Novl Za'Darmondiel.
***
I was reluctant. Hesitant. Apprehensive. Even after that vision. Even after this feeling of prowess that was but a taste of what was to come, I had doubts. Yet, I also had thoughts. Thoughts that I was wiser than Bazra and Barro, for they seemed confused about what had been so clear for me to understand. We evolved.
We evolved, not in the sense that one would with a divine tree. Our very structure was changed to become better in every way, and in ways we couldn't hope to understand; other than us being paragons of drow. That did not mean, however, that we were indebted.
This change was borne from a God's presence on the Mortal Plane. Just as he reshaped the stones on which he stepped, his actions and our reactions reshaped us. And so, perhaps like Etan, we became more. Paragons and Pariahs in the same stroke of unfortunate luck. Fated to either escape to the surface, join these forces before us, or remain to suffer the same torture as Etan.
The choice was obvious. Yet the option presented to me seemed… unsatisfactory. Following Amun or Etan, I would have no problem with. Following the right human, I would have no problem with. Wilson Koorb, with his alchemical prowess, for example. Freki, however- though I envied his lifestyle- seemed too… soft. Thus I grew anxious once the vessel began to slow and Freki spoke up over the music of his bards.
"What are the strongest creatures here? And what type of plants here are edible?"
Before any of us could respond, the window of spores rang out in the graveled tone of Mycahnis. "Plants are simpler. Anything glowing is poisonous. As are the shrooms with webbings under the caps or those with bright colors."
"Which of the poisonous ones is tasty?" Freki then asked, much to our bemusement.
"A fine lot of 'em, I say!" The dark gnome cackled, shocking us even more as he gestured across plains of vibrant stalks. "I bet Spike can make a right wine of 'em, give Rick a real kick, it will!"
"Well that sounds familiar," I sighed, feeling my bemusement shift to amusement.
Freki, on the other hand, gave me a strange look. "What, drow don't eat poisonous food?"
I could only shrug with my hands. Yet Barro laughed. "Poisoned wine is enough for us. Poisonous food makes the backside run worse than the Falls."
At that, Freki laughed and laughed and made me wait quite a while to interject. "If you want to talk poison you should speak with our grandmother, Ilar. She's the House Alchemist. She's managed to create poisons that can even kill drow."
"Mmm." Freki nodded at those words, and in response the 'window' blinked to showcase a human with red and white hair, regressed in age, tinkering with an alchemical bench on the primary lecture room's wall. Amun, the goblin, and the aforementioned halfling, 'Rick' were in the foreground, meditating, listening intently, and playing a tune while our grandmother and many of our aunts observed from their not-so-hidden positions in the ceiling.
Such powerful scrying.
My cousin's earlier words hit me like a boulder thrown from a stone giant; brining about a cascade of memories and words that seemed innocuous just moments ago.
'He is a master in exploiting the laws of nature for his benefit.'
Like this train; and the transformations brought to us four.
'A deal and a pact made with Amun.'
A tenure that gave him the spirit of a warlock and the body of a sorcerer. Or rather, them, his werewolves.
'I only care about living freely.'
Capable of venturing away from his supposed master whenever he seemingly pleased.
'Engineering. An art he passed onto us, the members of his Troupe.'
Like this magic-less scrying, so advanced it could watch Amun, Mycahnis, and the perimeter of this vehicle simultaneously; and most likely, Etan as well.
'You will obtain ultimate freedom.'
Not because Amun would protect us from anything, I realized. But because he would grant us the means to stand against everything. And yet, I remained skeptical. I had to see what that meant with my own eyes, now gilded like Etan's. So I eagerly listed the most dangerous creatures in and around Zimysta Falls.
"In the outer legs and the waters beyond are Chitinous Hulks, Troglodytes, Naga, Violet Worms, and Crawling Cadavers. As well as stone and fire giants; albeit rarely. Here, in the lowlands, the most dangerous thing to be found is the occasional wandering minotaur."
"Giants?" Freki asked, seeming to be all he heard.
"Oh, yes." Seon nodded. "They've been crawling around the Darkworld for eons. Stone giants carve the tunnels and others follow, as they say."
"Mmm. Which of those creatures tastes the best?"
Not knowing the answer to Freki's inquiry, we pointed out the likely areas to house such creatures- the wilds beyond the Great Woven Yards of House Abaeir.
While I was silent on the way there, skirting around the falls to approach the Yards from the outside, I was just beginning to tell him not to kill any spiders when it happened- the beginning of the end.
Waves of deep blue mana rolled over the cavern, sinking into the stone to cause the branching mycelium and its towering mushroom forests to wither and regress, shrinking to a point of blue light somewhere inside the house.]
It was the same blue seen around Amun's wrists and eyes. But even that realization didn't make me want to ask.
Not that I had to.
"Oho!" Freki chortled deeply. "Looks like Iris has started already."
I shuddered at the name, as I was forced to remember the few instances of me sparring against that little monster. Though she looked much more capable upon her arrival at the Falls, I didn't want to begin to imagine what that meant concerning this display of her power.
Much to my satisfaction, Freki made no mention of Iris' actions, nor did the 'window' transition to display its effect. It only showed the hulking vessel roll on its smoldering rails to a stalagmite raised at the entrance to the tunnel ahead, forming a gate leading to the great Yards of House Abaeir, yet I was uneasy all the same.
That unease only increased when the walls of this strange cabin rolled up and out of view to allow many of the wolf-men to scatter throughout the fungal marsh, now decayed into petrified husks amidst a sprawling dust desert. Meanwhile, others encased themselves in burning brambles that subsequently died into ash crumbling off of human, dwarven, and elven forms.
They got to work stretching a canvas from the outer roof of the cart to provide an overhang for chairs and cooking stations. Freki, on the other hand, reached toward the skull fastened to his shoulder to withdraw that black sphere clenched within its teeth. Then let it go.
"What is that?" Bazra asked, following the sphere dancing around the man's frame.
"The Hesperus Star. My siege tool and satellite- the advanced scrying eye. It is used to broadcast the glory of my adventures to the Empire. An Emperor's people should be able to watch him work, no?" He explained, splaying his palm while his earring shined brightly. His splayed hand immolated a moment later and turned solid, darkening into the once tiny glaive he relegated to jewelry. "And this is the Venusian Glaive. My weapon."
Remembering Nijal's painful lessons regarding unfamiliar weapons, I stayed away from any closer inspections and instead opted to see it in action; thus I led the way down the dark ramp.
I intended to, at least.
Deadly silent, the wolf-men and even the hulking giant trekked across the stone with the same fluidity and grace as us four. They worked in perfect sync, dodging and ducking the many fearful slaves and their noticeably agitated handlers scattered throughout the dank tunnels until we came upon the main Yard and recoiled in shock.
Where before there was a mushroom forest spread around the cavern entrance, there was now a desert of dust leading as far down as the canal and mossy plains. Said dust hung in the air like a pestilential mist that clung readily to the spiders' webs, causing them to slip and stumble off the rock as they chased the prey that slipped from their webs, releasing more dust to coat their fleshy chitin and making more webs visible for the other creatures within- the werewolves' prey, who remained unaffected.
I took note of the dramatic change incurred by their prey coming into view. It was like flipping through a picture book, the way their bemused expressions shifted to curiosity before a ravenous bloodlust overtook them. Coincidentally, so too was their prey. An Itunoz. A two-headed cross between an orc and a giant standing around 3 times Freki's height. This one in particular was crossed with a mound giant and thus was as dull as it was durable. But still, not even we could sneak up on such creatures easily.
Not that it mattered.
Freki walked up to the beast with a sick smile showcasing his enlarged fangs even while the beast lumbered forward with a petrified mushroom stalk in hand. A heaving grunt preceded the swing of that great weapon. A soft sound, amplified by the solitude of the depths and subsequently muted by the ringing echoes of the stalk breaking away from Freki's wrist.
It did not surprise me to see Freki parrying the attack; neither did seeing him lunge with his burning claw reared back and ready to slice the half-giant's calloused heel; eliciting horrid screams and searing hisses as filleted flesh cauterized and caught ablaze in the air. I was surprised by neither Freki's lack of hesitation in wrapping his arms around the half-giants other leg and toppling it onto its back, nor his darting along the length of it's body, dragging his searing claw into its innards before he savagely bit into its flesh, I was surprised by what came after.
Munching and crunching; smacking and gasping as more of the half-giant's neck and jowls were devoured by the crazed beast until he suddenly stood and turned to us, his face wrinkled and sour with dissatisfaction. "Tastes like stewed shit."
After exchanging a look of utter bewilderment, we four erupted in a fit of laughter that was sure to echo to the surface, conjuring an object that slaughtered our mirth without mercy. A drow female, nearly two meters tall, wreathed in jeweled gossamer and chitin armor that bespoke of her House before she demanded ours.
<<"The 6th daughter, Asyrlla Abaeir.">> She said after we gave her the proper courtesy, then flicked her hand at the dead creature. <<"That was my slave. Are you to compensate me with this one?">>
Of course, we knew it to be a lie. Freki, however, did not. The look on his face told me he had no clue what we were even saying. Yet I learned by now how cunning the man could be. Either way, there was no way to tell him of her station. Even though she was unevolved like us, she was a female under tutelage to become a priestess, so Freki's uncaring nature would only make matters worse.
<<"This is no slave.">> Seon told her in a tone he otherwise would never have used. <<"This is a champion of the Destroyer.">>
<<"Still human!">> She sneered at the man, absentmindedly licking blood off his fanged maw. <<"A disgusting human male.>>
<<"One of the strongest I have ever seen.">>
<<"SILENCE!">> Her bellow sent a small shockwave of compressed arcana through our cavern, making some spiders turn or skitter our way. Yet none of us seemed to have been infected by webs scattered by her voice. <<"One of you will repay me for what was lost.">>
Uncaring and without a beat, Freki jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "You can have it back if you want." Our eyes widened as she reached for her whip, but stopped once a fiery seed was flicked onto the corpse and a feral inflection came into his voice as he said. "Breathe."
Like everything I had witnessed him do before, smoldering brambles consumed the corpse as his sorcery took root in it. Only, these flames sank into the flesh, causing it to writhe and howl as it glowed red hot like adamantine in a forge.
Scrambling, it climbed to its knees and stood to settle the radiant embers of its eyes on Freki, drawing his hand up to the center of his torso. "In." He commanded, and the giant obliged, inhaling a haggard breath that made the embers of its skin cool to an obsidian char. "Now hold until I say otherwise," he said, yet continued to stare for a moment before it bowed its head and turned to step beside the priestess. "Now you are repaid."
"Yes." She said awkwardly, holding her studiously sneering gaze on us four before finally stepping away. "I am repaid."
Freki needed no convincing to relocate upon our return to camp. By the time we arrived, the other wolf-men had already retracted their canvas and packed everything into the 'locomotive.' Thus we got on the move the moment we embarked, heading straight towards the lowlands at what I thought to be top speed.
Once we'd made it over the Falls, Bazra asked the most pertinent question. "You gave her a powerful asset. Will that creature listen to her truly?"
A wicked grin came upon Freki as the window of spores blinked to show a certain female drow seen from the eyes of an undead giant. "It will follow the chain of command. She is his handler. I, his master. Amun, his sovereign. So, I ask you, who has the advantage over whom?"
We could only look at each other and snicker amongst ourselves. "So much for not participating in a game of cunning."
"What can one expect from a False Shepherd?" He innocently snickered. "After all, not everyone is worthy of grazing in greener pastures. But there are more than you would think in these here Falls."
So saying, the window blinked yet again; this time, to depict a strange, blue-white creature of many metal arms darting through the caverns. Another blink saw us inside that strange creature, revealing an environment similar to this train, only much smaller and populated with Freki's sister, Ruel, and some lesser members of the house. One of them being a male, danging helplessly by he tentacles.
"Etan was right."
***
Seon Za'Darmondiel.
***
"Etan was right." I continued laughing hysterically long after the many eyes of this train settled upon me. "You people are my kind of crazy. So tell me, can this thing go to the surface?"
It was an obvious question but the others seemed to catch my meaning. Novl in particular, to much surprise. It was all but guaranteed that my brother would settle on the same conclusion as I. That this was our single, best chance to escape the fate of so many males before us. The one opportunity we'd have to forge our own fates and never again be stepped on by the likes of another. The only moment we would have to become like our great uncle and obtain ultimate freedom, and the most prestigious station.
I had no intention of playing coy about that.
"I'd like to see what this thing can do on the open plains. And." I paused, turning a smirk about all of them. "I would prefer not to wake up in this place."
With little more than a maddening grin from Freki, this outrageous vessel sped up, charging out of the gates in a conflagration that ripped open space itself. In the blink of an eye, we were through the smoke and in the dark once again, yet subject to the subtle cacophony of sounds unique to the surface.
It was an amazing feat, to say the least, for the negative radiation present in the Darkworld made teleportation and divination difficult. Then again, the Darkworld was no different from the Shadow Realm whenever those of the Nox were concerned.
We continued at great speed across the plains until we suddenly slowed to a manageable place within a clearing, where the locomotive began to turn, curling in on itself like a snake biting its tail to create a ring of grass and flowers.
The wolf-men leaped into action the moment we stopped, using their magic and sorcery to spread a canopy of spindly trees across the clearing to make supports for a great tent filled with tables, benches, bars, and a veritable feast of meat.
Rather than begin another feast, however, the wolves transformed into their true forms; dozens upon dozens of them, arranged according to their professions, which they ceremoniously disclosed.
The Fruitful Four Bards. Gunter, the half-elf Bard of Advertisement with Paint and Wood Magic; Presley, the halfling Bard of Revelry; Oaky, the dwarven Bard of Barkeeping; and Kong, the human Bard of the Circus with Canvas and Meteor magic; Freki's only traveling companions as of now.
Living elsewhere were the False Shepherds, led by those who lived on the Train- the Harvest Wardens. Gnash of Food Crops; Calrog of Livestock; Gilroy of Seafood; Thames of Industrial Crops; Caesar of Herbs; Larry of Lumber; Spike of Alcohol; Meiis of Magical Crops; Mycahnis of the Darkworld; Limmuvec, the Processor. Masters of agriculture, they were, not to mention the feet- not the backbone- of their Empire. Supporters of the agricultural industries already set in place. Suppliers of the growing Legions of the Nox.
Brigade commanders of the Black Wolf Brigands- Amun's destroyers is what we would be. Thus we gratefully unfurled our robes to expose a shoulder for the ritual.
One by one, Freki bit into our flesh, releasing a searing venom to travel to the depths of our bones. I felt my flesh boil and burn to ash and I heard bones smoldering where my ears had been. Yet all I could see was a boundless field of ripe plants, looked down on by an eldritch eye of spinning bands positioned above the midnight sky.
Thinking I had died and gone to the Upper Planes, I could only lower my gaze in an attempt to gain my bearings, wherein my breath was stolen by a colossal beast of black fur and fiery eyes standing over me like a stalagmite.
How majestic it was, dripping its molten drool onto the plants to burn them away, I could only bow in respect; even while it consumed me wholly.