The Necromancer’s Daughter – Chapter 17

Purple Flame

Layla II
The journey through the underground tunnels that led deeper and deeper into the Zargahal mountains was an exhausting one. Not so much due to the distance, Layla was somewhat used to traveling, but mostly due to the atmosphere. After traveling through open plains and forests, she now found herself slowly walking down a dark hallway. Of course she had a lantern with her and there were lights every now and then whenever the tunnels would split, but it was totally dark outside of those. She knew what she was getting into, but she felt her mood drastically shift after the first day of underground travel came to an end. Too tired to continue, she found her way to one of the alcoves that the dwarves had carved along these paths. They were little hovels of stone where a piece of cloth would separate it from the tunnel. Travelers could use them to camp for the night and there was usually room for two or three travelers in one of these hovels. If you had a bigger group, you would have to camp in the tunnels themselves, but travelers didn’t come through that often. It seemed like Layla had this alcove to herself as well as she carefully placed her lantern on the stone shelf and prepared her bedding for the night. Before going to sleep, she once again studied the maps of the tunnels she was in. She had been diligently keeping track of the tunnels she took and she was still confident she was going the correct way, but it was hard to know for certain if she was. Raze had told her that more people got lost in the tunnels than found their way through, but most people didn’t have a map that they knew as accurate. If she was right and she was still going the correct way she would be arriving at Zarvadon, the city where her friend hopefully still lived. If she was wrong and by the end of tomorrow she wasn’t in Zarvadon she would at least have her maps to lead her back. But if she messed up when retracing her steps she would be in big trouble, so the careful marking and updating of her map definitely slowed down her trek. It was necessary though.
Sleep came slowly to her in this dark tunnel but eventually she did manage to fade into sleep and get at least a bit of a night’s rest.

“I’m not sure about this,” Sairoc said as he was attaching the contraption he’d crafted to the hook on his stump. Kaylirr winced when the metal moved against his stump. The wound was healing well but the flesh was still quite tender and moving it around hurt a bit. Despite his pain he was committed to continuing. Sairoc had employed the help of a local glassblower to create the strange lantern that Elet had described to his dwarven friend. It looked fairly normal to Kaylirr but there were a few requirements that Elet had given the dwarf that had definitely given them pause for thought. For starters, the top of the lantern – which would normally be flat – had to be a perfect half sphere. This meant that the top was larger than the lantern itself in some places and required Sairoc to create bent plates that were then screwed into the metal lining of the actual lanterns. These bent places were also pierced in several places to create small holes. Finally, there was a small ring on the outside of the cage, which let Kaylirr hook the little door that opened up to light the lantern to it. This allowed him to keep the lantern open without the door swinging closed. He wasn’t quite sure why this was necessary as the only reason to open the little door to the lantern was to light it and if he kept it open it would just blow out the flame, but Elet insisted that this was a requirement and Sairoc followed the strange spirit’s instruction to the letter. Putting aside the strange requirements, Kaylirr was impressed with the craftsmanship that his friend had put into this. It looked very sturdy and although it was hanging from a hook on his arm, it swayed minimally, being surprisingly stable. “I still don’t understand the use of this, wouldn’t it be better to solder a dagger to your stump if you were going to make use of it.”
Kaylirr grimaced at the thought. “I don’t think I’d want to apply unnecessary force on this arm anytime soon if I’m totally honest with you.”
The pair was sitting on the side of the road with the sun slowly going down on the horizon. They were a few hours away from town and decided to test out the contraption here. After both of them were satisfied that it worked as intended they removed it again. “We’ll store it for now until we know more about what the point of this thing is,” Kaylirr said.
They’d traveled in silence for most of the day. Both of them had a lot on their mind after the last few days. On their way out of town, Kaylirr saw that there were wanted posters up for both of them. They probably assumed that the duo ran off with the weapons. They weren’t fully wrong of course, but the situation was obviously looking bad from an outsider’s perspective. Luckily they’d managed to avoid questioning and having left the big city behind them, they felt a little bit of the stress leave their body. Sairoc started on preparing some dinner while Kaylirr sat by the fire and stared off into the distance. He was still recovering so he wasn’t much help right now but his friend had assured him it wasn’t an issue. He felt lonely. He was used to traveling of course, but usually their group was larger than this. The loss of his colleagues had hit him hard. Risk was a part of the mercenary’s life and this wasn’t the first time that Kaylirr had experienced losses during a dangerous job, but it was the most brutal one. One person managed to do such an enormous amount of damage that it was frightening. This must be one talented assassin. Shaking off the negative thoughts he stood up and carefully filled a metal pan with some water to prepare tea for the two of them. Off in the distance he heard the sound of birds flying away. There might be someone or something approaching, he thought to himself. He took out his dagger. For some reason he felt uncomfortable using the sword. Knowing there was someone in the weapon made him hesitant to swing it around. A few moments passed before a startled raccoon came running to the edge of the camp and then promptly turned back around when he saw the two of them. Kaylirr put the dagger away, his heart pounding in his ears.
“You alright boss? You’re trembling something fierce,” Sairoc remarked. He hadn’t left his spot at the fire and seemed unbothered by the noise.
“I’m fine,” Kaylirr said, focusing his attention on the tea he was making.
Sairoc finished cooking their dinner and the two ate in silence before Sairoc spoke. “After we visit this village, what is your plan?”
“I don’t know yet. I want to help out Elet, partially because it lines up with figuring out who attacked us and why. I haven’t really been in the mindset for making big plans.”
“I don’t know if I’m up to that, a journey to avenge our friends against some crazy assassin.” Sairoc sighed. “I’m not as young as I once was, friend, and the wife has been asking me to come home more often. Perhaps I’ll find a new job soon.”
Kaylirr nodded. “I have no one waiting for me at home, so I’ll be fine going into danger. I wouldn’t ask you to risk your life for something you’re not completely behind.”
“I feel bad abandoning you though,” Sairoc said, poking the fire with a stick.
“Don’t. You’ve already done so much. I’ll be fine.” But even as he said those words to his friend, he wasn’t sure if he believed in them himself.

A few more days on the road eventually brought them to their destination. Serandir. An unassuming village on the edge of the empire that Kaylirr had honestly never heard of before Elet mentioned it to him. The buildings were made out of large bricks and stood in all sorts of forms that were clearly built by people of different skill levels and looked far from cohesive. Despite that, the quaint atmosphere made the sleepy village endearing to Kaylirr. If he had been here with better tidings he likely would have enjoyed his stay here. Unfortunately they weren’t here to sightsee, but instead to find someone. Elet hadn’t given them much information to go to except for the fact that they were looking for a tinkerer that lived in Serandir. After exchanging a glance, the duo made their way down the dirt road that led down the hill they were standing on and into the village that was situated in a dip between hills. This allowed it to be obscured from the road, perhaps to avoid unwanted attention or for some other reason, Kaylirr wasn’t sure. Some of the villagers looked up at the strange duo. Kaylirr’s missing arm was obscured by his coat so they didn’t look much more strange than any other travelers. Passing by several houses with men and women sitting outside of it, working on one craft or another, they made their way towards the center of the village where a tiny inn was built adjacent to a quiet town square. Sairoc opened the door and stepped inside, Kaylirr following behind.
“Good morning good man, we were hoping dinner was ready soon,” Sairoc said.
The innkeeper looked up from what he was doing and smiled, showing off several missing teeth. “You’re in luck, today’s beef day.”
“Excellent,” Sairoc smiled back at him and put some coins on the counter. The innkeeper scooped them up and went into the kitchen while Kaylirr and Sairoc found a place to sit down. There wasn’t all that much choice since there were only three small round tables with a few chairs around them. After getting settled the innkeeper soon returned with some freshly braised pork and some ale. “You folks in town for a reason?” He asked.
“Aye, we’ve been told about a talented tinkerer in town and that’s why we’re here, you know anything about that?”
The man chuckled. “You must mean ol’ Bardoc.”
“Tell me more,” Sairoc said, biting off a piece of pork.
The innkeeper sighed. “Bardoc moved in a few years ago and has been a menace ever since. The old man keeps blowing up his experiments by accident, or so he says. The first dozen times we’d rush to his house to help him, but after a while we just gave up and started ignoring them. Don’t be too surprised if you hear a sudden loud noise while in town. And if you’re here to see him, be ready for an eccentric geezer, that’s the best advice I can give you.”
Sairoc looked at Kaylirr. “It sounds like we’re in for a treat.”
Kaylirr nodded. “Should we go there now or wait till morning?”
“I reckon morning’s good right? We don’t have a reason to rush and I’d like to get some rest before talking to someone who has a bit of a reputation. Call it years of experience.”
Kaylirr smiled. “Then let’s get some rest after dinner.” He motioned over the innkeeper, which felt awkward to do with his left arm. “Good man, do you have a room available for the night?”
“I certainly do, that’ll run you four silver.” Kaylirr tossed him five and he grinned. “Second door on the left once you go up the stairs. It’s not much, but it has a bed and it’s clean. Somewhat.”
Sairoc grunted. “That’s all we need.” They continued their dinner and went to sleep early, they had an interesting day ahead of them after all.

“Are the two of you amphibians?” Hunched over what looked like a metal contraption was a short man, wrinkly skin on the back of his bald head.
“Why do you ask?” Kaylirr replied. The door to the shabby stone house was open so they’d walked up to the threshold and before they could even say anything to him he asked the weird question.
“It’s just that lately I’ve been getting weary of frogs.” The man pointed at a wrench laying precariously on the rickety chair that was leaning against the wall. “Get me that if you’re not a frog, would you?”
Without really questioning it, Kaylirr walked over to the wrench and handed it to the tinkerer. The man finally looked up at him and acknowledged his presence, piercing green eyes hidden within a sunken face that looked much more alive than the rest of his presentation made him seem. “Thank you, and please take a seat, I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”
Kaylirr sat down on the chair he’d just removed the wrench from and with no more chairs available, Sairoc settled for the floor, sitting cross legged next to his friend. They waited as Bardoc continued his craft for another couple minutes before violently tossing the contraption into a nearby wall, causing it to break into several pieces, before letting out a frustrated sigh. “Another failure.”
“What are you trying to make?” Sairoc asked.
Bardoc looked up at him from the crouched position he was working in. “I’ve been working on arcane storage. It’s said to be one of the most difficult pieces of artifice to make, alongside flying ships and spirit havens.”
“What’s a spirit haven?” Kaylirr asked.
“It’s an intricate object that entices someone from the spirit realm to live in it. They’re incredibly rare due to the arduous process to make one and it’s even harder to make one ethically.”
Kaylirr unconsciously put his hand on his sword. To his surprise, the motion didn’t go unnoticed as Bardoc’s eyes trained on the sword almost immediately. “And who are you?” He asked>
“I’m Kaylirr and this is Sairoc.”
“No, I mean the spirit you carry with you.” Bardoc’s eyes had a crazed glare to them but none of his other motions seemed hostile. Kaylirr and Sairoc exchanged a look. Elet had sent them here to meet with this artificer, but the fact that the old man almost instantly clocked everything going on with them frightened Kaylirr a bit. He was still very new to this magic stuff after all. Throughout his long life as a mercenary, he definitely encountered magic and its users, but it was always a danger he tried to avoid or cut down before it came too close. Now that he was fully wrapped up in it, he wasn’t sure what to do. His experiences here were clearly lacking. Despite his hesitation, he came here for a reason. “A spirit by the name of Elet rests in this sword. Shortly after our meeting, she requested me to bring her to you. We are in pursuit of her brother, who has been locked into the other weapon that was part of this set.” Cobal put the weapon on Bardoc’s workbench. The old man stepped over some clutter and Kaylirr’s trained eye noticed the surprising dexterity the man showed for someone so old. What surprised him much more than a nimble old man was what he saw next. Bardoc put his hand on the weapon and for but a flash, Kaylirr saw a young woman with skin the color of snow and bright green hair that dropped all the way to the ground. Kaylirr blinked and he was once again looking at the old man, the illusion he saw for but a moment gone. Bardoc stood there with his hand on the weapon for a few moments before pulling back. A wicked grin on his face, he turned around and faced Sairoc. “The lantern?” he demanded.
Sairoc removed a leather bundle from his pack and unrolled it, revealing the metal and glass contraption he’d been working on before they left for Selandir. He handed the contraption to Bardoc who carefully inspected every little bit of it before putting it down next to the sword. “This is well made, I commend you, master dwarf.”
Sairoc nodded approvingly. “Aye, I am confident in my craft.”
“And for good reason.” Bardoc stepped into another room without saying what he went to do and came back a few minutes later with some coffee. “I’ll be working for a while, you’re free to stay or leave as you’d like.”
“I’m not exactly sure what you’re going to craft, what did Elet tell you to do?” Kaylirr asked.
“You’ll see when I’m done.” That seemed to be the end of the discussion and although part of Kaylirr felt like the man had treated him without much respect, a bigger part of Kaylirr was incredibly curious what this clearly crazy old man was going to do. Besides, the sword herself requested this, so it must be a good idea, right? He poured himself a cup of coffee and watched the tinkerer work.
Eventually night came and the duo returned to their inn. It seemed like Bardoc needed more time to finish his contraption and there was no point in them staying around. They would return in the morning.

Awaiting them in the morning, when they arrived at Bardoc’s house once more, was a surprising sight. The old man was laying sprawled out on the floor and although Kaylirr worried for a moment that something happened to him, the loud snoring quickly dispelled his fear. Sitting on top of the table next to the sleeping old man was the lantern they’d given to him. It didn’t look all that different to Kaylirr, but they would have to wait for Bardoc to wake up to find out.
“Rise and shine old man,” Sairoc said, shaking the old tinkerer awake. Bardoc let out a big yawn and stretched his arms before standing up. “Right, you’re back. It took a little bit longer than I anticipated so I only got a couple of hours of sleep unfortunately, but your request is done.”
“What exactly did you do to it?” Sairoc asked, inspecting the lantern carefully. “I see some etchings but not much more.”
“Try it out.” Bardoc picked up the lantern and attached it to the small ring on Kaylirr’s stump, where the lantern gently swayed from. Nothing happened.
“Now draw your sword.” Bardoc was getting irritated. “I really need to spell out everything for you, don’t I.”
They had just made the man work deep into the night without promising any payment which was the sole reason Kaylirr didn’t get angry at the disrespectful tone the man was taking on. Instead he did as Bardoc said and slowly unsheathed Elet. A rush of hot air came from the sword and traveled up his shoulder and through his torso. A moment later the flame in the lantern lit up into a bright purple flame. “What the.” Kaylirr said, examining it.
“Look at that, it works,” Bardoc commented with a smirk. “If you look closely underneath your skin you can see where the magic gets channeled.”
Kaylirr looked at his arm and saw what looked like a fiery purple chain just below his skin. His body felt warm but not uncomfortably so. While inspecting this strange new change, a voice rang in Kaylirr’s head. “I had the genius artificer connect the runes on the lantern to my own runes. This way there is a harmony between the two and I can move my consciousness from one to the other. That should allow you to wield me with much more efficiency. You want your revenge right? This is the first step.”
Kaylirr looked at Sairoc but the dwarf showed no sign of hearing Elet’s voice, meaning only the person holding the weapon could actually hear her. “I’m assuming you have a plan?”
A flash appeared in his mind of an unfamiliar location. For a moment, Kaylirr found himself deep within an exposed gemstone deposit. There were many different gemstones here, and at the center, still part of the wall ahead of him, sat a beautiful looking amethyst. Before the vision flashed away again, a chill went down Kaylirr’s spine. Someone was there, behind him, but he didn’t have the guts to turn around and a moment later he was back in the rickety old house. “What was that?” Kaylirr asked.
“Us spirits have knowledge that is far beyond most mortals and we are loathe to share it. If you can convince the tinkerer to come with you, we can modify this lantern to be powerful beyond your wildest imagination. We can take out the person responsible for cutting off your arm, destroy their organization and find my brother.”
“I thought you were the kind one of the two.”
“Angering a kind soul is much scarier than you might think.” And for a moment Kaylirr feared he was making a deal with the devil. Despite his moment of hesitation, he still accepted. “So, how do we get there?” He asked.
“Find a scholar in the Zargahal mountains, her name is Layla.”
“That’s not much to go on.”
“Good luck.” And with that the voice disappeared from his consciousness, resting in the sword as the flame in the lantern dimmed to a small light. After he was convinced that Elet didn’t want to speak to him anymore, he sheathed the sword once more.
“So, what did the sword person say?” Kaylirr hadn’t realized that Bardoc was standing a hair’s length away from him, his face incredibly close to Kaylirr’s.
“Personal space isn’t your thing, is it?”
“What?”
Kaylirr shook his head. “Never mind. Elet told me to convince you to accompany us to a dangerous mineral deposit deep in the Zargahal mountains.”
“Alright, when do we leave?”
Sairoc laughed out loud, the sound ringing through the room. “I’m here with a bunch of nutjobs, aren’t I?”
Kaylirr gave him an irritated look. “Speak for yourself, friend.”
Elet looked confused. “What, it sounds like fun.”
“You’re the weirdest old man I’ve ever met,” Kaylirr commented.
“Is that a compliment?”
“Sure.”

That night, Kaylirr was restless. The vision that Elet had shown him was weighing heavy on his mind. It seemed like a memory of a place, but whatever was there, staring at his back, seemed to take note of his presence. Did she somehow send his consciousness to the actual place that he saw? He wasn’t one to understand magic as he’d not come into contact with it often, but Kaylirr was a smart man. Years of hard work and negotiating had sharpened his mind as much as his sword skills and he wasn’t one to quickly get confused or scared, but something about the presence in that vision terrified him. Where was this cavern filled with gemstones and what could they expect to find down there that could make him feel that way. Part of him wanted to unsheathe the weapon and ask Elet, but a bigger part of him worried that the answer would scare him more than not knowing. He looked at his nightstand where the strange lantern stood. The flame had died out when it idly stood there and Elet leaned against the nightstand, quiet in the little bit of moonlight that made its way through the small window in their room. Sairoc was fast asleep in the other bed, seemingly unperturbed by the events of the day. Kaylirr turned to lay on his other side, looking away from the sword and the lantern. Too many crazy things were happening to him in a short time. He hadn’t even fully processed losing an arm and now he was talking to a clearly crazy tinkerer who looked like a young woman for a flash of a second, who then made a lantern that burned purple fire and seemed to create a chain through his body that linked up with a talking sword. Things just kept piling onto the pile of weird and Kaylirr couldn’t keep up. Despite his reservations though, Elet’s words rang in his head. We can take out the person responsible for cutting off your arm, destroy their organization and find my brother. He couldn’t help but like the idea of vengeance. With his mind focused on that, sleep finally found him in the dead of night.