An uncomfortable heat resided in the air. A heat that mercilessly scorched Vanemar’s exposed skin as he steered the ship Ulstairos had lent him. He began comparing this weather to the one that he had experienced in Reptiloya, deciding that the latter had been worse. At least the weather here would not cover him in thick and heavy sweat. Vanemar and the cultists were approaching the Spikel city of New Ukratis, a place near the Reptiloyan border that had once been controlled by the Brighthawk Empire. Silves had spotted it with his spyglass. The Reptile had been a great help to Vanemar over the past few days, helping him build trust with his comrades and assisting in his duties. He had also given him company, as the two would frequently speak to each other of the differences between humans and reptiles during their travel. He had just spoken to a Reptiloyan for the first time ever and Vanemar had begun to see them as similar to humans. While they still made him uneasy, they were his only chance of getting through the desert alive. The majority of his thoughts during the trip pertained to how he would kill the man who had ordered him here and what would come afterwards.

From what the Spikel named Walfus said, Vanemar learned that the Spikel Republic was not very fond of cultists such as them. Being a newly formed nation, the republic was weak and still recovering from the War of the Houses which decimated their monarchies and spiralled the race into a massive revolution. The cultists had a late but frightening appearance into the whole ordeal and waged a short and bloody war with the republic before finally being repulsed. This led to a common hatred towards the cultists that prevented them from gaining any sort of foothold. So to summarize, if their identities were uncovered they would likely face execution. Having no intention to have his head cut off before Spidon's, Vanemar informed his crew that they would leave the city immediately

As the ship made its descent Silves ordered the others below the deck to get ready. Vanemar made sure to pack enough to survive outside of the city for a few days. Rations and other miscellaneous supplies were aplenty in the cargo hold which helped him keep his focus on his mission.

The port was made up of wood raised high enough above the ground for ships to not make contact with the golden terrain below. It was old and unkempt; the lack of ships made the place seem barren compared to any highland. He guessed it was due to the political turmoil, he had only arrived a few seconds ago and was beginning to feel unsafe. As he brought the ramp down the repetitive arm motions allowed him to direct his attention to the city's entrance. Everything besides the docks was surrounded by a great stone wall. To get inside he would have to move past a pair of guards at a gate barely large enough to fit a wagon. While they were too far away to be seen clearly, he still noticed their spears. They stood like statues, likely watching him and his ship from the corners of their vision. The thought of him being the only human among thousands became more prominent in his mind.

Silves returned with the rest of the crew as Vanemar turned off the engine. He pulled the lever next to the large magic tank which supplied the engine, stopping the magic flow so that the fuel source would not be consumed. "Ready to go sir." Silves said as they approached the ramp.

"And I am as well. Wulfus, you lead the way. I need you to speak to the guards up ahead."

The Spikel nodded. "Do not worry. The guards are only there to make sure we will not cause trouble. They will not mind if we are only passing through." His voice was high pitched and scratchy, a combination that was not pleasant to Vanemar's ears. He was glad to have him accompanying him though, as his skills made up for the uncomfort he caused.

There was a brief conversation between Wulfus and the guards before they were allowed in. They eyed Vanemar and the Reptiloyans with suspicion but they remained respectful and stayed at their posts.

the city itself was an expanse of stone buildings. They were able to see nearly the whole of it, standing on a main road that stretched out towards the opposite side. Most of the buildings were made from sandstone and were designed in a simple manner that showed neither wealth nor poverty. The roads were not roads but paths of yellow dirt that split through the city. Silves asked about the tall stone tower behind them. A skinny thing with a bell at the tip. Wulfus explained that it was the Calling Bell, made to warn the city's populace of a threat if it were nearby. "Where would the people run to anyway?" Vanemar asked. "They're already surrounded by walls."

“Armies tend to not care if the populace runs away.” Wulfus said. “Although if they have too little supplies, some may have to return."

"So they come back only to die anyway?"

"That was not so during the time of monarchs when they were built. Unfortunately, we have become hateful once again."

They found a Spikel in a stable willing to let them ride his wagon for a fee. Using Vanemar’s map, they direct the owner to a village, the only settlement near their objective. Unlike the Reptiloyans, this one used a horse. At least it looked like a horse to Vanemar. This one had curved horns on its head and a thin coat of yellow hair. Vanemar continued to stare at the thing as they began to cross through the flat golden expanse of the savannah. "It is a Fekhelhorn" Wulfus told him. "Like those horses that you humans like to ride but born to live in these lands."

"And those horns?" Vanemar asked.

"Used to protect them from the beasts that roam these lands I believe."

"What a wonderful creature." Silves said with a smile. "your people are quite lucky to be able to coexist with them."

"Don't get your hopes up." Said Wulfus, "The ones farther into the Savannah are less friendly."

"Ah, then it is just like home then. What about you Vanemar, what sort of creatures live in your lands."

"Many of them look like slight variations of this one. Four legs, skinny build" He gestured to the Fekhelhorn. "But that is only in the plains, I hear that the terrifying ones live in the places where we would not."

"Nearly all large creatures walk on four legs Vanemar." Silves said. "But I have seen a horse before and it does look quite similar to this... Fekhelhorn."

"Well maybe I should bring you with me to Honea, then you can see the animals for yourself."

"I would take that offer if it had not included sarcasm.."

"Well." Vanemar said, crossing his arms. "That is something that I could consider."

"Consider it well then. You are not the only one that wishes to personally cut off the head of Spidon!" Vanemar chuckled, it was good to have a reminder that he wouldn't have to do everything on his own for once.

They arrived at the village, a place in bad condition due to its isolation. Homes seemed as if they were falling apart and the people wore plain clothing that were beginning to tear. The place did feel less threatening to be in though except for the fact that its inhabitants were watching the newcomers. Vanemar guessed they had likely never seen a human or even a Reptiloyan in their lifetime. Furthermore, they were armed and armored, neither of those were a welcome sight.

The driver brought them to a comparatively large tavern and stable. A Spikel in a thin white robe and sandals came to greet them. He spoke in the language of the Spikels, a low and excited chirp that strangely pierced their ears.

"He asks for the purpose of our visit." Wulfus told Vanemar. "He has never seen either of your people in this town before. Should I answer him?"

"Yes, try to see if he knows where we can find the geokey."

Wulfus nodded and began to speak with the owner again. The owner scratched his head and eventually shook it. "He says that he has heard rumors of an ancient palace nearby but does not know where it could be. He also says that there are mercenaries inside that are well traveled and might know."

Vanemar sighed. "I don’t trust mercenaries but I guess they'll have to do. Don't say too much to them, they'll slit your throat if they know they will get money out of it."

Wulfus nodded and exchanged bows with the owner.

The inside of the tavern was about what Vanemar was expecting. Furniture was organized well, but worn and begging to be replaced. The smell of food was just enough for him to forget about it though as even Spikel food excited him more than magic rations that more often than not made him feel sick. They quickly chose a table and huddled together closely so that the many curious ears in the room could not hear. "Will this not be suspicious sir?" Asked Silves with worry.

"Anything will be suspicious when we do it. Better to order drinks first so we can blend in more." Vanemar said. Wulfus called out to the owner and he nodded before quickly going to the counter.

"I have ordered cheap drinks." He said. "When shall I move."

"Once you get your drink I suppose."

The owner came back with a tray of drinks and the group toasted to their good luck before Wulfus was sent off. Vanemar kept an eye on him as the others conversed. The mercenaries took up two tables with about eleven of them in total. They allowed Wulfus to take an empty seat after an exchanging of a few words. As one of them spoke, Wulfus and the others listened. After he was done speaking, Wulfus thanked them and began to leave but not before one of them could grab his arm. the mercenary said something which caused Wulfus to skittishly look back to his comrades. Wulfus said something in return but the mercenary did not give up his interrogation. "Get ready for a brawl," Vanemar told those at his table. "Things look like they aren't going well for our friend."

"If they draw their weapons then I shall meet them with my arrows," one of them said as he drew his bow from under the table. Wulfus was beginning to struggle slightly and attempting to get away without causing a scene. Finally, the mercenary spoke much more loudly than before and stood up. He spoke to his comrades who then began to join him. Wulfus finally pushed the man away out of fear and that was when everyone drew their weapons. The cultists were up in a flash and an arrow was sent flying into the head of a mercenary who had nearly swung their sword into Wulfus. The mercenaries entered a hurried formation and lifted their shields, knocking a second arrow off course.

"We get out of here now Wulfus!" Vanemar called as the men brought their spears forward.

"It is Northwest in the plateau sir!" Wulfus said as he began to run.

With charging mercenaries behind them they quickly sprinted through the front door which was held open by Vanemar. "Lead the way!" He told Silves as he closed the doors and began to follow behind. He expected the violence, but a chase was unusual. Hopefully a sign that the mercenaries were truthful.

The mercenaries crashed through the door and continued to charge while yelling in their native tongue. Vanemar looked the way they were going, there was a plateau quite some ways away. He hoped the heat would not force him to collapse from running such a length. Or worse, the Spikels would be able to outrun him. That was a detail that made him nervous. He was completely unfamiliar with Spikels and could not determine if they could chase him the entire way. The same could be said for the Reptiloyans. "All of this running is really starting to piss me off." He thought. "Why does this only happen when I have people helping me?"

They ran through the Savannah as their legs began to numb and their breaths quickend. It was nearly mid sun when the heat was at its hottest. This led to a good and bad outcome. Their pursuers had stopped giving chase but Vanemar was losing so much water that his vision was beginning to blur. The group sat down in silence to catch their breaths. "I almost thought they wouldn't stop." Silves said as he laid down in the grass.

"What was that all about anyway?" Vanemar slurred before chugging down the water in his flask.

Wulfus did not sweat but the exhaustion could be seen in his droopiness. "No one ever asks about that place. So when they heard my question they assumed I was a cultist. I guess us being foreigners made it believable."

"So what? Would they get paid for killing us?"

"Yes, the government is already having difficulty fighting rebellious factions so they pay mercenaries for every cultist body they bring. They have to have proof of them being cultists as well of course. That's probably why they stopped chasing us."

"Huh, business must not be going well if they tried to do that without evidence."

"I guess so, I haven't caught up yet with any of the major happenings since I left, this may as well be misinformation.”

"Understandable." Vanemar looked toward the plateau. They were about a quarter of the way there but that had been after running for quite a while. If he wanted to stick to the plan, he would need to have less breaks. "Let's keep moving, I don't want to stay here all day."

The heat was getting unbearable. Vanemar was forcing himself to not drink water after realizing that he was already halfway through his flask. They arrived at a large valley in the mouth of the Plateau. The corners provided shade for them to comfortably walk through. They had not yet seen the palace but they could see ruins in the distance. Pillars and remnants of sandstone structures from a long ago era. Vanemar was not expecting his curiosity to flare up at such a time. He allowed the feeling to remain. It was nice, while he had spent the entire time loathing his position he at least felt a miniscule amount of accomplishment. A feeling much less regretful than what one would have when completing mercenary work. It also increased his amazement when he saw the palace. It still stood intact, built into the plateau itself. A sandstone building of scale challenging that of Honea's great capital buildings. It was carved with excellent craftsmanship and the hawk of the old empire still remained, the statue’s golden wings spread above the entrance. He wondered the age and purpose of such a building, secluded from everything else. It was questions like those that he did not know would ever be answered.

Suppressing his thoughts, Vanemar led the cultists behind the remnants scattered across the place. They were not the only ones here. A grand formation of Spikel soldiers stood at the entrance armed with spears at the front and archers at the back. There were about a hundred or more blocking the only way in. "Hey Wulfus." Vanemar said as he peaked slightly over the ruined wall. "Did they say anything about another way in?"

"I'm starting to wish they did." Wulfus answered awkwardly, he made sure to completely hide himself behind the wall and had no intentions to look over it.

"They are starting to move." Silves said. The soldiers were beginning their march towards the entrance. Shields faced up the stairs and arrows readied.

"Seems like the only option now is to sneak behind them and hope that they don't see us."

"I'm not very fond of that decision." Said Pisous, the Reptiloyan cultist who was their assigned mage. "There is a big chance that at least one of them will look back and see us coming."

"That is why we move quickly. Follow my lead, we will take the route with the most cover."

Vanemar led the cultists from ruin to ruin. Stopping only to check if anyone was watching before moving again. The army had eventually entered the palace and that was when they began to quietly advance towards the building. "Did they not leave guards?" Silves asked as they casually walked up the steps.

"Why would they. Who else would be out here?" Wulfus asked.

"You don’t have that many soldiers ready for a fight if you know you’re alone." Vanemar answered as his heart began to beat with worry.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"They're probably already in the palace." Silves guessed.

"Is that good for us?" Wulfus said.

"If we walk around the fight that is probably about to happen then yes." Vanemar said as he gripped the hilt of his weapon.

Silves patted the hilt of his sword. "I don't see how we'll get through this without a fight."

"We probably won't. It'll probably get cramped in there so things might get nothing less than awry.

Inside the palace were high walls of pillars that led to many different doors. There were arches on the left, center, and right that led to different hallways. Behind the open doors of the center hallway was the army that continued to march. The group quickly went below the pillars, out of sight upon seeing them. Vanemar decided that they should take the closest hallway to the left. "Must be another way over there." Vanemar thought as they began to quickly move into a hallway that was partially destroyed by debris and nature. He held out a hand for the cultists to stop as they reached an intersection. He looked to the right hallway which led deeper into the palace. It was also vacant. The very end of the hallway went right, it would lead them directly to the center.

Vanemar was careful to make sure that they were quiet as they reached the corner. He could hear the sounds of marching but did not see the soldiers as he looked around it. The throne was there, through a pair of doors that had not been closed in centuries. It was battered and abused, signs that it was much more magnificent a long time ago. Vanemar wondered who could have sat there. "Not the Emperor." He thought. It was too far away from the capital for him to ever have sat there. Vanemar was caught off guard by someone patting his shoulder. Yanking the weapon out of its sheath slightly, he quickly turned around to see Silves nodding his head. He wanted to know what was going on. "We wait here for now." Vanemar informed them. "I can't see them yet."

Silves nodded. "We'll be patient then."

Finally, the formation arrived at the throne and an officer with large feathers on his helmet approached. He reached under the throne and suddenly the wall behind it began to open, revealing a passage. Signalling for two other soldiers to help him, together they moved the throne out of the way. The officer stepped back and gestured for the army to move forward. They began to march down a set of steps. As soon as a decent amount was through the opening, they began to run back. It sounded as if a beast was coming from within it. Vanemar unsheathed his sword, alerting the others to prepare themselves. He hoped that no ancient beasts were trapped down there. The soldiers who were already through the entrance pushed into each other as they attempted to flee, many fell over. The officer ordered the others to step back and shouted at those who were fleeing. Suddenly as the roar reached its peak a large fire erupted from the hole, burning and scorching those who did not escape. It was a fire strong enough to shake the building and bright enough to make Vanemar look away. The Spikels who were now on fire began to scream from the pain. knowing that he could do nothing, the officer moved his army forward again but stopped before he could enter. He gave those burning soldiers, now emitting a dense smoke, a sympathetic look before ordering his archers to loose their arrows. "I think their may be someone down there." Vanemar told the cultists. "With some powerful fire magic."

"I think that is more than some sort of fire magic." one of the cultists said. "It sounded like the roar of some great beast. I was about ready to run when I heard it."

"It's going to keep that army busy for a while so I doubt we'll be able to make it down there before the geokeys is taken. I think it would be a better use of our time to find another way in.”

"Perhaps the bedroom of whoever owned this place might help." Silves said.

"I have some special magic that can help us find the entrance." Pisous added.

"Good, then we'll have to make sure we're not noticed by those Spikels. I'll go first." Vanemar began to quietly move around the corner, hugging the wall to hide his body. There were a set of doors lining the walls opposite of him. The one that had his interest the most though was the last one, it was much larger than the others and had the image of the eagle carved into its wood. This was the one that he was betting on. He went back and signalled for the others to do as he did. Vanemar hoped that the soldiers would be too occupied with whoever was below the palace to notice them crossing. He left the door open as he entered first and the rest quickly poured in one after the other. The room was dark and all of its furnishings and decorations were thrown about in a chaotic scene. It was a large bedroom, wealthy enough for any king. "I'm surprised That this place hasn't been plucked bare yet." Vanemar said as he rubbed the gold frame of a bed.

"Probably means that we were one of the first to rediscover it." Silves said. The rest of the cultists began to search the room. The mess of the place was making it harder for them, especially since they had to be quiet.

“Where would they hide a secret entrance in a place like this." Vanemar said as he looked around the room. "Maybe behind a bookshelf?"

"That would be too obvious." Pisous said as he laid a hand on the back wall. "Let me try some magic. I know a spell that can create a soundwave that is absorbed through the walls. If we hear it, it'll be from that secret entrance. He squeezed his magiglove and a soft humming spread from his fingertips through the entire wall until it intensified at a single point in the left corner of the room. "There it is." The mage said with a smile.

Vanemar approached the origin of the much louder hum and put his ear against it. The part of the wall sounded hollow and the humming was clearer. He looked around, only the remnants of what could once be called furniture was left. “There doesn’t seem to be any mechanisms here.” Vanemar told the others.

“It wouldn’t need to if it was meant for the person who owned the place.” Silves responded as he came closer. “That’s what my guess is. Maybe pushing it will work?”

Trying his suggestion, Vanemar’s hand went back into the wall. It depressed until there was a click and it became heavier, but began to move in the sweeping motion that a door would. “That was a good idea.”

“I didn’t expect us to find it so quickly.” He said.

Behind the secret door was a single hole with a tall ladder surrounded by the magical lamps that had not gone out. “How have those things lasted so long? Did the mercenaries mention janitorial staff Wulfus?” Pisous asked in an attempt to liven the descent.

“Might have more of those Magic Crystals down there.” Vanemar said.

“Magic Crystals!” Pisous said with surprise. “Is it true that the Brighthawks have those?”

“Yeah, I saw one of those tall ones in some Brighthawk vault.”

“A Pylon! Everything I’ve read has told me those were myth! Even the Magikaynium had said so.”

Vanemar reached the bottom and looked at a splinter in his palm with mild annoyance. “The Brighthawks probably made sure of that. They don’t like other people looking into their history from what I’ve heard.

“Aye.” Wulfus said. “From what I heard of the Houses War they almost sent their army when they heard that one of the kings had hidden some of their artifacts.”

“They’d probably kill me on the spot for what I’ve done.” Vanemar added. “All of you should keep quiet about this too, unless you want to get the attention of those people.”

The rest had reached the bottom of the staircase and Vanemar turned to look towards the path ahead. It was a bare passage of rock that slightly turned obscuring the rest of itself. “It’s a shame that not many people seem to like you Vanemar. You are a man of good honor.” Said Silves as he patted him on the shoulder.

Vanemar raised a brow at the impromptu remark. “What?”

“Just an observation I’ve made.”

“I wouldn’t say it's accurate. I’ve made too many bad decisions for that to be true.”

They moved in a slow single file line through the passage. Vanemar made sure to stop them before looking around the corner. The door was ahead and it had a small slit in the upper center that could be seen through from both sides. “Heads down.” Vanemar said while gesturing for them to crouch. They continued with slow steps until they reached the door and could hide in the corners. While magic was usually very bright the lamps on the walls only held small amounts of it which gave them darkness to hide within. Vanemar slowly began to peek in through the slit, making sure that he would reveal as little of his face as possible when he did. The room was dimly lit but not enough for its shape to be obscured. It was similar to the Brighthawk vault that he had been in before. It was a hexagon, with furniture spaced between the four entrances that faced each other and the geokey in the center. The geokey itself was in a glass case upon a pedestal. It could not be seen from where he was but he subconsciously found it to be the obvious place to look. He went back down, the place was filled with soldiers and not exactly the ones he wanted to see. They were Honeans. “How did that mage find out?” He thought to himself. The one who had been throwing fire at the Spikels was one of the Swords, the elite infantry of the Honea military. He could tell because the man's chestplate had a large jade snake in the shape of an S etched into it and shoulderplates that were essentially large, horizontal spikes. The man was standing at the end of the staircase, looking up towards the hails of arrows that had been ineffective against him. Vanemar was most surprised that anyone could do such a thing with the magiblade in the Sword’s hands. If the magiwarrior he had fought on the ship had done that he would not have to think for more than a second to know the outcome.

Vanemar spent good time pondering his next move. Even opening the door would be dangerous, they had crossbows that were currently not busy. He decided that it would be best if he got help from someone besides himself again. "Pisous." He whispered to the mage. "Can you make the room explode into smoke?" He held out a jar that Jioh had given him before he left. It was meant for magic, with an untouched signcaster on its lid water within that could be converted into magic energy.

"Are you sure? It won't be harmful but it will make a lot of it, enough to make it almost impossible to see." Pisous said as he took the jar from his hands and grabbed his engraver.

"I saw the geokey. It's just straight here and back."

"But there are soldiers there right?" Silves asked.

"Lots of Honeans. But they can't hurt me if they can't see me."

"I volunteer to join you then." The reptile said unsheathing his sword, a curved blade similar to Vanemar's. "In case one of them sees you."

"It won't be that complicated but I suppose it’d be easier with your help. Stay right behind me and leave the door open."

"May the Lord of War give you strength." Pisous said as he handed him back the jar, it glowed white with magic.

Vanemar unsheathed his weapon and both him and Silves slowly stood up. He went for the door knob and took a deep breath to cool his faltering nerves. In a swift motion he threw the magic jar into the center of the room. Before it shattered both men ran towards the geokey. It was loud enough to get the attention of about every soldier who were blinded as the jar collided into the ground. It was as if an entire cloud was trapped inside the bottle, exploding outwards and covering the entire room in seconds. It had caught Vanemar off guard but he quickly went back to running straight towards the center. "Behind us!" Silves called out. Vanemar looked back as he reached inside the glass case. The white wall behind them was formed into the shape of a nearby soldier. Suddenly, a spear exploded through it like a nail through a wall. Silves parried it and tried to do his best with a swing that only caught air.

"One second!" Vanemar called out as he quickly stored the geokey in a safe space. He barely looked at the thing, it appeared to be some sort of metal slab to him. Deciding to assist Silves, he quickly concealed himself into the mist as shouts rang out.

"What just happened!" Called an angry voice.

"I saw someone run in here sir!"

"Then kill him before he gets that key! That goes for all of you, I'll guard these stairs on my own!"

A cacophony of clinking armor and footsteps ensued as Vanemar got to the soldiers flanks. Silves had managed to hold his own but could not get close. He instead backed away whenever another thrust went his way. "Smart of him to wait for me." Vanemar thought. He silently pounced towards the man, grabbing him by the neck and slitting his throat. "To your left!" Silves called again. Vanemar parried a spear that had seemingly come out of nowhere and turned to face another soldier.

The Thawk of a crossbow being fired was all Vanemar heard before he felt the impact of something painfully slamming into his shoulder. He gasped in pain and quickly looked at his arm to see that a bult had indeed struck it.

"Agh!" Cried the soldier who tried to get near him. "Watch your fire!" He had been struck as well, a bult had struck in the side and managed to dig through his mail.

"Don't loose blindly you fools!" The commanding officer who Vanemar now knew to be the Sword ordered. He looked to Silves and gestured to him to follow while his opponent was caught off guard.

"Hey!" the soldier called in surprise as the two men sprinted passed him. "They're running away-" He cried out in pain again as he attempted to pursue, stopped by the bolt lodged in him.

"Gagh!" The Sword grunted in annoyance. "Follow my voice! I do not intend to allow anyone to leave my sight alive today!" The footsteps went farther away from the two men as they rallied to the Sword. They quickly went through the door to find the cultists ready to bolt away in surprise.

"Did they follow us?" One of them asked.

"No." Vanemar said, suddenly grunting as his body remembered that it had been attacked.

"Then come here so I can get that horrid thing out of you." Idis, the medic, said snappily as he reached for his medical supplies.

Vanemar looked out the window again before complying. "Have you ever dealt with something like this before?" He asked as he laid himself against the uncomfortable rock wall.

"I did some work in Felinebar territory during the beginning of that whole cultist rebellion. Trust me, I've done much worse and under more pressure." He slowly began to pull the bolt out with a hand that barely moved. "Good that you brought the gambeson with you, otherwise this could have been much worse." Vanemar gritted his teeth as the bolt finally came out and blood slowly began to pour from his wound. "Unfortunately..." Pius began to wrap a bandage around Vanemar's arm very quickly. "I am still a novice at medical magic so you'll just have to wait for it to heal on its own."

As he shook his arm around Vanemar felt his pain begin to reside, although it still felt as if its strength had been taken from it. "I'll just have to switch my sword arm for now. Not too bad but going up the ladder will not be easy. The rest of you go first. I'll go last since I'm the slowest."

Silves offered to pull up Vanemar before he reached the top of the ladder. His arm was getting weaker and he felt as if he had been gripping the ladder for the dear life. "Seems the Honeans are getting desperate." Vanemar said as sounds of violence resonated across the palace. "We better start running." He said with no objection. Vanemar only looked at the battle for a quick moment. It was one sided, with the Honeans creating a wall of spears and allowing the Sword to use his magic freely. It wouldn’t last long, which gave him more incentive to start running. They returned to the entrance in short time as the palace proved to be more dense than large.

The cultists hid behind the pillars of the halls to let Vanemar scout outside. It was late midday, which meant that they would not get back to New Ukratis before nightfall. There were Spikel reinforcements coming from afar. A large unit of Fekhelhorn mounted mercenaries. "Either their commander sent someone to get reinforcements or something interesting is going on." He signalled for the cultists to start running again. "Keep your heads low, once we're further out we'll be clear." They all nodded in unison. Their quiet footfalls allowed them to quickly run through the ruins. By the time they reached the exit of the plateau, they unanimously decided to stop so they could breathe and feed themselves.

Vanemar reached into his bag so he could finally get a good look at the geokey. It was a flat piece of metal with a crystal in the center that glowed with a warm green. "So it is true." Pisous said with wide eyes and a full mouth as he shuffled closer. He swallowed, “Magic crystals exist!”

"Wait till you see the big one." Vanemar said.

"What does that thing do?" Silves asked as he looked at it quizzically.

"It's supposed to show a map when you connect it to other geokeys. I don't know how it works exactly but I’m guessing it's quite important if we had to fight for it."

"That isn't something I would like Spidon to have."

"Me neither, but I'll have to give it to him. Otherwise he'll know exactly what I'm up to. Now let me have my meal, being this close to Honeans makes me nervous."

After eating enough to fill them, they crossed the empty part of the Savannah and reached the town. Luckily, the wagon driver was waiting for them. They snuck everyone into the stable so that they could not be seen by the mercenaries. They had set up camp nearby and kept a guard outside. Vanemar felt lucky that the mercenary was too blind to even catch a glimpse of them.

When they returned to New Ukratis, archers surrounded the walls and security at the entrance had increased to a group of armored soldiers. Wulfus overheard the conversation between the driver and guards and told the group that a large warship had been spotted not too far away and the governor had ordered the militia and guard to be at the ready. "Seems the Honeans might have brought more friends.”

"Do you think that they would capture this city to find us?" Silves asked.

"From what I've seen, Honean soldiers usually have more restraint than mercenaries. But this time they were led by one of the Swords. You may not know of them but from where I'm from the stories told of them usually end with spilled blood that isn’t their own."

"Was that the one who created that great fireball?" Pisous asked.

"Yes, they're Honea's best in terms of killing. The type of men that you wouldn’t consider fighting without help.”

"Do you know what they were doing in that palace then? Wouldn't it be Brighthawks that would have learned of it first?"

"A group of Honeans were following me when I was at the Brighthawk capital. They somehow got into the Brighthawk vault before the Brighthawks did!"

"How is that possible?"

"We led them there, but there were Brighthawks on the way too. I’m not sure how exactly they were able to get inside.”

The harbor was guarded with much higher numbers than before. They held out a hand to halt them and said something to them. "They said that it is too dangerous to go out." Wulfus translated.

Vanemar raised a brow. "But we were already outside. Tell them that we don't care."

Wulfus spoke to them and the guard scratched his temple before responding. "He says that there are three warships flying near the city."

"What?" Vanemar said in surprise. "More reason to get out of here. If they are looking for the geokey, I don't want them to land here and see me."

Upon hearing Wulfus' next words the guard cluelessly looked towards his companion before signalling for the gate to open.

The ship was prepared hastily. The three ships had white banners and were obviously going towards the palace. "Honeans?" Silves asked as he brought up the ramp.

"They would have come with the other ship if they were." Vanemar said. "I saw white banners like those before I left the Brighthawk Kingdom. They might be Brighthawks themselves but I haven't seen what they look like and I don't want to either." He released the lock on the lift lever before pulling it towards him to make the ship ascend. "I'd rather not worry about that now. I've already got two blades to my throat and only two hands to push them away with." The ship lurched as it began to rise up towards amber skies.