“What? What’re you talking about, you stupid… point it out to me!” Calvin fumed, stomping his way forward, his mustache drooping as he stepped into the gateway.
Merric swallowed his anger and replied respectfully. “Yes, sir. Right there.”
The cloud had definitely come closer at this point, and Merric realized it was approaching at an unsettling speed. Now that Merric examined it, there seemed to three sources of the odd white mist. Each of them seemed to be following the road first. The commander looked in the direction, frowning, then shook his head.
“Well, I’ll be damned. It is there. What in the hells is that damned thing?” Calvin asked, then waved off the others. “Oh, don’t bother answering. If I don’t know, there’s no way any of you know. I… wait, is that a wagon?”
His exclamation cut through Merric’s irritation, and the soldier’s eyes went wide as the thought triggered a memory of a friend’s description after returning from a trip. Looking slightly closer, Merric thought he saw the outline of a wagon in the front, surrounded by dust and without the sign of any horses or oxen.
“Sir, the cloud reminds me of what a friend of mine described when he went on a trip up north to Targavon. Could that be a steam wagon?” Merric asked, gesturing out. “He said that they produce steam that comes out of the top of the engines, and that seems to fit the description.”
“What? Why would a steam wagon come down here? That’s just… well, I’d say it was ridiculous, but I can’t think of what else that damned thing might be.” Calvin started out almost dismissive, but his tone softened as he glared at the object approaching. “Stone! Get a full squad out here! We’ve got company on its way, and fast.”
“Yessir,” Sergeant Stone rumbled, and quickly moved to muster a few more soldiers. There was only a platoon in the border post, with a second platoon on patrol at any one time, so they didn’t have many more men to begin with.
As the troops mustered, the objects came closer and Merric’s eyes widened still more. It looked like there were three of the steam wagons in total, and each of them was towing two more wagons behind them. Even worse, each of them was moving at almost the same speed as a horse at a full canter, which was ridiculous. He’d thought that Ivan’s descriptions were tall tales, but these wagons seemed to have no issues traveling at insane speeds. Why, they had to be covering twenty miles every hour!
The wagon trundled forward quickly enough that Merric could now see a man sitting behind a set of levers, wearing tight-fitting leather clothing and gloves, as well as a leather cap and green-tinted goggles. The human was clean-shaven as well, and seemed to be grinning as his wagon, the wheels of which seemed to be moved by strange metal arms, came tearing down the road. As it came closer, the wagon let out another of those loud, wail-like whistles and began to slow down.
The approach also let them hear the faint chuffing sound coming from the machinery, and metal squealed as the massive wagon slowed to a stop in front of the border post. The wagon was a good twenty feet long, with most of the rear half taken up by a metal boiler and other machinery that was utterly incomprehensible to Merric, and each of the wagons hitched to it were well-built and large in their own right.
“Hello! Is this Kelvanis?” the man sitting in the driver’s seat asked in a deep voice, pushing up his goggles. The skin near his blue eyes was cleaner than the rest of his face, giving him an oddly raccoon-like look.
“Yes, it is. This is the Alcast Border Post, and I’m Lieutenant Calvin Mordin. May I ask who you are, and what business you have here?” Calvin spoke up, not sounding surly for the first time since he’d arrived, as he stepped forward, but not too near the wagon. Merric couldn’t blame him; the wagon’s wheels were reinforced with metal and would likely snap bones like twigs.
“Excellent! I’m Artificer Albert Windgale, member of the Western Adventurer’s Guild. My companions and I are on our way to establish a branch near your new dungeon in Granite Point,” the man replied readily, smiling broadly. “I don’t suppose you could point me in that direction, could you?”
“I see. Well, regulations state that you’re allowed entry into Kelvanis to reach the dungeon, Master Windgale,” Calvin replied after a moment, blinking in surprise. “I was unaware that the new town had a name yet, but if you follow the signs that lead to Westgate, you can get precise directions from the guards there. It’s a bit far from us, so I don’t know the route you’d need to take.”
“Well, I’m much obliged! My apologies for being abrupt, but we’ve got miles more to go today, Sir Mordin,” Albert replied with a smile and nod. “Have a good day!”
Pulling down his goggles again, Albert adjusted them, then pulled a couple of levers. The wagon lurched, metal squealed, and the chuffing began again as the huge vehicle began to slowly move again. Using a pair of levers, the driver guided the wagon around their outpost and started to accelerate. Each of the other two wagons followed him, their own drivers giving them a nod in turn as they passed by. Merric thought he saw passengers in the last wagon, too!
“That… that was impressive,” Joric spoke at last, obviously shaken and stunned as the wagons pulled away from the outpost at absurd speeds.
“Smartest thing you’ve said in ages,” Merric agreed, shaking his head. Turning to Calvin, he saluted again. “Orders, sir?”
“As you were, private. That was certainly interesting. It’ll also likely be the most interesting thing we see before winter hits,” Calvin replied with a shake of his head. “Suppose I should’ve ordered us to search his wagons, but I don’t think he would’ve stopped.”
“No, sir, I don’t think he would have,” Merric agreed, prompting a chuckle from his superior, who patted his shoulder as he headed back to his office.
Merric turned back to his post, occasionally glancing in the direction of the vanishing steam-powered wagons. They were certainly impressive feats of magic and engineering. He’d have to apologize to Ivan for doubting him.
Albert adjusted the speed of his engine, scowling at his control board as he muttered. “Stupid backwater roads. I can’t get above half speed.”
He checked the compass again to make sure they were going the right direction, ignoring the bouncing of the wagon with practiced ease, pulling the levers to adjust the course down the road again.
The roads might be utter garbage, but Albert had to admit that the countryside was pretty enough, and there were signs that civilization was starting to crawl out this direction. It might be slow, but he imagined it would accelerate with a dungeon out here. Who would’ve thought a dungeon would appear all the way out in the middle of the old wastelands, anyway? This entire region had been so devastated that it’d been written off in the millennia following the Godsrage, and no one from the Adventuring Guild had even bothered to come through and properly map the region.
That was the only real reason he had bothered to stop to talk to the guards in the one guard post at the border, anyway. At the thought, he spotted a road junction, and he pulled on the lever to let out a whistle, warning the following wagons he was going to change speed as he slowed down.
“Let’s see… Westgate, was it?” Albert muttered. But at the worst possible timing, a bug came flying out of nowhere and straight into his mouth, causing the artificer to splutter and spit in disgust.
Chapter 3
“Are you sure you want to do this yourself, Sistina?” Phynis asked, looking worried. “I wish I could come with you.”
“Not safe,” Sistina said firmly, looking at the wooden board they’d been working on, then glancing up at Phynis, pointing at her. “Target.”
“Ugh, you always bring that up.” Phynis sighed, then frowned. “But I have to ask, Sistina… why do you even bother with the sign? Dungeons don’t normally do things like this, do they?”
“Two reasons,” Sistina replied, considering her response for a moment. “Adventurers dangerous. Expect challenge. Expect reward. No challenge, reach here. No reward, try to kill. Must enterta
in. Second reason? Entertaining to watch. Interesting experiments. Fun.”
“You… you find it fun to challenge the adventurers without killing them,” Phynis stated, looking stunned by the information. Sistina nodded, and Phynis shook her head in disbelief. “And now you’re going out where they can get to you?”
Sistina smirked and nodded again. “Interesting.”
“Umm, she doesn’t actually need her body, I’ll point out. Unlike the two of us,” Lily chimed in, reddening slightly as she added. “At least I’m not important enough anyone will remember me after a full year missing.”
“I suppose… but as long as you stay safe, that’s what’s important. Be careful,” Phynis replied after a moment, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Sistina.
The dryad smiled and hugged her back gently, nodding. “Yes.”
Phynis broke down into giggles at that, smirking as she exclaimed, “You always say that! You know other words!”
Sistina smiled slightly, gently leaning in to kiss the elf for a moment. Breaking away from the warmth of her princess, Sistina smirked as she added, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Yes.”
“So, do you know what the hell is going on, that’s causing the soldiers to be running around like ants after someone just kicked the anthill?” Sayla asked, gesturing with her mug at the patrol that had just hustled toward the north.
“Yep,” Daniel replied, taking a pull from his own mug as he sat back. He didn’t say anything else, holding the ale in his mouth to savor the taste for a moment before swallowing.
“Are you going to tell us? Or will they not let you?” Eric asked a moment later, the big man smiling at him as he exchanged amused looks with Eileen.
“Oh, right. Well, first Adjudicator Falgrave went missing after punching a hole into the mountain to go after some elves from Sifaren, then a patrol found signs of a large group of elves that left posthaste about two days ago,” Daniel replied, shaking his head as he sighed in annoyance. “I was supposed to be back on duty, but that was before the Adjudicator disappeared. Now Lord Evansly is panicking about how the higher ups will react, so me getting back on duty got put on hold. It’s a huge mess.”
“Holy shit. Aren’t there only four Adjudicators in the entire nation?” Eric asked, his eyes going huge. “One going missing would be bad, right?”
“Five, actually. Adjudicator Falgrave was about the equivalent of a duke in other nations, and they gave him the western territories that were taken from Sifaren and Yisara,” Daniel replied, shrugging slightly. “Difference is that the title isn’t inherited or anything like that. I know there’s the High Adjudicator in the capital who oversees them, then the Archon, so yeah, it’s a massive problem. I don’t even want to know what chaos is coming in its wake.”
“Huh. I’d heard a few bits, but didn’t know the lug who went missing was quite that important,” Darak interjected from the next table, shaking his head. “Hopefully it doesn’t impact us here. I know the Guild won’t be amused if people try to stick their noses too far into our business.”
“I don’t know about that, but—” Daniel began, only to be interrupted as Penelope stepped through the door.
“Darak! Get your ass out here!” the rangy warrior called out, an odd look on her face that Daniel almost didn’t recognize, a look of surprise. “Some people just came out of the dungeon! And no one saw them go inside to begin with!”
“What? Why does it matter that no one saw them go inside?” Darak grumbled, but Daniel noticed that in spite of that, the dwarf instantly reacted, nodding to the barmaid as he said, “I’ll settle up once I’m back inside. I’m not going anywhere, lass.”
“Just get your sorry rear outside!” Penelope retorted as she opened the door and left herself.
“I think I’ll take a look too,” Eileen spoke up as the dwarf headed for the front door.
“Anything that has Penelope in a shock is worth checking out,” Eric added with a chuckle, rising to his feet.
Daniel nodded his agreement, standing up and scattering a couple of copper on the table and nodding at the maid before heading for the door in the wake of the others.
Stepping out into the crisp mountain air, Daniel took a deep breath and calmed himself before shaking his head. Sayla’s attention had been growing more pronounced over the last few days, which made him feel strange. On the one hand, it was somewhat flattering, as she was an attractive brunette with intense hazel eyes. On the other hand, Daniel found himself uncomfortable due to his memories of Sina. Her death had hit him enormously hard, and the very idea of getting close to another woman only a few months later almost made Daniel sick to his stomach. Though he did have to admit the attention was pleasant.
All thoughts of discomfort vanished as he looked toward the dungeon entrance, though. A half-dozen steps to the right of the humble cave were a pair of women that Daniel had never seen before, and he almost swallowed his tongue at the sight of them.
The woman on the left was half a foot shy of six feet in height and had soft blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, exposing her long, slender ears and gold-tinged skin. The dawn elf was quite pretty, but she seemed to be focusing on what the other woman was doing, not giving him a chance to see her eyes. She was wearing soft, finely-made clothing in deep green as well as fine boots, none of which looked like they’d seen the chaos of the dungeon. More puzzling to Daniel were the dozen finely planed boards she was holding. The elf was pretty enough that normally Daniel would stop to admire her, but the woman next to her was beyond words.
On the right was a woman standing six feet tall and with hair like spun gold that fell almost to her knees in a glittering cascade. She looked like an elf with pale white skin that had a pattern that reminded him of the grain of wood, but she was far more curvaceous than any elf he’d ever seen before. The woman was wearing a flowing white top and skirt that fluttered in the breeze, leaving much of her midriff exposed, though she didn’t seem to notice. Her golden lips were pursed as she adjusted a pair of thick wooden posts that had been sunk upright into the ground. She was the most gorgeous woman Daniel had seen in his life, but there was something else about her that drew his attention. There was a sort of captivating presence to her, even though all she was doing was standing there.
“Shale and stone, what’s a dryad doing with that much mana?” Darak muttered, jolting Daniel out of his daze.
Looking around the clearing, Daniel realized that there was a huge gathering of people gawking at the two women, yet none of them had come close to them yet. Not even the guards, who looked both enthralled and terrified for some reason. Standing nearby were Darak, Joseph, Penelope, and Nirath, as well as his own group. Clearing his throat, Daniel asked, “What do you mean, Darak? That’s a dryad?”
“Not like any dryad I’ve ever seen before, Danny, but yeah.” The dwarf nodded, looking at the others. “You feel that… presence about her? That aura of awe?”
“Uh, yeah, I do,” Daniel replied after a moment, blinking several times. “It makes it hard to look away from her.”
“That’s her mana,” Joseph almost whispered, shaking his head slowly. “I… I can’t tell how much there is.”
“It’s beautiful.” Nirath’s voice was filled with dreamy wonder, startling Daniel as he saw Nirath fully smile for the first time since he’d met the reserved elf, her expression enraptured as she stared at the dryad. “A coruscating fountain of light, surrounding her like a cloak of stars.”
“Uh, Nirath? Snap out of it, would you?” Penelope looked concerned, waving a hand in front of the elf’s eyes. “You’re creeping me out.”
“Why is how much mana she has such a big deal?” Sayla asked softly, even as Nirath slowly blinked and turned her gaze to them, her smile broad.
“Because it’s a measure of her power. I am an adept-ranked magister, while Joseph is just barely at the rank of master,” the elf replied slowly, making Daniel feel like she’d been drugged. “She is a grandmaster at a minimum
. I have seen no more than four grandmasters in my life, and the power is… intoxicating.”
“Only to crazy people like you who can feel the mana too easily,” Darak muttered in return, shaking his head. “The question is where she came from, and what in the damn hells she thinks she’s doing.”
“Looks to me like she’s putting up a sign, Darak,” Eric drawled, smirking as the dwarf gave him a caustic glance.
The dryad had finally seemed satisfied with her posts, each standing about eight feet tall, and had taken several boards from the elven woman. Reaching upward, Daniel watched with surprise as the ends of the board melted into the posts, securing the board as the dryad decided it was in the right place. Letters were etched into the wood and painted in black, though he couldn’t read them from this distance.
“I can tell it’s a sign, you arse. I’m wondering what it’s all about,” Darak huffed while frowning.
“Well, there’s one sure way to find out,” Daniel replied calmly, and then he started walking toward the odd pair. He felt a strange sense of déjà vu, since this was the second time he’d approached an odd group in this same clearing.
“I suppose there’s something to be said for his guts,” Penelope whispered behind Daniel, and Daniel barely suppressed a smile at her comment. Neither of the women reacted as he approached, though the elf did glance in his direction, giving a glimpse of her sky-blue eyes.
“Excuse me, but I just have to ask what you’re doing? I haven’t seen either of you in town before,” Daniel asked. He’d stopped a good five feet away when he almost felt like he’d suffocate if he came closer.
“Ah, Sistina wanted to put up the sign today. So, we came out to get the job done,” the elf mumbled shyly, looking away from him.
“While I suppose that’s an answer, that isn’t exactly what I meant,” Daniel replied, glancing at the top of the sign and frowning slightly. It said that it was the ‘Dungeon of Everium,’ which seemed odd. After a moment, he continued, “I meant to ask why you were putting a sign out at all.”
Spells of Old (Ancient Dreams Book 2) Page 3
