by Rhys Thomas
I didn’t care about home, or the people who were being enslaved. But I did care about my friends and killing the fucker who threw me in this mess.
I needed my gun’s; I needed my hammer and I needed my damned arm and friend. Then I would pay Vivik-fucking-Grayson a visit and show him why fucking with a Zwer-CAN was such a bad idea. For I was Zharrol—fucking—Armsbane.
I just needed to get off this tub first and I hated the water.
Chapter Fifteen
We retraced our way back through Ny’thier city, luckily for us the clock tower Obelisk-thingy was easily spotted; and we wound our way to it without a problem. I tossed Ariana the pouch of coins as soon as we set off, she withdrew 3 of the silver pieces and threw the pouch back my way, “keep a hold of it for now.”
“Yes ma’am,” I said, suddenly feeling as if I were the pack mule of our little group. To be fair I didn’t exactly feel the weight anyway. 10-minutes later after avoiding the probing hands of little pickpockets through the busy crowd, we breached out into the wide-open area surrounding the Obelisk.
We immediately started for the Obelisk when Sishshik let out a cried and started gesturing frantically while he let out a low long chirping whistle. “What is it, what’s wrong?” I hissed, coming to the trog-boys side. He pointed past me and towards a massive man near the Obelisk. The man wore steel plated armour and had a thick double headed hammer like that of Mjölnir from the Norse legends hung from his belt.
The sides of the man’s head were shaved and a thick spiky braid running down the centre of his head to hang between his shoulders. Stood beside said man was a massive dark brown furred bear wearing spiked armour and had a slightly feral deranged look to it. Sishshik tried to lunge for his mother’s spear, but Ariana quickly snatched it out of reach.
“Keep an eye on them,” I told Ariana who nodded. “Sishshik,” I started. Staring at the boy and grabbing a hold of shoulders, all four of his arms tried to pushed my own off but I was much stronger. I tried to be careful not to jar Marisa doing this, “Sishshik listen to me!” I snapped; and the boy immediately stopped struggling. He made a serious low whistle and a deep angry chirp, “I know, but right now we need to get Marisa taken care of. You know that right, we need to protect the living before we honour the dead.”
My own words hit him as much they did me and he glanced at the bundle tied to my chest with guilty eyes. He whistled a long note and hugged me tightly, I patted his back. “He’s moving on Ally,” Ariana said, using her nickname for me.
“The bear also?” I asked.
“Bear as well,” she repeated back to me. I got up, Sishshik still clinging to me and whistling that same low note. “I need to hand you off to Aria, okay pal.” I passed him off with only some slight resistance, Ariana cooed in his ear and spoke gently to him.
We started out for the Obelisk, a part of me had wanted to tell Sishshik that we would kill the bastard. But I knew I didn’t have time to settle everyone’s personal vendettas. War was coming and I had shit to do.
Besides, he’s bound to have pissed other people off.
~*~*~*~
“Hello sir, how may I help?” asked the woman I had seen talking to the asshole with the bear. She wore black robes with silvery accents, the robes were tied around the waist by a silver cord. She had short curly hair that bunched around her ears, “mind telling me who the guy with the bear was,” I said seeing her frown instantly at my less than polite tone.
I was disconnected from my delve, I didn’t know why but I felt it was necessary. The looks I had been getting from the dark elf folk, made me think that maybe certain peoples could detect innate magic in others. That by disconnecting myself from my delve entirely; may just make other underestimate me.
“He is an associate of the Glen and is in fact; on his way to board a ship heading to the Farlands,” she answered, giving fuck all away. If these people—the witches—were associated with Sishshik’s mothers’ murderer, I wasn’t sure I wanted anything to do with them.
“Does the associate have a name?”
“May I ask why you’re so interested?” she asked, and I thought about lying but decided fuck it.
“Your associate killed the boys’ mother,” I said waving a hand at Sishshik still in Ariana arms. She kept the boys spear in the crook of her arm as she held him.
“Killed that troglodytes mother?” she asked and the way she said Sishshik species name made me think she saw them as lesser beings.
“Yes, your associate straight up walked into his mother’s dwelling and caved her head in,” I started taking a step closer to her, she backed away. “The boy hid behind his mother as she fought to protect herself and him. You see that fucking fancy hammer of his?” I asked in a growl and stepped towards her again.
“I – uh,” she stammered.
“He used it to play fucking whack a mole with her head,” I finished and poked a finger into her shoulder.
She backed and started to throw up weird hand gestures, “you think you can push me around,” she growled back. And I watched patiently as some of the odd signs she was throwing up failed. I could see the draw in the air as she attempted to cast something, her fingers weaving and forming something akin to hooks in her motions.
So, I decided to do a little display of my own.
Quickly connecting to my delve, I fed power through my body and lit up my runes, though nobody could see it through my clothing.
I twisted my hand and conjured up a fire ball. Flames burst into sputtering life above my palm and I willed more power custard, further increasing its size. I looked from my fireball to the witch.
She had stopped casting, her hands falling to her sides. “How did you...” her words trailed off as she stared into the flames. I gave a negligent flick of my wrist and she flinched, but I only dismissed the fireball absorbing back the spend power yet losing some in the exchange.
The power lost, flickering into the air, like small embers as they vanished into the nothingness. “What was that about pushing you around?” I asked with a smirk. Ariana stepped up beside me and I saw the black veins webbing up the skin of her neck and to the corner of her eyes. They were black, cold and deathly things to see, that even made me shiver, though I’ll never admit it to her.
The woman looked from me; then noticed Ariana and immediately slumped to her knees in defeat. I sighed and was about to about to tell her to get up so that I could apologies. When a voice cut through the air, “Holly, it’s seems you’ve met the Elder Mother’s guests. I hope you’re on knees as a form of greeting girl and not punishment,” the voice said with some wry amusement.
I looked up see a woman floating down to us from atop one of the Obelisk windows. She wore similar clothing to Holly, though this woman had golden accents, longer sleeves and a thick gold band tied around her waist, knotted into a bow on her back.
“By way of greeting I assure you,” I said speaking up for the stunned girl. The women landed lightly, a small pillow of air forming at her bare feet. The woman’s features were mousy bordering on cute. A wide plump mouth, a pair of thinly rimmed spectacles adorned a small button nose. She had a pale light dashing of freckles marking her beneath her eyes which were a blazing purple. Her dark brown hair was in loose braid behind her head.
“Sis-sister Margery, I was-” Holly started.
“Save it, or you’ll cause us further embarrassment with the heir of the Observer,” Sister Margery snapped, cutting the other woman off.
I sensed some sort of power dynamic on display here. Margery turned to face us and bowed deeply, “please be most welcome with us. The Glen greets’ you outworlder. I’m sorry for the acolytes rudeness so far.”
“It’s fine, really. I just wanted to know about the man I saw acolyte Holly talking to moments ago,” I said and bow my head fractionally to the woman.
“Which man was this?” Margery asked me.
“Don’t know his name, but his companion- or pet, was a bear in spiked armour. He had
hammer at his waist also,” I said and saw the Margery’s face sour in disgust. She turned on Holly and as quick as a breath, she back handed the Acolytes, sending her sprawling onto the ground whimpering and clutching her face. I looked around in case we were drawing a crowd; but everyone seemed to have given the Obelisk a wide berth, and none were looking our way.
“His name is Vivik Grayson, he’s a hired killer and vagabond. Used to roam the Kele’em Tribe lands killing all who came his way. He’s a wanted man, outworlder. He has been banned from Ny’thier, so I’ve no idea how’s gotten down here,” she explained to us, her hand curling into fists at her side.
Holly was about to sit up, but I noticed that her eyes met Margery fists and the girl immediately lead back down.
“I was told that he was about to board a vessel for the Farlands,” I said and watched as purple electricity crackled around the Sister’s fists. “May I ask why you’re interested in that vagabond Outworlder?”
I nodded and gestured to the trog-boy in Ariana arms. “This Vivik Grayson killed Sishshik’s mother. The boy spotted him here moments ago. So; we came to investigate about who he was,” I explained.
I saw Margery eyes go to Sishshiks back, the blazing purple softening on sight of him. “We greet you Valakhari,” Margery said bowing deeply to Ariana. “And child I am so sorry for your loss.”
The Sister turned to look at Holly splayed on the floor, “come, let’s take this inside. I’ll inform the Elder Mother and see about sending someone to catch that ship,” Margery said and waved us to follow her as she turned to the Obelisk. I shot a look at Ariana just as her Gaara veins started to creep back down her neck, “shall we?” I asked the Valakharian Scout.
She nodded fractionally, “after you,” she replied. We followed Sister Margery through an illusionary stone wall on one of the sides of the Obelisk. The same sensation as when we entered through the portal to the Ny’thier washed over Ariana, Sishshik and I. We paused immediately on entering, the interior of the Obelisk was far larger and vaster than I expected. We’d stepped out onto the ground floor, activity strewn all about as magically gifted folk practiced their craft or were in the process of being taught by women with gold bands around the waists of their black robes. My eyes followed one individual, a bald man in green robes.
He’d pushed his feet into the ground taking a wide stance, as I was still connected to my delve; I felt it when he sent a pulse of energy rippling down through floor, it cascaded as it dove further and further down. A heart beat later and the pulse returned but this time it seem energised and almost frantic. I looked on in amazement, sending a thread of my own power to the runes behind my ears amplifying my senses. I saw the veins in his neck blacken similarly to the gaara on Ariana, then the veins burned a bright forest green as did his eyes to my enhanced sight.
I clutched Marisa to my chest, as the ground quaked beneath, though at a glanced I noticed that everyone else was experiencing this as I was. The teacher beside the bald man, took him aside after the display.
“He’s a Druid, that display was to gage how greatly his connection to the earth is. He’ll be quite powerful one day,” Margery said giving the man a glance. We followed her on, and I looked up to see a never-ending space upon us, the Obelisk seemed to go on and on. I could see different floors and rooms along the insides of the tower, each thrumming with activity, learning and practice.
Some people sat in circles with a bloody pentagram drawn at their centre as they chanted the pentagram to gleam a bright red and the bloody mark began to burn.
“So what floor are we going to?” I asked the Sister. Then turned to see, a man and a woman throwing what looked like gang signs at each other as the woman shouted, “Hymn of Ice,” a sigil blazed into existence on her forehead.
She shot out her hand and that same sigil formed there; as a spear of ice blasted towards the man. “Hymn of Protection,” the man shouted in counter. A different sigil blazing on his forehead as he thrust both hands out in front of himself, seconds before the spear of ice could hit, a purple barrier domed out around his hands and encompassed his whole body.
“Fascinating,” I muttered and looked back to Margery. She watched me patiently and smiled when she had my attention, “to answer your question Outworlder. We’re going to floor two and they’re Warlocks by the way,” she answered me.
I frowned, “floor two?” I asked. “I’d expect the person who ran this place to live higher.”
Sister Margery shook her head, “floor two is below us. We’re currently on floor 76.” I whistled.
“Impressive,” Ariana muttered from my side. The sister took us to a small circular disc to the side of the wide-open area we’d entered into. I expected that this was some sort of lift onto the other floors. A black dome encircled us and closed us in, I felt an immense pressure when Ariana went rigid at my side.
I shot her a glance and saw her practically fighting to stop her gaara tattoo from spreading up her neck. She had her eyes closed, “hey, you alright?” I asked the scout.
Her jaw clenched and she didn’t reply to me, “I’ am sorry Valakhari. This’ll only be a moment I assure you,” Margery said softly coming over to lay a hand on the Aria‘s shoulder.
“What’s happening to her?” I asked the sister.
“It’s the shift runes emblazoned beneath the platform we stand on. To transport us floor to floor. It greatly affects those of the Valakharian Order, because our bodies are in a constant state of shifting as we move through between floors.
“As Gaara is a foreign agent in their bodies they fight immense pressure to ensure the gaara strain does not mutate within them as their body is shifting,” the Sister explained. “We’re almost there,” the Sister muttered.
Then the pressure slowly subsided and I felt Ariana slump against me. I glanced at her to see her exhausted and panting for air, the black walls that enclosed us peeled away like the petals of a blooming flower. A small room stood before us, “Ah, it seems to have worked,” said a voice I didn’t recognise.
I saw an elderly woman sat by a small round table. She wore loose woollen trousers and an even looser jumper on her thin frame. Her attire and kind demeanour screamed grandmotherly and she was buttering what looked to be biscuits taken from her tea plate. A fine dainty cup sat before her as well, the steam of boiled water pouring off the small cup in waves.
She beamed me a kind and understanding smile. Her eyes light grey shone with an inner glow, and her cloudy hair was tied into a ponytail behind her head. “Please come in, come in. Margery dear, grab yourself a plate and come join us as well, we’re expecting other visitors when this meeting is over,” the elderly woman gestured. I followed Margery into the room, Ariana still leaning against me with Sishshik in her arms.
Then I noticed another woman, her dark ashen grey skin, pointed ears and white hair telling me she was a Mælkeri except her eyes weren’t the dark orbs like the others. Hers were a bright red with a faint black pupil at the centre and her lips were a dark purple almost black. She wore form fitting leather and steel armour with a hood attached and two narrow slits for her ears to poke through.
Two scimitars hung from her waist and I saw the pommels of six knives sticking out from the sides of her back. She gave me a nod, which I returned. Her sharp angular features and shapely athletic frame made her incredibly beautiful and dangerous, like she could melt into the surroundings and be gone from sight.
I turned back to the older woman who was conversing softly with Margery. My enhanced hearing picking up that their topic was Vivik Grayson.
“All muscle,” purred a voice disdainfully. It came from neither the elderly woman nor Margery. It was like a blend of lustful pleasure and wicked violence. I looked at the dark elf woman, and grinned. The nod she gave me previously faltered as she repeated the action once again.
I winked at her and returned my attention to the talking women as they finished their discussion, I caught the hint of a scowl flashing across the Mælker
i features. Margery patted the older woman’s arm and stepped away to walk to a side door. I looked at the elderly woman as she stood and gesture for me and my companions to take a seat at her table. I set Ariana down first, she was almost limp in my arms and I had to struggle not jostle Marisa as I set her down in the chair.
Sishshik chirruped as I moved him a little and I realised that the small trog-boy was asleep on Ariana.
I smiled and stepped away from them. Taking my own seat as the woman finally spoke to me, “welcome to my home,” she said. Her voice crackled briefly. “My name is Penelope and I am the overseer of all of the magically inclined persons within my tower,” she gave me a smile. I nodded and leaned forward to grab a biscuit from tray, “Alaric Rosen, heir of the Ra’al,” I said, and suddenly I felt incredibly tired. “Or something,” I added unsure why.
I didn’t want to be rude to this woman; but I needed some spiritual rest. A place to relax for a day, “hah, yes. ‘Or something’ is accurate. Our mutual friend has requested that I allow you the trial of separation, to impart your soul and cure the foul taint within you.”
“Taint?” I asked curiously.
“Aah, it’s residue left over from your friend, Wyatt Rosen I believe he was called.”
“Yes,” I said clearing my throat and concentrating on spreading the sugary butter on my biscuit. “So, this ‘taint’ could really kill me if not removed?” I asked taking a bite and savouring the sensation of sweet buttery goodness. I tried not to moan like a foodie, but I failed.
Penelope chuckled at my reaction, “They’re good, I have them every time I have a meeting. Something sugary to cleanse the bite of salt,” I choked. Was this woman throwing shade? “Can I be blunt with you Alaric, if I may call you that?” I nodded swallowing down the last of my snack with a struggle.
“Sure thing, Penny. In-fact I prefer it.”