by Skyler Grant
Alex almost missed Yasmine even with the tracks. Fortunately, a few days had been enough for her dead horse to start to rot and he smelled the stench.
It looked like a cliff side had collapsed and buried them both.
Yasmine had almost gotten free of it—almost. A part of her arm was clear of the rubble, as was her head, but the rest was under thousands of pounds of rock.
Yasmine made no sound as he approached. Placing a hand beneath her nose confirmed that she still drew breath. She must have suffered massive physical trauma, but all mundane damage would heal fairly quickly. Even so she might just be dying slowly instead of healing quickly, and Alex's first priority had to be to reverse that.
Slipping a healing potion out of his potion belt, Alex forced Yasmine's lips open and poured in the contents, before holding her mouth closed. A few minutes later Yasmine's eyes opened, wide and panicked, and she let out a pained cry.
Alex released his grip on Yasmine's jaw. She saw him and her expression calmed.
"Glaive, knew you'd come. I'm pretty well fucked," Yasmine said weakly.
"Looks like you had half a mountain fall on you," Alex said.
"Stupid, right? I'm barely holding together under here and I don't think you're strong enough to dig me out."
There were several massive chunks of stone, and Alex was inclined to agree. Being a Glitch gave him some degree of enhanced strength. Not enough for this.
"What about magic—I can go get Kationa. I've experienced her teleporting and it could get you right out of there," Alex said.
"And have her lord it over me for the rest of time? I'd rather that than death, if it comes to it, but thinking of something else it is better. Is there any way you can get to my saddlebags?"
Yasmine had been thrown from her horse in the collapse. The remains of the animal were buried too, but not under quite as much rock as she was and digging through it would be hard. One large piece in particular looked impossible to shift, and while it showed several cracks it wouldn't be easily broken.
"Maybe, it would take me some time. I have another possibility that might help. I have some vials of liquefied quintessence from someone studying corruption."
"You've been having adventures. No, it might be just the thing to help, but my body is weak and that sort of thing is risky at the best of times. Free my bag and I've some explosives in there." Getting to the saddlebags would mostly be a matter of tedious labor—if that big rock could be moved or broken up. Alex had an idea. Opening his waterskin he carefully poured the contents over the rock, making sure to get water into every nook and crevice.
"If you're hoping to turn it to mud, I don't think it’s going to work," Yasmine said.
That wasn't what Alex had in mind. Once the waterskin was empty he pressed his hand to the rock and focused on the tonal Merhal, whispering the word.
Frost filled him and erupted through his touch. Alex kept his focus on the tone while moving his hand along the rock’s surface, frost spreading in the wake, and the sharp sound of cracking came as the frozen water in the cracks expanded.
The rock did nothing so dramatic as explode, but in the aftermath the cracks were far wider and it looked as if it would be much easier to fracture.
"Neat trick. You shouldn't have a tonal yet," Yasmine said. There was no hiding the disapproval in her tone.
"Kationa helped me to unlock it a little early," Alex said.
"The system is in place for a reason, Glaive. You can cheat the rules every so often, but do it too much and there are consequences."
"She gave me the same warning," Alex said, taking out his Songhammer. Alex brought it down in several savage blows on where the integrity of the rock looked the most compromised. There was a deafening crack and the stone fell apart into three pieces.
"Glaive, I'm serious. Holding onto those corruption vials, having her unlock potential early. I get that you're just trying to make yourself stronger for the threat that we're facing, but ..." Yasmine said.
Alex had set to work moving stone. It was a dirty, arduous process but straightforward.
"I'm being cautious, but I am also being prepared. Helen wanted to escape from her commitments and I am trying to honor mine," Alex said.
"It was a mistake to leave you on your own so soon. Normally you'd be shadowing another Glitch Hunter until at least you were level five, maybe ten. The House hasn't treated any of you right and I should have made up for it better than I have," Yasmine said.
"Stop giving any conciliatory death speech when you're not going to die."
Alex finally uncovered the strap of the saddle bag. With a cut of his blade he severed it, then gripping one corner of the saddle bag with both hands, tugging it this way and that, he pulled it free from the rubble.
"What am I looking for in here?" Alex asked.
"Clay pots marked with the yellow top. You've handled one of my grenades before."
Despite being crushed under rock the pots were intact, stored in well-reinforced and cushioned pockets, and he soon found three.
"Got them," Alex said.
"Most of the explosive force will go up and to the sides, but some is going to go down. It’s probably going to knock me out again and break a lot inside me. My potion belt has a greater healing potion in it. The cap will be marked with three red Xs," Yasmine said.
"It really would be better if you let me go back for Kationa."
"Do it my way, Glaive. This will be fine."
"Where should I place them," Alex asked.
"Beneath any larger pieces, if you can get them in there, and keep them some distance apart."
Alex reviewed the situation and went about placing the bombs. He settled for one near Yasmine's feet and the others to either side of her shoulders. He dug them in as much as possible, angling the explosions beneath larger sections of rock.
"Last chance to back out of this," Alex said.
"I'm ready. Just do it and remember the healing potion," Yasmine said.
Alex twisted the caps of the bombs, one, two, three, before he moved for cover.
The explosions came, one loud boom after the other, spraying rock and dirt into the air. Alex rushed back. The explosions hadn't completely uncovered Yasmine, but most of the rock was gone exposing both her arms. Grabbing her hands he pulled and dragged her out.
Yasmine was a mess. Even the armor she was so proud of hadn't been able to protect her from so much injury. Alex hastily found the vial marked with three red X's, popped the tap and forced it into her mouth.
Yasmine spasmed violently, almost as if she were having some sort of fit. The healing was the fastest he'd seen, and the most traumatic. Yasmine was still breathing when it was done, but unconscious. Alex loaded her and her saddlebags on his horse and rode back to town as fast as he could. Cassandra would have a comfortable bed and access to a physician.
27
“New lives, new loves, it is a wonderful gift I’ve been given.” Nya Ranseur
Cassandra didn’t protest as another Glitch Hunter was dumped on her and soon enough Yasmine was settled into a private room.
The physician who looked her over was no expert in Glitch physiology, but he thought that she should be fine. The greater healing potion had stitched together all the broken and bleeding flesh. Her being unconscious was likely the result of severe shock and bed-rest was the best remedy.
Alex was about to head back to the keep for the night when his display flashed.
Warning
The Vortex around Falkirk is continuing to expand
The priority of your current quest has been escalated.
Destruction of the city is forecast within five days
Up until now there hadn't been any sort of timer ticking away. Five days, it wasn't much time and Alex could only regret the days so far that now seemed wasted. Despite all of his time so far in Falkirk, he was no closer to discovering what actually threatened the city.
Alex returned to the keep and spent another exhausti
ng, if pleasurable, night with Sabrina. Her vigor continued to impress him, for all that lack of sleep was becoming an ongoing problem.
In the morning after breakfast he considered what to do that day. Alex had three leads that he could follow up. There was the vault that belonged to the old baron, a magically sealed chamber made shortly before his death. Cassandra had two of the three stones needed to open it. Getting the third would require Alex heading into Glitch-infested tunnels.
There was the women who had gone missing from Falkirk to later show up dead, and the matter of the ships vanishing as they sailed close to the city.
Cassandra had her people looking into the missing girls and might have some answers by now. Alex was no closer to finding a practical method to investigate the missing ships.
The secret vault seemed the best option and he headed out to the Windicott estate.
Alex first checked on Yasmine. She hadn’t regained consciousness although the physician thought that she would soon. Not totally convinced—after all, the same thing had been said the night before—Alex didn't know what else he could do but wait.
It seemed likely that the merchants would have stored their key in a vault of their own. Alex got Ryn to accompany him.
The Kant estate, or what remained of it, was on the edge of town and now a burned-out husk. Signs of splendor could still be seen in some of the ornate stonework, or the intricately carved metal gate which had survived, but mostly it was ash-covered rubble.
Ryn led the way, guiding him to a stairway vanishing into the ground at the rear of the estate.
"You really have no idea what we'll find down there?" Alex asked.
"Not a clue. Whatever it is, we'll deal with it. You're a Glitch Hunter and I'm good in a fight on my own."
"Good in a fight isn't always enough against Glitch."
Ryn lit a lantern and they descended into the darkness. It looked like this entrance had once collapsed and been cleared again. The walls weren't stone but rather roughhewn dirt. A short distance within the passage narrowed back to stone.
It wasn't long until they found a body, blackened and charred. Alex knelt to study the corpse.
Skeleton indicates human male
Indications of Leather Armor
Severely burned
Fire damage is very uniform
Estimate corpse is less than a month old
"This is recent," Alex said.
"Not a body left over from when the estate burned?" Ryn asked.
"It doesn't look like it. Have you heard about anyone being burned alive?"
Ryn shook her head. "What kind of Glitch could do this?"
"I don't know yet. I need more information. Let’s keep going but stay cautious," Alex said.
Advancing further they found what once must have been a wine cellar. Almost everything was charred and the bottles had exploded.
Analysis Mode returned several spots of interest. A particularly large pile of shattered glass sat amidst a dark stain.
Broken glass
Wine Bottles
Interior edges show dried wine
Wine boiled while inside?
Intriguing, but Alex didn't see how it helped. He already knew that whatever he was dealing with likely had some degree of intense fire. An old torch mount on the wall was next.
Torch Mount
Iron
Severely Deformed
Temperatures sufficient to warp steel but not liquefy it
In one corner there was another body, little more than blackened bones.
Skeleton indicates human female
Simple attire
Severely burned
Non-uniform damage
Estimate corpse is over eight years dead
Possible Match Found
Flame Maiden
Rare Glitch
Alignment: Black/Red
Flame Maidens are women who have died in flames while filled with rage. Their spirits bond with the flames that burn them and they become beings of fire. They are possible to appease. Usually being able to burn the arsonist responsible for their death will sate their flames and allow their spirit to rest.
Vulnerabilities: Immune to all mundane weapons. While they can be harmed with harmonized steel their intense heat will usually warp the sound chambers of the blade rendering it useless. Vulnerable to elemental magics involving water.
None of that was good news for Alex. Although his bracer didn't identify frost as a potential weapon here he thought his frost touch might be effective, and he wasn't happy about the damage Flame Maidens could do to his blade and probably his armor.
"Let’s pull back for now," Alex said.
"We're quitting already? What did you find?" Ryn asked.
"Glitch we're dealing with is a Flame Maiden. Spirit of a woman that worked here and burned in the fire. Killing the arsonist can set them free. Probably long gone, but I at least want to talk with Cassandra or come back more prepared."
Ryn didn’t argue and they made their way back to the Windicott estate.
Cassandra listened to the report, frowning.
"You don't look happy. No hope of finding the arsonist?" Alex asked.
Cassandra shook her head and offered a weak smile. "I just hate that period in our history. It has scarred our entire town. I had friends die in those times, I think everyone did here. You're in luck, though. The arsonist wasn't with the Youlash army but a local. The Kant are a big family and their holdings go beyond Falkirk."
"So, they had someone else do their dirty work," Ryn said.
"Exactly," Cassandra did as she summoned a servant. Cassandra exchanged a few quiet words before waving them off.
"I'll have him fetched and brought here," Cassandra said.
"I could do that," Alex said.
"I'm sure, but my people know the terrain and have the pull. Sit and drink some damned wine, Glitch Hunter. You're on a schedule and that means doing things my way," Cassandra said.
Alex had no good answer to that and so took her advice. It was an excellent full-bodied red.
"You're quite okay with this? Throwing a man to this spirit? Not everyone would be," Cassandra said.
That Alex knew well. Glitch Hunters were all killers, yet despite that Yasmine would certainly object to something like this—her code put man before the monster, always. While he'd seen her murder soldiers with casual ease, this was something different.
"Whoever this man is, from all you've said he took coin to burn a family alive. He doesn't seem very deserving of my sympathies," Alex said.
"Oh, he isn't, he isn't a very nice man at all. Still, I'm impressed and pleased, Glitch Hunter. I had my concerns when Ryn suggested we be friends. I hadn't realized you were so ruthless."
"I'm not doing this for you," Alex reminded her.
"Well, we both know that is a lie. You wouldn't be going to that estate at all were it not for me. Take the win," Cassandra said.
Alex was halfway through the bottle when the word came that the deed was done.
The man had been knocked out and tied up, and Cassandra's people had slung him across the back of Alex's horse to make things easy. The arsonist looked to be in his fifties, balding and his clothing stinking of ale.
"Your friend Cassandra is creepy," Alex said to Ryn.
Ryn grinned, "Cass? Nah, I know it comes across like that, but she really isn't. Some people get off on the killing and the butchering, and she isn't one of those. Cass just ... hates for anyone or anything to stand in her way and loathes excuses."
"Still an odd thing to be that happy about," Alex said.
"I guess so, but I'm kind of the same so I don't really notice. People all the time are happy to take coin to leave a window open for me, and then horrified when I rob the place blind," Ryn said.
Alex thought about that as they continued to ride towards the ruined estate. Morality remained a curious thought for Alex, deprived of his own past he was establishing who and what he was going to be right now. He
had a willingness to skirt the rules that worried Yasmine, a sense of honor that displeased Helen, and a ruthlessness that pleased Cassandra. What did all that add up to?
Once they reached the estate Alex flung the arsonist over one shoulder. Ryn followed with lantern as they set off down the stairs.
"How do you know her anyways?" Alex asked.
"I'm actually from Falkirk originally. We knew each other growing up," Ryn said quietly.
"You were what? One of her servants?"
"Peers. House Cosis was another of the merchant houses here, but we weren't big enough to have to use a cutout to kill everyone," Ryn said.
"How did you wind up as a thief?"
"We were being robbed when soldiers came to the door and started killing everyone. Jax might have been a thief, but he had a good heart and got me out," Ryn said.
"Came for the silverware and stole a kid?" Alex asked.
"That is how it happened—hey, does it seem any warmer to you?" Ryn asked.
It did, not only that but Alex was starting to pick up dissonance. It was strange though, complex. There was more than a single harmony. Alex wondered if it was because of the Glitch being aligned with two different types of quintessence. Jess was as well, but perhaps he'd never noticed because of her volume.
When they reached the wine cellar they were confronted by a shape vaguely feminine, with the barest suggestion of hips and breasts—although it was difficult to tell in a figure made entirely of living flame.
"Murderer! Killer! Burner!" said the Flame Maiden in a voice like crackling fire.
Alex dumped the arsonist on the ground and backed away.
The Maiden looked up. "Why?"
"So you can rest. Have your justice and be done with this place," Alex said.
The Maiden stared at him, then gave an exaggerated nod and moved towards the prone man.
It was a blessing for the arsonist that he never woke up. Clothes soaked in alcohol, he burned especially well, although given what was murdering him it was hardly necessary. The cellar filled with the scent of roasting flesh and when nothing but a charred skeleton remained the Flame Maiden burned with a last, brilliant blaze before vanishing.