The captain started to get convinced. “A major, huh… It must be Major Morgan… typical,” he said with disgust, mostly to himself.
“How do I believe you?” asked the captain, addressing Karn, seeking some reassurance. He had to be doubly sure before he reported anything back to the Imperium.
“Of course, Captain. Someone as wise as you couldn’t trust someone as low as me. We found a few bodies stuck in various positions as we were clearing the trees. We buried them a little behind you.”
The captain jerked his horse forward in disgust, almost expecting a dead body to jump out of the ground at him. He then asked me. “You there, silent one. Where are the bodies?”
I looked up and as meekly as I could, pointed at a spot. Karn hit me on the head. “Talk, you dunderhead! This is a captain in the Valantian army, a great man. Don’t be rude and just point.”
He bowed his head again to the captain. “Forgive my little brother, sire. He is a little slow.”
The captain was feeling confident again. And merciful. Karn really knew how to suck up to people, especially Valantian army men.
“That’s quite alright. Dig up the body you buried.”
We obliged and started to dig up the body, which had been dead for a month, but was buried at that spot just a couple of days back. As expected, it was rotting. Karn shouted out. “Forgive us, sire, but there might be a strong smell coming now. We found these bodies in terrible states, like they had died weeks ago. We could recognize the bodies only from their Valantian military uniforms. We tried our best to give them a good funeral. Forgive us if we did anything wrong.”
The captain was hiding his face under his arm, to mask the stench. “You,” he commanded a soldier. “Is that a soldier’s body?”
“Yes, sir,” the soldier said after a brief look. Every soldier around us seemed to be getting sick. So were we, but we couldn’t show it.
“Good. Bury it back,” said the pompous captain.
“As you please, sire,” Karn said, as we reburied the body we had just buried a couple of days back.
“So you seem to be telling the truth.” The captain whispered once the stench had come down. We had reburied the bodies. It was definitely the most disgusting thing I had done till that point. The sight and smell of a rotting body was bad enough, but having to dig it up and bury it again was quite something. I hoped it was worth it.
The captain was convinced now. But we had to hit the final nail in the coffin. Karn started to sniff the air suddenly. He then ran back to the spot we were initially standing. “My apologies for startling you all, but I smell Blue Haze. Our digging seemed to have released some of the toxin into the air. You should retreat a couple of kilometers to be safe.” On cue, the villagers hiding in the bushes behind the unit released a concentrated vial of Blue Haze into the air. Hopefully it took effect soon.
The captain was panicking. He sniffed around extensively as well, like a hound on a trail. “I don’t smell anything.”
Karn spoke again, with all the urgency he could fake. “Please, sire. You must hurry. The toxin is mostly odorless. Only my brother and I, after years of exposure, who can recognize its scent. We have grown immune to such small doses, but I am sure you will not be.”
And as luck would have it, as soon as Karn spoke those words, a soldier started to shout. “Captain! I can feel its effects. Everything is becoming bigger! And smaller! Everything is shaking! What is happening?!” And then, he just screamed. Many started to scream.
There was widespread panic in the ranks. The captain was worried. “I don’t feel anything… what will I tell the general? What explanation is there for Azmoq detection here?” he said aloud, fishing for answers from all.
That was a problem. We hadn’t thought of that. What turned the white bands blue? I then had a brain wave. I used all the power of concentration, and pulled out one small part of the armor Flora was wearing. It was a small piece from the armor over her hand.
Karn was blabbering to buy time. Hopefully he had read my mind. “Azmoq, sire? The metal? I can’t imagine it being found here!”
I spoke up, as meekly as I could. “It was my fault, brother. The two men who came before the army, they tried to take me with them to guide them. I was scared. I gave away a piece of Azmoq we had bought from Azmoqshthaal so that they would let me go. Maybe whatever they had detected was that piece?”
The captain wanted to have proof. “You bought Azmoq? Do you still have it?”
I replied, “Yes sire. We bought some, thinking it would help us cut faster, become better lumberjacks. We used up our inheritance and all our savings. But it didn’t help, it didn’t help at all. I am sorry brother.” I burst into tears. Or whatever I could manage.
Karn looked furious. He started to hit me repeatedly. “You sold it?! Without telling me. You fool! Now give the captain whatever we have!”
I gave the captain the piece of armor I had quietly pulled from Flora’s armor. I had taken the time during the conversation, to flatten it and make it, as far as possible, look like it hadn’t been worked upon.
The captain looked at it and brought his sword close to it. It turned blue. He had his proof. And thankfully, the blue haze had reached him by then. Lots of soldiers were shouting, “Save us, Captain!” by this point. He started feeling the effects.
“Everything is moving. This danger is real. Retreat! Retreat!” Soon the entire unit was gone.
We also left in a hurry as all of us were also getting affected. The deception was complete. The army had retreated.
Our scouts confirmed this over the next few days. The army was in a hurry to leave the path.
The last part of this deception was to create a false trail. So the task of a group of villagers was to cut a path leading away from the village for a few kilometers, and saturate the end by Blue Haze plants and trees, so that if there was any reconnaissance mission held again, that would confirm the story we had created.
With that, the village hidden in the leaves of the forest, Villasboro, was safe. We were safe. Our preparations for our journey could start. We now could look for the swords of legend and the master sword in peace.
We spent a few more months in the village preparing. I was getting better with Dhronari’s control and Grim remade the wire connecting my bracer with the sword. Karn had his swords recreated as well, with some Azmoq in them, making them lighter and faster. They also created a bit of sheen when combined and rotated in the X formation, to confuse his opponents. Grim also forged a metallic Azmoq stump for Elbir. He used the current wooden leg as reference, allowing Elbir to continue having the same level of mobility. He also trained with Kazena and Elbir to help them master their swords better. It was critical that Kazena and Elbir gain as much power over their swords as possible.
I also trained frequently with Flora. She was extremely good with her blade. I was barely able to keep up with her. In fact, even Karn struggled a little, although that might have been his way of flirting with her. Not that she cared even a little. But she was getting more and more proficient with her sword. Grim added a little more Azmoq onto it and forged parts of it again. Now, with large swings, the Azmoq increased the weight of the sword, increasing its momentum and hence, the destructive power, drastically.
I spent some of my free time using the smith shop, to create a nice, large case for the sword, which could function as a scabbard for it. The case could be tied to the back diagonally, with a belt around the torso for support. This would help her carry the colossal blade with ease. Once I was done with the gift, I went to her store one evening.
“Hi there, Flora,” I called out to her, as I saw her reading a book on the front porch.
She looked up, when her expression changed from a casual one to one of curiosity.
“Hi there… What do you have there, my friend?”
I unstrapped the case from my back, held it clumsily in my arms as I walked up to her.
“This is for you, Flora.”
; She was now, extremely intrigued. “It looks beautiful… and it’s large… What is it?”
I placed it on the ground and tilted the massive case towards her. “It’s a case for your sword!”
I opened it to show the compartment inside for the sword. It was layered with a soft, red velvet cloth that the village tailor had helped me put in. There was also a layer of soft cloth kept which could help keep the sword clean.
The case brought a smile on her face. It was a nice, warm, one sided smile that increased the twinkle in her eyes.
“Thank you so much! It is really kind of you! This is a beautiful case! Why did you have to go through all this trouble?!”
I shrugged. “It was really no effort. I noticed that the sword was a bit difficult to carry around, so I thought this would be an easy solution for you.”
Flora was admiring the case. I somehow felt the light in her eyes reduce.
“Thanks a lot… although… it’s not like I am going to be doing a lot of carrying around…” she said, wistfully.
Now it was my turn to be intrigued. I wasn’t sure why she said that, nor was her tone clear. Why did she sound sad?
“Why do you say that Flora?”
“Well, I will be in this village for the foreseeable future. Now that the threat of invasion has also been removed, there really isn’t any reason for me to continue to fight. Even if there is an invasion, I will be fighting within the village. There really wouldn’t be any reason for me to carry my sword over long distances… But still, thank you so much for this gift. It is really special….”
I felt that she was holding back.
“Flora, do you want to… go out of the village, travel the world… at some point?”
Flora looked at me. A hint of her smile remained. There seemed be a burning desire in her eyes, emerging from the shadow of sadness that she seemed to be feeling. She let out a sigh and looked away.
“Yes… someday… I mean, before you left, I never really thought about the world… But then, after listening to you, seeing what has happened here, I… I want to experience that too….”
She gave a short chuckle. “Maybe… someday….”
I didn’t see why she couldn’t travel now. “Why don’t you come with us Flora? It will be great! We will go see the world, find the swords and change the world! Come with us!”
It was a great idea. Flora was great company, and I would have someone from Villasboro all the time. I was sure the others would be happy too. Plus she wouldn’t be a liability. Her powers and abilities with her massive blade were obvious to everyone.
Flora shook her head. “I can’t… I am the village physician. If I leave, there would be no one to cater to the village….”
I shook my head. “You know that is not true. You have trained two others to take care of the village.”
She seemed uncertain. “I don’t know…”
I walked up to her and put my arm around her shoulder. “Trust me. You should come with us. You have the skill and the will to make this journey.”
She looked at me, smiled, turned and gave me a quick hug.
“Thanks for the words of encouragement. Let me think about it. Thanks again for the gift.” She picked up the gift and started to head inside.
“I need to get back to my patients,” she said. “See you around!”
I waved as she disappeared behind her store, with her new sword case in hand.
For a couple of weeks, we had nothing to do but relax. Grim took our swords for adding the tracking mechanism in. We explored the village and the hills. I took them to the White Destroyer through the Niladris. Flora also started to spend more time with us. Maybe she wanted to get to know everyone better, think about whether she wanted to leave with us. She had slowly become a part of our group. It was a happy time. After a long time of loneliness, even though I never realized that I was lonely, I now had company I could speak to, spend time with. I had friends.
But all of us were a little restless. Restless to start the journey of our lives. Probably the most important journey for our entire generation.
We did keep meeting Grim. I had many conversations, mostly one sided, where I told him in great detail what had happened over the past few months. He was surprised by the power I possessed, but he couldn’t shed any light on it – it was the first time he had seen such an ability.
Karn, Kazena and Elbir also met Grim many times. They learnt a lot more about their swords. He gave Kazena and Elbir access to their swords for small lengths of time. Under Grim’s instructions, they were able to gain a greater appreciation of their swords. Although Kazena had her swords for almost two decades, most of her powers were self-taught. She learnt how her sword worked,[14] helping her gain a greater understanding of her heirlooms, which she came to know were called Dwirasvin. On the other hand, Elbir gained knowledge and expertise of what was now accepted as his sword – the spear sword, which was named Duurdran.[15]
Grim finally summoned all of us together to his smith shop. It had been almost nine months since I had left the village for the first time. My conversation with Grim then was still fresh. Here I was, having completed my revenge, with new friends and a new purpose. Only this mission would take longer.
Grim handed us all our swords. They all seemed the same. Karn looked disappointed. All of us felt the same, although we didn’t show it.
Karn spoke. “Grim, no offence, but were you just admiring these swords for the last few weeks? There doesn’t seem to be anything different about them.”
Grim smiled, and then spoke to all of us.
“Don’t worry. Besides admiring them, I also worked on them. These swords have been modified with the tracker. The mechanism is simple. It is an almost invisible film of Azmoq mixed with some copper and glass. The interesting thing about this composition is that it starts to heat up when it is close to a piece of the master sword. After some time, it starts to cool down, and becomes extremely cool. It will have a range of over 100 kilometers, blowing alternatively hot and cold as you get closer and closer, with the frequency of temperature change increasing. Once right beside the sword, it will turn black.
It is similar in its construct to the white Valantian weapon bands. The critical difference is that they can recognize only the Azmoq composition that was used in the swords of legend. Ayasiddh used a particular blend in all of his swords, a blend known only to him. It was identified accurately by my father, after almost a century of study. It is this blend that the film can track.”
Saying that, he got up. I knew what was coming.
“With this, I have nothing further to teach you or help you with. You must start on your quest. My suggestion is, start with Kazena’s family. Given the swords were with them for centuries, they might still have the master sword piece or know how to trace it. Who knows, they might also know where some of the other swords are. Any questions?”
I was sad at leaving the village again. “Can’t you come?” I asked, knowing the answer.
Grim grimaced. “No, kid. There is work to be done. By the time you return, this village has to be turned into a fighting machine. We need some extremely well-trained troops to start our struggle after the swords are found. I can do that.”
Grim started to walk out. And then stopped.
“I almost forgot. I have one additional gift for you, Karn.”
Saying that, he handed Karn his Varta blade. Karn didn’t move. He thought it was some weird joke that he didn’t get.
Grim held the sword out. “Take it. I don’t need it anymore. It will help you all more than it will me.”
“But wouldn’t you… wouldn’t you die without it?” asked Karn, still not taking it. He didn’t even move.
“I have lived too long with it to die anytime soon. My father died about 200 years after he relinquished the sword to me. So I probably will still outlive you all,” Grim chuckled.
Karn took the sword with both his hands, one on the hilt, the other, under its blade. He held it
almost reverentially. “I will make the best buttered toasts ever.” Everyone laughed. Grim smiled as well.
“Please respect the sword. It holds great power. Good luck. And good bye.” He left without a backwards glance.
We gathered all our belongings, took our new and improved swords, with Karn still holding the Varta blade with both his hands. He didn’t want to let go, afraid that it might be a dream.
From my house, we decided to stop by Flora’s house. Others wanted to say farewell and I was still hoping she would join us.
We waited for her, as she came to us from the tent. The soldiers and villagers under her care were almost completely healed.
Flora saw us, and she knew we were about to leave.
“So… I see you guys are off,” Flora said.
Kazena replied, “Yes… Yes, we are…almost... But we are still missing one person!”
I was confused. How did they know…?
Karn burst out laughing. He saw my confused look.
“You really thought only you wanted to come with us? I knew you wanted Flora to join us long back. Your mind practically screamed it every time she was around.”
I was getting upset. We had agreed that he wouldn’t read my mind without my permission.
“Karn, how could you…” I started, when Elbir patted my shoulder.
“He didn’t. He is just joking. I noticed how well Flora was gelling with us. She is a great fighter, she is a great healer. And I got the feeling that she wanted to travel with us. I suggested it to Kazena and Karn who were enthusiastic as well.”
Age of Azmoq: The Valantian Imperium Page 50