“What if I need to get out of here again?”
“Remove your fingers from the contacts and the hatch will open once more,” Terinus assured him. “Now, focus on the task at hand. Time is precious.”
Aiden began reading the text as best as he could manage. He never did get around to finishing off his studies of the ancient sa'quaarin language, having been immersed in the running of Fort Highmarch and conducting the war on behalf of the king. He was slowly able to understand most of the sentences, though it was maddening trying to fathom the layered meanings of the obtuse and encoded language.
“Power, sensors, weapons, atmosphere,” he mumbled aloud, listing the various headings being thrown at him. He gradually figured it out, line by line, connecting the systems to what appeared to be the power source. The armour suddenly lurched and he felt a connection with it through his body, as if it were a part of him. A grinding noise shook the armour as it slowly began to move after centuries of standing inert.
“You have it,” Terinus concluded, stepping back all the same in case Aiden were to suddenly run him down. Aiden pivoted his body around as if he were moving naturally on his own, and marvelled at how it turned with him.
“This feels very natural,” Aiden remarked, attempting to walk. The floor shook with each step, a clear sign its approach would be heard well in advance. “I'm not going to be very stealthy in this thing. I'll have to remain back from the rest of you to avoid —”
Pacian appeared through the doorway and put his back to the wall, holding his scythe at the ready. He seemed to be holding his breath while watching the doorway as he held one finger to his lips.
Just outside the door, the faint sounds of thudding footsteps could be heard, and Aiden silently wondered if he had triggered some sort of response from the fort's inhabitants. Sayana cursed aloud as well, having stopped watching the outer corridors to focus on Robert's plight. The mercenary's coughing fit had mostly played out, and he managed to stifle any further urges in this regard.
The footsteps outside gradually receded again, and Aiden began to breath once more. Despite the tension amongst his companions, he was beginning to feel much stronger. The prospect of alerting the sa'quaarin to their presence didn't strike fear into his heart — indeed, he would welcome it now.
“Who was that?” Nellise whispered to Pacian.
“'What' is the correct term,” the former ascetic corrected. “A construct, much like the Iron Legionnaires we fought years ago. It seems to be on patrol, and judging from the marks on the floor, it has been walking its route for many years.”
“Is that the only one?” Robert asked with a husky voice.
“As far as I can tell, yes,” Pacian confirmed. “The entire area outside this chamber seems long abandoned.”
“For whatever reason, this part of the complex is no longer populated,” Terinus summarised. “We move, now, and spend as little time here as we can. Much like a typical fortress, there will be several floors and we seem to be at or close to the lowest point. We look for ways to go up and strive for the pinnacle. That is where we shall find the commander and the controls to the Akashic Throne's orbital lance. We destroy it all and then return here to escape.”
“If only it would actually be that simple,” Nellise remarked pointedly. “Are you able to move, Robert?”
“Yeah,” he said with a faint cough. “This is actually the best I've been able to breathe in a while. Thanks.”
“The effects are temporary, I'm sorry to say. I will have to do some more lasting healing when we have the time.”
“I'll take what I can get,” he responded, getting back to his feet. He gave Sayana a wink and a smile, neither of which seemed to reassure the hovering sorceress. “Okay, Sy and Pace will take point. Find us a way up, and alert us if you find anything moving ahead. Us noisy, armoured people will hang back a good thirty yards or so. If you come across anything dangerous, don't engage. Pull back and we'll deal with it together.”
“I could use a weapon,” Nellise said. “I’m sure I can get by without one, but the less energy I use for fighting, the better my chances of keeping you all alive. I used nearly all of the bolts holding the portal back on Abraxas.”
“Take my sword,” Aiden offered, pointing at the dire sabre laying on the floor where he'd left it. “It's a little too dainty to use with this thing,” he added, clenching fists the size of his head.
“What are you going to use?” Nellise asked quietly as she gingerly picked up the offered blade.
“This,” Terinus answered, pointing to a handle from its obscured place on the wall. When Aiden grasped it and pulled, the edge of a shimmering sword appeared, over six feet in length. He had seen this weapon before, used by his nemesis on their last encounter.
“I think I'm starting to feel that invincibility you mentioned,” Aiden drawled. The looks on the faces of his companions indicated they didn't find this amusing.
Pacian opened the large doorway and stepped outside once again, making sure the way was clear before silently moving into the darkness. Sayana followed without a sound, levitating over the floor. Robert took a deep breath and waited for the count of twenty before signalling it was time to move. Terinus brought up the rear, monitoring Aiden as he became accustomed to the strange new experience.
The ancient war machine strode forward at his bidding, interpreting his movements as cues to operate the arms and legs, effectively mimicking and amplifying his actions. A feeling of power grew within Aiden's mind, a heady sensation of being able to take on the world. If Salinder was right, he didn't have much time left, but with this armour around him and the might of his companions brought to bear, he would make every last breath count.
Chapter Eighteen
Sayana drifted through the dark corridors, alone, yet not alone. She had moved much further ahead than ordered to scout for signs of life, confident she could sense trouble before trouble could sense her. Even at this distance, she was able to maintain contact with the comforting background noise of her companions’ thoughts. Pacian was around here somewhere too, though she felt little connection to his elusive mind.
The others were as distinct and unique as their own personalities, something she had become used to over the last few days. In spite of the subconscious comfort this provided, Sayana's mind was preoccupied with a number of concerns.
Her hands were shaking. The cause of this tremor wasn't entirely clear to her. Perhaps the stress of their current situation was playing on her mind, and the pressure of everyone relying on her immense power to tip the balance in their favour on what could only be described as a desperate, almost suicidal raid.
Perhaps the shaking was the result of her recent use of unfathomable power to breach the blocked portal. Any of these things could be responsible, yet she couldn't shake the nagging thought that it was connected to the change taking place on her arms.
The conduits were peeling away.
Though she took great pains to hide the fact from the others, the first thing she had noticed upon stepping through the portal was the healthy pink skin on her arms, previously covered in the dark blue tattoos of the augment. Frayed, crumbling edges between the markings and her skin suggested this wasn't supposed to be happening, and given the experimental nature of her double treatment, may well be the direct result of channelling too much power for the strange magic to endure.
The flow of energy around and through her body, once harmonious and beautiful, was now discordant. Her arms were like islands in the stream of power, forcing her to channel the energies in new ways. Levitation, recently as simple and natural to her as breathing, came to her now only through force of will.
Her vision was weaker, too. Sayana had become used to the layers of different fields over her regular sight, showing her things far beyond the realm of mortal vision. She hardly noticed them until they were gone. Once through the portal, she could not see beyond the confines of her own body without effort. When she scouted the route for the
others, it was with eyes only slightly better than theirs and nothing else. She relied on a tiny flicker of flame in her palm to light the way.
The sorceress hesitated to bring this to their attention, for there was nothing to be done about it. They were fully committed to their course and she didn't want to add to their worries. Besides, Robert had kept his lung condition secret from her, so in a way she was returning the favour.
Just thinking of Robert made her want to throttle him. They had recently spent an intimate night reconciling their differences and making up for lost time. More than this, the two lovers had shared many secrets with the aim of producing a healthier, more honest relationship. To then learn Robert had kept the state of his health from her was exasperating in the extreme. She unleashed a few choice curse words to the empty corridors to vent her frustration.
Sayana cared for him, of course. His tough exterior was mostly a bluff to keep his friends and enemies on their toes, a survival skill he had learned from years of dangerous mercenary work. When she had first seen him at Culdeny, Sayana had been instantly drawn to his piercing blue eyes and rugged looks, but there had been more to it than that.
Beneath his bluster, she sensed a gentle soul made bitter with lost potential and missed opportunities, wounded by the loss of friends and lovers long ago. It had been pure intuition on her part, and she suspected she saw within him what she wanted to see. Sayana had been quite naive back then, so when they had faced off at the Battle of Culdeny she figured her guess had been wrong, and the mercenary was as bad as every other criminal she'd encountered.
It wasn't until he'd showed up again at Fairloch that Sayana had realised her initial feelings were right. She felt a genuine connection with him, which quickly blossomed during their time together, in spite of the terrible scars she had left him with. He was nothing if not pragmatic.
Sometimes during the night, he would toss and turn, dreaming of terrible battles where he would try to change the outcome to save the life of a comrade, only to awaken feeling the loss anew. It was a stark contrast from the person he presented himself as.
None of that would save him from her fury however, should they survive the next few hours. She could only hope Nellise was good to her word and could address whatever plagued him. Oh, and the cigars were going too, of that there would be no debate.
Focusing her attention back to the present, Sayana noticed another door leading off from the main thoroughfare. Like the others before, it was sealed tight. Its surface was covered in grime and pitted with age, prompting her to wonder if it had been sealed on purpose, or from simple neglect. She idly wondered what lay beyond, but wasn't curious enough to waste her precious energy attempting to bypass it.
“Don't bother with them, they're locked tight,” Pacian whispered, startling Sayana as he appeared right beside her. “This entire area is abandoned as far as I can tell. Of course, we're dealing with a race of weird monsters with unknowable interests. Perhaps this is their idea of fashionable interior design.”
“Don't sneak up on me like that,” she hissed back at him, drawing an odd look in response.
“Did you just speak with your mouth?” he inquired suspiciously. Pacian had a knack for noticing small details at inconvenient times.
That's how much you startled me, she projected with her thoughts, despite the effort required. She wasn't ready to reveal her diminished abilities just yet.
“Sorry, I forget how good I am sometimes. By the way, I'm sorry for being such an ass over the past couple of years, including that time I stabbed you to death. And also, that time I slapped you.”
Don't be, I deserved it both times, Sayana answered honestly, surprised at his candour. Are you feeling okay? You and I have never really been friends, or even talked, really.
“I'm trying to change that,” Pacian replied softly. “I used to be so angry and I think I tried putting it onto others, y'know? I may not be the nicest person in the world, but I don't have to be such a prick all the time either. I’m turning over a new leaf.”
I'm surprised you're only just figuring this out now, Sayana observed, receiving a cynical chuckle from Pacian.
“Hey, how could I have surprised you just now anyway?” Pacian asked suspiciously. “Don't you have eyes in the back of your head?”
This place has me on edge, she confided, still covering her mistake. I would dearly love to know what is in here. Pacian held his shrewd gaze a moment longer before turning his attention to the door.
“These locks are like nothing I've ever seen,” he whispered, taking a closer look at the mechanism. “I don't think they even have tumblers. Give me a good old-fashioned set of manacles to pick any day. Wait...” he added, pushing on the handle which moved ever so slightly. “This one's broken.”
With a gentle push, the door swung inwards, creaking ominously as it moved. A breath of stale air wafted over them, tinged with a whiff of metal and earth. The room beyond was completely dark, so Sayana sent her flickering flame ahead and allowed it to brighten. It grew in size until they could see much of what lay inside.
“Rocks?” Pacian remarked as they looked upon a small mountain of rock with glittering sparks of metal mixed amongst it.
Vythir, Sayana guessed, for the shining metal reminded her of the axe she once wielded.
“If even a quarter of this mountain is vythir, it's probably worth more than all the lands in Feydwiir,” Pacian breathed. “This is what they've been harvesting all these years.” The sound of hollow, thumping footsteps approaching along the corridor caught their attention briefly, until they realised it was Aiden and the others catching up.
“I hope that thing works the way it's supposed to when the time comes,” Pacian grumbled. “It's loud enough to wake the dead.”
Please don't use that particular phrase ever again, Sayana advised, drawing a rueful nod from her companion.
“What have you found?” Robert asked as they stopped at the doorway.
“Rocks, mostly,” Pacian answered. “Also, enough vythir to buy the known world.”
“There are likely to be many storage areas like it,” Terinus rasped. “Ignore them, they are irrelevant.”
“Why is this place so empty?” Nellise asked, saying aloud the words they were all thinking. “I was expecting immediate resistance upon our arrival, and we have yet to encounter anything more than an ancient construct trudging through the motions of its patrol route.”
“It is a matter of some concern,” Terinus agreed. “When I was last here, the place was brimming with life and activity.”
“I suppose it's too much to hope they're all conveniently dead,” Robert drawled.
“I have been receiving my orders as normal, so they are most assuredly here, somewhere. Pacian, have you discovered the stairs?”
“No, I'll keep looking,” Pacian responded, pausing with an odd look on his face for a moment. “I can't seem to teleport around anymore.”
“Security wards prevent teleportation or dimensional travel within the complex,” Terinus explained. “If we could have moved directly to the heart of the fortress, we would have done so by now.” Pacian nodded in disappointment, resigned to using his feet.
Out of the darkness behind them Aiden appeared, unrecognisable within the depths of the sa'quaarin armour. It towered above the others and instilled within Sayana dark memories of her last encounter with such a construct. When he spoke, Aiden's voice sounded deeper and strangely hollow.
“I'm not seeing anything here about how to take control of sa'quaarin relics,” he remarked to Terinus.
“It is likely that function has been damaged,” the wizard explained, “along with the ability to regenerate the armour plating. It was in pieces, forgotten for centuries with good reason. The upside is they won’t be able to take over your armour either.”
Why were you looking at me when you thought of that? Sayana inquired of Aiden. She still had memories of being under the sway of such a relic at Highmarch, and seeing another v
ersion if it standing before her gave her chills.
“I was puzzled how Alaric managed to do it, given I see nothing here to indicate it would even work,” Aiden responded. “Relax, I wasn't going to try it on you. You're immune now anyway, right?”
“Yes, she is,” Terinus answered impatiently. “How are you feeling, Aiden?”
“Intoxicated with power, why do you ask?” he answered, then let out a rumbling laugh which didn't sound entirely sane.
“Do us a favour and never laugh inside that thing again,” Robert grumbled, exchanging a disturbed glance with Sayana. She shared his feelings, but found herself once more distracted by his condition. She focused her sight on his chest and managed to pierce the vythir surrounding his torso, viewing his ailment with her own eyes. It wasn't pretty.
“Hey, Sy, you okay?” he asked, evidently noticing her stare.
Yes, fine, she sighed, understanding how pointless it was to raise the topic with him in their present situation. I shall move ahead and continue searching for—
She was interrupted by a number of dull thuds, audible through the ceiling. Everyone looked up and wondered what they had just heard. The sound of several minor impacts moved across the ceiling, as if something was moving around. Something big.
“They are here,” Terinus concluded with his eyes locked on the dark ceiling. “Find us a way up, now.”
I could probably burn through the wards and teleport up there to look around while obscured from sight, Sayana offered, but Terinus shook his head.
“There is nothing on this plane of existence they cannot see — you would be spotted instantly, and we need to hit them hard and fast, unified in purpose. We move together.” Pacian reappeared next to Nellise at that moment and told them just what they wanted to hear.
“The stairs are just around the corner.”
With Pacian in the lead, they immediately filed out of the storage chamber and followed him through the corridors of the abandoned complex, until a set of broad, winding stairs appeared ahead.
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