Chapter 19: Beneath the Surface

The town of Zanch was silent, save the clopping of a horse’s hooves in the early morning. The horse was pitch black, and in the faint light of dawn, still obscured by fog, with its rider in dark armor, it was as if a wraith were predating Zanch. The rider glanced back and forth to the houses, finding eyes peeking out from behind the blinds of their windows. For an industrial town, as Raine had informed Agravain, the place was far too quiet. He moved for the town center to find some sign of his target, stopping only as he came across the sight of a bloody square, flies buzzing about across stains that had turned a black color, and buzzards prowled around, searching for any scraps left behind. A group of young men worked at a larger corpse, though they were clearly uncomfortable in doing so, the beast like some horribly mutated bull. It was a subtle thing, but the buzzards avoided even the pieces of the beast that had been cut away, and even the flies seemed to refuse to touch it.

“What happened here?”

One of the young men flinched, clearly startled by the man atop his dark horse. “E-excuse me?!”

Agravain scowled beneath his helmet. “The corpse. The blood. I want to know what happened. Make it quick.”

The young man didn’t have much will to stand up for himself in the wake of the occupation of Zanch, retreating back into a meek demeanor. Another, Tristan, more excitedly stepped forward. Agravain was a bit thrown off at having a boy, barely a preteen having more the courage to speak to him, compared to his peers. “Oh, you just missed it the other day! These new people came to town and fought this thing, with barely anything to use! I have this one friend who saw them fight, and said they were just the coolest!”

Agravain dismounted and inspected the body, finding the monster just about all muscle, not something just anyone could take down. He’d seen, and fought a similar creature during the Ranzian border war, an import that the Ranzians used to clear an area. They devoured everything, and were near impossible to take down without cutting them to pieces, hard to manage given their already impressive resistance to traditional means of damage. A mage he’d served with had gone so far as to call it ‘an abomination to the Goddess herself.’ Agravain knelt next to the boy, looming over him all the same. “Could you describe them?”

“For sure, I got to see them up close! There was this pretty lady in red,” the kid paused for a moment, red in the face, “She was a little scary, and really strong. I heard a lot of people saying she was a Tempest, and they’re pretty famous around here. There was this tall blonde guy who was really good with spears, he was really nice and showed us how to keep ourselves safe from a bunch of the bandits that were raiding the place. He seemed a bit, I don’t know, lost? I don’t really have a word for it.”

Agravain stood back up. “You're far more forthcoming than I was expecting.”

“You’re not exactly scary, old man.”

One of the workers waved his hands incessantly as if to tell Tristan to stop talking, or at least, not to insult the figure towering over him.

“We have our own guy who dresses like you, and he’s our real hero, so honestly, you don’t exactly scare me.”

Agravain had been so used to his presence being enough to scare those around him, that the boy’s impression of him was both refreshing and amusing. He laughed a bit under his helmet. “I’ve been searching for them, do you mind telling me where they’re headed?”

“Oh, you must be the guy Shade was trying to hold out for. Yeah, Shade told me they were leaving for Falcidia. They were already gone when I woke up, and that was a few hours ago.”

“I’ll manage to catch up,” Agravain replied, turning back to his horse as to leave, catching a glimpse of a buzzard flying off to another part of town. Morbidly curious, he followed to see what exactly had the scavenger’s attention more than the corpse of the square. The knight waltzed up to a mansion, closer to the center of town, where he’d intended on visiting initially, the place had clearly been of some significance, what with its own gate surrounding it, and towers for sentinels to keep watch. Planted before the mansion was a flag bearing an emblem that Agravain had seen the prince and his entourage wearing. It was all the confirmation he needed, he’d really hit the jackpot. He tore down the flag, pocketing it for later.

He was about to turn away, up until he was overwhelmed by the scent of death. He could see it, just a bit beyond the flag, the entrance to the mansion, splattered with red. Getting closer, it was a mess inside, reminiscent of his own handiwork. The walls were cut open, bits of gore and blood strewn about, and the floor still damp, with a heavy smell of iron. The work was far too out of character for Atma, and Agravain was familiar enough with the sight of the damage his own attacks dealt to recognize that this was more than likely the work of the third person that the boy had mentioned. He turned to leave, footprints of red following him back to his horse.

He rode to the border of town, just as another rider, upon a gray horse, came to meet him. “I thought you were going to search town with me, Raine, where’d you run off to?”

“I know a few locals, I went to seek them out, only to find a few had died recently.”

“So?”

“Your disregard for the dead baffles me, even after all these years.”

“Well excuse me, Captain Helion,” he responded with no lack of sarcasm to his voice. “You find anything out, or can I share what I found?”

“No. I thought we might have had an ally here, but there’s no sign of them.”

“Well color me impressed, our beloved 1st Knight finally went and wasted time-” Agravain silenced himself at the sound of Raine’s head turning in their armor. He couldn’t see Raine’s glare through their helmets, but it was certainly felt.

“What do you have to share?”

“We’re on the right track,” he said, revealing the flag he’d torn down. “A local boy said they were heading for Falcidia. You know where that is right?”

Raine nodded. “Of course. We move to intercept them before they arrive.”

“Right, then lets go meet back up with the men searching Port Calima, and-”

“No time. It’s half a day’s ride back, and we’re already trailing behind them. If they know where they’re going, then it’s a day and a half getting to Falcidia. Airship or no, if they make it into Falcidia, we’re not getting them without a fight. Calima was lenient enough to let us search, they’re afraid of a Deponesian embargo, but the Falcidians are vindictive, cruel, and despise outsiders.”

“Is that a bit of hatred I hear in your voice?” Agravain mocked once more, amused at seeing more emotion from his typically stoic leader.

Silence from Raine.

“And I had always heard that Falcidia was filled with the most beautiful sights to see, their people, their delicacies, but clearly every rose has its thorns, no?”

“Enough. We leave now. Any time we give them is time they have to try and find new ways to evade us.”

***

“And how was your night, if you don’t mind me asking?” Shade asked, as the trio made their way through the misty valley.

“It was nice, the two of us getting to talk like that.” The prince reminisced fondly over the night before, a smile growing his face.

“You know, I’d love to ask for details, but, as I get to know you more and more, I think it’d be so painfully sweet to hear about, you’d give me cavities from telling the tale.” Shade sighed, and stretched. “As for me, I went to visit a girl I haven’t seen in a while.”

“I didn’t know you had someone in Zanch still.”

“Oh, I couldn’t keep my hands off of her, she was in need of some serious care, you know?”

“I’m not sure I want to.”

“Oh, but the details are what make the story-”

“I’m not sure I want to hear this either.” Sienna eyed the Dark Knight with a certain discomfort, bordering disgust at his phrasing. It made Shade smile wider with a certain whimsy filling his face.

“You’re no fun.” Shade pointed out to the horizon. “We should pick up the pace. Can’t promise we’ll have the cover of the fog for long.”

“Before we do,” Atma started, as he reached into his bag, pulling out a pair of his spare Guild Badges with the Zephyr emblem. “I know we used the symbol before with the flag, but I think it might be in our best interest to all have these, Guild benefits and all that.”

“Fair enough, I guess. Besides, something unifying for a group, that’s just good aesthetics.” Shade took his, and found a place for it on a strap on his armor. “I’d emblazon it, but I don’t think we have the time for that.”

Sienna took hers, not being overly concerned with it, and placing hers on her belt. “Best spot so it doesn’t ruin this look.” She tugged at her coat. “It took a while to really nail down this look, and finding my perfect color with red? That took a while.”

“I don’t know, black looks nice.” Atma blurted out without much in the way of thought. Sienna didn’t seem to mind, until she noticed Shade looking at her in thought.

“You know, she normally wears just a bit of it, but, in a nice dress, or maybe something with leather? I could see it working.”

“You’re just as bad as Peony…” Sienna sighed and readjusted her bag. “Let’s get going already.” She moved a bit more energetically, Shade and Atma at her side or just behind her. “We head for Falcidia next, I’ve got a ton of contacts there, we make it there, we’re homefree.” To an even greater extent than Port Calima or Zanch, Falcidia was easily the most heavily fortified city in the region, contributing a large portion of the Mist Alliance’s forces. Effectively, it was a bastion against Deponess. Certainly, their investigatory fleet could search the outlying areas, but showing up in Falcidian airspace was asking for a fight that the Kingdom soldiers wouldn’t escape from unscathed.

“What is the place like anyways? I’ve always wanted to visit. I hear tales from nobles of all different standings that the art scene is fantastic, and its cuisine and fashion are likewise renowned. Duke Kaian had a painting from a Falcidian artist commissioned for my father’s birthday last year, and it was certainly the biggest crowd pleaser.” He paused for a moment, his unintentional remark bringing back the haunting reality of his father’s death.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Sienna patted him on the back, before elaborating on the city-state. “It’s a city of glaze, if I’m being honest. On the surface, everything is nice, maybe even sweet, but if you cut just beneath it, you’ll find the place rotten to the core. Beauty is the standard, and anything they perceive as imperfect gets tossed out.”

“A perfect analysis if I do say so myself.” Shade spoke as if he wanted to spit on the name of the city. “Many people in the area can trace their roots to Falcidia, a fair few to Falcidian nobility, myself included.”

“You don’t carry yourself like one.” Atma’s tone of voice was doubtful.

“Yeah, by blood only. Falcidians consider themselves devout worshipers of the Goddess, and if you ask them, they follow the core principles of the faith to the letter. Mothers are a sacred figure to be respected, strength is to be had in equal parts to mercy, honor to those who would protect others, and love is given freely to all.”

Atma nodded. “Right, you see similar things all over the world. Some lean into more one principle than the other, or something like that. My ancestors were devout followers themselves, and founded Deponess on similar principles.”

“And, no offense, but look at how your nation is stereotyped at violent brutes.”

“None taken, Shade.”

“Falcidia claims to follow the core of the faith, but they have a perverse following. The world renowns Falcidia for the beauty it produces, because Falcidians believe in creating the perfect visage of their ideal of the Goddess. To them, to create beauty to to become closer to the Goddess. To them,” Shade continued, his voice mocking the tone of a preacher, “the Goddess will walk among us once again should a perfect beauty of her come to fruition.”

“Is that so bad?”

Sienna scoffed. “It is when you continue to the extremes they do, the extremes Deponesians are seen as doing with their warrior culture.”

“Pretty much,” Shade agreed. “Everyone is dogmatically a part of this, and everything they do is in service to this ideal. Their monks and soldiers aim for martial mastery as a practice of their own physical form. Their soldiers are only the best quality because anything less is unworthy.”

Atma started thinking back on his own nation, how Shade and others had seen him. Deponess wasn’t a nation that would reject imperfection, but they were utilitarian with their enlisted soldiers. If a soldier had a better mind than body, they would see how they performed with managing supply lines, or command. Poor eyes? Then you weren’t working with the rangers or archers. If you were subpar, the system was meant to find a way to reoptimize you. The more he thought about it, the more he started seeing more similarities with how his home operated.

“Commission work for artists? All of it is preparation for their final work to depict the Goddess. Singers attempt to capture the voice of the Goddess, poets her mind. Its an obsession, a following corroded by trends and popularity. If you ask other mist locals, the vision of the Goddess changes every few years, and depictions with it. Ultimately, it all becomes one big fashion show.” Shade took a deep breath, sighing at the state of Falcidia. “So what happens when you’re out of fashion?”

“Nothing good, I imagine.”

“It’s the reason there are so many people descended from Falcidians who don’t live there. Falcidians have many children throughout their lives. And remember, everything is for their perfect vision of a beautiful Goddess. Your trait isn’t in, you aren’t wanted. It’s that simple. And so, you’ll either find a lot of kids living on the streets, in the care of orphanages, and some cities make an effort to take them in.”

It was a cruel practice, no doubt about it, and to Atma, it seemed nothing short of barbaric. “And there’s nothing more that can be done?”

“People have tried to change how things are done. My mother included. She was exiled for her efforts. Never got to see her home again before she passed.” Shade sighed, and readjusted his bags. “Sienna, you mind telling us who your contacts are?”

Sienna grumbled. “Look, I’m not happy about it either, but I’ve got some art dealers, and this one weirdo artist I can talk into helping. We smuggle stuff from overseas to them, and they help manage the underground dealings around these parts, so they can throw the trail off of us. More than that, I’m using their access to a hidden route to the main Tempest hideout.”

“Then it sounds like we have a solid plan.” Atma glanced back to the western horizon. “That just leaves the others, and getting back home.”

***

Escalus slammed his fist into his desk, uncharacteristically aggressive, though, as Conseil would note, not unwarranted given the news. “What do you mean you lost him?!” The soldier meekly shrank back. Raine had sent back their quickest scout ship to relay the events of a few days prior. Returning home proved far swifter than heading out, what with a lack of nobles trying to assemble. Escalus let out a deep breath. “My apologies, Sergeant. But you’re telling me that not only did the Midsummer Night crash out of the sky, but my brother and his companions are missing?”

“Correct, sir, Sir Stein was the only reported survivor, Special Investigator Lieutenant Watts was reported dead, and the others are missing. Reports from Sir Dante Tellian state that Prince Atma was confirmed to be alive, alongside an unknown woman. Then…” He mumbled, turning away slightly.

“Sergeant. Again. Louder.”

“The Silverbolt was sent to intercept, under the assumption that this was an escape attempt of some sort and…”

“Sergeant.”

“Opened fire to stop their escape.”

Escalus was wordless for a moment, a cold silence filling the room. Conseil, though hard of hearing, could tell that this silence was one that Escalus reserved for his rare moments of pure rage. “And you didn’t consider that this had been another assassination attempt on the royal family?”

“N-no sir. Commander Helion demanded swift action, and the soldiers were in a panic. A lot of them haven’t seen action before, still green, my lord. And Sir Stein said that-”

Escalus couldn’t particularly blame them. Many of his soldiers were well trained, but he was all too familiar with soldiers folding in a panic when caught with their figurative pants down. “We don’t spread word on this just yet, the Council of Lords is already on edge, until we have a more definitive answer, we can’t have our governing structure going into a frenzy.”

“Sir, we already sent word to the Council, I was sent alongside my Warrant Officer, our C.O. Lieutenant Richards-”

Escalus rose to his feet from his desk and strode with urgency to the Council chambers, with the loud roar of overlapping nobles confirming his fears long before he arrived.

“You act as if we could reasonably trust the word of Stein the Witch Doctor!” Unquestionably the voice of Duke Ryner. Guards on either side of the the doors to the council room quickly parted, and in a near panic on seeing Escalus’ serious expression, slammed the doors open. The crowd was quick to turn to Escalus, the rabble quickly dying out in favor of heeding his presence. “My lord,” Duke Ryner began to speak out. “This report simply cannot be, I have seen you and your brother grow up your whole lives! I simply cannot accept that prince Atma would be involved with your father’s murder!”

“This is an official report from my own son!” Marquis Stein of the military faction, and 12th Knight Victor Stein’s father, was a ragged older man, with hair that had always been a gray tone, though had paled with time. “Would you deny the validity of such claims? Deny the validity of my House’s honor?”

“Please,” a voice from the demilitarization faction. Lady Alma Helion, current head of house Helion, and mother to Locke and his siblings. “What honor have you shown, Marquis? How many bastards were you responsible for again?” Though of a lower standing than Marquis Stein, House Helion carried a greater standing than their title would suggest at a glance, having been the guardians of the Royal family for generations.

“A point that must be made, Lady Helion.” From amidst the military faction, Regulus Helion stood. Regulus’ stoicism was seen as a mark of impartiality, particularly evident in his lack of affection in how he regarded his mother, sticking to pure formality. His presence alone was enough to send a message, House Helion was not in full agreement. “House Helion is leading the mission to retrieve Prince Atma. As such, House Stein’s claim is fundamentally backed by House Helion.” A claim of House Helion might as well have been a nail in the coffin.

“Is your own brother not acting as Prince Atma’s guard?” A mage elder and Linian representative jabbed in, baffled at Regulus’ manner of speech in defiance of his mother.

“That is correct.”

“Then does your own brother not also represent your house?”

Regulus responded with continued formality, his voice a steady monotone. “Locke Helion has continuously failed the trials to stand as an heir of House Helion. His word carries no weight.”

“That is enough!” Escalus snapped the crowd back to attention. “We have given no full trial, as it stands. This is evidence, yes, but until all parties are present and accounted for, we cannot declare a guilty verdict until all testimonies are heard. These are our laws and principles, are they not?”

“They are indeed, your highness.” Duke Kaian stood, the floor paying heed to him, just as they would Escalus. “But, we simply must take action of some kind.”

“And what are you suggesting?”

“In precedence to the crowning of King Escalus IX, in which his brother, Prince Balor was incapable of rule in the face of terminal illness during war time, we crown Prince Escalus XIII as King of Deponess.” There was a deafening silence, the mere suggestion nothing short of baffling.

“That’s an extreme measure, Kaian!” Ryner was left unsure of how to respond to his rival’s notion.

“These are extreme times. We should consider ourselves at war, with our King having had his life stolen in the confines of his own home. We know not who was responsible, and can only assume that this is an attempt to leave us weakened. Now more than ever, we must show a united strength, lest Ranz decide that this would be the perfect opportunity to invade once more.”

Ryner gritted his teeth and sighed. “I cannot fully support this, Kaian, you know this. Until a trial has come to pass, I cannot give my consent to overrule the wishes of our dear friend, King Escalus XII.”

“A temporary measure, to be sure.”

Escalus knew he couldn’t continue to stand by idly. With each passing day, word could certainly spread of the instability that the King’s passing would bring. With each passing day, the fighting continued, and his people only grew more divided.

“Then reign them in.” That suggestive voice in Escalus’ mind again, pointing to the only logical solution.

“I call for a vote.” Escalus announced. “We will act accordingly, and I shall respect your wishes. All in favor, say ‘Aye.’” He knew the vote’s result before the nobles made their declarations of ‘Aye’ or ‘Nay.’ The military faction already had 60% of the nobility backing it. With Kaian’s words, and Ryner backing down, it didn’t surprise him as even votes from the demilitarization faction came his way. Part of him thought his nerves might take him as the council made their decision. But he stood, solid as steel as the ‘Aye’s’ of the nobility made their decision.

“Then the decision is made,” Kaian announced. “We stand now before our King. May he guide us to the future we desire.”

It was an odd sensation, as the court finally seemed to reign itself in, as Escalus found those before him kneeling, and soldiers standing in salute. A relief that order was beginning to return to the halls of Castle Deponess. “Then, with your consent, I propose we move to ensure our borders are secure. Lords of Deponess, prepare your soldiers. I want our patrols increased, and our men reinforced.”

“At once!” Marquis Heinkel was quick to proclaim. A vocal supporter of the military faction, his territory in Northern Deponess had avoided the war with Ranz, but, as his domain was one of the most significant manufacturers of the nation, it was not as though he were left unaffected.

“Agreed.” Kaian nodded with some bitterness to Heinkel’s obvious excitement. “I will have my soldiers coordinate with Marquis Stein’s for a more effective spread across the Southern border.” He paused, turning to face Escalus, eyeing the Mage elders with some amount of caution. “I would advise moving to establish a perimeter around Linia, your Highness.”

“For what purpose?”

“Did you not receive the same report I did?” Kaian turned vindictively to the Linian representatives. “It was one of their own in Sir Stein’s report that initiated the incident. One of their leader’s children, might I add. Or is the name Balthazar Avelus coincidental? No relation to Light Mage Avelus?”

It wouldn’t have been. Escalus, after spending years studying magic and mage culture alongside the people of Linia knew that names were of extreme significance to them, an old belief that their names were a gift from the Goddess. “They would be a significant threat should they decide to fight you. Keep them secure.”

“House Helion has earned a strong reputation with the people of Linia, have they not? I would ask them to ensure the security of Linia.”

A Mage Elder shot up from his seat. “This is absurd, we are an independent party from your nation! We have been allies for centuries!”

“And for that, I am eternally grateful. But, I cannot deny the information that has been presented, can you?”

“And you understand that the investigator sent was one of our own? For what purpose would we-”

“I am well aware, Councilman,” Escalus cut off the mage, “But I am also aware that Linia was the first target of the border war. My intent, mind you, is to ensure your security.”

Lady Helion raised her hand to protest. “With all due respect, my lord, this sounds closer to a blockade or occupation.”

“Your orders are understood.” Regulus answered with a continued monotonousness. Since his father’s passing, while his Mother was head of the house, many of her duties had since fallen to Raine and Regulus, control of their soldiers had largely fallen to Regulus, a relatively small portion remaining with Lady Alma and Raine. One of the Mages stomped out of the council chambers, the others seeming to want to follow. A bold move to be sure, but Escalus was never one to let something slip through the cracks.

“I want to speak with the commander of the ship that brought in the report,” he called. I want to know everything. We get to the bottom of this, and we await the return of the rest of the judicial fleet for a full report. Get airships up, and over the seas, no one enters or leaves without full inspection.” There was no lack of confidence in his step as he turned to make for the landing area where the scout ship had landed, no clamoring as his soldiers opened the door for him. He made his expectations clear, and his lords had taken him seriously. It had been like guiding an otherwise discordant orchestra to his own beat, and in that, he found some security.