by Jeff Sproul
"What do you mean?" Chaxin asked.
"Well…" Senna said, her gaze on her drink. "Mum asked me to make her some special armor. Armor that could be enchanted the way she wanted it to be. This was a long time ago, you see. I'd gotten my skills up high, and I was confident I could make it. So I did. I was damn proud of that gear. But unbeknownst to me, she wanted it solely for an enchantment. She knew this guy… he enchanted it for her. And… things changed. She fought more. We grew further apart. She fought and fought, and the armor took its toll on her."
"How is that?" asked Verun.
"Within the armor, she could trigger an enchantment that allowed her incredible strength, as long as she kept it active. With it activated, she was nearly invincible, I'm sure. But the cost was high. It sapped years from her life. Every time she used it, she would do so at the cost of her life. She had to use it heavily to get out of Grittin that day. She used it too much, and her body began to grow frail. Even with high stats, your body can only endure so much." Senna sighed. "And despite our fractured relationship, because… you know, I didn't want her using the enchantment, she didn't seem to care. She just wanted to help people. But in the end, she left me with her death scroll. And I guess I learned more about my mother from that than I ever really knew. Part of what she did makes sense, but… I don't think I've fully been able to forgive her." With that, she brought the mug back to her lips and gulped down more of the beverage. It was obvious that Senna had already had some ale, even before sitting with them, but she seemed far from being drunk.
Chaxin wasn't sure how to react. What should he say? He didn't feel as though he was the best person to try and console Senna. So instead he asked, "What's a death scroll?"
Senna looked up to Chaxin again and raised a brow. "Oh, right, you're still new… sorta?" she asked. "It's um…"
"It's sort of like a will, and an inheritance, of sorts," Verun said. "A person can selectively store their knowledge on a piece of parchment. It requires a pricey soul crystal, a grimoire, and parchment. It can be made various ways, but it allows a person to pass on what they've learned to someone else. Usually just before their death. It's also why bandits prioritize raided settlements or the dead, in hopes of finding death scrolls. Sometimes these scrolls are the person's last wishes. Such as how they would prefer their body be buried, or who their gear should go to. Sometimes, it's the instant transfer of knowledge of spell formulas, or blueprints for gear or weapons."
"I see," Chaxin said quietly.
"So yeah, she left hers to me," said Senna. "I'd never even seen a death scroll before. I certainly never expected to receive one. Having learned its contents, I can't help but feel as though it was both a blessing and a curse."
Senna shook her head and drank more ale.
Chaxin held his mug as he looked over to the table that Nessa and Tamos were at. He thought to himself for a few long moments, then looked to Senna. "What can you tell me of Minara?" he asked.
"Minara?" Senna asked, just after swallowing another gulp of ale. "She's uh… the one who kinda set this all up. She's pretty much our leader. I was in another town when my mum came and told me what had happened in Grittin. Apparently Minara and my mum were acquainted, and she told Minara what had happened as well. Minara's a bit of a wanderer, I guess? I really don't know much about her. She's been around for a while. In Kajura, that is. She knows a lot of stuff. About scrawl, I mean. She's familiar with time magic, which is pretty crazy. She knows more about scrawl than anyone else I've ever met. I'm sure there are other people out there that have specialized in other fields of scrawl, but she knows a bunch about most of it, and more about time magic than anyone. Other than that, I don't know much about her."
"What about Cynthia?" Verun spoke up. He lowered his mug slowly. "She's quite an interesting individual."
"Cynthia? Our resident vampire?" Senna laughed softly. "Yeah, she's alright. I wouldn't say that we're good friends or anything. She's a bit of a loner as well."
"Vampire?" Chaxin asked. "What do you mean by that?"
"She doesn't' actually feed on blood, does she?" Verun spoke up.
"Blood?" Chaxin questioned, as the two of them looked at Senna for answers.
"Calm down, calm down," Senna sighed. "She's not like those crazed and cursed bloodthirsters you hear about."
"I've not heard of any of this," said Chaxin.
"Oh, right," Senna shook her head. "Well, there's these people who are afflicted with a disease… or a curse, whatever you wanna call it, that makes them hunger for blood. Well, Cynthia is sorta like one of those people, but she wasn't afflicted like they were. She was bit by a vracnid. They're these bloodsucking spider monsters."
"Yes, we encountered a few on the way here, actually," said Chaxin. "Are you saying she's part spider?"
"No no, nothing quite so horrendous as that," said Senna. "She looks pretty normal, but she's sensitive to light. She can hear really well, and her sense of smell is impeccable."
"Is that why she wears that mask?" asked Verun. "Because of the sensitivity to light?"
"The mask? No, she wears that because she's blind, and doesn't want… oh, well damn. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything." Senna sighed and shook her head. "I start rambling and babbling about everything when I start drinking. Just, you know, don't tell anyone else I told you, alright?" she said, keeping her voice low.
"She doesn't want others to know she's blind?" asked Chaxin.
"Right," said Senna. "People might use it against her, if they knew. It doesn't mean that she's incapable in any way. She somehow manages to 'see' by some extra sense she has. She told me about it once. Has something to do with seeing auras and… blood. I dunno."
"She was able to stop me without even touching me," said Verun.
"Yeah, it was like she held out her hand, and just paralyzed Verun, or something. How is she able to do that?"
"She can control blood in a very short range around her," said Senna. "She can make it take any form. Sometimes a dagger, or a shield. She has containers on her back and on her belt that have blood in them. It's pretty macabre, I'll say. But it's also very effective. She's one of the deadliest people I've ever met. I think my mum would've liked her."
"Why is she called a doctor, then?" asked Verun.
"’Cause she heals people too," said Senna. "Before she was bitten and turned into whatever you wanna call her, she was a healer. She knows a lot about remedies and healing. So now, she can do this thing where she infuses the blood in some of those vials, and… I swear I'm not making this up, but she'll turn the blood into an arrow and shoot you with it from afar. The blood will absorb into your skin and heal some of your wounds."
"Fascinating," Verun whispered, his eyes wide. "She can do all of that, with just, what, her will? Her mind? No magic?"
"Nothing magical about it, as far as I know," said Senna. "She just does it. It's really creepy, but also pretty awesome."
"With people like her and Minara leading the charge, maybe we'll have a chance tomorrow," said Chaxin.
" I wish you both the best of luck. Good fortune, and all of that," said Senna. "Did Minara tell you what the plan is?"
Upon that last comment, Chaxin looked more intently to Senna. "No, not yet. She said we'd find out tomorrow."
"Ah, yeah. Best to probably keep that a secret then," said Senna. "I shouldn't go blabbing about the battle plan too soon. I mean, there's not much too it, really. We've done all the prep work, you just have to be ready to fight."
"There's really nothing you could tell us?" asked Verun. "I understand the need for secrecy and all, but… anything?"
Senna took a few more gulps of ale and let the mug clank down on the table. She grabbed the next tankard and looked between Chaxin and Verun. "Well, let's just say you won't be fighting the whole Grittin army. If all goes according to plan, you won't have to fight more than the innermost elite guard, and Karnith and Daxar. Among whoever else might be around," she said, trailing off a bit. "But that'
s it, no more. No more. Now drink! I feel like I'm drinking alone here."
Chapter 30: Strike
For Chaxin, sleep hadn't come easy and it didn't last long. Before he knew it, he was being stirred awake.
"Get up, get up!" came a deep male voice from nearby.
Chaxin's eyes crept open. "Huh, what?" he murmured, slowly leaning up on the thin cloth-covered cot he'd slept on. His vision was hazy from just waking, and the torch the man was carrying was terribly bright.
"Time table has moved up," the man said. "Storm's coming in. We're moving now."
"But… wait, right now?" Chaxin asked, as his thoughts were collecting.
Verun leaned up on his cot on the other side of the room. "What's going on?" Verun murmured, rubbing his eyes.
"We're moving out," the man said. "Gather your equipment, get to the tavern hall. You've got ten minutes.
Chaxin watched as the bulky, pale-skinned man turned and exited the room. There were enough cots for four to sleep comfortably, but only Chaxin and Verun were assigned to that room. Despite the need for secrecy, and the fact that so many people were hiding beneath what was once Kamber, there seemed to be no shortage of actual living spaces. Senna had certainly been busy in her time there, digging and crafting all the rooms, but it was likely that she'd had help in that endeavor.
"I thought we'd have at least part of the day," Chaxin murmured as he turned on his cot and felt around for his socks on the floor.
"What'd he say, something about a storm?" Verun asked, as he did the same.
There was light streaming partially in from the hallway, as their 'waker' had left the door open.
Groans and murmurs of other waking residents could be heard coming from nearby rooms. Chaxin and Verun weren't the only ones who thought they'd have more time to sleep that day.
A loud voice echoed down the hall, "Free food for the strike force! Get to the tavern, first come, first serve! We've got meat!"
After a few seconds, rapid footfalls could be heard rushing down the hall.
"We still don't even know what the plan is," Chaxin said, as he finished pulling his socks on. He then pushed his feet into his boots. He'd slept in his pants, but his belt and gear was beneath the cot.
Verun took in a deep breath. "Hmm, I think that's… sausage? Maybe even bacon," he said, as he pulled his boots on and knelt by his cot to grab his things from under it. "But yes, hopefully something will be explained soon. I'm concerned about trekking however far it is to Grittin with a storm on its way. How far is it again? It's not very close, is it?"
"Half of daylight? Six hours, maybe? I'm not entirely certain," said Chaxin.
"We shall know soon enough, I suppose," said Verun as he collected his things and waited by the door.
Chaxin took longer to get ready as he placed his belt on and checked his gear. He hooked the mage-caster on his belt and made sure everything was fastened. When he was finished, he joined Verun, and the two of them headed down the hall to the tavern.
The floor itself was cloth overtop a thin layer of dirt and then stone. There were sconces interspersed throughout the expansive halls.
The smell of cooked meats drew the pair further down the hall, passing by other opened doors where people were preparing by checking gear or sharpening swords.
As Chaxin passed through the threshold to the tavern, he could see that the tables were already half-filled with occupants. Most were eating and carrying on casual conversation. Just about everyone looked as if they could use another four hours of sleep.
Curiously enough, something new had been brought to the tavern. On the wall behind Minara, there was a glittering gray stone frame covered in scrawl. It looked as though it was a doorway, but it didn't lead anywhere, as there was just wall behind it.
At that back table, Minara sat with Cynthia and the bulky, pale-skinned man. There were several other individuals as well, but Chaxin set his attention on getting a plate of food. There was an opening on the far wall with a counter and foods laid out. He went over, grabbed a plate, and collected a chunk of bread, a few links of some sort of sausage, and a pile of cooked mushrooms. He took one of the metal forks and grabbed a tankard of water. At least it didn't smell like the meager ale he'd had last night, so he imagined it was water. He then proceeded to one of the mostly empty tables and Verun joined him.
Breakfast was a quick affair. A dark-skinned man with short curly hair sat with them. After introductions, they learned that his name was Hurim. He had a scabbard on his belt and mostly leather armor with a metal plate on the front of his chest. After the bulky pale man told everyone that they had five minutes to finish their food, Hurim told them that the man's name was Boru, and that he was one of Minara's commanders. If they had such a thing as commanders.
More people filed out of the hallway and quickly grabbed whatever remnants of food they could. In no time at all, the tavern had filled out. There were easily sixty to eighty people around.
When the five minutes were up, Minara stood and walked to the front of the table she was at and faced the rest of the tavern. Even before she said anything, people nearby seemed to quiet down. When she spoke, everyone else immediately stopped speaking.
"This is it," she said. "We've been preparing for this, and unfortunately, we're going it a bit early. A storm is sweeping over the area as we speak. Looks pretty big, but it could be gone before we know it. The rain will help drown out our assault. If we're lucky, it'll all be over before the storm even alleviates. Now, most of you don't know the plan. For security reasons, we've been tight lipped about it. So what's going to happen now is this. Some of you might've noticed the locked room down at the end of the hall. Inside that room was a gate. With Senna's craftsmanship and my knowledge of scrawl, we've put together a gateway that will allow us to appear deep inside Grittin, right in the fortress." With the mention of the gate, Minara gestured with her thumb to the stone frame behind her.
A few quiet murmurs went around the room.
"After learning how Karnith was moving his troops, I started theorizing on how we could do something similar. I imagine he has a far easier time of it than we're about to. The gate I made has been calibrated carefully to get us to a specific courtyard within the fortress. It's hard-locked and can't be altered. That's what we've been using most of the soul crystals for, that many of you have helped collect. It hasn't been easy, and it's taken us years to gather the supplies to do it. But everyone's hard work has paid off, and today, hopefully within the next few hours, we're going to eliminate Karnith, Daxar, and whoever intends to uphold his tyranny. We'll dismantle the scrawl bindlets that he uses to control his armies and free them from their oppression. Don't get me wrong, this won't be easy. Each and every one of those soldiers will be against us until we take Karnith and Daxar down. Once we do that, the rest of the hierarchy will fall. Even if this goes according to plan, we can only do so much to ensure stability in Grittin. It's a massive city. This coup, will be hard-fought, and even victory could pose numerous unforeseen problems. But together, we'll get through it, and free our brothers and sisters that have been enslaved under Karnith's tyrannical rule."
At the end of her speech, tankards smacked against tables, and fists thumped while feet stomped. The room reverberated with a plethora of wordless cheers.
Minara held a hand up to quiet the room, which swiftly went silent.
"We'll be separating into groups. Each of my commanders will take a team. We've already worked out the specifics. For now, stay seated. We'll be gathering you in your groups and bringing you to the gate. Good luck to you all. First group is assigned to Boru. They'll be going in and making sure the way is clear, and sending a ping back to let us know that we can proceed with the assault. When your name is called, get your ass over here," she said, pointing over to the wall next to the gate. "I've calculated that we have ten minutes of power to keep the portal open. After that, the doorway is closed and we're on our own. Follow your commander. If you get separated, find one
of the other commanders, or lay low until you come into contact with one of your comrades."
Minara looked to Boru and gestured with her head. "Boru, call your squad," she said, as she then made her way around the table and to the side of the gate.
Boru stood and began calling out names in rapid succession. Without hesitation, each person stood and hurried over to the side of the wall in a line. Boru smirked, displaying several missing teeth. He went to the head of the line and nodded to Minara. "Ready," he said.
Ten people were lined up behind Boru, all watching Minara.
She reached out and placed her hand to a large square with an X within it. Upon touching it, a pale gray light flashed into existence within the confines of the stone frame.
On Boru's arm was one of the bindlets, the same type of device that Tamos and Nessa had told Chaxin about. Apparently, the same type of device that helped keep Grittin's army in check.
Boru tapped at the top of the bindlet.
On Minara's arm was a similar device. At the top right, a dull white light appeared and flashed three times, the same number of times that Boru had tapped.
"Good to go," said Minara. "Light the way."
Without further word, Boru walked right up and into the gray screen of light. The light didn't ripple or flicker, but instantaneously, Boru was gone.
Several seconds passed, and then, Minara's bindlet lit up with a series of three white lights.
"Count to three, and then go through the portal," Minara instructed. "Once you're through, keep moving to make way for the next person! Else it might hurt!"
The first person in line was a middle-aged woman with two axes hanging on either side of her hip. She was wide-eyed but smiling. Even though she was the first in line, she seemed to wait the three required seconds before rushing into the portal.