Chapter Four Hundred And One - 401
Loquis gestured and the Blades in his Talon crept forward. The sun was high in the sky, but that only meant the glare reflected off the Mana crystal lamps, ruining the guards vision. The Blades struck, and the guards died, quietly.
All around the grounds, guards fell, killed by the other Talons and the commanders. Commander Harn and Reed were hulking brutes, but they moved faster than Loquis could track. The Talons moved, as one, securing the path forward into the servant passages of the Council Rotunda. Most amazing of all was that there was no sound at all from all of their feet, whether that was across the lush grass or stone-lined pathways. Air Mana clung to all of them, muffling their movements at the behest of Commander Reed.
It was an astounding show of magical strength.
Once inside, Loquis and his Talon moved down the right-most hallway, following the slender figure of the defected Disciple. Asaad didn't trust her and neither did Loquis, but the Commanders did. He paced after her, keeping his breathing as even as he could make it.
Fiammetta led them deeper, while the other half of their forces took the opposite hall. Very soon they hit a checkpoint manned by lounging guards, but Loquis' Fulmination stopped them in their tracks. Lightning, he had found, did not play nicely with others' Bodies, and all three guards fell to the ground. While they twitched, two Bones clubbed them across the skulls, and judging by the spatter of blood and viscera, they would not be standing again. Loquis tried not to care. They were the enemy, and the Commanders had given them orders.
Free everyone. Show no mercy.
The room the guards had been occupying was filled wall-to-wall with cubby holes, racks, and shelving. All of it was stacked with various pieces of contraband, as well as a few distinctive pieces of weaponry and armor. At a word from the mage, his people grabbed the necessary pieces.
To the far right of the checkpoint and between the rounded arch of skillfully carved stone was a thick, heavily locked door. Before Geir could smash it down, however, Pava skipped forward with the keys. "Work smarter, not harder boys," she said.
Door opened, they swept down two sets of stairs and suddenly found one of the two dungeons. Fiammetta lifted her hand and a dozen motes of yellow light kindled in her grasp. She threw them forward, the motes stopping before each cell with unerring accuracy. Loquis swallowed. Her finesse was far greater than his own...and judging by how little she seemed affected by such Mana use, she had a greater Willpower as well.
"Noctis' tits, that's bright."
Evie Aren was mere feet from Loquis, leaning against the bars of her cell and dressed in nothing more than a blouse and a set of cotton trousers. Her face, however, was cut and bloodied. The mage swallowed again, this time far more nervously. "H-hello. We're here to save you."
She snorted. "About time. But what's she doin' here?"
Instead of answering, Loquis nodded to his Talon, and they spread out. Pava took the lead, still holding the ring of keys. She quickly unlocked Lady Aren's cell and moved down the line, Blades and Fists ready to fight any guards they might have missed.
"I am working on your side," the Disciple stated firmly. Her crimson brows were drawn low over her freckled, deer-like nose. "That terrifying woman has already pressed the repercussions of betraying you, so please do not tread over old ground."
Lady Aren blinked. "Zara's back. Good. And don't worry: I won't let you betray us, little doe."
The way Lady Aren smiled was unnerving and utterly mesmerizing. It was violence and passion all wound into the shine of teeth and ruby lips. Loquis gestured and his men stepped forward with chain and leather armor as well as a coil of thick, dangerously spiked chain. "Um, Lady Aren, here. Your effects."
"Oho, yes," Evie hissed, her grin growing wilder. She took her weapon into her rough, calloused hands. "I've some new scores to settle. You, flame girl. Help me get my armor on."
"IVery well."
The Faun walked into Lady Aren's cell, and Loquis quickly busied himself with duties that involved not peeking into those shadows. Down the corridor, dozens of people were blinking up at the motes of light, most bloodied and clutching at one another for safety. The mage stepped forward, tongue cleaving to the roof of his mouth. Most were Yttin, but not all, and far too many had the size and slenderness of children. His skin prickled and rage swelled within his breast.
"Please, do not be afraid. We are here on behalf of the Autarch of Nagast. You will be safe," he said.
As if he'd shaken them, those closest to the mage fixed him with glowing copper eyes. The intensity of their regard was remarkable despite their diminutive size.
"The Autarch...he...he is here?" one of them said.
Loquis kept his face straight. No need to tell them they didn't know where the Fiend had gone, or whether he even lived. "He is. We've come to bring you out of here."
Murmurs passed through the Yttin, and the few captive Goblins and Orcs among them looked about in confusion.
"The Weavings shapes all," one of them whispered, but they were quickly hushed.
"We shall follow you, mage. Until the Beast comes to render our world undone."
"Uh, great." Loquis tried and failed to keep his confusion from his face.
"What's the hold up?" Lady Aren shouted from behind him. She had emerged from her cell, fully kitted out with her spiked chain looped around a shoulder. "Everyone that doesn't want to die, fall in. I'm about to carve my way out, and anyone what wants a piece of battle can join up."
She brandished her chain, drawing powerfully bright sparks from the stone.
"Or stay. Don't ruffle me none."
She strode out and up the staircase, pulling everyone after her like a lodestone.
They met the other Talons on their way out, but not before facing down two dozen guards. Silence was still the order of the day, and each patrol they encountered was dispatched as quickly and as quietly as possible. Despite his Talon's abilities, Lady Aren did most of the killing, with Loquis and the rest providing support. The battles were quick and brutal.
Little more than blood and mangled limbs was left in her wake.
The other team, however, seemed far more composed. Lords Atar, Alister, and Lady Dayne were joined up with them, though they also trailed a motley collection of captured civilians.
"Evie, you are covered in blood," Lady Dayne pointed out. "Was there trouble? An alarm sounded?"
"Nah, just had some fun. How about you? Get everyone free?" she asked.
"Everyone we found," Lady Zara said, striding to the fore. She, at least, had some blood spread across her dark robes. "We must move briskly. I sense greater powers in close proximity and I would not like to see you face against them. Darius, Atar, if you would."
Commander Reed made a sweeping gesture and the restrictive feeling of thickened air settled on Loquis' shoulders. On everyone, he could tell. A shimmer of dark power rushed out of Atar and enveloped the leadership with an extra layer of muffling while a thinner working was sent out over the Claw.
Zara caught their eyes, commanding their attention even more effectively than Evie's bloody magnetism. "We move as quickly as we can. We do not stop for fighting or bloodshed. Go. Now!"
They burst out into the Rotunda grounds with all the speed they could, but Loquis felt the strain of herding so many Untempered civilians. Had they been alone, they would have raced across the grassy paths, but now they were bogged down by the slowest child or elder. Still, they were making it. The lesser used servant gates loomed ahead, the guards subdued and bound in their little stations, and
A shimmering screen of aquamarine light flashed above them an instant before a column of fire consumed them all. Untempered screamed and tried to scatter, but the Claw tightened up, holding them together and brandishing their various weapons. Fire and watery Mana both vanished, and three figures were suddenly standing between them and the exit.
"Master Perys and Matrons Mikaf and Lumes," Lord Atar snarled. "Get out of our way."
"You overstep yourself, V'as," a woman said. Her hair was a fiery red streaked heavily with white. The Matrons beside her were both olive-skinned with bright blonde hair, similar to Lord Atar himself. "All of you are guilty of conspiring to destroy the city, and you, mage, are a treasonous child. You will return to your cells to await your judgment."
"Or else what? You'll kill us?" The fire mage laughed and brandished a metal stave, it's end glowing with crimson-streaked fire Mana. "Why are you doing this? The Highest Flame would not seek out sacrifices on Her own. I know it!"
"You know little, V'as. The Highest Flame dwindled while you were gallivanting in the Hierocracy, and nothing will save Her...nothing but what we must do." The Matrons were abruptly wreathed in sudden flames, their bodies turned to torches of horrendous heat though their expressions never shifted. The Master conjured two long whips of flame out of the air, and spread her arms wide. "I will ask you once more. Return, or we will be forced to act."
Commander Harn caught Loquis attention, gesturing sharply. he signed. The Half-Orc mage nodded and passed the message along to Pava and Asaad. It spread, quiet and subtle...and hopefully it would be enough.
"I think we will not," Lady Zara said, stepping forward. How the enemy hadn't noticed her before was unclear to Loquis, but now the Master gaped in clear alarm.
"Another Master," she hissed.
"Far more than that, you burning cretins." The toll of an immense bell sounded from Lady Zara's position, so deep and loud it shook the ground beneath their feet. "You will not have what you desire."
The Talons split, each of them ushering small groups of Untempered between them as they ran. Whips of flame and screaming columns tore through the air, manifesting right above Lady Zara, and meeting a shield of inscrutable blue-green power. Loquis nearly fell over from the sheer weight of impact, but he stumbled onward. He even managed to scoop up a fallen Yttin child into his arms, holding them tight as the skies above them burned.
"We're gonna die!" Asaad screamed.
"Shut up and run!" Osyk shouted right back. The normally collected Henaari was grim-faced as he carried two other children, while Geir thundered at the rear with six others in his arms.
Magical forces slammed into one another, the likes of which Loquis had never before seen. He had caught a glimpse of the Fiend's battle against the usurper DuFont, but this was on an entirely different level. A Master and two High Adepts against Zara on her own...yet there was nothing Loquis could do to help. So he focused ahead, leading his Talon through the servants gate and out onto the wide, sun-baked streets.
Only to find rank upon rank of armored Knights leveling heavy crossbows at them all.
"Shit!" The other Talons were close behind, but they wouldn't be there in time. "Fulminat!"
Before Loquis could mobilize his Mana, each and every Knight gasped in sudden agony. Crossbows fell, several discharging into each other, before the Knights too fell to the perfectly smooth street. In their midst, a lone Human woman with bright blond hair and some sort of crown stood, fairly glowing with ripples of green-gold Mana.
"Where is Zara?" she asked.
The tunnels at the base of the chasm were far colder than elsewhere, owing perhaps to the ceaseless winds that tore down their length. The walls of the tunnels looked to have been originally natural caves, but over time had been eroded to smooth tubes of stone, with only the occasional craggy pit and textured abscess where the wind and sands could not readily reach.
It wasn't a pleasant walk, that was for sure, and had Felix been less hardy than he was it would have torn him bloody after the first five minutes. But both Unbound were made of sterner stuff than the average person, so the worst thing to contend with was sand in his eyes and the ceaseless keening of the relentless wind. That, and his sudden misgivings.
"Karys, you available?" Felix asked.
His Inheritor's Will buzzed to life as the connection with his chancellor came to life. He could hear the words as if they were right in his ear, regardless of the noise all around them. "Of course. Just give me a minute to handle a matter."
"Uh, sure," Felix said, but the connection went dead before he finished. What was that about?
"Did you just say something?" Beef asked, his voice loud.
"Hm? Oh yeah. I can speak with my friend back at my Stronghold," he explained, just as loud.
Beef grinned. "Stronghold? What! That's so cool. What's that like, ruling a Territory?"
"It's not really ruling, exactly. More like" His sword glowed with green-gold Mana. "Ah, gimme a sec."
"Sure!"
"Karys? You good now?" Felix asked, his voice much softer.
"Yes, of course my Lord. I apologize for the delay."
"What brought that on?" he asked.
"Strife between the Henaari and Frost Giants. There is some debate over how far we should explore in the Foglands. Reclaiming the ruins of Shelim is hotly contested. Both wish to claim the accomplishment and expand your power base," the Paragon explained. "I have given my ruling, which is to refrain from exploration beyond the mountains until you return. That will only hold them for so long I fear. Are you returning soon?"
"As soon as I can," Felix confirmed, before giving his chancellor a run down of events since they last spoke.
"Exalted Ancestors, sacrificed? It is good that you left their retrieval to this new Chanter, and better still that you have found the other Unbound."
"I'm not happy about being left behind, but I see the...necessity," Felix said. "I didn't just call you for a chat though. What do you know of a royal tomb in Ahkestria?"
Karys paused. "A tomb? Hm. I...recall that the royal line was interred within a tomb beneath the waves, a symbolic burial no doubt. Nothing more than that comes to mind, however."
"Alright, that's more than I had before," Felix said. "We're going to a tomb now, and I wanted to make sure it actually existed. Could be it's this royal burial ground."
"Now? I thought you were to wait? Aren't you injured?" Karys asked sharply.
"I'm fine. More or less," Felix said, brushing off his friend's concern. "Besides, the Paladins want this tomb for some reason. That's gotta mean something, right?"
"I suppose it would not do to let these vile lackeys get what they desire. Just...please, Felix. Show some caution. We Nym were not the only ones to protect our valuable spaces with traps to catch the unwary."
Felix grunted as a gritty patch of sand hit his cheek. "I'll keep it in mind. I'll reach out again soon."
"I await your orders, my Lord."
The connection cut, and the keening howl of the winds assaulted Felix's ears once again. Beef strode ahead, having gained a sizeable lead during Felix's conversation, and he flared his Relentless Resolution a bit to catch up. Moving through the gale-force gusts was far easier with the Skill active, even with Felix's incredible stats. His Body was in better condition after the Panacea he'd drank, but it was still a wound that wouldn't quite heal.
I suppose fighting a Grandmaster has consequences, he thought. The memory of the grey-skinned bastard's smirk was galling. The easy, almost casual defeat at the hands of the Grandmaster made Felix burn. His cores spun faster within him, tossing off arcing flares of jarring melody. Pit, nestled within him for the walk, let out a commiserating cry. The best he could do now was kick some sand in the Paladins' faces, maybe even stop them from reaching this tomb.
He sped up.
The tunnels twisted and folded over themselves, but soon they had reached the outside world once more. Sand all but buried the opening, turning what was a several hundred foot wide cavern into a mouth perhaps a mere three dozen feet. The wind tore through that opening, filling its edges with crimson sand that was immediately eroded by its passage. Felix could see flashes of yellow lightning and twisting, burning air.
"There it is! Just have to get through that opening there, and then put your head down!" Beef shouted. "It hurts a lot, but I can take the lightning for you!"
Stone Shaping!
The sands liquefied before them before collapsing into a deep, tunnel that burrowed straight through the clogged cavern.
"What? You can do that?" Beef asked.
"Get in!" Felix shouted, before walking through himself. The passage he'd made was wonderfully quiet in comparison, though not particularly wide. Beef crowded the space behind him, and Hallow... "I don't know if I can fit your friend through here with me."
"Oh, Hallow is fine. The storm doesn't target him, for some reason," Beef said.
"Why?" Felix watched as Hallow burrowed into the sand as well, heading straight for the stormwall. "Because he's undead?"
"Probably not. I've seen it blast apart some of those Dustwights before. Pretty nasty."
"But it strikes out at you?" Felix asked.
"Every time. I've been hit by more burning rocks than anything else. Even got zapped once or twice by the lightning," Beef said, almost proudly. "The lightning only hits the strongest creatures that come through. Did you know that?"
"Huh. I didn't." Felix kept walking, pushing onward through his tunnel. He kept it below the surface, at least twenty feet down if his senses were right, but just beyond the edge he could feel a chaotic churning. Heat and fire and earth Mana boiled through the sands as well as the air, and it was likely they'd be no safer underground than above. But at least below ground he provide some level of reinforcement. "Get ready to move when I say, alright?"
"Uh, sure. We're underground though? We should be good, right?"
"Unlikely. I doubt this protective storm is that easy to fool," Felix said. "Stick close to me and we'll be fine...probably."
"I told you, I go through this all the time," Beef started, but Felix pushed his Stone Shaping forward, liquefying and then hardening a path forward. Immediately bolts of blinding, yellow lightning crashed into the tunnel, shattering it into pieces. "Holy balls."
"Ready?" Felix asked, calling up his Stone Shaping again.
"Uh, that was a lot of lightning, Felix. I think maybe"
"Go!"
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