The early morning light was filtering through the blinds, signaling that a new day has begun. The light was dim and red of course, but it was still there.
Calen and his companions were already up, preparing to depart. They were eating breakfast in silence when Cassian spoke up:
"The regular food we have will last us a month, maybe two if we ration it properly. Sooner or later we'll have to find an alternative."
Calen nodded in agreement, the meals they could eat were nice, but they won't last forever.
It wasn't too bad though, Koravel survived half a millennium in this desolate world, there had to be something edible ot there, they just had to find it.
They decided to reinforce the wards and seal the entrance before leaving - it was a good location and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.
Armed with the same camouflage and illusion spell as yesterday, they started making their way south once more.
_________________________
"Isn't it kinda weird that we've seen only three types of monsters?" Asked Isara
"Yeah, it is. What's even stranger is that all of those monsters stick to this general area" Responded Calen.
"Are you suggesting something is keeping them in one place?" Questioned Cassian.
"It's possiblity we have to consider."
The longer they observed weird inhabitants of the ashen plain, the surer they were that something was off
The reptilian wolves and the gray imps were dangerous to each other, so why were they staying here, instead of running away in search of an easier pray?
They didn't have to wait long for an answer.
Soon after climbing the hill at the edge of the plains, they noticed a black silhouette standing still some distance away from them.
The figure had mostly human proportions, but even from a distance one could tell it was a bit too tall, and slightly too thin to be a regular person.
It was clad in an elaborate black leather armour, and had two curved swords attached to its lower back. Its skin was grayish-blue and it had pointed ears, visible even through it's long, gray hair.
What's even worse, the creature was mounted on a great beast - one that looked almost familiar.
It resembled the wolf monster, but was larger and it's scales were black instead of the usual brown.
The raider and its steed were led by another recognisable creature, the imps were darker, twice as big, had an additional pair of hands, and spotted a thick mane on their backs..
It seemed like the dangerous beast they were avoiding all this time, were in fact just whelps.
The figure quietly observed the field below, it sat motionless on its great mount for a while - before turning around and riding off into the horizon.
After the group was sure the raider was gone, they resumed their journey south.
_______________________
Tharosk hated doing the livestock check, it was entirely beneath him.
He was a great ravager! He should be leading troops in their eternal conquest, not be stuck on a backwater world conquered centuries ago.
However, the Blight Queen herself ordered the relocation of his battalion here, and he wasn't stupid enough to question the Undying Matron.
The breeding grounds he was ordered to check were mostly in order, a stray Mycotross appeared, but a single one wasn't a problem.
All that was left to do was to check the state of the plain.
He pulled out a stone tablet from a sash attached to his steed and placed his hand on it.
'The bug died, huh? Pity, it was great at culling the weak.'
After putting the tablet away he observed the the ashen grounds below for a while. As much as he hated the job, the farms were important for the empire, and he should do his work properly.
Everything was in order so he shouldn't linger here, there are many creatures below and his Chirrix were getting restless.
He spurred the mighty Dravharn, and steered it east, back towards the fortress.
Many hours later he finally reached the giant structure, its many towers and high walls just as domineering as when he left. A guard clad in heavy plate armour stopped him of front of the gate.
"Halt! Identity yourself!"
"Tharosk, a Ravager of the seventh imperial army in charge of the blood battalion."
The guard eyed him for a moment, then nodded and said:
"Report to Lady Nethur, don't keep her waiting." The guard put his left hand on his right shoulder "In her name."
Tharosk repeated the gesture
"In her name."
He quickly guided his steed to the stables - the guard was right, he shouldn't test the Blightwarden's patience.
A minute later he was standing in front of a large door at the top of the highest tower. He knocked and a voice came from behind the door:
"Enter."
He found his superior standing with her back turned to him, gazing out the window.
"Lady Blightwarden." He saluted.
"Report, soldier." Her voice was cold and firm
"The state of the breeding grounds is good - the bug keeping the population strong died, but an adult Mycotross came in his stead."
"Did you check why the insect died?"
Tharosk stiffened immediately.
"N... No, my lady."
She turned her head slightly, her reflection in the glass was now staring directly at him.
"Why not?"
Tharosk was now sweating.
"W... Well, we should not concern ourselves with lives of lesser beings, my lady."
Nethur turned around to face him, her storm gray eyes drilling into him.
"That is what the codex says, true. However, a death of an unchallenged predator is an abnormality, and an abnormality means potential danger. And what do we do to potential dangers, soldier?"
Tharosk was looking at his boots
"We destroy them, my lady"
The Blightwarden walked up to him and grabbed his chin, forcing him to lock eyes with her
"So, grab your second-in-command, go to the insect's lair, find whatever killed him, and destroy it. Don't come back until you've fulfilled your task. Understood?"
"Yes, my lady."
She finally let him go.
"Dismissed."
Tharosk bowed, and bolted out of the office. He went straight to the mess hall, where members of the blood battalion would be at this hour.
He found his underlings sat in a tight circle, screaming and cheering at something they were observing. Among the crowd he spotted the head of the person he was looking for.
Tharosk came closer to his second-in-command to inspect what was the fuss all about
"What's the commotion, Kaerith?" He asked
"Commander!" the young mindcarver saluted
"At ease, just tell me what's going on."
"Nothing important sir, the plaugeshaper modified a young Chirrix, and the boys are making it fight any large bugs they can find."
Tharosk observed the small creature - it was indeed very young, maybe a week old. The only noticeable difference from a regular specimen was its ghostly white skin.
"What did he do to it?" he asked calmly.
"The only thing we understood is that it will grow indefinitely, apparently more mutations will occur as it gets bigger, sir." answered his subordinate.
"Interesting. Anyway, pack your bags we have an assignment."
"Should I tell the rest to get ready, sir?"
"No, this time it will be only the two of us."
Kaerith looked a bit confused
"If I may, sir, what is our mission?"
For the first time since leaving the fortress this morning, a vicious smile spread on Tharosk's lips.
"We're going hunting, my boy."
____________________________
It turns out that travelling in group is significantly slower than doing so alone, especially when the had to stick closely together.
The road to Koravel's hideout was long and grueling, but they've made it. The dilapidated storage was still there, and it looked exactly like it did yesterday.
They still had a couple of hours of sunlight left, so they decided to go through Drithen's journals and discuss their plans.
"First of all, we can all agree that it was one of them, right? The invaders, I mean." Asked Calen.
"Unless another sentient race attacked us in the meantime, I don't see any other option." agreed Cassian.
Calen then remembered something:
"Speaking of attacking - Elira there's a weapon rack next to the door, if you want one."
The young alchemist nodded and moves to inspect the selection. Soon enough, she was back, wielding a long quarterstaff.
"I didn't know you could use that, where did you learn?" Asked Cassian.
Elita's cheeks reddened, and she looked at her shoes.
"Um, back when I was studying druidic arts I saw one of my teachers use one of those to defend himself and... and... I thought it looked really cool, s-so I learned it."
"That's as good of a reason as any other, I picked up the sword to beat the shit out of Cass." said Calen.
Cassian only rolled his eyes.
A few minutes later they were seated in a semi-circle on the floor, with the journal laying between them.
"Soooo... how are we going to do it? Do we take turns reading or appoint someone to do it?" Asked Calen.
Everyone else pointed at him.
"Why me?" he asked.
"Well, you already read his alchemy books, so it seems like a natural choice." Shrugged Isara
"Fine with me, I guess. I think we should start from the beginning, the day of the invasion perhaps"
They all nodded in agreement, so he started reading:
12/09/897
My contacts in the capital send an emergency beacon, some kind of invasion. Frankly, it's not my problem, the crown has a lot of resources and my help wouldn't change much. Besides, my house is safe, why should I worry?
It could mean I will have to accelerate my plan, and that's no good - quick work is a sloppy work.
Calen paused.
"It seems like the invaders didn't venture beyond the capital on the first day. Do you think his 'plan' was to turn himself into half-spider?" he asked.
"Most likely. I must admit, it's a bit suspicious that he didn't respond to an emergency beacon from his associates." said Cassian.
Calen shook his head and said:
"I don't think it's a conspiracy, Cass. Some people are just assholes."
Cassian didn't respond, so he continued:
30/10/897
The Sun Kingdom has fallen. There are some some stragglers from the Royal army that claim otherwise, but the king is gone and the army itself was decimated.
What's the point of loyalty in the face of an overwhelming strength? Ignorant fools.
The plan is progressing well, but I realised I will have to improve the ritual, the results of the regular version were... unsatisfactory.
"It sounds like mister Alchemist wasn't new to human experiments" commented Calen in a grim voice
"I told you he was infamous among the practitioners of our craft." quietly said Elira.
"Let's continue."
23/2/898
I've met the invaders, they're fascinating. The translation matrix I had in the basement had some issues, but we've managed to communicate.
They were quite interested in my research, it turns out that they practice an art somewhat similar to alchemy, and they offered an exchange of knowledge.
Recently, I've noticed that the malignant force the visitors brought with them was starting to affect me.
The ritual is missing a crucial part that I can't figure out, perhaps the exchange will offer some insights.
"So, he wanted to use the corruption to save himself from corruption? What kind of twisted logic is that?" questioned Calen
"Fighting fire with fire, I guess. Not that it makes sense, mind you, but I've heard of alchemists do much dumber things. No offense, Ellie." Answered Isara.
"None taken, I agree that some of us do stupid things, even my grandfather had some questionable experiments."
They all started at her and she quickly added:
"N-not like ethically questionable... j-just things that weren't particularly useful."
That made more sense, the old potioneer was a a bit... eccentric, but no one would ever suspect him of doing morally doubious things.
"Let's read one more and then summarise what we've learned" said Calen
27/3/898
The Serakhiin are geniuses! It was so simple, how could I not see it before? I was so foolish!
The Blight is... Beautiful. It's the answer to everything, trying to stop it is to defy the natural order!
Armed with this knowledge, I finally succeeded. My body... Ascended. I am more than any mortal could ever hope to be,
I... Ascended.
"Well, that escalated quickly." Quipped Isara.
"We know what the invaders are called now, and that they are actually sapient." Stated Cassian.
Calen scratched his chin and asked:
"Did anyone see the translation matrix in the basement?"
All his companions shook their head.
"Good to know I'm not blind, at least. But this begs a question, what did he do with it? Matrices like that are really bulky, so we would've noticed if he hid it somewhere else in the house."
"Isn't it obvious?" Asked Isara. "He gave them to the visitors, maybe as a gift or as a part of that exchange he mentioned."
"I suppose it doesn't matter now, if they got their hands on equipment like that this early into their conquest, they're all speaking fluent common by now."
That was bad news - the enemy could understand them, but they couldn't understand the enemy.
"As fun as it was to read the perspective of a man descending into insanity, I think it's time to call it a night." Announced Calen.
The dim red light seeping through the circular window was slowly fading, which meant the night was about to begin.
"This place has warding inside the walls, we only have to seal the door to be completely safe."
He and Isara took out their knives and worked in tandem to scribble the necessary runes into the wooden surface. A few minutes later the only remaining source of light in the room was the glowing circle of symbols they created.
After they were all settled in their respective sleeping bags, Calen said:
"Tomorrow we will go into truly uncharted territory, if we are to survive we will have to fully rely on each other. Now that we know our enemies are intelligent, we can't rely solely on a disguise, we must be prepared to fight."
There was a collective hum of agreement, it seems his companions were a bit too tired for epic speeches, but that was fine.
There were in this together, for better or for worse.