Amdirlain’s PoV - Veht?

  Gurn eyed the barrier blocking the tunnel into the cliff face as the Dragon begged for his life. “Are you really going to let it live?”

  “As long as he behaves.” The moment Amdirlain stepped back, his head came up, and a flicker of azure lightning crackled in his mouth as he inhaled.

  Amdirlain effortlessly gouged a line from a scale under his right eye with the tip of her still blazing spear. “Don’t be dumb. First, let’s start with your name.”

  He grumbled and hissed. “I’m too wounded to think straight.”

  She moved the tip of the spear back to his eye. “Either you start by saying your name right now, or I’ll end you.”

  “Veldrozstisa.” Some syllables came out slurred, and Amdirlain caught the deliberateness in it.

  “Say it properly,” Amdirlain snapped. “Last chance.”

  Veldrozstisa straightened himself out, though his broken wing hung limply, and enunciated his name clearly. “What do you intend to do to me?”

  “You’re going to answer a bunch of questions about the Hobgoblin armies. If you cooperate, I’ll sort out somewhere you can go.”

  “Why do you think I know anything about them?” Veldrozstisa asked.

  “Because I heard you and the Priest talking about sticking to the plan for this region.”

  Veldrozstisa stiffened and let out a pained hiss.

  “If you agree not to attack anyone, I’ll heal you. Otherwise, you’re going to have to recover the long way.”

  “You beat me by a trick,” Veldrozstisa accused.

  “It’s not the only trick I have, and the next will kill you,” Amdirlain replied, her eyes cold. “The lives of elves and humans mean nothing to your ilk. Keep behaving this way, and you’ll join those whose blood I can smell on your breath.”

  Her words had Gurn turning towards her; the leniency she showed towards Veldrozstisa and the impact of the earlier blow made his mind race with tales of disguised dragons.

  “I surrendered.”

  “That’s the only reason you’re not already dead. And yet you’ve already tried to break your surrender once,” Amdirlain noted. “Where are your parents?”

  Veldrozstisa hissed. “They’ll come for you.”

  “You’re a terrible liar,” Amdirlain laughed. “Why don’t you try again?”

  “Dead. Storm giants killed them a decade ago,” Veldrozstisa rumbled.

  At least he doesn’t have a direct grudge against adventurers or elves.

  “That at least was the truth.” Amdirlain stored the spear and waited to see if Veldrozstisa would try something, but the Dragon eyed her fearfully. “I see I have your attention now.”

  Veldrozstisa twitched nervously. “No Elf should smell as fearless as you.”

  “You’re not worth worrying about,” Amdirlain retorted. Greenish tendrils of energy flowed from her hands as spells repaired Veldrozstisa’s wounds. Bones snapped back into position, sundered flesh and damaged scales sealed. Once she was done, Amdirlain beckoned Veldrozstisa to stand. “Shapeshift.”

  “I don’t know how.”

  I really hate bullying people, but blue dragons don’t follow orders unless they’re convinced someone is stronger.

  “Liar.” A blade formed of bluish-white vapour appeared above the Dragon’s right thumb. “That’s the last lie you get to tell me and live. You will follow my orders and tell me the truth. You surrendered, so these are the rules until I release you somewhere I deem safe for others.”

  “I understand.” Veldrozstisa turned into a male version of Amdirlain. He lifted his chin defiantly, and the spearmint highlights across his skin caught the morning sunlight. “Why did I need to change form?”

  With an amused snort, she tossed him a pair of pants and a shirt. “This way, you won’t be tempted to do something stupid and die before we get answers. Bare feet won’t be a problem. Get dressed.”

  “Saatti had magical boots. Can I have them?”

  “The Priest?”

  “Yes,” Veldrozstisa rumbled.

  Though she knew their enchantment was practical rather than dangerous, Amdirlain frowned. “I’ll consider it. It’ll be a little while before it’s safe to retrieve them, and we might be done with questions by then.”

  “What poison did you put in the air? I thought Saatti had enchantments to protect against such dangers,” Veldrozstisa said.

  “The air we breathe has many parts to it. So, changing the ratios isn’t a poison that most spells will detect, but it can influence the mind and even kill. Now put on those clothes, or do I need to dress you?”

  Veldrozstisa swallowed and turned the pants in his hands. He soon fumbled them, having to hop on the spot as he got the first leg in and then pulled on the shirt. The pants started to slip down, and Amdirlain fixed the drawstring with a Spell rather than come within arm’s reach.

  “What did you do?” Veldrozstisa asked.

  “In the future, tie a knot in the string at your waist, or the pants will slip off.” The silvery bonds decapitated the bound guards, the strands floated their hands back to her. “Tell me about this Hobgoblin tribe and the plan for this area.”

  “The tribes want fertile land. Straight-on assaults have failed, so the plan was to prune the adventurers who support the armies. We were supposed to kill all the weak adventurers showing up here before they got stronger.”

  That’s not something that would show results in a single year.

  Amdirlain tapped her foot impatiently. “And what else?”

  “We’re part of efforts to cover lots of places with smaller tribes set to raid behind the Human lines.”

  “Why were Saatti and you involved?”

  “The chance at land to rule and tribute.”

  “There isn’t a place among others of his faith?”

  Veldrozstisa snickered. “She doesn’t care about humans or anyone but dragons worshipping her. Saatti believed in Tiamat, but I doubt she’d care that he’s dead.”

  That’s true; she didn’t care when Outlands me asked for permission to kill him. But Gurn would have wondered if I hadn’t asked.

  “Do you know where the main Hobgoblin army is?” Gurn asked.

  Veldrozstisa only yawned and stretched his arms casually, not taking his attention from Amdirlain. “Did you know orcs taste like pigs?”

  “Treat his questions as if I had asked them.”

  “Whatever. There isn’t a primary army. When Saatti was speaking to the big chieftain, I overheard others talking about how they’re keeping troops spread out to lure scouts into ambushes,” Veldrozstisa rolled his eyes. “Two legs are so boring, no wonder you can’t stand each other.”

  “Where was this meeting place?”

  Tension twisted Veldrozstisa’s muscles in knots. “I never saw the sky or landmarks. They opened a Gate, and we went through to a cavern. Saatti spoke to a few people while I got food, then we went to the tribe we lead here.”

  “Why did you dig out that cave for Saatti?”

  “How do you know I did it?”

  “The claw and teeth marks, and lack of debris. I know dragons can eat stone.”

  “It was a shallow bear’s den when we got here. I wanted more space, and he didn’t want the hobgoblins camping out in the open.”

  The bunched muscles beneath Veldrozstisa’s flesh didn’t ease off until Amdirlain and Gurn asked dozens of questions unrelated to the leader’s location. Veldrozstisa was a font of information, having overheard planning while waiting for Saatti to speak with the leader.

  With the sun nearly overhead, Veldrozstisa huffed. “Isn’t that enough?”

  Amdirlain opened a Gate beside him; the daytime sky gave no clue it was another world. “Go through.”

  “Where does that lead?”

  “You’ll be far from here,” Amdirlain said. “You can fly and feed while we investigate the answers you’ve provided. If I wanted to kill you, I could have opened the Gate to bisect you.”

  Veldrozstisa shuddered and hopped across the threshold. As he started to turn back, Amdirlain closed the Gate.

  The wild animals will be in danger, but there is no civilised species on that world.

  Gurn frowned in tight concern. “Where did you send him?”

  “Far from here. There is no chance of him getting back to threaten the Human lands until he gets the strength to open a Gate himself.”

  “He didn’t lie about anything else?” Gurn asked.

  “Technically, he didn’t lie again. He didn’t see the sky or any landmarks, but he clearly knew the cavern’s location. Let’s get this job signed off and return to the Guild Master. Someone’s playing a longer game than usual with the hobgoblins.”

  The right ear from each of the Hobgoblin warriors floated out of the cave, and Amdirlain deposited them in a cloth sack.

  “I could tell he got a little worked up about it.” Gurn squared his shoulders. “Are you an Elf or a Dragon? You said you could smell people on his breath?”

  Amdirlain laughed. “I’m not a Dragon, but I’m friends with a number. I know their sense of smell is important. While I didn’t know who he’d eaten, it was a given he would have at some point, and I wanted to throw him off balance with suspicion. Let’s check the far end of the valley and then get the elder to sign off.”

  “That many dead bodies will invite carrion feeders. They’re not exactly going to feed the forest lying on a stone floor.”

  A stream of sparks flew out of her left hand. The leading edge struck the dead guards and left ash in its wake before continuing down the carved passage.

  “Or did you want evidence from the rest?”

  “Given how easily you disabled the Dragon, along with the various heads and ears, I’ll take your word for it,” Gurn replied. “The job doesn’t require evidence of specific numbers.”

  “I killed them as mercifully as I could,” Amdirlain noted, and let the barrier before the entryway drop. Gusts of wind swirled around them and carried a dust cloud into the cave.

  “What about the gear on Saatti?”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “It burned with the rest. I wouldn’t have risked selling it to anyone,” Amdirlain said.

  “Do you have a real name I can call you? Your nickname of Jay feels disrespectful, given your clear proficiency with magic and your Grandmaster-ranked skills.”

  Amdirlain rolled her eyes. “Why is it disrespectful to use a name I picked? Jay is fine. I feel more disrespected when people insist on tacking on titles like ‘Grandmaster’. You’re a gold-ranked adventurer, so I’ll ask you a question: do you want me calling you Senior?”

  “No.”

  “Then?”

  “Have it your way, Jay,” Gurn replied. “There is no point in your doing the trash jobs. There are more demanding jobs in the silver tier. I’m going to recommend Marcin skip the trash detail with your punishment.”

  “No. I said I’d take care of those three hundred jobs, and I’ll do that,” Amdirlain said firmly. With the sack and heads floating between them, she teleported them to several locations around the valley. At each stop, she took her time to ‘check’ for scouts, before they appeared at the bridge outside the hamlet.

  A different lookout announced their return, and Amdirlain soon had Gurn’s paper presented to Elder Félagi.

  The man looked at the evidence and nodded grimly. “Even with how you killed the scouts earlier, you’re back far quicker than I expected. You said I need to sign the paper a second time?”

  The Elder quickly had the form signed off.

  “We’d have been here sooner, but we had a prisoner to interrogate,” Gurn replied. “I’d have your people on the lookout for any signs of a new hobgoblin tribe moving.”

  “Farewell, Félagi,” Amdirlain said, before she teleported with Gurn.

  They appeared a kilometre north of the La?ki, the noonday sun still overhead.

  The guards at the town’s heavy stone gates waved them through with a glance at their identification. As they passed the eateries along the way, they had to press through the crowds along the street’s edge as they dodged around wagons.

  When they arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild, the only person in the foyer was Zivena. The receptionist was behind the same counter, eating a mix of dried fruit and bread while she worked, sorting paperwork.

  Amdirlain grabbed Gurn’s shoulder as he stepped forward and pushed him towards the bench area to the right.

  “Wait for her to finish.”

  “Paperwork around the guild is eternal,” Gurn grumbled. “That’s why I came up with the form.”

  “I meant her lunch, you bully. Sit down.”

  Zivena glanced to find Amdirlain herding Gurn and grabbed for a mug to wash down her food.

  “Are you sure?” Zivena mumbled around a piece of half-chewed bread.

  “We’ll wait.”

  “You’re used to getting your way, aren’t you, Jay?” The gold-ranked adventurer huffed but took a spot on the closest bench.

  Before Amdirlain could reply, a Message Spell released from Marcin’s office sped westward, alerting its target that Jay had returned; the name he used to send it was familiar.

  “Not always, but sometimes it’s my turn to make a choice,” Amdirlain replied. “Zivena’s stuck minding the counter alone, and we’re not in a rush.”

  He started to reply, but an open bottle of mead and a roast beef sandwich appeared in Amdirlain’s hands. She thrust them towards him. “Eat up.”

  “Tell me you didn’t have those stored within the same device as the cores.” Gurn didn’t wait for her to reply, taking a large bite.

  “Of course not, that’s just gross,” Amdirlain huffed before she created lunch for herself.

  Gurn was soon licking his fingers and looking at her curiously. “An item that holds food in stasis is handy. Can you put me in touch with the enchanter? The storage items I have don’t stop things from decaying.”

  “I’ll contact them, but I don’t know if they’re taking commissions. How big an item are you after?”

  “There are five in my normal team, so something to hold at least a couple of hundred days’ worth of food.” Gurn scratched his head. “I’m sure that’s not accurate enough. How about holding 700 kilograms in stasis?”

  “I’ll let you know.”

  Gurn grinned. “Mind you, that doesn’t mean I’ll go easier assessing your jobs.”

  “If you were the type of person to do so, I wouldn’t have offered,” Amdirlain replied.

  She was about to say more when a breathless woman burst in the front door, the hem of her dress badly ripped. “Help, there is a thing trying to pull people into the drain on Crafters’ Lane.”

  “A slime?” Gurn asked.

  “No, it’s got a solid body.”

  Zivena grabbed for a slip. “The township will pay, Gurn.”

  “Yeah. I’ll take Jay with me.”

  “I’ll mark it up as an emergency job, so it's double pay.”

  Gurn fixed Amdirlain with a boyish grin. “Do you even need to move?”

  Amdirlain shook her head. Silvery orbs and threads blurred out the door, which still swung violently behind the woman.

  A few seconds later, she wrinkled her nose in distaste. “There are two people dead and six injured at the scene. It’s dead now.”

  Gurn raced away.

  Rangers have healing spells.

  “What was it?”

  “It’s an aberration; recently grown and clearly artificial. Someone’s experimenting and releasing things into the drains that they shouldn’t. The corpse is on the way to the processing hall. Do you have anyone on staff who might identify the alchemy involved?”

  Zivena blinked as an image appeared before the counter. The thing was a massive centipede, a metre and a half across and eight metres long, with whiplike tendrils in place of antennae.

  “That’s it,” the woman sighed. Her legs shook, and her knees sagged as the adrenaline dump hit.

  Amdirlain stood and helped the woman onto the bench. “Are you injured at all?”

  The woman parted the tear in her dress with trembling hands; a long welt from a whip strike ran from above her knee to her ankle. “I didn’t feel it until now.”

  An unguent pot appeared on Amdirlain’s palm. “This should ease the pain and reduce the chance of any infection,” Amdirlain explained as she unscrewed the lid.

  The woman tried to stand. “I’ve not got any spare coin.”

  “Did I say I was charging you?” Amdirlain asked.

  “I’ll be right back. Please tell anyone that comes in to wait,” Zivena said, and she took the connecting corridor to the processing hall, leaving the door open behind her.

  With a delicate touch, Amdirlain spread the creamy mixture of aloe vera gel; the unheard healing song stole the redness and pain away where the gel had touched.

  “Thank you. I’m Nadezhda. Might I know your name, adventurer?”

  “Call me Jay,” Amdirlain replied, maintaining her apparent concentration on treating the wound. When she had treated the last section, a Spell repaired the rip in her dress.

  “Even my dress?” Nadezhda’s hands shook, and she sagged further.

  “Do you hurt anywhere else?”

  “No. You said two people were dead, and I’ve not even a torn dress.”

  “What happened wasn’t your fault.”

  “You used an image to show the dead creature. Who did you see dead?”

  Amdirlain set two illusions hovering next to them: a dark, muscular youth wearing soot-stained clothing might have been a smith, and another in a guard uniform.

  Tears streamed down Nadezhda’s cheeks. “A Smith apprentice. I didn’t even know his name. He pushed me away and told me to run.”

  She wiped the tears with her palms and tried to stand, but Amdirlain embraced her before she could move. “You’re alive through his choice, but if you hadn’t run, you might both be dead. You didn’t just flee; you ran here and thus saved others. Live a good life, to respect his sacrifice and try not to let guilt burden you.”

  “You sound like one of Lerina’s faithful,” Nadezhda whispered.

  “Good advice is good advice, and it doesn’t matter where it comes from,” Amdirlain said. “I hurt inside for a long time, carrying guilt that wasn’t mine.”

  Nadezhda nodded into her shoulder. Zivena came back with a male guild member in tow. “We’ll see she gets home safely.”

  Amdirlain kissed Nadezhda on the cheek and handed her over to the gentleman’s care.

  “You said it was clearly artificial?” Zivena questioned once Nadezhda had left. “Why do you believe it wasn’t an abnormal reaction to a Mana surge?”

  “The distortion of its physical form isn’t just a growth and the addition of powers. Its antennae have changed purpose and increased disproportionately relative to the rest of its body,” Amdirlain declared. “You also didn’t have others breaking out in the surrounding drains.”

  Andirlain offered her the paperwork, signed by the settlement elder, and a pouch of fifty slime cores. “Did you want to get started on this? Gurn is already on his way back.”

  Zivena slipped back behind the counter and examined the signed paperwork before she updated the ledger. From under her counter, Zivena drew a collection of folders and passed them to Amdirlain before emptying the pouch of cores. “I’ve grouped the jobs the Guild Master put together by region. The top folder contains those in La?ki and the surrounding settlements.”

  “Thank you,” Amdirlain said and, though she already knew the contents, started leafing through the jobs at a modest pace.

  She was still looking through them when Gurn returned.

  He got a bright smile from Zivena, who waggled the form they’d used on the job. “Are you trying to convert others to your efficiency, Senior?”

  Gurn shrugged. “It’s just common sense.”

  “You only supervised?” Zivena questioned.

  “Jay did all the scouting and killing,” Gurn replied. “She’s now only two hundred and ninety-eight jobs from completion.”

  “The sewer one wasn’t from Marcin’s stack,” Amdirlain corrected.

  Amdirlain heard the song of a familiar person appear in the Guild Master’s office; her first words were to enquire about Jay.

  It seems I attracted attention. I should have reduced my Skill ranks further and tried to fake a lower proficiency. Oh well, it’s not like I wouldn’t have gone to see her eventually.

  “We should have adventurers check on some of these remote locations more regularly,” Gurn said to Zivena. “A bit of education might help the residents and avoid problems when people show up for jobs.”

  He’s taking my suggestion seriously.

  “What do you mean?” Zivena asked.

  “The way their lookout behaved could have caused problems for inexperienced adventurers in a few ways,” Gurn offered, before he explained the argument Amdirlain and he had over the lookout.

  Marcin descended the stairs with the new arrival in tow. Aggie’s dark brunette hair was now salted with silver strands. Immortal Spirit, rather than the preservation of channelling the divine, had suspended her aging. While her kind expression hadn’t dimmed, there was a weight of age and experience in her gaze that lent that kindness more import. She took in Amdirlain’s features with a knowing smile and approached the counter with crisp steps. The black silk she wore mirrored a Wu Shu uniform; its starkness highlighted the gold thread that formed subtle candle flames across her torso and sleeves.

  “Hello, J,” Aggie said. “It’s been a long time.”

  The shortened pronunciation prompted Marcin to study the pair.

  “Longer than I expected,” Amdirlain replied. “You’re looking good, Aggie. Or should I use your Prestige Class for greetings?”

  “No need for formality between us. I’m a little hurt that you hadn’t told me you were travelling in the Human Lands,” Aggie said. “Is everything all right?”

  “I thought I’d be nosy and get firsthand knowledge rather than experience the lands with a guide. I’m staying with a nice family and teaching a little while I earn my rank in the Adventurers’ Guild.”

  “What noble put you up?”

  “Not a noble family, but a working family on the west side of La?ki. They’ve got an apartment on the top floor of their Insula. I’m finding it an interesting experience.”

  Aggie turned to Marcin. “Might we borrow your office, Guild Master? There are some things about La?ki that J should know.”

  “Only if I can join this conversation,” Marcin replied.

  “Feel free,” Amdirlain chirped.

  Aggie looked at Amdirlain in disbelief.

  “What? We don’t have to say everything aloud, nor limit it to a brief catch-up,” Amdirlain projected.

  “Very well,” Aggie conceded aloud.

  ? ? ? ? ? ?

  Eldest’s Pov - Utopia

  The lines of trees that marched down the mountainside seemed to welcome him home. Every rustle of the leaves in the celestial breeze soothed his being, and the plane’s enduring goodness comforted him. The unbridled arrogance that he had possessed when he had last been here showed itself in the site that rose from the plains at the base of the mountain. When he’d been among the greater servants of a Formithian deity, the surface structures of hives had been purely functional fortified entranceways; now they were gaudy tunnels decorated with excessive riches.

  He stopped at the edge of the growing crevice that encircled the Domain, the fabric of Utopia drawing itself away from the corruption within its limits.

  “Our deities are not who they once were. You should consider that those worlds you consumed, and souls you maimed came either from the Titan’s forge or the Songbird’s design.” He spread his true arms and six wings wide as he raised his voice; his words amplified by magic echoed across the landscape. “I declare Aogruco a rotten usurper of the Songbird’s work, malicious and arrogant to her core. She sees only what benefits her as good; her greed knows no bounds. See that the very fabric of Utopia, a land defined by goodness and orderly care of all, rejects the Domain where she sits the highest now. Yet the ever-arriving souls are gifted with truth, and it stains the land with the corruption that exists in her heart.”

  A Formithian goddess appeared before Eldest, and he braced himself for an attack. When no blow came, he drew himself up and studied her, recognising the insignia that represented carers within the hive. He hid his surprise that she still existed.

  “Palithas, I’m honoured you came to greet me,” Eldest said.

  “You are one of our servants, yet you speak against us?”

  “I speak for the Formithian species, not your Pantheon. You are the God of Healing among your kin, but you refuse to perceive the extent of your kin’s illness. Look with my sight, see with my memories, and see how far the rot has spread.” Eldest bowed his head and didn’t resist as Palithas’s awareness rushed through his aeons in the Abyss.

  Aeons of aiding Fallen from thousands of species progress along Redemption’s Path buffeted her, but she endured it silently. Finally, when his memories touched on the events with Eleftherios and Am, she straightened sharply. Though Am had never provided her name, the significance of Eleftherios’s presence made her importance to the Titan clear.

  Palithas cried out. “Dizoklas.”

  The deity of Magic and Knowledge among the Formithian appeared on the slope. Their exchange brushed past Eldest, but he felt the increasingly frantic conversation between them.

  “We withdraw from this Pantheon and Domain,” Dizoklas declared.

  Palithas’s claws spread mournfully, and her crest of tendrils sagged.

  The pair vanished, and Eldest saw countless trillions of souls streaming away from the Domain. Some spiralled towards a location higher on Mount Celestia, while others shifted away the moment they cleared the boundary; the energies within their shift hinted at Mechanus. Great crevices suddenly split the Domain’s landscape, and the central mound rattled and jumped in the throes of a massive earthquake.

  I have done as Eleftherios requested; this Domain time here has ended. May those who choose to remain with them eventually seek redemption’s grace.

  He felt the Aspect’s touch, laying waste to the last remnants of the inertia that had held the Domain within Utopia. The rattling turned into a collapse, and the first planet-sized swathes of the Domain plummeted across planes. Bouts of infighting and accusations hastened its demise.

  Eldest left the Pantheon to its fate and returned to his work in Atonement.