As the grey sky began to clear, Vanemar and the cultists went down the streets with utmost caution. The city was still packed with armed men and with each encounter Jun would quickly change their route. They eventually ended up at a straight alleyway that Jun said would lead them directly to Jioh’s warehouse. "Mind if I ask a question?" Vanemar said to Jun after ensuring that the path was clear of prying eyes.
"Ask away." Jun responded without second thought.
“This has been on my mind for quite some time now. I’ve been wearing this necklace for months but I don’t even know what it is. Do you happen to know?”
Jun looked at him with a raised brow. “You took it from Duke Kentra yet you do not know?”
Vanemar shrugged. “That’s not how it happened. He gave it to me before he died.”
“What? Why would he do such a thing?”
“He told me to keep it safe but didn’t go into any more detail.”
“Huh, I guess we can only assume what he wanted from a request such as that. To answer your question, that necklace is a key to open ancient mechanisms created by the Brighthawk Empire. At least that is what my boss told me.”
“You mean Jioh?”
“No, well he is my boss, but I am talking about my real boss. The leader of the Honean sect.”
Jioh stared at him blankly for a moment. “The leader?” He doubted that it could be the man who was killed in the raid of the cult’s previous headquarters. “I thought he wa-”
“Killed? No, far from it. He left right when the purge was being presented to Ravensteed’s council. He’s a very resourceful and knowledgeable man, much more than anyone really expects him to be. Let's bring this back to the topic of your key though. The thing is ancient, just like the other Brighthawk artifacts. It may be about a millennia old.”
"Really?" Vanemar brought the necklace up to his face. "Doesn't look like it to me.”
"The Empire knew more about magic than we do now. Who knows what they could have done to make their artifacts stay preserved for such a long span of time. Just look at what they did with the Highlands. No normal magic can make the earth float indefinitely!"
"But isn’t that a fairytale? It’s already been proven that magic can’t do that." Vanemar said with skepticism.
"That is being you do not know the truth of it. Are you a believer of the Honoyan Truth?”
“You won’t see me going to congregation but since I’m Honean born it was hard to avoid it.”
“Well as you know, the Truth tells us that magic formed all things in the beginning and allowed them to roam free. The belief that the Highlands were created by this event is contradicted by the texts recovered from the early years of the empire. During that time, the Highlands did not exist and the capital of the empire was just a small fort on the outskirts of the Cloudtip Peaks. While it’s hard to confirm exactly when the Highlands appeared since the Brighthawks don’t want to tell us. I can tell you with certainty that the Highlands were not here before man."
“That still doesn’t explain how a man could have lifted a city into the sky.” Vanemar said, shaking his head. While he was fine with helping them, he was never very receptive to cultist ideals.
“Well then.” Jun said with a smirk. “There goes my attempts at trying to recruit you!” Vanemar shook his head and muttered a curse under his breath.
----------------------------------------
They arrived at a large and bland brick building within the desolate storage zone of the city. There were two doors and Jun knocked on the one fit for a man instead of a wagon. A man in shorts and sandals appeared who’s eyes immediately darted to Vanemar. "Brought another troublemaker with you Jun? Are you trying to repeat the same problem as last time?" The man said with exasperation.
Jun chuckled at the man’s misfortune, “Don’t worry Quing, this man might be a troublemaker but I didn’t bring him here to work for us.”
"What is it then?"
"He has an artifact."
Quing's eyes slowly narrowed in disbelief. "Really? You sure those afternoon drinks didn’t go to your head?"
"I may have missed it if they did. Let me see Jioh. This is urgent."
"Fine, In his office." The man said, backing off.
The warehouse was populated by racks filled to the brim with boxes that did not reveal the unlawful products within. Between the racks workers went back and forth with boxes meant for a wagon that would soon be sent on its way. The owner’s office was a small room in the back corner of the building. Jun knocked on the door and waited for Jioh to open it, revealing a slightly older man than Vanemar in a yellow collared brown robe.
"I'm quite busy here Jun." The man said softly.
"Sorry to interrupt you sir." Said Jun as he forced himself inside, contrary to the owner’s wishes, "but I have something much more important than whatever else you’re trying to do."
Jioh stared at him for a moment. "Then what are you waiting for?" Jun nodded to Vanemar who handed the man his necklace. Jioh let out a gasp as he grasped it. "An artifact?" He said with eyes locked on to it.
"Not just any artifact, a key."
His jaw dropped and his eyes went to Vanemar. "Where did you get this?" He asked, his voice now loud and excited.
"You and I both know there is only one place this man could have gotten such a thing." Jun said suspiciously. "He is offering it for payment."
Jioh stood still for a moment before nodding. "We’ll negotiate in the cellar then," he said with abrupt seriousness. "I don’t want anyone to interrupt."
Jioh led them to a room adjacent to the warehouse that acted as a stable for their singular horse. While the scent reminded Vanemar of the lowlands, he hoped that they would not be having their meeting there. The cellar door sat in the center of the room, untouched by the horse behind tall walls in the corner. Jioh pulled a keyring from his robes and fiddled with it until he finally found the one he needed. As he pulled open the cellar door, a large puff of dust hit him in the face causing him to sneeze. "Does no one clean this place?" He said in a daze.
"Only you and Quing do." One of the cultists said with amusement.
"Right… Well, it’s not like we ever use the thing." They began to go down a wooden staircase with a chipped railing that was impossible to touch without getting pricked. The room was lit only by the light that poured in from the stable making everything that wasn’t near the stairs completely obscured by dark. Not that it was of much importance, there was only a long table and a set of shelves inside. Jioh stepped on top of the table and reached up towards a small lamp on the ceiling. With a simple twist of a lever it illuminated everything with a bright white glow. Vanemar finally took notice of the set of wooden shelves on the opposite side of the room. A few strange trinkets laid in it, one of them likely being a Brighthawk artifact. Quite unusual considering that the Brighthawks would simply invade the country to get their hands on it.
"Take a seat." Jioh told them as he sat himself at the end of the table. Vanemar slowly sat beside him, making sure that there were no splinters. "First off, how did you manage to find this man Jun?"
The man sitting across from Jun turned to Jioh with a blank expression, "We found him at that tavern we always bring people from. We overheard him plotting to kill you and decided to confron-."
Jioh immediately backed away. “Hold on a second, you must be joking!”
“Ah, maybe I should have phrased that differently.” Jun said with a wave of his hand. “He wanted money and your head spoke to his profession.”
"You would kill me for some gold?" He asked Vanemar fearfully.
"I’m a mercenary… Or was, now I’m more of a fugitive." Vanemar answered awkwardly, attempting to hold back details on his current situation.
"Not too surprising based on his reputation." Another cultist said.
"Fugitive?" Jun asked.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Vanemar sat silently for a moment deciding whether to respond. "Well in the last few days I’ve been hunted, robbed, and nearly killed- I’ll just leave it at that. In short, I need coin and can’t care less how I get it.” He immediately regretted blurting out his last few words.
Jioh looked at him with a pinch of sympathy. "Seems you are in quite a bit of trouble.” He contemplated for a moment. “If you’d like I could double my intended payment, that is if you would like to help me.”
Vanemar's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
One of the cultists spouted, "He's the bloody Dukeslayer for crying out loud!"
Vanemar cringed at the name as the table suddenly exploded into a cacophony of arguments between the cultists.
"Be quiet!" Jioh said forcefully, holding his hand up high. "I think you all are forgetting something. If it were not for the acts of this man we wouldn’t be here. He has already said he was a mercenary, why should I hold back on gaining his allegiance?" Some at the table nodded in agreement while others stared at him with restraint. "Now then." He said turning back to Vanemar. "Do you find that offer agreeable?"
"Depends on what you're willing to pay me."
"What is it that you want?"
Vanemar thought of his answer for a moment. There were a few things that he wanted and most of them related only to his temporary problems. "Enough for a trip out of the country and a home."
Jioh's brows rose in confusion as he took in the answer. "Well that does sound pleasant," he stated thoughtfully. ”The work I will be assigning you will depend on-”Jioh began to scratch his face. "Give me a moment." He stood up and went for the shelf bringing back a golden vase with him. On it was the engraving of a hawk, the same as Vanemar's key.
"You plan on opening that now?" Jun questioned. "Should we not pay the man his first half?"
"So... What is your name?” Jioh asked Vanemar.
"Raven.” Vanemar said plainly
“Is that your alias?”
“Have you not heard the name before?” Jun asked.
“Never, but I’m curious now.”
"He has quite some fame in Raverna for being one of the vigilantes who did all the work for the guard."
"Ah, I remember now. Although I’ve never stayed in Raverna long enough to know their names." He sat down again. "Mr.Raven, see this artifact here? It is a document container of sorts that may have some clues on where to find more artifacts. If you lend me the key I will base the payment of your employment according to where the contents inside lead us. You can either choose that or I can hand you a pile of gold worth the price of a long ferry trip and more.” He inched closer to Vanemar with a smirk on his face. “But if you work for me, I can give you enough for something better than a house made of sticks.”
Vanemar frowned at the lack of more than one good choice. He didn’t trust Jioh no more than he trusted the officer that tricked him not so long ago. But for this one moment he found himself lucky, he had been given a second chance in a sea of bad luck and he’d hate himself if he didn’t agree to it. “Fine.” He finally said. “I’ll help.”
"That is quite a bit to be given out for an extra hand don't you think?" one of the cultists said to Jioh with concern.
"We will not just be paying for an extra hand.” Jioh said confidently. “It will be for an experienced bounty hunter and a Brighthawk Key. Just think of how badly the Brighthawks would want such a thing! They would burn the world to the ground for it." Jioh said as he hugged the key against himself in an exaggerated manner. The thought of what the Brighthawks would do for it made Vanemar suddenly thankful to have it out of his hands. "Well, here goes." He pushed the key into the vase and turned. Then gave it a moment before twisting again. Nothing happened. “Oh.” Jioh sighed and laid back in his chair. "I got too giddy. It’s a magic lock. Only a mage can open the thing." He turned to Vanemar. "We may have to wait for my apprentice Ama to arrive before we are able to open it.
"Will this Ama be here soon?" Vanemar asked with concern, mostly for himself.
"She is coming from the Brightened Lands, although we received a message of her departure quite a while ago. She may arrive now or later."
"Is she a Brightened herself?" Vanemar asked with interest. The Brightened were rarely seen in human territory unless for political, economical, or educational reasons. Seeing one for himself could be a one time event.
"Yes, she is. Came here to become an apprentice of a mage strangely enough. While I do know magic myself I spent the majority of my time studying alchemy. I would try to open it myself but I am refraining from doing so in fear of breaking something.”
“I’m short on time though, she better get here qui-”
Vanemar was interrupted by footsteps coming down the staircase. "Speaking of Ama." Jioh said as he turned to the new arrival.
"It seems she arrived just on time." Quing said as he escorted a young woman with pale green hair and thin blue scholarly robes down the steps.
The woman stared fiercely at Jioh as she reached the bottom of the staircase. "A bit impatient with your meetings aren’t you?" she said snarkily.
He gestured for her to calm down, “Sorry, but this couldn’t wait.” He held up the key for her to see. “See? Something big just showed up.”
Her eyes widened and she nearly lunged towards him. "Where did you get this!" her initial rudeness had been completely pacified.
“All thanks to my new associate sitting across from me.” He pointed to Vanemar. “There’s only one person besides him who could have had it.”
The woman stared at him blankly for a moment before finally backing away from the immediate source of danger. "Why did you bring him here?" She asked fearfully. "Why did you bring that murderer here?"
The new title cut cleanly through Vanemar like a knife. Crossing his arms, he looked away in shame as Jioh came to his defense. "Relax, do you really think I’d bring him down here if I thought he’d do something?" Jioh reassured her.
"And how exactly do you know that?" Ama questioned, unwilling to move closer.
"We have to come to terms with each other. As long as I pay he’ll help us retrieve whatever artifact is clued within this vase."
"Are you really stupid enough to think that man would go a day without crossing you?" Her tone became much harsher as her fear turned into anger.
"I think you are misunderstanding him." Jun interrupted calmly. "The man is a vigilante not a murderer. He kills those who believe they have the right to kill innocents." He said as if the man was a saint.
"Then why do they call him the Dukeslayer instead of the nice man who hurts bad people?" Ama said mockingly as she gained her composure. Vanemar was getting really tired of hearing that name.
"While it is true that his man is not of the gentlest sort.” Jun interjected. “Duke Kentra was of no better standing. You have heard of the great purge haven’t you?”
“I’ve heard of it but why do you bring it up now?”
"Because it was not only meant to remove criminals. The main purpose of the purge was to quell the growing Honean sect of the cult which the Duke feared would turn into a situation similar to that in Felinebar territory. So he killed many of us, too many,” the man frowned solemnly
Vanemar tried to recall what was happening in Felinebar. He had heard of it before but his knowledge of anything outside of Honea was equivalent to that of a child. All he could remember was of a war that was originally started by the cult.
Ama was silent now. Unwilling to continue the argument, she waited for Jioh to say something. "So Ama." the man said. "Think you can help us open this magic lock?"
“Fine,” she said hoarsely as she approached the table, moving in a wide arc around Vanemar as she did so. She lifted her arm towards the key that Jioh had shoved into the lock of the vase, her Magiglove being revealed under the large robes. She rubbed her other hand on the Sign Caster to get rid of the sign from her previous spell and drew a new one into it. Vamemar watched intently, magic that was done without the intent to kill was always a rare and intriguing sight. A random assortment of lines were etched into the signcaster, to him they appeared to be a chaotic mess of scribbles. Ama squeezed the metal handle below her glove and a green light began to illuminate the area around both the glove and the key. The group looked in interest as the key slowly began to turn, eventually coming to a halt with a click. In one rapid motion, the lid suddenly split in two to reveal the contents inside. Everyone at the table leaned up from their chairs to be the first to see its contents. There was a single scroll rolled up inside. A very underwhelming sight for Vanemar. He expected more than a single piece of parchment that barely filled a quarter of the thing. Jioh was the first to reach for it, handling it with the same caution as the key.
“In these hands lay the secrets a millennia old,” Jioh said, causing Vanemar to roll his eyes. The thought of this random assortment of Honeans having anything of such importance was preposterous. Jioh unrolled it on the table for all to see. It was a map kept in flawless condition. The land was nothing that Vanemar knew, with many mountains and dense forests. Text in the corner of the map was written in a language that he guessed was used before Honea existed. The cultists looked upon it in equal confusion.
"Hmm, I don’t think we’ll get much out of this without a translator." Jun stated as he sat back down.
"A cartographer could help as well but I know even less about where we could find one of those. Does headquarters have someone who can read Old Standard?" Jioh asked as he rolled up the scroll.
"No, not even Spidon knows any. I think our greatest chance would be to go to the Brighthawk Kingdom and find someone ourselves."
Jioh sighed. "Well I’ll do just about anything to translate this thing. I wonder what your boss will think of this?” He said to Jun with a frown.
“Spidon will most definitely decide to send Quis instead. Quis and whoever else he feels like sending.”
“Well that’ll do us no good.” He said as he rubbed his chin. “I don’t think I can go to him right now if it means I won’t be able to see what it leads to.” A mischievous expression formed on his face. “Perhaps he won’t mind if we find it ourselves?”
Jun sighed. “That’s… Not the best idea. Only bad things will come to us if we manage to lose it and he finds out. The rational choice is to go to him immediately.”
“But we have Raven with us.” Vanemar shrinked in his seat from the unexpected attention. “A man like him can double our chances at the least!”
“Ultimately it is your decision. Do as you wish but know I will report it to Spidon when I return to Raverna.”
“Yes yes I know.” Jioh said with a shrug. “What do you say to a little vacation in the Brighthawk Kingdom Raven?”
Vanemar nodded. "Aye, as long as it gets me out of this damn ci-" He was interrupted by a frantic Quing who nearly tripped down the steps as he came.
"Jioh!" The man yelled from his sweat covered face. "The High Mage! The High Mage is here for an inspection!" He was breathing heavily and began to scratch his arm.
“The High what?” Jioh yelled back in utter confusion.
"Here, for you Raven." Jun said with unusual calmness. Receiving a quick set of nods from Vanemar, he removed the sheathed arming sword at his belt and slid it across the table towards him. "Take that and follow me. I’ll lead you to another exit."
"You have the High Mage after you?" Ama said in surprise as the three men at the head of the table jumped out of their seats and ran up the stairs.
"I'll turn off the light." Ama said as she got on the table. "The rest of you, hide those artifacts!"
"Over here." Jun told Vanemar as they reached the top of the staircase. A window sat behind the horse’s stall. Jun unlocked it and stood in surprise as he watched Vanemar climb up to it on his own. "Get to a ship with the dark red hull and sails called the Wilted Rose. That’s ours.” Vanemar thanked him before jumping. On the opposite side, a pair of spears lied in wait like coiled snakes.