The night had been a little restless for me. It was hard to describe what was going on in my mind. There was chaos, conflicting scenes and emotions all swirling around me in a maelstrom of activity. I couldn’t claim that it was torturous exactly, but it certainly wasn’t the product of a healthy mind.
Just then something happened in my dreams that induced a sickening feeling of dropping. That split second between unconsciousness and reality that occurs when you fall in a dream sent a quick burst of adrenaline through my system. My body jerked as my limbs briefly attempted to splay out and catch myself despite me lying solidly on my bed.
After I had come fully to attention and the brief hit of adrenaline had faded away, my head started to protest the sudden unexpected movement. I groaned a laid back down on the pillow. The throbbing feeling thankfully died down quickly, but the light coming in from the window stung my eyes a bit.
Fuck me, what a way to wake up. I suppose it could have been worse, and I was glad that I had called it a night when I did. One more drink and I might have been out of commission for most of the day. As it was, sudden movement and high contrast of light were to be avoided, but I could still get around, if only at a measured pace.
At least I was half dressed already, so getting up and ready for the day was a little quicker than normal. I straightened myself out, made sure I was presentable, and planned on splashing a bit of water in my face to sober up. After I had accomplished soaking my face in some cold water, I got a quick bit of breakfast and went outside to start formulating the plan for today with everyone else. Even though they couldn’t do much to help me right now, I still thought I should keep them in the loop for what was happening.
They all seemed to have just finished up their own meals, as meager as they probably were. Everyone turned their attention to me as I stood amongst them. “Everything fine in here?”
Jorn took the opportunity to gripe a little. “Could use a real fucking meal, but yeah, all good around here.”
“Good. And how are the new faces adjusting to all of this?”
The Droln spoke up in response. “First off, I have to say that you all are insane. Secondly, I must thank you because I've wanted a chance to get back at these bastards for what they’ve done to me, so I guess that makes me insane as well.”
I chuckled a bit. “We’re all a little mad around here. Welcome to the club.”
The Valus shyly slithered up to speak his mind next. “I... uhm... I've never thought that this could happen to me, and I've never done anything like this, so I don’t know how much help I will be.” He took a breath to organize himself. “But I remember a little bit about what it felt like to be free, and I want to feel that again, so I'll do my best.”
“Just don’t push yourself too hard. What's important is to make sure you can get out of this alive, so don’t do any heroics.” He quickly nodded at my words, apparently confident that he could follow those instructions well enough.
Silia was the last to voice her opinion on the matter, though it was begrudgingly given as she seemed to have no interest in answering me. She started with a sigh. “Well, since it seems that my daughter is determined to jump headfirst into the pits, I guess I'm going to be helping. Just know that I'm not going to be sticking my neck out for any of you, I'm here for Kala.”
Well, helping her is helping us, but if she feels like keeping that distinction separate then whatever. “Fair enough, keep her safe then.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that.”
Jesus lady, I'm trying to be friendly here. There had to be a point where she would see that, but she made it seem like she didn’t even have the capacity to reciprocate even a little. It would become a bit of a problem if she didn’t at least come to view me as anything other than an annoyance at best.
Mend the relationship later, work right now. “Moving on to the plan for the day, I got a tip about a captain that might be willing to let me see what this magical warding system they have looks like. If it’s something that I can find a way to interfere with, then we might have an avenue of attack. I’m thinking that we are getting close to the answer, so things might take a drastic turn after this.”
There were some grim nods around the room as everyone understood what that meant. A drastic escalation in an already dangerous situation was never looked upon in a favorable light. Still, it was the reason why we were here, and it was increasingly looking like an inescapable inevitability. This visit, if I'm allowed in, might just be the nail in the coffin that springs us into action.
“I’m off then. Frankly I don’t know if I should ask for luck on this or not. No way to know where that luck might lead.”
A few small chuckles went around the room, probably just something to alleviate the tension. Otar came up and clapped me on the back with his paw like hand. “Well then, just don’t do anything stupid.”
“I won’t do anything stupid if I can stop being forced into stupid situations.” I huffed, partly amused, partly depressed. “Honestly, how the hell did I even get here?”
“Can’t exactly answer that question for you, but maybe you should focus on what’s ahead of you instead of wondering about the path you’ve already taken.”
That got an unexpected laugh out of me. “You know, you occasionally say something really insightful.”
“Hey, I'm a font of wisdom. It’s not my fault that you can’t understand half of it.”
“Probably because it’s drowned under the alcohol, games, and shouting.”
The comforting hand on my back instead turned into a shove as he pushed me stumbling towards the door. “Alright, moment’s over, get out there and win us a war why don’t you.”
“No pressure, right?” I flashed a playful grin before taking a breath and collecting myself once more.
If the information that I had gained last night is to be believed, the captains have their office by the front gate to this place. I had to ask for Azaren when I got there, and hopefully some well-placed bribes could earn me at least a view of what this ward system is like. The alternative to this working would have to be finding a way to sneak into one of the towers, a proposition that was both dangerous and unlikely to succeed without the means of opening whatever doors were undoubtedly between myself and the goal.
At least it wasn’t all that difficult to find the office building in question. It was the third building from the gate and had more of a rugged feel to it than those around it. The door was solidly built with wood and rivets, the windows, while simple, were too narrow to allow someone to slip through, and the roof seemed to be fortified and could be accessed in the event that it was needed as a secondary line of defense.
Not knowing what else to do, I just walked up and tried the front door. Shocker, it was open. Inside there was a basic reception desk, simple furniture, and a series of other doors that led to different parts of the building. The small square room was rather depressing really, but I suppose they weren’t really in the business of customer service. This was first and foremost a place where officers can keep their affairs in order.
There was no one there to greet me, so I ventured to call out. “Hello? Anyone here?”
There was a brief moment of silence before a voice came from one of the backrooms. “Hold on one moment, I'll be right out.”
At least I was acknowledged and wouldn’t be sitting here forever. I did as the voice suggested and sat down to wait for a few minutes. Eventually, a man came out of the rooms to stand behind the reception desk, leaning on it in a casual manner.
“So, you here to lodge a complaint about a member of the garrison?”
“Uhm... no?”
He waved a hand in front of his face. “Sorry, that’s just the most common reason we get a stranger in this place. What can I do for you then?”
“Well, I was hoping I could speak to a Captain Azaren. He does work here, correct?”
“Nature of your visit?”
“Personal, possibly business depending on him.”
“Vague, but very well. I’ll check if he’s willing to see you.” He walked off through a different door, leaving me to wait once more. Another couple minutes later, the designated receptionist returned. “He says he can hear you out but make it quick.”
Another surprise. I suspected that I might have to grease a few wheels before I was even allowed an audience. Maybe the man’s easy-going nature was more prevalent than I first thought. Whatever the case was, I thanked the receptionist and was led to one of the offices in the back.
The office room was just what I had imagined it would be considering the military nature of things here. Very spartan with hardly a personal item in sight. There were only two desks and three chairs in the room. One desk seemed to be primarily used for storage of documents and other such things, and the other was currently being occupied by the captain himself.
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Azaren stood from his seat and offered me a handshake, which I accepted and gave a firm grasp. He sported a heavy five-o-clock shadow across his face, his hair was dark brown and short, and his face had very little fat on it, probably made trim from his time in the military. He flashed a friendly smile as he started to greet me. “A pleasure to meet you Mr...”
“You can call me Arkin.”
“Mr. Arkin then. Have a seat, tell me what business you have with me.”
I sat down on the offered chair in front of his desk. “I apologize if I have taken time away from your duties.”
He raised a palm in dismissal of the concern. “You don’t have to apologize for that, in fact, I’m rather relived that you showed up. It’s been nothing but paperwork lately, and I was afraid that my mind was about to melt and pour out my ears. Please, relieve me of my boredom and let me know what you seek.”
Despite his seemingly aloof attitude, I had to remind myself that he was an officer, and most likely a mage to boot. There was no room for complacency in my act despite his disarming nature. I gave a slight smile with a dip of the head. “Very well, I'll get right too it. This just so happens to be my first time visiting your castle. In my business dealings and conversations with those living here, I've heard many mentions of a very impressive magical warding system you have in place. Naturally, upon hearing about it, my curiosity was piqued. My question for you is if it would at all be possible for me to indulge in a viewing of this majestic and enigmatic system?”
Azaren leaned back in his seat a little and adopted a thoughtful expression. “Hmm, that’s a difficult one to answer. I can’t exactly recall any rules that would specifically forbid it, but there are many inferred rules that would say I should not allow it.”
Figured it would be something like that. Luckily, I came up with ideas to circumvent this. “Of course, of course, I would not want you to get in trouble for something silly as my flights of fancy, but perhaps we may find a way to come to an arrangement that would protect all parties involved. Let’s say that I made a donation to your personal garrison funds. Do you think that I would then be entitled to see what it was I am funding?”
His expression became a little more focused on the conversation, a good sign. “Well, that does sound like a reasonable expectation for a man to know what he is buying. How much would this donation be exactly?”
I removed five silver coins from my pocket and deposited them on the desk with a short clink of metal on wood. A not so insignificant amount of money, and he could probably get drunk for the next few weeks just off this alone. Azaren flashed a smile before reaching out and sweeping away the coins into his own pocket.
“I do think that such a donation does indeed afford you an opportunity to view our lovely wards. But I must stress that it is a viewing, and you must not touch anything inside. It can be rather delicate at times, and dangerous if handled wrong.”
“Understood, eyes only.”
Satisfied with my acknowledgment of the rules, he stood from the desk and invited me to follow him out the door. Now was the time to pay attention, and I started to memorize the path that he was taking me on. Apparently, he was unconcerned about an unexcused absence from his work, either benefits of his rank, or just a disregard of his responsibilities. His personality might suggest the latter.
We exited and immediately turned towards the wall and started marching in its direction. After moving a few yards in that direction, we turned off the main road and took a few alleyways before we popped out directly next to the imposing fortifications. A doorway in the side of a short tower, that likely only existed to allow access to the wall, was opened and we started the climb through the narrow stairwell.
We emerged onto the top of the wall, and I took a moment to look out over the landscape. You could see for miles from this vantage point. The landscape was covered in orchards, grains, and vines as far as the eye could see. The high sun shown its rays upon the scenery which shifted with the wind. It was beautiful and would have made for a great picturesque moment if it wasn’t for the knowledge of how all this is maintained.
Back to the situation at hand, we had started to approach one of the taller towers that made up the perimeter of the castle. It was an odd tower, and my initial thoughts on them did turn out to be verified. It was quite tall, even for a lookout, didn’t have any slits or other places where defenders could effectively counterattack from, and no roof access. The whole thing just screamed ‘out of place’, like a weird game of spot the difference, and now I would finally be able to see why that was.
The door into the tower was wood with many bands of iron running along its surface to reinforce it. Similar to how the bank kept their doors, the handle was apparently enchanted with a series of runes across its surface. Hopefully whatever was in place on it wouldn’t be much different from the other death door that I had encountered, or maybe undone with just a key this time.
Azaren removed a key from his pocket, did a little nonchalant twirl with it, and then inserted it into the lock and opened the door with a click. Once he opened the door, I could see that inside seemed to be illuminated by a bright light, but I could not yet see the source. Azaren had the door wide open now and invited me in with a little gesture of the hand.
I stepped inside and was immediately struck dumb by the sight. What occupied the room was the largest crystal that I had ever seen up close. It was suspended in midair by whatever magical force was in play and was at least two stories tall. You could actually see the magical energy swirling around in the crystal in the form of shifting lights underneath the translucent surface. There was energy in the air, it tickled at the senses and caused the hairs on my arms to stand up straight.
Once I was over the initial awe of the sheer magnitude of the crystal, I started to pay attention to the details. Upon its surface there were numerous etchings, so many that they were probably the reason the light from the inside of the crystal was muted. Top to bottom, every square inch, all carved with runes in very precise manners. The ridiculous amount of computational logic loops designed to defend against magical attacks on this thing must have been staggering, and there were more in the other towers as well.
“Beautiful, isn’t it.” Azaren’s comment snapped me out of my stupor and brought me back to reality.
My mind caught up to the question and answered quickly in turn. “Indeed. It is... magnificent.” That was one word for it amongst the thousands that might apply to such a creation. There were many things going through my head at that point as I looked at the floating crystal suspended by literal magical forces. It was situations like this that reminded me just how different this world was from my own. This sight probably wouldn’t phase most people from this world, but it was incredibly surreal for me.
Beneath my awe of the situation, I had a different thought slowly starting to gain control over my mind. It was a realization, one that came as both a pleasant surprise and a dreadful realization. I can sabotage this. It would almost be laughable how easy it would be. All it would take was five uninterrupted minutes alone in this room, a chisel, a ladder, and a few choice runes being added. I may not have understood everything there was to know about runes, but Velshi had been very clear about a few combinations that would spell disaster for whatever they were placed upon. Hell, I didn’t even have to add anything, just a few alterations to existing ones could probably stop its function all together by causing contradictions or logic errors. The similarities to programming were pushed to the forefront when it came to things like that.
I walked around the crystal, viewing it from every angle I could and using it as an excuse to see the rest of the room. There wasn’t much else inside this place, but there were a series of ladders propped up against one of the walls on the far side of the room, so I didn’t have to worry about bringing my own should I break into here. Azaren was watching me of course, probably just to make sure I wouldn’t touch anything, so I couldn’t really attempt to interfere with things right now.
Still, a plan was forming in my head, becoming clearer with every passing moment. Even trying to poke holes in it only served to refine the ideas, and any objections that I could raise against them would have applied to anything short of me suddenly finding a way to walk through walls as invisible as a ghost. I don’t know if it was all just starting to sink in for me at that moment, but I had a sudden rush of adrenaline as it became more apparent that it was happening. I was going to bring down Yol’vastume.
I was getting a little ahead of myself, but I couldn’t help it. This new information presented an opportunity that only I could take advantage of. No other member of the coalition could have even dreamed of getting to this point, and if I was successful, this could change the course of the whole war.
Azaren interrupted my thought process once more when he addressed me. “Alright, you’ve seen it, now let’s get out of here. Don’t need someone to see that I bent a few rules to get you in here.”
That was fine, I already knew most of what I needed to know. It wouldn’t hurt to pick for scraps on the way out though. “Very well, but might I ask how such a thing works? It seems to be impossibly complicated.”
“Less so than you might imagine. It was superbly crafted for efficiency, and it only needs a single mage to impose their will over it to activate the defenses.”
Damn, that is efficient. My initial thought was something more ritualistic with a ring of mages trying to control its power in unison. I was unable to ask anything else as I was quickly herded out the door so he could lock up and get us out of there. There was a part of me that agreed with his urgency as it would be easier if fewer people knew I had seen this.
We made our way back down the wall at a brisk pace. Maybe there was a scheduled patrol I didn’t know about that would be coming by us, which could explain his urgency. I wouldn’t figure it out now as we made a clean getaway from the scene.
He stopped in an alleyway for a moment to talk with me. “Well, I think we should part ways here. You can find your way back, right? And you don’t have any more business with me, do you?”
I shook my head. “No, I'm satisfied with the outcome of this interaction.”
“Then it was a pleasure doing business with you. Thank you for your donation to the garrison funds.” He offered one last courtesy handshake that I was obliged to return. After that, we parted ways, him most likely heading back to his office, and me going towards the inn.
My mind was racing. Coming up with ideas, playing out scenarios, checking and double-checking information, and just making sure that I wouldn’t fuck this up somehow. I was pretty sure I was just going over the same stuff time and again, but it paid to be thorough. Before I even realized, I was once more standing behind the inn with the intent of entering the slave shack.
I opened the door a little absentmindedly and was unprepared for the first question to hit me. “Back already? That was quick. Did something happen?” I looked over to see it was Jorn who had questioned me, though everyone was looking in my direction. When I didn’t immediately answer his question, he must have caught on to the fact that something was up. “Wait, something did happen?” He started talking in a more hushed tone as the conversation became significantly more important.
I nodded.
“Something big?”
I nodded again.
“Well spit it out then! Don't keep us in suspense.” His quiet enthusiasm was not lost on me, or the others. They all wanted to know what it was.
Taking a deep breath, I began with a simple hushed statement that carried a massive implication. “I found a fatal weakness.” Everyone was stunned into silence, like it was difficult to believe that the moment had actually come.
Otar ended up breaking the silence first. “Does that mean... we’re...”
I just nodded once more. “Yes, we’re going to make our move soon, most likely in the next day or two.”
There was no cheering, smiles, or general happiness at the revelation. Everyone was currently sporting a somber look as it all sank in. The feeling of dreadful anticipation before a dangerous situation that you know you are irrevocably heading towards. It’s almost enough to crush your very soul under the pressure.
“You’re certain of this? You actually found a guaranteed way to bring this nightmare to an end?” Silia questioned me, though it wasn’t in her normally hostile manner. It was one part disbelieving, another part hopeful.
“Yes, from what I have seen I could easily open a hole in the defenses of this place if I can just get access to that room again. I already have a few ideas on how to proceed from here, and if everything goes to plan...”
“Then Yol’vastume will fall.”