Fortress Al-Mir

Arkk watched via crystal ball as the inquisitors made their way through Langleey Village. Like their first visit, they stopped at the Baron’s manor and had a chat with Gert. It wasn’t a long conversation. The inquisitors didn’t even proceed beyond the entryway. After their conversation finished, the inquisitors left and headed to the church. Abbess Keena opened the door for them but, as they moved inside, Arkk noted something odd.

“I can’t position the crystal ball’s viewpoint inside the church?”

“The Abbey of the Light has a method of blocking scrying,” Zullie said in an absent tone as she flipped through the pages Vezta had made up for her.

“Not surprising,” Vezta said. “The symbols on the building indicate that it has been consecrated to at least one of the three. It is effectively a temple to them.”

Arkk tapped his foot on the ground repetitively, impatiently waiting for the three inquisitors to step outside. It was late. Just after sunset. If they were planning on spending the night, he would have to hand the scrying off to Vezta. The only reason he doubted they were staying right now was the presence of their carriage driver. The man with the wide hat was moving about the carriage, shoving oats into the mouths of the two horses. As soon as he finished, he retook his seat, reclining back against the wall of the carriage with his hat over his face.

If they were staying the night, surely they would have invited him inside too.

Sure enough, High Inquisitor Darius Vrox soon followed Abbess Keena out of the church, the latter carrying a lit lantern to guide her way in the dimming light. The chronicler and the purifier stayed inside, unfortunately.

Abbess Keena brought the inquisitor to the empty storehouse that Zullie had been using earlier in the afternoon. Keena stayed near the door while Vrox moved about, inspecting the remnants of the ritual circles left behind.

“I wish I could hear what they are saying,” Arkk grumbled. Neither Vezta nor Zullie responded with a solution, so he just sighed. “You weren’t doing anything illegal in there, were you?”

“It was a standard aptitude test. Shouldn’t cause any real concern, although he might wonder why we were testing the villagers.”

“Is that illegal?”

“Not as far as I know. Of course, officially, I would be required to report any promising subjects to the church. The fact that you and that little girl were never reported is more damning for that abbess than for us, I should think.”

Arkk slowly nodded twice, then tensed. “Is Hale in danger?”

“The inquisitors are ruthless, or so I’ve heard, but they aren’t unreasonable. They aren’t going to murder her if that is what you’re worried about.” Zullie casually flipped a page in her book. “Might take her away and shove her in one of the academies. Bit of a shame for us, but I’m sure we can find other spellcasters. It’ll just take longer.”

“She won’t have a choice?”

“I wasn’t given one,” Zullie said.

Arkk tapped his fingers against the armrest of his chair several times, watching as the inquisitor knelt in front of one of the circles. As Vrox stood up, so did Arkk.

“I’m going to get her.”

“Master—”

“No. It’ll be fine,” Arkk said. “I slip in, ask Hale if she would rather go with the inquisitors or come here, and then teleport back. Ideally, nobody knows that I was even there. At least in the next few minutes.” A quarter of the village had seen him earlier while looking for Zullie.

“I wasn’t going to object,” Vezta said, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. “I was going to mention that the young girl has been here before. Allowing her the choice of falling into the inquisitor’s hands is less than ideal.”

“That’s…” Forcing her didn’t sit right with Arkk. Still, Vezta had a point. “I’m sure she wouldn’t choose some random people over someone she knows.”

“Very well. I shall maintain my vigil over the intruders. If you feel me reach for your attention, leave at once unless you wish to meet with them.”

Vrox had been chatty enough the first two times Arkk encountered the inquisitor. This time felt different, however. The way Vrox was moving about the village combined with how they had been lurking around Smilesville, searching through the streets for him… Not to mention the way the purifier had chased him and Zullie around just before they left Cliff.

Arkk doubted a meeting now would be quite so friendly.

Teleporting to the far end of the Langleey tunnel, Arkk climbed up the ladder and pushed the trapdoor out of the way. It wasn’t particularly well hidden but it was out of sight of the village. Unless Zullie had screwed up earlier, nobody from the village should be aware of it. As Arkk hurried across the bridge to the village proper beyond the river, he pulled a spare crystal ball to him. Vezta keeping watch was good for when he was distracted but he needed to be sure nobody would see him making his way to the home next to the carpentry shop.

The purifier and chronicler were presumably still inside the church. He couldn’t see them. The coachman was still napping under his hat. Vrox and Keena had emerged from the storehouse but weren’t walking anywhere. Instead, they were chatting with Higgens just outside the storehouse doors. Arkk wasn’t sure why the village tailor was there at this time of night. The inquisitor was probably asking about Zullie’s test earlier.

That meant he would quickly learn that Hale had been the one with the best results.

Still, they were paused for the moment. That gave him time to run along the riverbank and to the building next to the old waterwheel. Hale was inside, eating a stew with John. Arkk didn’t bother to knock, slipping inside through the narrowest gap in the door he could manage, not wanting to flood the outside with light from the hearth.

“Arkk!” John said, an easy smile on his wrinkled face despite the sudden intrusion. “Hale was just telling me that you might be taking her away from me.” His serious tone managed to inject a note of levity at the same time, making it clear that his disappointment was just a front.

He cared for Hale a great deal. The life of a backwater village’s carpenter wouldn’t lead anywhere. A spellcaster, on the other hand? Arkk well knew that a proper spellcaster could make a great deal of coin, travel the world, and generally live well. John had to know that as well.

“Unfortunately,” Arkk started slowly. “She might be leaving sooner than expected.”

The easygoing look on John’s face faded as he narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

Arkk took a breath and looked down at Hale, who had been doing her best to not look excited at Arkk’s arrival but was now struggling not to scrunch up her face in confusion. Holding out the crystal ball, Arkk focused on Vrox.

“This man is an inquisitor with the church. He is almost certainly going to be coming here later this evening. Maybe even in the next few minutes. He will probably want to take you away and put you in an academy. The kind of place where Zullie learned magic.”

“A real magic school? Will they teach me to read and write?”

“I… I don’t actually know,” Arkk said, wishing he had brought Zullie along to answer a few questions. “Probably? But that isn’t why I’m here now. At least not directly. If this man takes you away, you probably won’t be allowed to leave the academy for a long time. You probably won’t be coming back to Langleey anytime soon.” Arkk gave a long look at John before glancing back to Hale.

“I assume you came with an alternate option?” John asked.

“Hale comes with me first. Zullie and I can teach you magic and how to read. You’ll still be able to visit the village, though you probably won’t want to come back until after the inquisitors leave.”

“To your… castle, was it?” John said, a frown on his face. “Out in the cursed forest?”

Arkk grimaced. Of course Hale would have told him all about it. Arkk had mentioned the ruins in the cursed forest to Abbess Keena, so the inquisitors probably knew that much at least. “Yes, though I would appreciate it if you didn’t spread that around too much. I don’t think the inquisitors like me much. If you come with me—”

“I am.” Hale crossed her arms over her chest. “Obviously.”

“If she goes with you then what?” John asked, not so easily deterred.

“Well, I don’t exactly know for sure,” Arkk said, rubbing the side of his head. “I will obviously strive to keep Hale out of any conflict that might arise. The last few times the inquisitors and I met, we just sat down and talked though, so maybe nothing bad will happen at all.”

“I don’t like it.”

“You can go with her as well,” Arkk said on impulse. “I can have accommodations made in an instant.”

“Abandon the village?”

“Not abandon. Just a temporary relocation. As soon as the inquisitors leave, I don’t see any reason why you both can’t return. It’s just that they will almost certainly try to take her while they’re here. Maybe forcibly.” Once again, he should have brought Zullie along to clarify that.

Arkk’s eyes flicked to the crystal ball as Vrox started moving. At the same time, he felt that warning tug from Vezta.

“We need to decide quickly.”

“I choose Arkk,” Hale said, crossing her arms as she shot a glance at John. It wasn’t a challenging look. Rather, she was searching for approval.

Approval came in the form of a groused sigh. “I’m going with her.”

Arkk held out his hand, two gold coins appearing in it just before he uncurled his fingers palm up. “Take the coins and I’ll—”

Two heavy thunks against the door made Hale squeak. Startled, she quickly snatched one of the gold coins. John frowned but followed suit.

In an instant, they were gone. Relocated to the library with Vezta and Zullie. The crystal ball on the table went with them.

Arkk, however, stayed where he was. Vezta wouldn’t approve. He didn’t need to peek into the Fortress to tell. The constant tugs for attention were enough.

But he was curious. What did Vrox want now? Why come back to Langleey? Was this going to be something he had to worry about in the long term? Would he always have to watch his back for inquisitors chasing him down?

Arkk didn’t feel like he was in any danger. If Vrox did move to attack him, he could instantly teleport himself back to the fortress. Meeting here and now was a better option than happening across Vrox in the middle of Cliff or anywhere else where Arkk lacked the advantage of Fortress Al-Mir.

Besides that, it caught Vrox off guard. As Arkk opened the door, he watched the flicker of surprise cross Vrox’s face before the tall man steeled his expression. Abbess Keena, standing just behind and to the side of the inquisitor, didn’t do quite as good of a job at hiding her shock.

“Mister Arkk.” His lips drew back into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I was under the impression that a burgeoning spellcaster called this… hovel her home.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, High Inquisitor. It’s just me today.”

“Not a disappointment at all. You saved me the trouble of tracking you down.” His tone was polite but Arkk could feel the threat. “Might we come in?”

It wasn’t his home. Arkk stepped aside, motioning a hand toward the table and chairs anyway.

Vrox ducked his head to fit under the door but otherwise entered the home as easily as if he owned the place. He didn’t take a seat, moving around and touching things instead; he inspected some of the woodcarving tools on one shelf and then moved to the bed where he rubbed a thick blanket between his fingers. Keena, on the other hand, ducked her head despite her shorter statue, seeming to shrink in on herself as she walked past Arkk. She quickly took a seat at the table and locked her eyes on her lap.

“I knew you were lying to me, Mister Arkk,” Vrox said, pressing his hand to the side of one of the bowls of stew. After a short hum, the tall inquisitor looked back to the gently closing door. “From the moment we met. I could smell it on you.”

“Why do you say that?”

“You were in Darkwood a few weeks ago. Defending the burg from a horde of crazed monsters. In addition to your usual cadre of orcs, you were spotted in the presence of a monster with dark violet skin and burning yellow discs against a black starfield for eyes. The horror from beyond the stars.”

“Her name is Vezta,” Arkk said. “She isn’t a horror. That makes twice that she has defended human settlements from monsters. That’s more than I can count for you or the Duke’s men.”

“The inquisitors under my command had to clean up your mess in Darkwood,” Vrox said with his smile widening. “After you fled, we arrived and removed the threat at its source.”

“So much for the ultimate defensive object,” Arkk mumbled.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

“I said, I hope the people of Darkwood were more appreciative of your efforts than my own.”

Vrox let out a small laugh. “Indeed. We had to decline their invitation to a victory feast. Too much to do. Too many heretics to put in the ground.”

“Me?” Arkk said, raising his eyebrows. “What did I do?”

“Mister Arkk, what do you believe is the purpose of the Inquisition?”

“I’ve… been told that you hunt down users of forbidden magic to kill them and seal away the magic. But I’ve never—”

“Spare me,” Vrox said, raising a hand. “I’ve heard every protest. Lucky for you, I don’t care that you’ve delved into forbidden magic. Only the results of that magic.”

Abbess Keena jerked her head up and looked over to Vrox with as much confusion as Arkk felt.

“I thought your job was to suppress and destroy magic.”

“It is a side-effect of our true purpose. That of keeping beings like your monster out of our world. Some still manage to get here. They are summoned by deviants or manage to force their way through on their own. We are interested in destroying the means they might use to do so. But controlling the creatures? That is an entirely separate interest and one within which we have made many strides.”

“You… want to control her?”

“Control or destroy. I’m not particularly picky,” Vrox said with his same bland smile. “Then find out where she came from and make sure nothing else follows her.”

Arkk drummed his fingers on his thigh, considering. He thought back to his conversation with Abbess Keena back before the goblins assaulted the village, trying to remember everything he had said to her. He knew he mentioned ruins out in the Cursed Forest, a magical artifact, and Vezta. Had he mentioned that all those were pre-Calamity? He thought he had. In that case, repeating it now wouldn’t likely reveal anything new to the inquisitor.

“I might be able to set your mind at least partially at ease. Vezta is pre-Calamity. She has been here for at least a thousand years. From the way she talks, it might be even double that. If nothing has followed her here after all that time, I doubt you have much to worry about.”

“Worry I do,” Vrox said. “Especially when the oracles point me in a direction and I find you sitting along the path. I don’t believe in coincidence, Mister Arkk.”

Arkk just sighed. So much for getting the inquisitors off his back by making a show of cooperation. “Why don’t you speak plainly and tell me what you want? Specifically, what do you want from me?”

Vrox turned his head, looking over Abbess Keena for a moment. “You found an artifact out in that desolate forest.” It wasn’t a question. “That artifact is what granted you control over the creature, correct?”

“I don’t control her. We’re working together—”

“On what?”

“She asked me to clean up some old ruins out there,” Arkk said, figuring Abbess Keena had mentioned that as well. He really wished that he had kept his mouth shut back then, but how could he have known what would happen? That had even been before he made his contract with the [HEART]. “In exchange, she has agreed to help me out. First with defending the village and, later, defending Darkwood Burg.”

“Cleaning ruins makes you worthy of devotion?”

“It’s her home.”

“And the artifact?”

“Honestly, I have no idea what it is.” Before Vrox could call him a liar again, Arkk barreled onward. “It protects the ruins. Vezta can’t interact with it herself. Thus, she requires me to help.” Vague but true.

Vrox hummed. “Very well. Then, you will hand over the artifact for examination. If it is innocuous, it will be returned to you. You will hand over the creature as well. I will not promise its return.”

“I’m going to decline on both fronts then. The artifact is part of Vezta’s home. Vezta has done nothing to harm people. I’m not going to betray that.”

“I wasn’t asking, Mister Arkk.” Vrox’s tone was polite but laced with a painful warning.

“Yeah, well, demand all you want. It won’t change my answer.”

Vrox shook his head, turning to fully face Arkk. “It is unfortunate to hear you say that, Mister Arkk,” he said, reaching into the pocket of his long coat. “I had thought you—”

Arkk didn’t stick around. He reappeared within Fortress Al-Mir’s library and immediately turned to Vezta. “What did he pull out of his pocket?”

The servant leaned over the crystal ball with a frown. “A ring. Silver with a black stone.”

“Magical?” Arkk asked, glancing between her and Zullie.

“Probably,” Zullie said with a shrug. “Can’t tell you what it might do without examining it. I can tell you that inquisitors are known for their use of a variety of holy artifacts.”

“Things that act like that magic wand you had?”

“More or less.”

Arkk nodded twice, feeling entirely justified in escaping before the inquisitor could use that artifact on him. “Keep watching him. The inquisitors know about the ‘ruins’ out here. Since we sealed off all nearby surface entrances, I hope they just wander around until they get bored and leave.”

Otherwise… Otherwise, Vrox claimed that he had killed the Keeper at Darkwood.

They might have a fight on their hands.

It was time for a strategy meeting with Vezta, Rekk’ar, and Zullie.

But first, Arkk turned to the two new guests. Hale and John stood between him, Zullie, and Vezta, right where he had dropped them off at. Hale, having been here before, didn’t look too shocked at her surroundings but John was gawking at the still sparsely populated library. He even reached out and ran his fingers along the wooden shelves.

Arkk just smiled at them. “Welcome to Fortress Al-Mir. I expect you have a few questions. Let’s find you some quarters.”