by Andrew Lynch
‘It does. They also mentioned something about the evil in the dungeons, but I see you’ve already handled that. So if we could hurry this up - I am getting rather light headed?’
‘Right, sorry. So, the hideout?’
‘Not just the hideout. Gods, listen for a second.’
Lucian felt that he had completely lost control of the conversation, and it all seemed a bit fishy to him. He allowed Priest to continue.
‘They spoke of heading back to their master, Lord Yelx, residing in the dark heart of the capital. The seedy underbelly, if you will.’ Priest held up his finger to stop Lucian’s imminent question. It quickly dropped to his side, limp, but apparently blood loss wasn’t going to get in the way of information. ‘The seedy underbelly in this instance being the Apex Spires. Honestly, can’t mish them.’
Lucian heard the first slurring of the words and looked to Gar who was grabbing around under the man’s leg. Lucian dared to say he was even scrabbling, like someone losing a fight.
‘Their Bosh ish an evil overlord of shome short.’ Priest noticed his slur now. ‘Oof. Am I shlurring my wordsh?’
Lucian squeezed Priest’s shoulder in what he hoped was a reassuring way. ‘Don’t worry. I’ve seen Gar here deal with much worse. Save your breath.’
‘Na. No, no, I’ve got to get thish out. The mashter. Lord... Washishnme?’
‘Yelx?’ Lucian added helpfully.
‘That‘sh da guy. 'esh a mashter, yesh, but 'esh more dan dat.’ Priest seemed to have more to say but summarised it all with a single word. ‘Villain.’
‘Lord Yelx is a villain? Thanks for the heads up, but I'd gotten that much. You just rest now.’
‘Na, na. More than villain. Arch villain. Overlord. The big one. And...’ Priest’s face was pale as his words slowed. ‘The Godsh shend a vishion. Alliesh await you. You help them, they help you? Ish unclear. A wi... A wi... An experienced old man, ready to guide. A young farmhand with deshtiny on his shouldersh.’
Lucian didn’t quite know how to take that information. What exactly was an arch villain, overlord, or big one? Certainly Lord Orson had made clear that he was basically a Hero in training. Lucian concluded that it must just be a priest not knowing about the real dangers of the world. And allies? They must be coming to aid his cause - perhaps these were the new companions he’d originally been promised. But a wise old man and a young farmhand? That was Hero material if ever he’d heard it! Were they merging two Hero stories together?. Was he to become a side character in his own story?
‘How’s he doing?’ Lucian asked Gar, while Priest’s eyes lost focus on anything. At least, anything in the mortal realms.
‘Very unlucky. Artery cut.’ Gar popped his head out from under Priest’s robes to finish his verdict. ‘Must happened recent. Minutes. Otherwise he already dead. Need lose leg. Can’t.’
‘Our first wounded innocent, and we can’t help him?’ Lucian weighed up whether to get the group involved in an easily botched, under equipped amputation, or try and catch up with the perpetrators on the road.
Priest came back around briefly and waved a limp hand. ‘Leave.’
‘Well, that decides that dilemma. Let’s go!’ Lucian gave the order.
The group made an enthusiastic run out of the temple as the sun was just setting. Between their dungeon crawling, Malum’s chat, and Ankskar’s “dungeon delight” - which was clearly a rat on a stick - Lucian must have lost track of time.
He’d also forgotten that they didn’t have any horses to push hard to help them make it back to the capital in a single, hard ride. That hadn’t really been an issue when he’d left two days ago. Of course, things had changed - the need to give chase, and the appearance of multiple sets of hoof prints being prime among these concerns.
The wind left Lucian’s proverbial sails at these realisations. ‘Well, no need to tire ourselves out. I'll keep this in mind for next time,’ he said bashfully.
The group gave Lucian a look that was filled with many emotions from all four of them, but could be distilled down to genuine annoyance. Lucian was pretty sure that they all added a limp to their walk just to push the point home.
Chapter 28
‘Right over there, mate!’ The guardsman stuck his thumb over his shoulder to indicate something you simply couldn’t miss.
Lucian looked up at the imposing Apex Spires. Two large spikes stabbing at the skyline, joined at their peaks by a thin bridge.
Lucian thanked the guardsman and the group continued on. They'd made sure they arrived well rested after the urgency of pursuit was gone. As none of them knew what or where the Apex Spires were, they'd asked for directions. It wasn’t that none of them were aware that two large towers dominated the Southern side of the city, just that none of them had ever bothered to ask any questions about them, ever. That did strike him as odd.
There was a strange pause that Lucian couldn’t quite place, following the revelation of the spires. Then he realised that this was a perfect time for an amusing anecdote or quip from a certain group member.
‘Anyone know where Khleb is?’
The group looked around, and Jess pointed down an alley. Lucian sent Gar to pick up, literally if need be, the fading form of Khleb who had decided to wander off.
‘I’ve got to say,’ Darrius began, 'they are somewhat obvious now that they've been pointed out.’
Lucian and Jess took a look at the spires, both having to shade their eyes from the sun.
‘They do look imposing, yes,’ Jess agreed.
‘Even a bit evil.’
‘No,’ Jess said. ‘You are just projecting your prejudice onto an inanimate object, Darrius. Yes, they are made from a black stone, marking it as different from everything else in the city, and in a different architectural style, but that does not make them evil.’
‘Maybe, maybe. Is it just me or are the clouds darker above it?’
‘A build up of rain clouds does not make something evil,’ Jess said. ‘Is precipitation evil, Darrius?’
‘It feels like it is sometimes, but I suppose not,’ Darrius conceded. ‘What about its guards?’
‘What about them?’
‘Have you seen them?’
Lucian decided to interject a helpful comment, as he remembered seeing some of them during his occasional walks. ‘The black, spiky armoured guys?’
‘That’s the ones, yes. I suppose you’ll say black and spiky full suits of armour doesn’t make one evil?’
‘That is correct. The official garbs of many companies are remnants of a more barbaric time.’
‘And a sigil of a head falling off a chopping block emblazoned on their crest?’
‘I believe,’ Lucian jumped in before Jess could answer, 'that their crest is symbolic. It’s not a head and a chopping block - it’s the fall of knowledge.’
‘Well said, Lucian. They are more librarians than anything else,’ Jess said.
‘Their official title is “executioner” I believe.’
‘There is no pleasing some people. You are seeing what you want to see and clearly will not allow yourself to be convinced otherwise,’ Jess said with the utmost haughtiness, deciding that placing herself intellectually above her verbal sparring partner allowed her to win the argument.
This would no doubt have continued, but Gar arrived back with Khleb held by the collar.
‘Sorry about that, boss. Just used to doing my own thing in the capital. You know how it is,’ Khleb said. ‘What are we looking at?’
Darrius gave a casual point towards the Apex Spires, as if he’d known about them for longer than a short minute. ‘What do you make of those?’
‘The twilight towers?’
‘No, the Apex Spires,’ Lucian said. ‘What are the twilight towers?’
‘That’s them. One and the same, I guess. Well, at least we found them. Let’s get to it.’
Lucian noticed Khleb looking around nervously. Khleb wasn’t one to charge headlong into danger, and he also knew
that Khleb had a fondness for stealing things coupled with an inability to do so without being noticed.
‘Maybe we need to make sure they are the same. Shall we ask a guard?’ Lucian suggested, hoping to spur Khleb on.
Despite the suspicious looks from the rest of the group, the mention of guards got Khleb’s mouth working out of some bizarre instinct to try and talk his way out of any interaction with authority. ‘No need for that, no need. Twilight towers just because they cast their shadow over the Monarch district. Can tell the time by its shadow. Only a nickname, but I'd never heard them called Apex Spires. Oddly, words of such high falutingness don’t reach the types of place I frequent. Surprised Darrius didn’t know.’
‘So am I,’ Darrius agreed. ‘It’s like these two huge towers had escaped me, despite having lived here my entire life.’
Lucian saw a man pointing with an extreme amount of vigour towards the group, shouting what would no doubt be great exaggerations regarding the stolen goods to several guards.
‘Also, now that I’ve had some time to myself, been having a few thoughts. Anyone else feel that that priest guy...’ Khleb said.
‘Priest,’ Gar said.
‘Exactly, Priest the priest. Fishy, no? And did his backstory seem poorly fleshed out to anyone? And with a surprising amount of helpful information to impart.’
The guards were almost upon them, but sensibly they had no intention of using the authorities’ “shock and awe” tactic on a well armed group of travellers that outnumbered them.
‘Does that remind you of a certain meeting we had on our last trip?’ Khleb finished.
‘I mean... well, yeah, I guess. It does bear similarities to our meeting with Moxar at the gypsy camp. But Priest died, so hard to draw any conclusions,’ Lucian said, unconvinced and wondering if maybe more of his Quest was being orchestrated by the Company than Lord Orson had said.
‘Not even sure if that’s the case, ‘Khleb said with an exaggerated sigh. ‘Pretty sure I heard someone rushing in there after we left. Which, incidentally, is why I’m always keeping an eye out from the rear. Information gathering.’
No one in the group believed this, but before anyone could begin admonishing him, the guards interrupted with a customary greeting.
‘Oi! What’s going on here?’
Only Lucian had been facing the guards, managing to stop himself from jumping at the loud noise. They'd started well, putting everyone on the defensive, but Lucian gave his group time to rally. ‘Nothing at all officer. Just discussing our plans for the day.’
‘Discussing? Plans? In a group? Not likely,’ the first guard said.
‘Even if this were simple talk, and not a group of thieves, it’s specifically prohibited under the Conspiring to Act act,’ the second guard said.
Lucian was sure this lovely back and forth between the guards would have continued for as long as the guards could stretch it out for - a large portion of guard training is talking in circles until your opponent has become so confused they will confess - but Gar stepped out and loomed up from behind a conveniently placed merchant’s stall.
‘Then again, nothing wrong with making plans in my book. We'll let you off with a warning,’ said the first guard, reversing his stance with admirable speed.
‘Warnings all round. Now that justice has been served...’ the second guard backed up his partner blindly, as per standard guard rules.
‘Remember you,’ Gar said.
Apparently the guard’s reactions had just been a natural response to seeing someone larger than themselves, but after a second of looking at Gar’s face, they both went white as a sheet.
‘You kill me.’
‘These are the ones?’ Darrius stepped forwards alongside Gar, hand darting to his sword, ready to draw.
‘Yes.’
‘Anyway, must be off. As you were, citizens,’ the first guard said as the two of them backed away. After a few steps they felt they could safely turn and run, but as they turned they felt a metal bar ram into their stomachs.
‘You two Humans, have hurt one of my Humans?’ Jess said in a tone Lucian had heard her use for almost everything she ever said when referring to Humans - disdain. But this was a curious turn of phrase. Claiming ownership was as close as she had ever come to calling any of them friends.
Lucian looked more closely at the guards, seeing past their scruffy uniforms, the like of which would never have been allowed in his strike team.
‘Names?’
The two guards were shaking as they spluttered their names out over each other.
‘One at a time, please,’ Lucian asked. ‘Otherwise your actual reason for coming here... well, he’s unpredictable at the best of times, so when you’re threatening to take back what he stole, who knows what he may do?’
Khleb hit this point home with a playful jab in the kidneys with the hilt of his dagger. ‘Aww, come on, boss, I didn’t steal anything.’
‘We don’t lie unless required by the job. There, that’s a new Hero rule,’ Lucian declared.
‘All right, all right. But it was only a small one,’ Khleb admitted, holding a large loaf of bread in his non-dagger wielding hand.
A faint voice from the alley where the guards had emerged called out, ‘It was my biggest loaf!’ but the group had more pressing matters to deal with.
‘Anyway, names!’ Lucian pointed to the first guard. ‘You first.’
‘Rack.’
‘And yo... really? Just Rack? Okay, and you?’
‘Kist.’
‘At least you know life had some big plans for you two with names like that, and with what you like to do to poor helpless civilians,’ Lucian pointed at the towering bulk that was Gar. ‘But we are a kind heroic group of people. Led by... nobility?’
‘Bit of a tough sell, sir,’ Darrius said, grip still firm on his rapier, but relaxed since the rest of the group had the guards surrounded. ‘Sounds a bit like gentrification.’
‘True. Umm, protection of innocents. That is our true motive. And that even extends to you.’
‘Arguably, aren’t they not innocent? And in fact have been the ones harming innocents under their minor reign of tyranny?’ Darrius asked.
‘Yes, but I’m going somewhere with this,’ Lucian said, exasperated. ‘A trial is only fair. Bring them with us.’
Chapter 29
Thirty minutes later, Lucian rested his head against the wall of the closest cover the group had found, and pondered. Had he made a bad decision? That wasn’t like him, he felt, but he couldn’t escape the fact that he had taken those guards prisoner, and then marched them straight to their fate.
‘I suppose finding another way in is a good plan,’ Lucian said.
The group nodded.
‘We haven’t found the prophesied old man and young boy anyway, so for the best. I guess?’
‘Don’t feel too bad, sir. At least we know who was right about the guards,’ Darrius consoled him.
‘Yes,’ Jess said. ‘Apparently the title of “executioner” is rather apt. Still, jumping to conclusions will not help anyone.’
‘I feel it would have helped Rack and Kist some,’ said Lucian.
‘Very droll, Lucian,’ Jess said.
‘So, frontal assault is out of the question. Let’s look round the sides.’
Lucian tried not to focus too much on just how easy the executioner had made it seem to cut a person in half. Covered in armour they may have been, but the one guard moved with the same speed and fluidity as Darrius dancing around in a duel. Rack and Kist never stood a chance even against the single executioner guarding the gate.
To top it off, Khleb would not stop talking about it, constantly discussing the pros and cons of evisceration and whether or not their families would be compensated by the guard.
A close up view of the Apex Spires didn’t provide much more information than the first time Lucian had seen it. The black stone caught the light a bit to prove that it wasn’t completely flat - a gentle wav
e indicating an ebon slate - the size of each slate implying the tower had been built when slave labour was in fashion.
Lucian looked to the sky, and sure enough the sun was shining. However it was obscured by the towers, and bizarrely would have been like that regardless where they'd stood. How had Lucian never noticed that the Monarch district was in perpetual shadow?
‘Darkness and slaves. At least they stuck to the classics. How did we not know about this?’ Lucian asked, talking more to stop Khleb from continuing his list of places he’d committed some crimes. Crimes which he insisted on referring to as “business transactions”.
‘I believe we have found what we are looking for,’ Jess said. Probably to stop any inane conversation brought on by Lucian’s mumblings.
‘Huh? Found what?’
Jess sighed. ‘Just wait.’
A minute of walking later, and the group came across what Jess had mentioned. It was indeed exactly what they had been looking for. Lucian decided that Jess must have had good eyes even for an Elf, as she managed to see a black hole in a black wall from quite a distance. A chunk of slate had been chipped away, and on closer inspection the gap led, after a metre of crawling, to a small low-ceilinged room.
Presumably this seemingly small and inconsequential room was of slightly more importance than anticipated, because there were two corpses lying in it.
Once everyone had finished the crawl through the tunnel - this time Gar led the way so he could be pulled out if he got stuck - they all huddled in the corner, looking at the bodies of two disassembled Humans. The floors were a smooth stone with a shallow ditch ringing the room, filled with a slow moving, luminous purple liquid, which acted as both the only light source for the room, and a gutter for the blood.
‘So, the patrols are pretty thorough. No stone left unturned and all that. Let’s push on,’ Lucian said.
‘Now, sir, just to clarify, these are...?’ Darrius asked.
‘Seems that way, yup. I mean, the beard, impractical hat and robes, long walking staff.’
‘A wise old man if ever I’ve seen one, yes. And the other one...’