by Skyler Grant
There wasn't time to dwell on that, not now. There were spiders that needed killing. Alex turned his attention to the nearest one to get a scan.
Webghast
Alignment: Green/Black
Level 3
HP: 15/36
Webghasts have the appearance of giant spiders. The tips of their legs are incredibly sharp and they are capable of numerous debilitating effects. They can shoot webs that are paralytic in effect and a venom that can give such intense nightmares it often kills the infected. Their favored tactic is to capture prey and to let them to starve several days to weaken their systems before filling them with venom. Those that die in such intense terror as food for the Webghast’s spawn that feed on the remnants of the fear to grow.
Vulnerabilities: Harmonized Steel, Acid. Webghasts have a tough exoskeleton that makes them extremely resistant to mundane weapons
Well, these things were nightmarish. Several people had already been dragged up into the trees, surrounded in webs.
“Merhal,” Alex said, pointing at the closest Webghasts. A stream of frost erupted from his palm.
You have hit the Webghast with your Frost Tonal
7 Frost Damage
3 Frost Damage absorbed by Chitinous Shell
4 Damage Dealt
You have gained 5 Fury
That wouldn't do it, not without them having some sort of frost vulnerability. Alex drew his weapons and called to Cassandra, "We have to get out of here."
"They took some of my people. What will happen to them?"
Cassandra didn’t say she couldn't abandon them, she just wanted to know what the consequences would be.
"They'll die bad," Alex said.
A blast of webbing caught Cassandra and she toppled over as if carved of stone.
Alex's senses flared a warning just before a blast of webbing caught him from behind. Falling forward his head hit the side of the brazier and his world went dark.
When Alex regained consciousness to it was with a horrible headache. The wound to his head must have been a nasty one. It didn’t help that he was hanging upside-down, the floor of the forest far below.
There were others hanging nearby. Cassandra, Ryn, Jess and several of the guards. It was dark, Alex had lost the rest of the day out cold—a critical day.
If his bracer were correct Helen and Morgan had arrived in Falkirk by now, but they didn't know who was behind everything. They didn't know that Sabrina might be in the midst of her transformation even now.
Could he let them know? Did his bracer even know?
"Bracer, target is identified as Baroness Sabrina LaFele," Alex said.
"Fuck," Cassandra said from where she hung, overhearing him.
Alex's vision flashed.
Target Acknowledged
Combining what is known with Sabrina LaFele with a Black/Red/White transformation a most likely transformation has been identified.
Grimoire Entry Unlocked
Red Queen
Legendary
Alignment: Black/Red/White
The Red Queen is a female ruler driven by a need for vengeance. By sacrificing the lives of those they rule they become a powerful hybrid Glitch. While appearing fully human their eyes become a distinctive red. If they succeed in killing the target of their rage they undergo a second transformation to either a Black Queen or White Queen.
Vulnerabilities: A Red Queen is resistant to magical and elemental damage. They are vulnerable to harmonized steel and possess no special immunity to mundane weapons, although given their abilities with compulsion they should not be engaged with mundane forces.
Sabrina's eyes hadn’t been red the night before. It confirmed that whatever transformation she might be undergoing hadn't happened yet.
"I wondered," Jess said mildly. "There was always something weird about her."
Alex had been trapped with his sword and hammer in his hands, but the webbing didn't give him room to work with either. A blast of frost might freeze the webbing and allow him to shatter it and break free.
"You're sure?" Cassandra asked. “About Sabrina?”
"I'm sure. We have to get back to town," Alex said.
It would be a long drop to the ground, head-first. It should be possible to flip in mid-air and take the impact with his legs.
"I think I have a way out of these webs but it’s going to mean a sharp, sudden drop and you’ll need to land on your feet. It’s days before spiders start to kill their prey. If I can't free you now, I’ll come back for you. Who can survive the drop?" Alex asked.
"Graceful is what I do," Ryn said.
"Immortal," Jess said.
"I can tumble," Cassandra said.
Four of the thugs spoke up as well, only a fraction of those that had come. None of Sabrina's soldiers did, plate wasn't a good mix for acrobatics.
"We hit the ground and we run," Alex said, before whispering “Merhal” and focusing the flow of frost.
The webbing hardened, and when he struggled it shattered.
Alex swiveled in midair and landed in a crouch, the jarring impact going through his legs. He didn’t waste time recovering.
In quick succession he shot off several frost blast and other bodies fell. All but one made it, the skull of one of the thugs exploding against a large stone in the forest floor.
They ran for it. It was time to return to Falkirk, if there still was a Falkirk.
40
“I guess you could solve most problems without sleeping around. But why?” Conversations with a Bard
Falkirk was still standing, but it wasn't quite as they had left it. A heavy fog had rolled in from the sea cloaking the streets of the town. Above it all a red light glowed—the keep suffused in a glowing aura.
Alex feared they were already too late, Sabrina might have transformed. This wasn't the time to rush the keep though. If Helen and Morgan had made it into town he needed to find them first.
It wasn't hard, he was getting better at listening to dissonance. Alex just had to follow the sound to a tavern where he found them both nursing ales and talking animatedly. They looked good, both owning new armor and weapons. Morgan had some sort of massive warhammer strapped across his back. Helen had a bow made of what appeared to be segmented pieces of metal.
"Alex," Helen called out as he entered, no doubt responding to his own dissonance. "Where the pissing fuck shit have you been?"
"I think only two of those obscenities go together," Alex said. "I was hanging upside down in a tree. Some Glitch called Webghasts."
"What about the lass?" Morgan asked.
"Yasmine is on the other side of the world fleeing from the corrupting effects of a red-aligned superweapon. Have you two seen what is happening outside?"
Morgan told him, "Seen it and tried to breach the keep. There’s a magical barrier that won't let us pass. I smashed it a few times with my hammer, but it didn't care. Came here to drink and figure it out."
A magical barrier? That made things difficult. The anti-magic bombs might work. However, if the barrier was being fueled by quintessence they'd have no effect.
"You know what we're up against?" Helen asked.
"The local baroness is transforming into something called a Red Queen. The process is supposed to consume the life of her subjects, so I don't think it’s done yet," Alex said, taking a seat. "We'll try anti-magic bombs on the barrier."
"I tried a spellpierce arrow and it wasn't able to get through," Helen said.
Alex guessed it was an arrow made to slice through magical shields. Useful to have, Helen and Morgan had really picked up some new tricks.
"Nice bow, by the way," Alex said.
"Specialized string vibrates the arrows to Glitch frequencies. It’s experimental. The House of Artificers like us," Helen said.
"They'd better after all we did for the squirrelly little runts," Morgan said.
"You're the man on hand, Alex. How do we get through that barrier?" Helen asked.
Alex didn'
t think they could, not if the barrier was powered by quintessence. Well, they might not be able to get through—but he might. For some reason he thought Sabrina wanted him there. Wanted him beside her.
"I need you two to help defend the town. Find Cassandra Windicott, any local can direct you. The town is likely to face attacks from Deep Spawn and Deep Maidens coming by sea. Cavelings from the southwest, and Webghasts from the southeast.
"How many?" Helen asked, all business.
"Lots. Too many."
Helen frowned. "Two Glitch Hunters and three directions doesn't work."
That was true.
"Have Morgan take the north. Deep Maidens tend to seduce their prey and Morgan isn't likely to care," Alex said.
"Got that right," Morgan said.
"Cassandra has alchemists and a battle-mage. She can handle the cavelings best. Take the Webghasts, Helen," Alex said.
"Hoped we'd have some time to do some catching up," Helen said.
"Best the lad goes. We don't know how long we've got," Morgan said.
Alex had done the best he could for the city. It was time to see if he was right, and if Sabrina's barrier would allow him past. The foggy streets were silent, over half the city evacuated thanks to Cassandra's efforts. Sabrina had said she would help—obviously she never did.
Being familiar with the winding path up to the keep Alex didn't have too much problem following it even in the thick fog, although about two thirds of the way the mists turned a shimmering red. There was dissonance here, a protective barrier.
As Alex suspected, it simply slowed him, allowing him through.
The soldiers at the door were in place. Their stance was unusually alert. Alex tried to engage them in conversation and got no response. Focusing, Alex could feel Sabrina in her favorite sitting room overlooking the sea.
He was almost halfway there when he lost consciousness.
Alex awoke in a room without exits, a stone chamber with simple furnishings that looked somehow familiar. He was stretched out in a chair. He had no weapons, armor, or potions and he wasn't alone. A bedraggled Kationa sat nearby, a glass half-filled with wine in hand.
"I rather thought you'd be dead," Alex said.
"Rather surprised I'm not, to be honest," Kationa said. "You know what is happening?"
"I know that Sabrina is the one we've been looking for and she’s in the process of transforming into a Red Queen. I was on my way to tell you about finding a Coldflame when you disappeared," Alex said.
Kationa gestured to the stone walls. "Disappeared is one word for it. Knocked out and brought to where I couldn't be a threat."
"Where are we?"
"You don't know? It is nicer, she added a few comforts for me. When you arrived they brought a few more. We're in the magical vault, the one that held the blade," Kationa said.
Of course, he recognized it now.
"A place specifically designed to contain magic and quintessence," Alex said.
"Sabrina has a way through it somehow. You'll see, she uses it to bring in food and drink, and to speak with me sometimes," Kationa said.
The air in the chamber flickered and an image of Sabrina appeared, partly translucent.
Sabrina turned towards them and said, "Not enough wine I'm sure, but then I have been busy. You too, Alex. I'd hoped the spiders would hold you until after my transformation. You forced my hand, again."
"You were allowing me to go after the Coldflames. Why?" Alex asked.
"It didn’t really hurt anything, and it kept you busy and out of my way. It also corrupted you, which has been a nice bonus, allowing me to worm my way into your brain even without my full abilities."
"She is one of those bragging-type evil geniuses," Kationa said, glowering as she took another sip of her wine.
"And Kationa remains bitter that she didn't see it coming. Don't be, I may hate deception, but I'm a very good liar. I don't want to kill either of you, hurt either of you. You'll sit here out of harm’s way until all is said and done," Sabrina said.
"You've been trying to get me out of the way for awhile, haven't you? That’s why you really sent me to Kationa's tower," Alex said.
"I knew how well-warded her arrival chamber was. You proved more capable than I'd expected. A pleasure, truly, throughout this your perseverance both in and outside of the bedroom has been a delight," Sabrina said.
"And I thought I was bad at flirting," Kationa muttered.
Sabrina gave Kationa a long stare.
"Do you think we'll be okay with that? You wiping out an entire city?" Alex asked.
Sabrina gave a sad smile. "Not really. It doesn't matter. I love Kationa like a big sister, and while what we had began as a means to hide from your senses, it became a bit more on my part. You don't have to forgive me, you just have to sit there and stay alive."
"So what is this all about? Truly?" Alex asked.
"You know that already, this is about my parents. King Devok of Youlash murdered them and as a mere baroness I would never have the ability to avenge them."
"So you're going to kill how many other children?" Alex asked.
"I let you warn the Windicott girl. I let her evacuation proceed. Those that remain in the city have made a choice and so have I. You have enough supplies for a few days. The time is almost here and I may not be able to speak to you again until it is done. As I said, I never intended to hurt either of you. Stay safe." Sabrina’s image flickered away.
Kationa sighed and shook her head. "I've been sitting here for days lamenting my failures. Welcome to the club."
Alex's map had been missing since he woke up, and trying various other commands with his bracer failed utterly. This chamber really was meant to contain dissonance.
"There is always a way out. I broke out of your arrival chamber," Alex said.
"Yes, tales of breaking into my home is the proper note to start our mutual confinement," Kationa said.
"There are other Glitch Hunters in town now. They may figure out what happened and come to the rescue."
"Your bracer goes suddenly silent, I think it is more likely they're going to assume you dead," Kationa said, rubbing her eyes. "How much is she in your head?"
"You know we slept together, it was ... passionate. We slept only maybe an hour every night."
"I regret not making a move on you first. It sounds compelling. Go on," Kationa said.
"I leveled-up in her presence several times. In the middle of sex, twice. I gained what in retrospect I realize must have been a red ability during one of them," Alex said.
Kationa set the wine glass aside. "Tremendously foolish of you. Anything else?"
"I quenched three Coldflames that she created. Each time a portion of the quintessence she'd been channeling for herself flowed into me."
"I wouldn't have thought you knew how to quench a Coldflame."
"I didn't. Malia gave me some advice when I contacted her—while searching for you," Alex said.
"And you got chummy with a necromancer. You're everything I expect of Yasmine's prize pupil, I'm not sure you could have been more foolish," Kationa said.
"I'm convinced you are the one who taught Sabrina magic and failed to mention this highly critical fact," Alex said.
"Frowned upon by the House of Towers, but the feeling of being sisters doesn't go just one way. Do you love her?"
Alex had been asking himself that same question. It seemed to him that if he loved her, right now he'd be feeling betrayed, hating Sabrina for all the lies she'd told and how she'd used him. He didn't feel strongly about any of it.
"I'm not sure I'm capable of that, but I felt something," Alex said.
Kationa gave a wry smile. "The dead heart of a Glitch Hunter. There may be a way out of here. Although she established the bond between you two for her purposes, it works both ways. You found that out when you absorbed quintessence from her spell."
"Because she has some control over this chamber, you think that I might as well?" Alex asked.
"I don't think you can wish a door to appear, but I think you can probably do something. Focus on that bond with her and see what you can do," Kationa said.
It was vague as instructions went. Alex tried and discovered he could sense Sabrina's frequency. It had been there all along, from the first moment he'd met her. Sabrina had Jess drop her illusions to create noise, but after they'd been in bed a few times she no longer needed the cover.
Alex had been manipulated from the very start. Her song was a sad one, a song of loss and conviction and vengeance. Alex focused on it and let it surround him. His vision flickered, distortion appearing.
Alex had his map back, it was inconsistent and wavy, but it was there.
And he had some sort of connection to the House of Bats. Now what to do with it.
41
“Always forge a receipt. Keep it legal.” Giles Kant
"I'm somehow linked through her dissonance and I can get a signal out of this room, but I'm not sure what to do with it," Alex told Kationa.
"The House of Bats isn't big on rescue operations?"
"I'm not sure. They might relay my bracer to my associates in town, but neither is a mage. If Sabrina locked us in here, I am guessing she must have kept the three keystones to do that," Alex said.
"I turned them over to her after teleporting the sword," Kationa said, sighing. "The House of Towers does do rescue operations, but this is a magically sealed vault. It will take time. If a message is relayed I can get us out eventually. Probably not before Sabrina releases us herself."
"Could they relay a message to Ryn? Ryn broke your security," Alex said.
"This vault is a whole other order of magnitude," Kationa said, drumming her fingers on the arm of her chair. "Still, I've got nothing better. Glaive Bracer, this is Kationa Vess of the House of Towers. Requesting emergency channel and audio communication with the Tower. All required fees on the Tower's account."