“I disagree, but that would be a matter for the Justicar to decide, should you wish to take it that far,” I answered, feeling my friends shuffle around me as Quincy and Samuel moved to flank Stanton. “But you bring up a good point about claims. Given that this ruin likely links to whatever is beneath us, Virtus will be extending its claim to it and anything else found under Aldford, including this portion of the Ley Line. In fact, until one of us says otherwise, I don’t want you anywhere near these ruins, we’ll manage exploring the ruins and the Ley Line rupture ourselves from here on out.”
“What?” Samuel barked his face red with anger as he joined the growing argument. “You cannot be serious in barring us from the ruins when the safety of Eberia is at stake!”
“You may be worried about Eberia, but my concern is the future of Aldford,” I retorted angrily. “We’re the ones with the most to lose if the Ley Line erupts after all. I am just making sure that it remains in control of those most invested in Aldford’s survival, and right now, I don’t trust any of you further than I could spit.”
“This is ridiculous,” Stanton seethed, thrusting out a finger at me as he spoke. “Just who do you think you are? You cannot take a task such as this onto yourself single-handedly! You do not have the background to even begin to understand what is buried underneath here!”
“Virtus is hardly single-handed, Stanton, we are the largest guild in this region by far,” I replied, waving at my friends behind me. “Besides, what right do you have to contest anything we claim?”
Staring at me silently, Stanton opened then closed his mouth, watching me closely as he processed what I said, his eyes narrowing as he stared at me. “Today was a show, wasn’t it? The ruins, the snakes, everything.”
“We wanted to show you what living on the frontier truly means,” I replied matching the man’s stare unflinchingly. “And to drive home that a person’s worth is measured by their actions, not the titles that they have attached to their name. Today you couldn’t even be bothered to raise your hand in our defense when the snakes attacked us, and that action alone told us all we need to know about you. I don’t trust you to have my back going into this ruin, and until that changes, you’re not going to step foot inside it.”
“Are you calling me a coward—” Stanton’s shout reached dangerous levels as he took a single rage-filled step towards me before Lazarus’s big hand slammed into the noble’s shoulder and gripped it tightly.
“That is enough!” Lazarus shouted, effortlessly swatting Stanton’s flailing hands away as Sawyer and Ransom forced themselves past Quincy and Samuel to stand before me. “I’m putting a stop to this before someone else does something even more stupid! Get out of our way; we’re leaving!”
“Let go of me, you filthy criminal!” Stanton shouted as Lazarus pushed him forward and towards the switchbacks, whispering something in his ear that had him fall immediately silent.
Criminal? Stanton’s choice of words caused my eyebrow to rise, seeing a momentary wince pass over both Sawyer and Ransom’s faces as we stepped out of their path, allowing them a clear passage up the switchbacks.
“What the fuck, Lyrian?” Lazarus spat, giving me an angry glare as he passed me before leading Stanton up the switchbacks and up to the surface, the two mages following close behind.
The sound of angry feet slowly faded away as the group turned a corner and continued their rush upwards, leaving us staring at one another in silence until Constantine’s words filled the air.
“I think they took the news pretty well, all things considered.”
Chapter 20
A roaring clap of thunder rolled through the air, followed by several flashes of lightning that lit up the sky, jagged lines of electricity filling my vision. Blinking the after images away, I pulled my attention away from the raging storm overhead and looked down at Crater Lake below me, the very same ridge line that I had once jumped off inches away from my feet. The lake rippled with the impact of countless droplets, the heavy deluge only having intensified as the evening progressed.
Lazarus is sure taking his sweet time in getting here, I mused as I shifted my gaze from the lake and onto the distant horizon. If he’s not here soon, I’ll head back and call it a night.
After our argument with Stanton and his subsequent removal from the lakeside ruin by Lazarus, we had returned to Aldford in two separate groups, wondering if the noble was going to press Aldwin or Dyre about our claim straight away. But to our surprise, we learned that after arriving back at the Town Stanton had immediately stormed up to his room in the Town Hall and locked himself in, Veronia eventually joining him after a time.
None of us had any idea what to make of the noble’s reaction, but decided it was best to let both Aldwin and Dyre know what happened, in case Stanton tried to do something sneaky behind our backs. No sooner than I had finished my meeting with the Bann, however, did Lazarus send me a rather curt private message, asking me to meet him privately, one-on-one, somewhere outside of Aldford.
Which is how I ended up here, feet now dangling over the edge of hundred-foot drop and watching a summer thunderstorm sweep through the land.
I wonder what Stanton’s next move will be, I thought while bringing up my quest log and reading through the latest quest update that I had received after we had left the Crater Lake ruins. He should have known we’re not going to give up our claims on the ruins, and he badly needed an attitude adjustment before he mouthed off to an Adventurer with less patience than us.
Quest: The Ruptured Ley Line!
After escorting Lord Stanton and his retinue to the Crater Lake Ruins and exploring the area, you have discovered that there may, in fact, be a lower level buried deeper underground. During the excitement of the discovery, Stanton revealed that the Nafarr have been known to excavate underground chambers in order to reach and tap the Ley Line. Based on his experience he believes that there is a good chance that an underground ruin stretches far enough to reach the Ley Line.
Your next step now is to try and excavate the collapsed passage leading deeper into the ruins.
Escort Lord Stanton to the Ancient Transport Hub: 1/1
Escort Lord Stanton to the Crater Lake Ruins: 1/1
Attempt to excavate the collapsed passage and see where it leads: 0/1
Ley Line Sealed: 0/1
Difficulty: Legendary
Reward: Experience & Renown
Penalty for Failure: Aldford and the surrounding region will be destroyed.
Amaranth warned me, causing me to dismiss my quest log from my vision and push myself up onto my feet.
Turning to face the forest behind me, I activated True Sight, watching the dark shadows fade away as I spotted Lazarus force himself out of the woods, his eyes immediately landing on me.
“You picked a goddamn far enough place to meet,” he spat as he stalked out of the woods and into the rain.
“You wanted a private place,” I replied, spreading my hands out wide and indicating the edge of the ridge. “This is about as private as it gets around here.”
“Good, because we’re about to have it out right fucking here,” Lazarus growled as he walked towards me, cracking his knuckles ominously. “Your fucking stunt could have killed Stanton today and cost the three of us everything! What the hell were you thinking? I told you tha
t we need to keep the fucking prick alive!”
“Oh, he seems in perfectly fine health to me,” I replied to Lazarus, unfazed by the amount profanity coming out of his mouth or his threatening advance. “In fact, I’d be surprised if the man got close enough to the battle to even tell what color the snakes were.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that you fucking pulled them on purpose!” Lazarus shouted as he loomed over me and thrust a finger into my face. “What the fuck made you think that was a good idea?”
“We needed to see what you were all made of,” I said evenly, looking up at the half-giant’s angry expression. “And if we could count on you if the shit hit the fan.”
“That’s it?” Lazarus exclaimed, taking a step back from me and clenching his fist. “You risked everything just to see if we’d fight?!”
“And it paid off,” I stated, waving my hand over the man’s shoulder, indicating his sword. “You, Sawyer and Ransom fought, while Stanton, Samuel and Quincy cowered. If they had any shred of courage on them, they would have figured out some way to contribute to the battle. Stanton is a mage on a horse for fuck’s sake! He could have run circles around those snakes!”
“Stanton may be a colossal fucking ass, but the only damn thing I’ve been able to get him to agree on is not to put his life in needless danger!” Lazarus countered. “It is our job to take care of shit that could kill him, because if he dies—”
“Then your hostages die,” I interrupted, watching Lazarus’s face shift into a scowl. “Yeah, I remember what you told me.”
“And it didn’t even make you think twice about what you planned to do?” He barked back at me. “If he died…”
Lazarus paused for a moment to shake his head, a dark expression coming over his face. “As if that wasn’t enough, you then fucking shoved your claim down his throat at the ruin and banned him from the site,! You had to know he would take that badly!”
“Of course, I knew that! That’s why I picked my timing so carefully,” I replied to Lazarus. “But what other choice did I have? Stanton kept us all waiting for the entire morning, ordered us around all day and refused to share even the barest shred of information with us until it was pried from his jaw. He needed to know where the line was. You and your friends may be under his thumb, but we sure as hell aren’t.”
“Goddamn it, Lyrian. Stanton, and by extension, Emilia, isn’t someone you can fuck around with this way,” Lazarus said. “There has to be more to Stanton than either of us have seen so far, and as for that bitch, she wields actual power back in Eberia, and can make your life miserable in more ways than one.”
“Eberia is about to be drawn into a long and drawn out war with The Ascendancy, which is going to leave Aldford out here completely alone and cut off,” I stated, seeing Lazarus’s eyes narrow. “I couldn’t care less about what either of them can do, and more about being dragged into a war that we couldn’t possibly survive. Not yet anyway.”
“So, is this is your response to our warning then?” Lazarus questioned his eyes burning with anger as they focused on me. “Thanks, but no thanks?”
“It’s your damned warning that brought all of this on!” I exclaimed acidly. “You swoop in and tell us things that we couldn’t possibly verify, then expect things to fall into place? No, things don’t work like that. You want us to trust you? Send us your feed. All of it. Completely uncut. Then we can start talking if what we see matches up to what you’ve told us.”
“Out of the fucking question!” Lazarus snapped angrily. “I don’t trust you with my feed after what you did today!”
“Are you sure it has anything to do with what happened today or is it because there is something you don’t want us to see?” I shot back, matching the man’s tone. “Stanton called you a criminal earlier today, just before you pulled him away. I wonder what he meant by that?”
“Keep wondering,” he spat. “That’s none of your business.”
“Then I think we’re done here,” I said dismissively, moving to step around Lazarus. “You want my help? Then your feed is my price. Come find me when you’re ready to deal.”
“No,” Lazarus growled, his hand reaching out to grab my arm as I passed by him and gripped it tightly. “I have too much on the line to deal with this shit.”
“Let go of me, Lazarus,” I said dangerously as I turned to face the half-giant. “Now.”
“I’m sorry, Lyrian, but I can’t do that.” Lazarus’s grip tightened on my arm until I felt the chainmail links begin to dig into my skin. “If you’re not going to help me willingly, then I’m going to have to do something rash.”
“Like kill me?” I asked, feeling adrenaline shoot through me as I prepared myself for a fight. “You know that won’t change anything. Death doesn’t matter to us.”
“Not to us, no,” Lazarus agreed. “But to some of the other people in town? Death is rather permanent.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” I snarled as I yanked hard on my arm and tore it free of Lazarus’s grip, taking a step back.
“With what I have on the line…” Lazarus replied wearily as he moved to follow me, his hands balling themselves into fists. “I wouldn’t even hesitate.”
“This isn’t going to end well for you, Lazarus,” I warned as I shifted into a ready stance, hands hanging loosely by my side. “Stop this while you still can.”
“We’re past that point, Lyrian,” Lazarus said, shaking his head a heartbeat before he lunged forward, a fist sweeping through the air where my head had just been.
Putting Amaranth’s reply out of my mind, I dodged another heavy punch, then sidestepped a snap-kick aimed at my leg, that would have surely sent me crashing to the ground with broken bones. Careful to keep my balance on the slick mud and stone beneath my feet, I focused my attention on Lazarus who wasted no time in pressing his attack.
He’s stronger and faster than me, I noted as his rapid assault had me entirely on the defensive, forcing me to give up ground, lest I get caught with a flurry of blows I couldn’t hope to recover from. But he’s all offense, with barely a second thought to his guard or form. I think I have a skill level or two on him at the very least.
Analyzing Lazarus’s timing, I abandoned my steady retreat and stepped forward into his latest attack, ducking under a flying fist as it passed over my shoulder. Darting into his guard, I lashed out with my own punch, catching the half-giant high on the cheek before slipping past him and reversing our positions.
“Fighting me isn’t going to solve anything!” I called out to the man as a crash of thunder echoed from the sky, drowning out my words.
“Like hell, it isn’t!” Lazarus barked angrily as he whirled around to face me, barely noticing that my blow had split his cheek.
Rushing forward, Lazarus continued his relentless assault, his fists and feet blurring through the air with more anger than skill, forcing me to dance around the man’s attacks. The storm raging above us soon faded from our conscious thoughts as our worlds shrank to one of moves and countermoves, water flying through the air from timely blocks, a sharp gasp of air marking a blow that one of us were too slow to intercept or avoid.
The slight skill advantage I had over Lazarus in unarmed combat allowed me to mitigate his physical prowess, but not enough to remain unscathed forever. My body ached from more than a dozen heavy blows that I was forced to absorb, the worse amongst them emanating from my side, leaving me taking sharp, pained breaths from what could only be a trio of cracked ribs. In comparison, Lazarus’s face was almost unrecognizable, one eye completely swollen shut and his nose plastered to one side. The heavy cuirass that had covered his chest had forced me to focus my attacks on the exposed portions of his body, lest I break a hand punching solid metal.
&
nbsp; Thankfully, my Unarmed Mastery ability lets me land heavier hits than my strength would normally allow, I thought with a grimace as I accepted a glancing blow across my ear while stepping deep into Lazarus’s guard and landing a punishing knee into the side of his kidney, where his breastplate didn’t protect. Otherwise, I’d be in real trouble.
Gasping from my attack, Lazarus’s balance finally faltered, causing him to fall to one knee and clutch at his side, a bitter curse filling the air.
“Fuck!” he slurred angrily, his one open eye looking up at me with rage as a red aura of magic suddenly bloomed around his body. “ENOUGH!”
“What the hell are you doing, Lazarus?” I shouted back at the man, reaching for Razor’s hilt, completely surprised to see a wave of magic surge through the half-giant, not having pegged him as a spellcaster. “You do not want to escalate this!”
“Maybe I do!” Lazarus roared as his hand began to reach up to the greatsword strapped to his back.
“Damn it, Lazarus!” Not waiting for the man to draw his sword, I lunged forward with my hand outstretched, triggering Blink Step as I moved, intending to put an end whatever spell he was weaving. “Stop!”
My vision blurring as I teleported, I reappeared practically on top of Lazarus at the same moment a bolt of lightning crossed the sky, leaving me staring down at the soaked half-giant’s face. My hand followed a heartbeat afterward, gripping Lazarus by the side of the throat and immediately began to drain his mana.
But instead of the cool refreshing flow of mana that I expected, I felt a lance of fire shoot up my arm, causing my body to burn from within as if my blood had become liquid metal.
“Aaah!” I had no idea who the scream came from as my hand clenched down around Lazarus’s throat, refusing to let go.
Legacy of the Fallen Page 25