“Nothing in this makes sense to me.” Eadwald uttered frustrated as he stared down at the collection of maps folding out from the enchanted pages of the tome on the history of Vhoragos. There were at least six different drafts reaching the threshold of the wide and long table in their room, chalked black lines on white twisted, turned in angular proportions, often in ways Eadwald could not imagine them.
Even Priernuss and Hevaeck who both were familiar with complicated maps stroked their chin and beard while their minds overworked themselves to decipher the maghieth runes penned besides the edges of the drawings signaling sections, crosses deemed important enough to navigate through the vast system that took care of the waste water of the city flushed down daily by the residents. They all agreed it was way too complex of a system for such a simple task.
Eadwald even theorized that it may serve a different purpose, maybe it was built by their enemy or at least their ancestor to conceal their forbidden activities beneath the city, away from the vigilant eyes of the legionaries and the custodians who patrolled day and night. Though both of his seniors shot it down, citing that the real reason probably had a more protective nature as most of the further levels were built after the kidnappings a few centuries before.
They themselves believed the purpose of this labyrinthian system served to confuse the enemies and wild monsters of the Veinways in case they would found their way up to the city. “Then how did a few undead achieved reaching the market?” Eadwald asked as he folded his arms and stared at the two inquisitively.
Hevaeck continued stroking his beard, his lids shut down as he seemed to meditate on the answer. “My current theory is that the nekromancer probably mapped out the sewers, maybe even saw these drafts.” He answered then pointing down at the table. “We may ought to question the bookstore owner once more.”
“I’m not sure its worth a shot. Even if the perpetrator visited to study the layout, probably many other did so too.” Priernuss interjected whilst leaning onto the table, his eyes engulfed by translucent mist of yellow and blue as he sharpened his mind, expunging some of the strain put on it after hours of staring at the papers. “Also, we should wait for the others to return, maybe they learnt something more… palpable.” He then added after etching some of the runic words pointing at the shifting directions on the lower levels of the sewers.
“Speaking of which, I wonder what takes so long for them.” Eadwald murmured as he turned to the window reflecting the darkened world with the unsettling endless blackness stretching across the sky whilst the Lunius silver form hovered just out of sight while its cold rays reached into the crevices of the city. The snow that started melting on the steeped roofs froze once more, the slush turned into hardened mud on the streets once again revealing the clanked steps of approaching folk, the doors creaking as they entered their homes and the Scrupulous Phaerun.
“That must be them!” Priernuss said as his half knife shaped ears twitched picking up the muffled croaking of the wooden floors. As the door opened with a soft moan, they halted in their greeting seeing the haggard looks of the trio and Eadwald rushed to them, concern visible on his dashing face. “Are you guys alright?”
“For the most part.” Ashnan answered as he dropped onto the bed. Though at first Priernuss hesitated, he snapped his fingers canceling the spell which resculpted their forms, which increased the tiredness of the trio whilst accentuated the soulless expression on Azugh’s face who simply sat on his bed and stared while his tremulous hands rested in his lap.
“What happened?” Eadwald asked as stood unsure on what to do to console his friend. Though as he saw the runes shimmering with the vibrant warm shades of dawn appear on Eadwalds’ arm as he approached, Azugh raised his hand. “No need. I doubt dawn spells could calm my nerves.”
“First kill?” Azugh nodded at the question thrown from Priernuss leaning against the table. “Rather unlucky to experience it this way.” Eadwald not understanding turned to him and asked what was on his mind as usual. “The place and time of the first kill for mostly everyone begets different reaction. When I had my first, my mind focused on simply surviving a battle against rebel elements remaining believing in the return of the Black Pharaoh of Khadrath.” Priernuss went silent, eyeing Azugh before continuing. “For him, it must have happened momentarily and probably in his mind wanted to incapacitate yet his body made a decision to kill instead.”
Though before the others could have confirmed it, a pair of trampling brought their attention to the still open door, on the other side Aelfsigior and Saugh approached hastily, worry and then relief on the former’s face as he noticed all of them back and mostly unhurt.
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“What happened? Do not leave out any detail.” Saugh spoke up first as Aelfsigior side stepped and leant against the door closed behind him. His eyes first wandered once more across everyone, engulfed by golden and bluish violet aethereal mist as he checked on the well-being of the others once more, not wishing to see anymore than the three weeping friend of his waiting back, still in the dark on the fate of their beloveds.
For a few moments, silence settled onto the spacious suite of the establishment’s second floor, then the first to break their silence was Priernuss reporting on their findings in the bookstore owned by the xirong man. Eadwald interjected, bringing up their theory that the nekromancer may be is the owner himself as many of the vagrants went there before they disappeared. Like Hevaeck, Saugh shut down this theory too when he confirmed that they themselves suspected the bookstore owner out of sheer desperation when they ran out of suspects.
With a contingent of veneficiir, he visited the shop and they all skimmed through the place, looking for psioron matter leftover from spells to erase, conceal either remnants of spells used to kill and dispose of them, or ones that simply were used to conceal hidden apertures, doors or even corridors hidden behind a wall of pure illusion. “There was nothing there, except for the residue of spells that keep the place lit and warm in these freezing temperatures.” Saugh said as kindly as he could as deep down, he had the hunch that the xirong man was responsible. This tinging he felt right now, even the One and the Eight tried to lead him on the path to catch him, he told himself.
“And you guys? I heard you took down old Uchitemar.” He said that name with a bit of solemn, the question building towards a lie, a lie that would ease his mind was on the threshold of his lips. A lie that was also supported partially by the frozen Azugh whose hands trembled in his laps while staring with almost vacant eyes out the windows, lost in a seemingly endless torpor he seen one too many times on the faces of his subordinates.
Silence followed once more, then Ashnan and Gna began at the same time their explanation of the events that unfolded two hours ago…
**
“Killed by a juvenile.” Uchitemar’s old friend wearing a metallic mask carved with the vague resemblance of a dragon tittered from behind it after he heard the report. “I told you, you should have left Vhoragos with me.” He added after he calmed down a little and stared coldly at the withered vessel Uchitemar’s soul inhibited.
After his death, the nekrotic and spatial runes he carved into his own soul flung it across the city and down in to dark intersection of the sewers’ several layers beneath the earth, where the pungent odor of the undead permeated the cleansed air. Though at the time the corpse was still fresh, devoid of scars and dents, at least three centuries passed in which even the runes of time could not fully halt the breaking down of the cadaver, though for the most part the aevhen corpses take at least a millennia to reach the same state as the other races’ corpses – except for the aetherkiin whose bodies made up of pure mana simply just disperse upon their demise.
“So should we proceed with the plan?” His hauntingly dashing visage turned at Da Yun’s projection on his left above the flowing water devoid of the impurities. “I wouldn’t recommend it. Just wait until their arrival.”
“What happened with your ambitions? We have the chosen here, we should act upon it before the draenith praetoriir take him back to the capital.” Uchitemar said his tone poisoned by frustration at the state he was forced into. “Oh my ambition is well and good. But the Master willed for our patience.”
“He did. But I doubt he would anger himself in the case we manage to kill the boy.” Da Yun said as he stroked the horned chin of his glinting silver mask. “But he shall so if we waste the undead, we amassed.” The one behind – tall and bulky like a standing bear – said in his deep, echoing voice.
“We don’t really have to waste all of them. Maybe a quarter is enough to draw him down to his doom.” Da Yun said ponderingly. “Draw him down?” The masked aevhen nekromancer asked seemingly leaning forward as if he misheard it.
“He and two of his companions visited by during the day, clearly searching for our meeting place. By now I believe they may have deciphered my clues.” Da Yun answered with a firm, sibilant tone. “You should have at least informed us on your plans. That may have saved Uchitemar’s life.” Uchitemar’s neck creaked as he nodded in agreement.
“Well I thought my own greed would lead them to me.” Da Yun said apologetically as he hovered closer to the center platform of the intersection. “And what happens when he comes down? Will you leave it to the dead or do the deed yourself?” The aevhen asked, his eyes piercing.
“I shall do so myself.” He answered without hesitation, staring right back at the projection. “Then it is fine by me.”
“Same. Though just in case you two fail, I shall refrain from participating, though I may the Dusk protect you in your endeavor.” The ursine demikin said, his tone clearly laced with his expectancy of their failure. Uchitemar turned to Da Yun as the other two’s projection dispersed, his dry, cracked lips moved as he forced words through the emaciated throat. “What about his companions?”
“If they come down, you can have your revenge.” Just as he prepared to cancel his spell, Da Yun stared into the eye holes occupied by deep violet and black matter. “We may even have a better vessel for you amongst them.” He added before he disappeared, leaving Uchitemar looking confused, then pensive before he disappeared in the vicious shadows of the northern arch.