Vainglory 3.31 - The Shape of Secrets

Enjoy the chapter!

-Plum

31 – The Shape of Secrets

“How’s he look?” Ward asked, watching Lali gently probe Trent’s bruised, swollen forehead.

“I can feel the bone through the swelling now, and aye, it feels too damn mushy.”

“Don’t press on it!” Haley hissed, grabbing Lali’s elbow.

Lali sighed and leaned back on the step. “I was being gentle.”

Ward stood with a grunt, brushing his hands off. “We’ve wasted enough time. We need to get Trent out of this place.” They’d only been sitting ten minutes or so—long enough to eat a quick lunch and tell each other what they’d been up to since being separated, but Ward was feeling antsy, and he didn’t know how long it would take to let the sap do its thing, whatever that would be.

“How do you know how much to eat?” Lali asked. “Can’t we just bottle some of that stuff?”

Ward shrugged. “Worth a try, but something tells me the ancients would’ve thought of that. As for how much, I dunno. I’ll start with a mouthful.” He drew his belt knife and stuck the tip into the opening in the stone, down into the congealed pool of sap, scooping about a tablespoon’s worth onto the blade. He drew it out and gave it a good sniff. It was sweet-smelling, with hints of an underlying peppery scent that tickled his nostrils. None of the decay he’d smelled earlier as an undertone was present, and he had to assume that scent was from the tree itself, not the sap.

With the thick substance clinging to his knife blade, he sat back down beside Haley. “Um, I guess, if this kills me or something, it was nice knowing you both.”

“Stop it, Ward!” Haley punched his shoulder.

“Ouch!” He laughed, shaking his head. “You gotta quit hanging around Grace.”

Lali perked up, peering at him past Haley. “Grace?”

Ward waved the question off. “A friend of ours.”

Lali nudged Haley. “A lover of his?”

That made Haley laugh, and she shook her head. “Well, not exactly, but they are very close…”

“All right, all right.” Ward scooped the sap into a clump near the tip of the blade, then held it to his lips. “Here we go.”

“Wait!” Haley cried.

“What?”

“What if it’s like a refinement potion? Take off your clothes. Well, at least most of them.”

“I’m all for that, Ward,” Lali added. “I’ll hold your clothes for you.”

Ward glanced at her, noting her amused grin—almost a leer. “Ah, damn it,” he sighed, knowing Haley was right. He unbuckled his belt, setting it and all the gear attached to it on his satchel, then he pulled off his old-new boots. “I mean, it’s not like these clothes are nice, but they fit, and I don’t see any reason to ruin them.”

“Just toss ’em here, big man. I’ll fold them for you.”

Ward chuckled, pulling his shirt off over his head and throwing it, perhaps harder than necessary, to Lali. He tugged his pants off, frowning at his torn, bloodstained, linen underpants. There were other garments like them in the magical bag, but he’d been leery about putting on underpants that were scavenged from likely dead people by an evil skeleton, and he hadn’t had a chance to change them with a pair from his pack. He supposed it was good—if the sap did something horrible, he wouldn’t ruin a new pair.

Down to his skivvies, he lifted the knife again. Just as he was about to eat the sap, Haley leaned forward and earnestly said, “Good luck!”

“Thanks.”

Haley and Lali watched, both holding their breath, as Ward put the knife between his lips, scooping the sticky substance into his mouth. The first thing he experienced was an intense sweetness. It wasn’t unlike honey or maybe maple syrup, but it dissolved quickly, flooding his mouth with saliva as he swallowed. As the sweetness passed, a distinct, peppery aftertaste coated his tongue and throat, and he coughed, shaking his head as stars danced in his eyes. “Oh, damn,” he grunted, falling flat on his back, his skull thunking against the stone floor.

Ward wasn’t unconscious, or at least he didn’t think he was. However, he couldn’t see anything thanks to the kaleidoscopic display of stars and colors. His other senses were similarly confounded. His ears rang like someone was banging wind chimes beside them, and his nose and mouth were overwhelmed by the peppery aftertaste of the sap, though that quickly faded to numbness that spread through his face, and then down into his body until he felt like he was detached, floating in a cloud of bright sparkles and swirling rainbows.

Eventually, the colors faded, and he experienced a sense of movement. He drifted through tunnels that glowed faintly in shades of green and blue, then emerged into a vast, high-ceilinged hall. He immediately recognized the entry hall of the Assembly building. He could see the arched corridors that led to the different towers, and though it was quiet and empty, he could turn and see through the open doors to the moonlit square outside.

He thought about that. When would the square be quiet? It had to be very late at night. As he made that conclusion, a shriek shattered the silence. Ward whirled toward the sound, just in time to see a woman in a nightgown falling to the polished marble floor, a shadowy creature clinging to her back. In horror, paralyzed by the nature of his vision, he watched the thing draw long, gleaming claws across her throat, silencing her shriek in a spray of crimson droplets.

Suddenly, the night was filled with shouts and screams, howls and roaring battle cries. The sounds were coming from the grand central hallway that led into the residential wing of the Assembly—the place where Ward and Haley had been given rooms and where Assembly members had much larger, more luxurious suites. With every ounce of his will, Ward tried to take a step, but he was a prisoner to his vision, unable to direct his movement.

It didn’t matter, in any case, because the scene broke apart like shattering glass. He felt vertiginous gravity pulling him in a spiral down, and down, until his eyes snapped open and, with a coughing wheeze, he sat up. Haley hovered over him, eyes wide, and she was saying something, but it took a minute for the ringing to fade from his ears so he could make out the words. “…going to be all right?”

“I think so.” Ward held up his hands, studying his arms and palms. They seemed fine. He didn’t smell anything disturbing. “Did, um, did anything—” He started coughing, but Haley understood the gist of his question.

“You didn’t throw up or anything, but you were coursing with electricity!”

“That’s right, big man,” Lali added. “You were sparking like a lightning bolt hit ya.”

Ward flexed his hands again. His palms were tingling and itching like the sensation you get when the feeling returns to a limb that had fallen asleep. “Electricity, huh?” Coughing again, he pulled his backpack close, grabbing his magical bag off his belt. He opened the drawstring and then pulled out his hemograph. “Let’s see what happened to me.”

He opened the box, inserted his finger, and watched as the display shifted to form his new values. Lali and Haley crowded close, and though Ward didn’t really like having Lali see all of his personal information on display, he decided she’d earned his trust. Hadn’t they fought and bled together? As he saw the new readings, his concern slipped away, replaced by a hundred new questions.

Recordings of this blood detected. Previous values will appear in [brackets].

Evolved human with three bloodlines:

Lycan – Prominent signs, Aetherborn – Trace signs, Dreadmarked – Manifesting [Echoing] signs

Bloodline Integration: Coexisting

Bloodline potential conflict analysis: Minor conflict possibility between Lycan and Aetherborn

Bloodline Tolerance Threshold: 78% [70%] - 40% Lycan, 6% Aetherborn, 32% [24%] Dreadmarked

Accumulated Mana: 1201 [1845]

Mana Distribution: Natural – No allocation enchantments detected

Mana Well: Tier 5 – 55% [Tier 4 – 19%] to next tier, Enhanced regeneration from aetherborn bloodline – minor

Mana Sensitivity: Tier 5 [Tier 4]

Mana Pathways: Tier 6 [Tier 5], 2 tiers from pathway artifact influence

Vessel Capacity: Tier 4

Vessel Durability: Tier 3 – 96% [66%] to next tier, Enhanced healing from lycan bloodline – notable, Enhanced bone density from lycan bloodline – moderate

Vessel Strength: Tier 4 – 6% [Tier 3 – 91%] to next tier, Enhanced physical power from lycan bloodline – notable

Vessel Speed: Tier 3 – 83% [43%] to next tier, Enhanced reflexes from lycan bloodline – moderate

Vessel Vitality: 85% – Tier-3 depletion rate

Anima Heart: Tier 1 – Quickening [Emerging]

Anima Pathways: Emerging [Nascent]

Anima: 100/100 [81/100]

“Looks like a foreign language to me,” Lali muttered, shaking her head as she sat down again beside him.

“Ward!” Haley hissed, pointing to his anima value.

He nodded. “Yeah. Seems some of these monsters had anima mixed in with their mana when I, um, harvested it.”

“What about the heart and pathways? Do you know what that means yet?”

He shook his head. “I wish.” He gestured broadly at the report. I gained a lot of things. I don’t know how much was from that sap and how much was from harvesting the monsters I killed. At least I’m pretty sure the bloodline is due to the sap. My dreadmarked bloodline is almost as high as the lycan now.”

“Ugh, dreadmarked?” Lali spat to the side. “Don’t sound good, my friend.”

“Well, if you listen to the spirit in this amulet, it used to be called ‘harrowguard,’ so, um, not sure if that’s better, but at least it doesn’t sound so cursed.” He knew he sounded particularly pedantic and chuckled at himself as he spoke.

Lali snickered and shrugged. “Don’t make a difference to me, Ward. You’ve earned my trust.” She clapped his thigh with her gloved hand, and he was reminded of his near-naked state.

“Well, that sap didn’t seem to hurt me, so why don’t you two have a go at it?”

Haley stood, walked around the pillar to the opening, and immediately cried out, “It’s gone!”

“What?” Ward hurried to her side, and, sure enough, the opening in the monolith was gone—just a smooth stone face remained. “Goddammit!” He moved behind Haley and grabbed her hips. “What about the top?” He hoisted her up to catch the lip of the monolith, and she pulled herself up, peering over the edge.

“It’s gone, Ward. Not a drop.”

Ward lowered her down. “That’s some bullshit! I’m sorry, you two!”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Haley said, smiling ruefully. “I just wish we knew what that bloodline of yours is for. It would make us all feel better knowing it was worthwhile.”

Ward nodded, suddenly reminded of the vision he’d had. “I mean, I think I have an idea, but the spirit in the amulet will hopefully be able to tell me more. Once we get out of here, I’ll find a way to get him to talk to me again.” He glanced at Lali, who’d been quiet the entire time. “Sorry, Lali.”

She shrugged. “Saved me from looking like a coward again. I wasn’t looking forward to tasting that stuff after the way you were twitching and jerking about.” She held up his folded pants and shirt. “Better get dressed. Poor Trent needs a surgeon or something.”

Ward pulled his pants and shirt on, stuffed his feet in his boots, and buckled his belt back on. Slinging his satchel over his shoulder, he said, “Haley, scout that tunnel a little ways, will you?” It was the only other exit from the chamber, and Ward hoped it would lead to someplace closer to an exit than the courtyard around the tree.

“You sure you should be talking to a spirit in an ancient artifact, Ward?” Lali asked as Haley padded out of the room.

“No, I’m not sure of jack or shit, Lali. You got any other ideas, though?”

“Nah, s’pose not.” She bent to pick up Trent’s lower half, and as Ward grabbed his part of the burden, she added, “It’s just that I’ve heard rumors about artifacts like that—with evil spirits in them, I mean. There’ve been cults and whatnot in the city over the years based on such things.”

Ward looked at her sideways, wondering if she meant the same cult he and Haley had been dealing with. They hadn’t mentioned any of that to Fitz or the others. Had they? Haley had spent a lot more time with Fitz than he had. Maybe she’d told him about their adventures in Westview. If that were the case, though, why would Lali beat around the bush? “You have, huh?”

“Aye.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’ve heard rumors ’bout a group called the Umbrage.”

“Seriously?” When Vott Coral had told Ward about the Umbrage, he’d acted as though it was a big secret. He’d even said he wouldn’t mention their name without being inside Gwen’s protective spell. He decided to keep playing dumb. “The Umbrage, huh?”

“Aye, Ward. Nasty folks. You don’t want any part of them or the evil they take orders from. That amulet of yours makes me nervous. What’s the spirit asking you to do?”

He hadn’t detailed his conversation with Pallishae to the two women when he’d described his solo adventure prior to joining their fight with the golems, so, again, Ward kept his cards close. “Nothing yet. Why?”

“Might be wise to let me take it. I know folks who can deal with the spirit if it’s evil.”

Ward nodded, taking a step. “I’ll think about it, Lali. Thanks for looking out for me. Let’s see where Haley got off to—”

“I’m here,” Haley announced, standing in the doorway, grinning. “Guess what’s just a little bit down this hallway?”

“What?” Ward and Lali both asked as they approached with Trent’s unconscious form in tow.

“A stairway and a chest!”

“Now you’re talking!” Lali crowed, giving Ward a little shove to get him moving faster. “Let’s have a look!”

Haley led the way, and the four adventurers soon stood in a wide, circular room with a spiral stone stairway at the center leading up, and, just as Haley had promised, a large iron box at the base of the steps. “I already looked it over and couldn’t find any traps. Do either of you want to have a look?” Haley asked.

Lali set Trent down with a grunt, shaking her head. “Not me, love.”

Ward put his half of Trent down. “I have Reveal Secrets prepared. I could see what it shows, just in case.”

“I think that’s a good idea.” Haley moved to stand beside him, reaching up to plug her ears.

“Right, well, here we go then.” Ward stepped closer to the chest, cleared his throat, and said, “Shrovak gnyrath!” The words flowed out easily, like oil over glass, and he was reminded of the readings on the hemograph; he’d gained a tier in all of his mana attributes—mana well, mana sensitivity, and mana pathways. That had to be a result of the sap, right? He hadn’t consumed enough mana to account for such gains since his last reading.

He was so distracted by the thoughts that he failed to notice the effects of the words at first, and by the time he tuned in, shadows had formed and spectral figures were rising out of them. Much like the other visions he’d had in the garden, the figures were elfin in nature—two women and a man. They all seemed young, each wearing tooled leather armor and sporting various weapons, from daggers to rapiers to a fancy, wrist-mounted crossbow on one of the women.

“Look!” Haley said, pointing to a spectral chest that looked identical to the one currently sitting in the room.

The young man knelt by the chest and said, “No trap. Let’s see what our trouble has earned us.”

“Careful, Jyx,” one of the women said, standing close behind him. She glanced at the other woman and arched an eyebrow. Ward watched as the second woman stood back and gave her a quick nod.

“Old fathers!” Jyx exclaimed as he opened the chest and peered at the glittering treasure within. “There’s enough here—” His words were cut short as the woman behind him drew a gleaming dagger across his throat, cutting so deeply that his head flopped back as a great spray of blood erupted from the wound.

“Cylla! You got blood all over the treasure!” The other woman hissed, stepping forward to kick Jyx’s convulsing figure to the side.

“Blood washes off gold, love,” the other elf, Cylla, said, smiling broadly as she bent to peer into the chest.

“Those horrible bitches!” Lali cried, just as the shadows began to disperse and the light returned to the world.

Haley turned to glare at Ward. “I agree! I wish we hadn’t seen that!”

“I don’t choose what the spell shows! We wanted to know a secret, and I guess that counts.” Ward gestured to the chest. “Want me to open it?”

“I will,” Haley said, already standing the closest. She leaned over, and Ward couldn’t help noticing how she reached up to touch her neck as she lifted the lid. He agreed: the vision had been horrible, but it made sense that, if the room didn’t have any secrets of its own, like traps or puzzles, then they’d learn a secret about people who’d passed through. If there was one thing he’d learned while working as a detective, it was that everyone had secrets and most of them weren’t about things a person would be proud of.

“How’s it look?” Lali asked, edging around Ward to get closer to the chest.

“It looks good, Lali,” Haley replied. “More gold and jewels! Fitz is going to be happy!”

“Nothing artifacty?” Ward asked.

Haley giggled at his made-up word. “I don’t think so, but maybe. Some of these rings and necklaces look ancient.”

“Fitz has experts who can evaluate ’em all,” Lali said. “You want me to gather this stuff up, Ward?”

“I mean, I’ve got your packs in my bag.” Ward reached into his pouch and pulled out one of Lali’s less-filled backpacks. “Put it in here.”

“While she’s doing that, I’ll scout up the steps, okay?” Haley was already on the second step when she turned to ask the question.

Ward nodded. “Just go slowly and don’t go too far.” Ward peered upward, but couldn’t see much past the ceiling where the stairs wound upward.

“I won’t!” Haley turned and lightly scampered up.

Ward watched Lali work, scooping handfuls of gold and silver coins and baubles of all sorts into her bag. “That’s quite a haul. More than the last chest.”

“Aye, Ward. This trip will pay off if we can make it out alive.” She turned to grin at him, and Ward smiled back, finding he was feeling pretty fond of the tough woman. He just wished he knew how she’d learned about the Umbrage and if her interest in the amulet was purely out of concern for him. He supposed he could try his new spell on her, the Memory Walk one, but she’d know he cast it, and he doubted any sort of friendship could survive an invasion like that.

Before he could go further down that line of thought, Haley reappeared, beaming, and announced, “There’s a gatehouse above and, crazy as it sounds, I can see the market square of the city through it!”