by J. B. Garner
For now, I am staying the course. Cannot be erratic or disorderly in my decision making. Emotions may be volatile, but they follow courses just as any other mortal process. They can be influenced to flow a certain way and simply must be aware for any chance to keep Vela's properly flowing.
I kept her receiving crystal close on a desk cradle as I worked. News regarding the Hive in the lower city was interesting. The crimes of the Brothers hardly surprising though, vile monsters.
Worried about Redmane though. She was walking into a den of murderers. No request for help yet to me, the Fortuli too weak to help, and didn't trust the Watch. Between worry for Vela and news of the Foi, considering the fact I am being too passive here.
Proactive solutions are the best ones, after all.
From The Walled City: A Divine Prominence by the 87th Lord-High Mayor Testria:
One of the Wallmaker's first decrees as Lord-High Mayor was the Emancipation. As with many primitive cultures, the early years of the Post-Collapse world saw the dominance of the strong over the weak and the growth of slavery over other Folk. As Inam stood for the rule of law over chaos, he saw that the only way for his City to grow, to prosper, and to thrive was to guarantee the freedom of its Citizens. Though no Folk may be slave that is Citizen, the Emancipation does not protect those who are not. Still, with the precedent of the Wallmaker's wisdom, the Walled City continues to stand in principle against slaver's chains, be they in secret within the City or without.
Continued from the journal of Inspector Vela Redmane, 16 Octavian 736 PC:
I had almost let emotion take over the seat of reason. No doubt I was still tossed up about my issues of love, something we Myrienites do not take lightly, and how closely those had now become entangled in this case. Add to that the fury I felt at the idea of any Citizen in the clutches of the Foi Brothers and I was all too prepared to go straight to the warehouse Zee told me of and kick down the doors, crossbow out and badge held high. I was especially emboldened by the fact Zee believed that the only hostile party there was what I assumed from the name to be Ruji.
Fortunately, emotion also runs in the same line as instincts, and my own street smarts came to the fore. It remained to be seen if Ruji was alone (highly unlikely if there were kidnapped Folk on site) and, even if he was, the most dangerous prey is that which is cornered. Considering the fact his own gang was looking for him, Ruji was laying low from multiple parties out to punish him and there was no more cornered kind of criminal as that.
At least that was my assumption as to why he hadn't gone back to his family. The Queen outright stated that whatever this fiery creature was that it was punishing the Brothers for failure. Considering Ruji's escape from that horrific fate, his other brothers may be scrambling to find him only to save their own hides from a charring. Of course, this was all conjecture and hear-say, no matter how much I felt it to be true. I would have to pry the truth out of Ruji himself.
Checking in with the Watch precinct near the river's banks, I swiftly recruited two of the street Watch to assist me. I would have preferred a few more, but we were currently spread thin as thugs under the Foi banner had been stirring up trouble, no doubt by roughing up anyone who might point them to Ruji or Qi's killer. Watchers Raas, a quick-whiskered Ratiri man, and Cline, a large-jowled Aard fellow, would have to do.
We gathered in a shady alley, the air thick with salt water and rotting wood, with our target across the street diagonally from us. It was a nondescript warehouse, looking well-maintained for its age with no outward sign of the horrors allegedly committed within. There were no obvious guards but there were also no obvious stealthy entry points. With no windows and only the three sets of large doors for the entrance of loaded wagons facing us, our choices seemed limited.
“It seems we have little choice, Inspector,” Raas said, loading his crossbow.
Cline stuffed a clump of chewing tobacco in his cheeks and nodded. “Least it's likely our prey is deeper in. Might still creep in all quiet like and take the sunvabitch.”
“Agreed,” I nodded. “Remember, we could have dozens of innocents, not to mention Fortuli soldiers forced to act against their will. Also, we have the added enjoyment of needing to take Ruji alive.”
Cline spat out a thin line of tobacco juice. “Easier than playing a hand with the Dealer, I suppose.”
“And that's about the only thing this is easier than!” Raas shook his head. “Oh well, for Duty then?”
I palmed a vial of metal-eating acid. There wasn't time for lockpicking. “Aye, for Duty.”
We settled on the rightmost door so we would have two walls covering our entrance. Our approach was uncontested and, with a quick application of acid on the locks, we slid the delivery doors just wide enough to give us entrance.
Cline's hunch proved accurate as everything seemed innocent at first blush. Wooden crates and hemp sacks were arranged along aisles of racks while dust motes danced through dim shafts of light filtering through never-washed skylights. Another level of platforms and catwalks ran overhead, no doubt for the storage of light goods, and at the far wall, I could just make out the glass of some kind of office. Faint sounds seemed to echo around the warehouse from somewhere deeper in.
I caught the glance of my compatriots. Indicating Raas, I pointed to the back offices, trusting in his small stature to give him a stealthy approach. Cline I directed to the upper catwalks to allow him the best use of his much larger, two-handed crossbow, while I stuck to the shadows, making my way towards the center of the warehouse floor, my own crossbow at the ready.
As I approached, the echoes clarified into slow scrabbles, occasional low moans, and the clank of chains. My suspicions grew stronger by the step. They were confirmed when I glanced around a shipping crate to get a full view of the heart of the warehouse. Several large containers, one of which I was leaning against, had formed a final barrier to observation.
The racks and aisles were gone, opened out into level ground. These massive containers had been modified into holding cells, divided by metal bars. The open sides, facing towards the center of this space, were hinged, allowing them to be dropped down to conceal their illicit cargo. A good half-dozen Folk were caged and chained, with room for many more victims if the Brothers desired. At the door to each cell was a Hive soldier, unreadable as all the rest of their kin. There seemed to be something odd about their antennae, but it was too fine a detail to make out from my vantage point.
Of equal interest as the victims was our chosen prey that afternoon. Ruji Foi sat at the center of this criminal nexus, in the midst of what could best be described as a makeshift camp. Sitting with his back to one of the main support posts, Ruji was badly injured. His shirt gone, I could see that the left half of his body was badly burned. He must have had access to at least some healing sorcery or alchemical balms to even be alive, yet alone to be in as good of a shape as he was in. I could tell by his lips that Ruji was mumbling something with his head downcast. A prayer, a spell, or simple delirium from his wounds, I couldn't tell.
There was no way to tell if the Hive, which I assumed were stolen Fortuli, would aid us, hinder us, or simply stay back. Somehow the Brothers had taken some control over them, or they wouldn't stoop to this kind of activity. Ruji himself looked to be a minimal threat, but there were too many innocents in potential danger for my liking.
Glancing up above, I could see that Cline had managed to find his way to the catwalks and had just come upon this same scene. Managing to get his attention, I held my hand up for him to wait and follow my lead. While I may have ideally waited for Raas to finish his sweep of the back, every second waiting was a second these poor people were still in Brother hands. Putting my free hand over my heart, I whispered a song to Myrien, asking for Love's Warden to point out a path through the tangles of the Garden. Though s/he gave me no direct answer, my heart and breathing calmed.
Taking that as a sign to act, I swung out from my position, crossbow aimed dead at Ruji's head. “Ci
ty Watch! Make no sudden moves, Ruji Foi, you are under arrest for kidnapping and numerous other charges!” At the edge of my vision, I could see Cline line up a shot as well.
Startled, Ruji rose from his seat. I could only imagine what spells or drugs he was on to not scream in pain from the motion. My hypothesis was backed by the slur of his speech as he roared, “You! Stupid Aard-bitch! Yung told you to stay away!” He clutched the support behind him with his good arm. “Kill her, you dumb bugs, kill!”
As he cried out, I thought I could see a brief glow from a chain around Ruji's throat. A magic charm, perhaps, that let him control the normally indomitable Hive, because a matching spark seemed to touch all their antennae. The six turned as one, in that frightening mass-mind precision, just as Cline took his shot.
Thankfully he had minded the orders to take Ruji alive as the blunt, leather-tipped bolt slammed into the Myan's charred shoulder, throwing him into the support pillar. As for myself, I ducked back behind the concealed cells I had been hiding behind. Many command spells require a conscious will behind them; if I could keep a step ahead of the Fortuli soldiers and lead them on a chase, Cline and Raas, who would come from the shouts, could take down Ruji. I could only hope they could do so before I was caught and torn apart.
To my credit, I did keep ahead of the Hive for a few moments. Facing a coordinated hunt by six mentally-joined flying creatures spawned specifically for war in a dark warehouse, I doubt few could have done better. Pelting an alchemical smoke pellet mixed with a strong smelling agent as a last ditch shield, I found myself with my back to a sturdy wall and piles of moldering crates to both sides. The buzzing of Hive wings broke the silence as the first solider burst through the wall of stinking smoke and laid eyes on me. I gripped my truncheon tightly and waited for the first one to approach. What in the Unseen's fires were those two doing, playing Pikes with Ruji?
As the first was joined by one of his/her brothers/sisters on foot and melee was about to be joined, things took a decided turn for the worse. A wash of intense heat rippled down the length of the warehouse in a blink of an eye, originating from the back office area, followed shortly by a heart-stopping explosion. Flames seemed to wash over the far wall almost instantly and, whether from the fire or Ruji's command, the soldiers about to cave in my face flinched and flew back the way they came.
My mind raced, filled with thoughts of the fiery enforcer Queen Fortuli spoke of. If it had come for Ruji, my men and a dozen innocents were going to die for his sins. I could not let that happen, even if a demon of the Pits stood in my way. Panting hard against the withering heat and growing flames, I ran as hard as I could back to the center of the warehouse, hoping the flames had not come that far yet.
Thank Myrien that events had not completely spiraled into disaster. The shockwave of the explosion had knocked Cline off of his perch onto one of the holding cells, the ceiling of it limiting his fall to a short one. He was already picking himself up painfully as I arrived. The Folk were panicking, pleading to be released, and shaking the bars of their cells.
As for Ruji, he was bleeding from a new laceration in his temple, as well as oozing reopened wounds from the blunt force to his burned shoulder. Still scarily lucid, the madman had propped himself up and surrounded by his stolen Fortuli guard. Backlit by the flames, they looked like one mass, a thorny bush with weapons poking out in all directions. Unfortunately there was still no sign of Raas as the fires burned hotter.
“Ruji, dammit, surrender, help us free these people, and the Watch will protect you!”
Laughing drunkenly, he answered, letting his circle of soldiers part just to let me see his taunting face, “I was a fool to think I could hide. We all gave blood to the Ragnard; we all sacrificed to it. Nothing can save me, Redmane, or you.” He smiled. “At least I'll die knowing your smug muzzle is going to get melted off your face!”
Ragnard. It wasn't a name, I knew, but a term. Something to do with demons and creatures of the Pit, but I didn't know for sure. Whatever it was, I had a great fear it could be among us at any moment and I had no time left for Ruji's disregard for innocent lives. With an opening of mere seconds, I hurled my truncheon with all the might I had in my body, aiming it squarely for Ruji's stupid face.
The Watch truncheon is a fine weapon, well-balanced and heavily waited for maximum blunt force trauma. Though crafted at Mikhail's Forge, the City's finest purveyor of exotic and unique weaponry, to be as accurate when hurled as when swung, most of my fellow officers don't practice the technique. Fortunately, I find time at the ranges to be relaxing as a regular practice and I don't limit myself to my standard issue crossbow.
This practice was unfortunate for Ruji as my truncheon slammed into his nose, cracking bone with a colorful splash of blood. Even with Gods-knew-what coursing through his system, the sheer force of impact was enough to drop him like a rock on top of the shot Cline had gotten in. As he fell, the Fortuli soldiers shuddered for a moment before looking around in what I could only assume was confusion.
Meanwhile, the fire seemed to take on a life of its own, not just flowing from wood to wood but making leaps and bounds, spiraling through the air and seeming to focus on our location. Sulfur assaulted my nose as I ran towards Ruji's unconscious form.
“Good Fortuli, your Queen waits for your safety, but Vela Aard, Vela Understander, begs you, help save the Lost Folk here,” I shouted, only hoping that now free, the soldiers would be able to touch their Queen's mind and understand who I was.
Cline rolled down from the top of the cells to the floor with surprising agility for his large frame. “Inspector, he's not worth it! Let the bastard fry and let's get ourselves and the Folk out of here!”
I shook my head, pulling Ruji's muscled frame over my shoulders in a Smokehound's carry. “That's not our Duty, Watcher! I've got him; you get those people out!”
Myrien was with me again that night as, snapping out of their haze, the six Hive rushed into action, forcing open cages and snatch up the victims. Cline started barking orders, guiding those poor people off towards the front of the warehouse. Smoke billowed and flames leaped just as I had my load properly balanced and lurched forward to safety myself. The others were lost in the haze as the fire surged ahead of me, driving me back towards whence I had come.
“The Ragnard, he rules us,” Ruji mumbled, half-conscious. “Smoke behind flames … shadow behind … pulls the strings ...”
I was already staggering from the weight of my load, but the heat seemed insurmountable, sapping my strength as I stumbled for another clear path. Trying to go as low as I could and maintain my balance, I held a silk handkerchief over my muzzle. It must have come from Milady's and I could still smell a faint lingering of her perfume, even through the smoke and brimstone. For a second, I almost faltered. I almost left Ruji there, to be eaten by the flames.
I didn't even feel the Moral Compass twinge as I ignored that notion, driving deeper into the flames. If I were to die, to never see Milady or the Bard again, I was determined to be able to hold my head high when I came to the Dealer's table. Pushing on, lost in the flames and smoke, I thought myself near-delirious when I saw a black shape walk through the flames themselves.
I could distinguish little outside of the all-consuming blackness of it, though if it was like most Folk it was certainly a man of some kind. I could not tell if those were cat ears like a Myan or short horns like a devil's but the flames seemed to be its friend, dancing and reaching out for this dark being. Fear took large bites out of my spirit, joining with my rightful fear of demise to try to bring me down. Against all good sense, I held my ground, dropping Ruji behind me for protection as I brought up my crossbow, no matter how horribly it trembled.
The words formed in my mind, a dark violation of my privacy, the sounds like a knife plunging into living flesh. “Give him to us, Vela Redmane. Feed the flames!” Something long, like a snake or a tentacle, came out of what I would assume was a mouth and lapped the air. “You know temptation. You ha
ve hungers and desires that demand to be fed. The Ragnard can give you … satisfaction, if only you turn away now!”
“Never.” My defiant pronouncement was punctuated by my crossbow. The bolt spiraled with accuracy matching my best, despite the weakness of my arm and fear in my heart. It struck what would have been a fatal blow to the skull of any mortal Folk.
To the Ragnard, it was throwing a glass of water on an inferno. “The Ragnard accepts your decision.”
With that, it made a sweep with its hand, chanting arcane words as I made one final, desperate play. As I slammed the flask of alchemical foam into my chest, glass cutting into my hands, a gout of flame rushed from the smoke, following the fiend's gestures like a golem follows its master’s. What happened next was obscured to me as the fast-expanding foam exploded over my eyes and body, though the flames themselves hit with a physical force foreign to natural flames.
I landed heavily, shielded from instant incineration by the flame-retardant foam that threatened to suffocate me almost as badly as the thick smoke. At least I was cool for the moment. Over the crackle of flames and arcane chant, I could swear I heard singing.
It sounded like the Silver Bard, though I could not be sure through the foam crowding into my ears. My body fought itself, wanting to give in to the pain of the impact, the smoke and foam in my lungs, and the exhaustion, but I slowly picked myself up out of whatever rubble the sorcerous flames had thrown me into. I had to know what was happening. I had to do something!
On my feet now, the song had overtaken the monster's arcane chant. There was the sound of some arcane implosion, some clash of energies that threatened to pull me right back off my feet, and then nothing save for the sound of flames all around me.