Chapter 55 - Bloodshadow

I will never take you for granted again, Hump thought, as he stared up from where he huddled on the floor at the fading rays of sunlight that filtered through the window. His hands stung with cold, his lungs burned as if he’d choked up a bucket full of water, and every muscle in his body felt as if it had been pushed to its limit.

“What on earth happened while I was gone?” Bud growled.

He concealed it well, but Hump could tell the knight was angry. He hadn’t heard Bud enter the room, but he’d certainly felt the cold bite of his frostfire. Hump pushed himself up into a sitting position, leaning against the stone wall. He winced as the pressure made his hands flare, then clenched his fist to get the blood flowing.

He’d been an idiot, that’s what had happened. Not that he was about to admit it. On the one hand, he wanted to blame his wizard’s curiosity. The limitations of his spellbook were a puzzle he needed to figure out, and Kassius’ dagger was the perfect subject for that experiment. More truthfully, he’d been trying to show off in front of Celaine by figuring out what a professional artificer could not.

It had started off fine. His spellbook had successfully recorded the dagger’s runic formation, just as it had done in the past. He’d replicated the flow of essence as it instructed, and though he didn’t have much affinity with dark essence, he’d managed to get the dagger working. Well, working was a somewhat inaccurate way to describe it. More aptly put, he’d managed to wake it up.

And it had infected him.

It had drawn on his essence with a hunger far more powerful than when Hump had held it in the dungeon. It hadn’t simply had a taste of his blood; it had taken his essence. He had filled its runes with his power and formed the connection it needed to come alive. It was like an untamed beast, thirsting for blood and essence, siphoning it from him even as it swarmed him with shadow, drowning him in its power.

Celaine dropped Kassius’ dagger to the ground with a clatter. “He was trying to figure out what Kassius’ dagger does.”

The three of them stared at it. The silver blade seemed bright, even in the dim light, and the red heartstones on the hilt shone with essence, but there was no hint of darkness coming from it now.

“I thought you got it identified,” Bud said quietly.

“I went to an artificer,” Celaine said. “They didn’t have all the answers though. They detected some trace of dark essence but couldn’t tell what it actually does.”

“And you both thought the best way to figure that out was to mess around with it at an inn in the middle of the city?” Bud asked, pressing a hand to his face. “Scratch that, I don’t think you were thinking at all.”

“It worked out,” Hump said. “Maybe it didn’t go entirely to plan, but at least we know what it does now.”

Bud frowned at him. “You should have waited for me. We knew the dagger was dangerous. What if it was enchanted with an explosion or curse? You could have gotten yourself killed.”

Hump averted his gaze. “You’re right.”

“I swear, every time you two are left alone, something like this happens. We were damn close to a case of curiosity killing the cat.”

“I’m not a cat, Bud,” Hump said, rolling his eyes. “I’m a wizard. Typically, curiosity just leaves us with singed eyebrows and soot stains.”

“And In my defense,” Celaine said. “Hump sounded particularly sure of himself. It would have been rude to say no.”

“I specifically remember saying ‘reasonably sure’,” Hump corrected. “Which in hindsight may have been just a tad optimistic.”

Celaine raised an eyebrow. “You think?”

Bud wiped his face with a hand. “Kelisia’s mercy.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Bud,” Hump said. “We’re just messing with you. You don’t need to lecture us, we know this was reckless. My spellbook gave me a pretty good idea of the runes and how they work, I just didn’t expect the heartstones to have such powerful remnant wills. But for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“Me too,” Celaine said, giving Bud a regretful smile. “We were lucky you arrived when you did. Hump was about two kicks away from losing his hands.”

“My hands?” Hump said, eyes widening.

Celaine shrugged, looking at him with an innocent smile. “Well you weren’t letting go of that dagger, and I wasn’t about to get stabbed for it.”

Bud looked between them both and then sighed. “Hump the handless does have a bit of a ring to it.”

Hump grinned. “Not that much of a ring to it. I quite like my hands, thank you. You do have it wrong though, Celaine. I didn’t hold onto the dagger, the dagger held onto me.”

“What do you mean?” Bud asked.

“Whatever beasts those heartstones came from, they were strong,” Hump said. “Part of them still remains inside. A remnant trace of their will.”

“I’m familiar with the concept,” Bud said. “It’s the same thing that can give some weapons their sentience?”

“Exactly,” Hump said. “These heartstones aren’t as powerful as that, though I wouldn’t want to meet the mind behind them even if they were. Even the part of them that is left is starved. It practically suctioned itself to me as it siphoned my essence. I was completely overwhelmed.”

“What’s the point of a weapon that attacks you?” Celaine asked.

“Obviously, the idea is not to let it attack you,” Hump said. “With a strong enough will of your own, you would be able to suppress it.”

“How strong?” she asked.

“Now that I know what to expect, I would probably be fine,” Hump said. “As long as I didn’t get distracted that is.”

“Let’s not put that to the test,” Bud said quickly. “Whatever foul creature it came from, we should wash our hands of it. It’s too dangerous.”

“Actually, I was thinking it would be perfect for Celaine,” Hump said. “If she learnt to control it.”

“It won’t be much use if the slightest distraction will have it turn against us,” Bud said. “We should give it to the temple.”

“To do what?” Hump asked.

“Dispose of it, lock it up, do whatever they think is best. The important thing is that it is no longer our problem.”

“I think you’re exaggerating beyond what it is,” Hump said. “It’s just a weapon, like any other. A tool. Just as you wouldn’t give a child a full sized and enchanted sword, you wouldn’t give this dagger to someone without the capability to wield it either. We can’t overlook a potentially powerful asset just because it could be dangerous.”

“It’s dark essence,” Bud said flatly. “The gods know what evil powers it might have.”

“Essence is essence,” Hump said. “They each influence people in different ways, but it’s the people that wield it that give it direction. Dark essence is neither good nor evil. It is simply another form.”

“Normal artefacts don’t try to eat people,” Bud said.

“We resolved the threat when we weren’t prepared for it,” Hump said. “Now that we are, and knowing that your blessings are such an effective counter to it, I think it’s worth the risk of trying again. And I really do think Celaine will find it useful.

“What did you discover about its abilities?” Celaine asked.

“For starters,” Hump said, looking around for his spellbook. “The dagger has a name: Bloodshadow.”

He found his spellbook under his bed, splayed open, the pages bent underneath it. His stomach lurched as panic rose in him at the sight of it. Carefully, he pulled it out, trying not to damage the pages any further. He let out a sigh of relief as essence began to glow in the crevice, flattening out the page and repairing the damage. Magic artefact or not, nobody bends the pages of a book.

Item Index
Bloodshadow

Description: A magical dagger imbued with dark essence.
Classification: Artefact
School: Dark
Quality: Unknown
Origin: Unknown

Abilities
Unknown.

The dagger’s formation was clear on the page, but he would add a proper description for the weapon later. His spellbook was able to record the formations and how essence should flow through them, but it told him nothing beyond that. It was up to him to figure out what they actually did. Working out the name had been simple though. Two runes ran along the flat side of the blade, which he had compared against the rune index in his spellbook.

He lay the book flat on the floor now, showing Bud and Celaine the formation. “It works by manipulating shadow. What separates it from most shadow manipulation is its ability to grant it physical form.”

“Like Kassius’ spikes?” Bud asked.

Hump shook his head. “I don’t think so. Those were solid, whereas I think this is more like liquid. At least, that’s what it felt like when it tried to drown me. I don’t think the dagger is powerful enough to condense essence to the degree required to grant it solid form. Instead of spikes, I can see it being used to create some sort of smoke screen or veil. I’d need to do some more testing to find out for sure, but it definitely leans toward stealth applications.”

“Which is why you think it’s suitable for me,” Celaine said.

Hump nodded. “You’re a huntress. Obviously, anything that would improve your stealth would be a bonus. Thinking back, it could explain why Kassius didn’t spot your dagger attack when you pounced on him in the dungeon.”

“You think it cloaked me?” Celaine asked. “But I wasn’t channelling it.”

“It has a will of its own,” Hump said. “In that moment, perhaps your desire for blood—your desire to kill Kassius—brought its goals in line with yours. Even if that’s not the case, that desire will mesh well with your class.”

“I don’t know,” Celaine said. “It’s extremely similar to Kassius. And as Bud said, this seems like we might be biting off more than we can chew.”

“It’s unnervingly similar,” Hump said. “I expect his powers and the powers of this dagger have the same source. Perhaps he even made the dagger himself—he was skilled enough in runecraft to make that formation after all. This could have been a focus to help amplify his power.”

“I doubt it,” Bud said. “He seemed to favour a single sword technique.”

“I’m only guessing,” Hump said. “It’s just as possible that he purchased it somewhere. Hell, maybe he’s just grown strong enough that it’s no longer useful. His mastery of shadows was on an entirely different level to this dagger, though it still seems like something that could bring a lot of utility to us.”

Bud still didn’t look convinced.

“Look, I get it,” Hump said. “Kelisia especially has a distaste of dark essence, but that just makes it even safer for us to bring. What harm can it do with your frostfire around?”

“I still don’t like it,” Bud grumbled. “But I can see your point about it being useful. It’s you, Celaine, that will benefit from this the most, so I’m happy to leave it up to you.”

She studied the dagger on the floor nearby, then shuffled over to it and picked it up. “You think I could learn to control it?”

“Yes,” Hump said. “Actually, if you’re really interested in learning some magic, this would be a great exercise for you to practice harnessing your will. You’ll need to make sure we’re around at first, but Bud’s blessings will keep you safe if you do lose control.”

She nodded, sheathing the dagger. “Okay. I agree. I want to try it, and if it doesn’t work out, Bud’s option is still there. We can get rid of it if we need to.”

“Great,” Hump said. “I think you’ll get the hang of it quickly. Will is what’s important, which is something most Chosen are very good at. The gods aren’t interested in the weak minded after all.”

“Besides,” Bud said with a sigh, “you couldn’t do much worse with it than Hump.”

“He was exceptionally terrible,” Celaine said, nodding.

“Hey!” Hump said. “Stop teaming up on me! I might actually take offence.”

Bud and Celaine’s grins widened, until all three of them burst out laughing.

“So how did things go with the count?” Celaine asked.

“Lady Daston was very helpful,” Bud said. “She’ll deliver the message to my father. He won’t be happy, but in all honesty, there isn’t much he can do. I’m far from home and far from his influence. He certainly wouldn’t want to do anything to offend Lady Daston.”

“What did you tell him?” Hump asked.

“The gist of it: That I’ve found my path, and that Kelisia has granted me her blessing.”

Hump snorted. “Good luck to him arguing that logic.”

“She also mentioned Kassius,” Bud said. “There are stories circulating of our involvement in the dungeon. My name was mentioned, though I kept your names out of it.”

Hump let out a relieved breath. “No mentions at all?”

“No, but I didn’t press her. The rumours were worryingly close to the truth. I think someone talked.”

“Maybe it’s a good thing we’re holding onto the dagger then,” Hump said. “The last thing we need is to do anything that might draw attention to ourselves. It’s fairly distinct, it wouldn’t be farfetched for someone to recognise it.”

“And on your end?” Bud asked. “Any news about Wizard Vivienne.”

Hump sighed. “The guild hasn’t heard from her in six months, but she had received mail from this branch before that. There’s also this,” Hump said, standing up and walking over to his bag. He opened it, glancing over the dragon egg out of habit, then searching around inside. He pulled out the quest notice and handed it to Bud.

Bud frowned at it, the frown only deepening as he read. “So it’s been six months since the guild heard from here, and the town is now plagued by ghosts. That doesn’t sound like coincidence.”

“That’s what I thought too,” Celaine said.

“Which is why we’ve signed up for the quest,” Hump said. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m worried about Vi.”

“Not at all,” Bud said. “I think it’s a good idea. Hopefully we find her, but if not, at least we can help some people.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Celaine said. “The clerk at the guild said that this counts toward our promotion. What did he mean?”

“Our promotion to bronze,” Hump said. “The guild restricts access to the more dangerous quests until members have proven themselves capable. It’s a way to avoid too many deaths amongst rookie adventurers. There are four grades for each rank. We’re all Iron 1, so we’ll need to distinguish ourselves three times before we are qualified to take the promotion exam.”

“Will this quest count?” she asked.

Hump shrugged. “Maybe. Depends what type of threats we face and how we handle them. Considering we’re only Iron 1 though, I’d say we have a good chance.”

“Lantheer and Joslin were both Bronze 4,” Bud said to her. “While Oswald is no Chosen, all guild overseers are a minimum of Silver 1. That left him in charge.”

“Got it,” Celaine said.

“I guess we should start getting ready to leave then,” Bud said, looking longingly at his bed. “I had hoped we’d get to spend a few more nights with a bed before hitting the road again, but this shouldn’t wait.”

“Let’s get dinner first,” Celaine said. “An early night after that, and we can hit the road at first light. Sound good?”

“I’m all for dinner,” Hump said. “And a bath too.”

“You and your baths,” Bud said.

Hump grinned. “Always best to remember life's true joys before you go ghost hunting.”