M.D.Syl
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Chapter 134 colorless
🕑 Added 2024-01-18 23:11:47 +0000 UTCChapter 134 New threats V.
Passion, love, and lust,
The three pillars of chaos and dreams.
The ones behind happiness and madness.
If you concern yourself with what’s normal and accepted,
You’d never be happy.
You’d have to be mad to be happy.
Koshavi, the Princess of Dreams.
"Just say it," I shout. "You hate me so just say it! You regret not listening to Noxi. You wish I was dead. Then you'd still be a shiny paladin and carry Noxi's word around... You'd be happier without me around..."
"I'll never say that!" he exclaims with a shout and I release a breath held deeply within my heart. "But you can't gamble with his life like that, or my life, or anyone's."
Are you really that blind? You stubborn bucket-head! “Snakes!!! Yes, I gambled with his snaking life, ok?! I’m constantly gambling with all of your lives. I hate it. I hate every minute of it. But you know what my task is, don’t you? And my own personal task is keeping you all alive, especially after Lezere.” I sigh and eye the short man who sits up on the ground. “I… I’m sorry, Berthold.”
Berthold perks up. “What? Who? Me? Nah I’m fine… I think? Did you really throw a spear at me?” He looks at the hole in his shirt again, moving his fingers through it.
Kolag shakes his head and stay silent for a long awkward moment. “Are you alright, Inara? Did you get hurt?” His voice echoes with worry.
The change of tone takes me by surprise. “I’m ok, Kolag…” If you care about me, why check on Berthold first? Why yell at me like that instead? Stop with the dumb jealousy, with this inferiority complex... Kolag just have ideals, and he's a good man who cares about everyone's lives... Berthold took a spear to his stomach and a dagger in his back! I got a scratch on my cheek…
I need to focus. Not whatever this emotional venom is...
I turn to face my armored boyfriend. “Thanks for waking me up.” I say dryly and force myself to smile at him. Smiling hurts with the cut on my cheek. so I stop. There's no use pretending anyway.
“You’re welcome, you should be thanking Jerro for the early warning.”
“I will.” I hug him briefly, but he pulls me into a tight embrace that warms my heart immediately, wiping away any anger I might’ve felt.
“I’m glad you’re alive! Jerro said you might die," he whispers with an echo.
My magic not working was alarming, but now I know how to bypass it, just use the real element instead of evoked one… but I haven’t felt any danger…
No, she did something with her eyes… and that dagger almost killed me… what was that?
I’m getting way too used to fighting with my life on the line. If I haven’t felt danger, it means that I’m both underestimating my opponent if they don’t have magic, and not being cautious enough…
After the orcs, and the blood fae, something like this assassin just seems so… underwhelming…
Whoever sent her however… who are they? What do they want? It's most likely that king who plans an attack... preparing the ground for an assault. I need to do something about him. I need an army, fast, I hope Salik gets here soon.
Kolag breaks the hug and look into my eyes from his metallic visor, still having his arms around my back. “I love you, don’t die on me! Not after everything we’ve been through.”
I place my hands on his armored chest. “The same goes to you, bucket head. If you die, I’ll find a way to resurrect you just so I can kill you again!” I want to ride him... I want to keep shouting at him until he... Stop! I'm just teasing myself. That's impossible... Or I can do it with his damned armor on... that's an option. But I can't even kiss him...
“I’m very hard to kill,” he chuckles mirthlessly, “and please don’t compromise your soul like that. Your compassion. It's one thing to kill a corrupt evil man without a care in the world, and another to risk the life of our companions.”
I look into his eyes. “Do you see a better course of action I should have taken?”
“Not right now.” His voice echoes. “What’s done is done. But I can’t say you’ve made the right choice and feel right about it.”
I shrug. “Berthold is alive, and the assassin is dead. That’s all I care about.”
I catch a glimpse of reflected light in his gray eyes through his visor. “The way we achieve our goals matters more than the goals.”
“Depends on the goals, and depends on the way. To me, I only care who dies in the process, I don’t want any of you to die. I don’t care about the rest. Here.” I hand him the odd smooth rock that drains magic. “Keep this on you, it nullifies magic in a very similar way to the blessing of Noxi. It won’t stop physical objects thrown by magic, but you have the armor for that…”
He looks down at the pulsing rock in my hand. “Are you sure you should give me that?” he asks with hesitation.
“Why not?” Why is he hesitating? Oh maybe he think I can use it… “I can’t use magic with this thing in my hand. It’s worse than iron…”
“Why would you trust me with something like that? What if I betray you again?” he asks, dejected.
I should've never shouted it... If I trust him it needs to be full trust, no halfsies. “Kolag?” I put my hands on his helmet, making him look at me. “I trust you. We may disagree on a few things, but at the end of the day I trust you to watch my back. We’re going to face many enemies along the way, and we need every edge we can get.”
“By Noxi you’re beautiful…” he murmurs as he picks the rock.
Why does it have to be ‘by Noxi’?! I think in annoyance, but my face still turns red. I guess he's so used to his god’s name that he uses it without thinking… “Maybe you should pick another god to worship? You seem to like Lokamesh recently...” Seems like I have to accept that he'll need a god to follow, might as well be a god that doesn't take a lot of interest in mortals...
I get an echoing grunt in response. He picks the glassy rock, and puts it in his belt. “I’m sorry, a force of habit. I no longer worship Noxi.”
“I’m aware. How is Sharla doing?” I stretch, I feel like after a very long sleep, charged with energy and mana. My stomach rumbles, I really need something to eat too. I thought meditation eliminated the need in food… but I’ve never meditated for three weeks straight before either.
I look around at the messy garden, rose bushes and lavender shrubs on each end. Three guards are dead on the grass between, their blood taints the greenery. Maids in gray uniform bring cloth to cover the dead, and the guards who are still alive grasp their spears tightly, eyes darting for potential threats. I still need a new Gardner... Or maybe I could garden a little myself, it could be relaxing.
“I’m ok.” Sharla approaches us, with Jerro in tow.
“I’m glad you’re ok!” I hug her. “Thanks for the warning, Jerro, I’d be dead without it!”
“Another warning. You’ve been poisoned, heal yourself,” he says in his apathetic voice.
I touch the numb spot on my cheek, and look dumbfounded at the purplish stains on my hand. Then cast another ‘Lesser Cure Poison’ spell on myself and drink a potion to close the cut in my wrist. “Thanks!” I say when I finish.
Jerro nods dismissively.
“Do I also get a hug? I did take a spear to the belly for you,” Berthold murmurs.
I roll my eyes and hug him with a smile.
To my surprise he pushes me away. “I was only joking. What do we do about these assassins?” He eyes Kolag and Sharla wearily, guiltily. The two don't seem to care though. He clearly still have some feelings for me, even while being with Sharla... aw, Berthold, move on, ok?
“Any idea who sent this assassin?” I turn to Jerro and Sharla.
Sharla tucks her long blue hair behind a sharp tipped ear, her autumn-leaved dress fluttering in the wind, and a few leaves detach and drift with the breeze. “I traced her to the Nightblades, an assassin guild operating on the Gray Islands, but I couldn’t find out who issued the contract on your head.”
I cross my hands on my chest. “Ideas, Jerro?”
He shakes his head, leaning on his cane like an old man. “No idea. But there’s another Shaf in your city. He’s fixated on your actions and locations.”
“A Shaf?” I raise an eyebrow. A priest of Tiyadi… “Don’t they manage funerals or something?”
“Servants of my lord of sufficient rank are called Shaf, yes. Some care for the dead and manage funerals. Others, take other roles. This Shaf is a prophet priest, a battle cleric, and a divinator. As the Lord of Death, my lord is very popular with assassins.”
"And cultists, and death worshipers, and serial murderers, and twisted people who use disease and death curses..." Berthold murmurs bitterly.
“Are you a Shaf of Tiyadi too?” I ask Jerro.
Jerro shakes his head with a passive expression.
The metallic smell of blood is distracting. Various guards attend to the dead and injured behind Jerro. “Just to be clear," I ask. "Are you stronger or weaker than this Shaf?”
“Different strengths, different weaknesses,” he responds with a shrug, as if he doesn’t care enough to compare their individual strengths.
It's about time I should learn the scrying spell, now that I've unlocked my grimoire. “Can you tell us where he is? We can catch him. Berthold can snipe him, I imagine Berthold would want some payback...”
Berthold visibly shudders at my words. I guess I scared him… Understandable… He might want some time away from me too...
“His location is clouded.” Jerro leans on his cane and sits down on a stone bench near a lavender shrub, fatigued like an old man, but I know he’s no older than thirty. “I can pierce through, but it will not help you, and it will expose my presence. He is unaware of my presence, and I like it to stay that way.”
“Is someone attacking my cities any time soon? Are they trying to get rid of me to have an easy conquest?”
Jerro shakes his head. “Not within the next two months. After that, I can’t see clearly, too many variables. Too many deaths.”
“So, someone will attack us in two months?” I conclude.
He shakes his head again and traces his fingertip on the delicate head of his cane. “Too many variables, impossible to know.”
I tuck my hair behind my ear. “Very well, I want you two to figure this out. Is Salik back with the army yet?”
“He’ll be here within two weeks.” Jerro replies coldly, still busy with his cane.
“That’s… good, right?” Berthold asks hesitantly, moving a finger through the hole in his shirt.
I nod. “Yes, that’s good. Since we don’t know who hired the Nightblades to kill me, we have to focus on the Nightblades themselves. Sharla, what do you have on them?”
Sharla looks at me with a pair of crystalline blue eyes, her sharp facial feature forming a deep frown. “Not much, I know they have a large base of operation at Sajarev far south, but every thug on the streets knows that. They accept contracts from anyone willing to pay their high prices, and never betray a contract once they’ve accepted it. At least that’s what the rumors say about them, the reality might be different. What matters is who hired them to kill you.”
“Any chance we could infiltrate this organization?” I focus on Jerro. “I’m thinking of Ryon, Sharla, and Berthold…”
“Me? I’m not an assassin!” Berthold protests. “I will not pretend to worship the God of Death. You can't pretend to worship the God of Death without worshiping him.”
“You can put an arrow through a needle’s eye from fifty meters away,” I say dryly. “An assassin organization will be very impressed with such an ability regardless of worship.”
“I’m not a killer. I’m not like them.” He dares me to challenge him, invading my personal space so much that my crossed wrists graze his chest. His blue eyes staring directly into mine as if he’s looking for something in my eyes.
I take a step back. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t assume what you want. If you don’t want to go, then I won’t force you to…” I almost got him killed just now… and I was about to risk his life again...
I take another step back from Berthold and avert my eyes to Jerro who sits on his bench, brows creased, deep in thoughts. “Jerro? Can we send Ryon and Sharla?”
The prophet massages his temples. “Not by themselves, no. I have to go with them, but you’ll be at risk while I’m gone.”
“Kolag will take care of guarding my life.” I smile at my boyfriend who nods his head in a serious manner. I have no way to know if he has a smile or a frown under that helmet. Berthold gives him a nervous glance which Kolag seemingly ignores.
“Risky…” Jerro murmurs.
“It’s a risk I’ll have to take, unless you have a better idea?”
“I do. Sharlafyn will alter your appearance. She will take your place. I will confuse the Shaf, give him multiple locations and fake images of you, including your room. In a day, Sharlafyn will be capable of apprehending any assailant by herself.”
“Jerro you’re a genius!” Sharla’s voice vibrates with excitement, and Jerro’s fatigued face turns to a deep shade of red. “This plan is great. And besides, I can fully shapeshift and fight during autumn. Cold iron is barely a hindrance to me. I want to see the next assassin who barges into your room and meets a nice cozy dragon,” she finishes with an excited mad giggle.
“Can you really become a dragon?” Berthold asks, blue eyes open with wide admiration.
Sharla chuckles. “Ok, true. Maybe not a dragon, but a drake? I can still breathe frost or fire in such a shape. Dragons are fae monarchs, they’re massive and they cast powerful spells. Nobody is strong enough to shapeshift into something like that… Point is. I can act as a bait and capture an assassin to interrogate. It’ll be much easier to infiltrate their guild with some actual information.”
Jerro nods, he scratches his forehead and lowers his head. “Yes. It will give us information, and will help immensely in our infiltration at Sajarev. Sharlafyn, remember to disable the assassin’s jaw, otherwise he or she may take their own life, the same way this one did.”
“Then I guess it’s settled.” I conclude.
*~*~*
Interlude 134.1
Berthold
“…I guess it’s settled.”
Berthold barely hears the sentence, he doesn’t recognize this woman anymore. She threw a spear at him, and then acts like everything is normal, just another day, nothing happened.
So what if she used her potion to heal him after, thanks for almost killing me and then saving my life! Much appreciated, Inara.
They’re all mad, mages are all snowing mad, as mad as the Ocean Fairy. Inara especially! At least she didn’t force him on a mission with the death cleric, that’s a relief. But now there’s another death cleric here, trying to kill her… Berthold will kill him, that’s one less death cleric to inflict horrible curses on people like his mother, one less death cleric to inflict suffering on the world.
“Hunter.” Jerro intercepts him.
Oh great, what does the death worshiper wants now? “Yes?” Berthold barely had time to settle in. He missed his beautiful fairy, but she didn't have time for him. She was too busy with Inara's rotten tasks.
“We will need your skills. I believe you will find joy in ending people who follow my lord?”
Berthold almost chokes, is he that obvious with his hatred? And it doesn’t even bother this death cleric. Berthold eyes the palace door, making sure it’s close and Inara can’t hear him. “I’m out! I’m done! I’m sitting this one out!” He doesn’t care whether that mad mage lady dies or not, he’s out of here!
“You are not done. I have saved your life, you owe me.”
Berthold frowns, when did the death worshiper saved his life?
“If you leave now, your sister will never be healed, she will die in five years,” Jerro continues.
That’s true. Berthold sighs, he made a deal with another mad mage. “Fine.”
“That’s all.” The death worshiper disappears behind the palace’s doors.
Berthold is left outside, staring at the carnage. Three dead men, three poor idiots who got caught between Inara and that assassin. He’d be the forth, he doubts she’d save his life if he wasn’t one of her inner circle. If anything, he saw how she attacked that assassin with the guards between them, their lives meant nothing to her.
Elitar was right, women like her are dangerous.
*~*~*
Interlude 134.2
Zoe
Zoe eyes Ovin with clear hostility. The thug leans on the railing with his lute, creating an idle melody.
It was supposed to be a romantic trip for just her and Salik, why did this thug have to come along?!
The ship docks at the harbor. This is Tolste’s Bay, the largest city on the Gray Isles by a slim margin, only narrowly out populating Sajarev to the south.
Zoe eyes the gigantic statue above the river, one foot on each bank. This is the statue of Tolste Glass Hand, the heroic gnome who saved the Gray Islands from a certain doom.
The city is large and loud. First, they have to find an inn. Hopefully this thug will get his own room. Zoe watches the numerous slaves boarding a ship to her right, and wrinkles her nose. These people will be freed soon, she knows it. Slaves come to the Gray Islands to settle. Her grandfather was a slave, brought here on a ship, bought and released by a sorcerer in Red Cedar City. He died when she was nine, but she heard his stories, how his life finally turned better after he came here.
Zoe eyes the various sights as they make their way to the Temple of Tonisha. People. Of all races, sizes, and colors. From naked slaves in chain, to rich priests in their colored robes. From a colorfully scaled Silio laborer at the docks, to a fully armed orc of Nuriss’ flock.
The slated rooftops are painted in the color of the district, at the docks it’s blue for Mayan. But once they reach the district of Tonisha it turns orange. The colorful birds on top creates a melody, barely heard over the bustling streets below.
Zoe had never seen a city as big as this one in her entire life! Her head keeps spinning as she takes in the sights.
They enter the loud tavern and Zoe wrinkles her nose at the drunk crowd. She relaxes when she spots a bard, and head his way in an instant. She had enough of Ovin’s foul musical attempts. “A story about Tolste!” She demands, offering the man a silver coin.
“Gladly, Milady.”
Salik heads to get them rooms, but Ovin follows her. Zoe wrinkles her nose. She’s stuck watching over this thug.
“Shaentoxa” <Vegetable> He still tries to summon a tomato, he’s been trying for days.
The bard plucks strings in his lute, Ovin should listen and learn from him. “Tolste Crystal Hand, the jewel of Numaton, the…”
“It’s Glass Hand!” Zoe corrects him. The bard fidgets anxiously.
“Ahem… Tolste Crystal Hand…”
“Shaentoxa” <Vegetable> a tomato grows in Ovin’s palm. “I did it y’oll! Zoe, watch!” Ovin gets up from his seat.
“It’s Master! I’m your Master! Not your friend!” She corrects him. He’s so annoying, would he stop bothering her already? She wants to listen to the bard!
“Sorry, Master. Can I get ma next spell?”
He’s like forty or something, isn’t he? Why does he act like a baby? Always needing attention, he even inserted himself into this trip that was supposed to be hers and Salik’s! “Only if you stay quiet for the day and give me some private time with Salik. Master Inara told you she’ll send you spells if you send her reports! Why did you have to come with us?”
“Need to make sure y’oll don’t forget about me,” he replies with a grin that twists the ugly worm-like scar on his face.
“Argh!” This man is impossible. Salik approaches their table, fixing his straw hat. “Salik? My wind? Did you get us a separate room from this guy?” she asks.
“Of course, dear. Isn’t this supposed to be our honeymoon?” He tips his straw hat with a sarcastic smile she can’t get enough of.
Is he laughing at her? Or not? She'll never know and it doesn't matter. She'll have her private time with the man she loves and that's all that matters.
*~*~*
Power level: 3rd stage apprentice.
Mana pools status:
Crown-knot: Affinity 10: connected: 1 gem replenished per minute.
Neck-Bridge: Affinity 6: formed: max amount of gems drained per day: 91
Abdomen-storage: Affinity 5: connected: 41 neutral gems. Conversion ratio: elemental : neutral-3:1, neutral : elemental-1:1
Air: Affinity 4: formed: 34 gems
Fire: Affinity 2: formed: 17 gems
Light: Affinity 3: formed: 25/26 gems
Water: Affinity 6: connected: 75 gems
Earth: Affinity 1: formed: 8 gems
Wood: Affinity 2: formed: 17 gems
Gravity: Affinity 9: connected: 102/113 gems
Cantrip known:
Air: Shavi’s Breeze, Shavi’s Sword. Shavi’s Hair Dryer, Aria’s Enhanced Hearing. Aria’s Sonic Scream. Aria's Increased Voice.
Fire: Nuriss’ Flame. Effrat’s Firefly, Effrat’s Fire Breath. Sorladika's Lesser Heating. Nuriss’ Ignite. Oniga's Soap Creation.
Light: Noxi’s Light. Lako’s Blinding Light. Rika’s energy hand.
Water: Water Evocation, Water to Ice, Ice to Water, Water to Vapor, Vapor to Water, Mayan’s Icy Spike, Ayla’s Water Jet. Ayla’s instant freezem. Ayla's Flowing Shield. Ayla’s Freezing Vapors. Hot Water Conjuration. Boiling Waterjet.
Earth: Alice’s Oil Summoning, Reiko’s Acid Spray. Alf's Copper Bolt
Wood: Arigor’s Lesser Vines. Kolosu’s Vegetable Summoning.
Gravity: Lumina’s Kinetic Burstm. Tukado’s Repulse. Tukado’s Lesser Shield IIm. Imari’s Minor Telekinesism. Imari’s Jump. Leo’s Pullm. Leo’s Grounding. Alino’s Light Body. Alino’s Heavy Body. Alino's Orbiter.
Transmutation: Oniga's Laundry.
Spells known:
Light: Rika's Electric Channelb1
Gravity: Alino’s Weightless Bodyb1x2. Tukado's Pushb1x3. Tukado’s defense IIIb1x4m. Imari’s Lesser Flightb2m.
Life: Brigit’s Lesser Cure Poison. Brigit’s Skin Restoration.
(Little letters by spell sides: m=mastered. a=advanced. b=bound spell, number near the b is how many gems of the mana pool binding the said spell takes.)
Focus capability: 21 patterns.
Social status: The Queen of Red Cedar City. Inara, Daughter of Mysteries. Apprentice to the Maven of Mysteries. Sorceress.
Personal Wealth: 965 Magic Gems.
Personal Items:
Magical necklace. Contains 100 gems of general mana, can be drained like a mana pool. It’ll recharge by itself at the rate of five gems an hour.
1 potion of lightning body.
1 potion of mana, medium grade.
5 potions of Lesser Healing.
5 potions of Pain Tolerance.
An enchanted belt with eight pouches, the enchantment keeps the pouches’ content fresh. Each pouch may contain 10g of petals or six potion flasks.
40g Rose petals.
10g Lavender petals.
10g Sowbread petals.
10 empty soul bottles. Glass with a diamond stopper, put in scaled leather wrapping.
The Great White Egret grimoire. Dedicated by the Maven of mysteries to Inara. 30/100. Unlocked.
Present Companions:
Kolag of house Befar.
Jerro.
Sharlafyn Nettledew.
Berthold.
Ryon.
Languages:
Toml’a <People’s tongue> Fluent
Sinteo <Speech> Fluent
Myrsha <Gravity> 8/10
Felul <Wind> 1/10
Nim <Water> 1/10
A'arkalu <Wolf Tongue> 4/10
Injuries and scars:
Curses: unknown extracted parasite, possibly bloodline related. Gone due to an unknown bloodline magic.
-
Kingdom’s treasury: 26,163 Golden Peas.
Kingdom’s citizen:
Red Cedar City: 3,609 adults. 1,654 children.
Apricot City: 1,877 adults. 504 children.
Total: 5,990 souls.
Kingdom's army: 123 Footmen. 16 Peacekeeper Knights. 500 Blood Spears.
Notables at Court:
Tasiya Keyholder.
Jolla SilverQuill.
Talbot Bookkeeper.
Aisha?
