In a dark room hidden in the sewers underneath Winterport slums, three men could be seen standing inside. The only source of light in the room was a small candle in the middle that slightly lit up the faces of the three individuals. If a resident of the slums were to see any one of these faces, then they would quickly lower their heads and start cowering in fear.
“Why did you call for a gathering at this time, Harkin? You know how serious the guards are after the arrival of the High Priestess. They are practically everywhere. I was almost caught on my way here,” said a bald muscular man with a baritone voice. He had a bushy brown beard and a long scar that went from his left ear down to his collarbone.
“Stop being such a coward Jack, they would’ve just told you to go home. You know I don’t do this sort of gathering if there isn’t anything important. We are still enemies on paper,” Harkin replied. He was a 40-year-old man with short black hair and red eyes. Half his left ear was missing and there was a cross-shaped scar on his right cheek. All these combined with his tall height of 6’5” feet gave him a frightening demeanor.
“Get on with it then. I don’t have all night,” said a one-eyed man to stop the other two from starting an argument. Unlike the other two, he had a somewhat handsome face unmarred by any scars. He wore an eyepatch and had long blonde hair that was tied in a ponytail.
“Yes, yes. I was about to do that if that muscle brain didn’t interrupt me,” Harkin said before getting back on topic. “You guys know about the reason the High Priestess is here, right?”
The other two nodded at his question and Harkin continued, “If this expedition of theirs succeeds, then we will most likely be disbanded and the city guards will be after our heads when we are no longer enforcers.”
“Speak for yourselves, my crimes aren’t as severe as you two,” the one-eyed man interjected.
“And how sure are you that they won’t come for you, Glen?” Harkin sneered.
Glen didn’t have any comebacks and decided to remain quiet.
“Exactly. The city might decide to have a clean break and execute all three major enforcer gang leaders,” Harkin said.
Jack was starting to get irritated and said with anger, “I hope you are not just here to tell us that we are dying soon.”
“No, I’m not. I called you here to move operation dusk to an earlier date. This is the perfect opportunity.”
“How is that?” Jack asked. “The Dawnblade won’t be alone, even if we manage to trap him, he can always find another way out with the help of those knights.”
“That’s why we won’t trap him in the deep mines,” Harkin smiled.
“Not in the deep mines? Then what’s the point of it then?” Jack asked.
“You want to trap them in the Abyss,” Glen said in realization.
“That’s right. I managed to smuggle the military-grade purified blast explosive last week. All we need to do is follow them all the way into the heart of the abyss and set this off behind them. The commotion afterward will gather all shadows in that location. They will be trapped with no escape,” Harkin said with a ferocious smile. “Both the expedition and the Dawnblade will perish. Two birds with one stone.”
“You’re insane! Assassinating the High Priestess! If the church learns about it then we are never going to the see of day again,” Glen said in fury.
“And who’s gonna tell them? If we don’t do this and the expedition succeeds, then you can kiss your lives goodbye after the guards come for us. Some risks are necessary for survival, pretty boy,” Harkin shouted.
Glen scowled and looked at him with a cold glare, “And how exactly do you plan to get this explosive into the abyss? Don’t tell me you plan to go there yourself. You can count me out from such a suicidal idea.”
“I’m not an idiot. No one’s going to the abyss. I have a nature aspect officer who has a quirk to tame animals. While he can’t tame a shade, he managed to find a way to control its mind through some kind of spore. We will use his ability to deliver the explosive. However, he needs to be close to the shade and cannot do anything else when he is controlling it. That’s where you guys come in. The guards will be suspicious if all my officers are missing. So, I want both of you to provide two officers each to protect the tamer from any shades near the border of the abyss,” Harkin explained.
“A thorough plan. I’m in. I will send two of my officers to the mine tomorrow morning,” Jack said after hearing the plan.
Harkin nodded and looked at Glen. Glen was still skeptical about the whole thing but knew that he couldn’t back out now. Thus, he nodded at Harkin to show his approval.
“Great. After we deal with the Dawnblade, we will be the uncontested rulers of the slums and the underworld. Make sure your officers avoid any guards in the mine. They should rendezvous with the tamer a few tunnels ahead of the deep mine’s entrance,” Harkin instructed before ending the gathering. “We should leave now if the guards see us together then they will capture us for questioning. Take separate routes as usual.”
…
The town square was filled to the brim with people. Nobles, merchants, peasants, and slaves; everyone came to send off the expedition party and see the High Priestess. Cal was standing behind the makeshift stage near the fountain. He glanced at the blue-eyed High Priestess who was standing beside the Marquis on stage. The stage was surrounded by city guards for safety. The Knights Templars were also standing ready nearby. Marquis Rothberg was giving a long speech about how the heroes of the church were setting off to vanquish the evil forces of the deep mines to raise the spirits of the residents of Winterport. Cal listened to the speech for a few minutes before walking towards the Knights. He stopped in front of a tall brown-skinned man who looked like he was from the northwestern region of the empire—close to the border with the Wesmar Republic. He looked to be in his late 30s and from the way he carried himself, he must be the knight sergeant that the Commander was talking about.
The knight sergeant looked at Cal and spoke up, “You must be our enforcer guide. What’s your name?”
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“Callahan, sir. You can call me Cal.”
“Well Cal, if you are joining us on the expedition then there are some rules that you must follow. First, you do not speak to the High Priestess unless she talks to you. Second, you do not approach the High Priestess unless she asks you to. And finally, leave the fighting to us, your job is to be our pathfinder only take out your sword when you have to protect yourself. Am I clear?” the knight sergeant said in a commanding voice.
“Yes, sir.”
The knight sergeant looked Cal up and down after his reply and said, “Good enough. I am the knight sergeant. You can call me Sergeant Ved. You will stick with me throughout the expedition. You notice anything that’s slightly out of place you report it to me. Are you prepared to set off?”
“I am ready, sir.”
“Good. We will head out after the Marquis is done with his speech,” he sounded a bit annoyed.
Cal could hear the people cheering after a few minutes. ‘The Marquis must be done with the speech,’ he thought. He glanced back at the stage and saw the High Priestess climbing down the stairs. She walked to her knights and spoke with the knight sergeant before looking at Cal. The knight sergeant beckoned him to come forward.
“You are the most experienced enforcer, child?” the High Priestess asked.
Cal was confused when she called him a child. He was told he looked mature for his age. And looking at the High Priestess he assumed she wasn’t any older than twenty-five. He didn’t want to say anything that would offend her, so he just replied to her question, “No one has entered the deep mines as much as I have, your excellency.”
She looked at him with pity, “And at what age did you become an enforcer, child?”
“Since I was fourteen, your excellency. I am almost at the end of my fourth year as an enforcer,” he emphasized his experience so that the High Priestess wouldn’t ask for someone else, complaining that he was too young.
The High Priestess looked enraged and turned to the knight sergeant, “What crimes could a fourteen-year boy commit for him to be sentenced to slavery?! This is a blatant disregard of the church’s ruling against slavery! We must report this to the Cardinal Council and ask them to investigate this island.”
Sergeant Ved looked helpless and tried to appease the High Priestess, “I know it’s unjust, your excellency, but it is happening throughout the Empire. The church had only banned slavery seven years ago, it will take a while for it to phase out for good. We have to endure for a bit more, your excellency. Time will solve the issue hopefully. If we push too hard, then we might reverse all the progress we have made so far.”
The High Priestess wasn’t happy with the sergeant’s argument; however, she knew that she didn’t have enough power or status to force the Cardinal Council to take any action. She had to wait in frustration for now.
Cal watched them argue and decided not to correct the High Priestess. He didn’t want to add more fuel to the fire by revealing that he was sold to slavery when he was seven.
“I’m sorry about that. You are no longer a child, are you? It must’ve been hard for you,” she said kindly after she calmed down. “You’re called Cal, right? How well can you navigate the abyss, Cal?”
“The tunnels in the abyss are always shifting and changing. Without proper navigation, you can run around in circles for months. I can make out which tunnel would lead deeper into the abyss, but it still depends on our luck on how long it will take for us to reach the heart. If we are lucky then the heart might only be a few tunnels ahead of us after we enter the abyss. But, if we are not, we might have to walk for a few days before reaching it,” Cal explained.
“Give us an exact number. What’s the longest it would take for you to guide us to the heart?” she asked.
Call made some calculations in his head before giving his answer, “It would only take us a few hours to reach the deep mines. From there, we need to travel for around 2 days before reaching the border of the abyss. I have never been to the heart, but from my estimates—if we are really unlucky—then it would take three more days to reach the heart. However, I am not sure how well you can fight off the shadows, if they put up a strong resistance, then they might slow us down for another half day. Therefore, six days at the maximum.”
“Hmm...Six days. We only took supplies that will last us for two weeks so it might be cutting it a bit too close,” the High Priestess said.
“It should be fine if we deal with whatever we find in the heart. The return trip should be much faster without any monsters to bother us,” Sergeant Ved said trying to relieve her worries.
“I hope so. May the White Flame protect us,” the High Priestess said and motioned for the knights to start walking as they made their way out of the city surrounded by an escort of city guards.
The knights repeated her prayer and followed her. Cal mouthed the words so that they didn’t frown at him. Even though the Empire officially practiced religious freedom on paper, Cal knew that only the White Flame church had political power. The law was only there so that it was easier for the Empire to incorporate conquered border regions whose citizens followed different religions. Anyone in power was a believer of the White Flame.
The procession walked out of the city and arrived at the mine an hour later. On the way, Captain Reginald walked up to Cal and spoke to him quietly, “Look at you. Bestowed with the honor to guide the High Priestess. This must be the best day of your life, Cal. A criminal walking among the most virtuous people. Well, don’t get too cocky, bastard. I’ll still be your captain if you manage to come back alive. Everything will be the same, just like before.”
Cal could hear the disdain in the captain’s voice. He wasn’t bothered, however, and chose to ignore him. The only reason he put up with him was because Reginald had access to the mine. If the expedition went well, then he should be able to find whatever was calling him to the mines. When that happened, he would no longer require access to the mines and would have no reason to listen to the captain anymore. Yet, the captain wasn’t aware of his motivations and thought that Cal was a broken man who would never disobey any orders. Otherwise, he would never treat Cal so cruelly knowing how strong he was.
Reginald was furious when he realized that Cal was ignoring him, but he could do anything in front of so many people.
They stopped at the entrance of the mine where some of the guards were building a tent. Commander Iris was also there instructing the guards. When the knight sergeant saw them, he spoke to the High Priestess, “That is where you will bind your necklace, your excellency.”
“I thought I told you this was unnecessary Ved. I will not abandon you people in the face of danger,” the High Priestess said sternly.
“It was an order from the archbishop, your excellency. We must take all precautions to ensure your survival. Unlike us, you are not expendable.”
“You are not expendable! And stop talking like we will fail,” the High Priestess exclaimed.
“Please forgive me, your excellency, but I have strict orders from archbishop Nora to not enter the mine until you bind your necklace here,” the knight sergeant said.
“My sister is always trying to meddle with my affairs,” she huffed.
“Fine, I will do it, but I am never using it,” she said with displeasure.
The High Priestess walked up to where Commander Iris was building the tent and started drawing an intricate light rune in the air. When she was done, she placed her necklace in the middle of the rune. The White Flame emblem floated in the middle of the rune and its white halos started spinning. The emblem gave off a bright light that was almost blinding. It glowed like that for a few seconds before it stopped spinning and turned back to a normal necklace. The previously ethereal rune now looked like it had solidified into a real painting that was suspended in the air. It gave off a soft light now. The High Priestess put the necklace back on her neck and walked back to them.
Cal saw that the rune was suspended in the middle of where the tent should be once it was built. He didn’t know what it did, but it must have been important enough for Commander Iris to guard it.
“Happy?” she asked the sergeant.
The knight sergeant nodded.
“Finally! Let’s go. We have to take care of this quickly.”
Cal followed the knights as they entered the mines. He looked back and realized that this might be the last time he enters this place. Whatever he finds at the heart of the abyss, he wondered if it would help him obtain a purpose for living.