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Naala and Alteria looked at me nervously. The latter stared down at the circle of green flames that I’d crafted around them. “And this is going to help us do that?” Alteria asked while I ventured for more materials from my drawers.
“Aye, provided that you don’t snub your little Hæňgaramian nose at my words. Choose not to, and the war between you and Zevmar shall be the least of your worries,” I replied, as I lay some vials down on the floor.
When I looked up, it wasn’t hard to see the nervousness on Naala’s face. However, I eased her concerns with a wave of my hand. “Aye, the first time meeting the bastard be about as pleasant as a virgin’s first time, but after that, it be not so bad. Now, both you lasses sit up straight. I wanna do this shit once and only once,” I commanded.
Naala and Alteria while the latter slowly discarded her armor. Heavy thuds of Hæňgaramian material moved through my quarters until Lady Knight was left with a sleeveless shirt and shorts. She then glared at me. “Ask for more than this, and I’ll make you regret it!” she threatened, but I dismissed her worries.
“Aye, aye, fair lass. I shall not tarry nor wander my eye,” I returned as I dipped my finger in the squid’s ink again.
I decided to start with Naala first. I touched the center of her forehead and began slowly chanting magic. “Inun rolun. Xie hanmle rion dolor be. Wi me galvork,” I said as I traced three seals on Naala’s forehead. She groaned in discomfort as the three seals became enflamed by the green fire. One by one, they slowly disappeared, settling into her mind to conjure up the barriers that would keep anyone or anything from attacking her.
Naturally, this spell for creating mind barriers was one of the more powerful ones in Liara’s mind. It was also one of the quickest ones. Were I to try for higher than this, it’d take at least two extra weeks of preparation. That was time I just didn’t have. The only downside to this spell was that it didn’t last very long. It’d last long enough to get what we needed from Yyril and leave. I had no doubts that if we stayed for longer than necessary, he’d break through this barrier spell and our minds would be at his mercy.
Once the seals were done integrating with Naala’s mind, I strengthened them further by pouring a portion of my mana into them. Naala clenched her hands and gritted her teeth, groaning when sweat as black as the ink on my finger seeped out of her skin. Bit by bit, it fell to the floor until it started disappearing in black clouds of smoke in the green fire.
After some time, I was finished with her and Naala opened her eyes. “Fuck! I ain’t even drank anything and yet I feel like I’ve got the world’s shittiest hangover!” she complained, rubbing her head while I turned to Alteria.
“It will fade in a few hours. Once I’m finished with our ship’s knight, we’ll be done. You both can lie down until the feeling passes,” I said as I worked on Alteria. As expected of her, she took the discomfort with a lot more discipline than Naala did, barely grunting at all. The only given sign was the way her face scrunched up when I spoke the same words and performed the same spell.
Unfortunately for her, the black sweat that poured out of her body quickly stained her clothes instead of hitting the floor. It was a horrid smell. Worse than any homeless bastard’s stench on Draegnar’s dirty streets.
Once we were done, Naala covered her nose. “Fuck! Does it always smell this bad?” she asked as Alteria saw just how much shit she’d poured out from her head and body. She took a sniff as well and grimaced.
“Indeed. It smells like your ship on a normal day at sea,” Lady Knight said before she stood up. Unfortunately, she was quickly brought back to her knees when her legs gave out. Naala quickly tried the same thing before she also came to the same result.
I laughed. “Aye, that’ll pass as well,” I said as I opened the window. I pulled in some water from the cove outside and splashed Alteria with it. For my efforts, I received a glare from her as her white hair sagged over her face. She brushed her locks from her face while Naala smirked.
“Best to be drenched than smell like shit,” she said before Alteria all but forced herself to stand up. She grabbed her sword and used it as an old man’s crutch. Little by little, she walked until she opened the door and slammed it shut. We watched her go before I stepped into the circle and took off my clothes as well.
Meanwhile, Naala groaned, reaching to my bed to lie down. Once she was out of the way, I drew the seals on my forehead as well, levitating a mirror with another spell to help me. Unfortunately, my prowess in the mystic arts offered me no advantage over Alteria and Naala. I too felt the fucking discomfort from the spell and dragged myself to my bed, joining Naala there.
Neither of us spoke a word. It wasn’t long until I heard Naala shuffle, her head on my neck she fell asleep. I gently shook my head aware that çeşme escort the exhaustion she felt was fairly normal. The times Liara used this spell on others, they too felt deader than a bastard’s corpse in the Draegnar sunken seabed. I allowed her to rest peacefully while I retreated into the corners of my mind for more reading.
By the time Naala woke up, I’d already finished my studies. I’d managed to pry myself from her and perform a little bit of alchemy. Alteria returned for her armor, not sparing me a word whether for consideration of Naala’s rest or her anger toward me. Either way, she left quickly, and about two hours later, my powder monkey began to stir.
She grabbed her clothes and changed into new ones, not caring that she did so in front of me. In fact, I dare say she enjoyed my gaze. A slight grin came on her face when she saw me gazing upon her chocolate skin. I continued to stare unashamedly, matching her smirk. Once she was fully dressed, she offered me a small wink and left as well.
I stayed in my room after that, busying myself with work until a knock on my door came. I turned around while Nei and Lei glanced at the door. “Enter,” I said.
The door opened and I saw Goron come through, his wide body barely making it through the door. I made no mention of it, even if I found the sight rather humorous. I wasn’t sure he saw me grin. If he did, then he simply didn’t care. He walked over to me, his big steps making the floor thunder.
“We will be ready to venture there when you’re ready, Captain,” he said, his stern eyes piercing into mine. Even with his unrelenting gaze, I could tell he too was wondering if this was a good idea.
I pushed some of the books I was reading away and nodded. “Aye, good. Then we’ll make for his domain tomorrow. How long has it been since Liara had to visit him?” I asked.
“I would assume about 500 years. They normally only meet to trade information. Lady Liara has on occasion brokered deals between Yyril and those not so attuned to his cruel methods. You are aware of the methods to get to him, right?” he asked.
I turned to face him. “Aye, that I am. This be no a voyage that I’d make for stupid circumstances. I don’t like the bastard anymore than you or even Diane do. Hell, I hope this’ll be the only time I have to meet him in this lifetime,” I replied.
Goron continued to look at me curiously. It seemed as if he’d say something else, but it died on his lips. “Understood. I’ll relay that to the others,” he said as he turned around.
Goron was close to the door before I addressed him again. “Goron, do you not miss your mistress? Care you to not ask which lands or realms she’s ventured to?” I asked. I wasn’t quite sure what made me desire the answer to this question, but the matters of Yyril and Diane brought me back to other times. They were times when she’d talk about Liara here and there. Yet, the big lug of the three of them never made much mention of it.
“Lady Liara will return when she deems the time ready. I have traveled with her for many years, some of them I enjoyed, and a lot of them I hadn’t. Nevertheless, if it is my fate to meet my mistress again, then I can only obey her orders until they’re changed. At this moment, she orders that we stay aboard your ship, Captain. Best you live up to her expectations,” he said before he opened and closed the door. His heavy steps thundered in the distance until they were gone.
“Ain’t much of an answer that be,” I thought to myself before I turned around and continued my work. Nei and Lei stayed as my observers, fascinated by every little fucking thing I did. That said, despite their fascination, they seemed to understand how busy I was, preferring to remain quiet and watch. For some reason, Nei seemed more fascinated than Lei. I wasn’t sure if she understood all I was saying, but I couldn’t help describing a bit of the shit I was messing with since she seemed so invested in my work.
The day swiftly turned to night. My studies and replaying of events surrounding Liara and Yyril took a turn as I decided to work some more on my rapier. Once again, that turned out to be a fat horseshit’s waste of my time as I was met with more failure. I really needed a place where I might cultivate proper fire spirits. That was also one of the fucking reasons I needed that phoenix feather for. Even a small piece of it would stimulate a fire spirit’s growth.
Thankfully, a few of my forces from Hilvir had been headed in that direction after Anastasia news to me. I’d hoped that I could do it without the phoenix feather, allowing me to make use of more of it for other means. Unfortunately, the sea’s luck seemed to be at low tide for me today.
I decided to put an end to my failures, not desiring to grow more frustrated than I already was. So I made myself ready for bed. Just before I could blow out the candles, another knock came on my door. I didn’t even başakşehir escort have to guess who it was. When the door opened, I saw Diane and Naala standing there.
They quickly climbed into bed with me and the fairmaids eagerly joined. We rested peacefully, and the ship became quiet. There was only the sound of the gentle waters in the cove of Hæňgaram.
When we woke the next morning, I noticed there was a bit of tension in the air. Diane checked the clips of her guns and fire off a few rounds into the caves, scaring a few bats here and there. Naala kept cleaning her pistols, checking the chambers even when there was nothing to check for. Alteria busied herself with swinging her blade, paying neither eye nor ear to anyone unless directly spoken to.
The only one I didn’t see was Goron. I assumed he was still in The Root, checking anything and everything for our venture. I just continued to watch the three lasses in their own little worlds before I clapped my hands, breaking them all from their musings.
“You lasses look like you’re about to meet the judgment of Hades. Ease your nerves for I’ll not let the spirit harm any of you. Now, prepare to head out,” I said.
Naala finally put down her dirt rag and chuckled. “Yeah, can’t see Ellen having the nerve to sail a group of bastards and bitches across the seas of D’orn on her own. She’d sooner make the poor shits walk the plank,” Naala joked.
Naturally, I knew Naala hadn’t said that out of ill will to me, I couldn’t find the joke funny from my own experiences. In fact, I’d gotten a few restless nights from it. Still, I did find some humor in Ellen trying to manage my ship if somehow this venture turned south. I could already see her and my mother butting heads and fists until they were both black and blue in the face.
Slowly the smile fell off my face. I remembered how my mother felt when I’d nearly died back on Delverhold. It seemed her insecurities ran deep and I remembered the guilt which my stupid actions forced upon her. Whether she hated me or would not share tender moments with me anymore, it didn’t matter. I’d not allow her to fall into that damn rut I’d pulled her out of.
Determined, I ushered them all down the stairs. Diane looked at me once more and I nodded, firm in my decision. She didn’t speak. She simply grabbed her coat from over the wooden railing and draped it over her shoulder. She holstered her pistols next and made her way down the stairs.
“Mate, this… good?” Nei asked as I felt her wiggle around in my chest pouch. She slowly popped her head out while Lei came out of my side pocket.
“Not feel good,” I then heard Lei’s voice as she brushed a hand through her silky, black hair.
“Aye, it be necessary. Just make sure you two keep your heads down,” I said. They quickly slipped back into my pocket. I actually wished to leave them here as I wasn’t sure how long we’d be gone. I’d rather not leave them without water for too long, but they seemed to fervently desire to journey with me, so I allowed it.
I walked down the stairs, the corridors seeming very long today. The hollow echoes of my steps through the wooden floors somehow made me uneasy. Even I started to wonder if this was a good idea. Despite all I’d seen from Yyril and Liara, I’d be a fool to think there wasn’t more hidden between the two of them. I was sure there were things about Yyril that not even Liara knew, or perhaps she didn’t desire to know. I sure as hell didn’t. Were Saviara to meet with Yyril, I imagine the spirit would laugh mockingly at the man’s sense of cruelty, a mere joke like a child’s game.
When I arrived at the door, I saw the others waiting for me. Naala and Alteria stepped aside as I grabbed the handle and opened the door. Inside, Goron stood ready. The magic array which would take us to The Root lay at his feet. When I stepped on it, the others followed after me. I activated the array and immediately we were taken to the front entrance of the store.
In my past life, never would I have thought that these shelves of books and jars of materials would become common for me. I walked past them and the others quickly followed behind me. Leaving the first building, I heard Naala gasp as we walked outside. No doubt she was stunned to see us walking through a black void of utter nothingness, the only thing allowing us to breathe being the magic circulating through the air.
We crossed the wooden bridge between the public face of the shop and the shop where Liara normally conducted her business. Goron opened the door and led us inside. “So just out of curiosity, what happens if someone falls off that bridge?” Naala asked as she
“Compared to other shit, it ain’t too bad. You’ll just keep falling and falling until your hair turns gray and your bones turn to dust. I dunno if you’ll rot though. Won’t be anything to feed on you while you fall,” Diane answered.
Naala slowly küçükçekmece escort nodded, but I eased her worries. “It’d be impossible for you to fall off since the magic around the shop puts you back at the entrance,” I said while I saw Diane smile.
“Yeah, but she didn’t know that,” the Guard of the Witch said before she was jabbed in her arm by Naala.
Even Alteria made her own comment. “Before I ventured with you, I’d never have believed such magics were possible. I’d never even seen such a powerful display of spatial magic before. It seems there is much to still uncover, and much that men are still willing to manipulate,” she reasoned.
Diane snorted. “You haven’t seen the half of it. Stick around and you just might.”
We continued walking and I absently noticed Alteria curiously looking through the inside of The Root. Obviously, this had been her first time here. The mystical marvels that lay within the shop’s walls were a feast to the eyes of all guests, both first-time and longstanding. However, as expected of her status, she made sure not to make her fascination so upfront. Perhaps that had something to do with the hostility she’d been facing from her own people. In their eyes, maybe she’d slowly become used to the allures of the pirate’s life. However, I imagined they’d all rest easy soon enough. Alteria didn’t seem like the plundering sort. Lass had too much heart for the life.
After a bit of walking through the hallways, and up a number of stairs that seemed taller than the shop we were in, we arrived in front of a door coated in majestically enchanted iron. I could feel the presence of great mana exuding from the door while its finely crafted knob drew my eyes to it. I quickly recognized it as a warning sign. Liara enjoyed infusing the doorknobs of every door with a certain feeling that matched the things behind it. Warning auras meant that vast dangers lay beyond, and calm auras usually meant a more pleasant experience.
I wasn’t sure why Liara did this, but I didn’t much care. All I knew was that this doorknob meant that my goal was indeed as treacherous as the others felt it was. I already saw Diane glaring at the door, trying hard to riddle it with bullets if she were allowed to do so. Even Goron couldn’t hold a neutral gaze toward the damn thing. I now saw why Liara always gave either the option of not coming with her. She knew how much they hated it.
I quickly stepped forward and grabbed the door. My grip tightened when I felt a large portion of my mana get sucked out of my body. By the Drowned Seas of Landal, I fucking hated that feeling.
We all heard the door unlock. I pushed open the door and peered inside. Like the realm I’d thrown Raven’s Shadow into, this one was rather dark, barely illuminated by candles of dark purple fire. The walls were stone and rock resembling something of a cave. The tunnel led in only one direction, and that was forward. From Liara’s memories, I learned that nothing lived in this cave. Nothing would be stupid enough to try.
I stepped in first and the others stepped after me. The door swiftly slammed shut behind me. “Not to put a downer on this trip, exciting as it already is but… the door has no knob on this side. How do we get back?” Naala asked.
“You shall see,” Goron replied, his eyes peering through the darkness and forward into the unknown.
“Wow, thanks. You really know how to ease a woman’s worries,” she fired back before I started walking. Diane and Naala quickly followed after me while Goron and Alteria kept pace behind them. The clatter of Alteria’s armor was the only sound heard through the tunnel.
The tunnel slowly descended downward with carved and constructed steps helping our footing. As I’d seen in Liara’s memories, the walls also started to change from stone and rock to bits of flesh. Strange markings appeared upon the face of the walls barely illuminated by the dark purple flames. I advised Naala and Alteria to not try to read them. When asked why I told them that they were the stories of those humbled and handled by Yyril. To look upon one was too long was to invite its magic upon you. You would be forced to live out the experiences of that story until its dire end. Yyril did that with many of his victims before he finished them off.
For most who desired to see Yyril by way of Liara, she usually had them blindfolded. It seemed I didn’t need to worry because Naala blindfolded herself with one of the bandanas she wore today. “I’m kicking your ass if I fucking fall, Captain!” she warned as she grabbed my shoulder.
I merely grinned but made sure that she wouldn’t fall as we continued down. I sure as hell didn’t have the heart to tell her that the further we went down, the more markings appeared. Naturally, Goron and Diane were used to it, all but ignoring the walls like they weren’t even there to begin with. Alteria didn’t seem to mind either. That Hæňgaramian discipline those bastards loved so much seemed worth its weight.
When we made it down the stairs, I released Naala from her temporary blindness. When we got down, we noticed a river. Floating on its waters, tied to two posts, were two wooden vessels. Diane and Goron narrowed their eyes and so did I.
“Guess the element of surprise is over,” Diane said.
“What do you mean?” Alteria asked.
