Arcanis: Gonnes, Sons, and Treasure Runs (COMPLETED)

[talien]

Serpentine Path: Part 3a – So, We Meet Again…

They met up the other half of the caravan a few days later. The cat-like Bijoux, scaled Calactyte, and the elorii known as Ilmarė road one wagon alone. Only Ilmarė held the reins; her two bestial companions sat in the wagon behind her.

“Where’s the rest of the caravan?” asked Dril from his own wagon.

Ilmarė hesitated. “They were…not willing to go along.”

“The guards left us suddenly,” Bijoux said softly, her tail flicking in agitation. “They did not explain why.”

“Fear,” grunted Cal. “I could smell it on them.”

Dril suppressed a smile. “It’s understandable. With a war with Ssethregore imminent, most Altherians will be nervous around a ss’ressen.”

“But you’re not,” Cal said morosely.

Kham sat up from the back of a wagon led by Vlad. He was obviously drunk. “We know better,” was all he said. Then he lay back down.

Ilmarė wrinkled her nose. “I’ve known them well enough for the past five days. Is it much further?”

“We’re less than a day away,” said Dril.

“And yet it’s nowhere in sight,” muttered Beldin from the back of his mount. Sebastian sat in Dril’s wagon.

Calactyte sat upright in the cart led by Vlad. He was parallel with Sebastian.

“Thank you,” he said simply.

Sebastian stood up to look at Calactyte over the edge of the cart. “For what?”

“For saving my life and my tribe,” said Cal. “I am in your debt.”

Sebastian smiled. “You would have done the same for us, I’m sure.”

Calactyte merely nodded and reclined back in the cart. Sebastian did the same.

The path had risen for the hundredth time to go up over a mountain pass, between two weather-beaten hills. Rocky outcroppings jutted from nearly everywhere. Vegetation was sparse.

Sebastian stood bolt upright. “Something’s wrong.” His wings spread out behind him, wand at the ready.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be there before you know—“ was all Dril got out before his wagon erupted in a violent explosion of fire and debris.

The Altherian mounts were steadfast, but the wagon team neighed in terror as the wagon flew high in the air. With a mournful groan, the wagon split in mid-air and began a slow, scattered return. Flaming remnants of the wagon and its contents came spilling down all around like a grisly hailstorm from the abyss.

Sebastian landed, propelled upwards by the blast. There was no trace of Dril, only the tinkling of wood and metal all around him. “Ambush!” he shouted.

Out from either side of the road loped nine ss’ressen.

“Incendiares globus!” shouted Sebastian. A fireball surged forth from his fingertips, engulfing the ss’ressen on the left side of the road.

They kept coming.

“Get down!” shouted Calactyte, brandishing his axe. “Those are flaming tongue ss’ressen!”

Sebastian ducked behind Vlad’s wagon where it had been overturned from the explosion.

The sagittal crests of the flaming tongue ss’ressen flushed a ruddy color just before they exhaled fiery death. Several of the team horses, already battered from the explosion, screeched in agony.

Ilmarė was on her feet. She fired at one of the flaming tongue ss’ressen, felling it with two arrows.

Bijoux landed beside her and snapped a sling shot towards a ss’ressen with two rows of thick spines down its back rather than a crest. It bounced off the lizard’s thick skull.

“There’s too many!” she shouted.

“I like the odds!” bellowed Beldin. He yanked hard on the reins of his horse and galloped into the melee, decapitating a flaming tongue ss’ressen with one swing.

Vlad rammed one of the barbed tails with his shield and hacked into the side of its neck. It batted the blade aside with a shrug of its shoulders. “Where’s Dril?”

Kham stumbled out from behind Vlad’s overturned wagon and took careful aim with two of his pistols. The barrels jerked and another ss’ressen’s head kicked back, but it kept coming.

A bellowing roar caused everyone to stop in their tracks.

 

[talien]

Serpentine Path: Part 3b – So, We Meet Again…

Muscle rippling, his dual crests fanning behind Calactyte’s head, the ss’ressen seemed to grow in stature, teeth bared. All the ss’ressen on the battlefield turned to face him, even those in mid-combat.

“The frenzy has taken them!” shouted Ilmarė. “Get out of their way!” She twirled aside as one of the barbed tail ss’ressen barreled past her towards Cal.

“What?” shouted Vlad. “No way!” He held his ground as another barbed tail ss’ressen approached. Its claws scrabbled against Vlad’s shield. “Ha!” He lifted his blade for an easy blow. “My turn—“

There was a blinding flash as the ss’ressen heavy tail struck him sideways. Stunned, Vlad stumbled. The ss’ressen jumped past him towards Cal.

“Protect Cal!” shouted Beldin. “They’re after him!”

Beldin hacked downwards on an unprepared ss’ressen, severing its tail. It howled in agony, only to have its legs cut out from under it.

Calactyte roared again. With one massive claw, he grabbed one of the smaller ss’ressen by the head and shook it like a rag doll. The other, gripping his axe, was logged in a ss’ressen’s ribcage. He ducked low and swept the area with his tail, battering flaming tongue ss’ressen aside.

Ilmarė fired arrows into the backs of one of the attacking lizards. It didn’t react as it continued its heedless assault.

Bijoux glided down beside her. “They fight like creatures possessed. Why do they hate Cal so?”

“It’s not that they hate him,” said Ilmarė. “They were once bred for war against each other. When a ss’ressen smells the scent of another tribe, it goes into a blood frenzy.”

“Then they will kill him,” said Bijoux. “There are too many.”

Ilmarė shook her head and pointed at Sebastian.

The dark-kin’s wings were spread behind him. “Beldin, Vlad! Get ready!” He didn’t bother to address Calactyte—in his rage, he wouldn’t listen anyway.

“Incendiares…”

The ss’ressen stopped attacking Calactyte. They turned as one to face Sebastian.

Beldin crouched behind his shield. Vlad held Grungronazharr before him.

“Globus!”

The ensuing ball of flames consumed Calactyte, Beldin, and Vlad. The flaming tongue ss’ressen, immune to Sebastian’s attack, were felled before they could recover. Calactyte was covered in ash, smoke spiraling from his scorched scales.

“Well done,” said Vlad. “Now we can concentrate on finding Dril.”

Bijoux glided over to the Milandisian. Her eyes were brimming with tears. “Vlad…I can’t find him.”

“He must have been thrown from the explosion.” Vlad looked around helplessly. “Why aren’t you looking for him?”

“Because there’s nothing to find,” Kham said softly.

“What? That’s it?” Vlad stared at them in disbelief. “You’re just going to write him off? Sebastian, you survived that explosion! You can’t tell me Dril wouldn’t have survived it!”

Sebastian averted his gaze. Only his flicking tail betrayed his agitation.

“He’s dead, Vlad,” said Ilmarė forcefully. “There’s no body to find. That explosion was too powerful, even for him. And he wasn’t prepared.”

Vlad’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly. He slumped to the ground.

Calactyte lifted his head to the air, nostrils flaring. “We’re not done.”

Vlad looked over his shoulder at the big lizard, a flicker of hope in his eyes.

“There’s a ssanu…leading them…I can smell his scent.” One clawed hand reached out towards Vlad. “He’s ordering them to…attack us.”

Ilmarė drew her bow and pointed it at Calactyte. “Get away from him!”

Bijoux thrust her own clawed hand out to stay Ilmarė’s hand. “Please. Trust him.”

Slowly, gently, Calactyte put one hand on Vlad’s shoulder. “Get up.” He growled. “Or Dril’s sacrifice will be in vain.”

Three more ss’ressen, scales tinged a greenish-black, stepped onto the road. Behind them was a serpentine ssanu, casting a spell.

Vlad got up.

 

[talien]

Serpentine Path: Part 3c – So, We Meet Again…

“Venomous scale ss’ressen!” shouted Calactyte. He charged forward, Vlad and Beldin flanking him. “Keep your shields up!”

They didn’t have to ask why. Seconds later, streams of acid spiraled through the air, splashing against both their shields. Calactyte was struck by a gout of acid, but if it hurt he didn’t show it.

Then they were upon them, three on three, claw against blade. Sebastian pointed at the ssanu, and magical bolts of blue and black energy were exchanged.

“I’ve had just about enough of this,” muttered Kham. He took aim and fired both pistols. The ssanu fell to the ground, its corpse smoking from the impact.

The remaining ss’ressen started, as if slapped. Calactyte took the opportunity to tear one of them apart, hacking and even biting his opponent’s throat. Vlad and Beldin made short work of the other two ss’ressen.

They scoured the camp, looking for any sign of Dril.

“We found only this.” Beldin offered up a twisted piece of metal, bent in half. It was Dril’s rifle.

Vlad took it reverently. “He would want it to be buried at his grave.”

Bijoux glided over to the ssanu’s body. A small viper had unwrapped itself from the ssanu’s arm and was slowly sliterhing away.

“Careful,” said Ilmarė. “You don’t know what that can do.”

The snake moved no more than a foot, before it stiffened and burned into a darkly shaded piece of wood. Bijoux picked it up and examined it closely.

With lightning speed, it transformed back into a snake and sunk its teeth into Bijoux’s wrist. She shrieked, but it was too late. The snake snapped itself around her arm and then transformed once more into wood.

“Are you all right?” asked Beldin.

Bijoux nodded. “It…it feels good, actually. I think it heals them.”

“The goods from the wagon are scattered everywhere,” said Sebastian.

“Including some of Master Elabac’s blades,” Beldin said sadly.

“And the remains of a Shining Patrol dispatch pouch.” Vlad shook his head. “Dril wasn’t telling us the whole story.”

“He belonged to the Shining Patrol, what did you expect?” snapped Kham. “What I want to know is where the ss’ressen got all that blastpowder from.”

“What a waste,” said Ilmarė. “We walk away from this empty-handed.”

“Not quite.” Beldin was gathering up weapons and armor. “We’ll make sure this delivery reaches Klos Ka’Ra. Master Elabac’s blades deserve that much.”

“Dril deserves that much,” Vlad said darkly.

Sebastian returned with Calactyte. “Perhaps it wasn’t a complete waste. We discovered tracks that led back to their camp.”

Calactyte loped over to drop a chest covered in dirt before them. “We found this.”

Ilmarė opened the lid and looked inside. She pulled out a sheaf of papers. “Maps of the area, a manifest of Dril’s cargo…and a list. In Ssethregoran, I’m guessing.”

She handed it to Calactyte, who stared at it curiously. “Uh…”

“He can’t even read his own language.” Kham snatched the paper away from Calactyte. His val blood allowed him to read all tongues. “It’s a list of all of our names. This was an inside job.”

Sebastian sighed. “Well, now we know how they got the blastpowder.”

“How?” asked Bijoux.

Sebastian held up a piece of clothing. It was a green tabard bearing a four-fingered claw insignia.

“We gave it to them.”

 

[talien]

Serpentine Path: Part 4a – Do I Know You?

As the sun reached its peak and began to descend in the western sky, the journey continued to take them higher and higher into the mountain peaks. Just when it seemed as if they might actually reach the sun, Klos Ka’Ra came into view.

Klos ka’Ra was no simple mountain outpost. Massive columns of stone supported thirty-foot thick stone walls that extended from an inner keep. The inner keep was carved into the mountain itself, providing natural protection from all sides save the one covered by the huge wall. Dozens of cannons bristled on the wall and hundreds of well-armed Altherian patrolmen marched to and fro along the battlements.

“Interesting construction,” admired Beldin.

Sebastian tilted his head at Beldin. “How so?”

“From the looks of it, twelve stone archways have been recently added to the wall’s interior structure, but they don’t lead anywhere. The decorative artwork seems out of place.”

Several other caravans were also making their way into the hidden fortress from different directions. As the sun dropped below the mountain line directly behind Klos Ka’Ra, it created a warm halo of light around the fortress.

“Don’t try to understand Altherian architecture,” said Kham. “Just enjoy it.”

A tall, powerfully built man wearing the blue and white tabard of the Patrol approached. He had the insignia of a captain on his tabard, and beneath it he wore exquisitely crafted plate armor made of exotic materials crafted with red flames. The flames on his armor matched the shock of fiery red hair that crowned his head.

“Well if it isn’t Attalus val’Virdan.” Kham recognized him from the Great Hunt.

“Kham! Ilmarė! It’s good to see you both.” He shook both their hands. “You’re keeping strange company these days.”

Ilmarė looked sideways at her companions and shrugged.

“Come in, come in!” Attalus ushered both of them into the keep.

When Vlad attempted to follow, a hand stopped him. “Not you, Milandisian.” Attalus’ eyes narrowed. “You and the lizard can bunk down with the rest of the freaks in the stables.”

 

[talien]

Serpentine Path: Part 4b – Do I Know You?

Kham and Ilmarė spent the remainder of the night as Attalus’ guest in the Shining Patrol’s officer’s quarters. Kham and Ilmarė were served a hot gourmet meal and a stout drink.

“Please, eat, drink. It must have been a long journey.”

“It was,” Kham said between mouthfuls. “The caravan was ambushed, but we recovered what we could.”

Attalus nodded. “And I am thankful for that. It seems you are always saving my hide, one way or another.” He grinned a white-toothed smile. It quickly vanished. “I did not see the dispatch pouch amongst the inventory.”

Kham took a swig from a goblet. “Destroyed, sorry.”

Ilmarė leaned forward and poked at a piece of meat with a fork. “What are you doing here, Attalus? Last we met, you were in Coryan.”

“Ah yes. I’ve been here for the last several months. My service is almost complete. General Bunkakin recently put me in charge of the fortress to make sure the new operations proceed smoothly.”

“So Garan pulled some strings.” Kham chomped on another mouthful of food.

“Garan val’Mehan and Muatama Bunkakin once served together in the Patrol.” Attalus frowned. “He thought it’d be safer for me here.”

Ilmarė sipped from her goblet. “Safer?”

“Although there have been recent reports of Ssethregoran movements and activities, that’s not out of the ordinary. General Bunkakin seems to think that the region is in some pending danger. We can house several thousand troops here now.” Attalus leaned back in his chair. “In fact, our biggest problem is getting dispatch pouches from Althre’!”

Kham stopped chewing. “All the Shining Patrol has been called back to Altheria, along with all able-bodied Altherian citizens. That sounds like preparations of war to me.”

Attalus shrugged. “The general has been stockpiling ammunition and even set up labs and workshops within the fortress to manufacture war materials. I don’t know why he doesn’t do it in the citadel at Semar. It’d be much safer there.”

“So Bunkakin thinks a war is imminent,” said Ilmarė.

“I’m not sure. The general sure is peculiar sometimes. He makes a big fuss over preparing for war, and then authorized a huge project just to build a bunch of statues of old Heroes of the Patrol. I still don’t understand why priests of Anshar would be commissioned for such a project. But what do I know, I’m just a soldier.”

“Yes.” Ilmarė peered at Attalus disdainfully over her mug. “Just.”

Attalus didn’t catch her tone. “Do you have business in Semar or will you be returning to Althre’?”

Kham cleared his throat. “I uh…have business there, yeah.”

“Kham came to Althre’ to pay respects to his deceased father and cousin.”

“Oh.” Attalus’ expression turned grim. “I’m sorry. As a member of the Shining Patrol, we will provide Dril with a memorial service tomorrow morning.“

Kham rubbed his forehead. “I’ve done enough of that lately.”

Attalus nodded. “Death seems to come in waves.” He clapped his hands. “Enough talk about such things. You’ve a hot bath and tub waiting for you, and goose down bedding to sleep on. Let it not be said that Attalus knows no hospitality!”

“What of the others?” asked the elorii.

“Oh, they’ll be taken care of.”

 

[talien]

Serpentine Path: Part 4c – Do I Know You?

Bijoux, Vlad, Beldin, Sebastian, and Calactyte spent the remainder of the night alone under heavy guard in the Shining Patrol’s stables. They had a well-watched and somewhat restful evening, but they weren’t allowed to leave the stables except to visit the privy. Even those trips were under heavy guard.

“This sucks,” said Vlad.

“Why are they treating us like this?” Bijoux asked morosely.

“Because of who we are and where we come from,” said Beldin.

Calactyte snorted. “And because of me.”

There was a knock at stable door. A guard handed them a tray of stale bread and moldy cheese.

“Anywhere we can clean up?” asked Bijoux.

The guard pointed to a water trough. “You’re a cat, right? Clean yourself.”

Sebastian looked down at the ground. “I suppose these saddle blankets and hay are our bedding.”

Calactyte shrugged. “Looks comfortable to me.” The big lizard stretched out and was asleep in no time, snoring louder than ever.

“Can’t we just go home?” Bijoux asked hopefully.

“I have business in Semar.” Sebastian tried to fluff up a nearby saddle blanket.

“And I’m going with him,” said Beldin.

Bijoux looked askance at Calactyte. “Cal believes he owes you his life, so he’ll follow you there. And that means I’m going as well.”

Vlad sighed. “I have nowhere else to go.”

 

[talien]

Serpentine Path: Part 4d – Do I Know You?

The next morning, they all gathered at a grave site for soldiers. Dril’s surviving Altherian steeds drew the black carriage, containing only his rifle.

“Present ARMS!” shouted Attalus.

The casket was removed from the carriage. Attalus and Kham saluted.

An Altherian priest led the way to the grave site, followed by Sebastian, Calactyte, Vlad, and Beldin holding the casket.
They set down the casket and secured the Altherian flag, a white owl on a blue background.

Attalus ensured the flag was stretched out and level, and centered it over the casket. He backed away and the priest performed the service.

“Praise be to Althares, Lord of the Universe,
the Mercygiving, the Merciful!
Ruler on the Day for Repayment!
You do we worship and You do we call on for help.
Guide us along the Straight Road,
the road of those whom You have favored,
with whom You are not angry,
nor who are lost!”

The priest said, “assalamu alaikum.”

“Assalamu alaikum,” whispered Kham.

The priest backed away and Attalus stepped up to the casket. He turned to address the cannoneers along Klos Ka’Ra’s walls.

“Fire!”

Like thunder, the sounds of cannon fire collided with each other, setting off a mournful dirge throughout the mountains.

The cannon volley complete, a bugler played a sorrowful tune. Kham folded the flag up precisely and securely. He passed it to Attalus.

Attalus turned and presented the Altherian flag to Vlad. “Please accept our deepest condolences from the Shining Patrol on the passing of your friend and an Altherian veteran. We stand with honor for him who stood for us.”

Attalus then led them out in a slow procession to the gates of Klos Ka’Ra.

Bijoux looked over her shoulder as they left. Only one soldier was left at the grave site. He would watch over the casket until it was interred in the ground.

“They treated Vlad so poorly, and yet now showed such respect,” whispered Bijoux. “Why?”

“Stupid humans,” replied Ilmarė.

 

[talien]

Serpentine Path: Part 5a – Arrival in Semar

From a nearby mountaintop, the massive form of the Black Citadel of Semar loomed. An imposing structure, it was carved from a single black piece of rock that rivaled the nearest mountain in size.

“They say that Semar was originally a military outpost built on an ancient ruin,” said Kham.

“I’ve heard that the mountain fortress houses ancient treasures of supreme power that even the scholars of Althares are unable to unlock,” said Beldin.

Ilmarė snorted. “I’ve heard that the Citadel has magic powers too. That doesn’t mean it’s true.”

The Citadel’s uniform black composition definitely made it look evil. Carvings of demonic figures and valinor locked in a titanic battle decorated the outer walls and only heightened the foreboding that oozed from the fortress. Cannons protruded from the walls at regular intervals, their barrels house d protectively in stone carvings of infernal creatures.

“Looks like the city’s undergone some growth spurts since it was first established as a military outpost,” said Beldin. “The stone walls extended outward from the stronghold in a regular pattern.”

“Commerce has certainly made it grow,” observed Sebastian. “Judging from the swarm of activity in the city, business must be good.”

There was a distinct difference between Semar and Althre. In Althre, the entire city was a work of art. In contrast, Semar seemed plain and dull. A half-finished moat lay just outside the third wall.

“Those archways look familiar,” said Beldin. As they passed through the giant wooden gates, several artisans were visible working on stone archways that looked remarkably similar to the ones in Klos Ka’Ra.

“They’ve got a long way to go if they wish to rival Althre’,” said Kham. “You should stay at the Shining Shield Inn.”

“Where are you going?” asked Ilmarė.

“I’ve got to meet a man about a horse.”

 

[talien]

Serpentine Path: Part 5b – Arrival in Semar

The note Kham received when he was at Klos Ka’Ra indicated that Quablo val’Inares, a politician in Semar, wanted to meet with him for a matter of “unquestionable discretion.”

Finding the council building was a relatively easy task. The building was built to be a very small-scale replica of the meeting chamber for the Council of Wisdom in Althre’. Traveling thorough the first two walls of the city was easy: A cursory glance from some sharpshooters manning the walls and a couple of simple questions asked at the gates. But the third wall was entirely different.

The guard at the gate put one hand in front of Kham’s face. “Halt. Papers please.”

“Oh yeah.” Kham took out the document and showed it to the guard. As he did so, his overcoat revealed the pistol bandoleer across his chest.

“Do you have proper authorization to carry those?”

Kham lowered his green-tinted lenses, revealing his pupiless eyes. “Take a look.”

The guard stiffened. “Right.” He handed Kham’s papers back to him. “We’ll escort you.”

Once through the gate, Kham was taken under escort to the council building. At the building, he was once again subjected to questioning and a thorough search. He was then ushered into a waiting area.

A dark-skinned man met Kham. “Hello. I am Washaka, Quablo’s personal aide.” He handed Kham a glass of wine. “Savonan Red. I was told you enjoy it.”

Kham downed the drink in one shot. Washaka seemed unfazed. “You’ve done your homework.”

Washaka merely smiled and ushered Kham into a waiting room.

After a brief wait, Washaka returned and led him to a palatial inner chamber that obviously served as an office of someone of import. Seated behind a large marble desk, a distinguished-looking gentleman wearing blue silken robes rose in greeting.

“Hello my friend. I am Quablo val’Inares. Thank you so very much for coming on such short notice! Please, make yourself comfortable.” He motioned to carved marble chairs with silk upholstered cushions.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Kham flopped down on one of them. “So what’s this job you’re talking about?”

“I will come straight to the point. I believe the general in charge of the garrison of Semar is misappropriating funds. I need an outside, unbiased investigator to look into this matter for the good of the Altherian people.”

“What’s Bunkakin done to make you suspicious?”

“I am suspicious of him because of all the recent activity at Klos Ka’Ra. Bunkakin also contracted most of the alchemists, armorers and weapon smiths in Semar. All his men are equipped beyond their means. I understand he has several import-export contracts with the merchant’s guild as well. I would like to know what exactly Bunkakin is importing and exporting and where is getting all this funding. I know the military budget doesn’t even cover a fraction of the activity I’ve seen around here lately.”

“Interesting. I can do this, sure. Any place you want me to start?”

”Well, I have a list of likely places to find information and why I think the information may be there. The most likely place to start is the headquarters of the patrol. I understand they have a soldier on guard tonight who has been reported for drinking and sleeping on duty.” Quablo broke into a broad grin that only made him seem more sinister.”

He handed Kham a list.

“And pay?”

“Two-hundred owls for your trouble. I’m sure that a capable individual like yourself can have this wrapped up in no time.”

“Okay.” Kham got to his feet.

“Very good. Washaka will see you have any paperwork you need to pass unmolested between the walls. I’m afraid I cannot grant you access to the citadel itself; even I am forbidden to go there except in the vent of an attack. In case you haven’t noticed, the Shining Patrol is VERY dedicated to their job. I would strongly advise against provoking or antagonizing them. This investigation may do precisely that, so I recommend discretion.”

“Yeah, I know how to handle discrete matters,” said Kham. He turned to walk out the door.

“Be wary of Bunkakin,” said Quablo. “The general is as smooth as a val’Mehan emissary and as duplicitous as a Freeport slaver.”

“I’m familiar with both, thanks.”

 

[talien]

Serpentine Path: Part 6a – The Shining Shield Inn

The Shining Shield Inn was the finest in Semar. Constructed of a shiny golden-hued stone, it literally shined in the sunlight. The crystal shield hanging from the signpost at the front of the inn was positioned to catch one of the light rays emitted from the Tower of Althares at night. When the light struck the shield, it glowed with a brilliance of its own.

Sebastian walked over to the bar. “I hear you have a special stew?”

The bartender looked at him curiously. “You should sit and enjoy the show, my friend. I’m sure we can dig something up for you.”

On stage, a beautiful veiled woman belly-danced, her hips snapping at high speed. She leaned forward and gestured toward Sebastian.

Sebastian shifted in his seat. The woman stepped off the stage and took off one of her veils, roping it around the dark-kin’s neck. She leaned close, so close that Sebastian could feel her breath on his ear.

“Go to the privy. Now.”

She continued to dance around him and then, just as quickly, lost interest and returned to the stage.

Sebastian waited a moment and then made his way to the privy.

The bartender entered a moment later. He closed and locked the door behind him.

“Hello my friend. I am Jalil.”

“Sebastian Arnyal.” They exchanged signs indicating that they both belonged to the Sanctorum of the Arcane.

“What can I do for you?”

“Someone is selling items of immense power on the black market. I need to put a stop to it.”

Jalil’s face darkened. “I suspect the general. Several items were confiscated from the Chronicler’s Repository by the Sanctorum.”

“Have you any evidence?”

“If there is any hard evidence against the general, it will likely be found in his office at the Shining Patrol’s headquarters.”

Sebastian nodded.

“In addition to confirming the identity of the seller, the Sanctorum would also like to know the name of the person purchasing the items.”

“I will see what I can do.” Sebastian turned to leave. “Oh, one other thing.”

“Yes?”

“Please wait five minutes before leaving this privy.” He cleared his throat. “It doesn’t look good for two men to leave a privy together.”

“Oh. Right.”