion, a few after spontaneously vomiting. Rekk¡¯ar wasn¡¯t one of those. If anything, Rekk¡¯ar was quite proud of his constitution.

    Normally.

    ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re limping,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said. ¡°You fixed everything up after the golden ray hit the tower, right?¡±

    ¡°Nothing is broken,¡± Arkk said, standing in the middle of the large observation window with his hands clasped behind his back. He wasn¡¯t sure if he had exceptional constitution as well or if him being the owner of the tower granted him some immunity to the effects of it moving¡ªhe didn¡¯t feel a thing even as it swung from leaning to the left to leaning to the right like some kind of inverted pendulum. ¡°The tower is moving exactly as I¡¯m directing.¡±

    ¡°I hate it.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t look outside,¡± Arkk said with a shake of his head. ¡°It¡¯s what we discussed in the meeting. The tower needs to make constant contact with the rest of the land. Once a leg hits the ground, lesser servants rush out, claiming territory, digging tunnels, and connecting the leg to the rest of my territory. Yes, it makes the gait odd, but it is necessary.¡±

    If the Heart lost connection with the rest of Elmshadow, even for a moment, his claim over the land would dissipate. Every building within its walls had been rebuilt using the magic of the fortress, granting everything the magical reinforcement necessary to survive the tower stomping around so close to the burg. While the Burg was far from filled relative to how it had been before the war, there were contingents of soldiers and even several civilians living within.

    He couldn¡¯t let the burg collapse on them.

    Even after the tower moved far enough away, he wanted to maintain the connection for as long as possible. Indefinitely, preferably. Claimed territory was power for him and the Heart, it was tactically valuable for the rapid movement of his employees, and, generally, he just didn¡¯t want to. Some part of the back of his mind identified the land as his. He wasn¡¯t about to let it go if possible.

    Things were easy right now. His lesser servants had been burrowing outward around Elmshadow, claiming underground territory about as far as the eye could see. It was a simple matter to send out a few lesser servants to bridge the tower¡¯s legs to the rest of his land. Things would slow down immensely once he moved beyond his current territory. Lesser servants were already trying to dig out ahead of the tower, but even at the slowed gait, the tower would outpace them in only an hour. Two if they worked fast enough.

    ¡°Any evidence of our deserter friends?¡± Arkk called out.

    The scrying pits were fully staffed today. Both crystal balls sat atop their pedestals with a trio of scryers watching each. Each crystal ball could only view one thing at a time but the extra eyes helped to spot things one person might miss as well as allowed for them to rotate who was manning the devices, giving each other breaks from what was often a monotonous yet mildly draining task.

    Camilla popped her head up. Arkk tried not to wince at seeing her face. He only had a few fairies working for him. Camilla was one of them.

    ¡°No, Sir,¡± the blonde fairy squeaked. She coughed, clearing her throat, then continued speaking in a more average pitch, ¡°No tracks or sign of a large group camping.¡±

    Arkk couldn¡¯t hold back a disappointed hum. If he hadn¡¯t checked the barracks, he might have thought Mags was lying or misinformed. But a tenth of the soldiers really were missing. He expected some sign of them by now. Unless they hadn¡¯t marched off toward Woodly Rhyme at all. It was entirely possible that he was being misled.

    Speaking of Woodly Rhyme¡­ Arkk turned to the other scrying pit. ¡°Any activity among Evestani or the Eternal Empire? Have they noticed our departure yet?¡±

    Luthor didn¡¯t take his eyes off the crystal ball. ¡°If they have, they a-aren¡¯t showing it,¡± he said. The chameleon beastman squinted into the ball. ¡°Most of Woodly Rhyme is still covered in that fog though.¡±

    Arkk nodded, then asked, ¡°Are the whale ships still visible?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir. Still on the ground.¡±

    ¡°Good. Let me know the moment something changes. I doubt we¡¯ll make it a full hour before they realize we¡¯re moving.¡±

    Arkk was about to turn away when Luthor did look up. ¡°Uh, Sir,¡± he said. ¡°Seems like the Prince¡¯s army is trying to follow us.¡±

    Focusing on the crystal ball, Arkk frowned. Mags was atop a horse, leading presumably all the remaining soldiers. They were all outside the Burg¡¯s walls. Not far outside, but outside enough to tell that they weren¡¯t going to stop.

    ¡°Maybe we should stop and pick them up?¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, wobbling a little as he stepped away from the windows. His hand gripped tight to a railing. ¡°They want to be fodder, I say let them.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s suggestion did little to ease Arkk¡¯s frown. ¡°The tower is large, but not nearly ten-thousand-people large.¡± He folded his arms, glaring at the figure of Mags at the head of the army. ¡°I¡¯m not too keen on inviting the demon inside either.¡±

    ¡°You say we¡¯ll slow down once we reach the end of your current territory?¡± Rekk¡¯ar asked. ¡°Slow enough for them to catch up?¡±

    ¡°I suppose that depends on how fast they can move and how fast we can move. I¡¯m not sure about us. Not like we ever tried to move while keeping everything connected before.¡±

    Arkk could guess how long it would take for the lesser servants to do their jobs and keep the planted legs connected. He had worked with them enough to know how they handled themselves. But he wouldn¡¯t know until they reached that point. Unforeseen complications might crop up. And he was a little wary about leaving a single, exposed pathway back. With no redundancies, it was vulnerable to enemy action as well as a single slip-up on his end.

    He could try to run above-ground connections while digging out tunnels, but the latter would take far longer. And if the tunnels were directly beneath the overland claimed territory, that wasn¡¯t much of a redundancy. Where was the sweet spot between speed and having a backup?

    He wasn¡¯t sure. But he had an hour to figure it out.

    ¡°Sir,¡± Luthor said, cutting into his thoughts. ¡°One of the w-whale ships¡­¡±

    Arkk focused on the crystal ball immediately.

    All the side hatches were closing up. Lights along its sides started glowing like someone had planted dozens of glowstones into small ports. It looked like something from the Anvil more than it did anything he was familiar with, except some small part of those glowing blue lights gave him the impression of something organic.

    The large fin-like shapes jutting off the whale ship started moving, gently raising and lowering. Slowly, befitting the colossal size of the thing, it lifted off from the ground. The shadow underneath shrank as it gained altitude.

    Arkk scowled. He had hoped to get out there before the Eternal Empire was ready.

    ¡°The other whale ships?¡±

    There were two others that looked ready or nearly ready to take flight. Luthor quickly switched the viewpoint of the crystal ball. Both others were still on the ground, hatches open with no lights on their sides. That was good. For now. Arkk wasn¡¯t sure how far along the other two were. He considered another sabotage attempt. But after the disaster that was his last effort at destroying them¡­

    Maybe something different?

    ¡°Rekk¡¯ar, get me as many of the smaller alchemical explosives that you can. Nothing more than what Lexa can carry.¡±

 Concurrent Operations

    Agnete stood in front of the crystalline archway.

    It was the same portal she had originally come through when entering the Anvil. The Anvil was a truly massive world¡ªAgnete didn¡¯t have the slightest idea how fast their trains moved over the terrain, only that they moved far beyond even the swiftest horse. That made comparing it to Mystakeen or even the Greater Kingdom of Chernlock somewhat difficult.

    As it turned out, the portal wasn¡¯t all that far from her workshop. Which, she supposed, made sense. She had ridden atop one of the conveyor belts to reach her workshop the first time around, not one of the high-speed trains. Arkk had avoided this one while gathering crystalline shards for her smaller portal frame due to the active watchers¡ªand also because he hadn¡¯t wished to damage the portal frame they knew was functional. Had he directed her toward it, she could have simply come in person, but there had been communication issues.

    Arkk hadn¡¯t thought she was allowed to wander the Anvil freely.

    Now that the communication issues had been solved, Agnete had directions directly to the portal.

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have brought me here yourself?¡± Agnete asked with a mild frown.

    ¡°?orry,¡± Who said as the cogs on her hitched in a nervous stutter. ¡°Central Operations denied me the information.¡±

    ¡°I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡± Agnete looked over the crystalline archway, honing in on the central point high above.

    The archway loomed before her, a near mirror of the portal at Fortress Al-Mir, as well as both portals she had seen inside the Underworld. It was as if the universe had a blueprint for these portals, one that cared little for the precise shape of the arch as long as they adhered to the general form. The only thing perfectly replicated were the runes scrawled up and down the arch¡¯s surface.

    But, at the top center where the keystone should be, there was nothing but a vacancy.

    A large mechanical arm, currently dormant, perched off to one side of the portal¡¯s platform. Behind it, an array of crystals were meticulously organized, each piece a perfect fit for the keystone¡¯s vacant throne. Every last one bore a unique rune, glowing faintly as if eager to fulfill their purposes. There was a hum in the air beyond the drone of the Anvil¡¯s factory that set Agnete¡¯s hair on end.

    None of the other portals they had found, including the one in the Necropolis that Agnete had yet to visit, had anything like that. There were a few vacancies in the storage bank, perhaps the keystones had been lost or perhaps they had never existed in the first place.

    Arkk wanted all of them eventually, but at the moment, he wanted aid more.

    Agnete had instructions from Zullie on how to reconfigure the runes in this portal to get it to connect to Fortress Al-Mir¡¯s mirror. Most of the runes could be turned or rotated or removed from their own slots entirely. But if she was unable to activate this portal, she could still take the keystones back through the small gateway she had fabricated in her workshop.

    As soon as she took a step onto the portal platform itself, a warning horn wailed and several lights began to flash. One of the large overseer gantries slid along its tracks, rushing straight toward her. The mechanical eye, lowered from cables, descended to Agnete¡¯s eye level and stared.

    ¡°???????????, ????? ???? ??????????.¡±

    ¡°I intend to reopen the portal and use it to deliver some of my constructions to assist my allies on the other side.¡±

    ¡°??????????. ?????????? ?????-?????? ???????? ?? ??????????. ???? ???? ???-???-? ??? ?????? ???????. ?????? ???????? ?? ?????-??-?????? ?????.¡±

    ¡°Twelve weeks? Unacceptable,¡± Agnete said, continuing forward with a slight pivot around the overseer. There was no way she was submitting a form and waiting eight to twelve weeks. She might have been willing to wait a day under other circumstances. But today?

    She was in a bit of a rush.

    The gantry rolled forward. The overseer eye lifted over her head before dropping down directly in her path once again. Its deep, reverberating voice took on a far more hostile tone. ¡°? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ???????? ?? ???????? ???????? ?????? ?? ??? ???????? ???? ???? ?????? ???????.¡±

    ¡°Be my guest,¡± Agnete said, sidestepping the eye once again. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of your incident reports.¡±

    Another horn blared at her, ruffling her hair with the force of the noise it generated. Agnete paused, turning, and raised a single brow at the overseer.

    ¡°?? ??? ???? ???.¡±

    Agnete turned up the heat. A thin beam of flames surged from her with barely a gesture, swirling around one of the gantry¡¯s supports. The overseer started making all sorts of alarmed noises even as a few of the flying voltcoil wyrms circled overhead, responding to the cries. She didn¡¯t need to defend herself from them.

    They wouldn¡¯t attack her. Not without higher authority than the overseer possessed.

    The wheels of the gantry spun against the tracks, trying to get some distance from her heat. But it was too late. It had been too late by the first few seconds. The sudden attempt at motion just revealed the mess that had been made of the gantry¡¯s leg as it buckled and collapsed.

    A reinforcing bar snapped under the strain of the rest of the gantry, flying directly toward her. The heat bubble surrounding her turned it into a metallic vapor well before it hit. Her control was so precise these days that she didn¡¯t even leave molten footsteps in her wake as she stepped forward.

    The mangled mess of the gantry melted away before her, leaving her a clear path to the immobile but still swiveling overseer eye. It darted around in a panic until she got close enough. Then, it locked onto her.

    ¡°Try to stop me and I will turn this entire sector into slag. Think of the efficiency loss.¡± Agnete leaned over the eye, making sure her point was made. ¡°There is only one being who can stop me. And I doubt THEY will. Us fighting would probably turn this entire realm into a puddle of molten waste.¡± Agnete paused a moment then added, almost as an afterthought, ¡°Besides, I was promised aid.¡±

    At least, she thought she had been promised aid. The conversation with the Burning Forge had been¡­ a bit confusing to say the least.

    Agnete stared one moment more before turning away. The overseer didn¡¯t try to stop her this time. It couldn¡¯t even move.

    Also, it might have been too damaged to give a response. Some of the servitors would likely come along the moment she wasn¡¯t around and fix it up. Or scrap it. One of the two. Either way, Agnete wasn¡¯t concerned about it.

    Who, on the other hand, folded her arms as Agnete turned back to the portal. She had recently drawn up some preliminary ideas for giving Who a proper face, one she could manipulate mechanically to show off emotions or move a mouth in the hopes of disturbing others a bit less. Right now, Agnete didn¡¯t need any kind of complex clockwork face to see the disapproval radiating off the construct.

    ¡°Was that really necessary, Agne?e?¡±

    ¡°Maybe not. But I did ask nicely several times over my stay here and was always denied access to the portal.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t ever fill out the proper form¡­¡±

    ¡°I can requisition material in five minutes with a single word. These forms they keep talking about are just there for obstruction purposes. Besides, they never once delivered a form to me when I asked.¡±

    Who shifted. If she had a face, she would have looked exasperated. ¡°You probably forgot to fill out the Preliminary Acquisition Document for the Acquisition of Standardized Form Requests.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to fill out a form to request a form,¡± Agnete said with a shake of her head. ¡°Especially because I¡¯d probably have to fill out a form to request the form request form. If you want to go fix the overseer, be my guest. I¡¯ve got a job to do.¡±

    Who let out a warbling whistle noise that gave the impression of a sigh. ¡°Would you like for me to activate the inser?er?¡± she asked, gesturing toward the mechanical arm near the bank of keystones.

    ¡°If you would,¡± Agnete said, reaching into the breast pocket of her fresh suit. Despite her activity, there wasn¡¯t a single scorch mark on the fabric. The paper she pulled from the pocket was more than ash. She couldn¡¯t help her smile. She probably looked silly, grinning at a diagram of the archway and all the configuration changes she needed to make, but holding proof of her control¡¯s precision felt good.

    Contrary to her words to the overseer, she was somewhat leery that the one being here would object to her actions. The Burning Forge had given her that control. While Agnete felt like she had fought for it and managed to keep her powers through sheer willpower, that control and her powers in general could likely be taken away just as easily.

    Agnete didn¡¯t feel like THEY would throw away an avatar over relatively nothing, but a god¡¯s mind was impossible to read almost by definition.

    During the meeting with the Burning Forge, Agnete had effectively offered to build a city in Mystakeen in the Anvil¡¯s image. In exchange, She offered aid. Hopefully, a little miscommunication with the overseer wasn¡¯t going to change that.

    Either way, Agnete needed to get back as soon as possible.

    <hr>

    The whale ships weren¡¯t like the flying ship that had bombed the hell out of the undead army. Lexa could wrap her head around that ship. It was an ocean-faring ship that could fly. Strange and unusual, yes, but considering everything else, a flying ship wasn¡¯t worth a confused blink of an eye.

    But the whale ships¡­ something about them filled Lexa with unease. A disquiet in her chest at the mere sight of them wormed its way under her skin. It wasn¡¯t something she could easily explain. If it had just been a whale, she might not have noticed the oddity. If a ship could fly, why not a fish or whale or any other creature of the sea? But the whale ships weren¡¯t quite like that.

    Lexa stood there, watching the wind twist and curl in unnatural patterns where the ship was resting. Small swirling clouds of dust chased each other across the trodden-down dirt until they lost their energy and died, only to be reborn elsewhere as fresh wind picked up. Although she could see the whale ship, it felt like there was something else there as well, lurking in the space around it.

    The ship itself felt wrong as well. It was metallic and hollow, given the ports on the sides where workers were moving supplies and gear. On any other ship¡ªon regular ships, carriages, and even Arkk¡¯s walking fortress¡ªshe might expect to see someone up top, driving the vessel. The helmsman¡¯s bridge, the carriage driver¡¯s seat, and the fortress command room with its great windows looking down below. Given that the whale ships didn¡¯t look like people were meant to sit on its back, Lexa figured the ship would have something akin to the walking fortress. Large windows with a helm somewhere behind.

    There were no windows.

    There were eyes.

    Uncannily fleshy eyes. They swiveled about, glistening with moisture as they rolled in their sockets. They blinked with heavy metal shutters clamping down before slowly lifting back up. They weren¡¯t human eyes. Nor like any kind of demihuman or beastmen eye that Lexa had seen. The eye itself had dozens of colors all swirled together. A squiggly black line cut through it, almost resembling the smile of a cat in how the corners and the middle were lifted up while the rest swooped downward. The line widened and narrowed like a pupil as it focused on anything that moved in its surroundings.

    The fins bothered Lexa as well. Their movements, even lying on the ground like this, were far too organic. She had peaked into the Anvil through crystal balls and seen the mechanical creatures within. Those creatures moved with a stiff rigidity befitting of their metallic nature. The whale ship should have been the same, but it wasn¡¯t. It was like some kind of cross between a living creature and one of the Anvil¡¯s mechanical beings.

    Lexa pulled her shadowy cloak around herself a little tighter as the creature¡¯s eyes swept over her hiding spot.

    It was her job to take it out. If possible. Given the restricted loadout she was able to carry as a small gremlin, the few alchemical bombs she carried in small clay orbs might not be enough to do serious structural damage. She couldn¡¯t carry one of the big clay jars even if she wasn¡¯t trying to sneak around. So, the plan was simple: she was to sabotage it in any way she could, likely by blowing up anything that glowed or had too complex of a magical array.

    To do that, she had to get closer.

    Worse, she had to get inside.

    Given a highly secured manor like that of the Duke¡¯s, she would be in and out without even thinking about it. A prison? Couldn¡¯t hold her any better than it could hold water. But that thing? Lexa shuddered, stomach twisting.

    She took a step forward. Unsettling or not, she had a job to do.

    Two workers stepped out of the side hatch as Lexa crossed the field. She had been watching for a while now, noting the people coming and going. Unless a bunch of people had been hiding out prior to her arrival, the craft should have only three people in it right now. She almost wanted to wait around and see if they would leave too, but she couldn¡¯t risk the whale taking to the skies. If that happened, she would have to sulk back to Arkk with a failed mission on her hands.

    And if it took off while she was on it, sabotaging it would become a rather awkward affair.

    She was a gremlin, not a harpy.

    Nothing stopped her from reaching the ramp into the whale ship. Guards¡ªarmored in the Eternal Empire¡¯s white and black¡ªwere posted around the perimeter and at the entrance. Between her shadowy cloak and the stealthy spells she knew, not a one of them so much as glanced in her direction. The eye of the whale ship didn¡¯t seem to notice either, but it was harder to tell which way it was looking with its odd shape.

    Creeping inside, Lexa slowed even further.

    The inside was worse than the outside.

    She expected something like Fortress Al-Mir except condensed down into the space of the whale ship. Hallways, rooms, and metal or wood holding it all together. What she got was a strange fusion of meat and metal. The walls pulsed slightly under her fingertips, expanding and shrinking like the metal could breathe. Every so often, a thin membrane like the wing of a bat stretched across a corridor or doorway, blocking access. At one of them, she could hear voices on the other side¡ªthe other workers, presumably¡ªso she figured they could open. There were no levers or handles or anything to indicate how.

    Other thresholds were open, letting her peek inside various storage areas. A worker pried open a crate within one, pulling long metal tubes out to hang on hooks on the walls. Parts for the ship? Or weapons of some kind? It was hard to tell. If they were metal versions of Arkk¡¯s clay bombs, it could be a worthwhile target for her sabotage.

    For now, she would keep looking and see if there was anything more guaranteed.

    A slick squelch almost had her making a noise. One of the membranes pulled back right in front of Lexa. She pressed herself up against the wall as another worker stepped out. With the talking earlier and the worker at the crate, she had thought she had an accounting of all the people. But this guy stepped out looking exhausted. His outfit, a black tunic with the white swords of the Eternal Empire embroidered on his chest, was slick with sweat¡ªLexa hoped it was sweat.

    He didn¡¯t notice her. He walked right past, movements stiff and more mechanical than the metal whale. Like a puppet on strings. A foul alchemical stench wafted in his wake.

    The membrane slid closed behind him, squelching once more. He made no motion to close it, so she figured it must be something like Fortress Al-Mir. The doors wouldn¡¯t open unless someone part of the place was there to open them.

    That could pose a problem going forward. Would knocking one of the workers out and dragging them in front of a door work? Or did it take a conscious effort to open them?

    Savren might have been the better infiltrator if the latter was the case.

    The deeper Lexa went, the more the surroundings changed. The metallic components seemed to grow ever more organic, pulsating and oozing. The walls grew slick and damp while the air grew heavy and humid. The thick smell of rot started to overpower the fresh air coming in from behind her.

    A sudden fear that she was walking down some creature¡¯s digestive tract welled up inside her. The whale ship already had her uneasy but walking herself in to be eaten? It was enough to make her want to give up. What was a failed mission compared to being slowly digested in the bowels of some monster?

    It was hard to stay focused. There had to be something she could blow up. Some vital-looking component or a magical array that kept the whole thing alive. Those racks of metal tubes from earlier came to mind, but it was so close to the outer edge of the ship that it probably wouldn¡¯t even damage the bulk of it. Was that enough?

    Lexa took a step back, then another. She turned around, only to spot an opening she had walked right past in her distracted thoughts. The corridor beyond was even more meat-like. Even the floor went from metal to thick yellowed cartilage. Veins in the walls pulsed and thumped to a steady beat. A beat which she could hear, coming from further down the meaty corridor.

    Another membrane and the end of the corridor separated her from whatever was making that noise.

    Her imagination filled in the gaps.

    The repeated thumping. The pulsing in the walls. The meat.

    It was a heart. Not like the maze-covered stone that was the Heart of Fortress Al-Mir or the shadowy orbs that served as the cores of the walking fortresses. This was a heart. The core of a living being. Whatever monster this was¡ªshe doubted the Eternal Empire had built them here, more like grown them¡ªit was alive and this was its core.

    Lexa¡¯s fingers itched to pull her whole bandoleer of clay orbs off her shoulders and just set them right up against the membrane-like door. Although small, they were still volatile. Would they do enough damage through the door to take out the heart?

    Lexa bit her lip.

    No. She couldn¡¯t take the chance. Better to ensure this abomination went to whatever hell it had crawled out from. She had to get the door open.

    But how?

    Drag a worker in front of it? That might work¡­

    Or maybe¡­

    An idea popped into Lexa¡¯s head.

    All she had to do was get one of the workers to open it on his own. Lure one here. Maybe make him think something had gone wrong inside and consciously open the door. That would surely work better than trying to shove an unconscious body into the membrane.

    Besides, if she couldn¡¯t lure someone, she could always try knocking someone out afterward.

 Hell March

    ¡°They¡¯ve noticed us.¡±

    The alert from Harvey sent a jolt of tension through the shoulders of everyone inside the command room. Arkk quickly moved over, peering over the flopkin¡¯s shoulder.

    Although that misty fog still covered Woodly Rhyme, blocking most of the burg from view, a deluge of activity flooded out in the visible surroundings. Evestani forces wheeled out large ballistae and catapults, preparing them behind tall palisades that dozens of workers carried out and assembled ahead of the burg. Soldiers hurried back and forth, dipping in and out of the fog as they worked on their preparations.

    Arkk stared at the activity with a curious frown. Palisades? Really? They were set up as if to protect the siege weapons from a conventional army. What did they think they were going to do against him? His tower towered over the trees. Each step sent out tremors that sent men to their knees and fractured buildings. And the ballistae and catapults? When he first built the tower, he tested such weaponry against its walls. The magically reinforced stone didn¡¯t care about anything short of an avatar¡¯s magic. Why bother¡­

    There had to be something more to it. ¡°Morvin, Gretchen,¡± he called out to the two members of the research team. Zullie and Savren were preoccupied with other matters. ¡°I want an analysis on the defenses they¡¯re setting up. If you need anything, ask. Just find out if those ballistae are throwing anything unexpected at us.¡±

    The two, standing close enough to see the crystal balls as well, leaned forward in perfect mirrors of each other.

    ¡°Long-range analysis,¡± Morvin hummed with a frown.

    Gretchen murmured something back to him, earning a nod from Morvin. She leaned back and looked at Arkk. ¡°Would you move us to the lab?¡± Gretchen said.

    They were gone with barely a thought as Arkk took control of the crystal ball to focus on the Eternal Empire.

    Evestani¡¯s allies weren¡¯t camped out inside Woodly Rhyme. Paralleling Arkk¡¯s relationship with Cedric¡¯s army, Evestani kept their ally at arm¡¯s length. Or perhaps it was the Eternal Empire that didn¡¯t take kindly to their current ally. Either way, the Eternal Empire was concentrated outside the burg. Outside the fog. The Eternal Empire had its own methods of protecting against scrying, but only rendering those whale ships or their flagship invisible left the majority of their army out in the open for all to see.

    Eternal Empire knights, adorned in their black and white painted armor, were rapidly organizing. Large groups formed, together yet separate. Squads of a few dozen led by commanders with a plume of white feathers trailing from their helmets. Their forces lacked any conventional siege weapons. Given their flying ships, Arkk figured a trebuchet would just be redundant. A waste of resources to both carry and supply.

    He couldn¡¯t glean much from their preparations other than that they were aware of his approach. Unfortunately, those ships, despite being visible on the exterior, weren¡¯t easy to see inside. He had already tried scrying their interiors. Some areas, usually those occupied, were lit well enough. The rest of the ships were cloaked in darkness. Arkk couldn¡¯t say whether that was a spell or if the rooms simply lacked a light source.

    Arkk took a step back, mentally checking in on Lexa¡¯s progress. She moved about in a dimly lit corridor within one of the ships, likely using a spell to enhance her vision in the low light. Although clearly being cautious, she didn¡¯t appear in any immediate danger. So, Arkk focused his attention on other matters.

    Teleporting himself down to one of the barracks levels, Arkk took in the flurry of activity. Walking Fortress Al-Lavik, being a tower rather than a traditional squat keep, didn¡¯t have enough space on any one level for all the forces under his command to congregate. Dakka and the orcs were split across two levels, the Shieldbreakers and the battlecasters shared a floor, and Richter¡¯s men took up a full seven floors on their own. He spent a few moments with each, ensuring there were no problems with their gear and that they had no concerns about the upcoming operation.

    There were. Plenty had concerns. Their defensive position at Elmshadow had been strong, so why abandon it?

    He had already informed the commanders of his reasoning. His opponents were growing stronger in their waiting while Company Al-Mir¡¯s growth curve had flattened out. They had to act before the disparity became too great, if it wasn¡¯t already.

    Arkk left out that last bit in his explanations. No need to sew doubt when he didn¡¯t actually know where he stood in comparison to his opponents. His enemies had a numbers advantage, undoubtedly, but he had countermeasures in place for almost everything else they had demonstrated.

    Speaking of¡­

    Arkk teleported himself down the tower to a room with no windows and no doors. The entirety of the level was solid reinforced brick. Every glowstone within was specially tempered to emit as little magic as possible. It took a long moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim light level. Within, there was a simple stone table and a pair of chairs made from the same reinforced bricks that made up the rest of the walls.

    Zullie sat in one chair, rectangular glasses hanging off the end of her fingers while she rubbed her brow with her other hand. Savren sat opposite, wearing his usual dark clothes with a high collar. The bright white flower pinned to the front of the collar gave him a slightly more flamboyant look for the day.

    Between them, atop the table, was a small golden effigy of a man held between thin metal clamps. The finished countermeasure. Gone were the gaps showing off the fibers and flowers within. Gold coated the entire thing, making it look like a small figurine or idol.

    As soon as Arkk laid his eyes on it, he wobbled in place. All of a sudden, he felt like maybe his employees with concerns were right. Maybe they should call this whole thing off. Fighting sounded¡­ so tiresome. Besides, why fight when he already had the greatest treasure around? The upcoming days would be nothing but pain and trial and effort. It would be simpler to head back to Elmshadow, plant the tower again, and just wait for the inevitable¡ª

    ¡°Sir?¡± Savren said. He slid sideways, snatching a simple silver half-sphere from south of his seat. He swiftly slipped it over the statue, shielding it from its surroundings. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t show up so suddenly.¡±

    Arkk shuddered, shaking his head. Lethargy slowly faded as he took in a clipped breath.

    Zullie sat upright as well, reacting as if shocked. She quickly slid her glasses over her empty eyes and turned her head around like she was surprised to wake up here.

    ¡°Are we ready?¡± Arkk asked.

    ¡°Final testing is within the degree of magnitude we expected,¡± Zullie said, her voice slow and slightly slurred. ¡°Right? No problems on your end?¡±

    Savren¡¯s frown faded. ¡°Haven¡¯t had a hunch of hebetude.¡± Meeting the metallic clasp maintaining the flower¡¯s position on his mantle, he merrily moved it to the table.

    Zullie snatched it up, placed it under her nose, and took a brief sniff.

    It was one of the flowers from the Silence. In their natural state, they caused immediate drowsiness so intense that most people testing it fell asleep standing. But this particular one wasn¡¯t natural. Zullie, using Xel¡¯atriss magic to shift the boundaries of its concept of sleep, had worked with Savren to modify it into working almost exactly the opposite.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    It now worked as a mental stimulant. One powerful enough to stave off the feelings incurred by the gold effigy.

    ¡°Good,¡± Arkk said. ¡°If everything is in order, I¡¯ll have it ready to be used. In the meantime, Evestani has deployed catapults and ballistae¡ª¡±

    ¡°Against us?¡± Zullie asked in an incredulous tone.

    ¡°My feelings exactly. I have Morvin and Gretchen looking into it. Unless you have a better task to occupy your time¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, looking between Zullie and Savren.

    Neither looked exactly happy at the prospect of being assigned to such a relatively mundane task. Zullie truly only cared about unusual magics stemming from the various Pantheon deities. Savren also preferred a specific type of magic, that which dealt with his mental specialty. Given the situation, neither would reject an assignment they didn¡¯t like. Not now.

    But if they had more valuable ideas to research that would produce results in the next few minutes, Arkk was perfectly willing to listen.

    Some kind of silent conversation passed between the two of them. Neither really moved and neither spoke, but he could see it in their eyes. Or Savren¡¯s eyes, anyway. Zullie gave a slight nod of her head.

    ¡°Actually¡ª¡± ¡°Actually¡ª¡±

    They both spoke and stopped as one. Savren, raising a hand, gestured for Zullie to speak first.

    ¡°Earlier, we were discussing the problem of those airships and the kind of ordinance they might dispense upon us.¡± Zullie lightly patted the stone table, fingers tracing the faint maze-like pattern on its shadowy surface. ¡°I do not doubt that the fortress can handle a casual stone or even alchemical explosive¡­¡±

    ¡°Given the guidance of the gleaming avatar, claims of gouging the ground in grand guerre¡­¡±

    ¡°We were concerned that they may be able to deploy more esoteric effects.¡±

    Arkk crossed his arms, looking between the two. The Light¡¯s avatar had said that these ships¡ªor perhaps whatever weapons or magic they carried¡ªwere banned because they were so destructive. Having seen the alchemical fire rained down upon his undead army, he hadn¡¯t been too concerned. But now that it was brought up again, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a welling of unease in the back of his mind.

    ¡°Do you have solutions?¡±

    ¡°You recall the gauntlet of trials we put the Evestani army through on their way to Woodly Rhyme? Testing out various magics and their reactions to them?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Arkk said with a nod of his head.

    ¡°One of those was my plan¡ª¡±

    ¡°Several were your plans,¡± Arkk corrected. ¡°I seem to recall that most ended in¡­ Well, ineffectively, to put it kindly.¡±

    Zullie huffed. ¡°That¡¯s not kind at all,¡± she said, turning off to the side. ¡°But one was listed as an Impenetrable Cube. Which is a gross oversimplification of principles beyond which you could possibly¡ª¡±

    This again, Arkk thought with a mental sigh. ¡°Zullie.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to revisit the project. This time in a defensive capacity.¡±

    Arkk took in a slow breath, considering the idea. He had nothing better for her to work on in the immediate timeframe they were working with. ¡°Do you think you can make progress on it now when you were unable to with far more time earlier?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Savren had a few¡­ a very few number of worthy ideas that might assist.¡±

    Savren didn¡¯t bother to hide the way he rolled his eyes. If anything, he exaggerated for effect.

    ¡°Then do it. Contact me if you need anything.¡±

    ¡°Drop us off in the small library.¡±

    Arkk did as he was asked, leaving him alone in the dim room. He stared down at the silver dome that shielded the rest of the room from the effigy. Reaching out, he rested his hand on the dome¡¯s small handle, only to shake his head and pull back. If he ended up enthralled by its effects, only Ilya would be able to access this room and she was out at the other walking fortress.

    Still, he didn¡¯t like leaving it alone. Something about it just¡­ unnerved him.

    But there was no choice for the moment.

    He teleported back to the command center to resume preparations, wondering how Ilya was doing on her own.

    <hr>

    ¡°I hate this.¡±

    ¡°I truly do not comprehend the issue.¡±

    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t,¡± Ilya groaned, fingers tense around the armrests of her seat. ¡°You¡¯re some kind of monster that can reform yourself from a puddle of goo. Like an advanced slime creature. You probably don¡¯t even have a sense of balance.¡± Her feet were curled around the legs of the chair, pinning her in place. Eyes closed and abs taut, she tried to keep herself as still as possible.

    It didn¡¯t help. She felt like she was swaying back and forth, wobbling through the world like a drunkard after binging at a festival. Back and forth, back and forth. Her heavy footsteps slammed down and created even more shaking. Jostled about, Ilya felt sick.

    ¡°That is a little rude,¡± Vezta said, her blas¨¦ tone indicating that she didn¡¯t care about being compared to a slime in the slightest. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I have ever seen someone with your problem. You are completely stationary relative to the room.¡±

    ¡°The Light-damned room isn¡¯t stationary!¡±

    Ilya, seated in a small room at the highest tip of Leda¡¯s¡­ her tower, tried not to lose her lunch as it trudged across the arid plains of south-western Mystakeen. Her head hurt, her stomach hurt, her eyes hurt. She had been stabbed through the stomach repeatedly at the Duke¡¯s party and she was fairly certain she would rather go through that again than continue moving the tower.

    ¡°Arkk reported no such issues any time he has moved his tower. Neither did the fairy, for that matter.¡±

    ¡°Fairies fly around, they probably have immunity to anything that might make them dizzy. As for Arkk¡­¡±

    Arkk had far more experience with this kind of stuff than she did. He hardly needed an excuse.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have this problem when Arkk moved his walking fortress to Elmshadow.¡±

    ¡°I could barely tell that we were moving. It¡¯s different now. Like I am the one out there, moving while utterly massive. I can feel each step the tower takes like I¡¯m taking it with my own feet. Yet here I am, seated in a chair at the top.¡± Ilya pressed her mouth closed, forcing herself to swallow, before finishing. ¡°It is beyond disorienting.¡±

    ¡°You are focusing on the entire tower? All at once?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Ilya snapped, opening her eyes just a sliver to glare at the monstrous servant.

    Not that she needed to open her eyes to see Vezta. She could see everything. Every single tile in the high room, every scrap of food in the storehouse floor, the sparsely occupied barracks level, and even the five hulking machines Perr¡¯ok had been working on that Arkk gave her for this operation. She could feel the legs of the tower as if they were her own legs, lifting them up, moving forward, then placing them back down. Even the wind rushing past the tower felt like a breeze against her skin.

    She had known Arkk had a lot of control over Fortress Al-Mir and knew roughly everything that occurred inside it, but she hadn¡¯t realized that it was on this level of thoroughness. Ilya could peer into even the most private of rooms with the occupants none the wiser. The few employees she had directly under her contract rather than here because of Arkk were much the same, even if they were outside her territory.

    It was like her body had grown massive and she could look in at every little speck of blood running through her veins on an individual level.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have personal experience,¡± Vezta said with a serious frown, ¡°but I think that sounds like the wrong way about doing things. You can¡¯t stop focusing on everything?¡±

    ¡°How can I stop? It has been like this since accepting this position.¡± Did Arkk not constantly look into everything in his fortresses? Did he not feel the tower as it moved?

    Humming, Vezta frowned further before voicing the same thing Ilya had just been wondering. ¡°I wonder if Arkk is¡­ Ah, but he would have Fortress Al-Mir to ground himself. He might not be aware of the movement on the same level that you seem to be operating on because of that.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that I need to go find a main fortress somewhere just to make this feeling go away?¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t hurt.¡± Vezta looked away from Ilya, approaching the observation window. As Ilya¡¯s spire was narrower and more peaked at the top than Arkk¡¯s tower, the window bulged out a bit, allowing someone to stand on the glass to see directly below them. ¡°And it would probably help in other matters a great deal. However, for now, you could take a short rest. Too much further and we¡¯ll end up trampling the guests we are here to meet.¡±

    Ilya¡¯s eyes popped all the way open in surprise. They weren¡¯t supposed to reach there anytime soon. The motion of the tower jerked to a stop as Ilya planted her legs into the ground. As soon as the tower stilled, she stood, legs wavering but steady enough.

    Perhaps she would have to thank Vezta. The conversation must have distracted her from the actual journey.

    Approaching the window alongside Vezta, Ilya pulled out a spyglass, using it to peer downward. A relatively small bivouac, adorned in the blue of the Kingdom of Chernlock¡ªwith a bit of Vaales-aligned red and gold mixed in on a select few of the tents¡ªwas on the ground perhaps ten paces ahead of them. Ten tower paces. Several hundred human paces. A short distance away in another small camp, the black and white of White Company¡¯s banners flew proudly.

    The soldiers of the bivouac were in the process of scattering, fleeing as fast as their feet could carry them. A few horses, riderless, were further away, running hard enough that Ilya doubted they would be able to be recovered anytime soon.

    ¡°Think I scared them a little,¡± Ilya said, wilting.

    This operation was off to a great start.

 No Plan Survives Contact

    As expected, Walking Fortress Al-Lavik lost most of its momentum once beyond the pre-claimed territory surrounding Elmshadow. Not wanting to lose contact with the ground cost him speed, but not as much as he had assumed it would. It was true that lesser servants couldn¡¯t outpace the tower on the ground, nor could they spread out fast enough once the forwardmost leg planted itself on the ground.

    But Arkk had a workaround to the issue. A teleportation ritual and a truly copious number of servants allowed him to send them forward to dig the tunnels¡ªby far the most time-consuming aspect of claiming new territory¡ªand have them all in position ready to begin claiming the moment they had connected territory.

    That little trick he had come up with let him barely outpace Mags and the Prince¡¯s rallied army.

    The Prince said to put them on the front lines. Arkk still doubted their ability to survive contact with anything but the most base conscripts in the enemy army. As it was, the tower marching ahead would take the majority of the enemy¡¯s focus. It was large and notable, too much to be ignored. Hopefully, that would take some of the pressure off the regular soldiers.

    At the same time, Arkk hoped they would take the brunt of the worst conventional fighting. Although he had heard murmurs about his bleeding heart nature¡ªnot that he thought wanting to keep people safe was a bad thing¡ªArkk didn¡¯t necessarily agree. He wanted to keep his people safe first and foremost. Whether that be through a demonstration of overwhelming power to potential enemies or sending them to their deaths as a distraction, he would do so without hesitation.

    Or, in this particular circumstance, he would allow them to rush to the frontlines on their own. It wasn¡¯t like he had direct command over the army.

    A sudden ping of alarm through the link pulled his attention from his thoughts. Arkk quickly honed in on it, hoping it wasn¡¯t Lexa, only to find the source of the alarm only a few paces away from him.

    Camilla, the young fairy on the scrying team, wavered in her seat and crashed to the floor, unconscious.

    Drek and Luthor both, in the same scrying pit, jolted in shock. The gremlin cried out in shock, leaving the crystal ball to check on Camilla. Luthor recovered his wherewithal a little better, taking over the crystal ball. An image of a blue sky shimmered into its glass.

    ¡°Airborn ship sighted,¡± the chameleon beastman said in a surprisingly calm declaration.

    ¡°Whale ship or the other one?¡± Arkk asked as he teleported himself a few paces into the pit. He quickly checked on Camilla. Information through the link indicated she was alive and healthy, if unusually drained. Drek stood over her, fretting. He tried to pat her cheeks to wake her up.

    Arkk teleported them both to the infirmary. Hale¡¯s specialties did not include recovery from magical exhaustion, unfortunately, but she would be able to reassure Drek that Camilla was alright.

    Had that been an attack just now? On his scrying team? Or had Arkk been pushing them too far lately?

    ¡°Other one,¡± Luthor answered. ¡°Looks like a b-big sea ship.¡±

    It certainly did. Tall, black and white sails bulged with the wind, carrying the wooden vessel through the air as easily as its water-based equivalent would move through an ocean. Wood panels, rather than the metal of the whales, gleamed in the morning light, reflecting as if they had been polished just last night. Ports along its underbelly were open, letting three rows of short cannons protrude.

    Arkk took control of the crystal ball, scrying closer. The moment the perspective crossed beyond a short distance from the deck, the interior of the glass ball turned black with a drastically increased drain on his magic. Similar but not quite the same as the way the inquisitors hid themselves from scrying so long ago.

    The drain must have been what got Camilla. Not an attack then, at least not directly, but a defensive measure against unwanted observers. That was a small relief.

    ¡°Do not attempt to scry inside that ship,¡± Arkk said, raising his voice loud enough for the team in the opposing scrying pit to hear. The whale ships lacked defenses like that. Or did they have them and he hadn¡¯t paid enough attention?

    Something to check on later. For now, the airship warranted his full attention.

    Pulling the perspective back, he scanned around it, trying to get an idea of where it was.

    It was high above the ground. So high that trees in the forest below looked like mere dots. A river, the same that ran through the Elmshadow valley, looked more like an oddly colored hair stuck to the crystal ball than a river flowing with fresh water from the slowly melting mountain snow. And his tower¡­ Arkk had thought his tower was one of the tallest things he had ever seen, mountains aside. Yet in the perspective of the crystal ball, it was nothing more than a small coin placed among the dots of the trees and the line of the river.

    He couldn¡¯t even imagine how high up that airship had to be at the moment.

    With a start, Arkk¡¯s eyes flicked to the tower once again.

    It was overhead. Directly overhead.

    The underbelly cannons began to glow a bright white.

    The tower lurched hard enough that even the stabilizing magic wasn¡¯t enough to prevent people from stumbling. All six legs planted into the ground, giving it as much support as Arkk could.

    Arkk flicked his eyes to the army trailing after the tower. They were too far away. They would be caught out.

    Arkk didn¡¯t hesitate.

    He teleported a large red marble directly into the center of the ritual magic room. Lelith, sitting at the table in the ritual room, stared at the marble for a full second before her eyes widened. The dark elf whirled around, shouting alarm. Arkk couldn¡¯t hear what she was saying, but he knew the protocols. He watched, teeth bared in a tense grit, as Kassa rushed to the defensive circle. Charged glowstones were already in place. All it took was the orc slamming her hand onto the ritual and pulsing her magic to get it going.

    The tower lurched and rocked as impacts struck along its side and top. Each exploded in a perfect sphere, uncomfortably reminiscent of the detainment Tybalt, avatar of the Jailer of the Void, had used under Inquisitrix Sylvara¡¯s command. Unlike Tybalt¡¯s magic, they did not obliterate the contents of the circles. The tower was intact, if strained. He could feel the tower¡¯s Heart warning him of the attack.

    Although it had been mere moments since sending the red marble to the ritual room, it felt like hours before the protective dome began to form. A swirling and obscuring rush of magic similar to the spell Zullie had demonstrated upon his first encounter with the witch.

    The bombardment from above continued. The shield caught the attack, though it wasn¡¯t perfect. If two impacts struck the dome at the same spot in rapid succession, some of the magic of the second would make it through, enough to strike the tower, albeit in a much less powerful strike than the first volley.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    If their attacker noticed those holes and had the accuracy to lay down concentrated fire, the situation could turn dire.

    Arkk teleported himself out of the command room, reappearing in the bombardment room with the crystal ball in hand. Lelith jolted at his arrival, only to take a breath. The few other members of the bombardment team were running around, ensuring all the rituals were fully operational and ready to be used. At the moment, only Kassa was actively maintaining a ritual, doing her best to keep the defensive spell going.

    ¡°Sir, defensive shield in place and holding. We¡¯re prepared with a second to take over when the glowstones start to wane¡ª¡±

    An impact slipping through the defense thundered against the reinforced walls, cutting her report off. A momentary strain crossed Kassa¡¯s face. The ritual circle brightened as the glowstones dimmed. It was just a flicker, returning to a steady glowing hum as the barrier sealed itself back up.

    ¡°Good work,¡± Arkk said. Although he thought she could have been a little faster in getting it going, he wasn¡¯t about to harm morale by berating her in the middle of combat. He made a mental note to increase training among his ritual team in the future. For now, Arkk held out the crystal ball. ¡°Our target is high overhead. Have we got anything that can hit it?¡±

    Lelith squinted into the crystal ball with a slowly deepening frown on her face. ¡°May I?¡±

    Arkk handed over the crystal ball. ¡°Do not try to scry inside it. It has some kind of active defensive spell preventing that.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± she said, lightly tapping the crystal ball to take over its perspective.

    She didn¡¯t try to look inside. Neither did she look closely. Instead, the view in the crystal ball zoomed about near the ground. It looked upward at the dot in the sky, checking its position from several spots, usually with the tower in view.

    Arkk knew what she was doing, roughly. He had seen her do so before. She was trying to measure distances. The known height and size of the tower provided a reference for her to use. Most casters had a mind for geometry¡ªa trait Arkk attributed to the circles and geometric lines drawn out for rituals¡ªbut Lelith was one of the best at rapidly estimating exactly how far something was with nothing more than a glance through the crystal ball. It was one of the reasons the dark elf was in charge of the bombardment teams.

    This time, however, she was taking longer than normal. The growing frown on her face didn¡¯t fill him with any amount of reassurance.

    The tower shuddered as a pair of shots made it through a small gap in the barrier. The magic of the fortress kept them mostly steady despite it rocking backward a few degrees. It was still enough to jolt them.

    That jolt got Lelith talking. ¡°The distance between us and the airship is approximately equivalent to the distance between Hemlight Village and Cliff City.¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes, trying to place the village relative to Cliff. While he had heard of it¡ªhe was fairly certain he, Ilya, and Dakka had passed through it on their first visit to Cliff¡ªit hadn¡¯t been in any way notable. On their horse-drawn cart traveling casually a bit over walking speed, it had probably taken them two hours to reach the city walls.

    Not an insignificant distance.

    They had specially prepared long-range spells and even practiced hitting aerial targets¡ªwith Priscilla providing the target. But none had been so far. That was well beyond his expectations. Nothing they had could hit a whole village away.

    ¡°The only thing we have that might hit them is the boulder ritual,¡± Lelith said, making Arkk raise his eyebrows.

    While a traditional trebuchet could hit something about a thousand paces away and the boulder drop spell could target maybe double that, that wasn¡¯t anywhere close enough to target the airship if her estimate was correct. ¡°How so?¡± he asked.

    ¡°It manifests a boulder at extreme altitudes then uses simple gravity to destroy whatever is underneath, but I am not exactly sure how high. Unfortunately, even if it does manifest high enough, we would still have to target the ground underneath the ship.¡±

    ¡°Target us, you mean. The tower can take hits from the boulder ritual.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t precisely overhead, but again, I am not exactly certain where the boulder manifests. To hit the ship, we may have to aim around us. Fine if we¡¯re aiming to the west, but if the manifestation event occurs on the opposite angle¡­¡±

    Lelith readjusted the view of the crystal ball, displaying the swirling whirlwind around the tower and, down toward the ground, the panicked King¡¯s Royal Army as they sought cover from the handful of stray shots that may or may not have been deliberately aimed in their direction.

    Arkk pursed his lips. It was one thing to leave them out in the open. It was another thing entirely to deliberately target them, even if it was to strike at the airship. If he did so, he had little doubt that a demon would pop into their midst and obliterate them all.

    ¡°Target us or ahead of us. If the boulder manifests below the ship, it won¡¯t be worth pursuing further and we¡¯ll have to come up with something else. If we have to target the army to hit the ship¡­¡±

    His eyes flicked to the army again. They were trailing behind the tower. Because of that, they were directly over the tunnels he had been making to keep connected with Elmshadow.

    ¡°Try to hit the ship, but do not hit our allies. I¡¯ll handle getting them to¡ª¡±

    The tower rocked under a series of impacts. The airship figured out the trick to focusing their shots. Arkk grimaced, grasping at the table to keep himself upright. Lelith jolted backward but managed to keep her balance with a single step.

    Kassa wasn¡¯t so lucky. The orc maintaining the defensive ritual slid as the floor inclined, falling to her backside. Without her in position to maintain it, the entire ritual circle flickered and failed. The swirling protective barrier collapsed around the tower.

    Another group of shots, fired at the same spot to punch through the no-longer-existent shield, all struck the tower as one. The Heart cried out in alarm as chunks of shadowy stone blasted off the side of the tower. One of the tower legs, hit at the higher joint in the spider-like configuration, cracked and broke from another impact, causing the tower to lean slightly in that direction.

    Arkk teleported himself to the defensive ritual, flooding it with magic the instant he arrived. The defensive swirl started up immediately, coursing around the tower to block another follow-up volley.

    He immediately teleported a swarm of lesser servants out to the tower exterior. They didn¡¯t even need to be told that repairs were needed.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Kassa said, voice a bare whisper as she hurried back to her spot.

    ¡°Lie on your stomach,¡± Arkk said instead of the first, more acetic response that came to mind. ¡°You¡¯ll be less likely to be knocked around if that happens again.¡±

    It was his fault anyway. The magic of the tower kept them from feeling it moving, so he figured there wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but that clearly was not the case for sustained, heavy fire. The moment they had a reprieve, he would be figuring out how to get harnesses in place for anyone maintaining the spells. Or rather, he would be delegating that task to one of the crafters.

    For now, he made sure that Kassa had control over the defensive ritual circle again before he stepped off it. ¡°Lelith, try to hit the airship with the boulder. Don¡¯t hit our friends.¡±

    ¡°Unders¡ª¡±

    Arkk teleported away before she finished.

    He reappeared in the tunnels beneath the Prince¡¯s army.

    Lesser servants swarmed about. He practically had to wade through a knee-deep layer of the slime-like monsters just to move. But they were working and they were working fast. A hundred of them could get a great deal of work done, especially when they weren¡¯t trying to outpace a walking fortress.

    The tunnel widened around Arkk, deepening, lengthening, and forming into more of a grand hall of sorts. It wasn¡¯t fancy. It was still a rush job. But it grew to a big enough size to at least temporarily house several thousand troops. He wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain such a wide tunnel the entire way, not if he wanted to move at even a sedate pace, but for now¡­

    Large ramps, angled upward, breached the surface. Arkk didn¡¯t even need to venture above to call the troops in. As soon as something that looked like shelter appeared, the soldiers were all too happy to rush straight toward them. It could have been a trap for all they knew, but it wasn¡¯t out in an active siege zone. That was all that mattered to the soldiers and their horses.

    Arkk was about to teleport away when he noticed one particular figure bustling through the crowd of soldiers. Mags, normally dressed in fine clothes ill-fitting of war¡ªin Arkk¡¯s opinion¡ªdecided to adorn himself in a regalia of mud and dirt. Either that or he fell off his horse. Arkk was not surprised, but he was disappointed he had been focused on more important matters and had missed the incident.

    ¡°What¡ªI say, what manner of sorcery is going on here?¡± Mags blustered as he approached.

    Arkk stared at him, long and hard. Mags barely seemed to notice, too busy patting himself down in a futile attempt to clean up his clothing. ¡°I did warn you,¡± Arkk eventually said. ¡°Your army is not prepared to fight this war. Do you still wish to continue? Do they still wish to continue?¡±

    Mags looked up with narrowed eyes. He opened his mouth, about to say something, only for Arkk to feel another warning alarm from the Heart.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Arkk said, teleporting away before Mags could voice whatever he was about to say.

    As an afterthought, Arkk got the swarm of lesser servants to construct several heavy walls between the tower and the tunnels. There was a demon among that army and Arkk had no patience for doppelganger-induced panic to spread among his crew at a time like this.

    He had a war to fight.

 Hunkered Down

    It was a rather novel experience to ascend a set of stairs without moving one¡¯s legs. To be more accurate, it was the stairs that were moving, lifting up into the upper reaches of the factory before, through some sort of magic or machinery, returning to the bottom to continue the unbroken staircase. It wasn¡¯t the first time she had ridden such a contraption but this was the longest.

    ¡°I have received a report.¡±

    Agnete turned to her side, looking over Who with a mild frown. The construct, during their relatively brief foray back home, decided that she deserved some attire of her own. Which, at the moment, was one of Agnete¡¯s many spare inquisitor cloaks. Long, black, and with several silver buttons holding straps across the chest. Agnete had more than enough of them to spare, having her entire wardrobe full of them. It wasn¡¯t the best clothing for any engineer and would get in the way of her using tools, but Agnete supposed it didn¡¯t matter much. If she needed to use her tools in a hurry, damaging the cloak wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    They weren¡¯t expensive to produce. The silver wasn¡¯t real silver and the fabric was made cheap. As everyone expected them to be burned away the moment Agnete got a little hot, both the inquisitors and Arkk elected for the cheap route.

    ¡°Thirty-two transport vehicles, each of which contains sixty-four automatons. Two hundred fifty-six voltcoil wyrms. Sixteen swarms of furnace scarabs. And¡­ eight Ironmongers.¡± Who paused, her mechanical innards clicking in what Agnete decided was genuine surprise. The clicking stopped and she adjusted her head to face Agnete. ¡°There are an additional two vehicles loaded with service personnel and spare materials.¡±

    ¡°Odd numbers,¡± Agnete mused.

    ¡°No. Quite normal. Low, perhaps. If you had filled out the proper forms well in advance, we could have had two to the sixteenth transport vehicles and equivalent increase of other units. Unfortunately, this was as many as we could allocate within the specified timeframe.¡±

    Agnete looked over Who with a deepened frown, wondering about the creature and whether or not she had made any mistakes in construction. Two to sixteen vehicles sounded like far less than the thirty-two they had, unless she meant in addition to the ones they had. ¡°Spending two weeks filling out an elongated form only to have to wait several months for the form to be processed would take planning so far in advance that it borders on prescience,¡± she said, tone flat. ¡°We¡¯ll have to settle for what we¡¯ve got.¡±

    It sounded like a fair amount. The automatons were, much like Who, roughly humanoid personnel with black-box cores. Within the Anvil, they were charged with resolving any problem that could not be resolved through the factory¡¯s autonomous means. The voltcoils, the flying lightning serpents, were relics from ages past. Allegedly, their duties involved soaring through the smoggy and stormy skies, charging internal capacitors with natural lightning strikes. Once fully charged, they would relocate to a power station to discharge, powering the factory.

    The factory had grown too large to utilize voltcoils effectively, but they were still produced and still carried out their duties.

    Furnace scarabs, small beetle-like machines, carried out repair and maintenance in cramped and confined locations within the factory. They carried a plethora of cutting and welding tools and possessed the unique ability to pull material through space from stockpiles. Agnete wasn¡¯t sure if that last feature would work in another plane, but the cutting torches would still function.

    And the Ironmongers¡­ They were effectively miniature walking factories. Not nearly as large as Arkk¡¯s walking fortress, but still quite bulky with an array of assembly machines, processing plants, and furnaces to rapidly construct practically anything.

    Anything except more black boxes. To the best of Agnete¡¯s knowledge, only the Burning Forge itself, and her by extension, could perform that task.

    ¡°I have a question for you,¡± Agnete said, only to frown again as Who twitched.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the machine said before Agnete could ask. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why we have no gearstriders, titans, or roko basilisks. Torchwings were evaluated as being unhelpful in the current situation and magnetrons are too integrated with the Anvil to leave¡ª¡±

    Agnete held up a hand. If she were being honest, she hadn¡¯t even thought about any of the other creatures roaming the factory. The army granted to her was more than she had dared hope for.

    ¡°I was going to ask about the reports you get. Or any other knowledge, for that matter. When I first put you together, you hopped off the table and immediately knew where to go, how to speak, and so on.¡± It was one of the areas in which Arkk was lacking. He could see afar, but he couldn¡¯t speak afar. Or hear. If they could learn what magic allowed such communication within the Anvil, his effectiveness would drastically increase.

    ¡°Ah¡­ This is not my first casing. My original casing was damaged. Thus, a great portion of my knowledge is legacy. However, current information is disseminated¡ªOh! There. Did you hear it?¡±

    Agnete paused, hand on the railing that moved along with the stairs. The Anvil was noisy. A cacophony of whirring gears, hissing steam, clanging metal, and all manner of other sound. But that was all it was. Noise.

    Who had been getting better at reading the expressions on Agnete¡¯s face. ¡°It was like a chittering¡­ a ticking clicking¡­ hmm¡­ I wonder if I could verbalize it at an audible frequency range.¡±

    Gesturing for Who to go ahead, Agnete listened.

    It began with a high-pitched whistle, akin to the shrill call of a distant banshee, followed by a series of rhythmic chattering that sounded like a particularly angry group of crickets engaging in a feverish debate. With a tilt of Who¡¯s head, a low rumble started mixed with sharp, intermittent screeches. It ended with a long roar of wind through a narrow tunnel, lasting several seconds, before Who suddenly stopped.

    ¡°There,¡± Who said, straightening the shaft in her spine in pride. ¡°That was the notice that just went out.¡±

    ¡°That was a notice? It sounded like¡­¡± Describing that in one word seemed impossible without simply calling it more noise. That seemed to be the theme of the Anvil. Noise upon noise upon noise. For some reason, she doubted Arkk would be able to replicate that noise. Even if he could, she doubted it would be useful.

    It certainly hadn¡¯t helped her.

    ¡°It was an alert that the combat force has been fully mobilized. They await ahead, ready for the Burning Forge¡¯s hand to command them.¡±

    The escalating stairway reached its peak as Who spoke.

    Agnete stepped off onto a balcony, wide and impossibly long. It overlooked a large platform¡ªhastily assembled¡ªwith a ramp leading to the portal.

    Though she had heard the numbers from Who, seeing it in person was overwhelming. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared out over the smog-filled horizon. The transports rumbled in place, jittering and shaking as plumes of black smoke flowed from tall pipes at their rears. One transport looked to still be loading, its side flipped up into an opened position while a series of automatons shuffled inside, taking seats along the walls. The blue-painted transports were large enough that scraping against the portal would be a hazard once they started moving.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    The voltcoils drifted overhead, lazily maintaining a vague formation that seemed to break apart and reform with every passing moment. Lightning raced across their skeletal forms, jumping from pylon to pylon on their backs. Occasionally, lightning made the longer jump to another voltcoil if two drifted too close together.

    Swarms of scarabs looked more like a dust cloud clinging to the rest of the army. However, the dust cloud moved and surged in sixteen smaller groupings. Agnete was too far away to distinguish the small, insect-like machines individually, but as a whole, they gave her a slight sense of unease. Dust shouldn¡¯t move like that.

    The Ironmongers stood at the rear. They were¡­ smaller than expected. And far less bipedal. More like flat blocks of machinery and random bits of metal, all crammed together to sit atop long treaded platforms, each standing no higher than the large transports but easily twice as long.

    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t fit through the portal if fully deployed,¡± Who explained, once again demonstrating an increased awareness of Agnete¡¯s expressions. ¡°Rest assured, their efficiency won¡¯t be diminished as mobile construction vehicles. The only problem will be terrain. But if it proves too rough to cross on treads, they can take time to reconfigure themselves into proper walkers.¡±

    ¡°I see. How fast can the army as a whole move?¡±

    ¡°Voltcoils are the fastest, followed by the transports. Mobile construction vehicles are the slowest by far, but they shouldn¡¯t be placed on the front anyway.¡±

    Agnete swept her eyes over the army once again, noting the final transport had finished closing up. The logistics of moving the army was going to be an issue. The vehicles were all far too large for a teleportation ritual. That said, she had seen the speed at which some vehicles moved in this world. The trains in particular could cross vast swaths of land in mere moments.

    No sense delaying any longer, she thought as she stepped forward to take command.

    Perhaps she should ride atop one of the transports.

    <hr>

    ¡°How long can we maintain the shield?¡±

    Arkk took his eyes off the crystal ball¡ªonly one was in the command center at the moment, the other was being used for targeting spells. Rekk¡¯ar stood at the window, looking upward. Most of it had been bricked over by the lesser servants, reducing the potentially vulnerable points in the tower. All other windows in the fortress had been fully sealed. Although reinforced with the fortress magic, glass was still weaker than stone. All that remained here was a small gap.

    He couldn¡¯t see anything. Neither could Arkk without the aid of the crystal ball. The swirling gale that was the defensive shield was like a tornado in a heavy storm, blocking the view of everything. Every so often, small parts of it would brighten. White blotches on the surrounding winds. Zullie had done something to tweak her spell to better block the specific type of magic. It wasn¡¯t her impenetrable god-derived barrier, which wasn¡¯t yet ready¡ªArkk had been forced to move her onto a different project before she could finish it¡ªbut it at least kept the worst of the attacks away from them.

    ¡°Until the glowstones run dry,¡± Arkk said, stepping away from the crystal ball. ¡°We can maintain the shield for about one day without resupply. I have sent the first batch to be recharged in the Underworld, but they take longer to charge than they do to deplete. We¡¯ll run out in a few days.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar grunted, taking his eyes off the window. ¡°I imagine they will change tactics before then. This clearly isn¡¯t working the way they wanted anymore.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure. Evestani¡¯s army is on the move. Although obscured by fog, I can see enough golden light to presume the presence of the avatar. Although the bombardment isn¡¯t going to kill us, they may wish to hold us in place until the avatar arrives.¡± Arkk, stepping alongside Rekk¡¯ar, peered out the window. A futile action, he knew, but he stared up at the swirling shield with his own eyes anyway. ¡°However, I would prefer if we changed tactics first. I¡¯d rather not give them the initiative.¡±

    ¡°I was about to say the same thing,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said with a self-satisfied nod of his head. ¡°You have a plan?¡±

    Arkk folded his arms, watching the repeated lights strike the barrier as the airship¡¯s bombardment continued. He didn¡¯t respond right away.

    He had a few ideas. He didn¡¯t know that they quite broached the concept of a plan. Attacking the airship directly wasn¡¯t possible with their current repertoire of spells. The boulders for the bombardment spell manifested just below the flying ship, almost like they knew. Which, given that Arkk had used the spell before and that it had originally been an Evestani spell before he stole it, made sense. They would know its capabilities and how to protect themselves from its effects.

    If anything, Arkk bet that hovering just a sliver above the boulder manifestation point was a taunt.

    Zullie was off the defensive project and on to finding anything that could hit the ship. If Priscilla were up, she could have punched a hole in the side of the ship or coated its underside¡ªand cannons¡ªwith ice to weigh it down. Her recent injuries and current unconsciousness were making that solution nonviable. Agnete might have been able to use her increased control over her flames to mimic the golden avatar¡¯s destructive rays. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was possible, but he had seen Agnete use narrow beams of flames since her return. He just wasn¡¯t sure of her range. But she was in the Anvil at the moment, collecting the reinforcements the Burning Forge promised her.

    From a quick check-in over the link, it looked like she was succeeding. He was tempted to tug on her link to urge her back sooner, but if it meant bolstering his army, he could wait a short while longer.

    Apart from those three, Arkk didn¡¯t see many options. They hadn¡¯t been prepared to fight something that could attack from so far away. Kia and Claire couldn¡¯t fight what they couldn¡¯t reach, the weaponry they had developed to counter a demon was also meant for closer range than this, and while he did have a select few fliers in his company, sending even a quartet of harpies and a pair of syrens against an entire battleship sounded like a good way to lose his fliers without accomplishing anything in turn.

    There was only one thing he could think to do. Something only he could do.

    ¡°I have something of a plan,¡± Arkk said with a frown. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to like it.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar huffed, looking down at a leather-gloved hand. ¡°I can count the things you¡¯ve said that I liked on one finger. Perhaps two. That hasn¡¯t stopped you in the past. And if it gets us out of being pinned down¡­¡±

    Arkk drew in a breath. ¡°Do you recall the first time we met?¡±

    Looking up from his hand, Rekk¡¯ar raised a brow. ¡°Outside your village?¡±

    ¡°That and before that, actually. Technically, we didn¡¯t meet.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the attack on the village,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said with a sudden nervous shift in his demeanor. It was subtle, mostly coming across in his eyes, but he did take a small step away from Arkk as he repositioned himself to fully face Arkk.

    Come to think of it, had Rekk¡¯ar ever once apologized for attacking the village?

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure he had. Though at this point, he wasn¡¯t sure it mattered.

    ¡°At the time, you called me something. You requested a meeting with someone particular when you came to the village.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar winced, turning aside. ¡°In my defense, the others described a monster of lightning and darkness. Dakka, especially. I didn¡¯t see you personally, though I did see some lightning bolts flying around. That was enough evidence for me to just repeat what I was told. I now realize Vezta was the darkness and you¡­¡± He looked Arkk up and down. ¡°You are you.¡±

    ¡°I feel I should be offended.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t say anything untrue,¡± the orc said with a casual shrug. ¡°But I recall one thing in particular from that day. One thing beyond two people managing to fight off a hundred goblins on their own and our chieftain¡¯s rage at everyone¡¯s incompetence. The one thing I did see with my own eyes. A lightning bolt, larger than any I have witnessed in nature, striking the sky itself. The one thing that made me think there truly was some kind of beast of lightning in that little village.¡±

    ¡°My magical power increases with expanded territory and numerous employees. At the time of that, I had a handful of rooms and a few connecting corridors under my control. Now?¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s eyes widened ever so slowly. ¡°You think you can take out the airship entirely on your own?¡±

    Arkk shrugged. ¡°No idea. Not like I tried. But I¡¯d say it is worth a shot, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°It certainly is¡­ but I¡¯m not hating this plan yet. Where is the problem?¡±

    The walking fortress shuddered as the bombardment continued. Something got through the shield, but not enough to truly rock the tower. Just enough to make everyone in the command center freeze for a brief instant, bracing themselves, before they resumed their duties.

    ¡°I cannot channel such a vast amount of power in an instant. And I need open access to the skies.¡±

    ¡°Out there?¡± Rekk¡¯ar snapped, making apparent just how much he didn¡¯t like the part Arkk knew he wouldn¡¯t. He curled his lips away from his tusks as he sneered. ¡°Are you mad?¡±

    ¡°I did warn you.¡±

    ¡°Can you not charge up¡ªor whatever it is you are doing¡ªthen teleport yourself at the last moment?¡±

    ¡°Tried that in a little experiment earlier. Tore apart the room I vacated with a blast of wild and uncontrolled magic.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar took on a stormy look at that admission. It only lasted a few moments before he straightened his shoulders and nodded to himself. ¡°I see. The solution is simple then.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°We just have to protect you from anything getting through that shield until you¡¯re ready. Then, you fry the bastards.¡±

 Reinforcements Arrive

    Frying the bastards was easier said than done.

    Arkk stood out in the gale caused by the tower¡¯s defensive spells, staring up at where he thought the enemy craft should be. He couldn¡¯t see it. Even if the twisting winds weren¡¯t there, he doubted he would have been able to see the ship. It was just so far above them that his pitiful human eyes couldn¡¯t see more than a black spot that the rest of the sky bled over.

    Electro Deus didn¡¯t like not having a target. On the rare occasions he had tried to use the spell without anything around, such as the attention-drawing lightning bolt during his and Vezta¡¯s defense of Langleey Village, he could force it eventually, building up the magic until it had to go somewhere. He was hoping that, with a target up above, it would naturally gravitate toward the ship despite his inability to see or aim clearly.

    Lightning sparked around Arkk, branching out from everywhere on him to the ground and the tower¡¯s walls. They were far from the tower, but stray bolts of lightning seemed especially attracted to its stone walls. He could feel each as a tickle, as if they were grazing his own skin. But the tower¡¯s magical reinforcement took the energy of the bolt and just channeled it straight back to him.

    He had chanted the incantation two minutes ago and had spent the intervening time holding it in and building it up. He was trying to prevent as much lightning from escaping him as possible. Unlike at Langleey Village, he wasn¡¯t trying to blast it off the moment he could.

    He needed more.

    Every scrap of power he could muster.

    His hair stood on end. A spark jumped from his fingers to his thigh. It pinched, hurting more than it hurt when striking the tower; the magic of the spell still reentered him, joining with the rest of his pooling power. It did, however, burn a small hole through his trousers.

    A larger bolt escaped, crackling through the air as it struck a nearby tree. Splinters of wood exploded into the air, showering down around Arkk and the others while the rest of the tree went up in flames.

    ¡°Keep it steady!¡± Rekk¡¯ar shouted in perhaps the least encouraging tone he could manage. ¡°Igvile, get these flames out.¡±

    The syren nodded his head and promptly started a much longer incantation than Arkk¡¯s usuals. He conjured up a small stream of water, drenching the ruined wood with a loud hiss barely audible over the swirling winds and crackling lightning.

    ¡°Lelith,¡± Rekk¡¯ar barked. ¡°Status?¡±

    The tower¡¯s resident geometric dark elf gave the orc a withering look. ¡°Based on the levels of magic around Arkk, I¡¯m not sure we¡¯re back far enough.¡±

    Arkk¡¯s defenders, watching for any even minor failure in the shield, ready to defend him with knives that sliced through reality¡ªthe same ones he had used against the Eternal Empire¡¯s attack on Cliff¡ªhad once been standing at his side. Then they took a step back. Then another step. Now, they were distant enough that Arkk could only hear the louder arguing that went on between them.

    And it was apparently still too close.

    ¡°Not what I was asking.¡±

    Lelith ground her teeth together. ¡°I don¡¯t know, alright? Can Arkk damage it? No idea. What is it made out of? Does it have any defenses? Any magical reinforcements? If it were a regular ship, I would say try now. But it isn¡¯t. The only thing I know for sure is none of this should be possible.¡± Her red eyes flicked to Arkk. ¡°Human bodies can¡¯t contain that much magic. He should have exploded by now.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve done a lot of impossible things,¡± Arkk shouted back. His tongue tingled as he spoke. He was positive that lightning was jumping around between his teeth.

    He swallowed, somewhat nervous all of a sudden. How much magic could a human body hold before it turned into a spray of chunky red mist?

    ¡°But maybe we¡¯re ready to try,¡± he added with a nervous flick back overhead. ¡°Is the ship still in place?¡±

    Following a quick consultation with her crystal ball, Lelith nodded. ¡°Hasn¡¯t moved relative to the tower. Oddly, the volleys have slowed down. Half the cannons haven¡¯t fired in the last minute or so. Running out of magic or alchemical munitions?¡±

    ¡°More like they¡¯ve realized they aren¡¯t doing any damage since Zullie altered the shield spell,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, softer and barely audible over the crackling and the distance. ¡°Now they¡¯re just keeping us pinned.¡±

    ¡°Or they¡¯re about to change tactics again,¡± Arkk said with a scowl. He did not want to deal with whatever they were planning. ¡°Now or never. Lelith, I¡¯m sending you back to the ritual room. Give us sixty seconds to prepare. Then take down the shield the moment it looks safe enough. Between volleys, if possible.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± the dark elf said, disappearing the moment she finished speaking.

    ¡°Igvile, Bertram,¡± Arkk continued, addressing the two members of the bombardment team who were here to assist in defending him. ¡°We¡¯re about to be vulnerable. You know what to do.¡±

    The syren and the goose beastman nodded their heads in turn. Only Igvile moved, returning to his position after having extinguished the burning tree. Both were much closer than Lelith and Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s position further out. Bertram had one hand on a ritual circle meant to protect from Arkk¡¯s lightning and another hand on a smaller version of the large shield that enveloped the tower. If anything got through, he was to activate the shield.

    Igvile, on the other hand, stalked closer, clearly wary of the lightning that was practically cascading off Arkk at this point. His scales, seemingly freshly polished, reflected the dazzling light of the lightning back at Arkk in a million different directions, faceted and diffused. While his purpose was to act as a backup for Bertram¡ªbeing the one holding the void blade¡ªhe also had one important task.

    A ritual circle under Arkk¡¯s feet, designed in haste by Zullie, should provide something akin to a tunnel for his lightning to travel through. It didn¡¯t extend to the airship, only just above the tower, but it should keep the lightning from veering off and striking the tower. As long as Zullie hadn¡¯t made any mistakes in its design.

    He couldn¡¯t activate it himself, not without sending all his accumulated magic straight into it, likely blowing it¡ªand him¡ªup.

    Thus, Igvile.

    Unfortunately, with the lightning cascading off Arkk, getting close was a hazard. That hadn¡¯t been in the plans. Arkk watched as Igvile muttered the incantation for a variant of Zullie¡¯s spell, one designed to counter magic rather than projectiles. With all the magic and lightning coursing through his veins, Arkk wasn¡¯t sure it would be enough.

    He teleported a flat sheet of metal from the armory. One of the scrap pieces meant for Perr¡¯ok¡¯s walkers. It appeared just at the edge of the ritual circle, partially embedded in the ground. It wasn¡¯t much, but it would hopefully take the brunt of any stray bolts of lightning. The spell Igvile had on would protect from anything else.

    Igvile huddled behind it, barely reaching out with a scaled wing to touch the ritual circle under Arkk¡¯s feet. Most of the lightning flowing out of Arkk went to the makeshift shield, as he hoped. A few stray sparks jumped to the syren, but Arkk felt nothing from the employee link to indicate pain¡ªjust a tense worry.

    The ritual activated. Nothing visibly happened. No additional shields or tornados of wind. He felt a slimy, slick presence in the air around him, though that could have been his imagination.

    Arkk cast his gaze back to the skies. The swirl of the dome would stop in a moment, as soon as Lelith saw an opening. He had to be ready.

    Sixty seconds felt like an eternity. The bombardment team was one of the few teams in the entire fortress that could even measure seconds, having a fairly precise sandglass. It was needed to make full use of Lelith¡¯s geometrics. Most of the rest of the fortress used water clocks which reset every hour. Because of that, he knew that she knew how long sixty seconds was.

    But it still felt like forever.

    Then, all at once, he felt it. A few last bright spots appeared overhead, the last shots in the airship¡¯s volley hitting the shield dome. Before the final spot faded, the entire dome collapsed. The swirling winds slowed to a stop and the taste of magic in the air dropped.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Arkk didn¡¯t hesitate. He squinted, spotting the dark smudge in the blue sky, adjusted the aim of his arm, and released the tension in his stomach.

    Magic flooded from his fingertips in an unbridled fury. He stood his ground for a fraction of a second. A sudden, violent explosion erupted with a sharp, searing crack, as if the air itself was shattering to pieces. The sound was immediate and overwhelming, a deafening roar that engulfed Arkk¡¯s senses.

    He wasn¡¯t quite sure why he was flying through the air. One moment, he had been standing in place, the next, he found himself flung off his feet and into the sky. Pain erupted in his mind, both his own and some from an employee link. Almost automatically, subconsciously, he moved Igvile to the infirmary for Hale to handle. Bertram and Rekk¡¯ar followed him, both in some level of pain that was mostly concentrated in their ears.

    His back clipped one of Fortress Al-Lavik¡¯s legs, turning his soaring arc into a nauseating spin even as a fresh blast of pain raced up his shoulder and down his arm.

    A teleport righted himself. He stood, inertia reset, atop one of the legs. Half his shirt was gone, torn off from the impact. Blood rushed down his arm from a fresh gash. He was pretty sure something back there was broken.

    But he paid it little mind.

    Not yet. Pain could be dealt with in a moment.

    Now, he squinted, trying to see up into the sky.

    The black smudge on the sky was¡­ larger? It was hard to tell. Almost like a dark cloud had spread around the original dot. Smoke from a fire?

    He could only hope.

    The tower rocked, knocking Arkk off the leg. Fresh impacts struck it all along its front side, blasting bits of brick off. The protective dome returned, slow wind picking up speed as it blocked the remainder of the volley.

    Arkk teleported himself from his fall straight to the bombardment room.

    ¡°Did it hit?¡± Arkk called out.

    Lelith turned to him, eyes widening as her gaze traveled over him. She opened her mouth, clearly speaking, but Arkk could only hear ringing. He tried to wiggle a finger in his ear, only to find he couldn¡¯t raise his arm at all.

    He looked down at his arm with a grimace.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what hurts,¡± he mumbled, wobbling in place. Overwhelming lightheadedness hit him in a sudden rush. He staggered, vision swimming, and fell into Lelith¡¯s arms. ¡°Hale¡­¡±

    <hr>

    Lexa beat a hasty retreat. Her hands, moist with sweat, clenched the cloak of darkness around her. If she never had to enter one of those Light-forsaken whale ships again, it would be too soon. Just considering the slimy, fleshy walls of that creature¡¯s heart chamber made her ears ache. The blank faces of the people, merged with the meat of the walls¡­ The bright red tendrils of flesh pulsing, swelling, and deflating, within their noses, mouths, ears, and even eyes.

    Lexa shuddered.

    She wasn¡¯t quite sure about their opponent. Evestani, obviously, was under the control of the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar. There was no doubt about that. But the Eternal Empire, unless something had changed recently, was supposed to be involved with the Almighty Glory¡¯s avatar. Nobody was quite sure if that avatar was present in person, if they used a similar possession ability to keep themselves safe like Evestani¡¯s avatar, or if Evestani had only called in regular soldiers for aid and left the other avatar at home.

    The whale ships didn¡¯t feel like something the Almighty Glory would use. Granted, Lexa was far from an expert on any god. She never once attended a sermon with the Abbey of the Light or any other organization. Outlaws like herself weren¡¯t typically welcome in such environments.

    But the Almighty Glory, to the best of her knowledge, was the god of pride, strength, and power. Lexa couldn¡¯t begin to imagine how meat ships piloted by people fused to the walls could possibly represent pride. Vezta might know better, but at the moment, Lexa was wondering if they had the wrong god. If one of the Pantheon hadn¡¯t disguised themselves as the Almighty Glory¡­ or if the Almighty Glory wasn¡¯t what everyone thought they were. His domains did seem to overlap with those of the Red Horse, the only major difference being the swap of pride with war.

    Then again, she hadn¡¯t questioned it before, but it seemed a bit strange for gods to constrain themselves to categories that could be summed up in a few simple words. A handful of concepts.

    What were gods?

    Lexa shook her head, continuing her run. The topic of theology was far beyond her pay grade.

    At least, out here, she could breathe in some fresh air. It didn¡¯t have that tang of iron-filled meat that the entire interior of the whale ship possessed. There were still two of those things intact. One in the air¡ªwhich she wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything about unless she suddenly grew wings, thank¡­ whatever. Another one was still on the ground. Arkk might want her to try to take it out, but she would have to return for more bombs.

    Lexa used up everything she had on the one she was trying to distance herself from. When Mercury, a relatively newly hired alchemist, had first loaded her up with the bombs, she had thought it would be overkill. Enough to blast apart a keep if all the orbs had been placed strategically enough. It wasn¡¯t the overwhelming explosion the larger clay jars were capable of, but a single one would certainly have demolished stone brick load-bearing columns with ease, plus all the surrounding walls and pillars.

    And she had placed every last one of them around the heart of that whale.

    Lexa paused her running and looked back over her shoulder.

    It should be right¡­ about¡­

    Lexa had heard about real whales. Sailor tales. Who could tell if they were true, exaggerations, or outright fabrications? But she had heard about the massive creatures swimming in the depths of the ocean. Some of the larger haulers even managed to fish them up. But the story she remembered at this moment was that whales, when they surfaced, tended to blast up a spray of water through holes in their tops.

    The top of the whale ship ripped open, filling the air with thick, meaty chunks of flesh that flew higher than the tops of the surrounding trees. A red mist followed the chunks, coating leaves, grass, and the several workers outside the whale all in a glistening sheen. The noise of the blast rocked Lexa back, hitting her just after she watched the whale ship fall apart, collapsing in on itself in the wake of the explosion, which was quickly followed by a long, droning whine.

    That whine made every nerve in her spine tingle. It could only be the sound of the whale ship, hopefully its dying breath.

    If it survived that¡­

    Lexa shook her head. The workers outside the ship, some of whom fell to the ground following the blast, were now scurrying about. Lexa stayed where she was, watching for a moment. Could the workers fix the ship? She had half a mind to run down there and stab them all in the backs of their necks. Just in case.

    Best not to leave matters up to chance.

    Lexa took a step.

    The loudest crack of thunder that she had ever heard hit the trees with enough force to rattle their leaves and needles. A long, shaking rumble in the air followed, coming from almost directly opposite the whale ship. Lexa whirled around just in time to catch a fat beam of lightning fading out high in the sky over the tops of the trees.

    That had come from the direction of Elmshadow. Of the walking tower.

    Something was going on back there?

    Lexa threw one glance over her shoulder, frowning at the workers even as her eyes roamed over the ruptured hull of the whale ship.

    Could they fix it in the time it would take to march the tower forward?

    Was she needed back at the tower?

    Lexa bit her lips, gnawing.

    She had been assigned a mission. And that mission was to ensure that as few of those whale ships took to the skies as possible. Arkk and the others could handle whatever was going on back home. There wasn¡¯t a doubt in her mind about that.

    Lexa drew the blades from under her cloak and stalked back toward the whale ship, hoping she wouldn¡¯t have to enter it again while dealing with the workers.

    <hr>

    ¡°Welcome back.¡±

    Arkk blinked, trying to clear up his fuzzy vision. A long streak of jagged darkness ran from the top to the bottom of his vision, making everything within harder to see. It happened occasionally when he fired off lightning bolts. Usually, a few moments would have the afterimage burned into his eyes fade away.

    He blinked a few more times, frowning at its continued presence obstructing his vision.

    ¡°I think I can fix that, but you might not like how.¡±

    Arkk blinked again and focused on himself through his connection to the fortress rather than through his own eyes. Blackened skin marred part of his face. Long lines of burned skin that fractaled out in jagged streaks. It ran down his neck, down his bare chest, and curled around his left arm. Judging by the thickness of the lines, it must have actually started at his right arm, then moved up and down him from there. He couldn¡¯t tell for sure, however.

    He didn¡¯t have a right arm.

    ¡°I can fix that too. Much easier, even, though it would be faster if we could recover your arm.¡±

    He adjusted his focus, finding Hale seated across from his bed. Her black twin-tails were tied back to keep them out of the way.

    She had taken off the cloak she had been wearing since returning from Leda¡¯s tower. That left her shoulders and arms bare. They were¡­ far more muscular than they should have been. Scaled as well. Draconic. Yet she seemed perfectly at ease, relaxed in the chair as she looked over him.

    ¡°Did I hit the ship?¡± Arkk asked.

    His tongue felt too big in his mouth. Was he slurring his words? Was that from Hale¡¯s healing or him hurting himself?

    ¡°I heard that you did,¡± Hale said, not having any trouble understanding him. ¡°Scorched it all along its side. Didn¡¯t destroy it but you did enough to get it to back off. Temporarily, I presume. Once they realize that you won¡¯t be able to do that again¡­¡±

    Arkk ground his teeth. All that and he hadn¡¯t destroyed it? He supposed he should count himself lucky that he had hit it at all. But¡­

    ¡°Actually,¡± Hale continued. ¡°I think you could do that again. Again and again, even. All we have to do is rearrange your insides a bit, make you a bit more resistant to electricity, and maybe even put in something akin to a dragonoid¡¯s elemental crucible.¡± She tapped a claw-like finger to her own chest. ¡°Something that acts like a magical capacitor. Could even do a few of those big lightning bolts in a row if my ideas work out. I put a crucible in myself¡ªbased off Priscilla, so it is a bit colder than I would like¡ªbut I think I can modify it to work better with your lightning¡ª¡±

    ¡°I hear talking. He¡¯s awake?¡±

    Arkk shifted his focus, moving it to encompass the rest of the infirmary. It was mostly empty¡ªno fight had yet broken out. Rekk¡¯ar marched through the open door, scowling down at Arkk.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arkk said, trying to enunciate as best he could. ¡°Should have been more careful with the lightning.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t care. It worked. For now. But we need you up and ready. Reinforcements are here.¡±

    Arkk tried to push himself up, only to stumble as his right shoulder pivoted uselessly without an arm attached. He wasn¡¯t in any pain, likely thanks to Hale, but¡­ ¡°Agnete?¡± he asked, using his trembling left hand to push himself up. ¡°She made it?¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar scoffed. ¡°I wish,¡± he mumbled. ¡°They ain¡¯t our reinforcements.¡±

    A sinking sensation settled into Arkk¡¯s heart as he processed those words.

 Fulcrum

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡±

    Ilya nodded her head, clasping hands with Hawkwood. She had wondered where White Company¡¯s leader and its remnants had gone. The last she saw of him, he had been playing attendant to Prince Cedric. A fairly concerning position given the Prince¡¯s reputation. When he dropped off the face of the world, Arkk had feared the worst. It was nice to know that fear was entirely unfounded.

    ¡°You as well,¡± Ilya said. ¡°Shame Arkk isn¡¯t here. He would have been relieved to know you¡¯re alright.¡±

    Hawkwood¡¯s neatly trimmed mustache twitched. He looked much better than he had around the time of Elmshadow¡¯s assault. Like he had actually managed to get some rest in the last few weeks. Thinner, probably from the constant marching and war rations, he still managed to jiggle his stomach as he chuckled. ¡°You thought something happened to me? I can¡¯t die yet. Too much work on my desk.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just that, with the Prince, we weren¡¯t sure¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah. I understand,¡± Hawkwood said, frowning as he rubbed at his chin. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not sure what I think of Cedric. At times, he acts the ruthless man his reputation portrays him as. Five minutes later, he offers a more gentle hand, caring for his men and his country. Regardless of his current mood, I don¡¯t believe he would be one to throw away subjects both loyal and useful as White Company are.¡±

    Ilya pressed her lips together, wondering if that demon of his took on even Cedric¡¯s guise on occasion. It would explain the discrepancies in his actions. Or he was ill in the head. The latter had empirical evidence. No one with their head on straight would consider summoning a demon, let alone go through with it. Even Vezta, a monster whose thoughts didn¡¯t align with those of anyone normal, found the very prospect loathsome.

    Rather than voice her thoughts on the Prince, Ilya let the subject change. It wasn¡¯t productive at the moment to start whining about the bastard.

    ¡°So you¡¯re leading the charge into Evestani?¡± Hawkwood asked, cocking an eyebrow. ¡°A Swiftwing reported that we would have allies, but I never expected you to be our reinforcements. This isn¡¯t the same tower that retook Elmshadow, is it?¡±

    Hawkwood took a step back, turning his head back and forth as he looked around the main entryway which was currently flat against the ground for ease of access. His logistic personnel rushed back and forth, carrying boxes and supplies inside around him. The soldiers marched inside in twin single-file lines, taking stairways up to the barracks levels. It was obviously not the same tower. The walls were far more shadowy than brick-like, the architecture was more akin to a church¡ªespecially one of those temples in the Underworld¡ªand it was far, far smaller. Still huge for a giant walking building, but not that big relative to Arkk¡¯s tower.

    ¡°We built another one.¡±

    ¡°The fact that you can build more than one is¡­ alarming. Didn¡¯t Arkk say it required a rare magical artifact? The kind that simply couldn¡¯t be found anymore.¡±

    ¡°We found one more.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve found two of these relics in such a short amount of time, I imagine you have a third somewhere else. Perhaps more?¡±

    They hadn¡¯t. Not unless Arkk was keeping something else from her. Ilya didn¡¯t think he would do so. Not after he had come clean about his undead army. But with so many moving parts within Company Al-Mir, it was possible that he had simply forgotten to mention something like that. Either way, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m at liberty to say.¡±

    With a knowing nod, Hawkwood smiled. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯d expect nothing else. And if our invasion of Evestani goes as smoothly as the retaking of Elmshadow because of this tower, I shan¡¯t complain.¡±

    Ilya wasn¡¯t sure that retaking Elmshadow had been smooth. Plenty of people perished, including a significant fraction of White Company. But, she supposed that compared to a more conventional battle, it likely felt smooth. ¡°We won¡¯t have any of the specialists,¡± Ilya said. ¡°No dragonoids, inquisitors, or purifiers. On the plus side, we aren¡¯t likely to have to face anything like that either. I imagine Evestani¡¯s avatar is a bit preoccupied at the moment. Near as we can tell, the Eternal Empire is also focusing the entirety of their forces on Arkk.¡±

    A long moment of thought-filled silence passed. Hawkwood¡¯s expression shifted from pleased at hearing that to a dour frown. ¡°Two full armies plus that avatar?¡±

    ¡°Before you suggest we turn around to help him, we are helping him.¡± Ilya turned to the entrance of her tower, knowing exactly how many men were still meandering outside while waiting for the queues to move. They were almost loaded up. ¡°As soon as everyone is inside, we¡¯re setting out.

    ¡°Today is the day Evestani falls.¡±

    <hr>

    Whatever else happened, the Eternal Empire¡¯s airship backed off. That was an opportunity that Arkk couldn¡¯t ignore. Before he even got to his feet, the tower was moving once again.

    He had not been idle during the delay. Weathering the bombardment gave his lesser servants time to burrow ahead, digging long and narrow tunnels poised to receive the legs of the tower. It would let them move rapidly, much as they had when first marching out of Elmshadow, at least for a short distance. It wouldn¡¯t be as fast as if they had marched unimpeded, but it would let them make up a little lost time.

    They had to be ready. The airship could begin bombardment again at any moment.

    At this point, Arkk had no clue where the deserters had ended up. There were only three real possibilities. Either they had fled and deserted for real, they had gotten lost somewhere in the forests and Arkk had passed them, or that airship had spotted them earlier and already wiped them off the face of the planet. Whatever the case, they were nothing more than figurants in the conflict going forward.

    Arkk hoped they survived if only to keep the Prince off his back. Otherwise, he couldn¡¯t care less.

    The engagement had begun. Whether or not he found them, he could only follow through in ending this.

    ¡°Coming up on our opponent¡¯s reinforcements,¡± Rekk¡¯ar said.

    Arkk peered out the window, using his one remaining hand to hold up a spyglass. His left eye didn¡¯t have the dark line through it that his right eye did, but he still brought the spyglass to his right eye before having to correct himself. His vision wasn¡¯t perfect, even in his left eye, but it was good enough to see.

    The reinforcements weren¡¯t more flying ships. Nor were they the whale ships. Of the latter, the one that had taken to the skies was still unaccounted for while Lexa was ensuring one other couldn¡¯t take off. Best he knew, the third was still grounded, though Arkk doubted it would remain so for long after what happened to the second.

    No, the reinforcements were down below. Where Evestani had erected their barricades and began reinforcing Woodly Rhyme, the Eternal Empire¡¯s army marched forward. It wasn¡¯t their full reserves. Roughly a hundred score of their black and white armored soldiers stood in a wide field. The ordered rows and columns held fast with no sign of panic or chaos. Each step of the tower sent a jolt through them, but not one turned and fled.

    Arkk wasn¡¯t sure of the wisdom of splitting their army. Both inter-army divisions between Evestani and the Eternal Empire as well as the latter sending only two thousand to meet with him. They certainly had some kind of plan. Arkk almost hoped they did, or else the tower would crush them underfoot as easily as it crushed the trees.

    The soldiers were alone down there. No trebuchets or siege engines. He didn¡¯t even see any sign of magic among them, both in terms of rituals and battlecasters.

    ¡°Spot anything?¡± Arkk called out, turning to move backward.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    A flat-clawed hand thumping against his chest stopped him with more force than he expected. ¡°Stop moving,¡± Hale grumbled as she worked his flesh with her favorite spell. She was in the process of regrowing his arm. Already, he could see scales forming around his shoulder, roughly similar to those of Priscilla and Hale.

    It itched.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± he muttered as the scrying team responded.

    ¡°No heavy weaponry or glowing tents,¡± Luthor called back, confirming what Arkk saw through his hazy eyes. ¡°Just a bunch of soldiers. Most carry longswords.¡±

    ¡°Enemy airship maintaining their increased distance,¡± Drek said right after. ¡°Looks like they put the fires out. I¡¯d expect them to move forward again.¡±

    Arkk flinched. ¡°Not what I want to hear.¡±

    ¡°Thought you ought to know anyway.¡±

    He had a point, but Arkk wasn¡¯t sure what he would or could do if that thing started attacking again. He had just about killed himself the first time around. Zullie, Savren, and the rest of the research team were working full-tilt on some kind of extreme-range solution for him but he didn¡¯t know when or even if that would bear results. He could try to hit it with a lightning bolt again. Maybe with a few more precautions.

    He had a feeling Rekk¡¯ar might not let him. The orc¡¯s eyes kept drifting over to Arkk whenever he thought Arkk was occupied with something else. It was a little touching, if Arkk were being honest. There was genuine concern in Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s constant glances. Knowing Rekkar, the concern in his eyes was probably more for his own sake than for Arkk¡¯s, not wanting the one in command of the tower to pass out and leave everyone stranded, but it was still touching.

    Rekk¡¯ar didn¡¯t have anything to worry about. Arkk knew he had been injured. He could see the lack of an arm clear as day. It didn¡¯t hurt. Not even a little. Even jostling his shoulder only felt strange in that he was expecting a familiar weight there. Hale had done good work numbing him.

    Except for the itch as new muscle and sinew spread out beneath her fingertips.

    Under lighter circumstances, Arkk would probably have been freaking out about now. He had lost an arm! But, at the same time, he was cognizant that it wasn¡¯t the debilitating injury it should have been. Not with Hale. He had almost turned her down, thinking he could always go to Agnete. Even before visiting the Anvil, Agnete had built a set of mechanical legs for Katt¡¯am that worked well enough. But Agnete was busy and Hale wasn¡¯t. Arkk was nothing if not practical.

    He could always chop it off again if he decided to go the machine route. And wasn¡¯t that a strange thought to float through his mind.

    Even outside of knowing he could replace the arm, there was something else suppressing the panic. His arm just felt too¡­ small to care about. It was a strange thing to think, given that his arm was practically a fifth of him, but the feeling remained. An arm was just an arm. It wasn¡¯t like he lost his Heart.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡±

    It was Arkk¡¯s turn to look to Rekk¡¯ar. The orc glared through the small hole in the window, staring down at the army assembled ahead of them.

    ¡°Something bad is going to happen. I¡¯d be browning my pants if I was ordered to face down this fortress with nothing but a sword and shield. They ain¡¯t even flinching.¡±

    ¡°Could they carry enchanted weapons that they think will cut the reinforced stone?¡±

    ¡°And what?¡± Rekk¡¯ar said, turning on Arkk. ¡°Hope to bring down the tower by nicking the legs? Even if their swords could cut stone like a knife in a bucket of lard, only the most delusional would think they stood a chance at harming the tower before it stomped on them.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they think they can rush the doors and get inside before the legs¡ª¡±

    ¡°Large-scale magic array!¡± Drek interrupted with an alarmed shout. ¡°Dead ahead!¡±

    The legs of the tower slammed down, stopping its forward momentum instantly. Glowing white lines surged through the forest between Arkk and the army, forming a massive ring with several crisscrossing lines. Arkk recognized some parts of it instantly. An entrapment array. There were some added bells and whistles that he didn¡¯t understand, but its main purpose was to keep whatever was inside from moving.

    Whatever was inclusive of the two tower legs that were stuck inside.

    ¡°They¡¯re holding us in place,¡± Arkk said, pulling up the spyglass again. The army wasn¡¯t standing still any longer. They were advancing. If they stepped on the ritual circle, they would become trapped as well¡­ but of course, the army setting up the trap would have some countermeasures.

    ¡°You might have been right about them rushing the doors,¡± Rekk¡¯ar grumbled. ¡°We fight them out there?¡±

    Arkk shook his head. ¡°I have full battlefield control within the tower. Not enough land claimed outside it to be effective. It also funnels their army into tight corridors, taking away their number advantage.¡±

    ¡°They would know that. They must have a plan.¡±

    ¡°Well, you think on that. My plan is to get us unstuck as soon as possible. I¡¯m having the lesser servants eat their way up to the surface to try to disrupt the ritual. And¡­¡±

    Arkk dropped a yellow marble into the slot down in the bombardment team¡¯s chamber. In less than thirty seconds, a rain of colorful fire cascaded down on the ritual array. Boulders fell from the sky. A dark cloud welled up, lazily wafting around the tower¡¯s highest point. Black rainfall started, first as a drip, as if it were water wrung from a filthy rag. It quickly accelerated, becoming a monsoon of black. Trees withered and dried out, the grass and bushes of the forest below first turned an unhealthy yellow, then dried out to a crispy brown, before finally turning to black necrotic plants, dead in every way that mattered.

    The Eternal Empire didn¡¯t care. They marched forward. An acid-yellow flame hit the ground ahead of one of their units, but the soldiers marched through. The caustic fire licked their armor but did nothing more. The black rain just made their armor glisten, doing nothing to stop them. Only the house-sized boulder crashing down did any damage. For all Arkk knew, the soldiers it hit were still alive, just pinned underneath.

    It was like an entire army outfitted with that golden knight¡¯s armor.

    The shadow scythes could stop it. The magic in those dark blades ruined whatever enchantments had been on that armor. They cut through with some resistance, but easily compared to anything else they had tried.

    Arkk idly wondered who had copied who. Had the Eternal Empire captured some of that golden armor? Or the other way around? If the Empire outfitted all their soldiers with indestructible armor, it certainly lent credence to Rekk¡¯ar¡¯s report of them never losing battles back in their homeland.

    ¡°An army that doesn¡¯t know defeat,¡± Arkk mumbled to himself as he lowered his spyglass. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have to deliver their first. Rekk¡¯ar, I¡¯m moving you to the orc barracks. Inform them of the goings-on. Organize a defense at positions six, eight, ten, and fourteen. You have command. Tell them, Dakka especially, that the enemy equipment may act like that golden knight¡¯s armor. She¡¯ll best know how to explain it to everyone else.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t think you¡¯ll stop them from reaching the tower?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll certainly try. But, as we expected, they had a plan. Best to prepare for the conclusion of that plan.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar grunted, nodding his head. He was gone before he could finish.

    Arkk stayed where he was, narrowing his eyes. He found himself trying to blink away the dark streak that ran through the right side of his vision. Useless. ¡°Alert me immediately if anything about the situation changes,¡± he said, looking to the scrying team. With no further preamble, he teleported to the bombardment team.

    He grimaced at the slight flare of pain once outside Hale¡¯s presence, but the activity in the ritual room provided a distraction.

    ¡°¡ªignoring everything¡ª¡±

    ¡°Focus the forward groups!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t maintain circle three any longer. Necrotizing rainclouds dissipating. Replacement glowstones required.¡±

    ¡°Focus on disruption, not destruction!¡± Lelith barked. ¡°More boulders. Quit with the flames. They¡¯re useless.¡±

    ¡°Circle four deactivated. Circle one already instantiating boulders as rapidly as possible.¡±

    ¡°Would the siege shield stop them?¡±

    ¡°With how they¡¯re ignoring everything else? Doubt it.¡±

    The entire room was in such chaos that nobody noticed his arrival. Igvile, Bertram, Lelith, and Kassa rushed around the room. Lelith reconfigured rituals, rapidly altering their targets, while the others hurried around activating them. Igvile kept up with the regular status reports and Bertram seemed in charge of the glowstones. Their movements meshed together perfectly even as they argued over possible solutions to the enemy army.

    ¡°Circle thirteen prepared. Circle seven deactivated.¡±

    Arkk found he had little to add to the situation. His suggestion would have been to add more boulders to the lineup, given that the boulders were the only thing he had seen that had worked. But his team was more than capable of coming to that conclusion on their own.

    ¡°Activating the¡ª¡±

    Arkk teleported away, reappearing in his research team¡¯s library. They were engaged in a flurry of activity as well, running about. Zullie called out for notes from passages to be read aloud while Savren and Morvin rapidly exchanged papers between them. Unlike the bombardment team, they noticed his arrival. Zullie first, then Gretchen, then the others.

    Zullie grimaced. ¡°You aren¡¯t here to change our project again, are you? We¡¯ve switched focus three times today alone. Nothing will get done if you keep doing that.¡±

    The exasperation on everyone¡¯s faces at the prospect of another shift in their priorities was evident beyond Zullie¡¯s voiced annoyance. Arkk looked around with a small frown. ¡°No,¡± he said, leading to a collective sigh of relief filling the room. ¡°Everyone continue as you were. I just have one question for Zullie. The project you called the Maze of Infinite Paths¡ª¡±

    ¡°I believe your orders were to never bring that one up again.¡±

    Arkk forced a smile. ¡°The fun thing about being the boss is that I can change my orders whenever I wish. In this case, I¡¯d like to deploy a small instance of the project directly ahead of the tower. Preferably in the next¡­ three minutes, maximum.¡±

    ¡°Three minutes?¡± Zullie balked. ¡°I¡¯m all for breaking the rules of reality, but in¡­¡± Pausing, she frowned to herself. ¡°How small of an instance?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s say the size of one of the fortress legs.¡±

    Zullie clicked her tongue three times inside her mouth before turning. ¡°Gretchen, fetch me the book on the third shelf¡ªNo, not that one, the one you have to reach outside the library to grab.¡± Adjusting the rectangular glasses over her nose, Zullie turned back while Gretchen hesitated, wiggling her fingers in nervousness as she stared at a small black void on one of the bookshelves. ¡°I hope you know what you¡¯re doing,¡± the witch said with uncharacteristic concern in her tone.

    ¡°Me too¡­ Me too.¡±

 Descendant

    Dakka stood back, watching with narrowed eyes.

    The legs of the walking fortress were equipped with magimechanical defenses, a joint venture by Perr¡¯ok and Morvin. There wasn¡¯t much to them. Metal wheels attached to a magical array that made the wheels spin. The large scythes attached to the wheels turned them into defenses that should have sliced-n-diced any human who dared to walk into it.

    It worked. The first of the invaders stopped short, not daring to move forward. A few at the front tried disabling the trap by slamming their swords down in the way of the scythes, only for those dark blades to slice through the metal like it wasn¡¯t even there. All the while, the men and women at Dakka¡¯s back launched their assault on the invaders.

    The black-armored soldiers had allegedly shrugged off siege magic. Dakka wasn¡¯t sure what a few dinky lightning bolts or balls of fire were supposed to accomplish. Unlike the gold version of these soldiers, they couldn¡¯t even splash acid into their helmets. They lacked the grated visors, instead having a smooth front with a wide visor of glass letting them see out. Dakka had no idea how they breathed. Her own helmet felt stuffy and it was full of small gaps and holes to try to alleviate that.

    That didn¡¯t stop the battlecasters from trying. They threw everything they had at the intruders. Flickering lights in a myriad of colors dazzled around Dakka¡¯s peripheral vision. Green fire, black-and-purple bolts of shadow, an alchemical bomb flung over the spinning blades, an illusory sword jutting out of the ground before shattering into a thousand violet fragments¡­ Someone even whipped out one of the counter-demon spells.

    A black void filled with distant stars drifted past the barricades with almost lazy effort. It started small. A faint star in the middle of the air. Halfway across the room, well away from its caster, it erupted into a wide orb of night sky. Crackling tendrils jumped out from it, latching onto the ground, walls, the barricade, and even passing spells. The reinforced elements of the fortress ignored the tendrils, weathering the void. A lance made from ice fell in as it tried to shoot past. A pair of fireballs ended up swirling around and around until one of the tendrils absorbed them. Then they fell in as well.

    The surge of spells from behind Dakka slowed. She could feel the collective bated breaths at her back, waiting to see if that void accomplished anything or if the assembled knights trying to figure out a way past the trap would just shrug it off as they had ignored everything else.

    The Eternal Empire backed away, but they couldn¡¯t go very far. One man would have had plenty of time to descend the steps and cross over the traps they had already disabled, clearing the path, were it not for one small problem. They were packed in. The stairs in the tower legs were large and wide, spacious enough to facilitate transporting those walkers, but trying to cram a few thousand people up one leg?

    It wasn¡¯t that the Eternal Empire were idiots. They weren¡¯t. They had left themselves plenty of space between units to avoid exactly this. It just wasn¡¯t quite enough.

    Dakka imagined they were used to fighting in wide open spaces, outdoors, rather than inside the tower¡¯s confines. She and the rest of her men had trained for the opposite since building the tower.

    The closest of the knights didn¡¯t back far enough away. He raised his shield, huddling behind it. Made from the same material as the rest of his armor, Dakka half expected him to ignore the orb.

    A tendril lanced out, curling around the shield. While the thin void fizzled out after a moment, the effect remained, picking the shield up and dragging it toward the central orb. The knight fought against it, planting his feet as he tried to pull back. The brute force was relentless, a gravitational hunger. The knight slid closer, his boots skidding across the smooth floor of Fortress Al-Lavik with sparks in their wake.

    Deciding the shield was a liability, the knight pulled at a strap, letting it free to fly off toward the orb. But it was too late. He got too close. More tendrils snapped out, licking at his boots and gloves. The sparks of his boots disappeared as his feet left the ground.

    That cosmic predator pulled him ever closer. His form began to distort in the eerie light. The process was subtle at first, a slight elongation of his limbs as he tried to swim through the air back to his companions. It was as if he were being stretched on a taffy puller¡¯s rack. One of his fellows tried to reach out, grabbing hold of his arms, only for the tendrils to lick him as well.

    The distortion grew more pronounced as the screaming began. Both knights weren¡¯t pulled toward the orb so much as they simply fell into it. As they fell, the elongation grew. Their limbs stretched out like molten glass dripping off a punty. The screaming stopped at some point. Dakka wasn¡¯t sure when. Somewhere between knight and thin filament.

    They didn¡¯t get a chance to fall into the orb, however. Not like the spells and shield it had eaten. Too early, it splashed against the back wall, dissipating into thin wisps of void before snuffing out completely.

    The thin strands of metal and flesh clattered to the floor, still wiggling and twisting as if the two knights were still alive, thrashing against their newfound fate.

    Dakka hoped they weren¡¯t, for their sakes.

    A brief silence fell over both sides of the battle. She wasn¡¯t sure that anyone had seen something like that before. Not even the spellcaster who used it. Arkk had explicitly warned everyone against using such spells unless they were up against something truly insurmountable. Hardly anyone even knew them, as far as she knew. The few battlecasters trained to use those spells obviously hadn¡¯t used them against anything living.

    Two people behind Dakka collapsed. One, Dakka knew, was the caster. Based on the wobble before the fall, she pegged the fall as magical exhaustion¡ªanother reason not to use those spells. The other, one of her orcs, wasn¡¯t a spellcaster at all. Brann¡¯on just fainted.

    Both vanished, whisked away to elsewhere by Arkk.

    That broke whatever stupefying spell everyone had fallen under. The Eternal Empire let out a collective roar of anger before charging forward.

    It was only when they started moving that Dakka realized the spell had taken out more than just the two soldiers. The trap that had been keeping them at bay now sat twisted and broken off to one side of the room.

    ¡°Ready up,¡± Dakka barked, fingers gripping tight around her scythe¡¯s haft. ¡°They go no further!¡±

    Dakka swung her scythe, leaving a trail of darkness in its wake.

    <hr>

    Arkk concentrated, eyes closed, upon his throne in the command room. Leaning forward, he covered his face with his hands and watched through his omniscience of his territory.

    A sword slipped through a thin gap in an orc¡¯s armor. It didn¡¯t make it far. Just enough to draw blood. He pulled the orc back, leaving the enemy knight falling forward with the sudden lack of resistance. Two others were on the unstable knight immediately. The shadow scythes didn¡¯t easily slide through the Eternal Empire¡¯s armor, not like they did with just about anything else they touched, but they still cut. A few heavy hacks to the same spot and one of the shadow scythes punctured through, its tip diving deep into the knight¡¯s spine.

    In another part of the fortress, the Shieldbreakers engaged with their group of opponents. Enchanted weaponry crashed against enchanted armor, both nullifying the other¡¯s effects. Brute force won out there. Aya and Viola were both a hair away from getting a sword to the face. Arkk moved them a step back, opening a way forward for the taurus Ellen to slam down a massive battle axe.

    Richter led a team of soldiers, backed by his battlecasters and several gorgon. Unfortunately for the latter, the helmets of the Empire didn¡¯t let them effectively utilize their caustic venom, nor could they petrify any of their targets through those reflective visors. Their entire group was losing ground. Arkk kept everyone out of danger to the best of his ability, moving anyone too injured straight to the infirmary, but he needed to do something about the situation before the Empire broke through fully. A shuffling of the combatants¡­

    Arkk threw Kia into the mix. She had been warned that she might be teleported abruptly, so she barely flinched before dozens of afterimages drew her two-handed sword. More effective than the shadow scythes, she cut their armor with ease. If something required two swings, there were two afterimages in place. A dervish of death, she spun through the enemy, buying Richter some breathing room while Arkk tried to find a more permanent solution.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    She was, after all, only one person.

    Claire was at Arkk¡¯s side, ready for surprises. Arkk wasn¡¯t expecting the demon to pop up and take his head off, but he couldn¡¯t discount anything at the moment.

    Dakka¡¯s team was losing ground as well. They had spellcasters but not as many of the Shadow Knights, too few compared to what was needed to fully hold back the onrush. Arkk teleported Dakka directly in front of his seat, her arms already in mid-swing, and cast a haste spell on her. In less time than it took to blink, she was back in the fray. Her super-speed enhanced swing easily lopped the head of one of the knights off. The spell wouldn¡¯t last forever, but it would give her a temporary edge.

    Arkk moved his focus to the next¡ª

    ¡°Sir! The airship! It¡¯s plummeting out of the sky.¡±

    Arkk threw Vissh into the infirmary as he looked up. For just a moment, he felt a spark of hope. Whatever fire his lightning bolt caused must have damaged some critical component of the airship. Maybe a ritual array that kept it afloat, maybe some structurally important piece of wood. Whatever it was, it crashing to the ground would rid him of at least one problem.

    One look at Luthor¡¯s face and that hope snuffed out.

    ¡°It¡¯s coming straight for us,¡± the chameleon beastman said. ¡°And it isn¡¯t a-alone.¡±

    Arkk clicked his tongue as he repositioned Franna out of the way of an enemy sword, leaving her with a clear shot at the soldier¡¯s side. ¡°Not alone?¡±

    Harvey, crouched over the crystal ball with large floppy ears hanging back over his head, looked up as Luthor looked back to the ball. ¡°One of the whale ships is coming down as well. No idea where it came from.¡±

    If it turned invisible before positioning itself overhead, they never would have noticed. Annoying. Arkk reflexively checked on Lexa. The gremlin was on her way back to the tower, mission presumably accomplished. He would have to keep an eye out and make sure to teleport her to the tower the moment she came in range. ¡°But they¡¯re both visible now? And they¡¯re both coming in range of our siege magic?¡±

    ¡°Yes and yes.¡±

    Arkk dropped several colored marbles for Lelith to decipher. At the same time, he dropped Maria into the infirmary and moved two battlecasters out of the way of an enemy spell.

    Why come closer when it puts them in range of magic? The airship had been maintaining its bombardment from high up just fine earlier. They could have protective spells of their own. Arkk expected it, even. But a bombardment would wear down the spellcasters eventually and with his reserve of glowstones, he could power offensive magics far longer than he imagined any spellcasters could last. Even a highly capable inquisitor like Sylvara would wear down eventually.

    Speaking of, Arkk couldn¡¯t teleport Sylvara around as she hadn¡¯t actually joined Company Al-Mir. She was a powerful spellcaster and adept with a blade, but he was still reconsidering his decision to let her join in the fighting.

    Rather than teleport her away from danger, Arkk teleported in an alchemical bomb¡ªone of the smaller ones¡ªdirectly behind the soldier attacking her. The explosion wouldn¡¯t harm the soldier through his armor but it would knock him around. It wasn¡¯t a trick he could pull too frequently. Mercury was in the lab making more, but they were still limited in quantity.

    ¡°Counter a-attacks on the airships underway,¡± Luthor said as a bright green flash lit up the narrowed windows of the command center.

    Arkk nodded his head, refocusing on making sure as many of his men survived this as possible. For as careful as he was being, for as quickly as he maneuvered people out of danger, he had already failed two of his men and the fight was only beginning.

    ¡°Bombardment having trouble hitting the ships. T-They¡¯re moving too fast. No sign of them slowing.¡±

    ¡°Do they intend to ram into us?¡± Arkk asked, teleporting a few dozen lesser servants onto the exterior of the tower. Most of the windows had already been sealed up or reduced in size. The last few gaps were nothing more than a liability at this point.

    ¡°It will only be a few moments more if they¡ª¡±

    The protective spell around the tower started up again, swirling the wind around into a mostly opaque barrier. It formed just in time to avoid something¡­ strange.

    Arkk cast his gaze over the crystal ball, frowning. The whale ship tried something. It opened up, roughly where he presumed a mouth would be on an actual whale, and spat something out. A large glob of reddish-purple meat hurtled downwards, moving even faster than the ships. The gale of the protective dome sheered it apart, sending a splattering of red mist off into the distant parts of the forest.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t get a good look at whatever that was,¡± Luthor said after a moment. ¡°More are coming down. Doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re getting through the shield spell.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re finally slowing down,¡± Harvey said. The flopkin opened his mouth to say more, only to hesitate as his eyes widened. ¡°Cannons underneath the main airship are deploying. They¡¯re going to bombard us again.¡±

    ¡°The bombardment team will handle it,¡± Arkk said, hoping he was right. With the army outside the tower, he couldn¡¯t exactly go out there and try to lightning bolt them off his back again. Maybe he could stand atop the tower, but that would just put him closer to their cannons.

    ¡°T-The whale ship doesn¡¯t look like it has defenses, but the other ship is keeping close. Some random wind keeps picking up right when a spell is about to hit them.¡±

    ¡°Not random then,¡± Arkk said. He shuffled around a few groups in active combat, ensuring the ones who had been fighting since the start got at least a brief moment of reprieve. ¡°The other ship has some way of defending the whales.¡±

    He leaned back and closed his eyes again, diverting all his attention elsewhere. He kept the battle in a constant place in the back of his mind, maneuvering people around as needed, but he quickly refocused on the lesser servants trying to destroy the ritual holding the tower in place. Much of the enemy army was still outside the tower. He doubted all of them could make it inside, not before the stairwells ended up filled with bodies. If the tower were free, however, he would be able to crush the army and end the siege all in one move.

    With the ritual active, he had to break the circle or force the magic to redirect in order to disrupt it. Or kill whoever was maintaining it. With such a large ritual circle, he had no clue where its operators could be. Thus, he had been working on damaging the circle itself. It was more resilient than he had initially thought. It kept¡­ repairing itself.

    Which did make an unfortunate amount of sense. It was designed to capture his tower. If the tower walking across the ritual circle broke it, it wouldn¡¯t have been very effective. It had to have a way to withstand or otherwise regenerate the extreme forces of the tower¡¯s legs coming down on the ground.

    While several lesser servants continued to eat away at it¡ªmaybe its regeneration component would break under the continued strain¡ªhe had even more servants out looking for whatever was powering the circle. He guessed a minimum of eight people were out there, standing in designated spots to fuel it. Maximum of twelve. It was a large ritual but it couldn¡¯t possibly be as strenuous as blowing open a hole in reality to meet with a deity.

    Not one of the servants had detected a human out there yet. Nor any glowstones that might be powering the ritual. He had scoured a quarter of it already, which meant he should have found between two and four people, but there was nothing. Either they were all concentrated in one spot¡­ or they were using the Eternal Empire¡¯s cloaking ability to hide away. If the latter was the case, he wasn¡¯t quite sure what the best option was.

    ¡°Sir. E-Evestani is marching out of Woodly Rhyme.¡±

    ¡°After all that effort in setting up their defense, they¡¯re going to come out to play?¡± Arkk scoffed. ¡°Couldn¡¯t stand to be showed up by the Empire, huh?¡±

    He was significantly less concerned with them at the moment. The only thing they had going for them was the avatar. The rest of their soldiers would die to bombardment or conventional weaponry much easier than the Empire¡¯s knights. In fact¡­

    ¡°Where are Mags and his men? They should be in the tunnels behind us, right?¡±

    Harvey and Luthor both leaned over the crystal ball. Normally, that was something he would have looked into himself. Keeping an eye on every little bit of fighting going on was taking too much concentration, so he left them to it while Arkk occupied his time continuing the same thing he had been doing for the past twenty minutes, making sure his enemies died and his friends and allies didn¡¯t.

    The flopkin leaned back, nodding his head after a short moment. ¡°Yes, Sir. They¡¯re moving forward. Looks like their pace has slowed because of multiple branching paths and narrowed tunnels, but they¡¯re headed toward us.¡±

    Pausing his focus on the battle for a brief instant, Arkk removed the lesser servants from the tower¡¯s exterior and set several to digging proper tunnels while one other plopped down right in front of Mags. The portly man didn¡¯t flinch. For a moment, Arkk thought Mags was going to attack it, but the servant doing its best to beckon Mags forward made him rethink his actions.

    ¡°Check in on the tunnels occasionally. It isn¡¯t a priority. Alert me when they get underneath our rear foot. In the meantime¡­¡±

    If the golden avatar was on his way, Arkk had a present for him.

    Unfortunately, his original plan of having either Priscilla or Agnete deliver it was not an option at the moment. Priscilla was unconscious and Agnete was directing a small army of her own toward the Anvil¡¯s portals. She would be through shortly, but in time?

    He wasn¡¯t sure. Maybe. Maybe not.

    One other entered his sphere of influence right as the thought crossed his mind. Reaching across space and time, he teleported the short gremlin directly in front of him. With her came a stench. She was covered from head to foot in some kind of tar that smelled of fetid offal. Taken aback by the sudden smell and her appearance, he didn¡¯t even get the first word in.

    Lexa tensed, drawing her blades in surprise at the sudden relocation, only to look up at Arkk with a look of surprise. Squelching that surprise, she shuddered. ¡°That thing was horrid. You would not believe¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Arkk said. ¡°We¡¯re under attack. No time for a proper debriefing.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not under imminent threat of attack. The battle is ongoing. The Eternal Empire has trapped the tower and we¡¯re fighting off their army.¡±

    Lexa¡¯s eyes widened before she clenched her fists around her daggers even tighter. ¡°What do you need of me?¡±

    ¡°Have you ever considered the profession of a diplomat?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lexa cocked her head to the side. ¡°Are you mixing me up with Edvin?¡±

    Arkk shook his head, teleporting a dozen more of his men around during the short action. ¡°No. You see, I have a gift for the leader of the enemy army. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t give you time to rest after your successful mission, but I think you might be the only person who can deliver it.¡±

    ¡°A gift¡­ A gift,¡± she said, slowly grinning. ¡°For the avatar?¡±

    ¡°Just a little something between opposing commanders. Wouldn¡¯t want him to think I never thought about him.¡±

    Lexa¡¯s grin turned especially vicious. ¡°How soon can I go?¡±

    ¡°Soon.¡±

 Eggs

    ¡°How do you suppose the others are fairing?¡±

    Olatt¡¯an leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. ¡°Certainly a difficult question,¡± he said. ¡°Idealistically, quite well. Realistically? The situation is pure chaos. Four different factions on two different sides, none of whom seem to trust their supposed allies, all likely believing they have tricks up their sleeves that the others don¡¯t know about. All of whom likely believe they can deal with whatever tricks the others have come up with, leaving the tide turning in their favor.¡±

    Ilya scowled. Her leg thumped against the ground in hasty, repeated nervousness as she chewed on the edge of her lip. ¡°I wish we knew for sure.¡±

    ¡°Arkk can observe anything connected to him. Can you not do the same?¡±

    Ilya opened her mouth but Vezta interjected first.

    ¡°Arkk is the Master while Ilya is a subordinate. He can observe her and anyone she is connected to, but the reverse is untrue. At best, Ilya can assist by teleporting some personnel or materials, but lacking the innate knowledge of those contracted to Arkk¡ªthose in need of teleportation to safety¡ªher ability to do so from a distance is hindered.¡± Vezta paused, looked to Ilya with a small frown, then added, ¡°My former master rarely made use of subordinates. Those few he had were all too eager to stab him in the back the moment they thought they had the upper hand, wanting his power for themselves.¡±

    ¡°I would never,¡± Ilya said, shooting a fierce glare at Vezta, daring the monster to disagree.

    Vezta didn¡¯t say a word. She simply resumed her position at Ilya¡¯s side, clasping her hands at her waist while staring straight ahead.

    ¡°If only we had more of those crystal balls,¡± Olatt¡¯an said, his tone turning to a low grumble. ¡°Possibly the most useful object in Arkk¡¯s possession and he hasn¡¯t tried to get more.¡±

    ¡°Not true. He had a few minor expeditions to search out more. They¡¯re just rare and hard to make¡­¡± Ilya trailed off, her words turning to a grumble of her own. ¡°Would be useful though. I won¡¯t deny that.¡±

    ¡°I have full faith in Arkk,¡± Vezta said. If Ilya had to put a word to the tone in the monster¡¯s voice, it would have been pride. Ilya wasn¡¯t sure if she was pleased with Arkk or with herself for selecting Arkk to be her master. Either way, Vezta adopted a fond smile. ¡°He has overcome much. True, he has occasionally stumbled along the way, but when it counts, he can become quite clever.¡±

    ¡°Your opinion is hardly objective,¡± Olatt¡¯an grumbled.

    Though she didn¡¯t wish to speak ill of Arkk, she agreed with the orc. Arkk got ideas in his head, set forth to implement them, and then abandoned them in the next thought as he came up with different ideas. He flew by impulse and instinct, his primary impetus being the protection of those he viewed as having a responsibility toward. Any appearance of cleverness was an illusion crafted in retrospect after succeeding because of luck.

    Perhaps that was too harsh. Arkk had gotten them through several rough patches. If he relied solely on luck, it would surely have run out by now.

    Ilya turned to the opening door. Modeled after the Al-Lavik command room, Ilya¡¯s spire had a large seat from where she could direct the spire and all those who had recently contracted themselves to her. An ornate window with smoky panes of dark glass ran almost the full circumference of the circular spire¡¯s top, giving her a view in every direction. Two depressions on either side of the war room table were there for supposed scrying teams to operate distraction-free¡­ if she had any.

    Couldn¡¯t Zullie have come up with some way to bend the barrier of observation to see distant events, or some other nonsense involving her patron deity?

    ¡°Here we are,¡± Hawkwood said, stepping through the door. He was not alone.

    Beside him, a tall man bearing the red and gold of Vaales and another, shorter man with a blue and yellow tabard of Chernlock strode in, their gazes sweeping around the room. Commanders of the armies Ilya had picked up, presumably. The Vaales commander narrowed his eyes in poorly concealed suspicion as he took in the room, only to narrow his eyes further to an angry squint as his gaze settled on Vezta, Olatt¡¯an, and Ilya. Blue and yellow, on the other hand, looked more impressed than anything.

    Ilya wondered what the Vaales commander knew¡ªor thought he knew¡ªor if he was just naturally suspicious. The look he gave Ilya went far beyond suspicion. Was it because none of the people standing before him were human? She had heard that Prince Cedric wasn¡¯t kind to beastmen and demihumans. One had allegedly been responsible for the death of his bride years ago. It would make sense that he would surround himself with like-minded individuals.

    Which was just another burden on Ilya. Another faction that was supposed to be an ally but one who Ilya didn¡¯t know if he could be trusted.

    Ilya¡¯s eyes flicked to the guards on either side of the door. Most of the Black Knights were with Arkk, but he had assigned a handful here. There were no better bodyguards. Well, none better with the exception of Kia and Claire, but the two dark elves needed to remain where the demon was likely to show up.

    ¡°Everyone inside?¡± Ilya asked, looking at Hawkwood. While she already disliked the Vaales commander and didn¡¯t know much about the Chernlock commander, she knew and liked Hawkwood. Her relationship with him wasn¡¯t anything like what Arkk had, but all their meetings had been perfectly pleasant.

    It was a shame he wasn¡¯t the one in charge.

    ¡°White Company is accounted for,¡± Hawkwood said with a kindly smile.

    ¡°As are my men,¡± Chernlock¡¯s commander said, stepping forward with an offered hand. ¡°Roman. Sydney Roman. I am the lord representing King Lafoar and am in command of his soldiers.¡±

    ¡°Welcome,¡± Ilya said, accepting the handshake. If he was going to be polite, so would she. As soon as Roman stepped back, she turned her gaze to the red and gold Vaales commander.

    His lips warred with his words, twisting and grimacing in obvious distaste. It was a bit much, in Ilya¡¯s opinion. Even Mystakeen¡¯s most vehement discriminator toward non-humans didn¡¯t fly into a spittle-flinging rage upon being confronted with an elf.

    ¡°My soldiers are present,¡± he eventually said through terse lips. No introduction. No handshake. His hand did move, but only to rest on the hilt of his sword.

    Ilya glared back, noting the flinches on all three of their faces as a faint red glow washed over them. Here she was, offering a free ride straight to Evestani¡¯s capital. No walls could stand in her way, no army would give her pause, and as long as Arkk was distracting the avatar, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about facing something insurmountable. And this man had to fight himself just to remain cordial.

    ¡°If you have a problem, get out and walk,¡± she snapped, eyes flicking to the man¡¯s sword. The red emission in the room flared as she spoke before diminishing to a faint color.

    The orc guards at the door shifted subtly, their hands changing their grip on the scythes to better ready themselves. Likely an unnecessary movement. Vezta glided up next to Ilya, lightly touching her elbow. Vezta might not consider herself much of a fighter, but her presence was welcome. She could easily dispatch a single¡ªor even a trio¡ªof magically unenhanced men.

    The commander stared a moment longer before sliding his gaze over to his contemporaries. Hawkwood, face set in a fierce scowl, gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. Roman looked far too concerned with the change in Ilya to notice the glance the other commander was giving him.

    ¡°No problem,¡± the commander said. His lips remained tight but he dropped his gaze and removed his hand from his sword.

    ¡°Excellent,¡± Ilya said with a joyless smile. The last of the red light in the room diminished to nothing. ¡°Then sit back and relax. Enjoy the ride. We¡¯re not stopping until we¡¯ve crushed to dust whatever hovel Evestani calls a palace.¡±

    They could take command of the city from there. Ilya would leave them, returning to help Arkk¡ªthough she doubted the tower would make it in any reasonable amount of time. The Prince could head over to Evestsani, doing whatever he had done in Vaales over there, and leave Mystakeen to Katja and Arkk.

    A perfect plan if ever there was one.

    <hr>

    The plan was not going as perfectly as Arkk had hoped.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Purple marble on the bombardment team¡¯s desk. Charged glowstone quantity down to fifty percent.¡±

    ¡°Evestani army closing in on our position. They are setting up trebuchets.¡±

    ¡°Airships a-aren¡¯t taking meaningful damage from our counterattacks. T-They knock away everything that looks like it will do d-damage and ignore everything else.¡±

    The scrying orb flickered between scenes. The image within the glass changed faster than Arkk could blink. The scrying team had so much to focus on, so many things he needed updates on, that it was a wonder they could even comprehend what they were seeing before it flicked to the next intelligence target. Arkk couldn¡¯t comprehend it, but he hadn¡¯t trained with the scrying team. They were practiced in this.

    Occasionally, for more important matters, the image lingered for a few moments longer. Those moments were the main way Arkk was getting his first-hand information of distant events. Closer to home, Arkk just used his localized omniscience. For everything else, he had to trust that his scrying team¡¯s reports were accurate.

    If only they had more crystal balls. There should have been two here for two teams to use, lessening the burden. One was currently in the possession of the bombardment team. That team was supposed to use the large windows in the ritual room to select and aim at their targets.

    With the occasional shots making it through the protective magics from the airship, Arkk couldn¡¯t take the risk of leaving open windows everywhere. The tower was fully sealed.

    Some things were going well. His men, combined with his attentive efforts to keep them as safe as possible, forced the Eternal Empire back from the tower. They hadn¡¯t done quite as much damage as Arkk would have hoped for. Nothing decisive. The Eternal Empire wasn¡¯t fleeing in terror. They just took a step back to reevaluate their strategy in taking the fortress.

    Allowing them time to plot wasn¡¯t the best option he had. Still, he was making use of the reprieve. Besides ensuring everyone saw the healers in the infirmary, Arkk conducted a slew of repairs. Lesser servants were repairing damaged traps, building new ones, and narrowing certain passages to the point where he found it unlikely that bulky knights would be able to continue their invasion. That would let him focus on other matters.

    ¡°Trebuchets launching the first volley. Looks like Evestani is setting up magical bombardment as well.¡±

    ¡°As expected,¡± Arkk said.

    He watched the crystal ball, following the trail the heavy stones arced through the air. They struck the shield, failing to penetrate. Instead, the swirling winds carried them off, throwing them to the side where they crashed down into the forest below. One of the trebuchets hadn¡¯t launched a stone. A fireball exploded against the winds, doing little harm.

    Arkk bit his lip. ¡°Eyes on the avatar?¡±

    ¡°Center of the camp,¡± Harvey said instantly as the perspective flipped again. ¡°Seems to be overseeing the assembly of bombardment rituals¡­ He is staring directly at us with a heavy scowl on his face.¡±

    Arkk clasped his hands together. The avatar was present but hadn¡¯t launched one of those golden beams yet. Arkk assumed he wished to wait until the shield went down, just to ensure he did the most damage possible to the building. If Arkk had learned one thing about his opponent, it was that he was prone to rash decisions if he got frustrated. His encounter at Gleeful was proof enough of that.

    If the shield managed to weather a few minutes of bombardment without apparent falter, the avatar would use his golden ray to destroy it. He had never used a large ray twice in a short timeframe, which told Arkk that he couldn¡¯t use it too rapidly. So, he would only get one shot. Either destroy the shield or hit the tower. Not both.

    Arkk dropped a white marble onto the bombardment team¡¯s receptacle. Zullie¡¯s hastily modified spell had better work.

    ¡°Another i-incoming attack from the airships!¡± Luthor shouted.

    Clenching his teeth, Arkk pulled all the lesser servants off the exterior of the tower. Just in time.

    Every cannon on the Empire¡¯s airship fired as one, blasting a hole in the roaring wind of the shield. Several shots made it through, knocking chunks of the tower¡¯s reinforced walls to pieces. But the real threat came after. Before the shield repaired itself, that whale ship vomited large globs of red, meaty mass.

    Two splattered against the reforming shield, but four made it through. They struck the side of the tower, sliding down with long red streaks in their wake. He immediately felt the Heart tolling the alarm bells. The egg-like globs stuck to the tower¡¯s walls, digging thin tendrils into cracks in the dark bricks. They wormed their way in, draining magic from him to use to fuel their growth. The eggs swelled, forming more tendrils to dig in and drain even more magic. A cascading effect of exponential growth.

    If he hadn¡¯t had Fortress Al-Mir, if this had been his only fortress, he would likely have died. The first one that got through shocked him. But now, he had a tactic.

    Teleporting a lesser servant out to the side of the tower, just above one of the eggs, it swiftly constructed a small platform. As soon as the platform was stable, Arkk teleported himself.

    The roaring wind filled his ears as his cloak flapped and fluttered in the gale. A misting of moisture dusted his cheeks. Had he been unprepared, he likely would have been swept off into the protective storm. Instead, he crouched down.

    ¡°Incendiary Explosio,¡± he intoned.

    The egg below him shuddered, reacting to the surge of magic in the air. His spell ignited a brilliant blaze, a concentrated ball of flames that detonated on impact. A fiery shockwave rippled across the tower¡¯s surface. The egg burst apart, its fleshy tendrils snapping and curling into ash as they were consumed by the flames.

    Arkk barely paused to admire his handiwork. The three remaining eggs clung stubbornly to the tower, each pulsing ominously as they continued to siphon his magic. He didn¡¯t know if there was more to them than he had seen so far. Their purpose could simply be to drain magic¡­ or they could drain it in build-up to something worse. Arkk bet on the latter. Of everything he had faced so far, these eggs seemed made specifically to deal with people like him.

    To deal with fortresses.

    He teleported to the next platform the moment the lesser servant finished it. Another Incendiary Explosio ridded him of one of the eggs. Two more teleports and two more spells and the tower was clean. Every available servant moved to the tower¡¯s exterior at his command, scurrying across its surface to repair all the damage.

    A tug on the link had Arkk teleporting straight back to the command center. Out on the exterior, he was open and vulnerable. If the avatar fired off one of those beams while he was out there, he could kiss his life goodbye without a doubt.

    ¡°Report,¡± Arkk barked as soon as he reappeared.

    ¡°Evestani bombardment rituals are fully set up and staffed,¡± Camilla said. The fairy stared at the crystal ball with worry etched on her face. ¡°I thought they were going to use them, but¡­they aren¡¯t activating them. Waiting for something?¡±

    ¡°Maybe t-timing them with the airship bombardments?¡±

    ¡°Or the golden ray to take down the shield?¡±

    ¡°Maybe they don¡¯t want to hit the Empire soldiers?¡±

    ¡°Doubt it,¡± Harvey said with a shake of his head. ¡°Speaking of soldiers, the King¡¯s Army is almost directly underneath the tower.¡±

    Arkk flicked his gaze to the tunnels underground, noting the army. They were making their way through slower than Arkk had expected. Maybe wary of the noise and explosions above ground. ¡°I¡¯ll go speak with them. We should have a short reprieve before the Empire launches another volley at us. Alert me if anything notable changes in the situation.¡±

    It was a bit concerning. Three times, those eggs had made it through the barrier. The first time, only one egg hit the side of the tower. It was a good thing too, given his delay in dealing with it. The second time, two hit. Now four.

    It was a good thing he had managed to take out so many of those whale ships before the fighting even started. If there had been nine to fifteen of the things, he could only imagine how covered in eggs the tower would have been. Arkk doubted he would have been able to burn them off before dealing with them.

    One was bad enough.

    ¡°Mags,¡± Arkk said, appearing a short distance in front of the Prince¡¯s commander. Claire was at his side, as was usual when meeting with anyone from the Prince¡¯s faction. He gave her a small hand signal while Mags stumbled back in exaggerated shock, letting her know that he was who he appeared to be. Just a little precaution.

    ¡°You¡ª¡± Mags started, only for Arkk to interrupt him.

    He didn¡¯t have time for games. ¡°The tower is under attack on all sides. We¡¯re holding strong for now,¡± Arkk said, truthfully, though perhaps downplaying the situation somewhat. ¡°Evestani¡¯s forces have set up in a bombardment position a short distance away. Their army is primarily made up of normal men and women with only their avatar as an exception. Their army is likely the only part of the conflict your army can meaningfully contribute toward. So, I have taken the liberty of extending the tunnel out behind their forces. You¡¯ll be able to emerge with an advantage.

    ¡°Deal with them or cower here,¡± Arkk continued, speaking a little louder to perhaps spur on some of his men. He still wasn¡¯t sure if Mags was the demon. Given the shapeshifting ability, Mags might be real sometimes but might also be a demon at other times. Arkk could never be certain with whom he was speaking unless they were an employee. ¡°I don¡¯t believe they¡¯re going to play a consequential role in the current battle regardless.¡±

    Mags narrowed his eyes, twisting his pudgy face into a frown. ¡°What of the avatar?¡±

    ¡°I have a plan to deal with him. Though¡­ he is undoubtedly an enemy of the Prince,¡± Arkk said, watching how Mags reacted carefully. ¡°Perhaps I should leave him for you to deal with.¡±

    Mags didn¡¯t give anything away, one way or another. ¡°I¡¯ve read the reports. Your reports. You expect regular men to deal with a monster like that? Preposterous!¡±

    ¡°I believe someone in your ranks stands a chance against him,¡± Arkk muttered. Taking a breath, he spoke louder. ¡°As I said, I have a plan to deal with him. Ideally, he¡¯ll be dealt with before you arrive. Realistically, I¡¯ll use the chaos you create to ensure he goes down. In the latter case, I hope to do so before your forces suffer too many losses.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your generosity,¡± Mags said with a sneer.

    Arkk just raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is this not what you wanted? Is this not what you came here for? This army was on the verge of mutiny against both you and me because they were being sidelined. Now is the time for you to step up. The blood of Prince Cedric¡¯s enemies awaits spilling.¡±

    A small smile spread across Mags¡¯ face. ¡°That it does,¡± he said. Turning, he raised his voice. ¡°Well? You heard the man! We¡¯ve got heretics to slaughter!¡±

    Arkk raised his other eyebrow, shooting a glance at Claire. The dark elf shrugged, her afterimages copying her motions. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it then,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Just follow the tunnel. You can¡¯t miss the exits.¡±

    He and Claire teleported away before Mags could argue further. If he was the demon, hopefully he would keep himself busy for a while and not interfere with Arkk. If he wasn¡¯t the demon, his distraction would still have value.

    Another tug across the link hit Arkk just as he reappeared in the command center. He felt a moment of panic, snapping his gaze to the scrying team, only to realize it hadn¡¯t come from them. It came from afar.

    Agnete was back home once more. This time, with a caravan of mechanical soldiers at her back.

    Arkk took in a deep breath, relishing in the one note of good news he had seen in the last hour.

 Collapse

    Arkk had a brief window of reprieve. He had to make the best of it.

    After changing their tactics, the airship overhead fired all their cannons at once, then the whale ship spewed eggs, both took a few minutes of rest following that¡ªpresumably, time taken to reset things for their next attack. The main army was outside the tower, reevaluating their tactics. Evestani was about to engage with Mags and his men.

    Arkk did not like the idea of leaving the tower during the battle. He could move about personnel whether or not he was present, but there were some things that he could respond to far better in person¡ªfor example, teleporting someone like Dakka, Kia, or Lyssa to him and casting a haste spell before throwing them back into combat. In addition, while he had spoken with the bombardment team about targeting the tower with an inferno spell to burn off those eggs, it had not been tested.

    But there were some things only he could take care of.

    ¡°Agnete,¡± Arkk said, starting and ending his greeting with just her name. There wasn¡¯t time for more. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared teleportation rituals leading directly beneath the tower¡¯s current location. However¡­¡±

    Arkk looked around the portal chamber. The vastly enlarged portal chamber. Having seen what Agnete was bringing through from his link with her, he had known in advance that the machines from the Anvil wouldn¡¯t fit in the room¡¯s previous configuration.

    They barely fit now. The lesser servants had torn down the walls and joined the nearest dozen rooms together, moving everything of value off to some other corner of Fortress Al-Mir. Even with the modifications, the room was packed to the brim with bulky machines that, despite owning a much larger walking tower, he still felt a little intimidated by purely from a sense of scale.

    ¡°The teleportation rituals strain at moving a large carriage,¡± Arkk said with a frown. If only they had a full-scale portal out at Elmshadow.

    ¡°They are transports. If given access to the surface, they can move on their own,¡± Agnete said, gesturing to the bulky, brick-like machines that moved on treads.

    ¡°The battle is ongoing. I need to be back now.¡± Arkk frowned, watching as Agnete made a noise of understanding. ¡°They won¡¯t have time to cross half of Mystakeen.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll find them faster than you expec?,¡± Who said, stepping up alongside Agnete.

    ¡°While true,¡± Agnete said, looking to her mechanical contemporary, ¡°the distance they must traverse to reach Elmshadow is¡­ roughly the distance from the molten metal refinery stack to our workshop.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Who¡¯s cogs whirred down in what Arkk assumed was disappointment.

    ¡°I have had the lesser servants copying the ritual circles,¡± Arkk said. ¡°About twenty individuals can move at once, at least as long as they can spark the circles with magic on their own. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have to dedicate my men to doing so.¡± He turned, looking at one of the large Iron Mongers, as Agnete had dubbed them. They were like an entire foundry on treaded legs. ¡°No idea how to get the larger things through.¡±

    ¡°Throughput issues,¡± Who said with an odd hiss of steam that Arkk equated with a scoff. The disappointed shake of her head only reinforced his guess.

    Arkk chose to ignore her comment, focusing on the task at hand. There wasn¡¯t time for banter. ¡°Before that, however, there is one thing. If you¡­ If it is possible to hire you as employees, I can assist in keeping you and yours safe. I¡¯ve been teleporting people around, dodging attacks, and setting them up for perfect blind-side strikes.¡±

    He honestly hadn¡¯t the slightest idea whether or not he could hire them. They were metal constructs. Machines. Mobile statues. It sounded absurd to think that he could hire a statue. But at the same time, they were beings. His interactions with Who weren¡¯t any different than his interactions with Agnete or Perr¡¯ok. They could make decisions and act autonomously.

    So which did the Heart consider them? Statues? Or beings?

    Agnete and Who looked at one another. Arkk imagined their thoughts were running along the same path.

    ¡°Safety isn¡¯t as important for us as it might be for squishy meatbags. If our casings are destroyed, we can simply construct a new one. Our black boxes are us. They were built by a god. They won¡¯t be destroyed so easily.¡±

    ¡°That sounds time-consuming. Why waste that time when I can prevent ninety percent of your casualties in the first place?¡±

    Who hesitated again. Arkk wondered if she was coming up with excuses just so she wouldn¡¯t have to test this out. Rather than debate philosophy, he conjured up a gold coin from one of the increasingly sparse stacks in the treasury and held it out for Who to take. It was the quickest way to get an answer.

    ¡°Accept the payment and I¡¯ll hire you. If you can speak for the rest of the Anvil¡¯s forces, I can hire you all at once.¡± That had worked with Richter and his men, after all.

    Who hesitated a moment longer throwing another glance at Agnete, before she reached forward and took the coin.

    The link formed immediately, first with Who then it branched out to the rest of the assembled machine lifeforms. In one exchange of a coin, Arkk had tripled his number of employees. And it wasn¡¯t just the Who-like machines who were mostly inside the transports or the flying serpents. Everything from the anvil gained an employee link. That included the transports as well as the large smithies on legs.

    Arkk staggered in place as a sudden wave of vertigo slammed into him. Before this, Richter¡¯s three hundred deserters had been the largest group to join him at once. But even aside from the numbers, there was something different about the group from the Anvil. Normally, he received some small amount of magic, an increase in his reserves, when someone joined.

    If anything, he felt drained after they joined. Not completely. If he were to apply numbers to it, each of his new employees increased his reserves by ten, but at the same time, they started siphoning off nine. A net increase but only by a minuscule amount.

    Who straightened further, her visible cogs and gears whirring with vigor Arkk hadn¡¯t seen on her before. ¡°Interesting,¡± she said, looking over the coin as if that was the source of her feelings.

    Arkk had a theory. Or rather, an extension of Zullie¡¯s theory. Zullie suggested that the Anvil¡¯s relatively low ambient magic and extremely active environment were related. The Burning Forge was using the heightened magic levels caused by the Calamity to power everything, including the living machines. They were a drain on the magic of the Anvil, keeping the levels low. The theory didn¡¯t quite fit, given that he was still gaining more from them than they were taking, but he chalked that up to some magical oddity he wasn¡¯t aware of. Zullie might care to research it further.

    He had more practical things to worry about.

    ¡°It worked,¡± Arkk said, alleviating the concern on Agnete¡¯s face. ¡°Who, you know your fellows better than anyone in my employ. If you can command them¡ª¡±

    ¡°I possess no combat experience,¡± Who said, only to pause in a brief moment of thought. ¡°None of us do. There are hostile lifeforms in the Anvil, but automated stationary defenses handle them, pushing them back so the Infernal Engine can expand. Some of the serpents occasionally assist, but that is far from their primary duty. However!¡± she quickly added, as if worried Arkk might send them away. ¡°We are fully combat capable.

    ¡°From when Agnete made her petition to the Burning Forge to now, weapons development increased,¡± she continued. ¡°Most carry portable lightning slingers¡ªAgnete described your favored spell and we already had similar technology in the wyrms. It was simple to adapt to an automaton-portable, albeit less powerful, version. Our plasma cutters are also well beyond capable of inflicting damage on meatbags like yourselves. I believe most engineers, being familiar with the cutters, would prefer that.

    ¡°We just don¡¯t know how best to use them.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together. He preferred to keep cliques within Company Al-Mir together. They tended to work best like that. That was why Richter had near full command of the men who came with him, why Joanne was in charge of the Claymores, why the orcs were all mostly grouped, and so on. He mixed the groups often enough when he felt the situation called for more diversity, but the ones in charge were still the ones with the most authority over their respective factions.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°It sounds like your automatons using lightning will mostly serve a similar role as battlecasters while the remainder will engage in the frontlines,¡± Arkk said, musing on the lightning weapons they wielded. ¡°I have a few casters who I can move into a leadership position with you, though I would still prefer if you stayed on as an advisor. They won¡¯t know the capabilities of the Anvil forces, nor what might be too much for you or what might be a waste of your talents.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an engineer. I¡¯d prefer being in the production line. Agnete could¡ª¡±

    ¡°Agnete¡¯s power will go to waste as a commander. She needs to remain an independent specialist.¡± Arkk shook his head. ¡°Would that we had more time, we could have come to a more satisfactory arrangement. For now, we need to move and you¡¯re in charge. I¡¯ll start teleporting them to the ritual circles. You¡¯ve used one before, can you inform the rest of your men what to do?¡±

    Who sighed. A long, crackling, static-filled sigh. A few odd notes and pitch changes filled certain parts of the static before she finally went silent. It was a bit exaggerated, in Arkk¡¯s opinion. If she didn¡¯t want to be in charge to that extent, it probably was best if he replaced her with anyone else. A few of the other machines in the chamber echoed her sigh, including deep noises from the transports. He was about to say so when she straightened again.

    ¡°Done. Everyone is informed.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Some strange way of speaking among their kind,¡± Agnete helpfully provided. ¡°While I can understand most of their other language, this one is well beyond me.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Arkk shook his head. If that sigh hadn¡¯t been a complaint, he supposed he would let it by for now. ¡°We¡¯ve wasted enough time. Agnete, Who, and myself through the hops first. I¡¯ll move individuals to the ritual rooms to follow. We¡­¡±

    Arkk trailed off, frowning as a change in the fortress caught his attention. ¡°Agnete and Who will go through first. I¡¯ll be following shortly. There is something else here I need to take care of while I have a moment. Agnete, the enemy has been launching some kind of egg-like things at the tower. If I¡¯m not back by the time of their next attack, I may teleport you outside the tower. Burn them off as fast as you can.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± the former inquisitor said with a nod of her head. The smoldering coals in her eyes brightened as if someone shoved a set of bellows in her ears.

    ¡°Everyone else will regroup while I take care of things and find some battlecasters to take over.¡±

    ¡°The walking factories can remain here,¡± Who said after a deep noise erupted from one of the machines. ¡°They¡¯ll manufacture spare parts, armaments, and other items. A logistic team can move the created parts. We set up material conveyors in the Anvil to deliver raw materials for the factories to use, so not being able to move is probably best for them.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to swap the portal back to the Underworld to charge glowstones before long, but we can switch it back and forth in a relatively short amount of time.¡±

    ¡°Excellent.¡±

    Arkk waited for a bare instant to see if there were any further questions before he took a breath. ¡°Teleporting you two and the first batch of automatons¡ªalong with a few of the serpents¡ªto the rituals now.¡±

    With just one extra moment for objections, passed in silence, Arkk moved them out. He teleported himself as well, reappearing in the temple room.

    He swept his gaze over the statues, ensuring that none of them had changed, before settling back on the Holy Light. The statue wasn¡¯t in its usual heroic pose. Arms crossed and a frown on its face, it looked occupied. As he teleported another group of automatons to the ritual room, he stalked closer to the statue. Two silver candles at the base of the statue burned slowly, sparking occasionally. Those were what had drawn his attention in the first place.

    ¡°Anyone home?¡± he asked. ¡°Avatar?¡±

    The statue shifted, its eyes swapped from a vacant, distant look to a glare at Arkk. ¡°I believe I have said to call me Lyra.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Arkk said with a frown of his own. ¡°Do you have anything valuable to say? Or are you here to waste my time begging for my employees.¡±

    The statue let out an audible sigh. ¡°I understand you have made contact with our enemies.¡±

    ¡°Our enemies? I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t see you out there fighting.¡± Arkk was a little upset with the avatar of the Light. He wasn¡¯t sure what he had expected. The avatar came to him with an offer of an alliance and then told him a bunch of half-truths before demanding Agnete, among other concessions, for her offers of intelligence. Every time they spoke, his opinion of the Light diminished more and more.

    Vezta was right. The Light couldn¡¯t be trusted.

    ¡°And I have a fight to get back to,¡± Arkk said, turning away. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±

    ¡°Hold, Arkk,¡± Lyra said with a soft note in her tone. Almost begging. Arkk knew she would try to stop him. It was why he hadn¡¯t simply disappeared. But begging? ¡°We haven¡¯t seen eye-to-eye on a number of matters¡ª¡±

    ¡°Just your insistence on returning Agnete to you, as if she can¡¯t make her own decisions.¡±

    ¡°But! I do have a vested interest in seeing my contemporaries fail before they decide to turn their armies on Chernlock.¡±

    ¡°You have an interesting way of showing that interest,¡± Arkk said, folding his arms over his chest, only to stop and hesitate. One of his arms wasn¡¯t there anymore. With his cloak, it wasn¡¯t obvious. Otherwise Agnete or Who would surely have said something about building him a replacement. There wasn¡¯t time for that now anyway. He teleported another batch of automatons. ¡°Two minutes. That is all I can spare.¡±

    ¡°Before anything, you have not let any eggs hatch, have you?¡±

    Arkk shook his head, deepening his frown. He hardly needed the avatar of enlightenment to tell him that it would probably be a bad idea. After that first had shocked him, he had egg removal duties as the highest priority. Even above saving his men. He did not wish to find out what would happen if the eggs were allowed to mature.

    ¡°Good,¡± Lyra said. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You could have warned me about them.¡±

    ¡°I warned you that the Eternal Empire would be deploying ancient weapons long since banned,¡± the statue said, transitioning to a shrugging pose.

    ¡°Well thanks for the advice,¡± Arkk said, purposefully injecting as much sarcasm as possible into his tone. ¡°But unless you¡¯ve got a way of taking those airships down, I think we¡¯re done here.¡±

    This time, the statue adopted a smug pose. ¡°I do, actually.¡±

    Arkk could only sigh. If Lyra had said no, he could have simply left. Now he had to hear her out. ¡°They avoid, deflect, or otherwise ignore all the bombardment magic I¡¯ve thrown at them. The only thing that worked was an overpowered Electro Deus, and that took more out of me than it took out of them.¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t invincible. The creatures within are vulnerable on the inside.¡±

    Arkk already knew that as well. Lexa¡¯s successful destruction of one of the incomplete whale ships attested to that. But he didn¡¯t exactly have a good way of getting someone up into an already flying ship. The harpies and syrens had wings, to be sure, but if the airship could knock a massive boulder off course, he doubted human-sized creatures would manage. He had already tried forming a boulder¡ªand some of the other bombardment spells¡ªdirectly inside the airship holds. Unfortunately, the magic that generated the stone required an absence of solids in its vicinity. It was one of the reasons they formed so high up, to ensure nothing would leech the magic before the boulder fully formed.

    And those whale ships were leeches. Even trying to conjure a boulder, flames, or anything else in their relative vicinity ended up with the spell eaten before it could do anything. It was one of the reasons Arkk had ordered the stop on the continued attacks. If those eggs inside the whales ate magic, he didn¡¯t want to feed them more than he had to.

    Unless those eggs hatching inside the ship would be bad for it. If that were the case, he could spare a bit of magic.

    He posed the question to Lyra.

    The horrified look on her face told him the answer well before she could speak the words. ¡°Light, no. I don¡¯t know which specific weapon the Eternal Empire has deployed against you. I can think of four egg-shaped entities that absorb magic in their arsenal. The least of which absorbs that magic until it reaches a critical point and erupts. I did mention that our wars reshaped entire landscapes, did I not?¡±

    Arkk just sighed. ¡°Then how do you propose I damage their insides to take them down? And that regular-looking airship too, I¡¯ve hardly been able to damage it either.¡±

    At this point, he was hoping that Agnete¡¯s return would provide some solutions. With her increased control over her abilities thanks to her time in the Anvil, she could almost mimic the golden rays with her flames. If that couldn¡¯t damage the ships¡­

    A tug across the link, coming from his scrying team, had him jolting. ¡°I have to return to the¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait! Accept this.¡± The statue of the Holy Light changed once again, kneeling with its arms outstretched. Its hands were just above the height of Arkk¡¯s head, holding a shallow bowl. ¡°It will allow us to remain in communication. In addition, you have an inquisitor among your ranks other than Agnete, correct?¡±

    ¡°Sylvara¡­¡±

    ¡°Bring her to the basin at your earliest convenience and I shall impart knowledge of spells that can pierce any material. Any other trained Abbey clergy may also benefit, if you have any others in your company.¡±

    Arkk pressed his lips together, still not trusting the Light¡¯s avatar. But at this point, any additions to his arsenal weren¡¯t something he could overlook. Taking the bowl in hand, he stepped back, only to freeze as he noticed one more oddity in the room.

    Another statue.

    All the other statues in the room were beings, most in a humanoid shape. This statue was a thing. A large round wheel made from rich, polished wood. Large golden symbols adorned each of the wheel¡¯s spokes. Cards, chance cubes, stars, a black cat, a shattered mirror, and more. All symbols of luck¡ªboth good and ill. Engravings along the rim, written in a language Arkk didn¡¯t understand, gleamed with a bright orange light. At the front, attached to the spoke of the wheel, a set of scales hung. Unlike the other statues, the wheel was in motion. It lazily turned, rotating forward and then reversing. The scales at the front tipped side to side, never remaining perfectly balanced.

    The Fickle Wheel.

    It had appeared during his conversation with Lyra. He couldn¡¯t say during what part. He hadn¡¯t noticed. If not for the subtle movement in the corner of his eye, he might have teleported away without noticing.

    The sight of it made Arkk feel sick. The only other statue to have spontaneously appeared was that of the Laughing Prince immediately after Arkk wielded a massive undead army. Undeath being in the Laughing Prince¡¯s domain, that made sense to him. But the Fickle Wheel was the god of random chance, gambling, and luck. And not necessarily good luck.

    Arkk teleported, feeling an urgent need to find out what had happened in the last few minutes.

 Interlude on the Ground

    The damp air of the tunnel clung to their skin as the soldiers huddled together. Dim glowstone lights flickered as a tremble ran through the ground. At the center of the group stood Eadric, the unit¡¯s seasoned hypeman. His voice was a steady beacon amidst the low murmur of anticipation. His words pulsed like the beat of a drum, charging the air with energy. Soldiers, gripping their weapons, nodded along, their fear transmuting into a steely resolve.

    Eadric moved among them, clasping shoulders and meeting eyes. He knew his presence was a tangible reassurance. A reassurance they needed. Even as an experienced warrior, one of the King¡¯s men who had fought in seven different battles for the realm, served in a mercenary company for over a decade, and possessed more accolades than any two others in the entire army, he had seen things here that he could never have imagined. Monsters of all varieties, massive walking buildings, and flying ships to name a few. And they hadn¡¯t even encountered the enemy yet.

    That was soon to change.

    War was upon them. Quite literally. In a few minutes, they would burst forth from the ground, assailing the Evestani invaders from the rear. Some, those inexperienced, called it a cowardly move not to face them head-on. Eadric called it smart. Only bards cared about honor. For everyone else, it was life or death.

    They would understand. They would understand or they would die.

    ¡°Ready men!¡± a call rang through the tunnels.

    Eadric let his own words fall silent as he turned.

    Prince Cedric¡¯s commander held a large copper cone in front of his mouth, projecting his voice through the tunnel. Eadric wasn¡¯t sure what to think of the man. A pompous sort like him who clearly got his position out of kinship more than ability normally grated on Eadric¡¯s nerves, yet the man was the head of the army, fully ready to be the first to charge into battle. Whether he had a death wish or was just ignorant of the brutality they would face in a few minutes, Eadric couldn¡¯t decide. If anything, he wished the man would move back.

    He wasn¡¯t well-liked among the soldiers, but if the banner the commander carried fell, it would harm morale.

    ¡°Tonight, we bathe in the blood of our enemies! Tomorrow, we dance upon their corpses. Huzzah!¡±

    Eadric expected more, but Mags was finished. He tossed the copper cone aside, whipped his horse¡¯s hindquarters, and shot off out of the tunnel. He was the first into the daylight. The first to meet the enemy.

    Probably the first to die.

    Eadric could only shake his head before echoing the cry. With any luck, Mags would die with the majority of the army none the wiser. It would only be after the fact that anyone would realize they had trampled over his body in the opening minutes of the engagement.

    The army surged forward, following after Mags. It was divided up, split between a few different exits to the tunnels so that they might better encircle Evestani, getting the drop on them from all sides with the element of surprise.

    Eadric stepped out into the sun, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the brightness. He didn¡¯t stop moving. He knew his role. His own banner hung from his back, rallying his men. He was here to be seen, to bolster everyone. He couldn¡¯t be seen to falter or waver. Heavy armor-crushing mace gripped in one hand and his shield on his other arm, he waded forward.

    Evestani¡¯s army stood in the distance. Most still had their backs facing the oncoming battle. Siege weapons, bombardment magics, and all manner of spellwork had been set up as far from the front as possible. That left them open to be the first to go down. Spellcasters normally wanted as much heavy armor and shields between them and conflict as possible. Coming up behind them like this would rip away the advantage of magic from Evestani.

    It wouldn¡¯t be an easy battle, but compared to some of his engagements? Evestani still outnumbered them. That said, Eadric could get used to fighting like this. Spellcasters were often the most troublesome part of a proper army.

    In the distance, dwarfing the mass of soldiers, a giant sphere of swirling wind raged amid a forest. With the sun angled just right, he could almost make out the silhouette of the walking building that his army chased across the land. Floating above it, one ship somehow hovered in the air while a second metal monster lingered in the air nearby. The latter looked like some kind of creature with a wide, gaping maw and thin tendrils dangling down below it. If not for the metal hull, he might have thought it was a monster.

    And a second monster was drifting overhead, moving to join the first two flying ships.

    Eadric pulled his gaze back down as the clash in front of him began. There was no time to pay attention to anything else.

    Trails of blood arced through the air as Eadric pulled his mace back. The stubby spikes were made to break armor. Bones couldn¡¯t hold up. He bashed one fleeing caster straight down his spine, hearing that crack over the yells, shouts, and clashing metal. A magical array of unknown intent dimmed and faded as the maintainers fell or fled. He let out a shout of his own, indistinct among the cries of his comrades, doing nothing but hyping up his unit as they charged.

    Chaos amid the blood, dirt, and bodies reigned. A whirlwind swirled around him, threatening to rip him off his feet. One of his unit shoved a pike through the caster¡¯s head, freeing him to bash down someone¡¯s skull who was conjuring up a wall of ice to buy time.

    The first armored opponent charged at Eadric with a stubby straight sword, swinging as if he had never used it before. Eadric batted it away with his shield, using the opening to thrust his mace forward into the chest of the soldier. The metal chestplate dented. That alone wouldn¡¯t have been enough, but it knocked the soldier off balance. A second strike to the side of the head and a third to the man¡¯s shield arm elicited that cracking of breaking bones along with a pained scream as the soldier went down. Another follow-up strike to the helmet made the man still.

    Eadric didn¡¯t stop. Even as he bashed down the soldier, his eyes roamed around, seeking his next target. A caster was giving one of his men a hard time. A row of hastily assembled archers were readying their bows. More soldiers were moving forward, disorganized and erratic.

    He took a single step.

    Bright golden light flooded his vision. Eadric reared back, raising his shield as a distant heat washed over him, soaking into his armor. He blinked as fast as he could, trying to regain his vision even as he kept his shield up and pointed at where he thought the enemy was.

    He wasn¡¯t dead. He wasn¡¯t hurt. Whatever that had been, it hadn¡¯t been aimed toward him.

    Fearing the worst, he quickly looked around the moment he could see more than spots.

    Everyone was in a similar state. Not just his army, but Evestani¡¯s as well. Everyone was cowering, waiting, as if they expected that to have been an attack from an enemy. There wasn¡¯t even any noise. The only one moving, Eadric noted, was Mags. Seeing the portly man slam his fist through the helmet of some Evestani soldier, smiling with a toothy grin on his face, made him wonder if he wasn¡¯t seeing things.

    Nobody seemed hurt beyond the momentary blindness. Eadric swung his mace, knocking aside some soldier who was still recovering, before realizing what had happened.

    The tower was visible. The swirling maelstrom that had been protecting it was nowhere to be seen. A chunk of its smokey walls was covered in what appeared to be liquid gold, dripping down its sides.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    The airships overhead, the monstrous ones, opened their mouths. Dozens of sacks of meat came spewing out, flying through the air toward the tower.

    At the same time, flames erupted around the tower, swirling around as it moved up the sides of the walls. Some of the meat sacks burned away in an instant while others struck the tower, sticking to its bricks.

    Arrows striking Eadric¡¯s shield pulled his eyes back to the ground. One punctured deep enough to clip his arm. The pinch of pain wasn¡¯t much, but it did make him hiss.

    There was no time to worry about the tower. He had a war to win.

    <hr>

    Lexa felt the hairs on her skin stand on end. An instant later, the tower rocked, tilting back far enough that she felt like she was going to go flying.

    ¡°Confirmed location of the avatar,¡± shouted one of the people hunched over the crystal ball. They weren¡¯t disturbed at all by the sudden shock to the fortress. None even blinked. ¡°Location displayed.¡±

    Lexa didn¡¯t have a clue who they were talking to. Arkk wasn¡¯t here. He had rushed back to Fortress Al-Mir to get Agnete and her machines. The Protector loomed over their crystal balls. Maybe to distribute information to Rekk¡¯ar who would then use more Protectors to order around other teams.

    ¡°External d-damage appears minimal¡ª¡± another of the scrying team started as the image in the glass flickered.

    ¡°Incoming attacks from above. Egg drop!¡±

    ¡°Agnete is already outside, teleported by Arkk. Nothing to worry over.¡±

    ¡°The protective spell is down,¡± a fairy said, quickly changing the crystal ball to show somewhere inside the tower. Her face twisted into a grimace as it flickered to whatever else she needed to keep track of. ¡°Looks like an explosion went off inside the ritual chamber. Kassa is down and Lelith looks like she got slammed against a wall. Backlash from the spell hitting the shield?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be vulnerable to sustained bombardment¡­¡±

    ¡°Where is Arkk?¡±

    That was what Lexa wanted to know. He said he would only be gone for a minute, just long enough to get Agnete and her machines moving. The avatar had attacked. Now was the optimal time to enact their countermeasure against him and she was stuck sitting here, twiddling her thumbs. Agnete warranted a teleport out to take care of the eggs, meanwhile, that avatar was recovering.

    Fate, or perhaps some Fickle Wheel, chose that moment to strike. The moment the thought crossed her mind, Lexa felt that tug that came with teleportation. Like someone picked her up by the scruff of her neck, whisked her through space, and dropped her off in a long, empty tunnel. Not having been expecting the teleport, Lexa stumbled slightly as she whipped her head around to get her bearings.

    Arkk had not dropped her into the middle of combat. That let her relax ever so slightly. The tunnel she was in had two ways to go. One way narrowed to a small hole that not even a gremlin could fit into. A slime or one of the servants would be the only ones capable of traversing that route. The other way was an upward-leading ramp where the majority of the tunnel¡¯s light came from.

    With only one direction to go, Lexa didn¡¯t need telling twice.

    She quickly checked herself over, making sure she wasn¡¯t missing anything. Her shadow cloak, wrapped loosely around her, fluttered in the faint breeze coming from the tunnel¡¯s entrance. All her knives were in place in their holders¡ªshe withdrew two, one in each hand¡ªthe flower was still pinned to her shirt, and a small metal sphere engraved with runes hung from the belt on her hip. Within, the effigy sat, safe and contained for the moment.

    A surge of doubt crossed through Lexa¡¯s mind. It was the only effigy. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was because another one couldn¡¯t be made or if Zullie and the others had simply focused on perfecting this one, but its weight suddenly felt ten times what it had been a moment ago. If she failed, if she lost it, if it didn¡¯t work¡­

    Well, if any of those happened, she would probably end up dead. Then it wouldn¡¯t be her problem anymore.

    With a shake of her head, Lexa ascended the sloped path out of the tunnel.

    War raged around her.

    The tunnel¡¯s exit led directly to a battle. Red and gold armored soldiers fought alongside blue and yellow against an army clothed in white, black, and gold. Metal clashed against metal. Spells flew overhead in both directions. People screamed as they were cut down. Soldiers stampeded over the bodies of the fallen, too frightened and too hyped up on adrenaline to think. Blood soaked into the ground as arrows thunked against armor, shields, and people.

    Lexa had seen fighting before. She had been one of Katja¡¯s bandits for around ten years. They raided caravans and killed people, even assaulted a small village one year for food and supplies. People bled out and died. Plenty at her own hand. With Arkk, she had seen plenty more. Between assassinating the Duke, Gleeful Burg, and reclaiming Elmshadow, she had seen her fair share of blood and death. But she had never been in the thick of a war. She had always been off on the side, targeting special objectives.

    The scale of the battle before her couldn¡¯t compare to everything else she had seen even if she combined all her experiences into one bloody lump. Tides of people clashed, dozens fell on both sides only to be replaced with more yelling and charging from the ones behind them.

    Lexa had to dart and weave, using all her skills and even a few agility-enhancing spells to keep from being crushed underneath metal boots. It helped that she couldn¡¯t stand around in a stupor. Being forced to move kept her active.

    She narrowed her eyes, cursing her short height as she tried to figure out where her target might be. If Arkk dropped her off here, that meant the avatar should be somewhere nearby. White and gold, with a light brown thrown in, were the predominant colors of Evestani. Maneuvering around a clash between them and some of Vaales¡¯ red and gold, she headed further into the Evestani line.

    It wasn¡¯t easy. Even with nobody paying attention to her thanks to her spells and cloak, the battlefield was packed. If she remembered right, Evestani marched with roughly ten thousand men. The King¡¯s army was smaller, but it sure didn¡¯t feel that way. Combined they formed a wall. Not just a wall¡ªshe could have gotten over a wall. It was a mass of swinging blades that extended outward in every direction, constantly moving back and forth. She wasn¡¯t sure how she was supposed to get anywhere.

    Trees were standing. Evestani had set up their siege equipment in a relatively clear spot in the forest, but it wasn¡¯t completely devoid of trees. Most fighters on both sides avoided them. At most, people used them as cover against the archers, but, from a short observation, most archers didn¡¯t bother to aim their shots at trees when they could randomly arch their shot high into the air and likely hit someone.

    Lexa kept a wary eye out for any golden arrows. The ones that turned people into living statues that then infected more people. So far, neither the statues nor the arrows were present. She wondered if it had something to do with the avatar. Although powerful enough to blast a hole into a mountain, he did not have infinite power. It took time to rebuild that power or else he would simply walk on his own, blasting down everything in his path with rays of gold. If maintaining or otherwise using those gold statues or arrows took some of that power, he might ignore it in favor of focusing on the tower.

    Clinging to the side of a tree, Lexa flicked her eyes up. The tower stood in the distance, looking worse for wear. Smoke billowed out of one of the floors in the upper levels. The ritual room, probably. Fire wreathed the tower, trying to keep it clean of those meaty eggs the whale ships were spewing. Gold dripped down its sides where the ray had struck, seeming to snuff out the flames. All the while, the cannons of the airship didn¡¯t let up, blasting off lesser servants in droves as they clung to the exterior, trying to repair the damage.

    A black void opened, intercepting a few volleys of cannon fire and eggs. It flickered and collapsed before long. The small reprieve it bought did allow a few focused beams of fire to fry several of the eggs the larger wreath had missed.

    Lexa forced her gaze back down. Dealing with that wasn¡¯t her job. She had to find the avatar. She had to find the avatar before he gathered enough strength to strike the tower a second time.

    Again, the Fickle Wheel thought it must be funny to coincide events with her thoughts. As soon as she turned her eyes back to the battlefield, a warm, golden aura spread out from the center of Evestani¡¯s army. The tides of war below her shifted, with the King¡¯s army pulling back in response to the unknown magics, readying themselves to defend from spells. Protective shields popped up all throughout their side of the battle. Evestani, on the other hand, found themselves bolstered. Everyone wearing their colors straightened, gripped their weapons with newfound strength, and raised their banners as they shouted war cries.

    The clash began again as the light faded. This time, the side with the advantage was plain and obvious. Evestani¡¯s forces still died. It wasn¡¯t like they had become immortal or even gained any amount of strength. Lexa watched their blades clash with those of the King¡¯s army. Nothing looked too different.

    Had anything even happened? Was it pure morale that shifted the flow of battle? If Lexa were in the avatar¡¯s position, she wouldn¡¯t have bothered wasting power on her followers while her true target stood ahead, taunting in its very existence. But if a little trick of light was enough to turn a fighting retreat into a forward push, she would have thrown up a quick sparkle too.

    Unfortunately for the avatar, her elevated position gave her the perfect vantage point to see where that light had originated from. She might not have long. The avatar wasn¡¯t immobile, after all, and he might decide to swap possessed bodies at any point. But it was the best lead she had.

    Scanning through the ocean of fighters below, she picked a route, keeping close to the more densely packed trees and far from the actual people. It would be a roundabout path, but one actually traversable compared to pushing through an active battle.

    ¡°I¡¯m coming for you,¡± Lexa hissed as she hopped to the ground and took off in a sprint. ¡°Just you wait¡­¡±

 Fracture

    ¡°Zullie!¡± Arkk barked as the tower rocked again under fire from the Eternal Empire airship. ¡°You told me we would have defenses.¡±

    ¡°All things in time, Arkk. All things in time¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t exactly have time,¡± Arkk snapped back.

    Brickwork, reinforced by the tower¡¯s magic, cracked and fractured under the sustained bombardment. Small cracks of daylight made it inside before the lesser servants could repair the walls. The Eternal Empire¡¯s continued cannon firing was getting stronger, each volley shaved away more layers of the tower than the last, like the bricks had been designed to ablate rather than be the nigh-invulnerable material that the walls were supposed to be. Part of it was those eggs. Anywhere the eggs touched the tower crumbled away far easier than any other section, like they had permanently damaged the reinforcement magic.

    Arkk wanted to send out the lesser servants to dismantle and rebuild whole sections of the tower entirely, but with the bombardment, they wouldn¡¯t last more than a second.

    If they could get rid of the spell holding them in place, he would have rotated the tower just to give the one side a break.

    Once the servant got the daylight sealed away, reforming the brickwork from inside the tower, the heavy thumping and explosions on the outside of the tower came to a stop.

    It wasn¡¯t a reprieve. The only times when the cannons stopped were when the whale ships were about to begin another round of their bombardment.

    Several walls slid aside with a thought, moving to open periodic vents around the base of the tower. Agnete, seated in the middle of the otherwise empty chamber, tilted her head up. The embers in her eyes ignited into plumes of flame that billowed out around her. Fire flooded the chamber, exploding out the vents where it swept up the exterior of the tower. Just in time to incinerate the first of the eggs crashing into the walls.

    Something about the avatar¡¯s latest golden ray left behind golden residue on the tower, dripping and leaking. The eggs weren¡¯t able to find purchase on it, either bouncing off or sliding down it depending on the angle they came in on. Neither could Agnete¡¯s fire reach above it. It didn¡¯t seem to harm the tower as much as it was an obstacle in defending it. It somewhat reminded him of those golden statues, except it was affecting his tower instead of people.

    The encroaching, dripping gold had slowed its spread since the initial attack. Arkk hoped Lexa would finish her task before the avatar felt up to a repeat performance.

    Arkk teleported outside to several preconstructed ledges, using his own fire spells to fry off eggs above the gold where Agnete¡¯s flames failed. As he did so, he teleported Agnete out of the tower to another ledge. The brief pause in the bombardment made it safe to go outside, temporarily.

    The armored soldiers of the Eternal Empire surrounded the base of the tower. Their armor wasn¡¯t as good as that golden knight, but it was enough to resist Agnete¡¯s flames. They had already tried to sweep the fire through their forces and, while it did cause some damage, the soldiers weren¡¯t the priority.

    She lifted her hand, sweeping the fire around her arm and up to a point. A thin beam of concentrated flame rushed upward. It wasn¡¯t fast. Faster than most fire should move naturally, but quite a bit slower than a magical fireball and far, far slower than the near-instant golden rays the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar could produce. The airships overhead, both whale and regular, ceased their attacks as they drifted to the sides, separating to avoid the flames.

    Arkk dropped a black marble onto the bombardment team¡¯s docket.

    The defensive array had shattered. The feedback from taking the brunt of the golden beam had almost killed Kassa. The rest of the rituals were still intact. Lelith didn¡¯t waste time.

    One of the whale ships drifted in the opposite direction as the primary ship. The primary ship was the one defending them from all Arkk¡¯s efforts to bring them down. Separated, they were vulnerable.

    A black void opened above the separated ship. One of Zullie¡¯s spells, the same one he had used at Elmshadow¡¯s recapture. Hurled out from the void, orbs of tiny stars warped the world around them, bending sight as they drifted toward the whale ship.

    The metal shell encasing the organic interiors twisted and bent, ripped away and pulled into oblivion as the orb skimmed the ship¡¯s surface. Exposed red flesh, meaty and bloody, began dripping in large, chunky slews. Some were pulled into the starry orbs, the rest fell atop the army below.

    Lyra had said that they were vulnerable from the inside. That was well and good. Currently, Abbess Hannah and Sylvara were conversing with the avatar of the Holy Light to allegedly learn some spell that would ignore the whale ship¡¯s armor, overseen by Savren. It would be great if it worked, especially because there was at least one more intact whale ship that had yet to join in on the fight. But just because the avatar said it would work didn¡¯t mean Arkk wasn¡¯t about to give up trying his way.

    He couldn¡¯t trust the avatar any further than he could throw the Holy Light¡¯s statue.

    At the same time, Agnete wasn¡¯t finished. Sweeping her arm downward pulled the beam of fire, drawing it back toward the ground as if it were a massive, tower-long whip. The prime airship, in the process of maneuvering back toward the separated whale ship, had to abort and dive to avoid the flames. The second whale got away with a scorching of its metal, but nothing more.

    The flame whip crashed into the ground. The Eternal Empire¡¯s soldiers, caught in its direct path, did not look like they survived. The following explosion as the compressed flames spread outward and upward threw several of the armored knights into the air and over the heads of their comrades.

    As the cannons on the underside of the prime ship began glowing once again, Arkk teleported both Agnete and himself back inside. Just in time to avoid the renewed bombardment.

    At least the first wave struck the ground where Agnete had been standing rather than the tower. That gave the lesser servants clinging to its exterior precious few extra seconds to conduct their repairs.

    ¡°Report!¡± Arkk shouted the moment he was back in the command center.

    ¡°Some kind of¡­ wind came from the prime ship,¡± Camilla said, peering into the crystal ball. ¡°It disturbed the void spell enough to destroy it.¡±

    ¡°Damage to the whale? How severe is it?¡±

    ¡°It looks bad,¡± Harvey said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want the wound on myself. But the ship is still in the air. Doesn¡¯t look like we hit it hard enough to knock it out of the sky.¡±

    Arkk scowled as a flash of anger stirred inside. He did not want to have to rely on Lyra. ¡°We hurt it. We do that a few more times and we can take it down.¡±

    ¡°If we can,¡± Agnete said, taking a deep breath. Heat haze clung to her bare shoulders, wafting off in waves that distorted the air. The light in her eyes was as bright as Arkk¡¯s, if a bit more yellow-orange than red. ¡°I doubt they¡¯ll be foolish enough to split apart like that again.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to make them split apart.¡±

    ¡°E-Egg report:¡± Luthor said, looking like he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to interrupt. ¡°All lower tower eggs were incinerated before they could form proper tendrils. The ones you dealt with, A-Arkk, weren¡¯t removed as¡­ uh¡­ swiftly.¡± His face contorted like the report was causing physical pain. ¡°Faster than last time though!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Luthor,¡± Arkk said. That wasn¡¯t anything he hadn¡¯t expected. He wasn¡¯t Agnete. He wasn¡¯t an avatar. Frankly, it was lucky he knew a flame spell good enough to get rid of them.

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    Those things were made to take out towers like his. The way they drained magic and weakened the reinforced walls would have seen his tower crumbling around him if Priscilla hadn¡¯t given him that inferno spell. Even with it, they were still being worn down.

    The situation needed to change. Fast.

    ¡°Your mechanical forces are almost fully assembled down below,¡± Arkk said, looking to Agnete. ¡°Do you think the voltcoil wyrms can damage any of the airships?¡±

    Agnete hummed, pursing her lips. She strode toward where the window used to be, peering slightly upward as if she could see the ships through the opaque bricks. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve seen them in person, I doubt it. They may be able to cause some damage to the prime ship, seeing as it is made from wood, but not the whales.¡±

    ¡°A distraction might suffice. Enough for you or our bombardment to get a good hit in.¡±

    ¡°True. If the airship is focused on them rather than me¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sir,¡± Camilla shouted. The fairy looked up with wide yellow eyes. ¡°The army is moving again. Back towards the tower.¡±

    ¡°In addition, I¡¯ve s-spotted at least a portion of the Eternal Empire¡¯s other soldiers. Estimated one thousand are heading to reinforce Evestani.¡±

    Rekk¡¯ar, leaning over the large map table, curled his lips in a scowl that showed off his tusks. ¡°The King¡¯s army is still engaged with Evestani¡¯s soldiers. They got in a good hit against Evestani spellcasters and siege weapons. Hmm¡­ Maybe we just let them get torn apart?¡± he said, scowl changing to thoughtful reflection.

    ¡°Careful,¡± Arkk hissed, throwing a glance around as if the demon might have heard. At the moment, the demon was presumably clashing with Evestani. He didn¡¯t want to do anything that would change that. ¡°I have my undead goblins in place, ready to support Mags. Three hundred isn¡¯t much, but their very nature will make them a perfect distraction to let them get the upper hand. Especially if they remind Evestani of their previous encounter with undeath.¡±

    In a single battle that resulted in no losses for Arkk, he had cut down nearly one-fifth of the Evestani army. They would be hard-pressed to not remember that.

    Lexa was out there as well. A quick check showed her skirting around the edges of an ongoing battle. Presumably to get closer to the avatar.

    She needed to pick up the pace.

    Arkk muttered a small prayer that the effigy would work. He had never been much for religion. He participated in the Suun lectures more because they were something to do in his little village and less because he was an actual believer. Ironically, he felt he believed less now. Not that the gods didn¡¯t exist¡ªthey empirically did¡ªjust that they cared. Even still, a whisper to the Eternal Silence or Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, or anyone who might listen felt appropriate. That effigy had to work.

    If it didn¡¯t, he had likely sent Lexa to her death.

    If it didn¡¯t and the avatar used another golden ray, he might have consigned everyone present to their deaths. Unless Zullie could get her impenetrable barrier working. Speaking of¡­ ¡°Zullie¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sir,¡± Camilla interrupted before he could start, ¡°soldiers at the base of the tower are reorganizing. I believe they¡¯re prepared to renew their assault.¡±

    Arkk let out a small breath. Finally some good news. ¡°Zullie, the Maze of Infinite Paths?¡±

    ¡°Ready to go. Just drop me off in the containment room.¡±

    ¡°Good. Make it happen.¡± Command given, Arkk sent her off. It would delay the barrier, but it would hopefully solve one issue.

    ¡°Sir?¡± Camilla asked. ¡°Maze?¡±

    ¡°Nothing you need to worry about. In fact, avoid scrying into the tower legs for the time being.¡± Arkk stumbled slightly as another volley struck the tower. The maze wouldn¡¯t take long to activate, but they really needed to get their defenses operational again. Lesser servants were in the process of repairing the ritual room, but even once it was repaired, Lelith would still have to scrawl out the protective ritual.

    With daylight peaking through parts of the tower walls again, they might not have that kind of time.

    ¡°Shall I hear out what the other avatar has to say?¡± Agnete asked, apparently reading his mind.

    Arkk pursed his lips into a heavy frown. ¡°Not knowing what she wants from you, I¡¯m wary. She wanted me to return you to her, which is how someone speaks of property, not people. I would prefer if we heard second-hand through Abbess Hannah and Sylvara. But I¡¯m also not going to stop you if that is what you wish.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if we have the option of waiting,¡± Agnete said, watching the lesser servant form a fresh layer of bricks in the command center¡¯s walls. ¡°Barring mind-altering elements in the avatar¡¯s speech, I don¡¯t see harm in hearing her out.¡±

    That was one of the reasons why Savren was in the room as well. It hurt taking him off the research projects that Arkk needed done as soon as possible, but he was the expert in mind magics. If Lyra Zann did have some way of controlling other¡¯s thoughts, he would hopefully notice before they could take effect.

    The other main reason was that he also was loyal to Arkk, which meant that if Lyra put forth some ideas that Sylvara or Hannah should betray him, Savren would be able to warn Arkk well in advance, before Hannah even tried to break her link with him, hopefully. He was well aware that Sylvara¡¯s motivations were a lot like those of Lexa¡ªboth wanted the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar wiped off the face of the realm¡ªbut without the fallback of gold and general comradery to ensure she wouldn¡¯t turn on him. He didn¡¯t think she would do that. Sylvara was pragmatic more than dogmatic, but he well knew she would likely leave his services once the war ended.

    Whether her inquisitorial nature meant she would be forced against him or not was another matter entirely. It would be good if he could reach some kind of agreement with Lyra, keep the Abbey off his back through her, but with her repeated insistence on wanting Agnete returned and his repeated denial, he wasn¡¯t sure that was possible.

    But that would be a problem for the future. For now, ¡°I¡¯ll send you down there. Be forewarned that I may teleport you away at any moment once the whale ships begin another of their egg attacks. Or should an opportunity arise in the current situation.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep myself running hot.¡±

    With a nod of his head, Arkk sent her off.

    A brief dizzying sensation hit him a moment later. Nothing to do with Agnete. It was Zullie activating her maze. It suddenly felt as if his arms were twisted into chaotic breaded pretzels. The stairs expanded, continually moving upwards and downwards. The tower legs split into a multitude, all slightly different yet all slightly the same, all occupying the same space. Corridors and chambers divided, splitting apart even as more and more grew to fill in the gaps. Both legs of the tower became a liminal space of conflicting passages. The kind, once one entered, they would never be able to find their way out from.

    There was a sudden urge to look into the affected area, just to see what it looked like from an outside perspective. It wouldn¡¯t kill him, but keeping his head on straight was too much of a priority in the current situation.

    As soon as Zullie tugged on the link, he teleported her back up. Her research station had been relocated here so that she might inform him of any immediate changes to her progress faster than otherwise. Every second could count.

    ¡°That went well,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°And it gave me an idea.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Defensive spell or something to destroy those ships. No more ideas. You¡¯re the one who didn¡¯t want to swap projects until you finished.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s just the thing,¡± Zullie said, casually taking off her glasses. She pulled at the side of her robes and started cleaning off some bit of dust. ¡°The maze project is already finished. Any further applications of it won¡¯t take long to implement. Not like crafting new ideas from scratch.

    ¡°We¡¯ll power it with the Heart¡ªby the fortress itself¡ªso no need to rely on glowstones at all! No personnel to get blasted apart if that golden boy hits us. Just a weak connection that will snap if it tries to drain too much at once. The perfect spell, utilizing the fortress to its fullest potential.¡±

    Arkk let out a small sigh. This again. Zullie had the notion that the Heart could be used to power all rituals. It didn¡¯t work like that in practice. Unlike the portal, rituals weren¡¯t part of the fortress, but something overlaid on top of it. Small amounts of magic could go to rituals under certain circumstances, but that was closer to what happened to rituals in the Underworld. The abundance of ambient magic helped activate them.

    ¡°No, no. I know that look,¡± Zullie said, reseating her glasses on her nose. ¡°It will work. Imagine a bottle with no end¡­ it has no openings and no volume, yet can hold¡­ No, imagine a torus which can¡¯t¡­ A ribbon with both sides¡­¡± The witch stopped, lips pressed together.

    ¡°Zullie¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain,¡± she said. ¡°But it will work. Our little maze downstairs is evidence. Look in at the ritual. No glowstones, right?¡±

    Arkk blinked twice, doing as she asked. The containment room was one of several similar rooms that were completely sealed from outside access. Only teleportation could get in and out. There were some glowstones set to the side, meant to power rituals, but the predominant ritual circle in the center of the chamber didn¡¯t have any. Its inscribed rings still glowed a faint, pulsing violet.

    At the three points where glowstones or spellcasters would have been required, something was strange. The space there twisted, folding in on itself. It was as if, sweeping his eyes from left to right over the ritual circle, he suddenly started staring all over the place¡ªup, down, inside-out, and all around¡ªbefore his vision simply continued sweeping to the side. Staring too long, trying to figure out what happened there, was starting to give him a headache.

    He pulled back, frowning at Zullie. ¡°You experimented in a situation like this?¡±

    ¡°Naturally. It is in my nature to constantly seek improvement.¡±

    ¡°In less time than it would take to finish your other research.¡±

    ¡°Ten minutes. I¡¯ll be reusing almost all principles in the Infinite Maze for this.¡±

    That was better than her expected hour for her other idea.

    ¡°And you think this will get us protected again? Properly? No flickering out or failure.¡±

    ¡°For anything less than a golden ray? Yes,¡± Zullie said with a confident nod of her head. ¡°In fact, I think I can do more than protect us.¡± A smile spread across her face. ¡°Why waste all that energy just blocking attacks, Arkk? Let¡¯s use their own weapons against them.¡±

 The Beginning of the End

    On a map, Evestani was a large territory, sweeping out over the northern quarter of the continent. South of Evestani, the Beastman Tribes ruled over an expansive wasteland with little outside interference. Further south, the Tetrarchy maintained their borders at the edge of their jungle. Each of the three was far, far larger than the entire peninsula that the Greater Kingdom of Chernlock occupied and enormous compared to Mystakeen.

    However, in Evestani¡¯s case, a large portion of their territory was the same wasteland that the Tribes occupied. It wasn¡¯t uninhabitable. Ilya had learned from her mother that much of that wasteland was filled with buried riches in the forms of rare metals, opal mines, and more than a few gold mines. But it wasn¡¯t the lush plains or dense forests that covered much of Mystakeen. The kind of land that made life comfortable. It was difficult to live when you couldn¡¯t put a piece of bread on your golden plate. For that reason, beyond a few scattered villages and frontier towns mostly occupied by miners and fortune-seekers, Evestani¡¯s population was concentrated not far from the border of Mystakeen.

    In the past, Ilya might have thought all the wars between Mystakeen and Evestani stemmed from the latter wanting the former¡¯s land. Any other excuse, whether ideological, political, or religious, was simply that: an excuse to push the border forward and claim better land. Knowing what she knew now, even land was nothing more than an excuse. All the wars in the past thousand years boiled down to the personal wants of a single man.

    The avatar.

    Ilya never would have expected that she would be the one to put an end to it all. Granted, she wasn¡¯t fighting the avatar himself¡ªat least, she hoped she wasn¡¯t as her spire wasn¡¯t prepared to fight him¡ªbut even without him, the constant back and forth between nations wouldn¡¯t come to a dead stop immediately. Yet here she was, standing, arms folded across her chest, staring out through the smoked windows as Evestani¡¯s land moved beneath the spire.

    Because of the less hospitable land in much of Evestani¡¯s territory, the Sultanate¡¯s palace wasn¡¯t that far from Mystakeen¡¯s border.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to arrive before nightfall.¡±

    Ilya glanced back over her shoulder at the more agreeable of the two commanders she was hosting. Sydney Roman stood almost directly behind her, eyes wide as he stared out the window. From the lines on his face and the graying color of his short beard, Ilya guessed that he had seen plenty in his time. Still, nothing quite compared to the view from one of the walking fortresses. Maybe the peak of a mountain would come in a close second, but mountains didn¡¯t tend to move.

    ¡°The spire isn¡¯t fast relative to its size, but it can still cross a field in a few steps,¡± Ilya said, keeping her tone polite. The man had been incessant in his questions about how the spire worked, what it cost to build, how tall it was, how long it took to build, how much weight it could carry, and everything else that popped into his mind. Ilya understood that he was curious, but they were invading another country. Now wasn¡¯t the time.

    Besides that, she didn¡¯t know the answer to any of his questions beyond magic did everything.

    ¡°Another outpost,¡± Hawkwood said at Ilya¡¯s other side. He held a spyglass to his eye, frowning.

    Ilya squinted. Her eyes were better than human eyes, but distance was distance. Still, she followed the line of Hawkwood¡¯s gaze to a small fort constructed from wood, surrounded by palisades and a few smaller buildings. It was the fifth such fort that they had come across. This one didn¡¯t look to have the same upkeep budget as the ones closer to the border. Ilya was a little surprised there were so many, all deeper and deeper into Evestani territory.

    Mystakeen maintained several similar forts, but they were all in one long row at the border, not staggered into the land.

    Maybe these forts had been built at old borders that had since been pushed in. That made a disturbing amount of sense.

    ¡°Splendid,¡± Sydney said, almost giddy despite his age and appearance. ¡°If possible, I¡¯d like to be on the ground watching from a short distance before you kick over the walls.¡±

    ¡°Is that necessary?¡± Hawkwood asked, lowering the spyglass. He shot a doubtful glance at Sydney, lightly shaking his head. ¡°I see a dozen people already fleeing. I imagine that is everybody stationed there. Hardly a threat worth delaying for.¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t the only group advancing into Evestani. This operation is large with several of the King¡¯s lords all moving their own armies forward in our wake,¡± Sydney said. ¡°If they get stopped at a keep like that, forced to siege it, it will only drag this war on longer.¡±

    ¡°Forced to siege a keep of a dozen men? I¡¯m surprised that the place is staffed at all. Even the border outposts only had three dozen. I imagine Evestani had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to get their army together after their losses at Gleeful and Elmshadow.¡±

    Sydney tutted in disappointment. ¡°Given the right terrain and circumstances, an army of a mere three hundred could hold off an army of a hundred thousand.¡±

    The doubtful look on Hawkwood¡¯s face deepened. The way his eyes flicked to Ilya made her feel a hint of his exasperation. Not that she disagreed.

    ¡°We won¡¯t stop,¡± Ilya said. ¡°We can swing wide to knock it down on our way past, but we won¡¯t go out and capture prisoners or supplies this time. Or to let anyone out to watch. None of the other outposts had anything worth stopping for. This one won¡¯t either.¡±

    Although she spoke with confidence, she still cast a glance around the room, one she tried to disguise as one of those meaningful looks to ensure the others wouldn¡¯t argue. Hawkwood gave an almost relieved nod of his head while Sydney looked disappointed. A fair distance back, off near the wall, Olatt¡¯an nodded as well. The old orc seemed to understand why she was glancing around, giving her a nod of reassurance rather than simple acknowledgment. The only other person in the room, the red-gold adorned commander from Vaales who had still not named himself¡ªnot that Ilya cared to ask¡ªremained impassive and stiff on the opposite side of the room from Olatt¡¯an. Were it not for his faint breathing, Ilya might have thought he had befallen the petrifying gaze of a gorgon.

    That was another good reason to not stop. The sooner he was out of her spire, the better.

    Even with Olatt¡¯an keeping an eye on him and her own Black Knight guards posted around the room, Ilya still felt a little nervous about turning her back to the commander.

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    At the same time, his silence and menacing distance were almost welcome compared to Sydney¡¯s general excitement.

    True to her words, the spire took a slight detour. While not as tall or bulky as Arkk¡¯s tower, it still caused minor quakes with each step. She didn¡¯t need to kick down the walls. Just walking alongside the fort tore its aged structure apart. The men from the fort were gone, hiding out in the wilderness, probably trying to avoid being noticed by the giant walking building. Even if they returned, the rest of the King¡¯s men following behind the tower shouldn¡¯t have a problem with them.

    If an army did have a problem with a dozen morale-broken men who lacked walls to hide behind, this invasion would end up in dire straits.

    Well, the invasion would be fine. Ilya and the spire would see to that. How they handled themselves afterward was their business.

    ¡°The roads are slowly growing nicer, more obviously used,¡± Hawkwood said once they were well past the outpost and two smaller villages. ¡°You think¡­ Look! Is that it?¡±

    Ilya flicked her eyes over the horizon, quickly finding what Hawkwood was pointing out. Rather than force herself to squint, she held out her hand. ¡°Spyglass.¡±

    To his credit, Hawkwood didn¡¯t hesitate. He passed it to her and she quickly brought it up to her eye.

    The mountains were the first notable thing. Ilya might have passed them off as any other mountain range had she not accidentally started out looking too high. The Auric Mountains weren¡¯t as tall as Cliff¡¯s ridges, nor were the mountains as close to the city, but they had a certain odd quality. They caught the light of the sun and reflected it, gleaming in shimmering golden light. As if where snow would normally dust the peaks of the mountains, someone had instead gone out and cast them in gold.

    It could have been the hour of the day. The sun would be setting to the west¡ªbehind the mountains¡ªbut at the same time, Ilya couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the mountains were capped in gold. If so, which came first? The avatar or the mountains? It couldn¡¯t be a coincidence. That golden avatar either settled here because of the way the mountains looked or changed the mountains to fit with his favorite metal.

    The spire crested a small hill as it continued its forward march, leaving a clear view of Chrysopelea sprawled out before the jagged ridges of the Auric Mountains. The city was a labyrinthine maze of winding streets, broken apart by towering obelisks that jutted upward, each capped with a small golden pyramid. From the height of the spire, the city appeared as an intricate mosaic. She could almost see where the different districts of the city divided it up. The styles of the buildings changed. The more reserved, smaller buildings were homes. They dotted the majority of the city. The large domes¡ªalso capped in gold¡ªmight have been churches or temples or whatever the Golden Order called their places of worship. The rugged buildings had to be garrisons.

    A river snaked its way through Chrysopelea, a dark ribbon of water that reflected every hint of gold in the city. Bridges arched over it, joining the two halves of the city. A large barge moved slowly along its surface, headed toward Ilya, with its cargo hidden beneath protective tarps.

    The central part of the city had to be the ruling quarter. The Sultan¡¯s palace wasn¡¯t anything particularly grand or special, but it was large enough to be notable from afar. Ilya had heard that the previous palace had been extravagant, but it had been sacked and ruined in the wake of Evestani¡¯s civil war. Now, the modest palace had white-washed walls rather than gold, for some odd reason, and simple obelisks at each of the four corners. An onion-like dome sat in the center. More notable than the building itself were its surroundings, predominantly green from a lush garden. A little oasis in the otherwise arid city.

    ¡°What must they be thinking right now?¡± Sydney mused, more to himself than anyone else present. ¡°They¡¯ll have noticed us now if they hadn¡¯t before. Do they have defenses they can raise? Will they roll over and allow us to take the city unimpeded?¡±

    The palace¡¯s relative humbleness made her wonder about the Sultan. Ilya didn¡¯t know much about the man. From the few letters exchanged between him and Arkk, it almost sounded like the Sultan didn¡¯t want this war, as if he were being forced into it against his will. From the words of her mother, the Sultan was someone who, for the last fifteen or so years, had been entirely devoted to easing tensions between Mystakeen and Evestani.

    For all she knew, he would roll over and allow them to take the city.

    But that wasn¡¯t something they could rely on. Focusing the spyglass in response to Sydney¡¯s words, Ilya scanned over the edges of the city. There were no walls to hide behind or ballistae mounted on tall towers like Cliff had. Just an open city.

    They surely weren¡¯t defenseless. Even without the avatar, the fact that Evestani had been in so many wars meant they had to have some preparations. Whatever those preparations were, Ilya couldn¡¯t spot them from up high.

    She did see people fleeing from the sparsely scattered homes and buildings that dotted the fields outside the city. Ilya wasn¡¯t sure of the wisdom in fleeing toward the city though. It should have been obvious where the spire was headed. If she were in their positions, she would have fled away. Not toward the city and not toward the spire, but off in other directions. But panicked people didn¡¯t often behave rationally.

    It should have been impossible at this distance and with the tower stomping along, but Ilya could have sworn she heard the city tolling its warning bells.

    ¡°Are we certain we won¡¯t be facing the avatar?¡± Hawkwood asked, squinting as he stared into the distance. Ilya handed his spyglass back, but he didn¡¯t resume using it. Instead, he looked at her, serious eyes betraying a hint of nervousness.

    ¡°Coward.¡±

    Ilya flicked a frown in the Vaales commander¡¯s direction. She wasn¡¯t about to dignify the man with a response.

    ¡°I saw what that thing was capable of in Elmshadow,¡± Hawkwood said, failing to follow her example. ¡°It isn¡¯t human¡ªor demihuman or beastman. More of a force of nature. It wiped out a quarter of my men in an instant. It punched a hole through the Elm Mountains. It isn¡¯t something we can fight.¡±

    In response, the commander pushed off from where he had been leaning against the wall. ¡°My Prince won¡¯t have sent us to our deaths.¡± He scoffed, shaking his head. ¡°Stay if you fear so much. Hide in the tower. I will wrap up this city and gift it to Prince Cedric without your aid.¡±

    With a final sneer, he turned, shoved past the orc guards¡ªwho let him go after a small wave of Ilya¡¯s hand¡ªand started descending through the spire¡¯s stairwells. Hawkwood, Ilya, Sydney, and Olatt¡¯an simply watched him go. Vezta didn¡¯t bother turning her head to track him, but with the multitude of eyes dotted around her body, she couldn¡¯t have missed him.

    A short silence followed. Sydney broke it with a small shake of his head. ¡°Where does he think he is going? Can¡¯t exactly leave this place while it is in motion.¡±

    ¡°Probably to his men. Rally them for the fight,¡± Hawkwood said.

    Ilya, able to watch the commander even after he left the room, made sure to keep him in an active part of her mind. She doubted he would try to do anything to sabotage the rest of them, but Ilya didn¡¯t like him and she didn¡¯t like the Prince. Neither could be trusted.

    ¡°Arkk is handling the avatar,¡± Ilya said, returning to Hawkwood¡¯s actual question. The commander didn¡¯t warrant any further thought or discussion. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have to worry about him.¡±

    ¡°The avatar possesses bodies. In addition, his real body is likely here.¡±

    ¡°As I said, Arkk is handling that. You and your soldiers secure the palace.¡± Ilya narrowed her eyes, gazing out the window at the rapidly approaching city. She turned, meeting Olatt¡¯an and Vezta¡¯s eyes. ¡°We¡¯ll find the avatar¡¯s real body and ensure he isn¡¯t a problem.¡±

    ¡°On your own,¡± Hawkwood said as if he didn¡¯t believe that she could do it.

    Ilya didn¡¯t blame him for doubting. Not with him having seen the avatar in person. But Arkk had taught her all the spells he knew and she could cast them. Olatt¡¯an had a trinket from Zullie and Savren that should point them in the right direction. Vezta was present and would hopefully get them anywhere that they couldn¡¯t reach.

    They weren¡¯t expecting a fight, however. That was the only reason they might succeed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Ilya said, voice firm. ¡°It¡¯s time to end this.¡±

 Meditations on the Battlefield

    The tower loomed in the distance, taking hit after hit from the bombardment. Flames spread around it every few minutes only for the bombardments to resume. Even from the corner of Lexa¡¯s eye, she could tell that it was being worn down. Arkk had stopped trying to repair less essential parts of the tower and the areas he was focusing on didn¡¯t manage to recover in the brief reprieves. Worrying, but nothing that Lexa could focus on.

    She had her hands occupied with the endless demands of the battlefield. The avatar was somewhere nearby. She could almost feel him. The golden aura had faded before she could get her eyes on him, leaving her searching.

    Lexa had figured he would be easy to locate once she got close enough. The avatar¡¯s host bodies were distinctive, both in that they were shorter than what was typical of the human-dominant army and their tattoos stood out. Especially when the tattoos were glowing. Venerated as he was, Lexa assumed that whoever he was possessing would have been surrounded by retainers, sycophants, and other attendants. At least someone to manage the child when he wasn¡¯t possessing them.

    Lexa couldn¡¯t find a hint. This was a battlefield, not even one at the Evestani base of operations. It was possible he would have left such attendants back at Woodly Rhyme. With all the bulky armor of the soldiers blocking her view and Lexa¡¯s own deficient stature, she was having more trouble than she would have thought.

    The frustration left her looking around.

    She found her gaze drawn to the distance. She had been focusing on her task, not the status of the tower, trusting that Arkk would figure something out. But a subtle distortion rippling through the air around the fortress drew her attention to it in full. It was like waves of heat rising from a sunbaked stone. Initially, it seemed inconsequential. Just another anomaly amid the tumult of war. Lexa started to dismiss it, knowing that Zullie was trying to get something better than her previous defensive spell so that Arkk might have a window for an offensive maneuver, but as the distortion intensified, it became impossible to ignore.

    Out of the corner of her eye, Lexa caught sight of an impossible phenomenon¡ªa second tower, identical to the first, materialized beside it. Her curiosity piqued, she turned her head sharply to focus on the spectacle.

    That swift motion proved a disorienting mistake.

    Every degree her gaze shifted, the tower transformed. Its shape and presence fluctuated wildly. One moment, it stood as a solitary monolith. The next, it vanished completely, only to reappear in the next movement of her head as a multiplied, chaotic assembly of towers jumbled together at bizarre angles. Some iterations soared skyward, impossibly tall, as if trying to swat down the airships hovering high over the battlefield. It was as if she peered through the slits of a lattice, each narrow gap revealing a wildly different scene.

    Lexa wasn¡¯t the only one to have noticed. A chorus of gasps, hisses, and even the sounds of retching from those overwhelmed cascaded throughout the battlefield. Unfortunately, with Evestani¡¯s backs to the tower, Prince¡¯s forces bore the brunt of the disorienting vision. In a fight to the death, even a brief instant of distraction and disorientation cost more than most could afford.

    A practiced flick of her wrist sent one of her daggers flying through the air, catching one sand-gold-clad soldier in the side of his neck, just below the bulbous shape of the helmets characteristic of their elites. It saved one of the Prince¡¯s men from certain death. Another dagger flew true and struck one of the soldiers just to the left of his nasal bar, digging into his eye and cheek. But alone, Lexa couldn¡¯t help everyone. Even if she had enough daggers hidden under her cloak, she didn¡¯t have enough hands.

    Soldiers fell. They weren¡¯t of Company Al-Mir, nor were they innocent children. Lexa wasn¡¯t going to shed tears over them. Still, it rankled, their losses gnawed at her. Every advantage for the Evestani army was a disadvantage for her.

    The mesmerizing distraction of the tower¡¯s transformation didn¡¯t remain isolated to one side of the battlefield for long. Even outside the visual spectacle of whatever Zullie had done to the tower, which drew plenty of eyes, the airship overhead continued its destruction from the skies. Or tried to.

    The streaks of alchemical cannon fire in the sky never quite reached the tower. It was hard to tell with the shifting mirage that the tower had become. The shifting mirage of the tower defied the trajectories of the shots. Instead of striking true, the shoots veered unpredictably, scattering in wild arcs around the fortress. Some even ricocheted back toward the airship, similar to light reflecting off a well-polished mirror. One such rebounding shot forced the airship to veer sharply, cutting off its bombardment as a fierce gust of wind drove the projectile in the opposite direction.

    More chaos in the already disordered battle.

    Evestani had been setting up at a distance, right at the edge of the range for their bombardment magics and siege engines. That distance protected them from most of the reflected shots, but not all.

    Lexa¡¯s eyes widened as a hurling ball of flame, arced high in the air from the tower, started its descent straight toward her.

    Wrapped in the cloak of darkness, she was as notable as any other shadow on the battlefield. That kept her safe from the soldiers. It would not help against a giant ball of fire. Springing off, muttering every agility and speed-enhancing spell she knew, Lexa ran as hard as she could perpendicular to the incoming fireball.

    A beam of golden light shot up into the air, making Lexa skid to a stop in the dirt and muck. The light wasn¡¯t as large or as powerful as the one that had knocked out the tower¡¯s first protective array, but it was enough to scatter the ball of fire into a thousand harmless embers. The beam of gold didn¡¯t stop there. It swept downward, aimed for the tower. It probably wouldn¡¯t be enough to do much damage, but the avatar must not have wanted to waste what power he had gathered.

    As soon as the light crossed into whatever shifting effect enveloped the tower, the beam split. It split and split and split. A million rays of gold lanced out from the tower in every possible direction. Lexa hurled herself to the ground, taking cover behind a fallen soldier whose colors were so caked in mud and blood that she had no idea to whose faction he had once belonged. One thin beam of gold strafed the ground directly in front of her nose.

    It barely left a mark on the ground.

    Already weaker than the beam that punched a hole into a mountain, splitting the beam so many times must have weakened it further. Everyone on both sides of the battlefield cowered away, hunkered down, but ended up looking surprised as the rays passed over them mostly harmlessly. The only real effects were faint streaks of gold now adorning everyone¡¯s armor.

    A beat of unusual silence hung over the battlefield before a surge of wind just about swept Lexa off her feet. It rushed toward the multitude of towers. Dark lightning reminiscent of some of Zullie¡¯s more dangerous spells crackled along the surface of some of the towers, right at the mid-point. Bits of brick peeled away, pulled outward while still connected by those streaks of lightning. They froze in the air, looking like time stopped just as an explosion had gone off.

    Lexa wasn¡¯t sure what that was about. Hopefully nothing bad.

    Some idiot shouted and started the fight once again.

    Lexa paid it little mind, focused on her task.

    She had seen where that ray had come from.

    Throwing herself to her feet, still enhanced by all her spells, Lexa rushed through the battlefield, dodging soldiers and weaving through battle lines.

    There he was. A small ring of guards surrounded him, but none of them were particularly notable. None of those gold-armored knights like the one Dakka had slain in Elmshadow. They were simple sand-gold elites with those bulbous domed helmets. In the middle of the ring, a young boy, human and probably no older than fifteen years, stood with glowing gold eyes and intricate tattoos etched into the crown of his head. The snarling look of anger didn¡¯t quite fit the boy¡¯s face.

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    He was upset.

    Good.

    Lexa didn¡¯t know who the avatar was possessing. It was probably someone he had brought with him rather than an unwilling captured child. The children she had tried to rescue in Elmshadow hadn¡¯t been well taken care of, dressed in rags and imprisoned in the remnants of that church building. This one had ornate robes, lined with golden threads and flashy mosaic patterns of blue, gold, and white.

    Would it have made a difference if he had obviously been possessing a slave? Not to Lexa. Even if he had been in the body of someone so obviously innocent, such as a mere baby, she would still have proceeded. She had already resolved herself to do so. One baby¡¯s death was worth preventing what happened in that Elmshadow church from ever happening again.

    Lexa¡¯s fingers brushed over the silver sphere she carried beneath her cloak. The sphere sealed off the effigy¡¯s effects for now, but as soon as she opened it, things would change. The avatar would surely notice. She needed a full plan, a fool-proof plan, both to get in and to get out. Arkk said he would teleport her, but he had warned her that his magic didn¡¯t work on employees who ended up captured. That included immobilized people, such as those who had been trapped in ice during an engagement with the inquisitors before her joining.

    It also worked in reverse. His captives could be teleported even if they weren¡¯t employees. Prisoners at Fortress Al-Mir could be moved about at will¡ªArkk¡¯s will.

    Lexa eyed the surroundings, narrowing her gaze. A distraction would work best. The avatar would probably be most distracted right as he began to attack again. Unfortunately, Lexa didn¡¯t know when that might happen. If the avatar swapped bodies before she struck, she might lose him completely.

    The avatar knelt as Lexa watched, resting on a large rug that covered the ground. The rug matched the rest of Evestani aesthetics with its mosaic pattern and predominant gold. Despite the gaudy and eye-catching attire of the avatar, the rug gave him enough camouflage to make him almost invisible except for his head. Fortunately for Lexa, the camouflage only extended to the edges of the rug. The entire assortment stuck out in the forest to the point where she had trouble believing she had been having difficulty finding him.

    The anger on the boy¡¯s face vanished as he closed his eyes and took up a meditative pose. Lexa¡¯s heart lurched, fearing she had missed her window of opportunity. The glow in the tattoos didn¡¯t subside, however, letting her calm back down. The avatar was probably trying to hasten his recovery so that he might try one of the large rays again.

    Lexa wasn¡¯t sure if that was a wise idea with what happened to the weaker beam. It might end the conflict, but probably not in the way the avatar wanted. Then again, when one didn¡¯t put themselves at risk, obliterating everything on the battlefield including their borrowed body probably didn¡¯t sound like that big of a dealbreaker if there was even a slight chance at success. Though Lexa doubted Evestani¡¯s imperial allies would agree.

    The meditation gave her an opportunity. The avatar¡¯s eyes were closed. A part of her wanted to rush forward now, not wanting to waste that opportunity, but she couldn¡¯t be too careful. She wasn¡¯t about to underestimate the avatar and believe that he had simply decided to take a nap. A misstep here and she would surely die.

    Except for two, his bodyguards were focused on the nearby battle raging on. It hadn¡¯t gotten close yet, but it wasn¡¯t far off. The tide had turned back against Evestani with the addition of the hordes of undead goblins. The little skeletal beings were utter menaces, hopping and bouncing around like they had coiled springs for shoes. They would jump on someone¡¯s back and stab them in the neck before bounding away to find another target.

    None lasted long if they took a hit. Small and barely held together as it was, a single slash of a sword or, more effectively, a blunt hit from a mace or hammer would scatter their bones across the battlefield. The only reason they hadn¡¯t been destroyed within seconds of clawing their way out of the ground was their size and agility.

    It wasn¡¯t quite enough for the Prince¡¯s forces to surge forward and claim victory. Three hundred goblin skeletons added to a conflict of nearly twenty thousand just wasn¡¯t enough on its own, not even when some of their victims got back to their feet only to attack their own side. Especially not with the Prince¡¯s army viewing the skeletons with just as much hostility as the Evestani. More than once, Lexa had witnessed a skeleton get clobbered from behind by the very people they were supposed to be helping.

    But if Lexa could rope a few of them into helping her, it might just prove the distraction she would need to deal with the avatar. If she could push the battle a little closer to the avatar¡ªjust close enough for his bodyguards to be forced into more active defense but not close enough for the avatar to take action himself¡ªshe would have the best opportunity she would be getting.

    Hopping away and climbing a small tree, Lexa surveyed the larger battlefield, looking for what she needed.

    A cadre of goblins acted just like real goblins as they worked together to take out a few larger targets. The poor Evestani soldier ended up isolated in the middle of the battlefield. They likely would have been overran by the Prince¡¯s forces already had the presence of the goblins not been keeping them wary.

    They weren¡¯t close to the avatar. Not by half. There were a lot of people to fight through on the way. But again, Lexa didn¡¯t need them to reach the avatar. They just needed to get close enough to cause a disturbance.

    With one last glance at the avatar, making sure the tattoos were still glowing and that he didn¡¯t look like he was going anywhere anytime soon, Lexa took off.

    Three minutes after setting off, one of the soldiers the goblins were having trouble with had a dagger through the front of his throat. The other soldier didn¡¯t have time to look surprised before he joined his friend in the mud at the hands of one of the goblins.

    The rest of the little skeletal creatures froze upon her arrival, their bones clattering and their jaws grinding. Lexa wasn¡¯t sure if they could sense her or not. They lacked eyes that could track anything, leaving their heads just vaguely pointed in her direction. It was as if they were trying to decide if she should be a target as well.

    With a suppressed shudder, Lexa didn¡¯t stick around. She started back the way she had come, driving a dagger into the back of some knight¡¯s knee on her way. The goblins mostly followed her, drifting around to do their part in causing chaos. More importantly, the rapid deaths they were causing made a hole in Evestani¡¯s defensive line. The Prince¡¯s army started pouring in, adding their own blades to the mix. They still kept a ways away from the goblins, but that was fine for her purposes.

    Fine until they got a reinforcement of their own.

    A short, stout man bounded into the fray. Blood coated him from head to foot as if he had deliberately bathed in it. He knocked aside a goblin with an absent-minded backhand, dispersing the skeleton¡¯s bones in every direction as he took over the goblin¡¯s target. The Evestani knight didn¡¯t stand a chance. Despite his rotund belly, the man easily slid around the swing of the knight¡¯s sword. His arm thrust out, slamming into the knight¡¯s armored elbow, shattering the metal with the blow even as the man¡¯s elbow bent in the wrong direction. The knight didn¡¯t even get to scream before the man reached forward with his bare hands, thrusting his fingers through the knight¡¯s breastplate, only to rip out the man¡¯s heart and crush it in front of his face before the light left his eyes.

    All with an expression of absolute rapture on the rotund man¡¯s face.

    He then turned, eyes finding another target. He rushed forward and ripped off someone¡¯s head. Another knight lost his arms, only to be beaten to death with them. The man continued, charging through the opening Lexa had created with an unstoppable frenzy. He didn¡¯t even use a weapon.

    It took Lexa far too long to recognize the man underneath all that blood. The leader of the Prince¡¯s forces. She had considered assassinating the man after his foiled mutiny to retake the leadership position over Arkk, but had been sent off on a mission before she could start plotting. Seeing him now, Lexa wondered how much she owed her life to that distracting mission.

    She hadn¡¯t realized the Prince¡¯s force contained any specialists like Company Al-Mir had. The man fought like a less dignified version of Kia.

    The man, Mags, turned. Despite her cloak of darkness, despite all the stealthy spells that even the avatar failed to notice, Mags turned to directly face her. With the way his head angled downward to her height, there was no mistaking his look as mere coincidence.

    There was something different about Mags. Something other than the thick layer of blood he wore as clothes.

    His eyes shifted, catching the light. They were green, bright, and divided in two by a long slit-shaped pupil.

    Demon.

    He grinned at her, smiling as if daring her to do something about it.

    There was nothing she could do about it. She wasn¡¯t equipped with counter-demon weaponry. Even if she was, she wasn¡¯t suicidal enough to think she could take him on. Not when he easily bent in half, dodging a sword strike he couldn¡¯t possibly have seen coming for his back. He righted himself fast enough that his headbutt dented the attacking knight¡¯s armor, knocking him clean on his back. Mags pounced on him, straddling his armored chest as he started crushing the knight¡¯s skull with his bare hands.

    The head burst apart like a watermelon, sparking movement in Lexa¡¯s feet. She took off, running back toward the avatar. The demon fought Evestani. That was good. She wasn¡¯t an enemy of the Prince. He couldn¡¯t attack her.

    And what could be more distracting than a demon?

    But she had to act fast. If the demon got to the avatar before she did, he would kill him. Easily, even. The avatar would survive and probably possess someone else, but then Lexa would have to start all over again to find him.

    That couldn¡¯t be allowed to happen.

 Maze of Infinite Paths

    ¡°Well, that looks good.¡±

    Arkk snapped his gaze to Zullie, raising his eyebrows. ¡°Why do you sound so surprised?¡± he asked.

    The witch stood atop a freshly drawn ritual circle. One that he would rather not have had inside the command center if at all possible. They had a whole sealed room specifically for these kinds of rituals. The dangerous kinds. The Maze of Infinite Paths was beyond dangerous to the point where Arkk didn¡¯t want it inside the tower at all. Yet, in a situation like they were in, compromises had to be made. Zullie didn¡¯t have the time to figure out how to get it working from afar and did not want it down on the lower levels with the other maze ritual which was protecting the tower legs. The interference between the rituals could prove catastrophic, in her words.

    Thus, she had set up in the command chamber.

    He opened his mouth to say more, ready to berate her for experimenting in the middle of battle, only to brace himself as another volley rained down from the cannons overhead.

    He didn¡¯t feel a thing. The tower didn¡¯t shake or tremble from an impact. He watched using his fortress-localized omniscience as each of the incoming projectiles hit the wobbly barrier Zullie had just erected. They warped, stretching into long, thin versions of themselves while looping about the air, bending at odd angles, and splitting into a hundred separate projectiles. After a few sections of the warping, they emerged from the field, aimed in completely random directions. Mostly random, anyway. They avoided the most important direction¡ªtoward the tower.

    ¡°Oh¡­ That does look good,¡± he said, moving to the scrying team to get a few different perspectives on the situation.

    Plenty fell down upon the army amassing for a second invasion, Arkk noted with some satisfaction. Some went right back up at their attacker, forcing them into an evasive movement. Unfortunately, most of the volley scattered randomly throughout the surrounding forest, not likely to do any immediate damage to the things he wanted to immediately damage.

    ¡°Can we aim the rebounding¡­¡± Arkk started, only to trail off as he felt a tingle on the back of his neck¡ªhis hair rising.

    Having felt that before, his eyes widened. He immediately tried to move the tower. The legs were still trapped but it could lean.

    A spear of golden light, aimed far too high, swept downward toward the tower. It wasn¡¯t as large or as powerful as some he had seen the avatar use. That didn¡¯t mean he wanted to take his chances. But with the tower trapped and the movement of the beam, there was no avoiding it.

    Just before he teleported everyone in the tower down to the tunnels below, the ray crashed into the protective membrane around the tower.

    Dazzling golden light filled Arkk¡¯s vision, both inside the crystal ball and from his omniscience. It cut off almost immediately, but the brilliance of it all forced Arkk to blink several times. He busied himself inspecting the damage to the tower while he waited for his eyes to recover.

    Except, the tower wasn¡¯t damaged. Not in the slightest. A few lesser servants who had been out there at the time were still going about their tasks, repairing the damage to the tower without any sign they had even noticed the attack.

    A drawback to his localized omniscience was that it focused on his fortress and its inhabitants. He couldn¡¯t simply turn his head to see a different view. But what he could see on the edges of his vision was gold. Lots of thin gold streaks drawn across everything. The soldiers down below, trees, even the airships overhead.

    ¡°Report!¡± Arkk shouted. The command chamber was mostly empty. With the majority of the tower, including Rekk¡¯ar, down managing the defenses of the tower from the army¡ªjust in case the protections on the tower legs failed¡ªit was just him, Zullie, a Protector, and the three members of his scrying team. Hale, having finished her work on his arm and eye, was back to healing everyone else who ended up injured in the infirmary.

    Camille and Harvey were both still blinking away the spots in their eyes, but Luthor heard him and took control of the crystal ball. Images flickered across its surface.

    Arkk focused on the crystal ball with Luthor for a moment until he noticed something slightly more concerning.

    ¡°Damn, damn, damn¡­¡±

    Arkk blinked away the last of his blindness to find Zullie rushing about the ritual circle. This one used a combination of the natural magic generation of the fortress to keep the ritual stable and glowstones to account for spikes in magic draw. At the moment, three of the six glowstones were smoking¡ªa hissing and sputtering filled the air, accompanied by odd sparks. Black lightning-like streams of magical energy crackled over the ritual¡¯s surface as it flickered and pulsed.

    He felt a sudden uncomfortable reminder of the Duke¡¯s party and the glowstone-based bombs Evestani set up in the throne room¡¯s chandeliers.

    ¡°Don¡¯t teleport us!¡± Zullie snapped as if she could sense what Arkk had been about to do, pointing a finger directly at him. ¡°If this fails without being properly shut down, the entire tower will¡ª¡±

    The glowstone she had been reaching towards let out an enormous spark, shooting motes of magic directly into her face as she recoiled. She swiped her hand forward, knocking away the glowstone¡¯s debris as she planted her own hand in the spot it had once occupied.

    The ritual circle stabilized. The flickering in the ritual array steadied out, still oscillating but in much smoother, gradual pulses compared to the erratic pulsing from a moment ago. Zullie¡¯s lips twisted in concentration as the lightning-like surges of magic still coursed around between the remaining glowstones, but even those were dimming and steadying out.

    Arkk let out a small sigh of relief. He quickly started moving people about, resuming his management of the battle. The airships were dropping more eggs and they needed dealing with. He could figure out what had gone wrong with this ritual in a few minutes, once everything stabilized and returned to the status quo.

    Except, that moment never came.

    He heard a groaning in the stone around the room. The groan quickly shifted to a scream of stress. The air vibrated with the deafening sound of the fortress tiles cracking under pressure as arcs of energy lashed out, ripping through the command chamber. One struck the chair Arkk used. Another careened just over the heads of the scrying team in their depressed pit. The map and the entire table it was on took the brunt of one of the arcs, throwing it through the room as little cuboids of white matter trailed in its wake. The table slowed down abruptly, leaving it floating in the air with all the tiles and tokens they had used to mark positions drifting in the air around it.

    A cataclysmic pulse erupted from the ritual circle, radiating outward in a wave of blinding magic.

    It all happened in an instant. Arkk had no time to react.

    The heatless shockwave struck him, knocking the breath out of his lungs. He felt his feet lift up off the ground, picked up with those same cuboids of white drifting in the air around him. The walls of the command center buckled. A ripple ran through them as if the stone were liquid. After an instant of a delay, the reinforced walls of the tower exploded outward, drifting a short ways before the cuboids and arcs of magic locked them into place in the air.

    The cubes began to change. Their surfaces rippled and began to hollow themselves out. Tiny square-shaped voids appeared on each face, as if a sculptor was carefully carving away the solid material. Yet the cubes didn¡¯t diminish. They became more intricate, more complex. And they grew. The material hollowed out from the smaller voids spread outward, building up more of the cube, only for more and more hollows to appear.

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    Chunks of the map table vanished as one of the cubes near it grew into it, eating away small hollows just like the source. The table didn¡¯t break. Splinters didn¡¯t go flying through the air. It was a lot like Purifier Tybalt¡¯s abilities, simply removing small square chunks of the table as the cubes grew through it.

    Arkk tried to teleport himself. That same locked-in feeling that stopped him from teleporting while trapped in the inquisitor¡¯s ice blocked him. He tried to teleport Zullie, the Protector, Camilla, Harvey, and Luthor.

    Only the Protector made it, being the furthest from the ritual circle.

    The cubes didn¡¯t stop growing. They didn¡¯t stop spreading. They closed in on him, chunking away bits of his body. He tried to scream. It didn¡¯t hurt, but the sensation was anything but pleasant.

    One of the cubes spread in front of his face, hollowing out as it grew more and more, closer and closer. It closed in on his face and¡ª

    Darkness enveloped Arkk.

    But his awareness didn¡¯t cease. He couldn¡¯t see, but the tower was still there. One of its walls had blown out from the explosion, but some part of it was still connected. Somehow. The sponge-like magic cubes slowed their growth about halfway through the floors above and below the command chamber. Arcs of magic tethered the stones, keeping them from falling to the ground below.

    ¡°Damn, damn, damn.¡±

    It took Arkk far too long to realize that he was intact. Hearing Zullie¡¯s voice in the distance, swearing up a storm, brought some level of comfort. He patted himself down, feeling relief with each touch of fabric and skin and hair. His vision was still gone, but not because his eyes had been removed by those expanding cubes. It was more like someone had simply snuffed out the lights.

    ¡°Zullie?¡± He tried calling out.

    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot,¡± she snarled. Arkk didn¡¯t get the impression that she was angry with him, but at herself. ¡°I planned for that.¡±

    He tried looking in on her through the employee link, but he only got darkness there. Other employees were fine. Rekk¡¯ar was still organizing the defense, Lexa was making her way through the Evestani army, and Ilya was rapidly approaching the Evestani capital. It was just Zullie, Camilla, Luthor, and Harvey. And himself. The five of them were somewhere trapped in utter darkness.

    ¡°Of course we were going to be hit by something the avatar could throw out but the ritual couldn¡¯t withstand. I deliberately designed a weak point in the ritual that would fail if overloaded first, saving the rest.¡±

    ¡°Zullie? Can you hear me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot!¡± she shouted again.

    Fingers clutched at Arkk¡¯s tunic, yanking him through the darkness. He stumbled only to stop abruptly as a head thumped against his chest.

    ¡°I planned for that.¡± She ground her face into his chest, still clawing at his tunic. ¡°It was just¡­ too weak of an attack to overload the failsafe component but too strong for the ritual to withstand. Pure luck. Nothing else.¡±

    That Fickle Wheel appearing in the temple hovered in the back of Arkk¡¯s mind. He didn¡¯t know if that god had anything to do with the current situation, but he was starting to dislike the Fickle Wheel despite that. Of all the Pantheon, the Fickle Wheel might just be his least favorite.

    The light, squeaky voice of a terrified fairy called out into the darkness. ¡°Is someone there?¡±

    Arkk pursed his lips, disappointed. ¡°Camilla?¡± he called out, gently resting a hand on Zullie¡¯s back. The construction of a failsafe implied she knew this was a possibility. She had neglected to warn him of it, likely because of a supreme confidence in her own work. ¡°Camilla, can you hear me?¡±

    ¡°I hear you. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wh-Where are where?¡±

    Luthor was out there as well. Harvey too.

    ¡°Follow the sound of my voice,¡± Arkk shouted. He tried to teleport them, but there was no nearby destination. The tower itself felt distant and far off. ¡°Gather together.¡±

    This was partially his fault. As much as he could blame Zullie, they had secure chambers for a reason. Compromising by having her set up in the command center was entirely his fault. He could have denied her, hastily built a new containment room away from the others, or just not have her set up inside the command room but a floor below.

    ¡°Gah!¡± Harvey grunted after a slight thump echoed in the darkness. ¡°There¡¯s some kind of wall here.¡±

    ¡°Wall?¡± Arkk asked. ¡°Just a minute.¡±

    If they were safe, he had other things to focus on for a moment.

    He could still see the tower. It was distant, yes, but still his. It was like looking in on the tower from the Underworld. Moving things and personnel about was doable as well. He tested on a few lesser servants, moving them to try to repair the damaged command chamber. The whale ships, seeing the weakness for what it was, tried launching another volley of their eggs.

    Several splattered against the walls of the tower. Arkk simply moved Agnete to the furnace room, opening the vents for her to blast her flames up along the walls of the tower. He could send her out to take care of the few that she would inevitably miss afterward.

    Though he would have to be careful.

    The sponge-like cubes looked like they had stopped growing. The entire top portion of the tower looked disconnected from the rest because of them. But that couldn¡¯t be the case because he still had control over the territory both above and below the command room. Some connection existed.

    The eggs that crashed down near the command floor didn¡¯t quite make it. Lashings of magical arcs scattered through the air, pinning the eggs in place just as Arkk had been stuck. The cubes didn¡¯t continue spreading to the new victims, however, leaving the eggs and their tendrils squirming helplessly in the air. He would have to teleport Agnete out there, though at a distance.

    The lesser servants he sent to try to repair that chunk of the tower ended up stuck and floating as well, just like the eggs.

    As a test, he tried to teleport one directly into the command chamber, only to¡­ fail. It was like the command room wasn¡¯t there at all. It was probably broken apart, hidden behind the endless cubes, but there should still be something there. He could sense it.

    But he couldn¡¯t see it.

    Raising an eyebrow, he slowly let go of Zullie, lightly patting her on the back in some form of reassurance. Kneeling, he felt the floor.

    It was made up of stone tiles. Familiar stone tiles engraved with a faint maze-like pattern on their surface.

    He was still in the command room. It was just¡­

    Not in the tower?

    ¡°W-Where are we?¡± Luthor asked, sounding much closer than before.

    Arkk tried a small light spell, murmuring the incantation.

    It didn¡¯t so much as light up the room as the darkness pulled back. Either way, he could see. The large seat he used was toppled on its side, cracked and broken. The map table had finally crashed into the floor. All its pieces and markers were scattered about. A few steps away, down in the scrying pit, Luthor¡¯s nose poked up above its edge.

    Zullie still clung to him, though she had loosened her grip enough for him to move. Anguish and distress lined her face. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine what was going through her head. More than a couple of her projects failed, many quite catastrophically. To have one that started out so promising end up like this? Arkk was angry with her for several good reasons, but he still felt a pang of sympathy somewhere underneath.

    ¡°Everyone alright?¡± Arkk said, earning a frightened nod from Luthor. He stepped toward the pit. Rather than have them try to navigate toward the stairs in the inky darkness, Arkk extended a hand. At the same time, he teleported Agnete around the exterior of the tower to handle the straggler eggs. ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of there.¡±

    Luthor accepted his hand without reservation, practically clawing his way up Arkk¡¯s arm like it was a rope thrown down an oubliette. Harvey and Camilla, being much shorter as a flopkin and a fairy, forced him to kneel. On the plus side, they were much lighter and easier to help out of the shallow pit. Harvey even had the wherewithal to grab hold of the crystal ball on his way out of the pit.

    ¡°Where¡­?¡± Harvey asked, trying to look around as he found his feet.

    ¡°A very good question,¡± Arkk said, trying to keep his voice calm and reassuring. The last thing they needed was panic. ¡°Zullie. You can be angry with yourself later. I¡¯ll even join you in your anger¡ª¡±

    The witch wilted, making him regret his words before he finished his sentence.

    Nothing to do about it now. Words couldn¡¯t be unspoken. Unless you were Savren and could wipe minds. ¡°I need you to focus. Where are we?¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± she asked, turning her head this way and that. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ likely in one of two places. One bad. The other worse.¡±

    ¡°Lovely,¡± Arkk bit out. ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°It would be better if we were in the domain of Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key. The Maze of Infinite Paths utilized her boundary magic to try to weaken the barrier between our reality and other planes, just enough to warp everything. Like a portal without the portal itself providing structure. Chaotic and wild.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in another plane?¡± Arkk said, feeling a sudden chill down his back. No wonder it felt like controlling his tower from the Underworld.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said before a sudden look of worry crossed her face. ¡°I hope we¡¯re in another plane. Let me rephrase my earlier answer. We¡¯re likely in one of three places, one bad, one worse, and the other¡­ disastrous.¡±

    ¡°Disastrous being?¡±

    ¡°Between planes. I¡­ Planes are accessible through the portals. But if we¡¯ve somehow ended up between planes¡ªNo. It couldn¡¯t be. We wouldn¡¯t be alive. It has to be one of the two planes¡­ yes. Definitely.¡±

    Arkk let out a sigh, not feeling reassured in the slightest. ¡°We¡¯re either with Xel¡¯atriss or where?¡±

    ¡°The plane the Maze of Infinite Paths is designed to weaken barriers between is¡­ well, the Maze. We could very well be in the domain of Unknown, the Enigma.¡±

    That chill down Arkk¡¯s spine turned to a cascade of ice. The one domain that Vezta had warned him against entering, fearing a single step would see him lost for eternity, and he had somehow found himself there.

    Arkk swallowed, lips pursed into a thin line. ¡°Lovely.

    ¡°Just lovely.¡±

 Thinning the Barrier

    Golden eyes looked over a golden battlefield. Streaks of color lined everything. The grass, the trees, the soldiers. Even his host body now sported a thin stripe of gold from hip to shoulder. It was a wonder this body hadn¡¯t been bisected, though he did suppose it was a lucky break. Switching bodies would have been a waste of his efforts.

    The startled, frozen battle didn¡¯t remain paused for long. A dazzling display of magical might should have seen his enemies surrendering immediately and unconditionally, yet they fought on. Irritants. Bolstered by the presence of that tower.

    The soldiers in his immediate vicinity, once they recovered from their momentary fright over the situation , straightened up and took on looks of pride. As if the golden streaks of light now crossing over their armor had been an act of blessing. They probably wouldn¡¯t have been as enthusiastic had the deadly magic remained deadly after splitting so much, but as it was, there was no need to hamper their bolstered morale.

    Let the peons have their delusions.

    Narrowing his eyes, he shot a glare at the tower. It was still standing. Still mostly unharmed. Certainly, he had been unable to cause much damage, though they had yet to reactivate the protective ritual he had first taken down. Now they were reflecting attacks at their attackers?

    The irritant grew with every passing day.

    That glare shifted upward. What was the Almighty Glory doing anyhow? She was the expert in destroying these things. Yet she was fiddling about. Clearly, her skills had rusted in the extended years since the last major fortress had been discovered. She had but a single trick. Even now, all she tried was dropping more nihilith pods onto the tower. At the start, they had been doing something. Now the flames employed by the tower burned them away with such ease that it was worthless. A waste of time and effort.

    So rigid and stuck in her ways. She hadn¡¯t developed an iota of creativity over the centuries. If anything, she had lost what little creativity she once possessed.

    Well, if she wasn¡¯t going to pull her weight, it was up to him to show the Almighty Glory the glory of the Gold.

    Kneeling once more, he closed his eyes and began gathering himself.

    So they could redirect his attacks? Hardly a concern. All magic had its limits and his limits were far, far beyond what some uppity Keeper could manage. He just needed to be at his full strength.

    A few moments into his meditations and he felt something. Some tension in the very world. It built up slowly, over a few minutes. The final few seconds ramped up, reaching a crescendo in an instant.

    Golden eyes snapped open just in time to witness an explosion in the tower. A tenth away from the top of its peak, bricks flew outward as if pushed by a bubble. Crackling blue-white lightning-like lines of pure arcane magic danced between the bricks, locking them into place. A tremor cascaded down the tower¡¯s walls, rippling the stone as if it were made from water.

    At first, he started to grin. His enemies having trouble was a benefit to him. It didn¡¯t look like the tower was about to topple¡ªit held on by a thread¡ªbut that could easily be rectified. Such a magically charged explosion wouldn¡¯t have left that Keeper unscathed.

    His smile slid askew as he felt a second wave coming from the tower. Not an explosion. A rush of magic cascaded over the battlefield. Pure, chaotic magic flooding into this world from elsewhere.

    ¡°What have you done?¡±

    Apoplectic. That was the only word to describe the tone of the august voice coming from the shallow basin at his side.

    ¡°What have I done?¡± he snapped before his eyes flicked to the guards around him. They didn¡¯t need to be here for this. The sounds of battle had drawn closer, so he jerked his head back toward the battle lines. ¡°Assist our brothers,¡± he said, voice firm yet quieter. ¡°Ensure I remain undisturbed.¡±

    Although they looked anxious at being ordered away, they couldn¡¯t disobey. Not him. He was their god. None could question his will. It wasn¡¯t like he needed bodyguards anyway. Any mishap and he would simply take another body for his own.

    As soon as they were gone, joined in merry battle, he looked back to the basin while keeping the crackling arcane tower in the corner of his vision. ¡°Do you feel that?¡± he asked, wanting to confirm his suspicions.

    The magic flooding into the battlefield had not stopped. Fortress Hearts were magic amplifiers, outputting more than they took in, but even they had limits. For such an infant tower as this, a short but loud thunderclap of magic should have been the only consequence if they had managed to damage its core. At the very least, the onrush of magic should have faded by now.

    If anything, it was increasing.

    ¡°Feel it? The Solution is threatened. If we do not put a stop to this, all will end.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± he said, sneering at the bowl of liquid. ¡°Of course. Let me just snap my fingers and fix everything.¡±

    ¡°Your incongruous nature is unneeded. Where is our contemporary? The god of knowledge will have insight.¡±

    A flare of angry golden light bathed the surroundings. ¡°That traitor? Probably cheering on the Keeper, knowing that her end is our end.¡±

    ¡°Unacceptable.¡±

    ¡°Your inability to accept facts does not make them untrue. It just makes you a stubborn fool.¡±

    He knocked aside the bowl of water after that taunt. Not spilling it, but sloshing the water to the point where he wouldn¡¯t be forced to listen to whatever commentary the Almighty Glory would have for that. The fact that the noise would grate on her ears only made him grin. For all her pride, she sure knew how to whine.

    Once again, he would simply have to handle things himself.

    Kneeling, intending to use the momentary peace for something productive, he closed his eyes.

    And felt another odd thing. The wash of magic still cascaded over the battlefield, drowning out most other sensations, but this one was different. Like something was specifically attuned to him. Cracking open an eye, he saw it.

    A bright golden effigy hurtled through the air toward him. It wasn¡¯t aimed properly. If he did nothing, it would sail right over his shoulder.

    He reached forward, feeling a pull towards it. He wanted it. A golden effigy? Of course he wanted it.

    The moment his fingers wrapped around its makeshift waist, he let out a content sigh.

    Contentment. It wasn¡¯t a feeling he could say he felt often. There was always more. More land to claim, more gold to hoard, more people to bow before him. To be content was to be anathema to the Heart of Gold. Yet content he felt. He settled down, smiling at the small doll. Did it look like him? Not this borrowed body, but the real him.

    He was quite certain it did. Someone had gone to the trouble of carving a little statue in his honor. It was touching. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time someone had done something nice for him. There were the servants and slaves and sycophants, but that wasn¡¯t the same thing. They were obligated to serve him.

    Someone cloaked in darkness slipped past the sparse soldiers around him. That cloak shouldn¡¯t exist, but it did. But he didn¡¯t care. Not now. Not while he was at such peace. Even her kicking over the basin and stomping on it didn¡¯t bother him. It should have. Those basins were rare. Only a handful existed. Now, his was destroyed. But he had something greater. A treasure all for himself.

    ¡°Wow. That thing really did a number on you.¡±

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Someone spoke now. The one in darkness. He didn¡¯t even look up.

    Not until the darkness grasped hold of his wrist.

    ¡°It¡¯s mine,¡± he snarled, yanking his hand back. His anger, clearly felt, was enough for the darkness to release him. As soon as he was free, he settled back down, smiling as he gently ran his fingers over the golden surface.

    ¡°Okaaay¡­ Tell you what, you can keep it if you just put on this little bracelet.¡±

    His eyes drifted upward to find the shadowy figure holding a shiny silver bracelet. Manacles. Silver wasn¡¯t really his color. It was just inferior to gold. It probably wasn¡¯t even real silver. Did that make it better?

    The shadowy figure stepped closer again, taking hold of his hand that wasn¡¯t holding the little golden idol.

    He allowed it. He wouldn¡¯t have normally¡ªit was his hand¡ªbut he didn¡¯t feel quite so possessive at the moment. The shadowy clamped the manacle around his wrist and then around her own, smaller, arm.

    ¡°Great. You feeling nice and captive?¡±

    He stared at the golden idol. ¡°I can¡¯t recall the last time I was feeling so captivated.¡±

    ¡°Right. Close enough I guess. We need to get out of here before that demon catches up.¡±

    Demon should have been alarming. It wasn¡¯t. Nothing was. If anything, getting away from a demon sounded like a great idea.

    ¡°I sure hope Arkk wasn¡¯t in the middle of that explosion. Or else we¡¯re going to have to get back the hard¡ª¡±

    A tug in his navel pulled at him, dragging him through a narrow tunnel of magic. The surroundings warped around him, removing him from the field of battle and dropping him down in the middle of a foul-smelling chamber of stone and metal bars. But he still had his idol, so he didn¡¯t care.

    ¡°Oh good. You sit tight,¡± the gremlin¡ªshe removed her hood¡ªsaid as she slipped her hand out of the manacles with ease. ¡°I¡¯m going to go find out what happened. Don¡¯t lose that effigy now. Do you want me to tie it to your hand? That way you¡¯ll never lose it.¡±

    ¡°Never lose it¡­ Yes. Never.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°What do you mean he¡¯s gone again? This is the second time he¡¯s disappeared in the middle of something important.¡±

    ¡°A worrying trend,¡± Inquisitrix Sylvara said, not that a hint of concern slipped into her tone. Her red eyes focused on the cage that held their esteemed guest. She hadn¡¯t even blinked since Lexa brought her in. ¡°Nothing to do about it, however. The fact that things are still moving and operational is a sign that he is paying attention.¡±

    ¡°Has he gotten himself kidnapped by the demon again?¡± Lexa asked, more to herself than to the rest of the audience. ¡°No¡­ The demon is tearing apart the Evestani army. Unless there are two of them.¡±

    ¡°I certainly hope not.¡±

    Lexa scowled. There was no sign of anything being truly wrong. No unconscious dark elves popping up or lesser servants playing games of charades to communicate. He was teleporting people where they needed to go, even assisting with the battle against the Eternal Empire soldiers now that the visitors from the Anvil had joined the fray. All-in-all, the tides of battle had turned almost in their favor. The only things wrong were the airships still in the air, the lack of Arkk, and the top of the tower being blown up.

    Anyone trying to climb the stairs got instantly teleported to a lower level once they got too close. So he was watching.

    ¡°What¡¯s with those airships anyway?¡± Lexa asked, looking up at the inquisitrix. ¡°I thought you and the abbess were going to take them down.¡±

    ¡°The avatar of the Holy Light was communicating with us, instructing us on how to use a portion of her abilities. Not making us avatars, but something more akin to Zullie¡¯s utilization of the boundary god¡¯s powers. But the communication cut off abruptly a few minutes ago. Same time as the explosion on the upper levels occurred.¡± Sylvara clenched a fist, still staring at the jail cell. ¡°Abbess Hannah is remaining with the basin, awaiting further instructions. I elected to oversee this.¡±

    Lexa didn¡¯t like the sound of that. While it seemed like Agnete had the defense of the tower on lock, only an idiot continued to try the same strategies over and over when they obviously weren¡¯t working. She doubted they had long before the paradigm shifted again and those airships became a threat once more.

    That said, having the inquisitor present was something of a reassurance. Lexa had a lot of tricks up her sleeves but the inquisitor had knowledge and power. Especially when related to that golden effigy. She had created the thing, with Zullie and Savren, after all.

    Savren was in the room as well. A series of cells¡ªonly one was occupied at the moment¡ªlined half the room. The other half had been cleared out, providing space for Savren to make the final adjustments to the ritual circle he had designed. It was to be used in conjunction with the effigy.

    Several guards stood about as well, weapons poised over the avatar¡¯s head. Orcs, Kia, and a shieldbreaker weren¡¯t about to let the avatar regain his wherewithal while still inside the tower. It would suck to have to kill him too soon, but they couldn¡¯t jeopardize the fortress.

    Alma ran about the room, bringing the flower to each guard as well as Savren, Lexa, and Sylvara in a circuit. With the avatar now holding onto the effigy, its effects didn¡¯t seem to be affecting many others, but they still used the flower just in case. Having them all fall into apathy would end in disaster.

    As for the avatar¡­

    The avatar showed no signs of awareness of anything around. He sat on the floor with a vapid smile on his face, staring at the effigy. Some twine looped around his hand and wrist made it impossible for him to accidentally drop the effigy. Though that twine wouldn¡¯t stop a dedicated attempt to get rid of it, he hadn¡¯t even tried.

    ¡°He isn¡¯t going to get tired of it, is he?¡±

    ¡°When crafting countermeasures for dealing with abominations of magic, a tuning is required before they can become purifiers. The Binding Agent needs to be powerful enough to stop their abominable powers from going out of control in an emergency but lenient enough to allow them to wield those powers in the first place.¡± Sylvara¡¯s eyes flicked away from the avatar for the first time. It only lasted a moment, but she shot Lexa a tight smirk. ¡°Naturally, I didn¡¯t bother trying to limit this Binding Agent¡¯s restraining power. If anything, I enhanced it.¡±

    That didn¡¯t exactly answer Lexa¡¯s question. Sylvara probably didn¡¯t know for sure. ¡°The sooner this is done with, the happier everyone will be.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Savren, are you still tweaking values?¡±

    The warlock blinked long and slow, sighing. ¡°Cease your complaints. I must be certain that the countermeasure carries out its purpose correctly. Complications would be cause for catastrophe. Counter to my communication, however, I am closing on completion.¡±

    ¡°Finally.¡±

    ¡°Carry the comatose captive to the center of the circle,¡± he said, waving a hand to the two orcs.

    They looked at each other, swallowing. Normally, two burly orcs wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to pick up a human child. Lexa doubted it was a task that required a pair. One of them could have picked up the avatar with a single hand. But therein was the problem. Avatar. They all knew what he could do if he suddenly returned to his senses.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t try to take away the effigy,¡± Lexa said, offering her advice. It seemed to have worked when capturing him.

    Carefully, as if he were an actual child and not their sworn enemy, the two orcs moved up to the avatar. One took his legs while the other took his back, tilting him so that he could be carried while keeping the effigy in sight. Kia followed close, her own sword humming with afterimages of her strange power, ready to eliminate the avatar before he could be a threat.

    With even more care, they set the avatar down. Once out of their hands, they scattered, as if worried he was a viper ready to strike.

    The avatar just sat there, staring at his little golden idol.

    Savren swiftly moved about the circle, performing one final check to ensure nothing had gone wrong in the short few seconds since his last check. Normally, Lexa would have scoffed and rolled her eyes. Not now. If there was ever a bit of dangerous, experimental magic that she didn¡¯t want going wrong, it was this ritual.

    It came as some small relief that Zullie also hadn¡¯t been seen since the explosion on the upper levels. Lexa didn¡¯t wish the witch ill, but the witch had a habit of being overly ambitious to the point of ruination.

    For every success like Kia, there were a dozen smoking craters. Or, rather, exploded chickens.

    It was one of the many reasons why, despite witnessing Kia and Claire¡¯s abilities, she hadn¡¯t volunteered for the same thing. Nor had anybody else, to the best of her knowledge.

    ¡°Please promptly partition yourself,¡± Savren said with a look at Kia. ¡°Proximity to your preternatural powers may prove problematic.¡±

    The dark elf, still hovering over the avatar ready to strike, shot a glance at Savren. It took a second look at Sylvara¡ªwho nodded her head¡ªbefore she was willing to take a step back. Savren then shooed her back even further with a little upward flick of both his hands. He continued, pushing her all the way back to the far wall. Only then did he stalk back to the ritual circle, pause at its edge to pull the sleeves of his robe up to his shoulders, and slam his hand down on the activation rune.

    Bright golden light flooded into the prison. Lexa tensed, bracing for the inevitable end.

    It never came. Blinking away the spots in her eyes, she squinted at the ritual circle. The golden light emitted from its markings, not from the avatar. The possessed boy still sat, a vapid smile on his face, even as the ritual raged around him. His fingers kept twitching, as if there was some struggle going on. Lexa had never been more relieved with her own foresight. If she hadn¡¯t tied that idol to his hand, he likely would have dropped it by now.

    As the light in the ritual circle intensified, the golden light on the ring of tattoos around the boy¡¯s head began to fade. The bright tattoos dulled and blackened, drained of their power. Lexa would have expected that to mean that the avatar had left the body, but the boy¡¯s eyes still glowed with bright golden light, doing their best to wash out the light from the ritual.

    The brightness reached a peak, forcing Lexa to turn aside.

    All at once, the light cut out. Savren pulled away from the ritual circle, panting, while everyone else in the room rushed forward, weapons raised. Lexa remained where she was, staring at the avatar, now with dull tattoos around his head but still-glowing eyes.

    ¡°Did it work?¡± Sylvara asked, staring at Savren.

    The warlock, unable to find words for once, simply nodded his head as he tried to catch his breath.

    Sylvara didn¡¯t ask for a second confirmation. She strode forward, pulling a spiraled, needle-like dagger from behind her back. One of the counter-demon weapons they had ended up rejecting as viable. It was still overkill for non-demons, but perhaps the avatar warranted it. She tossed it to her other hand, the lizard-like mutation that Hale had regrown in place of the arm the avatar had taken from her.

    Standing over the avatar, she waited one moment, just to stare. Lexa thought she was about to say something, some words of victory.

    The only noise she made was a small grunt of effort as she plunged the knife deep into the avatar¡¯s skull.

 Lost

    ¡°My plan worked,¡± Arkk announced to the silent darkness. ¡°The avatar is dead.¡±

    Zullie turned away from her work, lifting an eyebrow. ¡°Your plan?¡±

    Arkk let out a small sigh. ¡°My plan, you and Sylvara¡¯s efforts in making that effigy, Lexa¡¯s efforts in actually getting it to the avatar, and Savren trapping the avatar¡¯s mind solely in the host he was inhabiting. Whatever you want to call it, it worked.¡±

    ¡°Permanently?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d hope so. I think Savren is trying to check.¡±

    ¡°Shame I wasn¡¯t there to see it,¡± Zullie said, leaning back over a large scrawling ritual.

    The Maze, their best guess for where they were, wasn¡¯t something to be taken lightly. Not if half of what Vezta had told him was true. Thus far, no one had left the command floor of the tower that had come with them. Using tunics, belts, curtains from the windows, and even Arkk¡¯s trousers, they had fashioned a lengthy rope that looped around everyone¡¯s waists, tied off at Arkk and Luthor at either end.

    Ideally, they wouldn¡¯t have to venture into the Maze at all. Zullie thought she could weaken the boundaries between here and home just as she had done from the other side to create the spell in the first place. Arkk was somewhat less optimistic.

    The appearance of the Fickle Wheel in the Al-Mir temple had him on edge. It felt like everything they did was now being watched by a god known for random whims and false balance. The avatar being dead was a good thing. That only made Arkk worry that something unpleasant was going to happen to counterbalance that.

    The increasingly frustrated looks on Zullie¡¯s face weren¡¯t reassuring.

    Arkk closed his eyes momentarily, first scanning over the continuing battle, helping where he could, before moving to the lesser servants. He had summoned dozens of them, giving each orders to venture off into the Maze. If they could find a portal, they would have a much easier time getting home than hoping Zullie could recreate a magical accident intentionally.

    The Maze was a strange land, he decided. When he had first heard of it, he expected walls, narrow passages, random dead ends, and a labyrinthine layout that was impossible to navigate. Instead, it appeared to be almost the opposite.

    A bright light spell, thrown high into the air, provided illumination for the transported command chamber and its surroundings.

    The command chamber sat in a vast, open plain that appeared simple enough. Grasses made of shimmering silver swayed in a gentle breeze. As the lesser servants traveled, the ground itself shifted, altering the landscape. Hills rose and fell, streams redirected their courses, and even the sky changed at seeming random from night to day at a whim, despite the light not changing elsewhere¡ªwhether that be for Arkk or other lesser servants searching the land.

    More than once, he had sent a lesser servant off with orders to travel in a perfectly straight line, only for them to end up right back where they started a few minutes later. Yet, ordering one of the distant lesser servants to return ended in failure. He could feel them approaching yet they never actually drew near.

    Three of his lesser servants made it beyond the plains. One reached a forest whose trees seemed to be made from liquid, all in the same silvery color as the grasses. One lesser servant had gotten itself trapped on a series of floating islands. They seemed to look down upon the plains, but the servant had managed to reach them without climbing or flying through the air.

    The last lost servant wound up in a cave of sorts.

    It had died. Nothing attacked it. It simply had been traveling forward when, in the span of a single step, it aged. Arkk could feel the centuries passing even though he was fairly certain that he wasn¡¯t aging himself. At least not beyond the usual rate.

    Above all, Arkk wanted to avoid that cave.

    ¡°Light,¡± Zullie started to swear, only to stop and shake her head. ¡°This is impossible.¡±

    More bad news. ¡°We got here somehow. It should be possible to return.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I can¡¯t even draw a ritual circle. Look,¡± she said, scooting a step away from her work area. With a long piece of chalk in one hand, she dragged her arm in a perfectly straight line.

    Arkk didn¡¯t see anything wrong.

    ¡°Of course it works when I try to show somebody,¡± Zullie said with an annoyed click of her tongue. Her face brightened. ¡°Observation? Maybe my lack of eyes is ruining things. Come, all of you, stare at me working.¡±

    Arkk glanced around. The three members of the scrying team weren¡¯t far away¡ªthey couldn¡¯t be with the limited length of makeshift rope they had. He doubted they hadn¡¯t been watching, but everyone still complied, squeezing a little closer to Zullie. She promptly started her work once more.

    As she worked, Arkk started to notice discrepancies. Where she looped her hand in a wide, sweeping arc, a truncated line would appear. Where she marked down a cross, a ring would appear. In one case, she drew her arm along in a straight line and a straight line appeared, but it appeared on the opposite end of the circle from where she held her chalk.

    With a snarl, Zullie flung her chalk across the room. Parts of it broke off as it bounced along the floor. The rest of it came around and struck her in the back of her neck.

    ¡°A-Are we trapped here?¡± Luthor asked, watching Zullie furiously rub at the chalk staining her cloak.

    To be reassuring was to be a liar, at least in this situation. Arkk doubted they would be forever trapped. He had allies both here and at home who could work to bring them back. Unless, of course, the battle turned disastrous. With the avatar dead, the undead and Mags¡¯ forces causing chaos in the Evestani army, and the machine lifeforms joining in the fray, using their power tools to dismantle the Eternal Empire¡¯s invulnerable armor, things weren¡¯t looking too poor at the moment, so he was cautiously optimistic.

    At the same time, being stuck away from the battle, unable to directly assist, was concerning. There were still those airships. At some point, they stopped their repeated assaults. They were planning something, he knew. If they thought the battle was lost, they would surely have retreated by now, pulling themselves and their army back to rally for another attack.

    There was still the matter of the Eternal Empire¡¯s missing forces. They had marched across Mystakeen with only a few thousand less than Evestani, yet only about two thousand of their soldiers were assailing the tower. If the Fickle Wheel had anything to say about the matter, they would make themselves known at the worst time.

    ¡°I might have something,¡± Harvey said, looking up from his crystal ball. The others of the scrying team had mostly been fretting, but Harvey kept up with his duties. He waved Arkk over, showing off something in the crystal ball. ¡°I can¡¯t get a better view of it. Something is blocking the way¡ªor maybe it is just this place¡ªbut that right there looks familiar, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    The liquid-like trees of the forest his lesser servant had stumbled across dotted the crystal ball up to about the halfway point, where the land changed to octagonal pillars of stone, jutting up from the ground. Despite being equally sized on all eight sides, the columns of stone managed to fit together perfectly. Each face of the eight-sided stones matched the face of another eight-sided stone.

    Harvey¡¯s padded paw touched the scrying ball, drawing Arkk¡¯s attention to a small gap in the stone columns. A golden crystal, covered in an iridescent sheen, just barely peaked out through the gap. Like someone had grown those stones in an attempt to hide the crystal only for the ravages of time to have worn away part of its facade.

    ¡°A portal,¡± Arkk said. The yellow crystal matched with every other portal they had seen. The full archway wasn¡¯t visible, just the base of it on one side. Even if the rest had been destroyed, just having access to that crystal could be enough to get them home. After all, Zullie had already perfected portal construction while trying to get Agnete out of the Anvil. The only thing she needed was the material. ¡°Do we know where it is in relation to us?¡±

    Harvey looked up, giving Arkk a flat stare. ¡°Does relation matter in this place?¡±

    ¡°Good point.¡± Arkk frowned, glaring into the crystal ball. ¡°It exists, thus there must be a way to reach it. Something beyond stumbling about randomly and hoping for the best.¡±

    Arkk waited a moment, looking around. The others were paying attention, but no suggestions came forth. He¡­ really only expected Zullie to have ideas in a situation like this. The others, while good at their job, weren¡¯t exactly idea people.

    ¡°I can summon more and more servants,¡± Arkk said. ¡°Maybe have them all link together so they can¡¯t get lost. Then if one finds the portal, we can just follow the trail of servants.¡±

    ¡°That could take an eternity,¡± Zullie said with a frown. Even without eyes, she fiddled with her glasses as she stared at the crystal ball. ¡°Maybe some kind of¡­ anchor? From my brief experience here, I would say that Xel¡¯atriss, Lock and Key, and Unknown, the Enigma, are diametrically opposed gods. You and I have a deeper connection with the former. Though we would have to fashion some kind of spell without a ritual circle.¡± She shot an eyeless glare at the hodgepodge scrawls on the floor. ¡°That¡¯s right out.¡±

    Arkk closed his eyes, rubbing at his temples. Verbal spells were much more difficult to craft than rituals, requiring the compression of all the scribbles and circles and symbols down into a few sounds. To the best of his knowledge, Zullie hadn¡¯t crafted a single verbal spell since the disaster that took her eyes¡ªthough she had worked a little to safeguard that spell. But creating it in the first place had taken weeks if not longer. Its first use had turned out¡­ poorly.

    If rituals were out, that meant that that was the only spell either of them knew that had any connection with Xel¡¯atriss. They couldn¡¯t sit around for weeks, waiting for Zullie to cobble together another spell.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t suggesting¡­¡± Arkk trailed off, glancing toward the scrying team.

    They still didn¡¯t know why Zullie had lost her eyes. Perhaps she saw something she wasn¡¯t supposed to or something she couldn¡¯t process, or perhaps Xel¡¯atriss simply didn¡¯t like being observed¡ªVezta had shielded Arkk¡¯s eyes upon their encounter with Xel¡¯atriss, presumably to prevent him from going mad upon witnessing something mortal minds simply weren¡¯t capable of processing. But if Zullie was suggesting they repeat that incident, would having the scrying team close their eyes be enough?

    Or would they wind up like Zullie, albeit lacking the drive and ambition to uncover magic¡¯s secrets to keep themselves sane?

    ¡°If you¡ªany of you¡ªhave better ideas, I¡¯m waiting,¡± Zullie said, turning her head slowly over everyone else.

    To Arkk¡¯s great surprise, Luthor raised a hand. He waited to be called upon, acting as if he were a young boy attending a Suun lecture, until Arkk nodded his head.

    ¡°We¡¯re all tied t-together,¡± he said, lightly tugging against the rope around his waist that was tied to Arkk¡¯s trousers. ¡°So linking together works in this place.¡±

    Arkk nodded along, encouraging him to continue. They had done a few experiments shortly after realizing where they were. Two lesser servants walking side by side would eventually, and randomly, drift apart from one another even if they always tried to keep the same distance. Two lesser servants doing the same while touching each other didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Rope. A rope of lesser servants. Send them out, all connected to here, and have them sweep over the entire place. When they find the portal, we put a hand on them and follow the rope.¡±

    He didn¡¯t see why that wouldn¡¯t work. It sounded sensible, logical, and didn¡¯t invoke a god to help get them out of this. Arkk looked over to Zullie, giving the woman a questioning tilt of his head. She looked¡­ frustrated, scowling down at the complicated mess of a ritual circle that she had drawn out. He could almost see the thoughts flitting through her head as she tried to find a reason to reject the plan. It wasn¡¯t complicated enough for her, not enough moving pieces, not enough things to go wrong.

    Crouching down, Zullie picked up the broken piece of chalk that had hit her in the back of the head. She pressed it against the cracked tiles before spinning fully around, though she did have to stop and navigate the makeshift rope around her waist before completing her circle.

    Except it wasn¡¯t a circle. It wobbled, more like a bean despite her circular movement.

    ¡°It is possible that, even if line up an infinite number of lesser servants and send them about in a complete circle¡­¡± She jammed the chalk down on the odd bend in the bean-shaped circle. ¡°We might still miss the portal.¡±

    ¡°But we might not,¡± Luthor said. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what you two were referring to a moment ago, but if Arkk is hesitant, that means it is risky. This seems low risk, so why not try it? U-Unless I¡¯m missing something,¡± he finished with a nervous look at his fellow scrying team.

    ¡°The only thing it will cost is time,¡± Arkk said. Lesser servants did press on his magic ever so slightly. He wouldn¡¯t be able to summon an infinite number of them, but a few hundred would be fine. Malleable and amorphous as they were, one could stretch a great distance, reducing how many he would need to cover a larger area. ¡°While we don¡¯t have unlimited time, Zullie would need time to fully think through her plan anyway,¡± he said with a pointed look at the witch.

    He was done with half-baked plans from Zullie. Capable though she was, genius though she might be, she was too interested in the creation process and not interested enough in perfection. If she spent a little more time to truly finalize one idea before the next one carried her off, her success rate would skyrocket. Arkk recognized that he was part of the problem, moving her from project to project especially as of late, but the problem still existed. Once they were out of their situation¡ªthe threat of the Eternal Empire and Evestani, that was¡ªArkk fully intended to recruit some more casters. An entire team he would have dedicated to nothing more than going over Zullie¡¯s designs and ensuring they were finished, not half-baked.

    Although Zullie bristled at his quip, she nodded her head. She sat down. Lacking eyes, she had grown adept at thinking about things without writing them down. Possibly another reason why her successes lately were few and far between, but useful in a realm where writing was forbidden.

    As she began her ponderings, Arkk began summoning. Lesser servant after lesser servant warped into being, as if they oozed out from a tiny hole in reality. He had never possessed more servants than he did now, including those at Fortress Al-Mir, the tower, and now here. Idly, as he carried on the monotonous task, he wondered if they would ever deplete. They weren¡¯t created from nothing, but drawn from the Stars.

    The lesser servants scurried forth, all connected to each other. As one manifested, the line mushed forward. Although he could tell where one servant ended and the next began, he couldn¡¯t see it. The oily, tar-like bodies they possessed merged together in a long, thin strand of mush, squirming forward like a snake crossed with a caterpillar.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be sick,¡± Camilla whined.

    ¡°When I first found Fortress Al-Mir,¡± Arkk said between summonings, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to conjure them up at all, off-putting as they are. But they are necessary to run the fortress and, even outside that, useful.¡± He gestured to the long line of servants stretching off toward whatever horizon existed in this strange place.

    ¡°Still think I¡¯m going to be sick.¡±

    Arkk just chuckled as he continued summoning. ¡°Vezz¡¯ok is still at Fortress Al-Mir. I¡¯ll move him to the portal room to have him assist the servants in reconfiguring the portal.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t help unless we find the portal here.¡±

    Two of his lonesome, earlier exploratory servants had found the liquid forest where the portal resided. Neither had set off in the same direction, but he still had them¡ªand all the other servants out there¡ªpatrolling around, trying to find anything stable enough to resemble a landmark.

    At the same time, he kept his eye on the continuing battle. A full tenth of the Eternal Empire¡¯s army was lying dismantled in the mud, with Shieldbreakers and the Black Knights¡¯s assistance. The rest had been pushed back from the base of the tower. A good thing too. When the disaster in the command center occurred, the Maze of Infinite Paths protecting the tower legs, and keeping the enemy army out, had failed as well.

    The portion of the Empire¡¯s army that had been inside the tower¡¯s legs hadn¡¯t returned when the spell failed. They accounted for a significant chunk of the army, so unless they randomly reappeared, that was one benefit to the spell failing.

    Maybe the Fickle Wheel really was on his side after all.

    Time would tell.

 Magic Toxicity Levels

    ¡°Have you been able to take any readings of ambient magic?¡± Arkk asked as he and his tethered group walked along a line of lesser servants. They all made sure to keep in physical contact with the servants at all times.

    So far, no one had gotten lost in the Maze which, given the scattered lesser servants who felt right next to each other yet couldn¡¯t find one another, seemed more like a miracle than not. Yet it couldn¡¯t be a miracle. Not when the god of this realm was the one pushing them apart.

    ¡°You¡¯re really worried about that now?¡± Zullie asked, using both hands to maintain constant contact. Although she had done something to her vision¡ªeven now, Arkk still wasn¡¯t sure of the specifics¡ªshe still had occasional moments where she simply couldn¡¯t see what she needed to see. The line of lesser servants was one of those things.

    ¡°As long as we¡¯re here, we might as well.¡±

    In truth, Arkk was growing nervous. Beyond the war and beyond the avatars, he had another concern. The Calamity. Neither he nor Vezta knew exactly how to repair the damage to the worlds, so they had mostly been stumbling about. However, somewhere around the time of the Anvil opening and the Burning Forge appearing in his temple, he had started developing theories. Some, he had voiced to Zullie, Vezta, and the others, but with the war taking precedence, proper research on the subject was delayed.

    However, with every additional statue in his temple, feelings of foreboding grew. The time between them appearing was shortening and some, like the Fickle Wheel and the Laughing Prince, had appeared mostly spontaneously. As of this moment, there were only four empty spots in his temple. The Bloated Mother, the Veiled Dancer, the Whispering Gale, and Unknown, the Enigma.

    ¡°When we reconfigure the portals to return,¡± Arkk said, ¡°I have a feeling another statue will appear. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll pass some critical threshold where the Calamity breaks apart or if we must collect them all, but one way or another, I doubt we have long to figure out what will happen to our world once that barrier falls.¡±

    ¡°Magic will flood into our realm. Can¡¯t say whether it will be a trickle or a tidal wave.¡±

    ¡°Plants will die. People will starve. It¡¯ll become as barren as the Underworld.¡±

    ¡°Probably not overnight,¡± Zullie said, though she didn¡¯t contradict the inevitability. ¡°Did some research on plants versus people after seeing the state of the Underworld way back when we first opened it. Something about the rigidity of plants makes infusions of magic toxic. Low levels can invigorate or add odd properties¡ªalchemists use magical plants in a lot of their concoctions¡ªbut the little parts that make them up can¡¯t stretch and mold around high levels of additional energy, bursting apart and killing them. People are far more squishy and thus more able to contain magic.¡±

    ¡°So in the short term, life will¡­ flourish? Until it hits that point where it starts killing.¡±

    ¡°In a sense.¡± Zullie continued forward, humming to herself. ¡°Can¡¯t do rituals here, so the best I can give you is a feeling. This place isn¡¯t suffering from high levels. Not that it matters. We have other realms we¡¯ve seen. Either this place, like the Anvil, has managed to conjure up a solution¡­ or it simply is too metaphysically distant from the end-point of the¡­ drain.¡±

    ¡°Drain?¡±

    ¡°Magic flows through the realms. We know this. We have evidence for this. The Calamity is like a massive water dam, blocking magic from entering our world uncontrolled. The Underworld, the next closest realm to ours, has filled up because of that dam. Thus, we can theorize that whatever source of magic exists out there acts like a river flowing through the realms. It is only a trickle here because the next realm on the river¡¯s downstream hasn¡¯t flooded yet.¡± Zullie looked back over her shoulder, meeting Arkk¡¯s gaze with her glasses. ¡°If you ask me, the Calamity feels more like a response to some other catastrophe than anything malicious. Maybe wherever magic was supposed to drain to from our world, further on the downstream, flooded or erected their own dam.¡±

    ¡°I wonder¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm? Have you got alternate ideas?¡±

    ¡°Not so much alternate, but¡­ additions?¡± Arkk thought back, far back. Before the incident at the Duke¡¯s party. ¡°I possessed Vezta one time. She doesn¡¯t see the sky like we do. It¡¯s¡­ shattered. Broken. The Stars beyond that shattering aren¡¯t like our stars. They¡¯re more like¡­ her, I think.¡±

    ¡°You mentioned not wanting to think about that.¡±

    ¡°It was quite shocking. Time and having seen far more insane things since have numbed that sensation quite a bit.¡±

    ¡°Do we know when the sky broke?¡±

    Arkk shook his head. Realizing that Zullie probably wouldn¡¯t be able to tell with her back turned and her sometimes-there-sometimes-not sight, he said a quick, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°It certainly sounds like a plausible theory. Something clearly happened. Though I don¡¯t know how we might go about fixing it.¡±

    Arkk didn¡¯t have an answer for her. From what Vezta said, not even the god of boundaries and barriers had a solution to the shattered sky beyond the tiny, pinprick-sized holes used to rip servants out of that realm. If a god couldn¡¯t do it, they probably didn¡¯t have much hope.

    But the shattered sky wasn¡¯t the only deific-level incident that he was aware of. There was one other idea he had, something he had come across on complete accident during unrelated studies.

    ¡°Demons killed their god,¡± Arkk said. He wasn¡¯t sure that it was true. There was a lot of misinformation, rumors, and outright lies surrounding demons. Yet most of the older sources, those Sylvara had dug up from her time at the Abbey¡¯s archives especially, agreed that demons once had a god and now they didn¡¯t.

    Zullie hummed a light agreement. ¡°Two potential inciting incidents for the magic problem. Neither solvable. Though, if you ask me, fixing a broken sky sounds a whole lot easier than reviving a god. Unless it isn¡¯t quite dead. Then maybe even odds for both.¡±

    There was a squawk of surprise from behind Arkk. ¡°You think you can heal a dead god?¡± Camilla asked, sounding utterly incredulous.

    Arkk did a quick headcount, making sure that everyone who was supposed to be behind him actually was. He had kept track of everyone in the back of his mind using the link, but it was good to check with his actual eyes. Luckily, both the tether keeping them together and the line of lesser servants were working as intended.

    He gave a light chuckle. ¡°You probably think we¡¯re mad.¡±

    ¡°N-Not really.¡± Luthor waved a hand around. ¡°This is mad. Can¡¯t even w-walk in a straight line without going in a circle. We are making progress, right? If we wind up where we started, I might cry.¡±

    ¡°There are a limited number of lesser servants,¡± Arkk said, gesturing forward. ¡°They might look the same to you, but I can tell the difference. We are making progress. We¡¯re about to enter that forest I mentioned, the one with the liquid-like trees. Once there, we¡¯ll have about half the line of servants left to traverse before we reach the portal.¡±

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°I suppose I should explain to you what you¡¯ll need to do to reconfigure the Al-Mir portal,¡± Zullie said as she fumbled along the line of servants. ¡°I wish we had a Protector with us. It¡¯d be easier.¡±

    With Rekk¡¯ar leading the men, he had felt it more important that their limited number of Protector bodies be with Rekk¡¯ar and the various units in need of rapidly updated orders, leaving only one with Arkk¡ªwhich had managed to escape their translocation because that Protector had been the furthest from the epicenter. Arkk had been just a little too quick.

    It would have been more convenient, he was willing to admit.

    Zullie proceeded to provide instructions for the modifications to the portal at Fortress Al-Mir, which Arkk carried out through a lesser servant. She wouldn¡¯t know exactly what needed to be changed, besides carving a new keystone from some of the scraps left over from their efforts to bring Agnete back. Until they reached the portal here in the Maze, she wouldn¡¯t know fully what to do, but experience in modifying portals gave her some ideas to lessen the time spent later.

    ¡°Back to our previous discussion,¡± Arkk said as Zullie ran out of adjustments to make. ¡°I had an idea I wanted to run by you. I don¡¯t know if this is a solution or just something to delay the magic toxicity problem¡ªor if it would work at all¡ªbut¡­ could demons solve the problem?¡±

    ¡°Demons?¡± Zullie said with a funny look on her face. ¡°While true they break a lot of laws of magic if their contract dictates they must¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure there are still rules they have to follow. Just ones we¡¯re unaware of.¡±

    ¡°Not like that,¡± Arkk quickly affirmed. ¡°I have no intention of summoning demons. That¡¯s wacky nonsense and possibly suicidal.¡±

    There was a small sigh of relief from one of the scrying team.

    ¡°No. It happened when that demon got a hold of me. It ate¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sir,¡± Harvey said, clearing his throat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but I¡¯ve kept up scrying. Something odd is going on with the airships around the tower. Bright beams of light keep appearing.¡±

    Arkk stopped abruptly. Everyone else, tethered to him as they were, was forced to stop as well. ¡°Everyone, keep holding onto the servants,¡± he said as he shimmied around Luthor and Camilla. Harvey was at the tail end of their tether. ¡°Show me.¡±

    <hr>

    The Empress stilled, sensing something amiss. Almost absentmindedly, she reached over and dipped a finger into the shallow bowl at her side, swirling the contents in long, gentle movements. A light flick disturbed the water, shattering its glassy surface.

    There was no response.

    ¡°Adjutant,¡± she called out.

    A wiry man, his perpetually furrowed brow somehow more furrowed than usual, stepped up. ¡°Empress?¡±

    ¡°Turn one of the observers onto the Evestani army. Locate their leader and inform me of his status.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Empress.¡± Rather than rush out of the room, he approached a bank of brass pipes mounted on the wall. Depressing a small lever on the underside of one flipped open the cover, tugging on a string in the process. After a moment of waiting¡ªduring which a light chime echoed from the pipe¡ªhe cupped his mouth and began speaking.

    As he worked, she focused inward.

    Something had happened. Some shift in the world beyond the dangerous magic the Keeper was employing in his defense.

    Things were going well, despite appearances to the contrary. The avatar of flames was an unexpected setback, but she had plans for removing that hurdle. The planar magic employed to defend against her attacks had already failed with no need to lift a finger on her part¡ªevidence of its danger. It was only a matter of time until the Keeper slipped up and let one of the spores bloom or the magic sustaining the tower failed entirely and the whole thing came crashing down. It was an inevitability.

    But now¡­

    She wasn¡¯t so sure. It was just a feeling she had. Like something had happened and she didn¡¯t know what.

    ¡°We can¡¯t find him,¡± the adjutant said, turning back to her. ¡°They¡¯re going to keep looking, but¡ª¡±

    A light feminine tone disturbed the liquid in the bowl, interrupting the adjutant. A brilliant white light pulsed in time with the spoken words. ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡±

    ¡°Not for long, I expect. Those puppets he uses are numerous.¡± The Empress snapped her wrist, waving away the adjutant. He departed the chamber, leaving her alone without complaint. ¡°And you¡­ You¡¯re back, are you? Had enough fun annoying us?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand. He is dead.¡±

    ¡°I do have functional ears.¡±

    ¡°But not a functioning brain. It isn¡¯t his puppets that are dead. He is deceased. Bereft of life. He is no more. He has ceased to be. There is no current avatar of the Heart of Gold on this plane.¡±

    Resting her elbows on the armrests of her chair, the Empress interlaced her fingers, mind running over possibilities. The first and foremost was the possibility that the Holy Light¡¯s avatar was spreading falsehoods. It was the most obvious answer, given her recent duplicity and treachery. Yet, something about the situation rang true. As the avatar of knowledge and wisdom, she wasn¡¯t one to outright lie. Twist words, agree to the letter rather than the spirit, and otherwise perform the bare minimum expected, perhaps, but not lie.

    As further evidence, she always spoke with a hint of humor in her tone. Like she knew something that nobody else did and wasn¡¯t about to bring them in on the joke. That humor was missing. That, more than anything, convinced the Empress that the sensation she felt had indeed been the avatar¡¯s death.

    Quite the surprise, given how much care he gave toward protecting his true body.

    ¡°How?¡±

    Though often silent when she found ignorance amusing, the avatar of the Holy Light truly enjoyed showing off her knowledge. When suitably enticed, getting her to stop speaking was the challenge. Now, however, the Empress was met with nothing but silence.

    A particularly damning silence.

    ¡°Your doing, I surmise?¡±

    The light in the pool flickered before steadying out. ¡°You are aware of my experiments with the avatars of other gods?¡±

    ¡°Vaguely. Continue.¡±

    ¡°The resources necessary to construct a restraining device for our golden counterpart may have found their way into the Keeper¡¯s hands.¡±

    The Empress could only sigh, shaking her head in light disappointment. ¡°The Holy Light must be in tears over the wisdom of your decision.¡±

    ¡°This was no error in wisdom.¡± The light in the basin pulsed in anger that matched the spoken tone. ¡°I¡¯m not even upset he is dead. I don¡¯t yet understand how he is dead¡ªyou know what he was like, so paranoid and careful. But if you think I¡¯m going to shed tears, you¡¯re insane. He wouldn¡¯t have stopped at the Keeper. Unleashing his powers, showing off, and digging out weaponry like those golden arrows of his despite the treaty, he would have marched to Chernlock to take my head. The only thing that concerns me now is¡­¡±

    ¡°Our vigil is weakened.¡±

    ¡°Yes. The Calamity¡ª¡±

    ¡°Solution.¡±

    ¡°Whatever you want to call it. It was threatened even before, but I presumed I would be able to deal with it after sending our greedy friend home with his tail tucked between his legs. I¡¯ve built up a rapport with the Keeper, one I intended to use to convince him to cease his destructive efforts¡­¡±

    ¡°But with one of us dead¡ª¡±

    ¡°I may not have the luxury of time,¡± the avatar of the Holy Light said, her tone firm and solemn ¡°The Calamity is weakened by a third. Things are more precarious than they likely seem to you. I¡¯m not entirely sure we can stop it anymore.¡±

    The Empress turned a stern look onto the basin and, when she spoke, she spoke slowly and clear. ¡°I hope, for your sake, you will find yourself incorrect for once in¡ª¡±

    The door to the chamber slammed open. ¡°Empress! I am deeply sorry for disturbing¡ª¡±

    ¡°On with it,¡± she interrupted, not caring in the slightest about her adjutant¡¯s platitudes.

    ¡°Our armada, it¡¯s under attack. Rays of light that penetrate the metal armor are shining forth from the tower, too fast to dodge and cannot be deflected.¡± He cowered back, faltering under the severity of her gaze. Even still, he pushed forward with his report. ¡°They¡¯re thin and narrow. Not enough to do significant damage. But if they hit the wrong spot¡ªor you¡­¡±

    The Empress leaned forward, gripping the ends of the chair¡¯s armrests hard enough to bend the metal. Slowly, her gaze turned to the basin. ¡°Avatar¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh. Sorry. Maybe should have mentioned this sooner.¡± A tinge of that irritating humor returned with the pulsing light in the basin. ¡°I might have taught a few of the Keeper¡¯s minions how to wield a sliver of power to get you off his back.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Well! I¡¯ll leave you to it. I need to get into contact with the Keeper and explain exactly why he needs to stop doing whatever he is doing before things really do end up out of control. Good luck!¡± The light in the bottom of the basin winked out, leaving the Empress glaring at a simple bowl of water.

    ¡°My Empress?¡±

    A wave of her hand threw a sudden gust of air at the adjutant, knocking him aside as she strode out of the room. A greater well of power swept up as she moved, building beneath the airships momentarily before she hurtled them away from the tower. With the damage to her construction yards, the existing ships were irreplicable in the short term. She would need them alive if she intended to end this today.

    ¡°Damn her,¡± she snarled as she marched forward, moving to the observation room to see the trouble for herself.

    With the Heart of Gold¡¯s avatar gone and the thinning of the barrier, dispatching with the Holy Light¡¯s avatar would be an ill-conceived plan. Once this irritant of a Keeper was gone and the proper Solution returned to strength, ridding herself of that menace would be far less of a detriment.

    Until then, she had to grin and bear with the avatar¡¯s machinations.

    ¡°Damn it all.¡±

 Interlude with the Grunts

    Hawkwood, holding aloft his sword with a loud cheer, felt every day of his age and then some.

    White Company knights rushed forward alongside an assorted mix of Vaales and Chernlock soldiers present to fill some gaps in his ranks. Evestani¡¯s primary garrison had surrendered. All it took was a massive shadowy spire holding a threatening leg over the building. There were still a few pockets of resistance holding out within the structure, but the vast majority of the city guards had already thrown down their weapons.

    Once the garrison was secure and the unruly soldiers who hadn¡¯t surrendered were either dead or thrown in their own dungeons, all that would be left was the palace. It was almost too easy. As Ilya assured, there was no sign of the avatar and his golden magics. No arrows turning his men into animated statues, no holy aura infused throughout their enemies, no rays of gold carving out chunks of terrain. Hawkwood hadn¡¯t even had to swing his sword.

    And he still felt exhausted. Clapping a hand to his side, he stretched his back as much as he was able. Though it was his usual armor, it weighed heavier than he was used to.

    ¡°We found two enemy soldiers capable and willing to assist with translating commands,¡± Neil said, stepping up next to Hawkwood. ¡°They are encouraging their fellows to surrender. It won¡¯t be long now¡­ Sir, are you well?¡±

    ¡°Well enough,¡± Hawkwood said, sheathing his sword. ¡°I think I¡¯ll retire once we¡¯re done here. Maybe serve as an advisor to my replacement. I can¡¯t keep leading the men like this.¡±

    A sudden look of alarm crossed Neil¡¯s face. ¡°Careful, Sir. You know what they say about talking on the battlefield of retirement, loved ones, or your past.¡±

    ¡°Bah. Bard¡¯s tales and superstition. I¡¯m not going to die out here. We¡¯ve practically won already.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s another taboo,¡± Neil said, closing his eyes with a sad, mournful shake of his head.

    Hawkwood stared at his adjutant. Neil, sensing the stare, looked up. They held the stare for a brief moment before both men erupted in a bout of laughter.

    ¡°Think the palace will be trouble?¡± Neil asked.

    ¡°Most of Evestani¡¯s fighting force is in Mystakeen.¡± Hawkwood waved a hand around, gesturing to the line of enemy soldiers walking with their hands on their heads to a small holding area in the garrison courtyard. ¡°These are the dregs. Either too stupid to contribute or too important¡ªnobles and wealthy men¡ªeither way, not a threat. I imagine the palace guards will be mildly better trained, but even their position is ceremonial. Even if not¡­¡±

    Hawkwood leaned back, freeing a crick in his spine as he stared up at the shadowy spire. It loomed overhead, an ominous sight if not for knowing its owner.

    It couldn¡¯t easily get to the palace. While the garrison was somewhat on the edge of the city, the palace was in deep. Had Arkk been in charge here, he might have crushed all the buildings en route, but Ilya struck him as someone wanting to cause the least amount of chaos possible.

    Just the threat of it would have been enough for old Duke Woldair to throw up the white flags. He wasn¡¯t expecting much resistance.

    The loud squeal of metal ripping at metal made Hawkwood turn.

    The tinny laughter of an orc echoed from the confines of one of those walking machines. The spinning blade on its arm crashed into a large gateway while Hawkwood¡¯s men watched from a distance, shields raised and weapons ready. A slam of the machine¡¯s other arm, capped with a spiked ball as wide as a sword was long, splintered the wood and bent the metal braces, cracking open the gate.

    One stubborn fool of the Evestani army rushed out from the opening with a pike. That only made the orc laugh again¡ªthe sound coming from a conical brass speaking horn¡ªbefore that spinning metal sawblade came down on the idiot, cleaving through armor, flesh, and the pike as if it were all made from air. Blood sprayed across the wall as the machine moved forward, shoulder slamming into the doorway.

    ¡°They told me to offer you a chance to surrender,¡± the orc barked from inside her machine. ¡°So this is your chance. If I see even one single weapon in someone¡¯s hands in three seconds, I¡¯ll cleave through the lot of ya!¡± Another laugh punctuated her statement as a clatter of weaponry hit the ground from further within.

    Hawkwood¡¯s men moved inside, careful to keep their distance from the machine as they moved to secure the newest batch of captives.

    Between the tower and those things Arkk had built, if the palace did put up resistance, he doubted it would be much. There were only ten of them, but each was practically an army on its own. He certainly didn¡¯t rate his¡ªadmittedly diminished¡ªforces as having a high chance of taking one down. Perhaps the right spell from an experienced battlecaster could stop one, but regular soldiers?

    Not a chance.

    ¡°Is that the last holdout?¡± Hawkwood asked, turning to Neil.

    There wasn¡¯t much of a holdout anymore. It was a strange thing to attribute body language toward, but the machine almost looked disappointed that the soldiers inside hadn¡¯t even tried to fight off the machine.

    ¡°Correct. Barring reinforcements from elsewhere in the city, the garrison is fully under our control.¡±

    ¡°Good. Get a detachment on round-the-clock guard duty over our captives. We¡¯ll take a brief rest before rejoining with the other commanders to push further into the city.¡±

    ¡°Sir,¡± Neil said, acknowledging the orders. He turned and set to carry them out.

    Hawkwood, remaining where he was, leaned up against a small banister in the courtyard¡ªprobably a post for some archery targets. He threw a glance over to the walking machine as it trudged out from the hole it had made in the garrison building, then a look up at the walking fortress looming overhead.

    One or the other was a paradigm shift in how warfare would be carried out. Both together? And under the same banner, at that?

    He shook his head, letting out a soft sigh. ¡°Definitely too old for this.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Gah! What are these things?¡±

    ?. ???? - IV twisted and bent, allowing a sharpened sheet of metal to slide directly alongside their left tool arm servos. Their right tool arm snapped out, reconfiguring to a cutting torch just as they made contact with the sheet of metal. A pulse of the torch cleanly sliced the sheet of offending metal, eliciting a cry of anguished rage from inside the metal suit.

    The armored knight staggered back, drawing a shorter backup blade from somewhere on their person. ?. ???? - IV tilted their head, calculating. Their black box hummed, steam spouting from pipes and gears whirring in synchrony as they surveyed their opponent. Their opponent desired harm upon the automaton. That could not be allowed.

    Around them, the clangor of battle echoed off metal plates of armor and automaton alike. Fellow engineers moved with mechanical grace, deploying tools that easily sliced through the nearly impenetrable armor. ?. ???? - IV detected magic on the armor. Analyzing it, they concluded that it had been magically enhanced to resist nearly any weapon. But engineers didn¡¯t use weapons.

    ?. ???? - IV focused back on their opponent, who had charged while their head was turned. They sidestepped, moving precisely far enough to avoid the attack without compromising their counterattack. Their left tool arm rotated, deploying a magnetic pulse generator. A flick of a latch in their core activated it, directing a focused wave at the knight. The pulse, designed to shape, join, or modify metals without physical contact, ignored the armor¡¯s enchantments. Plates of articulating metal locked into place, flash welded, while the occupant of the armor began screaming in pain. Unable to move yet carried by momentum, the suit of armor toppled forward into the mud.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    To the left, ?. ??? - II utilized an array of cutting implements to slice away layers of their opponent¡¯s armor. ?. ??? - VII swung a pneumatic hammer with rhythmic efficiency, denting the armor of a knight who attempted to advance. A shadow-armored soldier swung a shadowy harvesting tool at one of the enemy knights who turned to fight back¡ªshadow soldier categorized: ally; ignore. Sparks flew from ?. ??? - X as they drifted overhead. The lightning was less effective against the armor. Analysis indicated it was too close to weaponry¡ªspellcasting in particular¡ªto ignore the enchantments. It was no less effective in startling and blinding the soldiers.

    Right tool arm reconfiguring to a construction foam sprayer, ?. ???? - IV took advantage of the blindness by rushing forward and deploying construction foam. The liquid-like spray hit the legs of the nearest six soldiers. For a moment, nothing happened, but as the chemical reaction with air proceeded, the liquid began expanding, bubbling, and foaming before abruptly hardening into a material as strong as solid rock.

    ?. ???? - IV had to end their spray early, spinning their torso to avoid a sudden arrow flying in from an oblique angle. A sharp static-like alert erupted from ?. ???? - IV, spreading information of a new threat in the vicinity to their fellow engineers. All incorporated the new data, readjusting their dismantling of the enemy forces.

    ?. ???? - IV had seen a dozen engineers fall, all in need of repairs. More information meant less would fall in the future. That meant higher efficiency in carrying out their assigned task.

    Their head twisted to face the new target, then their torso, then their mobility actuators. Consensus stated that ?. ???? - IV, momentarily disengaged already, was optimal to engage the long-range threat.

    And so ?. ???? - IV moved.

    <hr>

    Mags turned around, a small scowl forming on the current sheath he wore.

    Up until a few moments ago, there had been an overwhelming source of magic nearby. Somewhere in the Evestani army. He had been heading in its direction for a while now, taking his time pulverizing anything in his path¡ªno sense letting the opportunity for good suffering pass by¡ªbut now, he paused.

    That source of magic was gone.

    For a few minutes, it had only grown more distant. He could still sense that delectable smell of magic off in the direction of the tower¡ªitself almost overwhelming in its vastness. That distance cut off abruptly. The target of his hunt was either dead or too far off to sense.

    Mags thrust his hand out at one of the poor fools still brave enough¡ªor stupid enough¡ªto get near him. The blade bounced harmlessly off his skin as his fingers sought out the idiot¡¯s throat. His nails bit into flesh. The sudden scream of pain died as Mags ripped out the man¡¯s esophagus, and nothing else, slicing open his neck with such precision that all that snapped was the thick cartilage that gave his throat structure. The fool¡¯s hands started grasping at his throat as if he could somehow put himself back together. Sharp, panicked breaths sucked in and blew out from the gaping hole in his throat, with none passing through the man¡¯s mouth or nose.

    Head tilting from left to right, Mags watched as the panic increased, trying to parse an odd sensation he felt deep within this sheath¡¯s chest. It was something he had felt before, recently at that, but not something he could really put words to.

    The man in front of Mags regained enough wherewithal to try to run. A single step from Mags moved him directly in the man¡¯s path. He tried to turn, but Mags was already there. He turned again and again until he tripped over his own two feet. With the man on his hands and knees, Mags moved forward, turned around, and sat directly on the man¡¯s spine. His arms buckled, forcing him down into the mud, but Mags didn¡¯t move from his newfound seat no matter how it struggled. He simply propped an elbow on his knee and rested his head on his hand.

    None of this was turning out as he had hoped. Sure, he had taken some fun from the situation. Traipsing through an army of mortals was always a good time. The few spellcasters among them had fed him, but nowhere to the point of satiation. He wasn¡¯t sure that he had ever been satiated, but there were times when he felt close. Yet the Prince denied him Arkk and his fortress. Now that other source of magic had eluded him. Partially his fault, true, he could have rushed it immediately.

    But then he wouldn¡¯t have been able to savor the situation. Mags was a refined demon and as a refined demon, he enjoyed an appetizer before his meals.

    Mags leaned over, grasping the head of the man he was using as a stool. He wrenched the head back, exposing the gaping airway to fresh air. Mud and blood and muck stuck around the blowhole, most of which was expelled as the man heaved.

    ¡°Is this frustration?¡± Mags asked, staring into the fearful eyes of the man. ¡°I think I¡¯m genuinely frustrated. Upset. Me? Normally, setbacks are just a little teaser for the meal to come. Sometimes I even set myself up to fail just to further whet my appetite. But when that promised meal never gets plated¡­¡±

    The man¡¯s mouth moved. Mags couldn¡¯t tell if he was trying to answer the rhetorical question or if he was just screaming or babbling incoherently. Either way, with his esophagus hanging out, none of his words made it to his mouth.

    ¡°Useless,¡± Mags said, forcing the man¡¯s face back down into the mud of the battlefield.

    Head back on his fist, propped on his elbow, Mags stared out at that tower. Despite employing some guile and trickery, he had been unsuccessful in turning its inhabitants against the Prince. Normally, all it took was telling people that he was a demon summoned by Cedric. Most mortals didn¡¯t take kindly to that kind of thing and instantly reframed their thoughts to view the summoner as hostile, especially if Mags was hostile to them in the first place.

    A plot thwarted by the Prince himself, meddling where he wasn¡¯t wanted.

    He had tried turning the soldiers against the tower, forcing the issue.

    Again, thwarted by that damned Prince.

    He had tried convincing Arkk that Cedric was about to be his enemy because of a few missing nobodies.

    That one hadn¡¯t been thwarted, exactly. Instead, it resulted in the current situation. Not altogether a bad thing, but not exactly what Mags intended. Admittedly, that one would have been a bit of a long shot.

    ¡°Sir Mags?¡±

    Mags first glanced down to the body¡ªfor that was what it was now, it must have drowned in the mud¡ªbefore looking up to find one of the Prince¡¯s soldiers standing at a distance that implied a healthy level of fear. Not enough distance if Mags attacked, but he wasn¡¯t allowed to attack the Prince¡¯s men under any circumstances, so the point was moot.

    No one in the Prince¡¯s army was aware of his true nature. Glancing around, he spotted two dozen bodies of enemy soldiers, all felled by his hand. And that was just in this little corner of the battlefield. They must have had some suspicions, though demon was probably last among them.

    ¡°You need something?¡± Mags asked, still glum.

    ¡°Evestani is surrendering. A few still fight, but it won¡¯t be long. What are your orders for the prisoners?¡±

    Mags just shrugged. He had already eaten the spellcasters. Under other circumstances, he might have killed the remainder personally, but he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to be in the mood.

    The soldier, some squad commander or other, shifted in obvious discomfort as he stared at Mags. When it became apparent that he wasn¡¯t going to get a proper response, he continued speaking. ¡°I have men taking record of our current status. A lot are dead, but most survive. I do not believe Prince Cedric will be disappointed with our performance today.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Mags said, hoping his utter apathy came through in his tone.

    A dazzling array of light covered one side of the distant tower. White, bright light with an almost rainbow-like pattern barely visible within the glow. It lanced out from the tower in narrow beams, instantly crossing the distance between the tower and the airships hovering a distance away.

    Mags licked his lips, idly wondering if he could get whoever was casting that to aim at him instead. Attacks on his person didn¡¯t count as attacks against Cedric, so he wouldn¡¯t have been able to retaliate. It wouldn¡¯t have been satisfying, but it would at least have been some magic to lap up¡­ like he was some mutt out slurping at a puddle after a rainfall. The thought only made Mags scowl more.

    ¡°We¡­ maintain a fighting force,¡± said the increasingly exasperated commander. Even still, he maintained a note of respect in his voice. Which was a first. Mags was well aware that most in the army viewed him as a pudgy fool of a commander who only got the position out of nepotism. At least, they viewed him as that before his showing today. ¡°Are we to assist our allies against the Eternal Empire? What are your orders?¡±

    Mags followed the beams of light, staring up at the airships as they struggled to come up with a countermeasure against the attacks. He slowly stood from his body-seat, making the commander take a fearful step backward. ¡°Commander¡­¡±

    ¡°Giles, Sir.¡±

    ¡°Commander Giles,¡± Mags said as bits of his clothes and skin and muscle sloughed off his back. The commander stumbled backward, tripping over a corpse. Even after hitting the mud, he still tried to scramble backward. ¡°Congratulations on your promotion.¡±

    Large, leathery wings sprouted from the meaty, exposed flesh. They unfurled wide, flapping once in the air as Mags tested them out.

    ¡°Do whatever you want. You¡¯re in charge,¡± he said before beating his wings in one powerful stroke, taking to the skies.

    Those airships were full of magic. He could almost taste them even from this distance. And somewhere on one of those airships, there was another presence. A mass of magic equivalent to the one he had been hunting.

    Mags would be damned if he was denied his meal again.