“How does she know?!”
Kallio turned to regard Mirriana with a tilt of his head for a moment before returning his gaze to the Seed. Fashioning the circlet had taken weeks due to scarcity of pure materials, but due to his diligent transmutation work had become possible. It was a simple design, merely a thin band of unornamented gray metal and a prong setting that now held the Seed securely. The real value lay in the mana conduits both he and Zeptik had meticulously designed.
“It's her business to know, isn't it?”, Kallio asked as he rose from his seat before the small altar, “I see no cause for concern. She remained neutral throughout, her duty lay elsewhere. I'll not fault her for that.”
“We stood alone, fell alone. She watched! Watched and did nothing!”
Zeptik snickered at Mirriana's outburst and blew a few whips of fire out of his mouth mimicking a snake's tongue. She fixed him with an outraged glare that the imp returned mockingly. Zeptik shook his head and abruptly hopped across the floor and climbed Kallio's robes to perch on his shoulder. He sat facing away from the succubus as her expression shifted to the wariness of someone often tricked.
“What was she supposed to do, huh? Heroically throw herself like a sandbag at the end of the world? Only the absolute stupidest, pinnacle of stunning-”
“That's enough, Zeptik. I am well aware of your thoughts on the sins of the past.”, the Warlock’s voice echoed off the dark stone of the Tower, “Our more pressing concerns are the sins of the present. Come, we shall atune the gem.”
Kallio stood before the altar as the demons took their places. Zeptik stood between the altar and his Master, Mirriana taking up position at the left side. The omnipresent lighting within the Tower blurred momentarily as Virax roused himself and stepped out of the Darkstaff, choosing to manifest as an emaciated humanoid figure with overly long arms. The Riftwalker turned its featureless shadowy gaze momentarily to an unoccupied spot opposite to Kallio at the head of the altar.
“...into incomplete thought…sealed.”, the voice burned across the room like biting insects as Virax spoke quietly.
Kallio turned his head to face the demon and replied with some fire in his voice, “The blade can be recovered, but not without this. I have already learned its location, and the defenses are…intricate.”
Virax looked again to the empty place before clenching one of its amorphous hands with an ominous low sound.
“Superfluous matter…dissolves.”
“Soon, Virax. I swear it. Let us begin.”
The Warlock raised his arms into the air and channeled mana into his hands that exploded outward into an inferno of emerald fire. It quickly swirled into an orb, shuddered and then halved its size as it compressed itself. This repeated two more times, each repetition accompanied by a flare of bright mana from Kallio’s hands while wild shadows danced on the walls behind them. With the first stage complete Kallio let his arms fall slightly, leaving his arms extended.
The orb remained hovering in the air before spearing the three demons with beams of fel light, all three shuddering as the energy soaked into them and infused them with power. Together they raised their arms to the ceiling as Kallio began to lead a chant. Their voices ebbed and swelled as tendrils of visible mana seeped from the demons and into the air before being pulled into the gemstone.
The four figures infused more and more power into the circlet as the mana levels swelled in the room. The air began to warp around the circlet as the density of the demonic energy entering it began to affect reality. Furtive voices could be heard whispering frantically over the chanting at the same time the shadows began to dance in truth. They leapt from the walls and formed a ring around the four with joined hands before beginning a spinning dance.
Upon the altar the circlet sat unaffected as the Seed soaked in all the mana. Slowly, a glittering emerald flame grew within the gemstone, luminous but frozen in time. It was a tiny thing, no larger than a candle flame but vividly lifelike. As the ritual continued the tiny frozen flame continued to sharpen as it solidified within the gem. It almost seemed to flicker and dance in the light cast by the pulses of mana from Kallio and the trio of demons.
"By Shadow, Flame, and Bone, I claim this vessel as my own”, Kallio spoke before he aimed both palms over Zeptik's head at the circlet as it brimmed with energy.
The world smeared under a brilliant strobe of green light as the ritual came to a climax and their voices fell silent. When reality reasserted itself a few seconds later the circlet sat unharmed upon a melted altar, the seemingly impervious dark stone warped and dripped slowly onto the floor.
“I still don't see why you're going to seek her out. It's been an age, Master. It's foolish to assume that she won't simply attack you to claim the Seed.”, Mirriana immediately resumed her protestations as Kallio retrieved the circlet and examined it.
It was largely unchanged, save for a faint emerald tint within the violet stone. Kallio nodded approvingly. Mirriana huffed in irritation while he ignored her and strode closer as she refused to drop the subject. Virax simply stepped backwards and warped as he crossed the intervening distance to the staff and resumed his slumber. Kallio was briefly jealous of the demon as he turned to face Mirriana with the circlet still in his grasp.
“It's quite simple Mirri, I must reclaim the blade. If not for the weapon itself, then to return Barthalas to my service. You will all be required for this and I cannot simply leave Leyla alone for the duration. It may take some time.”
“I don't see how the Dreadwatch relighting their beacon could possibly help with that. The Tower is entirely secure, and Iskra can be properly intimidated into getting her to behave. We should simply confine her to the Tower and return as quickly as possible.”, Mirriana countered quickly.
“No, this is an opportunity. The Dreadwatch does not break its word. I will request sanctuary for Leyla while we handle the matter.”
Mirriana scoffed, “What could you possibly offer that Emeriss would accept for such a request?”
“I will restore their access to the Mountain, and I will instruct Barthalas to relight the Great Forge.”
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Blackstone stood to the side as the last of the supplies were carted into the Transporation Circle and warped away to their destination. He had forsaken his usual fullplate for chain mail and a heavy tabard. To offset this he had acquired a shield crafted of magical materials that allowed him to use it as a focus for his family's barrier and healing spells. His father presented it to him in person after it had arrived from the family vaults, and in a rare moment of affection the steely old man had given him a huge hug. Blackstone smiled as he remembered it and looked at the shield fondly while he ran a tiny trickle of mana into the grip, a faint yellow shimmer appearing over the face of the equipment.
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“Gawin, you’ve got the maille on backwards ya knob!”, a grizzled old knight guffawed loudly as he stomped across the courtyard in the cool dawn glow to assist the old man.
“I assure you, Sir, I most certainly do not! The illustrations I referenced clearly indicate that one is to don the chain over the head! It is unidirectional!”
The knight laughed as he stood in front of Gawin and proceeded to shake down his armor and equipment, tightening a few straps much to the portly mans discomfort.
“Aye, aye. Just having a bit of fun with you on account that you look like you’re about to pass out. Keep these tight, you walk out of that swordbelt in front of his brother’s men and Angnar will have you in the scullery for a year.”, the man said with perfect seriousness as he glanced at Blackstone and nodded approvingly.
“You’ll be accompanying us to Farrim then?”, Blackstone asked the man as he examined the circle and waited for it to cycle back to full charge.
“Aye, it’s a long jump and you’ll feel it in the morning. The other’s will join you there, Farrim has agreed to provide a guide through the wilderness.”
Gawin huffed as he adjusted to the tightness of the straps, “Gods, that’s a relief! I was beginning to worry we would just be slogging through the wilderness with mules and a map.”
Blackstone and the knight exchanged a significant look as the circle hummed with power once more and they simply stepped inside. Gawin waffled for a few seconds as he looked about the courtyard as though trying to memorize it; with a visible effort of will he joined the other two men and tightly closed his eyes. Blackstone rolled his own as he triggered the token he had been given by Angnar and everything smeared into sound and color. He did his best not to move as his stomach lurched and invisible currents washed against his legs like waves at the beach. The jump went on far beyond the normal time most people were accustomed to as long distance teleportation was seldom utilized.
“Oooooohhhhhhh Gooooooooddddsssss ImGonnaBeeeee Sick…”, Gawin moaned as his voice slowed and hastened oddly as the transition continued on for long horrible minutes.
Just as Blackstone thought he himself could bear it no longer the world lurched back into focus from the left despite everything seeming to tilt right no matter what he did. He gritted his teeth and circulated mana through his body after infusing it with a weak healing spell. The magic purged him of his nausea after a few seconds of heavy breathing and he stood straight and readied a duplicate spell to assist his companions but was too late.
“HURGHLGL!”
Gawin vomited with a truly unfortunate violence that forced Blackstone to instead run the spell through himself once again to prevent joining him before he managed to perform the spell on Gawin and their escort. The knight blinked some sweat out of his eyes as the unhealthy paleness slowly faded from his face. Gawin mumbled thanks as he tore a handkerchief from his belt pouch and wiped his mouth fastidiously before folding it with a disgusted look and replacing it in the bag.
“Yeah, that’s them. That had to be a gods-be-damned long jump, they had to come from Greystone. Hey porky, are you well?”, an amused womans voice called from nearby.
Blackstone turned as his eyes took in the unfamiliar landscape. The transportation circle was located within a large open hall adjacent to a courtyard not entirely dissimilar to that of Greystone’s own keep. The walls were far less impressive but Blackstone knew that building too grandly this far north was a sure way to attract more Automata than was wise. Settlements like this one were on the smaller side, and had many transport circles simply as a matter of practicality. It was far simpler to evacuate the town and scuttle the circles behind them than fight off a large horde of the horrible artifice creatures.
“He’s fine. I take it you’re the one’s joining us on this ill-advised venture?”, Blackstone replied as he finally located the source of the voice.
Two human men, a male elf, and a sturdy looking dwarf woman awaited them around a few crates and pallets of supplies that they had sent ahead previously. They all carried a few superior pieces of equipment with obviously magical qualities and had haversacks laying nearby. The two humans in their robes and wide brimmed hats carried a staff and a wand respectively. The elf who wore close fitting dusky scalemail that almost seemed like a second skin carried a wicked glaive and bore a disinterested expression. Turning his eyes to the dwarf woman he noted the sheer thickness of the plate she wore before the warhammer she had leaned up against her leg, and she met his eyes with a sly grin as she saw him inspecting her.
“Yeah, thats us. I take it you’re the one who’s responsible for having me pulled away from my obligations, duties, and work to trek through a murderous wilderness full of ancient killing machines to look for something that probably doesn’t exist?”, the dwarf’s voice rose with every step she took towards him as fire gleamed in her eyes.
Blackstone gazed down at her in a bit of a daze as she planted her gauntlets on her hips with a ring of metal and burned a hole through him with green eyes from slightly above his navel.
“Yes.”, he replied defeatedly as he prepared for the worst.
“HAHAHA! I LOVE YOU ALREADY!”
The dwarf seized him in his second hug of the day as his back popped and his feet left the ground. She jumped around with joy, still holding him, as she shouted enthusiastically about glorious battle and grand adventure while the humans bawled with laughter and Gawin fluttered about the pair attempting to politely extricate Blackstone from her grip.
____________________________________________________________________________
Clouds crashed like a slow roll of waves against the mountain peaks far below the Dreadwatch’s Ziggurat as it flew. The enormous keep continued it’s grim advance southward, slowly departing the utterly inhospitable frozen world it had inhabited for a thousand years as blue energy continued to pour from its steps and dissipate into the air. The streams of spellwork fell like tiny waterfalls and were swept away by the wind to leave nothing but glittering mist in it’s wake. No living thing moved across the surface of the structure and still it bristled with activity as hundreds of skeletons worked tireless on two massive constructs of bone and steel on separate terraces.
Deep within the structure a woman with pale hair, clad neck to foot in heavy armor stood before an anvil, gripping a blade that hummed with energy in a pair of electrum tongs as she swung the hammer of blackened bone again and again. She stopped frequently to examine minute changes in the blade before returning the blade to the cold blue flame of the forge. Frost grew upon the blade as she watched silently with eyes that burned the color of the forges fire. With no warning the frost began to melt, coating the blade in another thin layer of Coldiron that slowly covered the entire blade evenly. When the blade had once again been covered she extracted it and repeated the process until she was finally satisfied.
Taking the blade she laid it carefully upon the large stone table nearby and retrieved a highly ornate hilt set with a white gemstone. With no change in expression nor pause to rest she expertly fixed the blade to the hilt of the weapon before wrapping the grip with white cloth that shimmered as if infused with starlight. Stepping back she lifted the sword, entering a flawless ready stance and performing a few basic cuts, the blade flicking out with a hiss of parted air. Seemingly satisfied she replaced the blade and drew her own blade from her hip.
Runes ignited down the length of the weapon as she poured mana into it and channeled with unflinching intent into the unfinished weapon before her. Snowflakes formed in the air around her, glowing with a white-blue light as they swirled into a vortex that rapidly became dense enough to obscure her form from sight. She twisted the blade slightly as she lowered it to touch the center of the fresh blade's hilt and the vortex of mana surged into the blade as the runes surged with brilliant light. A crash of shattering ice sounded through the gray stone room as dozens of runes began to burn themselves into the fresh blade, traveling up and down the metal in waves.
She maintained the spellwork as layers and layers of runes patterned themselves upon the weapon until it seemed to have depths not visible with the naked eye, slowly becoming more mana than metal before she abruptly cut the flow of power and seized the blade by the hilt. With a swift turn she shoved the blade into a large barrel of bone dust infused with precious metals as a long wretched wail sounded from the blade itself. After a few seconds she withdrew the weapon and examined it carefully one last time.
“Lady, permission to enter.”
Emeriss turned to the door and regarded the armored form of one of her personal guard, “Enter.”
The man saluted with a crash of metal and did so, approaching to within a few strides of her and coming to a halt before snapping off a brief report.
“The Warlock has relit the beacon. We expect he will arrive soon.”
Emeriss’ smile as she regarded the freshly forged blade in her hand was every bit as cold as the air around them.