City of IF

[LordoftheNight]

Chapter Fourteen: The Grand Museum

Ulliana stared at the woman, running through the three choices in her head. The potions didn’t sound as if they could be of much use - bar his hand his body was mostly healed. The relic sounded as if it could be of use, but the chances were the museum were not in the mindset of simply giving away their prized possessions. Ancient artefacts were not easy to come by, and one which warded away the dead would most likely be valued especially highly. Of course, the feline mused, pausing in her train of thought, there would be a chance of finding out information about her sword, information she was dearly lacking.

There would still be the difficulty in retrieving the relic though, and its theft wouldn’t improve relations between the Rakshasa and the humans. That was even if she could appropriate the item of course. From both availability and Sister Silence’s opinion, it seemed as if the Auclid Roots would be the most efficient choice. It depended of course on whether she would be able to locate any.

“The Auclid Roots – tell me about them,” she voiced her decision, her tail swaying back and forth in agitation. Sister Silence looked at her, and motioned for the rogue to wait. She disappeared into the infirmary, and returned swiftly clutching a few scattered papers. She sorted through them, before handing one crumpled piece to Ulliana.

“This is a lunar calendar. The trouble with Auclids is that the yellow flower only blossoms during a perfect full moon – when both orbs are bright in the sky. Something to do with the way Mortrios reflects the light of Sol onto Heptro I’ve always thought.” She pursed her grey lips, thin and severe. “It would appear this is your opportunity however. According to my chart, there should be a blossoming just two days from now. That’s why the numbers of Wraiths have been increasing during the last week – it seems the duel moonshine banishes them momentarily.” Zanthe also looked taken aback at the news - apparently even the mage was unaware of this phenomenon.

“Only for a few days or so,” the healer continued in her busy manner, appearing not to notice the sorcerer’s sudden interest. “According to my notes, there should actually be a patch just a few miles to the north. Here,” at which she handed Ulliana a second manuscript. “This is a map of the surrounding area. It’ll direct you to the site.” Taking a glance at the dirty paper, Ulliana could see where the plant growth was indicated, and that it was no more than a few hours hard riding.

Nodding her thanks, the feline promised to bring back enough roots not only to cure Kagemusho, but to stock the healer’s supplies as well. Before she left, Sister Silence pressed upon her two more pieces of parchment, one a map of the city, the other detailing the identifying marks of the Yellow Auclid upon it, and warned her that the plant had to be picked exactly as the two moons converged. Beckoning Zanthe to follow, both Rakshasa warrior and human mage left the lodge, and emerged out onto the streets of Danzig.

The sun was rising as they strode through the grimy alleyways, the dew on the cobbled stones glistening in the morning light. Zanthe looked questioning at her, as if to invite her to determine their next move. Taking the gaze as an open invitation, she began to speak.

“Seeing how the Moons do not converge for another two days, it would seem prudent to use the ascension period to ascertain the location of the relic. If it is impossible for extract the Auclid roots, then another method will be necessary.” Zanthe nodded, before shrugging his shoulders apologetically.

“Unfortunately, my Order requires me to spend the remaining three days in solitude and preparation for my journey, which must be made at sun-break on the fourth morn. It will be impossible for me to accompany you, either to the museum, or to journey north in order to dig up some…plants.” He half turned as if to leave, before swivelling to face her once more. “If your friend recovers, or if you wish to travel regardless, then return to the lodge – there are some there who know who to contact me.” Bowing almost derisively, he turned away from her – his black cloak sweeping out behind him, blown outwards by the wind.

“One moment,” called Ulliana, her voice carrying to his retreating form. The mage halted at the command, blonde hair swirling in the gusts of air. “Before you leave – tell me. What is the relic, what does it look like? Both you and the Sister seemed to know what it was you spoke about, but neither thought to inform me.”

“If my suspicions serve me, then it is a silver goblet, etched with ancient markings. Not unlike those inscribed upon your blade. However, I am no historian – I merely know that to be the latest artefact the Grand Museum received.” His words – spoken softly so as not to attract attention - barely carried across the gap between them, but he swept away into the darkness without a second glance.

Ulliana stared after him, barely believing his arrogance. Making it sound as if he did her an honour by allowing her to travel with him. Purring softly in anger, she spun on her heel, stalking off in the opposite direction to that of the dark clad mage. Still, she thought considering, he was certainly powerful. Undoubtedly a useful addition on the road. If only he wasn’t so conceited, so self obsessed.

It was without much difficulty that the Rakshasa found her way to the Grand Museum, rays of the early morning light still glittering off its marble walls. From her knowledge of human cities, the feline knew the doors would not be flung upon for several hours. Glancing around, she swiftly spotted a flat rooftop, and swiftly scaled her way up to it, curling upon it in order to catch enough sleep to sustain her for the following day.

_____________________________________________

A sharp pain in her tail awoke her, instinctively lashing out with one booted foot. Her emerald green eyes flashing open, eyeing up the Skyre* she had just pinned to the wall. With a twist of her ankle, she snapped the scavenger’s neck, a bundle of black feathers sinking silently to the ground. Her sharp ears took in the bustling sounds below her, and she peered over the embankment, down at gathering crowds. Glancing up at the sun, it appeared several hours had gone by, during which the museum had opened.

It was a simply matter to descend the walls and leapt down onto the streets, landing in a dark alleyway. Ulliana pulled her cloak tightly around her shoulders, and covered her face with her hood – more to protect the delicate nature of her identity than to ward off the cold. Stepping over a drunkard leant up against the wall; she emerged onto the streets, and wound her way between Danzig’s populace, up to the great bronze doors of the museum.

She had left her bow atop of the roof, unwilling to let it gain the attention she knew it would attract. At least for now, remaining incognito was important, and the bow would have at least left her as a memorable visitor. Her sword however, was concealed beneath her cloak. She intended to speak to one of the historians about the blade, and what the symbols could entail.

There were few other visitors at this time of the day, and it did not take long for the rogue to locate the relic of which Zanthe spoke. Working her way through a small throng of clerics, she came to the building’s centre – an awe inspiring sight. A great domed roof stood nigh on a hundred feet skywards, every inch of its walls inscribed with symbols, rules and glyphs. At the rooms centre stood a large pedestal, the silver cup perched upon it.

Ulliana took the time to examine the room in detail, from the soaring arches to the engraved walls. Four entrances led to the dome, one at each point of the compass. In addition, the dome itself was open – a small circular hole opened within its roof. It would not be hard to run a rope down through the hole, and collect the relic from the air, mused Ulliana, as she paced anti-clockwise around the room, careful to keep her tail tucked under the confines of her cloak.

Having finished her examination of the artefact, but resolving to herself not to take it unless necessary – the last thing she needed was a general alert in the city, the extra attention could lead to her discovery – she made her way through the exit furthest from her entrance. What she came across in that corridor shocked her – skeletal bodies lined the corridor walls, gleaming bones – still clutching weapons even in their long rest.

During the time of King Thapholem, near five score years previously, Dartain had fought a great war with its eastern neighbours. The province of Cuttini had been grievously weakened by Dartain’s superior forces. In an effort to spite the ruler of Cuttini, Thapholem had ordered Dartain’s armies burn all of the Cuttini dead. This was a heinous insult to the smaller countries religion, and the King’s tactic – while successful – had led to a longer, extended war. Ulliana knew of the war – it was one of the most celebrated in Dartain history – but had no idea the bones would have remained unburied, let alone on display like this.

A cold shiver ran down the feline’s spine as she strode through the narrow corridor. The empty sockets of the skeletons seemed almost to follow her as she walked by, their numbers seeming to range to nearly ten score – and that was in the one city. How many more Cuttini skeletons were still spread throughout Dartain? Suppressing a shudder at the thought, Ulliana reached the end of the passageway, leaving the long dead warriors behind.

The corridor entered into a library, of sorts. Certainly there were books lining the walls, although the tomes didn’t seem to be the sorts that were found universally. Almost without knowing what she was doing, Ulliana idled over to one wall, and pulled a leather bound volume from the shelf. She was not the most literate of people – the Rakshasa not placing reading high on their list of necessary survival skills – yet she knew enough common to get by.

However, the words on the page – they weren’t words. Just looking at them hurt her eyes, made her head feel faint. It was almost as if some child had written them, had been given a random collection of letters, and told to arrange them in patterns. As she tried to mouth the words, they burnt her throat, as if she was swallowing acid. A hand pressed itself down on the page before she had even pronounced the third syllable.

“I don’t think you want to be doing that, youngling. Not unless spending eternity having your flesh stripped from your bones sounds like a pleasant experience to you.” Ulliana looked up to see a wizened old face peering up at her, an almost kindly smile spread across his crinkled features. He prized the book from her unrelenting grasp, and replaced it upon the shelf. “Now then, was there something you wanted, young…?” at which he tailed off, obviously waiting for one to be provided.

“Hasot,” supplied Ulliana, plucking the name from her memories. It was Hasot Farsight from whom Ulliana had stolen her great black bow. “And yes. I was wondering if you could tell me anything about this sword,” she explained, unsheathing the weapon, and holding it out for inspection.

“Hmm. Hmmmm, a most marvellous piece of craftsmanship. May I?” he asked, plucking it from her hands and turning it over. “Early Cyrmatic workmanship to say the least, probably even earlier. Possibly even Asatron. That would make it about four to six hundred years old,” he explained, upon seeing her puzzled stare. “These runes though – they look like runes of banishment, of binding. Just – more elegant than anything I’ve ever seen. And this black steel – this is certainly an incredibly old artefact. In fact, I would wager that this is even older than anything in the museum. Older even than the Zecult Chalice, and that pre-dates Cyclotron.” He glanced once more at her face, before speaking so she could understand. “That would make it over a thousand years old.”

“I don’t suppose there’s any chance you know what it’s made for?” Ulliana questioned hopefully, and was surprised when the elderly historian nodded, and scurried across the room to a wall on the far side. He pulled out a volume and leafed through it, excitedly displaying a page to the feline as she strode towards him. Displayed on the page were runic symbols, ones she could instantly see were similar to those emblazoned on the sword.

“See here – this one represents binding. And see – this one is control. But if you look, they’re slightly different from that in the book. But this one – this is definitely saying something about the Zecult. I would stake my reputation on it.”

“But that’s all you can tell me? I mean, you couldn’t tell me who made it, or what it was actually designed for?” The cleric shook his head and shrugged, before speaking up suddenly.

“You should probably leave now – most of the other Clerics are not as sympathetic to the Rakshasa cause as I am.” He smiled knowingly at her surprise. “You need to work on your disguise – your mannerisms identify you as coming from the south. However the others are expected here soon – you’ll want to leave before then.” Ulliana nodded her thanks, and – after retrieving her blade – swiftly made her way back along the skeleton filled corridor, through the great central dome, and out of the great bronze doors that led to the museum.

The remainder of the day was spent wandering the streets, acquiring supplies for the journey to Myst. Helping herself to food from market stalls was child’s play, and she saw no reason to try and take anything more advanced. She spent the night at the lodge once more, occasionally checking on Kagemusho, but spending more time above drinking with the lodge members.

She set off along the northwards track upon the following morn, leaving town just as the night’s curfew ended. Mounted upon Arteu – the name she had given to Kagemusho’s small black steed, which he had liberated in Alphbaks – she rode hard along the dirt-trodden pathway, the trail of dust kicked up by the beast’s hooves billowing behind her. A few miles out of the city – by which time she could no longer see the immense black walls of the fortress city – she entered the forest marked upon the map.

Here the pathway was overshadowed by trees, dark branches stretching outwards in all directions. Ulliana kept a watchful eye on the woods, vigilant on the off-chance a wild Tansdor had wandered into the woods. Much more likely would be a band of beastmen raiders, ambushing travellers and plundering caravans both to and from Danzig. Either way, the Rakshasa had no wish to be surprised by either of them, or anything else that lurked in dark places.

A shrill cry lit the air, a Skyre soaring above letting out its hunting call. Glancing upwards at the large bird, she noted its flight was taking it along the same northwards route as her current path, and before long she saw the reason why. The clash of weaponry came to her ears first, the sound of metal on metal carrying further than the cries of battle. Riding further, she soon came across a clearing, a single caravan fighting for its life. Surrounded by a cluster of beastmen, a mere five warriors continued to fight against nigh on a score of the half human monsters.

Only one of the humans appeared confident with weaponry, the others barely managing to defend themselves, let alone press forwards with an attack of their own. The sole warrior among them had already laid two of the beasts out, their entrails turning the grass beneath them red. Even as she watched, he ducked the cleaver of a massive brute, springing upwards to reward the beast with a dagger in the chest. Spinning away to avoid a possible counter-attack, he confronted the next beastman, parrying the blow with both blades.

He was certainly a master swordsman, but the beastmen were both heavier and stronger than him, the smallest standing at just under twenty one hands, while the leader – or at least, the only one armed with well crafted weaponry – stood closer to twenty eight. All were dark furred and crowned with impressive horns, the leader boasting the largest and imposing. Seeing a third one of their number fall, the leader bellowed in fury, pushing past his smaller brethren and snatching one of the merchants by the throat. With a simple twist, he flung the broken man to the floor, before turning his attention to the next.

Ulliana reached for her black bow, intent on rescuing the caravan’s survivors, snatching it out, she set an arrow to the string, before pausing suddenly. What were these people to her – these humans? Why risk the wrath of the beastmen, and her own life, to save a few beleaguered men. Not only that, but Kagemusho’s chances of recovery currently lay in her hands, and he might never awaken on his own. On the other hand – nightfall was still hours hence, and the site was easily within reach, even accounting for the skirmish, and the possibility of her losing her mount. From where she was she could most likely account for a few beasts before they even reached her, which would even out the odds considerably.

The warrior had made good account of himself when outnumbered four to one, and there was no reason for him to suddenly tire. Another ally upon her journey would also help on the chance of encountering a second herd. It could well be beneficial to both parties. Sighting down the arrow, options weighing up swiftly in her head, Ulliana made her decision.

*Skyre – A large black scavenger bird, with a wing span of about three foot. It is unusual in the sense that though beaked, the creature still has sharp teeth, and while a scavenger by nature, it is not afraid to hunt and kill small animals, from rodents to Milgets**. Skyre is both the singular and plural terminology.
** Milgets – Small furred canines, slightly smaller than an adult hunting hound. Known for their snakelike bodies, and for killing infants in their cradles.

[LordoftheNight]

Well, here you have it - chapter fourteen. It's extra long to make up for the disappointing length of the last one, so I hope you enjoy it.

The decision point - as should be obvious - is how to react to what's infront of her. It may seem like a simple choice now, but different answers will have a large affect on the plot. For the next few chapters at least, if not the whole thing.

Enjoy.

[Shady Stoat]

Very interesting. Well written, Lordy :D

Okay, I'd say help the humans out. You've got time, it'll cost you nothing. Go for it :D

[Chinaren]

Yes why not? Let loose your bow and strike down the infidels!

Nice chapter oh dark one.

:cool:

[Smee]

I liked this chapter, oh dark, evil one. :D

Lots of little details, and background that is putting the story in my head more. From the wildlife, to the country geography and some of their history.

Well done on the synopsis too :clap: (evil things ;) )

Yep - help them out. No surprises from me there. Only thing I might add is to perhaps climb a tree first - get time for those extra shots that could make all the difference. Not too high though, low enough for a quick jump down to finish off with blades.

Happy Writing :D

[dragon_fire372]

I agree. Climb a tree, loose some arrows and create a bloodbath. We all know humans need a little help sometimes.

[Solomon Birch]

Yep, definately loose some arrows at the furry and horny monstrosities. They deserve it. Cos they smell.

*holds breath* :shock:

[LordoftheNight]

Because no-one really had many suggestions for a neato poll - bar Smee - I decided to throw in some of my own. I suspect it'll be up for about a week.

Because attacking the beasts is many variations of the same option, I shall add up the number of attacking options and select the highest, as opposed to forcing them against the other.

[Solomon Birch]

Climbing a tree sounds like the safest plan. She wants to help but doesn't want to get gutted at the same time. So get into the safty of the tree, and then, if they threaten her mount, she can leap from the leafy boughs onto their unsuspecting heads! Have at thee! :biggrin:

*holds breath* :shock:

[solus.serpen]

i voted for climbing the tree. good sg lordy.
looking forward to next chapter :).

[JezSharp]

Well I've caught up via the synopsis to the last chapter, have read through Chapter 14. I only spotted one error:

Quote: It was a simply matter to descend the walls and leapt down onto the streets, landing in a dark alleyway. Ulliana pulled her cloak tightly around her shoulders, and covered her face with her hood

Should be 'It was a simple matter for her' or something along those lines.

Still a good chapter :) .

I think she should definately attack the beasts from horseback which allows her the mobility to take down the monsters with minimal damage to herself...Can't think of anything else to say so I'll leave it at that for now.

[LordoftheNight]

I realise that some people may not understand just how tall the beasts are. A hand is approximately 4 inches.

21 hands is 84 inches, while 28 is 112 inches - 280 cm, and over 9 foot high. The fact that she's mounted is not going to give her an overwhelming height supremancy, if any at all.

[solus.serpen]

i don't think jez thought being on a horse would give height supremacy, but agility, she can still dodge them. :).

[Smee]

Welcome to your new forum. Apologies for the delay :D

Happy Writing :)

[Kalanna Rai]

Having finally caught back up I'm allowing myself a moment of triumph *basks in golden glow for a moment*.

Alright now that that's over I've missed the vote so would you mind hurring chapter Fifteen along. I'm rather eager to read it you know. I might start smoking furnature soon...

[LordoftheNight]

Well, feel free to vote, so long as you don't change the result in any way.

I've written large portions of chapter fifteen, but still need to polish off the fight scenes. Yes, that was a pural.

[Chinaren]

pural.

Is that a kind of bird? ;)