A
loud explosion shook the
The two ran in the direction of the sound of the blast.
"It sounded as if it came from the library." Vincient yelled out. As
the pair rushed to the area they encountered a hysterical servant. After a few
moments of trying to calm the frantic woman, they discovered what had happened.
With an even more desperate pace they ran to the courtyard. Upon exiting the
main doors they were greeted by an unpleasant site.
The courtyard had once had beautiful gardens and paved
walk ways, but now each of these had been blasted apart. Several of the isle's
security patrol had surrounded the intruder. The person in question was a tall
woman with long black hair. Vincient observed her for a few moments, he watched
as the patrol tried to subdue her with ki blasts. The
woman easily deflected the attacks. Vincient noted that each one was not just
merely deflected, but directed away from the patrol members. Each member of the
patrol was pouring all of his or her power into the blast.
"The power I sense from her is similar to..."
His wife started.
"I know." Vincient cut off. He watched the
woman even more, and then he saw the object under her arm. It was a stone disc
that was about one foot in diameter. "She has the seal!" He cried in
astonishment. Somehow the woman heard him over the noise of the battle. She
turned and locked her icy gaze with Vincient's. In an instant he knew his enemy
and in an instant she was gone. Once she vanished the patrol stopped its attack.
Most of them stood in exhaustion from their efforts. One of them half ran, half
stumbled to Vincient.
"Master...Arclis…it...was..." He panted.
"I know who it was. Summon lords D'vontcloud, Van
Talias, and Gebbinmont at once!"
Within the hour Vincient, his wife, and the three isle
masters arrived on the continent of Zauberra, via a dimensional gate. They were
on the border of the two areas known as Kagero's Heart and Kagero's Wrath.
Kagero's Heart was a frozen land, only creatures
capable of surviving extreme cold could dwell here. To east was the other
extreme, Kagero's Wrath. This area was a desolate desert, with heat so strong even
fewer living things could survive. Even under magical protection, most could
not tolerate it very long. These two scars were a constant reminder of Kagero's
transgressions, as well as a clear view of her personality. As the group walked
the boarder they feared that the warnings went unheard.
The small band approached the ruins of an old fortress.
Most of it seemed to have caved in. The walls, battlements, and most of the
front facade was leaning into the main courtyard or in
piles around the edge of it. As each looked at the shattered stones, each felt
the evil that permeated the air, as if the wind carried the secrets of a time
long since gone. Vincient approached the main gate in which was a set of giant
oak doors that stood about ten feet in height. Vincient examined five stones
inset at about chest level in the door.
Each stone bore strange symbols along their surface, as well as having a
small crystal in the center. He tested them for their magic and found them
powerless. He retraced the symbols and
still found no power within them.
"Damn it! We’re too late!" He cursed as he
turned to the others. "The seals have been broken. She's free."
"And it will be only a matter of time before she
comes for us." His wife said.
"What exactly is your connection with Kagero?"
The woman turned to her questioner. She locked gazes with the man. He was Sol
D'vontcloud, Kryastal's legendary blade master, an immortal friend to the lords
of the realm, and he also happened to be her father. To any observer, this
conclusion would have been obvious. The two stood at the same height of six
foot three, both were very broad shouldered, and even a lot of their movements
were the same. They also both had the same unbending will. This father and
daughter duo, was an impressive site. She started to
answer but was cut off by Vincient.
"I
helped to defeat her once before."
"There must be more to it than that."
"There is…much more." Vincient said.
"There were a lot of things that happened as a result of my encounter with
Kagero. Now, with her free, there is no need to keep any of it a secret. In
fact, telling it again may help us determine our next move. It all began about
six years ago....."
Chapter 1
Zauberra 2508 AD
"You’re
late on your payments old man." The brute said. His fist was closed around
the throat of an older man. The unfortunate man's eyes were bulging out of their
sockets, his face an angry red color.
"We
told you we have no more! Let him go." His wife pleaded. As she pleaded
the brute's allies gathered around to laugh and jeer at the old man's pain.
"If
you know what's good for ya lady, you'll cough up the
rest of our money."
"And
if you know what's good for you lad,
you'll let 'em alone." The group turned to the
sound of the graveled voice speaker. In the doorway stood a small band of
travelers, there were six in all; they covered a diverse band of classes and
races.
The
speaker was dwarf, who stood in front of the others. Like all dwarfs he had a
long beard, his was black with gray streaks. His body was four and a half feet
of solid muscle. Leaning on the handle of his double-headed battle-ax, he
watched the activity of the other group.
"Hey,
shorty, just who the hell do you think you are
huh?" The brute spat. The dwarf only looked at him with his coal black
eyes.
"Someone a lot smarter than you."
"That
a fact."
"You
seem awful brave when it comes to dealing with old innkeepers. Let's see how
good you are against real warriors. "
"Sure
squatty, whatever ya say." The brute whistled
and several more men rose from the various tables around them. "Boys the
dwarf here says he's a real warrior, let's see eh?" The group of thugs
laughed. The dwarf meanwhile whispered something to his group. Two of its
members broke off from the rest.
The
lead figure was a lithe elven woman. She had chestnut colored hair, which
spilled down over her hunter green blouse. She was a stunning site, drawing
lustful stares from the brute's men. Her almond shaped and colored eyes glanced
at them with open contempt. She strode confidently up to the area of the bar
where the innkeeper's wife was. She hopped her self onto the bar counter.
"Madame it might be better if you came and stood
behind me."
"But…"
"It'll
be all right." The woman nodded and stepped behind the elf.
During
this whole time the second figure had been following her closely. This figure
was much taller than the elf woman was. Most its body was hidden by a light
brown cloak. Its head was covered in a silver and gold helm. The helm covered
the head entirely, nothing was left exposed. Not even the eyes or neck was
visible. It approached the brute. By now the brute had let go of the
innkeeper's neck and was holding him by the collar.
"Give
him to me." The figure said. The voice emanating from the helm was
unsettling. It was not discernibly male or female. It had a hard mechanical
note to it.
"I…don't…think
so." The brute stuttered. His nerve seemed to have been completely zapped
away by the figure's voice.
Without
further word the figure slowly raised its hand up, fingers bent towards the
ground. The hand, as well as the arm attached to it, was also clad apparently
in the same metal as the helm. With a quick motion the figure's hand opened,
fingers fully extend. A sudden force sent the brute flying back several
feet. He landed on top of a table, which
flipped over under his weight. He landed with a heavy thud and didn't move any
more.
The
moment the brute's hand left the innkeeper's collar the figure rushed down to
catch him. Its speed was so quick only those in its group had detected the
movement. To the men watching it seemed that the innkeeper suddenly appeared
there. In its movement the cloak came open and fell behind its back. Now everyone had a clear view of its attire.
As with
the rest of it, it was covered in that gold and silver armor. It was one
massive, seamless, piece. There was not a single opening in the armor, the figure wore it like a second skin. The main body
was mainly silver in the color and on the chest was a golden sun. The overall effect was that some artificer's
golem had come to life. Their enemies were left paralyzed with fear. The
figure turned away from them and approached the elf.
"Lorna,
put them to sleep." She nodded and cleared her throat. The rest of their
comrades covered their ears. "Cover your ears Mrs." The figure said
to the woman. She immediately did as told. Lorna then began to sing.
The
words were of no language known, but their effect became obvious. Each man
began to get wablly. One by one they began to fall to
the floor. Soon the last one fell. Once that happened Lorna
stopped singing. The group uncovered their ears and joined the rest of
them at the bar. The figure laid the unconscious innkeeper out on the bar top.
"I'll
take it from here Paladin." The Paladin turned to an old cleric. Standing
a little less than six feet tall with a medium build and clad in heavy white
robes, he looked as if he should be in a church instead of in an inn. The
Paladin nodded and gave the priest room. He placed his hands over the wounded
portion of the man's neck. He then began to speak. "Oh, heavenly mistress, please grant this servant your power to heal
this man’s wounds." A small glow emanated from the priest’s hands.
Within a moment or two the red marks left by the brute's hands began to fade.
The man's eyes slowly opened.
"We
make a great team, Garette. I knock 'em out and you
wake 'em up." Lorna said in a giggly voice.
"Indeed."
Garette smiled.
"Well
done people. " A gruff voice said. The dwarf was
approaching one of the barstools. The stool came up to about chin level with
the dwarf. He sighed, grunted something into his beard, and then turned to the
two men behind him. "A little help here
lads." The two young men were about
the same height of six foot two.
The one over the dwarf's right
shoulder was broad and muscular. He wore old styled steel armor with a broad
sword sheathed on his back. He wore his light brown hair in a short spiked
style. His skin was a deep tan which matched the shade of his eyes. He smiled
broadly at his short comrade's plight.
The
other one was more slender in build. His skin was a pale white which cause his
long raven black hair and crystal blue eyes to stand out even more. The attire
he wore was light. An azure shirt with navy colored leggings and boots. A black
cloak was tied around him, covering him from shoulders to ankles. A pair of
thick bracers adorned his arms. They were thicker than normal arm guards and of
a slightly more involved design. A slight smile played at his lips as well.
They
both picked up the stout dwarf under his arms and placed him on the stool.
"There
ya go Dungar!" The armored man chuckled. The
dwarf grumbled into his beard once again.
The innkeeper was now sitting up
and alert, his wife was tending to him. She looked at Dungar and asked,
"Who are you people?" The dwarf merely shrugged his shoulders.
"My
name is Dungar Ironsmith. The armored lad behind me is Darius Sommer, the twig next to him is Vincient Arclis. You've met
the elf of our gang." The last was said with a mock gesture of disgust.
"Thanks
Dungar. I'm called Lorna Lan'Droe. Isn't that right cutie?" Lorna said in
her high bubbly voice. She reached down and started twirling the end of
Dungar's beard in her fingers.
"Stop
that!" He snapped. She merely laughed. Once Dungar regained his composure
he continued the introduction. "The cleric is Garette Savar, priest of
Tenaria. Finally the walking scrap heap over there is a paladin of Dawn."
The woman and man looked at the armored titan.
"We've
only heard stories about paladins. I was never sure if they were real."
"We're
real, though there are only a few of us."
"Well
we thank you all."
"Madame why were they attacking you?" Vincient
asked.
"They
were here to collect 'protection' money. They had been hitting us for it for
almost a year. Business has been bad this week and we didn't have enough.
That's why they were attacking my husband." The old woman explained.
"Extortionist." The Paladin spat.
"Aye,
but that kind of an operation takes a bit to get off the ground. As well as some brains and these defects are totally devoid of
that." Dungar stroked his beard as he though it over. "This
town is too small to support an organization like that. Not to mention that
this is a poor village that wouldn't provide much money. So they are working
else where, but where?"
"Trendon." Vincient said in a matter of fact
manner. He moved to face Dungar. "Trendon is one of the two cities that
have enough money in them to support such a ring. The other city is Te'sume,
the port city. I don't think that it is likely that they would be in Te'sume,
because its people are mostly sailors, merchants, and traders. It’s a tough
town, not easy to bully. By elimination that leaves Trendon."
"But the ancient capitol? It's crawling with
wizards." Darius countered. Vincient shook his head.
"At
one time, yes, most of its citizens were mages. However, since the Wars of the
Dark Lady, the guild has been on a steady decline. Now only a handful of
students and teachers remain. The city guard still exists, but it doesn’t
really function too well. Crime is a common element in the city."
"So,
once the mages lost power the city turned into a slum? I guess that where the
vipers are nestin'" Dungar said. "Well lads and lass, shall we go snake huntin'?" The dwarf gave his group a crooked smile.
"Sure,
what knight would let such a thing go unchallenged?" Darius said with a
smile equally crooked. Dungar turned to Lorna. "Lorna,
you in?"
"Of
course, it'll be fun." She said, an impish grin
danced on her face. The eyes then turned to the Paladin and Garette.
"Don't
even bother asking, of course we're going. Someone has to put you fools
together again." Garette returned. The Paladin merely nodded. That left
Vincient.
"You're
all that's left young wizard."
"I'll
go. I should visit the guild anyway."
"Excellent!"
Dungar clapped his hands together in delight. "Now on to
more pressing matters. How much for a hot meal and a
soft bed?"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next
day the small band got their supplies and headed out for the city of
After a
few hours of travel the group stopped their trek in a grove of tress. Once
again the group passed the time in various ways. Dungar and the cleric took the
time to catch some sleep. Darius had stripped down to only his leggings and
practiced a slow moving exercise the Paladin taught him. The Paladin and young
mage sat down under opposing trees, Darius was practicing in between them. As
Darius practice, something on his shoulder caught Vincient's attention.
"Darius!"
He called. Darius stopped and went to him.
"Yeah,
what's up Vin?"
"I've
been meaning to ask you this for awhile now, what's that tattoo mean?"
"Oh,
this." He moved his right shoulder so they could better see the design.
"I
saw it several times before and meant to ask about it. It looks familiar to
me."
"Your
guess is as good as mine. I have had this for as long as I can remember."
"Mind
if I copy it and look it up?"
"Nope."
Darius sat with his shoulder facing Vincient. As he drew Vincient was unaware
of his observer.
The
Paladin had been watching Vincient since itself had sat down. In truth it had
been watching Vincient for awhile. It studied the mage carefully. As it watched
it likewise was unaware that its curiosity had been observed. Lorna watched
them all from her vantage point by the sleeping dwarf and cleric.
"What's
up Lorna?" Dungar asked revealing he had awoken. Lorna didn't even glance
at him.
"Just
watching the pretty boys playing."
She said in her usual manner.
"Don't
play that game with me Lorna. I know that you’re not really that way, so spill
it." Lorna's entire demeanor changed completely. The bubbliness
that normally filled her voice was gone. Her entire personality changed and
became more serious.
"You
didn't buy the act, eh?"
"Let's
just say I know my human and elven natures. Being raised by humans would have
had you develop mentally faster than most elves. Your fifty years of age barely
makes you an adolescent in the elven groups. So, what's up?"
"Sometimes
your too observant Dungar. I'm worried."
"What
about?"
"Not
what, who. The Paladin. He seems to have taken quite an interest in
Vincient."
"Well
I have hear of such things."
"That's
not entirely what I meant. We know nothing of him. Not even his real name. Let
alone, what he wants."
"Apparently
he wants Vincient." Dungar chuckled at his pun.
"Not
funny. Not funny at all." There was a harshness, a seriousness to her
voice that truly caught his attention.
"Lorna,
why the sudden interest in Vincient? I always thought you had your eyes on
Darius."
"In
those terms, I am interested in Darius, but Vincient has to do with something
else. I view him like a little brother."
"Ah,
I see then. You're the over protective older sister."
"In
a way. Vincient was fifteen when I met him. He was alone, living only for his
magic studies. Over the last four years he and I grew close. Two years ago we
met Darius and they latched onto each other like brothers. We were like a
family of siblings." The two looked over at Vincient and Darius. They
continued talking as Vincient drew. Though physically having no resemblance,
their attitudes seem to strengthen Lorna's assessment. "There is more to
Vincient than anyone ever will see. He is constantly hurt. He hides it well,
nobody really sees it. I see it though; he can’t hide much from me. He passes
it all off with his normally flippant self, but I’ve seen him when he thinks no
one else is around. Even with Darius and me he feels alone and isolated. He
hides everything inside and doesn’t let it out. I know he blames himself for
his father’s death, then there is the added fact of his mother. I just don’t
know what he would do if we weren’t around. He really has nobody and this world
is not exactly good to people like him. I care too much about him to see him
hurt.”
“You
sure you’re not his mother?” Dungar
teased.
“I
wonder sometimes Dungar. I’m just afraid for him is all. Perhaps maybe even a
little jealous that someone else might be in his life.”
"Lorna,
what I am about to say would be an insult to any other elf, but at times you
seem like a human."
"Thanks"
Lorna said with a smile.
"I
wouldn't worry too much. Vincient spends a little too much time with his nose
in that spell book of his, but otherwise he's a good kid. He can handle
himself."
"You’re
probably right." Lorna went back to watching them. She did believe in
Vincient's abilities, but as she looked at them all she couldn't shake the notion
of fear that she felt. So, the elf continued to worry.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
They
all began the last leg of their trip. At almost sundown the city of
"Hard
to believe at one point this was one of the most powerful cities in the
world." Garette said.
"It
will be again one day." Vincient said.
"Let's
go. It's gettin' dark." Dungar grumbled.
Vincient led them to a point on the lake's edge, facing the main gate of the
city. There appeared to be no walkway or boat to cross in.
"Don't
tell me we have to swim?" Darius complained..
"Remember
that this city was founded by magic users. They employ different methods."
Vincient returned. He knelt in a grassy
area near the water's edge. He brushed aside the thick grass, revealing a stone
plate. It had several designs on it. Vincient stood on the disc and recited
some words.
"What
the hell am I looking at here?" Darius said in amazement.
"It's
a hold over form the ancient days of the city. During daylight hours the bridge
is visible, but once it becomes twilight the bridge disappears. Actually it
only appears to. The disc I'm standing on is needed to make it visible."
Vincient explained. "Only the guild members are aware of this."
"Which
means everyone is trapped in the city from twilight to dawn?" Lorna asked.
"Pretty
much, but on the bright side no one can get in during those hours either."
The
group traveled along the crystalline structure. Vincient and most of the others
walked over it at a normal pace. Dungar, however, seemed to be having a great
deal of difficulty. The others saw the normally confident dwarf shaking in pure
terror. His face was streaked with sweat, his breathing was labored, and each step
he took looked as if it were taking every last ounce of willpower he had.
"What's
wrong with Dungar?" Vincient asked.
"Dwarfs
have natural dislike for water. So, boats and bridges are a problem."
Lorna answered.
"Judging
by the extreme reaction he's having, I would wager that he has hydrophobia,
fear of water." The Paladin added.
"He
never told us about that before." Darius said.
"It's
not the kind of thing one is proud of. Let's pretend we didn't notice and leave
him his pride." Garette suggested. That seemed agreeable to the group so
they headed onward into the city, only this time at a slightly slower pace.
Once
behind the outer wall the group stopped to survey their surroundings. The city
of
"The
layout is simple. It’s designed to lead you back to the guild." Vincient
informed them.
"That's
good in case we get lost. Now where do we go from here?" Darius wondered.
"This
was on the man that attacked the innkeeper." The Paladin tossed Vincient a
leather patch. There was a design of two conjoined snakes in a figure eight,
with the heads facing each other.
"It's
an insignia of some sort." Vincient mused. "It must be like a guild
pass."
"That
was my assumption as well."
"How
do we know which building they're in and more importantly, what do we do when
we find them?" Garette interjected.
"Once
we find the person responsible for this I can take it from there."
Vincient said. The others bore puzzled looks in response to his statement.
"For now our best bet would be to search the outer ring first. This is the
most dangerous part of the city, so be careful."
With
the remaining hour or so of light left, the group walked the back streets of
Trendon. Each walked in silence, searching for any sign or clue as to their
query. Each passing person drawing their suspicion, until Darius spotted
something. He pulled down some old ad posters from an alley wall to reveal the
rest of the one that had caught his eye. The same design that adorned the patch
appeared on the poster.
"The
Serpent’s Coil." He read. Scanning down he found an address. "Second
circle, ninth section."
"I
know that area." Vincient said.
"Then
let's go, the night ain't gettin'
any fresher ya know." Dungar grumbled.
Vincient
was able to lead them deeper into the heart of the city. As the last few rays
of light died, they reached their destination. The Serpent’s Coil was a large
tavern, another copy of the design adorned their door. The building was in
better shape than those in the first circles were, but it still left much to be
desired. All six looked in the window. A boisterous crowd was held within, full
of unseemly and dangerous looking characters. Each was drinking and yelling
various things.
"Looks
to be 'bout forty or so men. This could be a bit of a problem." Dungar
said.
"Hey,
look at that!" Darius shouted. He drew their attention to the upper right
corner of the tavern. A set of stairs leading to the upper level was located
there and on the stairs was a familiar figure.
"Lords
preserve us! It's that brute from the inn." Lorna swore. They watch the
hulking figure of the brute standing there. Unlike the rest of the patrons, he
looked worried and distressed. Another descended the steps and talked to him.
After about a minute both went up.
"Probably
reporting to his superiors." The Paladin said. The others nodded in
agreement.
"If
I could only corner the leader, once that's done finishing this will be
simple." Vincient said.
"Well
what we need is a distraction and I know one. Did anyone see any woman in
there?" The others seemed puzzled by the question, except the Paladin. Its
expressions aren't really discernible.
"I
did not take notice to any." It answered.
"Good!"
With that Lorna began raking her fingers through her hair. Each pass pulling it
out more and thickening it up. She finally shook out, most of it now covered
her trademark elven ears. She then pulled a small leather vest from her
backpack. She put it on and pulled the closing strings on it tightly. This made
it act like a corset, pushing her already flat stomach flatter and lifted her
breast up more.
"Uh…Lorna
what are you doing?" Darius asked. In response she undid the top button on
her blouse, showing more of nature's gift to her.
"How
do I look?" She asked. Darius, Vincient, and Garette all seemed at a loss
for words, but finally managed a "good".
"Do
you think I look slutty?"
"No,
no, no." Was the response they rapidly gave.
"Damn!"
She said then undid another button, resulting in an even less need for the imagination.
"How about now?"
"One
more button and you got it." The Paladin returned. Everyone looked at the
Paladin in a moment of surprise. It almost sounded as if that mechanical voice
had humor in it. After this momentary shock Lorna took the suggestion.
"This
should do. Now while I keep them busy you guys see what you can do. Give me a
minute then come in."
"Don't
forget to plug your ears." The Paladin warned.
"So,
that's it! Your gonna play the siren bit."
Dungar chuckled.
"That's
right stout, hairy, and old." Lorna said in low deep voice. She couldn't
stifle the giggle afterwards. She straightened up and said, "Let's do
it."
Once
Lorna entered the tavern all talking ceased and all eyes locked onto her. She
walked confidently amongst the ruffians. They tossed out cat calls and other
rude gestures. She strode up to the bar.
"This
is a private club, but we can make an exception for you, baby." The
barkeeper said with a leer and an alcohol cloud.
"Your
too kind. If I entertain the crowd, would you spare me a drink?"
"Sure
if you’re good."
Lorna gave him a wicked grin,
"They won't be able to resist me."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside the others awaited Lorna's
distraction. They watched her exchange a few words with the bar keep, then she
took up a singing position. They heard her warming up her voice.
"She's
starting." Garette said.
"Good."
Vincient placed his wrist together. He recited a few words of the arcane
language of magic and a ball of white light appeared in his hands. He then
hurled it into the night sky. He raised his right hand and closed it. The ball
exploded in a brilliant white flash that lasted only a split second.
"What
the hell are you trying to do Vin? Let the whole freakin' place know were here?" Darius yelled.
"No,
just a few. Lorna should be done by now, let's go in."
The
tavern's interior was filled with the sound of Lorna's voice. None of the group
heard Lorna's singing, but they saw its effects. Each man within the tavern
stared at her in vacant rapt attention. As they made their way to the stairs
Dungar stopped and looked at one of them. His eyes seemed to be focused on
nothing, a small trail of saliva ran down his chin. Dungar waved his hand in
front of his face, nothing. He snapped his fingers in his face, nothing.
Finally he just punched him. The man fell to the floor, but otherwise made no
response. "Uncanny! She doesn’t even have any whiskers!" He said in
amazement.
Once
they were upstairs and out of range of Lorna's voice, the Paladin signaled to
remove their earplugs. They found several doors on this level, but only one was
closed. Stealthily they walked to the door, they could hear a fight going on
behind it.
"I
send you to collect from a simple
innkeeper and you fail?!" A high voiced man screamed.
"They…they
weren't nor…normal!" The brute stammered in return.
"How
am I suppose to keep this going if you keep givin' me
news like this?"
"Looks
like we found our leader." Dungar whispered.
"Time
we introduced ourselves." The Paladin said. It raised its boot and kicked
the door in. It gave way with a thunderous crack, exposing the people within.
Four men stared at them in surprise. The man in the back was a short, pale, balding
creature, with pinched eyes. Standing on either side of the brute were to two
men roughly the size of small houses.
"It's
them!" The brute cried.
"Who
the hell are you? How'd you get past the crowd down there?"
"It
must be that elf! She sings and stuff happens." The brute stammered.
"It
doesn’t matter how, only that we did." The Paladin responded.
"Wha…What the hell a…are you? Get rid of it!" The
little man screamed. One of the larger men made a swing at the Paladin. Without
even looking directly at him the Paladin merely raised its hand and caught his
fist. Then using the same great speed as in the inn, the Paladin countered with
a knee to his gut. He crumpled instantly. The Paladin heard the movement of the
other one behind him. It wheeled around and thrust its hand out towards its
opponent. The effect caused by this was exactly like the one used on the brute
in the inn the day before. This one crashed hard into the wall. It turned to
the other two.
"I
trust you two are smart enough not to resist?" They nodded.
"Who
the hell are you people?" The man demanded.
"Now,
Vincient you said that you could handle this guy once we found him, what
now?" Darius asked.
"Hold
it a sec." The young mage closed his eyes and appeared to be in deep
concentration, as if searching his mind for something. After a moment he seemed
to find what he wanted. "The constables are only blocks away."
"How
do you know that?" Darius inquired.
"Mages
are taught a special skill called Sensing. It allows someone to feel the aura
or life force of another being. Mages are one of the few groups to learn this.
If I'm not mistaken so are Paladins."
"Really?
That true?"
"Yes."
It replied.
"That
Light ball I sent up was a single flare for help."
"Oh."
"You’re
a…a…Mage?" The little man stuttered.
"Yes,
and under Trendon law I have the right to arrest you for the crime of
extortion."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Within
the hour the constables arrived and made their arrest. Vincient dealt with them
entirely, answering each of their questions and finally signing control over to
them. Once that was done the group was allowed to go on their way.
"Well
that was fun. What do we do now?" Lorna asked. She restored herself to her
more respectable appearance.
"Find
a bloody inn and go to sleep!" Dungar snapped.
"What's
your problem?" Darius said with annoyance.
"Every time I might get the chance to crack a few
skulls Lorna either sings us out of it, or the Paladin steals all the
action!"
"Next
time will be your turn then, Dungar." Vincient said. "As for an inn,
that won't be necessary. I can find us real nice accommodations and it won't
cost a thing."
"Where?"
"We
can stay at the guild tonight."
"Are
you sure about that?" Garette asked.
"Yeah,
we have tons of empty rooms,” he sighed, “besides we have guest buildings as
well."
Once
again Vincient lead them through the darkened city. As they progressed towards
the center of the city they passed buildings, temples, and homes. Arriving at
the gap between the houses on the last circle and the wall surrounding the
guild school, they came upon one of the many parks ringing the guild. Ahead
down the road through the trees, the group saw several tall buildings clustered
on the guild grounds, but one very large tower stood at the center of it all.
"The
guild is almost like a city itself. At one time only teachers or high ranking
mages lived in it, but now with so few students all live at the guild with room
to spare." There was a sad tone in Vincient's voice. It was as if he had
seen what the guild was and what it has become. After a few more moments of
thoughtful silence on Vincient's part, they headed for the main entrance of the
guild.
At the
gate was a guard house, inside sat a robed sentry. It looked at them for a
moment and then asked Vincient, "Name?"
"Vincient
Arclis." The man pulled out a leather bound book. He searched over the
pages in the first quarter of the book. He looked up at Vincient.
"Sorry
there is no Vincient Arclis in the apprentice list."
"I
am Mage Arclis." He corrected.
"What?!"
The Paladin whispered. Though barely audible, the Paladin's comment of surprise
was heard. Having a keener sense of hearing then humans, Dungar and Lorna heard
it. Both gave each other a side-glance.
The
sentry likewise seemed surprised. He resumed his questioning. "Current
Status?"
"Full
association, non-teaching." The sentry pulled out another book and paged
through it.
"Here
it is. I need to record the name, race, and class of each guest entering with
you."
"There
are five all together. The first one is Garette Savar, human cleric."
"God?"
"Tenaria."
The Sentry nodded. "Proceed."
"Dungar
Ironsmith, dwarven warrior. Lorna Lan'Droe, Elf, she possesses some bard
ability. Darius Sommer, human, a knight in training."
"Knight?
What order?" The sentry said with some urgency.
"He's
my student." The Paladin interrupted.
"You’re
a Paladin of Dawn?" It nodded.
"Each
of you are logged as a guest. During the day students practice magic, so watch
your steps." The sentry waved them on. Once the group had past, he turned
to a small mirror in his station. With a few words a face appeared. "Alert
the Guildmaster. One of them has arrived."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
They
all went to a building a few streets into the guild. The building was smaller
than most of the others, it was about four stories high. The inside was well
maintained, but deserted. Vincient found an empty room for each of them on the
fourth floor. Shortly later each one was settled in for the night.
Dungar
was washing his face when there came a knock at his door. "C'mon in
Lorna." He called. He heard the elf woman enter.
"Knew
I was coming eh?"
"I
had a feeling. So, what do you make of the Paladin's reaction?"
"I'm
not sure. To be honest I want to know why Vin even
had to specify 'mage'. That caught the Paladin's attention for sure and that
makes me even more anxious to know."
"The
ways of wizards are a mystery to me. You notice how he didn't press the Paladin
for his name, race, or nuttin' else?"
"That
and he had to vouch for Darius, what was that about?"
"I
think maybe we should have a talk with the Paladin alone."
"I'm
tired of playing these guessing games. Tomorrow I want answers."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next
morning each awoke to the sound of Vincient pounding on their door. Once each
had dressed, they gathered in the lobby of the building.
"Vincient!
What in the name of hell are you movin' us this early
for? Dungar grumbled.
"I
received a summons today. I was asked to see the guild master and each of you
is to come too." Vincient said excitedly.
"Why
the hell would he want to see us?"
"I
don't know. In fact no one has seen the Guildmaster in at least my
lifetime."
"That
doesn’t make sense." Lorna said.
"I
know, but that has been the way since the Wars of the Dark Lady. We’re due
there in twenty minutes. We have to go now."
The
group hurriedly followed the young wizard to the guildmaster's tower, which was
the large central tower of the guild. They were guided through the tower to the
upper most level. The room they were instructed to wait in was exceptionally
decorated with lavish furnishings, beautiful blue marble tiled floor, and
various display cases of magical items. Vincient was asked to go in first. This
provided Lorna with the opportunity she needed to question the Paladin.
"Paladin
I have some questions for you." The helmed head turned towards her. Lorna
looked at the metallic face, her gaze unwavering. "First off, why were you
surprised when Vincient called himself Mage
Arclis?"
"That
is no great mystery." The mechanical voice responded. "Vincient or
any mage could answer that for you. He is only nineteen right?"
"Yes."
"That
is why I was surprised, as was the sentry. When wizards refer to themselves as
'mage', it means that they have graduated from a guild school and are no longer
apprentices. This happens at age twenty-four to twenty-six for humans."
"Vincient
is quite the prodigy then?" Dungar asked.
"I have yet to see him in
heavy combat, but I can feel his power. It is very strong for one as young as
him."
"
'Feel his power'?" Lorna said with confusion.
"Something
called Sensing. Vin told me about it last
night." Darius seemed to take pride in the knowledge.
"Okay,
why did you have to vouch for Darius?"
"Again
that is a matter of basic knowledge. If you have had any contact with the
knighted orders, light or dark, you would have found that they hate magic and
those who use it. Paladins have no such bias, to use magic is just another
tool."
"This
makes sense so far." Dungar defended.
"I
knew the sentry would see my armor and recognize me as a Paladin."
"Well
since your being so free in answering question, how about telling us your
name?" The Paladin was about to make a response when their escort
returned.
"The
Guildmaster will see you now." The group rose and followed the escort.
Lorna came last, muttering,
"This is starting to piss me off!"
They
rejoined Vincient in the Guildmaster's study. It was a fairly spacious room
with bookcases lining most of the wall space. Whatever space remained was
covered with maps, diagrams, and various charts. The desk was likewise
cluttered in books and papers. The only space that seems to have order was the
corner where Vincient and the guild master sat in overstuffed, high back
chairs.
"Please
come in." The Guildmaster motioned with one withered hand. The group
approached them. As they did the dour look on Vincient's face alerted them that
this was serious business. The Guildmaster looked over the group and
nodded. "Yes, you'll do
nicely."
"Do
what nicely?" Garette asked.
"Why
save the world of course."