Dark Lord's Commands 2, page 9
When I had heard the stories about Nightbound, I had expected the city to be utterly leveled, reduced to nothing more than broken rocks and crushed stone. But instead, the metropolis was surprisingly intact. It stood in the bowl of a large, steep-sided valley, ringed by a series of black spires formed from obsidian. Most of them were cracked and broken, but the ones that remained shone like black glass.
Beyond them were the remains of what had once been a sprawling city. Several of the districts were gone, smashed flat, but a majority of the buildings were still there, their skeletal shells still standing two hundred years after Duskhaven’s defeat. They had been constructed from beautifully cut stone; even in their devastated state the construction clearly had been the work of master artisans. The tallest of them rose high into the air using soaring buttresses, domes, and stone-wrought arches.
Between the buildings ran canals, the water long since gone, the roadways joined by bridges of graceful and elegant design. Large highways, straight and true, ran in the four major cardinal directions.
Truthfully, it reminded me of some of the great modern cities in Europe, all ancient architecture and smart urban planning.
Nightbound might have been impressive, but the truly horrifying, captivating thing that caught our attention was the sky above it.
It was like someone had cracked the heavens, revealing the terrible, cosmic nightmare beyond. Stars, blurred and distorted, shone down from the shattered sky, shimmering with shades and hues beyond description.
As I looked into the mind-bending vista, I saw horrible, dark shapes moving through the void; tendrils of terror and madness. They bent and twisted in impossible ways, like the dark coils of the universe, or the guts of a disemboweled man.
For a moment I was reminded of the disturbing trip I had taken through the void when Vexile had first called me to Turmont. The journey between realities had been harrowing, to say the least.
The worst part though, as I looked into the sanity-ripping vista, was that I could still feel Revina’s presence, but hateful and twisted, like it had been bent by a broken prism. This wasn’t her love or benevolence, this was her fury and malice, her indignation upon seeing what the Luminark had done to her nation, her city, her people.
It was the dying rage of the last Dark Lord.
We made camp in the remains of the castle’s great hall. Marl and Wendell got the crawlclaws settled while Nichessa patched the worst of the holes in the building and Lita went to scout.
Vexile and I climbed back up onto the ramparts and spied on Jasquez’s encampment, which was located a short distance away, at the base of the hill.
When I had read the newspaper article, I had figured there’d be a few adventuring parties camped outside Nightbound, maybe a couple of rich, young fools looking for further wealth and glory.
Instead, we spotted a tent city, perched just above the southeastern edge of Nightbound’s valley. There were dozens of fires, marking the smaller groups and encampments within the adventurers’ holdfast. Several damaged buildings had been reclaimed and put to use. They had even managed to set up a basic wall, using tumbled stone and bits of masonry.
“There are at least a hundred of them,” Vexile hissed angrily.
I counted the colors of several different mercenary companies, along with lone individuals dressed in ridiculously flamboyant outfits, marking them as either wealthy fools or bold treasure seekers.
Towards the center of the encampment was a stone building with a huge bonfire out front. I instantly marked it as Jasquez’s headquarters, since I saw numerous pennants and flags festooned to its patched and mended exterior.
As if on queue, the man himself appeared. He wore white, flowing robes over silver armor, which practically glowed in the fire’s light. Raising his hands, he began speaking, and everyone around him stopped what they were doing to listen.
I strained to pick out his words, but I could only hear unintelligible bits and pieces, his voice lost to the cheers of the crowd and the bluster of the wind.
Vexile’s knuckles went white as she tightly held Liberation. I carefully reached over and placed my hand over hers.
“He’ll get what he deserves,” I pledged to her, “they all will.”
But first, we need to learn what the bastard knows, I thought to myself. If he’s been into Nightbound, he likely has maps and information about the city’s dangers.
Returning to the castle’s main hall, we decided that we needed to send a group down into Jasquez’s camp. We debated back and forth on who to include; Vexile was out due to her appearance, but she could back our escape if something terrible happened. I asked Wendell about going down with us, but he enthusiastically declined.
Not that I can blame him, he was just freed from bondage a few hours before, and he’s probably terrified of being recaptured.
In the end, Lita, Nichessa, and I would go down. Lita would go as a servant, while Nichessa and I would pretend to be adventurers. And here I promised that I wouldn’t put myself in needless danger.
But in truth, I was itching to do something, to learn more about this Jasquez character and what he had discovered in Nightbound thus far. I didn’t believe a treasure vault or unimaginable riches were waiting for us, but my vision had led me to believe the Eye of Night was concealed somewhere in the old capital.
At that point, I was willing to take a risk to get a lead or a hint on where we needed to go.
Putting back on our disguises, we returned to the path we had abandoned earlier and approached the inquisitor’s camp.
There was a rudimentary gate in the wall the adventurers had built. A couple of men and women, mercenaries wearing white armbands, manned the entrance.
“Declare yourself,” the woman in charge yelled as we approached.
Reaching into my belt, I produced the deadman’s paperwork, presenting it to her.
She frowned but took it.
“Where’s the rest of your group?” she demanded.
“We’re camping a short distance away,” I told her.
“Our camp is too good for you?” another mercenary challenged.
I gave a slow shrug. “Considering that a group of our fellow treasure seekers jumped us on the road and tried to kill us? Yeah, we’re thinking we need to be careful.”
The leader glowered at this, then jerked her chin. “At least go and introduce yourself to Inquisitor Jasquez and register yourself. We’re trying to keep track of all the groups here.”
I waved nonchalantly as we passed, walking towards the center of the encampment.
“I’m surprised they didn’t ask about the mercenaries we killed,” Nichessa commented as we stalked through the camp.
“They probably don’t care,” I observed. “Those guards are just posted to give the illusion of power and responsibility, that someone here is in control.”
I imagined they’re all volunteers. They probably jumped at the chance to work for Jasquez and to get a measure of power over their fellow adventurers.
Walking through the camp, it was clear that it was in a state of barely controlled anarchy. Paths had formed between the various groups and factions, each one delimited by tarp walls, reclaimed ruins, and hostile-looking sentries. They might have been joined together by a common cause, but it was clear that there was no trust lost between the adventurers.
Everyone was out for themselves.
The fact that everyone was armed and armored kept us from standing out. I had been concerned that there would be a rule about disarming and removing our helmets inside the camp, but nobody seemed to care. People hurried about on their tasks, keeping their heads bowed, lest they accidentally catch a glimpse of the cosmic horror just above their heads.
Many of them appeared to be sick. As we walked, I heard wet, hacking coughs and caught sight of huddled, feverish figures, covered in blankets and staying close to their fires.
Little surprise, considering how disgusting and unhygienic this place is, I thought, kicking some foul muck off my boots.
A few Duskhaven servants scurried back and forth. Most were focused on cooking, cleaning, or drawing water from a dilapidated-looking well, which was guarded by more of Jasquez’s sycophants.
I wished I could reach out to the slaves, to let them know that there was hope, that a Dark Lord and his ascendant queen walked amongst them, but I knew I couldn’t.
Not yet at least.
Moving towards Jasquez’s headquarters, I saw the inquisitor had set himself up in a fallen shrine. Statues of Revina, shattered and broken to bits, littered the ground in front of the building.
Hanging from its walls were several pennants. I recognized the more colorful ones from the tabards and gear of the mercenary companies. But most of the banners were pure white, featuring silver thread embroidery in the form of a flaming torch.
“Must be Jasquez’s personal heraldry,” I murmured.
There was a desk, manned by an older man, stationed by the shrine’s door. His skin looked waxy and grey, and a faint sheen of perspiration dotted his brow.
Presenting our paperwork, the clerk dutifully added our information to a dense tome in front of him. He coughed wetly, covering his mouth with a damp handkerchief.
“Your assigned camping spot will be by the north wall,” he said, gesturing with his pen.
“We’re staying outside the walls,” I told him firmly.
He looked up from his work as if seeing us for the first time. His eyes were bloodshot and rheumy. “That’s fine, but you'll still need to pay the camping fee.”
“Camping fee?” Nichessa repeated.
He nodded, “There’s also the security fund, you’ll need to contribute to that, and you’ll have to buy tokens if you want to draw from our well.”
I saw Nichessa twitch as if she wanted to reach for her hammer.
“We’ll pay the fees and contribute to the fund,” I told him, reaching for the deadman’s coin purse.
I didn’t care about Luminark money; we had a pile of the stuff back in Gloomglow, unused, in our vault.
The clerk noted our payment and handed me a series of clay tokens with crude pictures of a well etched onto their surfaces.
“One per bucket of water,” he informed me. “Hold onto them, you don’t want to lose them. If you want to buy more, come here. There are also tokens to use the latrines and to purchase firewood.”
He coughed again, before adding. “If anyone in your party is sick, you can also pay to receive a wellness charm, blessed by Lord Jasquez himself.”
I could sense Nichessa becoming even more agitated behind me. But as the clerk spoke, I slowly came to realize what kind of situation we were in.
“I’m assuming the tokens for water, firewood, and the like are not interchangeable?” I asked innocently.
“They are not,” he said tersely. “The punishment for stealing or attempting to trade tokens is severe.”
I nodded, handing the tokens to Lita, who was still playing the role of a Duskhaven servant.
Looking up towards the shrine door, I said, “If the inquisitor is present, I would love to meet him.”
The clerk coughed again, “Lord Jasquez is a busy man.”
“I’m sure,” I leaned in closer, “but there must be a way for someone to meet him? Another donation?”
Giving me a critical look, the clerk reached for a roll of paper stored in a box by the legs of his chair. He unfurled the parchment, revealing a map of Nightbound.
“The Lord Inquisitor appreciates anyone who maintains the peace of the camp and helps him finance his exploration of the city,” he said, tapping the paper. “Remember, this is all for the greater glory of Alruna and the Luminark Empire.”
Reaching for my coins, I asked, “And how much does this appreciation cost?”
Chapter 10
Nichessa was fuming by the time we left the camp and made our way back to the ruined castle.
“Bunch of money-grubbing, cheeky bastards,” she cursed, tearing off her helmet.
I patted her arm as I removed my helm.
She scowled at me, “Why are you grinning like that?”
“Because I know what Jasquez is up to,” I told her.
Meeting up with the others, we quickly relayed what had occurred down below.
Vexile frowned, “Robert, why do you seem so happy about this news?”
“Because I know what Jasquez is up to,” I said, grinning. “This whole thing is a scam.”
She thumped the end of her tail against the ground. “A scam?”
I nodded, “Exactly, this whole adventure is just a scam to nickel and dime suckers out of their money.”
It took a moment for me to explain what that analogy meant since it didn’t translate well, but both of my queens were in a much better mood once they understood what I was saying.
“So Jasquez gets a bunch of rich idiots out here, then takes them for all their worth?” Nichessa guessed.
“Exactly,” I smiled. “He might have even planted the original story about the university expedition in the Luminark papers, to stir up excitement. He likely has a partner back in the empire, forging regular updates about his progress and tricking more marks into coming to Nightbound.”
“So he gets them out here, and they have to pay for everything?” Lita nodded, “That actually seems really smart.”
“Nightbound appears to be an inhospitable place, and the adventurers need to pay for water, firewood, security, even a place to sleep,” Vexile agreed.
I tapped the map against my leg, “And then they pay even more to gain access to Jasquez and information on the treasure they seek.”
Unrolling the map, I gave it a critical eye.
“Calling this a map is a joke,” Nichessa said, kneeling next to me.
She was right. The illustration, likely copied en masse by Jasquez’s clerk, provided only a barebones outline of Nightbound, likely gleaned by studying the city from a distance. It marked out the major boulevards and helpfully labeled a few of the larger buildings like The Cathedral of Eternal Darkness, The Pits of Damnation, The Dark Lord’s Sacrificial Altar, and the flavorful Blood Vats of the Hungry Fiends.
“Look,” Lita laughed, tapping the map, “they’ve even drawn little doodles of monsters along the margins.”
“If nothing else, this tells us what Jasquez’s real goal is out here.” I rolled up the map. “He’s not trying to find some legendary treasure, he just wants to fleece people out of their coins. Our best bet is to avoid the man and his followers until we reclaim the Eye of Night.”
“You seem awfully familiar with scams and deceit,” Nichessa said slyly.
I shrugged. “I told you about my cousin, Charles. This is all child’s play compared to the schemes he cooked up back on Earth. He’d probably be embarrassed by how easily Jasquez is squeezing these people dry.”
“We should begin at the Dark Lords’ palace,” Vexile said, pointing towards a huge tower that dominated the center of the city. “That’s likely where your vision took place, so we have a starting point.”
“We’ll need to find a safe route there first,” Nichessa observed. “We know for a fact there are monsters out there, likely the Luminark soldiers cursed by the last Dark Lord. I doubt they’d be particularly friendly towards us.”
“Let’s finish securing the castle,” I gestured towards the broken ramparts. “We’ll need a safe base of operations, one that can keep out any cursed monsters or Luminark adventurers.”
It took the rest of the day to establish our camp; it was tricky because we had to be sure any major changes we made weren’t visible from the outside.
Leaving the exterior of the wall and ramparts unchanged, Vexile and Nichessa moved or molded stone to create a wall lining the breaches along the interior of the wall. Anyone who wanted to get inside would need to climb several meters of stone and rubble first.
The main hall, hidden from sight, was repaired. We created a central area for our tents and gear, as well as a small corral for our crawlclaws. Nichessa restored one of the inner towers so we could use it as a watch post; someone stationed up there would not only be able to spot anyone approaching our base, but they’d be able to spy upon Jasquez’s camp as well.
That evening, after Lita had traded in some of our tokens for water and firewood, we clustered around the restored hearth.
“Tomorrow morning Nichessa, Vexile, and myself will venture into Nightbound, our goal is to find a path to the palace. That might take us several days.”
“Lita,” I pointed to the young woman, “you’ll be responsible for keeping a watch on the Luminark while we’re gone. I want you to observe as people move in and out of their camp, particularly their forays into Nightbound. Particularly, I want you to watch how many adventurers go in, and how many manage to come back out.”
I handed her the remainder of our Luminark coins. “Continue to use our tokens, and purchase new ones as you need to. If Jasquez’s clerk demands more money for various services, tell him you’ll need to ask for my permission.” I tapped my chin, thinking. “If you can, try to get to know the Duskhaven servants. We can’t afford to reveal to them yet that we’ll be liberating them, but any connections or friendships you can strike up now will make our work easier.”
“Yes, Dark Lord!” She hugged the coins to her chest, her eyes shining.
Wendell offered to help, still eager to do what he could to repay us. I assigned him to work with Marl. I ordered the crawlclaw handler to keep our beasts and wagon ready in case our deception was discovered and we needed to flee at a moment’s notice.
Slowly, we finished up our tasks and went to sleep for the night. Lita volunteered to take the first watch.
With Nichessa to my left and Vexile to my right, I should have felt comfortable and secure, even with the ominous howls and cries we heard coming from the fallen city. But instead, all I could think about was my vision, and the sight of my ancestor, the last Dark Lord. Her frustration, anger, and despair boiled above us, like a crack in the world.
Would I end up suffering the same fate?
We were awoken by the sounds of trumpets blasting from below.
