by Skyler Grant
You have freed the spirit of a Flame Maiden
You have gained 3 Red XP
You have gained 3 Black XP
A small gemstone fell to the floor and Alex quickly picked it up before Ryn.
Flame Gem
A rare gem associated with the element of fire. Three of them placed simultaneously into a blade will allow it to blaze on command, otherwise when attached to armor it provides some degree of fire resistance.
Alex had never even seen a blade with three slots. It was something to save for and fire resistance could be useful.
"Let's move on and make sure there isn't anything else down here," Alex said.
28
“Fear is the great uniter of a people, that which lets a great man have the loyalty he needs to do great things. If they fear you, the world is yours to remake as you wish.” King Devok of Youlash
Alex and Ryn moved down the hall. They found two small store rooms with the contents long ago burned to cinders, but no sign of any vault.
"I hope this wasn't all for nothing," Alex said, frowning at a pile of ash.
"Least you got a pretty stone out of it. Don't give up yet, vaults are best when hidden. Let me do my thing for awhile," Ryn said.
"Do you know what you're looking for?"
"Oftentimes simple works best. A hatch hidden under crates or something similar. Stomp around the ash and tell me if you hear anything that sounds different. I'm going to check the stones for hidden switches," Ryn said.
Alex toggled Analysis Mode and had a look around. Given it was based on dissonance he thought it might detect a door even if it were hidden beneath ash. Although he didn't find that, one wall did distort strangely and he called Ryn over to inspect it.
Ryn felt along the wall and shot him a grin. "You're not just hired muscle. We've got a crack, and I think what used to be a switch connected to something long gone.” Ryn pulled a tool from her pouch and went to work. After a minute the wall clicked and swung back.
The chamber beyond was filled with shelves, these ones untouched by flames. Most held scrolls and papers, and a familiar-looking stone sat on one.
Ryn pocketed it almost absent-mindedly as she set the lantern on a table so that she could begin to pull out papers and have a look.
"Hoping some of these still have value?" Alex asked.
"You don't hide it away unless it does. Even if it’s just old accounting paperwork the other branches of the family might still pay to have it back, or their competitors pay for some insight."
Alex looked through a few himself. Mostly they did seem to be either accounts or dense legalese with signatures.
"We're taking all of this," Ryn said.
"Fine. You going to tell Cassandra we found it?"
Ryn shot him a dark look and sighed. "Yeah, she'll take it poorly if we don't and she finds out, and since I have to sell it she will find out. Great friend, terrifying enemy. Always deal fair with her."
They loaded up the saddlebags with the paperwork and returned to the Windicott estate.
It was hard to tell what pleased Cassandra more, that they had gotten the third and final stone or the stash of paperwork. In his brief time knowing her Alex wouldn't have suspected she could smile so broadly or for that sustained a period.
Alex had cause for celebration of his own, Yasmine had finally woken up. Alex visited her in her room. She had one leg propped up on a chair and several bottles of assorted alcohol nearby.
"You could probably use a hearty meal instead of all that," Alex said.
"You sound like the physician. I kicked him out, so be careful."
"You're in good spirits for having survived something that really should have killed you."
Yasmine slowly climbed to her feet, walking to one end of the room and then back to the other. She had a pronounced limp.
"Your wounds healed. They were mundane damage and you drank a powerful healing potion on top of it," Alex said.
"This isn't from the bombs, this is from days spent under a rock fall with my body healing over and over again with the bones out of alignment. It started to put me back together wrong," Yasmine said.
"You’ve never said that sort of thing can happen," Alex said.
Yasmine gave him a pained smile and sat back down. "I can't tell you everything in a month all that I learned over a few years."
"Can it be fixed?"
Yasmine shrugged and took another swig of her drink. "Maybe. Break it again and set it right, and spend a few more days in agony. That isn't likely to work, but it might. There are powerful healers out there as well. Not many, but a few that might be able to help too."
"I'm sorry," Alex said.
"I'm not dead, Glaive, and I'm not useless. This will slow me down in a fight, but I could still kick your ass."
Alex wanted to believe her, but he wasn't so sure. An injury like hers seriously limited her mobility. Against a skill opponent, or simply someone not so impaired, she was at a distinct disadvantage.
"I can tell what you're thinking and you're not wrong. If I'm not as nimble, that just means I need to fight smarter," Yasmine said.
"You were already doing that."
"I'll do more of it. I want to try to get it healed properly, but you understand why I can't right now."
"You saw the deadline," Alex said.
Yasmine nodded. "Exactly, we don't have time for me to be out of operation. Where are we with things?"
"Cassandra has the three stones needed to open the vault of the former baron. I think that’s a good lead. Everyone here is damaged by what happened when he was killed," Alex said.
Yasmine added, "Yes, large scale grief and loss can manifest some nasty things. Perhaps it has? My lead in the mountains may have something to it, but I saw no signs. Did you?"
Alex shook his head. "Not a trace. I have a few other leads locally. Women who were murdered, ships sailing to and from the port that have gone missing. Cassandra is getting us information on those."
"You got her to be cooperative?"
"I gather I basically gave up my share of whatever we find in the vault," Alex said.
"Shame, money for gear and supplies goes a long way in our line of work, but I suppose so do valuable connections. Especially if you wind up staying in this area. She'll be useful to have on your side."
"I'm thinking tomorrow we open up the vault. Will you be up for it?"
"I'll make sure I am. So, we started to have a talk before and then you blew me up. You have me worried, Glaive. I heard about the arsonist," Yasmine said.
"Your code isn't mine," Alex said.
"I realize that. I'm even okay with that, though I disagree with some of the choices you've made. I know it’s been rough, but have you given any thought to what your limits are going to be? What code you’ll live by?"
"I still don't know who I am. Not really."
"You know some. Talk to me. What do you like? What don't you like?" Yasmine asked.
"This is stupid," Alex said, taking a seat and grabbing one of her bottles.
"You don't like talking. Noted," Yasmine said, flashing him a grin.
Alex gave her a wry look, then was forced to chuckle. "I don't hate it. I like drinking, I like sex, I like solving a mystery."
"Those are a place to begin. What about killing?"
Alex had to really think about that one. It seemed to him that killing should be something he liked, he was in some way filled with the quintessence of death, a hired killer brought from elsewhere for the express purpose of killing. Still, that wasn't quite the case.
"I enjoy danger, I like my adrenaline pumping and making me feel alive, but the actual killing itself? Not really. Do you?" Alex asked.
"This is about you and not me, but yes, I do. It gives me a thrill to prove that I'm better and faster and stronger, I like that, and I'm probably a little addicted."
Alex took a swig of his drink. "I do like helping people. Feels foolish to say that I really do want to save this
city."
"I just confessed that I enjoy killing. You don't have to be ashamed for confessing you like helping. What about killing people? How did it feel when you gave that arsonist to a Glitch?"
"It wasn't just practicality. I felt that the Glitch deserved her justice. It wasn't an innocent man who died."
"Perhaps your limits involve justice then?"
"I think limits like yours are probably born of regret or of terror, and I don't have either right now," Alex said.
Yasmine laughed softly and tossed her hair back, grabbing for a bottle herself. "Fair enough, Glaive. I'm trying to push my thing on you and maybe there is going to be a time for that, but it isn't now."
"It might come. I know I'm going to make mistakes at some point. Right now, I'm just glad I have you around. I wonder how Helen and Morgan are doing on their own?"
"Helen has a good head on her shoulders. Not trusting me and not trusting all of this wasn't wrong. It is smart to be suspicious, wary. Pair that with Morgan being an unstoppable charging object and I actually think they'll be a really good team."
"Did you have that on your mind when you decided to go with me?" Alex asked.
"You already had a level on either of them, and we knew that this was going to be tough. I didn't expect it to be as challenging as it is," Yasmine admitted.
"How is it usually?" Alex asked.
"With a threat this size usually there are lots of signs and indicators. Monsters are swarming out of the wood and while there might be a lot of killing, and figuring out exactly why it’s happening can take some time, at least you know what you're looking for," Yasmine said.
"I wonder why it’s different this time," Alex said.
"Magic, most likely. It’s all I can think of. Somebody out there is gathering power and waiting for the right moment to finally unleash it all."
"The only magic user I've met here of any strength is Kationa," Alex said.
Yasmine rubbed at her eyes. "You know how I feel about her. I may not like her, but I don't think she’s the type to do something like that. Of course, if we’re looking for a connection to the past tragedies here, she is one. If she is, her dissonance should be increasing. Have you detected anything?"
Alex thought back over his time with Kationa. "Usually Jess is there and drowns everything out. I've picked up hints of Kationa's frequency at times, but it’s never seemed overpowering."
Yasmine nodded and took another swig of her drink. "The most obvious magic user doesn't mean they’re the only magic user. We could be dealing with somebody in town. There could be a magic tower on an island offshore and that’s why so many ships go missing."
"Or maybe we'll open up the vault tomorrow and everything will be explained," Alex said.
"Perhaps. I still find that whole thing suspicious. Do you think treason was really being plotted here?"
Alex knew that Sabrina didn't think so, but what he'd seen was a lot more ambiguous. The former baron had made a lot of powerful connections, great merchant houses that spanned empires, mages doing forbidden research. Falkirk's location made it a natural trade hub and gave it a lot of possible value.
"Probably. From what I've seen of Youlash I can't say I blame the man for not wanting to be under its thumb," Alex said.
"King Devok isn't winning any awards for his friendly disposition," Yasmine said, and let out a low sigh. "If so then the vault probably is the right step to at least shed some light on things. Treason requires resources and power, and some of that power likely stayed around."
"Any tricks to killing mages, if it is one?"
"Anti-magic bombs. I can teach you if it comes to that. Damned effective against anyone except members of the House of Towers. So if it is Kationa we'll need different tricks," Yasmine said.
"Why is that? Purple quintessence?" Alex asked.
"Got it in one. Let's them push past the anti-magical effects with a bit of extra effort.” She stretched and yawned. “Look, thanks for checking in on me but I think I need some rest. I'll see you tomorrow when we open the vault."
Alex bid her a goodnight and made his way back to the keep. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.
29
“Hope is a fine foundation for an empire. Responsibility is better.” Neris Kab, former head of the Grey Tower
They assembled at dawn. Alex had awoken that morning to a new message scrolling across his vision.
WARNING
Destruction of Falkirk is now estimated to occur in four days
The vault was located in the cliffs below the keep, accessed by a narrow winding trail along the sea leading up to a cavern. The back of which held a pedestal with three recessed sockets placed before a stone barrier carved with runes.
Kationa suggested having only a few people at the doors to the vault itself. Surprisingly, Yasmine agreed, so it was Sabrina, Cassandra, Ryn, Jess, Yasmine and Alex who were deep in the cavern although both Sabrina and Cassandra had guards located near the cavern entrance.
Kationa said, "I've had a chance to study the runes already. The stones must be placed in a specific sequence or some sort of summoning magic triggers. Three stones mean six possibilities, so we're likely going to trigger the defenses several times."
"Not competent enough to figure out the order from the spell-work?" Yasmine asked.
"Afraid you'll not be capable of doing the one job you're supposed to be good at?" Kationa snapped back.
Sabrina raised a hand and said sharply, "Enough, I've little desire to listen to you two bicker. Kationa, is there truly nothing you can do?"
Kationa looked towards the runes and she shook her head. "Everything is tangled. I could sever a spell line but I'm equally likely to dispel the opening magic as the summoning. As we know, he was paranoid about other spell-casters."
"Can you disable the magic entirely and we simply tunnel through the stone?" Sabrina asked.
"That would be convenient, but no. He knew his craft and this vault is secure unless you're playing to the rules and going through the front door," Kationa said.
"If there is the potential for Glitch summoning, the mundanes really should remove themselves from the area," Yasmine said.
"No, I shall stay out of the way, but I want to make certain I am here when the vault is opened," Sabrina said.
"I'll keep out of range, but close enough," Ryn said.
"Seven years of training with a blade under Swordmaster Fios Alberge," Cassandra said.
Yasmine looked impressed and tilted her head to Cassandra. "Glad to have you then. What are you loaded with, Glaive?"
"Fire," Alex said.
"I can handle fire and water through my tonals," Yasmine said, going through her potion pouch and handing over three ampules. One was marked green, one white, one black.
"What are these?" Alex asked, changing them out for the loads in his potion-caster.
"Poison, Essence of the Divine, Essence of the Unholy. The poison is good against almost every biological and the other two are heavy-hitters for just about anything. Don't use them unless things are desperate, I'd prefer to get them back," Yasmine said.
"Got it," Alex said.
Yasmine, Alex, and Cassandra drew their weapons and Ryn held a throwing knife in hand. Sabrina stepped back.
Kationa placed the stones upon the pedestal and the air began to thrum, pulsing for several moments before things warped and twisted as a beast appeared. It was a bit larger than a bull, with three curved horns on an elongated snout and a hide of gray scales.
Trihorn
Alignment: Brown
Level: 15
Hitpoints 153/153
Trihorn Grimoire Entry unlocked
Trihorns are rarely encountered as they tend to dwell in only the most inhospitable of environments. They are incredibly durable and for the most part passive, although when riled to action charge their foes in an effort to impale them upon the horns from which they get their name.
Vulnerabilities
Like most
creatures spawned of brown quintessence Trihorns have few innate vulnerabilities. They are resistant to all mundane weapons and even harmonized steel has a difficult time penetrating the thick armored plates of their hide. They are best avoided or contained.
"Stay back everyone. This isn't a Glitch where your swords are going to be much help," Yasmine said.
"Grimoire says they are usually passive," Alex said.
"Unless riled. You know what pisses them off? Teleportation magic," Yasmine said.
The Trihorn charged Ryn, who did an acrobatic somersault to land on its back. The beast’s head plowed into the wall of the cavern, the rock shaking with the force.
"Got a plan then?" Alex asked.
Ryn tried to stab down with a pair of daggers. They just scrapped off the armored scales.
"Can you manage a teleport?" Yasmine asked Kationa.
"I can get it out of here, but it is going to eat a lot of my reserves."
"Ryn, get off there. Kationa, do it," Yasmine said.
Ryn somersaulted to the floor as Kationa waved her hands and chanted under her breath. A web of energy settled around the Trihorn and it faded from sight.
"Didn't know we could just teleport all our problems away," Alex said.
Kationa dug a glowing crystal from a pouch at her waist, pressing it to her forehead. The glow faded from it. She said, "Not a reliable method of solving your problems. It took him time to lay the energy into these spells and you having to depend on the charge I've got on me isn’t wise."
"Hopefully it won't be necessary. One in five chance of the next combination being right," Yasmine said.