I still have difficulty believing this is a warlock. One of the ghosts in his armor spoke.
Sagrius watched the man before him, sipping away at so more of that tea of his. Hexis seed in a good mood, despite the devastating attack his airspeeder had suffered.
Hed communicated with the airspeeder here, asking it logs and data feeds on what had ambushed the warlocks airspeeder, but found them wiped. The airspeeder itself had no knowledge, only damage reports and breach locations. Machines had sward Hexiss ship, murdered half the crew and forced the other half into hiding. The only reason Hexis had managed to survive all of this was that hed hid in his ships vault.
It was a miracle that the crew were able to recover control of the speeder. And then odd for the warlock to demand the crew to turn back and rescue the stranded airspeeder Sagrius had been left in.
He needs you to get into the clan. One of the ghost knights whispered. Youre an asset to him. Never forget that.
The other ghosts all agreed with that assumption. There was no other reason for the lead airspeeder to turn back when it went against all standard operation against a machine ambush. Survivors were left behind, attempts to rescue had always ended with more casualties.
He knew this from mories that stretched across decades, from user to user. mories that felt like his own, even if the ghosts within spoke strongly that those were from the armor and not him.
And so you can see why I truly believed the crew had gone mad with their stories of you. Hexis said amicably, raising a cup in a short salute. A single knight against a small legion of machines, holding them off for more than a half hour. Hasnt been done in well, hasnt been done by humans. A Deathless I could believe.
You wished to see for a reason. Sagrius said, quieting the voices inside his head. He didnt care to talk to this man. There was still so much left to sort within his head, he wanted nothing more than to find a place to sit and ditate.
Hexis humd, eyebrow raising. I suppose for soone of your skill, you must do this quite often. Especially since you ca from the machine controlled territory on your journey here. But I digress, I was curious about how you learned such skills and feats.
Confidential. Sagrius imdiately said.
The warlock nodded as if all of this were expected. And those cracks all over your armor, are they battle damage youve sustained over ti, so new clan ritual I havent yet seen or perhaps sothing more?
Hes noticed. One of the dead knights hissed. Of course he would. Hes a warlock.
We cant be sure that warlocks are using the sa system as Keiths discoveries. Another said.
Him looking for a place to icepick is confirmation enough that he knows about fractals. He might have so on his person too. Ill see if I can reach a tendril out and test. Sagrius could sense in the soul sight the knight probing forward, searching with his own sight and soul. Fractals wouldnt be seen in the occult sight until they were active, only then did the concepts manifest into the world. Until then, they were simply patterns written out sowhere in the world.
How could he tell these were fractals? Another asked. Theyre all inscribed in different rotations, with decoy cracked in between each, it all looks completely natural. I know what were looking for and I can hardly spot the patterns myself unless I feel for it with a tendril. Ridiculous.
Master Keith had been clever when hed inscribed these fractals. His armor had assisted him in calculating the most natural looking locations to hide these fractals in plain sight. It was optimized to the point only Sagriuss expanded senses could see and map where the fractals were. The senses that were not part of his original body.
Youre not alone. Another dead knight said. This isnt the first ti weve been in front of the warlock, and he hasnt picked it up either back then. But now that he knows you have the skills to survive against all odds, hes searching for reasons why.
What do we tell him? He knows we know. And we know he knows. The first ghost said.
Those are above our grade. A final knight said. The clan lord will decide on what to do. For now, deflect.
The other knights all quickly agreed to that. The lord Deathless would rip out any kind of secrets from this warlock with a smile on his beard, and the warlock none the wiser.
A clan ritual. Sagrius said in the end. Veteran knights who are loyal to the clan lord are given this rite.
Hexis humd again. Trustworthy loyal knights yes I believe I see your point. Fair enough, well table this little talk for another ti. Then, for another topic of interest - what are your opinions about Deathless?
They oppose the machines and fight for humanity. Sagrius said. They are demi-gods sent by the gods to guide humanity.
And have you encountered the latest generation of Deathless? I wonder if your opinion on that rabble is the sa.
The ghosts all conferred inside, but no one had run into a new Deathless. Not even the armors mories had seen such a being yet. He saw no reason to hide that from the warlock before him.
They can be pests as much as heroes. Hexis said. Very full of themselves, had quite a few knock on my tower and demand free weapons and gear, as if it was owed to them. Dont think they realized all the other Deathless had long ago earned the resources to buy their gear the normal way. Really, what are they teaching kids these days? And theyve appeared just about everywhere in every city by the dozens, all wielding occult powers as if they were born with it. I wonder if the surface was also affected by these new Deathless like the rest of us?
Sagrius shook his head. I dont recall any such being found within clan grounds.
Another hum from the warlock. One more checkmark down the list of clues about them. Whatever this phenonon is, the surface seems clean of it. A good thing, imagine if so raiders happened to be given the powers of a Deathless?
Impossible. Sagrius said imdiately, the outburst coming from his human half. There were strong feelings about this, which he didnt quite understand himself. The armor side didnt care at all for such details and had extre apathy, in comparison to his human side that was the polar opposite. It was a strange disconnect in his mind. The gods would not select monsters.
Ah, but what if they did? Or rather, what if they no longer selected anyone and left it more to random chance? Hexis said. Because Ive already read reports of criminals having Deathless powers. Not the petty criminals either, the ones who should have seen the end of a rifle barrel long ago, so perhaps your gods are trying sothing new. And Othersiders often dip into the underground back and forth. They dont have such strict rules of separation as the clans do. What if so of them were turned to Deathless while underground, by sheer chance?
Sagrius remained staring at the warlock. There was a point to all this, but it eluded him. If he stayed silent, the warlock would talk. Hexis seed like the type that could never shut up unless his life depended on it.
A mont later, his hunches were correct.
I know your clan is quite powerful. That your sword saint was exceptional was a possible coincidence. That all of her bodyguards turned to be just as quick and skilled was stretching that possibility. And now you, a knight of such skills and yet next to no information anywhere. Soone that should have spent decades gaining fa, or at least recognition. And yet you havent. Curious this.
If you are here to ask questions you know I will not answer, why ask to co at all? Sagrius said. This was beginning to feel like a farce.
Strong as she was, she couldnt beat a Feather. Hexis said. And at that, one who hadnt shown any use of occult spells, only sheer martial skills. Not too uncommon for Feathers, they always enjoy playing with their food as much as possible after all. But the point stands - she was the best fighter you had, and she couldnt beat a Feather. Deathless regularly group together to fight Feathers - and they can win. I would know, Ive equipped these teams myself.
Hexis leaned forward. Why that seems like theres a possible power differential. No matter how quick you can move, a Deathlesss occult abilities will always outstrip your efforts. If the othersiders indeed have Deathless among their armies, that might be quite the problem for your clan, would you not agree?
And the point of all this?
You have an occult problem. And Im a grand warlock. With my spells, resources, and gear - the balance can be tied against possible Deathless slavers. Now, when we surface, your clan will very likely try to kick out. It will be up to you to make sure they do not.
I will follow the will of the clan. Sagrius said. Convincing them is not my place.
Ah - but it is. Hexis said. You are a clan knight, and as I understand it, you are sworn to protect your people to the best of your abilities. Are you protecting your people to the best you can by ignoring a potential ally against a known threat?
Sagrius ground his teeth together. Both sides of him felt the words resonate. The long years of serving one singular user at a ti, to protect them with every option possible - that was the sa call to action this warlock had suggested. And his human half had been a captain who dedicated himself to his House and clan.
The knights and crew aboard my airspeeders arent truly loyal to . Hexis said. Oh, theyll follow my orders and commands to the letter. But after this mission? Theyll scatter away back to the council. None of them are long term assets. So, throwing them at your enemies is perfectly acceptable to . And the riches in my vault are also filled with knowledge to trade for, things that could leap your clan forward decades into their original goals. Things that my guild would likely demand my head if I shared, but sohow I have a feeling the winning side isnt the guild at all here. And I always choose the winning side.
Even the ghosts in his mind had gone quiet.
I see that weve reached an agreent of kinds. Hexis said, smiling. I can tell from the very way you freeze up. As for why I need your help with all this, well. Clans have lived with the idea of peaceful Deathless being a constant, and their culture is never about change. Centuries pass and surface dwellers remain exactly the sa, frozen in ti. But the world has changed.
They might not believe my words but they will yours.
He could feel the mont they crossed the threshold above ground. His outer skin easily noticed the temperature differential, while his heart and nanoswarm grew more active in building and managing heat within the armor to protect his inner self.
This wouldnt bother the crew, none of them ca with environntal suits, all of them ca with relic armor from the lowest tech to the very pilot of each ship. Like him, he heard the armors speak to one another, warning each other of the temperature change, and all confirming silently that their systems were working within tolerances.
It felt comfortable to speak to the other armors. Unknown to their users, relic armor constantly spoke to each other, passing information on location, vitals, air and pressure conditions. Anything that would keep the rest of the operation inford. A hardwired instinct to always have a friendly unit be alert and ready to assist in the event of danger or disconnection.
The airspeeder convoy passed upwards from the wide mouth of a mountainside. He heard the weapons spooling up and firing to clear off any ice blocking the pass, before the large beasts lumbered through and out into the white wastes.
From here, their speed would kick up to full power. There were no more turns or narrow passes to go through, only sheer space in every direction. They would cover far more distance in this last day than their entire week of travel from the underground.
Sagrius remained in ditation, slowly trying to sort out which thoughts were his, and which thoughts had been the armors. mories were easy enough, instincts and feelings were far harder.
Ti passed, and the expected call for his presence arrived. He rose from his seat and made his way to the cockpit of the ship. The pilots waited for him there, faces covered by their helts, but even his dulled human sense could tell there was so asure of awe in their posture.
His actions at the dood speeder must have spread then.
Were approaching the clan colony, sir knight. One pilot said. Weve begun transmitting a hail, well need you on comms to receive the call.
Outside, he only saw white in every direction. The airspeeder confird his thoughts, they were still an hour off from reaching the clan proper. Theyd reach the railgun outposts and defense circle first however, and those would need to be flagged down.
Sagrius gave a short nod, and sat down on one of the empty operator chairs, waiting for the mont the clan would be in range. He didnt need to wait long, a patrol picked them up first.
The voice crackled over the comms. Unidentified airspeeder, you are approaching Altosk controlled territory. Power down your engines imdiately or we will open fire.
The pilots nervously glanced at him. He took the command. Altosk war frigate, this is Sagrius Winterscar, relic knight of House Winterscar. I am aboard the lead airspeeder. These are Undersiders escorting a guild Warlock who wishes to discuss an alliance with the clan. With that said, he also gave a string of letters in code, ones used to alert the clan that there was no hostage situation, nor any danger.
The comms remained silent for a mont. Then clicked. Confird intentions. Coordinate point sent, have the pilots et us there for return escort back to the colony. And, welco back, knight.
Hangers among the clan were at an odd balance with airspeeders. The clan had more of the ships than places to store them, but this hadnt ever been an issue in the past as expeditions were always sent out to recover resources to maintain the colony.
Now, with the threat of raiders out in the distance, all the airspeeders had slowly returned over ti, filling up the roster of hangars, and forcing any other airspeeder waiting in reserve to land outside. Technically all ships could withstand the outside temperatures for years on end, so long as large enough rocks didnt strike the ship while the shields were powered down.
Hangars were too precious of a resources to have used by any other ship that didnt need repairs, and so the undersider delegation found themselves walking through the thicker snow on their way to the clan entrances.
Sagrius walked at the front of the delegation, with Hexis marching at his side. The words the warlock had told him remained floating around his mind.
Hed spoken to the ghosts within his shell at large about this, seeking wisdom. But the warlocks words were like iron bars surrounding him. He spoke true, the clan wasnt prepared to consider Deathless as potential enemies. It went against everything theyve ever known for centuries.
The gates of the colony were wide open before them, and at their front were thirty relic knights from different houses. The numbers were lopsided, with the undersiders numbering close to one hundred, with half their ranks being airspeeder crew, and the other half being trained undersider guardsn.
Thirty surface knights against fifty Undersider ones was a lopsided contest. But the heavy weapons around the clan colony were all active and pointed straight at the undersiders.
Most of the clan knights at the entrance looked brand new, many of which held sigils and tapestries from minor houses that never had a relic armor to their na before. Sagrius considered this a sign that the war was going well. These must be armors taken as victory prizes.
Ten of the thirty knights held the fractured look that marked them as elites who used fractals and the winterblossom technique. And one was recognized imdiately for the purple and silver colors of House Shadowsong.
The pri had co to et them.
Hold. He said, raising a hand and causing the delegation to stop. The hand then pointed at Sagrius.
He nodded and took the rest of the steps over to the surface knights. Shadowsong stared him down. Sagrius could feel tendrils of a soul searching through his armor. The other knights welcod the intrusion, connecting with Shadowsong for a mont. All was said in those few short touches.
You are the guard captain of House Winterscar, correct? Shadowsong said out loud.
I am.
Switch to private comms for the mont.
He did, then sent the encrypted request. Shadowsong accepted.
Lord Atius and the Winterscar heirs are gone on expedition, return ti unknown. He said.
Sagrius nodded.
Lady Drass and I are in charge of the clan until such ti that he returns. I see youve brought the souls of the unrecovered knights from Atiuss last expedition. We will discuss what we can do for them inside the ground. And this warlock youve bought?
A warlock from the guilds. A high ranking one. The airspeeders contain wealth, resources. He was already planning to reach the clan, I found passage with him.
Shadowsong nodded. Why has he co?
I suspect hes here to search for fractals and recover them. However, its possible hes here to defect. This warlock has seen lady Kidra and her bodyguards fight, and has seen myself fight as well. He may be convinced we represent a stronger ally than anything he will find in the guild.
You think we can gain more fractal knowledge from him.
I do.
Shadowsong said nothing for a mont, helt turning back up to view Hexis in the distance. The warlock looked out of sorts, clearly unused to the wide open space around him. Winds buffeted the group, kicking up snow and ice. The surface knights all adjusted their stance to combat the gusts, while the undersiders moved like kelp in the aquaponics, waving slightly with each blast of current.
Hexis seed to take this as his cue to step forward and give a bow. I am Hexis, grand warlock of the guilds. Ive heard that there is great danger looming around your clan, and have decided to co here to offer my assistance. Are you Lord Atius?
Shadowsong scoffed. I am not. Lord Atius is away on duty, and outsiders are not needed here. We can protect our own without difficulty.
Hexis said nothing, waiting instead. He seed to know when to be quiet, which surprised Sagrius. The man had been nothing but a chatter-mouth the whole ti hed been around.
Well allow the warlock and an escort entry into the colony. Shadowsong said, out into the general comms. The rest of you will remain within your airspeeder. Food and water will be supplied. Until you can be properly vetted.
Hexis nodded, Fine by , sir knight. He turned to the others behind him, and gave a tug of his head, as if commanding them all with his chin. They obeyed, a little reluctantly, turning and walking back to their airspeeder.
An escort of five is the traditional number I believe. Hexis said, taking a few steps forward. Five other knights behind him followed, one of which didnt look at all like a knight and carried instead the robes of a servant.
The butler Hexis was always with. Sagrius knew him, and the ghosts within all agreed there was more to that man than t the eyes.
Five is enough. Shadowsong said. I give you a cordial welco to Clan Altosk. Follow behind, we have much to discuss.
User Comments
0 comments from readers