“It's a trap.”
“It's definitely a trap.”
“But he's nice!” I complained, peering over the gargoyles wing again. The Baron was still standing silently in the pouring rain far below us looking up at the night sky. “He said he wanted to thank us, right? He's one of the good nobles surely?”
Blood sighed and turned to Skull. “You can see it too, right?”
Skull nodded the metal of her mask dull enough that it didn't flash even under the light of all three sisters. “Bright, please pay closer attention.” She said as she pulled herself up next to me, I winced under my mask expecting another lecture but instead the black clad girl just pointed down at the street again. Turning to follow her finger I sidled up to the roof edge again and peered over.
From under the cover of the gargoyles raised wings I stared down at the street below. The first thing I noticed was how brightly lit it was, even at night. It was partly thanks to the three sisters overhead but mostly because of the four lines of guttering gas globe on poles that ran along the street. These ticksteel devices were relatively new to the city (outside of the mansions of the nobility of course) and they dimmed and brightened noticeably as their poorly fitted feed pipes were rattled by the roaring wind. Along each side of the road the second stories of the slum buildings spilled out drunkenly across the roadway casting patches of moon shadow like the canopy of some strange forest. Cutting through the uncovered centre of the avenue was a deep canal (like in many of the larger streets of Prasus) designed to allow special gondolas to carry supplies anywhere in the city. Even as I watched another such boat skimmed past us its pilot hard at work over the oars and cursing the spitting sky.
I couldn’t hear anything but the rain and couldn't see anything but what I just described to you. However I could smell something, something like.... rotten bread and.... well... as a noblewoman I should call it bad eggs.
“I can smell something... bad, is that right?” I asked looking back at the other two girls. For a moment they just stared at me; then I could feel them smile.
“Yes!” exclaimed Blood, giving me a thumbs-up.
“Slow,” said Skull stiffly, then she nodded at me. “But you got it in the end, satisfactory.”
“Ah come on Skull she's just learning and she did get it end, that's good enough right?” Blood punched Skull companionably on the arm before crossing over to me and squatting down on the edge of the roof.
I grinned to myself as I saw Skull circumspectly trying to rub some feeling back into her shoulder as she replied. “It’s good enough for a first time or a training exercise but this is field work! What if she’d just gone down there without seeing it?”
Blood conceded the point with a nod and grabbing me by my arm indicated a patch of mud on the bank of the canal, “know what that smell is Bright? Well the city authorities dumps things in the canals that they don't want lot of different stuff but mostly rotten food and well... processed food shall we say,” to my astonishment I could feel the crimson girl blushing even through her mask (up until then I wasn't sure Blood could even feel the emotion of embarrassment). She shuffled her feet for a second before continuing. “...Anyway it mostly goes along the canals and out into the ocean but some gets stuck on the banks and then turns into muck, that smell is disturbed muck.”
“That means if we’re lucky someone, or if we aren’t something, is hidden just under the Baron’s feet in the mud bank,” Skull pointed. “Look, you can see the bulge it’s either a probably very unhappy guardsman in sealed armour or an automaton of some kind.”
“So in conclusion,” said Blood, dragging me into a one armed hug. “It's a trap.”
“Definitely a trap.” Nodded Skull.
I sighed, “It’s a trap,” What else could I do but agree? “So what should we do about it?”
Skull looked up and down the quiet street and I followed her gaze. In the distance a few peasants scurried home, below us the Baron waited, far along the canal I could still see the cursing gondolier skimming along, all in all it wasn't a very comprehensive trap. “We should sneak aw...”
“Let’s go set it off!” said Blood in a tone of childlike delight then, without further ado, she stepped off the roof. I leapt forwards, desperately trying to catch her cloak but she was gone in less than a heartbeat. Falling onto my stomach I scrambled forwards and looked over the lip with mounting horror as Blood pirouetted through the air and landed with catlike grace on the ground below.
To my left I heard Skull curse even over the rain as we watched Blood swagger forwards towards the Baron who still stood there unaware of her presence, water dripping off his long blonde hair as the distant gaslights flared in the night haloing the scene with watery illumination.
“Heya!” she yelled loud enough to be heard in the next street whilst waving cheerfully at the man.
I was just about to leap down to follow her when a loud metallic thump startled me. Terrified we’d been ambushed I flinched and twisted around like a startled rabbit just in time to see Skull slam her head into the wall again.
“Do.”
*Thump*
“You.”
*Thump*
“Never.”
*Thump*
“THINK!?”
*Thump*
Skull collapsed to the rooftop and clutched at her (probably) bruised head for a long second after which she gestured at me. “Go after her Bright I know you want to. I’ll circle around, get a view of the area, scan for other traps or backup and join you if you need me.”
“Uh... right!” I gasped then I quickly shot my grapnel into the gargoyles mouth, tugged it once for safety then following Bloods lead, I leapt. I will say I have always loved that one incomparable moment after leaping from a ledge. That moment of freefall just before the grapnel catches. It may only last for a heartbeat or two but a moment you soar.
I slammed down onto the ground a few paces behind Blood, my boots echoing off the porcelain plated tiles. I had twisted in place to face her and even managed to take a step towards her before I realised something, my grapnel was stuck... again.
First I tried to free it with an innocuous little over the shoulder jerk first then after that failed I grabbed the rope two handed and tried pulling it side to side hoping to wiggle the head out of the gargoyles mouth bit by bit. Next to me Blood began to giggle hysterically to herself.
After a few moments during which all I felt was the rope pull tighter I gave up on the wiggling plan and switched to brute force. Grabbing the rope in a two handed grip I leant back on my heels and pulled with all my might. For a second nothing happened then suddenly[51] the grappling hook released its hold on the statue above me... and I fell over onto the floor. Blood was already laughing uproariously at this point and she very nearly fell over when I did. The noble simply stared at us in shock and amazement until Blood stopped giggling enough to help me to my feet.
“Well that was an entrance and a half!” She said, slapping me on the back. I for my part was watching the noble closely. To start with it had just been to see if he was going to laugh at me as well but now that I studied him I could see this whole thing was a trap. Firstly he wasn’t a noble. I could see that now, he stood wrong, leaning forwards to make himself look large and intimidating, nobles didn't go in for that[52] and he showed absolutely no discomfort even in the ice cold rain like he was used to being outside in all weathers. Finally and most tellingly he hadn't even once glanced down to check on his beautifully tied cravat or fine silk pantaloons which were both now ruined by the damp.
Even as we approached him (and remember we look WEIRD) he showed no fear or alarm he just shifted minutely on his feet like a prize fighter warming up.
“So...,” began Blood companionably. “Are you the one who’s going to trigger the thing lurking in the sewage or is someone else watching?”
The man’s eyes narrowed and he scowled, “you’re a sharp one girl; I can see why he took such a dislike to you.” The fake Baron flicked his arm and a golden rod shot out into his hand.
He waved the chimer[53] which emitted a long high pitch scream echoed seconds later by a cry of metal on metal that echoed out of the canal. Behind the false Baron something huge stood up from the muddy riverbed carrying a curtain of filth with it even as it hauled itself up onto the road with a weighty metallic clang that shook the street. For a moment it seemed like a yagorith[54] out of myth then the rain began to cut streaks through the grime and I could see the silver and brass plates below.
“A war golem,” commented Blood without any of the (I felt) justifiable panic she should be feeling whilst facing down five tons of armour plated killing engine. “You’re a mercenary?”
“I prefer the term sellsword myself,” replied the man pointing the rod at the golem which froze in place, “I feel I should say thank you by the by, you’ve caused my clients so much bother they’re paying me triple rate to kill you,” he leered at us and waved the chimer like a baton. “But anyway, are you two dying now or later? Makes no difference to me.”
“I think neither,” replied Blood then she let out a long piercing whistle. “Oh and by the way... there are three of us now.”
The looming Golem seemed to sneeze half bending at the waist and staggering forwards, nearly stepping on the mercenary (who hastily scrambled out of its way). For a second the huge metallic monster froze in that pose then, with a wheezing croak and a billow of oily steam, it sank to its knees. The fake noble drew a dagger and turned in one professional movement but we had our own professional, a black boot lashed out of the darkness around the golem and slammed into his head. I could hear the sick crunch of steel toecaps hitting bone followed by a howl of pain. The self-styled sell sword was thrown off his feet and crashed down onto the cobbles a good dozen paces away, spitting teeth and clutching at his bleeding lips. Behind him Skull leapt down from the crippled golem, her sabre still transfixing its punch card slot.
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Blood nodded with what looked like admiration at Skull before turning to look at the cursing man. “I was expecting more.” She said sweetly and then, taking a ladylike step forwards, she slammed her boot into his chest and propelled him backwards into the stinking muddy waters of the canal. He vanished into the foetid muck for a second then bobbed to the surface like a cork shot from a bottle. Spluttering and trying not to breathe at the same time he nevertheless managed to curse and swear at us with impressive eloquence as the Prasian riptide dragged him out to sea. Within five heartbeats of hitting the water he vanished around the bend of the canal.
Skull reached over her shoulder and pulled her sabre free from the golems spitting sparking facial grill then she reached inside its broad armoured torso and ripped out the textual oscillator and the aqueous converter (for once I actually thankful for all those boring mechanical engineering workshops I had been forced to sit through). “These should let us read its orders,” she said to us. “We can probably find out where it's been.”
“Awesome,” I replied happily then after a moment’s thought I turned to regard the golem. “But, and correct me if I’m wrong, couldn’t he still repair this thing? I feel we...”
My thought was interrupted by a bloom of unnaturally crimson light as if the moon's themselves had somehow been encased in rubies. Turning on the spot Skull and I saw Blood standing directly behind us, a glowing ball of vermillion flame in each fist. All around her droplets of rain flashed into steam haloing her in a growing heat haze.
“Get out of the way.” She grunted her voice laced with pain, I felt an icy dagger of panic stab my heart, I always worry about her (just in general really) but especially about her using magic. I know how much it hurts her to use it but she knew herself better than I did of course so there was no way she’d massively overexert herself unnecessarily and nearly drain all of her blood in one go just to show off... right?
Skull and I barely managed to hit the ground in time as Blood took a stance and hurled the fireballs over arm into the automaton's chest. Now usually convention says bits of machine should be thrown everywhere, pinwheels pin wheeling off walls and bolts bouncing off floors then the smoke clears and the automatons severed feet are still standing there for humorous effect right? Well this was nothing like that. All that was left after the smoke cleared was some badly scorched pavement and a huge puddle of molten metal.
“That was awesome!” I exclaimed, giving Blood a thumbs up (you do that more than you would ever expect to do when you’re wearing a mask trust me on this).
Blood preened, “I am perfect you know.” She said executing a florid bow... and tumbling forwards towards the pavement. If Skull wasn’t so quick on her feet she would probably have broken a tooth[55]. The older girl hauled the tiny Blood back onto her feet and stared into her masked face.
“How much did you use?” She asked with an audible frown. Skull’s great analytical ability and love of learning had been a huge boon to our thefts the last few cycles but her biggest contribution was her attempts to truly understand magic, specifically she wanted to discover how magic did what it did. That knowledge had once been freely available but it had all been lost in the Arch-Doges bloody pogroms as he rose to power.
Unfortunately her attempts to rediscover this lost knowledge hadn't been going great but (thanks to a slightly worrying aptitude for first aid in combat situations) she was able to make some pretty good guesses at how much of her blood Blood[56] could safely use before... well... dying. And she had taken it upon herself to try to instil a small amount of caution in the little red hellion.
The younger girl shook her off and staggered backwards slightly, “I am perfectly fine!” she announced, swaying visibly. “I only used like... twenty percent... maybe twenty five.”
Skull began to swear vociferously as I rushed to Bloods side, the exact sentences she said were (luckily) muffled by her mask but it went on for some time and the few syllables I caught made me blush hotly.
“Twenty five percent of your blood is gone in one second! You are an idiot... a partially exsanguinated idiot!”
As Skull ranted I pressed a palm to Bloods chest and began to pour life magic into her. For some reason it was much harder to heal her than anyone else I’d ever tried to. Even with direct skin contact it was still like my magic was resisting flowing into her, healing her, but I wasn't going to let my best friend suffer no matter what. Only about half of everything I pumped into Blood actually gets in so I just try twice as hard to heal her as normal and this usually seems to work. Tires me out a bit of course but it’s worth it as after a moment Blood stopped swaying and I felt a lurch in my stomach like I’d been painlessly kicked, don't ask how I knew but I knew that that was my magic telling me it had done all it could.
“I’ve healed her as much as I can but she needs rest.” I said looking at Skull. The tall girl nodded then lifted Blood bodily and draped her across one shoulder. The huge height difference (at this point of our career Blood was around one and a quarter metres tall whilst Skull was a hair's breadth off two) and Blood's curious lightness meant that Skull didn't even seem to notice the added weight. I expected Blood to start complaining immediately and as usual I was right.
“Put me down.”
“This is stupid!”
“I said down!”
“This is undignified!”
“I'm perfect, I don't need help.”
“Your shoulder is far too bony!”
“This was a total misdiagnosis!”
“I demand a second opinion!”
“You’re not even a real doctor!”
The catalogue of complaints, insults and accusations of medical malpractice continued the whole way home. Luckily for us, by the time we navigated the disgusting tunnels under our own base, unpicked the many traps, opened the secure doors and dumped Blood on our sofa, she was running out of insults. Skull and I managed to get Blood settled as much as we could and began to fuss over her. The young girl’s usual vitality and fire seemed noticeably banked and her breathing was shallow but still stronger than when Skull had caught her despite Skull having declared it was medically impossible to regenerate any appreciable fraction your body’s total blood volume in two hours (when asked about this Blood insisted she “healed quickly” and Skull insisted she was an idiot).
I ran to our kitchen and got a damp cloth and began to wipe the tunnel mud off of Bloods clothing as Skull pulled jars off shelves and combined tinctures together. After a few seconds of medical bustling however Blood exploded. “RIGHT I CAN'T TAKE THIS!” She shouted, kicking her legs and smacking her arms into the sofa like a child having a temper tantrum[57]. “Stop fussing over me, you two! Go and do whatever you want to do ok? I. Am. Fine!”
Skull looked down at the tiny girl with a softness written across her posture and then she sighed and put away the glass she was holding. “You won’t let us look after you?” She asked although it wasn’t really a question.
Blood sniffed and looked away with a surprising air of bashfulness. “It's... it's not that I don't appreciate it, it’s just I don't want you guys... look I'm fine...”
Skull nodded and patted Blood briefly on the head then she turned away and stalked into her room. As the door swung open I saw books, pens and a rack of messenger ravens before Skull crossed in front of them and vanished around the corner. She didn't bother closing the door behind her; we had helped her move in after all.
I looked down at Blood and smiling went back to mopping mud off her. She didn't even bother arguing, she obviously didn't think she’d be able to get me to stop worrying about her. She was right, it's what friends are for after all. Blood half turned her head away from me then sighed tiredly. “That was pretty stupid of me wasn’t it?”
“Yeah it was... but you're perfect aren’t you?” I teased. “You knew you’d be fine.”
She nodded and waved a hand. “Of course!”
I caught her hand gently in mine and leant down to look her seriously in the eye (sockets). “Now,” I said in my best imitation of my mother’s stern tone. “You stay here and get some rest and I don't want you trying to get up before you're all better.” Blood nodded and I pretended not to hear what Skull muttered through the wall as I tucked her in under a thick woollen blanket. Blood squirmed for a second then fell back onto the pillow and lay perfectly still. I think she probably closed her eyes but obviously I couldn't tell.
As I went to stand up I pressed my hand to Blood's arm and pumped the last dregs of my magic into her. Like I mentioned earlier this was far more difficult than with anyone else, my magic always seemed to fade away when it entered her body. Healing other people was like pouring water into a cup but healing Blood was like pouring it in through a cloth. It still went through but a lot just stopped or spilled and even the little bit that got through took much longer to help her[58].
Leaving Blood to rest I crossed into Skulls room. For someone with such a melodramatic mask and nickname[59] her room was tastefully and subtly decorated. Out of all of us she had the most discerning eye when it came to freeing a noble from his expensive furniture. I grabbed anything that looked vaguely comfortable and Blood just grabbed everything red[60] but Skull actually tried to maintain a continuous aesthetic, white and black with hints of gold. I thought it made her room look subtle and refined, Blood thought it looked like a chessboard that’d crashed into a bank then exploded. After the subsequent row we had agreed to disagree.
Finding Skull ensconced at her writing desk I paused on the threshold but one of the ravens cawed at me and Skull waved a hand over her shoulder. “Come in Bright, how’s Blood?”
The raven cawed again more insistently this time, we both looked at it for a moment then Skull turned to me with an inquisitive air, I just shrugged at the both of them. “Sorry I still haven’t learned a word of Corvidae but Blood’s going to be fine.” That seemed to satisfy the raven who nestled back down on his (or possibly her) perch without another word.
Skull dropped her quill and gestured at the pages before her. “I think I’ve figured out who wants us dead...” she paused and corrected herself. “...who paid to have us killed this time, it was a small coalition of the second and third heirs of some of the lesser houses who were trying to score points with their parents.”
“You think they gave him the automaton?” I asked, looking at the chimer I had stolen. It was of an expensively modern design and plated in gold (supposedly for better aether conductivity, I’ve always thought it was just a vanity thing).
“Without a doubt,” replied Skull. “Did you really look at that mercenary? He was an idiot with all the skill and professionalism of a Korlon[61] and none of the charm. Did you notice he didn’t know how his golem worked? He just had a preset punch card sequence and his dagger was...”
I felt myself drift away from my body, slightly lulled into a half sleep by the torrent of words streaming past me. Words like “steel like pseudo alloy” “eastern influences reeking of an undisciplined amateur” and “obvious micro-expressions” floated by every few seconds as I felt myself fading further and further. Skull eventually noticed[62] and wrapped up with. “Look he was a badly trained amateur with expensive toys which were obviously his down payment. I'm just glad Blood knocked him into the river before using her magic. He may have been a joke but an Inquisitor turning up would ruin the punch line.”
Even with Skulls' humour I felt my spine freeze, unbidden images rushed through my mind of a different time and place of a tall man in black, a young boy crying, a flash of steel and a spray of blood soaking into the carpet. My heart raced faster and faster and I felt sick beginning to rise in my throat as the memories overwhelmed me.
“Oy!” Blood's voice cut through the tide of ancient pain like a knife, jerking me back into the present so fast I actually gasped out loud. Without a thought I sprinted back through the door to our main room with Skull hot on my heels. The two of us nearly collided in the doorframe then burst out and dashed to Blood's side.
“What what!” I gasped. “Are you ok, are you in pain, do you need...?”
“What? Yes of course I’m ok,” Blood cut me off and looked at me oddly (even through the mask). “It's just there are 432 nails in the ceiling.”
We looked at each other for a long silent moment then Skull spoke. “What?”
“I got bored so I counted,” Blood said with a shrug. “There are 432 nails in the ceiling, isn’t that an interestingly self referential number? Each digit is 1 off from the last.”
I threw a pillow at her.