Chapter 25: Faith or Folly?
A hero would have stopped him.
The Faceless Man walks towards the gate. Slowly, confidently, he approaches his freedom. He pauses before passing through, "Thank you ladies. I shall remain eternally grateful for your aid in restoring me. You are my saviours, my angels and I shall look forward to the day when we meet once again."
He gives you the slightest of bows and steps through the gate.
You do nothing to stop him.
Nothing to stop the release of the fifth or sixth most powerful mage in recorded history.
Nothing to stop the release of a true Fallen Lord.
For a moment you think.
You think that if you were a hero you would stop him. You would stop him no matter the cost.
Yet it does not truly bother you.
He has been a useful asset even if not an entirely loyal one and you have no desire to antagonize him.
In the final balance of things he was not, is not, your enemy.
A hero would have stopped him.
Would have sacrificed their life to do so.
But then you have never claimed to be a hero.
You are a mage and you will fight the battles you have to for the things you care about. You will build, you will learn, you will plot and you will grow and perhaps someday you will achieve the sort of power that can permanently remove these old evils from the world. To snuff them out or to redeem them. But that is something for the future.
In the present you will live and take solace in that fact.
For now, for you, that is enough.
A hero would have stopped him.
But heroes die...
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Three mages run through the dark.
Lilac robes trailing behind them.
Just a little further.
A little further and they will be safe.
A quarter of the way down the hallway the trailing mage screams as an arrow strikes him in the thigh. He falls, rolling as he hits the ground. The arrow snaps off in his leg and he howls in pain. That pain is swiftly ended by another volley of arrows.
The remaining two do not even look back.
The second mage makes it four fifths of the way before being dropped by four arrows in the back.
The final mage, though, makes it.
A arrow whizzes over his head as he races around the corner. These mercenaries are persistent. He has personally killed four since the battle began but they simply keep coming.
He does not pause for a moment as he turns the corner. He has mere seconds to make it to the dining room.
He sees the doors.
He has made it!
Hands on the handles he pushes.
It will not yield.
He is too late.
He is trapped.
He turns and faces his executioners.
He will sell his life dearly though it matters little in the end.
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The mercenaries press in on them from every access point but they give ground just as they were taught to. They fall back towards the center of the facility. Towards the master coiled upon its throne, dreaming. Here in its chamber they would make their stand.
The doors shake as the remaining Oneiroi cluster around their master.
They flip tables, set up barricades, ready themselves for the final push.
The mercenaries are persistent. They must taste victory but the Oneiroi will not go quietly. The master will wake and will purge the compound of non believers.
They chant loudly, calling out to it.
One eye drifts open lazily.
A clawed hand stirs.
The doors give way.
The mercenaries pour in.
The master wakes.
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Otto dives out of the way, rolls and steadies himself. These mages are quick and their spells are deadly.
A cloud of purple mist envelops three of his men. They gasp, they fall. "Arrows!" the captain shouts out, "Return fire!"
Six arrows loose, then another six, and another. The four enemy mages collapse, writhing in pain as the arrows draw their knifes to finish them off.
The mages struggle but unable to focus there is little they can do as the archers dispatch them. Boots to the head and throat, knives to the stomach and chest, it is a simple thing to finish them off. Muffled moans and screams echo through the corridor.
"Alright men form up," Otto draws his men up for the next push, "We are to join up with the rest of the teams at the heart of the compound. Once secure we will-"
The compound rumbles.
"What the hell was that?" an Arrow mumbles.
"It is coming from the center of the compound," another answers.
"Well then gentlemen we best hurry up," Otto takes off towards the disturbance with his men in tow.
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Otto has found the source of the disturbance.
Like a good officer he moved to deal with.
Right now though he is wishing he had not.
He dives behind a table as a swarm of devouring, lavender serpents fly past his head.
The main chamber is a mess. Corpses strewn everywhere. The last ten Oneiroi congregate on a large platform throwing out spells.
In front of them is... something. It vaguely resembles a man but is put together wrong. Twisted wings, oddly bent legs, horns that seem to drain the light from the room.
It is strong... stronger than the best of them.
It is fast... faster than the best of them.
And to top it all off it can cast.
He lost half his men in the first two minutes.
The last five have consisted of constant dodging and weaving. He has used every trick he knows but this is it. He is too tired to carry on.
It hurls a rose coloured bubble at the table. It strikes home with a deafening pop and dissolves the wood around him. Otto slowly stands. The creature... smiles at him.
He readies his sword, about to charge to his death.
"Oh my! What is happening in here!" the voice is feminine and the excitement, the joy, it exudes stands in stark contrast to the bloody spectacle that is playing out around Otto.
He turns, compelled to find the source of this voice.
She is a tall woman with short blonde hair. She wears mail and carries an iron spear in her hand. She strides into the room like she owns the place.
"So you must be an Arrow," she points at Otto, "Which would make you lot the Oneiroi correct?"
The creature howls and throws a twisting corkscrew of blue energy at her.
She moves faster than his eye can track.
She points the spear at the beast and it begins to evaporate, its flesh boils, bubbles, away. Its muscles liquefy, its bones crackle and burst. It howls as it dies, powerless. It dissolves in front of Otto like a bad dream gives way before the dawn. In less than a minute the creature is no more.
The woman sulks a little, "I was really hoping it would be more of a challenge," she shrugs, "Oh well, time to get to work."
The remaining Oneiroi watch on in horror.
She hums as she casts, an old tune, older than living memory.
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"So how do we want to do this?" Thaïs asks.
You both already know the answer. You are not going to kill this thing. It would probably be wiser to do so but murder is not something that either of you are terribly comfortable with. Especially when your target has not wronged you in any substantial way.
You adjust your hat, "We let him go I suppose."
You drop down closer to the creature, "You won't kill and devour us if we free you right?"
He gives a pained smile, "Of course I will not."
"Well I guess that is the best we can hope for," you move to free him.
Lyssa calls from across the room, "Derryth stop!"
Thankfully the Faceless Man did not harm her.
The first thing you did after he left was to check on her. She just needed a few moments to recover and you were happy to grant them to her.
"Why?" you naturally ask.
"He will attack, though he is not lying, he will not kill or eat us but he will not let us leave either," she seems certain of this.
"How do you know?" Thaïs asks arching her eyebrows.
"Mazzarin taught me about many of the beings that prey upon mortals. He was fond of telling stories to pass the time, to relive his years of glory. He mentioned a creature once in passing, one that matches this creature in almost every detail," she approaches the two of you as she speaks, "He is a rogue and a scoundrel. With a love for youth and beauty. If given half a chance he will capture us."
"So what do we do?" the question rolls of your tongue.
"We extract an oath from him first," she pushes past you and begins to chant. Her words twist, they are simultaneously too low to make out and too high to truly hear.
The creature grunts, it barks, it howls, then it falls silent, "Fine. Let me go and I will let you go. If that is not enough then we can all wait for my fellows to find a way in."
"So it is safe to release him now?" you ask the witch.
"Yes, as long as we do not overstay our welcome," she nods.
You are about to begin when you hear a slight moaning from across the room. The three of you stop and turn slowly.
"Is... is she still alive?" Lyssa mutters.
"Looks like," you and Thaïs respond in unison.
"Help... help..." she repeats the word weakly, trying to draw some sort of power from it. Over and over she repeats it, afraid that if she should stop she would die. She is likely right.
"Should we... do anything about her," the witch hazards to ask, "Put her out of her misery perhaps?"
"I should like her if you would be so kind," the creature grins as it lies pinned to the floor, "Her people owe mine much and she can help repay that debt."
But you have another idea and looking at your partner you can tell the same idea is worming its way through her mind as well.
You fall into an odd conversation that is half spoken and half assumed.
"We could save her-" you begin.
"Put her is the bracelets-" you friend continues.
"She would live and be of use-" you push on.
"Until we can find or make a body for her," Thaïs nods.
Ultimately you make the decision to:
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1. The officer: She lies dying. What if anything will you do about it?
A) Kill her. It would be a mercy.
B) Leave her for the creatures. It is not your concern after all.
C) Save her and take her back to the now empty bracelets. You could use an extra set of eyes watching your back and she would be much easier to control than the previous occupant of the bracelets. What you do after that remains to be seen.
D) freeform
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The three of you work to free the creature.
Though it looks like marble it feels like tar. When you touch it you stick slightly. You suspect that if it wanted to it could absorb at least part of you.
You remove the bricks, set its broken bones and withdraw all of the shards that have been buried within it.
When you are done you back away from the creature. It does not move at first but you can feel it casting. Drawing power out of the air around it. Slowly it pulls a few bricks lose as black earth falls in, peppering the floor. As the hole widens energy pours through it and the creature comes to life before you. Colour returns to it and its body regains its former vigour.
Within five minutes it stands before you in all of its glory.
It bows low, it grins, its mouth now full of razor-like teeth "I suppose now we must part ways?" he pauses waiting for your answer. When you nod it frowns slightly, "A shame, I should like to thank my saviours. I should like to thank all of you in depth over the course of a few centuries. I could show you the silver shores of the Deep Dreaming. The floating palaces of Pleasant Slumber. The calm, dark waters of horror and mystery. We could travel for an age ladies, will you not at least consider it?"
Its voice is smooth and strong. It caresses your ears. Urging you to absolve it of its oath. Urging you to go with it into the depths of this place.
You know all too well though that such a trip would be permanent. It would never lead you back out again. Your body would waste away and eventually you would become little more than a spirit yourself.
You politely refuse its offer, "I am afraid we have pressing business to see to in our bodies."
It bows again, "A shame my ladies. Then till we meet again I will bid you long life and sweet dreams."
It begins to boil in front of you. Transitioning into a thin mist as it slips gently away, under the door and out into the fort.
With the Oneiroi spells unravelling it is a simple though long process to drift back to your bodies. The natural attachment each of you has to them serves to guide you back safely like broad leaves carried on the current of some slow, wide river.
As you leave this odd plane of dreams and nightmares a single thought occurs to you, "Well that went well..."
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You drift serenely back into your body.
A happy smile on your face.
As your senses return to you, you realize how wrong everything seems.
It is all so quiet.
The air smells slightly of smoke and magic.
As you regain your senses Thaïs happens to glance at your pack. She casually warns you, "Derryth you pack is open."
You frown, you are sure you closed and secured it before you attacked the compound's spells.
You take it off to check and your heart sinks. Someone has gone through your things. You are missing the Halcyon stone and even worse... you are missing Nine.
"That son of a bitch," you kick a nearby rock in frustration.
"What is the matter," asks the witch.
"The Faceless Man robbed us!" you are furious. After everything you went through to help Nine, to get the stone, they are both gone. He betrayed you... you were such a fool...
Your companions have to drag you back to your feet and through the compound gates. You are shocked by the scene that greets you.
There is little of the Oneiroi compound left.
Most of the building has been levelled.
All but two of the Oneiroi lie dead. The two survivors snore loudly, tied back to back. The Arrows sleep as well, Ceannard, Otto and all the rest of the survivors, lined up in a row leaning on the exterior wall.
You do not see Biliku or Uttu amongst them. Your heart jumps into your throat... he didn't... he couldn't... first Nine... then the stone... and finally the girls... you kept your word... why would he...
The rage builds in you. You are unable to speak, unable to think clearly. If the Faceless Man took them, hurt them, you will, you will-
You do not finish that thought.
Biliku tackles you as Uttu crashes into Thaïs. They refuse to release you. They cling to you like a drowning man to his last lifeline. So the four of you rest on the ground in a large pile as the girls squeeze the life out of both of you.
They bury their heads in your laps, babbling.
It takes you a few minutes to make sense of their story.
"She was soo powerful Thaïs!" Uttu spits out, panicked, "She levelled the whole compound!"
Biliku nods, "Ceannard tried to stop her. He ordered his men to open fire but she burnt up their arrows in mid air."
"Yeah! She totally cheated!" Uttu snorts, "She put them all to sleep too!"
"All except us, yes," Biliku cuts in catching your attention but she drops her gaze as she continues, "We... ah... we hid... we are sorry we left you but Ceannard told us to."
Uttu nods sadly, "It was an 'order'," she proceeds to do her best impression of her idol, wagging her finger as she goes, "'Don't you girls come out for anything understand? Not unless you see me, Derryth or Thaïs,'" she drops the impression, "And we did exactly what he said!"
"Oh, one more thing!" Biliku exclaims, "We... we went through your pack when the lady appeared..."
Uttu hangs her head, "We are sooo sorry and we know we are not supposed to look through your things without asking but..."
The sisters nod to one another, Biliku speaks, "We thought that the lady might try to take Nine like that other archmage was going to do. And you both said it was very important that no one get her so we took Nine-"
"And your favourite stone!" Uttu adds.
"Yes," Biliku nods to her sister, "We took Nine and your stone and we hid. Please don't be angry! We did not want to rob you and we did not want to abandon our posts, honest!"
It is sweet that their first fear was angering you. You want to comfort them but you are overcome with joy at seeing them alive and pride at their quick thinking. You hug the kids instead, to their credit they understand. Thaïs gives them a speech about how proud you both are of them and how their quick thinking saved the day though you have trouble giving it your full attention. They beam and squeeze you both tighter. It is several more minutes before you manage to get back to your feet.
Thaïs and Lyssa take the girls over to inspect the mercenaries as you put the Halcyon Stone and Nine back in your pack.
The Arrows begin to wake up shortly after and you are able to properly survey and secure the compound. Or at least what is left of it.
It seems the Faceless Man, or would that be Faceless Woman now, was as good as her word. She levelled the Oneiroi, killed them all in fact, save for your two hostages.
With her promise fulfilled she then proceeded to raid their vaults and library. From the looks of the place she took the best she could find and destroyed everything else.
All you have to work with are your two hostages and they seem to resent your questioning. You might have to get a bit creative here.
You do find one thing though.
A letter. In the bottom of your pack.
Addressed to you and Thaïs.
My Angels
It is a shame I can not stay to give you my thanks in person but given how you are... shall we say 'compromised' by a man I would never consider a friend I must instead take my leave of you through this letter.
It is my hope that you will remember our time together fondly as I do. Without your help, your courage, your compassion none of this would be possible and I want you to know that I will remember the service you did me.
I would say that should you ever need anything you have only to ask but we all know that, that would be a lie. In our business nothing is free but if you ever have something interesting to trade... well... do not try to find me. You will fail. Should I have need of you or something in your possession I shall contact you and we can go from there.
Until we meet again. Stay safe.
Yours Fondly.
TFM
p.s. I have great plans for the future ladies. Sleep soundly in the knowledge that you are now a part of them.
Not necessarily a comforting thought, but not something you can help for the time being.
To ease your mind you turn to more practical affairs.
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2. Interrogation: You need to know how to help Meletē. You need to know what these mages know. How do you want to get it?
A) Offer them their freedom in exchange for the information. Naturally you will not free them until Meletē wakes and if they lie and get her killed then they will die as well.
B) You will take them back to the safe house and use your mental spells to break their minds. This will likely take time (days, perhaps weeks) but should eventually get you everything you need to know.
C) You are close friends with one of the best interrogators in the kingdom. You let Bari take a shot at them. You can not rush an artist though.
D) You invade their minds with infiltration and manually extract the information. It is certainly the quickest way to do this and ensure you get the truth but it is also the most dangerous.
E) You will pursue both B and C. You will mentally wear them down and Bari will work on their bodies. This might increase the chance of killing one or both of them but it would also be quicker.
F) Use Item Book of the Past - while this is the slowest method it is also the surest. The book will eventually find what you need.
G) freeform
3. Prisoners: Once you know what you need to know and have restored Meletē what do you want to do with them?
A) Kill them. There are no words for what they were a part of. They deserve death.
B) Let the Pathfinders imprison them. What they were doing has to violate at least some law and even if it does not they can lock them up forever as a personal favour to you.
C) Release them. You have what you need from them. You will not judge them.
D) Offer them jobs? It might work... you suppose...
E) Recondition them. If you succeed in mentally breaking them with 2. B or D you could try to turn them into servants or slaves.
F) Imprison them until you can find a way to dump them into the Dreaming. A fitting fate for them, you think, all things considered.
G) freeform