Age of Cataclysm: Book 1-Chapter 25
Imported from SF2 with no description.
Chapter length: 2,151 words
Current novel length: 72,519 words
Chapter 25
(Argthanaw 29th Year 672 of the 4th Age)
The next day begins with a funeral for the boy. All of the villagers gather for the event, even Heilim. When some people give their piece, the party now knows that the boy's name is Raimund Grodz. They lower his corpse into the grave right next to his mom. Other information the party members hear is that Raimund is an only child living with a widowed mother after losing his father in a factory accident. He loves dinosaurs and other reptilian creatures. When it becomes their turn, Sylfinas does most of the talking, but the rest give their portion to the testimony.
The tavern man, calling himself Ardi, announces that when the remains of the mansion cool down enough, they would clear the site and erect a monument in honor of the boy, his mom, and the rest of the Bloodied Mother's victims. He is the mayor of Acrine Village.
Once the funeral is over, the group travels to the same inn from yesterday for sustenance. In payment for dispatching the banshee, it receives a deep, special discount on the whole order, so Kaera, Merrick, and Radclyff dig in the most. Deep in thought, Sylfinas twirls his silverware in his food, consuming it slowly.
"What are you thinking about, Sylfinas?"
The Half-Elf looks up at Jemeir. "Just thinking about a list of suspects for the Drisdell murders fifteen years ago."
"And what have you come up with?"
"For starters, one of the four partners."
"Your reason behind those?" Arven inquired.
"Simple. Money. One of them could've found out about the will and decided to get their portion as soon as possible. They may have wanted to be their own boss."
"That is one possibility, son," Jemeir spoke.
"I still have more. Mrs. Drisdell's description of what happened to her suggests to me that it was love gone wrong. The number of strikes on her and her getting violated before her death tells me that he had a personal connection. The problem is the amount of suspects to sort through. You and Radclyff weren't there long enough to notice, but there were items in the basement that were occult in nature. Most of them dealt with lycanthropy. Were the Drisdells lycans and died because of it? It's possible. It's also possible that it was a random psychopath. Either way, there's a list of suspects."
"There's something I want to bring up."
"What is it, Arven?"
"The painting above the fireplace, did anyone else get a good look at it before its destruction?"
"Not really. I was focused on rescuing the boy."
"I was in too much of a rage to care," Kaera replied.
"I saw it a bit," Merrick chimed in. "Then, things started flying at us."
"Did you see a symbol on the left hand of what I presumed to be the head of the Drisdell family, Merrick?"
"That's what it was?"
"What did the symbol look like?"
"I'll show you, Radclyff." Arven gets a writing utensil and a piece of paper to write on. The symbol is a hook that starts at the bottom, goes up, turns to the right and curves, and the point ends on the left. In the empty space in the center, Arven draws an eye. The eye has two circles in the center; one that is bigger and, after a tiny gap, a smaller version with an empty space in the middle of the smaller circle. There are six eyelashes—four on the top and two on the bottom. Everyone, but Jemeir and Radclyff, is awestruck by his artistic skill.
"Know this symbol?"
"Jemeir and I are all too familiar with that symbol."
"That's the symbol for a follower of The Soulmonger."
Sylfinas starts to process the latest revelation, rubbing his chin. "So, at least Emelius was a follower. Was he trying to bring him back along with dealing with lycanthropy? Did he kept the symbol a secret from the rest of his family, or were there others involved?"
"That is something Radclyff and I will look into after you depart for Canir."
"Alright."
"After we're done eating, we're going to pack up and leave. If nothing hinders us, we will arrive in Port Direrun on Feitsten. Then we'll spend, hopefully, at least a day negotiating a price to someone willing to smuggle you past the Phehans. Once Radclyff and I see all of you on a ship and set sail, we'll work on stopping The Soulmonger and also fix the mess in Belburn, so the citizens aren't mad at us."
The group finish their meal and gather their gear. They hand their room keys to the owner and leave. Ardi is waiting outside and approaches when he sees them.
"You're leaving, I take it?"
Jemeir does the talking. "Yeah. We have a business to tend to at Port Direrun."
"Well, if you can stay here for a few more minutes, I would greatly appreciate it."
"What is it that you want?"
"Just giving a gift that everyone pooled as much money they can spare to give to you as a way of showing gratitude for what you did."
"That won't be necessary. Thank you anyway."
"Damiss! Achothee!" Ardi puts a couple of fingers in his mouth and whistles. Two horses, one white and one caramel color, pulling a cart appear. "This is a cart. It is for easing the stress of travel as you make your journey to Port Direrun and elsewhere. Consider this our token of gratitude. Damiss is the caramel looking horse, and Achothee is the white one in case you want to know."
"My guess is there no way to refuse the gift."
"You've done this village a great favor. No matter how it has to be done, we need to reward you. If this doesn't suit you, we can find something else."
"No, no. This will do. My body could actually take a break from all the walking. Thank you."
"Our pleasure. Take care, and may your travels bring fortune."
"Take care, as well."
The party pile their equipment in the cart and hop in. Arven volunteers to be the driver since he has experience dealing with horses in the military. After winning a rock, paper, and scissors game, Radclyff takes the other front spot beside Arven. The cart has material that protects the occupants and items from the sun and the elements. With a simple command from Arven, the two horses pull the coach, leaving Acrine Village.
Day one of their trip goes by without issue. While the members travel through grasslands with hills, they observe a pack of wolves in pursuit of a single deer, chasing her into the trees. The one notable thing they behold is the Gaulduff River flowing into a cave as they go over the Gaulduff Bridge.
The group prepares camp a little ways off the trail when the sun starts setting. As the associates gather around a campfire during the night, Sylfinas takes out his new guitar to play. It takes him a few tries to fine-tune the instrument. Besides Kaera and Merrick, they sing country songs like Need My Ways, So Do I, Night Calls, and Message For a Sunrise while listening._ _ Kaera does recognize one piece as Sylfinas plays the first few notes.
"I know this song!"
"You do?" questioned Sylfinas.
"It's Dusty Trails, Guide Me Home by Janas Dyser."
"I know that it's well known throughout the continent of Myrith, but I'm surprised you know it. From what you described, the citizens of Canir keep to themselves."
"We do, but he's one of the few examples of someone outside the kingdom to come in. He's been there several times and I been to his concert twice. Once I was with my entire family, and the other was just my twin brother and me."
"I take it that you know the lyrics so you can sing with us if you wish."
"I do."
"Ok. Here it goes." He starts right from the beginning. They sing the entire song. Even Merrick decided to join in, and everybody was shocked at his voice.
"Surprised that I sang?"
"I didn't think you would be quite the singer, but that was something. Where did you learn to sing like that?"
"Born with it just like you, Sylfinas, and Lelith taught me a little bit so she can use it for her own purposes. After that, I taught myself while in the sewers."
"Song has some meaning to you, and that's why you wanted to sing?"
"That song was made when he was in Greenwich according to the stories surrounding the lyrics. Hearing that song makes me think of home and wishing that I can live back there again."_ It was the only normal part of my life before my fifth birthday despite my parents being too busy to pay attention to me. _
"You and I need to team up some time and put on a show, and you'll be back at Greenwich eventually."
"No, thanks. I don't like everybody staring at me."
Jemeir yawns, "Well, it's getting late. Who takes what shift?"
They take turns keeping watch when they decide to go to bed. The night is peaceful. Fireflies buzz around. Crickets chirping, frogs croaking, and a few hoots from an owl compose some of the noises outside. The next day of the journey, they arrive at Limwick Bridge. The stone bridge spans across the vast lake 150ft below. The architectural feat provides a direct path between Port Direrun to Rosmey to shorten the length of travel. The party witnesses other travelers getting on or off the bridge. For the travelers getting on the bridge, they have to stop for inspection by the guards. The party arrives at the entrance, and the guards inspect them before letting them go on their way.
The bridge can see three small islands in a triangle in the lake, a cave, and a tiny part of a stone structure protruding from the water's surface. They make it to the other side, and the rest of the day goes by with no troubles. No issues arise during the second night. They can smell the sea air on their final day of travel as they get closer. Nothing hinders their progress, and they arrive at the outer edges of Port Direrun.
Port Direrun is a city that connects to Altou Bay and the Kerithian Sea. The metropolis has five islands with numerous buildings built on them and stone bridges connect to each landmass. The location has steep cliffs on two sides, and the ridges have numerous vegetation growing on them. Multiple avian species make the cliffs their home, and the people living in the city can see them swoop down on the water and usually return with some sort of fish. The ridges extend way out into the bay, and the Adoran military maintains a gate at the narrowest point to prevent an aquatic invasion. The temperature is pleasant due to the winds coming off of the water.
There is a clear division between the rich and poor districts of the city. The islands are home to the more aristocratic people, while the mainland is the slums. There are better conditions in the higher elevations, but there aren't that many locations in the city.
"I don't need to explain to you about being on your guard around here, I take it?"
"No, dad," Arven responded.
"I would like to know."
"Makes sense that you need to, Kaera. This place is home to a bunch of criminal activity."
"Why? I see a strong military presence here along with what I presume to be the navy as well."
Instead of Jemeir giving an explanation, Sylfinas interrupts him. "Well, they tend to ignore questionable activities, depending on the bribe, the seriousness of the crime, and the location. Do something in the richer neighborhood, you're more likely to be arrested. Don't have many coins to persuade the guards to look elsewhere, you're more likely to be arrested. If you committed murder, same result. Had a precious military resource not been discovered here, crime would be more rampant. This city used to be independent until the discovery of a precious metal called rune. Let's just say the Adoranian military made a very compelling case for why Eilsasa Helkar, the leader of the city at the time, had to side with them. The kingdom agreed not to tamper much of the city's reputation as a trading port and a safe haven for sailors on the run. Would you like me to go over what I just said?"
"Yes, Sylfinas, that would be so helpful," Kaera replied sarcastically.
"Ok. Well, they tend to ignore questionable activities..."
"I was kidding."
"Oh."
Jemeir interrupts with a cough. "Anyway, smugglers like to take refuge here. They come from all over Myrith and are good at avoiding the Phehan navy. This is why we're here."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"Ok, Merrick. Let's go find you four a ship. I suggest everyone here should tighten any valuables you have on you very tightly."
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