Ruin & Reliance

by Jeremy Dwyer

  “Come closer and show them to me. If I have to take another step forward, that is a lot of extra trouble,” Captain Ibriy said.

  Kastor walked up the boarding ramp to meet Captain Ibriy and handed him the seven (7) platinum coins.

  Captain Ibriy examined the coins and said: “Come aboard, you and your companion. But this ship travels on my schedule. You’ll just have to be patient.”

  “Thank you, Captain,” Kastor said. Erikkos heard this clearly and walked up the boarding ramp to join him. They both followed Captain Ibriy up onto the deck of the Cypress Advantage.

  Captain Ibriy led Erikkos and Kastor to a cabin on deck. He opened the door and said: “This is your cabin. Stay here and keep to yourselves in between stops. I’ve got seventy-seven (77) crew and ninety-seven (97) other passengers. I don’t need anybody getting in my way of running this ship.”

  “Good day, Captain,” Kastor said. He and Erikkos entered their cabin and closed the door.

  ~~~

  Captain Ibriy signaled to his crew on deck to raise the anchor, and they did so by manually turning the crank. Ibriy then walked as quickly as the pain would allow him. Determined to fulfill his business contracts, he limped along the deck of the Cypress Advantage and entered the wheelhouse. He drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power to listen to the sounds of the stars. He concentrated to learn their paths and positions, and thereby charted a precise course heading southwest across the Ikkith Tar Ocean, leading out of Grand Redwood Bay.

  Ibriy had charted this course twice earlier, but repeating the process was the best way to be confident he had not made any errors. Navigating the ‘dark waters’ ocean was always a challenge, and a single mistake could be his last. He sailed the oceans for thirty-eight (38) of his fifty-one (51) years and knew to double-check his plotted courses without exception, no matter which ocean he sailed: they all posed risks. The ‘dark waters’ ocean, however, was among the worst, and he triple-checked his plotted courses across its waters. Ibriy took hold of the ship’s wheel and steered it out of the port.

  ~~~

  “I no longer sense your thoughts,” Erikkos said.

  “My telepathic power surge is also fading. Our exposure to those mists was too brief. Even if we had remained, I suspect that the extra powers would have diminished in time,” Kastor said.

  “Earlier, we talked about the splitting of the Dead Waters. You think it was done using the yellow-green gems, even though you don’t know the technique,” Erikkos said.

  “Yes. The evidence strongly suggests it. We must endeavor to learn that technique,” Kastor said.

  “I traveled with a fellow Explorer of the Quiet Sea, a man named Nestor. He was an Atrejan water drinker, and was investigating the elevated prices of star charts covering some parts of the Gradaken Ocean. His investigation of the commerce records in Emeth revealed the name of a man – Major Doctor Randolph – who was gathering herbs and plants. Nestor suspected that this Randolph was researching either medicine or poison,” Erikkos said.

  “I am already intrigued, Erikkos. Go on,” Kastor said.

  “Nestor and I first met in the Uplifter’s Trail, outside of an observatory. Inside were several melted corpses, and they held star charts. There was no sign of fire, so we suspected they died by poison, which supports the earlier hypothesis. The star charts were damaged, so Nestor interpreted them as well as he could. Based on the ambiguous information and his listening to the sounds of the stars, we traveled to the Glivoran Trail,” Erikkos said.

  “Before you continue, I am curious to know this: if the star charts were ambiguous, what other possible interpretation did they have?” Kastor asked.

  “Nestor mentioned a chain of islands in the Gradaken Ocean. I’m afraid the specifics died with him, during the battle inside the Citadel,” Erikkos said.

  “I will keep that in mind. Please tell me more,” Kastor said.

  “Before we left the observatory, we noticed that one of the corpses held a silver cup with a strange inscription we could not read, so we took it with us. Soon after arriving in the Glivoran Trail, we met a man known as the ‘stone father’ who was performing some sort of ritual to a being known as Rivixiled,” Erikkos said.

  “This is gravely concerning to me, my friend. I must know what occurred next, but I fear that I already do,” Kastor said.

  “I interrupted this ritual by focusing my voice, and commanded this ‘stone father’ to read the inscription on the silver cup and translate it for us. If I remember correctly, the translation was ‘Drink not the nectar of the wicked. Partake not of the cup of demons. Let your silver cup be empty until the banquet, when it will be filled with the holy and righteous water.’ I might have misquoted, but that’s fairly close if not precisely correct,” Erikkos said.

  “The Silver Cup Banquet is a religious superstition. I’ve heard of it several times before. Those who adhere to that mythology are weakened by it, and they do not live under its dictates for long. This is not what I am afraid of, however,” Kastor said.

  “The ‘stone father’ told us that the ‘eldest stone father’ knew more about the priests of the Silver Cup Banquet. He took us to meet him, upon my insistence,” Erikkos said.

  “That, my friend, was what I was afraid of. You endangered yourself and your companion by making Hakan aware of your presence. If he so desired, you would have been utterly destroyed in the briefest moment, before you could even hope to respond. Your music – impressive as it is – could not save you from his power or do him harm,” Kastor said.

  “You already know him personally?” Erikkos asked.

  “Yes. Hakan is an elder elite from the first age. His powers over the flow of time are staggering. You must do nothing to anger him,” Kastor said.

  “Before the meeting with Hakan, we were interrupted by another Explorer, a Trerada drinker named Skylla. She had used her powers to charm a man named Count Terzo and brought him along with her. We all went together to the Temple of the Steadfast, escorted by the ‘stone father.’ Once we arrived, Count Terzo began reading the stone slabs that comprised the temple and matched them to symbols in a book that Skylla carried. They had trouble interpreting the symbols – there were sets of six (6) numbers on the temple stones, indicating the counts of suns in various arrangements. That’s when the ‘eldest stone father’ appeared. He explained that there were six (6) colors of suns in the first age: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. He vanished afterwards. The limited information led us into Javanda,” Erikkos said.

  “For Hakan to give you information is not a sign of his showing you favor. It more likely means that he expected you to find something for him, or to be destroyed in the process. He is cruel and most ungenerous,” Kastor said.

  “I never said I trusted Hakan, but his guidance clarified other information. When we arrived in Javanda, Count Terzo told us that he was in an arranged marriage with Duchess Sarita of the Bazavadoran Isthmus. After the marriage, Terzo gained access to a library within the castle of King Hamza Bazavador. The library contains books that have lightkeeper crystals inside of them. That is how Terzo and Skylla knew to go to the Glivoran Trail and look for the tablets and star charts. With Nestor to help us by listening to the sounds of the stars, we were able to use the knowledge to find the Citadel,” Erikkos said.

  “I advise you to make great efforts to avoid the notice of Hakan. Never seek him out again, or do anything to make him remember your visit. He could easily become irritated by your existence,” Kastor said.

  “I wasn’t planning on meeting him again. However, I’d like to visit the Bazavadoran Isthmus and explore the castle library,” Erikkos said.

  “That may be a very worthwhile visit. The Bazavadoran families are the stewards of a great deal of ancient knowledge, some even before my time. Emeth holds some knowledge from the first age, but only because they chose to share it when they built the city,” Kastor said.

  “The Bazavadoran�
�s built Emeth?” Erikkos asked.

  “Each of the first seven (7) ages ended with the disappearance of some of the stars in the sky. I know of the first six (6) ages from careful study and discussions with trusted elders. I personally watched the seventh age end with the disappearance of the three (3) remaining orange suns, leaving the sky in its present arrangement, having nine (9) blue suns, twenty-four (24) yellow suns and thirty-seven (37) red suns. Thus, the eighth age began, seven hundred seventy-nine thousand five hundred forty-two (779542) years ago. Three hundred fifty-seven thousand eight hundred sixty-one (357861) years ago, Hezekiah Bazavador arranged for the construction of the City of Emeth – and the tradition of the Chroniclers of the Oath – which defined the beginning of the ninth age,” Kastor said.

  “Is Hezekiah a first age elder, or did he come later?” Erikkos asked.

  “He is from the first age. His words can be trusted, though he does not trust me. Do not let him know your allegiance to the Explorers of the Quiet Sea. He is wary of our methods and our motives,” Kastor said.

  ~~~

  Captain Ibriy sailed the Cypress Advantage across the Ikkith Tar Ocean: first southwest, to exit Grand Redwood Bay; then southeast, until reaching the Prince Jalvin’s Crossroads land bridge. He pulled levers to pivot the masts and sails to the sides of the vessel and elevate the ship to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude. He then steered the vessel southward across the land bridge, returning it to sea level in the Medathero Ocean. From there, he sailed southwest, until reaching the Glivoran Trail land bridge. Even though he had scheduled a stop there to pick up cargo, he had to free up space in the cargo hold by first making a delivery to Norinivix Island in the Kazofen Ocean.

  Again, Captain Ibriy pulled the levers to pivot the sails and masts to the side of the Cypress Advantage and elevate the ship to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude. He steered the vessel westward across the Glivoran Trail land bridge, returning it to sea level in the Kazofen Ocean. From there, he sailed westward toward Norinivix Island.

  ~~~

  Governor Taulant stood on an available pier in the eastern docks of the Port of Revaxinus in Norinivix Island. The island spanned sixty-seven (67) miles from north to south and one hundred seventy-three (173) miles from east to west. The port city itself extended eleven (11) miles from east to west and eight (8) miles from north to south. The thirty-nine (39) year old governor drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his vial and was energized with the powers of crystal and stone.

  He was surrounded by a company of two hundred eighty-five (285) soldiers, each of whom was armed with long swords and drank anew of the waters of the Nabavodel Ocean from their vials to be energized with the powers of strength and speed. Taulant and his soldiers watched as a two hundred ninety (290) foot long cargo ship sailed next to the pier, slowed to a stop and dropped anchor. He read the markings on the side of the ship and knew that it was the awaited vessel – the Cypress Advantage.

  ~~~

  Captain Ibriy went out on deck and ordered his crew to begin unloading the crates from the cargo hold – five hundred twenty-seven (527) containers, each filled with a mixture of precious gems of various qualities – and carry them down to the pier, to be inspected.

  Ibriy opened his log book and reviewed the instructions he had been given along with the payment for transporting this cargo. Fifty (50) percent of the payment for this delivery job had been made in advance. The process began with a courier who had given him the signed financial transfer document for one hundred seventy-three thousand nine hundred ten (173910) platinum coins during his recent visit to the Port of Bryziklad in the Dark Platinum Road. Soon after he accepted the payment, he was given a cryptic note and a confidential claim number and directed to go to the northernmost port in Grand Redwood Bay in Javanda to receive the cargo. There, after mentioning the claim number to a merchant in that port town, the dock workers began loading the crates onto the Cypress Advantage. With that work behind him, and the delivery made here, Ibriy anticipated the other fifty (50) percent of his payment.

  Ibriy walked down the boarding ramp of the Cypress Advantage and stepped onto the pier, where he saw hundreds of soldiers surrounding a man he could only assume was Governor Taulant, whose name was mentioned in the instructions.

  ~~~

  Governor Taulant personally opened each crate and inspected the top layer of precious gems, examining their low-level structure. After ten (10) hours of this laborious process, occasionally drinking anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his vial to refresh his powers, he was satisfied that the cargo passed inspection.

  “The cargo passes inspection, Captain. Here is your payment,” Governor Taulant said as he handed over a signed financial transfer document for one hundred seventy-three thousand nine hundred ten (173910) platinum coins.

  “Thank you, Governor. Here is a note I was instructed to give you,” Captain Ibriy said. He then handed the cryptic note over to Governor Taulant.

  “Be on your way, Captain,” Governor Taulant said. He then directed his soldiers to carry the crates along the pier and escort him back to his office.

  ~~~

  Captain Ibriy walked back up the boarding ramp of the Cypress Advantage and ordered his crew to prepare the vessel to set sail. They retracted the boarding ramp and raised the anchor. Ibriy returned to the wheelhouse, where he drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial to be energized with the power to listen to the sounds of the stars. He learned their paths and positions and used the information to chart a course back to the Glivoran Trail. He then sailed the ship eastward across the Kazofen Ocean.

  ~~~

  Governor Taulant and his two hundred eighty-five (285) soldiers returned to his office – a large castle located two (2) miles inland from the eastern edge of the Port of Revaxinus.

  The castle walls stood seventy (70) feet in height and measured six hundred fifty (650) feet long from north to south and the same from east to west. At each of its four (4) corners were square towers standing ninety-five (95) feet in height and measuring fifty-five (55) feet in width. The walls connecting the towers protected five (5) story corridors which were thirty-six (36) feet wide and nine (9) feet in height.

  Governor Taulant approached the castle from the south. Six hundred (600) armed sentries stood outside, protecting the main entrance, where the iron gate was lifted. He and his company of two hundred eighty-five (285) soldiers passed through the main entrance. Once inside, he pulled a lever and lowered the iron gate. With the main entrance sealed, he and his soldiers then proceeded through a winding corridor leading to the castle’s grand hall. Thousands of crates filled the room. Two (2) men in black-and-red robes and a woman in chainmail armor waited there. The woman was holding a staff.

  “Did you find suitable crystals this time, Governor Taulant?” the first man in black-and-red robes asked.

  “Yes, Jakov. The best of these will meet our needs.” Governor Taulant said. He opened a crate and removed a blue crystal, holding it up for Jakov to see.

  “Were you finally given a star chart to the destination?” Jakov – the first man in black-and-red robes – asked.

  “Yes. However, it is written using a secret code. You will need to look at it through this lens that I’ve prepared, carefully molded to decode the confidential information,” Governor Taulant said as he handed over the cryptic note along with a translucent crystal marked by various striations.

  Jakov peered through the lens and looked at the cryptic note. The lines and dots on the note were shifted by the translucent crystal’s optical properties, displaying the star chart in its true form. The forty-nine (49) year old man saw that the chart included detailed notes, indicating that it referred to the region of southeastern Waderav known as the Duchy of Yutaka.

  Governor Taulant drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his vial to be energized with the powers of crystal and stone. Using this power, he molded the low-level structure of the blue crystal to
a certain form. “This lapis lazuli is the finest I have seen in some time. It is now ready to receive the vital energy because of my work,” Taulant said.

  “Assuming you are correct, I will prepare the ritual,” Jakov said. He drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from his vial and was energized with the powers of spirit. After a minute, he said: “Prepare the warriors, Mergim.”

  “How many warriors will it be this time?” the second man in black-and-red robes – Mergim – asked.

  “Take thirty-six (36) of these soldiers,” Governor Taulant said.

  “I disagree, Governor. We will need all two hundred eighty-five (285) of these warriors to be used in the ritual. You have soldiers to spare, and the battle will require significant might,” Jakov said.

  “Are they all truly necessary, Jakov?” Governor Taulant asked.

  “Yes, Governor,” Jakov said.

  “Then I approve. Take them all,” Governor Taulant said.

  Mergim drank anew of the waters of the Elanatin Ocean from his vial and was energized with the powers of telepathy and empathy. The fifty-two (52) year old man concentrated and took control of the two hundred eighty-five (285) soldiers accompanying Governor Taulant, divided into groups of ten (10) at a time. He commanded five (5) soldiers in each group to kill the other five (5) soldiers by thrusting swords into their hearts. Mergim simultaneously commanded the other five (5) soldiers in each group to respond by delivering lethal strikes with their dying breaths. The final group was divided two (2) against three (3) and they were executed in the same manner.

  Jakov focused his powers over the spirits departing the corpses of the slain soldiers and directed them into the lapis lazuli held by Governor Taulant.