by Lars M.
The following minutes were chaos. His being lulled asleep had dispelled whatever sound-cancelling or blocking spell Aron had placed on the corridor, and I soon found myself having to explain exactly what was going on, several times over. At first, Meline and her bouncer were pretty hostile – my spells had done a bit of a number on the hallway – but they soon relented and sent for the guards. Still, they kept watch over me and didn’t even let me rifle through Aron’s belongings. So rude!
Twenty minutes later, I slapped Aron’s cheek to wake him up. The panicked look on his face as his gaze flitted from me to the armed guards behind me was a joy, and I bared my teeth at him. "Welcome back."
Realizing his arms had been tied in front of him, he still couldn't keep from glancing down.
"Oh yeah. I had better take this." I dug into the bag at his belt, pocketing a couple of grenades before holding a letter in front of his nose. Turning towards the guards, I said offhandedly, "You'd better pay attention, guys - you'll probably be asked to repeat this a couple times over." I cleared my throat. "I thought you were supposed to burn these things, being a real traitor and all." I smirked at him.
His eyes shot daggers at me. "I'm not a traitor."
"Oh yeah?" I started reading aloud from the letter.
How could you be this stupid, Aron?
"Yeah, really, how could you, Aron?"
You may recall our last conversation about acting before you think. This will not go over unnoticed. Taking the chance that some unidentified map is what we are looking for is one thing. Risking our entire operation by blatantly stealing it is something entirely different. Especially when the person you obtain it from has already crossed paths with us earlier. You knew this. Now, you may believe that you have options and can smooth this over, somehow. You would be mistaken. You will present yourself back at the castle. You will extricate yourself quietly. You will remove the bard.
"Remove the bard. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I feel hurt. Here, I thought we were friends. Don't worry, Aron; we're almost done here."
In light of your failure, we will have to act. All witnesses in Grant's Crossing will be removed before relocation. You have ten days to return.
Lord Tergeth
After reading the sentence out loud, I repeated it to myself before growling at the dwarf. "Aron. Aron, you filthy cur! Tell me this doesn't mean what I think it does!"
"It means you've been meddling in things you should've stayed out of." With that comment, however, the scarred dwarf clammed up and refused to say any more, regardless of my insults, entreaties, and increasingly nasty curses.
Congratulations. You have completed the quest:
Spot The Liar (Chronicler Quest)
You have figured out that Aron Arngrimsson is the one who stole your map and ensured his arrest by the authorities of High Hold.
Reward:
+1 to Chronicler skill
So the quest was over and done with? No mention of the ‘bad result’ this time around, however. That would mean that the bad result wasn’t reward-wise, but would have to point to the threat against Grant’s Crossing. No need for self-blame, though, right? Damn.
Chapter 33 – Swift Departure
I had to hand it to the Wisdom. When things went down, they acted quickly. I had barely made it to the lower chamber when the Wisdom swooped in, one by one. Wisdom Morvane, as usual, didn't hold back. As he walked through the ornate doors, he sneered, "We cancelled our meeting for this. This had better be worth it."
I growled. "I don't care about your meeting. Grant's Crossing is about to come under attack!"
Wisdom Belline arranged her wings behind her as she sat. "Come. Let us talk."
"We don't have time for talking. They're going to attack my village!"
The stately harpy regarded me with steely eyes. "Are you going to be able to do anything about it right now? No? In that case, we had better stop wasting our time and plot which winds to brave. Talk, Arcangelo."
I gathered my thoughts and talked, and talked some more. I laid it all out - even my suspicions that I could not prove. How Othell had been preying on the town, leading away groups of... fugitives? Slaves? How the blond elf had visited Grant's Crossing afterward, investigating just how much people in the village were aware of.
The mention of the crystal ball she'd used to talk with her superior had Tirone agitated. "A Pharean crystal? Those are too expensive for regular brigands and slave drivers."
I continued, reading aloud from the letter, and including the details from the warrior groups, stating that fewer fugitives were making it into the city from the north. "In short," I finished, "I strongly suspect that the same group that has been preying on Grant's Crossing for years are the ones responsible for abducting people who are trying to make it to High Hold. And now they're going to attack our village, attempting to silence everybody who knew about them."
Tirone was the first one to cry out. "How were we not informed of this? This information should have reached us months ago!"
Morvane sneered at him. "The dwarf was a Chronicler. He was probably sifting through the messages himself, turning them down. Now, if only somebody had been arguing for the four-eye principle. You know it’s the standard in all larger cities."
The pair descended into bickering, while Wisdom Pallarson unsuccessfully tried to reason with them. In the end, he opted for a shouted, "SILENCE!" As the pair stared at him in amazement, he continued. "Bickering over the past brings us nothing. We need to decide what to do. So this Arngrimsson isn't talking?"
I shook my head. "No. He made it sound like we brought it on our own heads, then clammed up."
The dwarf turned towards their leader. "Wisdom Belline? Should we try to question him?"
Her lips curled in distaste. "Yes. Hand him over to the summoners. Tell Summoner Gatlich that we will hold him personally responsible for any results. I dislike their methods, but they do tend to get results." She held up a hand towards me. "I know, Arcangelo. Speed is of the essence. Now, since we do not know where this castle is based, we can only surmise that they are north of us. We do not know when they left, either, but this means that we could still be in time to reach Grant's Crossing, since they would have to pass within a certain distance of us to go southeast towards the village." She tapped her chin. "I propose we do three things. We immediately send a pair of our fastest scouts to warn the village and aid in their own scouting. In addition, we outfit a party to travel with Arcangelo to protect their city, in case they can make it in time. Meanwhile, we will send a few guarding parties north to see if we can locate their castle or signs of their passing. All in favor?"
The remaining Wisdom all gave their assent immediately. Morvane said. "I will go with the summoners to help them extract answers from the dwarf."
I blurted out, "...but you hate us."
He shook his head. "Hate is such a strong emotion. I do not care much for your village. There is a difference. But we have entered an alliance, and we honor our debts." His eyes narrowed. "And this traitor is a blot on our honor that will soon be wiped away." He strode out, motioning for one of the guards to follow him.
Wisdom Belline smiled at me, the wrinkles near her eyes betraying her compassion. "Take a seat, Arcangelo. Rest. We will arrange for your departure immediately. If you need anything, say the word, and it will be handled."
This was going way too fast. I couldn’t quite process everything I needed to. ”But – I promised to teach you?”
She waved away my protests. ”We will send someone to your village once everything calms down. Now, rest.”
In hindsight, this would've been a great point to ask for... anything, really. Monetary assistance. Enchanted items. Any legendary doodads lying around for emergencies. Instead, my shellshocked brain only managed to mumble something about not being prepared for the journey. Time seemed to slow down for a while, and I sat there, fog clouding my mind as two scouts arrived and were sent off almost immediately with hastily scribbled notes from the Wisd
om and myself to warn Grant's Crossing.
Two hours later, I was met at the bridge by Lyle, Arack, and a couple of unfamiliar groups. A couple of guards waited there, looking confused about the whole thing, while a bunch of messengers were flying in with goods and items. Meanwhile, I'd managed to wake up enough to realize that this was goodbye and run off to fetch Atlas. A few bridge guards nearby sent worried glances after the proud lizard, but nobody did anything. Having three Wisdom arrive to bid us farewell probably helped some.
With the limited time they’d had to prepare, they did an amazing job. Not only had they fetched all of our belongings from Meline's Perch, they'd also managed to send flyers off to all the institutions, proclaiming what was going on and - very thoughtful, I found - asking them to send any of our items over immediately. In addition to this, of all people, Tirane and her crew, bedecked in full combat attire, were standing ready. A small crowd milled about despite the late hour, gawking curiously at the upheaval.
Wisdom Belline graced me with a soft smile. "Our cultural exchange was cut short this time. We did not expect you to leave so soon, but we will assist you as we can. We have informed Tirane and her party of the situation, and they are instructed to help in any way they can."
Morvane was conspicuously absent. When I inquired after him, Pallarson shook his head. "No, kid. He's taking all of this very personally. We're not going to see him in the sky until he and the summoners have managed to talk that filthy traitor into giving up whatever he has."
Tirone looked ashamed. "A lot of this was on my hands, as well. We could have avoided it all, if only we'd received the reports from our scouts and acted upon them."
I responded in a low voice. "There's no way to know that. For all we know, they would've just moved their base. How do we ensure that we find them, though?"
A tiny fire kindled in his eyes. "Oh, we have plans. Our scouts are already out in force, and we're hunting them as we speak. We will try to stay high at first, in order to avoid being spotted and... you don't need to know all that. Rest assured, we will stay in touch. The two scouts we sent ahead to Grant’s Crossing, Farlane and Malone, have been informed of everything. Once they discover the situation in Grant's Crossing, one of them will return to us, and we can arrange our plan for engagement."
"Engagement? That means we attack them, right?" Lyle interrupted at the word.
The thin harpy cleared his throat. "I suspect so. Grant's Crossing might be the target, but whoever is behind this has been attacking all of us for years. I doubt this will end without bloodshed."
Lyle clutched the hilt of his weapon. "You will have the assistance of my people. Together, we will teach them the weight of their errors."
I patted his shoulder. A little theatrical, but I wholly agreed with the sentiment. "We'll pay them back, Lyle, but for now, let's get going and see if we can't make it in time to help." I turned toward Wisdom Belline, who was standing tall in the near-darkness. "I am certain that our village will have a lot of requests for knowledge and... simply getting to know you better. I should like to introduce you to Gillem's cooking, have Mallard chat your head off, and let Mr. Callahan share war stories with you, but it will have to wait."
She nodded. "Your village may be small, but I must admit to a burning curiosity. If everybody is like you, I believe the coming years will bring great change to Aeion. For now, I wish you only safe and fast travels. May the wind stay true and the skies clear of enemies. Take this and wear it with pride. You will always be welcome here." She affixed a small, glinting item to my chest and I checked out the notification.
Congratulations. You have received a medal of recognition from the City of:
High Hold
Upon seeing the medal, anybody affiliated with High Hold or their factions will know that you are a friend to the city. In addition, you will gain a bonus +10% reputation when you gain reputation with any cities allied with High Hold.
After a round of farewells, we were led to the bridge and left the city of High Hold behind. Truth be told, I was dreading the journey ahead of me. We were in a huge rush, the sky was growing pitch dark, and we were entering a heavy forest. If there ever was a recipe for debuffs gained from constant falling over your own feet, this was it.
Lost in dark thoughts, I jumped when a hand slammed down on my shoulder. Spinning to find Tirane's scarred face almost had me defending myself before my mind caught up with the adrenaline. "Whoa. Relax, fiddler. I just wanted to assure you that we'll do what we can to get your tiny hindquarters home as soon as possible."
My hands sank down again. "Thank you, Tirane. Sorry. It's been a long day - and I guess it's going to be a long night, too?"
"Yes, and no. The next three hours or so are going to be a bit tough, but then we're camping until dawn. Until then, drink this." She proffered a vial at me and I downed the contents without question. The aftertaste wasn't entirely unlike coffee, and it provided me with a 10 stamina/minute regeneration effect.
As I walked over the bridge away from High Hold, I couldn’t help but feel that it was too soon. The city was filled with wonderful people and mysteries, and I had only started in on everything. A notification as I left seemed to disagree with me, however.
Improved standing with Serune:
While your search for knowledge in High Hold has been limited, You have been diligent in uncovering old secrets and unraveling webs of untruth. Overall, Serune approves.
Reward:
100 clergy points. Points to next rank 900/2000.
To my relief, the march wasn't as tough as I'd expected. The buff helped a lot, and, as Tirane had explained, the scenic route we'd taken upon approaching the city was a lot more tangled than the usual route people used. The forest was open to the sky, and the moonlight assisted us in our march. We struck camp and slept like rocks within minutes.
The next days, however, were even tougher than I'd feared. Tirane set a grueling pace, and it was only due to the stamina regeneration effect that Arack and I managed to stumble along in their wake. Not that I was blaming them, of course - if anything, we did all we could to have them set a faster pace. We consumed every single endurance-increasing morsel we had. My trail rations. Arack’s new potions. Some old potion Lyle had been saving for an emergency. We downed it all and asked for more. Realizing my antics with Aron had gained me a Leadership skill point, I dumped it into [Improved Metabolism I: The effects of food and drink on group members is increased by 20%.] I was probably going to berate myself later for not choosing something combat-related, like [Resilience II: Melee damage taken is reduced by 20%] but right at this moment, I was going to do anything to reach Grant’s Crossing just a little faster.
The harpies did everything they could too. The entire party cleared the paths ahead of us, ranged ahead to ensure we took the optimal route, and encouraged us whenever possible. In the end, however, the only ones we had to curse were ourselves for our crappy endurance modifiers. Arack, whose endurance was even lower than mine, surrendered her dignity and asked the harpies for assistance. They took pity on her, taking turns every once in a while to carry her on their backs, allowing her to catch her breath. Once a day, I managed a temporary reprieve when I activated my Second Wind earring, refilling my reserves. Soon enough, however, I was back to trudging along with Arack, head bowed and thoughts heavy.
I was traversing a steep incline on day two and almost fell when a notification appeared from out of nowhere. When I regained my equilibrium and made it to the top, I checked it out.
Congratulations. You have completed the quest:
A Pool Of Knowledge (Chronicler Quest)
You have completed the task required of you to earn access to the outer sanctum of all Repositories of Aeion.
Reward:
+1 to Chronicler skill
New quest: "A Lake of Knowledge"
You have been offered a quest:
A Lake Of Knowledge (Chronicler Quest)
Gain access to the inner sanctum of one of
the Chronicler Repositories in order to take advantage of the gathered lore and knowledge.
Required: Chronicler skill level 25
Reward:
+2 to Chronicler skill
New quest: "A Sea of Knowledge"
Accept/Decline?
Hah. That grumpy old gnome had actually accepted my report? That was enough to plaster a smile on my lips for the next couple of hours. The drudgery continued, however, with no eventful happenings whatsoever. After the third full day of traveling, as we made camp, Tirane extracted a scroll case tucked into a hollowed out tree.
I lay on the ground where I had dropped, curious but too exhausted to get up. The stocky harpy read and re-read the scroll, grunted, and went to drop it off. "Good news so far. The scouts made it in time to warn the village. One of them took the time to drop this off for us. No sign of any attackers, and they're going to help keep a lookout." I sighed in relief and read the scroll myself, before I promptly fell asleep.
On the evening of the fourth day, we stumbled out of the darkness of the pine cover, staring at the dirt path leading left and right as far as the eye could see.
