-1-
image [https://i.imgur.com/LoYByv0.png]
Flames illuminated the night sky above Axio. Fire engulfed the city around me. Thick clouds of smoke clung to the city walls.
The smell of charred flesh stung my nose.
Soaring towers of stone crumbled under pressure as their roofs caved in.
The sounds of steel clashing and the crackle of magick rang in my ears…
"Heads."
A dry voice hurtled me from my thoughts.
I was no longer in the streets of Axio. Rather, I was in a room above a tavern in the outskirts of patrolled territory, called the Commonlands. More precisely, I was slumped over in the sill of a small window, lost in thought, as the sun drifted towards the horizon. It had been quiet in the room for hours while I stared out past the hills and trees. The last rays of light glinted in the distance.
I turned around to respond to my companion, but all I could see was a darkened room.
Celestials above, it's pitch black in here!
I allowed my eyes to adjust enough to avoid fumbling around entirely, and found the table that was centered in the room.
I sparked a piece of flint against a steel striker over a pair of candles and shadows danced around the room in the soft glow.
"Ahh, that’s better." I sighed, "Julius, you haven't said a word to me all day and the first thing you want to do is bet on a coin toss?"
I shook my head.
"You can't possibly know that it's heads anyway."
"It's always heads."
Julius sat down at the table and looked at me expectantly. I grabbed my pack and dug out a small map and laid it out across the table, gently moving the candles to avoid spilling any wax. Julius kicked out the chair opposite of him, and I sat down.
"Well, it wasn't heads last time."
"Last time…" His turn to sigh, "Airis, the last time you flung that coin in the air, the day ended with Republic soldiers chasing us through the streets of Axio. So it doesn’t count."
"Yeah, I suppose. Oh!-there was that time at the bakery—and the time at the docks! It's been tails a bunch of times ya’ know."
Arms crossed, he leaned back in his chair, "It's definitely heads this time." The candlelight flickered and his face faded into the shadows on the wall. I sat in silence for awhile, looking over the map.
"I haven't even decided if I'm flipping the coin this time."
He lunged forward and pointed a finger at my face, "We both know that’s a load of shit. I’ve watched you rolling that coin through your fingers for the last hour."
I smacked his hand away from my face and gave him a soured look.
"Paaffh!" he let out a huff and sat back in the shadows, "I know you're flipping the coin, and you know it too. I called heads."
I let the coin slide back into my palm. He was right.
The idea of letting a coin toss make a decision was the embodiment of Fate to me.
Would fate side with my second-in-command or myself?
With that thought, I sent the coin spiraling into the air with a flick of my thumb. Candlelight sparkled off the polished faces.
A moment later and the flash of gold landed on the back of my hand, quickly covered from view by my other hand.
Slowly I lifted my palm up to peek at the outcome. On my hand sat the ornate engraving of a phoenix. My eyes drifted from the coin to Julius.
His head hung down, letting out a sigh of defeat.
"Where are we going?"
He knew it wasn't heads.
"…"
I have got to work on my bluffing skills.
I hovered over the crudely drawn map. Tapping the coin against the table in my right hand, I fidgeted with the creases of the parchment with my left. My eyes darted across the rivers and mountains spanning the southern coast of Axio’s domain. I had decided our next move yesterday, but I hadn’t quite built up the confidence to tell Julius my plan.
"So… where in the Aether are we going?" He asked again, agitation in his voice.
"Tolin."
"Hah! Suicide."
"And why is it suicide?"
"There is nothing in Tolin. Maybe rebels, monsters—Oh, and bandits hiding in the mountains! This tavern is practically as far south as the Republic's guards patrol."
"We are rebels, Julius."
"I’m not a rebel."
"We were tried, and convicted."
"Bah! Guilty of…" he trailed off, "…uh, Celestials above, how did that condescending magistrate put it?"
"I believe his words were," I cleared my throat, and with a pompous accent continued, "Charged with conspiracy to commit treason against the Triumvirate Republics and their citizens."
"Yeah, that was it. Sounds just like him. Anyway, being guilty of ‘treason’ doesn't make us rebels. It makes us fugitives."
Hard to argue with that logic. The subtle difference didn’t change the situation we were in.
Julius stood and walked over to the window. The rhythmic thumping of him tapping his thumb against the sill interrupted the brief silence. He wasn’t one to fidget idly with his hands.
Was he nervous?
Celestials above, I knew I was… I wanted to break the tension but didn’t know what the right thing was to say.
"Well, it’s not suicide if we had an army with us."
"And what army are we? Some noblewoman and her bodyguard?"
"I’m more than some noblewoman. And you’re more than just a bodyguard—though you do make a good one." I snickered. "And for ‘what army’, the Fourth Division has a supply regiment stationed at a checkpoint five miles south of us, before the mountain pass."
Without any orders coming from Axio, that convoy should still be posted at the checkpoint. I was betting on them still being there.
"…"
Julius didn’t have a snarky response for that. He continued staring out the window, likely mulling over the idea of a rendezvous with the scattered Divisional Army. Ten minutes had passed before he finally asked another question.
"Why Tolin?"
I took a moment to think over a proper response to his question. It wasn’t much anymore, but many years ago Tolin was one of the most profitable trading ports in the Empire.
It was a fortress city built on a peninsula along the coast of the Southern Plains. Positioned so that the only way to get to it from Axio was either by sea, or through a precarious mountain pass.
"Airis," Julius snapped me from my thoughts once again. He was looking at me with a frown. "Hey! What is in Tolin?"
"Well, nothing I suppose. But, the plan is anyway, I'm going to take the regiment stationed at the pass and we’ll march our way to Tolin, storm the city gates, and reclaim the city as our own."
I stood there in a heroic pose. My left hand rested on the back of the chair, my right was high in the air holding an invisible sword. A big smile stretched across my face.
"Oh, okay. That’s all then. We take command of an outpost of divisionals and march them through some dangerous mountains. Then storm a city filled with horrors even the Celestials themselves don’t want to deal with. All to lay claim to the largest port the Empire ever created?"
Julius was trying to hide the biggest smile I’ve seen on his face in days.
"It’s the craziest plan I’ve ever heard. When are we leaving?”
My focus was back to the map. I traced my fingers across a river-way that defined the border of the Commonlands to the Southern Plains. I needed to remember where the route south branched out. I wanted to spend the night planning out our route and inspecting our gear. This tavern would be the last hospitable stop for the next few days. Without looking up I responded to him.
"Early morning. Tomorrow."
"Sounds like a plan then. Good, because this place was starting to feel a little too… comfortable."
His more than dramatic pause before, and emphasis on, the word ‘comfortable’ garnered my attention. I stopped obsessing over my map.
This was his way of insinuating something.
"Uh-huh, we’ve only been here two days—my back is already starting to act up. How are you ‘too comfortable’?"
He sat in silence, knowing that I had caught him in the act.
"The innkeeper is too… nice. And… uh, the servers at the bar keep trying to get me drunk."
I stared at him dumbfounded. He got me. I fell right into his trap. By the Celestials above, there was no way I could breeze past that statement.
"The innkeeper is too nice!? And that is what bar staff are supposed to do." I shook my head and sighed. I pointed at him, "And, that doesn’t answer my question. I know what you’re doing. Stop deflecting."
He crossed his arms, "I wasn’t going to say anything but—the idea of staying in the same place for any longer seemed like poor judgment. You’ve been holed up in this room the entire time we’ve been here!"
"Ohhhh, I was getting too comfortable you meant."
"You didn’t seem like you had a plan to leave any time soon, is all."
I was enjoying the time to rest.
I wasn’t about to lie to myself or Julius and pretend otherwise. We had been traveling at breakneck speed for over a week straight. But I was also planning. I didn’t have time to leave the room.
That, and I didn’t want to deal with any nosey people.
"Well, we’re leaving tomorrow. So, no need to worry."
Julius turned back to stare out the window. The game was over. I wasn’t sure if I won or not, but it mattered little in the grand scheme of his torments.
ATTRIBUTES
CLASS SPECIALIZATION: Paladin
STRENGTH
24
VITALITY
18
TOUGHNESS
5
ENDURANCE
5
FORTITUDE
23
STAMINA
17
COURAGE
44
RESOLVE
34
AGILITY
5
DEXTERITY
26
SWIFTNESS
5 -1
CLEVERNESS
32
PERCEPTION
5
FINESSE
5
REFLEX
5
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
INGENUITY
41
AETHER
19
INTELLIGENCE
33 +5
WISDOM
21
SANITY
5
GRIMOIRE
MAGICKAL SPECIALIZATION: Divine Light
SPELL
SCHOOL
CLASS
DESCRIPTION
HEAL (MAJOR)
Holy
Action
Heals a major wound. Requires touch range
HEAL (MINOR)
Holy
Action
Heals a minor wound. Requires touch range
AURA OF LIGHT
Holy
Combat
Increases the effectiveness of healing magicks.
BRILLIANCE (MINOR)
Arcane
Action
Increases the power of spells and their chance to critical cast.
HOLY BOLT
Holy
Action
Inflicts minor damage. Inflicts moderate damage to Undead and Demons.
OVERSIGHT
Arcane
Passive
Allows the caster to visualize party members and targets battle statistics.
EQUIPMENT
ITEM
ATTRIBUTES
DESCRIPTION
WORN LEATHER CHEST-PIECE
+12 Armor
-1 Swiftness
A chest-guard with shoulder protectors made of stiff leather.
YEW STAFF
10-12 Damage
+5 Intelligence
A grooved wooden staff, with a small crystal for focusing spells
RUGGED LEATHER BOOTS
+5 Armor
A sturdy pair of leather boots.
LINEN HAND-WRAPS
+1 Armor
Strips of linen from a sheet torn and fastened into hand wraps.
WORN DENIM TROUSERS
+2 Armor
Cotton-woven pants. Fashionable and practical.
LINEN BLOUSE
-
A simple linen blouse.
STEEL DAGGER
25-36 Damage
A thick steel bladed dagger with a leather grip.
SIMPLE LEATHER BELT
-
A thin leather belt with a worn bronze buckle.
CELESTIAL SYMBOL
Relic
A holy symbol depicting an angelic image of the Celestial, Capricorn.
VANIXIAN COIN
Relic
A well-worn coin engraved with a Phoenix and the Vanixian Imperial Coat-of-Arms.
With a double-tap of the runic symbol with my finger the projection faded and the mists dissipated.
Looking up, I glanced over to where Julius had been, but he had moved. He was now tipped back in a chair against the wall next to the window. His face was obscured by his own rune’s mist projection.
An exasperated sigh overcame me.
I needed to give some serious thought about what we’re going to do once we’ve reached the outpost. I should be able to take command well enough.
Julius’ face may not be recognized as easily, but I was the daughter of the Regent Lord—and a decorated Commander to boot! Any officer at that post should be able to vouch for us.
The trouble was getting to that officer. That is going to be the hard part. It was likely that they've received news of the coup in Axio. Maybe even some of the survivors made it there already.
It would be our luck that some nerve racked Initiate keeping watch sees us and decides asking questions aren't on the table. We're probably going to have a really bad time.
"Ugh!" I cried out to nobody in particular.
Urrrggrll.
My stomach growled, shattering my thoughts of frustration. By the Celestials, I haven’t eaten almost all day. I got up to head out of our room, but stopped and looked over at Julius. He was passed out in his chair, mist projection still active.
That was fast. Well, I don’t want to wake him up. I’ll grab something simple from the kitchen on my way back for him.
I left the room and headed down the hall to the staircase, stopping to listen before heading down. All quiet. It must be close to midnight. There would hopefully be nobody down in the tavern and I could get some food in peace.
I walked down the stairs. My hand trailed across the banisters, making a soft ‘thump, thump, thump’ as I descended.
As I rounded a corner into the hall, a short haired woman emerged from a doorway. She was carrying a platter piled with dirty dishes and glassware.
Her sudden appearance surprised me. My heart skipped and I clutched my chest as I jumped backwards out of her way.
Her head whipped to me and her eyes flashed with surprise.
"Oh—Miss, you startled me!" The soft clank of glass hitting against glass rang down the halls as she steadied herself. "If you’re looking for the tavern it is just through here," she indicated behind her with a nod, "I’ll be back in a minute to get you settled in. Feel free to sit anywhere!"
"U-uhm… thank you." I let her pass by and headed into the tavern.
The main bar hall of the tavern was spacious and open, with exposed rafters. The bar top was positioned near the center of the room. A short flight of stairs to the right of the bar led up to a single large table. Four smaller tables were lined along the wall from there to the end of the room.
Behind the bar was a tall, slender man. Golden curls cascaded down his narrow face. Long, sharp ears broke through the curls.
He’s an elf!
There were very few elves in Axio, and even fewer in the small remote towns in the outskirts of the Commonlands. Seeing an elf here was a rare sight.
Next to him along the bar top slept a curled up cat with striking brown and black markings.
In the middle of the room was a somber group that looked like they were fairly well armed, maybe mercenaries. They had two tables pushed together and were drinking quietly. I made a mental note to avoid them at all costs. And along the back wall, at one of the smaller tables, was a cowled figure, picking at a plate of food.
I took a seat on a stool at the bar next to the cat. Its ears perked up as I took my seat. One eye slowly crept open to see who had caused the disturbance. The expression wasn’t quite one of annoyance… maybe apathy would be the best description.
The bartender looked over to me with a glass in his hands.
"That's Meko, he's good company. I’ll let you in on a secret, if you want to get on his good side. Scratch his ears a bit. He loves it." he shook the glass and gave me a 'what will you have' look.
"Ease me in, barkeep. Uh, nothing too strong, I haven't eaten all day."
He thought for a moment and filled the glass from a large keg on the back wall.
"Here, give this one a try."
The glass was warm. I thought about declining the drink. But I couldn’t be so picky this far out from Axio. There wouldn’t be any ice chilled glasses and cold brews this far from civilization.
He gave me a simple wave as he stepped away, "I'm Nyle, by the way. Just holler if you need anything else. Amelia should be back any minute and can take your food order."
"Thanks, Nyle."
I sipped the drink and was surprised that even though it was warm, it was incredible. The flavor, mainly a sweet fruity one, had a sharp tartness to it. Blackberries and apples.
"Delicious." I let out a content sigh.
Meko, now eyes fully open, stared at me expectantly. I gave his ears a little scratch. He purred and leaned his head into my hand.
"Good kitty."
The tavern door opened, and in bounced the woman from the hall. She glanced over at the mercenary table but came straight to me.
"Hello again! I'm Amelia. My shift just started so you'll be stuck with me all night!" she said with a laugh.
Whoa. That's a lot of energy for midnight, lady.
She continued, "Are you hungry? I can get something put together for you from the kitchen." she glanced down to my drink and before I even had a chance to answer, "Oh! I know just the thing to go with that, I'll be right back."
She took off towards the kitchen.
I don't even know what I want… So I guess this is fine?
I continued scratching Meko absentmindedly and turned my attention to the mercenary-like group. It was odd for a party this big to be this far from the city. Anyone out here either had a disdain for people, or they had some sort of agenda.
I hope they weren't here for Julius and I.
Taking an opportunity to eavesdrop on their conversation, I sipped at my sweet and tart drink and tried to focus on what they were saying. I could only make out partial sentences.
"…Big group… divisionals…"
"…Red uniforms… some little woman leading them…"
"…Think they might hire us?"
"…Doubtful they… with people like us…"
Red uniformed divisionals!?
It sounded like more of us did make it out of Axio. I pondered at who they were referring to leading them. If it was who I thought it was, this whole ‘suicide mission’ wouldn’t actually be suicide.
The conversation trailed off and the words became less interesting. They were likely members of one of Axio’s Adventurer’s Guilds and were out here looking for work. I relaxed and focused back to something much more important…
I doubled my efforts scratching Meko, to the reward of deep content purring.
Amelia returned with a plate, steam billowed up. Glistening brisket covered in sauce was laid between two braided wheat buns. Cheese dripped down the edges, mixing around the sandwich in a pool of juice. She placed the plate down in front of me and waved her arms, presenting me with my glorious feast.
"Your dinner, miss. I hope you like it."
"This looks and smells amazing!"
I took a bite and my taste buds exploded as the sandwich practically melted in my mouth.
"Celestials above, this is the best thing I've had since—in a while." I caught myself.
"Glad you like it, miss… what was your name? I don't think I caught it earlier"
I froze in a slight panic, but only for a moment. Nobody out here is going to be big into Axio city politics. And even then, unless they have a military background they wouldn’t know who I am… Nonetheless I needed to be careful.
"O-oh. Uhm..." I stammered, "My name’s Airis."
Great job. Super inconspicuous. You’re doing wonderful at being careful, Airis. That awkward pause wasn’t long at all.
Amelia squinted at me. A seriousness took form on her face and she leaned in close. In a hushed voice that could barely be considered a whisper, she spoke into my ear.
"Like, the Airis? Airis Vanixi?"
I was absolutely wrong. You’re doing terrible at being careful, Airis. Time to panic!
My nerves plummeted. The hairs on the back of my neck raised as a natural fight-or-flight emotion rushed through my body.
What the heck does she mean by ‘the Airis’? Like I’m some sort of wanted criminal out here!
I could run upstairs and force Julius awake. We’d flee in the middle of the night like the fugitives we were. Or I could try to keep calm and hope for the best—No, there was no way I could play it off and pretend that I wasn’t the person she insinuated.
She connected my name to my family’s house instantly. There was no way she doesn’t know who I am.
Amelia must have seen the panic spread across my face like wildfire because her reaction was quick. In the time I fumbled to come up with a plan of escape she gripped my forearms and started reassuring me,
"No-no-no it's okay!" She pulled a stool out beside me, "Your secret is safe with me."
More hushed words. But there was a sincerity in her voice that pulled at me to trust her.
She continued in a whisper, "It was about six days ago. A giant army came through here and set up camp on the village border. A small group came in here for rooms, probably officers or other fancy titles. The one in charge was a joyful lady, full of smiles and laughs. She was on the shorter side and I think she said her name was Hailey. They had a few drinks here, naturally I asked them what they were doing out here…" she sighed deeply.
My nerves had settled during her brief pause and I took another bite of my sandwich. The juicy meat had soaked the bread and some sauce dripped down the corner of my mouth. I grasped around frantically for a napkin but there was no hope for me. Thankfully, Amelia handed me a cloth from her waist and I wiped my messiness away.
With my dramatic antics resolved, Amelia continued on, "They told me about the coup in Axio. That the Renault and Maarin forces had attacked and the Vanixian government was in shambles."
She gave me a soft look accompanied with a smile. Her voice no longer hushed, she kept on, "They said that there was a commander, named Airis Vanixi, who gave the order for the rest of them to retreat. Is that true? That you stayed behind to give people a chance to escape?"
I had to take a moment to absorb the whole story. While it was true that I had stayed behind after giving orders to flee the city. It wasn’t just me. A small group of us, including Julius, stayed behind. Though it wasn’t nearly as heroic as Amelia’s story made it out to be. It wasn’t like we were making some grand last stand, screaming into the night that we’d never surrender. Instead we gave up with no resistance. I knew that if they had captured me, interest in those retreating would vanish.
Hailey Brooks, Commander of the Third Divisionals. She made it out of Axio, and managed to get a 'giant army' this far south. As far as bad plans go, ours seemed to work out.
Lost in thought, my glance drifted over to Amelia, who was looking at me expectantly. I nodded my head, "Yeah, it was. But, it wasn't just me that stayed behind. I was captured—but escaped during a second attack. The Maarin Republic launched an attack on the Renaultians that same night…"
Amelia turned to the bar and called out, "Hey Nyle, can we get a few more of these Tartapple ciders?"
A silent nod and a moment later two new glasses of the sweet and tart drink I had been served earlier were set down in front of us.
For the next hour Amelia told me everything she had heard from Axio. Information from other refugees or passing travelers.
Eventually my eyes started to become heavy. Amelia must have been able to tell that I was tired. She stood from her place at the bar and started to clear the glassware.
"I'll let you get some sleep. I should probably clean up these other tables."
Meko had curled up in my lap. I gave him a final scratch and he leapt up to his perch on the counter.
I tried to stifle a yawn but failed and was overtaken with intense exhaustion, "I do need to get to bed. I've got an early morning coming. Hey, could you grab me something simple from the kitchen? I have a friend upstairs who hasn't eaten either, but I didn't want to wake him."
"Of course!" She ran back to the kitchen and in a flash was back with a cloth wrapped bundle. "Stop by in the morning and you can settle up your bill."
I opened the door to my room slowly to avoid making any noise. Julius was sound asleep in the chair where I left him. The bundle from Amelia found a home on the table. And I found a home on the edge of my bed.
I tied my hair up with a strip of linen, and laid my head down on a soft feathered pillow. I fidgeted my feet around and managed to kick both of my boots off. I glanced over at Julius once more, to confirm he was sleeping, and peeled off my shirt and pants. I wrapped myself in the sheets of the bed and let my mind drift into the Aether…