Prison Cliff Face Behind Leader Home. Scouts here. 60+ guards.

Annatta’s message had been terse. There wasn’t much room for writing on the belly of the little clay deer, but every square inch of it was occupied.

Jasper whistled in surprise as he read the number. “Sixty or more guards? There's what - three or four hundred people in the village? How can it possibly have that many guards?”

“They shouldn't.” For once, Nēs̆u agreed with him. “A village of this size could not normally support that many guards. Either the village has some sort of outside patron or there is something we are missing.” His gaze darted to the giant preserved dorēsah that was suspended high above the village and a thoughtful expression crossed his face. “I wonder…” he murmured.

“Any ideas?” Jasper asked him.

The warrior hesitated, then shook his head. “Probably nothing,” he admitted. “When I first joined the Imperial Guard, I was stationed in a barracks on the far side of those mountains, in the province of Agāmin. A few of the mountain Djinn live there too, and I remember hearing a story from one of the old-timers at the camp about a village they’d raided.”

“It was supposed to be a simple rescue mission. The S̆addu'â had kidnapped a handful of women from one of the villages near the barracks, and the Guard was sent to get them back. They’d run similar missions a half-dozen times, but this time was different.”

“My sergeant claimed that when they reached the S̆addu’â village, everything seemed pretty normal until they got to the prison. It was buried deep into the side of a mountain and filled with way more guards than made any sense for the size of the village. But this was a troop of Imperial Guards, the best of the best, so they weren't worried. Despite being heavily outnumbered, they cut down the mountain Djinn like so much chaff, right up to the moment that something…else appeared.”

Nēs̆u paused, and his eyes met Jasper’s. “Now keep in mind, this old sergeant of mine was a man who loved to tell tall tales. I don’t think he was even capable of telling a story without exaggerating at least a few of the details. But when he told this story, there was always something different about it. He didn’t tell it often, and when he did, I could swear there was still the shadow of fear in his eyes.”

“He claimed that what came out to meet them was a being of living stone. It wasn’t like a golem – big, dumb, strong but kind of clumsy. No, this creature was shaped just like a man or Djinn, but instead of flesh and bone, its body was formed of pure white stone. Little drops of blood continually wept from its eyes and it wielded the stone around it effortlessly.”

“The stone statue decimated his crew. The ground dropped from beneath them, boulders were flung at them - within seconds half the guards were dead. The ones that survived, however, quickly adapted. The being's attacks were powerful, but limited in variety, and the empire had equipped them with a wealth of charms to counteract magical attacks.” Nēs̆u grimaced. "This was back when they could actually afford that crap."

“Anyways, the sergeant said he could never remember how long the battle went, just the frantic frenzy, the certainty that they were all going to die - but somehow, they won. The creature seemed to eventually run out of juice, and they were able to smash it to smithereens, but it wasn't much of a victory. Less than a third of the troop returned to the barracks that night.”

Nēs̆u concluded his story with a shrug. “It’s probably nothing. What you said about the guards just reminded me of the story.”

Ihra leaned forward on her haunches, her blonde hair spilling into her eyes. “Did the sergeant ever say why there were so many guards?”

The warrior frowned. “Not that I recall. Although, he did say something else unusual happened. After the battle, the remaining men were so badly beaten up, they were afraid the villagers might just take the chance to finish them off – the S̆addu’â weren't any bigger fans of the Empire than their fellow Djinn – but the opposite happened. The villagers almost seemed happy to see them – they fed ‘em, bandaged ‘em, and sent them on their way without any attempt to harm them.”

“Interesting.” Jasper cocked his head to the side. “Maybe this stone creature was something they were afraid of too.”

Nēs̆u shrugged. “Maybe.”

Tsia yawned and stretched her arms out as wide as she could. “Or maybe the old man was just pulling your leg. If you're done telling campfire stories, let's go rescue Annatta and the scouts.” She grinned, "And who knows, maybe if we're lucky will run into that thing."

Nēs̆u frowned at his charge. “The Imperial Guard are highly trained warriors and that monster nearly killed them all.”

She shrugged. “Did they have any mages?”

He scowled, but his silence was as good of a response as any, and she smiled smugly.

Clearing his throat, Jasper stepped in. “Well, it’s something to keep in mind.” He shot a reproving glance at Tsia. “A stone elemental isn't exactly a good matchup for either of us, so I certainly hope we don't encounter it. But it's not like we have much of a choice; we need to retrieve Annatta and the scouts, so let's just get going.”

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They packed up quickly and headed out. Unfortunately, the group was forced to leave their mounts behind. As much as Jasper wanted to take Dapplegrim with him, he knew there was no way the monstrously large horse would be able to fit through the cramped halls of the prison. Plus, stealth seemed the way to go, at least in the beginning. Better to thin the herd than fight sixty at once.

Thus, a few minutes later found the four wading through the meadows that led toward the village. The grass swelled around them, tall enough to reach Jasper’s chest though, thankfully, it was far less sharp than the blue-green grass he’d encountered on the dusty plains to the south. The village was as sleepy as ever. The outer wall was patrolled by just two guards whom they had no problem sneaking past, and then it was simply a matter of scurrying down the dark and winding streets.

They had no difficulties finding the place. They snuck past the leader's home, past the abandoned and partially burnt-out neighborhood, and arrived at the steep cliff face that soared above the village. The suspended body of the dorēsah stretched its wings above them, plunging the streets in a darkness far thicker than normal, and Jasper once again marveled at its sheer size. The thing’s a goddamned dinosaur.

The prison was somewhat less impressive. It was clear that the building had once been a place of great wealth, but its best days were long behind it. And unfortunately for them, the lax guard Annatta had encountered had been greatly bolstered.

Ten guards stood in front of the doors. Unlike the sleepy patrollers they had slipped past on the village outskirts, these Djinn stood tall and wary, with their backs to the prison entrance as they scanned all avenues of approach. The usual breastplate and helmets they wore had been supplemented by a mishmash of unmatched pieces, with particular attention given to protecting the neck. Unfortunately, a row of small bonfires had also been arranged in a semicircle around them; their light pushed the night away and prevented all hopes of sneaking up on them.

Well, crumb. Jasper bit down discontentedly on his lower lip as he surveyed the scene before them. His dreams of a stealthy entrance had gone up in smoke. I have my Eternal Darkness spell, but… He dismissed it as an option. The spell shrouded them in the cover of darkness – perfect if you’re in darkness, but thanks to the guards’ bonfires, they’d stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe I can…

Scooting next to him, Tsia nudged him on the shoulder. “How quickly can you cast that binding spell of yours,” she whispered.

“Fiery Shackles? Pretty quick, I guess. I usually try to follow it up with another spell as quickly as possible, so I’ve gotten pretty good at casting it.”

“Do you think you could catch all ten of the guards in 2-3 seconds?”

He pondered the question a second, then nodded. “Probably.”

“Good. Wait for my signal.” Turning on her heels, she disappeared back into the brush.

Jasper stifled a sigh. You could have told me your plan first. But he turned his gaze back to the guards and waited.

It took a few minutes till Tsia reappeared, and if he hadn’t been expecting her, Jasper was sure he would have missed her – certainly the guards did.

A black speck rose in the sky above them. Her movement was slow and jerky – Tsia’s flying was about as graceful as the Flying Nun – but she eventually maneuvered into position above and slightly behind the guards. They never looked up, not even as she slowly dropped down into the small space between them and the door.

With a grin, she waved her hand at Jasper.

He began to summon the spell in both hands. A few moments later, burning shackles rose from the ground and bound themselves around the feet of six of the guards. Shouts and cries of alarm were raised, and the other four ran to help their imprisoned brethren, only to be stopped a second later as a second row of shackles emerged. Your turn now.

Jasper watched, curious to see what Tsia would do. He expected her to summon her wind blades, but instead a whirlwind suddenly roared to life around her. A protective spell? The spell stabilized in a circle that extended about five feet away from her in all directions. Then, as suddenly as it had sprung to life, it began to expand.

The Djinn, preoccupied with trying to pull themselves free of the shackles, noticed the shell only when it made contact with the first guard. A hideous, metallic shriek filled the air as the whirlwind fought with the armor and then, shearing it off, cut deep into the Djinn’s flesh. He was eviscerated as the whirlwind pushed past him, and continued expanding toward his fellow guards. Their efforts to free themselves grew more frenzied, but it was useless.

In a matter of seconds, the guards had been disposed of – but it was entirely lacking the silence and subtlety Jasper had been hoping for. As Tsia dropped her shield, lights were already flickering to life throughout the village behind them - the villagers awakened by the terrified screams of the men.

“Come on,” she shouted, waving them forward. “Let’s go.” Abandoning all attempts at subtlety, the three bolted from cover and raced for the gates.

The doors were unlocked - apparently, the villagers had deemed the guards sufficient protection - and they charged inside. A large forum greeted them. A number of doors were imbedded in the walls, leading to unknown destinations, but Jasper swerved immediately to his left, where a sweeping staircase spiraled up to the second floor.

His foot had barely reached the top floor when fresh guards appeared, drawn by the ruckus outside. He released the spells he had been holding, and shackles sprung up to bind them. Drawing the sword at his waist, he leapt at the nearest, swinging his blade toward the Djinn’s neck – these guards didn’t have gorgets. Guess there weren’t enough for all of them.

His sword was wrenched to the side as the guard parried his sword, and Jasper fired off another spell – one he hadn’t used in a while. Purge. Hope these S̆addu’â are as wicked as everyone claims.

Shoving Jasper’s blade aside, the guard swung his own weapon at Jasper’s chest, only to drop the blade, and begin grasping at his neck, his eyes bulging wide with pain and fear. Jasper snatched his sword back off the ground and turned to the next guard, but his head was already missing, cleaved through by one of Tsia’s wind blades.

Nēs̆u finished off the last of them with a thrust of his sword, and their mad dash resumed. A balustrade at the top of the stairs offered views of the forum below, but they wasted no time on sightseeing. Racing to the end of the hall, the group was met with a choice. Two passages branched off, barred by sets of closed double doors; one continued in the same direction as the hall while the other led deeper into the heart of the prison.

“Any idea which way to go?”

“Vāya says to go straight,” Nēs̆u barked, shoving him forward. Trusting the warrior’s strange connections to his deity, Jasper slammed the doors wide open.