11 Tagsibol, 891 ED
Bago, 16:44
Port Shiinor, Empire of Tyrman
I’m not sure exactly who is writing this story when you read it, but I’ll just have to hope that they don’t bore you with the details of our first night in Tyrman. There wasn’t much to talk about at all. Shiinor is a beautiful small city, even a large town. Like any other coastal city, it thrived on the trade of goods via sea and the large amount of seafood it brought in.
But on the whole, Shiinor had been created as a military installation during the Ahya Conflict, the hundred-year war that had involved nearly every country in the world. That’s right, Ahya had a world war. I hadn’t gotten much of a chance to share it with readers, but that would change in the future. If I could get out of this world, that is.
Even if I wasn’t very impressed with the bland gray stones that made up nearly all of the buildings in Shiinor, I couldn’t pretend to like the view. Being beside the ocean was always a welcome view, not to mention the constant influx of fresh air that blew away the sink of a city. Inland, there was a solitary mountain peak known as Tyrant’s Peak. It stretched so high that it was visible from most of the continent, and its tip soared out of sight above the clouds.
But to tell the truth, it was the plains and desert to the north that frightened me the most. It was a treacherous landscape, filled with all kinds of chaotic and ferocious natural beasts. A much safer, albeit longer road had been constructed years and years ago to provide a path for people to go to and from the capital city of Milagre. But that journey took over half a month. If I were to go directly through, it would take less than a week.
“What do you think?” I asked Gogo, gesturing at the map that I’d spread out between us on the table. “Should we take the Queensroad, or cut through the plains?”
Gogo leaned forward, studying the map with a mildly curious air as he picked between his teeth with a small knife. “What’s that?”
He’d pointed north of Tyrant’s Peak, where a black mark had been placed on the map. At first glance, it looked as though the map itself had been burned or dirtied, but I knew better.
“That’s the Scarred Lands,” I told him. “It’s the site of Bora Bora’s ascension centuries ago.”
“It still hasn’t recovered?” Gogo asked, his eyes widening. “I thought the nature in this country was strong.”
“This far west its presence isn’t that strong,” I said sadly. “But the land was also scorched by magic. Chaotic magic, in fact. Bora Bora was one of the first figures to interact with Chaos to gain power. The energy of his ascension scarred the lands for miles. Apparently, all kinds of nasty beasts roam the place now.”
Gogo gave a small shrug. “I’m not against tangling with beasts, Tuck. Why would we take a longer route just to avoid seeing one of these animals?”
“Because they’re not just animals,” I replied firmly. I had to make sure that I made my point clearly, and that there was no chance of misunderstanding. “These are beasts wrapped in chaos, and even in some cases, Corruption. Even the non-magical beasts are feral and dangerous. There’s a reason the Crown decided to build a brand-new road instead of purging the countryside of the beasts.”
“But people do choose the shorter path,” he pointed out. “We heard those traders say it yesterday. They got here much faster than in previous trips to Shiinor.”
That was true, and I couldn’t deny it. Still, I shook my head firmly. “They got lucky. Plus, they had guards. If you and I go down that road, we’ll almost certainly have to defend against a beast or two.”
Either Gogo didn’t fully believe me about the severity of the threat, or he didn’t see what could cause my concern. Of course, he’d have all kinds of experience with beasts, magical or otherwise, from his time growing up in the Untamed Continent. He couldn’t comprehend a beast that he couldn’t defeat with ease. Maybe it was true, I thought, but I thought it was more likely to be blind confidence.
“Then we’ll have to fight,” Gogo said, offering another disinterested shrug. “I’m not against it, and I didn’t think you would be. But if you want to take the safer path, I’ll go along.”
“I wasn’t saying I didn’t want to take the short path,” I replied at once. Gogo met my eyes then, and I grinned at him. “I’m just making sure you know what the threat level is.”
After a second or two of quiet consideration, Gogo inclined their head in understanding. “Then consider me warned and informed.”
Stolen novel; please report.
Secretly, even though I knew just how dangerous the area was, I knew that I could survive it easily if I kept my wits about me. And with Gogo to support me, I could even brave a few monsters. It was a good opportunity. There was a section of the market in Milagre that dealt in the parts and pieces of magical beasts. I’d written the bestiary, so I knew what each beast could be used for.
“But before we go,” I added, the grin sliding off my face, “I want to find a way to get in touch with Stormsage.”
That seemed to take Gogo by surprise. “Why would you reach out to him? What if the Wild Mages use that as a chance to track you down?”
“There’s an entire sea in between us,” I replied dryly. “Even if they made the distance, we’d be long gone before they got here.”
“They could have allies in the vicinity,” Gogo countered. “There are just as many druids on this continent as there are in Zaban.”
I shook my head at once. While he was right, the majority of those druids were on the western end of Tyrman, centered around the Dagorra Forest. They couldn’t reach us here as easily. Besides, I thought with a snort of laughter I couldn’t quite repress, they’d offer to cure my Corruption instead of trying to kill me. That was if I actually had Corruption, of course. I was still convinced that they’d been full of shit.
“I’m not worried about that.”
“Then why do you want to contact Stormsong?”
“Well, for a start I want to make sure he didn’t get into any trouble,” I pointed out. “We don’t know if his leaders were convinced that he really tried to attack us.”
“It seemed pretty convincing,” Gogo replied, his disinterest showing again. “But if you insist. How will you do it?”
“I’m… not sure. I know it’ll be a lot easier in Milagre, but I just want to make sure that he’s alright.”
“Why not find an altar of Grimr?” Gogo suggested. When I looked up in confusion, wondering what he meant, he added, “I mean, that’s the god he worships most closely, right?”
I nodded. Stormsong hadn’t made a secret of the fact. “What does his choice of Divine have to do with anything?”
Gogo didn’t reply at once. He stared at me in some confusion, even dismay. “You mean to tell me that you know all these obscure facts about magic and the Wild Mages, but you didn’t know about communing with another person through the power of the Divine?”
Then the realization hit me, and it struck with the force of a falling brick. Of course! There was a way I could get in contact with Stormsong, indeed. Not only that, it was insanely easy. It was the same process one used to make contact with a Divine. But instead of communing with a god, you sidestepped them and used the power of the connection to talk to one of their followers.
“I don’t know how I forgot that,” I said weakly. I knew I looked stupid in the moment, but the shock of remembering wiped away any embarrassment I might have felt. “Thanks for reminding me. I’ll visit a Temple of Grimr as soon as I can. I’m sure there’s one in town.”
-
There was, of course, an altar to Grimr in the port city of Shiinor. The very laws of the country ensured that there would be one. The small shack was almost abandoned, but that wasn’t a setback. If anything, it was a blessing, as it meant that I wasn’t likely to be overheard.
“Not every day someone visits that altar here in Shiinor,” one of the temple attendants, a tired-looking elven man in drab grey robes. “It would have been removed months ago if we weren’t worried about attracting the Ancient’s wrath.”
“And if it weren’t against the laws of the crown,” I replied evenly, staring at the man as Gogo and I passed.
The elf merely shrugged in reply to my words. He’d made his statement and wasn’t interested in what I had to say in reply. I glanced at Gogo with a raised eyebrow, but he could only shrug. His lip was curling in a gesture of distaste, but he hadn’t bothered to make a comment. That changed, however, when we got a glimpse of Grimr’s altar.
“That is despicable. How could they allow it to become so dusty?”
I didn’t have to wonder what he was talking about. The altar was indeed covered in dust as if it hadn’t been touched or tended to for over a month. Dead leaves were scattered around the base of it on the ground, and the setting looked grey and lifeless. For a moment, I was worried about corruption setting in, as it did in every case where nature died. But this was a direct channel to Grimr’s power, I reminded myself. It was immune to Corruption.
Gogo turned on his heel, and I knew that he meant to hurry back to the elven attendant, probably to give him a verbal lashing for not doing his job and tending to the altars with the proper care. “Has he no pride as an elf?”
I caught Gogo’s arm with one hand, holding him back. “Don’t. It’s not just him, you know. Nobody in the military particularly cares for Divines apart from those that deal in War and Peace.”
“That’s a reason for disrespect?”
“It’s not,” I said hastily. Holding Gogo back from what he wanted to do was proving to be difficult. I grabbed his shoulder with my other hand, forcing him to stop completely and give me his attention. “It’s just the way they think this far west.”
Gogo turned his glare on me now, and I felt the urge to take a step back. But I didn’t. Then, with a disgusted look, he turned and stomped back to the altar. “Whatever. I’ll fix it.”
I hovered and watched as Gogo retrieved a small brush from his pack, then got to work dusting off the small altar. Once it was clear, he knelt before the altar and muttered a few quiet words. A wreath of small plants and flowers formed around the base of the altar, and vines grew to extend down up the spire of it, coating the small effigy of Grimr in soft green color.
The wash of natural energy that spread outward from the altar was a nice break from the warm still air of the temple. It actually generated a small breeze that blew past my face, carrying with it the undeniable scent of fresh nature. It made me grin, putting me at peace. Even Gogo, when they leaned back, seemed to be at peace once more. She seemed much more like a woman now with her relaxed, uplifted expression.
“I’m not much of a druid,” she admitted, turning to smile up at me. “But at least I could do that."