by Jason Kenyon
‘He decided to give the separate pieces to different bearers from all walks of life. You, Archimegadon, were the fastest to deliver. I congratulate you on your swiftness.’
‘But the other pieces were already here,’ Archimegadon said.
‘We sent them at different times,’ Sen said. ‘It was a little tricky here and there, but apparently it has all worked out for the best.’
‘Excellent,’ Archimegadon said. Truth be told, he was getting more than a little bored of all this. He wanted paying, and fast.
‘Nobody has yet reconstructed the staff, so who knows what will happen,’ Sen said. ‘Perhaps the mysteries it holds will be revealed when it is completed.’ Delarian picked up the amulet and placed it on the top of the quarterstaff.
‘Isn’t that dangerous?’ Archimegadon asked.
‘That’s how I live,’ Sen said with a smile, and he twisted the amulet into place.
A moment passed.
‘Is it… is it safe?’ Archimegadon asked, looking out from beneath his arms, which he had raised in a futile effort at protecting himself from the possibility of immense cosmic powers exploding.
‘It is quite safe,’ Sen replied. ‘I researched enough about this staff to know that it wouldn’t blow me up.’ He held out the Staff of Vortagenses for Archimegadon to see. ‘Beautiful, isn’t it? An incredible artefact of the founding days of our land. Perhaps we will see great things come of this.’
Archimegadon didn’t much care for any of that, nor did he care for the fright Sen Delarian had given him. He just wanted to be paid and to escape.
‘I suppose we must now turn to this scroll,’ Sen said, picking it up and reading through it. ‘All standard stuff. Yes. Wait a moment.’
‘Is something wrong?’ Archimegadon asked.
‘Apparently so,’ Sen replied. ‘It says here that I am to pay you one thousand relorans.’
‘That’s right,’ Archimegadon said. ‘That is what Lord Bartell’s clerk, Elsim Redrock, told me.’ A shadowy feeling enveloped him, and the Isles of Filikis were obscured by tempests.
‘The thing is, Archimegadon, I don’t have one thousand relorans,’ Sen said.
‘Not even in the Mage School treasury?’
‘Not even there.’ Sen steepled his fingers. ‘You see, Mage Schools aren’t very notable for being prosperous places.’
‘No?’
‘No. We pay for this school almost as much as we get paid. So in the end, we just make ends meet.’
‘I was promised one thousand relorans,’ Archimegadon said.
‘I know,’ Sen Delarian said. ‘Lord Bartell’s a pleasant enough fellow. I’d pop down to Aldrack if I were you and get him to pay you. Here, I’ll write you a letter.’
Archimegadon felt more than a little irritated and desperate, and he debated knocking Delarian out and stealing everything he could from the mage’s study and the treasury. Before he could attempt a subtle attack he had Sen’s letter of introduction in his hands, as well as a small red amulet.
‘There you are,’ Sen said. ‘Take the letter and this amulet to Bartell. I’ve written that you are to be paid double the original fee for this journey. I’m sorry about this. It’s very embarrassing. I will remind Bartell next time I see him not to make promises about money that he cannot ensure personally. But you will have your money. Bartell is a very accommodating man, and he will be sure to repay you for your inconvenience.’
‘I’m sure he will,’ Archimegadon said.
‘Well, come on, don’t look so down,’ Sen said. ‘An enterprising fellow like yourself doesn’t need money, anyway. Aldrack’s just down the road, and you won’t have thieves after you now.’
‘I am fine,’ Archimegadon lied.
‘Good, splendid,’ Sen said. ‘Follow me, I will see you off.’
They rose to leave, and were about to reach the door when Sen paused. ‘Better take the staff, just in case,’ he said, walking back to pick up the Staff of Vortagenses.
The great hall was empty of mages as Archimegadon strode through, trying to hide his rage and frustration. Even the sight of mages hiding around corners was not enough to cheer him, nor were Sen’s endless comforting comments any use. They reached the entrance before long and Archimegadon reached for the door with a great sense of relief.
‘Well, I will see you around, Archimegadon,’ Sen said. ‘You have done a good job today. Don’t look so down. It’s just a few days to Aldrack. Enjoy these days! Things’ll be a lot different when you have all that money, eh? Take care.’
‘I will,’ Archimegadon said.
Sen disappeared and Archimegadon left the Mage School. The sky was a bit cloudier now, and the temperature had dropped. Archimegadon poked at the dust with the Staff of Antagules. A few children ran past playing and laughing. A cart trundled down the road. The windmill creaked on the other side of town.
Archimegadon folded his arms.
‘Damnation!’
Chapter Nine: More Quests at Another Inn
Archimegadon was left with but one thing to do, and that was to get out of Melethas without running into Neurion or Obdo, who would no doubt pester him about the money that he had not quite received. He swore to destroy the Mage School in Melethas once he had obtained his money and purchased the lordship. At some point he would have to write a list of all the people and places he was going to have revenge on, since the list was getting a little hard to remember now.
He hugged the shadows of buildings and snuck around the back of the windmill, all the while feeling very clever about his stealth. The Central Way was close now, and so too the road to Aldrack. Neurion and Obdo would not know a thing, and would therefore have an even better surprise when Lord Archimegadon returned to Melethas. Archimegadon detached from the shadows and made a run for the Central Way.
A huge polearm slammed into the ground in front of him, and Archimegadon looked up to see Valia holding it firmly in place.
‘Found you, mage,’ she said. Valia was no longer clad in full armour, but instead wore lighter leather and mail, with an olive tunic and auburn leggings, though worn iron pauldrons still protected her shoulders. She also wore a jade cloak with the hood down, and looked to Archimegadon suspiciously like she had changed for the purpose of travelling somewhere.
‘What is the meaning of this outrage?’ Archimegadon asked.
Valia smiled. ‘I have a quest for you, old man.’
*
Dark feelings bubbled about in Archimegadon’s head all the way to Melethas’s local tavern, the Great Forest. He could not shake the little nugget of knowledge that he had last seen this pestilent knight in the company of Neurion and Obdo. If they had a quest he would turn it down. Right away. Without debate.
Valia led him to a small table at the fringes of the tavern, much like the tables Archimegadon usually selected. Two people were sitting around it. Familiar people.
‘Sir Mage!’ Obdo said. ‘Well I never. Welcome back.’
‘No,’ Archimegadon said. ‘Not a chance. I refuse the quest.’
‘But Master Archimegadon, don’t you want to even hear about it?’ Neurion asked.
Archimegadon cursed life in general, albeit silently. ‘Now look. I have other business to take care of, and it certainly does not involve you two.’
‘Sit down,’ Valia said. ‘This is an important job for the country, not some small-time farmstead.’
‘Farmer Belias runs a very good farm,’ Obdo said.
‘I don’t care if it involves saving the world from the very minions of the Ultimate Evil Himself!’ Archimegadon said. ‘I am not accepting this mission.’
‘Sit down,’ Valia said.
‘No.’
‘Now!’
Archimegadon sighed and took his place at the table. Valia sat down as well, little aware that she had made herself a cosy little spot on Archimegadon’s revenge list. Neurion had apparently gone clothes shopping as well, for he was now clad in some silver armour, with a white tunic for
added holy effect. Obdo looked like he’d dozed off.
‘Master Archimegadon, I would not have called on you if this wasn’t a job of the very highest priority,’ Neurion said.
‘Indeed.’
‘The High Captain was so impressed with the whole Shadow business that he has given me a new quest,’ Neurion said. ‘This is a big quest. The biggest.’
‘I am not going to accept this,’ Archimegadon said.
‘Shut up, mage,’ Valia said.
‘Silence!’ Archimegadon stood up. ‘This disrespect is unwarranted and unfounded. I have been telling you from the off that I am not for hire right now. I have another job to undertake, and I certainly will not undertake it with this... this harpy making noises at my shoulder.’
‘Sit down, mage,’ Valia said. ‘You can refuse when you have heard the quest, not before.’
‘I can refuse when I like,’ Archimegadon said. ‘I am a Mage for Hire, not under any binding chains of command. You understand little about my trade. I am my own master. Take your commands elsewhere, harpy. I am leaving.’
‘But Master Archimegadon!’ Neurion said. ‘Please hear me out.’
‘No, Neurion,’ Archimegadon said. ‘I told you that I have another job to undertake.’
‘Let him go,’ Obdo said, apparently still awake in spite of appearances. ‘The old coward’s just afraid.’
‘Bah! You’re all a bunch of fools.’ Archimegadon tried to walk past Valia, but she refused to move. ‘Out of my way, knave.’
‘Only when you have heard Neurion’s proposition,’ Valia said.
‘That doesn’t sound too promising for you, Sir Mage,’ Obdo said with a grin.
‘Shut up, Obdo,’ Archimegadon said, settling down unwillingly.
‘Sorry for all this,’ Neurion said. ‘Now, the mission. Yes. Well, the High Captain has given me money to pay for three companions to accompany me as I see fit.’
Archimegadon shrugged. ‘I have the money I need,’ he said.
‘Yeah, right, Sir Mage,’ Obdo said. ‘If you did you’d be lording it right up.’
‘Shut up, Obdo.’
‘Right you are, sir.’
‘I hired Valia, because she is a Knight of the Order of Endless Skies, and the High Captain felt she was being wasted standing around here,’ Neurion went on. ‘I hired Obdo because I don’t trust him out of my sight. I want to hire you because you are a good leader and mage, Master Archimegadon.’
Valia frowned and looked from Neurion to Obdo. Obdo shrugged.
‘Uh… Neurion,’ Valia said. ‘You are joking, aren’t you?’
‘No,’ Neurion replied. He gave Valia a puzzled look. ‘Well, the fee for this quest is five relorans. In advance.’
Archimegadon was surprised. ‘You have my interest,’ he said.
‘I’m glad,’ Neurion said, smiling. His face became grim. ‘That thief we encountered, Felick Broadblade, was actually a mercenary who leads a band called Broadblade’s Breakers who used to work up near Arenfel. They’re currently in the hire of a greater organisation than we realised. It seems that this organisation has spread all over this area of Valanthas, stealing from here and there without leaving any trace of their whereabouts. They have recruited every thief and mercenary from here to Aldrack, and there’s rumour that those who didn’t want to be hired were executed.’
‘I see,’ Archimegadon said.
‘They have mercenaries to keep the thieves in shape and do some of the heavier work,’ Neurion went on. ‘Broadblade was the highest-ranking mercenary.’
‘Embarrassing for him that he was foiled by Archimegadon, then,’ Obdo said.
‘Silence,’ Archimegadon said. ‘He was well and truly outwitted.’
‘He was indeed,’ Neurion said. ‘Their overall leader is a legendary assassin called Akarith Kellason. She tried to kill the King once, but she was foiled.’
‘She survived despite being discovered?’
‘She’s the best,’ Neurion replied. ‘Broadblade was a stupid man, but I fear that Akarith would prove much more formidable an opponent.’
‘This doesn’t sound too promising, Neurion,’ Archimegadon said.
‘The High Captain hired me to defeat her,’ Neurion said. ‘This organisation, the Dusk Alliance, has to be stopped. Akarith is determined upon revenge for her one defeat as an assassin. Broadblade and his cohorts don’t understand the magic that they are unleashing on the world.
‘Akarith does.’
‘You want me to team up with you three to defeat a vast organisation of thieves and layabouts led by an insane assassin who wants revenge to the extent that she intends to destroy everything with magical powers that could possibly devastate the entire world, if left unchecked?’ Archimegadon asked.
‘I think so,’ replied Neurion, who had not quite followed all of that.
‘No. I refuse. I told you before, Neurion. The danger rating far outweighs the money I will receive.’ Archimegadon glared at Obdo. ‘I thought that even you would have more sense. This is a duty for the Knights of Valanthas, as an army, to take care of. We could at best deal with one of the thieves before being destroyed. Do you know what it takes to fight an assassin?’
‘No.’
‘Well, nor do I,’ Archimegadon said. ‘I have heard it said that the best assassins can actively kill you from the far side of a crowded room without being found out. In combat they are masters of knives, swords, and just about any other weapon you can name, not to mention their capacity for being able to conceal the aforementioned weapons anywhere they choose.’
‘But you’re a mage!’ Neurion said. ‘You’re the most powerful one in Valanthas!’
‘You have said it a fair few times,’ Obdo said.
‘Shut up, Obdo,’ Archimegadon said. ‘Mages specialise in the less subtle arts of blowing things up. I am not going to be able to outsneak an assassin.’
‘Five relorans,’ Obdo said.
‘That’s entirely besides the point,’ Archimegadon said. Then again, he was one thousand relorans less well off than he had been expecting, even with the possibility of obtaining twice that number. ‘Where are you going anyway? I presume that you know where to find this Dusk Alliance?’
‘Oh yes,’ Neurion replied. ‘Their base is south of here, about midway between Melethas and Aldrack.’
‘So much for nobody knowing their whereabouts,’ Obdo murmured.
Valia brushed her hair back over her shoulders impatiently and looked away, and Archimegadon felt a small twinge as fate closed in on him. He recalled the dream in Salien, where the knight turned away from him, and suddenly it came to him. He cleared his throat and caught Valia’s eye when she glanced his way. ‘What was your name again?’
‘Valia Relassis,’ the knight replied, her tone frosty.
Valia. Valia had been the name of the shadowy knight in his dream. Unless he was much mistaken, more was going on here than he had at first realised. Archimegadon shook his head. ‘I don’t believe this. Very well, I will join you.’
‘Did I miss something?’ Obdo asked.
Valia looked just as confused. ‘What does my name have to do with your decision?’ she asked.
‘A secret, my dear,’ Archimegadon replied with a grin. He didn’t like this knight at all. She seemed to be a fully trained pest, and any opportunity to annoy her would be an oasis in the desert of this quest.
‘Neurion, I don’t think hiring this guy is a good idea,’ Valia said.
‘He’s a good man,’ Neurion said.
‘Right.’ Valia looked to Obdo for help. ‘You agree with me, right?’
‘Sir Mage is good for a laugh,’ Obdo replied. ‘I have a few things to pay him back for, as well.’
Valia’s cheeks had gone a dangerous shade of crimson, and she cast a searing glare at Neurion, who had hired this motley band around her. ‘Neurion, you’re new at this. Shouldn’t we be hiring experienced people?’
‘Master Archimegadon is an official mage,’ Neurion
replied.
‘It’s true, my dear,’ Archimegadon said. ‘If you have any trouble with that, I suggest you take it up with Master Sen Delarian.’
‘Well, I suggest you…’ Valia began.
‘Anything else to clear up?’ Neurion asked.
‘Two matters,’ Archimegadon replied. ‘One, payment. If I am to shake hands on this, then I need to see the money now.’
‘Yes, of course,’ Neurion said. He fished a money bag from his pocket and slid it across the table to the mage. ‘Five relorans.’
Archimegadon investigated the bag. The five relorans were indeed there, looking rather beautiful and shiny. Bartell and Delarian had not yet paid up on their debt, but Neurion at least had been reliable in the matter of money. Unfortunately, this left Archimegadon with the irritating duty of dealing with this Dusk Alliance, which would likely be more taxing than the Shadow had been. Then again, Broadblade had been a pushover.
‘So we’re agreed?’ Neurion asked.
Stowing the bag away, Archimegadon raised a finger. ‘The second point first. I am to be the leader of this little band.’
‘I wouldn’t have it any other way,’ Neurion said.
‘Well, I would!’ Valia said. ‘You want to let this avaricious old fart command this mission when he didn’t even want to join?’
‘Now, see here a minute,’ Archimegadon said. ‘I am a realistic person, unlike yourself. This is a genuine threat, as Neurion has said. I simply point out that care must be taken in this battle!’
‘Oh, give me a break,’ Valia said. ‘You just want to take the money and run, you opportunistic fossil! I’m not taking orders from you. Come on, you know as well as I that they run mages through those schools faster than it took you to pocket that money! How many spells do you know? Two? Three, at a push?’
‘He knows one,’ Obdo said.
‘Quiet, necromancer,’ Neurion said. ‘Master Archimegadon is a wise and powerful mage. Please show some respect, Valia.’
‘Respect is earnt, not given,’ Valia said.
‘I quite agree,’ Archimegadon said, glaring at the knight.
‘We need someone to lead us who knows what they are doing,’ Valia said. ‘Obdo looks like some tavern drunk, this Arkiwhatever is just a chancer, and you hired them both, Neurion. The only one here with any brains is me.’