I left the tent after the trial was adjourned in somewhat of a daze. My mind was attempting to catch up to what I had said inside. Apparently, I had just volunteered for what everyone else considered a suicide mission, and they appeared to be interested in the idea. Me and my big mouth.
Just then a large hand fell on my shoulder. I turned to see Durdan standing behind me, looking rather serious. “James, a word please.” I simply nodded and followed him away from everyone else.
Once we were out of earshot from the rest of the camp, Durdan started talking. “James, I think it’s a bad idea for you to go to Yol’vastume.”
I raised an eyebrow slightly. It was definitely a dangerous idea, maybe a poorly thought-out idea on my part, but I didn’t really think it was bad. It seemed like a decent plan to have someone sabotage the fortress from the inside, and since I was really the only person who could possibly pull that off, it made sense in the moment.
“Why do you say that?”
He hesitated for a moment before continuing. “It’s just... You are a wanted man, they will be looking for you, right?”
It was a valid concern, but I did not think that was all of it. I looked at him suspiciously. “Does this have anything to do with what I told you last night?”
“No... maybe. I just don’t think it’s a good idea for you to walk into their territory. What if you are caught? You said it yourself; you don’t want to be captured and tortured again.”
I furrowed my brow a little bit. “I also don’t want to spend the rest of my life hiding in a hole in the ground, and for all I know, that may very well be an eternity. Even if I do nothing and stay here, how long do you think that could last? Do you think that you will be able to win the war quickly, or will it be drawn out for years with no guarantee that it won't end poorly for you? Don’t get me wrong, I'm terrified that I will end up strapped to a table again, being picked apart in an attempt to steal what I didn’t even want to begin with, but if I do nothing then that fate looks more and more inevitable by the day. I want to make Alathos pay for what he did to me the same as you all do, and if me taking a risk can help bring him to his knees, then it is a risk I will accept.” Frankly I had been on the fence about the whole idea, but this conversation had steeled my resolve.
Durdan opened his mouth like he was about to start arguing, but in the end, he closed it and sighed. “I see your point and can’t very well reject your feelings on the matter. I suppose I do feel like it is somewhat blaspheming to send the chosen of the goddess into such a dangerous situation.”
Figured that had something to do with it. “Well, hey, I practically spit on her name every day and she still keeps me alive. I think she will forgive you.” Durdan looked like he was at the halfway point between being offended and amused.
He simply shook his head as if to say he wasn’t going to touch that subject. “How do you plan on avoiding capture if the council does decide to accept your idea? They’ll arrest you the moment someone recognizes you.”
“I actually had a couple ideas for that problem, though I would need to experiment a little bit.”
“Well, I hope for your sake that whatever you come up with works.”
“Yeah, me too.” There was a slight pause in the conversation, and I turned my gaze towards where the prison cells were located as a few questions arose in my mind. “Did you ever figure out how Lochis managed to get a poisoned knife? The materials to make a poison would probably only be found in either Velshi’s or Sert’s room, did he steal from them?”
Durdan sighed a little. “Actually, as embarrassing as it is, he just walked into camp with it.”
That made me raise an eyebrow. “Walked into camp with it?”
“Yes, he actually hasn’t been a part of the camp for even a day so far. During the investigation, it was discovered that he was brought in as an escaped slave the same day as the attempt on my life, though now it looks like he was placed there by those who ordered my assassination. He simply walked in with the knife, claiming he used it to escape from captivity. No one questioned him beyond that, and he expressed a desire to keep it. We will need to change how we do things in that regard from now on. This will not be any good for morale.” He shook his head a little, seemingly imagining that particular issue already.
“That’s another thing, why specifically you? Couldn’t he have attacked any of the other representatives as well?”
“Oh, I'm certain he could have, but it seems that I'm more popular.” He chuckled a little bit, but seeing my non-reaction to his little joke, he decided to elaborate. “While most of the other representatives do help keep the camp running, maintaining all the logistics and communications in order, I’m the one who’s made a name for myself as the General of this army. I’m in charge of where, when, and how the troops should strike, and thus my name probably carries more weight than the others. Not to say I consider myself better than any of them. This camp probably wouldn’t be able to function at nearly the same capacity without them.”
“The line between disorder and order lies in logistics.” I quoted.
“Hmm, a good saying.” Durdan said with a sagely nod.
“Not mine, unfortunately.”
“Well, I would very much like to meet the one who did say it. Sounds like the kind of person who could help me with my workload.” He let out a small laugh that was tinged with weariness.
“I’m sure he could, unfortunately he is already long dead.”
“A shame, but then again, I doubt I would have an opportunity to talk to many humans any time soon.”
“Yeah, not likely.” I began to think about my world, how things might be going there. Someone must have discovered that I've been missing at this point. I wonder if they think I’m dead.
I guess I was looking a little morose because Durdan quickly backpedaled. “Oh, I'm sorry, I spoke without thinking. I was not trying to bring up painful memories.”
“No, it’s fine, just thinking about how things might be going back home.”
He just hummed slightly but didn’t push the subject any further. After a moment of silence, he spoke up again. “Well, James, thank you for hearing me out and making your thoughts clear to me. I must return to my duties now, and I'm sure that the council will be having a discussion on your plan. I’ll admit it’s not a bad plan, but I still am unsure about it. There are many variables to consider and a lot of room for error. Regardless, until next we meet.”
“See you around, Durdan.”
He went off back to his work for the day, probably dealing with the fallout from the trial. Despite my mind being chaotic right now, thinking about all the things I would need to do in the future should my idea be accepted, I was stuck in my regular routine. I tried to shake off some of my worries and concerns and just fall back into my day. In an effort to accomplish that, I went towards Sert’s lab for our scheduled time together.
I arrived at the lab and knocked to receive permission to enter. After it was granted, I stepped inside to see Sert sitting in his chair looking at me. There was a little tension in the air, like I was walking into an interrogation. Considering the revelations that must have come to him, I guessed that wasn’t too surprising.
He didn’t say anything immediately, and frankly it was kind of awkward to just stand there, so I took a seat. We continued our little staring contest with one another for a few more seconds before Sert decided to speak.
“So, you’ve been hiding things from me.” His tone was similar to that of a parent who discovered their child was keeping something a secret from them.
“It was nothing personal, I was hiding it from everyone.”
“Yes, I realize that. I had just thought that after working together for so long we would have moved past the point of secrets.”
I sighed a little and scratched the back of my head awkwardly. “Look, I didn’t know any of you, my reception here was not what I would call friendly, and I was fresh out of my own personal hell. It was a long while until we all reached a point in our relationship that I would have even considered sharing this information with you, and at that point it would have been awkward trying to explain. I was just trying to keep myself safe.”
“I am not faulting you for having a sense of self-preservation, I would just like to know if there is anything else you are keeping from me.”
I chuckled a little. “Would you believe me if I said no?”
“I would be skeptical, but unfortunately that will be the nature of things between us for a while.”
“I guess that’s fair, but you guys really do know basically everything I do now. I wasn’t lying when I said that I received zero explanation about all this when it was forced upon me.”
Sert studied me for a moment. Maybe he was searching for any sign of lies, or maybe he was just thinking about what I said. Either way, it was a few seconds before he replied. “I’ll choose to believe you for now, however, I want to hear everything you know and your story of how you got here.”
Well, if it will help mend his trust in me... I agreed and set about giving him the whole story, as much as I knew, and as far back as I knew it. I went over everything that seemed remotely relevant to the subject at hand. Sert wanted to get as much information as he could out of me, so he went more in depth with his questions, some of which were a little uncomfortable to answer.
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We spent at least an hour in conversation, pouring over all the details, even the ones that I thought were unimportant. Once I had given everything there was to know, Sert started to contemplate all that he had learned. Velshi had said that Sert might have the most knowledge about my situation, so I decided to ask a question of my own.
“Well, now that you know everything, is there anything you can tell me about all this that I don’t already know?”
“Possibly. Your tale reminds me of an old story that is told to my people's children. I’ll spare you the rhymes and mysticism, but it is a story about the great wyrms that once roamed this land. Several centuries ago, the wyrms were the undisputed rulers of this world. They were large, powerful, each one blessed by some aspect of nature that they could conjure at a whim. However, they were arrogant, prideful, viewing all other beings of the world as insignificant to their own majestic glory. They cared nothing for the lives of our ancestors who tried to live amongst them and would often destroy anything that was built that they deemed objectionable for some reason or another.”
“The story is rather vague about the details, but it is said that the Eternal Mother, seeing the suffering and death of her children, bestowed her gifts onto those who suffered most from the actions of the wyrms, the Thrainians. They did not have the natural blessings bestowed upon the other races that allowed them to weather the harsh reality of the wyrm’s rule. They were born with a talent for magic, the ability to mimic the great powers of the wyrms, and the wyrms saw it as an insult for their powers to be in the hands of those they deemed lesser. It is said that they tormented the Thrainians wherever they found them, scattering them across the land and forcing them into hiding for fear of their wrath.”
“The chosen of the goddess went across the land, doing battle with the tyrants and rallying the Thrainians. Their numbers grew great, and despite their weak bodies, they overpowered the wyrms with their numerous spells. The battles devastated the land with their ferocity, but in the end the Thrainians drove the wyrms into extinction.”
“After the last battle was fought, the Thrainians rebuilt the land, cultivating fields, building towns and cities. It is said that they even shared their gifts of magic amongst the other races in the hopes that none would ever become so arrogant as the wyrms once were. It is a story that teaches humility, and the dangers of pride. A shame that such lessons tend to be lost with time.”
I remembered hearing a little about this from Alathos, but the whole story was something else entirely. “You think that story is true?” I asked him.
“I cannot be certain. Recorded history from that era is rare, and stories or legends tend to change over time depending on who tells them. One thing is constant in all though, the Eternal Mother did intervene in the mortal world in the past, so it is not so unlikely that she would do so again should the conditions call for it.”
“Such as the Thrainians becoming the new wyrms.” I stated.
Sert just nodded his head as we both thought about the ramifications of all this. Is that why I'm here? To drive the Thrainians to extinction? That didn’t feel right. While I wanted to kill Alathos and bring down his entire system of government, just the thought of committing genocide made me feel sick.
I shook my head a little. I wouldn’t do that, I couldn’t do that, and I don’t think that was why I was brought here. If genocide was the goal, I don’t think the bitch would have picked me, she probably would have gone for a serial killer.
I pushed the questions that I had stacking up out of my thoughts. There were other things that needed my attention right now, such as having a plan for if I'm sent out to Yol’vastume. I wanted to try some experiments, and who better to do that with than the resident semi-mad scientist.
“Hey Sert.” He looked up from his thinking and gave a hum of acknowledgement. “Has anyone ever used healing to change their features?”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “It’s not all that common, but yes, there have been cases where people have used healing magic to alter their appearance. However, these cases have only been minor adjustments. Those who have tried to change their bodies too drastically have found that the parts in question then become more difficult to use outside their original form.”
Probably has something to do with the way the brain is wired up. “Okay, I just needed to know if it was possible. I’ll start small in that case.”
“What, pray tell, do you need such a talent for anyway.”
“I kind of volunteered myself for a suicide mission and need a working disguise for it.”
Sert opened his mouth like he was about to ask a question but ended up just closing it and shaking his head. “I imagine you have your reasons and I'll ask Durdan about it later. Now, what are you going to do?”
“I was thinking I would try to change my hair color first.”
“Oh, I've never heard of that being successfully done before.” Sert was looking a little more invested in the conversation now.
“Well, maybe they just didn’t understand how hair works. The color is more or less determined by the amount of melanin in them, or rather the two subcategories of melanin, eumelanin and pheomelanin. If I can just adjust the levels, then I should be able to change my hair color fairly easily.” And hopefully it won’t cause my hair to catch on fire or something like that.
“Do you need anything to achieve this desired effect?”
“A mirror would be helpful.”
Sert turned and rummaged around his desk for a moment. After digging through some of the clutter, he came back with what was basically a pocket mirror. “Will this do?”
“Should be fine, thanks.” I gratefully accepted the mirror and took a look at myself in it. Damn, I got scruffy. I was looking pretty wild with my beard and my hair growing out. I definitely need to clean up a little some time.
I started to focus on the magic inside of me, directing its flow and commanding it to change the levels of melanin in my hair. I watched with fascination as the color of my hair slowly started to change color. From its normal black it started to lighten, becoming dark brown, then regular brown, and finally a light brown color. I cut the flow of magic there as I didn’t fancy myself a blond.
I admired my new hair color in the mirror for a second. The result was exactly what I wanted, and it was surprising just how much a simple thing like hair color can change your appearance. Hair stylists would kill to have healing magic.
Just then, Sert was at my side, examining my hair closely. “Impressive, you have successfully done what no other has. It seems this melanin of yours was indeed the key.”
“Thanks, but now let’s move onto step two.” This one I wasn’t really looking forward to, but I had to do it, nonetheless. I focused once more on the spell casting process, directing the flow of energy to where it was needed. I watched as my ears started to change, stretching and growing, gaining a few more inches in length.
At the end of the process, I had gained two inches on my ear length, and they itched like crazy. The product was a pair of pointed ears reminiscent of the Thrainians. I nodded approvingly at the results though didn’t really care for the look at all.
Sert commented on them as well. “My, you certainly do look like a Thrainian now. I think your disguise would work on most who do not already know what you look like. Are you planning on removing your scar? Your beard hides it a bit, but it might still be recognizable.”
“No, that is one thing I will not touch.” I knew it wasn’t the most logical decision, but it was a part of me, and to get rid of it was like erasing a part of my history, a part of myself. Maybe I just wanted to keep the one thing that connected me to my own world.
“Very well, it is your decision. Now, would you be so kind as to explain exactly what this melanin is in detail? I would like to record this information for future use.”
I chuckled a little as that was a very ‘Sert’ thing to do. He was already moving past the revelations that were dropped on him and getting back to his experiments and information gathering. I undid all the changes I had made to myself. Once more sporting my original appearance, I started an explanation of melanin while Sert recorded everything I said in his notebook.
I tried to be as in depth as possible so he would have a complete picture of the subject. Didn’t want some half-baked notes making someone’s head explode later. Sert finished his notes with a few illustrations before putting the book down.
“Well, at least something productive happened today. I assumed that this recent revealing of your condition would create a blockade of the progress we were making.” Sert said.
“Yeah, well, just promise you won’t suddenly stab me just to see how it works for yourself.”
“Not without your permission at any rate.” He grinned a little with his reply.
I scoffed at that, but it did make me smile a little. “Good luck getting it, I've had enough of knives being sheathed inside me for one lifetime thank you very much.”
Sert chuckled a little as we both played into the dark humor. “I don’t think we have much time for anything else unfortunately, so I think we will have to continue this tomorrow.”
“Alright, I hope that you will look past my little omission.”
“Don’t worry, I understand your point of view on the matter. I won’t hold it against you, at least not until after I've had a chance to use it as leverage a few times.” The sly old goat gave another grin at me.
“Pfft, you really are something else. Just don’t make me do something weird with that ‘leverage’ of yours.”
“No promises.”
We both shared a chuckle before parting ways with an exchange of goodbyes. I proceeded out of the tunnel and went over to meet up with Velshi and Kala. Oh shit, I still need to tell Kala I opened my dumb mouth. That was a conversation that I was not looking forward to.
I went up to Velshi’s room and pushed aside the sheet to enter. The sight that greeted me was Kala and Velshi, seemingly in the midst of a conversation that stopped as soon as I entered. Kala beamed a smile at me.
“Hey James, I beat you here today.”
“Uhm, hi Kala, that you did.” I sounded abnormal, and Kala picked up on that as her smile disappeared and was replaced with a furrowed brow.
“What happened, did Sert give you a hard time?” She paused and studied me for a second before her eyes widened a little bit. “Did something happen during the trial? What did you do?” She was way too good at reading me at this point and her tone of voice was very accusatory.
“Uhm, well...” I shot Velshi a glance for some help, but she just looked away and acted innocent. Traitor! “I sort of, maybe, volunteered myself for a dangerous mission.”
Now Kala’s eyes widened all the way. “You what! Why?!”
“It just kind of slipped out. Things got really intense during the trial and the assassin did what he did because his family was being held hostage. I got emotional, and I volunteered to go in the heat of the moment.”
Kala just stared at me for a painful moment before burying her head in her hands. “James, where did you volunteer to go?”
I gave an awkward shrug. “Uhm... Yol’vastume.” I kind of just blurted it out. Kala’s head came out of her hands at a breakneck speed. She stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed at me for a couple seconds. Then, her expression suddenly turned to anger as she came out of her chair and stomped over towards me.
I cringed and braced as she stopped in front of me, staring daggers. She then proceeded to smack me on the arm a couple times as I endured it. After she was done with that, she began yelling again.
“Why would you do that! Yol’vastume?! That place is a nightmare! Out of everywhere you could have said you would go, why would you choose the worst place imaginable?!”
“It’s not a decided thing yet, I just presented the idea, the council was going to talk it over.”
“And how likely are they to send you?”
I rubbed my neck a little. “I don’t know, but they did seem interested in it.”
Kala’s face scrunched up and she looked like she was about to go into another tirade. Just as she was approaching the bursting point, she exhaled and deflated, though she still looked tense. She then rushed at me, and I flinched, but she didn’t hit me, she hugged me.
“I don’t want you to go, tell them you won't.”
I was stunned for a second at the sudden shift in mood. I recovered from the change and hugged her back, comforting her. “I wasn’t too keen on the idea either, but I realized that if I just stay here, doing nothing, then I have no control over my fate. I want to fight, and this may be the best opportunity to do so. Don’t worry, I'm sure there will be a good plan made if they do decide to send me.”
Kala sighed and squeezed me all the tighter. “I just hope they will say no.” I didn’t say anything in response to that, I just rubbed her back and held her close. I would be lying if I said the thought of going to this place didn’t scare me, but if I could pull it off, somehow bring down a castle, then this might mean a turning point in the war. Whatever was going to happen, it all came down to the decision made by the council.