Drops a water echoed through the dark and odorous sewer tunnels. It was perhaps the only sound, aside from their footsteps, that filled the air. There were also the crackling flames of the torches Alaric and Johannes carried. With their ranks being refilled, now with the addition of the few Rigmatite mages the local temples could spare, Alaric and Johannes led their respective groups through. The mages kept weak flames going in their palms, and stayed in the back of each group to ensure no one got lost.
The stench of the sludge that flowed along the channel was almost unbearable. The reinforcements in the groups had to use all their strength to keep from gagging. As for the rest, they simply recalled that horrid room from Wolbung. In an instant, their sufferings seemed to vanish, and the sewers were like freshly burned incense, or perhaps a field of flowers blooming in the spring. Nothing in the world was worthy to be compared with the putrid odor of that altar room. And a sewer, even one servicing a million people, could ever hope to strangle their noses like what they’d felt before.
The path soon began to show more signs of activity. Large planks of wood crossed gaps over the channel below, carving out direct paths to the other side, whereas before they had to take longer routes to reach the maintenance bridges installed when the sewers were built. Subtle markings started appearing along the walls; they were cryptic signs, but seemed to almost serve as landmarks for navigating the tunnels. It was a cold reminder that, although they had the element of surprise, it couldn’t fix their lack of experience in navigating the sewers.
After following the path of wooden planks, being mindful of the wall markings, they came to a central junction in the sewers. Suddenly they heard footsteps echoing from all around. Everyone readied their weapons and slowed their step as they moved along. Aela felt a chill along her back. They’re here, too.
She called out to Alaric and Johannes, warning them of the Chaodite presence in the area.
In an instant, several shadowy men emerged from the darkness, brandishing daggers and darting around. Alaric called on his men to stand their ground and fight, and Johannes did the same. The mages shot out waves of fire away from the two groups, briefly lighting up the surrounding area. At once their foes were revealed in full light for a moment, and the battle began. The limited space made the act of swinging a sword challenging, and the added difficulty of hitting such fast targets made long range weapons almost completely useless.
Lucullus kept his shield close, and was able to get a few hits against his enemies with a well-timed shield bash as soon as he felt their daggers hit it. His superior physical strength made it easy for him to knock any of these shadowy foes to the ground once he landed a hit, but his stature made him an easy target in the confined space. His shield may have taken most of the hits, but occasionally he felt a blow rattle his mail armor. It was far from being the worst abuse he’s taken, but it was enough to wear him down. It was like swatting flies in the night, but more deadly.
It was not without casualty, but they managed to defeat their attackers. Despite their foes being few in number, the damage done was immense. Most of the casualties were likely from drowning in the channel below, but such a pace could not be sustained for long. Heavy losses after every small skirmish would kill them all before they reached the edge of wherever the thieves were hiding in.
Despite knowing the danger ahead, they pressed on, but with fear a trembling from the lesser members. The further they went, the more inhabited the place felt, though it still had an eerie atmosphere from the silence and lack of people present. At last, they came upon a door. A sure sign that they had found the right part of the sewers. Alaric kicked the door in, and ordered his men to swarm whoever may have been in the room. It was just a few brigands, but they proved to still be deadly opponents.
Without the fear of falling into the channel, and with the openness and better lighting of the room, the odds evened out somewhat. This time the mages and Aela were at the forefront, and they slowed their swift foes with a Minor Bone Break spell in their feet. Each step was followed by several loud cracking sounds, and soon after by grunts and agonizing shouts from the brigands. Without their swiftness, the brigands were hardly a threat, and they were quickly dispatched.
Lucullus looked over at the mages, then to Aela. “Why didn’t you do that last time?”
“An enemy that is hard to see is also hard to strike. With your allies in the fray, would you shoot arrows in the dark?”
“What?”
“I won’t cast something like that if I can’t tell who I’m casting at.”
The chamber was upside down. It was pitch black. It was lit up with a brilliant display of lightning streaks. It was cold. Tullius had no words, but simply watched like a dog looking at its own reflection. No matter how hard he studied it, he couldn’t understand how one could bend reality in such ways, which only increased his desire to learn.
Sabina brought the chamber back to it’s correct orientation once more. “The key to such endurance in all the things I have manifested is breathing.” She inhaled slowly, but with such force that Tullius could almost feel the air around him pulling toward her. On the exhale, large clouds of steam came pouring out as if there were several pots of boiling water in the room. “With proper devotion to the spirits around us, you may also gain this breathing power. The breath is your energy. Your life.” At once, she thrust her hand into the floor and disappeared into ball of fire. Moments later she came down from the ceiling as if through a hole, but the smoke concealed where she descended from. “No walls nor any barrier whatsoever can keep you.”
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“How did you breath steam?”
She laughed. “The spirits use my breath to create the energy. This energy becomes heat.” She sharply inhaled. Her exhales slowly turned into grunts, sounding like a tough man walking on hot coals. Her grunts then began to resemble the growl of a great beast. After a minute, she breathed in and exhaled again. This time smoke poured out of her mouth as if a thousand fires had been lit inside her throat. And the smoke engulfed the entire room.
Tullius coughed and tried to swat the smoke away. At once, as if it was all just an illusion, the smoke vanished from the room. “I want to try it.”
She chuckled. “We shall start with a simple one before doing anything like that.” She took a step back. “This is a move with the fire that can save your life if a swordsman gets too close… or several.” She made a motion with her hand that resembled someone cracking a whip, and a line of fire appeared; it moved like a whip itself. She extended her arm out and spun around while moving closer to the floor. Round about her was a spiral of flame wrapping around her down to the floor like the shape of a spring. She clapped her hands as she stood up, and the flames vanished. “Remember your breath. And remember that it is the help that you receive from the other world that allows you to do this.”
Tullius began with a slow deep breath. Though no steam nor smoke came of it, he could feel the power that surged through him with these breaths.
“Remember to allow the spirits to enter you. For without this step, they can’t produce the energy you require to do these things.”
He surrendered himself to the spirits, and his second breath became hotter. His grunts became louder. Once he felt ready, he went through the motions as Sabina had demonstrated. First, the whipping of the hand. After several tries, he eventually made a fire. Continuing, he spun around down to the floor, and he marveled at the flame that followed him. He chuckled to himself in amusement before standing up and clapping the flame out.
“Good.” She walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. “You show great promise in your abilities. I only wish my sons were more like you.” She stared into his eyes, and he stared back. “I can see great things in your future, Sir Tullius. There are many uses for talents such as yours.” Her eyes turned black. She began to laugh as she spoke. “I can’t wait to see the shriveled face of Titus when he realizes his foolish error.” Her laugh disappeared, and her voice became low and soothing. “Tullius, do you promise to be my faithful servant?”
All the strength of his limbs left him. “Yes.”
“Do you swear that my will is above anything else? That I am master of the world?”
“Yes.”
She closed her eyes, and they opened with their normal color. “Excellent.” She released his shoulders, but quickly caught him before he collapsed to the ground. “I can see all of this has been fatiguing. Such is the nature of this practice for beginners.”
He clutched his forehead. “I feel an immense weakness, Archduchess Sabina. It is as if I have not had even a crumb of bread for a week.”
She helped him get his arm over her shoulders, and supported him. “Think of it like a man who lives in the plains climbing his first mountain. The perils he shall face, as well as the fatigue, shall take all the strength he possesses.”
His breathing became heavy and labored. “Did you ever feel like this when you first tried it?”
She smiled. “Not to the same extent as you, but I did indeed feel my knees wobble.”
“If you were not holding me up, I don’t think I could even sit down without collapsing to the floor.”
“Then perhaps I ought to take you to a bed. We shall go to my official bed chamber.”
With a sudden burst of energy that quickly faded, he glanced up at her. “Archduchess, that would cause a scandal! Not even a knight is worthy to occupy the bed of a lady with a title such as yours.”
She chuckled with an almost innocent delight. “My dear Tullius, no one would dare to slander me in such a way. Those who have tried always regret it later. I insist you use my official bed. You’ve earned it.”
His vision became slightly blurry as they inched their way down the hall. “If it is by your command, it shall be done. I suggest we make haste before I fall to the ground.”
“I don’t want you to overwork yourself. Fear not, you shall not fall as long as I am with you.”
After a great deal of somewhat aimless wandering, and upon Lucullus’s suggestion, a new strategy was formed to hasten the search for their targets. Having seen the war of attrition that was developing during their stay, Lucullus advised them to let Aela lead the way. She was to use her energy sense like a compass to find the way. And since she had such a high sensitivity to dark energy, Lucullus was hopeful that they would be close enough for her to hone in on the source of whatever energy they found.
It almost seemed for a while that Lucullus had miscalculated in expecting Chaodites. Then, Aela suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head, and briefly doubled over before recomposing herself.
“We must be getting close to Chaodites,” Lucullus muttered.
She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the temporary blur in her vision. “My very soul is troubled. I don’t think there is a master among them, but there can be no doubt that an advanced user is present somewhere.”
As they drew closer to the room where the Chaodite was in, Lucullus noticed that even the Rigmatites were clutching their heads. For a moment he felt his composure falter somewhat at the thought of facing a foe any tougher than the Chaodite in Wolbung. He gripped his sword tighter, but then a thought infinitely worse filled his mind. An altar room. He shuddered hard enough for his mail armor to make an audible rattle.
Aela glanced over at Lucullus, and his expression read like a mirror image of his thoughts. “Johannes,” she looked back to him, “have the Rigmatites prepare to create a powerful ward. My strength will not be enough to protect all of us from the Chaodite’s deadly attacks.”
Lucullus steadied his breathing. “Do you think there’s more than one?”
“May Aeras fortify my mind, and Therapevo strengthen my body, if there are.”