-From Aphorisms: 16:15-16
The undercity was dim, but not dark, and it wasn’t just Delre’s Dvundae eyes either. Something about the space, perhaps the lingering magic below, softly lit everything. Her steps kicked up dust that almost shimmered in the air, a faint whiff of old aethereal workings rising with it.
“Probably shouldn’t be breathing this shit.” She grumbled, trundling down the stairs, taking a slow pull on her cigar as she lifted her head away from the dust.
Here and there were even brighter spots in the gloom. Flickering sparking things, bright flairs of green tinged light that dripped down and bounced once off the ground before going out.
Old aetherlamps, ones in need of repair, unlike the pristine ones up on the surface. Between the upheaval of the damn Emperor and the forty years of neglect, Del was honestly surprised they still worked at all. And even if it had been dark, she could have dealt with that.
Old buildings squatted in the gloom, remnants of what the city used to be. Some were toppled, just a scattering of masonry, wood, and ceramic rooftiles. Others were intact, even with wispy almost degraded laundry fluttering in the odd breezes that moved through the space. Homes with beds made. Children’s toys still scattered across their floors.
The gang hadn’t planned to stay down here for long, only a couple years. Long enough to build up a tidy sum of coin, buy supplies and materials, and then just leave the city, find somewhere new.
Not forever… but long enough to give all the kids a better life. She knew for a fact that Rose would come back eventually. Vengeance was a motivation Del could understand more than most. It was why she had planned to return too.
She spat to the side. Now we’re dealing with Gods damned cultists.
Time was of the essence.
Del hopped down onto a smithy’s roof, landing on the cracked tiles heavily to skip the rest of the roughhewn stairs, which continued on for more than half a mile out of her way. She landed with a solid thump, the iron beams holding up the roof of the smithy groaning and reverberating under her.
It was the smithy she had found the old aethercoals in, and all of the smithing supplies she used to fashion tools and such for the Delmarva’s. The chisels for carving runes, the anvil, the punch, all of it.
“That’s probably what those bookkeepers are after.” Del muttered. Aethercoals were rare and expensive. The previous owner had definitely been the very last of a long family line for them to have been left down here, unrecovered.
She charged towards the side of the roof where she had a ladder hidden from view, propped up against the far wall of the building. Cracked tiles grinding with each stride.
And they probably think that we have blacksteel down here too.
They didn’t. If they did that would have been what Del would have used to make her armor, despite the inability to set runes into the material. It was that durable.
That or just sell it. Tydrik, that could have gotten us out of this festering deathtrap ages ago.
As the dwarf made haste, she also listened, but all she heard were the usual sounds. Dripping water, the occasional falling stone, the chittering of some of the mutated rats that had started showing up everywhere. And her moving through.
Where are those fucking snake cultists? Sound traveled far down here, but there wasn’t any outside the usual entropic ones of the undercity.
She slid down the ladder, holding the sides and letting the wood slide along her rough hands. Landing with a thump, she turned and hurried through the plundered smithy and lifted up a loose section of slate.
There was a secret pocket under it, and that was where she stashed some supplies just in case this happened to her again. She was pretty sure it had once held the previous owner’s strongbox. She couldn’t help but think of the last time she had been rushing back. How it had all gone. How they all had died.
Not gonna be like last time. She thought with a sort of grim pride as she pulled out the chain shirt and gauntlets, her helmet too. She had plate in there, beautiful plate, and she had set in the runes herself. Delre reached for-
Her booted feet on stone, she whirled around. Feeling something through the bones of the earth.
Nothing but shadows waited for her. Her bright gray-blue eyes narrowed, and Del exhaled a plume of cigar smoke, watching how it moved in the air. It didn’t brush against anything invisible.
Water dripped off somewhere in the dark.
“Tydrik’s haft, I don’t have time for this.” She grumbled softly, deciding that she might as well put on the plate too.
The dwarf pulled the armor on as fast as she could, pulling out a round shield as well now that she wasn’t in sight of the guards.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t carry a proper shield, but in this part of the city, the guards would stop her, ask her why she needed war-gear. The Dwarf tightened down the pauldrons, still listening, still only hearing cave sounds. Buckles strained in her haste, but she made sure to tie, latch, and lock everything properly.
Geared up, finishing with greaves that covered the tops of her boots before she put on her gauntlets. She brushed a hand against the stone, sensing out with her skin through it. A gift from the Gods to her people.
Water dripped loudly off to the east.
All she could feel were the tiny feet of rodents and insects. Some rodent feet were too large, but none were man-sized.
Nothing… Just jumpy. Or it could just be her worry for her chosen clan.
Del stood and dashed off, relying on the hobnails of her boots for traction on the shattered uneven streets, her shield on her back, her ax in the integrated metal hook of her steel belt.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
She jangled only slightly as she charged over to help her friends, unaware of the man in black following her from within the shadows. Vaulting over a pile of rubble, she ignored the tiny bones that had been there for almost forty years. Smoke drifting from her like steam from a kettle.
Should have made that halberd. She regretted putting it off. But they had still been settling in, and the idea up above was to not draw attention to themselves. It was in the past. She would just have to deal with it.
Tydrik, may this toss be in my favor.
**********
Vivex leapt through the air and grabbed a vine, swinging away and launching herself higher as the massive club smashed down. Trees shattered, splinters buzzing through the air. Below, the smoothskin troops staggered from the concussive force of the strike.
The head of the monstrosity turned slightly, eyes unfocused, not quite looking at her.
“Tracking target now.” It rumbled.
She could hear the air whistling in through its nosehole.
Must be using scent to track me!
“All of the rest of you get out of the way and scour for the leatherbacks!” The mage snarled, arms spreading in a wide gesture. The symbols on its hide distracting as he gathered more of the aether in the containers.
Kill the apex. Instinctively she knew that the whole invasion would fall apart if she could dispatch that mage.
How though? Her forebrain wondered. He still had that barrier up, she could see it shimmering now.
The runeslave roared, swinging the club laterally and smashing the tops off of several trees behind her. She dove into a hollow as huge pieces of debris fell all around her. She could see the titanic being still sniffing the air, blackened craggy lips pursing on each inhale.
No, I need to get the moss.
Her Instinct grunted.
Landing on a wide branch she circled away, hoping to lead the colossal beast deeper into the forest, to slow it down and come back via another route. She tore up some moss and started to scrub herself-
SMASH!
Vivex jumped, nearly dropping the moss as the club tore through everything right behind her, swaying the tree. She quickly leapt to the next, going around the trunk to hide from the thing’s sight and sharply turning in a different direction, still scrubbing franticly.
“Target is tearing up plants. Confusion. Leatherbacks eat meat. Is this not the target?” The towering thing rumbled, slowing down and pausing, words lilting up in pitch at the end for some reason.
A question? The warrior tried to dredge what little knowledge she had left of the smoothskin language back out of her memory. She recognized the word for meat, but she hadn’t expected the lessons to be this important.
“Idiot! They eat meat and plants, kill it! Kill them all!”
But Vivex was already back on the ground, scrubbed thoroughly and using some ruins as cover, having found some with runes on the stones.
Held Tok, should do for this runeslave.
She peered through what looked like an intentional opening in the old structure, glaring at the mage.
Kill apex! Now!
Could give it a try. She had her bow still.
She waited for the runeslave to stomp past, the ground quaking, before she got it out. Vivex took one of the arrows from her stolen quiver, looking at the earthbone tip, quickly smearing it with mud to hide the shine. Knocking it right after.
Just like Bow-... Like Zavaess!
Lean forward, pull back.
Vivex did just that, engaging her back muscles, straining against the surprising weight of the bow. She tried to aim for the center of mass of the smoothskin apex, not trusting herself with something fancy like a headshot.
Twang! Zip-Clack!
It hit the dome around the mage, but it bounced off, shaft splintering as it did. The dome flashed then glowed at the curve closest to her direction. The mage lifted his hand, the reek of ozone thick in the air, the shimmering haze of the aether visible.
His thumb, second, and third fingers curled shut, the first and fourth extended, a sparking sphere of energy forming out of the wobbling air there as the shield lowered.
Shit!
Crack!
She dove back behind the ruins as a lance of lighting burst from between his fingers, quickly moving to a different position, blending with all her strength.
“Over there! Get them! Now!” He shouted, lifting his other hand, the bubble once more dissipating for a moment. He was still aiming at where she had been.
Fool.
Vivex pulled out another arrow and drew fletching to muzzle even as another lance of lightning shot out from the mage. Not able to coat the tip of that one, she loosed, hoping the new angle would be enough of a surprise.
Twang!
But the mage cut the spell short with a wave of his free hand. The bubble slammed shut over him again, just in time to save his pitiful life. He had either heard her bow or saw the shine of the arrow tip.
Vivex snarled in crimson fury even as her body chilled slightly.
Danger!
Her Instinct shoved her backwards, filling her legs just in the nick of time.
BOOM!
Soil rained around her as the club smashed right where she had been, knocking her to the ground as it landed in front of her. The Initiate scrambled into the underbrush and cut to the south.
She could hear the other humans rushing into the brush, yelling and shouting to eachother. She couldn’t see them yet, there was still a chance of losing them!
A shadow loomed over her and her eyes went wide. Kingbill!
She dove forward to the north, rolling. The massive foot of the monstrosity smashed behind her this time. That was what her Instinct had sensed before! The shade had cooled her by the tiniest amount.
Need to get farther away!
The club started to lift.
That’s it!
Yes! Jump!
She hopped onto the side of the club, clinging to it as she rode it up into the canopy.
Now!
She jumped off and sprinted away through the trees again, running towards where she heard the humans.
Come on! The strange giant didn’t seem overly intelligent to her, or it shouldn’t be with most of its brain removed.
It stopped, eyes actually looking down at its comrades, and it stepped out of the forest, sniffing through the gaping hole that was its nose.
“Target’s scent has dissipated. Attempting other means to search.”
Where is Tok? She couldn’t understand what was taking so long.
Reinforcements?
That could be it, but she hoped it wouldn’t take too much longer.
The giant placed its club over its shoulders, and started raking the fingers of one hand through the canopy. Branches snapped, leaves tore free, and it snarled noncommittally as it continued to drool.
But Vivex was already on the opposite side of the clearing, another arrow drawn to shoulder, then to cheek. A target in her sights. A female. She aimed for her chest.
Keep them guessing. She had to stall for time, and couldn’t let them think they could pack up and leave.
Twang! Thunk!
It hit the female poacher in the liver, and she screamed, and all hells broke loose.
“They’re in the trees again!” One of the guards screamed in the smoothskin language, but Vivex had already moved closer and into a new position.
Feathers to cheek, muscles straining. Yellow eyes focused.
There!
Clawed fingers spread!
Twang!
She was already moving.
Thunk!
Another archer was down.
Twang! Thunk! An arm.
Twang! Thunk! A leg.
Twang! Thunk! A throat through sheer luck.
It became a rhythm of the battle. Her shots were horrible, not accurate at all, but they hit every time, and the hide of the archers seemed to be thinnest. The runeslave bellowed and charged through the trees, smashing and tearing through them, uncaring of how it tore its own skin doing that.
Its blood was black and reeked. Smelling rotten. And she saw the hornet’s nest dangling up above once again.
Twang! Thunk! She managed to hit the branch! Snapping it.
There was a long pause as the nest fell through the air.
Keep moving! She sprinted off in another direction.
Fwrrrmph! BZZZZZZZZZZ!
Smoothskins screamed as raging hornets swarmed everything they could reach.
“Where are they?”
“We’re surrounded!”
“Enough of this!” The final voice boomed like thunder, and the mage turned from the tap and lifted one of the jugs to his lips, taking a quick drink.
He snarled, putting the jug down, quaking where he stood. His eyes blazed with gleaming light, and he lifted hands, baggy sleeves dropping to reveal branded, scarred, and tattooed runes and symbols thick in his hide.
He screamed something into the sky! Something horrible that shook the very air!
CRACK-SNAP-BANG!
Bright white lightning forked from fingers, bursting through the canopy like a charging beast. It crisped the hornets, and downed several of the human troops, and kept coming right at her!
Shit!
PATREON! It is at least 15 chapters ahead, and I am working hard to get it permanently up to 20, with plans to add even more! All money there goes right back into making the series as good as I can, and every cent of it is appreciated more than I can say.