by Jake Taylor
“They were pushed out of their own city.” Bella pointed to a picture of the cavernous room they had passed through after escaping the water. “They’re the ones who destroyed the bridge, to prevent the Din’leth from reaching them, which is why we haven’t found any here.”
“So the Din’leth corpses we found were… dwarves who were infected during the retreat.” Haruka frowned. “They killed themselves before they could change completely, probably to spare the others.”
“Which is why they were honored after death,” Isabella concluded. “So did the surviving dwarves die down here or did they escape up this way to the surface?”
“I think they died,” Haruka said, pointing to an image of one climbing into a coffin. “They willingly stayed here. Judging by this hopeful image,” she said as she indicated the next carving of the same dwarf climbing out to join many others, “they were unwilling to leave the home of their people, and thought that they would only join their people in the afterlife if they were laid to rest in their home. Studies say their culture was much centered on their people, ancestors and their home.”
“To embrace your own people so…” Isabella shook her head. “To think that they died out because of a disease that twisted their own people against them is a very sad end. Worse, I think the ghosts we came across were the dwarves that had been infected, meaning they didn’t get to join their people. Perhaps that is why they were so sorrowful.”
Haruka sighed. “Maybe we’ll let a Necromancer know about this so that they can help. But for now, we should just leave – who knows what else could happen down here.”
“Yes… You’re probably right.” Isabella backed away and followed Haruka as she ascended the stairs, but not before glancing back at the room one last time. She couldn’t help but feel a strange kinship with these people, who had been doomed to die by something beyond their control but had supported each other in their final hours, working together to survive as long as they could. In the end they had embraced their fate, and as the final carving showed – and the sounds of singing that returned and followed them up the final stairway – they had gone out with a celebration of their lives. They had built traps, sabotaged their own city, and retreated back to their very tombs, all to stall or stop the Din’leth, and though their efforts had ultimately failed, in the end they had chosen to die with smiles and cheers.
Isabella only hoped that she would have such courage when the inevitable time came for her.
Chapter 18: The End of a Hard Road
“Are you ready to end this for good?”
“As long as I’m standing with you, I’m ready for anything.”
IXH
Haruka scanned Fort Inith’s walls and grounds carefully, memorizing every detail the moonlight revealed. They had arrived in time, apparently; Black Sun and Areyan soldiers were visible patrolling the place or guarding its entrances, but not too tightly. Everyone seemed relaxed, as if they weren’t expecting trouble, and that would work to their advantage. “It looks like Sayuri wasn’t lying,” she said as she pulled back behind a tree. She had never been happier to see a forest surrounding a place. “And she apparently didn’t betray us, either; they aren’t expecting more than a delivery.”
“We would have been in serious trouble,” Isabella added. “If she hadn’t made the decision she did, I’d be in there in chains and you’d be out here alone, and all these guards would be on alert.”
Haruka nodded. “We have a lot of people to thank for getting us this far. But now it’s up to us; just you and me. Are you ready for this? How are you feeling?”
Bella gave her a weak smile. “I’m alright. Let’s just get this over with so we’re free for the rest of our time.”
Haruka watched her for a few seconds before nodding. She was worried about this; in the week since they’d left the Undercity, Bella had gotten worse. The exertion of their trials beneath and above the surface was taking its toll on the woman’s health and it wasn’t getting any better. Haruka would have asked her to stay behind here if she thought it would be any use, but this was Bella’s fight as much as hers. She just hoped it wouldn’t be too much for her.
Both of them discarded their packs and hid them beneath some brush, keeping on their person what they would need inside. They then began moving, quietly and staying out of sight. Haruka would be doing most of the work outside, as she was much more experienced and skilled in stealth; Bella had usually just walked into any place she wanted in the past, decimating the guards in her way. That was no option here; they were planning for Bella to use only one last transformation, and it wouldn’t be used here. Instead, Haruka directed the knight as they moved through the brush, planning attacks together. A patrol of three Areyan soldiers passed and they attacked in unison; Isabella’s sheathed sword doubled a man over with a strike to the stomach, Haruka silenced another with a strike to the neck. As the third turned Isabella rolled over the back of the doubled-over soldier and swept the man’s legs from under him, sending him to his back. She then turned back and struck the first soldier, knocking him out as Haruka knelt and knocked out the one she had felled.
Gone were the days when they were distracted and uncoordinated while fighting together. Trust and a growing familiarity had strengthened between them and they now moved as one, predicting each other’s moves and filling in weak spots. Each knew their limits and presented them readily to the other; with no secrets and an openness most could only wish for, with nothing hidden between them, they were linked more closely than any opponents they came across, and it showed. One by one each obstacle between them and their chosen entrance to the fort was removed, regardless of the size of the group. No words needed to pass between them during the fights, no complicated strategies; each group was dispatched rapidly and silently, and with little trouble.
Eventually they made it to the entrance and, without a moment’s hesitation, headed inside. The first thing they noticed was how dark it was; more so than outside, even. They had chosen to enter at night for obvious reasons, but had expected more light inside. The complex was an old fort and thus made entirely of stone, and quite cold. Torches sparsely lined the halls and rooms, providing minimal flickering light. This would at least help them remain undetected, but Haruka knew this meant another danger was present. She placed a hand on Isabella’s shoulder to tell her to wait, and crept forward very slowly, her eyes scanning the hallway they had entered intently. Just as she had thought, there was a slight glint of something; she inspected the strand of web, finding where it connected and following it to a web up in a corner where a black spider was resting.
Haruka moved back to Bella and pointed it out. “One of Aranea’s sentries,” she explained in a whisper. “If we touch any line of the webbing it will feel the vibration and sent out a message. If we let them know we’re coming, this will be a lot harder.”
“So we should try to kill it before it can do that?” Isabella whispered back as she watched the arachnid warily. “There are going to be giant spiders here, aren’t there?”
Haruka looked at Bella, who seemed a bit paler now. “I can take care of those if there are. There are going to be… all kinds of spiders in here. Aranea loves them all, and if she’s staying here, there are guaranteed to be… a lot.”
“How many?”
“…Hundreds or thousands, depending on how long she’s been here.”
Isabella shuddered and let out a sigh. “Of course our enemy uses spiders. Of course they do.” She looked down the hallway. “Spiders… Why’d it have to be spiders?”
“Just try to be careful, they’re very dangerous.” Haruka caught her hand and squeezed it. “Let me go first.” She glanced at the pistol on Isabella’s belt. “And… don’t shoot if you see a spider, okay?”
“I’ll try to keep my head.”
Haruka nodded and moved forward, avoiding the webbing and guiding Bella around it. As they reached the end of the hallway she opened the next door, gesturing Bella through. “If we kill
the spider she might know; there’s no way to know which ones she’s currently connected to. It’s best to leave it behind.”
“If I don’t have to get near it, that’s good enough for me,” Bella muttered as she followed.
In the next hall they pressed against the wall, listening to two Areyan guards who were approaching on patrol. “This place creeps me out more every day"said the first guard. "That woman is crazy.”
The second guard laughed in agreement. “It’s just a few bugs and webs. Haven’t you ever been in an old building with a bunch of cobwebs?”
“Yeah, but none of those buildings had her in them. She’s creepier than any of those things. She talks to them, and they crawl all over her – you can’t tell me she isn’t disturbing.”
“You’re right, but what are we supposed to do? We were given a job to do. Don’t worry, once her friend gets here with the Butcher, we’ll get to go home.”
“I can’t imagine anyone capturing the Butcher, so that might not even happen.”
“I dunno, I heard a rumor she was different now.”
“Different how?”
“Like, turned over a new leaf or somethin’. That was the rumor when she left, right?”
“What – you think killing all her men an’ the king was a new leaf?”
“Good point.”
“Ha! Imagine the Butcher changing ‘er ways. Anyone who remembers her eyes wouldn’t believe that bull.”
“I guess you’re…”
The men froze in silence as the subject of their conversation stood before them. Her arms were crossed in disapproval and her grey eyes focused on them like they were insects as her voice commanded all the authority she’d ever held. “Sigrun… Joliss.”
“Knight-Commander!”
“Your disrespect is… irritating,” Isabella said coldly as her grey eyes narrowed at them.
“I – we – it was just rumors, that’s all,” one stammered.
The other looked around in both directions, but the hallway was empty otherwise. “Where’s the woman’s ally?”
Isabella inspected her nails in boredom. “I killed her.” Her eyes moved back up to glare at the two soldiers. “Because she irritated me.”
“Oh God, you’re not-“
“We’re just following orders!”
“Please understand!”
Isabella seemed to lose her patience as she pointed at the door they’d entered through. “Leave.” She scoffed and turned her head, waving her hand dismissively. “And take whatever rats you brought with you.” The two soldiers did exactly as they were told, sprinting down the hall to find whatever other Areyan soldiers they could. These men had been present on numerous occasions where the Golden Butcher had slaughtered entire armies, and they knew that if she was here, and free, they had no chance of surviving if they fought her; better to simply leave if she was willing to let them go. They had been sent here to help capture the monk, after all; nobody had said anything about fighting the Butcher.
Haruka stepped out beside her and looked down the hallway. “They certainly listened. Aranea is definitely going to know we’re here now.”
“Yes, but the trade-off is worth it,” Bella said with a sigh. “Now we won’t have Areyan soldiers to fight. I’m glad I don’t have to kill men I served with, even if I was different at the time…” She looked at Haruka. “Don’t you feel that for the Black Sun?”
Haruka shook her head. “I never served with any of them in a war, just on jobs. And on jobs we were all just another asset to each other. I certainly didn’t care for any of them.” She met Bella’s gaze. “I didn’t really care about anything until you. I was like a machine, just going through the motions and following orders. I never made actual decisions or cared what happened to anything or anyone, including myself.”
“We are… very similar,” Bella said sadly. “I wish I could make it more worth it.”
“If you’re the reason for all that I’ve been through, then I’m grateful for all of it. Every hardship and trial just made me more capable of fighting for you now; I’m even willing to thank my father for putting me through such intense training,” Haruka said with a chuckle. “Trust me, Bella; If I could add a single day to our time together by going through all of it again, it wouldn’t even be a hard choice.”
Isabella looked down, shook her head, and then turned and hugged her tightly. “You’re going to make me cry,” she said with a laugh. “Even though… It’s all worth it even though we have such little time?”
“Yes. Never doubt that. In fact… I don’t want you to forget how much I care despite that limited time. So… Bella…” She smiled. “When this is over, will you marry me?”
Isabella grinned at her. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes, and yes! I mean, we’re basically already married, but if you want to make it official, absolutely.”
“We should; you deserve it.” Haruka ran a hand through her hair. “We have people to invite, you know; they’ll kill us if we don’t.”
“…You’re right! I never…” Isabella shook her head. “I never thought I would be, and especially not inviting…” She cleared her throat and looked away. “Damn it… I’m not supposed to be all emotional.”
Haruka smiled and kissed her head. “I like it. It lets me know when I’m doing something right.”
Isabella looked back at her. “You’ve done everything right, somehow. Even the fact that whenever we talk about things like this, it’s always in some place that isn’t at all safe while we’re surrounded by enemies.”
“Forgive me for asking you here instead of some beautiful spot on a cliff or beach somewhere.”
“No, no, this is perfect! It fits exactly what our relationship has been like so far, surrounded by danger and ignoring it for more important things.” Isabella leaned up and kissed her, taking her time before pulling back. “This is one more thing they’re in the way of, you know.”
“Mmm.” Haruka straightened and looked down the hallway. “Then let’s get rid of these obstacles and move on to things that are worth our time.”
Haruka led the way and, though everyone knew they were here now, still no one knew their location, so they went quietly, avoiding patrols of Black Sun members that were looking for them. Somehow they made it to a final hallway deep within the fort; at the end was an open pair of double-doors and beyond them was a huge amount of webbing strung all about a vast room. Only three guards were visible inside, but Haruka’s attention was solidly on her target: Aranea was in view, and still had no idea they were right there…
…At least, they had no idea until Isabella started coughing. Her sickness hit her hard and she slid to her knees, cursing and placing one hand on the ground and another over her mouth as she coughed violently and blood slipped through her fingers. Aranea saw them instantly and her eyes went wide. She sent out a fort-wide alert and ordered the three Black Sun monks near her to attack Haruka; as soon as they were out of the room she slammed the doors shut behind them and began warding them. Haruka cursed, looking at Bella worriedly before turning a glare on the three monks and sprinting down the hall towards them. She recognized each one, and they recognized her; each of them was elite, and the one in front held a staff, the second held two curved swords, and the third held a straight sword. And Haruka was going to put them down before they could be a threat to Bella.
As she neared the monk with the staff she slid into a sweep-kick; the monk flipped over her as she’d expected and she spun to her feet and ran up the wall, leaping off and kicking her out of the air and into the opposite wall. Haruka landed as the second charged her and stabbed forward with his two swords. She arched her back and set her hands on the floor, caught his wrist between her feet, and flipped him over her. She landed back on her feet as the third monk arrived and thrust his sword forward. She deflected the strike with an arm guard, smacked the flat of the blade to knock the pommel into his chin, then grabbed his wrist and turned her back to him before turning her body to the left, curling
his arm in and forcing him to stab himself in the neck with his own blade. As his eyes went wide she spun back in the other direction, freeing the blade and slashing across his stomach in one movement.
Without even waiting for him to fall Haruka turned to her right and met the monk with the staff, blocking her strikes with the sword. A quick kick hit her stomach and gave Haruka enough time to surge energy into her arms and bring her sword down in a powerful chop. The monk raised her staff to block but the sword cleaved straight through it and through her. As the two halves of the staff fell from her hands, the last assassin was coming back at Haruka with his twin swords ready. Haruka kicked one half of the staff into him to slow him and caught the other half in time for his arrival, using that and the sword to deflect his rapid attacks. Her eyes followed the movements of his two swords before finding an opening; she threw the remaining half of the staff at his face, distracting him for only a moment. In that moment she went low and cut his legs out from under him, sending him to his stomach. Without hesitation she brought the sword back around and stabbed it down into him, pinning him to the ground.
Haruka stood and ran back to Bella, who was kneeling and supporting herself on one arm. Both of them looked back as the sound of a lot of footsteps came from behind them, approaching the hall they were in. “I’m sorry,” Bella said. “I ruined our surprise attack.”
“It’s not your fault,” Haruka assured her, glancing from the end of the hall to the door at the other end.
“Go,” Isabella said. “I’ll hold off the guards.”
Haruka looked at her. “Bella-“
“Go!” Haruka nodded, backing away slowly before sprinting towards the door. “Ruki!” Haruka didn’t know how, but she knew exactly what to do; she leapt into the air and spun around, catching the sheathed Mercy that Isabella had thrown to her. The sword flared with power as she completed the spin and, using the momentum her running jump gave her, slammed it into the door as she reached it, shattering all the wards on it and splintering the door inwards to a cry of surprise from Aranea. The Hand of the Frozen Web was no pushover, though, and three poisoned knives had left her hand before her cry was even done. Haruka knocked them away with Mercy and then blocked a fourth strike that came from a long whip Aranea held.
